Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

It was a giant creation, nearly half the length of the entire ship, and loaded with a very unique bolt. In fact, the entire contraption was unique in its own right. Made with care and precision, wood and iron made up the frame which had been carefully carved with the images of fearsome lions and tigers. There were six arms in total, each connected to each other with steel wire rope that has been nocked behind the bolt.

The bolt that these ropes had been nocked behind, featured a charcoal-colored shaft created from wood and some strange powder. The bolthead was a deadly one, a steel-made tip that was six-sided and hollow within. Each edge was sharp and jagged, coated with purple-colored liquid, a concentrated dose of poison no doubt. It was almost as long as the ballista and thicker than a full-grown man's leg.

Nearly everyone stood around it, helping to load and ready the ballista.

"What is this? Your final attempt to hurt me? I have been alive for nearly three thousand years, do you think this is going to hurt me?"

Drunk in his own rage and arrogance, Xiu Luo Yang faced the ship head-on. His ferocious eyes looked upon this ballista with an almost mocking tone. He did not fear it in the slightest.

"I have been alive long before your kingdoms existed before your families existed! I have been revered as a deity of the flames, a god of the suns, a destroyer of life. I have seen the births and deaths of many kingdoms. I have shown my wrath to those that dared to defy me. However, this is the first time I have felt such hatred for you humans."

The dragon's body slowly coiled around the ship, tightening the encirclement. His words only grew more and more hateful.

"You defiled my beloved's body, who had passed away merely days ago. Worse, you did so while I was gone, away to find some tributes for her grave. In my fit of grief, you have replaced it with anger!"

"Ready the Dragoon Ballista and shoot on my command."

Long Yang yelled down as she loaded another shell into her small cannon. Once more, she aimed it at the Xiu Luo Yang's head. With the front of the ship split open and exposing the inner regions, Long Wei controlled the ship carefully, turning it to face the dragon directly.

Ming Yue moved to the side and had been forgotten by the dragon. Perhaps, there was an opportunity of attack here but she needed to wait and watch. Though, what could she do against a dragon?

On the ballista, there were four people on each side, pulling the bolt back as far as they could. Senior Bei stood at the front, gripping a lever, ready to let the bolt loose. Everyone else quickly carried another bolt to the ballista. Once that first bolt was shot, the next would be loaded immediately.

Xiu Luo Yang moved his head closer, a fire began to gather in his throat and peek from his fangs as he prepared another breath.

"Now!"

As the dragon's mouth opened wide, Long Wang shouted out and shot her little cannon. Senior Bei pulled the lever and let the bolt loose.

Both projectiles flew towards Xiu Luo Yang's open mouth and he breathed fire on them both. The black bolthead was lit from the flames as well, a fiery beam that came for the dragon's throat. The speed and power were beyond anything the dragon had faced. The six-sided head pierced the red scales and dug deep into the dragon's flesh.

The paper shell burned under the intense flames before exploding, this time it was a deeper shade of purple fog that seemed to sparkle with red dust. Unlike before, Xiu Luo Yang could not scatter it so easily and was forced to breathe it in.

Xiu Luo Yang winced in pain as his body thrashed around. His senses were thrown off by this red dust as the bolt piercing his skin began to flow with his steaming crimson blood. He roared as he held the bolt with one claw and ripped it out with no hesitation. Even more blood spewed from the wound, now a gaping hole whose edges sizzled from the burning bolt.

"Agh, what is this? My face burns and this bolt, what did you do to it? What sort of poison have you laced it with."

He growled at the ship, tossing the bolt aside. With his throat in pain, he raised his claws which began to shine red as fire came from his palms. By then, another bolt had already been loaded into Dragoon Ballista as multiple people pulled the bolt back. Ready to shoot again, Long Wang stepped forward, having the cannon raised and ready.

"Please, we mean you no disrespect! We've only come to this gravesite to learn more about your legendary race."

She yelled out to the dragon, who merely glared at her.

"Disrespect? You took a scale from my beloved's body and even left a scar where it was. A scale perhaps, I may have forgiven but that scar is something I cannot look past. Not to mention, what you've done to me, do you think I would let you off? What's the point of speaking now?"

Despite the injuries he took, Xiu Luo Yang seemed rather unbothered by them. In fact, if one watched the hole that the bolt left, they would find that it was already healing at a remarkable rate. It was this that Long Wang noticed and a fact she could not ignore. They only had a limited supply of those bolts and they might not be enough to fend off the dragon. Perhaps words may work.

"I know that we may have gone past certain lines but your race has been thought to be extinct. Other than us, there are those who think to butcher the bodies of your kin. We only collect a bit of blood and dragon scale, thus we use to learn more about your bodies and understand your ways. Furthermore, for you to come with the intent to kill, we had to defend ourselves...."

Long Wang began to spout numerous words in an attempt to reason with Xiu Luo Yang. He only looked silently, his face still carrying a murderous intent.

"Do you know who she is? Do you even know our identities? I was a dragon among dragons, an emperor and she was my equal. She was the only one to best me in battle and capture my heart. A dragon who commanded the light of the moon, opposite to me who controlled the fires of the sun. Together, we became one of the strongest Dragon Emperors. We spent over half of our lives together, traveling the world and watching time pass until our final moments."

Everyone fell silent, feeling shocked that the one before them was a Dragon Emperor. Long Wang faltered at Xiu Luo Yang's words, trying to think of what to say next. That title was only given to those who surpassed the realm of ordinary dragons. From what was known, to become one required a trial of a thousand victories against their kin. Very few have managed to obtain that title but now there was one in front of them. It signified overwhelming strength and superiority, to be an emperor among their own.

"Well..."

She stuttered as words tried to come out but she truly did not know what to say. It was already a miracle that this Dragon Emperor had stopped to listen to her. They would've been dead if not.

"Hmph, if you have nothing else to say then perish. I doubt any of your words can convince me otherwise."

Xiu Luo Yang's aura suddenly bore down upon everyone, making it barely breathable. Rather than breathe fire on them, he was going to get rid of that ballista first. For some human creation to be able to pierce his skin was surprising to him and certainly the biggest threat.

Raising his claw, he swung down as everyone jumped away, narrowly dodging as the claw ripped the ballista off and crushed it. With it out of the way, he swung down again, this time aiming to quash Long Wang.

Under such conditions, she could not dodge it. Instead, she faced it head-on.. If death was inevitable, dying to a Dragon Emperor was not a bad way to go.