The moment her voice echoed, Arinea and Erunda moved as if practised. The male darted forward just to the left of Ciela''s bow while Arinea stood to her back, gathering lightning magic between her fingertips and channelling it to her staff.

    "Your magic has improved, princess!"

    "I practised hard!"

    —Fwoosh!

    Ciela''s bow rapidly released three arrows, her wrists twisting and pulling back to fire the arrows in between her knuckles several times, each shot tearing through the air, swirling through the forest, as if able to see, approaching the huge monster covered in shadow.

    —Bzzzt!

    Arinea''s hand crackled before a lightning bolt struck from her palm, parallel to the arrows. It flew, and the monster''s nostrils flared, snorting at the attack. The lightning bolt and arrows landed in the shadow at the same time.

    —Crackle... Boom!

    A blinding light filled the darkness as the lightning exploded.

    The monster roared, its body standing on two hind legs. Its size dwarfed the nearby trees, making the three of them seem tiny by comparison. The shadow blasted back to reveal an enormous dragon—but it felt like something different...

    ''A T-Rex?!''

    Asmodeus gasped in his mind before rushing forward. The creature didn''t have four legs, but two, and was bipedal from the start.

    "Hurry, prepare for combat!" He shouted, his body swirling with a violent black aura, his horns growing thicker, and wings growing from his back, creating a sonic boom, sending him shooting forward after they flapped.

    "Understood!"

    Erika, in black armour, spread around her body, held twin swords. She was followed by Levia, who wore similar armour, with a shield on her left arm larger than her body and her black spear.

    —Boom!

    "ROAR!"

    The T-Rex curled its tail with a deep roar and swivelled its body. Then it slammed its scaled tail into the tree, crushing it with a loud bang.

    "Damn!"

    Erunda called out, his body suddenly hit by the weight of the falling tree, causing his feet to slip. The shards and sharp branches pierced his exposed upper body, sending his body falling back as the beast lunged forward.

    —Fwoosh!

    Its claws tore through the air. Asmodeus suddenly appeared and grabbed Erunda by the neck before tossing him out of the dinosaur''s maw, which swiftly snapped the area he just left.

    "Careful!"

    Ciela''s elemental arrows cut through the air, dancing around Asmodeus, arcing and piercing the T-Rex, while Arinea collected more magic, her body tingling with a blue light.

    —Kroom!

    Another blast, another lightning bolt.

    Asmodeus''s body swirled, and his sword, coated in a black aura, landed against the beast''s flesh. He slashed and hacked at the beast''s body as the arrows and lightning bolts blasted against its hide.

    The T-Rex''s roar echoed, seemingly in anger at the assault.

    Asmodeus hopped off the dragon, clenching his fist and opening it several times before something landed on the ground.

    "Hm..."

    His new spell, Blood Nova... something simple, collecting his mana into an orb, then condensing it until it became unstable and exploded in a sphere of death worked... but his left arm now tingled and throbbed from the feedback.

    A quiet sigh left his lips as the dinosaur was finally killed. Asmodeus turned away and walked to the others, who were watching with stunned eyes. His body crackled with an intense, swirling energy that slowly faded.

    With each step, he calmed himself, and his horns, which grew during his rage, slowly shrank and returned to normal.

    "I think we''ve got some good meat for tonights meal!"

    "Yeah, I don''t mind trying to eat something different." Erunda laughed, walking over with his hand behind his head.

    Lumina''s body shimmered, still hidden in the distance, her hands carrying a chunk of the meat before the Arachne vanished into the distance, her eyes lingering on Asmodeus for a moment before she vanished. "... so cool."

    "Phew... Levia, are you alright?!" Erika''s voice echoed from behind, while Ciela''s flushed face became filled with a smile until Arinea''s words caused the entire party to halt.

    "Hey... isn''t this the bronze dragon''s guardian? " She said in an uncertain yet slightly trembling voice. Looking at Ciela, she then gazed at Erunda, her hands still vibrating from her overcharged lightning. The scent of Ozone drifted from her palms.

    "...Oh shit." Baku was the first to break the silence. His eyes were wide in alarm as he quickly backed up and looked at Asmodeus.

    "Well... it''s only a myth, let''s carve it up and make a meal." Asmodeus shrugged. The others stared at him with slightly mixed reactions. But he just grinned with a dark look on his face.

    The massive carcass took hours to skin, butcher and prepare. As the group prepared to camp, the monster''s scent would attract other beasts, so Asmodeus and the others needed to carry the meat and other items in their storage rings and items.

    "Is the camp ready?" Ciela asked Asmodeus, who sat on a large rock, gazing at the ever closer Dragonspire canyon.

    "We have the food and supplies. So, it should be fine. But I am a little worried that the air became strange after we slayed that beast... I hope that Baku''s words don''t become true."

    "Hehe~ so even my husband gets worried?"

    "Huh?" Asmodeus turned around, his face turning to stone at her teasing grin.

    "I am worried because we are not strong enough to handle everything right now. Though that battle finished easily, If I didn''t help Levia, she could have lost her arm... that damn lizard, though it smells good." In the background, Arinea and Erika cooked the meat, with Paul and Simon behind them.

    In reality, Paul helped set several traps and barriers, but the T-Rex almost ignored his magic, and Simon... the fear overwhelmed him, and he sat beside Paul with a dark face.

    "Paul... I think I understand you better now, about... reaching your limit to things you can handle. It was scary seeing such an enormous creature."

    "Really?" Paul turned to Simon, noticing his pale face and the savoury scent of baking meat with a sweet maple sauce, causing their stomachs to growl. "Well... we''re all different. Even Levia seemed to struggle against that monster, but I know what you mean."

    Simon rubbed his eyes. "Is this the limit of regular knights... I thought I could go further than this."

    "Simon, you should really come to my village when you get back to the capital." Paul gave a wry smile, "I don''t think we are built for this kind of life... but protecting those we love from goblins... ogres and orcs, can''t we handle that?"

    "You are right." Simon''s eyes suddenly turned to steel, and the light inside seemed to burn again. He gripped his hand tightly, and a small flame sparked into existence.

    "Let''s help the kid this last time, and stop this dangerous life... I don''t want to make my wife a widow, or my kids live without their father."

    Paul chuckled, his eyes becoming warm and soft at the thought of returning to his home, wife and children. "Yes, you are right. We can still be his elder brothers, but that doesn''t mean we should follow the same path. I know you adore Ryuji."

    "Hey! You''re the same!" The two laughed and stood up, walking to the others while the campfire roared.

    A minor battle convincing those who struggled to keep up... showing them their limit.