We'll have to see our goat friend in one of the epic finale chapters. We're still in this massive battle between Po and Huoju's dragons, featuring our mighty general. Three more sections until the finale of Mightiest Warriors, Book One!

GrayZeppelin


Episode Finale: Heaven and Hell (47 - 58)


Chapter LV

Dragon, Part Two

Huoju's Wrath, Act Two

"NO!"

Shen wailed, reflectively snatched the old goat from falling forward. The Hatchet from the boar bandit plunged straight to her weak chest. Her glasses were freed from her muzzle, collapsing next to her. What have I done?! Xing naively thought, brushing fingers across his face.

This reaction wasn't supposed to happen all the sudden. The bandit was better hurling the ax as Xing did dodge the surprise throw.

Soothsayer's head rested on Shen's left wing; the albino heard her breath rasping, and her muzzle chambers dripping with red. "Mali. Stay with me! Physicians will come over!" He hushed his nana, a rare expression of his horrible shock Xing watched Shen quiver his beak.

A dying cough burst Mali spill a little gore in her lips. Xing hastily bent his knees ahead of them and reaching out his paw that kissed with a yellow star. Mali lacked her gesture as she pushed the tiger's claw toward Xing, and let her head shake. Her pupils met Shen's drowning eyes. "They loved you—" she breathed, her chest wheezing. "For this… moment of my life, their son — could turn back into the light."

"Mali?" Shen tenderly gasped, his tone seemed higher to climb and struggle. Her voice rustled, her paw reaching to Shen's cheek the albino returned stroking Mali's hoof.

"Your Nana… is proud — of —you. . ." she wheezed.

Soothsayer widened her pupils. Her hoof slid on Shen's cheek and to his drape sleeve.

The albino downcastly watched Soothsayer rest, no longer suffer. Deep down inside of the peacock's heart, the flow swirled in his head, pouring the redness out of his eyes. Instead of piercing his bird cry, Lord Shen pressed his forehead and crests ahead of the dead goat's muzzle. His world turned to ashes, as the Soothsayer was part of his she took her vow in front of his parents. Promised one thing (half-failed but the goal had finished in the end) Mali convinced their proud son: They loved Shen.

Long, sorrowfulness howl echoed behind Shen. The one-eyed Wolf Boss released his agony he even took a glimpse of his memory that both he and Shen were children, lying on their silk bed as if the Soothsayer crouched next to them she told every night-story. Their nana was Royal Peafowls's sagacious goat.

During their silent sobs, Zhong's whole left arm embraced Shen behind the bird's back. Too difficult to see the dead eyes as any person lie in the coffin with comfort, blossoms, and phloxes surrounding her. The roar interrupted the sky — Xing, in his keen eyes, met both of light and darkness dragons clashing together among the orange clouds.

The white tiger softly pulled the sword's grasp; the song of Wugu entered in his ears both Zhong, and Lord Shen could not hear. They were not alone — Master Storming Ox rushed from a long hilly road he stared down at all three. Beside the ox, his son arrived, sliding his feet from sprinting. The dead goat's body absorbed pink light, the blossoms engulfed from her hooves to her head all the way, and both her glasses and wooden cane stayed behind.

Ox too indeed felt his heart collapsing to the pavement as he shared his grief; he could not flare his unforgiving eyes at Shen, and let the past of his old rhino companion's fate bury. Xing sheathed his katana in the blue scabbard and glanced both the wolf and albino peacock. "Look after Shen. Take good care of your daughter."

The white tiger raced toward the gray smoke with all fours — he ignored the shouts behind them. No matter in his head that fogged out of the chaos, the battle and wrath must end to Xing.

He leaped onto the hot fires that the dragon burned one-third of the city. The alleyway shattered ahead of Xing — he vaulted into the balcony. The house was clouded to deep gray as if the sides stumbled, the floor shredding like flies. The white tiger bounded out, the multiple windows of a circle with yin-yang collapsing. As he escaped, the ashes behind him swam that followed the tiger's trail, the house collapsing to a swimming splash.


Tigress guided the villagers they reached the Northeast boundary, gesturing them toward the woodlands. Po's fathers yet to push crates filled with kitchen items and bowls. From farther back, both peafowls swirled their heads again they watched Lotus and Ming follow them. Glancing back, Lotus peaked her ears.

Her father's howl thundered from over the hills and far away; both dragons screeched endlessly as the creatures flew among the southwest.

"It's Dad! Something's wrong!" Lotus horrified.

"Bao, Fanshe, Hong, you watch over my mother!" the young albino guided his companions behind his peahen mother. He hurriedly glanced to Lotus next to him. "Lotus, stay with Ming, I'll get our brother and my father out of here!"

One of the wolf commanders intervened from the side of people within the forest hills. "Hey! Half of you keep sending the people out of this city, and defend the Emperor! Half of us must protect the Prince of Gongmen! Let's go!" Leo gestured.

Not for long, Lao's sprint followed the crying howl. The young albino lastly turned to the wreckage pavements, many houses beside it fell, noticing a whole Undercity had crushed, became ruins and no longer be able to salvage and repair in a matter of years. "Xing! Brother!" Stopping by as Lao's pupils grew, his lungs engulfed the air.

His father including Wolf Boss had bent against the small pool of blossoms; the glasses and wooden cane left behind.

"Oh, no," Lao shook, sharing the sympathy of sorrowfulness. The wolves behind Lao raced down and farther back. One commander leader in brown-yellow armor with scathe protection, Leo, arrived.

"Mali… come back—" he heard his father croak, both feathers lifting the flowers they dropped like a rainfall.

The colossus Ox glanced. "Prince Dongji?" Storming Ox puzzled. "You must go!"

"I will not leave anyone behind, Master Ox," Lao ordered emotionally. The entire boundary seemed to billow with soft and faint smokes they could almost sight the whole edge and the heart of Gongmen City. The young albino's heart seemed crushing and veins racing as if swimming his head elsewhere. "Where's Xing?!"

"Xing went over the hills, Prince Dongji!" Ox pointed at the southwest province. "He is after the battle! My son goes after your brother!"

The smooth, cobalt scroll thudded out of Shen's long sleeve, rolling Lao and Ox caught the sight of the script. What is that scroll? Lao thought, squinting his eyes he stuttered, crouching near the manuscript. Grasping it, Lao viewed the scroll's index. The lines had colored light blue, white, brown, red, green, and yellow, manifesting the star, each point represented elements.

He opened the cap and slid the ancient scroll on his feathers. The paper was yet old and ready to shred like muscles tendering. Spreading both handles, Lao observed the script, indicating the element symbols, the gestures of feathers on blue water, Panthera paws from fire and white metal, bull/yak hooves on jade and light green, and in the center of the star, the yellow light with poems The Mightiest Warriors gleamed.

At first, the hooves could be the pirate student he recalled from his brother, the other jade, belonged to General Kai the Prince of Gongmen readily determined. The fire and metal pictured the paws as he discerned Peng, a possible Mightiest Warrior, but the metal—who is the other?

Wings flapped from above, and the sprints rush to Lao ahead. The Righteous members raced, their brown hawk Fei soared in front. "Master Fei! Master Ox! This scroll! I need Peng and my colleague pirate Shou!"


The black dragon swam into the air she grasped on the side of the Holy Flame edges. She and Huoju peered at the whole, collateral province. The Dragon Warrior in the Southeast formed a ying-yang, empowering the panda's dragon behind him. The Beast of Vengeance in the East revolved his chains to his wrist guards, glaring with both jade eyes.

"You devil! What did you do to her?!"

Only death Wugu fitted! The resurrection shifted her beautiful body to an ancient creature from thousands of years before your cowardice tortoise brother exists!

"Not my lady. Not my wife…" he shook, tendering his heart to reveal his outside wound.

HEAR MY SISTER SCREAM!

Huoju's sister roared. The black dragon sprang off the flame edges, diving among the sanctuary districts to the East, and her gale of fire spat to Kai. The bull warlord leaped and into the pathway, gray dust and light above him swarmed.

"YOU LIKE TO BURN THE CITY?! YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH ME FIRST!" The Dragon Warrior flapped his arms forward, and his chi dragon snaked ahead. The dragons approached themselves as they rushed into the gale, and both darkness and light clashed.

Po and Huoju motioned their riding stances; both Wugu and the chi dragon mauled and wrestled among the clouds, their fangs biting. Each of the bites stung — Po's neck and back invisibly bitten you could not see, but sensing the agony. Huoju's met the same excruciating marks in front of his neck and among the temples. The black dragon lurched Po reacted; the panda quivered with a dodge and rolled to the side.


Moments went by. The white tiger quickly sprinted to the western province; the houses and roads were no longer standing—now debris and crumpled rocks buried, the burns painted in deep gray with midnight. The Harbor was not far from his left. His ocean eyes squinted at four catapults, armed with ropes and a giant, wooden spoon. The slings were meant to defend the land against the sea of battleships.

More than twenty bandits ahead of him raced, the fire emblems on their chests dazzling as the bandits roared. A sudden blast thundered to Xing's left. To their right, a whole clan had stumbled - they watched a whirling, red and white spark shoot past them. Many except Xing blasted them in the dancing sparkle smokes.

Glancing to the left, Xing peered one black ship with a giant shield peafowl train banner; one pirate waved, and the black dragon above one-legged bull burst her fiery.

"Go t' Davy Jones' locker ye pointy-eared, poppet!" Xing heard Haidao's shout.

The beam of fire scorched the ship.

The Dragon Warrior circulated his chi dragon among the harbor, surrounding Wugu she and Huoju advanced their defensive flight. Xing rushed over to the three-story building that the catapult lay on the flat roof. The projectile had not loaded, only towered with the sling behind the arm. The wheel-like gear tightened the string, which on its left side you clockwise it to pull the projectile in between the spoon and the arm. The only problem: Two-man work will have to wheel the arm.

The dragons continued to screech even loud Xing felt his heart racing, his paws trembling and clawing the wheel, clockwise. His strength was bold, and so to the thick ropes tightening Xing roared. COME ON! He slightly jerked, motioning his paws after a hard, right turn thrice, and held the wheel shortly when panting heavily. Giving a hard twist, Xing heard Kai's chains rattle. The projectile was half-way after six powerful right turns.

Kai's chains straightened after surrounding Wugu's belly, jerking she even pulled back. The bull refused to let go, his feet grinding the pavement that created two sliding waves; his hooves glimmered with green, and the Maker bellowed. Po, inside his chi dragon, screamed as his avatar hacked its beam toward Wugu's chest. Both Wugu and Huoju cried; the Prince of Darkness tried yanking his sister's fin bones to dodge, and his dark red chi hurled where Kai positioned.

One, last pull, Xing slowly turned. His fingers were quivered, muscles over his arms tensing with heat. Hold. Hold. HOLD! The tiger shook in defeat, and his paws loosened. The wheel yet stayed, for a moment when resting as Xing cooled his harsh breath, he rose and—

"Niu!"

Master Ox's son gave his final anti-clockwise turn. The projectile sounded a click it now locked. "I don't know what you are doing, Xing, but this catapult is useless!" Niu pointed. "Even if you could throw a ball or a big arrow if China had in the next life, you will miss!"

Even though Xing knew it to be true, but his thought had wafted at once glaring at both dragons among the wind. For this loaded catapult, Wugu's forceful whisper obeyed him.

Fly!

"Not useless, buddy!" He vaulted over the side base and sat on the projectile.

"What are you doing?!" Niu puzzled boldly.

The white tiger pointed a long, wooden pole to the wheel's side next to Niu. "Pull that lever, Niu!"

"Are you CRAZY?!" he glared, his red and blue eyes dazzled.

"I'm going up there!"

"That dragon will eat you alive! What are you trying to do?!" Niu spread his arms.

Xing hardly stared at his colleague's crimson and ocean eyes. "Promise me you will look after your father! Promise me!"

"I will! Come out of there!" he waved his hoof out, refusing.

This insane idea made Xing have one thing that Wugu secretly spoke in him that no one but him heard. The look of the black dragon's face equaled the same sadness expression of Wugu before the fire burned her alive inside the house. Her cry, yet again, thundered, including the black dragon which clashed her red fire against Po's beam, as for Huoju hurling more dark flames to Kai on the other side of Harbor.

Xing sighed. "You know I can't." He shook to Master Ox's son. "I am sorry, Niu."

"I won't let you!" he defied with heartbreaking tone.

"I know," Xing nodded with certain defeat. His left paw wagged a dart rope, the point mantling the pole Niu gasped. "But this might." He heaved the lever from the dart.

"NO!"

The projectile launched the white tiger into the air.


Both dragons continued clashing their beam and fire. One simply shattered the chi dragon's muzzle, left with embers; the other seared Wugu's shredded forehead. Huoju's sister excruciatingly roared, wrestling Kai's link of jade chains it yanked over her belly. Empowering the scarlet fire to his right hoof, Huoju oscillated the orbs to Po. Three times he missed, the echo wafted its catapult to the Prince's right.

A dashing figure soared quickly than a giant rock to hurl. Plus, the figure's screech advanced and drew the katana, revealing the blade's gray and ice letters it sang in Huoju's ears. The plunge into Wugu's underbelly staggered him.

Huoju painfully screamed, so did his sister she waved her body to deep wobbles, her claws clenched Kai's links and hauled him into the Harbor. One of Kai's jade blades fell — his weapon and the Maker plunged into the depths he startled his cry.

Xing grasped on the tsuka. The blade had plunged into the black dragon's flesh, revealing brown dust. "XING!" Po screamed. Huoju yanked her bones ahead, and his sister shifted her tail towards Po's dragon, swinging him off limits. PLOW! The Prince of Darkness gyrated his fire sword, engulfing with velvet yellow sparks and electrified the panda, the chi dragon dissipating to fade growl.

"PO!" the white tiger shouted, but Wugu rolled her whole body she inclined her altitude, letting her brother sprang and caught jade links, wrapping the white tiger and his sister together. Fly away above heaven! Huoju commanded his sister. Silence this creature!

His sister obeyed she inclined and flapped her wings to an endless glide, snaking her into the penetrating clouds. Springing off his ride, Huoju glanced back to her and watched his sister soar away, the early dusk engulfing the dragon and the white dragon's fading cry.

The ripples billowed Kai and his neck, his long mane flowing on his shoulders. His hooves tread-watered as he glimpsed both figures falling among the heart of Gongmen City — a fiery red wave slammed Po, the panda surprisingly guarded his staff, reflecting the incoming slam he hurled his back, crashed into various houses.

The bull swam his head, eying at every cloud. The black dragon appeared nowhere within the Maker's power-hungry jade eyes. "WUGU?! WUGU!" the surface submerged Kai's worried yell including him sinking. The chains that attached around his green belt waist including his single blade with chains he grasped, dragged him; his green cape and mane afloat. He swayed his knife — a cling impact somewhere to the edgy harbor side straightened the link, and Kai hauled his chains, springing himself out of the harbor depths.

Vaulting off the harbor side and staggering to his feet, Kai struck both knees he safely towered his hoof on the shredded terrain, gasping. The whole body was saturated — he crawled and mauled the pavement debris. The shouts thundered farther away. He heard the clings and surrounding fires. Po's agony let Kai rise his feet and began running with his only jade knife. "WUGU!"


A Moment Earlier

The Dragon Warrior grunted, coughed, and quivered his head. His badass white and black robe marked with tears from the severe impact he swept from land to land, penetrated house to house. His cape was indeed shredded from his waist. His hat made a dent to his front. Lurching his knees to rise, Po glanced side to side as he checked the dying yellow and orange horizon. No sign of the black dragon. A soft roar came from the south, hearing the nostalgia voice as the tree grew its peach.

It was his mother's.

"Mom?"

Po's voice cracked to a thousand pieces he followed. The panda raced into the collateral roads where he fell. The wind carried his mother's tone in front of his natural green eyes. He ran. Ran. And her cry stopped as Po turned to the southern road. The hateful, ruby eyes of the warlord appeared.

You wondered how your mother was living in the melting ice. Your blood has absorbed with Oogway's chi, manifesting your memories. Bend the knee, and I resurrect the corpse of your mother, son of Li Shan.

Po winced. His paws whirled a jade staff, over the top, and hurled his beaming gale of chi toward him as he roared. An angry light struck the Prince's front body; Huoju guarded his flaming sword against the chi, forcefully strolling forward. Each step about one foot from the mad Ox, the Dragon Warrior's light hollered the bear's mother's sob. The panda's real name, and even hushing from the mother gave Po a little swirl, letting his staff divert both light and darkness to the left.

The mad Ox made his first move. Huoju sprang with his flaming sword forward, and Po held his stick high against the heat. Both jade and sword clanged to sides, one did encounter Huoju's blade it nearly slit the bear's belly, and the other landed the bovine's right cheek with fatal clout, empowered with Po's chi stun.

The panda's stun did not quiver Huoju's head.

Huoju slowly glared at the panda after he pressured his bruised cheek, giving a feral grin. He thumped his flaming sword with one hoof, and Po's staff deflected sharp lashes. The Prince of Darkness gained on Po — the panda receded when guarding most of the flames buffeting him. One hammered the panda's staff to the right, and Huoju's left foot launched his red velvet light, booting Po.

Sliding his feet to the pavement, Po staggered his fighting balance as if both arms spread. The mad Ox shouted in ancient mandarin language, scowling he lifted his sword, and plunged the road. The line of inferno advanced toward Po, embers and twirling flames roared. "OH, TENDERS!"

Po pinned his staff it stopped the flames; the inferno splashed its roaring hiss it towered. Black smoke puffed — the panda dissipated it toward the side he spun his yin-yang staff. As he did, Huoju loomed out to Po's right the Prince yelled and threw a superman punch to the bear's muzzle. PLOW!

The Dragon Warrior screamed. He hurled and crashed into a long road. Many flips and rolls made Po scratch his fur, including black and white uniform around him. His feet and arms wobbled, his conical hat falling to the side. Panting with forceful, harsh breath, the panda pressured his muzzle that popped his red stream from his nostrils.

The panda's cape-tie locked Po's throat, smothering him. His back yanked and towered when kneeling and choking. Huoju clenched the neck of Po's cape he hardly pulled. Po's staff was ahead of the panda and stretched his left paw. The pole was not far! One last reach!

The grind flickered Huoju's left ear. Somewhere, the grinding from a couple of blocks down to the side followed close. Prince Huoju clenched the cape, hurling the panda, and Po wrecked into both brown columns. Engulfing the air and rasping, Po coughed and crawled to the front street.

"HAAAA!"

The bull warlord jumped over the roofs and threw his one knife at the Prince. Huoju sidestepped and swirled his flaming sword, releasing a curving inferno toward the bull.

Kai yelped and dodged the incoming projectile as he safely rolled to the brown, polished tiles.

He jumped onto the poor road and countered Huoju's sidetrack to his right. Kai sidestepped back — the mad Ox swung with a roar, and the Maker threw his chains to him. The links encircled Huoju's right wrist, disarming the sword the bull swayed the strings to his left. As the Collector did, he quickly dragged and revolved his blade to his wrist guard, and charged toward Huoju.

Struggling his forearms on the pavement, Po softly grunted, visions quivering and light fading as he heard both warlords wrestle ahead of him. Huoju indefinitely elbowed Kai's left forearm — the Collector kept slashing to the top, to the left, right, and uppercut, seeming to roar. The Prince trapped Kai's right arm, and heaved, slamming the bull toward the ground.

Giving a low to a loud growl, Huoju hurtled his fist to Kai — the bull dodged, and the slam cracked a small dint, shredded to solid pieces of the pavement. The mad Ox knelt his left arm where Kai wielded his jade knife, preventing the next mobile defense. Huoju's left hoof dazzled shady, dying yellow sparks, locked Kai's bold throat.

The weight from Huoju was unmistakable, and heavier you could not escape when having difficult of the submission lock. This lock was no submission. Kai suffocated, his throat seeming to crush vocals and strong connection in front of his chest.

A familiar roar in front of Huoju advanced; Po released his small beam of chi directly to Huoju's head. Stunning with a quiver, Huoju drew back — the panda backflipped above two warlords, snatching the mad Ox's red cape. He jerked and hurled Huoju. Spinning the yin-yang staff, Po buffeted the Ox's neck — Huoju's eyes dazzled to a bright red and his arms crossed, deflecting the angry light. The pole seemed to shred with small, glassy cracks.

Po gasped. No!

Huoju balancing his stance was a rapid success. He twirled his feet and trust against Po's ankles, flying him off guard. Upon the mid-air to Po, Huoju dragged his head down, and his iron horns headbutted the panda's belly. A mighty blow, Po cried and rolled back to the street next to the struggling bull who coughed.

When will they ever learn to surrender? How unfortunate.

Huoju gave a nasty grin, grasping the flaming sword he sauntered. To his psychopath visions, he loved tormenting any who refused to submit or dared to oppose the Prince of Darkness. It was bittersweet watch Huoju's ideal as an abusive Prince.

Huoju flipped his sword and lifted, watching both Po and Kai knee the pavement as one fell but towered his forearm, clenching his jade knife. The other gestured his paw toward Huoju, trying to raise his left knee.

Suddenly, the wind screeched, something clang and the blade cried above him. It was Kai's second blade with splintered chains, crashed in between the panda and the bull which both flabbergasted.

A silent look of shock to Huoju heaved his chest forward he gasped. In between his chest, brown dust of pale katana sword plunged him.


Author's Note:

A short chapter it is!

I quite imagine not everyone could hold tears after Soothsayer's death, her soul lives on where Oogway and everyone within the Spirit Realm. Even in death, her fate remains in peace.

For this Davy Jones locker part, the shout always reminds me of Scottish actor Billy Connolly. His voice fits my one-legged pirate character, would you agree?

Updating Master Ox's son Niu, I give his eyes Heterochromia iridium. Right blue eye dazzled with his samurai mother's heaven eyes and left red eye matched his father's.

So as anyone been wondering about the black dragon, Wugu's soul had remained after transported from her original body to an enormous slithering creature Huoju created to resurrect her, parts with hate and fire-hunger. Wugu was the only voice she could give thoughts in Xing, formerly the last wielder who grasped Heaven's Wrath; Kai could only hear the katana, but my boy Xing will bear the witnesses to contemplate not only her but other wielders.

We are moving on to the next!