Read Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) Novel by Only For You Updated 2025 -26 - Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) Chapter 3248

The street had long since ceased to resemble a street.

It was a shattered corridor of stone and dust.

Andrew drove forward again.

Both palms slammed into Pablo’s chest in rapid succession—each strike landing with the clang of hammer against anvil. The metallic resonance echoed down the broken boulevard. Pablo did not yield. He expanded his chest slightly, absorbing the force head-on as though welcoming it.

Andrew withdrew two steps.

Pablo advanced one.

Their distance vanished instantly.

Andrew ducked under a grasping hand, spun on his heel, and snapped his knee upward like a launched spear.

Boom.

Pablo staggered back three full steps.

Each step detonated the ground beneath him, leaving cratered impressions carved into the pavement.

“No wonder Nate fell,” Pablo said calmly, golden steel gleaming beneath torn fabric. “Even without considering cultivation… your combat instincts are the finest I have seen.”

His body shifted.

The metallic sheen deepened into radiant gold-plated steel. Veins of light traced across his skin like molten circuitry.

“But from here on,” he added quietly, “I fight at full strength.”

Andrew raised one fist. Flattened the other palm.

“Then stop talking.”

Pablo moved first.

His leg came down like a falling pillar, splitting air with a shriek. As Andrew slipped aside, Pablo’s palms rubbed together mid-motion, compressing golden energy into a dense sphere no larger than a fist.

It fired.

Andrew punched forward to intercept.

The collision did not explode outward—it compressed inward, then rebounded. The shockwave hammered into Andrew’s chest. He stumbled backward repeatedly, boots carving furrows into shattered asphalt.

Pablo blurred.

Elbow.

Palm.

Knee.

Heel.

A seamless storm of shifting angles and crushing density.

Andrew’s expression never changed. Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. He returned elbow for elbow, kick for kick—close-range brutality with no wasted movement.

Then—

Rip.

His upper garment shredded entirely.

His torso was streaked in blood.

Against absolute defense, even a tempered body had limits.

Pablo’s Diamond Body Art had reached full coverage.

Every inch gleamed.

Every inch was a fortress.

At the far end of the street—

A new pressure entered the battlefield.

Philip stepped forward, coat fluttering behind him.

His voice cut through the roar.

“Patriarch Pablo. Showing up uninvited in Chetvine? You’re putting me in a very awkward position.”

Pablo did not look at him.

He pushed both palms forward, then snapped them into fists mid-extension. Thundercloud-like energy coiled around his knuckles.

Two explosive cracks tore the air.

Andrew retreated again, blood finally spilling freely down his chin.

Yet—

His aura did not fall.

It climbed.

Higher.

Sharper.

“Again!” Andrew roared.

Battle intent flooded every limb. He attacked without hesitation, fists slamming into golden steel again and again. The sound rang like continuous cannon fire.

But Pablo’s body held.

Forced back.

Never broken.

Philip watched carefully.

He knew.

If this prolonged, Andrew’s injuries would compound.

“Patriarch Pablo,” Philip said gravely, stepping closer, aura beginning to unfold, “you understand exactly who Andrew represents. The military and the Divine Dragon Order have chosen him. If you intend to cripple that hope, we will not stand idle.”

Pablo finally answered, voice cold but steady.

“The Hearst family also protects its own future. Guillermo has already been cornered in Chetvine by this young man. If Andrew continues unchecked, my family will follow the Divine Alchemists into exile.”

A heavy pause.

“The military may choose him. That does not mean the Hearst family must sacrifice itself.”

Philip shook his head slowly.

“Some tides cannot be resisted forever.”

The air thickened.

His own aura began to surface—vast, disciplined, and restrained compared to the explosive violence of Andrew and Pablo.

“I know words are meaningless now.”

He stepped forward again.

“Therefore, Patriarch Pablo… I can only ask you to remain in Chetvine.”

The implication was unmistakable.

If Pablo refused—

Philip would intervene directly.

A three-way collision between a peak Martial God, a breaking-through monster, and Holtrien’s top military leader would shatter more than a city.

Pablo’s golden eyes flickered briefly.

Andrew wiped blood from his chin.

Then he stepped forward again.

“No.”

Both men glanced at him.

Andrew’s breathing was heavy.

But steady.

“This is my fight.”

His aura surged once more—no longer chaotic.

It began compressing inward.

Condensing.

Refining.

Even Pablo’s gaze sharpened.

Philip frowned.

Because he recognized the signs.

Andrew was not weakening.

He was reaching something.

And if he crossed that threshold—

The board of Holtrien would flip permanently.

Stone fragments around Andrew began to lift into the air.

The cracked earth trembled.

Blood dripped from his body—

Yet his presence felt taller than ever.

Pablo slowly exhaled.

“Then show me.”

Golden radiance erupted fully.

The sky above Chetvine darkened as storm clouds spiraled inward.

And in the ruins of a broken street—

The decisive collision began to form.