HL: Chapter 29

Jackie darted in at Bixi, flinging the sorta shit only an Archmage of Wuxing Elementalism could pull, conjuring wooden spears that he flung at Bixi while simultaneously breathing a cloud of flame. The wood fed the fire and turned the whole shebang into a giant cloud of burning shrapnel that woulda been enough to set a building alight. It only forced Bixi back a bit, right into Jackie's looping attack as he flew around in a big-ass arc using the Resplendant Crane Takes Flight, coming to a stop above Bixi's head before rocketing down at Bixi with a pair of punches enhanced with both the Iron Thrust, the Horns of the Qirin, and the Ironwood Strike, along with a buncha other techniques like the Head of Copper, Limbs of Iron Technique, the Strong-Maned Pig's Tusk Spear, and a couple others.

In essence, Jackie was layering his techniques like some kinda swordsmith folding steel a buncha times to try and make a better blade. It ain't something he did often with so many of these sortsa powerful techniques, cause it'd really fuck someone up to get hit with all that shit at once. Bixi, though, was some kinda Dragon Demigod, so Jackie figured he could take it. If anyone Jackie'd fought so far coulda taken this sorta hit, it would've been Bixi, and maybe some of the Renegade Gods he'd tussled with on Olympus too, like Orphion.

As his blow connected with the top of Bixi's skull, the crack of a sonic boom rang out, proving Jackie right about that and traveling far enough across the five miles northwest toward Gotham that a buncha windows shattered in buildings facing the Delaware Bay in the Financial District. Bixi let outta plaintive roar of pain as he was smashed back down into the water of the Delaware Bay, a buncha steam clouds roiling off as his superheated scales evaporated the seawater. A giant wave swelled up, roiling with steam and the rage of a Dragon King that'd just had his bell rung. Unfortunately, Jackie spotted a boat nearby that was trying to keep itself afloat. Jackie briefly wondered who'd be insane enough to take a boat out to a giant Dragon-Turtle God Fight, but when he spotted the short red hair and camera being held by the Leggy Woman trying to snap pictures, he knew exactly what was going on.

Flying over to the boat using the Resplendant Crane Takes Flight, Jackie'd immediately set about saving the reporter, using a blast of laser eyes from the Qirin's Burning Gaze to part the wave that'd been ready to capsize the boat in a hiss of steam. Turning to the Redhead Reporter standing on the prow of the small boat, Jackie cocked his head.

"What, you got some kinda death wish?" He questioned.

"Black Tiger, Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette! Any chance I can ask you some questions?" Queried the Redhead.

"I ain't got time for an Interview, Lady. Your timing's shit." Scoffed Jackie.

"Just one question then, what is that thing?" Asked Vicki Vale.

"Bixi, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon King, Ao Guang. I ain't got time to go over the Mythology here, so look him up after you get to shore. You need to leave now, I ain't gonna be able to protect you and fight Bixi at the same time!" Insisted Jackie.

As he said that, however, Bixi managed to shake off the blow Jackie'd hit him with and burst back up above the waves with a roar. Not waiting for Vicki Vale to answer, Jackie turned around and flew back toward Bixi, dodging a blast of flame breath from the Son of the Dragon King as he did. He hoped that whatever Poor Bastard Vicki Vale'd convinced to sail her into a Damn Dragon Fight'd had the sense to turn the boat around 'cause he was too busy to help 'em out if they didn't leave. As he dodged and weaved around blasts of flame, Jackie also hadta avoid grasping tendrils of water stirred up by Bixi's Hydrokinesis.

He dodged a plume of white hot fire breathed outta Bixi's throat at the same time as he sliced a grasping tendril of water apart with the Chi Blades of the Razored Talons of the Resplendent Crane. As a counterattack, Jackie summoned a bolt of Lightning with a mystic gesture and a bit of Latin, courtesy of General Elementalism, that struck Bixi between the eyes. The flash of the Master-Level Spell blinded Bixi temporarily, and allowed Jackie to come close enough to the left side of Bixi's head to launch a Lion's Roar into the Son of the Dragon King's ear hole, blowing out the Dragon-Turtle God-Thing's hearing on that side in a spray of bloody ichor.

Of course, Bixi didn't take that lying down, summoning lightning at Jackie, who was forced to use the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique to get outta the way of the much more powerful bolt summoned by Bixi in a puff of sand. Unfortunately, that seemed to just be some kinda ruse as Bixi's claw came up outta the water and smashed into Jackie with the power of a meteor strike. Jackie'd barely had time to defend himself, using the Qirin's Glorious Coat to help mitigate whatever damage the attack was gonna do at the last second. It probably saved his life, as Jackie was smashed down underwater by the powerful claw swipe and ground into the seafloor by Bixi with enough force to crumple the hull of a battleship into a ball of scrap metal.

Jackie's everything hurt from the sheer power of the Dragon-Turtle God, but thanks to his Boddhisatva-level defensive technique, he was still in one piece. Unfortunately, Bixi ain't letting up, and Jackie could only hold his breath for so long. Jackie was still mostly human, which meant he needed to breathe in order to be able to keep on living. Something hadta give, preferably Bixi's arm, and soon, before Jackie ran outta air. With that in mind, Jackie channeled his Chi into an offensive technique, the Great Sand River Wears away the Steel, alongside using the Qirin's Burning Gaze. A torrent of laser vision and abrasive sand shot forth from Jackie's Eyes and mouth, burning and grinding into the Palm of Bixi's claw.

That forced the Son of the Dragon King to let go of Jackie or risk having his claw crippled from constant exposure to those two techniques. Almost immediately, Jackie'd began making for the surface, lungs burning from lack of air, and bursting up into the fresh air just as the edges of his vision started to go gray from suffocation. He sucked in great lungfuls of air, vision stabilizing as Bixi roared in pain sitting up on his hind legs and clutching his wounded claw in his other claw.

Jackie huffed at that and took stock of his injuries. It felt like half his ribs, his collarbone, his sternum, and his skull were bruised, with some of those even being cracked. That ain't nothing a couple healing pills couldn't cure, but it was a damn harsh reminder that Jackie only needed to get clipped once for Bixi to take him out while he had to keep wounded the Son of the Dragon King a buncha different times to win this. He popped a couple healing pills into his mouth, alongside a Chi Replenishment Pill, before taking to the air one more time with the Resplendent Crane Takes flight.

"This began as a test, but you have angered me now! I will destroy you!" Growled out Bixi.

"I don't think so, Pal." Huffed Jackie.

As he said that, he flew up into the sky at speed using the Resplendent Crane's Heavenward Ascent, before looping around in a kinda way that allowed him to channel most of the momentum of the ascent back into a downward dive. As he rocketed down at Bixi, Jackie channeled Rock Chi, Flame Chi, and Heaven Chi, mixing them into the Qirin's Heavenly Meteor Bombardment. On top of that, Jackie layered on a couple other techniques as well, the Strong Maned Pig Stomps the Ground, the Qirin's Retributive Hoof Kick, the Iron Thrust, the Great Sand River Courses Through the Mountain, the Head of Copper, Limbs of Iron Technique, and others, putting everything he had into this one, layered technique.

If Jackie ain't able to put Bixi down with this, then he wasn't gonna be able to put Bixi down himself at all. As he bombed towards Bixi, Jackie picked up momentum and slammed his layered attack into the top of Bixi's Skull, the force cracked one of Bixi's Dragon Horns and created a giant sonic boom, bigger even than the first time he'd beaten Bixi over the head. Windows as far inland as City Hall in Gotham, six miles to the northeast, shattered as the wave of concussive and sonic force traveled, Bixi slamming into the bottom of the Delaware Bay with enough power to cause an undersea trench to form from the impact crater, even as the displacement of water kicked up a massive tidal wave that threatened to inundate the Port Adams Neighborhood and the Financial District's Harbor.

Jackie burst up outta the zone, watching as the tidal wave raced for Gotham, huffing and puffing, having put everything he had into that attack and now unable to deal with the consequences in time. Fortunately, just as the wave reached the halfway mark, a Golden Ankh split the air, and Doc Fate appeared, alongside the Phantom Stranger. Together, the pair of powerful Sorcerers wove a spell that calmed the waters and sent the tidal wave back out to sea, where it'd peter out somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. In a flash of golden light, they disappeared, reappearing next to Jackie.

"Bixi?" Questioned Doc Fate.

"I hit him with everything I had." Answered Jackie.

The Phantom Stranger looked over at where the new undersea trench was, incanting something in an Ancient Language that sounded kinda like Hebrew but wasn't. Jackie cocked an eyebrow at the Phantom Stranger, who just shook his head.

"He's gone. It seems like you passed his test." Opined the Phantom Stranger.

"That was a test? Of what?" Queried Jackie.

"If I had to venture a guess? Likely, he was curious if you were worthy of the Boddhisatva-level cultivation you've been displaying." Responded the Phantom Stranger.

"Speaking of which, what would you have done had we not been around to stop that Rogue Wave?" Asked Doc Fate.

"Batman and Robin were helping evacuate the Waterfront, but I probably would've joined in on search and rescue after the fact. It woulda been bad, but it woulda been a lot worse if Bixi'd made landfall. I hadta make a call." Insisted Jackie.

"I can't fault logic that seeks to limit harm in a bad situation, though it may have been possible to take a third option if you had considered your approach more carefully." Argued Doc Fate.

"Maybe, but I didn't exactly have a whole lotta time to work with, here." Shrugged Jackie.

"Something to keep in mind going forward. Even with evacuation ongoing, a tidal wave of that size hitting Port Adams and the Financial District Harbor would have killed hundreds, maybe thousands." Cautioned the Phantom Stranger.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Nodded Jackie.

"You're a Boddhisatva-level cultivator now. You need to start being mindful of the power you put into your blows near populated areas." Warned Doc Fate.

"Noted. Thanks for the assist with the Tidal Wave." Thanked Jackie.

"It's what we do." Brushed off the Phantom Stranger.

"By the way, I spoke to an Old Pal of yours, Wesley Dodds. You might wanna go see him, Doc. The Dreams are back and they ain't showing him anything good." Advised Jackie.

"Wesley has been having Prophetic Dreams again? In that case, I think I will pay him a visit." Confirmed Doc Fate.

"Right. Well, if that's everything, then I gotta head home. I ain't eaten since this morning and Bixi interrupted a pretty damn good bowl of noodles." Hedged Jackie.

"Go eat." Agreed Doc Fate.

"Indeed. In the meantime, I will have a talk with Bixi and advise him of just how much things have changed since last he was awake." Added the Phantom Stranger.

"You do that." Smirked Jackie.

Then, Jackie's stomach let outta massive growl as if to tell him to hurry his happy ass back to the mansion for that Bowl of Noodles he'd left on the counter to go fight Bixi. Frowning behind his mask at that, Jackie turned about and flew off toward Bristol County and Yuen Manor, leaving Doc Fate and the Phantom Stranger behind. Unbeknownst to him, those two ain't the only people that Jackie'd be leaving behind. Vicki Vale had just been saved from a second tidal wave by Doc Fate and the Phantom Stranger, but she'd been close enough to snap a couple pics of the fight. The morning edition of the Gotham Gazette was gonna have a front-page story comparing Black Tiger to the recently departed Superman.

And plenty of villains would read that and decide it was worth a trip to a shitheap of a City like Gotham to take a shot at the so-called New Superman. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Jackie manages to knock Bixi the fuck out by hitting him with everything he's got. Unfortunately, doing that caused a massive tidal wave that would've killed a lot of people if it had been allowed to reach Gotham. Fortunately, the backup Jackie called in took care of it for him, so Jackie doesn't sink multiple neighborhoods of Gotham City before they can be fully evacuated by showing off his full power in a fight.

This one was for those folks who were bitching and moaning about how Jackie doesn't seem like he could be in the same weight class as someone like Wonder Woman. There's a reason he doesn't cut loose like this. As Doctor Strange just said, it could seriously wreck up any area he might be fighting in. There's a reason he doesn't usually do this sort of thing, after all.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude that exposits a bit more on the consequences of the Vicki Vale article mentioned at the end of the Chapter. After all, she's comparing Jackie to Superman, which means that some of the same folks who would have gone to Metropolis to challenge the Man of Steel are going to start doing the same thing to Jackie now.

Stay tuned. . .