With an angry war cry, Chao charged headlong against the badly injured Tigress. The crowd watching in excitement from the safety of the top of the walls screamed in excitement at such an act of insanity. Some, more excited than others, made small bets about who would win the battle. Of course, Chao had all the odds in his favor.

Despite her clumsy steps, Tigress still had enough dexterity to avoid Chao's swift slashes from side to side with his huge sword. However, she could do no more than turn back, for she had no way to break through the hard steel armor.

Chao's every footstep shook the Earth, and his loud growls were highlighted in the crowd's cheers for him. He wielded the huge sword using only his right hand, as if it were a toy, while the plates of his black armor collided with each other causing an annoying metallic screeching.

Still, Tigress began to see the attack pattern of the huge beast. She was no longer stepping back to avoid the trajectory of the sword. Instead, she moved her body and limbs just enough to evade the sword without taking more than one step at a time. Eventually, she began to use her good hand to redirect his opponent's force, grabbing Chao's wrist for a few seconds, and deflecting the deadly attacks with graces.

At this point, Tigress had regained her concentration. Perhaps because of the adrenaline that bombarded her body, or because of her training to keep her mind cool even in the most complex situations. But even with her gaunt frame, she could keep the huge Komodo dragon at bay.

Her leg was injured, but it responded to her will, still feeling a slight pain. The bones of her hand were fractured, but the rest of her arm followed the trajectories she wanted, even though the pain was sometimes too great. Her ear hurt, and she thought she couldn't hear everything around her perfectly, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was defeating the opponent directly in front of her at any cost.

The fight continued in a stalemate until Tigress saw an opening. After a brandish of his sword horizontally, the entire front area of ​​his body was exposed. His armor was so tough, he couldn't care less about showing his open guard. In fact, he seemed to do it occasionally to make Tigress felt tempted to hit him again, which would do more damage to the teacher than to him. But Tigress had another idea in mind.

Seeing the opening, Tigress stepped forward threatening to hit the reptile directly in the face, but Chao wasn't that stupid. He knew the only place his armor didn't cover was his face, so he hastened to shield it with his free arm. With the metal plate covering his forearm, Tigress had no chance of reaching his face without destroying herself his other hand, and bye was conscious of that. What the reptile didn't predict was a powerful hook that came up from his chest and caught him hard on the chin.

The master's first attack was just a feint, and Chao had completely fallen for her trap. Covering his face, he was unable to see the last second change Tigress made in her attack, striking the Komodo dragon chin with full force.

The blow shook every part of Chao's body, making the voluminous reptile backup a few steps before falling to his knee. His mind was reeling, and his vision was a bit blurry, but before he could regain his stance a bit, the next thing he felt was a powerful 360-degree kick that Tigress delivered once more to his bulging head chin.

Such a blow ripped off the helmet that protected Chao's skull, throwing it several meters away from combat. Chao's body jerked violently, forcing him back a few more meters. But before Tigress could get close to deal another blow, the reptile swung its sword horizontally, making the teacher step back to avoid being cut in half by the edge of the blade.

Such action marked a small break in combat. Tigress was able to step back to regain her fighting stance, and Chao was able to stand on his feet. The reptile took some time to stretch and crack his neck vertebrae, while a small stream of blood gushed from his left nostril and mouth. His neck cracked hard in both directions, and then he smeared the floor with a loud spit of blood that spurted from his mouth. He wiped the blood from his nose, and took a deep breath.

Chao: - I must admit that this is very entertaining. The truth was I felt a little disappointed when I saw you fall from the shot at the docks of the slums. -

Tigress: - As you may have noticed... I'm not someone easy to kill. - Chao just laughed a little. - Why are you doing this? - She asked with some anger, which took the reptile by surprise. - What happened to Shen years ago had nothing to do with you. -

Chao sighed deeply, and he looked with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Chao: - You don't know what it's like to be snatched a dream. - He said with a melancholic voice. - All my life I dreamed of the day when I went on a crusade to conquer and unite China. In my dreams I saw myself at the head of a huge army, leading miles, but hundreds of thousands of soldiers heading to the most exciting battlefields. And Shen, was the king who would be able to conceive of such a wish. When the Council of Masters usurped their power, my dreams came crashing down with their pacifist policies and all that... trash they talk about so much. But the day Shen came back, I felt my heartbeat again. Then you guys came along and ruined everything. -

Chao's words only reflected his ambition being destroyed, but deep down, he really believed in his conviction, no matter how heartbreaking the war sounded in the hearts of the most disadvantaged. The most natural thing was for Tigress to show a serious and expressionless face, full of conviction to stop Chao. But to the reptile's surprise, Tigress showed a sad and complacent face, free of hate or anger.

Tigress: - I know what it feels like to have your dreams ruined. Believe me. I have suffered too. - Referring to the day that Po got between her and her destiny to be the Dragon Warrior. - But that does not mean that you should retaliate against others, much less those who are not guilty of what happened. There are things that are simply not written, and we must accept them and live with them, not deny ourselves and harm those who count on us. -

The small talk gave both of them enough time to recover. Chao's blurry vision gradually returned to normal and the ringing in his ears disappeared. Tigress was able to tear a strip of her garments and tightly wrap her affected hand. At least this way, she could protect her a bit and avoid making moves that would further affect her condition.

Tigress hoped to reason with the mighty Komodo dragon, and she really hoped to, as she wasn't quite sure she could defeat him. However, even though Chao seemed to be a little hesitant, he would not budge in the slightest. He was so immersed in his own path of revenge that not even the wise Oogway would have been able to let him in reason. Still, Tigress had to try.

Tigress: - Chao. You are someone who has great ambition, but the methods you use are not correct. Don't let Shen's hatred and thirst for revenge cloud your judgment. -

Tigress didn't know it, but she made a terrible mistake.

Chao: - Don't you dare... SPEAK HIS NAME! -

Shen was not only a major influence on Chao, but also his most important pillar. The peacock was not just his friend, his lord; to the Komodo dragon, Shen was like a brother.

The imposing being charged head-on with a fury that Tigress had not witnessed until now. His technique had changed, and it was no longer that simple child's game of a few moments ago. Now, Chao was going with everything.

He gripped the sword with his two hands, and his movements did not show any opening. His steps were precise, and his footprints shuddered the earth stronger. Tigress even tried to knock down one of his legs, but they were more solid than the training dolls they had in the Jade Palace. The slashes of his sword cut through the air at high speed, and you could even see the trail that the blade left in the air. Tigress hadn't experienced such aggressive combat since she fought Kai in the Jade Palace gardens.

The combat became much more aggressive, and the crowd that watched it showed its satisfaction with loud cheers before such a spectacle. Tigress barely evaded the attacks, even having to do very forced maneuvers and pirouettes to avoid losing a limb or head. On a couple of occasions, she even had to jump over Chao to mislead the reptile, but it didn't even take a second to readapt to combat. Definitely, Chao was showing his experience in combat, and why he had earned the rank of general.

Tigress tried to hit Chao's face again, but this time, the reptile raised its sword to put it between the trajectory of his face and the teacher's fist. Just what Tigress expected. Before hitting the blade of the sword, the master changed her stance and tried to hit his chin with another hook. This time, even the mighty Komodo dragon would fall, but Tigress didn't expect what was going to happen.

Tigress's hand disappeared behind Chao's sword, but instead of reaching his face, she felt a great pain in her forearm. Tigress couldn't help but give a cry of pain that echoed in the underground chamber.

Chao raised his sword, and revealed an image that disturbed the teacher. Tigress's undamaged hand was inside the reptile's mouth, and his sharp teeth snapped hard into the feline's skin. The pain was unbearable, and the more time passed, the greater the pressure that the jaws of the Komodo dragon exerted on Tigress's hand.

The teacher raised her head and saw the huge sword looming over the reptile. He was ready to rip her in half still with his hand caught between his teeth, but before Chao could lash out with his weapon, Tigress pounced her head and hit the reptile's snout hard with her forehead.

The blow had likely broken Chao's septum, but it had also caused his teeth to dig deeper into Tigress's skin. The Komodo dragon had to recoil in pain, and Tigress was able to regain sensation over her hand. Now she was in a bind, for with both her affected hands it would be an increasingly difficult fight. But that seemed not to be all.

Tigress suddenly felt an inexplicable fatigue. Her mind wandered a bit, and she even had to force her eyes to close and open to regain her concentration. Her body felt strangely weak, and she was beginning to feel an uncontrollable thirst. She checked her new wound and realized that his blood did not stop gushing and dripping on the ground. Her hand felt numb and did not respond correctly. But before she could wonder what was happening, Chao's sinister laugh caught her full attention.

Chao: - What is happening, master? Do you feel weak? Do you think strength drains from your body? - He said between laughs, although the blood gushed in good quantities from his nostrils. - You seem to be enjoying a touch of my... VENOM. -