Ugly Duckling’s round body flew through the air in a graceful arc before plunging into a pile of leaves on the side of the path, leaving only its chubby bottom, hind legs, and tail visible.

  “Pffft~” Amy faltered momentarily before bursting into laughter. She looked at the incoming Purple Golden Mink, and clenched her little fists as she yelled, “Go, Ugly Duckling! The big rat is coming now. If you don’t catch it, we won’t have anything to eat for lunch. In that case, we’ll have to eat y–”


  “Whoosh!”


  Before Amy could even finish, Ugly Duckling pulled its head out from beneath the leaves and looked at the approaching mutant Purple Golden Mink with rapt focus. Its orange fur bristled, transforming Ugly Duckling into an orange hedgehog. It arched it back and extended its right paw, awaiting its foe.

  That little thing will probably get mauled to death in an instant! Eva looked at Ugly Duckling with a resentful expression as she slowly scooted over to another corner in the carriage. If the Purple Golden Mink made it to the carriage, it would definitely attack the closest targets. As long as Mag and his daughter could delay it a little, Master Evan would be able to save her.

  With that in mind, Eva turned to look up at Evan’s perch on the tree, upon which her eyes widened with shock. Sivir and all of the other mercenaries were rushing as quickly as they could toward the carriage, but Evan was doing nothing. He was clearly the closest one to the carriage, and as a magic caster, he was the most proficient in long-range attacks. However, he was standing rooted to the spot with a smile on his face as if he were waiting for a good show to begin.

  No…… Master Evan must be preparing some type of powerful spell, the type that can insta-kill this mutant Purple Golden Mink. Eva shook her head desperately to try and convince herself that Evan was doing something to help her. However, the image of his smile remained in her mind, and horror even more potent than her fear of death welled up in her heart.

  It’s so fast!

  Sivir and the mercenaries were rushing forward as quickly as they could, but the Purple Golden Mink was like an uncatchable bolt of lightning. Mutant magic beasts often had certain abilities enhanced. This Purple Golden Mink had clearly had its speed and offensive power boosted following its transformation.

  If this Purple Golden Mink were allowed to rush into the carriage in its current state, the consequences would be catastrophic.

  Even the boomerang was unable to catch Purple Golden Mink, so Sivir knew that they wouldn’t be able to stop it in time. The walls of ice that were supposed to have appeared in front of the Purple Golden Mink by now failed to show up, so they could only hope that Mag and the others could buy them some time.

  Escape clearly wasn’t the correct option. However, in a direct confrontation, Eva and Amy clearly couldn’t be depended upon, so Mag became their only hope. They could only pray that his flick from earlier was an indication of exemplary power and control as opposed to a result of dumb luck.

  However, right at that moment, Amy suddenly hurled forth an unidentifiable orange object. Only after it fell to the ground did everyone realize that it was that orange kitten.

  The kitten was absolutely tiny, and in the face of the meter-long Purple Golden Mink, it was as if a role reversal had taken place between cat and mouse. They felt as if the Purple Golden Mink would be able to easily sweep the kitten aside, but the latter stood valiantly in front of the carriage with its back arched and a single paw extended.

  Is Mag relying on this kitten to stop that Purple Golden Mink? The same absurd thought flashed through the minds of all of the mercenaries upon seeing that.

  “Arrogant bastards who lack self-awareness always die the quickest. This is a Purple Golden Mink that can even destroy my ice spears; that little kitten is no match for it. Do they really think that it’s just an oversized rat?” Evan chuckled coldly as he rushed toward the carriage. White light shimmered on his wand again, but he had already missed the best opportunity to stop the mink, so the only fate that awaited Mag and the others was death. Only in their dying throes would these lowly beings realize just how important and regal he was, and repent for the way that they had treated him.

  As for Eva, she was just a lowly woman with plain looks and a mediocre figure. She was only useful for those lonely nights when he was unable to repress his libido. However, she seemed to be yearning for more in their relationship, and this was a perfect opportunity to get rid of her.

  was

  The Purple Golden Mink shot toward the carriage like a bolt of lightning. Its purple and golden fur was shimmering with a metallic sheen, and its adorable features were looking quite sinister. Two long tusks had sprouted from its mouth, and its eyes had turned crimson red. It spread open its large mouth like a wild dog as it prepared to swallow Ugly Duckling in a single bite.

  It had also clearly noticed Ugly Duckling, and a hint of fear appeared in its eyes as it slowed down a little.

  However, that fear quickly disappeared, and its eyes turned back into their crimson color. It became even more violent, and stomped its paws into the ground, accelerating again while crushing a large stone in the process. It leaped into the air and opened its cavernous mouth as it dove at Ugly Duckling.

  In the face of the Purple Golden Mink, Ugly Duckling wasn’t fearful in the slightest. Its ears perked up and it stood up on its hind legs as it yelled, “Meow-“


  Its meow was very tender, and Mag almost burst into laughter upon hearing it. Ugly Duckling’s heroic image had been completely ruined by that mellow cry. He had thought that Ugly Duckling would reveal a side to itself that would surprise him in this perilous situation. After all, it had been raring to go this entire time.

  However, it appeared that it wasn’t actually brave, but simply downright stupid instead. It would probably dare to extend a paw even toward a giant dragon, let alone a Purple Golden Mink.

  Mag had already clasped the hilt of his blade in his hand. At such a short range, he was confident that he would be able to kill the Purple Golden Mink before it managed to attack Ugly Duckling.

  His swordsmanship was very fast.

  Eat it! Eat the whole thing so you waste more time! Eva’s eyes were wide with anticipation as she cowered in the corner of the carriage.

  Sivir caught her boomerang and hurled it through the air again. At the same time, she strove to charge forward a little faster, but there was a hint of sympathy in her eyes. There was no way that this little kitten was going to survive, so she could only hope that it could buy her some time.

  However, right when Mag was about to attack, the Purple Golden Mink’s body suddenly stiffened in mid-air as it heard Ugly Duckling’s cry. It was as if it had heard the tolling of the clock of death, and unbridled shock and horror appeared in its eyes as it turned to Ugly Duckling. It spread open its four limbs again to try and change directions in mid-air, frantically attempting to flee from Ugly Duckling

  However, it had built up too much momentum, and couldn’t get away in time. Ugly Duckling was still perched on its hind legs as it patted the mink on its head with a tiny paw.

  “Splat.”


  The Purple Golden Mink immediately fell dead to the ground.