The Void Emperor Calamity  

Lava dripped from Lu Ignis's scales that sizzled and hissed as it struck the earth. This was a tangible manifestation of the rage that boiled within him. The moisture in the air around him evaporated in an instant, leaving a hazy trail of steam in the sky.

"Qi Hawk! I warned you! Get those pathetic feathers out of my way! I have unfinished business here!" His hiss was like a thunderclap that reverberated through those mountains. His burning gaze was locked onto those figures fleeing into Black Wind territory. It was as if they were taunting him with their every step.

"Those insignificant creatures slaughtered Lu Lingxue, my blood, my lineage. I must have retribution, RIGHT NOW!"

Qi Hawk gave his nemesis an icy gaze and retorted, "Lu Lingxue? You mean the venomous brat who slaughtered my third daughter? I remember her well. If it weren't for her, my precious Qi Wella would still be gracing these skies with her magnificent silver plumage."

"Kuahahaha!" Lu Ignis's laughter was a chilling sound laced with smug satisfaction and a cruel disregard for life.

"She got what she deserved, that pathetic fledgling was strutting around my territory like she owned the skies. She was practically begging for it! And you, you should be grateful that my daughter merely crushed her instead of devouring her Solar Consciousness! A mercy I would not have extended."

"HOW BOLD!"

Qi Hawk couldn't contain his fury. He beat those massive wings and sent forth a blast of compressed wind that slammed into Lu Ignis's massive head. "Damn you, snake! I'm holding back because the Void Emperor wouldn't appreciate another war in Yama Yaguai. But keep pushing me and I'll shred you into a thousand pieces."

Those blades of lightning throbbed with impatience.

"This is your LAST warning, turn back, NOW!"

"I REFUSE!" Lu Ignis's gaze returned to Raphael and Lu Jade whose silhouettes were getting smaller and smaller as they raced towards the heart of Black Wind Ridge. "This isss personal. I have a score to settle." He slithered forward, attempting to pass Qi Hawk, who stood like an immovable mountain, radiating untold power.

Qi Hawk acted swiftly by unleashing a blinding black lightning bolt that struck the ground before Lu Ignis, carving a deep chasm into the earth. "You're settling nothing in my territory, serpent. Moreover," he glanced down at the bull and snakes in pursuit. "Since Lu Lingxue was killed by them, I should extend my gratitude by offering them shelter from your wrath. It's the least I can do for those who have avenged my beloved daughter."

Lu Ignis was speechless for a brief moment, the audacity!

He then hissed in pure rage. "Qi Hawk, you feathery bastard! If you want to die ssso badly, I'll happily grant your request. But thisss time, I'll make sure to ssswallow your Solar Consciousnesssss, no mercy!"

"Try it, serpent." Qi Hawk stood firm. He raised a taloned hand and commanded his lightning blades to adjust their trajectory for a clash.

Lu Ignis's rage reached a boiling point. He couldn't hold back anymore. The scales along his spine vibrated intensely; ancient power coiled within him.

"HELL WINK!"

Above him, the sky rippled. Then multiple red, glowing eyes materialized, each one larger than a mountain. Those eyes gazed upon that chaotic battlefield with malevolent curiosity that froze even those escaping creature in their tracks.

Lu Ignis's monstrous intent then focused upon those eyes. He directed them to glare at Qi Hawk.

They began to narrow, concentrating his essence and anger before expanding once more, charging an intense orange-crimson energy within their depths. And from that monstrous spectacle, a thousand orbs materialized.

"DIE!"

He roared his final command.

The Hell Wink attack shot forwards towards his adversary with enough power to incinerate everything within a five mile radius. But Qi Hawk didn't flinch. His response was an ominous whisper:

"Reality Thwart – Limbo!"

A milky white radiance escaped his right eye. And then, the world around Qi Hawk grew silent. It was as if reality itself had come to a standstill, those chaotic movements were now frozen in time. The colors around Qi Hawk dulled. From those murky greys, a perfect replica of the Black Wind Emperor materialized as it stood beside him. It was as if a shadow had stepped from its master.

This copy blinked, then…

WHOOSH!

In an instant, it circled Lu Ignis with a blinding speed as those deadly talons extended.

SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH! SCRATCH!

Those attacks sliced through the serpent's bronze scaled hide with a terrifying effect, creating countless shallow, bleeding wounds as the skies echoed with its thunderous movements that no eyes nor ears could grasp.

Then as suddenly as everything had become silent, movement returned.

BOOM!

The skies exploded with fire. Black smoke billowed outwards that obscured both emperors.

"Yesssss! My Hell Wink!" Lu Ignis thought his attack had caused Qi Hawk damage.

However, those victorious exclamations were quickly cut short by Qi Hawk's mockery, "Are you smiling at your own demise, snake?"

"What?" Those words confused Lu Ignis as he watched the smoke dissipated. His mind, now free of "Reality Thwart" finally realized those itches, those stings that came from multiple places on its body.

"Hmm?" He glanced down at himself and then gasped in terror and utter disbelief, for in those blinks when he'd thought victory was in his grasp, a worse reality manifested.

"Blood?!"

Countless shallow, blood red gashes were marring his majestic hide. He could heal them, sure, but… How?! When?! He couldn't remember being hit!

Those eyes shot open with realization. "That damned curse eye of yours… I should have ripped both of them out those millennia ago!" His words held regret and dread.

Qi Hawk laughed softly, "Come and try it, Lu Ignis. Next time I promise, those cuts will be far deeper and more painful! This was merely the appetizer." He swished his tail, seemingly bored by this entire confrontation, and yet, the threat was real. Those claws were sharp and lethal.

"You… Damn YOU!"

Unable to withstand the humiliation any longer, the Bronze Serpent Emperor rushed forward in a blind rage!

Qi Hawk, not a cowardly bird, met his charge head-on! He raised a hand and those lightning swords around him vibrated.

A blood bath was inevitable. Those other fleeing beasts that watched on, shivered as those ancient powers collided in a brilliant flash of light that emanated a terrifying beauty.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a brilliant blue light descend upon those chaotic, stormy skies and came piercing into that blinding radiance which shattered and instantly halted those clashing titans.

A profound silence settled across those scorched lands. The two Emperors froze mid-battle; their burning rage turned to bewildered shock and a chilling dread.

From that beam of blue brilliance, thousands of ethereal butterflies with wings that sparkled like starlight began permeating the airspace with a breathtaking grace. The sheer majesty of this arrival had even the mightiest creatures awestruck and speechless.

"Void Emperor... Sindoll?"

They spoke in unison with a rather peculiar tone which revealed something even more terrifying than their ancient rivalry, fear and submission to one whose authority even Emperors bowed to.

With the arrival of these butterflies came a subtle pressure that crushed both Calamities' arrogance. Qi Hawk and Lu Ignis instinctively bowed their heads as if acknowledging a silent command before they withdrew.

But even as Lu Ignis slithered back to his territory with those bleeding wounds dripping crimson evidence of his humiliation, a cocky sentiment came slipping from those venomous jaws:

"You are lucky today, Qi Hawk, the Void Emperor intervened, I'll give you that. This isn't over. But for now…"

He glanced beyond the ridge. His searching gaze found those pathetic creatures fleeing deeper and deeper into Black Wind's haven.

"KILL THAT BULL! KILL HIM NOW!"

Hearing their emperor's command, Lu Pin and Lu Pan hissed with renewed purpose and redoubled their efforts to capture Raphael and his traitorous brother.