Yet, what he failed to realize was that Cloudia had already locked onto him.
Through her deep companion bond with Xue Taiyang, she had sensed the young man's killing intent toward Xue Taiyang long ago.
She could feel her master's emotions almost as if they were her own. Her instincts were as sharp as Reon's Instinctual Awareness—and she knew exactly where her prey was hiding.
Would she stop from attacking? Hell nah!
Cloudia lunged forward with blinding speed, her movements swift and precise, cutting through the air like a phantom.
"Huh?! Is it coming toward me? No... No way!" The young man's thoughts raced, yet his killing intent remained. Panic surged through him as he realized—too late—that he had been exposed.
FWOOSH!
Before he could even react, Cloudia's form blurred, her illusory movements making it impossible to predict her attack.
And then—CRUNCH!
A searing pain tore through him as her fangs sank into his right arm, ripping it clean off in one brutal motion. The severed limb was tossed aside like discarded prey.
The man's stealth was utterly shattered.
GRRRRHHH!
Cloudia's eyes burned with fury, her growl reverberating through the air. She was more enraged than even Reon himself—seething at the fact that she had been unable to protect him from the previous attacks.
She had desperately wanted to emerge from the Inner Beast Domain to defend her master, but Reon had stopped her, saying it wasn't the right time.
Now? She wouldn't hold back.
FWOOSH!
Before the young man could even register the pain of losing his right arm—
THUNDER CLASHED.
A roaring shadow streaked through the battlefield, moving at an impossible speed. The Thunderous White Tiger, now at full health and fully recovered, descended like a bolt of lightning.
In a flash, another agonizing CRUNCH echoed through the forest.
His left arm was gone.
The young man didn't even sense the attack. He barely had time to process it before the White Tiger, mimicking Cloudia's ruthless efficiency, flung the severed limb aside and let out a deafening, guttural GROWL.
GRHHHHHHH!
The man stood there, his breath ragged, his mind spiraling into shock as he looked down at the gaping wounds where his arms used to be.
His lips trembled. "No... No... No way..."
Then, the pain hit.
A soul-wrenching agony unlike anything he had ever felt before. Losing two fingers had been nothing—nothing—compared to this.
"ARGGHHHHHHH!"
"ARGGHHHHHHHHH!"
"HUHHH—AHHHHH!"
He screamed and wailed, his agonized cries piercing through the forest, echoing like a death knell. Blood gushed from his mutilated body, pooling beneath him as his mind spiraled into unbearable suffering.
At the sheer intensity of his torment, flocks of ordinary birds erupted from the trees, their wings beating frantically as they fled.
As the dust settled, Reon emerged, his eyes burning with a cold, murderous glare.
"Fucking bastard... now, I'll sever every limbs in your body." His voice was laced with venom, his grip tightening around his sword.
But as his gaze fell upon the young man, he paused for a brief moment.
Half-dead.
The man was already half-dead. Blood gushed from his severed arms, his once-arrogant posture reduced to a quivering, pathetic wreck. Yet, Reon felt no pity. No sympathy.
The bastard had toyed with him. Made a game out of his pain.
And now?
He would pay for it.
A slow, cruel smirk tugged at Reon's lips. "You like jumping around too much, don't you?" he said, his voice cold.
SWOOSH!
With a single, effortless swing of his sword, a dark arc sliced through the air—
SHLNK!
The young man's right leg was severed at the knee.
"ARGHHHHHH!"
His tormented scream ripped through the air, raw and unrestrained, echoing across the forest again.
BAM!
He collapsed, his body slamming into the dirt, unable to balance himself on one remaining, trembling leg.
Blood pooled around him, his breath ragged, his mind drowning in pain and terror.
The young man trembled, his body wracked with pain, his voice barely coherent through the sheer agony.
"P-P-Please... f-forgive me, Brother... I-I-I'll follow you from now on...!" He stammered, desperation thick in his tone. "I-I didn't come here for you! I used a teleportation talisman by chance... a-and when I saw you dealing with those bastards, I recognized your face."
His breaths came in ragged gasps as he continued, his words spilling out in terror.
"You... You're Xue Taiyang, aren't you? I thought you were just some loser! If I reported your secret to Niu Ling, he would definitely reward me more! My greed—"
SWOOSH!
A sharp slash cut through the air.
The young man's words died in his throat as his final limb was severed.
"ARGHHHHHH!"
His scream ripped through the forest yet again, an agonizing wail that sent more birds scattering into the sky, their panicked cries joining his in a symphony of terror.
Reon stood over him, his sword dripping with fresh blood. "No one asked you to open your mouth."
His voice was calm, almost playful. "You enjoyed playing with me, didn't you?"