Dawn arrived, and the distant low roars still echoed from the front of the campsite, albeit much weaker.
As the sun rose, bathing the land in light, Shōgo, Nash, and Friedrick could finally see the specific situation in front of them.
A massive lion had fallen into the large pit trap that Friedrick had set up in front of the campsite. The spikes in the pit had also pierced into the lion's belly, trapping it inside.
However, the pit was shallow, and the lion was stuck in a crouched position, with its large head protruding from the edge of the pit.
A massive head with a pair of brownish, cold-blooded eyes, stared at the three, and a series of low growls emanated from its throat.
"Now what? Should we call for help?"
"I don't know, should we go out and take a look?"
Friedrick was the first to speak, his initial reaction being to call for rescue.
Nash spoke next, suggesting going out to assess the lion's condition. But he hesitated, afraid of the potential danger.
At that moment, Shōgo, upon hearing Nash's words, was driven by an inexplicable surge of madness once again.
"Hey, hey, hey!! My brothers, don't you want to be lion slayers?"
"Lion slayers? What do you mean?"
"Lion slayers? Are you crazy!"
Nash was the first to understand Shōgo's words. He became nervous, wondering how a complete lunatic ended up beside him.
"Hey, hey!! I'm not crazy. Ask your hearts, do you want to hunt down this lion?"
Shōgo's intention in saying this was clear: he wanted to convince Nash to join him in hunting down the injured lion. Nash's initial suggestion of "going out to take a look" had already exposed his primal desire.
"I..."
"To go or not to go? Just one word."
"Let's go!"
Watching Shōgo and Nash, armed with a spear and a machete, respectively, preparing to hunt down the lion trapped in the pit, Friedrick, a bit slower in his response, finally caught up.
"Oh my god, my brothers, what are you doing? Wait for me, I want to be a lion slayer too!"
Realizing the situation, Friedrick drew his bow and followed behind Nash. The three cautiously ventured out.
Arriving at the pit, they saw the wounded lion, its gaze fixed on them, emitting threatening growls, trying to intimidate the armed humans.
But the humans approached like madmen, relentlessly closing in. Friedrick even shot an arrow that deeply embedded itself in the lion's back.
Standing less than 2 meters away from the lion, Shōgo halted, feeling the fierce and terrifying growls up close.
His body trembled uncontrollably; the sensation of impending death was abrupt, reminiscent of the moment just before death in a past life, filled with boundless fear and dread.
But this time, Shōgo didn't want to die like this; he had so many things he wanted to do that he hadn't done yet.
A sense of unwillingness surged within him like a spring, and he seemed to be roaring, venting his dissatisfaction and reluctance.
His suppressed ferocity and bloodlust suddenly sprouted, and Shōgo began to grow increasingly determined and powerful.
Gray electric currents shimmered; a doorway opened, accompanied by a formidable aura. Shōgo thrust his spear forward. While Nash and Friedrick were slow to react, in the blink of an eye, he lunged forward.
The spear viciously pierced the lion's mouth, leaving a gaping hole in its jaw.
The lion roared in pain, its ferocity unleashed. It suddenly stood up, ignoring the thorns embedded in its belly, and lunged toward Shōgo.
As the lion lunged, the thorns tore a large gash in its abdomen, and just as it pounced onto Shōgo, a long spear had already penetrated its head.
"Fuck!"
"Oh, shit!"
In two exclamations, the lion leaped toward them. It pinned Shōgo beneath it, but a long spear had already pierced through its head, like a colossal sword bursting through the soil, shattering the lion's skull.
With this blow, the lion was well and truly dead.
Seeing this, Friedrick was so startled that his hand trembled. He shot another arrow, embedding it in the lion's back, but the lion didn't react.
Nash, however, reacted more calmly. He wielded his machete, delivering another blow to the lion's head to prevent any final retaliatory attack.
His Belial's Eyes, with their apertures spinning, were open without knowing when fixed on the lion. They sought out the source of danger under its body, all while calling out "Shōgo."
Shōgo extended his hands from under the lion's body, making a struggling movement. Nash and Friedrick immediately noticed and worked together to push the lion's body off, freeing Shōgo.
In reality, Shōgo under the lion hadn't been crushed to death, but he had nearly suffocated.
"Shōgo, you're crazy! You're truly insane!"
"My brother, you're too wild, wild to the point that Friedrick can't even believe it. Oh, my God! Is Shōgo the one you sent to save the world?"
"..."
"Hoo!" "Hoo!"
Gasping for air in large gulps, Shōgo found the suffocating feeling worse than being beaten. He never wanted to experience this kind of terrifying suffocation again.
After catching his breath, Shōgo grinned oddly at Nash and Friedrick.
"How's that? Brothers, does it feel great to be lion slayers?"
"...Great, it's damn thrilling. My heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest."
"This feeling is truly insane, absolutely intoxicating."
Alright, Shōgo had to admit that Nash and Friedrick were just like him. They possessed hearts as wild and adventurous as his own.
"Here, what do we do with this lion now? If we leave it, it will attract a pack of hyenas at night."
"I'll handle it. Shōgo, you have cheetah skin, and I want lion skin. Let's give the lion's heart to Friedrick."
Nash spoke up, and as he did, he carried his machete and approached the lion's body, starting to skin and gut it.
"Hehehe, I don't mind. Isn't it just that we don't know whether we can take our stuff out of Africa?"
Friedrick, having experience with this issue, expressed his perspective.
"My brother, this is a simple matter. We just need to shift the responsibility to the organizers. It'll be easy to handle."
After Nash finished skinning, the three lifted the lion's carcass and tossed it far away.
When they returned to the campsite, it was already late afternoon. They set up the campfire again and started grilling meat and cooking soup.
A night of intense mental tension followed by a life-and-death encounter during the day left Shōgo utterly exhausted.
After finishing their meal and having some meat soup, Shōgo lay down at the campsite and drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, the night sky was filled with stars, but he had no idea what time it was.
Nash sat by the campfire, looking at the pitch-black area outside the camp, his thoughts unclear.
Shōgo stood up, walked over to Nash, and started chatting with him.