Henry's voice cracked as he took a shaky step back, fear twisting his face. "We were just testing your strength… right, Patrick?" His body trembled with every retreating step, his words little more than an attempt to shield himself.

"Right," Patrick added quickly, forcing a flattering smile onto his lips. "Henry is right. We only wanted to test your strength because of the golden crown. That Dave was the one who started everything. He said your strength was unworthy of the crown, and he thought it would be a good opportunity to take it for himself. It is good that he died." His tone was light, but his eyes betrayed the desperation hiding beneath his words.

Henry nodded furiously, his stammer betraying him. "Yes… yes, Dave was evil. You killed him, and that was the right thing to do. We will not trouble you anymore. We are leaving." He turned without hesitation, and Patrick followed suit. Both of them broke into a run, their figures darting across the wasteland in an effort to escape.

But before they could flee far, the air shimmered in front of them. Max's figure appeared once again, blocking their path. His steps were slow, his posture unhurried, yet the oppressive weight of his presence pressed down on them like an iron cage.

Henry and Patrick froze in place. Their throats tightened, and they swallowed hard, the sound audible even in the heavy silence.

"I am a madman," Max said softly, his lips curling into a smile that did not reach his eyes. The glow of the golden crown above his head bathed him in a faint light, but his eyes themselves burned with a crimson radiance. "And I like to kill."

Henry and Patrick clenched their teeth, desperation flooding their faces. Their eyes met briefly, and in that fleeting exchange of a glance, both understood what had to be done. They had no path left but to fight.

With a sharp cry, Henry unleashed his power. The air around him shimmered as dozens of daggers shot forward like blue missiles, each one sharp enough to pierce the hide of a Mythic Rank beast. They streaked through the air with lethal precision, aimed directly at Max's heart and throat.

At the same time, Patrick's sword cut through the air with a roar. Wind surged violently around him, and with every swing of his blade, countless wind blades were released. They overlapped and cascaded like a storm, rushing toward Max with the intent to slice him into pieces.

Both attacks tore across the wasteland, the sheer force shaking the ground beneath their feet. Yet even as the storm of blades and missiles converged on him, Max's calm smile did not fade.

Max's lips curved into a sneer as his figure flickered and reappeared directly in front of Henry, close enough that the man could see the faint glow of the golden crown above his head.

"I knew you would do this!" Henry shouted, laughter erupting from his throat, wild and desperate. In that instant, the flying daggers he had previously released shifted course with impossible speed. They turned sharply in midair and streaked back toward Max from behind, faster and sharper than before. The sound of their flight split the air as they closed in on his back.

Max's expression remained calm, his face showing not even the slightest trace of concern. He raised his right fist, clenched tightly, and channeled the power of all one thousand Draconic Essences into that single blow. The energy surged, radiating through his body with a force that made the air vibrate.

The daggers struck. Yet the moment their tips touched his figure, black flames erupted across his body. The infernal fire spread instantly, consuming the projectiles before they could pierce him. Each dagger dissolved into nothingness, devoured completely by the blaze that raged around him.

At the same instant, Max's fist connected with Henry. The punch landed squarely in his stomach, tearing straight through his body and bursting out from his back. Blood sprayed for only a moment before black flames surged outward again, wrapping Henry's figure in an all-consuming inferno. His scream was cut short as his body was devoured. In seconds, nothing of him remained. Not a bone, not a shred of clothing. Only ashes scattered faintly in the violet air.

Patrick froze midway through his own attack. His sword hung limp in his hand, his face twisted in horror. His eyes widened to their limit, disbelief etched across his features as though he had just witnessed something that should never have existed. His body trembled, his confidence gone, his very breath shallow. He even forgot to raise his blade again.

Max turned his crimson gaze toward him, his voice low and sharp. "Are you regretting it?"

Patrick could not speak. His lips moved, but no words came out. His body quivered as despair swallowed him whole. His spirit seemed to falter under the crushing weight of inevitability.

"Absolute Reaper," Max whispered, his words as calm as if he were announcing the weather.

Immediately, Patrick's body was engulfed by a sphere of black flames. The sphere burned silently, its edges flickering with ominous light, and then Max raised his hand slightly.

"Implode."

The sphere collapsed inward, crushing and devouring everything inside. Patrick's scream was brief, cut off as the flames consumed him completely. When the blaze finally died down, nothing remained. Patrick had been erased from existence just like Henry and Dave before him.

Almost instantly, a clear mechanical chime rang in Max's ears.

[Congratulations to Max Voidwalker for leveling to 7th level of Legend Rank.]

Max's smile faded into a faint frown. He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers slowly as he muttered, "All three of them for just one small level up?" His tone was laced with disappointment, the result far less satisfying than the effort it had taken.

The golden crown above his head glowed faintly, its light falling across the ashes that marked the end of three geniuses who had thought him an easy prey.

Nina and Evan stood frozen, their faces pale as the ashes of the three geniuses scattered into the violet wasteland. What they had witnessed unsettled them to their core. Max had not struggled in the slightest. He had erased three peak Mythic Rank geniuses as if their existence had meant nothing, their strength crumbling before him like fragile glass.

A chill swept through both of them as they thought of what might have happened if they had underestimated him. The golden crown above his head was proof enough, yet his cultivation level had appeared lower than theirs.

If they had treated him lightly, if they had ever dared to provoke him as the trio had, they might now be lying in ruins, reduced to nothing but memory. In that moment, they both silently felt fortunate. They had obeyed their instincts, trusted the crown, and avoided the arrogance that had led to the others' demise.

Max broke the silence by turning toward them. His voice was calm, almost curious, as though the massacre he had just committed was an afterthought. "They tried to kill me thinking they could take my crown. If someone kills me, would the golden crown then pass to them?"

Nina's grip on her Fate Compass tightened as she nodded solemnly. "It is true. The golden crown is not just a symbol. It carries countless opportunities and recognition from the secret domain itself. Because of this, many geniuses try to kill those who bear it. Every time the secret domain opens, those chosen by the crown face endless attempts on their lives."

Max raised an eyebrow, her explanation sparking another thought in his mind. "Oh," he said softly, his tone shifting into curiosity. "Then doesn't that mean if I kill a genius who already has a golden crown, I can claim their crown for myself? Would that allow me to hold more than one?"

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