Levi looked at the tiger standing in front of him and couldn't stop a small laugh. The first time he had seen this tiger, his only thought was to run away. Even after he forced himself to stay, the sheer ferocity and brutal way the tiger haunted almost convinced him to flee anyway.

But then, as he watched the tiger suddenly crashed into a nearby antelope, an idea came to Levi's mind.

The antelope quickly succumbed to its injuries and died. Seeing his chance, Levi used his unique Avatar technique to take control of the dead antelope's body, essentially raising it as a puppet under his power.

Next, he used the newly controlled antelope to overpower the tiger, distracting and weakening the great cat. While the tiger was busy, Levi quickly performed his technique again to resurrect a the dead buffalo that the tiger had wanted to drag back to it's den.

With the strength of the controlled antelope and the newly revived buffalo fighting together, Levi managed to bring down and defeat the powerful tiger.

This was truly a perfect case of a thousand ants overwhelming an elephant.

Without wasting a moment, Levi used his Avatar technique. With a sound like a single drop of water hitting a pond, his powerful chessboard instantly appeared.

He quickly used the technique to encase the now dead tiger in one of the chessboard's pieces. The massive cat immediately rose from the ground, but its eyes were completely unfocused and dull.

Then, to Levi's shock, a spark of clarity returned to the tiger's eyes. It unexpectedly leapt backward, landing several feet away, and began to warily eye Levi and the two resurrected animals beside him.

Levi sharply gasped in shock.

'Since when could my pawns move on their own?'. This was a frightening development. Before this moment, apart from the unique encounter he had with the creature from the Deprived Clan, no other creature he had ever resurrected had shown independent movement.

They had all appeared lifeless, waiting motionless for Levi's direct command before they would move even an inch.

Levi watched the tiger's cautious, aware movements, his surprise instantly turning into a thrill.

'Could it be that this tiger has awakened its awareness?'. He mused, his eyes starting to sparkle with excitement.

He quickly drew a comparison to human development— just as human babies have innate intelligence, they don't truly gain awareness— the ability to act independently and understand their own existence— until they reach a certain age.

This tiger wasn't just raw power for his board; it was showing signs of an independent consciousness.

'I always wanted a pet, a mosquito, cockroach, a rat would would control my hair and help me cook".

"Who knew I would get a literal tiger'. Levi's eyes sparkled already taking the tiger as a companion. Sadly for him the tiger taught otherwise.

The tiger instantly and shrewdly assessed the situation. The creature standing in the center— Levi— was clearly the most fragile target, the fact that the creature's bodily reaction pointed towards fear, proved it's point.

Therefore, the tiger decided it needed to take out the buffalo first, immediately, it used its skill to become invisible and lunged in a silent jump toward the buffalo.

But the moment the sharp command.

"Stop!". Rang out, the tiger plummeted and fell flat onto the ground. No matter how desperately it tried to move, its body refused to obey its commands.

It was as if its entire physical being had been shut down, leaving only its frantic thoughts.

For the first time since the tiger was caught breeding the chief's daughter, the tiger felt true fear.

When the antelope and buffalo had attacked it earlier, it had only been confused by the sheer audacity of its prey. But now, primal terror seized its mind. What kind of creature held such power that a single word could paralyze it completely?.

Levi squatted down in front of the immobilized tiger, its palpable fear clearly visible in its eyes. Levi mused to himself that this was a creature which, if given the chance, would have easily ripped him apart. Now, it was reduced to a cowering, terrified mess.

"I am in control of your very existence". Levi stated. Through the magical tether connecting him to the creature, he knew that even if the tiger didn't understand the words, it fully grasped the powerful intention behind them.

Levi then dismissed the other two pawns. The bodies of the antelope and the buffalo immediately exploded, ink like shadow splattered around the area before slithering into Levi's shadow.

Levi stood up and, without a moment's hesitation, moved to the tiger. He placed his hand on its paralyzed back and then smoothly swung himself up, settling in a precarious position right behind its shoulders.

He gave the tiger a new order. a powerful, focused mental command to get up and show him the way to a hunting ground where they could quickly find food.

The paralysis instantly broke. The tiger shot up, startled by the sudden freedom, and immediately took off running in the direction of the nearest abundant hunting grounds.

The speed of the enormous animal was so sudden and intense that Levi almost tumbled off. He had to hastily tighten his grip, burying his fingers deep into the tiger's thick fur just to keep from being thrown to the ground.

The tiger instantly snapped out of its shocked daze as a new, powerful fear took hold in its heart.

It now clearly understood that it was entirely under the control of the creature riding on its back. It could distinctly feel an immaterial tether wrapped around a hidden, vital part of its being.

The beast also realized that if it followed the creature's mental command for a "guaranteed hunting ground," it would lead them straight to a territory controlled by its former clan.

Its eyes widened in panic. If the Chief of the clan saw it, the tiger knew it would be hunted down immediately.

It tried desperately to struggle against Levi's control, knowing the horrible punishment that awaited it.

The Chief would have its legs broken and then throw its crippled body into the territory of the hateful Hyenas. The tiger shuddered in horror, knowing those blasted females would specifically target and eat its tigerhood.

But, tragically, the choice was no longer its own. Its decisions now belonged entirely to the creature seated on its back.

Levi, sensing the tiger's inner crisis and struggle, simply shrugged.

'Maybe it's just still fearful of my control'. He thought casually. 'I mean, if someone were to suddenly start controlling me, I'd probably look for an opportunity to commit suicide'.

The massive tiger, driven by Levi's will, covered the distance in no time. Along the way, Levi could easily sense the increasing panic and crisis radiating from the beast, but he paid it no mind, choosing to focus on the goal.

They arrived at a large, bowl-shaped clearing. Levi and the tiger stood at the top edge, looking down at a large herd of animals grazing peacefully below.

Levi's eyes immediately lit up. With this numerous collection of animals, they were sure to score a great kill. However, the tiger beneath him started to tremble violently, finally forcing Levi to pause.

"What is it?". Levi snapped, slightly annoyed by the delay.

Just then, through the intangible tether connecting them, Levi suddenly felt a strong urge— a mental push— telling him to look to the other side of the clearing. It was a communication, as clear as any word.

Following the silent instruction, Levi looked across the bowl and saw them: multiple tigers, their coats a vibrant orange-red with white undersides.

Levi was genuinely stunned. For a moment, a stupid thought wormed its way into his head.

'Since when did tigers stick together?'. But remembering the strange and varied world he was in, he quickly dismissed the thought.

A few of the tigers in the streak started sniffing the air, possibly sniffing the smell of a traitor.

'Who knows'. Levi internally mused, not knowing that his random thought was close to the truth.

The heads of the tigers snapped up, and they instantly locked onto Levi and his mount.

They let out a thunderous roar, alerting not just the rest of their streak, but also causing the numerous prey animals below to scatter and flee in panicked confusion.

All the hostile tigers began to roar in unison and started to advance rapidly toward their position.

"Well". Levi muttered, staring down at his tiger, which now looked like it wanted to shed its own skin and leave its terror behind, "...I don't think they're here to greet you."

Without wasting another moment waiting for the ambush to arrive, Levi disrupted the unexpected reunion.

"What are you waiting for? Run!!".

Without waiting to be told twice, the tiger took off running.

The Tiger Streak*immediately broke into a full charge. Their roars shook the ground, a collective sound of hostility and territorial rage.

The tiger Levi rode needed no further urging; it had been desperate to flee. The moment Levi released the control to run, it spun around and launched itself away from the clearing with terrifying, desperate speed.

Levi gripped the thick fur with all his might, his previous annoyance gone, replaced by a surge of pure, adrenaline-fueled excitement. Riding a panicked, hostile tiger at top speed was a far cry from a leisurely carriage ride.

'This is better than any hunting trip I could have planned'. Levi thought, a wild grin spreading across his face. The distance between them and the streak of tiger below had him at ease.

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