Fenrir was shocked as she saw the collar binding her glow.

But that wasn't all. She felt strength welling up from deep within her chest, as if the chains that bound her were finally being released… but still not fully.

"This is…!"

She gasped, glancing behind at Axel, who was holding the other end of the glowing chain. The power she had just gained was, without a doubt, the strength bound by her seal.

However, she wasn't sure how Axel managed to "release" the first seal of Gleipnir over her!

'Still… this should be enough!'

With the release of the first seal, her strength soared. The cold she spread turned even colder, creating sharp icicles around her and completely pushing back Vulcanus's heat.

[This strength… No way?!] Even the giant himself was shocked by the scene.

In a flash, the surrounding land was turned into a frosty landscape, with only the space around the fire giant remaining as burning earth!

"Brrrr!"

At the same time, Axel and Nina felt the biting cold.

Their bodies shook uncontrollably, already half-frozen. "T-This can't go on…!" Axel gasped, his lips trembling as he pulled additional equipment from the shop.

A coat that eliminates extreme temperature changes—Cool Biz Coat Lv. Max!

As he wore it, the air around him quickly changed. Neither the biting cold nor the sweltering heat could touch him anymore. Instead, he felt almost as if he were standing on a refreshing tropical beach.

"S-Sir Axel…"

"AH!"

He forgot to buy one for the second princess!

Visiting the shop once more, he bought another coat and handed it to Nina. As soon as she equipped it, her expression relaxed slightly… though the tension remained.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous if we stay here…?"

She asked, eyeing the two "monsters" locked in a stare-down.

Axel nodded quickly. "Yes, it is."

"But with their speed compared to ours, being here or a kilometer away wouldn't really change the danger level… Let's simply believe in Fenrir—that she'll emerge victorious and protect us from danger!"

Axel gripped the golden chains tightly before releasing them.

Having such a thing visibly wrapped around her neck would surely distract Fenrir, so he quickly "released" Gleipnir's materialization. As if that moment were the signal, explosions rang out all around them.

Fenrir's small body vanished and reappeared right beside the fire giant's face. Her form twisted as her face slowly morphed into that of a wolf!

A slash tore across the giant's face, but given its size, it was closer to a shallow cut than a fatal injury.

[You bitch dares?! Don't look down on me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings…!]

As if not even feeling the damage, he growled loudly, causing his body's flames—and overall temperature—to rise rapidly. The ice around him began to melt at an alarming pace. Twenty-five meters. Fifty meters. Until it stopped at a hundred meters around him!

Despite his body heat reaching its maximum output, only a small patch of land around him was freed from the extreme cold!

Seeing a result that didn't match his expectations, the giant was flabbergasted. He paused for a moment, processing what had happened… giving Fenrir a fatal opening.

Now in her giant wolf form, even larger than before—roughly thirty meters across—she attacked once more.

Leaping through space and landing behind Vulcanus, she raked his back, opening three deep gorges across it.

[UGH!!!]

The wounds were deep enough that even the fire giant felt pain surge through his body—damage so severe that he couldn't recover instantly.

Of course, Fenrir didn't stop there.

She dodged the punch that came from above, scratching the arm that followed in retaliation. A kick came next, but it was far too slow for the mythical wolf. The more Vulcanus attacked, the more injuries riddled his body, completely going against what "attacking" was supposed to mean!

Not far away, Axel and Nina were holding on for dear life.

The chaotic movements of the two giant beings sent powerful shockwaves toward them, threatening to blast them away.

To keep from being blown off, Axel quickly pulled out a rope from his inventory and tied himself to Nina, then used a metal beam as an "anchor," driving it deep into the ground.

With his Housing Modification, he added spikes perpendicular to the shaft, making it difficult to pull out and ensuring they wouldn't be sent flying.

"This is a good omen…!"

Nina cheered, seeing Fenrir clearly overpowering her opponent.

Although they couldn't follow every exchange due to their speed, it was obvious that only the Fire Giant Vulcanus was accumulating more and more injuries. Nina smiled, convinced that victory was close.

"No." Axel's expression darkened instead. "This… is getting dangerous!"

"What…?"

Nina only saw the battle at face value, but Axel—with his superior dynamic acuity—noticed the finer details. He could tell that the giant had identified Fenrir's "weakness" and was slowly trying to exploit it.

That weakness was obvious.

It was Axel and Nina.

"We need to move!" Axel quickly changed his plan, undoing the anchor. "At this rate, even if she's stronger with her seal released, Fenrir will lose from trying to protect us!"

Hearing this, Nina finally understood what Axel meant earlier.

If Vulcanus targeted them, they had no way to evade it. Fenrir would be forced to intercept or divert every attack. As proof, even though she hadn't been struck yet, her movements were beginning to slow!

"Damn!" Axel cursed, feeling death draw closer. "Let's move!"

Without hesitation, he summoned the Humvee and jumped into the driver's seat. Nina followed, slipping into the passenger seat.

As they prepared to escape, the Humvee shook violently, forcing them to brace themselves. With each clash between the two monsters, the vehicle slid across the ice. Thankfully, it was heavy enough to stay grounded and not get sent flying.

"Let's go!" Axel shouted as the engine finally roared to life.

"Leave defense to me!" Nina added, raising her staff from the side.

Without missing a beat, they drove off. The Humvee's engine howled as the wheels struggled for traction on the icy surface. Slowly, they began to put distance between themselves and Ground Zero.

Or… at least, they hoped.

"FUCKING PERSISTENT BASTARD…!"

Through the rearview and side mirrors, Axel saw Vulcanus trying to keep pace. It wasn't letting them—the key to its victory—escape!

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