Reth shook his head, turning to the Serpent-blood, he smirked.

"Princess had said to bring him alive no matter the cost, but didn’t say anything about his condition of arrival."

The serpent-blooded woman sighed in annoyance when she heard Emperal’s words and Reth’s expressions.

"Alright, make it quick. We don’t have much time, if the two Verth Shapers detect us...We will die."

She said, her voice grave. Emperal raised his brow in amusement when he heard that. He couldn’t help but ask.

"Where are you getting such confidence from? Even when I had not...gained my current powers. I am sure I have ranked higher than you trash."

"Enough!! Now, come with us!"

Reth roared and charged towards Emperal. With his monstrous speed, he covered the distance in mere three seconds. Intense heat erupted from his palm as he punched forward.

"DIE!!"

But the expected punch didn’t land, as Emperal simply sidestepped with minimal effort. The strike passed through his left shoulder. Enough for him to feel the heat.

"Hmph! The heat of this is not even close."

Emperal snorted and raised his hand, his elbow glowed slightly as another, rubbery layer of skin covered it.

With a smile, he drove his elbow straight into Reth’s passing ribs!

CRUNCH!!

The sound of bone breaking echoed as the elbow shattered a few bones in Reth’s rib cage.

"Cough!! What?"

Reth stumbled a few steps back and coughed a mouthful of blood. Turning back, he ignored the pain. Verth once again gathered in his palm as he rushed forward.

The serpent, who was watching from a distance, immediately frowned. Turning towards the wolf-blood beside her, she couldn’t help but ask.

"Is it just me or...was he always this fast?"

The wolf-blood beside her nodded his head, "Although, previously, his Verth Control and sword mastery were surely genius. This...this is something else, not to mention those scales."

"...Wait"

The serpent-blooded woman suddenly spoke, "Wasn’t he a Half-blood before?"

The wolf-blooded man’s expression changed drastically.

"T-Then how the heck is he using the Draconic powers!?"

Reth didn’t wait for an answer, turning back, he leaned forward and prepared for a monstrous dash.

The temperature around him spiked high as intense heat rolled off from his fists. With a mighty roar, he dashed through the air and went straight at Emperal.

"DIEE!"

Emperal stood there with an indifferent expression, seeing the incoming attack. He didn’t dodge it this time. Instead, taking a step back, he clenched his right fist.

"Come, I’ll show you what a real Draconic punch looks like."

Verth gathered around his fist, as dense magma coursed through his veins...straight to his fist.

"Kraeth’sol!!"

He punched forward with monstrous strength. Reth’s fist arrived in an instant and struck Emperal’s incoming fist!

BOOM!!

A strong shockwave spread through the forest, and the wolf-blood’s expression changed as he was forced back a few steps.

"Impossible!"

Even the serpent-blooded woman took a step back, unable to hold.

The blazing magma fist hit Reth and obliterated him in an instant; he didn’t even know when he died.

Only his ashes remained behind; the temperature slowly cooled as the dust cleared up. From the smoke, a young man walked forward with the same expression.

Emperal looked down at his hand, "This much power and only half of my Verth is used, this...feels good to know."

After breaking through the Stage Three Verth Seeker realm, his veins were widened. He could indeed manage much more than Verth now.

Looking ahead, he saw the two of them standing there frozen. Unable to even talk. Emperal cracked his neck.

"One down"

The serpent woman immediately snapped back to her senses as Emperal’s voice echoed.

"Y-You, how did you become so strong? That too, in such a short period of time?"

She couldn’t help but ask; her mind was already a mess.

"What can I say? Perks of having a rich...woman."

The last word felt somewhat awkward to him, but he had no idea what to call Vraelyn.

Ex-wife? Certainly not, they were just lovers, not married.

"But, I broke up with her. So, I guess I’ll go with Rich, Ex-girlfriend."

Emperal’s expression brightened as if he had solved some incredibly complex equation.

Seeing him so carefree, the serpent-blooded woman’s face turned ugly.

"Don’t be too arrogant, I’m sure more than half of your Verth was used in the last attack of yours!"

She was already moving, with her blade out. In her other hand, her fingernails extended as a dark green drop shone around the edges.

She laced the knife with her poison and came straight at him. Or...at least what Emperal believed.

Just as she was nearing him, the serpent-blooded stepped right and feinted.

She circled him with genuine measures. Emperal’s eyes moved as he forced his Verth in his eyes to keep the woman locked.

He suddenly snapped his head right, bending his knees, and twisted left, just in time for a sharp blade to pass through where his head had been.

But...the blade still grazed his forearms.

"Hehe~ Boy, you know my poison, right? How deadly is it once it comes in contact with others?"

"Mhm, it’s a good poison, honestly. But..the target you chose for that is wrong."

"Varath’kel"

In an instant, the poison that was advancing in his forearms with deadly speed suddenly halted.

Whooossshhhh!!!

Shrrrrrr!!

The poison in his arms suddenly vaporized when it came in contact with intense heat that coursed through his veins.

The full passive expression of Magma Skin made his forearm something entirely different from any normal forearm.

The woman’s expression changed before she could back off. A red-scaled fist ripped through the air and held her neck tight.

"Do you think you can just come near me and go as you please?"

Emperal muttered coldly, with his other hand. He blocked a certain point below her waist, successfully blocking her Verth channel there.

In other words, the serpent woman could no longer feel her lower body.

She stared at Emperal’s hand in horror, her vertical pupil had contracted to straight lines.

"D-Dragon scales?" she stuttered. "Baile!! Ru—!!"

Before she could shout, the hand that gripped around her neck tightened. Crushing her vocal cords. Looking down, she saw a pair of cold eyes staring back at her.

"Did I...allow you to speak?"