Jade sat hunched over. His expression was calm and passive, the heat of the sun raining down on his exposed back. He could feel them in his scales. They were getting closer to him and held hostile intent.
"You truly wish to challenge me now," He said loudly. Jade stood, stepping forward, grass crunching under the soles of his feet. "You ran, and brought back help. You had a chance to leave, to abandon this planet and let me rule.
"You would've lived and I would've had what I wanted. A new, united kingdom, under a single ruler." His voice was relaxed. "I'm sure you've thought of some kind of plan to fight back. Jumping through all those hoops, wasting moments of your life, just to meet me. Your judgement. Your Death. Your God."
The three landed hard.
Takabi and Kairas had their Gems active. White and Black coated the right sides of their bodies, magic aura erupting in a heavy wind from their feet. Aqua landed a bit behind them. Shutting her eyes, she willed her Blue Gem to grant her power. The magic pattern responded to her, completely their aquatic design with a tailfin on her collarbone.
Jade shook his head. He was disappointed, but not surprised. "You truly are my Father's students. Each of you has bits of his personality in you." Behind them, he caught a glimpse of another image.
Narrowing his eyes, he locked his gaze with dark eyes. The features that had haunted him previously still appeared. They taunted him with a look of unhappiness and disapproval.
In the end it would not matter. He would have enough power to rewrite Dreulara's history.
"The Dragon Stone is special, Takabi. It holds the element and magic of every Dragon that has ever existed. That includes time." He raised his palm. "Time and Space. Completely under my control, as long as I have the Stone."
"Your stone is like our Gems. The difference is how it got to the level it was at. Ours is natural. Your power is cultivated." Kairas stood up straight. "We have a chance."
"I wonder. If I wanted, you would all be dead in an instant." Jade shrugged. "But that's no fun. I need to assert my dominance over you three. Show the universe who stands at the center now."
"What a big head you have," Takabi muttered.
Jade's right wing burst from his back. The scales remained black, but the skin that was visible underneath held a multitude of colors. "Each color represents a different element, and you can clearly see how many there are. Do the math. You've lost before this battle even began."
Takabi and Kairas charged forward. In the back of their minds, they kept a mental lock on the Bunker and people filing into it. They had to buy time, and lots of it.
Aqua waved her hands aside, magic circles appearing in her palms. "Enchant! Strength, Agility, Sense!"
A blue light erupted around the boys, merging with white and black respectively. They vanished from the naked eye, blurs of light dashing around Jade. He watched with interest, before craning his head aside, then ducking and dodging their attacks. His feet carried him backwards until his back touched a tree. Then, he slammed his palm on the ground, willing the soil to explode before him. Takabi shielded his eyes, Jade dashing through the cloud and slamming his fist into the boy's gut. He coughed blood, flying back and hitting the ground.
Kairas took to the air, slamming the back of his right hand into his left palm. Black lightning surged around him, before he thrust his palms forward and released his Thunder Clasp.
Jade raised his head and opened his mouth. The magic stopped cold, swirling around and entering his throat swiftly. With a single breath, he released the attack back at Kairas with triple the strength. Kairas cried out in pain, falling head first into the tree nearby, a branch running through his shoulder.
Aqua felt her legs shake, but she wouldn't run. Her arms still stretched out, water began to rise from the soil. She gathered the fluid around her palm, forming a layer of thick skin and using what remained to bring forth multiple tentacles. They snapped at Jade, who simply waved his palm and froze them solid.
Takabi got up, grabbing Jade in a headlock from behind. Kairas tore himself free, willing a wall of ice around the two. "Encasing me? What are you planning?"
Takabi's body began to glow in a bright light. He smirked, releasing his built up Mana. The ice shattered, flames bursting out in every direction possible. Takabi flew back, flipping and sliding on his hands and feet. The fire danced, cackling at them, before Jade's image appeared and the flames ceased.
"Let's play a game." He leapt into the air, taking a deep breath. Releasing it, razor sharp winds dashed at the three.
They cut at Aqua's arms and legs, fresh blood spilling into the soil. She dropped to her knees, sucking in heavy breaths. Takabi leapt at her, pushing her aside and taking the next barrage of wind blades. As quick as the cuts came, they healed even faster thanks to his Gem.
"Kairas!"
The dark haired boy leapt into the air after Jade, lightning building around his left hand and shaping itself into a blade. He thrust it forward, Jade stopping his winds and catching Kairas by the wrist.
"Such feeble attempts." The Dragon swiped, severing Kairas' arm from his body. The boy grit his teeth in obvious pain, but as he landed, he held the healing stump and watched Jade.
"Are you alright," Aqua asked as her own cuts closed up.
"Yeah," He replied. "Just a bit handicapped."
Jade slowly came down, touching the soil softly. His eyes looked over the three, before they shot upwards at the structure that broke through the atmosphere. "You lot. You were just buying time for your friends to escape?"
"Doubting they managed to get every single Dragon inside the Bunker, but there's nothing we can say or do about it now." Kairas glanced at his healing arm, then at Aqua. "Enchant us more."
She nodded, parting her lips to speak. Jade was in front of her and gripped her throat faster than they could blink. Takabi turned back, heart skipping beat after beat.
He thrust his fingers into the air, claws of fire shooting out and slashing through Jade's arm. He grit his teeth in annoyance, reaching for Aqua with his spare arm. Kairas closed the gap between them, driving a heavy sword of ice through Jade's chest. His left arm reformed quickly in a cloud of heavy steam, and he used the limb to strike Jade's cheek with an ice swallowed fist.
Aqua leapt into the air, screaming, "Enchant! Maximus: Strength, Agility, Sense!" Water bubbled above her head, which she promptly slammed down on Jade once Kairas leapt out of the water.
Takabi dug his heels into the soil, flames gathering in his throat, before he exhaled and watched the land before him drown in an ocean of white heat. Kairas and Aqua landed next to him as he cut the flames, and the three watched the world before them burn.
"No," Aqua muttered.
"No way," Kairas uttered.
Takabi narrowed his eyes. The flames that danced stopped completely, reversing their movement until they simply ceased to exist. There remained no evidence of their existence, just Jade standing with a smile on his face. "Do you see now? You can't defeat that of a God."
The three took a ready stance. Takabi kept his eyes on Jade's, the two watching each other with an intense hate. "Guys. I hate to say this, but this isn't a fight the three of us can win."
"You noticed it, too," Kairas asked.
"We had no intention of winning. We just need a window to escape," Aqua admitted.
"You two," Jade began, referring to Aqua and Kairas. "I wish to spend moments alone with Takabi. Please, do us a service and leave." He opened his palm. Two magic gates erupt in the air. Jade pushed forward, air striking their chests and forcing them through, before closing swiftly.
"Kai! Aqua! Where'd you send them!?"
"To your Bunker. They'll be safe." He smiled. "Isolated and alone. Can you continue this battle with confidence? Can you, alone, defeat a God?"
"I said it before and I'll say it again," Takabi replied, flames dancing on the tips of his hair. "You have a really big, fucking head, and it's pissing me off."