Desperate and frantic, the Xenosmilus parents lunged forward to save their eldest son. But panic led to sloppy movements. They were already struggling against Dad and Mom's relentless pressure, and their lack of focus only pushed them deeper into a losing battle.
On the other side, James gave his opponent no quarter. He clamped down on the older brother's patella, crushing the joint. The sub-adult Xenosmilus erupted in a scream that sounded more like a slaughtered hog than a predator.
Terror finally replaced territorial pride. The older brother's mind abandoned the fight for land; it only wanted to escape James's claws. Cornered and dying, the Xenosmilus brother found a burst of hysterical strength. He twisted his upper body with the fluid grace unique to felines, his forepaws raking wildly at James.
But the desperate scratches were useless against James's reinforced, thick hide. James countered with a heavy, arcing swipe to the head. His claws, sharp as surgical steel, hooked behind his skull and tore through the ear canal.
Three deep, bone-exposing gashes opened across the Xenosmilus's head, splitting his left ear in half.
The pain was piercing, but the concussion from the heavy impact was worse. The older brother's world began to spin. He wobbled, unable to tell north from south, before his massive frame finally slammed into the dirt.
James didn't hesitate. He pounced, his weight pinning the dazed cat as he lunged for the throat. His sabers drove, puncturing the windpipe. The Xenosmilus brother's eyes bulged. Like so many of the herbivores he had hunted, he opened his mouth to scream, but only a thick surge of blood spilled out. He was silent. Seconds later, his head slumped to the side. Dead.
"ROAR!!"
James wrenched his blood-stained sabers free. He spun around and charged toward the younger brother, who was still tied up with Zack and Zoe. Having witnessed his brother's brutal end, the younger Xenosmilus lost his nerve. He turned and tried to bolt.
He didn't get far. James's explosive acceleration was on a different level. He ran the younger brother down in a few strides, tackling him to the earth.
Zack and Zoe, emboldened by James's arrival, swarmed in. They were covered in blood and breathing hard. Zoe, usually the most elegant and reserved, was in a predatory frenzy, her muzzle stained crimson as she tore at the intruder.
Under the combined weight of the three siblings, the younger Xenosmilus was helpless. James snapped his spine with a precise bite, while Zack and Zoe methodically broke his legs. Within minutes, the younger brother lay gasping, his body a map of shredded fur and deep bite marks. James ended his suffering with a clean strike to the neck, mirroring his brother's fate.
"ROAR—"
Seeing both their sons slaughtered, the Xenosmilus parents erupted in a high-pitched, grieving wail. They broke off their fight with Dad and Mom and charged at James, a trail of dust billowing behind them. They looked ready to die if it meant taking James with them.
"ROAR!!"
Dad and Mom screamed in warning, immediately giving chase to intercept. James stood his ground. He couldn't retreat; if he did, Zack and Zoe would be the ones facing the parents' suicidal rage.
CRASH!
The male Xenosmilus slammed into James. His bloodied claws hissed through the air. James bunched his muscles, his hind legs driving into the soil as he reared up to meet the impact.
The two collided with a dull thud. A shockwave of raw power rippled between them. James was knocked back by the adult's momentum, but he wasn't overwhelmed. He had the strength to hold the line.
"ROAR—"
The female Xenosmilus lunged from his flank. James didn't stay locked with the male. He whipped his tail for balance and used his powerful shoulders to spring upward, narrowly clearing the female's arc.
In terms of pure agility, James was far beyond the stocky adult pair.
Suddenly, the Xenosmilus parents realized they were trapped. James stood in front, and Dad and Mom were closing in from behind. They were being squeezed by three prime Smilodons.
"ROAR~~"
The cost of revenge was too high. The Xenosmilus pair finally broke. Gasping for air and covered in wounds, they turned and fled into the deep forest, abandoning their land and their dead sons.
Dad and Mom didn't chase. They were exhausted. The war for the territory was over. The family had reclaimed their place at the top of the mountain.
---
DING!
[Host killed a sub-adult Xenosmilus. Gene Points +60.]
**[Host killed a sub-adult Xenosmilus. Gene Points +60.]
---
The system notifications chimed in James's mind. Then, the replication prompt followed, but with a new twist.
---
[Detection: Subject suitable for Gene Replication — Xenosmilus.]
[Xenosmilus blood sample collected. Spend 100 Gene Points to strengthen Host's original Smilodon genes. Merge?]
---
"Wait, a hidden function? I can upgrade my own species?" James questioned the system.
---
[Xenosmilus and Host belong to the Machairodontinae subfamily. High genetic similarity. Replicating this gene directly enhances the quality of your original Smilodon blueprint, breaking natural racial limits.]
[Note: Further strengthening is possible if Host kills other members of the Machairodontinae subfamily.]
---
"I see... but 100 points is a massive hit."
James felt the frustration of wanting to buy something that was too expensive , but he knew you got what you paid for. This wasn't just adding a new skill; it was upgrading the very foundation of what he was. He was ready for the change.