Fenrir's figure with a roar rapidly accelerated.
　The purple electricity covering his body increased in brightness, and the killing spirit swelled up.
　Fenrir was already close to me when I realized that he was going to charge in at this point.

''Too soon ......!''

　I was prepared for a battle to happen at any moment, and I had strengthened my body.
　Even so, my face twisted as Fenrir closed the distance in an instant to the point where I couldn't avoid him anymore.

　No matter how I tried, I couldn't escape from the range of the assault anymore.

''If it was like this, I should have brought a round shield with me!

　Deciding that the attack is futile, I step forward.
　As I stepped head-on, Fenrir's head was coming at me with even greater speed.

　To its nose, I slammed my fist with all my might from right beside it.

''Fiii!''

　I let out a high-pitched scream that belied my previous yell, and Fenrir turned his face away.
　As a result, Fenrir's rush veered off the path wide, and somehow I only managed to avoid a direct hit from the rush.
　However, I couldn't completely avoid the rush.

''Gah!''

　Despite the fact that I was only lightly hit, I was blown far backwards, unable to withstand the impact.
　On the contrary, the arm of the one who struck Fenrir was completely broken.
　I don't expect my arm to be intact after hitting him without a shield, on top of strengthening my body.
　Even so, Fenrir's power beyond my imagination naturally made my mouth twitch.
　If I had slashed at him head-on with a dagger at that time, even if Fenrir had given me a hand wound, I would have been severely injured as well.

''An ogre is an incomparable force.

　I knew that Fenrir was a demonic beast with excellent physical abilities.
　The purple lightning that covered his huge body greatly enhanced Fenrir's physical abilities.
　The reason why it's called lightning speed is because of its extraordinary speed after its body was strengthened.
　The demonic beast called Fenrir is just purely fast and strong.

　It was a simple yet powerful and matchless ability.

''Fi────i!''

　...... I was supposed to see how troublesome it would be if such a Fenrir were to mutate, as I stood up and watched its figure.

　I didn't see much damage from Fenrir's glaring at me with anger on his twin eyes.
　This is despite the fact that I sacrificed my arm, albeit a bare hand, to attack the nose, which would have been the kryptonite if it were a wolf.

　How could he stall an opponent like this?

"Heel.

　But I forcefully ignore the thoughts that pop into my head and use my magic tool to heal the wound.
　I laugh as I check my arms, which still move as before.

'Just like Phoenix, lightning doesn't turn into armor. What the hell, that's not so bad.

　The other person is angry at me, and there is no better condition for stalling.
　I compose myself, reminding myself of that.

'Fi───────i!'

　Fenrir was coming at me almost simultaneously.
　Perhaps wary of the earlier attack, this time Fenrir didn't choose to rush in either.
　He used his full momentum to attack with his sharp claws.
　I'm going to try to catch it with my dagger.

''I......!

　...... But he couldn't completely catch Fenrir's claws.
　Fenrir's claws carved a cut on his chest that was too deep to be a graze.
　It could have been a deeper cut if he hadn't quickly realized that his catching was incomplete and he didn't wriggle away.

　The pain I feel from my chest makes me understand that, and I bite down on it.
　Realizing how much the mutated Fenrir's stalling is a situation that's beyond me.

'I knew you couldn't win: ......

　...... Everything was going the way I imagined it would.

　How much better it would have been if we were talking about having a plan on top of that here.
　But no.
　I just knew that I would not be able to deal with Fenrir's attack in this way.

　It's not that I never had a chance to win.
　I didn't ask Ronaldo to stop Fenrir himself if there wasn't the slightest chance of that happening.

　He's got a level of physical strength that he can now handle at a much higher level than before.
　With that, he could potentially hobble Fenrir.
　That's the odds I found when I offered to halt Fenrir.

　With magic detection, I wouldn't be able to judge Fenrir's overwhelming attacks.
　However, even if you don't have a complete grasp of your opponent's actions with magic detection, I'm still able to pass off even a somewhat higher-ranked attack based on my past experience.
　And no matter how astounding Fenrir's physical abilities are, as long as he is able to strengthen his body with his chi and magic power, I am confident that he can handle it.

　...... As long as the physical enhancements with chi and magic power didn't have the limitations of hurting your body and preventing you from moving instead of great physical enhancements.

　Regardless of my movements being awkward, Fenrir would be relentless in his attacks.

''Fi────i!''

　Fenrir's fangs, which I failed to catch, hurt my side.
　It's not a deep wound that can reach my internal organs.
　But I had noticed that I was slowly losing my strength.

''Heel!''

　Somehow, I managed to use the impact of the attack to get away from it, and I heal my own wounds.
　The sternness of my face doesn't disappear from my face, although the "heel" from the magic tool heals my wounds in the blink of an eye.
　I'm still able to get over it by applying the "heel".
　But it's clear that it won't last long.

　I don't even know if I can get far enough to use the "heel" in a convenient manner.
　In the first place, there is a limit to the magic tools needed to use the 《Heal》.
　And I understood that if I were to take a fatal blow, it would be the end of the world right then and there.
　If my movements become slowed down by a large wound, I would no longer be able to get close enough to handle the Heal.
　So far, I've managed to desperately avoid only big wounds, but how long will it last?

　As if not giving me time to think about it, Fenrir's huge body is coming at me.

'Fiii────!'

Ugh!

　Perhaps it was because I had been split up in my thoughts, but I couldn't react to this attack.
　I couldn't avoid Fenrir's claws, which were loaded with momentum, and I took them to my abdomen.
　I managed to twist the dagger between the claw and my body, but that was the only resistance I could muster.
　The dagger manages to avoid the claws slicing through my abdomen, but I can't kill it until the impact.

'......ggh!'

　With a rumble, my body rolls around the ground with a flourish.

'...... 《heels》'

　Thanks to that, I was fortunate enough to be able to get away from Fenrir, activate the 《Heal》 and manage to heal him.
　However, the remaining magic tools are diminishing more and more at the cost of that.

　...... I wonder if I can stall for a few more minutes.

　That's when I understood that.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.
　I, on the other hand, was already in tatters.

''Fi────i!''

　Fenrir lets out a yell, as if to say that he is convinced of victory.
　I glare at Fenrir to show that I won't lose to that yell.
　But I knew better than anyone else that I could already see where the game was going.

　The mutated Fenrir was far stronger than I had expected.
　...... But what was even more deadly was the difficulty of moving due to the physical enhancements.

　I'm sure that by climbing over the wall, I'm indeed able to move with my enhancements, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to be able to move with my enhancements.
　But that didn't mean that I was able to dodge the attacks of enemies higher than me.

"I can't help it,

　After all this time, I mock myself as I realize my stupidity.
　In the first place, I was in a situation where I couldn't have a body that had been strengthened by my current physical enhancement.
　How could I have thought that I would be able to pass up Fenrir's attack under such circumstances?
　Finally, I'll be able to recognize clearly.

...... Is it impossible for me to stall Fenrir now?

　When I muttered that, I thought I would be more patient.
　I had offered to stop the game against Ronaldo, and now I'm here.
　It's a shameful thing to do.

　And now that I've said it, I'm still not feeling it.

I'm not going to be able to get it right. ...... I really am.

　Instead, I murmur, aware of the heat in my chest that has always been the same and continues to assert its presence in my heart.

'Don't you love Narcena too much?'

　Or when I saw Fenrir's overwhelming power.
　Or when I realized how weak my assumptions were.
　And when Fenrir drove me into a corner.

　Throughout all of those times, my heart was filled with an overflowing passion.

"Fi--i!

　In a bad mood, your eyes meet Fenrir's twin eyes as he glares at you.
　What comes to his eyes is a sullen emotion.
　Fenrir was irritated with me, who didn't seem to despair in this situation.

''Fi─────ii!''

　And then, with a yell as if to say that this time I'm going to drop you into the depths of fear, it comes toward me.
　I understand that the purple light covering Fenrir's body is the strongest radiance I've ever seen.
　The next attack will be the most powerful blow I've ever seen.

　And yet, it's as if I wasn't thinking about Fenrir.
　My head is dominated by memories of the past.
　Memories of the days when I was scrambling to be able to handle body enhancements that couldn't be compared to what I have now.

'......!'

　I tried to catch the powerful claws with my dagger, but the overwhelming force was too much to catch and left a deep wound on my arm.
　The pain pierced my brain and ...... still made me laugh.

"This is about as good as it gets compared to that time.

　When he was scrambling desperately to deal with the body enhancement, at that time, worse wounds were an everyday occurrence.
　Not only was he unable to use it properly in battle, but if he made a mistake in controlling his chi and magic power, his own body would destroy itself.
　There weren't a hundred or two hundred times that I had almost died.
　Nevertheless, I had trained my skills to the point where I could fight super-difficult demonic beasts.

　All so that when the girl who once saved my heart came to me as promised, I could greet her with confidence.
　There was no certainty that the girl would actually come.
　On the contrary, I knew deep down that she would not come.
　And yet, in the past, I made my own physical enhancement through chi and magic power for the girl.

　Well then, what about now?

Fii-i!

　Fenrir, perhaps deciding to tatami the gap between the not-so-deep wounds, tries to tear me apart with his fangs.
　I manage to duck and avoid that as well, but I'm greatly distracted.

　As if convinced of victory, Fenrir's mouth twists into a crooked line.
　He points his sharp claws at me.
　At this rate, I would be ripped apart by Fenrir's claws.
　I'm not going to be able to avoid death if Fenrir's claws ripped into my body properly.

　But it wasn't fear that I learned from understanding this.
　I stared at the approaching death as if I were facing it head on.

　I used to understand that I didn't know if it was coming, but I still pushed the limits for the sake of one girl's existence.

''Then how could I not cross the limit now!

　Narsena's proud smile is still burned into his brain.

　The girl who once saved me is now fighting alongside me.
　The future that you thought was impossible in the past is now possible.

　Then there's no reason why I can't overcome a limit or two in order to protect that future.
　In this extreme situation, my thinking accelerates.

　Fenrir is more competent, stalling is impossible for me right now.
　That's not important.
　What's important is that I have to stop Fenrir from being able to do what I have to do now.

...... Gu!

　Ignoring my body's screams, I forcefully regained my posture.

　In my head, memories of my past self trying and failing to handle physical enhancements in combat came flooding back.
　I ignore my head, though it emits intense pain with unprecedented concentration, and I frantically calculate my actions to ward off Fenrir's attack.

　It was then that I felt a foreign sensation on my forehead and the sensation that something was holding me back.
　I feel something as solid as a chain covering my body.

　But I ignore it and howl.

'Gaaaaaah!'

　I forcefully ignore something that is holding me back.

　Then, with all my strength, I slam my dagger into Fenrir's claws.
　My dagger and my claws collide and both stop moving.

''Fii──i.''

　It was not long after that that Fenrir's face was filled with agitation.
　I increased the amount of purple electricity covering my body and jumped backwards as quickly as I could.
　At that Fenrir's action, I mutter nonchalantly.

''It's too late,''

　With a piercing sound, Fenrir's claws cracked.

　That was the moment when I first damaged Fenrir's body.

　An unprecedentedly dense magical power and qi covered my body's surroundings, and I could feel an itch from my forehead.
　The truth is, I didn't understand exactly what had happened to me either.
　But there was one thing I was sure of.

　I've crossed some kind of new wall.

　I forced a smile at Fenrir's stunned view of the broken claw.

'...... You still have to stay on my side.'

　There was an obvious agitation present in Fenrir, who reacted to those words and turned his head towards us.