The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

The air shifted. No... it bent. Lily’s body straightened slowly, her trembling ceasing all at once as if something inside her had clicked into place. Her head rose, strands of red hair parting just enough to reveal her face.

A mark... glowed. Right at the center of her forehead, a fox-shaped sigil, sharp and ancient, burned into existence with a deep crimson light. The arena fell into stunned silence. Her breathing steadied.

Her lips parted, and her fangs elongated. They grew, sharp and predatory, glinting under the sunlight. Her nails stretched into claws. Fine strands of fur spread along her arms and cheeks, blending into her skin like living flame. And behind her, her tail flicked once, and a second one appeared.

Not physical, but spiritual. A translucent, glowing tail formed beside the first, swaying with an eerie, almost divine presence.

Anwar’s smirk faded.

"So you had this hidden, huh?"

Lily didn’t respond. She looked at him, and vanished.

BOOM!

The ground beneath her exploded. Anwar’s instincts screamed. He twisted too late.

SLASH!

Her claws tore across his chest. Blood sprayed. His body stumbled back violently, eyes widening in shock.

"Fast—!"

WHOOSH!

She was already behind him.

CRACK!

Her kick slammed into his back, sending him crashing face-first into the ground. The impact shattered the arena floor. Before he could recover, her hand seized his ankle.

She lifted him as if he weighed nothing.

SMASH!

She slammed him into the ground, once, twice...

THREE TIMES!

Each hit was heavier than the last, each impact shaking the arena.

"GRAAH—!"

Anwar roared, twisting his body mid-air and kicking out.

BAM!

His foot connected with her side, forcing her back a few steps. He landed, panting, blood dripping from his chest. His eyes sharpened, now fully serious.

"You’re not the same anymore."

Lily tilted her head slightly. Her expression was blank and cold. She moved again.

FASTER.

Anwar dashed forward to meet her.

This time, he didn’t hold back.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Their clash resumed, but this time, it wasn’t equal. Not even close. Lily’s claws tore through his defenses, her movements sharper, more feral, more unpredictable than before.

Anwar blocked, but his arms trembled. He countered, but she slipped past.

SLASH!

Another deep cut opened across his shoulder.

CRACK!

Her knee slammed into his ribs, and something broke. He felt it. His breathing hitched. Still, he fought. He roared, his body pushing past its limits as he launched a barrage of attacks, fists and kicks flying with brutal intent.

For a moment, he held. For a moment, he matched her. Then, her second tail flicked, and everything changed. Her speed spiked, and her presence deepened. Her strikes became heavier and more lethal.

BANG!

Her fist crashed into his guard and broke through. His arm bent unnaturally. A scream tore from his throat, but before it could even finish...

SLAM!

She drove him into the ground again. The crater deepened. Dust exploded upward, but she didn’t stop. She mounted him. And her claws came down. Again, and again, and again.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Blood sprayed across the shattered arena. Anwar tried to defend, tried to push her off, but every movement was slower now.

Weaker.

His body was failing. His mind was screaming.

"Stop...!" he choked out.

She didn’t. Her crimson eyes burned with something wild, something ancient, something that didn’t care.

CRACK!

Her claw slammed into his jaw, snapping his head to the side. His vision blurred. Darkness crept in.

Still, she raised her hand again.

From the stands...

"LILY!"

The voice cut through. Her hand paused mid-air. Her body froze. Her ears twitched.

Slowly...

Her head turned toward the voice. Bahamut stood there watching.

"Enough."

One word, calm, and firm. Lily’s body trembled. The glow of the mark on her forehead flickered, and her claws shook. Her breath hitched.

Then, slowly, she lowered her hand. The second tail flickered and vanished. The mark dimmed. Her fangs receded. Her body softened, and just like that, the monster disappeared.

Lily blinked, and her vision cleared. She looked down at Anwar, broken, bloodied, and barely breathing. Her eyes widened.

"I..."

She staggered back. Her legs gave slightly. Silence filled the arena. Elder Hakar stepped forward, his expression serious.

"Winner... Lily."

No cheers came immediately. Only stunned silence, because what they had just witnessed...was not just strength.

It was lineage, power, something deeper, something dangerous. From the stands, Sel exhaled slowly.

"Kurama..."

Ren nodded.

"That explains it."

Gabi stared, wide-eyed.

"She’s... terrifying."

Bahamut simply watched Lily as she stood there, shaken, confused, and breathing unevenly. Then, he smiled slightly.

"Good."

And in the center of the ruined arena, Anwar lay on the edge of death, defeated completely by the fox he thought was prey.

...

Anwar’s broken body was lifted onto a stretcher, his once arrogant face now swollen and unrecognizable, his breaths shallow and uneven. The arena, which had erupted into deafening cheers moments ago, slowly quieted as attention shifted away from the defeated wolf and toward the girl who had brought him down.

Lily stood there... barely.

Her transformation had receded, the extra tail fading like mist, the mark on her forehead dimming until it vanished completely. Her claws returned to normal, her fangs shrinking, but her body trembled violently. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, her legs shaking as if they could give out at any moment.

And then... they did.

Her knees buckled, but before she could hit the ground, Bahamut appeared in front of her so suddenly that the air cracked slightly in protest. Without hesitation, he caught her, one arm wrapping around her back, the other sliding under her knees, lifting her effortlessly.

The arena went silent. Completely silent.

Lily’s eyes fluttered weakly as she looked up at him, her vision hazy. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.

"You... came..." she whispered faintly, her voice barely audible.

Bahamut didn’t respond immediately. His expression was calm, but his grip on her was firm, almost protective.

"You did well," he finally said, his tone low but steady.

That was all it took.

A small, tired smile appeared on Lily’s face before her head fell against his chest, her consciousness slipping.

And that... was when the whispers began.

"What...?"

"Did he just..."

"He carried her?"

"Isn’t he with Exildra?"

"Wait... what’s going on?"

The murmurs spread like wildfire across the arena. Disciples leaned toward each other, eyes wide, voices hushed but frantic.

"That’s not normal..."

"He didn’t even hesitate..."

"Something’s definitely going on..."

Bahamut, however, ignored all of it. He simply turned and began walking off the stage, Lily resting in his arms as if she belonged there, but he didn’t get far.

"Bahamut!"

A voice called out, filled with urgency.

Exildra.

She moved quickly through the crowd, her usual composure gone, her expression laced with worry. Her eyes immediately locked onto Lily’s fragile state, then shifted to Bahamut.

"Is she okay?" she asked, her voice softer now, but tense.

Bahamut nodded once. "She pushed herself too far. She’ll be fine."

Exildra stepped closer, her gaze lingering on Lily for a moment before softening.

Then... she did something that made the entire arena collectively lose its mind.

She reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Lily’s face.

"Idiot..." she muttered under her breath, but there was no malice in it. Only concern.

The silence deepened. If the earlier scene had caused whispers... this? This was a storm.

"They’re both...?"

"No way..."

"Is that... allowed?"

"Wait... don’t tell me..."

"They agreed to it?!"

The realization hit the crowd like a physical blow.

Bahamut stood there, holding one girl in his arms, while another stood right in front of him, worry evident in her eyes, her actions far too intimate to be dismissed as mere friendship, and neither of them looked uncomfortable, neither of them looked conflicted.

If anything... it felt natural.

Sel, watching from the stands, let out a low whistle.

"Well... there goes subtlety," he muttered.

Ren, perched on his shoulder, nodded sagely. "That idiot always chooses chaos."

Gabi, standing nearby, blinked slowly.

"I have so many questions."

Back on the arena floor, Bahamut glanced between the two girls before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Let’s go," he said simply.

Exildra nodded. Without another word, she fell into step beside him, and just like that, the three of them walked off together.

Leaving behind a stunned, confused, and wildly curious audience that would not be recovering from this anytime soon.

...

Up in the elders’ compartment, Derek’s expression twisted in disgust as his glowing and piercing blue eyes locked onto Bahamut.

’WHY?! Just how?!’