Supreme Bloodline Evolution System

Chapter 177: Dragon Army Joins the Fight: Arbiter’s Unbelievable Power

Max felt the breath almost leave his lungs as the Arbiter suddenly clapped his hands together.

The sound was simple, almost too simple for what followed.

A terrifying shockwave burst from Aurelian and rushed toward Max and the spirit army behind him, making the air ripple like water as wave after wave of mysterious golden power crashed over them. It did not feel like wind. It did not feel like mana either. It pressed against their bodies from the outside and inside at the same time, crushing into their bones, shaking their organs, forcing even the spirits to tremble as if something much heavier than a mountain had suddenly fallen over their souls.

Even Max, who carried dragon blood in his body, no, two dragon bloodlines now, felt his body struggle to withstand the pressure.

His wings shook behind him. His claws tightened. The shining darkness around his arm flickered for a moment, as if even the void hated the weight of that golden force pressing down on it.

"Insects..." the Arbiter’s deep voice echoed through the air, slow and merciless. "Bugs of a world almost forgotten... how dare you? How dare you resist the decree of a servant of the gods?"

Golden light spilled from him more and more, pouring out in thick waves until the ruined sky above the mountain seemed to brighten around him. The angelic avatar behind his body grew larger with every passing breath, its faceless head rising higher, its wings spreading wider, until it reached at least ten meters tall and still showed no sign of stopping. It wrapped around Aurelian like a second body made from judgment itself, every feather and limb formed from light that burned without heat, holy in appearance, but rotten in feeling.

"What disgusting magic..." Max cursed under his breath.

Saelunith rushed to his side, her face no longer carrying the calm confidence she had shown before. Her eyes were fixed on the growing avatar, and even though her body was made from spirit power, fear still moved through her expression like a shadow.

"Master, the Arbiter’s power is still rising. We do not have enough manpower to kill him like this."

Her words came out rushed, almost panicked, and by then the worst of the waves had finally faded, giving them just enough room to breathe.

Max turned his black eyes toward her.

"You know him?"

"Not him particularly," Saelunith answered quickly, her gaze still moving between Max and the golden figure below them. "But we spirits once faced an Arbiter in the past, long before your era, Master. Back then, one of them tried to seize the power of the Spirit Sovereign, and he almost succeeded."

Her fingers curled at her sides as she spoke, and the spirit women behind her grew quieter, as if even hearing those words had dragged something old and painful back into their minds.

"They are terrifying beings," Saelunith continued, her voice lower now. "But the power behind them is even worse. That force had already existed long before I was born into this form, long before many spirits even understood what fear was. If we do not kill this Arbiter here, if he escapes and returns to them, then all of us will die. Not only our bodies, not only this region, but even our spiritual forms will be wiped away beneath their army’s might, and nothing will remain of us except the kind of silence they left behind once before."

Max cracked his neck, feeling his heart beat wildly with battle intent.

"You can tell me about that later. Our reinforcements seem to have arrived," he said, a grin spreading across his face despite the worry hiding behind it.

"Our Liege!"

The dragon armies flooded the sky from the distance, their wings blotting out parts of the ruined sunlight as hundreds, then thousands, rushed toward the broken mountain.

For a moment, confusion spread through their ranks when they saw the massive army of spirit women hovering around the battlefield, their strange beauty and ethereal bodies making them look almost like fairies born from some forgotten dream.

But when they noticed one of them standing beside Max, guarding him instead of attacking, their killing intent lowered at once. Whatever those women were, they were not the enemy right now.

"Great timing," Max said, his black eyes never leaving Aurelian. "Gather into formation and prepare all of your long-range attacks. Work together with the spirit army."

His voice was fast, sharp, carrying no room for hesitation. He knew the enemy would not stand there all day and allow him to strategize as he pleased. If he lost sight of Aurelian even for a single second, if he allowed that golden monster to move freely while his attention turned elsewhere, he would likely die so fast he would not even have the chance to say goodbye to the people who had started calling him their liege.

"Yes!"

A unified roar shook the air as the dragon army spread out behind him, wings beating in heavy rhythm while mana began gathering in their mouths, palms, claws, and weapons. Fire, wind, thunder, and ice started to rise in different corners of the sky, each clan falling into its place as quickly as they could.

Max turned slightly toward Saelunith and the spirit women.

"You too. Fall back and prepare another attack. Use everything you have, even if it leaves you injured for a while."

It was a merciless command.

He knew that.

But Max also knew this entire disaster had come because of him. Because of his system. Because of his existence in this magical world and the power hidden inside his blood. If he wanted to keep his life, if he wanted to keep his kingdom, if he wanted to protect Agnia, the child, the dragons, the spirits, and everyone else who had somehow become tied to his fate, then he could not afford to be gentle right now.

He had to use everything in his power.

Max was also preparing to risk his life. He had felt Aurelian’s power before, felt the way that disgusting golden judgment tried to reach into his body and take away the Bloodline Evolution System as if it was something that could simply be reclaimed. He knew, deep in his bones, that if he lost the system, he would not be able to live the same way again.

Perhaps death would even become a luxury.

Because if the Arbiter took him alive, if the Land of Gods dragged him into some dark dungeon hidden away from this world, then he might not be allowed to die at all. He might be chained there forever, his secrets carved out one by one, his flesh growing old and rotting away while the world forgot he had ever existed.

Max’s grin slowly faded.