The Draken let out a low growl, its gaze fixed on Boros—confusion flickering in its eyes.
No matter how hard it bit down—
He didn't fall.
Boros strained, muscles tensing as he held the creature's jaws apart.
"…Tch. That's enough of this."
In one sudden motion—
He moved.
Using the Draken's head as leverage, Boros swung his legs up—
Placing both feet tightly at the base of its throat.
The beast reared, thrashing violently, trying to shake him off—
But Boros held firm.
Unmoving. Unyielding.
Then—
SHHCK!!
A jagged spike of ice erupted—
Driving straight through the Draken's neck. The creature roared, its body convulsing as it staggered, thrashing wildly—
Until—
It stopped. Collapsed. Still.
Dead.
Boros dropped to the ground, steadying himself as he turned to face it.
For a moment—
He just stared.
And in its lifeless eyes—
There was only one thing left behind.
Rage.
The moment the body hit the ground—
Everything changed.
The remaining Draken didn't roar.
Didn't move.
It just stood there—
Staring.
At the corpse. At Boros.
At the ice still lodged through its sibling's neck.
Silence stretched—
Then—
A low sound escaped it.
Not a growl.
Something deeper.
The air shifted.
Heavy. Violent.
Its body trembled—
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM!!!
A shockwave exploded outward from it.
The ground cracked. Sand and debris were blasted away as the Draken threw its head back—
And roared.
This time—
It wasn't just sound. It was fury. Raw unfiltered fury.
Its wings snapped open, tearing through the air as its body seemed to swell with power. The veins beneath its scales pulsed faintly—
A deep crimson glow seeping through.
Its eyes—
Locked onto Boros.
Gone was the cold, calculated predator from before.
Now—
There was only rage. Pure killing intent.
Boros narrowed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
"…Yeah."
His stance lowered slightly.
"…figured it'd be like that."
The Draken moved. Not like before. Not coordinated. Not calculated.
This time—
It charged.
BOOM!!
The ground shattered beneath its step as it closed the distance instantly—
Faster than before. Stronger. Wilder.
Its claw came down—
Boros barely raised his guard in time—
CRAAACK!!
The impact drove him straight into the ground.
No space. No rhythm. No pauses. The Draken didn't stop.
Didn't think.
It attacked again—
And again—
And again—
A relentless storm of claws, jaws, and crushing force, each strike heavier than the last.
Boros gritted his teeth, blocking, slipping, taking hits he couldn't fully avoid—
"…Tch—!"
Another strike slammed into his side—
BANG!!
Sending him skidding back.
He steadied himself—
But the Draken was already there. No delay. No hesitation.
It opened its jaws—
Not to bite—
But—
A deep glow began to build in its throat.
Heat warped the air around it.
Boros' eyes sharpened.
"…That looks like it's gonna be troublesome."
The glow intensified—
Violent. Unstable. Uncontrolled.
The Draken didn't care.
Didn't aim.
Didn't hold back.
It just—
Fired.
The beam of flame tore forward—
A violent stream of searing energy ripping through the air, devouring everything in its path.
The ground melted.
The shoreline split apart.
Heat warped the space itself—
And Boros stood right in front of it.
For a split second—
He didn't move.
Then—
He exhaled.
"…Alright."
His hand rose slowly.
Frost crept along his fingers—
Spreading. Crackling.
The air around him dropped in temperature instantly.
Then—
He stepped forward. Into it.
BOOM!!!
The blast swallowed him whole.
A blinding explosion erupted, steam and fire consuming everything in sight as the impact carved a massive trench across the land—
The Draken roared, pouring even more power into it—
Unrelenting. Uncontrolled. It didn't stop.
Didn't think—
Until—
Something changed.
The sound shifted.
From roaring flames—
To cracking ice.
KRRRRRRRCK…
The beam… slowed.
Distorted.
Then—
Froze.
From the inside out.
A layer of ice spread through the blast itself, racing backward against the current, swallowing the energy in a violent clash of heat and cold.
The Draken's eyes widened.
Then—
BOOM!!
The frozen beam shattered apart in a violent explosion of ice and steam.
And through it—
Boros stepped forward.
Unharmed.
Cold mist rolled off his body. Frost clung to his skin, creeping along his arms like veins of ice.
His eyes—
Calm. Focused. Different.
He rolled his shoulder slightly, ice cracking and falling away in shards.
"…Guess it wasn't troublesome after all."
The Draken snarled—
But for the first time since it snapped—
It hesitated. Just for a moment.
Because now—
It understood.
Boros lowered his arm slowly.
The ground beneath his feet froze over instantly.
"…My turn."
The frozen remnants of the blast shattered into mist.
Silence—
Then Boros moved.
Ice spread rapidly from his shoulder—
Down his arm—
Encasing it completely. Layer upon layer, thickening, hardening—
Until his entire arm was clad in jagged, crystallized ice.
It cracked as he clenched his fist.
KRRRCK.
Cold vapor poured off him. He bent his knees—
Then—
BOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath him as he launched upward. Straight into the sky.
The Draken snapped its head up—
Boros vanished—
Then reappeared above it.
High.
Silhouetted against the sky.
For a split second—
Everything stilled.
Then—
He dropped. Like a meteor.
CRASH!!!
His ice-clad fist slammed into the Draken's skull, driving its head straight into the ground.
The impact split the earth open.
The entire shoreline shook.
The Draken roared—
But Boros didn't stop.
He twisted mid-impact—
BANG!!
A second punch crashed into its jaw, snapping its head to the side.
Ice shattered and reformed instantly along his arm—
Sharper. Denser.
BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!
Each strike landed heavier than the last.
Crushing. Relentless.
The Draken tried to retaliate—its claw swung wildly—
Boros slipped it.
Closed in—
And drove his knee straight into its throat.
CRACK!!
The beast choked, stumbling—
But he didn't give it space. Didn't give it time.
He grabbed one of its horns—
And yanked its massive head down—
Then brought his fist down again.
BOOM!!
The ground caved beneath them.
The Draken thrashed, wings flaring, trying to lift—
Boros jumped with it—
Staying on it.
Punch after punch raining down as they rose into the air.
BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!
Each hit forced it lower.
Forced it back. Forced it down.
Until—
CRASH!!!
They slammed back into the earth.
The Draken's movements slowed.
Its strength—fading.
Boros stood over it, breathing steady now.
Cold mist rolling off his body.
The ice around his arm thickened one final time—
Sharper than before. Deadlier.
He raised his hand slowly.
The Draken growled weakly—
Still trying to move.
Still trying to fight.
"…Stay down."
His arm came down.
SHHKKK!!!
A massive spike of ice erupted—
Driving straight through its skull—
Pinning it into the ground.
Silence.
The body twitched once—
Then stilled.
Dead.
Boros stood there for a moment.
Breathing. Watching.
Then exhaled slowly, the ice around his arm cracking and falling away in shards.
"…That makes two."