Battle With The Thunder Bear

The Thunder Bear I saw in person was a yōma that seemed to radiate killing intent from its entire body. I tossed down my backpack and, holding the Demon Spider Greatsword ready, edged closer little by little. The Thunder Bear recognized me as an enemy and threatened me.

A tremendous roar rang out from its mouth. That voice carried a resonance that made me tremble from the bottom of my heart, and I instinctively swallowed. This thing was a truly dangerous yōma.

I began refining my qi with all my strength. As the pressurized Floating Yang Qi began flowing through my yang meridians, the state of Moment of Foam was born. The Thunder Bear’s movements slowed, and each individual strand of its fur began to stand out clearly.

The Thunder Bear charged at me with full force. I had to determine what kind of attack it would launch and avoid it. The Thunder Bear spewed demonic qi from the claws of its right paw, and when it took the shape of claws, sparks flew from it. Lightning Claw. I leaped backward.

Using Moment of Foam, I observed carefully and even calculated the distance needed to evade. Lightning Claw passed in front of my chest. At the moment it came closest to my chest, there was a crack, and pain shot through me as though something had pierced my heart. Had I not evaded far enough?

It seemed the spark discharge had reached me. But it was not a fatal wound. When I realized it, I was rolling on the ground, so I sprang back up and put distance between myself and the Thunder Bear.

“Haa… haa…”

I breathed deeply to dispel the pain in my chest. The Thunder Bear seemed unwilling to give me time to rest. Growling, it came running at me, so I made a big leap to the right to avoid it. This time it was Lightning Charge. The pale fur that formed lightning-like patterns was charged with electricity and shone gold. If that body touched me, I would lose.

I dodged the first Lightning Charge, but it came at me again immediately. So I leaped diagonally forward in a low stance to avoid the attack, then slammed Fox-Flame using Floating Yang Qi into the Thunder Bear’s hind leg. The blade of the Demon Spider Greatsword tore through the thick muscles of its leg. Roaring as blood spurted from the leg, the Thunder Bear collapsed to the ground.

Thinking it was my chance, I was about to leap in, but the Thunder Bear swung Lightning Claw about wildly, preventing me from getting close.

“That was close.”

Elder Shanshi, who had been watching the fight so far, noticed that I had failed to capitalize on the chance. Hearing that, Elder Tsuen knit his brows.

“Hmph, it is nothing but dangerous situations.”

When I began circling around the Thunder Bear, it attacked with Lightning Claw. Since its leg was injured, that attack had lost its sharpness, making it easier to avoid.

“Thunder Bear, you’re even more than I imagined.”

This was the subject of the inner disciple test? It was far too difficult. Had anyone really ever passed? Questions like that rose in my mind.

“It was you, Elder Tsuen, who changed the subject of the inner disciple test from the Sword-Leg Spider to the Thunder Bear. What was your reason for that?”

Elder Shanshi turned to Elder Tsuen and asked.

“If it is not made this strict, then you cannot properly select those with talent.”

Elder Shanshi shot Elder Tsuen a sharp look.

“If your reason is that Bowen, who rose from outer disciple to inner disciple, outmaneuvered all of us and became a direct disciple of Sect Leader Wei, and you did not like that, then you should change it back.”

I could hear that conversation between the elders. I could hear it only because I was in the state of Moment of Foam. Under normal conditions, their voices were low enough that I would not have been able to hear them.

The Thunder Bear roared in rage, and qi surged through its whole body. Then the single horn on its forehead scattered crackling sparks, and when it reached its limit, it released a great bolt of lightning.

However, since there were many trees around us, the lightning was drawn to them instead. It seemed it could not control lightning unless demonic qi was involved.

Even so, the thunderous crash of the lightning strike startled me enough to make my heart pound hard. Perhaps thinking that was an opening, the Thunder Bear charged at me and swung Lightning Claw wildly. I dodged it and slashed the Thunder Bear’s leg with Fox-Flame. When I tore through the leg opposite the one already injured, the Thunder Bear fell to the ground and rolled about.

“Now!”

Elder Shanshi shouted loudly. Using leg strength enhanced by qi, I rushed in as if flying and brought down the Demon Spider Greatsword, into which I had poured pressurized Heavy Yin Qi, onto the Thunder Bear’s neck.

White flames burst from the Demon Spider Greatsword. Then, from behind me, I heard a cry of shock.

“W-what is that!?”

At the same time as that shout, the Thunder Bear tried to defend with Lightning Claw. The white flames struck that Lightning Claw directly and sliced through it, and the next instant there was a grinding sound as the blade of the Demon Spider Greatsword severed the Thunder Bear’s neck.

“Whew, I’m glad I used White Flame. If it had been Fox-Flame, Lightning Claw might have blocked it. …Ah.”

When I looked at the tip of the Demon Spider Greatsword, there was a crack in it. Even though it had only been about a year since it was made. The joy of thinking, “Now I’m an inner disciple,” and the shock that the Demon Spider Greatsword had broken drained all the qi from my body.

At that moment, a hand grabbed my shoulder hard. When I turned around, Elder Shanshi, eyes wide open, was glaring at me.

“What was that just now?”

At that moment my head was not working, so I did not understand what he meant.

“When you say just now?”

“Do not hide it. I mean the white flames.”

“Oh, that. It is something where I added my own ideas to Fox-Flame. I named it White Flame.”

“How did you do it?”

Elder Shanshi asked while shaking my shoulder. Elder Tsuen stopped him.

“Hurry up and finish stripping it. There is no need to linger in a place like this.”

At those words, I stripped the Thunder Bear of its horn, claws, and fur.

“Good. We’re leaving.”

Elder Tsuen took the lead and started back. Then Elder Shanshi came up beside me.

“White Flame and Fox-Flame were completely different.”

“They look different, but it is a kind of Fox-Flame. If you make me your direct disciple, I’ll explain it in detail.”

Elder Shanshi frowned.

“My direct disciple slots are full. I will permit you to join the morning training, so how about that?”

I had not known this, but it seemed the elders had limits on the number of direct disciples they could take and could not increase them without limit. It was probably to prevent disciples from gathering under a single elder.

“Understood. White Flame is Fox-Flame that uses Heavy Yin Qi.”

“A-amazing. Are you a genius? You pass without question. Isn’t that right?”

Asked that, Elder Tsuen nodded with a face like he had bitten into something bitter. He hated outer disciples this much, so why was he the one managing them? This elder ought to be removed from overseeing the outer disciples.