*BOOM!*
The two humanoids were blasted away from each other after their fists collided.
Kael’s feet went past the edge of the mountaintop, just as he expected. He looked through the rising rubble to see Darius already rushing back at him.
Kael’s mind spun as he analyzed his progress in this battle. He won’t be able to defeat Darius at this level, he has to do something.
His mind spun and his eyes darted around. Suddenly, he caught sight of the other red-capped mushroom lying in the rubble.
Some parts of the red-capped mushroom’s body were crushed and it was leaking a reddish transparent goo.
Seeing where Kael’s eyes were looking, Darius also looked in that direction. He saw the mushroom and acted fast.
Red lightning surrounded his body as he dived straight for the mushroom.
Kael caught the bright flash of red light coming from Darius’s body. No longer hesitating, his body began to expand as golden fur sprouted out from his skin.
He swiftly transformed into his large lion form. Flames burst out of his paws and purple electricity surged around his body. He shot straight for the mushroom, albeit he was a bit late.
Darius was faster, he crashed into the ground, the mushroom safely in his hand. He had just raised his head when a large paw bigger than his head descended and slapped him across the face.
There was a resounding crack as Darius’s neck turned and his body slammed into the ground, forming a wide crater.
Before he could react, Kael swiped at his hand, removing the mushroom and injuring him in the process.
Kael hurriedly bit down on the mushroom. He could already feel his body breaking down from eating the first mushroom but he had no choice.
He thought of running away but didn’t act on this thought. He had already eaten one mushroom, once the effects wear off and the side effects kick in, Darius would be able to chase after him and kill him in his weakened state.
It was better for him to use all his efforts now to end everything. And just in case he didn’t win this fight even after all the preparations, he had readied his mind. He came to Darius with the knowledge that he could die and he had already told N’bayé what to do in case that happened.
Kael could feel his body breaking down yet Darius hadn’t even used his full power. If he didn’t take the second mushroom, he would surely die.
Just when he was about to swallow the mushroom, Darius lunged at Kael, wrapping his arms around the thick mane and using his bare hands to grip Kael’s jaws.
Kael was surprised at the suicidal actions of this Darius, then he felt a surge of lightning enter his body and almost vaporize his cells.
"ROAR!" He let out a lion roar that cleared away all the floating dust.
Dark clouds had gathered in the sky again and red lightning brimmed within them, no doubt a work of Darius.
"You fool! Are you so obsessed with winning that you want to kill yourself over it?" Darius asked with gritted teeth.
E was careful to only grab onto Kael’s lips, no matter how strong he was, he wasn’t confident that he could survive a bite from those golden fangs.
"You dare!" Kael was more infuriated that Darius was trying to do this with just his humanoid form. From an onlooker’s perspective, Kael was in an inferior position by a creature that was smaller than him.
Kael’s body expanded again and his muscles bulged against his skin, his mane stood on end. His fangs and claws grew longer and jagged, almost cutting Darius who had no choice but to quickly remove his hand from the lion’s mouth.
Kael swallowed the mushroom just as a bolt of red lightning descended from the sky like the punishment sent by the heavenly judge.
The lightning struck Kael, his body lighting up like a red bulb, even his insides could be seen for a brief second.
What followed was an explosion as a disc-shaped dust cloud spread out rapidly from the mountaintop, covering the area below in darkness.
Eidel, Nalii, Katari, N’bayé, Ruda, Zabita, Olivia, Diane, Commander Bibi, and the rest looked up with shock and worry on their faces.
’Is this the power of a tier 4 tiger?’ This thought ran through the minds of many of them and some became worried for Kael, afraid that he might not stand a chance.
Isaiah who was recovering looked up with a glimmer in his eyes. If he had listened to Darius and had chased after evolution like he should have, maybe he would have this type of power now.
He wasn’t jealous, just regretful. His laziness was the cause of him not being able to handle a small lioness and it almost cost him his life.
Darius stood straight, ignoring the wave of dust that was hitting him. His eyes scanned around for any movement.
Kael had ended up taking that mushroom but he didn’t know if it had gone into effect before the lightning struck him. If it did, then that lightning strike would not have been able to kill Kael.
Darius’s ears twitched and the hair on his body stood on end, he felt a cold chill down his spine as a primal uneasiness began to erupt from within.
There was a soft growl, very soft. Yet that growl was powerful enough to sweep away a portion of the floating dust. The growl was powerful enough to cause the ground to vibrate slightly. That growl shook Darius and caused his guts to churn.
His red eyes gaze firmly upon the monstrosity that stood before him. Golden fur tinged with red, a dark golden mane that stood on end.
His eyes were like red marbles with golden rings, fierce and majestic. He flexed his limbs and the ground cracked under his weight.
Two long golden fangs hung from his upper jaw and ended below his lower jaw. Both jaws had now gotten big enough to easily have three human heads inside at the same time.
A long golden tail swept from left to right behind him, each movement causing a small breeze.
Kael’s aura rose to the sky. But this power came at a cost, he was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness as if something else was fighting to take over.
He could feel his sense of identity being challenged as the memories of the Primordial lions were breaking away and trying to replace his original memories.
His body trembled as he closed his eyes and took in deep breaths, he felt like he would explode at any moment.
Kael did not suppress the memory fragments, but he also didn’t allow them to replace his original memories. He just let them come to the surface of his mind.
With each memory fragment, Kael was temporarily losing identity of himself and what was left was not Kael.
All that was left could only be described as the purest personification of the lions. From instincts to perspective, this was the amalgamation of multiple Primordial Lions, yet none of them.
As Darius stared at this monstrous lion that towered over his seven-foot-tall form, he knew that Kael was no longer there. No, he was, he just wasn’t.
It was like Kael was in between two worlds, he was here, yet he wasn’t.
Those red and gold eyes were lost, yet he had never seen eyes so focused before.
"THE CONQUERING…" Kael spoke all of a sudden. His telepathic voice had changed, sounding like multiple people talking at once.
"...MUST BEGIN. CONQUEROR MODE ESTABLISHED." Kael finished his sentence.
Darius frowned, he didn’t understand what Kael was saying but he knew that it was not good.
His body began to expand, his bones twisting and turning as he transformed. Red and black fur emerged from his skin and his face rearranged itself to accommodate his rising power.
The tiger was huge, standing at a height of three meters from foot to shoulder. His coat of fur was crimson red with pitch-black stripes to decorate it.
His jade white claws contrasted with his deep red fur. They were very long and calling them sharp would be an understatement.
His eyes, black and red, stared at Kael provocatively.
Now, what stood on the mountaintop was a three-meter tall lion and a three-meter tall tiger.
Lightning surged around the form of Darius’s tiger form while multiple powers surrounded Kael at this moment.
Electricity, fire, vines, luck, magic, even though space twisted around him.
They had not yet started fighting but their aura was already suppressing everything on the mountain. The ground cracked beneath them even when they had not yet taken a single step.
One second, they were looking at each other, growling. Then the next second they disappeared into streaks of red and gold.
The whole mountaintop shattered like a volcano had just erupted. This mountain, the very thing they were fighting for, was on the verge of destruction.