Diru let out a low growl—a sound more akin to the roar of a wild beast. Beneath his dark skin, his Dragon Prana churned violently, reaching a boiling point. Diru fell to his knees. His thigh bones forcibly elongated, while his shins and ankles snapped, shifted, and fused back together to form the digitigrade rear-leg structure characteristic of a quadrupedal animal. His toes retracted and hardened; his nails thickened drastically and merged into hooves as hard as obsidian steel.

His boots shattered, and his already melting armor sloughed off completely. His spine cracked, lengthening and arching until it was parallel with the ground. His shoulder blades shifted to the sides of his chest, carving out space for a pair of forelegs. The radius and ulna bones in his arms twisted and fused. His palms elongated, and his fingers snapped and drew together; like his feet, the digits receded into thickening flesh, hardening into a pair of sturdy front hooves.

His broad Asura shoulders narrowed. His chest muscles erupted and rearranged themselves into the massive shoulder musculature of a stallion, designed for the explosive thrust of a full gallop. Diru’s face contorted violently. His upper and lower jaws jutted forward with brutal force, creating an equine muzzle. The skin of his face stretched so tight it tore, revealing raw red muscle tissue before knitting back together with supernatural speed. His Asura teeth fell out, replaced by rows of molars, though his predatory fangs remained at the front—sharp and terrifying. His eyes migrated to the sides of his head, granting him a vast, panoramic field of vision.

The Biofield gathered at his brow. The skin on his forehead split, and a keratin structure coated in dense Dragon Prana began to pierce through. The horn grew rapidly—a pitch-black spiral shimmering with a blood-red luminescence. The horn featured serrated edges, turning it into a gruesome piercing weapon. Furthermore, the Biofield centered within the horn allowed Diru to remain capable of casting mantras.

The transformation concluded in seconds that felt like an eternity of agonizing torment. Where Diru had stood before, there now loomed a creature from a nightmare.

His body was that of a massive, muscular stallion, yet it was covered in the dark, leathery skin characteristic of an Asura rather than fine fur. His eyes burned with the bloodthirsty glow of red Dragon Prana. Upon his forehead, the black spiral horn radiated a thick, suffocating killing intent. The creature snorted, venting searing steam from its muzzle, ready to charge and shred the enemy with speed and power that his bipedal form could never match.

[Body Forging: Unicorn]

Since Moku discovered Dragon Breath Cultivation and taught the ladder of evolution to the Orcs, various applications of power had begun to emerge. The Asuras referred to these as Paths. Currently, the most mainstream Path in Wilwatikta is the Mantra Path. From the three primary mantras—Padakacarma, Brajamusti, and Brajadenta—many other derivative forms have been discovered.

Nevertheless, the Mantra Path was not the only one with adherents. The Weapon Path and Body Forging Path were also studied by many Asuras. The first instance of Body Forging was used by Moku during his battle against the Arachnid Bee—a Platinum-tier mutated animal—taking the form of Jormungand. In that state, Moku transformed into a giant serpent reaching thirty meters in length. His scales were so thick they could repel any attack, and his muscles were powerful enough to crush mountains.

After that, Moku never used Body Forging again, but the sheer awe of that power left the Asuras captivated. The Asura who focused himself entirely on the Body Forging Path was Goku. He felt that although the Asura form was strong, it still possessed limits. Two legs and two arms restricted combat options; thus, Body Forging was viewed as a way to transcend those physical boundaries. Goku began researching and teaching Body Forging alongside other like-minded Asuras. To date, there are over a hundred Asuras following the Body Forging Path, and Diru is one of them.

Based on their reasoning, the forms arising from the Body Forging Path become stronger if the user deeply understands the biological structure of the creature they are mimicking. Therefore, the Body Forging Path relies heavily on the user’s knowledge of that creature. Fortunately, Goku’s request for assistance was granted by Moku. Moku returned from the Mind Realm bringing books of mythology containing biological research on the powerful creatures dwelling there.

Of all the mighty creatures in those texts, Diru was most enamored with the Unicorn. To him, the horse-like creature was exquisitely beautiful and captivating. He studied it with all his heart and made it his chosen Body Forging form.

Despite this, Diru has only used the Body Forging Unicorn three times in combat. This is not only because he rarely encounters enemies who are truly too strong, but also because utilizing Body Forging is excruciatingly painful. The sensation is akin to having one’s body crushed and pulverized before being reshaped—a process that repeats constantly.

"What the hell?" Garyu gasped, stunned.

He knew of the Arion race and their powers, but this was the first time he had seen one capable of transforming into a horse.

"Hah! Even if you turn into a horse or a dragon, nothing will save you from my stars today!"

Garyu aimed his staff, releasing a pillar of destructive starlight directly at Diru’s chest. Diru’s four legs began to gallop; with ease, he evaded the pillar of light and surged forward at incredible speed. Garyu clicked his tongue and launched a barrage of hundreds of light spheres.

This time, Diru did not merely dodge like a drifting feather, but like a bolt of lightning. He performed zigzag maneuvers so sharp that not a single sphere of light touched his skin. Diru’s horn began to glow red, forming a searing vortex within it that then shot straight toward Garyu.

Garyu controlled his light spheres to intercept the trajectory of the red pillar. However, his eyes widened as he saw the pillar effortlessly pierce through his light spheres. Luckily, he managed to teleport away just before the pillar scorched the hem of his robes.

Garyu’s face turned scarlet with rage. "Damn you!"

The constellation behind Garyu shifted, and hundreds of light spheres rapidly merged with one another. They fused to form a giant sphere of light the size of a house.

"Die!" Garyu screamed.

The massive sphere of light shot toward Diru with immense speed. Its sheer size left Diru with no room to evade.

BOOM!

"Hahaha! Crumble along with the stars!" Garyu laughed triumphantly.

He turned his gaze toward the battle between the eight mages and the five Asuras. The fight was still raging fiercely, with both sides sustaining injuries. Garyu clicked his tongue at his subordinates’ incompetence. But before he could intervene to help them, a premonition of danger made the hair on his neck stand on end.

Reacting swiftly, Garyu attempted to erect a mana shield. However, a red pillar effortlessly pierced through the defense and severed his left arm.

"Argh!!!"

Garyu looked up to the sky and found the silhouette of a black horse galloping through the air.