Saintess's Worthless Husband Turned Dragon Commander novel Chapter 261

CHAPTER 180 PART 2

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Marcus looked at Miguel directly. “Then you take Red Widow and anyone else worth saving, and you leave Five- River Province immediately. Don’t try to recover my body. Don’t attempt revenge. Just survive and rebuild somewhere else.”

Miguel’s jaw tightened. “I’m not abandoning you.”

“You’re following orders,” Marcus corrected. “If I fall, Maurice Springs won’t stop with me. He’ll destroy everyone connected to this hotel. Your survival isn’t betrayal. It’s pragmatism.”

He walked toward the exit before Miguel could argue further.

The night air was cool, carrying the scent of distant rain. Marcus moved through Pearl on the Water’s grounds toward the wooded area that formed a natural buffer between the commercial district and older residential neighborhoods. Trees here were ancient, their branches forming canopies that blocked streetlight and moonlight equally.

Perfect terrain for what was coming.

Marcus positioned himself at the center of a small clearing, his back to a massive oak tree, his dragon senses extending outward to map the surrounding environment. He could feel Miguel’s surveillance team positioned at safe distances, monitoring but not interfering. Could sense the ambient life of the forest, small animals moving through underbrush, night birds calling from high branches.

And approaching from the northwest, a presence that made everything else feel insignificant by comparison.

Maurice Springs entered the clearing with the casual confidence of someone who’d never lost a fight that mattered. His white hair caught what little light penetrated the canopy. His expensive suit remained immaculate despite the walk through urban streets and forest paths. His eyes locked onto Marcus with the focused attention of a predator recognizing prey.

“Marcus Steel,” Maurice said, his voice carrying easily across the clearing. “The Dragon King. I’ve heard so much about you in the past twelve hours. Reports of your strength, your speed, your apparent invincibility. Very impressive.”

“You must be Maurice Springs,” Marcus replied calmly. “Branch manager. Furious father. Man who jumped from a thirteen story window because using the elevator was beneath his dignity.”

Maurice’s expression didn’t change. “Humor. Interesting choice for someone in your position. Most people facing me are too terrified to make jokes.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No, you’re not.” Maurice took several steps closer, evaluating Marcus with the practiced eye of someone who’d assessed countless opponents. “You’re the man who crippled my son. Who humiliated Willson Pavilion disciples. Who threatened our organizational authority. That makes you either incredibly brave or remarkably stupid.”

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive,” Marcus observed.

Maurice smiled without warmth. “True. In your case, I suspect it’s both. You have genuine capability, clearly demonstrated by your string of victories across Five-River Province. But you lack understanding of larger power structures. You think provincial dominance translates to immunity from international organizations.”

“And you think organizational backing translates to personal invincibility,” Marcus countered. “We’ll find out who’s correct shortly.”

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“Indeed we will.” Maurice’s smile vanished. “Any last words? Final messages for loved ones? Now would be the time.”

“Just one question,” Marcus said. “Did you really think I’d run? That threatening me would make me flee Five- River Province like a frightened animal?”

“I thought you might be intelligent enough to recognize overwhelming force,” Maurice replied. “Apparently intelligence isn’t among your strengths.”

“Or maybe,” Marcus suggested, “I recognized that running would only delay the inevitable. You’d hunt me regardless. Better to face you here, on terrain I’ve chosen, than constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for Willson Pavilion assassins.”

Maurice considered this. “Tactical thinking. I can respect that even if I’m about to kill you for it.”

His hand moved without further warning, fingers curled into a claw strike aimed directly at Marcus’s throat. The attack was blindingly fast, enhanced by internal energy cultivation that made Maurice’s hand blur with speed no normal human could achieve.

Marcus’s fist intercepted the strike.

Dragon power surged through his arm, meeting Maurice’s cultivated energy with force that came from a completely different source. The impact created a shockwave that rustled leaves and disturbed sleeping birds.

Maurice’s expression shifted from confident to shocked in the span of a heartbeat. His claw strike, which should have torn through flesh and crushed windpipe, had been stopped cold by a simple punch. The force behind Marcus’s counter actually pushed him backward several steps, his feet sliding across forest floor despite his enhanced strength trying to maintain position.

“That’s impossible,” Maurice breathed. “Your power level, it’s not just cultivation. It’s something else entirely.”

“Dragon power,” Marcus confirmed. “Different source. Different rules. Different outcomes.”

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