The sound of clashing steel and crackling electricity reverberates through the night air, heavy with the scent of blood. Bo Pham and his monks hold their ground against the relentless assault of the Tiger Claw assassins.
Da Vu, their leader, is a blur of motion, her lightning-clad weapons shimmering with every strike. Her attacks against Bo are relentless in speed, but Bo stands strong. Each blow he lands sends shockwaves through the ground, but Da Vu is faster, darting between the jagged fractures of stone with ease.
Bo slams the blunt side of his axe into the ground, shattering the earth in a desperate attempt to unbalance her. The courtyard trembles, sending cracks outward in a chaotic pattern. Dust and debris fill the air. Yet Da Vu merely smirks, her body charged with electricity as she leaps through the chaos with effortless grace.
Bo narrows his eyes. “Quang and Thu must really be desperate for the girl to send you, Da Vu. Or were the other assassins too busy kidnapping the children of the Coalition’s enemies?”
Da Vu deflects his taunt with a laugh, her voice crackling like the storm she commands. “I’ve always wondered why the Coalition let you and your monks live for this long. When I heard about this mission, I jumped at the chance to change that.” She darts forward, her claws flashing. “Originally, they just wanted the girl. But I thought, why not take down the old bull while I’m at it?”
Like her strikes, Da Vu’s words cut deep. Bo grips his axe even tighter, trying to bring out a little more strength, but his breathing becomes heavy. Every swing feels slower, weaker. He knows she’s playing with him, waiting for an opening to finish him.
Lightning arcs across the battlefield as Da Vu lunges, her claws blazing a deadly streak aimed at his throat. Bo swings his axe in a desperate arc. The blade meets her claws with a deafening clash, sparks raining like fire. The impact jars his shoulders, pain pierces down his arm. His knees buckle for a heartbeat, just long enough for another assassin to slip through his guard.
Twin knives cut through his leg, forcing Bo to stagger back. The assassins’ strategy is clear—they will take down the Giant of Black Mountain, piece by piece...
Bo grits his teeth. He won’t last at this rate. Unless—
Chaos. It calls to him like a tempting offer.
Ha Linh has warned them before against the chaos. He has seen what it did to her former allies in the Coalition. But he has no choice. He can’t let the assassins reach the girls…
He slams the butt of his axe into the ground, a guttural roar ripping from his chest as he calls upon the forbidden power.
Chaos surges through him like a flood, burning his veins and twisting his body. His muscles swell, his skin darkens to a blackened hue, and his form shifts, growing monstrous and unnatural. Horns sprout from his skull, curling upward like twin peaks.
In moments, he is transformed—a giant of muscle and rage, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly red. The ground trembles beneath his steps, and his deep, rumbling voice cuts through the battlefield like a drumbeat. “Monks! To me! Tonight is the night we hunt tigers!”
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Da Vu pauses, her usual smirk faltering for the first time. “So, there’s some fight left in the old bull after all. I love it when the prey fights back.”
Bo wields his axe with one hand, the weapon now smaller by the massive grip of his new form. With the other hand, he plunges his fingers into the fractured earth, ripping free a jagged slab of stone to serve as a shield. Towering over his foes, he stomps forward, charging at his foe with monstrous wrath.
The assassins hesitate for only a moment, overwhelmed by Bo’s new form. His shield crashes into a group of them, scattering their bodies like rain against the mountain. His axe arcs through the air, cleaving through Tiger Claws and tearing through their ranks with savage ferocity.
However, the battle is far from over. Bo’s roar echoes across the courtyard, breathing new vigor into the monks, but across the way, Da Vu stands confidently, her smirk returns.
After regrouping, the Tiger Claws continue their attack. An assassin lunges towards him, but Bo swats them aside with a single swipe of his massive arm. His great axe cuts through the air with a terrifying speed. He strikes again, the blade cleaving through once more, sending another body sprawling across the stone courtyard. His eyes glow with the same fury that has consumed his form.
“I haven’t felt this good in years! Ha Linh was right to fear this power. It is addicting! All of you, come at me. See what your frail bodies can do against the might of a mountain!” The Giant boasts.
The monks, too, are in motion, their weapons raised in defense as they try to hold back any assassins that slip past Bo’s defenses. They are quick, their movements precise, but they are outnumbered, and their strength is not limitless. Bo can see them faltering, their efforts growing more frantic as the assassins keep coming.
A movement catches his eye. Two assassins slip past him, weaving through the chaos, heading straight for the cave where Bian stands. Bo roars, charging after them. He stomps his hooves against the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth. A jagged pillar of stone erupts beneath an assassin, crushing them instantly in a violent spray of stone. But even as the dust settles, more assassins slip through the chaos, their movements too swift for him to intercept.
Before Bo can give chase, a blinding flash of lightning streaks across his vision, forcing him to a halt. Da Vu stands before him, blocking the path to the cave. Her smirk is evident, her stance relaxed, crackling arcs of electricity dancing along her lightning claws. She’s ready to strike.
“Did transforming replace your brain with a chunk of muscle too?” she mocks. “Our fight isn’t over yet, old man.”
***
Three assassins arrive at the entrance, where two monks stand guard. One of them gestures to the others. “Boss wants the girl alive. Kill the monks, then we’ll ambush her when she comes out.”
A voice echoes from within the cave. “When who comes out?”
Bian steps into view, her silhouette highlighted by cerulean light. Her eyes glow like embers, and with a crackle, blue fire erupts around her. The flames dance and twist, filling the air with blistering heat.
The assassins falter, but hesitation is a luxury Bian doesn’t allow. She surges forward, the flames propelling her like a comet.
Her first strike lands with devastating force, her fist crashing into the nearest assassin’s sternum. He crumples, her fist leaving a scorch mark on his armor. The other two jump into action, daggers in their hands.
Bian spins around to summon a wall of azure fire between her and one assassin, burning him and forcing him back in screams. The second rushes in, but she meets him head-on with a powerful kick to his chest that sends him to the ground.
Only one remains, frantically patting the fire from his clothes. Even before he makes a move, Bian pivots and delivers a flaming roundhouse kick that strikes him squarely in the side. The impact sends him hurtling into the stone wall with a sickening thud.
“Well, that was a decent warm-up,” Ha Linh quipped.
Bian smirked, brushing ash off her sleeve. “Didn’t even break a sweat. Ready for a real fight.”
“Careful,” Ha Linh said with a sly grin. “You’re starting to sound cocky, arrogant. I like it—finally rubbing off on you.”