The war outside raged on, but the earth-shaking tremors caused by the cataclysmic clash of titans were gradually fading into the distance.
The Thunder Titan and the Ancient Blue Dragon King had clearly moved their ferocious battle away from this region.
Jarius poked his head out from the small lake, scanning the surroundings for signs of conflict.
The two great kings had just fought here, leaving the area in ruins, but no other creatures dared approach.
This gave Jarius a moment to glance at the water's surface.
Reflected back was the image of an eaglefolk, but one strikingly different.
His beak had fallen away, replaced by a refined, human-like nose and mouth. The gray-black feathers on his face had shed in patches, revealing a chiseled, elegant contour.
Atop his head, his once gray-white hair now shimmered with streaks of silver, gleaming with newfound luster.
Most striking of all were his eyes. The vertical pupils of an eaglefolk were gone, replaced by a pair of radiant, star-like purple irises.
His body had changed too. Many of his feathers had fallen away, and his talons—both hand and foot—were no longer the sharp claws of a raptor but were beginning to take on a softer, fleshier form.
They were evolving toward hands and feet.
His wings, once a dull gray-black, now bore new white feathers, still soft and freshly grown.
He had evolved, just as his ancestors had.
He opened his panel, and the data was starkly different.
[Name]: Jarius
[Race]: Eaglefolk (Bloodline Mutating)
[Age]: 16
[Attributes]: Strength 10, Constitution 10, Spirit 13, Agility 11, Charisma 5
[Level]: Locked (Sealed, awaiting game activation)
[Skills]: Throwing (Mastery), Spear Technique (Mastery), Thunder Power (Transcendent)
[Skill Points]: Locked (Sealed, awaiting game activation)
[Talent]: Champion's Will (You possess unparalleled insight and reflexes, with combat awareness that surpasses all.)
[Mission System]: Locked (Sealed, awaiting game activation)
[Game Activation Countdown]: 3646486 days, 5 hours, 35 minutes
Jarius studied the panel, feeling the surge of power coursing through him. His attributes had soared, and his body brimmed with strength.
His vision stretched farther than ever before.
Though his level wasn't displayed, he knew he had crossed a threshold—he had stepped into the realm of the transcendent!
The blood of Titans and Dragons had granted him this opportunity, and he had seized it.
Now, his focus shifted to surviving this war and returning safely.
He gripped his bronze sword, transcendent power surging within him. Threads of lightning crackled along the blade.
If he faced the twin-headed wyvern again, he'd have the strength to fight it head-on.
Emerging from the lake, he glanced at the small turtle on the bluestone, its eyes glinting with the first sparks of intelligence. He resolved to take both the turtle and the stone with him after the battle.
As he reached the shore and spread his wings to take flight, a bone-chilling scream echoed through the heavens.
"Yatri, you dare kill me?!"
"Alileitos, today, you die!"
The Thunder Titan's voice boomed like a heavenly thunderclap, reverberating through all living beings.
"No!"
Jarius's eyes shot upward, his heart skipping a beat.
In the nearby forest, the towering Thunder Titan gripped the head and neck of the blue dragon with unrelenting force, his hands crackling with billions of volts.
Rip!
With a gruesome tear, the Titan wrenched the blue dragon's head clean off, blood spraying in a horrific cascade!
With a thunderous crash, the headless body of the blue dragon collapsed, its blood flooding the forest like a river.
The victorious Thunder Titan raised the Dragon King's head high, sending the Dragon King's forces into a panicked rout.
Across the Vast Sea Forest, the intelligent races of the Titan faction erupted into cheers.
"The war is over! We've won!"
But Jarius, witnessing this scene, felt his heart ignite like a volcano.
"This battle… it's the spark! The death of Alileitos, son of the Dragon Emperor, ignited the war between Titans and Dragons that will engulf the entire world!"
"The heavens themselves will crumble! All races will suffer catastrophic losses!"
"I need to find my people first. After this battle, I must plan how to preserve our clan in the coming war."