"Meow!"
Without warning, the Twin Winged Water Demon Cat, which had remained perfectly still until now, let out a sharp cry.
Its wings immediately spread wide, and the mark on its forehead flared to life. Like a projector casting light through the sea, it released a brilliant dark-blue radiance that expanded in every direction. The glowing symbol rapidly grew larger, becoming a five-meter-wide magical sigil that pulsed with shimmering light while enveloping the cat's housecat-sized body. The charge was complete, and its evolution had begun.
For a heartbeat, everything around it seemed to fall strangely quiet, as though even the restless sea had suddenly paused in anticipation. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the small figure at the center of the growing light, unwilling to look away for even an instant.
