The pain exploded through Elion’s body like a battering ram.

The whole time, he screamed like a madman; the agony was simply that unbearable. He writhed across the ground, his midsection jerking upward again and again as he clawed at his face, even yanking at his own hair so hard it seemed he might tear it out, as though that somehow might numb the pain.

"Ahahahahhahahahah!"

His cries of agony eerily twisted into crazed laughter, like he no longer knew what else to do with himself.

In the otherwise quiet space—quiet apart from Elion’s broken laughter, the sharp sound of something popping echoed out as something truly shocking began to happen. The popping sound was his bones stretching.

Elion began to grow taller. At first, it happened slowly, only for the briefest fraction of a second.

Boom!

A violent, explosive crack echoed out as his body surged from a mere six foot one to a towering six foot seven.

Boom!

And still, it was not over.

A pair of real leathery wings burst from his back near his shoulder blades, forcing him forward onto his front as he crouched low, his body convulsing while the wings unfurled. The grotesque sound of flesh and bone growing at a terrifying speed echoed through the chamber as the dark black wings elongated fully over his back.

By that point, his clothes had long since been ripped to shreds.

Kuro, who could feel Elion’s agony through their shared soul connection, could only hum in worry from within the storage space.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Elion threw his arms wide and looked up into the abyss-like sky as he roared with all his might.

For only a second, the sound was definitely the roar of a human, until it changed into an explosive and thunderous, an almost melodic screech that made even the enigmatic space itself seem to tremble. The pedestals around him shook faintly beneath the pressure of that roar alone.

At the same time, the angry redness of his skin faded, cooling rapidly, and a row of shimmering emerald-blue scales began spreading across his body like living constructs slithering into place. They did not cover him entirely, but appeared across certain parts of his body in striking, beautiful patterns.

By now, he was completely naked.

The scales ran mostly along the length of his hands, over his feet and lower legs, across his back, along the sides of his face, and over parts of his chest. Elion’s back arched violently as the wings behind him flared outward. Their full span was monstrous.

Every small movement sent a gust of wind rolling across the chamber, rattling the nearby pedestals.

Unfortunately for him, the pain did not stop there; if anything, it grew worse. A sharp tang of pain built along the sides of Elion’s head.

He grit his teeth as something forced its way outward.

Crack!

Two horns emerged from his temples.

They were not overly large, but they curved backward elegantly, smooth and dark at the base before gradually shifting into the same emerald-blue tone as the scales covering his body.

Elion’s crazed laughter faded, and his mouth opened wide, but no sound came out for several seconds. The pain had become too great even for screaming.

His entire body trembled.

[Peak Primordial Dragon Bloodline Integration: 23%]

Elion’s eyes widened.

Twenty-three percent? Only twenty-three?

He really felt like crying now. His mind briefly went blank.

He had already endured more pain in the last few moments than he had throughout most of the first trial, hell, his whole life, and somehow, he had not even crossed a quarter of the way through the process.

"This... is fucking ridiculous..."

His voice was much deeper than before, though he didn’t seem to notice even as it reverberated through reality like some sort of spell.

Boom!

A violent burst of pressure exploded from his body, and the ground beneath him collapsed inward. Several nearby pedestals were pushed backward across the endless floor, leaving deep grooves behind them.

Elion fell forward onto one hand, while his other hand clutched at his chest as the bloodline began forcing its way deeper into his existence.

Not merely into his body but also into his mana core and into his soul, basically into everything that made up his whole existence.

His mana core reacted immediately as the energy stored within it began boiling. All of it erupted outward uncontrollably, twisting around his body in a violent storm of elemental power.

The surrounding air became thick with heat, and the ground beneath him fractured further.

A ring of flames burst outward before immediately collapsing beneath a heavy wave of water mana. Jagged stone spikes rose around him, only to shatter when another pulse of draconic pressure exploded from his body.

Elion’s eyes snapped open, but if one were to look at them, one would notice that they were no longer the same deep blue he had come to be known for. His pupils had narrowed into thin vertical slits, glowing faintly with a cold, golden-red light.

Elion roared again, and this time, the sound was unmistakably inhuman.

Rooooooaaaaaar!

The roar tore through the chamber like a physical force, making several weaker treasures rattle violently against their pedestals, and even the endless white space flickered.

Elion’s body convulsed again.

His muscles tightened and expanded beneath his skin, becoming denser rather than excessively bulky. His frame remained sleek and balanced, but every movement now carried the impression of overwhelming physical power.

His nails darkened and lengthened slightly. They became sharper, not quite claws but definitely close enough. The scales along his hands spread farther, creeping over his fingers and forearms before stopping just below his elbows.

Another wave of pain struck, and Elion’s knees slammed into the ground.

Boom!

The impact cracked the floor. His wings folded inward reflexively, partially shielding his body as he lowered his head and grit his teeth. The sound of his breathing grew heavier and more bestial.

The space around him trembled faintly with every exhale.

[Peak Primordial Dragon Bloodline Integration: 51%]

[Warning: Bloodline Conflict Detected.]

Elion’s eyes narrowed, "What?"

The system continued.

[Existing Incubus Bloodline Is Reacting to Foreign Primordial Essence.]

[Human Bloodline Foundation Is Undergoing Reconstruction.]

[Would You Like to Suppress the Integration Process?]

Elion stared at the notification through blurred vision. Suppress it?

He almost laughed.

Hello no!

Absolutely not!

He had already suffered through half of this damned process; there was no chance he would stop now.

"Continue," he growled.

The notification vanished.

Boom!

A deep crimson aura exploded from Elion’s body. The scales along his skin began glowing brighter, while a darker red energy twisted around them like smoke. The Incubus bloodline had finally responded.

Elion felt it clearly. The deep, unnatural charm and instinctive hunger woven into the foundation of the bloodline. But now, it was colliding violently with a proud, dominating, and ancient bloodline.

The Primordial Dragon bloodline did not merely want space within his body. It wanted authority, and it wanted to rule.

The two bloodlines crashed against one another inside him, and Elion screamed again as his body became the battlefield.

His veins glowed red, which quickly turned into an emerald-blue, before changing again to a gold colour. The colours changed beneath his skin in unstable waves.

His wings flared outward. The scales on his chest spread farther, twisting into a more elaborate pattern that resembled a natural suit of armour.

The horns on his head lengthened slightly while his fangs sharpened. Then something strange happened.

A second pressure emerged from within him.

His human bloodline wanted to be part of the action too. It was definitely weaker by comparison to the other two, but stubborn. Like it was saying, I own this body, now behave.

Not to say it could do anything against a bloodline gifted by a goddess and a primordial dragon bloodline. It certainly did not overpower either bloodline, but it simply refused to disappear.

The trial spirit watched in silence.

’The human bloodline is adapting too?’

That should not have been possible. It had been prepared to watch the dragon bloodline purge the boy’s other two bloodlines, but something inconceivable was happening.

Ordinary human bloodlines were fragile, versatile perhaps, but weak. They should have been overwhelmed instantly beneath the weight of a Peak Primordial Dragon essence. Yet Elion’s human foundation remained.

It bent, and it reshaped itself, but it did not break. Instead, it began acting as a bridge between the two stronger bloodlines, stabilising the conflict little by little.

The spirit stared in shock.

’What kind of absurd body does this boy possess?’

Elion clenched both fists.

The storm inside him intensified. Slowly, the competing energies began to settle, but the crimson aura surrounding him did not vanish. Neither did the emerald-blue glow.

The two forces twisted together instead, flowing into one another until they formed a new, singular force that was uniquely his.

The scales across Elion’s body darkened slightly, their emerald-blue sheen gaining faint crimson undertones that moved beneath the surface like veins of molten light.

His horns changed as well. The dark base remained, but thin golden lines appeared along their length, pulsing faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Badum.

Badum.

Badum.

The chamber shook with every beat, and the system notifications continued appearing.

[Peak Primordial Dragon Bloodline Integration: 72%]

[Bloodline Conflict Stabilising.]

[Human Foundation Has Successfully Adapted.]

[Incubus Bloodline Has Successfully Merged With Primordial Essence.]

[New Bloodline Characteristics Detected.]

Elion barely had time to process the words, the pain came again. His entire body locked in place. A burning sensation gathered along the base of his spine, and his eyes widened.

boom!

A thick tail burst outward behind him.

Elion fell forward again, both hands slamming into the ground as the new limb extended rapidly across the chamber floor.

It was long, powerful, and covered in overlapping emerald-blue scales. The tip narrowed gradually, ending in a sharp, blade-like point that scraped lightly against the ground as it moved instinctively.

Elion stared at it for half a second, but then another spasm tore through his body. He hissed through gritted teeth.

"Of course... There is a fucking tail..." He cursed.

[Peak Primordial Dragon Bloodline Integration: 89%]

The final stretch began; at least this time, the pain dulled a bit. It was no longer tearing him apart. Now, it was rebuilding him, strengthening every muscle, refining every bone, and expanding every vein.

His mana core trembled violently as draconic essence poured into it, compressing and condensing the mana stored within until it became far denser than before.

The amount did not simply increase; the quality changed, and every fragment of mana flowing through Elion’s body became heavier and more potent. It felt like liquid power moving through his veins.