Chapter 264: The Fall of the Ruler

Multicolored magic intertwined with the black void surrounding Max’s fist, the different powers twisting around one another like ribbons before gradually connecting into something resembling a gauntlet.

Each color remained visible within the darkness, yet instead of being consumed, the separate streams flowed alongside the void and continued gathering around his knuckles, wrist, and forearm until the terrifying amount of energy contained within the attack caused both the ground and the sky to tremble.

The cracks beneath Max’s feet spread farther with every step he took, destroying the final piece of unbroken land between them, while Aragon remained several meters away with his right fist raised before his chest.

The damaged clock behind his back had already stopped completely, with neither of its hands moving even when he poured the last traces of his crimson magic into it, and for the first time in his life, the man who had always controlled the flow of time found himself unable to make it obey him.

Aragon attempted to move his right leg, but it responded so slowly that Max had already crossed half the distance before his foot left the ground. He tried accelerating his body, reversing the moment and forcing the hands of his clock to move again through his remaining strength, yet nothing changed.

The approaching fist did not appear particularly fast, but it continued moving toward him with the inevitability of a mountain collapsing upon his body, leaving him with nowhere to escape and no time to gather anything more than the small amount of power still remaining inside him.

"Is that death?" Aragon muttered beneath his breath as he stared at the multicolored gauntlet.

Fear finally appeared within his eyes, but it did not prevent him from lifting his fist. His entire arm trembled beneath the pressure released by Max’s attack, while the last traces of crimson magic gathered around his broken knuckles, yet Aragon continued forcing it forward until his fist began moving to meet the power coming to claim his life.

Max seemed unaware of everything happening around him. His dark eyes appeared unfocused, as though his consciousness had been dragged into the deepest part of the void, while his body moved without waiting for another command.

Every power he possessed flowed naturally alongside the others, allowing the multicolored magic and black void to achieve something he had never managed to create while consciously attempting to control them.

Aragon gathered everything he had left into his final punch, while Max continued moving forward without noticing the slight trembling of his opponent’s fist or the smile gradually returning to his bloodied face.

Neither man attempted to avoid the other.

Their fists collided, and every remaining trace of sound disappeared from the battlefield.

Aragon’s crimson magic shattered the moment it touched the gauntlet, and the black void immediately swallowed the fragments. The bones inside his hand broke beneath the impact, followed by those within his wrist and forearm, yet Max’s fist continued forward until the terrifying force reached his chest.

The land behind Aragon split open for several kilometers as the power passed through his body, while the shockwave released from their collision spread in every direction and pushed the surrounding earth away from them.

Entire sections of the fractured battlefield collapsed into the ravines, filling the air with stone and dust, yet none of it reached the two men standing at the center.

Aragon remained before Max for several seconds, held in place while the energy destroyed his body from within.

Cracks of multicolored light spread from his ruined arm toward his chest, neck, and face, while the motionless clock behind him finally broke apart and scattered into countless fragments of crimson magic.

The fear within Aragon’s eyes disappeared as he looked down at Max. Despite the blood covering his mouth and the cracks spreading across his face, the emperor smiled with the same satisfaction he had shown throughout their battle.

"What a punch..." he whispered.

The multicolored light reached his eyes before Max could answer, causing Aragon’s enormous body to separate into countless fragments that disappeared into the black void before they could fall.

The remnants of his crimson clock vanished together with him, and within moments, nothing remained of the man who had ruled the Crimson Horde Empire except the destruction created by his final battle.

Max’s fist continued through the empty space where Aragon had stood.

The gauntlet unraveled as his consciousness returned, causing the multicolored magic and black void to separate before sinking back into his arm. Pain returned to every part of his body at once, and his legs gave out beneath him as he attempted to take another step, forcing him onto one knee with his right hand still extended.

Max breathed heavily while his dark eyes gradually regained their focus. He looked down at his fist, unable to understand how the attack had formed, but his attention soon returned to the empty ground before him.

Aragon was gone.

Max remained on one knee as he stared at the place where the emperor had vanished. He had entered the battle intending to kill Aragon and continue destroying everyone who stood in his path, yet after two days of trading fists, resting beneath the same sky and rising every time the other man stood, Aragon no longer felt like another nameless enemy.

He had been a robber, murderer, and ruler feared throughout the known lands, and Max had no reason to forgive anything he had done.

However, Aragon had fought without begging for mercy, never attacked Max during their rests, and never attempted to escape once he realized that the final punch would kill him.

Even when death appeared before his eyes, he had answered it with the last strength remaining inside his body.

Max slowly forced himself back onto his feet and placed his right fist against his chest. His legs continued trembling beneath him as he lowered his head toward the place where Aragon had vanished, but he refused to fall until he had shown the emperor the respect he had earned.

"Rest, Emperor of the Crimson Horde," Max said, his voice carrying weakly across the destroyed land. "That was the greatest fight of my life."

The world felt unnaturally silent.

There were no insects remaining to make noise, no trees had survived to move beneath the wind, and no rivers continued flowing through the land they had destroyed. Countless ravines surrounded Max and stretched far enough to disappear beyond his sight, while the last traces of Aragon’s crimson time magic slowly faded from the battlefield.

Dark clouds gradually gathered across the sky, covering the remaining sunlight before the first drop of rain struck the back of Max’s hand. It left behind a red mark that slowly traveled between his split knuckles, while another landed against his face and flowed down his cheek like a tear.

Hundreds more followed.

Bloody rain began pouring over the battlefield, washing the dust from Max’s pale skin and filling the deepest cracks surrounding him. It also fell through the empty place where Aragon had died, covering the ruined land as though the world itself had recognized the fall of an emperor powerful enough to control time.

Max remained beneath it with his head lowered until a familiar sound suddenly entered his mind.

A translucent window appeared before his eyes, its dark surface flickering several times before the words became clear. The System had remained silent for so long that seeing it again felt almost unfamiliar, yet the presence behind the message was different from the cold instructions he had received in the past.

[Master...]

The single word remained on the window for several seconds before another line appeared beneath it.

[I’ve come to bring you some good news.]

Max’s eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?" he asked.

The window flickered once more before the next message appeared.

[Aragon’s death has caused the Time Sovereign’s Bloodline, which he carried, to resonate with one of his living blood relatives.]

Max lifted his head as the bloody rain continued to stream down his face.

[A potential mate carrying the same bloodline has been found. She is capable of bearing your children.]

[Would Master like me to track the potential mate’s location?]

Two choices appeared beneath the question.

[YES]

[NO]

Max had never hesitated when the System offered him an opportunity to obtain another bloodline, and the power of the Time Sovereign was far too valuable to ignore after he had witnessed what Aragon could accomplish even with his body ruined and his clock no longer moving.

All he needed to do was accept.

"The question you should be asking is why I would continue playing her game," Max said, feeling his void heart release a heavy beat in response to his sudden question. "Bloodlines... the curse of this world and the reason behind this entire mess. To hell with all of it."

He stared at the two choices for a long moment as the bloody rain continued flowing down his face.

"But I would be a fool to stop playing along now, not while I still need the power."