2690 Beast Empire

"Apex, you're finally here," the gentle voice of the Celestial Ember Ancestor echoed before she frowned. "I can smell beast blood on you."

"And what of it, old hag?"

BANG!

Apex was sent flying so fast that the entire front layer of his skin was burnt off from the initial impact, while the back was torn away by the sheer flight speed of his backward ascent. 

BOOM! 

He collided in a mountain range that quickly erupted into a pillar of flames. 

The gentle Celestial Ember Ancestor rose to her full height, her wings opening up wide and flapping with a world-ending majesty. Embers in the shape of feathers descended from the skies in a delicate rain, and yet whenever they touched an object, whether organic or inorganic, they would erupt into a rain of undeniable flames.