The air changed.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
It dropped.
Like something massive had just pressed down on the forest from above.
The hunters froze.
Every instinct they had screamed at once.
"…That pressure…" one of them muttered.
"…It's different from before."
No—
It wasn't just different.
It was overwhelming.
—
Nime could barely keep his eyes open.
His body felt heavy, numb, like it didn't belong to him anymore. The sedative was working fast. Too fast.
"…Lion…" he forced out weakly.
Still nothing.
For a second, fear crept in.
Did he… not come this time?
—
"…I warned you."
—
The voice came.
Low.
Cold.
And not from inside his head.
Nime's eyes widened slightly.
Outside…?
Through his blurred vision, he saw it—
A shape.
Large.
Standing between him and the hunters.
The lion.
But something was wrong.
No—
Something was different.
The calm was gone.
What stood there now felt… heavier.
Older.
The ground beneath its paws cracked slightly, spreading thin lines through the dirt like the weight was too much for it to handle.
Its golden eyes—
Were no longer calm.
They were sharp.
Focused.
And burning with something Nime had never seen before.
—
The leader stepped forward slowly, forcing his body to remain steady.
"…So this is your true form," he said.
The lion didn't respond.
Didn't even look at him.
Its gaze was fixed ahead.
Still.
Unmoving.
—
"…Capture both," the leader ordered.
Even now.
Even feeling that pressure—
He gave the command.
The two remaining hunters moved instantly.
They didn't hesitate.
Didn't question.
They attacked.
Fast.
Precise.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Perfect coordination.
—
The lion moved.
And everything broke.
—
It didn't look fast.
It didn't feel fast.
But in the next second—
One of them was already gone.
No impact sound.
No struggle.
Just—
Gone.
The second attacker froze mid-motion, his eyes widening.
"…What—"
A shadow passed him.
And then—
Pain.
He didn't even see the strike.
His body lifted off the ground, launched violently into the trees as wood snapped around him.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
—
The leader didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
But his eyes—
They sharpened.
"…So that's the level," he murmured.
The lion finally turned his head slightly.
And looked at him.
—
For the first time—
The leader felt it.
Not pressure.
Not danger.
Something deeper.
Something older.
—
"…You should not have come," the lion said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
The kind that didn't need volume to be heard.
—
The leader exhaled slowly.
"…You misunderstand," he said.
"We were sent."
A pause.
"…And we do not fail."
The air around him shifted.
Different from before.
Sharper.
More controlled.
The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly as something unseen began to form around him.
—
Nime forced his head up slightly, his vision swimming.
"…Wait…" he muttered weakly.
"…He's still fighting…?"
The lion didn't move.
Didn't step back.
Didn't prepare.
He just stood there.
Watching.
—
The leader vanished.
—
And reappeared directly in front of the lion.
Faster than anything before.
His hand shot forward—
Aimed straight for the lion's head.
—
Impact.
—
The ground exploded.
A shockwave tore outward, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
Trees shook violently, leaves scattering into the air.
—
But when the dust cleared—
The lion hadn't moved.
Not even an inch.
The man's hand was pressed against his head—
And stopped.
Completely.
—
"…Impossible," the leader whispered.
The lion's eyes didn't change.
"…Leave."
The word came out flat.
Final.
—
The leader's expression hardened.
"…No."
For a brief second—
Silence.
Then—
The lion moved.
—
It wasn't fast.
It wasn't flashy.
It was simple.
A single step forward.
—
And the world bent.
—
The force that followed wasn't visible.
But it was felt.
The ground shattered beneath them, cracks spreading outward as the pressure slammed into the leader.
His body lifted—
Then crashed into the earth with crushing force.
—
Nime felt it.
Even through the numbness.
That power.
That difference.
"…So this is… you…" he whispered.
—
The lion stood over the fallen man.
Silent.
Unmoving.
—
"…We will come again," the leader said, his voice strained but steady.
Even now.
Even like this.
"…There are others."
"…Stronger."
"…Prepared."
The lion didn't respond.
Didn't need to.
—
"…Retreat," the leader said.
And this time—
There was no argument.
His body blurred—
And vanished.
—
Silence returned.
Real silence.
The pressure slowly faded.
The weight lifted.
—
The lion turned.
And walked back toward Nime.
The ground felt normal again.
The air lighter.
Like nothing had happened.
—
Nime let out a weak breath.
"…Took you long enough," he muttered.
The lion stopped in front of him.
Looked down at him.
For a second—
There was no anger.
No pressure.
Just that same calm again.
—
"…You survived," he said.
"…Barely," Nime replied.
A pause.
"…You could've stepped in earlier, you know."
The lion didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"…If I do everything for you…"
A brief pause.
"…you will die the next time I am not there."
Nime stared at him.
Too tired to argue.
"…Yeah…" he muttered.
"…I figured you'd say something like that."
—
His vision blurred again.
The weight returned.
He couldn't hold on anymore.
"…Next time…" he whispered faintly.
"…I'll try not to get knocked out…"
The lion watched him.
Silent.
—
"…Do more than try," he said.
—
Nime didn't hear it.
He had already passed out.
—
The forest stood still.
But far beyond it—
Something had already begun moving.
—
Phase Two had failed.
—
So Phase Three…
Would not be so gentle.