---
title: "Chapter 1272: Squad Leaders’ Pride as a genius"
slug: "ch-1279"
novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
number: 1279
views: 0
likes: 0
wordCount: 1211
createdAt: "2026-04-15"
---

Max’s grin only widened at their reactions. "What?" he asked calmly. "Did you think the seven of you combined would be enough to push me? Don’t flatter yourselves."

The comment struck exactly as intended. A wave of suppressed fury rippled through the squad leaders, though they held it back with discipline. They were proud geniuses. They had risen through countless battles. They had earned their positions through merit and blood. And yet Max belittled them so casually.

Below them, the rest of the geniuses watched in tense silence. Some faces showed excitement. Some showed awe. Others showed sympathy for the squad leaders who had been challenged so openly. The air vibrated faintly with energy as everyone sensed the pressure building.

Max let the silence stretch for a moment longer before he continued.

"You trained your squads well these past days. You worked hard. You improved. Good."

His gaze sharpened suddenly.

"But you are still predictable."

He raised a finger.

"You plan your attacks too cleanly. You think too much in straight lines. You rely on formations, teamwork, and coordination. All good things. But none of that will matter when someone like Balthazar appears and blows all your plans apart in an instant. In front of absolute strength, all means are useless."

A soft breeze passed by, carrying the distant growls of mindless Nulls across the green wasteland.

Max floated slightly higher, his black hair swaying as if the world itself shifted for him.

"So today," he said, "I want to see what you do without formation. Without advance planning. Without relying on your squads. I want to see raw instincts. I want to see how much of your strength comes from yourselves alone."

His voice lowered, deeper and more serious.

"If you can’t even touch me... then none of you are ready for what is waiting deeper in Nullaria."

Seraphina finally spoke. "You’re saying this while hovering in front of us like you’re untouchable. Are you sure you understand who you’re talking to?"

Max smiled slightly. "Seraphina, if you want to teach me a lesson, then come try. I’m right here."

Arthur stepped forward. "All seven of us? At once?"

"Yes," Max replied. "All seven. Together. Give me your best attacks. Use your full strength. Use all your techniques. I won’t counterattack."

That silenced everyone again.

Max added, "Your only objective is to touch me. Not defeat me. Not overwhelm me. Just touch me."

Daniel muttered sighing, "That sounds impossible."

Michael whispered glancing at Daniel, "Is he serious?"

Chris clenched his fists. "No... he wouldn’t say it unless he was certain. Remember, Daniel is from the Black Lotus Guild and I heard Max is the current leader of the Black Lotus Guild."

Max then addressed the squads below. "All of you will watch. This is for your growth too."

His gaze drifted back to the squad leaders.

"Because from today onward, your training is no longer about fighting demons. It’s about surpassing your limits. About surviving the unpredictable. About learning to stand against beings far beyond your current understanding."

He lifted one finger again.

"Seven of you. One of me. You touch me, you win."

He then said, in a calm and utterly devastating voice,

"Now show me what you think peak Divine Rank truly means."

The seven leaders tensed. Power flared around them—fire, lightning, wind, metal, water, light, shadow—each bursting outward in brilliant auras. The air shook with their combined presence. The pressure alone caused cracks along the barren ground below.

Max hovered there, completely relaxed.

As if he wasn’t facing seven peak Divine Rank geniuses.

As if he wasn’t even threatened.

His final words fell softly across the battlefield, slicing through the tension like a whisper carried by fate.

"Come. All of you. If you can make me take even one step, I will be impressed."

"Don’t regret it then," Victor said with a wide grin as he allowed his aura to rise slowly, letting it build with deliberate intensity. Before releasing his full power, he swept his gaze toward the other squad leaders, measuring their expressions and gathering their resolve.

"Everyone, Max seems to be underestimating us in a rather serious way. If he believes we are that far behind him, then we should give everything we have and remind him that we stand much closer than he thinks."

His voice carried a mix of encouragement and exciting, stirring the competitive fire in the others. The aura around him continued to surge, creating a visible ripple around his figure, and his grin deepened as excitement gradually replaced annoyance.

Seraphina stepped forward with calm confidence, her golden eyes narrowing slightly as she felt the heat of Victor’s rising momentum. "You are right," she said while nodding. "There is no reason for us to hold back here. Let us show him our full strength and make him reconsider every single word he just spoke."

Her tone carried a steady determination, and sparks of energy began to rise around her form. It was clear that this opportunity motivated her more than any battle against demons, because this was a test of pride rather than a clash against enemies.

Arthur crossed his arms before releasing a deep breath, and his expression slowly shifted from restraint to an unwavering readiness. "You two make a fair point," he said with a firm nod. "Even if none of us can match Max on our own, it still feels highly dismissive for him to gather all seven of us and expect that we will struggle to even touch him. We have earned our positions as top level geniuses through effort and talent, and we also carry our own pride. It would be shameful to let his words pass without proving something in return. Let us show him the strength that allowed us to stand here in the first place."

His aura expanded as he spoke, the sound of crackling energy breaking through the air like the distant rumble of an approaching storm.

Chris and Christine exchanged a glance before nodding together. Their expressions hardened with resolve as their auras rose in unison, one radiating firelike pressure and the other releasing a chill that felt sharp enough to cut through the surrounding air.

Their synchronization added a sense of balance to the group, as if the formation had suddenly completed a silent unspoken alignment.

Michael at the side also powered up.

Only Daniel remained still. He offered no immediate aura flare or declaration of challenge. Instead he lifted his hand and dragged it across the back of his neck in a weary gesture before forcing a wry smile.

"I have a feeling this will not age well," he murmured under his breath. He looked at Max floating above them with that same calm grin, and the uneasy thought settled in his mind that Max had not spoken out of arrogance but out of absolute certainty in his own strength.

Even so, Daniel did not step back. He joined the others, fully aware that pride demanded participation even when logic predicted disaster.

The seven of them now stood fully powered and united, their combined presence creating a wave of pressure that swept across the area. Everyone below watched with anticipation, sensing that something remarkable was about to unfold.