Alpha Instinct

The low growl sent a shiver down Leonard's spine, a clear prelude to imminent danger. Instinctively, he activated his ELEV and pushed his "Temporal Cognition" to its limit. Time seemed to slow, granting him a precious few seconds to assess the situation.

"Gotcha ya…" he thought.

He grabbed one of his swords, "Smiling," and, to everyone's astonishment, hurled it into the air with incredible force. "What is he doing?" was the expression on their faces, watching the blade whizz upwards, seemingly destined to disappear into the distance.

Then, a sound—a sickening mix of tearing flesh and a feline shriek of pain—echoed from above. "Smiling," seemingly defying gravity, had stopped mid-air.

Impaled on the blade, suspended impossibly for a moment, was a big feline, caught mid-leap from a nearby tree where it had been lurking, invisible.

Evelyn's mind raced, recognizing the creature. "Massive, the body of a black panther, perfect camouflage… Runes… I can barely see them… Faint, glowing on its fur… it's a Death Panther!" She said.

"Damn it, just now!" Raviel exclaimed, his voice tight with frustration.

Silverin, her voice hoarse and weak, warned, "Careful! They hunt in packs! Like lions!"

Silverin barely finished speaking when another Death Panther, this one easily weighing 450 kilograms, sprang from its hiding place, its camouflage making it practically invisible until the last moment.

The panther's claws slammed against Raviel's shield, which he had barely managed to raise in time, the force of the impact staggering him.

"Ambush!" Evelyn shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. "Stay alert! Watch your surroundings!"

"I have an idea!" Mikaela shouted, already raising her hand and summoning Kalendor. "When I say so, everyone get down and cover your eyes!"

She raised her sword and began to concentrate energy at the tip of Kalendor, a pure white energy, like a miniature star. The light grew brighter and brighter, forcing Mikaela to shield her eyes with her other hand.

"NOW! Take cover!" Mikaela roared. She had used God's Blink.

A flash, bright enough to illuminate the entire forest, erupted. The light was so intense that even those with their eyes closed felt their skin prickle with heat. Looking directly at that flashbang would have been incredibly dangerous.

When Mikaela could finally see clearly again, she assessed the situation. Six Death Panthers, their positions revealed by the blinding light, were now disoriented, pawing at their eyes, whimpering in pain and confusion.

"Attack!" Mikaela commanded.

The group, still low to the ground, having shielded their eyes, could now see the panthers' plight. Silverin, wasting no time, knelt and began a blessing prayer.

Leonard ran towards his sword, "Smiling," which was still embedded in the body of the first panther. As he reached it and pulled the blade free, a strange hissing sound emanated from the creature's corpse.

"Leo! LOOK OUT!" Evelyn screamed.

The runes on the animal's body began to glow with increasing intensity, and a high-pitched, whining sound filled the air. The body swelled, distending grotesquely. Then, it exploded.

Leonard, reacting in a split second, brought both his swords up in front of his body, a whirlwind of motion calculated by his "Temporal Cognition."

The blast threw him several meters backward. He slammed against the ground, his back taking the brunt of the impact, and was dragged several more meters before coming to a stop.

"Are you okay?" Kaleb shouted, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah... I... I protected myself, somehow," Leonard replied, groaning, though his entire body ached. Without his precognitive reaction, he would have been killed instantly.

Realizing Leonard was alright, Kaleb, with a flourish, rotated his staff above his head, murmuring syllabic runes. His ELEV blazed at its maximum potential.

"Starfall!" he shouted, his voice booming across the forest.

Fireballs, each the size of a clenched fist, began to form high above, like a miniature, deadly fireworks display, illuminating the entire area.

Kaleb then made a sweeping downward motion with his staff. The numerous incandescent fireballs, crackling and popping with unbearable heat, streaked down, precisely targeting the six panthers. Still disoriented from Mikaela's God's Blink, they couldn't dodge.

The panthers roared in agony as the fireballs struck. Large patches of fur were scorched, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

But it wasn't enough to kill them. On the contrary, now they were enraged, starved for revenge, their murderous instincts more apparent than ever.

"Kaleb… We're going to have a talk later…," Leonard said, his voice strained.

"Err… Looks like it wasn't quite enough..." Kaleb admitted, sheepishly.

"You think? We all saw that, you idiot!" Evelyn retorted.

Xavier, ignoring his companions' bickering, was focused on the battle. He didn't want to end up like Ragnar. He activated his ELEV and focused on one of the closest panthers.

He fired a "Chain Shot". The bolt whistled through the air, and when it struck the panther's chest, black chains of mana erupted, pulling the creature forcefully to the ground.

"Well done!" exclaimed Raviel, seizing the opportunity.

He grabbed his shield and charged towards the downed panther, attempting to finish it off.

With a ferocious leap that kicked up dust from where he launched, he slammed his shield down onto the panther's neck with all his might. The sickening crunch of bone and the gush of blood confirmed the kill—the shield's edge, driven by Raviel's immense strength, had decapitated the beast.

He immediately braced himself behind his shield, and the panther's body exploded, throwing him back but leaving him unharmed.

"One down," Raviel said, smiling.

Silverin finally completed her prayer, standing up and raising her hands to the sky. "Physical enhancements by 30 percent! Go!"

Evelyn used Subterfuge Level 2 and vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind a tree near one of the panthers. With incredibly stealthy steps, she approached the panther, ready to deliver a final blow.

But the panther vanished.

"What the fuck?" Evelyn exclaimed, a rare slip of vulgarity escaping her lips.

Death Panthers also possessed hunting and camouflage abilities. They were the apex predators of that forest, driven away only by the Ursulus Rex.

Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest. Her breath caught in her throat. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew the panther was close, but she couldn't see it.

It was a terrifying, disorienting sensation. Then, she heard it—the whoosh of air cut by claws. Instinctively, she dodged to the right side.

"CRACK-BOOM!" There was a tremendous crash.

The panther's paw struck the tree trunk where Evelyn had been standing a split second before, shattering the wood and sending splinters flying. But the force of the blow, even partially deflected, grazed Evelyn's arm.

Blood welled up, dripping from a shallow but painful gash.

Evelyn couldn't feel her arm for some reason and said, "Guys, I need some help here..."