"Forget the lake for now—look over there."
Steve pointed across the water. Tony followed his gaze.
Wenwu had just thrown another punch. With that strike, countless creatures burst out from the cave. The seal was on the verge of collapse.
The sky darkened as a swarm of monsters poured out, blotting out the heavens. Their only goal—
Human souls.
"Archers, ready!!"
Guangbo raised his hand sharply. Dozens stepped forward behind him, drawing their bows and aiming at the incoming swarm.
"Avengers—!" Steve shouted, shield in hand.
"Three hundred paces!!" Guangbo roared.
"Two hundred paces!!"
"Fire!!"
At his command, bowstrings snapped in unison. Arrows blazing with red light shot forward like flaming meteors, streaking toward the monsters.
---
Beneath the lake, Shang-Chi continued to sink.
Suddenly—
His eyes snapped open.
Strangely, the water didn't flood his nose or mouth. He felt no suffocation at all.
He stared into the depths.
Something was approaching.
A shadow.
Then—
A massive head appeared beside him.
Shang-Chi turned sharply.
A colossal creature loomed in the dim water. He couldn't see it clearly—but its eyes shone like galaxies, fixed upon him.
It drew closer.
And finally—
He saw it.
---
Above the water, arrows tore through the swarm. Many creatures were instantly destroyed, falling into the lake as ash.
On the shore, everyone braced themselves.
The monsters were less than a hundred paces away.
"Tony, Sam—Avengers! Take them down!!"
Steve gave the order.
Tony and Sam shot into the sky, charging headfirst into the swarm.
Then—
Ripples spread across the lake.
Suddenly, the surface exploded.
A colossal figure surged upward.
Over a hundred meters long, with twin horns, azure scales, crimson whiskers, and limbs beneath a serpentine body—
The Azure Dragon.
"Holy—!!"
Sam veered sharply midair. He had almost been swallowed whole—the dragon's massive jaws had brushed right past him.
"That's it! That's what I saw down there!!" Tony shouted excitedly.
A real Eastern dragon.
And far more magnificent than anything from Western myth.
The Azure Dragon soared into the sky, devouring monsters in great gulps.
"Look!!"
Xialing pointed.
On the dragon's back—
Shang-Chi.
Everyone on the shore stared in shock as the dragon weaved through the sky, Shang-Chi riding atop it.
With each strike, the swarm thinned—torn apart by claws or swallowed whole.
---
Karl looked up as well.
His heart surged.
A dragon.
A true dragon of Huaxia.
For someone with the soul of a Chinese man, it stirred something deep—his blood seemed to boil.
His cloak responded, unfurling behind him and lifting him into the air. It expanded rapidly, growing until it stretched over a hundred meters, blotting out the sky.
Karl spread his arms.
The clear sky darkened instantly.
Thunder roared.
Storm clouds gathered, lightning flashing like violet serpents within them.
BOOM—!!
Bolts of lightning rained down, striking the soul-devouring creatures.
They were obliterated instantly—no chance to resist.
The Azure Dragon glanced back at Karl, then surged forward again into the swarm with Shang-Chi on its back.
But—
More and more creatures continued to pour out as Wenwu kept attacking the seal.
Their numbers were overwhelming.
Even Karl couldn't wipe them out fast enough.
---
"Shang-Chi! You have to stop your father!!" Yingnan shouted.
If Wenwu wasn't stopped soon, the great monster behind the gate would break free.
And even the Azure Dragon might not be enough then.
Shang-Chi willed it—
The dragon turned toward the gate.
Tony and Karl followed closely, landing atop its head.
But suddenly—
The dragon flipped, swatting Tony away with a claw.
Yet it allowed Karl to remain.
Everyone who saw it was stunned.
Earlier, Karl had ridden a qilin without resistance.
Now—even the Azure Dragon accepted him.
Something that should have been impossible.
---
The dragon carried Karl and Shang-Chi to the gate.
They leapt down.
The dragon wheeled away, diving back into the swarm.
Shang-Chi rushed forward and kicked Wenwu away from the gate, sending him flying over ten meters.
Karl landed calmly before the seal, looking up at the massive circular gate—over a hundred meters tall.
The scales were crumbling.
Some had already shattered.
The seal was moments from collapse.
Karl didn't even glance at Wenwu.
That fight belonged to Shang-Chi—and maybe Tony.
---
Wenwu stood up, madness in his eyes.
The woman he loved was just beyond that gate.
He had to save her.
"Dad, stop. Mom isn't behind that door."
Shang-Chi tried one last time.
Everyone knew the truth.
Everyone but Wenwu.
"If she were there, her soul would've already been taken," Shang-Chi added.
"Don't stand in my way… son."
Wenwu's voice trembled with disbelief.
He was so close.
And now his own son would stop him?
"No."
Shang-Chi took his stance.
Qi flowed around him.
Wenwu said nothing more.
He struck.
The Ten Rings flared, exploding with power as his fist shot forward.
Shang-Chi moved.
His hands guided the surrounding qi, meeting the attack—
Then pulling back at the last moment.
Using softness to overcome strength.
Wenwu was caught off guard. His arm was seized and redirected, his own force turning against him as he was pushed aside in disarray.
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