The ghost hesitated again before adding—
"…If you go too far past that ridge…"
Its voice lowered slightly.
"…you'll start nearing one of the Demon Kings' outer zones."
A brief silence.
"Don't."
The fox smirked faintly.
"Relax."
"We're not that reckless."
Her ears flicked forward.
"Alright—east it is."
She shifted her stance—
Ready to move.
Then added, almost lazily—
"Keep guiding us."
"And don't try anything stupid."
A faint pause.
"…You won't like it."
The ghost said nothing.
But it didn't resist.
Didn't argue.
Because now—
It understood.
It wasn't being asked.
It was being used.
The forest held its breath.
The spirit stream whispered softly as it flowed, its glow reflecting faintly off the stones beneath it. The air was thick with energy—alive, watchful, tense.
Above—
The lizard remained suspended.
Invisible.
Unseen.
But not unfelt.
Below, the **Twin-Tailed Lightning Lynx** stilled mid-motion, water dripping from its muzzle as its head lifted slowly. Its twin tails twitched, faint sparks beginning to dance along their length.
Its instincts screamed.
*Something's here.*
Its green eyes narrowed, scanning the space around it, muscles tightening as its body lowered instinctively into a ready stance.
The forest seemed to dim around it.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
A faint ripple passed through the air.
Almost nothing.
But enough.
The lynx's ears snapped toward it—
And in that exact instant—
The lizard moved.
No wind.
No warning.
Just—
**Impact.**
A blur descended from above, faster than the eye could follow.
The lynx reacted instantly, its body flashing sideways in a burst of lightning-enhanced speed—
—but it was too late.
A force struck its side.
**CRACK—**
The sound of bone splitting echoed faintly as the lynx was driven into the ground, claws tearing through the soil as it skidded violently.
Its body twisted mid-slide, barely recovering as it forced itself upright again, electricity surging wildly across its twin tails.
Its eyes burned now.
Locked forward.
Because now—
It saw him.
The invisibility had dropped.
The lizard hovered just above the ground, black scales faintly illuminated by residual arcs of lightning dancing across his body. His golden eyes glowed coldly, fixed entirely on the lynx.
Silent.
Still.
Watching.
The lynx growled low, energy building rapidly.
*Fast…*
*Stronger than me.*
Its muscles coiled tighter.
*But not untouchable.*
Its tails snapped outward—
Lightning erupted.
**CRACK—!**
Twin bolts shot forward, splitting the air as they struck toward the lizard from two different angles, cutting off escape routes with precision.
The lizard didn't dodge.
Didn't retreat.
His body shifted—
Just slightly.
Minimal movement.
Perfect timing.
The first bolt grazed past him.
The second—
He met directly.
His tail flicked upward—
Lightning collided with lightning.
**BOOM—**
The impact scattered into sparks that lit the surrounding trees for a split second before fading into nothing.
The lynx's pupils shrank.
*He blocked it…?*
But it didn't stop.
Its body blurred again, closing distance instantly, claws glowing as it aimed for the lizard's core.
Speed.
That was its advantage.
It struck—
A flurry of claws, lightning-enhanced, each attack aimed to overwhelm, to force a mistake—
But—
Nothing landed.
The lizard moved just enough each time.
A tilt of the head.
A shift of the body.
A slight turn.
Every movement—
Efficient.
Calculated.
Minimal.
His golden eyes never left the lynx.
Watching.
Learning.
*Speed increase through lightning channeling…*
*Muscle reinforcement…*
*Tail-based output focus…*
The lynx's attacks grew sharper.
Faster.
Desperate.
But something was wrong.
*Why can't I hit him—*
Its thoughts cut off—
Because the lizard moved again.
This time—
Forward.
A blur.
The lynx's instincts screamed—
It twisted—
Too late.
The lizard's tail struck.
**THUD—**
A direct hit across its side, sending it crashing through a tree trunk.
Wood splintered.
The lynx hit the ground hard, rolling before forcing itself back up, breathing uneven now.
Its body trembled.
Not from fear—
From strain.
It was pushing itself.
Too hard.
The lizard didn't follow immediately.
He remained where he was.
Hovering.
Watching.
*Movement pattern understood.*
*Energy flow understood.*
*Attack timing understood.*
A faint flicker of lightning ran along his tail—
Then stilled.
Below, the lynx steadied itself, blood dripping faintly from its side as it crouched again, weaker now—but still unwilling to flee.
Its eyes burned with defiance.
It gathered everything it had left.
Lightning surged violently across both tails, far more intense than before.
The air around it distorted.
Pressure built.
*One strike.*
*Everything in one strike.*
It vanished.
A flash of pure speed—
Faster than before—
A straight-line assault, both tails driving forward like spears of lightning aimed directly at the lizard's core.
The forest flashed white.
For a split second—
Silence.
Then—
The lizard moved.
Not away.
Not to dodge.
But forward.
Into it.
His jaws opened—
And—
**CRUNCH.**
The motion stopped.
Instantly.
The lynx's body jerked once—
Then went limp.
Its momentum died in that exact moment, its form collapsing as the lizard's bite crushed through its neck cleanly.
No second strike.
No follow-up.
Just—
Finality.
The forest went still again.
The lingering sparks faded from the air.
The lizard released the body.
It dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
Unmoving.
Dead.
He hovered there for a moment longer, golden eyes calm, fixed on the corpse.
*Speed-based.*
*Lightning-enhanced.*
*Linear finishing strike.*
A brief pause.
Then—
His tail flicked once.
Behind him, in the distance, the faint echoes of another battle carried through the trees—the fox and the ghost still engaged with their target.
But here—
It was already over.
The lizard lowered slightly.
Silent.
Unhurried.
Because once again—
The hunt had ended before it could truly begin.