— 3rd Party’s POV —

  The battlefield had long since transformed into a hellish landscape of smoke, scorched earth, and blood-streaked ruins. The once serene greenfield—meant as a path for evacuating citizens—now stood as a warzone where only the strongest would emerge alive.

  Hazel, Esta, and Greg should have already been on equal footing with their enemies: Shock, Joy, and Anxi.

  However, this battle had become a race against time.

  The guildmaster required immediate assistance.

  Hazel, panting heavily, wiped the sweat and blood from her forehead with the back of her trembling hand. Her once-beastlike brown eyes, sharp with feline intensity, wavered with exhaustion. She was still in Beast Mode, but she could feel the strain—her enhanced state had limits.

  Beside her, Esta bore similar signs of battle-worn fatigue. Her crimson eyes, once burning with untamed frenzy, had dulled slightly as the weight of their situation settled in.

  Greg clutched his greatsword tightly, his tiger aura flickering, as if it could vanish at any moment.

  Tian, acknowledging himself as the weakest, focused on distraction. Their attacks seamlessly intertwined, a silent understanding guiding their synchronized assault.

  Over an hour had passed since the clash began.

  “Wind Gale!”

  “Firestorm!”

  *WHAAAM!*

  A tempestuous red wind and a raging inferno erupted from Esta’s and Joy’s outstretched hands, converging in a tumultuous clash.

  Meanwhile, Tian's clones hurled a barrage of dagger-shaped shadow aura toward Joy’s right flank—a tactical distraction.

  Following the throw, his clones dissipated into obscurity.

  *CRINGG!*

  A colossal boulder, twice Joy’s size, materialized to intercept the shadowy daggers.

  Anxi then propelled the massive rock towards Tian.

  But—

  *WHAAPP!*

  Greg leaped from behind, cleaving the boulder in half with a mighty swing of his greatsword.

  As the shattered rock crumbled—

  Shock emerged from its shadowy remains, hurling a dark dagger toward Greg.

  Suspended mid-air, Greg barely managed to tilt his head, dodging the projectile.

  It was a feint.

  Shock burst from the shadows, another dagger gleaming in his grip, aimed straight at Greg’s chest.

  Greg, acting on instinct, twisted his body and hurled his greatsword in a counterattack.

  *Psshhh!*

  The dagger sliced through Greg’s right arm—

  But at the same moment—

  Shock’s left arm was lacerated by Greg’s greatsword.

  With a retaliatory kick, Shock sent Greg careening backward into Tian before retreating to regroup with Joy and Anxi.

  Concurrently—

  Hazel, upon seeing Shock emerge from the boulder's shadow, immediately exited Esta’s shadow.

  Her claws crackled with a thick decay aura as she directed it towards Esta’s Wind Gale, intertwining their forces—wild crimson winds merging with a dark-brown aura.

  The amalgamation devoured Joy’s Firestorm.

  At the same time, Anxi manipulated her mana from the ground, launching a surprise attack.

  *BOOM!*

  “Kyaaa!”

  “Ugh!”

  The explosion sent both Joy and Anxi flying.

  A split second later—

  Two towering spikes shot up from beneath Esta and Hazel.

  They slashed at the spikes, severing them at the base. But—

  *Psshh!*

  They weren’t fast enough.

  The jagged stone impaled them through the stomach.

  Hazel and Esta staggered, gripping the blood-soaked remnants. With gritted teeth, they retaliated, hurling the broken spikes toward Joy and Anxi.

  *Thud.* *Thud.*

  Shock reappeared beside his allies, his severed left arm now wrapped in dark aura, intercepting the incoming projectiles.

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  *Cough!*

  Hazel and Esta spat blood, pressing against their wounds to staunch the bleeding.

  Tian, on the verge of collapse, had nearly depleted his aura reserves.

  Greg bled profusely from his right shoulder, his severed arm and greatsword lying a short distance away.

  A shadow manipulated by Tian slithered across the battlefield—

  It ensnared Greg’s severed arm and the greatsword before returning them to him.

  ““Ugh…””

  Their enemies weren’t faring much better.

  Joy and Anxi suffered the effects of decay and scorching burns.

  Shock’s left shoulder bled just as heavily as Greg’s. He cradled his severed arm.

  At first glance, the battle seemed to be a stalemate—

  But there was one crucial problem.

  “Area Great Purification! Area Great Heal!”

  In an instant, Shock’s magic surged through the battlefield.

  The decay, the burns—everything afflicting Joy, Anxi, and himself—vanished.

  His severed left arm reattached seamlessly, as if it had never been severed in the first place.

  Joy and Anxi, previously battered, now stood fully healed—their tattered clothes the only evidence of their previous wounds.

  “Ha… Ha…”

  Despite their restored bodies, exhaustion weighed heavily upon them.

  Yet—

  The first to collapse was not from their side.

  ““Tian!””

  Greg, Hazel, and Esta's voices overlapped in shock.

  Tian fell to the scorched ground, gasping for breath.

  With trembling hands, he reached toward his allies—channeling the last remnants of his mana.

  “Great Heal. Heal. Heal.”

  Greg’s severed arm was mended, and two bursts of restorative energy shot toward Hazel and Esta.

  They widened their eyes—Tian had not used healing magic even once throughout the battle.

  This was the first time.

  And it would be the last.

  "I leave the rest to you three…"

  His whisper barely carried before he succumbed to exhaustion, his body reaching its limits.

  "Haa.. I thought I was going to die."

  "Haha! That was a fun battle!"

  "Fuu.. That was so thrilling."

  Anxi, Joy, and Shock rose to their feet once more, unscathed and ready for the final act.

  “Then, shall we go for another round?”

  Greg stood, reclaiming his greatsword. His tiger aura had completely dissipated, leaving behind an ordinary fire aura.

  The strain was evident—his status reverted back to original—but his resolve burned on.

  “Have you finally given up?” Anxi taunted.

  "Nonsense, nya!" Hazel snapped back.

  "Then how about this?"

  Anxi placed her hands upon Joy’s and Shock’s backs.

  *Whiiirrr!*

  A dense shroud of dark aura and fiery mana enveloped them, their power surging—doubling.

  "Haha… Crazy bastard…" Greg muttered under his breath.

  Anxi smirked but waved a dismissive hand.

  "Don’t worry… You like fighting when you are outnumbered us, right?"

  She exhaled tiredly before sitting down.

  "I’m done. If I keep going, I might faint."

  Her stamina had reached its limit. Elevated Shock’s and Joy’s powers took its toll on her body.

  But it no longer mattered.

  Joy and Shock’s amplified power created an insurmountable gap.

  “Well then, let’s get started.”

  The words scarcely left Shock's lips before he vanished, a blur of motion streaking towards Greg.

  Trails of dark aura lingered in his wake, his speed almost imperceptible to Hazel’s beast mode's enhanced vision.

  "Greg, watch out!" Esta's urgent cry echoed through the battlefield.

  “Where do you think you’re looking when there’s a cute girl right in front of you?” Joy teased, her hands pressed against the ground.

  The crimson mana beneath her moved towards Hazel and Esta faster than before.

  Then, before they could react—

  “Aarrrgggghhh!!”

  “Gaahhhhhh!!”

  The ground beneath them detonated in an inferno of hellish red flames.

  Searing heat devoured them whole.

  Agonized screams tore through the battlefield.

  Esta thrashed, her body convulsing as the flames licked at her flesh, burning away her clothes, and her skin. Hazel, despite her enhanced senses, hadn’t even seen the magic activate in time.

  After a few seconds has passed—

  *Smack!*

  “Ouch! Why!?”

  Anxi delivered a swift chop to the back of Joy’s head., extinguishing the flames that had ensnared Esta and Hazel.

  The two of them crumpled to the ground, their berserk and beast mode states abruptly dispelled. The ashes from their burned clothes and the burned marks on their bodies became the aftermath.

  Anxi rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you say they were the targets for our other client? If you kill them, we don’t get paid.”

  “Ah! I forgot!”

  Joy quickly approached the collapsed Esta and Hazel, who had been unconscious.

  “Sorry! I’m a bad girl!” She bowed at them like a kid apologized with remorse.

  “Haa…” Anxi let out a deep sigh of relief before glancing down at Hazel and Esta. “At leas they’re still alive.”

  Meanwhile, the one-sided battle between Shock and Greg persisted.

  *Pssh!* *Pssh!*

  Greg’s body had long since given up, but his will remained.

  He no longer had the strength to swing his sword. He couldn’t even lift his arms to defend himself anymore.

  Shock didn’t even aim for lethal spots—now, he was just playing with him.

  Another cut—Greg’s left cheek split open.

  Another slice—his thigh gave out, forcing him to kneel.

  Shock grinned, twirling his dagger. “What’s wrong? Where’s all that spirit you had earlier?”

  Greg couldn’t answer. He could barely breathe.

  Blood trickled from his forehead, his mouth, his arms. His body was nothing but wounds, yet Shock showed no signs of stopping.

  “Oi, Shock! We are done here!” Joy's voice rang out, signaling an end to their intense fight.

  “I’m getting bored too. I will end this.”

  Shock poised to strike at Greg’s neck. But—

  *Swoosh!*

  A blinding streak of fiery aura cut through the battlefield, forcing Shock to retreat. He clicked his tongue, leaping backward.

  Greg barely had the strength to turn his head, but when he did—he saw them.

  A group of knights storming toward them, their armor glinting beneath the sun.

  Reinforcements had arrived.

  But it was too late.

  “Tsk.” Shock clicked his tongue. “We failed to kill our original targets.”

  “Well, at least we got these two,” Anxi said, stepping on Hazel’s limp body.

  With that, Anxi tore a scroll in half, activating a teleportation spell.

  A purple-tinged magic circle flared beneath them.

  “Hello big brother whose name I don’t know!” Joy waved her hand towards Greg, who had been kneeling in exhaustion.

  “That elf called him Greg.” Anxi clarified.

  “Ah! Big brother Greg!” Joy clapped her hands. “Our playtime was over! Thank you for playing with us!”

  “W-Wait…” Greg tried to push himself up, but his body refused to move. His vision swam. “Don’t… take them…”

  Joy teased. “We’ll take good care of these two, don’t worry~”

  “Bye, bye!”

  With a casual wave the three masked figures vanished along with Esta and Hazel, leaving Greg and the unconscious Tian amidst the ravaged landscape.

  Silence fell over the battlefield.

  Greg's eyes trembled. His breath hitched, his fingers clawing weakly at the ground, powerless to do anything but watch.

  "DAAAMNNN IIIITTTT!!!"

  His anguished roar echoed across the ruined field, a sound of pure despair and fury.

  His fist slammed against the dirt, again and again, until the pain in his knuckles became unbearable.

  But no matter how much he screamed—no matter how much he bled—he couldn’t change the truth.

  Esta and Hazel were gone.