Not far from that valley, Ochieng's companions were not fairing any better. Their faces were full of scathe. Things had worsened when a group of Black Fiends arrived and they were not any way less powerful than them. Sadly, Mang'weya whose power was only to smell around had already been killed. This had made Ratong' go into a rampage. It had been killing the Black Fiends with single blows. Oyamo who had been ordained just like Ratong' was to some extent affected by Ratong's emotions, he was also destroying his enemies with ease. His body was covered with blood; not his, but the enemies'.
The others were trying but it was not easy for them. This was especially so for Apeleka who had almost no battle experience. She was already weakening and her flower petals were already withering.
"Ochieng'," She said to herself, "At this rate I do not see myself leaving this place alive. Let it be known to you that knowing you has been the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I love you."
With that, she gathered all the strength she had left and started fighting like her life depended on it. Black Fiends died under her violent attacks. However, she came across one powerful Black Fiend. That creature was sending a powerful sword slash towards her. The slash was so fast that it was barely visible. Apeleka felt chills run up her spine before being petrified. She involuntarily closed her eyes and waited for what was to come.
Pah!
Just as the sword was a few inches before the beautiful girl, she heard the sound of a slap followed by the sound of something heavy falling down. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jakony and Mudho smiling at her. They just saved her life. Nodding their heads, they continued with the battle, this time round Mudho and Jakony staying around.
...
As Ochieng' stood there, he felt his heart aching a little. For some reason he felt like he was losing someone. This feeling intensified to a point where he could hardly manage. Clutching his chest, he went slowly down until he was one knee on the ground. By the time he was on the ground, the five old men were already a few metres away from him. Even though they were covered in dust, their look was fear inducing.
Soon, they were surrounding Ochieng' at close quarters. Together they released some energies which converged at the center just on top of Ochieng's head. Ochieng' was too focused on his pain that he did not even realize that these men were already near him.
"Apeleka, do not leave me. This life and this mission are entirely meaningless without you beside me." He cried.
Not too long later, he felt something mysterious levitating above his head. He did not even look at it but waited for it to claim his life for he knew that that was exactly what the thing needed judging from how sinister it felt. Upon seeing him, the five smiled satisfactorily believing that the young man had resigned to his fate—what delighted them so much.
Just when their combined energies were about ten centimetres above the young man's head, the latter felt the feeling on his heart go and all the pain he was feeling disappear. From this, he knew that his girl had somehow escaped trouble. Taking in a deep breath, he stood up clashing with the energies along his way. This sent him back to the ground leaving several wounds on his body. It seemed like victory was on the old men's hands but they had not expected Ochieng' to behave in such a manner. The moment Ochieng' collided with their energies, they shook as if being electrocuted before falling down with eyes rolled over. However, they were in a better state than Ochieng'.
They all lay on the ground for a few minutes just nursing their injuries. It must be said that it was a big mistake on the old men's side for letting Ochieng' have a good rest; that young man had a heaven defying recovering ability after he came from the saint land. By the time they were on their feet ten minutes later, Ochieng' had fully recovered and he was even filled with power. It may seem long but from the time they arrived at the valley until they decided to rest, not even one minute had gone by. So, combined with the ten minutes rest, it had only been eleven minutes since the fight started.
"Let us get this over and done with."
Ochieng' said angrily before lifting his right forefinger up. From that finger, a connection was created with the heavens. The crashing of thunder filled the air while the entire place was lightened up by lightning. Ochieng's eyes turned slightly green and his muscles tightened a little. A smile crept on his face instigating fear from his onlookers.
The five old men scoffed before standing tall while slightly tightening their robes. Their heads were lifted up and their eyes lightened up with crimson light. The air around them became so hot that everything around caught fire. Waves after waves of wind hit them making them look more dangerous in appearance.
"Now."
One old man shouted and their eyes turned towards Ochieng'. Lifting their hands gently, they rose to the air with dust following them. When their palms were directed at Ochieng', strong winds came towards him. Lumps of fire followed. These things could kill anyone instantly as soon as they landed on one.
With a chuckle, Ochieng's finger that was raised in the air was slowly directed towards the five old men. As this happened, the five old men felt great pressure weighing down on them so much that even breathing became difficult. They let go of their attacks and the winds and the lumps of fire dissipated before reaching Ochieng'.
When the finger finally pointed towards them, they fell one by one on the ground dead. When the fifth one fell, Ochieng' retracted his finger before collapsing. He had used too much power in that attack. After all, he was yet to acquire all the strength belonging to the horse.
His companions were also doing well although their numbers had been reduced by two. Mang'weya had been killed previously and now the lion tribe head was no more. This had enraged Mudho so much that his figure enlarged to become no different from a small hill. He killed Black Fiends with the fiercest of attacks. Ratong' destroyed his enemies in the cruelest way a man could think of. This had made the Black Fiends fearful and most of them were dying out of that. Some attempted to flee but skulls, spoons, stones, birds and the other bizarre objects were faster. They were killed under such objects.