The moment Kael moved, time fractured.
To anyone watching, it looked like a frozen clash—dragon jaws locked inches from an EX-ranker's skull, muscles screaming, space warping.
But inside Kael's mind, thoughts accelerated to a razor's edge.
'It won't close.'
The realization was instant and merciless.
No matter how hard he pushed, no matter how violently his muscles screamed, his jaw would never fully clasp.
The man's strength wasn't just superior—it was absolute. Once the shock wore off and once the surprise faded, Kael was sure that he would be peeled away, restrained, and finished.
'This only worked because they hesitated,' Kael thought.
They, who had thought that Kael was broken and would never get up, as none of them knew that a dragon would lay down his pride just to fool them.
However, surprise was never permanent.
If Kael had to guess, he had one second at most.
He felt it already—the man adjusting his footing, beginning to understand. And worse—
The woman.
