Enter The Ninjaverse

by Bionic Stars

The Time Twins have returned, and with it they have brought a new threat: the loss of Lloyd's elemental powers. With Lloyd's powers taken, the Twins escape. Not the Time Vortex, however, but instead a rip in the very fabric of the universe itself. Lloyd's quest to stop the Twins leads him to new worlds, new faces, and new revelations into himself.

103. Chapter 103

Author's Note:

If you're into reading pieces with music, I wrote the section of ** to A Tragic Decision from the Xenoblade soundtrack. I also used Roar of Dominion from Fire Emblem: Three Houses for everything up until that point as background.

This chapter is one that I've had in my mind ever since the moment that I conceptualized Prime. The dialogue is one that I've also scrawled down over time, refined and redid it all countless times. I personally consider this to be my favorite chapter in NV at the time of writing it. I hope that this chapter was as impactful to read as it was to me to write.

Emendantus - Corrected, Improved, Repaired

Invictus - Unconquered, Undefeated, Invincible

---

"Promise…" Ophiod shook his head, "What promise would be enough to let someone like me go?"

Mage got down on his knees, putting himself more on Ophiod's height. He reached out, holding his hand out to the Viper. Ophiod was silent as he looked at Mage, confusion welling behind his slitted pupils.

"I know you'll likely be upset to hear this, but I made the promise to your mother," Mage informed him, "Well, me and Lulloyd. We went to talk to your mother after you disappeared. And I promised her that I wouldn't hurt you… and that I'd try to bring you home."

"You… you spoke to her, then," Ophiod whispered, "I imagined you did. Yet I lost an honorable duel with Lulloyd. I have been shamed and humiliated. You should have every reason to finish me off now, Mage," Ophiod trembled, "It… it is the only thing to do."

"I don't want to," Mage continued to smile at him, "So I won't."

"Don't lie to me!" Ophiod shouted, "You have every reason to want to end my life! I have done nothing but hinder your quest, your goals, hurt the people that you loved! My actions have condoned violence against innocents and put my own selfish needs before the rights of others!"

Ophiod continued, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "I allowed the Twins to do… to do horrible things. To ruin lives of those who never deserved it. I ignored my path for my own ends. I hurt the one I loved the most for my own selfish desire!" Ophiod heaved, "Skales has told me I should abandon this quest from the start and I refused him. Now I am alone…" Ophiod's tears flowed down his neck, "Alone in a world I should never have seen, without Skales or Arcturus or mother or father! My life is what it always has been: alone and worthless as a Prince, alone and useless to anyone!" His repressed sadness, his sorrow, his rage and his pain finally broke free. He couldn't stop himself from it anymore. How pathetic he was to lay here in front of his enemy, sobbing while covered in dirt and bruises, to show his own weak underbelly of his own juvenile motivations. He was no Prince. He was no King. He had no right to call himself such things after all this time.

"You're right," Mage nodded, "You did a lot of bad things."

Ophiod was silent for a long time. He waited to hear Mage's response. To hear his admonishment, his anger, something to tell him more. But instead, Mage just went silent. He was quiet until Ophiod finally raised his head to look at him, and to show that Mage was still smiling.

"You… you cannot…" Ophiod's fist dug into the dirt, "You cannot be this hopelessly naive!"

"I'm not being naive," Mage informed him, "I'm being optimistic."

"Those are the same thing!" Ophiod protested, "You're letting me go, when I hurt you, Mage I hurt Over knowing that such a thing could end his life! I attacked you and your friends, I brought evil to your world and nearly took your own life!" Ophiod dragged himself up, "Do you not care that had you not acted as you did, you would have died by my hand, your friends mourned you, your world lost without you, do you not know the people that would care should you never return home, knowing that you were never given the chance to even say goodbye before you were ripped away form their lives?!" Ophiod screamed, ready for Mage to finally finish this, "Do they mean nothing to you?!"

Mage hugged Ophiod. The Dragon Lord wrapped his arms around the Viper, dragging his torso up. Mage's armor was cold and it hurt in some places, but Mage's arms were warm and held him firmly around his back. Ophiod's tail hung limp as he looked up into the air with a stunned expression, unable to process what was going on.

"What…" Ophiod couldn't stop crying, "L-Let me go. Let me… I-I do not…"

"Ophiod," Mage began, "Harumi told me that if I'm going to be strong, I have to be willing to let the people around me get hurt. That, if I want to be someone that everyone can look up to and feel safe around, I have to be strong for them. If Chen taught me anything, strength isn't using a sword. It's to be willing to forgive people for the mistakes that they made."

"My mistakes are too great," Ophiod countered, "You are a fool."

"They're not," Mage informed him.

"You sparing me will cause more people to be hurt," Ophiod shook his head.

"I'm willing to take that risk," Mage continued.

"...You… your world nearly was consumed by darkness because of me…" Ophiod's protests began to fade, "My path was your enemy before we met."

"Good people can do bad things for the right reasons," Mage smiled, "Krux taught me that."

"You are foolish…" Ophiod's tears began to flow again, "You would… you would let me go… after everything that I have done, simply because of your own belief in me?"

"I'll let you go because I never give up on people," Mage told him, "I know that you're not a bad person, Ophiod. You've never truly hurt an innocent person. Even when you hurt Skales, you were doing it in order to stop Over from hurting other people. Even when you hurt me, it was by accident," Mage whispered to him, "You are a good person, Ophiod. If I gave up on good people… I'd never have been able to make the friends that I have today."

Skylar gave Mage a long smile of adoration and respect. Mage thought back to that time he'd fought Skylar, that he'd pulled her from the brink of misery and regret, into the person that she was now. And as he felt Ophiod's tears beginning to roll against the clothes under his armor, he knew that he was doing that again for someone else. As Ophiod let another round of tears loose, Mage held him up, on a battlefield for the fate of worlds, giving the Viper a moment of forgiveness for the first time in his life.

"...I… I will never forget this," Ophiod dug his face into Mage's shoulder, "I will, ensure that I burn this moment into my mind. You have… you have my gratitude. You had every right to end my life, and yet… yet you give to me… this chance. I will not waste it."

"I knew you wouldn't," Mage told him, "But I think, right now, there's someone else who needs your help."

"Someone else…?" Ophiod whispered. A moment later, realization flashed in his eyes, "You… you mean…"

Ophiod pulled his head back from Mage's shoulder. In the distance, he could see it. The flash of Invictus as Prime attacked Over with all he had. He could see the blasts of purple and blue that went off in all directions, the gunfire and lasers. He watched as the two clashed high in the sky, a fight that isolated itself from all others.

"Prime…" Ophiod whispered, "I… I have let Prime go too far into his own regret. I must help him. I need to…" Ophiod raised his head, "I have to save him. He… he is determined to end Over's life this battle, no matter the cost."

"Then go," Mage pulled back from his hug, "Go, Ophiod. Help him. And no matter what, don't give up on him," Mage turned to look at Skylar briefly, "No matter what, you can save him."

Mage reached out and gripped Ophiod's arm. Ophiod watched in shock as Mage formed his Time Matrix on his left wrist, the hands pointing straight up and turning orange. Mage focused as hard as he could, refusing to let go of the control. Ophiod felt his wounds on his body fading away. His scales slowly begin to heal. And when Mage let go, he felt as powerful as he had before this battle had begun. He stared at himself in pure shock, an unspoken gratitude in his eyes as he and Mage shared their final look.

"I will free Prime from his grief," Ophiod nodded his head, "Even if… even if it means that I must. I must end his suffering. I will try everything I can before that."

"Do what you have to," Mage smiled at him, "I believe in you."

With that said, Ophiod slowly looked over towards his fallen staff on the ground. He gently slithered over, picking it up. Steadily, the scroll on the end unfurled, allowing him to feel its magic flowing through him again. As golden rings formed over his appendages, he looked at Mage with one last look of gratitude, the first smile he'd ever shown to his enemies, before he took off into the air and towards the battle.

The moment that Ophiod was gone, Mage stumbled backwards a few steps. Skylar quickly raced forward and caught him, looking at him with a small sigh.

"You're crazy sometimes, you know that?" Skylar smiled at him, "Was that…?"

"M-Mhm," Mage sighed back at her, "...If Ophiod can let go of his regret then… then so can I."

Skylar, feeling a rush of relief through her, moved and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. The two of them shared it for a few moments, with Skylar whispering just one thing into his ear: "Thank you." Mage watched as Ophiod soared off, her words echoing in his ear as he recalled a moment on a different battlefield, a long time ago, with those same words from her. Slowly, Mage climbed back onto Firstbourne, followed by Skylar, and commanded his dragon to fly into the air again.

---

A mech stood atop a large hill. It carried only a single sword, one currently driven fiercely into a massive shadow beast that lunged at him like a tiger. Prime shouted as the creature roared, the shadows that comprised it broke apart, dissipating in all directions. The beast gave one last howl before it was gone.

"Prime!" His father's voice rang out on his comms, "We're detecting a life form in the area. Perform a search and rescue, they may be civilians!"

"Understood!" Prime shouted, He yanked the sword out, then raced across the frozen ground.

The Frozen Wastes had been one of the first contact points of these strange shadow creatures. The beasts seemed to form out of thin air, but when they landed they brought nothing but ruin and devastation. The eerie quiet of the Frozen Wastes left Prime worried that, at any moment, his mech's foot would collapse through the ice sheet or a beast would emerge.

Prime pulled his mech over a ride to look down at a basin. His eyes widened. He saw a ramshackle mech, one that barely came up to Invictus' knee. It was half rusted, the metal creaking at every blow. It had no weapons, instead long extending arms with claws that ripped into small shadow creatures. Prime watched as the tiny mech drove its hands into a bipedal shadow beast, then spun its clawed hands like saws, ripping them apart and blasting them into nothingness.

"Who is next?!" A crude loudspeaker shouted out the pilot's voice across the wastes, "Whoever comes, I shall send back to where you crawled from!"

Slowly, the mech turned to face Prime. As he did, he could see the face of whoever was inside the cockpit, hidden behind massive chunks of beaten up metal. The face of a girl with black hair growl long past her neck, eyes wild with fear, her hands glued to the controls. And as they spotted one another, Prime felt that she was able to see right through to him as well...

Prime shouted in rage, swinging the two massive rifles in Invictus' arms, blasting away powerfully at Over. The speck of black darting across the sky weaved in and out of the laser blasts, Prime's aim vicious and wild. Only when Prime managed to finally land the shot did Over turn and spin his staff, taking the blow head on as he slid back through the air.

No time was wasted as Prime shot forward, his boosted jets allowing him to gain on Over faster than he could react. He spun Invictus around and pointed the rifle at near point-blank range into Over's face, his own arm out and pulled the trigger. Over held his staff forward and sent back a blast of purple, the beam splitting the rifle's laser down the middle. Over snapped his wings to his back, letting him fall through the air and away from Prime's relentless fire.

"You won't get away that easily, Over!" Prime shouted, "I told you! This is it! This is where it all ends! You'll fight me until you can't anymore!"

Over didn't respond to him, instead seeing that he was falling dangerously close to a squadron of Nindroid jets. Not wanting to endanger them, Over quickly opened his wings and caught an updraft, soaring up at a slight angle over the battle below. Prime slammed his feet together and made Invictus do the same, the boosters on his back sending him even faster towards Over. Seeing no choice, Over grabbed his staff and split it in half, spinning his body around and sending out two beams of dark power.

Prime brazenly swung his mech's arms, taking the two blasts on the mech's new armor and instead holding the rifles forward to unleash a brutal barrage. Over had just enough time to narrow his eyes before he was consumed in a massive cloud of light, the explosions sending his body hurtling through the air. Prime didn't let up, firing even more shots at Over as he flew away from him.

Over allowed his body to soar away from the battle, soon reaching the edge of where the massive air firefights were taking place. Out of range, he spread his wings hard and sent himself flapping powerfully to stop his momentum. His body hadn't taken damage yet, but he could feel that he was getting close to that point.

"He's more determined than ever to defeat you," The Overlord remarked, "We must be careful. He does not look ready to let up on you."

"I know," Overlloyd growled back, "I refuse to allow him to defeat me here!"

In those few seconds it took Prime to follow him, Over took stock of the mech. The armor was new, and looked like it would take more than a few stray bolts to break. The two massive rifles it held were attached to the backpack it held, along with the boosters giving it insane speed. That was to say nothing of the swords that it still had. Prime truly had gone all out for this battle.

Those seconds spent, Over held his hand forward, charging a massive beam of purple energy in it. He held it for as long as he was able to, fighting his body's urge to flee as Invictus roared towards him. The ball of power grew larger as Over took a long moment to breathe.

Invictus reached Over. The mech, rather than shooting him, simply swung the massive guns at him to take him down by blunt force. Over flapped his wings, bringing him over the first gun. The second swung out before he was able to move himself, catching Over on the chest with a hard crack of his armor. Prime swung back, throwing Over out behind him. Over let himself fly backwards again, seeing the backpack Invictus had on for a brief moment as he unleashed his ball of power.

The massive purple beam shot out, blasting the right side of the backpack. The mech's boosters were unharmed, yet the battery burst into flames. The mech's right rifle flickered, then went out. Prime, seeing the notification on his HUD, quickly spun around and shouted in rage, flinging the rifle towards Over. Over held his staff up to dodge it, only for Prime to instead hold up the other rifle and blast it.

The contact of the rounds still inside the rifle and the shot caused the thing to blast apart, a blow that Over was forced to take head on. It sent him hurtling towards the ground, unable to keep himself in the air with the force of it. Thankfully, Over managed to twist his wings to arc himself outside the battlefield, down into some of the rocky cliffs that framed the Corridor of Elders. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust that Over was forced to throw up a shield of power in as Invictus fired the remaining rifle at him without mercy.

When the cloud cleared, Over got back up to his feet. His armor was truly cracked in multiple places, and a few trickles of purple blood were flowing out of his sounds. He held his hand to the wounds, burning his power against it and sealing them shut. The action caused an acrid smell to hit his nostrils, but he held his expression constant through it all. Even when Invictus crashed into the ground in front of him a second later, Over simply flapped his wings to clear the dust before folding them back down into his back.

"You think you're clever, don't you?!" Prime shouted, Invictus once more amplifying his voice, "Leading me away from the battle so I won't hurt your friends, hrmm? Feigning compassion won't work on me, Over! I saw what you really are back then! I know who you are!"

"I wasn't leading you away for their sake," Over sighed, "It was for my own."

Over slammed his hands down into the ground, a massive vortex of shadow forming underneath him as his lower body turned to mist. From either side of Invictus, the same shadows formed, massive dragon arms emerging from the abyss to latch onto Invictus's wrist. Prime felt a searing pain in his own wrists as his arms were yanked apart. Prime screamed in rage as he twisted and shook his shoulders, trying to rip them free as the claws creased the armor he wore there. Prime turned towards Over, only to brace for impact.

Over's head had transformed into a small representation of a dragon, the massive whiskers fanning out as his rows of feral teeth opened to show a beam of purple fire within it. He let out a single inhale, then thrust his face forward, coating all of Invictus within the flame. Warnings blurred up all across Invictus as Prime screamed as his skin burned.

Desperately, Prime focused his mech's power into the arms, causing the arm cannons to wildly fire and electrify. The force was enough to yank one of the claws free, and he quickly moved his new free arm to yank the other free. He snarled and took hold of his dropped rifle in both hands, putting it up and aiming at the shadowy vortex just as Over disappeared into it.

Prime quickly went into a state of elevated defense, waiting for when Over would emerge again. He spun around, holding the rifle up nervously and growling out as he waited for some indication of when he would get attacked. For a few moments, the world was silent. A draconic roar made Prime spun around to see nothing. Instead, the massive Overlord Dragon soared down from above him, grabbing his shoulders with its feet and slamming the mech into the ground. Prime felt the impact on his face and gasped out in anger. He managed to heave Invictus off the ground and turn to attack, but the dragon was gone.

A shadow on the ground alerted Prime to his location. He looked up in the air, seeing the dragon circling him and charging up power in its jaws again. With a small pant of anger, Prime turned and began to charge up the power in his boosters again. Just as he went to take off, the dragon's eyes opened wide and flashed their powerful purple. From the ground below, Dark Matter shot up in wicked spikes, spearing the boosters and ripping them apart. Prime shot up into the air just as they burst, causing his balance to wobble and his normal jets in the mech's legs to kick in.

The sky, however, was a dragon's domain. The Overlord Dragon shot forward through the sky, striking Prime in the chest and knocking him into a spiral. The dragon's tail then whipped out, wrapping around Invictus' head and yanking it dragon's jaws opened, flying up and latching them powerfully around the mech's torso with a squeezing and sickening crunch. The beast spun around in the air, thrusting its jaws and sending Prime towards the ground. Just to ensure he struck it, the dragon's jaws opened wide and sent a beam of pure power into the mech's torso to speed up his descent.

When Prime hit the ground, the impact didn't hurt him as much as it rattled him. He turned to get up, ready to attack, just in time for Dark Matter to reach up from the ground and bind the mech down to it. As his wrists and ankles were held down, Prime looked up towards the sky to see the dragon jaws opening against, forming another blast of power aimed at Invictus' head.

Prime didn't have time to react to it by thinking. Instead, he let the arm cannons loose, blasting and churning up the rocks around it. The jets in the mech's legs activated to, straining the mech against the Dark Matter. As the dragon continued to charge its power to a greater and greater extent, Prime saw the rocks around the mech's arms beginning to break apart into craters. Realizing it was his chance, Prime sent all power into the cannons.

The dragon thrust its head forward, wings flapping just to hold it steady as a beam wider than Invictus' head was sent blasting towards it. The hole around the mech's left arm was just big enough for Prime to yank his arm through the Dark Matter and grab hold of the rifle, flinging it up and desperately letting loose into the power in front of him. One stray shot struck the dragon in the eye, causing it to roar in pain and its jaws to snap shut. The two combatants screamed in pain as they both suffered the attack. Prime's body once more felt as though it was on fire, while the dragon's left eye leaked purple across the ground below it.

Prime was the first one to recover as the blast faded, leaving the mech's shoulders now scorched with black streaks. He raised the rifle again, aiming this time at the dragon's left wing. With the eye shut, Over had no chance to dodge as the blasts ripped new holes inside of the leathery appendage. The dragon went down as soon as the holes were ripped in it, careening into the ground and only just barely managing to spread its other wing and glide into the rocks with some grace.

The Overlord Dragon got up onto all fours, its left wing bloodied and eye screwed shut. The beast took a defensive stance, letting a feral roar out at Invictus. The mech took a step back, rifle raised. Prime heaved in his cockpit, already feeling some of the strain of battle in his limbs. He needed to make sure that he didn't underestimate Over again. Meanwhile, the dragon snarled and growled at him, planting its massive claws into the dirt. Prime would have to be careful now with how utterly enraged he'd made Over.

Prime shot first. The dragon raced forward, shaking the ground with each impact its footfalls made, ducking under the shot. Prime took several steps back as the dragon shot right for him, sending his own shots at the encroaching beast. When Over was finally close enough to attack. Prime growled and grabbed the rifle, pulling a lever on the side to fold the massive barrel into the gun and convert it succinctly into a short range automatic.

The dragon struck hard, lunging at him with its claws and slashing at him. Prime held the gun down and let loose on him, striking the dragon's scales to no avail. The beast snarled and lunged atop of him, wrapping his back claws around the mech's thighs and aiming to rip and tear into the mech's throat. Prime reached up with his free hand to grab hold of the dragon's torn left wing and dig Invictus' digits into the wounds. The dragon couldn't help but tense up in pain, and the snarling jaws of the beast filled Prime's viewport.

Prime swung the gun wildly, bashing it against the dragon's face. The beast's head snapped back, but the claws held on. Prime then turned on the mech's jets, allowing him to make a massive leap into the air. The sudden change in acceleration momentarily destabilized the dragon's grip, just enough for Prime to jerk the mech's left leg up and free himself.

Invictus' free hand drew one of its combat knives, this time not bothering to extend the blade. Instead, it landed on the ground, holding the gun up and firing it off as he took several steps towards the dragon. Over snarled and took the blasts head on, once more charging at the mech with his jaws open. Instead of pouncing, the dragon jumped into the air, flying over Invictus. The tail snapped out and wrapped around the mech's shoulder. Prime let his mech be jerked along, just so he could raise the gun and get a shot right at the dragon's belly. While the attack simply bounced off, it caused Over's good eye to snap down and glow with rage. The dragon let go and landed with a skid in front of the mech, spinning around with its spikes along its spine flaring up and charging with dark power.

"I've seen all your tricks by now, foul creature!" Prime shouted at him, a laugh rising up in his throat, "You won't get past me again. I won't let you take me down now or ever! You've already lost, you might as well lay down and let me give you some undeserved MERCY!"

The dragon simply growled at him. Instead, the beast charged at him again, Dark Matter erupting from the ground around it. A line framed in spiky death followed the dragon, then split off and formed a circle around where Prime stood. Prime assessed it quickly, then he shouted and charged right at the dragon instead. The two came together with a hard crash of mechanical might and draconic power.

When the two struck one another, they came to a crashing halt. The two pushed against one another, trying to topple the other down and finish them off. Prime snarled at him, giving all his might to finally put the beast down. Over showed off his massive teeth capable of skewering entire cars, and his threat laid bare by his snarls. Claws and pistons shoved against each other, their power and might pitted against one another.

Over's dragon tail shot forward, wrapping around the mech's left ankle and giving it a fearsome yank. In turn, Invictus charged up its arm cannons and aimed them roughly at Over's back. The two attacks caused the two to separate, both of them stunned in the aftermath. The blasts went over the dragon's head, his tail was forced to separate. Over recovered first, lunging towards the mech with outstretched jaws. Invictus, however, had other plans. Prime grinned and shot the mech into the sky. His gun he had unfolded back into a rifle, the mech's targeting sights set towards the massive ship that was the Universe Bounty, specifically the cockpit.

"Hurting your friend once brought out your true form once, Over!" Prime laughed madly, "Let's see if you'll show it again if I take down your friend's ship!"

Prime went to fire the rifle, just in time for him to see the dragon's jaws wrap around the gun from below. The action caused the gun to cripple, the shot traveling halfway down the barrel before getting stuck. The rifle exploded much like the first, this time in both of their faces. The mech's viewport was suddenly covered by the sight of warnings about damage to the mech's right arm. The dragon's jaws suddenly were alight with smoke as Over roared out in pain, this time going towards the ground below for good.

When the dragon struck the rocks, its body began to melt into shadows. The dragon's body began to burn up with them, becoming nothing more than a massive cloud of them. The cloud slowly began to settle, pulling together and condensing into a bipedal form. Slowly, the four armed Over stood up, his left eye still mostly shut and his upper left arm dripping with purple blood.

"Even that was not enough to take him down…" The Overlord lamented, "We cannot sustain that form any longer. The damage is too great."

"We will make do then," Over panted out, "We must." Even then, his words were fraught with worry over the change in the tide of battle.

Invictus landed on the battlefield with a small rumble of the ground under its feet. Slowly, Over held out his arm, causing the Dark Matter in his body to form into the staff again. Even if he felt his body dizzy on its feet, he refused to show it to Prime. The mech was scorched, dented and had holes from the claws of his dragon form. Over was beaten and bruised.

Suddenly, Prime started laughing. Over blinked in surprise, his staff still outstretched and ready to fight. Over waited as the laugh that Prime gave just grew louder and louder, until the mech was blaring it out hard enough for him to feel the air that it stirred up.

"So you really do think you care about other people!" Prime screeched out in his mirth, "A stain like you, trying to save others?! You… you've truly deluded yourself into thinking that you're an actual person!"

"Has your mind broken along with your morals?" Over responded in ire.

"You are the one that's broken!" Prime shouted at him, "You avoided me for so long… you let other people go and fight yours battles for you. You made yourself think you can actually… you can actually make friends?!" Prime laughed again, "Someone like you only knows how to destroy things! Someone like you doesn't deserve even the chance to make them!"

"And what of you?" Over held his staff up at Invictus, "Was that mech not given to you to defend your people?! What would your people say if they saw this, their savior cackling like a broken man, declaring his intention to murder one that has done nothing to them?"

"THE OVERLORD TOOK EVERYTHING FROM THEM!" Prime screamed out, his laughter giving way to pure, unfiltered anger, "Their homes, their families, everything! You let that evil inside you! It doesn't matter how much you think that you've changed! You've shown all of us that at your core, you're still the same VILE BEAST!"

Prime drew both of his combat knives, charging them up into the massive blue energy swords his mech knew so well. With a cry of rage, he swung them both towards Over. Over swung his own staff up, catching them both with a mighty heave of his muscles. With a twist of his shoulders, Over threw them to his right, then leapt into the air and planted his staff down on one of the swords, clinging to it as he continued.

"Do not let your own guilt at your failure cloud what you truly are, Prime!" Over shouted, "I am not the being that took your home from you! I was not the one that killed the people you are trying to avenge! If you continue to see me as that same creature, you will never find peace!"

"What peace is there to find?!" Invictus slashed its swords apart, "When someone like you is allowed to run free?!"

Over leapt into the air, pulling his staff with him and summoning his now torn wings onto his back. He flapped as best he could, catching the backswing of the two blades on his staff. This time, his muscles screamed in agony at him, begging him to stop. He held the lock for as long as he could, finally forced to duck underneath them.

"Think of those that you are charged with protecting!" Over thrust one hand across his chest, "If you were to die here, to fall without any of them knowing, what would it do to their hearts? What hope do they have, other than the light that you have worked so hard to give them?!"

"Once I kill you," Prime laughed, "The Twins will give me EVERYTHING BACK! I'm doing this for THEM!"

Prime swung his blades wildly. Over shot through the air, weaving his body across from them, avoiding the blows whenever he could. He sent out a massive call in his mind. His staff spun and caught one of the swords overhead, just in time to see the other try to slash at his exposed chest. Instead, he swung his legs forward up and over the sword, then spun his staff to knock Prime's sword aside. The sound of energy burning through the air burned his ears with every slash.

"Even if the Twins uphold their deal, can you live with yourself?!" Over held up his blade, "Knowing that your actions would condone the Twins to destroy hundreds, thousands, an infinite number of souls?! I have seen them strip away everything that I have worked for, every soul that I have ever known! How can you live with a peace that is wrought in the blood of innocents!"

"That is what war is, Over!" Prime screeched, his laughter intermingled with loud, piercing sobs, "It's two sides, exchanging whatever they are willing to give! Whichever one gives the most, wins! And I gave it everything to win mine. What did you give to win YOURS?!"

Prime held up both blades, his laughter howling out as he slashed them down. Over had just enough time to hold his staff up before the impact sent him towards the ground. He landed on three points, enough to make his knees beg for reprieve. He stood up and watched as Invictus armed its cannons at him.

"I have paid my toll for this battle!" Over gripped his chest, "...The one that should be standing here is not me, Prime. It is Sun! Sun Wu, the true successor of my time! Yet the Twins ripped him away from me. They killed him before he was able to stand here today! They have taken the lives of innocents without remorse, have killed without emotion or thought! What say you to that, Prime! Can you truly fight me-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Prime screamed, "THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU NEVER FIGHT ANOTHER BATTLE EVER AGAIN!" Prime held the cannons forward, discharging his blasts right at Over. Over, his body weakened, held up his staff to catch the blow.

In front of him, the ground rumbled and broke apart, just in time for a Giant Stone Warrior to break free. The massive behemoth let out a snarl as the blasts of power struck it, lighting it up in blue and leaving not a single scratch on it. It widened its stance, holding up its four massive butterfly swords with a thunderous battle cry.

"Sir," General Kozu emerged from the ground before Over, "I have brought the warrior as you requested."

"Very good, Kozu…" Over panted, blood leaking from his lip, "...Truth be told, I do not know how much longer I can continue this battle on my own."

"You are injured…" Kozu asked, his voice twinged with concern, "My liege, may it be best to retreat and allow your body to heal?"

"I cannot do that," Over planted his staff down into the ground, "This battle… this battle must be the conclusion. If I retreat, I will allow him to target those that do not deserve his fury. Return to the battlefield, Kozu… guide them in my steed."

"As… you wish, my liege," Kozu nodded. He took a step back, disappearing down the hole that he had emerged from. In front of Over, another Giant Stone Warrior rose up from the ground, joining his brother as the two stood as a defensive wall in front of their Emperor.

"...What?" Prime asked, a hollow confusion in his lips, "What are those?"

"They are the hand of the Overlord," Over informed him, "The army to serve him before time had a name. They will serve as my sword and shield."

"Oh?" Prime continued, his dull chuckle rising up in this throat again, "Well. That just makes them apart of you, doesn't it?" His eyes widened and grin grew as he held up his swords, "Let's see how long it takes to destroy them!"

Prime lunged forward with Invictus, slamming the force of the mech towards them. The warriors each caught one of the swords on their own, managing to stay standing despite his mechanical power. Over used them as cover to dart behind Invictus, raising his staff up and blasting at its back. As the three of them set upon him, Prime felt his mind starting to wander, drifting away from him again.

"You supported me," Akita's voice drifted to him, "You would allow me to truly fight alongside you?"

Prime exited the meeting room, his father and Dr. Julien left behind. Their first battle together, an unsanctioned one on his part, had gained her the recognition of her battle prowess. Her mech, Kota, had proved itself.

"I would fight beside you anyday," Prime reached his hand out, "Nobody understands how I fight better than you. If you'll do it, I'll fight beside you however you want me to."

"Lloyd," Akita's eyes sparkled, "You do not know what this means to me. Defeating these creatures… it will truly save everyone."

"Of course it will," Prime grinned, "Now then. I think we have a new team to meet."

Prime clutched his head with one hand. His jets carried Invictus into the air just as Dark Matter erupted from the ground below, attempting to skewer his ankles. One warrior leapt up and grabbed hold of his leg, dragging him back down. Prime shouted in rage as threw him off, blasting him with the cannons as his mind continued to swim.

"My name is Lloyd, but you will call me Prime!" Prime informed the assembled group of newly recruited pilots, "You'll receive your call signs soon enough."

"Nice to meet ya," Cole punched his fists together, "Name's Cole. When do we get to go and fight in our own giant robots?"

"Hey! You don't get to fight in one first!" Kai protested, "I'm gonna be the one to do that! Everyone will remember the name Kai when I'm done!"

"Yeah, I'm sure they will," Nya rolled her eyes, "It's nice to meet you too, Prime. We're eager to go and defend Ninjago with you."

"We saw you when you saved Ninjago City," Zane smiled with a nod, "It is an honor to get to fight alongside someone as distinguished as you."

"Hey, who's she?" Jay asked.

Akita stiffened up as Prime answered, "She is my partner. Consider her my equal. The two of us will go into battle together," Prime wrapped his hand up with her own, "As will all of you! Are you ready to defend Ninjago?!"

"Yes sir!" The five of them shouted together. Prime turned to see Akita look down at their joined hands, then give a blush and smile at him.

"Stop it…" Prime clutched his head even harder, "Stop showing me these memories, Invictus! What do you hope to gain with them?!" Prime continued to tremble as Invictus landed on the ground, surrounded by the three combatants. The warriors leapt up and slashed at him, driving their blades into his armor while Over blasted his back. The mech swung its arms wildly as more memories continued to surface in Prime's head.

"When shall this war ever end?" Akita asked, sitting atop the shoulder of Invictus.

"I don't know," Prime shook his head at her, "It doesn't look like it'll be over anytime soon."

"Will the fighting outlast even us?" Akita whispered, "...Will we be able to deliver this world from the suffering that these creatures have brought?"

"No matter what happens, I'm going to keep fighting," Prime answered her, "I'm going to save everyone, no matter what. It's just like Dr Julien said," He patted the mech they sat on, "These things are meant to protect those that can't protect themselves."

"And… what of us that use them?" Akita looked up at him, "Do we protect them, or do they protect us?"

"We protect each other," Prime looked back into her eyes, "That's all we can do out there."

"Get out of my head!" Prime cried out, "Why are you tormenting me while I'm fighting for all of you?! Leave me alone!" Invictus was shoved backwards. Dark Matter spikes erupted again, trying to wrap around his left arm. A warrior jumped atop his shin and begin to bash it with his swords. Over shot into the air, spinning his staff and aiming it at Invictus' torso.

"Lloyd!" Akita reached forward, taking Prime's hand, "Please! Allow me to go with you!"

Prime looked down and let out a trembling sigh, "I… I can't do that, Akita. You have to help the others. Only Invictus is strong enough to take down the Overlord."

"You cannot face him alone," Akita shook her head, "Me being here to defend the people will make no difference to their survival! Fighting with you to help end their commander will!"

Prime's face was lit up with the red warning lights of the hallway. Slowly, he relaxed his muscles, his face twisting in regret. He pulled his arms from Akita's grasp, hesitating for a long moment. Then, he turned and took hold of her shoulders, pulling her forward and into a long kiss.

"I swear I'll be back," Prime smiled at her, "I won't leave you behind. I just need you to be here so I know I don't have to worry about anything other than the Overlord. Alright?"

Akita looked away from him, "I would feel at ease knowing I am at your side."

"And I will knowing you're helping the others," Prime nodded, "Please, Akita. Stay here."

Akita gave him only one more look, one of reluctant acceptance. With that in his mind, Prime let go of her, racing down the hall towards Invictus. He would protect everyone today.

Over's attack blasted Invictus. Prime, however, was no longer paying attention. Instead, Invictus collapsed to the ground before the attack even hit him. Prime fell backwards, the floor tiles raising up to catch him. As Invictus's viewport turned to look at the sky, to see Over hovering in the air above him, Prime's tears began to seep down his face.

"Give… her…" Prime whispered. The Giant Stone Warriors moved to climb atop the mech.

"Give her back…" Prime's voice hitched. The warriors climbed to surround the viewport.

"Give her back," Prime sputtered out one last time. The warriors raised their swords.

Prime's eyes flew open. The SYNC bar on Invictus shot up to nearly 80%. At that moment, all of the mech's conduits of blue began to fill with a powerful green. Over had just enough time to hide his face behind his staff before Invictus grabbed both of the warriors faster than any mech should have been able to move, faster than even a human could. The two let out confused grunts as the mech launched up to its feet.

Prime slammed one of the warriors off to his right, flinging it hard enough into the rocks it was partially buried. With the one that he still held, Prime's eyes widened as he let out a hard inhale, his nostrils burning open before he turned and saw several Dark Matter spikes in the ground. He raised the warrior overhead, then slammed it down onto the spikes as hard as he could. He held the warrior down with one hand and violently punched it with the other, slamming it with a deafening crack each blow. When he finally stopped, the warrior was impaled on four of the spikes, its body trapped as it growled and shuddered in confusion.

The other warrior turned to try to climb from its hole. Invictus' jets flared up and shot over towards it, grabbing hold of it and slamming it back down into the rocks. This time, he used Invictus' foot to stomp it into the earth. Each slam produced a massive tremor in the ground as he drove the warrior deeper, deeper, and deeper down. When the mech was up to its knees in the hole it made, he held up his cannons and blasted the thing over, and over, and over again. Soon the rocks turned and caved in, burying the thing underground.

With a silent careen through the air, Over's wings carried himself towards Invictus. The sheer speed of the mech, however, meant that instead Prime turned and grabbed Over right out of the air and slammed him into the rocks. Over's lips opened in a hard cough of blood. Before he could even come back down, Invictus' fist shot out and punched him down.

"GIVE HER BACK!" Prime screamed, "THE MOMENT THIS IS OVER, I GET HER BACK!"

Invictus raised its fist up in the air. Over had only enough time to summon an elemental shield before the fists rained down. Each fist shook the earth, fueled by the power of this mech's core and the sheer mechanical weight of its blows. The sound of it hitting the ground droned out a brutal and violent crack with every single blow. Prime screamed over it all.

"GIVE BACK MY HOME!" Crack.

"GIVE BACK MY FRIENDS!" Crack.

"GIVE BACK MY CITY!" Crack.

"GIVE BACK MY TEAM!" Crack.

"GIVE AKITA BACK!" Crack. Invictus brought both fists up and slammed them down in one last resounding crunch into the earth.

When Invictus finally stopped, Over was nothing more than a beaten pulp into the earth below. The Emperor was covered in blows, blood leaking out of his wounds and his strength drained from him. The only thing that had saved his life was his elemental shield, now breaking apart into nothing. Over could only wheeze as he saw Invictus loom over him. Slowly, Prime hung his head low, his anger drained out of him. He reached out slowly, picking back up his swords and charging them up. In that moment, Prime was the one that was in command over him. He was the one that controlled what happened to Over now.

"The only thing you have left is your life," Prime droned out, "It's time I take something from you for a change. Goodbye… Overlord."

Prime raised his swords up into the air. Over, his body too weak to move, could only look up at them with a trembling look in his right eye. Prime had won their duel… he had won this fight.

"I'm sorry, Sun…" Over whispered, "I failed you…" Slowly, a cold chill filled his bones, and a momentary calm settled over him. All he could do now was gently close his eyes and rest...

"PRIME!"

A beam of orange shot across the air. The beam struck the top of Invictus' head, snapping it backwards. The unexpected action caused Prime to fall forward in his cockpit, his SYNC level dropping from the sheer confusion it brought him. Over slowly opened his eyes to see the last vestiges of orange in the air, then exhaled and slumped back into the rocks.

"What…? Prime asked, slowly turning Invictus around. When he finally saw where the attack came from, his eyes widened, muscles went limp, and his heart went numb.

Ophiod lowered his left hand, the burning scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu hanging limp from the end of his staff. Golden rings of magic spun on his wrists and tail to keep him in flight. He looked directly at Prime, his eyes hardening as he stared down his friend. The burning orange in his palm left no mistakes as to what had just happened.

"Prime!" Ophiod shouted, "I won't let you kill him!"

Prime was utterly frozen in his cockpit. His mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Ophiod was there, hovering in front of him, and had stopped him from ending Over's life. The sight of it was nothing like he had ever anticipated that he would ever see. Even now, he could see that Ophiod's look was hardened, powerful, determined.

"N-No…" Prime sputtered out, "T-This… this isn't happening. This can't… this can't…" Prime reached up, clutching his head. His hands dug painfully into his hair.

A rush of emotions slammed into Prime. Confusion. Fear. Desperation. Betrayal. All things that he had never wanted to feel from Ophiod. All things he had never thought he would. His world felt rocked, unsteady and ready to pitch him back down. The sight of Ophiod, hovering in front of him like this, made him feel as though he was ready to collapse for good.

"Prime, listen to me!" Ophiod shook his head, his magic projecting his voice, "Killing Over will not end your pain! Can you not see that the Twins will not grant your wish, that you are being used?! You must know killing him will not undo what happened to her!"

"...W-What are you doing?" Prime asked, raising his head with dull eyes and a terrified face, "Y-You can't be here. You weren't supposed to be here… y-you can't be siding with him!"

"I am on no one's side!" Ophiod declared, "I am trying to save you, Prime! Please, listen to me! If you kill him, nothing shall change! You cannot let your grief continue to hurt you like this!"

"Y-You promised…" Prime shook his head, "You promised that you wouldn't fight Over! You promised you would stay away!" Prime's jaw locked up, "G-Go away, Ophiod! Let me finish this, finally! I've waited so long for this!"

"I used to believe that proving myself with power would do what you hope killing Over will!" Ophiod thrust his hand out, "But I have seen now that it will do you no good! Tormenting yourself with your past… holding yourself to the sins you believe will never let you free, it does nothing but hold you back from the joy of living!" Ophiod shouted, "I do not want to lose you as I nearly lost myself, Prime!"

Prime's eyes trembled. He fell to his knees, and Invictus did the same. Ophiod slowly floated towards Invictus, bringing himself close to Prime. As he did, the burning power of the scroll slowly began to fade away, leaving it just a dull, limp sheet of paper.

"Prime… you once asked me to be your friend," Ophiod continued as he grew closer, "You asked me to put my faith in your to help carry out your own goals. And I did the same to you. I am making good on that promise now!" Ophiod declared, "I will save you, Prime. Please… as your friend, give up on this quest. We will solve our issues together. We will do whatever it takes to save our homes, together!" Ophiod desperately finished, "Come with me, Prime!"

Prime slowly raised his hand. Ophiod hovered in front of the viewport, close enough that Prime could see everything. The scales on his body, the small royal robes that were torn form repeated battles, the scuffs on the staff from being used so much as his weapon. He could see Ophiod's eyes, begging and pleading him to follow him. The Viper had no defense. No will to fight.

Slowly, Prime began to feel his arm raising. He remembered all of those times he'd spoken to the snake. He remembered the moments of fun, laughter. He could remember their time spent together, eating food, confiding in one another. The stupid things he'd dragged Ophiod out to do while looking for them in the girl's world. He remembered that Ophiod was well, and truly his friend. The sun seemed to shine on Ophiod, illuminating him to the darkness Invictus' cockpit kept the young pilot inside. Prime reached out towards Ophiod.

A single ray of light glimmered off of Ophiod's wedding band.

Suddenly, Prime's hand froze. His breathing picked up. His mind began to twist and wrap around himself as he felt that sight burn through him. He remembered everything else, too. The sight of Ophiod and Skales, sharing their bands together. Of them, loving each other, being together. Of being allowed together.

"You… you can't ask me that, Ophiod," Prime raised his head, "When you haven't suffered like I have. When you still have him."

Suddenly, Prime gripped his fist. The cannon on Invictus' left arm charged up. Ophiod, in shock, had enough time to put up his shield before it hit him, blasting apart and obscuring Prime from his view. Instead, Prime willed Invictus to stand up on the battlefield, drawing its swords again and angling them towards Ophiod. When the smoke cleared, Ophiod's face was filled with hurt and terror.

"You're asking me to give up on everyone, Ophiod," Prime chuckled, "To give up on saving all of them. The Twins… they're the only ones that can save them all. They're the only ones that can…" Prime's chuckle grew, "They're the only ones that would let me see her again. You haven't lost anyone like I have! You can't ask me to give up on them unless you know what it's like to suffer like I have!"

"What?" Ophiod felt the mech tower over him, his hope twisting in his gut, "Prime! I am not telling you to do that! I am asking you to find another solution with me!"

"THERE IS NONE!" Prime screamed at him, his chuckle growing into a mad laugh, "I can't believe this. I really can't believe this. I thought you would stand beside me, Ophiod. I thought you'd try to help me. But it looks like… it looks like you were never really able to handle this after all. The Twins were right to doubt you."

"No!" Ophiod shouted again, feeling as though he was shrinking beneath the maw that was Invictus "Please! Prime! I am trying to help you! You must listen to me!"

Prime raised his swords at him. Ophiod, feeling his instinct kick in, turned and summoned the scroll's magic again. The staff projected a massive version of itself in pure orange, while Ophiod's tail and arms gripped the normal staff. Prime swung the swords at him, catching the blade on the massive orange projection. Ophiod felt his entire body burning at having to hold it back, only the magic keeping the towering weapons back.

"You've betrayed me!" Prime screamed out, "You let Over get to you! I can't protect you from him if you side with him! The only thing I can do is make sure you learn how wrong it is to try to defend someone as vile as him!"

As Ophiod struggled just to hold his weapon up, Prime activated the communications. The spell Ophiod used to communicate activated automatically, letting him listen.

"Prime?" Acronix asked in confusion, "What are you calling about? I'm busy leading an army here!"

"I have something to report!" Prime shouted, "It's about Ophiod!"

Acronix waited patiently for it. Prime hung his head. Ophiod desperately held the clash of their weapons, silently begging Prime to say nothing. In those moments, he waited for Prime to let go. To close the call.

Instead, Prime raised his head, his decision made. "Ophiod has turned traitor," Prime sealed his fate, "He's sided with them." Ophiod's hope shattered in his chest alongside his heart.

"Really? That's a shame…" Acronix sighed, "Well then. Kill him too, Prime." Ophiod's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Understood," Prime whispered, "I'll make sure of it."

Ophiod felt the mech's arms suddenly grow stronger. As he tried to look into the mech's viewport, Prime slowly raised his head. As he did, his SYNC meter rose, capping out once more at 80%. The sudden increase in power caused Ophiod to lose the lock, being thrown backwards just as he saw the mech's arms raise and their cannons charge up. Ophiod's eyes widened in fear as he turned, raising his staff up to try to stop him.

Something shot through the air and grabbed Ophiod, launching the two of them towards the ground below. Over and Ophiod hit the ground hard, tumbling across it. Ophiod came to a hard stop, his body quaking in pain as he did. His staff fell to the ground beside him.

"Get up," Over planted his weapon into the ground, getting to his feet, "... Get up!"

Ophiod looked up. Over stood above him, his body looking barely healed from when he'd seen him on the ground. He must have bought him enough time for him to heal back the damage to move again. Slowly, Ophiod got up with his staff, planting it into the ground to do the same.

"Over…" Ophiod opened his mouth to continue. Over held up a hand.

"I will not ask for what reason you have joined me, nor will I demand that you prove it," Over shook his head, "I simply will ask you now, in this moment: are you my ally?"

"...Yes," Ophiod hefted himself up, "I am your ally, Over. I… I have come to save Prime."

"He is beyond saving," Over lowered his head, gritting his teeth, "I had hoped when he saw you, he would have pulled himself back from the brink of despair. Yet he has given himself to his grief. If he would not listen to you, he will listen to neither of us."

Ophiod felt his heart sinking in his chest. He had watched Prime sink into his despair for so long now. He had tried to help him, to coax him from it. He'd failed him. Mage had asked him to save Prime, but was that possible? Prime had given himself over to his anger now. And he'd labeled Ophiod as one of his enemies. His words could no longer reach him.

"Ophiod," Over turned to him, "I understand that one of your integrity will find this unsavory. Yet I fear there is no way to lose the hold of his own delusions than to stop them altogether. Are you prepared to fight your ally?"

Ophiod hung his head, "What other choice do I have? If battle is all that I can do to bring him back, then… then so be it!"

Ophiod swallowed his grief, regret, his fear, and held the staff above his head. Magic poured out of it and into his body, and Over turned to feel the sheer heat from it against his side. Ophiod's body began to thrum and hum in an orange aura, writhing out like flickering flames waiting to be released. His body cast a beautiful light that made him stand out amongst the battlefield. Ophiod's face twisted up in apprehension as he poured more and more of his desire into it, until, finally, those symbols formed over his arm, and the scroll burned brightly.

"Over," Ophiod reached out, gripping Over's arm. The magic poured into him, and at once, Over felt his body alighting with that same glare. His good eye began to trickle an orange pupil inside of it, "Let us fight, together."

Ophiod shot into the air, the rings forming over him as he brought his staff out in front of him. Over swore that Ophiod was crying. Yet it seemed the heat of his magic would burn away whatever tears dared to fall from his face. With a solemn nod, Over spread his wings.

"Traitor… traitor… TRAITOR!" Prime screeched out as he saw Ophiod, "You truly… you didn't listen to me. You really did give into him… YOU LIED TO ME!" Prime nearly foamed at the mouth as he screamed.

"Prime! You must see reason!" Ophiod held his staff behind him, forming a massive circle of magic under his tail, "I do not wish to combat you, but I will defend myself!"

Prime snarled, turning and holding his arm cannons forward in a volley he unloaded onto Ophiod. Ophiod shut his eyes in regret just as the bolts struck his magic barrier, fading on the impact. Ophiod thrust his staff forward, causing circles to open in the air in front of him and blast out beams of light. Prime activated the mech's arm-shield and held it up, taking the blows fast enough Ophiod barely blinked.

Unphased, Ophiod held his hand forward, projecting a symbol in the air that began to suck the light from around it. Massive bolts of lightning shot out towards the mech, striking its joints and blasting power into it. Ophiod reached out and then grabbed hold of one of the bolts, causing it to glow brighter. All of a sudden, Prime turned to see his screen warning him that power was being drained out of the mech's arm.

"You can't use tricks you've used before, Ophiod!" Prime reared one of the mech's swords back. He slashed the blade down across several of the bolts, breaking the connections. Prime then turned his jets behind him and blasted right at Ophiod, clearing the gap in less than two seconds.

Ophiod remained determined, his tears still whisked away from the heat of his magic. He held his hand forward, the mech's blade hitting it and sparking violently against the magical barrier there. Ophiod strained to hold his magic intact as he focused his sight against Prime. He knew Prime could see his face, a begging look growing more resolute with each passing moment.

The Viper spun his staff behind him, shutting his eyes tightly. The staff suddenly began to glow and project the image of a massive Anacondrai blade, complete with the deeper coloration of the edges. With a hard shout, Ophiod slashed the blade forward, piercing his barrier and striking it into Invictus' left shoulder. Prime's eyes widened as the projection shot clean through it, causing him to scream in pain as he clutched his now burning left arm.

Ophiod didn't let up. He used the projection to knock the sword back, in turn weaving another symbol in the air. Ophiod reached his hand into it, causing it to snap backwards and consume his arm. He held his arm out, opening palm to reveal another massive projected blade, this time in the shape of the Viper blade that Skales wielded. Ophiod crossed the two in front of him, the size of them rivaling the mech's own weapons.

Prime turned his head, readying himself to take them head on. He set his jaw and sent a surge of power through the left arm, frying the circuits back together and moving it again. Prime drew both his swords. Just as he swung them, a shot of purple from above clipped the mech's chest, and Prime turned in rage to see Over hovering in the air with his staff drawn.

Ophiod charged Prime. The mech was beset by both of them as the two flew in and out of Prime's strikes. Over soared above his head and took blows from Invictus' right arm, his wings gliding him elegantly and gracefully. Ophiod snapped and shot around the left arm rapidly, slashing his two blades out to try to disarm the mech. Prime's enhanced sync was all that kept up with them, shouting and thrusting his body about in the cockpit with wild abandon at them.

Ophiod threw his body into Prime's right blade, catching it on both his weapons while Over shot past him and did so to the left blade. Prime crossed the two together, straining as he watched both of them attempt to disarm him. As he did, Ophiod formed another symbol over his head, causing an orange miasma to begin to drip down and over the hand holding the sword. As it began to grow up on the mech's arm, Prime felt his own hand frozen in place.

"I do not wish for this to be how this ends, Prime!" Ophiod begged him, "I beg of you, I wish only for you to return home with me! You cannot throw everything away here!"

"I'm throwing… nothing away!" Prime shouted out through gritted teeth, "I'm… saving… my… people… from… him!"

Suddenly, Invictus' body charged up with pure power, discharging into them both. Ophiod managed to throw his shield up in front of him to take it, while Over simply let go and dodged the retaliation slash. As the two separated, Prime panted out and looked up towards the two of them, his breath coming in ragged gasps while sweat poured from his forehead.

"This… this is it, isn't it…?" Prime chuckled, a deranged and hollow noise from his throat, "I can't defeat you, can I? Not… not like this…"

The two combatants hovered in front of the mech. Ophiod raised his weapons, but Over gave him a look to stop him. Something was happening with Invictus. The mech began to let out a brutal and violent thrumming from inside of its core, one that didn't sound the same. It sounded akin to a machine that had a gear loose, a deep and violent screeching that said something was very, very wrong.

"He….hehe…" Prime's deranged laugh began to flow out of him, "Ha, Haha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha! HAHAHAH! AHHHAAAHAH! HEHAHEHAHAHEHAHAH!"

Invictus' body burned with light. Ophiod and Over threw up their arms to defend their sight as the light burned out of Invictus' armor, leaking out from the core in its torso. Inside the cockpit, screens flared up with warnings, dangers, confirmations as to what he was doing. Prime just continued to howl with laughter as he banished them all. The veins in his body began to burn through his jumpsuit, glowing in the same places Invictus's circuits were. On the screen, the SYNC bar rose and rose, beeping in distress before it completely maxed out and was stricken from the HUD.

"If I can't defeat you like this…" Prime clutched his head, "If I can't kill you like this… then that just means I'm not trying hard enough!" Prime threw his head back, "Of course! I should have done this from the start! This time…. This time though, I won't lose!"

Invictus took a step forward. Prime did the same. In those moments, there was no distinction between the two. Prime's heart glowed under his skin, just as the core in the mech mirrored the same beating. The two of them shed all barriers that separated them, Prime gripped his fists, and caused one final warning to form on the screen. One last display. Prime dismissed it. Suddenly, the core began to violently spark and jerk about inside of its chamber, lighting it up and causing a massive screech of power. Prime's heart pounded in his chest in sync with the core, causing his head to hurt from the sheer force of it. The core screeched and shook as did his heart.

"What is going on?!" Over shouted, "What trickery is this?!"

"You… you're going down this time, Overlord…" Prime cackled, "I'm at full sync again! I forgot how this feels… I forgot how powerful I am like this! Powerful enough to defeat YOU!" Prime stuck his finger forward, "But I'm not going to let you go this time… I'm not going to let a single one of your minions go! I've overcharged my core… and when its power runs out!" Prime grinned madly, "This entire battlefield goes up along with you, me, and everything!"

Ophiod's heart turned to frigid ice. Over's eyes narrowed in turn as he saw the sight in front of him. Prime had turned himself and his mech into a ticking time bomb. When core or heart stopped, everything was about to go with it. The violent power that sparked out of the mech made it almost look like an angel, barely contained within a robotic shell. An angel of death, come to destroy everything and everyone that the two of them held dear.

Over's eyes widened as he turned to see Ophiod act. The snake suddenly twisted into Spinjitzu, his tornado burning against the magic circle underneath him. The circle leaked power into it, causing the tornado to grow in size as it shot towards the ground. Symbols began to glow around the tornado in a ring, the force of the Spinjitzu bringing the symbols to overlay upon one another. When they were finally alight, the symbols charged up and shot out in a massive rainbow of color, reaching and wrapping around the mech like snares.

Invictus simply raised its hand as quickly as any human could, snapping them apart and then leveling its cannon at Ophiod. Just one shot lit up the ground and sent Ophiod into the dirt with a massive crack of power.

"Ophiod!" Over shouted, then turned to face Invictus. That moment of hesitation let the mech gain on him, bringing down its swords that had now turned green. Over held the lock against them for a few scarce seconds before the force was too much, flinging him powerfully against the ground. Over landed on his feet, only to see Invictus swing its leg at him. The impact jarred his world and sent him hurtling down towards Ophiod.

Over skidded to a stop beside the serpent, and in turn he looked up to see the mech planting its swords together and hurtling them down. Together, the two shot up a shield of darkness and magic, holding it at bay with all they had. Ophiod's face lit up in fear, holding it with his dying hope, regret, and pain. Over held it with the power of the Overlord itself.

And a moment later, the shields broke, the two consumed in the blow that it sent into the ground.

When the dust cleared, the two stood, beaten and bruised as Prime stood high in the sky above them. He hovered there in the air, his light radiating around him. It burned the clouds away and brought with it only him, his might, his awe, his wonder. The two were forced to stare at him as his power continued to blast and arc out around them. To feel the light of Invictus.

"If we do not act, he will destroy everyone," Over lowered his head, "Ophiod. I know you wish to save him. I understand your wish. But he has rejected your wish, and now regardless of-"

"He… he will fall, regardless of my actions," Ophiod lamented, "I… I cannot do this."

"You cannot give up now!" Over spat at him, "This battle will progress with, or without you!"

"That is not what I mean!" Ophiod shouted at him, "I mean that I am unable to do this. I… I cannot bring myself to hurt him, Over. You… are the one that must end his grief."

Ophiod slithered towards him. Slowly, he looked down to the staff, to the scroll that hung from the end of it. He felt a sense of longing, a need to hold onto it. Yet instead, he found his grip gently loosening. He took several deep breaths, then he held it up towards Over.

"Take it," Ophiod urged him, "You will use it better than I."

Over looked deep into Ophiod's eyes, "You know what that means, yes?"

"The scroll can be used by any that possesses power," Ophiod began, "It will enhance your abilities so long as you focus your desire into it. I do not have the desire to help Prime in this way… but you do. You will be able to bring out the full power of the scroll."

"No," Over frowned, "That is not what I mean. Do you know what giving this to me means?" His words rang cold to the serpent. Yet in this moment, Over could not afford anything else.

Ophiod went silent for a brief moment, then nodded, "My… my mother. She was forced to make a choice like this before. If I am to one day be King, I must be prepared to make those same choices. Those same… sacrifices," Ophiod took a shuddering breath, "If we do nothing, Prime will destroy everyone here. I cannot allow him to harm innocents. I am resolute when I say this, Over… take it."

Over gave Ophiod a long look, one that was filled with respect, a mutual warrior's bond between the two. Slowly, Over wrapped his hand around the staff and took hold of it. All at once, the power that burned at the scroll was no longer orange, but a deep and glowing purple. Over's body was filled with it, his healing accelerating, his power manifesting.

Over looked towards Ophiod. The serpent was trembling on the spot. Without the scroll, he could see the tears in Ophiod's eyes, staining his face. The snake was barely standing. Beaten. Battered. Yet Over knew the look of one that was forced to give up on a friend. He knew it all too well. All Over could do upon seeing it was give him a firm, knowing nod.

"You are an honorable man, Ophiod," Over took hold of the staff in all four hands, "This is an act of righteousness. There is only one person that I know that could perform an act like this. I will model my desire after his own… and fulfill your wish, Ophiod.," Over turned to face Invictus, "You truly are worthy of the title of Prince."

Over held up the staff into the air. As he did, the entire earth around him began to shake and shudder. The Stone Army, fighting as they were, would turn at once to look towards the sight. An angelic sight, and a swirling of dark power that whipped around their commander. Across the entire battlefield, from the Universe Bounty's charge to the Twins that stood inside of their machine of death, they would watch as the darkness began to swirl together around the one man that held the power to command it.

The staff pulsed with power. Suddenly, the ground under him cracked open. The Dark Matter he'd brought to Ninjago was ripped free of the ground, the spikes retreating and liquefying around him. The Dark Matter was whipped up into the air around Over, forming the massive influx of power that continued to pour from the staff that he held. Soon, Over felt the power beginning to draw towards him, towards his staff. A prick in his mind that brought the sight together in his head.

"You show your desire then, Emperor?" Over opened his eyes to see Sun, the knightly manly form standing in front of him, a grin on his lips, "Do you know what it is now?"

Over took a long moment to stare at the one in front of him. His mouth opened for a moment in shock, then he slowly smirked. He straightened his back towards Sun, then nodded his head.

"To have the strength to protect those which I, their Emperor, have been charged with," Over declared, "To put down an evil that would destroy them. And to become one that will wield my power to give hope to those that have lost faith in the darkness."

"You speak like a true knight," Sun declared, his voice fading, "Your desire is granted, Emperor. I charge you with this duty, and with it, the power to uphold it."

As all eyes were drawn towards the sight. The darkness swirled together into one last and final moment of pure vantablack. The lack of light made Prime shut his eyes to try to hide from it. When he finally did open them, the sight brought him one last moment of shock.

Standing in front of Prime was a mech, one that was made of pure Dark Matter. In its cockpit, hidden deep within it, was none other than Over. the scroll planted firmly into the floor beneath him and pulsing its power out around it. The mech stood slightly shorter than Invictus, appearing to wear beautiful flowing purple robes that spread out along its ankles. Its head had on a helmet that showed its two purple eyes underneath. Armor lines its arms and legs, the torso mainly exposed. The mech slowly raised up a massive broadsword, power pulsing from its tip down to the hilt. If Invictus was an angel of light, then this mech was the knight of darkness. And as Over slowly inhaled, he raised his arms, causing the mech to lift its sword in both hands.

"Prime!" Over shouted, his voice reverberating through it, "You and Invictus are one, and now I and Emendantus are one as well! I challenge you for the right to control the fate of our destiny!"

Prime starred at the sight in front of him. The way that the mech stood was with a powerful stance, its sword slowly drawn up and over the shoulder, pointed parallel to the head. The Dark Matter that created it slowly solidified into a glistening purple and black, regal in its appearance and radiating the power of the scroll that sustained it. And the more he looked at it, the more rage that filled Prime's veins.

"So… that's how it shall be, Over?" Prime raised his head, "The two of us… the souls of our worlds, fighting to finally see which of our worlds will go forward?"

"You lost the right to bear the weight of your world long ago," Over declared, "You would destroy those who have nothing to do with our fight. Those who have helped you, those who have allied with you! It is for that reason now…" Over raised Emendantus' sword, "I challenge you!"

"Challenge… me?" Prime snarled, "Challenge me?! You failed before! Again and again and again you've failed! If you didn't have that traitor's magic, you'd be dead! What do you think some, some twisted shadow of Invictus' glory could do?!"

"Little," Over admitted, "But there is something that a certain young man taught me. Something I am sad to say has taken me too long to realize. If I have even a single breath in my body, a single spark of something I wish to fight for, I must raise his sword and declare I will defend it!"

"Defend?" Prime spat, "You have nothing left to defend! No world, no friends, nothing! You're nothing more than a shade that should've been burned away by my light a long time ago! It won't matter this time what happens to everyone else. This time, whatever happens is going to be by my hand!" Prime cackled, "THIS IS FOR AKITA, OVER! FOR MY FRIENDS! FOR MY WORLD! DIE! DIE YOU WORTHLESS SHADOW! I'M GOING TO FINISH WHAT THE TWINS STARTED!"

**Invictus shot towards the ground, its body moving faster than any machine should have. It left streaks of beautiful white and green light through the air, a sight for all to see. In turn, Over twisted the massive sword of Emendantus into the air, catching the katana-like streaks of glowing white that Invictus held. As the two impacted, a massive shockwave of power rippled out through the air. Ophiod, on the ground below, was forced to hide beneath an outcropping of rock to not be blown away.

Invictus hit the ground running, thrusting its swords forward and slashing outwards. Emendantus sidestepped the first strike and spun its broadsword, striking the side of Invictus. All at once, the white mech spun around and launched its shoulder at the purple one, knocking them both backwards and nearly throwing Over onto the ground. Prime shouted and brought both swords into the air, slashing down at the purple construct and then sending powerful blasts of his cannons into Emendantus.

"You have no right to DARE name your machine!" Prime shouted, "You dishonor all of my team by taking a name like that!"

Over didn't respond. Instead, he focused his power, causing his sword to begin to light up with power, dark flames forming across its length. Ophiod quickly slithered even further away from the fight as he saw the sword slash out in front of the mech, sending the flames burning out in a wave towards Invictus. The mech held up its arm shield, now an elegant curved hexagon that barely even sparked as he deflected it.

Emendantus crouched low to the ground, then rushed straight towards Invictus. When it reached the glowing machine, Emendantus leapt into the air in an elegant spin, slashing the blade out powerfully into Invictus' guard. Prime took each blow onto his arms, his jumpsuit ripping up to reveal his skin underneath. As his veins glowed, so did Invictus' arms as Prime thrust his arms out and charged right at Over when he landed.

Over twisted the mech around, throwing his weight out to his sides as he twisted forward and took the charge head on. He dug Emendantus' heels into the ground below, feeling Invictus slam and push him back. Prime charged forward at him, the slipperiness of the ground below making his speed falter. Over forced him to come to a stop spinning his sword into Invictus' right arm.

A gash appeared on Prime's arm as Prime snarled, ignoring it and activating his mech's jets. He grabbed hold of Emendantus and shot the two into the air, then angled them down to drive Emendantus into the rocks. Over, thinking quickly, grabbed hold of the mech's left arm and heaved, twisting them around so Invictus took the hit. Prime's back shot up in his cockpit as he let out a cough of blood from the impact, slamming his jaw shut and gritting through it.

Prime winded up his fist, sending it slamming into Over's face. Emendantus was sent hurtling backwards from the blow, landing on its feet with an awkward slide. Invictus shot upwards into the air on its jets again, darting back and forth through the air as Prime unloaded all he could into Over's body. He could feel the wind cracking and whipping against his face the flaster he flew, the harder he fired. Over raised up the massive sword of Emendantus and took the blows, slashing through them and focusing his power into the weapon.

"How?!" Prime shouted, Invictus thrusting its head forward, "How are you fighting me like this?! This is Invictus at its fullest potential!"

"There is one difference between us that you have failed to see, Prime!" Over shouted, "I carry within me the light of his memory. I feel the guilt and regret from that memory, yes, but I take him with me. You allow her memory to stain your hand!s"

"LIAR!" Prime screamed, "HER MEMORY IS EVERYTHING TO ME!"

Invictus turned jets towards Emendantus, reading its swords. In turn, Over raised up the sword and sent a slash through the air, painting a massive streak of purple that hovered in it. When Invictus struck it, Over gripped his fist. All at once, the streak exploded within the air, the force knocking Invictus out of the air and down onto the ground. The impact caused Prime's face to snap backwards and a new gash to appear on his forehead. One last memory formed in Over's mind as he held his sword out, the mirror image of the knight that had one plagued his memory.

"Shadow Control," Over declared, "Kinetic Overload."

Prime, stunned for those few brief moments, suddenly leapt up onto his feet and held his swords forward, rushing at Over. Emendatus held its blade up and raced back towards Prime, the sword glowing a deep purple and painting a massive ribbon of darkness through the air. When Prime attacked, Over weaved his body out of the way, never stopping in his stride. Prime skidded to a halt and clawed his way forward, the rocks tearing at his hands as he raced to attack Over again. Over continued to swing and dance his way around the attacks, the sword continuing its beautiful and flowing motion around Invictus. When Prime finally caught up to him, Over leapt into the air and did a graceful flip, landing to reveal Invictus was now caught within a beautiful, glowing circle of purple woven around him. Over gripped his fist.

Invictus was rocked by explosions that went off all around it. Prime's jumpsuit had holes rip into it, burn marks appearing across him. He set his jaw and beared with it as the explosions finally came to a rest, letting him pant and struggle to stand up where he was. When he finally raised his head to look towards the one in front of him, Prime's eyes trembled.

"No… no, no no no," Prime rubbed his head, "NO NO NO! I refuse to let this be how this ends! I REFUSE!"

Over felt another burning light of power from Invictus. The mech began to glow hard enough that looking at it was difficult. In turn, the core and Prime's heart began to beat even faster, their power burning through one another harder. Before he could even finish looking at what was happening, Prime was already on top of him, sending his punches hard into Over's face.

Emendantus went on the defensive. Invictus smashed its fists against the mech, sword and fingers alike as he attempted to strike down the shadowy creation. The power that burned through the mech was one Over could feel this close. He didn't have long before the mech was at its end. He didn't have long to send this before Prime would take all of them with him this time.

Over let Prime get off the first few punches before he finally reached up, grabbing hold of the mech's hands and crushing them. Prime's hands cracked as he howled, and in turn one of his combat knives broke in half, the blade collapsing onto the ground below. Undeterred by this, Prime instead took his remaining sword in both hands, slashing violently at the mech.

Emendantus gave Invictus no room. His sword slashed back and forth in the air, sending ribbons of darkness that exploded in Prime's face. More burns, more marks, cuts and scrapes formed all over Prime's body. He refused to give in. He launched forward, jerking so hard he cleaved apart entire chunks of the earth around him. He kept at it, fighting, flinging himself in, and finally flinging his remaining sword away as he simply violently tackled Emendantus to the ground.

With a feral roar, Prime slammed his fists down into the mech. He pounded away at it, blow after blow that broke his hands and burned his arms. He struck again and again, waiting for the moment the darkness would give, that something would happen. Yet nothing did. Instead, Emendantus grabbed hold of the mech's legs and swung them, throwing Prime into the air. He activated Invictus' jets and stabilized himself, hovering there as Over stood up once again.

Invictus landed on the ground, picking up the sword that it had thrown aside. Over stood there, mech ready, sword drawn. Prime, meanwhile, huffed and heaved inside of his cockpit. Somehow, Over was still standing. Emenandtus was now in the position to attack. Invictus watched as Over spun the sword and painted a ribbon, jumping onto it and causing it to explode and propel him straight forward towards Prime. He slashed another ribbon and set it off just as he neared the mech, slowing his momentum and throwing Invictus off just as he hit him. He drove his foot into Invictus' shoulder, then landed and swung his blade in a vicious overhead slash.

Invictus took hold of its sword and clashed. The two mechs traded blows, two trained warriors that gave it their all. Their power sparked and burned against each other powerfully. Darkness and light, justice and vengeance, acceptance and loss. Neither of them could back down. Their clashes deafened any who came close. They pushed back and forth on each other, trading blows. Trading convictions. Trading their desire to win.

Ophiod watched it all. He teleported himself to the top of the Corridor of Elders, standing upright with breath that had been frozen in his throat. He could feel the power of the scroll still thrumming in him, connecting him to it. Even from this distance, he could watch the two of them duel with everything they had. The pit of regret, of fear and the inevitability of what he had set in motion left him with a dried mouth, and a drier will.

Finally, the two mechs separated. Over gave one massive slash of the sword from his hip, a blast of ribbons that knocked Invictus backwards. In those few moments, the will to end the battle hit him hard. He needed this fight to end. He needed this to be their final battle. And, as he did, a cold sense of resolution hit him that made Prime exhale.

"...This is my last strike," Prime whispered, "I'll see you soon, Akita."

The power that had been gathering and building up within the mech's entire body was funneled into the single sword it had. The blade suddenly grew bigger, larger, sparked and burned with a purifying light that felt hotter than the sun. Over watched with a heaving gaze as Prime continued to pour more and more power into it. His cockpit began to shudder as the power readings on the core began to go critical. The core began to destabilize as he overcharged it to its limit, to the point of it finally nearing its detonation.

Invictus shot high into the air. Higher than it normally did, high above the battlefield and almost to the very height of the Iron Demise. The mech grabbed its blade and swung it about around it, creating a halo of light that shot across the sky. Invictus hovered there, its blade drawn, Prime using every last ounce of his strength to remain upright in his cockpit.

Ophiod watched. He watched as Prime readied his strike. His final strike. He lowered his head as he saw Over taking his stance, slowly holding up his sword and waiting for the blow.

Prime didn't have any words to say. He slowly held his sword down, pointed right at Over. Over held his sword up in the same stance that he'd seen used against him time and time again, the dark light burning against it.

Prime let out one last roar. The jets of Invictus turned down as he shot towards where Over was. The sword burned through the sky, the sound and the light, pushing away all that could stand in its way. Nothing would stop Prime now. Invictus would not be stopped. The streak of white that went through the air seemed to grow behind it in slow motion, some beautiful streak of paint that would draw the beauty of the power behind it to those who witnessed it.

Over raised his sword in the air. He slashed the blade across his body, forming several ribbons he held in the air. He returned the sword back to its original position, and waited.

Prime's swords came close to the ground. The very force of the impact of it hurtling towards the ground was one that blasted all else away. Prime screamed as he aimed the sword right for Over's chest.

Over thrust his sword forward, through the ribbons just as they burst apart in Kinetic Overload.

The two combatants were consumed in a massive blast of light as all of the power that Prime had stored discharged. Ophiod was forced to look away as the two mechs were lost, their colors, their lines and shapes gone.

The light slowly cleared. Prime let out several hard gasps. For a few moments, there was silence. Over and Prime both stood in their cockpits. Panting. Breathing. **

Prime felt something. He slowly looked down. The massive, purple blade of Emendantus had broken through Invictus' sword, propelled by the blast of its power. The sword now was pierced straight through Invictus's torso, right through the mech's core. Right through Prime's heart.

Prime coughed. Blood splattered across the cockpit floor. Slowly, the light inside of Invictus' mech died. The mech went limp, suspended in the air by the sword. The broken bits of its weapons hit the ground with dull, resounding thuds.

Prime stumbled backwards. He couldn't feel anything. The core, the connection to it… it was all gone. The lights in the cockpit shut down. The cameras turned off. All he could see was, darkness. And in that darkness, he felt something catch him as he began to fall.

"Rest calm now, Prime," Over's voice drifted to him, "Your pain is at an end."

Prime had no idea how Over had gotten into his mech. Instead, he laid back into Over's arms. Over got down onto his knees, allowing Prime to fully lay against him. As he did, Prime looked up towards the ceiling of his mech, a dull smile on his lips. His eyes trembled as the gash that Emendantus had struck on Invictus stained his jumpsuit red.

"So… this is… what was waiting for me, after all?" Prime choked out, "This… this hurts more than I thought it would. I-I thought it would be c-cold."

"Are you frightened?" Over asked him. His voice was calm.

"...No," Prime whispered, "This. This is what I deserve. A-After… everything!" He devolved into a hacking set of coughs, staining Over's armor with red, "A-After all I've done."

"Do you have regrets?" Over asked solemnly.

"That… that my people," Prime shook his head weakly, "Couldn't see me… one last time…"

"Then I swear to you, on my honor as Emperor, that I will see to it your world knows what happened to you here," Over gave his word, a promise sealed between them only they heard.

"...Thank you," Prime sputtered out, "Y-You… your mech. L-Looked like… l-like what Invictus, should be. I-I'm glad that… that it was you, Over," Prime closed his eyes, "I'm glad… it was someone wh w… m y… p a i n…"

Over gave one more solemn nod, "Sleep, tortured soul. You are free from the pain your life has brought you. I pray now that the sins you have committed in this life do not keep you from spending eternity in the arms of the one that drove you to them. Depart, and I shall watch over you as you do."

Prime gave one last breath. Slowly, his lips curled into one final, tiny smile. He went limp in Over's arms, the warmth in his body fading away. Over held onto Prime until that warmth was gone, and further even still. He held onto Prime until he was certain that he would no longer hear him, no longer be there to listen to him. He held on long until all that was there was the sound of Over's breaths, and the final settling of the mech that had carried Prime to his true and final peace.