NOVEL WEB Chapter 664: Forced to run away
'Since that's the case… I won't dodge them at all,' Max decided, his eyes flashing.
In the next instant, a surge of blue lightning erupted from his body—wild, sharp, and dazzling. His aura pulsed and his figure blurred as he tapped into the speed of his lightning element, propelling himself forward with sudden, terrifying acceleration.
Since his purple lightning had transformed into blue lightning, Max knew that a new trait appeared in his blue lightning. It was fast, unnaturally fast.
And now that he used the blue lightning, he could truly see the full potential of the blue lightning. His speed wasn't just fast. He had became a blur of blue lightning weaving through the lightning bolts like a flash of light.
The bolts meant to destroy him passed behind like harmless afterthoughts, chasing a shadow that was no longer there. And before Rey could even react, before he could register what had happened, Max stood in front of him.
Eyes wide. Mouth open in disbelief.
"What—?!" was all Rey managed to utter.
"Take this…" Max smiled, the corner of his lips curling up like a devil's grin, and then his right fist slammed forward—fueled by the monstrous strength of all 600 Draconic Essences erupting at once through his arm.
Bang!
The sound was deafening.
Rey's body shot backward like a cannonball fired out of a divine weapon, leaving a trail of smoke and blue sparks in his wake. He didn't even have time to scream. His figure crashed into the barrier of the arena with a shattering boom, leaving cracks in the protective formation as his limp form slumped to the ground.
The crowd was stunned into silence. Not a breath, not a whisper.
They had only seen a streak of blue lightning among countless purple lightning bolts—and the next second, Rey was flying like a broken kite.
To most, it had happened too fast to comprehend. Only those at the peak of Master Rank or above had seen the blur of Max's motion, the punch, the explosive impact. The others were still trying to process what had just happened.
"How did he do it? He defeated Kyle with one fist and now even Rey, who seemed to have the upper hand the whole battle, was suddenly defeated in one fist too."
"I only saw a flash of blue lightning and then boom! Rey was already down."
"He was too fast… even before he turned into that blur, he was dodging every single lightning bolt thrown at him like he could see the future."
"His strength is just at the 8th level of Expert Rank, but he defeated a peak Master Rank genius… This doesn't make sense. It's like watching a fantasy. It's happening right in front of our eyes and I still can't believe it."
The murmurs swelled like waves in the grand arena, filled with astonishment, admiration, and disbelief. Every pair of eyes was locked on the calm white-haired young man still standing on the stage.
In that moment, Max wasn't just a participant. He had become a symbol of mystery and dread—someone who shattered common sense and made the impossible feel trivial. None of the crowd could understand how he had done it, and the more they thought about it, the more incomprehensible it all felt.
But Max, the very center of all the shock, wasn't caught up in the awe around him. He stood silently, his eyes slightly narrowed as his mind raced—not with pride, but with analysis.
'Six hundred Draconic Essences… and with all of them activated, I could just push into the early levels of Champion Rank in terms of raw strength,' he thought calmly. 'If I want to go toe-to-toe with a peak Champion Rank in a contest of pure power, I'll probably need at least eight hundred… no, maybe more depending on their physique and elemental boost.'
He recalled the battle against Silus, the monstrous demonic being he fought before, and now these Thunder Monarch Hall recruits. Each one had taught him something vital—not just about enemies, but about himself.
And now he could now see the rough outline of his physical limits, the boundary line where his current power began to bend under pressure. And if he wanted to keep going higher, stronger, faster… he would need to absorb even more dragon blood or dragon related things.
"Was he also a weakling for you, Max?" Lyra's voice rang out across the arena with a mocking edge, clear enough for everyone to hear.
Though her tone was light, there was no mistaking the weight behind her words—it was a public taunt, a jab meant to twist the knife deeper into the pride of the Thunder Monarch Hall. Max looked up at her, calm and unaffected, and gave a small nod.
"I guess he was just a little better than the last one," Max said, shaking his head in disappointment. "But in the end, he also went down with just one fist. The so-called geniuses of the Thunder Monarch Hall are no more than ants—weaklings who crumble under the lightest pressure." His voice was clear and emotionless, but every word struck like thunder in the stunned silence of the crowd.
Travis, still standing beside the giant Thunder Beast Roc, looked like he had swallowed poison. His face twisted in rage and humiliation. He had come here to humiliate the Great Ruler Empire in front of thousands, to stamp their pride into the dirt—but now, not only had that plan failed, it had backfired spectacularly.
He had placed his faith in Rey, thinking that the Ten Hands of Lightning God technique would be enough to overwhelm a mere Expert Rank genius, but reality had shattered that belief with brutal efficiency.
"The recruits of the Great Ruler Empire are good this year," Travis said, forcing a bitter smile onto his face, but his eyes were ice-cold. Then, his expression hardened into something darker. "But don't think this is over. And don't think that a couple of lucky wins mean you're better than us. At the Divine Mandate Grand Tournament, your Great Ruler Empire will be crushed by the combined strength of all the other six overlord forces. With your recent track record, I doubt you'll even make it to the top twenty this time."
He waved his hand sharply, signaling the end of the farce. The remaining geniuses of the Thunder Monarch Hall, their faces pale and stiff, helped the injured Kyle and Rey onto the massive Thunder Beast Roc. The elders followed silently, none of them daring to meet the eyes of the crowd as whispers and muffled laughter started to spread.
"We'll see you at the Divine Mandate Grand Tournament," Travis said before leaping onto the back of the beast.
In a crackle of lightning, the roc let out a thunderous cry and ascended into the skies. The enormous wings flapped with authority, sending gusts of wind through the arena, but the image it left behind wasn't one of power or awe—it was of retreat.
Travis had chosen not to send a third participant for a reason. If Max defeated a third of their recruits in front of the entire Middle Domain, their humiliation would be absolute. Better to escape with a scar than be branded with a permanent mark of disgrace—defeated by the so-called weakest recruit of the Great Ruler Empire.