Clang! Clang!

The clash of steel echoed throughout the once serene but deadly forest. Two formidable adversaries engaged in an epic duel to the death.

"Do you believe you can defeat ME?!"

Exclaimed one of the combatants, with long pink hair and grayish skin. He skillfully utilized his unique portals, evading nearly all assaults and bewildering his adversary. His lengthy, ebony trident repeatedly found its mark on the opponent's body.

"Grrr" growled on the opposite side as an enemy, literally on fire, wielding two colossal great weapons – a Dragon with majestic wings and black scales pulsating with crimson energy.

'Damn! What's happening? I'm getting all my moves wrong,'

Aron inwardly cursed. At first, he gained the upper hand after incinerating the demon wings; he had successfully overwhelmed Xenodrake, shattering all of his purple and gold armor.

However, the demon regained composure, altering his fighting style drastically. No longer recklessly charging at Aron, he began fighting with precision and cunning, leveraging his portals to traverse the battlefield.

It was at this point that Aron discerned his weaknesses.

WOSHH!

Aron swung his weapon, targeting the head after blocking one of Xenodrake's peculiar attacks, but…

Thud!

Aron miscalculated the distance.

"Ugh, not again."

This happened repeatedly the moment Xenodrake calmed down a little; Aron's attacks and movement were all wrong, primarily the reach of his swings.

Aron comprehended the reason but struggled to adapt to the demon's trident appearing out of the small portals stabbing him from the back or the sides.

The cause was Aron's recent transformation. His physique grew larger, towering over 2 meters, with more potent muscles, not to mention the new edition behind his back—the gigantic wings disrupted Aron's center of gravity.

YES, the Draconic transformation endowed him with tremendous power. In terms of raw strength, Aron surpassed Xenodrake. However, sheer power mattered little when it couldn't be wielded effectively. Another critical point to note was that the Draconic transformation resulted from forcefully breaking the final seal in Aron's soul.

Under normal circumstances, this transformation shouldn't have occurred, as thousands of seals needed breaking before reaching those surrounding the soul. Yet, Aron's rage and hatred towards the demon for injuring Raum were so intense and dark that they resonated with his inner beast—his Alter ego—forcing cracks in the seal, causing it to leak mana.

However, Aron's body wasn't prepared to handle the sudden surge of chaotic energy unleashed by the broken seal. With each Attack, Aron suffered a backlash, internally damaging him. Yet, the dark-red flames surrounding him continually healed the damage with the hexagon-shaped red gem in his chest responsible for channeling mana to the flames.

Aron was going through a rapid cycle of destruction and regeneration.

"Not good. My body might literally disintegrate if this persists…" Dodging another swift thrust, "...I need to do something and fast," realizing the gravity of his situation.

Aron rocked his head, attempting to devise a solution. However, nothing came to his mind except two things.

The first one was learning how to control this power and swiftly adapt to the new changes; maybe then, he would stand a better chance against the demon. The problem was that Xenodrake was dominating him with his weird and challenging-to-counter fighting style.

If not for his Dragon eyes detecting the subtle ripples in the air a split second before the appearance of the purple portals, Aron might have perished at the onset of the battle.

Clink!

'Ugh! Not a good idea, this demon won't give me enough time to adapt to my new changes.'

The other solution was a reckless and suicidal one. However, considering the inevitable outcome of the fight if Aron didn't make a comeback, this seemingly crazy idea appeared as the only viable option. Aron gritted his teeth, weighing the risks and rewards of the plan forming in his mind.

'If I don't act, everyone will die… Ugh! I have no other choice. System, listen carefully.'

Meanwhile, Xenodrake grew increasingly frustrated by the minute the shock of losing his wings caused him to suffer in the first minutes of the fight; he even lost his armor, which shocked him even more.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The armor was crafted from the toughest metals found in hell. Technically, it should have been impossible to even scratch it.

Hell metals, like any objects forged in hell, emitted negative energy when brought to the land of the living, making the object more resilient and corrupting any being who's not a demon or not accustomed to negative energy.

Hell metals excelled in this effect, with only light magic—specifically Holy Light—capable of damaging them.

Xenodrake couldn't fathom how or accept that this Drokari managed to breach armor made from hell metals. Yet, his true frustration stemmed from another source.

For over 20 minutes, Aron consistently blocked and dodged his cunning attacks. Although Xenodrake landed a few hits, he couldn't deliver a fatal blow to Aron. The demon quickly grasped that the Drokari couldn't fully harness his powers, further fueling his frustration.

Xenodrake's primary strength lay in crafting rather than combat.

Demons were a diverse race—ranging from large to small, flying to grounded. Some specialized in combat, while others, like Xenodrake, excelled in crafting, particularly flesh crafting as they call it. Nevertheless, even if he wasn't a combat demon, he was still a demon, so the inability to swiftly dispatch the Drokari damaged his pride as a demon.

"AHH! Die already!"

Xenodrake's frustration resonated through the forest as he attacked with renewed vigor. Each strike, infused with demonic energy, sought to exploit any opening in Aron's defense. The forest bore witness to the clash between chaotic forces—the demonic trident and the fiery wrath of the Dragon.

Until a mistake happened…

Throughout the entire skirmish, the demon adhered to predictable patterns, even the portals opened in the exact same locations.

'First, he charges from the front.'

A pattern that didn't go unnoticed by Aron. With each clash of steel, Aron's awareness expanded, his senses heightened, gaining more control over his body and the newfound power. Aron was learning, and rapidly.

Clang!

Blocking the trident thrust with Nightfall's blade, Aron narrowed his eyes.

'After that, he either jumps back or delivers an arc swing with the back of his trident.'

And the demon's choice was the latter.

Clang!

Again, Aron blocked it with precision.

'Now he will open a portal and try to strike from behind or the sides,' Aron analyzed, his Dragon eyes scanning the battlefield. His perception of the portals became sharper, and the once unpredictable maneuvers of Xenodrake were becoming increasingly transparent.

As predicted, Xenodrake jumped back, creating some distance. The flames around Aron made it impossible for him to engage in close combat for too long. He had learned his lesson when he tried to grab Aron's hand, and the dark-red flames instantly latched onto him like a snake, burning his arm.

Then, as Aron expected, a purple portal flickered into existence to his left. Swiftly, he pivoted, bringing Python up to parry the incoming strike. The trident clashed against the sword, creating a burst of sparks that illuminated the intensity of their struggle.

'Now from behind.'

Without hesitation, Aron executed a flawless half-circle, swiftly raising both Python and Nightfall, slicing vertically. The moment the portal materialized, his blade had already sliced the air.

"AHHH!!" Xenodrake howled in agony. He quickly pulled his arm out of the portal next to him, only to find his arm missing.

"BASTRADER!"

The portal ability had a small flaw, barely noticeable.

Attacking through the portals was a tricky process. When he attempted to strike Aron with his trident, Xenodrake needed to first open a portal close to him and attack through it. Only then could he open a second portal from the inside to let his attack pass through.

If he skipped the first step and just opened two portals at the same time, the two portals wouldn't be connected, acting as separate gateways to the other dimension.

Thanks to the system's analysis, Aron exploited this minor flaw.

"UGHH! You will pay for this."

Xenodrake, grappling with pain and frustration, struggled to defend himself. The missing arm left him severely handicapped, and once again, the tide turned in Aron's favor.

The fiery humanoid Dragon pressed his advantage, each strike resonating with explosive power. Aron relentlessly pressed on, forcing Xenodrake into a defensive stance. The forest echoed with the sounds of clashing steel, but this time, the rhythm seemed to favor the Dragon.

Clang! Clang!

Abandoning defense, Aron went all-out, exposing the demon's vulnerability. The missing arm made Xenodrake's attacks more predictable and easier to dodge.

"!!!" Spotting an opening, Aron instantly released Nightfall, grabbing the demon's wrist and twisting it to the side, disarming him. Xenodrake tried to step back to free himself, but Aron didn't allow it.

"AHHHHH!"

He stabbed the demon's thigh with Python so forcefully that the blade passed through, impaling the ground.

"This is payback."

Aron raised his right hand, infusing it with every last bit of mana, causing his red claws to grow longer and thicker. Using them, he pierced the demon's chest, extracting a fist-sized purple crystal—the demon's core.

The forest fell silent as the life in Xenodrake's eyes faded. The once mighty and insane demon was no more. Or was he?

Aron gazed at the mesmerizing purple core in victory, momentarily lowering his guard.

THUD!

"Fool!"

"!!!" Aron's triumphant moment turned into disbelief as he felt the sudden impact of the demon's tail piercing through his scales and into his heart.

'Cough!...how? I got his core' Aron wondered how the demon remained alive; extracting his core should have killed him, yet he was still alive.

[Emergency: Critical damage detected] The system's voice echoed in his mind.

Cough!

Blood dripped from his mouth as Xenodrake attempted to pull his tail with Aron's heart. Realizing the danger, Aron activated one of his skills.

[Pride: activated]

"You damn little Drokari! I'll have you–" The demon swallowed his words when he saw a bright red glow rising from Aron's chest to throat.

"I-Impossible…" Eyes widened in disbelief, "...A Drokari can't breathe fire; that ability solely belongs to…"

"!!!" A realization struck him, and at that moment, the true meaning of despair manifested before his eyes.

"A DRAGON!"

Cracking a smirk, Aron spoke, "That's right, Bitch," the intense red glow reached his throat. "Now BURN!"

ROAAAR!!!

Aron roared, releasing a torrent of flames from his gaping maw. The intense heat seared through the air, forming a relentless stream of destruction that engulfed Xenodrake. The demon's desperate screams echoed through the forest, blending with the crackling of flames and the ferocious roar of the dragon.

[You have killed: A Demon]

[500XP]