The Dawn of the New World

Zeng Wu looked around at the utter despair that everyone was in and sighed. He didn't have any children, nor anyone else to go back home to.

His home was where his father was. He was his hero, his commander. He had followed him to many difficult battlefields and come out victorious, but it seemed like this was it.

"F..father.." he mumbled weakly looking at Zeng Yu's hunched back. That back that could hold up the entire sky now seemed so old.

'Father, why didn't you breakthrough to the Profound realm? You could have done so a decade ago, but you didn't, for your weak son. Because you were worried I wouldn't be able to take care of myself. So you kept taking one assignment after another, never giving any time to yourself. All for me?'

Zeng Wu's knees bent as he kowtowed on the ground.

"I...am sorry...dad," he said softly.

*Thump*

A strong force pulled him straight up as soon as his forehead touched the ground. Zeng Yu stood in front of him, staring at him with a tender smile.

"You've really grown up huh?" his smile widened, "I promised your mother I would look after you until I was sure you became a man we both could be proud of. You've more than exceeded our expectations," he caressed his son's face for the first time in over twenty years.

The tears that Zeng Wu was holding back finally let loose like a broken dam. He cried for the first time since his mother died all those years ago.

Zeng Yu smiled and gave him a big hug before letting go. The smile on his face hardened as he took in a deep breath.

"GET THE HELL UP YOU BASTARDS!" he shouted with Qi infused into his voice, creating a small shockwave.

Several people tipped over, falling on their faces.

Everyone looked up at him. Even the ones that were sh*tting themselves a second ago were now staring straight at him.

"You-" he pointed at the group, "-are the Mei Kingdoms property until we leave this world. Your lives belong to the Red Legion. And you will only die, after I say you can!"

He looked at the 20 something Red Legion Warriors still left from the original fifty.

"Who are you?!" he spoke in a deep voice.

Almost by instinct, every single one of them stood up instantly and saluted, answering in unison.

"The Red Legion, Commander!" they replied.

"LOUDER!" Zeng Yu shouted angrily.

"THE RED LEGION, SIR!"

"And Who is the Red Legion?!"

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion. 'Who?'

Just as Zeng Yu was about to blow up from anger, Zeng Wu's voice came from behind him.

"We are the shield that shall not break!"

Everyone immediately turned towards him. He looked at the Red Legion members and took out his longsword, repeating himself.

"We are the shield that shall not break!"

The soldiers were awakened from the trance from his voice and repeated after him.

"We are the shield that shall not break!"

They picked up their weapons and held them tightly.

"We are the sword that shall not bend,"

"And What will we do?!" Zeng Wu continued.

Many of the soldier's faces lit up as a sign of newfound courage found its way toward them.

"We shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."

"Kill me, and my brother shall take my place,"

"Rise and Rise again we shall like a Phoenix from the ashes, until the Lambs become Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."

Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu both walked forward and saluted,

"WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"For we, are the Red Legion!"

"For we, are the Red Legion!"

"For we, are the Red Legion!"

After every repetition, they stomped on the ground together, making it rumble.

They shouted as their faces became red and actual steam could be seen coming off of their heads.

Everyone else that was watching was left dumbstruck. Not many people knew the Red Legion's motto so hearing it for the first time made their hearts skip a beat. Several of the Ma and Shi Clan members got up and picked up their weapons once again.

Right now, they wanted nothing more than to join the soldiers that were so reverently shouting their units name.

Zeng Yu turned towards them with a frown, "What the hell did I say?! You are under my command, and hence members of the Red Legion. Now tell me, WHAT ARE YOU?!"

Smiles and tears adorned their faces as they all shouted as loudly as they could.

"We are the shield that shall not break,"

"We are the sword that shall not bend,"

"We shall kill until the Heavens fall and the Earth rends."

"Kill me, and my brother shall take my place,"

"Rise and Rise again we shall like a Phoenix from the ashes, until the Lambs become Lions and the Rule of Darkness is no more."

"For we, are the Red Legion!"

Everyone, including Shi Chun, Shi Long, Ma Qigong, Hyson, Hou Chin, Rong Li, Kramson, even Yin Da, all of their voices echoed throughout the valley at once, creating another shockwave.

All of this transpired within the span of a couple of mins.

The army of the undead that was looking at them from afar had finally had enough. They were merrily enjoying themselves, looking at the cowardly humans wallow in despair, but because of one man, all of it was gone.

"GROOOWL" a twenty-something meter tall creature growled and started running towards the defensive formation at full speed. It started a chain reaction and thousands of creatures sprinted over.

From afar, it actually looked like a wave of darkness was trying to extinguish the last bit of light left in this world.

Zeng Yu grinned looking at the incoming wave of monsters and spoke for the last time,

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage! Rage against the dying of the light!"

All six of his Mind palaces appeared at once and an immense amount of Qi came down from them. The clouds above were pushed apart and a link between the heavens and him was created.

Both Shi Long and Ma Qigong looked over, absolute astonishment apparent in their eyes.

"He's breaking through to the Profound realm!" Shi Long mumbled.

They exchanged glances with one another and each knew what the other was thinking, 'The worlds resistance will not allow it. He will be burned to death by heavenly thunder!'

But they didn't stop him. Nor could they. Once the process was started, only death could put a stop to it.

Thunder rumbled up above as flashes of lightning swam in the dark clouds like serpents.

The first wave of monsters arrived, welcomed by the most powerful attacks everyone present could muster.

*BOOOM*

The valley shook and the earth shattered.

Zeng Yu floated several meters into the air, looking down with disdain at the creatures at his doorstep.

With the sword held sideways, all the QI gathered around it. It shook once and more than 500 hundred blue slashes were unleashed, shooting towards the undead. Everyone single one of them hit their mark. Cutting the target into two.

Unfortunately, that did little to stop their advance. They were undead after all, ones that could feel nothing, and hence, fear nothing.

"HAHAHA!" Zeng Yu laughed maniacally while firing off one attack after another.

The enemies didn't back down either, instead, pushing even harder. They stomped over their own kind to reach the defensive formation.

Inside the formation, everyone that could fight, fought. With weapons in hand and loud curses on their tongues, they fought.

It was less than four minutes until the rift would stabilize and they could go through when the first line of the defensive formation broke and a hundred or so undead broke in.

The expression on several people's faces changed as they readied themselves for death, but still not completely giving up.

"Oi, little Shi lord, take care of our princess," Ma Qigong shouted towards Shi Chun, who turned around and looked back at him in confusion.

Ma Qigong let out a loud laugh.

"This is a warrior's death! No Shame in it, no shame indeed! Come you damned monsters, let me show you the Ma Clan's ultimate technique!"

He shot straight into the incoming undead as a black light covered his body. It covered him from head-to-toe and formed a vaguely humanoid figure behind his back. This figure had long black wings and a tall stature.

It held two massive swords in its hands. A new pressure descended.

Shi Long looked over and was left shocked, "The Mighty Tengu race, the rumors were true," he whispered.

Ma Qigong heard him and looked over with a grin, before quickly turning back.

"Tengu's Advent!" he whispered.

The humanoid figure opened its mouth. A ball of black light started forming.

"AHHHHHH!" With his trusty daggers outstretched, Ma Qigong jumped into the herd of undead monsters.

As if all sound died for an instant, there was complete silence for a second.

All the surrounding undead floated and were pulled in towards Ma Qigong by an unknown force. Hundreds, thousands, over ten thousand.

They made a round ball more than a 1000 meters wide. Everyone turned towards it and looked on with wide eyes. And then suddenly,

*Crunch*

The over 1000 meter wide ball of undead monsters shrunk to a less than 1cm little ball of black mass before exploding.

*BOOOOOOOM*

Shi Long had cold sweat dripping down the side of his face. Because he knew exactly what that power was....