Thor and Oswald stopped in their flight, their bodies shuddering for a split second.

"What is the meaning of this? You said he was human." The Wind Emperor looked at the ashen face of the Thunder Emperor.

"He... He was..." Thor did not know whether to believe himself or the monster standing before him now.

There he was. The same face, a similar smell, but... he had their features: horns, wings, scales, tail, and an aura that pressed against their blood.

"Surprised?" Max smirked. "I don’t blame you. I’d likely wear the same expression if our sides were flipped."

From his claw, a long black void blade manifested, the air bending around its edge as if reality itself was being pulled into it.

"You’ve... changed a lot." Thor’s confidence began to crack. Something screamed at him to run, to hide, to submit, something deep inside his blood. But his pride refused to bend.

"This despicable human... he stole our bloodline..." The Wind Emperor finally understood what was going on.

"Steal?" Max snickered. "I didn’t steal anything. Well, maybe your treasures, your people, your sister, and your wife. Heh... want me to mention more?"

He taunted them, drunk on his newly acquired strength.

"You—" the two emperors barked at the same time, their weapons vibrating in their palms.

"Easy now. We don’t need to fight. If the two of you submit willingly, I promise to find ranks for you in my future empire."

Max knew this would only make them more furious, and his plan worked.

Oswald was the first to move. His spear wrapped in crimson light, and winds as powerful as a tempest and sharp as razors rushed at Max from every direction. They twisted through the sky like hunting snakes, aiming for his neck, wings, joints, and blind spots all at once.

"Cute." Max snorted.

Void winds burst from beneath his feet like two dark serpents, rising to meet the crimson blasts head-on. The collision made the sky twist. Clouds scattered, the ground below trembled, and the dragons watching from afar felt their skin crawl from the pressure.

But to the Wind Emperor’s horror, the crimson winds he was so proud of did not cut through Max’s defense. The void winds devoured them piece by piece, tearing apart the crimson current as if eating away at the power itself.

"You used our precious wind orbs... You—" Oswald was left short of words.

Max did not give him time to recover. His wings flapped once, and his body shot forward like a white arrow wrapped in black armor. His flying was not graceful yet, not like a true dragon born with wings, but the power behind every movement was absurd.

Oswald raised his spear in panic.

Max’s void blade struck down, crashing against the crimson spear and sending a ring of pressure tearing across the sky. Oswald’s arms trembled violently, his body sinking lower in the air as if the weight of a mountain had crashed onto him. He gritted his teeth and tried to push back, but Max pressed harder, smiling as if he was testing how much strength his new body could produce.

"Is this all?" Max asked.

Oswald’s face twisted.

Crimson wind exploded from his spear, pushing him away before Max’s blade could crush through his guard. At the same time, dozens of wind blades formed behind Max, curving silently toward his back, neck, and wings. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Max did not turn around.

Purple ice flames burst from his wings and froze the wind blades in midair before they could reach him. The frozen blades hung in the sky for half a breath, then shattered into glittering dust.

Oswald’s eyes widened, but Thor had already moved.

A blue flash of light tore through the air, and the Thunder Emperor appeared above Max with his trident raised. Lightning gathered on the three tips like raging serpents, crashing down toward Max’s head.

Max lifted his claw.

The trident slammed against his palm, but it could not move another inch.

Lightning burst in every direction, blue arcs crawling over Max’s black void armor and snow-white scales, yet none of it entered his flesh. His arm did not bend. His body did not fall. Only his wings shifted slightly from the force.

Thor’s face changed.

Max slowly closed his fingers around the trident’s tips.

"Fast," Max said with a grin. "But not enough."

Thor tried to pull back, but Max’s grip held the weapon in place. For a moment, disbelief flashed through the Thunder Emperor’s eyes. Then he abandoned the struggle, turning his body into a streak of blue lightning and retreating from his own weapon’s trapped angle before Max could slash him.

Oswald rushed in from the side, using that single breath to attack. His spear spun like a crimson drill, winds compressing around its tip until the air screamed.

Max turned his head.

The spear shot toward his ribs, but before it could land, his tail whipped through the air and struck the side of the spear. The impact knocked Oswald’s attack off course, sending the crimson drill tearing past Max’s body and exploding against the distant clouds.

Max’s tail continued forward, slamming into Oswald’s chest.

The Wind Emperor was sent flying back, coughing blood as his armor cracked beneath the impact. Thor reappeared beside him, catching his shoulder before he could tumble farther through the sky.

Both emperors stared at Max, and for the first time, neither of them spoke.

The dragons watching from below felt their throats dry. Their old emperors, the rulers who had once stood like untouchable mountains above them, were being pushed back by a single being who no longer felt like a man.

Max floated before them, wings spread wide, purple eyes glowing, void armor crawling over his scales like living darkness.

"Come on," Max said, lifting his blade slightly. "You came to take my life, didn’t you?"

Thor’s jaw tightened.

Oswald’s breathing grew heavy.

Then the two emperors moved together, their eyes fixed on Max with the same murderous resolve, as if he had to die today no matter the cost.