"Abby, what is this?" Veylin questioned her, his tone authoritative.

Abby shrugged, glancing at Allen. "It seems our source was wrong about him."

"Damn it," Veylin cursed aloud.

"So, what do you want me to do about this kid?" Jessica asked, pointing at Max. Since they had determined that this kid wasn't a Voidwalker, they wouldn't need him anymore.

Veylin turned his venomous gaze on Max and gave the order. "Kill him."

"Hehe, I will then." Jessica smiled pleasantly.

Anton frowned upon seeing that. Since Max wasn't a Voidwalker, he didn't want him to die just yet. A genius like him wouldn't come easily to their guild.

"Hehe, how's it going here?"

Just then, black flames erupted around the scene, and many individuals clad in black cloaks with black lotus symbols appeared, one after another, led by two eye-catching figures.

One was a lady with black hair wearing a mask, and the other was a man with deep yellow hair. He also wore a mask. Their strength was at level 8 and level 9 of Adept Rank, respectively.

The atmosphere shifted with their arrival. The Black Lotus guild was known for its notorious nature, and their bold entrance would only mean trouble.

Anton's face darkened upon seeing them. "What is the Black Lotus guild doing here?" he asked solemnly.

The man with yellow hair and the mask gazed at Anton and chuckled. "Believe me, I'm on your side today."

"What do you mean?" Anton asked, sensing something was off.

"Hehehe," the man in the mask chuckled and turned to Veylin. "The son of the Young Monarch has come all the way to the East Region, but I guess you'll be very disappointed today."

He added with a sneer, "You didn't find the Voidwalker."

Veylin's expression turned dark. "Are you mocking me?"

The man smirked. "Indeed. What can you do about it?"

Veylin glanced at him deeply and asked, "I know the Black Lotus guild doesn't act without reason. So tell me, what are you here for?"

The man smiled and pointed at Max. "Someone paid a very hefty sum of money to make sure nothing happens to Max Morgan."

A cold smile appeared on Veylin's face. "I see. Well, you're a bit too late."

The man smiled back. "Am I?"

As the two of them played with words, Max found the situation perfect for escaping.

Although he was curious about who would spend money to hire the Black Lotus guild just to ensure he wouldn't die, he couldn't care less about it at that moment.

'The Black Lotus guild is indeed very mysterious,' Max thought, glancing at the man and woman in masks, along with the other cloaked figures who had come with them.

However, his expression turned serious as he once again felt the same familiar sensation from them that he had experienced with a member of the Black Lotus back in the Burning Wilds dungeon when they were targeting Alice.

'What is this feeling of familiarity?' Max wondered curiously. 'Is it the black flames they used?' The only thing common between him and them was the black flames. Other than that, he couldn't tell anything that would make him feel familiar with them.

'Whatever… It's time to escape this cube.' Max looked around and noticed that Jessica seemed to be on high alert against the masked woman from the Black Lotus guild.

He had been assessing the cube since the moment he entered it, and only after seeing Jessica use her abilities to form pointed needles and containers from it did he learn of its weakness.

Seeing that nobody was paying attention to him, Max moved toward Alice and held her tightly.

Then, he used his Abyssal Coating skill on both hands and punched down. The Abyss Coating coating skill had nullify effects so anything formed from mana was useless against this skill.

Shatter!

The cube shattered like glass, and Max and Alice fell.

But before anyone could react, Max took Alice and appeared beside Anton. His speed was a blur to everyone.

Everyone was shocked. Many generals had fought for a long time, trying to free Alice from their grasp, but they failed. However, a kid who had recently gained unimaginable fame had done it in a few minutes.

"How did you—?!" Jessica exclaimed, her tone full of shock. She simply couldn't comprehend how someone at level 3 of the Apprentice Rank could break out of her cube.

Veylin's face became even gloomier after seeing that. They had already failed once, and now the circumstances were leading to the failure of another.

"Hehe, this kid is indeed the genius with the most potential in the East Region," the man in the mask smiled, seeing that he didn't even have to do anything to free Max.

"Max, you…!" Anton was also shocked.

Max handed Alice to him and said solemnly, "Take care of her."

Anton gently held his sister and nodded in understanding. Flaming wings sprouted from his back as he shot into the sky with her.

"Five, stop them," Veylin glanced at Five and ordered.

Five also shot into the sky, sending an arc of red light toward Anton.

But someone was even faster than him and appeared before Anton and Alice. It was Max. He took out his sword and deflected the arc of light toward a nearby building.

Bang!

The building was completely destroyed by the arc of light.

Using that opportunity, Anton flew into the distance.

But he was soon followed by Abby and Billy. However, they were also blocked by some people. It was Nash and the general from the cavern—the duo's previous opponents.

"What's the hurry? We haven't finished our business yet," Nash smiled, looking down at them, disdain evident in his voice.

"Tch." Abby clicked her tongue in frustration, seeing that they were blocked by her previous 'enemies.'

"You think you two can stop me all by yourselves?" she growled at them as her aura began to rise.

"What if we were to join too?" Erica and Elena appeared beside Nash just then.

Abby's expression darkened upon seeing more people blocking her path. "You…" She pointed at Elena. "I work with your brother, so don't interfere in my task."

Elena said coldly, "It doesn't matter who you work with. Alice is a friend, and since you're trying to kidnap her, I must stop you."

Abby frowned at her response. She hadn't expected Allen's sister to be so stubborn.

Meanwhile, Allen only watched the situation with cold eyes. It seemed he wasn't keen to join any side at the moment.

Veylin, on the other hand, became gloomy. The situation had spiraled out of his control in just one moment.

He flew into the sky and turned to Five. "Kill him," he ordered.

With those words, he himself chased after Anton.

Max glanced at him flying away and used his strongest skill, the one he currently possessed.

"Celestial Tempest." He raised his sword high and swung it down.

Thousands of wind blades descended from the sky, each slicing through the air with deadly precision, converging on Veylin. The relentless assault formed a storm that swirled around him, engulfing him entirely in its chaotic eye.

"What is this?!" Veylin roared, frustration dripping from his voice. A spear materialized in his hand, its sharp edge gleaming with power. He swung it furiously, deflecting one wind blade after another, each clash echoing through the air like a battle drum.

Yet no matter how many he blocked, the barrage showed no signs of ceasing. The wind blades kept raining down, unrelenting, as though the storm itself had decided he would not escape its wrath.

Veylin's movements grew more frantic, his spear becoming a blur as time passed, but the storm seemed infinite, intent on tearing him apart.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay