Chapter 13: Maka-Mako

Kai rushed out of the carriage to see Shuzen sitting, waiting patiently for the Maka-Mako. Laughing at Kai's hurried breathing, Shuzen said, "Don't worry elf. I am here."

Looking off into the distance, Kai saw a blurry ball of red and black barreling at them at a ridiculous speed. With every passing second the ball got larger and larger; from a speck to a gargantuan boulder.

As it got closer its features became more apparent.

For Kai, he was looking for 3 distinct features: each species had a different ear shape, coloring of its body, and arrangement of the scales on its back.

Just by looking at its ear, Kai knew it was unlikely that the battle was going to be as easy as Shuzen had claimed. Its ears were more rounded, indicating that the beast was from the Ampoezan region to the southeast from here. This region was home to many poisonous animals.

The coloring of its body further proved that this lizard came from that region. Due to the reddish mud of the region, the lizard's scales adopted a red and black mixture to easily blend into its surroundings. This made the lizard a very proficient hunter.

Then there are the scales, arranged in an attempt to hold off the beast's only natural predator. The b rank bird beast known as a Torikan hawk had viciously powerful talons. However, it also lacked in the brain department. Having evolved so that its scales all gathered in one position, the Maka-Mako thus countered the Torikan hawk.

If they tried to grasp the lizard's back, their talons would break upon impact.

This lizard was naturally resistant to many beasts in its region. Most of them specialize in poison. Watching Shuzen and his calm demeanor, Kai couldn't help but think that despite the lizard's weak status, Shuzen was still outmatched.

Sure, it was an S rank versus a B rank, but bad matchups exist. And immunity against your skill is a bad matchup.

Still, Shuzen persisted in considering the lizard as some kind of appetizer. Kai himself had begun thinking through plans.

'I'm unsure whether or not I can use the Juma's soul. Even though I've conquered it with my skill, even now at this moment I cannot find a strong hold over it. It's as if the beast thinks it can fight its master.'

Kai looked around his surroundings to find an answer to their predicament. After all, when he faced the Juma, he didn't need any beast soul before.

One rank jump was only an immeasurable gap, no need to worry.

It's getting close!

In just a brief second the rumbling of the lizard's charge intensified. Tables collapsed, glass shattered as they fell out of the cabinet in one quick wave. Kai flew in the air, hitting his head off the door frame before crumbling to the ground.

'Shit...'

Kai stared at the ground as blood fell from his mouth, painting it. 'Lucky I wasn't on the carriage, or that bastard would kill me later.'

'Shit!' His hand flew to his head as a million needles began piercing it. A pounding headache that threatened to shatter even his mind incapacitated him as the earth itself shook in pain.

The rumbling chaos was so severe that Kai didn't even register the resounding burst of Shuzen's jump. As his legs left the earth, the pressure of Shuzen's departure created a crater in the ground.

While in midair, Shuzen activated the soul of his only S-rank beast- the Ourobic serpent. His arm adopted the reddish-purple scales of the snake as it grew 4 feet longer in size, slithering through the air. Where his hand had been, a triangular mouth appeared.

The Maka-Mako paid no mind to the fangs clanging off of its scales.

Shuzen paid no mind to the fangs breaking. In fact, he smiled.

The beast wasn't going to be easy prey after all. Knowing that both of his strongest weapons would be ineffective against this beast, Shuzen spread his arms as he fell onto the lizard's back.

Already thinking ahead to possible solutions, he dropped to all 4s, lowering his center of gravity so that the lizard wouldn't send him hurling to the ground.

'Shit.'

Ignoring the wind flapping in his air and forcing him to squint his eyes, Shuzen watched his carriage get bigger and bigger. Although he had crossed almost a thousand yards in a single jump, that distance didn't matter.

In a few seconds, the beast had crossed 200 yards. Very soon, it would run over the entire base. Shuzen's new toy would be dead... as well as some of his more exquisite beasts.

'You're tough, I'll give you that.' Shuzen thought as he looked back at the lizard. Crawling along its back, taking special care to keep a solid grip on the lizard's scales, Shuzen made his way along the back.

With every step the lizard took Shuzen felt he was going to be thrown off the beast. Still, he gripped onto the beast's scales and trudged forward.

'The kid's watching. If I let him die, he's not going to be much use, now is he? No, he'd never respect me.' Shuzen grinned as he reached the lizard's head.

Looking into its eyes, he wondered if the beast felt fear. That would be a surreal experience, wouldn't it? These beasts, that only knew to eat and kill and kill and eat. For them to feel fear in the moments of death...

Though he knew they did, as he had killed many beasts before.

Shuzen studied the beast with the expression of a mad scientist who had finally found a breakthrough. His eyes grew wide as a red glint reflected off of them, either from the beast's scales or the man's bloodlust. Either way, the weakness was found.

'I use poison, and I would never target the head. You've evolved to counter poison, but you still had to sacrifice defense somewhere. I'd be willing to bet this is the place.'

Activating the soul of his Chico, Shuzen's left arm adopted the traits of such a primate. His arms suddenly grew at least 5 times in diameter as all the muscle fibers coalesced into one massive wrecking ball of destruction.

Raising his new arm high above his head, Shuzen relished as a glint of black flashed over the lizard's eyes.

Fear.

Before the lizard could even think to flail its body, to throw off this assailant, it no longer had a brain. As Shuzen predicted, the skull was very weak. However, not even he could predict it being this weak.

He barely had time to bask in the cracking sound of the beast's skull as his fist went even deeper. Grey matter cluttered in his hands even as it dissolved, the strike was so quick and vicious that the lizard's brain evaporated from the pressure.

In the next instant, its head was thrown to the ground, at least 6 feet deep. Its neck soon followed suit. The lizard now no longer made the earth tremble. Instead, its legs hung in the air, flailing around harmlessly.

Kai had overcome the drowsiness moments before the beast had died. He had taken that little bit of time to travel to where Shuzen was, looking to use his corruption skill on the beast.

'If he doesn't know about it's poison properties, maybe-'

"This beast isn't one you're going to corrupt. It's dead anyway, so your skill probably wouldn't work." Shuzen said, instantly cutting off any idea Kai had.

'Of course, the situation wouldn't be so easy to get out of. However, that does bring a different point to light.' Kai thought to himself, looking at the corpse.

Shuzen was afraid of him overcoming the poison.

He was afraid of Kai becoming stronger.

As Kai watched Shuzen's transformations disappear, he knew he didn't share that sentiment. Kai wanted Shuzen to become stronger. Kai almost wished that the lizard had survived, just so Shuzen could tame its soul.

This new show of strength didn't faze him at all. Instead, it invigorated him.

As if it was a promise.

Because Kai knew he was going to kill the bastard.

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