A Desperate Last Stand

The three-eyed panther once again took the initiative, springing into action before the basilisk could react.

It understood that merely striking the basilisk wouldn't be enough to truly harm it. 

With swift agility, the panther charged toward the colossal serpent, abandoning its previous tactic of clawing in favor of a direct bite similar to its initial assault in its normal form.

The basilisk observed the impending attack as the three-eyed panther with its jaws wide open closed in rapidly. 

In a split second, just as the panther was about to strike, the basilisk executed a lightning-fast twist, veering to the right at the last moment, causing the panther's intended attack to miss its mark.

Anticipating the basilisk's response, the panther sprang into action. Mid-leap, it executed a lightning-fast twist, altering its trajectory toward a towering tree. 

All its six legs bunched together, coiled like a spring, as it skillfully gripped the sturdy trunk as the panther catapulted off the tree like a slingshot, hurtling towards the basilisk with lethal claws primed for a devastating strike.

The basilisk refused to be idle either. It swiftly contorted its body, but instead of evading the attack, its tail surged forward with lightning speed, aiming to strike the approaching panther, like a baseball bat hitting the ball intending for a home run. 

Yet, it still underestimated the panther's agility.

The basilisk's attack landed a fraction of a second too late, narrowly missing its target as the panther's claws raked across the serpent king's tough scales, producing once again a piercing metallic screech in the silent forest.

"Hisssssssssss."

Although the basilisk's expression showed no pain, the impact was far from pleasant. Its deep, shrilling hissing echoed through the dark empty forest, conveying its displeasure and annoyance.

Once more, the three-eyed panther, right after its assault, aimed to employ its previous tactic of leaping away to create distance from the basilisk.

However, just as it prepared to execute the same maneuver, its attention was captivated by the sudden brilliance of the light emanating from the dark crimson eyes of the basilisk.

The red glow radiating from the serpent's gaze ensnared the panther's attention.

Suddenly, the panther felt a strange sensation engulfing its entire body as it locked eyes with the basilisk as if its ability to move had been stripped away entirely from its memory, leaving it in a state of immobility it had never experienced before.

Despite its desperate attempts to avert its gaze from the mesmerizing eyes of the serpent, the panther found itself unable to break free, as if its entire world had narrowed down to the eerie, hypnotic glow of those two dark crimson lights.

The basilisk reared its head and promptly whipped its massive tail, toppling several trees in its path. With a tremendous impact, it struck the side of the panther's body. 

The immobilized panther endured excruciating pain as multiple bones shattered, flesh torn, and blood spilled, it was flung through the air, crashing into trees until stopped by a large trunk. 

The force of the hit was akin to an entire mountain falling upon it.

Despite going through the transformation and all, just one strike, one strike was all it took for the basilisk to bring down the formidable three-eyed panther.

The three-eyed beast finally realized it never stood a chance, not even for a fleeting moment, against this terrifying opponent.

It understood it had only two options for now, either to flee or fight to the death. 

Without hesitation, it made its decision.

Closing its middle eye once more, the blood seeping from its cyan eyes intensified. 

A surge of new energy emerged once again, enveloping the panther's entire body.

Though its appearance remained unchanged, a significant portion of its crushed body rapidly healed, restoring it to about fifty percent of its previous condition.

The three-eyed panther, possessing greater intellect than most beasts, was gripped by primal fear when it witnessed the basilisk preparing to attack once more. 

Realizing the pointlessness of battling this monstrous creature with only about fifty percent of its previous health and that another strike from the serpent king would mean certain death, the three eyed-panther sprinted in the opposite direction desperately in hopes of escaping for now, planning to return later for revenge when the odds were more favorable.

But the basilisk wasted no time in giving chase. Its movements were swift and decisive, driven by a lethal determination.

Despite the basilisk's formidable power, it struggled to match the panther's speed in the dense forest underbrush.

However, just as it seemed the panther might evade its grasp, the basilisk's demeanor shifted as a dark aura enveloped its entire body.

It raised its head slightly and focused on the racing panther, its scaled body coiling with anticipation.

With a crackling noise, it opened its mouth agape and unleashed a horrifying attack. 

A torrent of poisonous liquid erupted from the basilisk's mouth and surged forth like a malevolent river.

The venomous substance dissolved everything in its path. Trees disintegrated into ashes, plants crumbled to nothingness, and rocks dissolved into dust as the deadly haze spread rapidly.

The running panther, sensing the impending danger, dodged and weaved frantically, narrowly avoiding its death.

Yet, despite its agility, the venomous onslaught caught its hind legs, boiling through its fur and flesh with agonizing ferocity.

The forest echoed with the panther's anguished cries as it stumbled, its hindquarters scorched and smoking.

Undeterred by the chaos it had unleashed, the basilisk moved towards the screaming panther, like a wrathful deity, while its poisonous liquid continued to spread around the forest, consuming every life in its wake.

The air became heavy with the acrid scent of burning vegetation. The agonized panther letting out panicked cries, fixed its gaze on the advancing basilisk.

As if in defiance of its imminent demise, the panther's form began to shift, reverting to its original dark body, its once-bleeding cyan eyes reverting to their amber hue.

Aware that its time was nearing its end, the panther resolved not to leave this world without a final strike against the Basilisk.

Casting a desperate glance behind, the panther was astonished to find its former sanctuary, a colossal bamboo-like tree, untouched amidst the devastation.

While everything around it lay in ruin, this solitary tree stood unscathed, a stark contrast against the chaos.

The panther's three eyes narrowed with newfound focus as they settled on a small figure nestled peacefully amidst the chaos, undisturbed by the clash of titans.

Recalling past encounters, the panther realized that the basilisk only emerged when this boy's life was threatened.

It dawned on the panther that this monstrous creature was guarding the unconscious boy for reasons unknown.

Accepting its inevitable demise, the panther regretted its damnable pride that led to this fatal confrontation.

A primal desire for vengeance surged within it.

Despite its impending demise, a fierce determination ignited within the panther.

It yearned to leave a mark, to inflict some measure of damage upon the colossal serpent that had sealed its fate.

As the basilisk inched closer, the three-eyed panther confronted its ultimate choice. It knew that in order to even slightly move, it needed to transform, something it had already done too much of.

To undergo the metamorphosis again would be certain suicide, even if it managed to evade the basilisk.

Despite this knowledge, the panther initiated the transformation, not with the intent to flee, but to execute a daring plan and to leave the basilisk in a state of bitter defeat before departing from this world. 

The middle eye of the panther changed color again, shifting from amber to cyan as blood seeped out.

It underwent its final transformation, the energy from its eye covering its entire body.

Its new form was much thinner, with its bones visible along its skin and almost drained of all blood, compared to its previous strong appearance.

Despite this, it managed to pull itself up slowly as its back legs dissolved by the basilisk's acidic attack.

Using its remaining four legs and gathering every ounce of its remaining strength, it charged toward the approaching basilisk.

When it saw the panther's attack, the basilisk paused and prepared to counter with its hypnotic abilities. Its eyes glowed as it tried to immobilize the approaching panther.

However, having faced this before, the panther closed its eyes and leaped towards the basilisk.

Just before reaching it, the panther changed its trajectory mid-air, evading the basilisk entirely and zooming past the serpent king.

Without looking back, it sprinted towards a sleeping boy, intending to take him to the afterlife.

As it realized the panther's plan, the basilisk coiled back and slithered toward the panther, in an effort to prevent what was about to happen.

It hesitated to use its acidic attack upon realizing the boy was in line with the panther's path, fearing it might accidentally harm the boy.

Within seconds, the panther leaped from the ground into the tree where the boy slept, its claws aimed directly at his throat, showing no hesitation.