A cold, unnatural chill crept down the spines of the seven drakes, their insides gnawing uncomfortably as if they were not standing before one of their own, but a devil.

Ron, who had the purest bloodline out of those present, at least in terms of the drakes, couldn't help but stomp backwards, his large drake from slightly swaying.

He had felt something similar, though not as chilling, when he had challenged Kai to the duel. Yet, after his impulsive appearance, he felt he was turning yellow with regret.

Ron, along with a lot of other important fractions of the clan, had been watching from the various balconies in the shadows, wanting to view the reaction of the variant drake to try and gain an inkling into his background and upbringing.

Kai's heavy footsteps halted near Kaida as he turned and finally got a good look at the child of Elder Han.

Jade-white skin, sharp features and deep, blue eyes, stared back, unsure who Kai was or his intention.

The blood that he spat when being thrown into the wall had stained Kaida's chin, having not been wiped away, and it was evident that even though he had put up a good fight before the drakes had transformed, he was almost exhausted.

Pride, defiance and a hint of bloodlust marred the young man's features, causing Kai to nod his head in approval, relieved that the name bestowed upon Kaida was not being shamed.

Kaida was shocked, something inside of him screaming to prostrate himself before the stranger, as he stared at Kai before deciding that the black-haired man wanted to help.

Taking a deep breath, Kaida, nodded his head as he briefly glanced at the collar around Kai's neck before looking to the floor. "Thank you older brother, but please do not bother yourself with this matter. It is just a fight between youths and could cause you difficulties due to their backgrounds."

Kai's head tilted as he displayed a confused expression. After a few moments, Kai raised his hand to lift Kaida's chin.

Something was off with the young man and while he didn't have the experience or knowledge to know what it was, it sparked his curiosity.

"You dare hurt Kaida!"

Just as he was about to touch Kaida, a shout bellowed out from behind and Kai's instincts screamed danger yet he was too slow to react.

"You're courting death!"

With a thunderous bang, Kai was throw away like a speeding bullet, smashing into the arena wall before disappearing in the dust that was kicked up by the impact.

An odd look appeared on Ron and the other drakes features.

They had felt suppressed by Kai's presence, and so had not acted when Kai's attention had been diverted to Kaida yet, it seemed that the newcomer either didn't feel the pressure or, more than likely after realising who it was, simply ignored it.

However, even though this was the situation that they all previously feared, Kaida's best friend appearing had occurred, it had not been negative for them. Instead, the guest that had stood out and interfered had been sent flying into a wall.

A young woman, looking to be in her early twenties, stood in partial, plate armour as she quickly pulled out a tissue and proceeded to wipe the blood from Kaida's face with concern dancing in her brown eyes. "Don't worry, no one is stupid enough to bother you while big sis is here."

Kaida had a confused expression, staring at the pretty woman's face as her blonde hair fluttered in the air current created by her rapid appearance. "Umm, Big Sis that..."

He stopped, wondering how to explain the situation that wouldn't cause embarrassment to the woman that had stood out to protect him.

Meanwhile, Elder Han's fingers turned white as he gripped the railing, his face showing a terrified expression.

He had never imagined that not only would Kaida's friend be late, but she would mistake Kai, the clan's guest, as the aggressor and immediately launch an attack.

He couldn't help but mutter as he looked for signs of life from Kai's location. "Shit, Rein is a peak rank four monster core and she didn't hold anything back. Seeing as it was a sneak attack, Lord Kai must be injured... The Clan Master is going to have my hide for this."

Though Han was worried about the future, he breathed out a sigh of relief seeing Kaida and the woman he knew as Rein interact, knowing that Kaida was now safe.

Rein was the Clan Masters daughter, and while the blame of this incident would undoubtedly fall on him, she would ensure that Kaida was kept away from the fallout.

Just as he was about to jump down and check on Kai, a low, humourless laugh resonated from the dust cloud that had yet to settle.

For all those present, both spectators and those that were in the arena, it was as if their blood had turned to ice and started flowing backwards.

The laugh slowly got louder and more maniacal until a black shadow slowly walked out of the dust, his left golden eye twitching violently along with the smile that wasn't a smile, on his face.

A large cut on his forehead leaked blood, letting it flow down Kai's face and giving him a gruesome appearance.

Kai had been resisting his nature since arriving in Netherspire city.

He had allowed himself to be imprisoned and interrogated for over a week. He had remained in his uncomfortable, human form, been collard and threatened and have even put up with being manipulated and used.

However, the moment he had been struck, his patience had finally snapped.

It wasn't that he thought he was better than others and needed to be treated as such. It was just that he, like his ancestors, were beings of chaos, originating from the beginning of time.

Creatures more akin to forces of nature than flesh and blood. Immortal beings that lived in the present and acted based on their feelings.

When they were happy, all around them would prosper, when irritated, a storm would weather the land and shake the heavens. When enraged, devastation would befall all four directions and dynastys would fall.

If you ignored what they considered their treasures, which were unique to each dragon and depended completely on their personalities, they didn't care for wealth, power or prestige.

They only cared for themselves and their own. For everything and anyone else, a dragon simply didn't care. Being immortal, they believed that time would take care of the small matters.

A rumbling growl rippled across the arena once again, yet unlike the earlier, this one was filled with intense bloodlust and a tyrannical, overbearing pressure.

Glowing golden eyes, captivating all that saw them, slowly turned a deep, blood red as small black scales sprouted from Kai's white, jade-like skin.

His hands, which had looked somewhat delicate, turned into black, scaled claws, his nails extending to points as spikes slowly formed from his elbows and along Kai's back.

To those watching, their faces paled as if they were seeing a ghost.

While a beast or monsters transformation depended on their level and skill, often resulting in traits remaining in their human form, like the red-scales of the Flame Scale Clan, it was impossible for those with the god given ability to do partial transformations.

They could turn into a human, the appearance improving as they did, but had no control over it.

A limitation a dragon, who was manipulating the very essence and structure of their body, did not have.

What they saw before them was akin to the laws of their world breaking. If it had been a few thousand years before, it would have even been considered dark arts and blasphemy and probably would incite a holy crusade in the name of the gods.

Kai's laugh abruptly stopped as his gaze locked onto Rein, the woman who had so brutally launched the sneak attack on him, the bones and muscles wiggling under his skin as if they were alive.

Silence.

No one dared to breathe, fearing they would draw attention to themselves.

This continued for a few seconds, which to most present, felt like hours before Rein spat on the ground in a very unladylike manner. Taking a deep breath to repress the fear growing in her heart, she stepped forward, shielding Kaida. "Scum! So strong and can only bully the weak. Fine, this lady will play with you."

"Play?" Kai's smile was so unnatural it was hard to describe how terrifying it made those looking at it feel. "Oh... Let's... Play~."

Kai had had enough.

The only thing keeping any reason in his rage-fueled mind was that if he let go of his final restraints, it was likely he would fully transform and the strange collar on his neck would decapitate him.