Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. It belongs to its various owners.

Betaed by: the magnificent Zim'smostloyalservant.

Greeting gentle readers, Eduard Kassel here. Apologies for the long wait. This chapter fought hard to the bitter end. I can only hope that struggle made for a good chapter in the end. Though after eight years, I am not sure I can make an end that would be worth the wait for those who have been here the longest.

Remember this is the final battle for the story, but not the final chapter.

May you have an enjoyable read.


PDJ Proudly Presents

"Queen of all Oni"

CHAPTER XXI

ENDGAME (Part 2)


A thunderclap shook the world, and the Jade was tossed abruptly to the side, Father, Paranoia, and the puppet Queen all sent flying. Father hit the railing and only just managed to avoid flipping over into the rough waters staring him in the face. For a long moment, he was certain the ship would continue over and flounder. But then he was being pulled up and away from the waters as the ship righted itself.

Not that there was much relief, as the deck evening out let him see the horizon, and the sky seemed to be falling. And closer to home, before his eyes, a patch of rough seas started to swirl and spin, vanishing from sight as the waves grew larger and were still swallowed by the growing maw in the sea.

The maelstrom was back, and this could only mean one thing.

"Hahahahaha!" Paranoia cackled as she was set on her feet by her puppet. Father glared as he turned to face them. The wheel was unmanned, a slave to the current and waves. They were heading for the maelstrom.

X X X

He was certain the battle had not actually ended on that one blow, but it seemed like it. Only fools claimed to truly understand war entirely. A battle to the death was now, moments later, an awkward pause stretching into moments. Tarakudo stared at the young Shadowkhan kowtowing to him with narrowed eyes, and the form of Jade Chan bleeding out on the floor between them.

On the one hand, this was good, but on the other it seemed a tad too convenient. Forming a shadow katana, the King stepped up to loom over the young shinobi.

"Why?" he demanded curtly. If he did not like the answer or it didn't smell right, he would just take his head, Tarakudo decided. Not his first choice, but this pathetic excuse for a battle was already disjointed and confusing anarchy, even for him. So, no time to take excessive chances.

"That's my line!" Jade Chan growled, rolling onto her back. It seemed a mistake, as she spasmed and coughed some blood that settled and sprayed back on her face.

"She was unworthy. She was going to destroy her own followers, leaving only her and Hebi. My brother chose loyalty over survival. I wasn't ready to die for her. Not anymore," he said. Tarakudo scowled, and decided that was true, from the furious look on Chan's face. But that did not answer his motivations fully.

"Your brother?" Tarakudo asked.

"I killed him to be free," the shinobi answered. The King merely nodded to that, expression unchanging.

"Stand," Tarakudo ordered, as he himself knelt and grabbed Jade Chan by the front of her tunic and pulled her into the air. She had dropped her fans, but still tried to swipe his face with her left hand. The other grabbed his forearm, squeezing weakly.

"You…" She hissed. Tarakudo drove his sword into the ground and released it. Using the free hand, he ripped her cloth mask off.

Her eyes snapped shut uselessly. Her face had a gaunt cast to it, the bone structure just slightly too exposed. With her hair pulled back in a topknot, it gave the impression of too little skin pulled taut over the surface. And the near translucent skin around her eyes showing off the glowing red orbs still looking at him through the eyelids… that was just creepy.

"Sleep," he commanded, jabbing his forefinger into her forehead. The force was enough to draw a speck of blood, and the simple spell played out, finishing the job of knocking her out.

It was time to answer a question he was pretty sure he knew the answer to. And solve a few problems at once. Seeing as there was an enemy force lurking nearby, multitasking seemed prudent tight now.

Hebi, the False-Willed Shadowkhan, let out a war cry, charging at him. He prepared to drop into the shadow at his feet. But as he guessed, the young Khan intercepted her blade with his own, stopping her several paces off. At which point the squids pressing her finally got their grip, and Kuro began tearing away her weapons and armor as she was pinned to the ground.

He did not watch the process, even as he heard her gagged. Instead, he was studying the girl, deciding how best to proceed.

"Thanks. Wake Sanshobo, if you please," he said offhandedly to the two. Then, pressing the fingers of his free hand around the edges of Jade Chan's face, he began to chant a spell.

X X X

Right was surprised when Kuro turned to go assist the downed mantid General. Hebi was practically mummified in tentacles, and pressed so hard into the ground he was sure that cracks were spreading slowly from her. Even so, the General and King weren't paying attention to her!

"Watch her and guard the King," the General commanded. Right realized Kuro was either watching through his drones, or he trusted Right to guard Hebi and protect Tarakudo as the King focused on his spell. No threats, no drama, just sensible orders and a certain implication of trust.

Was it because Tarakudo had shown trust in him? Was that enough for the General? He hadn't even been very loyal to the King, weighing his options before today, it seemed.

Troubled by the unanswered questions regarding the company he had thrust himself into, Right glanced to Tarakudo casting some spell on the Queen. No, not the Queen — his Queen had died some time ago, he decided. The young woman who had brought him to life, even accidentally, was only distant kin to the creature he had betrayed.

Yes, he thought, turning attention to the bound Hebi. Yes, he felt some guilt at what he had done to her, and to Hebi. More for Hebi though, who was where and what she was because of the Fallen One's plotting and spells. He had played his part in that too, after all.

Whatever guilt or shame he felt was overshadowed, by relief. He wasn't sure if it was that he was more unsatisfied than he realized or simply the act, the deed, was now done. For good or ill, right or wrong, he had made his own choice here, and that fact along with its seeming success was satisfying.

Though Left…

There had been no other way. Perhaps the King understood that somehow? Fratricide had not been his desire in this, only a grim necessity.

The King's chanting grew louder, and Right turned to see what was happening.

Tarakudo pulled his fingers away from Jade's face, and a glowing grey orb was pulled out of her head. Lowering Jade some, he held up the orb, which had pieces of something floating in it.

X X X

Father dodged the Queen's strike and retreated, eyes returning to the vacant helm and the withered tyrant idly standing by it, ready to watch it all end.

"Give it up, the end has come," Paranoia demanded. She didn't even bother to hide her mask-pocked face now. Rather than going into a rant on that matter, though, the corrupted Aspect paused and looked up, and from the broken sky a black tendril reached down for her.

Of all things, she seemed happy to see it.

"Farewell, fools. Enjoy your end, it is time for my return to glory!" she declared. Then the tendril stabbed her through the chest and hauled her into the sky like a fishhook.

"What the-" Father said, before the Queen slashed at him again.

X X X

Blankman stood in the alley and dropped the can of spray paint, looking at the rune had had made on the wall. There was no one there to see him smile as he pulled the glove off his left hand and pressed it just below the rune.

"Seal of the Fifth Spiral. Darkness Constricting Barrier," he declared, smiling widely.

The rune started to glow white framed by darkness. Stepping back, Blankman watched as beams shot out, going left and right from the rune and whizzed out of sight. They curved slightly, one noted, and he could sense the next set activating as the energy reached them.

The lines widened, and widened again as the curve beyond his sight started to close into a circle. The Shadowkhan along with their allies and foes inside, and him outside.

"Jade Chan, it seems our contract is concluded. I'd wish you luck with future endeavors, but it seems you will soon die. A pity, you were a talented human. But it always needed to end with your downfall," The wizard said to no one.

Without another word, the plain-looking man in the suit walked out of the alley to his waiting car. He casually drove away, the barrier constricting like a massive noose behind him.

X X X

Jackie watched from above, concealed from sight by the support. He had convinced them to not just go charging in. Seeing this, he had a feeling that might have been a mistake. Though Lo Pei had agreed, with some bit of wisdom about the wise bird scanning the horizons before taking flight.

Jade had been beaten. It was what he had feared, but he dared not jump in. While he doubted the Oni King was using any good magic on Jade, interrupting it might be worse.

The shapes in the orb Tarakudo held came together, and grew. Grew into a face, a very familiar one — the mask of the Shinobi tribe!

"Kaito, as I thought. So you were the one sawing away at the foundations," Tarakudo remarked.

"Yes, my King. I tried to warn her that she would regret her impetuous act! I was as poison to her mind, hastening her descent into madness. As you were in the beginning," the not-quite-dead Shadowkhan remarked.

Tossing Jade aside, Tarakudo drummed his fingers on the orb.

"Oh, so you were emulating my subtle manipulations to make her choose the darkness and allegiance to me of seemingly her own free will? You effectively shattered my efforts, leaving her uncontrollable and ultimately unpredictable. Leading to me having to put her, and Ozeki it seems, down in this pointless civil war. A very ill-timed power struggle, I might add. And, oh, as a direct result of her madness, she killed Ikazuki. Shall I go on about how you have aided the cause of your king, Kaito?" Tarakudo demanded, his voice light and cordial as he showed ever more teeth, glaring down at the spirit in his hand.

"I… I only seek to serve you. Forgive me, my King?" Kaito begged.

"Mmm, no," Tarakudo decided. The orb shattered as he closed his fist. A wailing shriek echoed in the room, and thick shadows started to hang and rise from Tarakudo's fist.

"There, one mistake finally resolved," the Red King nodded to himself. Turning his back on Jade, he made his way to Right, who was joined by the two Generals, who were dragging the struggling sumo behind them.

"Name?" he asked Right.

"Right," the handsome Shadowkhan answered.

"No more," Tarakudo said, tossing the writhing mass of shadows into Right's chest.

"You are no longer a servant, General… Ryuk," Tarakudo said as the Shadowkhan fell to one knee, stuttering in pain.

"Well, that can't be anything but an improvement," the Squid General remarked.

"Still, that was the last of the ancient Shinobi you just killed. We've lost something with his knowledge," the Mantis proclaimed.

"And we are going to lose the Sumo as well. I'll be taking back the Samurai essence. I will hold onto it until we have a proper successor for Ikazuki."

Jackie decided it was time to go. The only question was what to do about Jade- oh.

Huh, it wasn't often luck turned in his favor. Now, just to give the signal before Tarakudo was ready.

X X X

It was a day of inversions, Brother Dark noted.

They had been holding the line against expansion of the dark forces' hold, and now they had abandoned the outer perimeter to this corridor. His wards glowed to either side, along with rows of White's work and Grey's final wards; shared before they parted. White was looking over the wards along the broad corridor, while Dark looked out to the entryway, the ruined entrance to the complex in sight.

"Grey is dead," he remarked.

"Yes, he was at peace, and more so now," White remarked. Dark bristled at that, but mastered himself. It was not callousness; White would not be checking what he knew was well if he did not require a diversion.

"The barrier, it's no ally. It may have stopped them from expanding, but it will destroy all their bodies, forcing them back into masks. Or some manner of sealing? Assuming they can't break it, of course. They will rush back, they'd be here already if they weren't trying to see if they can't break it on their own. But the wizard, the Hidden One. He's not coming to help — he wants every human opposing them to be killed whatever the outcome. So if these weakened Shadowkhan still escape, he can pounce?"

"Enough, whatever that one planned or will do means little today. These wards will funnel them in their retreat; they must reach their King to overcome this magic and to aid him in the battle. The enemy has divided his forces, and he must not get the chance to correct that folly, or regardless of plots, all will be lost," White said.

"Even three of us couldn't stop them. Not this exhausted."

"One stands no chance of living, but his life will pay for the future," White assured his peer, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Not one, two stand together," Dark asserted, straightening.

"I hope someday you can forgive me," White sighed. Dark frowned and tried to turn, only for the grip to tighten. With a shove, Dark fell into light and was gone.

"One must die, one must live. They will have questions, do your best for them," White said to the empty spot. Shrugging off his robes, leaving only short trousers on, he turned to the entrance as the Shadowkhan Generals ran into sight, weapons drawn, some giving war cries.

He assumed his position and let them close the distance.

X X X

"There's no time for formality, General Ozeki," Tarakudo said, forming a sword and approaching the pinned Sumo General. Jade watched him struggle against Kuro's pin. The sumo did not look to her, he only glared at the advancing Red King.

"I suppose some would admire your loyalty, but you deceived me from the start, hoping for a chance to betray me. And for what? So you could be a slave to a mad woman again? Disappointing," Tarakudo sneered, raising the blade.

"My tribe's dedication is-" he spoke, and the blade fell.

Jade looked up and away, closed eyes insufficient for the sight in her state. Looking up to the ceiling, she blinked. A Shadowkhan was watching them? A Shadowkhan that was unique, but that she did not know. He raised a finger to his lips and mouthed a word.

'Remember.'

"I do pity you, a slave to the bitter end," Jade heard. She looked back to see Ozeki's corpse fall to the ground and begin disintegrating. Tarakudo flicked his blade, and with his other hand gathered the essence leaking into the air like black smoke into an orb.

Jade couldn't help but stare at the corpse. A demon general ancient, powerful and the last of his linage; he was killed mid-sentence, without any real ceremony or care. That wasn't how it was supposed to go.

"This will do for now. Kuro, if you would?" Tarakudo said, tucking the orb seemingly into thin air.

Kuro slithered over and held Hebi before Tarakudo. Her armor had been stripped away, leaving padding and black clothes revealed, along with her bald head. The blue woman struggled against her bonds, which included a tentacle wrapped over her mouth, silencing her. Tarakudo smiled, looking over the situation as he looked past Hebi to Kuro.

"So, Kuro, how does it feel to have a real female in your grasp?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows a bit.

The Mantis General put the edge of one of his blades to his face and grumbled at the comment, while Kuro actually blushed purple a bit and thrust Hebi a bit closer to Tarakudo. The Red King chuckled, then frowned as he met Hebi's glare.

"Well, yes, time for that later. For what it's worth, I hate what happened to you. Not just for Ikazuki, either. I was manipulating Jade, but that was a matter of covering trails and laying bread crumbs to get her to follow the path I wanted. Suppressing certain positive memories while pushing negative ones closer to the surface. You get the idea? But still, it was her choice, stacked deck or no. But she just tied you up and dragged you down the path she wanted. Forcing you into a mold with less grace than a potter strangling clay. I'll give you back your mind, but as it turns out we are going to need your body. I won't insult you by sugarcoating it," he said, starting to chant.

Jade watched Hebi struggle; she wondered why no more Samurai Khan emerged. But, she supposed, if anyone knew how to prevent that it would be actual Shadowkhan Generals. Had he already hexed her like Ikazuki had her? She had focused on certain things in studying the Teachings, but they had not included things she already assumed she understood.

Tarakudo pulled the essence of Ikazuki out of Hebi, who convulsed then went limp in Kuro's tendrils.

"Well, I can't be sure what she'll be like when she awakes. Hopefully she will be receptive. As for this, I will hold onto it," Tarakudo said, and with an utter lack of ceremony the Red King swallowed the essence. He started to glow with power, grinning as the energies flowed through him.

"Energy scroll!" A man shouted, and Tarakudo was blasted off his feet.

'What the-!' Jade wondered, as chaos broke out, humans emerging from at least four directions with Lo Pei, of all people, leading the charge.

X X X

Queen had fallen, he had not struck a blow and she had not cried out. In the mist of their struggle she had simply collapsed. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Father had only just looked up into the sky after the vanished Paranoia, when he heard screaming.

Two Aspects slammed into the deck before him. Tar-like goop evaporated off the groaning pair, revealing familiar faces long lost — Doubt, sickly and frail-looking, even her hair limp, a child Jade but lacking any energy of a child. And Fear, the ragged, elderly bag woman who even as a Shadowkhan had pink eyes rather than red; so her blindness endured, it seemed.

Another shape fluttered down. Paranoia's cloak flapped in the winds for a moment, then was tugged away quickly, lost, carried away over the broken sea.

"It's not over," Father reminded himself, turning to look to the horizon. The maelstrom drew near.

"No, it's time for another round!" the Queen rasped. She was standing once more, sword in hand. Father stepped back, evading the strike of the sword. Queen was grinning and ragged, yet she moved under her own will, quite different from the puppet of earlier.

Still, he thought as he evaded another strike. She was breathing hard, her stance looser than normal. Her frayed attire and crown reduced to a circlet was not just cosmetic.

"Queen, enough. The maelstrom draws near," Father said. The hungry hole in the sea was roaring, the ominous sound growing ever louder as it drew the Jade closer.

"I weathered this situation once, I'll do it again! And now with that liar gone, you are the only thing between me and total dominion over this sea and all in it," she said, raising the sword to point at him.

"You stand alone," he pointed out.

She frowned, but did turn to look around the ship. Everyone was down, fallen like puppets with strings cut or groaning from wounds. Only they stood on the creaking vessel, carried by ever swifter currents toward the maelstrom with no one manning the helm. Silence reigned over them, the sound of the rushing water growing closer the only disputer.

Yet neither backed down as they turned face their opponent again.

X X X

Hak Foo felt her stir as the battle commenced behind them. The Black Tiger paused, and looked back. They were just one bend in the hall away from the battle. He was itching for a proper fight. But was there still a role for him? A simple job of service had become everything but straightforward.

No, he would see if she awoke, he decided, placing her on the floor, propped against the wall. She was still bleeding. He knew a bit of First Aid, as befit a warrior. But didn't she heal?

He was not sure what was going on, or where to turn next.

"Turkey pauses in confusion," the mercenary muttered.

"…That's one for the book," Jade Chan muttered. If she still qualified as that — she hardly resembled the girl he had first met and been vexed by in Bavaria. He couldn't help but wonder if his experiences with Chan had left him changed from the man who had before then never heard the name Jackie Chan.

"Not all went according to your plan, it seems," Hak Foo remarked.

"Yeah, and if Right knows what I was planning, Blankman probably does too. They might even be working together. So the mansion can't be considered safe," she remarked, wincing.

'So you really were planning to betray them. Well, unless you were betraying me too, it's still not reason enough to void my contract,' Hak Foo thought.

"What next then?" he asked.

"…Get out of here," Jade stated, frowning.

Nodding, he knelt to pick her up.

"No, just you."

"What?"

"Two possibilities. Either you are a traitor and going with you somehow makes this worse for me. Or you're loyal and taking me with you guarantees whoever wins in there is coming for you because of me. I'm washed up. I lost my army, my minions, and probably all the money and base. And I'm pretty messed up," she admitted, pulling her hand from her wound to reveal blood, "So either way, get out of here. We're done."

He stood and considered her words. If she really thought he was a traitor, he expected she would blast him or something, even if she was too weak to make it count.

"You know, you never did keep your promise of giving me power. I walk away from this with little more than my freedom to show for it."

"I could point out, that I very much did give you power once, you just didn't make it stick. More importantly, though, good guys are the ones that have to keep their word. And as my revealed plans show, I am in no way good anymore," she sighed. She dropped her gaze, and her eyes closed, for all that mattered.

Unsure if she had passed out or was just dismissing him, Hak Foo gave her a slight bow, and then turned and ran down the corridor.

"Rat deserts sinking ship!" he declared.

X X X

In an unimportant corner of an unoccupied hall of Section 13, the walls darkened. From a pinprick, the shadow widened rapidly, as if someone were pouring ink onto a tablecloth. And in the center, the shadows congealed and stretched outward.

One lump kept stretching out into the open air, its tip forking into five bumps. The great hand now seemingly wrapped in a thick glow halted its advance and curled into a fist. A silent explosion sent shadows flying, and Tohru stumbled from the wall to the floor. Braced on his knees and right hand, he panted, his wet brow furrowed and eyes scrunched shut.

Opening his eyes to blurry vision, he saw the arm holding him up. Blue, a blue that looked like it was writhing to his sharpening eyes. Dark specks were circling around the bicep like tiny insects over a ripe corpse.

He dropped what he carried in his left hand, barely hearing it clunk to the floor. He could never hope to hear over the whispers filling his ears, running up his arm.

Two fingers managed to find their way into his pocket and pull out the vial. Lifting it between trembling digits, the potion's glow seemed to part the blurriness in his vision, the only thing to be seen clearly. It slipped from his frail grasp and struck the floor, somehow not breaking.

The whispers grew excited, they drew near.

Every one of them would die.

Every one of them would die.

They'd die.

Was there nothing he could do about it?!

Mouth wide, all the air in his lungs forded out unheard, he let himself fall, driving the mark of Tarakudo down to break the vial between the bicep and the concrete. Glass shattered and potion splashed, both sinking into his skin.

The sound of his own battle cry sprouted out and blossomed, blowing away the haze and returning sound as the whispers were swallowed by the hurricane of himself.

The blue faded as he watched, breath evening out. The flesh was restored, and pushing himself up, he turned his arm to inspect the bicep. Bits of glass stuck out of the bleeding flesh, and it looked like something had torn out. But even when chi flowed into his eyes, he saw no remnant.

This time, the Mark had been defeated in total.

He had won.

His left hand brushed something as he pushed to sit back against the wall.

There it was, sitting so casually on the cold hard floor. The Red Mask, the final piece of these puzzle hunts and all the defeats and victories that had marked the roads they had traveled. He had emerged, and here was the foul thing that could bring salvation from this tragedy.

Was it only his imagination he could hear distant battle?

No, it wasn't.

"Get up," he ordered himself. Taking the time to grab the mask, he stood on unsteady legs and shook his head.

He had not won yet. That hadn't been a battle, just… just another step. Now for the next step. And the one after that. One foot in front of the next as blood ran down his other arm.

Alive or dead, he was coming back, and this time he would not be leaving them behind.

X X X

'I wanted all eyes on me,' Jade mused, 'And now I'm going to bleed out while no one is paying attention.'

She had dragged herself a few feet down the hall from where Hak Foo had left her. No, where she had told him to leave her. And wasn't that odd, she thought?

What she had told him was true — things were too big for anyone to bother with a freelancer escaping, but had he carried her out she would have brought trouble of one kind or another. It was the end for her, no sense dragging him down. He had proven loyal, after all.

She pressed a clad hand to the exit wound, feeling blood flowing.

She had magic, but it was a magic blade, if a lesser sort, and that spell he followed up with… Jade knew she could beat that spell to save herself. Even now. Except she couldn't. The power was there in her, the knowledge in her mind. But there was no focus. She could not get ahold of the power or the words.

She could not even feel angry or sad at her plight. Right had betrayed her, but rather than anger, she simply recalled she had been preparing to betray him and Left both. But it wasn't guilt, either. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling, but she felt numb and lightheaded. Was it just the blood loss?

The former Queen was certain if she could only clear her head, focus. Even the manic self-defeating focus from the fight, she could turn this doorknob and save herself. But she felt more distant by the moment. She wasn't even sure she wanted to save herself? Did she?

Maybe this outcome was just the natural result?

Of all the things she had wanted, perhaps the one she had embraced the most was to be in the center of things. If not as the hero coming to save the day, then as the villain menacing all with their plots and power. Everything had been given to that. She had betrayed both sides in turn, for no other reason than she decided it was best for her to do so. What she had done to Viper…

Was this death — the blow struck not by a sworn enemy but her abused creation, and then ignored by a battle she had ceased to be relevant to — was this irony or poetic justice? She hadn't been paying attention for that lesson.

Whichever, it was probably fitting; she let her eyes close with a sigh. Feeling relief that she would not have to make a choice between the two.

Time to sleep.

X X X

Strikemaster Ice smiled as he laid the fourth and final piece of magic paper on the floor. Stepping back, he watched with his crew as the energy played out on the door/floor, and the way opened, a display case rose up into sight, with just the lovely bits of stone he was looking for.

With a clack, MC Cobra put the briefcase they had retrieved on the floor and opened it.

"Okay boys, remember, put the fakes exactly where the real deals are. All eyes are elsewhere and surveillance is fried. Boss Blankman wants a lot of miles between him and them before they notice, and we get a sweet mill a head," Strikemaster Ice said as a fifth scrap of paper was laid on the case, opening it up.

X X X

Warmth. Jade felt it spreading through the fuzzy darkness. It drew her attention.

Heat, more focused, a shape forming in her mind.

HOT!

"Gah!" Jade cried out, trying to pitch forward as she awoke. Tried and failed, as a large hand was pressed against her wound, pinning her in place. Blinking spots from her eyes, Jade bared her teeth, glaring as her vision came into focus. Her hearing settled first. A very familiar chant.

"Tohru," she tried to hiss as he came into focus. It came out more as a rasp; the only way she knew he heard it was that his eyes snapped up from his work to meet her own. His shoulders sagged in relief and he pulled his hand away, the green glow fading. He rose from his kneeling position to stand over her.

She realized he had moved her. Not too far, but further out. What was his game, she wondered?

"Can you stand?" he asked. Jade almost yelled at him, but it was a good question. She grabbed her kneecaps. She could feel them through the palms of her hands. But she couldn't even feel her claws biting into her legs slightly, and as her grip tightened. In fact, she couldn't fee her butt either, even sitting on the hard floor like this.

Glancing down at the purply scar visible through the hole in her outfit, she wasn't feeling below that, she concluded. The spot where she had been stabbed clean through and more than slightly been exploded.

'Well crap,' she thought numbly.

"No," she hissed.

"Hmm, but I can see you still have magic. There is some kind of ward in the city closing in, I can sense it all. It's forcing the Generals back. The Sages are here too… It's a storm, alright. But the wards on Section 13 have been destroyed. Use your magic, escape," he ordered, before turning to walk away.

"Escape? What was that spell just now?!" Jade demanded.

"A healing spell. I was not sure good chi magic would work right. It may not have, but it was enough to stop you from dying and revive you this much."

"That's crap! You must have done something else. A tracking spell to follow me back to my lair?"

"Jade, why would I bother with your lair if I could capture you? Fact is, it looks like we may well lose here. That wound came from the Shadowkhan, and your muttering suggests Tarakudo wants you dead. I can't keep you safe, Jade, so please, get out of here while you can," he said.

Then he was running toward the sounds of battle.

"I tried to kill you, I will kill you! You can't trick me! You can't! This makes no sense!" Jade screamed after him. He never looked back, and Jade's screams became wordless as the fact he had only to do nothing and his problem would be solved dawned on her. And she could feel no hex lingering.

Tohru had saved her life, and was letting her go rather than risk her life.

With a shriek, she started banging the back of her head against the wall.

X X X

"I'll fix it. There's nothing I can't do when people stop holding me back," the Queen said, falling into a stance.

"You can't mend, Queen. It's not in your nature. You can harden, you can twist, you can even change, but you can't mend what's broken," Father told her.

With a shriek, she rushed him.

Her swing was wild, and he jumped over it. Unable to arrest her own momentum, the corrupted Aspect could only watch as time seemed to slow for both of them, as Father reached his zenith and descended, while the sword swung back into the empty space beneath him.

With a thunk, time snapped back into place, and the Queen cried out in anger as her left knee slammed into the deck.

Father stood over her, his foot firmly planted on the back of the sword, driving its edge down into the deck. Her grip was still strong on the hilt, and with a shriek she pulled the blade free in spite of his weight, sending him stumbling.

She flexed her abused knee, falling back into a stance, but Father backed off, and kept backing off. She took a step to press after him, a smile forming. But the smile slipped, and she did not pursue. Cocking her head, the Queen looked around warily, trying to keep an eye on Father as he reached the railing and grabbed a bit of rigging in one hand.

Something thumped. A sound of metal on wood.

"Huh?" the Queen muttered.

The sound came again, louder. Much louder, and the wood moved slightly along the cut the sword had made.

"No. No, no, no, no," The Queen said, planting a foot on the cut in the deck. The next hit made the deck buck, sending her stumbling back. Something black splashed out, but retreated back belowdeck, clinking before the deck snapped not quite back into place.

"DON'T YOU DARE! I WON!" Queen screamed at the deck, stomping the lifted section of deck back into place.

"Not a good place to stand," Father commented.

The clinking sounded below again, starting in low, and then beginning to grow. As it reached a din, almost drowning out the roar of the maelstrom, the Queen brandished the sword at the deck. Only to pause, as if realizing attacking the deck would only make it worse. She stepped back off the break, letting it pop up, turned, and started to run.

A geyser burst through the deck, black and shiny in the light of the broken night sky. The chains rose in every size, clinking merrily, and then falling to splash across the deck. Settling for a moment they began to be dragged back down by their own weight.

A few chains passed over Father, tugging but not budging him from his grip. He watched the Queen scream and flail, caught up to her waist in the chains. With a squawk, she lost her footing as the chains dragged her under and toward the hole.

"Hmm," Father said, watching the chains.

He spotted a blob near the stairs to the helm standing out as the chains receded and thinned on the deck. The chains continued to flow away, revealing a crouching figure even as the chains reduced to a single line, connecting a pair of shackles to the brig.

"Well, look who decided to get out of bed," Father remarked. Hero stood up, rolling his shoulders and giving an experimental tug on the black chain now joined to his shackles. He was more ragged than before, a tad gaunt, and his hair managed to be even messier. Then he smiled, and Father could not help but return it for once.

"Sorry, you know I hate to be late for a party. Especially when you try and throw one — it's not like it can start until I get there," Hero quipped. Father made a noncommittal noise and took off Hero's hat. With a toss, the feathered hat cut through the wind and landed square on the adventurer's head.

"It just didn't suit me," Father remarked.

"WELL ISN'T THAT JUST SPECIAL!?"

The two of them were stunned, realizing they were not alone on the deck. The Queen laid on the deck, crown seemingly washed away and her clothes reduced to tatters, but still holding the sword, which had been driven into the deck. With a heave, she got to her feet and pulled the sword free.

"Don't celebrate with a laugh ending just yet, boys! I still have the sword, and if he was your final plan, I am not impressed!" the Queen declared.

"No need to worry about being underwhelmed. After all, the show's not over," Hero said, adjusting his hat and giving a grin.

X X X

Shadow coated Tarakudo's forearm as he blocked the green blast. The shield burned away, but took the brunt of the blow. The samurai drones rushed forward to answer, bows drawn, loosing arrow after arrow at the green inferno waiting to consume them like moths as they drew close.

The King shook his head, the inferno resolving into the man in green and gold. All this trouble, and all they had done was cost him his hat and mussing his impeccable attire.

With a battle cry, he raised his own shadow bow and loosed a bolt of bleeding darkness. The bearded warrior saw it coming and with two words countered the attack. The spells collided, bursting like a firework, poofing a few nearby drones even.

It tingled to charge through, but Tarakudo did so anyway, sword drawn and silent as he bared his fangs. Lo Pei bore no weapon, but he somehow saw enough to step back from the strike.

"The wise wolf knows the tricks of the hunter," the homunculus said with a slight lisp. The subsequent energy blast was reflected up by the flat of a black blade.

Scowling at one another, the two warriors circled in the raging battle.

"Your forces are weaker and exhausted. Mine are without end and without weariness in the proper hands."

"And without spirit, nothing but swords that walk with no conviction that flows from the hand."

"High talk for a statue. You are not Lo Pei, you are just the memory of a man given motion by magics."

"And you are the ghost of a man defeated that refuses to rest, clad in darkness to imitate the life you already lost. Between the two, I am not the deluded one."

"I think it's time to see if I can make a statue bleed," Tarakudo growled.

"Hoo-Ah!" Lo Pei answered, a chi-filled fist raised against the dark blade.

X X X

Queen slashed at Father with a shrill cry. He dodged it, swinging on the rigging tied off to the rail. The Queen staggered as Hero kicked her in the back and glared at him as he backpedaled and she walked after him growling.

"We should have her, but she's not going down, old man," Hero said, frowning as he kept an eye on the woman who had taken all of his hits.

"She's not talking anymore either," Father noted, "She may be at her limit, but I don't think we can simply defeat with pummeling."

"The sea? The maelstrom is close," Hero asked, lacking enthusiasm as he ducked a swipe.

"No, the last thing we want is to feed that with someone as connected as her. Besides, she has the sword. We need that too…" Father trailed off as Hero picked up the length of chain and tried twirling it like a weapon in his manacled hands.

The Queen screamed skyward and shadows burst out of her. The inky blackness shredded her rags and covered her form from ankle to chin, her free hand held out, its fingers lengthening into dagger-like claws. She flexed the nightmare hand and flashed her fangs at them.

"Uh, that's new."

"I have an idea. The chain-" Father said, before the Queen turned on her heel and charged at him. She cut into his blue shirt as he barely leapt away, before she cut through the rigging he had been holding onto.

"Me too. I hope we're enough part of the same person to be thinking the same thing," Hero said as the maelstrom's roar became harder to speak over, "Because I think it's do or die for real now."

X X X

They were going to lose, Jackie had quickly realized. It was different, fighting with so many allies, and he had seen many fall to wounds he was sure they would never rise from. Section 13 had brave people in its ranks, to once again fight these monsters, but they had been through an ordeal already, and now even determination gave way to fatigue.

And their enemy was without end.

Jackie dragged an injured female agent back into one of the corridors. She wasn't bleeding much, but the blow had been to her head and a quick shake to her shoulders failed to raise anything from the somewhat hispanic-looking woman.

Looking back into the fray, it was clear only Lo Pei and Uncle were keeping them from being overwhelmed. El Toro and the rest fought well, but they were fighting against the conjured masses. The Generals were mostly focused on the battle between Lo Pei and their King, with Uncle keeping them from interfering.

Normally, a situation like this called for a mask being put on a face.

"Jackie!" a familiar voice called out. A pair of Samurai Khan poofed to Jackie's left, revealing his friend. Not looking so well, with his arm bleeding.

Sprinting to Jackie, Tohru reached into his black pants and, back to the fighting, pulled out a mask.

A red mask, with a familiar face.

Tohru pressed it into Jackie's hands.

"It's time to end it," Tohru declared.

X X X

Sanshobo crouched behind his barrier, the barrage of chi blasts impacting on the black-veined-with-violet dome raised by his chanting. An earlier spell had splashed across the dome, leaving him unable to see through it. But the impacts let him know he was keeping the old wizard occupied.

The General grinned and shook his head. He had seen many wizards like this — once they gained enough power to sling spells around, they were little better than ashigaru youth, attacking with no true skill and overconfidence.

Uncle near slid around the edge of the shield, both fish charged green.

"HELLO!" Uncle shouted, blasting the Oni in the face with both puffers.

As the General reeled, cursing, Uncle ducked as Ryuk tried to take his head and came back up through the opening from the overeager strike to hit Ryuk in the nose with the back of his head.

"Gah!" Ryuk cried, grabbing his face. He opened his eyes from the reflexive closing to see a flash of green, and fell to his back, stunned.

"Piece of Uncle! Come get sooooome!"

X X X

Kuro watched the sacred warrior clash with Tarakudo, looking for an opening.

What a ridiculous day this had been. Why were they still fighting? They should be doing something about that barrier closing in. Retreat and rethink. They were free and they had a fertile woman. Time would be on their side.

But of course, the King must have his samurai ego validated by winning against the unexpected warrior. Tarakudo was still Tarakudo, and the would-be Queen had proven unacceptable. He could only hope the new generation of Shadowkhan would quickly produce a proper occupant for the throne.

"Squid General!" an accented voice called out. With a sigh, Kuro turned his attention to El Toro, who stood facing him. He had broken through the guards watching Kuro's back, but he had hoped the mortal would back off when he saw who was here.

"What do you want? You have no magic I can smell, and you're no Jackie Chan," Kuro sad, moving toward the masked man. He extended his tentacles, and to his credit his opponent did not back down.

"You really think a mere mortal alone can inconvenience me? You'd be right, but you're not that kind of mortal, are you? In fact, why don't I wash this battlefield clean right now? We can lose the drones easy, and frankly, I'm done with this place," Kuro said, raising his tentacles and gathering shadow chi in them.

"Si, I can't hope to stop you alone," El Toro said. Kuro grinned, aiming a tip at El Toro… and then weight smacked into Kuro's shoulders, making him stagger and squirt the chi out in a pathetic splat.

"What?!" Kuro exclaimed, before an arm hooked around his head and covered his eyes while a hand grabbed ahold of his hair.

"But I'm not alone!" El Toro said, slamming into the blinded General.

"It's not a one-on-one match. Battle Royale team-up!" Paco practically shouted into the Shadowkhan's ear.

X X X

Tohru slammed his fist into his palm and began to chant. It wasn't Uncle's usual chant, but it felt right, and green chi flowed from his hands up his arms, glowing in streaks. Willing the chi to his eyes, he saw the battlefield anew, and imagined it looked pretty cool, as Jade would say.

"SHADOWKHAN BE GONE ONCE MORE!" he roared, and tore into the fray.

Distract them, make them think he was the threat. Tarakudo seemed evenly matched with Lo Pei, but soon enough the others would aid their King.

Jackie had the mask, he could win. Just one last mask, Tohru thought as a band of chi in his left arm actually deflected a pair of katanas, to his shock.

He had to move toward them. The duo. Force the Shadowkhan to see him.

'I am the Sage reincarnated. Look at me, see your fear. This way. This way!'

He fell forward, stunned, his feet. He hit the ground and immediately made to push himself up. Right was looking down at him. Different looking, but unmistakable to Tohru's enhanced eyes. There was much of Jade in her creation, he could not help but see.

The Shadowkhan kicked him across the face. And turned away.

"No!" Tohru said, striking at Right's legs with his left hand. The Shadowkhan dodged it with pathetic ease.

And Tohru watched as the shinobi leapt between Jackie and Tarakudo, who was holding a stunned Lo Pei by his tunic and Jackie about to thrust the mask onto his face. Right struck the mask with his elbow, knocking it to the floor, and struck Jackie in the side of the head with the pommel of his sword.

Lo Pei struck Tarakudo in the neck, and with a shouted word of power, Tarakudo threw the revived warrior into the floor, and out of sight.

Kuro's tentacles ensnared Jackie from behind as he staggered to his feet.

Gritting his teeth, Tohru slumped, clawing impotently against the darkness finally closing in.

X X X

"What did you do to him?" Ryuk asked, looking to the spot where Lo Pei had vanished. Tarakudo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before answering.

"To the Shadow Realm. It's not a long-term solution — whether it's actually the resurrected spirit of Lo Pei or an uncanny imitation, that is a sacred warrior at his zenith. He will survive, and he will be back. Probably in an inconvenient way for us," Tarakudo answered. Frowning, he looked over the settled battlefield. The Generals and their drones held the Section 13 agents and J-Team down. Kuro held Jackie Chan, while Tohru was held at sword point to the throat and seemingly unconscious.

The old wizard slumped unconscious in Sanshobo's arms, the General looking to Tarakudo for direction.

Tarakudo counted the threats off, pointing to each in turn, then noticed Ryuk raising his sword for a blow.

"No," Tarakudo said as he knelt and picked up his own accursed mask.

"No? He's a threat, the reincarnated Sage you said," Ryuk objected, but did not let the blow fall.

"Correct, and you may have heard about if they kill dark forces a new, potentially stronger, evil comes forth? That applies to us too. And he qualifies. As we have him in hand, I'd rather imprison him if I can, rather than choose to open the door to an unknown threat. Besides, using all these others as incentive to not escape… It could work," Tarakudo concluded.

With a grin, he wiggled the red mask as Jackie Chan glared, then with a word and tap of a foot opened a small bit of shadow on the floor, and dropped the mask, back into the Shadow Realm.

"Your Majesty, the sage batting our forces?" Kuro asked.

"Hmm, I can sense that battle. It should be over soon. If not, we will intervene, but first thing's first," Tarakudo declared. Putting two fingers together, he chanted a spell, and with a snap of the fingers sent a bolt of purple chi at Tohru. Ryuk backpedaled as the magic struck, and Tohru woke with a cry, but was bound by four glowing rings of dark chi forming from the energy.

"General, I need you to fetch something without delay," Tarakudo commanded, grinning.

X X X

Brother White danced among the remaining Generals. The power gathered for so long had left him. This should be agony; the small chances and indulgences of what he carried even without using were gone. Was it merely habit that let him carry on like this, he wondered?

Or perhaps that vanity of his youth, to possess strength in body to surpass what magic could provide, had been granted at some point. In the irony of the benign, his once passionate wish granted, but only when he had matured beyond coveting such petty wishes fulfilled?

It was poetry in motion, even with them not calling forth more minions, having learned that to do so was to give him weapons.

He had struck down one of them by their own weapons. They were wary, but also furious. He had ended a lineage, a legacy that, even if revived, would never be truly connected to what came before. Something precious ripped from the world, even if it was from righteous necessity.

Such was the truth of it, he reaffirmed, that even the most righteous and clean of them were expenses only a fool would be eager to meet. Thus, with all duty discharged, he did not fear as they finally boxed him.

And when blows struck true, and with jerks and shocks his body was pierced, the shudder was a passing thing.

Eyes opening wide, the man who had become Brother White smiled as he watched the final sight of his mortal life pass before him. His last act a swift whispered prayer for all who remained, and thanks for what he had been allowed in life.

X X X

"I didn't think you would actually be here," Ryuk said. He stood over the fallen Queen Jade. She seemed to have healed her wound shut, but was propped against the wall. Had the effort of healing exhausted her so she could just wait in this corridor for help that never came?

She didn't answer. Her eyes were closed, he realized, the transparent lids muffling the red glow. He found the idea of taking her unconscious unappealing — she deserved to witness this!

Pulling back a foot to kick her awake, he hesitated when the eyes cracked open. Ah yes, it really wasn't confusing when you could compare like this.

Putting his foot back down, Ryuk crossed his arms and looked down at his crippled creator.

"Going to rant? Question how I could ever dare betray you?" he demanded.

"…No," The Queen answered. Her eyes met his for the word, but then slipped back to staring forward.

Ryuk frowned; something felt off. Was there some final trap? Tarakudo did not want delays, and he doubted fetching the King to check for some trap would win him any points.

He had watched as the King executed Kaito, who had served him long. Ryuk was a traitor not unlike Ozeki to the King perhaps, however justified, and late to the Red King's cause. He needed to prove himself.

Jade barely weighed a thing in his arms. She didn't struggle against being picked up. In fact, once secure, she actually moved into his chest, as if there was some protection or comfort in closeness still.

It made him want to drop her for the very idea! After all she had done, and plotted, she didn't deserve comforting.

"Right," she said, as he started walking down the hall.

"It's Ryuk now. I have a proper name," he retorted.

"What you did, it's what I would have done, I think," she whispered. That made him hesitate before the next step. Steeling his face, he took the next step.

"I killed Left. He's gone," the General stated. She stiffened in his grasp, but he did not look to her. She was silent as he stepped into the open room. The gazes of the victors were heavy on them, as were the looks of the vanquished who could turn to see the sight. Tarakudo did not wait; he walked and met them halfway in the center of the room.

"Not a roar but a whimper, eh, Jade Chan? Thank you, General," Tarakudo smirked.

Tarakudo grabbed Jade by the collar and pulled her out of Ryuk's grasp. Ryuk stepped back and went down on one knee, and Tarakudo held Jade up before him.

"I had such hopes for you. But even with that fool's scheming, I am disappointed you were susceptible to it. Well, this is the end."

"My King, our goal remains to restore the race! Is it wise to dispose of a fertile female?" Kuro demanded.

"We have a spare, General. And distasteful as it might be, she is ripe and ready to go to work. Her daughters we shall raise to be free of the vices of their foremothers. This one, she has proven too dangerous. No cells, no sealing. Only death," Tarakudo declared. Jackie gave a muffled scream, and Ryuk cast his eyes down as blue fire ignited on the tips of Tarakudo's fingers on his free hand. Holding Jade out, he pulled his hand back, the fire spreading to cover his hand and darkness veiled in the blue.

"So, any last words?" Tarakudo smirked. Ryuk looked up, seeing the scene lit by the unholy flames, with the young Queen's back to him, looking little more than a sack dangling from the King's hand.

"No."

Ryuk narrowed his eyes, unsure if he had heard that whisper or imagined it. Tarakudo, for his part, nodded as if satisfied by whatever was said.

X X X

Hero stood by the mainmast, watching the Queen pursue Father. Taking off his hat, he took a deep breath, then held it out, dangling from the brim.

"Hey Queen! I'd say the closest thing you ever did to achieving anything was locking me up. But since I'm still here, I guess your reign was worth less than my hat!" Hero called.

That got her attention. Hero flinched when her head snapped around to look at him without the rest of her body turning.

"Yeah, my hat's better than you," he said, waving it like a matador's cape.

The rest of her turned around; Father didn't use the opening this time. Their plan required she not think through that, or taking the bait. The plan depended on her being so berserk she would run clear into a bullfight knock-off. And as she charged at him, baring many, many sharp teeth, it occurred to him the plan also required him surviving and not losing his hands!

She made her slash. Hero let the hat go, eyes on the blade, his hands moving apart, pulling the chain of the manacles taut. The sword sliced through his glorious hat. And struck a link of the chain.

The Queen stopped, eyes widening and the mask of inky goo retreating enough to reveal her own face. Her expression was gobsmacked as Hero threw his arms wide, the manacles disintegrating outward from the break. As his chafed wrists were revealed, he grinned and rubbed them.

"Thanks, Queenie. I was rather sick of those accessories. Now then," he said. Clapping his hands together, he caught the blade in his palms and kicked her in the shin. His blow slid on the goo, but her poor stance still saw her go to one knee.

The chain length on the floor began to recede back toward the last hole to the brig, until a firm hand grabbed it and yanked still more from below. With another yank, Father felt something give. With a nod, he ran toward the fight, pulling the chain with him.

X X X

Jackie had to save Jade. Pinned by Kuro, his face was forced down into the floor and he could not see what was going n. But he could hear just fine.

The worst had happened. They had Jade, and there was no doubt in his mind that Tarakudo was not going to fool around.

Jade in the hands of lethal men who wanted her dead. He had dreaded this long before this Shadowkhan business had started. Nightmares varied and consistent of just this happening had haunted him. Haunted him enough that sometimes late at night, awake, he would wonder if maybe it would have been better had Jade never entered his life, that despite everything between them and watching her grow as a person, it would be better if it had never begun.

This was no dream. They wanted to kill her.

There was no room left for fear, no worry over failure, distractions unacceptable. He struggled silently; to cry out was to waste breath and energy, to break free was everything. Anything that detracted was to be cast away.

The focus did stumble when the pressure on his head vanished, and Jackie reflexively sprang to his feet.

X X X

Ryuk lowered his gaze, looking to the King's feet. Even if he would not turn aside for the death blow, he would not look upon it. Could not.

The King's shadow was very dark, and far bigger than it should be with the light, Ryuk noticed the moment his eyes lowered. And then the shadow leapt, slamming into the King's back, one arm hooking under the free hand and seizing it just below the flaming hand.

"Left?!" Ryuk cried out in shock, recognizing his brother in an instant.

Tarakudo roared in wordless fury, and Ryuk turned as the remaining Generals rushed in from whatever battle had concluded elsewhere. The others sprang up too, screaming.

"What?!" Ryuk shouted, as everyone seemed to be moving.

He only saw it as Left did it.

The hand not holding the King by a burning wrist slipped up and onto Tarakudo's bare shoulder, revealing what the others must have sensed or suspected in that instant before him.

Before Ryuk could scream denial or terror, Left slammed the Mask of Tarakudo onto the Red King's face.

The Generals skidded to a halt before the King. Ryuk could not see their faces.

"Long live the Queen!" Left rasped. His grips slipped from the wrist and mask, and he fell back limply.

Tarakudo took a stumbling step forward, the flames in his hand went out like birthday candles, and Jade fell from his grasp to plop to the ground. If she made any noise, Ryuk couldn't hear it. Only a strangled gurgling noise from Tarakudo as he wobbled on the spot, his face hidden beneath a terrifying likeness.

Someone screamed as green magic exploded from the mask, filling his senses like a flash-bang. As he turned to run, he realized that it was him screaming.

X X X

The struggle for the sword reached a climax as Hero and Queen both cried out, yanking the sword from both their grips, sending it spinning up into the air. Queen decked Hero in the face as he looked up, sending him sprawling, and reached up toward the sword as it reached its apex.

Father didn't make a sound as he ran into the corrupted woman, whose guard was down, shoulder first and with all the weight and momentum he could bring to bear. She reeled back, hitting her head against the mast and sliding down it in a daze, her inky armor retreating a bit at both blows.

Father wasted no time, running around the mast. Queen blinked once, looking after him in confusion. Then he rounded it, and the chain he was pulling went taut, pulling her back against the mast, pinning her upper arms.

With a shriek, she tried to stand and pushed against the chain, putting space between her and the mast, the force stopping Father, nearly making him fall.

Baring teeth, the Queen shouted, "Jade is MINE!"

"No," Desire said, appearing from nowhere and punching Queen in the face. The Queen slumped, and Father resumed running around the mast, Hero grabbing ahold as well, the black chain pulling the Queen back flush against the mast, and more chain pressing against her with each round completed. Desire was twisting to avoid getting caught in the chains, but also checking every attempt by Queen to pull herself free.

The inky darkness evaporated, and Queen rouse from her semiconsciousness in a black kimono. Eyes widening, she looked down at herself — from just under her chest down to her waist, she was covered in chains holding her against the mast, her forearms and hands completely trapped under the mass of metal and her legs unchained but pressed to the deck as she was forced to sit.

Screaming, she raged against the chains, Hero watching as the ship shuddered and turned away from the maelstrom, Father at the helm. As the roar receded, the groaning of awakening Aspects rose, and before Hero's eyes, some of the decay and mist began to burn away. The tattered sky turned red on the horizon.

"Sunrise," Father declared, and stabbed the sword into the mast, nailing the loose end of the cain into place as the Queen's shrieking gave way to sobs as her struggles against the restraint ceased.

"When did you get here anyway?" Hero asked Desire, running a hand through his hair while she wiped her face off with a two-toned cloth.

X X X

No questions, no time, Jackie thought.

Jade.

There, held by Tarakudo, free hand on fire. Bad. He ran towards the enemy, realizing someone was struggling with the Oni King from behind.

Lo Pei? No, Jackie saw, as Left slammed the Red Mask into place.

The Shadowkhan skidded to a halt around Jackie, and one of them screamed. Jackie wasn't about to stop, but the flash of green blinded him.

Not a problem. He forced himself into the slide. Tarakudo was screaming now, that gave his position away. Jackie slammed into the screaming demon and gave a minimal nod to himself as the demon toppled. Forcing his eyes open, Jackie was surprised he could see clearly, despite the pain.

Green streams streaked out of the mask as Tarakudo convulsed, screaming, on his back. Jackie knew if they stood still, he would count one for each tribe of Shadowkhan. Tohru had said if they masked Tarakudo, they would win.

The final mask. Only this one, they needed to be put on.

Jade gasped, and Jackie's attention snapped to her, the Oni King forgotten despite his screams and the Oni Generals one by one being dragged overhead. Some silent, others spitting curses and despair.

To his shock, Jade was on the move, pulling herself across the floor by her claws toward Left, who lay bleeding and still nearby. Mindful of the beams overhead, Jackie rolled onto his stomach and went after her.

She reached the unmasked Shadowkhan; the distance was so short, after all. And began chanting, a pained whimper escaping her as black chi flowed out of her into the fallen Shadowkhan.

She was too weak, Jackie knew without needing to be told. She had been stabbed through and had been too weak to stand or even trade barbs with Tarakudo, and she wasn't stopping the spell.

When he pulled her away from Left, her grip was strong enough to tear the abused uniform of the inhuman ninja. She whimpered and struggled against him, then grew still.

There was only one screaming voice left, not counting the Lord of the Shadowkhan's cries, which were more animal than anything now. Jade and Jackie both looked up as Right, the new General Ryuk, was dragged through the air by a steam of burning green chi.

Jackie watched the scene play out. The Shadowkan reached for them, his eyes pleading. No, he was reaching for Jade. And the girl reached up toward him, hand held out toward his.

They were much too far apart to ever reach, and it was only a moment that passed. And then Right was gone, screams trailing in his wake as he was dragged into the mask with the other Generals of the Shadowkhan.

Right turned ghostly for moment, before he was dragged into the mask and the other tendrils seemed sated, withdrawing into the mask.

Tarakudo's body arched to a fresh scream, and cracked. Green and purple light leaked from him, along with fumes of black spewing out. Jackie covered Jade's eyes with his hands.

KRACKOOM

All the colors flashed, and the Shadowkhan drones burst apart from where they had been left. Jade spasmed in his arms and went limp.

With a clunk, the Red Mask of Tarakudo clattered to the ground next to Jackie, steam rising from it.

"I was so clossssee," the voice of Tarakudo whispered, fading away to nothing.

Jackie let himself slump, only stiffening a bit, recalling Left was right there. Poking the Khan with his foot, he was glad Jade's minion did not respond.

Footsteps broke the quiet, and Jackie sat up to see Section 13 getting to their feet, and those down but awake looking around warily. No cheers or anything; it had all just changed in a moment, after all.

It was Tohru who was walking. He looked like he should be lying down if anyone did, with two black eyes forming and other injuries marked by his torn clothes. He seemed able to ignore it all, reaching Jackie and giving the two Chans a smile. Jackie glanced down at Jade and was saddened she had not miraculously become human again to warrant that smile.

Kneeling and showing stiffness now, Tohru picked the final mask up in one hand.

"It's over," Tohru declared, his voice carrying.

Now they started cheering.


Author's Note:

And so Queen Jade's quest for power comes to an end. Within and without, the war has ended. But there will be no return to the status quo ante bellum. The storm has passed but it remains to be seen what will rise from the wreckage, what will endure, what is lot, and how will things grow and change in the newly rearranged landscape.

The final chapter of this story as we see the dust settle and the shape of things to come as well as what will be: "Never The Same Again".

Notes on that will also include the thoughts I have given to approach stories in this timeline after my experience with this huge fic.