Maxwell suddenly screamed.

The sound exploded across the battlefield like a wounded beast finally losing all restraint.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Boom!!!

A terrifying pillar of golden light erupted from his body and pierced straight into the sky. The surrounding earth shattered apart instantly while nearby trees bent violently from the pressure alone. The dragon shadow behind him became larger and larger until it almost looked real, its massive golden eyes glaring down at everything below.

The Holy Knights in the distance immediately raised their arms to shield themselves from the blinding light.

Even Borzoi’s expression changed slightly.

"That brat..."

Golden scales rapidly spread across Maxwell’s body once more. This time they became thicker, sharper, and brighter than before. Vein like patterns glowed beneath his skin while his muscles swelled unnaturally.

Then—

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

The wounds caused by Cerys’ daggers began healing rapidly.

The cuts closed.

The blood stopped flowing.

Even the deeper punctures slowly disappeared.

Maxwell slowly raised his head.

His eyes no longer looked stable.

They were frenzied now.

Wild.

Almost animalistic.

The moment he looked toward Cerys—

Boom!!!

The ground beneath him exploded apart.

He rushed toward her like a rampaging dragon.

Fast.

Far faster than before.

The sheer force behind his movement tore apart the earth while golden light trailed behind him violently.

Yet—

Tak!

Tak!

Tak!

More black daggers flew toward him instantly.

Maxwell no longer defended carefully this time.

The daggers pierced his shoulders.

His chest.

His arm.

His side.

Blood splattered repeatedly.

But—

The wounds healed almost immediately afterward.

His regeneration had become monstrous.

Maxwell roared furiously and continued charging straight ahead despite the nonstop attacks.

"You can’t stop me now!"

Golden mana erupted harder around him.

Another dagger pierced directly through his cheek.

The flesh repaired itself rapidly.

Another stabbed through his thigh.

It healed again.

Maxwell no longer cared about damage.

His eyes remained fixed only on Cerys.

Then—

Just as he reached her—

Black smoke exploded outward.

Whoosh!

Maxwell’s eyes widened instantly.

The smoke spread unbelievably fast.

In a single moment, the surrounding battlefield became completely covered in darkness. The moonlight disappeared. The sky vanished. Even the fires around the battlefield became hidden beneath the black mist.

Maxwell immediately stopped moving.

"What?!"

His golden aura still shined brightly around him.

But—

It became useless.

The light barely reached beyond his own body.

Like a tiny torch buried beneath endless darkness.

He could not see anything.

Not the ground.

Not the people.

Not even where Cerys had gone.

Only blackness.

Endless blackness.

Then—

Tak!

A dagger pierced through his shoulder.

Maxwell instantly turned and swung violently.

Nothing.

Tak!

Another blade pierced his back.

Then another.

Tak!

Tak!

Tak!

Maxwell roared furiously while attacking in every direction blindly. Golden explosions erupted nonstop from his fists and claws, tearing apart the surrounding darkness—

Yet the smoke remained.

Unmoving.

Unbroken.

And the daggers kept coming.

One pierced his leg.

Another his ribs.

Another sliced across his neck.

Blood splattered repeatedly while Maxwell desperately tried to locate his enemy.

But he could not see her.

Could not hear her footsteps.

Could not sense her breathing.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

Then pain.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Tak!

A dagger stabbed through his hand.

Tak!

Another pierced his shoulder blade.

Tak!

Another buried itself directly into his stomach.

Maxwell’s regeneration continued healing the damage rapidly, but that only made the situation worse. Because the pain never stopped.

The attacks never stopped.

He looked like prey being slowly hunted inside an endless abyss.

Meanwhile the Holy Knights outside the smoke could only stare in horror.

They could hear Maxwell roaring continuously from within the darkness.

Explosions erupted repeatedly.

Golden flashes flickered briefly inside the black smoke.

Yet every few moments—

Blood would spray outward.

And another roar of pain would follow.

Frazanna’s face turned pale.

"What is happening in there...?"

Even Borzoi remained unusually quiet now.

Then—

Inside the darkness—

Maxwell stumbled heavily.

His breathing became rough.

His attacks became less controlled.

His frenzy slowly started collapsing.

Because rage needed a target.

And he could not find one.

Another dagger pierced his shoulder.

Maxwell gritted his teeth—

But this time—

He did not roar.

Instead—

He slowly inhaled.

Then exhaled.

His eyes gradually regained clarity.

The dragon rage slowly calmed.

The berserk aura around him weakened slightly.

And for the first time since transforming—

Maxwell stopped attacking randomly.

Inside his mind, his master immediately noticed it.

Good.

Finally.

Another dagger flew toward Maxwell’s neck.

This time—

Maxwell barely tilted his head.

The blade missed by a hair.

His master immediately spoke again.

Do not rely on your eyes.

Dragon blood was never meant to depend on sight alone.

Another dagger came.

Tak!

It sliced across Maxwell’s arm.

Maxwell clenched his teeth.

"How do I fight this?!"

His master answered immediately.

Dragon Sense.

Maxwell frowned while another dagger pierced his side.

Pain exploded through him again.

Focus on your surroundings.

Breathing.

Air movement.

Intent.

Mana flow.

Stop panicking.

Maxwell tried.

But immediately—

Tak!

Another dagger pierced his thigh.

He nearly lost focus instantly.

"Damn it!"

Inside his mind, the old man shouted.

Again!

Do not chase the darkness!

Feel through it!

Maxwell gritted his teeth harder.

His breathing slowly steadied again.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Another dagger flew.

This time—

Maxwell vaguely felt something.

A disturbance.

Tiny.

Almost impossible to notice.

Instinctively—

He moved slightly.

Tak!

The dagger still cut his shoulder—

But not deeply.

Maxwell froze briefly.

Good.

His master sounded serious.

Again.

Another dagger came.

Maxwell closed his eyes completely.

The darkness remained endless around him.

Yet slowly—

Very slowly—

He started sensing things.

The movement of air.

The sound of drifting smoke.

The faint vibration of blades moving through space.

Then—

A tiny presence.

Very faint.

Behind him.

Maxwell instantly turned—

Clang!

For the first time—

He blocked a dagger completely.

Maxwell’s eyes widened.

Inside the darkness—

Silence followed briefly.

Even the nonstop attacks paused for a moment.

Then—

Maxwell looked shocked.

Maxwell stood motionless inside the endless darkness.

His breathing slowly rose and fell while the shattered battlefield around him remained hidden beneath the black smoke. Blood still dripped from the wounds covering his body, yet for the first time since entering the darkness, panic no longer controlled him.

Because something had changed.

Completely.

The dagger he blocked remained pressed against his clawed hand.

Its black blade trembled faintly from the impact.

Meanwhile Maxwell’s eyes widened slowly.

Not because of fear.

Because of disbelief.

I... blocked it?

His master inside the dantian also became silent briefly.

Then suddenly—

Impossible...

The old man’s voice carried genuine shock now.

No...

No, this cannot be...

Maxwell frowned slightly.

"What?"

But before his master could answer—

Another dagger flew from the darkness.

Fast.

Silent.

Deadly.

Yet this time—

Maxwell sensed it clearly.

Not through sight.

Not through sound.

Something else.

Something deeper.

He could feel the movement of air around the blade.

The pressure it carried.

The killing intent hidden within it.

The path it would travel.

Everything.

His body moved naturally.

Clang!

The dagger bounced away instantly.

Then another came.

And another.

And another.

Tak!

Tak!

Tak!

Maxwell’s body continued moving smoothly inside the darkness. His claws deflected one dagger after another while his feet adjusted instinctively without hesitation.

At first his movements looked rough.

But with every second—

They became smoother.

Cleaner.

Sharper.

Until finally—

He no longer looked like someone struggling blindly.

He looked calm.

Focused.

Controlled.

Then Maxwell suddenly realized something.

The darkness around him no longer felt empty.

He could feel everything inside it.

The drifting smoke.

The broken ground beneath his feet.

The movement of mana.

The positions of nearby people far outside the darkness.

Even—

A faint presence hidden somewhere nearby.

Maxwell’s breathing stopped briefly.

No way...

Inside his dantian, the old man sounded completely stunned now.

White Heaven Dragon Sense...