Book Five

Chi

Chapter 19

Dance with the Devil

It'd been half an hour now since Jinora's close call with the Chi Eater, and Korra was itching for a fight.

In the short amount of time since Mako gave the call, Air Temple Island had sprung to life, acting as the de facto base of operations for the planned raid on Ryuuki's penthouse. Shortly after her condition stabilized, Jinora passed out, and Tenzin put out an emergency bulletin for any and all nearby Airbenders to reconvene on the island and prepare to assist the Avatar and the police with the apprehension of the Chi Eater. Though they were understandably confused, they nevertheless obliged, and airbenders now swarmed the island in droves.

In effect, Air Temple Island had become something of an airbender fortress. While a few of those airbenders would join Korra and the others in apprehending Ryuuki, the majority of them had been ordered to remain on the island and to be on high alert, under the command of Daw and Bumi. While Jinora rested with her mother and the acolytes, their job would be to protect her. Tenzin had assigned as many airbenders as he felt it would take to take on the Chi Eater should he decide to change his mind and attack the island to finish Jinora off.

Tenzin himself was not included in this number, however. After what he'd done to his daughter, Ryuuki had made this personal, so Tenzin had decided to join Korra, Mako, and Bolin in fighting the Chi Eater. It was not a decision he made lightly. He wanted with every fiber of his being to stay behind and make sure his little girl was safe. But he knew that the best way for him to do that would be to make sure Ryuuki was apprehended. He had no clue that Korra had no intention of taking him in alive.

For Korra, too, this battle was personal. While her friends put together a battle plan, she stood against the wall with her arms crossed, impatiently tapping her foot. It was taking all of her self control to not storm out of here and face Ryuuki alone. She had more than enough reason to. From Rin to Jinora, she'd come to hate the Chi Eater in a way that she hadn't felt since Zaheer. But somehow, this was even worse. Zaheer tried to take everything away from Korra, but Ryuuki had actually done it.

To Korra, her very identity as the Avatar was on the line here. This fight wasn't just about justice, or revenge, or necessity, it was about honor. If she failed to take Ryuuki down now, she felt as though she may never get hers back. He couldn't be allowed to escape. He had to go down, hard.

Korra looked to Mako. She'd be counting on him for the entirety of the police's presence in the raid. Lin had left him in charge while she conferred with President Raiko, and she had yet to arrive on the island herself. Korra hoped she would show up soon, but in the meantime, Mako was more than holding his own. He took charge of the situation with ease, and was coordinating with the precinct over the phone and by radio to make sure Ryuuki's entire block was cleared of civilians. Once he'd confirmed a perimeter had been set up and an APB was out for Ryuuki's arrest, Mako gave her a thumbs up.

One step closer to actually getting out of here and kicking that bastard's ass, Korra thought. She'd been restless from the start, but the longer this took, the worse she felt. She could practically feel Ryuuki taunting her from here. She knew he'd still be there waiting no matter how long she took, but she genuinely wanted to get this over with. She was more than ready to put this whole Chi Eater mess behind her.

"Korra!"

Asami's voice pierced the sea of a dozen others surrounding her and Korra's train of thought came to a screeching halt. She hadn't called Asami to the island. She hadn't filled her in on any of this. What was she doing here?

Her answers would have to wait. Before Korra could ask her anything, Asami had pulled her into a tight hug, planting a soft and not at all unwelcome kiss on her cheek. She grabbed hold of her Avatar's hands on instinct, rubbing them with her thumb to try and calm Korra down. She could only imagine how much must have been running through her head right now.

Korra noticed she was wearing her Equalist glove. Korra's heart sank at the realization.

"Bolin called me and told me what was going on… I can't believe Ryuuki is the Chi Eater…"

Korra frowned. She'd have to have a talk with Bolin about this later. She had fully intended on leaving Asami out of this, but now she knew she'd insist on coming with her. "I didn't want you to be a part of this," she freely admitted. "I wish you'd stayed at Future Industries and Bolin never told you about any of this."

Now it was Asami's turn to frown. "Korra,"

"I know. I can't stop you from involving yourself now, but… Asami, I'm really scared this time. And angry. You don't know what he's done to me. I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Korra."

"He's killed me before, Asami. Easily. I know you're better than me when we're sparring, but this is-"

"Korra, I know," Asami interrupted, "I know. This is different. It's always different."

"Then you know why I don't want you to come with me. He's already threatened you. He's already threatened everybody I love. If I can't stop him, I… I don't know what's going to happen. But if you come with me, and he kills you, I don't think I'd be able to take it. I'm not strong enough."

"I know. But I didn't come here to argue with you. I came here to support you. I'm a member of Team Avatar, too. I'm your fiancee, for spirits' sake. You know I can handle myself. But I'm worried about you. Especially if he's killed you before. That's all the more reason I should be there, to have your back."

Korra swallowed hard. "He's done this before, too. Killed the person I love right in front of me. It completely broke me in that life."

"That's not going to happen again. I promise."

Korra pulled Asami into another hug. If she were being honest, she didn't have it in her to fight with her right now. Truthfully, she appreciated her support and having her here with her. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Korra could feel the stormy seas of her mind begin to calm in Asami's presence. "Okay," she agreed. "Okay. I am glad you're here. I've had a really bad day." Korra buried her face in her fiancee's shoulder.

"You can tell me all about it when we get home. Right now, we should get ready for the fight."

"I've been ready. If it weren't for your voice in my head, I'd have run off and faced him alone hours ago."

"See? This is why I need to be here. You're completely hopeless without me," Asami joked.

Much to even her own surprise, Korra laughed. "Maybe I am," she admitted. But her smile quickly faded. She couldn't bare to keep it from Asami. Korra had to tell her what she was planning. "Asami, I'm going to kill him. Ryuuki. That's the only way this can end for good. Ryuuki has to die." Though she said it with such guilt and every expectation that Asami would disagree, Korra was surprised to find her girlfriend nodding along with her decision.

"Okay. If you really think so, then I trust you. I know you wouldn't say that unless it were true."

Somehow, that just made Korra feel even guiltier. "I-"

"Korra, Asami, we're ready." Mako interrupted.

Korra turned and looked around. She'd been so preoccupied with Asami, she hadn't noticed that her friends had finally finished preparations. Mako, Bolin and Tenzin were all looking to her now. "What about Lin?" she asked.

"She's not going to be able to make it; Raiko won't let her out of his sight. He's convinced Ryuuki is going to come for him." Mako explained.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me…" Korra groaned, rolling her eyes.

"She's going to be sending Suyin for support instead. She's going to meet up with us just outside the perimeter, along with some of her best Metalbenders."

"Then that's going to have to be enough." Korra said. "Tenzin, have you decided who's coming with us for air support?"

"I am," Kai interrupted, inserting himself into the situation whether Korra or Tenzin wanted him there or not. "He hurt Jinora. I'm not going to let him get away with that."

"I was going to have Ryu assist. He's one of our best," Tenzin said, glancing in Kai's direction. "but so is Kai. The two of them should be enough."

Korra thought for a moment. They were good, but… if Ryuuki made a break for it, she wasn't sure if they'd be able to stop him. Not alone. As much as she may have hated to admit it, she was going to need Opal's help with this one. "Include Opal, too. She's better than both of them combined, and you and I both know it."

"I'm standing right here you know," Kai pouted.

"Sorry, Kai, but Opal's kind of a natural," Korra apologized. Kai just crossed his arms and harrumphed.

"Are you sure?" Tenzin asked. "I know you two aren't on the best of terms right now."

"I'm sure. I trust her."

Tenzin nodded. "I'll go let her know then," he said, leaving the group to go do just that.

Now it was just Korra, Asami, Mako, and Bolin. Team Avatar back together again. Korra sighed. "Guys, I know you're all probably tired of hearing me say this by now, but… you don't have to come with me. I don't want any of you to get hurt." Korra spared a glance in Asami's direction. "Especially you."

"Korra, come on. We're Team Avatar. We're with you to the end of the line." Mako said.

"Yeah, there's no way we're letting you take this guy on alone! He can't stop all four of us!" Bolin added on.

"Have a little faith in us. We've got your back." Asami requested.

Korra smiled. She was lucky to have them. All of them. Knowing that if anything went wrong, this might be the last time they were all together like this, Korra pulled all three of them in to a big group hug. She couldn't shake the feeling something terrible was going to happen. She wanted to savor this time with them while it lasted. "Thanks, guys," she sniffed. "I love you. All of you."

"We love you too." Mako said.

As their hug came to an end, Korra grabbed hold of Asami's hand and took one last look at her friends. "Let's go take down the Chi Eater."

By the time Korra and the others arrived on Oogi, the entire three block radius around Ryuuki's apartment complex had been cleared out and barricaded off. There were no less than three RCPD airships encircling the area, and assault-ready Metalbenders stood with Suyin just outside the perimeter, waiting for their arrival.

As Korra helped her fiancee off the bison's back, she noticed Saikhan was back on the beat again about half way between her group and Suyin's. Apparently he'd been managing things here in Lin and Mako's absence. Her expression immediately soured at the sight. "This guy again. Is the RCPD really this short-staffed?" she asked.

"I know you might not like him much, but Saikhan is pretty competent, Korra. Back in the day, he was one of our best. But yeah, we really are that short-staffed. There's nobody else who can manage an operation like this aside from the chief." Mako explained.

"And you, apparently," Saikhan said, walking up to Korra and Mako before handing the latter his portable radio. Apparently, he'd overheard their commentary. Korra felt no need to apologize, though. "I was told to transfer command over to you once you arrived on scene. This shitshow's yours now, kid. I'm out."

"What? Just like that?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, just like that. Lin apparently has more faith in your friend than she does in me."

"What do I have to work with?" Mako asked.

"All told, you have about 30 Metalbenders across three airships ready to deploy at your command. The perimeter is being held by rookie beat cops, and you have an elite team of 7 additional Metalbenders waiting with Beifong's sister; imports from Zaofu, mostly. But they're the best we've got. I'm assuming you've already factored in your team of benders as well, and the additional support of the Airbenders you brought along?"

"I have. I don't know what to expect once we get up there, but with any luck this will be enough. This guy can apparently go toe-to-toe with Avatars."

Saikhan raised an eyebrow, peering over Mako's shoulder at Korra. She appeared to have stopped listening at some point during his explanation though, as she was now talking with Bolin and Asami about something or another. "Well, if this isn't enough, I don't think anything will be. It's all we can afford."

"Then I'll just have to make it work. Thanks, Saikhan."

"Whatever. Good luck, kid. I'm going back to my retirement." Saikhan said, walking past Mako and his group and heading back for his Satomobile. "Spirit monsters and mover stars… sheesh. Things were so much simpler in my time..." he complained, continuing to mumble to himself as he left the scene.

Attaching the radio he'd been handed to his back, Mako surveyed the scene. All this was really his to command then, huh? He wasn't sure if he was up to the task, but, he'd managed so far, so he may as well give it a shot. It was time to be a leader. "Ryu, Opal, Kai," he began, the three airbenders' heads perking up at their names. Until now, they'd been huddled around Tenzin and Oogi, waiting for orders from whoever was in charge. As of now, that was Mako. "Each of you pick an airship and stick with it. If Ryuuki tries to make a break for it, it'll be up to you three to take him down. You'll each have about ten Metalbenders backing you up."

"I'd rather be up there with you guys than on the reserve team," Kai complained, crossing his arms. And by that he meant he wanted to take revenge for Jinora, Mako presumed.

"You're more than just a reserve team. If anything goes wrong, you'll be on the front lines, same as us. You're more needed out here than in there." Mako explained.

"Fine." Kai conceded. "But I'm taking the big one." Opening his wingsuit, Kai took for the skies, headed for the airship that looked biggest to him.

"Which one's supposed to be 'the big one'? They're all the same size…" Ryu remarked, taking off shortly after him.

Opal meanwhile spared a brief glance in Korra's direction before she took off. She was still talking with Asami and Bolin, and she wasn't about to interrupt them. She was just glad Korra trusted her enough to let her be here. After lingering for a couple of seconds, she, too, took off for an airship.

"Bolin, Korra, Asami," Mako called, the three's conversation cutting short as they were called back to attention. "Are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Korra confirmed.

Mako nodded. "Then let's go meet up with Suyin and get this show on the road."

"Aye aye, captain," Korra grinned, happily following Mako's lead. Asami, Bolin, and Tenzin were not very far behind.

Up until now, Suyin had been talking with her metalbenders. Since they were originally from Zaofu, here in the city to help with the relief efforts, she knew all seven of them personally, and was making sure they were all up to the task. Each and every one of them were dressed in armor from Zaofu and fitted with the signature cables of Republic City's metalbending officers. Once she noticed Mako's and the others' approach though, she and her group quieted down. She'd seen him arrive a few minutes earlier, and had already been informed by her sister that he would be in charge of the operation, so if he was coming to her now, he must've been ready to go.

"Are we good to go, then?" Suyin asked.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Just waiting for your orders. How are we going to do this?"

Mako thought for a moment, putting his thumb and index finger to his chin. How were they going to do this? Their formation was going to be important if they were going to subdue Ryuuki quickly. Obviously, he'd want Korra at the very front, she was the best muscle they had, but after that…

"Okay. Korra, you'll be up at the front of our group. Bolin and I will take up position right behind you. Suyin, you, Tenzin and Asami will be behind Bolin and I, and will be tasked with watching our backs. And as for your Metalbenders, I want the seven of them and Korra formed around the five of us."

Suyin and the others all nodded in agreement, and the group of thirteen took up position as instructed, a wall of metalbenders spearheaded by the Avatar forming the 'outer layer' with Mako and the others in the center. Mako then reached for his portable radio to give orders to his air support. "All officers be at the ready. Do not breach the building under any circumstances unless I give the signal. If the target escapes at any point, subdue him immediately – use of deadly force is authorized. The Chi Eater is not to leave this building unless it's in chains."

"Yes sir!"

With that, they were ready to storm the building. "Let's move."

With Korra leading the charge, the group made their way down the street and through the building Ryuuki currently called home, making their way up to the fifteenth floor via the stairs. The entire floor was a single massive penthouse suite which the mover star had been renting out all month, and while there was an elevator that went up to it, it would've proven more dangerous. The doors would've opened up to the center of the suite as opposed to the hall just outside it, leaving them cornered as soon as they arrived.

The march up the stairs was long, but with all the adrenaline pumping through their veins, not very tiring. Eventually though, they made it, exiting the stairwell to a long, carpeted hall. The carpet had been imported from the Fire Nation, and high quality reproductions of famous artworks from all four nations adorned the walls leading down to a single set of beautiful mahogany doors. The artwork had all been hand-picked by Ryuuki, and at their end of the hall, a clock hung above the doorway, its tick the only sound beside their racing hearts.

Silently they made their way down the hall, which felt like it stretched on for miles. But in only a couple moments, they had arrived at their destination, stopping in front of those two large doors. Everybody's focus shifted to Korra now. She would be the one to breach the room and begin the fight. And Korra was feeling unusually nervous.

Swallowing the lump that'd formed in her throat, Korra breathed deeply. She could do this. With a single mighty kick, Korra broke down the doors and her group of friends and metalbenders stormed the Chi Eater's apartment.

"Ryuuki Ayatsurishi, you're under arrest!" Mako proclaimed.

There, in front of them, the Chi Eater sat quietly with his back to the lot of them, reading a book they couldn't make out. He was seated in front of the main balcony, the one with the best view of the Spirit Portal, and its light was the only illumination in the room aside from the search lights of the airships. As his doors fell loudly to the floor, Ryuuki calmly turned the page.

"Good evening, officers. Something I can do for you?" he asked, paying the lot of them no mind whatsoever. He never looked away from his book.

"Cut the bullshit, Ayatsurishi. We know who you are." Suyin sneered.

"Well now, if that were true, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?" Ryuuki turned another page. "I suggest you leave while I'm still giving you the chance."

"We have you surrounded," Korra said. "It's over."

"Ah, Avatar Korra, how nice to see you again. How's Jinora?"

"Don't you dare say her name!"

Ryuuki shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Tenzin. And here I thought you were supposed to be a pacifist. Do you want to hurt me? Do you think you can?"

"That's enough – Ryuuki, you are under arrest under the authority of the United Republic and the RCPD. Surrender yourself now and come quietly." Mako demanded, stepping forward. As soon as he lifted his foot however, Ryuuki snapped his book closed, and the detective froze. Ryuuki placed the book on a small table beside him.

"I always knew there was a chance I'd be found out eventually. Honestly, I thought it'd have been sooner. Perhaps at the premiere, or after I healed your arm for you. You're welcome for that, by the way," Ryuuki taunted, still not turning his head to face any of his would-be captors. Mako grit his teeth. "Still, I tried to put on quite the show for you all. I wanted you all to think you were heroes – the legendary benders who stopped the big bad Chi Eater. But you were more persistent than I'd hoped. That little Airbender girl, especially."

"You almost killed her." Tenzin seethed.

"Oh please. Do you really think I'm somebody to only do something half way? If I'd wanted Jinora dead, she'd be dead. All I really wanted to do was send a message: 'This is what will happen if you keep sticking your noses where they don't belong'." Ryuuki sighed. "As it happens, a previous Avatar and I had reached an agreement about my particular lifestyle. I'd been hoping Korra would be wise enough to consider sustaining that arrangement, but it seems I overestimated her."

"You may have manipulated one of my past lives, but not me. I'm Korra, the new first Avatar. Whatever arrangement you had with me in the past no longer stands."

"Strong words. But that's all they are. Compared to me, you're all bark and no bite." Ryuuki folded his hands in front of him. "I've been keeping a close eye on you, you know – all of you. Anybody who happens to enter into the Avatar's life is as much my business as the Avatar is. Consider it insurance. That means I already know what each and every one of you is capable of. I know what you've done in the past, and I watched you all closely when you fought with my pet. Especially you, Korra. You're strong, yes, but you're nowhere near skilled enough to take me on without the Avatar State, and I'm afraid that after what your uncle did to you, what you have left with you and Raava just won't be enough."

Korra's glare hardened. So he knew about Raava then.

"Then clearly you haven't been paying close enough attention." Asami asserted.

"Oho, if it isn't the beautiful Ms. Sato. Your fiancee actually let you tag along? Either she's stupid, confident, or has completely forgotten what happened the last time her fiancee and I were in the same room."

Korra clenched her teeth and her fists, and Asami glanced in her direction. But Korra didn't meet her gaze.

"That's right… what was her name again? Akane? Such a shame, she was such a talented bender. Honestly though, I think it was kind of hilarious in retrospect. I had it all set up so that when Avatar Rin tried to kill me, she ended up killing her lover instead. You should've seen the look on her face. It was priceless." Ryuuki laughed. Asami staggered back at that remark. She hadn't been around such evil in quite a long time.

"That's not going to happen this time." Korra reassured, finally looking over in Asami's direction. As soon as their eyes met, Asami's confidence returned to her, and she stood tall once again.

Ryuuki hummed. It seemed they emboldened each other. "If you say so," he supposed, unclasping his hands and placing them back down on the arms of his chair. "I really did do my best to avoid all this and make you all my friends. I thought we were having fun there, for a while. Honestly, I've compromised so much for all of you, and still you choose to treat me like a criminal."

"I've heard enough of this garbage. It's over, Ryuuki. Stand down." Suyin demanded, raising her hand. All seven of her metalbenders reflexively shifted into a battle stance. They were ready to move on her command.

"Oh, but it's only just begun, Ms. Beifong. Now that I have you all here, I can teach you all a lesson in person. In this world, I am the one at the top of the food chain. You all exist at my leisure and my leisure only. The forty-six of you are only still alive out of the kindness and the honor of my heart." Forty-six? Did he know about the airbenders and how many cops were in the airships, too?

"If you want to 'take me in' or 'take me down', you're all welcome to try. But know this: as soon as you do, any hope of mercy goes out the window, along with about half of the people in this room." Ryuuki warned. "So… what shall it be?"

It was one of Suyin's metalbenders who acted first.

Maybe he was scared, reacting on impulse before thinking ahead. Maybe he'd misjudged, taking Suyin's lowered head as the signal to move. Maybe he saw something, a subtle movement his way meant to prompt him to act. Whatever the case may have been, the singular metalbender released the first cable, and with the throwing of the first punch, opened the lid on Pandora's Box.

As the cable pierced the air with speed and with power, Ryuuki reacted faster than any thought possible, lifting himself up with the strength of his arms and flipping himself over the back of his chair. But he never released his grip on its arms, pulling the chair with him as he flipped and throwing it with the added momentum of his spinning body. The move had been choreographed so that the cable that'd been sent his way would dig into the chair as opposed to Ryuuki's arm, and when he let go of the furniture to throw it at the Avatar now directly in front of him, the cable had snagged in its frame and pulled the officer along for the ride.

Korra reacted quickly, a decisive step forward and an uppercut creating a powerful updraft to sent the chair into the ceiling as opposed to her face. But she'd failed to account for the metalbender, who was pulled along for the ride, and while he was suspended in mid-air, Ryuuki attacked, swinging his leg high above his head and then driving it down in a curtain of blue flame. A mighty axe kick which collided with the poor man's back, snapping it with a sickening crack as his armor was crumpled and he was driven into the floor. Ryuuki had killed him in a single blow. Only a second had passed, and already, he'd taken his first victim.

While Suyin cried out the man's name in horror, Ryuuki inhaled like a surfacing sea dragon, swallowing air and conjuring more fire he expelled from his mouth in a mighty blue blaze.

Suyin and her benders bent the metal of their armors to create a buffer to protect them, while Korra and the others were forced to dive out of the way. Some dove to the ground, like Mako and Tenzin, while others hid behind furniture, like Bolin and Asami. Asami in particular had taken cover in the penthouse's kitchen, behind the counter that separated it from the foyer, while Bolin dove behind a couch. Korra meanwhile was left to fend somewhat for her self, the most open and vulnerable bender in the room with her position in the center. At first she tried to counter him with flames of her own, but they were consumed without much fanfare, forcing her to get low to the ground instead.

For those who chose to defend, they found Ryuuki's flames hotter than they'd expected, their armor turned red and semi-molten with the intensity of his blaze. But, since the contact was brief, they could cool the metal back down with the use of their bending. Returning it to their bodies and preparing to attack, Ryuuki flashed a cocky smile as they made another mistake: underestimating their enemy. Though they couldn't have known the full extent of his strength, when all six benders fired their cables to try and restrain Ryuuki's arms, he made no attempt to avoid their lashing and latching, welcoming them in with sadistic excitement.

When the cables wrapped tight and pulled his arms out to restrain him, he pulled all six of the benders down with a show of sheer force, the strength of his body far beyond that of an ordinary human. Like a one-sided game of tug-of-war, he'd caught them unaware, and as he spun around, he swung the men and women around like wrecking balls, forcing Suyin to duck for cover while her metalbenders screamed in confusion.

With his eyes set on the glass that comprised most of his eastern wall, the fates of the six were decided as Ryuuki discharged waves of lightning without any of the normal prerequisite movements, the electrical charge running up the steel cables and shocking the lot of them. Stunned, their grips on him were loosened, and they were released into – no, through the glass, where they would fall a full fifteen stories and presumably to their deaths. Their muscles would not respond as Ryuuki's lightning coursed through them, their screams their only resistance as they fell out of view. It hadn't even been a minute yet, and he'd already kept his promise. Half of them had gone out the window.

The core group could only watch this unfold in horror, none of them able to manage any sort of counter that wouldn't have threatened the officers as well. But perhaps none were as angry as Suyin seemed to be. With the purest rage on her face, she moved her arms to try and return the favor, only for two mighty blasts of air to zip past her on her right and left, leaving her movements incomplete. In an unusual change of pace, it seemed that Tenzin had taken the initiative, reacting with fury and with purpose behind his brow.

Ryuuki's grin only widened as Tenzin air wheeled past Suyin and kept the pressure on him, firing blast after blast as he drew closer, forcing the Chi Eater to stagger and dance with the currents to avoid the bone-shattering pockets. An angry airbender was as rare as they were dangerous, but in Ryuuki's opinion, that was what made them so fun to hunt. He happily encouraged the old master to continue, drawing his ire with taunts about Jinora and counters that were half-hearted at best.

Of course, before long, Tenzin wasn't the only one attacking, and Mako and Korra provided support in the form of blasts of fire to accompany Tenzin's air. They were aiming to the right and left of Tenzin respectively so that he wouldn't be caught, but their flames had no effect on Ryuuki as he seemed to simply wave them away without any effort. Still, they continued to firebend, trying to keep up the pressure and overwhelm him, but the flames licked his skin like a polar bear dog pup, tickling and harmless and completely under his control whether they wanted them to be or not. Compared to Korra and Mako, as a firebender, Ryuuki was simply in a league of his own.

But Tenzin was undeterred by this, keeping up his assault. If the flames wouldn't work, then his air surely would, and he would keep Ryuuki dancing backwards until he was backed into a wall. But before he could seal the deal and lock the Chi Eater into the corner he'd been driving him toward, Ryuuki flipped up and forward through the air, boosting his leap with his firebending so that he'd be propelled right over Tenzin's head, forcing the airbender to create a cushion and buffer himself before he hit the wall.

Bolin and Suyin reacted quickly enough, bending tile from the floor and metal from her armor respectively as they tried to hammer away at him before he landed, but whatever didn't miss him was countered with blue bursts from his fists that killed just enough momentum that they were rendered harmless. The heat of his flames were a problem, and so were their explosive properties. There was no doubt about it – Ryuuki's firebending was on a whole other level.

Mako in particular had never seen anything quite like him. Though they shared a penchant for lightningbending, their skills were simply incomparable. But their shared lightning gave him an idea, so when Ryuuki hit the ground and prepared to find his next target, Mako conjured his lightning and hoped to put a stop to this quickly. But, ever the one to surprise, Ryuuki was undeterred, taking the bolts fury whole and channeling it through his left arm, up through his shoulder, down through his stomach, and then out his right arm and right into Suyin, who had been coming at him from his left with metal blades made from her wrist guards.

This forced her to change tactics, and instead of following through with her cut-and-gut approach, Suyin instead reshaped those blades into a circular buffer in front of her that would absorb the electrical blow. But, the blind spot it created let Ryuuki pop off a firebending side kick right into her abdomen, his foot striking her body with all the force of a saber tooth moose lion, leaving her armor dented and Suyin herself lying winded on the floor.

Mako was in awe at the fluidity of his motions, and while he struggled to follow up with something, anything effective, Korra, Bolin, and Tenzin prepared to attack Ryuuki from all sides with their native elements, with Korra drawing water from a pouch on her backside.

This was a situation that could quickly become ugly, Ryuuki reasoned, so he figured it was time to use one of the aces up his sleeves. A simple snap of his fingers would be all it would take to split the combatants in half and turn the tides in his favor.

"Mako!" Bolin cried out, his brother suddenly screaming out in pain. Everybody's focus shifted to him now, collapsed on the ground with bright blue flames engulfing his entire left arm. The heat was unbearable. Mako tried snuffing it out with his own firebending, but the flames would not bend for him.

"What?!" Korra yelped, whipping her head in Mako's direction.

Bolin immediately dropped his guard and ran to his brother's aide, using his jacket to try and smother the flames, but that wasn't working very well either. What did Ryuuki just do? Korra wanted to go and help, but in the second she'd taken to look away out of fear for Mako's life, Ryuuki was on top of her, and she was unable to move.

"Pay attention!" he demanded, just a few feet from her face. Korra rushed to counter, but she wasn't quick enough – Ryuuki's blow was going to hit.

Or, it would have, if Asami hadn't intervened. Ryuuki clicked his tongue, forced to retreat as the non-bender of the group came in with a series of jabs from his left. Her Equalist Glove was active and she'd tried to land a clean hit on his shoulder, but he avoided her with relative ease. Ryuuki made note of the speed and precision with which she delivered her blows, strike after strike succeeding the failed opening blow to keep him on his toes.

Asami was no slouch at hand-to-hand, that much was obvious. Even if she couldn't bend, she could prove to be an issue later on if he didn't take care of her quick, especially if she kept him busy while somebody else backed her up. But how would Ryuuki get rid of her? As he hopped and skipped back to avoid her gloved jabs, now reinforced with Tenzin's continued air blasts, and he watched the airbender pause to gather air for a more powerful corkscrew attack, Ryuuki found his answer.

Suddenly, Ryuuki stopped moving, deciding to stand his ground instead and engaging Asami in a brief exchange of blows. He was impressed with her power and skill, even as he deflected each strike. In fact, if he were being honest, he was having fun. Just as he parried her attacks, she was parrying his, and his smile grew wider and wider as he ramped up the speed and she managed to keep up. If this kept up, he might actually be challenged by her, provided this was their sole means of combat.

But as Tenzin finished preparing his attack and released his corkscrew, Ryuuki stopped playing games and grabbed hold of Asami's arm, yanking her forward while he stepped back in a surprise motion. Now, she was the one in Tenzin's cross-hairs, not Ryuuki. By the time Tenzin realized this however, it was already too late.

"Asami!" Korra cried, Tenzin's eyes going wide as Asami was sent spinning through the air. That should've been Ryuuki, who was now giggling at the sight of her colliding with his fridge with an undignified thud.

Asami grunted in pain, sliding to the ground and clutching her left side. Nothing was broken as far as she could feel, but she was definitely bruised. She thanked the spirits Tenzin had only intended that attack to knock Ryuuki off his feet, not kill him. If he'd been really serious, that could've ended a lot worse for her.

For a brief moment, Korra was conflicted. Did she go help Mako who was still suffering with that blue fire, or did she tend to her girlfriend to make sure she was okay? Thankfully, the recently recovered Suyin came to Asami's aide, taking the decision out of Korra's hands.

"Korra, we could use some waterbending over here!" Bolin reminded.

Though she was frustrated she couldn't do more, what with Ryuuki running in to launch a follow up attack on her grounded fiancee, Korra left her fate in hers and Suyin's hands. Mako needed her. Now, she was pulling the water from her pouch she'd initially intended to hit Ryuuki with to tend to him.

Meanwhile, Suyin was helping Asami to her feet. "Can you still fight?" Though she winced, Asami claimed yes, and looked around for a way to turn the situation to her advantage. Ryuuki was a formidable fighter and he was closing in fast – if she was going to do something, she'd have to be equally quick about it. For a brief moment, her eyes settled on the chandelier in the center of the room before Ryuuki appeared in front of her and obstructed her view.

He was already on top of her with daggers of blue fire forged in his hands, and he was going in for the kill. Simultaneously, Suyin was going for an opportunity to cut through his neck before he could get any closer, bending the armor around her arm to extend her blade as he closed in on Asami. For a moment, it looked as though Ryuuki was going to risk the blow to get a solid hit in on Asami when more air blasts from Tenzin forced him to retreat at the last possible instant, the Chi Eater lurching backwards and then jumping out of the way.

Just like before, Tenzin was directly on top of him, air wheeling around again while firing blast after blast with the intent of trying to tire Ryuuki out with his constant dodging around the room. This was a strategy that could get really old really quick, but if that was how Tenzin wanted to do this, then Ryuuki was happy to play along. It was probably for the best he took Tenzin out first, anyway, given he was the one with the most skill and range of those still alive.

"Gee, Tenzin, you sure are angry today! Did I do something to piss you off?" Ryuuki taunted, drawing the master's ire. His air blasts became bigger and more powerful as Tenzin started to lose his composure. But Ryuuki looked as though he were having the time of his life, practically dancing as he twirled around every attack, circling around as though he were an airbender himself. At the same time, Ryuuki was circling his arms, building up power for his next move.

When the electricity danced from his fingertips and he shot lightning at the oncoming airbender, Tenzin deftly broke to his right and out of the way, the far wall being struck with Ryuuki's arc while his eyes followed Tenzin around the room. Though he'd managed to dodge, his move had been anticipated, and Ryuuki had led him into something of a trap.

When he pressured and pushed the Chi Eater back, Tenzin had been led along so that by the time he attacked, he metalbender whose back Ryuuki had broken was sprawled out to his right, and the lightning to his left would prevent any retreat. This meant his only course of action would be to jump over the dead man and break right, and this was what Ryuuki had been counting on.

While Tenzin may have thought he'd be safe from another bolt of lightning so quickly, another bolt of lightning was exactly what he got, another arc from Ryuuki's fingertips leaping across the room and into Tenzin's chest. Before Tenzin could wonder how he'd managed the feat or squeeze out another dodge, his heart would come to an abrupt stop, and he fell to the floor twitching and unconscious. Though his heart would soon restart, the master airbender remained grounded, a large burn on his chest and back and his threat neutralized for the remainder of the battle.

"Tenzin!" Korra cried, momentarily distracted from helping Mako as he hit the ground. She hoped against hope that he was okay, but was still preoccupied with those flames around Mako's arm, flames which were spreading and refusing to go out even when up against her healing water. "Damn it!" she cursed. This wasn't working. Waterbending wasn't working! But why? She briefly considered trying to firebend it away, but figured Mako must've already tried that.

Then, it hit her. Ryuuki was an energybender. He must've healed Mako's arm with his energybending. So Korra quickly switched gears, trying to energybend the flames away instead. And, just as she'd hoped, the flames responded. This was an energybending attack, and she could feel how it was working with a cursory touch. Ryuuki had willingly embedded some of his energy in Mako's arm, and activated it when he snapped his fingers. To counter this, Korra pulsed some of her own energy through Mako's arm instead, forcing Ryuuki's out of it and snuffing out the flames in the process.

Mako groaned and gripped his arm out of reflex, fresh burns marking his already damaged skin, but he was alive. Bolin breathed a sigh of relief, but the comfort was short-lived as Ryuuki bent more flames into his penthouse suite, furniture catching fire as he was now engaged in a close-quarters battle with Asami and Suyin.

While Suyin jabbed at him with her blades, Asami tried to get him with her glove, one of them hoping to land some sort of blow as the Chi Eater danced with them on the other side of the room. He weaved out of the way with some attacks and reacted with short bursts of fire to others, forcing the two to avoid him instead.

With Mako taken care of and Asami under attack, Korra sprang back into action, pulling the water from her pouch along with her and sending it Ryuuki's way with the intent of freezing his arm.

Once again, Ryuuki clicked his tongue. She'd already figured out how to fix her ex, had she? The Chi Eater took the blow, his arm now encased in a layer of ice, but he quickly thawed it with his fire, pulling away from Suyin and Asami so he could engage the Avatar properly. He imagined she wasn't as good in close-quarters combat as her fiancee was, due in large part to her bending. So, he would face her up close and personally, closing the gap between them with inhuman speed.

Before he could test his hypothesis however, Korra sucker-punched him, an airbending haymaker straight to the face his only greeting. Korra had seen right through him, this time. Finally, they'd managed to hit him with something, and Ryuuki was sent hurdling back in Asami and Suyin's direction. The two of them immediately capitalized, one of them trying to stab him in the throat and the other trying to electrocute his chest before he could recover, but they were forced to retreat again by his firebending.

As he flew back, he'd thrown out his arms to send a blast of fire in both women's directions, ensuring they kept enough distance for him to land and wipe the blood Korra had drawn from his mouth. Ryuuki smirked. "All that for a drop of blood," he taunted. Just as his flames began to dissipate harmlessly into the air, Ryuuki moved again, lunging into a sprint back in Korra's direction. He seemed to be intent on going through with his original plan of cornering her in close-quarters combat.

This was when Bolin entered the fray. Turning the floor immediately in front of Ryuuki into lava with his bending, the Chi Eater was forced to adapt, changing from a sprint into a leap and then propelling himself further with his bending so he could make it over the pool of molten rock without incident. But, recognizing the trouble that an unoccupied lavabender could pose for him in the long run, he changed targets from Korra to Bolin and had aimed his leaping trajectory in the lavabender's direction.

Ryuuki led with a firebending feint, a blast of fire Bolin only barely managed to sidestep whose purpose was to distract him. His real goal was to get in close enough to place his hand on his chest. As soon as Ryuuki made contact, a tingling sensation would precede the pain. "Sleep," he commanded, a sudden pulse from his hand sending Bolin flying into the far wall and knocking him unconscious.

"Bolin!" Mako yelled. Though he was limited by his burns, he nevertheless managed a fireball with his non-damaged arm, hoping to do something to Ryuuki. But unfortunately for him, while the scale of his bending was impressive, his power was lacking, and his element was ineffective.

With just as much ease as he'd dismissed their earlier flames, Ryuuki did away with this blast without breaking a sweat, a swat of his arm all it took to quiet his rage and create a new opening. Mako instinctively went to follow up with his left arm, but froze from the shock of the pain, substituting with a kick in its place. But the gap between movements was enough for Ryuuki to get in close.

Ryuuki deflected his leg downward with one palm and then took him out of commission with the other, another open-handed strike to the chest and a pulse of chi all it took to send Mako, too, flying unconscious into a wall.

While Mako was flung backwards, Suyin charged in from Ryuuki's right, a brief close quarters exchange distracting him while Korra made the motions for an airbending attack. She had apparently cooled Bolin's lava with an earlier move so that Suyin could run across, and Asami had disappeared from view while he took out the two brothers, so Ryuuki knew she must've been planning to catch him off guard while Suyin distracted him. Alright then, that could be fun.

Suyin was an admirable fighter in this close-quarters setting. Her style was raw, but as sturdy as iron. He couldn't find any openings her armor didn't cover, and he knew that bending from this close would be mutually destructive at best. And it was clear from her movements that Suyin knew this too, because she followed him around without pause. Jab after jab paired with stab after stab, the blades from her wrists poised to cut and to pierce while his head bobbed this way and that… even if she was the distraction, that wasn't going to stop her from going in for the kill, it would seem.

Ryuuki admired her initiative and was intrigued by her style. Metalbending was still new and he'd yet to watch many masters, and the dance moves Suyin had managed to work into the art benefited her greatly. But he was as much keeping her busy as she was him.

While keeping her close, he was unable to attack Korra or Asami, true, but just the same, Korra couldn't attack him without fear of hitting Suyin. What's more, since Asami was a non-bender, she'd have to get in close to do any harm, meaning she'd probably be sneaking up from behind while Suyin occupied his front. So, letting Suyin keep up the pressure was the best thing he could do, as it would limit the Avatar while forcing her fiancee's hand.

But, ever the clever one, Asami had guessed that Ryuuki might see this coming, so rather than going in for a side tackle or a standard rear assault, she'd elected to take a more unique approach. One that actually managed to catch him off guard. When Asami finally made her presence known to him, it wasn't just from behind Ryuuki, but from above him!

It was a trap, and Ryuuki realized it too late. Suyin smirked as she backed away and Ryuuki was right where she and Asami had wanted him – beneath the chandelier. While Ryuuki was preoccupied, Asami had taken the cable from the lone metalbender he hadn't thrown outside, looping it around the light fixture so she could climb on top of it while she waited for Suyin to push him into place. Now, as the chandelier fell, it would hit Ryuuki dead-on, along with Asami still on top of it, who would be striking his head with an electrified strike from her Equalist Glove.

Or, that was the plan, anyway. In the last possible instant, Ryuuki escaped Asami's follow-up strike, though the broken glass and metal of the chandelier had managed to draw more blood. But his escape was less than composed, and he'd been left with a flimsy foundation. One Korra and Suyin quickly capitalized on, shifting the floor beneath his feet from below and pushing him into his back with a burst of air from above. Then, Korra leapt at the grounded Chi Eater and came down with the most powerful kick she could muster, shattering the floor beneath her as he just managed to roll out of the way. Damn it!

Ryuuki kicked up more fire with his legs and propped himself up on his hands now, maneuvering his body like a break dancer to force some distance as azure flames licked the air. This kept Korra, Suyin and Asami from drawing close while he righted himself and got back on his feet. Now, when the flames cleared and Asami and Suyin came at him in plain view, Ryuuki was ready.

He knew how to handle Suyin well enough, but the added attacks from Asami complicated matters. He was being fought by two people who clearly excelled in close combat, and the additional fighter from before meant he had to watch other angles and react that much faster. But, to the Chi Eater's advantage, their styles did not mix. The impression that he got was that Suyin held Asami back – there was no synergy between them like there was when she worked with Korra, so while Suyin went in for the kill with each and every blow, her fierceness and initiative cause Asami to fumble just often enough and just badly enough that he was still able to hold his own.

But once again, Asami was clever, and at her signal, Suyin withdrew. Ryuuki expected her to come in with that glove of hers now, or maybe a shard of glass from the chandelier, but he was surprised a second time when she withdrew as well, reaching into her pocket for something new. But before he could see what that was, Korra had attacked, capitalizing on the ladies' distance from Ryuuki to send three small blasts of fire his way.

Ryuuki narrowed his eyes. She knew this wasn't effective, so this must've been some sort of distraction, but he had no choice but to counter her unless he wanted to suffer some burns. So, he bent away her flames as Asami released her new toy: a small, spherical device which ignited with the flames he redirected from Korra, exploding almost instantly.

Asami had predicted his counter based on what she'd seen him do earlier in the battle, and had set him up for this the second she pulled back. It was a maneuver which had impressed him, but which was only partially a success. While he was hit by the shock wave and some shrapnel tore his clothes and cut into his flesh, he bent the flames of the explosion harmlessly around himself and used the danger it posed to create some more distance between him and the three women.

While Suyin and Asami took cover from the bombs and Korra pulled back her fist for an airbending attack, Ryuuki conjured lightning with his signature speed, forcing Korra to jump before she finish her punch or get hit by his electric.

Ryuuki kept her moving throughout the room with bolt after bolt after bolt until Korra dove for cover behind a counter, at which point Suyin was coming in from behind for another attack. But instead of firing at Korra with the last bolt he'd conjured, he turned around to meet the Beifong instead, aiming it square at her metal chest plate and electrocuting her from near point-blank range. Suyin was sent screaming and flying into one of the windows, cracking it but not breaking it, before falling to the floor, limp.

"Suyin!" Asami cried, but there was no response. She was unconscious now, like Mako, Bolin and Tenzin before her. Now, it was just her, Korra, and Ryuuki. In only a couple of minutes, he'd whittled their team of 13 down to 2.

"Looks like it's just you, me, and the Avatar now, little girl." Ryuuki taunted, taking a moment to limber up while Korra and Asami regrouped.

Asami furrowed her brow. "You say that like it's somehow good for you," she replied with some confidence, putting all that she had into just psyching herself up. It was her and Korra now. Her and Korra. They knew each other better than anyone else. Each of them knew exactly how the other one fought. They could do this, Asami thought. Together. They were the only ones who could.

"There were thirteen of you when you entered this room. Now, seven of you are dead and four more are unconscious. I don't think you and her alone are going to present any more of a challenge. The gulf between us is simply too great," Ryuuki reasoned, mockingly dusting some debris from his jacket.

"I don't get it. Why are you doing this? Why go through all this trouble?" Korra asked, taking up a defensive position next to her partner while there was a momentary lull in the action. She was going to protect that girl if it was the last thing she did. She swore on it.

"To prove a point, Korra. You were being unreasonable, so I had to show you what you were up against. I made sure to only kill the fodder, though. We haven't gotten to the part where I kill the ones you love one by one yet," Ryuuki said, shrugging off the lives of the seven metalbenders as if they weren't really worth anything. This only enraged Korra further.

"Fodder…!?" she snarled. But Ryuuki looked confused by her reaction.

"Weren't they, though? Your anger doesn't make any sense. Compared to your friends, they were nobodies."

"They were people! They had lives, families, dreams! Doesn't that mean anything to you!?"

"No." Korra's blood ran cold. Ryuuki stone cold did not care. "Honestly, Korra, I don't even know why you're bothering with me. It's not like I'm the next Amon, or Unalaq, or anything like that. I'm not even like Zaheer. I only want what everybody else wants – to live my life. And I'll do whatever it takes to do that, just like anyone."

"You murder innocent people." Asami pointed out.

"You say that as if I'm not above them. Do you chastise an otter penguin for swallowing a fish whole? No. That is simply the natural order of things. There are predators, and there are prey. Humans are used to thinking of themselves as the predators, but I'm so much more than human. To me, all you are is a meal – a way for me to perpetuate my existence. I have achieved what all life ultimately longs for. I have become immortal."

Asami shivered at his explanation. That was just… evil. She was beginning to understand why Korra said he had to die.

"So all mankind is just prey to you?" Korra asked.

"Well, I do prefer benders. Their chi is a bit more potent, you see. But ultimately? Yes." Ryuuki said with the utmost sincerity, his face completely straight. None of this seemed to bother him at all. "Does that upset you? Don't worry. I have no interest in driving your kind extinct. Far from it, in fact. I depend on you to exist. I depend on the Avatar, too, actually, just the same as everybody else. Why do you think I always knock you out of the Avatar State before I kill you? Why do you think I've been trying to make a deal with you? I recognize the importance of your role in guiding such a miserable species. Really, you should have no issue with me. I don't threaten your world or its balance. If anything, I play my own special part in preserving it."

Korra scoffed. He played a part in preserving balance? That was rich.

"You really think you're above it all, don't you?" Asami asked. "You don't even think of yourself as human anymore."

Ryuuki tilted his head to the right at this. "Aren't I, though? Above you? You in particular for sure, yes, but I mean all of humanity. Humans live such short, pitiful lives, struggling endlessly for the smallest of scraps from life's bounty, whereas I can live forever, and do whatever I may please. Benders have an edge over ordinary people like you, but I have an edge over benders. I may still look human, but make no mistake, I stopped being that a long, long time ago."

"So I've heard," Korra glowered.

"Ah yes, that's right, you met with Koh. I'm well aware of how much the Face Stealer detests me. But he's not wrong in what he considers me to be."

"And what's that?"

"More." Ryuuki stated simply. "I'm going to cut to the chase, Korra. I don't want to kill you. I don't even want to kill your friends. I don't want to have to take them apart piece by piece in front of you until you break down and beg me to stop, but if that's what you want me to do, then by all means, I will do it. What happens next is entirely up to you. Either you can let me go and pretend we never met, just like Avatar Rin before you, or you can suffer the consequences that come with threatening my life. The decision is yours."

Korra looked over at Asami and reflexively pulled her closer. While from Ryuuki's perspective it looked as though she were keeping her close out of fear or comfort, it served a more practical purpose too, as Korra ran a hand over her fiancee's ribs, assessing the damage from Tenzin's earlier attack. They'd been bruised, but not broken, and with the way she was throwing her punches with Suyin earlier on, it looked like her wrist had been sprained when Ryuuki pulled her along. With the slightest bit of water around her hand, Korra healed the bruising and the sprain with her bending while Ryuuki was none-the-wiser.

As her eyes met Asami's, she confirmed what she already knew – she didn't want to back down now. Neither did Korra. She'd come here to finish this, and that was exactly what she was going to do, no matter what. No matter how old and skilled he was, he was still just a firebender. She'd taken down countless other firebenders before him. If she played her cards right, with Asami by her side, this guy would be no different. Closing her eyes, Korra inhaled and exhaled deeply, turning her head to face Ryuuki with renewed resolve.

"No. You may think that you're no longer human, or that the rules no longer apply to you, but you are, and they do, no matter how much you've changed yourself. Your fear and your contempt for others is not a part of this or any world's balance, it's an imbalance. Your life isn't more important than anybody else's, and it should've ended a long, long time ago. But instead, you've been stealing the chi of others and sacrificing their lives to extend your own. Well, not anymore. This ends tonight." The Avatar declared, a weight behind her words that caused Ryuuki to frown.

"Well, I tried," he shrugged, removing his red jacket and burning it to ashes behind him. It was time to get serious. "Maybe you'll change your mind when I disembowel your girlfriend." His smile gone, a brilliant blue jet of fire propelled him into the air where his leg was poised to smash Korra's head face-first into the ground with a drop kick, a move that would stun her and maybe break a few of her teeth. But much to his surprise, she met his leg head on with a mighty punch. Accompanying it was a blast of air that struck his foot and sent him tumbling backward through the room, though he quickly righted himself with expertly bent bursts of flame.

While an ordinary person would've felt quite the sting, Ryuuki appeared to be completely unaffected, landing on the ground without slowing down before pressing forward again with blast after blast of scorching blue flames.

The heat was unlike anything Asami had ever felt before, and the power behind them was as though every punch were an explosion. But though he may have been powerful, firebending was still firebending. The bursts were singular and relatively contained, so while she needed to move further away with each dodge to escape minor burns, the process was more-or-less the same as approaching Mako or Korra when they were attacking.

When he realized the blasts weren't enough and Asami was pressing on regardless, Ryuuki clapped his hands together to generate a larger wave of fire which would leave her no room with which to dodge, at which point Korra circled around and defended with some airbending, a circular motion dispelling the flames around her.

Asami meanwhile ducked low, lunging forward to meet the Chi Eater at a more comfortable range. He knew roughly what to expect when another explosive was pulled from her pocket, and he stopped bending when she tossed it into the air, but Korra picked up where Ryuuki left off and set off the bomb with a fire blast of her own.

Again, Ryuuki braced himself against the explosion, his arms crossed in front of him to weather the blow while the flames bent to his will, but the light and the sound created a momentary opening that Asami used to get in close. When he lowered his arms again, it was only to swipe away hers. But Asami expected his counter and met his arms with her strikes, successive attacks aimed at key pressure points meant to disable his bending.

"Chi blocking?" Ryuuki asked. He was as impressed as he was annoyed, his left arm going limp as he withdrew his right. She'd only managed to take out one of his arms, but hopefully, that would be enough. While he prepared to counter with a breath of fire, his focus on Asami left his foundation unprotected, and when Korra created a small patch of ice just behind him, he hadn't noticed until she pushed him with a gust of wind and caused him to slip and fall onto his back. Asami capitalized on this mistake almost instantly, coming in with her glove to try and grab his face.

Ryuuki's wild smile returned and his eyes went mad, and he rolled out of the way before Asami could reach him. He was having fun. Asami's hand struck the floor while Korra picked up the slack. She was bending the tile beneath him to try and throw him into the air, but he used their momentum to help himself stand back up instead, any damage she'd inflicted being little more than bruises.

Korra clicked her tongue. He was strong, quick, and incredibly hardy – whatever he did with all that chi he ate, it'd rendered him difficult to fight. He threw six men with little difficulty, reacted to attacks with inhuman speed and precision, and anytime they did manage to land a hit on him, he seemed to shrug it off. The attack she'd just made should've fractured a rib or an arm with the force she'd bent it, but he was standing there and laughing like it tickled. If they were going to take him down, they'd have to hit him harder than this. It was time to make every move a killing blow.

Then, Korra realized, she'd isolated a weakness: his foundation was weak. This hadn't been the first time they'd knocked him down, and with a low sweep of her leg and an arc of air to push him, it wasn't the last, either. He was sent falling forward but caught himself with his right hand and sprung himself right back up, just barely missing an axe kick from Asami that would've surely hit him had he been grounded.

The viciousness of the attack was something he admired – a blow like that would've caved in an ordinary man's skull – and it was then that Ryuuki knew that they were finally taking him seriously. He felt it only fair he meet them in kind. As he jumped back and away from Asami's follow up strike, he grabbed his left forearm with his right hand and flashed a self-assured smirk, a visible pulse of chi coursing down its length and erupting from his pressure points. In an instant, the limb Asami had disabled was put back into play, and it was up to Korra to protect her when a sudden blast of fire from his left arm caught Asami unaware.

Another airbending low kick knocked Asami off her feet, but her fall would be cushioned by a pocket of air bent by her fiancee. While Asami got back onto her feet, Korra distracted Ryuuki with a second, higher kick to keep him from hurting her.

"That was a close one," Asami said, regrouping with the Avatar. She felt as though her face had just been sunburned. There was no visible harm, but it still stung like a bitch – that heat was intense. "I guess chi blocking won't work on the Chi Eater, huh?" she frowned.

"I'm an energybender beyond compare. You didn't honestly believe that you could block my chi, did you? I know my body better than either of you know each other's," Ryuuki taunted with a grin. Korra really hated this guy. "That's not all I know how to do, either. I'm telling you now, there's no way you can stop me," he warned. But the girls weren't buying it.

Back at each other's side, their next move became clear as the two prepared to break off in two separate directions when a bolt of lightning blocked Korra's path. "Being an energybender means that lightning comes easy," he remarked, casting some more and prompting the two to dodge while he spoke. "I'm surprised you haven't tried since inheriting it from Aang. It's difficult for ordinary firebenders to master, but Mako figured it out. For an energybender such as yourself, it should be second nature. I don't think you're as strong as you think you are."

Korra ignored Ryuuki's lesson while Asami attacked. They'd dodged flames and bolts to strike from both sides, Asami going low while Korra aimed high. Ryuuki just jumped over Asami's sweep while deflecting Korra's attempted air blast in Asami's direction. Her low sweep meant it sailed harmlessly over her head, but she tried to hit him again with her glove, grazing his shirt before he rocketed off with more firebending. She almost had him that time. Emboldened, Asami pursued him with Korra at her side, the two of them fully intending to kill him with their next attack.

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to finish this yet. No Avatar State or simultaneous bending today, Korra?" Ryuuki asked, deflecting the would be killing blows with childish glee. He ducked around their followup strikes as well, then kicked Korra away with a powerful but otherwise normal kick to the gut. Asami grit her teeth and attempted to counter, but a palm strike to her chest winded her and sent her reeling back.

Asami clutched her chest in pain, struggling to catch her breath while Korra got back on her feet. The next thing the Avatar would see would be Ryuuki's knee thrusting into Asami's face. Blood hit the ground as her nose was broken, the Chi Eater bending flames around his right hand he intended to burn her alive with. Korra moved quick – quicker than she even thought possible – and an instinctive blob of water snuffed out the flame around Ryuuki's fist to render it a normal punch. Unfortunately, it was a punch that still connected with Asami's face. Korra was now running as fast as she could to stop Ryuuki's assault.

"I guess you were listening when I said it wouldn't help you very much now, huh? Still, I'd have expected you to try it just to spite me!" Ryuuki continued to taunt, grabbing Asami by her collar. When he saw Korra finally drawing in close again, though, he tossed her aside, more interested in taking down the Avatar than her girlfriend.

While Asami tried to regain her composure, Korra engaged Ryuuki in a brief but violent hand-to-hand exchange. It was exactly what Ryuuki had been hoping for. He blocked her blows as easily as he'd expected, but she was holding her own against his counters better than he'd have imagined. Her training with Asami had clearly been paying off. She was a better brawler than Ryuuki had given her credit for.

But more of a surprise was that Asami was persistent – ignoring the pain and an eye that wouldn't open, she was back at Korra's side and reinforcing her attacks.

Suddenly Ryuuki was a lot less amused.

This wasn't the same as when it was Asami and Suyin – her synergy with Korra was as natural as he'd feared, and they played off each other with unparalleled ease. It was almost as if they were extensions of each other, Asami making up for whatever openings or weaknesses Korra may have had. He was actually being pressured into staggering backwards, put on the defensive as they tried for blow after blow, leaving him little to no room to counter.

By the time that he realized where it was they were leading him, he was out of 'back' to move and was poised to be pushed out the window he'd broken at the start of the fight, an amused grin on his face as it hit him what they were planning.

But once again, it was Asami who surprised him with the penultimate move, lowering her arms so that she struck Ryuuki's thigh with her Equalist glove, a sudden shock causing pain and locking his muscles just long enough that Korra followed through with an Airbending punch aimed square at his chest. Before he could react he was sent flying out the window, and if it wasn't for what happened next he may have fallen to his doom.

Korra and Asami knew that he might just firebend back up here, flying around in the air like Iroh II or Jeong-Jeong before him, but neither of them expected what actually happened. Purely on reflex, Ryuuki airbent himself away from the window, catching himself before he fell and then knocking the two women down with a blast of air from each arm.

"What!?" Asami yelped.

"He can Airbend too!?" Korra cried.

Though the advantage was his, the Chi Eater was unamused. He hadn't intended to let them see this little party trick of his; not until he was ready to kill them, anyway. His instincts had betrayed him. "Tch. Well, I guess the cat owl's out of the bag now, huh?" he asked, shaking his head and letting out a sigh while Korra and Asami struggled back onto their feet.

"How…?" Korra pressed. Was this how he did it? Was this how he killed her past lives? Just who the hell was this guy? "How is that possible!"

"I could ask you the same question," Ryuuki shot back, pointing directly at Korra. "You know Wan's story, so I'll let you figure this one out. But I'll tell you right now – I can do far more than simply airbend."

Did that mean he could earthbend and waterbend too? Korra grit her teeth. That shouldn't have been possible. Only the Avatar was supposed to be able to bend all the elements, and she could only do that because of the Raava connection. How did he manage it?

"Korra…" Asami trailed, unsure of what to do next. A firebender was one thing, but if he could bend all of the elements, then…

"Asami, stay back. I'm going to finish this," Korra warned, her eyes going white as she finally entered into the Avatar State. If he really was like her, then she'd need all the help she could get. "Raava, help me," she thought.

Asami nodded in agreement, stepping back as Korra began to levitate, bending all four elements simultaneously as a show of force.

But Ryuuki was fearless and charged in regardless, reaching though her elemental defenses with his right arm alone. Though his flesh was burned and stripped away, he persisted, placing his hand flat against Korra's chest. Then, with a sudden pulse of chi, Korra was sent flying backwards, and Raava was sent back into the depths of her soul.

Korra caught herself with her airbending, but only just, looking up in confusion while Ryuuki stood undeterred. His arm was still extended from the blow he'd delivered, and as a blue glow surrounded him, the flesh her barrier had stripped away began gradually growing back. The damage that'd been inflicted by Asami's explosives was gone too. There were holes in his clothes from where the shrapnel hit, but the only signs of blood were the stains on his shirt. What was he!?

"Didn't Koh warn you that I could disable the Avatar State, too?" Ryuuki asked, lowering his arm. By now it was almost back to normal. Korra and Asami looked on in horror as he slowly approached.

"You… how did you… what…?" Korra wondered. She tried desperately to reenter the Avatar State and reached for Raava, but she couldn't find her. No matter how hard she tried, Raava wouldn't respond. "What did you do to Raava!?"

"You don't understand the power I possess, Korra. The power you possess. And now I guess you never will. I tried to be reasonable, but you just wouldn't listen. Now, I'm going to have to break you until you do." With his arm now fully healed, Ryuuki opened his hand, electricity dancing between his fingertips as he ran in for a debilitating blow. He was pulling back his arm so that he could drive it into her chest, a move that'd definitely stun her.

Korra shut her eyes before his hand made contact, but when she didn't feel his lightning, she slowly opened them again only to see Asami fall in front of her. She had run in and taken the blow the Chi Eater had intended for Korra. "Asami!" she screamed, Asami's body convulsing as the electricity rendered her immobile on the ground.

Ryuuki smiled at her agony. Between her nose and his lightning, she must've been in quite a lot of pain.

"No…" Korra whispered. She gritted her teeth and moved her body to attack, but she was deflected with a touch. As soon as Ryuuki grazed her, she felt a pulse of chi and was sent flying. She hit the rear wall back-first with a loud thwack, then fell to her knees on the floor. Even still, she persisted, bending blasts of fire and air in his direction to try and stop him from doing anything more, but he deflected her weakened attacks with one arm while he picked Asami off the floor with the other.

"I intended to stun you so you could watch me kill her, but this works too. In fact, maybe this will be the better lesson. If you can still move, and you still can't do anything to stop me, it ought to really drive my point home," Ryuuki said, standing Asami up – but just barely – and placing his hand on her face. The fear in their eyes – Asami's and Korra's – empowered the Chi Eater as he licked his lips in anticipation. He may have preferred to snack on benders, but there were lessons to be taught.

"I want you to know, Korra, it's quite a painful way to go. Having your chi eaten. The heat that it generates boils away all the water and the blood in your body, and your organs turn to dust as I extract your chi in a matter of seconds. It's relatively quick, but it's agonizing. I want you to know this. Savor it. And remember that you could have avoided this. Next time you think you have it in you to stop me, remember Asami Sato and her screams as I swallowed her whole."

Asami closed her eyes in preparation for what was to come. Tears were streaming out of Korra's. She tried to run as fast as she could, to get there before it was too late, but with another blast of air he sent her flying back into the wall. All she could do was watch in horror as his hand began to glow an unnatural whitish-blue, and…

Lightning.

Ryuuki's eyes went wide, releasing his grip on Asami to redirect the blast aimed squarely for his heart out the window instead. Much to the Chi Eater's surprise, Mako was awake and just barely standing up, smoke rising from his fingertips. "Stay away from her." he seethed, collapsing onto one knee and panting, exhausted.

Ryuuki clicked his tongue. He was surprised to see Mako awake when all the others were still down. Either he hadn't hit him hard enough, or he'd underestimated his tenacity. The Chi Eater grit his teeth, his blue eyes alight with fire. He was going to pay for that.

Then, suddenly, the floor beneath him sprung to life at Korra's command. Instead of killing Mako where he stood, he was forced to jump out of the way as the tile and concrete were turned into jagged spikes that would've skewered him had he remained. This also served the purpose of driving him away from the collapsed Asami, whose side Korra immediately ran to now that an opening had been created. Korra frantically checked Asami for a pulse. She was pale, and unconscious, but breathing. He'd taken some of her chi, but not all of it. She wasn't going to let him take a single drop more.

Ryuuki's look soured. "Well, well, aren't we the persistent bunch," he growled. They really wanted to draw this out, didn't they? Ryuuki prepared himself for round two, when all of a sudden, the metalbenders from the airships outside breached the building through the windows.

Mako was confused, as he hadn't yet given the order to intervene, but that was when he noticed Lin chief amongst them, leading the charge and bending the entirety of the room with the help from her subordinates. The floors and walls were torn apart and flung at Ryuuki from all directions and the Chi Eater snarled, deflecting the attacks with earthbending of his own, much to Lin's surprise.

But she was undeterred, and bent the newly exposed pipes next. If she couldn't crush him, she could certainly skewer him. Ryuuki danced around each attack with relative ease, but as yet more metalbenders began pouring in from the doorway and the balcony, it was becoming a bit too cramped for his liking.

Ryuuki was upset. Just when things were getting fun, they had to come in and ruin it.

While he could stand there and fight, it would have been a waste of his energy. His power was not infinite, and with this many officers and the Avatar to boot, he might not be able to make it out of this unscathed. He was not a gambling man. If he was going to be facing off against this many metalbenders, he'd rather it be after he learned how to metalbend, himself.

With a stomp of his foot, Ryuuki sent a shock wave through the floor in every direction, stone rising up and then falling again in a wave and breaking everyone's footing. As everybody fell to the ground, Ryuuki deflected what attacks they attempted with small blasts of air, running for the large window he'd blown out at the start. It was time to cut his losses and get out of here.

Mako fired another bolt of lightning to try and stop his escape, but Ryuuki simply captured it like he had the others, redirecting it into one of the nearby airships and damaging an engine that sent it careening off balance in seconds. Then, he conjured some lightning of his own to strike at another, flying through the air with his firebending as he tried to escape the area.

As soon as the airbenders saw him jump out the window, they were on him, Opal, Kai and Ryu all gliding down and sending bone-breaking air blasts his way. But none were as angry as Kai, who fired off twice as many attacks as Ryu or Opal in the same amount of time. He sped up his descent and tried to tackle the firebending Ryuuki out of the sky.

"You're not going anywhere you son of a bitch!" Kai cried. He was coming in with a rather devastating looking corkscrew attack, but Ryuuki flew out of the way with another burst of fire, the increased intensity of his flames increasing his speed. But Opal came at him from another angle when Kai's attack missed, followed immediately after by Ryu, the overwhelming amount of air forcing Ryuuki to stop firebending for a moment so he could use some airbending of his own to defend against them.

The barrier of air he created around himself was then pushed away from him in all directions, sending a wall of air at all three benders which threatened to knock them out of the sky. By the time they had righted themselves, it was too late, as he'd already made a break for it with his firebending and escaped into the distance. It would seem the Chi Eater would live to fight another day.

Opal cursed herself at not being able to stop him, but quickly let go of her anger as she remembered her mother. She immediately broke away from Ryu and Kai to fly into the penthouse and check on her.

Kai meanwhile tried in vain to follow Ryuuki, but he was simply moving too fast. There was no way for him to catch up. Ultimately, he and Ryu were forced to abandon pursuit and return to the penthouse to check on Tenzin.

When the three airbenders arrived, what they found was a mess. The penthouse was completely ruined and structurally unsound, and it looked like it was only being held up by the will of the metalbenders. About half of them were trying to stop the room from collapsing in on itself while the other half, including Lin, were tending to the wounded.

Korra carried an unconscious Asami to the balcony, where she would jump fifteen stories down and land unscathed with her airbending. Opal would never forget the look on her face as she stared helplessly down at her fiancee, silently praying to the spirits that Mako had intervened in time.

Tenzin was eventually awoken by Ryu and Kai, who helped him to his feet, and some metalbenders had recovered an unconscious Bolin from deeper within the room. Opal breathed a sigh of relief as she heard him groan, finally starting to come to. Mako, meanwhile, was in bad shape. His left arm was really badly burned and practically unusable, and he was barely able to stand on his own two feet. Ultimately, he needed help from some metalbenders to get him to the balcony and out of the building. Ryu and Kai then helped Tenzin outside. That just left…

"Mom!" Opal cried, running to help her aunt Lin support her as she was dug out of the rubble.

Suyin was hurt, but alive, and hugged her daughter to the best of her ability. But she was still reeling from that lightning bolt from earlier. "I'll be okay, don't worry," she assured, wincing. It felt like she'd fractured a rib or seven.

"We couldn't stop him…" Opal shamefully admitted.

Lin shook her head. "None of us could. Don't blame yourself." As the building creaked and groaned, the whole top level threatening to collapse, she suggested they finally get out of here. Lin escorted her sister out to the street through the balcony, followed shortly thereafter by Opal and the metalbending officers.

When they all made it back to the street, the group assembled around a defeated Korra. She was sitting on the side of the road, stroking an unconscious Asami's hair. Though she was no longer crying, she looked like she was barely holding it together. She whispered her fiancee's name in hopes that she'd wake up, but she didn't. But she was still alive.

Opal placed a concerned hand on Korra's shoulder. Korra didn't have it in her to shun her right now. When Opal bent down and gave her a hug, she didn't resist.

"We lost." Korra said.

"But we're alive." Mako reminded.

"Barely. I… I couldn't do anything. I was completely powerless to stop him. If you hadn't woken up when you did, Asami would be-"

Mako cut her off there. "But she's not." Korra sniffed. At least there was that.

"So… what do we do now?" Lin asked.

"I…" Korra paused. Raava was inaccessible, Asami was unconscious, all her friends were badly hurt, and Ryuuki was in the wind. She felt more lost and defeated now than she had in months. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "I don't know."

It had seemed that once again, the Chi Eater had bested the Avatar.