Skyfire Avenue

Suddenly a torrent of purple light crashed into the Wine Master’s domain. It was a brazen flood that tried to fight its way through. Eventually the interspatial flux fractured and gave way. The Wine Master’s Domain was nearly defeated.

Just as it broke through the line a loud ‘ding!’ sounded through the area. The flood of purple stopped in its tracks. A clock had sprung up in the beleaguered folds of reality that sparkled with a myriad of colors. Where it’s light radiated time appeared to slow, and the purple light’s spread was halted.

The clock was difficult to perceive clearly as it existed in the flux. However, a figured appeared in its center – the image of the Clockmaker.

The Epochrion! Reflection of Heaven and Earth!

A grey light sprang up from nearby to join the fray. It seemed unhindered by the Epochrion’s power. It roiled like a pestilence, corrupting space around it at it headed for the purple light. Although it did not stop the violet power’s advance, it did slow it. Where they clashes spouts of grey fire lapped at the edges.

The Gourmet, Infernal Vanguard!

Three mighty Paragons battled to contain the purple light. They struggled to ensure it could not extend its terrible reach.

And yet it was not enough!

The Violet Prince was a contemporary of Jue Di, even against three Paragons he was not at a disadvantage. His fully manifested power stretched into the Infinite.

The purple light suddenly receded, contracting. It untangled itself from the burning power of the Gourmet’s Domain. In the next instant it swelled to form a nightmarish beast before lunging ahead once more. The interspatial flux continued to give way, and the Epochrion’s time dilation was losing its grip on the monster. Nothing seemed capable of standing in its way.

“Aaaggghhh…” Raging cries made the whole structure shudder, and a golden dragon threaded its way through the corridor of interspatial flux. Its snake-like body writhed, its horned head thrashed, and five-clawed hands swiped ferociously. The golden figure twinkled majestically in the blackness of the Wine Master’s Domain. It met the lizard-like purple beast with hesitation.

The purple monster seemed to grow more distinct, more real – like a hideous crocodile corrupted by evil. Its enormous head occupied nearly half its body, and as the creature opened its maw the combined powers of the Paragons collapsed into it.

Fear and surprise swept through the human defenders.

Strong though the Violet Prince was, he still was beneath Jue Di’s capabilities. If he threw caution to the wind and employed his full powers the Violet Prince would not be alive. Though Jue Di was not here, the Prince was facing humanity’s first-class Paragons, who themselves were capable fighters. They would not be able to defeat the Prince, but there was a chance they could repel him.

“Crack!” The first to lash out was their strongest, the Epochrion. The clock paused, its pendulum froze. For a moment everything was calm, and even the monstrous Prince was still. An orb of silver light floated through frozen time and into the Prince’s mouth. Next came the golden dragon, racing forth at incredible speed. The ghastly grey fires congealed to form a spectral blade, which then tumbled from the sky toward their enemy.

As the Gourmet’s weapon fell three clear ringing cries issued forth, and three dazzling lights appeared. Red, white and blue respectively 1. They flickered in an uncomfortable and illusory fashion, but upon closer inspection seemed more real than the Domains they passed through.

Boom–! The first explosion came from the silver orb. It detonated with a flash of silver light, while black tears in reality spider-webbed out in every direction. Dimensional Tempest!

It was the Wine Master’s most daunting attack, a dimensional phenomenon turned attack. It caused wide-spread devastation, obliterating everything within its scope, tearing apart the dimension itself. At full power it could erase pockets of the universe. Of course the Wine Master could not command such power, but it mimicked universal protogenia in much the same way.

He was on the cusp of becoming a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, though he wasn’t yet there. Still, the destructive power at his fingertips was extraordinary.

The purple monster was wracked with pain. It reacted by clamping its enormous jaws shut to suppress the imploding dimensional tear within. The monster was strong – strong enough to simply devour the Wine Master’s strongest attack.

But it was given no respite. With a threatening roar the golden dragon descended upon it, backed by the power of several Paragons’ Domains. Reality shuddered in its passing. Tendrils of golden light suddenly appeared around the creature’s head, wrapping around it as though to tie its mouth shut.

Four pillars of light crashed onto in the same moment. The first to make contact was the largest, the enormous grey blade. When it struck ribbons of grey power joined the gold to constrain the beast. The three other lights quickly followed.

A strange and fantastical scene emerged. While the Paragons struggled vainly against the Violet Prince, the impact of those three lights made the whole ship quake.

Three jets of purple light issued from the monster’s back, spat from three identical gashes. The Prince writhed and howled.

They wounded it! Those jets of light was its blood!

The monster trashed desperately against the Domains that restrained it. Cracks appeared in the Paragons’ power as they struggled to keep hold.

In this moment of truth a flood of pink light surged through the area, covering everything like a film. It sealed the cracking Domains together, shoring them up. Then, they all became that shining pink hue. It grew brighter and brighter until – all of a sudden – everything vanished.

Another flash lit up the endless darkness of space.

The crocodile-beast was thrust out into the freezing vacuum. The pink light then deposited several other figures a short distance away. At the fore was none other than the Photographer. Spread out behind her were the Wine Master, Gourmet, Pauper, Lan Jue, Zhou Qianlin, the Pharmacist and the Driver.

Skyfire Avenue’s eight mighty warriors stared down the Violet Prince, who had re-assumed human form.

Short as their first exchange was, Lan Jue and the others had spared nothing in their assault. The only one who hadn’t gotten involved was the Driver, but not for lack of desire. He simply had no opportunity.

Tyrannosaurus was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. Its massive white shields sprang up like a milky atmosphere. Humanity’s greatest technological achievement was called such for a reason. Even the Violet Prince wasn’t going to get passed those shields.

Rage flashed in the Prince’s eyes, but he wasn’t looking at the Paragons. His glare was reserved for Lan Jue, Qianlin and the Pharmacist. They stared back, and in their hands were the legendary weapons of ages past; Captus, Demortus, Occisus. Those three cursed weapons were the ones that had injured him. Although the humans could not see it, three small cuts ran across his back. Small though they were, they would not heal and continuously leaked purple fluid.

The Prince stood there, staring. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Meanwhile Luo Xianni’s face was dark and dour. She had waited for the perfect moment to get involved, and in the Prince’s moment of weakness transferred it and them away from the Bastion ship. If the Prince had succeeded in destroying Tyrannosaurus, all of their effort up to this point would have been for naught. At the very least it would have thrown the Northern army into chaos. Without Admiral Kang Hui, the whole strike force would been sitting ducks.

Finally the Prince settled his sights on Lan Jue’s face. Something flashed behind his eyes, and then he dissolved into a beam of purple light and vanished. The human defenders were silently relieved. Making him flee was difficult enough, keeping him there would be impossible.

They allowed themselves a moment to relax. But just then, a choking sense of danger swept over them. They each unconsciously drew their eyes up.

Asteroids from the belt of space rocks collapsed inward, and the vacuum force they’d fled from before reemerged. Lan Jue gaped at what he saw. The planet was so far! What sort of power was necessary to extend the traction this far?! He didn’t know how many asteroids there were, put big or small, whatever the number, the planet’s was drawing them in.

What was its plan?

Lan Jue felt the power tug at him even as he stood in thought. While Tyrannosaurus remained stable, the myriad ships in its fleet had been cast into disarray. Dreadnaughts and larger ships fared better because of their mass and engines, but battleships, patrol boats and even expedition ships were being dragged out of position.

1. ‘MURICA!