Chapter Three – Part Two: Kingdom of Earth
The land of the Kingdom of Earth stretched endlessly before Shura, jagged rocks piercing the horizon like broken teeth. Every step he took seemed to draw life from the cracked soil, leaving a trail of death behind him. The air was thick, heavy, carrying the smell of dust and decay, as if the land itself mourned the countless battles it had witnessed. The sky hung low, gray and foreboding, wind shrieking through the crags like the cries of the dead.
Shura whispered under his breath, a voice sharp and chilling, carrying the weight of countless years of grief and vengeance:
"Land soaked in death… it will serve as their grave."
The news of his arrival spread faster than fire. Villagers, soldiers, anyone who glimpsed the shadow moving across the horizon trembled uncontrollably, fleeing as if the ground itself had turned to lava beneath their feet. A lone guard, hands trembling around his spear, whispered:
"It… it has come… the Vessel."
Before him rose the King of Earth, a titan of stone and muscle, massive as a living mountain, wielding a war hammer capable of shattering sky and stone alike. His very presence made the wind tremble and the rocks quake.
"You shall fall… as your kingdom fell!" roared the king, his voice cracking the air itself.
Shura did not flinch. Darkness radiated from him, a silent storm wrapping his form. Every movement he made was deliberate, each step calculated. He spoke with cold certainty:
"I have come… to erase those who erased me."
The king swung his massive hammer, striking the earth with force that split stones and sent tremors through the air. Shura, a shadow among shadows, let the serpent-bone blades whirl around his arm, deflecting the blows. Sparks flew, echoing like screams of shattering mountains.
The first wound appeared across the king's cheek. Stone-blood dripped down, a grim rain of death.
"Impossible… you are but a child!" the king bellowed, terror flickering in his stony eyes.
Shura smiled, a merciless curve of lips.
"Even stone obeys death."
The battle escalated. Every strike of the king shook the ground, yet Shura moved like a phantom. Each dodge was a calculated dance, each counterstrike a trap. The serpent-bone blades tore through flesh and stone alike, forcing the king to retreat.
Suddenly, Shura disappeared, reappearing behind the king. The blades coiled around him like predators, striking with precision and overwhelming force. With one final strike, the king split, his stone-blood spraying across the land.
Shura stood over the shattered titan, his body bathed in stone-blood, eyes cold and calculating.
"Thank you… for your sacrifice."
He looked to the horizon, darkness spreading over the land like a tide of despair.
"The era of annihilation… has begun."
Each step toward the next kingdom shattered earth and stone. The serpent within him whispered:
"The time for my full awakening draws near."
All around him, the land moaned under his presence. Silence reigned, save for the earth itself trembling. Destruction preceded his every movement, as if the world itself knew death had arrived.
"And now… the horizon burns, and the serpent's hiss calls forth the carnage to come."