"That… That's not possible!" Karl turned to the Minister, dumbfounded. "Did you miss?"
Ignoring the blatant sarcasm, the Minister's expression turned grimmer by the second as he continued to unblinkingly stare at Max. He still remembered that sensation, that feeling of shredding Max's heart. And yet, Max was standing upright once more.
No, was this even the same teenager? Despite looking somnolent, his very presence seemed to pressure their souls and evoke fear. As a newly ascended Paladin, Albert's senses were the sharpest in the group. He could feel it in his heart, his mind and his soul. This was not an existence to be trifled with.
Surrounded by a vague air of inapproachability, Max issued another heavy sigh. Eyes gradually opening, he carefully observed the wounds on his arms and chest. He frowned, glancing indifferently at the four spectators, glowing with a faint shade of white under their watchful eyes. Flesh and bone rapidly regenerated accompanied by blood red sparks. Everyone stared in amazement as his injuries speedily disappeared and his face regained its usual ruddiness.
"No way…" Amy let the words slip.
His hemorrhaging curbed and his body healed, Max finally relaxed, turning his full attention to the four. As their gazes intersected, Amy instantly shuddered. Gulping, Julius instinctively pulled the future duchess behind him. He tightened his grip around his hidden knife, ready to stab out at a moment's notice. Karl felt his skin crawl. He involuntarily reached for his sword while the Minister tightened his hold on Liliana.
The unfathomable aura of supremacy slowly faded away. Looking as indolent as ever, Max stared at the group, his dark brown eyes transformed into a shade of bright red, his round pupils reduced to slits. Amy and Julius were ignored while he took a step towards the Minister. Quietly, he mouthed, "Let her go."
With his brows creased, the Minister stood his ground, trying to retain his image as a proud and powerful Paladin. Carefully, he asked back, "Who – What are you?"
Karl's thoughts were racing. Having weathered countless battles, he knew escape was an impossibility. Faced with this new Max, his instincts as a warrior told him one thing - his only chance at survival lay in taking the initiative.
Pushing his speed to the limits, Karl instantly appeared before Max. The entirety of his mana emptied onto his blade, he chopped down with all his strength. The simple swing decimated everything in its way, unleashing a torrent of energy as bright as the resplendent sun, its power capable of even killing an unguarded Grand Crusader.
His arms trembling from the sudden stress, Karl felt his grip on his sword weaken. Depleted of his mana, his body felt heavy and his legs like lead. He wore a bitter smile. "Make it painless." He muttered as hope receded from his eyes.
Max stood behind him, standing comfortably, unscathed. He chuckled with one hand firmly clasping Karl by the shoulder.
"Stop!" The Minster��s yell sounded out a second too late.
Karl's bone-chilling scream echoed through the grounds. His arm ripped out, his face contorted in pain, he fell to his knees, blood spurting from his side, the sight of muscle and bone amid the constant outflow of blood creating a grotesque picture of gore. The sound of his sword falling was like a bell signalling the start of a nightmare. Clutching his shoulder, amidst his agony, he tried to stimulate the last vestiges of his mana in a futile attempt to hinder the bleeding. He gritted his teeth, hatefully looking up at Max, humiliation, fear and animosity filling his words. "You… You could ha - have just ta.. taken my life… Why -"
"Take your arm?" Max chuckled. "You ask me that after previously crippling both of mine? I think I've been plenty generous by taking only one of yours." He graciously explained before greeting Karl's face with his own foot. Shattering the man's jaw, he sent him flying. Karl landed miserably a few meters away, unconscious.
"Who… Who are you? What have you done to Max?!" Stammering, Amy mustered all the courage she could. Beside her, Julius panicked and immediately signaled her to stop. On noticing Max's gaze on Amy, his body tensed, his vigilance at an all time high.
Liliana still in his arms, the Minister stood in place. Despite his keen eyesight, he had failed to perceive Max's movements. This was testament to the fact that this red eyed Max possessed strength and speed beyond his capabilities. He bitterly smiled, only now managing to bring his dread under control. He helplessly murmured, "Am I really up against a Saint class being?"
Leaving Amy's question unanswered, Max's expression softened as he looked at the girl. With unnatural smile on his face, he gently nodded at Julius, silently conveying his intention into the Grandmaster's mind. "Protect the girl and don't interfere."
Julius felt the message reverberate through his soul. 'So this man really is…' His suspicions confirmed, Julius felt the last of his mental defenses crumble. 'At least he isn't an enemy.' He thought, sighing in relief.
Max stifled a yawn and lazily stretched his limbs. Turning his attention back to the Minister, he said, "Last chance… Let. Her. Go."
Albert stood gritting his teeth, wondering where exactly things had gone so terribly wrong. With Liliana in hand, the end goal should have been within his grasp. This unexpected hurdle was like a mountain that he couldn't hope to scale. And the despair that came along with it was like the weight of another mountain pressing down on him
Max took his failure to acquiesce as an outright refusal to his demand. At the end of his patience, disappointment became apparent as he immediately took a step forward.
"Wait!" The Minister shouted, his left hand gradually tightening its grip around Liliana's neck. "I have use for this girl, but I do not intend to take her life. A few days… A few days is all I need and then I promise to return her to you unhurt."
Max stopped in his tracks seemingly amused. "You seem to be under the impression that this is a negotiation… It's not."
"Don't test me!" Albert snarled. "If I can't have her then I have no use for her. There is nothing stopping me from breaking her neck!"
"A pity." Max icily replied as his expression darkened. "There are only a few qualified to threaten me. Child who doped his way to Paladin, you… are not one of them."
Albert flinched at the words, momentarily losing his composure. He had confirmed it repeatedly. There was no difference between him and any other Paladin. No one could have known. And yet, this entity had seen right through him.
"Child?" Though he didn't truly understand what had been said, Julius frowned in rumination as he focused on that single word. "Who is this?!" He wondered once more. "Just who is possessing Max?!" He had always wondered why the Academy's headmaster had contacted him during the admission test. That such a behemoth had taken interest in a random teenager was something he just couldn't fathom.
Max's stellar performance at the Induction had proved his genius, but that alone had hardly been enough to erase all doubts. It was now that Julius truly understood. Liliana's Overdraw and this red-eyed persona, this was why the headmaster and even the Empire's Saint had ordered for their admission. They knew!
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance." Max said right before he disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared a few feet away with Liliana safely in his arms.
"What?!" The unforeseen change took everyone by surprise. Albert seemed to be the most affected, his legs threatening to give away. 'I miscalculated! I… after coming this far, am I really destined to fail?!'
Gently examining Liliana, Max's red eyed persona wore a slight smile. He quietly laid her on the lawn's soft grass and rested his hand on her forehead. White light blossomed. Under the night sky, three of the Empire's biggest influencers watched the sixteen year old girl covered in the warm mellow light, the scene reminiscent of this new Max's initial awakening.
Still apprehensive, Amy struggled against Julius's grip and timidly yelled out. "Wha - What are you doing?"
"Suppressing the side effects." Max nonchalantly replied with a roll of his eyes. "Little girl, is there a reason why you're acting so guarded?"
Amy felt her cheeks flush, at a loss for words. "N – No… I –"
Ignoring the rest of her incoherent bumbling, Max finished healing Liliana. He sighed and stared into the distance soon after he was done, appearing melancholic. "I have always caused suffering for those around me." He silently murmured, "Perhaps with this, I have a chance at redemption." Max's moment of despondency instantly vaporized at the sudden sound of marching. He glared at the Minister's incoming army, annoyed. "Pests!"
His eyes turned a deeper shade of red, unleashing an undetectable ripple of energy. Hit by a wave of nausea, in a flash, every soldier collapsed, hands on their throat, frothing at their mouths.
Witnessing the scene, Julius wryly smiled while Amy gaped. The Minister was simply left sighing. Having already gauged Max's approximate strength, he had long since known that his troops would prove useless. He was already thankful that this Max had spared their lives.
Satisfied by the outcome, Max looked a little pleased as he handed Liliana to Amy. Her best friend in her embrace, the Duke's heir quietly shivered. She raised her head to peek at Max, but found herself lacking in courage. Despite the proximity, Amy simply couldn't meet those unfamiliar eyes.
"I've lost." The Minister dully said.
His attention on a certain corner of the ruined mansion, Max shook his head and replied, "You had lost a long time ago. You just didn't know it then."
"Is that all you have to say before you kill me?" Albert blandly asked while attempting to hide the flutter of unresolved emotions.
"Kill you?" Max raised a brow in surprise. "No, I have no interest in your life."
"Then -"
"But you did stab my vessel in the heart." Max cracked his fingers, his eyes as narrow as slits. "If not for me, Max would be dead. So, puppet or not, your punishment is due."
"Puppet? What are you - " Befuddled, Albert's efforts to voice his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden feeling of weightlessness, the peculiar sensation becoming dominant just as he tried to take a step forward. 'Eh? Why is my face so close to the ground?'
Amy speedily closed her eyes, unwilling to bear witness to the Minister's cruel and sanguinary outcome. On the other hand, Julius unflinchingly watched Albert's fall, only issuing sigh of regret.
"Argh!" The Minister's collapse was accompanied by a roar. Pain. The pain of having his legs cleaved clean off was a lot to bear. His face pale, he gritted his teeth and slowly reached for what was left of his lower limbs, stimulating every drop of available mana to bring the bleeding under control.
Even with a Paladin's immense vitality and recuperative ability, there was only so much he could do. Reducing the gushing stream of blood down to the smallest trickle was already a miracle, his efforts to extend his life a temporary success. However, Max's act of clipping his legs had crushed his future as a warrior. To a proud Paladin and former general of an army, there was no greater humiliation than descending into the life of a cripple.
Grabbed by the neck, Albert was mercilessly flung like a rag-doll towards a crumbling wall. With no way to resist, the Minister helplessly slumped to the ground. His head continued to ring as he let out intermittent groans.
"Stop!" Julius hesitantly said, watching Max slowly head for the Minister. "That's enough!"
Max glanced at the vice-principal and took a step back. He shrugged and said with a light smile, "Alright… since you insist." Turning to the Minister with a frown, he asked in response to the Minister's glare, "You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what?!" Albert spat with rage.
"And what about you?" Max clicked his tongue in displeasure, his attention now on another corner of the mansion. "Been enjoying the show?"
Stupefied, Amy, Julius and Albert gazed at the empty space. Unable to sense anyone, their frowns deepened until a sinister laugh made its presence known.
"Kekeke!"
Smoke gathered to form a hazy figure of a man. With no definite features, he faced Max while disregarding the others. "I understand now. I can see why my lord was so interested in Max. To think something like you was actually hidden inside."
"Y – You!" Albert managed a croak before groaning in pain.
Unresponsive, Max looked distracted as he stared at the man. Moments later, he burst into a sudden fit of laughter, taking a gander at the Minister with an unexpected expression of pity. Facing the distant mountains, he chuckled. "And they call me evil…"
"What's so funny?" Interpreting the rude guffaw as blatant mockery, the smoky man's illusory eyes seemed to radiate a cold light.
A tiny white speck of light, birthed at Max's fingertips, swiftly split into two and drilled into Albert's legs. The Minister felt instant relief, the pain gone, his expression a mixture of confusion and surprise. Focused on Albert, he seemed to ignore the Minister's old partner as he sported a faint smile. "Even as a puppet, I suppose you do deserve some sympathy." Max said, "Now, I present to you an opportunity – a moment of clarity to see the bigger picture."
Confounded by the development, Amy and Julius watched with bated breath. The vice-principal in particular was troubled, troubled by the fact that he hadn't managed to sense this strange presence.
Max turned to the smoky figure, derision written on his face. "To answer your question, what's funny is that a mere pawn seems to think that she's in control of the chessboard." Max answered with a chuckle. "You're way out of your depth, child. What do you really know about that discarded piece of waste you call your master?"
"How dare you?!" The figure bellowed, its voice resounding like thunder. Straightening its gassy back, the smoky silhouette spoke with a tone of reverence. "My lord's power extends beyond your imagination. You might have sparked his interest, but at the end of the day that's all you are - a muse. An existence like you is irrelevant and can be wiped out with but a single breath."
"As for me…" The figure proudly continued, "In this vast Empire, I, alone, was chosen to be his Envoy! It is an honor that the likes of you can never understand. I -"
"You're a tool. That's all you are." Max interjected with a sneer, "As for the one you serve, I know him quite well, far better than you it would seem." Beginning to laugh, Max lazily stretched his limbs, mockery becoming increasingly apparent in his tone. "He didn't tell you, did he? About his plans? About what he wants with my vessel?" Feelings of schadenfreude clearly visible on his face, Max said, "Guess 'The Darkness' hasn't been very forthcoming even with his 'Envoy'."
"How do you know that name?" The mention of 'The Darkness' agitated the figure. Dense smog emerged from the earth and skies, quickly fusing with the silhouette. Surrounded by a menacing aura of death and destruction, it took on the appearance of a giant and roared, "Tell me!"
"Not with you looking like that." Seemingly unimpressed, Max adopted a blandly said, "How about we start by ending your chicanery? Time to get rid of the smoke and mirrors… Prostrate. Now!"
"To you? You must be jok - ARGH!" Screaming pitifully, the massive figure fell on all fours. The goliath swiftly withered, the smoke rapidly beginning to dissipate. Its form flickered and gradually revealed the outline of a young woman. Under the moonlight, her auburn hair was the first to make its appearance and was a vivid contrast to her darker surroundings.
Limbs trembling, her face contorting from the pain, the girl felt the weight of a mountain pressed down on her back as she eventually succumbed to the pressure and collapsed. Forced to remain disgracefully sprawled on the ground, she struggled to raise her head, glaring at Max, her initial shock having been quickly drowned by feelings of humiliation. She gnashed her teeth and cursed in the form of unintelligible growls.