Chapter XVI
Defiance
Sareena stopped to catch her breath before stepping outside. Not just because she'd been running about for the past several minutes, but she wanted to prepare for what came next. She looked out the exit before her and saw the open sky of the Nexus. If she was right, she should be near the apex where the real battle was taking place.
Fortune favored her as much as could be expected. After leaving Scorpion, she ran up and down the pyramid's corridors, searching for stairs or an exit, and careful not to get lost in a maze of twists and turns. It took time, but she made her way up a few levels before finally finding an open doorway outside.
She encountered a few Seidan Guards along the way and made quick work of them. Realizing she forgot her kama blades, she took a pair of naginatas instead. She had never been much for pole-arms, but after breaking the shafts, she thought she could make do with her improvised short swords.
Her breathing slowed, but her heart pounded. It was the silence that troubled her more than anything. She expected to hear the Dragon King's thunderous footsteps or roars as he battled Ermac and Havik. But standing at the threshold, with nothing but the droning wind of the Nexus and pulsing energy of the Kamidogu in her ears, she feared her allies were already defeated. Maybe dead.
Even if Scorpion bested Noob Saibot, it would take time for him to find his way out—assuming he didn't run into worse obstacles along the way. Kitana and Mileena were nowhere to be found and likely dealing with problems of their own.
Then it's up to me, she thought with a gulp.
Gripping her weapons, she emerged from the pyramid and immediately pressed her back to the wall. Glancing upward, she was only two levels shy of the apex. With no Dragon King in sight, she climbed and crept to the final level to see what she was up against.
The pyramid apex was a wide platform with a golden Mortal Kombat symbol embedded in the floor. Six pillars lined the edge, and atop each was an object of shining light. Energy pulsed from them, through the pillars, and came to the center where a stone altar stood. Floating on the altar was Shinnok's Amulet.
Next to it was the Dragon King himself. Up close, Onaga proved even more intimidating than Sareena imagined. Standing around twelve feet tall, he was a massive beast of thick green scales and heavy muscle. His face was stern, and his orange eyes burned like smoldering fire. His horns added another foot to his height, and his wings stretched about ten feet end to end.
Oddly, he seemed to be waiting for something as he stood by the altar. His eyes were narrow, and they scanned the apex around him suspiciously. Sareena ducked when his gaze came to her direction and tried to formulate a plan.
She didn't think she could match him in combat. Certainly not by herself. But she didn't need to. The Amulet was the key, and if she could get that away from the altar, she could at least ensure he wouldn't activate the Kamidogu again. A simple enough idea, but that left the question of how she might accomplish it with Onaga standing right beside it.
Peeking over the side again, she realized there was no sign of Ermac or Havik at all. It occurred to her if he'd killed them, he did it without leaving a trace, when she became engulfed in green energy that rendered her motionless. Though startled, she made no sound as she was gently brought down a few levels where Ermac and Havik were waiting.
"Apologies," Ermac said. "We couldn't risk giving ourselves away to Onaga."
"It's nothing," she said. "What's happening? What's been going on out here?"
"The battle has not been in our favor I'm afraid," Havik replied. "The Dragon King is as formidable as we feared. Our initial effort at engaging him was disastrous."
"Right now," Ermac said. "We seem to be in a stalemate. We can't fight him directly, and he won't leave the Amulet unguarded. Where are the others?"
"Scorpion and I found Moloch and Drahmin waiting for us in the pyramid. We killed them, but then Noob Saibot appeared. Scorpion's fighting him now and told me to go on ahead. I don't know where Kitana or Mileena are."
"Onaga likely has surprises waiting for them, too," Havik said. "This bodes poorly. He's patient, and he knows we need to defeat him more than he needs to defeat us."
Silence fell over the three of them. Sareena tried to conjure a strategy but didn't know what to suggest. Waiting for Scorpion, Kitana and Mileena seemed wise, but who was to say they'd even make it out of the pyramid? And if they didn't, suppose Noob Saibot or whatever else Onaga had hidden inside came out instead? Havik was right: time wasn't on their side.
"We have one possible advantage," Ermac said. "As far as Onaga knows, Sareena is still trapped in the pyramid with the others. If we can keep his attention fixed on us, you might have an opening to the Amulet."
"Will I be able to just grab it?" she asked. "Remember Shang Tsung said—"
"No," he said. "That's too dangerous. We will use our telekinesis to remove it from the altar."
"Which means I must be the one to draw Onaga's attention," Havik said. "I can do it, but I can't guarantee a long window."
They each exchanged looks, silently agreeing to the plan or secretly hoping one would come up with something better. Perhaps both. But when no such ideas came, they all nodded and worked out their timing.
"Sounds like a lousy plan," Sareena said. "But what else have we got?"
This is a foul joke Onaga's playing on me.
The clone fought unlike anything Mileena had ever encountered. There was skill and even finesse. Perhaps residual memories inherited from Kitana, as it had been with her, but it was unrefined. Savage. Whether the Tarkatan in her was more dominant, or she needed training to master the talents taken from their sister, the clone attacked with an erratic mix of martial arts and animalistic intensity.
She slashed and jabbed with the blades growing from her wrists like a wild beast, but evaded Mileena's counterattacks with grace and speed. Her devilish eyes were frantic and excited, and she alternated between making hideous snarls and childish giggles as she fought.
"Weak," she hissed, licking her lips. "Slow. Useless. Why would Father keep you?"
"Stay still, and I'll show you."
Mileena charged with a Ground Roll, but the clone leapt over her. Without wasting a second, she spun around on her feet and slashed with her sai. The clone blocked and parried, but she kept pace, and what followed was almost a dance of lunges and jabs as each tried to impale the other with their blades.
The clone jumped backward and ground her wrist blades together, sending a spark at Mileena's face not unlike Baraka. The attack caught her off guard and sent her stumbling back against the wall. It caused minor pain, but she was left more frustrated than anything else.
"Unworthy," the clone said. "You don't deserve to be his daughter."
"What do you know about anything?" she replied. "No one has been more loyal to him than me!"
Her retort seemed to offend her counterpart. "Once I take your pretty face, Father will understand what I am capable of. He'll accept me as his true daughter."
"You're making me sympathize with Kitana right now, and I do not appreciate that."
She attacked with slashes and stabs with her sai, but the clone evaded her with ease. This time, she didn't even bother fighting back, and it soon became clear to Mileena she was being toyed with. Anger getting the better of her, she lunged with her sai only to get staggered back when the clone struck her with a Teleport Kick.
Mileena stared at her in shock, unable to believe she'd been hit with one of her own moves. The clone offered a mocking grin and stuck her tongue out with a theatrical bow. "Aw, poor sister," she said. "So pretty, so fair. So sad and alone."
"This is not happening …"
"Perhaps you're right," the clone said in an exaggerated pitch. "Maybe Father will accept all of us, hmm? Come, let us be family!"
"I was never this annoying!"
She charged again and discovered too late she'd been lured in. Her attack was blocked and countered with a knee to the midsection. She ignored the blow and threw her elbow back, hoping to catch her opponent in the face. But she was blocked again and got her arm held behind her back.
She grunted at the strain in her shoulder and tried to wrestle out of it, but her clone wrapped her arm around her neck. Growling, she threw her weight back and slammed the clone into the wall. But her enemy kept the hold locked and even tightened it.
"Pathetic," the clone whispered in her ear. "It should've been me. He threw me aside, yet kept a weakling like you?"
"You know nothing about me!"
With her free hand, Mileena thrust her sai over her shoulder. The clone ducked and spun her around, and though she blocked the blades at her neck, she failed to defend against the slice to her ribs. For a moment, she thought she could ignore the pain and counter, but upon feeling warm blood drip down her leg, she staggered away clutching her side.
"No more," the clone said, dragging her blades against the wall to create a hideous screech. "I will peel off your pretty face, and Father will use his magic to make it mine. I will be perfect … for him."
Mileena's eye twitched as outrage and even fear clashed in her heart. More used to being the aggressor in combat, she found herself off balance fighting this demented mirror of herself. The very idea this creature would appear from the shadows and try to take everything she'd earned—her very life—made her sick to her stomach.
"I …" she growled. "I will not be replaced!"
Letting out a frustrated roar, she hit her Teleport Kick which managed to stun the clone enough to tackle her. She hoped to grapple her to the floor and overpower her, but the clone held her ground. They wrestled for dominance, sai and blades grinding against each other within inches of flesh.
Mileena glared into her counterpart's eyes with hate. Her clone hissed and gritted her teeth, the hatred in her eyes matching. Realizing she wasn't going to overpower her, she instead dropped her weight and allowed the clone to fall on top of her.
Taking advantage of her surprise and momentum, Mileena found an opening and stabbed her abdomen. The clone grunted and answered with an elbow to the chin. She flipped over, but not before taking another slash at Mileena's face which drew some blood and tore off her mask.
Despite the wound, the clone was quick to her feet. Mileena scrambled up as fast as she could, expecting another onslaught. But when she looked, she found the clone frozen in her tracks, staring at her. Her eyes were wide and jaw dropped, and it was a look that reminded her of Kitana when her sister saw her unmasked for the first time.
"Your face," the clone said, looking confused and distressed. "You … you're like me. Like the rest of us. Incomplete … defective and malformed …"
She touched her own face and looked at the blades coming from her arms. She shook her head, muttering to herself, and slowly her confusion turned to anger.
"He picked you," she said, glaring at Mileena with venomous fury. "He chose you … you … over us. Over me. You're no better than any of us … and he picked you?!"
She let out a crazed shriek and charged with frantic rage. Mileena stabbed and slashed with her sai, but the clone didn't even acknowledge the wounds. She tackled her to the ground, snarling and screaming, and seemed determined to tear her face off with her bare hands.
"I hate you!" the clone howled. "He threw me aside, but he kept you?! He called me imperfect, but you could live as his daughter?!"
Mileena defended against the flailing attacks, but her arms suffered multiple gashes and cuts in the process. Every time she tried to force the clone off, she was pinned back down. Whatever finesse her counterpart inherited from Kitana disappeared—buried beneath Tarkatan savagery that gave her a madwoman's strength.
"You ungrateful bitch! You should've died with the rest of us! He should've cast you out! Why you?! Why did he keep you?!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Mileena shouted back.
"You don't deserve to be his daughter! You ungrateful, unworthy, spoiled, disgusting brat!"
"Stop saying that! I gave him everything! And it was never enough!"
"I would've killed to be you! I would've killed to have what you have! Ungrateful! Ungrateful! Ungrateful!"
Unable to take anymore, she tangled her sai with the blades growing from the clone's wrists and held them outstretched. The clone hesitated, unable to move her arms, and was left vulnerable for Mileena to plunge her Tarkatan teeth into her throat.
She ground and tore as the taste of blood filled her mouth. She then snapped her head back, ripping out a chunk of flesh. Blood sprayed from the clone's jugular onto Mileena's chest, and she gurgled as she collapsed to the floor.
In a blind fury, Mileena spit the meat and blood out and pounced onto her fallen enemy. "You don't know anything about me!" she screamed, stabbing at the clone's face with her sai. "You know nothing of Shao Kahn! It was Kitana he wanted! He only kept me to watch her! HE NEVER LOV—"
She stopped herself as an awful chill rippled through her. The clone was dead, her face a mangled ruin like the other dead clones strewn about the Flesh Pit. She crawled away, shaking and feeling oddly ill in a way she'd never felt after a battle before.
"I'm the daughter he always wanted," she whispered to herself. "I am. I am perfection …"
"Kitana? Kitana, please look at me."
She didn't respond. She sat slumped against the stone wall like a ragdoll or puppet that had its strings cut. Her eyes were turned toward the floor, but she wasn't looking at anything. In all her life, she'd never felt so numb or dead inside.
Jerrod knelt in front of her and tried to get her attention. There was concern and worry in his eyes, but his face was otherwise a stern frown. "I don't expect this to be easy for you," he said. "After Shao Kahn, I don't blame you for your distrust. Believe it or not, the Dragon King doesn't either. I wish you'd look past his appearance and appreciate what he has done for us."
Nearby, Hotaru had regained consciousness and attended his comrades. "Your Grace," he said. "If your daughter is subdued, I would suggest you take her to the portal to Edenia. With all due respect, I'm at the end of my leniency."
"A moment, Commander," he replied. "My daughter has suffered more than her share of shocks."
A part of Kitana almost wanted to laugh at his understatement. It seemed a strange thing to laugh in such circumstances, but there was a seductive appeal that frightened her. She remembered the night of the ball wondering if her sanity had finally broken and that she was actually in some asylum dreaming everything.
Or maybe she really was locked in a dungeon as her mother had promised on the Sea of Blood and this was all the delusion of a shattered mind unable to cope with reality?
Laughter was an escape, and if she started laughing, she probably wouldn't stop.
"Kitana," her father said. "I'm begging you: understand what we're trying to accomplish here. This is a chance to have the life we should've had if not for Shao Kahn. I know you've suffered, and it pains me. You're my daughter, and I can't stand to see you hurt. All I want is for you to finally have what you deserve."
"Deserve …" she repeated.
For all the talk about deserving a peaceful life with her loved ones, for maybe the first time she wondered if that really was true. Had she not served Shao Kahn for thousands of years? Had she not murdered countless people, innocent or not, in his name? One doesn't wash away millennia of sins in a few years, no matter how genuine the change of heart.
In fact, she already knew what would happen if she died now. She saw the proof in the form of her revenant. The Kitana of that timeline turned against Kahn and was damned to the Netherealm all the same. And there she was consumed by the darkness in her soul. Reveled in it even.
"I deserve this."
"What?" Jerrod asked.
She finally looked at her father, and an awful truth came to her. "I deserve to suffer," she said. "I deserve this pain."
"Don't say that."
"It's true," she said, tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm damned."
Jerrod closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he was in physical pain. It was the look of a man who knew he'd failed. He pulled her close and held her to his chest. His armor was cold against her cheek, and she didn't hear or feel his heartbeat. She didn't embrace him and remained limp.
"Kitana," he said. "I told you how I saw what Shao Kahn saw. For ten thousand years, I had to watch as he molded you into his killer. And for ten thousand years, I knew nothing but anger and despair. There are no words to explain the torture of watching you embrace him as your father. The way he manipulated and twisted your feelings.
"Then one day," he continued. "You killed Mileena and were suspected of treason. I thought it a lie or misunderstanding. Or perhaps you had turned on him, but only for your own glory. I dared not hope."
He looked her in the eye and held her face in his hands. His eyes glistened, and a soft, trembling smile came to him.
"I will never forget the day when all doubt was gone. When you declared without question you were his daughter no more. That you would destroy him in my name. In your mother's name. Restore our home and set things right. That day, for the first time in ten thousand years, I felt comfort. Pride. My brave, brave girl … no matter what he'd done to you, no matter what he took away, you stood when no one else would."
Her father held her and wiped tears from her cheeks, but she said nothing. She still felt nothing. His smile wavered, and he cast his eyes down in shame.
"And now look what I've done."
Behind them, Hotaru directed his men to leave. Though wounded, he ordered them to fan out and hunt for Kitana's companions. As they limped away, he checked the injury under his armpit and cringed, but otherwise seemed more irritated than anything else.
"Your Grace," he said. "I do not presume to give orders to a king, but I must insist. Take her to the portal and return to your realm."
"What happens next?" he asked, standing. "What of the others?"
"That is up to the Dragon King to decide." Hotaru stood over Kitana and looked down on her with disdain. "With all due respect, your Grace, if it was up to me, your daughter and those wretches she came here with would face trial for their crimes. I've tried to be understanding, but frankly, I think these people are too far gone. Only a truly broken mind would see the order Onaga provides and think it must be—"
He was cut off when the blunt side of Jerrod's Kwan Do struck him in the head. Hotaru collapsed to the floor with a dazed groan. He tried to get back up, but Jerrod hit him again, knocking him unconscious.
"I'm sorry, Lord Commander. But I did not wait ten thousand years just to break my daughter's heart."
Scorpion stood ready, sword in one hand and kunai in the other. He stared at Noob Saibot before him, who seemed unconcerned. It seemed a strange turn of fate they should face each other again. Both had killed one another. Both were reborn in the Netherealm. Both were used by Quan Chi before breaking away from him.
"Is there anything left of you in there, Bi-Han?" he asked. "Have you kept nothing from Onaga restoring you to life?"
"What do you care, Hasashi?"
"Curiosity more than anything," he said. "Though I do respect your brother, and I've grown fond of Sareena. I thought I'd be remiss not to at least ask for their sake."
"Considerate. But you waste time. All I have are shades. Memories that don't feel like my own—like looking at a picture." He twirled the sickle and held it to his chest. "I do remember hating you."
Scorpion turned with sharp slash of his sword and cut down the shadow-double sneaking behind him. It dissolved to nothing, leaving only a few inky blotches on the floor and walls. Already knowing what was coming, he blocked Noob's sickle with the kunai without even looking and drove his sword toward the wraith's gut.
Noob evaded the attack and swung the sickle at his legs. He blocked that, and what followed was a series of swings and parries between sword and sickle. The sound of metal clanging echoed through the darkened corridor as Scorpion and Noob exchanged attack after attack, though neither gained an advantage.
They broke off their assault and stood staring at each other. Scorpion waited, remembering what a slippery fighter Bi-Han had been when he lived. They fought three times then, and he lost twice. Now, as Noob Saibot, his fighting abilities were even more slippery and devious—and that was without considering the doubles he could summon.
"I wonder though," Noob said. "Should I hate you, Hasashi? If not for you, I wouldn't be what I am now."
"And what are you now, Bi-Han? Because all I see is a shadow."
"Free," he said. "Free from emotion. Free from attachment. The only difference between us, Scorpion, is you cling to those things. It is your downfall."
"I have made many mistakes. I'm looking at one right now. But remembering my family and retaining my humanity are not among them."
"And that is why you lose."
They crossed blades again, and the old anger kindled in Scorpion. He had always hated the man who murdered him, but seeing what he'd become—what he let himself be—sickened him even more. Since his revival as a spectre, he'd fought to hold onto his honor even as Quan Chi used it against him.
But Bi-Han not only shed his, he did it without remorse. He threw away his humanity and regarded those who still cared about him with indifference and contempt. Scorpion had learned to respect Kuai Liang, but he would never grant his brother that same privilege.
"You were always a bastard, even in life, Bi-Han. This is who you are. What you always were."
"Indeed," he replied. "And I have you to thank for it."
"And I intend to correct that mistake. I killed you once, Saibot. I'll do it again, and this time you won't come back."
"I could say the same of you, Scorpion."
Another shadow-double sprang from Noob's body. He quickly cut it down but was left vulnerable to the Teleport Slam that followed. The disorientation of hurling through space came to an abrupt end when his head crashed into the floor.
He rolled away and tried to get back to his feet, only to get tackled by yet another shadow-double from behind. His head hit the floor again, making his ears ring and the world spin. Acting on instinct, he tried to teleport away and maybe catch Noob from behind, but his abilities were still muted inside the pyramid.
He flickered in place for a moment and was left open to the upward stroke of Noob's sickle. Blood hit the ceiling as a nasty gash marked his chest. Scorpion fell flat on his back, still dizzy, and barely managed to hold up his sword to defend against Noob plunging the sickle into his heart.
The wraith utilized the curved blade to hook around his sword and snatch it from his grasp. He threw the blade away and landed two blows onto Scorpion's unprotected face.
In desperation, Scorpion grabbed his collar and delivered a stiff headbutt—which did little to help his own disorientation but at least caught Noob off guard and stunned him. He threw him off and hurled the kunai at the wraith's face. But he blocked it with his sickle and grabbed hold of the chain connected to it.
Yanking it, Noob conjured another double to punch him in the face. Out on his feet, Scorpion offered no defense as his opponent wrapped the chain around his neck and pulled it tight.
"I would lie if I said I didn't derive some amusement from your reputation," Noob said as he strangled him. "The feared Scorpion … hellspawned spectre eternally seeking vengeance. If only they knew you begged before Bi-Han killed you. Yes, I remember that. If I must retain anything from my past life, it will be the relish of tearing out your spine as you pleaded for mercy."
The chain tightened around Scorpion's throat. Between the blows to his head, and now his air cut off, the world around him seemed upside down. His vision blurred, and he flailed blindly with nothing but Noob's awful, emotionless voice in his ear.
"You were always mediocre, Hasashi. Mediocre in life, mediocre in death—an emotional fool who only knows how to attack what's in front of him. That's what made you such an easy pawn for Quan Chi."
With a desperate roar, he tore his hood and mask off and sprayed hellfire in every direction. Flames engulfed the narrow corridor, forcing Noob to release the chain and duck for cover. He took only a brief moment to catch his breath before spewing even more fire behind him. The intense force and heat made the stone crack. The walls gave, and the ceiling collapsed with a thunderous crash.
When the rumbling stopped, a choking Scorpion regained his bearings and prepared for the battle to continue. But when he looked, he saw only a pile of rubble, dust and smoke where Noob Saibot had been. The path was blocked, and he could see no sign of his enemy.
He didn't believe he was dead. Shaking with anger, he began digging through the rubble, intent on finding the wraith and finishing the job. It wasn't even revenge anymore. It wasn't just the taunts or insults. As long as he was on the loose, he posed a threat to Kuai Liang. To Sareena. Maybe even Harumi and Satoshi. Noob Saibot was the monster he created, and that made it his task to put him down.
The Amulet is what matters.
He stopped sifting through the collapsed ceiling and collected himself. He looked past his own anger and focused. He was here for a purpose, but it was not to fight Noob Saibot.
There was a time he might've put his own grudges ahead of others, but he needed to grow beyond that. As dangerous as Saibot was … as much as Scorpion felt driven to finish their battle … stopping Onaga was the mission.
Though unsatisfied with the outcome, he put his hood and mask back on, retrieved his weapons, and headed for the apex.
"Another time, Bi-Han."
Sareena gave Havik the naginata blades and took cover while he and Ermac moved in to engage the Dragon King. She hated standing aside and only watching while others fought, but she understood it was critical she not act until the right moment. Once Ermac dislodged the Amulet from the altar, it was up to her.
Ermac and Havik went in separate directions, intent on striking Onaga from opposite sides. She wasn't sure how much good that would do, as the Dragon King seemed ready for anything. He remained on guard by the Amulet, waiting like a sentinel, and likely anticipated his opponents would attack with trickery.
Havik made the first move. He sprang onto the apex and charged with the blades. Onaga's massive size worked against him, as he was slow and easy to hit. Unfortunately, as much as Havik slashed and stabbed with his weapons, they seemed to have little effect. According to legend, a dragon's hide was said to be nearly impenetrable, and it appeared the Dragon King proved it true.
Although she supposed it wasn't important—getting the Amulet was the goal—Sareena worried what they would do if they succeeded. Even without the Kamidogu, Onaga was a supremely powerful being who would not fall in combat easily. By the look of it, no less than a god would match him in a straight fight.
Despite Havik's attacks, the Dragon King didn't stray far from the altar. He had to know Ermac was waiting and probably expected he would use his telekinesis to steal the Amulet. He downed the Cleric with a backhand and raised his foot to crush the him, but never took his eye off it.
Ermac joined the fray and managed to stagger the Dragon King. He was strong on his own, but his telekinesis added some needed power to his blows. Havik got back to his feet and resumed hacking and slashing, but even with their combined efforts, it was clear they did little more than irritate Onaga.
Sareena felt like she would jump out of her skin. As the battle continued, Onaga showed no sign of taking Havik's bait. He remained close to the altar and, perhaps deeming him the greater threat, kept most of his attention on Ermac.
Even just watching, her pulse raced and heart pounded. A part of her desperately wished to join in and help. Maybe take a chance at grabbing the Amulet or distracting the Dragon King so Ermac could get it.
No, she told herself. Stick to the plan. They'll find an opening, and I have to be ready.
Onaga tried to overwhelm Ermac with sheer size and strength. The ninja defended himself but was forced back to the edge of the apex. He manifested a telekinetic shield to block against the Dragon King's hammering fists, and with each blow, he crumbled—first to one knee, then both. Despite his mask, Sareena saw the strain on his face as he collapsed under Onaga's thunderous assault.
It was then Havik made his move. He dove onto Onaga's back and rammed the two blades into the Dragon King's neck. They left little to no wound, but Onaga was sufficiently hurt or angered enough to roar.
Havik jumped off and answered with a mad cackle. He jabbed at the Dragon King while backing off the apex, and this time, Onaga did follow.
Sareena's eyes met Ermac's, and they both knew this was their opening. Raising to one knee, he outstretched his arm toward the altar where the Amulet began to glow with green energy. After a moment's resistance, it dislodged and floated into the air.
Wasting no time, Sareena sprang onto the apex with her hands out, ready to catch it. She just needed to get it and break for the portal. Worst case, she'd throw it over the side and let it get lost in the void of the Nexus.
She ran to the Amulet as fast as she could. It was within her grasp. She could make it … they had done it!
Ermac's chest burst with a spray of blood and bone. He grunted in pain, and his eyes widened upon seeing Onaga's thick tail protruding through his body. It lifted him up and curved so that the Dragon King could see him face to face before it snapped like a whip and threw the ninja's body across the apex.
The green energy faded away, and the Amulet fell to the ground just out of Sareena's reach. She had only a moment feel Onaga's eyes on her before she attempted to dive for it. The Dragon King stopped her with a ball of fire spewed from his mouth. The blast knocked her out of the air and sent her tumbling to the ground.
"I UNDERESTIMATED YOU PEOPLE," he said. "I BROUGHT YOU PEACE. PARADISE. A PROPER WORLD, WHERE ALL MADE SENSE AND EVIL HAD NO PLACE. BUT I SEE NOW HOW IT IS. I SEE WHAT MUST BE DONE."
He picked the Amulet up and placed it back on the altar. A pulse of energy surged through the Kamidogu pieces, and Sareena felt the power coming from it as she regained her bearings. She looked up at the towering Dragon King and terror gripped her heart as he gazed upon her with disgust and anger.
"SO BE IT. IF YOU PEOPLE WILL NOT ACCEPT MY DREAM," he said, gripping the Amulet. "LET IT BE A NIGHTMARE INSTEAD."
A harsh roar of power came with a flash of blinding light.
Onaga had activated the Kamidogu.
End of Chapter XVI