However, there were always plenty of people who failed to see the full picture.
When Aldarp saw that Maxwell appeared largely unharmed after enduring Aqua's overwhelmingly flashy attack, the terror that had gripped him earlier quickly evaporated, replaced once more by a sense of aristocratic dignity.
In Aldarp's eyes, Aqua's attack had done absolutely nothing to Maxwell. And if that was the case, then Ren and Aqua stood no chance of defeating him.
The moment he recalled how the two of them had just chased him into a panic, sending his noble pride straight into the gutter, Aldarp's bloated body trembled with renewed fury.
That anger intensified even further when his gaze fell on Ren's handsome, refined features—then instinctively compared them to his own sagging rolls of fat.
Young. Good-looking. Strong.
Clearly, he was the noble here, and yet whenever he stood next to Ren, it always felt as though Ren was the one who possessed true aristocratic bearing—while Aldarp himself looked like nothing more than a vulgar nouveau riche.
As these thoughts churned in his mind, Aldarp turned toward Maxwell at his side and said eagerly,"Maxwell, later on, leave that brat with a whole corpse. Try not to damage his body too much—I'll need it to carry out my plan."
As mentioned before, some unlucky reincarnators had died in Axel—a beginner town—before they ever had the chance to rise.
Most of their divine artifacts had ended up in the hands of Lord Aldarp.
Besides the artifact capable of randomly summoning monsters, Aldarp also possessed another artifact—one that allowed its user to swap bodies with another person.
Originally, Aldarp had planned to use that artifact to exchange bodies with the kingdom's prince, then offer the artifact itself to Princess Iris.
But after seeing Ren, a far better plan had formed in his mind.
After all, if one were to name the most respected and most powerful royal in the kingdom, it certainly wasn't the king—nor the prince—but Princess Belzerg Stylish Sword Iris herself.
For generations, the royal family and powerful nobles had deliberately introduced the bloodlines of heroic champions, causing their latent potential to skyrocket. On top of that, they received the highest level of education in every field.
In terms of raw strength, Iris was terrifying—wielding the Holy Sword, she could even one-shot a wild Golden Dragon.
If one wanted to become the most powerful person in the kingdom, being a prince was meaningless. The only path was to cling tightly to Princess Iris.
Directly seizing the princess's body was unrealistic—so the only option was to become the most important person in her life.
And after seeing Ren's looks and strength, Aldarp felt inspiration strike.
If he could possess Ren's appearance and power, combined with his noble status, winning the princess's favor might not be impossible.
The thought of transforming from a greasy middle-aged pig of a man into the young, handsome Ren—and even marrying a super-beauty like Princess Iris—made Aldarp tremble with excitement.
Unfortunately for him, the Maxwell standing beside him had no idea he was lost in such blissful delusions.
What Maxwell did know was that Aldarp's words were utter nonsense.
After taking Aqua's purification head-on, Maxwell was now completely convinced—these two were absolutely not to be trifled with.
Originally, he had wanted to negotiate. But after sensing Aqua's divine nature, he realized the odds of her letting him off were slim.
So he had no choice but to bluff—hoping that projecting an image of overwhelming power would scare them away.
But the moment he heard Aldarp's demands, Maxwell genuinely felt the urge to smash the fat man's skull in.
He desperately wanted these two dangerous individuals gone.
And yet Aldarp just had to keep provoking them.
"Shut up!" Maxwell snapped. "Say one more stupid thing and I'll kill you myself!"
Until now, Maxwell had always worn an innocent, almost naive expression. Around Aldarp, he had consistently played the role of the weaker party.
But that was nothing more than a twisted sense of humor.
Did Aldarp really think a Demon Archduke was some spineless idiot who could be kicked around?
This was Hell they lived in.
If Maxwell—one of the Seven Archdukes of Hell—were truly that weak and submissive, he would've been devoured without even bones left behind long ago.
Seeing that the goddess he feared seemed momentarily cowed by his presence, Maxwell turned to Ren and Aqua with a solemn expression.
"I am Maxwell, one of the Seven Archdukes of Hell. I have no desire to be your enemy.If you've come because of the twisted reality, then I offer my sincerest apologies and am willing to restore everything to its original state.As for Aldarp—I'll break his limbs, or even turn him into a mindless fool. Would that satisfy you?At the very least, please spare his life. That way, this battle can be avoided entirely."
To be honest, if he could, Maxwell would have loved to turn around and flee straight back to Hell.
But Aldarp was bound to him by contract.
Demonic contracts were absurd—but fair. Even demons couldn't unilaterally break them. If Aldarp died, it would become a nuisance for Maxwell as well.
What Maxwell was trying to do now was clearly damage control.
Facing a goddess and an adventurer who felt inexplicably dangerous, he had no confidence whatsoever.
"So what have you been rambling on about all this time?" Ren said flatly. "Who would leave someone alive when they're clearly plotting against them?Give you face? Who do you think you are—some red-haired pirate captain?""Aqua, buff me."
Ren had zero intention of compromising.
He'd been ambushed for no reason at all, and now that the enemy realized things weren't going their way, they wanted to smooth it over?
As if the world worked that cheaply.
If not for Ren's Mind's Eye skill—and the fact that his own strength rivaled Maxwell's—it was obvious what would have happened.
He would've become just another resident of Axel, his memories rewritten.
After nearly having his mind tampered with, they wanted to throw out a scapegoat and call it even?
Absolutely not.
If you strike someone, you'd better be prepared to be struck back.
As Ren surged forward, he plunged his hand into empty air and drew out a massive gourd of liquor. Blade in his right hand, Endless Gourd in his left, he appeared before Maxwell almost instantly.
To be honest, the magical power Ren emitted didn't feel overwhelming to Maxwell—certainly not enough to make his heart race.
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, Maxwell felt an intense sense of danger.
With Aqua nearby, Ren couldn't use Half-Demonization—being branded a heretic would be troublesome.
But after taking a deep swig from the Endless Gourd, Ren's magical power surged dramatically.
Combined with Aqua's goddess-level buffs, his combat strength skyrocketed in an instant.
Before he even arrived—
A flash of cold light tore through the air.
The speed of the blade was so extreme that even Maxwell, momentarily distracted, nearly failed to react.
The silver slash exploded outward, engulfing both Maxwell and Aldarp in its path—clearly meant to cleave them both in one stroke.
As a Demon Archduke, Maxwell found the attack impressive—but killing him with a single slash was unrealistic.
However, while Maxwell could evade—
Aldarp, a mere human, absolutely could not.
Ren's charge and draw were completed in a blink. Aldarp was still reeling from the realization that Maxwell had effectively sold him out, completely unable to react.
Just as the fat pig of a man was about to be bisected—
Despite his irritation, Maxwell had no choice but to act.
He extended his arm, activating his power.
The next moment, something shocking happened.
The blade light that should have struck Aldarp suddenly veered off course, carving straight into the floor beside him—slicing through it like tofu.
In that same instant, Maxwell appeared directly in front of Ren, kicked him away, and grabbed the stunned Aldarp—creating distance between them in a flash.
Ren flew back, but quickly stabilized himself, landing smoothly on his feet.
Yet now, he stared at the divine blade in his hand, confusion written across his face.
Since the day he first gripped a sword—aside from his earliest training—
Ren had never swung and missed.
His attacks had been dodged. They had been blocked.
But Aldarp hadn't moved at all—and yet the blade had missed him.
That was inexplicable.
"Control over my body? No—the moment I swung, my body felt perfectly normal.Mental interference? With Mind's Eye, that shouldn't work on me.Spatial distortion? There was no fluctuation in space at all…Then what kind of power caused my blade to miss?"
That single slash had nearly bisected the entire floor.
Even Maxwell couldn't help clicking his tongue at its sheer power.
"The force that made my strike miss… that must be your ability," Ren said calmly."Just like the people of Axel—you wield a power we can't easily comprehend.But one thing's clear: your power doesn't directly affect me or Aqua. It only affects the things around us.Which means… if we want to defeat you, we'll first need to figure out exactly how your power works."