The temple was silent, the weight of Max's ultimatum hanging in the air. The Atyai family stood frozen, their faces a mix of fear and defiance, they expected Max to be able to deliver his words since he showed up alone, but they had some confidence, and the source of that confidence is unknown to Max.

At this moment, the old man smiled.

"you seem to forget something," he said, his voice calm and measured. "I did say I expected you. And I prepared accordingly."

Max raised an eyebrow, his smirk faltering for a fraction of a second. "Oh? And what exactly did you prepare?"

The old man's smile widened. "You should know, my friend, that villains shouldn't do monologues."

Before Max could react, a flash of silver streaked through the air. His hands were severed cleanly, followed by a blade piercing his heart. He staggered, his eyes wide with shock, before collapsing to the ground.

From the shadows, a man exited his invisible State and stepped forward. He was tall and lean, his attire unmistakably that of a mage. A faint aura of mana surrounded him, and his expression was one of cold amusement.

"Pathetic," the mage said, his voice dripping with disdain. He kicked Max's lifeless body, his lips curling into a sneer. "All that talk, and he didn't even see it coming."

The Atyai family stared in stunned silence. Violet's mother clutched her daughter's arm, her face pale with shock, accompanied with an evident sense of relief.

Violet herself was trembling, her one good eye fixed on Max's body.

The old man, however, looked pleased. "Thank you," he said, nodding to the mage. "Your timing was impeccable."

The mage shrugged. "I told you I'd handle him. Now, about our agreement, I am not supposed to help you now not at this time and you know why. ..."

Just as the mage began to speak, a low chuckle echoed through the temple. The family turned, their eyes widening in horror as Max's severed head floated into the air, his lips curled into a manic grin.

"That was painful," the head said, its voice eerily calm. "And backstabbing? Not cool."

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The mage froze, his sneer replaced by a look of pure shock. "What...?"

Max's head laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally. "You really thought that would work? How cute. And answering your pervious words, you see I think I have a thing for monologuing, guess it's in my blood. "

The family stared in disbelief as Max's floating head cracked like ceramic, his smirk wider than ever.

The mage took a step back, his expression darkening only now noticing a certain fact; there wasn't much blood, in fact there was none at all, only a red color that gave the illusion of blood. "A puppet? A clone?"

Max shrugged. "Call it whatever you want. The real me is... elsewhere."

The old man's smile vanished, replaced by a look of cold fury. "You're more cunning than I thought."

Max ignored him, his gaze fixed on the mage. "So, you're from the Mage Tower, huh? I didn't know the Atyai family was actually traitors? ." Max switched his gaze to the old man, and shook his head disapprovingly, although it was just Lucy moving his head from right to left. " betraying your country, tek, tek ! Do you have no morals? How shameful! "

The mage's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue, boy. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Max laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "Oh, I think I do. And I think the Star Continent would be very interested to know about your little alliance."

...

Inside the mirror world, Max held up his super phone, the screen projecting a recording of the mage's attack and his conversation with the old man.

Back at the Temple Max's broken hand became slightly transparent, and started playing the scene on the phone.

"This could cause quite the scandal, don't you think? Especially with all three continents trying to play nice these days."

The mage was visibly shaken, his confidence crumbling as he realized the gravity of the situation.

The temple was a whirlwind of emotions ; Violet was trembling, her face a mix of fear and disbelief. She had underestimated Max, and now her family was paying the price.

Violet's mother clutched her daughter tightly, her eyes filled with tears. She had always been marginalized by the family, and now she feared for their survival.

The old man was seething, his grip on his cane so tight his knuckles turned white. He had prepared for Max, but he hadn't anticipated this level of deception.

Suddenly as everyone was deep in emotional turmoil, a sudden telekinetic pressure descended abruptly, however it didn't Target anyone specifically, only objects.

Lucy swiftly took every space ring, necklace, accessory, and even the old man's cane, breaking a few bones in the process.

Vvvvv. ..... Crack! Wooosh!.

The mage was the only one that reacted in time casting a silvery barrier which looks like liquid metal, that protected him from Lucy sudden theft.

The mage wanted to act in the heat of the moment, but Max's sharp voice interrupted him. "so sorry about that! I just don't like to leave loose ends, and this bunch has a lot of teleportation items.

Seriously it's too much! . But now let's talk."

Max's head floated closer to the mage, his smirk never wavering. "Here's the deal. You give me a mage meditation technique, and turn against the Atyai family, or I send this recording to every major power on the Star Continent. Your choice."

The mage's jaw tightened, his mind racing. He glanced at the old man, then back at Max. "You're playing a dangerous game."

Max shrugged. "I've got nothing to lose. But you do?"

The temple was silent, the tension palpable. The mage stood frozen, his decision hanging in the balance. Max watched him with a manic grin.