Under Matt’s disbelieving gaze, the troll’s fist, shrouded in pitch-black battle aura, effortlessly shattered the magic he had always prided himself on.
The enormous black hand plunged into the icy tornado and was instantly assaulted by countless razor-sharp ice shards.
However, not a single shard managed to penetrate the dark aura surrounding it.
They were all stopped at its surface, unable to advance even an inch.
Then, the black aura suddenly burst forth with explosive force.
His magic, as if cut off at the center, was violently disrupted.
The arrangement of elemental energy was brutally torn apart, and naturally, the magic collapsed with it.
“This… how is this possible?!” Matt was overwhelmed with shock, his scalp tingling.
He understood exactly what this meant.
It was a merciless crushing—a complete and utter power gap.
The troll before him, even if he hadn’t fully stepped into that legendary realm, was already terrifyingly close.
This was a warrior who had immersed himself in the Transcendent tier for years and now stood at the very peak of that domain.
In the entire empire, perhaps only one person could defeat him—
That one man who had already stepped into the realm of legends: the empire’s top-ranking mage, Lord Elvis.
Other than him, no one could stand against this troll.
No one at all…
That included Matt himself.
All will to fight vanished in an instant. Matt turned and ran without hesitation, his face pale.
He didn’t even have time to issue a retreat command.
Ellie watched all of this unfold, a heavy wave of despair and disappointment washing over her.
The only person who might have saved her had fled in panic.
What hope could she possibly have now?
As she reflected on everything she’d experienced over the past few days, Ellie still felt like she was trapped in a dream.
There was an overwhelming sense of unreality.
She had only come here after hearing rumors that a rare herb capable of curing her mother’s illness could be found in this region.
She’d just wanted to give her loving mother a surprise.
That’s why she had secretly snuck out of the palace…
But not only had she failed to find the herb—she’d been captured by demons.
Dragged all the way to the Demon Realm, she was to be offered as a tribute to the Demon King.
The words “Demon King” alone were enough to make her tremble.
She could hardly imagine what kind of hideous, terrifying figure the Demon King might be, or what cruel, inhuman methods he might use to torture her.
But what could she do?
Under the watchful eyes of the troll guards, she couldn’t even end her own life.
All she could do was wait for the day she was sent to the Demon King’s palace.
And yet, before that day ever arrived, she was suddenly brought back here.
And upon returning, she saw someone she had not expected—Matt, who had only recently been promoted to an Ace Mage.
For a brief moment, hope flickered in her heart, the fragile desire to survive reigniting.
But that flicker lasted only a few minutes before it was cruelly snuffed out.
A heavy sense of powerlessness rose within Ellie.
She even found herself thinking, ‘Forget it. Maybe it’s better to just give up and die.’
But then she thought of her mother—so frail and exhausted.
She imagined the look of despair and heartbreak that would appear on her mother’s face if she died.
She remembered the words her father had spoken on his deathbed.
And just like that, the thought of giving up filled her with a deep sense of unwillingness.
She couldn’t accept dying just like this.
But so what if she was unwilling?
Ellie stared blankly at Matt’s retreating figure as he fled in panic.
A wave of desolation washed over her.
‘So this is the Empire’s so-called genius? The youngest Ace Mage in Imperial history?’
‘What a joke. What a tragedy.’
***
The troll, watching Matt turn and run, showed nothing but contempt.
No matter the race, any warrior who dared to fight to the end was worthy of respect.
But a coward like this human? He would forever be despised.
The troll had lost all interest in playing.
He just wanted to complete the mission the chieftain had given him as quickly as possible.
As for this human…
He stared coldly at Matt’s retreating figure.
He didn’t deserve to live.
That contempt turned to killing intent.
A dark aura of battle energy radiated from him, laced with destructive power.
He casually picked up a fallen longsword from the ground.
Instantly, that black aura wrapped itself around the blade, and the power it carried made the sword tremble.
It even looked like it might break.
With a cold, unfeeling gaze, the troll raised the sword and aimed it at Matt’s back.
He was ready to throw it and end Matt’s life.
With the troll’s current strength—nearly at full force—once he threw the sword, there was no way Matt, a frail and slow mage, could survive.
No hesitation, no mercy.
The sword left his hand—
***
“ROAR—!!”
At that exact moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the depths of the forest.
The earth-shaking sound carried an overwhelming force that swept across the battlefield.
Every soldier, even the demons—and yes, even the troll himself—felt a deep, primal fear rise from within.
They trembled.