"Sigh, how many is this now?" Aiden asked, looking at the group of awakened standing in front of them.

"This makes the sixth group in over twenty minutes," Kira replied.

"Sigh, it seems everyone has seen the difficulty of the maze and now they want to get out," Aren said while walking forward.

The group consisted of five fellows, four dudes and one lady who had on a large hoodie that covered both her hands and made sure her face wasn't seen. She stood slightly at the back, like she didn't feel part of the group.

Aren walked toward the group. He stopped and looked at them.

"All right, I'd advise you guys to move away. Let things not get messy," he said. "I don't plan on showing any mercy if you attack."

But the four men stood there, resolute, their eyes showing they weren't willing to back down.

Aren clicked his tongue. "Tsk… so be it then. Come at me."

One of the men stepped forward, walking confidently, as if he intended to face Aren alone. The scene shocked Aren. Were they really underestimating him that much?

The next moment, however, made him understand why the man had come out alone.

Suddenly, the man transformed into a large dragon-like beast right before them.

The scene shocked everyone.

The creature stood the size of a small house, wings spread wide, its skin a deep crimson red, eyes blazing with ferocity.

"You've got to be kidding me," Aren muttered. "We have dragons already."

The dragon locked onto Aren first and unleashed a breath of flames, extremely powerful flames, toward him.

Aren leaped back as the flames slammed into the ground, scorching the earth, burning even sand and dirt to ash. He managed to escape before the flames reached him.

Then, from behind the wall of fire, the other three charged forward at full speed, trying to pin him down.

Two wielded swords, while the third came in barehanded.

The first sword user reached Aren and slashed, his blade glowing red. Aren kicked off the ground, pulling back even farther. The sword struck the ground.

Boom!

The earth exploded, debris flying in every direction, dust rising into the air.

From within the dust cloud, the second sword user appeared. Instead of closing in, his sword crackled with lightning as he swung. A massive arc of lightning shot forward, forcing Aren to dodge to the side.

Aren narrowed his eyes.

'It seems I need to stop underestimating people myself,' he thought, settling into his stance.

But then the third one, the unarmed fighter, had already moved. While Aren wasn't watching, he climbed onto the dragon's head. He spread his hands and pressed both palms down onto it.

Energy lines burst out from his hands, running down the dragon's body like digital circuits, spreading rapidly until they covered it entirely.

A metallic sheen formed over the dragon's scales, doubling its size and encasing it in thick, black plated armor etched with glowing digital lines. Its eyes shifted to a dark purple, matching the circuitry. Long spikes extended down its back, its wings becoming sharper and more menacing.

Everything about the dragon now screamed overwhelming power.

Aren stared at it.

More and more unique abilities were revealing themselves the longer they stayed within the domain. This was his first real look at just how unique things could get.

"So… what the hell is that?" Aiden asked.

"All of you stand back. I'll handle this," Aren said.

"Are you sure?" Kira asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Come on, this is nothing," Aren replied.

He wasn't saying it out of concern for them. He was eager. After his fight with Riker, he'd realized how much he loved the thrill of battle. Every clash now called to him.

The dragon attacked again.

This time, it wasn't ordinary fire. A compressed purple beam of flames, almost plasma, shot straight at Aren.

Aren moved instantly, the beam slamming into the ground behind him.

Boom.

There was a moment of silence before the explosion.

A massive crater formed, debris flying faster than bullets, dust erupting skyward. The center of the crater still glowed from the intense heat.

Before the dragon could react, Aren launched forward, moving faster than their eyes could track.

He slipped between the two sword users, but they reacted quickly.

The lightning user twisted his body, electricity surging as he slashed downward. Aren blocked with his wolf guard, then drove a punch into the man's gut, lifting him off the ground. Aren followed up with a kick, sending him spinning into a massive rock with a heavy crash.

The second swordsman attacked from behind, blade glowing red as he slashed down. Aren blocked again.

Boom!

An explosion erupted from the sword. Aren was pushed back a few feet, his arm going slightly numb from the impact, but no real damage was done.

The swordsman launched again, not wanting to give Aren any time to rest.

But Aren was already prepared. As the next slash came, he dodged cleanly. The sword cut into the ground and another explosion followed, but Aren moved fast enough to evade the blast, slipping behind the man.

The swordsman reacted instantly, spinning around and slashing upward. Aren tilted backward, dodging by barely an inch, then lunged forward. He grabbed the man by the neck, lifted him up, and slammed him into the ground.

The impact resounded through the area.

The dragon was about to attack again, but it realized its teammate was right beneath Aren. The man understood it as well. If the dragon attacked now, it would hit him too.

So he moved fast.

He gripped his sword and flipped it into a reverse grip, then thrust forward as hard as he could.

Aren saw it and reacted instantly, bringing up his wolf guard. The tip of the blade slammed into it.

Boom!

Another explosion erupted, pushing Aren back. His feet skidded across the ground as he was forced away, but the distance gained was enough.

The swordsman rolled to his feet and ran.

Immediately after, the dragon unleashed another attack. A whirling sound filled the air as compressed purple flames, like plasma, came crashing down toward Aren.

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