'At this point, I don't need it to go after the others. Jasmine and Daki are no match for it; they are too weak and might get in the way, hence I need the demon to focus on me,' Max thought, and with a heavy heart, he clicked on two things.

[Draconic Form: Deactivated]

[Draconic Aura: Activated]

Almost immediately, a wave of aura poured out from Max with such intensity that even the dragon himself was shocked. He stared at his hands with his 'dragon eyes,' eyes widening as his aura grew immense and heavy, almost like a burning pot of flames ready to erupt.

"Yo… you… you…" the demon stuttered, snapping everybody from their daze. His stance faltered for a moment before he regained it instantly.

"You are a dragon! The dragon we've sought to eliminate for so long! So you've been hiding in that damn association!" the demon thundered in anger.

'Huh? Dragon? Wait! What is even going on here? Why did Max call it a demon and now it's calling Max a dragon? The hell is going on?!' Jasmine thought, her brows knitting in deep confusion.

"A dragon?" Lana muttered as she slowly rose from where she had been smashed into, her face contorted in a deep frown toward the demon. "You stupid whatever-you-are, the hell are you saying?!"

'Damn it! Elijah said to keep myself hidden and not let the other hunters catch on to the fact that I'm a dragon. But at this point, I have no choice. I can't let it go after the others,' Max thought as he clenched his fists, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Human dragon," the demon said calmly now, pointing its sword toward Max. "I want to ask how you want your death served — hot or cold?"

"What did you just call me?" Max asked, taking a stance. His claws were now on full display, with scales spreading faintly across his face, though the others who stood far away couldn't see it clearly.

Only the demon and Jake could.

"A dragon, right? So how do you expect the great dragon to die at the hands of a puny slave?" Max finished, voice filled with cold authority.

A hush befell the alleyway for a few seconds. The demon's smirk lingered, but a thick vein appeared on its temple as its hands clenched tightly around its sword.

"Fine then. Guess I'll be serving your death hot!" the demon roared, and without warning, it blitzed forward with so much speed that it looked like a blur.

'It's too fast! I can't even track its movements with my dragon eyes, talk less of my normal sight,' Max thought in alarm. Before he could even finish his thought, the demon appeared right in front of him, sword thrusting forth with such speed that the air itself seemed to distort.

Out of sheer reflex, the dragon snapped his fingers, activating his system skill and causing a massive shockwave to detonate in the space between him and the demon. The blast forcefully threw the creature several meters back, the sound echoing violently through the alley.

"You're a demon, so what?! I'm a hybrid!" Jake shouted furiously as his eight hands shot forward with such speed that a loud bang echoed across the alley.

The demon didn't move. It stood its ground and waited, allowing the fists to slam into its abdomen with the force of a battering ram.

Yet, despite its frail and pale-looking body, it didn't even flinch. A deafening crack exploded out as the ground beneath them shattered almost instantly, dust bursting into the air.

"Get away from me!" the demon roared in fury, swinging its sword straight toward the hunter's neck.

'Crap! Too fast!' Jake thought in panic. The sword was mere inches from his face when, suddenly, a strong grip yanked him backward by the fur. The sharp blade sliced through empty air instead, missing by a breath.

Swooping down from above, Lana appeared, her wings glowing faintly in the moonlight. She clapped her hands together and launched a barrage of razor-sharp feathers that streaked through the air like bullets, each one humming with lethal energy as they sped toward the demon.

"Puny humans," the demon snarled. Its arm shot up, moving in a blur as it slashed through every incoming feather with mechanical precision. Each feather fell uselessly to the ground, scattering like snow as none managed to pierce its defense.

Jake regained his footing and charged once more, his leg swinging in a sharp arc toward the demon's neck. But with a low whoosh, the demon ducked effortlessly, the kick cutting through air with a sonic boom.

Without missing a beat, the demon shot back up and blitzed forward. Its sword gleamed as it darted straight toward Jake's eyes when…

CLANG!

Steel met claws in a fierce collision that sent sparks flying. The force shook the air around them. Directly in front of Jake stood a figure with glowing yellow eyes, glaring at the demon with a cold, steady expression. His hands were no longer human — they were claws.

"It's me you want to eliminate. Come and get me," Max growled lowly, his voice calm but edged with pure dominance. In the blink of an eye, his claws lit up with bright orange flames that flickered and danced wildly. The aura around him thickened, almost suffocating.

Everyone froze.

'Ho… how is this possible? Special powers are only granted to hybrids, so how does Max have one? Is he… really a hybrid?' Daki thought, her mouth hanging open as disbelief clouded her expression.

'The demon called him a dragon. Does that mean it's true? Max… is actually a dragon?' Jasmine thought, her heart racing as her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.

"You think I'm some low-ranking demon? I'm not trash like those you easily defeated!" The demon roared in rage, its voice echoing through the alley as it saw the blazing claws flying toward its face. Then, in a sudden burst of blinding speed, the demon vanished from sight.

It looked like teleportation, but it wasn't — it was pure speed.

"Max! Behind you!" Jasmine screamed in horror.

The dragon spun around instantly, eyes wide in dread, just as the demon's sword appeared behind him — its edge gleaming wickedly, only an inch away from slicing clean through his neck.

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