The Author's Draft-Chapter 39: Tian Long’s Debut

Fighting B-rank natural killers without a weapon was no easy task.

The lycans moved like liquid death—fast, coordinated, their claws capable of tearing through steel. They didn’t attack recklessly, they probed, tested and searched for weaknesses with the patience of apex predators who knew their prey couldn’t escape.

And Aiden was surrounded.

Twelve lycans formed a loose circle around him, each one positioned to cover another’s blind spot. Pack tactics refined over countless hunts. If one attacked and he dodged, another would be waiting. If he focused on defense, they’d wear him down through attrition.

It should have been terrifying.

Instead, Aiden’s smile grew wider.

His hands rose slowly, fingers splayed. Sword Aura erupted from each digit, extending like invisible claws. The energy stretched half a meter from his fingertips, sharp enough to cut through anything, forming ten gleaming talons of condensed killing intent.

He looked less human and more beast.

The lycans recognized it. Aiden wasn’t prey, he was a predator, a lethal one. Their growls deepened, their yellow eyes narrowing.

Then the first one lunged.

It came from his left—a blur of black fur and steel claws aimed at his throat. It was fast . Faster than anything human reflexes could track.

Aiden’s hand shot up to meet it.

His Sword Aura claws caught the lycan mid-leap. Five invisible blades pierced through its chest, punching through fur, muscle, and bone like they were made of wet paper. Blood sprayed and the lycan’s eyes went wide with shock.

Aiden twisted his wrist and ripped sideways.

The lycan’s chest opened, ribs splayed, internal organs spilling onto the pavement in a steaming heap.

The creature hit the ground and didn’t move again.

The remaining eleven circled tighter. They were cautious now.

Two attacked simultaneously—one from behind, one from the right, their moves coordinated.

Aiden spun. His left hand swept across in a horizontal slash. The Sword Aura claws carved through the first lycan’s throat, separating its head from its shoulders in one clean motion. The head tumbled through the air, trailing blood.

His right hand shot backward without looking. He felt the impact—his claws sinking into flesh, scraping against ribs, and piercing something vital. A wet gurgling sound and the second lycan collapsed behind him, clawing uselessly at the ground as blood pooled beneath it.

Three down, nine remaining.

The lycans backed off slightly, reassessing. Their pack leader—larger than the others, with a scar running down its muzzle—growled orders. The pack shifted formation.

They attacked as one.

Six lycans rushed him from different angles simultaneously while three hung back, waiting to exploit any opening.

Aiden dropped low, letting two sail over his head. His hands flashed out—left, right, left again. Each strike landed and killed.

A lycan’s stomach opened, intestines spilling like rope. Another’s leg separated at the knee, sending it crashing face-first into the pavement. A third took Sword Aura claws through both eyes, the energy punching through its skull and scrambling its brain.

But he wasn’t fast enough to avoid them all.

Claws raked across his back, tearing through his jacket and the skin beneath. Pain flared hot and sharp. Another set caught his shoulder, carving deep furrows that bled freely.

Aiden hissed through his teeth but didn’t slow down. Pain was temporary, hesitation was fatal.

He spun and drove both hands forward like spears. The lycan that had clawed his back tried to dodge. It was too slow, ten Sword Aura claws punched through its chest from front to back, the tips emerging from its spine in bursts of blood and bone fragments.

Aiden yanked his hands free and the lycan slumped.

Six down, six remaining.

The pack leader howled—a sound of rage and frustration and growing fear. Its pack was being slaughtered by a single opponent who fought like one of them. Like a beast.

The remaining lycans hesitated. Pack tactics only worked when the pack had numerical advantage. Now they were even and their opponent showed no signs of slowing.

Aiden charged.

He moved on instinct now, his body flowing through combat like a dance he’d practiced a thousand times. His Sword Aura claws ripped through fur and flesh. His movements mimicked the lycans themselves—low, aggressive, feral.

He caught one by the throat and squeezed, Sword Aura piercing through its windpipe. Blood bubbled from its mouth. He threw the dying creature into another, bowling them both over, then leaped on them while they were down.

His claws came down again and again. Stabbing, tearing and ripping.

When he stood, two more lycans lay dead.

Four left.

Then the howl came.

It was different from the others—deeper, louder, carrying weight that made the air itself vibrate. The sound rolled across the abandoned streets like thunder, primal and terrible and absolutely dominant.

Every lycan still standing immediately dropped into submissive postures. Their heads lowered, ears back and tails tucked.

Something was coming.

Something bigger.

[WARNING: A-rank signature detected.]

[Alpha Lycan approaching.]

[Estimated arrival: 30 seconds]

[Threat level: EXTREME]

Aiden’s smile faltered slightly. An A-rank, Foundation Establishment equivalent. Maybe Core Condensation if he was unlucky.

And he’d be surrounded by the remaining lycans plus their Alpha.

"System," Aiden said quickly, still keeping his eyes on the four lycans watching him warily. "I need a solution fast. The Alpha showing up with these four still alive puts me in serious danger."

[Analyzing combat options...]

[Recommendation: Utilize dragon bloodline abilities]

[Specifically: Dragon Pressure technique]

"Dragon Pressure?" Aiden’s mind raced through the techniques Tian Long had transmitted after evolving. Dragon Roar, celestial Dragon Tramples the Nine Heavens and Dragon Pressure—the passive aura that suppressed weaker beings.

[Correct. Dragon Pressure effectiveness scales with bloodline purity and cultivation level.]

[However, manifesting your martial spirit will significantly amplify its range and potency.]

[Against lycans—whose strength comes from beast bloodlines inferior to dragons—the suppression effect will be devastating.]

Aiden heard heavy footfalls approaching. Massive, with each step shaking the ground slightly.

Twenty seconds.

The massive footfalls stopped. Around the corner, the A-rank Alpha Lycan emerged.

It was enormous—easily five meters tall, built like a tank, with muscles that looked carved from stone. Scars covered its body, marking it as a veteran of countless battles. Its eyes glowed brighter than the others, intelligence and cunning evident in their depths.

An apex predator, an alpha and a monster that had killed hundreds.

One look and Aiden knew he couldn’t handle it with the other lycans still alive.

"Do it."

[Summoning martial spirit: Tian Long - Celestial Dragon Emperor]

Power erupted from deep within Aiden’s dantian. His martial spirit surged upward, responding to his call, manifesting in reality for the first time on Earth.

Golden light exploded around him.

The air pressure spiked. Spiritual energy—real cultivation energy, the kind that shouldn’t exist in this world—flooded the street in visible waves.

And Tian Long appeared.

The Celestial Dragon Emperor materialized behind Aiden, its massive form coiling through the air like a living constellation. It was twenty meters long from nose to tail, scales that glittered like polished gold, each one reflecting light like a mirror and eyes that burned with ancient amber fire.

And when it opened its jaws and roared, the sound shook reality itself.

ROAR!

The roar was physical force. It rippled through the air like a shockwave, rattling windows three blocks away, setting off car alarms, making the ground tremble.

But more than that, it carried a presence. Authority. The absolute dominance of a creature that had ruled all since the primordial era.

Dragon Pressure activated.

The effect was immediate and absolute.

Every lycan still standing—including the four that had been preparing to fight—collapsed to the ground as if their legs had been cut out from under them. Their bodies pressed flat against the pavement, limbs splayed, unable to move.

Not from physical force, from instinctive, primal terror.

Their beast bloodlines recognized what stood before them, the predator so far above them in the hierarchy that resistance was meaningless.

They were wolves facing the Apex of the apex.

The A rank Alpha had just bundled over when it felt a primal pressure.

It took one look at Tian Long hovering behind Aiden and froze.

Its legs began trembling, its ears flattened, tail tucked so far it almost disappeared.

Then it dropped to the ground just like the rest of its pack, pressing its belly against the pavement in the ultimate gesture of submission.

The Dragon Pressure pressed down on all of them like the weight of heaven itself. Not painful—just absolute and undeniable. The kind of pressure that said "I am above you in every way that matters, and if you move, you die."

Aiden stood in the center of it all, golden light from Tian Long washing over him, making his shadow stretch long and dark across the cowering lycans.

The fight was over.

Not through violence, but dominance.

And it was boring.

Aiden’s smile faded. He’d been looking forward to the challenge. The A-rank Alpha should have been difficult, pushed him to his limits, and should have been fun.

Instead, it was prostrate on the ground, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

"This is disappointing," Aiden muttered.

After taking out the B rank lycans, he walked toward the Alpha slowly. The massive lycan didn’t move or resist. It just lay there, completely broken by Dragon Pressure.

Aiden raised his hand, Sword Aura claws still extended. ’Might as well finish this.’

"STOP!"

The shout came from behind him.

Aiden paused, his hand hovering over the Alpha’s neck. He didn’t turn around yet or lower his guard.

But he recognized authority when he heard it. And whoever had just shouted carried the kind of presence that demanded attention.

Footsteps approached, multiple sets moving carefully with their weapons drawn.

"Step away from the creature," the voice commanded. It was make, cold and professional. "Slowly."

Aiden ignored the command. His fingers tightened, preparing to strike.

The Alpha’s life was forfeit. It had come to kill, now it would die.

His hand descended.

Sword Aura claws punched through the Alpha’s neck, through fur and muscle. The massive head separated from the body with a wet tearing sound.

Blood fountained. The body twitched once, twice, then went still.

Aiden straightened slowly, his back still turned towards them.