Meditation World.
The ancestral spirit of the panther man that Allen merged with this time lived in ancient times.
Back then, the gods still existed.
The year Queen Victoria, blessed by the Lord, celebrated her 32nd birthday coincided with the World's Fair being held in the imperial capital.
The Queen's loyal servant, the colonial governor, was tasked with collecting exhibits that represented the exotic customs of the New World.
After much labor and expense, the governor fulfilled the Queen's commission.
The rare and exotic animals and indigenous people captured from the New World were shipped to the royal capital to be exhibited at the World's Fair.
The ancestral spirit Allen merged with, the young black panther man, originally lived on the vast grasslands of the New World.
Unfortunately, he fell into the hands of a slave hunting team commissioned by the governor, was tied up, stuffed into an iron cage, and loaded onto a slave ship.
He was transported across the ocean to the imperial capital.
Becoming an exhibit at the World Expo.
Recalling the ancestor's life experiences over the past decade took Alan a considerable amount of energy.
Ignoring the pointed tourists, he curled up in the iron cage and dozed off.
He was sound asleep when a sudden, snapping, gnawing sound came to his ears.
Alan was awakened by the noise. He rolled over, sat up, twitched his tail, and yawned loudly.
The noise came from beside him.
In the adjacent cage, another exhibit from the New World was held.
A real bunny-eared girl!
She was less than a meter tall.
Her upper body looked like a little girl, with a pair of bunny ears.
A floral scarf wrapped around her chest hid her ample breasts.
From the waist down, she resembled a large black rabbit.
As it walked, it propped itself up on its hind legs and hopped around.
The little bunny-eared girl belonged to the fairy tribe.
In the New World, they were called "Puka Fairies," but you could just call them "Puka."
Puka, the bunny-eared girl, held a carrot in her hands and munched on it with a delicious crunch.
Her red eyes darted around, revealing a mischievous, quirky expression.
Alan picked at his earholes and stared at her with an unhappy look.
"Hehehe..."
Puka, the bunny-eared girl, was completely unaware that she was an annoying little fairy.
She grinned at Alan, revealing a pair of large buck teeth!
"Hey, big guy! Are you awake?"
Alan shook his head, his face full of displeasure.
In fact, he didn't want to wake up.
It was all Bunny-Eared Girl's fault for munching on a carrot, making such a crunching sound that it woke him up.
"Big guy! I have some carrots, would you like some?"
Alan shook his head.
Big cats aren't vegetarians.
"Big guy! Do you have any family back home?"
"..."
Alan was too tired to shake his head.
Bunny-Eared Girl was a chatterbox, nagging non-stop.
Alan, tired of her rambling, turned his back on her and pretended to doze off.
Puka still wouldn't let him go, reaching his arm through the bars and trying to pull his tail.
"Big guy! Big lazy cat!"
"Stop sleeping!"
"Wake up and chat with me!"
"Big cat! From now on, I'll call you 'Mimi,' okay?"
"You're quiet, so you agree?"
Alan couldn't stand it any longer. He turned around, glaring fiercely at the bunny-eared girl with his emerald green eyes.
"Call me 'Mimi' again, and I'll kill you!!"
"...Mimi! Mimi Mimi!!"
The bunny-eared girl, however, was only aroused by his threat.
She laughed and teased him, making faces and spitting at him.
Because the big cat couldn't bite her through the iron bars, she could play pranks to her heart's content.
Saliva, mixed with carrot crumbs, splashed onto Alan's fur, which was as smooth as black satin.
This infuriated him, and he too spat at the Bunny-Eared Lady.
The Black Panther and the Bunny-Eared Lady spat at each other through the iron cage, alarming nearby tourists.
A lady visiting the Colonial Customs Museum, wearing a whalebone tutu that nearly broke her waist and clutching a white peacock feather folding fan, happened to pass by.
Seeing the Black Panther and the Bunny-Eared Lady spitting at each other in the cage, she quickly unfolded her fan, covered her mouth with it, and exclaimed solemnly.
"Holy Mother! Look at that barbaric act!"
The portly gentleman accompanying the lady on the tour shared the same sentiment.
"My lady, the New World's air is polluted, its soil toxic, and that's why these uncivilized freaks are bred!"
Puka, upon hearing this, was displeased. He turned and leaped to the side of the iron cage, baring his teeth at the lady and the gentleman.
"You are the freaks!"
"You are the poisonous ones!"
"It was you who brought this filth to the New World!"
The lady and the stout gentleman, surprised by the little devil's ability to speak human language, were displeased.
The security captain, hearing the quarrel, hurried over and offered an apologetic smile.
After the two distinguished guests left, their faces sullen, the security captain's face darkened, and he whipped Puka, the troublemaker.
Alan, deemed an accomplice, received his share of lashes.
Alan, protected by his "iron bones," allowed him to take his blows without even bothering to dodge.
The bunny-eared girl wasn't as tough as he was. The security captain whipped her until she screamed and scurried around the cage to avoid the beating.
The security captain flew into a rage, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he fiercely threatened the two: "If you dare to mess up again, I'll boil you both down!"
Puka rubbed the whip marks on his body, a frown on his face.
After the security captain walked away, he cast a spell to heal his own wounds.
The first-level "Healing" spell was one of the few spells the puka spirit mastered.
The magic power transformed into a soft halo, flowing throughout his body.
The scars on the bunny-eared girl quickly disappeared.
Puka jumped to the bars and, through the cage, cast a spell at Alan, offering to heal his wounds.
Alan wasn't hurt at all, but he was still a little touched and casually thanked him.
"Friends, there's no need to be so formal!" Puka said cheerfully.
"If you weren't so naughty and noisy, I wouldn't mind making more friends," Allen said to her seriously.
Puka twitched her rabbit ears, a smile spreading across her face.
"Friends should tolerate each other!"
She looked unrepentant...
Alan sighed and gave up trying to persuade her to be a quiet and beautiful girl.
...
The next day, the Folk Museum delivered another exhibit.
A dwarf named "Thomas," said to be the murderer of the "Notre Dame Cathedral Bell Tower Murder Case."
He was also better known by his nickname—The Hunchback of Notre Dame!
Thomas was a short, hunchbacked dwarf.
His skin was covered in dark spots and secreted a slippery mucus.
His hair was sparse.
His face was covered in wrinkles, making him look like a wretched old man.
In fact, he was only 17 years old.
It was said that Thomas was an abandoned baby born with a deformity, raised in a workhouse, and his name was casually chosen by the director.
Thomas was born with a special physique, his limbs as flexible as rubber and able to twist at will.
His fingers could stretch a meter long!
The orphans were terrified of this monster, which played right into the director's hands!
He simply kept Thomas in the cellar, using him as a punishment for disobedient children.
Anyone who dared to misbehave was thrown into the cellar, where Thomas would teach them a lesson.
Thomas lived in the cellar for over a decade, almost completely oblivious to the outside world.
The long period of darkness distorted his personality and made him extremely afraid of light.
Two years ago, Thomas, in a fit of madness, accidentally killed a boy imprisoned in the cellar.
Fearing his crime would be exposed and he would be punished, he decided to kill the dean as well.
He found the key from the dean's body, unlocked the cellar door, and fled the workhouse.
After wandering the streets for a few days, Thomas regretted his actions.
The outside world was too bright and too noisy.
The bustling streets seemed more terrifying to him than hell!
Thomas desperately wanted to hide in a safe, dark corner, like the cellar where he had lived before.
He finally found the ideal place: the attic of the bell tower.
He made the dim, narrow bell tower his lair. Hiding there for a long time, he remained undetected, surviving by eating rats.
Over time, Thomas even memorized the rhythm of the bells.
However, his good times didn't last long.
The old bell ringer discovered Thomas hiding in the attic and threatened to arrest him and hang him.
Furious, Thomas pounced on the bell ringer, strangled him to death, and gnawed away all his flesh.
The remaining bones were hidden in a toolbox.
From that day on, Thomas posed as a bell ringer, ringing the bells at set times.
He did this for a whole year, undetected. Until last winter, when the crown prince contracted smallpox and tragically died.
The nation observed a day of silence, and bells were not to be rung.
In the bell tower, Thomas knew nothing of the royal funeral that had rocked the nation.
He continued to ring the bells as usual, but was discovered and quickly arrested.
Given his peculiar nature, his unusual cartilage structure was a bit of a gimmick, so the police didn't hang him outright. Instead, they sold him to a circus.
So, Thomas was caged and exhibited everywhere, surprisingly becoming quite popular!
The World Expo was the next stop on Thomas's traveling exhibition.
...
Alan and Puka observed Thomas in the cage next door.
They discovered that his body was twisted like a snake, and his arms and legs could stretch and retract.
Alan simply observed the novelty, satisfying his curiosity, and lost interest in Thomas.
He continued to nap, gathering his strength, planning a nighttime opportunity to pry open the cage and sneak away.
Escaping the cage and regaining freedom wasn't difficult for Alan.
However, the ancestor's obsession didn't stop there; he also had to take Puka, the mischievous bunny-eared girl, with him.
Escape the pursuit with Puka, return to the mountains, and live together—this was the obsession that the Black Panther ancestor had failed to fulfill in his lifetime.
Alan didn't find it that difficult.
Theoretically, if Puka hadn't acted recklessly, she wouldn't have died.
However, in real history, Puka died... leaving an indelible psychological scar on the leopard-man ancestral spirit.
What does this mean?
Getting the naughty bunny-eared girl to behave and stop acting recklessly is almost harder than killing her!
This is a bit of a hassle.
Alan felt that he couldn't be too polite or gentle with a clingy little shrew like Puka, or she'd get ahead of him!
So, he deliberately put on a cold, stoic expression and ignored Puka.
Puka didn't seem to mind his indifference.
Even though Alan ignored her, she wasn't content to be lonely.
He turned to talk to Thomas and offer him advice.
"Hey! Thomas, you look like a slug!"
"Don't glare at me, buddy! I'm not trying to insult you!"
"I mean, your body is as soft and slippery as a slug!"
"I think you could easily slip through the gap in the bars!"
"What for?"
"To steal the key, open the door, and escape, of course!"
"Why do you look so terrified?"
"Thomas, don't you want to escape your cage and find freedom?"
Puka felt her advice was sound, and it was purely out of kindness, out of consideration for Thomas.
In her opinion, no one liked being caged and exhibited.
But she was wrong.
Her kindness was rejected by Thomas.
Far from being grateful, Thomas resented her for it!
He seemed to think she had bad intentions and was trying to ruin his life.
Thomas had no desire for so-called "freedom," nor did he see anything wrong with being caged and exhibited.
In fact, rather than wandering the streets in fear, Thomas preferred the safety of the cage, where he was fed and provided with water.
The only downside was being visited by tourists.
Thomas disliked being exposed to the light, and even more so, being stared at and judged.
But for the sake of safety and food, he willingly submitted.
Puka had no choice but to give up trying to communicate with Thomas and return to Alan.
"Thomas is so boring!" the bunny-eared girl said angrily. "Big guy! Even though you're a lazy cat, I still prefer chatting with you!"
Alan rolled his eyes at her and continued to doze off.
Late into the night, Alan suddenly woke.
A girl's scream reached his ears!
Alan jumped up and scurried to the cage.
In the next cage, Puka was screaming and struggling!
A slippery, leech-like hand was groping her.
The hand belonged to Thomas, who was in the other cage.
His eyes gleamed dimly in the darkness.
A cruel, hungry look.
One of his arms, like a slippery slug, slipped through the gap in the bars, stretched two meters, and tried to grab Puka.
Pukka struggled mightily, screaming in fear!
Alan frowned and flicked his finger.
Swish!
A "fingertip wave" whizzed through the bars and hit Thomas's long, cartilaginous arm!
Thomas screamed and hurriedly let go.
Swish!
His arms quickly retracted, like an octopus retracting its tentacles.
A trail of glistening slime remained on the floor, emitting a faint fishy odor.
The noise of the fight alerted the security guard, who rushed over with a whip and lashed all three.
Thomas's cage was quickly moved to another exhibition hall for separate storage to prevent him from causing trouble.
"Hey! Friend, thank you for saving me!" Puka, still terrified, untied her floral handkerchief and wiped the blood from her neck.
Alan waved his hand, a minor incident, not worth mentioning.
The leopard man's eyes gleamed a emerald green in the darkness.
His natural night vision allowed Alan to clearly see the bunny-eared girl in the darkness across from him, removing her bra.
Alan had to admit that calling her had underestimated her.
At least she's a big babe!
If her size were doubled, her breasts would be quite impressive, at least an F cup!
Puka seemed to sense his gaze and quickly wrapped her handkerchief around her chest, tying it into a bow.
"Big guy! Let's run away!"
Puka spoke loudly, plotting seriously.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, tonight!" Puka sounded confident.
"It seems you've already made a plan."
"That's right! You wait here, I'll go steal the key!"
"The key is with the security guard. Can you beat him?"
"Hehe! No need for a head-on confrontation, my friend!" The bunny-eared girl smiled cunningly. "I'm going to outsmart her! Outsmart her, understand?"
Alan was skeptical of her intelligence, but he didn't mind letting her try.
Even if Puka messes up, it doesn't matter, he can cover it.
"Big guy! Look at me performing a trick for you!"
The bunny-eared girl stamped her feet, and with a puff, white mist erupted from her body.
In the mist, her figure twisted and shrank.
When the mist dissipated, she had transformed into a crow.
Only her red eyes retained the bunny-eared girl's uniquely clever expression.
"Quack!"
The red-eyed crow called out to Alan.
After transforming into a crow, Pooka lost the ability to speak.
But she could communicate with Alan through telepathy.
Alan soon learned that Pooka spirits are naturally gifted with shapeshifting abilities, but they can only transform into small animals like crows, rabbits, and raccoons.
Pooka, transformed into a crow, easily escaped the iron cage, flapping its wings as it crossed the corridor and landed at the security room door.
With a puff, mist spread everywhere.
The red-eyed crow in the fog transformed back into a bunny-eared girl.
A faint light shone through the crack in the door.
It was late at night, but the security guard was still awake.
Puka stood on tiptoe and peeked through the keyhole.
The security guard sat in an armchair, reading a magazine with a picture of a naked girl on the cover.
A large set of keys hung from his belt.
How could he get the keys?
Puka scratched his head, his eyes lighting up as he had an idea.
A sudden meowing sounded from outside the door.
It sounded like a female cat in heat.
The security guard was concentrating on his study, and being interrupted by a cat's meowing annoyed him!
"Where did this stray cat come from?! It's so annoying!"
The security guard, his face filled with irritation, stood up and opened the door, cursing.
Puka hid by the door, holding his breath.
Creaky—
The door flew open.
The security guard poked his head out.
Puka plucked a strand of rabbit hair from his body.
Puffing out his cheeks, he blew hard at the hair!
Puff!
The hair suddenly exploded, dissolving into a cloud of white smoke.
The security guard was caught off guard and was enveloped by the smoke.
The smoke carried a strong scent of alcohol!
This was another of the Puka spirit's innate spells, called "Puka Dust."
Using a strand of rabbit hair as the material, the spell creates a small cloud of smoke containing a Level 2 toxin.
Inhaling Puka Dust is like downing a full liter of vodka, instantly causing a person to become deeply intoxicated.
The security guard accidentally inhaled "Puka Dust," feeling dizzy and drunk, unable to think clearly.
He yawned twice before scrambling back inside. Without even locking the door, he collapsed into an armchair.
Instantly, he was snoring like a dead pig.
"Hehehe..."
The red-eyed, bunny-eared girl covered her mouth with a chuckle.
Soon, Puka returned to the exhibition hall.
In his left hand, he held a bunch of keys and in his right, a magazine.
"Hey, friend! I got the keys, and I brought you a gift!"
Puka proudly shook his two trophies, rolled up the magazine, and stuffed it into the iron cage.
Alan picked up the magazine and casually flipped through it...
Instantly, his eyes lit up!
What a classic painting style! What a hot look!
It has the feel of a 19th-century hand-painted oil painting of Playboy!
"Big guy, do you like my gift?" Puka asked, opening the cage and peeking over. "I saw the security guard seemed to like this book, so I just grabbed it."
"Not bad! What a great thing!" Alan nodded in approval.
"Hehe! Sure enough, all men have similar tastes!"
The bunny-eared girl stood on tiptoe and glanced at the magazine.
"Wow! This pose is even possible? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
"It's called 'Train Bento,' a practical move, not an exaggeration."
Alan explained casually.
"Isn't that tiring?" Puka said, unable to understand.
"As long as the man is strong and the woman is petite, there's no problem."
"As strong as you and as petite as me, is that okay?"
"...You're still young, it's too early to ask such questions!" Allen pushed aside the curious and eager Bunny-Eared Girl. "Let's go!"
The Leopard Man and the Bunny-Eared Girl walked through the dark corridor and quietly headed towards the main entrance.
Passing the next exhibition hall, Puka stopped.
"Big guy! Thomas is locked up in this room!"
"So what?" Allen asked calmly.
"Let him out, too." Puka picked up the key.
"You'd better stay out of my business," Allen said impatiently.
"How can rescuing a friend be considered meddling in other people's business?" Puka rolled her eyes at him and unlocked the door.
"You've only known Thomas for a day, and he almost strangled you to death. What kind of friendship are you?" Allen asked her, frowning.
"I guess Thomas didn't mean to hurt me," the bunny-eared girl smiled generously. "I've already forgiven him!"
"Haven't we only known each other for two days? We used to spit at each other, but now we're good friends, aren't we?"
Alan was speechless.
No wonder the Puka in the ancestral spirit's memory died young.
With her easygoing and naive personality, it's no wonder she's been tricked!
"There's more than one security guard at the exhibition hall. Hurry!" Allen urged helplessly.
Pukka nodded and gently opened the door.
In the hall, Thomas, curled up in a cage, opened his eyes immediately at the sound of movement at the door.
His face was filled with alarm and fear! "Shh—"
Puka raised his index finger, covering his lips.
"Thomas, be quiet! Big Guy and I are here to save you!"
Thomas' face was filled with surprise, bewildered.
"We're leaving this damn place tonight, and taking you with us." Puka stepped forward to unlock the cage. "Thomas, you'll be free soon—"
Before he could finish his words, Thomas suddenly screamed!
Like a frightened dog, he bared his teeth and howled at Puka!
It was clear that he had no desire to leave the cage, to gain so-called freedom.
Puka's kindness had actually frightened him.
Thomas's howl echoed through the night-shrouded exhibition hall, piercing his ears.
A light flickered on in a nearby room!
Down the hallway, a chaotic sound of footsteps could be heard!
"Puka! Come back!" Allen urged in a deep voice.
The bunny-eared girl finally realized her kindness wasn't being rewarded, and quickly turned and ran!
Snap!
Suddenly, her bunny tail was grabbed!
Puka turned back in horror.
Thomas stretched out his octopus-like arms from the fence, his palms tightly grasping her tail.
"Let me go!" Puka was almost crying, anxiously. "Thomas! Don't do this! Let me go!"
But Thomas didn't let go.
His cloudy yellow eyes glared, a sinister grin playing on his lips.
It would have been fine if he didn't want to escape, but he wouldn't let Puka escape. What kind of twisted mentality was this?
The naive Puka couldn't understand it at all!
"Turcafinwé!"
Alan chanted the spell, pointing at Thomas, and cast the first-level "Giant Transformation" spell upon him.
Thomas's slender frame swelled rapidly, nearly filling the cage! His arm, which had once barely slipped through the gap in the bars, suddenly grew twice as thick and was stuck securely.
The excruciating pain in his arm paralyzed Thomas, and he involuntarily let go.
Puka seized the opportunity to free himself and leaped into Alan's arms.
She hugged his neck tightly, her face trembling with fear.
"This is a lesson for you!" Alan slapped the bunny-eared girl on the butt.
"There are security guards blocking the doors at both ends of the corridor! It's all my fault.
We can't escape now!" Alan smiled indifferently. "That's not necessarily true."
He walked to the wall, his left arm around Puka, freeing his right to press against the wall.
Fully armed security guards, batons and lanterns in hand, were approaching at both ends of the corridor.
Despite his desperate situation, Alan remained unfazed.
He channeled his magic power into his right hand, exerting force from his palm and striking the wall.
Explosive Palm!
Bang!
Amidst a roar, the entire wall shattered under Alan's palm!
Pukka clung to his neck, her red eyes wide.
Her little mouth opened into a wide, O-shaped shape!
"Oh my god! Big guy... you're so strong!"
Alan smiled calmly, passed through the dust, and jumped out of the hole in the wall.
The Colonial Customs Hall is located on the fourth floor of the Convention and Exhibition Building.
Outside the hole in the wall, the night was murky.
A hundred feet below, the streets of the royal capital, ablaze with lights, stretched out.
Alan, transformed into a panther man, leaped down from a hundred feet.
His nimble figure, cast upon the moonlit streets, glided past!
"Wa ... Allen swung his nimble tail, entwining the stunned bunny-eared girl and carrying her onto his back.
Puka finally regained consciousness and quickly clung to the panther's neck, his legs tightly wrapped around Allen's waist.
Behind him, the night wind carried the security guard's curses.
They hadn't given up on the pursuit of the fugitive and were circling the building, attempting to surround it.
A sneer of contempt played across Allen's emerald cat eyes.
Once Puka was firmly planted on his lap, he broke into a leisurely trot, gradually gaining speed.
Reaching the edge of the rooftop, the panther leaped.
Swish!
The panther's claws clung to the facade of the building across the way, like a large black cat scaling the steep brick wall.
In the imperial capital, the bustling streets were lined with buildings.
There were drainpipes, rooftops, and cracks in the walls, perfect for climbing.
The metropolis, under the moonlight, seemed like a concrete jungle.
Black Panther, carrying Bunny Girl, leaped and scrambled through the vast forest as if it were flat ground.
In less than half an hour, they had left their pursuers behind.
…
Alan and Puka fled the city, returning to the wilderness.
However, their troubles were not over yet.
A slave hunting team tracked them down.
Leading them was the same security captain who had whipped Alan and Puka.
The pursuit team brought with them a large pack of hounds, including a special "hound"—Thomas, wearing an iron collar.
Thomas's nose was sharper than a dog's.
He had come into close contact with Alan and Puka and could still remember their scents.
However, even Thomas, as alert as a hound, failed to notice the red spores scattered in the nearby bushes.
These were the "alarm spores" left by Allen.
As Thomas and his group passed by, Allen, from 300 meters away, received a mental alert from the spores.
This was a sparse poplar forest, perfect for hunting.
Alan disliked being followed and decided to settle their feud once and for all here!
Thomas and the others considered themselves hunters.
Little did they know, they had become Allen's prey.
Alan gestured to Puka.
The bunny-eared girl understood and bounded away.
Alan dropped to all fours, transformed into a nimble black panther, and sprinted toward a large tree.
Swish, swish, swish!
In a flash, he climbed the tree and hid in the dense canopy. Alan crouched against a tree, his emerald eyes narrowed, waiting quietly.
It was dusk.
In the dim woods, a chaotic clatter of footsteps echoed.
In the distance, someone could be heard shouting and cursing.
Puka leaped and bounded, occasionally glancing back, feigning panic.
Thomas chased after her, his ugly face contorted and flushed with excitement.
The iron collar around his neck indicated that his status in this slave-hunting group was that of a hound.
The security captain whipped and cursed him without mercy, treating him like a mere dog.
Thomas, pent up in anger but afraid to confront his master, finally found a place to vent his anger.
All he could think about was capturing Puka and ravaging her!
As they passed the tree where Alan was hiding, Puka exerted force on his hind legs and leaped into the bushes opposite.
The bushes were filled with golden spores.
Pukka held his breath, following Alan's instructions, carefully avoiding these dangerous particles.
Thomas, accompanied by a pack of hounds, chased them with barking fury. Without a second thought, they all dived into the bushes.
The sudden inhalation of the golden spores was like a blow to the head, shocking them all, paralyzed!
At the same time, the slave hunters caught up, panting.
The barking suddenly ceased!
This unusual sign alerted the captain, who quickly raised his hand to signal his companions to stop.
Everyone stood beneath the tree, swords drawn, ready for battle.
The sunset glow filtered through the dense branches and foliage, casting a shadow on their sweaty faces.
Every face was filled with tension.
A sudden sneer echoed overhead!
"Who is it?!"
The slave hunter captain suddenly looked up, gazing towards the treetops.
Swish!
A dark shadow suddenly entered his field of vision, rapidly magnifying before his eyes.
"Ugh—"
The captain's horrified face was crushed by a beast's claw, and he fell facedown beneath the tree.
The claws tore the slave hunter captain's throat.
Blood gushed out continuously, as if a faucet had been turned on!
A leopard, completely black and without a single hair, stepped on the corpse, its gaze cold.
The surrounding mercenaries' expressions changed dramatically upon seeing this scene!
After a brief moment of shock, they finally recovered, swords raised, and roared as they lunged at the black panther.
Amidst the flashing swords and shadows, Allen rose to his feet, transforming into a leopard-headed figure.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and surging magical power gathered in his palms.
Bang!
Alan suddenly clenched his fists, crushing the air!
Bright moonlight streamed from between his fingers, instantly illuminating a ten-meter radius.
Fifth-level light-based martial art—Moon Shadow Bullet!
A full moon seemed to rise in the forest.
The moonlight was like water, illuminating all living things.
Alan stood proudly in the moonlight, corpses strewn at his feet.
The entire slave hunting team, bathed in the beautiful yet deadly moonlight, were instantly slaughtered!
There was not a single wound on their bodies, as if they had died peacefully in their sleep.
A rustling sound came from the bushes.
Puka jumped out, her red eyes filled with surprise at the sight of bodies scattered across the ground.
She knew Allen was powerful, but she couldn't fathom just how powerful he truly was.
Every time she formed an expectation of Allen's strength, Allen always managed to surpass her expectations!
The bunny-eared girl looked up at him.
companion.
The surprise in her eyes transformed into admiration.
She felt safe with this man.
Even if the sky fell and the earth collapsed, there was no need to fear; Allen could handle any problem.
Another noise rose from the bushes.
The effect of the shock spores faded, and Thomas and the hounds regained consciousness.
They hurried out to take a look and were stunned!
With their masters dead, the stray hounds' arrogance vanished.
They all tucked their tails between their legs and fled, whimpering.
Only Thomas stood there, stunned, at a loss.
Puka looked at him.
The disgust in his eyes was replaced by a hint of pity.
"Thomas, your master is dead. You are free."
"From now on, you don't have to be ordered around."
"Go wherever you want."
Puka said these words out of kindness, not with any intention of mocking Thomas.
However, those same words, when heard by Thomas, pierced his wounds.
Puka felt that freedom, unfettered and able to do whatever he pleased, was the greatest joy in the world.
For Thomas, this kind of life was tantamount to the end of the world!
He had grown accustomed to being cared for, and suddenly lost his owner, left to fend for himself...
Thomas felt as if he had returned to his abandoned childhood.
A tremendous fear and anger pierced his soul.
A mark deep in his bloodline prompted him to begin his transformation!
"Ahhhhhhh—"
The deformed freak covered his face and screamed.
At the same time, his body became even more bizarre.
His muscles twisted and flexed, bursting through his coat.
It was as if countless snakes and insects were parasitizing beneath his skin.
His hands and feet stretched like springs, the skin on his palms and soles cracked, and a dense mass of bone spurs emerged!
Each bone spur was half an inch long.
It was as if sharp teeth and fangs had sprouted from his palms and soles.
"Has the bloodline awakened?"
Alan stroked his chin, observing the changes taking place in Thomas.
Shaking his head slightly, he revised his judgment.
"It looks more like a sign of demonic possession."
Perhaps even Thomas himself didn't know that his deformed body and flexible bones were due to his "choker" bloodline.
Chokemons are a type of monster that lives in sewers or the underworld.
The possessed Thomas, his innate evil and cruelty fully unleashed, simultaneously becoming even more powerful!
Puka stared at the monster, eyes filled with astonishment.
The possessed Thomas leaped to his feet!
At a speed so fast it was unseen by the naked eye, he climbed up the tree trunk and vanished in an instant!
"Ah...?!"
Puka snapped back to her senses and looked up at the treetops.
Night had fallen, the forest dark and silent.
Only a suffocating atmosphere of terror quietly gathered.
Swoosh...
The night wind blew through the treetops.
The leaves rustled.
Instinctively, Puka sensed danger here!
She quickly leaped towards Alan.
Only by Alan's side could she feel safe.
Whoosh!
A long arm suddenly swung out from the tree, stretching three meters across the air!
Its open palm was covered with sharp teeth.
Like a greedy mouth, it bit down viciously on the back of Puka's neck!
Swoosh!
The leopard man's nimble figure flashed by!
By a hair's breadth, the long arm with sharp teeth missed.
Alan gently placed the terrified Puka on the ground.
He turned and faced the possessed Thomas, hanging upside down from the branch.
The leopard man's rich emerald eyes.
The strangler's murky yellow eyes.
Their gazes met from a distance of ten feet, their eyes seemingly clashing with sparks.
Alan's lips curled upward, revealing his perfectly white teeth.
He shook his index finger at the possessed Thomas.
"You're too weak. Don't try to get yourself killed."
These two words completely enraged the possessed Thomas.
The monster screamed and swung its arms violently!
Swish!
Long arms, like two whips, wrapped around Alan's thick neck, their barbed palms attempting to pierce his throat.
Crackle—
Sharp teeth bit into the panther man's skin, a metallic scraping sound echoing!
Alan raised his hand and swung out an ivory bone whip.
Like a living snake, it twisted itself around the possessed Thomas's neck.
The monster was forcibly pulled from the tree and hoisted into the air.
The Black Panther Man and the Choker.
Each of them, in a strange way, strangled the other's neck.
Their expressions, however, were starkly different.
The possessed Thomas, strangled by the bone whip, was unable to breathe. His face turned purple and he foamed at the mouth.
Alan remained expressionless.
The arms wrapped around his neck seemed like nothing more than a scarf.
Alan raised his right hand, charged at the possessed Thomas, and raised his middle finger.
"One finger is enough to kill you!"
Puff!
His middle finger stabbed forward, piercing the possessed Thomas's forehead.
Bone shattered!!
With a roar, his head exploded!
Blood mixed with white brain matter splattered everywhere!
A pair of limp, long arms slid from Alan's body.
Alan dropped the headless corpse, not bothering to even glance at it.
The bunny-eared girl patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
The pale little face regained its color.
Puka hopped over to Allen, intending to cast a spell to heal him.
To his dismay, he discovered he wasn't injured at all.
"I don't understand... why is Thomas like this?" Puka stared at the corpse on the ground, confusion filling her red eyes. "Doesn't he want freedom?"
"The price of freedom is too high. He can't afford it. He'd rather be kept as a pet. That's understandable."
Allen stroked Puka's bunny ears and softly answered her question.
"Everyone has the right to choose their own lifestyle, but no one has the right to prevent others from pursuing the life they want."
"Unfortunately, few people can uphold both of these principles."
"More often, we impose on others what we don't want done to ourselves."
"Most of the conflicts in the world stem from this."
After saying this, Allen turned and headed deeper into the jungle.
"Hey! Big guy, wait for me!"
Puka, shaking her bunny ears, hopped after him. "Big guy! Don't leave me!"
"I love your cool, cocky look!"
"Puka has decided! I want to be your wife!"
"Big guy! Don't you know how to use the 'Giant Transformation Technique'?"
"Hurry up and give me a load!"
"Make me as big as you!"
"I want to give birth to rabbits for you!"
Two figures, one large, one small, one in front, one behind, vanished one after another into the darkness of the jungle.