A monstrous, chaotic draconic pressure, mixed with a physical aura of violent tyranny, swept outward with Li En at the center!
The low-level vampires and human soldiers who were closest bore the brunt of it.
Their bodies retreated involuntarily as their will to fight dissolved, replaced by a primal terror.
It was the trembling of prey facing a top-tier predator.
Several soldiers with weaker wills even dropped their weapons and slumped to the ground, their gazes vacant.
The fist-to-fist brawl between Bart and Luke came to a sudden halt due to this abrupt upheaval.
The aftershocks of energy had not yet dissipated, but the attention of both men was completely captured.
Bart looked toward Li En with doubt and uncertainty, a trace of solemnity flashing in his crimson pupils.
As the Fourth Pillar of the Blood Race, he had seen countless strange and powerful beings, but the aura emanating from this twisted Dragonoid…
This aura contained elements that made even him feel an instinctive threat.
Meanwhile, Luke could see Li En’s transformation even more clearly through the visual enhancement system on his faceplate.
His eyes widened as the internal sensors projected various vital signs and data onto the edge of his field of vision—his heart rate accelerated, his adrenaline surged, and the combat system’s assessment of the threat level was being continuously adjusted upward.
“What the hell is this?” Luke’s voice was filled with obvious shock.
‘Li En… how did he turn into this… complete monster? Could it be related to that strange ability he used before? Is this the price?’
He could feel the danger-sensing module built into his armor emitting a continuous beep.
At this moment, the threat assessment index Li En presented had already surpassed Bart, whom he had been fighting, and it was still slowly climbing!
The monsterized Li En slowly turned his ferocious dragon head, which was covered in dark scales.
His vertical pupils first swept across the battlefield before finally locking onto the silver, shining figure that had stripped him of his dignity and earned his undying hatred—Luke.
“Crap, why am I the target again?” Luke felt a bit depressed and even a little wronged. ‘Am I really that easy to pick on?’
There were three genuine Blood Pillars on the scene, as well as the Sword Saint, so why was this monster’s aggro so stable?
‘If… Senior Ize were here… he would definitely help me share the aggro.’ At this moment, he missed Ize again.
Bart noticed Luke’s momentary stiffness and actually let out a low, muffled laugh that carried a hint of schadenfreude. “I told you, kid, you attract a lot of hate.”
Luke snapped back to reality immediately. His competitive nature wouldn’t allow him to admit defeat verbally. “
So what? That guy was always a hypocritical, self-serving bastard! Now he’s just completely exposed the filth inside! He’s turned into a monster; do you think I’m afraid of him?”
The powerful energy brought by the [Kamen Rider Transformation Device] was still surging through his limbs, making Luke feel a bit overconfident.
After all, he had just beaten the arrogant Fourth Seat of the Blood Pillars until he didn’t know which way was up.
To him, Bart no longer posed a fatal threat.
Adding a monsterized Li En… a two-on-one fight was dangerous, but with this miraculous armor, he might be able to handle it.
Perhaps the monsterized Li En’s defense was even lower than the thick-skinned Bart.
If that were the case, he could take the opportunity to ruthlessly slap this disgusting guy.
Since the man had turned into a monster, he could fight him to the death without any reservations.
The monsterized Li En seemed to understand the undisguised disdain and provocation in Luke’s words.
“Roar—!”
A deafening roar replaced rational speech! In the next second, his figure suddenly blurred! The ground beneath his feet shattered, spider-web-like cracks spreading several meters, while his figure appeared less than three meters in front of Luke!
The thick dragon tail, covered in heavy bone spurs and scales, whipped fiercely toward Luke’s waist! The speed was far beyond any attack Bart had launched previously!
Luke truly hadn’t expected Li En’s speed to skyrocket to such an extent after his monsterization.
At the critical moment, his combat instincts and the armor’s auxiliary system kicked in simultaneously. He crossed his arms and slammed them down at his side.
Clang—!
An explosion of metal on metal rang out, far louder than any previous collision! Luke felt an unimaginable force transfer from his arms.
His silver figure was like a stone thrown by a catapult, flying backward uncontrollably.
He eventually smashed a human-shaped crater into a pile of rubble dozens of meters away, sending dust billatting into the air.
Before Luke could recover from the heavy blow, the monsterized Li En’s next attack arrived!
He gave his opponent no chance to breathe. His ferocious dragon maw opened wide, and a dark red light rapidly gathered and compressed deep in his throat.
The mana elements in the surrounding air were violently sucked in, even forming a visible twisted vortex!
Immediately following that, a destructive torrent of energy erupted from his mouth, roaring toward the spot where Luke had not yet stood up!
Boom—!
An earth-shaking explosion rocked the entire Betty Battlefield once more. It was more violent than any previous magical exchange!
A pillar of black and red energy flames shot into the sky, swallowing the area. The shockwave, carrying crushed stones and scorching air currents, spread in all directions.
Several low-level vampires and human soldiers who were slightly too close screamed as they were blown away.
‘Luke!’
At this moment, everyone looked toward Luke’s direction with hearts full of worry. The dust and energy remnants slowly dissipated. That area had been blasted into a charred crater ten meters in diameter.
At the edge of the crater, a silver-gray figure was kneeling on one knee, one hand supporting himself as he slowly stood up.
There were many minor scratches and burn marks on the surface of the armor, especially on the front of the breastplate and gauntlets.
The glow of the energy patterns was slightly dim, but the overall structure was still intact.
The blue light in the eye-slots of the faceplate stabilized and lit up again, scanning the marks on his body as if performing a self-check.
“Cough… Li En,” Luke’s synthesized metallic voice rang out again, still trying to maintain that stubborn tone. “You really are… a guy who gets angry easily.”
He rolled his arms and neck, the armor joints making a light clink-clank sound. ‘You wouldn’t think… that by turning into this ghostly appearance, you could easily handle the current me, would you?’
Seeing that Luke could still stand and talk, the taut strings in everyone’s hearts loosened slightly, but their worry did not decrease at all.
Anyone could see that taking that blow just now was by no means easy for Luke. Only Luke himself knew his current state.
That tail swipe, combined with the subsequent breath explosion, had left him feeling numb all over and his blood churning, even though the armor had filtered out most of the damage.
‘As expected, I can’t underestimate him…’ Luke was secretly alarmed. ‘This monster’s attacks are much more troublesome than Bart’s brute force.’
Once again, he felt incredibly lucky and even a bit fearful—thankfully, Senior Ize had given him this life-saving armor! A magic tool produced by Senior was truly hardcore!
“Roar—!”
Seeing that Luke could still stand and was still provoking him, the monsterized Li En’s rage flared even hotter!
His thick dragon tail beat the ground frantically, each strike making the city wall tremble and sending stones flying.
“This red-haired kid…” In the distance, Bart, who had retreated to a relatively safe position, twitched the corner of his mouth. Looking at Luke’s “dead duck with a hard beak” attitude, he felt somewhat speechless.
This type of person was the kind he hated most, whether it was when he was human or now as a Blood Pillar. Once they got some power, they started showing off…
Luke suddenly turned his head and locked onto Bart, who was watching the battle. “Hey! You’re over there grumbling; are you thinking of taking a chance to sneak attack?”
Bart was startled by this sudden accusation and then felt a surge of annoyance. He spat fiercely on the ground.
“Bullshit! I wouldn’t deign to do something so lowly! If I’m going to fight, I’ll fight head-on. Taking advantage of someone in trouble? I can’t afford to lose that kind of face!”
As he spoke, as if to prove himself or perhaps feeling that staying there would only lead to more frustration from Luke’s stupid words, his body was enveloped in blood qi. His wings vibrated, and he retreated toward the rear of the vampire army.
At this time, No.3 and Chise had also broken away from their respective opponents when Li En monsterized, observing the situation. The three Blood Pillars gathered briefly. No.3’s gaze never left the rampaging Dragonoid figure in the distance.
“The plan has changed. Find an opportunity to capture that kid who has completely turned into a Dragonoid monster first and bring him back.” No.3’s voice was cold. “He definitely has something that That Great Person wants.”
Chise and Bart rarely agreed with No.3’s thoughts, but they did this time.
Meanwhile, on the human side, Laura and Dio took the opportunity to quickly regroup with Sara, Swan, and Emma. Dio’s gaze was fixed on the constantly roaring Li En in the distance, his face filled with disbelief.
“How… how is this possible…” he murmured in a low voice.
In the memories of his past life, this genius from Liyue Academy had always stood on the side of humanity, becoming a key combatant who grew during the war against the Blood Race and monsters.
Especially during the final dark days of the Aolai Empire, he was one of the heroic symbols who held the defensive lines and boosted morale.
A hero from the last life had fallen into a monster in this one… why was the change so drastic? ‘Is it a problem with the power itself?’ This thought flashed through his mind.
Thinking of this, alarm bells rang in his heart. He turned his head sharply toward Swan, his eyes filled with undisguised worry.
Swan was fully concentrated on observing Luke and Li En’s movements when she suddenly felt an exceptionally heavy gaze land on her.
She turned her head in confusion, meeting Dio’s incredibly complex eyes.
“Brother Dio?” Swan felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that…”
Dio’s Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were struggling to organize his words.
He knew that some things could not be said explicitly, but Li En’s transformation through Dragonification was right before his eyes, and it made him worry about Swan, who also possessed the Dragonification power.
After a moment of deliberation, he spoke slowly. “Swan…” He paused. “Listen, I’m just… speaking hypothetically. If one day, I mean just in case, you unexpectedly obtain some kind of… powerful strength that seems like it can change your destiny…”
His gaze pointedly swept over the rampaging Li En in the distance before returning to Swan’s face.
“Don’t be deceived by the powerful facade that strength brings, and certainly don’t use it blindly and at any cost. Because…”
His tone grew heavy, each word striking Swan’s heart like a hammer. “No one can predict what kind of terrible… price is hidden behind the use of that power. That price might be far beyond your imagination, and it might even… completely change the very essence of who you are.”
To Sara and Emma, these words sounded as if Dio was merely moved by Li En’s mutation and was warning a junior, though his tone was a bit heavy. The logic was sound.
However, to Swan, it was nothing less than a thunderclap! ‘Brother Dio… does he know something? Why would he suddenly say such things to me?’ Swan’s heart raced, and her fingertips went slightly cold.
‘Don’t panic, Swan,’ Iguneel’s voice rang out in her consciousness just in time. ‘It is impossible for him to know of my existence. At his level, he cannot reach secrets on the level of Soul Symbiosis. His words are likely just a warning based on that fallen kid’s current situation.’
Swan barely managed to steady her mind, but the sense of weight in Dio’s words remained.
‘However, I think he isn’t wrong,’ Iguneel added. ‘You should also use my power… with discretion. Of course, except when you ask me to fight for you!’
Swan couldn’t help but retort in her mind, ‘Discretion? Isn’t the only side effect that it accelerates feminization? I already know about that and… have accepted it.’ She added to herself, ‘Anyway, there’s no turning back now. And the situation is critical, I…’
‘You want to use your Dragonification power to help him?’ Iguneel interrupted her.
‘Swan, don’t do it. That Li En kid just used his Dragonification power and turned into that hideous look in no time. If you show your Dragonification power in front of everyone, even if the crisis is resolved, how will these humans look at you?’
Swan froze.
Iguneel continued his cold analysis.
‘They will link you to that monster! They will be afraid, they will be suspicious, and they will believe that a seed of monsterization is buried within you as well! At that time, how will you explain? Will you say your source of power is different? That you can control it? Who would believe you? In the face of fear and prejudice, any explanation is pale and powerless. You are very likely to be isolated, monitored, and even… regarded by some extremists as a hidden danger that must be eliminated.’
‘Don’t forget, this is a battlefield. Don’t you humans have the idea that “those who are not of our kin must have different hearts”? Especially concerning anything related to monsters—you humans have always lacked tolerance.’
Swan fell silent. Iguneel’s analysis was actually very logical. A chill spread from the bottom of her heart. Iguneel’s analysis was cold and realistic, pointing directly at the most likely reaction deep within human nature.
She remembered the complex gazes—full of disdain, fear, and hostility—that everyone had directed at Li En just now… If such gazes were directed at her… she didn’t dare think about it further.
“Iguneel, you’ve actually become quite smart?”
Iguneel snorted. ‘I was always very smart. Also, there is one more thing I must remind you of.’ Iguneel’s voice carried a sense of alertness.
‘Since that Blood Pillar named Horn died, it’s almost certain that the theft of my remains is connected to these vampires. Now, they are even using the power of the remains to strengthen themselves. Their goal is very likely just as you initially speculated—it is me.’
Swan’s heart jolted.
Iguneel continued, ‘Look closely. Since that Li En kid showed his Dragonification form, the attention of those three Blood Pillars has clearly shifted. They gave up on continuing the assault and retreated behind their army, but they are not withdrawing. They are observing… observing Li En. That look is definitely not simple hostility or vigilance; it’s more like they are evaluating a… valuable object.’
Swan looked as instructed. Sure enough, while No.3, Chise, and Bart were gathered in low conversation, their gazes were constantly, if subtly, locked onto the rampaging Li En.
‘If my guess is correct,’ Iguneel said, emphasizing every word, ‘this group of vampires definitely wants to take Li En away.’
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