Zikryu and the three warriors stood poised and ready. Zikryu, his hand still clenched around Lian's neck, hissed in satisfaction. "You won't interfere ," he growled, before slamming his free hand against her forehead. In an instant, Lian slumped to the ground, her eyes vacant and unseeing.
"LIAN!!", Meili yelled.
"There. That should keep her out of the way."
With Lian immobilized, Zikryu straightened, his gaze turning back to the three warriors. "Now you," he snarled, his blade gleaming in the dim light.
Zikryu's smile grew more menacing. "So, you think you can defeat me? A mere Hanzo, Zino, and another... what are you?" he taunted, his eyes darting between the three. "I am a Sukuna warrior, with abilities you can't even fathom."
Lei sneered. "You talk too much."
Without hesitation, Lei charged forward, her blade flashing in the dim light of the cave. Zikryu, his reflexes cat-like, parried her attack, his blade humming with lethal force.
*CLANG CLANG*
Meili, her movements swift and lithe, struck at Zikryu's flank, only for him to dodge her with a deft sidestep.
*SWISH*
Fuse, her eyes focused and intent, circled around, her blade poised and ready.
Zikryu's grin widened.
The sound of steel striking steel filled the air as Lei and Zikryu continued their duel, each trading blows with lethal precision. Meili and Fuse, their blades a blur of motion, attacked from different angles, attempting to break Zikryu's focus.
But the Sukuna warrior, with a feral grin, seemed unaffected by their combined assault. "Is this really the best the Iron Fist Academy can muster?" he taunted, deflecting Lei's blade.
The three warriors were pressed back as Zikryu intensified his assault, his movements growing more feral. Fuse and Meili, their eyes darting back and forth between their opponent and Lei, fought to support her, the sound of their blades ringing out.
Zikryu, seemingly unperturbed by their efforts, lashed out with his blade, sending a shower of sparks as he clashed with Lei. "This has gone on long enough," he growled. "Now it's time for you to taste defeat."
As Zikryu's fury increased, the air around him began to shimmer and twist. To the warriors' horror, his form started to shift, taking on a new, monstrous shape.
Zikryu's transformation was unlike anything they had ever seen. His body elongated, his skin darkening to a shade of midnight blue. Jagged claws sprouted from his fingers, razor-sharp teeth filled his mouth, and a pair of leathery wings unfurled from his back. The newly emerged beast loomed over them, a howl escaping its maw.
Lei, her eyes widening, took a step back, her blade raised in a defensive posture. "What is this?" she gasped, her heart racing.
Fuse, her hand clenching the hilt of her sword, her breath coming in short gasps, swallowed hard. "I've never seen anything like it. What kind of creature is he?"
Meili, her eyes narrowing, readied her weapon, her resolve unwavering. "Doesn't matter. We need to bring it down."
With a feral growl, Meili, her eyes fixed on Zikryu's monstrous form, moved first, her blade flashing with deadly precision. She struck at the Sukuna warrior, her movements swift and agile, but Zikryu met her attack with a feral parry, his own blade moving with supernatural speed.
Fuse, her face set in determination, followed suit, her weapon singing through the air as she slashed at the beast. Lei, her heart pounding, joined the fray, her blade clashing with Zikryu's as she sought to bring the monster down.
The three warriors, their hearts pounding, fought with all their might against Zikryu's terrifying form. Despite their skill and determination, the three warriors were no match for Zikryu's monstrous form, the three warriors struggled against Zikryu, his enhanced "Taida" state giving him an edge. The beast, relentless in his assault, seemed to only grow stronger as the battle raged on.
Meili, Lei, and Fuse, their faces etched with exhaustion, struggled to keep up with the monster's blinding speed and raw power.
Meili, her body covered in sweat, spun towards Lei, her eyes wild. "Lei, we can't keep this up much longer," she panted, her voice strained. "We need a plan. You know any special Bujutsu?"
Lei, her breath labored, shook her head. "I don't have any special techniques that can counter this," she said, desperation lacing her words. "We're out of options."
Fuse, her blade now chipped and bent from repeated clashes with Zikryu, stepped in front of her two comrades, her shoulders squared.
"What! You have no buj-", Meili cut shut as she was shot back by Zirkyu's blow!
*BAM*
"No! Meili!!" Fuse yelled in shock, she rushed to Meili's aid.
Meili, her sword gleaming as she parried Zikryu's blows, caught Lei's attention with a sharp remark:
"Well, well, the so-called Hanzo warrior has no Bujutsu to save her? What a shame. I thought the Iron Fist would have more up her sleeve. You talk a big game Lei , but it seems your clan's reputation is just hot air."
(Huffing and puffing, Lei's blade clashing with Zikryu's as she struggled to keep up)
Lei's eyes flared with indignation.
Lei's ire sparked, as she spat back at Meili with fiery defiance:
"How dare you, a mere Zino clan plebeian, dare question my abilities? You're so ignorant, it's laughable. I could best you in combat even without my clan's techniques. Your clan lacks the talent of a true warrior."
Meili, her eyes fierce with determination, parried away a heavy blow from Zikryu before retorting with a smirk:
"Talent? Talent?! You couldn't find talent if it were shoved in your face, Lei! If you had any yourself, you'd be at Golden Elite with your brother."
Lei, visibly rattled, she thought with shock: "How does she know about my brother?!"
*THUD! CLASH!*
With a predatory grin, Zikryu blocked Fuse's strike and turned his attention to the two squabbling warriors. "Well, well, Zino. I'm impressed by your ability to talk and fight at the same time. It's a shame your little friend here is too preoccupied with personal insults to even notice."
Lei's face flushed with anger, her eyes darting from Zikryu to Meili.
The intensity of the battle reached new heights as Lei's rage fueled her every movement.
"Shut your mouth!" she snarled at Zikryu, her blade whirling in a blinding flurry. "I don't need your commentary."
*WHAM! SLICE! *
(Lei's blows were faster, stronger, and more precise than ever.)
(WHOOOSH! Zikryu's blade, a blur of motion, deflected Lei's attacks with ease.)
As Lei's anger reached its boiling point, the full extent of her clan's abilities began to manifest. Her eyes, now fully transformed into a deep crimson, began to dart between Zikryu's attacks, each movement becoming clearer and more defined.
"What...?" Meili and Fuse, their mouths agape, stared in disbelief as Lei's blade struck with newfound precision, aiming directly for Zikryu's vital points, putting him on the defensive.
In a heated voice, Lei responded to Meili's taunt:
"You have no idea what it's like! To be the daughter of the Hanzo Clan leader, and still not be admitted to the Golden Elite Academy? The ridicule, the mocking... Every day, my status was thrown in my face! How could you know what that's like? So don't pretend like you understand a thing about it! Ahhhh!"
Zikryu, his face contorted with shock and pain, stumbled back from Lei's vicious blow. "What is this power? Ah!"
*HUFF! SLASH!*.
"You don't understand," Lei continued, her voice shaking with emotion. "My father, my mother... they ridicule me, they say I'm not worthy to be their child. But even with all that, I won't let the likes of you call me weak!"
Meili and Fuse, their eyes wide with disbelief and apprehension, struggled to comprehend the transformation in their friend.
Lei, her body trembling with the surging power within her, gazed at the Sukuna warrior, her expression now one of unbridled fury. "This is it," she growled, her blade humming with dark energy. "This is where your path ends."
Zikryu, his face alight with twisted amusement, glared at Lei. "You think this little display of power has me beaten? HA! Peasant..."
With a feral grin, he prepared his counterattack. "Bujutsu: Ninghe Hange: Gao Yaku."
As the cavern trembled with the force of Zikryu's newfound ability, the air shimmered with a dark energy.
As Zikryu unleashed "Bujutsu: Ninghe Hange: Gao Yaku," a terrifying transformation began to overtake him. His muscles bulged, his teeth sharpened, and his eyes turned a dark, feral yellow. He seemed to be losing his humanity, succumbing to a bestial rage unlike anything Meili, Fuse, or Lei had ever witnessed.
"What ability is this again?" Meili murmured, her face taut with fear and awe, "it's like nothing I've ever seen before."
"LEI, BEHIND YOU!" Fuse screamed, her voice cutting through the din of battle.
Lei, caught up in her rage and hatred, was slow to respond, her blade still singing through the air towards Zikryu. But her senses finally kicked in, and she spun to see Zikryu's fist, now glowing with a dark energy, hurtling towards her with the force of a meteor.
At the last possible second, a blur of motion swept in to dodge Lei from Zikryu's attack. *WHOOSH!* BANG* (The shockwave from Zirkyu's attack destroying the area around his fist!) With lightning-fast reflexes, Kai darted towards Lei, his hand gripping her arm. In a fraction of a second, he yanked her out of the path of Zikryu's attack, the fist barely grazing her shoulder.
"You're not getting to her, you lowlife beast" he growled, his stance unwavering.
Lei, disoriented and shocked, turned to face her savior. "K-Kai?!"
Kai, his eyes narrowing, didn't break his combat stance. "Get back, Lei," he ordered, the urgency in his voice unmistakable.
As Kai positioned himself between Lei and Zikryu, the intense battle was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of three more figures.
Rhett Hanzo, his chest heaving, skidded to a halt, his squad mates—Jade and Xia Hanzo—right behind him.
"He's fast," Jade panted, her eyes wide as she took in the scene before them. "Cute too, but what a pain in the rear. He should be in the Golden Elite, if you ask me."
Xia nodded in agreement.
"Enough," Rhett ordered, his voice harsh as he scanned the cave. "Stay focused. We've been chasing him, but it looks like he wasn't lying about not fleeing. This... this is bigger than we realized."
Kai, his muscles tensing, didn't take his eyes off the beast before him. "This isn't the time for introductions," he growled. "There's a lunatic in front of us, we need to hold him back, now!"
With a cruel grin, Zikryu surveyed the group before him, his expression turning calculating.
"Well, well. Looks like you all came out to play," he said, the words dripping with malice. "But I'm not interested in fighting all of you. I'll just take what I want and be on my way."
He grabbed the unconscious Lian and turned to leave, but Meili, her fury ignited, dashed towards him. "NO! You're not leaving with her!"
Kai, reacting instantly, moved to stop her. "Meili, wait!
Before Kai could reach her, Zikryu barked out a command in a dark, ancient tongue. With his might he crushed the ground.
*CRACK! BOOM!*
The ground beneath them gave way, as though the earth itself had been ruptured.
Meili, Kai, Lei, and the rest of the warriors were engulfed by the falling rock and dirt. They plummeted through the darkness, their screams lost in the chaos of the collapsing cavern.
"So pitiful, none of 'em manage to escape in time, I will be actually taking my leave early. Lord Xaphan would surely be proud of this, the last specimen to his work." Zikryu, his face set in a chilling smirk, scooped Lian into his arms and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the warriors to their fate.