Max's eyes widened—

His face darkened.

Aurelia stood unmoved, her expression unreadable.

But the Young Monarch wasn't done.

"Your choice. You have a month."

His gaze swept over the entire East Region—

A silent warning.

Then, his voice boomed once more.

"And this is for everyone listening…"

The air trembled—

Every leader, every warrior, every bystander held their breath.

"It would do you all well not to interfere in the matters of the Monarch from now on."

The sky rumbled—as if the heavens themselves were acknowledging his decree.

"Otherwise—"

The weight of his words crushed down like an executioner's blade.

"Blood shall be shed."

"People shall be killed."

"And the East… shall be destroyed."

Max's expression darkened.

He had never expected the Young Monarch to go this far—

To force his hand.

To threaten an entire region just to draw him out.

'Someone… told him about me.'

His mind raced.

The Black Lotus guild's report…

An anonymous figure had revealed his existence to the Monarch.

The Phoenix Order…

The same thing happened.

'Who the hell is pulling the strings?'

His gaze hardened as he watched the face in the sky dissolve, the black clouds slowly fading—

Leaving behind nothing but a clear, open sky.

Then—

A final whisper—

A voice only he could hear.

"Max... we will meet soon."

And with that—

The storm had passed.

Max glanced at the sky, letting out a slow sigh.

'It seems… I have no choice but to go to the Black Lotus Guild.'

Whether he liked it or not, they were the only faction that could take him in after he left the Phoenix Order.

And at this point—

Leaving wasn't just an option.

It was necessary.

A must.

He wouldn't risk Alice's life for his own stubbornness.

If his departure meant the Young Monarch would back off—

Then he was willing to take the deal.

For Alice.

Alice's face fell, her eyes filled with worry.

She turned back to her mother.

"Mother, what's going on? Why is that man after Max? And you won't expel him from the guild… right?"

Her voice was urgent, her tone pleading.

Aurelia let out a slow sigh.

"That… I don't know. But we have a month. That's enough time to come up with something."

She placed a reassuring hand on Alice's shoulder.

"Don't worry."

Alice nodded slowly, though the unease in her heart remained.

She turned toward Max—

But he looked away.

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"I'm tired. I'll talk to you later."

Without another word, he walked off, his steps heavy as he made his way back to his house in the guild.

Alice watched him go, her hands clenching into fists.

***

Back in his room, Max changed into his casual clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

His mind weighed heavy.

"Things have changed now."

He sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Never had he expected that after leaving the temple and returning to the guild, things would spiral out of control.

And worst of all—

Nothing had gone in his favor.

But—

Worrying wouldn't change anything.

He took a slow, deep breath—

And stepped into his Dimension of Time.

—

Pure white.

An endless expanse of nothingness.

A world without boundaries, without distractions—

Just silence.

Just peace.

Max stood there, letting the emptiness wash over him.

A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Alright… time to train."

Max focused, steadying his breath.

He had four skills and two techniques to master.

But before that—

He needed something that would push his strength to a whole new level.

His Fusion State Aura sat at 21% completion—

Right now, it only contained Sword Aura and Flame Aura.

But that wasn't enough.

Lightning Aura had to be fused next.

As for Space Aura—it was still at Level 1. Until it reached Level 2, fusing it was impossible.

Max closed his eyes, his mind sharpening like a blade.

'Let's do this.'

Max stood motionless, eyes shut, his breath steady.

The white world faded.

All that remained—the storm within.

He reached inward, calling forth his Lightning Aura.

It answered instantly.

Sparks flickered. Purple lightning crackled to life, coiling around his limbs like living serpents. The air thrummed, heavy with charged energy, buzzing with raw, untamed power.

Then—

From the depths of his being, Fusion State aura stirred.

A crushing force erupted from his core, causing the very air to tremble.

Where Lightning Aura was wild, unpredictable—

Fusion State was absolute.

Refined. Controlled. Unyielding.

The moment they met—

They clashed.

Lightning surged, erratic, resisting control.

Fusion State imposed its dominance, demanding order.

They repelled, refusing to merge.

Max's body trembled as shockwaves erupted around him. Arcs of violet lightning slammed into an invisible barrier of pure force, the collision tearing at the very air, clashing on Max's body.

They were incompatible.

Max gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.

He had expected this.

Lightning was chaos—it refused control.

Fusion State was command—it rejected disorder.

But they weren't enemies.

He exhaled.

Instead of forcing them together—

He let them flow.

He didn't suppress the lightning.

He didn't try to cage it.

He let it move, wild yet unrestricted, freely roaming through the boundaries of Fusion State.

At first, the two remained distant, still resisting—still rejecting.

Then—

Max guided them.

He let Fusion State shape the lightning, not as a force to contain it—but to refine it.

The change was subtle at first.

The crackling arcs no longer lashed out violently.

They adapted.

The Fusion State Aura no longer tried to crush the storm—it wove around it, stabilizing it, amplifying its strength instead of fighting it.

The tension in space thickened.

The air grew heavier.

Then—

BOOM!

A detonation of power erupted.

Lightning-infused Fusion State was born.

Max's body ignited with a new aura—one coursing with streaks of electrified energy.

No longer just structure—it was speed. It was fluidity. It was raw, unrelenting intensity.

A reborn power.

Lightning no longer opposed Fusion State—it became part of it.

The once-contained force now surged with motion, its speed and destructive energy woven into its very essence.

Max clenched his fists.

His veins roared.

His aura crackled and burned, alive yet controlled.

This was no longer just Fusion State Aura of the last time.

This was—

Fusion State aura of Sword Aura, Flame Aura and Lightning Aura fused into one.

All three of them at level 2.

[Fusion State is increased to 30%]

'This power… it's far stronger than Fusion State at 20%.'

Max could feel it—

The sheer density of his aura.

The intent behind it was overwhelming, powerful enough to shatter any Level 3 Aura with ease.

Even he hadn't expected this level of improvement.

'I guess fusing three auras increased the strength qualitatively.'

This wasn't just an addition of power.

It was an evolution.

His Fusion State Aura wasn't just stronger—

It was becoming something far beyond normal comprehension.

A small smirk formed on his lips.

Satisfied.

—

Without wasting time, Max took out the Voidborne Edge: Sevenfold Sword Technique.

He flipped through the ancient scroll, his eyes scanning the details.

Seven sword attacks.

At least—

That's what it claimed to be.

Yet, the more he read—

The more confused he became.

Not a single movement resembled a traditional sword technique.

There were no slashes. No thrusts. No defensive counters.

It was… bizarre.

'This technique is very strange… Not a single sword attack looks like a sword attack to me.'

His gaze shifted to the first move—

Evil Wheel of Samsara.

Just the name alone carried a mysterious weight.

Max frowned.

Something about it—

Felt unnatural.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay