Hours later, the preparation was complete.
Deep within the most secure chamber of the island base, the room was cleared out, leaving only smooth white floors and walls illuminated by soft, magical light.
Mr. Liu lay in the center of a massive, intricate diagram drawn in red and gold ink, ancient Chinese symbols and geometric patterns glowing faintly with residual energy.
His shirt gone, leaving his chest bare.
The old, faded runes that had held the dragon for centuries were visible across his skin, dull and weak now.
Behind him was Todd.
He sat crosslegged, bare-chested, his perfect, muscular frame exposed.
Painted directly onto his back and shoulders, covering his spine and shoulder blades, were the same ancient symbols, bold, fresh, and powerful Chinese characters that formed the core of the binding ritual.
Great Wall stood behind Todd, dressed in ceremonial robes that replaced his uniform.
Incense sticks burned in the corners, filling the air with thick, sweet smoke, and candles arranged in a circle cast dancing shadows against the walls.
He held his hands out, palms facing forward, green magical energy already swirling between his fingers.
“Ready,” Great Wall’s voice echoed low and deep.
“The transfer begins now. Hold still… and do not resist. If you fight the magic or the beast… it will tear you apart.”
“Just do it,” Todd said calmly.
Great Wall began to chant.
The words were old, rhythmic, and sounded like rolling thunder mixed with the hissing of snakes.
As he chanted, the green light grew brighter, pouring from his hands and washing over the room.
From the markings on Mr. Liu’s chest, a brilliant beam of emerald light shot upward.
The air rippled, and with a deafening, earth-shaking roar, the massive form of the Asian Dragon materialized, long, serpentine, coiling and thrashing, whiskers flowing.
It was huge, filling the room, its golden eyes wide and furious.
“RELEASE ME! LET ME BE FREE!” the dragon’s voice boomed, shaking the very foundation of the mountain.
It tried to fly away, tried to escape the room, but the magical diagram on the floor flared up, pure golden light shooting up to bind it in place.
It roared in rage, snapping at the magical restraints, coiling tighter, trying to break free.
“Keep chanting! Don’t stop!” Todd ordered, his voice steady despite the terrifying presence inches from him.
Great Wall nodded, sweat pouring down his face as he poured every ounce of his power into the spell.
Suddenly, the symbols painted on Todd’s back ignited.
They burned with blinding green light, glowing through his skin like molten energy.
From the characters, thick, heavy chains made of pure magical force erupted outward, reaching across the room.
They wrapped around the thrashing dragon’s body, around its neck, its tail, its limbs, pulling it with irresistible force toward Todd.
The dragon fought with everything it had.
It twisted, bit, breathed fire that was absorbed instantly by the marks on Todd’s skin.
It roared, screamed, and struggled against the pull, but the magic was absolute and the vessel waiting was stronger than anything it had ever encountered.
Slowly, inch by inch, the massive serpent was dragged forward.
It shrank as it came closer, condensing into pure energy, swirling like a tornado of green light right at Todd’s back.
The light flared so bright nothing could be seen for seconds.
Silence returned to the chamber.
The thick smoke from the incense sticks slowly drifted downward and settled, leaving only the faint, sweet scent lingering in the air.
The blinding, magical light that had filled the room moments ago faded completely, and where the glowing runes had burned across Todd’s back, there now remained a permanent mark: a vivid, intricate tattoo of a magnificent green Asian dragon, coiled and winding across his skin, as if sleeping just beneath the surface.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
For a split second, his pupils were no longer round, they were vertical slits, glowing bright gold like the dragon itself.
Then, with visible effort, they shifted back to their normal blue state, though they now burned with a deeper, more primal power.
He stretched his arms wide above his head, his back cracking softly as he felt the new power settle deep within his bones.
He rolled his shoulders, savoring the centuries of rage, the immense strength, and the ancient fury now flowing through his soul as naturally as his own abilities.
A wide, satisfied smirk spread across his face.
He looked almost blissful.
“Oh… that is good,” Todd whispered to himself, tasting the raw power.
It was intoxicating.
He looked over at Great Wall, who stood exhausted, leaning heavily against a table, sweat and strain clear on his face.
He pushed himself upright, trembling, and pointed a shaking finger toward Todd.
“Now…” Great Wall rasped, his voice rough and weak.
“Now… keep your promise.”
Todd looked at him, and the satisfied smile on his face twisted instantly into an evil smirk.
“Promise?” Todd asked, his tone light and mocking.
“What promise? I’m afraid I might have forgotten the details… there was just so much going on, wasn’t there?”
“YOU!!” Great Wall gasped, shock freezing him in place.
The strain of the ritual caught up to him, and he suddenly doubled over, coughing up a spray of dark blood onto the floor.
He wiped his mouth, eyes wide with horror.
“You swore! You swore you would heal him! You said you would fix his body and make him whole again!”
Todd ignored him.
He turned and crouched down in front of the unconscious form of Mr. Liu.
The old man looked much more weaker.
Todd tilted his head, looking at the frail, cybernetic-enhanced face with feigned curiosity.
“Why would I even heal this guy?” Todd asked softly, as if genuinely puzzled.
“Why waste resources, time, or effort on him… now that I’ve already taken everything he had worth having?”
He stood up slowly and turned back to Great Wall, spreading his hands open wide, gesturing innocently.
“Besides… did I ever actually say how I would heal him? Or that I even could? Let’s be honest, Great Wall… I don’t have any powers or technology capable of healing old age or broken bodies. You just assumed I did.”
“B-But you said… you promised…” Great Wall stammered, shaking his head in disbelief, refusing to accept it.
“And you believed it so completely,” Todd cut him off, stepping closer, his voice dropping into a low, mocking drawl.
He placed one foot right onto the side of Mr. Liu’s face, pressing it down into the stone floor, pinning his head in place.
“How naive are you? You have served this old man, you know how the world works, you know how power works, and yet… you were still deceived by nothing more than pretty words and a promise.”
“Even I am shocked by how easily I made you say yes,” he laughed, looking down at the giant man with pure amusement.
“I told you exactly what you wanted to hear, and you handed me the greatest power on Earth on a silver platter. Did you really think I would keep you both alive after I got what I wanted? I won’t even need you… or this old man… for anything anymore.”
Todd’s smirk hardened into something lethal.
He shifted his weight, and began to apply steady, crushing pressure onto the foot resting atop Mr. Liu’s face.
Great Wall’s eyes widened in pure terror as he realized what was coming.
“No… no, don’t—”
CRUNCH!!!
The sound was wet, sharp, and sickening.
Under the immense, superhuman force, the old, fragile skull simply gave way.
It burst.
The head was crushed instantly, flattened and destroyed against the hard stone floor.
“NO!!!!!” Great Wall screamed, a sound of pure anguish and despair tearing from his throat.
Adrenaline and rage flooded his mind, overriding his exhaustion.
He roared, pushing off the wall and lunging forward with one last burst of speed, his massive fist cocked back to smash Todd into the ground.
He didn’t care about his own life anymore; he only wanted to kill the monster standing before him.
But before his fist could even travel half the distance, Todd vanished in a blur of speed and reappeared directly in front of him.
With one hand, he reached out and clamped his fingers firmly over Great Wall’s entire face, covering it completely.
He lifted the giant man effortlessly off the ground, holding him suspended in the air by his head, feet dangling uselessly.
Great Wall struggled, kicking and clawing at Todd’s arm, but it was like trying to move a mountain.
Todd looked up at him, his expression calm and almost polite.
“I must say… you were very loyal until the end,” Todd said softly, sounding genuinely impressed.
“It is rare to see that kind of devotion. Truly… you served him well.”
He smiled, wide and terrifying, his face inches from Great Wall’s.
“Thank you for your service.”
Suddenly, Todd’s fingers sank in.
His fingers pierced skin, muscle, and bone as if they were made of wet paper.
There was a heavy, wet crunch, and then silence.
Todd crushed the skull completely, blood and brain matter splattering outward, painting his smiling face and bare chest in crimson.
He held the body there for a moment, lifeless and limp, before unceremoniously tossing it aside like a broken doll.
It hit the ground with a heavy thud, joining the remains of Mr. Liu in the mess of ruin.
Todd stood amidst the carnage, blood dripping from his chin and running down his body, looking completely unbothered.
He wiped a smear of blood from his cheek with his thumb and licked it off, tasting iron.
He turned toward the entrance where his identical clones stood waiting, having watched everything happen without a single flinch.
“Clean it up”