Seeing Li En hanging his head in silence, Luke let out a sneer with a metallic ring to it.
“Your shameful little thoughts were stripped bare by me in front of everyone. Do you finally feel humiliated?”
“Where was this attitude earlier!”
Li En’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. It wasn’t fear, but an emotion suppressed to the absolute limit.
He slowly lowered his head. On his face, which was once fairly handsome but now covered in dragon scales, the muscles twitched uncontrollably.
The air around him began to ripple ominously, carrying an aura far more dangerous than when he had previously used Dragonification.
This situation immediately drew the attention of certain beings on the battlefield.
No.3, who was currently fighting Laura and holding the upper hand, caught Li En in his scarlet gaze for a brief moment. A glint of interest flashed deep in his eyes.
This human boy… something is wrong with his state.
This sign of losing control of power, of deep entanglement with a foreign bloodline, and even a tendency toward assimilation… it actually bears a faint, blurry resemblance to ‘That Great Person.’
‘It seems that one of the targets, the remnant soul of “Iguneel,” is very likely within this human.’
No.3’s thoughts turned rapidly, and his focus on Li En instantly surged to the maximum.
At the same time, Iguneel, residing deep within Swan’s soul, also keenly sensed the familiar fluctuations of power beginning to go berserk in the distance.
“Swan! Quick! Make that red-haired bighead shut up! Don’t provoke the boy anymore!”
Iguneel’s voice rang out urgently in Swan’s mind, carrying a rare seriousness and a hint of desperation.
“If he continues his provocation, that boy Li En will be completely consumed by the violent and chaotic side of my power!”
“Once his mind falls and he is ruled by the instincts of the Dragon Blood, he will completely degenerate into a Magical Beast that knows only destruction!”
“Dragonification is about to turn into Human-Dragon Transformation…”
Swan was startled. Although she didn’t fully understand all the details, Iguneel’s panic couldn’t be faked.
She hurriedly shouted toward Luke, “Senior Luke! Don’t say any more! Stop it, quickly!”
Luke, who was enjoying the pleasure of pinning Li En to a pillar of shame with his words, paused upon hearing her.
He turned to look at the anxious Swan, his tone softening significantly. He carried a bit of helplessness, as if saying “you are too naive.”
“Little Swan, you’re just too kind-hearted. You haven’t seen how filthy and black the hearts of people in this world can be.”
“But fine. There’s really no point wasting my breath on a guy who is already rotten to the core.”
He seemingly accepted Swan’s advice, but in reality, he felt everything that needed to be said had been said.
Li En’s speechless appearance was enough to satisfy him.
Thus, he redirected his attention nearby.
Bart, whom he had kicked away, had shakily stood up from the pile of rubble.
He glared at Luke with scarlet, furious eyes, his Blood Qi roiling around him. He was clearly defiant and prepared for another round.
“Hmph, you thick-skinned big guy. It seems you haven’t had enough of a beating yet!”
Luke cracked his neck and settled into a fighting stance.
Bart was indeed frustrated to the extreme.
He could not accept the fact that he was being suppressed by a red-haired boy who relied on a strange Magic Tool and had been on the verge of death just moments ago.
With a wild roar, he pushed his Blood Awakening power to the limit and charged at Luke once more!
“Bring it on!”
Luke barked a low shout. His silver figure didn’t retreat; instead, he surged forward to meet the blow head-on!
Bang! Boom! Thud!
Even more intense sounds of collision erupted at the corner of the wall.
The silver-gray and blood-red figures traded blows at high speed. As fists and feet met, air currents billowed and rubble sprayed in every direction.
Having obtained the power of a “Kamen Rider,” Luke became increasingly adept as he adapted to this style of combat.
His movements were concise and sharp.
Taking full advantage of the super defense and reaction speed provided by the armor, he could often withstand Bart’s heavy strikes while retaliating with continuous attacks from tricky angles.
Bart possessed raw strength and Blood Qi, but it was difficult for him to deal any effective damage.
Instead, Luke repeatedly caught openings in his attacks, raining down punches and kicks on his armor of Blood Qi.
The armor flickered with light, and cracks appeared and vanished.
Although the powerful recovery of the Blood Race allowed him to repair his injuries quickly, this situation of being passively beaten and unable to land a hit drove him into a mad rage, yet he was helpless.
Luke also quickly discovered the problem:
He could suppress Bart and beat him into a pathetic state, but if he wanted to truly wound or even kill this thick-skinned Blood Pillar with his incredible recovery, he seemed to lack a decisive finishing move.
His Attack was enough to break through the Defense and cause damage, but it wasn’t enough to accumulate to a fatal degree before the opponent recovered.
‘Tsk, these Blood Race guys are so hard to kill!’
Luke cursed inwardly, but his hands didn’t stop moving.
However, he wasn’t particularly anxious.
At least for now, Bart had no way to deal with his “turtle shell” either.
As long as he maintained the suppression and prevented Bart from supporting other fronts, it was a massive success.
On a battlefield where high-end combat power was scarce, a free combatant who could stall or even suppress a Blood Pillar had undeniable strategic value.
However, just as Luke and Bart were in the heat of battle and Luke was gradually taking control of the local situation—
A heart-palpitating, non-human surge of Mana suddenly erupted from the other side of the battlefield, sweeping across almost the entire area at an alarming speed!
The source was Li En, who had been standing with his head bowed as if forgotten by the world!
Iguneel’s voice rang out solemnly in Swan’s mind.
“Swan, do you feel it? That boy… is about to truly begin.”
“His will is being swallowed by the dark side of my power, and his body is being forcibly transformed into a more complete ‘Dragon’ form.”
Swan looked nervously in Li En’s direction. She saw the dragon scales that had previously only covered parts of his skin now spreading and thickening at a visible rate, their color turning even darker.
His lowered head suddenly snapped up, and he let out a roar of primal rage that sounded nothing like a human.
“Iguneel, what exactly is happening?” Swan hurriedly asked in her mind. “You mentioned ‘Dragonification’ and ‘Human-Dragon Transformation’ earlier…”
“I am of the noble Dragon Race, a powerful existence born of heaven and earth.”
Iguneel’s tone carried the inherent pride of the Dragon Race, but it quickly turned grim.
“To you humans, my power is like a sharp double-edged sword.”
“Used correctly, one can obtain the powerful boost of ‘Dragonification,’ retaining one’s sanity and becoming a half-dragon warrior.”
“But if the will is weak, or if one is seduced by the wildness and violence within the power—or like this boy, if the heart is filled with dark, negative emotions that resonate with the destructive side of the Dragon Power—one will be driven by the power instead. The mind is gradually swallowed by desire, and the body irreversibly transforms into a complete ‘Dragon’ form. This is ‘Human-Dragon Transformation,’ or rather, monsterification.”
Iguneel paused and added, “After all, by your human standards, we of the Dragon Race can essentially be classified as the highest-tier ‘Magical Beasts.'”
“Power is neither good nor evil, but if the heart using it is skewed and ends up eroded by the power, becoming a Magical Beast that knows only destruction is a common occurrence.”
Swan’s heart tightened as she heard this. She subconsciously asked, “Then… what about me? If I use your power, will I also…”
“For you, Swan, there is no need to worry,” Iguneel’s voice softened.
“Your situation is entirely different from his. Through Soul Symbiosis, you use your own soul as a vessel to slowly accept and adapt to the inheritance of my power and will.”
“While this process has its price, such as the changes to your body… its essence is fusion and sublimation. Your will remains the dominant one.”
“As for that boy Li En…” She spoke with a hint of disdain and gravity. “He directly fused my scattered Dragon Blood Essence into his physical body.”
“While this allows him to quickly gain immense physical strength, it is equivalent to planting an uncontrolled seed within his body.”
“He might be able to suppress it normally, but once a massive loophole appears in his mind—like now, being crushed by extreme negative emotions—this seed will immediately take root and sprout, turning the guest into the master!”
Swan suddenly understood, and some of her previous questions were answered.
No wonder her use of the power caused her to turn into a dragon girl and changed her gender, while Li En didn’t.
It turned out Li En’s “side effect” was hidden and far more dangerous—a latent tendency toward monsterification!
Comparing the two, her minor changes in appearance really didn’t seem like much.
“Then… will Li En completely turn into a Magical Beast? How strong will he be?” Swan looked worriedly at Li En, whose aura was becoming increasingly terrifying.
She then looked at Dio and Laura, who were struggling in their fights, and Luke, who was unable to pull away despite suppressing Bart.
If another powerful enemy appeared…
Iguneel was silent for a moment, seemingly sensing carefully, then said in a deep voice, “It’s very bad… His negative emotions have resonated strongly with the violent side of my power, and the transformation is accelerating. Furthermore… this boy’s physical talent for carrying the Dragon Blood power seems to be… more ‘suitable’ than yours.”
She admitted it somewhat reluctantly. “If he truly completes the transformation and falls completely into being a demonic dragon ruled by desire, he could… at the very least reach the level of a Demon King Seed [A+]. It is even possible that due to this distorted, regardless-of-the-cost fusion, he could briefly explode with destructive power approaching the threshold of a True Demon Lord [S].”
“Demon King Seed [A+]? Approaching a True Demon Lord [S]?” Swan gasped.
She had some understanding of the classification of Magical Beasts. She knew that the Imperial Sword Saint Laura, at full power, could roughly contend with an [A+] level Demon King Seed.
As for an [S] level True Demon Lord, that was already a terrifying existence of near-legend, capable of causing calamity-level destruction!
Could Li En reach such a level after monsterification?
“Then… Iguneel, in your prime, what level were you?” Swan couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, wanting to make a comparison.
A surge of lofty pride came from Iguneel’s consciousness. “I am a true Dragon, a predator born standing at the peak! Fully grown, I am a Calamity Demon King [S+]!!”
“Calamity Demon King [S+]?”
Swan was stunned once again. Humans had limited knowledge and records of Magical Beasts; usually, the strongest known were the [A+] Demon King Seeds.
Level [S] was already a blurry legend in ancient texts, and [S+] was unheard of.
But hearing Iguneel’s tone, it didn’t seem like a lie.
“Since you’re so powerful, how did you end up being… being defeated by the First Dragonslayer, Jellal…”
Swan didn’t finish, but her meaning was clear.
“I’ve said it 100 times! I was sabotaged by that shameless Jellal!!!”
Iguneel suddenly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shouting furiously in Swan’s consciousness.
“I was in the weak phase of my cycle back then!”
“As a result, I accidentally fell into that giant, complex sealing Magic Array that the cunning human spent countless efforts to set up!”
“Under the suppression of that damned Formation, I couldn’t even use 10% of my strength!”
“Even so, I still dragged that guy down with me!”
She paused, seemingly calming down, and added with a complex tone, “However… although Jellal’s methods were despicable, in my view, even looking across the last 100 years, he is still the strongest Mage among you humans. There is no second.”
“At the very least, that second-ranked Blood Pillar that your current Imperial Sword Saint is having a hard time dealing with—if Jellal himself were to act, solving it wouldn’t be nearly as troublesome as it is now.”
Swan keenly caught a faint, imperceptible hint in Iguneel’s tone… was she intentionally elevating her opponent to make herself look better?
She asked tentatively, “You wouldn’t be intentionally exaggerating his strength just to make dragging him down with you look less embarrassing, would you?”
“Ahem!”
Iguneel seemed to choke, then immediately retorted, “How could I do that? My eyes are the gold standard! Jellal and this Imperial Sword Saint aren’t even on the same level!”
“The terrifying thing about that man was his understanding and mastery of unconventional knowledge, as well as… a mind that would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.”
“Pure martial power is not the only standard to measure his threat.”
During the brief moment of Swan and Iguneel’s mental exchange, the mutation on Li En’s side had reached the critical point!
“ROAARRRRR—!!!”
A dragon roar, far more violent than before and entirely stripped of any human linguistic characteristics, tore through the sky!
Accompanying this roar, Li En’s body underwent a terrifying upheaval!
His head, which had only been slightly transformed, suddenly swelled and deformed.
His cheekbones protruded, his muzzle elongated, and fangs burst from his mouth. His eyes completely turned into golden slit pupils burning with madness and chaos!
Atop his head, two menacing, pitch-black dragon horns pierced through his skin!
His entire body was completely covered in thick dragon scales, and a dragon tail tipped with bone spurs whipped out with a crack!
If the previous Dragonification had retained about seven parts of his human appearance, then at this moment, the human traits Li En retained were less than three parts!
He looked more like a twisted monster caught between a dragon and a man!
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