The moment the words left Alexandra's mouth, the silent figure behind them exploded into motion.
Elektra Natchios moved like a cheetah unleashed, her body cutting through the air with lethal precision. The steel sai in her hand flashed forward, aimed directly at Rex Viper's throat with ruthless intent.
But the man she was attacking was no longer the same opponent she had once cornered in that underground parking lot.
The instant the blade reached striking distance, Rex's hand snapped up. His fingers closed around the weapon with terrifying speed, halting it mid-thrust as if it had hit an invisible wall. The force didn't just stop—it reversed. A violent surge traveled through the sai and into Elektra's body, yanking her forward against her will.
Before she could recover, Rex's other hand came down sharply against the back of her head. The strike was clean, controlled, and devastating. Her body went limp immediately, collapsing into unconsciousness before she even hit the ground.
He didn't spare her another glance. Instead, he turned casually toward Nine Spiders, his tone shifting into something businesslike.
"You know how the Hand controls people, right? Their brainwashing techniques."
Nine Spiders gave a small nod. "I do."
"Good."
Rex grabbed Elektra by the collar and tossed her over without ceremony. "She's yours now. From this moment on, she answers to you. The two of you will help me take control of the Hand."
"Yes," Nine Spiders replied without hesitation.
The casual way he reassigned one of the Hand's deadliest assassins made the tension in the room spike instantly.
Murakami stepped forward, his expression darkening. His voice came out in steady, fluent English, though the irritation beneath it was obvious. "You're underestimating us."
Rex glanced at him lazily, as if he were looking at something already dead. "I've killed you once. What makes you think you're worth paying attention to now?"
For a second, silence hung heavy.
Then Murakami laughed.
It wasn't anger. It wasn't madness. It was something closer to excitement.
"If we were outside, you might have a point," he said, stepping toward the dragon skeleton. "But here? This is different."
He extended his hand toward the massive remains, his voice rising with growing intensity. "I trained in K'un-Lun for thirty years. I didn't just learn martial arts—I learned how to control dragon energy. In this world, no one understands it better than we do… except the Iron Fist."
His fingers curled slightly as his power surged.
"These dragon bones contain an unimaginable amount of energy. Even if I can control just one percent of it, it will be enough to kill you."
A faint golden glow began to emerge from the skeleton. It twisted slowly through the air, drawn toward Murakami like iron filings to a magnet.
But it wasn't smooth.
The energy resisted.
Sweat formed on his forehead as he struggled to maintain control, his face tightening with effort.
Rex watched the entire process with a bored expression. After a moment, he let out a small yawn.
"So when you say 'control,'" he said casually, "you mean like this?"
He lifted his hand.
In an instant, his entire arm turned a deep, molten red, as if forged from heated steel. The air around him shimmered with heat and pressure.
The golden energy that Murakami had struggled so desperately to pull… snapped free.
It surged across the space like a river breaking its banks and poured directly into Rex's body without resistance.
Murakami froze.
The other four stared in stunned silence.
"That's impossible…"
"He's… the Iron Fist?"
"No. That can't be. The Iron Fist is still in K'un-Lun."
"Then what is he?"
Alexandra's composure shattered. Her voice came out sharp, almost desperate. "Who are you?"
Rex tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. "Call me whatever you want. Punisher. Devil Face. Iron Man. Thor. I'm going to have a lot more names before I'm done."
His eyes hardened.
"But right now… you can just call me the one who's about to kill you."
The Five Fingers exchanged looks, their hesitation lasting only a fraction of a second.
Dragon bones were everything to them.
A century of searching. Ten years of preparation. They weren't walking away.
Murakami's expression twisted into something fierce and desperate. "Together! We draw the dragon energy and fight him head-on. Even if he's the Iron Fist, he can't defeat all of us at once!"
No one argued.
They moved in unison, stepping back and unleashing their power simultaneously.
The effect was immediate.
The dragon skeleton erupted with light. Massive streams of golden energy tore free, flooding the cavern and illuminating every shadow. The sheer density of it made the air feel heavy, almost liquid.
Their faces lit up with fanatic excitement.
"So much power…"
"We can return to K'un-Lun with this!"
"Even the Jade Emperor couldn't stop us!"
"I feel it… I can fight again!"
Rex rolled his eyes.
"Yeah," he muttered, "definitely crazy."
He raised his hand again.
The reaction was instant.
The vast sea of dragon energy shifted direction, abandoning the Five Fingers and surging toward him like it had found its rightful master.
"No—what did you do?!"
"Give it back!"
"Kill him!"
Four of them charged forward at once.
Rex didn't move from his spot. His thoughts flickered, and the dragon energy inside his body condensed instantly, compressing into something dense and violent.
Then he punched.
Four golden fist-shaped blasts shot out simultaneously, each one carrying explosive force.
They struck their targets without resistance.
The result was immediate and brutal.
Four heads burst apart like overripe fruit, blood and fragments spraying across the cavern walls.
Silence followed.
Rex lowered his hand slowly, his gaze shifting toward the last remaining figure.
Alexandra.
She hadn't moved.
She dropped to her knees with a thud, her pride collapsing as quickly as her body. "Spare me," she said, her voice shaking but controlled. "Give me dragon energy, and I'll serve you. If you want control of the Hand, I can help you more than anyone."
Rex glanced briefly at the system interface flashing in his vision.
A silver-tier reward condition lingered.
Killing her now would be wasteful.
He waved a hand casually. "You want immortality, right? No need to beg."
His tone turned cold.
"I'll help you with that."
Before she could react, Nine Spiders moved.
Her fangs sank into Alexandra's neck.
A soft, broken sound escaped Alexandra's throat, but she didn't resist.
She understood.
This was survival.
Rex ignored them and walked past, approaching the massive dragon skeleton.
Even before touching it, he could feel it—the ancient, overwhelming aura pressing against his senses. The dragon energy inside his body stirred violently, eager, almost hungry.
Earlier, he had used an upgrade card to enhance his lightning control.
It had been a gamble.
He had bet that the dragon bones hidden beneath the city could push his power to another level.
Now, it was clear.
He had won.
He reached out, placing his hand against the bone.
Just as he prepared to absorb the energy, a system notification appeared.
[Residual dragon marrow detected. Use Bloodline Fusion Card?]
Rex paused.
Dragon marrow?
Bloodline fusion?
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Of course."
The moment he confirmed, everything changed.
A surge of energy exploded into his body. Dragon energy wrapped in something deeper, denser, flooded through his veins. His muscles tightened, his bones creaked, and every cell in his body began to transform.
His attributes skyrocketed.
Strength surged first, followed closely by defense.
The transformation completed in seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
When it ended, Rex exhaled slowly, feeling the raw, explosive power coiled within him.
He pulled up the system interface.
His stats had risen dramatically.
His base strength now exceeded five tons. With the amplification from dragon energy, it pushed beyond ten.
But the most significant change was his defense.
What had once been his weakest point was now one of his greatest strengths.
He could feel it clearly—ordinary firearms would struggle to even break his skin. Only heavy-caliber sniper fire at close range, or specialized anti-material weapons, could pose a real threat.
And even then, his enhanced physique would allow him to recover within minutes.
Speed and mental attributes remained his weakest areas.
Everything else had reached a terrifying level.
By physical standards alone, he was approaching something close to a smaller version of Hulk.
But this wasn't the end.
Not even close.
He had just wiped out waves of enemies, stacking kills back to back. Bronze-tier rewards. A massive kill streak. A five-star gold package. A fresh silver package.
This wasn't just a victory.
It was a harvest.
....
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