Kiona made haste and 'killed' the Fanged Lion very easily. In a fight, both Evolution and Rank mattered a lot, especially if the opponent had a similar Evolution Tree.
A higher Evolution Stage meant they would possess more skills and were also significantly more intelligent. Every evolution brought a qualitative change and connected a person more deeply with the world.
That's why Fanged Lions died very easily under someone who was two stages higher in evolution and also had the advantage of a sneak attack.
After she was done with the lion, Kiona ran off towards the cliff while suppressing her excitement. She feared she would mess up if she got too excited and lost focus.
"The sun will be drowning soon," she smiled softly. "And along with that, you will drown in my anger too."
The moment she reached the edge of the cliff, she used [Infernal Pounce]. Her feet ignited like jets, and she jumped, launching herself into the air as she left behind flaming marks scorched into the rock.
Hovering in the air above the deep valley, she found herself lost in a fleeting sensation of flying. And she relished in that feeling for a brief second before focusing back on her target.
She turned around to look at the Flameclaw Lion and found him staring directly at her. He wasn't alone either as four Fanged Lions stood by his side, watching and waiting.
'Master was right all along. He saw through all of their schemes.'
Kiona felt deeply thankful she had decided to follow Kael's advice. Without him, she wouldn't have discovered any of this and might have unknowingly led herself and her brothers to doom.
'Not anymore!'
Crimson flames burst out from her hand as she stretched out her arm and murmured, "[Solburn Execution]."
The flames roared to life behind her, engulfing the sky like a curtain of fire before concentrating into the shape of a flaming spear in her hand.
She then hurled the flaming spear down at the Flameclaw Lion with all her might. It was also at that moment she lost her momentum and began to plummet downward.
However, she activated [Infernal Pounce] again and propelled herself towards the steep cliff. From the corner of her eyes, she also saw the outcome of her spear attack.
As expected, the Flameclaw Lion didn't even flinch. He raised his flaming claws and slapped the incoming spear aside. The force sent the spear flying to his right, where it destroyed a massive chunk of the cliffside in a brilliant explosion.
By then, Kiona had already landed using her swift speed and perfect balance. The cliff wall had many protrusions and natural ledges, and she utilized them expertly.
She landed gracefully on the ground, the winds stirring dramatically with her arrival. She looked at the group of lions standing a short distance away from her.
They didn't immediately attack her, either because they were wary of her, or perhaps they were just waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
'Heh! They're waiting for the other lions to surround me first. Sorry, but Master is too clever and already solved everything for me.'
The Flameclaw Lion broke the silence between them as he asked in a deep, masculine voice, "Who are you?"
"You don't know or you just don't want to believe it?" Kiona asked with a smile curling at her lips.
"Impossible! That's just impossible!" the big lion growled. "Are you her friend?"
"Haha! You seriously never want to admit that I am better than you, right, Steve?" Kiona laughed, but there was only coldness in her tone.
The Flameclaw Lion, Steve, took a step forward and narrowed his massive eyes at her. "It is because I am better than you. Now speak! What kind of sorcery is this? Some illusion magic?"
"I don't care if you want to believe me or not, but you can forget about leaving this place alive," she said coldly, staring at him as if she were already looking at a corpse. "And don't worry, you won't have a peaceful death. I'll make sure of that."
Steve ignored her words and looked around, confused as to why his subordinates were still delaying.
Kiona smirked, noticing his confusion, and said, "They won't be coming."
For the first time since they met, Steve was visibly shocked and she enjoyed it. He always pretended to be calm and collected, as if everything was always under his control, and she hated that arrogance of his.
"Y-You… coward!"
Golden flames erupted from Steve's mane, and his eyes burned with fury. "How dare you kill my brothers?!"
"I dare. What are you going to do about it?" she taunted, ignoring the Fanged Lions that had begun to surround her on all sides.
To her surprise, Steve calmed his rage and scoffed in disdain. "You lectured me on my methods, and now you're the one forgetting your own father's teachings. What an irony!"
Her blood boiled at the mention of her father, but then she remembered how she was only alive because Kael had kept a cool head even in the most desperate situations.
'That's right! I shouldn't let his words get to me. They're just the words of a dead beast anyway.'
She took a deep breath and said, "Honorless cowards like you and your brothers don't deserve an honorable death."
"Is that the excuse you found to comfort yourself?" Steve took another step forward, his massive body moving with unexpected grace despite its weight.
"No! I've just decided to make my own principles instead of blindly following my father's," Kiona shrugged casually. "Now, what are you waiting for?"
"Waiting for your master, the one who helped you in your evolution," Steve sneered as he looked around and shouted loudly, "Come out now, otherwise you won't even see her body intact!"
Kiona completely ignored his rambling. She knew Kael was busy handling something far more dangerous. Instead, she focused on forming a strategy through which she could defeat Steve.
In the very next moment, she sensed some sudden presence and smiled. "I think that's enough talking."
"That is not for yo—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, two massive beasts landed on both sides of Kiona, raising clouds of dust and violently shoving aside the surrounding Fanged Lions.
'They could have gone for the Fanged Lions first... but I guess they still need some time to accept the changes.'
Kiona made a quick judgment of her brothers' actions and turned her head towards Steve, whose eyes were now wide open and whose jaw had nearly dropped to the ground, exposing his deadly fangs.
"I-Impossible! How could...?"
"Let me introduce ourselves, Steve since you're not the only one here with a name anymore," Kiona smiled darkly, remembering how he had mocked everyone for not having a name.
"N-No! You're lying! I don't believe it!"