Limitless Evolution: I’m The New Dragon God?

Ryuzen's mind raced. He immediately tried to activate the Fusion Lab to escape, but nothing happened.

It was as if the very air had turned solid, pressing down on him from every direction. Breathing felt heavy. Moving felt impossible.

"Dracina, what's going on? Why can't I use Fusion Lab?" he asked in his mind.

[ Dracina does not have an accurate answer either, Host. But your enemy has sealed the space around you. You should try running to see if you can get out of its range. ]

Ryuzen stood frozen. 'But that creature will never let me leave… Is there no other way?'

[ There is a way, but it is risky. ]

"What is it? Tell me now… I don't have the luxury to hesitate…"

He screamed inwardly, forcing himself to stay calm, even as his instincts roared for him to move.

[ You can sacrifice the System. Doing so will send you into another dimensional realm. But you will never again have the chance to obtain the Dragon God's System. ]

"….."

Ryuzen stared blankly at the void in his mind. 'Dracina… This is the best you can come up with? You know I would never sacrifice you.' His voice carried a mix of disbelief and frustration.

Dracina fell silent. No further words came.

"Whoosh!"

Azathoth's massive palm descended, blotting out Ryuzen's view.

Bang!

The impact hurled him like a ragdoll. He slammed into the ground far away, blood bursting from his mouth. Pain tore through him as he realized several of his internal organs had been damaged from just that single casual strike.

"I could have killed you instantly, Dragon Spawn…" Azathoth's voice was a deep, cruel rumble, his demonic face twisting into a grin. "But toying with you is far more fun."

Azathoth's heavy footsteps shook the ground as he advanced, each one echoing like a war drum in Ryuzen's ears.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

"Get up, little dragon," Azathoth mocked, dragging his clawed fingers along the ground. Sparks flew as his talons scraped against stone. "Show me if that so-called mighty Dragon pride can withstand despair."

Ryuzen pushed himself up, every muscle screaming. His claws dug into the dirt as his draconic instincts flared, urging him to fight back despite the agony tearing through his body.

"Not… done yet…" he muttered through gritted teeth.

Azathoth's shadow loomed over him. The demon raised his massive hand again, aiming to crush him into the ground.

The moment the palm descended, Ryuzen's body moved on instinct. His legs coiled and he launched upward, twisting his torso mid-air. His clawed hand slashed with everything he had, the strike carrying raw, untamed draconic power.

Clang!

The blow met Azathoth's armored forearm, sending a shockwave through the air. The demon barely flinched, not even a scratch on its skin.

Azathoth shook his head in disappointment. "You're so weak."

Ryuzen landed, panting heavily. Despair was creeping into his body and mind like a slow venom.

Azathoth was a true devil in every sense of the word. Ryuzen knew better than anyone that these futile strikes would not leave so much as a real scratch on him.

Still, he pressed on. Every movement was a performance for the devil's amusement, unleashing D-Rank skills at full force while his mind raced for a way out.

Sun Dragon's Gaze.

Mist Phantom Steps.

Solar Cryo Lance.

Abyssal Grasp.

One after another, he unleashed them without pause, forcing his body beyond its limits. Mana drained rapidly, the world spinning at the edges of his vision.

Yet nothing worked.

His hands, feet, even his throat felt numb. Breathing became heavier, harsher.

Still, he stood before that towering entity, legs shaking — not from fear of death, but from the strain of refusing to yield.

He didn't fear dying here. What chilled him was the thought of losing now, of failing when he still had goals to reach, people to protect, and promises he had sworn to keep.

Azathoth tilted his head, the faintest curl of amusement tugging at his lips.

"You're slowing down, little hybrid. I was beginning to think you might actually surprise me."

His voice rumbled like a thousand whispers layered over one another.

Before Ryuzen could blink, the devil vanished.

A crushing force slammed into his side.

Crack!

Ryuzen felt his ribs scream in agony as he was sent flying through shattered stone pillars. Dust and rubble swallowed him whole, but before his body could even rest, a clawed hand burst through the debris and dragged him out like a toy.

Azathoth's grip tightened around his neck, lifting his 20 meter dragon body high like a chicken. His golden slit eyes locked with the devil's cold, abyssal stare.

"This is all? For someone who was chosen by those stupid dragons to stop the Grand Awakening, you're truly disappointing."

Abyssal mana flared violently around the devil's hand, a swirling storm of black and crimson energy that seared Ryuzen's skin. The heat and pressure gnawed at him, making his limbs feel like lead, each breath shallower than the last.

Pain pulsed through every nerve. His body screamed to surrender, to give in to the crushing force that threatened to break him apart.

But somewhere deeper, beneath the pain and fear, a spark remained.

That spark ignited into a roaring blaze, fueled by the weight of promises he refused to betray. Memories of Yuki, the faces of those he swore to protect, and the silent vow he made to surpass every limit he had ever known all surged into one defiant roar inside his heart.

His golden eyes flared with molten light.

The ground beneath them began to crack as a surge of raw, unrestrained draconic power awakened within his dragon body, distorting the air itself.

Azathoth's grin widened, sensing the shift. "Now… this is interesting."

"ROARRRRRR!"

A blinding torrent of annihilative breath erupted from Ryu's maw, engulfing Azathoth at point-blank range. The devil, arrogant and overconfident, did not even attempt to dodge.

The destructive energy failed to harm him, yet its sheer force overwhelmed his sight and senses, drowning the battlefield in searing golden-white radiance.

When Azathoth's vision finally cleared, the Golden-White Dragon was gone.

High above the shattered ground, winds howled through the void his roar had carved. Ryu had vanished, using the momentum of his attack to hurl himself out of Azathoth's suppressive domain.

It was a calculated, desperate maneuver—born from both instinct and cunning. And for the first time, Azathoth's grin faded, his gaze sweeping the distance with a cold glint.