The Beauty of Combat

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, the stench of burning gunpowder mixing with the smell of singed fur to create a strange odor that made Su Xiao knit his brows.

His vision was obscured by the thick smoke, making it impossible for him to judge the giant tiger's exact position.

"Roar~!!!"

An angry tiger's roar came from within the smoke. Upon hearing it, Su Xiao focused his attention to the maximum, yet his entire body remained in a relaxed state.

Tensed muscles lead to sluggish movements, which would create fatal openings during a fight.

The long blade in his hand hung naturally, its tip resting against the ground.

The giant tiger had yet to appear, hiding within the smoke, but Su Xiao could sense that the beast had already discovered him.

A strong wind blew through the jungle, whistling as it dispersed the rising smoke.

Just then, a massive figure charged out from the smoke, trailing wisps of gray haze—it was the giant tiger.

The giant tiger that appeared in Su Xiao's line of sight was no longer as majestic as before; large patches of its fur were scorched, the charred hair clinging to its skin with faint sparks still flickering within.

Its massive body was also covered in wounds, with countless iron nails embedded deep into its flesh.

The most severe injury was to one of the tiger's eyes; iron nails were driven all around the socket, and black-red fluid oozed from the cavity.

Upon discovering the tiger's condition, a smile touched the corners of Su Xiao's mouth. Even if such injuries didn't kill it outright, its combat effectiveness had dropped by at least ninety percent. His traps had been extremely effective.

Indeed, humans are the most dangerous creatures in the natural world.

The giant tiger lunged at Su Xiao with a whistling gust of wind, covering the distance in just a few strides.

Compared to such a behemoth, Su Xiao didn't even reach the height of its front legs.

Yet for some reason, Su Xiao's heartbeat began to accelerate; this massive opponent made him feel somewhat excited.

Before the giant tiger could reach him, Su Xiao kicked off the ground, sending dead leaves flying. He dashed toward the tiger in a few steps and swung his long blade at its front paw.

"Puchi."

Blood splattered as a wound was carved into the tiger's front paw. Dragon Slayer Flash lived up to its rating of 10, effortlessly piercing the tiger's hide and slicing deep into the muscle.

The giant tiger let out a pained roar. The injuries from the previous explosion had slowed its movements, and its brain still felt somewhat dizzy.

Just as the tiger prepared to counterattack, Su Xiao side-stepped, placing himself exactly on the tiger's left side—the blind spot created by its blinded eye.

Two tiger paws, each the size of a millstone, swiped forward in succession. The extended claws glinted with a metallic sheen; had Su Xiao been caught, he would have paid a heavy price, but the tiger failed to land a single scratch on him.

Taking this opportunity, Su Xiao lunged forward, gripped the hilt with both hands, and delivered another slash to the tiger's paw.

Su Xiao had no choice but to target the paws; the giant tiger stood at least four meters tall, making it extremely difficult to strike vital areas like its throat or head.

With the threat of those two paws, Su Xiao dared not rashly attack the tiger's vitals.

But that didn't matter. There were still several hours left before the side mission deadline, so Su Xiao had time, but the giant tiger did not.

After only a short while of fighting, the surrounding ground was already soaked in a large pool of blood. It wouldn't be long before the giant tiger collapsed from blood loss, at which point it would be at his mercy.

The giant tiger realized this as well. While glaring at Su Xiao with its single eye full of hatred, it began to harbor thoughts of retreat.

That is the nature of beasts; in extremely dire situations, most will choose to flee unless they have cubs to protect.

Seeking advantages and avoiding harm is not just human nature; it is the same for beasts, especially since this giant tiger possessed high intelligence.

The giant tiger breathed heavily, its sharp claws digging deep into the soil as it prepared to flee at any moment.

The battle had reached this point; how could Su Xiao let the tiger escape? He had spent precious time setting those traps.

Just as the tiger showed signs of retreating, the Dragon Slayer Flash in Su Xiao's hand struck repeatedly, leaving several bloody, mangled gashes on the tiger's body.

Looking at the giant tiger's remaining 8% health bar, it was certain to die unless something unexpected happened.

In Reincarnation Paradise, there was no such thing as entering a "berserk" state when health dropped below 10%. Once health fell below 10%, any creature would become extremely weak.

Forget about going berserk; the giant tiger could barely run properly now, and its attacks were chaotic and disorganized, driven only by the desire to escape.

When the giant tiger attempted to flee for the sixth time, Su Xiao plunged his long blade into its hind leg, then gripped the hilt with both hands and yanked it outward with force.

The sound of the blade slicing through muscle was distinct. Su Xiao, gripping the hilt, clearly felt the slight vibration transmitted to the blade as the muscle was severed.

The giant tiger let out a mournful howl. A deep wound appeared on its hind leg, and before blood could fill the gash, Su Xiao saw a severed tendon inside.

With the tendon cut, the giant tiger had lost its chance to escape. It was doomed to die today.

Perhaps the giant tiger realized this too; it changed its demeanor, facing Su Xiao and letting out continuous, threatening roars.

Su Xiao stood before the giant tiger, his bare upper body stained with a large amount of tiger blood.

The slick, warm sensation of the blood stimulated Su Xiao's ferocity, making him appear exceptionally savage at this moment.

Standing before this house-sized beast, Su Xiao smiled—a smile that was exceptionally gentle.

The Master of Mt. Colubo had dominated Mt. Colubo for many years and had never feared any creature.

But at this moment, this giant beast felt a hint of fear toward Su Xiao, because this smiling human was likely to take its life.

"Roar~!"

A roar filled with both lingering anger and fear echoed across the entire Mt. Colubo.

Su Xiao dashed toward the giant tiger with agile steps, changing his direction from time to time.

The giant tiger lowered its body, clearly preparing to fight Su Xiao to the death.

A tiger claw, accompanied by a foul stench, swiped toward Su Xiao's face. This strike was both fast and fierce; the giant tiger had actually been concealing its true speed, only revealing it in this dying moment to deliver a fatal blow to Su Xiao.

If he were to be struck by this claw, even if Su Xiao were lucky enough to survive, he would have no choice but to flee.

Su Xiao appeared to have the advantage, but that was not the case. The gap in strength between him and the giant tiger was too vast. Even after being slashed a dozen times, the health bar above the giant tiger's head had only decreased by about 1%, which was completely insignificant—and that 1% even included the blood the tiger was rapidly losing.

However, if he were to take a direct hit from the giant tiger's claw, the battle would likely be over.

As this lethal claw swiped right in front of him, Su Xiao maintained his forward momentum, actually choosing to meet it head-on.

Just as Su Xiao was about to be struck by the tiger claw, he spread his legs into a kneeling position, lowered his center of gravity, and leaned his entire body backward.

The tiger claw, reeking of thick blood, grazed the tip of Su Xiao's nose, the powerful gust of wind blowing his messy hair upward.

With his knees sliding through the leaves on the ground, Su Xiao narrowly dodged the tiger claw.

Slamming one hand against the ground, Su Xiao vaulted upward. He was now positioned directly beneath the giant tiger's head, exposing its vulnerable throat.

Su Xiao certainly wouldn't be polite, delivering a single slash directly.

A massive spray of blood gushed out, bathing Su Xiao in gore.

While Su Xiao was fighting for his life against the giant tiger, a small, thin figure was hiding in a patch of bushes in the distance; judging by the build, it was a child.

"So, so strong."

The bushes rustled, and the child's head poked out from within, a few green leaves still resting on the Straw Hat atop his head.

Guess who the little kid is. Hehe, you should have all figured it out by now.