She leapt onto the wall with impossible agility, defying gravity as she ran horizontally along the stone surface. Her white tail streamed behind her, a blur of deadly energy pulsing with her excitement.

The goblins on the ledges fired their darts in panic, the projectiles seeming to move through molasses compared to her enhanced reflexes. She evaded them easily, each near-miss only heightening her ecstatic pleasure.

She landed amidst a group of three goblins, her lips curled into a feral smile that revealed slightly elongated canines. A roundhouse kick shattered a goblin's skull with a satisfying crunch.

A spin, her tail slicing through another's midsection like a hot knife through butter. Claws that disemboweled a third, leaving glittering digital gore in their wake.

"Holy shit," Raphael murmured, for once at a loss for words, his usual aggressive bravado subdued by genuine awe.

"Her form is perfect," Skylar observed, professional admiration bleeding through her shock as she analyzed each deadly movement. "Look at that footwork. That's not beginner technique."

"She's g-going to get us all k-killed," Jacob stammered, ducking as a fragment of stone whizzed past his head, missing him by centimeters.

Soomin's wild, powerful attacks weren't just destroying goblins – they were tearing the cavern apart with each devastating impact. KRAK! A huge stalactite sheered off the ceiling from a stray tail-whip and crashed to the ground, exploding into fragments that narrowly missed Jacob's cowering form.

"Somebody control her!" Raphael shouted, dodging another falling rock. "This whole place is coming down!"

The surviving goblins, now terrified, retreated into a narrow, dead-end cavern. They fired their darts wildly, a desperate attempt to keep the white-haired demon at bay. Soomin stalked after them.

The narrow passage loomed before them, the Chieftain hidden within its depths. Skylar gestured toward it with a grimace. "The Chieftain must be in there. But we can't get past her."

"We're trapped," Jacob groaned, his thin frame shaking visibly as he huddled against the cavern wall. His eyes darted frantically between their injured teammate and the pink-haired girl transforming before them.

"The exit is blocked, Juan is down, and n-now we have a m-monster on our side who's just as likely to k-kill us!"

Soomin felt her movements growing sluggish, the magnificent power that had surged through her veins beginning to ebb away like the tide. Her lungs burned with each ragged breath, her leaps becoming heavier. The supernatural energy that had made her feel invincible was slipping through her fingers like water.

Sweat trickled down her temples as she swayed unsteadily, the realization dawning that her precious minutes of strength were nearly spent.

"VEGA, status report," Raphael demanded, his voice echoing against the stone walls.

"Three minutes remaining. Failure seems imminent. A shame. I was just starting to be entertained."

Despite the exhaustion threatening to overtake her, Soomin turned toward her teammates, unable to suppress the wild, possessive grin that still dominated her features.

Her body might be weakening, but the predator inside her still hungered. Her glowing blue eyes locked onto Satori, who remained motionless against the cavern wall, observing everything with calculating eyes.

"Are you enjoying the show?" she purred, her voice emerging as a husky, dangerous caress. Every syllable dripped with feral promise. "I can give you more. Just say the word."

"Impressive," Satori replied, finally pushing himself off the wall. "But uncontrolled. You're going to collapse that passage before we can reach the Chieftain."

A giggle bubbled up from Soomin's throat, her tail lashing behind her like an agitated whip. "I don't care," she admitted, drunk on the intoxicating thrill of the hunt. "They're so much fun to hunt."

Satori approached her slowly, as one might approach a cornered tigress. "The real target is beyond them."

Something flickered in Soomin's expression, her manic smile faltering slightly. Her brows drew together in momentary confusion. "But... these ones tried to hurt us. Tried to hurt me." Her eyes narrowed dangerously, pupils contracting to slits. "They deserve to die."

"And they will," Satori assured her, his voice low and compelling, almost hypnotic in its certainty. "But the real prize... the best hunt... is the Chieftain."

Soomin felt the transformation slipping away more rapidly now, like sand through an hourglass. Her white hair began showing telltale hints of pink at the roots, the claws that had torn through goblin flesh retracting slightly. The wild fire that had consumed her consciousness dimmed, replaced by a fog of confusion and bone-deep fatigue.

"I... don't know if I can..." she mumbled, swaying precariously on her feet, suddenly aware of how drained she truly was.

"Two minutes remaining," VEGA announced.

Skylar knelt beside Juan's paralyzed form, her expression tense. "We need a plan, now. The paralysis should wear off soon, but not soon enough."

"I have one," Satori stated, his gaze never leaving Soomin's face. "But it requires our new friend to focus what strength she has left."

Fear crept back into Soomin's voice as her gentler personality began reasserting itself. "I can't control it," she whispered, her shoulders trembling slightly. "When I transform, I just... want to destroy everything."

"You don't need to control it. You just need to aim it," Satori replied with quiet authority. His eyes flickered toward Raphael. "And we need your explosive tendencies too. For once, they might actually be useful."

Raphael scowled but nodded. "What's the play?"

Satori outlined his plan quickly. As he spoke, Soomin felt her transformation continuing to fade. The exhilarating power was draining away, leaving exhaustion in its wake. But underneath the fatigue, a new feeling stirred – pride. For the first time in her life, her Aspect had made her valuable, not just a burden to be protected.

"Can you do this?" Satori asked her directly.

Soomin straightened her shoulders, ignoring the trembling in her limbs. Her tail, though dimmer now, still lashed behind her.

"Yes," she said, her voice finding new strength. "I can."

"One minute remaining," VEGA announced, a note of curiosity creeping into its artificial voice.

"Places, everyone," Satori commanded, stepping back. "Soomin, you're up."

Soomin turned toward the narrow passage where the goblins cowered, her blue eyes focusing one last time. The wild, feral smile returned to her face as she crouched low, muscles tensing.

"Ready or not," she whispered, her voice once again taking on that dangerous purr, "here I come."

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