Chapter 391: Cat-huffing

“Hot, hot, hot! It’s burning!”

Even though Ron had warned them a counterattack was coming, some of his companions still couldn’t get out of the way in time—like Silvia, who was concealed within the Dark Magic.

Non-magical light couldn’t illuminate the area, but the Sun Flame Ray pierced straight through the faint darkness. Even though the Vampire Descendant did her best to avoid the intense beam, the Sixth Ring Arcane Magic still forced her to drop her Gaseous Form. She was sent flying backward, wreathed in a bright flame as she fled the scene.

If just being caught in the blast left her in such a sorry state, the Tiger Men and Tiger Man Assassins who were Ron’s primary targets fared far worse. The Tiger Man Assassin who had launched the first attack was already exhausted, and his close-quarters brawl with Aiksuuri had been a series of close calls. Under the impact of the Sun Flame Ray, his Strong Acid skin was instantly disintegrated. Even his bones, which were tougher than those of an ordinary Tiger Man, weren’t spared. When the intense light gradually faded, only a pool of charred, carbonized slag remained on the ground.

“Ron, can’t you use a different kind of Magic?” Aiksuuri was so startled he nearly reverted to his true form. The Dragon Descendant hovered in mid-air, protesting loudly, “That flash nearly blinded me!”

“Nothing else is fast enough!” Ron’s hand still held a point of dazzling light as a second Sun Flame Ray gathered, aimed at the Tiger Men who hadn’t yet recovered. “A sneak attack? An assassination? Go on, just try it!”

“ROAR!” A Tiger Man Assassin sneered. The creature, already larger than its kin, swelled in size once more, its speed increasing in kind as it charged toward Ron.

After all, Sun Flame Ray was no low-level spell. Even if it could be cast repeatedly within a minute, there was still a necessary pause between casts. The Tiger Man Assassin meant to seize this opportunity to kill Ron on the spot.

But Ron had never planned on fighting them all alone.

“Get back!” The barbarian’s frenzied roar thundered out just before the Tiger Man Assassin could reach Ron. The Grip of the Vast Wave’s advantage against large creatures was difficult to bring to bear under normal circumstances, but against these big cats that grew larger every time they transformed, it unleashed a power far beyond what the Tiger Men could withstand.

Driven by sheer momentum, the relatively dull blade simply tore open the Tiger Man Assassin’s midsection. Ron, being the closest, saw it clearly. The attack couldn’t even be described as a “slash” or a “chop”—it was a “smash”!

The Grip of the Vast Wave in Sera’s hands had smashed the Tiger Man Assassin clean in two!

Shattered organs and spattering gore blurred the barbarian’s vision, but it only fueled her ferocity. Thanks to the seamless teamwork between Sera and the others, the Tiger Men lost their final chance to kill Ron. Whether it was the Tiger Man Assassins who had lost the element of surprise or the Tiger Man bandits fighting on the front lines, they were all gradually turning from hunters into prey. The tables had turned completely.

“I’ll take you all down with me!” Seeing his kinsmen falling back in disarray, with even his reinforcements unable to turn the tide, the Tiger Man leader threw all caution to the wind. He dropped his pair of scimitars, sidestepped Anastina’s greatsword, and shot out his foreclaws, clamping down hard on the Elf’s slender arm.

Before the Elf Mercenary had time to react, the Tiger Man leader targeted her exposed upper arm and bit down hard!

“Today, one of us dies! Even if I can’t beat you, I’m going to leave you with a little souvenir!”

Tiger Men were normally reluctant to spread their curse, but under the circumstances, he had clearly cast such concerns aside. Once he bit down, no matter how Anastina broke free afterward, the curse of bestial transformation would cause her a great deal of suffering for a long time to come.

However, just as the Tiger Man leader was about to sink his teeth in and not let go, his fangs met only his own lower jaw. His grip suddenly felt empty; the Elf he’d had in his grasp had vanished into thin air!

“You just love to bite, don’t you?”

Silvia’s playful voice rang in the Tiger Man leader’s ear. The next moment, a sharp pain shot through his neck. An incredible amount of blood, like a wild dog slipped from its leash, escaped the confines of his body, surging from the wound made by the Vampire Descendant’s fangs!

“You…”

The Tiger Man leader struggled, his claws tearing the Vampire Descendant’s robes, but he couldn’t stop her from drinking his blood. His breathing grew ragged, and the violent pounding in his heart, neck, and temples felt like a countdown to his death.

Anastina, who had been whisked from the Tiger Man leader’s grasp by Silvia’s Arbitrary Gate, mustered her remaining strength to hold back the Tiger Men still trying to rescue their leader, allowing the Vampire Descendant to enjoy her feast. After about a minute, the Vampire Descendant lifted her face from the Tiger Man’s furry neck. She let go, and the Tiger Man leader dropped to the ground like a broken sack, his breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.

“Phew—” Silvia let out a long breath. She raised her arm to look at her sleeve, which had been clawed to shreds, then covered her mouth and let out a satisfied burp. “I’m stuffed. Any more and I’ll burst.”

“Benefactor, if this guy dies, it’ll be all your fault. I was in desperate need of replenishment—I was almost burned to death by that Sun Flame Ray!”

“How strange. When you’re feeding, his blood doesn’t coagulate, but the moment you stop, his wounds scab over instantly?” Ron approached the Tiger Man, who was on the verge of death from blood loss, and nudged him with his foot.

“How do you do that? Don’t tell me your saliva contains two different enzymes with opposing effects?”

“With all due respect, Benefactor, you’re trying to use simple biology to explain a complex issue that involves Arcane Magic,” Silvia said with an elegant smile. Though she looked a mess, it couldn’t detract from the unique air she had acquired after ‘inheriting’ the rank of Count. “However, if you simply must get to the bottom of it, I would be more than happy to offer myself up for your research.”

“Perhaps I could come to your room when we get back and… contribute a little something—”

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Just as Silvia was suggestively beating around the bush, Aive’s voice cut through from where she was surrounded by several Tiger Men. “Hurry up and help! I’m exhausted over here!”

“Don’t worry, I’m on my way!”

The pages of the Weaving Introduction flipped open once more, skipping past the powerful spells he could no longer cast. As Ron chanted, a large, shimmering hand materialized from thin air. It raised a gust of wind as it formed and swung, slapping the Tiger Men who still hadn’t grasped the situation!

How could the remaining Tiger Men withstand such a two-pronged attack? Within their fragile encirclement, which was on the verge of collapse, the Flame Longsword formed by the Flaming Hand Armor blazed ever brighter. The highly acidic blood of the Tiger Man Assassins corroded the tower shield in Aive’s hands—it was the only resistance they could muster in their final moments.