Scene: "Field of Scars"
Location: A remote valley scarred by past battles — burned trees, cracked earth, distant thunderclouds.
Time: Early morning. The others are resting. Max stands alone.
[Max] (cracking his knuckles, talking to himself)
"Alright. Curse mode's one thing... but what the hell are these 50 death abilities "
His HUD flickers again.
New Protocols Detected:
[Void Coil] — [Singular Pulse] — [Reactive Muscle Burn] — [Black Nerves] — [Ashrand Bolt] — [Voltstep] — [Friction Coil Armor]
Max closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath.
[Max]
"Time to see what 50 deaths bought me."
First: Void Coil
He punches a boulder. The force rebounds, but instead of hurting him, it disappears into a swirling black aura coiling around his forearms.
The black energy crackles silently.
He grins.
[Max]
"Stored pain, huh? Let's use it."
He slams his fist forward — the coiled energy erupts outward, obliterating the boulder into a black mist of kinetic annihilation.
Second: Singular Pulse
Max spreads his stance.
A soft hum begins in his chest… then the air around him implodes as a shockwave sphere of black lightning explodes outward in a perfect ring.
Every tree within 100 meters is flattened like paper, bark reduced to ash.
[Max] (coughing smoke)
"Okay… that one's a little too good."
Third: Reactive Muscle Burn
He slams his own shoulder into a jagged rock — it shatters, but he bleeds.
Then… his body bulges with raw strength, muscle cords flaring violently.
His veins pulse violet.
[Max]
"Hurts like hell. But I feel like I could lift a mountain."
(He can't.)
Fourth: Black Nerves (Mutation)
He channels the pain — the gash on his shoulder burns, but instead of slowing down, his eyes glow brighter, and his next punch craters the ground beneath him with a distorted warping shockwave.
[Max]
"Oh… that's disgusting."
Fifth: Ashrand Bolt
Max steps back, raises one hand like he's pointing a gun at the sky.
A moment of silence…
Then from his fingertip, a javelin of cursed black lightning rips upward, exploding into the clouds — a few seconds later, thunder booms and a chunk of the cloud cover vanishes in the aftermath.
[Max] (smirking)
"That's gonna ruin someone's day."
Sixth: Voltstep
He breathes out — his body splits into static and disappears.
He reappears midair. Then again. Then again. Each time, only a whisper of burnt ozone remains.
He's gone from sight for two seconds — reappears upside-down against a cliff, laughing.
[Max]
"Teleport-lite. I'm down with this."
Seventh: Friction Coil Armor
He rubs his forearms together — and a field of static licks around his body, crackling like living sparks.
He grabs a dead tree and hugs it.
The tree ignites on contact, lightning veins spreading down the trunk until it explodes into shards.
[Max]
"If I touch anyone now, they're toast. Literally."
Scene End — Max POV
He stands in the center of a cratered wasteland — the valley blackened, the sky humming.
[Max] (grinning, battle-scarred)
"...You wanted a Chosen, ARAE?
You just got a f*cking thunder god with anger issues."
His arms drop. Eyes glowing faintly purple.
He walks back toward the others, leaving the scorched wasteland behind.