Moonlight was the first to move.
The small dragon girl raised her hand, and the air in front of her filled with heat.
Three fireballs shot forward like bzing projectiles straight toward Maron.
The fmes illuminated the combat field and exploded against the faun’s body.
But something strange happened.
The fireballs dissipated before they even touched him.
Thick gray smoke surrounded Maron’s body, moving slowly as if it had a life of its own. Every time a fireball approached, the smoke wrapped around it and extinguished it.
Moon frowned.
“Hmph.”
Maron smiled.
“What an energetic little girl.”
With a careless motion, he pulled a small bottle from his belt.
“But also… very mischievous.”
He tossed it into the air.
The bottle spun several times before crashing against one of the gargoyle statues decorating the edge of the combat courtyard.
CRACK.
The gss shattered.
Dark liquid spilled over the stone.
Then the statue trembled.
Its stone wings moved.
The gargoyle’s eyes lit up with a red glow.
The creature tore itself free from its base and lunged straight toward Moonlight with a monstrous screech.
Moon sighed.
“How annoying.”
The dragon girl drew her sword.
The gargoyle dove downward.
Moon took a single step forward.
Her bde glowed with a blue aura.
“Freeze.”
SLASH.
The bde cut through the creature’s body.
A wave of ice instantly spread across the gargoyle.
The entire statue froze midair… and the next second it exploded into pieces.
CRASH.
Fragments of frozen stone fell across the ground.
Moon lowered her sword.
She looked at Maron with a completely serious expression.
“Damn old pervert.”
An awkward silence swept across the combat courtyard.
Maron blinked.
Then he pced a hand over his chest dramatically.
“What cruel words for an old man.”
Moon didn’t respond.
She raised both hands.
Wind began to swirl around her body.
WHOOSH.
Her small body lifted from the ground.
At the same time, water began to condense in the air.
Then fire.
Heat cshed with moisture.
Within seconds, a massive curtain of steam covered the combat field.
Visibility vanished.
The crowd murmured nervously.
Inside the vapor, two massive shadows collided.
BOOM.
Gawain and Bag appeared fighting within the mist like two beasts.
The orc threw a punch.
Gawain blocked it with his arm.
The impact made the ground tremble.
Both of them kept advancing… until a third figure appeared between them.
Maron.
The faun stood right in the middle.
Moon, floating above the steam, smiled slightly.
“Now!”
With a gesture of her hand, all the frozen debris from the gargoyle rose into the air.
Then it shot toward Maron like a rain of projectiles.
WHOOSH.
The faun didn’t even move.
His legs moved with impossible speed.
BAM BAM BAM BAM
Fast, precise kicks shattered every fragment in the air.
The stone was pulverized.
Maron smiled as he finished the final kick.
“What an intelligent little girl too.”
But at that exact moment—
Gawain appeared beside him.
“Too slow.”
BAM.
His fist smmed into the faun’s face.
The impact unched him several meters back.
Maron rolled across the ground.
And then…
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Dozens of small bottles began to shatter around his body.
The potions he had hidden exploded against the ground.
Liquids of different colors mixed together.
Green.
Bck.
Purple.
The steam began to slowly dissipate.
The audience could finally see what was happening.
And then…
People began to scream.
Maron’s body began to change.
His back started to deform.
CRACK.
A third arm burst from his side.
The veins in his neck bulged.
Two sticky wings began growing from his legs.
His eyes…
turned completely white.
His sight had vanished.
The faun’s body twisted as if possessed.
Then he lifted off the ground…
flying.
But his body was tilted backward.
As if he were completely upside down.
As if he had no control over himself.
Moon looked at him with disgust.
“That’s gross.”
At that instant—
BAM.
Bag appeared behind Gawain and threw a brutal punch.
Gawain barely managed to block with his arm.
The impact pushed him several meters back.
Moon frowned.
She raised her sword.
“Frozen Fme.”
A burst of white fire shot toward the orc.
The fmes wrapped around Bag’s legs.
CRACK.
Ice formed instantly.
The orc’s legs froze to the ground.
“Tch.”
Gawain appeared in front of him.
“Thanks, kid.”
The birdman grabbed the massive orc by the torso.
His muscles tensed.
And he lifted him from the frozen ground with pure strength.
Then he threw him.
Bag’s gigantic body flew straight toward the monstrous Maron.
BOOM.
The deformed faun caught him midair.
His three arms wrapped around the orc.
Then something viscous began to drip from his mouth.
A thick green slime started covering Bag’s body.
The orc screamed.
“AAAAARGH!!!”
The substance seemed to burn his skin.
Bag writhed in pain.
Gawain blinked.
Then scratched his head.
“…Didn’t expect that.”
Maron remained floating in the air for a few seconds longer.
His sticky wings fpped slowly.
Then he released Bag.
The massive orc body crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. But he no longer moved like before. He was completely wrapped in a thick yer of green slime.
The substance covered him like a viscous cocoon. The orc growled from inside, but his movements were clumsy, trapped.
Moon made a face.
“Gross…”
Maron, on the other hand, began to ugh.
Uncontrolled.
His head tilted back… and his mouth opened strangely.
Then he spat.
PTAK.
A bullet of green slime shot out like a projectile.
It hit the ground and exploded into a sticky mass.
Then another.
PTAK.
And another.
PTAK PTAK PTAK PTAK.
The monstrous faun began firing globs of spit in every direction like bullets.
The stands erupted into chaos.
“Take cover!”
“What is that thing?!”
“Get back!”
Guards, nobles, and citizens hid behind columns or barriers. Some raised shields. Others simply ran.
In the middle of the chaos, Max watched from a distance.
His nose was still bleeding a little.
But his eyes were focused.
‘This…’
He watched the slime bullets falling randomly.
‘This is perfect.’
Taniel was also watching the monstrous Maron.
That small moment of distraction was all Max needed.
Max took a step forward.
“Now.”
Taniel reacted instantly.
His eyes fshed.
Enhancement magic surged through his body.
The elf jumped.
An absurdly high leap.
His body cut through the air while he dodged several slime bullets passing close to him.
But Max didn’t go toward Taniel.
He ran the other way.
Straight toward the chaos. Toward Maron. Toward Moon and Gawain.
“Papa!” Moon shouted.
The little dragon raised both hands.
Wind swirled around them, forming a barrier that deflected several slime bullets.
WHOOSH.
Gawain took cover behind the current of air.
“Good timing, kid!”
Max kept advancing.
Dodging as best he could.
One bullet grazed his shoulder.
Another exploded near his feet.
He jumped.
Rolled.
Kept running.
Then—
PTAK.
A bullet struck him directly in the chest.
Max stopped for a second from the impact.
In his mind, the blue system window appeared.
[Critical Hit Detected]
[Adamantine Armor Passive Effect Activated]
[Critical Damage Negated]
[HP -2]
Max looked at the green slime stuck to his chest.
“…Great.”
He wiped it off with one hand and kept running.
Taniel had already nded.
And now he was running toward them.
His expression was completely different. Cold. Calcuting.
From the other side of the courtyard—
A figure appeared among the crowd.
Running.
“MAX!”
It was Frida.
She was sprinting at full speed. In her hand, the ring was glowing.
Max saw her.
His eyes widened slightly.
‘She made it in time.’
But at that exact moment—
Something moved behind them.
The sack of slime where Bag had been trapped… began to writhe. The green mass swelled. It warped.
CRACK.
A crack appeared on the surface. Then another.
Moon noticed first.
“…Huh?”
The slime exploded outward.
SPLASH.
An arm burst out from inside.
But it wasn’t the orc’s green arm.
It was covered in bck scales.
Thick.
Shining.
Something inside the cocoon was changing.