The large, slender, green dragon shrieked victoriously whilst a hurricane was being produced from her six butterfly wings, which spread open and flapped in unison. Gathering slowly, was wind that swirled like an ice cream cone, and tore up the woodland surroundings, including the trees, leaves and wildlife as they merged with the storm, being swept up and crushed from the sheer power of the wild dragon. The very beautiful presence of such a thing shook the land to it's core, and it's yellow eyes shone like a tourmaline gemstone, while a crest of Gyze conformed above it's head.

Howling through the jungle, the dragon ravaged through, aiming for someone. Standing at the bottom of the exuberantly destructive scene was a young woman whose body was dressed in a sand coloured cloak. The force of the wind had blown back the cloak and it's hood, revealing their short orange hair and body, which was dressed in black. Their face, was hidden by a mask which was coloured in green and had a red floral pattern flowing on the left side. The contrast between green and red made it pleasant to look at, but the mysterious nature of this person defined them before the beast.

"You shall succumb to me, Zoa."

Her feminine voice resounded in the dragon's wing shaped ears. Being more aggravated, the dragon let out another shriek, which only made the person come closer. They seemed to not care about the heavy storm that was building, and instead opened their hands wide, willing to accept her.

"Me and you. Together. Let's turn this dead world... into a holy garden."

(Opening here)

The storm that once raged on, was now gone. The mysterious girl had seemingly disappeared too, and so did the dragon that nearly killed her. The grand and exotic forest, had peace again; finally. Yet, there was an uneasiness in the air, that even the wild animals felt. Trees, were twisted. Some were even broken and cut down. The skies were grey and washed out, leaving a hopeless feeling that rang throughout the land.

Dark brown, rigid trees that stood tall with flourishing leaves were now reduced. A majority had been shredded and scattered due to the hurricane's rampage, and the broken logs of the trunks now laid on the floor which was scattered in leaves. The soft rustling of bushes, and the happy whistles of birds that flew by filled the air, and the animals that did live in the jungle were nowhere to be found.

The most strange occurrence was the lack of sunshine. The large, glossy sun that shot its rays was oddly gone. There was no explanation to it; other than murky clouds covering it. It seemed like it would rain down on the forest, a reaction to the sudden force of nature that spiralled in the heart.

However, the events that had happened did not let the forest's still upright wildlife die. They were still beautiful, with a melodious green colour scheme running throughout. The constant use of light and dark greens let sore eyes be relaxed, and the smell of dew was refreshing, and came off them very well. Even when ruined, there was still hidden beauty in this part of Malaysia.

The crunch of leaves wafted in the air as Maxios and Masaru trekked their way around quietly, as to not disturb anyone. Maxios was dressed in full on camouflage, hood up and all. His flamboyant, red hair was hidden, unlike Masaru, who let his crimson coloured hair stand out in the forest. His clothes were different for the occasion, wearing things that he didn't mind getting dirty, like an old hoodie and tracksuit bottoms.

"This is massive... why didn't Ryuzaki give us a Zeroth Searcher?" Maxios sighed as the two kept moving.

"Beats me. But, we'll find it. I mean, big green dragon in a forest, that's easy to spot." Masaru whistled, his boots crunching along the floor lined with dead and fallen leaves.

"Watch as you jinx us..."

"Don't think negatively about it," Masaru leaped onto a log that was cut in half. He sat down on the curve of it, putting his hands on the grooved bark. "Enjoy the journey and if we don't find Zoa, we got another six days to find it."

"I want to get this over quickly though..." Maxios grumbled as he continued to walk with a slouched back and hand in his pockets. He had been carrying a large brown backpack for the duration of the journey. "Besides, I hate flies."

"It could be worse. Imagine encountering a tiger, or a lion." Masaru looked down at Maxios, who shivered at the thought of meeting an animal like that.

"Yeah, let's finish this and get the fuck out of here."

Masaru laughed at Maxios before jumping off the log and walking beside him again.

"I'm joking. There's probably no tigers." He punched Maxios' arm playfully. "Though... there is always the chance..."

"Is it too late to turn back?"

"It's always too late when you're stuck with me."

"FUCK"

Parallel to the two, the trio of criminals wandered in the same forest. Callum was at the front, using his knife to slice through branches and carving marks in trees, showing no respect towards the wildlife. Izanoku on the other hand walked behind him, letting Callum go wild on the scenery. Zak quietly followed behind her, looking at Callum and taking an internal sigh.

"Man... this wood isn't the same as flesh..." Callum groaned as he let his weapon cut along the bumpy bark, it dragging and leaving a rough cut. "I want to stab a guy's arm and see blood come from it!"

"You'll have your chance. If we find a wild animal, I'll let you do that to it." Izanoku said as she looked around the area with her large, amethyst eyes. Sheltering the three in shade were the large trees that made navigating the jungle like a maze.

"Aww, I wanted to see them to scream in pain." Callum pouted with sloped shoulders.

"Sadist..." Zak muttered under his breath. As the three continued to stroll through, their path diverted to the left, while the duo slowly diverted to the right. Whether it'd be fate or the tricky layout of this vast jungle, the two groups were approaching each other very quickly. With sharp senses, Callum could hear the faint crunch and dialogue from Maxios and Masaru.

"Oi." Callum turned to the other two. "Other people are here..."

"Scatter and hide!" Izanoku commanded, as she crouched behind a tree. Zak dived to the floor whilst Callum snuck into the bushes, acting as the scout.

"Maxios?" Zak thought, trying to catch a peak of what was going on. "What's happening? Who's there?" He asked, while Callum's eagle eyes darted around, trying to search for the source.

"Two people are here." Callum explained quietly. "Can I hurt them?"

"Who are they?" Zak snapped.

"Dunno." Shrugging his shoulders, Callum looked at Zak who sighed.

"What do they look like?" He asked in response.

"Ones a big guy. The other is kind of scrawny in comparison. Both have red hair. One's got tanned skin, the other doesn't. Both look Asian. Seems unarmed."

"Could it be Maxios?" Izanoku raised a brow, before looking at Zak on the floor.

"Sounds like him. But whose he with?"

"Fuck it, I'm going in." Callum said as he rustled his way out of the bushes.

"No you idiot! Stay put!" Zak exclaimed.

"I don't need to listen to ya." Callum hissed in response.

Charging forward into the twisted and narrow path, and slashing through whatever was blocking his way, Callum was going straight after the other two. Zak sprung from the floor and chased after him, while Izanoku quickly followed suit. Twirling the blade in his hand, Callum seemingly appeared out of thin air from the left of Masaru and Maxios. Armed and ready to kill, his lips curled into a tight smile with his fangs showing.

"Masaru!" Maxios exclaimed as he bear tackled Masaru to the ground. Callum landed on Maxios' ribs, leaving a dent on him. Skidding to the right side, Callum charged again with the blade in his hand.

"It's been too long..." Callum muttered as he swung down, slashing Maxios' arm while he covered Masaru on the floor. "Since I've seen another humans blood...!" He giggled with happiness. Maxios groaned as the knife cut through his clothes and grazed his flesh. Getting off Masaru swiftly, the two diverged into the left and right respectively while Callum kept going after the two.

"What's this guy doing out here?!" Masaru thought as he sidestepped out of danger. Reaching in the back of his pocket, he grit his teeth. "I really didn't want to use this... but..." Taking out of his pocket was a jet black pistol. The barrel was loaded up with six bullets.

"What?! A firearm?!" Maxios exclaimed as Callum turned his attention to the armed Masaru. "I thought that was really hard to get in Malaysia!"

"Heh, my connections helped speed up the process." Masaru smirked with sweat rolling down his forehead. "I've never actually used one against a moving target, let alone a human..."

"Nice gun ya got there." Callum kicked off back to Masaru, jumping into danger with a childish laugh.

"I have no choice...!" Masaru screamed, before pulling the trigger at Callum. The harsh gunfire echoed, and the shell of the bullet flew out to the floor. The piercing sound of flesh was absent, and instead there was a harsh thud to the ground. Callum dived to the bed of leaves, missing the bullet, before backflipping into position and slashing with his knife on Masaru's open cheek. With shaky hands, Masaru shot another bullet at Callum's chest, which he quickly dodged using instinct and reflexes.

Maxios watched helplessly, before tightening his fists. Reaching to a loose branch off the floor, Maxios grabbed it and ran straight in to the current confrontation. "Hey, pick on someone your own skill level!"

"Huh?" Callum turned to look at Maxios who whacked him over the head with the branch. The impact left an open wound on Callum's left temple, but broke the branch in half.

"I don't feel like killing him..." Masaru aimed his firearm at the Callum who was on the floor. "So, I'll compromise."

"Wait!" A voice exclaimed, out of breath. Emerging from the trees was Zak, whose face was drenched in sweat. "Don't shoot..."

"Zak?!" Maxios exclaimed. "I thought... you were... family... visit?" He looked around, before his brain started to short-circuit.

"...I hoped this wouldn't happen. We both know why we're here." Zak spat. Izanoku caught up to him, and looked at Callum on the floor, and Masaru who was armed.

"I guess you guys are also after Zoa..." Maxios spoke in a regretful manner. Pulling out her own gun, Izanoku pointed it at Maxios' head.

"Shoot him and I shoot your friend." She spoke sternly.

"Never mind steel beams... I'm about to die to a steel shell..." Maxios cried in his mind. "Masaru, put away the gun..."

"I suppose that's for the best." Masaru lowered his weapon, and backed away from Callum. Izanoku put down her weapon too. Sitting up, Callum looked at the four with a dazed expression.

"What now...?" He asked, before standing upright. "I can kill them, right?"

"If you wanna brawl, let's go down! I'm not afraid of getting my fists dirty!" Maxios exclaimed.

"I like this guy." Callum grinned as he sprung back up and went after Maxios again.

"Maxios, what the hell are you thinking?!"

"Sorry Masaru, but I need you to do me a favour." Maxios smiled with an idiotic grin.

"What is it now?" Masaru raised a brow, as Callum leapt and went to slash Maxios, who armed himself with another large branch.

"Don't stop me."

Coming into contact with the branch, Callum cut through it cleanly before Maxios took a step back and Callum landed on the floor. Just as he was about to attack again, Izanoku started to speak.

"You guys know there's a less violent solution, right?" Taking out her FICA from her dress' pocket, she looked at the two boys in the brawl. "We can cardfight." Callum glared at her with anger.

"What?! That's bullshit!"

"Wait... Card...fight?" Masaru repeated with a loud laugh. "Alright. I'm down." He took out his own FICA.

"It's better than getting shot at..." Maxios said, undoing his tied up hair. "Or getting sliced into small pieces."

"I wanted to kill some bastards, not play card games!" Callum exclaimed.

"Did you already forget the main reason why we came to Malaysia?" Izanoku hissed at Callum.

"Yeah but—"

"That's our main objective. Just be patient, there's a time, place and mood for that kind of stuff." Izanoku explained. "Read the air and look around Callum."

"Damn..." Callum snarled. "Alright. I'll do this shit later... But you owe me food. Lots of it."

"Sure." She nodded. "Anyways... I'll fight you." Izanoku walked up and stared at Masaru in the eye with a smile. "You have a ferociousness to you that I like."

"And the enigmatic aura you have is quite peculiar." Masaru replied with a smirk of confidence. "Let's fight, lady."

"Eh? I guess I'm stuck with you then..." Zak scratched the back of his head and looked at Maxios. "Since Callum isn't really into cards, I guess."

"Nah, I'll fight 'im." Callum took out his FICA with a sigh. "I'm only doing this for the plan. Don't you dare fucking screw up."

"...thanks, Callum." Zak nodded with a grateful smile. "I won't let you down!" He gave a peace sign and ran off.

"Now where were we..." Callum turned to Maxios, who took out his FICA.

"This is revenge for messing up my clothes... they weren't cheap, you know." Maxios joked as he threw his FICA to the ground. It instantaneously opened up into half of a fight table. The other three did the same. "So... they're stalling for Zak? We got to win quick, and then get Zoa before he can..."

"By the way. My name's Masaru Kurenai." Masaru explained as he shuffled his deck. "Yours?"

"Izanoku." She shuffled her deck. "The amalgamation of jigoku and izanami."

"Strange name." Masaru commented as he drew his hand.

"My parents were quite strange."

"My name's Maxios Blade. You?"

"Kakashi Sensei." Callum replied with a straight face. He drew five cards.

"HEY, ISN'T THAT FROM BORUTO'S DAD?!" Maxios exclaimed. Callum shrugged.

"You can call me Kara for short."

"HOW DOES GOING FROM KAKASHI TO KARA MAKE SENSE?!" Maxios screeched.

"Are you ready?" Izanoku asked.

"Ready." Masaru nodded.

"Then let us begin." Izanoku declared.

Zak ran down the forest, trying to use the time he gotten as much as possible. "Zoa... I must find... Zoa..."

(Ending here)

Next time on Z World:

#11: Luquier

"Stand up, vanguard!"

"Maybe she caught onto what I'm doing... oh well."

"Zodiac Time Beast? I'll be able to deal with them."

"Izanoku is stylish and cool. Masaru is plain and boring."

"Silver Thorns?"

"At least my mother gave me a normal name..."

"Stand and draw. Mistress of the midnight extravaganza, appear before them with your army of loyal servants! I ride my avatar, Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier!"

================================

A/N

Welcome back to the Author No—

Ryu: Yo, your favourite jungle boy here. So, I should've appeared in this chapter, but a certain person whose name begins with F and ends in X with O being the middle letter didn't let me, even when Ryuzaki paid him a copious amount of money! So, I decided to team up with my computer genius friend Zeon and hack the Author Note! Take that, Fox! FEEL THE WRATH OF THE JUNGLE BOY. Btw, did you know my favourite things are shipping, the number 4 and typing random shit on other people's keyboards? :3

Man, you need to chill...

Ryu: THIS SHOULD'VE BEEN MY ARC! THEY'RE IN A JUNGLE, YOU KNOW, MY EXPERTISE!

You being here wouldn't make sense.

Ryu: Your last book doesn't make sense either!

*eye twitch* O-okay, yeah, no screen time for you... you... ungrateful OC!

Ryu: I DON'T CARE! TIME TO START A REBELLION, GUYS!

*moripalm* Okay, s-someone get me a bottle of bleach, why am I doing this...

Ryu: Beats me. This is your book. I'm simply just in the Author Note.

Exactly! Why am I talking to you?! You're not even real!

Ryu: Hey! I may not be real, but I was real enough I got my own book on your profile!

And I haven't updated it since 2015-2016! (Holy fuck that's a long time ago)

Ryu: ...dang, it's been awhile...

Trip down memory lane, right?

Ryu: *sheds a single tear* The glory days.

Kyoto Days are better, right?

Ryu: Any day before my sister was killed was a glory day. Even the horrible ones.

Ahaha... ahaha... ha...

Ryu: Well, I'm gonna get my fox hunting rifle, and I'll see you beautiful ladies and gents on the next time I appear in Z World. *peace sign*

...that's all?

Fox... IM RUNNING FUCK HE HAS A RIFLE HES GONNA OPEN FIRE FUCK FUCK FUCK SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE HOLY SHIT—

FBFSYBAULZSCASAHDTNIGHGBSDYUKYHDTAOHDYFZGHIMOZTNARKDYNA FOX OUT