Amidst the roaring crowd and the host's announcement of the most exciting victory of the day, Austin's eyes settled on the lone figure standing under all the spotlight. With a sigh, he draped an arm over the shoulder of the young man seated next to him.
"Do you think you can beat him?"
Max frowned. He had witnessed Skyler's scythe skills during his duel with a fellow classmate. He had also seen him defeat Austin with his Cosmic Collapse skill. And now this silver lightning and ice skill? Just how many skills did Skyler possess?
What's more, all of his elemental crystals appeared to be at 10-star—a very rare feat. Advancing even a single elemental crystal to that level required enormous resources and great effort. For Skyler to advance all five of his elemental crystals to 10-star at the same time, and in such a short span of time, this kind of growth was beyond extraordinary.
It was unnatural—almost abnormal.
Max clasped his hands, lost in thought.
After a long, heavy silence, he answered Austin's question, his face unreadable.
"It's hard. I can see that clearly... but not impossible. If I go all out, I can defeat him. The only problem is—I can't go all out."
He stopped himself from saying more.
'I have too much to hide.'
Austin gave him a strange look.
"Why can't you go all out?? Just do your best! You're the stronger one anyway—you just don't have as many skills, that's all."
Max resisted the urge to roll his eyes. When had he ever said he didn't have many skills? He had plenty of powerful skills and spells.
It was just that most of them were tied to elements he had never revealed in public.
"It won't be easy. First, I need to reach the finals—and it's far too soon to assume I will make it that far. Honestly, I'm not even sure Skyler and I will end up facing each other."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"But what really caught me off guard… is how much Zack Everlette has grown. His skills are nothing to take lightly."
Austin nodded in agreement.
"He's almost like a different person!"
He narrowed his eyes.
"I'm telling you, something's off with Zack. He's not the same person we used to know. How can someone change so drastically? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he were possessed. Maybe we should get someone from a nearby temple to check him out."
Austin jolted when Max suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shook him, his eyes wild.
"What did you say earlier?"
Seeing the warm golden eyes narrow dangerously, Austin froze for a moment.
"I...? That Zack is possessed?"
Max's brows furrowed.
"No—before that."
"It's like... he's a different person?"
Austin let out a sigh of relief as Max loosened his grip on his shoulder.
"Seriously. You nearly dislocated my shoulder! What's wrong with you?"
Max clutched his head, a sharp hiss escaping through his teeth.
"Keep quiet… my head's pounding."
Austin shot to his feet, alarmed.
"What's happening? You were fine just a second ago. Did you get hurt in your last battle? Give me your hand—I will use my healing skill. Or should I call the healers?"
Max groaned softly, the noise around him echoing too loudly in his ears—each sound worsening the sharp pounding in his skull.
"No. Just be quiet for a bit."
Austin shut his mouth and sat back down beside him, staying close and ready to use his healing skill at any moment, if needed.
Beads of sweat trickled down Max's face, soaking into his uniform. He was drenched despite the cool air. For someone as strong as he was, that alone was deeply alarming. Something was clearly wrong with him.
Austin rose to his feet and quietly slipped away to find a healer. There was no way he was risking getting chewed out by the girls—or worse, beaten up by Moore—for doing nothing when Max was clearly unwell.
That was why he didn't notice how Max's golden eyes began to brighten like flames.
Max's consciousness was slipping, the pain swelling until it became unbearable. Yet he didn't cry out—he simply remained seated, silent and still, as if frozen by sheer will.
And in that condition, something stirred at the back of his mind—like an old, forgotten dream clawing its way to the surface.
A memory… or was it a vision? It didn't feel like his, yet it pulsed with eerie familiarity, as if his very soul had lived it once before.
He found himself suspended high above a vast, roiling sea of crimson lava, its molten waves heaving and crashing violently like a living, wrathful beast raging beneath him.
He wasn't alone—there were others with him, though their faces were shrouded in shadow. Together, they battled towering, monstrous creatures so huge they made them look like ants beneath a mountain.
Then, a voice whispered near his ear—someone floating close to him.
"He's almost like a different person. Just a few years ago, he had no power. Now look at him… killing so many beasts alone. Do you think the higher beings blessed him?"
The voice chuckled.
"Still, it's so fortunate he joined our team. Because of him, we've come this far. Let's stick together until the end. I'm sure we will find a way to save our planet if we all keep pushing forward. The others may not like him, but I'm telling you—with the way he's progressing, he might even surpass you!"
Max found himself nodding in agreement. The person floating beside him gave him a playful nudge in the stomach, then pointed toward the one they were talking about.
But no matter how hard Max tried to focus, all he could see was a breathtaking pair of massive, radiant, and powerful wings. The voice practically cooed with delight.
"He is our lucky charm! Without a doubt! Mark my words, Max! Hahaha!"
Max tried to get a better look.
'Who...?'
Just as the question surfaced in his mind, the vision he had been watching shattered into tiny fragments. In the next moment, he found himself standing in a world consumed by darkness, surrounded by several figures.
Above them, countless stars glittered like distant gems—but the mood was anything but serene. Heavy and oppressive silence hung in the air, every face turned grimly toward something floating before them.
Max followed their gaze. There it was—an eerily familiar, glowing message screen.
#The Creator of the Cosmos: Kill him, and save your planet. The choice is yours. We are merely offering you all an option.
Max frowned as he read the message.
'Kill who...?'
Someone shouted, their voice rising in fury—it was same the voice that had spoken to him earlier. A voice that felt oddly familiar.
"Are you bastards kidding us? No way!"
But another voice instantly cut in.
"We don't have a choice! This is our last option. Or would you rather watch Eldoria be enslaved—turned into a living nightmare?"
Max found himself arguing—desperately trying to calm the rising storm around him as voices clashed and tempers flared. Yet in the end, they made their choice—a decision that twisted something deep in his gut.
They chose to sacrifice the one the higher beings demanded they kill—all in the name of the greater good. But why?
Who was this person? Why couldn't the higher beings kill them themselves?
Why did they ask them to do it?
A chill settled over him as he realized he was speaking—his voice low and detached, as if it belonged to someone else entirely.
"This isn't the first time we've made the same choice. Why is it always like this?"
His mind was snapped out of the vision by Austin's loud and familiar voice. He gasped, clutching his chest as he returned to reality.
Austin's eyes were wide with panic as he patted Max's back and even gave his head a smack, earning a pained hiss in response.
"Did you finally snap out of it? You nearly gave the healer a heart attack! Look at him—he has gone pale like a white sheet of paper just because you weren't responding!"
Max blinked, his gaze settling on the robed healer Austin had brought. The young man really did look on the verge of tears.
With a sigh, Max rubbed his aching head, still dazed. Despite the confusion, he gave the healer a small nod to reassure him.
"I'm fine. It was just a headache."
Austin narrowed his eyes.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. I've been too focused on the Gala and haven't slept properly. I just need rest."
Austin let the subject drop, though his eyes stayed fixed on Max, watching the man like a hawk. He valued his life far too much to risk being murdered by Moore, Jenny, Elena, or Monica if something happened to Max.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the field, Skyler—having finished his battle with Zack and basked in the crowd's cheers—frowned at Max's sweat-drenched figure.
He had been watching him closely ever since Austin left to get the healer.
"What was that? I could have sworn I saw him crying... just for a moment."