Author's Note:
Much like the other chapters, if you're into reading with music, I wrote the ** marked section to Engage the Enemy from Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition!
The combined forces of shark, stone and element slowly ascended the elevators up into the depths of the Iron Demise. At the front of each elevator was one of the six that led the charge. Lloyd and Lulloyd readied their swords. Harumi summoned golden Rhotatae in and out of her hands. Over kept his arms crossed and head bowed, conserving his energy. Mage looked towards Skylar, Acronix' and Krux', giving them reassuring looks. Ophiod held his head aloft as Skales held his blade, the two standing close and sharing in the other's warmth.
When the elevators finally came to a rest, the army marched out of the elevators into another massive chamber. This one seemed to have a purpose that was clear from the onset. All around the room, massive glass tanks stood connected to tubes and channels pouring water and food into them. Some of the chambers had small orange heat lamps inside for cultivation. The glass stretched up into the sky like buildings, clearly meant to house the armies while waiting. Tubes built into the floor would allow the snakes to slither from the glass into the elevators. If Ophiod were to hazard a guess, the area they entered was where armor and weapons were dispensed. A dull red light hung over them still, a persistent reminder they were, indeed, trapped within the Twin's lair.
As soon as all of their forces were inside, the elevators suddenly slammed shut behind them. The action made them each tense. Their leaders turned their attention to the massive glass tanks and, more notably, the fact they were all empty.
"Where are the Vermillion?" Master Wu asked, "The Twins are not ones to run from a fight."
"We did damage to this machine on a scale unprecedented," Acronix' spoke up, "As one who has seen their work, this is likely not within their design."
"Glad we cleared that up," Garmadon growled out, "But I still want to smash some snakes!"
"Fighting for fighting's sake is pointless," Emperor Garmadon growled back at him, "Especially after you have been beaten so… thoroughly before."
"They have to be here!" Kai shouted, "Come on, you dirty snakes! Come out and fight!"
"Why, aren't you just a noisy invasion party?" The voice of Krux suddenly rang out from the walls. All at once, the chatter ceased as the groups quickly formed up into a large circle, looking around in hopes of spotting the Vermillion soon to come.
"Sorry, talking is sort of our thing!" Forte shouted, "Come on out and fight!" She played a hard riff on her keytar.
"Oohhh, she's a feisty one!" Acronix followed up with another booming voice, "Then again, it looks like she brought her entire gang. Fixed your timeline, have you?"
Harumi blinked in surprise. The rest of them followed suit. The revelation of the fixed timeline should have been of a greater blow to the Twins, or so Ophiod thought.
"I suppose you believed that fixing your world would mean we flee in fear," Krux continued for his brother, "But you forget, once we leave this place, there is nothing stopping us from going back to complete our vision again!"
"Yeah, except you can't leave!" Carnelian shouted, "Your Time Matrix is totally busted and I'm pretty sure you just lost your big paradox-sustaining, thingy!" She quickly turned to Ren, "That's what Andrus said, right?" Ren rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Oh, but once we defeat you with the power of the Hands of Time, we just need to reconstruct this machine," Acronix cackled, "You really think you can just turn off our Demise and that'd be it? You're even more foolish than we thought!"
"But before we do that… Ophiod," Krux addressed him directly, causing the Viper to tense up, "I believe we deserve an audience with you. We would like to discuss your… shift in allegiance with you. You have served us well to this point. Come to us, and we will overlook your lapse in judgement. The young so often make them, after all."
In front of the group, two seemingly random metal plates suddenly opened up, revealing a hidden elevator tube. Ophiod, blinking in surprise, slithered forward towards it. He turned back to look towards the others, thinking long and hard about what he was doing. He looked up towards the roof, then slowly shook his head.
"And what assurance do you give me that this will not lead me to my doom?" Ophiod asked.
"The assurance that we have had the chance to kill you from the start," Acronix finished, "Go on, get inside. We wish to speak with you. The rest of you can see how far you can make it to us!"
A massive door opened on the other side of the chamber, opening into a dark corridor that was filled with the sound of hissing. All at once, the force turned to face it, knowing the Vermillion were coming to fight them. From the massive ringing of metal-on-metal, the force that was coming was no insignifcant one.
"I will go," Ophiod nodded, "I will occupy the Twins until you have the chance to arrive!"
"What?" Lulloyd blinked, "That's a terrible idea! They want to get you alone!"
"I do not wish to alarm you," Olive spoke up, "But I am detecting no less than two-thousand heat signatures approaching. Please make your decision now."
Over paused, then he nodded, "Ophiod. Go. Keep their attention until we can arrive," Over nodded, "I trust your judgement."
The two men shared a look with one another, both recalling the last time they had spoken like this. Ophiod, giving a smile of thanks, slithered forward into the elevator. Skales followed soon after, and the moment they were inside, the tube disappeared into the floor, panels slamming shut. As the floor reset itself, the first wave of Vermillion began to emerge, holding up laser rifles they charged up.
"The time for action is now!" Krux' shouted, "Men! For our home!"
"DESTROY THEM!" General Kozu roared.
"MEN!" Lulloyd shouted, "SHOW THEM WHY SHARK BEATS SNAKE EVERY TIME!"
With their battle cries sounded, the forces charged at the Vermillion line, fighting to obtain their destiny. As their weapons clashed into the Vermillion, the fight to get to the Time Twins had finally arrived.
Monty held up Ebony in one hand and the SoS in the other. In the chamber that was now empty of all life other than his opponent, Oni stood waiting for him. Without even waiting for preamble, Oni reached down and pulled his newest mask from his belt, putting it up against his face and hissing out as it grew the distinctive horns of activation. The green colors against the deep navy back once more swirled with a demonic, otherworldly energy.
"Do you really have to do this?" Monty growled out, "You're holding up the line."
"Your jokes won't save you this time, ghost," Oni pointed his staff forward, "I summoned this staff from the great Oni warlords of the past. No weapon will break this. Right now, I am closer to the Oni than I have been in my entire existence. If this is what it takes to prove your unworthiness, then I shall do it gratefully."
Master, I can sense his power is greater than normal, The sword warned him, Do you think you can win this fight?
"I don't care if he's stronger," Monty hissed, "I'm not going to let him keep messing with me like this. It's time I give him payback for all his ridiculous posturing."
Oni slowly inhaled. With each breath he took, his mask exhaled Oni Smoke. Oni soon was completely surrounded in it. The longer it went on, the more Monty watched as his body would begin to shift as well, transforming his skin to darkened black, with lines of white and purple painted around it. The only human part of him, his face, was behind his demonic mask.
Monty didn't wait for anything else to happen. He raised Ebony up and fired the massive bullets at the smoke, aiming perfectly at Oni's joints. The smoke absorbed the bullets and slowed them down, leaving them to fall to the floor. Monty noted it, sighed, and waved the gun.
"Final powerup before our climactic fight?" Monty raised his eyebrow, "Cliche."
"You will not mock the power of my ancestors," Oni's distorted voice echoed throughout the chamber, "As you will not mock the sword which you wrongfully hold."
"You know what, I'm done talking," Monty sighed, "Let's just-"
Monty summoned wind against his feet, skating them across the floor and throwing himself right at Oni. He thrust the sword out and brought it down, slashing through the smoke. Oni twisted his massive staff and caught the blade on it, knocking Monty backwards. Monty swung back around with a cross of his legs and leapt into the air to deliver a vicious overhead strike.
Oni gripped his staff and both hands and swung. Monty threw Ebony into the air and grabbed the staff with his hand, blasting wind from his feet to rocket up and around the weapon. He landed just behind Oni, holding his hand up and sucking Ebony back into his hand. He put it right up against Oni's back and fired point blank.
Rather than stop the bullet, the smoke shot out and grabbed the gun itself, knocking the bullet off course. Oni turned his head to stare menacingly at Monty. He shouted as he swung his weapon powerfully right down at Monty, who blasted away with wind just out of the weapon's reach. Monty raised Ebony again, only to find the gun was empty.
Monty slammed the gun down onto his hip, ejecting the old clip and loading the new one. Before he could attack again, however, Oni held his hand out. The smoke he commanded shot forward, his mask's power flaring up from him as it reached out to try to grab hold of Monty. The ghost thrashed his hand out, knocking the wind aside and blowing it backwards.
Monty spat, leaping away again and quickly assessing his options. The smoke, however, didn't seem to care about the distance, launching out in tendrils at him. Monty held the SoS up and tried to slice through it. The smoke didn't stop, instead flying up and attaching itself to Monty's face.
All at once, Monty felt the sensation he had back at the Summit. The sensation of choking, the air growing thicker. He felt his mind almost disconnecting from his body, causing him to go lax. Just because he could feel his hand going ghost again, Monty spun his body around and sent a desperate blast of wind in all directions. The smoke was blown away, and Monty landed gasping for breath.
Master, you know what happens if that smoke gets into your head! The sword warned him, We must find a way to attack him.
"Yeah… thanks for being a backseat driver," Monty shook his head, "We just need to buy some more time…"
Monty saw the smoke reaching up like fingers to attack him again. Immediately, Monty blasted away, swinging his body around the massive chamber and flying straight towards where Oni stood. The Oni didn't give him any quarter, instead holding his own staff up and bringing it down again, a cloud of smoke forming between him and the ghost. Monty raised up Ebony, fully loaded, and fired bullets through the cloud. Each bullet burst apart in a gust of wind when it struck, opening holes for Monty to shoot through right at Oni's face.
Knowing that he had the advantage now, Monty spun Ebony down and drew Ivory instead, unloading the far smaller and faster bullets into the smoke. He slashed with the SoS as viciously as he could, throwing kicks and punches wherever he thought he could put them to put Oni down. Oni countered them by raising his hands, dragon claws extending from them, and slashing at the blade where his staff couldn't.
Monty ducked under several swipes, driving his shoulder up into Oni's gut. Oni didn't budge, instead reaching down with his hand and grabbing at Monty's face. Monty inhaled and let out a gust of wind from his mouth to dissipate the smoke. The smoke spread out around him as Monty held up Ivory and unloaded it into Oni's gut. Oni barely managed to put his hand in the way of it before the bullets could hit.
The smoke that Monty had blown apart suddenly came rushing back. Monty saw it and tried to blast wind out to stop it, but Oni was faster. He brought his staff up, forcing Monty to block it with the SoS. When he did, the smoke shot forward and into his mouth, causing him to gasp and cough as he felt it invading his head.
"You cannot fight if you cannot think!" Oni declared, "Sleep, Monty, sleep into your worst memory…"
Monty could feel it, burning now within his head. He shook it, trying to thrust the staff away and managing to do so. As he stumbled backwards, though, the smoke refused to leave him. He blasted wind around, but it was already inside of him.
A flash of pain went through Monty's head. He could see it now. A gate, put in front of him. He held up his hand to blast away more smoke, and his hand was reaching towards the gate. Desperation, fear, confusion, longing, it all powered through him. He held up the SoS, and in turn, he saw the gate open in front of him, a hazy memory being brought over his own sight. Seeing a man in a conical hat moving to look towards him, his mouth open in horror.
"What's… taking you so long…" Monty trembled, "Go on… take the shot…!"
"Sink," Oni declared, just as Monty fell to his knees, "Sink into the despair you try desperately to hide from me, spirit…"
"Alright kid, heads up!" A voice flared up in Monty's comm. Monty used the last of his willpower to hold his hands forward and unleash a stream of wind concentrated right at Oni.
Oni held up his staff to block it, just in time for him to hear the sound of a rifle going off. Oni's mask was struck by a bullet, causing a small crack on the surface. The bullet bounced off, a few bits of smoke having softened the blow.
Enraged, Oni looked up towards the ceiling. Off in the distance, attached to the wall with climbing cables, was Ronin. Ronin took another deep inhale as he aimed his rifle again, then exhaled as he pulled the trigger. Ronin's legs stabilized the shot to fly right down, with Oni dodging a moment later.
"Took you… long enough…" Monty panted out, standing up.
"Had to make sure he wasn't gonna move," Ronin chuckled, "You sure do love to rile them up."
"Your deception will not stop me," Oni spat, "You may mock this duel, but I will be victorious!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Monty held the SoS out to his side, shaking off the memory that accosted him, "Let's just get you over with."
"Call point for me, kid!" Ronin pulled the bolt back and loaded in another bullet.
Oni, realizing he was now fighting two on one, simply snarled again and gave a vicious growl. Monty ducked low to the ground and shot forward, throwing his weight up and against Oni as he did. Monty locked blades with the demonic creature just as he shouted into his comm, "Two up!"
In turn, Ronin shifted his stance and fired. The lock kept Oni still as the bullet struck his right arm, the smoke only able to slow it down enough to hit his arm with a painful impact. Oni hissed in pain and thrust his staff out, summoning more smoke from his mask and sending it out towards Monty to attack him again.
"Left three!" Monty shouted as he launched forward again. He put his hand on the ground and thrust it forward, ripping metal panels off the floor and throwing them at Oni. As a few sparse Vermillion snakes underneath tried to rise up for him, Monty slammed them down with another blast. Oni bashed the plates aside just as another shot went off. The bullet grazed his right hand.
Oni turned to look at Ronin, a mistake he paid for as Monty barreled into him. Monty wrapped his head up with a cone of wind and threw it backwards, knocking Oni up against the wall of the chamber. Monty didn't need to call out the new aim as he slammed the SoS against Oni's staff near his throat, giving Ronin the shot to fire another bullet into the mask.
Another crack formed in the mask, causing Oni to sputter and roar out in anger. He slammed one hand into the wall, the smoke infusing into it and causing it to burst apart. The metal struck the SoS and forced Monty to step backwards. Monty panted as he starred Oni down and let Ronin load another shot.
"You truly believe that you can defeat me this way…" Oni growled, "You are truly weak when you are alone then, Monty. You are always having others save you!"
"Oh, now you want to throw that one out?" Monty shook his head, "Sorry, but I don't play fair. I thought you knew that by now."
"I know it well enough," Oni snarled, "But tricks cannot overcome me."
Without waiting for a response, Monty sheathed the SoS and drew both of his guns, firing them at Oni. Oni flexed his shoulders and let the smoke take care of the attacks, knocking aside bullets. Monty jumped backwards and used wind to fly away as Oni charged at him.
"That's good," Ronin grinned, "Keep him just like that for me, kid!" Ronin laughed as he took another shot. Oni's eyes flashed as the bullet struck his leg, the smoke once again only slowing it down a fraction. He stumbled in his run, and Monty skidded to a stop.
Monty rushed forward and drove his knee into Oni's face, then his guns into his back and grabbed his mask, blowing him backwards by it. When Oni came to a halt, Ronin took another breath and fired, hitting Oni in the chest. This time the wound was enough that he started to drip purple blood. Ronin grinned as he loaded up yet another shot.
Oni raced back up onto his feet, looking around and thinking about what to do. Monty wasn't going to give him the chance. Monty skated around the arena, firing his bullets off wildly and each one striking home. As the smoke began to thin out from taking on so many bullets, Ronin began to fire all over again. Oni curled up as it happened, strengthening his body and letting the bullets strike him. Regardless, the two didn't let up, firing more and more into him in hopes of finally bringing him down.
Oni opened his eyes and shouted, grabbing his staff and charging up his smoke inside of it. He spun around and thrust the staff out, sending a thin amount of smoke at Ronin. Ronin quickly went to undo his climbing harness, but the smoke traveled so quickly that it hit him before he could undo the clip. The sensation caused him to feel the same dizziness Monty had. In his haze, his managed to undo the harness and dropped hard down the wall of the chamber.
Ronin, realizing his situation, quickly turned and grabbed his grappling cable and spun it around as fast as he could, throwing it into the air. It caught on a piece of metal, causing him to jerk to a stop roughly halfway down the wall and slam painfully against the metal. Now about a hundred feet above the ground, he scrambled to catch his rifle. When he raised his scope, Oni was gone.
"Above you!" Monty's voice flared up. Ronin looked up to see a massive amount of Oni smoke had formed above him, and now was flying right down to consume him. Ronin quickly retracted his cable, falling through the air again. Monty held his hand out and used the wind to catch Ronin as he fell, slowing his descent.
Oni took advantage of that moment to race up behind Monty, bringing his staff down and striking Monty in his solidified arm. The impact made his entire body light up in a raw, visceral pain, his ghostly muscles jerking and faltering his element. Monty turned to clash weapons with Oni, his attention split. He turned to blast wind to catch Ronin, only for more smoke to force him to duck. Ronin was left to fall the rest of the way, coming to a painful thud on the metal floor. His rifle fell next to him with a clang.
"Alright… that one hurt," Ronin coughed out, slowly getting up on one knee and drawing a pistol of his own with a lethargic shake of his head, "But I've taken way worse than that."
Seeing Ronin was getting up, Oni suddenly turned away from Monty and raced at Ronin. When he reached him, Oni grabbed Ronin and flung him through the air, sending Ronin rolling across the metal floor. Monty raised his guns, firing his shots desperately at his opponent. Oni's smoke wrapped around and knocked his bullets aside, then reached out and gripped Ronin's ankles, yanking him back across the metal floor so Oni could instead hold Ronin in front of him. Monty held his trigger finger for a brief moment.
"I will not have this duel interrupted again!" Oni roared.
"Well, maybe you'll have it end!" Ronin hissed, twisting his boot to reveal a hidden taser and slamming it into Oni's body. The current only made Oni twitch, but it was enough for Ronin to yank his way free and back up to hold his pistol up..
Ronin fired, the bullet striking Oni's smoke and dropping to the ground. Oni turned and grabbed his staff. With a whirling spin, the staff struck Ronin's torso, shattering several sections of his armor. Ronin let out a hard gasp as he crumpled down onto the ground. He raised his gun weakly to fire again as Oni, but Oni's staff swung out and struck his hand, knocking the thing away.
"What useless tricks you both have," Oni declared with a huff, raising his staff in the air. The point on the end shone in the dull light, aimed at Ronin's chest, "And tricks will get you nothing compared to a true battle!"
Monty didn't waste time. With a hiss of rage, Monty spun around in the air, fueling his speed with wind to attack. Before Oni could plunge his staff down, Monty caught it with the tip of the SoS, straining with all he had to hold the blade back. Oni snarled at him, his smoke reaching up around him to try to knock Monty's blade back. The ghost's rage-fueled gaze burrowed into Oni's own as he struggled, holding the blade mere inches from impaling his partner's heart.
Oni felt a resistance on his arm. He looked down to see Ronin had flung his grapple cable and wrapped it around his forearm. Ronin yanked down with all he had, rolling onto his side to avoid the staff's point that impaled the metal floor in a twisted screech a second later. Before Ronin could yank again, Oni's foot came down to strike Ronin in the chin.
Ronin's world went up in stars. Despite this, the mercenary yanked the cable again, forcing Oni's staff out of position. Monty immediately attacked, swinging his blade right at Oni's face. Oni spat and reached out, gripping the cable and snapping it apart on his claw. He caught the SoS on his claws, his demonic mask glaring into Monty's soul.
"I will NOT BE DEFEATED!" Oni roared. Oni twisted his claws around the SoS, twisting Monty's arm and throwing him aside. Ronin reached into his armor to grab a gun, only for Onis' claws to dig into his shoulder. Ronin grunted in pain as he was lifted into the air. With a loud 'CRACK,' Oni brought the two together in a headbutt, scrambling Ronin's head.
"That all you-" Before Ronin could finish his statement, Oni raised him into the air, then slammed Ronin down onto the floor. The metal bent inwards as all the air in Ronin's lungs was knocked out of him. Oni let out one last growl, then raised his foot and brought it down onto Ronin's chin in one massive stomp. The impact rattled Ronin's entire body. Finally, Oni grabbed Ronin by his broken armor and then hurled him across the room, slamming Ronin into the wall. Ronin crumpled to the ground, completely knocked out.
Oni turned to walk toawrds him. Monty came soaring back across the chamber a second after, striking Oni and sending him sliding backwards. Rather than follow up, Monty summoned his wind-skates and slid back across the floor, landing where Ronin was and crouching over him protectively.
"Ronin, get up, come on!" Monty spat, "We can't do this right now!"
Ronin was silent. Realizing he was out cold, Monty felt a shot of panic go through him. He saw Oni stand back up and growl at him.. Realizing he had to defend Ronin, Monty strengthened his stance and took a defensive one in front of his partner.
Monty held up both guns and fired at the oncoming shadowy beast. Oni, however, refused to go down. Monty backed up, desperately unloading clip after clip into him until finally he felt his foot hit Ronin's arm. Realizing he could go no further, Monty inhaled hard and held his guns forward again, tensing himself for it.
Like a demonic shadow, Oni shot up and wrapped his claws around both guns. Monty fired point blank into his palms, yet the smoke that surrounded his body refused to let them strike. Instead, Monty hear a sickening crunch of metal as Oni's claws close down around the guns. His eyes widened as he watched the guns begin to crack and screech in anguish as Oni crushed them, leading Monty to fire one last shot.
With a booming crunch, Ebony and Ivory shattered into pieces. The force on his hands sent Monty onto the ground. He looked up in shock as the guns he'd used for so long were now nothing more than twisted mangles of metal and gunpowder in his hands. He looked up at Oni, that shock carrying through as he saw him lunge right towards the downed ghost.
Monty surrounded Ronin's body in wind and sent him sliding across the chamber just as Oni beset him. With one last desperate toss, Monty threw the broken guns at Oni and tried to stand up. Oni held his hand back and used his smoke to draw his staff back to him, holding it up and smashing the broken guns aside. Another slash caused Monty's hands, still solidified, to be struck, spinning Monty around and back down. Monty drew the SoS just in time to catch the next slash with a burning force on his forearms.
"It's time to end this!" Oni roared, "You have no weapons left!" Monty's gaze drifted to his broken guns and his downed ally. He and the sword were now well, and truly, alone. Oni slashed his arms to break the lock and make Monty drop down onto one knee.
Monty placed his hand on the ground. Oni lordered over him, holding his staff up and pointing it at him. He shifted the staff to instead point over towards the sword that Monty held in his hand, the tip knocking against the floor.
"It's time I remove this sword from your filthy hands," Oni declared, "And remind you who it rightfully should belong to!" He drew his staff back.
Master! The sword cried out. Monty's eyes widened, holding his hand up in the air and sending a blast of air into Oni's face, just as the staff came down.
Monty's grip loosened. He was sent flying backwards, landing on the ground. The shattered remains of Ebony and Ivory were around him, strewn about the ghost in a fate just as he had already suffered. Montys eyes widened as he realized he no longer held the sword in his hand. His grip was completely empty.
"...What?" Oni blinked, "What is this…?"
Something grabbed hold of Monty's wrist. As the ghost slowly turned, he gained the same look of shock that Oni held. Wrapped from the hilt of the sword onto Monty's wrist, was a flash of Chi. The golden dragon that Monty had had his entire life now was gripping him and the sword at the same time. Refusing to let go of him. Even his ghostly body could not pass through the light of his own chi.
My… Master! The sword shouted, He is not the one that is meant to wield me! The only one who was bold enough to stake a claim to me… was you! The sword refused to let go, And I will not… be taken from him!
"No…" Oni took a step back, "Have you truly corrupted that blade… that much? Have you truly bent it to your whims that much?!"
Monty looked down at the sword. Slowly, the Chi shifted and began to draw closer, cinching the sword back into his hand. The moment that Monty felt the grip in it, he felt a sense of calm that he hadn't felt before. His Chi faded away, replaced with the grip of his hand as he slowly brought himself up onto his feet. Oni continued to stare in shock as Monty let out a long sigh.
"Wow… I mean just, wow," Monty sighed, "I mean, you really just don't get it, do you?"
"Get… what?!" Oni snarled, his claws coming out of his hands, "There is nothing to perceive! You are a perversion upon the purity that is that blade's light!"
"You need me to spell it out for you in clearer terms?" Monty looked around to confirm that there was nobody else around, then he spat, "Baaaaaka."
**Monty sliced the SoS in front of him. Immediately, a blast of wind shot from it that struck Oni and slid him back several feet. The wind, however, didn't stop with that. Gale force winds blasted and buffeted Oni as he threw his hands up in front of his face, refusing to be pushed over. The smoke around his body, protecting him, was blown away. Oni looked to see Monty there, hovering just above the ground, with the sword held out to his side.
My Master… I feel it, The sword declared, I can feel it now! I can feel the light of Sanctuary inside of me!
"Yeah, of course you can," Monty sighed, "It was there all along, after all."
The gem in the bottom of the sword shone a brilliant bright blue, blasting its light about in a massive ring around Monty's body. That blue color leaked out as did Monty's powers, the wind surrounding him in a vortex that refused anyone to get close to him. Monty slowly closed his eyes, sighing as he brought the sword up and over his face.
"The only one that can use Sanctuary, is the only one that knows what it truly means," Monty declared, his eyes shifting to glow a powerful blue, "And between the two of us, I think I know what it means a bit more than you do."
The connection between Master and Weapon, it is one that cannot be broken, The sword continued in Monty's head, I understand now. I understand who you are, Monty. You are not Lloyd, and you were never him.
"It's time I stop denying who I am," Monty grinned, "After all, I think it's clear that I'm never gonna be the type of person who should use this thing."
My Master is my Master! The sword affirmed to him, The rudest, crassest master I have ever had, and one that clearly doesn't understand the weight of responsibility he holds… yet he knows the power within me, and that is all that matters!
"So let's just get this over with," Monty inhaled, "And have some fun too!"
Oni snarled, thrusting his claws out to his sides and launching himself right towards Monty. The smoke that leaked from his mask gathered around his legs, pushing him forward to let him race towards the swirling ball of wind and blue light. He shouted hard, bringing his staff up in the air just as Monty sliced his sword to meet it.
Just as their blades impacted, Oni saw his reflection in the blade. The second he saw his blue demonic mask, his body was struck with a blow that knocked the breath out of him in shock. He was sent flying backwards, striking and skidding across the floor as he came to a rest against the hard, metal floor.
Oni snarled, raising his head and bringing his staff up in both hands now. Monty shot forward, the wind carrying him across the ground in a skating arc. He slashed his sword into Oni's staff, each blow knocking his grip loose. Oni swung his blade and impacted it. Another flash of his face in the sword's reflection, and Oni felt the strike to his gut again, knocking him hard against the wall.
"What… what trickery is this?!" Oni snarled, bringing his staff up in front of him and swinging it. Monty caught it on the tip of the SoS and held the lock.
A reflection is half of an image, The sword declared to Monty's mind, And therefore, let half of all the pain he would inflict on you be reflected onto him!
"That's pretty overpowered," Monty grinned, struggling to hold the lock, "Think we can go even further with it?" His eyes flared a deeper blue.
Are you willing to use the full power of Sanctuary? The sword asked playfully.
"If you're the one offering!" Monty shouted, thrusting Oni's staff aside and raising his free hand to blast Oni backwards with a gust of wind. With a grin, Monty flipped the SoS around in his hand, holding the blade backwards parallel to his forearm.
Oni, not realizing his situation, gripped his staff and swung it overhead like a hammer. Monty thrust the SoS above him, one hand on the blade's tip, catching the strike on the blade's flat. With a little grin at Oni, Monty twisted it to show Oni's reflection. Oni's head was met with a hard crack of power, his vision rattled as he collapsed down to one knee. Monty followed that up with grabbing him by the mask and delivering wind-fueled kicks into his gut, aiming to break ribs with the sound of each impact.
A roundhouse kick to the head sent Oni sliding across the ground. The half-demon, however, refused to yield. He grabbed hold of his staff and held his hand up, gathering the smoke in his hand and launching it out towards Monty in a shadowy claw. The claw reached up to grab hold of Monty's wrist. With a little smirk, Monty reached out and gripped the SoS with both hands on the hilt, still backwards, against his chest.
A spinning saw of wind formed along the sword's tip. Monty jumped into the air, slicing the sword around and spreading the wind even further in an arc around him. The smoke was blown apart as Monty brought the sword over his head and sliced all the way down to his feet once, twice, thrice. Each slice of wind struck Oni, who threw his hands up in the air and blocked each strike. When he looked up, Monty had the sword held backwards, slicing his arm forward and cutting a small gash into Oni's wrist. He reached forward and dug his hand into it, causing Oni to hiss in pain and stumble. Monty swung the sword backwards again, hitting Oni in the mask as Monty then brought the jewel of the sword down in a vicious punch into Oni's neck, knocking his windpipe shut.
"Y-You…" Oni stumbled backwards, now gripping his throat with hoarse gasps.
Monty didn't let up. Continuing to hold the sword backwards, Monty ran forwards, holding his hand up to his chest and forming what almost looked like a dagger of wind. He spun his body around and brought both weapons behind him, slashing them hard into Oni's body and knocking him about. Monty landed blow after blow onto Oni, leading him to stumble backwards until, finally, Monty leapt away just before Oni could counterattack.
"Think he's ready to see what Sanctuary truly is?" Monty asked, holding the sword up backwards.
Do you intend to wield me in such a way you can't see me? The sword asked, amusedly.
"I don't know," Monty grinned, "How ticked off do you think it's making him?"
Oni stumbled about on his feet, his breath coming in hard, hoarse gasps. He held his claws out to either side, leaning forward and raising his head up. The angrier he became, the more demonic that face appeared to be with that strange mask on. Smoke was leaking out of it more now, as though the damage was beginning to set in. His harsh snarls and growls made him seem almost feral, waiting to strike.
Master, reach deep into my power, The sword explained, As long as you have Chi remaining, you may use my power!
"Then let's not waste this," Monty nodded, "Hey! Oni!" Monty shouted, "I think you're looking pretty unbalanced right now!"
Oni's growls grew to their peak. With a feral roar of anger, Oni shot forward across the floor, right at him. With the sheer speed, force and smoke that he was producing, Monty knew he could rip through the walls themselves if he wanted to. Instead of turning and fleeing, however, Monty closed his eyes and instead held the sword behind him, focusing its power through his body. As Oni drew closer, he drew it further up into his core, to his Chi. He felt the sensation of it, the same as fusing with Chi felt for the ninja, but this time he wasn't fusing with himself. He and the sword became one, just as Monty opened his eyes.
"SANCTUARY!"
Time froze around Monty. The world was suddenly coated in a sheen of deep blue, the lines that defined shapes becoming pure white. The sword glowed a beautiful, glistening blue as Monty's eyes did in turn. Monty was frozen in time with it, yet he could feel everything around him.
He turned his gaze to Oni. He could see Oni moving, but not just along one path. He could see every possible action that Oni could take at this moment. He could feel every path this battle could occur in. If the sword's power was to see the future, Monty could predict it. The hundreds, thousands of infinite futures that could occur from this very moment were laid out in front of Monty, the Chi that connected him and his blade burning together to let him feel them all.
The power of his Sanctuary was revealed: the power to see all possible futures, to decide upon which he would stake his claim, and to send half of the damage of that future onto the one that walked it.
Monty, knowing what he had to do, closed his eyes and opened them again. All at once, the power that he had summoned withdrew, and Oni resumed his flow of time. Monty, however, just gave a small grin before he held the sword up against his left side.
Oni snarled and crashed into him. Like a dancer moving in tandem to music, Monty weaved his body in and out of Oni's attacks. He knew everywhere Oni's arms would be, everywhere that his attacks would land. He thrust the SoS around his body, connecting each blow. Each time he slashed the sword, Oni's reflection would make the beast be knocked back by his own attacks. Blow after blow struck Oni from the sword's power, weakening him bit, by bit, by bit.
Crack after crack hit Oni, finally knocking him backwards with his body now bruised, weakened and trembling. Monty slid to a stop, holding the sword up across his chest backwards, pointing the tip at Oni. The sight of it, just as Monty intended, made Oni's body flare up with rage. Oni scrambled for his staff, hefting the thing up and giving one massive shout of rage before he poured his smoke, his rage, and his power into it. The staff glowed a deep purple, the power of the Oni and Dragon within it. The force of it shook the metal that Oni stood on as he charged Monty one last time.
Monty, however, smirked. With the last of his future-sight used, Monty let Oni charge him. Just as Oni swung, Monty crouched down, the sword's blade up into the air. He held his other hand up and struck Oni in the chest, hitting him with all the wind that he could. Oni struck the SoS, his reflection showing clearly to him. As soon as he realized what happened, half of all of the rage, anger and unbalanced emotion hit Oni right in the staff, just as Monty's wind struck him in the chest.
A massive crash of purple energy shot out of Oni's body as his mask and staff cracked apart from the force of his own power. Monty stood up as he saw Oni go flying for the final time. His broken mask hit the ground just as his staff did, both of them cracking and leaking the deep, purple smoke of the Oni. The sensation of his two weapons both breaking at once left Oni with his spirit shattered. His body was drained of energy, his muscles shot. Just as he raised his head, a blue light shone against him.**
"Now then…" Monty held the sword up against Oni's throat, "I think it's time you give up."
Oni slowly huffed out at Monty, his body trembling, "I… have not… yielded…"
Monty used the flat of the blade to strike Oni's temple, "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of how hard you just lost."
Oni groaned out, his breath coming in small wheezes, "I… will not… let… the sword…"
Monty sighed, cutting him off, "It's like I said, you just don't get it do you?" Monty frowned, "It was never my power that made the sword listen to me."
As Oni stared at him in shock, Monty continued, "You think I could make something as haughty as this thing ever listen to me?" Monty raised the blade in front of him, "No, it chose to listen to me. We made a deal together. You're approaching this like you think I tricked it somehow. I couldn't even get it to work for me until then. It was your stupid little trick with that mask that made it chose to listen to me in the first place."
Oni's eyes widened as Monty stood up, "So let's not draw this out. I know you're in this for the sword. And you're never going to get it. The sword and I came to an agreement. I'm going to be its master from now on. And if you want to take it from me, you'll have to be a little stronger than this," Monty sighed, "So, in other words…"
Monty reached into his armor, withdrawing the Realm Crystal Morro had given him. He dropped it right in front of Oni, letting it hit the floor with a soft clink. As Oni was left shocked at the sight of it, Monty pointed the tip of the SoS right between his eyes.
"Get the fuck out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you go," Monty spat for the final time.
Oni stared at Monty with a gaze that showed he was well and truly unable to process what he was hearing. Monty's declaration, however, had a force behind it. After all this time, all this fighting, he had been unable to truly prove himself to Monty. Someone that was a reject of the balance, someone that fought against its very nature without knowing, had been able to master a blade like that. He, the one that had spent his entire life purging himself, forcing himself to become one with light and dark together, had lost the favor of the thing. This ghost, this creature, had somehow unlocked Sanctuary… before him.
Slowly, Oni got up to his feet. He clutched his chest as he slowly hobbled away. Once he was at the entrance to the Iron Demise, seeing the Serpentus Bounty hovering in the air and the forces outside that he could not hope to fight. In a hurried, nervous gesture, almost akin to a puppy fleeing from danger, he opened the portal and leapt through it, leaving nothing behind but his broken staff and mask.
Master, you should cut the connection between us now, The sword informed him, You used up nearly half your Chi doing that.
"So it takes Chi to do all of that?" Monty rolled his eyes, "I knew there was a catch."
It was Chi that you used to establish your bond with me, and it was that which you poured into the sword to use me with, The sword elaborated, When you run out, you will be unable to use my power again.
"So being smart I got about two more shots at that future-sight thing," Monty nodded, "Works for me. Let's get moving."
Monty, already putting the duel behind him, took stock of the room around him. If the fight had taken as long as he thought, he'd have to race to catch up. First, however, he had to deal with the aftermath. Slowly, he walked over towards where his fallen partner lay. As he did, the sword seemed to have one last thing to say.
Did I ever tell you who the first Master that I ever had was? The sword asked.
"You talked about him," Monty shrugged, "But you never gave me his name."
It was the first Master of Wind, The sword revealed, It seems that perhaps destiny is at work between us after all.
Monty stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned and sheathed the sword on his back. He walked over to where Ronin lay and slowly hefted him up onto his ghostly shoulders, solidifying them to let him rest there. He hefted Ronin's rifle up with him, sighing as he carried him out towards the elevators.
"Nah," Monty shook his head, looking at where Oni's broken mask and staff lay, "Destiny had nothing to do with this one. Come on," Monty took a few steps forward.
"Kid…?" Ronin slowly opened his eyes, "Ugh… that was one beating… where are we going?"
"Good, you're up," Monty nodded, "We're going to help them end this all." Without waiting, Monty blasted wind in his feet, carrying them up into the air to rejoin the others.
Ophiod and Skales slithered together through a familiar hallway. The red lights of the corridor shone around them, gradually giving way to harsher white light as they went alone. Ophiod kept his expression neutral as he slithered along, knowing that when he stopped, the time for him to prove his devotion to his decision would be at hand. Skales walked alongside him faithfully, never once wavering in the march towards their fight.
Soon enough, the two arrived at the door to the Iron Doom's cockpit. The two nodded as Ophiod reached forward to open the door. As it slid into the wall, however, Ophiod turned to Skales and slowly shook his head.
"Wait here," Ophiod commanded him, "I do not wish to be surprised. I will call on you when I have need of you, Skales." Before Skales could protest, Ophiod leaned down and placed a small kiss on the top of his head. Skales, knowing better than to argue with that, nodded his head and slowly stepped to guard the door, his blade shaking slightly as Ophiod entered.
When Ophiod entered the cockpit of the Iron Doom, he saw that the guess this 'Andrus' had made was correct. The systems appeared to have been shot, all turned off and no longer working. Outside of the viewport of the Iron Doom, a look into the world outside could be seen. He could faintly see the Serpentus Bounty hovering there, waiting for the Iron Demise to move. More importantly, though, Ophiod could see that only one of the two chairs was occupied.
"Ophiod, Ophiod, Ophiod…" Acronix repeated as he turned around in his chair, the Forward Blade in his hand, "I have to say… I'm rather disappointed in you."
"One like you is not allowed to feel that towards me," Ophiod countered, "One who views others as a tool cannot be sad when they defy them."
"I'm not even mad," Acronix shook his head, "I'm really not. I just want to know why you decided that fighting against us was a good idea."
"Surely you know by now the reason," Ophiod frowned, "Your actions have brought forth suffering upon innocents. Prime is gone. I stand alongside those who would claim the apex of all worlds. I will not condone the murder that you will so senselessly reap!" Even now, Ophiod's eyes flicked nervously towards the weapon Acronix so clearly held.
"You sound… unsure," Acronix shook his head, "Trust me, I get it. You're young! Foolish! You think with your heart, not with your head. It's a problem with the youth!" Acronix paused, "Ugh, I'm sounding like him. What I mean is, you don't have to do this."
"I must," Ophiod declared, "There is no world now in which I can align with you. I will not let the seeds of my father's salvation, of my ascension to throne, be marred by the blood you would spill. This battle ends today."
Acronix stood up, a small frown on his lips. Ophiod tensed up, bringing his tail in front of him. Slowly, he began to pace around Acronix, and in turn he followed suit. The two slowly circled one another, seeing which one could find the best position.
"Ophiod, come now, you know that this doesn't end well for you," Acronix shook his head, "You know they're all going to die down there. They won't ever make it to us. And even if they do, what would be the point? They can't defeat the Hands of Time."
"You waste your breath on me," Ophiod frowned, "You will never convince me to rejoin you. I have made my choice. I am prepared to lay down my life for it. I already laid down another for it…" Ophiod shook his head, "And I refuse to do so again."
Acronix thought for a moment, then he sighed, "Well. That's a shame, really. You were the smarter one, after all. You were always the strongest."
"No," Ophiod countered, "Prime was the one with conviction and power. I was the one you manipulated."
"No, no, I meant that!" Acronix sighed, "It's just too bad. I thought Prime would've lasted longer than he did."
Everything in Ophiod's world froze, including his body, "...What?"
"I mean, I at least thought he'd make it to this point," Acronix shrugged, "I mean, we knew from the minute we spoke to him he was going to snap. Though for you to help put him down? That's a nice outcome. It saved us the trouble!"
Ophiod's body shook. He looked up towards Acronix, and for once in his life, he saw red. HIs fists gripped tightly as his words slithered out with the pain of all that he had seen, all that he had done. The words that Prime had echoed to himself and Over in those final moments. "You... will not say that..." Ophiod growled, "About my friend."
Ophiod raised his eyes. He had no scroll. He was alone. Yet the magic in his body flared up. His entire form lit up in magic. Orange seeped out of every pore in his body. And with an explosion of light, the darkened interior of the Iron Demise was brightened as Ophiod's body surrounded in magical blades, all aimed at one man.
"Oh?" Acronix grinned, holding up his blade, "Surely you knew he wasn't going to make it through this. He was the disposable one, Ophiod," Acronix laughed, "Though I admit, I wish I got to see more of what happened."
Ophiod inhaled deeply, then his voice boomed, "I pass judgement on you, Acronix," Ophiod snarled, "As Prince, as arbiter... and as his friend. I am your Prince. And you will bow to me."
"If you think you can do that," Acronix grinned, "Let's see how much he really meant to you."