The creature roared again.
The sound shook the ruined palace courtyard hard enough to crack the remaining pillars around them.
Anna was still pressed against Shou Feng's chest, his arm tightly wrapped around her waist while dust and burning debris rained around them.
His heartbeat was fast.
Too fast.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then another explosion shook the ground.
Shou Feng's expression hardened instantly.
"Stay behind me."
Before Anna could answer, he pulled away and turned toward the monster again.
The creature towered over the destroyed courtyard, silver light leaking from the cracks across its body. Every breath it took sounded like mountains breaking apart.
Soldiers surrounded the area but nobody dared move closer.
Fear filled the air.
The monster slowly lowered its massive head toward Shou Feng.
Then it smiled.
Anna's stomach twisted.
"Nope," Renji muttered from somewhere behind the broken walls. "I officially hate anything that smiles like that."
The creature suddenly lunged.
The entire courtyard shattered beneath its claws.
Shou Feng raised his hand instantly.
Silver energy exploded outward like a storm colliding with the beast head-on.
BOOM.
The shockwave tore through the palace.
Anna covered her face as violent wind whipped through the courtyard.
When the dust cleared
Shou Feng was still standing.
But barely.
One knee had dropped against the cracked stone beneath him.
Blood dripped slowly from his hand now.
The creature growled deeply.
It wasn't even injured.
Anna's chest tightened.
Shou Feng noticed immediately.
"Don't look at me like that."
She frowned.
"Like what?"
"Like you think I'll lose."
Another roar echoed through the sky.
The silver eye above them remained open, watching silently.
Then suddenly
the creature charged again.
This time even faster.
Shou Feng stood up sharply, silver energy gathering violently around him, but Anna could feel it
he was exhausted.
Too many battles.
Too many wounds.
And whatever was happening to the sky was draining everyone.
The creature opened its jaws wide.
Silver flames gathered inside its mouth.
Orochi's eyes widened from the rooftop nearby.
"Move!"
But before anyone could react
Shou Feng calmly lifted two fingers toward the sky.
The wind stopped.
The rain froze in midair.
Even the battlefield went silent.
Anna stared at him.
His silver eyes glowed softly now.
Then he spoke one word.
"Moki."
The heavens answered.
Thunder exploded across the sky so violently the entire kingdom shook.
Every soldier looked upward instantly.
Dark clouds twisted unnaturally above the palace, forming a massive spiral around the silver crack in the heavens.
Then
something moved inside the storm.
Huge.
Ancient.
A deafening roar tore through the sky.
Anna's breath caught.
A gigantic dragon burst from the clouds.
Black scales covered its massive body like living shadows, glowing faintly with gold beneath the stormlight. Long white antlers curved from its head while blue lightning crawled endlessly across its body.
Its golden eyes burned brighter than fire.
The dragon circled above the kingdom once
and every thundercloud followed its movement.
The celestial soldiers below immediately dropped to their knees in shock.
"Moki…" one of them whispered fearfully.
Even Renji looked stunned.
"Oh, that is ridiculously cool."
The creature attacking the palace suddenly stepped backward.
For the first time
it looked nervous.
Moki descended slowly through the storm, lightning exploding around its enormous body.
The dragon landed behind Shou Feng with enough force to crack the entire courtyard apart.
Blue electricity spread across the ground instantly.
Anna could actually feel the power radiating from it.
Wild.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Moki lowered its massive head beside Shou Feng protectively.
Thunder rumbled softly from inside the dragon's chest.
Shou Feng placed one hand against its scales.
And somehow
for the first time all night
he didn't look alone anymore.
The connection between them felt ancient.
Like they had fought together for centuries.
The monster roared furiously and attacked again.
Moki answered with a roar so powerful the sky itself trembled.
Then lightning exploded.
The dragon shot forward instantly, moving impossibly fast for something so massive.
Its claws slammed into the creature midair.
BOOM.
The impact sent shockwaves through the kingdom.
Anna grabbed onto a broken pillar to steady herself as blue lightning ripped across the battlefield violently.
The creature screamed.
Moki coiled around it like a storm given life, electricity tearing through the monster's body again and again.
Shou Feng lifted his hand calmly.
The lightning obeyed him.
Anna watched in disbelief as thunder itself bent toward his command.
The creature tried to strike back, but Moki bit down onto its shoulder viciously before throwing it across the palace ruins.
Buildings collapsed instantly.
The soldiers erupted into chaos.
Renji stared openly.
"I think I'm in love with that dragon."
Even Orochi looked impressed.
"That dragon hasn't been summoned in centuries."
Anna looked toward Shou Feng again.
Rain poured around him while silver energy moved through the storm like veins of light.
And suddenly she understood something.
This was why gods feared him.
Not because he was cruel.
Because he was powerful enough to destroy heaven itself if he wanted to.
The creature rose again weakly, smoke pouring from its wounds now.
Moki growled deeply.
Lightning gathered inside the dragon's mouth.
The monster looked upward
and for the first time
it tried to run.
Too late.
Moki unleashed a massive beam of thunder directly into the creature.
The world turned white.
The explosion shook the mountains.
Anna covered her ears as the deafening sound ripped through the kingdom.
Then silence.
Slowly, the light faded.
The creature was gone.
Nothing remained except scorched ground and burning silver embers drifting through the rain.
Moki stood at the center of the ruined courtyard, electricity crackling across its massive body.
Victorious.
The soldiers stared in complete silence.
Then suddenly
the giant eye in the sky moved.
Its attention shifted fully toward Moki.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Moki growled.
Low.
Uneasy.
Anna noticed immediately.
The dragon was afraid.
And that terrified her more than anything else tonight.
The silver crack above the heavens widened further.
Then giant black chains slowly emerged from inside the opening.
Everyone froze.
The chains moved like living things across the sky.
Straight toward Moki.
Shou Feng's expression darkened immediately.
"No."
The chains shot downward violently.
Moki roared as thunder exploded around the kingdom again.
Shou Feng leaped upward instantly, slashing through several chains before they reached the dragon.
But more kept coming.
Too many.
Anna's heart pounded.
"What are those?!"
Orochi's face had gone pale.
"They're trying to drag Moki into the gate."
Moki roared again as chains wrapped around one of its legs tightly.
The dragon thrashed violently, lightning tearing through the sky.
Shou Feng moved again, cutting through chain after chain desperately.
But the heavens kept producing more.
Then suddenly—
one chain struck Shou Feng directly.
Anna's eyes widened.
The force slammed him hard into the ruined courtyard below.
"Shou Feng!"
Blood spread across the stones beneath him.
Moki roared wildly in response, trying to reach him.
Another chain wrapped around the dragon's neck.
The giant eye above seemed brighter now.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then Anna heard the whisper again.
Save him.
The wind around her exploded instantly.
Everyone turned toward her.
Silver light spread beneath Anna's feet while her hair whipped violently around her face.
The storm answered her emotions.
Without thinking
Anna ran straight toward Shou Feng.
Another chain descended from the sky.
Too fast.
Shou Feng looked up sharply from the ground, injured and unable to move in time.
Anna reached him just as the chain struck downward.
She threw herself toward him instinctively.
The impact exploded across the courtyard.
Pain shot through her body.
Strong arms immediately wrapped around her protectively before she hit the ground.
Shou Feng pulled her tightly against him, shielding her beneath his body as broken stone and thunder crashed around them.
For a second the entire world became noise.
Then silence returned slowly.
Anna realized she was half lying on top of him now, both of them breathing hard beneath the falling rain.
Shou Feng stared at her in disbelief.
"What were you thinking?"
"I don't know!"
"You could've died!"
"So could you!"
The words escaped louder than she intended.
Silence followed immediately.
Rain dripped from his silver hair onto his face.
His hand was still holding her tightly against him.
And the way he looked at her now
completely ruined
completely terrified
made Anna's heart beat painfully hard inside her chest.
To be continued..