Supreme Bloodline Evolution System

Max smirked at the threat, showing no concern for the enormous warrior or the beast carrying him through the Crimson Horde’s ranks.

His draconic features finally revealed themselves in full. Dark scales spread across his face and disappeared beneath his collar, his jaw sharpened, and black claws extended from his fingers as the last traces of his human disguise vanished. At the same time, crystal magic moved through the traveling cloak covering his body, breaking the fabric apart into countless shining fragments before drawing them inward and reshaping them into his clothes.

The Frankindian warriors behind him gasped.

Several stepped backward, their eyes widening so far that they appeared ready to burst from their sockets. They knew that magic. The manner in which the crystals separated, moved, and reconstructed themselves was unmistakable. It was supposed to belong to their only female commander.

Clotilde.

Confused whispers immediately spread across the damaged battlements, though the warriors of the Crimson Horde merely continued glaring at Max with bloodthirsty hostility. Most of them had never seen him before, and from the way they tightened their grips around their weapons, they clearly did not yet understand who had descended onto their battlefield.

"Maximus?" someone among Frankindia’s forces whispered a little too loudly. "Is that... the king of Voidstar?"

The name spread through their ranks like fire touching dry grass.

"King Maximus?"

"The dragon ruler?"

"What is he doing in Frankindia?"

A growing uproar swept across the walls as exhausted soldiers straightened and stared at the figure hovering before them. Some had heard stories about the ruler who had conquered nearly the entire Dragon Region, while others knew him only as the mysterious king connected to their missing commander.

Even the bulky warrior who had threatened Max raised his chin slightly. His eyes remained hidden beneath his horned helmet, but Max could feel them scanning every scale and unfamiliar feature, reassessing the opponent before him.

The warrior might not have recognized Max immediately, but he understood enough from the Frankindian soldiers’ reactions to know that he was facing someone important.

However, importance did not frighten him.

He was a powerful warrior in his own right, one who had survived enough battles to stop caring about the titles carried by those standing before him. His armored hand flicked the reins, and the enormous six-legged beast beneath him released a roar loud enough to shake the nearby siege towers.

It charged.

The Crimson Horde’s soldiers rushed to clear a path, but those who moved too slowly were crushed beneath its plated feet or thrown aside by its armored body. Screams disappeared beneath the thunder of its steps as the beast accelerated, its jagged teeth exposed and smoke pouring from its nostrils.

The warrior rose slightly upon the saddle and reached behind his back.

A thick chain uncoiled from his arm with a deafening rattle. Attached to its end was a massive spiked mace nearly as large as Max’s entire body, its black metal surface covered in deep crimson runes. The warrior began swinging the chained mace above his head, each rotation producing a violent howl and sending waves through the surrounding mana as though the weapon were physically repelling it.

Frankindian soldiers ducked behind the damaged battlements as the pressure swept over them.

The warrior pulled back his arm and hurled the chained mace.

The chain screamed through the air.

The spiked weapon tore toward Max with such speed that it became little more than a dark blur, the force behind it compressing the air and producing a deafening crack.

Several Frankindian soldiers raised their weapons and prepared to rush forward, but Max lifted one hand without looking back, ordering them to remain where they were.

"Go and aid the soldiers on the other side," he commanded, his voice carrying clearly through the chaos. "I will handle the Crimson Horde by myself."

The warriors hesitated.

"You heard him!" one of their officers shouted, dragging his sword free. "Move! Reinforce the opposite wall!"

They reluctantly turned away and rushed across the battlements toward the forces defending against the Imperial Court Empire, though several continued glancing back at Max as if expecting to see him crushed by the approaching weapon.

Max remained in place.

Rage burned through his blood so intensely that it blinded his better judgment. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to spill blood and discover whether the armor of the Crimson Horde would turn an even darker shade after he was finished slaughtering everyone wearing it.

He extended one clawed hand toward the incoming chained mace, intending to catch it.

Then his pupils contracted.

Every nerve in his body screamed at once.

An overwhelming instinct demanded that he move, warning him that meeting the weapon directly would carry consequences even his body might not endure. Max resisted the urge for a fraction of a second, anger and pride nearly convincing him to remain where he was, but his survival instincts were louder.

He twisted aside.

His body disappeared from its original position faster than the surrounding soldiers could follow, leaving behind only a distorted shadow as the massive chained mace passed through the space where his chest had been.

It struck the mountainside.

The impact produced no ordinary explosion.

The earth erupted upward as though something beneath it had detonated. Black stone shattered in every direction, and a violent shock wave swept across the battlefield, throwing soldiers from their feet and forcing siege beasts to stagger. The mountain trembled beneath the force as a crater dozens of meters wide opened where the chained mace had landed.

Dust, broken stone, and crimson mana filled the air.

Max reappeared several meters away, one arm raised to shield his face as fragments of rock struck his scales. His expression had changed completely. The smirk was gone, replaced by a stunned stare as he looked down at the devastation left by a single strike.

He was the most powerful warrior in the Dragon Region, a man who had killed and defeated countless rulers, dragons, and creatures that once believed themselves untouchable. Yet even he could not dismiss the strength behind that attack.

It had been almost as powerful as the flame of the Fire Dragon Progenitor.