~FWIIIIISH!~

Twin burning slashes marked themselves into space as they landed upon the barrier.

The force alone caused Fenrir to be pushed back, so he simply recoiled in the air and landed a few meters away from his enemy—right before charging back again.

~WHOOOSH!~

Once again, he did the same, slashing and hacking the barrier with unbelievable speed.

Again…

~SWISH!~

And again…

~VWUUSH!~

… Yet again!

He kept this up, almost as one who had infinite stamina, just waiting for the moment the barrier would wear down.

But… it didn't!

No matter how many strikes he made, or how fast he tore through the air to reach his target, or how badly the area around him was devastated…

… The barrier remained intact.

"Haaa… haaaa…"

After about five minutes of relentless assault, the beast finally slowed down.

He exhaled heavily, standing about ten meters from his target while huffing and puffing.

'Why is the barrier not going down? I've tried practically everything…'

Fenrir already knew the answer, but he had been subconsciously ignoring it all this time. But, with his options all but consummated, he had no other choice but to admit the truth.

'She's stronger than I am. And it's not even close!'

It felt like a strike to his ego—especially since he desired her as a submissive bride.

Now that he knew who was superior, Fenrir felt beyond annoyed.

He felt frustrated.

'Damnit! I do have that one final card, but I can't use that. Not here… and not on her!'

That meant he only had one option.

"Prepare to attack, everyone!" Fenrir yelled out.

The entirety of the Mercenary Gang unsheathed their weapons, and the two members of the Deadly Three instantly appeared next to their leader.

Fenrir was still in his Beast Mode, but he knew it would only last for about three more minutes.

He had to end it within that time frame.

"You don't look too surprised. Still having that calm facade…" Fenrir scoffed at the Elf who remained in her barrier.

"Humans are untrustworthy scum who don't keep to their word. I never had any expectations from you, to begin with, so your actions don't surprise me."

Fenrir frowned a little as soon as he heard Aurora's monotonous response.

"Are you saying you can take on all of us at the same time? You're that confident, huh?"

"I believe I already told you that I didn't mind those odds from the start."

Fenrir felt a rising heat in his chest as he heard her replies.

He initially felt turned on by her words, but now he only wanted to pummel her without any mercy.

He truly desired to kill her.

"We'll see about that." He growled, raising his hand while preparing his men to attack.

"There's nothing to see."

The woman raised her staff from the ground and pointed it towards Fenrir and his crew.

"ATTACK!"

The moment Fenrir's roar echoed in the air, the Mercenary Gang elites marched forward with their weapons drawn and their Skills being activated.

In their horde, they advanced with threatening power and chants of violence.

The very ground shook, and the air around vibrated as tension took over.

Led by Fenrir and his two lieutenants, the army neared Aurora, with bloodlust so palpable one could nearly taste it,

But…

"[Nature Magic: Sleepy Garden]."

… They were all stopped by a single Spell from Aurora.

In an instant, a massive willow tree appeared behind the Elf, and flowers erupted from the ground to form a garden.

Pretty colored flowers of various colors filled the area with sheer beauty.nIt surrounded Aurora, and it soon covered the grounds that the army trampled upon.

The moment the adversaries took a step forward, their eyes turned white and their faces lost all the violence it once had.

Instead, they became drowsy and collapsed on the ground.

One after the other—without exception—they fell down and completely lost consciousness.

The three-hundred were the first to go, and the two lieutenants didn't last very long either.

Within seconds, everyone was down for the count—except one.

"Y-you…"

Fenrir was kneeling, his body trembling as he fought to resist the drowsiness that was creeping inside his massive body.

"J-just what kind of…?"

Fenrir's vision was already getting blurry, but he knew he couldn't fall unconscious. He couldn't leave himself at the mercy of his adversary.

'Damnit! Damn it all!' If it wasn't for his current state of power, he would have fallen like the rest of his subordinates.

Never before had he experienced such humiliation.

'At least, I could always sense the difference in power between me and whoever was stronger than me.'

Like when he fought the Dragon Commander and won, or when he faced Scylla's bodyguard and instantly knew who was stronger.

He could always tell.

But this… this Elf was completely different.

She appeared so delicate, even when she was trying to be firm.

He truly thought he could take her on.

'I was wrong! She's definitely top-tier! Perhaps even… in the S-

Tier?!'

As Fenrir mulled over this issue, he felt footsteps coming his way. His heart raced, but rather than the excitement he would normally feel, there was a hint that this was due to fear.

Finally, the footsteps stopped, as the one who approached him now stood right before his kneeling self.

"I told you there was no use. It seems your limits are B-Tier Skills, and you have no aptitude for Magic." Her words echoed deep in his ears.

"Human hubris knows no bounds indeed."

Aurora's words stung Fenrir to his core.

His wounded pride could no longer allow such insults to go unanswered.

'My trump card… it seems I'll have to use it now!'

There was no way she could survive this ability he was about to utilize.

It was a Privilege from his Warlord Class, and the most powerful tool in his arsenal.

'Get ready, bitch! It's time for payba—!'

Before he could conclude his thoughts, his distorted senses noticed many footsteps coming from the entrance of the Warehouse.

They all belonged to Elves.

'S-she has reinforcements…?!'

*

*

Thanks for reading!

The fight is pretty much over at this point. I wonder how the Elves would perceive Rey when they eventually meet…