"Don't be stupid. Your wife is already dead. Whatever's behind that door, it's not her."
Tony had already learned Wenwu's true motive over the past few days—and that he was being manipulated by the creature behind the gate.
"Get out of my way, boy. Or I won't mind killing you right here."
Wenwu clenched his fists. The Ten Rings floated up and down, surging with power. Blue light spread along his veins, glowing faintly beneath his skin.
Tony didn't move. He stood firm, blocking Wenwu's path.
Anyone with eyes could tell—there was no way a person was sealed behind that massive, ancient gate. It hadn't been opened in ages. Who would imprison someone inside a mountain like this?
But Wenwu, already ensnared, refused to listen.
He knew his wife was inside.
He had heard her voice.
Bzzz—
The Ten Rings vibrated, humming ominously.
Tony's drones deployed behind him. He raised both hands—repulsors and drones charging simultaneously, energy gathering rapidly.
But Wenwu was faster.
The Ten Rings shot forward like bullets, slamming into Tony and launching him backward. Without slowing, they carried him straight into the lake behind.
Wenwu didn't spare him another glance.
The rings returned, and he stepped up to the massive dragon-scale gate.
From within—
A voice called out again.
"Take me home… save me…"
Wenwu's expression trembled with emotion.
He had never mistaken her voice.
"They really locked you in here…"
"We're going home. I'll take you home."
Without hesitation, he punched the gate.
Boom!
Blue energy surged into the scales. Their red glow dimmed instantly.
Another punch.
Then another.
Each strike heavier than the last. Blue energy spread across the entire surface, the once-glowing scales fading—some turning pale, lifeless white.
Yet—
The gate still held.
Unyielding.
"I don't believe you're this tough!"
Wenwu drew back, then slammed his fists together. All ten rings shifted to his right arm.
The energy spiked.
Blue flames seemed to flicker around his fist.
BOOM!!
A full-force punch crashed into the gate.
A shockwave rippled outward. The dragon-scale seal shuddered violently—then every scale lost its color, turning dull and gray.
"Not good! The seal won't hold!"
Guangbo swept aside enemies with his staff and turned toward the mountain. Even from across the lake, the pressure of that final blow was unmistakable.
The battlefield fell silent.
All eyes turned to the platform.
Then—
Something pushed through the cracks.
A tendril.
Then another.
Bat-like wings followed.
A grotesque creature forced its way out and shot into the sky.
Wenwu didn't notice.
The gate wasn't fully open yet—so he kept attacking it in a frenzy.
---
Across the lake, the creature swooped down.
"The monsters are here!" Yingnan shouted.
Everyone looked up.
A hideous creature circled overhead.
"We have to work together to fight them!" Xialing kicked an enemy aside and shouted.
"Hah! You think I'll fall for that?"
The one-armed brute sneered as he approached her.
"Your weapons can't even—"
Before he could finish—
The creature dove.
A tendril pierced a black-clad soldier—and pulled out a glowing mass.
A soul.
Thud.
The body collapsed like a ragdoll. Lifeless.
Another creature swooped in, targeting the brute.
He reacted quickly, slashing it in half with his energy blade.
But—
The creature reformed instantly.
No wound. No damage.
Panic flashed across his face as the tendrils lunged toward his chest.
He stabbed wildly—but every strike passed through uselessly.
Just as he was about to die—
A rope dart shot forward.
Thwack!
It pierced the creature's head.
The monster disintegrated into purple ash.
The brute stared, pale, at Xialing.
She and Yingnan both looked at him—speechless.
"I… we should work together," he stammered.
He immediately ordered his men to release the captured villagers.
---
Meanwhile, the first creature had already returned to the platform, carrying the soul. It slipped back through the deadened scales into the cave.
"What are they doing?" Natasha asked, watching the other side.
More than a dozen creatures were now emerging.
"They're feeding it," Yingnan said grimly. "That thing behind the seal survives by devouring souls. If it recovers…"
She didn't finish.
It didn't need saying.
"If it breaks free… that's when the real war begins."
---
At the lakeshore, everyone regrouped.
Villagers and Ten Rings soldiers alike now wielded dragon-scale weapons, united against a common enemy.
After witnessing souls being ripped out, no one doubted the truth anymore.
There was no woman behind that gate.
Only monsters.
At the front stood Steve and the others—shield raised, ready. As always, he took point, protecting those behind him.
Then—
BOOM!
The lake exploded upward.
A red-and-gold figure shot into the sky, arcing before landing beside Steve.
Tony.
"You guys will not believe what I just saw down there!"
Even without opening his helmet, the disbelief in his voice was unmistakable.
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