Not long after, in the forest located in the west of the city, "TAP," Dash, Shel, and Marle ran from tree to tree with Marle in the lead. They kept running until they entered a very dark part of the forest, where it became extremely dense and blocked out the sunlight.
After running continuously, Marle finally stopped on a large tree branch. Dash and Shel landed on either side of her. They looked down and saw a settlement with ancient ruins—it looked like an old, terrifying city emerging from the ground.
Marle pointed toward the settlement, which consisted only of one large, dark mansion and several long buildings, like barracks, a mess hall, and a field in the back with a sizable stable. They observed many men wearing suit-like clothing but with iron shoulder guards, like armor, moving back and forth and gathering inside the settlement.
"So, that's their headquarters?" Dash asked.
"Yes, the Demon Mafia base," Marle replied.
In addition, several people, apparently wearing black robes and carrying staffs, were seen controlling zombies of various races with black eyes and sharp, shark-like teeth, known as Fallen Shadows—the forgotten spirits of a past civilization.
"Hmm… there are a lot of people inside, considering they're right in the middle of a Fallen Shadow nest, and they seem to be living right alongside those creatures," Shel muttered.
"Somehow, they manage to control the Fallen Shadows for their own gain. We have to be careful," Marle warned.
"So, what now, Dash?" Shel asked, turning to look at Dash.
Shel's eyes immediately widened as she saw Dash standing rigidly with his arms clasped across his chest and his eyes closed. Marle, who turned to look at Dash, was also surprised. She pulled Shel closer.
"What is he doing?" Marle whispered.
"Just wait and see," Shel replied casually.
Suddenly, a gray mist enveloped Dash's body. "CRACK," the sound of Dash's body expanding was heard, and when the gray aura mist vanished, Dash had transformed into his full Dragon form. Marle gasped, covering her mouth with both hands, while Shel, who already knew, just smiled.
Dash, having completely transformed, turned to look at Shel and Marle.
"Let's go down," Dash commanded in a terrifying, heavy voice.
Without waiting for an answer from either of them, Dash jumped down, crossing his arms over his chest. "BLAM," he landed right in front of the settlement, kicking up dust in every direction like fog. Immediately, all the demons inside turned to look at Dash and drew their weapons, but when the dust cleared, everyone gasped, seeing a huge Dragon-man standing tall, his powerful, scaled arms crossed over his chest. Shel and Marle landed right on Dash's left and right.
"Who are you?" shouted a Demon man with horns on his head, wearing armor that looked like a black suit complete with shoulder guards, while pointing his sword.
Meanwhile, all the residents of the settlement immediately stood behind the man pointing his sword, ready to attack. "CRACK," Dash cracked his neck and his knuckles casually without answering anything, which naturally made the man threatening him nervous. The man opened his mouth,
"Uh… everybody… ATTAC—"
"BLAM,"
Before the man could finish speaking, Dash grabbed his face and slammed him directly into the ground until his head was buried in the dirt. Dash instantly performed a sweeping kick, knocking down everyone around him. Then he turned around and thrust two palms forward, sending a portion of the residents in front of him flying very far, right out of the settlement.
"Wow," Marle muttered, watching from behind with her mouth wide open.
"Yep, that's just how he is. Let's just watch," Shel said casually, putting both hands behind her head.
After all the residents, who were actually Mafia members, had fallen, the Fallen Shadow troops controlled by the robed people began to advance and attack. Dash stood tall and clasped his palms once more. His entire body was immediately shrouded in a gray aura that looked like mist swirling around him. His hands and feet were covered in gray light energy, after which he assumed his fighting stance, ready to meet the Fallen Shadows running toward him.
"Hey… we have to help him," Marle said, intending to step forward.
"Don't. Just stay here," Shel said, holding Marle's shoulder, preventing her from advancing.
Suddenly, Dash stomped the ground, launching his body forward rapidly like a gray comet, smashing into the line of Fallen Shadows running toward him. Instantly, the entire Fallen Shadow troop was utterly destroyed and scattered without a trace, and they didn't rise again. The severed parts of their bodies immediately emitted black shadows that simply vanished into the air.
Dash landed right in the middle of the Fallen Shadow troops. Then, quickly, he unleashed punches and kicks wrapped in gray energy in every direction at high speed, striking down all the remaining Fallen Shadow troops. Suddenly,
"Dash, look out!" Marle yelled from behind.
Dash turned forward and "DWACK," he crossed his arms but was pushed backward because something had hit him. When he opened his arms, he looked up to see a massive red frog with a clear, slime-like body. The back half of its body looked like a dragon's, and it had tattered dragon wings.
"Hoo… what kind of creature is this?" Dash asked.
"Be careful, Dash! That's a Dragon Toad," Shel yelled from a distance.
"Yeah, it's also a type of Fallen Shadow," Marle added from a distance.
"A Dragon Toad, huh," Dash muttered in a heavy voice, looking up.
The Dragon Toad wasted no time. It immediately attacked Dash, swiping its frog hand sideways. Dash raised his arm and parried it. "DWACK," "GRRK," Dash's feet, which braced against the blow, sank slightly into the ground. But Dash immediately slashed with his hand, the residue of his slash forming a crescent moon beam, like a curved cleaver, that shot toward the Dragon Toad's body.
The Dragon Toad was pushed back but wasn't hurt at all, even though Dash's crescent cleaver energy sliced it; the wound immediately closed up. Dash pulled his feet out, but he immediately shifted his head to the left because the Dragon Toad attacked by shooting out its tongue.
Then, "DWACK," the Dragon Toad spun around and slammed its dragon tail into Dash's stomach, sending Dash flying backward a long way and "SREEK," he landed right in front of Shel and Marle, crouching on one knee.
"Dash!" Shel and Marle yelled.
"I'm fine… but that thing is pretty tough to beat," Dash said, standing up wiping his mouth with his arm and looking at the Dragon Toad, which was lumbering its way toward him, sweeping aside everything around it, including the fallen Mafia members.
"Let's attack it together," Marle said, her arms covered in ice energy and both hands gripping ice swords.
"Yeah, if the three of us work together, we'll definitely win," Shel added, her arms covered in yellow-green or Nature energy, with rocks floating around her.
"Okay, let's do this together," Dash replied, his body wrapped in a gray energy aura, and he lowered his body, assuming his fighting stance.