Grover's face went pale. His entire body trembled slightly as the pressure bore down on him like the weight of a mountain. His knees almost buckled under the intensity. He tried to speak, but his throat felt dry and tight. When he finally managed to utter sothing, his voice was barely a whisper.
"No… This can't be…" he muttered, disbelief lacing every syllable.
The aura surrounding Max was far too overwhelming. It was impossible. The sheer power pressing against him didn't belong to a 6th level Legend Rank genius. It didn't even belong to soone at the Mythic Rank. No—what he was sensing was sothing much higher. It was as if a being from beyond their realm, sothing from the Divine Rank or even beyond, had descended upon them.
And then there was that dark, suffocating energy. The infernal aura. It wasn't just powerful—it was unnatural. Grover felt as if he were standing before the abyss itself. It wasn't rely energy; it was a force that consud. A devouring, corruptive pressure that seeped into the soul and whispered destruction. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and cold sweat dripped down the side of his face.
"I… I can't breathe…" he whispered unconsciously, his hands trembling as he looked at Max with wide eyes.
Beside him, Tanya wasn't faring any better. Her usually composed expression was gone, replaced by one of shock and disbelief. Her pupils contracted, and for the first ti in her life, she felt genuine fear from standing near soone her own age. Her instincts scread at her that what she was facing wasn't human.
The air around her thickened with an unbearable heaviness. Her mana resisted the suppression, but the attempt was futile. The infernal energy wrapped around her like an invisible hand gripping her throat.
'No! This can't be real!' she thought frantically, her mind spinning as she tried to rationalize what she was feeling.
'The secret realm only open to geniuses from the Mythic Rank and even if they would level up to Divine Rank, it would be at the Divine Palace Platform and Divine Palace Platform hasn't even appeared yet. So how can soone be this strong present here?!'
But logic didn't matter anymore. The truth was right in front of her, and her body knew it better than her mind did. Her heart raced uncontrollably, her breathing quickened, and an overwhelming instinct began to take over—a primal warning that only surfaced when facing death.
Her body scread for her to run.
'Run away,' her mind repeated desperately. 'Run away from him. Run from this monster before it's too late.'
The dark pressure around them thickened again. Grover and Tanya both struggled to stay upright as the weight of Max's aura pressed down harder. The light of their crowns dimd faintly, overwheld by the sheer presence of his power.
Max stood at the center of it all, silent, his eyes cold and steady. His aura surged like a living storm, wild yet perfectly controlled. The crimson hue of his infernal energy flickered faintly around him, forming shadows that twisted and danced on the shattered ground.
Neither Grover nor Tanya dared to move. The arrogance they had carried monts ago was gone, replaced by an emotion they had never felt before—pure, unfiltered terror.
To them, Max was no longer a fellow genius. He wasn't even human. He was a calamity walking in flesh.
"I refuse to believe anyone with such strength can possibly arrive here!" Grover shouted, his voice trembling yet defiant as he glared at Max. His words echoed sharply within the vast stone chamber. The trembling of his limbs was masked by the force of his own denial. He could not, and would not, accept what his senses were telling him.
"This is a lie!" he yelled again, his tone rising. "An illusion ant to deceive us!"
His eyes locked on Max, who stood completely still amidst the chaos, the faint crimson and black aura swirling quietly around him. That calmness, that absolute lack of emotion, only fueled Grover's panic further. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until his knuckles went pale.
"You are only at the sixth level of the Legend Rank," he shouted, as if saying it aloud could make it true. "It's crystal clear! You can't emit such pressure! It's impossible. It can only be an illusion!"
The more he spoke, the more desperate he beca, his voice trembling but his eyes burning with an unsteady determination. The seed of disbelief grew into self-deception, and with every word, Grover convinced himself that what he was seeing was nothing but a trick.
His body began to glow faintly as golden light spread from beneath his skin. "If this is an illusion, then I'll destroy it myself!" he roared.
With a deep breath, he activated his 3rd Level Concept of Gold. A brilliant crimson-gold light erupted from his body, illuminating the entire chamber. His aura surged violently, crashing against Max's dark pressure like a wave against a cliff. The ground beneath him cracked open, unable to withstand the power he released.
In monts, his arms and torso were wrapped in shimring golden armor that radiated heat and energy. The armor spread quickly until his entire body was encased in a crimson-golden glow that distorted the air around him. The power of a Peak Mythic Rank genius burst forth, creating a roaring storm of energy that sent debris and dust swirling through the chamber.
"This facade won't work against !" Grover shouted, his voice echoing over the rumbling ground. He took a single step forward—and vanished.
His movent was so fast that it tore the air apart, leaving behind streaks of burning light as he reappeared in front of Max in the blink of an eye. His fist, encased in golden armor and glowing with condensed energy, shot forward like a blazing teor.
"Die!" he roared, his voice filled with fury and desperation.
Max's eyes didn't even flicker. His face remained calm, his expression indifferent as the golden light rushed toward him. His right hand clenched slowly, and a faint black light gathered around his knuckles. His arm moved almost lazily, as if he wasn't even trying.
Then—
User Comments
0 comments from readers