The lady was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her twin peaks trembled seductively with every breath, clinging tightly to the translucent white undergarment. The pink shade of her nipples was nearly visible, standing firm due to a mix of fear and exertion.
She gripped her sword with both hands, staring intently into the tiger's eyes and tracking its every movement. Her pupils followed the beast's rhythm as it circled her with light, predatory steps. Its hungry eyes gazed at her half-naked beauty, drool dripping disgustingly from its jaws.
The tiger was sizing up its opponent. Even after it had hurled fire at her, the lady had remained mostly unscathed, with only her shoulder clothes slightly grazed. The beast felt its pride wounded. Its eyes blazed with intense fury as it lunged at her once again.
Its claws glowed crimson, as if coated in volcanic fire. It swiped in a wide horizontal arc where the lady stood.
Using her swift footwork, she tried to dodge, but the tiger was clever. It followed up by hurling a stream of fire breath exactly where she would land next. Her eyes widened. Still, years of training were not to be underestimated. She bent her slender waist at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the flames. However, one of the claws still managed to tear into the flesh of her left forearm.
"Ahhh!!"
The lady cried out in pain. Tears welled up in her eyes. The sword slipped from her grasp due to the sudden agony and fell to the ground.
She hadn't intended to drop her weapon —
the claw wound wasn't that deep at first. But suddenly, an excruciating burning pain shot through her nerves, as if her left forearm was melting. The wound blistered at the edges, blood flowing ceaselessly. Her vision blurred from the intense pain, and her knees buckled as she collapsed to the ground.
When was the last time she had felt such pain?
Never.
She was a young lady, sheltered from the wind and rain of the world.
Seeing its chance, the tiger turned its agile body and lunged at her again. The lady's heart leaped into her throat as she saw the massive beast charging toward her.
In that instant, using her bleeding right hand — which wasn't suffering the same burning sensation — she pulled out dozens of talismans from her robe's pocket and threw them forward.
The talismans glowed bright yellow. The crimson runes on them flickered, and with a loud boom, a golden translucent dome surrounded her. The tiger's head slammed flat against the energy shield. Its momentum halted abruptly, and a single trail of blood dripped down its forehead. It ground its teeth in rage and let out a deep growl of frustration and anger.
Humans! Fucking humans! the tiger seemed to curse inwardly. They have no martial ethics, relying on external tricks instead of a fair fight. Pah! I spit on their so-called bravery!
The lady sighed in relief as she saw the tiger flattened against the unbreakable shield.
She was terrified. What if the shield broke? That idiot tiger would do unspeakable things to her while she was still alive and struggling, forced to watch her own body being—
She sighed again, trying to push the horrifying thought away.
However, the tiger did not relent. It stood still, opened its massive jaws, and glinted dangerously under the crimson hue of the setting sun.
The lady's gaze was drawn to the beast's unnatural behavior. She watched in horror as a flicker of fire appeared at the center of its mouth. Then it began swirling and growing.
The small flame quickly expanded from the size of a tennis ball into a blazing fireball the size of a football. Its intensity scorched the nearby grass and trees. The lady gulped, the fear in her eyes clearly visible even from a distance.
Our spirit watched the scene with immense curiosity and thrill. This was the first time he had witnessed such magical phenomena. On Earth, he could never have imagined creatures breathing fire, forming energy shields, or using advanced footwork to dodge a tiger's attack. It felt like something straight out of a fantasy movie. His heart hammered against his chest.
As for the lady's safety… he was no saint, nor did he particularly want to be one. Still, he would save her — but only at the most critical moment. At least he could enjoy watching the full spectacle of this magical fight.
The tiger spat the fireball out like a cannon shot. It streaked toward the shield like a blazing bullet.
BOOM~
The shield flickered violently. Its golden shine dimmed slightly, and minuscule cracks appeared at the center. Though the cracks quickly repaired themselves, the overall glow of the shield never fully returned.
The lady sighed in relief, but the tiger howled toward the sky in blazing fury.
Its eyes burned with newfound ferocity. It formed another fireball and hurled it at the shield. The same thing happened again — cracks appeared, the shine dimmed, but the shield repaired itself.
This repeated nearly a dozen times. With each impact, the shield sacrificed more of its energy. Finally, cracks covered the entire dome. Only a few fragile strands of energy held the shattered barrier together.
The lady's eyes widened in terror. Her curvaceous body trembled with horrifying anticipation as she glimpsed the terrifying fate awaiting her.
The tiger was in no better condition. It was breathing heavily, its body trembling, legs wobbling. Its jaws hung open as it huffed and coughed violently. Its eyes were red, blurry, and teary. Its face looked charred, as if it had suffered burns so intense that patches of skin had peeled away, exposing raw flesh and even bone in places. It looked like it was on its last breath.