"ROAARRR...!"
After Danny and Ao Xing used the Fang Memory to transform into the FangJoker form, they let out a sky-shattering roar. The sound alone generated a potent sonic shockwave, manifesting as a violent gale that swept outward.
Harold skidded to a halt. It wasn't that the shockwave physically blocked him, but rather a sudden, inexplicable dread clawing at his heart. It was the sensation of primal, biological suppression—the way an animal feels when it encounters its natural apex predator.
This feeling... what is it? Harold stared at Danny, his mind racing with suspicion and fear.
While Harold stood frozen in a defensive posture, Danny took the initiative and launched an assault. He moved with blinding speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake. In the blink of an eye, he was in Harold's face.
A single punch connected with the armored crest of the Triceratops' head. Harold felt a surge of titanic force; his head throbbed with white-hot pain, and his massive body was sent stumbling backward uncontrollably.
"Damn it!" Harold gritted his teeth against the agony and prepared to counter-attack, but a glance showed that Danny was no longer where he had been a second ago.
Not good! Remembering Danny's current speed, Harold immediately realized the danger and braced himself for an attack from any direction.
Sure enough, Danny appeared directly above him. A fist descended from the heavens like a falling star, striking the Triceratops right on the crown of its skull. The giant beast buckled, its legs giving way as it crashed into the ground.
Danny showed no mercy. Once Harold was down, he unleashed a relentless barrage of combination punches, hitting so fast and hard that Harold began to see stars. Using his sheer bulk, Harold managed to roll away, narrowly breaking the rhythm of Danny's storm-like strikes.
"Curse him... how did he suddenly get this strong?" Harold glared at Danny, who was hunched forward, ready to pounce again at any moment. Harold was now suffering from a headache in both the physical and psychological sense.
Seeing Danny charging again, Harold spat out a series of energy spheres. Mid-flight, the orbs fractured into a dense rain of projectiles, blanketing the area.
Danny didn't flinch. He swiped his hands through the air, and blade-like armor resembling animal claws extended from his gauntlets. With casual ease, he tore the incoming energy rain to shreds.
"I don't believe this!" Harold funneled every ounce of his remaining strength, spitting out a colossal energy ball to blast Danny point-blank.
Danny didn't dodge. Dropping into a predatory crouch, his entire body erupted in a shimmering aura. He charged head-on into the energy ball, which was twice the size of a grown man. The energy surging from Danny's claws condensed into the phantom image of a baring-fanged dragon head, which effortlessly chewed through and nullified Harold's ultimate blast.
"How is this possible...?" Harold muttered, his spirit breaking. He stood dazed for just a fraction of a second.
In that moment of distraction, Danny was already upon him. The wind pressure from Danny's fists was already whipping against Harold's face. Realizing he couldn't dodge, Harold lowered his head and lunged with his horns in a desperate, final gambit.
Facing a horn several times thicker than his own thigh, Danny acted with savage bravado, reaching out and grabbing the horn with his bare hands.
Seeing Danny attempt to stop his momentum head-on, Harold felt a flicker of hope amidst his shock. The giant Triceratops poured all its weight into the charge, hoping to use its superior mass to crush Danny. At first, Danny was indeed pushed back, his feet carving two long, deep trenches into the stone floor.
However, Harold's heart sank as he realized the resistance was growing. Danny's strength was scaling upward at an alarming rate. At this pace, the power dynamic would be completely inverted within seconds.
Yet, Harold couldn't stop. From their brief exchange, it was clear Danny's speed was far superior; if Harold let up and allowed Danny to regain his mobility, defeat was certain.
But soon, Harold reached a point where, no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't move forward another inch. Before he could react, an irresistible, overwhelming force surged from the horn into his head. Suddenly, he felt his feet leave the ground.
The massive Triceratops Dopant was hoisted into the air by Danny. Its huge body thrashed and struggled, but it was useless. Danny held Harold aloft for a moment before hurling him high into the air. He then leaped upward, meeting the falling beast with a devastating Rising Dragon Punch.
A massive dragon-head phantom manifested around Danny, opening its jaws to "bite" the Triceratops. A violent burst of dazzling energy followed. The giant beast exploded in mid-air, and Harold plummeted to the ground. His transformation broke instantly; his Gaia Memory, now shattered and burnt out, fell to the pavement as useless junk.
Danny scanned his surroundings and locked onto the groaning Harold. Sensing imminent danger, Harold scrambled to speak. "I surrender!! I give up!"
Seeing Danny raise a glowing fist again, Harold's voice shook with terror. "What else do you want?!"
Danny's arm trembled violently. After a visible psychological struggle, he slammed his fist into the ground instead. The impact created a crater ten meters wide. Breathing heavily, Danny gasped, "Still can't... control the Fang's power? Ao Xing, I can't hold it much longer!"
"The fact that you maintained a shred of sanity this time is a huge improvement," Ao Xing remarked with genuine praise.
"If I lose control... you have to stop me," Danny choked out.
"I can't make any promises about that," Ao Xing replied, glancing indifferently at Harold.
"Genm! I lost! The game is over! Let me out of here!" Harold screamed toward the sky.
Genm nodded, a cryptic smile on his face. "The game is over. It is indeed time for you to leave. Perfect timing, in fact."
As the words left his lips, the world shifted. Danny and Harold blinked, finding themselves back in the dark alleyway where they had started.
"Genm! This Game Area was your doing after all. What are you plotting this time?"
Immediately upon exiting the Game Area, Danny heard a sharp interrogation. It was Li Hua and Elena, who had just been transported to the scene.
Genm chuckled. "Plotting? I'm simply collecting necessary data to create an even more spectacular game. But you've arrived just in time—I'll leave this troublesome player for you to handle."
"What do you mean...?" Before Li Hua could finish his question, Genm dissolved into pixels and vanished.
Danny, unable to suppress the boiling power within his body, let out a feral roar and lunged at the retreating Harold. Seeing the two-toned monster charging toward an old man with murderous intent, Li Hua didn't have time to think. He immediately stepped forward to intercept Danny's attack.