In voluntate mea ad verum aquilonem intellectus procedet
Those mystical words once again raced through his mind. It had been sleeping dormant in his subconscious for a while and only now did decide to show itself once again.
Every time it haunted his mind, it bugged him to no end like a persisting headache. He couldn't concentrate on anything else when the mystical mantra arbitrarily shows itself.
But Zoran couldn't help but smile. The Universal Laws, the Miasma, and his regression—these were just a few things that Zoran obtained due to those words.
If it wanted to be recited again, then it could only mean that a treasured gift could be attained all for the low, low price of a few spoken words.
This was a bargain he would never refuse.
Judging from the current situation, Zoran concluded that the Evolved Panther's 4th dimensional leap was the subject of this sudden emergence of the mantra.
A traversal skill. It's just what Zoran needed.
His Tyrannical Miasma Strike was, as the name implied, tyrannical as it suppressed anyone into fearing him with a threat of being destroyed into atoms.
But that wouldn't work if Zoran couldn't land his attacks. His tyrannical fists only worked with the previous Miasma Beasts because they were slow and easy to predict.
Even if his enemy was quick, he could use his physical prowess to speed up to his opponent.
But that wouldn't work with quick and slippery opponents like the Evolved Panther. He could never catch up to it, especially with the difference in strength and stage of cultivation.
Even now, the Evolved Panther kept leaping to an invisible window and disappearing from sight only to instantly appear behind Zoran for a sneak attack.
When Zoran used his Tyrannical Miasma Strike to try and catch the Evolved Panther by predicting where it would go, the Panther would simply leap another time.
With each leap, Zoran was not able to completely dodge out of the way. He kept sustaining small injuries that were infected with an intense dose of Miasma that he could not regenerate.
It was impressive. The Evolved Panther knew to target Zoran's weak points like his eyes and his neck even though it had never seen a human before. Of course, Zoran didn't let the attacks become too dangerous.
The Panther looked at Zoran with frustration. No matter how hard it tried, the pesky and oddly-looking creature could not be killed no matter how hard it tried.
Its proud Miasma could not disintegrate Zoran's body, which only meant that his control over the Miasma was similar to itself. This irritated the Panther, especially when Zoran looked weaker than normal Puma Soldiers.
Was this small creature who stood upright really stronger than it? That was impossible.
But then suddenly, Zoran's movements became sluggish. The Panther noticed this immediately.
The Panther watched Zoran lose his footing as if his concentration was on something different. He tumbled away just as the Panther pounced as luckily dodged from the attack.
The Panther only missed because it thought that Zoran would dodge away, so it tried to predict him. The Panther didn't think Zoran would be so clumsy.
He seemed to be speaking something while looking at the Panther with curiousity.
Was he daydreaming? The Panther couldn't believe the disrespect it saw from someone weaker than itself.
If this was back in their home base, anyone that dared even move a claw away from formation was killed right on sight. Something worse would happen when they disrespected the hierarchy.
It growled at Zoran. It decided to unleash all its energy, not let this disrespect go unpunished. It didn't care about pride anymore. It would go all out over someone weaker than itself.
The Panther's pounce became two times faster. Its claws grew longer and became more dense as it increased its decaying properties.
It used its 4th dimensional leap and teleported towards Zoran. With one strike, three large gashes appeared on Zoran's chest.
Blood spurted out of his body which immediately decayed from the Miasma.
Tendrils of Miasma wrapped around the wound to try and close the gap, but the aggressive Miasma of the Panther fought inside Zoran's body and prevented regeneration.
But the tendrils did successfully stop the bleeding. However, this was only a temporary solution, and the Panther's opposing Miasma was still wrecking havoc on Zoran's internal organs.
A smile broke out of the Evolved Panther's jaws. It was only a matter of time until it's prey had succumbed to decay.
Its Miasma would further weaken Zoran and make his movements even more sluggish than before. Then, he would be helpless to the Panther's hunt.
Despite this dangerous situation, the Panther still saw Zoran repeating mumbled words. He never lost concentration despite his blood pumping decaying Miasma all over body as it slowly killed him.
What was Zoran observing, wondered the Evolved Panther. It didn't care earlier, but now it peeved the Miasma Beast.
There was a tingling sense of danger ringing at the back of its mind as if it warned the Panther that letting Zoran live for longer would be a fatal mistake.
It tossed the thought aside. What could Zoran do? He was on the brink of death with his focus not even on the fight.
Then the Panther realized that Zoran was watching its 4th dimensional leap.
Zoran's eyes focused with intensity whenever the Panther used the 4th dimensional leap, observing the Panther's stance, the flow of Miasma on its body, and any other minute details he could perceive.
Was Zoran looking for a way to counter this skill, the Panther thought to itself.
It almost scoffed. There was no pattern in its 4th dimensional leap, so no matter how much he tried to observe it, he would never predict where the Panther would appear next.
The concept of Zoran's true goal was never in the Panther's mind.
Then, as if he wanted to stall for time, Zoran ran away from the Evolved Panther. He used the Tyrannical Miasma Strike in his feet and sped away from danger.
The Panther couldn't believe its eyes. It didn't believe that Zoran would be such a coward that he would run away from death.
For Miasma Panthers, dying in battle was the noblest death one could hope to achieve. Zoran running away was nothing less than shameful.
So, the evolved Panther pursued Zoran, using its 4th dimensional leap continuously to try and catch up to the speeding Zoran.
The Panther estimated that Zoran's body would yield to his injuries in only a short while, so it kept pursuing Zoran until he suddenly stopped.
Zoran looked back at stared at the Evolved Panther. Was he finally accepting an honorable death, thought the Miasma Beast.
But then, he spoke this.
"Ah, I see. Is it like this?"