The Great Dragon of Qin Shi Huang

August 9th, 1945
Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Soviet Union had launched the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation as part of it's deal to assist the Allies when the Third Reich had finally been defeated. On August 9th the Soviet Superwoman and 1.6 million Soviet troops, armor and air support had attacked the Japanese forces occupying eastern Asia in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. Although she was technically assigned to the Khingan–Mukden Offensive and the 36th army division, top-secret commands had come down from the Central Committee causing her to break off from the main offensive. A Japanese General named Toshiro Makimura had caused some concern with de-crypted messages sent back to Tokyo that told of him reactivating something called "The Great Dragon of Qin Shi Huang". Legend was that Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China had ordered the construction of a monstrous, mechanical dragon through both mystical and scientific means and used it to help him achieve the first unification of the country. After the king of Qi was defeated in 221 BC, the dragon was hidden away and thought lost for millennium. It was said that it had the power to level mountainsides and lay waste to entire armies. Such a weapon in the hands of the Imperial Army gave the Central Committee pause enough to send Olga in first to confirm the information.



The location of the temple was a remote region in the shadow of the Zijin Shan. As the Soviet army began it's attack miles away, Olga streaked across the skies to her destination at hypersonic speeds. It wasn't long before she found her objective, her eyes widening in surprise and awe. The Great Dragon of Qin Shi Huang was here, perched over the wall of an ancient temple and in the courtyard below stood an entire Imperial army division. The eastern-style dragon was constructed out of what appeared to be highly polished bronze and iron scales, almost giving it the appearance of having hundreds upon hundreds of full-sized shields covering it's massive body. It's mechanical eyes were large and glowed red in the centers and it had a huge jaw full of razor-sharp teeth the size of swords. The beast was rocking from side to side slightly and giving off a humming, clockwork-like sound from inside it's body. The General was a young, brash looking officer out in front, looking up at the creature with an expression of intense joy on his face. As Olga approached, soldiers on the walls began to open fire on her causing those gathered in the courtyard to turn and look up at her in the other direction.



General Makimura barked orders at his bewildered troop, presumably to open fire on the Soviet intruder. Olga's Japanese was non-existent so she could only surmise from their reaction as that began to open fire with a collection of type 99 Arisaka rifles and the heavier model light machine guns. As his men began their futile assault, the General began to chant loudly in a different language, Mandarin perhaps, as he faced upwards towards the dragon again. The eyes of the dragon expanded larger and it shook all over with a vibration that quaked the earth and walls of the ancient temple.



Olga watched as the great mechanical dragon slithered upwards into the sky, fire issuing from it's nostrils and the corners of it's mouth, streaking back along it's body. The worm's serpentine body had to be at least one hundred feet long. It soared into the sky and began to twist in on itself, surveying the conflict that churned on the ground around it. Below her she could hear General Makimura exhorting his troops. The Japanese soldiers sent up a cheer as the dragon snaked it's way overhead. They were exultant, and why not? To them the tide of the battle had suddenly turned in their favor. The General pointed his razor-sharp imperial blade directly at her and his troops continued to open fire. The bullets ricocheting off her body were now the least of her worries.



The dragon snaked it's way down from the sky towards where she was hovering. The immense size of the creature up close made Olga catch her breath. The Soviet super-soldier fired off a wide burst of red-hot lasers from her eyes. The beams caught the creature full in the face and seemed to have little to no effect on it. It dropped down towards her, a hundred feet away, then seventy, then forty, and as it descended it opened it's gaping maw wide. The wind from it's momentum downward had sucked some of the fire out of it's gullet, but Olga could still see the inferno that lay directly in it's throat and braced herself. It shook it's head like a bull about to charge before straightening out. Red and yellow flames erupted from the dragon's mouth with such terrible force that it scorched the air between itself and it's prey. The Soviet Superwoman threw her arms over her face as the fire engulfed her, scorching her cape and costume. She grunted in pain as the flames licked her body, but her flesh did not char or burn under the assault.



The amazonian woman sprang forward with all of her incredible strength, her clothing still burning and smoking from the heat of the dragon's fire. She slammed her foot down on the side of the great creature's head and reached upwards for it's horns. Her hands clutched towards them, but missed and instead slammed into the ring of razor-sharp protrusions that wreathed it's head. The impact caused her grunt, but she did manage to get a grip onto one tree-sized pieces of it's mane. The beast was constructed using some type of metals that were obviously far more powerful than the bronze and iron they appeared, perhaps steeped in some form of alchemical solutions or even mystical in nature. Like the Spear of Destiny. Olga didn't have time to ponder on it. The dragon lanced skyward, shaking it's head violently from side to side. The Soviet Superwoman cursed under her breath as she clung to the thrashing and coiling creature. It twisted and continued to climb higher and higher.



A sledgehammer blow to the side of it's face from the muscular woman caused it to jerk to the side and twist away from the withering assault Olga now began to rain down upon it. The Soviet Superwoman struck the side of it's head over and over and over again. She began to feel the metallic scales bend and give way to the steely-metal plates of it's skull as she hammered it. The same spot over and over again. Strange green fluids began to leak out from the wound and from the corner of the dragon's eye, alerting Olga that she was starting to hurt the monstrous construction. The gigantic beast began to descend rapidly, gliding through the air like an eel. Olga made another reach for the horn directly above her, this time managing to take hold of it in her hand. Furiously it raked at her with it's talons, each the size of spears and just as deadly. The claws missed and part of Olga breathed a sigh of relief, again not knowing if their alchemical construction meant they could harm her and not wanting to take that chance.



With a bellow from the effort, the Soviet Superwoman cracked off the top of the immense metal horn. The dragon darted downwards. Olga slid down, clutching the dragon between her left arm and chest. She raised the bronze shard of horn high with her right hand and with all of her strength drove it through the damaged area of the creature's skull. Fire erupted from it's maw and it began to twist and whip through the air in a downward spiral, no longer gliding but crashing. The dragon speared it's way towards the rocky hills to the west of the temple and plunged downwards spewing fire and shattered scales. Olga broke off her hand-hold and flew upwards in the opposite direction. The Great Dragon struck the ground at an angle, tearing gashes into the earth as it's body tangled up in itself, twisting and careening off rocks and ridges. Finally it came to a stop, unmoving, it's length contorted into a sprawl all along the hillside. The Great Dragon of Qin Shi Huang lay still.



Olga looked down on it warily. She wasn't certain if it was destroyed or simply injured enough to enter some kind of unconscious state from which it might be able to regenerate from. She was not going to take anything for granted and slowly descended down towards the fallen automaton. This close and unmoving, it's bulk seemed even more enormous. The tall Russian woman made her way over towards its massive head both to see if the fire still churned within it and if so to be in a spot where she could cause the most harm. A quick examination caused her to exhale. The fires were burned out and the lights had gone out of it's mechanical eyes. The ancient robot was dead, this time from good she hoped. The General and his troops would not be an issue for her to disarm and bring to heel now with their doomsday weapon destroyed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A massive thanks to my good friend for this wonderful piece of artwork! You are one of the best and I always appreciate all the hard work and attention to detail you pour into every creation.

Soviet Superwoman, General Makimura and the story are all my creations and property.

This takes place in the universe of stories