Chapter 278: Aelric's True Strength

"Hey, that's Frevo Banian… He's from the Second Crown!"

The realization hit fast.

The tension, which had already reached a peak, spiked even further.

"Yeah, I heard his strength has already reached Level 3 of Seeker Rank… And he's still under 30! Just 29 years old!"

"He's a monster. I've heard his name mentioned alongside other legends—Drake, Luna, Marcus… Those four are the absolute top of the South Region's younger generation!"

A brief pause.

Then—

"If he's taking action, I doubt that masked guy will dare to do anything reckless now."

The words carried a heavy certainty, almost as if the fight had already been decided before it had even begun.

After all—this was Frevo Banian.

A genius acknowledged by the South's elite, his strength already placing him among the strongest of his generation.

He wasn't someone you could just provoke and walk away from unscathed.

And yet—

As the murmurs settled, all eyes turning to see how the masked figure would react—

But…

Max simply… stood there.

Unmoved.

Unfazed.

Almost as if the hype, the expectations, the power behind Frevo Banian's name—meant nothing to him.

Crown Prince Aelric's expression hardened, his patience running thin.

"No, nobody will do anything from now on."

His voice was firm, filled with the unmistakable weight of royalty and command.

Then—

He clenched his fist upward, and in an instant—

Hundreds of golden swords materialized in the air, glowing with divine brilliance.

They floated above the garden, forming an unbreakable barrier, encircling both Max and the South Region's elite geniuses.

The entire atmosphere shifted, growing heavier, charged with tension.

Crown Prince Aelric was no longer just watching—

He was taking control.

But before anyone could process his actions, a voice cut through the air.

"Aelric, are you defending that masked guy?"

A new presence stepped forward.

A woman—Luna.

Her short, raven-black hair barely reached her shoulders, framing a face that was strikingly beautiful.

But it wasn't just her beauty that drew attention—

It was the dark markings etched across her face, patterns that didn't diminish her beauty but instead enhanced it, giving her an almost mystical allure.

And she wasn't alone.

Behind her, Drake and Marcus followed closely, their expressions carrying an unmistakable air of dominance.

In mere moments—

The strongest geniuses of the South Region had gathered in one place.

Luna's sharp eyes locked onto Aelric.

Her voice was calm, but beneath it was an undeniable edge of warning.

"This guy just came here to harass the South."

She spoke with absolute certainty, as if her words alone were fact.

"You should take a neutral stance and not interfere in this matter."

Crown Prince Aelric met her gaze, his golden swords glowing brightly as they hovered in the air.

"I can't allow a fight here," he said firmly.

"So you all should calm down."

But—

That wasn't going to happen.

Drake let out a low chuckle, his grin widening as he stepped forward.

"That's not going to happen."

His words were casual, but there was an underlying threat woven into them.

Then, with a slow gesture, he cracked his knuckles.

"Either you take back your swords…"

His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

"Or you get dragged into this, too."

Aelric's brows furrowed, his grip tightening.

But Marcus—

Marcus simply sneered.

"Our numbers are way greater than yours."

A step forward.

"So think carefully."

Crown Prince Aelric's frown deepened as he surveyed the growing storm of tension.

The situation had spiraled out of control.

With Luna, Drake, and Marcus joining in, the hostility from the South Region's strongest geniuses had reached an undeniable peak.

And worse—

He knew his father, the King, wouldn't interfere.

The royal court had long established that conflicts among the younger generation were to be settled by themselves.

No generals.

No elders.

No outside interference.

That meant—if this escalated further, it would be an all-out clash of young powerhouses.

And right now, with how unified the South Region stood, the odds were against him.

But just then—

A voice cut through the rising tension.

A voice calm, confident, and utterly unfazed.

"I see. More ants have arrived now."

Max's words were light, but they carried a weight that made the air grow colder.

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion—

He lifted his right hand, his fingers relaxed but exuding dominance.

And then—

He signaled.

"Leave them to me, Your Highness."

Aelric's eyes narrowed.

This masked guy started everything and now he wanted to take care of the problem?

He almost cursed this guy.

But at this someone else reacted to Max's bold words.

Marcus let out a loud, mocking laugh, his aura flaring as he stepped forward.

"You?"

He scoffed, shaking his head.

"You might have caught Arthur off guard earlier, but against us?"

His eyes gleamed with contempt, his Seeker Rank pressure leaking outward, wrapping the air in a suffocating weight.

"It won't work."

His fists clenched, his body tensing, ready to strike.

Just as he was about to attack—

"No! Everyone stop moving!"

Crown Prince Aelric's voice exploded through the garden, carrying the authority of a ruler.

And then—

The sky darkened.

Or rather—

It turned gold.

In a single motion, the number of floating weapons surged exponentially, rising from mere hundreds to a staggering ten thousand.

A full-scale arsenal of divine weapons filled the skies above the garden.

Spears, swords, halberds, daggers, axes—each one humming with terrifying energy, coated in the powerful aura of a Level 3 Seeker Rank.

A storm of blades, enough to wipe out an army.

Aelric's expression was now cold, unyielding.

"I will not allow this fight to happen here."

His words echoed through the stunned silence.

Because even the arrogance of the South Region's geniuses couldn't ignore the absolute force before them.

Aelric wasn't just the Crown Prince.

He was an absolute powerhouse.

And right now—he was making it clear that if anyone so much as moved, they would face his wrath.

Luna's lips curled into a faint smile, but it was not one of amusement.

It was the kind of smile one wore when facing an unexpected challenge, a smile that hid calculations behind it.

Her aura surged, pushing toward the peak of level 3 of Seeker Rank, her presence like a tide rising against an immovable force.

Then, in a voice as light as a whisper, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension, she spoke.

"You think these weapons could stop us?"

Her eyes flickered toward the golden arsenal, her gaze sharp, almost measuring.

But before she could say anything more—

The sky shifted again.

Crown Prince Aelric's expression darkened.

His golden eyes gleamed, no longer carrying the restrained patience he had shown earlier.

He had held back, hoping to avoid escalation.

He had spoken with reason, giving them a way out.

But it seemed—

They had mistaken his patience for weakness.

"What about now?"

His voice was cold, absolute, the tone of a man who had just run out of tolerance.

And then—

The sky became a sea of weapons.

The floating golden blades multiplied, surging from tens of thousands to an uncountable number.

Wherever one looked—

They saw nothing but swords, spears, halberds, and arrows—a golden storm hanging over the garden, their sheer presence turning the very air into razor-thin tension.

Each weapon hummed with unstoppable force, carrying the overwhelming pressure of a Level 3 Seeker Rank.

And worst of all—