Crane felt a very unpleasant sense of deja vu as he hovered above the piles of massive crates that formed a maze within the warehouse. One of the last times he had been in a warehouse such as this, a yeti had gotten the drop on him. He knew he was more likely to be struck by lightning than suffer the same incident twice, but all the same he kept an eye on the walls for any signs of a secret passage opening.

There'd been some heavy resistance in the upper floors within the tower, from soldiers who had wisely stayed hidden while Po wiped the warehouse floor with the terra cotta warriors. Being the Furious Five, or more accurately three, Crane, Monkey and Mantis made short work of them before returning to the warehouse to search for any stragglers. Once they were sure that the left hand tower was clear, they would meet the others in the main palace and deal with the biggest threat. Perhaps they'd already finished their work in the other tower, and were already escorting their rescued friends from the fortress to the waiting arms of Xian and a small team of soldiers who had volunteered to aid their mission. The rest of the army was still in the Imperial City, cleaning up Long Feng's mess.

Crane shook off his troubled feelings and floated down to meet with his comrades, unaware that elsewhere in the tower, a tendril of amethyst, guided by Hei Nuwang's will, was pushing at a cold metal lever.

He found his friends in a wide clear space within the maze of crates and touched down before them. He finished reporting that he had spotted no remnants before they all heard the sound of scraping stone. A bare part of the wall in between the crates fifty feet away had just opened up. The Furious Three went into their stances, waiting for the reinforcements to show their soon-to-be-bruised-and-bloody faces.

For a second, the gaping rectangular hole before them was black and silent. Then their stances faltered from the sound of footsteps that shook the earth.

Instead of soldiers or terra cotta warriors, from the hole stepped a purple elephant.

Crane's mind wasn't playing tricks. He was staring at a translucent purple elephant as big as a house, with blank narrowed eyes and armour made of the same amethyst gemstone. The amethyst warrior lowered its gaze to the three astonished warriors, clenched its massive fists and stalked toward them.

They were thinking about how much they hated alchemy when the wall on the other side opened up and spat out purple elephant number two.


For her long awaited revenge on the vile, lily headed no-legger who scarred her for life, Izumi chose to use the shortest, sharpest knife in her arsenal. It was no longer than her thumb, not very lethal unless inflicted on just the right parts of her body. That was the idea. It was one of her favourite knives, used only for special occasions such as this.

Izumi was grinning as she explained this in detail to the captive Viper, who silently glared back in cold defiance. If the bobcat had one complaint, she wouldn't be getting the rematch she had been looking forward to. There was no breaking the amethyst constructs that held the snake firm. She'd have to cut right to the extra fun part. Cut. How appropriate.

"You do realise that when the Wall crumbles, you'll die too." Viper finally spoke.

Izumi stroke Viper's stretched, taut body with the flat of her special knife. She thought of Chibiki, rotting in the most secure prison her home country had to offer. She thought of Sutoraiki, one of the few people she'd truly considered a friend. She thought of Hei Nuwang, so beautiful, so vicious, so sure that unifying the realms would save the world. She spoke three words with absolute truth. "I don't care."

"Don't do this." the imprisoned Shifu begged behind her. How ironic it was that the old, wise sage was the one who showed fear.

Izumi merely stepped a little to the side, so Shifu could properly see what she was about to do. "Keep begging. It's almost as fun as the screaming." Her grin faltered when she still saw no fear in Viper's own eyes. "Yeah, keep staring. You can't hold that look forever. I'm going to make you scream, no-legger! I'm going to make you wish you never threw me into that mirror! And when I'm done, I'm going to find your boyfriend and drag his butt here so he can see what's left of you!"

She didn't bother looking when she heard Shifu start struggling to free himself. Instead she looked left and right along Viper's body, wondering where to start. Her eyes pored over the snake's limber, scaled form. So many possibilities. So many kinds of pain she could inflict. Eventually she decided on the face. One half of it, to be precise. Cutting her wouldn't be enough. She needed something far more painful. Right above them was a convenient flaming torch. Beaming, Izumi poked her knife into the fire until it started glowing. Izumi pulled it out and gave it a little wave, admiring the arc of orange light that lasted less than a second. Then she held the glowing knife up to Viper's face. The only reaction she had was the closing of her big blue eyes.

That's right. Brace yourself, you little-

Izumi froze, her bloodlust evaporating.

A second pair of blue eyes were gazing out of a black stain above Viper's head.

Izumi threw the hot knife at the mark on the wall and fell back screaming. NOT NOW! I HAD HER! I HAD HER, YOU STUPID FREAK!

Water poured out the wall as the creature slumped out, collapsing to the stairs on its claws and knees. Viper turned white, her mouth agape as the creature, literally dripping water from every part of its body, slowly pushed itself up. The river of water completely drenched the stairs.

"My god..." Shifu whispered as the creature clutched its slender torso, its eyes narrowed in suffering. "Nuwa..."

Izumi leapt back to her feet, shrieking like a banshee. She was not going to let this monster stop her from getting her revenge. She pulled out every knife she had and hurled them all at the captive snake.

With a hiss, the creature threw itself in front of Viper, letting the knives disappear into its deteriorating body. A tendril of dark water snagged Izumi's wrist and threw her down the stairs out of sight. As its claws dug into the amethyst that imprisoned Viper and Shifu, the substance began to change. The stone became freezing cold. The dark purple turned to bluish white. It wasn't becoming encased in ice, they all realised. It was becoming ice.

"Nuwa!" Shifu yelled as the coil holding him turned to frozen water. The creature glanced at the red panda for only a second. He saw recognition and relief in its pained eyes. Then it disappeared into the throne room, fading through the doors like a ghost.


Hei Nuwang did not let the surprise show on her face when she saw the panda standing at the top of the library stairs, gazing down at her with a very un-po-like expression of cruel contempt. In his paw, he held the Sword of Heroes, surprising Hei Nuwang further. Her underlings had reported the sword destroyed.

The panther herself stood at the bottom, glaring up at the Dragon Warrior's body, where she knew Yujin's chi was blending with his own. I'm astonished, Yujin. Bonding with the panda that stabbed you with the same dagger that led to your burning? I never thought you'd go that far.

Hei Nuwang smirked. She'd be killing two birds with one stone.

"Yujin. You've finally returned." She spoke evenly, knowing that Yujin could hear her. She took a couple of steps up the stairs. The panda didn't move or speak. Yujin must be in control. "If the panda can hear me, I have something I want to say to him before we start."

The panda tilted his head, with a curious expression that better suited him.

"You're making a mistake, Po." Hei Nuwang took another step. "Don't you realise she's using you? She doesn't care about you, or your family, or Tigress, or anyone else. All she wants is my bloodied corpse." The panda's eyes narrowed. "You and Tigress can still live, Po. It took decades of experimentation, on myself and hundreds of others, we've finally worked out the perfect method of alchemic reincarnation. I can show you the results, if you like. We can make you into a new you. You will have great power. You will be immortal. When the unification of the universe is complete, I will convert the bodies of every mortal and spirit who survives. Everyone will be equal. Perfect. Balanced." She kept slowly making her way up the steps, momentarily stopping a third of the way up. "You and Tigress can be just like them... but only if you separate from Ember now... and join us."

She stood resolute, one foot above the other, waiting for the panda to respond.

The Dragon Warrior laughed. It was harsh and humourless. With no words, the panda made his feelings clear. Or was it Yujin laughing? Either way, the sound of it made Hei Nuwang's blood boil.

"You think my life's work is a joke?" Hei Nuwang stepped closer, looking forward to repeating her last encounter with the insolent Po.

The panda shook his head. "I think it's pointless." His irritatingly high voice was colder than normal. "This won't end well. How long do you think it will be until the new universe becomes just as corrupted and unbalanced as this one? And that's if it doesn't collapse on itself first."

Hei Nuwang still couldn't tell if it was Po or Yujin speaking, and it frustrated her. "Don't assume I have not taken that into consideration."

"This isn't what your mom would want!" the panda hissed. "And you know it!"

Hei Nuwang glanced at the library exit, the only route to the throne room.

Po's cold look turned desperate. "Look. You must have an antidote for whatever you did to Su. You can still do the right thing here. If Nuwa really is the great mom Yujin says she is... she'll forgive you."

Hei Nuwang closed her eyes in irritation at Po's ignorance. Forgiveness won't bring her back... or make Oogway pay. Besides... she'll be too far-gone by now.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." She stepped up until she was halfway up the stairs. Amethyst poles formed in her paws. "Now let's finish this, once and for all."

Po's face turned blank. His eyes had no emotion, but his mouth was pressed in a thin line of cold fury. Slowly, he began to make his way down the stairs towards Hei Nuwang, the Sword of Heroes flashing in his paw. Hei Nuwang stood her ground, more than ready to dish out a second beating.

Five steps down, the Dragon Warrior caught fire.

It was like no fire Hei Nuwang had ever seen. Pure golden flames engulfed the panda as he continued down the stairs, showing no pain or acknowledgement that he was burning. His pants, fur and fat turned to cinders and floated away from his body in a golden mist, until his body was as toned and slender as Master Tigress's. Instead of skin glimmering green silk covered the being, opening up on the arms to become sleeves. On the legs, the silk came apart to become thick ribbons which draped over tight black pants. The cloud of cinders floated to the head, the glowing particles coming together and becoming a red and black dragon mask. A black-gloved paw, looking almost brown in the fire, gripped the Sword of Heroes as the engraved dragon turned from green to red. A large emerald necklace bounced lightly on the chest.

When the golden flames turned red and dissipated, the Warrior had become the Empress.

Hei Nuwang's eyes and mouth had widened at some point during the enemy's transition. She was numb. Speechless in the face of the dual being before her. This was far beyond anything the Children of Nuwa were capable of. What Hei Nuwang was capable of.

The black feline came to her senses just as the Dragon Empress reached her. Snarling, she swung a purple pole. In a split second, Yujin blocked the pole with her sword arm and swung her other paw upwards into Hei Nuwang's chin. The smack echoed in the massive library as Hei Nuwang flew head over heels in the air and barely managed to land on her feet at the base of the stairs. She looked up, glowering. Yujin bent her knees and leapt off the stairs. Hei Nuwang jumped ten feet back as the Empress landed deftly on the warm stone floor and turned to her.

"I will kill you both!" The panther vowed, fists clenched around her poles. The purple weapons lengthened into sharp points at her will. She did not forget about the crystal dagger tucked in her belt.

Yujin swung the Sword of Heroes. Hei Nuwang was about to laugh at the distance between them when she saw the arc of bright red flaming energy soaring at her face. The panther shrieked and ducked. The wave of energy struck the bookshelf behind her and obliterated it completely. As scrolls and books rained down, Yujin wordlessly swung the sword again. This time Hei Nuwang let her amethyst constructs do the moving for her.

It was something she always did as a juvenile. Feet planted in crystal, she would let the amethyst constructs carry her all the way across the floor, along the walls and over the ceiling. The strange sensation of being right side up, sideways and upside down, and the feel of the wind in her fur, was one of the most amazing feelings she ever experienced.

Hei Nuwang took no enjoyment in surfing along the wall to avoid the deadly burning chi wave that ripped apart stone and wood, leaving only fire behind. Horizontal, she bent down and pushed off the wall with all her might, pulling out the crystal dagger as she flew towards the Empress. She swung a pole, hitting Yujin across the face, at the same time thrusting the dagger towards her gut. A gloved paw grabbed the dagger and twisted it out of Hei Nuwang's paw. A leg kicked her all the way across the room towards the exit.

Hei Nuwang knew then that it was over. Without the dagger, she could not put a permanent end to her hated sister. She had to find Izumi and get the other dagger, and quickly, before Yujin and Po ruined everything she had worked for.

As Yujin prepared to swing again, the seething Hei Nuwang picked herself up and sprinted to the exit.

This isn't over... this is NOT over!

She did not see a glowing golden energy, shining like sunlight, pour out of Yujin's stomach and form a big fat panda.


With one great push of his arms, Shifu broke the ice coiled around his body and rushed to free Viper. Two punches in the right places released the snake without injury, and they glanced at Izumi. She was gone, either escaped or somewhere at the bottom of the stairs.

"Su!" Viper gasped, turning her panicked stare to the doors where the creature had just phased through. Heart pounding, Shifu smashed the doors apart with a great kick and the pair rushed into the throne room.

There was no sign of the creature. There was only a trail of water leading up to Su as she lay on an altar in the center of the great room, lifeless. Shifu could sense her chi. It was almost dead.

"No... no..." Shifu and Viper raced towards her. Shifu got there first and flipped onto the altar. The girl was limp and cold as he cradled her. Her eyelids fluttered and she barely murmured. "Su, sweetheart... you're going to be alright... just hang in there..."

Viper had stopped several feet behind him. He heard her sobbing. She knew it was already too late.

Shifu stroked her cheek in a vain attempt to rouse her. "Su... Nuwa... don't do this..."

"Oogway..." It was barely a whisper.

Fighting back emotion, Shifu held her tighter. He remembered the sticky dumpling sauce incident. He remembered the moment she unknowingly saved Xian's life. He remembered tasting her vegetable stir-fry. "We will avenge you. I swear to all the gods that we will avenge you."

Su's lips hardly moved. Her little damp body grew colder.

"... Oogway... why did you... kill me..."

Before Shifu could process what she had just said, his keen ears heard her heart stop beating.