As Seth's people spotted the beast running toward them, the golden mane creature saw them and moved toward those strange people traveling in a flying boat at a low altitude.
The hunters behind them also noticed the strange movement of the creature and turned their attention to where Seth's flying boat was heading.
Seth stood up from where he was and saw this special creature coming closer and closer to them as the hunters attacked from the direction of his boat.
"Why are they attacking us?" Levi asked as he saw arrows and blades coming at them.
Seth had been a hunter in his spare time when he lived on Giant Island, so he quickly understood the men's motivation. "To keep us from interfering with their hunt?" He said in a questioning tone.
Dax looked at Seth and remembered the time he had disrupted his rival's game. "Interesting. Even though they come from such different backgrounds, they may behave so similarly..."
"You should forget some things, Dax. Living with old hurts isn't good for anyone." Seth commented with a smile, remembering how he had made Dax cross the island to escape his attacks on that fateful day.
"What are we going to do about this?" Emery asked as the Golden Maned Lion was almost upon them, along with the attacks of the four hunters.
"Levi, defend our boat. Those weapons coming at us are capable of damaging this inferior vehicle." Seth said, promptly making the young man move to the front of the boat and draw a weapon from his hip.
"Let's do nothing else. Let's see how the situation develops." Seth told his other three companions to remain calm, not wanting to end this situation without giving the two sides involved a chance to decide their fate.
With that decided, they saw the lion enter their small flying boat, taking up half of its space with his large body.
"Please protect me! They want to kill me!" The beast shouted as he turned to face Seth's people and the hunters, not letting his guard down for anyone just because he couldn't sense the cultivation of these individuals.
Why had he run to this group for help? His instincts told him that if he didn't, he would fall to the four hunters chasing him!
As soon as this lion spoke in the local people's language, the men hunting him shouted from a distance. "Do not interfere with our affairs, or your situation will not be good!"
By this time, Levi had countered all of the men's blows, but his force was only equal to his opponents' attacks.
Seth stood before his ship and told Atlas to stop moving the vehicle.
"Friends, we have nothing to do with your business. Don't attack us again, or we'll really be in trouble." Seth said as he looked at the men without showing any hostility in his manner.
"Oh? Are you trying to threaten us?" One of the hunters asked as he stopped on one of the tree branches closest to where Seth's flying boat was floating.
"Please save me! They want to kill me! They killed my friends because of our precious fur, and now they're after me!" The lion shouted, his aura agitated, both from his nervousness and some injuries he had sustained while running from the hunters.
Emery looked at the creature, then at the hunters, and couldn't help but frown. "This lian is at the King stage. How could he be hunted by Ancestral warriors?" She asked.
Dax realized the same after these words, even though he had not noticed it initially.
Although they already knew how to identify beings up to the 5th stage according to the classification of this continent, they had learned it only recently and hadn't gotten into the habit of paying attention to it when they met others.
Seth listened and took a closer look at the beast's situation. "They wounded this 'cat' with poison. The animal is weakened."
"Oh? That's rather dishonorable." Atlas muttered as he looked strangely at the hunters.
They had nothing against humans hunting animals for food, skin, or other body parts such a creature could offer. The Creator had made creatures of all kinds so that they could use their abilities to feed themselves and live better.
There was nothing wrong with hunting and killing a creature to satisfy one's needs. But these people believed that you had to do it within your means if you wanted to feed yourself. If you wanted to hunt a fish that could kill you, you had to accept that risk. If these people couldn't handle the lion there, they should either give up or accept the risk of facing a stronger being that could kill them.
But under no circumstances should one party cowardly poison the other to improve their chances!
That was against the rules of nature, against the morals that these natives of the Giant Island had.
"Tsk! If you're so honorable, fuck you!" Said one of the hunters when he saw the petulant looks on the faces of those people in the small flying boat.
"Let's kill these idiots! Maybe they have something for us!" Another one of them said as the four of them attacked Seth's people at the same time.
Seth closed his eyes as he felt the same look in those people's eyes that he had seen in his tribe's enemies before the First Elder had stopped him and sent him away that day.
'That look...' He moved a hand as the silhouette of a golden Buddha appeared behind him.
Dax and the others looked at Seth differently, seeing him use First Elder Elijah's power like that for the first time in his life.
Almost everything around him stopped moving, and even these four members of the Misty Woods Tribe had their bodies paralyzed. They were only able to understand what was happening, while the others simply didn't feel or understand anything.
While this was happening, Dax realized Seth's current condition and saw that his rival was further away from him than he thought.
'Don't tell me you've improved since we got here, Seth?' He wondered as he saw Seth move one of his hands, and then cuts appeared on the necks of the four men.
Seth said. "You shouldn't have done that... Looking at us like that while threatening us... I'll never let anyone who does that live again."
"Aaaaagh!"
The passage of time returned to normal soon after, and the four of them suddenly felt cuts on their necks and brought their hands to that part of their bodies.
Unfortunately for them, it was a fatal blow!