Daphne turned her head for a moment to the stage. She was in a struggle herself, unable to reach the stage because of Stanley, who had been keeping an eye on her. Since she hadnât seen Chen move the entire time, she thought that he wouldnât move.
She had heard the rumors about how Chen would only take part in a mission if he thought the mission could be a success. If one were to take that even a step further, perhaps he took this philosophy during missions as well.
If Chen believed they couldnât stop Harvor, then maybe he wouldnât enter the ring either. In the end, she was the only one who could unlock Garyâs power. She wasnât sure if it would be enough to defeat Harvor, but by showing it, maybe Chen would join the fight, and thatâs how they had ended up in the situation they were in now.
âThat idiot, if he was going to join in the fight, then he should have joined it a lot earlier,â Daphne said to herself. Maybe then they wouldnât be in this situation. Looking at Stanley for a moment, she then decided to bolt toward the arena.
She ran across fast but quickly jumped back as several ice spikes were shot out in front of her, flowing toward her. They continued to follow her, and she almost stumbled back until Dean came with a swiping motion of his sword.
He hit all of the shards in one hit, stopping the attack completely.
âIt looks like he might have some type of grudge against you,â Dean said.
Daphne was grinding her teeth in anger. She was hoping that maybe with Chen now joining the fight, his attention would be more focused on Chen. Instead, though, Stanley was still focused on her.
âWhat, do you think I would be worried about him?â Stanley said. âHarvor can handle both of them, even if heâs there. The Deputy Chief arriving was a variable I considered; you being here is a variable that I considered as well.â
âWhat I donât like is how desperate you are to get to Gary. That is an unknown variable in my eyes, and unknown variables that arenât consistent with the plan, those are the things that I must stop.â
âARGHHH, this guy is so annoying!â Daphne shouted, wondering if things would have just been different if Chen had joined the fight earlier.
ââ
On the canvas itself, or what was left of the destroyed canvas, were Chen and Gary. Harvor had gathered power in his hands, collecting his strong glowing golden energy and had blasted the beams straight at the two of them.
With nowhere to go, Gary had no choice but to take the beamâs energy attack, and with the result of what had occurred last time, he believed that it could possibly be the end for him, that his Last Stand skill would activate and he would have no choice but to try and finish it off with a final attack.
Yet, Chen had joined the fight. He stood in front of Gary and appeared unfazed even after taking the attack.
As Gary looked at Chen in his Altered form, an array of thoughts entered his head.
âWhite Rose⊠they finally decided to join, but what is he? What type of Altered is he? Scales at the back of his neck, but a shell on the outside. His arms are covered in a shell, but then his hands have scales and are clawed like Harvorâs as well.
âI canât make it out. Is he based on a turtle, or is it a dragon of some kind? Whatever it is, he took Harvorâs attack, and not even my full Werewolf form with a hundred endurance could take something like that.â
Now Gary was starting to realize how important it was to get the help of others in this situation.
âHaha, dead or alive?â Harvor said. âSo the White Rose, after doing nothing for so many years, has decided to act, and whatâs the first thing they do? They team up with one of the other Kings?â
Harvor glanced to his side to see Daphne as well.
âDoes it really take so many people to get together to just bring down one man? Iâm flattered, but itâs truly annoying. Let me tell you, right after Iâm done with you, the White Rose will be my first target.â
âThey are a group that is not good for the world that I envision.â
Chen didnât say anything, as he stayed in his form and stepped to the side so he was next to Gary rather than in front of him. His tail was swaying back and forth.
âDo you think with the two of you you can now win this fight? Do you think I donât know what you are?â Harvor asked.
This had caught a slight reaction out of Chen as he moved his head slightly to the side and then looked back at Harvor.
âYouâre a fake. Youâre not the real thing; youâre a Bixi, arenât you?â
âA Bixi?â Gary repeated, never having heard the term.
âThe Dragons ruled this land once, the most powerful beings in the world,â Harvor explained. âAnd there were those who were under them. Wyverns were one of these, Basilisks as others. Some consider these different forms of Dragons.â
âThey are strong, no doubt. They have some relation, but they are nothing compared to the real thing. As for that over there.â Harvor pointed with his finger. âThat is almost a mutation of a dragon. Something born from a dragon but not becoming one itself.â
âSince I was the only successful experiment of the Altered, I did a lot of research with my partners at NIRVâa Dragon with the power to control water and with a shell, more like a fucking turtle if you ask me,â Harvor claimed. âYou wonât be able to deal with the real thing!â
âGet ready!â Chen said. âThe only chance we win this, is fighting together!â