An Understated Dominance (Dustin Rhys)

"Open up!" Danny roared as he slammed his fist into the bronze door.

A surge of internal energy exploded from his body.

The door shook with a deafening boom, and dust scattered, but nothing unusual happened. The symbols on its surface flickered briefly before fading.

"Hmm?" Danny froze as he stared at the undamaged door in disbelief.

With his natural strength and the power his techniques granted him, he had expected the bronze door to shatter easily. But what he saw before him completely defied his expectations.

The murmurs behind him only added to his unease. He had boasted so confidently about smashing the door open, yet it hadn't budged an inch. His face flushed with embarrassment.

"I don't believe it!" Danny took a deep breath and channeled all his internal energy into his fists before striking the bronze door again.

Another loud crash echoed as the bronze door trembled, and the dust fell off. The mysterious symbols on the door glowed once more. Like before, the door remained intact, but his fist was numb from the impact.

Marcell frowned at the sight. He had expected Danny to be a formidable ally, but now it seemed he couldn't even break a door.

"What's wrong with Mr. Gallagher? Did he forget to eat? His punch was weak." "They say Danny's got godlike strength, but from what I'm seeing, it doesn't look so impressive." The two teams started murmuring among themselves and questioned Danny's abilities. In their line of work, strength was everything.

Choosing Danny as the leader of this mission for the Hall of Gods had been a vote of confidence in his abilities. But now, with two failed attempts at breaking the door, they were starting to lose faith.

"Damn it! I'm going to break this door down today!" Seeing that the bronze door still hadn't moved, Danny's rage boiled over, and his fists began to rain down like a storm. With every punch, the door's symbols would light up.

He pummeled the door with over a hundred blows and unleashed all his internal energy in a raw show of strength. But no matter how hard he struck, the door remained intact.

Breathing heavily and covered in sweat, Danny's frustration reached a boiling point. How could he ever face his men again if he couldn't even break down a door? He had used every trick in the book. He had given it his all, and now he was out of options. It was clear-this bronze door couldn't be broken through with brute force.

Just when he was about to give up, the door suddenly trembled. The mysterious symbols on it lit up and swirled like tadpoles in every direction. What had been a jumbled mess of symbols quickly rearranged itself into a clear image of a hexagram.

With a loud rumble, the heavy bronze door slowly opened and parted in the middle.

Danny paused for a a moment, then broke into a wide grin. Turning to the group behind him, he shouted, "It's open! The door's open! I busted it down!" "Holy crap! Mr. Gallagher, you're awesome!" The others lit up with excitement at the sight.

Even Marcell, who had been frowning moments ago, finally cracked a smile. It seemed Danny wasn't entirely useless after all. It had taken seffort, but he'd gotten the job done.

"I thought this door was supposed to be indestructible. Guess I proved them wrong, didn't I?" Danny laughed triumphantly.

But before he could bask in his victory, something unexpected happened. A bolt of purple lightning shot out from behind the door and struck his chest.

The sound echoed like an explosion. Danny was flung backward as if hit by a freight train. He tumbled over ten yards before slamming to the ground. Even then, he skidded a few more feet before stopping.

Everyone stood frozen and was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

When they looked at Danny, they saw his body scorched black. His chest was a gruesmess of burned flesh and blood, and he twitched uncontrollably on the ground as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.

"Stormcraft?" Marcell frowned. His expression turned grim as his sharp gaze swept toward the bronze door. When the door finally opened, an elderly man dressed in tattered gray robes stepped out. His disheveled hair and gaunt, skeletal frgave him the look of a beggar.

But the energy waves radiating from him were anything but ordinary-it was monstrous, almost divine, and overwhelming in its intensity.

Even a glance was enough to make ordinary martial artists tremble, and ΟΠ their souls tremble with fear. It felt less like an elderly man approaching and more like a primordial beast stalking its prey. "Who dares cause trouble on Sacred Wyrm Summit?" the gray-robed elder demanded coldly.

His voice wasn't loud, but each word N struck like a thunderclap and crashed down on everyone present. The Ο group felt paralyzed instantly, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably as cold sweat ran down their backs. This gray-robed elder was too powerful. The pressure emanating from him was so oppressive that they didn't even dare to think of resisting.

"Greetings, sir. I'm Marcell Sadrick." Marcell quickly greeted him respectfully.

He had known someone formidable guarded the forbidden ground of Sacred Wyrm Summit. However, he had cprepared, so he wasn't afraid.

"Marcell Sadrick? Never heard of you. Take your people and leave before I lose my patience," the gray-robed elder said indifferently.

"Calm down, sir. I've cto borrow something." Marcell faced the situation with calm assurance.

"Hm? Borrow something?" The gray- robed elder's face remained neutral.

"Your life," Marcell said with a grin.

With a flick of his hand, he released a series of poisoned needles aimed (directly at the gray-robed elder's vital points.