*Slash...Slash...

Blood painted the grass red as screams of agony filled the air.

Ren and Elara faced magical creatures, side by side.

Like usual, their teamwork was amazing.

They knew what they should do without saying a single word, as if they were one in heart and mind.

While they were attacking the beasts relentlessly, the villagers looked at them in surprise.

They knew Ren and Elara were powerful shifters, but after seeing their fight, they realized their strength was far beyond what they had expected.

’So strong!’

They were suddenly glad to have Ren and Elara in their group, as the duo greatly increased their chances of winning.

When Virelia noticed her subordinates staring at them, she immediately scolded them. "What are you doing? Focus on the fight!"

"We are sorry!" They came to their senses and returned to their formation.

"Damn it!" Axel clenched his fist in fury.

He had also killed several magical creatures, yet he did not receive as much attention as they did.

Rian, who knew what Axel had in mind, approached him. "Axel, that red goblin seems to be their leader."

Axel knew the meaning behind his words and immediately dashed toward it. "You stay here and help these weaklings. I will face it alone."

"Alright." Rian nodded.

When Axel was close to the red goblin, he raised his staff and fired a bolt of lightning at it.

However, his surprise attack failed to hit it.

Axel didn’t approach it quietly, so the red goblin noticed his presence.

After dodging his strike, the goblin rushed toward him.

Axel quickly leaped backward to put some distance between them.

He was a mage.

He would be at a disadvantage in close-range combat.

Boom!

Axel hit the goblin with his lightning magic, sending it flying into the air.

Axel didn’t stop there.

He wanted to kill it quickly, so he bombarded it with powerful attacks.

Since the goblin was in a vulnerable position, it could not dodge or avoid them. Blue lightning crackled across several parts of its body as his strikes kept flying toward it.

The red goblin was enraged and entered a battle frenzy. Its speed, power, and reflexes increased drastically.

If the goblin was previously at a disadvantage, now Axel was the one being cornered.

However, it didn’t last long.

He didn’t just block or avoid its strikes.

He also studied its fighting style and how to counter it.

That was why he was no longer being pushed back by the goblin. But even so, he still could not kill it as it was an elite goblin.

’Damn it! How can this monster be so strong?’

It was his first time struggling against a magical creature at the same rank.

Normally, he could win in less than three minutes.

It had been five minutes, and he still could not take the goblin down.

Sure, he was not at a disadvantage, but he didn’t have the upper hand either.

He even got hit whenever he managed to land an attack on its body, as if they were playing a slapping game, where they took turns getting hit.

Bang!

Axel was thrown into the air after getting kicked in the stomach.

When the goblin was about to charge at him, screams of agony from its subordinates reached its ears.

’Ggrrrr...’

Its eyes gleamed in fury as the goblin gritted its teeth in anger.

The goblin wanted to kill Axel, yet at the same time, it desired to save its subordinates.

The moment it saw Virelia’s group mercilessly killing them, it could not suppress its anger and dashed toward them.

"Hmm?" Virelia was the first to notice the goblin. "Their leader is coming to us! Change to defensive formation."

Even though a spark of fear emerged within them, they didn’t run away or panic.

They believed they would be fine under her command, so they raised their shields and prepared themselves for a tough battle.

"Feather Storm." Virelia’s tail feathers spread wide and glowed in beautiful colors.

From each feather, a second one made of energy materialized.

The sharp energy feathers hovered in the air for a moment before finally shooting toward the red goblin like a deadly storm.

A colorful flash of light pierced the air as her strikes flew toward it.

The goblin moved in zigzags while blocking and avoiding her strikes. When it was close to her, it threw a high kick that landed perfectly on her head.

After attacking her, the red goblin charged at her subordinates.

They were the ones who killed its underlings, so it rushed toward them with a gaze full of hatred and anger.

"GRRRAAAH!" The goblin swung its sword with all its strength.

Boom!

Their shields slipped from their grasp, and they were all sent flying into the air.

The strength of its strike was too powerful for ordinary people to handle, so one attack was enough to destroy their defensive formation completely.

"Stop!" Virelia shouted worriedly when the goblin wanted to slice her subordinates in two.

But just as it was about to kill them, Ren appeared before them and blocked its strike.

Ting...

A sharp sound echoed in the air as their weapons met.

The red goblin looked at him with its bloodshot eyes. It was furious because Ren appeared when it was about to kill them.

"GRRRAAAH!" The goblin swung its sword at Ren brutally and aggressively.

Ren had dared to stop it from killing Virelia’s subordinates, so it wanted to tear his body into pieces.

However, Ren was not an ordinary awakener.

Even though the goblin attacked him relentlessly, he could handle it easily. He was not cornered or overwhelmed since its strength was much weaker than the winged lion’s.

"How dare you steal my target!" Axel rushed toward them with an angry expression.

The goblin was his target, so he was enraged when Ren suddenly appeared and faced it, especially after he injured it.

Ren, who disliked Axel from the start, chose to annoy him. When Axel was about to launch an attack, Ren decided to end the fight.

Slash...

He swung his long dagger fast and precisely, separating its head from the body.

The moment Axel saw its head flying into the air, his eyes widened, and his magic collapsed before it could fully materialize.

Silence...

Axel stared at Ren in silence.

Virelia’s subordinates were stunned and happy, while Axen was shocked and angry.

He had been fighting the red goblin for more than five minutes, and when it was in a weakened state, Ren suddenly appeared and took advantage of his hard work.

He could not accept it.

He didn’t want to accept it.

Ren had stolen his kill, so rage flowed through him like lava.

"How dar-" before Axel had finished his words, Virelia’s subordinates erupted into cheers.

"Amazing! You are amazing, Ren!"

"That last attack was wonderful!"

"As expected of someone from the Pillar Organization!"

They rushed toward him and surrounded him.

When the magical creatures realized their leader had been killed, they stopped fighting and fled in panic.

The villagers were stunned by what was going on.

They turned left and right to find out what had happened to the magical creatures.

One of Virelia’s subordinates turned to them and shouted, "Ren had killed their leader! We have won the battle!"

"So, that’s what happened."

"Haha! Well done, Ren!"

"You are the hero of this battle, Ren!"

They approached him as they praised him continuously.

Axel, who heard it, gritted his teeth in fury.

He was the one who injured the red goblin.

He was the one who weakened its state.

So, why did they praise Ren?

It should have been him.

They should have praised him and said that he was the hero of the battle, not Ren.

’Damn it!’