With that thought, he quickly activated Level 3 Infernal Eyes.
His pupils narrowed into sharp crimson slits, glowing ominously with a dangerous light that made the air around him feel ten degrees hotter.
"Ashkar, let's fuse!"
The moment Aleron spoke, the dragon responded instantly.
With a radiant surge of power, Ashkar merged with him.
Flames spiraled outward as Aleron's figure warped, transforming into a monstrous fusion of man and beast.
Crimson scales rippled across his skin, jagged horns curled from his skull, and sharp claws extended from his fingers like living weapons.
His terrifying aura burst outward, sweeping through the air like a shockwave.
The surrounding abominations recoiled as a wave of pure dread washed over them.
Even the distant tier 4 abominations paused, sensing the overwhelming pressure radiating from Aleron's new form.
"Fear… not… fight!" they muttered in guttural tones, their low intelligence and broken speech barely forming coherent words as they hesitated and backed away.
Aleron didn't charge immediately. Instead, he raised his hand slightly, flames coiling around his fingertips.
In that moment, he looked like the incarnation of wrath itself, a god of fire and destruction.
Far off in the distance, tiny sparks began to shimmer in the air.
They looked like seeds—flickering embers growing slowly with each passing second.
Their numbers swelled beyond a hundred, and as the flames grew brighter, vague humanoid forms began to take shape within the blaze, casting a surreal glow beneath the open sky.
The abominations stared in a daze, as if witnessing an unnatural miracle.
"Rise, my fire spirits," Aleron commanded, his voice booming like a war general rallying his soldiers.
In an instant, the fire spirits fully formed. They hovered slightly above the ground, their bodies composed of pure flame.
Each one bore a humanoid silhouette, but their faces were blank—devoid of eyes, mouths, or any features.
Aleron extended his hand.
"Slaughter the abominations!"
Without hesitation, the fire spirits surged forward in a torrent of blazing light, throwing themselves into the horde of monsters.
From the rear, the guards looked on in shock, their jaws slack with disbelief.
They had never seen such a creature before and didn't know how to respond.
Even the young man among them, who possessed an origin ability, instinctively knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Aleron.
"What are those things? Some sort of new species?" one guard asked, his voice tight with awe and fear.
"I doubt it," another finally replied after a long pause. "It seems he's the one controlling them."
All eyes shifted to Aleron, who stood silently in the distance, watching the flames rage.
The fire spirits weren't overwhelmingly strong.
They hovered just around the Origin Initiate realm and could barely injure the stronger abominations.
But Aleron had discovered something else.
"Explode," he whispered in his heart.
The nearest fire spirit erupted in a fiery blast. The explosion consumed a nearby abomination, reducing it to ashes in mere seconds.
Aleron's draconic eyes widened.
[Gained 10,000 experience…]
Without a moment's hesitation, he detonated the rest.
In a cascade of explosions, more than a hundred abominations were obliterated in moments.
The shockwaves sent gusts of heat and dust flying across the battlefield.
Aleron's experience bar surged, and a ripple of power coursed through him. He had broken through again.
His body pulsed with renewed energy, and his eyes burned brighter than ever.
His gaze shifted toward a nearby location still crawling with monsters.
Having wiped out the immediate threat, there was no reason to remain here.
A thunderous boom echoed as he shot forward, vanishing from sight in a sonic burst of speed.
His destination was clear—the portal.
But Aleron wasn't reckless.
He knew better than to rush through the portal and challenge the creatures within. Doing so without preparation would be suicide.
He had to proceed step by step.
Arriving near the edge of the portal zone, he lifted his arm.
Dozens of fire spirits ignited into existence once more and dove into the battlefield, targeting the higher-tier abominations.
He knew they alone wouldn't be enough.
So he moved.
His figure flashed, and he appeared directly in front of an abomination just as a fire spirit detonated.
The explosion staggered the creature. Aleron struck, his clawed fist crashing through its chest.
With the power of his fusion and recent breakthrough, Aleron's physical strength had soared.
He could now stand toe-to-toe with a tier 5 abomination—perhaps even defeat it.
But until he encountered one, he couldn't be sure.
Time blurred as Aleron rampaged through the battlefield.
Though the killing began to feel repetitive, the thrill of accumulating experience kept his blood racing.
The guards, watching from afar, had already reported his actions to the higher-ups. But none of them intervened.
Letting Aleron eliminate the abominations outside was to their benefit.
And he knew it.
But he didn't care.
Because at long last… he had reached the Origin Adept realm.
[Congratulations on killing 3,000 abominations…]
The killing spree had gone on for hours, and even Aleron was starting to feel its toll. But it was worth it.
He had broken through.
He could also sense that Ashkar, still fused with him, was on the verge of advancing to the Origin Expert realm.
But for now, they were both exhausted.
He retreated to a secluded location and deactivated the fusion.
Ashkar collapsed on the ground, drained and breathless, then quickly drifted into sleep.
Aleron sighed, shaking his head. He felt a pang of guilt, but there was nothing he could do at the moment.
At least their strength had risen dramatically.
He turned to the system panel hovering before him.
[Origin Adept Level 1: 5,400 / 10,000 origin experience.]
[Strength: 266]
[Agility: 227]
[Defense: 236]
[Origin Energy: 500 / 500]
Staring at the stats, Aleron's eyes widened in amazement.
No wonder his body felt like it contained a storm of power ready to erupt.
He took a deep breath to steady himself, then glanced at the blinking mission notification.
[Mission: Kill 10,000 abominations.]
[Progress: 4,123 / 10,000]
Aleron rubbed his chin, lost in thought. Only about six thousand more kills, and he would awaken his origin ability.
His heart pounded with anticipation.
He was ready to test it.
But just then, a whisper echoed in his mind.
"You are looking for a way into the city. I presume you have obtained a key. I can help you, but in return… you must give me one."