Saquin: Death To My Enemies

"Hahahahaha… I'm free! Finally free!" Saquin threw his head back, his laughter echoing across the battlefield. It was a sound filled with manic exhilaration, reverberating like the tolling of a bell that heralded chaos.

The Balogun's fiery gaze remained fixed on him, warily analyzing the vampire's erratic demeanor. "What is going on with him? Is this the side effect of the bloodline fusion? Madness?" His words were low, a murmur to himself as he tracked Saquin's every move. The dragon was no fool—this wasn't someone to take lightly.

Abruptly, Saquin's laughter ceased, the silence that followed more deafening than the noise. When he opened his eyes, the air around him seemed to shift. His very presence radiated arrogance, a suffocating superiority that pressed down on the battlefield like an invisible weight.

His eyes—once mesmerizing with their striking beauty—had always held a subtle kindness, a reflection of his belief in equality. Saquin had viewed the world as fundamentally balanced. Whether human, beast, or even inanimate object, he regarded all things with an intrinsic respect, born of the understanding that all were creations, not the creator.

But now?

The kindness had been extinguished, replaced by an all-encompassing dominance. His gaze no longer met the world eye-to-eye but bore down upon it from an insurmountable height. It was a shift as stark as light to shadow.

No matter where one stood or how one looked at him, there was no escaping the oppressive aura. Saquin's eyes declared a single truth: everything and everyone was beneath him. From the highest peak, he looked down on the world as though it were nothing more than dust scattered at his feet.

Saquin turned his head slowly, his cold, condescending gaze falling on the Balogun.

The Balogun narrowed his eyes, his instincts screaming danger. Something within Saquin had changed—something dangerous, primal, and terrifying.

"You seem confident," the Balogun sneered, flames igniting in his hands. They curled and licked at his clawed fingers like snakes, eager to strike. "Let's see how long that lasts when you're reduced to ash."

Saquin tilted his head, unbothered by the dragon's threats. A crystalline sword materialized in his hand, forming from an icy mist that shimmered in the air.

Unlike the pure energy blades of the Advanced, this crystalline sword was something more. Advanced SP blades were formed from raw energy, refined by their wielders, but Saquin's blade carried the signature of attributed SP—power imbued with elemental force. Its jagged edges radiated an icy aura, frosting the surrounding air and sending shards of frost into the wind with every swing.

"Just attack, little dragon," Saquin said, his voice calm and dismissive, as though addressing a child. His sword swung in a lazy, counterclockwise circle, trailing frost in its wake.

The Balogun's lips curled in irritation, but he held his composure.

[This arrogance… It's more like indifference.] 

Without warning, the Balogun vanished in a fiery burst, reappearing behind Saquin in an instant. His flaming claws slashed toward the vampire's back, but Saquin moved with inhuman speed, pivoting on the spot. The crystalline sword rose to meet the attack, frost colliding with fire in a violent explosion.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the clearing, cracking the ground beneath them. Steam hissed and rose into the air as frost melted against the dragon's intense heat.

"Not bad," the Balogun admitted, teleporting again in a fiery flash. This time, he reappeared above Saquin, releasing a torrent of flame from his palms, the searing heat roaring downward.

Saquin didn't flinch. He stood his ground, allowing the flames to engulf him. His shirt and shoes disintegrated instantly, while his trousers burned at the tips. Yet, the core of the garment remained intact, coated with a faint layer of SP.

"Thanks for the makeover, little dragon," Saquin said, emerging unscathed from the flames. He was now shirtless and barefoot, his long blue hair cascading down past his shoulders and elongating further until it reached his waist. The color shifted—starting as black at the roots, transitioning to light blue, and ending in white at the tips.

[What the hell is this?] 

This is how I looked before… before Sharon decided I needed a haircut, and you changed the color, Saquin replied, a rare moment of reflection flickering through his tone. I had more black in it back then.

[You call her Sharon too.]

Yep. I'm more me than most of them, Saquin said, smirking faintly.

Then, with a deliberate motion, he raised his sword and swung. The blade cut through the lingering fire, releasing a brilliant blue flash of frost that surged upward for over 500 meters. The icy wave cleaved the flames apart, scattering shards of frost in every direction. The Balogun stumbled back, frost creeping toward him even from a distance, chilling his flesh.

The dragon growled, teleporting again to create space. He reappeared a few meters away, his eyes fixed on Saquin's changes. What is this boy? He's far stronger than I anticipated. I must tread carefully.

Saquin, however, seemed utterly uninterested. He stood still, his head tilted back, eyes closed. His sword continued its lazy, circular swing in his hand, as though the Balogun were beneath his notice.

The Balogun snarled. "Enough!" He spread his massive wings, and a pillar of flames erupted from his body, surging high into the sky. The temperature of Brimar Forest soared, the air shimmering with heat.

Trees within a kilometer radius were reduced to ash, and those beyond the range teetered on the brink of combustion. Yet, within a five-meter radius of Saquin, the frost remained untouched, the heat unable to penetrate his aura.

The Balogun noticed but dismissed it. Gathering the flames back into his body, he transformed further. His humanoid form now burned with an intense, black fire, flames dancing along his limbs and wings. Every movement sent bursts of fire into the air, his presence radiating raw destruction.

"Let's see how long that arrogance lasts, vampire!" the Balogun roared, his voice shaking the ground beneath them. Flames leaked from his body, cascading downward like molten lava. The fire spread rapidly, consuming the battlefield and creating a sea of fire around him.

The Balogun crouched, dipping his claws into the inferno. With a guttural growl, he pulled forth six fiery whips, each one writhing like a living creature. The segmented lengths of the whips resembled the tails of dragons, their jagged, scale-like patterns glowing with molten intensity. Each whip crackled and hissed, releasing sparks and waves of heat as they coiled and uncoiled in the air.