There were cheers and excitement all around the tournament, and amidst all this, the old man in a tuxedo appeared. He looked at Drayken with a raise of his brows:
"Do you want to give up?"
"No." Drayken shook his head, cracked his neck and fists together to make a bone-popping noise:
"I will fight."
His lungs were destroyed, his intestines ruptured, and every fiber of his muscles screamed—screamed at him to give up…
Screamed in agony!
His heart was getting slower, and his vision was blurry.
But…
Drayken slowly took a breather. His lungs started to slowly heal, and his breath became lighter. The rupture in the intestine stopped bleeding, and it was rapidly healing. His muscles gradually stopped hurting, and his posture became relaxed.
His vision returned to him, and his heart started to beat again as if it had gotten fuel.
In the blink of an eye, Drayken seemed to be recovering at an astonishing speed.
The old man rubbed his eyes and looked at Drayken with an incredulous expression.
'Not even a Rank-7 dragon might recover so fast, but this man… no, monster.' He felt a chill in his heart, as if he were witnessing the birth of a monster.
"Can we continue the match…" Drayken smiled heartily. "Old man?"
"Yes." The old man came out of his reverie, called out another participant, and glanced at Drayken.
"The name is Sebastian."
Then Sebastian called:
"Ceciline from the Frost Clan."
Silence!
There was complete silence.
"Where is Ceciline?" Sebastian frowned.
Ten uncomfortable minutes passed before the temperature in the surrounding area started to rapidly decrease.
A cold woman flew down from the sky.
Her face was as white as snow and flawless. She wore a blue crystal crown and had very minimal clothing that barely covered her important parts, showing a perfect figure and a curvy body.
Drayken looked at her with a dazed expression—a flawless beauty, like a creation sculpted by gods themselves.
Her heels landed on the ground, and it froze the earth while the temperature dropped by several margins more.
"Hmm?"
Drayken spat, and his spit froze in mid-air, turning into ice and falling to the ground.
It was only a few seconds, but liquid froze in that brief moment.
'How strong is she?' An alarm rang in his heart, but at the same time, his dragon bloodline wanted more…
more fights to evolve!
Even though the temperature was decreasing, the temperature around Drayken was the opposite. His heartbeat rang so hard it could be heard even miles away, and his body was heating up.
Without even realizing it, both corners of Drayken's mouth were curved, and drool escaped his mouth, making him look rather lecherous. But he didn't have any other thought than evolution: the primal instinct of his.
"Lecherous."
Ceciline spoke, her breath causing the very air in front of her to freeze. She looked at Drayken with disdain.
"The match starts." Sebastian spoke, and his figure disappeared.
Drayken charged forward like a hungry beast out of his cage.
"Fool." Ceciline just chuckled as he reached her and punched hard.
She only extended her finger ever so slightly and completely blocked the punch.
Her finger slightly drawn out by the momentum of his fist, causing her to be surprised.
"No wonder Valen lost to you." She pushed her finger, and Drayken was shoved back several steps.
"It seems that even though you've just stepped into Rank-2 dragon, your strength surpasses most of the Rank-3 Dragons. If I faced you before, it might have even been trouble for me," Ceciline raised her head with a smile on her face.
"But now it is different."
Her surroundings gradually started to freeze. No spells or mana were used, but even her mere presence could cause such a thing.
Rank-4 Dragon!
There might not be much of a difference in the first three ranks of dragons except for the physical attributes, and the difference in the quality of the dragon bloodline was minimal. But after one reaches this rank, everything changes.
The bloodline undergoes a special transformation, and the higher the purity of the bloodline, the more powerful they become. Their abilities could manifest like this, and even the spells they use are enhanced if they have the same attributes.
Roar!
Drayken roared, undeterred, as he charged at her with all his strength!
Ceciline didn't make much movement; she redirected his attack with her palm and lightly pushed his chest.
Ice formed around Drayken's chest as he was launched into the air, almost out of the stadium. His blood flow decreased at a slow pace, and the previous injuries erupted again.
While the bitter cold started to take a toll on his body, he was constantly being weakened.
It seemed like it was the end for Drayken, and his journey could only last so long, but…
"Ha."
The lightning stored in his body erupted, the cold vanished, and left Drayken with a clear rationale.
"This bloodline is too instinctive. Even with my skills, it takes a lot to suppress it," he muttered with a bitter heart.
Then he looked at Ceciline:
"So I heard you have a Rank-4 bloodline. Can I use spells?"
Ceciline paused, with her eyes closed:
"You can."
Bang!
Faint electric marks left their trails as Drayken's punch landed right on her face.
Ceciline dodged at the nick of time but couldn't escape being slightly grazed on her cheek.
An invisible mark formed on her cheek!
She touched her cheek:
"How did you become so fast?"
Her expression turned serious and cold.
"Tsk! Missed, but one of my goals was accomplished."
Ceciline's expression changed slightly; she could feel her vitality being drained rapidly.
This was the power of the SoulMark!
No matter how powerful the opponent is, getting rid of the effect will take a long time, but the time in battle is short and draining.
Ceciline icily voiced:
"I hope you can even last that long."
Drayken shrugged with a hint of nonchalance:
"To be honest, with your beauty, it will be hard."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."