The huge dragon named Lila made a blitz movement, her colossal body blurring through the air like lightning.

One moment she was across the battlefield, the next she materialized in front of me.

I barely had a second, maybe less, to react. Instinct, pain, and survival slammed together inside me, and my arm shot up just in time to grab hold of her horn.

Even then, I wasn't sure how I managed it.

She slammed into me like a mountain, and the moment her massive body pressed against mine, the ground beneath us shattered.

The earth screamed, cracking outward in a spiderweb of destruction as if trying to escape the pressure Lila was exerting.

I could feel the weight of the dragon compressing my bones.

I heard the first crack from my ribs.

Then another.

Then several all at once.

The pain hit me like a wave, sharp, electric, blinding. I gritted my teeth hard enough I thought they might break too.

The world blurred, but I still held on. Bella, seeing me about to be crushed beyond recognition, dashed forward without hesitation.

Her eyes wide and glowing with panic, she threw herself at Lila's side, using all her strength to take even a fraction of the pressure off me.

It worked, barely.

I sucked in a ragged breath, my vision swimming. Blood trickled from the corner of my lips, but I still managed to turn my head toward Tiamat.

Somehow, through all that agony, I found space in myself to grin. It was a smile full of blood, reckless and mocking, because that was just how I was built.

With a strained, almost wheezing voice, I taunted, "That eye looks bad… you should check a doctor."

Tiamat's expression darkened instantly. Her eyes ignited, literally, with fire.

She glared at me like I was the greatest insult the world had ever birthed. Then she turned sharply to Lila and barked, "Use overload."

That command hit the battlefield like a thunderclap.

The moment the words left her mouth, Lila's massive body pulsed.

Power throbbed through her form, her scales glowing faintly as if veins of molten energy ran beneath them.

Her chest lit up, swelling with that deadly light dragons only had when preparing to unleash pure fire breath.

My instincts screamed at me, louder than pain.

But before the incoming blaze could roast me alive, Bella acted again, fast, frantic, desperate.

She grabbed me and yanked me out of the attack's path, her boots skidding against the crumbling ground. The two of us barely escaped as a torrent of fire erupted behind us.

We turned to look.

Where we had been standing, there was no ground anymore, just a molten, glowing pool of liquified earth. It bubbled and hissed like a newly opened wound in the world.

Seeing that even a second hesitation meant certain death, my mind spun. We were cornered. Outmatched. Out of options.

And then I had an idea.

The kind of idea I specialized in.

Reaching into the system, I took out the dragon fang, the fang, and hurled it straight at the dragon.

Tiamat's eyes widened instantly. Pure shock distorted her face. "No!" she shouted, stepping forward as if she could cross the distance in time.

She wanted to grab it, intercept it, stop whatever was about to happen, but she was too late.

The fang made contact.

The moment the horn touched Lila's dragon body, everything changed. The crazed expression left the dragon's eyes.

Her massive form trembled, blurred, and then collapsed inward in a swirl of magic and light.

When the glow faded, standing there wasn't a beast, but a young and beautiful dragon-horned woman who looked to be in her early twenties.

The system chimed with a bright, cheerful ding.

Congratulations. Package delivery.

+1 rare evolution chance.

My jaw dropped. Then I smiled, no, I beamed. I looked like a hobo who had just found a suitcase full of cash.

A million-dollar grin cracked across my face as I immediately activated the evolution without a second thought.

The moment I pressed activation, everything went dark.

My consciousness was thrown into my inner world, a silent void with nothing but a black screen stretching forever in every direction.

Time became meaningless, I couldn't tell if seconds or hours were passing. My heartbeat echoed far away, like it belonged to someone else.

Then, suddenly, a brilliant white flash tore through the horizon.

The world snapped back.

I opened my eyes, and I was in my body again… except my body wasn't the same.

I stood taller, 2.1 meters of dense, athletic muscle that looked sculpted from Titanium. Unbreakable. My eyes now glowed neon yellow, surrounded by stark black circles that made them look predatory, otherworldly. And my presence…

My presence was suffocating.

Everyone on the battlefield felt it. Their hearts tightened just from looking at me. I radiated strength so intense it pressed on their lungs.

Even the earlier dragon's overwhelming aura seemed weaker in comparison.

Tiamat's heart dropped seeing me

She stepped back, panic cracking through her confident façade. "Wait! We can talk this out, "

She didn't finish.

All she saw was a shadow flicker. Then I was in front of her, my fist driving deep into her stomach. The air exploded around us from the impact.

Tiamat's eyes bulged, a spray of blood bursting from her mouth as her body launched skyward like a broken projectile.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Everyone stared at me, this new version of me, holding their breath. The tension hung for a moment, thick as storm clouds.

Then I broke the silence with a grin and a booming laugh.

"Hahaha, don't worry, guys! It's just a new skin. I'm still the same me!"

Relief washed over everyone. Shoulders slumped, breaths released, we finally made it.

I stepped toward the unconscious Lila, who now in her human form, and gently lifted her in a princess carry.

Her breathing was soft, peaceful, so unlike the feral beast she'd been moments earlier.

Aria walked up, her eyes flicking from Lila to me. "What are we gonna do with her?" she asked.

I glanced down at the girl in my arms. "I think she was controlled by Tiamat," I said. "And the fang broke that control."

Before we could say another word, a loud, theatrical laugh echoed across the field.

"Hahaha! I didn't want to use this card too early," Tiamat shouted from behind us, her voice dripping with drama. "But you left me no choice, Ragnar. Now behold my secret weapon!"

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