Oh my god this took forever! A few rewrites happened and I was going to post this yesterday but I got caught up with errands. And spent some time rewriting again. Planning the battles took forever too, I love writing out battles but man, it's like writing a choreography no one would watch lol. But here it is, the final battle! No fun facts for this ones, there's a lot so we're just gonna jump right in. Grab some snacks and drinks and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 19: The Battle to Save Two Realms
The dragon brothers could hear so much from the outside. Ao Guang heard screaming from his captive and feel his chi slipping away every time the golden monkey summon their power. Then it got quiet, the calm voices were too muffled to hear. No sign of the signal.
The older dragon frowned.
"When are they going to give us the signal?"
"It should be soon," said Ao Qin, "We just have to wait."
"I hope they are alright, it's been quiet for a while," commented Ao Run hovering next to Ao Guang.
Ao Shun flew over to his brother with a grin.
"Brother, how about we practice a banter one more time," the youngest dragon smiled.
Ao Run and Ao Qin held their snouts trying not to snicker. The brothers have been thinking over clever insults that could stir up a powerful headache. Ao Guang glared at the young dragon, his dark blue mane and whiskers, and tail twitched annoyed. But shockingly he doesn't say anything and goes back to glance up at the endless sky.
The three dragons blinked and looked at each other. Their eldest brother would always get riled up, even by simple words like temper tantrum. Ao Shun flew closer getting a closer look at Ao Guang, he could see he was lost in thoughts, completely out of character.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Ao Guang only gave a small grunt, thinking about someone.
"I swear I heard her voice," he finally spoke up, "I don't know if she alright. She may not be after what I said."
The brothers know he was talking about their last meeting. It would seem it was still bothering him. Ao Qin put his claw on the back of his brother's neck, he beam at him when the oldest turned to face him.
"She will forgive you Ao Guang."
The king of Spring furrowed his brows, something he never does. He always expects Nuwa to forgive their many antics, but after saying some hurtful words, he was feeling doubtful. He still remembered the look on her face, he saw how she trying to hide those tears. In all his years of losing his temper, he had never felt this guilty since the first destruction of the realms.
"But, what if she doesn't-"
"She will," Ao Qin, "She loves us, you know this. You never doubted her before so why now?"
Ao Guang's chest rumbled as he let out a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. He glanced up to meet his brother's eyes, filled with love and support. Finding his voice again he tried to explain.
"I don't feel any doubt at all, it's just-"
Then there was a sound.
"What was that?" Ao Shun looked up.
The rest of the brothers also looked up as they can hear a yell. After a couple of muffled noises, they then hear a familiar voice.
"Wait is that…?" Ao Run questioned.
They hear the voice again this much louder and clearer.
"Don't have a temper tantrum Tiān Cháo!"
All the eyes of the dragon brothers lit up with hope.
"It is Nuwa! That's the signal!"
Ao Guang for the first time felt lighter as his mane levitated, feeling his power raise up. He turned to his brothers who have already had their powers ready to be summoned. He turned to his youngest brother who eyed him with amusement. He let a small but low chuckle.
"Alright, you first Ao Shun."
The ebony dragon grinned even wider as snow and clouds appeared above him.
"Hey brother, my snow storms are better than your wind storms!"
Ao Shun crates a few snowballs and throws them to his oldest brother who was more amused rather than furious.
"How dare you mock my powers!" he bellowed pretending to be angry, "I am the king of Spring and my powers are far better than your storms."
"Come now, let's not start a ruckus, my siblings," said Ao Run as flames appeared in his paws.
"You three stop right now!" cried Ao Qin, summoning his own plants to throw.
The dragon brothers use their chi to cause a big storm. Every cloud sparked with wind, snow, thunder, and fire. They were having some fun with their made-up banter as they fly under and over each other, making more chaos. Even Ao Guang was snickering and having fun with his brothers. He would never admit it, it was a nice tiny change in their dynamic.
They were sure this will be enough to stir some form of a headache. The brothers started to hear yelling from the outside and what sounded like a roar. Then a bright light appeared making them stop.
They all looked up as the light grew brighter.
"Wow that was fast," said Ao Run, "We're gonna be free!"
The dragon brothers covered their faces and before they could say anything else, the light was gone. Opening their eyes they saw that nothing much has changed. The golden sky still surrounds them.
"Wait what happened?" Ao Shun looked around confused.
Ao Guang also looked around and his eyes widened, feeling all of his hopes and his chi die out in the pit of his stomach.
"No…"
His brothers heard him and turned to where he was staring at.
Ao Guang rushed forward to the center and carefully looked at the goddess in front of him. She floated there with her long head down, her mane covering her face.
"Nuwa?"
The golden dragon refused to acknowledge his presence.
Carefully the oldest dragon approached her and softly lift her head with his claw. When she finally looked up, he saw how glassy her eyes were.
"…I'm sorry…" she barely spoke.
Ao Guang looked at her, with no hint of anger, only dread.
"Nuwa., what happened?"
A few minutes earlier
Tigress let out her roar and then jumped in the air, twisting her body to double-kick Hema and Gang in their faces. The twins quickly charged in to fight but Tigress grabs them and throws them to the other fallen followers.
"N-no!" Tiān Cháo struggled to break free from the goddess's grasp.
Not taking any chances, Nuwa decided to fly up even higher, she breaks through the roof of the temple. Pieces of wood beams and tiles fell from the ceiling, and strains of light peaked through and lit up the room. As she flew further away, Po could feel the vines loosen, enough to finally break free.
He moved his arms and pulled off the vines, taking all of the thorns stuck to his skin. He was bleeding from his wounds but that didn't stop him from moving to Ah-ma and freeing her. Tigress did the same, cutting the vines and freeing Míng Na. She put her arm over her shoulder as the Siamese cat was too weak to stand on her own.
Po and Ah-ma looked over Míng Na. They could see her bruised injuries and droplets of blood dripping from her mouth. Ah-ma was beyond concerned about the master's condition.
"We need to lie her down somewhere," she said.
The three of them then heard groans from the followers and saw they were getting up. Po also looked up seeing Nuwa was holding tight to the golden monkey.
"Take her somewhere safe, I'll hold them off," Po exclaimed.
"Po you're injured too."
"I'll be fine Tigress. Get them out of here."
Although she didn't want to leave him behind, there was no time for discussion. She leads the two old ladies out, and in a quick second, she grabs the jade staff and throws it at the panda who caught it with no problem.
Po ready himself to fight with the four followers. Hema got up and glared at the panda, he charged at him but Po was quicker.
He crouches down and swiftly uses his staff to trip the hippo. Po then see Gang flying his way and blocked his attack with his arms. Only the sleeves of his robe got cut. Then the fox twins jumped in to land a kick at his face but Po swings his staff, feeling his chi within him, and the staff shot energy at them. The twins land back on the ground with a loud thud.
Finally, he was able to have his staff listen to him.
The four then surround the panda, challenging him with glares.
Meanwhile, everyone downstairs in the basement hear the roar, it was time for action.
"That's the roar," Lán lǜ declared, "Master Pangolin, take the villagers and disarm any unused traps. My parents and I will go with Master Shifu's group to find the others."
"We're on it!"
Master Pangolin goes up to the doors, pushing them wide open with the villagers behind him. They cheered out letting their present knowledge and they were ready to take their home back. As marched their way upstairs and disappeared, Lán lǜ and her parents go with Master Shifu's group of warriors.
The group found their way to the center of the temple. The masters, the pandas, Lang and Shen followed the royal family down the hallways. Lán lǜ lead the way, going down the different hallways until they reach an open room where she spotted movement. She stopped to see Tigress and Ah-ma laying down Míng Na on the bed. She also saw the stains of blood.
"Grandma!" Lán lǜ cried, rushing into the room.
Lord Mao and Lady Nuo also walked in shocked to see the state Míng Na was in. Tigress and Ah-ma moved out of the way letting the family reunited. Lord Mao was almost in tears, reaching to his mother with a shaky paw.
"Oh gods mom…" he mumbled, "Mom wake up."
Míng Na did wake up to find her family staring down at her. With the last strength in her broken body, she smiled. She breathes in and out every so lightly.
"M…my son…you have returned…" her rusty voice was pained as she spoke.
She turned to her granddaughter who was trying to keep herself from having a breakdown. Míng Na reached for her and Lán lǜ took her hand.
"G-grandma, I…" the poor kitten didn't know what to say. Her lip trembled to look her grandmother in the eyes.
"I…knew you were ready…" Míng Na coughed, the smile never leaving her face.
The kitten looked at her in admiration and shock as she allowed the tears to fall. Her parents huddled close to her, speaking their prayers for the fallen cat.
The masters, Mei-Mei and Mr. Ping step in and quickly rushed over to Tigress while Li Shan stood behind. He glanced to his side and noticed the wolf and the peacock were walking over to an elderly goat. He saw how she smiled at them like they were her sons.
Shen walked closer and stared at her for what felt like a long time before moving in and hugging her. Both Li Shan and Lang were surprised but not Ah-ma.
She felt his wings wrapping around her and his long neck resting on her shoulder, feeling his body shiver almost in fear. She gently hugged him back, leaning her head on his chest, which made him hold her tightly.
"I'm alright," she whispered for him to hear.
"I'm sorry," Shen told her eyes closed, "I should have been better."
"You already are," she said as she moved back to look at him.
Shen knew was this meant and lowered himself, Ah-ma cupped his head with her hooves.
"Don't apologize. I'm your Nana."
Shen just stared at her. He had never done this in a long time, not since he was a kid. He nodded and lean his forehead to hers. He then felt Lang joining in, hugging both of them.
Li Shan stared at the trio stunned. He never thought the two of them had someone to be close to them, someone who seem to love them very much. They almost remind him how Mr. Ping and he hugs their son. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel and he looked away. He walked over to the master and approached Tigress.
"Where's Po?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Nuwa was held tight onto Tiān Cháo. The golden monkey had tried to escape but nothing worked, her arms were pressed against her sides. She growled looking directly at the dragon.
"Let me go!" Tiān Cháo screamed.
But Nuwa wasn't looking at her, she was looking at jade stones instead. She wasn't going to waste time, she was going to get her friends back. She back to the monkey and gave her a smug.
"Don't have a temper tantrum Tiān Cháo!"
Tiān Cháo stopped moving and give her a confused look.
"What?"
Then suddenly her necklaces started to glow and she felt a small headache. She grunt in frustration as a strange force pounded her head.
Nuwa smiled seeing the plan was working. Her friends have heard her, they were fighting back.
But then a noise rang and shook the earth causing the dragon to look for the source. She looked up and saw a sight she hasn't seen for centuries. The sky was cracking, she could feel the energy of nature dying faster, and she could see the realm of her home peeking through the clouds. The giant orb the Spirit Realm was approaching the Mortal Realm and it wasn't slowing down. Nuwa couldn't look away as she started to remember what happened next. The image of the first beings pop into her head, and hearing their screams always haunted her.
Suddenly she felt pressure on her body and looked back to Tiān Cháo who managed to free her arms, burning and biting down on her, ignoring her headache. The teeth were not enough to break her scales but it did make her gasp in pain. Her body loosens enough for Tiān Cháo to jump over to her face and use ice to freeze her eyes.
Nuwa couldn't see and let out a roar. She tried to get the monkey off her face but she feel her climbing up to her head and grabbing hold of her horns, guiding and jerking them downward.
Back in the temple, Po has been fighting Hema, Gang, and the twins for a while, using some of his chi to fight back. Despite sweating and being tired he kept his guard up as he was being circled. He held his staff close, ready to hit any of them with his chi. His ears twitched when he heard something, he wasn't the only one. Everyone looked up in time to see Nuwa coming down.
They all moved out of the way as the dragon crashed what was left of the roof, wood, and roof tiles falling. A large dust cloud rained on them. Po coughed and squinted his eyes trying to see what happened. There was a low moan that shook the ground. He moves closer and sees a bright green light ahead of him. Moving his arms to shoo away the dust he can finally Nuwa laying on the ground, her body half-green.
Po knew what was happening and spotted Tiān Cháo absorbing her chi.
"Nuwa!" he shouted running towards her but it was too late.
In a blink of an eye, the goddess dragon was no longer there, only a tiny jade stone and the golden monkey grabs it.
Angered, Po charged right at Tiān Cháo with a yell but she already saw it coming. She had no time to fight him. She leaps up and lands on top of him. The panda tried to use his staff to hit her but she grab it and pushed it down on his throat. Tiān Cháo leaps behind his head while holding the staff putting pressure on him. Po was struggling to breathe and tried to pull away.
Tiān Cháo rammed him into a pillar, she breathed heavily as she was slowly giving in to her animal instincts. Without even a second thought she did the unthinkable, she sunk her teeth into the side of his neck.
Everything around Po and even time itself had stopped. He started to gag, feeling the punctures on his neck, his own blood spilled out as she bit deeper. He felt his blood stain his clothes, even feeling his nerves turn cold. She let go of him as he quickly falls to his knees, the jade staff hits the ground with a thud.
The followers didn't filch from the sight but it did send shivers down their spine. All five of them watch Po fall to the floor as he was trying to heal his wound, but he had no chi left. He was extremely tired, he tried to steady his breathing as he glares at his enemies, mostly at Tiān Cháo.
It was hard for him to believe that the monkey all this time was a ghost of a child, a very broken angry child. She stared back at him with an insane blaze in her eyes. Without saying anything she holds up the jade stone containing the goddess Nuwa, almost like she was mocking him. The craving on the stone glowed, showing a form of a sadly defeated dragon. Tiān Cháo walks away with her followers, leaving the panda to bleed out.
Gang lands on her shoulder to gaze at the stone. "You finally got her."
The golden monkey hummed and smiled down at the gem in her hands, feeling things are finally going the path she wants. There was another earthquake this time much larger and long but she paid no mind. She looked to the sky seeing the worlds are about to collide very soon.
"What is our next move, my lady?" Hema asked.
Tiān Cháo wiped the blood from her mouth.
"Let's deal with the pest before our new world is born," she said.
She and the others followed her as she jumps up to the large hole of the temple, heading out to the village.
Po put his paw on his wound as he prompted his back on the pillar. He heard something coming into the room and shut his eyes tight, knowing his friends are coming. He could hear the fallen wood being moved around before opening his eyes and seeing them. Master Shifu, the five, Mei-Mei, including his dads found him in the state he was in.
"Dads?" Po was stunned to see them here.
"PO!" everyone cried.
They all gathered around him, Master Shifu quickly removed his paw looking at the wound.
"Guys, I'm f-fine. I-it's just a little blood…" he breathed out trying to ease their worries.
"A little?!" Crane tried not to raise his voice but he looked at him with disbelief.
"Son you have a giant wound!" Mr. Ping cried shaking.
"That bad?" Po winced.
"Uh yeah, it looks bad!" Mantis pointed out, only to be nudged by Viper who hush him.
Li Shan stared at him anxiously, worried that his son was losing too much of his blood. He grab Po's paw and held on to it tight. Po looked up, seeing the worry in his eyes. He tried to give his father a smile but he was just too tired.
Mei-Mei immediately went to work, helping Master Shifu heal the wound with the medicine she had left.
"Wait, whe-where's, Shen?" Po asked turning to Tigress, not noticing the shocked stare from Li Shan.
"He and Lang are helping Ah-ma heal Master Míng Na," Tigress explained, "What happened Po?"
Po took a long breath before speaking. "She took Nuwa. We-we have to stop her."
"Po you are in no condition to stand right now," Master Shifu speaks firmly. He moved his hand and check the other injuries, using some of the chi to steal them.
"But we have to-"
"It's okay Po we'll get the dragons back," Viper comforted.
"Don't push yourself," Monkey agreed.
The ground underneath them suddenly shook again, causing the walls to crack a little. The vines still by the other pillars started to dry up until they were dried.
Master Shifu was worried as he saw the plan was not going as well as they hoped. He ignored the shake and focused on saving his student continuing to use his chi. He glanced over at Tigress who could see how tired her friend was. She turned to him, staring at her father as if asking for what they should do next. But Master Shifu already knew the answer, he gave his daughter a firm nod, and she understood what that meant.
Tigress put a paw on Po's uninjured arm and gave a small squeeze.
"Stay here and rest, we'll handle this," she ordered and Po gave her a small nod. She stood up and turned to her team who also stood with her.
"Let's go and save our home."
The Furious five took off at lightning speed. They jump to the ruined roof outside while Mei-Mei, Li Shan, and Mr. Ping stayed behind to help Master Shifu.
Master Pangolin and the villagers spend some time knocking down the walls and other structures they were forced to build. They soon stopped when someone shouted for everyone to look up. Everyone could see the sky was chaining to strange bright colors, they could see the sky cracking as the giant orb was coming.
Master Pangolin then spotted her.
Tiān Cháo and her followers land on the ground making their presence known. The villagers glared daggers at her. They held out their weapons, showing they were not afraid of her anymore.
Mater Pangolin then spotted the Furious Five. The masters landed on the ground beside him, ready themselves to fight. Tigress eyed the golden monkey, she saw she had another jade stone in her hand and the stains of blood around her mouth.
"You're gonna pay for hurting our friend," she growled, her claws out and ready.
Tiān Cháo didn't mind her threat. She stared at the ground before a thought emerged in her mind, her smile deepening into something sinister. She close the jade stone tightly and scooped a hand full of dirt. Everyone watches her put her hands together, she summons Nuwa's chi, glowing almost as bright as a star. Her ideal beings form in her mind as the chi started to create; creating a being that will be unstoppable and powerful. She was sure these new beings that take out all of her enemies.
Without warning, she promptly slams her palms deep into the ground. Waves of chi spread through the ground, cracking and breaking the land.
The villagers and the masters were confused, not understanding what the strange power was unleashed. It didn't take long for their question to be answered. The ground shook with a glowing light as the cracks grew and opened. Coming out from the ground were terrifying creatures.
They looked nothing like living animals, only the ideal of animals with incomplete skeletal shapes poking out. Their bodies are made of clay from the dirt with plant vines from the earth itself, holding their parts together. Their eyes smoked and glowed bright like a burning candle, glaring at their targets. They rose out, the creature made themselves look taller and more threatening.
Tiān Cháo was pleased with her creations, not perfect but it was still her very own army.
The masters and the villagers didn't know what to make of what they were seeing, they have never seen such power like this. But Tigress was not afraid, she took a step forward showing everyone she was not going anywhere. This example was enough to give the villagers courage to stand their ground and fight for their homes.
Tiān Cháo then pointed right at her enemies, screaming at her creations.
"Kill them!"
The creatures roared, sounding nothing like actual people. Hema and the fox twins join in while Gang stayed by his leader.
The masters and the villages also yelled out, charging into battle.
Master Pangolin rolled himself into a ball and zoomed into battle, knocking down the twisted creatures. He was surprised to see how easily these beings are breakable, but it didn't last as he saw they put themselves back together. Even more, were coming out from the ground he noticed. They charged at him but he use his claws to jab at them, cutting them down piece by piece. Master Pangolin spin around using his tail to knock them off their feet. One creature got close enough to try and hit but the master blocked it with his arm and use a jab punch and an uppercut.
There was a cry and Master Pangolin turned to see one villager had fallen and was about to get stomped. He jumped and rolled to the creature, getting there just in time before the thing noticed him. He unrolled himself and whip the creature away, its limbs falling off.
Monkey, Viper, and Mantis have been helping the villagers take some of the creatures.
Monkey runs around the area on all fours. The twisted beings tried to land a hit on him but he was too fast. He did a low spinning heel when a few got too close to him. One creature tried to take hold of his arms but Monkey pushed back. He grab the arms and thrust his legs to knock the creature down, it falls apart as it hit the ground but slowly pulled itself back together. It use its long arm and quickly grab the monkey by the tail but the master kicked its head and was able to get away.
Viper and Mantis have been all different strike techniques, seeing if any of them stop the being from being mobile.
Viper made her way up to three creatures and wrapped them up using her body. She squeezed them in half and moved to tackle another one. She slithered upwards when one creature tried to grab her. She moved her body around the arm and snapped it off and use her tail to fling the being up, jump in the air, and slammed it down.
"Take that!" she cried.
A few villagers attack the creatures with their weapons, trying very hard not to get hit or killed. Some backed away when it became too much, they were thankful for the master being there to help them. They were not strong fighters but they were doing their damn hardest to get their homes back.
There was a hog that spotted Hema coming at him with an ax. He thought he could fight him off, but his spear was no match and after a few strikes of blocking the ax, his spear snapped in two. Hema kicked the hog and was about to kill him but the hippo found himself being tackled down by Master Mantis.
Mantis moved with incredible speed striking every nerve of the hippopotamus, only to see it didn't stun him at all.
"You know I'm not alive right?" Hema asked deadpan.
"Well, it's a good thing I can do this!"
Mantis moved in speed once again, taking the hippo by the ear and throwing him to the ground, the ax flying somewhere else. Mantis suddenly felt like being kicked away and looked to see the twins.
The foxes soared in the air together, but Mantis was too quick for them. They try to attack again but then Crane swooped and grab them by the collar of their robes. He throws the twins right at Hema, landing on his stomach.
"Thanks, bud!" Mantis called out.
"Don't thank me yet," Crane hollered in return, "There's more coming."
One creature throws its arm and caught Crane by his leg, pulling him down to the ground. He quickly uses a back kick to free himself only to charge by more of them. Crane raised his wings and his leg, as the twisted beings got closer, he spin around using a roundhouse kick to knock them down. He also used his wings to fly and maneuver around them, using the wind to trip the creature off their feet.
Crane then flew over to his friends who were being surrounded by the creatures, and use his wings to blow them away.
"There too many of them," said Monkey knocking down one of them with a kick.
"And they keep coming back," said one villager managing to push away the creatures.
Master Pangolin saw Hema and the twins getting up and heading toward them.
"Don't give up everyone," he encourages them, "And stand together!"
Master Pangolin then charges at Hema. The hippo swing his ax but the master blocked it and slice his hands, kicking the weapon away.
While the battle kept going Tigress was focused on someone more important. Her fight with Tiān Cháo and Gang had been long but she was not even breaking a sweat yet.
She throws a few punches but Tiān Cháo keeps blocking them except for the last one as it the punch hit her square in the face. Tigress took the opportunity to raise her knee and hit the golden monkey in the chest and raise her foot to kick her in the face again.
Tiān Cháo growled and leap forward and starched the female tiger, causing her to yelp and back up. She attack again this time using her feet to push Tigress further and using the god's chi, she hit the ground. A pillar pops up and sends the master flying.
But Tigress recovered fast and landed on the ground safely. She was about to attack Tiān Cháo again but had to stop and Gang zoomed past. He changed direction and use his talons to cut her arms, making her bleed. He made another loop de loop and charged at her again, Tigress was faster and threw dirt to blind him.
"Gah! damn!" Gang cursed, stopping in mid-flight only crushed to the ground.
Tigress picked him up and hurled him at one of the creatures with a strong kick. Now she can focus on Tiān Cháo.
Tiān Cháo saw her friend get thrown away and slammed the ground again, summoning a new being to deal with the master. The creatures charged toward Tigress but she didn't waste any time. One by one she uses palm strikes and front kicks to knock them all down. One creature that was twice her size of her used its arms to try and push her down, but she held on with her strength. Tigress grunted as she struggled to push the arms away. Once she found an opening she showed no mercy, she pushed the creature away which gave her enough time to grab its shoulders tightly with her claws out and pulled it apart with a loud roar.
Tigress twisted her body to throw the parts of the being at Tiān Cháo. The golden monkey did a backflip to avoid being hit but she met the tiger's face once she landed. She found herself being thrown to the ground, her arms held up as Tigress try to take Nuwa out of her palm. Tiān Cháo refuses to let go as she snarls, failing to bite her face off.
"You'll never get her back," she growls as she uses her free hand to clutch on Tigress's paw, heats stinging her fur.
Tigress gasped but ignored the pain as she stares at the monkey dead in the face hissed out. "Don't have a…temper tantrum!"
"Ao Guang I'm so sorry, I'm sorry my friends. I wasn't strong enough and I didn't it coming and I…" Nuwa has been profusely apologizing to the dragon brothers for a while, trying very hard not to cry.
It had been going long enough that Ao Guang stopped her. He looked at her, still calm and still showing no signs of being angry.
"It's okay," he said softly, "It's not your fault, it never was."
He paused as Nuwa calmed down, seeing her friend meant those words. She had never seen Ao Guang like this before. Before he can continue there was a voice loud enough for all of the dragons to hear.
"Don't have a…temper tantrum!"
"Who is that?" Ao Shun asked confused.
Nuwa's ears perked up, knowing the voice. "It's Tigress!"
Realizing what this meant, Ao Guang turned back to Nuwa, looking at her orange eyes.
"Let's try again, together this time."
Nuwa was surprised by his demeanor, she glanced at the brothers who just gave her soft nods. She glanced back at the king of Spring and gave him a serious smile.
"Let's start a storm," she stated, "And don't stop until Tiān Cháo gets tried."
The dragon brothers agreed and summoned their powers.
"We came up with some creative insults while you were gone," Ao Qin comment while flying with his brothers.
Nuwa raised a brow already curiously but saw Ao Guang roll his eyes like he always does.
"It was Ao Shun's idea," he mumbled knowing Nuwa was going to tell him he was lying.
But the goddess didn't say a word, only continued smiling.
"What the hell are you saying?!," Tiān Cháo growled, "Why is everyone saying-"
The jade stone around her neck and the one she was holding glow. Tigress smirked and stared at the golden monkey.
"Because you're about to have one."
Tiān Cháo suddenly felt her head in pain. She kicked Tigress off her and grabbed her head, she didn't know what was happening but she knew had to keep together. She held stones tightly as she use her chi to quiet them down.
"Grrah-Stop!" she ordered, "You can't escape!"
She tried to ignore it but her head was pounding very painfully. Despite what was happening she tried to focus on fighting Tigress but was hard to do. She saw the female tiger charging, and she found it harder to block her strikes.
Back at the temple, Ah-ma manages to stop Míng Na's bleeding. The Siamese cat was breathing peacefully but she was not out of the woods yet. Her family stayed by her, her granddaughter still holding her hand.
"She's stable, for now," said Ah-ma,
"She will make it through this right?" asked Lady Nuo.
However, the soothsayer only frowns, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.
"It's too soon to say. We will need to wait and see how she will recover," she spoke truthfully.
This only made the family worried more and turned back to Míng Na, still breathing but her eyes were barely open. Lord Mao and Lady Nuo stayed closer to her while Lán lǜ buried her face in the bed. The little kitten tried not to cry again, but her heart felt so heavy with misery. She felt something soft touch her shoulder. She thought it was her mother but she turned around to see a peacock comforting her.
Shen showed sympathy to the kitten gently rubbing her shoulder. She doesn't say but she gave a small smile in return.
There was another earthquake but it only lasted for a few seconds. Everyone looked around when everything was still, having no idea what was going on outside.
"Maybe we should check if the others are okay," said Lang.
Shen didn't want to leave, especially Ah-ma, not feeling comfortable leaving her again. The goat walk over to him and patted his other wing.
"Go on, your friends need you," she assured, "I'll be safe with them."
Shen stood still for a moment before deciding to go with Lang. He turned to the kitten, looking right at her mix colored eyes.
"Whatever happens be brave," he encouraged her, "And help my nana take care of your grandmother as best as you can."
Lán lǜ nodded feeling some hope returning to her heart after hearing those words. Her parents gave the peacock an approval gaze.
"Thank you," Lady Nuo whispered.
The peacock and wolf left to go and find the others, they run down the hall and found the throne room which was now in ruins. They spotted only the pandas, the duck, and Master Shifu but She mainly focus on Po.
His eyes widened when he saw the young panda on the floor, with stains of blood.
"Po?!" he gasped loud enough for everyone to hear. He quickly walked over to them with Lang following behind.
"What happened?"
"That stupid monkey girl bit him," Mei-Mei replied, "But we stopped the bleeding."
"Po had strained himself. I've given him enough chi for his wound but I don't think he's getting up soon," said Master Shifu while holding on to his staff and Po's.
"Guys really I'm fine," Po insisted grunting, "It's not that bad."
"Yes it is," Mr. Ping corrected him, "You need to rest before you go back out there ."
The peacock's crest twitched, seeing the panda looking completely drained. He wants to get closer but knows Li Shan will not allow that. Shen can already sense daggers eyeing him, and he will have to respect that.
But then Po saw him and gave his iconic grin, despite being so tired. When he noticed both the peacock and the wolf were not looking at him, his brow furrowed, and frowned. He glanced over to his dads and saw Li Shan glaring at them and understood why. Sitting up with a few aches, Po reach out for Li Shan and touched his paw, making him turn to his son.
"Dad," he stared before taking a breath, "It's okay, let them come."
Li Shan stared at him although he wasn't really that surprised. The urge to protect his son was still there, still afraid to let the past repeat itself. The older panda was silently pleading with his son, pulling his hand in a tight grip.
"But…son I…," Li Shan didn't know what he should do as if he was looking for some reason not to let his guard down.
"They won't hurt us I promise," Po said with more confidence.
Mei-Mei also agreed. "Li, I know it still hurts but you have to trust them."
Li Shan glanced both at the pandas and glanced down at Mr. Ping. The old duck gave him the warmest smile he can muster to him, nodding and gesturing him to step back a little. They both did, allowing the peacock and the wolf to come closer, but his eyes still lingered on them.
Land stood beside Me-Mei, but Shen was more careful, he moved his train so it wouldn't hit anyone. He crouched down in front of Po, where he could see the bite mark clearer. His breath hitched seeing how bad and deep the wound was and wondered how did this panda survive. He shouldn't be too surprised; this was Po after all, and he couldn't help but stare at him annoyingly.
"Hey, buddy…" Po beamed at him, "How do I look?"
"A mess," Shen stated unamused, "I told you, you will weaken yourself…"
Po chuckled. " Hey cut me some slack, the world is ending."
"You could have died!" the peacock retaliated.
Po sat up and started resting his back closer on the pillar, leaning his head back.
"Yeah, I know…," the panda admitted, "But you're here now, like how I was there for you when you were dying."
Despite being furious with him, Shen tried to bite back a smile and Po smiled in return. Li Shan couldn't believe what he was seeing as the two talked. He never thought about how these two would talk to each other. It was like they were long times friends who care about their will begins.
After seeing his dad react to Shen like that Po couldn't help but ask what happened.
"So you guys now met," he slowly pointed out, "Sorry I wasn't there to-"
"It's alright Po, we um…talked," Li Shan stammered, "But, I can't forgive him. I'm sorry, I know that's not what you want."
Po nodded but didn't feel any disappointment. He knew in his heart that convicting his father wasn't going to be easy, but he was glad to see how well he was handling the situation on his own.
"No dad don't be. I get it," Po insisted and glanced up at him, "Just as long you guys aren't killing each other ."
It made him feel good that he could still lighten up the mood a little and make his family smile. But the happy moment was short-lived as another earth-shattering sound vibrated their surroundings. Po stared up to the sky, shocked to see the Spirit Realm was inching closer to their realm. The other looked up as well with fear, fearing what was going to happen next. It was like they were witnessing the end of the world. But Po did not expect that, he stood up with all of his might with his legs shaking.
His dads and Master Shifu stopped him.
"Po don't!" ordered Master Shifu, "You're still drained."
"I have to stop this. I have to help them," Po grunted as he tried to take his stuff back from his teacher, "The worlds are gonna coiled and I'm just sitting here."
Li Shan rested his paws on the panda's shoulders, "Son he's right. You don't even have enough chi to fight."
It was at that moment Po was struck with an idea, remembering his time in the Spirit Realm.
"That's it!" cried Po, "I need more chi!"
Shen raised a brow, "For what? To fight Tiān Cháo?"
"No to turn into a dragon!"
Everyone gave the panda odd and confused stares, even Lang did not understand.
"Okay he's lost me…" said Lang.
"Sorry, I mean I need chi to block the Spirit Realm," Po explained, "You guys gave me chi that was enough to form a dragon and beat Kai. And Nuwa stops the realms from colliding by using her chi."
Lang's ears twitched trying to understand, using his hands to point up and back down, "So you're saying you wanna fly up to the sky to stop that thing from crashing down on us?"
"Yup!"
"That's right, you did fly before," Mr. Ping remembered.
Po beamed, "New plan, I'm gonna try to give us time while Shen gets the dragons back from Tiān Cháo."
"Wha-wait me?" the peacock exclaimed almost wanting to laugh.
"Yeah and use your chi to free them."
Shen wanted to roll his eyes at how ridiculous it all sounded but he was more concerned about the fact Po is entrusting him to have a task like that. He has no weapon and his last battle with the golden monkey ended with poor results.
"Po," he tried to convince, "I am no master of chi."
"Yes you are," Po excitedly declared, "You help me free Nuwa with just one touch, you have it in you Shen. You just gotta believe you do."
Master Shifu looked proudly at Po, hearing the words of his old master echo through the young panda. There were no words to describe it but only amazed as Li Shan was amazed at how much trust his son was putting on this man. Po really saw something in him that he can't seem to see but he still trusts his judgment.
Although Shen did want to believe, he still can't help but think about the end. If none of this works, then that was it. He wasn't even sure what the ending will look like when the world was entwined. But stared back at Po, who gave him a positive gaze, as if he was reading his thought and telling to not think about it. With a deep breath, he nodded, "Alright."
Po takes his jade staff and held it in the center and closed his eyes. Mei-Mei went over to Lang and Shen to show them how to hold their arms while Li Shan Mr. Ping and Master Shifu prepare themselves. They all surround Po, their eyes closed and their hands out to give out chi.
Po takes his staff and whimpers to it to help them. Shen was quiet and silently praying that this will work. He focus and went into a state in his mind, just like how he found his inner peace. He let his muscles loose and focus hard on wanting to save his home, and the thought of Ah-ma, Lang, and Po enter his mind. Everyone stayed still as their hands started to glow, their chi flowing within them.
Ever so slightly Po raised his staff as he could sense his family's chi come to him. He felt his body healing and energizing through his veins. While in a state of tranquility, he moved his arms in a circular motion. Everything around felt brighter, as he moves the chi and gives it a form, like a painter painting his masterpiece. Po opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by gold lines and a grin.
The others also open their eyes to whines about this new power from Po. Shen was stunned by the dragon's form. Po could feel his feet hovering off from the floor, he turned to his friends and gives a quick wink before flying off to the sky.
As Po got closer he could feel a different aroura leaking out from the sky as the Spirit Realm draws closer. He didn't waste any time, he pointed his staff and send a good amount of chi to tackle the cracks. They evaporate quickly but that did not stop newer cracks to make themselves known. Po kept at it, using his newfound energy and dragon form to stop the cracks.
Everyone in the temple watched and Mei-Mei let out a few cheers to her favorite panda.
Shen also watched his friend, feeling his hope returning and giving some confidence on his skills of chi. He stared at his wings and glanced over to the older panda who stood proudly watching his only child save the world. He understood he may never be forgiven for his actions in the past, but he could use this new action to give this man and his son a better future.
Shen then turned to his friend.
"Lang, let's go," he commanded, "Po is counting on us now."
The wolf was surprised by his tone of voice but grinned as he held his hammer high.
"Yes sir!"
They took off, leaping to the roof and to the battlefield along with Master Shifu. Mei-Mei realized they were gone at the last second.
"Hey wait for me!" she cried and had to use the door, but she was stopped by the soothsayer.
"Oh hey Ah-ma," she greeted but noticed the gloom on her face, "What's the matter?"
Po's dad came up behind her, noticing how the goat was frowning.
"Mei-Mei, I need your help," said Ah-ma, "Do have more medicine with you?"
The female panda nodded and followed her.
On the battlefield, everyone has been fighting nonstop, growing more and more fatigue as it goes on. The villagers couldn't stand it as some of them fainted from exhaustion. Their enemies such as Hema, Gang, and the twins are also tried but they still keep going after the masters. The creatures were still coming out of the ground, no matter what masters do they keep putting themselves back together.
Tiān Cháo and Tigress were still fighting each other, despite her head being in constant pain Tiān Cháo ignores it, refusing to surrender. The golden monkey took some hits but she kept using the god's chi to get a better advantage.
She hissed in pain as the jade stones glowed brighter and she cursed. She grab them and tried to gain control but moved back as Tigress came for the next move. Out of nowhere one of the creatures pop up and caught Tigress by surprise, succeeding in capturing her. Then more creatures came out of the ground joining in, trapping her limbs.
While Tigress struggled to break free Tiān Cháo took this chance to finally kill her. She summons the chi from within her hand and allows the heat to flare up. She walked closer to her, raising her hand not to strike, but to burn off the master's throat.
"Nrgh, looks like your time is up," she sneered mustering through the painful headache. Before she could grab Tigress by the throat, Tiān Cháo heard a calling sound that made her pause. She glanced around and spotted a very familiar pale white peacock.
"In coming!"
The two ladies looked up in time to see something coming right at them. Lang held his arms high above his head, his chi transferring to his hammer.
Tiān Cháo jumped out of the way as the wolf lands and hits the ground with his weapon. His chi flows out enough to take out the creatures, breaking them into pieces and freeing Tigress. Lang stands up, dumbstruck by the strange deformed creatures.
"Woah, we missed a lot," he comment.
"Lang look out!" cried Tigress.
The wolf sees the golden monkey coming at him and guarding himself. Tiān Cháo screams as she tried to melt his weapon. Lang lifted his leg and kicked her away, he and Tigress both charged at her.
Shen lands with grace, his crest twitching at the sound of multiple creatures coming in his direction. He didn't have time to question what they were and zipped through them, using his train to knock a few of the beings down. He moved his wings glowing with his chi, remembering how Po use his chi. When he spots more twisted beings coming to him, he leaped forward and thrust his wings, watching his chi destroying all of them.
"Huh," he notated looking down at his wings, "I think this is better than just using my knives."
"Shen over here!"
Shen heard Viper's voice and curved his neck to his friends coming to him.
"Oh, thanks gods we're glad you're here," Mantis breathing exaggerated, "Please tell us Po is okay."
"He's doing a lot better actually."
He uses his eyes to point up and everyone says a golden dragon in the air, trying to steal the cracks in the sky. The masters cheered ecstatically that he was okay. The cheer was cut short as more creatures appear to fight them. They then spotted Master Shifu running at a quick speed on top of the creature's head. Using his staff he blocked their attacks and pushed them out of the way as he reach for the rest of the masters.
"Po is buying us more time," said Master Shifu as he swings his staff, "We'll hold them off and you'll get the dragons back."
"Where's Tiān Cháo?" Shen asked.
The masters pointed to where Tigress and Lang are and the peacock rushed over. Master Pangolin noticed that the creature Shen defeated still remain as pieces and pointed it out to the rest of the group.
"Look they haven't gotten back up," he said, "It must be the chi."
Crane felt like smacking his head. "Of course, they're made of chi. Why didn't we think of that sooner?"
The masters decided to use their chi to fight off the creatures, taking them down and relieved they didn't put themselves back together.
Shen made his way to Lang and Tigress, mostly keeping his eyes focus on Tiān Cháo. He could see her fighting style was lethargic and the jades of the god were glowing. It seems part one of Po's plan seems to be working. Before he can get closer, Hema and the fox twins blocked his way along with Gang who was flying right at him.
Shen avoided his attack but Gang turned himself around with his talons out.
"It's too late to do anything, Shen!" Gang mocked, "You might as well let me end your-"
"Get out of my way!" Shen snapped as he spin around allowing his chi to flow knocking down the followers to the ground.
Gang was the only one who sprang back up and flew to attack the peacock once more. Shen growled as he try to swat at the crow like a fly. Gang only got one scratch on the peacock's face and continued to mock him.
"I don't have time to deal with you, Gang!"
"You're not going anywhere until I have my revenge!"
Gang crows at Shen as charges in for another attack. Then suddenly a large pebble flew by and hit his beak, enough to knock him out. Shen tilted his head with a raised brow, not expecting that to happen.
"Fluffy-Baby!"
The peacock made a quick turn and spotted two little pandas, standing on top of the stairs of the temple waving at him. Lei-Lei and Bao quickly started throwing and kicking rocks at the creatures with the boy yelling out to Shen.
"You got this!"
Shen genuinely smiled at the two pandas and was impressed by his skill. Then it clicked to Shen that the kids were here but there was no time to scold them, he had other matters to focus on. Seeing they can handle themselves he runs back and calls his friends.
"Tigress! Lang! Throw me at her!"
The two heard his command, looked at each other, and nodded. Tigress runs over to the peacock, she slides down to the ground allowing him to her as a ramp. She felt Shen jump on her and leap in the air. Lang also jumps up higher, as Shen made contact with his hammer he holds on and in a quick spin, Lang roughly flings him to Tiān Cháo.
Tiān Cháo was not quick enough to block and Shen kick his leg, slamming her and breaking the old armor. Not wasting any time, Shen then raises his wing, gathering his chi to make one blow hit on her. The golden monkey slammed again this time into the ground causing it to crack from the impact. When Shen land back on the ground he noticed right away she wasn't getting up and went to stanch the jade stones. He saw she was trying to raise her arms but screamed in pain as another headache took over her. She didn't even notice she dropped off the stone with Nuwa inside.
Shen grabs it and with a quick swift with his feet, he cut the necklaces and garb them too. He hurries away and uses his peacock to call his friends. They all stop and saw what he has in his wings.
"He did it!" Monkey cheered.
They all gathered around him, seeing all five jade stones were definitely with Shen. Four brothers and one goddess. The stones have stopped glowing almost as if the gods knew something was happening outside.
"Okay uh, now what?" Lang said hurry almost afraid the witch was going to crawl out anytime soon.
"We free them," Tigress started placing her paws on Shen's wings.
"Hurry everyone!" Master Shifu orders as he place a paw on Shen's wings too. Everyone did the same thing. Shen and Lang watched everyone and focus on their chi to the stones, just like they were doing. They watched as they could feel their energy flow from their arms to the center. A yellow light covered by their hands ignites, glowing brighter and vibrating.
Tiān Cháo rubbed her head, geeing out of her ditch she saw the master and the glowing light causing her to scream.
"NO!" she bellowed as she ran to them.
The masters watched their hands slowly removing them, seeing the stones vibrate and hover in the air. The cravings glow as well as the color of each dragon. The stones started to shake violently and they flew up to the sky like a firecracker about to go off any second. The light brighter until there a high pitch noise of shattered glass, the clouds evaporate and so did the light.
Everyone including the villagers, Lei-Lei, and Bao stop what they were doing and looked up. Flying in the skies were the dragon brothers and Nuwa herself, bright and colorful. It was the most beautiful sight they have ever seen. Masters beamed as they can hear the gods laughing and applauding as they fly around each other.
"Whoo! We're free!" cried Ao Shun.
"Thank you!" Ao Qin and Ao Run cried to their saviors from below.
"Yes thank you, all of you," Ao Guang said politely.
"You are all so wonderful!" Nuwa sang feeling so full of joy.
Po hears the commotion and laughs triumphally seeing the dragon is finally free. The goods then fly over and dance around Po's dragon form, all eyes looking at him with gratitude. Nuwa flies in front of him with tears in her glowing eyes.
"Thank you Po the Dragon Warrior."
The panda smiled warmly in return.
"It's over."
It was more of a statement than a question, he watch her nod in agreement.
"Yes," she said, "And before we go, let us heal both our homes."
Nuwa and the dragon brothers then shined brighter as all five of them got together and danced in a formative circle. Particles of yellow dust spread everywhere including resorting to the cracks in the sky and pushing the Spirit Realm away, further and further until the image of the large orb disappeared. In its place, a golden ball appeared transforming into a portal of light. The dragons danced until their chi waves through the land, healing plants, oceans, and mountains and cleaning the sky. The destruction also disappeared as all the vines and mountains made by Tiān Cháo start to disappear, turning into dust and flying to the gold portal. Even the strange creatures she made turned to dust going back into the dirt.
That wasn't the only thing disappearing. The masters glanced over to the followers as they too got up to the wittiness of the wonderful display. They noticed Hema was the first glowing as his body slowly turned to dust, joining the rest in the portal. Without the god's chi, there was nothing holding any of them in the moral world.
Hema stared down at his paw, seeing it slowly turning to the same golden particles. He wasn't afraid; he knew that his time was up once again. He chuckled to himself, disappointed that this new world idea didn't fall into place. The hippo removed his mask and allowed it to fall to the ground. He glanced over to his enemies, instead of glaring at them he only gave them a soft but grim smile.
"I guess…it was not meant to be," he said sadly and then he was gone. His body was now fully dust floating to the sky.
The same was happening to the fox twins. They were both shocked, one of them tried to rub away the dust, hoping it would stop. They were obviously frightened but the other twin gently touch their twin's shoulder. They stop and looked at their sibling as their tails were the first to go. The calm one removed both their mask, and wide brown eyes stared at each other silently. They both grin at each other, no longer afraid because they got each other. The twins hugged, whispering to only their ears, knowing they were going together. The masters watched woefully as the fox twins giggled in their embrace before disappearing.
Gang watched in horror shaking his head.
"No, no no I'm not going anywhere!" he calmed but his body was already glowing and turning.
He glared at the peacock and he swiftly flys over to the master wanting to finish what he started, the reason why he was really here.
"I will have my revenge!" Gang screamed not realizing his wings were disappearing.
"I'm gonna gut you for what you did to my men!"
Shen could only glare at him dead in the eye as the crow draws closer to him, watching him slowly disappear.
"I will kill you, Shen! Do you hear me?! I will have-"
And then he was gone, turning to dust and going back to Spirit Realm. The only one left was Tiān Cháo, who has not moved, staring at the ground. The masters stood by, they did not feel bad for her after she almost killed their best friend and their world. She dropped to her knees as the armor fell apart.
Shen walked towards her no longer seeing her as a threat or having any desire to kill her. He stared down at her, for once he was glad that he was the one to defeat her. He watched as she began to slowly turn into dust, he could hear her saying something under her breath. Her body shook almost like she was going to cry but he did not care.
"It's over Tiān Cháo," he declared with a frown, "Don't ever come back here."
The golden monkey stop shivering and became stiff. Her arm unexpectedly grew and grab Shen's throat, catching him off guard. He watched as her arm turned to a sudden dark shade of purple, cracking like shards of a vase.
Shen sensed something was wrong as Tiān Cháo looked up at him, her glowing eyes teary but darken. He tried to pull away but she tugged him closer to whisper to him.
"You're coming with me."
The masters saw what was happening and went to aid their friend, but both Tiān Cháo and Shen were pulled up to the sky fast, heading to the portal.
"Shen!"
Po's ears twitched at the sound of his friend's cry. He turned and he and the dragons saw Tiān Cháo had a grip on the peacock.
"Shen! Hang on!" Po cried and flew over in his dragon form.
He uses his staff for his friend to grab, Shen sees the panda and quickly grabs hold of it. Po tries to pull him back but Tiān Cháo's grip was too strong and her body started to turn darker. She suddenly turned to dark purple dust as the portal suck the three of them inside, with the dragons zooming in to follow.
The portal then explores intense light and evaporates to nothing, the last remaining dust floating to the ground. The sky cleared to the morning of a new day as if nothing had happened.
The masters stared at the sky, perplexed by what happened and wondering where their friends are.
All right now that the worlds are saved it's time to deal with Tiān Cháo once and for all in the Spirit Realm! Yep, there's one more battle left! I'm gonna try and power through the next chapter for you guys. I should have it done by March 31, as long as nothing crazy disrupts me and if it does then maybe I'll have it ready on April 2.
Thanks for reading I hope you had fun!