WOOSH!
A crimson streak of lightning flashed across the space like a divine judgment descending from the heavens. In an instant, the Storm King appeared right in front of Max, his red lightning-coated spear crashing down with the force of a divine calamity.
But Max was readyâthis time, he wasnât the same man who had been overwhelmed before. His Three Dimensional Body had already warned him of the approach, calculating every motion, every tremor in the air.
Without a shred of hesitation, Max took out his sword, the edge gleaming with power as his level 2 Concept of Severing Sword surged into its form. Then he swung down.
BOOM!
The clash was cataclysmic. The moment the sword and the spear collided, the entire platform beneath them didnât just crackâit vaporized. Not even fragments remained. The very matter turned into fine dust, and before that dust could even settle, it was blasted apart by the overwhelming shockwave that burst from the impact.
Rings of pure destructive force rippled outward, distorting the air and shattering nearby stones. Red lightning tendrils exploded outward from the Storm Kingâs spear, slashing through space like angry serpents, while arcs of invisible sword force flared around Maxâs blade, cutting down every strike of lightning before it could reach him.
Maxâs arms trembled slightly from the sheer force pressing against him, but his stance remained firm. His black armor of flames clashed against the divine crimson of the Storm Kingâs lightning, the two powers locked in a furious deadlock.
Sparks of red lightning danced across his black flaming armor, while waves of invisible sharpness from Maxâs sword forced the Storm King to tighten his grip on the spear. The entire space around them cracked like broken glass under the intensity of the clashâflame and storm, severing and piercing, all converging in that single frozen moment of power.
And yet neither stepped back. They were two titans clashing in full power, and the storm had only just begun.
âHeâs still too strong!â Max gritted his teeth as his arms began to go numb, his grip on the sword trembling ever so slightly under the crushing force of the Storm Kingâs spear. The red lightning coiled around the weapon like a wrathful deityâs curse, pressing down on him with unrelenting fury.
Even his legs, reinforced by the might of his Flame Tyrant boots and the golden glow of his Draconic Essences, were starting to buckle under the pressure. The ground beneath his feet was already splintered, barely holding together as waves of power surged through his body.
And yet... this was him at his peak. Max had summoned everythingâhis Flame Tyrant Inheritance cloaking his body in full armor of black fire, his Dragon Scales Transformation hardening him like a mythical beast, and six hundred fully active Draconic Essences amplifying every fiber of his strength to an unimaginable level.
This should have made him unstoppable in physical combat. But despite all that, he could only barely hold the Storm King at a standstill.
Only now did Max truly grasp the terrifying difference in their level. The Storm King wasnât just powerfulâhe was overwhelming, an embodiment of lightning itself given form and will. And Max finally understood.
The last time they had fought, he had been obliterated in a single strike when the Storm Kingâs eyes had turned red and surged with lightning. He hadnât stood a chance then, and the reason was now painfully clear.
Back then, he had been weaker, yesâbut more importantly, he had underestimated the man. He had failed to comprehend what kind of existence he was challenging.
The Storm King wasnât someone who could be gauged with common sense. He was a storm given purpose... and Max was only beginning to scratch the surface of what it meant to fight him.
âI have to use everything then... Black Sun!â Max muttered inwardly, his eyes narrowing with grim determination. The air around him trembled, and in the next instant, black flames erupted to life, swirling violently as if responding to his will.
A small crown, wreathed in black fire, formed just above his headâits flames flickering with an ominous majesty. And then, far above, stretching across the sky above the island, another crownâmassive and oppressiveâappeared, suspended in the air like a blazing sun of darkness.
It was only half the size of the entire island, yet it exuded an unbearable pressure, casting shadows of flame and authority across the world below.
âCrimson Reaper!â Max followed up instantly, not hesitating for even a heartbeat. His body pulsed with his inheritanceâs might, and in a flash, the black flaming sphere formed around the Storm King, swallowing him whole.
The speed of the attack was beyond imaginationâso sudden and so fast that even someone of the Storm Kingâs caliber failed to react in time. The entire battlefield trembled as the sphere solidified.
"Explode!" Max muttered causing the black flaming sphere to react violently as it began to release insane heat and glowed violently as if it was about to explode at any moment but then it came to halt. The explosion process paused and the sphere returned to its calm form.
"What happened?!" Max frowned. This had never happened before.
But what happened next left him shaken. Cracks formed across the sphere. Then, with a deafening roar, it tore open from the inside, as if some monstrous force had awakened within.
From the blazing rift, the Storm King emergedâhis figure radiating an otherworldly intensity. His entire body was drenched in red lightning, from the roots of his long white hair to the soles of his boots.
It wasnât just lightningâit was like he was the eye of a storm, walking forward wrapped in chaos, fury, and divine wrath. Red lightning danced across his skin like serpents, flashing violently with every step he took.
His eyes were glowing orbs of crimson, crackling with boundless power. In that moment, he didnât look like a man. He looked like the embodiment of the storm itself, awakened by Maxâs power, and ready to unleash hell.