crouching low and dash faster than before, the lion reach Rick position in almost an instant and try smack Rick down in one heavy blow. Rick manage to step back just a little before his body flattened. the pieces of broken ground scratch his body but he refuse to flinch and instead just get one step back then deliver a full powered right hand punch to the lion face.
Smack!
Rick punch hit right on the lion face and manage to make it pull its face back in pain. making use of the opening the lion make, Rick rush his step and deliver heavy punch to every blade and dagger he put on the lion body previously. deepening the already heavy wound the lion had.
losing itself in pain and anger, the lion goes berserk and just swipe its claw randomly everywhere around it. hoping to somehow hit Rick and kill it in instant.
but Rick is nowhere near the ground. instead he climb up on the lion's back and hang on its hair for dear life. despite his effort of wounding the lion, he knows that he lack a finishing blow to kill it.
after flung around for a while, Rick got an idea. still hanging on the lion hair, he swipe away some of it and manage to find the joint between the lion backbone to its skull. on human, this part of the body can be damaged mildly to knock out someone or can be dislocated heavily to kill someone. Rick don't know what will happen if he do it on a lion, but this is the only chance for him to finish the lion else he will be Finished himself.
after he find the point where he will attack, Rick steady his stance and put his feet on the lion's back.
the lion feel it, and it begin to thrashing wildly. in hope of throw Rick away from its back.
but Rick stance is strong and he manage to remain on the lion's back despite it thrashing wildly. holding the hair with his left hand, Rick pull his right hand and deliver the stronger punch he can to a single neck bone.
Bugh!
the lion can feel it. the spike on Rick fist pierce the flesh behind its neck and its power push its bone. but Rick punch is just not strong enough. and Rick know it.
the lion thrashing going even wilder, to the point it will roll and spin on the ground and in the air, just to throw Rick away.
but Rick remain stuck, and whenever the chance give in, Rick will deliver his strongest punch the lion's neck bone.
but the lion remain strong and it's thrashing get more intense. it is getting harder for Rick to remain on his position and deliver his attack.
out of frustration and anger, Rick deliver his punch as strong as he could. but this time, he put his emotion in it.
"JUST DIE ALREADY! "
a wisp of energy flow from Rick core without he realize. it goes to his punch and amplify it as an explosive burst of force. and this, finally, manage to not only dislocate the neck bone but shatter it to pieces. but in the same time, Rick right hand also get broken. unable to withstand the power it unleash.
CRACK!
the lion suddenly lost the sensation of feeling its body. that pain he felt in his neck is so unbearable that its head suddenly goes blank and then it feel its had fall on the ground, unable to move. confused and scared, the lion and only whimper as its Consciousness slowly slipping away.
Rick, on the other hand, cannot let himself drifted away by tiredness and pain. he approach the lion's body and, as guided by his Chimera Body Arts, guide his energy inside to reach the lion's body and take it for himself.
from distance away
Gunda watch the fight with full focus. for him the fight is just more like a child's wrestle, but it is done so intense that Gunda can't help but to focus on it.
'now let's see what the kid's body arts can do. ' he said in his mind.
***
Rick is sitting on the ground, fully focused in his energy to integrate and taking the lion's body for himself.
then without he realize, Rick body slowly turn into particles and seep inside the lion's body. slowly all the weapon stabbed on the lion's body fall down one by one. the wound started to heal by itself and the lion's body slowly stand up on its feet.
by the time Rick body totally absorbed by the lion's body, it lifted its head and roar proudly to the sky.
inside its head, a voice can be heard loud and clear.
- the practitioner have successfully posses a beast body.
now he must remain human and prove to heaven he is worthy of the new body.
integration begin -
and then the lion started to run and begin its first hunt as both a beast and a human inside.