The helicopter touched down with surprising gentleness. ODW personnel disembarked swiftly, heads lowered against the swirling debris. Suzune, releasing Dr. Sunji from her back, exchanged a final glance with him before he disappeared into the chaos.

"Please...come back in one piece," Dr. Sunji's voice trailed off as he walked away. Suzune couldn't help but smirk as Yowaya dismounted from Delta's back.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't underestimate us, gramps," Suzune retorted, turning her back on the departing doctor. As the ODW personnel boarded the helicopter, Yowaya and Dr. Sunji paused, their gazes lingering on the two figures who remained: their protectors, the soldiers. Moments later, the helicopter's rotors whirred to life, lifting the aircraft into the sky, its destination the sanctuary of the Green Zone.

Suzune, gripping her mace, and Delta, adjusting her specs, turned to face the colossal eel-like monster that dominated the ravaged cityscape.

"This thing...it's growing," Delta observed as she sprinted towards the creature's writhing tail. Suzune, her expression mirroring Delta's, followed suit.

Delta unleashed a volley of energy blasts at the creature's tail, a desperate attempt to draw its attention. The attack, however, had little effect; the beast's hide remained unscathed. Frustration flickered across Delta's face as she propelled herself into the air.

I need to use my megasonic blast soon, or it'll become too powerful for us to handle, Delta thought, her mind racing as she hurtled past crumbling buildings. Suzune, matching Delta's incredible speed, had caught up; their combined velocity shattering the sound barrier.

That's it...once I've gauged the distance from the tail to its head, my blast should work...

A plan was forming. Now, all they needed was the right opportunity...

"DELTA! JUMP!" Suzune's urgent cry pierced the air. Delta, reacting instinctively, slowed her pace and glanced at Suzune just as her comrade executed a powerful leap, propelling herself high above the rooftops. A split second later, Delta understood the urgency; the lower half of the monstrous eel was decimating buildings with its sweeping movements. She too, launched herself skyward, narrowly avoiding being crushed.

"SCREW THAT THING! USE THE BLAST NOW SO WE CAN GET THIS OVER WITH!" Suzune's voice echoed from below. As Delta descended, a chilling realization struck her: the beast wasn't merely destroying buildings; it was moving with purpose towards a power plant.

How did I not see that before?

Delta and Suzune landed with a resounding crash. Delta, brushing the dust from her uniform, offered Suzune a hand, which was accepted with uncharacteristic roughness.

"What? You mad? That's so typical," Delta quipped. A playful grin spread across her face.

"Just shut up and blast that thing so I can smash it," Suzune retorted.

Delta simply shrugged.

"It's heading to the power plant for energy. Waiting until it gets there is risky, though. We don't know how many people it might kill along the way—people who are still hiding and haven't found a Green Zone. However, if it reaches the power plant, I could maximize the damage my blast inflicts." Delta explained, her voice calm and analytical.

Suzune nodded.

"I know what you're thinking, but...I can't afford to wait any longer," Suzune declared, breaking into a sprint towards the approaching monster. Delta, sighing, followed suit.

"Yeah, and I also know how arrogant you are."

"Oh, so you're criticizing me now?"

Their banter was cut short as they drew closer to the power plant. The eel-like beast, however, abruptly halted its relentless advance, leaving Suzune and Delta bewildered.

"Huh?" Suzune said as she relaxed her tense shoulders. Delta, meanwhile, was once again scanning the creature's vitals. This time, she noticed something she had missed before: something inside the beast. A host, of sorts. But what kind of humanoid creature could survive within such a monstrous entity? Unless...

Delta's thoughts were cut short as the tremors subsided. When the dust settled, a scene of utter destruction lay before them. Her mind raced, fixated on the humanoid figure she had detected within the monstrous eel. Suzune's grip on her mace tightened, her knuckles turning white.

"I'll investigate," Suzune declared, dashing towards the collapsing upper half of the eel-like creature. Delta nodded silently, her eyes following her comrade.

As Suzune drew near, a figure emerged from the wreckage, crawling weakly from the creature's gaping maw.

"A girl? No...it's..." Her words caught in her throat as she took in the figure's appearance. The humanoid was undeniably female, but her features were... human. Too human.

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This thing's monsterification level is incredibly high... easily in the upper 60%. She appears more human than monster, which means she's far above the average monsterification curve. But... what if I'm wrong? No, that's impossible. No human could survive inside that creature.

Suzune watched as the eel's massive head crashed into a nearby building, its body following suit, sending tremors through the already unstable ground. The stench of the creature's breath was overwhelming, a putrid mix of decay and bile. Suzune covered her nose with her sleeve as she approached the fallen girl, who lay sprawled amidst the rubble, covered in the creature's viscous saliva.

As she drew closer, Suzune realized with a shock that the girl didn't just appear human; she was human. There was no trace of monstrous disfiguration, no hint of the grotesque mutations that marked those transformed.

The girl stirred, pushing herself weakly to her feet. Suzune, her mind reeling, quickly scanned the girl with her device. The reading was impossible: 100% monsterification.

WHAT?! 100%? BUT SHE LOOKS HUMAN! Is my scanner malfunctioning?

Suzune stumbled back, her mind awhirl. Without hesitation, she swung her mace at the girl with all her might. The girl reacted instantly, leaping aside as the mace slammed into the ground, obliterating the building and several nearby structures in a shower of dust and debris.

Suzune emerged from the cloud of dust, her eyes scanning the area for the girl.

NO! Where did she go?

A flash of movement caught her eye. The girl was running, fleeing into the ruined cityscape. Suzune landed and gave chase, her mace held high.

This time, I won't miss.

The girl was fast, incredibly fast, but Suzune was confident she was faster. She closed the distance, swinging her mace again and again. The girl dodged each blow with uncanny agility, leading Suzune on a destructive dance through the city streets. Buildings crumbled, roads buckled, but the girl remained untouched.

Where the hell is Delta?

As if in answer to her unspoken plea, Delta appeared, launching herself at the girl from behind. But before she could land a blow, the girl vanished, reappearing behind Delta and striking with blinding speed. Delta was sent flying, crashing into a nearby building.

Suzune watched in horror as the girl disappeared once more, melting into the shadows.

No way... We can't win against this thing...

But Suzune wasn't one to surrender, not even in the face of impossible odds. If anything, the challenge only fueled her bloodlust. A fierce grin spread across her face as she activated her suit's turbo function. The world around her blurred as she prepared to charge once more, her mind already formulating a new plan of attack.

At the opportune moment, Suzune charged toward the girl, her speed generating a sonic boom that rippled the air around her. Seizing a nearby car, she hurled it at the girl, who was already leaping agilely from building to building. The car struck its target with a resounding crash, momentarily stunning the girl.

Suzune, capitalizing on the opening, accelerated to a speed that blurred her form, appearing behind her opponent in an instant. She swung her mace, but the girl had recovered with astonishing swiftness, using the wrecked car as a shield. The mace struck the metal instead, and the impact sent both Suzune and the girl crashing into another building.

How is that possible? She turned the car into a defensive tool that quickly? It must have something to do with her joints... Suzune thought, rising shakily from the rubble.

The girl, standing a short distance away, mirrored Suzune's posture, a look of confusion on her face. Suzune's grip tightened on her mace, her gaze unwavering. Without warning, she lunged at the girl, aiming for her head.

"WHEN ARE YOU EVER GOING TO QUIT?!" the girl screamed, effortlessly catching the mace in one hand. Suzune was stunned by the sheer force the girl exerted. She's a monster, that much is clear... but how can she generate that kind of power with such a slender frame? The girl's expression hardened.

"I want my manga book back..." she muttered, releasing the mace. Suzune, trembling with a mix of fear and adrenaline, watched as the girl turned away. She needed to check on Delta, but the monster...

My instincts are screaming at me to run, but I can't help but wonder what she'll do if I just leave... We definitely can't let her reach the Green Zone, that's why I wanted to kill her, but now I don't think that's possible...

Suzune sighed. She had to take a chance. Turning, she prepared to flee, but a guttural sound from the girl stopped her in her tracks.

"I'M A GIRL?! NO! THIS CAN'T BE! I HAVE BOOBS?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" the girl shrieked, her voice filled with panic and disbelief. Suzune didn't hesitate. Seizing the opportunity, she dashed away, leaving the bewildered girl to grapple with her unexpected transformation.

...

"This doesn't make any sense. How did I become a girl? And to make matters worse, I'm in the body of the same girl I tried to save from suicide." Harlow frowned as he picked up a shard of broken glass from the rubble and stared at it. "Yep, there's no mistake. I'm definitely not in my own body anymore."

Great, just great. Now what? Things keep going from bad to worse. First, I lose the first volume of my manga, and now I've switched sexes? Unbelievable.

Harlow sighed as he casually crushed the glass shard in his hand. This was definitely not a situation he wanted to be in. "Where did the doctor and that officer go, anyway?" Harlow walked past the slanted, broken walls of the building, emerging into the middle of the night, alone.

No... they have to be here somewhere. I'm clueless about where to go without them. I... I can't even remember where the mall was.

Harlow pouted. Despite being in this new body, the only differences he felt were in his chest, thighs, buttocks, and intimate area. His physical strength and mental state remained the same.

Oh, and this body feels lighter, too. Hmm, interesting.

Harlow started walking down the street, but he nearly tripped as he tried to get the hang of it. He hadn't considered that his center of balance and joint movements would be different in this body—in a different gender's body.

Hmm... I don't have my... you know... wait... I think I need to pee...

Harlow's eyebrows shot up. He had wet himself. He could tell because the panties he was supposedly wearing felt sticky and damp. He frowned. He had underestimated how long it would take to adjust to this body, but one thing was certain: he needed to get his original body back.

But how? I don't even understand how I ended up in this girl's body in the first place... and these, whatever you call them, feel so weird and uncomfortable. Ugh... I want to take them off so badly...

Well, technically, nothing was stopping him. He decided to remove his skirt and panties, then put the skirt back on. He sighed.

That feels much better, although, technically, I'm half-naked now, I guess... whatever...

Harlow threw the panties away and started walking, with no idea where he was going.