With a deep breath, Max deactivated the Infernal Demon Tattoo. The forcefield of dark energy surrounding him shimred for a mont before dissipating into nothing, leaving only faint ripples in the air.
"Let's go," he said, turning toward the distance. "I can feel it… Alice isn't far from here."
Blob gave a nod and hovered silently behind him.
But they hadn't taken more than a few steps before Max froze.
He didn't say anything at first.
His body stiffened, his eyes narrowing, gaze locked on a patch of thick gray fog ahead. A strange stillness blanketed the air, the kind that ca before sothing happened.
The Blob imdiately sensed the shift and halted as well, his usual carefree expression turning serious.
Max's voice rang out, low and firm. "Co out. The fog may conceal your figure—but I can feel you. Soone's there."
There was a pause.
Then, a chuckle.
"Hehe… truly deserving to be called the strongest genius of the Valora Continent."
A figure stepped through the fog.
Envoy Lucas.
Max's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Sir Envoy? What are you doing here?"
Lucas gave a light shake of the head, his expression calm and composed. "A storm of infernal energy blew through the area. We were all separated." He glanced at Max and then at Blob. "It seems you were split from your squad as well."
Max nodded slowly, feigning disappointnt. "Yeah… an infernal being attacked us. We ran in different directions… and I got lost."
His voice carried a perfect tone of frustration and helplessness. A practiced mask.
Lucas smiled gently. "No need to worry. With here, I'll take you straight back to your team."
Max gave a small sigh of relief, nodding gratefully. "Then I'll thank Sir Envoy in advance."
He pointed toward the east, where Alice's presence tugged faintly at his senses. "I ca from that direction. My squad should be nearby. Let's head there."
Lucas nodded, still smiling. "Of course. Just walk beside . Everything will be fine."
Max stepped forward, a polite smile on his face.
Blob floated behind silently, his small form unusually still.
The three moved forward—but the mont Max reached Lucas's side…
It happened.
With lightning speed, Lucas's arm shot out, fingers curved like claws, reaching for Max's throat.
But just before contact—
Max vanished.
A flicker of light.
And then, he reappeared a few ters away, his posture steady, eyes sharp.
"Sir Envoy," Max said, his eyes wide, "what are you doing?"
Lucas blinked.
Then smiled again—wider this ti.
"I see… you've gotten stronger," he said, voice low, almost admiring. "You've stepped into the Adept Rank. Impressive."
He raised both hands slowly, feigning innocence. "I was simply testing your reflexes. Wanted to see how you'd react to a surprise strike. You did well."
Max gave a short, humorless laugh. "Did I?"
The smile vanished from his face. His gaze sharpened.
"Cut the bullshit," he said, voice hard. "Your intentions aren't good, Sir Envoy. Don't pretend otherwise."
For a mont, the fog thickened between them, a tension humming in the air like a drawn blade.
And Max didn't miss the flicker of malice in Lucas's eyes.
"What do you an?" Envoy Lucas asked, tilting his head as though genuinely confused. "I was simply testing your reflexes—nothing more," he added with a casual shrug, his voice smooth as silk.
Max let out a slow, disappointed sigh, his gaze cold.
"You know," he said quietly, "I actually thought you were different. I really did."
His tone dropped lower, cutting deeper. "But in the end, you're just like the rest of them. Either after my treasures… or after my life."
Lucas's feigned politeness dropped like a shattered mask.
His lips twisted into a sneer.
"Well, can you bla ?" he said, eyes gleaming with greed. "Everything about you is worth stealing—your potential, your power, your secrets… and the treasures you've gathered on the way."
Max's eyes turned to ice.
"So, you've been planning this from the start," he said, his voice like a blade in the dark.
Lucas chuckled darkly. "You catch on quick."
He took a slow step forward, the fog curling around his figure like coiled snakes.
"Ever since I saw your fights against the top geniuses of the Valora Continent, I knew sothing about you didn't make sense," Lucas said, his tone turning sinister. "You were only Level 7 of the Apprentice Rank, and yet you were outmatching people at the peak of Adept Rank. That's not talent—that's unnatural."
His smile widened.
"And then ca your battle against the Lost Continent's finest… That sealed it. No normal genius could do what you did. Not even with a monstrous bloodline."
Max remained silent, expression unreadable.
Lucas went on, voice curling with venom. "But I couldn't make a move then. Not with the Black Lotus Guild and Phoenix Order guild backing you… and certainly not with all eyes watching. So I waited. I watched. I took my ti."
His eyes darkened. "And then, you volunteered. You wanted to join the exploration team of the Mourning Depths. Walked right into my reach."
He chuckled. "That's when I decided to act. You should know anything happening to anyone here is their own problem. Nobody is blad for anyone's death. And if I killed you here then nobody would know it was . They would thought so infernal beings killed you."
Max stared at him, face devoid of emotion. But inside, a storm churned.
At first, he hadn't suspected anything. Lucas had always acted with grace and patience—he wore the mask of a man with purpose and loyalty.
But that had been before.
Before Aurelia stabbed him in the back.
Before he realized how fragile trust really was.
Since that day, he never dropped his guard around anyone—not even Alice. He couldn't afford to. Not here. Not now.
He had no room for naïve hope. Only survival.
Then—
Suddenly, the earth beneath Max's feet trembled.
A suffocating pressure descended like a mountain crashing from the sky. The air itself grew heavy, thick with invisible weight.
Max's body tensed instinctively.
He used his Level 3 Lightning Aura along with level 3 Fla Aura but they were crushed the mont they took form around his body.
His breathing hitched.
Then—he understood.
His eyes sharpened.
"A… Concept," he muttered, his voice laced with alarm.
"Yes," Envoy Lucas said, his sneer widening as the very earth seed to tremble beneath his feet. "A Level 1 Concept of Earth."
His voice was cold and sharp, vibrating with power.
"I didn't want to use a concept here," he admitted, glancing at the heavy fog thickening around them. "It's bound to attract infernal beings. But I suppose I'm helpless in the face of soone like you."
His gaze locked onto Max, and for a brief mont, sothing primal flickered in his eyes—hunger.
Max's face darkened. He didn't speak. Instead, with a small wave of his hand, he gestured toward Blob—and in an instant, the floating spirit vanished into a pocket of space, tucked away safely inside Max's Spirit Dinsion.
But Lucas saw it.
And his greed only deepened.
That single motion told him everything: Max wasn't just strong—he was dangerous, mysterious, and filled with secrets the world had never seen.
Suddenly, the fog around them thickened—not just dense, but heavy, as if it had turned almost liquid. The air warped with tension.
Then ca Blob's voice, echoing faintly into Max's ear from the dinsion.
"Max, I sense it… Many infernal beings are heading this way. That concept stirred them. You need to leave. Now."
User Comments
0 comments from readers