Chapter 90: Attack of the Beasts

The hounds came upon the Xue Shaonu and she knew that she would not be able to defend herself against the three while her movements were bound by the rope. Just before they could reach her, two muscle-bound arms caught the dogs and forced their writhering forms to the ground.

Yang, the bandit had saved her! However, he was struggling to keep the hounds under control as they tried to squirm free and nipped at him.

Zen watched this from afar and ran to help, seeing his comrades in danger. Another beast burst from the ground, sending him tumbling forward as its claws missed him by mere inches. He rolled to the side as the beast pulverised the ground he had been on with its might paw before disappearing underground.

“Th-There are two of them?” he realised in horror. He looked ahead in time to see Geyi Kun smacked from the bushes by the creatures. She crawled away as the creature came closer to her, only to meet Jao. Jao whispered something to her and they both stood still as the creatures came bearing down on them both.

Yang finally got a good grasp on the hounds and in one might move was able to throw them away, sending each flying away at a different direction. The creature stopped at this and looked toward the bigger man’s direction who was shouting in triumph. The creature shot through the air with speed that bellied its large size and slammed into Yang with its sharp claws outstretched. Yang caught its claws and they wrestled on the ground.

Zen began running to his friends when the other creature burst from the ground, forcing him to leap back to dodge the surprise attack. He heard another trembling and looked back in time to see a trail of earth coming his way. He recognised Cho’s ki technique and dived to the side to dodge as the earth continued on t its way. The creature slammed its paws onto the ground and there was a pulse of rising earth before Cho was knocked out of the moving debris.

Zen quickly crouched over Cho, placing his sword down. “Are you okay?” he said as he felt his person.

Cho knocked his hands away before he sat up. “Bloody beast! It’s an earth type!”

“H-How do we defeat them?” Zen said as Cho stood back to back with him.

“You shut up and listen to everything I say!” Cho said, as his hand began glowing while he gathered his ki.

Zen had to control himself and not look back, as that was where all his friends were. He had committed himself to this plan and had to trust that his friends would be okay. “When they’re underground,” Zen observed, “they seem to track us when we move.”

“Really? Then let’s test that theory out!” Cho swivelled to stand by Zen’s side before thrusting his palm onto the ground, sending a row of debris out. The row ending in a pulse. Cho then suddenly grabbed Zen by the back of his collar, “Now it’s your turn, kid!” He shouted before throwing Zen towards where his technique ended.

The creature burst out of the ground at the place where the Cho’s technique terminated, only to grab nothing. That was when Zen flew in and on instinct, thrust his short sword into the shoulder of the beast. They fell to the floor before Zen had to leap away as the beast retaliated.

Cho was by his side in a moment as they both approached the beast. The beast sent out waves of earth toward the two away but both Zen and Cho tried to stay close by in order to finish the fight.

Meanwhile, Yang was still wrestling with the other beast before throwing it on the ground. The beasts scrambled to get underground where it escaped Yang who shouted in frustration.

“Are you two okay?” Xue Shaonu shouted as she ran towards Cong and Kun.

“No! Get away!” Kun shouted, thrusting her arm out.

The ground beneath Xue Shaonu began trembling. She stopped as she realised what was about to happen. “Heavenly Leap!” She leapt straight up into the air before the beast burst from the ground.

Jao Cong was panicked and began crawling away.

“Jao Cong, don’t move! Remember what you told me, they find us by movement!” Geyi Kun said.

Jao stood still but the beast did not go away, only stayed still. It pressed its palm to the ground and the earth beneath Geyi Kun began twisting. She got up, only causing the ground to twist quicker, burying her in a swirling motions until she was waste deep in the ground and facing the creature looming over her.

The creature’s movement was stopped when Xue Shaonu finally fell from the sky, landing on the creatures face with a kick, before standing between it and Geyi Kun.

“Geyi Kun, are you okay?” She said as she faced down the beast, knowing her chances were low now that she was bound by the rope.

Geyi Kun dug out a small sack and took a round pill. She threw it into her mouth and swallowed. The beast continued bearing on her.

Geyi Kun’s body began glowing in ki before three rings of white ki with serrated edges swirled around her, slowly destroying the ropes that bound her. Her ki pulsed out, allowing her to burst free from the ground but also freed Xue Shaonu of her bounds while pushing her forward to the creature.

“Xue Shaonu!” Geyi Kun cried once she realised what had happened.

The creature raised its claws, that extended thanks to its ki.

“Have you forgotten about me?” An angry shout came from behind the creature, making it turn around. It slashed down just as Yang’s ki glowing arm made contact with it. Yang slammed into the creature and it was sent tumbling away.

Yang’s arm burst out in blood. Apparently the creature had cut his arm deeply. Yang ignored his limp arm and stalked forward for the creature but it dug into the ground.

“You coward, come back here!” Yang shouted in anger.

Xue Shaonu was on her knees when she saw one of the hounds from earlier coming for her. She leapt up, twirling in the air and dodging the hound that pounced for her. She landed on the ground and immediately had to face down another hound. It dove for her, its body wreathed in its ki and its silver eyes consumed by hate.

Xue Shaonu thrust her palm out and it met the hound. She was knocked back by the force, tumbling on the ground. The hound continued on, threatening to pounce on her but Xue Shaonu was better prepared this time, thrusting her palm to meet the hound which was blasted away. A third hound came for her and she rose to her feet, gathering the ki in her other palm.

A long and thick nail, made of white ki, came from seemingly nowhere touched her leg before dispersing. Xue Shaonu grunted as her legs went numb and she collapsed to her knees, helplessly watching the hound which still came at her. She could not defend herself, nor could she dodge.

The hound pounced on her but then the creature burst from the ground and grabbed the hound before dragging the hound into the ground.

Back on the other battle, Zen and Cho had cornered the creature. It was slowly losing power, making its end near. Zen risked a look back to her friends. He saw Kun, her body surrounded by swirling serrated ki rings as she stopped around Xue Shaonu, saying that she would protect her.

Zen knew that Kun was inexplicably drawing the creatures attention to them. He needed a way to protect them. He moved quickly, dodging the claws of the creature he and Cho was fighting and, somehow, with all his might, lifted the creature up on his shoulders and threw it away. Cho leapt past him and kicked the creature away, sending it even further away. It hit the ground with a thud.

There was a moment of silence and then the creature burst from the earth and grabbed the other creature. Zen shouted as he charged for the two creatures. He wanted to lobe off both creatures’ heads off.

The creature fresh from the ground, wailed in sorrow before the ground convexed inward and Zen began sliding down the hole in the ground, the sliding soil moving him toward the creature in the centre, whose massive claws spun around at great speeds. Zen knew that if he were to reach there, he would sliced to ribbons.

Zen stabbed his sword into the ground, but the blade was too short, slowing his momentum down but he was still heading for certain death.

“Zen!” Xue Shaonu cried. She gritted her teeth and rose to her shaky feet.

Kun looked back at Xue Shaonu in shock. “Impossible! You shouldn’t be able to…”

“Heavenly Leap!” Xue Shaonu said before she took to the air. She landed next to Wang Zen and grabbed his clothes. “Hang on, Wang Zen!” She said as she gathered ki in her palm. “Pulsing Palm!” she declared before thrusting her palm to the ground. The attack and subsequent pulses of ki cleared the ground of the soil but only for a moment before the soil continued on. “Heavenly Leap!” Xue Shaonu using the solid ground to leap out of the hole.

They landed onto the ground, safely away from the death hole. After a moment, the soil bubbled up and ended in a mound of soil and the quiet of the night.