Max blinked once as the warriors recovered from their shock and began drawing their weapons. Crimson and golden mana gathered around blades, spears, and armored fists, filling the road with enough pressure to scatter dust from beneath their boots.
None of it frightened him.
He could feel the new power moving throughout his severed head and gathering beneath his neck, responding to him as naturally as any limb. The sensation was strange, but the amount of magic at his disposal caused a cold smirk to spread across his dirt-covered face.
"What are you waiting for?" Max asked. "Are you going to stand there like a bunch of frightened sissies, or will one of you actually try to kill me?"
That single sentence erased the remaining confusion from the soldiers' faces.
