"Inside this bottle... lies the power of a Dragon."
Sowanda's whisper cut through the chaos like a knife. The Five Fingers of The Hand were all outcasts from K'un-Lun. They had been expelled before they could face Shou-Lao. They had lived centuries in exile, coveting the power of the Iron Fist—the one thing they could never possess.
But now? Sowanda held the bronze bottle aloft. The energy radiating from it was primal. It wasn't just bone; it was Chi.
"The Soul of the Dragon," Murakami murmured, his eyes widening. "If we consume this..."
"We become the Iron Fists," Alexandra finished, a hungry smile spreading across her face. "We won't need the bones. We become the weapon."
CRASH.
A deafening boom echoed from the Bronze Gates behind them. The Hand's laborers were screaming, their boots sliding on the stone floor as they tried to hold the massive doors shut. But the force on the other side was relentless.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
The bronze fists of the statues dented the metal from the inside.
"They cannot hold them," Madame Gao said, her voice sharp. "The constructs are tireless. We are not."
She looked at the bottle in Sowanda's hand, then at the tunnel exit. "Run," Gao ordered. "Leave the laborers. Leave the Black Sky. Just get the bottle out."
The Five Fingers didn't hesitate. They turned and sprinted into the darkness of the tunnel, abandoning their army to the slaughter.
The laborers' strength gave out. "Help us!" one man screamed as his grip slipped.
The massive Bronze Doors swung open.
CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.
A tide of bronze poured out. The Bronze Soldiers moved with jerky, mechanical precision, their heavy halberds swinging in unison. Red light flared in their eyes.
SLASH.
It wasn't a fight. It was a harvest. Heads rolled. Limbs were severed. The Hand's mercenaries fired their rifles, but the bullets sparked harmlessly off the ancient armor. In seconds, the floor was slick with blood.
With the obstruction cleared, the red eyes of the army turned to the only living things left in the cavern: The Defenders.
"Wake up!"
SMACK.
Jessica Jones slapped Danny Rand across the face. Danny blinked, his vision swimming. The needle to his neck had left him groggy.
"Jess?" Danny slurred.
"Run!" Jessica screamed, hauling Luke Cage to his feet. Luke groaned, clutching his chest where the Gu worm still slept.
Danny looked past her. He saw the wall of bronze advancing. He saw the blood dripping from their blades.
"What... what are those things?" Danny gasped.
"Bad statues! Move!"
Jessica dragged them toward the tunnel. They didn't look back.
Matt Murdock stood his ground. He heard the massacre. He heard the Defenders retreating. But he also heard the Black Sky.
Elektra stood between him and the exit, her twin sai raised. The Hand had abandoned her. To them, she was just a weapon to delay the enemy. Disposable.
"Elektra," Matt pleaded, his voice cracking. "They left you. Come with me."
The Black Sky didn't respond. She lunged, her blade aiming for his heart. Matt grit his teeth. He couldn't reason with a weapon. He had to disarm it.
He ducked under her slash, his radar sense painting the perfect trajectory of her attack.
Whoosh.
He stepped inside her guard. His billy club snaked through her defense, hooking her wrist and twisting. Elektra spun, off-balance. Matt didn't hesitate. He stepped behind her and delivered a precise, measured chop to the vagus nerve in her neck.
Thud.
Elektra gasped, her eyes rolling back. She went limp, collapsing into his arms.
"I've got you," Matt whispered, holding her close. "I've got you."
He lifted her unconscious body and ran, the heavy footsteps of the Bronze Army echoing right behind him.
They burst out of the tunnel and into the cool night air of the estate grounds. The castle was empty. The Hand's convoy was gone.
"They cleared out," Jessica panted, dropping Luke onto the grass. "Those slippery bastards."
Matt emerged a moment later, carrying Elektra.
"I have to go," Matt said, not stopping. "I have to get her to safety before she wakes up."
"Matt, wait!" Danny called out.
"Get Luke to a hospital," Matt yelled back, disappearing into the woods. "Get the worm out!"
Danny looked at Luke. The big man was pale, sweat beading on his forehead. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the pain of the parasite was returning.
"We need a doctor," Danny said, panic rising. "We need to block this cave."
They found a heavy excavator left behind by the construction crew. Jessica ripped the bucket off and jammed it into the tunnel entrance, piling rocks and debris until the hole was sealed.
"That should hold them," Jessica dusted her hands off. "Let's go."
They loaded Luke into one of the abandoned trucks and sped off toward the city.
Silence fell over the Rand Estate. For a long time, there was only the sound of crickets. Then, the ground began to tremble.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The debris blocking the cave entrance shifted. Dust trickled down.
BOOM.
The pile of rocks exploded outward. The excavator bucket flew through the air, crashing into the trees. A heavy bronze boot stepped out of the darkness.
The General of the Bronze Army scanned the horizon. His glowing red eyes whirred, focusing. He ignored the fleeing Defenders. He ignored the empty castle. He looked South. Toward the scent of the Dragon Soul.
He raised his sword and pointed toward the glowing skyline of Manhattan.
CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.
Behind him, hundreds of bronze soldiers marched out of the earth. They formed a phalanx, their movements perfectly synchronized.
They began to march. Target: Hell's Kitchen.
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