Iguro had endured brutal torture, his face a mask of calmness, concealing the turmoil within. But inwardly, he was overjoyed, thanks to four persons: Dark, Haven, Luck, and Lucid. Their presence ignited a spark of hope in the darkness, guiding him through his current conundrum.
"Stop grinning," Dark snorted, his voice laced with amusement, "Your saviors have arrived, young one." Haven had added, his expression serene, "You all have been here, haven't you?" Iguro had glared, his eyes flashing with anger, causing most to look away. Only Luck had seemed genuinely confused.
Lucid had revealed he had arrived during Iguro's battle with Kuroma, the Bloody Ape Gang's ruthless leader. Haven had chuckled, a hint of mirth in his voice, "We've been here since your ape fiasco." Dark had grinned, his eyes glinting with amusement, but Iguro had sighed, aware he couldn't rely on them too much.
"So how are the Astral Bodies going?" Dark asked about their Astral Bodies, a topic of great interest to the group. Luck proudly announced he had begun cultivating a new body, stunning the others with his rapid progress. Iguro, initially oblivious, had gasped after Lucid transferred knowledge to him.
Astral Bodies were advanced forms of Astral Projection, allowing entities to appear elsewhere. They required cultivating soul energy from scratch and a baptism to bring life to the body. This process, Divine Vesseling, had granted the vessel a ruse of autonomy but actually had no control over its body.
Iguro had recalled the entities before him were monsters, their power and strength awe-inspiring. He felt less depressed, his spirits lifted by their presence. He grinned, thinking of the Great Tribulation, a trial by fire that would temper his resolve. While a Great Tribulation wasn't too important, Iguro was sure his would kick up waves far more than he would anticipate.
"Ugh. Seems like this one is done already." Kuroma had lost interest in Iguro's resilience and punched him with Bestial Qi, causing a ferocious energy that ravaged his body. Iguro's body had sprouted scales, a defense mechanism triggered by his dragon blood. However, this lay hidden underneath his bloodied appearance.
As Kuroma left, Amane, a new Bloody Ape recruit, Amane, entered. Witnessing Iguro's transformation into a human-dragon hybrid, Amane froze in horror. His mind reeled, struggling to comprehend the impossible.
Iguro groaned as his body began to shift, his muscles contorting and reforming. Bones crackled and popped, rearranging themselves with a sickening crunch. His skin itched and burned, scales bursting forth like molten lava. Slowly, his vision gradually cleared, his eyes burning with a fiery intensity. His pupils elongated, turning vertical as his irises shimmered into a piercing gold luster.
Claws emerged from his fingertips, sharp and curved. His teeth sharpened, pointing slightly. His mouth stretched, jawline shifting to accommodate the growing teeth.
His spine lengthened, a tail bursting forth from his lower back. Shoulders broadening, muscles bulging, wings began to unfold. The sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh filled the air. With a rapidly pounding heart, pumping dragonblood through his veins, his mind expanded, thoughts clarifying. An odd pulse flew from his forehead, heading into the ground.
Feeling his body temperature rise, sweat dripped from his pores as his scales simmered and hardened. With a roar, a loud rumble echoed through the air. The transformation accelerated, his body reshaping itself with alarming speed. His wingspan grew, membranes thinning and strengthening.
He stood taller, strength and power coursing through his veins. His human human features quickly faded, replaced by majestic dragon physiology. As the transformation reached its climax, he unleashed another deafening roar, announcing his first rebirth as a human-dragon hybrid.
This was the result of merging with Little Dragon.
As the transformation completed, Iguro's senses expanded. He felt the world's energy coursing through his veins. His dragon blood raged, fueling his growth.
A Bloody Ape grunt had spotted the darkening sky and exclaimed, "Isn't that a World Tribulation?!"
Another grunt suddenly shuddered, "Is a person breaking through to True Cultivation?! Why is it so strong?" Thunder loudly boomed as dark clouds engulfed A five kilometer zone. A whirlpool of blue energy coalesced rapidly, and a beam of blue World Energy descended, destroying everything within a kilometer. Iguro withstood the energy stream, absorbing as much as possible.
Furthermore, Amane hid within his wings, extremely frightened.
His meridians swelled, his body adapting to the influx of power. His dragon blood raged, fueling his transformation. The world around him trembled, sensing the birth of a new powerhouse.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kaito escaped his cell, navigating toward Iguro. His form faintly resembled a sword, and anyone in his way was cut down, their bodies left broken and battered.
"I wouldn't ravage about if I were you."
As Iguro spotted his teacher held menacingly by Kuroma, his eyes turned bloodshot. Luck warned, "You can't escape a Tribulation!" Lucid revealed the "teacher" was an imposter, a clever ruse to manipulate Iguro.
"Bastards!" Iguro spat,his voice hoarse. A lump suddenly began to accumulate in his throat, and he communicated with Luck, who shot forward first.
Luck intervened the two, revealing their identities.
"Oh? An inmate ability that allows you to transform? You must be the top dog." He grinned as he shot at the first lieutenant.
"What the hell are you?!" A bit frightened, the lieutenant suddenly bulked up in size and shot a scarlet fist at him.
With a wave, cosmic energy spread out, instantly nullifying the attack. He suddenly turned to a dark blue beam shattering space visibly as he shot through the imposters.
Furthermore, Iguro spat out flames in a fit of anger, engulfing the area. A bit later, Luck reappeared in Iguro's mind, exhausted but triumphant. His presence faded as he disappeared back into his realm.