Chapter 265 255 - White Tiger!
In the west, Lily stood against the White Tiger.
Fast. He knew that the White Tiger was fast beyond his comprehension. He had been shown as such when the tiger had rushed towards him, yet the tiger stopped a distance away from him.
Lily's heart pounded as the White Tiger disappeared from his vision. One moment it had been staring at him from across the field, low and unhurried, and the next it was simply gone.
He raised his wand and scanned the field frantically. Where had it gone? To his left? No, wasn't there. To his right? No.
He had gone through very harsh training in Herene. It had taught him to read enemy movements, to predict attack patterns, and to respond with the appropriate counter. None of that training had covered an enemy that could move faster than his eyes could track.
"There!" Lena's voice rang out vaguely from his left.
Lily spun toward the sound just in time to see the White Tiger materialize thirty feet away, its claws already mid-swing. He hadn't even sensed it. If Lena hadn't called out, he would have been hit before he knew the attack was coming.
"Vortex O' Flame!" Lily thrust his wand forward and a horizontal vortex of fire erupted in front of him. The flaming spiral pushed outward, forcing the White Tiger to abort its strike and leap sideways. The tiger landed lightly on its paws, its white fur entirely untouched by the flames, and regarded Lily with curiosity.
Lily froze, staring at the White Tiger. He had to pay careful attention to any movement it might make or it might be the las-
"Hey! Don't just stand there doing nothing!" Lena called out. She was crouched behind a rock formation about twenty feet to his right. "It's fast but it's not invisible! Watch the wind!"
The wind? His mind shifted as he pondered the new idea. The White Tiger, seeing his enemy distracted, moved. But this is when Lily noticed the key point. The tiger had moved with the wind, or perhaps the wind moved with it. Either way, the air itself shifted before the beast struck. He had noticed it just now, the brief change in pressure before the tiger appeared.
And thus, he was able to react. He felt the wind shift and threw himself sideways, rolling through the dirt as claws the size of his forearm passed through the space where his chest had been. He didn't even need to teleport.
"I just…" He took a deep breath. He was a professional now. No time for wonder.
"Orbital Flame!" He cast the spell while still on the ground, firing a stream of fireballs that spread out in a semicircle. The White Tiger wove between them with ease, not a single one touched its fur.
When the fireballs circled back, the Tiger seemed lightly surprised for the first time, but still dodged. Lily took this time to scramble to his feet.
He assessed the situation. His robes were already dirty and his shoulder ached from the roll. The tiger hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Nice dodge!" Lena's voice was cheerful despite the situation. "If you were useless, you'd be out on the first hit!"
"That's not comforting!" Lily shouted back.
Lena grinned. "It wasn't supposed to be!"
The White Tiger turned its head toward Lena, assessing the new voice. In that moment of distraction, Lily cast again. "Fire Fang!" A manifested set of flaming jaws materialized and bit down toward the tiger's flank.
The tiger didn't even look. Its tail lashed out and scattered the flames like they were nothing. Then it turned back to Lily and took a single step forward.
Lily took a step back. "I can't damage it. What a-"
"Obviously." Lena teleported to a new position, appearing on top of the rock formation she'd been hiding behind. "That's why you need to make it show a weakness. Give me time to work."
"Time to work on what?"
"Holy Arrows!" Lena sent three bolts of golden light streaking toward the tiger's face. The beast turned its head aside, shielding its eyes from the brightness. Lily's eyes flickered. What did this mean?
He was a Fire Wizard of Herene, trained by the best instructors available. His fire should be able to burn through almost anything.
It was what his instructors told him. Grand Tactician Azir had sat down with him and told him he was special.
Power. He needed more power. That was what he was good at. That was what his talent was. If his spells weren't doing enough, he just needed to make them stronger.
"Orbital Flame!" He launched the spell as soon as Lena created the distraction. As he called out the spell, his mind, body, and soul raced.
Power.
He had to grasp power.
What was power? How did you make a spell stronger?
There was casting the spell better, having better equipment, and just being a stronger existence. Was he really casting the spell as best he could? He didn't think so. He had been shown the spell at maximum efficiency and he couldn't do it.
Pathetic.
Something in his mind began to shift. Getting stronger… wasn't that hard. His mind instantly flickered with calculations on the spot as he began forcing the fireballs to burn hotter and fly faster.
The White Tiger's suddenly twisted as it went to dodge the attack. Who cared if he had been looking away? The human was just too slow…
Boom!
One of the fireballs had slammed into its fur, slightly singeing it. It immediately leapt back, entirely leaving the attack range. Its eyes flickered with interest. Why had the humans spells sudden gotten faster?
"That's better!" Lena called out. "Keep its attention!"
She teleported again, this time appearing directly behind the tiger. "Holy Arrows!" Three more bolts shot toward the beast's back. The tiger's tail swept them aside without turning around.
Lily used the distraction to reposition. He moved to his left, trying to keep the Tiger between him and Lena. That would create the best angle for them to attack. As he moved, the tiger's head tracked him the entire time, unblinking.
Lily frowned. He was taught to gather information as he fought. So his first question was… why was it not launching a relentless attack on him? He didn't know, but he didn't need to know for him to take action.
"Vortex O' Flame!" He cast the spell, aiming for the tiger's feet. The vortex of fire swept across the ground and the tiger jumped over it with a hop, then it landed and charged directly at Lily.
He teleported away, reappearing twenty feet to the east. The tiger was already turning, tracking him with its claws extended for a strike.
"Blessing!" Lena called out from the other side of the field, making golden light wrap around Lily's body. He felt himself grow sharper from the boost, and immediately utilized it to throw himself backward as the claws passed close enough to tear the front of his robes.
"You're welcome!" Lena chirped, smiling.
Lily didn't have time to thank her. The tiger pressed its attack on the spot, with its right claw sweeping toward Lily's chest. He backstepped, feeling the wind of the strike pass close enough to flap his torn robes. His heart raced, but he was trained for this. To use your physical body to dodge the attacks of those much faster than you.
The left claw followed immediately, and thus Lily dropped to the floor immediately. As soon as the Tiger shifted to bite towards him, Lily could already teleport again, and thus the Tiger's prey disappeared from his jaws. It instantly relocated him and charged.
"Fire Fang!" The flaming jaws materialized and bit toward the tiger's face. The beast saw it coming and ducked low, its body flattening against the ground. The fire passed over its back harmlessly, after which the tiger rose and swiped at Lily's legs with its tail. He jumped, barely clearing the strike, and landed off-balance.
"Vortex O' Flame!" The horizontal spiral of fire erupted from his wand and pushed toward the tiger's center mass. The tiger leaped, rising ten feet into the air, and the vortex passed harmlessly beneath it.
Lily tracked its ascent and cast again. "Orbital Flame!" Three fireballs shot upward to meet the tiger's descent. The beast twisted midair, its body contorting to dodge as it between all three projectiles. It landed silently on its paws not five feet from Lily.
Lily instantly teleported backwards. He wanted to make sure the tiger had a clear view of him. . The tiger followed instantly. Lily cast Fire Fang again and the tiger sidestepped, letting the flaming jaws snap shut on empty air.
Lily cast Vortex O' Flame at its feet, and yet the tiger hopped over it like it was skipping a puddle. He noticed his body was beginning to tire, and that the more he cast, the more he drained his mana.
His eyes flickered. He decided to test something.