Chapter 586: A Golem?

Chapter 586: A Golem?

Max narrowed his eyes slightly as the energy intensified.

He knew—this wasn’t just happening here. All five keys scattered across the continent were responding to the same call. Somewhere out there, the other holders were witnessing the same phenomenon.

As if following a higher law, all five keys suddenly began to rotate at immense speed, and a moment later, a ripple in space tore open in front of Max, forming a portal that shimmered with countless runes of origin.

‘Let’s see what the excitement of the Citadel is all about,’ he thought with a faint smile, and then, without hesitation, stepped into the portal. The moment he entered, the portal collapsed into itself, taking the golden key with it.

***

When Max emerged, he found himself standing at the entrance of a massive, twisting stone path surrounded by what appeared to be a dark, ancient forest. The trees were tall and gnarled, their leaves glowing faintly with unnatural hues. The sky above was dim and clouded, with shafts of golden light occasionally piercing through the mist, giving the place an eerie majesty.

Max activated his Three-Dimensional Body, and immediately, awareness surged from him like a field of light, scanning the surroundings. It didn’t take him long to realize—this was a maze, not just in structure but in essence.

The paths twisted, turned, and overlapped in impossible ways.

‘This maze is huge,’ Max thought with a frown, stretching his awareness even further, only to find that no matter how far it extended, he couldn’t sense an exit. It was like the maze itself warped space, denying him the knowledge of the end.

Wasting no time, Max darted forward, his steps swift and silent. With his enhanced awareness from his Three Dimensional Body, he could tell which paths were dead ends and which connected to deeper segments of the maze, so he only followed those that carried the faintest thread of continuity.

But the maze was not without danger. Not long into his advance, the forest trembled—and suddenly, the twisted trees parted, revealing hulking monsters and demonic beasts, each radiating the fearsome pressure of Expert Rank strength.

They came in waves—blood-eyed panthers with crackling claws, shadow serpents that merged with the dark, ogre-like titans carrying clubs made of bone and stone. Some roared, others slithered in silence, but all shared one trait—they wanted to tear him apart.

Max didn’t stop.

Without even drawing a breath, he used his skill.

“Magic Sword Barrage,” he muttered. Instantly, the space around him rippled as hundreds of blue glowing swords materialized in the air like ethereal flames, spinning with deadly purpose. The air vibrated with power as the swords shot forward like a storm unleashed.

Dozens of beasts were impaled, shredded, and torn apart mid-leap, their cries drowned beneath the howl of energy. The forest lit up with blue radiance as the barrage continued, carving a path of destruction through the horde. Blood sprayed, limbs flew, and within seconds, the battlefield was littered with dismembered corpses.

And still, Max kept moving. His expression remained calm, almost cold. Every time a new beast lunged from the shadows, he responded with another burst of magical swords, each wave faster, sharper, and more precise than the last.

Even monsters that hid within the trees or tunneled through the earth were found and slain by the invisible awareness of his Three-Dimensional Body. His advance through the maze was relentless—a one-man army tearing through an entire world of death and illusions.

With every step forward, the maze grew more twisted, the beasts more feral, and the sky darker—but Max’s momentum never faltered.

After weaving his way through the twisted maze of forest and shadows for nearly an hour, Max suddenly came to a halt. His brows furrowed as he tilted his head slightly, his Three-Dimensional Body detecting something unusual.

‘Huh? What is that?’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. It wasn’t directly in front of him—in fact, it was far off, hidden within the dense network of paths—but it was moving. And fast.

Whatever it was, it had sensed him, and now it was heading straight toward his location. As the presence closed in, Max’s awareness began to outline its shape—it was humanoid in form, but not remotely human.

The figure was like a living golem, a construct of roots, bark, earth, and stone, moving with shocking speed for something so massive. Its energy was unnatural, completely different from the beasts he’d slaughtered earlier, and a chill ran through Max’s spine—not out of fear, but from sheer instinct.

Without hesitation, Max raised his hand, and with a single thought, hundreds of blue glowing swords materialized in the air around him, each humming with contained power.

The air thickened with pressure as they circled him like a storm waiting to break. He stood still, waiting, watching. And then, through the trees, the figure emerged.

It was massive—at least eight feet tall, maybe more—with a thick torso made of tightly bound roots and vines, limbs that resembled twisted branches carved from stone and moss, and a head that was nothing more than a cracked bark mask with two glowing emerald eyes.

It moved with heavy steps, but unnaturally fast, the ground cracking under each stride. Max didn’t wait for it to make the first move.

“Die.” The word left his lips coldly as he pointed forward, and all at once, the swords launched from behind him with a deafening roar of magical energy.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

One after another, the blue glowing swords slammed into the figure—dozens striking it from all angles.

But Max’s eyes widened in shock. Each sword, instead of tearing through the creature, was either deflected harmlessly off its earth-like armor, or worse—dissipated entirely the moment of impact, as if the figure’s body absorbed the magical energy itself.

Fragments of blue light scattered in the air like broken glass, and not even a scratch marred the creature’s bark-covered form.

Max frowned, eyes narrowing. ‘That thing just tanked hundreds of my magic swords… like they were nothing.’ This wasn’t just a mindless guardian. Whatever this creature was, it had a body built to resist conceptual and magical attacks, and it was still advancing without hesitation.

The towering figure made entirely of roots, stone, and earth resumed its advance, each thunderous stomp shaking the ground beneath Max’s feet as it drew closer with menacing intent. Its emerald eyes gleamed with unnatural awareness, locked onto Max as if it recognized him as prey.

Max’s expression hardened, and with a sharp breath, he raised his hand again. “Magic Sword Descends!” he shouted, this time activating the Epic Rank version of his skill. Instantly, the space above him twisted and surged with power as hundreds of colossal blue-glowing swords materialized in the air.

Each sword was at least three times the size of a normal one, and they radiated an oppressive, deadly aura—each blade humming with a resonance that could tear through the defenses of even a peak Expert Rank warrior with ease.

The pressure in the air intensified to the point where the surrounding trees began to shake and crack from the sheer force exuding from the summoned weapons.

Without the slightest hesitation, Max launched them. The sky itself seemed to split open as the enormous swords rained down toward the golem-like figure in a terrifying storm of death.

But then something happened that shattered Max’s expectations completely.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!