Yet despite that, Max did not panic.

True, he was shaken, but somewhere deep in his heart, he had expected this kind of development. In this life, nothing had ever gone smoothly for him. Even in this world, despite the power he possessed, every single day had become a challenge of its own, with people barging through his doors, trying to disturb his growth, his passion, and the goal he had decided to chase no matter what stood in his way.

But for the sake of one day grasping fate itself in his own palm, Max gathered himself and exhaled heavily.

His eyes grew even more focused than before as his Magic Soul began to vibrate. The almost-collapsed rune slowly started to heal, little by little, as Max increased the amount of mana being poured into it. The small wisp that was his Magic Soul began to take on a golden color, and the bright rune ignited as if it had been set ablaze, sending waves of indescribable pain through his soul and into every part of his body.

For a single moment, he wanted to give up and let that rune crack apart, accepting the fate of an ordinary magic user who had reached his limit and would never step beyond it, but despite his mind screaming at him to flee from the pain, his heart burned with a fervor so hot that it shook all those thoughts away.

The rune began to stabilize.

Slowly, it grew in size, each line he added with his consciousness becoming thicker, deeper, and full of hidden meaning only gods could ever truly understand. Every stroke felt like carving a law into his own existence, and every mistake threatened to tear apart everything he had built so far.

But Max did not need to understand it all right now.

He only craved power.

He only needed to trample this entire region, take over the continent for himself, and grow his forces alongside him until they were strong enough to face the threat the system creator had warned him about. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The dragons below watched their ruler shine in brilliant gold, but that cocoon of light was slowly dissipating, revealing the dark scales beneath it. They had changed again. The black no longer looked ordinary, and the faint golden glint covering them had grown even brighter, as if gold and black metal had been fused together to create something far beyond natural dragon scales.

With the last stroke, the rune became solid.

It took its place inside his Magic Soul, no longer trembling, no longer threatening to collapse, and in that exact moment, Max felt something else awaken within him.

The runes.

The same runes he had absorbed into his body during his awakening and the destruction of the altar.

They lit up brightly across his body, shining along his legs, arms, and chest like ancient marks finally remembering their purpose. Something felt different about them now. They were no longer only strange symbols hidden beneath his skin, nor fragments of power he had taken without fully understanding. Max could feel it clearly. They were connected to the rune he had just drawn inside his Magic Soul, as if both were parts of the same greater system finally beginning to move together.

In that moment, power flooded him.

The magic around him began to solidify, and his void energy no longer remained as simple mist or pressure. It sharpened, condensed, and took shape, becoming like invisible weapons waiting for his command. A wide smile rose on Max’s lips as the air around him trembled.

Several void blades formed around him, floating in silence.

This time, they were not unstable, nor were they merely attacks thrown out by instinct. He could feel every single one of them as if they were extensions of his own body, blades made from his will and magic, hovering around him in a deadly array. Anyone who dared to enter his range would be attacked without warning, cut apart by weapons that moved faster than thought.

And Max understood.

The Rune Realm had changed the way his magic existed.

Max descended slowly toward the destroyed capital of the Wind Empire, his black wings folding behind him as his dragon-clawed feet touched the ground. The moment he landed, the broken earth sank beneath him, leaving deep imprints in the shattered stone as thin cracks spread outward from his feet.

The dragons behind him sucked in cold air.

Every single one of them felt pride and fear at the same time as they watched their king turn toward them. His eyes had changed. The whites of his eyes looked almost too clear, while his pupils were as black as the void itself, deep enough to make anyone who stared too long feel as if they were being pulled into something endless. He looked majestic, almost too perfect to be called human anymore, like something the gods had shaped only to stand above others.

Even those who were still uncertain before, those who had wondered if they should truly dedicate their lives to him, could no longer deny it now.

They had to follow him.

Only he would ever bring them to the peak.

Max slowly lifted his gaze over the army, his silence pressing down on them harder than any shout could have. His black hair moved in the wind, the golden glint on his dark scales shining beneath the broken light, and when he finally opened his mouth, every dragon lowered their weapons and listened.

"Listen well, warriors of Voidstar," Max said, his voice deep and calm, yet powerful enough to roll across the ruined capital. "Today, we shall finish taking over the wind dragon region and claim the elven forest for ourselves. After that, we will move toward the Thunder Dragon Empire."

His eyes slowly swept across the four clans, stopping for a breath on the fire dragons, then the ice, then the wind, and finally the thunder dragons who knew exactly what those words meant.

"There can be no other rulers on this continent. Only me."

The air grew heavy.

"Today, I decree that Voidstar shall become an empire once all lands are under our control. The dragons shall rise again. We will no longer be scattered clans hiding beneath the shadow of other races. We will become the apex predators of this world."

His wings spread slightly behind him, not fully, only enough for the shadow they cast to stretch across the broken ground. The dragons felt their blood burn at the sight, their claws tightening around their weapons as Max’s voice grew colder.

"And those who dare to go against our rule shall face the same fate as these elves."

Only then did Max turn his head toward the few surviving elven warriors.

Their bodies stiffened beneath his gaze.

"As long as you are part of my rule, all races shall live in peace and harmony as equals," Max said, his voice calm, almost merciful, but the darkness in his eyes made every word feel like a threat. "But if you dare to go against me, if you raise your blades against Voidstar again, then I will make sure the name of the elves disappears from the history books forever."

Silence followed.

Then one dragon slammed his weapon against the ground.

Another followed.

Then another.

Soon, the entire army shook the ruined capital with the sound of weapons striking stone, their roars rising together beneath the sky as they accepted the birth of something far greater than a kingdom.