Part I — The Awakening of the Roar
And then—
We moved.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Our fists collided.
The battlefield exploded beneath us.
A violent shockwave tore outward, ripping through the volcanic stone and sending countless fragments into the air.
Kragar's crimson energy erupted around his arm.
My aura answered.
Neither of us moved.
For a single heartbeat, our fists remained locked.
Then—
Kragar's eyes narrowed.
His strength increased.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground beneath me collapsed.
My body sank several inches into the stone.
The pressure was immense.
I gritted my teeth.
Kragar became stronger.
His body had changed.
Without the armor restricting him, the flame inside his body no longer fought against an external prison.
It flowed through him.
Compressed.
Contained.
Every movement carried terrifying destructive force.
He twisted his fist.
I immediately shifted my body.
His punch passed beside my face.
The air itself exploded.
I stepped forward.
My knee drove toward his stomach.
Kragar caught it.
His fingers closed around my leg.
"Got you."
His other fist came toward my chest.
I twisted.
The punch grazed my side.
BOOM!!!
My body was launched across the battlefield.
I flew through the air.
A volcanic pillar stood directly behind me.
I turned my body.
My claws touched its surface.
SCRAAAAAPE!!!
The pillar shattered beneath my feet.
I stopped myself.
Dust and fragments surrounded me.
For a moment, I remained still.
Then—
I looked down at my hands.
My fingers trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From power.
Something inside me had changed.
I could feel it.
The energy moving through my body no longer felt distant.
It was closer.
Deeper.
As if something buried within my blood had finally opened its eyes.
I slowly clenched my fist.
The air around it distorted.
Then—
Blue light crawled across my skin.
My white hair began moving despite the absence of wind.
Tiny blue sparks flickered between the strands.
My physique did not become larger.
It became sharper.
Every muscle tightened.
Every movement felt lighter.
More refined.
More precise.
Then my senses expanded.
I heard Kragar's footsteps from hundreds of meters away.
I felt the movement of the energy inside his body.
I could see the smallest shift in his shoulders.
The slightest change in his stance.
Even the heat surrounding the battlefield became clearer.
Everything was sharper.
Closer.
Louder.
And beneath all of it—
Something ancient had opened its eyes.
Something that was within my blood.
The Beast within.
The primal source of the power I carried.
The Tiger within my blood.
The source of the roar.
My breathing slowed.
My aura suddenly surged.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Blue energy exploded from my body.
For an instant, it threatened to consume everything around me.
The power was enormous.
Far beyond what my body had been using before.
My muscles tightened.
My vision blurred.
The roar within my blood became louder.
My body wanted to release everything.
Every fragment of strength.
Every ounce of energy.
Every instinct screaming for destruction.
I opened my eyes.
No hesitation.
No fear.
I forced the power inward.
The wild blue aura began collapsing toward my body.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
The energy compressed around my flesh until it clung to me like a second skin.
The violent pressure disappeared.
But the power remained.
Contained.
Waiting.
I lifted my head.
My eyes had changed.
They were completely blue.
Irises.
Pupils.
Everything.
A pure, cold blue glow filled them.
Kragar stared at me from across the shattered battlefield.
For the first time since his second awakening—
His expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
I lowered my body.
My claws dug into the ground.
Kragar's crimson energy ignited.
He did not wait.
Neither did I.
BOOM!!!
My body vanished.
I appeared directly in front of him.
My fist struck his chest.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Kragar's body was sent flying.
He crossed his arms before crashing into the ground.
The impact carved a massive trench through the volcanic stone.
He stopped himself.
His feet dragged across the earth.
His crimson eyes lifted.
I was already there.
My claws descended.
CLANG!!!
Flame and claws collided.
Kragar twisted his wrist.
I followed.
His fist came toward my face.
I ducked.
It passed over my head.
I drove my elbow into his ribs.
BOOM!!!
His body bent slightly.
But he did not retreat.
Instead—
He smiled.
"Again."
His knee slammed into my stomach.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Pain exploded through my body.
I was thrown backward.
But this time—
I did not fly.
My feet remained planted.
My claws carved four deep lines into the stone.
I stopped.
I looked up.
Kragar was already charging.
Faster.
Heavier.
More violent.
I moved.
Our bodies collided.
BOOM!!!
Fist.
Claw.
Knee.
Elbow.
Flame.
Energy.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield disappeared beneath the storm of our movements.
Every exchange lasted less than a breath.
Kragar's flame exploded whenever I blocked.
I slipped around it.
His punches carried overwhelming force.
I avoided them by fractions.
His knee came toward my ribs.
I twisted.
His fist followed.
I ducked beneath it.
My claws swept toward his chest.
He blocked.
The impact sent sparks and crimson flame across the battlefield.
He was still stronger.
I could feel it.
Every time we collided directly, his raw physical strength pushed against mine like a mountain.
But now—
I could keep up.
I could see him.
I could follow him.
I could answer him.
My body moved before thought could interfere.
Kragar swung.
I stepped inside his range.
My shoulder slammed into his chest.
BOOM!!!
He staggered.
I followed immediately.
Claw.
Elbow.
Knee.
Three strikes in the space of a breath.
Kragar blocked the first.
Took the second.
Caught the third.
His hand closed around my leg.
His grin widened.
I reacted instantly.
My tail snapped toward his head.
WHOOOSH!!!
He released me and tilted backward.
My tail passed over his face.
He twisted.
His fist came toward my jaw.
I raised my arm.
BAM!!!
The impact drove me sideways.
I spun with the force and landed on one hand.
My claws dug into the stone.
I pushed off.
Kragar was already coming again.
So was I.
The distance between us disappeared.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Our fists collided once more.
This time—
Neither of us was thrown back.
We stood there.
Power grinding against power.
Crimson flame against blue energy.
Kragar's body remained a furnace of destructive force.
My transformed body remained light, sharp, and predatory.
I could not overpower him.
Not yet.
So I would not fight him like a beast that simply charged toward a stronger predator.
I would hunt him.
My eyes narrowed.
Kragar grinned.
Then—
We vanished again.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The battlefield erupted once more.