Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 293

*Boom*

*Clank*

*Bang*

Several stomping and clanking sounds filled the battlefield. Since there were only experts and powerful Magical Beasts left fighting, even a second was enough to determine the outcome of a fight. Almost all the High Class Magical Beasts had been slain, and of the Predators, only Arthur, Frowning Tiger, Rash Tiger, Domineering Tiger and Beast Tiger were left standing. The rest were either injured and had retreated, or dead with the ability to raise a weapon no more.

The dual wielding swordsman, Frowning Tiger, crossed his swords before him to block the strike of a large Mythic Class Magical Beast.

*Boom*

The powerful blow sent him skidding across the battlefield, and he only came to a stop after travelling for over 50 meters. Once he could control himself again, he jumped out of the way like he was avoiding a plague.

*Boom*

A powerful paw descended on the ground where Frowning Tiger stood previously, and its force literally split the ground into two.

Looking at the large crack on the ground, Frowning Tiger was hit with a sense of unease. There were still 5 Mythic Classes left with the exception of the Shadow Leopard. But all of them were powerful in their own right. They were the cream of the crop, and even without the presence of the Shadow Leopard, they were very difficult to deal with.

“We need to work together,” Frowning Tiger suggested something that made two handsome middle aged men frown.

“We are Tigers. We don’t work together.” One of the men stated arrogantly. He avoided the blow of one of the Mythic Classes and struck it with the large hammer he was wielding.

*Boom*

The beast was struck by the powerful blow and was knocked several feet into the air. But it twisted its body midair and landed on the ground without any sign of an injury. Rather, the fury in its eyes when it looked at the arrogant middle aged man showed that it was only irritated by his attack.

“Beastly Tiger is right. You may be the commander here, but your fist has to be bigger than ours to tell us what to do”

The speaker was the other man who was unimpressed by Frowning Tiger’s suggestion. He was the strongest Tiger in the village, and the one whose pride was large enough to accommodate an entire city were it a dwelling. This man was one of the few people who could defy the orders of Frowning Tiger and get away with it.

“Domineering Tiger, Beastly Tiger; I know Tigers don’t usually fight together. But under these circ.u.mstances, if we don’t fight as a unit to complement each other, we would fall.” Frowning Tiger didn’t show any major reaction to their arrogant remarks. He dashed out of the way to avoid the onslaught of another Mythic Class and put his point across.

It was true that Tigers didn’t fight together. Frowning Tiger and Rash Tiger banding together for each mission was an anomaly. But even then, they seldom fought as one. It was either one or the other engaged in a battle, not both. So Beastly Tiger’s words were right in a sense. But that was then, and this was now. If they went by such silly principles, they would fall. And if they fell, the village would fall with them. They couldn’t afford to let their pride get in the way of their duties.

“No circ.u.mstance should change our convictions and cause you to put aside your pride, Frowning Tiger. We would fight as we are.” Domineering Tiger was adamant about tradition. He wasn’t going to break his convictions because of the challenge they faced.

Frowning Tiger sighed in regret. Domineering Tiger was proud, but that wasn’t why he was so bent on fighting on his own. When the man had been declared a Tiger by the oracle, he was unconvinced and couldn’t believe that he didn’t have the destiny of a Lion. Even when the oracle told him that he was destined to be the King of Tigers, the strongest Tiger within the village, he replied thusly:

“And what good would that do? I may become the King of Tigers, but I would still be weaker than a sickly Lion. They may call me king, but I’d be nothing more than a servant to a Lion”

His obsession with strength saw him pursue the most dangerous of tasks, seeking to improve under the most strenuous of conditions. To Domineering Tiger, the more dangerous the task, the more pressure he would face and the higher his chances of breaking into the realm of Lions. His pursuit of power wasn’t understood by anyone else but Beastly Tiger.

If Domineering Tiger was the strongest Tiger in the village, then Beastly Tiger was the second best the village had to offer. He was tenacious and powerful. And his vitality was overwhelming, even rivalling that of tenacious Mythic Classes like the Red Roach Empress. He was someone who loved to battle and believed that as long as he got stronger, he would be able to challenge any creature in the world to a battle. So just like Domineering Tiger, he was obsessed with growing stronger. But his obsession wasn’t as strong as Domineering Tiger’s.

“This isn’t the time to stick to convictions! We must fight together!” Unlike the calmer Frowning Tiger, the relatively simpler Rash Tiger was enraged by their words. As the 3rd strongest Tiger in the village, he had always been at loggerheads with these two who only pursued strength. To him they were greedy and selfish and only did things for their own interest. He didn’t understand how people who were supposed to protect, we only focused on their own strength, so much so that they were willing to overlook the obvious threat and stick to their ‘silly’ beliefs, instead of doing the prudent thing which was to work together.

“Then you and Frowning Tiger should fight together. You bastards have been partners for as long as I can remember anyway!” Beastly Tiger smashed a High Class Magical Beast to a pulp with his gigantic hammer and spat with disgust.

Although he and Domineering Tiger were also mission partners, they disdained Rash Tiger and Frowning Tiger who always worked together to accomplish their tasks. As the four strongest Tigers in the village, they weren’t required to team up like the other Predators for missions unless the Village Head told them to. So although Domineering Tiger and Beastly Tiger were partners on paper, they seldom went on missions together. To them, Rash Tiger and Frowning Tiger who were always going on missions together, even though they were the 3rd and 4th strongest respectively, were a disgrace.

“You!”

“Rash Tiger that’s enough. If they don’t want to fight as one, they we can only continue to play our parts”

Unlike Rash Tiger, Frowning Tiger was very calm. Their words weren’t enough to rile him.

“You truly are a Control Type. You know when to submit” Beastly Tiger blocked the swipe of a Mythic Class Magical Beast and rammed into it with amazing force. The beast was flung backwards by the power of his body ram, but was otherwise unharmed.

“That’s enough!”

Suddenly, a thunderous voice reached the ears of the arguing Tigers, and they couldn’t help but flinch. A red shockwave hit the battlefield, and many creatures were sent flying back to reveal the figure within their midst. Arthur stood proudly, his large red sword shining brightly. The Shadow Leopard stood in front of him wearily. It had a few wounds on its back, and its earlier grandeur had been largely destroyed. Arthur wasn’t unscathed either. His back and c.h.e.s.t were littered with scratch marks, and his trousers were torn in some areas. The speed of the Shadow Leopard after consuming the Cheetah had improved largely. Now it was enough to threaten Arthur. It was scary to think what would have happened if it had consumed Blistering Cheetah as well.

“You shall not disrespect my master!” Along with his comment, the air around Arthur began to spark and sizzle. Under the astonished gaze of everyone, a red aura covered his entire frame, and the boundless fury that was contained within it was transmitted to all.

*Growl*

The Shadow Leopard snarled and quickly jumped back. It was only after escaping past the 100 meter mark that it was comforted. That light was scary. It didn’t want to come into contact with it.

“Did you hear me,” Arthur’s low growl infiltrated their protected ears. His voice wasn’t loud like it was when he had blasted creatures away with a shout, but every High Class was blasted into several chunks, and the Mythic Classes stopped their onslaught and sought to escape. It was only after they rejoined the Shadow Leopard that they regained their calm. The Tigers also heard his voice. It wasn’t a plea. It was no request. It was an order!

“We did,” Domineering Tiger uttered with difficulty. Even under the endless barrage of Magical Beasts he didn’t feel this kind of pressure. Yet this young man was radiating an aura so powerful that his knees almost buckled. It was an aura he had only felt once in his life. It was similar to Village Head Fan’s, and that was why he had submitted to Village Head Fan’s control in the first place.

Beastly Tiger gritted his teeth to withstand the power that was pushing him down. He had a look of defiance on his face. But hearing Domineering Tiger’s words, he bit his lips and nodded his head.

“That’s enough Arthur,” Frowning Tiger sighed, and immediately the mountainous pressure disappeared.

“Yes Teacher.”

Listening to Arthur’s submissive tone, Domineering Tiger sighed in appreciation and said, “You have a good student.” Unlike Beastly Tiger, he didn’t seem offended by Arthur’s show of power. He was rather envious that Frowning Tiger had picked a good student; something he had deemed a waste of time in his quest for power.