Phoenix Ascending

Jun Huang took a deep breath and did her best to push her fear aside. She wanted to tell Nan Xun to not worry, but she was trembling too much to speak properly. The pain in her arm was so strong it threatened to make her faint, but she knew that she must stay strong.

“You don’t have to push yourself,” Nan Xun said worriedly. “You should hide in the cage while I deal with these animals.”

Jun Huang threw him a cold glance and said, “Have you forgotten what the gentleman said? The heads of heavenly spirits and earthly fiends must trust each other completely. If I abandon you now, how can I shoulder the responsibility?”

Nan Xun paused. “Do you mean...” he said with a frown. “Do you mean that the only reason you refuse to back down is to gain his approval?”

“Of course,” Jun Huang said as she picked up her sword. She knew what Nan Xun was trying to get at. Her tone was so decisive it allowed no room for questions.

Nan Xun’s expression darkened. He knew this was not the time for such discussion. He nodded and said, “If so, protect yourself well. If you die now, you’re not going to be the leader of this damn organization.”

He lunged at two of the tigers closest to him and fought with abandon. It made Jun Huang fear for his life.

She swallowed down her unspoken words and let out a sigh. There was a long gash from her shoulder to her arm. A light touch was enough to make her gasp in pain and cause cold sweat to break out from her face.

One of the tigers roared and came at Jun Huang. The tiger Nan Xun had kicked away was trying to get up as well. Jun Huang readied herself. She knew she had to make it quick. If they dragged this fight on for too long, they would both run out of stamina. Then they would be doomed.

She slashed at the tiger when it lunged at her, cutting off one of its forelegs. The tiger, however, had landed right before her. It bit at Jun Huang’s foot without a pause. Jun Huang backed away hurriedly before going at the tiger again. This time, she aimed for its head.

The blade buried into the tiger’s eye, sending it into a frenzy. It shook its head frantically, causing Jun Huang to drop her sword. The tiger ran around blindly with the sword in its head. The blood coming out from its eye trickle right into its mouth, dyeing its teeth a crimson red. It stumbled and limped with its three legs, splattering blood everywhere and filling the room with an unpleasant smell.

Its lost limb was picked up by the other tiger. Soon, it was chewed to the point that only the bones were left. It was a horrifying sight.

The injured tiger ran rampant in the room, forcing Nan Xun and Jun Huang to make way for it. They were back to standing back to back. Nan Xun tilted his head and glanced at Jun Huang with a small smile of approval. The next second, one of the uninjured tigers lunged at them. Nan Xun pushed Jun Huang away and went against the tiger.

The injured tiger collapsed once it had exhausted itself. It was close to bleeding out. Another tiger crawled toward Jun Huang. It didn’t immediately approached her. Instead, it circled her slowly, its eyes glowing green. Jun Huang kept a wary eye on it, prepared for it to pounce.

Her caution was not unwarranted. Suddenly the tiger leaped toward her. If she hadn’t reacted quickly, she would have been tackled to the floor.

Nan Xun jumped onto one of the tigers’ back and held onto its ears, refusing to let go no matter how hard the tiger bucked. With his teeth clenched and his face pale, he dug his fingers into the tiger’s flesh. The cut on his palm broke again. His blood dropped onto the tiger’s fur. The smell caused the tiger’s eyes to turn red in its thirst for blood.

It flung itself toward the wall. Nan Xun cursed in his mind. He had no choice but to let go. He was thrown off its back and landed on the floor.

His vision went black. Before he could get up, a sharp pain shot through his elbow. When his vision cleared, the tiger was coming for his neck. His hands shot out to grab the tiger’s teeth, stopping the tiger from getting to him.

The tiger’s teeth were unusually sharp. Catching them with bare hands was the last resort. The teeth sunk deep into Nan Xun’s palms. Blood gushed out of the long cuts. He was losing his strength and could barely hold on, but he had to. No matter how quick his breathing was and how pale his face had become, he continued to fight for his survival.

Saliva dripped from the tiger’s mouth to Nan Xun’s face. The slimy liquid smelled so foul he almost threw up. His determination was the only thing keeping him going.

When Jun Huang turned around, Nan Xun was pinned to the ground by a tiger. In panic, she ran up to the tiger and tried to kick it away the way Nan Xun had done, but she couldn’t. Her kick landed on the tiger’s hip. All it did was causing the tiger to shift its attention to her.

Once the tiger had changed its target, Nan Xun got to his feet, coughing. His clothes had been torn in his struggle, but he paid it no mind. He took a deep breath and ran up to Jun Huang. Before the tiger could bite into her, he grabbed the tiger’s neck and dropped down to the ground, keeping his grip tight. The tiger tried its best to struggle. Nan Xun ground his teeth together and held on. He would not let the tiger go even if he died.

Jun Huang had to make sure that the other two tigers didn’t attack Nan Xun. She rolled to the side of the dead tiger and pulled her sword out of its eye. She stabbed at its stomach twice in fury before facing the two tigers circling her.

She was scared. She had to keep her breathing deliberately slow to hide her fear. She took the initiative and lunged at one of the tigers. The tiger fought back with its paw, which she managed to block with her blade. Blood splattered on the floor beneath them. It backed away with a whimper.

Jun Huang stabbed at the other tiger without hesitation. This one was obviously more intelligent than the other. It clawed at Jun Huang’s arm, causing her to drop her sword in pain. It then came at Jun Huang with deliberate attacks, toying with her.

The tiger Nan Xun was fighting was getting weaker and weaker. Nan Xun kept an arm around the tiger’s neck while he felt around the floor with the other. He found a piece of stone near the corner of the room. Taking a deep breath, Nan Xun grabbed the stone and hit the tiger in the head. Blood splattered on Nan Xun’s handsome face. He looked like a demigod from hell with warm blood dripping down his chin.

He had not held back with his attack. The tiger’s skull was bashed in. Slowly, the tiger stopped struggling. It collapsed with its tongue out as it took its last breath. Only then did Nan Xun let go of the tiger. He pushed it off his body and got to his feet. His fingers were trembling.

He had hurt his fingers when he was hitting the tiger with the stone. Blood trickled out from his scraped fingertips. The needling pain made him grimace.

He didn’t allow himself to rest. He searched around the room and quickly found another stone. Without hesitation, he ran toward Jun Huang and threw the stone at the head of the tiger that had been chasing her.

The attack was quick and precise. The tiger’s eyes rolled back into its skull like it was going to faint. Nan Xun told Jun Huang to be careful before advancing on the tiger and hitting its head with bare hands.

He knocked the tiger to the floor with an upper hook. Before it could react, he mounted the tiger’s back and punched it hard in the head. His fist clashed with the tiger’s skull and crack! Bones were broken. It could be the tiger’s or his or both.

Blood came out of the tiger’s mouth. It spat out a tooth as wide as Nan Xun’s thumb, which looked sturdy and sharp. The tiger would be able to kill someone instantly by biting into his throat.

It took twenty some more punches for the tiger to die. Nan Xun could barely lift his arms. He couldn’t even tighten his fists. His hands trembled uselessly.

He jumped off the tiger’s back and kicked at it in retaliation. Then he turned to Jun Huang. She had picked up her sword and was attacking the last tiger. All over its body were bleeding wounds that had been cut open. Jun Huang, though, was not in a better state. Both her arm and her back were injured. The bleeding wounds made Nan Xun’s heart clench.

“Watch out!” Nan Xun shouted as the tiger suddenly lunged at Jun Huang with open mouth. He tried to get to her as quickly as possible.

Jun Huang hurriedly raise her sword to block the tiger’s bite, but the blade got stuck in its mouth. She could only hold onto the blade with bare hands to stop the tiger’s bite. Still, the tiger was powerful. Even though its mouth was bleeding from the cut, it still bit at Jun Huang relentlessly, trying to eat her alive.