“Grrr...!” But Lykos didn’t falter—she bared her fangs, growling like a wolf. She knew the enemy before her was far stronger, and yet she lowered her stance, preparing to fight without showing a single ounce of fear.
Then with a bark, she bravely leaped at the swirl of wind blades. Her boldness bordered on savagery, with a pride that was bestial but noble. The way she resolutely faced a fearsome enemy resembled her foster parent, the Lycaon King.
“Grrraaaaaaaaaw!” Lykos let out a beastly howl as she jumped into the whirlwind. It looked like a suicidal charge—anyone watching would assume that her small body was going to be torn to shreds.
However...
“Mmmmh!”
“Oh?” Lykos crossed through the tornado and threw her fist at the Immortal Butterfly’s face. “What a surprise... To think you would just charge head-on!” she exclaimed as she blocked the blow with a barrier of black butterflies. Then she leaped back, her Gothic Lolita dress fluttering, and watched Lykos with a pained expression. “You are quite the tomboy...”
Lykos whined, in pain from the countless cuts all over her body. Indeed, Lykos hadn’t defended herself or even managed to avoid the wind blades—no, she had simply gone straight through the tornado, paying no mind to her injuries, as though she felt no fear at all.
“You used mana to only strengthen your vitals and avoid being fatally wounded. Your resolve is splendid!”
“Mmmh!” Lykos kicked the ground and charged at the Immortal Butterfly once again.
“Oh my... How reckless.”
The Immortal Butterfly manipulated her butterflies to launch more wind blades, but Lykos paid them no heed and continued her headlong rush. She twisted her body, making herself as small as possible to minimize damage as she continued to attack repeatedly, ignoring the blood dripping from her wounds.
Even risking her life like that, however, didn’t allow her to reach the Immortal Butterfly. And yet, there was something chilling about the way she had just attacked without fearing death.
“Mmmmmmmh!”
“I never intended to underestimate you, but I suppose that’s youth for you. It is quite frightening that you can attack so recklessly,” the Immortal Butterfly said with a troubled smile as she continued to repel Lykos’s punches. If she wanted to kill Lykos, it would be simple—she just needed to continue the fight until Lykos died from blood loss. However, the Immortal Butterfly did not intend to cause Lykos’s death—she only wished to take one of her kin under her care. “It appears that bringing you to the hidden village is going to be quite difficult... You truly are forcing this old woman’s hand.”
“Mmmmh!”
“Oh well, I suppose you do not leave me the choice,” the Immortal Butterfly sighed and spread her arms. “I shall take this a little more seriously.” The next instant, countless butterflies gathered around her.
Even if her opponent was now concealed behind a barrier of butterflies, Lykos didn’t hesitate to throw a punch. However, immediately after her fist touched it, Lykos was blown away. She quickly spun in midair, safely landing on all fours, but was shocked by what she saw when she looked back at the Immortal Butterfly.
“You must be surprised, no? This is one of the abilities available to us lycanthropes.” The one who spoke wasn’t a young girl wearing a Gothic Lolita dress, but a beautiful woman in her twenties. The color of her hair and her clothing were the same, but her pigtails had come undone and her dress was now too small for her, exposing some cleavage at the neckline. “Despite my appearance, I am actually in my fifties—fifty decades, that is.”
“Mmmh?!”
“Now then, ’tis time for the true battle to begin.”
The Immortal Butterfly had been dominating until now, but the fight became even more one-sided as an invisible force took hold of Lykos, immobilizing her as though she was bound with strings like a marionette.
“I have sealed your movement, and thus you shall stay.”
“Mmmmmmmh!” Lykos tried to shake off the wind keeping her pinned in place, but she couldn’t even move a finger. The pressure was overwhelming. Just how much mana had been infused into the air to solidify it like this?
“Do not worry. I shall heal you after this, and then I shall instruct you on the harsh reality of the world,” the Immortal Butterfly said with affection as she stepped toward Lykos in her adult form. “Be at ease, child. You shall soon meet our other brethren. I am certain you will like—”
“Mmmmh! Mmmmmmmmmmh!”
“—them... Oh?”
Lykos howled as her body convulsed and her flesh started to expand.
“This is not completely unexpected, but still... To think you would be able to imitate it after only seeing it once,” the Immortal Butterfly muttered with a troubled smile.
Lykos’s appearance was changing. Her body grew, tearing apart her already tattered clothes, exposing her nakedness. All of her injuries had now been healed, revealing skin that was perfect and unblemished.
The beautiful woman with green hair roared, baring her sharp canines as her ample breasts jiggled. Now looking around twenty, Lykos shook away the wind binding her and once again punched at the Immortal Butterfly.
“Ugh...!”
This time, Lykos’s fist landed. The Immortal Butterfly had defended herself with a barrier of butterflies, but the impact was so strong it still knocked her back. The blow must have been extremely strong, because the Immortal Butterfly bounced on the ground several times before stopping dozens of meters away.
“What incredible physical strength... This is not looking good for me.”
“So you say, but your tone implies that you are still quite confident in yourself. You do not doubt your victory even for an instant.”
“Huh?” The Immortal Butterfly blinked a few times in surprise as she got up. “You have become very fluent.”
“Strangely, my thoughts transform into words of their own accord... I am just as surprised as you,” Lykos said, placing a hand on her abundant bust, covered only by the few shreds of clothing that remained on her shoulders. Apparently, her mind had grown along with her body, allowing her to speak freely instead of just whining and barking.
“I see... So you were just like me. Your young appearance does not reflect your age.”
“No, I am not nearly as venerable as you. Far from five hundred years, I have barely lived twenty,” Lykos replied politely as she rushed to the Immortal Butterfly and kicked her like a ball, sending her flying once again.
“Ow... That hurts! You’ve really done it now!” The Immortal Butterfly stopped in midair, controlling the wind in order to float in the air without wings. “Jigokuchou no Mai.” She then swung her arm downward, and a storm of butterflies assaulted Lykos. Her attack was far more lethal than before, proving she had truly been holding back until now. This time, the wind blades were so powerful that they wouldn’t just cut Lykos—they would completely pulverize her into juice. “What will you do?! Are you going to let yourself be torn to shreds?!”
“Mmmh!”
“Oh?”
In answer, Lykos simply swung her arms. She didn’t do anything special—she just strengthened her arms and swung them with all she had. They were faster than the speed of sound and created a shock wave that knocked the swarm of black butterflies aside.