During his confrontation with the Duke of Wyvern, Ansel had similarly purloined the technology Clement had stolen from the Duke of Bloodust. He had Flamelle refine and enhance it, creating a process infinitely superior to what the Duke of Bloodust deemed perfect.
More stable, more effective, and not confined to biological alchemy, it focused on creating neither human nor beast entities, even granting monsters human-like cognition.
Shadow crows still existed on the continent, but all had been captured by the pact heads under Flamelle's direction, delivered to Ansel as raw materials.
Crow… represented the pinnacle of this endeavor.
—Colossal Dragons had been the initial choice, but regardless of their form, those with dragon blood invariably obeyed the Dragon King, a loyalty even Hydral couldn't subvert. Thus, Ansel never considered dragons as candidates for the Head of Beasts.