Chapter 157: Pinch Hitter

“S-Sir Axel…”

Moments before the tragedy, Nina beheld an unbelievable sight.

A small human bravely charging toward a formidable enemy—a fearless assault. But in an instant, he was sent crashing into the wall like a bullet, causing her heart to nearly stop in fear.

When she saw him stir within the dust cloud, a wave of relief washed over her.

But the giant monster showed no signs of stopping.

It lunged at Axel, attacking with reckless fury. Each strike was powerful enough to damage the barrier sealing them in. Chaos erupted as Axel managed to slip past the monster’s defenses and began to attack its surface.

“W-What’s going on…?”

After a moment, all the witches emerged. Four of them, including Gwyneth, lay unconscious, but thankfully, their injuries didn’t seem too severe.

“We should move!” Nina urged, her gaze fixed on the monstrous battle. “If we stay here, we’ll just be a burden to Sir Axel!”

Her instincts were correct; however, it was too late.

The fight was progressing so rapidly that they hadn’t even had the chance to escape.

Suddenly, the golem began to fall toward them!

With four of them unconscious and unable to move quickly, dodging seemed impossible. Nina’s face went pale as she stood frozen, watching the harbinger of death raise its scythe above them. Then she caught a glimpse of Axel’s expression.

Shock, fear, and determination mingled as their eyes met.

What happened next unfolded too quickly for her to comprehend.

A quiet whisper reached her ears, filled with sadness and guilt: “Sorry…!”

Her vision blurred, and the next moment she found herself staring at the dark sky.

“Gah…!”

Blood surged in her throat as she coughed, the pain setting in. Her entire body ached, but she was still alive. Turning her head, she saw the spot where they should have been, now several dozen meters away.

“Sir… Axel…!”

The giant’s head had crushed that area, along with Axel.

Nina’s heart clenched, and she forced her body to move. ’It’s our fault!’ she thought. ’Because of us, Sir Axel is…!’

Just as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, she noticed something else.

“Get the fuck… off me…!”

A small figure pushed the giant head away, flinging it aside with a kick of extraordinary strength.

It was Axel!

He had survived the giant’s head crashing down on him!

Nina breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Axel, even though his body was covered in blood and injuries… and then she fainted.

Of course, Axel’s survival wasn’t a stroke of luck.

At the last moment, he used his inventory to dig a hole roughly 1.5 meters straight down—the deepest he could go in that split second. The only problem was that the golem’s head hit him before gravity could do its job and pull him down.

The result?

He was crushed against the bottom, suffering a few more broken bones, a damaged spine, and a cracked skull. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to kill him immediately, giving him a chance to drink another potion for healing that was already resting between his lips.

“Fuck…” Axel cursed, still feeling pain radiating throughout his body.

Even though he survived, he knew this situation was far from over.

The golem’s hands moved as if about to scratch its head. Axel noticed them shifting and realized he couldn’t dodge in time. There was simply nowhere to run.

Is he giving up?

Far from it!

“BRING IT ON…!”

With no escape, Axel braced himself, ready to fight.

Each hand weighed several tons, for sure. The weight of each was far greater than that of the head he had kicked aside. It wasn’t even a question of whether he could fend that off—it was physically impossible, even with his current strength.

But he didn’t stop.

Axel jumped, navigating the gaps between the hands as they blindly chased him. He dodged the best he could, lasting a few seconds that felt like an eternity… until he found an exit. The gap near the wrists of the giant!

Timing it perfectly, he tapped his feet against the giant palm—a powerful kick that cracked the surface—and propelled himself forward faster than a speeding bullet!

He had only one target.

Past the wrists, the glowing red core in the middle of the golem’s chest!

He rolled his fist, eyes blazing with anger, as he charged in…

But tragically failed.

“Bah…!”

The golem’s arm caught up, striking Axel midair and sending him crashing to the ground. This time, he didn’t have the chance to drink a potion at all. Pain surged through him, making it feel as if his lungs were burning one last time.

His vision flashed red, unsure if it was the system’s doing or simply because blood was seeping from his eyes.

His limbs refused to move, bent at unnatural angles.

He felt like a fly swatted down, lying on the ground and waiting for his end…

’No…’

But the flame of life burned stubbornly.

Despite his injuries, Axel refused to succumb to death. Even though he lacked the mental strength to summon another potion, he gritted his teeth and glared defiantly at the enemy.

“F…uck…!” he cursed through bloody teeth. “I… refuse… to die here…!”

The golem, however, showed no concern for his plight. It mechanically moved its hand, preparing to deliver the finishing blow. Axel could only watch as the giant palm came crashing down…

Then, a face flashed in his mind—a figure that could tether his breath to the next.

Relying on someone to save him felt lame, but Axel would do anything to survive.

With every ounce of strength he had left, he cried out.

“FENRIR!!!”

His voice echoed through the pain, drenched in desperation. He called out for the one who had sworn to protect him—the one who was supposed to still be in a coma back at Fortress #606.

But Axel prayed.

He gripped his broken right hand tightly, clutching the end of a golden chain.

Then, in the next instant…

“RAAAGH!”

A figure crashed in, and a large part of the golem’s body disintegrated, as if someone had used an eraser to obliterate everything in a circle near the monster’s shoulder.

The hand that was about to descend vanished into nothingness.

“Fen… rir…”

Axel called again, struggling to believe what he was witnessing.

The gray-haired wolf lady stood before him, her body hunched. A powerful aura emanated from her, warping the space around her.

The beastly presence she radiated sent shivers down Axel’s spine.

This was supposed to be the same Fenrir he knew, but… Axel could only frown.

Something about her current state felt off.

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