"Ora! Ora! Ora!"

Drayken roared, a frenzy of fury and madness in his voice, his eyes gradually turning bloodshot.

Valen only chuckled in disdain—then hurled another punch.

Drayken answered with one of his own.

Fist to fist!

No finesse. No tricks. Just a man-to-man brawl.

Head to head!

At first, with internal injuries slowly stacking up, Drayken began to fall behind. The more he fought, the weaker he became—while Valen steadily gained the upper hand.

But...

There was fire in Drayken's eyes. An unmistakable blaze, hungry and insatiable, as if it would devour the very world just to keep burning. His skin turned a deeper red, and thick veins bulged across his body.

The more he fought, the taller Drayken became: like a monster awakening!

"You..."

Valen quickly realized what was happening. Something only Dragons were capable of, an instinct embedded deep in their blood.

Born to do it. Die for it.

To evolve. To grow stronger.

It was etched into their very genes, written into the essence of their being. And Drayken, who had fully embraced his dragon bloodline, was no different from a true dragon now. Perhaps he didn't even realize it, but he had already begun to act like one.

"Haha, come fight!"

Valen didn't back down. With a savage roar, he hurled his fist forward, clashing against the berserk Drayken's with brutal force.

Bang!

The air itself compressed from the impact. The sound was sharp enough to shatter eardrums, yet silence returned just moments later, as if the world was holding its breath.

The two stood motionless, eyes locked, neither blinking.

A cold wind rustled past.

Then—Valen collapsed to the ground, violently coughing up blood.

Drayken closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sky, steadying his breath and calming the storm within. His body gradually cooled, reverting to a more stable form—but he remained taller, now standing at a towering three meters.

His entire frame pulsed with power!

He glanced down at Valen and raised a brow.

"Why did you help me?"

Valen chuckled, shaking his head from where he lay on the ground.

"Help you? I didn't help you at all. I just fought you—and that's all there was to it."

"If it were anyone else, they might have backed off—dodged all my attacks, kept their distance. If you had done that, my bloodline evolution might've stopped. I might still be a Rank-1 Dragon. Your chances of victory would've been much higher and you might've actually won."

"No." Valen shook his head, smiling—not with regret, but with conviction.

This was his way.

The way of the warrior.

There was no deception on this path.

Only a pure heart—a heart forged in battle, steeped in blood and fire.

He looked up at Drayken, his eyes gleaming.

"The victor has not been decided yet."

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

"Demonic Akasha: Five-Headed Demonic Being."

Behind Valen, a towering image began to form—an ethereal demon, its five heads snarling in unison. It mirrored his stance, coiled and ready to strike.

Drayken wasn't falling behind in the slightest. His body surged with a swirling black haze, and a strange, ominous shape began to form in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, both fighters vanished.

Bang!

A thunderous shockwave rang out as their forms reappeared—only to vanish again in another flash.

The air was torn apart again and again, the wind howling under the weight of their speed. Explosive echoes rang out like thunderclaps across the arena.

The Dragon people held their breath, eyes wide with excitement, all fixated on the battlefield—awaiting the final outcome with bated anticipation.

"Can you see it, Jack?"

"No... even I can barely catch a blur."

"What? But you're a Rank-3 Dragon and not even fifty years old! A genius in your own right. And you still can't see them?"

"That's correct. I can't."

They couldn't be envious of the princess, and as for the other woman, she was defeated before she could even show her full strength by Drayken. This was the first time they were able to properly feel Drayken's might.

Even the senior Dragons, usually calm and unreadable, had serious looks on their faces as they watched the two clash blow for blow.

"This power... it might be reaching Rank-4," one of the old elders whispered, lips dry, eyes locked on the arena.

Bang!

With a final earth-shaking impact, the storm of motion ceased.

At last, their figures reappeared, standing tall amidst the fading smoke and shattered ground.

Drayken lay sprawled on the ground, his body soaked in blood, wounds layered upon wounds.

Valen still stood—tall, proud, unshaken.

"Did Valen win?"

One of the spectators shouted, his voice tight with excitement.

The sun cast its golden light across the arena, illuminating both warriors. Valen remained still, a statue of defiance.

Drayken gasped out:

"I win."

Slowly, Valen's legs gave out.

Thud.

He collapsed to the ground.

A moment later, Drayken completely slumped his shoulder to the ground watching the sky, the wind swirling around him as he tasted blood on his lips.

"Haha… hahahaha..."

"OHHHHHHHHH!"

The crowd erupted. Cheers and roars thundered through the arena, rising to the sky like a storm breaking loose.

Drayken's ears twitched as he heard the loud shouts of these dragon people, with some confusion in his mind. Wouldn't they have more hatred towards him since he was a human before? Did that skill really change their mindset by so much?

Either way, Drayken felt his blood pump soaring through the sky, and he clenched his fist. With body strengthening and the power of the lightning combined with his Rank-2 Dragon Physique, his power had gotten a lot stronger.

It felt like if he were to face that orc in that dungeon, then he could absolutely slaughter it without even using Star Strike.

'But still, without the SoulMark... it wouldn't have been possible to defeat him.' He looked down at his clenched fist, heat still thrumming through it.

'I need to get stronger.'

Wobbling slightly, Drayken forced himself upright. His legs trembled, but he stood tall.

Then, he bowed, low and with sincerity, toward Valen.

"Thank you."

He didn't fully understand Valen's reasons… but he respected them. Respected the choice, the pride, the will.

Soon after, Valen was carefully escorted away to receive healing.