It was finally time to make his move.
Morro had listened to everything happening inside of the Iron Demise. He stood right outside the main cockpit, listening to Krux sigh and gripe about his brother's decisions, listening to the noises of battle that echoed even as deep as here. He'd even heard someone shouting their names on a megaphone. He wasn't sure what was going on, but when he felt the Iron Demise move, he knew it was time for him to finally do what he'd been told to do.
In his left hand, he still held Oni's Realm Crystal, stolen from him. He'd waited this long to see if Oni would notice the fact that it was missing. It seemed that, for now, he'd gotten away with the theft. In his other hand, he gripped hold of a single card that would give him access to the core of the Iron Demise. He'd figured out what he had to do to stop this foul machine.
And so Morro took off walking, quickly through the halls. He wasn't sure if the machine had moved again, but he could sense that the snakes in the walls were more rattled than normal. They were likely simply excited from the first order from the Hive Mind in a long time. Morro chose not to think about how, at any moment, the walls could open up and swallow him whole each time he'd been this machine's battery, how they would wrap around every single part of him and drag him into a swirling mass of red that would barely let him breathe, suffocating him under their slimy scales and fangs that brushed and bit into anywhere they could grab him…
Part of Morro did want to stop walking. If the Twins caught him, he'd be killed. If the Vermillion stopped him, he'd be brought to them. He'd been used as their fuel for too long. Right now, he was the key to help everyone. So he kept walking through the deep, red-light bowels of the Iron Demise. He walked into elevator after elevator, silent and contemplative as he did. His muscles relaxed despite begging to twist up, each moment making him more desperate to run.
The trip through the Demise took several minutes. Morro went down at least twelve stories, perhaps even more, just to get to the core. It was considered "close" to the main control unit so the Twins could get there quickly. But right now, that wasn't the case. As he left each elevator, he swiped the card he had to disable it. There was no going back for him.
Soon enough, Morro arrived at a rather large hallway, this one being framed by massive vine-like wires that seemed to spread out like an infection amongst the red mass of living snakes. He looked towards them with a long frown, trying to parse out what he was looking at. The wires all led to one massive door that was a massive black metal, guarded by three Vermillion that each stood as unmovable sentries. Morro frowned, slowly forming his aura of Chi around him.
From above the Vermillion, a flash of green light drew their eyes. As they looked up, they saw a flash of light that swirled in several circles, then shot down the hallway. Two Vermillion growled and picked up their weapons to go after it, walking past where Morro hid. Morro pulled his hood down over his face, then quickly rolled forward and slunk along the edge of the wall while the other Vermillion continued to look up for the light. Just as he reached the snake, he had to duck as the Vermillion turned to look at him. The shadows of the hall saved him as he quickly and quietly opened the door and slunk past it. Morro recalled his Chi, his hawk soaring back towards him and landing on his arm, getting a pat on the head before it faded away.
Morro turned his head forward, looking to the room where he was with awe. He'd seen this room before in the blueprints he'd downloaded, but seeing the massive scale of it momentarily took his breath away. He stood on a large, circular catwalk, with large metal stairs that went down to others that lay beneath him. They all surrounded a massive crystal, no less than twenty feet high, that looked as though the Iron Demise itself had ripped it from the earth. The thing glowed a powerful green, and from the shimmer of its surface, Morro could tell it was chronosteel or something similar. The green power seemed to froth and writhe inside of it, begging to be released. Large metal probes were attached to the crystal, no doubt in place to spark and set the thing alight when it needed to use its power.
Morro quickly shuffled his way through the catwalk, finding his spot in front of a small computer and quickly began to tap on the screen. He was thankful, at least, that Acronix begged to keep some modern tech for their device. He brought up several displays on it, most of which meant little to him. What he cared about was far more important: the release mechanism.
As Morro continued to find what he could do to make the crystal his own, he heard the sound of the sentries outside the door behind him starting to make noise. With that reminder in his head, he continued to rapidly try to figure out the controls, all while feeling his time was running out.
From around the crystal, Morro heard the sound of slithering. He turned to see two Vermillion had begun to walk around the other side of the crystal towards him. He reached up to pull his hood down, but it was already too late. The Vermillion advanced on him as he realized he couldn't explain himself, or at least not get caught. With a long breath, he turned, putting his fists up for a fight.
Both Vermillion suddenly broke apart into snakes, their armor pitching over the catwalk sides and down into the depths of the chamber below. Morro's eyes widened as he saw someone walk up in their place, holding a golden blade and a massive spear.
"If you're planning on trying to turn this thing off," Skales hissed, "Make sure it won't alert those Twins first."
For a moment, Morro was unsure of what had happened. Skales, however, refused to say more. Morro, silently understanding he had his job to do, nodded his head. He leaned forward and quickly found where he could deactivate the alarms, finding the system would reboot in approximately ten minutes. With that timer now in his mind, Morro looked up at the crystal.
"I don't know why you're helping me," Morro informed him, "But I appreciate it. I need to get my power out of this thing. Do you-"
Skales let out a loud shout, turning and throwing the spear into the crystal as hard as he could. Morro's eyes widened as Skales sunk the entire spear into the thing, causing it to rapidly web out in cracks at the break. He stepped backwards just in time for the entire thing to continue cracking. Skales reached forward to grip the end of the spear, yanking it out and smashing another hole into it with a snarl. Within moments, the green power in the crystal burned even brighter.
Suddenly, the green power shot out, flying through the air and straight back towards Morro. He had only enough time to hold his hand up as it burned back through him, sending his nerves alight and throwing his head back. The crystal drained from green to blue as Morro's eyes went from black to green. When the power finally finished, he stumbled forward, holding his hands out and seeing the green energy twinkling around his wrists again.
"Thank you, friend," Morro turned to Skales, forcing himself upright, "Why are you here?"
"Because," Skales nodded, "You're a traitor, and I'm chasing you out of the Iron Demise, and I have... " He peered at the console, "Just over nine minutes to do it."
With that, Skales tossed the spear over at Morro. Morro caught it, confused only for a moment before Skales nodded towards the door. Morro, accepting this plan wordlessly, turned and grabbed hold of the door that entered into the chamber.
"The paradox is being sustained by the Time Blades themselves," Morro informed him, "All I did here was remove their ability to escape from this world."
"Just get running," Skales pointed his sword at Morro, "You're wasting the time I need to hunt you down and stop you."
Morro gave Skales one last look, focusing on him for a few moments. Skales gave him the smallest of smirks from the side of his mouth, just as Morro turned and threw the door open. With a charged ball of his newly returned power, the three sentries were blasted apart with a wave of green. As Morro took off running down the halls, Skales gave him a few seconds head start before he followed after him.
As one Green Ninja ran, the other advanced. Lloyd shouted as he charged forward, his body spinning into Spinjitzu as he rocketed across the massive cockpit of the Universe Bounty. Oni calmly reached forward and held his hands up as though waiting for a tackle. When Lloyd slammed into him, Oni thrust his hands into the tornado, grabbing hold of Lloyd's arms and holding it as firmly as he could. Lloyd's force of power strained against Oni's iron grip, Oni's feet sliding slightly against the floor as he did. The dull smile of the Mask of Deception on his face was unrelenting.
With a loud growl, Oni flexed his muscles, physically yanking Lloyd from his tornado. He spun Lloyd through the air, chucking him firmly towards the port side door. Lloyd crashed through it, his back slamming against the railing down to the main deck. One of his swords went tumbling off and over the side of the ship, falling far below.
Lloyd lifted his head up in a daze, just in time to see Oni flying towards him with his hands outstretched. Lloyd dodged, only for his body to go tumbling down the stairs. As he came to a hard rest on the deck, Master Wu and Emperor Garmadon, finishing off one last Vermillion, turned in shock to see Oni walking down the steps.
"Him," Emperor Garmadon frowned, "He is one of them!"
"It seems as though you have been revived by your Oni blood," Oni mused as he slowly descended towards them, "...I will make this quick, then. He is not my true target today."
"If you are the one which my pupil has spoken of," Master Wu spun his staff, "Then I will ensure that you go no further!"
Lloyd pushed himself up to his hands and knees just in time to see his uncle and father leap over him, charging Oni. Before he could tell them to stop, Oni reached his hand up, calling upon the power of his mask. Both of them were yanked into the air, Oni flicking his head to send Master Wu's staff flying. Emperor Garmadon raised his hand up to try to blast Oni, only for him to send both of them careening away from him into a hard smash into the metal plating of the deck.
Seeing his chance, Lloyd picked up his remaining sword and shouted, charging up his power in his other hand and firing a ball of green off as he leapt into the air. Oni swung his arm forward, causing the ball to smash into the wall beside him and to catch the sword in his grasp. Lloyd saw his skin harden like dragon scales before Oni reached up with his mask, grabbing Lloyd's throat in a choke before throwing him, too, on the deck.
"I am here to fight Monty, you are simply my preamble," Oni informed them as he descended the stairs, "You have used my power, my mask, without my permission. Now, I take it back. I care not for the battle that you wage, I demand that I be given my rightful-"
Oni suddenly was lost in a loud explosion. Lloyd turned his head to see the Samurai X mech soaring through the air, lowering its arm cannon and drawing its sword. Pixal steered the mech down to land on the deck with a loud thud, targeting Oni.
"I must implore you to surrender," Pixal informed him from the cockpit, "You are delaying me from my further repairs."
With a snarl, Oni leapt straight out of the explosion, grabbing hold of the flap that protected Pixal. With a viscous cry, he began to pry it open, causing the metal pistons to start to snap. Pixal spun the mech's sword in hand and brought it down right against the mech's flap, causing Oni to leap back to avoid the attack. Pixal raised its arm cannon, sending several more blasts of power at him.
As Oni threw his hands up to defend himself from the blast, Lloyd leapt into the air again, spinning this time into Airjitzu and then summoning his elemental dragon. The dragon snapped its wings and soared into the air, opening its jaws into a twinkling beam that blasted at Oni's back. As both mech and dragon attacked, Oni levitated his body and forcibly threw himself across the deck to avoid them.
Just as Oni came to a stop, Master Wu raced towards him, spinning his staff and slamming it against Oni's chest to pin his arms down. He grabbed the creature tightly as Emperor Garmadon summoned his four dark blades and shot forwards, lunging them right at Oni's chest. Oni, straining against Wu's staff, uses his mask to first snap Wu's head back, then twist his arms and force him to drop the staff. Oni caught it and thrust it upwards, pinning Emperor Garmadon's blades against it.
"It seems you're the real deal," Emperor Garmadon grinned, "I've been preparing for your arrival. I should thank you for giving me an ample practice round."
"I am not Oni, nor am I human, I am a balance of them all!" Oni's distorted voice came behind his mask, "I simply have used Oni as my title to imply my dominance over you!"
"Funny that," Emperor Garmadon growled, "Because Ninjago is mine to dominate!"
Oni suddenly felt something crack hard into back. The impact forced his head to snap backwards in pure shock. When he turned to see what it was, a massive blast of crackling blue snapped his head to the side and sent him to the ground. He looked up to see Jay and Cole holding their nunchucks and hammer respectively, Cole grinning as he readied to swing again.
"Master Wu!" Zane's voice drew Oni's attention as he ascended from a hatch in the deck. Oni used the mask to forcibly snap his body out of the way, then up onto his feet. He spun his leg around in a mask-fueled roundhouse kick, sending Jay's body into Cole. While Cole managed to catch him, Oni leapt hard into the air and shot towards where Lloyd was standing.
A combined blast of water and ice caused Oni's body to slow down in the air. He landed just short of Lloyd, smashing apart the icy chunks that formed on him. Kai sent two jets of fire right into Oni's body, knocking him onto his back. When he stood back up, he saw that he was fully surrounded by the six ninja, Master Wu, Emperor Garmadon, and Pixal inside of her mech.
"You picked the wrong fight to start with," Lloyd informed him, holding up his sword, "Ninja stick together, no matter what!"
"And yet, they have been nothing more than footnotes in your journey thus far…" Oni growled out from behind his mask, "What is it you believe that you can do against me, when each of your souls hold turmoil that deflects you from balance?"
"Balance?" Emperor Garmadon asked, "Now, where is the fun in that?"
The two brothers went back to back, holding their arms forward and sending a blast of gold and purple straight at Oni. The Mask of Deception caused the beams to instead go soaring towards Pixal, who held up her sword and caught them at the last moment. Zane flash froze the deck, holding Oni's feet down. Nya and Jay both shot him with beams of water and lightning, electrifying the water. Oni managed to grab hold of their arms with his mask, redirecting most of it as quickly as he could. Despite that, the shock that did hit him momentarily froze up his limbs. Cole, letting out a shout, spun his hand and glide across the ice. The hammer hit Oni straight in the gut, another satisfying crack filling the air. Cole, rearing back for another strike, was instead grabbed in the face by Oni. The mask grabbed him a moment later, throwing Cole all the way against the wall of the cockpit.
Lloyd spun into Spinjitzu, catching Cole and helping him to his feet. Cole gave him a nod of thanks before he twisted into Spinjitzu towards Oni. Kai and Jay followed suit, while Nya and Zane stepped back. As the four of them converged on them, Zane instead grabbed Nya and spun her around, throwing her into the air for her to throw herself into a dive kick right at Oni's head. Pixal gave Zane a nod as she charged at Oni, holding up her sword as Zane thrust two shurikens at him. Master Wu urged his brother to follow suit, converging on him as Zane soon joined them.
Oni, seeing he was utterly surrounded, gave an inhale and then let out a massive, guttural scream. He drove his mask's power to its limit, causing the glow of the power to light up from all around his head. All at once, all nine of the participants were grabbed in its power, hauled into the air. Lloyd felt the power seizing his chest in a vice-like grip. Pixal's entire mech went up into the air, causing it to shudder as she felt the metal bend inwards towards her. Emperor Garmadon once more tried to blast Oni, managing a single stream that struck his mask and causing it to slightly pry from his head.
In turn, Oni thrust his arms out, pushing them all over the sides of the ship. Cole managed to slam his hammer down and dent the deck enough to stop himself, Jay and Nya managing to grab onto him just as they dangled over. Master Wu and Emperor Garmadon went over the edge, letting out cries as they dug their hands into the ship's side to slow their descent. Zane magnetized his feet and caught Lloyd. Pixal's mech activated her jets, soaring up from under the ship and catching the two elders to bring them back onto the deck.
"Hea...vy!" Cole gasped out, "G-Guys! A-A little help?!"
"Hang on, Cole!" Lloyd shouted, "I'll-"
"You will do NOTHING!" Oni shouted at Lloyd. Lloyd turned just in time for Oni to tackle him hard into the deck, slamming his head back to rattle his vision. When Zane turned to try to attack, Oni turned and viciously slammed the mask's power into him, causing several sparks and crackles as he simply crushed Zane's internals to send him back onto the deck.
"Zane!" Lloyd cried out, turning his attention to Oni. He grabbed hold of Oni's arms, trying to wrestle him away. Instead, Oni pinned them to the deck nearly instantly. Hovering over him on all fours and huffing out like some wild animal.
"You believed that allies would save you, but you were wrong!" Oni hissed out, "You are alone, Lloyd. It was your actions that first caused his battle, that caused the deaths of Sun and all of his people. You refuse to fight me for real!"
"Get… off of me!" Lloyd shouted.
"Make me!" Oni shouted through his mask, "To wield power is a responsibility, is it not? Yet you have allowed others to fight for you now, haven't you?! Put on that mask of yours, and truly show me what you can do!"
Lloyd tried to fight Oni again, but Oni was determined to keep him down. Lloyd desperately fought against him, and without any other options, he charged his power in his hands. The blasts hit them both, throwing them away from each other. The jolt made the mask he carried slide out across the deck.
"Cole!" Jay, looking down at the ground far below, shouted panickedly, "Don't let go!"
"I-I'm… holding!" Cole grunted out.
"You're doing g-great Cole!" Nya affirmed, "Just keep holding on!"
"You two… aren't… helping!" Cole shouted back. As soon as he did, however, he felt his hammer suddenly begin to slip. The hammer began to slide backwards, out of the dent he'd made. Without the lip, Cole began to shout as he felt the three falling.
Suddenly, something grabbed hold of Cole's arm, a gray arm that pulsed with purplish-green. The strength yanked all three of them up onto the deck rather roughly. As the three got up and rubbed their heads, Cole blinked at the one that saved them.
"Lloyd…?" Cole asked. Lloyd, the Mask of Hatred on, growled out in anger as his body was consumed by the rock-like exterior that fueled his power. He stood hunched over, panting similar to how Oni was, and even now he simply growled out one word:
"Back!" Lloyd snarled. The streaks of blonde that had sprouted from the mask, along with the small bits of green that pulsed alongside the purple that seemed to hold the rocks down to his body, were all that showed it was him. He slammed his mass into Oni, raising his fists.
Lloyd focused each punch down onto the mask Oni wore, each one causing it to shimmer and snap against Oni's face as he did. He threw punch after punch, blow after blow, trying to get rid of it. Oni, in turn, tried to seize him with his mask's control. Lloyd's sheer strength, however, meant that when Oni tried to lift him up, he swung his foot and knocked into Oni's side hard enough to throw him onto the ground.
Oni curled his own fist and sent it into Lloyd's chest, stunning him. Before he could do anything, Lloyd formed a sword from the rocks and brought it over Oni's head, smashing it into the mask. The sword shattered into pieces, reforming into Lloyd. Oni, readying for another attack, was caught off guard as Lloyd immediately made another one and swung. Oni thrust his hand at us, his mask catching the sword in the air.
Realizing he was stuck, Lloyd brought his legs up to his chest and kicked out, slamming them into Oni. Oni was thrown back and into the hanger doors, leaving a massive imprint in the metal. Lloyd shook himself to clear his head, then let out a roar. He spun his new blade around in his hands, forming another one and spinning it.
"Lloyd," Master Wu's voice rose up from his left, "Lloyd, are you... ?"
"I'm here, Master Wu…" Lloyd growled out, "I've used this mask before… he's just trying to get me to get mad at him!"
"Well, this is unexpected," Emperor Garmadon added as he walked up behind Lloyd, "That mask should be filling you with hatred right now."
"It does," Lloyd panted out, "I… I know what this anger is. I know who it's for. But I can't let that push me!" He snarled, "Our goal is to destroy that mask!"
"Well," Emperor Garmadon formed his swords again, "That sounds… plausible."
"We are trusting your mastery over this power, Lloyd," Master Wu continued, "We will follow you." As he spoke, Oni stood back up from the wall, snarling as he began to frantically thrash his arms about around him.
Lloyd didn't wait to give them orders, instead growling out as he leapt into the air and landed with a crushing of metal behind Oni. He kicked Oni into Master Wu and Emperor Garmadon's blades. Oni managed to throw each one aside with the telekinesis, but Lloyd instead launched up behind him and punched him in the back. Oni spun around and seized hold of Lloyd's neck in turn, trying to crush it in his grasp. The Mask of Hatred, however, refused to give Lloyd, instead, swung his blades and knocked Oni towards the edge of the deck.
Master Wu slid in front behind Oni, letting out a loud 'hyah!' as he knocked his back with his staff. In turn, Emperor Garmadon held his blades forward, blasting Oni several times with his power before lunging right at him with all four in a vicious side swipe. Oni redirected the swords, but by then Master Wu had spun around and sent his staff straight into the mask, knocking it slightly up off his face. Emperor Garmadon flung one of his swords forward. It lodged perfectly into the mask, causing power to begin seeping out of the crack it made.
"GYRHGAH!" Oni snarled out, "You have made your last mistake!"
"Lloyd!" Master Wu shouted. Together, he and his brother spun into Spinjitzu, arcing towards him and getting his attention. Oni tried to pry the blade out of his mask, reaching out and blasting both of them backwards with his mask. He reached up with both hands and yanked on the blade, causing it to fall out.
Oni heard Lloyd just before he saw him. Lloyd grabbed hold of him, throwing him down onto the deck and causing his head to dangle over the edge. In turn, Master Wu turned and pinned one arm down, while Emperor Garmadon did the other. Lloyd reached up and roared in rage, slamming his fists into Oni's mask again, and again, and again. Oni's head cracked back and forth as the mask did in turn, each blow sounding powerful enough to crack bone. Oni tried to lift his body up, only for Lloyd's leg to smash into Oni's own and pin it down.
With one last roar, Lloyd clasped his hands together into a ball, bringing it straight down onto the crack he'd formed in the mask. The power that leaked out of the crack finally blasted out in a flash of light, just as the mask fully broke in half and fell off the sides of the Universe Bounty.
"It's over!" Lloyd snarled at him, "I won! Now you will LEAVE!"
Oni's eyes stared at Lloyd for a long while, watching him curiously. There was little to see in them, but Lloyd could swear he could make something out. Confusion, annoyance, worry, things that didn't make any sense to him. Things that left him only snarling and panting harder at Oni as he did.
"You must have had to use that mask more than you ever to defeat me so easily," Oni informed him, a haughty tone creeping into his voice, "That mask's power is greater than you could even know, Lloyd. You have shown me-"
With a long growl, Lloyd reached up and yanked the mask off his face. As the rocks fell from his body, Lloyd looked up at the mask and then clasped it in both hands. His green power filled it in a bubble, causing the mask to shake and shudder. Oni's eyes briefly focused as Lloyd caused the power to sink into the mask, filling it, cracking it, and then, with a blast of purple light, shattering it into pieces. He collapsed backwards, his power spent as the pieces of the mask fell to the deck around him.
"I don't…" Lloyd groaned out, "I-I don't need a mask… to be powerful."
"...What?" Oni blinked in shock.
"I don't… I don't need…" Lloyd panted out, "Monty… Monty told me that. That I'm more than just that. I might have started this… I-I might have reason to hate you, too. But that doesn't mean I should… give into it," He focused his eyes on Oni, "If… the only way to defeat you was to use it, then I had to be strong enough to dispose of it," Lloyd turned to Master Wu, "A wise mentor told me to know what I was doing when a good man had to do bad things."
Master Wu's eyes lit up with pride in a flash, then he turned his attention to Oni, "We will take you prisoner now, Oni. You will tell us what you know of the Twins plan here."
"I have not done what I have come here to do," Oni informed him, "I came here to prove myself against that ghost, once and for all. And I did not need that mask to defeat him," Oni nodded, "All I must do, is-"
Oni paused. He had intended to grab his Realm Crystal and disappear… yet he could not feel even a single bit of it in his robes. Until now, he hadn't needed it. As that dawned on him, Lloyd looked at him in confusion.
"...What?" Lloyd asked.
Oni, frowning deeply, growled out, "I must leave you now. You have disappointed me, Lloyd."
With that, Oni's body suddenly began to glow as a substance formed around him. Realizing what it was, Lloyd instinctually recoiled, throwing his weight backwards. A cloud of smoke billowed up around them in a deep, thick black cloud, causing Master Wu and his brother to become trapped in it. As the sickness of the smoke struck Master Wu, Oni yanked free of his grasp and used that momentum to throw Emperor Garmadon off. By the time that the smoke cleared, Master Wu was gasping for air with a hard cough, and Oni was gone.
"...Master Wu, are you alright?!" Nya shouted as she raced over towards him.
"Yes… I am fine," Wu planted his staff into the ground and stood up slowly, "...It appears our adversary has gotten away."
"Unfortunate," Emperor Garmadon growled, "But not important. We are still running the flagship for a battle here. It would be unwise to keep them waiting."
"Lloyd, was that…?" Jay asked nervously.
"Yeah, it was," Lloyd nodded back, "He made those masks. Monty stole that one for me, and I've been… using it to keep up with him," Lloyd inhaled, "But I knew that I couldn't do that again. It was too dangerous to be left in his hands, or mine. And… I don't need that mask in order to defeat the Twins."
"Let us hope your decision was not foolish," Garmadon growled, "We have not even made it to your ultimate battle. That may have been a useful tool."
"And I said I didn't need it," Lloyd snapped at him, "It's like you said, we have a battle to run. Let's get back to work!" Lloyd nodded, "It's going to be a bumpy ride."
Master Wu walked up and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. As the others rushed back to their cannons, Lloyd looked forward over the bow of the Universe Bounty. The massive battlefield still raged in front of them, the Vermillion on the ground keeping pace with the desperate struggle of shark, man and stone alike. As the two looked across the web of lasers and ships that lay between them and the Universe Bounty, Lloyd could do nothing but continue their desperate charge forward into the unknown.
Ophiod held his staff up behind him, his poise firm, his body ready to take any attack. Magic crackled from his palm, and in turn his body began to thrum with an orange glow. From around the tip of his staff, more magic pulsed out and shot forward around him, forming several orange swords in the air that all turned down and pointed towards Lulloyd.
"I have waited for this rematch for a long time, Lulloyd," Ophiod frowned, "You humiliated me within that city. You put me down without a thought to my pride as a warrior. And now, I have come to claim my victory over you!"
"I don't have time for you," Lulloyd snarled.
Ophiod's frown grew into a hiss, "If you believe that you do not have time for me, then I will force you to have time for me!"
Ophiod thrust his staff forward, causing his magical swords to soar through the air at Lulloyd. He expected Lulloyd to dodge them, counter them, or perhaps find some other way of deflecting them. Instead, Lullyod shouted and raised his warlord staff, smashing them each apart with a single slice. He thrust his staff out to his left side and his curved sword to his right.
"I said!" Lulloyd shouted, "I don't have time for you!"
"Then I will carve out time!" Ophiod shouted back, "You do not get to simply ignore me!"
With that, Ophiod gripped his staff and leapt forward, twisting into Spinjitzu, his copper tornado blurring powerfully and casting a dull light across the war-torn ground. Lulloyd, for some reason, didn't move out of the way, instead gripping his staff hard and panting heavily. Ophiod, seeing no reason to deviate, slammed the full force of his Spinjitzu against Lulloyd.
Lulloyd stood his ground. A scraping noise of metal on scales filled the air as Lulloyd held his staff firmly in the air, huffing out in exertion and his eyes bleeding a powerful determination behind his helmet. Ophiod only put more of his strength against him, trying to blow him over and take over their lock. Lulloyd held on, his eyes darting slightly to the side.
"FIRE!" Lulloyd screamed out. Ophiod followed his eyes just in time to see a large, black mech heft up a large shark cannon and fire a snapping marine predator at him. Ophiod leapt backwards and threw his arms out, forming a magical elastic shield of orange in front of him that the shark stuck to like glue. He twisted his hands in a circle, wrapping his magic around the shark like a gloveto fling it at Lulloyd.
Ophiod instead heard a small yell as Lulloyd spun his staff hard in his hands, already launched into Ophiod's face. Ophiod twisted his own staff, the impact causing his arms to go cold from the shock of the blow. He flew backwards through the air, his tail lashing out and coiling on the ground to catch him upright. He spun around to face Lulloyd, only for him to come flying right at him. Time slowed just slightly to let him see Lulloyd's determined gaze just as his warlord staff slammed into Ophiod's left side.
Ophiod's eyes widened as he heard a sickening crack when the impact hit him. He went down, but thrust one hand behind him, planting it into the ground to remain just above it. His tail shot up from the ground like a kick in a vicious twist, striking Lulloyd's staff and blowing him back. The impact gave Ophiod just enough time to look down at the damage. The impact had cracked a hole in many of his scales, leaving several broken and damaged ones to flake off and show his raw blue skin underneath.
Ophiod, trying to put the shock of that revelation out of his head, focused on his training and shot himself up to his tail, wrapping it around his body and holding his staff up in a defensive cross over his body. Lulloyd panted for a moment, then shifted his massive staff to one hand and drew his normal sword in the other. He shot forward with one leg extended, a cone of air forming around him like a rushing boar.
Ophiod's tail uncoiled and twisted his body out to the left, spinning around in an entire arc to swing his staff at Lulloyd. Lulloyd twisted his sword backwards and rotated his arm, catching the staff and slashing it up to break the attack. Ophiod ducked low as he saw Lulloyd spin around, swinging both his weapons in a circle. Ophiod's tail lashed out and curled around Lulloyd's chest, swinging him through the air and throwing him into it.
In the air, Lulloyd remained unphased, gripping his weapons and crossing them. Ophiod called upon his magic, forming golden rings around his tail and wrists to fly up into the air straight at him. Lulloyd focused himself, waiting for the moment that Ophiod's staff was swung towards him. He swung his weapons outwards, catching Ophiod's staff and knocking it back to create a momentary opening.
With his chance acquired, Lulloyd threw his staff right at Ophiod. The Viper managed to knock the massive head of it away, but the impact still sent him soaring back in the air. Lulloyd instead saw a Hammerhead Dropship incoming. He angled himself towards it, striking the side of it just as it soared by and grabbing hold of a lightsaber handle on the outside. The pilot, realizing immediately what was happening, spun the dropship around, opening the doors to the loading bay to let Lulloyd jump inside. The Shark Army gunners all blinked at him in shock as Lulloyd turned and pointed his sword at Ophiod, still hovering in the air.
"TAKE HIM DOWN!" Lulloyd roared out. The sheer force of command brought all of the gunners to raise their stud shooters. Ophiod held his staff out and formed a shield in front of him. The studs shot the barrier, breaking and cracking it under their relentless fire. Each one let out several cries of 'pew pew pew!' to accompany their shots. When the shield broke, the pieces suddenly affixed to Ophiod's body and surrounded him in a skin to protect him even further.
Ophiod held his staff up, charging up a beam that flew out and struck the side of the ship. As several bricks were dislodged and sent flying, the ship spun in the air to face forward, revealing 3x3 ball turret sockets angling its massive cannons up. The pilots, one in each eye of the hammerhead, rolled their tongue in a 'bbrrrrrbrbrbrbrbrrrrbrbrbrbrr!' as cannon fire in the form of red cylinders flew towards Ophiod. The snake weaved his way through the air around the fire as they tried to track him. As he got closer, one of the pilots instead hit a button, opening up the jaws of the shark and unfurling a large laser. With a cry of "bbzzztttttttttt' the laser shot towards ophiod in a massive beam of 2x2 red cylinders. Ophiod skimmed the top of it with his staff, flying towards the dropship and impaling the head of the shark with the staff.
Suddenly, the bricks holding the dropship together began to glow orange in the seams, just in time for the head of the ship to break apart into an array of pieces. The two pilots were suspended in the air for a brief moment before looking at each other and then shouting as gravity grabbed them and flew towards the ground.
Ophiod took a moment to breathe. A hatch in the top of the dropship opened,Lulloyd launching himself out and right towards Ophiod in the air. The impact knocked both fighters back, but notably the strike caused Ophiod's arm to snap out and drop this staff. Lulloyd landed back on the dropship, while the loss of his connection to the staff made Ophiod's magical rings dissipate and send him hurtling towards the ground. Lulloyd saw the falling pieces and jumped off the falling dropship, master building a sloppy set of controls on top of the hatch and a platform for the two pilots to attach to before they hit the ground. With a heave of the sticks to shut the bay doors, Lulloyd managed to slow the descent of the ship just enough for them to hit the ground with only a light crash. Ophiod, meanwhile, used his normal magic to form a ball of power below him. When his tail struck it, his body was blasted back into the air, slowing his descent long enough for him to hit the ground on his tail.
After breaking open the bay doors to let his troops out, Lulloyd turned the see Ophiod. Te two blinked in shock at what they saw, however: their staffs, warlord and forbidden spinjitzu, were on the ground near each other. The two looked at one another, knowing what this meant.
With a hiss, Ophiod spun into Spinjitzu. In turn, Lulloyd saw a downed crab mech nearby and yanked it free to scuttle it across the ground. The two gained on their weapons rapidly, each growing closer and closer to one another. Lulloyd leapt forward from the mech as soon as he was in range, sword on his back as he lunged.
The two hit each other just in time for Lulloyd and the two staffs to get sucked into the Spinjitzu. Ophiod, not ready for Lulloyd, rapidly destabilized and the two shared a few small blows, blindly groping for each other's weapon. When the two separated, they slid apart from each other. Ophiod panting hard, pointed one hand at Lulloyd.
"It seems that you still cannot defeat me, even with an army at your side!" Ophiod spat, "I will finally end our bout!" Ophiod thrust his staff forward, readying magic.
Instead, Ophiod saw a massive metal head on top of it. His eyes bulged out as he realized that he had the warlord staff. In turn, he saw Lulloyd holding the staff, the scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu on the end unfurling. Lulloyd held it in both hands, causing it to begin to burn with a green light in place of the normal orange.
"I told you," Lulloyd growled out, his voice becoming amplified by the magic, "I don't have time for this. I need to lead my army. You want people to get hurt because I'm not there to command them, Ophiod?!"
"You are nothing more than a child playing in his father's armor!" Ophiod countered. Even as his body began to tense up as he saw that glow from the staff growing brighter.
"Then what does that make you?!" Lulloyd spat back, "I've worked this entire time to prove myself to my friends, to my father! I've taken control of an entire army just to do it! But I don't need to prove myself to you!" Lulloyd shouted, "I am Lloyd Garmadon! General Number Son, and Commander of the Shark Army! If you want to try to insult me again, then come at me, and fight me like a man!" Lulloyd voice gained the deep, characteristic growl of his father's voice.
Ophiod felt his body freeze up for a moment. The words, the conviction, the power that lay behind them, they all sounded far too close to his own. His own desire to prove himself to his people to his father. And in that moment, the connection between the two, the one that he'd never bothered to see, was laid bare. For once, Ophiod could see Lulloyd was not just his enemy… he was his true rival.
Lulloyd gripped the staff tightly. The green power flaring up from the scroll suddenly burned harder around the staff and shot down, the color frothing in and out of his sand-green armor. Lulloyd blinked in confusion at it for a few moments, unsure what was happening.
"HEY! YOU DOWN THERE!" Garmadon's voice rang out across the way, "YEAH, YOU, WITH THE WEIRD TAIL!"
Ophiod spun around to see the Garmashark 2.0 stomping its way towards them. The troops on the ground quickly jerked and flew out of the way as the shark came to a massive stomping halt in front of the space that was cleared out for the two combatants. The hatch raised up to reveal Garmadon inside, and beside him, Acronix' and Krux' still clinging to the top of it as though their lives depended on it.
"Woah! Where'd that staff come from, Lulloyd?!" Garmadon shouted from atop his perch, "Wait! Is that your first cursed magical artifact?! Oh I wish your mother was here to see this!"
From the sky above, a hang glider descended towards the ship made of broken bits of Shark Army ships. Lady Iron Dragon dropped down from it, landing beside her husband with a little flourish and shake of her hairpiece.
"Oh I'm right here to see it, honey," Coco giggled, drawing her bow and arrow, "Now, should I aim for the snake?"
"I do not know who you are!" Ophiod shouted at them, holding up the staff, "But this duel is between myself and Lulloyd! I will not tolerate other interlopers!"
"Woah, get a load of this guy," Garmadon laughed, "Sounds like he's all into this."
"You mock my will to fight?!" Ophiod shouted.
"You should be wary of that one," Acronix' informed them, "He is the one that Lulloyd has spoken of. It seems that Lulloyd has stolen his staff for now… but he is without his companion," Acronix' nodded, "That is a dangerous thing."
"He's the one?!" Garmadon shouted. Almost immediately, he leapt down off the shark, awkwardly shuffling to lower himself down the shark's nose before finally hanging on and dropping to the ground. Coco, meanwhile, simply giggled and hit a button to unfold the ladder down the shark's head to join her husband.
"You two go on ahead without us!" Garmadon shouted back up to the Prime Twins, "We have some business we need to take care of. Heh, looks like the miniboss has shown up!" He looked at Lulloyd with a wink. Lulloyd gave him a small roll of his eyes, but smiled gently.
"Come then, brother, you heard the crazed man," Krux' smirked, "We have things to get to." Acronix' looked down at them in worry, but looking off in the distance to see the armies still clashing against the Vermillion, he knew what he had to do. With a small nod, he took his brother's hand and held up his green sword, flashing them forward in time and off to battle.
"Can you truly not defeat me on your own, Lulloyd?" Ophiod growled, even if his eyes narrowed at the sudden loss in advantage he had in this fight.
"A commander is only as strong as his army," Lulloyd growled out, "You've had Skales until now, now it's my turn! Mom, dad, are you ready for this?!"
"A chance to fight alongside my son?" Lady Iron Dragon grinned, "Count me in!"
"It's time to show them how the Garmadons do battle!" Garmadon laughed.
"NINJA-GO!" The three shouted together. Lulloyd took a single step forward, only to find himself suddenly in front of Ophiod. Ophiod's eyes widened as saw him, unable to get his defense up in time. Lulloyd swung his fist, the punch hard enough to blow Ophiod all the way onto his back.
Lulloyd felt it. The power inside of the staff was seeping into him. It was making his movements feel lighter, faster. Stronger. He looked up at it, and slowly, he began to understand why Ophiod was so desperate to use it against him. And why he couldn't let Ophiod use it again. It was just like Lloyd said: the staff would enhance the power of the person who used it. And since he didn't have any magic…
Ophiod flipped himself upright, swinging the heavy warlord staff towards Lulloyd. Lulloyd seemed to teleport away from it, instead leaping into the air and throwing a hard kick down at Ophiod. Ophiod swung his staff up with both arms to catch the kick, just in time to see Garmadon lunging at him with four massive katanas. Ophiod spun into Spinjitzu to get away from it, fleeing back to get his position ready to attack again.
Instead, Ophiod felt an arrow fly dangerously close to his cheek. He stopped his Spinjitzu just in time to see Lady Iron Dragon notch three arrows and hold her bow sideways, firing them at Ophiod. The Viper swung his tail up in the air, hardening his muscles to bounce the arrows off the long appendage. Lulloyd appeared behind him in that moment, his eyes glimmering with green as he punched directly into Ophiod's spine. Ophiod let out a gag of pain.
The Viper swung his tail around to knock Lulloyd back, only to have to duck from another tri-barrage of arrows. Garmadon gained ground on Ophiod, slashing wildly at him. Ophiod leapt away, slithering backwards as he swung the staff in front of him, countering some swords and bobbing out of the water of others. Garmadon's attacks were fast, furious, and each blow felt like taking a full strike from Arcturus himself. Ophiod slithered further and further back, countering what blows that he could as he felt his arms tiring out just from the one onslaught.
Lulloyd leapt on top of the wrecked dropship from before, then straight off as he threw his weight straight at the Viper's unguarded backside. At the same time, Coco began to run parallel to Ophiod, firing arrows at his arms to destabilize him. Lulloyd struck him from behind and knocked him down onto the ground, letting Garmadon plant his foot and raise his swords.
With a hard snarl, Ophiod summoned his normal magic, causing his senses to overcharge as he felt the power coursing through his skull. In that moment, he shot his tail up and wrapped it in a vice around Garmadon, constricting him. Garmadon, however, looked down at him with a grin, warning Ophiod to turn and see Lulloyd slam a brick plate onto the ground and grab Ophiod's shoulder. Lulloyd used the enhanced speed of the scroll to plant his foot on a stud and then spin his father and Ophiod around in a circle, fast enough that the world blurred.
Lulloyd snapped his arms up in the air, throwing them both through it. Garmadon unraveled from Ophiod's tail, laughing madly as he folded his body to fly towards his wife. Coco reached up and grabbed him, jumping back a few steps to slow down and stand him up. Coco notched more arrows and held her bow up, biting her tongue and then firing at Ophiod. The Viper was struck by several of them, bouncing off his scales.
Ophiod spun himself up onto his tail, bunching it like a coil and readying himself for the attack. He saw only a tiny blip in his vision before Lulloyd was in front of him, holding his sword. Ophiod prepared himself, taking the assault head on. His tail hardened as he swung it forward to act as his own weapon, striking against Lulloyd's attacks. The two moved fast enough that even Garmadon had to blink.
Lulloyd swung his body into a massive spin into the air, blowing Ophiod back. Ophiod feraly hissed out as gripped his fist, causing the ground under Lulloyd to glow with magic and erupt up in spikes. To Ophiod's shock, Lulloyd's speed allowed him to twist his body sideways in the air to perfectly fit between them, then strike the ground beside him with the scroll and throw his weight away from them. Lulloyd rolled around the ground and then charged Ophiod's again in another rushing boar, the strike hitting Ophiod's tail and snapping it backwards. Ophiod let out a cry of pure pain at the cartilage inside felt as though it'd shattered.
Ophiod didn't get any time to recover. Instead, he saw a flash of gunmetal weaving across the ground in a slithering motion, one that then seemed to leap into the air. Lady Iron Dragon extended two curved blades like her son's own, the sunlight glimmering off of her like some kind of metal beast. She brought the swords up like wings, then slashed them forward and struck Ophiod's guard. She landed behind Ophiod and planted one sword in the ground, then drew her bow and arrow and suddenly wrapped it around Ophiod's shoulder, planting her foot on his back and using it to hold him still.
In that moment, Lulloyd and Garmadon raced right towards him, their eyes glowing with the same fire as they raised their swords. Ophiod, in a moment of desperation, called on his magic and formed the small barrier against his body, letting them strike it. As soon as it shattered into pieces, Ophiod's eyes glowed as the shards shot forward and struck them both. Ophiod brought his other arm forward and back in a motion Coco couldn't do, hitting her in the chin and knocking her off him. He grabbed her bow and snapped it in half, the plastic falling to the ground.
"Dad, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lulloyd asked.
"Only if you're thinking of something to knock that snake down to size!" Garmadon laughed.
"On three, dears!" Coco grinned.
"THREE!" They shouted in unison, launching out around Ophiod. Ophiod turned and held his palm up, trying to form those swords in front of him. He launched them off at the three, trying to make them slow down and stop in their tracks. Lulloyd was simply too fast, and his parents both would just turn and knock the blades aside with their feet.
From the various vehicles broken down around them, the three rapidly began to build something together. Ophiod slithered backwards, trying to back away from them. In turn, he saw that the Shark Army had advanced on their position, forming a massive wall that armed their stud shooters and fish at him. He held one hand up, the pain in his body making him tremble.
Garmadon blurred into creating four massive robot legs that each hiked their feet up like heels. Lulloyd provided a hard base that formed up like a massive mech. One they got to the shoulders, Coco gave the thing massive shoulders that gave way to massive arms, one a massive crab claw and the other a large blaster in the shape of a massive shark head. The actual mech's cockpit was an open top one, with a massive spread of controls with three spots for three controllers. When the thing was completed, two large red eyes burned on the mech's massive cockpit like eyes. The monstrosity finished building, just in time for the three to assume control of the controls.
"All together now!" Lulloyd shouted, raising up his controls. The arms moved up.
"Not my best work, but it's functional," Coco smirked, controlling the left two legs.
"Oh we've made way worse," Garmadon laughed, controlling the right two legs, "Remember that siege machine to get inside that volcano?"
Ophiod, realizing what had just happened, began to pant in terror. He focused his power, thinking desperately about what he could do. With a blink, Ophiod watched as the claw raised up into the air and shot out, trying to grab him with a whirl of wind. Ophiod slid backwards and focused his magic, shouting out.
"Spirit of Fang!" Ophiod shouted, "I have need of you! Come forth from your slumber and aid your one and true Prince!"
Garmadon blinked as he saw something beginning to happen around Ophiod. Lulloyd, however, gave a simple sigh realizing what was happening. The discarded pieces that the three Garmadons had left behind began to fly towards Ophiod, forming up around him as his magic poured out of him. Ophiod pushed his magic to the limit, forcing the pieces to stick to the magic skeleton that he provided. They seemingly fused together to form the massive form of the serpent Fang, the same he had summoned outside of Monty's Samurai X Cave. The snake was no longer sand, but instead a massive conglomeration of parts that roughly formed the same shape, held together by pulsing orange magic underneath.
"Making sure he gets all his abilities out of the way before we finish this fight, eh?" Garmadon laughed, "See, this is the type of opponent I like! Gives it his all, really pushes you."
"You will pay for disrespecting me," Ophiod growled out. Even then, he had to hide how hard his body was shaking. The sheer amount of magic to summon this spirit, especially without the power of Forbidden Spinjitzu, was making him slightly woozy. The fight needed to end here.
With a massive roaring hiss, Fang shot forward, Ophiod holding a magical tether on its head as it struck the massive mech behemoth. Lulloyd twisted the control sticks, raising up the massive cannon with a loud cry of "kkkrrblom!' to send out a flash of pure power that burned through the air as it went, leaving streaks of small red wands in the air. Fang narrowly slid under it, reaching up and sinking its massive brick-covered jaws into the mech's torso.
Garmadon quickly pulled backwards, causing the mech to spin backwards to its left. Coco then instead pushed forward, causing it to make a circular motion and slam the massive claw into the snake. Ophiod gripped his magical tether hard as Fang was nearly wrenched free. With a hiss, Ophiod commanded Fang to bite harder, trying to piece the mech and bisect it.
Lulloyd reached down and wrapped the claw around the middle of Fang's bricky torso, huffing out in anger as he increased the pressure. Soon, the pain was enough that Fang let out a roar and let go, writhing hard and then curling its entire body up around the claw arm. Ophiod threw one hand backwards and clenched his fist. Fang tightened its body around the claw, causing the bricks to start to loosen. With a loud shatter, the claw was ripped off, leaving a simple technic axel where it was as it crashed to the ground below.
Fang tried to slither up the entire arm and repeat the motion, but Garmadon was too quick. He and his wife held their sticks in opposite directions, causing the mech's legs to scuttle around each other in a fast, spinning motion. Ophiod, realizing the force would become too much, commanded Fang to let go. Once more, Lulloyd raised up the cannon arm, firing at Ophiod with a hard yell. Ophiod swung Fang out of the way, but the laser clipped the tail and blasted it open, revealing the pure magic underneath.
Ophiod's eyes widened as he saw the mech charging at him, slamming its weight down into Fang and sliding it across the battlefield. Fang dug its body in, trying to stop the mech from pushing it back. Garmadon swung it forward with a quick twist of levers, hitting the side of Fang and throwing it onto the ground. The moment it struck, Ophiod saw a flash of red in his vision.
The laser cannon blasted right into Fang's chest, causing it to break apart. Ophiod's magic failed him as he hit the ground, groaning out as he turned to see the magic faded away. Fang's spirit returned to where it lay slumbering, the bricks in turn falling apart into a massive, discarded pile. Ophiod slowly pushed himself up, looking up at the mech in front of him and clutching his side.
"It's over, Opioid!" Lulloyd shouted from atop his mount, "You've lost!"
"It is not over until I have conceded this battle!" Ophiod coughed out, "You should know that well!"
Lulloyd looked to his parents. Both of them looked down at Ophiod, then gave their son the same, mutual nod. Ophiod slowly tried to raise his arms up, a weak fighting stance.
With their approval, Lulloyd turned and leapt forward, jumping down the mech and landing perfectly in front of it with the scroll in hand. He walked forward, slowly making his way towards Ophiod. With a little inhale, he planted the staff down into the ground. The aura around his body faded away.
"Then I'll give you my last strike," Lulloyd told Ophiod, "I'll end this, right now."
"That is a rather… honorable thing to do," Ophiod panted out, "It would be just as easy to turn your machine on me."
"I'm not looking to end you, Ophiod, or anything like that," Lulloyd frowned, "I'm trying to show you what you need to see. You keep going on, and on, and on about not being able to win. You need to stop fighting us, and if I have to do this so you do… then I will."
"I am not… a child, that needs a punishment to learn a lesson," Ophiod shook his head, "I am a Prince, a future King! I am… here to prove myself to you. I will endure your last strike, Lulloyd, and… and prove I am stronger than you."
Lulloyd fixed his stare on Ophiod. Ophiod thought for a moment it looked full of anger, hatred, maybe even rage. Instead, he saw something he didn't understand: regret.
Suddenly, Lulloyd raced right towards him, throwing his sword aside as he did. He came at Ophiod purely with his fists, and Ophiod raised his up. Ophiod would endure this. He would prove himself. He had to do this.
Lulloyd hit him hard with a brutal kick. Ophiod tiredly moved his tail in front of him, taking the blow hard and throwing his own punches at Lulloyd. Lulloyd bobbed his body down and weaved to Ophiod's side, striking his gut to make him lean forward and then his back. Ophiod's tail wrapped around his leg, dragging Lulloyd's foot out from under him and throwing him to the ground.
Lulloyd leapt up to his feet, a hard growl in his throat as he struck himself at Ophiod again. The two traded blows, punch after punch, kick after kick. The Shark Army surrounded them as Lulloyd and Ophiod fought with their bare hands, striking and punching each other to try to make the other go down first. A Viper, trained by the strongest Serpentine there was, and a ninja warlord trained by the greatest conqueror there was. There was nothing between them, no pretense or power, no weapons or needs. Lulloyd had challenged him just as he asked.
Lulloyd turned and threw his punch directly into Ophiod's face. The Viper's head snapped back, his reflexes slowed by exhaustion too hard now to stop him. Lulloyd capitalized on it by ramming his shoulder into Ophiod's gut, throwing him backwards in the process. Ophiod was completely open when he stopped, letting Lulloyd move into the finishing blow.
With one last cry of battle, Lulloyd shot forward, his body blurring as his foot knocked Ophiod into the air. The Viper's tail curled around himself defensively as Lulloyd knocked him up. Like a skyward dragon, Lulloyd hit him further up, and up, and up. The army watched in awe as their commander built up his combo higher, higher, and even higher still. Ophiod endured each brutal strike, each kick and punch, until finally he felt Lulloyd reached the apex of his arc.
The final kick send Ophiod down into the dirt. When the Viper landed, it was with a cloud of dust. Lulloyd landed in front of him with a long groan, panting out as he did. Ophiod didn't move to get up this time. Lulloyd looked down at the Viper, the look in his eyes growing hard for a few moments. Ophiod continued to just slightly wheeze against the ground, refusing to get up.
"I win," Lulloyd whispered to him, the regretful look in his eyes flaring up, "You've lost, Ophiod."
Ophiod remained down on the ground. The army that had formed around them looked at Lulloyd for a long moment, their cheer of victory held in their throats. Some of them wanted to let loose their battle cry, their congratulations to their commander for winning. But Lulloyd's look made them silent. None of them felt right to praise a commander that looked as though he had lost.
Lulloyd slowly walked away from Ophiod. A few moments later, Ophiod heard something hit the ground in front of him. When he moved his head enough to see it, he saw the scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu on the ground in front of him.
"Alright, men!" Lulloyd commanded, "We move out now!"
The assembled army was silent. Lulloyd moved over and climbed back up the massive mech that he'd built with his family, nodding to them. Garmadon remotely controlled the Garmashark 2.0 to follow after them. Ophiod remained there on the ground as he heard the army move past him, making space around him so as not to tremble him. He heard the roar of machines as they moved by him, left him behind. All the while, Lulloyd remained atop his mech, the look on his face.
"Are you sure about this, son?" Garmadon asked, "What you did back there… it was a bold thing to do."
"This battle isn't about him anymore," Lulloyd whispered, "He and Prime and Oni are… they have to understand that we're fighting more than just them right now. They…" Lulloyd inhaled, "It's like I said. I don't have time for them right now."
Garmadon gave a sagely blink to his son. Coco, in turn, gave him a smile, feeling the weight of the decision that Lulloyd had just made. The three marched into battle, knowing that their time was limited. And far behind them now, Ophiod was left behind.
Ophiod gripped the ground beneath his hands. Even now, he could feel nothing but his own shame. His staff lay beside him, the scroll dormant, the power in it sealed form him. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to touch it. His desire to use it was gone. There was no fire left within him as he lay there on the battlefield, alone, shamed, and without aid.
The other troops marched on by him without a single look. They knew that he had been defeated. They knew that there was no reason to attack a man while he was down. And now, Ophiod couldn't bring himself to raise his head. It took all he could do not to cry, not to show them all how pathetic and weak he had truly become.
"Why…" Ophiod growled out, "Why can I not win?! Why am I so…" Ophiod's voice died out. There was no fire there to burn in him.
"...Skales…" Ophiod whispered, "Mom… dad…" His tail slowly curled around himself, "I… I cannot do anything without you. I'm not fit to be your prince…" Ophiod lamented, "I will never be able to free you, father… and now I…"
There was movement in front of him. Ophiod slowly raised his head, only because he could see light. When he looked up, he could see Mage standing in front of him. Behind him, the massive dragon Firstbourne stood with him, Skylar still on its back. As Ophiod looked up, the light that glimmered off of Mage's armor was almost radiant and blinding, causing him in its shadow.
"I saw the battle," Mage pointed up towards the dragons in the sky, "I'm here."
"Come to finish me off, then?" Ophiod whispered, "I… I have lost. I cannot beat you…" He gently lowered his head, "My only request, is you tell Skales that… that I love him."
Mage looked back towards Skylar, who gave him a small nod. Mage reached down and drew Aevum from his sheath, holding it out at Ophiod. Ophiod looked up into the blade's point, then shut his eyes. Fear shot through his body as he did, In those moments, he felt his own mortality, his desire not to die. He wanted to see his mother, his father, Skales again. But in that moment, he had lost. And so, just as Arcturus had trained him, he remained still, holding back his tears, his begs and pleads. Mage raised his sword, and Ophiod tensed himself.
Instead, Aevum plunged into the ground beside his head. Ophiod opened his eyes slowly, looking up towards Mage as he did. Mage looked down at him, nothing more than a smile on his face. As confusion rippled through the serpent, Ophiod could only ask one question.
"Why?" Ophiod breathlessly gasped, "Why… why are you sparing me?"
"Because I made a promise to someone," Mage affirmed, "It's time for me to make good on it."