Pearl stared at the unconscious tiger that lay before him, quiet and peaceful.

Its mind was close to breaking when Pearl had broken past his suppression, and the roar that came afterward had been a hammer to rusted iron, completely smashing it into pieces.

Without its mind, the beast was harmless.

Pearl took a moment to catch his breath and looked at his surroundings to make sure he hadnt missed anything. After confirming the absence of practically everything, he relaxed a little more and waited.

Alex shouldve been watching his battle, so Pearl decided to wait for him to come before making any decision. Since one of the White Tigers had found him, the decision that needed to be made was important.

Pearl waited for a while, and as minutes passed by, he worried. Why wasnt his brother showing up?

The longer the time passed, the closer the tiger came to gaining its consciousness again. Pearl couldnt let that happen. Once he was more or less sure that Alex wouldnt be showing up, he pointed his spear toward the tigers head, energy building up and

Was he really about to kill a White Tiger?

Pearl froze before the final step. His hands trembled at the thought of what he was attempting. He couldnt do it.

He had killed his enemies before, but never had his enemies been this close to him. A kin. He was going to have to kill his kin.

What if I dont? Pearl thought. Hes probably learned his lesson. He can leave, right? Ive already defeated him, so he wont be a problem.

He made excuses for himself, but a deeper, more critical part of him knew the truth. He could not let this tiger get away. This was his enemy. He had to kill him.

Pearl gulped, his spears energy faltering.

Back when he was fighting, the tiger looked so strong, so menacing. And now, it was just a beast, lying on the ground. Was this his enemy he had to kill?

I dont even know if he is an enemy, Pearl thought. I just imagined he was, so I didnt hold back.

The tigers visage was stopping him from thinking properly. It was a beast with white fur and black stripes. It looked no different than his grandfather. It looked no different than his great-great-grandmother, or the patriarch, or great-aunt Fulin.

To kill the tiger before him made him think of himself as killing those people. And why shouldnt it? They were his kin as much as this one was.

Was he even here for my bloodline? Pearl thought. What if he just came here on accident and wanted to fight me?

Pearl didnt need his critical side to tell him that was a lie. The tiger had come here for the precise reason he was thinking of. Whether the tiger was part of the purists or not, that was something he hadnt had the chance to learn. But at the same time, that didnt matter.

The tiger had shown no surprise when he teleported around. It showed no surprise when he shrunk space to attack it. It knew who he was. It knew what powers he had. It used its skills and techniques to target his weak spots.

There was no telling what the tiger had planned to do. Would it have killed him? How would it have taken away his blood? Or would it have dragged his unconscious body away to some rendezvous point where someone else would do the extracting?

Pearls hesitation grew less. He steeled his nerves, looking down at the beast again.

Had the fight gone any differently, had it been him that was unconscious and his enemy that was victorious, the enemy would not have shown him mercy. Kin or not, this was his enemy.

And he could not let an enemy get away if it meant letting other enemies far stronger than this one reach him. And if those times were anything like right now where his brother wasnt present, the only fate that would remain for him would be to have his bloodline taken away, and him dead.

Pearls resolve became absolute. Killing was a necessity here, even if the one he was killing was his own kin. The energy surrounding his spear amplified with his emotional state, and its speed grew even more.

Then he stabbed the unconscious tiger in the head, tearing through its relaxed muscles, breaking through its skull, and annihilating its brain. Its soul died alongside its body right then and there.

Pearl pulled back his spear, blood matter spraying out as he did. He watched the dead tiger for a moment and took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, remaining silent.

He did not mourn for the dead tiger. He did not feel bad about its death at all.

All he did was take in the feeling he was feeling now, the understanding that this death was a necessity, and made a simple vow to himself that he would never hesitate to kill others again when it was necessary.

Today, his opponent had been unconscious. Tomorrow, the same luxury would not show to him. He wouldnt have the time to consider things logically and make a decision after some long thought.

He would be in fights where the matter of life and death would hang on a single action. Those decisions would need to be made on the spot, and Pearl would not hesitate.

Pearl opened his eyes, no other thoughts clouding his mind. A sense of relief passed through him, as if some unseen load had been taken away from him. It was a good feeling.

Pearl quickly harvested what he could from the White Tiger before others saw what he was doing. He tore open its stomach to take the beast core, and then tore through its Soul Space to gather its belongings.

Then he placed the tigers body into his Soul Space to later give it to his brother as he would need it.

After everything was taken away, Pearl decided not to remain there just in case the tiger had allies in the vicinity, and left.