Solar Blood Masters

The crimson ring that had bound Raphael, Lu Jade, and Thienika shattered, and along with its destruction, its restrictive energy also dissipated like mist on a warm breeze. They watched in awe as the remnants of the 'Icy Dominion' that had drained their powers, vanished.

"It's… gone?" Lu Jade felt his powerful returning to normal.

"Hmmm, interesting." Thienika tapped her staff against the ground, a soft, resonant thud echoed their newfound freedom.

Raphael also was relieved to be rid of that shackle.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound had them turning. Pam Long stood a short distance away. He was smashing his fists together with a gleeful smile while darting his eyes around until they settled on Raphael. He didn't even acknowledge Pitbull Sama or his pack.

"You cunning BULL! That purple fog trick, back in the cave… It almost had me fooled! But it's TIME we settle things, BULL! No more RUNNING! This time…" he flexed his arm. "…we'll settle the score once AND FOR ALL!"

His words had Raphael's hooves shuffling nervously, those recent memories of that crushing defeat within the cavern came flashing through. The pain, the humiliation.

Pam Long bent his knees, adopting the posture of a spring. His veins bulged impressively. Then… he was a blur!

He dashed towards Raphael's team!

CRASH!

Suddenly, a wall of ice erupted from the ground and intercepted the charging rhino!

Pam Long smashed through it with a roar and send shards of ice flying in all directions, but his charge had been halted, and that distraction…

"WHO… dares to interrupt my REVENGE?!" He was livid!

He glared at the source of his interruption—Pitbull Sama. He stood before the shattered ice wall with his pack flanking him.

"Puppy, settle down and go wag your TAIL in the corner. I'll deal with you LATER."

He was about to charge again, but…

WHOOSH!

Pink snowflakes, each connected by a thin thread of ice, rained down on him, wrapping him in a chilling embrace.

Within a heartbeat…

He was frozen solid!

"Such arrogance!"

Pitbull Sama watched this with a fury that rivaled even Gastaroid's volcanic rage.

His pack was equally outraged by the rhino's blatant disrespect. They howled and growled.

"He called you a 'PUPPY', Pitbull Sama!"

"Kill him!"

"Shatter his frozen hide!"

"Silence!"

Their leader's command had the hounds instantly quieting down as he glared at the frozen rhino.

"This… RHINO! A mere THIRD Layer Nightmare Calamity! He DARES to disrespect ME? Within MY 'Frozen Hell Domain'? He even called ME… a PUPPY?! The AUDACITY!"

He'd endured insults from Emperor Calamities, sure. He'd even been slapped around by that damned lemur, Julian Ringtail, more times than he cared to remember, but from this… this… RHINO?!

No! This humiliation wouldn't stand!

And with a speed that defied comprehension, he vanished from his spot before the ice wall,

Then…

BOOM!

Reappeared behind his frozen target.

With a thunderous roar, he slammed both of his paws onto Pam Long's back!

CRACK!

The rhino's frozen form was driven into the icy floor, impaled upon several jagged shards that jutted out like teeth from a monstrous maw!

"Yes! Pitbull Sama!"

"He's finished!"

The hounds cheered. They were now certain of their leader's strength.

"Hmph… Such shallow stabs… You call THIS… pain?"

After those cries of victory faded, Pam Long's muffled, yet clear voice, had them all gasping! It came from beneath those shards that had pierced his body and should have ripped apart his very viscera!

Raphael, Lu Jade, and Thienika watched in stunned disbelief, but their dread was amplified by a sight they couldn't ignore. He was moving!

"How is he… STILL ALIVE?!"

Pam Long casually slipped free from the impaling shards. And as they watched, his wounds…

They began to knit back together!

Within seconds, he was unharmed! His hide was smooth, no longer marred by those icy blades, as if they hadn't even touched him. He was laughing.

"Boasting about your higher cultivation, puppy? SO WHAT? It's useless if you can't KILL ME!" He pointed a claw at Raphael. "I told that BULL before… ONLY Void Emperor Sindoll ALONE can kill me! Hahaha!"

His laughter had those hounds backing away. It was the sound of a creature defying death itself!

Pitbull Sama's jaw dropped. He'd never encountered anything like this. He was a 7th Layer Nightmare Calamity! His strength was undeniable!

Yet he couldn't kill a mere 3rd Layer Rhino!

This was a humiliation of epic proportions, and his pride wouldn't let it stand!

"AROOOOOOO!"

He howled. And above, the 'Subzero Law Wheel' instantly repaired itself.

…

"Champions fall, their legends fade,

Ambitions shattered, dreams betrayed.

The path to glory, a treacherous climb,

Where pride and folly mark the sands of time.

But in this domain, where ice reigns supreme,

A hero's downfall, a chilling, final dream.

For even the strongest, the mightiest soul,

Shall crumble before my law, their essence unwhole.

Behold! The FIFTH law, potent and cold!

Your courage falters, your story untold.

The 'Heroes Folly', a blinding white light!

It banishes all from my frozen sight!"

…

"NO!" Raphael became nervous upon seeing that wheel turning. His earlier memories of being trapped by those dreadful ice laws came rushing back. "Surely he isn't going to use those laws on him again… Right?"

He was wrong.

"Behold! The FIFTH law! The Heroes Folly! DIE!"

From the center of the wheel, a beam of pure white light descended. It focused solely on Pam Long.

"What?!"

The rhino was caught completely off guard!

The beam engulfed him! He was frozen!

And then…

BOOM!

He exploded! He shattered into a million sparkling snow particles that scattered in the wind.

Pam Long was gone. Obliterated!

"What just…"

"He… he's… DEAD?!"

Raphael, Lu Jade, and Thienika stared, stunned.

They had witnessed something that defied logic!

"Wow! Pitbull Sama is truly MIGHTY!" The hounds were cheering. They had never seen their leader unleash such a powerful law before. It was a technique worthy of the gods!

Pitbull Sama stood triumphantly amidst the dissipating snow. His chest puffed with pride. He had proven his strength!

And then, his burning gaze settled upon Raphael's group.

"Hmmm, it seems the appetizer is done. Time for the main course!"

The 'Subzero Law Wheel' shifted. Its symbols flickered. The energy within it began to coalesce, focusing once more into that horrifying white beam.

"The 'Heroes Folly' will now target YOU!"

"Oh NO! Not that beam again!" Lu Jade panicked. He had seen what it did to Pam Long, who'd boasted about being invincible!

He quickly slithered behind Thienika. "Grandma! 'Royal Guard'! Surely that can stop it?"

"I…"

But before Thienika could reply, the beam shot forth!

WHOOSH!

"REGAL COUNTER!"

Thienika pushed her staff upwards.

BOOM!

The impact reverberated. But this time…

Her technique was failing!

"What?!" Her eyes widened as she watched the beam continue downwards! It smashed through her shield, cracking it!

"I can't…!"

"Raphael! Help!"

Raphael reacted instinctively.

"BLACK POOL!"

He thrust both of his hands upwards. His shadow magic enveloped the beam and began to consume it!

But then…

"What is this?!" He felt a chilling sensation, something he'd never experienced before, not even in the heart of Lu Ignis's 'Scorching Veil Domain', something far more terrifying!

The darkness…

It was freezing!

"My 'Black Pool'…! It can't absorb it!" He watched with growing dread as tendrils of frost crept across the inky blackness!

Their time was running out.

"Give up, bull! Your struggle is futile!" Pitbull Sama laughed, "You should have never crossed my path! Now… DIE!"

"Indeed! You chose the WRONG opponent!"

"Pitbull Sama's strength… it is absolute!"

"Bow before his might!"

The hounds praised their leader. They watched with glee as the light began to consume Raphael's team.

…

CRACK! CRACK!

Raphael's veins bulged and his golden hide popped. His massive frame trembled as he desperately pushed against the descending beam of the 'Heroes Folly'. It was an agonizing struggle against an unstoppable force. And those chilling insults from that arrogant hound only amplified his pain.

"Big Brother! Please… You're going to…" Lu Jade's voice was a pained whisper. He couldn't bear to watch.

"We… will survive this! I… WON'T let… them… win!" Raphael gritted his teeth, and his words resonated with a desperation that had Thienika stepping closer.

They watched with dread as the last vestiges of Raphael's 'Black Pool' froze over. The darkness, once a powerful force that had devoured even the most potent energies, was now nothing but a brittle husk.

And the white beam… it was mere inches from their faces.

"HELIOS STREAM!"

Raphael hollered. He channeled his last reserves of Solar Essence into his horns.

WHOOSH!

A golden beam of pure fire erupted upwards.

It slammed into the white beam!

BOOM!

The impact reverberated through the 'Frozen Hell Domain'.

But it wasn't enough!

The 'Heroes Folly' was too powerful!

The golden beam began to falter; its radiance dimmed and grew thinner. The white beam pushed downwards, inexorably, towards Raphael's team. It seemed like their final moments had arrived.

"Give up, bull! This is your end! Even the heavens themselves mock your pathetic attempts to defy me! This is the power of a true leader, a Nightmare Calamity! Those you protect, they are doomed as well, such pathetic souls, such weakness!"

Pitbull Sama's words were laced with mockery, a blend of arrogant pride and a frustration that had his claws digging into the ground.

He was wasting precious time! This endless waiting, it was maddening!

"AROOOO! You FOOLISH bull! My fifth law, it will end you ALL! Only a divine object of unimaginable power can save your miserable lives NOW! Surrender! Offer your points! Then… perhaps… I might reconsider…"

"WHAT?!"

"Divine object…?"

Something clicked in Lu Jade's mind. It was a memory; a fleeting thought that had him slithering up Raphael's massive horn. He quickly whispered into his ear, "Big Brother… There might… be a way…!"

"Huh? Seriously?!" A spark of hope had those dimming bloodshot eyes of Raphael's glowing brighter. "Little Lu! You're a genius! It just… MIGHT work! But… I'll need some TIME!"

He glanced towards Thienika, "Grandma… can you hold that beam back… for a few moments?"

Thienika was already extending her staff.

"It will be my honor to protect you, my grandson."

Raphael's 'Helios Stream' faltered.

It was a flicker, then…

It vanished!

The white beam descended.

But…

BOOM!

"ROYAL GUARD!"

A translucent shield, stronger now, appeared before them, and it held!

"Hurry, Raphael! This law… its power… is beyond my comprehension!" Thienika's voice strained. She was pushing her technique to its very limits. Her ancient core that was weakened by millennia of battles and a dreadful curse, was failing!

Cough!

Purple blood oozed from her lips as she struggled to maintain the shield!

"On it, Grandma!"

Raphael extended both his hands again, summoning his Solar Essence.

"What are they up to?!"

Pitbull Sama's eyes narrowed. His gaze settled on a glowing golden key that was materializing above Raphael's head.

His hound senses tingled!

"Impossible! That energy signature… It's… It's a divine artifact! But where did he get it?" His realization had his fangs bared.

"That damned BULL… he's full of SURPRISES!"

And in that moment…

BOOM!

A blinding, golden light engulfed Raphael and his companions.

It expanded outward in a spiraling wave of pure energy!

WHOOSH! CRACK! CRACK!

The very fabric of the 'Frozen Hell Domain' shattered!

The Subzero Law Wheel exploded!

And the hounds…

They were ejected!

"What just…?"

"My domain…!"

"Where… where are we?!"

They tumbled through the air similar to those very snowflakes they'd commanded, before landing with painful thuds upon the crimson sands. They were disoriented and confused.

Pitbull Sama was no exception.

He landed roughly. Sand sprayed. He coughed.

Then…

He looked up.

His jaw dropped. Those fangs of his, they almost fell from his mouth.

"That… is…"

The sky was ablaze! A golden radiance unlike anything he'd ever witnessed, occupied his vision. It was a blinding spectacle, as if the very heavens had opened up! Rays were beaming off of it and cascading all across the Desolate Sands, even a few creatures far away noticed the golden radiance and looked up.

And from the heart of that light…

A magnificent structure materialized.

It was a colossal palace, shaped like an octahedron. It was constructed from pure gold and possessed a blinding brilliance.

This was the…

GOLDEN PRISM CITADEL!

The Citadel's defensive arrays came online. And around its protective shield,

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Hundreds of blue Circular Spell Diagrams appeared!

From their centers…

"DEATH BLOW CANNONS! FIRE!"

A hundred cannons materialized. Their muzzles glowed with an intense cerulean light as their trajectory adjusted, each barrel locked onto a specific target below.

It was a breathtaking display of military might.

"RUN! Those cannons can annihilate an early stage Nightmare Calamity!" Pitbull Sama was the only one who recognized the weapons. He'd seen them used by Qi Hawk during the last war against the Skyfire Phoenix Clan.

Their power was unimaginable!

"SCATTER!"

The hounds, fueled by fear, dashed in all directions. They were a chaotic blur of fur and fangs as they desperately tried to outrun the impending bombardment.

But it was too late.

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

A dreadful melody of explosions.

The Death Blow Cannons rained down a storm of pure energy! Each blast was powerful enough to decimate an entire city block. They struck with pinpoint accuracy.

The crimson sands erupted in a geyser of sand, fire, and blood!

The cries of those hounds, mere whimpers now, were drowned out by the thunderous explosions.

When the dust finally settled, the air reeked of burnt flesh and ozone.

The hounds…

They were gone. Obliterated.

Only Pitbull Sama remained.

He lay in a crater, barely clinging to life. His once-proud form was a mangled mess of torn flesh and broken bones. His fur was burnt; he was almost naked. His fangs were chipped. He was painted in pools of his own blood.

He looked like…

A broken wet puppy.