The group walking in the dense forest all centered around Li Xing, as he kept the area cool and mosquito-free.
As they walked, Li Xing suddenly stopped, turning sharply to the side. Several wind blades slashed through the air, merely severing a few trees.
"Wait, there's a tiger!" Li Xing alerted everyone, but Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others found no trace of a tiger.
Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky, stirring up a cloud of dust. "It's not a tiger! It's a Leopard Person!"
When the group finally saw the newcomer clearly, they realized it was a woman dressed in a one-piece pajama suit. To Li Xing, however, she still looked like a tiger.
"Listen up, I am the Leopard Person. Do not call me Tiger again. If you are not afraid of being torn apart by my fangs..." As she spoke, the Leopard Person pointed to the teeth on her hat's hood.
"May I ask... how can you utter such imposing words with such an unconvincing facade?" Li Xing, of course, recognized the person as Teacher Taiga, also known as Teacher Tiger or the Tiger of Fuyuki. She was essentially a comedic character, so Li Xing found it impossible to take her seriously.
"She's a suspicious character, must be eliminated immediately!" Anna instantly produced her scythe and lunged forward, slashing through the air but missing.
"Very well, I understand. We shall meet again! Everyone, and remember, I am not a tiger, I am a Leopard Person. This is important, so you must remember it!"
Anna's attack missed, and the Leopard Person had vanished. All that remained was her parting statement.
"It's hard to imagine that this is the one who killed Amakusa Shirou and Fuuma Kotaro, and even left Amakusa Shirou with such a profound shadow," Li Xing mused internally. The Leopard Person's appearance was too comical, and she spoke with the tone of a teacher.
...
The dense forest was merely a minor detour. The Chaldea group safely arrived in Ur City, seemingly without any issues.
Ahead, Fujimaru Ritsuka saw a woman washing clothes and approached her, introducing himself as being sent by Gilgamesh for an investigation. When Fujimaru Ritsuka offered to send reinforcements, the woman refused, stating that Ur City was currently safe.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu were taken aback by the refusal but could say nothing more at the moment. They merely entrusted Li Xing and Anna with patrolling the entire city of Ur.
As evening approached, Li Xing and Anna returned. Li Xing immediately pointed out the core problem: Ur City was predominantly populated by women, and there were hardly any physically capable men to be seen. Therefore, they needed to gather everyone the next day to see if Li Xing's assessment was correct.
The following day, it was still raining. The citizens of Ur City were summoned by Fujimaru Ritsuka. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed as Li Xing had said; the population was overwhelmingly female.
"We heard you do not require any support. Could you please tell us your reasons?" Merlin asked the crowd.
"Ur is safe, so we do not need the King's support," said the woman at the head of the group.
"Safe? Then why do I see so few adult males here? And yet, I don't see any men from Ur City going to support other cities. Is it one per day?" Li Xing questioned from atop a high wall.
"What are you talking about? What live sacrifices? Ur City is safe now. We have made that clear."
"Hey! Woman, I never mentioned live sacrifices. Why are you so flustered? You've just admitted it yourself! Tell them what happened here?"
Li Xing gestured towards Fujimaru Ritsuka, indicating for the others to explain things to him. Fujimaru Ritsuka was also eager to understand what was happening.
"There's no other way! As long as we send one person to the temple of Eridu each day, that demon will be satisfied..."
"Is this your choice? Is this how you protect yourselves?" Fujimaru Ritsuka felt a surge of anger. Sacrificing others to protect themselves was against human reason.
"Calm down, calm down. They might not be live sacrifices! Perhaps they are going to work? The situation is somewhat clear. Due to the rules of the forest goddess, Ur City is safe, but we need to send one man each day."
Li Xing knew this couldn't be rushed and urged Fujimaru Ritsuka to think calmly, reminding him that as a Master, he needed to be composed.
"Hahahaha, don't worry. If I kill a live sacrifice, I'll be scolded as an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy!"
At that moment, the Leopard Person suddenly appeared atop a high wall, looking down at them. The people of Ur City, upon seeing her, immediately panicked and fled as if they had seen something terrifying. Soon, all the citizens of Ur City had scattered.
"Then, does that mean those people are still alive?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's first thought was of the people's lives.
"As a gourmet, I only consume the hearts of the brave. I like birds, and I like fish. I also eat people. Leopard Person Warrior, instantaneous movement!"
With that, the Leopard Person leaped from the wall and landed in the center of the plaza, striking a very chuunibyo pose.
"I will not let you take the live sacrifices, or all my efforts thus far will be in vain, and Kukul will make me cry..."
However, Merlin's attention was caught by the name Kukul. Li Xing also knew well that Kukul is another name for Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god, and this was how the Leopard Person referred to Quetzalcoatl.
"Indeed, this is our world, the land of the spiraling serpent. Humans who cannot discern the definition of gods! Now, depart quickly!" The Leopard Person suddenly produced a spear, the tip of which was a fleshy paw pad of a feline.
"I still want to ask, how can you say such grand words with that comical appearance..." Li Xing leaped in front of everyone, asking with a kindly smile. Mashu and Anna had already drawn their weapons.
"You're not leaving... As long as we have the forest's protection, our sun is invincible. In short, to put it in one sentence, at least bring some parting gifts! Idiots!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the Leopard Person brandished her spear and charged. Mashu blocked her attack with her shield.
"Sigh, don't ignore my question, Teacher..." Li Xing drew a sword and with a flash, appeared behind the Leopard Person, launching a sudden thrust.
But the Leopard Person suddenly vanished in a flash of golden light. Li Xing's sword struck Mashu's shield. Anna then darted in with her scythe, attacking from behind the Leopard Person. The Leopard Person, with agile footwork, dodged Anna's attack and sent her flying.
"Her speed is incredible! I can do it too!" Li Xing also turned into a white light and shot forward, using mirrors in the air to refract his attack, clashing with the Leopard Person in mid-air.
"Leopard Person Flying Kick!"
"Leopard Person Charge!"
"Leopard Person Javelin!"
"Leopard Person Bomb!"
After a series of continuous attacks, Li Xing was knocked back to the ground. It wasn't that Li Xing couldn't win, but he was exhausted and lacked mana.
No matter how comical the Leopard Person appeared, she was still a Servant of divine status. Without a similar divine quality, Li Xing was no match for her.
Following that, Mashu and Anna were also completely suppressed in a two-on-one fight against the Leopard Person. Fujimaru Ritsuka went to Li Xing's side and asked if he was alright. Li Xing shook his head, stating he was merely out of stamina.
"Fujimaru, let's retreat for now! This person is a Servant of divine status. Without a Servant of equal divine quality, we cannot win. Regrettably, this is where we stop for today!" Merlin, having discerned the Leopard Person's nature as a deity comparable to the three goddesses, immediately advised Fujimaru Ritsuka to retreat.
Seeing that Li Xing was no longer able to fight, and Mashu and Anna were suppressed, Fujimaru Ritsuka had no choice but to decide to retreat.
Upon receiving the order, Merlin lightly tapped the ground, causing many petals to spread. Li Xing quickly used Amatsumaratsukami to bring Anna and Mashu back, and then the group vanished together.