In the battlefield, Killian’s entire focus was on the lightning in front of his hand. As the winds raged all around him, the lightning slowly began to condense under his control.
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At first, the lightning seemed scattered throughout the air, but now it appeared to be focused around a single point.
It was at that moment that everything began.
The winds howled fiercely around the source of the lightning, as the lightning gradually took the shape of a sword. First, the tip of the sword formed from the lightning, followed by the lower part of the blade. Then, the middle of the sword took shape, crackling with lightning as the wind raged around Killian.
No sooner had the middle part of the sword formed than the upper part took shape, followed shortly by the hilt.
Soon, a complete sword formed entirely from lightning, floating in front of Killian. Arcs of lightning shot in all directions from the sword. The intense energy swirling around it, combined with the lightning it carried, gave it a deadly aura.
’That—that’s a technique!’ Max’s eyes widened in shock. He knew that any construct made from pure lightning would be an empty shell, and constructs created from skills were never as powerful as the sword in front of him. This left Max with only one conclusion—a technique.
’I never thought I’d encounter a technique here,’ Max thought, excitement building inside him. Techniques were the rarest of things in this world—so rare they weren’t even mentioned in books. So rare that most people in the Inner Circle didn’t even know such things existed.
For Max, encountering a technique felt like an extraordinary stroke of luck. He had became very curious of the world after he joined the Phoenix Order and the rarity of the technique only fueled his desire to know more about the world.
While Max was filled with excitement, the crowd on the other side was in shock. Some were amazed because they knew Killian had used a ’technique,’ while others were simply stunned by the sheer power of the blade formed from lightning. They wondered if an attack this powerful could be handled by someone like Max, who seemed to be in a league of his own.
---
Allen watched the lightning sword floating in front of Killian, a proud smile forming on his face. "He did it. He successfully used the Hundred Killing Blade," he said.
Elena nodded, but a feeling of unease settled in her chest. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Killian’s strength, but she worried that even that attack might not be enough to defeat Max.
She couldn’t understand why these thoughts kept surfacing. Perhaps it was because her father had tasked her with killing a child—someone they had no connection to, no reason to target. When she had questioned him, asking why it was necessary, his response had been curt and cryptic: "An order from above."
Those words had left her confused, their meaning shrouded in mystery. Yet, for the sake of her family, she had carried out the order, pursuing the target with unwavering resolve, suppressing her doubts and guilt. But in the end, the child had escaped, leaving her to grapple with a sense of failure she couldn’t shake.
But that failure didn’t bring sadness. In truth, only she knew the strange sense of relief she had felt when Max managed to escape.
"I really want to see how Max will block something as amazing as a technique," Nash’s voice interrupted her thoughts, bringing Elena back to reality.
Erica smiled, her expression full of curiosity. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I have a feeling we’ll see something that will shock all of us."
"We’ll see," Nash sneered.
Only Alice remained completely calm throughout everything from the beginning, which irritated Nash slightly.
---
On the battlefield, Killian had calmed down after successfully employing his family’s technique. A confident look returned to his face, just like when the battle first started.
Looking at Max, he sneered. "I really have to thank you. If it weren’t for you pushing me to my limits, showing me despair, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this." He gestured toward the lightning sword floating in front of him.
Max laughed lightly, amusement dancing in his eyes as his expression turned sinister. "Believe me when I say you haven’t seen true despair."
Killian smiled. "That point won’t come." His face turned ruthless. "This sword will drill into your body and end you."
"Why don’t you try and see what happens?" Max asked, smiling.
Killian took a deep breath and looked at Max. "You’re very strong. I still don’t know the limits of your strength, since you’ve never actively attacked me, but I guess this is how our battle will end."
He added, "If given the chance, I would like to fight you with all your strength."
With those words, he sent the lightning sword toward Max. The sword surged with tendrils of lightning scattering in all directions. Its speed was so intense that the path it took to reach Max turned into a blur of blue lightning, leaving a trail of scorched black in its wake.
Max focused all his attention on his Three Dimensional Body, managing to see the lightning sword approaching. Weighing his options, he decided to play it safe.
Buzz!
Max extended his right hand, and a small, red hexagonal shield appeared, the size of his arm, in front of him.
Just as the lightning sword closed in, it collided with the hexagonal shield.
Bang!
A whirlwind of lightning erupted as the sword collided violently with Max’s shield. Sparks flew in every direction with a deafening crackle. The force of the clash sent ripples through the air, scorching the ground beneath and causing cracks to appear on its surface.
The crowd outside held their breath, waiting for the lightning to dissipate, their faces tense with suspense.
As the lightning faded, a lone figure emerged from the smoke. Max stood there, completely unscathed, his hand calmly extended forward.
There was no sign of the lightning having struck him—no burns, no injuries, not even a trace of disturbance on his composed form. He seemed untouched, as if the devastating clash had been nothing more than a gentle breeze.
The entire crowd in the Battle Realm froze in stunned silence. Disbelief rippled through their expressions as they stared at the screens. Members of the Blade Family sat motionless, their faces pale with shock.
Even Nash and Erica, who had come for fun, stood with their mouths slightly agape, their eyes wide in disbelief.
They couldn’t comprehend what they were witnessing. Max had not only survived, but had effortlessly blocked an attack formed from a technique.
The group standing in front of the screens knew that, even if the technique were only at early stages, it should have been enough to deal with someone at level 1 of Apprentice Rank and even seriously injure someone at level 2 if they weren’t careful.
And yet, that attack had been effortlessly blocked by a kid at level 6 of Novice Rank.
Allen glanced at Killian’s hollow eyes on the screen and muttered, "What about a genius who hasn’t suffered failure, who couldn’t stand up after a defeat?"