Chapter 491: Clashing with a Tier 9 Tiger (1)
Loewe looked at Klaus with eyes filled with injustice.
"My friends and I will help you kill this tiger, and in return, you will become my dear sister's beast companion. All you have to do is say yes," Klaus said, looking back at the bird lady with a smug expression.
"I don't expect you to form the contract now. You can wait until after the battle to decide. But trust me, going back on your word is not something I would recommend."
After saying what needed to be said, Klaus turned to his friends.
"Alright, guys, this is a rare opportunity for you to fight a Tier 9 beast. Now, I don't expect you to have the upper hand; I only want you to use this chance to get accustomed to the aura of a Tier 9-stage expert.
Of course, this loser has just broken through, so his aura is rather weak, but even I wouldn't underestimate him. You shouldn't either."
As soon as Klaus finished speaking, he moved. He was in front of the tiger in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
A punch landed on the tiger, sending it flying backwards.
This caught everyone by surprise, but seeing Klaus overpower the tiger snapped them back to their senses—everyone, including Loewe, who was taken aback by how powerful Klaus was.
"You dare, human!" Ko roared, charging forward with its claws swinging. But just as it closed in on Klaus, a lightning arrow exploded in its face, halting its advance.
Hanna quickly moved into position, firing a series of arrows. To her, this was a rare chance to gauge how far she had progressed.
The same was true for everyone, including Klaus. His current limit was Peak Tier 8, but he wanted to test himself against a Tier 9 beast and see how powerful he had truly become.
Anna quickly assumed her role of controlling the battlefield. She hated the idea of ceding control to her sister, but deep down, she knew Klaus was right.
However, since Lucy wasn't there today, this was her chance to show Klaus what she could do.
"Hanna, you and Kay should focus solely on distracting the tiger. We don't want its attention fixed on one person, so keep moving as you shoot at it."
"Danny, Daniel, Mark, and Kilian, go assist Klaus. Make sure you only attack when it's caught off guard. We don't want you four dying just yet."
"Lily, make sure nothing happens to them. I'll ensure you all don't run out of stamina anytime soon."
""Okay""
They all accepted their roles and sprang into action. Lily moved like a flash, ensuring nothing snuck up on her teammates.
Since the tiger was stronger than them, her primary role was to whisk them away from danger when it arose. But that didn't mean she wouldn't attack if the opportunity presented itself.
Loewe observed their coordinated efforts before her attention drifted back to Klaus and Ko, locked in a fierce battle. Klaus was fighting with his bare fists.
What a crazy individual.
Yet, he used those bare fists to pound Ko's body as they exchanged blow after blow. The tiger, recognizing the gravity of the situation, was dead serious.
"Loewe, make sure he doesn't escape and attack as soon as you see an opening," Anna instructed before returning to her own task.
In an instant, the battlefield became watery. To her friends, it was normal, but to the tiger, it felt its strength drained when the water appeared.
Anna withdrew it the next second, knowing it could backfire, given they were fighting a lightning-based monster.
Still, it served its purpose. The cut on Klaus healed almost instantly. Anna resolved to use that ability only when a teammate was injured. For now, she focused on ensuring the others' defences were resolved.
Loewe joined the fray, ensuring Klaus wasn't fighting alone. As Anna had instructed, her primary role was to prevent Ko from escaping while taking opportunities to attack from the side.
Anna wanted to give Klaus every chance to dominate the battle.
Boom!
A powerful explosion shook the battlefield as Klaus and Ko were forced apart.
"Eat this"
Daniel roared, pouring all his strength into his hammer. He landed a devastating strike on Ko's back, the impact sending both of them flying. Daniel even lost his grip on the hammer as he was hurled backwards.
Daniel seized the momentary stumble in Ko's steps despite the chaos to deliver a follow-up attack. Though brief, the strike weakened Ko slightly, washing away a portion of its Vitality and stamina.
Whoosh
Suddenly, Ko's claws turned yellow as lightning danced around them.
"Die, human." Ko unleashed a series of strikes, sending arcs of lightning toward Daniel, who was the closest to him. Fortunately, Lily was there to pull him out of harm's way.
"Thanks, Lily. I thought I was dead for a second there," Daniel said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He had been frozen in place when the attacks came at him.
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The current him wasn't qualified to fight a Tier 9 existence. The only reason he was on the battlefield—the only reason any of them were on the battlefield—was because of Klaus.
They trusted him that much.
"Moon Slash." Klaus switched to his sword and unleashed a powerful arc of fire, which Ko easily deflected with a kick. The attack left only a slight burn on his thick hide.
'That is one tough skin,' Klaus thought as he leapt to evade another attack from Ko.
"Lightning Bolt!" Loewe unleashed a piercing bolt of lightning that pushed Ko back a few meters. It had been caught off guard while defending against Klaus's attacks.
Klaus circled around Ko, who was under the assault of Loewe, Hanna, and Kay. They were the farthest away from him, so their attacks came without worrying about defence.
Klaus was handling that. Meanwhile, Danny, Daniel, Mark, and Kilian used the distractions created between attacks to land heavy strikes on Ko.
Kilian was utilizing his clone skills to their fullest potential. At the moment, he was jumping between clones, ensuring that the one destroyed was never the one he inhabited.
The skill was an impressive movement technique that could be used in dangerous ways if the user's mind was strong enough.
Mark, on the other hand, was employing his spear enhancement skill, delivering heavy attacks on the tiger. He wasn't flashy—none of them were. A single mistake, and they were done for.
However, Mark's speed was impressive. While Ko was inherently faster than him, the constant barrage of attacks left Ko distracted, allowing Mark to overwhelm him. His wind arcs were managing to inflict some damage.
The two brutes, Daniel and Danny, were perhaps the ones Ko wanted to kill first. They were like annoying flies, always darting in to bite and then bolting away.
Whenever Klaus, Loewe, Hanna, or Kay landed an attack, the brutes capitalized on the ensuing chaos to deliver a heavy strike before retreating. They were proving to be a very frustrating pair to deal with.
'Looks like they're adapting. This is good. Let me keep it like this for a few more minutes before getting serious. This tiger is no joke,' Klaus thought as he unleashed another powerful Moon Slash.