Sharky was crouched behind a nearby tree, watching the battle unfold with wide eyes, his hand clutching his wound as he gasped for breath. Blood trickled between his fingers as he struggled to keep himself upright. The intensity of the fight between Diego and Sarugami was almost too much to bear, but Sharky couldn’t look away. Every move felt like a clash between two unstoppable forces, and he was helpless to intervene.

Sarugami, fire dancing across his body, growled with fury. With a swift motion, he conjured a **fire whip**, flames swirling and hissing as it cracked through the air. With a fierce yell, Sarugami lashed the whip toward Diego, wrapping it tightly around his torso. The intense heat singed Diego’s clothes, but he barely flinched.

"Got you!" Sarugami yelled, swinging Diego around with a burst of strength, slamming him into the ground with a fiery explosion. Dust and embers filled the air, but as Sarugami prepared to follow up with another attack, something happened that made his eyes widen in disbelief.

Diego, face down in the dirt, **grabbed the fire whip**.

Sarugami blinked in shock as Diego gripped the burning flame itself, pulling on it with such force that the flame seemed to bend to his will. Sarugami staggered forward as Diego yanked him toward him.

In the blink of an eye, **Diego’s fist flew forward** with incredible speed, slamming into Sarugami’s chin with a devastating uppercut. The impact sent a shockwave through Sarugami’s jaw, his head snapping back violently. Diego didn’t stop, using the momentum to pull Sarugami closer, landing blow after blow with calculated precision. Each punch landed with a sickening crack, his fists like sledgehammers breaking through Sarugami’s fiery defenses.

Sarugami tried to regain his footing, but Diego’s relentless barrage gave him no time to recover. Blood dripped from Sarugami’s lips, the flames flickering in his eyes dimming slightly. His body was strong, and his fire powers were formidable, but Diego’s sheer tenacity and ability to fight through pain were overwhelming.

“You think fire is enough to stop me?” Diego snarled, **landing a brutal punch to Sarugami’s ribs**. “You’re weak!”

Sarugami coughed, trying to regain his breath, but before he could react, Diego **smashed him into the ground** with another powerful punch. The earth beneath them cracked, and Sarugami gasped for air, his flames flickering erratically.

**Sarugami’s arm erupted into flames again**, desperate to push Diego back, but Diego caught the fiery limb and twisted it with brutal force. Sarugami screamed in pain as his own fire was turned against him. Diego leaned in, his breath hot and filled with menace. Sarugami whole body turn into fire, Diego quickly backs up.As the intense battle raged on, Sarugami darted forward, keeping Diego occupied with swift, unpredictable strikes. Diego's mini blade whirled through the air, deflecting the blows with precise, calculated movements, a smirk of confidence etched across his face. “You’ll have to do better than that, Sarugami,” Diego taunted, his voice sharp with arrogance.

“Don’t worry,” Sarugami shot back, gritting his teeth. “I’m just getting started.”

While Diego's attention was fully on Sarugami, Shakry quietly maneuvered around the battlefield, his movements deliberate and calculated. Sweat trickled down his brow, every muscle in his body tense, ready to strike at the right moment.

Diego sneered as he blocked another of Sarugami’s strikes. “Is this all you’ve got? I expected more—”

Suddenly, Shakry burst forward, his speed catching Diego off guard. In a flash, Shakry’s hand clamped down on both sides of Diego’s neck, pressing expertly against his carotid arteries. Diego’s eyes widened in shock as his body locked up, his limbs betraying him. “Wha—what the hell?” he managed to choke out, his vision blurring as his consciousness began to slip away.

Shakry leaned in close, his voice calm but firm. “Night-night.”

Diego’s legs buckled as his body crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he could respond. Shakry let out a breath, finally allowing himself to relax. He turned to see Sarugami staring at him, incredulous.

Sarugami grumbled, dropping his stance. “You didn’t have to step in. I had him!”

Shakry flopped down beside him, breathing heavily. “Sure you did.”

“Seriously, I had him!” Sarugami protested, though the exhaustion in his voice undercut his argument. “I was just about to—”

“Knock him out by sheer willpower?” Shakry quipped, a teasing grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Face it, you were stalling. If I didn’t step in, he would’ve run you into the ground.”

Sarugami glared at him before collapsing back, too tired to continue the argument. “Asshole.”

Shakry chuckled softly. “That’s one way to thank me.”

Both of them lay there for a moment, their chests rising and falling heavily as they caught their breath. Finally, Sarugami muttered, “Next time, stay out of my fight.”

Shakry smirked, his eyes closing as he let out a tired laugh. “Next time, don’t make me save your ass.”

They lay there in the dirt, exhausted from the fight, but suddenly, **Sharky’s eyes caught something strange**. In the distance, a figure moved, approaching slowly. Sharky squinted, his heart pounding harder in his chest as the figure drew closer.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“**No way...**” Sharky whispered, his breath hitching. He recognized the figure. **A panda.** But not just any panda. It was **Mr. Bao**, the same one **Kenji**, **Eleo**, **Tony**, and **Olorun** had mentioned before.

Sharky groaned as he forced himself to stand, clutching his side where Diego’s punches had left him battered. “**Mr. Bao? What are you doing here? Have you become like them?**” Sharky asked, his voice shaky from pain and surprise.

Mr. Bao, the once gentle-looking panda, stepped forward with a calm, serene expression. His eyes, however, glinted with something new. “**Well, I found out a bunch of evil people have escaped from prison. They need to be dealt with,**” Bao said, his voice deep, calm, and almost peaceful.

Sarugami, still on the ground, raised his head, narrowing his eyes at Bao. “**Wait... what do you mean, Bao?**” Sarugami asked cautiously, his body still aching from the battle.

But Bao ignored the question. Instead, his body began to **glow**—his fur shimmered, turning into a brilliant **gold**. The air around him seemed to shift, growing heavy as Bao's form **started to grow**. His peaceful demeanor disappeared, replaced by something far more menacing. His limbs stretched and grew thicker, his body swelling with power as he grew taller and taller, until he stood a towering **70 feet tall**.

Sarugami and Sharky stared up in disbelief, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they witnessed the transformation.

“**Be ready... to fight me,**” Bao’s voice thundered, shaking the ground beneath them as his golden fur shimmered like molten sunlight. His presence was now utterly overwhelming, a titan of power standing before them.

Sarugami groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, his legs shaking from fatigue. “**No way, this can’t be happening. Sharky, what do we do?**”

Sharky, still holding his wound, glanced up at the giant figure of Bao and muttered, “**I don’t think we have a choice. We fight... or we die.**” Sarugami, still catching his breath, looked up in disbelief at the now towering **Mr. Bao**, who stood **70 feet tall**, glowing with a divine, golden aura. His mouth hung open for a moment before he muttered, “**What the hell is he...**?”

Sharky, holding his side and grimacing in pain, managed to push himself up on one knee. His eyes were wide with a mix of fear and awe as he looked at Bao’s enormous figure. “**He... He’s turned into his Buddha mode,**” Sharky stammered, his voice low but filled with a deep sense of dread. “**And even in his base form, he could easily kill us.**”

Sarugami’s face twisted in a mix of frustration and disbelief. “**Buddha mode? Are you kidding me right now?!**” he shouted, his hands tightening into fists. “**We just barely survived Diego, and now this?!**”

Sharky, still breathing hard, nodded grimly. “**Yeah. We’re seriously screwed.**”

Sarugami looked back up at the towering figure of Mr. Bao. His golden fur gleamed in the fading sunlight, radiating power. Each slow, deliberate step the giant panda took made the ground shake beneath them, the weight of his presence almost suffocating.

Mr. Bao looked down at them with calm, glowing eyes. “**You’ve fought well today,**” his voice boomed, though still carrying that eerie, peaceful tone. “**But this fight is far from over.**”

Sharky wiped the blood from his mouth and glanced at Sarugami. “**Got any bright ideas, monkey?**”

Sarugami clenched his fists, his arms still trembling from the earlier battle with Diego. “**I dunno, maybe hit him with everything we’ve got and pray?**”

Sharky let out a bitter laugh, wincing from the pain in his side. “**Great plan. Guess we go down swinging.**”

Bao took another step forward, his immense form casting a massive shadow over them. The air crackled with energy, and Sarugami felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

“**Prepare yourselves,**” Bao said, his voice now booming with an ethereal echo. **“The path you’ve chosen is one of resistance, but only one can stand victorious.”**

Sarugami swallowed hard, his muscles aching, but he forced himself into a fighting stance. “**This is insane,**” he muttered under his breath. “**But if we don’t fight, we’re dead anyway.**”

Sharky, still crouched on the ground, slowly stood, using a nearby tree to brace himself. His hand rested on his wound, but his eyes were fierce, ready for the next round. “**Let’s just hope that Buddha mode doesn’t make him invincible,**” he said, his voice a bit steadier now. “**Otherwise, we’re toast.**”

Sarugami cracked his neck and gave a small, determined smile. “**Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?**” As Eleo, Olorun, and Lilith sprinted through the dense forest, the underbrush crunching beneath their boots, Eleo grumbled, his voice laced with frustration. "Man, this is taking forever to get back to town. How far did we run in the first place?"

Olorun, who had taken the lead, glanced over his shoulder with a casual grin. "Relax, Eleo. I remember where the town is... I think."

Lilith, running beside them, couldn't help but roll her eyes. “You think? That’s reassuring, Olorun.”

Despite the tension in the air, Eleo chuckled. "Yeah, if we get lost, I'm blaming you."

Just as they picked up the pace, the smell of smoke hit their nostrils. The horizon ahead of them began to glow orange. A chill crept down Eleo's spine, and they exchanged uneasy glances. As they crested the last hill, the town came into full view, but it was nothing like they remembered.

The town was engulfed in flames.

Prisoners—wild animals who had been locked away for their crimes—were brawling with gorilla guards in the streets. The sound of battle echoed through the air, with the clash of steel and the growls and roars of the combatants filling the once-peaceful town.

Olorun’s expression darkened, his eyes narrowing at the chaotic scene. "This... this isn’t just some random fight. The whole town is a warzone."

Eleo grimaced, gripping the hilt of his blade tighter. “How the hell did this happen while we were gone?”

Lilith's eyes scanned the battlefield, her hand hovering near her side, ready for action. “It’s not good. We need to get to Agharna before things get worse.”

But before they could make another move, a blur of white fur appeared in their path. An Arctic fox girl teleported right into the center of the battlefield. Her icy-blue eyes gleamed with malice as she hovered above the chaos, looking down at the prisoners with disdain.

“You animals are pathetic,” she snarled, her voice carrying over the roar of the fire. "You’re nothing but tools. From this moment forward, you will work harder than you ever have. No breaks. No meals. I’ll grind you into the ground until there’s nothing left.”

The prisoners below looked up at her, some snarling in defiance, but many were visibly afraid. The fox girl’s power was terrifyingly clear. Her authority over the battlefield was absolute.

Olorun, standing beside Eleo, muttered under his breath. "She's got control over the situation. Teleportation and that presence... we’ll be cut down before we get anywhere near her if we’re not careful."

Lilith, who had been quietly watching the Arctic fox girl, turned to Eleo. Her usual sharp gaze softened as she placed her hand on his arm. "Eleo, my dear..." Her voice was gentle, yet unwavering. "I shall handle her. You and Olorun need to focus on getting to Agharna."

Eleo blinked, clearly taken aback. "Lilith... you sure about this? She’s not just some random fighter."

Lilith smiled, her eyes glowing with something deeper than mere affection—determination. “Of course, Eleo. Anything for you.” She tilted her head slightly, her tone playful yet sincere. "Besides, I can’t let my handsome knight get distracted by such small obstacles. You need to stay focused on your goal."

Olorun raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two. “Wow, that’s... really nice of you, Lilith.” His voice was genuine, but a hint of amusement colored his words.

Lilith nodded with pride. “I’d do anything for Eleo.”

Eleo, still processing the sudden declaration, gave her a hesitant smile. “Uh... thanks. I guess. But... just don’t get yourself hurt, alright?”

Lilith waved off his concern, her confidence unwavering. “Don’t worry about me.” She turned her attention back to the Arctic fox girl, her expression hardening. “She’ll regret underestimating me.”

Without waiting for a response, Lilith stepped forward, her eyes locked on her opponent. The Arctic fox girl’s attention shifted, noticing Lilith approaching with calm purpose. A sinister grin crept onto the fox’s face.

“And who are you supposed to be?” the fox sneered, her voice dripping with arrogance.

Lilith’s voice was steady as she replied, “I’m the one who’s going to make sure you don’t interfere any longer.”

The fox laughed, a cold, mocking sound. “Oh, is that so? I hope you’re prepared for a very short fight, little girl.”

Lilith’s smile didn’t waver as she reached for her weapon, her eyes flickering with the promise of retribution. “We’ll see about that.”

As the two women squared off, Eleo and Olorun exchanged one last glance.

“We don’t have time to waste,” Eleo said, shaking off the strange feeling of leaving Lilith to fight alone. “We need to reach Agharna.”

Olorun nodded, gripping his staff tightly. "She can handle herself. Let’s move."

With that, they sprinted off toward the burning town, weaving through the battlefield, past the prisoners and gorilla guards, the sounds of their chaotic clash fading into the background. But neither of them could ignore the heavy sense of anticipation in the air—Lilith’s battle had only just begun.