"Alright, the loser is the first one to fall."
It was settled. The two agreed to fight merely for fun, nothing more, yet the atmosphere had become intensely charged. At that moment, a glowing aura began to envelop Raven as he prepared for the battle. Ryan followed the same steps, unleashing the aether until it manifested as a crimson aura surrounding him, while a fiercely charged green aura wrapped around Raven.
"Here I come!"
Ryan launched himself toward Raven immediately, not giving him a chance to dodge. But from the very beginning, Raven was never the type who relied on evasion alone. Just as Ryan's fist was about to connect, Raven countered with a punch of his own. Their fists, both brimming with destructive power, collided. The shockwave pushed them both back slightly, but that retreat only served as a prelude to an even stronger collision.
They dashed toward each other again. In terms of physical strength, neither held an advantage—they were equals. Ryan noticed this instantly and decided a change in strategy was necessary. If raw strength wasn't working, what about fire attacks?
Ignition!
Flaming fireballs burst into existence around Ryan, shooting outward in every direction and aiming for Raven, while Ryan tried to create distance to better control his attacks. But Raven wasn't an opponent to be handled easily.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
Raven's green aura flared intensely, signaling that something was coming. The mutation on his body began to unfold—he activated his transformation ability. Raven wasn't a Mutant with a predefined set of traits; he had been reborn as a Mutant using Chimera genetics, a hybrid creature possessing multiple genetic traits. Because of this, Raven was unique in his own way.
A set of shell-like armor plates formed over Raven's arms and chest, resembling pieces of an armored insect or beast. With this living armor, Ryan's fireballs no longer posed any threat; the explosions didn't carve even a single crack into Raven's defenses.
"Well then… I guess it's my turn to take the offensive."
Since Ryan's last attack failed completely, his stance shifted from offense to defense. Raven charged toward him with astonishing speed and unmatched durability.
"Fire! Fire!"
Ryan's attempts to block Raven's approach did absolutely nothing, not leaving so much as a scratch.
Ryan frowned slightly.
"Haah… You really have strong armor… Isn't this kind of unfair?"
To Raven, Ryan sounded ridiculous—like this was the first time he'd ever heard someone complain mid-fight.
"Sigh… Alright then, Ryan. Show me what the Commander of the Shadow Warriors can do."
Ryan replied with enthusiasm: "I'll show you!"
And just as Raven was about to break through Ryan's range, Ryan unleashed his own mutation. Transformation traits manifested clearly—shining scales and sharp claws. This time, the scales covered a larger portion of his body, not just his arms and legs, giving him much greater defensive resilience.
At last, Ryan entered Raven's attack range.
"There you are! Take this punch!"
Raven's fist slammed toward Ryan's abdomen. Normally, such a blow would kill an adult instantly. But Ryan was no ordinary human—he was a Mutant. His crimson scales managed to withstand the punch, though it still hurt tremendously. As someone carrying dragon genes, however, falling from a punch like that would have been humiliating.
Ryan stepped back slightly.
"Haah… It seems you've got some serious strength… Fine then—how about we start fighting more seriously now?"
"Heh. Sounds fun. Raising the difficulty a bit won't hurt."
Thus, the battle between them continued relentlessly. Both were brimming with energy, making this the perfect opportunity to vent it all.
"Haah… Haah… Haah…"
"You're a skilled fighter… No wonder you're this strong. Even Carlos's respect for you isn't baseless."
Raven was panting heavily; he had been fighting Ryan nonstop for an entire hour.
"Haah… Yeah… Haah… I'm also impressed by your endurance. Actually, I've realized a few things during this fight. So now… how about we end this with the next attack?"
Raven: "Fine by me. I think the sun is about to rise… Let's finish it."
At that point, Ryan's aura grew denser and sharper, then surged violently into his claws. The immense flow of power intensified their sharpness. Now, they truly resembled dragon claws—larger, stronger… capable of slicing massive boulders cleanly upon contact.
Opposite him, Raven was preparing something even bigger.
The living armor covering parts of his body thickened and expanded, becoming stronger than ever—solid as steel and ready to withstand Ryan's finishing blow.
"I'm coming, Raven!"
"And I'll be waiting eagerly, Ryan!"
Ryan burst forward at maximum speed, using his fastest technique: Meteor Leap. The rapid, consecutive jumps made him appear as if he was teleporting along glowing energy markers he'd set beforehand. His speed was staggering.
He hadn't used this ability earlier because he felt it was a form of cheating—he knew Raven couldn't match such speed. But now the situation was different; Raven outclassed him in durability, so relying on speed wasn't unfair anymore.
Ryan's movements were incomprehensible to Raven. Instinctively, Raven sensed danger—this attack would be hard to deal with.
"Aaaaaaaaah! Don't think this alone is enough to defeat me!"
Strange structures erupted from the ground—extensions of Raven's living armor. They surrounded him from every direction, forming a fortress-like barrier.
Ryan's claws then struck Raven's defenses. They were undeniably solid—no normal attack could pierce them. But Ryan was determined to end the battle here.
He no longer had the energy for a prolonged fight. To boost his attack even further, flames engulfed his claws, adding explosive force to their piercing power.
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion and shattering impact roared across the area. Combining penetration and explosion was a brilliant idea—and it worked. Ryan remained standing at the end of the clash.
"Haaah… Alright… I admit it… You win…"
Raven finally acknowledged defeat.
Ryan collapsed immediately afterward; all his strength had left him—he couldn't stand any longer. Both lay sprawled on the ground, laughing together.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
"It was worth trying… But Ryan, don't think this is the end. I'll challenge you again, and next time, I'll win for sure."
"Heheh, you sound confident… Fine. I'll be waiting for that day."
Meanwhile, the rest of the team was enjoying a peaceful rest, until the loud explosion reached their ears. Everyone woke up instantly; the sun was finally rising, marking the end of a long night of fighting.
Tala: "Haah… So the sun is up… Haah, I really need more sleep."
Carlos: "We don't have much time. We need to head back. We've been delayed too long on this trip. I bet the Master is worried by now."
"Alright, alright… I know. I'll get ready. But where's Ryan?"
Carlos: "Well… he's not here. I heard an explosion earlier… I hope he wasn't the cause."
"What?!"
While Carlos and Tala were talking, Till was lying beside them—he had also woken up.
"Tch… I bet Ryan is the cause of that explosion."
Carlos replied, "There's no need to bet. It's obviously him. I'll go check what happened. You two prepare the bags."
Carlos headed toward the source of the explosion.
"Tsk tsk… Didn't I tell him to stay close? How could he wander off like this? He really has zero sense of responsibility. He left us sleeping in a monster-infested area and went exploring… Haaaah."
He arrived at the location—but the sight was devastating.
A massive area in the middle of a forested mountain range had been flattened into bare ground.
"Haah… What happened here? Tch…"
Carlos leaped into the center of the clearing. Two figures lay there on the ground.
He approached them.
"Haah… So that's what happened…"
"Haaah… Fuuuu…"
Carlos inhaled deeply, then unleashed the loudest scream possible:
"RYAAAAAAN! Wake up! Explain yourself!"
But the two were sleeping soundly.
"Hey! I said wake up!"
No response.
So, Carlos resorted to the most effective method—force.
A violent burst of wind erupted around Ryan and Raven, lifting them several meters into the air.
"Whaaaaaa! What's happening?! Why am I flying?!"
"Gaaaaah! What—?! Is this some kind of dream?!"
The two, who were previously fast asleep, finally woke up—though not pleasantly.
They crashed into the ground violently. It hurt. A lot.
Ryan fell on his face, while Raven landed on his head. Truly painful.
"Ow ow ow! That really hurts!"
As they writhed in pain, a third person stood beside them—Carlos, visibly furious.
"You two! What happened here?!"
Upon hearing that voice, Ryan instantly recognized it. He didn't even turn toward Carlos—instead, he looked the other way.
"Haah… Actually… Umm… Well… I think we got sleepy… and fell asleep here…"
"No! I'm not talking about that! Why is the entire area destroyed?!"
Ryan froze, confused.
"Haah… I don't know…" He pretended not to know, then looked around. That's when he finally realized the scale of the destruction their fight had caused.
"Ryan! Don't play innocent! I told you to guard the camp! Why do I find you sleeping here?!"
While Ryan was being interrogated, Raven attempted to sneak away.
Not a chance.
"You! Where do you think you're going?!"
This time the question was aimed at Raven.
Raven: "Huh? Going…? Ehehehe… No… actually… I'm not going anywhere…"
He spoke nervously as his feet shuffled backward.
"Tch! I said stop right there!"
"Eeeek! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I'll explain everything!"
While Raven surrendered to Carlos, Tala had finally finished packing, and Till was in decent condition despite the dark mark still remaining on his arm—he could move normally.
Finally, Carlos returned, dragging Ryan and Raven along.
The team was ready to return home.
End of Chapter