C12 The Death of the Small Black Bear!

The giant snake let out a hiss and lunged at the short man first. He found himself in a perilous position, trapped between a tiger and a snake, both intent on ending his life. Yet, the short man remained utterly composed.

The two black bears behind him, one of them shimmering with a flash of light, charged at the flame tiger with their broad backs. The other bear extended its furry claws, seizing the lunging giant snake and fiercely embracing it before slamming it to the ground without a moment's hesitation.

"Bang!" "Bang!" Two thunderous noises echoed in quick succession.

The tiger king, sent flying by the impact, deftly flipped and landed steadily not far away. The giant snake's fate was less fortunate; pinned to the ground by the smaller black bear, it lay immobilized.

"Roar!" The flame tiger issued another enraged roar. With a subtle step, the space before it began to warp, and it dove straight into the distortion.

The short man, witnessing the disappearance of the beast king, reached out to pat the big bear, Hugo, standing before him. "Hugo! Stay alert, it can briefly traverse through space," he warned.

Hugo responded with a low growl, nodding with an almost human-like understanding.

...

The standoff had reached a tense impasse. The short man stood at the center of the clearing, with the black bear behind him firmly pinning the giant snake, which in turn was tightly coiled around its limbs and torso, seemingly crushing the little bear's bones with audible cracks.

In front, Hugo remained vigilant, his gaze sweeping the surroundings, wary of giving the flame tiger any opportunity to strike.

To the short man's left was Crew Cut, whose aggression was notably more intense, yet for some reason, Crew Cut merely stood by, silently observing without joining the fray.

On the right was King Bullfrog, its skin adorned with green protrusions, its pair of white eyes glaring, betraying a desire to assist yet a reluctance to act.

And the Wolf King beside King Bullfrog? It had vanished unnoticed...

Beneath the surface calm, a tempest was brewing.

Suddenly, the short man's face changed. "Beibei! Water Curtain Torrent!"

A half-open humanoid shell burst from the cloak of a short man. "Beibei ~ Beibei!"

"Whoosh!"

A curtain of water, blue and shimmering, formed a protective barrier around the short man.

As the watery shield solidified, a red blade of flame materialized before him!

The agitated fire element compressed into a slender flame blade, ready to react violently upon contact with any other element...

"Bang!" "Boom!!!"

The explosion sent the short man flying.

At that moment, the big black bear, slow to react, noticed the flame tiger that had just attacked its master.

"Roar! Roar!"

Gazing at its charred master in the distance, the bear's eyes blazed red with fury as it let out an enraged roar and charged at the flame tiger with menacing force.

Driven by rage, the bear's only thought was to shred the flame tiger that had harmed its master.

But would the flame tiger, a beast king of exceptional talent, allow such an attack?

Clearly not!

"Awoo! You fool, enslaved by humans..."

The flame tiger calmly licked its dusty claws, watching the oncoming big black bear without a hint of concern.

The big bear's anger intensified, white breath steaming from its nostrils, as black smoke billowed from its body. Its entire strength focused into its claws, turning them bloody and raw.

"Roar! Roar! Die!!!"

Hugo unleashed a furious blow, his bloodied claw, powered by his full might, slicing through the air...

Crew Cut, who had been enjoying the spectacle, suddenly tensed. "Sizzle!"

Such a formidable presence, it felt like the space around was locked tight. He knew he'd have to take the hit head-on. How would the tiger king fare?

Through the eyes of the flame tiger:

The world turned pitch black, all light fading away. The tiger's body felt trapped, as if buried, unable to move; only the bear's massive claw loomed closer, threatening to crush him completely. Yet the flame tiger remained unresponsive, seemingly oblivious to the impending threat.

In an instant, maybe a second or perhaps just a tenth of that, under the watchful eyes of Crew Cut and the horrified gaze of King Bullfrog, the big bear's ferocious power came crashing down.

"Boom!" "Whoosh!"

The forceful blast of the explosion set the surrounding leaves rustling loudly.

Was he dead?

The creatures watched intently as the big black bear's massive crater filled with drifting dust, obscuring the view inside.

"Roar?" At that moment, the big black bear gazed at its bloodied claws, puzzled.

Am I really that powerful? Did I pulverize him into dust? Why don't I feel anything?

"Hugo, Tebieruth! Behind you...!" the short man called out.

He wasn't dead. His third familiar, the Luminous Clam, had saved his life.

Though the Luminous Clam, the big bear, the flame tiger, and crew cut were all of the same rank, they had been brought to the brink of death after enduring the wrathful strike of the flame tiger, the beast king.

The short man had only been hit by a slight backlash, but even that minor shockwave, which didn't even cause 10% damage, had nearly knocked him unconscious.

Luckily, he was alright. The short man also managed to retrieve the Luminous Clam, which was on the verge of death.

Thanks to the Familiar Book, which is effective in healing all injuries, the life of the Luminous Clam was preserved.

But just as the short man came to his senses, he saw...

"Roar!"

The space behind the black bear twisted slightly, and the flame tiger sprang forth.

As it prepared to ambush and finish off the weakened black bear, the big black bear, alerted by the short man's shout, lunged forward, narrowly evading the flame tiger's pounce.

In that moment, Hugo looked at the flame tiger that had appeared before him, gasping for air in its weakened state. It had no strength left.

The flame tiger facing it was also breathing heavily. Though it had reached the gold stage as a spirit animal, the potent Space Jump skill was not one it could use lightly.

It had acquired the space attribute and the Space Jump ability through a rare opportunity in its prime.

Yet, each jump drained a considerable amount of its energy, leaving both creatures locked in a deadlock.

The tense standoff was abruptly shattered by a piercing scream.

It came from Tebieruth, the little black bear!

"Roar! Roar!"

Merely seconds before, as the short man raised the alarm, a figure emerged behind the Tebieruth, who was pinning down the giant snake.

It was the Wolf King!

It had vanished stealthily, unbeknownst to the others. At that same moment, it had silently stalked to a position just behind Tebieruth, completely undetected.

But the sly beast had bided its time, choosing this precise moment to launch its attack...