Soon, they reached the clearing she had chosen for this encounter—an uneven battlefield framed by jagged rocks and toppled trees, its terrain treacherous enough to offer both danger and opportunity.

  She exhaled softly and spoke as she jump toward the ground. “Little leopard, we finally meet,” she said, her voice steady with a hint of playful confidence. “How about a fair fight? Winner gets to eat the loser for lunch.”

  The leopard answered with a thunderous roar. Its eyes gleamed with primal intent. At first, it advanced slowly, each step deliberate… then, without warning, it shot forward with the speed of a whip-crack, claws sharpening with manifested strength.

  Swoosh!

  Awakened beasts were born with the ability to channel strength flow from the moment they drew breath, but even such natural power had its limits, confined by their realm and instinct. 

  Bissai relied on her heightened awareness—an elevated perception that read motion patterns like ink on paper—and slipped past each attack as though she flowed around the leopard’s fury.

  Its first strike grazed her hair. The second carved through empty space as she twisted. The third sliced a fallen log in half.

  She remained unharmed.

  The leopard hissed, claws shredding through the air in rapid arcs.

  Bissai stepped back lightly, her smile unwavering. “Almost killed me,” she remarked, though her eyes glinted. “But if you think holding back will take me down, you’re mistaken.”

  The beast’s attacks grew sharper, its movements more cunning. It combined claw slashes with sudden bursts of speed, feints, leaps, and abrupt angle changes that would have overwhelmed most fighters.

  Swoosh!

  A surprise charge sent a claw wave tearing toward her. Bissai dodged, but not fully. A sharp sting struck her hand.

  Scratch.

  Warm blood slid down her palm.

  She pressed her lips together, assessing the wound. It wasn’t fatal—but it was a reminder of how quickly a mistake could become deadly. The leopard’s attacks were not simply wild swipes, they were calculated, adaptive. And dangerous.

  The battle intensified.

  The leopard’s physique gave it a natural edge. It pressed her relentlessly, its strikes rapid and unpredictable. Even as blood trickled from multiple shallow wounds on Bissai’s arms, she began noticing subtle cues—the twitch of the leopard’s tail, the shift in its hind legs before leaping, the faint tightening of muscle before releasing a claw wave.

  Patterns emerged where chaos had once been.

  Swoosh—Scratch—Splotch.

  Bissai wiped blood from her cheek and addressed the beast calmly. “You’re strong,” she said. “Very strong. But strength alone won’t be enough to defeat me.”

  After they fought fir quite a while, a glance at the sky told her the sun was rising higher. Time was slipping away faster than she liked.

  If this dragged on, she won't have the time to recover before the Azurh Academy entrance exam.

  She tightened her stance, determination sharpening her gaze.

  She needed to end this.

  The leopard launched another full-force claw wave, its energy slashing into her torso. Pain erupted, but she did not retreat. Instead, she endured the force and pushed forward, countering with strikes aimed at openings she had begun to predict.

  Swoosh—Scratch—Splotch.

  Though blood soaked her clothes, she never collapsed. She trembled, but each time she fell, she rose again instantly.

  Her eyes glowed with a feverish thrill.

  She understood the price of the path she walked. A life-and-death battle determined one simple truth.

  The victor lived. The defeated died.

  Her breathing grew heavy. Her vision sharpened.

  Then she noticed something—the angle of the incoming claw wave. Its path, she could clearly see it yet as she registered the trajectory and began to dodged it, the leopard pounced from her blind spot.

  Claws raked across her back.

  Swoosh—Splotch.

  Her balance faltered. The second claw wave hit her arm as she tried to block it.

  Splotch.

  A ligament tore.

  Her hand dangled uselessly at her side.

  Blood dripped freely, yet her expression didn’t darken. Instead, a strange lightness began to bloom within her senses—a heightened clarity, like she was standing on the edge of breakthrough. Even cornered, even bleeding, she felt a growing awareness take shape.

  She could see the next attack coming.

  The leopard unleashed a coordinated assault: a claw wave straight ahead, while its body slipped behind her for a final strike.

  For the first time, Bissai clearly saw the full pattern—the rhythm behind chaos.

  She twisted midair, allowing the wave to slice only empty space. As she spun, her strikes blurred—twelve blows in rapid succession carving upward from the leopard’s abdomen to its chest, ending with a crushing kick to its jaw.

  Swoosh—Tchap—DOOM!

  The leopard crashed into a boulder pile.

  Bissai steadied her breath, eyes wide with realization. She had pierced deeper into the stage of awareness. Her perception had sharpened beyond its previous limits.

  But the fight was far from over.

  The rocks shifted.

  The leopard rose again.

  Its muscles bulged, its aura flared, and its fangs lengthened. Power pulsed like a storm around it as it revealed its true physique—a transformation awakened beasts used only when forced into genuine danger.

  With a roar, it lunged.

  Bissai’s eyes widened as she understood.

  This entire time… it had only been using its base form.

  The leopard pinned her instantly. Claws dug into her chest. Fangs sank into her shoulder.

  Its roar rumbled through her bones, a communication of instinct:

  It had never intended to kill her. Only chase her away. But she had insisted on pushing it into a real fight.

  Now, cornered, the beast had no choice but to respond in kind.

  Bissai’s vision faded. Her strength scattered.

  “So… this is the power you were holding back…” she whispered.

  Her consciousness slipped away.