While the Ocean Realm was under siege, Long Fei's primordial body meditated deep within an ancient cave in the Chasm. Bioluminescent jellyfish flitted aside as a glimmer of pale light pierced the dark and sank into his heart — his soul fragment, returning from the demise of his mortal incarnation.
His eyes snapped open as he clutched his chest. Warm liquid spilled from them. Was he crying? Impossible. He wiped the tear and studied the viscous red liquid. Why couldn't he recall anything from his soul fragment's journey? His mortal incarnation must have suffered an unnatural, horrendous death. It must have been so brutal the fragment was traumatized enough to shed a tear of blood.
He flew out of the cave, leaving rippling currents in his wake. The sight of a stray crimson fireball sparked in the distance, igniting a silent fury within him. His body had not fully healed, but more of his power had returned, along with an anger he could no longer contain.
The sea surged, warping around him as he looked up. He ascended from the cave with a deafening roar. His transformation was violent—his body crackled with pure energy, burning with an ethereal light as he rose, a dragon once more. The air in the water clapped like thunder as he torpedoed past the carcasses of sea creatures floating belly-up at the surface, and burst out of the ocean.
The Dragon of Air unfurled his wings, their span vast enough to shroud the sun. His silver, pearlescent scales gleamed blindingly as the gusts he summoned redirected the crimson flames back at the flaming Phoenix. She immediately blocked them with her wings, flaring up her flaming body.
His foolish younger brother, Long Yan, the Dragon of Fire, flew between them, and his ruby scales gleamed as his wings flapped, glaring back at him. Without hesitation, the Dragon of Air whipped his tail at his younger brother, who was sent crashing into the ocean. Now there was just him and the Phoenix Empress. Zhen Hua had gone too far this time. Steam shot out his nostrils like a raging storm. He roared in anger. His presence swept over the ocean, raw and immense, radiating power that made her slowly back away.
Her crimson aura wavered under the sudden, immense pressure. She shifted into her human guise, her fiery crimson wings keeping her afloat, robe billowing. "Long Fei, you're back." She smiled sweetly and reached out toward him. Her saccharine smile faded, and she swiftly flew back as his claws missed her by a hair.
Drenched, the Dragon of Fire's wings beat erratically, trying to regain his balance, but the air was suffocating, stripping his control. His eyes widened as he shouted. "He's not the same. He hasn't recovered. He's—" But the Dragon of Air slammed into him.
The Phoenix Empress summoned more crimson fire, but the Dragon of Air's claws tore through the flames without losing momentum. She gasped, each time she summoned more power, he siphoned the energy away before it could manifest.
"I will burn everything to ash if I must," she hissed through clenched teeth, her hands crackling with infernal energy. But her eyes briefly avoided his, a rare tell in her otherwise impenetrable confidence. He could have forgiven her for pushing him off the Celestial Realm. But attacking the Ocean Realm? That was unforgivable. Now, she must realize he had been holding back all this time.
The Dragon of Fire was flung into the sea cliffs with a deafening crash as the Dragon of Air's tail whipped him. His flames flickered weakly, steam hissing off his injured body as saltwater surged around him. He scrambled to his feet, barely keeping his wings from collapsing. "Elder Brother!" he gasped, blood seeping from his chest as he staggered back into the fray.
The battle intensified. The Dragon of Air's wrath had no direction but destruction. His claws raked through his brother's defenses like a hurricane, sending him spiraling backward. Another strike of his tail crushed the Dragon of Fire's body with a sickening thud, sending the once-proud warrior careening into a distant coral mountain jutting from the sea.
The Phoenix Empress burst into her divine Phoenix form, wings blazing as her body glowed with a fierce crimson aura. Flames crackled around her, forming an inferno the size of a mountain. Every muscle strained to keep the untamed fire from consuming her completely.
But the silver dragon was already beyond reasoning. He surged forward with a roar, his body cutting through her fire like a blade through paper as he sucked in the air that fed her flames. She screamed as her fiery shield shattered like glass, shredding under his devastating sonic blast. His claws met her chest, sending her crashing into the sea below. The Phoenix shrank to her immortal human guise, paling as the force of the impact extinguished her flames.
Battered and broken, the Dragon of Fire staggered toward her, his wings torn and body bruised. He dragged his mangled wings to shield her. Long Fei exhaled sharply. He still couldn't fathom what his younger brother saw in her.
The storm around them grew stronger and more chaotic as his fury manifested in violent gusts. The winds howled like beasts, and the air turned electric. The Dragon of Air's voice thundered through the heavens, issuing a decree.
"Leave this place. Now."
With that, he circled above them, and the storm obeyed. Lightning tore through the dark clouds, splitting the sea with a deafening clap. Electric current surged through the water, engulfing the Phoenix Empress and his brother in a searing blaze. The Dragon of Fire's wings were torn to shreds by the storm's fury. The Phoenix Empress floundered, blood pooling around her as she struggled to stay afloat. Both, battered beyond recognition, were no match for the Dragon of Air's wrath.
Long Fei's gaze swept over them as they faltered, defeated. He hovered above them, his eyes burning with a fury unlike any other. The storm stilled, but the air around him crackled with the residue of his power, his dominance.
"The Ocean Kingdom is under my protection," his voice boomed, carrying the weight of the heavens. "Anyone who dares to threaten it will face my wrath."
His eyes narrowed as he watched Long Yan scoop up Zhen Hua and retreat as fast as they could, disappearing into the horizon. His fury still lingered in the air, but as the dark clouds began to clear, his heart faltered. A sharp pain lanced through his chest.
He could feel the weight of the battle, the cost of his unchecked anger. The rawness of it still burned within him, but he knew it was not over. His power had nearly consumed him.
As they vanished from his sight, his body shuddered. His anger subsided, but its remnants had drained him more than he could handle. His majestic colossal dragon form dissolved back to his immortal human guise, the massive weight of his power collapsing.
He plummeted toward the Ocean Realm, his energy expended, his body broken. The waves beneath him were shaped like a gentle hand reaching out to break his fall. The King's trident had summoned the tides, and with a soft current, it cushioned his descent. Long Fei's last thoughts before he lost consciousness were of the shocked faces of his former family: Zhen Hua and his brother Long Yan.
His only family now was Ling Yue. At least now, she had a chance against those two.