[3rd POV]
"Sooooooooooooo...." Mantis trailed.
"No one has anything to say about what we just witnessed?"
"Don't get me started, my monkey brain is still processing what happened."
Monkey said while running at a moderate pace along with his friends. Simple actions such as running or moving through obstacles were as easy as breathing to kung fu masters like them.
There was no carriage or any other modes of transportation because of the huge battle so they had to run on foot until they entered the territory of China.
"Hahahaha, why do you think Mighty Eagle and the other masters left so quickly? They ran away to freak out by themselves." Crane said while flying low to stay close to them.
"Guys, do you think he even realises what he just did? He acted so casually about it, I didn't know how to react." Viper said. She was not running like the rest of them as she simply coiled comfortably around Po's neck. She would nuzzle on his cheeks from time to time, her cold-blooded body seeking his warmth.
"Well, it's reasonable even if he doesn't realize it. Being awesome like that is just second nature to him. Senior brother is just too cool." Po said and pumped his fist.
"I would argue that it was more terrifying than being cool. Did you ever believe it was possible for a person to get that strong? Tigress?" Crane said.
Tigress stayed quiet for some time before replying while she ran on all fours.
"It isn't."
"Come again?"
"it is not possible for anyone to get that strong. Even Master Oogway himself was never that powerful." She said, she should know because she spent most of her childhood in the Jade Palace with Oogway and Shifu.
"Tai Lung is just an outliner by a huge margin. I myself still have a hard time believing what I saw."
A huge pillar of light pierced the sky. No, it wasn't just a pillar of light because she saw the mammoth disintegrate in a heartbeat.
The world cried.
The chi fled.
Sound ceased to exist and until he decided so, the whole world completely stopped. It was an experience that would remain with her throughout her life.
Oogway couldn't do it, the Dragon Warrior couldn't do it and neither did every legendary warrior that ever graced the world. It was only him.
Tai Lung.
"Do you know, it's kinda crazy when you think about it? We just witnessed what would undoubtedly go down in history as the emergence of the most powerful warrior. We were there to witness it all happen." Manits said and caused everyone to smile when they thought of it from that perspective.
"You realised that only now? Hahaha, not to brag but I'm his student." Monkey said.
"You're right!! I shared meals with him before."
"That's nothing!! He wanted to eat me but could never do so!"
"I'm his sister."
"Wait till you hear about the time I fought him in a valley."
They shared laughter when they thought about how they shared such a close bond with someone who would undoubtedly become a giant figure like Oogway.
"Since we are so close with someone like him, we need to make sure we don't embarrass him." Viper said.
"Right!"
The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior returned back to China in less than a week. They were no longer in a rush like when they first arrived so they took their time.
When they returned, they were greeted with a huge celebration in the Valley of Peace. They were welcomed as the heroes of China who fought for the motherland against not only the Tibets but also the giant empire of the Gupta.
Not only that, they fought alongside Tai Lung and actually went there to lend aid to the warrior who became the Great Wall of China to protect them while they were busy quarrelling among themselves.
The story of the battle they fought was then retold to the masses. From the plan the Gupta and the Tibet created to kill the greatest warrior Tai Lung, and how he was actually able to hold the might of two empires himself. And then to how the Dragon Warrior and the others came just in time to help him.
It was like a made up srory, too epic to be true.
Thier fame skyrocketed. This time, thier feat was not limited to China but the whole world. Not many were able to achieve what they did so they got thier props.
Tai Lung too finally cemented his legacy as historians and scholars recorded his achievements. They also wrote about the light which covered the entire world when he transcended his mortality.
The world quaked, the sun was eclipsed and night turned into day when he shed his mortality. It was written that what Tai Lung did was something even Oogway failed to achieve in his lifetime.
They did not have much information but many stories about what happened circled around. He had cemented himself in the same realm as legendary titles like the creator of Kung Fu and the title of the Dragon Warrior.
His name spread to not only China but across the world. The general who was able to stop the mighty Gupta Empire, the strongest warrior.
It was more than just hearing, they now knew the name.
Tai Lung.
..
..
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[3rd POV]
The city of Tamralipta of the Gupta Empire was loud and awake due to the recent news of the battle. There was chaos amongst the people as everyone was shocked to hear the news.
Samudragupta, the king of the North was dead!
Not only that, the thousand-strong army of elite cultivators who were all beyond a hundred years old, led by Samudragupta was also utterly defeated. Only a fraction survived due to the mercy of the enemy.
That was not the shocking part of the tale. What truly instilled fear and disbelief among the people was that only one person was responsible for the Empire's defeat.
They have all heard of the name and they all saw what happened.
The survivors spread the news throughout the Empire and the citizens who pride themselves for living in what they thought was the greatest Empire int he world were having a hard time coping.
There was slandering of Smaudragupta, mongrelising fear against China and its Supreme General and all in between.
This period won't stop soon
...
"They embarrassed us in front of the world."
Said the King of the Eastern region of the Gupta Empire. His name was Nagendra Gupta and he was lying on an elevated platform while addressing his subjects. There were two peacocks who used thier feathers to fan him.
"Try to maintain order in the city, I don't want the ports to stop functioning and suppress the spread of fear and insecurity by any means necessary. Kill some bards, make an example." He said with a hiss.
Tamralipta was a port city located in the easternmost region of the Empire. It was situated near the Bay of Bengal and was the biggest city in the Eastern Region. It was also where the king lived.
"Honestly, what was that brute thinking? He gave us all unnecessary work without accomplishing anything. I always knew making appointing someone so young as a king was a mistake. " the king said to himself while eyeing the rows of people who were still lining up to meet him.
They were officers, soldiers, and district ministers. etc who had come to get a direct order from the king. He wondered if he should just create his own noble house or council of ministers to help him rule the kingdom.
"Next." He said with a wave of his hand and a small fellow came to him next.
He was an elephant and he gulped when he got close to the king. Up close, he couldn't help but tremble at the sheer height and size of the king.
The elephant was from a rural village just outside the city so he never met the king before. But the situation forced him to come to the castle and meet the king. The increased taxes and tributes which was collected everywhere to make up for the recent defeat were too much for the poor people in the rural areas. especially at the time of this year when they hadn't harvested yet.
He pushed down his fear and kneeled to the king who looked down on him from above.
The King was a giant cobra. The hood of his head spread out wide like wings and cast a dark shadow over him. The king was nearly a hundred feet in length and his body was extremely girthy. He was even bigger than the biggest snake on the earth which was Titanaboa.
Not only that, the king had reptilian arms with sharp claws growing from his side, unlike normal snakes. His behemoth size and mutated body were said to be a result of his cultivation over hundreds of years.
Maybe thousands.
Rumour has it that Nagendra Gupta was the oldest king in the empire. Even older than the Emperor and he had lived across thousands of years. It was said he was one of the earliest cultivators.
The elephant was about to speak but before he could, someone interrupted him. A commander barged into the king's hall and ran straight to the king.
"My lord, we got a situation?"
"hmm, what is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Nagendra hissed and with a flick of his tongue. "Speak."
"Your Highness, there was chaos in the ports."
"What? Who dared when I give direct order that the ports should not be disturbed."
"it's the Gehra Rakshas my lord."
Absolute silence descended in the hall after the name was uttered. The king looked unfazed but he raised an eyebrow. His anger was also lost when he heard the name.
"What does he want?"
"He had heard about the news my lord. And he wanted to leave the Bay of Bengal and cross the land to get revenge for his friend. As you know, he and Samudragupta were good friends."
Nagendra rubbed his eyes after hearing that. Right, there was that issue as well. He was so occupied with all the work that he forgot about his living weapon.
"Tell him no, he can't involve the whalefolk with his revenge even though he might be their leader. If he want, he can go and get his revenge by himself. We need the whalefolk in the ports." The king said his decree.
"And commander, clear out a path for him. If he truly wanted to go by himself, we must prepare for massive collateral damage as he passes through the city."
"Without a direct order from the Emperor, we are not mobilizing any more forces either. We are still recovering from ourloss and many soldiers are needed in the North during thier selection of a new King. A civil war might even break out there." Nagendra said.
"As you command my lord."
The King of the East felt a huge headache coming. Should he just go into secluded cultivation again for a few decades until the tough time passes?
.
.
.
.
[IMAGE of Nagendra]
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