Kung Fu Panda: Undying Spirits

by S.T. Necro

Ke-Pa has returned! And with him, he seeks to engulf all of China in darkness. Threatening to destroy our heroes' world as they know it. Pushing past their grief, the dragon warrior and furious five must do everything they can to fight this ancient evil, even if it means defying death itself. (Sequel to Clouded Minds)

6. Hope Dies

Author's Note: ...Hi. Been a while, huh? Yeah, I've taken way too long for this chapter. Granted, this chapter has turned out to be a lot longer than I had anticipated. Seriously, I had no idea it would end up being this long but hey, go figure. Anyways, let's get down to it. A lot happens in this chapter and I mean, a lot. So strap yourselves in for what I hope will be an exciting, crazy chapter.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!

Enjoy.

---

Hope Dies

As Ke-Pa makes his vile presence known in the valley of peace, a young tiger rushes along a snowy mountain on the outskirts of the Forbidden city, his emerald irises resolute and bearing a warning for the valley's inhabitants. A warning that he knows will come far too late. It doesn't matter, I have to help dad. Yongqi's mind races as he reaches a rope bridge, lined with snow and ice that has raged for centuries. With all of his courage, he keeps himself from looking down at the misty, bottomless pit below yet the skies themselves bear no relieving sight.

A grey, overwhelming darkness suffocates the skies, allowing only meagre cracks of sunlight to pierce through its thick, onyx clouds. Even these brief reprieves lay on the teen tiger with a coldness he had never thought the sun capable of, burning chills along his skin. Though he wishes to aid his father against the very beast they had trained so long for, another part of him pleads for him to go back. What's worse is that with each step he takes, he becomes more inclined to listen to that side. After all, it's no coincidence that the skies themselves have lost their colour upon Ke-Pa's return. But is that the world's doing or Ke-Pa's?

Now's not the time for thoughts like that. We've trained so long for this, we've gotta be brave and strong. For dad.

His thoughts speak to him in his own voice, yet he can feel a darker intensity behind its words. Doesn't make his thoughts any less right, he has to help his father no matter what. As he continues to cross the admittedly rickety bridge, a gold blur shoots past the young tiger, halting him in his tracks as it lands on the other side of the bridge. "Yongqi! What do you think you're doing!?" Rongyu yells at him from his side of the bridge, his pure white gi glowing amidst the pale, colourless shine of the concealed sun.

"Brother? How… how'd you get here so fast?" Yongqi chirps out, in awe of what his elder brother has managed to do.

"Mom and I noticed you snuck away hours ago, didn't take us long to realise where you went." His voice calms down a tad, remaining stern yet caring. "We're heading home, now."

To the elder brother's surprise, Yongqi stands tall with fists clenched. "And what about dad? Are we just gonna leave him there? With Ke-Pa!?"

Rongyu fails to stop himself from sighing, understanding his brother's outrage all too well. If only there was a way they could help. "You don't know that Ke-Pa is in the valley, dad could be just fine."

A stupid argument that Yongqi breaks down immediately. "Xiwang mountain is right next to them! Of course, he's going to attack them first!"

Tempted to slap himself in the face, the elder brother continues to stand his ground. "And what exactly can we do about that!? Ke-Pa is a literal demon! You are barely even trained on that sword!" He points at the short sword slung over Yongqi's back, the younger tiger looking down to the bridge's wooden planks in thought.

"We don't need to fight Ke-Pa. We can help get people to safety, get our dad to safety!"

"And what makes you think we'll get there in time? Ke-Pa broke free hours ago, you think he'd just 'take his time'?"

"Well, yeah! All the big bad guys do that! And that's where we come in." Once again, Rongyu can't hold in his sigh. Of course, he would think that, heck, every single kung fu story they read had that happen.

"You seriously expect him to make that mistake?"

Yongqi refuses to back down against his brother's sceptical, unamused gaze. "Well yeah, he did it before." This scepticism soon shifts to befuddlement. "You don't remember? Ke-Pa had wanted to play with his food and that's what allowed our ancestors to get the phoenix's flame. That's what dad always told us." Ruby eyes widen at the mention of this, Rongyu almost shocked by the fact that this is true. Ke-Pa's hubris had led to his downfall. Besides, even if he learnt his lesson, his power is diminished. Perhaps his little brother might actually be on to something. "Please, Rongyu. We've gotta do something."

Losing himself in his thoughts, Rongyu takes a good, long look past his younger brother. Towards the walled-off city that lies just above his home. As much as he wants to run back and bolster their defences, the elder tiger knows that they can't wait for Ke-Pa to reach them. They have to help out the masters, to stop Ke-Pa before he can do any serious damage. Gazing back at Yongqi, Rongyu lets out a heavy breath, his ruby eyes filled with a relentless seriousness. "Fine. But we're only there to help dad and any other civilians. We both stay as far away from Ke-Pa as possible, got it?" Yongqi gives an affirmative nod, his emerald irises resolute and unshakeable. "And the second things get hairy, we get out of there. No ifs ands or buts."

"Gotcha." With that, Rongyu steps aside to let Yongqi rush forward on all-fours, an inkling of pride welling in him at the sight of his brother's unwavering eyes.

Before following on, Rongyu takes one last look at his home, knowing for certain that his mother will be worried sick. Still, dad's gotta come home. No matter what. "I'm sorry, mom. We'll all get back here safe and sound. I promise." He prays to the Gods that this pledge won't be turned into a bloodied lie as he joins his brother on all-fours, their destination set for the valley of peace.

---

Ke-Pa grins at this silent prayer, tempted to laugh at their foolish plan, at the irony of it all as he slams Zhonglei's already bloodied head into the ground. Dirt and shattered stone fly up into the air as the golden tiger's face hits the floor, a groan of pain exiting his lips whilst the demon king's captive audience can only watch on in horror. "So, this is what you've spent so long training for? To be just another helpless victim?" His whispers force a muffled growl out of Zhonglei but the anger within him bears little intensity, like a tiny flame on its deathbed.

Nothing like the unrelenting blaze fuelling Tigress' amber iris as she thrashes and snarls at her shadow bindings, some of the valley's residence looking at her with worry whilst most of the masters stare at Ke-Pa's draconic form in a mix of horror and confusion. "Ke-Pa… Alive? But… How's that possible?" Master Rabbit's voice rings hollow, his usual snarky tone overwhelmed by his shock.

"It shouldn't be." His head snaps to master Bull amidst his infuriated growl, "Either he is an imposter or-

"Oogway lied." Ke-Pa's repulsive timbre interjects, the demon king lifting his bloodied prey up by the back of his head with an unsettling grin filling his face. A few gasps exit the crowd at both the revelation and Zhonglei's severe injuries, doubt filling all masters aside from the furious five and dragon warrior. If only he were wrong. "I hadn't died. I was merely sealed away. Stripped of my body, weakened by your dear master…" His vile grin widens further as he looks to Zhonglei, tightening his grip on his head until he grunts and yelps in pain, "and this filth's worthless clan!" The Zhanshi chief's paws shoot up to Ke-Pa's hand as his grunts elevate to an agonising scream, yet the demon king refuses to let up.

That is, until his deadly eyes shift to Tigress, her pupil invading more of her fiery amber iris. Of course, the last of her blood. No wonder the monster wants out. "Let him go!" Her ferocious roar shoots tremors of terror into everyone around. Everyone except for her family and the demon king himself. No, only waves of exhilaration pulse through his being at her blazing, overpowering rage. At the five's desperate attempts to escape their restraints. At the threatening glare Po sends his way.

"You heard her, Ke-Pa! You want to fight us! Not him!"

As the dragon warrior and demon king stare each other down, Ke-Pa's grip finally eases up on Zhonglei's head. "You hear that, my friend?" The golden tiger doesn't respond, unable to find the energy to even respond to him. "You get the best seat in the house." Without even looking at him, he throws him to the side only for a shadow hand to shoot out from under him and imprison him in its grasp. He tries for a moment to escape, but immediately gives up, instead looking out through weakened eyes at Ke-Pa motioning his arm forward. In mere moments, the dragon warrior and furious five are freed. But before anyone can say anything, Tigress leaps forward on all-fours with a vicious roar blasting from her maw.

"No." Zhonglei barely manages even a whisper whilst the rest of the jade palace warriors' eyes widen in horror.

"Tigress!"

Po yells as they all go after her, but it is already too late, she already reaches Ke-Pa and begins her frenzied assault. Pummelling into him with reckless abandon, Tigress refuses to let him breath for even a second, not noticing the wide, indulgent smile on Ke-Pa's face as he takes every hit. Completely unaware of the small bolts of lightning shooting across his body and his pale eyes glowing brighter with each punch, kick, and claw swipe that tears into him. She doesn't care, all that matters to her is that he is destroyed. For harming and taking down her comrades, for torturing Zhonglei, for desecrating her father's memory.

Isn't that your doing?

Another wrathful roar rips out of her throat at Ke-Pa's dark, taunting voice as she lands one more powerful claw strike straight through his torso. "Yes! Yes, give in! Let your hatred take hold!" Ke-Pa's psychotic enjoyment catches her off-guard for only a moment, but even this is long enough for an arm to grab her out of his chest cavity and pull her in.

"No! Tigress!" Before Po and the five's very eyes, she disappears into Ke-Pa's form, igniting their own righteous fury as they attack him all at once.

As this happens, Tigress finds herself swamped in darkness once more, shackled to the floor yet she isn't bound to anything. Try as she might, she can't push herself up onto her feet. It's almost as if the air itself is imprisoning her in its heaviness.

You know what you did.

There again, her own voice injects a petrifying chill into her bones as the sight of bloodied and torn pig flashes in her mind again. Forcing her eyes to close in the hopes of banishing this disgusting image. Yet the sight of her beaten and clawed father takes its place.

You monster.

Even the tears that threaten to spill out of her eyes are forced down by the merciless air, "Baba. I'm sorry. I'm sorry… Baba." She pleads through broken whispers as an onslaught of horrific memories plague her mind. Of Bao Gu, of Gongmen city, of Nuba, of Zhongcheng. Every bruise, wound and broken bone she had doled out to her enemies pummels into her skull, reminding her of the insurmountable pain she has caused. Reminding her of the part of her that liked dealing out that punishment.

What a freak.

No one wants her.

Stay away from me!

She's crazy! Keep her away!

"No… Please… Forgive me… Please." Her apologies are drowned out by their overwhelming voices, by her own shame. So much so, that she doesn't even notice the ground crumble beneath her. Within moments, it shatters completely, making the tiger fall further down into the suffocating darkness until…

Splash!

She sinks into a blackened ocean, eliminating all from her sight except from her own dreaded memories. Desperate, she tries to swim out only to find herself flailing her arms in vain, that same weight from before pushing her further down. Air begins to leave her lungs as this ocean of darkness drowns her, her body freezing in its unholy coldness as her damning thoughts suffocating her mind with its endless onslaught. So much so, that even older thoughts begin to resurface.

You're nothing compared to his real son.

Your own family knew you were a monster.

You don't deserve Shifu's love.

More tears flow from her eyes as these thoughts stab into her heart, fading away into the onyx ocean just as fast as they have come. With each memory that brands itself onto her mind, with each moment of her barbaric rampage in the forbidden city she can only resign herself to their damning words. To her own despair.

"You know what you are."

Her good and bad eyes shoot open as a single familiar voice silences everything else, piercing through the sea blocking her ears. Using all her strength to turn around, she spots Tai Lung's visage, yet his form is but a mere shadow. Obsidian coats all except for the white spots in his fur and his pale, deathly eyes, the shadow leopard standing on seemingly nothing. Before she can do anything, shadow Tai Lung lands his signature double punch on her chest, shooting her backwards until she feels her pierce out of this shadowy sea.

"Have your dear monster!" Ke-Pa's mocking yell is the first thing Tigress hears as she is launched out of his body, seeing Po for a split second before she collides into him and they both fall to the floor.

Getting up fast, the dragon warrior notes the rest of the five engaging Ke-Pa all at once, giving him time to check on his tiger. Immediately, his jade eyes widen in shock as he notices Tigress shiver uncontrollably, tears spilling from her eyes. This shock soon turns into anger as he glares at the demon king once more who stares back at him with a knowing smirk, blocking and countering each attack the rest of the five levies onto him.

"Tell me, dragon warrior. Isn't this what you've always wanted? To protect the valley alongside your favourite heroes?" Ke-Pa makes the rest of the five back away with a 360-spin kick, prompting Po to get in a stance in case he tries something. If only he knew what would come next. "Oh, how easy it is for our dreams to become nightmares!" With that, his form explodes into a shockwave of shadows, four disembodied limbs slamming into Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey as they shoot off into other parts of the valley.

Jade eyes widen in shock as they crash into several buildings before disappearing from sight. Realising what Ke-Pa is doing, he snaps his head to Tigress but can do nothing as a shadow eagle zooms out from underneath her and ascends up to the still burning Jade Palace. "Let go of her! Tigress!" He runs after her only for Ke-Pa to jump out of Po's shadow behind him. Before he can take even ten steps, he grabs him by the head and flips him forward, slamming him on the ground back-first.

Wham!

Dirt and stone fly up as Po's body crashes into the floor, making Mr. Ping yelp in fear whilst Li-Shan scowls. Though he groans, the dragon warrior reacts quickly, hopping to his feet before Ke-Pa can kick him while he is down. He gets into his panda style stance, glaring hard at the demon king. "Let's give our audience a show to truly remember, hm?"

With a seething scowl, Po roars back, "This ain't a show, and they're not an audience!" Mr Ping and Li-Shan can only look on in worry as Ke-Pa licks his lips, relishing in his opponent's wrath. In the terror of the valley's captive citizens. "You're going down here and now!"

"Really… and here I thought you loved to play hero." With this last taunt, Ke-Pa rushes at Po and begins his onslaught.

---

Meanwhile, within a battered clothes shop, Mantis punches his way out of a carpet of debris, aching and reeling in pain. With grit teeth, he darts his head around in search of the shadow that had brought him here. In spite of the massive hole in the side in the side of the shop, darkness surrounds the environment around him, shadows suffocating him alongside the stench of shattered wood and stone. "Well, look at that…" He spins his body around only to be met with more darkness, chills filling his body as the voice radiates with an all-too-familiar power. "The great master Mantis, quivering like an infant."

Two white orbs peer at him from the darkness as his eyes widen, recognising the voice of the late Tai Lung making the very shadows themselves quake in fear. Wasting no time, Mantis shoots forward to land a flying kick. Yet in that same moment, those pale irises disappear and a silhouette of the powerful snow leopard appears behind him, kicking him to one of the few remaining walls of the shop.

Bam!

It crumbles to dust as the insect master shoots through it, his body rolling to a stop after a few moments. "Not fast enough, huh?" Mantis forces himself up at 'Tai Lung's' taunting voice, his eyes widening at the sight of the shadow leopard. Wrath contorting his face, Mantis shoots forward again landing a flurry of powerful attacks on his chest. Yet, the shadow doesn't flinch, it smiles instead. "It would seem all that strength has been wasted, little one." Shadow Tai Lung swats him down to the ground mid-attack with his paw and raises his leg to stomp on him. Acting fast, Mantis manages to stop his foot from fully crushing him yet his arms quake at the sheer strength of the leopard. "Awful silent, aren't we? Aren't you going to tell me how you will manage to pull through in spite of the odds? How you will wipe the floor with me? How I'm simply another thug to take down!?"

"Why bother, you beat me to the punch." Mantis pushes out from under his breath, struggling as the shadow leopard continues to push down. Truth is, this fake Tai Lung truly had beaten him to it, as if he could read his thoughts.

"Your arrogance makes you an open book, which makes it easier for those who like to skip a page." Yet another taunt exits this extension of Ke-Pa as he suddenly lifts his leg up and kicks his prey square in the face. It isn't long before the insect master pulls himself up again, his nose now bloodied as he spits out a few teeth. "So honoured, so renowned. That pride only leads to one ending, a pile of dead friends and a cautionary tale."

Unable to stand the leopard's sickening grin, Mantis dashes in with reckless abandon, ignoring the pang of pain that resonates in his heart and mind. Denying the guilt that his enemy so happily feasts on. He leaps in to land a double claw strike only for Tai Lung's shadow to burst into fragments. Within mere moments of this, the insect master feels something slam into his side, throwing him sideways into another building.

Crash!

What the hell was that!? In a frantic breath, Mantis yanks himself up off the floor, his hazel eyes shooting all around until they finally come to a stop on the rubble of the wall he crashed into. D-did that just move? His eyes narrow to get a closer look only for that debris to start shaking. He leaps back, narrowly dodging the chunks of rock and stone that fly up to the ceiling. Leaving himself open to the many shadow Mantises that emerge from underneath it. Seconds pass as a hundred claw strike and leg strike pummel into him, each attack painting another bruise onto the green canvas of his body. Seconds pass as Mantis wobbles on his legs, bloodied and exhausted. Seconds pass as his own shadow runs up and delivers a flying kick to his chest, the rest of its shadow brethren dashing past him.

Crash!

Another wall obliterated by Ke-Pa's brutality. Another humble shop reduced to tatters by his sadistic fervour. Mantis' barely conscious body soars through the air as the shadow Mantises rush past him, dissolving into each other as they form Tai Lung's silhouette once more. With a mocking, deranged cackle, he catches the brutalised master in his paw. "You truly don't learn, do you? You just rush in to everything thinking you can win." He squeezes the insect in his grasp, but Mantis keeps his mouth shut, inviting an unimpressed scoff from Tai Lung's shadow. "You've failed against Tai Lung, against Kai, against every foe you've had the chance to beat. What inconceivable hope do you have against me?"

Barely able to open his eyes, Mantis mutters, "I'm still breathing, ain't I?"

Yet again, the shadow leopard can only laugh as he throws him back, going into a stance as his prey skids along the valley's street. "Such bravado in the face of certain defeat. Or is it denial? Are you simply not good enough for this prideful mask you wear? Can't stomach the fact that your pride has led your friends to defeat and humiliation? That your arrogance has led your master to his grave." Finally pushing himself up, Mantis growls as he weakly gets into his stance. The shadow's grin widens to a psychotic, hideous extent. "Yes! Prove me wrong! Show me who you really are!"

---

As the two clash, another battle erupts in the poorer end of the valley. Two shadow knives impale the side of an abandoned food cart, Viper dodging them before initiating a counter attack against the source of these knives. A silhouette of the late Lord Shen. She swipes low with her tail only for the peacock to hop over her strike, expertly ducking as she follows up with a whip strike for his face.

With a grunt of effort, the serpent master attempts a downward strike only for the shadow peacock to turn and cover himself in his plume of feathers. To her shock, her attack goes right through, those onyx feathers dissipating to reveal… nothing. Sky-blue eyes dart around, Viper now wary of the demon king's tricks. "Tsk, tsk. So desperate to be rid of me."

Slash!

Shen's chilling voice forces her body to quiver as a blade slashes at her side. Hissing in pain, she prepares to counter only for said blade to have already vanished. "So quick to go back to your 'family'."

Shink!

Another deep slash is delivered to her scales, her new wounds oozing with blood as Viper catches a glimpse of this imposter's pale eyes. Reeking of death. "I understand though. Must've been terrible to lose your parents in such a vile way." His quiet yet deafening timbre puppets a scowl on her face, forcing memories of Gongmen to flash in her mind. Remembering how her kung fu family, how her whole world nearly crumbled right then.

Slash!

She snaps her head away as an obsidian knife knicks her cheek, her scowl digging a deeper trench as her mind does the same. Reaching down to a truly horrific memory. The day word had reached her of her parents' demise. "If only there was a way you could have protected them."

"Shut up and stop hiding." She hisses at his vile voice, certain that he is trying to get in her head. Yet even in her anger she can't hide how unnerved she is at what he had just said. As if echoing the very thoughts she had when she found out. But how is that possible?

Now stuck in her own thoughts, Viper fails to notice the peacock emerge from under a wheelbarrow a short distance away. It is only when he kicks said wheelbarrow does she spin around, fruit and veg flying everywhere as the barrow tips over and violently rolls towards her. In an instant, she strikes upward, splitting the wheelbarrow in half. What she hadn't expected however, was for shadow Shen to emerge from the split barrow and land a brutal leaping kick to her face.

Bam!

The dazed serpent is flung through the air, her body spinning uncontrollably as she reaches a deep well. Shen's shadow watches on with a sickening grin as she falls in, the demented fragment of Ke-Pa throwing a crate at the well before sinking into his own shadow strewn across the ground.

It takes several seconds for her to reach the bottom, her eyes widening as she hits the cold, damp floor of the well. Getting up fast, she darts her head up to the light far above, contemplating a way out only for said light to be purged by a crate that slams on top of it.

Darkness surrounds Viper, a litany of shadows encompassing the brickwork around her as she tries to figure out a way to see some sort of escape. A chilling chuckle is given in response, "Come now, what's the rush? Your friends can handle themselves I assure you. Well… until I want them to that is." She fails to hold in a hiss at his arrogant threat as she feels the walls with the tip of her tail, trying to find some sort of opening or ledge to cli-

Shink!

A knife slices across her body in the darkness, the poor serpent unable to see where it had come from.

Shink!

Another knife shoots out, forcing a yelp of pain out of her as it wedges itself into the brickwork near her. With grit teeth, her sight shoots around the suffocating blackness of the well, only just managing to pick out the outline of the knives jutting out of the well's walls. Her focus however, is shattered as another knife slices into her body. Then another, and another, and another until she feels the burning sting of her wounds all across her body. As each knife wedges itself in the well's brickwork, however, an idea forms in her mind. Batting aside the searing pain screaming throughout her body, she uses the embedded knives as platforms to climb up the well. It isn't long before she reaches the top of the well, feeling more knives cut into her as she leaps up and attempts to strike the crate blocking her escape.

To her shock, the crate explodes before she can even swing her tail forward, the shadow of Shen bursting out of it and catching her off-guard. She can't react to his talon's grabbing her by the throat as they descend back down the well.

Slam!

This demented silhouette lifts her up by the throat, admiring his handiwork. A regiment of cuts and slashes line the serpent master's body, new tattoos of crimson etched along her green scales as they ooze out of her wounds. A tapestry of agony, punctuated by her grimacing, struggling face. Viper's eyes meet with the haunting white eyes of Shen's shadow, his dreadful smile making her body shiver in disgust. All that she can see of him are his eyes, the pathetic light provided from the well's exit proving too little to light his dark form. "Do you not see how fruitless this all is? You won't be able to protect them from me. You can barely even help yourself." His talons squeeze tight, the deranged peacock's body coursing with power as Viper begins to choke. "No matter what you do, you won't reach them in time. I mean, how could you? You can't protect them all the time. No matter how much you try."

With this, Shen's shadow flies out of the well with Viper held firmly in his grasp until he throws her down to the valley streets. As she violently coughs out, he lands just a few feet away from her, tilting his head as he observes her. "Shed all your blood if you must, it will not stop me from making your palace a mausoleum."

"Shut up! I-I won't let you hurt them!" Involuntary tears pour out of Viper's sky-blue irises, her voice cracking at the weight of his threat. At the truth in his manic statement. This demon is unlike anything they've faced before and they are in no way prepared to fight him. But she can't back down, even if it means the demise of them all.

She takes on her stance though her body is clearly wavering, a sight that brings a hungry smile out of Shen's shadow. He prepares himself for her desperate offensive as a shockwave shakes the blackened clouds high above, thunder following closely after it.

---

Crane plummets out of the sky and crashes into the massive table they had set up in dragon warrior noodles and tofu, a pair of pale white blades scarring the ground as their wielder pulls themselves down. The ground shatters as they land, a shadow of the deceased warlord Kai standing tall, ready for battle. Ripples form along his torso however, his grin only widening as the silhouette of commander Zhongcheng emerges from his body and throws master Monkey into the restaurant as well. Wood and stone flies out of the establishment in massive chunks, zipping past the two sadistic shadows that ready themselves for the inevitable counter attack.

As expected, Monkey leaps out with two frying pans in hand, aimed at the shadow of Kai. With a grin, the shadow yak launches his chained blades at the langur only for him to yell "Caw! Caw!" The instant he does so, Crane shoots out from the restaurant kitchen and flies in front of his langur brother, deflecting these blades with his wings. Surprised, Kai's shadow steps back as he pulls his blades back into his hooves and clashes with Monkey's pans.

Before the shadow wolf can attempt to intervene, Crane zooms towards him and lands a powerful kick to his chest. Zhongcheng dissipates into a smog of darkness, expanding further and further until it swallows the bird master whole. Yellow irises dart around, vigilant of whatever the demon has planned. "Do you truly think that you will live through this?" An ancient voice calls out to him, one that perplexes Crane upon recognising it.

"Oogway?"

"Yes, my friend." Turning around, Crane finds the turtle in front of him, his body the exact way it was when he had seen him last. No shadow forms, no white eyes. Even the shadows around him seem to be banished by a blinding brightness. "You understand what is happening, don't you?" Confusion fills the bird master's face, yet a sceptical brow raises as he gazes in the wise jade eyes of the late turtle. "Ke-Pa… he is my mistake. My foolishness. My past, come back to haunt me. This is not your fate, Crane. This is not your destiny." Crane's skin crawls as Oogway's claws grace his shoulder, "This is nothing but a sordid accident. One I must face. Go."

Yellow eyes widen before narrowing into an offended scowl. "There are no accidents." He growls out before landing a devastating kick on 'Oogway', breaking the illusion around him and revealing the obsidian wolf before him. "And I will not run. This is my fight! Our future to defend!"

A disappointed scoff emanates from Zhongcheng's shadow as he readies himself. "Such empty sentiments. Such delusions for a world that you will never have."

As the two clash, Monkey and Kai's shadow continue their battle, the langur managing to parry and counter each swipe of the warlord's pale blades. However, with each attempt he makes to strike him directly, the shadow forces him back with a wide spin of his chain blades. "Six of you fools could barely handle Kai before, yet you still choose to take me on alone?"

Forced to parry yet another blade strike with his pans, Monkey leaps backwards. "What can I say? I like a good challenge." He blares in as smug of a tone as he can manage before catching the general's left blade in his pans and plunging it into the ground.

"What use is there in a challenge you can't hope to overcome?" 'Kai' throws his right blade at Monkey, who hops over it and runs along the chain of the left blade embedded in the ground. With a devious grin on his face, the shadow yak recalls his other blade as Monkey smacks him in the head. "What will proving yourself do when everyone you know and love will be rendered to nothing?" To the langur's surprise, Kai's head falls clean off, dissipating on the ground as the right blade flies back and slices his back mid-air. Though he gasps in pain, Monkey is quick to pick himself up and face the now headless warlord. "Then again, isn't that what you've always done? Try to prove yourself to the dead!? All that's changed is how many ghosts you seek to impress." The langur master's scowl only grows as 'Kai' wraps the chain of the left blade around his arm, flashes of his mother and brother taunting his heart. "Perhaps now you can see if its worked!"

As he roars this, shadow Kai rips out the sword lodged in the ground and throws it high in the air, pulling out Zhongcheng's shadow form from underneath it. He swings it round in a wide circle, thrusting the blade down with force as the onyx wolf leaps towards Monkey. But he is ready for the shadow yak's deception, swerving out of the way of 'Zhongcheng's' dagger and grabbing his foot to slam him to the floor. The wolf phases right through yet the langur master isn't caught off-guard, forcing Zhongcheng back with a spin kick as he appears behind him. "I'm not a slave to my failures. I won't let grief shackle me anymore!" As Monkey bellows, Crane flies in and kicks away the sword that descends towards his friend, slicing through the clouds without mercy. "My past will remain where it belongs and you will be trapped with it!" Both Monkey and Crane take up their stances at this declaration.

Kai and Zhongcheng's shadows get into their own stances, the warlord spinning his chain blades around as he exhales through his nose. The air that pulses out of his nostrils threatens to set everything ablaze, punctuated by the rumble of thunder ripping through the skies above and the horrific growl tearing its way out of 'Zhongcheng'. Their pale eyes feast themselves upon the two masters, stabbing them both with a cold, measured glare that could tear the very heavens asunder. "I am no mere memory." With this, they clash once again, the attacks of these shadows now embedded with an unearthly fury.

---

As these fights transpire, the unforgiving crackle of fire continues to consume the entirety of the Jade Palace. It's ravaging light serving as a beacon of despair. A display of merciless power. An agonising prison for a single shivering tiger lying on the courtyard floor. Even in the palace's restless heat, her body freezes. Her lungs suffocate yet the black carpet of smoke above is not the cause. In her single amber eye, that dark ocean remains. Shackling her soul to grief. Drowning her heart in shame that she fully deserves. Punctuated by Shifu's real son.

"Help me!"

Tigress' ears threaten to bleed at this heart-wrenching scream, forcing her up to her feet no matter how much her body struggles. She turns to face the source of this cry only to gasp in horror.

"Someone! Anyone! Please!" A male tiger roars out, his orange fur melting away as the palace's fire spreads all over his torso, his legs trapped beneath the burning wood of the palace's entrance. Tigress takes a step forward to aid him, yet her body refuses to move any further. Her heart pounds fast and hard, threatening to punch out of her chest with its force. All she can do is watch as the poor tiger thrashes and screams in agony, his skin and fur rapidly turning to soot before her very eye.

"Mama!" Another voice, young and terrified. She snaps her head around only for her blood to run cold.

Bodies all around her. Many smothered in blood, others baptised in fire. Some ashen and scorched beyond recognition. All tigers. Orange, white, young, old, strong, weak; They all lie among the roaring fire of her decimated home. The Zhanshi village, her village, flashes before her as she blinks, forcing her heart to drop even further into her petrified abyss. Even as this flash of the past fades away, the devastation remains in front of her. Agonising, horrifying screams pierce through the fire's monstrous growls yet the haunting silence of the dead deafens Tigress' ears.

She can't even breathe as her sight settles on a little tiger girl, kneeling in front of where the hall of heroes used to be. Shaking the limp corpse of her mother's incinerated, ruined face. "Mama!" The tiger master's eyes bleed with tears, her heart strangling itself at the putrid, heartless sight.

Thud!

A single footstep forces her good eye upwards, towards the flames blazing just behind that poor girl.

Thud!

Another step, bludgeoning the beastly fire in its force that threatens to wound the earth itself.

Thud!

Shivers once again take hold of Tigress' body, her terror stopping her from taking up her stance. Why? Why can't she move in all of this devastation? These people need her help, this demon approaches to continue their rampage. Yet her body remains still. This question is answered all too soon as a pair of amethyst eyes pierce through the flames. Stabbing into her soul.

The harrowing screams poisoning the soundscape only become louder, tearing their way into Tigress' mind as those dreaded eyes drag her back to the day that had never truly left her. The day that her home had been reduced to nothing, the day that had rendered half of the Zhanshi clan to charred corpses. The day that Nuba had eviscerated the life she could have had.

"History loves repetition." Said tiger's cold voice speaks from the palace's flames, maintaining a hint of sadistic glee within. Images of her burning village, of tigers both dead and dying, of the fearful and pained screams flash before her eyes. "Yet fate adores irony." She notes a slight movement from the ferocious flames, only for an orange tiger to be flung out from it. Her eyes lie wide open as her limp body rolls to Tigress' feet, the sight of the body in front of her ripping the air out of her lungs. Her heart stops, her mind stops, no, the entire world screeches to a halt as her one good eye recognises Nuba's victim.

Her mother, Ai.

Even in the sparse memories she has of her, Tigress could never forget her kind sapphire eyes. Even if she lies bloodied, beaten and still, she could remember her beautiful smile from when she was a mere cub. Even now, after all these years, her heart could never leave her in the past.

Part of her wants desperately to hold her tight, to pray to whatever Gods would listen that she would be okay. But only a tiny vestige of expression lies in her eyes, reeking of suffering and sorrow. Tigress falls to her knees, unable to speak. Unable to breathe.

Unable to feel.

This crushing numbness spreads into her soul as she blinks, Shifu's limp, charred corpse taking her place. "You're armed with such strength, such power yet you are helpless once again." Nuba's heartless, chilling timbre claws into her, mocking her agony. Indulging in her pain. Threatening to take it all again. "To think that even now you are nothing more than a powerless little cub." 'Nuba' emerges from the fire yet Tigress doesn't look up. She doesn't have to for the white tiger to feel the unholy wrath building within. Though part of Tigress' mind screams at her that this is all a trick, the monster has already silenced her reason. It's pupils dilate until they invade its eyes in complete obsidian. It releases a demonic growl that makes the earth beneath it quake in horror. Its claws screech out for blood as they unsheathe themselves. For vengeance. Nuba smiles.

"Kill."

The monster unleashes a roar that silences the thunder high above, threatening to shatter the sky into pieces as this dark whisper consumes its mind in its entirety. It couldn't see that vile white tiger utter that command. It couldn't see her eyes flicker white for a split-second. Nor does it care as it gets on all-fours, its hellish wrath contained in its obsidian and clouded eyes. Wrath that makes Nuba smile wider.

With another roar, the monster leaps over the corpses of its dead kin and attacks Nuba. The palace's blazing fire enraptures them both as they fall backwards, neither tiger acknowledging the searing heat threatening to set them alight. As Nuba lands on her back, she kicks the beast off her with both feet and kips up, ready for the frenzy of claws that fall upon her. She blocks most of its strikes, countering back with punches to the abdomen and sides that fail to make the monster even flinch. Nuba can only smile wider at this as its claws slice into her, her purple qipao and monochrome fur ripped away without mercy. "Yes. Yes!" An insidious, unsettling excitement bleeds through Nuba's timbre as the monster continues to tear at her body. But with each swipe of its claws, more growls burst out of the beast, its insatiable bloodlust being denied as torn bits of Nuba bleed into the flames around them. "Don't hold back! Don't deny your strength! Your truth!"

Before long, the white tiger completely dissipates into blackened smoke, disappearing into the apocalyptic bed of fire that has corrupted the once majestic palace. The monster can only roar out in rage, darting its head at every direction, snarling at wherever its tormentor has hidden herself. Soon enough, its ears begin to twitch, forcing its sights westward. Towards the ruins of the training hall. Ruins that are soon clutched by a veritable chain of flames. "That anger, that hatred! It is what you are!" An irritated confusion soon puppets the beast's countenance as it darts its head in every direction once more. Nuba's voice taunts it, yet it can hear her from everywhere.

From the flames itself. This realisation comes as the blaze around begins to shift and contort, thrashing and dancing as if it is alive. "It is your power, your soul!" The monster tries to growl at the cold, demented voice but is swiftly interrupted as a scorched jade pillar emerges from the debris of the hall of heroes and slams into it. As its sent hurtling towards the decimated training hall, the circle of fire splits in half, granting it 'safe' passage to Nuba's death trap. Though the beast crashes into the burning ground, it springs back up in an instant, unleashing a ferocious roar at the blaze that seems to burn even brighter than before. A demented cackle bursts from this inferno, serving only to enrage the monster further. "Come now. Show me your fury. Your hatred!"

Before it can possibly retort, the monster is forced to dodge one of the training hall's seven-talon rings, now coated in flames. It doesn't take long for another to emerge from the flames, then another, and another. It leaps between each flaming ring only to get sliced and equally burnt as they swing around it erratically. Even so, the monster manages to grab hold of one of the rings and swing itself around. Though its obsidian eye darts around in a frenzy, its tormentor is nowhere to be seen. Distracted, even for this brief moment, the beast isn't ready for one of the seven-talon rings to suddenly change direction and cut the rope that it clings onto. Nor does it expect the rest of the rings to suddenly spin around and fly off their ropes, shooting directly at it.

Try as it might, the monster can only dodge for so long before one of the rings embeds itself in its side. A painful snarl escapes its maw before it quickly rips out the seven-talon ring, ignoring the crimson that gushes out of its wound. "Tsk, tsk. See what happens when one's instincts are suppressed for so long?" It growls back at Nuba's voice, unaffected by this deep wound. "You should've listened to your heart. To yourself." Yet again the inferno shifts and moves, flaming claws and tendrils dragging away the wooden limbs of the palace's hall. "If you did, maybe you would still have a father."

Just as the beast roars in a truly hellish voice, pillars of fire burst from the ground, raising the burning wood trapped in its grasp as well as the ruined clubs of instant oblivion and bisected jade tortoise. These flaming limbs soon twist in the air and throw their wooden daggers at the monster imprisoned by them. Yet again, it manages to dodge a fair few, but the fire shows no mercy, pummelling it with burning planks and four of the spiked clubs until it rolls along the ground, its white qipao scorched and orange fur pulsing purple.

Yet the beast refuses to stay down, leaping high off the ground until it reaches the broken jade tortoise still in the clutches of the inferno. "There she is. The true Tigress. The Zhanshi cub wronged by fate. The monster of Bao Gu… The beast that wants me dead." Two amethyst orbs flash from the fire, kindling the monster's festering, undying rage. It jumps from plank to beam to shattered wooden warrior, plumes of smoke consuming the scorched earth beneath as the flaming debris burns away. Doesn't matter, it continues to charge towards the blazing wall, knowing Nuba awaits behind it. This flaming wall responds with three clubs of instant oblivion, flaming arrows and a now ashen training dummy. Narrowly dodging the clubs and chipped by one of the arrows, the monster leaps up to the training dummy, ready to rip it apart. Only for Po's face to flash on it for a split second. The beast falters for a moment, and a moment is all she needs.

Bam!

Nuba rips her way out of the training dummy, knocking a tooth out of the beast's mouth as her punch threatens to shatter its skull. Both tigers plummet into the veil of smoke below, the monster darting back up only to see no white tiger in sight.

Wham! Bam!

A kick to the head and an elbow to the chest. All done by a white blur. Responding with a frantic claw swipe, the beast takes the head off a shadow wooden warrior behind it, hitting back with its now sharpened limbs. Yet another gash to paint the beast crimson. More furious than ever, the beast tears at it until it dissipates into the veil of smoke that threatens to take all air out of its lungs.

Slam! Boom!

A knee to the back of its head, a palm strike to its chest. Though the smoke cloud flashes with a white light, Nuba is nowhere to be seen as the monster is pushed far back. Its ears begin to ring, the roars of the fire morphing into the Zhanshi clan's dying screams. Its vision blurs, a veil of grey taking its sight until a flash of amethyst pierces through it. Then another, and another. Amethyst orbs cut through the smoke, getting closer and closer to the beast until it rolls backwards and faces its foe once more.

An army of Nubas, all armed with demented grins. Though Tigress' reason tries to warn it of this trap, the monster can only glare at the white tigers with pure, unfettered hatred. Hatred that it cannot hold back.

With a roar that would make any demon tremble in terror, the monster begins to cleave it way through the Nubas with its claws. Whether it's their head, their torso or their limbs, each Nuba explodes into shadows as the beast tears them to shreds. "Yes! Let it flow! Let it fuel every strike, every killing blow!" Nuba's excited taunts continue to ignite its wrath, the monster's barbaric onslaught only growing faster. "Kill me!" Another head is sliced off. "Bludgeon me!" Another chest ripped in two, "Eviscerate me!" Another spark of white lightning ripples through the smoke cloud, but the monster refuses to notice. "Tear me apart until there is nothing left!" It all becomes a blur of white, black and amethyst until it merges into red. Until all that can fill the beast's eye is the endless sight of Nuba's dying body. That is, until a flash of amber punctures the red.

"Liliang."

Obsidian and clouded eyes widen in recognition of the voice, yet it is too late. The monster decapitates another tiger, but their body doesn't dissipate in the thick smoke. No shadows leak out of the limp figure, a puddle of crimson forming at its sliced neck. It's vision now clear once more, the beast looks closer at the tiger's head. A male, adorned in a cloak, his amber eyes gazing at the beast in his haunting stillness. Frozen in place, the monster doesn't notice the flash of amethyst from the wall of smoke behind it. For a split second, its obsidian pupils shrink, a lone tear dripping down as she recognises their victim.

"Baba?" Horror and anguish choke Tigress' voice, but the beast refuses to let her stay for long. It closes its eyes as it falls to the ground, clutching its head with ferocious snarls and growls flying out of its maw.

"Even now, you can't defend your dear father." Nuba's cold timbre surrounds the struggling tiger, yet it is unable to listen. "Can't you see? This repression has only accelerated the inevitable, corrupted your true nature. You were meant to be wild." Ashen stone flies up from the ground as the monster slams its fist into it, unaware of the amethyst eyes shining brightly behind it. "To be free. Stop holding yourself back! Set her free!"

At this, the beast roars in defiance with Tigress' amber eyes taking reign for but a moment. "Get out of my head!" As soon as this had come, Tigress is sealed back in the confines of her mind, the beast taking back control as it turns around.

Before it can do anything however, a shadow tendril punches its way out of the cloud of smoke and wraps around its body. Though the monster struggles and tries to bite its enemy in retaliation, the tendril refuses to break as it throws the beast back into the palace's flaming courtyard. As it lands, the monster tries its best to pick itself up only for its wound to stab its mind in pain, forcing it back to the ground. Forcing it to gaze out at the limp, desecrated bodies of the Zhanshi clan.

"So weak." Nuba's voice warps into a dark, hideous timbre as a black paw thrusts out from underneath the beast and grabs it by the throat. "So pathetic!" A dark tiger rises from the shadows beneath it, their stripes as white as their pale, deathly eyes. A shadow of the tiger that destroyed Tigress' home, their eyes a pin point of light in the darkness of their twisted face. "So conflicted, so torn between each other that neither can be overpowered." Disappointment soon distorts itself into a manic laugh, "Your hope and your truth are both trapped within. How do you expect to help anyone!?" Ke-Pa's arm detaches from his tiger form, holding the beast as another grows in its place. "How could you possibly save another home!?" He holds his arms out wide as he begins to ascend in the air, trails of fire and smoke sweeping around him until they form a flaming, black tornado underneath him. The beast growls once again but it only comes out as a pathetic gurgle, making the black tiger's grin grow wider. "Listen to them, little cub. Listen to the cries of a family you never deserved!" With this, Ke-Pa's tornado of onyx flames grows more erratic, pulling in debris from every corner of the decimated palace.

Pulling in the bodies of Nuba's victims. A sight that the beast is forced to watch, "Help me!" A male tiger bellows as his body is consumed by Ke-Pa's fire, his face growing on the obsidian void of his chest. "Aaaagh!"

One by one each corpse flies into the demon king's fiery vortex, the beast thrashing in place at each torturous scream that stabs into its ears. A sight that makes Ke-Pa's smile split its cheeks open, "Oh Gods! Have mercy!" To no avail, the monster continues to try and break out of the demon king's hold, it's obsidian eye shrinking with each passing second.

"Please! Someone save me!"

"I'm burning! I-I'm burning!"

"Where am I!? I can't move! Get me out of here!"

"Mama! Don't leave me here!"

An unhinged, maniacal laugh takes hold of Ke-Pa, relishing in every moment of the tiger master's suffering. Ecstatic to relive the tragic fate of her real family. Indulging in the despair bleeding out of her eyes. "Liliang! Forgive me! Forgive me!" Even at the sound of Tigress' mother, his laughter doesn't stop. Even as the 'souls' of Xiwang valley's Zhanshi clan all merge together, his eyes remain fixed on the now amber irises of his trapped prey.

"Stop. Stop this! Please!" Memories, nightmares and the present collide together as her dead clan's torture continues to assault her soul. Unsure of what is real and praying that none of it is.

Ke-Pa's heartless, disgusting grin only continues to widen, splitting his shadowy face until it nearly splits in two. Screams and cries continue to pour out of his abomination of a body as he brings Tigress closer to his face. "How long will you hide yourself from the truth? How many will die before you realise what you are!"

Slam!

Without warning, he slams her into the ground head first, dazing her as he throws her high up in the air. "Before you realise what you deserve!" With yet another deranged cackle, Ke-Pa's black fire tornado shifts and contorts until it forms a flaming tail. A tail that spins around and smacks Tigress' body mid-descent.

Bam!

---

Skidding along the floor, Po manages to swerve his head out of the way of a flying shadow fist. "You made a big mistake coming here!" Though he puts on a brave face, Ke-Pa sees through his lies immediately as the panda runs up to attack him again.

"Indeed, I did. I was mistaken in thinking any of you could provide some sort of challenge." A fruitless effort as the demon king dodges all of the dragon warrior's attacks, countering with an elbow strike that brings him to his knees. "But at least you've all provided some entertainment."

He aims a spin-kick at Po's head, but he blocks it, a crafty smile filling his face. "Entertainment, huh?" He pulls the demon king's leg forward and lands an uppercut on his chin, making his head fly upward. The headless body left behind is soon eradicated as Po lands a shoulder strike on it, allowing him to leap up and punch the descending head. As he throws his fist forward, however, Ke-Pa catches it in his mouth. "Yeow!" Ke-Pa clamps down hard on his paw as the rest of his head transforms into a lit firework. "Oh no."

Fwoosh!

The demon turned firework flies high up in the air, dragging Po with him as everyone from the valley watches with a petrified confusion. "Po!" Mr. Ping screams out as Lei-Lei tries to hide her face in Li-Shan's chest, the elder panda's eyes gazing on with a hardened anxiety. This guy will be tough, but demon or not, his son will save them all… right?

Kaboom!

A fiery, white explosion envelops the onyx sky, snapping the panda chief out of his anxious trance and into a new worried stupor. All eyes widen as if they were stars fallen out of the sky, staring in disbelief as the white fire enveloping the skies morphs into a massive dragon. A dragon that begins to spin in the air before shooting downwards, aiming straight at a scorched, falling panda.

Fatigued jade eyes struggle to open, heaving the ash and soot out of their eyelids before shooting open as the white fire dragon descends upon him. Po tries to charge up chi into his fist, but his desperate move is quickly overpowered by the dragon's maw. His teeth grind together at the feeling of the dragon's flaming fangs scalding his skin, setting parts of his fur alight as he finally reaches the valley's now crumbling road.

Slam!

A dirt ridden shockwave bursts out as Po's body is smashed into the ground, the valley's road reduced to a rock crater. With an exhausted groan, the dragon warrior's body trembles as he tries and fails to force himself up, stopped by a shadow foot resting on his chest. "He is so mighty. The dragon warrior, fell out of the sky on a ball of fire." Though Ke-Pa speaks, Po hears Crane's voice. "When he walks the very ground shakes." This voice changes to Mantis, prompting Po to look up only to be met with a kick to the face from the demon king. As the panda master's body is flung out of the crater, Ke-Pa strolls his way out with a rancid grin carved on his face. "It is said that the dragon warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe." He remembers when Tigress told him this, feels like decades ago when it has only been two years. Come to think of it, he could remember every single word that he has repeated. But these are legends of the dragon warrior. Many people know these. What is he trying to prove? Forcing himself up, the dragon warrior gets into a stance, wiping away the blood drizzling down his now broken nose. "There is no secret ingredient."

Jade eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. "W-what?"

Ke-pa smirks as he recites the words of Po's father, "To make something special, you just have to believe it is special." A mocking cackle soon follows as the panda master struggles to put the pieces together. "What utter tripe! All banal myths and nonsensical 'wisdom'." Ke-Pa spouts in his own voice as his steps come to a stop, eyeing up his ursine opponent with a belittling gaze. He turns to his 'audience' and motions to Po, "This is no warrior! No legend! No pure-hearted saviour!" He turns back to his prey who meets his eyes with a wary glare. With a vile, knowing grin, he speaks in Po's own voice. "This is the fat, lazy panda that Shifu failed to train. The dragon warrior is probably somewhere else."

Disbelief puppeteers Po's face until anger swiftly contorts it. How? How does he know this? "I said that to Shifu, not you." He snarls, but his growing ire only makes Ke-Pa laugh once again.

"Oh, Po. It would seem that you've forgotten who I am." As his timbre adopts a playful air, Po notices several figures leap high up in the sky. Drowned in shadows. "This may be your first time meeting me, but I know you all too well. All your exploits, your legends, your friends. Your mind." Jade eyes focus their angered, equally shocked glare on Ke-Pa as the dark figures in the sky come closer. "I've seen your dreams, indulged in your aspirations, watched as your inner fears had been realised. I've been there your entire life. And not just yours… everyone's." The dragon warrior's eyes widen at this, the pieces now clicking into place. That's how he knows their conversations, their thoughts and feelings. He had always been looking in. This realisation gets another cog turning in his head as Ke-Pa continues, smirking as the panda master clenches his fists. "I've seen through the eyes of everyone you've ever met. Lurking as a quiet, gentle whisper in their minds."

Boom!

Po's body shifts to the left as one of the figures crashes to the ground, a mix of shock and sorrow filling his body as the figure rises up. The shadow of Tai Lung glares at him as he drops an unconscious Mantis from his paw unceremoniously. "Tai Lung's pride."

Another dark figure lands, their obsidian wings staring at him with their white, haunting eyes. Lord Shen's shadow threatens the panda master with his guan dao as Viper breathes weakly, trapped in one of his talons. "Shen's paranoia."

Suddenly, one of the deteriorating houses is obliterated as Crane's body crashes into the ground, rendered too weak to stand. Loud pangs of metal greet the stone beneath as Kai's shadow emerges from the cloud of dust left in his wake, swinging is chained blades with a hungry grin on his face. "Kai's lust for power."

Crash!

Spinning around, the dragon warrior gasps in horror at the sight of his scorched and beaten love nearly embedded in the floor. Her amber and clouded eyes gaze at him, the fire within her flickering until it threatens to die out. A shameful flame, begging for forgiveness. But Po cannot reach her as Nuba's shadow lands just in front of her, forcing him back as her landing makes cracks form in the ground. "Nuba's anguish."

His glare remains on the tiger's shadow, wishing to pay back every bruise and wound she had dished out on Tigress. His focus is soon pulled away by his twitching ear, the panda turning to see something emerge from the shadow of a ruined store. Zhongcheng's shadow with Monkey held by the back of his neck, bloodied and knocked out. "Zhongcheng's terror."

Jade eyes dart between the shadows of his former enemies, identical to their late counterparts in all but colour. To think that he could do this without even having a proper body. This thought has the gears of his mind turn faster, bringing more pieces of the puzzle into place. Pieces that Ke-Pa happily dashes aside, "I had felt that darkness within each of them, itching to unleash themselves. All they needed was a voice to guide them, to help them shatter their self-made prisons. Whether that be my voice… or theirs."

Did he now? I spoke to Shen myself, you know, and all he wanted was to see you die. Zhongcheng's unbelievable claims race through Po's head, finally making sense. Yes, but his spirit lives on. Entrusting me with his legacy. Those weren't insane ramblings; they were the truth. Zhongcheng's truth. "Lord Shen never spoke to Zhongcheng… it was you." An ever-growing scowl fills Po's face as Ke-Pa smirks, revelling in the panda's astonishment.

"His plans were quite intricate, ambitious even. What harm is there in providing some extra motivation?" The dragon warrior remains in his stance as the demon king's shadows approach step by step, patient yet hungry for a fight. "And I have you to thank, dragon warrior."

Ke-Pa's 'audience' gaze upon them both with widened eyes and shocked expressions as Po's stance falters, "W-what the hell are you saying?"

A smug chuckle is given in response as the shadows of Po's enemies get even closer to their prey. "My, my. Your memory seems to fail you. Do you not remember when Nuba revealed herself to you? Have your forgotten the torment your dear tiger suffered? The monster that she became." As the dragon warrior digs through his memories of Nuba, his attention is split between the five villains that continue to stare at him, their eyes glowing a blinding, pale white. "It was wonderful. The pain, sorrow, hatred, denial, fear; despair was a forgone conclusion. I could feel it all; every thought of merciless destruction, every urge to kill. Every desperate plan that your mind hastily concocted." His white irises lock with jade as an epiphany flashes onto Po's face, "The very ground shattered beneath you, providing an escape. For both of us." This forces the dragon warrior's glare to dig itself even deeper onto his face, Ke-Pa's Cheshire grin growing evermore. "Such kindness deserves a gift, no?" His eyes flash white.

The bell tolls.

All five shadows dash at the dragon warrior at once, forcing Po on the defensive at once. He manages to remain strong against their overwhelming offensive, but they still manage to land many attacks on him. With each fabric torn, bruise beaten, and wound carved into him, Ke-Pa's audience find themselves grimacing and flinching. It seems like the fight is over before it even begins.

But the dragon warrior never quits.

Zhongcheng's shadow aims his knife at the panda's throat whilst shadow Shen thrusts his guan dao right at his chest. Po swerves his head out of the way and grabs Zhongcheng's arm whilst parrying Shen's guan dao. He kicks away the peacock as he lifts Zhongcheng off the ground, narrowly dodging Kai's blades before throwing the wolf into him. Within an instant, Tai Lung's shadow lands his signature double punch as he and Nuba rush him. Though this knocks Po back a bit, he recovers quick, ducking Nuba's follow-up kick and countering with an elbow to her stomach. Tai Lung goes for a palm strike, but Po catches his wrist in time. With a crafty smile he pulls him forward and belly bashes him, sending him back a fair bit. He tries to attack the shadow tiger but is beaten by her rolling punch barrage, pummelling his face and torso before she attempts a hook kick on his side. Big mistake. He catches her leg and headbutts her before tossing her towards the shadow leopard bounding towards him. Unfortunately, Tai Lung leaps over her and pounces on the dragon warrior. They roll in a heap, punching at each other until shadow Tai Lung rolls on his back and kicks Po up in the air.

Before he can even descend, chains wrap around the dragon warrior's body, rendering him immobile as the shadow of Kai plucks him out of the air. With a sadistic grin, he brings the trapped panda around and swings him into the valley's local library.

Crash!

The building's foundation crumbles in its entirety, falling in on itself until it is a pile of shattered rubble, scrolls and books. Kai retracts his chain blades, giving Shen and Zhongcheng the signal to charge in. Meanwhile, Po bursts out of the library's wreckage, discombobulated as he tries to ready himself for the nex-

Bam!

Unfortunately, his enemies aren't the type for mercy. Shadow Shen lands a powerful kick to his jaw as Zhongcheng speeds in for a follow up. Though he lands three punches on Po's chest, he manages to recover, parrying the wolf's knee and countering with a shoulder strike to his chest. Shen throws three knives at his head, but Po is quick to catch them and throw them back. This reversal is only met with a plume of obsidian feathers that cover his target, the knives dissolving into him. Though distracted for a moment, Po keeps his eye on Zhongcheng's shadow, who draws his own dagger as Shen's plume of feathers unfolds. Making way for his guan dao to thrust forward at the dragon warrior's chest.

Ducking his head back, Po evades both these blades, grabbing Zhongcheng's wrist and Shen's wing at the same time before redirecting them to the floor. Both caught off guard by this, the lord and commander's shadows can only watch as Po transitions into an upside-down handstand, nailing them both with in the face with an upside-down split kick. As they both back away, Po allows himself to roll forward, leaving himself open as the shadow of Tai Lung leaps towards him. Twisting in the air to land a brutal axe kick to his head.

Wham!

Once again, Po's world loses its balance as he tries to get back to his feet. Nuba's shadow doesn't give him the chance as she leaps over Tai Lung's shoulder and lands a double palm strike on his chest. Scrolls and tattered pages of books scatter as the dragon warrior lands in one of the many piles of them, allowing Nuba and Zhongcheng to continue their approach. Forcing himself up, Po's vision remains wobbly as he trades blows with the two shadows.

Ke-Pa's 'audience' watches on, a damned mosaic of hope and terror clouding their hearts as the battle grows more dire. Po seems to be holding his own, but these are five of his greatest foes all at once. His fathers still hold onto hope, however slim it may be, whilst the trapped kung fu masters shift their attention to the demon king. A few of them share glances, confirming what they all see on his flowing, shifting face. Worrying about his lack of frown or scowl. Not even a smile or some form of excitement. His expression remains unmoving. Uninterested. Unimpressed. That all changes as his eyes shift towards the crowd, an unnerving smile filling his face as the 'audience' realises exactly who he is looking at.

As this development occurs, Po continues to fights against the shadows of Nuba and Zhongcheng, blocking and countering as many of their attacks as possible. Before long, his sight stabilises, allowing him to properly fight back. He forces them both back with a 360-spin kick before pelting the shadows with scrolls to keep their distance. This doesn't work too well, however, the shadows closing in on him regardless. Zhongcheng tries another stab at Po's body, but the panda master catches his knife with an open book, disarming him with a swift twist of his wrists. The obsidian wolf tries another barrage of fists but Po manages to block it all with his book as Nuba rushes behind him to swipe her claws at his back.

Ready for this, however, Po quickly parries another punch from Zhongcheng's shadow and smacks him with the book before grabbing a scroll with his left paw. He unfurls it and swerves past her claws, shoving the parchment up to her face and winding it around her head. Unfortunately for Po, getting behind the blinded tiger is fruitless. An arm grows from her back and punches him in the gut hard, leaving him reeling as she rips the parchment off her head and grabs him by the shoulders. Shoving him towards the shadow wolf, Po isn't able to defend himself as Zhongcheng lands a right hook on his cheek. He spins around only to be met with an uppercut to the jaw from Nuba. Both shadows pummel the dragon warrior with an onslaught of punches and kicks, leaving him no room to even try a counter attack. They end their savage barrage with a simultaneous kick to his back, launching him out of the desolate library.

And right into the arms of the other three shadows. Weak and woozy, he attempts a haymaker at Tai Lung only to be dodged and dazed further with a punch to his liver. At the same time, Shen slashes at his chest with his guan dao and pins him to the floor with his talons pressed at his throat. Tai Lung's shadow attempts a stomp on his chest, but Po manages to catch his leg in one paw and palm strikes the onyx peacock with another. As the shadow of Shen backs away, Po pushes the shadow leopard's foot away and lands a double foot kick to his jaw. Tai Lung flies upwards, allowing the dragon warrior back to his feet. Or so he thinks. Two pale blades zip past his sides and slices into them the moment he stands up. He hisses in pain, attempting to push past it, yet Kai is too fast for him as his chain blades wrap around him in a matter of seconds, leaving him completely defenceless for the onyx leopard shooting form the sky directly at him. Jade eyes look up to see Tai Lung, his fists shooting out, ready to smash into his head as Shen approaches him with knives held in his wing. Yet, Po's eyes don't focus on either of them for long. Instead, something else catches his eyes. Something horrible. Something heartless.

Something cruel.

"Agh! Po!" Mr. Ping screams out, both him and Li-Shan constricted by shadow tendrils as they are lifted up above the rest of the valley's citizens.

"Lotus!" Though he screams out his son's name, Li-Shan tries to wriggle his way out of Ke-Pa's grasp. If not for his sake, then for Mr. Ping's.

Po feels his breath rip itself out of him as he thrashes about in his chains, Shen snickering maliciously in his indulgent approach as he tries with all his strength to break free. In his desperation, he notes another tendril grow out of each one, their ends as sharp as a scorpion's tail. As they take aim at both his dads, Ke-Pa stares at the dragon warrior's eyes, seeking something. Po couldn't care less about the demon king's goal as he tries harder and harder, Tai Lung plummeting closer and closer to the chained panda with each passing second. Cries are soon heard over all the chaos.

An innocent, scared voice that punches right into Po's ears. Lei-Lei's cries. His mind flashes back to that awful day. His home, Shen's atrocity. Yet the past is soon overcome by his haunting nightmare. The memorial garden, an empty valley. Oogway's successor.

Alone.

A wretched scowl takes hold of Po's face as he looks to the floor, Ke-Pa grinning wide upon noticing the flash of blue in the dragon warrior's irises. A dim, golden light begins to take hold of Po's chains only for a wave of blue to crash and meld alongside it. The very earth begins to quake, making a singular, fatigued amber eye gaze at the panda in worry. Noting the demon king's awaiting grin. "No."

"Ke-Pa!" A mighty, guttural roar bursts out of the dragon warrior as an explosion of gold and blue covers his body in its entirety. Kai's chains shatter, all the shadows surrounding him dissipate, even Tai Lung falters at the sight of the enraged dragon warrior. Without mercy, Po drives his fist upwards, enraptured in a mix of gold and blue chi.

Crash!

Tai Lung's shadow is obliterated as the dragon warrior's fist connects, a flash of lightning striking Po's form as a growl of thunder follows. The remnants of these shadows zoom past Po as they are absorbed back into Ke-Pa's being, the demon king licking his lips at the rage taking hold of his prey. At the blazing, wild chi rippling along Po's body. At the bolts of blue and gold striking the ground around him. All but Ke-Pa looks upon the dragon warrior in horror, praying that they would never see him like this.

"Let go of my dads!" Po bellows as he charges forward, forcing Ke-Pa to finally take up a stance. Po's own stance. But he simply doesn't care, not after he threatened his family, his village. His world. The dragon warrior launches a barrage of fists, his body's exhaustion vanishing due to the overwhelming energy filling him up. Powerful his punches may be, they mean little if they don't hit anything. Something that Ke-Pa demonstrates all to well as his form shifts, bends and evades every single one of his strikes. His wild aura burns with more intensity as he too realises this, throwing out his attacks at an even faster speed than before. Soon, the demon king finds himself needing to block Po's attacks, each one flowing with power. With rage.

There we are.

With a gross grin, Ke-Pa has a newfound focus in this battle, the shadow tendrils holding Mr. Ping and Li-Shan retreating into themselves. But Po doesn't notice his fathers being set free, his wrath doesn't let him. They trade blows, the demon king landing several consecutive hits on his sides and face whilst the dragon warrior has failed to land even one. With grit teeth, he delivers a brutal punch to Ke-Pa's chest but his upper body burst out into a veil of shadows. This veil soon turns into four firsts pummelling his head with punches. Though he most of them connect, Po keeps his guard up, realising that Ke-Pa is no longer in front of him. As his body reforms behind him, the demon king throws out a kick to his side only for Po to interrupt him by punching his leg down and landing a palm strike to his chest.

A gold and blue shockwave explode from the place of impact as Ke-Pa flies backwards, the panda master in hot pursuit. Surprise takes up Ke-Pa's face, a feeling that he hasn't felt since… Why am I not surprised. Though this thought lacks any humour, the demon king smiles, thankful for even a ghost of a challenge. Po continues his onslaught, landing several chi-infused strikes on his shadowy foe. Those strikes do little to deter his counter-attack, beating into the dragon warrior's body with more power than before.

Despite the amount of chi flowing through him now, Po knows he won't be able to keep it up for long. He has to end this here and now. By all means, dragon warrior. End this. An unconscious growl sends tremors of fury through his body, the panda ignorant of the sparks of white lightning flowing across Ke-Pa's flowing form as he aims a hammer punch at his chest. To Po's surprise, his body splits in two, Ke-Pa's top half happily taking advantage of his momentary shock to land a punch that sends him rocketing backwards.

Bam!

As his prey soars through the air, Ke-Pa grabs his lower half and chucks it at the panda, dissipating into himself. Rolling along the floor, Po manages to pick himself back up just in time to block a double drop kick from Ke-Pa's lower half. It explodes into shadows on impact, leaving jade eyes to dart around, desperate to find his opponent. Before long, Ke-Pa rises from his shadow and throws out a punch, forcing the panda to spin around and block it. Yet as he blocks it, another Ke-Pa splits from himself and jumps over Po. As the two demon kings attack Po from both sides, he finds his fatigue building up much faster and he knows that Ke-Pa can feel it too. But that won't stop him.

Both Ke-Pa's attempt a kick at the same time, allowing Po to swerve to the side and grab one of their legs. With a ferocious shout, Po throws one of the Ke-Pa's back into the other and throws out a left punch. His fist shining bright with gold chi.

Wham!

This hits Ke-Pa dead on in the face, forcing him to stumble back a bit. As Po charges chi into his right fist, the demon king can only stare at the floor. Not because he hit him, no. Because it hurt. This panda has caused him pain when none of the other masters could. Even Oogway had struggled to do this centuries ago. His eyes dart up to see the dragon warrior throw out another punch, his fist flickering between blue, gold, and… silver. Ke-Pa smirks slightly as he catches his fist with ease and channels this power into his own body, unleashing his own palm strike that shines a blinding, deadly white.

Boom!

A gargantuan shockwave erupts from the point of impact as a white dragon bursts out of Ke-Pa's shadow fist, sending Po flying backwards a long distance. The entire valley settles into a shocked silence, speechless at the sight of the white dragon dragging Po's body along the ground at high speed until it dissolves into mere sparks. As the dragon fades, Po's body rolls along the floor until it loses all momentum. Settling in front of Ke-Pa's 'audience'.

Mr. Ping gasps at the sight of Po's fur now turned crimson, Li-Shan feels his gut sink upon noticing the lacerations and tender wounds painting his son's body. Both fathers rush over to him immediately as they notice his slight, weak breathing. "Po!" Alas, they can't get close to him, as a chain of shadows emerges from behind them and shackles them in place.

"D-dad?" Po just manages to get out as his head tilts upwards, his body screaming in pain even at this tiny movement. His eyes gaze at both his dads with a tenderness only overpowered by his fatigue, his eyelids threatening to close at every moment.

Though he tries to move, the dragon warrior can only feel a dreadful pain coursing through every single part of his body. None more than his soul as Ke-Pa approaches, "I'll have to admit, your potential is remarkable, dragon warrior."

"You… You'll never get a hold of me."

A slight chuckle leaves the demon king's mouth, Po's defiant grunt being nothing more than wasted breath. "I know. That's why I can't risk you meeting that potential. Not after you've gotten in my way for so long."

The eyes of both Po's fathers widen until they break their faces, "Po!" Mr. Ping tries with all his might to wrench his way out of his restraints, understanding exactly what the vile demon means when he says this.

"Lotus! Don't you dare hurt my Lotus!" A grief-stricken roar bellows out of Li-Shan, memories of his home's desolation replaying in his head all over again.

The conscious members of the five try their best to come to Po's aide, but none of them can even hope to get close enough. Crane can only gaze on with a hopeless countenance, Viper is left to her tearful mutterings, praying that this is all a nightmare. Tigress is the only one who tries in vain to crawl her way to her panda. It can't end like this. Not her Po. Not him.

Po locks eyes with his dads, his look both shameful and embedded in sorrow. He should've been stronger. He should've been ready. Yet even now, his dads refuse to look at him like that. Their fear, their desperation, their love. That's all he can see in their eyes. His eyes soften, thankful that they are still here. Even if he won't be.

"Please, I beg of you. Protect my little lotus. Let him live."

His eyes shoot open at the sound of a female voice, a voice that he knows he's heard before yet can't remember. That is, until he looks to Li-Shan. A well-known grief carpets his face like a mourning veil, his eyes haunted by a voice that he had once loved more than anything else. No… He wouldn't…

"Those were her last words before Shen butchered her for good." Ke-Pa confirms the worst, making Li-Shan's heart sink further down into a pit of despair and igniting another wrathful fire within the dragon warrior. "What a sight it was." How dare he. "Her sorrow, her guilt." Po feels a ghost of a growl tear at his throat as his fist clenches tight, howling in agony whilst the demon king draws ever closer. "Her tearful screams."

Fighting against the torturous agony consuming his body, Po forces himself up to deliver one last punch to Ke-Pa only for the demon king to catch his fist and grab him by the throat. Gasps echo along the petrified crowd alongside a few screams, the masters joining in with Ping and Li-Shan as they try to tear their way out of their restraints. "If only she knew that no God could protect you from me." He squeezes tight on Po's neck, twisting ever so slightly, ever so slowly to drink in every last ounce of pain searing his body. To indulge in the panic and terror filling everyone watching.

"Po! No, Po!" He can feel Ke-Pa's hand close tighter over his throat.

"You bastard! Let my son go!" His lungs beg for breath as his neck is wrung with an agonising slowness.

"Oh Gods! We have to help him!" His body is too weak for his arms to even try to resist him.

Soon enough, his hearing begins to blur. His sight begins to blur. Everything begins to fade. The pain that had once filled him numbs itself. None of the voices screaming in panic reach him. Not even the voice of his tiger.

She reaches out to him, her heart aching as his eyes roll into the back of his head. Against all hope, she whispers a weak, pained, tearful prayer. "My Po. Don't take him. Have mercy."

Snap!

A prayer that falls on deaf ears.

---

Oh... Ke-Pa just... wow. There's not much I can really say about this. Only... plz don't kill me. All jokes aside, hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter and until next time :)