Hovering in the sky among the clouds was a man. He was cladded in dark eastern robe. His hair was as dark as the deep midnight and it was long and tied, flowing like horse's tail at the face of the gentle wind.
That was all the people of Axis could make up from down below on the ground.
"SCREECH!"
The dragon let out another horrifying sound. This time, it was followed by the mighty flapping of its vast wings and the creature began to flew to the direction of the city. The strength of each flap was so strong it created these huge waves on the ocean, causing them to approach Axis along with the creature.
Seeing this dangerous turn of event, the man in the sky instantly vanished like a blur. Seconds after, he reappeared at the edge of the city by the harbor, he was still hovering high up in the air.
While staring at the huge tsunamis coming for the city, the mysterious man raised his hand while taking in a deep breath.
[Heavenly Tree Arts, Gentle Fist]
While forming a fist, the man slowly pushed his right hand forward. A strong gust of wind shot out from the man's fist and flew away to the huge waves in the distance. The wind parted the tsunamis and broke them while they were still in the middle of the ocean. The waves soon levelled back to the ocean's surface and no longer posed a threat to the city.
The dragon took notice of the man. The winged-creature did not spare anytime to open its horrific jaw and shot out a hill-sized fireball toward him.
Still remaining in his position, the man performed the same technique again.
[Heavenly Tree Arts, Gentle Fist]
He slowly pushed his right fist to the front again, toward the incoming fireball. The gust of wind it sent intercepted the attack in the sky and dispersed the flame into nothingness.
Acknowledging the dragon's vile intention to harm him, the man dashed toward the winged-creature. He stepped on to the thin air as if it was solid ground and ran faster than what the Earthlings would call a fighter jet.
Seeing its opponent fast approaching, the dark dragon opened its jaw again. This time twelve crimson circles with complex weird patterns appeared around the creature's head.
The dragon shot out another large fireball from its mouth and another twelve came out from the crimson circles. The dozen deadly orbs rapidly made their way toward the mysterious man.
Unfazed by the attack, the man stopped at his tracks and faced his two palms forward. The thirteen fireballs soon clashed against him, engulfing him within this blazing ball of inferno.
But then the ball of inferno began to spin like a rotating planet. The rotation grew more rapid the motion turned the ball into a giant flame twister. The spinning fire grew longer like a serpent and rose to the sky, parting the clouds above.
Hovering at the base of the blazing tornado was the mysterious man. No harm was done to him from the previous attack and now he was moving his two hands around as if he was controlling the fire twister. Only he was not pretending. It was his doing that turned the dragon's fire into the giant spinning blaze.
[Heavenly Tree Arts, Shenlong's Embrace]
The fire tornado suddenly shapeshifted into the image of an eastern dragon, one with similar head shape as the dark dragon but with an elongated body like a snake.
The mysterious man threw his hands forward and caused the fire serpent to fly toward the dark dragon. Clashing onto the titanic creature and engulfed it in its own flames.
Though mighty the fire was, it could not harm the dark dragon. But it managed to stop the creature from advancing toward the city.
Using the halt as an opportunity, the mysterious man hovered to the front of the dragon. He closed his eyes for a moment and reopened them again.
[Heavenly Tree Arts, Divine Gaze]
The man's whole eyes turned white completely and were now slightly glowing with silver radiance. He directed his peculiar lenses toward the dragon and spoke to the creature.
"I can sense intelligence within you. So answer me." said the man. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The dragon growled and eyed the mysterious man with caution. Great caution.
"You are clearly not one from this world just like myself." replied the winged-creature with reverberating voice. "So why are you stopping me from burning that shining city behind you to the ground?"
"You're not answering my first question." said the man shaking his head. "And is that why you're here? To destroy this world?"
"You're also not answering mine, my fellow otherworlder." spoke the dragon. "And in regards of your first question, my master calls me Punjaga. And yes to your latter. I am here to destroy this world."
The man remained calm and composed despite the dragon's reveal of its vile intention. He stared at the creature's eyes and asked it one final question.
"Why, Punjaga? Why do you wish to destroy this world?"
"Answer my question first." objected the dragon. "Why did you stop me from destroying that city?"
The mysterious man looked over his shoulder, toward the glimmering city of Axis. Where its many people were still cowering in fear and confusion over the enigmatic being that appeared before them.
"Because that place is my home, Punjaga." answered the mysterious man. "That is my home you're about to destroy."
The dragon chuckled at the man's answer.
"Well then, that's a shame... Because that means I'll have to destroy what you call home." said the dragon with condescending tone. "For I am sent here to raze this new world to the ground for my master to claim!"
The mysterious man was not agitated by the dragon's words even when the creature threatened to destroy a place he calls home. The man was simply disappointed and looked at the winged-creature with pity.
"Well then, that's also a shame, Punjaga. For that means you have become my enemy."
"Indeed. I am your enemy. And you are mine." declared the dragon. "Doesn't that mean there is only way we can settle this?"
The mysterious man nodded.
"Yes… You are very wise, Punjaga."
The man suddenly vanished like a blur. He reappeared at the next second right behind the dark dragon. With a sharp and cold murderous gaze, he looked back to the winged-creature.
"One of us has to die."
[Heavenly Tree Arts, Gale of Wails]
Thousands of deep wounds were suddenly forming on the dark dragon's surface. The creature did not know what was causing them to appear. And then so suddenly like a robber's advent, a black cyclone engulfed the dark dragon and caused more deeps wounds to occur on the creature, making the monster to screech in terrible pain.
The dragon's sound of suffering echoed throughout the sky, the horizon, and all over Axis.