Chapter 209 - 204: The Black Dragon Awakens
The old mining city had gone silent.
Too silent.
John stood at the edge of the ruined street, staring toward the mountain where the black gate was buried.
The others were nearby.
Elias had been reunited with his daughter after they returned to Bellmere, but John had decided not to bring Elena any farther. She was safe now, and there was no reason to drag a twelve-year-old into whatever waited beneath the old temple.
They had spent the afternoon gathering information.
The original archive was somewhere beneath the temple.
That was their next destination.
But first, they needed to cross the northern side of the abandoned city.
It should have been easy.
It wasn’t.
John suddenly stopped walking.
"Everyone."
The others froze.
Lythriel looked at him.
"What is it?"
John didn’t answer.
He was listening.
Something was moving underground.
Slowly.
Heavy enough that every step caused a faint vibration through the ground.
Darius’s face tightened.
"You feel it too?"
John nodded.
Then came the sound.
**BOOM.**
The ground ahead of them exploded.
Stone and dirt shot into the air.
Everyone jumped back.
A massive creature emerged from the crater.
It was enormous.
Its body resembled a combination of a heavily armored reptile and some ancient subterranean beast. Thick black plates covered its back, while glowing crimson lines ran between the gaps in its armor.
Its head alone was nearly the size of a carriage.
Two enormous horns curved backward.
And its eyes...
They were intelligent.
John immediately sensed its power.
His expression became serious.
"That’s not a normal monster."
Darius stared at it.
𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
"No."
The creature roared.
The sound shook the entire city.
Several ruined buildings collapsed from the pressure.
Aerion’s face went pale.
"How strong?"
Darius couldn’t answer.
John could.
"Tier Ten."
Everyone looked at him.
John narrowed his eyes.
"High Tier Ten."
The creature opened its mouth.
A sphere of crimson energy began forming inside.
John’s instincts screamed.
"Get down!"
The creature fired.
A beam of concentrated energy tore through the ruins.
John grabbed Lythriel and moved.
The attack passed over them and obliterated several buildings behind them.
Dust filled the street.
John released Lythriel.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"What the hell was that?"
John looked toward the monster.
"A warning."
"What?"
"It was testing us."
The monster slowly emerged from the crater.
Then it roared again.
John smiled.
"Looks like it found what it wanted."
---
The creature charged.
John stepped forward.
Lythriel immediately shouted.
"John!"
"Stay back!"
He didn’t wait for an argument.
John’s body erupted with black flames.
Mana surged through him.
His humanoid form began changing.
Scales spread across his skin.
His bones shifted.
His body expanded.
Two enormous black wings burst from his back.
His hands became claws.
His jaw lengthened.
A powerful tail emerged behind him.
The transformation lasted only seconds.
Then something massive landed in the middle of the ruined street.
**BOOM!**
The Ancient Black Dragon raised his head.
His wings unfolded.
The shadow covered the surrounding ruins.
Everyone stared.
Even the monster stopped.
John had used his dragon form before.
But not like this.
Not in front of an opponent this powerful.
His black scales reflected the faint sunlight.
Blue-white energy flickered between his horns.
He flexed his claws.
The world seemed smaller from this body.
John looked down at himself.
Then the familiar translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
---
**[STATUS PANEL]**
**Name:** John
**Race:** Ancient Black Dragon
**Level:** 14
**Evolution:** Ancient Black Dragon
**Dragon Bloodline:** Awakened
**Dragon Core:** Stable
**Humanoid Form:** Available
**Dragon Form:** Active
**Mana:** 100%
**Vitality:** 100%
**Strength:** Extremely High
**Defense:** Extremely High
**Speed:** Extremely High
**Magic Power:** Extremely High
**Dragon Abilities:**
* Dragon Breath
* Black Flame
* Dragon Fear
* Mana Manipulation
* High-Speed Regeneration
* Flight
* Draconic Aura
* Elemental Resistance
* Physical Resistance
**Legacy Synchronization:** 8%
**Legacy Vessel Effects:**
* Increased Mana Recovery
* Spiritual Corruption Resistance
* Accelerated Legacy Technique Learning
**Current Threat Assessment:**
**Unknown Monster — Tier 10**
**Estimated Strength: High Tier 10**
**Potential Evolution: Tier 11**
---
John stared at the final line.
"Potential evolution."
The monster roared.
John’s eyes narrowed.
"So that’s why you’re this strong."
The status panel updated.
**[Warning.]**
**Target possesses abnormal energy accumulation.**
**Target is approaching Tier 11 breakthrough.**
John grinned.
"Almost Tier Eleven, huh?"
The monster charged.
John disappeared.
---
The collision was enormous.
John’s claws slammed against the creature’s armored head.
The impact sent both of them sliding across the ruined street.
John dug his claws into the stone.
The monster continued pushing.
Its strength was ridiculous.
John’s wings spread.
He suddenly pushed upward.
The monster lost its balance.
John twisted in midair and slammed his tail into its side.
**BOOM!**
The creature crashed through a building.
John flew after it.
The monster emerged from the rubble and fired another crimson beam.
John crossed his claws.
Black scales hardened.
The beam struck him directly.
For several seconds, the entire street disappeared beneath the explosion.
Lythriel shielded her face from the heat.
"John!"
Darius stared at the smoke.
"Wait."
The smoke began clearing.
A silhouette stood inside.
John’s wings slowly opened.
He wasn’t seriously injured.
Some scales were cracked.
Blood ran from one shoulder.
But the wounds were already closing.
John looked at the monster.
"That actually hurt."
The creature growled.
John smiled.
"Good."
His aura exploded.
The monster hesitated.
John’s dragon fear spread through the battlefield.
The surrounding monsters and wildlife fled.
But the Tier Ten creature resisted.
John’s expression became more serious.
"You’re stronger than I expected."
The creature charged again.
This time John met it head-on.
---
Their battle moved through the ruins.
John’s claws tore through stone.
The creature’s horns ripped through buildings.
Neither gave ground.
John bit down on its shoulder.
The monster roared and slammed its body into him.
John released it.
The creature swung its tail.
John blocked with one wing.
The impact forced him sideways.
He recovered in the air.
Then his eyes narrowed.
He could feel the monster’s energy changing.
The creature’s crimson markings were becoming brighter.
Darius noticed it too.
"John!"
"I know!"
The monster’s body began expanding.
Cracks appeared across its armor.
Energy poured from its core.
John stared.
"It’s trying to break through."
"Into Tier Eleven?"
"Yes."
Darius looked alarmed.
"If it succeeds—"
"It’ll become much stronger."
John’s expression hardened.
"Then I won’t let it."
He inhaled.
Mana gathered inside his chest.
The monster did the same.
Crimson energy formed inside its mouth.
John’s black flames began gathering around his jaws.
The two creatures stared at one another.
Then they fired.
---
Two beams collided.
Black and crimson energy pushed against each other.
The ground beneath them cracked.
The mountain shook.
The old temple trembled in the distance.
John’s claws dug into the earth.
The monster pushed harder.
For the first time, John felt himself being forced backward.
"You’re really close."
The monster roared.
John’s eyes glowed.
"Then I’ll show you the difference between Tier Ten..."
His mana surged.
"...and someone who has already reached the next stage of his path."
His Dragon Core released its stored power.
The black beam expanded.
The crimson beam began losing ground.
The monster’s eyes widened.
John pushed forward.
The attack struck the creature directly.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The explosion swallowed the entire street.
---
Silence.
Then rubble moved.
John stepped through the smoke.
His breathing was heavier.
His scales were damaged.
But he remained standing.
Across from him, the monster struggled to rise.
Its armor was cracked.
Blood covered its body.
Yet its core was still glowing.
John looked at the status panel.
**[Target Status]**
**Tier: 10**
**Condition: Severely Injured**
**Evolution Progress: 97%**
John stared.
"Still?"
The monster suddenly screamed.
Its energy erupted.
The cracks in its armor glowed crimson.
John’s expression changed.
"No."
The creature’s aura exploded outward.
**[Warning.]**
**Target evolution imminent.**
**Tier 11 breakthrough: 99%**
John looked at the monster.
"You’re kidding."
The creature’s body began changing.
Its horns grew.
Its claws lengthened.
Its energy became denser.
The pressure alone forced the others backward.
Lythriel struggled to remain standing.
"John!"
John looked back.
"Get everyone away!"
"What about you?"
"I’m staying."
"You can’t fight that!"
John turned toward the transforming creature.
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Actually..."
His wings opened.
"...I think I can."
He launched himself into the air.
The creature completed its transformation.
The entire city shook.
For a brief moment, John couldn’t see anything except crimson light.
Then the light faded.
The monster stood.
Its body was larger.
Its armor had changed.
Its aura was fundamentally different.
John’s status panel appeared again.
**[ERROR]**
**Target classification updating...**
**Tier: 10 → ???**
John’s expression became serious.
"Interesting."
The creature roared.
John smiled.
"Let’s see if you actually made it."
He spread his wings.
Black flames erupted across his body.
The battle had entered its second phase.
And beneath the ruined city, far below them, something else had begun to wake.
The ancient black gate trembled.
Once.
Twice.
Then a single golden eye opened behind it.
---
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