Chapter 255: Matching the Emperor In Power

The beads continued forming one after another. A golden bead appeared next. Each new bead caused another violent pulse to erupt from Max’s hearts, increasing the intensity of the flames surrounding his body.

The ground beneath him began to crack as waves of scorching pressure spread across the ruined landscape.

Aragon grew more excited as he watched the transformation unfold. A wide grin stretched across his face as he repeatedly cracked his knuckles, rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck from side to side, loosening every part of his enormous body as though preparing for the battle he had waited his entire life to experience.

Crimson magic danced around him in increasingly violent waves, forcing the two remaining Imperial Court commanders farther away. Neither dared to resist. Their eyes remained fixed upon the headless corpse of their fallen companion, but whatever grief they felt was quickly overwhelmed by the terror gripping their hearts.

They understood what was about to happen.

Without their emperor present, there was no one capable of controlling the situation, much less stopping the two monsters if they truly began fighting. Even escaping might become impossible once their powers collided and swallowed the surrounding lands.

"Our empire is doomed..." Lucius muttered through clenched teeth, keeping his voice low enough for only Valeria to hear. "The last time our emperor fought the Crimson Horde Emperor, half the settlements across both empires were flattened by their magic."

His gaze slowly shifted toward Max.

"And that monster over there seems to be closing in on the same level." Lucius clenched his trembling fists, frustration and helplessness spreading across his face. "Shit... If only we could stop him before he finishes whatever he is doing."

Valeria said nothing. Her pale expression already revealed that she understood the truth.

They were no longer powerful figures capable of deciding the course of the battle. All they could do was retreat as far as possible and pray that they would not be caught between the two monsters when their powers finally collided.

"He’s occupied here," Valeria finally said as she looked back at Max, seeing him as a demon that had to be slain. "Rally every soldier still capable of fighting. We will launch a revenge assault against Voidstar and kill every last citizen."

Lucius turned toward her as the fear within his eyes slowly gave way to understanding.

"A tooth for a tooth," Valeria continued. "We will show them that the Imperial Court Empire cannot be attacked without consequence. Once our emperor arrives, he will kill Maximus himself, just as he did before, and this time, I hope he remains dead."

A smirk spread across Lucius’s face.

Most of their main forces remained gathered around the capital. If they rallied every available soldier and led them through the lands that had once belonged to Frankindia and Britana, they could slip past Max and reach Voidstar within two days.

Once there, they intended to bring ruin upon everything he had built and slaughter the people he had left behind.

Max knew nothing about their plan.

Another bead began forming within the flames of his Magic Soul. Unlike the other four, it was translucent and shaped like a crystal, its clear surface reflecting the colors of the beads surrounding it.

The moment Max’s two hearts released their next simultaneous beat, the flames twisted around all five beads. Something within his Magic Soul began to change as the fire drew them closer together.

An outline gradually took shape around them.

It resembled a human figure, but its body possessed no flesh or features. Every part of it was formed from the colors released by the five beads, their different powers spreading throughout the outline without losing their individual appearances.

A sudden burst of pain struck Max’s head.

It resembled a powerful explosion erupting inside his skull, forcing his body to tense as the pressure spread through every part of him. A moment later, magical energy burst from his body in every direction.

Max threw back his head and roared.

His voice shook the surrounding lands as the eruption tore through the air, causing the ground to tremble beneath everyone who remained nearby.

"Move!" Valeria shouted.

She and Lucius immediately increased their pace and rushed toward the capital, shouting orders at every Imperial warrior they passed.

"Follow us! Every surviving soldier is to return to the capital immediately!"

Many of the warriors hesitated. They had already witnessed how little their commanders cared about their lives, abandoning the wounded without even attempting to save them. Reluctance spread through their ranks as they exchanged uncertain glances, but they eventually obeyed and followed Valeria and Lucius toward the capital.

Aragon remained where he stood.

The magical energy released by Max crashed against his enormous body, pulling at his clothes and spreading past him in violent waves. Instead of retreating, Aragon took a deep breath and began bouncing from one foot to the other, preparing his body for the fight ahead.

Crimson magic danced around his fingers as he watched Max’s transformation continue.

Something about Max’s dragon hybrid form had changed.

One detail immediately caught Aragon’s attention, causing him to narrow his eyes and look again to ensure that he had seen it correctly.

Max’s face was becoming more dragon-like, while his entire body continued growing taller.

Aragon’s grin widened.

Max, however, paid no attention to Aragon. The magical energy that had exploded from his body began retracting toward him, gathering around his transformed figure until none of it remained beyond his control.

He raised both hands and watched closely as the magic wrapped around his claws and moved between his fingers according to his will.

It felt completely different.

Before his evolution, controlling his magic had felt like trying to direct a raging wind. He could force it into the shape he desired, but it constantly strained against his control. Now, he could guide every part of it wherever he wished, changing its shape without feeling even the slightest resistance.

He tested the powers of his different bloodlines and discovered that he could switch between them within a split second. The delay that had once existed was gone, and whenever he reached for another bloodline, its magic responded immediately.

When Max concentrated even further, he noticed how much faster all of his magic had become.

He extended one hand toward Aragon.

Void magic gathered around his index finger, covering the tip of his claw in concentrated darkness. A moment later, it left his body and rushed toward the Crimson Horde Emperor with enough speed to cross the distance between them almost instantly.

Aragon’s grin widened as the approaching darkness reflected within his eyes.

However, this time, he did not attempt to block Max’s attack with his bare fingers.

Crimson magic danced around his hand before spreading across it and taking the shape of a thick glove. Aragon raised his covered palm and caught the void magic directly.

The two powers collided.

A terrifying shockwave erupted between them and swept across the ruined landscape, sending shattered stone and clouds of dust flying in every direction. Aragon remained standing with his arm extended, but the grin upon his face gradually faded as he noticed the darkness spreading across his crimson glove.

It was consuming his magic wherever the two powers touched.

"His magic is eating away at mine?"

Shock replaced Aragon’s amusement as his eyes became serious for the first time. He released a greater surge of crimson magic through his arm and pushed Max’s void magic away with enough force to tear apart the ground between them.

The darkness did not disappear.

It curved through the air and returned to Max, resembling black goo as it wrapped around his index finger. Despite its appearance, the void magic showed no aggression toward him and immediately released the mana it had consumed from Aragon’s crimson glove.

The stolen mana flowed into Max’s body.

He examined it carefully and discovered that every trace of aggression belonging to Aragon had already been removed. The mana had been completely purified by the void and was ready for his body to consume without resistance.

Max lowered his hand as the last of the energy entered him.

His control over magic was not the only thing that had changed. The emotions he had lost no longer felt completely buried beneath the hunger of his void heart. What felt like nearly half of his connection to them had already recovered.

For the first time in a long while, Max smiled without any sinister intention hidden behind it.

"Yeah... You were right. I’m itching to fight you as well," Max admitted as his fingers slowly closed into a fist. "Right now, I don’t care about revenge. I only want to crush you beneath my fist and prove that I am stronger."

The magic surrounding his body tightened around him, moving according to his will instead of raging beyond his control.

"Strength..." Max continued as he stepped toward Aragon. "Yes, that is the law."

Each step caused the ground beneath his feet to collapse into a small crater, with cracks spreading outward across the ruined land as he continued walking forward.