(Surprise! Early chapter! And then thursday there will be another! And then stay tuned for the last chapter this saturday!)
Chapter 21- Wrath
Naomi stood back, away from everything. The creatures didn't target her, not seeing her as a threat. They were focused upon Lloyd. Even the Overlord had his eyes glued upon the green ninja. Once again, Naomi had managed to become invisible in the eyes of the enemy.
She pressed herself back against the wall, trying to think of anything that would help. She couldn't do any magic, like Casey. She could fight, but she wouldn't last much without any of her weapons by her side.
"Lloyd!"
Naomi turned towards the voice, knowing it was Misako. Relief surged through her as she spotted a fangblade gripped tightly by Misako's arm. They could destroy the ring. The fang blade flew through the air, landing directly against Lloyd's palm. A brief scream sent Naomi's purple eyes back to Misako. She saw a creature grab ahold of Lloyd's mother, impaling its claws into her body in one small movement.
And just like that, she was gone.
Lloyd wasn't shaken, however. He didn't freeze in the middle of the battle. Didn't hide inside himself like when his father had died. He simply shook his head, and kept his eyes focused on the task at hand. He was going after the overlord.
But it wasn't going to work. The overlord's eyes had been focused on Lloyd since the battle had begun. The overlord had seen Misako give her son the fangblade. There was no way he was going to allow Lloyd to approach him.
Naomi ran alongside the wall, trying to get behind the overlord before Lloyd tried to do anything stupid. Ideas ran through her head as she approached her target. How to get the ring off? The element of surprise was her only weapon. If she didn't have the right timing, the overlord would pulverize her before she had the chance to blink.
Then Lloyd would be all alone. She couldn't let that happen.
One little Ninja Kid
Left all alone
Soon he embraced the light
And then there-
Naomi could hear the rhyme inside her head, tauntingly playing over and over. She knew how it was all supposed to end. And then there were none. But she was here. She was here with Lloyd. He wasn't alone. She wouldn't allow him to be alone.
The overlord was no more than a few paces away. She still didn't have a plan. But then again, when did she ever have a plan?
With no brilliant plan, Naomi did the only thing she could. She tackled Kai's possessed body to the ground.
"Naomi!" Lloyd shouted, shooting away the creatures around him.
The purple eyed girl grabbed Kai's hand, retrieving the ring and tossing it towards Lloyd. "Get rid of it now before-"
Angered, the overlord jumped back to a standing position, flinging Naomi to the side. The small girl flew back, smacking her head against the labyrinth's wall. She groaned, attempting to sit up, but the throbbing pain exploding inside her head pinned her body to the dirty ground.
"No!" Lloyd growled at the overlord. "You shouldn't have done that. . . It's all over for you now!"
The green ninja swung the fang blade down, aiming for the small problematic ring. It shattered upon impact, sending bits and pieces of the dark material flying back. All around Lloyd the dark creatures vanished, leaving nothing between him and the overlord. Brushing the hair back from his bright green eyes, Lloyd stood looking straight into the overlord's stolen body.
"Now you can surrender and give Kai his body back," The green ninja muttered, bits of anger cloaking his words. " Or I can beat you again, like I did back at Ninjago city."
"Surrender?" The overlord smirked. "I don't think so. Not when I'm so close to finally destroying you."
The overlord closed his eyes. The skin in Kai's body darkened, turning into a sickly shade of purple. His body grew larger, its shape changing with each second. Lloyd stepped back, having to look up to see the overlord clearly. He wasn't human anymore. The face that looked back at Lloyd with glowing red eyes was that of a snake.
"You're all alone now. Your father isn't here. Your friends aren't here. No one is going to help you." The giant serpent struck, sending its body down towards Lloyd's small figure.
The overlord's new body moved fast. It was no more than a blur of colors shooting straight towards the green ninja. He rolled to the side, but one of the snake's fangs slashed open Lloyd's arm. Blood poured down onto his suit and the wound sent waves of pain throughout him, making everyone of his muscles shaky.
The snake struck again, This time slashing open Lloyd's back as the young man tried to run. "It's over. You can't defeat me. Ninjago will bow down to the darkness. Your light isn't bright enough to keep me away. . ."
Lloyd coughed, immobilized by the burning pain that pulsed from his shredded skin. The world around him was blurred by the stray tears of pain that escaped from his eyes. He spotted a dark purple blur heading towards him, ready to give Lloyd one last fatal blow. Closing his eyes, the green ninja shot his unharmed arm forward, creating a weak shield of ice around his body.
As the ice thickened to protect him, he felt more and more energy leave his body. Nausea began to take over, and it took all of his strength to simply open his eyes. The snake crashed face first against the ice, hissing and shrinking back at the unexpected blow. Lloyd could hear the ice starting to crack, it wasn't going to last very long.
"Trying to fight back? Don't make me laugh. What can one little boy do against an ancient god?" The overlord growled, his loud voice intensifying the pain within Lloyd's head.
The serpent attacked once more. Lloyd felt the ice shattered around him.
Keeping his eyes closed, The green ninja called for his golden power. His head pounded and his stomach twisted, but still he continued. He wasn't going to lose. Not now, not after all everyone had done to get him here. No, Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon wasn't going to die as long as there was power within him.
The pain doubled, but he kept searching for all the small bits of golden energy inside of him. He was sure that the pain would kill him, sure that the pain in his head would split open his skull at any moment.
But it didn't matter anymore. There was only one thought in Lloyd's head.
If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me.
The large purple serpent striked once more, and Lloyd released his golden energy, enveloping everything around him with blinding light.