Chapter 260: A Brawl to the Death

He no longer knew which direction was above or below, nor did he care. Max pulled back his fist and drove it into the crimson mist surrounding him, releasing every power compressed inside the crystal glove.

The combined attack struck the time magic with enough force to overpower Aragon’s control. He attempted to reverse the moment and return Max’s fist to its previous position, but the five powers supporting one another refused to move backward. The void devoured the crimson magic trying to surround them, while the Spirit Sovereign’s mana kept the dragon flames stable long enough for their combined force to continue moving forward.

Max’s fist crashed through the crimson mist.

The hourglass shattered in an instant.

A terrifying explosion erupted around Max while he was still trapped inside, sending fragments of crimson time magic across the ruined lands. The released power formed a violent storm that tore through everything nearby and struck both stopwatches at the same time.

Aragon was thrown from the platform as the backlash of his broken ability crashed through his body. Blood erupted from his mouth and spread across his skin while veins burst one after another beneath his flesh. The time magic he had poured into the hourglass returned without his control and detonated inside him, causing cracks to spread throughout his Magic Soul as his own power tore him apart from within.

The explosion carved a deep crater into the place where Max had stood, leaving his fate impossible to determine. Such a powerful detonation would have claimed the life of almost any fighter, and even Aragon watched the enormous cloud rising into the shape of a mushroom with bloodshot eyes, uncertain whether Max had just committed suicide or performed the most insane move he had ever witnessed in battle.

"Don’t you dare die, kid! We haven’t fought enough!"

Aragon’s roar shook the surrounding lands as he struggled to rise from the ground, but his muscles refused to obey him. He collapsed onto one knee and pressed a trembling hand against the earth while crimson time magic spread across his wounded body. The damage caused by the backlash slowly began reversing as burst veins reconnected beneath his skin and blood flowed back into several open wounds, but the process was far slower than before.

A shadow appeared inside the cloud of dust and began walking toward its edge.

Aragon’s exhausted eyes immediately lit up.

Max emerged from the cloud with nearly every scale across his body burned away. Charred flesh covered his transformed frame, while half of his wings and tail were missing from the explosion. He spat onto the ground, spilling more blood from his mouth, but his dark eyes never left his opponent.

Aragon finally forced himself to stand. His hands closed into fists as crimson magic gathered behind his back and formed a much smaller clock, its translucent frame resembling a circular shield rather than the enormous stopwatches he had previously controlled. Most of his crimson armor had cracked during the backlash, and pieces continued falling from his body as the clock slowly rotated behind him.

The smaller clock now offered only a fraction of Aragon’s former control. Cracks flashed across its surface whenever he forced it to accelerate, causing its hands to hesitate before continuing their rotation. The damage within his Magic Soul prevented him from restoring the enormous hourglass, while every use of the remaining clock sent another pulse of pain through his body.

"Fist against fist until death claims one of us and sends him to Valhalla," Aragon declared, his eyes burning with the same excitement that had carried him through the entire battle.

The remaining pieces of his crimson armor disappeared at his command, leaving only the torn garments underneath. Without the armor covering him, Aragon’s enormous frame resembled that of a bear, with thick muscles stretching across his shoulders, arms and chest.

Max released his dragon form in response. His remaining scales withdrew beneath his flesh as his wings and damaged tail disappeared, returning him to the smaller body of a human. However, there was nothing ordinary about the muscles covering his frame. Dragon blood continued flowing through his veins, granting him physical strength that no normal human fighter could ever hope to possess.

The transformation did not erase the damage he had suffered. Burns covered Max’s skin, his left shoulder trembled whenever he raised his arm, and every breath sent pain through his ribs. Aragon noticed each weakness, but Max also saw the emperor favoring one leg while blood leaked from the wounds that his damaged time magic could no longer reverse completely.

"I will kill you as a human, not as a dragon," Max said as he clenched both fists.

Aragon narrowed his eyes while studying him. "A human who can transform into a dragon? What is your secret? Did you drink their blood?" He shook his head before Max could answer. "No, I don’t care. One of us will die anyway, so let us die with honor and carry our secrets with us. I may enjoy robbing and killing, but I still have morals."

"Likewise."

Golden flames and purple ice erupted from Max’s legs, propelling him forward with enough speed to tear the ground apart beneath his feet. He pulled back his right arm and drove his fist toward Aragon’s face, but the Crimson Horde Emperor stepped forward to meet him without hesitation.

Their fists collided between them.

The smaller clock behind Aragon spun rapidly at the moment of impact, strengthening his movement with crimson time magic. A shockwave burst from their fists and spread across the ruined landscape, but neither man retreated. Max immediately attacked with his left hand, forcing Aragon to raise his forearm before answering with a punch toward Max’s ribs.

Max twisted aside and struck Aragon’s shoulder as the fist passed beside him. Aragon responded with a savage hook, while Max lowered his head and drove his own fist into the emperor’s abdomen. Every collision released another shockwave, repeatedly shaking the air as the two abandoned their larger magical abilities and tested the strength of their bodies against one another.

Aragon suddenly vanished.

He reappeared on Max’s opposite side with his fist already moving toward his head. Max turned too late to defend himself, and the strike landed directly against his face, lifting him from the ground and sending him rolling across the shattered earth.

Before Max could stop himself, Aragon appeared beside him again and swung downward, intending to strike him while he was still tumbling. This time, Max planted one hand against the ground and forced his body to stabilize. His right hand caught Aragon’s descending fist, while his left shot forward and struck the emperor directly across the nose.

Blood burst across Aragon’s face as the punch sent him rolling backward. Before Max could pursue him, the smaller clock spun behind Aragon and pulled him out of danger, causing his body to vanish and reappear several meters away.

Aragon attacked again, closing the distance with a step before driving his knee toward Max’s stomach. Max lowered his elbow, but the clock turned and slowed his arm enough for the knee to strike beneath his ribs. Air left his lungs as Aragon seized his shoulder and swung toward his temple.

Golden flames erupted from his right foot while purple ice spread beneath his left. The opposing forces twisted his body, allowing Max to escape and drive an elbow across Aragon’s jaw. The emperor answered with a punch to Max’s liver that forced both men apart.

When Aragon vanished again, Max did not turn after him. He had noticed that the smaller clock always completed half a rotation before moving its master. Max deliberately left his ribs exposed and waited until the ticking reached his ears, then pivoted and swung toward the empty space behind him.

Aragon reappeared in the path of his fist.

Max’s knuckles struck Aragon’s mouth and split his lower lip, but Aragon endured the blow and wrapped both arms around Max’s chest. His enormous frame tightened like a crushing cage, forcing damaged ribs inward as he lifted Max from the ground. Max drove his forehead into Aragon’s nose, then hammered his fists against the wound in the emperor’s throat until the grip around him finally loosened.

Again and again, they rushed toward one another. Aragon used his remaining time magic to change positions and strike from unexpected angles, while Max gradually adjusted to the movements of the smaller clock and began catching more of his attacks.

Their fists spoke louder than either of them could, and the land surrounding their battle became increasingly unrecognizable as every missed punch shattered the ground and every successful strike sent one of them crashing through the ruins.

The sun moved across the sky while their blood dried upon their bodies and was replaced by fresh streams. Their movements gradually lost their speed, yet every punch carried the same murderous intent. The smaller clock flickered more often, Max’s flames weakened around his feet, and the ruined battlefield continued expanding as neither fighter accepted the possibility of remaining down.

Their exchange continued for hours, gradually extending across nearly half a day as neither man showed any willingness to retreat or surrender.