Chapter 1048: Killing would be too easy for them
"What? Just one sword attack, and he cut off their limbs? How could Max be this strong?"
The stunned cries rippled through the demon ranks first, disbelief written across their twisted faces. They had expected a desperate struggle, perhaps even Max’s death, but never something like this.
Even the humans gathered outside the arena were momentarily speechless. They could see clearly that Max’s cultivation had not changed. He was still at the first level of the Legend Rank. Yet with that level alone, he was fighting not one but two peak Mythic Rank demons as though they were toys to be discarded.
"Damn, he truly is the strongest genius of all time," one human finally shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Yeah, he is no joke. I have never seen anyone wield that much combat power. He is the real deal."
"With him taking the lead, humanity has a chance. We actually have a chance to win this war against the demons. If his strength reaches the Divine Rank, then with his combat power, I do not think any being could stand against him."
The words ignited the crowd. They began chanting his name, their voices carrying the weight of hope.
"Max! Max! Max! Max!"
The chants rolled like thunder, echoing through the Black Rock Region. Humans from every corner of the Middle Domain, watching through the broadcast of the Hunter Association, were no different. Across cities, academies, guild halls, and sect compounds, the roar of excitement spread like wildfire. The existence of Max had become more than just a symbol. He was living proof that the human race was not finished. If they could endure, if they could give him enough time to grow, there might yet be victory.
The demons, however, were far from excited. Their faces were dark, their eyes burning with cold fury.
"This human is a problem," Varian muttered, his massive arms crossed over his chest. His voice rumbled with suppressed rage.
Bellion’s expression twisted further, hatred seething in his tone. "That boy killed my student. I want to crush him with my own hands!" His sharp teeth ground together, his jaw tight with bloodlust.
Zoltan’s lips curved into a cruel smile. He leaned closer to them and whispered a few words, too low for the humans to hear. His crimson eyes glimmered with cunning.
Both Varian and Bellion turned their gazes on him, their scowls shifting into sneers. Their cruel expressions said enough. They liked what they heard.
"Do this," Varian said, his dark grin widening. "The rest, I will handle."
The three demons exchanged a look, their expressions sharpening with malice as the battlefield raged on.
---
Max walked slowly across the broken arena floor, each step deliberate, his crimson aura crackling in the air. His gaze never wavered from the two figures sprawled before him. Aron and Bron, once feared as peak Mythic Rank demons, now lay helpless, their limbs severed cleanly by a single swing of his blade. Their massive frames twitched faintly, blood pooling beneath them as they tried and failed to rise.
Max stopped a few paces away, his red eyes as cold as an abyss. His voice carried no anger, only chilling indifference. "Tell me, do you two regret what you did to Valora Continent?"
Aron bared his jagged teeth, sneering even as his body trembled from blood loss. "If you want to kill us, then kill us. What is with this nonsense about regret? We demons do not regret anything."
Max tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Oh, is that so? For a moment, I thought you might finally regret it." His hands rose slowly, black smoke swirling around his fingers as infernal energy surged forth like liquid corruption. "But since you do not, let me help you understand."
In one swift movement, Max crouched, gripping each of their heads firmly in his hands. The energy in his palms roared to life, pouring straight into their skulls like a flood.
The result was immediate.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Both demons screamed in unison, their guttural roars of agony echoing through the arena. The infernal energy seeped through their skulls into their minds, corrupting everything it touched. Their eyes bulged, veins spreading across their faces like dark roots. Their bodies convulsed violently, their torsos arching as if their very bones were splintering from within.
Max’s expression did not change. His grip tightened, forcing even more energy into them. The infernal energy was not simply pain. It was corruption that gnawed at their souls, twisting every nerve and tendon, burning through their blood like molten poison.
It forced them to relive every act of slaughter they had committed, but not with triumph. Each memory was distorted, forcing them to feel their victims’ screams and agony as if they were the ones being butchered.
Max had never attempted something like this before, but deep inside he had always known it was possible. The first time he had been consumed by infernal energy, it had forced him into a state of constant torment, twisting his body and mind until he felt he would break.
That experience, though cruel, had planted the knowledge in him. If the infernal energy could do that to him, then with his current mastery over it, he could direct that same corruption outward.
Over the years, Max’s control over the infernal energy had grown sharper, more refined. What had once been a wild force trying to devour him had become a weapon he could bend to his will. He had shaped it, mastered its tides, and now he could thread it through every nerve of another being’s body. It was no longer just destructive energy; under his command it became corruption that could rot a soul and break a mind without ending life.
As his hands pressed harder against the skulls of the twin demons, Max poured more of that corruption into them. His crimson eyes narrowed as he remembered Lenavira. She had suffered under a curse that had twisted her into her dark elf state, and through her, Max had seen the depths of despair that such corruption could cause. The sight of her anguish had burned itself into him, and from that image he drew inspiration.
If Lenavira, a being with light mana, could suffer so much from infernal energy, then the demons, who were the epitome of evil and darkness, surely would suffer much more.