Max could feel the change in the air, as if the entire temple had taken a breath and was holding it. Each leaf, now cloaked in black flame, trembled faintly in the air, brimming with sharpness so refined it could slice through divine metal.
She wasn't holding back anymore.
Max narrowed his eyes, watching as the swarm of pitch-black leaves slowly lifted around her in formation, poised to strike from all directions like a storm of death.
The elven woman's expression remained graceful, composed, but her intent was razor sharp. She had thrown down a challenge—and now, she was going to carve the answer out of him.
But Max wasn't worried at all.
"Emperor's Domain," he muttered softly, almost casually, as black flames began to flicker around his head. Within seconds, those flames surged upward, coiling and twisting until they solidified into a blazing black crown that hovered regally above his head, pulsing with quiet dominance.
