The battle was a real spectacle.
[Mala]: There he goes again.
[Kel]: The prince really looks powerful for his age.
[Grimori]: Yes, I can see it. He might be stronger than me.
Mala and the others were watching from the warrior's chamber.
Many participants who had failed the tournament were also seated there, observing in silence.
Pratik exhaled steam.
He approached Yash and threw a punch, but Yash vanished—only to reappear above him.
[Yash]: Iron Kick.
Another kick.
It landed on Pratik, but he had already covered the impact point with Dark Energy Reserves coating.
It barely scratched him.
Pratik jumped back and returned to his base form.
Trigger 2 was deactivated.
No visible side effects.
Training with Krishna had clearly improved his ability to handle trigger recoil.
[Pratik]: Trigger 1… Acceleration.
With a sudden burst of motion, he disappeared.
He reappeared behind Yash.
Yash's eyes widened.
This speed—
Pratik tried to land a clean punch, but Yash dodged it effortlessly.
It felt like Yash could see a few moments ahead.
[Pratik]: Teleportation series.
Calculating positions rapidly, Pratik began blinking in and out around Yash.
In the midst of the chaos, he finally landed a clean hit and sent Yash flying.
Pratik coated both fists with Dark Energy Reserves. Yash did the same, and they clashed again.
The impact shattered all barriers in the arena.
The force also rippled into the ground, triggering a localized earthquake across the structure.
Pratik grabbed Yash by the wrist.
[Pratik]: Range Shiftling—
Before he could continue, a noise erupted below.
Screams. Slaughter.
Some strange creatures had been released without control. A spacecraft had landed nearby.
Gretoling smugglers.
Yash broke free from Pratik's grip and dropped back into the arena.
The smuggler boss stood there—Raider.
A lizard-like creature wearing sunglasses and a black leather coat.
He laughed the moment he saw Yash.
[Raider]: Kufufu… seems we've got ourselves a golden chick this time. The prince himself. We'll be rich for life.
Yash remained calm.
[Yash]: You must be Raider. You saved me the effort. I finally caught you.
[Raider]: What do you mean, "caught us," chick?
Raider smirked.
[Yash]: The smuggling reports in this region were unusually high. That was exactly why I held this tournament—to lure you in. To catch me.
[Raider]: Kufufu… so smart. But how will you save yourself now?
[Yash]: You got it wrong. How will you save yourself from me?
With that, Yash dashed toward Raider, who was still seated on his bike.
Yash (thinking): The tournament warriors will handle the rest. The real threat is Raider's hidden henchmen… if he has any. I hope they aren't mixed among civilians.
[Yash]: Crystal Sparkles!
His glowing kick shattered Raider's blade and sent him flying off his bike.
Raider coughed blood and adjusted his ponytail.
Meanwhile, Mala and Grimori were fighting off lizardmen attacking civilians. Kel and Lila were treating the wounded.
The battle between Raider and Yash grew more intense.
Raider could barely land a hit on Yash, while Yash's strikes were also not dealing decisive damage.
Yash (thinking): I can't fight while holding back. But if I go all out, this whole place will be destroyed… and people will die.
Raider swung his whip again.
Yash dodged—but the whip destroyed the base of a massive building.
The structure began to collapse.
Dozens of civilians were trapped.
Yash hesitated.
Then—
The entire collapsing structure was suddenly erased by a surge of power.
Raider and Yash were pulled into a completely dark space.
A void dimension.
Endless.
Then—
A voice appeared behind Yash.
[Pratik]: You're good, kid… I'm almost jealous.
He smirked.
[Pratik]: Don't worry about anything else now. Just beat that lizard with everything you've got.
Yash smirked back.
[Yash]: Confident, aren't you? Thanks.
Raider, however, remained unfazed.
But deep down, he was uneasy.
He had read the Herto Company newspaper—Pratik's bounty: 198,000 Karo, after defeating the Hunter Dragon Crocus.
[Raider]: Does that make any difference?
He lunged forward. Coating himself with Dark Energy Reserves, increasing his durability five times.
Yash's eyes stayed calm.
He exhaled.
[Yash]: Iron Maxima.
The kick landed.
Raider's bones shattered instantly. The coating itself was vapourised.
The impact was so intense it nearly destabilized Pratik's stance.
It could have shattered Shadow Lord if it had even slightly more force behind it.
This kick could have vapourised entire cities of it was landed clean on ground.
No wonder Yash held back.
Pratik deactivated his range shiftling.
The void collapsed.
Darkness disappeared.
[Pratik]: That was a brilliant kick.
[Yash]: Yash Chandrika Putra…
[Yash]: My name. It is Yash Chandrika Putra.
Pratik smirked.
[Pratik]: Yeah. I'll remember it. You've got insane potential.
Yash smiled.
[Yash]: Want to tour my empire?
[Pratik]: Of course, Prince.
They both laughed.
This marks the beginning of a new chapter.
Far away, in the depths of the universe, several omnipotent beings sensed a shift.
Buster Community felt a new storm approaching their domain.
[Flame Lord]: So… the doom begins.
Hagino's Paradise trembled under a spatial disturbance.
[Hagino]: Hahaha… someone's getting excited.
The seeds for the Griffins Crew have already been planted…
By fate?
No.
By Kae.
To be continued…
---
EXTRAS:
DRAGON EMPIRE SPECIAL 2
Girishika is still crying because Pratik and his team vanished without warning.
Wedgermio is gently patting her head, letting her rest against his lap.
Krishna watches silently with analyzing eyes, while Griho stands beside him, arms folded, deep in thought.