Chereads / Elemental Watch / Chapter 34 - Clash of Beasts

Chapter 34 - Clash of Beasts

The cavern trembled as two powerful presences faced each other.

The Magical Lion Beast, its golden mane crackling with energy, let out a guttural snarl, baring its fangs at the newly emerged Lightning Tiger. The tiger's body pulsed with arcs of electric blue and purple, its sleek black fur crackling with raw energy. Every breath it took sent faint sparks along the ground, and its piercing, glowing eyes locked onto the lion with unshaken resolve.

A fight between two beasts.

The students, who had barely begun recovering from the previous attack, froze in place.

"What… is that?" one of them stammered, taking a step back.

A primal fear gripped the group as they took in the sight of the Lightning Tiger. Unlike the lion beast, which they had been fighting for a while now, this new presence was completely unknown—an unpredictable force of nature. Even those who had fought bravely before now felt their bodies instinctively tense, as if their very survival instincts were warning them.

It was not human.

It was not on their side.

Or at least… they couldn't be sure.

---

Siddhartha, always calm under pressure, felt his heartbeat quicken. He clenched his sword, but for the first time in a long time, he realized—

His grip was uncertain.

"That's… that's not a normal magical beast," he muttered.

Pedro swallowed hard, standing beside him. "It came out of nowhere. There's no way a beast like that was just hiding in this cave."

"If that thing is another enemy…" a student near them whispered, his voice trembling, "then we're doomed."

Siddhartha didn't respond. Something felt off. His instincts screamed that this situation was dangerous—but was it because of the lion beast… or the tiger?

---

Unlike the others, Eva didn't back away.

Her mind raced, connecting the dots. The way this beast moved, the strange familiarity in its actions…

It reminded her of something.

The Deer Beast.

That night, when she had been certain death was near, a mysterious Ice Deer had saved her. It had intervened against a powerful enemy and then disappeared before she could make sense of it.

And now, another unnatural spirit beast had appeared—right when they needed it most.

Her gaze sharpened.

Could it be… the same?

Before she could voice her suspicions—

---

Kara, driven by instinct, saw the perfect opportunity.

The Magical Lion Beast was distracted—its full attention locked onto the newly appeared Lightning Tiger.

She didn't hesitate.

Now's my chance!

With a burst of mana, she dashed forward, sword igniting with flames as she launched an attack straight at the lion's exposed flank.

"Take this!!"

Her blade sliced through the air, aimed directly for its weakened side.

---

But just before Kara's strike could land—

The lion dodged.

It moved with shocking agility, its powerful legs pushing off the ground at the last second, twisting its body just enough to evade the attack.

Then—

With a furious snarl, it retaliated.

A massive golden claw, coated in surging energy, came slashing toward Kara.

---

Kara's eyes widened.

Too fast—she wouldn't be able to block in time!

She braced herself for impact—

But it never came.

Instead—

A flash of lightning.

A blur of black and blue.

And then—impact.

The Lightning Tiger lunged, intercepting the attack with its own powerful claw.

CRACK!

A surge of energy exploded outward as the two beasts clashed mid-air, their claws meeting in a devastating collision of gold and blue lightning.

Kara felt the shockwave rush past her, sending her stumbling backward.

Her heart pounded.

The tiger beast… had protected her.

---

A Moment of Realization

The students, watching from a distance, could barely believe what they were seeing.

It had been so easy to assume that the Lightning Tiger was just another threat.

But now…

It had saved one of them.

Siddhartha tightened his grip on his sword. "That thing... it didn't attack Kara. It protected her."

Pedro frowned. "So... whose side is it on?"

Eva, standing just behind them, narrowed her eyes. "Maybe the real question is... what is it?"

For now, though, there was only one thing everyone could agree on—

This battle was far from over.

This was not just a beast.

This was a force of nature.

The Lightning Tiger—Samson in his new form—let out a deep, rumbling growl as he shifted his stance. His instincts screamed for battle.

And the lion beast, sensing the true challenge before it, roared in return.