Enrico charged forward and punched Asterion in the face with his fist engulfed in flames. Taking advantage of the impact, he planted his foot firmly on the ground and activated Charged Impulse, using the accumulated force to deliver a kick to the minotaur's chin. The creature's head was thrown backward, leaving it disoriented for a moment.
"Flame Steps!"
Enrico tried to take advantage of the opening to continue attacking, but Asterion had already recovered enough to react.
"That won't work again, human!"
Even while still dazed, the minotaur punched the ground with such force that the impact cracked the surface and made the entire terrain tremble. Enrico lost his balance for a moment, and Asterion seized the opportunity to charge forward, raising its axe and pointing the blade directly at his head.
"Well, this axe won't work on me either."
Enrico raised the makeshift shield reinforced with the mana he had accumulated along the way and received the blow. The force of the impact traveled through his arms, but he managed to withstand it. When he noticed the axe beginning to turn red, indicating that Asterion was preparing another attack, he twisted his body and deflected the weapon to the side, making the blade strike the ground.
"Flame Impact!"
Enrico concentrated all his strength into a punch against Asterion's hand. The blow was so precise that the minotaur lost control of its weapon and dropped the axe.
Asterion immediately tried to retrieve it, but Enrico delivered a kick that lifted its arm, preventing it from reaching the handle.
"Let's see how good this axe really is!"
Gripping the weapon with both hands, Enrico twisted his body and used the movement to deliver a deep slash across Asterion's chest. The minotaur took a step backward while Enrico examined the axe with an excited gleam in his eyes.
At that moment, the System displayed the item's information.
[Asterion's Axe — Rare Rank]
[While the user is holding this axe, they will gain an affinity for Fury magic.]
[Critical Strike: By accumulating Fury mana in the axe, the user will have a chance to execute a critical attack, increasing damage by 10%.]
"This axe really is good!"
"You'll regret this, human!"
Asterion created two stone axes and gripped them firmly. Its mana began to intensify as an earth armor formed over its body, covering it from head to toe and strengthening its defense.
"Stone Magic: Dual Axes! Earth Magic: Bull Armor!"
Enrico showed no fear. On the contrary, he ran his tongue across his lips, excited at the prospect of facing an even stronger enemy. As he activated the axe's magic, he felt his body quickly adapt to the new affinity.
[Fury Magic activated. Physical performance increased by 15%.]
Enrico's eyes began to glow dark red, matching the crimson of his own magic. His ring was also activated, further enhancing his abilities. In that state, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that only the top three students in Astrong's rankings could pose a greater threat to him.
The two charged at the same time, and their axes collided with a loud crash. Despite the size of Asterion's weapon, Enrico had no difficulty wielding it. At least for him, the weight wasn't a problem.
[It must feel good to finally see all the results of your efforts bearing fruit.]
'You're right. It feels great!'
Asterion pressed the axe in its left hand against Enrico's weapon, trying to force it downward. Then, it took advantage of the opening to attack with its second axe. Enrico reacted quickly, using the bony part of his weapon to deflect the blow to the side before the blade could reach him.
"Furious Attack!"
An explosion of red mana enveloped Enrico's axe, followed by an intense wave of heat. He took advantage of the attack's momentum and struck Asterion's leg, opening a deep gash even through the armor's defense.
Asterion stomped on the ground, summoning its magic.
"Damn Stone!"
An explosion erupted beneath Enrico's feet, throwing him backward. Upon landing, he felt his body weaken and realized he could no longer lift the axe as easily as before.
'It seems to have weakened my body.'
[Then you'd better drop that axe and focus on what you can do.]
"It's a shame to leave it behind, but this is better. There's no one besides me who can wield it right now."
Enrico tried to regain his balance. Before he could do anything else, an explosion of mana erupted in Asterion's direction.
Looking ahead, he saw an enormous figure shaped like a stone bull charging toward him, surrounded by a menacing aura.
"I'd better get out of..."
Before Enrico could finish the sentence, a gigantic shadow appeared in front of him. Grakka had arrived and grabbed the stone bull with both hands while a green aura enveloped her body.
"Sorry for the delay. I ended up overthinking things."
Enrico smiled when he saw her. He approached and punched the creature with his fist engulfed in flames, shattering the stone bull. Then, he stood beside Grakka and, despite the weakness he still felt, raised his arm to hand her Asterion's axe.
"Just use everything you've got this time."
"You're going to give me such an important item? I can't..."
"You can keep it. I was already thinking of giving it to you if you returned to following your own path."
Grakka remained motionless for a moment, looking at the axe in her hands.
"You trusted that I would return to following that path?"
She gripped the handle tightly, feeling the weapon's magic begin to connect with her body. Her lips trembled slightly at the trust Enrico showed in her.
"Of course. You're my friend, aren't you?"
"Thank you for trusting me, my friend Enrico."
"It's all right. Now, while I keep it occupied, you'll deliver the final blow."
Grakka nodded and watched Enrico turn his attention back to Asterion. The minotaur was already charging toward them, wielding its axes and releasing a terrifying amount of mana.
Enrico faced it with an increasingly excited smile.
Grakka didn't judge him for charging straight at such a dangerous creature. After all, that was precisely the kind of behavior orcs admired: facing their opponents courageously and fighting until the very end.
'This is who I am... I had forgotten that.'
She had always been this way. Since childhood, she had admired her father's determination and wished to follow the same path. However, after that terrible day, she had lost sight of what truly mattered to her.
None of her friends would judge her for having lost her way for so long. They understood that some wounds didn't simply disappear because someone wanted to move forward.
Grakka looked at the axe in her hands and felt determination return to her heart.
'I'm sorry for tarnishing our family's name, Father.'
A sincere smile appeared on her face. For the first time in a long while, it wasn't a false expression used to hide her pain, but a smile that reflected the excitement she felt at the prospect of battle.
She gripped the axe's handle with all her strength and began concentrating her mana into the weapon, combining it with the magic that already existed within it.
'With this blow, I will return to the path I should never have strayed from. I will become someone you and Mother can be proud of, even if you're watching me from somewhere far away.'
Enrico jumped over Asterion and prepared his fire bow, aiming directly at one of the minotaur's eyes. When he released the arrow, he launched a flaming shot that struck its target and pierced deep into its flesh.
"Damn you!"
"You'd better not complain, because I'm not even finished yet!"
Asterion tried to charge forward, but felt something restraining its arms. Looking down, it realized that several lines of fire had coiled around its body. Enrico was behind it, firmly holding the ends of the lines and preventing it from escaping.
"You can't win using only your strength, human!"
"Can't I? Then let's find out."
Asterion forced its body forward, trying to break the restraints. Enrico planted his feet on the ground, sinking them into the stone surface, and pulled the lines with all the strength he had left.
The two entered a brutal contest of strength, each trying to drag the other toward their own side.
Liam, Caelan, Elian, and Sylvia watched the struggle with wide eyes. The force the two were using shattered the rocks on the ground.
Asterion planted its feet firmly and looked at the orc.
Realizing that Grakka was accumulating an increasingly large amount of mana in the axe, Asterion began reinforcing its own body with magic, increasing its strength in an attempt to escape before she finished preparing her attack.
Enrico watched the minotaur's desperate struggle and broke into a smile reminiscent of a demon's.
Then, he concentrated seventy percent of his mana into the lines of fire, drastically increasing their cutting power.
"Congratulations on managing to break free."
Asterion was confused by those words. However, before it could understand what Enrico meant, it felt the lines around its arms becoming much sharper.
"Wait..."
"Too late!"
The lines of fire sliced through both of Asterion's arms.
The creature lost its balance, and the force it had used to escape ended up propelling its body directly toward Grakka.
She was waiting for it with a fierce smile, her eyes glowing red and a thin stream of smoke escaping her mouth as she concentrated all the mana she could gather.
"Furious Attack: Maximum!"
Grakka brought the axe down with all her strength.
An explosion of mana engulfed the weapon, releasing an enormous slash of red energy that shot directly toward Asterion. The minotaur had no time to defend itself. The attack struck it head-on, and a scream of pain echoed through the area as an explosion enveloped its body.