The battlefield trembled as Lily's figure emerged from the fog. Brittany's heart leapt with relief—until she looked closer.
This wasn't Lily.
Her hair blazed in wild purple streaks, styled like a rockstar's mane. Earrings glittered across her ears, catching the dim light. Her stance was sharp, her eyes brimming with sass and defiance.
It was Ellie.
The contract fusion of Egry and Lily.
Ellie tilted her head, her lips curling in disgust as she looked at the Chancellor.
"Seriously? That's the best you've got?"
The Chancellor's smirk faltered. Rage flickered in his eyes. He charged forward, whip snapping, beasts snarling at his heels.
But before he could strike, the ground split.
A creature rose—a towering tree with a grotesque, lewd face carved into its bark. Its body stretched endlessly, roots writhing like serpents. With a thunderous crack, it crushed one of the Chancellor's beasts beneath its trunk.
The Chancellor staggered, coughing, his composure slipping.
Ellie appeared behind him in a blur. She leaned close, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Pow."
The monstrous tree obeyed, slamming down on the Chancellor with brutal force. The ground shook, dust spiraling into the air.
The Chancellor roared, fury igniting in his veins. His eyes burned crimson.
"You think you can humiliate me?" he spat, his voice echoing across the forest. "Then watch."
He raised his arms, chanting a single word:
"Bungo."
The air split open.
His body twisted, transforming into a grotesque fusion of man and beast. Horns erupted from his skull, claws stretched longer, and his whip became a living serpent.
From the shadows, dozens of beasts poured forth—fangs glistening, eyes glowing, their bodies warped by his contract's ultimate power.
The battlefield was no longer theirs. It belonged to him.
To be continued…