Chapter 53: Night Raid (2)

If I was careless, I was. If I was naive, that too.

That was the thought that crossed my mind as I faced those golden eyes shining in the darkness.

Night is the most dangerous time in the forest.

When all light disappears and only darkness remains.

Even so, I had a certain advantage I could see a little in the dark.

I didn’t know why.

But at this moment, I could only curse that ability.

‘Damn it… how big is that…?!’

A pair of eyes shining sinisterly in the darkness.

I could clearly see the owner of those eyes.

In general, it looked like a tiger, but with long fangs protruding from its mouth.

And the most terrifying thing was its size.

Its eyes were visible above the barricade in front of me.

And that barricade, by the way, is taller than me.

That means it easily measures more than 2 meters.

‘A quadruped animal taller than me at eye level…?’

It’s absurd.

But of course, this is the Forest of Four Seasons.

Despair began to overwhelm me, but an instinct pushed it back.

Survival instinct.

I gripped my sword and shield tightly.

“Grrr…”

The tiger, as if reading my intention, let out a threat.

It was just a warning, but I felt my legs go numb and my body tense up.

Good thing I was mentally prepared.

If I had encountered it suddenly, I would have fainted.

“Fuu… fuu… fuu…”

I controlled my breathing on purpose.

The pressure was so brutal that if I didn’t focus, I couldn’t even breathe.

Could I really win against that monster?

It looked much stronger than the owlbear mother.

‘Could it be that the owlbear moved because of this guy?’

Probably.

If it had just been reconnaissance, she wouldn’t have brought Wonmo.

This guy is basically a thug.

One that kills you as soon as it finds you.

I wanted to run away, but I forced myself to stay.

‘If I run, it’s even more dangerous.’

Wonmo is still inside sleeping, and there’s still a long time until dawn.

Running changes nothing.

‘It’s best if it retreats…’

Predatory hunters tend to be cautious.

If they get injured, they lose their ability to hunt and starve to death.

That’s why, if they sense danger, they usually retreat.

The problem is that here, that was unlikely.

Look at the size difference.

Just the height of its eyes already exceeds my head.

I am literally a bite.

The only thing I could do was—

Shhhhhh—

Release aura into the sword and shield.

Even in the darkness, a blue mist began to emerge.

Like a hedgehog raising its quills.

“If you want to hunt me, be prepared.”

The tiger sensed that I wasn’t easy prey and didn’t attack immediately.

It stayed circling outside the barricade.

‘Good thing I built it…’

Without it, it would already be on top of me.

Even if it attacks, it has to jump over it, which gives a small delay before reaching me.

‘Go away… please, go away…’

I repeated it in my mind over and over again.

But the tiger kept prowling.

Cold sweat ran down my face, and my hands were soaked.

Time passed that felt eternal.

“Grrr…”

The tiger stopped abruptly and began to back away slowly.

For a moment I thought it was leaving but something didn’t add up.

‘When they leave… don’t they turn their bodies?’

But this one didn’t.

It only moved backward.

As if gathering momentum to jump the barricade.

“Ah.”

Just as I thought—

Tap!

The tiger ran and jumped over the barricade effortlessly.

A nimble and fluid leap, improper for its size.

It landed right in front of me radiating absolute pressure, like a true king of the mountain.

“GRAAAH!”

It opened its jaws and lunged at me.

Was it the pressure it emitted?

Or the real terror of dying?

At that instant my breathing stopped.

My body wouldn’t move.

‘Move.’

I had to move.

But I couldn’t.

‘Move.’

I kept ordering myself.

But my body ignored my mind.

The enormous mouth, capable of crushing my head in one bite was already in front of me.

If this continues, my head will end up inside that mouth.

And then?

Can a body without a head move?

Tug!

“Ghk!”

At that moment, someone pulled my clothes.

My balance shifted backward, and my body moved by force.

Snap!

It was a matter of an instant.

The tiger’s mouth closed in the air.

A little later and it would have been my head.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

I fell on my backside and regained sensation in my body.

I even bit my tongue when I fell.

Pain ran through my entire body.

“GRAAAH!”

The tiger’s roar pierced my ears.

I looked up immediately.

Normally, it would have continued attacking but it didn’t.

On the contrary.

It was shaking its head as if in pain.

I didn’t understand what was happening.

But this was an opportunity.

I quickly got up and took a stance.

Thanks to that, I could see why the tiger was suffering.

Shhk! Shhk!

It was the sloth.

The sloth had latched onto the tiger’s face and was tearing at it with his claws.

The tiger swung its front paws to shake him off, but who was the sloth?

A guy with visual acuity and reflexes sharp enough to even catch arrows in midair.

Not even a tiger could remove him easily.

Whoosh—

But the difference in size was impossible to overcome.

The tiger shook its head violently and the sloth was flung away.

Fortunately, he flew toward my side, so I was able to catch him without trouble.

Well, “catch” is saying too much I just adjusted my position so he could climb back onto my back.

‘So he was the one who pulled me.’

Now I understood who had tugged my clothes.

The sloth had saved my life.

I felt grateful for a moment and then looked back at the tiger.

It had scratches on its face, but they were superficial.

‘Yeah… I can’t die here.’

I clicked my tongue.

When I fell, I had bitten it, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.

That taste awakened my body and mind.

I wasn’t going to freeze anymore.

“GRAAAH!”

The tiger, staring at us, opened its mouth again and lunged.

Until a moment ago I was trembling with fear but not anymore.

I forced myself to think coldly and move calmly.

‘I can’t let it bite me. If it bites me, it’s at least a serious wound.’

Just looking at those fangs makes it clear.

And the size difference is brutal.

If it grabs me, it’ll swallow me in an instant.

I have to fight as if a single hit means death.

Clack!

The tiger’s jaws snapped shut with a terrifying sound.

I moved to the right just before it pounced, so I barely managed to dodge.

I didn’t forget for even a second Swordmaster’s advice never stay still, always keep your legs moving.

Just like with the giant crab, it seems it works against this tiger too.

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

But this is not like the crab.

It’s fast.

Just as I was about to counterattack, it launched a heavy claw.

I barely managed to block with the shield, but the impact was brutal.

‘Don’t lose your breathing. Draw out all your strength.’

As I thought that, the tiger lunged again with ferocity.

The size difference is so great that even its casual blows are hell.

Every time it brought its claw down from above, it made me stagger.

Tap!

The only good thing is that, when I dodge to the sides, it leaves small openings.

Every time it opens its mouth to bite, the movement is large.

If I dodge, opportunities appear.

Slash!

“GRAAAH!”

“Ah…”

Different sounds came out of our mouths.

The tiger roared in pain.

I let out a breath.

I managed to cut it, but only halfway.

Its skin was far tougher than I imagined.

‘Not even with the sword of HeavenlyDemon and aura?’

No wonder the owlbear mother fled with Wonmo.

Even so, more than half of its front leg was cut.

Its combat ability should have decreased.

If it keeps using that leg, it should end up tearing off.

“GRAAAH!”

“?!”

But something didn’t add up.

I had cut halfway and it was still moving?

I didn’t have time to think. I raised the shield immediately.

Clang!

“Kugh!”

The impact was even stronger than before.

My body was thrown backward.

At least I didn’t fall on my back.

The sloth, hanging on my back, acted as a brake.

“GRAAAH!”

“Aaah!”

The tiger didn’t stop.

I rolled on the ground just before it crushed me.

The sloth also escaped with his characteristic agility.

There was no follow-up attack.

It seems it hesitated over which of us to attack first.

That small moment allowed me to get up and recover.

‘This is absurd! Did it regenerate?!’

I opened my eyes wide and looked at its leg.

The leg I had cut was completely regenerated.

The same with the sloth’s scratches.

All clean.

It was already incredibly tough and on top of that it regenerates?

No wonder it didn’t retreat from the threat.

After all, it could regenerate.

“What a pain…”

“GRAAAH!”

As I muttered that, the tiger lunged again.

It decided to kill me first, instead of the sloth.

Makes sense.

But I don’t plan to die like this.

‘When I get the chance, I’ll cut with everything.’

Not halfway.

Cut completely.

No matter how good its regeneration is, a full amputation should be hard to recover from.

And if it can recover even from that well, then it’ll be all or nothing.

Thud!

The tiger’s claw struck the golden shield.

Since I was already prepared, I only stepped back a little.

But blocking once means nothing.

The tiger was relentless.

It didn’t retreat.

‘The barricade is behind.’

Retreating while defending, I ended up with my back against the barricade.

The tiger saw it as an opportunity and raised its claw.

Now it was my chance.

I watched the attack until the very end.

And just before the claw touched my body, I quickly turned to the right.

Crack! Crash!

The barricade made of solid wood was shattered to pieces.

If that blow had landed directly on me, my head would have been crushed.

But what broke wasn’t me it was the barricade.

By taking the impact instead of me, even the tiger staggered a little.

“Uraaaah!”

I took the chance to attack its front leg with all my strength.

I poured mana into the sword of HeavenlyDemon.

It was no longer a simple wavering aura it looked like burning fire.

With this, it was enough.

Slash!

“GRAAAAH!”

And the result was excellent.

The tiger’s right front leg was cut off.

Losing one of the legs that supported its enormous body, it was natural that it would lose its balance.

“GRAAAH!”

“?!”

But the tiger remained standing.

Despite having lost its leg, it kept its balance and opened its mouth toward me.

It caught me off guard.

It was too late to dodge.

It was also too late to block with the shield.

By instinct, I extended the arm holding the shield forward.

Clang!

“Grrr?!”

The golden shield ended up inside the tiger’s mouth.

It got stuck between its jaws.

The tiger, clearly confused, tried to spit it out, but it seemed to be firmly wedged, so it just kept opening and closing its mouth repeatedly.

‘Now!’

I let go of the shield and grabbed the sword with both hands.

Without hesitation, I stabbed it into its neck.

Stab!

No matter how tough its skin was, a thrust was still effective.

The tiger let out a roar of pain although with the shield stuck in its mouth, it sounded strange.

I took advantage of the moment and twisted the sword embedded in its neck.

Slaaash!

The blade began to slowly cut through its neck.

Even using both hands, it advanced with difficulty.

The combination of its regeneration and toughness was so absurd that even the sword of HeavenlyDemon with aura had trouble cutting it.

“GRAAAH!”

“Aaah!”

The tiger, with its only remaining front leg, began tearing at me.

Its claws were like blades, cutting my flesh.

Fortunately, the uniform DemonPrincess gave me reduced the damage but even so, I could feel blood running beneath my clothes.

It was like chunks of flesh were being ripped off me.

“Aaaaaaaaaaghh!”

Slaaash!

Gathering my last bit of strength, I moved the sword with both hands.

It was an unpleasant sensation, like cutting through living flesh but my survival came first.

Splurt!

Blood burst from the tiger’s neck like a fountain.

Its blood began to cover me.

Now it was a race against time.

Who would die first?

The tiger tearing me apart or me decapitating it?

I clung to the sword with the intent of completely cutting through its neck.

Clank!

At that moment, I heard a metallic sound.

I turned my head without realizing it.

It was the golden shield, completely deformed after reaching its limit.

That meant one thing.

The tiger had managed to spit it out.

“GRAAAAH!”

Crunch!

With its mouth free, it could now bite me without obstruction.

I twisted my body desperately.

“Aaaaah!”

It hurt.

As if lava had been poured into the wound.

The tiger had bitten my shoulder.

Its fangs pierced my flesh.

At least, by turning my body, I avoided having my head torn off.

“AAAH! AAAH!”

“Grrr…!!”

But my right shoulder was completely destroyed.

Surely even the bone was shattered.

Even so, I couldn’t give up.

I didn’t let go of the sword.

Even though my right shoulder was ruined, I still had my left hand.

‘Die… please… die…’

I was cutting its neck, blood was gushing out, and even so, it kept enduring.

How much longer would this last?

My consciousness was beginning to fade.

And then something changed.

Stab!

“GRAAAAAH!”

The tiger suddenly lifted its head.

As it did, it released my shoulder from its jaws.

I looked up.

Stab! Stab!

It was the sloth.

The sloth was driving its claws into the tiger’s eyes.

No matter how strong it was, if its eyes were attacked, it couldn’t ignore it.

And with only one front leg, it couldn’t remove him.

I regained my senses at that instant.

I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

My left hand still held the sword.

‘This is it…!’

The tiger, already without one leg and with its balance broken, was a perfect target.

“Aaaaaaah!”

I waited for the moment it fell rolling to the ground.

And I stabbed straight between its eyes.

It was my best option.

The sloth, understanding my intent, jumped away just before the strike.

The tiger, busy trying to recover from its damaged eyes, didn’t react in time.

“Grrr…”

It didn’t take long for the tiger’s eyes to regenerate.

It shook its head, regaining its senses.

But perhaps due to the large amount of blood it had lost its movements became much slower.

For me, it was a golden opportunity.

Stab!

The sword of HeavenlyDemon pierced precisely between its brows.

Under normal conditions it would have reacted violently, but as I said it was already exhausted.

Above all, it had lost too much blood, so it couldn’t even respond.

Slaaash!

Without hesitation, I pulled the sword upward.

The blade emerged from the top of its head, splitting it in two.

No matter how fast its regeneration was, if the brain was destroyed, it had to die.

Tremble— tremble—

The tiger, with its brain split in two, began convulsing.

For a moment I thought what if it still regenerates?

I decided not to take the risk and turned it into a sieve.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

I drove the sword into its face again and again.

The tiger, even without front legs, staggered trying to remain standing and then—

Thud!

It fell to the ground.

Because of its size, the impact made the earth tremble.

‘Not yet… I have to make sure…’

It was a monster with regeneration.

It could pretend to be dead and revive.

Even in that state, I moved the sword.

The first thing was to decapitate it.

If I cut its head off completely, I would feel safe.

Slaaash! Crack! Rip!

While doing everything I could to separate its head,

Thud—

My consciousness went out right there.