Vesta’s body arched violently.

A guttural scream tore from his throat as the substance took hold. Muscles bulged unnaturally, skin cracking in places as a toxic vapor began to leak from his pores. The green glow intensified, turning almost blinding as his presence swelled.

His eyes snapped back to Shin, now glowing with a deranged, desperate fury.

"I refuse to die at your hands..." he hissed, claws forming at the tips of his fingers. "I’m going to kill you!"

Shin kept his calm demeanor, watching Vesta’s grotesque transformation. However, before Shin could fully assess its power, Vesta lunged with blinding speed.

His fist, now swollen with toxic mana and tipped with jagged claws, struck the flat of the Obsidian Decapitator that Shin had instinctively raised to block. The force of the blow sent Shin skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the dirt.

Shin stabilized his stance, feeling a slight sting in his forearms. His lips curled into a smile, and his eyes shone bright; this would be a good fight.

Vesta didn’t give him a chance to breathe. He charged again, delivering a flurry of quick and brutal attacks with his venomous claws. Shin’s Obsidian Skin mitigated the worst of it, but the relentless barrage was forcing him on the defensive.

"You should never have crossed my path!" Vesta growled, his voice distorted into a guttural hiss as he drew back both hands, preparing to deliver a devastating, dual-clawed strike to Shin’s chest.

The moment Vesta’s final blow descended, a figure blurred into the space between them. Arlo, his body battered and bleeding, appeared in front of Shin and grabbed the snake-man’s wrists, stopping the strike cold.

Vesta stepped back, his glowing, deranged eyes analyzing the one who had intervened. "You’re still alive?" he snarled, his fangs bared in irritation as he recognized the beast-kin. "How did you even manage to get up?"

Arlo flashed a wide, blood-stained smile and confidently declared, "I’ve got a lot of vitality, asshole! Come fight me."

"If you want to die so much, I will grant your wish!" Vesta roared, charging at his old prey.

"Just get out of my way," Vesta growled, landing a heavy, sweeping kick on Arlo’s side. "I admit you’re tough, but if you keep getting in my way, you’ll die. And I guarantee it will be a truly painful death!"

He kept barking threats, trying to intimidate the wolf-kin into stepping aside. As confident as Vesta was in his mutated form, he knew the longer he stayed like this, the worse the irreversible side effects would become.

"I’m not leaving, no way." Arlo smiled, crossing his arms and absorbing every blow without flinching.

"Hey, can you still fight?" Arlo turned his head and asked Shin, smiling through a mouthful of blood as he continued taking Vesta’s furious strikes. "Because if you don’t hit him soon, he’s going to wear my skill down."

Shin blinked, genuinely impressed. To take a beating from a mutated boss-level threat and still make jokes?

"Yes, of course. Just hold him," Shin commanded, his grip tightening on the Obsidian Decapitator.

"Don’t worry," Arlo laughed. "I’ll lock him down so you can swing freely."

Without caring for his own safety, Arlo dropped his guard and lunged forward. With a sudden leap, he wrapped his arms around Vesta in a crushing bear hug, locking the mutated poisoner in place.

Vesta immediately panicked, thrashing and clawing at Arlo’s back, but no matter how much damage the wolf-kin took, he wouldn’t let go.

"Let me go, you cursed mutt!" Vesta roared, toxic vapor pouring from his mouth.

"Look, I’m not exactly thrilled about cuddling with a snake, but bear with it," Arlo joked, squeezing tighter.

Shin didn’t waste the opening. He channeled his power, the jagged spikes on the hilt of his sword biting into his palm to draw blood.

The dark-purple blade hummed with a terrifying, oppressive energy. Shin lunged forward with aggression.

The aura of death radiating from Shin’s blade shattered whatever courage Vesta had left. Fear crushed the madness of his mutation.

"Wait... NO!" he screamed, thrashing as the blade came down with a shriek.

Too late.

The Decapitator carved through him in a single, merciless arc. The scream cut off instantly as his body split apart, collapsing into the dirt with a wet, lifeless thud.

The force of the strike continued, cleaving deep into the earth, stopping just short of Arlo by a hair.

"For a second, I thought you were going to kill me too..." he muttered, managing a weak smile. "But I guess we won. You hit really hard."

"Yeah..." Shin murmured.

"But really, you are too strong for a newcomer." Arlo looked him up and down. "Did you even need my help?"

Shin looked away... He definitely didn’t need the help, but he just wanted to watch how Arlo would fight. He couldn’t understand why the wolf-boy was so weak.

"By the way, I’m sorry, but I will leave the rest to you," Arlo said with a big smile, putting his hand on Shin’s shoulder. "I will be passing out."

Just after he said it, he fell to the ground, his body completely still. He had entered hibernation to recover from his injuries.

"Will he be fine?" Shin asked, and Lilel appeared on his shoulder. She looked the man up and down and nodded in affirmation.

Meanwhile, Lara was still conscious on the ground, observing the situation with a mix of apprehension and wariness. She wasn’t sure if the terrifying swordsman who had just casually broken the ground was her savior or just a new monster to fear.

Sensing her tension, Shin adjusted his demeanor. He knew how to play this part. He wiped the blood from his face, put on a gentle, reassuring smile, and approached her carefully so as not to startle her further.

"You’re safe now," Shin said smoothly, his voice calm and steady. "I take care of those who fight by my side. You and your friend did well holding out until I got here."

He sat down a respectful distance away from her, radiating an aura of absolute security. Now, all that was left to do was wait patiently for the poison’s paralytic effect to wear off.

Fortunately, Vesta’s disappearance seemed to weaken the lingering effects of his toxin. The paralysis gradually faded from her limbs, and she was finally able to draw a full breath to speak.

"Thank you so much," she whispered, her expression changing from fear to admiration.

Could it be that God heard my prayer? she thought as she began seeing Shin in another light. Maybe he had come to save her.

"Don’t worry about it. Like I said, you can count on me," Shin replied, playing the confident hero flawlessly.

Lara’s trembling lips parted as she looked at him. Her eyes widened, filling with something deeper than relief. Something reverent.

"Y-you..." her voice shook. "You’re... a god..."

Shin blinked in shock, completely unsure where that had come from. Was she delusional or something?

"A god?" he repeated, caught completely off guard. "What are you talking about? I’m not..."

"You are!" she insisted, her voice gaining strength despite her weakened state. Her gaze never left him, filled with absolute admiration. "No one else could have appeared like that... saved me like that... You’re my savior."

She tried to bow.

Her body barely responded, trembling as she forced herself to move, but the poison kept her completely still. Her expression immediately filled with distress.

"I-I’m sorry!" she blurted out. "I can’t even show proper respect... please forgive my rudeness..."

Shin blinked, unsure how to even respond. The woman in front of him seemed like a handful.

Meanwhile, Lara was having her own crazy thoughts. Hesitantly, she looked up at him again, her voice softer now.

"C-could you... touch me?"

Shin’s eyes widened slightly.

Before he could misunderstand further, Lara’s face flushed a deep red, and she quickly shook her head.

"N-no! That’s not... I mean—!" she stammered, completely flustered. "I just... I just wanted you to hold my hand..."

"I’m sorry... it’s a strange request, I just..." Lara said shyly, her voice fading, embarrassment overtaking her. "Could you do it, please?"

Still a bit confused, Shin let out a small breath and stepped closer. Instead of overthinking it, he gently reached out and patted her head.

The moment his hand touched her, a soft light flickered, brightening quickly. The mark on her right hand began to glow faintly, pulsing with a gentle warmth.

Then, the gentle warmth of the boy’s touch spread through Lara, surprising her. She didn’t feel even the slightest trace of fear. Actually, it was almost as though all her fears had vanished as she gazed into his handsome eyes.

Lara’s eyes widened, then softened into a quiet smile.

"I knew it," she whispered. She looked at him again, this time with calm certainty. "Normally... I would feel uncomfortable with any man touching me," she admitted softly. "But with you... it’s different."

Her fingers curled slightly, as if trying to hold onto that warmth.

"You’re not like them," she continued. "You’re... something else." Her smile deepened, filled with trust. "You must be an emissary of good."