Kinator. A place of legends for the kin. Or so she was told. Azura never really paid attention to the stories. Now here she was, nearly there. All they had to do was clear out the pests. In all fairness, they were some significant pests. Azura looked up at the dozen or so circling dragons that were descending. Three of the dragons were at least five times as big as the one she killed back in the mana forest of Deepmere, the majority were about the same size, except for the last… It was massive. The scale of the dragon was hard to fathom. How old was this dragon, a thousand years? Ten thousand? Too bad it wouldn't live past today.

A thunderous boom shook the ground as the massive dragon landed before them, the three large ones just behind. The smaller dragons seemed content to circle.

"How amusing!" The massive dragon said. "Have you come to pay tribute? Or are you a gift from the humans?"

"Neither," Azura said, striding up front. "I'm going to make you an offer. An offer that you will refuse, but I want to be able to say that I gave you a choice. Leave Kinator. Take your brood with you. Do so, and we'll spare you."

The dragon blinked at her several times, then laughed. It was so loud that Azura might have gone deaf if her ki wasn't reinforcing her body. When the dragon finally stopped, Azura spoke again.

"Is that a no?"

"Foolish animal! I was here when we took the city. Your kind were always weak. The humans and elves simply accelerated what was to happen. What could you possibly do? The only threat you pose is a choking hazard."

"You might find us harder to swallow than you think," Azura said, taking a stance. "Thank you for not accepting. That would have been rather anti-climactic and would have denied me an opportunity to try out my first completed Art. Now pay attention, you won't want to miss this."

Azura dramatically increased the flow of ki in her body as she pulled her right hand back by her hip, into a punching stance. She then amplified the flow of ki many times in her right arm, funneling it all down into her hand. She clutched the power in a tight fist that trembled slightly at the effort. The concentration of ki was so massive that the dust around her began swirling as if caught in an invisible twister. The dragon's eyes widened, but it was too late. Azua sought out her connection to the Dao of blood and infused it into her ki. Sanguine light engulfed Azura as her ki absorbed its color, bathing the surrounding area and dragons in a swirling crimson hue. The gathered ki in her fist burned so brightly that it left spots in the sight of anyone who looked directly at it. The world seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

"BEHOLD THE PATH OF THE BLOODY FIST! THE FIRST ART, PUNCTURE!"

Azura punched toward the dragon. A wave of ki was unleashed, imprinted with the Dao, and it transformed, manifesting into physical form. It was not unlike a spell, except unimaginably stronger. A dozen jagged spears of crystalline blood erupted from her fist. The sanguine spears were the size of towering trees and just as thick. The blood spears moved so fast that the sound tore around them in a thundering crack, which made the dragon's dramatic landing seem like a mouse's squeak. Dragons were mighty, but compared to a cultivator's Art, they were as soft as butter. The crystallized blood effortlessly tore through the first dragon, which barely had time to scream before it died, pierced by over five blood spears. One tore through its long, supple neck. The force was so great that the dragon's head was nearly sheared off. It was only held in place by a thin string of meat. The dead dragon's body failed to shield the other three dragons, but it managed to protect them from immediate death. It wasn't a kindness. The three dragons screamed in pain as the rest of the impaling spikes penetrated around the first dragon or through its body to skewer them. They howled as they were impaled. The crystalline spears held them in place, like bugs pinned to the ground, as their blood gushed like a river, pooling around them. Azura looked upon her Art, inspired by her time in the Crystal Glade. It had been far more destructive than she could have possibly imagined. She'd been right, the Dao would change everything. Now it was time to end the rest of them.

***

The young dragon had no name. He would earn one once he was big enough. Despite his youth, he was wise enough to know that the kin marching toward them were no threat. They were a tasty treat ready to be plucked. He and the other younglings had begged the elder to let them feast upon the kin. The elder refused as he thought the kin might carry some message or something else of value that they could have before they ate them. There was never a question of whether if they would eat the kin, but when. The other elder dragons agreed with his assessment and waited. The young dragon had obeyed. Not much else he could do other than petition the ancient dragon resting deep within their home. He wasn't that stupid. If the ancient was awakened, he might decide that whoever had disturbed him would make a decent treat before he returned to his slumber. The only thing that could frighten a dragon was a larger dragon. Or so he thought.

When the walking animal burned with power, he had thought it an illusion. There was no sense of mana, so it must have been a trick. The dragon kept thinking that until the kin punched and the elder lay dead, the other adults impaled, whimpering like prey. Such a spell shouldn't have posed a threat to a dragon. Mages simply lacked the power to harm them. That was how it was supposed to be. That was why he had to blink several times to process what had happened. The killer of dragons looked up at them, and the dragon felt a spike of terror that he thought could only be reserved for the ancient. He turned and fled, leaving his siblings behind him. They were slower to react, which was why the dragon wasn't surprised to hear their cries of pain. The dragon didn't look back. He dared not, for he was sure that the killer of dragons would be behind him, grinning.

***

"The Dao…" Hamal whispered in awe. So, this was the power that Azura had told them about. The dragons had been reduced to skewered chunks of meat. A single cultivator's Art killed the mighty creatures of myth and legend. Hamal pushed past his awe, going for the rest of the dragons. The more they killed here, the better. Hamal pulled at the surrounding shadows, then mixed them with his own as a large amount of his ki. Blades of darkness flew toward the sky-bound dragons, only to lose most of their form in the light of day. The attack was entirely dispersed before it could reach its targets.

"Fuck," Hamal said. Perhaps once he connected to the Dao of shadow, he could do such an attack. He was wondering how they could down those dragons when the blood of the larger dragons pooled above Azura's head. It looks like she had a plan.

***

Azura glanced skyward at the remaining dragons. She then called to the blood conveniently flowing out of the impaled dragons, creating a large sphere above her. The hovering dragons were just starting to flee when she cut her palm, adding her blood to the mix along with a large amount of ki. The blood sphere yielded to her iron will, and a rain of hardened spikes of blood shot from the sphere. Azura grimaced as she exhausted a vast amount of ki. With luck, she would get more than enough blood to replenish her reserves. She needed a new Art to reach long distances. For now, this would have to do. Four dragons fell, their membranous wings torn and useless. Azura swore. Most of them would escape. That was when she noticed Tabatha. She was soaring toward the dragons, no doubt using her wind attunement. Damn it. The girl would exhaust most of her ki using it that way. Tabatha stopped in the middle of the dragons, and a massive gust of wind infused ki plowed into the dragon's wings, knocking them all from the sky. They tried to course correct, but it was too late. The pressure pushing down on their wings was too great. The dragons crashed into the ground where the remaining cultivators waited. It was a massacre. The dragons lasted only seconds before lying still. Tabatha landed among the dead dragons, panting heavily. A cheer rose from the kin as Azura ran over.

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"Master, we won!" Tabatha said once she caught her breath.

"We haven't yet," Hamal said, joining them. "One of them got away, heading toward Kinator. We should expect a lot more next time. The real fight begins soon."

Azura nodded, then turned toward Tabatha. "How much ki did you exhaust doing that?"

Tabatha dug her paw into the ground, not looking at her. "A lot."

"Work on refreshing your ki. The mana here is dense. I don't want you back into the fight until you have at least over half unexhausted."

"But…"

"No buts," Azura said, then turned to Hamal. "I also exhausted a lot of ki with that last attack. I'm going to start cultivating the dragon's blood. I should be completely refreshed before the next fight. Keep an eye on things."

"Sure," Hamal said, then began barking out orders, getting the exuberant kin back into formation. Azura wasted no time and pulled on the dragon's blood. Again, a large sphere of blood pooled above her head, which began dwindling as she used it to refresh her ki. The first part of the battle went well. That was to be expected. The dragons had no clue what they were facing. Now things would get difficult.

***

An earthshaking roar sounded from the mountain as the young dragon landed. They had seen everything. One of the other dragons must have been watching the battle. Battle, the young dragon wanted to scoff at his thoughts. That wasn't a battle, it was predators slaughtering their prey. He should know. He's done it often enough. The young dragon entered the grand cavern where elder dragons were gathering their forces. Each family was comprised of at least one elder and three adults. The largest families had double that. Perhaps one would take him in. He was an orphan now. That, or he would be driven off the mountain. A rival would take the leyline his family had owned.

Concerns over the future were pushed from his mind as part of the mountain seemed to move. Up and up, the young dragon looked to meet the gaze of the ancient as he emerged from the largest cavern, squeezing through. The black dragon was so massive that he resembled a small mountain himself. All thoughts ceased when the ancient yellow eyes pinned him in place. It was like the sun was judging him and finding him unworthy.

"Worthless…" The ancient said. The young dragon spun around to flee, but it was too late. The house-sized dragon was snapped up in a single bite. The young dragon thrashed inside the maw of the ancient, a wing and leg protruding from the oversized jaws. The ancient started chewing. A torrent of blood leaked from his mouth with each methodical bite. The young dragon stopped struggling once his head was crushed between a pair of incisors larger than his legs. No other dragon spoke, simply watching in horror as the ancient continued to chew for another minute. The only sound was the snapping bones and the splatter of blood. With a mighty swallow, the young dragon was gone.

Without a word, the ancient strode out of the cave, the various dragon families following behind him. Outside, the ancient looked at the sun for the first time in years, then released a mighty roar that made all the young dragons fall to the ground. Wings ten times larger than an elder dragon expanded and flapped, creating a tornado below at the mountain's foot.

The ancient rose into the air, the others behind him. With his incredible vision, he saw the kin army. To think that they somehow killed a dragon's entire family, inconceivable! They must have had some powerful artifacts with them. It won't matter. He was Eorsoim, the death bringer, he wouldn't tolerate any challenge to his authority.

Eorsoim gathered his mana, channeling it through nearly twenty spell formations, all to augment his natural breath attack. A beam of pure destruction was unleashed from his mouth toward the kin. Once the majority of them died, he would snack on a few and go back to…

His thoughts were interrupted as blue-hair half cat-kin rushed forward, her arms outstretched. His most powerful attack hit an invisible barrier and was deflected up past the kin's army. Eorsoim's eyes went wide. It had been a long time since anything surprised him. He was here before the humans and elves arrived. He was here when the old ones fell. He had seen it all, until now. There had been no surge of mana. The amount of mana required to deflect his attack would have been easily felt. There had been nothing. This was something new… he instantly hated it. He roared as his horde advanced on the kin.

***

Azura let out a tightly held breath. That had been powerful. She barely managed to deflect the attack with her ki. If they could all do that, they would be in serious trouble. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case as the rest of the dragons flew toward them.

"I'll take the big one," Azura said as she readied herself. "Once they get closer, all fragmentation cultivators will attack and try to bring them down. Foundation cultivators, your job is to finish them off."

Unfortunately, the dragons didn't appear to agree with her plan. They stopped high above them.

"SUSPREME METEOR!"

"GRAND BALL LIGHTENING!"

"EXPLOSION!" A strange young dragon shouted. The dragon wore a tailor-made wide-brimmed hat with an odd eye patch that had a cross on it covering one eye. The dragon passed out as soon as the spell was unleashed, falling to the ground. Azura ignored that dragon as a rain of many more spells bombarded them. Foundation cultivators scattered as their elites deflected what they could. Azura just finished punching a meteor out of the way, when she heard a call.

"READY AZURA!" Gerald shouted, the Kin-A-Pult on his shoulders. Quickly, she leaped atop it, pulling a large amount of blood with her. She would need it. Tabatha, Hamal, and Fatania were the closest cultivators available, and they leapt up next to her.

"GO!" Azura shouted. Gerald heaved, launching them into the air. The four cultivators soared high into the sky after pushing off the Kin-A-Pult, but the dragons were still out of reach. Azura quickly infused her blood and ki into the blood sphere, traveling next to her, creating another set of platforms for them to use. It was enough. The four cultivators were in range even as Gerald set up for the next group.

Azura used her rapidly dwindling blood supply to make a spear chain, which she launched at a nearby dragon. The spear tip dug into the dragon's flesh, anchoring in place. The dragon howled in outrage. The attack did little more than anger it, but that wasn't the point. Azura pulled, hurling herself atop the dragon. The dragon gave her an incredulous look that someone dared ride it. That worry was immediately gone when Azura punched down with a ki-infused fist, breaking its shoulder before leaping off to the next one. The dragon roared in pain as it plummeted, its left wing useless. Around her, the others were finding similar success. Hamal used his shadows to pull himself to each dragon. Such a use would limit the amount of ki that would be exhausted. He then either slashed at the wings or broke them directly before moving on to the next. Fatania was a surprise. Azura assumed she would use a shadow attunement like her son. Instead, she leapt off platforms of condensed light to each dragon before putting them down.

The most devastating was Tabatha. Fortunately, she wasn't exhausting her ki so quickly this time. Instead of blasting everything with ki-powered wind, she used the bare minimum to reach each dragon, then simply punched them in the head, driving them to the ground. Then she used a small amount of ki-powered wind to dash to the next one and repeat. Their combined efforts made the dragons fall like rain from the sky. The smaller ones nearly died on impact if the initial assault didn't kill them. The larger dragons were considerably tougher, and they didn't waste ki on killing them directly. They instead drove them from the sky and trusted in their fellow cultivators. Any still living dragon was met with a swarm of foundation cultivators and a few fragmentation cultivators that didn't take to the sky.

Their success didn't go unnoticed as the largest dragon seemed to be preparing another large blast. Azura sent a powerful surge of ki into her legs and launched herself toward the largest dragon. The kickoff was so mighty that the dragon she was standing on plummeted like the meteor spells they had been casting. When the dragon crashed, it splattered on impact, showering the cultivators below in gore.

Her actions didn't go unnoticed as the massive dragon directed its beam attack toward her. Azura consumed a part of her cultivation to meet the attack. This was no time to hold back. The blast of energy seemed to burn the air as it propelled toward her.

"SHATTER!" Azura cried as she punched toward the incoming blast. This time, she felt the forced connection to the Dao. She might have been able to infuse the Dao of blood into the attack to increase its potency further, but this wasn't the time to experiment.

The two mighty attacks clashed in an explosion that rocked the sky and sent many of the still airborne dragons crashing to the ground. Azura's attack broke through the dragon's energy beam, heading straight for the dragon itself. The dragon tried to dodge in a panic. Dragons, for all their power, were not particularly agile. They were as graceful as a pig with wings. The remaining force from Azura's attack crashed into the dragon, sending it hurling toward the ground with Azura in pursuit.

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