10 meters.20 meters.30 meters…
When Ada was over 100 meters away from the rest of the group, the lurking Windfire Demon Tiger could no longer hold back.
"Roar!~"
Without warning, it crept up behind Ada and unleashed a wind-type magic spell—Acceleration—before charging at her with terrifying speed.
Having been wounded by these humans earlier, the Windfire Demon Tiger was eager for revenge. Its first target: the woman who had stepped away from the group.
"Gotcha!"
Although Ada appeared calm and relaxed, she had remained vigilant. The moment she felt the sudden gust behind her, she spun around and raised her shield, activating her qi to unleash her most powerful defensive skill:
Two-Star Combat Skill – Resilient Shield Wall.
A semi-transparent, earthy-yellow energy barrier appeared, enveloping Ada like a fortress.
However, the Windfire Demon Tiger's attack—backed by its massive size and the acceleration spell—was immensely powerful, like a magical battering ram.
The barrier shattered within two seconds.
Ada was thrown back more than ten meters by the force of the impact.
Yet, thanks to the Shield Wall's cushioning effect, the attack's power was mostly absorbed. Though bruised, Ada avoided serious injury.
She quickly rose to her feet and followed the plan—assuming a defensive stance and activating her taunting skill to draw the Windfire Demon Tiger's attention.
"Roar!"
The skill worked perfectly.
Enraged by her resilience, the Windfire Demon Tiger gave up its stealth tactics and exploded with fury.
Fireball!Wind Blade!Explosive Fireball!
The Wind and Fire Demon Tiger unleashed a rapid series of magic attacks, raining destruction down on Ada.
Meanwhile, she used every shield technique she had to block the onslaught—buying time for her teammates to arrive.
But Ada had underestimated just how powerful the Wind and Fire Demon Tiger truly was.
"Roar!"
Frustrated that she was still standing, the monster unleashed its trump card.
High above the Wind and Fire Demon Tiger's head, a ten-meter-wide fireball—burning with an intense blue flame—began to form.
Advanced Fire Spell – Flame Burst.
Far more devastating than an Explosive Fireball, the Flame Burst incinerated everything in its path. If it hit Ada directly, not even ashes would remain.
Just as the flaming meteor was about to strike—
Rennes arrived.
He surged forward like a windstorm, using the acceleration technique from his Swift Sword Technique, placing himself in front of Ada just in time.
With a powerful upward swing of his sword, he summoned a tightly packed wall of slicing wind energy:
Swift Sword Technique – Wind Barrier.
The moment the wind shield took shape, the massive fireball collided with it.
But instead of overwhelming them, the gust diverted the fireball to the side.
Boom!
It exploded on impact, forming a massive crater several meters deep and twenty meters wide. The surrounding forest instantly turned to scorched earth.
Without pausing, Rennes shouted:
"Die!"
He lunged at the Windfire Demon Tiger, sword wreathed in slicing winds, aiming straight for its head:
Swift Sword Technique – Whirlwind Fierce Slash.
The strike was fast and deadly.
The Windfire Demon Tiger, still recovering from its earlier spell, barely managed to move its head in time. The blade missed a fatal blow—but not by much.
A deep gash was carved down the side of its face, and blood spurted out in torrents.
"Roar!!"
Blinded by pain, the enraged beast retaliated.
It lunged at Rennes, jaws wide open, aiming to tear him apart.
But Rennes didn't try to meet its power head-on.
"Swift Wind Step."
He vanished in a blink, dodging the attack and spinning around to slash at the creature's waist.
Even with heavy wounds, the Windfire Demon Tiger's body proved incredibly resilient. It thrashed and roared, still ferociously alive.
By this point, Fleur and the others arrived and joined the fight.
They took up strategic positions, harassing the Windfire Demon Tiger with spells and strikes—giving Rennes more chances to land killing blows.
The teamwork paid off.
Wounds accumulated across the tiger's body. Its once fearsome aura was now flickering, weakened.
Sensing its imminent defeat, the Windfire Demon Tiger went berserk.
Its eyes—like copper bells—flared with madness. It pushed its body past its limits and cast one final, all-out spell:
Advanced Fire Spell – Meteor Shower.
An overwhelming torrent of fire magic erupted from its body. A fire cloud, over 100 meters wide, formed above it.
Then—like falling stars—giant fireballs rained down in waves.
Caught off guard by the sheer scale of the attack, Rennes and the others struggled to react.
They ducked and dodged, shields raised, as flaming meteors crashed into the ground around them.
But there was a flaw—the Wind and Fire Demon Tiger had pushed itself beyond its magical limits. Its control over the spell was weak.
Most of the meteors missed entirely, crashing into empty ground.
The rest of the team worked together, blocking or dodging what they could.
After one tense minute, the blazing fire cloud dispersed.
Covered in ash and scorched earth, the team finally exhaled.
They had survived.
The Windfire Demon Tiger, drained of its last magic reserves, was exhausted.
Its strength waned.
Rennes rushed forward and, with one final strike, beheaded the Windfire Demon Tiger.
The battle was over.
"It's finally dead."
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Their bodies were sore, their magic reserves nearly empty.
Had the fight continued any longer, they likely wouldn't have made it.
Once they tended to their wounds, they eagerly turned to harvest the corpse.
As a rare, mutated advanced beast, nearly every part of the Wind and Fire Demon Tiger held tremendous value—its magic core, fur, claws, even its blood.
They spent ten minutes carefully extracting each valuable part.
After that, they raided the beast's lair, collecting every item of worth.
Once the loot was gathered and secured, Rennes and the team began their journey home.
Their steps were tired but joyful—the spoils of battle made it all worthwhile.