Chapter 96: Zen vs The Snow Ram

“You… You can talk?” Zen said.

The Snow Ram released a pulse of power that sent Zen flying away with ice crusting over parts of his person. The Snow Ram turned and ran for Jao Fuu who had Jao Cong in her arms. The Snow Ram was creating an ice ramp beneath its feet, making it move at frightening speed.

Fuu jumped to the side, barely dodging it. The Snow Ram stopped immediately and spikes sprouted from the ice ramp before shooting out at every direction. Fuu used the spikes as stepping stones to avoid being stabbed but it did not completely work as one ice pike stabbed her at the back of her shoulder with such force that it sent her forward where she landed on her knees.

She ignored the pain as she looked down at her brother, not knowing if she was gong to survive this let alone him. The Snow Ram turned heading for Fuu who was getting to her feet and facing the Ram bearing down at her. That was until it was kicked from her path by Zen, who poured so much ki in his leg that the murky white ki leaked out.

Fuu had to jump up as the ice ramp still extended a little even when the Snow Ram was kicked off of it. She landed on the ice ramp and immediately regretted it as the ice of the ramp crept up her legs, trapping her in place.

Zen luckily landed past the ice ramp, while he fished out his storage stone. “Fuu, get out of here, I’ll hold it off!”

Fuu sent pulses of ki to her leg, slowly making the ice on her ankles sheath off. While she did that, Zen circled around the Snow Ram, his short bladed sword fully materialising in his hand. He swung for the Ram’s backside but his blade was stopped when the Ram turned around and locked with its horns. Ice spread over the sword and up his arm. He immediately sent ki down his arm to free it, the process was not as good as Fuu’s as his ki control was not as good as more of his ki leaked out as he did. Success, he was able to free his arm but had to leave his sword behind. The Snow Ram kicked out with its front leg and Zen leapt back to dodge the fast move. He crossed his arms in front of the blow and was sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth as he flew back.

The Snow Ram looked around. “Where are the other ones? Where are the other ones?” The Ram became angrier before turning its killing intent back at Zen, who was trying to get to his feet. “I will kill you human!” Its horns elongated as they were engulfed by cold blue energy as they elongated. It leapt up and reared its head back before thrusting it forward, horns first.

Zen got to his feet and jumped back to get away from the attack. The horns slammed the empty ground but Zen was far from safe as a pulse of energy spread out, sending Zen flying away as ice crusted more of his body. He crashed into a tree, making the tree explode into splinters before he lied on the uneven stump that was left behind of the poor tree.

The Snow Ram stalked forward at the unconscious Zen. Shibi climbed to the boy’s chest and bared his teeth at the unafraid Snow Ram, which gathered energy to finish the job.

There was a cry.

The Snow Ram’s energy receded, as it looked to the source. It knew the cry of its child and so, with the weak human forgotten, it bounded off into the snowy forest after its child.