Nico, Henry, and Leon's mouths were agape. They did not expect to find the Shadow Fang Leopard here of all places. Didn't it reside in the inner region?
Why did it suddenly appear in the outer region?
Throwing these questions to the back of their minds, the trio swiftly sprang into action. Although Nico wanted to jump into the fray straight away, he had to remain calm. The first method of action was to gather more information.
"Sir, do you need any help?" Nico asked the middle-aged man who appeared to be the one in charge.
The merchant, distracted by the sudden question, frowned and glanced to the side ready to tell off whoever had interrupted him from watching a very important operation.
His grey brows rose in surprise as his gaze held the image of three youths clad in black attire, weapons in hand.
From the way each of them held the armaments, Demetri could tell that they had some familiarity and experience in wielding them. A glint appeared in his eyes, "Sorry, come again, lad?"
Nico took a deep breath, the palpable tension in the air sending a nervous shiver through his body, "I said, do you need any help, Sir? Your men over there don't seem to do too well." he pointed to the other side of the clearing, where a group of six were currently battling the Leopard.
One or two had parts of their armour dented after the beast had unexpectedly attacked them. There were scratch marks at the slit where their visors opened to allow them to see.
The protective helmet had saved them from going blind.
That was not all, as just then, a member of the six stumbled back under the ferocious assault of the menacing creature. The other Guards cried out in alarm.
They had been doing a good job at keeping the Shadow Fang Leopard at bay. Now with the loss of one fighter, their plan of slowly cornering the elusive beast had just turned up in smoke. Seeing the new development, Demetri sighed and rubbed his temple, "Fine, lad… go. Just don't die."
If they died not only would he have a duty of informing their parents, but he had a sneaking suspicion they were trainees from a nearby Training Camp. It would be a shame to lose someone who might become a potential powerhouse of the human race in the future.
The trio of trainees instantly dashed forward, sprinting with all their might. Leon gripped his sledgehammer tightly, meanwhile, Henry had a grim but hopeful look on his face.
The end of this blasted mission was just in sight.
Nico, who was the fastest out of the three reached the 'battlefield' first.
He clenched his teeth as he realised that two more had fallen at the hands of the leopard, now effectively out of the fight. He, the farmer, and half-blood quickly joined the guards' ranks.
The three people clad in silver plate armour did not question the new arrivals. They were just glad for the sudden help. The trainees stood behind each one of the armoured combatants, allowing them to take the brunt of the beast's retaliation.
The inky-black creature snarled and swiftly disappeared. One guard, who wielded a broadsword, screamed, "Brace yourselves!"
Nico tensed his body, priming it to react at a moment's notice.
Clang!
The guard on the right grunted, his feet sliding back from the force of the maddened beast's blow. Leon, who was behind the individual who tanked the strike, raised his weapon over his head and sent it barrelling toward the Leopard full of crushing force.
It, however, easily evaded the potent bash. Its figure blurred once more, and the guard in the middle shouted out again, "Watch your backs!"
Just as Nico hastily turned around, he found the gaping maw of the Shadow Fang Leopard ready to swallow him whole. It was only through pure instinct and luck that he raised his spear in time to stop its attack.
The jet-black beast blocked the human's spear with its metallic-looking claws. It snarled once more and released a deafening roar that momentarily dispelled the eerie silence.
As the deranged flame of insanity in its eyes burgeoned, the merchant group and trainees watched as the leopard turned and fled into the thick forest.
Nico, Henry, and Leon instantly chased after it. They were determined not to lose sight of their target after spending so long scouring for it.
"No! Don't chase it…" the guard with the broadsword bellowed. Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late.
He sighed as the wrinkles on his face increased.
Everyone knew it was tantamount to suicide fighting the leopard in a group with no less than six. The death of these youngsters would haunt his conscience for a while.
Unaware of the grave mistake they had just made, the three trainees sprinted forward desperately trying to catch up with the rapid beast. Alas, try as they might, they couldn't get near the elusive creature that was famed for its speed.
As they sped along the moss-covered floor, uncaring of where they stepped and the crackling of branches beneath their feet, the young novices soon halted.
Nico scanned his surroundings with frantic urgency.
All around them were a dense copse of trees. The shade from the verdant behemoths caused this part of the forest to be darker.
Nico squinted, as he tried to decipher the many shadows that littered the environment. "Stay on guard. I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.
Henry and Leon nodded in response, further raising their guards.
The two humans and the burly half-dwarf slowly crept forward. With every step taken, they had examined their immediate vicinity with great scrutiny.
They narrowed their eyes as they breathed faster. A surge of adrenaline flowed through the trio's veins heightening their primal senses.
As the ominous silence that enshrouded the dim surroundings reached a fever pitch, multiple shivers crawled down Nico's spine. Goosebumps formed on his skin.
He immediately turned around and sent a lightning-fast thrust with his spear.
His senses warned him of abrupt danger.
And sure enough, Nico's pupils constricted as the Shadow Fang Leopard rushed him, its sharp maw filled with deadly promise. Within an instant, the beast had altered the trajectory of his blow with a swipe and used the generated momentum to launch itself in the farmer's direction.
"Brace!" Nico bellowed, not sure if he was fast enough. He hastily swivelled his neck as his breath hitched.
Henry had deflected the strike aimed for his throat.
Unfortunately, however, he could not fully alter the path of the incoming attack so he remained unharmed.
The leopard's claws grazed the side of his face. Bright red blood flowed from the wound.
The Shadow Fang Leopard's dark pupils dilated, a shiver spreading through its nimble body. The sight and smell of fresh blood caused it to go feral.
Nico cursed.
Leon's eyes turned bloodshot as his herculean muscles bulged. He would not let that filthy creature who had just harmed one of his friends go scot-free.
His figure sped up.
As the half-blood engaged the antithesis of those of his kind (people who had bulky constitutions), he exhibited remarkable prowess. Maybe it was the sight of seeing his friend being harmed right in front of him, or maybe it was the high-pressure of a do-or-die moment… it did not change the fact that Leon's speed had increased remarkably.
He was no longer as slow as he was before. This made the inky-black creature enter a rage at being unable to shake off the pesky gnat that doggedly pursued it.
It continued deflecting the power behind the sledgehammer's strikes.
Nico didn't pay any mind to the sudden increase in the half-blood's battle prowess. He rushed up to his green-eyed companion and stuttered, "Henry! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Henry gingerly touched the wound and saw his fingers come back slick with blood. His face turned grim. While he did not think he would bleed to death, it was still not pleasant having his cheek sliced open.
Suppressing a grimace, the farmer clenched his teeth and spat on the ground. The metallic taste remained in his mouth as he growled, "I'll kill that overgrown kitten!"
Relieved that his friend was fine for the time being, Nico took a deep breath and retrieved the Sun charm from his pocket, "Okay, buy me some time. I have a plan."
Henry nodded and dashed forward, ready to support the half-blood.
As the raven-haired farmer and stocky redhead clashed with the Shadow Fang Leopard, Nico's eyes closed as he gathered his spirit and slowly intoned the arcane language of Dragonese in a mystical tone:
"Let…"
The beast snapped its neck toward him. The hairs on its body stood on end. An unseen breeze blew through the copse of trees.
"There…"
The Leopard released a furious snarl. Its figure blurred as it escaped into the shadows. Alarmed expressions appeared on Henry and Leon's visage.
The sudden gale picked up in intensity.
"Be…"
Nico furrowed his brows as he increased his concentration. He had not fully mastered how to pronounce the incantations and had to focus on not mispronouncing any syllable.
The Shadow Fang Leopard shot out from the shade of a tree; its claws outstretched. As the self-proclaimed king of speedsters in the East Leaf Wilderness, it was confident it could stop the ant in front of it from completing whatever strange ritual it was doing.
However, having exerted itself earlier engaging with the merchant caravan and then the subsequent fight with the three black-clad figures, its endurance was running pretty low…
Just as the leopard's claws were mere inches from Nico's face, the brown-haired boy finished the incantation and crushed the wooden charm.
"Light."
Kacha!
Time slowed to a crawl.
The sound of something being crushed resounded in the dark forest. The wind flared and howled before a bright wave of radiance materialised and spread out in a luminescent arc.
The Shadow Fang Leopard found itself violently blasted back. A cry of agony escaped its jagged maw.
Leon and Henry hastily closed their eyes. They could still see the intense light even behind their closed eyelids.
Nico slowly opened his eyes inch by inch, fighting through the pain of light suddenly streaming into his pupils.
As the brilliant wave of light began fading away, his eyes darted across the copse of trees before it settled in a certain direction.
'There!'
Nico dashed toward the crumpled form of the beast. Evidently, it was still stunned by the sudden influx of light.
With a large battle cry, Nico thrust his spear. The metal spearhead sailed through the air.
Even in its disoriented state, the beast's senses screamed at it to evade the mortal danger. As its fur stood on end, the Shadow Fang Leopard shifted its lithe body, pouncing to the side as fast as it could.
Nico's attack missed.
'Blazing Fates!'
With it blinded by the unexpected manifestation of light, the jet-black beast's other senses sharpened. Its smell locked onto the dangerous human.
In an instant, its claws extended, seeking to rip its prey to shreds.
Nico's expression turned grave. He hastily blocked and allowed the power of the creature's strike to push him back. He wanted to create some distance.
As the leopard pounced again, this time faster and brimming with unbridled murderous intent, Nico inhaled and steadied himself. His feet dug into the ground, while his mind sharpened to a remarkable degree.
In this life-or-death situation, a smirk bloomed on Nico's face.
'Second Form - Mercy of the Soothing Zephyr!'
Gathering all the energy within his body, the muscles in his arms and legs bulged before he dashed forward, spear tip extended outward. However, unlike, a normal straight sprint, Nico's steps were soft and light like a feather.
Now within a meter of its prey, the Shadow Fang Leopard released a triumphant growl. Victory was all but its.
Inhale. Exhale.
Nico imbued his spear with the synchronisation method. With the advent of power and substance, the brown-haired boy dropped his right shoulder in a lightning-fast movement.
The essence of the second form was to utilise your opponent's momentum to your advantage… And that was exactly what Nico did.
The obsidian creature was in too close a proximity to react.
Nico issued a guttural grunt and heaved, sending his spear in an upward slash. His shoulders burned beneath the strain.
Reflected within the pupils of the animal, a figure clad in full black attire swung his spear, his earlier smirk splitting into a wide grin.
Puchi!
Soon, the spear pierced the throat of the Shadow Fang Leopard with the sickening sound of flesh being torn.
As life faded from the creature's eyes, Nico slumped to his knees and panted.
Relief flooded his features.
They had done it!
They had defeated the elusive Shadow Fang Leopard.