Chapter 588: Meeting Elarion

Chapter 588: Meeting Elarion

Max sprinted through the twisting paths of the ancient maze, his body a blur as he changed direction again and again, his movements guided not by sight but by the invisible awareness granted by his Three-Dimensional Body.

Every turn, every shift in momentum, was precise and deliberate.

He was moving toward the group of people he had sensed—beings with auras distinctly human, flickering with life unlike the monstrous constructs hunting him.

‘No, wait…’ Just as he closed in, his mind reeled at the revelation. ‘They’re surrounded too?’ Through the extended reach of his perception, he saw the truth—dozens upon dozens of those same golems, each one hulking and relentless, were closing in on the group like a tidal wave of stone and bark.

The group, led by Elarion were elves from the Lost Continent, was desperately trying to outrun them, attacking where they could, but it was clear they were being overwhelmed.

‘It seems this entire maze is infested with these monsters,’ Max thought grimly, still charging forward without slowing.

Knowing they were elves led by Elarion, Max picked up his pace and there was another reason Max was heading that way—because his Three-Dimensional Body had picked up something else too: the faint signature of a spatial rupture, a transition point, a possible exit just ahead of the group.

They weren’t just running blindly—they were running toward the only way out. ‘That’s where I need to go,’ Max resolved, his pace quickening.

He guessed now that he, like others had different starting point and had likely started near the center of the maze, a cruel and calculated place to begin. The Citadel didn’t play fair—it threw the strongest into the deepest traps, and Max had likely drawn the shortest straw.

That meant he still had much of the maze to cover, still many traps and ambushes to evade if he wanted to get out of this place. But now, with the direction clear, with the path carved by the desperate resistance of others, he had a target.

And so, it didn’t take long before Max arrived at the part of the maze where Elarion and a group of elven warriors were locked in a desperate retreat, fighting and running as hundreds of golem constructs closed in from all sides.

The scene was chaotic—blasts of elemental magic lighting up the twisted forest path, arrows flying, blades clashing against bark and stone, but it was clear they were being pushed back. The elves, graceful and disciplined as they were, couldn’t match the sheer, unrelenting force of the enemy pressing in on them.

Max’s eyes sharpened, and his expression grew solemn. ‘There are far too many…’ he thought grimly, already knowing that if something wasn’t done immediately, they’d be overwhelmed.

Without hesitation, he activated his Crimson Reaper Inheritance, and a pulse of dark power rippled from his body. In the blink of an eye, ten enormous black flaming spheres erupted into existence, positioned precisely between the advancing golems and the elven group.

The flaming spheres didn’t enclose the golems, they were too many for that—instead, Max used them like burning barriers, walls of hellish fire that rose and held firm, slowing the advance of the monstrous constructs and forcing them to circle or hesitate, giving the elves a critical window.

The air hissed with dark energy as the black flames radiated heat and death, their presence suffocating to anything that tried to push through.

“RUN FOR IT!” Max roared, his voice booming through the maze. “I’ll hold them off for as long as I can!”

Elarion and his elven warriors turned at the sudden voice, shock flashing in their eyes as they saw Max, standing like a wall before the tide of death.

For a heartbeat, none of them moved—some stunned by his appearance, others by the sheer pressure he now exuded—but they quickly understood this wasn’t the time for questions.

Without a word, they sprinted past the flaming barricade and gathered behind Max, the sound of the golems smashing against the barriers echoing like drums of war.

“Follow me. I know the way out,” Max said quickly to Elarion, already pivoting and taking off through the maze. Without hesitation, the elves followed. Max led them at full speed, his Three-Dimensional Body spreading awareness in all directions as they cut through the labyrinth.

Sometimes he turned sharply right, other times left, weaving through the forest paths with fluid precision, avoiding ambushes and false turns.

They didn’t stop. They didn’t look back. And after what felt like a stretch of breathless minutes,

Max finally noticed through his awareness that the army of golems couldn’t be seen anymore meaning they had created some distance between them and the golems. But they didn’t stop and kept moving through.

“Max, how come you’re here?” one of the elite elves asked, his voice filled with disbelief as he ran alongside him. The elf had witnessed Max’s overwhelming battle against Drevon, and to now see him inside the Citadel was nothing short of shocking.

Max didn’t answer immediately, but Elarion, running just a step behind, responded with a faint smile on his lips. “He had the last key to the Citadel,” he said, as if that truth had always been inevitable.

With how monstrous Max’s talent was, how absurd his growth had been, it made perfect sense. If anyone in the Lower Domain were to stumble upon the final key to one of the world’s greatest mysteries, it would be Max.

Max, meanwhile, glanced at the six elves running with him. Something felt off. “Why are there only six of you?” he asked, voice steady but clearly curious. “Weren’t the humans from the Moon Faction supposed to enter with you? I sensed it back when I activated the key—each one allows ten people to enter.”

Elarion’s expression darkened instantly, his face turning cold. “A commander from the Guardians, named Commander Shen, allowed three demons to enter with him.”

His voice was bitter, almost disgusted. “That reduced the available slots on our side. Two of them were Demon Lords, and the third… was an ancient demon. One that’s been hiding in the shadows for decades, maybe centuries.”

Max’s eyes narrowed, his steps never faltering. The guardians are allowing demons into the Citadel? he thought, fury simmering beneath the surface. ‘What game are they playing? And why would they align with demons—especially inside a place as crucial as the Citadel?’ Whatever it was, Max didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Just then, his Three-Dimensional Body pulsed with alert, and Max felt a sudden surge of power—not from behind, but ahead. A battle was taking place not far from their position, and as his awareness spread forward and picked up the details, his eyes narrowed sharply.

The path ahead was opening—the end of the maze was near, and they were about to enter a vast plain, free of the enclosing maze walls that had hemmed them in until now.

“We’re about to reach a plain area—no more maze walls after this turn,” Max called out, his voice serious. “There’s a battle happening up ahead… but listen to me. I have a plan.” He quickly relayed his strategy to Elarion, speaking with calm urgency, laying out how they could approach the battlefield without being overwhelmed and also told him about his plan.

Elarion listened intently, then gave Max a hard look. “Are you sure?” he asked solemnly.

“I’ll be fine,” Max said, his voice steady as steel, eyes gleaming with purpose. “Let’s move.”

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!