The Mutant Duck was utterly stunned. Everything had been fine a moment ago, with no sign that they wanted to kill it. Why had they suddenly attacked?
Hadn't I hidden it well enough?!
There was no time to think. That pathetic little tiger had already charged over. It was barely Level Two and couldn't possibly hurt it.
So the duck held off on retaliating, wanting to see how these people reacted and whether they really meant to kill it.
Big King didn't think that much. Sister Yao had told him to charge, so charge he would!
As soon as he got close, he spat out a mouthful of flames. The scheming Mutant Duck wanted to take a minor injury and play the victim. After all, it had eaten that energy-restoring Fruit, so it deliberately dodged a little too slowly.
It looked at everyone through tear-filled eyes, the picture of utter grievance. It wanted to win their sympathy and show them what a good duck it was, always putting the bigger picture first!
But although only a little of the purple flame had caught on its wing, the Mutant Duck quickly felt an intense burning sensation. In an instant, the pain seared deep into its bones!
All thoughts of acting pitiful vanished. It rolled frantically across the ground like a creature possessed, but the flames wouldn't go out!
It raised its head and glared ferociously at everyone, no longer bothering to hide its true colors.
It began fighting back in earnest, springing up and kicking Big King aside with a flying lunge. It was a Level Four Mutant Beast, after all, far stronger and faster than Big King.
Big King wasn't discouraged. He rolled as he landed, sprang to his feet, and charged again. He was knocked back several times, and