Never Let You Go, Again

46: Butchering the Beast

The Lightning Bird was shocked by the glare of Wei Ying's eyes and momentarily halted. That gave the rest a moment to plan. Wei Ying, still holding Lan Zhan's hand, stepped back with him, continuing to hold the crimson flashing in his eyes, making space for the juniors' fight. 

Sizhui took over. "Xiyi, Jin Chan, you guys go up there," Sizhui pointed to the treetops. "Got your bows and arrows?"

"Yep!" The Jins and part of the Jiangs lept up to the branches above. 

"Good. Zizhen, you guys go to the left. Xiyuan, right."

"Sure!" Ouyang Zizhen ran with his lot and the remaining Jiangs to the left and Nie Xiyuan took his Nies to the right. 

"Jingyi–"

"Front, I know. Lan Hao, guys, come," Jingyi and the Lans positioned themselves at the front. 

"A-Ling?"

"We'll take the sky." 

"Mn." 

Lan Yuan and Jin Ling jumped onto their swords and shot up to the canopy, stilling at the level of the gigantic Shandian Niao's head. 

Several feet away, two seniors held hands as they watched.

"A-Ying."

"Mn," Wei Ying nodded and blinked. The instant the red glare vanished, the Shandian Niao raised its head to the sky and roared. A white flash of electricity burnt down the canopy above them, allowing more moonlight to illuminate their battle. 

"A-Ling, Zidian's ready?"

"Sizhui, I'm not so sure. I hardly use Zidian."

Sizhui turned to him, laid a hand on his shoulder. "Trust in yourself."

"Mn," Jin Ling beamed and flashed his ring, making Sizhui jump away. The flash of purple acted both as a lure to the Shandian Niao and a signal to the ones below and around. Beast and the juniors attacked. 

Swords clashed, arrows whizzed past. "Sizhui, you better be quick." 

"Mn." 

Jin Ling nodded and flew in to meet the beast. Two pairs of eyes glared at each other, white and purple lightning flashing at their sides. When the others' attacks began to hit the beast, it screamed and roared, flying all around the place, as far as it could reach. The energy in them were too tempting for the monster to flee so it decided to attack. 

Jin Ling crashed Zidian on it every now and then, its lilac light blocking the Shandian Niao's vision. He wasn't really attempting to kill it; he knew he had never mastered it, for Zidian was Meilien's not his. Suihua was his. But he had to help Sizhui. So he crashed Jiang Cheng's weapon as fiercely as he could.

Sizhui, his fingers gracefully slithering back and forth over his zither's strings, watched the fight. What was Jin Ling doing? He's not even accurate... Oh, he's giving me time. I'll speed up. Sizhui's fingers and focus picked up pace and the energy was ready in a flash. "A-Ling, block it!" 

Jin Ling nodded and rammed Zidian down on the bird's eyes. 

While the fiend's cries shook the forest and the juniors, Sizhui spun around the beast in a flash. Barely three seconds and he was back by Jin Ling's side. 

"Done." Sizhui put away the zither and dusted his hands. 

Jin Ling smiled. A faint blue-white string was coiled around the beast, restraining it. Its wings having been rendered useless, it fell down on the ground. As it tried to move, the GusuLan Killer String cut into its flesh, spraying blood around. The roars pitched higher.