15 Stop

What is this? Have I always been this big?

Even though my hatred and anger toward this man, I can not contain myself from being shocked at the mere size of the 'me' in front of me.

Now that I can see myself from further away, aren't I gigantic? My height isn't very high, just as much as every other bamboo in this place, but my width… that's something unimaginable.

As wide as a river rock, I should be at least 2 feet wide. How come I never noticed that myself?

"Hehehe!" the blue-clothed man's face twists into a smile and starts giggling to himself as he sees me. "I finally found it!" he cries out after he sees me.

"And it is so much bigger than I could have ever expected. Wow, what should I make? I have those sword techniques, so maybe I should make some swords out of this bamboo. What about a spear? Ahh~ the possibilities are endless," he cries out.

He's just stoking the fires of my rage. Does he think he can get me? Keep dreaming, you will die very soon.

Then, the man tosses me aside to the ground. I watch with confusion from my main body as my flute body is tossed to the side.

What's going on? Now that he has found my main body, does he not care about the smaller body at all? Damn it, this only makes me madder. I didn't lose my second body only for you to toss me around like that.

As I think of that, the man brings out his spear from earlier. What is he planning to do? I can't help but worry beneath my anger.

Is he going to cut me? Is that what he is planning?

Dammit! I don't care if I get cut. My body will regrow back. All I want right now is to kill him.

Why is the panda not doing anything? I can see that it has already stopped eating at this man's arrival and likely already knows what is going on, but then why is it not doing anything?

The only reason I was even okay with letting this man come here was that I thought the panda was going to fight it. Is he that scared of fighting this man? Is this man stronger than this panda?

Dammit! I might have relied too much on this panda. Of course, he's just a fatty that sits over me and eats me all day. How can such a beast fight someone that flies through the air at a speed that even planes wouldn't be able to handle?

Sigh, I really shouldn't have relied on the panda.

I couldn't help but feel a little sad. This is it for me then. He's going to cut me once again, aren't I?

Well, I guess I will have to wait for years on end to grow back to how big I am right now.

Maybe this will even get rid of the panda as well.

I see the man pulling back his spear as far behind as he could to prepare for a technique. Blue light flashes around the man as his spear starts glowing with more blue to it.

That's quite magical, isn't it? I wish I was born as a human too so I could experience that. Well, knowing me I would've likely died to some bird by now.

I prepare myself. I know this won't hurt, but losing my body will still hurt my confidence.

I watch the spear as the man charges toward me with the spear making a large arch as he tries to cleave me in half.

'Make it clean,' I pray to whoever is listening.

!BANG!

A loud explosion-like sound as well as the power from the spear that strikes me drowns every other feeling in me.

The sheer overwhelming power of that man is…

Huh? What's going on?

As my feelings return to me, I realize that I feel… fine? Looking from the perspective of the flute on the ground far away, I can see the man standing next to me with the spear striking my body.

And yet, he didn't manage to penetrate my skin? Why is that? I don't understand. Is he that weak? Even that old man from the village easily cut my other body.

Although that was a young me to be fair, so maybe I was weak with that one.

The man pulls back his spear and continuously attacks me again and again. However, his spear barely even scratches my skin.

Just how strong am I? I can't help but wonder.

"What the hell is this?" the man is freaking out as he tries to cut me, but he can't.

I'm too strong for him.

Haha… hahaha… I'm too strong for him.

"Why the fuck is this bamboo so hard to cut? I thought it would be an easy task," the man cries out.

You bastard. You know that you can't cut me and yet you still try?

"Panda, can you hear me or not? Just kill this bastard already if you can," I shout at the panda, hoping that my voice would reach it somehow this time.

But I guess I really am delusional. It's not like the panda can defeat him, can he? In the end, this man is still very strong.

"I will need some help," the man says to my surprise. Help? What? No, you can't get help. Bastard, I'm not letting you get any help.

"Yes, I must get some help. I should go let the sect master know about this," the man said and turned to leave.

What? He's leaving just like that? After all this? After killing that young man to get here? After hurting that poor old man?

I won't let you.

Stop, you bastard. Stop.

STOP!

~CRACK~

Suddenly, light flashes in front of me as something hits the man in the back.

In the next instance, the man explodes into a million pieces, that drift onto the wind like ashes.