Max’s expression changed as he heard the words. He immediately willed the air to do his bidding.

With no other options, the snake chose to comply and instantly bared its poisonous fangs in the hopes of quickly terminating his life. It met an inexplicable amount of resistance as it tried to bite Max. During its attempt to penetrate the invisible armour of air, it felt its skin burn. Its eyes soon began to bulge as it gradually lost its strength. Its body visibly withered before it fell off Max and began to thrash on the ground in seemingly endless misery.

Now that he was free from the snake’s grasp, Max hurriedly took a few steps back. He turned his attention to the dumbfounded knights before putting a stop to the beast’s torture with a snap of his fingers. The air around the reptile instantaneously settled, but the damage was done. The creature was left emaciated and unconscious.

“What did you do?!” James howled with a pale face and drew his sword. Wishing to send the snake back into its pocket space where it could safely heal, he threw out a small stone with markings. Under a flash of light, the snake disappeared and only the runic rock was left behind.

Since knights were incapable of forming contracts, a minority in their ranks instead opted to tame beasts. These knights had to use space stones to send and retrieve their beasts from pocket dimensions. However, this commodity was expensive and could only be crafted by a Grand Master or an Arch Mage possessing a thorough knowledge of space magic.

In response to his opponent’s rage, Max sneered. “You can try to kill me, but I can’t do the same?”

Despite his fury, James didn’t recklessly charge forward. He glanced at his brother and found Charles solemnly gazing at their opponent. In spite of his sensitivity to fluctuations in mana, Charles couldn’t discern how Max had attacked the snake. Combined with his inability to gauge Max’s strength, he became increasingly apprehensive.

As a witness to the scene, the lion’s eyes flickered with fear. Since the moment Max had deployed his powers, the prideful mortal tier creature had been overwhelmed by feelings of dread. If not for its loyalty to Charles, it would have already hastened into a retreat.

Not new to his brother’s temperament, Charles knew that falling back wasn’t an option. Having come to a decision, Charles drew his sword and mumbled, “Better to end this now then to let this potential threat foster.”

The siblings exchanged glances and instantly launched a coordinated attack - one struck from the left, the other from the right. Even though both knights were fast, Max had confidence in his own speed. He tried to avoid the swords by hurriedly retreating. As the two blades slashed down, Max felt a small ripple of power which produced a foreboding sense of danger.

“I always thought close combat as my forte.” Max raised a brow in surprise as he dodged the two strikes. “The world is a big place.”

Although Max's attitude displayed hints of complacency, he was staying extremely vigilant. The simple exchange had already proved that his adversaries couldn’t be taken lightly. Combined with the lion holding the girl hostage, Max had a lot to worry about.

James and Charles unhesitatingly continued their barrage of slashes. While carefully monitoring Max’s movement, they managed to corner him against a tree before they thrust their swords out. One was aimed at Max’s heart while the other blade at his throat.

Feeling the bark against his back, Max silently scowled. He had underestimated their well coordinated teamwork. Their form was near perfect and their seamless blows had given him no opportunities to counter. It had obviously taken years of diligent practice and battle experience to reach this level of skill. Despite the loathing he felt for them, Max couldn’t help but also feel a hint of respect.

As the swords approached his vitals, Max used all of his strength to jump, using his powers to increase his speed and prolong his time in the air. During that brief moment, his attackers lost sight of him and felt a small gust of wind blow past them. The brothers were left speechless as their swords stabbed through empty space. They turned around and found Max nonchalantly standing a few feet away, close to James’s runic stone.

Hoping to finish the fight in the next exchange, Max looked at his enemies in anticipation while secretly compressing the air around his fists. He was met with disappointment when the duo chose not to attack him. Instead, after a tentative pause, Charles yelled, “Explode!”

Startled by the sudden shout, Max involuntarily took a step back. He stepped on a small white piece of paper which immediately ignited. A loud boom resounded throughout the forest as violent flames towered into the air and swallowed everything in Max’s vicinity.

James and Charles heaved a sigh of relief. This was their trump card - a potent fire talisman crafted by a Master Mage, capable of damaging even a powerful Grand Crusader. Someone at the level of a Premier Knight had no chance of escaping alive.

Prior to their onslaught, Charles had subtly dropped the talisman. If they couldn’t deliver a killing blow, they had planned to lure Max towards it before activating its spell. Amidst the scattered leaves, not many would notice an unassuming piece of paper. It was the perfect trap.

Having seemingly vanquished their enemy, the siblings sheathed their swords and walked back towards the lion. James impatiently waited for the fire to die down to collect the enchanted stone which stored his tamed serpent.

Confident that Max had been reduced to charred meat, they let their guard down. As the miniature tornado of flames died down, James took a step forward and froze. By his side, Charles looked on with an expression of panic and fright.

Max dispelled the remaining fire with a wave of his hand. Aside from his dishevelled hair and scorched clothes, his body showed no signs of his recent ordeal. He appeared unperturbed and deep in thought, stroking his chin while staring at his feet. However, unknown to them, his heart was pounding from his close brush with death. With a back drenched in cold sweat, he secretly cursed, “Darn! Is this the power of magic? How could a small piece of paper produce a detonation of such magnitude?!”

Max had narrowly avoided an agonizing death and was now brimming with rage. For the first time in his life, he experienced a strong urge to kill. Taking a deep breath, he quickly suppressed the sudden impulse. He still had lines that he wouldn’t cross. On more than one occasion, Max had encountered situations where the strength of his resolve had been tested. However, memories of his mother had always kept him from indulging in one of Earth’s biggest taboos. In his own way, he had always tried to live in a manner that wouldn’t disappoint her.

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“Im – Impossible!” Charles eventually stuttered. Fully aware of the potency of the talisman, he couldn’t fathom how a mere child had survived the blast. Charles seemed lost as his thoughts raced. How – How did he do it? Space magic? No. That’s not right. Wind magic?! It can’t be! There – There were no fluctuations in mana! Does that mean he withstood that with just his body?!

Magic was divided into two major categories. Knights channelled mana through their bodies to produce explosive attacks. On the other hand, mages used spells to manipulate the mana in the environment and devastate their enemies.

Even the simplest of spells would always influence the natural mana in the world. Among the millions of mages and knights, a few were particularly sensitive and were capable of detecting such man made changes. Charles was one such knight.

Max’s inexplicable control over the air was indeed magical, but his gift didn’t involve the use of mana. Neither of the siblings had realized that their opponent’s ability lay beyond their realm of understanding. Charles would never imagine the existence of a power unique to Max. He was still desperately trying to figure out why he had failed to perceive any magical undulations.

Glancing at his unconscious ‘master’, Max silently confirmed her state. He cracked his knuckles and coldly said, “Is that it?”

“Did I provoke a Crusader?” James muttered and inwardly cussed as he watched Max slowly move closer. He was all too familiar with the killer ruthlessness evident in Max’s eyes. It was an expression seen in a participant in a fight to the death.

Despite his generally indifferent attitude, James truly did care for his brother. Even though it was his impulsiveness that had brought about the tribulation, he hoped to at least save his only sibling.

James suddenly pulled out a gun and took a few shots, hoping to catch Max by surprise. The spiralling bullets veered past Max’s head and missed their target. Even with the wind at his command, it had taken all of Max’s concentration to alter each bullet’s trajectory.

James roared as he immediately sprang forward and brandished his sword. Due to the combination of his anger and nervousness, his movements were stiffer and more predictable. Max quickly noticed an opportunity and launched his own strike.

“Scram!” Max yelled as his fist landed on James’ face. The force behind the gruesome punch shattered his jaw and sent him flying. By instantly summoning the winds, he propelled the knight even further through the air. Failing to put up a strong resistance, James slammed heavily into a tree and let out a groan. As he slumped to the ground, he felt his despair grow along with the blood flowing from his mouth. The pain and concussion made him pass out.

Having dealt with one knight, Max turned to the other. In face of his glower, Charles stopped in his tracks and flinched. Meanwhile, watching Max take the initiative to close the distance, the lion dropped the female mage and made its move.

Contrary to Max’s expectations, the beast chose not to attack him. Instead, it boldly stood in front of its master and acted as a shield. A few feet away, the girl remained unconscious and oblivious to everything that had just transpired.

Startled, Max stopped in his tracks and intently gazed at the animal. Much to his surprise, the lion lowered its head and displayed subservience. Having tossed its pride aside, it took hesitant glances at Max and silently pleaded for mercy.

Bearing witness to the show of loyalty, Max’s gaze softened. This was a quality that he greatly admired. He forced a smile and shook his head before saying, “Little cat, I’m afraid it’s too late. What they’ve done is not easily forgivable.”

Vaguely sensing Max’s intentions, the lion looked helplessly at Charles. With its attention on the young man, it submissively growled.

Max frowned in displeasure and raised his hand in preparation to deal with the creature. Yet, it was in this moment that Charles finally opened his mouth, “Wait! Stop! I – We surrender. This… This was my mistake. If I had convinced James, none of this would have happened. So please! I beg you! Spare them! If you want a life, then you can have mine as compensation!”

“I’m sorry.” Max frostily replied, “You think you’re in a position to negotiate?”

Charles’s face became paler as he gritted his teeth and implored, “Please… My life for his! My brother… He’s all I’ve got!”

While silently observing the knight and his tamed beast, Max sighed. Charles’s terrified expression reminded him of the thugs he had dealt with last night. His face fell as he wondered if he had pushed things too far.

Even though Max wasn’t harbouring any murderous intentions, he realized that he could use Charles to his advantage. By sparing their lives, he would be able to leave on his terms.

Max had gradually begun to reduce the air surrounding the lion. The king of the jungle had noticed the anomaly, but hadn’t dared to voice its discomfort. The effects soon began to show as its steps became unsteady. It didn’t take long for the four legged creature to collapse from the obvious lack of oxygen.

The sudden change sent Charles deeper into a well of panic and fear. Only on realizing that the stalwart animal was simply snoring away did his jittery feelings abate. Max approached the man and casually sat down beside him. The apparent anger in his eyes seemed to have reduced as he lightly said, “Call back your beast and let’s talk.”

The words instantly ignited a small glimmer of hope in the knight’s heart. Charles speedily withdrew his lion into the pocket dimension and forced an ingratiating smile as he waited for Max to continue.

Max solemnly said, “I can spare you both, but your freedom will come at a price.”

“What – What are your conditions?”

“Rather eager, aren’t you?” Max smirked, sending a chill down his interlocutor’s spine. While stroking his chin, he thoughtfully said, “First, not a soul can know of what happened tonight. I don’t care about the lies you tell or the story you fabricate, but my involvement in the matter should never leave your mouths. Is that clear?”

Looking at Charles agreeably nod, Max felt more at ease. Though he wasn’t naive enough to believe that Charles would stand by his word, he was certain that it would seem strange if he didn’t pose such a demand. On the other hand, if the knight chose to do the unexpected, Max’s identity and ability would remain a secret. This could save him from some unwanted trouble.

“Second, I’ll be taking that girl with me. After all, she is my contracted master.” Max uttered the last sentence with obvious annoyance. His feelings for the unconscious girl were more than a bit complex, but he didn’t have the heart to let her fall into the Minister’s hands. Max also hoped to use his unanticipated relation with the young girl to get the answers he needed.

“That’s -” Charles hesitated. He had expected this, yet he also understood the repercussions of letting her go. The Minister wasn’t very forgiving to those that failed him.

“Oh?! Is there a problem?” Max asked without a hint of amiability.

Noticing the eruption of hostility, Charles immediately shook his head. “No! No problem at all.”

“Good.” Max lazily stood up and gently took the female mage in his arms. With his back to Charles, he said, “One last thing…”

“What is it?”

“Since you tried to kill me, don’t expect this grudge to be written of easily. Now that I’m letting you go, know that you owe me your life. If the story of our little confrontation spreads, understand that I will be coming for you… And I won’t be as forgiving!”

Carrying the girl, Max disappeared into the depths of the forest. Charles sat alone in the desolate patch of land next to his unconscious and battered brother. He bitterly laughed and felt his body go weak.

After a moment of silence, he gradually stood up and sighed before returning both runic rocks to his pocket. While supporting his brother, he sluggishly trudged through the forest with a frown.

By failing to kidnap their target, Charles and his brother were faced with an imminent predicament. He could only hope that the consequences of returning empty handed would pale in comparison to the mysterious boy’s wrath.