The Eternal Dragon's Attack Part 2

- Damn it, he couldn't have gotten that far! - complained Zuko as he and his Luneta searched the skies for any sign of the Avatar.

- Be patient Prince Zuko, the Avatar can't have gone that far. - said Iroh, sipping his tea.

- Uncle, the Avatar can travel tens of kilometers in a few hours, or even hundreds of kilometers. With that bison, he could already be in the Northern Water Tribe. This damn ship is too slow!

- How can you be sure that the Avatar is heading north? - Iroh asked, scratching his beard.

- His last appearance was in a prison that used imprisoned earthbenders to build warships. - Zuko explained. - The Avatar only has two ways to go: north, where the Water Tribe is, or east, where Ba sing Se is.

- Either way is dangerous for you, Zuko. If we go north, we enter Fire Nation territory.

- And if we go overland, we'll be intercepted by Kai's forces. - Zuko looked at his uncle with determination. - For now, I'd rather bet on this route.

Zuko returned his attention to the telescope, watching every cloud in the sky, hoping to finally have a second chance to capture the Avatar. Thanks to the spirits, he noticed a familiar large white-furred creature flying through the sky.

- I've found you! Captain, maximum power to the north! - ordered Zuko, his eyes fully focused on his prey. - You won't escape me this time, even if you have to burn its legs and arms.

Zuko's ship sailed at high speed, its trail of smoke spreading across the sky, something so visible that it would be impossible for the others to notice.

- General Tizo, a Fire Nation ship from a generation ago is heading our way. - said a soldier holding a telescope.

- An old military ship? I thought they'd all been destroyed in the last few decades. - Tizo confessed in confusion.

- General Tizo, I think I know who this ship belongs to. - Zhao smiled mischievously. - Prince Zuko.

- Prince Zuko... why would he try to invade Fire Nation territory? - Tizo became serious, processing the information in his mind at great speed. - The Avatar.

- He must be on the Avatar's trail. - Zhao commented, taking the telescope from the soldier next to him. - If he's here, that means the Avatar is here.

Zhao looked up at the sky, searching for something that might catch his eye. Soon he noticed a huge bison flying at high speed.

- The Avatar! Sir, we have to use the catapults.

- Inform all our soldiers and prepare for battle. - ordered Tizo, assuming his position as general. - My vacation took a little longer than I thought.

The Avatar team, flying at high speed towards the Fire Nation, was surprised by a large blockade of military ships. Of course, this could easily be avoided if they simply flew above the ships at a safe distance, but to the group's surprise, dozens of fireballs were catapulted at them, making it impossible for the group to advance.

The few fireballs that fell over the sea may have been harmless to the sea creatures, but they were completely dangerous to the ships within their reach.

- Prince Zuko, we have to get out of range of the ships! - shouted Iroh, trying to hold on to every part of the ship to keep his balance.

- We have to move! These attacks are aimed at the Avatar, not at us! - shouted Zuko, in the same situation as his uncle.

As the first wave of gunfire subsided, the soldiers marveled at the agility of the giant flying bison, which seemed indifferent to the extremely dangerous situation.

- O-Ok... I want that bison with the rare meat, fire! - ordered Tizo with a second wave of attacks on the innocent Appa.

The flying bison was finding it increasingly difficult to advance without risking being hit and seriously injured. Faced with the impossibility of overcoming the blockade, Aang became convinced that it was pointless to continue with this strategy.

- We can't go on at this rate, we have to get around the blockade! - said Aang, with sweat on his face from the fireballs. - We have to go north!

- Then you won't be able to talk to Roku in time! - said Katara.

- I don't want you to get hurt because of me.

- That's not going to happen...

- ROOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!! - A loud roar was heard, causing Team Avatar to cover their ears at the sonic boom.

The loud roar made all the Fire Nation soldiers stop reloading their catapults to investigate who was responsible for the loud sound.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for the clouds to be pushed back by the flapping of the four giant wings, revealing the rotting figure of the dragon in the air.

Many were paralyzed by the haunting form, especially the Fire Nation soldiers who knew the legends surrounding the mystical species.

- That-that's a dragon? - Zuko stammered in amazement at the creature, forgetting the Avatar for the first time. - I thought you killed the last dragon, Uncle!

-I... I... I don't understand... how is that possible? - Iroh was completely paralyzed, his heart troubled by the sight of the draconic creature.

- General Tizo... - whispered Zhao, his legs trembling with fear at the sight of the imposing creature.

- Yes, I know, it's not good. - replied Tizo seriously.

The Avatar team looked at the dragon with fear in their eyes, all still traumatized by their recent experience in the spirit world.

- You've got to be kidding me, that thing followed us? - Sokka trembled with fear.

- That should be impossible! - whispered Aang subconsciously, sensing the murderous intent emanating from the fallen dragon. - Appa, Yip Yip!

With Aang's quick warning, Appa dived into the sea at top speed, dodging the Eternal Dragon's swift attack. Although the dragon's blow missed, the energy of its fists caused a wave of air to hit one of the ships, destroying it completely and killing its crew instantly.

Seeing the soldiers killed by the dragon's attack, Tizo ordered the entire fleet to fire their arsenal at the dragon without hesitation.

The Eternal Dragon dodged the attacks with ease, and those that hit it by chance didn't do any damage. Annoyed by the attacks that seemed like simple insect bites, it used its tail like a whip, causing the air to act like a blade, hitting the Fire Nation's naval fleet and destroying it by more than 30% with its movement.

The destroyed ships quickly sank into the sea, with thousands of bodies floating or sinking into the water, attracting the attention of sea creatures to be devoured.

Aang was horrified at the ease with which the dragon had destroyed part of the fleet.

- Aang, this is our chance! - said Suki, ignoring the destruction that had just taken place.

- These people... need help.

- Aang! You only get one chance to talk to Roko, don't waste it! - shouted Haru.

Without much choice, Aang decided to stick to his original plan, find Roku and hope that his predecessor had a plan to deal with this war. So, with bitterness, he took his bison to the island where he could talk to Roku. Zuko, realizing that the Avatar would take advantage of the situation not to fight, decided, against his uncle's advice, to steer his ship over the wreckage and bodies scattered in the water.

Iroh turned to watch the soldiers bravely fighting the mysterious black dragon, still wondering how another dragon could exist in the mortal world.

- Attack! - Tizo ordered, firing a jet of fire at the dragon with all his might.

The dragon, with all its attention focused on the humans, destroyed them mercilessly, deliberately using its claws to dismember its victims one by one if necessary.

The dragon's power was completely disproportionate, and it was more than enough to simply use the secondary effect of its blows to destroy ships from a distance without any elementary use.

Some officers tried to flee in small boats, but their chances were no better than those who tried to die fighting the monster.

Tired from the battle, Tizo ran across the deck of his ship and jumped, using his fire to propel him to the next ship. He continued at this pace for three more ships, dodging dozens of soldiers with agility and skill.

When he finally landed on the ship where the dragon had landed to slice up any human who moved, Tizo focused his internal energy and concentrated it in his fingers to fire a powerful bolt of lightning at the dragon's head.

The soldiers, upon recognizing Tizo, were quickly filled with hope that they would be saved, but the dragon's macabre roar made them all lose the smiles on their faces.

- Get off the ship now! - shouted Tizo, firing a string of flames with all his might.

The flames acted with the intention of impairing the dragon's vision, in the hope of making it flee due to its "injuries". However, Tizo noticed that the dragon wasn't bothered by his combo.

The dragon launched a horizontal claw attack to tear Tizo apart, but the experienced general jumped acrobatically just in time to avoid the claws. Tizo, determined to end the battle with the next attack, lunged forward with his lightning in his fingers, using his flames to leap higher towards the dragon's head.

- Swallow that, you monster... - Tizo stopped talking when he realized he was practicing static in the air and felt something strange in his chest.

Tizo slowly lowered his eyes to his chest and noticed that there was something embedded in it. His hazy gaze traveled around him and he noticed that the tip of the dragon's tail was impaling him.

Without any sign of interest, the dragon swung its tail like a whip, cutting Tizo's body in half. Turning his attention to the desperate cries of the soldiers trying to escape the ship, his attention was completely stolen when he felt a gigantic spiritual energy shoot out a few kilometers from his position.

A sonic roar erupted from the dragon's mouth with such force that anyone within 50 meters had their eardrums ruptured. Using all its physical strength to propel its flight, the ship it was in turned 180° effortlessly.

All the survivors saw the monster flying towards the Fire Nation, some believing that the dragon would unleash its fury on their families, others grateful for the chance to survive.

Zhao was disoriented by the last roar, it was difficult to recover immediately after the sonic boom. Even witnessing Tizo's death didn't shake him, he just decided to take advantage of the opportunity he was given at that moment.

- All the soldiers who are able, get the wounded out of the water. - Zhao ordered a few soldiers who were frozen to the ground in fear. 

Zhao stared silently at the trail of destruction, deciding to seize any opportunity to finally climb the military hierarchy, even if it was this way.

***

A few minutes earlier...

- You two get on the ship and go as far as you can! - Aki orders, walking towards the beach.

- That's the roar of an eternal dragon, isn't it? - Kai asked, observing the expression on his grandmother's face.

- Yes, it is.

- Is it the same dragon that attacked my mother and brother?

Aki stopped walking, maintaining her silence as the only response to the unexpected situation that had just occurred.

Azula approached Kai with fear and anxiety, unable to keep her emotions under control for fear of losing Kai. The years they had spent together had made them completely emotionally dependent on each other, and if something happened to the father of her child, she wouldn't know how to move on.

- You said you were limited to half your strength. - Kai took a few steps forward, looking at Azula and her stomach. - Your memories of Hana, her power even corrupted, are too much for you.

- What are you saying? You think you can help me fight an eternal dragon? You can't even defeat me in my human form. - scolded Aki.

- The same goes for you against Hana! - Kai sighed. - Even if it's practically impossible to defeat Hana, our priority is to protect Azula. Any extra firepower could make a difference in this battle.

- Kai... - Azula trembled. - I won't abandon you.

- Azula. - Kai approached slowly and gave Azula a loving hug and a kiss on the forehead. - It's a parent's responsibility to look after their children. 

- I don't know if I can do it alone.

- You won't be alone. - Kai gave Azula a soft kiss on the lips.

Aki looked at the couple with regret in her eyes, she couldn't deny Kai's words. Defeating a normal Eternal Dragon would be no problem, even with half its energy, but the dimensionality of Hana's powers went beyond the common sense of even Celestial Dragons.

Aki never wanted to lose another member of her family, but if she had to give her life, she would. The priority now was to protect Azula and her baby at all costs; if they both died, it would confirm that the Celestial Dragons were practically extinct.

Kai said goodbye and watched Azula leave on her boat for Jang Hui's village. Kai was sure that Huzo, whom he considered a brother, would be able to protect Azula, not to mention the support of Ayumi, Jefh and Zoho.

- Ready to face death? - Aki asked without any sarcasm in his voice.

- Let's go hunting. - said Kai with a twinkle in his eye.

- Well done. - Aki's voice, which had once been soft, changed completely to something more aggressive and draconic.

Aki's body glowed golden, making the whole island tremble, and with a loud roar, a ball of pure energy appeared and completely covered his body.

Kai used his arms to shield his eyes from the intensity of the light, when he noticed that the light was gradually diminishing as he looked at his grandmother's true form.

A dragon 16 meters tall and 20 meters long, with white scales and a white coat, four thick, strong limbs, small horns and two wings with enormous wingspans. His red eyes focused directly on Kai and he moved his head closer so that his grandson could climb up.

- We don't have much time, the longer an eternal dragon is in the mortal world, the more there will be consequences. - said Aki in his draconic voice.

Kai quickly climbed onto his grandmother's back and held on tightly so as not to fall when the take-off began. Aki flew dozens of times faster than a bison, although she could fly faster, she didn't deliberately use all her speed.

- I want to tell you something about yourself. - Aki said seriously. - When we fought, I managed to make you use more energy than you're used to, but you're still not using your full potential.

- I thought I had used all my power.

- It took me a few minutes to realize that your draconic instincts are diluted by your human side. - said Aki, still concentrating on the Flight.

- How can you be sure that my human part is weakening me?

- Your condition is similar to your mother's in childhood. - Aki turned his head to look at his confused grandson. - 5000 years ago, I met the mortal world. To be honest, I hated it because the small amount of spiritual energy didn't allow me to maintain a continuous dragon form like in the spirit world.

- So that's when you debuted your human form. - said Kai, feeling a very powerful spiritual energy along with four other energies.

- Exactly, at that time, I met a fire-bending mercenary who was doing a job for a wealthy family in the Earth Kingdom. To cut a long story short, I fell in love with his way of life and for other reasons. - Aki gave what seemed to be a nostalgic smile. - When I realized I was pregnant, I decided to return to the spirit world to facilitate the pregnancy. During this time, I always remained in my dragon form, and so Katsu was born in her original form. However, it was clear that my daughter's draconic instincts had weakened, making it difficult for her to develop her power for a long time.

Kai remembered the vision of how her mother had arrived in the mortal world, and understood that she had only taken on human form because of the energy drain, or because it was also her true form from the human part inside her.

- Most, if not all, celestial dragons only had relationships with other dragons born in the spirit world through the human reincarnation cycle. - Aki continued his explanation. - So, as I was directly relating to a human, it compromised my daughter's dragon side.

- Why does this happen?

- Even if firebenders and dragons have similarities, there's still the interspecies factor. - Aki sighed. - Think of a human being as a caterpillar, which at some point in its life can become a butterfly. Firebenders have two spiritual paths, one is reincarnation after the mother of all faces or reincarnation as a dragon if the person is extremely powerful.

Kai nodded, understanding what was different about his mother's birth.

- When you fell in love, you had a relationship with your partner before the time of the spiritual cycle. If he had been a dragon first, my mother wouldn't have been influenced by the human side.

- Yes, the human side directly interferes with the distribution of energy in our body. Since we are practically the physical and conscious manifestation of fire, sometimes we need to release our emotions completely in order to reveal our true selves.

- Why are you telling me this?

- You're like a trained animal, if you really want to protect Azula and her daughter. Give up your human side! - Aki warned seriously. - You're a dragon, part of the royalty of the spirit world. It's time to act like a dragon! Throw away all useless emotions, let your predatory instincts take over and you'll see what you're capable of.

Aki let off steam, although she didn't want Kai to help her fight Hana, perhaps this was an opportunity to bring out the true dragon in Kai and maybe with this combination they could win.

As the Avatar team rode away on their bison, they came across the two celestial dragons heading towards the darkness. The two pairs of scarlet eyes focused on the bald monk, but both ignored him to attend to another emergency.

Seeing the monk, Kai felt a great power in his soul, and he couldn't deny that it was strong. With a glance at the flying bison, he realized that, at their current speed, they would reach the Island of the Fire Sages by sunset, which meant that Azula would be too far away to meet the Avatar.

- I'm glad to meet you. - Kai confessed. - Thank you for coming.

- We're a family, we look after each other. - said Aki proudly. - I apologize for what I said before, but...

- There's no need to apologize, it's time to stop joking around and take this seriously. - Kai's eyes lit up when he saw the shadowy figure approaching quickly.

- You've really inherited this side of me! ROOOOOOOOAAAARRRRRR!!! - Aki roared a war sign right after he spoke.

The Eternal Dragon observed the two in front of her, even though one of them was in human form, she could feel the similarities very well.

The sky began to fill with black clouds, lightning struck the sea and the planet declared the battle that would decide the future.

Next chapter: The Attack of the Eternal Dragon Part 3