"So... will I eventually become like him?"
Sun Haoran looked at the Half-blood in front of him, who in appearance was now no different from a monster, and could not help but think of himself.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist. The surging sense of power made him feel a slight twinge of fear; this was definitely not a power that humans should possess.
Although he did not grow ugly scales all over his body like the out-of-control Half-blood before him, someone with this kind of power could entirely be called a monster.
"Hopeless?"
The scaly Half-blood sneered as he looked at the person with bright, scarlet-gold pupils. "Aren't you just like me? Possessing such formidable power, how much better off can you be?
Why? Why won't you yield to this power? Why won't you accept the call of your bloodline? We are supreme and noble existences; why associate with humans? Humans are lowly and despicable existences—what is wrong with becoming our playthings? If it's you... you should be able to understand me, right?"
A trace of pleading showed in the man's eyes, verging on madness like the mutterings of a dream.
He kept babbling incomprehensible things to Sun Haoran, as if trying to persuade his kindling-eyed peer before him.
"Sigh..."
Hearing these words, Sun Haoran let out a sigh and then clenched his fists.
For some reason, the fear of his own power that he had felt moments ago was now replaced entirely by anger.
"No, I am not the same as you."
Suddenly acquiring such formidable power had indeed made him feel somewhat at a loss, but he knew very well that his mental state was completely normal.
He was still his former self, knowing what he wanted, what he ought to do, and the difference between right and wrong, good and evil.
As a human being, weren't these things enough?
Even if he felt fear toward the future, he would still never stop moving forward.
This was—humanity.
"You kill simply for the sake of killing; you're nothing more than a puppet controlled by your desires. Is being led around by the nose by desire and power something to be proud of? Don't even try to put me—in the same category as you!"
"!? "
Under the man's astonished gaze, Sun Haoran's figure vanished from where he stood.
The next moment, the man's field of vision was abruptly yanked back right in front of him.
Sun Haoran had already arrived before him, his body leaning forward slightly into a punch.
Whether it was the Outsiders of Naderong or the suddenly emerging Half-bloods, neither could be allowed to be known by ordinary people. The sound of police sirens was growing closer; he could no longer stay here.
Therefore, he intended to end this quickly!
He did not know just how formidable his present strength actually was, but judging purely from the leaping power he had just displayed, it had likely reached a terrifying extreme.
The changes in his own body were truly bizarre; he had to learn to control this power, and to do that, he first needed to figure out just how strong he was!
And the best way to experiment was to give the fellow in front of him a solid, serious punch.
There was nothing to hesitate about; dealing with "trash" was something he often did.
The angle was correct, and the target was confirmed.
Sun Haoran looked up at the figure before him who had completely failed to react. He had already found the perfect angle; his fist, the enemy, and the sky visible through the only open space above the alley formed a single straight line.
Then, a tearing sound echoed through the air—the sonic boom produced by his fist frictioning against the air.
"Pfft—"
Splattering blood stained the walls on both sides, and a crimson rain began to fall in the alley.
The only thing proving that the Half-blood had ever existed was a shattered scale pinned deep into the wall by the sheer force of the impact.
"This... this is..."
Sun Haoran stood bathed in the bloody rain, staring blankly at his blood-soaked fist.
Although he had been mentally prepared and had imagined many scenarios of his fist hitting a target, it seemed he had still underestimated himself.
At that moment, Sun Haoran understood the power he possessed—this was a power that must never be used against comrades.
Possessing power was certainly a good thing, but if this power could not be controlled, it would turn into a disaster.
If he didn't want to hurt his friends or family, he must never use it carelessly until he learned to control this strength.
"Drip..."
Blood continuously dripped onto the ground, the uncoagulated liquid faintly reflecting his golden eyes.
The distorted figure mirrored in the puddle of blood looked like both an angel and a demon.
He vaguely caught sight of his current appearance. Perhaps the ordinary human body could not withstand such terrifying power, causing his form to transform the very instant he threw the punch.
He raised his arms to examine the changes in his body. The surface of his skin was not covered in the dragon scales that grew after an ordinary Half-blood's bloodline went berserk; instead, it was encased in a layer of eerie, pitch-black crystal, which was slowly receding now that he was no longer exerting force.
Though he could not see his full appearance at the moment, no matter what, he felt that he must look like a monster right now.
The surrounding crimson made him feel as if he had been transported back to ten years ago when he first arrived in this world. He even remembered how full of ambition he had been back then, like an idiot promising someone that he would grow as strong as her.
And at this moment, he seemed to have stepped into a higher place in a bizarre fashion—so high that his former self could never reach it, nor even imagine it.
"Has the premonition come true already? I probably understand why they only gave me this kind of power now..."
Leaping lightly onto a high vantage point where no one could see him, Sun Haoran looked down upon the entire world.
From the brilliantly lit human realm came waves of noise and clamor. The beauty and kindness of mortal life, the filth and sin deep within the darkness—everything was omnipresent.
His superhuman vision and hearing made it feel as though the entire world lay right before his eyes.
God said, Let there be light—and from then on, light and darkness stood strictly apart.
They were vastly different, yet separated by only a hair's breadth.
For the first time in his life, he felt that he could be a savior, though... perhaps he could also be a destroyer.
If the price of power was turning into a monster, and if he had been bestowed with such strength the moment he first arrived in this world, his mindset back then would likely have made it impossible for him to continue living a normal life.
If such power were easily discovered, and people saw the bizarre and terrifying form he took when using it, he would undoubtedly be regarded as a monster.
And the mere existence of a monster was a mistake; people would go to any lengths to wipe him out.
Even against his will, he would have been pushed down the path of a "destroyer."
But things were different now.
Ten years of settling had given him the ability to calmly judge everything. Just like now, when he saw his own monstrous self, he was able to accept it calmly.
Only those who had experienced weakness knew the true value of power and how to use it correctly.
At that moment, Sun Haoran believed this with absolute conviction.