"Hey! You perverts, let go of that woman's corpse!"

A furious roar echoed suddenly. Kuber, who was stripping Lena's clothes, choked on his breath and coughed violently. He stood up to see a man with burn scars on his face emerging from a shadowy corner, glaring at him with utter disdain.

"Who the hell are you? I suggest you mind your own business!"

For some reason, Kuber suddenly felt like the villain...

"Yeah, yeah! Scram, ugly!" A Luo chimed in beside him, puffing out her chest in an adorably fierce "I'm super scary" pose.

Max's face darkened instantly at the word "ugly." Due to his burn scars, he hated that insult most of all.

"Good! You've successfully angered me! Angered Phantom Sword Max! Die!"

No sooner had he spoken than Max launched his eerie attack. With a flick of his wrist, a silver flash cut through the air, followed by the sound of slicing.

Kuber remained standing, completely unfazed.

A cruel smirk spread across Max's lips as he awaited the sight of his opponent's head rolling off.

But in that instant, the unexpected happened. Acrina, standing beside Kuber, suddenly stepped forward and blocked the attack.

*Snap!* A thin silver thread, finer than a hair, coiled around Acrina's slender palm.

"Mithril thread?" Kuber exclaimed in surprise.

He stared at the sharp thread wrapped around Acrina's hand—crafted from precious mithril. He plucked it lightly, producing a *twang*, then yanked hard, pulling the entire thread toward him. At the other end was a cylindrical handle, perfect for wielding like a whip.

"Master, leave this pest to me!"

Acrina volunteered eagerly. How dare this insect attack her master! She would make him suffer terribly. Besides, this was a perfect chance to impress her master—she couldn't miss it! (oﾟvﾟ)ノ

"Alright, handle it," Kuber nodded.

Seeing Acrina's eager face, he thought it would be a waste not to use such a powerful fighter. Dealing with every petty pest himself would be so uncool.

Max stood frozen until the mithril thread's handle slipped from his grasp. Only then did he realize what happened.

His prized mithril weapon had been caught bare-handed—and stolen!

"M-Monster!"

Max's mind went blank. He stumbled back two steps, then plopped onto the ground. He stared at Acrina with sheer terror, all lust gone. Death's fear finally sobered him. Forgetting his stolen weapon, he fumbled for two smoke bombs behind him and slammed them down!

BOOM! Thick white smoke billowed up instantly.

Using the smoke as cover, Max scrambled to his feet and bolted!

"Hmph? You think you can run after offending my master?"

Acrina frowned but had plenty of ways to deal with this.

"Frost Domain!"

The temperature plummeted instantly. Pristine frost spread across the ground in a flash.

As the smoke cleared, Max was frozen mid-stride, his legs encased in thick ice. He writhed desperately, then pulled out a short knife and hacked frantically at the ice.

But suddenly, he stopped. A chilling aura of annihilation washed over him from behind. He turned to see a spatial rift tear open above the black-clad woman. A crimson vertical pupil appeared within it. He didn't know what terrifying magic this was, but it was definitely lethal.

"Aaaaah!!! No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

Max's face contorted grotesquely as he screamed and hacked wildly. In desperation, his body surged with extra strength. He kept glancing back at the charging "Eye of Annihilation" while chopping the ice. Finally, he descended into madness, hacking at his own thighs—willing to sever his legs to escape!

But it was too late. A beam of annihilation, ten times thicker than before, instantly vaporized him, nearly piercing through the entire Black Forest.

...

"I apologize for the spectacle, Master."

Though she spoke humbly, Acrina's face beamed with pride, practically screaming: "Praise me!"

Kuber was speechless. Using her ultimate move on a pest he could crush with a flick? Was she that eager to show off? Still, he offered encouragement.

"No, you did well, Acrina."

At his praise, Acrina flushed crimson, her chest heaving. She suppressed the urge to kiss him, took a deep breath, clasped her skirt corners, and bowed.

"Thank you for your praise, Master!"