THUD!
The sound of the Life Devouring Needle clattering to the ground, caused great displeasure to stir within Balphazar as he watched Shao Jin’s wounds, even his broken horn, mending itself.
Shao Jin stamped the needle then returned his attention to Balphazar. "Now, Bat, prepare to face my wrath!” Malice oozed from every word.
“Huh.. no…”
Balphazar’s bravado evaporated like a snowflake in a volcano. Shao Jin was healing, his power returning with every heartbeat. This wasn't part of his pathetic plan that had been repeated countless time over millennia and always resulted in humiliating beatings at the bull's hoof!
"This wasn't meant to happen, this..."
“All of you useless pests! KILL that DAMN BULL!" With a frantic shriek, Balphazar commanded his remaining army then turned tail to flee, but in a far more undignified manner than the stoic demeanor and effortless grace he normally displayed when toying with his victims and inferiors.
Desperately flapping his expansive dark wings to escape, Balphazar ascended toward the burning abyss of the Fire Pool. His heart was beating at a rate never experience before due to the imminent, horrifying truth - death. His defeat was upon him, his bravado and cocky pronouncements was nothing but a charade in Shao Jin’s presence, all of this because of a dumb ass kid and his vial!
As Balphazar was inches away from penetrating the Fire Pool above...
"Hm! It's like target practice!"
WHOOSH!
“HELIOS STREAM!"
His ears rang with the infamous sound of a bull’s bellow and was soon pierced by searing golden light and intense pressure from Shao Jin’s now powerful beam as it chased him back into hell, which was below. This forced him to blink desperately to cooler area while screeching and cussing.
"WHAT?! HOW THE..."
Instinctively teleporting away to dodge another beam was the smart thing to do even as panic gripped his being and turned his braggadocio demeanor into utter fear and survivalistic retreat.
This is bad. Very bad…
"Tsk! Those useless, smelly insects!" As his eyes glanced down he recognized how pathetic his Shadow Bats actually were in a fight without him protecting them from those deadly hooves and gravitational slams.
They lay flattened and oozing, while others resembled statues as golden evidence of the futility of their leader's dreams of finally conquering his ancient nemesis.
“You… worthless, incompetent, and utterly pathetic lumps of bat guano! You had only one job!" This exclamation was more to vent his frustration then an actual condemnation because their failure was just as detrimental as his impending fate.
His rage morphed into pragmatism which ignited his desperation to get as far away from this bull before a repeat of those ancient beatings start afresh, with no time limit now!
“Damn that bastard human. He truly is… Wait, now isn't the time for sentiments… I better leave! Oh no…"
Balphazar’s heart sank upon realizing his path to escape was sealed by something massive that had appeared directly above him in mere blinks.
This time it wasn't a deathly radiant energy ball.
Instead…
CRUNCH!
An earsplitting explosion of flesh hitting skull and bone reverberated as Shao Jin landed its massive hoof onto Balphazar's stunned face.
Blood splattered everything in radius of a hundred meters as Balphazar hurtled backward towards a wall. His wings couldn't regain flight or balance. His senses and composure shattered in a single blow, and before he could even register pain.
WHAM!
Shao Jin grabbed him with his tail and slammed him against the ground, creating a huge crater. This was evidence that Shao Jin’s rage had reached its zenith and retribution was here.
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Then just as Balphazar struggled to grasp the speed at which Shao Jin moved, which was faster than it ever moved in all their previous battles that were far too many to remember now…
A golden hoof landed heavily atop both wings in a triumphant show of brute force as if declaring Balphazar's time has run out, there would be no more millennia show down after today, at least between them.
“CRAACK!”
With earsplitting snaps that ripped tendons and shattered cartilage accompanied by Balphazar’s guttural screams that only increased the victor's rage and pleasure, a message of impending defeat echoed in Balphazar’s ears that sent tremors down to its batty nether-region!
But still the emperor fought.
Balphazar screeched and wriggled frantically beneath its ancient adversary’s might. With one final defiant glare up towards those rage filled eyes that stared at him with dismissiveness, a realization dawned.
There was no negotiating.
“Shao Jin please spare me, I…”
SNAP!
Shao Jin bit Balphazar’s head clean off. It wasn't about savoring the kill now, nor displaying any other emotion but that of pure retribution and perhaps just a pinch of gluttony as the ancient Bull Calamity bit into its snack then crunch, gulped, swallowed without any fanfare, ending the pathetic begging abruptly.
Seeing that his protector was dining on bat emperor meat, the hairs at Raphael’s nape rose as if preparing to retreat to safer places.
The realization of his earlier bravado and utter disregard of how strong those Calamities were came back as cold chills of concern. Shao Jin’s earlier words also came flashing through, 'human… has been a long time.’
“Could this creature still hold onto his bargain with me…? Or…” Those fearful question remained silent. He had no answers at the moment. He only hoped luck stayed on his side for longer this time.
Meanwhile, those unfortunate witnesses of their Emperor's defeat shivered in stunned silence, followed by another terrifying spectacle.
WHOOSH!
Their leader’s soul soared free from the massive headless body. An imposing purple Solar Consciousness then took shape, evidence of a Calamity’s strength.
The stench of decay and their ruler’s spilled entrails was nothing but a passing thought in those monstrous minds because what appeared now was their ticket to salvation.
“It’s the Emperor’s Solar Consciousness!”
“The Emperor’s Solar Consciousness!”
They all hissed at the same time then rush toward the newly born Emperor Solar Consciousness, intent on stealing Shao Jin’s bounty, claiming it as their right and chance to replace Balphazar as their new emperor and commander.
Their pathetic wings worked tirelessly as the words fueled by arrogance, pride, confidence and opportunity rushed forth from each hungry mouth in symphony.
“MINE!”
“MOVE ASIDE YOU LOWLY PEST! THE EMPEROR SOUL IS MINE!”
However, their dreams, hopes and gluttony was quickly dispersed upon meeting their nightmare’s gaze which wasn't even focus on them. It simply saw the audacity and foolishness of mere shadows desiring his prize. It annoyed the bull to a great extent, hence with a blood curdling glare…
“Hmph!"
In a second, they stopped and scrambled away as far as they could go, for when Shao Jin's eyes ignited into embers that mirrored those fires from his Fire Pool, it meant death, and who wants to get stamped on today? Definitely not those bloodthirsty idiots.
Their failed ambition didn't go unnoticed, in fact, Shao Jin seemed as if he enjoyed the thrill of bringing terror. Perhaps even those painful memories of him constantly suffering Balphazar's humiliations fueled his present emotions, either way.
The Golden Bull Thork smirked. He was invincible at that moment. The entire chamber, in that frozen part of hell belonged to him!
"What an ungrateful bunch of parasites… However… if that is how my meal desires to serve me… so be it..." He said casually before opening his jaws and drawing that pulsating ball of energy into its core, greedily consuming the essence of his long-time foe in one giant gulp.
"Hmm… taste like shit, as expected. However, it will make me stronger."
After savoring its victory over the dead Shadow Bat Emperor’s essence which did leave a unsavory after taste, Shao Jin’s alighted in a meditative posture and began assimilating with the newly acquired Solar Consciousness.
His hooves started glowing even more so with their innate radiance and a crimson red fire energy that spiraled around him. The intensity was unreal. The air thickened to a syrup-like density due to the radiating energy. The chamber was slowly succumbing to the Golden Bull Thork’s dominance.
And still, Raphael waited with his life literally on the hooves of this beast whose only mercy seems to stem from an unconscious desire to make good on their bargaining, that might not even exists anymore!
Or perhaps Shao Jin, a terrifying Golden Bull Thork had simply forgotten about his insignificant snack in his state of power and arrogance as he delved into a euphoric state.
He wasn’t sure if waiting was smart, but neither did his legs want to dash into a death march toward a very hungry pack of starved, vengeful and bloodthirsty Shadow Bat horde. These bats were drooling over their Emperor’s corpse, yet were afraid to offend the bull.
What choice does he have?
For minutes or perhaps hours, Raphael just watched and listened. It was only after his exhausted body started failing, he got another answer to his dilemma when he heard the beast speak, which made all hope escape his burning heart like it never existed at all.
“FEED.”
That utterance didn’t ring in Raphael’s ear. Instead, it entered his bone marrows.
When Shao Jin uttered that word, that’s all those starving beasts needed to begin another feasting which began innocently with licking and feasting upon their dead emperor’s leftover viscera and ended gruesomely with cracking open bones and chewing armored hide; making sounds and smells that could shatter the world with utter revulsion and horror, sounds so vivid they seem impossible for any normal creatures to make without a pinch of otherworldly intent, which they were overflowing with.
Their hunger blinded them.
"Could there be any worse scenario?" The unfortunate slave-boy trembled, awaiting his turn at death's plate. But what he didn’t understand yet… this night, it wouldn’t be by the claws or fangs of any creature.