224 The Masterpiece
“–Let’s see if you like this, then!” Emilio shouted.
Tossing the gargantuan fireball forward, it melted the stone in its path before the Masterpiece shot three beams of hyper-condensed flames out, turning it into a laser-like beam that clashed against the empowered fireball.
The collision of both sources of flames caused a surgence of heat throughout the grimy chamber, lacing the air with embers and heat waves that melted the steel bars of the cages.
Controlling the fireball and pushing it forward with his will, he could feel the savage strength of the so-called Masterpiece through its mighty breath; it was as though he was trying to stop a bullet train from moving forward, having to strain himself, pushing his body further as he began to make progress.
“Nrgh…!”
The dragon blood in him boiled, thriving in the contest of strength and fire, causing his heart to pump with excitement, surging through his veins the blood empowering him.
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
As he continued to slowly push forward, the heat became more and more apparent, feeling stratifications of wind that were purely flames grazing his body.
The towering, draconic chimera poured forth a further burst of flames, causing a ripple of heat throughout the room.
Push it…! He urged.
Even against the stream of feral power pushed against him, Emilio’s body pushed itself further—his muscles strained and his bones experienced a lofty pressure, though he proved his own might with another yell and one more push forward.
“Burn—!”
At last, through the clash of flames, he pressed the fireball through the bright heat, casting it against the scale-clad body of his foe with a roaring impact.
Azure fire spread in a flash, stretching through the somber depths of the chamber as it exploded against the body of the foul creation of the Collector.
“…Phew,” he breathed out, sweating.
The aftermath left the black chamber covered in blue flames with a swirling cloud of smoke waving through the area.
Just as he relinquished his Dragonheart state, feeling overwhelmed by the heat it produced in his body, he regretted it as the monstrous figure revealed itself from the smoke and flames.
“…That’s a problem,” he mumbled tiredly.
Stomping out, the Masterpiece was only partially burnt by the powerful flames; its onyx scales reflected off the heat, unscathed and almost seeming to thrive in the fire.
Knowing the fight wasn’t over, he rushed forward in an attempt to finish the chimera off, throwing his fist against its body with full-force, unleashing the inner strength within him into a picture-perfect Dragon Strike.
—No effect.
The beast didn’t budge or flinch, nor did its scales near any damage from the mighty blow.
It was a beast of man-made destruction and horror; an armor of scales that didn’t crack beneath draconic flames or powerful forces, and strength that overwhelmed in every capacity.
This was felt true more than ever as Emilio found the beast dashing straight towards him with the swiftness of a tiger, using its claws to slash across his chest in an instant.
“Nrgh-!”
Blood sprayed from the three claw marks etched onto his chest before he was knocked back, but not before being caught by the serpent tail, being bitten into his side and held in the air.
“Aaagh-!” He yelled in pain.
The fangs of the snake dug deep into his side, injecting venom straight into his body before the beast’s tail flicked down, slamming Emilio against the stone.
As he laid there, gasping for air as his body throbbed and ached from the brutal beatdown, he felt blood running down his chest and a warmth flooding through his side.
It wasn’t healing.
The Undying Blood slowed down more than he had predicted; leaving him wounded and inflicted with an agonizing pain as the venom traveled through his body,
“Nnngh…aghh—!”
A louder yell came as the Masterpiece stomped down on his back, pressing its weight that surpassed toms down on the young Dragonheart.
As it continued to press its weight down in almost a sadistic fashion, it was reaching an inevitable point in which the young man’s back would succumb to the pressure and snap.
“Aghh…!” He continued to yell.
Scraping the stone tiles with bloodstained hands, he tried escaping, though he knew there was no overturning this satiation—in his current state, that was.
Seeing no other option, he looked deep within him amidst his agonized torment, looking to the pits of negative emotions buried within him. Memories that ignited his blood, filling him with anger, but more importantly, motivation.
Come on…it’s just like visualizing magic! Embrace that anger—that destructive rage! He told himself.
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
It was his first time feeling himself able to dig deep enough; feeling the blood begin to pump through his veins like a raging river through the land. What he wanted wasn’t just the first stage nor the second; he needed more.
Fueling himself, what naturally came to mind in his troublesome situation with the beast pressing against his back were recent memories: the bitter death of Joel, and the passing of Vandread. These memories that stuck in his memory as faults of his own, deep down inside, ignited within him in this moment of desperation.
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
You didn’t die just so I could fall like this. Even if it’s an ugly struggle, I’ll keep fighting on, he thought, You owe it to them. You owe it to yourself. This is your life, your fight–so get up and win!
Inside of his chest, his heart thumped wildly, emitting a heat through his body as mystical, light-blue embers danced around him.
The three-headed beast that stomped down on him stopped, perplexed by the rising heat that shifted from simple embers to a born flame, giving off from the young man.
Azure scales formed along his body, rising into an armor that completely clad itself on his body and head, reinforcing itself with a durable hide. Through his body, a majestic power flowed with the intent to destroy and a lust for victory; the very essence of a dragon was born through him, flooding his mind with this resolve.
[Dragonheart System Activated]
[Current Stage: Dragon Warrior | 3/10]
Clad in the dragon’s embrace, he began to pick himself up, pushing up from against the ground as he overpowered the weight on his back.
The heat that burned within him completely sizzled out the foreign venom, eradicating its regretful nature and expelling it from his body.
“Graagh–?!” The Masterpiece let out at the incomprehensible situation.
Without a word, the young man it was once crushing now fought against its own strength–and was winning.
Now, get the hell off of me, he thought.
Pushing up with all of his strength, a burst of azure flames emitted from his draconic armor, finally repelling the weight of the Masterpiece as the scaled amalgamation stumbled backward.
Unrestrained, he rose to his feet as embers cascaded from his organic armor, clenching his fists as he felt the inexplicable power flowing through him.
I’ve never been this conscious while in stage three. It’s…amazing. This kind of power–I feel like I can do just about anything, he thought.
As he looked at his own fists, seeing through the helm of dragon hide that protected his head, the three-headed monstrosity appeared in front of him with a resounding roar, going for a large swipe against him.
Without seeming to budge an inch, he disappeared before the claws of the Masterpiece made contact, throwing the beast for a loop before reappearing behind it.
“Dragon Strike.”
It was through the third stage, completely enveloped in the magnificent power, that he was able to pull from deeper depths of the draconic force within, expelling it in much greater quantity as he slammed his fist against the creature’s back.
WHOOSH.
A shock wave emitted throughout the grimy chamber, ringing the bars of the black cages before cracking the sturdy, pitch-black scales of the Masterpiece, flinging the massive creature across the laboratory.
Witnessing the beast that effortlessly stomped through him previously now be manhandled by his power was satisfying beyond words for the Dragonheart.
It’s nothing now. I can do this, he thought, squeezing his fist.
As he relished in his newfound strength, unlocked by his own intent this time, the Masterpiece picked itself up, roaring out in a rage before rushing across the room.
It no longer ran like a bipedal creature; engulfed in rabid anger, it ran on all fours, eviscerating the stone tiles in its way as it salivated, lunging towards the Dragonheart who welcomed it.
Come on, he thought.
Though he was taken aback by an increase in speed from the Masterpiece, which bursted forward, tackling him across the room.
“–!”
It roared directly in his face with all three-heads, building up a new extreme of heat in its mouths as it intended to release its full-throttle flames point blank.
“–Off!” He yelled.
With a sharp kick to its body, he knocked it off of him before flipping to his feet, witnessing the creature change right before his eyes.
As it was knocked upward, the Masterpiece’s body reacted, as if evolving in real time in accordance to its current situation: hawk-like wings sprouted from its back after bones rippled beneath its scales.
…That’s disgusting, he thought.