Kung Fu Panda: Po Pilgrim vs. The World by
Mitchicus
Chapter 28: The Rise of Inferno
A/N: I'm back with a new chapter! Unfortunately, I learned that my friend will not be able to complete the artwork…it was only a favor he was doing, so I'm not angry at him. Sorry for getting you guys pumped. Anyways, now for the chapter.
The demon snarled and broke free of his chains, causing Raksha and the other demons to back up in fear. Inferno flexed his powerful muscles and pulled the broken chains off of his wrists and turned to the pool of lava to the side of him. He walked over to the lava and went on one knee, reaching out his right paw.
Inferno retracted a claw in his left paw and cut open the palm of his right paw, drawing blood. The demon closed his right hand in a fist, causing more blood to flow from the wound. He opened his fist as the blood dripped from his hand and into the lava, hissing as it entered the substance.
The demon had a bloodlust, and wanted to see blood whenever he could. He loved the sight of blood, especially when seeing it flow from the bodies of his dead enemies, but he would have to make do with watching his own blood flow for now. Seeing blood was his entertainment.
Raksha stepped forward, unsure of what Inferno might do next. He gestured to the others and he and the other demons went on their knees and bowed to Inferno.
"Great Inferno," Raksha began, "I have brought you back from the underworld."
Inferno chuckled and looked at his bloody hand. "That's pretty obvious, Raksha. And you intend for me to serve you since you have brought me from the underworld?"
"Yes my lord-"
"You fool, Raksha." Inferno roared as he turned and stood up. "You were the one that made the 'brilliant' plan that made us outnumbered one hundred to one many years ago! You expect me to take orders from you as a favor for bringing me back? You are so desperate, Raksha, and I practically have no use for you. With this new host I can conquer all of the masters and the entire Imperial army alone!"
"I have always been your instrument, not you to me." Raksha said bowing his head.
Inferno grinned. "Oh, I see. It seems that we all want the same goal, so I suppose that you can take my orders."
"Yes, my lord." Raksha said, lifting his head to face his master. "There is an urgent problem that must be solved however."
"Yes?"
"When assaulting Juno Pass, a major location held by the Imperial Army, the Dragon Warrior and his allies ambushed us. They showed their skill in battle and decimated our forces, capturing my second in command Victur. If we do not take him back, he may give them our secrets." Raksha said.
Inferno nodded. "I see, and they have obviously taken him to the Valley of Peace. Is the Imperial Army with the masters and holding Victur?"
"Yes my lord." Raksha said.
Suddenly, a demon jumped into the room. "Speaking of the Imperial Army," the demon began, "it's going right towards us."
Raksha jumped up. "Damn that Victur, he has already given away our location that quickly! How many are there?"
"By the looks of it, over two thousand men." The demon said.
"I will deal with them, alone." Inferno said standing up and popping his knuckles. "Consider it a warm up for my assault on the valley."
Raksha nodded. "Yes my lord."
Inferno retracted his claws and began to run towards the wall of the volcano, jumping onto its side and beginning to climb up it.
The goose flew to the side of the general.
"Is this it, General Kran?" Zheng asked.
The tiger nodded. "Grandmaster Shifu has given us the information on where the demons are hiding." He nodded to the volcano. "It certainly makes sense to put their hiding place in such a hellish environment."
"Indeed…" Zheng said nodding.
A new flow of lava went down the slope of the volcano as the army watched. Zheng had been sent by Shifu to observe and see if the Imperial Army could catch the demons by surprise and defeat them…what Zheng would see was the greatest defeat in the army's history.
"Move to the rear of the army Zheng, that way you're safe when the battle starts." General Kran said and drew his sword.
"Yes sir." Zheng said and took off, flying behind the safety of the long lines of elite troops.
He landed behind the men and stood back, seeing the volcano in the distance.
General Kran raised his sword. "Men of China, to victory!"
The soldiers cheered and drew their weapons, raising them into the air.
Suddenly, a loud, unholy roar was heard. The soldiers, Kran, and Zheng looked up at the volcano to see a figure with glowing red eyes standing on top of it. The demon roared again and jumped towards the forces, the men petrified in fear of one foe.
The battle was horrifying. The soldiers were brutally killed by Inferno, being disemboweled, beheaded, torn to pieces, and many other gruesome ways of dying. The army began to flee from the one foe, but the demon would not let them escape his clutches.
Soon they were all dead.
Zheng tried to fly away but Inferno grabbed by the throat and looked him in the eyes. Zheng gulped hard and shook in the demon's powerful grip.
"Bringing news to Shifu, are we?" Inferno asked. "Tell Shifu and his friends that Inferno is coming, and they will not be able to stop me."
The goose nodded and gulped again before Inferno threw him into the air, the goose beginning to quickly fly towards the valley. Inferno roared in victory and went on all fours, running through the bloody landscape to his next target.
Zheng fell to the ground and delivered the shocking and terrifying news to the masters. Over two thousand elite troops were massacred, never standing a chance to the might of Inferno.
"My gods." Shifu said.
"What do we do now master?" Po asked.
Shifu shook himself out of the shock he was in and turned to Zheng.
"Zheng, fly to the valley and evacuate everyone to Bao Gu!" Shifu yelled.
"Yes Master Shifu." Zheng said before taking off for the valley.
A large storm was approaching them, the masters wondering if it was signaling Inferno's presence.
"What about the cubs?" Tigress asked.
Shifu turned to Crane and Mantis. "Take Brandon, Mason, and Michelle to Bao Gu. Protect them and the rest of the villagers."
The two masters nodded before taking the three cubs and leading them out of the palace, heading for the safety of Bao Gu.
"Are we going to stay and fight him?" Po asked.
Shifu nodded. "With you, the rest of the Five, myself, and the elite troops of the Imperial Army, we should be able to stop Inferno."
The masters nodded, and Shifu led them all to the Sacred Hall of Warriors to look out at the valley. By now the dark storm clouds were over the valley, thunder rumbling around them. Shifu and the others stopped outside of the building and looked down at the valley.
Suddenly, a red streak was seen through the sky. Then another, then another, and so on.
"What the hell is that?" Po asked.
A red bolt hit the ground where Po was next to, making the panda jump backwards in fright.
"Everyone, inside now!" Shifu yelled and took them all into the hall.
He closed the large doors and faced his students.
"What is that, Master Shifu?" Po asked.
Shifu sighed. "Something that I have not seen for many years."
"What is it?" Viper asked.
"That is lightning." Shifu said solemnly.
"Red lightning?" Tigress asked.
"Yes, a sign of Inferno coming, and soon. I never saw a more scary sight when I saw those red streaks many years ago, but there were not as many as there are now. It shows that Inferno is much stronger than what he was before."
Po nodded. "That was creepy."
"Another sign was earthquakes-"
"Speaking of." Po said as he held onto a column when the room began to shake violently.
The columns and floor cracked, the earthquake lasting for many minutes. When it was over, the masters let go of what they were holding onto and looked at the door, awaiting the demon.
Inferno casually walked down the streets of the valley, turning from side to side to see abandoned homes and shops. He chuckled and approached the Thousand Steps. The ground cracked under him as he walked up the steps, climbing up towards the Sacred Hall of Warriors.
He reached the building and stepped back. The door exploded from his Lightning Strike, knocking all of the masters behind it to the ground. The fragments of the doors scattered around the room. Po pulled a wooden fragment out of his shoulder and looked up at Inferno, his eyes widening.
"No," Po said, "it can't be."
Inferno grinned. "Shocking, isn't it?"
The demon was Mitchicus…or at least it was his body that Inferno had. Instead of the sea blue eyes of Mitch, he had the glowing, fiery red eyes of the most evil being to ever walk the earth.
A/N: Please listen to "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace (Mitch's POV) for this battle.
"When I took over your friend's body and soul," Inferno said, stepping towards him, "I read his thoughts and feelings. It is interesting that he had the power to defeat you all this time, but he never did because he was 'good'. He can finally do something right by killing you in the end."
Po struggled up, still unsure of what his eyes saw. The others also got up, just as shocked as the panda.
"No," Nera said, "you're dead!"
"Did you listen to me bitch?" Inferno roared. "Your husband is gone!" He turned to Shifu. "Shifu, getting older by the day, aren't you?" The demon taunted.
Shifu glared at him. "Back to be defeated again, aren't you Inferno?"
Inferno snarled. "Never again will I be defeated."
"We'll see about that, demon." Tigress said getting into a stance.
Inferno smiled. "You all do not know how long I have waited to face you all. Now I get my wish."
The demon put his foot back, his side turned to his foes. The masters went into stances and prepared to face the evil lord Inferno.
Po and the others charged forward, and Inferno tightened his fists. The White Tiger grabbed Po's arm and threw him over his head before swinging him into the ground. Po grunted and Inferno let go of him and rolled out of the way as Tigress slashed at him with her claws.
Inferno grinned and hit her with a double punch, sending her flying into a column and breaking two of her ribs. Viper shot into the air to entangle Inferno but the evil lord grabbed her and swung her head into a column, knocking her out of the battle.
Po jumped back up and went towards Inferno with a series of punches and kicks, each being blocked by the evil lord. Inferno grabbed his fist and squeezed it, Po's knuckles beginning to crunch under the demon's strength.
Po yelped in pain before Inferno hit him in the face with a powerful kick, sending the panda rolling to the ground. Shifu jumped in the air and made a spin, raising his stick and trying to strike Inferno.
The White Tiger blocked his attacks and grabbed the Red Panda with one hand, slamming him into the ground and making Shifu grunt. Po managed to kick Inferno in the chest, making the demon let go of Shifu and face the Dragon Warrior.
This was a diversion, as Monkey had climbed onto a column behind Inferno and readied to pounce him. The primate jumped towards the demon but Inferno sensed his presence long before this, turning around quickly and hitting him with a powerful punch to the chest.
Monkey wheezed and fell to the ground, clasping his chest as he felt the six broken ribs he had received from the demon.
Nera jumped into the air and tried to kick Inferno but the demon grabbed her foot and slammed her hard into a nearby column.
Po growled and picked up the Sword of Heroes from a nearby rack and charged towards Inferno. He swung his sword at Inferno, the demon dodging a slice that would have split him in two.
Inferno grabbed Po's wrist and squeezed, making the panda drop the weapon to the ground. Inferno grabbed Po with both hands and dug his claws into the panda's shoulders. Po yelled in pain before Inferno jumped, taking him with him through the roof.
Po was hit with the impact of going through the roof and landed on top of it. Inferno did a flip in the air and landed on the roof as red lightning flashed around him, making a truly terrifying sight for the panda.
The panda struggled up and faced Inferno just as rain and hail began to fall around them. He looked at Inferno with more shock than fear of who he possessed.
Inferno stepped forward as Po swung several slow punches at him. The demon dodged the attacks and hit his opponent with three powerful punches, sending him back to the roof.
The demon chuckled. "I expected more from the Dragon Warrior."
He kicked Po in the face as he struggled up, sending him back to the ground yet again. Suddenly, Tigress burst through the roof and hit Inferno with a surprise kick, making the demon stagger back a bit but not weakening him at all.
The feline lunged at him with a punch but Inferno grabbed her arm and broke it. Tigress grunted in pain and looked up at Inferno.
"Mitchicus sends his regards." Inferno said as he raised his hand and tightened it into a fist.
He punched Tigress in the face, sending her back through the roof and making her hit the floor hard. Po yelled as he was now filled with a great will to protect his love, wrapping his arms around Inferno and sending them both through the roof.
As they were falling, Inferno broke free of Po's grasp and punched him in the face, rolling to the ground as Po absorbed a hard hit to the ground. The panda coughed and struggled up, picking up the Sword of Heroes and standing beside the wounded Shifu.
Tigress, Nera and Monkey got up as well, going alongside the rest of their comrades. Viper lay unconscious beside a column.
Inferno crouched low and readied himself in the Tiger Stance, grinning. Tigress nodded to Po and the group rushed towards Inferno, yelling and charging at him.
The demon pulled his fists back before moving them forward, sending red lightning from his fists. It was just as Mitchicus had once described five years ago. An evil warrior that was so powerful that he was able to summon red lightning, much more powerful than the normal blue.
The lightning streaked towards the group and Po and the others slowed as they saw it coming towards them. Po moved the Sword of Heroes towards the blast and caught the blunt of it.
The sword glowed red before shattering from the blast, causing a great explosion yet saving the lives of Po and the others. The masters fell to the ground, steel shards sticking into them and their bodies smoking.
Po's body shook as his nerves were damaged from the lightning and looked up at the victorious Inferno.
The demon grinned. "Now Dragon Warrior, where is Victur?"
"I'll never tell you." Po managed to say.
Inferno's grin widened. "Oh yes you will." He picked up Tigress and drew Mitchicus' Katana from the scabbard on his back. "Or else your wife dies."
"No!" Po said as he tried to get up but could not do so.
Tigress' eyes were filled with fear not for herself, but for those around her.
Inferno brushed the blade against Tigress' neck. "What will it be, Dragon Warrior?"
Po struggled for several moments on his decision but then gave in.
"He's below us," the panda said, "in the dungeon."
"Good, now was that so hard?" Inferno asked, still holding Tigress. "Unfortunately, I never live up to my word."
Inferno cut Tigress' throat and dropped her to the ground.
"No!" Po yelled and tried to get up but the burns were too bad for him to do so.
Tigress clenched her throat as blood poured from it.
Inferno laughed evilly. "What's wrong, Dragon Warrior? Your wife corrupted seven to darkness; do you think she is kind? She was the reason for their downfalls! Don't you see! You waste your breath over one woman instead of your country!"
"No," Po said as he tried crawling to Tigress.
Inferno laughed and went towards the reflective pool, finding the stairwell to the dungeon. He heard shouts behind it as the Imperial soldiers prepared for him and he fired a red fireball at the door, making it explode and killing all behind it.
He walked down the steps and over the charred remains of Imperial soldiers and found five more Imperials waiting for him. They yelled and charged, only to be cut by Mitchicus' powerful Katana.
Their bodies fell to the ground and Inferno continued to casually walk forward, coming to the cell that Victur was in.
Victur's eye widened and his jaw dropped. "What the fuck?"
Inferno grinned. "I am not Mitchicus, the one who took your eye. It is I, your lord, Inferno."
"Inferno my lord." Victur said dropping to his knees and bowing to the demon. "I live to serve you."
"Stand back." Inferno commanded and the demon did so before Inferno grabbed the door and ripped it off of the wall, freeing Victur.
Victur grinned and stepped out of the cell, looking around at the dead soldiers.
"You picked a hell of a host, Inferno." Victur said.
"He will ensure my triumph." Inferno said, and walked with Victur back up the stairs.
They passed the wounded masters and Po looked up at Inferno as he tried to stop Tigress' deadly wound.
Inferno laughed. "It is no use, panda. She will die."
"She will not die." Po said, not accepting anything.
Inferno laughed and walked through the doorway with Victur out of the Hall of Heroes.
"We will meet again, panda." Inferno said as he walked away. "And soon."
A/N: Inferno is revealed and he defeats the masters of the Jade Palace! Will Tigress pull through? Will evil triumph? Stay tuned, for there are only two more chapters of Po Pilgrim left! Next chapter: Edge of the Abyss. Po tries to save Tigress while Inferno returns with Victur to plan a strike on the Imperial City. Will all be lost? Please review, share, comment, and please, no flames!