CHAPTER 179: EX 179. EVOLVE

Leon’s arms trembled as he wrestled with the wild current inside Elizabeth. The energy clawed and tore at his grasp, desperate to burst free, but he held firm. His Primordial Dragon Art roared within him, scales of willpower pressing down on the chaos until it bent, unwillingly, to his command.

He forced the writhing stream into Elizabeth’s abdomen, compressing it tighter and tighter until it glowed like a molten sphere no larger than a ping-pong ball. Elizabeth’s body arched violently, a sharp gasp ripping from her lips, before she collapsed back onto the bed, sweat beading along her temples. Leon didn’t falter. There was no time to rest.

The thoracic cavity came next, far more delicate, and dangerous. Leon’s breath shuddered as he pushed deeper, threads of draconic energy weaving into the storm. Every pulse of resistance cracked like distant thunder, each "boom" reverberating inside her chest as the unstable mass fought against him. With a growl, he bore down harder, condensing the furious light into something smaller, denser; a marble of pure power beating within her thorax.

His vision swam, his muscles screamed, but there was still one final step. The most dangerous of all.

The brain.

Even the thought of mishandling it tightened his gut. A single mistake and everything would be lost. He wiped the blood trailing from his nose with the back of his hand, jaw clenched. He had no strength left to gamble with; yet he had one reserve.

"System," he whispered through ragged breaths, "burn five hundred points to stamina."

The response was immediate.

[Stamina: 2500 7500]

A flood of vigor surged through him, burning away the haze of fatigue. He straightened, eyes glowing faintly with draconic fire. Slowly, carefully, he extended his will into the fragile cavity of Elizabeth’s mind. Unlike the others, he treated this energy like glass and delicate, razor-thin threads of power weaving together under his command.

"Condense," Leon murmured.

The word was law.

As the storm contracted, folding into itself, shrinking until it became nothing more than a speck, smaller than a pinhead, yet radiating with terrifying presence. Leon held it steady, teeth grit, until at last the fusion locked into place.

Then his body gave out.

He collapsed onto his back, chest heaving, the ceiling blurring above him. Nikko was at his side in an instant, sliding an arm under his shoulders to lift him. Her amber eyes flickered to Elizabeth.

"Will she be alright?"

Leon’s lips curled into the faintest of smiles. His voice was hoarse but certain.

"She’s—"

But before he could finish a sudden shockwave erupted from Elizabeth’s body, cutting him off. This time the energy wasn’t wild. It was calm, controlled, and majestic. It rose like a tide, filling the room with a radiance that seemed to shake the air itself.

Her soul was changing.

A transformation had begun.

****

A trial taker’s talent was born from the strength of their soul. And the soul’s strength, limit was bound to the race of the one who bore it. For humans, that ceiling was the Supreme Rank, the highest they could ever touch.

But Elizabeth was not fully human. She carried dragon blood within her veins, though until now, her soul had never embraced that truth. That was why her awakening had been restrained, her talent fixed at Extraordinary Rank. Tonight, that restraint shattered.

The draconic energy caged within her body finally surged outward, reshaping her very soul. The transformation was nothing less than glorious.

Golden light erupted from Elizabeth’s body, the brilliance so fierce that the air itself warped with heat. Nikko’s eyes narrowed as she raised a shimmering barrier of power, shielding them from the blazing aura.

"What’s happening to her?" Nikko demanded, her voice sharp but tinged with awe.

Leon, standing calm in the storm, felt it immediately. His own primordial dragon art resonated with the energy raging inside Elizabeth.

"She’s evolving," he said simply.

The light roared for what felt like an eternity,.an hour of radiance, fire, and shifting power, before it finally subsided.

Elizabeth descended, her bare feet touching the ground with a quiet grace. Nikko released her barrier, lowering her hand as both she and Leon stared.

Two wings unfurled from Elizabeth’s back, vast and beautiful, their scales glimmering with a black so deep it devoured the light around them. From her brow rose horns, ebony and regal, forming a crown no human queen could ever match.

Her eyes snapped open, glowing with draconic power. Instinctively, she released her Dragon Might, a wave of oppressive authority that would have shattered lesser souls. Yet Leon stood untouched, and Nikko, S-rank in her own right, remained steady.

Elizabeth exhaled, and the power folded back inside her as her body softened, returning to its human form. She blinked, a smile curving across her lips.

"How do you feel, Lizzie?" Leon asked first, his voice warm.

Elizabeth’s smile trembled, her eyes flickering with wonder. "I feel... different. Like I’m no longer human. Like I’m something more."

Leon’s thoughts tightened. ’Has her dragon side begun to overtake her human side?’ Then he dismissed the doubt. ’It doesn’t matter. As long as she’s still my Lizzie.’

Elizabeth tilted her head, expression suddenly strange. "I also feel... colder."

"Well," Nikko said matter-of-factly, "that’s probably because you’re naked."

Elizabeth’s eyes went wide. "WHAT?!" She glanced down in horror, her face flushing as she scrambled to cover herself with her hands. But no matter how she shifted, her arms weren’t nearly enough.

Leon, meanwhile, only blinked at her panic. ’Why is she overreacting? It’s not like I haven’t seen her naked before.’ Then another thought slid slyly into his mind. ’Ah. Is it because of Nikko?’

A mischievous grin stretched across his lips. "Hey, Nikki... maybe we should check if we missed anything during Elizabeth’s transformation."

Nikko, ever serious, furrowed her brows. "That’s true."

Leon smirked inwardly.

’She’s so innocent.’

The two of them moved toward Elizabeth at once. Elizabeth shrieked, backing away in a panic.

"Stop! Stop right now!"

Her voice rang out, half outrage, half embarrassment, as her panicked voice tangled in the air.