Mark slammed his palms into the earth.
He used earth magic a thick wall of jagged rock erupted in front of him just as Cryo-Gara's clawed fist collided with it. The impact was explosive. The wall shattered into countless fragments, flying through the air like shrapnel. But just as the ice dragon surged through the debris, Mark met him with a counterattack.
His punch, reinforced with stone and accelerated by a gust of wind magic, slammed directly into Cryo-Gara's scaled chest. The sheer force sent the massive hybrid flying across the garden like a cannonball.
Cryo-Gara landed hard, his claws digging deep trenches into the ground as he skidded backward, finally halting with a roar.
"Tch... impressive," he muttered.
But he wasn't done.
Raising both hands, Cryo-Gara summoned orbs of compressed, high pressure water. With a flick of his clawed fingers, he launched them toward Mark in rapid succession each one exploding like a mini geyser upon contact with anything.
Mark's eyes narrowed. "Wind Magic: Air Step!"
A gust surged beneath his feet, lifting him off the ground. His boots hovered inches above the surface as he began skating through the air, weaving between the incoming orbs. Water exploded in all directions as he dodged effortlessly, his speed and reflexes amplified by wind mana.
"Man, I wish I'd learned ice magic while I was at the mansion," Mark muttered as he skimmed across the frozen garden. "I'd freeze the water in his mouth and shut him up for good."
He came to a stop and raised both hands. A ball of flame swirled to life between his palms growing, twisting. In seconds, it was the size of a horse. Wind mana funneled into the inferno, feeding it oxygen and compressing the core.
The color shifted red and orange became white hot blue.
Cryo-Gara's eyes widened. His expression was a strange mix of awe and exhilaration. "Yes… yes… YES!"
Mark grinned. Something primal stirred in him, a joy he didn't recognize an eagerness for the fight, for the thrill of it. This isn't like me… so why do I feel this alive? A voice echoed faintly in his mind… but he couldn't make it out.
"Heh… this isn't even full power. But honestly, full power would be overkill."
With a roar, he unleashed the blast.
The blue fireball rocketed forward at supersonic speed, creating a deafening sonic boom as it surged toward Cryo-Gara.
The frost drake raised his arm and summoned a massive goblet of ice to shield himself. The instant the fireball collided, the sheer force drove him back, his claws digging into the icy ground. Steam burst out as the fire began melting the ice.
Cryo-Gara gritted his teeth and opened his mouth wide. "Frost Breath!"
A torrent of freezing wind and snow surged out, crashing into the blue flames in an attempt to extinguish the inferno.
But it was too late.
Mark raised one hand and snapped his fingers. "Ignite and consume."
The fireball erupted in a blazing explosion, swallowing the garden in radiant heat. The shockwave shattered the remaining ice in the garden and sent Cryo-Gara soaring backward like a comet crashing through the trees.
Mark exhaled slowly, steam rising from his skin.
"That... was satisfying."
CLAP. CLAP.
Applause echoed from the dissipating steam.
Cryo-Gara emerged, his massive body scorched and battered. Bones jutted from torn muscle, and blood oozed from ruptured scales but even through the damage, his body was slowly knitting itself back together.
Mark immediately dropped into a fighting stance again. "Back for more?"
But Cryo-Gara raised a hand in surrender as he approached. "No, no, kid. I don't want to fight. You've already earned my respect."
Mark didn't relax, his fists still clenched. "Wait... what?"
Cryo-Gara smiled, though his reptilian face made it look more like a grimace. "It was a test to see if you were worthy of my king's power."
He lowered his head and bent to one knee in front of Mark.
Mark slowly stood upright, completely thrown off by the sudden shift. He stared down at the dragon in disbelief.
King's power?
Then he remembered the name Cryo-Gara had shouted earlier Solomon.
Is that the name of the Heavenly Dragon?
He narrowed his eyes, piecing it together. Was Cryo-Gara tied to the being inside his core? Was there some kind of contract or inheritance at work?
He looked back down at the frost-scarred dragon. "Who's Solomon?" he asked, his voice calm but serious. "And why did you call me King?"
the dragon bowed deeper, his voice resonating with ancient power. " Solomon is the Heavenly Dragon that resides within your core. The dragon in you is known as the King of the Elder Dragons... the true King of all dragonkind. And now that you carry his power… you are my new King."
Mark smirked, his eyes gleaming.
King of dragons...
The thought lit a fire inside him. If he truly wielded Solomon's strength, then maybe he could do more than just survive more than just earn his freedom. Maybe… he could tear down the rotten foundation of this kingdom. A land ruled by lineage and power he would reshape it into something new. Something that followed his rules.
Meanwhile, back at the dorms…
Zara opened the door to his room only to find nine upperclassmen waiting inside, their mana flaring with murderous intent.
"Hey there, kid. Let's talk," one of them said with a cruel grin.
Zara stared blankly, clearly unimpressed. "Sorry, Mark… hopefully you can afford more clothes."
He threw a glowing orb into the room sparking wildly with a dangerous mix of lightning and fire then slammed the door shut.
One of the upperclassmen lunged, trying to escape, only to get a faceful of door.
KABOOOOM!
The entire room erupted into flames.
Zara stepped back through the smoke, completely unbothered. He raised a hand and absorbed the flames with his fire magic, leaving the walls scorched and most of the attackers unconscious, sprawled across the floor.
Only one remained standing, protected by a glowing barrier.
Zara cracked his knuckles.
Stone wrapped around his arm as he punched through the barrier, grabbed the remaining upperclassman by the collar, and hoisted him into the air.
"Who sent you and why are you here?" Zara's voice dropped, cold and sharp.
The upperclassman coughed, but smirked. "I'm not telling you anything."
Wrong answer.
Zara's hand lit with electricity. He sent a surge of current into the man's body, causing him to scream in agony.
"Keep acting tough and I'll shove a piping hot blade in your kidney."
"You're bluffing," the upperclassman spat.
Zara reached behind his cloak, pulled out a blade, and ignited it glowing red hot in seconds.
Then, without hesitation, he stabbed it into the man's side.
"AAAGHHH!!"
Zara twisted the blade, pushing it in deeper.
"ARRRGH PLEASE, STOP! PLEASE!"
"Then talk," Zara growled. "Before I lose my patience and you lose a few more organs."
The upperclassman broke almost immediately.
He spilled everything their plan to capture Mark and the others, their orders from a leader still in the shadows, and that more students had been dispatched to ambush the rest.
Zara's eyes narrowed dangerously. The others were targeted too?
Without another word, he slammed the upperclassman into the wall, knocking him out cold with a single brutal impact.
He didn't wait.
Zara sprinted out the door, heading straight for the girls' dorms.
Zara burst through the corridor doors and skidded to a stop.
Opal was in the middle of a fierce battle surrounded by four upperclassmen while two more lay crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain. Her breathing was heavy, but her stance was solid.
Zara didn't hesitate.
Electricity crackled across his arms as he charged in, his fists glowing with raw energy. He swung hard his punches connecting with two of the attackers' jaws, dropping them instantly.
Another student raised his hand, a fireball already forming and aimed straight at Zara's back.
FWOOSH!
But before it could hit, Opal launched an orb of water, intercepting the flame and erupting it into a hiss of steam.
Zara didn't even look back.
He surged forward, his body a blur, then unleashed a surge of electricity that rippled through the remaining enemies. They collapsed, twitching and unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Zara turned to Opal. "Where's Jessie?!"
Opal pointed behind her, panic in her eyes. "Two of them grabbed her! They knocked her out and ran into the main hall i don't know where they went after that!"
Zara clenched his fists. " damn it let's hurry up and go look for her ."
Just then, a cold, unfamiliar voice echoed through the corridor.
"Don't worry... you'll be joining her soon."
A shadowy figure stepped from the far hallway. Only the four glowing eyes on their cloaked face were visible beneath the darkness.
Then a massive summoning circle lit up the floor in front of Zara and Opal, pulsing with ominous red light.
" this should be more than enough to handle you brats " the shadowy figure bolted into the school hall hidden within the shadows of the night.