Shaan’s heartbeat pounded harder and harder as he chased after Chelsie, who kept getting farther away from them. At first, they could still see her clearly, but the thick pink smoke slowly swallowed her figure until she vanished completely.

"Damn it, where’s Chelsie?" Shaan stopped and quickly scanned the area around him. "I-I can’t see her anywhere now."

"Tch, this is such a waste of time," Theo grumbled as he shook his head. "What the hell was that girl thinking? Why would she run off without thinking first?"

"...Everyone, stay calm." Nalira calmly observed the surroundings. "I’m sure Elsie can’t be far from us. She has to be somewhere nearby."

Theo scratched his head, his expression growing sour. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you sa—"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from ahead of them, instantly cutting Theo off. At first, the footsteps sounded completely normal, just like human footsteps. Naturally, Shaan immediately assumed the most likely possibility—it had to be Chelsie, especially since the sound came from the same direction where she had disappeared.

However... after a few seconds, Shaan suddenly fell silent. For some reason, the footsteps started to sound strange. Each step grew heavier and heavier, making the gravel across the ground tremble. And mixed within those footsteps, he could hear deep, heavy breathing.

’That thing... I’m sure it’s not human. I need Robin Hood’s help.’

Shaan drew his dual short swords and fixed a sharp stare toward the source of the sound. "Robin Hood, use your skill to—" He suddenly stopped, confusion spreading across his face. "Damn it... Why can’t I summon him?"

"Same here. I can’t summon Raijin at all either." Theo shook his head, his expression beginning to look frustrated. "Maybe it’s because of this damn pink gas. The effect of that cowardly girl’s spell isn’t strong enough for us to summon our Daemons."

"...Then everyone, stay alert." Nalira instantly lowered her stance and prepared to attack, her sharp eyes locked forward. "We have no idea what we’re about to face."

"What a pain in the ass." Theo swung his sword to the side and prepared himself for battle. "Whatever that thing is... I’ll make sure I kill it."

Slowly, a massive silhouette emerged from within the thick gas, making Shaan swallow hard. The creature’s size alone terrified him. Even from its outline, he could tell it towered far above any normal human—at least three times larger. And when Shaan focused on its shape more carefully, he noticed something even worse. Its head resembled a bull’s head far more than a human’s.

"...A dark creature."

"I-I’ve never seen a dark creature like this before." Shaan tightened his grip on his dual short swords, his face growing tense. "Damn it... what the hell is that thing?"

"I don’t know either, weakling." Theo grinned as streams of electricity started crackling around his body. "But I’m sure this thing is definitely going to—"

In the blink of an eye, an axe instantly pierced through the pink mist surrounding them. The weapon moved incredibly fast, and strangely enough, it flew straight toward the three of them as if it had locked onto their exact positions. Fortunately, Shaan and the others noticed it just in time and dodged out of the way.

’BAM!’

Shaan’s face turned pale. His heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment when he saw the gigantic axe embedded deep into the road, completely shattering the surrounding ground. Damn it... that came way too close. If they had reacted even a second later, that attack would’ve killed them instantly.

"Holy sh*t!" Theo’s eyes widened, and his arrogant expression vanished instantly. "This monster’s strong."

"...We can’t underestimate it." Nalira immediately channeled mana across the surface of her sword. "Don’t let your guard down. That creature will definitely retrieve its axe and attack again. Stay alert."

Nalira’s prediction proved correct once again. The monstrous creature stepped forward and grabbed its axe. However, this time, it didn’t come alone. Another creature with the same appearance emerged from the mist behind it. The two monsters attacked simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of strikes that instantly forced the three of them apart.

’BAM! BAM! BAM!’

"Argh, damn it!" Shaan cursed in frustration. "These insane monsters just keep attacking nonstop and won’t give us any opening to counterattack!"

"...Shaan, stay focused and avoid their attacks as much as possible," Nalira said while continuously dodging the monsters’ strikes. "Attacking them right now will be difficult, and don’t let them destroy our energy barriers."

"Alright, I—"

"Kyaa!"

Shaan fell silent for a moment. ’W-wait, that voice sounds like—’

"...Elsie? That must be—"

"Oh my god, Nalira, watch out!"

Without hesitation, Shaan immediately activated his Dash skill and shot forward at full speed. He grabbed Nalira’s hand and pulled her away just before the creature’s attack nearly took her life.

"Nalira, are you okay?"

Nalira nodded slowly. "...Shaan, thank you." She paused for a moment, her expression remaining calm. "...But your barrier... It’s starting to crack."

"Relax, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me." Shaan forced a smile and tried to stay calm. "The cracks aren’t that bad yet, and I’m sure this barrier can still hold for a while longer."

"...Alright."

"Nalira, did you hear that scream —"

"...Elsie." Nalira’s expression tensed for a moment. "I’m sure that was her voice. She’s in danger right now."

Shaan fell silent briefly. "Nalira, listen to me." He tightened his grip on his swords. "I’ll hold these monsters back, so hurry and save Chelsie as fast as you can." He spoke quickly, keeping his explanation short. "Someone has to save her. She needs our help right now."

"...."

"Nalira, hurry. We don’t have much time." Shaan tried to convince her. "Don’t think about me. I can handle these monsters. Trust me."

"...Alright, Shaan. If that’s what you want, then I understand." Nalira channeled mana into her legs and prepared to dash forward. "I’ll save Chelsie as quickly as possible." She looked at him one last time. "Stay alive."

In a matter of seconds, Nalira shot forward at full speed, cutting through the pink gas toward the source of the sound they’d heard. Good. At least with Nalira there, Chelsie should be safe. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Well then, it’s time for me to figure out how to defeat this damn creature."

A pair of glowing red eyes emerged from the swirling mist. The bull-headed creature stared directly at Shaan with a vicious glare. Without wasting another second, the monster launched another relentless assault at him.

’Cling! Cling!’

"Argh, damn it!"

Shaan continued blocking the creature’s attacks, but every impact only widened the cracks spreading across his barrier. Damn. He needed to find a way out of this situation fast, or everything would get much worse.