Zombie Domination

Veronica lunged forward, her fist slicing through the air toward Lucy, but Lucy reacted just as fast, blocking the blow and slashing at her with razor-sharp claws. Veronica narrowly evaded the swipe, leaping back with sharp reflexes.

Her eyes narrowed when she noticed something changing in Lucy's form, feline ears twitched atop her head, and a sleek lion-like tail lashed behind her.

Veronica muttered under her breath, "That transformation… it's similar to Zoe's skill...?"

Lucy licked the back of her hand, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Too bad I missed," she said with a playful yet feral grin.

She charged again.

Veronica braced herself, activating her skill, [Enchanters]. A golden aura flared around her body as buffs surged through her muscles, boosting her speed and strength. She sidestepped Lucy's assault and retaliated with a swift kick from the right.

But Lucy ducked low, dodging the strike, and retaliated from below with a vicious upward claw. Veronica barely twisted away, trying to create distance, but Lucy was already on her again, eyes gleaming with predator-like excitement.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lucy snarled, swiping at her midsection.

Veronica quickly cast another buff, this time fortifying her defense. She gritted her teeth as Lucy's claws connected, she didn't dodge in time. The impact sent a tremor through her body, but the buff held strong. The wound was shallow.

She exhaled sharply, still standing. Her eyes locked on Lucy's.

Lucy licked the blood, her crimson eyes narrowing as she stared down her opponent.

"Where's all that talk from earlier?" she taunted, voice low and mocking.

Veronica stepped forward slowly, brushing the dust off her shoulder. "Don't get cocky just because you managed to scratch me," she said coldly.

Then, she moved.

Her figure blurred as she activated her agility buff again. Her speed increased dramatically, her steps light and precise like a dancer in motion. She weaved through Lucy's next attack with flawless acrobatics, twisting, sliding under a claw swipe, flipping backward to evade a follow-up strike.

Lucy growled in frustration as each of her blows missed their mark. "Hold still, you damn squirrel!"

Veronica didn't answer. She slid low to the ground, pivoted, and with a swift motion, kicked Lucy square in the side. The impact made Lucy stumble to the left, then a sharp elbow from Veronica landed clean across her jaw.

The crowd gasped as Lucy staggered back.

Veronica straightened, her ponytail flicking over her shoulder. Her expression was one of cold amusement as she looked down at Lucy.

"Come on then," she said, voice dripping with disdain. "Try again, bitch."

Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"I was going easy on you," she muttered, standing up and rolling her shoulders. "Because you're a support-type. But now… I have no reason to hold back."

A deep growl escaped her throat as her body began to change again.

Her ears elongated, sharpening into sleek black panther ears. Her tail thickened, darker, twitching with primal tension. Her pupils narrowed into slits, her gaze filled with raw hunting instinct.

A predator had awoken.

"I hope you don't die too quickly," she hissed.

Then she charged.

Her speed was nothing like before, faster, and more savage. She leapt forward with animalistic grace, claws gleaming in the light.

From the spectators' seats, Clarissa's eyes widened in concern. "Is Veronica going to be okay…?"

Emma, arms folded, smirked confidently. "Don't worry. Veronica's trained harder than anyone. She won't lose."

Celestia narrowed her gaze, studying Lucy's transformation. "Still… what is that skill? It feels eerily similar to Zoe's."

Leo, standing nearby, chuckled with pride. "That's her unique ability. [Transform]. She can shift into any beast she desires."

Celestia didn't even glance at him. Her voice came out cold and dismissive. "I wasn't asking you."

Leo leaned a little closer to Celestia, his voice low and teasing. "Don't be so cold."

Emma didn't even glance at him. "Why don't you go watch somewhere else? You're just annoying here."

Leo chuckled. "You girls really hate me, don't you? I just wanted to get closer to all the ladies around me."

Clarissa smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes. "You should listen to Emma and leave."

Aya, who had been focused on the duel, suddenly spoke up, her voice soft but filled with tension. "Veronica… she's about to use that skill."

All eyes snapped back to the arena.

On the battlefield, Veronica ducked under a wide swipe, her body twisting nimbly. But Lucy was faster, she followed up with relentless precision, each strike landing one after another. Veronica staggered, panting. Her stamina was draining, her body struggling to keep up.

Veronica instinctively raised her hand, casting her defensive buff once more. A shimmer of golden light wrapped around her body, but Lucy was faster.

"Not this time," Lucy growled, her beastly voice rumbling as she leapt forward, powerful legs launching her like a missile.

Her claws came down in a savage arc.

Veronica twisted to dodge, moving with the speed granted by her ultimate, but not fast enough. The edge of Lucy's claws scraped across her shoulder, slicing through cloth and skin alike.

"Agh, damn it!" Veronica hissed, staggering back.

She clutched her shoulder, already feeling the warmth of blood seeping through her sleeve. Across from her, Lucy crouched low, eyes locked onto her like a predator enjoying the scent of blood.

"You're really starting to piss me off," Veronica muttered.

Lucy licked the blood from her claw, eyes narrowing. Her smirk widened. "You're slowing down."

Before Veronica could catch her breath, Lucy charged again, faster, heavier, her movements fueled by brutal instinct.

"You should give up," Lucy hissed, her voice feral. "Before I rip out your throat."

But Veronica caught her next clawed strike, gritted her teeth, and in one swift motion, hoisted Lucy onto her shoulder.

"I said no," Veronica growled.

With a roar, she hurled Lucy over her back and slammed her into the ground. The impact sent dust and shards of stone flying.

Veronica didn't waste the moment.

Her aura pulsed, channeling her remaining energy into streght. Her body glowed faintly as her attack stats surged.

She lunged at Lucy, fists a blur.

Blow after blow rained down on Lucy, who tried to guard herself, but Veronica's onslaught was vicious. Relentless. Every punch cracked through her defenses, driving her further down.

With one final step forward, Veronica raised her fist high above her head.

"This ends now."

Lucy blinked up, blood on her lips, vision spinning.

And then she saw him.

Leo. Watching.

Watching her about to lose.

No.

She wouldn't allow it.

A deep snarl rose in her throat, and then she roared.

The sound was deafening. A sonic wave of raw fury exploded from her lungs, blasting Veronica backward like a ragdoll.

The crowd gasped.

Lucy stood, shaking, but smiling.

"I'll admit it," she said, voice darker now. "You're strong"

Her body began to shift again, this time violently.

Muscles tore and reformed. Her figure grew, her limbs thickened. Jet-black fur spread across her arms, chest, face. Her eyes glowed with primal hunger.

What now stood before Veronica was no longer a sleek panther-woman, but a towering black-furred gorilla, massive, powerful, and radiating wild aggression.

Even Veronica faltered a step back.

"…This wasn't in the plan," she muttered, brows tightening.

The moment Lucy, now in her beastly gorilla form, charged at her, Veronica's instincts screamed to run. The sheer weight and force behind each step made the ground tremble beneath her feet.

She barely managed to dodge the first swipe, her breath hitching as the wind from the blow grazed her cheek.

"Stay calm," she recalled Julian's words in her mind.

"Easy for you to say, you idiot," Veronica muttered under her breath, ducking another monstrous punch that cracked the tiles beneath her.

Lucy's attacks became more erratic, more brutal, like a beast toying with her prey.

The next hit landed. A crushing blow slammed into Veronica's chest. She crossed her arms to block it, but the force still sent her flying across the arena, her back crashing hard into a broken wall.

She gasped, falling to her knees.

"Damn it… that hurts," she hissed, clutching her side, her breath ragged.

Lucy didn't let up. The towering beast approached slowly this time, each step deliberate, as if savoring her suffering.

Veronica looked up, eyes narrowing.

"You've got a terrible personality, you know that?"

Lucy didn't respond, only tilted her massive head slightly, the glint in her eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

Veronica exhaled slowly.

Her mind sharpened. Focus settled in her chest.

She clenched her fists and drew back one leg, lowering her stance. Her voice was low, determined.

"I can use my ultimate too, you know."

Lucy snarled and lunged forward, sensing something was off, but it was too late.

A brilliant gold aura exploded from Veronica's body, swirling like flames around her. It rippled through the air, pushing back the dust and silence around the arena. The spectators gasped.

Her eyes glowed.

Her hair lifted as if caught in a divine wind.

Her speed, strength, endurance, all surged.

The golden aura wrapped tightly around her limbs, burning like holy fire. Her body felt weightless and limitless.

She looked up at the beast before her and smirked.

"You're finished."