The Box: Fate
Chapter 31 — The Forbidden Fusion: Awakening of the Dragon
The Shrine of Advancement was bathed in a pulsating violet light In the center stood sixteen monolithic stones each representing the soul of a player The voice that had giggled from the shadows faded replaced by an ancient rhythmic humming that vibrated in their very marrow
Kataki stood before his stone his Void Sight blindfold silver with intensity The system... it's changing It's no longer just about using a skill from a card The shrine is showing me a new path We can't just hold the power we have to become it
Zanaki stepped forward his hand trembling as he pulled the Dragon Sovereign card from his chest pocket You mean... we pull the skill out of the card and fuse it permanently into our Soul?
Yes Kataki replied his voice dropping to a whisper But the risk is absolute If your body isn't strong enough the power will consume you
Zanaki didn't hesitate He had seen Aaron Moses die He never wanted to feel that helplessness again He pressed the metallic card against his heart and roared Incorporate!
The shrine exploded in a pillar of crimson and gold fire The other players—Akira Axel Hatanaki Sharky Bee Kyoshiki Murasaki Joel Kuro Julius Hina Monk Fish and Anastasia—all shielded their eyes as the ground cracked beneath Zanaki feet
The fusion was agonizing Zanaki skin began to ripple with hardened obsidian scales His mana pool expanded so violently it shattered the nearby stone benches In his mind he saw a vision of a Great Storm Dragon—a legendary beast from a forgotten lineage of world-killers It wasn't just a beast it was a force of nature
[SKILL EVOLUTION: DRAGON SOVEREIGN — TRUE MANIFESTATION]
[SUMMON UNLOCKED: THE STORM BORN — AZUREUS]
With a final earth-shaking shout Zanaki unleashed the power Behind him the air tore open and a massive dragon covered in scales the color of lightning and midnight materialized Its wings spanned the entire width of the shrine and its eyes held the ancient wisdom of a race that had ruled the skies before the Architect ever arrived
At the same time Monk Fish and Anastasia followed suit
Monk Fish fused his Jade Card into his palms His arms turned into living emerald his Iron Buddha Strike evolving into the **Sovereign Palm of the Heavens He looked like a living statue of war
Anastasia pressed her Crystal Card into her brow Her Spear of Destiny didn't just appear it grew from her very arm a limb of pure celestial light She was no longer a warrior she was a Valkyrie of the Apocalypse
The rest of the players—Akira Axel Hatanaki Sharky Bee Kyoshiki Murasaki Hina Mikochi Joel Kuro and the others—stood in the wake of this terrifying power They didn't have cards yet but their eyes weren't filled with envy They were filled with a burning competitive fire
Look at them... Axel Hatanaki muttered, his golden aura flaring in response to the pressure They've transcended They aren't even human anymore
Akira stepped forward his hand Tightening on his sword hilt Zanaki Kataki... listen to me You three might be the spearheads now, but don't think for a second we're going to stay behind We will hunt every boss clear every dungeon and find our own path to that level We vow to become even more powerful than you The sixteen of us will become sixteen gods
Sharky Bee grinned his green eyes sharp Better keep running Zanaki Because we're coming for those top spots
Zanaki still radiating the heat of the Storm Dragon looked at his friends and smiled—a real sharp-toothed draconic smile I'm counting on it This world is too big for just three of us to carry
Kataki turned his blindfolded head toward the exit of the shrine The fusion is complete Our levels are 35 and we have the power of the ancients It's time to leave Solis
The next Boss isn't waiting for us—he already moving
The sixteen survivors walked out of the shrine the heavy thud of their footsteps shaking the temple They were no longer a group of lost players They were the New Order of the Box