Overwhelming pain surged through his entire body, as if tearing him apart. Su Nian felt his head explode, his vision went dark, and he instantly lost consciousness.
"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."
If someone had been watching Su Nian at this moment, they would have been shocked to see his entire skeleton twisting, breaking, and shifting in all directions.
His body began to shrink gradually.
Muscles tore apart and reassembled, wrapping around his still-beating organs. Blood vessels bulged like fishing nets within his body, bursting through his skin and intertwining with the newly formed muscles in a more intricate manner.
The scene was terrifying and grotesque, yet it carried a profound sense of the sanctity of evolution.
The sharp, grating sound of bones grinding together echoed endlessly. It was no wonder he had passed out from the pain.
No one knew how much time had passed before Su Nian regained some semblance of consciousness. He struggled to move his stiff limbs, the familiar sense of strength returning to his body.
However, it felt even more explosive now.
"Crack, crack, crack..." As he opened his eyes and propped himself up, his body emitted a series of popping sounds, like beans being roasted.
"I... I think I've gotten smaller..."
Su Nian shook his head in confusion, noticing that the cave seemed larger than before.
In truth, it was an illusion. He had indeed become smaller. The structure of Deathwing's body was so refined that it had eliminated nearly all the flaws of this world's black dragons.
At this moment, his dragon head had transformed into a broader type, similar to Deathwing's. His snout was short and wide, the muscles around his mouth were thicker, and his sharp, densely packed teeth resembled rows of steel needles. His neck was robust, covered with knotted muscles.
Instead of replicating Deathwing's excavator-like jaw, he had allocated the modification focus to his head.
There, a pair of forward-curving demonic horns, sharp and thick like scimitars, extended and connected with three pairs of backward-curving dragon horns. Together, they resembled a helmet or a crown of steel, accentuating his malevolent and savage aura to the extreme.
Su Nian raised a claw and gently clenched it. The thick, sharp dragon claws collided with each other, producing a crisp "clack, clack" sound.
His wings had now separated from his forelimbs, becoming independent parts. Even though they were newly formed, he could control them freely.
His once slender and elongated body had become more compact, his limbs sturdier and more powerful, especially his broad chest, which exuded a violent beauty.
As he examined his body, Su Nian realized he had become a muscular dragon among dragons.
He had shrunk, but he had grown stronger!
The only two shortcomings were that he still lacked Deathwing's steel-like scales and the molten heart that pierced through his chest. These enhancements would likely come with future modifications.
[Ding! "Explosive Dragon Form" has been solidified. The following enhancements have been achieved in this modification.]
[Overall muscle strength increased by 50%.]
[Bite force increased by 200%.]
[Speed reduced by 10%.]
[Scale defense increased by 30%.]
[Forelimb flexibility increased by 100%.]
"A slight decrease in speed isn't a big deal~ The improvements in other areas are simply outrageous. As expected, Deathwing's body is perfection itself, worthy of being the Dragon of Apocalypse."
Su Nian grinned menacingly after reading the system notification, his dragon mouth opening wide enough to reveal his glowing, emerald-green breath organ.
"Kehehehe..."
Accompanied by his sinister and raspy laughter, the faint light in the cave cast a shadow on the stone walls—a ferocious black dragon standing tall, its wings spread wide.
...
...
"Doggy, why hasn't Mr. Dragon come out yet?"
"Doggy, why are you called Kobolds and not Dragonborn?"
"Doggy, doggy..."
"Ow, by Kurtulmak above, please rest assured, young elf, the master will emerge shortly!"
Bolikri painfully interrupted Anna's questions.
In just the past half hour, this half-elf child had bombarded him with over a hundred questions.
Ninety-eight of them were about the black dragon, while the remaining ones were variations of why kobolds weren't called Dragonborn.
Damn it! They didn't want to be called kobolds either, but what could they do when their voices sounded like that?
Dragonborn would have been so much more majestic!
Anna fell silent, her adorable peach blossom eyes welling up with crystalline tears. Her pitiful gaze turned longingly toward the towering figure behind the kobold.
After a brief pause, she followed her instincts and threw herself into the black dragon's embrace.
Her soft, slender hands wrapped around the now even thicker neck of the dragon. Her delicate, rosy face bore tear stains as she pretended to sob and mutter:
"Heehee~ Mr. Dragon, Anna missed you... The kobold chief just yelled at Anna. He was so fierce... Boohoo..."
Su Nian: "... ? – _ – ?"
Bolikri: ""(o Д o*)!!!"
"No, Master, let me explain... Uh!!"
Bolikri turned around, only to find himself engulfed by the towering shadow of his master. The suffocating pressure made him nearly collapse to his knees.
By Kurtulmak above!
Bolikri's soul trembled. What was he seeing?
A crown of pitch-black dragon horns, sharp demonic curves, a ferocious and broad dragon snout—though smaller in size, the figure before him appeared even more majestic.
Bolikri swore he had never seen such a perfect being, exuding overwhelming oppression and malevolence. It was as if every inch of his skin, every cell, was inscribed with the symphony of destruction and death!
If not for the familiar aura and the faint bloodline connection emanating from the black dragon, Bolikri might have wet himself in fear—assuming he wore pants instead of a ragged cloth.
"Oh, great master... Master, you are so perfect... The brilliance of your eyes outshines the sun and moon. The cruelty of demons pales before your ferocity. Even the ancient hydra would tremble before you. Even the gods... would fall from their thrones!"
Bolikri's lips quivered as he prostrated himself on the ground, his kobold head pressed firmly against the earth. His heart was filled with both fear and exhilaration, though the latter quickly prevailed.
He didn't understand how his master had transformed so drastically in an instant, but one thing was certain: his master had become even more formidable.
A strong master meant stronger followers. Bolikri couldn't articulate his emotions clearly; it felt like he was standing before a majestic dragon emperor. Just a glance made his legs weak, compelling him to bow down in submission.
The surrounding kobolds followed suit, trembling on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.
[Kobold Broken Fang Tribe loyalty +10, current loyalty: 90 (Reverence/Fear)]
However, there was one exception.
Among all the creatures present, only Anna gently leaned against Su Nian's chest. Her large eyes blinked curiously at Su Nian's transformed appearance, her gaze filled with affection and joy, undiminished in the slightest.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Su Nian lowered his head, his ferocious dragon head hovering close to Anna's face. His two massive claws pierced the ground as he bared his sharp, needle-like teeth, growling menacingly to intimidate her.
"Why should I be afraid?"
Anna fearlessly reached out her small hands, embracing Su Nian's fearsome dragon head. She closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. Pressing her forehead against his nasal bone, she smiled sweetly and murmured softly:
"Anna can feel it. No matter how you change, you'll always be Anna's Mr. Dragon."