CHAPTER 46 — AWAKENED HUNGER
The forest trembled before a single sound.
Leylin spread his arms wide, a slow, deliberate smile tracing his lips. "Good… you're here, little kitten."
The crimson eyes blinked once, impossibly deep and patient, the weight of centuries folded into them. Leylin gestured lightly toward the pale, white-robed demigod crouched nearby. "My friend here has been itching for a fight," he said, voice calm, almost teasing. "You sleep all day, yet you wake now? Stupid little kitten."
The demigod twitched. His hands clenched. Eyes, wide with confusion, flicked from Leylin to the impossibly vast predator before him. But before he could move, Leylin's head tilted, studying the tiger. It was ancient. Way too clever to be swayed by a mere human.
A wry smile touched Leylin's lips. "At least I tried."
Then, as if recalling some forgotten wager, he raised a hand toward the tiger. "I dare you. One strike, and my friend here..he could finish you."
The tiger's gaze narrowed. Its massive head tilted, considering the human like one does a curious ant. The silent question hung in the air: Which friend? Where?
Leylin's eyes flicked to the spot the demigod had just occupied. Empty. Gone. A grin spread across his face. The little pawn had fled, just as expected.
Leylin vanished before the predator could blink. The chase began—though it wasn't a chase. In less than a heartbeat, Leylin closed the distance. He moved silently, calculating, each step perfectly measured. The fleeing demigod..Kyle,tried to mask panic with desperate agility, weaving through trunks and undergrowth as if the forest itself could hide him.
Leylin's voice cut through the trees, calm, almost conversational. "You know… you really should be sleeping more. Saves trouble later."
Kyle's throat worked; he didn't respond. Every evasive move, every desperate sidestep, funneled him, herded him..not by force, but by the invisible gravity of Leylin's strategy. The tiger followed silently behind, muscles coiled, patience infinite.
When the demigod faltered, turned, hesitated for even a heartbeat… Leylin's hand snapped out. The demigod core, pulsing with raw semi-divine energy, vanished.
A brief sound..a crisp chomp, like a single bite of an apple—and Gluttony consumed it whole. Even Leylin's eyes widened for a fraction. He cursed under his breath, scrambling the remaining energy, storing the meager twenty percent the core had left. But even that fraction flooded him with potential.
Leylin's body breathed, pores opening as if inhaling centuries of air. Saturation increased, system prompts flashing: Efficiency: 89%. His limbs hummed with energy, closer now to the power he wielded before the prison.
He paused, savoring the potential, when movement shattered the moment.
A shadow moved faster than thought. Mountains behind him split into three, not by claws, but by the aftershock of its swipe..the residual force of a strike that barely missed. The wind alone carved gashes, leveled stone, and twisted trees into splinters.
Three successive sweeps, and the forest itself seemed to shiver. Leylin's chest rose with controlled excitement. No fear. Only the thrill of a hunt finally worthy of his attention.
At the tiger, he glanced. It was massive, predatory, ancient,but aware. Calculating. It wasn't fooled by his provocation. It didn't pause. It didn't falter.
Leylin's lips curled into a predatory smile. "Finally… some fun."
In that instant, the forest held its breath. Every leaf, every shadow, every shard of stone suspended in anticipation. The first true contest had begun..not against a demigod pawn, not against a swordsman's training, but against a creature that embodied terror itself.
And Leylin… he would enjoy every second.