Back to the action, Pan revealed the results of her grueling one day training.
A form made out of the components of bread, a dough human form that is intended for combat.
It may not look intimidating, but for the rest of the Monster Hunting Knights, they felt more than scared.
"S-She broke out of that anti-magic cage..!" A Knight said.
"Does that mean she's stronger than our magic combined?" Another Knight said.
"Don't falter! You made a sloppy job creating that cage! Now attack, we outnumber her and we have every means to defeat her. Show no mercy!" Viktor commanded and the Knights gained their resolved.
They all charged at Pan, raising their swords and casting anti-magical properties onto their blade.
"You know the neat part of this form?" Pan says before preparing herself.
As a Knight approached to slash towards her, she quickly dodged aside and punched him through his helmet.
"It's an entirely physical form!" Pan says as the Knight crashed into another crowd.
A brawl starts and Pan shows off her new form. With her increased elasticity, she can retract any of her limbs without losing them.
And with the increased weight, her attacks feel the more heavier and stronger.
"Doughnut!" Pan slammed her fists against another Knight.
"Baguette!" Pan swipes her stretched doughy arm against another group, sending them flying.
"Bread Roll!" A Vertical Spinning Heel Kick knocks out another.
"Sandwich!" Pan literally sandwiched a group of Knights against each other with enlarged dough hands.
As the fight went on, it was becoming clear that the Knights can't harm the likes of Pan. Whatever attack they tried, she dodged aside or even absorbed them.
It was like fighting a more solid slime with powerful human intelligence.
"Sir Viktor! We need your help!" A Knight desperately says.
But Viktor is more stunned at the sight of Pan's strength. He was getting angrier and excited.
"How exciting..! This monster is nothing like I've seen before!" Viktor says.
"I've fought the likes of witches and small dragons... Lesser demons and corrupted cults but this? This is something that will fulfill my needs..." Viktor then takes out his rapier, smiling evilly.
"The high I needed! The prospect of killing a powerful monster! Nothing matters than the purification of all non-humans!" Viktor thought.
But his fantasies were stopped when the Knight who asked for his help got punched in the face from far away.
Viktor glances at him before turning to look at Pan, he smiles elegantly.
"You've returned, have you? You think you can really beat the likes of me?" Viktor asked.
"Yeah, I figured out how to beat you and your bullshit ability." Pan says as her fist returns to her arm.
"Oh? What kind of ability can possibly surpass the power of foresight?" Viktor chuckled.
"Not even your adventurer friend can defeat me, it's unfortunate I can't put her down. All who sides with monsters are unworthy to live." Viktor says as he inspects his rapier.
"Tch..." Pan didn't like what he said.
"Okay, since you insist of being an asshat, I'll make a prediction..." Pan then takes a step forward and points at Viktor, declaring...
"I already see you losing this fight." Pan exclaimed.
"How dare you..." Viktor grits his teeth as he smirked.
Viktor then dashed towards Pan with great speed, about to thrust towards her core.
"You say that against the user of foresight!?" Viktor says.
Immediately, Viktor saw the future for a moment. He saw Pan moving backwards to dodge and he smiles.
"What good is dodging when I already know!?" Viktor thought as he thrusts further.
But suddenly, a small explosion was heard and Pan quickly moved backwards. And Viktor's attack completely missed.
"What!?" Viktor was shocked, what just happened?
"I was sure I could hit her! I already knew she dodged but..." Viktor thought before seeing another future.
"A punch!?"
Pan was about to swing her fist, aimed towards his face. Viktor smirked before he moves to dodge.
"I already saw that attack... Just how stupid can you-"
"Doughnut Shot!" Pan yelled before her elbow explodes, and her entire arm connects against Viktor's cheek.
"I-It was that fast..?" Viktor thought before getting knocked away.
He rolled along the ground before stopping himself, stabbing his rapier into the ground to do so.
Viktor panted as he stood up, his left cheek in massive pain from Pan's seemingly quick attack.
"What... Was that?" Viktor glared at Pan, figuring out what happened.
He then sees Pan's elbow emitting black smoke before it disappeared. He remembered that there was an explosion, and it clicked to him what happened.
"Using fire magic to hasten her attack?" Viktor says before going into a fighting position.
"But explosive fire magic takes so much mana... Don't tell me you have so much mana reserves?!" Viktor asked in anger.
"Nope, I'm not even close to being a super strong sorceress." Pan says as the black smoke dissipates, she prepares herself once more.
"Then what's happening? How are you able to cast explosive magic!?" Viktor asked.
"Should've stayed in science class. I mean, do you guys even have that?" Pan smirked before a flicker of fire appeared at her heels.
Her heel exploded and launched her forward with great speed, charging at Viktor.
He saw the attack coming, a kick towards his chest. But he's not fast enough to dodge, he had to block.
BAM! A foot connected to his guard, but the force of the impact was still powerful.
"Breadstick Spear!" Pan yelled.
"The truth about these explosions is just a bit of cautionary science." Pan thought.
"Dust or Flour can catch on fire. Enough of these around and a single flicker of fire can turn a factory into charred ruins."
"I'm not fully made out of dough for that reason. The areas I need for attack and maneuver are around my arms and legs. Tightly packed flour spewing out then my basic fire magic ignited them, making an explosion akin to what they call explosive magic."
"This is the power that'll let me fight my foes to great effect!"
Viktor gets launched to a tree, coughing and groaning in pain.
"Bastard..!" Viktor then charges forward, going for a counterattack.
Viktor was an adept user of the rapier, and he has his own magic of wind. He was fast, though he lacked power.
Viktor thrusted and slashed towards Pan, who was quickly dodging his attacks.
"The weakness of your power is that it needs preparation!" Viktor yelled.
"If I just don't give you the chance, then you're useless!" Viktor kept attacking, and Pan didn't have the opportunity to retaliate.
"There!" Viktor then thrusted into her chest, the rapier reaching the other side.
Pan went silent as Viktor cackled with excitement.
"I've won..." He muttered but he quickly realized that her dough latched onto his blade.
He tried pulling it out but it was stuck in place. As if a firm hand was keeping it inside of Pan.
"You forget that I'm made of dough. And I can control it, you're not getting this sword back..." Pan smirked before she prepares to swing both hands.
"Doughnut..."
"Shit!" Viktor jumped out of the way and Pan fires her fists straight onto the ground.
"Shot!" Pan shouted before turning to Viktor.
"Doughnut Shot!" Pan fired another fast attack and Viktor was on the run.
Viktor kept dodging her attacks as she run across the battlefield, having no way to fight back, he needed to disperse.
"I need a sword!" Viktor thought, he then looked around his fallen Knights, searching for a sword.
Once he found one, he went to hide behind trees, recuperating himself.
"Damn it! How did she get this strong?" Viktor thought.
"Yesterday, she was on the verge of death when I struck her core..."
"Now she's akin to a B - Rank Monster!"
Viktor looks at his sword, it was much different than his rapier but it's capable of slashing atleast.
"Tch, I've defeated B - Rank Monsters with my ability... She's no different!" Viktor stood up.
"One fine strike against a Slime's Core and it'll die. Those are the rules of this world!" Viktor says before he charges forward once more.
"There you are!" Pan then aims her attacks towards him.
"Here goes! Pandesal Arrows!" Pan then fires pandesal sized projectiles, like a shotgun from her arm.
Viktor was grazed but quickly blocked the rest, seeing the attack before it caught him off guard.
"I am a Knight of Anihan Village, I'll show you the power that you cannot possibly out match!"
"Habagat's Gale!" Viktor was surrounded with powerful wind before quickly dashing forward, it was even faster then Pan.
"Shit! He's gotten faster!" Pan was about to counterattack, but Viktor already reached her.
"Perish!" Viktor's wind gathered to his blade before slashing across her chest.
As her body splits in half, her core revealed itself and Viktor took the chance to strike it his blade.
And immediately, it shatters.
"ARGH-" Pan grunted in pain before kneeling onto the floor, her body had cracks despite being made of dough.
Viktor kneeled as well, feeling fatigued from using his magic, but he smirked and laughed before standing up.
"Foolish..!" Viktor said.
"You really think you can defeat the likes of me!?" Viktor chuckled, aiming his sword at Pan.
"Monsters like you can be as strong as they want, but there's one law slime like beings follow... You only have one core, that if shattered, immediately kills you." Viktor then chuckled evilly, reveling in his glory.
"Th-That still hurts..." Pan muttered before looking up at him, chuckling.
"That's true... I fought slimes and discovered their weakness..."
"But..."
Viktor's eyes widened, sensing another attack. But Viktor's stomach was already punched in.
"I'm not from this world!" Pan shouted and Viktor coughed once more.
"H-How are you not dead..? I destroyed your... Core..!" Viktor said weakly.
"It's true that I'm sort of slime, I have a core and everything. But I'm not a slime at all, Viktor Malvado!"
Pan then stood up, her cracks started to slowly form back and she prepares herself.
"Impossible..." Viktor grunted.
"I soon learned how to manipulate my own core, I can move it around it my body and such, but I achieved an evolution of slimes never seen before! Probably!" Pan then goes into stance, about to swing her fists.
"I can have more than ONE Core..." Pan smiled and Viktor's eyes widened.
"Impossible... IMPOSSIBLE! SLIMES CAN ONLY HAVE ONE CORE!!" Viktor shouted in both fear and anger.
"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU!? WHAT FREAK OF NATURE CREATED YOU!? WHAT DEVIL ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN!?" Viktor was desperate, his view of his own world shattered.
"The Goddess of Creation, Liwanag..." Pan simply said and Viktor was dumbfounded.
And then Viktor saw one last attack, a barrage of punches that he can't possibly dodge or block. He just stood there, wondering why it came to this.
But not even a single thought was allowed for Viktor, as a fist reaches his cheek, body and arms. Every part of his body was punched by a barrage of literal explosive punches.
"Doughnut..." Pan closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as she kept punching Viktor, pushing him back further and further.
"Someone who was once in my life threw everything away just to save me, now I have to do the same for the person I love!" The Voice of Crispina echoed in her mind.
"... Machine..." Pan muttered as Viktor's armor was being crushed away, he was barely conscious as the onslaught of doughy punches continued.
"Frankly, I think of that day every single night, wishing it was just me who was taken away! M-Maybe mom would still be..." Basilio's voice echoed in her mind.
"Tch..." Pan grits her teeth before looking at Viktor, still continuing her punches.
"I've lived my life being powerless to change anything in my old world!" Pan thought as she recalled her past in her mind.
"I didn't have any power to protect or defend my loved ones. I could barely even earn a buck!"
"Not even my dreams!"
"But now that I have another chance, another shot at being someone I want to be, unguided by anyone's prejudice and stupid ideals..."
"I won't let anyone hurt me or my loved ones ever again, and no one will get in the way of my dreams!"
"... GUN!" Pan yelled with all her strength before one final punch that sent Viktor flying towards a tree.
He broke through one, and then another, and then another as his body was broken and so was his spirit.
And then silence, as Pan stood there victorious, barely conscious to stand.
"I-I used up too much of Masa... Haah..." Pan slowly turned back into her floursack form, dizzy and weak from the attack.
"Even though I can have more cores... I can only... Have... Two..." Pan then passes out, as she stares at the midday sun before a field of darkness met her.
And then he's back in her lonely consciousness, but she came to realize that this dark place means she's being visited.
"Ugh... Liwanag, it's you again, isn't it?" Pan sat in the void, in her floursack form.
And a shining light appeared behind her, Liwanag returns.
"Hmph..." Liwanag looked a little aloof.
Pan turned to look at her, she wasn't feeling alright either.
"What is it?" Pan asked.
"I..." Liwanag sighed before crouching down to look at Pan.
"You mentioned my name down there, didn't you?" Liwanag asked.
"Yeah, in response of his question of 'what devil allowed their to happen', but yes, I did say your name." Pan says before looking down.
"That is true, but..." Liwanag fully looks at Pan with confidence.
"Your fight, I was watching it. As my champion, certain things you do will get my attention." Liwanag says.
"I certainly said things that would garner your attention. Is it fine telling people I'm a champion?" Pan asked.
"Yes, we care not if you want to spread that information. But more importantly, it appears you won me over." Liwanag says.
"Huh?" Pan was confused, wasn't she calling Pan a lowly mortal before?
"You intend not to join the fight against darkness, yet you showed the qualities of a champion with your fight against that overzealous man."
"Heh, that's nothing." Pan says before she gradually transforms into her human form, turning away from Liwanag.
"I still don't intend to fight any darkness shenanigans. I want to open up a bakery that I can call my own, there's nothing else in my mind." Pan smiled.
"Well, besides having a lot of hot and cute wives, ofcourse..." Pan chucked and Liwanag looked livid.
"But..." Pan then turns to look at Liwanag, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"If anyone gets in the way of my dream, or if any of my family and lovers get hurt, then they'll specifically answer to me." Pan says with confidence.
"I've been weak in my old world, and now that I've been given another chance to live a life I wanted, then I'll do so with courage and determination. I'll beat everyone that tries to stop me." Pan declared.
"I see." Liwanag smiled softly before standing up.
"Then I shouldn't have a grudge against you, you're doing well, my champion."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Pan then turns away, waiting for Liwanag to leave or for her to wake up.
"Last thing. I'm considering on turning you back to a human, do you wish to become human?" Liwanag asked.
"Nah, I got so much progress being a sack of flour. Let me stay like this." Pan answered.
"Very well, Pan." Liwanag says as the world slowly fades white.
"I bless you with great strength to reach your dreams."
And finally, Pan wakes up to see the sun and two recognisable heads.
"U-Ugh... I'm back..." Pan says before bouncing up, she looks at herself before turning back into her human flour form.
"I must've passed out after the fight was over, I wonder what happened-"
"PAAAN!" Two voice shouted before she got pounced on.
"AGH- WHAT THE-" Pan gritted her teeth before looking to see who jumped on her.
"Ah..! Clara? And Crispina! You're okay!" Pan says as she looks at them both.
"You had us worried! I can't believe you're so reckless to just go off on your own!" Clara says through tears.
"I wouldn't forgive myself if you died!"
"Hey, whoa! Calm down!
I'm here, aren't I?" Pan says nervously before Crispina cuddled into her.
"Pan! I was so scared to find out, but I'm so happy that you're alive!" Crispina says before looking up at Pan, tears running down her cheeks.
"I wasn't strong enough to beat him..! But you... You fought him just for us..! I'm sorry, Pan. I promise, I-I'll get stronger!" Crispina cried.
"What a crybaby. Stop crying, you'll turn me into dough." Pan says as she pats Crispina.
Pan then looked around to see other adventurers, there's also Cali who was gathering up the Knights involved with this mess.
Though Basilio approached the three, and he looks at Pan with a serious look.
Pan looked back with a little surprise on her face, she then smiles before giving Basilio a thumbs up.
Basilio smiled as well before gleefully smirking as he gave Pan a thumbs up back.
Their bonds as future in-laws solidified, but it also made their respect for each other greater. Not only did Basilio accepted Pan as his sister's lover, she was now family to him.
The Monster Hunting Knights and Viktor were held in trial for their crimes of injuring and attempted murder of Adventurers without proper justification.
For that, they're imprisoned. With Viktor's spirit broken and the Monster Hunting Knights jailed for their involvement, the mayor begrudgingly announced their disbandment a week later.
Pan and the others celebrated at the Maria Household, with Cali tagging along to Pan's victory and the success of their bakery.
Pan, Crispina and Clara's relationship also grew as the month passed on. And with Pan's new ability to split her core, she was able to finally feel and taste her first kiss with the two.
It was 3 months since the Monster Hunting Knight incident, and the Bakery was prospering.
Pan already had enough funds to open up a bakery but her dreams was still very far away.
One morning, the Anihan Village Townsmen gathered at the square as an execution was taking place.
The crowd was yelling profanities, questions and protests as the figure about to be executed was someone infamous yet famous.
"Ah... How did I get into this mess?" She says.
"I just wanted to bake and open up a bakery, but look at me..."
Pan was being executed, she just looks around to see Crispina and Clara crying. Santiago, Basilio and Cali looked serious.
But Pan just looked a little dead-eyed.
"Any last words, you monster!?" The Mayor said as he was there to see this execution himself.
"Yeah..." Pan says before smirking.
"Can't wait to see how this goes."