Chapter 244

“Hmm?” Maximus’s pupils dilated. He hadn’t expected Dustin to grab his sword with bare fingers. He seemed to have underestimated Dustin’s sheer talent and confidence. Still, he remained unflustered by his opponent’s strength. Quite the opposite—the stronger the opponent, the more excited he felt. His belligerence increased accordingly.

“Return!” With a wave of his hand, Maximus recalled his sword from Dustin’s grasp. The sword flew back like a serpent.

“Oh?” Dustin was surprised. Although he had restrained his abilities to match his opponent on a human level, he acknowledged Maximus’s skill in freeing the weapon from his grip.

“Look out! I’ll show you my Illusory Sword Technique!” Maximus warned before waving his sword again. In one motion, his sword split into hundreds and thousands of blades. The gleaming weapons danced, weaving a confusing web within ten meters of them. The mind-boggling number of swords made it difficult to distinguish the real sword from the illusions.

“Wow! It’s the Illusory Sword Technique! Looks like Maximus Kane is getting serious!”

“I heard that no one could fight off the Illusory Sword Technique. That punk is going to lose!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill him!”

The audience erupted. Some were shocked, some concerned, and some simply added insult to injury. Soon, Dustin vanished amidst the illusory swords. He and Maximus were nowhere to be seen, leaving only the blinding shine of the dancing blades. The audience glued their eyes to the match, struggling to follow the action. Even so, they couldn't look away from the climactic fight for fear of missing a highlight.

Dustin, the dark horse, had garnered much attention that night, fighting alone against Mr. Williams’s lineup. Earlier, he had defeated two masters in the top ten of The Hundred Immortals. Even if he lost to Maximus, he had earned the right to be proud.

Three minutes later, the audience heard the clanging of metal as the web of illusory swords vanished. A figure, seemingly badly injured, stumbled toward the edge of the ring, where he finally steadied himself.

Everyone focused on the figure and realized it was Maximus! Dustin stood motionless in the center of the ring, exactly as before.

“What happened? Who won?” The audience exchanged confused glances. Dustin and Maximus looked unharmed, but one appeared poised, the other grim.

“Sir, you are indeed talented. I concede defeat,” Maximus said after a long silence.

“He conceded?” The audience gasped. What was happening? The two stood uninjured; neither had a clear advantage, yet Maximus conceded defeat? Could he have been bribed by the Harmons, like the King of Kicks?

Chapter 244

“Max, what nonsense is this? We Boulderthorn guild men never concede defeat! Murder that punk!” Brody stood and bellowed, recovering from his initial shock.

“Shut up!” Maximus scoffed. “You admit defeat when you know it. There’s no shame in admitting you’re outmatched!”

The audience might not know it, but he knew the truth.