The Fenrir beast was enraged to see intruders on its land. It wanted the pesty intruders gone so that it could take care of its wounds in peace.
A sharp beak broke the ground beneath Hana's feet but she managed to dodge the main attack. She looked down with a flinch and watched as the cracks widened beneath her previous location.
The bird charged toward her again, but Hana was ready this time. She raised her hand and strings appeared out of thin air. They bind the attacking bird's body and immobilize it for a few seconds.
And then the Fenrir beast managed to break apart the strings and continue its attack.
"Tsk. This is not fair. I do not have enough mana to hold the Fenrir back."
Master Hana complained but Keith knew that was not the reason Master Hana was not able to hold the beast back. The main reason was the Fenrir beast's mana resistance. It was able to snap out of any attack.
"You people are no match for the Fenrir beast. Please stop your foolish actions of trying to harm it. You all will die as a result."
Himeko tried to reason with Keith. Her eyes pleaded with him to leave the bird alone but Keith knew it was no longer an option.
A Fenrir beast's obsession knew no bounds. And this one had surely put a target on his and Hana's back. Hey, would need to kill it if they wanted to escape from here.
"Kid, it does not look like you know the situation at all. A Fenrir beast will not let go of its prey no matter how hard you try to shake it off. There is no way we can escape now. Killing it is our only option."
Keith explained to the kid. Himeko looked startled but then her eyes turned determined.
"No, there is another way we can make the Divine beast calm down. We just need to fill the room with smoke and make it go to sleep. The priests used to do it all the time."
Himeko explained with exaggerated gestures. It seemed like she had seen some things in the village and now she wanted Keith to try those things out.
Keith did not know what smoke could do against a Fenrir beast. But he suddenly had an idea when he considered Himeko's last words.
"You mean to say that the priests used sedative smoke to put the Fenrir beast into a deep sleep and keep it confined? But that would only give us a temporary solution to our problems. The beast would come back for us once it wakes up again."
Keith did like that solution but not enough to risk his life over it. He would prefer to have the Fenrir beast killed.
And unlike the last Fenrir beast which came back again and again even after it was killed, this one would hopefully stay dead.
"I-I just wanted to help the Fenrir beast. It is the only thing left in my village. I will not let you destroy it as well."
Himeko tried to change Keith's mind but that was not going to be possible. Keith cherished his own life over anything else. So, he was not going to put himself in danger just for a kid.
"Grandmaster, be careful. The beast managed to get past me."
Hana suddenly yelled and Keith looked up sharply when he felt a shadow cover his body. The kid in his arms flinched and looked away from the huge beast looming over them as well.
The Fenrir beast let out a yell and then its beak came down on top of Keith's head. If not for his fast reflexes creating an automatic shield around him, Keith would have been heavily injured.
Divine power covered his body and the Fenrir beast was startled at the familiar feeling. It sharply looked at Keith before taking a step back cautiously.
"Begone."
Keith did not like attacking magic but he did know he needed to use it. So far, Hana's magic had not worked on the Fenrir beast but Keith knew that Divine power did work.
The Fenrir Beast cried out in pain as divine magic burned its eyes and its control. It could no longer look straight.
"Y-You managed to injure it? What kind of human are you? That thing is a messenger of the gods. It is a god in everything but physical appearance. You should not be able to even touch it."
Himeko exclaimed as she tried to wrap her head around what happened. Her feelings on this topic were jumbled and she did not know what to think anymore.
Meanwhile, Master Hana also made her way toward the Grandmaster and beamed at Himeko's look of disbelief.
"That is our Grandmaster. He can make the impossible possible. So, do you now believe in our Grandmaster's power?"
Hana asked the conflicted elf. But Himeko quickly recovered her wits as she watched the Fenrir beast pull itself together. The huge beast let out a cry of pain and became even more ferocious.
"Well, I would believe in you people more if we get out of here alive. You managed to piss off the divine beast even more."
Hana closed her eyes as she watched her end approaching. The huge monster lifted its beak and opened its mouth. A concentrated beam of divine magic gathered in its mouth and it let out a cry of trump as it let the magic run wild.
It cut through the ceiling and the floor. It was going to make the whole building collapse.
"Master Hana, come near me."
Keith called Master Hana while pulling her arm toward him at the same time. Master Hana was startled and lost her balance. She fell into Keith's arms and only regained her balance once she was helped by him.
She watched as a golden glow covered her form as well as the grandmasters and Himeko's. They all were safe from the falling debris for the time being. But the falling debris caused a lack of visibility.
Once things became clearer, it was obvious that they were outside. The Fenrir beast had managed to break free from the temple.
It let out a cry of trump and then ran toward the forest.
"Hey, come back. We cannot let it out into the world-"
Himeko sounded worried but both Keith and Master Hana were not. As soon as the divine beast disappeared into the elf forest, it lost its path and the fog engulfed it.
"Do not worry. A mad beast like the Fenrir beast would not be able to keep its mind if it enters that place. It will not be able to terrorize the world."
It was impossible to bring back someone who was lost in the elf forest. There was no record of anyone finding their way back to reality once they had been taken in by its illusionary powers.
No one knew what had caused the Elf Forest to gain its power, but people were too afraid to ask now.
"Let us head back for now. I doubt we will be able to find any more clues here. Master Hana, since you were the one to find this kid and your clan has a close relationship with this Elf village, I want you to take care of Himeko-"
"No! I want to go with you and my big sister. I do not want to go with the purple hair."
Himeko decided she wanted to give her input as well. She quickly put her foot down as soon as Keith suggested she go with Hana.
He could see that Master Hana was insulted by this refusal. It must have been a big blow to Master Hana's pride.
"Hump, I do not want to take a brat like you back with me as well. You can do what you want to. But do not burden the grandmaster with your behavior."
Master Hana tried to separate the clinging child from the grandmaster. But the more she pulled Himeko back, the more she clung to Keith.
Meanwhile, Shimi had noticed all this happening and she hurried toward the temple. Shimi had a worried expression on her face when she finally made it to her destination.
"Grandmaster, Master Hana are you both alright? I felt the earth shaking and I did not know what was going on with you. Are you sure everything is alright?"
Master Hana arrived, only to see the weird scene of her half-sibling clinging to Grandmaster while Master Hana tried to separate them both.
Shimi knew she had no right to feel jealous, but she did not like the way her sister was holding on to the grandmaster. It was not fair that Himeko got to do that and Shimi did not.
"Himeko, you should not cling to Grandmaster like that. He is not someone you can touch so freely."
Shimi spoke with jealousy clear in her voice. It caused Himeko to flinch but she was even more determined to stay with Keith now. And her grip only tightened on his clothes.