A complete mess. That was how the current situation could be described. The Shadow Nartheis were surrounding everyone, turning the place into complete chaos before the teams even had a chance to make any moves against one another. What nobody knew was that the appearance of those Nartheis had been secretly triggered by Enrico as soon as he entered that area.
'I thought I would arrive before anyone else, so I pressed the button near the entrance gate to begin summoning the Boss.'
[In a way, you were lucky. Now you'll have people helping you defeat the Boss.]
'As if it were that simple. It's quite possible they'll stab me to death just to get the points.'
"Everyone, jump!"
Enrico's team immediately jumped, leaving the others bewildered.
With his hand covered by the Crimson Gauntlet, Enrico punched the ground, causing a small earthquake that threw the Nartheis and the two opposing teams off balance.
"Looks like he's already going all out."
Seeing Enrico moving quickly and eliminating the Nartheis in an explosion of fire, Elowyn also took action. She moved to the right while creating a golden sword, pointing it toward the Nartheis that were trying to launch a surprise attack on her team.
"Golden Swords!"
With a precise movement, she cut them all in half. Meanwhile, she noticed Lamia's team approaching Enrico's team. Taking advantage of the commotion, some of Lamia's companions pushed Caelan away from the others, separating him from the rest of Enrico's team.
She raised an eyebrow when she saw one of Lamia's companions extending her hand toward Elian, Serenya, and Yumeha.
"Hey, girls! How about joining our Lamia? I'm sure you'll love serving her, just like we do!"
"That's right! Abandon those boys and come enjoy some time with the girls!"
In the distance, Enrico seemed to snort, as though he had already expected something like this from that group, while continuing to massacre the Nartheis trying to hit him.
Lamia approached the girls with a polite smile, even though she noticed that Elian, Serenya, and Yumeha hadn't even looked at the hand her companion had extended. The girl seemed uncomfortable with their indifference.
"You know, you're really beautiful. Even if you're not my type... Well, to tell the truth, I've never met a girl who was exactly to my liking."
Lamia approached, trying to touch Serenya's face, but, to her disappointment, she received a hard slap on her hand, leaving the back of it red.
The girl who had been ignored immediately became furious.
"What are you doing to our Lamia?!"
Soon afterward, the other three also got ready to attack.
"You'll regret this!"
Before she could take another step, Lamia raised her hand to stop them, keeping her eyes fixed on Serenya.
"Why did you slap my hand? I'm not your type? If you don't like girls, I can make you..."
"You're annoying, you know that? We're in a dangerous situation, and that's what you're thinking about? Serenya slapping your hand is the least of the problems here."
After receiving Yumeha's biting response, Lamia didn't seem particularly pleased. Even so, she was willing to try a second time. After all, every girl in the world deserved to receive her love.
"You know, I realize this might not be the best time, but how about we go out when everything is over? Maybe I could take you to my..."
"I refuse. I already have my Master."
"You'd better leave and be careful not to get in the way of our fight. I have to impress my right-hand man and future husband."
The two ran toward Enrico to help him, while Caelan, who had been thrown away from them, laughed as he watched the scene.
Lamia, in turn, looked toward Enrico with some hostility. He seemed to be a threat to her plans of winning over those beautiful girls, but there were still other people around him. Perhaps she could get better results with them.
She looked toward the area where Elowyn's team was, her eyes shining.
"Make sure you don't bother the princess with this nonsense!"
"My princess already has a consort, so stay away!"
While Velka and Narisse responded to Lamia's provocations, they continued fighting the Nartheis.
Elowyn, on the other hand, hadn't even paid attention to the conversation. She was focused on the battle, although she occasionally glanced toward Enrico, thinking about how she would make him adore her as his Queen, just as everyone else should.
Realizing that practically everyone was ignoring her, Lamia looked toward the only "girl" who still hadn't responded to her advances. Elian immediately noticed her approaching and turned his gaze away.
"Anyway, I saved the prettiest one for last. So, what do you say? Would you like to come with me?"
As soon as Lamia grabbed his hair, he ran toward Enrico to raise a wall.
"I'm already in love with my leader, Enrico. So, I'm sorry."
Elian was certain that if he revealed he was a man, something bad would happen.
"I can't believe it! How dare they refuse our Lamia's offer?!"
"All of them are idiots! Don't worry, Lamia. You have us!"
Lamia gave them a stern look, making them fall silent immediately.
In her entire life, no one had ever dared to reject her. Even men her own age, who were so easy to manipulate, usually bowed before her with just a handshake, even when she offered so little.
Enrico looked toward his companion with a teasing smile.
"Elian, I heard your confession. You should know that I accept!"
"Hahahaha! I'm so happy about this! But you know, what if I told you it was a joke...?"
"Now you can't take it back. Officially, you're my seventh wife!"
Seeing Elian clutching his own head in despair, Enrico burst out laughing alongside Caelan. Serenya and Yumeha, although dissatisfied with the situation, simply nodded.
"Since you convinced him, you have to take responsibility, Elian."
"That's right! From now on, you belong to the Master. So don't you dare disrespect his presence with lies."
Elian swallowed nervously, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down his forehead.
'Why did I come up with that? Damn it, it just came out automatically!'
Watching that scene, Lamia realized that Enrico had far more girls around him than she did. From that moment on, she began considering him a threat to her plans of winning girls over, at least until she found someone who was truly perfect for her.
"Looks like everything is over, Miss Lamia."
"They're quite disrespectful, but at least they're strong."
"It's a shame those girls are wasting their time with a boy."
Those girls were right about the team's strength. The power of its members was considerable, especially that of four of them, with Enrico standing out because of the speed and strength he had demonstrated during the battle.
Lamia analyzed each of his movements, realizing that Enrico was undoubtedly the best of his age in terms of physical ability.
'It'll be difficult to defeat him in the tournament.'
"Is that a door?"
Upon hearing Elian's question, everyone turned their attention in the same direction. A huge door had suddenly appeared in front of them, without anyone noticing where it had come from.
Its appearance was quite unusual, but what really caught their attention were the words engraved on its surface: only women could enter.
Before anyone had time to understand the meaning of those words, a light began spreading throughout the environment. At first, it enveloped the teams that had already gathered in that place, but soon it also reached a fourth team that had just arrived.
For a few moments, everything was engulfed in brightness. When the light finally disappeared, those present began to recover their vision, trying to understand what had happened.
"What is this? Where are we?"
Lamia and her companions slowly opened their eyes. However, as soon as they could see clearly, they were completely surprised by what they found.
All the boys had turned into girls! The change was obvious, although some seemed to have undergone only minor alterations. Elian, for example, didn't look that different, but there was one detail they didn't know: he had already been a man before the transformation.
"Even if they've turned into women, they could never surprise me..."
Lamia began speaking confidently, but her words were interrupted when she and her five companions looked toward Enrico. At that very moment, they all fell silent. His appearance had changed completely, and none of them seemed capable of looking away.
But they weren't the only ones to react that way.
"Master?"
"Subordinate?"
"Why is my heart beating so fast?"
"If this were another time, I would have made fun of you, Elian."
Enrico now had a feminine appearance whose beauty was certainly among the greatest those people had ever seen. His golden hair, although short, accentuated his eyes, which seemed even brighter in this new form. His body had also changed, developing beautiful, well-proportioned curves without losing its physical definition.
Noticing the gazes around him, Enrico finally seemed to realize just how much his appearance had changed. Curious, he began looking for something that could serve as a mirror. Upon finding one, he approached and spent a few moments observing his reflection, examining every detail with a surprised expression.
"I didn't think I'd be this beautiful as a girl... Without a doubt, I'd fall in love if I weren't myself."