The World Shook

Gora

"Mommy?" I Asked Warr, who was busy moving away from me. I was about to scold the cat for running, but I figured she wouldn't be able to hear me. The panther beneath me was crying so loud I could barely hear my own thoughts. I quickly perked up as I felt a powerful beast approaching our location.

Boom!

A panther, the same size as Warr, burst from the woods. The creature knocked down a few trees. The black beast had a long spiral-shaped horn poking out of its head. It looked the same as the layer five panther I currently had at my feet. The silver horn glittered in the moonlight as the larger creature locked eyes with what I assumed was its child. ( This must be mom.) I thought as the panther's hate-filled eyes landed on mine. I tried to look as none threatening as I possibly could before explaining the situation. Before I could, however, the beast charged, turning into black smoke mid-stride. Even with Ki enhanced eyes, I couldn't pinpoint the best location. I couldn't even feel an ounce of the panther's Ki anymore. It was as if she wasn't there at all.

Boom

The panther's claws crashed into the spot I was just standing. If not for my instinct that I had honed in my old life, I would have been crushed. The blow created an explosion of stone and dirt. ( She's not playing around.) I thought as I held my hands up. The panther was now in front of her child as she looked at me with surprise.

"What are you, and why have you attacked my child? The panther's voices entered my head, shocking me for a second. I recovered quickly, preparing to answer her when Warr cut me off.

"My master does not have to answer to anyone! Especially not to weaklings such as yourself. Warr announced smugly. I shot the beast a murderous glare. ( What are you thinking?) I wondered as I began to defend myself.

"This Is all a misunderstanding." I pleaded, but the panther ignored me as she turned to her child.

"Mommy the human hurt me!" The male panther said as tears streamed from its eyes. ( You little brat!) I thought as the female released her blood lust while looking at me.

"I don't know what's going on, but both of you will pay for hurting my child. Starting with you, human! The female panther exclaimed before she launched herself at me once again. ( Why can't we just talk?) I thought, frowning to myself. My eyes darted back and forward, searching for the beast that had just turned into smoke.

Whoosh!

I sidestep the panther retreating further away. The black cat reappeared with a look of shock in its eyes. Most likely surprised that I was able to dodge her again. I could tell that my opponent was underestimating me. (Maybe if she sees that she can't hit me, she'll stop and talk.) I thought. So, I just dodged and evaded the panthers' attacks for what felt like hours. However, it was no easy task. I could only do it because I had experience fighting smoke users. In fact, the last person I fought with the ability was a demon king. However, the panther in front of me was nowhere near his level.

The smoke element was just a variety of the wind element. Smoke users, or shadow users as they prefer to be called. Are pretty simple to deal with. They can transform their body into smoke, rendering them invincible to physical attacks. It also meant that they couldn't use physical strikes in their shadow form. Most shadow users are great assassins and excel in hit-and-run tactics. The trick to fighting them was waiting until they left their shadow. The second smoke users attacks, they give off the most mana. All I had to do was use Ki sense to pick up the changes in the mana around me. I also had to be fast enough to dodge once I spotted the difference.

"Stop running, human!" The panther roared as she rushed me again. This time she went faster. The cat appeared behind me. Unfortunately, even with my level five body, I couldn't dodge in time. I spun around, grabbing the cat's paw and positioning myself under the beast's body.

Crack!

Boom!

As soon as I was under the beast, I pushed my legs as hard as possible. Using the panthers' momentum, I could throw the elephant-sized cat easily. The creature crashed into some nearby trees, sending them crashing down. It was my first time using a throwing technique, so I felt happy with the results. The move was meant for more humanoid opponents, but I had modified it for the beast. Unfortunately, I couldn't celebrate for long as the creature quickly disappeared again.

I lifted my leg and pointed my toes to the sky. It looked like I was doing the splits standing up. I waited patiently until I noticed a change in the Ki around me. I quickly spun on the one foot still on the ground like a ballerina. ( Leg Ax!) I thought as I dropped my leg straight down, aiming at the black panther. The beast was caught off guard but managed to dodge my kick. The cat chose not to turn into smoke to counter my blow. She was now on my left, preparing to claw me to pieces. I had yet to finish my attack and was wide open. I commanded the void to wrap around my foot, making it incredibly heavy.

BOOM!

My leg hit the ground before the beast reached me. Causing an explosion of debris, making it hard for anyone to see. I use this as a cover to escape the beast. I was now a few feet away from the creature, who seemed shocked.

"A mere layer three has so much power? What the hell are you?" The panther exclaimed. I ignored her, though, as I paused for a moment. I felt a slight breeze so, I looked down to see a tear in my trench coat. Rage filled me as I noticed that I didn't completely escape the panther's last blow.

"I'm pissed off!" I said as I dropped my coat and summoned my sword. Some of my blood lust leaked from me uncontrollably as I glared at the mother panther. I grew very fond of the jacket lately, and I only had one spare coat left. It was some fluffy pink monstrosity that I did not plan on wearing for a million years. I also realized that I couldn't defeat the beast at my current Tie-Ki level. I thought about using my black blades, but I didn't want to hurt the beast too much. I still needed health allies if I wished for my plan to work. So, I could cause any life-threatening damage.

Woosh!

I launched myself at the panther, going on the offensive for the first time since the battle started. My hope was to show my dominance and crush the cat's will to fight. Only then could we have an actual conversation.

Bang

The massive panther brought its claws up to meet my sword. A big mistake considering I had covered my blade with black Ki. The shock wave from the blow knocked us both back. The beast was noticeably injured as it struggled to put its full weight on its paw. I rushed again only to stop midway. The creature had transformed into smoke and disappeared from view. I stood their sword at the ready, preparing for the panthers next move. I let my instincts take over as I tapped into my killer instinct.

(There!) I thought As I swung my sword even before the panther came out of his shadow. I saw a mixture of fear and frustration in the animals face as it struggled to emerge from her smoke quicker. The cat managed to barely dodge my blade, but I did clip its horn. Lucky for the beast, I didn't use my element.

To my surprise, the layer six beasts recovered extreme fast. The mythical creature pounced as soon as its paws hit the ground. My long sword was already moving. ( Hydra Style!) I thought as I channelled the void on my blade, but instead of making it heavy, I made it as light as a feather. The hydra style was a new technique I'd been working on lately. It was actually a sword style I had stolen from a warrior in my past life. I didn't know the technique's name, so I decided to name it after myself.

The first was a downward slash that sailed towards the charging beast at blurring speed. The panther reacted by dodging to the right, but I just executed the second slash, this time even faster than the last. The beast avoided me by a hair as it jumped back. I performed the third and final step, a two-handed thrust.

Whoosh!

My blade bit the air as I aimed to skewer my opponent. Luckily for the panther, she was able to dodge but not entirely. The beast groaned in pain as my swords cut a long line on the cats left side of the beast, from its front legs to its hindquarters.

"No! Mother? The male panther screamed as he raced to her side.

"Stay put, boy!" The female cat demanded before coming at me again. I took a deep breath and prepared to execute the Hydra style again. The Hydra style was a straightforward technique, with only three sword movements. The trick was performing these three swings without any wasted motion. The style required one to have a masters level of understanding of the body and sword.

Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh

I slashed horizontally just as the panther reappeared from the shadows. The beast was forced to retreat but came at me again. My sword was already above my head as I performed a downward strike. Again the creature dodged, moving further back. I thrust my sword and executed the last movement of the Hydra style. My three swings were completed in the span of one breathe. I was surprised that the panther was able to evade my second slash. But my third attack reached its mark.

"AHHaaa!" The female panther yelled in agony as my blade sliced the right side of the beast. This cut was shorter but much deeper than the first wound I gave the beast.

"Don't hurt my mother!" I heard the male cat yell as it appeared behind me. I quickly sidestepped the layer five panther and was about to slash him with my blade. My sword was inches away from the beast before I could stop myself. I heard the female panther cry out to her son as she disappeared into the smoke and materialized behind me in a flash. ( Never underestimate a mothers' love, huh?) I thought as I put my sword back in my ring and rolled out of the mommy panthers path.

The female feline disregarded me as she tackled her child. They both just sat the for a moment before the mother stood. She was panting heavily, and I could tell her Ki was just about spent. I figured the panther wasn't used to fighting for so long. The beast didn't excel in long-drawn, out battles. ( It won't be long now.) I thought as I stared at the pair of black panthers. Once she sees that she can't win, she'll have to talk. I felt terrible for going this far, but the beast only understands one language, and that's power. I was a fool to think I could have a civilized conversation with the creatures.

"Warr, what are they saying?" I asked the tiger, who had been watching from the sidelines. I wanted to strangle the beast. She was partly to blame for the mess we were in. But now wasn't the time. The pair of panthers were now in what looked like a heated discussion. But they had started to speak in the beast tongue, so I couldn't understand.

"They seem to be worried about some beast named Titan.. Hmm? Maybe it's another alpha." Warr explained.

"But don't worry, I'm sure Master will be able to handle it. Warr said sarcastically. I glared at the stupid tiger. She was no doubt hoping I'd die in this encounter.

"Who is Titan!? I screamed at the panthers. They looked at me strangely before looking to Warr. They were likely trying to figure out how I knew what they were saying.

"You'll see soon enough! Were not the only alpha in this territory." The female pather announced.

"Is that supposed to scare me? I asked, locking my gaze onto the panthers. I didn't know who this alpha was, but I damn sure wasn't scared. I had plenty of mana left for a fight, and If I had to, I would kill. I planned on a peaceful mission, but I was prepared to wage war if I had to.

"You should be scared, human. In fact, I'm a little afraid!" The beast said as she looked at her child. I could tell that she really meant her words. ( What beast could strike fear into a layers six?) I wondered before the world shook. I wasn't exaggerating. The very ground under me began to shake, and I found it hard to keep my balance.

"By the Gods!" Warr said as she, too, found it challenging to stand on all fours. I heard the cracking of many branches in the distance, and it was coming closer and fast. ( Oh, this is bad!) I thought as dozens of trees exploded to the right of us. Titan had made his entrance.

Ki Sense: The technique of enhancing one's eyes so that you can see the Ki in the air.

Ti-Ki{Tie-Key}: The art of enhancing one's physical abilities with Ki to fight.

Hydra style: This is a sword technique stolen from a swords master Gora faced in her old life as Sir George. It consisted of three lighting fast strikes that could be used in any order.

The smoke/shadow element: The smoke element is derived from the wind element. The people who awaken the smoke element are smoke users or shadow users. Most shadow users are assassin type fighters because of their ability to turn into smoke.