Hippo's defense was very good. However, that was the problem with people and the confidence they had in their strengths.
They got too comfortable with it, forgetting that even strengths, if targeted appropriately, could become a man's weakness.
Hippo head was no exception to this.
As Lenny moved, he could not help but remember a question asked many years ago in his previous life.
It was from his master, Lucian.
....
Many years ago, while leaning against a rock as he enjoyed the cool morning wind, he popped up with a question that really surprised Lenny.
"Lenny, which do you think is most likely to die, a master or a student?"
This question had come from nowhere, and at the time, Lenny was too busy trying to fill a drum with another drum of water, using a spoon while upside down.
He had been in this stressful position throughout the night, with his lower body only getting blood whenever he managed to turn and pour the drops of water from the spoon into the empty drum on the bamboo slab that his knees hung from.
This was Master Lucian's attempt at teaching him patience while still building up his endurance.
It was morning, and the air was as fresh as ever. The birds were singing their early morning songs in the sky and sun, slowly rising in the east to indicate the start of a fresh new day.
There was nothing about the morning that was not good.
At least, that was for most people.
For Lenny, it was entirely different.
He hated the morning as much as the night before.
After all, it was an indication that more suffering was about to start.
Master Lucian had promised him that if he was able to fill up the drum by the morning of the next day, then there would be no harsh training for two weeks.
Lenny had been ecstatic about this, but then the repercussion of failing would be doing two more drums.
Evidently, he had lost.
It was at such a terrible time that the old master asked such a question.
Naturally, Lenny was in no mood to think about such a thing.
Without thinking, he answered, "The master!"
Surprisingly, it made Master Lucian burst into a loud laughter.
Lenny had been surprised to know that he had gotten the old man's question right on the first try.
However, Master Lucian asked again, "Do you know why? "Why is a master most likely to die before a student?"
Lenny, at the time, shook his head.
Then again, the old master was more than willing to answer it on his behalf.
"A man who has been working on high construction beams for many years is more likely to fall to his death than a novice of a few years. Do you know why?"
Lenny paused, and then he turned to the old man.
He could see from the expression on the old man's face that he was serious about this question.
This made Lenny think hard for a bit, but he could not figure it out.
"Trust!" Master Lucian helped him answer.
"Trust in one's abilities and capabilities can be a man's strength and yet weakness. Remember, my dear boy! Complacency is the problem all masters suffer from."
Many years later, Lenny had read several times in the news of many construction workers dying, and 80 to 90 percent of the time, the death was of an older person who had worked the job for even longer.
Complacency and unbending trust could sometimes lead to a person's unbecoming...
Right now, Hippo Head was no different.
Lenny moved with speed and grace that were incredible.
His burst of strength from Rabid Dog is still taking incredible effect on his body.
He was like an entity of mangling form, as his body seemed to move like he had no bones in it, twisting at an incredibly abnormal motion.
It started from his toes as he kicked against the ground, transferring the energy all through his body.
It was with so much force that he did this that even his ribs cracked a little as they expanded to gather more air into his lungs for the nearly impossible move he was about to execute.
With the force from pushing Rhino head and the extra that he pulled from the earth, he twisted in the air as he brought both hands together in a palm strike for Hippo head's chest.
Hippo saw the attack and smirked a bit.
After all, his body was very tough, and he could even reflect the attack, making it twice as deadly as received.
Unfortunately for Hippo head, he was unaware that once upon a time, Lenny had fought someone who had a similar ability as him.
That was some months ago, when he had fought the first boss in the Devil Dungeon.
The first hit from Hippo had been harsh and had caused damage to Lenny, but it had also helped Lenny instantly understand the body composition of this man.
Unlike the first time, it came easily to Lenny. Although Hippo Head was a far tougher opponent with a more fast-focused body, very different from the last, it was not going to stop Lenny.
After all, Lenny's aim was not to break him open; instead, it was to...
*BOOM!*
Lenny's hands hit him right on the chest.
Naturally, Hippo head regulated the energy in his body as his fatty flesh wriggled like the surface of unpeaceful waters.
His body was going to regurgitate the energy Lenny had just sent into it.
However, as it did, so did Lenny.
What Hippo head did not know was that Lenny was sending two sperate kinetic energies into his body.
The first was from the burst of strength mixed with the kinetic energy from the bouncing of Rhino's body, and the second was from the one pulled by his weird dance from the earth.
Essentially, it was a Capoeira move. A martial art skill that involved dancing and fighting.
Instantly...
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m