"Zzzzz..."
Resting on a huge boulder, the white tiger's body shifted uneasily, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Then, the white tiger's eyelids stretched wide open, his eyes bloodshot. Waking up from his sleep, he realized his body was soaked in sweat.
"Damn it, I keep having that nightmare..."
The white tiger growled, grumbling. Lately, he had been plagued by nightmares about a certain yellow iris, irritating him to no end. For a beast with an explosive temper, this was unacceptable.
Suddenly, the white tiger's ears flickered as if picking up something, and he instantly vanished from the boulder, reappearing ten meters away.
A second later, a shining yellow orb made of pure electricity darted through the air and smashed into the boulder, reducing it to countless pieces.
[Electric Ball]
"!!"
"Who dares attack me?!"
Reacting in anger, the white tiger turned toward the location where the attack had originated.
In his view, he saw a yellow rodent standing upright, small sparks crackling from the red pouches on its cheeks.
Seeing the yellow rodent, recognization flash in the white tiger's eye.
Recognition flashed in the white tiger's eyes.
Though he was a solitary spirit beast, even he had heard about the tournament organized by this yellow mouse.
And he heard that the tournament carries many precious treasures that even he is salivating to get. However, because of his arrogant pride, he refrained from joining.
Instead, he had planned to threaten the yellow mouse and take all the treasures for himself!
But reason told him he couldn't afford to provoke the yellow mouse. Several spirit beasts, comparable to him in cultivation age, were protecting the mouse, and even 100,000-year-old beasts could only retreat without any gain. .
Undoubtedly, the yellow mouse is the most unprovoked person in the entire Great Star Dou Forest aside from those monsters from the Core Region.
And so, the white tiger had no choice but to suffer in silence, watching with intense jealousy as weaker spirit beasts obtained treasures that should have belonged to him.
But now—he finally had his opportunity!
'Fool, daring to provoke me without protection!'
Excitement flashed in his eyes. With his keen senses, he detected that there is no other spirit beasts nearby, protecting the yellow mouse.
This means it is a golden opportunity to extort the yellow mouse and seize the treasures!
Greed surged in the white tiger's gaze, and in his mind, the yellow mouse instantly became nothing more than a fat piece of meat.
As for resistance? In the white tiger's eyes, it was useless. The mouse could struggle all it wante but it would only delay the inevitable.
Meanwhile, the so-called 'fat meat' was wondering why the white tiger hadn't attacked yet.
'Hmm? Why is his gaze so... malicious?'
Wang Shóu thought with slight confusion, but he didn't dwell on it. After all, what kind of person would have friendly intentions after being attacked?
Suppressing the greed in his eyes, the white tiger swiped his paw through the air.
In an instant, several large and powerful wind blades rushed toward Wang Shóu, cutting through the air with deadly force!
"!"
Reacting swiftly, Wang Shóu's tail quickly turn metallic as he spun his entire body for momentum. Unnoticeable to the white tiger, his metallic tail was faintly clad in electricity, crackling quietly.
Though he hadn't used his full strength, even an 80,000-year-old spirit beast would struggle against that attack—yet this yellow mouse had easily cut through it!
[Iron Tail]
Gathering enough momentum, Wang Shóu swung his tail at the incoming wind blades. For a split second, the wind blades paused mid-air, colliding with his tail before he press forward and split the wind blades in half!
The bisected wind blades did not dissipate immediately. Instead, they continued forward, slicing through hundreds of tree trunks before finally vanishing.
The white tiger observed this with interest.
Though he hadn't used his full strength, even an 80,000-year-old spirit beast would struggle to confront it and yet this yellow mouse had easily cut through it!
Then, he heard something strange.
Crackle!
Hearing the crackling sounds from below, the white tiger glanced down. To his surprise, the environment had begun to turn yellow, exuding bolts of electricity everywhere.
[Electric Terrain]
It turned out that the Electro Ball hadn't simply disappeared after hitting the ground. Instead, it had dispersed, transforming the surrounding area into an electrified battlefield!
Over the past five years, Wang Shóu had honed his techniques to a terrifying level of proficiency and now nearly all of his moves had reached the Expert level.
And Electro Ball, Thunderbolt, Volt Tackle, and Iron Tail had all reached the highest Mastery level.
At this stage, Wang Shóu had discovered that moves at the Mastery level gained additional effects, depending on the user.
For example, Iron Tail that he used to split the wind blades. It has an additional effect where Electric type can be used in conjunction, further amplifying its power..
And for Electro Ball, it has an additional effect that if it failed to hit its target, it will instead turn the environment into Electric Terrain!
"What is... this?!"
With every step, the white tiger could feel the ground electrocuting him. While the shocks weren't strong enough to harm him, the persistent jolts irritated his groggy mind, making him increasingly agitated.
Not that he cared about such things.
No, what truly enraged him was the sheer insult of being challenged by a damn mouse!
The white tiger narrowed his eyes, looking at Wang Shóu sharply. His initial plan had been to incapacitate the yellow mouse and coerce him into handing over the treasures.
But now?
Now, he wanted the mouse to suffer!
The white tiger's pride was so immense that he wasn't satisfied with being the overlord of the inner region. No, he wants to be the overlord of the entire Great Star Dou Forest and even the world itself!
So, he ventured into the core region, intending to challenge the strongest spirit beast residing there.
However, with just a single glare from a certain black dragon's piercing yellow iris, the white tiger had nearly shat himself in terror and cowardly fled back to the inner region. Since then, he had become more cautious and no longer dared to approach the core region.
But that didn't mean any rodent can come and provoke him!
Uttering a thunderous roar, the white tiger sank his claws into the ground. The earth trembled before several massive metallic thorns erupted from below, aiming straight for Wang Shóu!
Due to the effect of Electric Terrain, the metal thorns were crackling with electricity, their power unintentionally enhanced.
With his sensitive perception, Wang Shóu dodge swiftly but surprise flashed in his eyes.
'Wind and metal element?!'
While many spirit beasts control different elements, it is rare to encounter a spirit beast that control both wind and metal elements since they shared no commonality.
'It seems the title of Overlord of the Inner Region isn't just for show,' Wang Shóu thought.
However, he was unaware that the white tiger had inherited the bloodline of Byakko, the Divine Beast of the West!
Originally, the white tiger could only manipulate wind. But due to his divine lineage, he had also gained mastery over metal, controlling it on par with his wind element!
Though the white tiger had only inherited a small portion of Byakko's bloodline, it was more than enough to surpass an ordinary 100,000-year-old spirit beast!
But the onslaught of the metal thorns is not over. Countless metal thorns covered in electricity penetrated the ground, aiming toward Wang Shóu.
But the onslaught of the metal thorns wasn't over. Countless electrified metal thorns continued to sprout, covering the battlefield and aiming at Wang Shóu.
Wang Shóu swiftly dodged them, however, it eventually reach to the point that there is no place to land and with the superimposition of Electric Terrain, even touching it can cause severe electrocution.
'Alright... one thing to note: Terrain moves can be a double-edged sword,' Wang Shóu thought helplessly.
With a swift leap, he soared high into the air. His red pocket crackle with electricity and in the next second, brilliant lightnings surge out from Wang Shóu's body.
Several massive lightning bolts shot toward the white tiger.
[Thunderbolt]
Large bolts of lightning, thicker than boulders, surged toward the white tiger.
The white tiger flexibly dodged the lightning bolts, but as if they had a mind of their own, they accurately tracked his movements like homing missiles.
"!!"
Realizing this, the white tiger halted in place and let out a thunderous roar. His voice, infused with the power of the wind element, created a shockwave that clashed head-on with the incoming lightning. The impact instantly produced a massive cloud of smoke, shrouding the entire area in a thick, foggy haze.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, the white tiger emerged, his once-pristine fur now marred by blackened scorch marks.
Despite his efforts to negate the lightning bolts, a few had broken through and struck him.
Stepping forward, the white tiger winced in pain as a sudden jolt of electricity shot through his entire body. With the addition of Electric Terrain, the pain became even more pronounced.
"Damn it! When was I—?!"
Then the white tiger remembered the bolts of lightning that had struck him earlier. He hadn't expected them to have such an insidious effect!
The additional effect of Thunderbolt is that once it hit its target, it has a 100% chance of paralyzing the target!
The white tiger gritted his teeth as the numbing paralysis spread through his limbs.
The pain was sharp, but his pride stung even more.
He, the overlord of the Inner Region, had been injured by a mere mouse?!
Unforgivable.
His aura surged wildly, sending gusts of wind spiraling around him.
Wang Shóu's eyes narrowed.
'He's getting serious now.'
Then, the white tiger roared, his deep voice shaking the very earth.
"Enough!"
The sky darkened.
The wind roared like a raging storm, and a metallic gleam coated his fur. His body seemed to glow and his muscles bulged, expanding with pure raw power.
Wang Shóu's expression became serious.
The white tiger had finally activated his strongest state.
[Byakko's Awakening]
With a deep growl, the white tiger's golden eyes glowed with anger as he gathered wind and metal elements, condensing them into razor-sharp projectiles.
A swirling vortex of wind and metal shards materialized around the white tiger before launching toward Wang Shóu at breakneck speed, each projectile carrying the force to tear through boulders like paper.
Wang Shóu's sharp eyes tracked the incoming barrage. He couldn't afford to get hit directly. While he had grown much stronger, defense had never been Pikachu's strong suit.
Electricity crackled around his body as he instantly turned into a yellow blur.
[Quick Attack]
In a flash of yellow light, Wang Shóu disappeared from his position, narrowly dodging the first wave of attacks. He reappeared at the side, only for another barrage of wind-forged blades to curve toward him.
"Tch. Persistent!"
He ducked and weaved between the deadly storm of projectiles, but the white tiger wasn't finished yet. Anticipating Wang Shóu's movements, the white tiger stomped the ground, sending a wave of metallic spikes erupting in every direction.
The sudden terrain shift forced Wang Shóu to leap into the air. But at that moment, the white tiger smirked.
With a mighty leap, the white tiger slashed through the air, unleashing a massive crescent-shaped wave of energy. It roared toward Wang Shóu like an executioner's blade, cutting through the battlefield with terrifying momentum.
"!"
Wang Shóu's pupils shrank. The attack was too fast to dodge completely, and he was vulnerable mid-air!
Without hesitation, his body crackled with violent electricity, and he channeled all of his power into his tail, turning it into a glowing weapon, flashing with crackling electricity and the metallic sheen.
[Iron Tail]
The moment the crescent slash was about to reach him, Wang Shóu twisted his body and swung his electrified tail against it.
Sparks erupted as the two forces clashed. For a split second, they were evenly matched before the collision detonated into a massive explosion!
BOOM!
The impact sent Wang Shóu hurtling backward, crashing through dozens of trees before finally skidding to a stop.
"Cough! Cough! Ugh..."
He coughed violently, barely managing to open his eyes as waves of pain coursed through his body.
Glancing down, his body was now marred with a deep, bloody slash. His reliable tail, which had accompanied him for years, was now barely recognizable. It is torn and disfigured with a hideous tear on his tear.
If he hadn't reinforced his tail with metal, it is unknown whether he would have survived.
The white tiger landed gracefully, his face finally turning into a smile as he gazed upon Wang Shóu's injured form.
"You're impressive, little mouse. But now the playtime is over."
Unbeknownst to the white tiger, dark storms above churned violently, rumbling ominously.
As if divine judgment had arrived.