The Demon’s Transformation

As the Redwater Gang traitor secured the first shackle around Saranya’s wrist and turned to fasten the second, Saranya’s unexpected hook delivered a brutal blow to their jaw.

Clutching their jaw, the enemy stumbled backward, spitting out several broken teeth, only for Saranya to stride forward, delivering an elbow strike that felled the traitor who had dared to capture her.

‘S-ha… It hurts, it hurts so much—’

Having exerted herself with such intensity, Saranya bowed her head, coughing up a mouthful of blood-tinged phlegm, and swayed precariously before dropping to one knee.

Her injured body, long past its breaking point, had managed to sustain the recent fight solely through the sheer might of adrenaline, yet even that potent surge was rapidly draining, pushing her to her absolute limit.

Kaelan’s incantations whispered in her ears; the witch, her bare toes barely grazing the floor, floated upward, her petite form twisting in mid-air before her back adhered to the corridor’s ceiling.

Mejga’s ice blades, arriving a moment too late, shattered where the witch had stood, leaving behind a substantial chunk of ice.

Without a moment’s respite, Kaelan’s lips once more formed a spell.

She grasped the fabric at her neckline, tearing it open with a sharp rip, and flung a piece of the shredded silk towards Saranya:

‘I didn’t want to, but your internal organs are damaged, and your injuries are severe. If I don’t do this, you’ll die. So… there’s truly no other way…’

‘Master? What are you doing?!’

The enchanted silk, now imbued with a life of its own, fluttered gracefully through the air, emitting a suspicious black glow as it descended upon Saranya.

Saranya stared, momentarily stunned by the sight of her master’s exposed chest, before a sudden itch flared across her back.

The silk, like a python, coiled around her neck, automatically tying itself into a knot, and the black light clinging to it began to surge into her body.

‘Eh?!’

‘Darkbound Fortification Art (TL Note: A black magic spell that temporarily enhances the user’s physical capabilities by binding them with dark energy), do not resist.’

‘Fortification Art…? Alright…’

Some spells require a medium or specific materials for their activation, and this particular magic was one such case.

Kaelan had used her own intimate clothing as a conduit, unleashing a black magic of a beneficial nature upon Saranya.

‘My master must have just cast a buff on me, right…’

‘Though the name of this spell… it does make me a little uneasy…’

Saranya’s throat convulsed under the pressure of the black silk, as a viscous, burning current ascended her delicate neck along the fabric, making a sizzling sound as it seared her skin.

‘What is this… ngh…?!’

Saranya gritted her teeth against the agonizing pain, hearing a crunching sound from her neck, like squid being pressed on a hot griddle.

To her horror, her entire body’s skin turned a pale blue, new flesh instantly growing and filling in around her wounds, while worm-like black veins protruded beneath the surface.

Her forearm muscles began to twitch and swell, resembling fermenting dough.

‘My… my back…’

She let out an inhuman shriek as several vertebrae along her spine cracked with a sound like popping beans.

In an instant, her height increased by dozens of centimeters, making her nearly as tall as Freya had once been.

‘Master… I feel… I feel… Oh-oh-oh-oh—’

An intense itch flared at Saranya’s tailbone, and a black, oily spine pierced through her skin, tearing her leather trousers.

Its tip, slightly forked, thrashed excitedly in the air.

Her forehead, precisely at its center, and her sides ached intensely, small fleshy bumps bulging beneath her skin.

Something seemed desperate to burst forth, yet lacked the power to fully emerge, leaving her with an excruciating sensation akin to an impacted wisdom tooth.

Beneath her eyes, dark, shadowy hues spread across her skin, as though she wore a layer of enchanting eyeshadow.

The whites of her eyes had transformed into a profound, inky black, and her irises gradually contracted into two concentric rings, shimmering with a dark golden luster.

Her once black, curly hair lost its color, turning a silvery-gray that billowed behind her like flames.

Anyone experiencing such a profound transformation of their body would, as a first reaction, undoubtedly be plunged into a state of panic.

Saranya covered her face, crouching in place to conceal her tattered body, her voice hoarse and demonic:

‘Don’t look… Master, don’t look!’

From above, Kaelan chuckled, a hint of fervent zeal in her gaze, as though admiring an exquisite masterpiece crafted by her own hands.

‘You’re quite sexy, little Aya…’

‘This is a spell of the Darkbound Demon (TL Note: A type of demon known for its ability to bind and corrupt, often associated with dark magic), which, by all accounts, should only be usable on demonic beings…’

‘Then what about me?!’

‘Well… as for what will happen when it’s used on you, I’m not entirely certain myself…’

Saranya slowly straightened, then abruptly raised her hands to clutch her head.

The color of her pupils shifted incessantly, alternating between a mesmerizing dark gold and her clear, icy blue, as two utterly contradictory thoughts fiercely battled within her mind.

Her throat constricted, and her face contorted with madness as she muttered to herself, sentence after sentence:

‘Ecstasy… ngh… tear apart… must tear apart the enemies… slaughter… make them bleed… create screams… Master will be pleased… it will feel good… good…’

‘Ngh… my canines have sharpened… and my tongue… it’s become long, slender, and forked… Darkbound Demon… monster… I’m a monster… Master has turned me into a monster… This is truly… sacrilege… so exhilarating… Ha~’

‘No, this isn’t right… I don’t want to become like this… I’m human… I am Commander Saranya… I can fight with my sword…’

‘I must control myself… not lose my mind… yes… you can do this… Saranya…’

After a barrage of such deranged words, Saranya paused, then tearfully raised her head.

‘But… it’s so strange… my body has changed like this… and my mind is so strange too… I can’t control it… I can’t control it at all…’

‘Brother… I’m sorry… Everyone… I’m sorry… Please… run away quickly…’

‘You must escape… If you don’t… I won’t… hold… back… ngh… Hahahahahahaha—’

Tears and snot streamed down Saranya’s face, her lips tearing at the corners, her expression utterly shattered.

She let out a long string of desperate sobs, covering the upper half of her face with the back of her hand, for she knew how shameful she appeared.

‘Mm… *huff*…’

A deep breath… Yes… she felt a little better, convinced she could regain control.

Yet, in the very next moment, she abruptly opened her mouth, allowing a long, pink, soft tongue, tipped with delicate barbs, to emerge.

Its two forked tips quivered slightly, saliva streaming down, stretching into viscous white threads that dripped to the ground.

‘Hoo… hoo… *slurp*~’

The reversal was so swift and absolute; in an instant, she completely abandoned rationality, emitting the heavy, guttural gasps of a beast.

She wielded her long tongue, extending it upward to her brow, then letting it fall to her earlobe, sweeping across her moist, pale lips before finally drooping limply from her chin, swaying from side to side.

‘Monster… a monster!!!’

‘She has a tail… a tail?!’

‘It’s a demon… run!!’

‘Wuwuwu—Mama—!’

The Redwater Gang traitors instantly lost their will to fight, abandoning their weapons and fleeing downstairs.

Only a select few managed to suppress their instinct to escape, gathering together to prepare a concerted attack on Saranya.

The black witch Kaelan twisted her body, floating down from the ceiling to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the demonized Saranya.

‘Kaelan!!! What have you done to my sister, you wretch?!’

Mejga, watching from nearby, was consumed by rage, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets as he let out a hysterical roar.

He raised his hand, summoning three ice blades, and launched a furious assault towards Kaelan.

‘Give her back to me! Give her back to me!!!’