The Marshal sat silent, a cruel, mocking laugh curling at the edge of his mouth as his sickly green eyes bored into Sifu.
His crimson cape billowed behind him like a smear of blood across the air. Sifu planted both feet, fingers around his staff. Beside him, Las stared up at the towering shape of the Marshal, clutching the papyrus to his chest as if it were the last light left in the world.
Slowly the Marshal raised his jagged blade. He took a single forward step — then surged, a living spear of hatred, charging at Sifu with explosive speed. The air itself seemed to part for him as he barreled forward, eyes wide and voice ripping from his throat.
Marshal: "You will die, turtle."
He lunged, bringing the blade down in a brutal arc aimed straight for Sifu. The strike screamed through the smoky air like a thunderclap — raw, merciless, final.
But Sifu, eyes closed, vanished from where he stood — and in a heartbeat he was behind the Marshal.
The Marshal's cry cut off mid-word, replaced by a single, startled shout:
Marshal: "What the—?!"
Sifu's eyes narrowed, calm yet piercing as he spoke to the Marshal:
Sifu: "Blindness. Pride. Arrogance."
With a sudden burst, he lunged forward, his staff whipping through the air. Wood met steel as Sifu's strike clashed with the Marshal's jagged blade.
The Marshal sneered, his twisted grin unbroken even as the knife trembled in his grip, struggling to withstand the crushing force of Sifu's staff.
Sifu: "These… are your weaknesses."
With a swift and decisive motion, Sifu shoved the staff forward with explosive strength. The impact thundered through the room—
The Marshal was hurled backward, crashing violently against the wall, the stone shattering under the force
The Marshal rose to his feet, brushing the dust from his bloodstained suit with a casual flick of his hand. His sickly green eyes lifted, locking on Sifu.
Marshal: "Is that all you've got, old turtle?"
With a roar, he lunged forward, driving a brutal front kick with the sole of his boot.
Sifu bent low, the strike slicing past as he spun. His staff swept out in a swift arc, striking low.
The Marshal's legs were torn from under him, and with a crash, he hit the ground flat on his back.
Sifu lifted his staff toward the Marshal's face.
The Marshal glared at him, fury coiling in his sick green eyes, and drove a heavy kick with the sole of his boot into Sifu's chest. Sifu closed his eyes, teeth clenched, and was knocked backward.
Las screamed, terrified:
"Master—!"
Sifu opened his eyes. Gathering himself, he sprang into the air and slammed the staff down onto the Marshal's head. The Marshal spat blood from his mouth and staggered, briefly losing his balance — then, with animal ferocity, he seized Sifu by the throat and hoisted him like a trophy. In a bloodthirsty motion he drove his blade into Sifu's stomach.
Sifu coughed up blood, eyes wide.
Marshal: "Sleep, hawk. It's time for you to rest in peace."
Las: "Master Sifu!!!"
Sifu glanced at Las, then back at the Marshal with a crooked, ironic smile.
Sifu: "Same to you."
With a brutal twist, Sifu slammed the staff forward and drove it into the Marshal's right green eye like a stake. The room filled with blood and screams. The Marshal howled like a beast, lifted Sifu high and slammed him into the ground with crushing force — bones shattering. The staff flew loose into the air and landed in Las's hands.
Las, burning with rage, grabbed the staff.
Las: "I'll crush you, monster!"
The Marshal stalked forward toward Las, his eyes fixed on the papyrus clutched in the boy's hands.
Eli grabbed Las from behind and dragged him away, running.
Las: "Let me go!"
Eli: "He'll kill you — you can't fight him, not like this!"
The Marshal, his wounded eye burning with rage, roared to the Black Wolves:
Marshal: "Catch the monkey—he has the papyrus!"
The Black Wolves charged like rabid beasts, gunfire erupting from every side as they hunted Eli and Las. Bullets tore through the streets, sparks flying off stone and rubble.
Suddenly—Grov dropped from above, his massive arms seizing both of them at once. With a powerful leap, he launched into the air, carrying them to safety.
Grov: "Where is Sifu?!"
Las hung silent, his head bowed low.
Grov's expression shifted, sorrow etched in his features.
Grov: "…I understand. Rest in peace, old friend. I'll see you soon."
Grov soared above the burning ruins of Rock City. Smoke rose in thick waves, shrouding the sunlight that bled through the three massive holes torn open above the city.
Below, the city drowned in screams, howls, and explosions.
Grov veered toward the far side of the city, descending upon the old town hall built against the wall where Rock City came to its end.
Grov descended at the gate of the old town hall, where thousands of terrified animals crowded, desperate to get inside. At the entrance stood two Bloodied Fists, towering like statues—crushing anyone who tried to pass, stomping them into the ground or ripping them apart with their hands.
Las: "What do we do? How do we get in?"
Eli stared in terror, frozen.
Suddenly, a grenade arced through the smoke and landed before the Bloodied Fists. The explosion ripped through the air, collapsing the front of the town hall and burying the monsters beneath the rubble. A massive, shadowed opening yawned where the wall had stood.
In an instant, thousands of animals surged toward the gap.
Grov, wide-eyed, turned his head toward the direction the grenade had come from. Through the haze, a figure in black garments lifted its gaze to meet his—then vanished into the smoke like a phantom.
Grov: "Who was that…?"
Voices from the crowd: "Hurry! The Black Wolves are coming!"
Behind them, a tidal wave of howls and pounding footsteps shook the earth—the Black Wolves were closing in.
Grov rushed forward with Las and Eli, diving into the opening alongside the survivors who had made it this far.
As the last of them entered, a deafening crash thundered behind—the gate of the old town hall collapsed, sealing the entrance shut.
Las slumped unconscious to the ground. Eli threw him over her shoulder, forcing herself onward into the darkness of the tunnel.
At its far end, sunlight glimmered faintly, growing stronger with each step until it blurred everything in its brilliance. Eli squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding glow, clutching the limp Las tightly.
Eli: "Not yet… banana-head."