Chapter 1046: Suppression
"Max is too strong," President William said, his voice carrying a sigh of relief mixed with disbelief. His eyes remained fixed on the battle raging in the arena. "If we had known he could fight against the twin demons without falling behind, we would never have locked him up in the first place."
Lady Divine’s gaze sharpened as she studied Max’s figure, her tone solemn. "It is the infernal energy if I am not mistaken. He has been maintaining that form for more than a week now, and from what I see, all of the infernal energy he has drawn into himself during this time has been stored within him. That is why he appeared so unnaturally calm despite the flaring aura. He has been accumulating it for this very moment, preparing for this battle."
Aden nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "That is what I suspect as well. But the question remains—how did he manage this? To accumulate infernal energy means facing its corruption. The longer one gathers it, the stronger the corruption grows until it consumes both body and mind. And yet look at him. Max seems unaffected. If anything, he is even steadier than before."
The leaders exchanged uneasy glances. The weight of Aden’s words pressed heavily on them.
Then the tiger-masked man, the mysterious leader of the Obsidian Order, broke into a smile. "Who cares how he managed it? What matters is that Max remains himself. He is not lost to the madness of infernal energy. That alone is enough. We do not need the bloodthirsty shadow of Max who slaughters indiscriminately. We need this Max, the one who can channel that monstrous energy yet remain human. As long as he can do that, I do not care what methods he uses."
The others fell silent at his words. Even Lady Divine, who had been the most cautious, did not disagree. They all understood the truth.
Aden’s crimson eyes flickered with sharpness as he turned back toward the battle. Inwardly, his thoughts hardened. ’The Heavenly Lord Secret Domain will decide everything. Whether humanity rises or falls in this war will hinge on what is gained within that place. And Max... Max is the key to it all.’
The leaders continued to watch as the clash in the arena escalated, each silently acknowledging that the youth they once tried to restrain had already surpassed their expectations.
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"Is that all? I was warned by many that you two are too strong but it turned out you two are only two pieces of trashes." Max sneered at them, his eyes glowing bright red.
"Don’t you dare you underestimate us!" Aron and Bron both shouted in unison.
Their bodies flared with demonic light, crimson and black energy pouring out of them in tidal waves that twisted the air. The ground split further beneath their feet, unable to withstand the pressure of their awakening techniques.
Aron raised his massive arms and roared, his skin darkening to a near obsidian shade as streams of blood energy spiraled around him. His body swelled, muscles rippling with unnatural strength as a colossal war hammer of condensed blood force appeared in his grip.
With a single swing, he brought the hammer down, releasing a shockwave that carried the weight of mountains. The wave of blood energy surged forward, hungry to crush everything in its path.
At the same moment, Bron’s form blurred into streaks of light, his figure splitting into dozens of afterimages that darted across the battlefield. Each image released a crimson spear made of condensed demonic energy. They shot forward in a storm, hundreds of blood spears streaking through the air like a rain meant to pierce every inch of space around Max. The combined force of their assault was overwhelming, strength and speed interwoven to annihilate their opponent.
Max’s crimson eyes narrowed. His body shifted, and in his hand appeared his sword, gleaming with killing intent.
The blade vibrated with resonance as he infused it with his understanding of sword, flame, and lightning. The Severing Sword Concept at level three, the Flame Concept at level three, and the Lightning Concept at level three surged into the weapon, intertwining like threads of destruction. The aura around him grew sharp, hot, and electric all at once.
He raised the blade and swung.
The Heaven-Piercing Thunderclap Sword burst forth. The first form came down like a stroke of divine lightning, splitting apart the blood wave of Aron’s hammer. The second form followed immediately, thunder roaring across the arena as his sword cleaved through the storm of crimson spears.
One by one, the images of Bron shattered, his afterimages dispersed like mist under lightning. The sword light carried on, growing fiercer with each form. By the time the ninth form was unleashed, the entire arena was alight with arcs of lightning that split the ground and sky, the barrier groaning under the sheer force of it.
The twin demons staggered back, their combined attack torn apart as though it were nothing. Their eyes widened with rage, but Max did not pause. His blade was raised again, this time wreathed in crimson flames that burned hotter than molten lava.
"Crimson Burial Sword Art... Burial of Nine Suns."
Nine blazing suns ignited in the sky above the arena, each one swirling with destructive fire that radiated unbearable heat. The flames coalesced into orbs of annihilation, and then, with a single swing of Max’s sword, they descended. The suns fell like judgment, each one exploding with crimson fire that scorched the very barrier keeping the crowd safe. The protective runes blazed with blinding light, straining desperately to contain the destruction.
Aron roared in fury, bringing his colossal hammer up to block, but each sun that fell pushed him further back. His arms cracked under the pressure, demonic energy spilling from his body in waves of resistance. Bron’s speed faltered as he tried to dart between the falling suns, but the flames licked at his body no matter how fast he moved. Each explosion rattled his core, forcing blood from his lips.