Chapter 100

Fenrir, letting out a roar, suddenly accelerated.

The purple lightning covering his body grew brighter, and the killing intent swelled.

When I realized he was about to charge, Fenrir was already close to me.

"Too fast...!"

I was prepared for a fight at any moment and had already enhanced my body.

Even so, my face contorted when I saw how quickly Fenrir had closed the distance, making it impossible to avoid.

There was no way to escape the range of his charge.

"I should have brought a round shield!"

Judging that an attack would be futile, I stepped forward.

By stepping directly in front, Fenrir's head came even closer at an even greater speed.

I punched his nose with all my might from the side.

"Fiiii!"

Fenrir let out a high-pitched cry that seemed to contradict his previous roar and turned his face away.

As a result, his charge veered off course, and I managed to avoid the direct impact.

However, I couldn't completely avoid the charge.

"Ugh!"

Despite only a light hit, the impact was too much, and I was blown far back.

Moreover, the arm I used to punch Fenrir was completely broken.

I knew that even with body enhancement, attacking without a shield would likely result in injury.

Still, the overwhelming power of Fenrir made my mouth involuntarily twitch.

If I had attacked with a dagger at that moment, even if I had wounded Fenrir, I would have suffered significant injuries as well.

"An ogre's strength can't compare to this."

I knew that Fenrir was a magical beast with superior physical abilities.

The purple lightning covering his massive body significantly enhanced his physical capabilities.

The name "Thunder Speed" was derived from his abnormal speed, even with body enhancement.

Fenrir was simply fast and strong.

It was a simple yet incredibly powerful ability.

"Fi────i!"

...When I saw Fenrir stand up, I realized just how troublesome he would be if he mutated.

Fenrir, with anger in his eyes, glared at me, but I couldn't see any significant damage.

Despite attacking his nose, a vital point for a wolf, with my bare hands and sacrificing my arm, there was no visible damage.

Can I stop such an opponent?

"Heal"

I ignored the thoughts in my head and used a magical item to heal my injuries.

While confirming that my arm could still move, I smiled.

"Fenrir's lightning isn't like a phoenix's armor. Not bad, actually."

The opponent was angry at me, and there was no better condition for stopping him.

I convinced myself of this and got ready.

"Fi───────i!"

Fenrir approached me almost simultaneously.

Perhaps wary of my previous attack, this time Fenrir didn't charge.

Instead, he used his momentum to attack with sharp claws.

I tried to deflect the attack with my dagger.

"Ugh...!"

However, I couldn't completely deflect Fenrir's claws.

His claws left a deep cut on my chest, deeper than a mere scratch.

I realized that my deflection was incomplete and twisted my body to avoid a deeper wound.

Understanding the pain from my chest, I clenched my teeth, realizing how difficult it would be to stop the mutated Fenrir.

"Still can't win, huh..."

...Everything was going exactly as I had imagined.

If there had been a strategy to deal with this, it would have been great.

However, that wasn't the case.

I simply understood that I couldn't handle Fenrir's attacks anymore.

It wasn't that I had no chance of winning.

If there was no possibility at all, I wouldn't have volunteered to stop Fenrir for Ronaldo.

The level of body enhancement I could now handle was incomparable to before.

With that, there was a possibility of stopping Fenrir.

That was the chance I had found when I volunteered to stop Fenrir.

Magic detection wouldn't be enough to counter Fenrir's overwhelming attacks.

However, even without completely predicting his actions through magic detection, I could deflect higher-level attacks based on my experience.

And with body enhancement through ki and magic, I had confidence in my ability to respond, even to Fenrir's astonishing physical capabilities.

...If only there weren't the limitation of body enhancement causing injury and hindering movement.

Fenrir's relentless attacks continued, regardless of my awkward movements.

"Fi────i!"

Fenrir's fangs, which I failed to deflect, injured my side.

It wasn't a deep wound that could damage my internal organs.

However, I realized that my stamina was gradually depleting.

"Heal"

I managed to take some distance using the shock of the attack and healed my injuries.

The magical item's "Heal" quickly healed my wounds, but the severity on my face didn't fade.

For now, I could manage with "Heal."

However, it was clear that this wouldn't last long.

It wasn't certain that I could always take the distance needed to use "Heal."

Moreover, the magical items I needed to use "Heal" were limited.

If I received a fatal blow, it would be over.

If my movements became sluggish due to major injuries, I wouldn't be able to take the distance needed to use "Heal" anymore.

So far, I had managed to avoid major injuries, but for how long?

Fenrir's massive body approached, as if not giving me time to think.

"Fiii────!"

"Ugh!"

Perhaps because I was distracted by my thoughts, I couldn't react to this attack.

I received a claw attack from Fenrir, which I couldn't completely avoid, despite trying to insert my dagger between the claw and my body.

The dagger prevented my abdomen from being torn open, but it couldn't stop the impact.

"...Ugh!"

My body rolled across the ground.

"...Heal"

Thanks to that, I managed to take some distance from Fenrir and activate "Heal," successfully healing my injuries.

However, my remaining magical items were rapidly depleting.

...I could only hold on for a few more minutes.

I realized this at that moment.

Fenrir, who seemed to mock me, didn't show any signs of exhaustion, unlike when I first encountered him.

On the other hand, I was already in a sorry state.

"Fi────i!"

Fenrir let out a roar, as if confident of victory.

I glared at him, showing that I wouldn't be intimidated.

However, I knew the outcome of the battle was already clear.

The mutated Fenrir was much stronger than I had anticipated.

However, what was even more fatal was the awkwardness caused by body enhancement.

By surpassing the wall, I had indeed gained the ability to use body enhancement.

However, that didn't mean I could withstand attacks from a superior enemy.

"There's nothing I can do."

I realized my foolishness and mocked myself.

Originally, I was in a situation where my enhanced body was underutilized.

How did I think I could deflect Fenrir's attacks in such a situation?

I finally recognized this clearly.

"...Stopping Fenrir is impossible for me now."

When I whispered this, I thought I would feel more determined.

After all, I had volunteered to stop Fenrir in front of Ronaldo.

It was a shameful situation.

Yet, even after clearly stating this, I didn't feel such emotions.

"Ahh... Really, I..."

Instead, I was aware of the persistent warmth in my chest, which had been there all along.

"Do I love Narsena too much?"

Even when I saw Fenrir's overwhelming power.

Even when I realized the naivety of my assumptions.

And even when I was being cornered by Fenrir.

...In all those moments, my chest was dominated by an overwhelming warmth.

"Fi──i!"

Fenrir's eyes met mine, and I could see the irritation in them.

Fenrir seemed frustrated by my lack of despair in this situation.

"Fi─────ii!"

With a roar that seemed to say he would finally drag me to the depths of fear, Fenrir approached.

The purple lightning covering his body glowed intensely, and I understood that the next attack would be more powerful than ever.

Yet, I wasn't thinking about Fenrir at all.

My mind was dominated by memories of the past.

Memories of the days when I struggled to master body enhancement.

"...!"

I tried to deflect the approaching claws with my dagger, but the overwhelming force left a deep wound on my arm.

The pain pierced my mind... yet I still smiled.

"Compared to back then, this is nothing."

When I was struggling to master body enhancement, I often received much worse injuries.

I couldn't use it in combat, and a mistake in controlling ki and magic could cause my body to disintegrate.

I had faced near-death experiences countless times.

Still, I had honed this technique to the point where I could fight against extremely difficult magical beasts.

All for the day when the girl who had saved my heart would come to me, as promised.

I had no certainty that she would come.

In fact, deep down, I thought she wouldn't.

Yet, I had mastered body enhancement for her.

So, what about now?

"Fii──i!"

Perhaps judging that I was vulnerable from the shallow wound, Fenrir tried to tear me apart with his fangs.

I managed to twist my body to avoid it, but it left me off-balance.

Fenrir's mouth twisted, as if confident of victory.

He aimed his sharp claws at me.

If I didn't do something, I would be torn apart by Fenrir's claws.

If I were to be torn apart, I wouldn't survive.

However, what I felt was not fear.

I glared at the approaching death, ready to face it head-on.

In the past, I had pushed beyond my limits for a girl who might not come.

So, why not now?

"Then, there's no way I can't push beyond my limits now!"

The image of Narsena's proud smile was still burned into my mind.

The girl who had saved me was fighting alongside me.

A future that I once thought impossible was now a reality.

So, there was no way I couldn't push beyond my limits to protect that future.

My thoughts accelerated in the extreme situation.

Fenrir was stronger, and stopping him seemed impossible.

But that didn't matter.

The important thing was that stopping Fenrir was what I had to do.

"...Ugh!"

Ignoring the pain in my body, I forcibly regained my composure.

Memories of the past, when I had struggled to use body enhancement in combat, flooded my mind.

I ignored the intense pain and focused on calculating how to deflect Fenrir's attacks.

At that moment, I felt something strange on my forehead, as if something was restraining my body.

It felt like a solid, chain-like presence covering me.

But I ignored it and roared.

"Aaaaaah!"

I ignored whatever was restraining me and struck Fenrir's claws with all my might.

My dagger and Fenrir's claws collided, and both stopped moving.

"Fii──i"

Fenrir's face showed a moment of shock.

He increased the amount of purple lightning covering his body and leaped backward.

I calmly stated:

"Too slow."

With a crack, a fissure appeared in Fenrir's claw.

It was the first time I had inflicted damage on Fenrir.

My body was surrounded by a dense aura of magic and ki, and I felt an itchy sensation on my forehead.

I didn't fully understand what had happened to my body.

However, there was one thing I was certain of.

...I had surpassed a new wall.

I forced a smile as I saw Fenrir, who was clearly shocked by his broken claw.

"...You still need to stay here."

Fenrir, reacting to my words, turned to face me, and I could see the clear shock in his eyes.