Chapter 806: Gathering of the Seven Overlord Forces - 3

"Indeed. The bond between those two forces is so strong that sometimes the other five overlord forces simply refer to them as one," Princess Lyra said in a low, serious voice, her eyes watching the newly arrived experts with an expression that seemed caught somewhere between caution and resignation, and as she spoke, the cold wind stirred the silvery strands of hair that framed her delicate face.

She paused briefly, her gaze lingering on the swirling purple portal ahead, before adding in an even quieter tone, "And what’s worse is that both Thunder Monarch Hall and Mountain Gods Valley have never held good relations with our Great Ruler Empire. In fact, it’s often said that our Great Ruler Empire and Thunder Monarch Hall are arch-rivals who’ve clashed countless times over territory, resources, and prestige."

Max didn’t reply right away, his sharp eyes scanning over the new arrivals, and almost immediately his gaze locked onto two particular figures stepping forward amid the groups from the Thunder Monarch Hall and Mountain Gods Valley, his eyes narrowing slightly as recognition flared in them because he’d already anticipated this outcome, and inwardly he thought, ’Josh from the Thunder Monarch Hall and Scott from the Mountain Gods Valley are here with them.’

Knowing full well that trouble would follow their presence like a shadow. And just as Max expected, the moment Josh from the Thunder Monarch Hall caught sight of him among the ranks of the Great Ruler Empire, Josh leaned closer to an elder beside him and whispered a few quiet but intense words, his expression darkening like storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

Sensing the shift, Max let out a quiet, wry laugh under his breath and turned slightly toward Princess Lyra, murmuring with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "Princess Lyra, it seems trouble is coming for the Great Ruler Empire."

Princess Lyra turned to him with a look of puzzled concern, beginning to ask, "What do you—" but she didn’t get the chance to finish her question because right at that moment, a thunderous shout split the air like a peal of lightning cracking across the heavens, echoing so loudly that the sound seemed to shake the swirling mist around the purple portal, and the voice, deep and raging, roared out, "Who is Max from the Great Ruler Empire? Come out!"

Instantly, the entire gathering—thousands of experts hovering in the air around the purple portal—fell into an uneasy silence as countless pairs of eyes snapped toward the source of the voice, and confused murmurs began to ripple through the crowd because many of the onlookers had no idea who "Max" was or what he could possibly have done to provoke the fury of an elder from the Thunder Monarch Hall.

Within the ranks of the Great Ruler Empire, a wave of tension rolled through as elders, top geniuses, and even Emperor Hermes himself turned their gazes upon Max with mixed expressions of surprise and puzzlement, some brows furrowing in worry while others simply stared in shock.

Max gave a small shrug, lifting his hands in a gesture of innocence, and said in a calm voice tinged with resignation, "I don’t know what they’re on about." Though a faint flicker in his eyes hinted that he might have an idea of where this was headed.

Emperor Hermes, his expression turning steely and regal, shifted his sharp gaze from Max to the Thunder Monarch Hall’s leader, Lord Thunder, and then fixed it on the elder who had shouted, his voice carrying an edge of imperial authority as he demanded, "What is this about, Elder Garry?" Though his words were polite on the surface, his tone was anything but friendly, each syllable resonating with cold disdain.

Elder Garry, a formidable-looking man with hair streaked silver and a fierce glint in his eyes, threw back his head and let out a wild, mirthless laugh that rang with barely contained fury as he roared, "What is it about?!" His eyes blazed with righteous anger as he jabbed a finger in Max’s direction, his voice trembling with wrath as he bellowed, "Max—a member of your Great Ruler Empire—killed Julio, a member of my Thunder Monarch Hall!"

The accusation crashed through the crowd like a wave, sending fresh ripples of shocked gasps and murmurs echoing through the sky, as countless experts turned back to stare at Max, their eyes now filled with disbelief and intrigue at this sudden revelation, while tension crackled like unseen lightning between the assembled factions, threatening to ignite into open conflict at any moment.

Everyone fell into a stunned, heavy silence as Elder Garry’s furious accusation echoed across the skies, and in that tense moment, the reason behind the blazing anger of the Thunder Monarch Hall elders suddenly clicked into place in the minds of all those gathered before the swirling purple portal.

As a ripple of shocked whispers and hushed exclamations spread like wildfire among the vast crowd of experts suspended in the air, their faces alight with disbelief and morbid curiosity. Some voices rose above the low murmurs, sharp and incredulous, as one person exclaimed, "Damn, who is this Max? He actually killed a member of the Thunder Monarch Hall?"

While another, eyes wide with cautious understanding, leaned closer to his companion and said, "You don’t know the half of it—there’s been constant conflict brewing between the Great Ruler Empire and the Thunder Monarch Hall for years now, and many members from both sides have died in scattered clashes and skirmishes, but I think this time it’s worse, because if I remember right, Julio was the genius who recently advanced from being a 2-star to a 3-star genius in the Thunder Monarch Hall."
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Yet another warrior, his expression a mixture of shock and deep apprehension, added in a trembling voice, "He killed a 3-star genius? No wonder the Thunder Monarch Hall is furious! Don’t you realize what that means? 3-star geniuses in any of the seven overlord forces are incredibly rare, and killing one is practically the same as cutting off a future elder-level powerhouse from that force’s future—it’s a crippling loss that could weaken them for decades."

Around the purple portal, the crowd buzzed with barely contained energy, experts exchanging glances filled with wonder and suspicion, unable to quite believe that someone had dared go so far as to kill a 3-star genius from one of the mighty overlord forces, and many pairs of eyes shifted toward Max, some filled with fear, others with growing curiosity, as though trying to see what kind of monster he might be to have accomplished such a thing.

Emperor Hermes, standing tall with his imperial robes billowing faintly in the wind, narrowed his eyes and let out a cold sneer, his voice dripping with disdain as he shot back at Elder Garry, "What nonsense are you talking about?" but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes that betrayed the simmering tension beneath his outward calm.

Elder Garry, however, was far from cowed, his eyes burning with righteous fury as he spat back, "Nonsense? If you don’t believe me, then call out that bastard who killed Julio and have him deny it himself! And don’t try to cover this up—there were plenty of witnesses from other forces there that day, including members of the Absolute Sword Palace, the Mountain Gods Valley, the Eternal Sun Guild, and even the Void Soul Tower, all of whom saw it with their own eyes when he killed Julio!"

His chest heaved as he drew in a sharp breath, and then as though a dark thought had just occurred to him, his face twisted into a malicious sneer, and his voice dropped a note lower as he added viciously, "What’s more is that the bastard Max didn’t just kill Julio from my Thunder Monarch Hall, who was a newly advanced 3-star genius, but he also killed June Andrews from the Void Soul Tower—a Heaven Grade genius whose talent was unparalleled among their younger generation!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay