A fierce wind whipped dust into their faces, while the lions' roars behind them shook their eardrums.
Taiju stared fixedly behind him. He had seen that brush with death perfectly clearly.
If Li Xiang had acted even one second later, the lion would have knocked Yuzuriha down on the spot.
Seeing the girl ahead of him unharmed, though still shaken, Taiju felt his heart finally drop out of his throat. His eyes burned, almost reddening on the spot, and tears nearly spilled down his face.
He panted heavily, his voice trembling with lingering fear.
"Li Xiang... thank you. Thank you for protecting Yuzuriha."
This was no time for sentiment.
Li Xiang didn't even turn her head, speaking rapidly. "Cut the chatter and save your strength! We need to find a way out first!"
The pride pursued them relentlessly. Heavy footfalls drew closer and closer, and a foul-smelling wind clung to their backs. The crushing weight of death bore down on them, leaving them no room to breathe.
Just as the beasts were about to catch them, Li Xiang's gaze hardened. She reached down and scooped up a handful of dry dirt.
Her fingers clenched, and she whipped her arm backward!
Yellow dirt burst through the air, spraying straight into the pursuing lions' faces.
Dust instantly coated their eyes, nostrils, and faces, blinding the lions as they charged at full speed.
In their panic, they all stopped short, shaking their heads and growling wildly, their pursuit thrown into complete disarray.
Amid the chaos, one male lion was shoved aside by its companions, stumbling out of their encirclement and opening a small gap between itself and the other three.
A perfect opening!
Li Xiang's eyes sharpened, and she immediately shouted.
"Taiju! Now! Hit it!"
"Yeah!"
Taiju roared in reply, unleashing every ounce of his brute strength.
He charged forward in great strides, his tremendous physical power erupting all at once. Like a cannonball, he shot ahead, leaped high, and came crashing down!
His tightly clenched fist slammed into the lone lion's crown with tremendous force!
Thud!
An incredibly deep, heavy impact rang out!
The male lion didn't even have time to cry out. The blow struck its head, its legs buckled, and its body toppled sideways. Its eyes rolled back, its whole body twitched, and it collapsed unconscious, utterly motionless.
One lion down with a single blow!
The pressure eased a little, but the danger remained severe.
The remaining three lions immediately regrouped, lowering their bodies as they slowly circled the pair.
Low growls rumbled constantly in their throats. Their fierce, chilling eyes stayed locked on their prey, ready to launch another coordinated attack at any moment.
The tension rose to breaking point again.
"Yuzuriha, get behind me! Senku, you too!"
Li Xiang immediately shifted sideways, firmly shielding the two behind her.
Without a word, Taiju stepped forward, his tall, powerful frame taking its place beside Li Xiang at the front.
The two stood squarely in front of Senku and Yuzuriha, holding back three enraged beasts.
Ahead lay a pride determined to kill them. Behind lay their only way out.
The lions kept shifting their footing, probing back and forth. Growls rose one after another, their bloodlust growing heavier.
After several seconds of deadlock, Li Xiang rapidly weighed their options, a flash of resolve crossing her eyes.
With the fighting strength the four of them had, they stood no chance against three fully grown wild male lions.
If they all stayed here in this standoff, they would all be wiped out. Not one of them would escape.
The only way is for someone to stay behind and let the weaker ones leave first...
Why don't I leave? Maybe it's my professional instincts acting up. But I'm not even a doctor anymore.
Then the male lead probably won't die, right? Should I leave him here to hold them off?
No, no, no. Senku is so weak, he'll definitely die. Manga world or not, I can't take that risk.
Finally, Li Xiang drew a deep breath and instructed them in a low voice, "You two go first."
Yuzuriha immediately panicked behind her, shaking her head. "No! How could we abandon you two? If we leave, we leave together!"
"We can't all leave together."
Li Xiang's voice sank, cold and heavy. "Anyone who can escape should escape. Taiju and I are the strongest fighters. We can hold them off for a while. Staying here will only weigh us down, and none of us will survive."
She turned and fixed her eyes on Senku, urging him sharply. "Senku! Take Yuzuriha and go! Hurry!"
Senku's back went rigid. Looking at the two people standing in front of them to protect them, his eyes filled with conflict and helplessness. He spoke through gritted teeth.
"Li Xiang! You just said this wasn't the time to play the hero! Are you planning to abandon us and die on your own now?"
"I can't guarantee everyone's safety!" Li Xiang's voice tightened. "Stay, and we all die here! Hurry up and go! Don't waste the time we're buying you!"
Senku clenched his fists. He knew she was telling the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to calmly abandon them.
But the lions roared again, leaving no room for hesitation.
In the end, Senku gritted his teeth and grabbed the deeply reluctant Yuzuriha. "Come on! We'll go first!"
The two turned and sprinted ahead with all their strength.
But the lions weren't about to let them escape.
Seeing them run, one lion instantly broke out of the circling formation and accelerated into a charge, pursuing the fleeing pair. The distance shrank rapidly, and it was about to leap at them!
At that critical instant!
A cold gleam flared in Li Xiang's eyes.
Ignoring the threat of the other two lions, she channeled all her strength into her right arm, her muscles tightening as she gathered power.
The next second, she lunged forward!
She moved so fast she left only a blur, charging head-on toward the pursuing lion!
The instant the lion sprang into the air to kill, Li Xiang drove her fully powered fist straight into its face!
Bam-!
An explosive impact thundered out!
Along with a clear, chilling crack of breaking bone!
The charging lion suffered a devastating blow to the skull. Its massive body instantly lost balance and slammed into the ground, its limbs convulsing violently as it lost all ability to fight!
She had knocked down a male lion with one punch!
"Don't underestimate me!"
Li Xiang growled through clenched teeth, her breath heaving and her voice slightly hoarse. "My punches pack ninety kilos of force, you know!"
Senku, who had only made it a short distance away, froze completely.
He had heard the sharp snap of breaking bone distinctly. Looking at Li Xiang, who had knocked a male lion down with a single punch, his eyes filled with utter shock.
Only Li Xiang knew that punch had drained almost all her strength, the strain traveling through her wrist and shoulder.
She bit down hard on her lip. The inside of her mouth had already torn and begun bleeding, and blood faintly seeped from the corner of her lips.
Her face was deathly pale, and her strength was nearly exhausted. Her arm ached and tingled, and even lifting her hand had become difficult.
Enduring the searing pain, she used the last of her strength to scream at the two figures running away.
"Go! Hurry! Run as hard as you can! Get as far away as possible!"
Seeing her force herself to remain standing, Senku felt his heart clench, pain filling his eyes.
All he could do was grit his teeth, tighten his grip on Yuzuriha's hand, and sprint away without looking back.
At last, their figures vanished completely down the forest path.
Only Li Xiang, Taiju, the two badly injured lions on the ground, and the other two lions still watching them hungrily remained.
Taiju quickly turned. Seeing Li Xiang's deathly pale face and the blood at the corner of her mouth, he immediately panicked.
"Li Xiang! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"
Li Xiang shook her head lightly, wanting to raise her hand to show she was fine. But her arm fell limply halfway up. Completely drained, she no longer even had the strength to lift it.
She panted heavily, her voice weak. "I'm sorry, Taiju... I dragged you into this danger too."
Taiju's eyes burned. He immediately shook his head, his voice utterly firm. "Don't say that, Li Xiang! We're friends! We'll make it out alive!"
Looking at the weakened Li Xiang, he forced down his panic and managed a smile. "I still want more of your grilled fish. I haven't had enough yet. Nothing can happen to us!"
Li Xiang looked at the resolute boy beside her, then at the empty mountain forest in the distance. Slowly, the corners of her mouth lifted, and she answered softly.
"Yeah."
"We'll... definitely make it out alive."
Before you continue