The air hung heavy after his Dragon Transformation was complete. He stood there, nearly three meters tall, the light of his dragon scales shimmering amidst the blood and ashes, his curved horns blazing purple and his dragon eyes burning fiercely in the darkness like two pits of hell. No one dared to breathe. Even the soldiers in their glowing blue armor instinctively backed away.
The leader stopped. In that instant, he and Keal faced each other. No words. No expressions.
Then Keal roared. That roar wasn't the scream of a human. It shook the air, forcing all the surviving villagers to cover their ears and collapse, some children fainting on the spot. The horses hidden in the stables went mad, thrashing and breaking down the doors. Roof tiles rattled violently. The ground cracked into small pieces. The pressure from that roar was like the thunder of an ancient beast. The villagers didn't understand what was happening, they only knew—the thing roaring before them was no longer Keal.
And then Keal lunged at the leader. No strategy. No defense. Only absolute hatred weighed down his dragon legs as they pounded the ground with each step like small earthquakes. With every step he ran, the ground shattered. Every time he swung his arm, the wind howled in waves. The entire square was sucked into the violent wind, dust and earth swirling upwards like a tornado. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" The first punch landed like a meteor. The leader tilted slightly, dodging by a hair's breadth. The second punch went through the stone wall behind him, blowing away a row of rooftops. Keal frantically attacked with claws, fists, and knees—regardless of blood, regardless of pain. Smoke billowed from his breath, his claws tore through the air leaving streaks of light. The villagers could only huddle in the corner, wailing and trembling. They no longer knew who the enemy was. The thing before them—was a maddened Dragon out of control, bloodthirsty, in human form. Keal continued to charge like a wild beast. Every blow carried crushing force, but the leader still dodged every single one with ease, his body barely touching the ground. Not dodging quickly—but dodging precisely. Each missed strike made Keal roar even more fiercely. His dragon body swelled, every muscle twitching as if writhing in inescapable madness.
Then suddenly, Keal stopped, his head raised, his mouth wide open. In his throat, a blue light began to gather. The sound that came out was like wind whistling through deep rock crevices, mixed with the crackling of colliding energy. A light blue flame gradually brightened, growing with each ragged breath, so hot that the ground beneath his feet cracked open. The surviving villagers screamed and ran, but it was too late. Keal roared once—then spewed it forth. The pillar of blue fire shot straight ahead, like a dragon flying straight through the village, engulfing earth, stone, people, and everything in its path. An entire corner of the village was blown away. Houses collapsed. Stone walls were shattered. Trees were uprooted and charred. Some villagers who couldn't escape were instantly engulfed in the flames. Their screams echoed then were swallowed by a massive explosion like a bomb detonating underground. The smell of burnt flesh spread overwhelmingly. Dust and smoke billowed in thick waves. Lyra knelt on the ground, her arm injured by flying rocks. Her messy hair was matted with blood. She looked up, her lips trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Keal… what are you doing…?"
The leader emerged from the smoke, showing no signs of injury. Gray dust clung to his armor, but he didn't bother to brush it off. He just slowly advanced towards Keal. Not hurried. Not flustered. The scepter still flickered with a faint light at its tip, as if it hadn't been used at all. The dust hadn't completely settled, but the leader's figure was still clearly visible through the hazy ash. He walked slowly through the scorched earth, stepping on hot stones and burnt corpses without the slightest hesitation. Inside the armor, a mechanical voice echoed through the neural interface—cold, dry, emotionless: "Warning: Biological damage level exceeds permissible index." "Hunter, complete the mission quickly. Avoid unnecessary losses. Target: capture the human alive." "The more intact specimens, the higher the success rate." He continued to walk, his soulless eyes behind the mask reflecting faint blue patterns. "Understood," he replied, his voice low and hoarse, filtered through the helmet's voice modulator. "But this ability… intrigues me." "I want to know… how strong it is." "Proceed with the order, Vaal. This specimen must be brought back to base."
Vaal paused for a moment, looking up at Keal—who was now panting amidst the smoke, hot air still swirling around his dragon scales. Wind blew through, scattering the blood on his armor. "I understand," he said, lightly raising the scepter to shoulder height, the light from the energy core beginning to swirl more intensely. "But if this beast wants to struggle a little more… I won't stop it." Keal lunged again. Each step created a tremor. Each punch felt like it wanted to crush the entire world before his eyes. No more tactics. No more reason. Only instinct and rage guided him. His eyes no longer saw enemy or villager. Anything that moved, he would destroy. And that… was when Vaal understood. While tilting his body to avoid a wind-tearing claw strike, he muttered through his internal comm: "Lost consciousness… entering a state of unconscious destruction." "He's strong… but no longer human." Keal roared, blue fire leaking from his mouth. A punch like a meteor struck down—Vaal slightly shifted to the left, his staff spinning in a circle, lightly touching Keal's arm. The dragon arm slid past, smashing straight into a house behind him. Walls collapsed. Wood splintered. The villagers inside screamed, trying to crawl out of the rubble. Keal heard nothing. Saw nothing. Felt nothing. Only knew to swing again. Vaal continued to dodge, as gracefully as if he were dancing. He didn't block, didn't counterattack. Only dodged. Each time he dodged, he spoke a sentence as if analyzing a living specimen: "Speed increasing, but uncontrolled." "The eighth strike carries twice the force of the first, but the attack range remains unchanged." "Lacks flexibility. Entire abdomen is exposed." Keal howled, his hands swinging wildly like a storm. He was no longer human. Didn't hear. Didn't understand. Didn't need anyone. Vaal took a few steps back, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Truly strong. But without intellect, strength is just noise." Vaal continued to dodge every strike with near-perfect accuracy. Not a drop of blood stained his armor. Beneath his icy mask, he was bored. "Ending it."
He reversed his scepter, changed his stance, then suddenly lunged forward like a beam of light. Keal didn't have time to react. For the first time since the beginning of the fight, he took the initiative. "CLANG!!" The scepter struck Keal squarely on the back of his neck. A deafening shockwave erupted. A luminous shockwave spread outwards like an exploding wave, the ground being blasted away in a circle. A massive pillar of dust rose, carrying with it stone, ash, and dried blood. The entire square shook. Nearby villagers collapsed, their ears ringing for several seconds. Keal froze mid-attack. His body staggered. His burning orange eyes dimmed. The fire in his mouth cooled. His vision blurred. Sounds faded away. And the last thing he saw, before his entire body collapsed, was Lyra—kneeling amidst the rubble, tears streaming down her face, her hands tied, being dragged towards the spaceship. Her mouth was still calling his name… but he couldn't hear anything clearly anymore. Everything… went black.