Ding! Beast Mode: Dark Mane Tyrant has been activated...

Aiden felt a tremendous surge of strength flood through his body, and then the transformation began.

His blond hair grew longer and thicker, darkening as several black stripes appeared throughout it. But that was only the beginning.

His skin started to change as well, gradually shifting from fair white to dark brown before finally settling into a deep obsidian black.

Yet the transformation was far from over.

His arms expanded noticeably, swelling with explosive power. It was almost as though every muscle in his body had been enhanced to an absurd degree. His fingers stretched unnaturally, taking on a silvery metallic sheen.

Then the claws emerged.

What were once ordinary claws rapidly transformed into thick dagger-like talons. They extended further and further until they resembled the deadly weapons of a legendary apex predator.

Even Aiden's face changed.

His features became sharper, darker, and far more dangerous. There was something terrifying about his appearance now, something capable of making even monsters hesitate. Yet despite the monstrous changes, the natural elegance and handsomeness he possessed remained.

Several silvery lines appeared across his body, glowing faintly as they radiated immense pressure and destructive power.

By the time the transformation was complete, the very ground beneath his feet had cracked apart. His surroundings looked as though they had suffered the aftermath of a violent battle despite the fact that he had merely transformed.

Elen, who was standing a considerable distance away, still felt the shockwave of power slam into her body.

Her breath caught instantly.

If she had not known that this terrifying creature was the same blond youth from moments ago, she might have frozen in absolute terror.

Even so, her heart trembled.

The aura Aiden was giving off made her feel an instinctive sense of danger.

She could tell that he had become significantly stronger in this form.

But even then...

Wasn't this still too much?

Her eyes shifted toward the approaching horde of ashen monsters.

There were simply too many of them.

Could he really survive?

She honestly doubted it.

Yet she desperately hoped he could.

Because if Aiden died, she would die as well.

And that would only be the beginning.

If the portal broke, these monsters would flood into the real world. The devastation that followed would be unimaginable.

For the sake of the countless innocent civilians waiting outside the portal, she silently prayed that the blond youth would somehow succeed.

Aiden, however, was nowhere near as anxious as she was.

No.

That wasn't correct.

He wasn't anxious at all.

In fact, he was smiling.

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at the incoming monster horde.

If anything, he had been itching for another opportunity to use this form.

It had been quite some time since he had acquired it.

Dark Mane Tyrant possessed certain similarities to Dark Essence Mode, but the two were fundamentally different.

The loss of Dark Essence Mode had hurt him greatly.

Still, Dawn Overflow and the other transformations he had gained afterward were equally valuable.

And after obtaining Dark Mane Tyrant, he no longer felt the loss of Dark Essence Mode as strongly.

After all...

This form was simply better.

In fact, among all of his Bestial Transformation Modes, Aiden ranked Dark Mane Tyrant among his top seven.

That alone showed just how highly he valued it.

And more importantly...

It showed exactly how terrifying this form truly was.

One of the charging ashen monsters reached him within moments.

With a furious roar, it swung its massive club downward with enough force to shatter the earth.

The creature only saw a flash.

A streak of dark silver light swept past.

The next moment—

Its body exploded into dozens of pieces.

It had been diced apart so cleanly that it looked as though an invisible blade had passed through it.

The other ashen monsters instantly halted.

For the first time since their arrival, hesitation appeared in their eyes.

Aiden glanced at the long silver claws extending from his fingers and smiled.

Just as he expected.

The monsters' incredible defenses were meaningless before his claws.

After all, these claws possessed cutting power comparable to the weapons of high S-Rank heroes.

A creature at this level had no chance of resisting them.

Now that their greatest advantage had become irrelevant...

The real battle could begin.

A small smile appeared on Aiden's face.

He lowered his body slightly.

His five silver claws spread apart.

Black blood dripped slowly from their razor-sharp tips.

Aiden chuckled to himself.

"I really should steal one of Ronan's quotes this time," he thought with amusement.

Eventually, he would come up with his own catchphrase for slaughter.

But for now...

This would do.

A savage grin spread across his transformed face.

Predatory.

Terrifying.

Excited.

He stared directly at the approaching horde before speaking two simple words.

"Let's roll."

---------------------

AUTHOR'S NOTE

That's the chapter, everyone!

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review, it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more chapters for you all.

Your support means everything, so let me know what you think:

✨ Who's your favorite character so far?

✨ What do you think will happen next?

✨ Any wild theories? I love reading them!

Stay tuned, the next chapter is coming soon.

– Ultra

AUTHOR'S NOTE

That's the chapter, everyone!

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review, it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more chapters for you all.

Your support means everything, so let me know what you think:

✨ Who's your favorite character so far?

✨ What do you think will happen next?

✨ Any wild theories? I love reading them!

Stay tuned, the next chapter is coming soon.

– Ultra

AUTHOR'S NOTE

That's the chapter, everyone!

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review, it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more chapters for you all.

Your support means everything, so let me know what you think:

✨ Who's your favorite character so far?

✨ What do you think will happen next?

✨ Any wild theories? I love reading them!

Stay tuned, the next chapter is coming soon.

– Ultra