Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1493 Caelira - Princess of Elven Race

Max stood frozen in astonishment, for the visage of the elven woman confronting him was one he recognized intimately.

She was his mother.

Instantly upon locking eyes on her countenance, a whirlwind of sentiments crashed into his thoughts. The refined features, the cascading tresses, the poised and majestic aura that enveloped her—all these echoed the recollections etched deep in his soul.

There could be no mistake. That appearance was of the woman who had brought him into the world. Even if she appeared much more youthful than in his memories, the lady facing him was undoubtedly his mother.

Max was certain he wasn't wrong.

"Mother?" Max whispered faintly. His tone emerged raspy as the term slipped from his mouth.

The elven woman regarded him with gentle bewilderment upon hearing his utterance.

"A human at the third level of the Rebirth Realm?" she remarked, cocking her head a bit while examining him. "Either you're some extraordinary prodigy or you've found a way to bypass the Combat Tower's rules to advance this far."

Curiosity rather than familiarity colored her look.

When Max caught that strange expression in her gaze, the truth dawned on him.

Though his heart still trembled with intense feelings, he compelled himself to regain composure. The overwhelming emotions that had burst inside him were gradually reined in as his thoughts started to dissect the circumstances methodically.

"With mother retaining her elven appearance, this has to be a period well before my arrival or even Freya's," Max reflected while regulating his breath. "Back then, she hadn't forsaken her elven heritage yet."

The insight gradually sharpened in his consciousness.

"So she must have faced a Combat Tower long ago and climbed its levels like others before her. In that era, she imprinted a piece of her soul inside it. The figure before me is just that remnant."

With this clarity, the turmoil in his heart began to ebb away.

Max gazed at her anew, a tender smile now gracing his features.

"Before we clash, let's exchange introductions," Max proposed softly. "I'm Max."

A subtle smile curved the elven woman's lips as she observed him.

"You're quite an intriguing human," she observed with a soft chuckle.

"Well, I'm Caelira. This is only a shard of my soul, but in truth, I'm the princess of the Elven Race and bearer of the royal lineage."

She uttered those lines with evident pride, as if the status held immense weight.

Max absorbed her self-presentation while keeping his demeanor steady.

Yet in his thoughts, a different notion quietly emerged.

'She's much like Lenavira,' Max mused inwardly with a subtle inner smile. 'Boasting her royal heritage and her people's superiority.'

But Max realized the gleaming pride in her eyes held a bitter twist she couldn't foresee.

The very race and royal line she proclaimed so boldly would eventually cause the destruction of her serene family life. Those painful occurrences replayed in Max's memory like an unrelenting specter. The once tranquil joy in their household had been ripped asunder by the elves' schemes and arrogance.

Merely recalling it ignited a chill fury in him.

Max quelled the anger that nearly surfaced on his countenance. The resentment he harbored against the elves was etched profoundly in his heart from agonizing experiences.

Nevertheless, he kept those sentiments concealed.

"Elven race? I've come across tales of the elven race, but truthfully, I've never laid eyes on one until now," Max stated, preserving his affable smile.

"Haha, naturally you haven't encountered us," his mother responded with a gentle laugh. Amusement tinged her voice as she eyed him. "Our elven domains govern numerous star realms, and we typically stay confined to them. We only traverse the star realms we oversee. It's uncommon for us to venture outside our borders to other star realms without a compelling motive."

She explained it offhandedly, as if it were commonplace knowledge.

"For that reason, our kind is seldom spotted throughout the Divine Realm," she continued.

Abruptly, she halted, as though a realization struck her.

"Why am I sharing all this with you?" she wondered, giving her head a slight shake.

Her face grew solemn once more as she fixed her stare on Max.

"Time to battle, young human."

Max inclined his head serenely while firming his hold on his blade.

Right as the confrontation loomed, another idea crossed his mind, prompting one final query.

"Have you ever been beaten?"

His mother denied it with a firm shake of her head. Confidence radiated from her as she replied.

"No. I've stayed victorious up to this point. Plenty of humans have neared this level, but not a single one has bested me. I'm rather formidable."

"Hehe," Max chuckled softly at her statement. "I'm fairly formidable myself. We'll discover who's superior between us."

Hardly had Max concluded his words when the air in the arena transformed.

In the following blink, a burst of golden brilliance flared around his mother's form. The glow exploded like an abrupt dawn and her silhouette disappeared from her previous spot. The speed was so incredible that tracking it without enhanced sight was nearly impossible.

She had been positioned steadily before him in one instant.

In the very next, she materialized at his flank.

Her presence reformed on his right, and the extended bow she wielded blurred in motion as she aimed it at his skull. The assault brimmed with velocity and accuracy, the bow's path slicing the atmosphere with lethal purpose.

Her speed was nothing short of astonishing.