Marcus was a towering figure, standing well over two meters tall. He had a heavily built physique with bulging muscles that seemed to strain against his dark leather armor. His short-cropped hair was a deep shade of brown, complementing his rugged appearance.

"It's not over yet." His voice was deep and thick, easily drawing everyone's attention as he spoke.

"..Eh?"

"What do you mea-" Red began to ask, but his words were interrupted by the sudden change in the flames. As a Fire mage, he quickly noticed that something was wrong with the flames.

Then, out of nowhere, before anyone could make a guess, The flames grew in size and started swirling like a tornado.

"W-What's happening?" Viper quickly retreated and hid behind Marcus.

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "I can sense two powerful auras inside the flames."

"Impossible! They survived?" Red shouted in disbelief.

"!!!" Marcus instantly raised his awareness. He felt something dark and powerful was about to come, and he was right.

Because the fire tornado suddenly exploded, and all the flames came in his direction.

"Hiii!" Seeing the flames coming their way. Viper, who was hiding behind Marcus's massive figure, was nervous and hoped that his tough skin could withstand the flames.

Marcus immediately took a defensive stance, activating his signature skill, "Rhino skin." Turning his skin gray, he crossed his arms and prepared himself to take the hit.

BOOM!

Another massive explosion echoed in the deep underground ruins. The remaining Rats couldn't help but become worried about their leaders.

The dust and smoke began to settle, revealing the aftermath of the explosion. Marcus stood tall and unscathed, his "Rhino skin" skill protecting him from the brunt of the blast. His gaze shifted to the source of the attack, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Standing amidst the destruction were Aron and Freya, their forms untouched by the flames. Aron's greataxe was still in his hand, its blade glinting ominously. The flames that once encircled them had subsided, leaving behind only silence.

Red and Viper, who had sought shelter behind Marcus, stared in awe and disbelief at the sight before them. Red, mainly because he thought that his Fireball with more than half of his Mana Pool would have been enough to defeat Aron and Freya, but it seemed that he had severely underestimated their opponents.

Aron's eyes burned with fierce determination as he locked his gaze with Marcus. He could sense the power emanating from the heavily built man. But first things first.

Aron shifted his gaze to the man with red clothes and red hair. Aron immediately knew that this man was the one responsible for that Fireball. And by targeting Freya, Red was awarded the number one spot on Aron's killing list.

Freya stood firmly by Aron's side. Her werewolf instincts heightened, and she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had found someone who would fight for her, someone who cared deeply for her well-being, and she wouldn't let anything or anyone take that away.

Although she was grateful to Aron for his desire to protect her, she wasn't going to stay around and do nothing. She also didn't want him to think that she was weak. She wanted to be protected by him, but at the same time, she didn't want to appear weak. After all, she was a hunter and a warrior.

Seriously, women are complicated!

Aron raised his greataxe and pointed it at Red. "You made a grave mistake attacking her. Your actions will not go unpunished," his voice, filled with a cold, unforgiving tone.

"..."

"Pfft HAHAHAHA~" Red burst out laughing. "Y-You… Cough… 'Your actions will not go unpunished'... HAHAHA~ Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"

Red kept laughing as he mocked and mimicked Aron's voice. Aron's expression remained stern as he stared down Red.

"Red, you need to calm down NOW!" Viper tried to talk some sense into Red's head. She and Marcus could clearly sense that something dark was rising inside Aron's chest.

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"What! Don't you tell me that you fear them, Viper?" Then Red turned to face Aron. "I'll be honest, I was surprised by your little trick with the flames. You almost got me on that one, but that won't happen again. You just used the remains of my magic. A cheap magic like that can't be compared to my super magic. Prepare and behold."

Aron's expression remained unchanged as he listened to Red's words, his grip tightening on his greataxe. He had no intention of underestimating his opponent, but he couldn't let Red's arrogance go unpunished.

He slowly turned to Freya. Who…If looks could kill, Red would probably be dead by now from her gaze.

"Freya!" he called in a low voice. Freya's expression instantly softened as she turned to face him.

"Leave that arrogant brat to me. Can you keep the other two busy for a while?"

Freya nodded, her eyes filled with fury and determination. A wide smile that showed her sharp teeth formed on her lips.

"Of course I'll handle them," she replied, confident in her abilities.

Aron smiled and nodded. Then he shifted his gaze to Red and unleashed his killing intent, rapidly filling the place.

"!!!" A chilling silence fell upon the underground ruins. Red's laughter came to an abrupt halt, and he broke into a cold sweat.

Even Viper and Marcus felt a shiver run down their spines. Red unconsciously took a step back, and the moment he did, Aron dashed with great speed toward him.

"W-What!" Red screamed at the unprecedented speed Aron was showing. He didn't expect that a tall man with steel armor and a greataxe would have that level of speed.

"Take this!" To prevent Aron from reaching him, Red slammed his staff on the ground, creating a wall of fire in Aron's path. Then he held the staff with both hands and raised it to the air, creating three Fireballs above his head.

"Pointless."

"...Huh?"

The wall of flames did nothing to Aron as he passed through it as if it didn't exist.

"!!!" Marcus sensed that his friend was in danger, and he immediately jumped to help him by intercepting Aron. However, before he could take a single step, he saw something sharp coming his way from the corner of his eye. He reacted instantly by dodging to the side.

"Tsk, almost got him," he heard a woman's voice near him. When he looked at the source, he found a silver-haired woman with glowing blue eyes and sharp nails like claws, one of which had blood on it.

Marcus placed his hand on his cheek and found a small cut on it. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief as Freya was able to cut through his tough skin with ease.

"Viper, take care of this woman. I need to go after the big man," Marcus spoke, focusing his attention on Freya's claws, which seemed deadly against him.

Viper nodded and took out two daggers. Freya narrowed her eyes at Marcus's words.

"You're not going anywhere, my-"

Clap!.

Freya was interrupted by Marcus suddenly clapping his hands, drawing her attention to him. She was puzzled by this; however, the next second, she opened her eyes in shock because Viper was nowhere to be seen. She had completely disappeared in that split second.

"...Grrr." Freya was annoyed. She didn't like it when someone played a trick on her. She focused her werewolf senses, trying to find Viper, but to no avail.

"Get AWAY from me!" Red's scream made everyone turn to him. They saw Aron a few feet away from him. Red was shooting his Fireballs like crazy, and Aron was casually blocking them with his axe.

"Shit!" Marcus cursed, and he immediately dashed toward them, but again, Freya stood in the way. He tried to punch her, but she was able to easily dodge it. Her speed and agility were far superior to his.

Freya immediately jumped, her claws aiming for his head. However, when she got really close to him, her werewolf instincts warned her about danger. Freya came to a halt and quickly bent her body slightly backward.

Swoosh!.

"!!!" Freya heard the sound of something sharp cutting through the air. Focusing her eyes, she saw a trail of barely visible white smoke passing close to her throat, and for just a split second, she sensed a killing intent in front of her before it quickly faded.

'Aaah! I see! How could I forget that?'

With a swift movement, Freya used her Greatsword as support to deliver a wide side kick to the 'air' in front of her, and the kick connected to something.

"Ughh!" Someone growled in pain, and all of a sudden, a figure was thrown to the side, leaving a trail of white smoke.

"I knew it!" Freya smiled as she gazed at Viper, who fell to the ground.

Freya left her no chance to recover, and she quickly jumped in the air while holding the Greatsword with both hands, looking to split Viper in two.

As Freya descended upon Viper with her Greatsword, Viper's eyes widened in alarm as she desperately tried to evade the incoming strike. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Freya's deadly strike, but her relief was short-lived.

Without missing a beat, Freya moved her muscles in an almost unnatural way, showing how her agility and flexibility were unmatched. She swung her Greatsword horizontally, aiming to cleave Viper in half. The air whistled with the force of the attack.

Clink.

Instead of flesh, something hard collided with Freya's Greatsword. She looked up and saw Marcus, with his gray skin, standing between the sword and Viper.

"Tsk," Freya clicked her tongue, and she tried to attack again, but before she got the chance to, Marcus grabbed her blade and shattered it easily like it was made of glass.

Freya was taken aback a little, and she was caught off guard because Marcus didn't just stop there. He instantly grabbed her arms.

"Your speed is annoying, but I've got you now."

Marcus tightened his grip on Freya's arms, using his immense strength to keep her restrained. He could feel her muscles tense as she continued to struggle, her determination unyielding.

"Let me go!" Freya struggled to release herself. Fortunately, her legs were free, and she thought to use them to kick Marcus away from her. Or so she thought, because Marcus was one step ahead of her, and he literally buried her feet in the ground using his huge feet

"Viper, NOW!" He suddenly yelled.

And immediately after that, Viper appeared on Freya's left side with a dagger in her hand, trying to claim Freya's heart.

Swoosh.

"Die!"

Clink!.

"...Eh?" Viper was taken aback when something black came into her field of view. And it was solid because it stopped her dagger from claiming Freya's heart.

"I think you've played enough, Freya," a deep, chilling voice came from the side.