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Jack and the others rushed toward the captain's cabin at full speed, boots pounding against the metal floor. The moment they reached the deck entrance, every single person froze in place.
Their eyes widened.
Their breathing stalled.
Standing on the vast deck was a monster so large that it seemed to merge with the night sky itself.
Its body resembled a colossal dinosaur forged from death. Thick, black, iron-like scales covered it from head to tail, each plate overlapping like ancient armor. The surface of its skin reflected dim light, cold and lifeless, as if forged in a furnace long ago and never allowed to cool properly. A pair of enormous black wings rested half-folded behind it, the leathery membranes torn in several places yet still radiating overwhelming power. Each subtle movement caused violent air currents to ripple across the deck.
Its claws were long, jagged, and curved like executioner's blades, sinking deep into the metal floor with a sharp screeching sound. Even standing still, it exuded an aura of absolute oppression, as though the surrounding space had been claimed by it alone.
The smell of scorched metal and rot lingered heavily in the air.
"This…" K-Mart swallowed hard, her voice trembling despite herself. "What is that thing?"
Chris tightened his grip on his weapon, instinctively shifting into a combat stance. His soldier's instincts screamed danger. "I've never seen anything like this before. But there's no doubt—this is a mutation. Something far beyond ordinary infected."
Wu Yang's expression, however, was different.
Instead of fear, his eyes burned with excitement.
"A Corpse Dragon," he said calmly, almost casually.
Claire turned toward him sharply. "Corpse Dragon? How do you know that?"
Jack folded his arms, gaze locked onto the massive silhouette. "That's its classification. Judging by its posture and breathing pattern, it's not hunting. It's resting. Probably chose this place as a temporary stop."
White Queen stepped forward, her small face serious and focused. Data streams flickered faintly behind her eyes as she analyzed the scene. "Probability calculations indicate an eighty percent chance that it is merely resting. No signs of territorial aggression detected. As long as we do not provoke it, survival probability remains high."
K-Mart finally exhaled, her tense shoulders sagging slightly. "That's good… then we shouldn't go out. Let's just wait. If it leaves on its own, we're safe."
Jack let out a soft laugh, one that carried unmistakable danger. "As a man, how could I tolerate livestock standing above my head like this?"
Alice's expression changed instantly. "Don't kill it."
Claire and K-Mart echoed her reaction without hesitation. The memory of Las Vegas still haunted them—the towering mutated Crow King, the rivers of blood, the sheer helplessness in the face of absolute destruction.
"Kill it?" Luther scoffed, disbelief clear on his face. "With what? That thing's the size of a building."
K-Mart looked at Wu Yang with open admiration. "He's done it before. He killed a mutated crow over sixty meters tall."
Chris frowned deeply. "Sixty meters? That's impossible. You're exaggerating."
"I'm not!" K-Mart snapped back angrily. "And don't call me 'little miss'."
Claire stepped forward, her tone firm. "Brother, it's true."
Alice nodded once. "I can confirm it."
Chris and Luther exchanged a glance, then slowly turned back to Wu Yang. Their disbelief wavered, replaced by shock.
"Even if he's strong," Luther muttered, "that doesn't mean he can fight something like this."
"He can," Alice replied quietly. "Because he's just as monstrous."
"What do you mean by that?" Chris asked.
Jack finally moved. "You handle the survivors inside the ship. Release them. This Corpse Dragon—leave it to me."
Before anyone could respond, Jack stepped forward and rose effortlessly into the air. He hovered above the deck, the wind whipping his clothes violently as he stared straight at the Corpse Dragon.
Alice clenched her fist unconsciously. That idiot…
Claire glanced at her. "Isn't this what you wanted? Him fighting something that might kill him?"
Alice shot back sharply, "And isn't this what you should want? After everything he did to you—after lying to you, manipulating you?"
Claire smiled faintly. "No. I want him to live."
Alice froze.
That smile—gentle, sincere, and unmistakably warm—stabbed deep into her chest. Her fingers tightened, nails biting into her palm as emotions she refused to acknowledge surged violently.
"ROAR—!"
A deafening roar tore through the air.
The shockwave slammed into everyone like a physical force. Claire and K-Mart clutched their ears, pain exploding through their skulls as if invisible chains had tightened around their heads.
The Corpse Dragon's massive blood-red eyes locked onto Jack in the sky.
A human.
A human daring to challenge it.
"Stupid lizard," Jack shouted. "I was letting you nap."
His pupils shifted.
The air itself twisted violently.
A massive invisible current surged forward.
The Corpse Dragon roared in rage, flapping its enormous wings and shooting into the sky, narrowly dodging the attack. The wind it generated slammed into the deck, tearing loose debris.
Its jaws snapped open.
A blazing fireball erupted.
"Fire?" Jack laughed. "Good. I like fire."
His body blurred and vanished.
The fireball slammed into empty air, detonating violently.
"Over here," Jack taunted, waving mockingly as he streaked away at extreme speed.
The Corpse Dragon roared and gave chase, wings beating like thunder as it pursued the tiny figure that dared provoke it.
Jack deliberately led it farther and farther away from the ship.
Too many people there, he thought. Too many variables.
If Alice and Claire weren't present, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy everything. But now, restraint was necessary.
Once the Arcadia was no longer visible, Jack stopped abruptly in mid-air.
"ROAR—!"
Another massive fireball surged toward him.
This time, Jack didn't dodge.
His eyes widened.
A pulsing force erupted outward.
BOOM!
The fireball collided with the invisible shockwave and exploded violently. Flames scattered in all directions, plunging into the sea below. Steam hissed as the water boiled.
The recoil rocked Jack's body slightly.
"Interesting," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "You're tougher than you look."
The Corpse Dragon roared again, enraged beyond reason.
Its wings flapped violently, unleashing a devastating gale.
Jack sneered. "Your wind is nothing compared to the Crow King."
He vanished.
The next instant, Jack reappeared directly in front of the Corpse Dragon, smashing into it at terrifying speed.
BOOM!
The impact echoed like thunder. The Corpse Dragon's massive body shuddered violently as it let out a roar of pain.
Enraged beyond control, flames erupted across its body, blazing outward in violent waves. The surrounding air warped under the intense heat.
The battle had truly begun.
And far away, aboard the Arcadia, everyone watched in silence—aware that they were witnessing a clash between monsters, not man and beast.