NOVEL WEB Chapter 856: Arnold
Max's eyes narrowed dangerously, his expression icy. He replied in a voice laced with contempt, "I killed June. Who the hell are you in front of her?" His tone was so casual, so dismissive, that it pierced through Raul's heart like a blade.
Raul's face instantly drained of all color, his pupils shrinking as the truth hit him like a physical blow. His entire body began trembling uncontrollably, the oppressive fear in his eyes betraying the arrogance he once carried.
Seeing Raul falter, Max didn't waste the opportunity. He surged forward like lightning, and his fist shot out, wrapped in destructive power. Countless fist shadows fell from the sky like a meteor storm, crashing down on Raul with overwhelming force.
The impact knocked Raul clean out of the air, slamming him into the ground with bone-shattering force. His body convulsed violently as three mouthfuls of blood spurted out of his mouth, painting the ground red.
His essence blood already exhausted, Raul desperately commanded his insects to form a protective shield to block Max's relentless attacks. But the backlash from burning his essence blood earlier surged through him like a raging tide.
His face twisted in agony as blood flowers bloomed across his skin, red lines cracking along his face and neck like broken porcelain tiles.
"No—!" Raul screamed in horror, his eyes widening as his body betrayed him, unable to muster the strength to fight back. He looked at Max with trembling pupils, his gaze filled with desperate pleading, silently begging for mercy. But it was too late.
The backlash intensified. His insects writhed violently, spitting out thick black blood as the power that fueled them collapsed entirely. The blood essence that had sustained his overwhelming strength drained away completely, leaving both Raul and his swarm stripped of vitality.
The strange crimson lines that had covered his body faded into a ghostly gray-white color, like a dying flame flickering out in the wind.
Raul's body slumped forward, his breathing shallow, barely holding on. He raised a trembling hand toward Max, his voice breaking as he whispered intermittently, "Kill… kill me…" His empty eyes, once filled with pride and hatred, were now hollow and resigned. His hand fell limply to the ground, lifeless.
A thin bloody mark appeared across his throat, crimson blood seeping out like a river breaking through a dam. His head tilted at an unnatural angle as his neck twisted slightly, his eyes frozen wide open, staring blankly into the void with an expression of endless unwillingness and burning resentment.
Max stood there for a moment, staring at Raul's corpse, then let out a sharp breath of relief. He understood all too well how close this battle had been.
If Raul hadn't sacrificed his essence blood and suffered a devastating backlash, Max would never have been able to kill him, not with that terrifying swarm of insects guarding him.
This was, without a doubt, the hardest opponent at the 4th level of Legend Rank he had ever faced.
"The geniuses from the Void Soul Tower… truly terrifying," Max thought silently, his heart heavy but his expression firm.
Stepping forward, Max knelt briefly and removed Raul's storage ring, pocketing it without hesitation. Then he raised his hand, conjuring a blazing ball of black fire, ready to burn the body and erase all traces of the battle.
But just as he prepared to release the fireball, an oppressive force surged from behind, so powerful it felt like the air itself trembled. Max's expression shifted instantly, his instincts screaming at him as his body tensed for the next inevitable clash.
"Who?!" Max shouted, his voice sharp as he swiftly pocketed Raul's storage ring and spun around. A flash of golden light struck his eyes, blinding for a brief instant. It wasn't just light—it was a weapon.
A long halberd, its shaft sleek and metallic, with a vicious hooked blade and a blood groove along its edge, crackled with golden lightning. The weapon's sharpness and destructive aura were palpable even from a distance.
Max's eyes narrowed as recognition sparked. "Lightning? Someone from the Thunder Monarch Hall," he muttered coldly.
Without hesitation, Max swung his sword, flames igniting along the blade as he channeled his level 2 sword concept. The air cracked as the fiery sword energy clashed with the red-gold halberd, the collision erupting in a deafening boom.
Sparks and fragments of energy scattered like fireworks, forcing the golden halberd to spin backward through the air while Max himself staggered two steps back, his boots digging into the ground to regain balance.
"Swish!"
The spinning halberd was snatched out of mid-air by a strong hand, and a figure stepped forward, his white robe fluttering slightly from the lingering shockwave.
The man who appeared in front of Max was tall, broad-shouldered, and radiated a calm yet oppressive aura. His face was strikingly handsome, and his eyes glowed faintly with golden energy.
"Max," the man said, glancing at Raul's lifeless body on the ground. "I didn't expect you to actually kill him." There was surprise in his voice but also a hint of amusement, as though he had just found something interesting.
"Who are you?" Max asked coldly. He already knew from the weapon and aura that this man was from the Thunder Monarch Hall, but he wanted confirmation.
The man smiled faintly, his voice confident and sharp. "I am Arnold, and I am the one who will kill you once and for all."
Max chuckled slightly at the name, his expression mocking. "Ah, so you're Arnold. When I killed that guy Josh, he told me Arnold would come to avenge him."
"Hmph, Max, you are too arrogant," Arnold sneered, his golden halberd sparking faintly in his grip. "The only reason you managed to kill Raul was because he burned his essence blood and overexerted his mana, leading to backlash. Otherwise, even ten of you wouldn't be able to touch him. You think I don't know how terrifying those insects of his are?"
Arnold wasn't just a fighter—he was a genius known for sharp perception, and his words cut straight to the truth. He chuckled softly, his voice carrying a magnetic confidence. "Max, let me ask you something—did you manage to get the Fish Dragon Grass?"