The group stared in horror as the tiger lowered its now bloodied paw back to the ground, a deep growl rumbling from its throat.
Rella's heart was in her throat, her face ghastly.
Just like that, the sweet young boy was gone. All because she decided they should hunt some beasts.
Aisha was the first to act, dashing away from the group, moving only slightly slower than Timothee. Her new body was pumping adrenaline into her veins, enhancing her already inhuman physique.
Ignoring the beast, Aisha sprinted straight to the young boy's limp body. She slid to a stop, crouching beside him and inspecting his wounds.
Timothee's eyes were closed, and blood stained his lips. Crimson blood poured from two massive gashes in his arms. White bone was visible past the shredded tissue, putting Aisha's heart into her throat.
Feeling behind his head, Aisha's fingers became wet with warm blood. The tree that stopped his body had a large bloodstain smearing its bark.
Aisha's body went into autopilot as she began dressing the severe wounds as best she could.
"Grrrr…."
Being ignored by the insignificant human annoyed the tiger.
Growling, the tiger turned its gaze toward the dark-haired girl. The muscles in its limbs tensing as the beast prepared to pounce.
CRACK!
Just as the tiger was about to launch at the girl, a fist-sized rock drilled the beast's head, slightly blurring its vision.
The tiger shook away the dizziness, regaining its focus. The tiger's eyes burned with anger as its gaze swept over the clearing, searching for its aggressor.
The tiger's vision stopped on a brown-haired human. The human had his body positioned in a follow-through stance, looking like it had just finished an attack.
Raaaaa!
The tiger roared, forgetting entirely about the two humans beside it, and lunged at the brown-haired human.
Seeing that he had successfully stolen the beast's attention from Aisha, Jaime acted fast. He shoved the still stunned Cain away before tackling Rella to safety.
BOOM!
Dirt exploded from the place where they had stood only moments prior. The tiger's paw had created a several-foot-deep crater in the hard ground, showing just how much power was packed beneath that black fur.
Being shoved, and seeing the explosion, snapped Cain out of his daze. He slid back across the dirt, stopping a few feet from the tiger. "Wow…." Cain murmured in awe. "What a crazy animal."
As Jaime and Rella collided with the ground, Rella snapped back into reality. Feeling Jaime's strong arms around her made her feel worse about bringing them here.
Jaime quickly jumped to his feet, pulling Rella up alongside him and supporting her body. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern, glancing over her for immediate injuries.
Tears began to roll down Rella's pale cheeks as Jaime still showed concern for her, even though it was her fault they were here. "I-I'm fine."
Jaime nodded, brushing the tears from her cheek before spinning back to the massive tiger. "Good, I wouldn't be able to live happily if you died."
Rella's heartbeat began to increase as she gazed at the back of the boy's figure. Despite only just becoming a cultivator and standing no chance against the beast, Jaime still placed himself between her and death. His body didn't show the slightest sign of fear, standing like an unmovable mountain.
"Can you move on that knee of yours?" Jaime asked, never taking his eyes off of the beast.
Rella nodded, even though Jaime couldn't see her. "Yes. I can move, but I can't run or fight. I'm sorry."
"Haha." Jaime chuckled softly. "I'm the one who should be sorry. It's my fault after all."
The tiger began once more rising to its full height, growling in rage as its prey had once more evaded it.
"Don't worry about fighting. Just stay out of the way."
Rella felt useless, but she couldn't do anything about it. "Okay." Rella limped backward, warning Jaime. "Be careful, that is one of, if not the most powerful pinnacle beast."
Jaime nodded, never taking his eyes away from the snarling tiger. An excited smirk stretching across his handsome features, but his back was to Rella, preventing her from seeing. If she could see his face at the moment, she would believe that the boy was crazy.
Seeing the tiger preparing to pounce, Jaime called out. "Aisha. How's the boy?"
"Alive!" Aisha yelled back, relief clear in her voice. "But he's unconscious and hurt pretty bad."
"That's a relief." Jaime's serious expression softened for a moment before his eyes focused, flashing with a fierce glint.
The tiger roared in fury, lunging forward and swiping its paw at Jaime's head.
Jaime ducked, feeling the paw pass not even a millimeter above his head, the wind whipping his brown hair.
Jaime didn't even see the tiger swing its paw, much less the paw itself. He forced his mind into a hyper-focused state, allowing him to see every movement of every micro-fiber in the beast's body. This knowledge, mixed with his extensive fighting ability, allowed Jaime to barely react in time to the paw.
Jaime pushed his mind and body into a superhuman state, forcefully enhancing his physique and massively boosting his natural reflexes and perception. Jaime could feel the adrenaline flowing to every fiber of his body, pushing his body beyond the state of mortals.
The wind generated by the massive paw passing over his head, cut Jaime's cheek, making blood run down his handsome face. But, Jaime grinned at the feeling, his excited smile growing larger and larger. The adrenaline pumping through his body bringing him an overwhelming joy. The rush of combat boosting his high to a new level.
'Next, it will bite from the front.' Jaime thought, twisting his body before the tiger even attacked.
The tiger lunged its jaws forward, snapping at the human who dared not die. But the tiger didn't taste the human's sweet flesh. Instead, the tiger only got a mouthful of air.
The tiger was further enraged as its red eyes narrowed onto the prey before it.
Raaaaa!
The tiger roared furiously before launching a full rush toward the damned human.
Rella watched in awe as the handsome boy evaded the attacks too fast for her to even see. "Is he really just a mortal?"
After barely a minute of combat, Jaime was exhausted. He was pushing his mind far past its limit for too long, and dark spots were beginning to flood his swirling vision. His head ached like someone was driving a spike into his brain.
Jaime's body was filled with cuts and scratches from just the wind of the powerful blows. A feeling like being stabbed by countless needles tingled over every inch of his skin. The hundreds of micro-tears in his muscles making him grit his teeth firmly.
The way he strained his muscles was too much for them to handle. Jaime had literally been forcing his body into a superhuman state for the whole fight.
Watching the beast, Jaiming was barely able to read its next move. 'It's going for a bite.' Jaime pushed his body to dodge, but his muscles wouldn't respond. His muscled locked up, keeping him from moving an inch. He had passed his limit long ago.
Jaime spit up a mouthful of blood, falling to his knees.
'Well, I did all that I could.' The excited expression from the fight disappeared, replaced by an accepting sad smile. 'Hopefully, Rella will be okay.'
The beast's open jaws appeared before Jaime in an instant, filling his dimming vision with razor-like teeth. 'I'm so tired.' Jaime thought, passing out as his imminent death overwhelmed him.
BOOM!