Before the rhino, there was a woman with dragon horns and wings. Her skin was scaled like a draconic beast, as well. She held a cleaver, like some butcher that had crept out of Satan's kitchen. She was a strange character to see, that much was certain.
Three-Eye Emperor frowned at the sight of her, and grimaced even more when he realized he was unable to detect a lifeforce within this woman.
That was because the woman wasn't really alive. It was the Dragon Lady Chef, presented by Serpent Throne.
Few people knew of the existence of Serpent Throne, and fewer still knew of its presence in the shelter and the shape it had taken on. Generally, she was the cook. She was in charge of keeping everyone fed; this was something she really excelled at, and then some.
This was the first time she had elected to join a fight, but given the direness of the situation, it made sense. But this gave her a slight edge, for no one knew who she was and no one knew what her abilities might be.
After all, it was little more than a doll.
Three-Eye Emperor was initially taken aback, and he wondered where she had come from. But it was an enemy of his, and he knew he couldn't dwell on that question very long, in the midst of all that was going on. So, he fired a beam of green light towards her eyes.
His light was frighteningly accurate at all times, and again, with perfect precision, he nailed her eye. But for some reason, her eye did not break. The light had gotten her directly through the pupil like a bullseye, clear as day. But nothing happened.
That was because it was Serpent Throne, and it was just a doll. Its eyes weren't really eyes, and the whole form it took on was little more than an illusion. But its form was composed through its power, and it wasn't an actual Dragon Lady Chef. As such, the eyes weren't an actual weakpoint like they would be for anyone else.
Three-Eye Emperor fired another bolt of light into her eyes, but it was ineffective just like the first shot.
The chef licked her lips slowly after that, as if she was sizing up Three-Eye Emperor for the meal he might be able to provide. That wasn't in a good way, mind you.
And as Three-Eye Emperor returned her gaze, he acknowledged the way she was looking at him wasn't quite right. It was as if she wasn't staring down an emperor that had come to conquer a shelter and murder all her friends; it was more of a look that would greet a slab of meat when the chef was thinking of how it would be best prepared for the night's supper. She looked at him like he was food.
A shiver ran down Three-Eye Emperor's back, and there was no way he was going to let anyone look at him like he was dinner. He pulled out a spear and took aim at the crazy chef.
Although he often ended up relying on his third eye to deal with his enemies, he wasn't bad when it came to actual combat. In fact, he was quite a remarkable fighter.
He used his third eye to keep track of her now, instead of firing laser beams. The third eye was a marvelous gift, and he could sense where she was planning to go with acute accuracy.
The vision from that eye was not unlike the slowing down of time. He could register and read everything in the environment as if it was all in slo-mo.
Of course, this was just what his third eye could do. His body was unable to respond with a speed that was greater than the average emperor. And sometimes, due to getting mixed up with the timings brought on by his third eye, his body could not keep up.
Regardless, Three-Eye Emperor did not think the woman possessed a strength that was even remotely comparable to someone like No God Emperor. As such, he was ready for the challenge he thought she'd bring.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Three-Eye Emperor had jumped forward with his spear, ready for a fight. But with a few swings of her intimidating cleaver, the zany chef was able to block each and every strike.
It was a surprise to be sure, and an unwelcome one at that. Still, it did not concern Three-Eye Emperor too much.
"Is that all you've got, you kitchen cretin!" Three-Eye Emperor yelled, as his third eye shone menacingly with its green light.
That light was then replicated at the tip of his spear. He lobbed it, and as if it was a heat-seeking missile, it guided itself through the air in a bid to pierce strike Dragon Lady Chef.
Dong!
The chef had been unable to dodge this, and it struck her through the plushy flesh of her arm. She was just a doll, though, so there was neither any blood nor pain for her to experience.
Three-Eye Emperor repeatedly stabbed her in a variety of different ways, which left her body scrawled with countless marks. But it was as if she was letting him do this, and an unsettling concern was growing in the pits of Three-Eye Emperor's stomach. She stood where she was, not dodging and not blocking. She allowed herself to be struck.
And spookier still, she then began to mumble undiscernible words as she fingered the cleaver in her hands.
Moment Queen witnessed what was going on, and she looked gravely worried when she saw the doll being the recipient of so many strikes. Although the Dragon Lady Chef was very strong, she'd eventually break and die if she continued letting herself to be beaten like so.
Three-Eye Emperor saw her mumbling, but he tried to remain focused on bringing her down. She was creeping him out enough as it was. So, next, he decided to tear her wings to shreds.
A second after doing that, Three-Eye Emperor's spear pierced through her heart.
He repeated this another three times until the spear was driven all the way through, coming out her back.
The chef that had been mumbling all that time then said, "Dear Dragon Eater, allow me to present to you the most delicious food."
Three-Eye Emperor wanted to stab her throat next, in the hope that would get her to stop talking. But in the next second, she was staring right back at him. The menace in her gaze frightened Three-Eye Emperor and gave him a bit of a scare.
Then, a dragon manifested inside her mouth and flew out. It flew towards her cleaver, which prompted the kitchenware to change. The cleaver was adorned with the mark of a dragon, and following Three-Eye Emperor's notice of this, he heard the sound of such a beast groan.
Three-Eye Emperor had no clue what was going on, but he wanted to stop whatever was happening before things became any worse. He pulled his spear back out and pierced it through her throat.
"Grilled meat: a typical draconic delicacy." The chef finally started moving, and she spoke with a bone-chilling tone of voice.