Chapter 1796: Stabilizing Genesis Flames!
Chapter 1796: Stabilizing Genesis Flames!
Varkhon laughed and grabbed three Genesis Flames with one hand, but the moment he did, six guardians turned toward him at once.
Tamara captured two flames with her spear aura, then spun around and blocked Varkhon from grabbing a fourth.
Varkhon grinned at her. "Already competing?"
Tamara answered with a spear thrust. "You said you wanted this kind of trial."
Their attacks collided, and the shockwave scattered several nearby flames.
Revona did not rush greedily. Her Void Origin Eyes locked onto two flames drifting between several cube beasts, and she made the attacks around them vanish just long enough to step through and take them calmly.
Ervin moved like a shadow with his spear, piercing the air around three flames and pulling them toward himself through precise spear force.
Max’s Dimensional Sovereign Body saw every flame at once.
He knew which ones were bait, which ones would attract stronger guardians, and which ones were about to vanish into the arena floor. Instead of grabbing the nearest flames, he moved toward the far side of the core where five flames were drifting into a dangerous cube storm. He stepped through the shifting space, avoiding three hidden traps, and caught all five flames in one motion.
The system reacted immediately.
[Genesis Flame Count Increased.]
[Participant Max Morgan Has Obtained 5 Genesis Flames.]
[Guardian Aggression Toward Participant Max Morgan Increased.]
The arena trembled.
A larger guardian began forming above Max.
It looked like a knight made of white cubes, holding a massive sword of Genesis light. At the same time, two smaller guardians appeared behind him, while the cube storm in front of him turned into a rotating prison.
Tamara saw it and shouted, "Taking five at once was greedy."
Max glanced at her. "I can hold them."
The Genesis knight descended.
Max moved.
Dragonheart flashed, seven-colored lightning erupted, and his Dimensional Sovereign Body guided him through the rotating cube prison without taking a single hit. He did not destroy the knight immediately. Instead, he led it toward the area where several loose Genesis Flames were drifting near Varkhon and Tamara’s clash.
Varkhon noticed and cursed. "Human, do not bring that thing here."
Max smiled faintly. "This is also part of the trial."
The Genesis knight swung its sword.
Varkhon and Tamara were forced to stop fighting each other and block together.
Boom!
The giant sword crashed down, and the impact blasted both of them backward. Max used that instant to take one more Genesis Flame that had been floating between them.
Tamara’s eyes sharpened. "Max."
Varkhon laughed angrily. "Now I like this trial."
Revona watched all this and quietly moved to take another flame that everyone had ignored.
Ervin saw her move and smiled faintly, then pierced the ground with his spear. A hidden pulse pushed the flame slightly away from Revona and toward him. Revona’s Void Origin Eyes flashed, and the pulse vanished, allowing her to take the flame after all.
Ervin looked at her. "Well done."
Revona replied calmly, "You too."
The trial had become exactly what the system intended.
They cooperated when the guardians became too dangerous.
They competed when flames became available.
They blocked each other without fully trying to kill.
They stole opportunities without destroying the team structure entirely.
For several minutes, the arena became chaotic.
Max fought the Genesis knight while holding several flames, forcing him to display terrifying adaptability. His Dimensional Sovereign Body allowed him to avoid blind attacks, see through shifting cube traps, and choose the safest route while still stealing more flames whenever an opening appeared.
Tamara and Varkhon clashed several times over the same flames, but whenever too many guardians attacked, they fought back-to-back with surprising efficiency. Revona used her Void Origin Eyes to erase attacks, traps, and even the pull of several Genesis Flames when others tried to steal from her.
Ervin’s spear moved like an abyssal line through the battlefield, sometimes protecting the group, sometimes stealing flames, sometimes forcing guardians into the paths of others with subtle precision.
Then the timer reached the final five minutes.
[05:00]
[Genesis Flame Possession Will Now Stabilize Every 60 Seconds.]
[Stabilized Genesis Flames Cannot Be Stolen.]
The rule changed the entire battle.
Everyone immediately understood that the next few minutes mattered most. Flames held long enough would become safe, and that meant the competition would become more aggressive before each stabilization.
Varkhon grinned widely. "Now this is fun."
Tamara’s war intent surged. "Then hold what you can."
The guardians roared.
The Genesis knight turned toward Max again.
Revona’s Void Origin Eyes glowed deeper.
Ervin lifted his spear.
Max held the Genesis Flames around him and looked at the timer.
The moment the final five minutes began, the entire Genesis Core Dominion arena changed.
The cubic floor beneath them lit up with white patterns, and each participant’s Genesis Flames began circling their bodies like small burning stars. Max had the most flames around him, and because of that, the pressure on him became the heaviest.
The Genesis knight that had been chasing him suddenly grew larger, its white cube armor rearranging into thicker plates, while a second sword of Genesis light formed in its other hand.
At the same time, several smaller guardians turned toward Max, their glowing cores locking onto the flames surrounding him as if the trial itself had decided that his greed needed to be punished.
Tamara glanced toward him while sweeping her spear through two cube beasts. "You really attracted half the arena."
Max avoided the Genesis knight’s first sword by shifting half a step to the side, then turned Dragonheart and blocked the second sword head-on. The collision sent a shockwave across the platform, but his body did not move back.
"Only half?" he said calmly. "Then the trial is not that hard."
Varkhon laughed loudly from the other side of the battlefield. He was holding several Genesis Flames of his own, and a group of cubic wolves were tearing toward him from three directions.
Instead of dodging, he charged directly into them with his demonic markings blazing. His fist smashed the first wolf into pieces, his shoulder rammed through the second, and his hand grabbed the third by its cube-shaped neck before hurling it toward Tamara’s side.
Tamara’s eyes narrowed. "Varkhon."
The demon grinned. "Teamwork."
Tamara snorted coldly, but she still thrust her spear forward and destroyed the flying wolf before it could crash into her. However, the brief distraction gave Varkhon a chance to rush toward a drifting Genesis Flame nearby. He almost grabbed it, but before his fingers touched it, a thin black spear light pierced the air and knocked the flame away.
Ervin stood several platforms away, his spear lowered as if he had done nothing.
Varkhon turned toward him with a dangerous smile. "You are annoying."
Ervin smiled faintly. "You were too slow."