Finally, after hours of nonstop screaming, the two glowing cocoons began to crack.

The horned ape froze for a moment, then let out a triumphant roar.

The black-scaled wolf's eyes lit up.

Dahlia, upon seeing the scene, smirked.

"…There it is."

The cocoon around Eliza shattered first, breaking apart into fading fragments of pale gray light.

The wolf lunged straight toward her position, jaws wide open.

And then...

Nothing.

The wolf bit through empty air.

It skidded forward, claws digging into the ground, confused.

"…?"

It lifted its head slowly.

Eliza was gone.

Completely gone.

The wolf spun around, growling, searching desperately, but no matter what...

It couldn't find her.

At the same time, Clara's cocoon exploded apart in a burst of violet light.

The horned ape didn't hesitate.

It swung its massive fist straight down at her in the mist.

The punch landed at her body...

And passed straight through.

Then...

Her body just dissolved into violet mist.

The ape froze, staring at its own arm in disbelief.

Then...

"Behind you."

Clara reappeared behind it.

Her hair had turned a soft lavender color, her eyes glowing violet.

Strange markings traced along her shoulders and waist, shifting slightly as if alive.

The ape roared and attacked again.

Clara laughed, loud and fearless.

"Too slow."

The fist connected, but Clara's body suddenly turned into water.

The ape's arm passed straight through her.

The beast froze for a split second.

The next moment, Clara stepped out to the side, fully solid again, brushing dirt off her shoulder.

"Hey," she said casually, "watch where you swing that thing."

The ape roared in rage and attacked again, this time swinging both arms wildly.

Clara didn't dodge.

She didn't block.

Her body suddenly broke apart into drifting smoke.

The fists tore through nothing.

The smoke swirled behind the ape, and then Clara reformed again, standing on a fallen rock with her hands on her hips.

"Okay," she said, blinking. "This is officially fun."

The ape staggered back, confused.

It stomped the ground, sniffed the air, and roared again, clearly unable to understand what it was hitting anymore.

"What the hell is happening?!" a junior shouted.

"Senior Sister Clara keeps changing!"

"Water, then smoke, then solid again!"

Dahlia stood not far away, watching everything carefully.

Her playful smile faded into a focused one.

"…Interesting."

She crossed her arms, eyes following every movement.

"Their [Unique Physique] aren't elemental," she muttered.

"Interesting, another special type [Unique Physique], just like me."

Deep in the forest, the huge hidden beast stiffened.

"…What?"

Its massive eyes narrowed.

"That woman with lavender hair…" it muttered.

"Her body turns into water… then mist… then returns."

It felt a chill run through its body.

"And the other one…" it added slowly.

"From the moment the cocoon cracked, she wasn't anywhere. Just where the hell is she?"

The beast leaned forward, claws digging into the ground.

"…This isn't just an ordinary transformation," it said quietly.

"This is evolution."

For the first time, confusion crept into its voice.

"How can humans evolve like this…?" it muttered.

"They aren't beasts."

---

The horned ape kept attacking Clara again and again.

It slammed its fists down.

It swung wildly.

It even tried to grab her.

But no matter what it did...

It never hit a real body.

Every time the ape thought it landed a solid blow, Clara would turn into something else.

Either water, mist, or smoke, and sometimes she just disappeared.

And then reappeared a few steps away.

The ape roared in frustration, pounding its chest and stomping the ground.

"GRAAAAH!"

Clara watched it for a moment, floating lazily just out of reach. Then she let out a long sigh.

"…Alright," she said, sounding bored. "I think I've tested my body enough."

The ape froze for half a second, confused by her tone.

Clara disappeared.

The ape looked around wildly, eyes darting left and right.

"…?"

Then...

Clara appeared directly above it.

Right on top of its head.

Before the ape could even react, Clara bent her knee and drove it straight down.

CRACK!

Her knee smashed into the ape's skull with terrifying force.

The massive body stiffened for a brief moment, then collapsed forward, shaking the ground as it fell dead.

Clara landed lightly on the ground and stretched her legs.

"Yeah. That felt about right."

She glanced down at the corpse.

"Turns out being untouchable is pretty useful."

Meanwhile, the black-scaled wolf was still snapping at empty air.

It growled, pacing in circles, senses stretched to the limit.

Eliza was nowhere to be seen.

"…Where is she?" one junior whispered.

Then...

Eliza appeared.

She was standing calmly on the wolf's head.

Her hair was now silver white, flowing softly.

Faint gray markings ran along her arms and neck, glowing slightly.

The wolf froze, eyes widening in shock.

Eliza looked down at it, her expression calm.

"…It's over."

The wolf tried to move.

Too late.

Eliza raised her hand.

Her fingers turned transparent.

They passed straight through the wolf's skull, as if there was no resistance at all.

The wolf's body twitched once.

Then it went limp.

Eliza pulled her hand back. It became solid again, clean and unmarked.

The wolf collapsed.

Dead.

Silence spread across the battlefield.

The juniors couldn't even speak.

"She… she destroyed it from the inside…"

"Her hand went straight through…"

Clara turned to look at Eliza, eyes wide. "Okay. That was terrifying."

Eliza blinked once. "…Was it?"

"Yes," Clara replied immediately. "Very."

Dahlia stood there, completely stunned.

She had expected them to win.

But not like this.

"…Wow," she muttered. "That's… way beyond what I imagined."

She stared at both of them, eyes sharp and curious.

"So this is how your [Unique Physique] works…"

She shook her head slowly, a smile forming.

"…Monsters," she said softly. "Both of you."

Clara grinned. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

Eliza looked down at her own hand, flexing her fingers slightly.

"…This path," she said quietly, "is amazing."

Dahlia laughed. "Yeah."

She crossed her arms proudly.

"And that's exactly why it's perfect for us."

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