Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 - Chapter 243

Chapter 243: Unexpected Situation
One by one, the guests bowed their heads and began to leave.

Some looked relieved.

Others looked shaken.

And a few… looked worried.

Within minutes, the Villa grounds cleared.

Only the Four Super Families and the Top Five Guilds remained.

Lucas turned to Aurelia, Kate, and Norton.

“Excuse me for a moment. I must report this matter immediately.”

His voice was steady, but the weight of his words hung heavy.

“The arrival of the Ascendants… and the confirmation of their transformation into Nulls… is something that cannot be delayed.”

His eyes were sharp, his expression unreadable.

“You may wait here or leave. Our meeting has already concluded.”

Aurelia nodded. Kate frowned. Norton looked deep in thought.

Then, just before turning away—

Lucas’s gaze locked onto Max.

And for the first time since the battle ended, his expression softened.

“Max, I hope to see you in the West Region in four months.”

Then, with a single step, he vanished into the Villa.

Leaving Max standing there—alone with the top powers of the East.

“Die!”

The instant Envoy Lucas left, the atmosphere changed.

A killing intent so sharp it was suffocating filled the air.

Max barely had time to react. A white glowing sword shot through the air—a flash of pure, searing light. It was silent, swift, merciless.

Too fast.

His eyes widened. His body froze.

Not just because of the speed—he couldn’t even see the attack.

All he heard was that one word, laced with murderous intent. “Die.”

A chill gripped his soul.

His Three-Dimensional Body? Useless.

The attack had come from someone far beyond his level.

A peak Expert Rank warrior.

A level where the difference in speed and perception was simply unbridgeable.

Despair crashed down on him.

His mind screamed. He had been too careless. Too slow. Too weak.

Was this it?

But then—

CRACK!

The white blade slammed into an invisible force, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The impact was blinding, the clash of power shattering the ground beneath them.

Max’s breath caught in his throat. A barrier?

A figure stepped forward. Kate.

“Kate!” Norton’s voice roared in rage, his eyes burning with fury. “What are you doing?!”

His killing intent didn’t waver. His grip tightened around his sword. “This kid has brought calamity to the East! If we kill him now, we can stop the disaster before it happens!”

Kate’s face remained hard, tense. But her stance didn’t falter. “I know.” Her voice was firm. “But this isn’t the way to do it.”

A heavy silence fell.

Norton’s jaw clenched. Fury battled reason.

This was the best opportunity to get rid of Max—no Envoy Lucas, no interference. If he hesitated now, the chance would be lost.

His fingers twitched over his blade. Should he risk a battle here?

Max exhaled, his heartbeat slowing.

His hands were still shaking.

If she hadn’t stepped in—

He would be dead.

Just as the tension thickened, as the air buzzed with the weight of battle—

Kheonne moved.

No hesitation. No sound.

One second, she stood still. The next, she was gone.

Max barely had a moment to breathe before cold steel kissed his neck.

His entire body locked up.

A blade. Right at his throat.

A shiver crawled down his spine. He hadn’t seen her move. He hadn’t sensed her presence.

Nothing.

It was as if a ghost had manifested behind him, blade in hand, whispering death into his ear.

“Good, Kheonne!”

Norton’s laugh rang through the night, manic, filled with a cruel satisfaction. “Kill him.”

Kate’s face darkened. This was bad.

Her gaze flickered around, scanning for Aurelia.

But—

She was nowhere to be found.

Gone.

Her heart sank.

Not just Aurelia. The Phoenix Order Guild—vanished.

Kate’s expression tightened, her fingers curling into fists.

Something was very, very wrong.

“Norton, Kheonne, you two are going too far.”

Ralph Thorne’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. His frown was deep, his eyes sharp with cold authority. “We all know the East isn’t ready for war, but what you’re doing right now? It’s nothing more than acting like the Young Monarch’s lapdogs. Or…”

His tone darkened, his gaze narrowing. “Should I ask if you two have already betrayed the East?”

The words struck like a whip.

Norton and Kheonne stiffened. Their expressions flickered—a flash of hesitation.

For a split second, doubt crept into their eyes.

But it was gone just as fast.

“Ralph, Garrison, you both saw what Max did,” Norton shot back, his voice sharp as steel. “He directly defied the Young Monarch. And in doing so, he has doomed the entire East Region.”

His fists clenched. “You know as well as I do—the Monarch will retaliate. And when he does, the East won’t stand a chance.”

Then, his voice lowered, filled with conviction. “Killing Max is our only chance. His death would surely appease the Young Monarch.”

The silence was heavy.

Then—

Ralph shook his head. Slowly. Deliberately.

Then his face hardened, his voice turning ruthless. “Look around.”

Norton’s brow furrowed. “What?”

But then—he looked.

And his expression froze.

His eyes narrowed into slits.

Something was wrong.

The Blade Family geniuses he had brought—Allen, Elan, and the others—were standing there, but something was off.

Their gazes were unfocused. Their eyes blank.

They were looking around aimlessly. Like lost souls.

His pulse quickened.

His head snapped toward the Evernight Family geniuses.

And his stomach dropped.

The same thing.

Their expressions were vacant, their mouths slightly open, some even drooling as they stared at the sky, their minds completely detached from reality.

A shiver crawled up Norton’s spine.

An illusion.

Then—realization struck.

Max had seen it too. His eyes narrowed, understanding clicking into place.

Ralph’s illusions.

“If you kill Max here…”

Ralph’s voice was low, edged with suspense.

“Then forget about all the geniuses from your two families.”

A pause.

Then, his voice dropped to an ice-cold whisper.

“I will destroy their souls inside my illusions.”

Norton’s breath hitched.

His mind raced.

Even Kheonne who held Max hostage by her knife hesitated a little.

Ralph’s face was utterly ruthless, his intent clear. There was no bluff. No hesitation. If Max died, so would every single genius under their banner.

This wasn’t just a threat.

It was a line in the sand.

A single step forward… and there would be no turning back.