The monster reared back, all three heads unleashing a devastating attack in unison.
The lion roared, releasing a massive wave of fire.
The goat bleated, sending deadly ice shards shooting forward.
The snake hissed, spitting a stream of venom that shimmered in the light.
The three elements spiraled together, forming a devastating triple-elemental blast aimed directly at Eleo.
"Oh, nope—nope—NOPE!" Eleo yelped, pushing off the ground with all his strength. He soared into the air, dodging the deadly fusion attack as it obliterated the ground where he once stood.
"INK HAMMER!" Eleo roared mid-air, his arms morphing into massive, inky black hammers. He twisted his body, coming down like a meteor toward the goat head.
BOOOOM!
The impact was thunderous. The goat's skull snapped back violently, its entire body whipping to the side as it stumbled from the force of the blow. The ground cracked beneath it, dust and debris exploding into the air.
Tony, still covered in Eleo's ink from earlier, shook himself off and cracked his neck. "Nice job, kid." He rolled his shoulders, his stance shifting as he eyed the monstrous opponent. "Alright," he said, his tone shifting to something sharper, more focused. "I'm ready now. And even if I can't take down this bastard—" He raised his hands in a classic Wing Chun guard, his fingers loose, palms open. "I'll still make it hurt."
The lion head roared, its golden eyes locking onto Tony as it lunged.
Tony moved like lightning.
As the lion's massive claw came swiping down, Tony didn't dodge—he stepped into it, angling his body at the last second. His left palm shot out, slapping the inside of the lion's wrist while his right hand struck the elbow joint.
SMACK—WHAM!
The force redirected the lion's attack completely, sending its own claw slamming into the dirt. Before it could react, Tony flowed into his next move—
He exploded forward, stepping deep into the monster's range. His hands became a blur as he unloaded a barrage of high-speed palm strikes.
PAK-PAK-PAK-PAK!
Each strike slammed into the lion's face, jaw, and throat in rapid succession. The beast snarled in pain, trying to pull back, but Tony wasn't done.
He twisted his hips, bringing his leg up in a brutal snap kick aimed at the lion's ribcage.
KRAK!
The force lifted the lion's head off the ground momentarily, a snarl of pain and shock escaping its maw.
Tony landed gracefully, rolling his shoulders. "Not so tough up close, huh?" he taunted, flashing a cocky grin.
Eleo, watching from above as he landed near Tony, whistled. "Daaang, you got hands, old man!"
Tony huffed, shaking out his hands. "Correction— I got palms." He then shot a glance at Eleo. "Now quit talking and hit something before it gets up!"
Eleo grinned. "On it!" He whipped around toward the still-staggering goat head, ink swirling around his arms once more.
The monster's three heads twisted unnaturally, its entire body distorting, as if space itself was being shredded apart around it.
In an instant, it vanished—
Then reappeared directly behind Tony.
The lion head snarled, the goat bleated, and the snake hissed—all at once. Before Tony could react, the beast's razor-sharp claws lashed out in a blinding flurry of slashes.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Tony's arms shot up, palms deflecting as fast as he could, but the sheer speed and power of the attack overwhelmed him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Tony's feet dug into the dirt as he was forced back, each blow sending shockwaves through his body. His suit tore in places, cuts forming along his arms, shoulders, and chest as he absorbed the rapid assault.
"Damn thing's fast!" he gritted through his teeth.
Eleo, still recovering, saw Tony struggling and immediately yelled, "Hang on, old man!"
He threw his hands forward, ink swirling wildly around his fists. "INK BARRAGE!"
A storm of ink-fueled punches shot forward in rapid succession, pelting the monster relentlessly.
But—
"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—!"
SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK!
Tony got caught in the crossfire.
Ink splattered across his face and suit, his body jerking back from the impact of multiple ink-coated fists smashing into him.
"KID, ARE YOU AIMING OR JUST HOPING FOR THE BEST?!" Tony shouted, stumbling from the attack.
"Oops!" Eleo cringed. "My bad!"
The monster stumbled back too, snarling in frustration as the ink attacks disoriented it. The lion head shook violently, trying to get rid of the inky substance now coating its face and mane.
Tony coughed, wiping ink from his monocle, his expression deadpan. "You literally hit me more times than it."
"I said my bad!" Eleo defended, scratching the back of his head.
The monster roared, shaking the ground beneath them.
Tony rolled his shoulders, shaking off the damage. "Alright," he exhaled, his focus sharpening again. "That thing might hit hard, but it bleeds. That means we can take it down."
Eleo smirked, cracking his knuckles. "And we're gonna make it hurt."
Tony flexed his hands, getting into his Wing Chun stance again. "Then let's finish this, kid."
Eleo and Tony exploded forward, their bodies blurring as they closed the distance. The monster barely had time to react before the onslaught began.
Eleo's ink-coated fists swung forward, slamming into the lion's jaw with a devastating right hook, sending its head snapping to the side.
BAM!
Tony sidestepped to the opposite side, his hands moving with blinding speed as he unleashed a series of rapid Wing Chun palm strikes to the beast's ribs.
PAK! PAK! PAK! PAK!
The goat head shrieked in pain, its body recoiling from the precise, concussive blows.
The snake tail lunged, fangs aimed straight for Eleo's neck—
But Tony intercepted, trapping the snake's head between his forearms and twisting his body into a brutal counterstrike.
BAM!
A bone-crunching palm strike to the snake's skull sent it whipping backward.
Eleo didn't waste a second—
He stepped in, shifting low, and threw a devastating ink-enhanced uppercut straight into the monster's gut.
THOOM!
The force lifted the entire beast off the ground.
"Keep it up, kid!" Tony shouted, spinning into a backhand strike that cracked across the lion's snout.
The monster reeled, dazed—
Eleo and Tony glanced at each other, nodding.
It was time to end this.
Both fighters moved in sync, dashing forward—
A full-force, double palm-strike and ink-powered punch slammed into the monster's chest at the same time!
BOOM!
The sheer impact rippled through its entire body, sending it soaring backward before it crashed into the cavern wall, rubble collapsing around it.
Smoke and dust filled the air as Eleo and Tony stood side by side, panting, fists still clenched.
Eleo wiped sweat from his brow. "Now that... was awesome."
Tony exhaled, fixing his monocle. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
The dust settled—
And the monster stirred.
Eleo cracked his knuckles, a determined grin spreading across his face. "We can't stop now. We have to keep going—just like before!"
Tony smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Heh… I like the way you think, kid."
The monster roared, its three heads snapping back into focus. The lion's mane flared with fire, the goat's eyes glowed with frost, and the snake hissed, venom dripping from its fangs.
But Eleo and Tony didn't hesitate.
They launched forward in unison, fists flying.
BAM! Eleo's ink-powered punch smashed into the lion's jaw, sending flames sputtering into the air.
PAK! PAK! PAK! Tony weaved under a venom strike and unloaded a rapid chain of Wing Chun palm strikes, his hands a blur as he struck the monster's chest and ribs.
The beast staggered, but countered.
The goat head swung wildly, horns crashing toward Tony—but he redirected the impact with a deflecting palm, sliding smoothly into a devastating elbow strike straight to its throat.
CRACK!
The snake tail lashed out at Eleo—but he ducked, twisting into a spinning backfist, slamming the snake's head into the cavern wall.
Tony followed up immediately, grabbing the beast's arm and delivering a precise palm strike to the elbow joint.
SNAP! The limb bent at an unnatural angle.
The lion roared in fury, rearing back for another fiery blast—
But Eleo and Tony didn't let up.
They moved in tandem, fists flying faster, harder.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Every impact echoed through the cave, each hit sending shockwaves through the monster's massive frame.
The beast stumbled, trying to keep up, but their relentless assault gave it no time to react.
Tony delivered a final crushing palm strike to its ribs—
Eleo followed up with a brutal ink-powered uppercut to its chin!
THOOM!
The monster lifted off the ground, crashing backward, skidding across the cave floor.
It lay still.
Smoke rose from its battered body.
Eleo wiped his face, panting, then nudged Tony. "Think it's finally down?"
Tony exhaled, adjusting his monocle. "If it gets up again, I'm punching it straight into next week."