War and Peace
Chapter Thirteen- To Battle A Fallen Prime
The Imperial City
Tigress and Po ran as fast as their legs could propel them, managing to keep their distance from Atum, who continued to pursue them while roaring in primal rage and bloodlust. They knew that if Atum would catch them, they would be killed, but lucky for them, Tigress had a plan. They were now approaching a massive temple, held up by gigantic pillars made of ironwood, its very appearance capable of instilling awe in any who laid eyes on the massive structure. It was here, at this very location, that Tigress planned to execute her plan in their battle against the Fallen One. She only hoped that, for both Po and her own sake, that it would work against the insane Prime.
"I'll kill you!", Atum roared, continuing to race after his enemies.
"So... Tigress, what's the plan?", Po asked, hoping that she actually had a plan.
"Lead him into the temple.", Tigress answered calmly.
"That's it? That's your plan?", Po asked in disbelief.
"Trust me, Po. I know what I'm doing. Just follow my lead.", Tigress assured him.
Rushing inside the temple, Po and Tigress went about their plan, which meant that the panda was going to follow the female tiger's lead. It was not long before Atum rushed in, swinging his mystical sledgehammer and toppling one of the pillars, destroying the thick ironwood beams that held up the temple with ease. It was then that Tigress set her plan in motion, rushing forward and delivering a powerful kick to Atum's face, who barely staggered as a savage roar escaped his throat.
"You wretched cowardly gnat!", Atum snarled, narrowing his fiery eyes at Tigress as she stood calmly in front of one of the pillars.
"What's the matter? Too slow and stupid to keep up?", Tigress taunted, getting the response that she wanted as Atum swinged his hammer, missing Tigress and demolishing the ironwood pillar.
"Hold still... so that I can kill you quickly and with mercy!", Atum snarled, swinging the weapon at Tigress again, only to shatter another pillar.
"If anyone is dying today, it will be you, monster!", Tigress hissed, narrowing her eyes at the monstrous gorilla.
"Ha! Is that so, Lien-hua? If you fight me, you'll die... just like your parents! Only a Prime can kill me! Uatu, your beloved god-parent is injured, and Holku, my prodigal son, is chained in the dungeon! Other than those two, there is no other Primes near to save you or your friends. So... it would appear that you have no way of defeating me, not that I ever believed that a child such as yourself could ever hope to defeat me! You're all alone, Lien-hua.", Atum sneered, a sinister grin forming on his features.
"She's not alone, Atum! She still has me!", Po shouted, rushing out of nowhere and dropkicking the monstrous ape in the chest with all of his strength, managing to stagger the evil Prime.
"You! I'll kill you for that, Dragon Warrior!", Atum roared with savage fury.
"You've got to catch me first, ugly!", Po laughed, rushing off as Atum quickly followed, smashing pillar after pillar in his pursuit of the panda.
Tigress could only let a small smile grace her features, marveling at Po's bravery in the face of such a dangerous enemy. She could help but feel the feeling of pure amorous affection enter her heart at the mere thought of that loving, brave, funny panda. It was moments like this that made her realize just how much Po meant to her, and how much she meant to him. She couldn't live without him, and she knew that she was destined to be with him forever, the Tiger Master & the Dragon Warrior, bound by an unbreakable bond of love and friendship.
"Gods, I love him.", Tigress whispered to herself before quickly running in the direction of the temple that Po and Atum had taken, hoping to beat them to their intended destination.
Po continued to run, dodging Atum's deadly hammer as he continued to taunt the Fallen Prime, if only to amuse himself while enraging the monstrous gorilla even more. It was becoming apparent that the temple was becoming unstable, because as each pillar was destroyed by Atum, the entire massive structure would tremble as if there was an earthquake. Just when Po thought that he was going accomplish Tigress' plan without any trouble, Atum managed to catch him, his massive right hand tightly grasping around Po's neck. Po found himself being lifted off the ground, coming face-to-face with Atum, his cool jade green eyes locking onto the fiery demonic eyes of the Fallen One.
"Stupid, fat, insolent panda! Have you've not realized who you're up against? I'm the strongest one there is!", Atum proclaimed.
"Yeah, tell me about it. Your breath is just horrific.", Po chuckled, only to be silenced as Atum tightened his grip.
"I'm going to kill you! Slowly and painfully as possible!", Atum growled, narrowing his fiery eyes at the panda in his grasp.
"Bring it on, King Kong! I'm not afraid of you!", Po gasped defiantly as Atum continued to tighten his grip around the panda's neck.
"We shall see, panda!", Atum snarled, raising his hammer to strike.
Before Atum could deliver the blow, Tigress quickly came to Po's aid, leaping atop the gigantic gorilla's back as she began clawing and striking the Fallen One until he released his grip on Po. As soon as Po was free, Tigress quickly leaped off Atum's back, barely managing to avoid a powerful blow of his mystical sledgehammer, which shattered one of the remaining pillars within the temple. It was at that moment that Atum scanned his surroundings, his demonic eyes searching for Tigress and Po until he discovered then near one of the entrances to the temple.
"Now, Po!", Tigress ordered.
Without hesitation, Po and Tigress each destroyed an ironwood pillar, which was all that was needed to bring about the result that they had been hoping for. In a matter of seconds, before Atum could even comprehend what was happening, the massive temple collapsed! Atum was buried under the vast tons of stone and wood that made up the material that the temple was built of, the sheer devastating collapse of the structure causing the very earth to quake within the entire city. Po and Tigress managed to get to safety, watching as the gigantic temple collapsed atop Atum, burying the monstrous Prime, and hopefully bringing about his demise.
"Yeah! Woo-hoo! We did it!", Po cheered in victory, raising his arms high in the air.
"Yes, it would appear that we have.", Tigress replied, still not certain of the fact.
"What do you mean, Tigress? Nothing could get up from something like that! Only a Prime can defeat me... Ha! Don't believe the hype, because Atum was just taken down by Master Tigress & the Dragon Warrior! In your face, Fallen One!", Po celebrated, dancing in place as Tigress smiled in amusement.
Suddenly, a massive form exploded from the rubble of the destroyed temple, revealing it to be none other than Atum. Tigress and Po looked on in a mixture of shock and exasperation, their minds unable to understand how it was possible for any being to survive. The monstrous gorilla looked towards Tigress and Po, his fiery demonic eyes glowing with a weird crimson aura similar to that of which his weapon illuminated.
"Ah, come on! Why is this never easy? I swear the Gods hate me!", Po moaned in frustration as he briefly adverted his gaze towards the heavens.
"Impressive. Futile, but impressive none the less. A shame that I must kill you both!", Atum snarled, tightly gripping his weapon.
"You're nothing but a coward, a bully, and a monster! You fight for nothing, enjoying the suffering of others, taking a sick pleasure out of it for your own amusement! You're no warrior, you're no Prime, and you're no King! All that you are is a sick, twisted, psychotic, bloodthirtsty monster!", Tigress hissed, narrowing her eyes at the monstrous ape.
"Yeah, she's right. I mean, without that hammer, you're no real threat. You know, I bet that you couldn't beat either of us in hand-to-hand combat.", Po added confidently.
"Very well. I accept your challenge!", Atum roared, tossing the mystical sledgehammer aside.
Po and Tigress got into their fighting stances, refusing to run any longer, becuase they both knew that their only chance was to battle Atum in hand-to-hand combat. It was then that they noticed Atum's body glowing with an eerie crimson aura, the crimson energies engulfing his form in mystical flames, his fiery demonic eyes glowing menacingly as he glared at Tigress & Po. They couldn't help but stare in a mixture of awe and fear, their minds unable to comprehend what was unfolding before their very eyes.
"Foolish cubs! The mystical weapon that I wielded was merely a conduit for my power! The power of a Prime unleashed!", Atum roared to the heavens.
"We're so dead.", Po muttered.
"No, Po. We can defeat him. Together we can accomplish anything! If we die on this day, we're taking Atum down with us! We will not fail, Po! Whether we live or die... This ends today!", Tigress stated with an indomitable determination.
"I'm with you, Tigress!", Po replied with the same determination.
Author's Notes
Yes, it's getting closer to the conclusion! Tigress and Po battle Atum in hand-to-hand combat, which means that they'll have to give it their all if they hope to defeat the monstrous Prime! But what about Uatu, Holku, Mei, and the other four members of the Furious Five? What part will they play in the coming confrontation? We'll soon find out!