"Grrrrr...!"
Snow rose to its feet, its eyes filled with anger, glaring in our direction.
Sofia’s sudden interference was unexpected, but it helped draw enough aggro.
"Sofia, turn your back and run toward the beach."
"Huh? We're running away?"
"Yeah. In its current state, if we turn our backs and flee, it'll gladly chase us. On the other hand, if we try to confront it head-on, it might get cautious and escape."
It was just like dealing with a wild animal.
If the prey seemed weaker, the predator would go all out.
If the opponent appeared equal or stronger, retreat was an option.
"I see, so monsters have such instincts as well. Impressive as always, Fate."
"I learned it during my time as a slave. For better or worse, that experience is proving useful now."
Life has a way of making even the worst experiences useful.
"But Sofia, you didn't know about this?"
"In my case, I just cut everything down. That was enough to settle things."
"...That's, uh, impressive."
That must be something only a Sword Saint could do.
Retreat probably wasn't in Sofia’s vocabulary.
For her, the only options were either annihilation or pursuit.
"Let's lure it to the beach."
"Understood."
Turning our backs, we ran. As expected, Snow immediately started chasing us.
It wouldn’t let us escape.
It would sink its fangs into us.
That was the clear intent in its eyes, filled with killing intent.
Luring it was going as planned.
But something unexpected happened…
"Wha—it's fast!?"
Its stride was overwhelmingly longer than ours.
Not only that—despite its massive size, it moved with remarkable agility.
At this rate, we might be caught before reaching the beach.
"Fate!"
"Ah!"
Sofia grabbed my hand.
With a sudden burst of speed, we managed to outrun Snow.
"Thank you, Sofia."
"You're welcome."
Still, this was rough.
I was practically being dragged along, and my legs were struggling to keep up.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d trip and fall.
But I endured.
I pushed through with sheer determination.
And then—
"I see it!"
We reached the beach.
Fortunately, due to the recent riot incident, the area had been evacuated, leaving no swimmers behind.
Only a few adventurers managing the beach remained.
"W-Who are you guys?"
"No time to explain! Just run from here, now!"
I shouted urgently while pointing at Snow, which was closing in from behind.
The adventurers turned pale all at once and scrambled to escape in a panic.
I was worried that Snow might chase after them, but it seemed my fears were unnecessary.
Its primary target was us—it charged straight toward us without hesitation.
"Fate, here it comes."
"Yeah!"
Sofia was the attacker.
I was on support.
Given the overwhelming difference in skill, it was only natural for her to take the lead.
That said, even for someone as strong as Sofia, this was likely her first time fighting an opponent like Snow.
There was a chance she might make small mistakes.
It was my job to cover for them.
"Graaah!"
Snow roared and charged.
It was trying to use its massive body to trample us completely.
But that was naive.
A simple charge like that would never work against Sofia.
She dodged with near-microscopic precision and counterattacked in the same motion.
Snow let out a pained scream and tumbled across the ground.
Its body was covered in iron-like fur, but even that couldn't withstand Sofia’s holy sword.
"Heh, that went well."
Having successfully crippled its mobility, Sofia spoke with satisfaction.
However—
"Sofia, it’s not over yet!"
"Huh?"
Snow slowly began to rise.
The wounds Sofia had inflicted started healing at an unnatural speed, as if time itself was rewinding.
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