Chapter 35. Come Back

The Stone armored woodland ape was starting to struggle. It was nowhere near close to death but it was getting weak. The status ailments from the [debilitating screams], and the artifacts that were attached to its body were doing a number.

New- The woodland ape channeled energy into one of it's arms as a grey stone shield with a rune in the middle took shape. Raising it's other hand, it called upon the umbrella of [leaf blades], they spun in a circle so fast that you could feel the air being split apart. A circular sawblade with tiny runes at the bladed edges appeared as it held it ready for battle.

The boys grew somber seeing the ape's current state and used a technique with the energy stolen from their opponents. They each groaned as they grew to 6ft, a Taotie's face lied in the middle of their chests, their bonds growing as well. A greedy and demonic energy pervaded the atmosphere.

The boys had a feral look in their eyes as they charged. The boy controlling the formation applied full gravity to the ape, decreasing it's speed. The orangutang bats had grown in size now sporting serrated wings and unnaturally muscular arms. Screeching forward it slammed its fist into the shield, while moving backwards after its attack.

The others tried to attack as well but the ape sensed their intentions and used the saw blade to force back it's opponents. Very quickly it pinpointed that the orangutang bats and heroic pup would be a problem. The heroic pup now muscular and feral, had unleashed [three-point savagery] a strong leg based martial skill that sent it rocketing back, slamming into the stone spikes it made.

The boars now sporting four jagged tusks tried to impale the ape only to be out maneuvered. The ape started using the trees and stone spikes to move throughout the formation while expertly using the shield to defend against the orangutang bats. It launched the saw blade into one of the boars and it's tamer, the two were sawed in half. With the absence of a weapon in hand, the other monster pushed forward. The bats each picked up their tamers and flew in quickly unleashing [Leper's ray]. The tamers used the chance of getting in close to use another technique, attempting to send chains into the bloody sites the emblems had dug into.

The heroic pup used [drunken pulse] after getting behind the ape. The final boar had unleashed [reckless havoc] as its tamer stood atop it supplying it with all of its energy as a blast of energy released from the tusks slamming forward. Although one down, they believed they had this under control until they saw the ape smile.

The riders atop their bond were blown back before being able to attach their chains to the burrowed artifacts. The shield in the ape's hand glowing as a grey light erupted. The boys grew fearful as that was not a skill, it was manipulated elemental earth energy. The shield in its hand flew out, accurately hitting each bat.

Raising a hand towards the saw it couldn't physically retrieve, a tether of energy released connecting to the saw in the ground. The saw then broke into smaller ones as they zoomed towards the orangutang bats. They were injured by the shield toss and the saws started to cut into them. The heroic pup had struck forward with an open palm flowing with destructive energy. The ape turned a blind eye as it focused on cutting down the bats; the woodland ape manipulated earth energy to strengthen the armor at it's back.

Before the heroic pup's attack landed on it's back, two of the bats were cut into pieces while the wings of the other two were cut so badly they fell from the air along with their tamer's. As the pup's attack hit the ape's back blood flew from the beast's mouth.

Cracks spread beneath the ape's feet as he forcefully remained in the same spot. It however, kept the smile on it's face. Spinning around it slammed it's shield forward in a bash, but the pup dodged. The last two boys standing looked at each other before nodding. One of the boys ran to the location of the two heavily injured sect members before standing over them. Making hand symbols the Taotie's face sucked in as the injured boys looked at their friend in horror. They couldn't even scream as life left them. The face on the boy's chest opened as it shot something into the heroic pup. The dog shook as it forcefully evolved. A champion wolf, an anthropomorphic body covered in fur with a wolf head, it almost looked like a werewolf.

The champion wolf stood tall, breathing raggedly. Its eyes bounced around in excitement, before moving at incredible speed. The ape had killed off the other five but the last two boys were proving to be a challenge.

The boy bonded to the four tusked boar had it run as fast as possible to the three bodies that were cut apart. Showing no hesitation, the boar ate all of the dead boys and their bonds, a taotie symbol appearing on it's forehead. A violent tremor shook the beast as it grew to the size of a full-grown mammoth.

BAAAAG!!!

Awooooooo!!!

Just as the boar became a mammoth, the champion wolf came crashing into a tree right next to it. The wolf's tamer had chains in two of the seven holes, the boy screamed as he drew as much power through the chains as possible. Casting another technique the boy punched with everything he had at the ape's chest.

[Falling Monolith] shouted the boy as a flash of light shined on impact of the fist landing, the ape was pushed back dozens of meters. The ape immediately lost all of the armor covering it's chest and blood oozed out of the wound.

Turning around, the boy's face and body were transforming more and more into animal characteristics. The taotie on his chest smiling, looking more animated as time went on.

"Hurry the fuck up I can't hold out much longer, we have used the forbidden art for too long."

The other boy had finished evolving his boar and had it charge at the ape. Every movement of the mammoth shook the ground. The champion wolf was up, although one arm was broken. It rushed at the ape taking lead in front of the mammoth. The ape was bloody and drained at this point. It still had it's shield and saw. It knew the energy in it's body was about to run out.

Resolving itself, the ape brought the circular saw atop the shield and channeled the remaining energy into both techniques. Rotating one way was the shield while rotating the other was the saw. The friction increased before a dangerous glow started to form in between the shield and saw. Throwing the shield and saw with all it's strength, the technique went zooming towards the champion wolf.

Midflight the shield and saw combined to create a disc filled with the power of wood and earth. Out of the two, only the champion wolf dodged while the mammoth ended up taking the technique because of the attack circling around after being thrown. The creature had long lost it's sanity and reflexively used [gargantuan push]. A field of energy encompassing it's body as it moved quicker and with accumulating momentum.

A rumble so loud that everyone including the stone armored woodland ape heard echoed through the valley. The mammoth became mince meat, it's tamer died along with his companion. This was the tamer holding the control talisman so the gravity on the ape reduced back to normal. The last boy vented as the explosion caught him even when he was away from the sight of impact. His bond was buried underneath a tree and rubble with various injuries. One cut off arm, a crushed leg, and a couple of the sawblades were impaled in it's chest. Even though the wolf dodged he did not escape the radius of impact.

The ape was on one knee breathing, using it's wood affinity, the ape was steadily healing the most injured parts like the front and back of the torso. Slowly but surely the ape was recovering. The last boy got up and ordered the wolf to attack the still healing ape. Pulling out the bloody wooden blades it angerly pounced on the ape.

Having regained some vitality, the ape got in horse stance and used [Collapsing fist]. The stone on the back of it's hands hardening even more. The wolf met the punch with a kick which sent it flying back. The ape speed up, ignoring all of its injuries it moved around as nimbly as possible. Trying to finish off this opponent was tricky because the champion wolf, though forcefully evolved, had innate knowledge of fighting.

The two went back and forth with more injuries accumulating on both of them. The ape was at a disadvantage because the wolf was getting more proficient with it's newfound power. Unleashing [Armor piercing claw], the wolf penetrated the ape's left breast. Immediately after, it used [Barbed fur] to shred the wound even more, as it yanked it's hand out. Before the ape could attack the familiar gravity weighted down on him.

The boy had found the talisman and was rushing over.

Taking a deep breath, the ape's heart flashed green before it's vitality burst through the roof. Moving at a much higher speed the ape kneed the wolf in the face before the stone on that knee turned into a spike that tore through it's skull.

Staggering, the boy had almost made it to his bond when he felt the connection break and searing pain erupting in his head. Using the taotie symbol on his chest he neared his dead companion. He didn't seem to be in his right mind as the influence from the forbidden technique was consuming him.

"To my master the magnificent Taotie, let your feast bring bountiful reward to my hollow body. Give me your strength." Some would think they were imagining if they saw a face on the boy's chest eat a three-meter wolf in one gulp.

The ape was hardly standing, out of qi and having just overdrawn it's vitality, along with the negative effects from the bats, the beast looked exhausted. The boy looked like he was having a seizure as he shook violently. An evil presence was now felt as the boy's body transformed. His head massive, lined with jagged teeth, body of a lizard, and a human face on the boy's back.