Moments earlier, when Liam had been sent flying through the forest by the Berserker, Charlotte had immediately made a run for it.

She had been lucky enough not to get caught in the hit as well thanks to Liam’s fast reaction when he pushed her backward at the last second.

And more than that—

She was lucky the Berserker barely considered her existence important at all.

The evolved demon had completely ignored her and immediately gone after Liam instead, launching itself toward the direction he had been sent flying.

Charlotte dashed through the forest at full speed, heading south as she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Berserker demon anymore.

The eastern forest blurred around her while roots, branches, and uneven terrain passed beneath her feet in rapid succession. Even in her normal human form, her movements remained unnaturally fluid. Her senses stretched through the darkness while every sound, scent, and vibration around her flowed clearly into her awareness.

Still, despite all that, her heartbeat refused to calm down.

Because she knew exactly how bad the situation behind her truly was.

She was fully aware of how messed up her actions were.

Leaving Liam behind with that thing was absurd.

But there was nothing she could realistically do about it.

Charlotte knew going back to help would be pointless. Even if both of them fought together against that Berserker, it still wouldn’t have been enough.

Especially after the hit Liam had taken.

She knew that strike had done far more than simply send him flying.

That level of force would’ve shattered bones. Damaged internal organs. Possibly worse.

Meaning Liam—who had already not been at full condition before this fight—had just dropped even lower.

And with how low her own Myst reserves currently were, facing the Berserker alongside him would’ve been outright suicidal.

’Tch... I should’ve known better than to follow that lunatic,’ Charlotte cursed inwardly while weaving through the dark forest.

A branch flashed toward her face.

She ducked beneath it smoothly without slowing down.

’Sure, staying around him felt safer... but I should’ve trusted my instincts and stayed hidden somewhere underground instead.’

A frustrated groan escaped her throat.

"See, Charlotte?" she muttered bitterly to herself while sprinting through the darkness. "This is why you don’t let curiosity get the better of you in a freaking cursed jungle."

She frowned briefly before letting out another irritated breath.

’At least he should be fine...’

Her thoughts drifted back toward Liam despite herself.

’The academy will extract him if things get too dangerous.’

Even though she was prioritizing herself right now by running away, Charlotte couldn’t fully ignore the guilt sitting heavily within her chest.

Sure, she had already warned Liam she would leave him the moment things became too dangerous for her own survival.

And that was exactly what she was doing now.

But despite all her teasing and selfishness, Charlotte wasn’t heartless enough to genuinely not care what happened to him.

That still didn’t mean she was turning around and going back for him though.

No chance.

The only thing she could realistically do now was hope the academy forcibly extracted Liam before the Berserker killed him.

Even though...

That same extraction had failed to happen when she herself had been moments away from death beneath the Berserker’s claw.

Charlotte’s expression tightened at the memory.

The massive hand descending toward her.

The pressure.

The certainty that she was about to die.

Yet no extraction came.

She still didn’t understand that.

Part of her wanted to believe the academy somehow knew Liam would intercept the attack in time.

Or perhaps something had simply gone wrong.

Whichever explanation it was, Charlotte hoped Liam survived this bizarre situation he had willingly thrown himself into.

Still sprinting through the forest without reducing her pace, Charlotte suddenly picked up the sound of movement behind her.

Fast movement.

Several bodies.

Immediately, her expression darkened.

Without hesitation, she recognized the sounds as demons.

More specifically—

Those Advanced Horrors.

She could hear their footsteps rapidly closing the distance behind her despite the fact she wasn’t slowing down at all.

’Dammit...’

Charlotte’s jaw tightened.

’Did the furry mutt die or something? Why are those disgusting things coming after me?’

Even without looking back, she already knew they were the same evolved Advanced Horrors she and Liam had encountered before the Berserker revealed itself.

She sharpened her hearing further.

’Three different movements,’ she concluded internally.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

’Guess the mutt managed to kill one more before disappearing.’

That didn’t comfort her whatsoever.

If anything, it made the situation worse.

These Advanced Horrors were already abnormally strong compared to ordinary ones. They were faster, more coordinated, and far more aggressive.

And now they were hunting her specifically.

’I’m pretty sure they’ve evolved too... just not enough to become full Sync-class demons like that monstrosity.’

Charlotte leapt over a fallen trunk and landed lightly before immediately pushing herself forward again.

Her mind drifted briefly toward Smoke.

Per the Myst she had sensed from the shadow wolf earlier during its full-sized transformation, she could tell Smoke’s raw combat capability was around the level of a Horror-class demon at best.

Yet somehow...

The creature had managed to hold back multiple evolved Advanced Horrors by itself.

And even kill some.

That genuinely impressed her a little.

’Guess he’s resilient just like his master,’ she thought with a faint reluctant smile.

But that smile quickly faded again.

The footsteps behind her were getting closer.

Fast.

Far too fast.

’Running like this in my human form won’t work forever.’

Her thoughts sharpened rapidly as she considered her options.

’Even my beast-dominant form probably won’t be enough to outrun them for long.’

She clicked her tongue irritably.

’And if I enter my full jaguar form...’

Charlotte grimaced slightly.

’That would consume way too much Myst.’

Sure, her complete jaguar transformation would make escaping easier initially due to the massive increase in physical capability.

But that form also carried problems.

The larger size made maneuvering through dense forests harder.

And if those demons forced her into an actual prolonged fight afterward, the Myst consumption would become a nightmare.

Charlotte kept thinking while dashing between the trees.

Then eventually, her expression hardened.

"I guess I have no choice but to try that thing here..." she muttered quietly.

Her golden eyes began glowing brighter within the darkness.

"Hopefully this doesn’t turn bad."

The next instant, Charlotte’s body became enveloped in an ethereal blue glow.

The light wrapped around her frame like flowing mist before completely swallowing her figure.

Then she vanished into the darkness ahead.

***

Moments later, the three remaining Advanced Horrors burst from the forest and finally slowed their pace.

The demons spread outward immediately while sniffing both the ground and air aggressively.

Their prey’s scent had suddenly disappeared.

And that irritated them.

Each creature moved separately now, searching through the surrounding forest while growls rumbled deep within their throats.

One of the demons lowered its elongated face toward the ground and continued moving ahead of the others.

Eventually, it paused.

Its nostrils flared.

Then slowly, the creature lifted its head upward toward the trees.

It had found the scent again.

The next instant, the demon’s head snapped upward violently.

A low growl escaped its throat.

But that growl only lasted a fraction of a second.

Because something massive descended from the darkness above it.

Fast.

Too fast.

The creature barely even processed the shape before clawed hands seized its skull violently.

A horrifying crunch echoed through the forest as its neck snapped instantly.

The dark figure landed atop the demon’s collapsing body while still gripping its head.

Then with brutal force, the creature ripped the head completely off.

Black blood exploded across the ground.

The massive figure didn’t stop there.

Its free hand immediately plunged into the demon’s chest, tearing through flesh, ribs, and hardened muscle before violently ripping the core free.

The moment the core left the body, it shattered within the beast’s grip with crushing force.

The two remaining Advanced Horrors immediately rushed toward the sound of their companion’s interrupted growl.

But when they arrived—

They froze briefly.

The corpse of the Advanced Horror lay mangled across the forest floor, dark blood soaking through grass, roots, and stone beneath it.

And crouched directly above the body...

Was a beast.

A massive one.

Dark fur covered its entire body while faint jaguar-like spots reflected subtly beneath the pale moonlight filtering through the canopy.

Even while crouched low on all fours, the creature looked enormous.

If it fully stood upright, it would easily reach over six feet tall.

Its face was unmistakably jaguar-like.

Sharp fangs.

Broad predatory jaws.

Glowing golden eyes.

Long whiskers.

Every feature screamed apex predator.

Yet at the same time...

The build of the creature wasn’t fully animal.

Its torso and shoulders carried disturbingly human proportions beneath the beastly structure. Its limbs were built for explosive movement rather than normal balance. The claws extending from its hands were longer than daggers, and its tail moved slowly behind it with visible controlled power.

The creature slowly lifted its head from the corpse beneath it.

Moonlight reflected against its eyes.

And within those glowing golden irises...

The two remaining demons saw intelligence staring back at them.

Charlotte had entered a form she had never used before.

A form she had deliberately avoided for a very long time due to the implications behind it.

Because this wasn’t merely Beast Magic anymore.

This was something deeper.

Something closer to what she truly was.

Her real were-jaguar form.