Fwoooosh!
A calm, steady figure materialized between Max and the oncoming discs, like a mountain descending from the heavens.
The man raised a single hand. His palm glowed faintly with ancient power, and then—
CRAAACK! BOOOOM!
All the flaming discs shattered midair, as if they had struck an invisible barrier of indomitable strength. They broke apart into fragnts of golden embers before fading into harmless motes of fire, dissipating in the night sky.
Max blinked. Relief surged through him like a tide. "Elder Liam—you’re here." His voice trembled slightly, though not from fear, but from the weight finally lifted from his chest.
Elder Liam gave him a curt nod, his expression calm yet his presence towering. His eyes shifted forward, locking onto Leone. The elder’s aura unfurled silently, pressing down like the invisible weight of heaven itself.
But then his gaze moved past the lion beast—toward the figures now stepping out of the underground ruins. Tower Lord Mathew. Thunder Lord Xandar. And behind them, two other humanoid beasts, their monstrous heads wreathed in strange power, their eyes sharp with malice.
For a brief mont, Elder Liam’s calm composure faltered. Confusion rippled across his face. "Humanoid beasts...? Here?" His brows furrowed, the ancient wisdom in his eyes unable to reconcile what stood before him.
And then—Max’s voice transmission cut through his thoughts like a blade.
In the span of a few breaths, Max relayed everything: the underground lair, the masked n, the transformations, the eting hall, the presence of both Tower Lord Mathew and Thunder Lord Xandar colluding with these beasts, and the revelation of their true identities as demons—descendants of the invaders from ten thousand years ago.
When the last word echoed through Elder Liam’s mind, his body stiffened. His expression darkened to steel, the weight of his solemnity making the air heavy around him.
"Demons..." Elder Liam’s voice was low, but the weight behind it was enough to make the very air tremble. His expression turned grim, the sharp composure of a seasoned powerhouse collapsing into sothing far heavier—shock, disbelief, and dread. His eyes narrowed, the solemn gleam in them betraying how deeply shaken he was.
Demons.
The word itself seed to echo endlessly in his chest, hollow and suffocating. Elder Liam had co here expecting to clash with Tower Lord Mathew, perhaps even Thunder Lord Xander if the situation demanded it. He had been prepared for betrayal, for treachery between forces, even for hidden collusions.
But demons? To think the old nightmare of ten thousand years ago was standing before his eyes in flesh and blood—this was sothing he had never dared to imagine.
The presence of demons in the Middle Domain wasn’t just a threat. It was a catastrophe waiting to explode. The delicate balance among the Seven Overlord Forces, the countless forces, families, and even Lower Domain—everything would shatter if the truth surfaced.
So many questions tore through his mind in that instant.
How had they survived? Why were they here? Why were Tower Lord Mathew and Thunder Lord Xander, esteed lords of their forces, colluding with such abominations? What was their plan?
But Liam’s instincts were honed by centuries of battles. He knew this was not the ti to think—this was the ti to act.
Across the ruined square of the hidden city, Tower Lord Mathew and Thunder Lord Xander also stared at him, their expressions sinking like stones into the abyss. The mont their eyes landed on Elder Liam’s hunter badge gleaming faintly at his chest, their faces darkened with panic and fury.
This hidden city was their most guarded secret. A nest where the demons walked openly, where plans were nurtured in shadows. Yet now, it was exposed. Exposed not just to anyone—but to an elder of the Hunter Association, one of the few powers in the world with authority and strength capable of moving against even the Overlord forces themselves.
"This is bad..." Tower Lord Mathew’s voice trembled with suppressed rage, his tone fierce as his killing intent spilled into the air like suffocating smoke. His eyes flicked toward Leone, the lion-headed humanoid beast whose golden flas still smoldered around his mane. "Leone, this old man is an elder of the Hunter Association. If he escapes—if he spreads this to the world—then everything we’ve built here, every plan, every step will collapse into dust!"
Thunder Lord Xander’s aura crackled like a storm, arcs of purple lightning coiling along his body as his face twisted with urgency. "Leone!" he barked, his voice carrying both desperation and wrath. "We cannot allow him to leave. Not him—and not that kid either." His sharp eyes cut toward Max, his lightning-charged gaze carrying pure intent to kill.
They hadn’t forgotten about Max.
Though none of them could fathom how a boy at the peak of Champion Rank had slipped past every barrier, infiltrated their most guarded underground world, and unearthed the existence of demons, they understood one thing clearly—it was his fault.
If not for Max, none of this would have been exposed. Their secret base, their alliance, their plans—they would still be hidden beneath the earth. And now, because of him, everything was unraveling.
Hatred burned in their eyes. They wanted nothing more than to tear Max apart limb by limb, to erase the one who had ignited this disaster.
But Leone, in his true lion form, didn’t speak a word. His towering body burned with golden flas, but his expression was not twisted in rage like before. Instead, his face was serious, his golden eyes sharp, focused on sothing else entirely.
The sudden change in his deanor made even Tower Lord Mathew and Thunder Lord Xander pause. A flicker of unease ran through them before they too turned in the sa direction, their gazes hardening as though they had sensed sothing ominous.
The silence was heavy—then broken.
From the distance, footsteps echoed through the fractured streets of the hidden city. A group of figures erged from the shadows, their presence suffocating. One by one, they appeared, cloaked in flowing black hoods, their faces hidden behind cold, expressionless masks.
There were six... no, seven of them in total. And every single one of them radiated an overwhelming aura. Each was a Divine Rank expert—not a single weakling among them.
Their steps were steady, their killing intent concealed, yet the sheer weight of their power pressed down on the underground city like a storm about to break.
The sight of them sent a ripple of shock through everyone present.
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