"What... What have you become!?"
As Trill and Rielle stepped out from the radiance, Cyan could only stare in disbelief.
The two standing before him had transformed into something entirely unknown—beings that had never appeared within the world of Luminous History.
Until moments ago, they had resembled upright, bipedal beetles. Now, their forms were far more human.
Trill, the elder brother, was encased in an obsidian carapace that had expanded and hardened into a suit of impenetrable armor. He brandished a massive sword in his right hand, while his left arm was equipped with a buckler integrated into his gauntlet.
Rielle, the younger sister, wore a suit of slender, gilded armor with a curved breastplate. She gripped a pair of twin swords, her movements fluid and poised.
While their faces were almost human, they remained unmistakably monstrous. Their horns had grown larger, and their new forms seemed designed to perfectly harness the power of a Magic Armor Beast through a human-like physique.
Their wounds had vanished entirely. Seeing their stamina fully restored, Cyan and Egos stood frozen, their minds struggling to process the impossible turn of events.
Their companions grew increasingly frantic, shouting for their leader to take action.
"Cyan, give us an order! How do we fight these things? Tell us—wait, what?"
Peewee’s voice trailed off. She had been staring directly at Rielle, but in the blink of an eye, the girl was gone.
The mage gasped. She had been watching vigilantly, yet that conspicuous golden radiance had vanished in a heartbeat. The next instant, a wave of cold terror washed over her as she realized Rielle was standing right beside her.
"Fufufu... Ahahaha!"
"Aguh!?"
"P-Peewee!"
It happened so fast that neither Cyan nor Egos could react.
Closing the distance in a blur, Rielle unleashed a whirlwind of strikes with her twin swords. Peewee, a mage with naturally low physical defenses, had no time to dodge or shield herself. The blades shredded her Magic Barrier and carved countless gashes into her clothes and flesh. She collapsed onto the floor, a heap of bloodied fabric.
"You bastard! How dare you do that to Peewee!"
Fury overrode Verda's fear. He lunged toward Rielle to avenge his fallen comrade, but Trill stepped in to intercept him.
"Out of my way! Move!"
Verda threw his entire weight behind a punch, imbuing his fist with every drop of his Magic Power. He slammed his strike into the Magic Armor Beast with everything he had—but Trill didn’t even flinch.
"Tell me," Trill said, his voice dripping with icy composure, "was that really your best? A moment ago, that might have actually hurt... but it seems we’ve simply become too powerful for you."
"What!? Gubeh!?"
Verda's eyes widened in shock. His strongest blow had been a clean hit, yet it hadn't left a scratch. Before he could process the gap in their strength, Trill slammed his buckler into the man's face, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Cyan and Egos watched in horror. The man with the highest stamina and defense in their party had been taken down with a single casual strike. The evolved siblings turned toward them, their voices echoing with a chilling resonance.
"Wondrous strength. So this is Level 2 Power..."
"Level 2...? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Fufufufu... Since you are the 'benefactors' who pushed us to evolve, I suppose I can tell you," Rielle said. "Those who take on the power of a Magic Armor Beast become something more than human—but that is only the beginning. When a human body fully adapts to that power through constant use, it unlocks a higher state. That is Level 2. It is the form of a creature that has achieved a grand evolution, transcending even those who have already left humanity behind!"
"D-Don't give me that! There’s no way... We won't—!"
Whatever Egos intended to say was lost as he and Cyan lunged forward.
Perhaps it was pure instinct. They recognized these two as anomalies—beings that existed outside their knowledge and the original scenario—and felt they had to be eliminated at all costs.
Egos swung his axe at Trill, while Cyan unleashed a rapid spear thrust at Rielle.
But the strength they had cultivated specifically for this event was nothing compared to the power of a Level 2 Magic Armor Beast.
"Hmph!"
"Guaaaaah!"
Trill caught Egos's axe strike effortlessly with his buckler. With a flick of his wrist, he performed a perfect parry, knocking the weapon aside and leaving Egos wide open. Trill’s sword flashed forward, driving a heavy, crushing blow into Egos's unprotected torso.
"Ahahahaha! Too slow! Way too slow!"
"Gyaaaaaah!"
Rielle easily read Cyan's movements. She blurred past him, her twin swords becoming a golden vortex. Much like Peewee before him, Cyan’s Magic Barrier was shattered instantly as his body was sliced to ribbons. He slumped to the ground, his strength deserting him.
In a matter of seconds, the two "protagonists" had been systematically dismantled.
"A-Ah... Aaaah..."
Neries, the last one standing, had completely lost her will to fight. Seeing her comrades and the leader she trusted so implicitly defeated so easily had broken her. She sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face, her terror so absolute that she had lost control of her bladder.
Trill and Rielle approached her, looking down at the trembling girl in silence. Then, they spoke with a terrifying, arrogant kindness.
"Be at ease. We owe you a debt for triggering our evolution. We shall spare your life."
"Take your little friends and run along. We’ll forgive you this once."
"A-A-A... Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Overwhelmed by a chaotic mix of terror and relief, Neries pressed her forehead to the floor in a desperate dogeza, shouting her thanks for their mercy.
Trill and Rielle watched her grovel with visible amusement, savoring the intoxicating rush of superiority.
"Yes, that’s it. You humans who cannot evolve should spend the rest of your lives prostrating yourselves and fawning over your superiors. It is the only role suited for you."
"Looking down on people feels wonderful, doesn't it, Brother? Let’s use this power to show everyone who ever mocked us exactly what they are. We’ll make them realize which of us was truly the fool..."
Drunk on their warped evolution and a twisted sense of conquest, the siblings turned away. They strolled through the museum with the casual air of predators who knew they were at the top of the food chain, searching for their next target.