Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

The black leopard pounced with terrifying speed, its massive form bearing down on Mira.

She braced herself, knowing she couldn't dodge in time.

"Hyahh!"

With a grunt, she raised her blade to intercept the beast's claws, but the force of the impact nearly knocked her off her feet.

CLANG!

The claws, shimmering with elemental energy of unknown origin, collided with her blade, sending a jarring shockwave up her arms.

The power behind the strike was immense, and she could feel the energy coursing through her blade, threatening to tear it from her grasp.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed back against the leopard's weight, but the beast's overwhelming strength made it a losing battle

"Mira!"

Alex shouted again, his voice edged with concern.

Mira's muscles screamed in protest as she held the beast off, her feet digging into the dirt for leverage.

The leopard snarled, its bloodied shoulder only adding to its rage, and with a sudden twist of its body, it forced Mira into the ground, pinning her beneath its weight.

'This thing is definitely a Variant class beast!'

But while the situation was quite anxiety inducing to Alex as he watched from afar, Mira was high in spirits!

It was naturally because this beast fit her requirements, and it was higher ranked than her too!

She would only have to kill two more beasts like this one and then she would be able to leave the Primordial Expanse whenever she liked!

The sharp burning sensation of the elemental energy continued to ripple across Mira's skin as the black leopard's claws pressed down on her blade, pushing it dangerously close to her chest.

Mira's heart continued to race, whether it be due to adrenaline or fear — she could feel the heat radiating from the beast's claws, just inches from her body.

With such a close up look and feel for the elemental energy wafting from the beast's claws, Mira could finally guess what element it was that it manipulated.

'It feels like a mix of lightning and fire…?'

But she couldn't quite get an exact grasp on it.

She summoned all the strength she could muster and shifted her weight, rolling to the side.

The movement dislodged the leopard's balance just enough to give her a sliver of space to escape.

She twisted her body and, with a fierce grunt, kicked the beast off her, sending it stumbling backward for a moment.

Breathing heavily, Mira scrambled to her feet, her arm throbbing from the earlier wound.

Blood dripped from her sleeve, but she pushed the pain aside, focusing entirely on the black leopard.

The beast recovered quickly, its eyes never leaving Mira — those yellow orbs glowing with uncertain intelligence.

It bared its teeth, preparing for another attack. Mira's heart pounded in her chest, but her gaze remained sharp.

She couldn't afford another mistake like that.

Alex, still watching from the edge of the clearing, felt his instincts flare up again.

He could see the exhaustion beginning to creep into Mira's movements once again.

She had taken a brutal hit, and the black leopard showed no signs of backing down.

His grip tightened around Virtue's Edge, but he held back.

This was Mira's fight — if he interfered too soon, this whole thing could all be for nothing.

The leopard roared once more, its elemental energy surging through its body, manifesting as glowing lines across its claws.

With terrifying speed, it leaped at her again, but this time Mira was ready.

She sidestepped at the last possible second, her movements uncharacteristically fluid.

As the beast sailed past her, she spun on her heel and brought her blade down in a clean arc, aiming for the wounded shoulder once again.

"ROARRR!"

Her blade sliced deep into the muscle, and this time the black leopard let out a howl of agony, its body twisting in mid air as it crashed to the ground.

The beast was injured now — seriously.

Blood poured from its wounds, staining the grass beneath it.

It tried to rise, its legs shaking from the effort, but the damage was too great.

The black leopard's body sagged, its breathing ragged and uneven.

Mira stood over it, panting heavily, her blade still at the ready in case the beast made another move.

But the black leopard was finished.

It let out one last, pained growl before collapsing to the ground, its glowing yellow eyes dimming as the life drained from its massive form.

For a moment, silence filled the clearing, broken only by the sound of Mira's laboured breathing.

Alex rushed over at this moment, his eyes wide with concern and admiration.

"You did it!" he spoke, his voice filled with relief. "That was—"

Mira cut him off with a weak smile, still catching her breath.

"Close… too close."

Alex glanced down at the black leopard's corpse, then back at her.

"But you won, and you didn't even have to use Golden Presence this time! That's what really matters!"

Mira nodded, her legs wobbled slightly from the strain.

Alex moved quickly, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder.

She shot him a grateful look as she sheathed her blade, wincing slightly as her injured arm protested.

"I'm fine."

She said, though her voice was softer than usual.

Alex eyed the blood staining her sleeve but didn't push further.

He knew she wouldn't admit if she was hurting anyway.

Instead, he turned to the massive beast lying motionless before them.

"This thing was strong, definitely a Variant class."

Mira nodded in agreement, still catching her breath.

"We should be more careful, I wasn't expecting a fight like that."

Alex smiled wryly.

"Well, we know now to mask our scents for next time. But right now, let's deal with this thing and get out of here."

Mira chuckled lightly, shaking off the last of the tension.

"Yeah, no more surprises. Let's get out before something else shows up."

"Come on." Alex said, while supporting her so she could remain on her two feet.

"Next time, let's make sure the beast doesn't get so close to clawing your face off."

Mira rolled her eyes at him but smiled back.