Steve towered over her, his eyes full of amusement and mockery. He clearly enjoyed seeing her in such a state.
"When I received my name from him, I didn't get any Evolution like you. I'm not as lucky as you, after all. But I did receive a skill. A skill that puts erosion in my bite."
He grinned widely, proudly showing off his gleaming fangs.
"Even just a touch of them is enough to leave the erosion on my enemies. You could've easily expelled it, but you're too weak. You've always been weak and will die as a weakling."
Kiona's eyes widened in shock. She had believed that his evolution came after being named, that was triggered it mid-battle.
'So, it was a natural evolution rather than given…'
From this, she understood something important. Evolution through naming wasn't guaranteed, it depended heavily on the strength and understanding of the namer. The human who had named Steve must have been too weak to bring about a full evolution, which explained why Steve only received a single skill.
'And Master didn't just evolve me, he performed three evolutions. He's… amazing!'
"Any last words?" Steve mocked her again. "Your father died without giving any last words, so I'm giving you the chance. He was pathetic to the end."
"I could ask you the same," Kiona smiled coldly and used [Infernal Pounce].
She was already very close to him, and after activating the skill, she reached him in less than a second, delivering a solid uppercut to his jaw with her right hand.
The same hand that had been plagued by erosion just moments ago.
The impact sent the lion's front half into the air as Kiona followed up using her momentum, transforming her left hand into [Draconic Claws].
Flames erupted from Steve's mane as he reacted quickly to the sneak attack, but Kiona's claws sliced through the fire like hot blades through parchment.
Her razor-sharp claws tore through his underside, and blood rained down, staining the soil a deep crimson. She heard Steve roar in pain, and it fanned the flames in her blazing heart.
But she knew it still wasn't enough to finish off the massive lion. She immediately backed off, putting distance between them.
It proved to be the right decision, as the ground beneath Steve shattered into broken pieces. Flames burst upward, surrounding the lion in a furious ring of fire.
She came to a stop and readied herself for the next attack, but the fire was now in the way. Even with her fire resistance due to her affinity, she would still suffer injuries if she dove through that blaze and Steve would definitely try to use it to end her.
Her master had told her to not take unnecessary damage.
With a brief pause in the fight, she glanced sideways, drawn by the sound of battle from the distance.
Seth and Jon were fighting two Fanged Lions each, but they were holding their ground well. It would take some time, but they were clearly winning.
'He gave us this opportunity,' Kiona thought, raising her gaze to the top of the hill. 'But where is he? Did he catch the human?'
She wanted to know, but her attention snapped back at the sound of a low groan followed by shouts from the ring of fire.
"How… how did you recover from my erosion? You aren't strong enough to oppose a power like that! You're weak! You're a woman!"
"Your erosion doesn't work on women," Kiona said, taking her stance once more.
Of course, that was a lie. She had healed her hand only because of her tunic, it carried the [Draconic Regeneration] enchantment, which had fully restored her in the time Steve had spent bragging about his skill.
But he didn't need to know that.
"That's impossible! My superior skill can't be suppressed by you weaklings!"
The flames around him slowly crawled into his body. His eyes glowed bright red, and the wounds on his flesh began to close.
His aura shifted, dense and oppressive, his entire presence now blazing with fire. The surrounding temperature spiked sharply, as if the sun itself had descended to the valley.
Kiona didn't even blink. She knew exactly what it was, she had been a Flameclaw Lion once too.
[Tyrant's Prowl].
A skill similar to a berserker state. Once activated, it boosted everything, power, reflexes, aggression and made the user a relentless predator. The first strike after activation was always a guaranteed critical blow.
She slipped into a defensive stance without hesitation. She couldn't afford to clash directly.
'I could have attacked him while he powered up, but this… this is better. I'll use this.'
The next moment, her thoughts came to halt as the giant lion was already in front of her.
His mouth opened wide, ready to tear into her flesh.
She pushed herself forward instead of back, shifting just enough to throw off his bite and letting his massive body slam into her.
His shoulder crashed into her side like a boulder. She heard bones crackle under the pressure, and her body was thrown like a ragdoll.
She smashed into the jagged ground, rolled over sharp stones, and finally slammed into the cliffside with a sickening thud.
Before the pain even fully hit her, Steve came again, claws like blades cutting down with fury.
She rolled to the side just in time. His claws smashed into the cliff wall, carving a gaping hole in the rock.
She slid under his body, evading his assault, her armor glowing faintly as it activated. The [Draconic Regeneration] triggered again.
Her master was still protecting her.
She smiled through the pain and glanced at the lion chasing her. Then she raised her hand and ignited the ring of fire around herself once more.
Her body became a flame waltz again as she began circling around Steve.
He was faster than her, yes but she was smaller, more agile. Her frame twisted and weaved through his strikes, leaving trails of fire in her wake.
As she ran, the flames built up around them higher and higher until they shaped into a blazing dome with Steve at the center.
She halted, her chest rising and falling, a satisfied grin stretching across her lips.
"Time to die, bastard." Her eyes narrowed. "[Solar Bloom: Lionheart Field]."
With a resounding boom, the dome exploded outward, shaking the entire valley with its brilliance.