The Viceroy's Alter

She crouched down, studying the lifeless eyes that once burned with primal rage. There was no pity in her gaze, only a cold acknowledgment of the beast's end.

For a moment, she lingered, almost as if listening to the echoes of its last thoughts, before standing up with quiet resolve.

"My apologies if you thought that I would be easy to defeat. I know that Solaris is puppeteering the three of you so you can see how my other two mates are doing."

"Unfortunately, I am on a different level compared to those two so you can only blame your luck for meeting me. As for Solaris, I will not hold back on you," promised Mavislin as she grabbed the head and smashed it into the wall.

Mavislin straightened, her gaze sharp and determined. She gripped her scythe tightly before dashing towards the lower level. Her urgency was palpable; she needed to reach Zenos before he lost control completely.

With each powerful stride, she moved swiftly through the corridors, her mind focused on the imminent danger awaiting her. As she reached Zenos, she could not help but gasp at the sight of his transformed self.

The Viceroy's steps faltered as he saw the dragoness standing before him, just beyond a doorway. She drew in a sharp breath, recoiling in fear at the sight of the new being before her.

His once radiant blue eyes had transformed into deep-red orbs, their sclera now an ominous black. Devil-like black horns, streaked with hints of blue, curved menacingly from either side of his head.

Below the elbows, his skin had turned a stark black, and his hands had morphed into clawed appendages reminiscent of a demon's.

His entire form was enveloped in a greyish hue, while black, dragon-like scales covered his shoulder blades and kneecaps, completing a fearsome and otherworldly transformation.

A pair of black, draconic wings with striking blue streaks flared proudly on his back, their edges twitching as he watched his dear beast recoil in terror. The wings extended slightly, casting a shadow that loomed over her as he reveled in her fear.

"Zenos... Are you still..." asked Mavislin as she gripped onto her weapon with unease.

"Are you afraid? Does this appearance call for you to bare your fangs at me? I thought you would be above something as monstrous as the devil," taunted the Viceroy as he approached the dragoness.

"I am... But you are emitting too much mana to be of a sound mind. I must ask for you to tone down or get out of your Alter form. I can't have you turning on your own team. And from the start, your body was never built to use such strong Magecraft..."

Zenos swiftly closed the gap between them, gripping Mavislin's chin and tilting her face up to meet his blood-red eyes. His other arm encircled her waist, hovering just above the small of her back before gently grazing the base of her tail.

The touch was deliberate, almost teasing as if testing the boundaries of her resolve.

"Do you think so little of me? That I would allow such a primal nature to take control," growled the Viceroy, dipping his mouth down to Mavislin's ear.

With a tentative flick of his newly forked tongue against her small ear, the dragoness let out a muffled whimper, igniting the Prince of Darkness's excitement.

His hand, which had been under her chin, moved to cradle the back of her head, and with a swift tug, Zenos pulled his little beast into an embrace. She shivered under his touch, her hands instinctively pressing against his chest in an attempt to push him away.

When his tongue moved to lick her neck, the dragoness cried out, failing to stop her moan, and tried desperately to get out of his grasp. Zenos let out a pleased sound, seizing her hands and forcing them onto his neck, refusing to let her escape her new confinements.

"You could kill me now... Oh~ that would be so heavenly. That was your initial mission, wasn't it? To take me down and gorge on my flesh and blood like the savage you are... And I wouldn't have it any other way-"

"Please stop, Zenos..." murmured the dragoness, her voice softer than usual.

The blonde could barely notice how much he wanted to take her then and there but steeled himself to listen to his beast.

"My initial mission was to hunt you down but it was nothing but a mere side quest... Right now, I need you to be at your clearest and best to fight the foes that truly matter," continued Mavislin, placing her head onto the Viceroy's robed chest.

"The only foe that matters to me is you," murmured Zenos as he gave a small kiss on the dragoness' forehead.