Chapter 36 - Dance of the Elements
The oppressive aura of the inner realm coiled in the air like smoke, heavy and thick. Even before he saw the creature, Jin could feel its presence. It wasn't just power—it was intent, feral and murderous. Gorr, now standing beside him, growled lowly, his massive body tense.
From the thick brush, a sleek figure emerged. A leopard, like the one Jin had fought in the outer realm, but this one was different. Its silver fur shimmered with streaks of red, and its eyes glowed like molten gold. This was an early-stage Adept Realm beast, its aura violent and untamed.
Jin inhaled deeply, flames flickering in his eyes. He stepped forward, Gorr stomping once before he retreated behind a large boulder. This was Jin's fight.
Without another thought, Jin erupted.
**"Blazing Heaven Fang!"** he roared, slamming his foot into the ground. A scorching lance of flame burst from his palm, spiraling toward the leopard. The beast dodged effortlessly, vanishing and reappearing at Jin's side. He spun, narrowly evading a swipe aimed for his throat.
**"Inferno Chain!"**
With a twist of his hand, a fiery chain exploded from his wrist, wrapping around the leopard's foreleg. But the beast twisted mid-air, snapping the chain and retaliating with a clawed strike.
"Gallant Armor!"
A thick layer of glowing earth encased Jin in an instant. The claws scraped across it, leaving deep marks but failing to pierce through. Jin's body skidded backward, but he maintained balance, his eyes sharp.
The leopard lunged again.
"Flowing Water."
Jin's body shimmered, his form fluid like water. He bent unnaturally, dodging the strike with grace, then immediately countered.
**"Phoenix Tempest!"**
Twin streams of fire coiled from his arms, forming the shape of a blazing phoenix that screamed through the air and collided with the beast. It hissed in pain as its fur singed.
The fight escalated.
Jin burst forward with **Dance of Zeus**, wind coiling around his legs, boosting his speed. He weaved between strikes, his figure a blur of motion and heat. The leopard matched him with savage agility, lunging at strange angles, biting and swiping with unmatched ferocity.
They clashed mid-air, again and again. Jin spun, using his earth technique to tank blows and retaliating with vicious fire jabs.
**"Ashen Vortex!"** he bellowed, twisting his body and releasing a whirlpool of flames that sucked in the air and exploded. The leopard was thrown back, its body singed and fur scorched.
It roared and retaliated with a sonic shriek that shook Jin's insides.
**"Molten Crest!"**
Flames coated Jin's body like armor, crackling with unstable energy. He dashed forward and engaged in a brutal melee. His fists met claws, flame met fur, wind carved paths through the clearing.
The leopard feinted left, then vanished, appearing directly behind Jin. Before it could land the blow—
**"Solar Rend!"**
Jin unleashed a slicing arc of compressed fire, severing the air and forcing the leopard back with a bleeding shoulder. It growled, more furious now.
Blood dripped from Jin's lip. He panted but smiled.
"You're fast," he muttered, eyes sharp. "But I'm faster now."
The beast circled, and Jin mirrored its steps.
Then they moved.
A dance of death.
Jin dove under the leopard's pounce, launching **Phoenix Tempest** from below. The beast twisted mid-air, but Jin followed it with Inferno Chain, pulling it to the ground and hammering it with wind strikes.
He shifted into Dance of Zeus, vanished behind the beast, and unleashed **Solar Rend** again. The beast roared, staggering.
But it was relentless.
It charged, fangs bared.
Jin summoned Gallant Armor once more, his body glimmering like obsidian. He held his ground.
"Ashen Vortex!"
The vortex exploded again, smoke rising. This time, the leopard didn't rise immediately.
It staggered, breathing hard. Jin approached slowly, the last vestiges of his armor crumbling.
The beast lunged one final time—
And Jin spun with Flowing Water, guiding the momentum and redirecting the beast's body mid-air.
"Solar Rend!" he whispered.
A final flash of flame.
The leopard crashed into the dirt, motionless.
For a second, silence.
Then Gorr stepped forward. His eyes gleamed as he approached the fallen beast. With a low grunt, his body pulsed, drawing out the dim golden core from the leopard's chest.
The core floated mid-air before dissolving into pure energy. Gorr roared once, then collapsed into slumber, the light of evolution coiling around him.
Jin wiped the blood from his cheek, exhaled, then gently stored Gorr's unconscious body into his ring.
He turned, walked to a shaded part of the clearing, and sat cross-legged.
His mind drifted back to the fight.
The angles. The speed. The unpredictability.
The savage thrill.
He closed his eyes and entered meditation.
His real journey had just begun.