Chapter 698: Old Man Burning Cloud

Chapter 698: Old Man Burning Cloud

But it wasn’t because they didn’t have anything to say. It was because they couldn’t. Every single experts present—young or old, genius or veteran—was too stunned to form words, too blown away by what they had just witnessed.

A 1st level Master Rank youth, wearing nothing but a plain white mask and known only by the name White Death, had not only stepped into Grinders Haven, the hardest mode in the Battle Realm, but had completely obliterated a 2-star master at the 3rd level of Champion Rank—Roger Hale, a famed powerhouse of the frost region.

And not just defeated—he had erased him, engulfed him in black flames, made him scream in agony, and then crushed him into nonexistence with a single explosion.

It was impossible. That word kept ringing in everyone’s minds like a chant, like a desperate excuse for what they had seen.

But the truth was undeniable. The battlefield had spoken. The floating screen had shown it all. And the masked youth stood there, alone, in the aftermath of his storm, while the entire Battle Realm struggled to believe that what they had just witnessed… was real.

And then—just a moment after that eerie silence had swallowed the entire Battle Realm—chaos erupted like a dam breaking under divine force. The stunned quiet was shattered by gasps, shouts, and screams of disbelief that echoed through the air, bouncing off walls, screens, and minds alike.

“OH MY GOD! What did I just witness?! What did I just witness?!” one expert shouted, grabbing his head as if trying to wake himself from a dream.

“How is this even possible?!” another screamed, almost losing his footing. “How can someone at the 1st level of Master Rank kill a 3rd level Champion Rank expert without even moving?! HOW?!”

The crowd around the screens surged forward in disbelief, voices overlapping in a storm of pure confusion.

“What just happened?!” someone cried. “White Death didn’t even lift a finger! He didn’t move! And then BOOM—Roger Hale, gone! Not defeated. Erased! Not even his body was left. What kind of strength is that? What kind of monster is he?!”

The disbelief spread like wildfire, turning into awe.

“Roger Hale was considered invincible among 3rd level Champion Rank experts! He had crushed opponents from across five regions! And now… a 1st level Master Rank genius just made him scream for his life before incinerating him like trash! This isn’t just rare—it’s not even humanly possible!”

Then came the voices that carried admiration—worship, even.

“White Death… He is White Death!” a young disciple shouted, eyes wide with feverish excitement. “He’s not some arrogant fool—he’s a monster genius! A true reaper in a world of pretenders! Defeating a Champion Rank powerhouse with Master Rank strength… Forget 3-star geniuses, even Heaven Grade geniuses should step aside when he walks. They don’t deserve to carry his shoes!”

People were going absolutely crazy. The atmosphere was electric, as if lightning itself had struck the heart of the Battle Realm. In all its long history, no one had seen anything like this—no one had ever witnessed a battle that flipped the very laws of strength on their heads.

The impact was seismic. Every region, every power, every force that had a genius present in the Battle Realm now had one name etched into their minds: White Death.

He wasn’t just a rising star. He was a legend in the making. And yet, amidst the swirling storm of admiration, shock, and fear, none of them knew the truth. This wasn’t the peak. This wasn’t the end. This… was just the beginning.

After finishing off Roger in a display that shook the entire Battle Realm, Max wasted no time. The moment his first battle ended, he initiated the second. This time, when his body materialized again, he found himself in an entirely different realm—one consumed by fire.

The air was thick with heat and smoke, flickering embers drifting lazily around him like burning snow. All around him, buildings stood in various states of ruin, their wooden beams and stone structures engulfed in dancing flames that crackled and roared.

The ground beneath his feet was scorched black, and in the far distance, a grand castle loomed over the flaming city, its spires also ablaze, painting a haunting silhouette against the red-orange sky.

“A new area…” Max muttered beneath his breath, calmly using his Three Dimensional Body. His senses spread outward in layers, absorbing the intense heat, the shifting pressure in the air, and every movement within a hundred-meter radius.

That’s when he noticed it—someone standing quietly, not too far ahead. Max turned his head slightly, his masked gaze locking onto the figure. It was an old man, his body frail and hunched, with deep wrinkles carved into his pale, weathered skin.

His red hair, though sparse, still burned brightly like embers refusing to die out. At first glance, he looked like he could collapse at any moment, like age had already claimed most of him.

But then Max saw his eyes—those sharp, smoldering eyes filled with the fire of battle. They weren’t the eyes of someone waiting for death. They were the eyes of someone who had faced it countless times and spat in its face every single time.

There was a fierce, unwavering light in them, and it told Max everything he needed to know. This old man may have looked like a relic, but his fire had never gone out. In fact, it was only just beginning to burn.

“That’s Old Man Burning Cloud from the Volcanic Region,” someone said loudly amidst the crowd gathered under the massive floating screens, voices once again swelling in the Battle Realm as Max’s second battle came into view. “At just the 3rd level of Champion Rank, he once incinerated a Beast King at the 5th level of Champion Rank with a single strike. They say it wasn’t even a technique—just a simple sword slash engulfed in his flames.”

Another expert nodded quickly, eyes wide with both awe and uncertainty. “Yeah, there are all kinds of stories about him. One tale claims he once turned an entire thunderstorm into fire and scattered it with a wave of his hand. Another says he earned the name ‘Burning Cloud’ after he set the sky ablaze—literally burning the clouds to keep the rain from falling on the battlefield.”

Excitement and tension rippled through the air like wildfire.

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