The patience she had cultivated while playing the ’cautious partner’ for Johnn, the restraint she had forced upon herself to keep their act believable, snapped. All the suppression, all the suppressed urge to cut loose that had been building since they entered the forest, manifested in a single, cold shift of her aura.

"It’s a shame," she murmured, her voice laced with a clinical, detached edge. "You’re all magnificent specimens. But Johnn has been doing all the heavy lifting lately, and I’m long overdue for a release."\

She dropped into a low, predatory crouch. Every acquired trait within her biological tapestry seemed to hum in unison, waiting for the signal. Her pupils narrowed into sharp slits as Acute Predator Awareness and Vibration Sensitivity mapped every single target in the 360 degree range of her Compound Vision.

She could feel their heartbeats, smell the sap in their veins, and hear the grinding of their wooden joints as if they were amplified.

"Time to end the show or... maybe, time to give a show?"

She channeled Charging Strength into her legs, the ground beneath her boots cracking under the sudden pressure. Using Explosive Glands from the Bomb Boar, she triggered a microscopic, contained detonation beneath her feet. The resulting Blast Shockwave acted as a literal propellant, launching her forward at a velocity that defied physics.

"Sword Rush!"

Maddy became a blur of silver light. She didn’t run toward the first line of Elder Ents; she pierced through them. Her momentum carried her straight through their hardened, bark hides, her blade severing cores with near instantaneous speed thanks to Apex Predator Instinct. She appeared behind them before they even realized they were dead, their massive bodies exploding outward into splinters.

"Oh, God... I missed this kind of power," she exhaled, a grin flickering across her face. "I’m definitely not built for duos. I mean—who needs a partner when I can just do everything myself... right?"

The Mandrakes shrieked, unleashing a volley of sonic wails, but Maddy’s Divine Body nullified the negative status condition.

"These damn screamers! They’re like the worst Karens you suddenly run into in public!"

She didn’t even flinch. She pivoted mid rush, using Flexible Joints and Agile Spine to twist her body into an impossible angle.

"I’ll shut those mouths! Wide Slice!" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

With her enhanced Demonic Ogre Strength, she unleashed a broad, sweeping horizontal slash. The blade sang through the air, carving a perfect semi-circle. A dozen Creepers and a phalanx of Green Men were caught in the arc. Their vine bodies were sliced clean in half, the force of the blow clearing a thirty meter radius around her in a single, efficient motion.

She looked down at the carnage, her expression shifting from cold focus to a look of mild, detached surprise as she realized the sheer scale of her own collateral damage. She hadn’t meant to vaporize the entire phalanx—just to shut a mouth of those Karens.

"Oh," she murmured, her voice flat. "I... I might have overdone that."

She sighed, a small, weary sound. She looked at the ruined husks of the Creepers and Green Men scattered across the forest floor.

"Sorry about that. I haven’t had to use my real strength in so long, I forgot how much space it takes up."

A flicker of irritation crossed her face as she thought of Johnn.

"And that’s what happens when you let a man get ’overly protective. He treats me like a fragile ornament, so I have to keep my power throttled down until I’m nearly tripping over my own feet. Then, the moment I actually decide to cut loose, I end up turning the entire ecosystem into mulch."

She shook her head, her Tireless Combat Motion took over. Maddy didn’t pause to catch her breath. The predator was now fully unleashed, moving with the cold, calculated efficiency of a machine.

"Anyways..."

She lowered her center of gravity, her stance shifting into the coordinated waves of Serpentine Locomotion. She slithered across the broken terrain, her Predatory Stealth reducing the sound of her movement to near-zero as she navigated between the remaining foes.

A cluster of hulking Walking Mushrooms moved to encircle her, their bodies swelling as they prepared to release a dense cloud of hallucinogenic spores.

Maddy didn’t even spare them a glance.

"Gosh... that stew for dinner really got upgraded thanks to you mushrooms. You deserve a special cut... Cross Slice!"

She unleashed two intersecting slashes in the shape of a massive X. The strike hit the fungal group from multiple angles simultaneously. The force not only neutralized the mushrooms but also detonated their spore sacs internally, turning them into harmless clouds of sterile dust.

"And making it even more extra special—Even Cut!"

As an array of Green Men tried to flanking from the canopy and the ground simultaneously, Maddy delivered a balanced cross slash that covered both the horizontal and vertical axes perfectly.

Her timing and coordination, enhanced by Reflexive Body Control, ensured that every target within range was struck evenly. The creatures fell from the trees and rose from the grass, all neatly bisected, minimizing any gaps in her battlefield coverage.

The largest of the remaining Elder Ents, seeing its kin decimated, roared and attempted a crushing downward smash with both root arms.

"This old tree just won’t quit, huh?" Maddy scoffed. "If I looked that dry and ancient, I’d just stand still and call it a life. But if you think you can root me with those wooden arms—"

She surged forward, power coiling into her strike.

"Rough Chop!"

Maddy met the Ent head on. She abandoned finesse for raw, terrifying force. Committing her entire Heavyweight Physique to the swing, she unleashed a heavy, downward strike. Her blade, amplified by Physical Hardness from assimilated minerals, didn’t just block the Ent’s arms; it sheared through them and continued downward, splitting the massive creature down the middle.

The sheer weight and commit of the swing created a stagger effect that shattered the surrounding ground, knocking nearby Mandrakes off their feet.

She landed in a low crouch, already tracking the final survivors trying to retreat into the thicket.

"Now you’re taking my advice... but you’ve already made Mother angry."

Her blade flickered with lethal precision.

"Thin Cut!"