Infinite Realm

'It's as I had expected.' Sato thought as he narrowed his eyes.

A few minutes back, Sato heard a commotion from up ahead that managed to garner his attention. In the midst of all that chaos, he heard a familiar voice that he could not forget so easily. One that left him with unanswered questions.

Wanting to confirm his suspicions, Sato didn't go round the battlefield as he usually did when he encountered similar events. Instead, he went towards it. Now, standing just a couple of metres away, Sato was able to confirm his suspicions.

There were two parties currently engaged in a brawl. Of the two parties in the battle, one of them was a fierce looking black panther with white claws that extended up to 5 inches!

As for the identity of the other party, it was Xue Yan!

Sato was shocked at her appearance as he never expected to see her here. If this Xue Yan was a fake like he had thought so, then there was no reason for her to be trying to get up the mountain.

'What the hell is going on?' Sato thought as he focused his attention on the fight.

Xue Yan's opponent was a phantasmal creature just like the Phantasmal Wolves but unlike those guys, this one hunted alone and was much more threatening than its cousins.  It possessed ferocious strength, worthy of a big cat and also had high agility and was very nimble on its feet.

Each time Xue Yan thought she has it locked on, the cat would dodge her attack with soft steps and close in in her. Because of this, Xue Yan had been injured a lot of times, with a few open wounds that scattered over her body. If medical attention wasn't given to her, Xue Yan would end up incapable of battle and die due to blood loss or even before that, be devoured by the black panther. Even without the wounds, at the rate the battle was progressing, Xue Yan would end up cornered within a few seconds and dead in another.

Sato was hesitating in whether he should help her as he wanted to know why she had attacked him. As it stood, Sato had 2 ideas on what went on.

First was that he presumed that the 'Xue Yan' who attacked him was an illusory monster, similar to the monsters on the mountain. The problem with this theory was that there was no reason for the other illusory monsters to attack her if she too was an illusion. If this theory was true however, it meant that there was a possibility for the real Xue Yan to still be present on the mountain too.

Second was that Xue Yan got possessed by some weird monster that took control of her body. This theory sounded more likely than the other one but the problem was discovering what kind of monster could do such. Ever since he had began walking up the mountain, Sato had yet to encounter any creature that has the ability to manipulate someone's will to such a degree.

There's only one way to find out but it depends on whether she can survive this.'

Sato had no intention of helping Xue Yan pass this tribulation unless he could confirm her identity, lest he brings upon himself another problem.

"Damn it." Xue Yan cursed as she was forced into a retreat by the panther. Nonetheless, against a big feline who moved on 4 legs, there was no way she for outrun it especially since her class wasn't an agility-based one.

"Roar!"

The panther widened its maw and released a roar before jumping at her.

With its body that approached 2 metres(6.5 ft) in length, the weight of the panther was staggering and there was no doubt that once it got on top of her, that would be the end of Xue Yan.

'Looks like I have no choice.' A glint flashed in Xue Yan's eyes.

"[Shadow Bind]!"

Suddenly, something unthinkable occurred. The black panther that had already leaped into the air, got frozen mid-air. As if bound by a string of wires, its frame was held tightly in a compacted manner. It was as if some invisible ropes had gotten a hold of it there.

Seeing as her skill had worked, Xue Yan didn't bother to retreat but actually faced the panther head on. At some point in time, her staff was gone and she had formed a seal with her two hands which she pointed towards the monster.

"[Mirage Cage]"

The eyes of the panther seemed to flicker on and off as it dulled for a moment but brightened again. This set of actions continued for a while till it looked as if the panther couldn't resist anymore as it eyes finally glazed over as lost that glint of intelligence it previously held.

The black panther had died, and in such a mysterious way at that.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Xue Yan began to pant quickly signifying that whatever it was she had done, had taken quite a toll on her.

"Hehe. You might be a mirage beast too but your level it too weak compare to mine." Xue Yan grinned as she stared at the 'hanging' corpse of the panther.

*Thud*

As if in response to her statement, the 'hanging' corpse fell down with a dull thud as the body sprawled out on the floor. There was no trace of heartbeat or reaction from the corpse, further confirming its state.

Meanwhile, behind a huge rock, Sato took all this with shock. He never recalled Xue Yan having such a skill or even such an amazing fighting prowess that she could solo the beast like that. While Sato could do so, he had to admit that he couldn't achieve it in such a simple fashion.

'Hmm? She's tired.' Sato caught of glimpse of Xue Yan's face, which had turned pale from the backlash of her skill.

'Now's the best chance.'

Sato stepped out from behind the rock with a sword in his hand. He didn't dash over for a sneak attack as he had yet to confirm the true identity of whoever it was in front of him. However, Sato already had a place on how to do so.

"Hmm?" Since Sato didn't bother concealing himself anymore, Xue Yan had easily sensed when he had arrived.

With a vigilant expression, Xue Yan turned over to get a look at the new arrival when she inadvertently widened her eyes in shock.

"It's been a while.." Sato smirked.