"Perfect opportunity!"
A fierce glint flashed in Griffin's eyes as she seized the moment when Agni was exhausted.
Her remaining stamina and Haki erupted instantly, her wings flapping with full force once more. Her massive body shot down like a golden meteor, faster than any previous dive.
Her talons spread wide, gleaming with a cold light as if they could tear through Dragon Scales, while her beak gathered an intense golden glow—a sign of wind pressure compressed to its limit.
"Sovereignty of the Firmament: Star-Piercing Strike!"
This strike perfectly combined the lion's diving force, the sharpness of its claws, the hardness of the eagle's beak, and the speed of the storm.
Its speed and power were concentrated to the extreme, aimed directly at Agni below, who had exhausted her old strength and had yet to muster new energy.
"Big Sis Agni!"
Bat Girl Fu couldn't help but cry out at the sight, seeing that her big sis was in danger.
As a Common Type Beast Girl, she could sense the lethal threat contained within that strike, making her afraid to watch.
Not just Fu, the surrounding Beast Girls were also horrified. Almost all of them believed the outcome was already decided.
There was no way Agni could block this strike.
Only Brian, at this moment, revealed a faint, subtle smile at the corner of his mouth.
The next second, Agni, trapped in a desperate situation, suddenly underwent a new transformation.
Agni's originally dim, fiery red eyes, drained from exhaustion, suddenly lit up with a purer, more intense glow.
It wasn't a desperate counterattack but rather an awakening that seemed to touch a deeper level of power—though it wasn't a Devil Fruit Awakening.
Instead of trying to dodge or defend against the fatal dive, she curled her petite body inward, compressing all her remaining flame energy inward, again and again.
Around her body, a dark red fireball formed, no larger than a fist, deep as blood, as if it could swallow even light itself.
"Final Form of Calamitous Flame: Undying Ember: Concealment!"
The next moment, Griffin's "Star-Piercing Strike" accurately struck Agni.
There was no explosion as imagined, nor the sound of talons tearing through flesh.
The moment Griffin struck, the dark red fireball suddenly erupted.
What erupted wasn't an outward-spreading destructive energy but a condensed, dark red pillar of fire that shot straight into the sky, swallowing both Griffin and Agni.
"What?!"
Berlos, watching the battle, showed a look of surprise for the first time.
She could sense within that pillar of fire an intent of "burning" and "preservation" that bordered on a rule-like level, not mere destruction.
The pillar of fire lasted for several seconds before slowly dissipating.
In the air, Griffin flapped her wings somewhat awkwardly. Her talons and beak tip bore signs of burns from the intense heat, and her golden feathers were scorched black in patches. Her breathing was erratic, clearly having suffered in that strange pillar of fire.
Thud~
Thud~
Whoosh~
The next second, Griffin's flapping wings suddenly froze, and her entire body plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground and creating a shallow crater.
Griffin lay helplessly in the small crater, completely unable to move—she was utterly exhausted.
Agni, equally powerless, fell from the sky. The flames on her petite body had all extinguished, and her tail had grown dim.
Thud.
Upon landing, Agni did not lose consciousness entirely. Instead, she stubbornly forced herself to stand up from the ground.
Though she couldn't take another step forward, she steadied herself and looked at Griffin across from her. A flicker of lingering fear and acknowledgment passed through her fiery red eyes.
"I won. But you are incredibly strong, Griffin."
Agni whispered, her voice now hoarse and raspy.
The battle had been swift and fierce, with both of them giving their all without holding back.
Not just them—the earlier fight between Berlos and Leona had also been fought with full force and no reservations.
Otherwise, given the immense stamina and astonishing recovery speed of a Mythical Zoan Beast Girl, dragging the battle into a prolonged fight for three days and three nights would have been entirely possible.
They had simply, without prior agreement, chosen this approach—to save time and to truly gauge their opponent's capabilities.
This would prove quite helpful for future team battles against enemies.
Among the four, Agni was somewhat unique. At the final moment, she had touched upon a deeper power, but she couldn't fully control it yet—it would require more time and training.
Still, it had to be said: Fire Rat Agni, this recently born Mythical Zoan Beast Girl, had unexpectedly surged ahead.
Compared to the other three Beast Girls, she had indeed taken a small lead, which was somewhat surprising.
Brian's figure appeared where Agni had fallen, gently catching her and placing a green pill into her mouth.
As the pill dissolved, a surge of pure life energy flowed into her body, stabilizing her injuries and exhaustion.
Then, Brian set Agni down and appeared beside Griffin, repeating the same process to restore her condition.
Only after both had recovered did Brian announce the result, his voice carrying across the entire area.
"The outcome is decided. This battle's victor is Agni!"
"Today, you have both displayed the prowess befitting a Mythical Zoan. Especially Agni's final strike—it faintly brushed against the threshold of awakening."
"This is something you all can discuss and learn from in the future, striving to enter an awakened state as soon as possible and touch higher realms."
"Yes, Master."
"Understood, Master."
Griffin and Agni nodded, their expressions serious and solemn.
The Beast Girls who had been watching finally snapped out of their awe from the final moments.
Whether it was Griffin's dominating dive from the heavens or Agni's desperate, profound burst of "Undying Ember," both had left them deeply shaken.
In this clash of blazing flames and boundless sky, there were no losers—only a deeper understanding and longing for the path of power.
On the deserted island, the residual warmth lingered. The path upward for Mythical Zoan Beast Girls seemed to have finally cracked open a small gap.
Though it was still a long way from being fully broken through, there was now sufficient hope.
"Sister Griffin, Sister Agni, I'm here. Drink some milk, have this first."
Duang
Duang
~
Cow Girl Bei's appearance was always accompanied by the astonishing sight of surging waves, causing Agni and Griffin to glance sideways in surprise.
Although both possessed considerable strength, compared to Bei, they were truly outmatched.
For a moment, they exchanged glances, not daring to speak, and almost imperceptibly tugged at their clothes to cover certain body parts.
This move was made in unison without prior discussion.
"Thank you, Bei."
"Thank you, little sister."
Gulp gulp gulp~
Gulp gulp gulp~
Taking the freshly squeezed milk from the Cow Girl, they drank it all in one go, and their status bars were once again significantly replenished.
The second round of the Mythical Zoan battle among Beast Girls concluded here, with Fire Rat Agni emerging as an unexpected victor.
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