Haruto's fingers moved in a blur, forming an ancient seal.
Golden Mana surged behind him, condensing into a colossal phantom. It was the figure of a Supreme Emperor, sitting on a throne that towered between Heaven and Earth, ruling over all living things.
[Grand Seal of the Human King].
"That's the Ryuzaki Clan's Emperor-Tier Art!" an old man exclaimed. "He mastered it at age ten?!"
The Human King Seal wasn't just a technique; it was a manifestation of the user's dominance. Only a true ruler could unleash its full power.
BOOM!
The Emperor Phantom slammed its palm against the roaring Azure Dragon phantom from Haotian's fist.
The collision was like two stars crashing. The void fractured. A shockwave ripple spread out, threatening to obliterate the weaker guests.
"Barrier!"
Ryuzaki Kenshin raised his hand. An invisible wall of Saint-level energy encased the battlefield, isolating the destructive force.
"Cough..."
Inside the barrier, a figure staggered backward.
Ryuu Haotian clutched his regenerated arm. His face was twisted in pain. His scales were cracked, and dragon blood seeped from his pores.
"Your strength..." Haotian gasped, his golden eyes wide with disbelief. "Why? Why can't I crush you?!"
He had used the Dragon Pearl. He had used the Ancestral Art. Yet, Haruto stood there, hands behind his back, looking like a deity who had just swatted a fly.
"So handsome!" Minamoto Ruri squealed, her eyes turning into hearts. "Brother Haruto is a god!"
Even the princesses of other clans were blushing. Haruto's invincible aura was simply too intoxicating.
The Forbidden Breakthrough
Haotian looked at the admiring gazes directed at Haruto. The humiliation burned him alive.
He had come to stomp on the Ryuzaki Clan. Instead, he had become a stepping stone for their Divine Son's glory.
"No..." Haotian's eyes turned bloodshot. "I cannot lose. I am the Dragon Prince!"
ROAR!
A terrifying, chaotic energy erupted from his body.
The Dragon Pearl in his chest spun wildly. He began to forcibly burn his own potential.
CRACK.
A barrier inside him shattered.
Divine Bridge Realm!
He built a bridge of spiritual energy connecting his Dantian to his Divine Palace. His aura skyrocketed, suppressing everyone in the True Spirit Realm.
"He broke through?!" Ryuzaki Kenji gasped.
"He ruined his foundation to do it," Ryuzaki Yukino noted coldly. "He was so desperate to win that he sacrificed his future."
Haotian didn't care. He felt power coursing through his veins.
"Jun Xiaoyao!" Haotian roared, his voice distorted by dragon rage. "You forced me to do this! Now, die!"
[Forbidden Art: True Dragon Heaven-Trapping Technique]!
This was a derivation of the True Dragon God Art, the supreme technique of the Ancestral Dragon Nest.
A massive, corporeal dragon manifested around Haotian. It wasn't just energy anymore; it looked real. Its scales were razor-sharp, its claws capable of tearing the sky.
The pressure was suffocating. Even the Elders felt a chill.
"This is bad," Kenshin muttered, his hand tightening on his cane. "Haruto is only at the True Spirit Realm. The gap is too big."
"Brother Haruto!" Ruri cried out in fear.
The massive dragon roared and dived at Haruto, its maw wide enough to swallow the entire hall.
"Die!" Haotian screamed.
Haruto looked up at the descending dragon. The wind whipped his hair, but his expression remained calm.
"Interesting," Haruto said softly.
He prepared to activate the Sacred Body Phenomenon.
Ding!
A mechanical voice rang in his mind.
[System Notification: You have arrived at the Tenth Birthday Banquet.] [Do you wish to Sign In?]
Haruto's eyes lit up.
"Better late than never," he smirked. "Sign In."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host!] [You have obtained a Seven-Star Reward:] [The Supreme Bone (Supreme Being's Bone)!]
THUMP.
A heartbeat echoed. Not from Haruto's heart, but from his chest bone.
A blinding, divine light erupted from Haruto's sternum.
Runes older than time began to glow beneath his skin. A terrifying, ancient aura awakened—an aura that made the Heavens tremble and the True Dragon bow.