The fleshy mass was still slowly growing—gradually taking shape.
They were forming into two new heads.
"Damn it... it really is a Hellhound," Noel cursed under his breath.
Just one head had already been difficult to handle, and now it had grown two more?
"Awoo... grrr..." The two newly formed heads immediately tore apart and devoured the original head. Its body swelled, growing even larger than before.
This unexpected transformation caught Noel completely off guard.
"It can do that too?"
He felt completely at a loss—he could barely hold out before, and now the thing had evolved?
"Awoo... grrr..."
With a furious roar, the Cerberus's two heads simultaneously breathed out a blast of black-purple Hellfire. The very ground beneath was corrupted, turning into a twisted black-violet shade. The flames kept expanding, completely surrounding Noel.
Just then, a flash of white light streaked through the darkness—and the black-violet flames were instantly extinguished.
"You've done well,Mr. Noel," said Sebas, calmly.
"Is the Duke safe?" Noel asked urgently.
"The Duke is somewhere secure. But for now, let's focus on the issue at hand," Sebas replied.
"Awoo! Grrr!"
The Husky leapt into the air, suddenly unfurling massive wings mid-flight. From the sky, it unleashed wave after wave of black flame.
"We can't let this go on. If it continues, the Duke's manor will be destroyed," Sebas said, visibly displeased. As the Duke's steward—and the guardian of this territory—he couldn't allow the Husky to run wild.
"You've been fighting for so long. You should rest—I'll take the front line now," Sebas said.
"You're going to fight that thing in close combat?" Noel couldn't believe his ears. "Are you insane? No one fights something like that up close!"
"It's fine. When it comes to melee combat—I'm the strongest," Sebas said plainly.
With a fluid motion, Sebas shot into the sky—without using any magic—yet somehow floated mid-air. Noel's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Was that even humanly possible?
The Husky, seeing a new opponent—and a formidable one at that—immediately shifted targets. Its claws flared with black-violet fire, and without hesitation, it lunged at Sebas.
Sebas casually waved his right hand—and the infernal flames were instantly dispersed.
"Swift Wind: Exchange · Light Arrows!"
Dozens of radiant arrows appeared in the air. Under Noel's control, they shot forward with pinpoint accuracy, piercing into the Husky's body one after another.
"Awoo—grr!!" the Husky howled.
"What are you yelling about?" Sebas growled, landing an uppercut squarely beneath one of the heads. The airborne Husky twisted violently midair from the force of the blow.
Its eyes glowed red with rage as it unleashed a torrent of black shockwaves from its jaws.
Sebas simply waved his hand—and the black waves were obliterated mid-air.
"He's incredible…" Noel thought, awe-struck.
"Swift Wind: Wind Net."
A powerful wind condensed into a solid form—a massive net—that ensnared the Husky. Its two black wings struggled wildly but couldn't break free.
"Now's the time! I've restrained it!" Noel shouted.
"Proceed to a proper beatdown," Sebas replied, coldly hovering in the air.
His eyes sharpened, and his fists seemed to glow with light. One punch after another—blindingly fast and impossible to track—rained down.
Hundreds of punches slammed into the Husky's body. It wailed in agony under the relentless barrage.
When the assault finally ended, the Husky was riddled with wounds. Its black wings collapsed and vanished—it clearly no longer had the strength to maintain them.
Sebas, however, looked energized. "It's been a while since I've let loose like that," he said with a grin.
Terrifying... Noel thought. Even a member of the Holy Ten couldn't be stronger than this guy. Why the hell is someone like him working as a butler?
Well... he probably had his reasons. It wasn't Noel's place to pry into someone else's personal business.
The Husky was now collapsed on the ground, struggling even to stand.
But Sebas wasn't finished.
With a flicker, he vanished—and reappeared right in front of the beast, fists continuing their assault.
"ROAR—!!" the Husky bellowed in desperation.
Its entire body began to expand again—disturbingly so. It was glowing faintly with purple-black light.
"It's going to self-destruct! Mr. Sebas!" Noel warned from a distance.
"I know," Sebas nodded calmly.
But his movements didn't stop. With a swift hand strike, he pierced the Husky's chest.
Black blood gushed out violently.
Then, with one arm, Sebas yanked out a black heart, and right before Noel's eyes—he crushed it with his bare hand.
The Husky's body disintegrated into fragments mid-air.
As Noel saw the beast dissolve, he collapsed to the ground. His strength had long been depleted; he had been pushing himself past his limit for a while now.
Sebas immediately caught him before he hit the ground.
"You did well, sir. I'll make sure the Duke increases your commission," Sebas said.
Of course... Noel thought. Dukes really do have money to burn.
Saying "increase the reward" just like that—and now this mission's pay might even match an S-rank job.
"By the way... the manor's half-destroyed. The Duke won't blame me, will he?" Noel asked, a little embarrassed.
The battlefield around them was in complete ruins. Buildings were reduced to pillars, trees were burned to black husks, and the ground was cracked and scarred with deep gouges.
"This repair bill—my master will handle it," Sebas said after a brief silence.
"He's not going to file a complaint, right?" Noel asked again.
"This was the Husky's fault. What does it have to do with you?"
Noel instantly understood. So even after wrecking the entire estate... I'm not getting sued. That's a miracle.
"Where to now?" Sebas asked.
"Back to the inn you arranged for me... I'm completely drained," Noel said weakly.
"Understood," Sebas replied—and immediately took off at blinding speed across the manor grounds, kicking up clouds of dust behind him.
Noel, slung across Sebas's back, was stunned by the velocity.
"Th-this... speed... what even is this...?"
But the wind was too loud, and his words became garbled.
"What was that, sir? I didn't catch it!" Sebas called back.
---
Back at the lodging, Wendy and Carla were still awake.
Wendy looked up at the dust-covered Noel. "Mr. Noel, are you alright?"
"I'm fine... just exhausted."
PS: These four chapters were a bit of an experimental arc. The rhythm of the fights is starting to take shape—expect even better action going forward!
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at