CHAPTER 942: NINTH AND THE STONGEST

And then came the ninth dragon.

The final and strongest. Its aura was oppressive enough to make the onlookers below clutch their chests. It tore through waves of small dragons without slowing, shattering even the weapons Max summoned.

But Max didn’t stop. He poured every ounce of his soul force and mana into the black crown, which blazed brighter than ever before. From it, every type of creation he had used before — chains, swords, shackles, spears, whips, cages, arrows, serpents — manifested all at once, swarming toward the dragon in a coordinated assault.

The final clash shook the sky. The ninth dragon roared furiously, its flames surging outward to resist, but it was dragged down into a maelstrom of black fire.

Hundreds... thousands... of small dragons bit into its form while the weapons hacked away its scales. Slowly, painfully, its body disintegrated into streams of energy.

’It’s done.’ Max felt the words echo in his mind as the massive black flaming crown above his head cracked, fragments of pure flame breaking away and fading into nothingness. The once raging black inferno around his body dimmed, its oppressive heat dwindling into faint flickers.

Every breath he took felt heavy. His mind was drained, his mana reserves scraped empty, and even his soul force throbbed with a deep ache. The relentless creation of countless small flame dragons, the strain of controlling them all at once, and the sheer force needed to battle the nine majestic dragons had pushed him beyond his normal limits.

His body trembled in the air, the pull of gravity gnawing at him as his float skill faltered. Darkness threatened to claim his vision. He could almost feel himself slipping into unconsciousness.

"No! I can’t faint!" he snarled through clenched teeth, biting down hard on his lip until the sharp sting of pain jolted him awake. His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed—and that was when he saw it. The remnants of the nine dragons drifting in the sky, glowing like dying embers. His gaze hardened, his voice a low command in his heart. ’Devour.’

The response was immediate. The black flames in the sky surged violently, erupting outward and blanketing the heavens in a suffocating blaze. The sudden explosion of dark fire sent shockwaves rippling across the area, and for a split second, panic flashed in the eyes of the crowd.

But the leaders of the seven major forces reacted instantly, shielding their people from the searing heat.

Inside the maelstrom, Max felt the essence of the nine dragons pour into him. A tide of pure mana flooded his body, swelling past his natural capacity. In any other expert, the surge would have been fatal—bodies bursting apart under the pressure—but Max’s Unholy Trinity Body drank it all in like an endless abyss, locking every drop safely inside.

’I’m full... My mana’s back to the peak... no... beyond it.’ The overwhelming energy pulsed through his veins, so dense it felt as if he could shatter mountains with a thought. ’When my True Divine Lotus stops blooming... I’ll definitely level up several times over.’

But that wasn’t all. Deep within, the essence of the dragons carried more than just power—it carried understanding. Threads of insight wove into his mind, pieces of the puzzle clicking into place one after another.

What had once been vague sensations now became clear truths. The nature of flame unfolded before him—not just a force of burning destruction, but a cycle, a duality. The fire that razes all to ash... and the fire that gives birth anew. Yet his flames—these black, deathly infernos—followed only one path. The path of death. The path of utter annihilation.

Something stirred. It was like a door opening in his soul. In that instant, his perception shifted entirely, and the 3rd Level Concept of Flames erupted within him.

The change was immediate. Black flames roared to life around him, but they were different now—colder, deadlier, and far more regal. Each flicker carried a weight, a majesty that dwarfed the inferno he had unleashed before. His body blazed in an aura of pure death-flame, a towering beacon of annihilation that made the sky itself seem to bow before his presence.

"He... he actually did it!" someone from the crowd screamed, voice cracking as the last of the nine black flaming dragons shattered into embers.

"Impossible... utterly impossible!" an elder from the Thunder Monarch Hall clutched his chest, as if the sight itself had stolen his breath. "Those dragons carried power that could crush even Mythic Rank experts—yet he kill them!"

"Look at the sky! The nine are gone!" a younger expert shouted, his tone a mix of awe and fear. "All that’s left is his black flames!"

"This isn’t human," a trembling voice came from a Void Soul Tower member. "I... I thought he was insane for creating all those small dragons. But they ate through the nine like piranhas on flesh!"

"Do you people even realize what just happened?!" a hunter yelled to no one in particular. "This brat just used the Wraith of the World—something meant to kill him—as food for his flames!"

"Madness... complete madness," an Absolute Sword Palace elder muttered, though his eyes glimmered with admiration. "But... the kind of madness only true monsters are capable of."

And then the crowd erupted into noise—half cheers, half gasps—while every gaze locked onto the lone figure in the sky, surrounded by swirling black flames, standing victorious where no one else in history had.

Even the leaders were no exception. They were also shocked as well.

President William’s eyes were wide, his usual calm demeanor broken for a moment before a slow, almost disbelieving smile spread across his face. "He... killed all nine. Not survived—killed. I’ve seen countless Wraiths of the World in my life, but never one where the challenger is this monstrous." His tone was deep, each word heavy with meaning.

Emperor Hermes stared at Max with a mix of pride and disbelief, his voice low but resonating with authority. "This child... to think Lyra brought someone like this into the empire. Nine dragons carrying near-Mythic might, and yet, they are gone. The Middle Domain has never seen anything like this." His fists tightened slightly—not in anger, but in the realization of how dangerous Max’s future could become.

The tiger-masked leader of the Obsidian Order stood silent for a long moment, the faintest hum escaping him. "Lucien... perhaps you were right," he murmured under his breath. Then, louder, his tone edged with both solemnity and intrigue, "If he continues down this path, the so-called ’limits of the world’ will be nothing but stepping stones for him."

Palace Master Howard of the Absolute Sword Palace exhaled slowly, his sharp gaze fixed on Max. "To wield sword and flame like this... and to turn a wraith into nourishment... this boy is carving his own cultivation path. One that ignores every rule we’ve lived by." His voice carried a mixture of awe and a tinge of unease.

The white-bearded leader of the Bright Buddha Palace remained composed, yet his hands pressed together in a slow prayer gesture. "To destroy is easy. To destroy the destroyer itself... that is rare. This child’s karma will not be simple. The buddha will watch him closely."

His serene tone masked a deep, unspoken concern, the weight of his words settling over the other leaders like a quiet warning.