Chapter 34: Damn! (3)
Bang!
The spider monkey crashed into Zero's location but Zero was nowhere to be found.
Wooosh!
"Don't you dare think I am weak and useless like before! Take my fists!"
Zero's figure could be seen high in the above the magic beast descending at a fast pace. He roared while retracting his fists and when he punched out with both fists, two purple fist-shaped energy attack struck down on the magic beast but the beast was more capable than Zero expected! Before his attack reached it, the beast had already switched position in an instant.
"Damn!"
Zero cursed as the magic beast appeared in front of him the moment his feet struck the ground. In terms of recreating Akila's reinforcement special ability, Zero possessed more mastery due to his better spirit energy control but his explosive power and speed were still considered inferior when compared to Akila since his body was not naturally built for that superpower. For this reason, Derik was only slightly more capable than Dan when he utilized this power, but still far away from Kira and Akila, so he couldn't keep up with the magic beast. The beast swiped its claws at Zero so fast that he could only see after images.
Bang!
Even if Zero couldn't react fast enough to evade the attack, he was still able to create a turtle shell-shaped shield to block the attack. His body was sent flying by the force of the attack, forcing him to crash on the ground ruthlessly.
"Ah!" Zero gasped for air as his vision blurred and his body went numb. He felt too weak to stand but in a battle of life and death, he had no choice.
Zero immediately sprang on his feet to meet the magic beasts head-on. At this point, his eyes let out a purple flash and he struck forward. When Kira saw this he was momentarily stunned, not only was Zero fighting this magic beast all alone but he was skillfully predicting its next moves. Zero has always been regarded as the wisest in the group, even though he lacked had a weak body back then, he always predicated his opponent's moves and never failed to protect the team effectively. Seeing him fighting with the rest of the team as an equal made a tear of joy roll down Kira's eye.
Bang!
The magic beast was forced to retreat by a step while swiping its tail at Zero who performed a swift backflip, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, the spider monkey's claw was already wiping at his chest.
Did it get faster?
Zero has always planned his actions ahead of time, this helped him overcome the gap between him and the magic beast. This allowed him to battle this beast on equal footing for some time now, leaving Akila and Kira stunned. They were using the time provided by Zero to catch their breath and also help Dan who was still dazed by spider monkey's attack to recover, but now the magic beasts speed all of a sudden, Zero wasn't prepared for this so he could arrange his thoughts to create a barrier on time, instead, he stumbled back, increasing the distance between him and the beast.
"Aaaah!"
Zero felt the skin on his chest get ripped apart viciously by the sharp claws of the beast, he couldn't help but cry out in pain. His body shot back, rolling several times as his thick red blood sprayed all over the place.
Roar!
The magic beast chased after him attempting to finish the job but its vision was blocked by Akila's buffed up body and his massive right fist swing at the spider monkey. Above was Kira, whose arms were engulfed in bright red blood flames and lurking around was Dan who was waiting for the perfect time to strike! His eyes were gray-white with his air and the smell of death diffused from him
"You dare hurt my fourth brother! This time we end it!" Akila growled furiously and his fist connected creating a mini whirlwind around the spider monkey.
"I agree! Martial arts: Demonic fiery blood serpent!" Kira roared diving straight into the mini whirlwind fearlessly.
Hiss!
A faint image of a horned red serpent appeared as he barged into the whirlwind hoping to end the magic beast but to everyone's surprise, the spider monkey shot out of the whirlwind, trying to increase the distance between it and Kira. Its chest caved in due to Akila's second blow and green blood rolled down the beasts hairy lips.
"Trying to escape? I refuse to let that happen!" Dan roared and he quickly shot forward, leaving behind a gray misty trail as he moved.
Woooosh!
Dan was already right in front of the magic beast with a black dagger, thrusting towards the throat of the beast viciously. His movements were so swift and natural, that the magic beast was stunned for a while, unable to escape.
Peng!
"Shit! It can even do that?" Dan felt a sharp pain in his hand as he tried to retreat. The moment his dagger hit the magic beast, its fur hardened preventing the dagger from penetrating too deep
Wooosh!
The spider monkey's tail swung viciously at Dan who was still trying to escape.
"If I can't leave, then I will kill you here and now!" Dan bellowed furiously the moment he realized he won't be able to leave before the spider monkey's tail got to him. His legs brushed against the ground, as he pushed forward instead of retreating.
"Combat technique: Spirit shot!" Dan roared.
Like an illusion, the spider monkey's tail swiped through Dan's body, unable to harm the kid. On the other hand, all the gray aura gathered around his fists.
Bang!
Bang!!
Bang!!!
Before the magic beats could react, Dan had already delivered three blows, forcing the beast back by a few meters. The magic beast's eyes turned gray as it stood motionless, under the effect of Dan's spirit shot!
This technique could be considered as Dan's trump card, for now, he gathers his spirit energy and strikes his foe. With each strike, he inserts his spirit energy into the body of his foe, which in turn traps them in a dream-like state, where they see strange but horrifying illusions. Dan only realized his spirit energy is capable of this after a spar with Akila where in unintentionally inserted his spirit energy into his friend.
Wooosh!
���Die!"
The rays of the sun falling on the beast were soon blocked by Zero's figure whose right hand was twice as big as usual, comparable to Akila's fist size. His muscles kept bulging, covered in purple spirit energy as he slammed his fist on the skull of the magic beast, causing it to explode instantly.
Bang!
Bone shattering sound could be heard from Zero's hand as numerous deep cuts appeared on his right hand and blood gushed out and his face turned dangerously pale, forcing him to spit out a mouth full of blood. Zero stumbled back and fell on the floor as his vision faded instantly.
"Damn!"
In the end, he put in too much spirit energy into his right hand in order to recreate the kind of strength Akila displayed. This was necessary for his killing blow to be effective, the only thing he didn't expect that he would also take this much damage, harmed badly by his own power. But he had no regrets, instead, he was thrilled by the outcome of the fight, for someone who has always watched his friends fight from the sidelines, acting as the team support, Zero has always wanted to take part in the battle and enjoy the thrill of battle but it wasn't possible back then because of his weak body, thanks to the demon dusk's voice he found a new way to use his powers, a new way of healing his weak body.
"Yo… are you still there…" Zero didn't know why but he called out to the dusk demon, hoping it would reply.
"Yes… I saw it all" A calm voice answered after a while.