{Ying Zhu's POV}
'What am I doing? A knight of Master Argus, rolling around in the dirt like some pathetic coward? I can't accept this!'(Ying Zhu)
His soul fire flickered intensely, as if it were trying to burn through his own skull. The flames danced wildly, reflecting the fury that surged within him. Ying Zhu's anger increase however he did not lost his mind. His only focus now was the enemy in front of him-the bear that had humiliated him.
Without realizing it, his stats surged, his body becoming stronger and faster. But none of that mattered to him. The only thing driving him forward was the overwhelming desire to kill the beast that dared to make him feel weak.
Gripping Reaver tightly, Ying Zhu stood tall, his body full of power. He no longer cared about Astrea's warnings or the danger of the situation as he forget about it all. All he wanted was to destroy the enemy that caused him this shame.
Ying Zhu charged forward despite the injuries, unaffected by the pain. As an undead, his high tolerance for pain allowed him to ignore the wounds and press on. The bear, angered by the skeleton dodging its earlier attack, also charged head-on, confident in its strength over the brittle bones before it.
The bear raised its paw and swung with full force, and Ying Zhu met it, swinging Reaver with all his might.
*Boom!*
The ground shook from the impact, causing small cracks to form. Ying Zhu stumbled back ten steps, having lost the clash, but he didn't get thrown off balance. Regaining his footing quickly, he charged again, Reaver slicing through the air as his soul fire flickered with intensity.
The bear, relentless, continued swinging its claws, and the two clashed repeatedly. Each time, Ying Zhu was forced back, but the bear started to notice something unsettling. With every clash, the pain in its paws grew, and Ying Zhu's strikes became faster, more powerful. The skeleton was growing stronger before its eyes.
After the next collision, Ying Zhu only took three small steps back. The bear locked eyes with the blazing soul fire within the skeleton's skull. There was something terrifying in those flames—an unhinged determination that made the bear's heart tremble.
Roar!
The bear let out a deafening roar, trying to shake off the fear that had begun to creep into its bones.
This was the bear's biggest mistake. The moment its eyes locked onto that fierce, burning soul fire, its overbearing momentum came to an abrupt halt.
On the other hand, Ying Zhu's fighting intent had reached its peak. His skeletal jaw began clacking loudly.
"Come here!"
A roar echoed from Ying Zhu's mouth. His determination had morphed into sheer fighting intent, his mind overtaken by the will to kill the beast in front of him.
"Kill!"
That single word echoed in his mind. The bear, now frozen in fear, could only stare at the blazing soul fire, its body paralyzed as it faced the crazed skeleton.
Ying Zhu, without hesitation or mercy, swung Reaver toward the immobile bear.
At the last second, the bear snapped out of its fear. Sensing the impending danger, it let out a desperate roar and swung its paw with all its might to block the incoming blade.
The bear's eyes widened as sharp pain shot through its paw. Ying Zhu had increased the force behind his swing, causing the bear's paw to bleed profusely as it roared in agony.
In desperation, the bear swung its other paw, trying to smash Ying Zhu away. Ying Zhu did not back down, meeting the bear's other paw head-on with his blade. The clash echoed through the battlefield as the two continued their brutal exchange. However, this time, the tables had turned. The bear, now on the defensive, found itself being overpowered.
With each swing of Reaver, Ying Zhu forced the bear further back, his strikes growing fiercer and more relentless. The bear's once powerful paws became bloodied, its strength fading as it struggled to keep up with the onslaught.
The bear roared loudly, panic settling in as it began to retreat, realizing that the skeleton before it had grown too strong. The overwhelming force that now came from Ying Zhu was far beyond what the bear had anticipated, and it felt its own power slipping away in the face of this relentless assault.
But Ying Zhu had no intention of letting his prey escape.
"Where are you going? Kill!" he bellowed, his voice filled with power.
Without hesitation, he charged after the retreating bear, swinging Reaver. The blade gleamed as it cut through the air, aiming for the fleeing creature. The bear, though desperate to escape, stumbled under the weight of its fear and injuries, unable to outrun the relentless skeleton.
Ying Zhu's soul fire burned even brighter as he closed in, his only thought consumed by the desire to defeat the enemy.
Ying Zhu swung Reaver with all his might, but the bear managed to dodge the attack, causing the blade to sever the bear's arm instead of delivering a fatal blow.
The bear roared Ioudly, its cry filled with desperation, as if calling for help.
Ying Zhu, indifferent to the bear's pleas, continued his relentless assault. He swung Reaver again, determined to finish the bear once and for all. With a final strike, the blade cut through the bear's defenses, ending its suffering.
The bear's roar was abruptly cut off as Reaver struck his neck which sent the head of the bear flying. Blood sprayed around the area, painting the scene in crimson. He continued to swing Reaver relentlessly, each swing accompanied by a chilling chant.
"Kill!"
A heavy, thunderous sound of a large footstep suddenly echoed through the area. Ying Zhu looked back and saw a colossal bear towering over him, its immense size dwarfing everything around it.
The enormous bear took in the horrific scene-the bloodied remains of its son- and its eyes immediately turned crimson. With a heart-wrenching roar, it expressed its anguish and rage.
This massive bear was the mother of the bear Ying Zhu had just killed. Grief-stricken and furious, she charged at Ying Zhu with a devastating force.
Overcome with sorrow and rage, the mother bear launched a fierce attack, its massive paws swiping at Ying Zhu with raw power.
Ying Zhu, however, met the charging bear withoit fear.
Ying Zhu met the paw of the mama bear with Reaver, his soul fire burning fiercely. The moment their forces collided.
Booom!
A thunderous sound echoed through the area.
Ying Zhu's consciousness was abruptly cut off as Reaver and the mama bear's paw connected with a tremendous impact. The sheer force of the blow sent him flying, even with his peak power. He crashed into a tree, and his body began to crack under the immense pressure.
Ying Zhu's weapon was wrenched from his grip during the impact, leaving him unable to move. As he lay on the ground, he stared solemnly at the approaching mama bear, his body limp and vulnerable.
His mouth started to move, as if he still wanted to say something, but no sound came out. He realized that if the mama bear's next attack landed, he would surely die. Yet, there was no fear in his eyes perhaps he had forgotten what fear felt like.
As the mama bear's attack was about to land on Ying Zhu, a 'hole' suddenly began to open up beneath him. He fell through the 'hole' just in time to avoid the crushing blow.
Ying Zhu plummeted into a different location, his descent interrupted by the sudden shift. From his new position, he could still see the silhouette of the bear and the remnants of its attack where he had just been, a stark reminder of how close he had come to death.
Suddenly, Ying Zhu felt a predatory gaze piercing through his back. For the first time, his fiercely burning soul fire seemed to wane, and his fighting intent turned into stark terror. He felt a deep, unsettling fear take hold of him.
"Didn't I tell you not to come into this part of the forest? What part of that is hard to understand?"
Ying Zhu stiffly turned his head, ignoring his injuries as he began to tremble uncontrollably, the fear exacerbating his pain. As he slowly looked back, he saw a silhouette of a human with wolf-like ears, staring coldly at him. The sight filled him with even greater dread, making his fear even more palpable.
'Si-sister Astrea, I-I'm glad you are he-!'
Ying Zhu began, his voice quivering even when he was currently using telepathy. But he cut himself off as the intensity of Astrea's gaze became unbearable. The fierce glare from his eldest sister made him shut up immediately. He bowed his head, afraid to lift it and face her.
Yes, the one who had come to his rescue was indeed his eldest sister, Astrea. She looked at her younger brother with a chilling coldness. Her eyes swept over him, noting the cracks running through his bones, including his skull.
'If he received another attack, he would immediately die.'
"Tsk!"
Astrea clicked her tongue in disapproval. The noise made Ying Zhu's body tremble even more, adding to his already overwhelming fear.