Chapter 509: Domain?

Chapter 509: Domain?

Just as the embers from the last battle faded into the void, the space before Max shimmered again. Faint energy rippled across the arena tiles as another figure began to take shape, slowly condensing from a haze of red and black.

A calm, emotionless voice rang out from above, echoing through the towering walls of the Inheritance Tower. “Second opponent of the True Inheritance Trial Qualification Test—Black Dragon Palace, Vanguard General Paul.”

Max’s gaze sharpened. ‘A Vanguard General?’ That meant Paul wasn’t just a common genius—he might be someone who led the charge in wars, someone who forged a path through fire and blood for others to follow.

The title carried weight, and Max’s interest stirred.

After a few heartbeats, the form fully materialized. A tall, black-haired youth stood across from him, his posture upright, his aura cold and disciplined. His expression held no trace of emotion—indifferent, as if he had killed a thousand times and expected nothing less this time either.

“Level 1 of Expert Rank…” Max observed casually, noting the same adjusted strength level. He remained still, waiting—calm, confident. He didn’t have to wait long.

Without a word, General Paul raised his hand, and with a sharp motion, three black fireballs ignited into existence, each swirling with refined intensity. The fire wasn’t normal—it crackled with a higher resonance, forged by the Concept of Flames.

They shot toward Max one after the other in rapid succession, their paths sharp and precise. Max’s eyes flicked once. With a smooth motion, he drew his sword and swept it in a fluid arc, slicing all three fireballs apart before they could touch him.

The flames hissed and vanished, snuffed out by the sheer sharpness of his strike.

Paul didn’t hesitate. In the next instant, he launched a blazing spear of black flame that twisted in the air like a dragon.

Max stepped forward, raising his free hand, and released his own black flames, devouring Paul’s spear with flames even darker and more ferocious. It vanished in a single breath.

Paul’s eyes narrowed. He thrust both hands forward, and a wave of black fire surged along the ground, splitting the arena tiles as it moved like a burning tsunami.

Max stomped his foot down, and the raw power of 300 Draconic Essences burst from his body like a shockwave, shattering the wave mid-charge and leaving only smoke behind.

Then came the large-scale attacks.

Paul pointed to the sky, and three enormous pillars of black flame erupted around Max, trapping him in a triangle of blazing heat. The flames were laced with Concept of Flames, burning brighter and more violently with each second.

Max closed his eyes for a brief moment and exhaled slowly. The next instant, he slashed with his sword slicing each of the three pillar of flames into nothingness. He then appeared behind General Paul, untouched, the heat unable to even singe his clothes.

“You’ll have to do better,” Max muttered.

Paul clenched his fists, and the world around them changed.

Suddenly, the air turned thick and suffocating. The ground pulsed with waves of heat. Everything became heavy with burning energy.

Domain.

Paul had activated his Domain of Flames. Flames erupted in every direction, painting the world in black, a landscape where Paul reigned supreme. From within the domain, countless blades and spears of fire rained toward Max, their edges honed by Concept.

“Finally a Domain…” Max was excited seeing the world full of black flames but he wasn’t distracted.

With a calm breath, he invoked his own Concept of Flames, and instantly, the raging domain was countered—not broken, but tamed.

The fire attacks came, one after another, but Max danced through them, deflecting some with his sword, letting his black flames consume others, and at times, simply tanking them with the monstrous physical strength his Draconic Essences granted. It was as if nothing could touch him.

However, just as Max lowered his sword and the last remnants of the fire domain scattered into the air, something strange happened—the Domain of Flames, which should have lingered for a long time, vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

The suffocating heat, the oppressive spiritual pressure, everything disappeared in an instant.

Max blinked, confused, his brow furrowed. “Huh? It’s gone?” he muttered, glancing around, his senses sharpening.

But then—a shift. A subtle yet sudden pulse in the air. His Three Dimensional Body caught sight of a projectile heading in his direction. Fast.

Without hesitation, Max shot into the sky, his body becoming a streak of black flames. A moment later, a devastating slash of black flames cut through the space where he had been standing just a second ago. The ground below cracked violently from the force, leaving behind a molten scar in the arena floor.

Max’s eyes snapped toward the direction the attack came from—and what he saw made even his heart lurch.

Standing there was General Paul—but he wasn’t the same man anymore. His calm, indifferent aura had deepened into something ancient and feral.

Towering behind him was a colossal entity, a being made entirely of condensed black flames. It loomed like a deity of war, its semi-transparent form radiating heat that warped the very air around it.

In its massive hands was a bow—unlike anything Max had ever seen—made of living fire, and its eyes, glowing pits of seething darkness, were locked onto him with deadly intent.

Max’s breath caught for a moment. ‘What… what is that?’ Never in his life had he seen such an attack. It wasn’t just powerful—it was deliberate, focused, and built with terrifying precision. And that’s when it hit him. The Domain earlier hadn’t been Paul’s ultimate move. It had been a misdirection—a smokescreen designed solely to hold Max’s attention while he prepared this monstrosity.

Max’s mind whirled. ‘Aren’t Domains supposed to be the manifestation of one’s strongest Concept? The peak of one’s understanding?’

Yet Paul had used it as bait—meaning this was his true killing move, something beyond the Domain. But the towering fire-being didn’t care for Max’s thoughts. It moved again, its blazing arms pulling back the string of the flame bow slowly, ominously.

The air began to tremble. The ground beneath Paul cracked further from the sheer pressure.

Whoosh!

The sharp, cutting sound tore through the air as an arrow of black flames launched from the colossal flame-being’s bow. It sliced through the sky like a beam of molten death, leaving a burning trail in its wake as it screamed toward Max.

But Max didn’t flinch. His sword moved in a clean arc, and with a burst of concentrated force, he cleaved the arrow in half mid-flight, the black flames dissipating into harmless wisps of smoke.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the remnants fade. “His class…” Max muttered under his breath, his mind quickly analyzing the battlefield, “it’s likely a ranged bow and arrow type. But this—this giant flame being—it must be some kind of advanced projection, a unique combination of class abilities and a high-level technique bound together through his Concept of Flames.”

Before the thought could fully settle, another flaming arrow came screaming toward him. Max reacted instantly, his sword flashing once more, and the second arrow was destroyed just as effortlessly. Yet something gnawed at him. These attacks weren’t just brute force—they were layered with intent, strategy, and a kind of pressure that most ranged fighters lacked.

Then, without warning, the massive flame-being shifted again. Its burning arms moved in a blur as it notched not one, but ten arrows at once, the bow creaking with heat and power. Max’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Ten at once?’

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