Villain : I reincarnated as a Prince! Shouldn't I have a Harem?
Chapter 218 - 218: Gang-1!

The steel claws came launching toward him from behind.

Ashen didn't have a lot of time to react and,

Whoosh!

Spurt!

A fountain of blood gushed out from the newly created wound, however, this wound wasn't on Ashen's body, instead, it was from the Steel claw tiger he had enslaved before.

He had already noticed the Tiger King's constant gaze towards his den and he knew he was planning something.

Ashen played along and just as he noticed the steel claws coming out of the den, he understood the tiger king's intentions.

Even though he could have dodged the claws himself, however, doing so would have created openings that the Tiger King could exploit. Thus, he moved the Origin Realm Steel Claw Tiger to use it as a shield.

"Grrraahh!" The tiger bellowed in pain, hanging on to its life by a thread. The claws had pierced its body too deep to let him live through this wound.

On the other hand, the tiger king was baffled by what he had just witnessed.

According to the information he had, Zhuji tribe cultivators treated their beasts as comrades and wouldn't be so ruthless to sacrifice them so nonchalantly like Ashen had just done.

Moreover, Ashen was even using sword path moves to fight. It just made his identity even more complicated.

If he was a sword path cultivator, then how could he control a steel claw tiger?

And if he was indeed from the Zhuji tribe then how was he using sword path attacks?

Ashen noticed that the Tiger King was not fully focused on the fight and recognizing this as the perfect moment to end this, he struck.

He first used temporal Deceleration to slow down time in the area, giving him enough time to execute his plan without accidentally killing the tiger king.

Without wasting any time, he used SightStep to vanish from Tiger King's sight and appear behind him.

This was the most crucial step and he had perfectly executed it. Now it was simple.

From behind the tiger king, he swirled his ethereal sword, wrapping it around the tiger king's neck.

He then deactivated temporal Deceleration. He needed to preserve his time qi to use temporal Deceleration later.

As soon as he deactivated temporal deceleration, the tiger king noticed the wrapped sword around his neck, instantly feeling a stinging sensation enveloping his neck.

He then heard Ashen's warning:

"I wouldn't try to move if I were you. I think it's clear that I've won fairly and thus, I should receive your submission. What do you say?"

The tiger king knew that he had been defeated and there was no way out.

He only had two options, either submit to Ashen or die.

"It's true that I've lost today, but, submitting to you? That's an entirely different matter. My pride doesn't allow me to submit to anyone, much less a human!" The tiger King informed with a smirk. He was ready to die rather than submit.

This was exactly why people called Huan Tian, the cursed cultivator.

Any other beast would've submitted easily, but not a tiger. This made them almost impossible to enslave using normal means.

However, Ashen wasn't using normal means. He wasn't an enslavement path cultivator who would really need the submission of the beast to enslave it.

His Beast Sovereign skill worked differently. Once a beast was defeated by Ashen and had no intention of resisting, Ashen could use his skill to enslave it.

And while the sword was wrapped around the Tiger King's neck, the system's notification appeared.

[Ding! Host, The steel claw tiger king is under your control now!]

As soon as he got the message, Ashen retrieved his sword from the tiger king's neck, freeing him.

The tiger king, who had lost any hope of leaving alive, was baffled by Ashen's action as he asked:

"You are letting me live?"

Hearing his question, Ashen glanced at him with a smile that carried a hint of amusement as he spoke righteously:

"I need you, not your life. You are not of any use, dead."

"Huh? But I already told you, I'll never be your slave!" The Tiger King spoke sternly.

Ashen shook his head as he spoke wisely: "Tiger King, I don't want to make you my slave. I just need you as my companion. You know that for a Zhuji tribe's cultivator, his beast is his everything. They don't treat them as slaves."

Hearing this, the Tiger King instantly retorted: "You are not a Zhuji Tribe cultivator. If you are, then where is your bond beast? Zhuji Tribe cultivators fight through their beasts, not with ethereal swinging swords. You are a sword path cultivator."

Ashen shook his head, denying his accusation: "You are wrong. Those swords were created through artifacts. It is not my skill. As for my Bond Beast, it died not long ago. It's due to this reason that I am looking for a new Bond Beast and you fit my desired expectations."

The Tiger King, though still suspicious, nodded in understanding as he spoke with a sigh: "I cannot help you, cultivator. I'm a tiger and I don't plan on submitting to anyone. I thank you for sparing my life, but that's it. I ask that you leave me alone."

Tsk. Looks like words won't work on him.

Ashen commented internally before asking loudly:

"Tiger King, You speak of your pride. What is the source of this pride? Your strength? Your Honor? Your Tiger Lineage? What is it?"

The Tiger King glanced at Ashen before answering calmly:

"A Tiger's pride comes from a combination of our traits that we take pride in. Our strength, which is feared by all, our honor, that lets us walk on a warrior's path and our tiger Lineage that reminds us of the ancestors that have lived their lives with pride and honor. We Tigers don't hunt in groups, neither fights unfairly like other beasts. One of us can kill many of other's species. Tell me, shouldn't we be proud of all these things?"

"Hmm, then tell me this..." Ashen spoke loudly: "If a Tiger loses fairly in a duel, what does your pride say he should offer to the winner?"

The Tiger King thought momentarily before giving his answer: "Since he has lost fairly without any outer interference, then his life belongs to the winner. That's what a warrior's honor dictates."

Hearing this, a victorious smile appeared on Ashen's face.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)