Brian wanted to wipe that grin off his friend's face—at least hurt the thing that was wearing it.

He punched once. Twice. A third time. And still, the demonized boy didn't budge.

Brian, on the other hand, had already spent too much mana, too many stored flames. None of it made Jonathan so much as flinch. His face remained cold, emotionless.

Each strike felt like hitting a wall—no, a mountain. Brian could crush walls now, tear through steel with his fists. But this... this was something else entirely.

"Damn you! Why do I have this power and strength if I can't do a damn thing?! What's the point of it all?!" Brian shouted.

He was unraveling. Nothing worked. Not the class change, not the levels, not even the so-called support of his useless classmates. His friends were gone. His reputation is less than dust.

It felt like the fire spirit had only tossed him scraps for skills, and with it, half the strength Logan or even Lisa had been granted.

He punched again, this time adding explosive energy into his fist—and yet nothing came of it. No damage, no reaction.

The others watched the confrontation silently. Logan, meanwhile, was already focused elsewhere, feeling the wolf's mind weaken under the influence of his blood.

Soon, the creature collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, unable to stand. When the mental link forced the bond into place, she finally kneeled, submitting, accepting.

She didn't understand what was happening. Not truly. Her brothers and sisters were dead, and yet she lived.

She used to be strong. In the demon world, strength was proven through combat. Her only rival had been her brother—and now he was gone.

Yet she felt no urge to lash out at her new master. Those emotions—hatred, vengeance—were still inside her, but locked away. She remembered her family… but couldn't act on those memories.

Still, she was not fine.

This world was changing her.

Lupharians weren't known for power—only terrifying brute strength. But now she was gaining both. And her body… it was changing.

Her form shifted suddenly. Her proportions altered—some features grew while others diminished. Her torso reshaped into something human-like.

And with that came pain.

Agony spread through her as her bones—her very genes—twisted into something new.

Lisa and Logan watched in silence as the transformation took hold until Lisa raised her hand and flooded the area with blinding light.

Logan smirked at her sudden display, further shielding the changing wolf with a veil of darkness.

"I guess you'll need to get her some armor…" Logan muttered, exhaling as he turned his gaze to the beetle monarch behind him.

She didn't need armor—yet. But if she evolved again, that might change.

When the glow finally faded, Lisa dispelled the darkness and gently pushed the Luphirian forward.

Her face still resembled that of a wolf, but her body—her figure—had shifted into something closer to human. A strong woman's form, upright and sturdy, marked by power and change.

"Are you better now?" Logan asked, watching her closely, trying to sense which spirit had blessed her.

The Luphirian met his gaze for the first time with steady eyes.

"Better," she replied.

Everyone turned to her for a few seconds. It wasn't normal for a creature to speak human words—especially one not from this world. But it might have been an added effect of the spirits.

Logan took a few seconds to go over her stats.

─────────༺༻─────────

Name: Selvora (Choose to change name?) / Species: Dire-Luphirian / Spirit Blessing: Light Elemental Blessed

Level: 81 / Blood Mark: Lower Spine / Loyalty: 2/100

Strength: 106 / Agility: 127 / Dexterity: 104 / Constitution: 103 / Intelligence: 82 / Charisma: 47

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Skills:

Moonrend Claws (Advanced): Infused with lunar and shadow essence, her claw strikes tear through magical wards, armor, and regenerating foes. Night-enhanced, with each successful strike restoring stamina.

Lunar Bastion: Selvora summons a barrier of moonlight and instinctual force, forming a semi-transparent crescent-shaped shield on her forearm. This barrier absorbs a large portion of incoming physical and magical damage for 5 seconds or until broken. While active, the shield reflects 20% of blocked damage back to melee attackers.

Howl of Ruin (Mastered): Emits a soul-ripping howl that disrupts enemy morale and significantly buffs beastkin allies' physical stats. Demonic or undead targets suffer temporary disorientation.

Predator's Step (Enhanced): Grants three-stage burst movement, with the final step allowing mid-air redirection or execution leap. Also, it resets after a successful kill.

Feral Sovereignty: Allows temporary transformation into an empowered demi-wolf form, increasing Strength and Constitution by 30% for 60 seconds. (Once per combat)

Blood Pact Howl (Primordial Variant): A tamer-linked alpha cry that bolsters all of Logan's tamed beasts within 150 meters, briefly synchronizing their battle instincts and allowing for a group-wide damage boost.

Shadow Cloak (Blessing – Luna): While under night, darkness, or Primordial Aura, she gains heightened senses, physical resistance, and cannot be targeted by auto-aimed or lesser tracking magic.

────༺༻────

Abilities:

Direbound Evolution: A rare ability that lets her morph into her wolf form for a set amount of time.

Spirit Affinity – Luna's Glance (Blessing): Heals 35% faster under moonlight or light-elemental spells. Passive mana recovery improved while standing near Lisa or Logan.

Alpha Killer Instinct (Passive): When fighting a stronger enemy, her attacks automatically target weak points. Bonus crit chance scales with difference in power.

─────────༺༻─────────

Logan accepted her name—Selvora—without hesitation, then took a moment to examine her physical form more closely. The makeshift robe covering her wasn't perfect, but it was enough for the battle ahead.

Now that he had gained more levels, his mana pool had expanded enough to bestow another Monarch Blessing.

He stepped closer.

Selvora instinctively retreated half a step, but not far enough to avoid his hand. Logan placed his palm gently on her face, and in the next instant, a deep red mark began to glow on her chest—his sovereign sigil etched into her soul.

Power surged.

Across the battlefield, the remaining wolves—once enemies—began to change.

Demons tried to cut them down before the transformation could complete, but Selvora was faster. She summoned radiant crescent-shaped shields around them, intercepting incoming attacks. Erlis' soldiers nearby, having witnessed the shift in allegiance, ran to assist the newly bound wolves.

Not all of them accepted the change.

A few Luphirian warriors still fought alongside the demons, refusing to kneel.

They didn't get the chance to reconsider.

Selvora, sensing their betrayal, acted. A white blur shot across the battlefield, and one by one, the traitors fell, struck down by their new queen without hesitation.

Logan nodded to himself, satisfied.

"Good. We'll need every hand we can get against that thing," he muttered, turning back toward the battle between Brian and Jonathan.

The fire-charged hero was clearly struggling. Despite the power burning inside him, he was being overwhelmed. With one brutal punch, the demon-possessed Jonathan sent Brian hurtling through the air, slamming him into the ground not far from Logan's feet.

"Lisa, go heal that idiot. The rest of us will keep stalling… hopefully Silvia and Marie will be done soon."

Without another word, Logan sprinted forward, flanked by Silis, Drakhel, and Narok. The trio tore through enemy lines, thinning the demon horde further. What had once been thirty thousand strong had now dwindled to ten thousand, thanks in large part to the Luphirian tribe's sudden shift in allegiance.

But ten thousand demons were still enough to keep the battlefield ablaze. Allied soldiers numbered barely half that.

"Queen Virexa," Logan called, his voice steady and commanding. "Crush anyone who tries to harm Lisa. And if Brian loses control or gets in the way… kill him. I won't stop you."

He didn't look back.

He didn't need to.

The emerald-armored monarch raised her scythe, her wings pulsing with strength, and vanished into the haze of smoke and fire, ready to do as her master commanded.

[Yes, my liege,] came Virexa's voice through the Empathic Link.

Logan didn't respond; his focus had already shifted to the real threat—the demon who had taken over Jonathan's body.

This wasn't going to be an easy fight.

Not after what he had experienced with Zaryx.

Without wasting time, Logan activated one of his strongest moves. Holy Nova. A rare ability that forced him to distinguish friend from foe. It was both devastating and restorative—capable of healing allies and purging corruption within a wide radius. In a battlefield packed with thousands, it was the perfect weapon... and a necessary risk.

He summoned two spheres of light and combined them into one, forming a glowing star that pulsed in his hand. Then he hurled it forward, the radiant orb slamming into the ground ahead and erupting outward in a massive shockwave of light and warmth.

It surged across the battlefield, cleansing wounds, replenishing mana, and soothing fatigue for every creature Logan had marked as an ally. Even the recently converted wolves received the blessing, their injuries mending as golden light wrapped around them.

The demons, however, weren't idle.

Several of them pulled out mutation crystals—twisted relics capable of forcing their berserk transformation. Logan didn't try to stop them.

That wasn't the purpose of this attack.

Holy Nova wasn't meant to kill.

It was meant to heal—and to provoke.

From a distance, a voice echoed across the field.

"I've been hearing quite a bit about you, Hero Logan," it said, smooth and chilling. "Tamer… and one blessed by both darkness and light…"

The demon-possessed Jonathan stepped forward through the blood soaked battlefield, unaffected, grinning like a man who had already won.

"Unlike the other hero, I suppose I should introduce myself properly, at least towards you."

The figure stepped forward, the battlefield's light bending subtly around him.

"I am Vrozakul… King of the Demon Plane."

Jonathan's features contorted—warping into something grotesque. His expression stretched unnaturally, twisted into a grin filled with mockery and malice.