Chapter 22: Unsealed
Seeing the huge snake hissing at him, Han couldn’t explain it any other way—the final boss had taken the stage.
Its presence hammered the dragonified snakes under his control, freezing his gains. It flicked its forked tongue and leaned down, clearly preparing for a quick snap to swallow Han. The closer it leaned, the stronger the pressure became.
Dragon’s Pride squared Han’s shoulders. He stared back.
It’s bearing down with its mana on me and my forces. I’ll retaliate the same way.
Releasing mana presence wasn’t an issue even for acolytes. It was similar to drawing magic circles around oneself. The challenge was casting that presence with intent to overwhelm and exerting it on enemies. At higher stages, people did it casually. This snake likely did the same, aiming to crush him with pressure before killing him within his subconscious.
Han bled a breath through his teeth and focused. Red and black sparks popped around him as he began stirring his mana. Low growls of his dragon bloodlines reverberated within him. He knew he was doing well so far, but these weren’t howls, and the last boss wouldn’t be intimidated.
Doubt gnawed. Han crushed it.
I must find harmony between my bloodlines. Don’t sideline Tenaxis’ Dark Mana.
Even his Black Flames were hot, the complete opposite of Tenaxis’ Dark Mana. Every time Han focused on his mana, his dragon bloodline seized the crown and surged first. Harmony stayed out of reach. Meanwhile, the snake’s pressure became too much for the dragonified snakes to handle. Closest to the last boss, they popped like balloons, their mana splashing out and evaporating.
Fine. If I can’t find harmony, I’ll force it by driving my bloodlines into each other!
A moment later, a crack appeared on the red vein representing Han’s Red Dragon Bloodline. It began oozing cold steam. A few more cracks popped. A bright blue stain spread across the vein, turning it from red to light blue. An immense chill spread from it, freezing nearby dragonified snakes and stopping a few from exploding. The veins coiled around themselves like paired dragons, becoming a single DNA strand within Han.
From the depths of Han’s subconscious, a Black Dragon howl tore through, blowing past him and slamming into the last boss.
Han’s black eyes gleamed. A cold blue fissure opened in his irises. He believed he had finally done what should have been done at his birth: his bloodlines had completely blended into harmony.
Good. I took full control of my veins and unsealed them. My bloodline is awakening. All that’s left is to kill that fucking snake. Let’s do it.
Something thumped in Han’s lungs. For a moment, he mistook it for his heartbeat, but then he realized what was going on. He smiled and looked up. The last boss had already shaken off the fear caused by Han’s pressure and resumed its descent.
Han didn’t wait.
He focused on the feeling brimming within his lungs and drew a deep breath. He clenched his hands and arched his head back. Then he snapped forward and parted his lips, spitting black flames laced with cold blue clouds. His unique flames surged through his dragonified army and devoured it, growing stronger. The three Dark Dragons rode the tsunami of fire and barged into the last boss.
Flames splashed in abundance, completely covering the last boss. Its hisses were drowned out by the explosion. Han’s flames scraped the snake’s scales and gnawed at its flesh with a chilling bite. His three Dark Dragons lunged in too, sinking their fangs deep.
Dragonification began as the first dark patches appeared on the snake’s flesh. Han used his Dark Cauldron Arts to seize the boss’s mana.
As the monster felt its mana leak and its flesh turn foreign, it thrashed to shake off Han’s Dark Dragons, but it didn’t work. Its forked tongue shot out, cutting through a single dragon and killing it.
Too late, though.
Han drove into the snake’s muzzle, snapping its head back with a loud bang. He flapped his wings and caught up to the forked tongue, grabbing it near the base. His nails turned black and elongated as he dug his claws into the tongue.
With all his strength, Han tore away from the snake, intent on ripping the tongue free. His shoulders screamed as a lopsided tug-of-war followed. The snake retracted its tongue and hauled Han toward itself. But as more mana flowed into Han and drained from the snake, the balance tipped in his favor.
Brimming with strength, he kicked off its scales and flew backward, dragging the tongue until it tore free with a loud pop.
"You’re so done, bastard," Han said, his voice rough with excitement.
It cried out and thrashed, then dropped from the ceiling, dead. Han looked over it and let the tongue fall, spent but more victorious than ever. His pulse slowed, yet his eyes remained cold.
His dragon vein was clear of seals; it could develop as it should.
Spent, he closed his eyes and wished to leave.
The Dragon Howl sent him away, and Han, back in his bed, drifted to sleep. A small crack opened on his cheek, revealing an obsidian scale. As he slept, more cracks spread across him, scaling him from head to toe.
His Dragonification advanced to the next level.