The air inside the ruins carried a chilling cold, the unmistakable breath of that creature. The stone walls were carved into long gouges by savage claws, while the ground was scarred with fresh, searing traces of battle.
Along the way, she came across bloodstains and the corpses of smaller monsters—likely beasts sent out by the Astarhound to block the intruders. Among them lay more than a few human bodies.
"Just from the structure alone, it's obvious this place was built by someone… but who would ever construct a dwelling for a monster?" she murmured, walking forward at an unhurried pace.
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the distance, snapping her out of her idle thoughts. She knew the critical moment had arrived. Picking up speed, she soon reached the battlefield. The first thing that hit her was the overwhelming stench of blood, followed by the relentless roars of the Astarhound.
"Well now, there are more people here than I expected," the girl said softly, standing within the shadows as she silently observed the fierce battle unfolding.
The battlefield air was so thick that even a single breath carried the metallic taste of blood down one's throat. In the distance, ranks of mages continuously chanted spells, streams of magic firing one after another into the swarms of lesser monsters released by the Astarhound. Before them, soldiers raised their shields, weapons drenched in blood, driving back the shadowy beasts that tried to charge forward.
But the fiercest clash was at the center of the front line, where six individuals were directly confronting the colossal monster.
The Astarhound roared, shadows flowing across its fur like living liquid, its elongated claws shredding the stone floor.
"Block its attack, Braum!" a middle-aged man shouted. "If it breaks through, the rear line will be in danger!"
A massive man braced himself behind a cracked shield, desperately resisting the monster's strike.
"Got it!!" Braum roared. His shield held, but the sheer force sent him sliding backward across the ground, stone fragments exploding into the air.
"Cecil, its right side is open! Its right leg is badly injured!"
"Roger!" came the reply. A young man with brown hair dashed forward like the wind, his spear flashing as he drove it hard into the Astarhound's leg. The beast howled in fury and lashed its tail violently.
"Watch out!" a woman on their side cried, raising her hands skyward. Light burst forth from her palms, instantly forming a protective barrier around Cecil.
The girl hidden in the shadows narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Holy power…?"
"Teresa!"—her name rang out as a ragged-robed mage in the rear shouted loudly.
"Teresa, I need three seconds to finish the incantation! Hold it back!" Eldran yelled from behind.
Hearing this, Teresa prepared to cast a spell—but before she could act, the Astarhound roared and slammed all four legs into the ground, releasing a sweeping blade of energy. Braum raised his shield to block it, but was flung backward, blood bursting from his shoulder.
"Braum!" Teresa screamed. Without hesitation, she charged straight in. Sword met claw, sparks scattering in all directions. The Astarhound roared as she forced it back half a step.
"Meryl, heal Braum—now!" Teresa shouted.
"I'm doing it!!" Meryl replied, kneeling beside Braum and pressing her hand to his chest. Blue light radiated outward, struggling to mend a wound so deep that bone was visible.
"Cecil, coordinate with the Saintess. Buy Eldran more time!" the commander ordered.
Cecil immediately moved to Teresa's side. His spear traced a sharp arc, forcing the Astarhound to turn its head to defend. Seizing the opening, Teresa spun and delivered an upward diagonal slash, pushing the monster back another step.
"Keep the rhythm! Don't let it counter!" Cecil gritted his teeth, driving his spear straight into a crack in the beast's side armor.
The Astarhound roared, regained its footing, and brought its claws crashing down, intent on crushing them both. Teresa blocked the blow, but the force drove her backward, her heels carving grooves into the stone. Cecil thrust in from the side, forcing the beast to split its strength and easing the pressure on her.
"Good! Hold it there a bit longer!" Eldran's voice rang out from behind, accompanied by a dense surge of magic rapidly condensing.
The monster sensed something wrong. Its blazing eyes turned toward Eldran. With a furious roar, it prepared to lunge toward the source of magic—but Teresa cut across its movement with a powerful horizontal slash that knocked its head aside. Cecil seized the moment, twisting his spear into the beast's front leg and pinning it to the ground.
Teresa poured all her strength into her next strike, forcing the Astarhound to stay rooted for just a few seconds—but that was enough.
"It's ready!!" Eldran shouted.
A bolt of silver-white magical lightning screamed through the air and struck the Astarhound. The explosion blasted apart its outer armor—chunks of it shattered and flew outward like superheated metal bursting apart.
The Astarhound howled in agony, staggering backward.
"Its armor's broken! Attack!!" the commander roared.
At once, the remaining fighters charged in together. A relentless barrage of blows rained down upon the beast's flesh, once protected by its anti-magic armor, forcing the giant creature into a purely defensive stance.
Watching from the outside all this time, the girl merely smiled faintly.
"To think I'd encounter someone bearing a god's will the moment I return. She's still immature, but if she's allowed to keep growing, she'll become a major nuisance to me in the future."
"Hm… I'll observe a little longer. At the very least, let's see if she can survive this battle."
Her gaze rested on the Astarhound, now driven into a corner. She made no move to intervene, knowing this was not yet the end—that the Astarhound still harbored a secret few were aware of.
Stripped of its armor, the Astarhound was quickly overwhelmed. Cecil's spear pierced the newly exposed soft flesh, while Teresa's slashes carved deep into its dark red muscles. Though still in pain, Braum forced himself up and hurled a secondary shield into the beast's hind leg, causing it to stagger.
Meryl clenched her hands, releasing thin, needle-like arrows of light that struck the Astarhound's exposed weak points. Blow after blow, explosion after explosion of magic rained down, driving the colossal monster to roar in despair.
At last, as the Astarhound lifted its head to deliver one final strike, Teresa charged straight into its attack.
"It's over!"
She twisted her body, pouring all her weight and strength into a vertical slash from neck to chest. Her blade cleaved through muscle and slammed into the ground, drawing a long, searing trail of blood. The Astarhound trembled—then collapsed, its massive body hitting the ground with a thunderous crash that echoed throughout the ruins.
A moment of silence followed. Then—
"We did it…" Cecil exhaled, leaning on his spear.
Braum laughed loudly despite the pain. "That final blow was all thanks to Aurelia!"
Meryl dropped to the ground, sweat beading on her forehead. "It's finally… over."
The commander was just about to lower his sword when—
The ground trembled slightly. A wave of intense heat poured out from the Astarhound's body.
Teresa frowned instantly. "Wait. Something's wrong…"
From the corpse that should have been dead, black veins of light began to spread. The air thickened, as if being strangled. An overwhelming pressure descended, so strong that the surrounding rubble was crushed into powder.
Meryl gasped, barely able to breathe. "What… what is this pressure…?"
The Astarhound—or rather, something inside it—was awakening. Its eyes opened once more, but no longer red… instead, they glowed a deep, abyssal purple, as though the void itself were staring back at them.
Teresa was the first to sense the difference. She shouted for everyone to retreat, but it was already too late. A thermal explosion erupted from the Astarhound's body, sweeping across the area.
Teresa immediately unleashed her holy power, forming a barrier that enveloped everyone—but the blast was so immense that she was subjected to tremendous pressure. Fortunately, just as she reached her limit, everything abruptly stopped.
Even so, there was no relief in survival. For standing before them now was a being far more terrifying and dangerous than before.
Elsewhere, the girl—though weakened—remained utterly composed in the face of the outburst. Her gaze was fixed solely on Teresa, watching to see what she would do in this desperate situation.
"Come now," The girl whispered softly. "Show me your worth… so I may have sufficient reason to erase you."