Max didn't spare Lucia another glance. He simply turned and walked away from the Tower of Resonance, leaving behind the crowd, the stunned silence, and the pride he'd just shattered like glass. His steps were steady, unhurried, the smirk on his face gone—replaced now with quiet focus.
'The Tower of Resonance… not bad,' Max mused, his mind shifting smoothly back to what mattered. 'I think I've now got a pretty solid grasp of Flame Tyrant's real strength—its destructive rhythm, its close-range dominance, its reliance on body over weapon.'
The memories of the battle replayed behind his eyes—the fists clashing like thunder, the infernal dragons roaring into being, the heat, the pressure, the moment where instinct took over and he became the inheritance.
And yet, something else lingered. A thought, quiet but persistent.