Lo Quen quickly formed a theory.
The reason it had plunged into the sea just now was most likely to draw on the blood Magic within the water to repair its barrier and stabilize its form.
Maintaining such a powerful state clearly required an enormous and constant supply of energy.
And that energy came from the ocean itself, steeped in the blood of all Oldtown and saturated with Magic.
The black stone it had swallowed earlier had only served as the catalyst and initial spark for its transformation. It hadn't fully unlocked its power. To keep functioning, it still needed a steady source of fuel.
That was why it was so fixated on this stretch of sea. The moment it was injured or its energy dipped too low, it had to return to the water immediately.
That was the weakness behind its seemingly immortal nature. It couldn't sustain prolonged, high-intensity combat away from the Bleeding Sea.
A flash of insight crossed Lo Quen's massive dragon eyes.
Once the root of the problem was clear, the solution followed naturally.
Watching Cthulhu Euron charge at him again, Lo Quen rapidly devised a plan that made use of the terrain.
He stopped trying to overpower it head-on and shifted to a mobile, attritional approach.
Relying on his overwhelming speed and aerial advantage, he dodged its lunges while harassing it from afar with Dragonfire, deliberately provoking it and slowly drawing the fight toward the High Tower.
Cthulhu Euron took the bait.
It roared as if victory were already within reach and pursued relentlessly, its attacks growing ever more savage.
Lo Quen appeared to struggle as he defended himself, all the while subtly steering the battle toward the base of the High Tower.
That was where the Hightower's Blackstone Fortress stood.
As they neared an area cluttered with collapsed buildings and the tower's base, Lo Quen suddenly exploded into motion.
He spun around sharply, no longer retreating, and instead charged straight at Cthulhu Euron at even greater speed. The flames of [Blazing Inferno] flared to their limit as he smashed headlong into the pursuing monster.
Cthulhu Euron never expected the sudden counterattack and was caught completely off guard.
BOOM!!!
The tremendous impact sent it flying backward, slamming hard into the base of the High Tower.
Even the solid stone structure buckled, a massive section caving inward.
The High Tower shuddered, its structure cracking and teetering on the brink of collapse.
Lo Quen pressed the advantage without pause, bringing his massive dragon claws crashing down and snapping the tower's body apart.
Stone shattered and cascaded downward as the broken tower collapsed onto Cthulhu Euron. The enormous stone pillar pinned down its chest, locking the monster in place.
Golden Dragon Lo Quen immediately followed, pressing his full weight down atop the shattered tower, holding it firmly so it couldn't move.
Lowering his dragon head, Lo Quen unleashed a continuous stream of blazing golden Dragonfire directly onto its face and chest at point-blank range.
"AAAGHHH!!!"
Cthulhu Euron shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly as its claws tore deep gouges into Lo Quen's body.
But under such relentless, close-range incineration, the blood-red barrier flickered violently, growing thinner and thinner.
Cthulhu Euron felt the danger and the rapid drain of its Magic. It struggled even more frantically, desperate to break free and rush back into the sea.
Lo Quen held it down with all his strength. His dragon wings beat furiously, generating crushing downward force, while he spat Dragonfire onto the surrounding burning ruins, igniting more debris and turning the area into an even larger inferno, further cutting off any chance of escape.
Cthulhu Euron grew increasingly unhinged.
It could feel the Magic within its body draining away at an alarming rate. The crimson barrier protecting it had thinned to something like a cicada's wing, ready to shatter at any moment.
Something resembling fear flickered across its twisted face as its struggles grew more violent.
But Lo Quen, even as he took injuries, refused to loosen his grip.
He knew this was the decisive moment.
Crack!
Under the combined assault of relentless golden Dragonfire and Lo Quen's overwhelming pressure, the stubborn blood-red barrier finally shattered completely.
With its protection gone, the blazing golden Dragonfire poured directly onto Cthulhu Euron's true body.
"Aaaooo—!!!"
A scream so shrill it defied description tore through the air.
Its skin and muscles rapidly carbonized and broke apart under the Dragonfire.
It launched a final, dying frenzy.
Tentacles, claws, even the malformed flesh-wings flailed wildly at Lo Quen, carving more wounds into his golden scales.
But Lo Quen ignored it all. He pinned the monster down with brutal force, pouring every last ounce of strength into his Dragonfire.
He knew it was finished.
With its Magic completely exhausted, Cthulhu Euron could no longer regenerate quickly, nor could it form another barrier.
Its struggles weakened, its screams grew thinner and more desperate, until they faded into feeble, dying whimpers.
The colossal body gradually burned into charcoal beneath the blazing golden flames, leaving behind only a scorched outline of bone as proof it had ever existed.
Lo Quen finally released his claws, breathing heavily as his molten-gold dragon eyes cautiously swept over the ashes.
Only after confirming there was no trace of life left did he finally let out a breath.
His massive golden dragon body was crisscrossed with deep claw marks and dented from violent impacts. Many of his golden scales were shattered, leaving him looking battered and worn.
But in the end, he had won.
His gaze shifted to the black stone lying amid the ashes. The violent surge of Magic it once radiated was gone.
At the same time, the blood-red pillar of light atop the High Tower slowly dissipated, and the sky returned to its original color.
Only Oldtown remained. Silent. Empty. A city sacrificed to blood.
Then, from the scorched remains, a massive orb of Dragon's Soul slowly rose and flowed into Lo Quen's body.
[Dragon's Soul +100,000]
One hundred thousand Dragon's Souls!
Lo Quen's heart jolted. Even though he had anticipated a large gain, the number still stunned him.
It seemed that the Cthulhu-transformed Euron was considered far superior by the system compared to those Valyria blood-magic abominations stitched together in the past.
Immediately afterward, a powerful surge erupted from the deepest core of his body.
Under the wash of that immense energy, he clearly felt his body undergoing a drastic transformation.
First came his already massive frame, which began to grow again at a visible pace.
Bones lengthened. Muscles swelled. Scales multiplied.
His original length of three hundred and thirty feet skyrocketed, breaking past four hundred feet with ease and continuing to grow until it finally stabilized at just over four hundred and ten feet.
The shadow cast by his towering body covered nearly half of Battle Island, like a mountain of gold.
His strength, defenses, and control over Dragonfire all rose to an entirely new level.
Yet the greatest change was not his size.
As he adjusted to his newfound power, a strange itching sensation suddenly spread across his front abdomen, just below his neck. It felt as though something beneath his skin and muscle was stirring, struggling to break free.
Lo Quen's heart leapt. He realized what it meant.
Unprecedented anticipation flared in his enormous dragon eyes.
He lowered his head to look at his own body. Beneath the golden scales, the skin bulged slightly as bones and muscle reshaped themselves at an astonishing speed.
A faint tearing sound followed as two sections of tough skin and scales split from the inside.
Two thick limbs, covered in newly formed, tender golden scales, slowly emerged from his front abdomen.
True dragon forelimbs.
Their structure resembled his hind legs but was more refined and flexible, ending in sharp dragon claws that gleamed coldly.
As the forelimbs fully extended and settled into place, the itching sensation vanished, replaced by a powerful sense of harmony, as though his body had finally become whole.
A Quadrupedal Dragon.
Lo Quen could no longer restrain his joy. He beat his wings and released a triumphant dragon roar that shook the heavens and the earth.
Before this, no matter how strong he was, his two legs and wings had always made him feel like an enormous flying lizard.
Powerful, yes. But incomplete. Unworthy of the title "True Dragon."
Now, with four legs, his form had finally approached perfection.
Not only did his appearance become more imposing, but his combat ability had surged dramatically.
Four legs gave him unparalleled stability and grip, making him deadlier on the ground and far more agile when climbing or maneuvering.
The additional claws were lethal weapons, allowing him to seize and tear apart enemies with ease.
Even the balance and coordination of his strength had reached a new peak.
He glanced at the newly added passive skill on the system panel.
[True Dragon's Body: Become a Quadrupedal Dragon, greatly enhancing physical strength, speed, and recovery. Naturally intimidates low-level dragonkin and magical creatures. This is a growth-type skill that strengthens as bloodline purity increases.]
So that was it.
When his bloodline purity surpassed 20%, he gained [Dragonbond Lineage]. Now, passing 40%, he had obtained [True Dragon's Body].
His guess had been right all along.
Every increase of 20% in bloodline purity granted a new skill.
Lo Quen excitedly flexed his forelimbs, his sharp claws opening and closing with piercing sounds as they tore through the air.
He lowered all four legs and stood firmly on the ravaged ground of Battle Island, excitement surging through him.
Just then, Blooddancer flew over.
Before the golden dragon Lo Quen, Blooddancer's hundred-foot body looked like that of a hatchling. Seeing its master's newly grown forelimbs and the overwhelming authority he radiated, it instinctively prostrated itself on the ground, submissive and cautious.
Lo Quen looked at Blooddancer's even more obedient posture and felt deeply satisfied.
He let out a dragon roar that churned the sea and shook the land, then turned his gaze toward the silent Oldtown before shifting back into human form.