Ivan muttered to himself, tension evident on his features:
"That child... he tampered with the mirror dimension? And even pulled the cat back from it? Impossible... Not even we could do that."
Jonathan collapsed to the ground, his breathing ragged, face pale with cold sweat dripping down his forehead. His small body trembled as if he'd expended every ounce of energy within him just to retrieve Maomao.
Maomao stepped forward calmly toward Jonathan, who seemed on the verge of fainting. Kneeling beside him, he gently placed a paw on the boy's head and began stroking lightly.
— "You did well, boy..." he said with a small smile, his eyes glowing with tranquility.
Then he added in a warmer tone:
— "Don't worry, I'll clean up this mess quickly... Then we'll return to the village. Lili's waiting, isn't she? You promised to play with her."
The children encircled Jonathan, their eyes filled with worry, admiration and fear.
Suddenly, the knight raised his hand toward the sky.
A spark of pure blue energy erupted from his palm—bright as winter moonlight yet carrying indescribable dread.
— VWOOOOM!
A strange sound reverberated, as if time itself had been locked shut.
In moments, all entrances and exits to the main hall sealed. Windows, doors, even cracks in the walls transformed into solid transparent barriers of blue energy, casting faint reflections of those trapped inside.
One child stepped forward anxiously and whispered:
— "What... did he just do?"
Maomao answered as he stood, directing his gaze at the still-silent knight:
— "He's decided to make this the final battle... A cage of light... Nothing enters, nothing leaves."
His grip tightened slightly, white tail twitching nervously:
— "Perfect... Exactly what I wanted."
Then he addressed the knight with deadly calm:
— "Come then. Let's end this properly."
Silence engulfed the main hall. Only the hum of enclosing blue energy remained.
The air grew heavier, as if time itself had slowed.
The knight stood motionless in terrifying readiness, body slightly forward-leaning like a predator poised to strike. His intentions were unmistakable... His sole target: Jonathan.
Opposite him, tension etched across every face—Ivan, Sergei, Vadim... even the children accustomed to horror. All sensed what was coming.
Amidst the tension stood Maomao.
Silent, his eyes moved slowly between opponents. To his right, the stone-faced knight; to his left, the tense trio—Vadim with magic-charged fists, Sergei wreathed in fire, Ivan with his clones ready.
Maomao exhaled softly, then spoke quietly yet with hidden challenge:
— "Hmm... Four against one? This doesn't seem fair."
Vadim's brows furrowed angrily, but he remained silent, awaiting the right moment to strike.
Maomao tilted his head slightly, then grinned wider than they'd ever seen before, adding:
— "I mean... not fair for you."
In the next instant, everything changed.
Energy in the hall began vibrating as if the earth itself trembled. Maomao's body glowed white, then—light exploded.
His soft white fur rippled—some areas shrinking while others expanded rapidly. Bones cracked unnaturally, muscles bulged at impossible speed. His small paws became massive, claws elongating into dagger-like talons.
His tail rose skyward, swaying as if tracing battle runes in the air.
The sound of transforming bones echoed like thunder—joints shattered and reformed while his heartbeat shook the ground beneath him!
Within moments, Maomao was no longer a cat... but a celestial beast.
A colossal white lion, towering three-and-a-half meters tall, fur gleaming like moonlit snow. His blue eyes deepened into lethal magical radiance, and his roar carried the echo of some forgotten god awakening after centuries.
Every step made the earth tremble, as if the palace itself recoiled in fear.
Astonishment gripped all present.
Ivan muttered unconsciously:
— "This... this is the white cat? Impossible..."
A child clinging to another's hand whispered:
— "He's... a lion?! But he's Maomao, right?!"
Sergei raised an eyebrow despite his experience:
— "Shape-shifting magic... No, this is something older..."
Vadim clenched his fists, stepping forward:
— "Good... Finally a worthy opponent."
Maomao roared—a sound that shook the palace—white vapor puffing from his maw as he glared at his four opponents with merciless eyes.
Then he spoke in a deep, rough voice, as if a thousand lions spoke through him:
— "Come... Show me what you've got."