My SSS-Rank Clone Talent: I Level Up Endlessly! novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Tournament (8): Heart of a Warrior!

"Ora! Ora! Ora!"

Drayken roared, a frenzy of fury and madness in his voice, his eyes gradually turning bloodshot.

Valen only chuckled in disdain—then hurled another punch.

Drayken answered with one of his own.

Fist to fist!

No finesse. No tricks. Just a man-to-man brawl.

Head to head!

At first, with internal injuries slowly stacking up, Drayken began to fall behind. The more he fought, the weaker he became—while Valen steadily gained the upper hand.

But...

There was fire in Drayken's eyes. An unmistakable blaze, hungry and insatiable, as if it would devour the very world just to keep burning. His skin turned a deeper red, and thick veins bulged across his body.

The more he fought, the taller Drayken became: like a monster awakening!

"You..."

Valen quickly realized what was happening. Something only Dragons were capable of, an instinct embedded deep in their blood.

Born to do it. Die for it.

To evolve. To grow stronger.

It was etched into their very genes, written into the essence of their being. And Drayken, who had fully embraced his dragon bloodline, was no different from a true dragon now. Perhaps he didn't even realize it, but he had already begun to act like one.

"Haha, come fight!"

Valen didn't back down. With a savage roar, he hurled his fist forward, clashing against the berserk Drayken's with brutal force.

Bang!

The air itself compressed from the impact. The sound was sharp enough to shatter eardrums, yet silence returned just moments later, as if the world was holding its breath.

The two stood motionless, eyes locked, neither blinking.

A cold wind rustled past.

Then—Valen collapsed to the ground, violently coughing up blood.

Drayken closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sky, steadying his breath and calming the storm within. His body gradually cooled, reverting to a more stable form—but he remained taller, now standing at a towering three meters.

His entire frame pulsed with power!

He glanced down at Valen and raised a brow.

"Why did you help me?"

Valen chuckled, shaking his head from where he lay on the ground.

"Help you? I didn't help you at all. I just fought you—and that's all there was to it."

"If it were anyone else, they might have backed off—dodged all my attacks, kept their distance. If you had done that, my bloodline evolution might've stopped. I might still be a Rank-1 Dragon. Your chances of victory would've been much higher and you might've actually won."

"No." Valen shook his head, smiling—not with regret, but with conviction.

This was his way.

The way of the warrior.

There was no deception on this path.

Only a pure heart—a heart forged in battle, steeped in blood and fire.

He looked up at Drayken, his eyes gleaming.

"The victor has not been decided yet."

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

"Demonic Akasha: Five-Headed Demonic Being."