“Come and get me, kitty~” Zhang Ye shouted at the Blade-tail Tiger behind him, with Gujiu perched on his head.
The Blade-tail Tiger naturally couldn't understand his words, but the provocative tone was unmistakable. It let out a roar and lunged at Zhang Ye.
Without a second word, Zhang Ye turned and bolted.
【Magic-version Omni-directional Mobility Gear】 activate!
Zhang Ye’s speed surged instantly, barely keeping pace with the Blade-tail Tiger. The man and the beast resumed their high-speed chase through the forest.
“Woohoo!”
“Come on, kitty! Do your worst!” Zhang Ye twisted in mid-air and made a face at the Blade-tail Tiger.
“Roar!” The Blade-tail Tiger possessed a degree of intelligence. Seeing this two-legged beast continue to provoke it while being hunted, it let out a furious roar as its front claws began to glow with golden light.
Zhang Ye’s gaze narrowed at the sight.
Here it comes!
It was 【Strong Metal Blade】!
Sure enough, in the next instant, the Blade-tail Tiger leaped and swept its claw through the air.
Four crescent-shaped golden blades of light swept toward Zhang Ye!
The blades were over ten meters wide, slicing through everything in their path. Even giant trees over two meters thick couldn't withstand them. If he took a direct hit, he’d be dead on the spot.
But facing those golden waves of energy, Zhang Ye took a deep breath.
Gujiu, don't let me down!
“I choose you, Gujiu!” Zhang Ye shouted.
“Gujiu!” Gujiu immediately expanded, enveloping Zhang Ye.
From inside Gujiu’s body, Zhang Ye found he could still breathe and could see everything outside through Gujiu’s semi-transparent form.
The massive golden blades of light dissolved the moment they touched Gujiu’s body!
It was like cotton candy hitting water, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
The golden blades were magic composed of mana, and Gujiu’s innate trait was to devour magic!
Seeing this, Zhang Ye immediately broke into a joyful grin.
Originally, he had been worried that Gujiu wouldn't be able to absorb the magic instantly and that he might take some damage, so he had his defensive spells ready. But now it seemed Gujiu’s Devour ability was even more domineering than he had imagined!
“Nice! Now it’s time for a counterattack!” Zhang Ye chuckled. With Gujiu—who had just let out a small burp—on his head, he charged straight back at the Blade-tail Tiger.
The Blade-tail Tiger was stunned to see its innate magic devoured so completely without any effect. However, seeing Zhang Ye charging toward it, a fierce light flashed in its eyes.
Overconfident two-legged beast!
“Roar!” It let out a roar, sending out sound waves to disorient Zhang Ye.
Its 【Metal-shaking Roar】 could not only shatter metal-type magic lower than its own tier but also cause negative effects like dizziness to targets within range. As long as Zhang Ye was affected for even a second, it could use its lightning speed to slice him in half!
However, its simple calculation failed once again. The moment the Blade-tail Tiger released the 【Metal-shaking Roar】, Gujiu expanded again, this time just enough to cover Zhang Ye’s head.
As a result, the mana contained within the sound waves was devoured by Gujiu. The 【Metal-shaking Roar】 became nothing more than a normal roar—loud, but completely incapable of affecting Zhang Ye.
Zhang Ye grinned and shouted.
“【Dread-claw Strike】!!”
【Dread-claw Strike: A Tier Six metal-type magic that condenses metal-attribute mana into dread-claws for an attack!】
This magic came from the Dread-claw Bear. Before Zhang Ye had released the Blade-tail Tiger, he had used a Copy Slot to copy this magic from the bear!
Thick mana immediately condensed around Zhang Ye’s hands, forming two massive, bear-like dread-claws. He swung them through the air, sending six intersecting golden blades of light flying toward the Blade-tail Tiger—even more powerful than the tiger’s own 【Strong Metal Blade】!
The Blade-tail Tiger had just landed and had no time to react before the 【Dread-claw Strike】 was upon it!
The Blade-tail Tiger’s defense wasn't particularly strong. If hit head-on, the 【Dread-claw Strike】 would be enough to cause massive damage!
Not daring to be careless, the tiger’s body immediately flashed with yellow light. Its forehead, shoulders, back, and claws were suddenly covered in rock-like plates that shimmered with a metallic luster!
The Blade-tail Tiger’s innate magic—【Metal Tiger Earth Armor】!
Its defense surged just as the 【Dread-claw Strike】 hit. After a massive explosion, the Blade-tail Tiger was blown back. Cracks appeared in its armor plates, but it had successfully blocked the attack, sustaining only minor, non-lethal injuries.
However, Zhang Ye had expected this. His true goal was to get close!
In the moment the tiger was distracted by the evasion, the cables at his waist shot out, and the magic circles on his back erupted with flames, propelling him forward.
“Earth Tiger Armor, Combine!” he shouted, his eyes flashing with golden light.
Earth Tiger Armor, my foot! It was 【Metal Tiger Earth Armor】!
Copy!
Source—Blade-tail Tiger!
A suit of armor immediately manifested over Zhang Ye.
The armor was made of the same material as the plates on the Blade-tail Tiger, but because of the Perfect Mastery provided by the system, the armor didn't just cover parts of his body—it covered him entirely!
Even his head was encased in a tiger-shaped helmet, leaving only his eyes visible. Sharp, tiger-claw-like blades extended from the backs of his hands. The full-body armor looked sharp and hard, yet it didn't feel heavy!
Honestly, it really did look a bit like the Earth Tiger Armor from that show!
The effect of 【Metal Tiger Earth Armor】 was to summon armor that covered the body, boosting defense while significantly increasing strength!
With the armor attached, Zhang Ye felt a surge of power.
His physical body was already at the Tier Five early stage. With the Earth... no, the Metal Tiger Earth Armor active, his strength shot straight up to the Tier Six level!
What he wanted was to use this Tier Six strength to kill the Blade-tail Tiger!
【Bursting Flame】, ten-fold injection!
In an instant, five 【Bursting Flame】 magic circles appeared behind Zhang Ye, erupting with violent flames simultaneously. Because the five circles were evenly distributed, Zhang Ye’s body didn't tilt backward.
His speed exploded, and he turned into a streak of golden-red light, shooting toward the Blade-tail Tiger.
He was moving so fast he couldn't even keep his eyes open. He had to squint, relying on mana perception to lock onto the tiger’s position.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the Blade-tail Tiger.
The force of the 【Dread-claw Strike】 had just dissipated in front of the tiger. Before it could recover, it saw the dust pierced through as a figure arrived before it.
In his hand, he had already condensed another 【Dread-claw Strike】.
Then, he slammed his palm down!
“Just... die!!!”
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion echoed, accompanied by the sharp shriek of the Blade-tail Tiger. The ground cracked and dust billowed, obscuring the scene.
Finally, the dust settled!
Zhang Ye’s figure stood swaying in the center of the wrecked crater.
Beneath his feet, the Blade-tail Tiger was long gone. Its head was crushed, its death gruesome, with an eyeball having flown over ten meters away.
Zhang Ye was trembling all over.
That strike had been incredibly powerful and fast; the Blade-tail Tiger hadn't even had time to dodge before being crushed to death.
But the burden this strike placed on Zhang Ye’s body was equally immense.
After that one hit, his arm simply couldn't withstand such terrifying force and was now bent at a grotesque angle.
It was broken.
His shoulder was also dislocated.
The mana in his body was nearly depleted.
The 【Metal Tiger Earth Armor】 dissipated, revealing Zhang Ye’s bloody, mangled arm.
The acceleration from the ten-fold 【Bursting Flame】 combined with the burden of the 【Dread-claw Strike】 had nearly destroyed his right arm completely. Intense pain gnawed at Zhang Ye’s nerves, making him tremble so much that he even ignored the nausea from the tiger's gruesome death.
“Hiss... it hurts like hell...” Zhang Ye gasped, letting out a pained laugh.
“You can still laugh when it hurts this much?” Ella’s figure appeared, looking at him with a speechless expression.
“There’s no rule... saying you have to cry when it hurts...” Zhang Ye chuckled, but the movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to wince.
“Gujiu...” Seeing Zhang Ye in such pain, Gujiu let out a cry and hopped onto his shoulder, gently rubbing against him as if to comfort him.
Zhang Ye managed a smile and rubbed his cheek against Gujiu’s soft body.
“I’m okay...” he said with a smile. “I really have to thank Gujiu this time...”
It was true. If Gujiu hadn't blocked the Blade-tail Tiger’s attacks twice in a row, Zhang Ye would never have been able to get close unharmed, let alone kill it.
This time, the little angel Gujiu deserved the top credit!
Rate on N.U.
