The hallways of the Iron Demise were so complex it made Morro wonder how anyone could ever hope to navigate them. Even after memorizing the entire design of the place, he'd never imagined actually navigating it would be this difficult. The simple metal walls, pure red lighting and the sound of indistinct hissing all around made finding where he'd come from nearly impossible compared to where he was going.
None of this was helped by the fact that Morro was more or less running for his life. He could tell from the moment he left the room that the information of him disabling the Iron Demise's crystal had already been mass distributed. The hope that the Vermillion would buy that Skales was 'chasing' him had long since also been discarded by the Hive Mind.
"Go!" Morro shouted, pointing at an elevator at the end of the hallway. In front of him, he could see five Vermillion turn, eyes glowing red and their weapons raised. Skales held up his weapon, looking at the four behind having chased them relentlessly this far.
Realizing what had to be done, Morro slammed his palms together and rapidly rubbed them, charging up his power. Two green orbs sparkled to life around his hands, leading him to hold them forward and focus his power. The beams struck the Vermillion in front of them down, their armor opened up and their weapons soon clattering down to the ground. Skales lunged forward to cut down the one that he missed. The two slammed into the elevator, both grabbing the door and skidding to a halt to slam them shut before the other Vermillion could grab them. Morro slammed a button and caused the elevator to begin its descent.
"...Looks as though we're on our own now," Skales frowned, panting hard, "You think they've figured out we're not on their side anymore?"
"What gave it away?" Morro took a deep breath, "Them attacking us, or them chasing us?"
"I'm not sure, I assumed the Green Ninja would protect me," Skales rolled his eyes, "Apparently not."
"You wanted in on my escape," Morro retorted, "I wasn't planning to do this with two people."
"And what were you planning anyways?" Skales groaned, "Not more running, I'd hope."
"Funny you should mention it," Morro moved towards the door, "We're heading to the vehicle bay. We'll steal one of their ships and get out of here."
"I'm so looking forward to it," Skales groaned.
Morro reached out to touch the control panel, only for it to suddenly writhe and then pop out from the wall. The entire elevator jerked to a halt, the light above them flickering out. Morro backed up, charging his power to light up the space and reveal the elevator walls beginning to collapse, with the walls writhing and hissing as they began to close in on them.
"Looks like we're trapped," Morro nodded, "Get ready."
"I should have known you'd have forgotten the elevator was made of snakes…" Skales growled out, "I'm ready when you are."
Some of the snakes on the wall lashed out at them, propelling through the air with fangs open. Morro punched it with a burst of green, causing it to hit the floor. Skales held his blade up and cut through them. The two, however, could feel the walls were closing in. Morro's senses began to burn in terror. If they were dragged inside, then…
Morro turned to the elevator doors, "Hold on!" Before Skales could ask what, Morro held his hands forward and surrounded the elevator doors in his power. He focused it, the doors blasting off their hinges. He thrust one door against Skales' hands, then grabbed the other one. The two stood with their backs to the elevator opening, the doors holding back the snakes now pilling up inside the elevator. The small gap between elevator and wall wasn't big enough to climb, but Morro could see the wires running vertically up the shaft. With a nervous inhale, Morro grabbed the wires, hitting them with his power and causing the elevator to rapidly begin to spark.
All at once, they began to fall. Skales grabbed hold of Morro's arm as soon as the two went down. All the while, the two held their doors up, preventing the Vermillion from devouring them. The wall behind them rapidly accelerated as gravity sent them soaring down the shaft. Morro waited for the perfect moment, then he yanked Skales into a backwards dive. The two flew through an open doorway and out onto hard metal, the elevator soaring off into the unknown.
"Come on, we have to get moving," Morro got up, ignoring the pain in his leg as he did from landing on it. Skales nodded, getting up and planting his weapon down in front of him.
"...Or not," Skales nodded to the line of Vermillion in front of them, already there and ready to ambush them, "As we were."
"As we were," Morro sighed, frowning as he did. The two leapt forward into the fray of battle, their battle to escape the clutches of the Iron Demise waged.
Back in the massive cockpit of the Universe Bounty, Lloyd gripped the wheel hard. Master Wu and Emperor Garmadon stood behind him, each of them watching as the battle in front of them continued. Lloyd took several deep breaths as he saw flashes of fire up from the ground and out towards him. He didn't bother calling for the impact, instead just holding on as the ship was once again rocked in the air.
"Do you want to steer us right into their waiting arms?" Emperor Garmadon growled, "If so, you've done a rather wonderful job."
"We can't give ground now!" Lloyd informed him, "We have to maintain the charge! We're the flagship for everyone else. If we go down, they go down."
The screens around Lloyd lit up. Cannons 2 through 9 were down now, and only a few of them were back in working order. One of their engines had been hit, flashing red on a massive blueprint diagram of the ship. Pixal soared over the deck of the ship in her mech, arcing down to begin the frantic repairs to desperately keep them airbourne and battle-ready.
"It appears as though that might be imminent," Emperor Garmadon hissed, "There are no Vermillion on this ship. Why is that?"
"They have likely held off their attacks until they can assess the state of this battle further," Master Wu informed them, "Do you not remember our attack on the Serpentine stronghold at the mountain pass, brother?"
"Comparing this to a battle of that caliber shows your lack of understanding of our situation," Emperor Garmadon growled out, "... But yes, if we can break their lines, we will have the advantage here."
Lloyd ignored the bickering of his family, instead focusing on the attack. The explosions in the air going off around him kept his hands gripped firmly on the wheel, while at the same time he couldn't help but watch as their forces around him were either depleted or strained to the breaking point. They'd put everything they had down on the field, and now they had to use it all or risk it all.
"It appears we have a visitor," Emperor Garmadon began, looking down towards the deck. Lloyd looked at his father in ire before looking out towards the spot, only to find his grip on the wheel faltering. An orange portal had formed in the air just in front of the main mast, and it was a sight that he knew well.
"Take the wheel!" Lloyd shouted, letting go and quickly racing towards the door. Master Wu stepped forward, nodding his head. Emperor Garmadon gave a small frown at his son before putting his arms behind his back and following after him in a slow walk. Lloyd was down the stairs by the time he even emerged from the cockpit.
Lloyd put his glowing fists up, expecting to see Ophiod launch his way through and perhaps follow up with a blast of magic. His body was already thrumming from the battle. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of three figures. Ophiod was the first he saw, the snake having his head bowed and his eyes obscured in shadow. The second was Over, his body bloodied in purple and struggling to stand on his feet. The third was one that Over held in his arms, limp and lifeless.
"Over?" Lloyd nervously pointed at Ophiod, "What is… what is he doing here?"
"I can assure you that Ophiod is not our enemy," Over lowered his gaze, "Not at this moment, at least."
Lloyd turned to look at Ophiod. The Viper refused to raise his head up, not wanting them to see his eyes. Ophiod turned his head slightly, only to instead just grip his palms harder. Lloyd noticed at that moment that Ophiod was not holding his staff. Instead, Over had it in his lower two hands, supporting the body in his upper two.
"Is… is that?" Lloyd asked in confusion. Over hung his head as it was asked. He gently lowered the body down to the deck, allowing Lloyd to see the body.
"Prime has fallen," Over responded solemnly, "He will no longer be an obstacle for us."
Lloyd felt his body freeze. Ophiod's lips curled up into a hard growl as Lloyd looked closer at the body that Over had returned with. Prime lay there, his face drained of color, his hair matted to his head and softly beginning to unfurl. His hands were crossed over his chest, a single stain of red against his left breast that marred the normally pristine sleekness of his jumpsuit. His eyes were shut and his lips were curled into a tiny, peaceful smile, one that looked all too calm for someone no longer with them.
"What… what happened to him?" Lloyd asked quietly.
"I failed him," Ophiod whispered, breaking his unnatural silence, "It was I who allowed for the vessel of his demise. I… I was the one that killed him."
"What?!" Lloyd took a step back, "You did this?!"
"Prime gave himself to his rage in his final hour," Over silenced Lloyd with a frown, "Ophiod arrived to give him one last chance to turn back and truly come with us. It seems, though, that he was too gone after all for us to truly have made a difference."
"The staff," Ophiod whispered, "I gave it to Over for him to use. He summoned a mech of design that I have not seen before to confront him. Prime was ready to destroy himself, Invictus, and all of us to finally end Over's life. I… I made the choice to allow for…. To allow for this to happen…"
Ophiod let a few angry tears roll down his face. Over turned to look at him, a solemn nod to his companion. The Viper raised his head, allowing Lloyd to see that his eyes were not hardened with rage, but instead brimming with barely constrained regret. Each time that Ophiod looked at Prime, he would be forced to turn away lest he wish for it to break out of him.
"I promised him that I would take care of his home in his stead," Over informed Lloyd, "I intend to uphold my promise to him. I will keep his body safe, and after this battle is at its conclusion, I will ensure that Invictus is returned."
"We… we need to tell the others," Lloyd nodded, "We need to get them together."
"Ophiod?" Over turned to him, "I believe that you should be the one to summon them."
Ophiod slowly nodded his head, even as he struggled to keep it up. Lloyd watched as he turned to look at the staff that Over still held, the scroll flaming purple as it continued to enhance the power that Over had in his body. Ophiod raised his head, turning from it to instead call upon his own magic and, from that magic, bring forward a voice to call out to those across the battlefield.
I call upon those who have fought me before to return to the Universe Bounty, and to hear my words, Ophiod's magic called out, I must speak to those who would fight this battle with the Twins, for now, everything has changed.
Over and Lloyd both heard the call within their minds, much the same as Mage's own power could produce. They both listened closely, listening as his magic vibrated across the air and out towards those that the snake had spoken to previously. It would pass over ears that hadn't heard his voice before, and echo in the ones that had.
Soon enough, a loud roar brought the Firstbourne up into the sky, and from it, Mage would leap off towards the Universe Bounty. From behind the beast, the other dragons would soon fall in line, and Skylar would point her hand forward and lead them in yet another massive charge over the Vermillion's maw. Mage soared through the air, landing smoothly on the deck and looking up towards them.
"Ophiod," Mage smiled at him, "I'm glad to see that you're okay! Everyone saw that big explosion of light and, we all saw Invictus in the sky like that, do you know what…" His words were trail off as he saw Prime's body. All at once, he would see Ophiod's regret return as he gripped his fists and hung his head. Mage would open his mouth to try to ask, but Over would shake his head in a silent show of solidarity for his new companion.
Slowly, Lloyd would watch the others emerge. Lulloyd would come flipping from the chains of a jelly sub, landing on the deck with a confused but quiet gaze. REX would come flying up and hover beside the ship, and from it, Monty would emerge. Ronin would quickly race into the cockpit to stabilize his ship before it went down.
"What's going on?" Monty growled out, "Can't you see we're in the middle of a war?"
The ghost would be silenced by the stares of his peers. Slowly, they would all turn to look at Ophiod. The Viper would remain silent, finding the words that he needed to speak. He would attempt to start several times, a breath here, a twitch there, but nothing would truly come from him of substance. They were all made to listen as he continued to breathe, to listen, to try to figure out what he was going to say.
"...That's what all those explosions of light were, huh?" Monty muttered, seeing Prime.
"Ophiod…?" Mage turned to look at him, worry in his eyes, "Do you… want to talk?" Ophiod looked up. Lulloyd was silent, his hardened look of battle silenced to shock. Over and Lloyd were waiting patiently for him. Everyone had eyes on him now.
"I do not ask that you all forgive me, for my mistakes," Ophiod finally began, "In this place, this battle, there is not the time for me to make those amends. I therefore will ask you only listen to me now, as I stand here before you… alongside the one that I failed to save."
Ophiod raised his head, his eyes glimmering with the last vestiges of tears, "Prime was not a bad man. He was one that wished nothing more than to save his people, to give them what they had lost long ago: hope. He wished to be the hope for them, for their future. He allowed for his desire to grow too great, however… and of all of us here, I know the pain of allowing one's desire to grow beyond what one wishes for it to be."
"... I saved Prime, from himself," Ophiod shuddered as he took another breath, "And I have done what I must to do so. I have known the evil of the Twins since I have met them. I allowed for my own needs, my wills, and for Prime's own words to keep me in line with them. Now, on the apex of battle with them, I understand now how selfish of me that was. But as I saw what Prime had become, what the Twins made him become, I made my decision," Ophiod's eyes hardened, "I would not allow for the Twins to dictate what I would become."
"I ask you not to forgive me, not to trust me," Ophiod held his hand up, "But I ask you to allow me to fight alongside you. When this battle is at its end, you may pass judgement on me if you see fit. I will not stop you. Yet if we lose this battle, we will lose what chance we have to stop them, and save those that would fall to them. I ask each of you to let me turn my sights not on you, but on those that deserve them most," Ophiod turned, slithering around the mast to instead face the Iron Demise in the distance, "I ask you to be my ally, and allow me to aid my magic to your cause!"
Ophiod hung his head, letting his words hang in the air. He had his back turned to them, knowing that at any moment he could be struck down by Monty, Over, or even Lulloyd. But it was a risk he had to take. He stared down the Iron Demise, as though looking into it would be looking into the eyes of Acronix and Krux themselves. Whatever they decided fir him, he knew that it was in their hands as to what he would become… and he would accept what they chose.
Monty clapped his hands, "Wow. Grade A speech. Bad form to start it off by saying that you didn't have any time for it, though."
"I, thought it was a nice speech," Lulloyd countered.
"It sounds like something he'd give," Monty waved a gun at Lloyd.
"Ophiod," Over's voice rang out through their chatter, "Do the words you speak reflect the convictions you have within you?"
"...They do," Ophiod turned his head to face them.
"And you swear that the Twins have no hold on you?" Over continued, "No control, no coercion that would force your hand against us again?"
"Skales will find his way to me," Ophiod told them, "He has been against this plan since the start. There is nothing that will hold me back from avenging my friend."
"Then… we'll be your allies," Lloyd finished for Over, "If what you did for Over and Prime is true, we have no reason to fight you anymore."
"Speak for yourself," Monty groaned, "I still wanna put a few bullets in him."
Ophiod felt a strange twist around his heart. Something that he hadn't felt up until now: worry. Worry for whether or not he would be able to save his friends. Worry if he was doing what had to be done. And as that twist gripped him, he felt it loosen. For the first time in what felt like far, far too long of it, he was finally free. He turned back towards the Iron Demise, his hands gripping tightly as he focused his emotions onto it.
"All of you," Ophiod raised his voice, "I will give you one gift to prove my loyalty to your cause: I will destroy the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu."
"What?!" Lloyd gasped out, "What, but, why? You said you needed it to free your father!"
"If I cling to things that give me power, I will never learn to foster my own," Ophiod pressed his hand to his chest, "And to hold onto that staff will bring nothing but fear and regret. It is an evil power that must be destroyed. I do not wish for it to touch the hands of the Twins, nor to use it against them."
"And your magic will be enough?" Over asked him with a small grin.
Ophiod simply gave a small smile of his own. Over walked up to him, handing the staff off to the Viper. Ophiod held it, watching the color trickle from purple back to orange. With it securely in his grasp, he slithered forward, away from the ground and towards the bow of the ship. As he did, he took in a long and deep breath, his hands sparking with pure magic. He opened his palm, allowing it to flow and writhe out of him, then gripped them and caused it to instead gather within his arm. He made his way to the bow of the ship, right behind the massive dragon head, and inhaled as he brought the staff over his head. Power began to burn and crackle through the weapon, the scroll flapping violently in the wind as Ophiod brought it firmly over his head.
"KRUX! ACRONIX!" Ophiod bellowed out, "I HEREBY DECLARE YOU THE ENEMY OF MY PEOPLE, OF MY WORLD AND ALL OTHERS! FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD, UNTIL YOUR TIME IS AT END, IT IS MY CHARGE TO END YOUR REIGN!"
Ophiod focused his power, his might and his will, breathing in deeply as he brought forward all that he knew, all that he could and all that he knew that he had within him. The scroll began to burn violently, bits of it flaking down and off into the sky. The entire staff began to rumble in his hands. His tail began to wildly thrash with the power within it. He could feel desire, want, need go through him. Things to make his grip on it hold. Instead, he let out one more shout as he slammed the staff onto the deck.
The sound of shattering echoed throughout the air. The power in the staff caused it to explode violently, and with it, the scroll burned into a conflagration of magic. The assembled team felt the burning heat from it as Ophiod stood at the center of it. With one hard inhale, Ophiod thrust his hand into the magic around him, then directed it all into the ship beneath him.
All at once, the air around the Universe Bounty began to burn. The others watched in disbelief as the ship itself began to glow with the magic poured into it. The magic wrapped around the front of the ship, molding to it and spreading out along its surface. The magic changed the colors from red to a glowing copper and blue in deep, intricate patterns that resembled those of Ophiod's scales. The ship's engines began to shift, morph and glow a bright orange to become massive ornamental snake heads firing out their blasts from their opened jaws. The deck remained the same, yet the mast glowed as the sails turned a deep tan as their design burned away to reveal a massive golden Ouroborus. In the cockpit, Master Wu stepped backwards as the screens turned from blue to orange, their colors and shapes shifting to the tongue of the Serpentine.
The Viper was not done, however. He raised his head up, his eyes glowing a pure, brilliant white. He took a deep breath, then raised up his right hand. The sheen around the ship suddenly infused into it, repairing the damages done to it and infusing it with newfound power. From the back of the ship, a snake tail grew and spread out behind it, platted with the distinctive squared scales of the Vipers. The dragon head on the ship opened on its own, the cannon within it extending. Fangs formed from pure magic within the head, just as the beam turned to a beautiful, brilliant copper. Ophiod gave one last pause, then shouted as he thrust his arm forward.
The beam from the ship charged for one last second, then fired. The battlefield was lit up as the beam flew through the air, incinerating Vermillion flyers and cleaving a single line through the skies that none could touch. It flew far enough it hit the Iron Demise square in the chest, filling the skies themselves with a screeching burn that pierced the ears of men on the ground. The entire massive machine was rocked in the air as it hit it, leaving a single mark upon its chest.
"Let this be my declaration, Twins," Ophiod frowned, "For my revenge on what you did to my friend." Ophiod felt a sudden rush of exhaustion strike him, rising up within him in a darkness to drag him into the depths of sleep. Before he could collapse, however, Lulloyd and Mage rushed forward to grab hold of him. Ophiod slumped against them both, his breath coming in hard and hot gasps. The two helped him to stand up, his tail curling around his abdomen and helping support him.
"How… how did you do that?" Lulloyd asked.
"I have, studied the unique traits of every tribe," Ophiod panted out, "An application of Fangpyre spells and a simple enhancement spell that I utilize on myself and Skales in combat was more than sufficient for this…" He shuddered, "Even if they did not hear my cry, they will understand when they see this ship."
"I don't know if snakes are really our image," Mage smiled to him, holding Ophiod's arm, then whispered, "I'm proud of you, Ophiod."
Ophiod shared one last look at Mage, then he turned his attention forward towards the battle again. Around them, the pilots in the ships not under direct fire looked on in awe as their flagship gained the distinctive traits of the Serpentine. The battle tide had shifted as this new element had entered the picture. Over and Lloyd made their way to stand alongside their friends, while Monty hung back and simply looked around at the ship with a mixture of passive disinterest and disbelief.
"Hey! Kid!" Ronin's voice shouted over Monty's comm, "You want to tell me why your ship just suddenly decided to get all scaly on us?"
"The guy you fought in the desert switched sides," Monty grumbled, "Had to make a whole thing about it too."
"Really? Sweet!" Ronin laughed, "He was a good fight. Pretty tricky too. You're lucky to have him on your side now."
"I think the reunion's all done now, so let's get back to business," Monty nodded, "And be on the lookout for someone tall, making fashion accessories, and full of identity crises."
"Wow, you really think you're taller than me?" Ronin quipped back. The sound of pistols cocking over the comm made Ronin laugh.
"Now that my battle is at an end, I must return to lead my men," Over informed them, "Lulloyd, you must do the same."
"Yeah," Lulloyd agreed, "I need to get back to the front lines."
"Skylar's probably wondering what was taking me so long," Mage nodded.
"I shall stay here," Ophiod declared, "Lloyd, I have experience in wartime strategy from my studies back home. I may be of help with this."
"Alright," Lloyd agreed, "But, what about Skales?"
"I do not know where in that machine he is, so I cannot portal to him and rescue him," Ophiod declared, "But I have faith in him. It is our vow to one another… we will not allow separation to waver our conviction."
"It is time we depart," Over nodded, "Come, Lulloyd, Mage! These armies will not continue their push forward without us!"
The three of them each nodded and left as quickly as they arrived. Lulloyd turned and leapt off the deck, this time landing on a Nindroid Jet and commanding it to take him down to the twisted creation his parents were piloting. Mage sent out a call to Skylar, and soon enough the Firstbourne swooped in to catch him and bring him back into the battle. Over spread his wings and flew across the deck to grab Prime and carry him below. He found a single place to lay his body for safe-keeping, then he turned and soon soared down to the battlefield. Monty, meanwhile, turned and leapt off into REX, allowing Ronin to reclaim his gun and return to his job of sniping at pesky troops down below.
"Full power to the engines!" Lloyd declared, "The… the uhm…"
"The Serpentus Bounty!" Ophiod christened the new vessel, "She will guide the rest of our forces to their victory!"
Master Wu followed their orders, directing the ship to once more make its charge through the skies towards the Universe Bounty. As the ship flew through the air, Lulloyd would soar down on the jet and leap off, spinning to slow his momentum to land down on the top of the strange mech his parents had built. Once he returned, the two of them both drew their weapons and pointed them at his throat before realizing it was him.
"Back from the strategy meeting?" Garmadon grinned, "Looks like something's going on up there!"
"I assume you turned one of your snake enemies into your ally?" Coco asked him.
"Yeah, we did," Lulloyd centered himself back into the moment, regaining the growl in his voice, "Full power ahead! We're clearing a path for the rest of the men!"
"A frontal charge?! Oh this is going to be great!" Garmadon laughed, "Let's do it!"
"Mage!" Lulloyd pressed his earpiece, "Think you can give us some cover?"
Rather than responding directly to him, Lulloyd heard another roar in the sky. He watched the massive shadow of the Firstbourne flew overhead, the other dragons following suit. Lulloyd gave a small grin, then a laugh, then he grabbed the controls of their cobbled together machine and raised the massive claw and cannon, shouting for the charge. His parents complied, sending their machine scuttling forward into the enemy lines.
The machine tore into the Vermillion in front of them, either being blasted, snapped or simply knocked away out of position by the sheer speed of their machine. The three pressed forward, ripping up entire squadrons of them before the snakes began to reform and crawl up the machine itself.
"Oh, they're getting feisty!" Garmadon roared out, "Nope, nope you don't get to do that to my temporary command center! No you don't!"
Lulloyd swung the claw arm, just in turn to see it being clung to by almost a hundred Vermillion to hold the thing down. He blasted the cannon, only to find that it refused to fire with snakes crawling inside the bricks to separate them. He watched as the mass of red began to consume the entire lower part of their machine.
"Honey, this might have been a bad idea," Coco sighed, "Just like when you charged us into that pool of lava."
"Oh we're not getting into that right now!" Garmadon spat, "Just help me fight them off!"
Lulloyd reached back to draw his warlord staff just as he saw something golden flash in his vision. Before he could say anything, a beautiful, glistening golden dragon of pure energy had wrapped around himself, his mother, and his father's neck. Garmadon gagged out as the dragon shot into the air, flying the three of them off the flagship just as it was fully consumed under the horde. It brought the three of them through the air, his father kicking and screaming in pure shock, until it landed them down onto the ground in a small patch of land.
"Are you alright?" An elderly voice asked. Lulloyd felt the dragon unravel, dropping his father onto his back as it moved to curl around the body of none other than Wu, his Chi glowing around shoulder.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Lulloyd groaned out, "Thank you."
"Huh," Coco stood up, "You know, you look just like my brother-in-law."
"I have not the time to discuss that," Wu shook his head, "I believe that my pupils can help."
Lulloyd blinked as he suddenly saw someone jump over his head. Chi Kai, his body covered in the fiery rocky skin of his salamander Chi, slammed down into a horde of Vermillion with a massive burst. Chi Cole flung through the air with his massive scythe, his bear Chi burning in him as he smashed down and began to fight alongside his friend.
"It appears we are one the same side this time," Chi Zane, his body sporting the distinct wolf ears of his Chi, reached out for Lulloyd's hand, "May we provide assistance?"
"Only if you think you can still keep up with me," Lulloyd remarked, hefting up his staff again. The two of them smiled at each other, then jumped forward into the fray.
"Coming through!" Chi Jay's voice pierced the air. Underneath the feet of the Vermillion, a massive blue grid began to form and surround them. As the Vermillion stepped over it, the grid would suddenly blast up spikes and bursts of lightning, sending several of them broken apart the moment they were struck. Others were knocked back into their brethren. A few that weren't entirely taken down would see a massive pulsing energy shark fly through the air and rip them apart a moment later as Chi Nya landed beside Jay and held her weapon forward.
"Woah," Garmadon blinked, "Your ninja are like, way more efficient than mine. Can I trade with you?"
"I do not think that would be wise," Wu informed him, "Do you not have your own pupils to direct?"
Garmadon paused, looking up into the sky. He eventually saw the Lightning Mech soaring within it, weaving and ducking in fire while the pilot was undoubtedly streaming his head off. He could also vaguely see the Earth Mech in the distance, mostly by listening to the sound of beat-boxing. After a few seconds, Garmadon just gave a roll of his eyes.
"They're not my pupils, but my dummy-dumb dumb brother who's dumb and clearly is too dumb to be here!" Garmadon frowned, "Also, are there two of you?"
"I believe so," Wu lowered his head, "But I will not call myself the title of Master as the one of this place does. I lost the right to-"
"Blah blah, I don't need a life story right now!" Garmadon growled out, drawing four katanas from seemingly nowhere, "Just wanted to make sure, sheesh. If you got baggage, the drop off was yesterday!"
Wu had no idea how to respond to what Garmadon said, instead just ignoring the resemblance to his own brother and instead sending his Chi up into the air. The dragon infused into his body, causing Wu to begin glowing a deep gold. Garmadon turned to see this, just in time to watch as Wu spun his staff and struck down four Vermillion with one blow. That alone was enough to make Garmadon's competitive edge kick in as the two lunged into battle together.
As the Shark Army followed after their commander, Mage continued to soar into the sky. Skylar held onto his hand as the two of them directed their dragons into the battle. The beautiful wave of their combined power kept them moving forward, blasting apart Vermillion despite there seemingly being no end in sight. Mage focused on the fight, even as the powerful flaps of the Firstbourne made his body bounce and rock gently within the saddle.
"What are we targeting?" Skylar asked him, readying herself.
"Whatever looks the most dangerous!" Mage shouted.
"May I suggest a target?" Pixal's voice cropped up. The two turned to see the Samurai X mech in its sleek, blue color soaring beside them.
"Woah," Skylar blinked, "...What is that thing?"
"Some kind of machine that runs on lightning," Mage informed her, "Same thing that thing in the sky earlier runs on."
"I will not take the time to explain my mech," Pixal informed them, "But I believe that we can direct our assistance to your own forces. They appear to be suffering heavy casualties."
"Then we're on our way!" Mage nodded, "Yip yip!"
The Firstbourne turned her attention down towards the Elemental Army. The mass of dragons soon shot through the air towards their tribesmen after her. As they approached, Mage realized that they were indeed in trouble, as they were beginning to get circled in on their left side and compressed. Mage turned the Skylar.
"Want to help them out down there?" He asked her, knowing what his answer would be. Skylar gave him a single grin, then slid down the dragon's side to hold onto her front leg. Mage brought them in close, just enough for Skylar to leap forward and slam down into the ground in front of none other than Griffin Turner.
"Woah! Skylar!" Sir Turner blinked at her, "Was wondering where you were!"
"Right here!" Skylar froze her arms in ice, then punched a Vermillion in the face. The ice shot out of her arm in a massive spear, breaking apart three more before she pulled it back to crush the one she'd punched. She smashed the ice apart and used her other frozen arm to swing around and uppercut another.
Pixal landed beside her a moment later, brandishing her weapon and slashing into the enemy horde. She held up her blasters to cleave a row in front of her for space, then swung her mech's leg to make more room. It was only after all of this she turned to see the surprised faces of the tribesman who had no idea what was happening.
"Do not fear, I am on your side," Pixal informed them.
"What sort of construct is that?" Turner asked her in confusion.
"Something that I believe I do not wish to explain," Pixal faced forward, just in time to see a Vermillion flyer soaring right at her.
With a flash of speed, Alacr shot up from the ground, drawing his sword and slashing the thing in half before it could reach her. He reached out and grabbed hold of the Samurai X suit, landing on its shoulder and sheathing his blade. He looked forward with a simple nod, then looked down to where Pixal lay within.
"Whatever this is, you allow your attention to slip," Alacr nodded at her, "This battle requires our full attention!"
Pixal, admitting he was right, turned and brandished her weapon just as Alacr did the same. The two of them readied for battle as the dragon overhead blasted open holes in the Vermillion ranks for them to charge at and put their full force onto. Skylar leapt forward with her arms now flaming with whirls of fire, earth and poison, lashing apart entire waves as she went. The other tribes behind them rallied together in the battle, the heavily armored Metal Tribe marching forward slowly with the force of a full wall.
"Come to Karlof!" Sir Karlof roared from the center of them, "Metal Tribe destroy puny snakes!"
Suddenly, a small squad of Vermillion made a violent charge right through the enemies at him. Sir Karlof had just enough time to raise his hands up to grab hold of the snake before it threw him onto his back Skylar turned and wrapped the acidic whips around it, melting the armor and causing it to break apart. Sir Karlof snarled as he roared out and got back to his feet.
"Hey, Pix," Skylor's voice suddenly rang out in Pixal's comm, "You need some help there?"
Before Pixal could ask what was happening, a brown colored Condrai Copter came flying overhead. The ship was piloted by none other than the noodle shop owner herself. The sound of engines roaring brought several Condrai Choppers roaring in over the hillside. Skylor led them down and into the Vermillion, skidding them to a stop in front of the Elemental Army and forming a defensive line for them.
"Skylor?" Pixal asked in confusion, "Where did these vehicles come from?"
"You think I'd throw out my dad's fleet of perfectly good vehicles?" Skylor responded from the cockpit of her copter, "I got together all our friends. Hey! New girl!" Skylor shouted.
Skylar, on the ground below, blinked in confusion as she heard who was speaking to her. She summoned fire in her feet and soared up into the air, hovering in front of her dimensional counterpart.
"Me?" Skylar blinked, "What do you want?"
"Figured we didn't get enough of a chance to bond earlier," Skylor chuckled, "It's nice to see myself so young again… well. Uh, without your little, hand situation there."
"You mean these?" Skylar wiggled her fingers, "You're the weird one with those, claw things."
"Why don't you hop into the seat beside me and show me how useful those things are, then?" Skylor laughed, "After all, the only person you can trust is yourself, right?"
Skylar, realizing she was being propositioned to fight with herself, grinned and nodded. She soared over the top of the copter, finding the seat on the other side of the oddly shaped vehicle. Once she was inside, she sparked lightning in her fist and held it over the side of the ship.
"Fine, but just for a bit!" Skylar told her, "I can't leave him alone for too long up there."
"You got it, sister," Skylor smirked. Together, the two of them soon soared up and off into the battle. Skylor steered the copter into battle, and in turn Skylar would hold her hand over the side and rapidly sending several snakes careening off into their demise with blasts of lightning.
From up high on the battle, Ophiod and Lloyd watched from the cockpit. The Viper stood in front of the wheel, alongside Emperor Garmadon and Master Wu. The four of them stood, watching the push and pull of the Vermillion below. No matter what they saw, however, nothing seemed to change. The Vermillion, no matter how hard they pushed, kept coming.
"It seems breaking their lines won't be enough," Emperor Garmadon nodded, "They simply have too many for us to take down. Each of us can take down a hundred and it makes no difference."
"Then we will force their hand," Ophiod declared, "Continue our charge! We will draw their attention and take the heat off of them!"
"Is that wise?" Emperor Garmadon frowned, "Just because this… Serpentus Bounty has been given a new look, does not mean it is stronger."
"Ophiod's right," Lloyd told them, "We have to make a break for it now. Open fire!"
The cannons on the side of the ship, now covered in scales, pointed forward and began to fire in front of the ship. Lloyd pulled a lever, opening their cannon and sending out several powerful blasts. The jets brought the ship forward even faster, their charge, until now seemingly not taking them anywhere, now was putting them right overtop of the Vermillion forces.
From below, the Vermillion attempted to shoot them down. The newly enhanced ship, however, took each attack without so much of a shudder. Lloyd watched in awe as the ship continued to fly despite the explosions that went off on either side of it. Flyers attempted to attack them, yet the cannons kept them back. Their charge was fast enough for ships behind them to join in, adding to their momentum.
Lloyd continued to let loose on the Iron Demise in front of them. They were still a fair distance away, but it seemed they could make it. Even if on the ground they were in a stalemate, if they at least claimed the air, they could win. Ophiod and Lloyd held the same look in their eyes as they charged, knowing what they were doing right now was reckless, but a necessary action.
Suddenly, the Iron Demise moved. The machine, until now almost completely static, made them all tense up as soon as they saw it. The machine raised up its four arms, the massive blades it held beginning to charge up. Within a few seconds, Lloyd realized that they were all trained directly on them. He looked down, warnings blaring up all around him as he quickly shouted out.
"Brace for-!" Lloyd was cut off as the Iron Demise attacked. The four blasts shot through the air and struck the ship. One blast hit the deck, while the other three struck the port side. As soon as it hit, Ophiod, Emperor Garmadon and Master Wu were thrown down onto the floor, while Lloyd clung to the wheel for dear life. The ship seemed to jerk and scream out with the impact, an earthquake in the air itself.
By the time Lloyd pulled himself upright, the port of the ship was smoking. The sensors displayed that the ship's hull was intact, yet the power had been drained in trying to sustain the attack. Ophiod grabbed the console to pull himself up to look up, just in time to see the Iron Demise charge up for another attack.
Lloyd quickly tried to veer away, but the Iron Demise was faster. The ship was bombarded hard, blasts after blasts knocking them about in the cockpit. Lloyd's grip on the wheel was lost, and he flew across the room to strike his back into a console and see stars. Ophiod grabbed the wheel in turn, his tail twisting around it. The ship began to list onto the starboard side.
"Do not let this ship go down!" Emperor Garmadon roared out, "We must turn back!"
"No!" Lloyd protested, "Open fire!"
Ophiod mirrored Lloyd's actions, aiming the ship's laser to try to blast one of the arms of the Demise off. The Serpentus Bounty opened fire, blasting hard into the arm. Their attacks, however, left not a single scratch on the thing.
"Turn around!" Master Wu ordered them, "We do not have the ability to destroy it in this state!"
"But the Twins!" Lloyd began. Just then, he saw the Iron Demise reorient its arms. It wasn't pointing at them anymore.
Up on high, Acronix grinned, holding his palm out. He looked around, then he trained the arms of the Iron Demise down onto the Garmashark 2.0, surrounded by several Great White Mechs. He laughed as he gripped his fist, firing straight down into their forces.
Lulloyd looked up just in time to see the massive explosion of purple on the ground near him. A moment later, he heard the massive blast, knocking himself, his family and Wu onto the ground. The ripple of wind blasted across them, nearly threatening to rip them across the ground. As it began to fade, Lulloyd was the first to act, jumping up and planting the staff into the ground to stand on top of it.
What he saw made his eyes widen. The Garmashark 2.0, all of the mechs, and any of the ships above it were completely gone. All that was left was a massive crater, one that stretched tens of feet into the ground and left nothing behind but half melted and scorched bricks. The only thing that survived was the head of the machine, opening and closing its jaws slowly before it finally stopped and came to a screeching halt. Any of the troops that hadn't been caught in the blast were left groaning and rolling on the ground, only to raise their heads and see the Vermillion already swarming on them.
"They're opening fire!" Lulloyd shouted, "Return-"
Acronix cackled, pointing his hand now towards the skies. He let out another massive blast, this time catching scores of Nindroid jets and Manta Ray Bombers in the blasts. Those lucky enough to bail before it hit them were sent hurtling through the air as the blasts soared off into the far distance and blasted them away with the wind it generated. Lloyd turned to look out the side of the cockpit of the Serpentus Bounty, just to see the literal hole punched into their forces.
"We need to regroup!" Lulloyd shouted, "Return Fire! Now!"
A few sparse mechs tried to fire off into the distance towards the Iron Demise, but Acronix paid them no mind. Instead, he licked his lips and turned his attention to the Corridor of Elders itself. As soon as Lloyd realized where he was aiming, he quickly spun the Serpentus Bounty to try to intercept it. Arcronix gripped his fist just as Lloyd managed to get them partially in the way. The beam hit the side of the ship, part of it scorching over the deck and flying out to strike the very top of the Corridor. The entire top half of the cliffs was completely vaporized, the explosions ripping apart the statues that were there, leaving only the one memorializing his father standing. The rocks fell down towards the ground, crushing down on the assembled forces of Serpentine and Nindroids there as their last resort.
"Do you think this is getting the message across?" Acronix asked with a hard laugh, "They're had a few too many victories at this point. It's time to turn the tide!"
"Lloyd!" Ophiod grabbed his arm, "We must retreat, now!"
"No!" Lloyd pointed at the Iron Demise, "We're so close!"
"We must retreat so we can cover the retreat of the others!" Ophiod shouted, "They have no defense against this!"
Lloyd, wanting to argue with him, turned to look, just in time for another flash of purple to cause an entire section of the Elemental Army to go up in an explosion of earth and dirt. He turned to look at his family, seeing them both agreeing with solemn nods. With a small hiss, Lloyd turned and gripped the wheel, shaking his head and turning them around.
"Lulloyd, Mage, we need to retreat, now!" Lloyd shouted into his comm.
"I, I agree," Lulloyd gulped, then he stood up and shouted to his army, "RETREAT! SHARK ARMY, RETREAT!"
Garmadon and Coco, recognizing his orders with regretful nods, stood up and raced to join the bulk of their forces. Wu recalled his Chi ninja, who followed after him. Lulloyd was the last one to go, brandishing his weapon with a massive spin of his body and knocking back Vermillion to cover the rest of them as they retreated.
Acronix' and Krux', currently in battle with a large giganti amalgamation of snakes, both looked up to see the sights. They both quickly began to back up, with Acronix' nodding and grabbing his brother's arm to flash them back in time towards the rest of their forces.
"Retreat!" Acronix' shouted, "We are exposed here! Retreat, now!"
In the sky above, Skylar and Skylor both soared above the forces, hearing the orders. Both of them frowned in anger at it, but Skylar took action and quickly spun around to send blasts after blasts of power out to try her best to support them. The Elemental Army, without any choice in the matter, began to retreat backwards through the fields as the Vermillion hissed and gave chase with cheerful grins.
"Kid!" Ronin shouted inside the cargo bay of REX, "Let's help them out!"
"Like we've been doing anything else?" Monty sighed. He quickly flew REX to hover over the bulk of the the Shark Army as they began to frantically retreat. Ronin cocked his sniper rifle and held it up, focusing with several hard breaths and firing at Vermillion that tried to grab at the retreating men. Monty flew them back and forth, letting Ronin pick off force after force.
A stray shot from one of the Vermillion tanks clipped REX, causing the ship to destabilize. Ronin grabbed onto the cable connecting him to the ship and held on as tightly as he could. Monty did his best to take them down towards the ground, getting them as close to the Corridor of Elders as he could before he felt them fully going down. He shouted for Ronin to hold on as the ship hit the ground with a hard screech of metal. Ronin was kept inside by the cable around his belt, while Monty remained inside the ship and did his best to take the crash.
When the ship came to a halt, they were just behind the retreating lines of the Vermillion. Ronin climbed out of REX with a hard groan, pulling a knife to cut his cable. Monty grabbed the SoS and leapt out, drawing a pistol in his other hand. As Ronin got down to the ground, they saw the Vermillion hordes approaching them and both grimaced.
"You couldn't have kept us in the air a little longer?" Ronin groaned, "This isn't going to be fun, you know."
"Hey, could be worse," Monty took a fighting stance, Ivory held forward, "You could be defenseless like that time in Jamankai."
"That wasn't my fault in the first place," Ronin chuckled, "You're paying for REX's repairs after this, you better be ready."
"You're awfully optimistic that we're making it out of this," Monty remarked back.
"One of us has to be all smiles," Ronin scoped in.
The two both looked at one another, then let out their mutual sighs as they opened fire. Snakes fell in front of them in droves as Ronin picked them off one by one, while Monty held his hand forward and slashed down waves of them with gusts of wind. The two pressed their backs to the downed REX and shot together, doing their best to keep them at bay. When the snakes finally came too close for Ronin's gun, he instead drew two swords from his back and lunged at them, cutting them down and kicking the ones he couldn't towards Monty.
This is a rather fun situation for us, isn't it, Master? The SoS asked, Soon you may be able to stand up to this army on your own.
"Not the time," Monty grunted, blasting apart a Vermillion at near point-blank, "We're fighting for his life here!"
Ronin nearly was clipped by a Vermillion. Monty, seeing this, reached out and grabbed his collar, then rocked the two of them up on top of REX's wreckage. When the two landed, they went back to back wordlessly, spinning their weapons. Monty drew Ebony out and handed it to Ronin, who gave him a small chuckle and cocked the thing. Both of them let loose, blasting apart Vermillion that dared to try to climb up and attack them. They were soon surrounded by a red mass of snakes as the rest of the army around them retreated.
"How long you think we got?!" Ronin grunted out in exertion.
"Not as long as you want us to have!" Monty slashed into another.
"So almost nothing at all?" Ronin asked.
Monty, realizing what situation they were in, holstered Ivory and held his arm out to Ronin. Vermillion managed to reach up and claw at their ankles as Monty shot the two into the air with a gust of wind, flying them up and over the wreckage. The two looked down as REX disappeared under a mound of red. Monty flew them all the way to the entrance of the corridor, then up towards a small vantage point. Once they were on their feet, the two leaned over and let loose again, Monty holding both pistols forward while Ronin brandished his sniper rifle.
The Serpentine and Nindroid forces were stationed on the other side of the corridor, waiting for the moment they would need to be deployed. The Iron Demise continued to blast away at the retreating forces, carving apart entire sections of them and forcing the others to run for their lives. The Serpentus Bounty turned away from the ship, fleeing back towards the rest of their forces. The aerial ships did their best to simply hover and hold over the corridor itself, firing again and again into the Vermillion to try to stem their advance. The Elemental Army formed its own defensive lines and began to back up the way that they had come from over the nearby hillsides, giving ground as slowly as they could.
As the Shark Army forces filtered back, the Stone Army were left to remain. Over landed in the middle of them, standing beside Kozu. The Stone Army general gave a shout, causing the Stone Army to form a solid, unbroken line of shields. Over held his staff forward, shouting as he sent out blast after blast of power into the oncoming horde. The Stone Army continued to form the line all the way until they stretched to the sides of the cliffs of the corridor. An unbroken force remained as the Giant Stone Warriors moved up behind them, hurling rocks and boulders to try to stop them. Over himself fought by Kozu, their own place amongst the wall as Over's face hardened with the effort of maintaining it.
The Elemental Army formed their own line, formed mainly out of the Metal Tribe. As the Iron Demise continued to randomly fire into their ranks, blowing apart chunks of their men, there was little they could do to actually defend themselves. They moved further and further back as best they could, trying not to give what ground they had already taken for themselves. Still, the order to retreat meant the rest of their forces were steadily falling back, trying to form a more unified whole against the sheer might of the Iron Demise.
Overhead, Mage shouted as he sent his dragons hurtling right towards the Iron Demise. Before anyone could stop him. Mage stood up on the Firstbourne's back, pointing Aevum towards the arm that was now training its aim on the retreating Elemental Army. Firstbourne complied, sending all of their forces straight towards it. The row of powerful dragons directed their might towards it. Aronix, however, saw this and smirked as he simply raised another arm up, pointing it right at the Firstbourne.
Mage's eyes widened as the Iron Demise's arm turned faster than he expected and fired. The Firstbourne opened her jaws and let out a massive blast of magma-fueled power, catching the attack and holding it back in the air. The rest of her children surrounded her, joining their beams into it to try to stop it. Ther contribution, however, was far too late, and instead Mage's eyes just blinked as the beam struck the Firstbourne. The dragon roared in pain as she plummeted straight towards the ground, flying off towards the eastern half of the battle. She would land deep within Vermillion lines, smashing the ground hard and Mage along with her.
All at once, the rest of the dragons slammed down in a protective ring around their mother, roaring out and attacking the Vermillion that all but instantly tried to swarm them. The Vermillion immediately were on top of them, even as the Firstbourne lay on the ground, whimpering and panting out with the pain of being attacked as she had been.
"Mage?" Over shouted into the comm, "Mage?!" There was no response from Mage where he lay, unconscious from the blast, under his dragon. The Firstbourne was curled protectively around him.
Acronix grinned as he watched all of this unfold. Suddenly, all of the progress in the battle was now on his own terms. He laughed madly atop his machine, watching everything. He watched the pathetic Elemental Army begin to retreat backwards as quickly as they could. He watched the entire battlefield fold underneath the mass of the machine. Just to press his advantage, he commanded the Iron Demise to begin to move. Slowly, the machine began to slither forward, churning up the earth around it as it grew closer to the forces in front of them.
"Truly pathetic!" Acronix laughed, "After all this time, you can't take a few measly shots from the Iron Demise?!"
The Serpentus Bounty arrived on top of the Corridor of Elders, at which point Lloyd spun the ship , he was able to see the state of the battle. The Elemental Army was completely cut off, forced and pressed back He could vaguely see the ring of dragons now defending their mother with feral ferocity, his friend underneath her. The Stone Army was holding up as best they could, the Vermillion trying to claim them and push them down. The Shark Army ground forces abandoned their vehicles, simply running away as quickly as they could to the other side of the corridor. Nindroids hefted their rifles and soon moved in behind the Stone Army to further attack and try to stem the tide of all the attacks.
"...I had assumed they would take long to use their advantage," Ophiod lamented, "But it appears that we were too arrogant in assuming this. We must hold the line now."
"I know!" Lloyd gripped the wheel tightly, "...It's getting closer."
All of them looked up as the Iron Demise advanced on them. The remaining ships in the Nindroid and Shark Army fleet hovered over the corridor as well, defending their forces on the ground. Lloyd added the firepower of the newly created Serpentus Bounty to add to their forces, working with all he could to give them some help.
The Vermillion, however, never let up. When one fell, another would take its place. The Elemental Army and Stone Army were fighting with everything they had to stay upright. Vermillion fighters were shot down with all the speed and ferocity that the assembled forces could manage. They fought harder and harder, every slash, every swipe, every moment counting. As Lloyd and Ophiod watched the Iron Demise get closer to them, covering more ground just to make itself that much more imposing on them, the hope of the situation began to dwindle out.
"We cannot fall here!" Over shouted to his army, "For your Emperor!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!" Kozu shouted desperately to his men. The Stone Army dug in their heels harder, shouting out a growl in affirmation and raising their battle cries louder.
"For the Dragon Lord!" Acronix' shouted to the Elemental Army.
"For General Number Son!" Garmadon shouted to the Shark Army.
Lloyd tried to raise a cry in his throat, but he couldn't. Everything had just gone wrong. He had nothing that he could give. Even now, he was watching the Stone Army, the indestructible force, be overwhelmed as a few Vermillion got past and were gunned down. He watched Monty and Ronin fire until they were both out of ammo. He watched the ships in the sky unloading all they had to try to defend their kin. Yet none of it was enough.
Acronix, still watching form on high, grinned, "You made the wrong choice in siding with them, Ophiod," He laughed madly, "You should never have betrayed Prime like that," He held his hands up.
Slowly, the Iron Demise pointed its arms forward. One trained upon the Elemental Army, right where Acronix' and Krux' were slashing in front of a group of archers. Another pointed to the downed Firstbourne and the dragons around her steadily being mobbed by the snakes. Another aimed at the Stone Army's line, the one thing holding back the Vermillion and Over blasting and fighting with everything he had. And the last one pointed at the Serpentus Bounty, where Ophiod undoubtedly stood watching him.
"This would normally be the part where I asked you to surrender," Acronix shrugged, "But… I'm not feeling merciful anymore. You've defied us for the last time, Lloyd!" Acronix grinned, "Control time, control everything!"
The four beams charged. Everyone that fought could see it. The last blast that would end everything that they had all worked so hard for. Lloyd knew that his ship could take the blast, but everyone else couldn't. He watched Lulloyd shout orders and commands to the remaining ships in his fleet, Over slash his staff into the ground and erupt a blast of Dark Matter from it. He watched Ophiod grip the wheel beside him and look to where Mage and Firstbourne lay on the ground. As Lloyd felt it all, he finally let out one last sigh and closed his eyes, readying himself for what was about to happen.
"That is enough!"
Lloyd opened his eyes. In front of the Serpentus Bounty, something in the air was forming. Something that shone and glistened with light that Lloyd had not seen in a long time. A golden portal opened in the air, one that almost looked like a spinning, beautiful disc. The portal shot light across the world around it, a golden, purifying light that brought Lloyd a sense of relief, of hope, and of deja vu.
Suddenly, the air all around the portal began to vibrate. The air itself began to hum, then shudder, then glow and finally turn into a beautiful, powerful sight. Lloyd watched the air form into discs. Glowing, golden discs. Beautiful, glowing Rhotatae. The entire sky began to do the same, like a web spreading out across them all. The light shone brighter and brighter as the discs completely covered the sky itself.
The Iron Demise fired. The discs shot forward, splitting into large clusters that each shot out in front of each of the four beams. The power was sucked into the discs, turning them purple before they exploded in the air. The very attacks themselves were drained of their power, their might and their prowess, until finally there was nothing left. The moment the discs faded, more of them formed in the air. The discs spread out between the vehicles, between the fleets and the rocks, between heaven and earth. They surrounded the entire combined forces of good, a protective blanket that, to all who looked upon them, would radiate the warmth and hope of a battle that suddenly had changed again.
Finally, a figure emerged from the portal. The figure wore beautiful, glowing golden robes, with a belt of green that flapped powerfully out from behind their waist. Their hair was a brilliant white that blew behind them with some force only they could feel. Their body radiated the glowing force of the discs around them. As they hovered, they lowered their right hand, revealing them to be holding a beautiful golden staff. A staff that Lloyd recognized.
A number of figures emerged from the portal. Lloyd watched in awe as they each would land on the deck of the Serpentus Bounty, and each of them were faces that he recognized. Carnelian, Ren, Forte, Olive, Mizuno, Andrus, Millie, Tye, faces that he hadn't seen in so very long. Each of them landed with their eyes firmly focused upon the golden, glowing portal in front of them.
The portal broke apart, in turn forming a glowing set of discs that framed the figure in the air as she raised her head. Time itself froze for them all to admire the sight in front of them, and the figure finally spoke:
"In the name of the Ultimate Rhotatae Master," The figure thrust their weapon forward, "I, Harumi Garmadon, have come to save my friend!"