The storm-filled void shook violently.
Crimson lightning collided repeatedly against golden-black energy, tearing apart the internal world while the Blood Thunder Dragon roared in fury.
It refused to submit.
Even knowing it would lose.
Zael floated silently above the shattered ground, void-like eyes fixed on the dragon calmly while the Origin bloodline pulsed steadily within him.
Ancient.
Absolute.
The dragon attacked again.
This time more savagely.
Its massive wings spread outward before countless blood thunder spears formed behind it instantly.
Then they descended.
BOOOOOOM!!
The internal world exploded under the barrage.
Zael moved through the destruction calmly, Void Step carrying him between the attacks while abyssal energy cut apart incoming lightning continuously.
The dragon lunged immediately afterward.
Its jaws snapped downward hard enough to shatter the void itself.
Zael caught them.
Both hands pressed against the dragon's jaws while crimson lightning exploded across his body violently.
Pain surged through him again.
But he endured.
Because unlike the dragon—
This was his domain now.
The Origin bloodline suddenly reacted.
Golden-black chains erupted from the darkness below and wrapped around portions of the dragon's body instantly.
The dragon roared furiously and struggled violently, lightning erupting everywhere as it tried breaking free.
But the chains only tightened.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then realization struck him.
The Origin bloodline wasn't trying to destroy the dragon.
It was trying to subjugate it.
Assimilate it completely.
The dragon realized it too.
And panicked.
For the first time since the battle began—
Fear appeared within its eyes.
Its lightning exploded outward desperately while it fought harder against the chains binding it.
Outside the temple chamber, Zael's body trembled violently.
Crimson-black lightning surged around him in unstable bursts while cracks spread across the ground beneath where he sat.
Lily stared nervously.
"…Should we stop this?"
"No," Aurelia answered immediately.
Too quickly.
Both Lily and Auralis looked toward her.
Aurelia calmly adjusted her glasses.
"If we interrupt whatever process is happening now, it could become worse."
That was technically true.
But inwardly—
Even she wasn't completely certain anymore.
Inside the mental world—
The dragon roared one final time before blood thunder erupted around its body at full force.
It was trying to destroy itself.
Trying to prevent complete assimilation.
Zael noticed instantly.
"…Not happening."
The Origin bloodline exploded outward fully.
BOOOOOOM!!
Golden-black energy swallowed the entire void.
The pressure became overwhelming.
Absolute.
The dragon froze instantly afterward.
Not physically.
Instinctively.
Like prey standing before something infinitely higher in the food chain.
Then Zael walked forward slowly through the storm.
One step.
Then another.
Until he stood directly before the dragon's massive head.
The dragon lowered its gaze slightly without realizing it.
Submission.
Zael placed one hand against its forehead.
And spoke calmly.
"Kneel."
The void went silent.
Then the Blood Thunder Dragon bowed its head completely.
The moment the Blood Thunder Dragon bowed—
The internal world changed.
The violent storm that had raged endlessly throughout the void suddenly began calming. Crimson-black lightning no longer rampaged uncontrollably through the skies. Instead, it flowed quietly around Zael like obedient currents.
The dragon itself started dissolving slowly afterward.
Not dying.
Merging.
Its enormous body broke apart into streams of blood thunder energy that flowed directly toward Zael before disappearing into him completely.
The process no longer hurt.
There was resistance before.
Conflict.
Now there was only acceptance.
Assimilation.
Golden-black energy pulsed once across the void.
Then the system notifications began appearing rapidly.
[Blood Thunder Dragon Will Subjugated]
[Assimilation Complete]
[Sub-Bloodline Stabilized]
[Blood Thunder Dragon Bloodline Successfully Integrated]
[All Traits Compatible]
[Stat Growth Increased]
[Lightning Resistance Greatly Increased]
[Draconic Physique Acquired]
[Blood Thunder Domain Stabilized]
[Origin Bloodline Synchronization Increased]
The final notification lingered longest.
[Current Assimilation Progress: 100%]
Then—
The internal world shattered into countless fragments of light.
Zael opened his eyes.
BOOOOM!!
A wave of pressure exploded outward from his body instantly.
Crimson-black lightning surged across the temple chamber while abyssal energy mixed with draconic pressure violently enough to shake the entire structure.
Lily instinctively stepped backward.
Auralis nearly dropped the hammer.
Even Aurelia's expression tightened briefly.
Because Zael felt different now.
Noticeably different.
His black hair shifted slightly under the flowing energy around him, the lone golden streak within it glowing faintly beneath the lightning flickering around his body.
His eyes—
Those void-like black eyes with layered golden triangular patterns—
Now carried an additional pressure behind them.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Draconic.
For a few brief moments, faint dragon-shaped lightning coiled around him before slowly fading away.
Then the pressure stabilized completely.
Silence filled the chamber afterward.
Zael looked down at his hand slowly as crimson-black lightning danced harmlessly across his fingers before disappearing into his skin.
Then he clenched his fist.
Power surged quietly beneath the motion.
Auralis stared at him for several seconds.
Then finally spoke.
"…Okay."
She pointed at him carefully.
"You're somehow even scarier now."
Zael smirked faintly before standing up fully.
The moment he did—
The air itself seemed heavier around him.
Not unstable.
Controlled.
Completely controlled.
Lily folded her arms while staring suspiciously.
"You sure you're still human?"
Zael thought about it for a second.
"…Mostly."
"That is not comforting."
Aurelia watched him quietly from the side.
Her sharp eyes noticed the subtle changes immediately.
The refined energy flow.
The stabilized draconic aura hidden beneath the abyssal pressure.
And most importantly—
How naturally the foreign bloodline now obeyed him.
Her expression remained calm outwardly.
But inwardly, even she found it difficult to stay composed.
Because what Zael had just accomplished…
Should not have been possible.