My stunned body refused to move.
I could only watch as death rushed toward me on all fours.
A part of my mind… accepted it.
This was it.
But just before it reached me—
Something slammed into it midair.
A violent impact.
Water exploded upward, drenching everything around us as both bodies crashed into the stream.
I blinked, breath hitching.
Another beast.
A tiger.
But not a normal one.
It didn't radiate any asura energy.
In fact… it didn't radiate anything at all.
It felt—wrong in a different way.
Not empty.
But complete.
Like it wasn't separate from the world around it… but a part of it.
A piece of nature itself.
It was massive—far larger than any tiger should be. Its muscles coiled beneath its striped hide like living steel, every movement precise, controlled.
And yet—
Even that should have been terrifying.
If not for what it had just intercepted.
The other creature rose from the water with a guttural snarl.
It was enormous—easily the size of a small room.
Its face resembled a fox, elongated and sharp, but twisted into something grotesque. Black fur, dense and layered like armor, covered its entire body. It didn't just exist—it emanated danger.
The air around it felt heavy.
Corrupted.
The two beasts clashed again.
Claws tore through water and air alike as they lunged at each other, jaws snapping, aiming for throats. Each collision sent ripples across the stream, splashes echoing into the forest.
A brutal, primal fight.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
Just survival.
That… was my opening.
The pressure pinning my body began to fade. Control seeped back into my limbs.
I forced myself up.
No hesitation.
I redirected the flow of my atma back into my body.
The effect was immediate.
A surge of power flooded through me—sharp, intoxicating, alive.
My muscles tightened, my senses sharpened.
Options.
I could run.
That was the safest choice.
But—
My gaze flicked back to the fight.
The tiger was losing ground.
Slowly, but surely.
And whether it meant to or not…
It had saved my life.
More than that—
A creature capable of masking its energy completely was too dangerous to ignore.
If I could take them both down—
Best outcome.
But even eliminating one in this moment… that alone would be worth it.
Running now would be a waste.
A mistake.
The battlefield shifted constantly. There were no clean openings—no safe moment to step in.
And even if there was—
Would I be strong enough?
I had no weapon capable of harming either of them.
…Weapon.
A thought struck me.
Did I need one?
Could I… take its energy without physical contact?
I focused.
Locked onto the fox-like creature.
Its energy.
I reached out—not physically, but with intent.
With will.
I exerted pressure.
Commanded it.
Flow.
Toward me.
The reaction was immediate.
The creature froze for the briefest moment—then turned.
Its eyes locked onto me.
It knew.
With a violent snarl, it shifted its focus and lunged in my direction—
Only to be intercepted again.
The tiger's claw came down like a hammer, smashing into its face and forcing it into the ground. The impact echoed, water bursting outward.
The fox-beast snarled, rage spilling from it as the fight resumed.
I moved.
Circling.
Keeping distance while maintaining focus.
The pull I exerted wasn't absolute.
Not like before.
This one resisted.
Hard.
It wasn't just instinct.
It had intelligence.
And with it—
A will strong enough to fight back.
Still…
Not all of it resisted.
A thread.
A connection.
I found it.
And through that—
Its energy began to leak.
Slowly at first.
Then steadily.
Drawn into me.
The creature reacted instantly.
Its movements grew more frantic, more aggressive. It pressed harder against the tiger, trying to end the fight quickly.
It understood the danger.
Minutes passed.
Or seconds.
Time blurred.
The battle raged on, each clash echoing like thunder through the forest.
Then—
It slowed.
Both beasts began to show strain.
The tiger's breathing grew heavy, each exhale rumbling like a machine driven beyond its limits.
The fox-creature wasn't any better.
Fighting a powerful opponent while its energy was being siphoned—
It was being worn down.
Then—
Something shifted.
The connection faltered.
Weakened.
"No—"
Realization hit instantly.
"It's going back to stealth!"
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
The tiger didn't react.
Or maybe it didn't care.
But it didn't stop moving.
From its jaws—
Something began to form.
A glow.
Emerald green.
Flames.
They seeped from its mouth like liquid fire, unnatural and alive.
Just as the connection was about to snap—
The tiger struck.
It unleashed the flames in a concentrated blast.
The fox-creature took it head-on.
A shockwave rippled through the air as the impact drove it into the ground, earth and water erupting outward.
It didn't move.
Couldn't.
Maybe that was the cost of its stealth.
The tiger didn't let up.
The green flames intensified, swelling into an inferno that consumed everything around the creature.
And in that moment—
I pushed.
Everything I had.
The weakening defenses shattered.
The flow reversed.
Energy surged into me in a violent torrent.
Within seconds—
It was over.
The massive body collapsed, then broke apart—reduced to ash under the combined assault.
What remained of its essence was torn between us.
Part of it burned away.
The rest—
Was mine.