Max stepped back slightly, his lips tightening. The red lightning was one of his strongest means of destruction, a trump card against even the mightiest enemies, but here it was useless. The cube had not only nullified it, but swallowed it whole, leaving behind a silence that felt oppressive.

At that moment, Chief Igris spoke, his deep voice steady and calm. "The origin of these black cubes is unknown," he said, his eyes gleaming faintly with something like reverence. "But what is known is that these cubes are the toughest material in the entire universe."

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing. "And strangely, nothing can cut them. Nothing can break them. No element, no energy, no weapon has ever managed to damage them."

Max raised his eyebrows, his calm expression shifting slightly into surprise. The ability of the cubes to swallow lightning and flames had already hinted at an unusual nature, but to hear that they were considered the toughest material in existence made him reconsider their significance entirely. 'If these blocks cannot be damaged by anything except brute force, then their mystery runs deeper than I thought.'

"That means I can only use my physical strength to push this black cube?" Max asked, his voice quiet but firm as he turned to Chief Igris.

"That is the only way," Chief Igris confirmed with a solemn nod. His heavy features betrayed no doubt, only certainty born of experience.

Max gave a slight nod, his expression tightening as determination flashed in his eyes. A moment later, his one thousand Draconic Essences stirred awake inside his body. It was as though a dam had burst. Raw power surged through his veins like a flood, filling every muscle, every tendon, and every bone with crushing strength.

The ground beneath him cracked and splintered as his aura flared, unable to contain the violent force coursing through him.

Slowly, he placed both palms against the cold surface of the black cube. He braced his legs, inhaled deeply, and began to push. His body strained instantly, the sheer resistance of the cube meeting his strength as though he were attempting to move a mountain fused into the earth itself.

His arms bulged, veins wriggling and pulsing along his shoulders and chest as the full force of his Draconic Essences roared within him. His face twisted with effort, and his teeth clenched tightly as the raw weight of his unleashed strength pressed against the unyielding cube. His skin glowed faintly from the force rushing through him, and his aura erupted outward, distorting the very air.

But the cube did not move.

Not even a fraction of an inch.

Max gritted his teeth harder, and with a sharp exhale, he pushed again, this time drawing upon every ounce of strength his one thousand Draconic Essences provided. His veins writhed violently as though alive, crawling beneath his skin from the pressure.

His muscles swelled with monstrous force, cracks forming on the earth around him as the ground sank under the weight of his effort. Yet the cube remained immovable, silent and cold, ignoring the storm of power unleashed upon it.

Sweat formed along Max's forehead and dripped down his temples. His entire body trembled from the force he exerted, but the black cube did not even tremble in response. It was as if the object did not recognize his existence, as though the strength of a thousand Draconic Essences was nothing more than a whisper against its ancient surface.

With one final roar, Max drew every fragment of power from his body, veins bulging like serpents across his arms and neck. The very air cracked with the force of his exertion. Yet when his hands finally released the cube, it remained exactly where it had been, untouched, unchanged, and unmoved.

Max staggered back, his chest heaving as his breath came in heavy bursts. His eyes remained locked on the black cube, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief. To think that even when his entire being was fueled by one thousand Draconic Essences, he had not managed to make it shift even slightly.

"I don't believe it," Max muttered, his voice low and filled with stubborn defiance. His entire body flared as the Dragon Scales Transformation activated. Black scales erupted across his skin, sharp and glistening like metal forged in the heart of a star. Almost instantly, the scales shifted, turning into a radiant golden hue as his one thousand Draconic Essences poured into them. The golden light wrapped around his body, making him look like a war god descending into battle.

The power inside him rose to terrifying levels, his raw physical strength surging until the very ground trembled beneath his feet. Every breath he took seemed to carry the weight of mountains, and his veins glowed faintly beneath the golden scales as the energy coursed through him like molten rivers.

Drawing in a deep breath, Max clenched his right fist, his knuckles cracking as the gathered power threatened to burst free. He steadied his stance, his feet sinking into the ground and leaving deep impressions as the force pressed outward in waves. Slowly, he raised his arm, his focus sharpening to a razor's edge. He was preparing the final move of the Immemorial Dragon Elephant Fist Art, a move he had barely touched since acquiring the technique.

'Dragon-Elephant World Annihilation Fist.'

The ground beneath him split apart, spiderweb-like cracks racing outward as if the land itself could not endure the pressure radiating from his body. His right arm trembled uncontrollably, not from weakness but from the sheer force condensing within it. In that moment, the air around him distorted violently, the energy so intense that it caused the atmosphere to shiver.

A vague but immense shadow began to form behind him. The colossal outline of a dragon coiled into existence, its scales shimmering faintly in the air, and beside it, the towering form of an elephant appeared, each step of its phantom hooves shaking the earth. Both creatures overlapped, merging with Max's right arm, their combined presence pouring into his clenched fist.

Max's eyes glinted sharply as he stared at the immovable cube before him. His earlier attempt with his Draconic Essences alone had proven futile, and even with his Dragon Scales Transformation active he knew it would remain unyielding. The only path forward was to abandon finesse, to abandon restraint, and rely on pure brute force.

His entire body radiated defiance as he let the dragon and elephant spirits roar within him. The sound was deafening, as though heaven and earth themselves had been forced to bow to their presence.

"I will move it," Max growled under his breath. His golden scales gleamed brilliantly, and the cube loomed before him like the ultimate test.

And then, with every ounce of strength roaring through his veins, Max drove his fist forward.

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