“Marvelously done, mortal.”

I look up, and there it is: a massive black dragon descending from the sky like it owns the place. Classic red eyes, dark scales that practically scream "I am evil," and a deep, ominous voice to match.

Great. Just great.

“You’ve managed to defeat a portion of my army,” the dragon says, landing with a heavy thud that shakes the ground. “It is impressive how you managed to defeat my Death Knights, made from trolls, and my Abomination, crafted from the body parts of veteran adventurers.”

“Well, yeah,” I say, flicking a bit of ash from my whiskers. “I am a cat. We’re kind of awesome.”

The dragon narrows its eyes at me, clearly not amused by my nonchalance. “You jest, mortal. But know that your time of reckoning is at hand.”

Oh boy. Another villain speech. How original.

“You think those minions were impressive?” I roll my eyes, stretching lazily. “Buddy, I haven’t even broken a sweat. You really think you can scare me with your patchwork zombie army?”

The dragon lets out a low growl. “Insolent creature! I will incinerate you where you stand!”

“Uh-huh,” I say, examining my claws. “You do know I control fire, right? You really wanna play the ‘who can burn things better’ game with me?”

The dragon’s eyes narrow further. “Your arrogance will be your undoing.”

“Arrogance?” I leap up, landing on a boulder for dramatic effect. “No, no, no. This is confidence. Get it right.”

The dragon roars, and I just sit there, waiting for the inevitable attack. He’s going to breathe fire, isn’t he? Classic.

“Fine,” I mutter. “Let’s see whose fire burns hotter.”

I ignite my fur into a blazing inferno, flames swirling around me like a living aura. The dragon’s mouth opens, glowing with intense heat, ready to unleash a torrent of flames. But I’m faster. With a flick of my paw, I send a blazing fireball directly at its face.

“Surprise!” I shout.

The fireball smashes into the dragon’s snout, and it staggers back, roaring in pain.

“Yeah, how’s that for arrogance, huh?” I call out, grinning.

This might actually be fun.

The dragon in front of mecrumbles into a pile of smaller bones at my feet.

“Huh?” I mutter, but my instincts kick in almost immediately. Years of hunting—plus my genius, of course—warn me of danger.

Above.

I don’t even bother looking up. Instead, I leap to the left just as giant claws smash into the boulder I was perched on, reducing it to rubble.

“Illusion spells, combined with my necromantic arts. Impressive, isn’t it?” the dragon boasts, its voice echoing ominously.

I land gracefully, but as soon as I touch the ground, glowing magic circles appear beneath me. The earth cracks open, and more undead surge forth, their bony hands reaching out to grab me.

“Ugh, not this again.” I explode my flames outward from my fur, incinerating the skeletons before they can get a hold of me. Their bones scatter like twigs in a windstorm, clattering uselessly to the ground.

“You’re really pushing it,” I say, glaring at the dragon, now hovering above, smug as ever. “I mean, come on—undead? Illusions? What’s next, shadow puppets?”

The dragon chuckles, its wings casting a shadow over me. “Your defiance amuses me, little mortal. But you will soon see the futility of your actions.”

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“Yawn.” I stretch, cracking my neck a little. “Look, I’ve burned through skeletons, trolls, abominations, and now illusions. If you don’t have anything new, I’m gonna nap.”

The dragon’s eyes blaze with fury, and it swoops down, its massive wings stirring up a whirlwind. The air grows heavy with magic as more circles form on the ground. Great. More necromancy.

I jump again, dodging another swipe of those giant claws. “Is this all you’ve got, dragon? I thought you were supposed to be scary.”

“You will learn your place, little creature!”

I land, fire rippling around my paws, and grin. “Nah. I think it’s time you learned yours.”

I ignite the flames around me, raising my power to new heights. This dragon is tough, but I’m tougher. Let’s see how well he handles real fire.

"Blazing Cannon!" I shout, as a wave of superheated air bursts forth, launching straight at the dragon. But once again, the creature crumbles into a pile of smaller bones, and my target reappears, this time from my own shadow.

Its massive jaws snap shut around me, swallowing me whole.

I react in an instant, igniting my flames from within, and the dragon disintegrates into bones once more. This is getting old.

My attention shifts to the cat woman. She’s still unconscious, but a swarm of skeletons is closing in on her. I mentally strengthen the flames protecting her, but I barely have a moment to breathe before I feel another wave of danger.

Dragon breath.

It’s crimson, putrid, and ruinous, pouring over me like liquid death. I summon a flame-like barrier just in time, but it trembles under the pressure. It won’t hold.

I grit my teeth and unleash my secret art. "Secret Art: Flame King’s Roar!" My fiery voice cuts through the air, dispersing the dragon’s breath and sending sound waves in every direction. The lower-level undead soldiers swarming the cat woman are burned to ash. But more keep dropping from the sky, summoned like bird feces by the black dragon flying overhead.

"Crazy bastard!" I curse as a dozen Death Knights rain down around me, surrounding me. I leap from one place to another, dodging their heavy swings with ease, my agility far superior to theirs. It’s a deadly dance, and I’m winning—for now.

But something’s wrong. My throat is parched, and I know I can’t rely on my secret art for a third time. Even the second use was weaker, the power diminishing with each attempt.

I switch tactics, slashing through the Death Knights with my claws, my swordsmanship honed by instinct and raw power. I manage to slice through a quarter of them in a single bound, but then—

Boom!

The Death Knights explode, releasing a corrosive acid as they perish. I quickly ignite the flames again, burning the acid before it can touch me, but this is bad.

Really bad.

I’m getting tired. The dragon isn’t.

And it’s still raining undead.

"Troublesome," I mutter, my mind racing. I need to end this fast, or at least find a way to retreat. But I refuse to leave the cat woman behind. No way am I letting this overgrown lizard get the better of me.

But… what’s next?

I do the unthinkable: I retreat.

It burns my pride like the fire I command, but even I know when I’m outmatched. With a single thought, my entire body is engulfed in flames, multiplying my strength and agility tenfold. I dart toward the unconscious cat woman, faster than I’ve ever moved, my heart pounding in frustration.

As I reach her, a shadow looms overhead. I glance up just in time to see a giant abomination—over five meters tall—swinging its massive club down at us. My circle of flames morphs into a semi-spherical barrier, the fire roaring to life as it tries to shield us. The club connects, engulfed in flames but still carrying enough force to make the ground tremble beneath us. The impact rattles the barrier, sending shockwaves through my bones.

I grit my teeth. This is bad. I can't keep defending like this forever. The black dragon’s undead army seems endless, and even my flames are starting to falter.

I need to think of a way out. Fast.

The abomination pulls back for another swing, and I know the next hit will be even harder. My claws twitch, ready to retaliate, but deep down I know—fighting here is pointless. I won’t win this by sheer force alone. The cat woman is barely holding on, and I can’t leave her behind. My pyrokinesis flares in response to my growing frustration, but I know I can’t just burn my way out of this.

“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath.

Then it hits me.

I recognize the pattern. Every time I kill or eat something, I become stronger. Yeah, I am kind of slow… but I am not a retard. I am a cat, remember? For the past few days, everything I’ve hunted has fallen easily, and I’ve only grown more powerful. No creature in this forest has even come close to matching me.

Except the dragon.

“I’ve decided.”

I burst forth from the protective barrier of flames, my eyes locked onto the towering abomination swinging its massive club. With a roar, I leap onto it, sinking my teeth deep into its decaying flesh. Flames pour from my bite, flooding the abomination’s body with searing heat. The creature doesn’t even have time to fight back before it’s engulfed in flames, disintegrating faster than I’ve ever seen. It crumbles to ash beneath me.

Before I can even relish the victory, the black dragon swoops down from above, its massive wings blotting out the sky.

I don’t flinch.

“Ninety-Eight Blazing Spears!” I shout, summoning the fiery spears with deadly precision. They form around me in an instant, glowing hotter than ever before.

I launch them toward the dragon, each one homing in on its target with lethal accuracy. The dragon snarls, dodging a few, but several of my spears pierce through its dark scales, embedding themselves into its flesh. Fire erupts from the points of impact, causing the dragon to shriek in pain.

But I’m not done yet.

I can feel the hunger inside me growing. The dragon is strong—stronger than anything I’ve faced before. But if I can take it down… I’ll become unstoppable.

“Only one bite,” I murmur to myself, “I only need one bite.”