Chapter 194: Wang Zen vs The Masked Woman

Zen felt his anger slowly rise the more he looked upon Xue Shaonu’s battered face. He was thankful that he coud still see her chest rising and falling steadily but he needed to get her to a safe place.

“Silicy,” Zen said, walking toward the Snow Dove that landed behind him. “Get her to safety.” He laid Xue Shaonu on her back. He parted her hair. “Thanks for everything, Xue Shaonu, I don’t deserve your help, any of your help.”

He looked at Silicy.

“Silicy, I have no right to ask but could you please also find my cousin, Jao Fuu.” Zen said. “We left her around the east.”

“You are right, you have no right to ask.” Silicy said. “But I will do it.”

Silicy began flapping her wings before she took off.

“I’m surprised,” The Masked Woman said, “I half expected you to hop on that overgrown bird and fly away.”

“I told you, I’m done running.” He said.

“Good,” The Masked Woman bent her knees, “Let’s end this.”

An intense killing intent rose from the woman and once again, Zen was engulfed in it. The Maksed Woman dashed forward, giving a high pitched scream. Zen gulped in fear and took a fighting stance just before the woman reached him.

Zen blocked her strikes, moving back to avoid her. Zen felt like he was in the middle of a hurricane of ki powered strikes and attacks that he had to keep ahead of if he wanted to continue living. Her hand glowed as a blade appeared on the edge.

Zen dodged two of her swipes. He was forced to block the third one by blocking her forearm. She kicked his leg, bringng him to his knees before making him eat a knee to the face. Zen was sent flying, twisting in the air before landing on the ground. He had no time to contemplate the two hard teeth floating around in the pool of blood in his mouth before he had to roll away before the Masked Woman landed on him.

“Low attacks,” Zen reminded himself as he tried to remember his training.

She attacked again, with each attack she grunted and screamed like an animal. She tried to off balance him again but Zen was prepared and off balanced her instead before activating his Blitz Fist to hit the woman away.

He dashed forward, giving her no breathing room as they continued to fight. With each counter he made, his confidence was growing. Thugh the Assissn got in a few punches and kicks, Zen was also getting his own shots in and with each passing second, their skill in the battle seemed to be evening up.

The Masked Woman was growing increasingly frustrated.Her screams and grunts growing more guttural and animal like the longer the battle went on and when Zen was able to get through her defences.

She tried retretng, her body speeding up with a ki boost but Zen acted quickly, taking a page frm her book and tripping up her legs. She fell backward rolling. She got onto her knees but Zen was already upon her, throwing 100 punches in the span of a second.

She was knocked away and rolled back, using her technique to get away from Zen. She stood in place, her anger and killing intent as intense as ever as her chest rapidly rose and fell.

Zen smirked and removed a bit of blood from his cheek. “I don’t now why I was so scared of you,” he said. “You’re just as weak as that dead pig you called your lover.”

She screamed in anger and charged at him. The fought again, Zen could feel the increased power in her strikes. Zen was undeterred though for her form and skill was detoriating before his eyes by account of how much shots he was able to get through to her. As long as he could whether the storm of her powerful strikes and continue finding the holes in her sloppy defence, he could win.

He punched her in the ribs then elbowed her maksed face. He activated Blitz punch but she dashed back, away from it and continued on.

Zen laughed and opened his arms. “Is that it? Your dead boyfriend would be so disappointed in you.”

The Masked Woman’s clenched fists began to open, her breathing slowed down, her hunched shoulders drooped.

Zen’s smirk began to curve into a worried frown. “To be honest, your dumb boyfriend deserved to die,” he tried in vain to provoke her, “he was a… a… a pig faced dog.”

She attacked him. This time, there was no screaming or grunting and the killing intent dropped a degree.

When they met this time, Zen could feel the difference. She was back to her tightened form, tactical prowess and agility, no… it was better than last time. Zen could not get any attacks through but she did, on his ribs, nose, collar bone.

She activated the ki knife on her hand. Zen was forced to dodge two swipes, opening himself up to a kick to his abdomen. He rolled back along the ground, letting his momentum carry him away from the Masked Woman before dashing back.

“You’re good, kid.” She said. “In a few years… no, months, you could surpass me. But you don’t have a few months, don’t you?”

“Well,” Zen took out his storage stone, “since I can’t surpass you now, I guess I’ll have to do things to even the odds.” From the storage stone, he pulled out two items, his Zen Blade and his War Mannequin, Man Doll.

“You can never even the odds with me,” The Masked Woman said, revealing the completely formed a Ki Needle Sphere.

Zen and Man Doll charged forward, with Zen brandishing the sword. When they were close to the Masked Woman she thrust out her Ki Sphere, sending needles shooting out to Zen.

Man Doll runs in front of Zen, taking all of the ki needles.

“You’resacrificing the mannequin as a shield!” The Masked Woman said.

The mannequin then falls forward, allowing Zen to step on its dead body at the Masked Woman where he slashed at her. She dodged and created a ki blade from her hand. They both tried to cut each other, dodging the sharp edges of their respective weapons.

The Masked Woman’s ki technique faded and she slapped Zen’s blade away using her palm and hitting the flat side of the short sword. This left Zen disarmed and had to deal with the Masked Woman’s superior skill. Their battle was interrupted when Man Doll tried to slash at her.

The Masked Woman made a shocked noise as she though she had taken the Battle Mannequin. With the Man Doll’s assistance, Zen was able to push the Masked Woman. She got cut twice as she tried to defend herself from their onslaught which endedin both Zen and the mannequin punching her in the face at the same time, breaking a corner of the mask off and sending the woman skidding away.

She slowly got up and glared at Zen with her exposed green eye. Zen could see her pale smooth skin, suggesting that under that mask was a beautiful face but that look in her eye was a look he was well acquainted with.

Zen watched her, “Go ahead, create your needle sphere. Now that I know how to deal with it, you’re of no danger to me.”

“You’re getting too confident.” She said, straightening her hand. “If that mannequin is giving you so much confidence,” her ki blade grew to the size of a sword, “then I’ll cut it in two!”

She charged and Zen and Man Doll also did the same. Zen blocked the ki sword with his short sword while Man Doll rounded up and tried to attack her on the side. She was forced to dodge but Zen and Man Doll pressed on. Zen attacked and defended Man Doll with the blade while the mannequin spotted any holes in the Masked Woman’s form to exploit.

Her ki technique faded, allowing Zen and Man Doll to push their advantage. Mid fight, the Zen blade switched from Zen to Man Doll, confusing the Masked Woman. She cut a few more times before she and Zen traded blows, sending Zen skidding away and leaving Man Doll with the Masked Woman.

Man Doll made to stab down at her but she blocked its forearms with her own. Her multiple cuts began to bleed from the strain of keeping the edge of the Zen Blade from impaling her face.

Zen got up and ran to the two wanting to help.

She screaed in effort, then fire came out from her fingers and engulfed Man Doll!

Zen slid to a stop and in wide eyed terror, watched as Man Doll was sent flying away, fully engulfed in fire. He turned to slowly look at The Masked Woman. “You-You can use elemental powers?”

She gave a short laugh before shouting, “What, you think you were the only one who was working at getting stronger all this time?” She extended her fingers towards Zen and blasted a wave of fire at him!