The Hexaclaw Panther weakly lay in the dimly lit chamber, its black fur glistening with a sheen of blood and sweat. Its torso was heavily injured and blood gushed out of it endlessly, forming a small puddle beneath. Broken ribs could be seen jutting out of its flesh.
This was a result of the panther's battle with Adam earlier. One shot was all it took for it to reduce to such a miserable state.
With slow and labored movements, the beast extended its tongue and licked its wound. The saliva of magical beasts had coagulant properties far more potent than regular beasts'.
As the panther slowly licked its wounds, the saliva created a protective layer over it. This reduced the risk of infection and promoted healing.
Its eyes continued to flicker with a crazed, crimson light. However, right now it was far less compared to before.
The fear of death had washed over its whole being after the earlier skirmish with the raven-haired youth, causing it to retain a great deal of its sanity. The fear of death was a terrifyingly strong emotion, after all.
From time to time, the beast would turn its head and look behind. Then, it would resume licking its wounds.
Suddenly, the panther's ears twitched as it looked toward the entrance of the chamber. Its eyes narrowed, wondering if it had been followed here.
While it was being chased by Adam, it had focused all its attention on escaping. Hence, it was not sure if it had been followed here.
Moreover, it was also struggling to resist the corruption on its way here. If it had given up resisting, the corruption would have taken hold of it and it would then be compelled to fight Adam.
This would have been no different than walking to its own death.
The panther's eyes flashed with fear and panic as it intently gazed at the entrance of the chamber. The next moment, when it saw the familiar human and white fox enter, its heart sank.
Adam's lips curled up into a wicked grin as he lay his bloodthirsty eyes on the beast. "Found you!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He gathered mana in his hands and immediately pounced on the injured panther. This was the perfect opportunity to kill the beast.
But when he got closer, his gaze fell on something, or rather someone, behind the Hexaclaw Panther, causing him to falter in his footsteps.
Behind the wounded panther, lay two cubs cuddled side by side. Their tiny bodies rose and fell with the rhythm of their breathing. Their fur was short and less vibrant compared to their mother's.
Moreover, their legs were very little, no bigger than a human's fingers. It was clear that these two cubs were only recently born.
When Adam's gaze fell on the Hexaclaw Panther's newborn offspring, tumultuous waves rose inside his heart. His eyes flashed hesitantly as he slowly lowered his hands, the mana around them gradually dissipating.
The mother panther, with great struggle, got to her feet and stood before her cubs. Although she was too injured to fight at the moment, she still growled at Adam. She was ready to lay down her life.
Nothing would stop her from protecting her children.
Adam's fist clenched and unclenched many times. He lowered his head and intensely gritted his teeth, struggling to come to a decision.
He had come all the way here, intent on finishing off the panther that had nearly killed him and Ennea. But now that he was greeted by this scene, he could not bring himself to act.
Even Ennea, who had been filled with rage on the way here, could only stare at the panther and her cubs with complicated emotions.
In the end, she turned to look at Adam, seemingly waiting for his decision.
When Adam thought back to the battle he had just gone through against the panther, his eyes flashed with immense anger and hatred.
He raised his head and viciously glared at the panther.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})But then he saw the two cubs behind her. They had already woken up by the sudden commotion and were looking at him with curious and innocent eyes.
The rage inside Adam was gradually replaced by a feeling of guilt and helplessness.
Can I really kill the panther and leave her cubs orphaned?
Will the cubs be able to survive without their mother?
The Hexaclaw Panther sensed Adam's hesitation and let out a low growl, seemingly warning him to stay back. At the same time, she was also highly vigilant of Ennea who was standing beside the youth, ready to attack any moment.
Meanwhile, Adam was going through a deep inner turmoil. He was torn between revenge and compassion.
Then, his eyes flashed with a ruthless light as he raised his hand and coated it with mana. This caused the panther to panic and immediately get ready for battle.
But the next moment, the mana around Adam's hand dissipated once again and he weakly fell to the ground, kneeling and panting.
"I… I can't do it…"
The youth could not bring himself to kill the panther, nor could he bring himself to get rid of her cubs.
His shoulders slouched and his heart was filled with complex emotions. He then raised his head and glanced at the panther, who was looking back at him with surprise and confusion.
The human and beast gazed at each other for a very long time.
Finally, Adam got back to his feet and turned around. "Ennea, we're leaving."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})With that, he walked out of the dimly lit chamber. Ennea glanced at the youth, then back at the Hexaclaw Panther and her cubs. In the end, she turned around and followed after him.
The panther deeply gazed at Adam's departing back, her thoughts a mystery. She then lay back down on the ground and started nursing her cubs.
But she still maintained a vigil, afraid that the human would go back on his word and attack her and her cubs.
…
Outside the large chamber, Adam and Ennea walked through the cave tunnels in silence for a long time.
After about a few more minutes of looking around, the youth picked up a hidden spot and decided to camp out here for the night. He and Ennea were too injured and exhausted. They needed to rest.
He was not worried about the panther coming to attack them. The beast was too weakened to do that.
As he grabbed healing potions from his earring and applied it on his wounds, he noticed Ennea was staring at him.
He glanced at her and smiled wryly, "You think I shouldn't have let her go?"
Ennea soflty growled before weakly laying down beside the youth.
Adam shook his head and started gently rubbing the fur on the fox's head. He stared in the direction of the large chamber in a daze, and muttered under his breath,
"Some things are more important than killing and revenge.
"I would not have been able to live with myself had I killed them."
His weary eyelids started to feel heavy as he felt intense fatigue wash over him. A night full of battle and giving chase to the panther for hours on end had taken a heavy toll on him.
He slowly closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.
"I hope I made the right choice…"
