"On it."
The dwarves are known for their defence but Theo's strength was also abnormal. Each of his swings launched several panthers into the air.
Slash!
Gary's sword wasn't something with a lack of maintenance but a weapon constantly cleaned and kept at top-notch condition. The sword's blade echoed his fiery eyes as it ruthlessly sliced down beasts.
While executing a perfect diagonal slash, his eyes widened in shock.
"WALTER!!"
His companion was battling intensely with a panther that he failed to sense another one pouncing on him from the behind. Before Walter could evade the strike, the beast's claws had torn a part of his right shoulder's flesh.
A deafening cry in ache spread across the woods and even Adam was stunned by this sudden development. Since he'll only deplete his mana reserve with another glyph, he dashed ahead to where the bellow originated from.
Gary and Theo were dumbfounded when they were encircled by the Silverline Panthers. Their puzzlement stemmed from the sudden bizarre behaviour of the beasts, as they effectively isolated them from reaching and aiding Walter. On the other side, the injured man was struggling to stand up as he swung his shortsword with all his might.
'What is happening?'
Gary couldn't compile an assumption from this sudden turn of events. Moments ago, these beasts were scattered and disordered. Now they've become organised and poised. Not only that, the beasts were scratching off Walter's skin with each strike as if they're making him bleed.
Soon the cause came out of the shadows.
"A Crowned Silverline Panther?"
Tara, who was jumping around to avoid being engaged by the beasts couldn't contain her bafflement. And at that moment of distraction, a panther successfully strumbled her in her track.
Grrr...
As a larger figure with many energetic stripes running along his body entered the vicinity, the hindered figure of the dwarf and the human subconsciously gulped down their saliva. The peculiar bunch of silver hair that roughly created a crown-like shape exuded a king's dignity.
'Scream...scream!!' Walter slumped on the ground as his eyes caught the sight of the leader entering the arena. It walked with luxurious and steady strides. As if the beast was grinning, it had a subtle amusement on its face.
But it's very intimidating presence had disabled Walter of his ability of speech. He doesn't know why his lips don't move. He is dumbstruck why his limbs are weak as the blade of grass.
The next moment, a ferocious paw descended on Walter.
Slash!
The sound of meat forcefully torn under brute force with blood scent emerging from the wounds was a delicious sight to the beast. Like a glutton starting at an entire bucket of KFC, the beast's eyes sparkled with a desire to devour the helpless prey before him.
That's enough playtime.
The Crowned Silverline Panther took a couple of steps forward to approach the shivering injured prey. Suppressing the urge to pounce on the meal and tear it to shreds wildly, the beast chose a rather impressive way.
But...
DANG!!
As the paw came down like a comet, its trajectory was obstructed by a spear. The simultaneous noises of the sharp claws striking the weapon with feral might and the spear getting lodged on the ground overlapped and produced a deafening resonance.
The rebound forced the Crowned Silverline Panther to take a decent distance backwards. At the same time, unbeknownst to others, the beast's paw which struck the spear was pulsing in pain.
Swoosh!
All the panthers heard was the sound of wind blowing swift as if something cut it. The line of sight of beasts and the adventurers turned to witness the arrival of the reinforcement.
One person?
While wondering which titled individual had such puissance to cast a projectile packing a powerful punch, the Crowned Silverline Panther seems to be disheartened by catching the glimpse of a normal civilian blocking his way as he precisely placed himself between Walter and the leader of the wave.
At once, Adam pulled the spear from the ground and raised it at the beast. At a glance alone, the high-tier panther felt something extraordinary about the weapon.
Consciously, it was holding back from charging at this new yet stronger opponent. But the beast's subconscious expression - a crazy grin seeking blood - gave away his agenda.
The sudden disruption in the flow of events distracted the focus of the beasts and Gary and Theo escaped their grasp and neared Adam. They found Walter's condition fortunately stable as he had only lost some blood and flesh.
A healing potion was forced down by Walter's throat and a restoring energy surge rolled over his body. Within a minute, they found his bleeding halting and the mutilated flesh growing at a visible rate and rejoiced in their heart.
Adam took a quick peek at what Gary and his fellow adventurers were doing. And exploiting his sway of the pupils, the savage beast suddenly stepped forth and swiped its colossal claws.
Deng!
The path of the claws was again blocked by the spear which by some mystic means, rotated diagonally and produced a crisp reverberation as soon as it collided.
How dare you?!
Aside from the rippling ache, the Crowned Silver line Panther felt its dignity and prestige mercilessly soiled. Fumes were emerging from its head and it lost its cool.
ROAR!
Finding the delicate changes of expression flickering on the beast's face, Adam stepped forth and his hands thoroughly infuriated the panther while pushing it backwards.
"Gary, can you retreat with Walter?" Adam probed while pushing the beast away from them. His spear ceaselessly veered horizontally and each swipe created a swish in the air. The amplification from the glyph was noticeable.
But the king had changed its decision. It no longer wanted to toy with the prey but shred it to pieces. The encircling panthers leapt onto them with pure bestial instincts.
"Not anymore." Theo gritted his teeth as his hands gripped around the hammer like a falcon's talons locking onto its prey.
A quick sneak at Theo and Gary and Adam saw the fire of anger in their eyes. With a sense of frenzy, the earthling vigorously stepped forward and struck the beasts.
Bang!
The force of the collision was evident from the shockwaves that emerged. Theo's hammer was wreaking havoc like there is no tomorrow. When it descended on the ground, the fallout was booming.
'The heck!'
Regardless of whether there is a friendly unit in the vicinity or not, Theo's strike pushed everyone away. The slight dizziness from the thunderous ringing knocked both beasts and Adam off balance.
But before the earthling fell into the embrace of the ground, Tara nimbly approached him and supported his torso. Regaining the stability forcefully, Adam was guided back to where Gary and Theo were by her.
"Theo, that was reckless yet effective." Tara commented as she assisted Adam to stand up while her eyes surveyed the stumbling panthers. Even their leader wasn't an exception.
"Let's make every second count." Gary said while kneeling on the ground from the repercussion as he managed to veil the unconscious Walter from the breathtaking boom but failed to cover his eardrums.
Unlike Adam, he had acquired resistance to Theo's ear-splitting skill. In due course of time, he grew accustomed to the dizziness.
Following his lead, Theo and Tara scattered in each direction and struck the beasts with the intention to kill. Their attacks found the target and many beasts fell before they could regain equilibrium.
'Homing, Paralysis.' Pacing towards a bunch of panthers struggling to raise their torso, two glyphs appeared, overlapped each other and created a reformed effect. As a result, almost a quarter of Silverline Panthers froze in their tracks.
Slash!
Swish!
Thud!
The unnatural agility coupled with Adam's superior strength produced immense momentum. The beasts screamed on the inside as each strike came targeting their torsos and heads.
To be honest, even Adam was flabbergasted by his fluency in movements. It was as if he was a well-versed spearman. As soon as his hands swing the weapon, a peculiar sensation guides his limbs and torso to move in a way that makes the least movements but maximum effect.
'Ahh...yes, the knowledge imparted by the Sage.'
A realisation struck Adam as he casually sliced a beast. His eyes widened in revelation but his actions were uninterrupted. The smoothness with which the spear glided and pierced the air was precise.
At once, Adam sensed killing intent from his behind and twirled instantly. The spear held in front of him could only block the large paw but couldn't nullify the force.
'This guy again.'
After witnessing his subordinates being sliced down by a series of unfavourable events, the Crowned Silverline Panther determined that the first opponent to be eradicated was Adam. Hence the beast veiled its murderous aura to the maximum, but a moment of joy as its paw descended on the prey fluctuated the intent unintentionally and revealed the presence of the beast.
Roar!