Chapter 23 The Dragon's Roar

Landing one final, bone-jarring punch, Yuki sent Jaylen tumbling toward the ground. She ceased her relentless assault, her arms hanging listlessly by her sides. Glaring down at Jaylen's bruised and battered body with cold, heartless eyes, her voice was equally chilling as she spoke. "Pathetic. This is all the mighty Dragon of the Orpheus family could amount to? What a useless engagement." She scoffed, dismissing the importance of their engagement to the future of the world.

Jaylen struggled to rise, his body faltering and collapsing back onto the ground. With sheer determination, he pushed himself up again, his movements unsteady, each step a battle against his pain. Finally standing tall, he met Yuki's gaze. Despite the agony radiating from every inch of his body, he managed to utter, "Heh... heh... You really... thought... this fight was over... Heh... You should've... learned by now... that every time you get stronger... I'll just get stronger and stronger!"

Before Yuki could react, Jaylen was already in front of her. Noticing her guard had dropped, he instantly cast Blink and kicked toward her abdomen with all the strength he could muster. As his foot connected, silver lightning danced around his leg, his Speed Force technique activating unintentionally, moving beyond a speed Yuki could register.

Sent flying in surprise, Yuki barely had time to process the sudden shift. Jaylen, anticipating his next move, summoned eight knives into his hands. He hurled them forward, shouting, "I might not always control Blink, but I have a workaround for that!" Disappearing from his spot, Jaylen reappeared at one of the flying knives, matching Yuki's speed.

Grabbing hold of the knife, he yelled, "Take this!" and slashed at Yuki, leaving a small cut on her leg. He blinked to the next knife, repeating the action at different points on her body. Each slash was precise, leaving a series of shallow cuts. He repeated this for all but one knife, which he had thrown with extra force to land in front of Yuki's path. Upon arriving at the last one, Jaylen pulled back his fist, ready to deliver a devastating blow.

But it was then that Yuki did something incredible and unexpected: stretching out her hand until her fingers were fully extended. She waited until her fingers touched Jaylen's fist. Upon contact, she used her incredible strength and agility, as well as her amazing control over her body, to lift herself up and over Jaylen. When she was perfectly aligned with his figure, she swung her body down and tucked in her knees, colliding with his back.

The immense pain from the impact nearly made Jaylen collapse, but he caught himself just in time. Yuki's voice, cold and mocking, echoed from behind him. "Why don't you just give up? You don't have to be a dragon, you know. You could be a lizard or some other reptile." Her taunting words reverberated in Jaylen's ears, each syllable a jab at his pride.

Jaylen had enough. Her final words were the last straw. He was mad, pissed, angered beyond belief. 'How dare she compare me to some reptile. Me! A proud member of the Dragon race. How dare she!' he thought, as what Yuki had said was tantamount to taboo for any and all dragons. Straightening up, his eyes met Yuki's with a blazing intensity.

Looking into his eyes and seeing the raw anger and pure rage caused Yuki to frown. She felt a shift in the atmosphere around them and raised her guard. But what she did not expect was that as soon as Jaylen opened his mouth, the first thing to come out was not his voice, but the sound of an unidentifiable dragon's roar.

The roar was different from all recorded roars. It was loud, reaching every corner of the training field, bringing with it a sense of oppression for everyone and a surge of excitement for those of the Dragon race. For it was only them that could feel the irregularity of this roar. To them, it carried a sense of bloodline suppression only found in the highest ranks, and it gave off a feeling that was rarely felt—the aura of a king, the ruler of its bloodline.

After the roar, more students who hadn't heard of the fight began to gather, this was even more true for members of the Dragon race who wanted to see what the new king looked like. But things were different for Yuki as she watched a gray aura begin to surge around Jaylen's figure. His wounds started to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The gray aura surrounding Jaylen thickened, becoming almost tangible as it swirled around him like a storm. His movements became a blur, fueled by his newfound strength and determination. He clenched his fists, feeling the power coursing through his veins, ready to unleash it upon Yuki.

Soon the aura surrounding Jaylen dissipated, leaving only a surge of energy that danced around his being, causing his clothes to flutter in the wind generated by the sheer power. Yuki, taken aback by the sight, was bewildered. She had never seen anything like this before. Her confusion was answered by the murmurs of the crowd.

One Dragon student with small blue horns spoke loudly to the student next to him, his voice filled with recognition. "That's Dragon Force, isn't it?"

The other student, with even smaller red horns, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is. It's pretty rare to see a dragon so young actually be able to use it," he responded, his tone equally awed. Others in the crowd, especially members of the Dragon race, nodded in agreement. It was a well-known fact that all members of the Dragon race could use Dragon Force if they had at least a 5% bloodline awakening and a purity of at least 60%, but it was usually uncontrollable for younger members.

Though Yuki now knew what had happened to Jaylen, she still didn't understand the effects of such an 

ability or how much stronger he had become. Her questions were soon answered as Jaylen, his eyes closed, lifted his leg to take a step forward. As his foot made contact with the ground, he vanished.

Feeling a slight presence behind her, Yuki turned as fast as she could. It was then that she was sent flying. Correcting herself, she landed on her feet. Looking towards where she had once stood, Jaylen was no longer there. 'Grr, where is he?' she thought, scanning her surroundings frantically. She looked right, then left, then behind her. But upon looking forward again, she got the shock of her life. Jaylen was standing directly in front of her, his gray eyes boring into hers.

It was unsettling. She didn't understand how he had gotten so close without her hearing him. He was so close she could feel his breath. It was unnerving that he showed this level of strength—so unexpected, so powerful. But Yuki wasn't going to give up yet. She remembered what Miss Xirena had said: her bloodline was comparable to his, meaning he too had a primordial bloodline, but his was in slumber. Though she couldn't use hers to its full power, it would still be more than enough.

But before Yuki could attempt anything, Jaylen went back on the attack, launching his fist towards her abdomen. "Gaa!" Yuki was stunned by the strength behind the punch, her hands instinctively wrapping around her pained abdomen. Jaylen wasn't done, following up with a swift kick to Yuki's head, sending her flying across the training field.

Jaylen slowly walked over to Yuki, his arrogance palpable in every step. He finally spoke, his voice dripping with pride. "I guess you wouldn't know much about this. This is the power I trained for, the power that will allow me to crush all that stands in my way." He stopped a short distance away, waiting to see what Yuki would do next. The downside to Dragon Force was apparent—any dragon using it would become uncontrollably arrogant and prideful. Only adult dragons had managed to deal with this downside. Many of the dragon race members in the crowd realized right away when Jaylen lost control to his arrogance and pride, but to them, it was expected. It was already impressive he could use it for a few seconds before losing control.

Yuki, not wasting the opportunity, used one of the abilities hidden within her bloodline. Her body lit up with light blue flames, covering her everywhere except her face. This was Frostflame fire. "I shouldn't have underestimated you, but I won't do it again." She moved forward, her speed considerably faster, though still no match for the speed Jaylen had shown earlier.

Jaylen's next words removed any worry she might have had. "It wouldn't be fun if I defeated you too fast, so I'll hold back to show you the difference between a chicken and a dragon." His mocking tone would have angered Yuki, but she recognized she had done the same to him. Not bothering with a comeback, she threw the first punch. Jaylen met the punch head-on with his own. The collision between their fists sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

But they weren't finished, as they followed up with a flurry of attacks, each strike sending a shockwave rippling through the air. Jumping away from each other after the fifth shockwave, they glared at one another before rushing forward, initiating another clash that produced yet another explosive shockwave. This time, after their initial collision, they moved at insane speeds, clashing in various locations around where they stood in the training field. Continuous shockwaves rang out from each clash, and the crowd erupted in cheers, though not many could truly follow what was happening in real-time.

For those with the ability to see clearly, the combatants' movements were a blur of punches, kicks, and complex martial arts techniques. Each exchange was a rapid-fire sequence of attacks and counters, executed so quickly that the untrained eye could only perceive the lingering aftereffects of their techniques. The ground shattered beneath their feet, and the air crackled with energy from their relentless assaults.

The long series of clashes finally came to an end when Yuki, who had managed to keep up with Jaylen thus far, made a critical error. She was sent flying backward, skidding across the ground and leaving a trail of dirt in her wake. When she came to a stop, Jaylen appeared in front of her, his expression shifting.

Flashing in front of Yuki, Jaylen paused, lost in his thoughts. 'Appearing in front of Yuki, I couldn't help but ask myself: Is this really what I want? Have I truly let my pride and arrogance control me? Since when did I become so arrogant? I have to stop. This isn't what I need to do to fix my mistakes; this won't help me achieve my goals. Is this how I want to treat the woman I love?'

Jaylen's face, once twisted with arrogance and pride, now showed a profound change. His eyes, no longer carrying an air of haughtiness, blazed with determination and resolution. The smirk he had worn earlier had now softened into a bright, genuine smile. When he spoke, his words carried a familiar warmth that had been missing since the school year began. "Yuki! It's time you confront the truth hidden deep within."

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Chapter End

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Inspiration for abilities and techniques used as well as martial arts it any new ones, Might have missed a few.

1. Flying Raijin

2. Super saiyan