When Aleen was about to grab Claire, the dran punched again.

If the first punch was the bait to force Aleen to save Claire, then the second punch was the killer blow. The level-three dran aimed at the place where Aleen had to pass to rescue Claire.

Aleen’s expression changed, but in the next second, he put on a determined face. Even if he knew that it was a trap, he could not see at Claire in danger without doing anything.

Lightning surged from Aleen’s body and flowed into his veins. Aleen decided to risk it all. If he could not rescue Claire, then he would die in the try.

But when he was about to face the punch, he saw something from the corner of his eyes.

Aleen put on a startled expression and hesitated slightly, but he finally decided to bet on her.

So, he stopped.

The level-three dran was surprised when he saw Aleen’s actions. He was sure that Aleen would try to rescue Claire at any cost, and he looked determined to save her just a moment ago. Why did he suddenly stop then?

But at the next instant, someone answered his question.

It was impossible for Claire to evade the level-three dran’s punch. She was too slow and her body was too weak to move away in time.

Precisely because he knew it, the level-three dran slowed down the speed of the attack. It was to give Aleen the chance to react and bait him successfully, and also because he could not afford to kill Claire. After all, his main goal here was related to her.

But precisely because of it, he created an opportunity for a certain someone.

When the punch was about to strike Claire, a silver-haired girl appeared suddenly and rushed towards her.

She moved quickly. In an instant, she appeared beside Claire and pushed her away.

The level-three dran was surprised. He could not believe that he did not notice that someone was hiding nearby despite his higher level.

‘A stealth skill?’ He wondered briefly, but in the next instant, he responded to the girl’s sudden appearance. With a snort, he threw another punch towards the new girl.

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However, Aleen was not going to allow it.

Lightning flashed and he appeared in front of the dran. His sword glowed in silver and an enormous amount of mana made it vibrate at great speed.

“Die!” Aleen shouted powerfully and thrusted the sword towards the dran’s eyes. The level-three dran reacted instinctively and retracted his punch to block the sword.

He could not risk having his eye pierced even if he was confident in his defense, so he decisively gave up on the girls and concentrated on defending against Alee.

Claire and Aya took advantage of Aleen’s distraction to retreat. Aleen sighed in relief when he saw it.

The sword hit the level-three’s arm, but it was stopped by the defensive layer of light. Aleen was not discouraged though. After all, he was expecting that result. Instead, he intensified his attacks to draw the dran’s attention away from Claire and Aya.

But the level-three saw through his intention. He then ignored Aleen’s attacks and chased after the girls. He only defended proactively when Aleen attacked a dangerous part, as the eyes or the neck. But Aleen could not attack those parts repeatedly or he risked being caught by the level-three dran.

The level-three dran caught up with Claire and Aya quickly. He clenched his fist and attacked them. The fist compressed the space surrounding the girls and forced them to face it head-on.

Claire created a bird of fire and threw it against the level-three dran, but it could only stop the fist briefly before being destroyed. The fist then continued descending towards Claire and Aya without losing its momentum.

At that instant, Lily jumped from a bush nearby and attacked the level-three dran. Her silver claws shined with a dark glow and stabbed directly at the dran’s neck.

The dran was surprised when he was Lily. He could not believe that he failed again to detect a living being hiding nearby. However, he recovered his composure instantly. He was confident in his defense, so he decided to ignore Lily’s attack and focus on the girls. Although he could not kill Claire carelessly, there was no problem if he crippled her and killed Aya.

But unexpectedly, his defense was unable to stop Lily.

Although the layer of light was still there, Lily’s claws passed through it without triggering its defensive properties. It was as though the layer of light was non-existent.

Lily’s claws stabbed the level-three dran’s neck, wounding the powerful enemy for the first time.

The level-three dran’s expression changed instantly. With a frightened expression, he twisted his neck and jumped back, evading the rest of Lily’s attack.

Despite it, however, a dangerous-looking gash appeared on his neck. The level-three dran quickly circulated his mana and put his hand on the wound to stop the blood loss.

He then looked at Lily and put on a serious expression. “Shadow aspect? It ignores defense?”

Lily just bared her fangs and retreated beside Aya.

Aleen was surprised seeing that Lily was able to wound the level-three, but the explanation of the dran cleared his doubts. It was apparent that it was a property of Lily’s skill.

He was prepared to use his body to stop the dran’s attack, but fortunately, it was not necessary. Furthermore, now that they had a way to hurt the level-three dran, their situation turned a bit better.

The level-three dran stared fixedly at the cat and touched his neck. He looked at the blood that flowed from the wound and grinned.

“A bit interesting. Unfortunately, you failed to kill me with that blow.”