Before #79 would finish her sentence, #99 had pressed his lips on her muzzle and kissed her quietly.
#79 froze, eyes wide and stunned at what he had done.
"What is—" she murmured, paw to her mouth.
"I... I love you, Specter Wolf #79!" #99 shouted, his face flushed and raw, "I always have. So please… be alive for me. Live."
"But... but..." she cried harder as #99 gently brushed her tears away with his fingers.
"Now," he said softly, "let's get you out of here."
"Specter Wolf #99!!" she cried aloud.
Then #99 inhaled slowly, planting his feet firmly apart while drawing his shoulders back. And, with a sharp grunt, he hurled #79 forward with incredible strength.
She shot across the air with perfect precision, her body like a streak of light, and pierced through the trembling, warped space miles ahead.
And just like that, she was gone from danger… She was safe.
And for that, #99 finally allowed himself a fleeting moment of happiness and deep sigh, as he still watched the threshold.
Turning back, he saw Onee-sama and Tamayō closing in. Onee-sama dragged the limp silent wolf by the neck as she strolled casually forward, her cold amusement etched in every step.
"My, my, my," she said with a low chuckle, her eyes fixed on #99's human form. "Haha-ue was actually right about something for once."
"How rude!" Tamayō puffed her cheeks in protest. "I hold access to millions of fragments of knowledge within my mind. I can pursue any truth, investigate any contradiction, and discern what is fa—"
"Hai, hai, I understand," Onee-sama replied, dismissively waving a hand. "But more importantly, how were you so certain this would happen?"
With a casual gesture of her hand, Onee-sama opened a swirling black portal and tossed the unconscious silent wolf into it, his body vanishing without trace.
"It was the same with me and Shizuka," Tamayō explained, her tone turning more rational. "When something of true value is on the line, desperation forces us into a higher form. Shizuka and I only turned because we refused to let Levina and Alicia monopolize the Supreme Lord's attention, especially when we realized he favored human bodies over our four-legged ones. The only exceptions were the Phantom Fangs, who achieved transformation immediately after being named."
"Oh?" Onee-sama raised her brows in mild surprise. "So this one longed to save the one he loved so badly that he forced himself to transform? A little misguided, but interesting nonetheless."
"Indeed," Tamayō replied with a slight tilt of her head. She lifted #99's arm, inspecting the lines of his new body. "Though, I did not expect love to be the catalyst. My reasoning was fear of death alone."
"Well," Onee-sama said with a self-satisfied smile, running her fingers across the hardened muscles of his chest, "we achieved our little goal. And it seems he is far sturdier than before."
#99 stood motionless, his face drained of expression. He could not resist, nor could he speak.
"Yes," Tamayō agreed, still studying him. "It is as though he has further realized the potential of his own power. For you and your siblings, things are different. You are beings born already as manifestations of raw force, so there was never an awakening process. Whether one is still possible for you... that I cannot say."
"It should be," Onee-sama nodded firmly. "We do not yet know the true depths of our abilities. Soon, I will conduct a training session with the rest. We will test the very boundaries of what we can do."
Her sharp gaze returned to #99, sizing him up like a specimen. "So then, how durable has he become?" she asked.
#99 stiffened, his breath caught in his chest as Tamayō gripped his jaw and studied the pale, lifeless look in his eyes.
"I cannot determine the full extent due to its instability," Tamayō said thoughtfully, "but his magical reserves have at least doubled."
She moved away, but still scrutinizing him with clinical curiosity. "Mhm. The Supreme Lord and the Empress will be pleased with this development."
SPLAT!
"Oh my!" Onee-sama gasped in surprise, covering her mouth as blood splattered across the ground. A gaping hole had opened through #99's torso.
"I barely nudged him," she said with an astonished lilt. "Does increased magical energy not translate into stronger physical fortitude?"
Tamayō curved her lips into a prideful smirk as #99 dropped lifelessly to the ground. "Hmph. You still have much to learn about these matters. Even if the wolf had gained more magic power and physical strength, his body would still feel like cotton against your ballistic force."
"Really? And I was not even trying that hard." Onee-sama frowned slightly as the body began to crumble into darkness. "Too bad. I wanted to study his human form a little longer. His genital was considerably larger than Silver's and Brown's. It makes me wonder why we all still have these organs: Do we truly have any use for reproduction at all, considering we are nearly immortal."
"Hmm? Could you not find such detail in the Books of the Primordial Knowledge Library?" Tamayō asked as they strolled leisurely back toward the palace to continue their inspection.
"There is only so much I can access there," Onee-sama admitted with a deeper frown. "I have been receiving favor from the empress lately, but knowledge that is not related to war, magic, and destruction remains mostly sealed from me. I did find a section on anatomy, but I could not read too far. Therefore, I would need to study a practical body if I want to truly understand anatomy."
"You mean, dissect an individual?" Tamayō tilted her head curiously.
"Indeed. I have already dissected and dismembered many Specter Wolves, so I know their anatomy well enough. But that of a human remains beyond my reach, since only individuals such as my family members or the titans of the Wolves' Domain take on human forms."
"Then no worries!" Tamayō exclaimed, patting Onee-sama's head. "You will find this person again soon, and you will abduct them, will you not?"
Onee-sama rolled her eyes at the gesture. "You treat me like a child the moment you find the chance… But I agree. I have the leisure of time on my side. I will find that Specter Wolf again, and I will become his friend."
***
In the Wolves' Domain, near their threshold.
"So… you said you loved me, Specter Wolf #99?" #79 teased the blushing man as they returned to the Ice Castle.
"Eh?! Specter Wolf #99 finally confessed?" Aniki turned sharply to the tall humanoid. "And he even attained a human form! It appears only Specter Wolf #99 gained some reward from this arc."
"No, no," he protested, waving his hands. "Those two kitsunes examined and inspected my new body and then blew a hole straight through my stomach! It was painful and traumatic!"
The five of them burst out laughing as they trudged together through the harsh cold.
"…"
"…"
"…Yeah, we should probably file a report about those foxes and their violence to the empress soon."
"Indeed, I think so too. Dying hurts, you know," #17 deadpanned. "Also, you might want to get some clothes now, Specter Wolf #99. It jiggles when you walk, and it's honestly abhorrent."
***
Gold tiptoed around the courtyard to discover that Onee-sama was nowhere to be found, so she dashed past a few pavilions and knocked on the one with a green circle on the top.