The Black Cloud Leopard crouched low, its tail swaying like a whip. Despite its ferocity, the evolved beast's sharp intelligence kept it from charging recklessly. It sensed the crushing threat radiating from Alex.
Its claws scraped against the dirt, eyes locked on him — searching, waiting for the smallest flaw.
"Hey, friend!" the battered man nearby called out quickly, his voice trembling. "If you kill this thing, all the spoils are yours. I won't take a share… Just—just help me!"
He knew full well that if Alex moved, it would be saving his life. Asking for more would be shameless.
Alex, however, wasn't smiling. His gaze hardened as he studied the beast.
Seven hundred crystal points. A power level few Tier 3 creatures could match.
If there was a way to avoid a fight, he would have taken it. But this was not his choice.
With a flick of his hand, the Wushuang Sword appeared, gleaming coldly. His left palm opened, and arcs of azure lightning crackled between his fingers.
He pushed his aura outward, hoping the display would drive the leopard back.
Roar!
Instead, the beast took it as provocation.
The Black Cloud Leopard exploded forward, a black blur tearing across the ground. Its speed was beyond mortal vision — lightning incarnate.
Alex's eyes narrowed. His body moved on instinct.
With a stamp of his foot, he vanished, activating his shave ability.
In the next heartbeat, sword met claw.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Man and beast collided in a storm of blows. Each clash sent shockwaves tearing through the earth, wind blades and sparks scattering in every direction.
To the stunned survivor nearby, the fight was nearly incomprehensible. The combatants flickered in and out of sight, their forms only visible when steel and claw collided.
"What speed…" he gasped, barely believing his own eyes. "I can't even follow them. I'd just be throwing my life away if I got involved…"
His earlier offer to "help" now seemed laughable.
Alex, locked in combat, felt the strain with every clash. The Black Cloud Leopard's power lived up to its reputation — a predator forged of speed and fury.
So this is what seven hundred crystal points feels like…
The recoil of each strike reverberated through the Wushuang Sword, but Alex's grip never faltered. His lips curved in grim admiration.
Without the physical techniques he had honed and without the strength of the Asgardian bloodline coursing through his veins, he would already have been crushed.
Huff… huff…
The ultra-fast exchange had taken its toll. The Black Cloud Leopard's flanks heaved as it panted, golden eyes fixed warily on Alex.
Realizing it could not overcome him in close combat, the beast changed tactics. Its jaws opened, condensing the howling winds within its throat into spear after spear of razor-edged force.
The barrage howled toward Alex.
But he didn't falter. Charging forward, he thrust out his left hand, the vibranium alloy glove gleaming under the dim sky.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each wind spear shattered harmlessly against his palm, the glove absorbing their edge like a miniature Captain America shield.
A dozen strikes later, Alex stood unscathed.
For the first time, the Black Cloud Leopard's gaze flickered with something human — fear. Neither its claws nor its wind blades could harm him. Its instincts screamed the truth.
This was not prey. This was death.
With a guttural roar, the beast unleashed one last desperate attack. A massive column of compressed wind burst from its jaws, tearing up the ground between them. Then, without hesitation, the Leopard turned, its body blurring as it fled into the distance.
Alex blinked, momentarily surprised.
"Running?"
But the thought made sense. Ordinary zombies and zombie beasts acted on blind instinct — they fought until destroyed. But evolved beasts possessed intelligence. The higher the evolution, the sharper their minds. And when faced with overwhelming power, retreat was the only choice.
Still, letting it go would be foolish. Had the Leopard fled at the start, Alex would not have bothered chasing. But now? Now it was injured, its strength depleted.
This was his one chance.
With a sweep of his hand, Alex summoned power. The air before the fleeing beast fractured like shattered glass.
Mirror Space.
The distorted dimension unfolded, trapping the Black Cloud Leopard within its shimmering prison.
A trapped beast. And Alex, its executioner.
He stepped into the mirrored space. Sword in hand, he advanced.
The Leopard's body, though empowered by crystal points, was not invincible. Against the precision of the Dugu Nine Swords, its defenses were meaningless.
Shhhh! Shhhh!
In a blur, more than a dozen sword marks carved across its sleek hide. Blood sprayed, matting its dark fur as the beast roared in agony.
Alex didn't hesitate. With a leap, he landed squarely on its back. His chain mail surged with energy, magnifying his weight until it bore down like a mountain, pinning the Leopard to the earth.
At the same time, his vibranium-gloved fist clenched tight, lightning surging across his knuckles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He hammered the beast's skull, blow after blow. The ground quaked beneath the repeated strikes, the Leopard thrashing wildly under his assault.
His crystal point count neared 400. Combined with the Asgardian bloodline coursing through him, his One Piece–forged physique, and the amplification of the glove, each strike landed with the weight of a thunderbolt.
The Leopard's struggles grew weaker. Its blood slicked the mirrored floor, pooling beneath it.
At last, its movements slowed to a trembling crawl. Its legs shook as it lowered its massive head. The fight seemed drained from its body.
Alex, panting lightly, froze mid-swing.
"…Stopped?"
The Leopard no longer resisted. Instead, it crouched low, its eyes no longer blazing with defiance but lowered in submission.
Shock flickered across Alex's face.
Don't tell me… after all that, this beast actually… surrendered?