CHAPTER 73: ZEN, JIAHAI & RIZON VS. THE MUD HYENAS

He was tempted to look back. He knew Shibi was right there, an arm’s stretch away. If he turned around he could touch him, check on him but he was afraid. Not only of the two powerful wild beast in front of him, which would tear him apart if he was distracted but also of what condition Shibi would be in. he was scared that it was too late. That he was fighting these Mud Hyenas over a corpse. He could not bear to find out… at least not yet.

“Do you have any ideas?” Jiahai said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Zen looked at the hyenas. Fighting wild beasts had its own challenges. His hand to hand technique counted less in a battle like this.

“We could fight them separately.” He said. “You and Rizon take one and I’ll take the other.”

“Right.”

““I’ll take the stronger one!”” they both said.

The Mud Hyenas began moving, separating while keeping their eyes on him.

“Looks like they have a plan of their own.”

“Well then,” Zen began before suddenly sprinting forward for one of them, “I guess I’ll disrupt their plan!”

“Zen!” Jiahai shouted after him.

The other hyena, which turned out to be the stronger, turned to face him and began rushing at him with its body glowing. Its speed guaranteed that t would reach Zen before he could reach the other hyena. He jumped up, hopping over the attack. The other hyena was already in the air with its bear trap qi formation at the ready.

Zen’s foot hit the qi formation before he pushed off and away from the hyena. The stringer Mud Hyena came to a stop. It was about to finish Zen off but was suddenly came upon by Jaihai and Rizon. This allowed Zen to focus on the other hyena… which ran after the other hyena.

Zen ran after him, knowing that if it reached the other group, Jiahai and Rizon would not stand a chance. Jiahai turned to look at the oncoming hyena, he was too busy to defend but to his surprise the hyena stopped, its slobber landing on its face. He looked at it in confusion, why had it stopped. He looked along its length to see Zen standing behind it with a firm grasp on its back leg.

“Hey, you mutt!” Zen pulled on the hyena and threw it into the air, “Your opponent is me!”

He dove up to the hyena, his qi roiling in his meridians. “Blits Punch!” His punches shot out so fast, it looked like he had multiple hands. The Mud Hyena activated its bear trap technique, this one was much bigger than before and was clamped shut, acting like a shield. The qi charging his technique ended, the hyena left unaffected.

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The Mud Hyena opened its bear trap formation wide as it fell onto Zen. Zen used his forearms to ward off the attack, each of the qi formation’s teeth biting deep into them all the way to the bone. They crashed into the ground with the Mud Hyena on top of him, sending out a ring of dust out.

The hyena growled on top of Zen but the boy kept it at bay with a foot to its throat. Zen rolled and using his foot, he levered the Mud Hyena off of him. He looked at the hyena as it got to its feet. AA scream drew his attention and he saw Jiahai and Rizon hurtling away from the other hyena. He needed to finish the weaker one quickly so that he can help Jiahai and Rizon with the stronger one.

The Mud Hyena before him growled and he had to dodge as it lunged at him. They entered a dance of the hyena lunging at him while he dodged. Dust was being kicked up as Zen rolled around, dodging the bear trap formation.

He rolled onto a knee, facing the Mud Hyena through the low fog of dust. It lunged again but this time, Zen did not move. The bear trap formation began biting down on Zen’s head to bite him into two. The zig zagged teeth stopped centimetres away from Zen’s body.

Zen’s blade had sprouted from behind the hyena’s head. From the front, Zen looked at the dead beast, with his hand still clutching the sword he had thrust into the hyena’s open mouth. Zen thrust his foot into the dead hyena’s body and pushed it from his blade.

Jiahai was on the ground, his back against a tree. The Mud Hyena was rushing at him with its glowing body. Its momentum was stopped when Zen slashed at its side. It gazed at him in anger that Zen matched with determination. Their combined killing intent brought Jaihai to alertness.

The hyena sped forward. The distance was too close and Zen doubted he could dodge. He made a motion to drop down and point the blade down at the oncoming hyena to run it through. His plan failed as the hyena got to him before he could finish his move. He was sent hurlting back when the move made contact.

Zen got to his feet, swaying. Before him, he saw multiple images of the coming hyena. He knew not which one was the real one but he knew the bear trap formation forming around its mouth as it bounded at him was a real threat. He weakly raised his arms, struggling to stay on his feet as he wondered where his sword was. The bear trap formation opened but the multiple hyenas were tackled away by multiple Rizons.

Rizon nipped at the hyena while staying out from the reach of its qi technique. Jiahai leapt in, slamming his knee into the hyena. Once it was on its back, he and Rizon jumped on it but it still fought fiercely.

Zen’s sight returned to normal, sharpening on the vicious struggle happening not too far away from him. He looked around and saw his short single edged blade lying on the side. He grabbed it and sped forward before thrusting his short sword into the struggling Mud Hyena, ending its life.

Everything went still and for a moment all that could be heard was the three survivors breathing. Then Zen pulled his blade out and stabbed it again and again and again. Blood squirted from the hyenas body onto his face and clothes. He tasted iron on his tongue as he shouted in rage, letting everything in him out, especially his fear that Shibi was dead. Jiahai and Rizon had moved out of the way of his frenzied stabbing, lest they get caught up in it.

In his rage haze, Zen could hear a word being said to him. It first sounded like a whisper but then it became a shout, drowning out everything around him. It was his name, ‘Zen.’ He stopped, looking in horror at the bloodied mess before him.

“Zen,” Jiahai repeated.

Zen looked at him and saw in his hands, the bloody and limp body of Shibi. Tears began to well up in Zen’s eyes at seeing the body of his companion.

“He’s still alive.” Jiahai said. “But we need to get him to a healer, quick!”

Zen got up quickly and grabbed Shibi before sprinting away. He felt his body, still warm against his bloody chest. His small heart was still beating, albeit weakly. But it was still a chance. He could still save Shibi.