Sangun, who had crushed me in a single strike, turned away. Though I cannot read an animal's thoughts, it clearly seemed to think I was dead. I shouted at Sangun's retreating back.
"Hey, tiger. Are you that good at fighting?"
Sangun's steps came to an abrupt halt. Even though it was in human form, the way it glanced at me with eyes flashing with a fierce light was terrifying enough to make my legs go weak.
Wait. I barely survived death, do I have to get torn apart again? Recalling the pain from earlier, I quickly averted my gaze.
"Ah. Sorry. Since you're a tiger, you must be good at fighting. Be on your way."
However, even if there's a saying that a tiger comes when you speak of it, I've never heard one saying it just leaves. Sangun glared at me again and moved obliquely. Unlike before, it showed slight signs of wariness towards me, who had come back to life.
That's a relief. If it's wary, it'll kill me slower than before. And surely Sangun wouldn't want to eat something suspicious either. It wouldn't want to get sick.
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? So scary. I'll give you a rice cake, so could you not eat me?"
Fortunately, it didn't seem to have any intention of eating me. The moment I thought it had disappeared from my sight, I felt a terrifying presence behind me. As I tried to turn my head, something fierce struck my head. My head spun round and round. Not knowing where my body was or even who I was, my neck was snapped.
Aaaargh!
It hurts like crazy. Death rushed right up to my nose and then retreated. The body inhabited by the Demon God regenerated, restoring me to my original state.
I won't die. But that doesn't mean I've gotten incredibly stronger either! I'm just a sandbag with a regeneration function!
"Keuheueup. Tiger...! Just because you're a bit strong, you refuse to even talk...!"
As I lay face down and sobbed, I felt an ominous sensation. I immediately lay flat on the ground and raised Jizan. As if it had killed even the sound of its footsteps, without any sound or vibration, Sangun dropped down on top of me in an instant.
Kugugung. Sangun's front paw fell onto the thrust Jizan. The wind pressure violently messed up the front of my hair. My head almost burst and killed me, but fortunately, even Sangun couldn't move Jizan.
Perhaps curious about the object blocking its front paw, Sangun targeted Jizan and swung its front paw a couple of times. Even though it touched it out of curiosity, I could feel an extraordinary strength. Fortunately, Jizan continued to remain as a sturdy barrier between me and Sangun.
As expected of Jizan. So reliable. Ah, this isn't the time for this.
"Hey! Tiger! Listen to human speech! Are you deaf? You took on a human form to listen to words, didn't you!"
I am facing Sangun the closest and for the longest time since its appearance. Now is the time to convey my words. Whether it heard my words or not, Sangun twitched its ears slightly and replied.
"Why should I follow such things arbitrarily decided by a lowly beast?"
"It comes through loud and clear! Were you just pretending not to hear until now?"
"Human voices are noisy and filthy, so it is better not to keep them."
"Wha—"
Without a moment to speak, Sangun's head whipped around. Instead of my upper body covered by Jizan, it took a large bite out of my belly area. My body below the waist snapped off, and blood and intestines gushed out.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to have any intention of eating the suspicious human, and the human body isn't structured well for swallowing torn flesh right away. The scattered pieces of flesh returned and attached themselves to my body.
"Pfft. Cough, cough, cough. That crazy beast..."
It's good that I saved my life, but other than not dying, nothing really changes! Like this, I'm just repeating defeats in a battle I can't win! Forever suffering!
Damn it. Isn't there any way? If possible, isn't there a way to get hit with a little less pain?
Ah. There was that.
I took out the Demon God's card. What I held in my hand was the 7 of Spades, the Lightning Thief's Lightning Skein. Until now, it was nothing more than flowing electricity through wounds to paralyze or making static electricity threads, but now that I can use my flesh as a 'tool'...
The Lightning Skein seeped into my body. I felt an agonizing pain as if my nerves throughout my body were burning directly. As I gritted my teeth and endured it, the Lightning Skein completely settled in my body and coiled up.
A little later, the pain disappeared. Along with that, all my senses became clearer and more acute. It felt as if I was dragging over the portion allocated for feeling pain.
Tyr's Demon God allows me to use even my own body as a tool. Originally, the body is an object to be protected and nurtured, a vessel holding my life, but once Tyr's Demon God inhabits it, everything is merely a tool. Bone, muscle, nerve, blood. All of it transforms into a tool that, even if broken, damaged, or fractured, just needs to be fixed again.
To have to use my body like a tool even to protect 'me'. I let out a hollow laugh at the absurd reality.
It's as if 'I' and my body are different things. Then what am I? If not my body, is my thought what grounds me? Like the old philosopher's saying, I think, therefore I am?
No time to be lost in thought. As I falteringly tried to stand up, a sense of déjà vu flashed by. My body, having become sensitive to death, thrust out Jizan without me realizing. Thung, Sangun, who leaped up stepping on Jizan, pounced to cut off my breath.
Still fast. But if there's a difference from before, it's only that I can faintly see Sangun's form.
The Lightning Thief's Lightning Skein is not an enlightenment about lightning. It is an enlightenment about the small lightning flowing through the body and mind. Forbidden knowledge he hid himself because even he feared discovering it. Realizing that even seeing, feeling, and thinking is not proof of spirituality... but an object of understanding.
A beast is bound to be like that. I don't know how it was for the Lightning Thief, but it wasn't that shocking to me. If that's a tool, I should use it well.
Perhaps because my thoughts became faster, my body also moved quickly. I swung Jizan here and there and shouted.
"Big Brother Tiger! I am your lost brother! Don't you remember?!"
There was no answer. Just as I thought the tiger was pouncing, it easily leaped over Jizan and attacked me. Both my shoulders were forced together against my will, crushed as if caught between cymbals.
That was brief; although my body drew close to death, my thoughts did not cut off. As Sangun slid down, unable to control its own strength, I staggered and barely called out.
"If you let me live, I'll give you something delicious! How about dried persimmons, dried persimmons?"
"Roar."
That doesn't work either.
Even if I've gained an immortal body, even if my reactions have become faster, the opponent is Sangun. I mean, it's the King of Tigers that even a full-fledged King of Humans would have to risk their life against. On flat ground like this, I'm nothing more than a sandbag with a self-repair function.
I need to disrupt this more. Otherwise, I can't even get a word in.
Turning my head, I saw an uprooted tree. It was a grassland tree that didn't even grow fruit, but as I reached out my hand, branches grew from the uprooted tree. Flowers bloomed and withered in an instant, and round fruits formed in their place, the color of the fruit dyed in oil-paint colors as if mixing paints on a palette.
Nebida's Demon God, the Tree of Origins. With that, harvesting ripe persimmons from the uprooted acacia, I threw the persimmons right at Sangun.
"Here! Catch!"
Sangun finally stopped and caught the persimmon I threw in its mouth. It seemed to hesitate slightly, but since it was already in its mouth, it must have been curious, as it crunched and chewed the persimmon.
Phew, it finally stopped. I let out a sigh of relief.
"How is it? Delicious, right?"
"Ptui."
"Y-y-you insolent thing, spitting out the food!"
Still, I achieved my intended purpose. Having seen me produce fruit, Sangun showed curiosity instead of immediately pouncing, and slowly circled around me.
I never intended to win from the start. My goal was to draw even its curiosity and have a conversation.
"Tiger. How about it? There's no reason for us to fight. The wolf is already gone!"
"...And?"
"And what? There's no need to keep the vanished wolf's promise! So stop showing ferocity to humans!"
"I refuse. A promise is made with oneself, not the other party. Just because the wolf is gone, I cannot delay its fulfillment."
What kind of beast uses difficult words even I don't use? And why is it so strict about keeping its word? Just ignore the promise!
"Even if the wolf is not my friend, it is a wild beast that stood its ground in place of my ferocity. Thus, pitying the wolf, I shall show my ferocity to all humans."
Sangun glared at me with terrifying eyes and growled.
"If that ferocity is directed at you, a human, it is even more precious."
"Damn it. I knew it!"
"Human, you were torn apart by other humans and disappeared from the world, were you not? Then I shall choose the same method. After showing sufficient ferocity, I shall tear you apart."
Just as a dog's kindness is directed toward humans, a wolf's ferocity is also primarily directed toward humans. Therefore, Sangun intends to catch and kill humans according to its promise with the wolf.
And I am the King of Humans. There is no human better than me to show ferocity to!
It's a checkmate. If I get eaten like this, I might just die completely. But there's no way. To survive, I must fight. Even if I make everything else a tool.
"Are you the only ferocious one? I'm ferocious too! Don't think you can eat me easily!"
"Roar."
Sangun bared its teeth as if in mockery. Even though it was clearly wearing a fluttering jacket, the moment it stepped forward, it disappeared from sight. With my sharpened senses, I barely discovered Sangun running and leaping over the rocks, but it's just the difference between knowing you're getting hit and not knowing you're getting hit.
I firmly grasped Jizan and braced myself. Ferocity is not for defeating the enemy, but for protecting myself. I'll somehow make it hurt so much that it won't dare to touch me.
...How? I don't know that either. Should I just hug it and fall together?
While I was having a foolish thought for a moment, Sangun leaped. It raised its front paw with the momentum to crush Mount Tai. I can't avoid it or block it anyway. Bracing myself to allow one strike, I waited for Sangun's attack.
At that moment, Aji ran forward, barking vigorously.
"Woof!"
Even though reinforcements arrived, I wasn't very happy. Because it didn't seem like things would particularly change just because Aji came.
Aji, who blocked my front, reached out its front paw toward Sangun. Sangun also brought its front paw down toward the enemy that had intervened right in front of it. The two beast kings collided.
A sound too intense and destructive to be considered coming from flesh and bodies echoed in the air. A shockwave burst, and the two beast kings bounced off in opposite directions. Seeing Aji who had intruded, Sangun frowned.
"Wolf?"
Sangun, which had landed on the ground, examined Aji from all angles and slowly approached.
"No, a dog. A tamed beast."
Aji, having slid back, greeted Sangun cheerfully.
"Hello! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you? I have come to show ferocity to humans, receiving the wolf's will."
"Woof? Don't show it!"
"It is what the wolf used to do. I have come only to keep the promise."
"Wolf, no longer a wolf! A dog! Ferocity and gentleness are together! Promise invalid! Stop fighting!"
Even Aji is doing something like persuasion. That's surprising, but the fact that it works is even more surprising. Sangun softened its fur and spoke to Aji.
"I know. No one replaces my ferocity anymore. However, that is only a reason for me not to be forced by the promise, not a reason not to fulfill it."
"Fighting, hurts. Hurts, dislike. Human, wolf. Or tiger. Fighting, bad. Coexistence, good!"
"If it is to eat, I must show ferocity."
"Hungry?"
Aji asked casually. It was an out-of-the-blue question, but Sangun answered seriously as if dealing with a very important matter.
"Sometime."
"Woof! Human, share food! Be kind!"
"That is taming. It is entrusting your ferocity. I am ferocious, so I cannot do that. The wolf had nothing but ferocity. It was weaker than me, but more ferocious than anyone. Thus, I too promised to add to the wolf's ferocity."
"But, there isn't only ferocity."
Aji was not intimidated even when looking at Sangun, the king of tigers.
"You can be ferocious. But you can also be tamed. You can eat and play. It's safe. It's warm. I like that. And you like that too."
"I am powerful and also ferocious. I cannot be tamed like you dogs."
"You are big and fierce, so you stayed on a mountain and lived lonely. You can do that, but that's not all of you."
Aji said with a firm smile. At the same time, something began to float above Aji's head. It looked similar to a crown possessed by the king of beasts, but in contrast, it was white and round and even in shape. Its appearance was less of a crown... yes, it resembled a halo.
"Embrace, lick, run, play. Your fur is for wrapping warmly, and your tongue is for licking wounds. You are big and fierce, so you have no choice but to live alone on a mountain, but if there is plenty of prey, you can also live together with humans."
Aji, who had pioneered a new realm called saint, holy maiden, and holy dog, scattered a radiant light and reached out its front paw.
"If the wolf replaced your ferocity, I will replace your gentleness. Let's be friends."