The tip of Max's black sword and the tip of Veylin's lightning spear collided, sending a shockwave so powerful that everyone in the air was pushed back several steps.

The black flames of Max's sword roared, twisting and curling like a living beast, while the lightning from Veylin's spear crackled ferociously, illuminating the darkened skies.

The two forces clashed in a struggle for dominance, sending ripples of energy surging outward. However, it didn't last long.

In just a few seconds, it became clear who had the upper hand.

Veylin's arm trembled as he struggled against the overwhelming power of the blade crashing through him. "Damn you!" he cursed, increasing the output of lightning in his body as a dragon manifested from it, powering his attack.

Max smiled deviously. "You are going down." With those words, he activated another skill at the same time.

"Celestial Tempest!" he roared at the sky as hundreds of wind blades manifested out of thin air, crashing down on Veylin, who was already struggling against Max's previous attack.

"Ghhh!" Veylin screamed in agony as wind blades began to cut through his skin, his body being sliced one after another.

The wind blades struck his body, but due to the lightning surrounding him, some of them were destroyed mid-air, while others hit his body directly, injuring him and making him scream in pain.

Everyone watching the scene was shocked. They hadn't expected Max to have the upper hand when he was clearly the weaker of the two, but it was now clear that Veylin was losing this round.

Five frowned at the sight, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Don't bother helping," the man in the mask said, his expression serious.

Five glanced at him but focused again on the battle.

"You will regret this," Veylin said, his voice hoarse as he struggled against Max's blade. The wind blades raining down on his body only worsened his situation.

Max took deep breaths as he glanced at Veylin. "You should have never targeted her and me in the same place. You chose the wrong targets." He said as he pushed the blade down with all his power.

The blade's black flames intensified further as it pressed down on Veylin. Then, a sound of something breaking was heard.

Snap!

Veylin's spear gave in and snapped in two.

"Damn it!" he cursed and immediately conjured a shield of lightning in that split moment, just as the black blade hit him.

The black sword collided with the lightning shield Veylin formed at the last moment, but the momentum of the attack sent him flying, shield and all, while the blade continued to push down on him.

His figure hurtled toward one of the many buildings in the city and collided with it, completely destroying it.

Bang!

Max glanced at the destruction, taking deep breaths, his chest rising and falling. 'I'm barely left with enough energy for one more attack.' His expression darkened as he turned to look at Jessica, who was holding Anton and Alice in her cube prison.

Glancing towards the building where Veylin had fallen, Max took out some mana crystals and began absorbing them one by one. 'My attack was strong, but it wasn't enough to kill someone at the 9th level of Adept Rank.' He understood his weakness—his low level.

Meanwhile, he looked at all the generals and members of the Phoenix Order guild present. "This lady has Alice and Anton," he said, pointing at her. "She is only one, and you are many. So attack her with all your power, overwhelm her, and don't give her a moment to breathe."

The generals exchanged glances and nodded in unison before moving to surround Jessica. All the members of the Phoenix Order guild followed suit, encircling her and beginning their attacks.

"This is bad," Jessica frowned, enveloping herself in another red cube to defend against the attacks.

Seeing this, Max turned to the man in the mask. "You won't help me with this, right?"

The man in the mask from the Black Lotus guild gazed deeply at Max, his mind racing with thoughts. There were many questions he wanted to ask Max, but he realized it wasn't his place to do so.

"I won't," he said, glancing at Max before pointing at Five. "But I'll do you a favor… I won't let this guy interfere, either."

Five's expression turned grim as he heard that, but he didn't act and simply observed the situation.

Max frowned. He needed all the help he could get, but it was better than letting Five loose at the moment. "I owe you one."

After continuously absorbing mana crystals, Max felt better. 'I can at least use two more Celestial Tempests.' He thought, turning his attention back to Jessica.

He quickly moved and appeared above her, taking out the Lantern of Death.

'Heh, I should have used this sooner,' Max thought as he controlled the flames inside and released them.

Whoosh!

Immediately, the generals and members of the Phoenix Order guild retreated, sensing the eerie, deathly aura emanating from the flames.

"That is the Legendary rank artifact, Lantern of Purple Death," Five muttered, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the lantern in Max's hand. He hadn't expected Max to possess such an item.

Nash, who had been keeping tabs on the brother-sister duo from the Monarch with Erica, Elena, and some generals, was also surprised to see the lantern. 'Using that lantern means he owes our guild a favor,' he thought devilishly.

"Ahhh!" Just then, Veylin flew out of the crash site. His clothes were torn, some parts burned, and others had stab wounds.

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He glanced at Max, at the purple lantern, his expression darkening.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted, warning Max.

But Max smiled and used the purple flames to break the cube container holding Anton and Alice. General Gale moved swiftly, taking both of them out.

The purple flames then shattered the container containing Jessica, intertwining around her figure.

"This is over," Max said coldly. "Either you leave, or I kill her. Your choice."

Veylin frowned, glancing at Alice and then at Jessica. His expression hardened. Turning his attention to all the figures from the Monarch, he noticed everyone was being intercepted by someone—even Five.

This caused him to calm down, and he turned to Max. "Alright, you win. Let her go, and we will leave."

Max sneered. "You don't take me for a fool, do you?" He laughed. "First, you and Five leave. Disappear from this city, and only then will I let her go."

Veylin frowned. "Let her go first," he demanded.

Max shrugged, looking at him coldly. "Don't force my hand. Just listen to me carefully, and everything will be over."

Veylin's frown deepened as he glared at her.

Both of them weren't willing to back down this cause the tension between them to increase.

"I have an idea," the girl in the mask from the Black Lotus guild said, attracting everyone's attention.

Veylin and Max both turned to her.

She glanced at both of them and pointed at the dome. "The battle in there is already over. The people from Monarch and those from the five guilds and the four families have stopped fighting."

She added, "So, if you can, just wait a few minutes like this. I believe it won't be long before the dome goes down. At that time, your elders will decide what's best for you two."

Max thought for a moment and agreed, nodding to her. Mishaps had already happened once with Alice. He couldn't risk it twice now. He would hold onto his bargaining chip until the very end.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay