A little bit of gore. and a big mess...

Chapter 17

*I'm ready!* Jack screams. *I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready* the steady chant grew weaker by the second and Chase found himself walking backward.

Hannibal chuckles as he moves forward, the yellow orb has grown an iris, and it shines with anticipation.

"I thought I would feel sentimental the day I finally kill you."

Another step back.

*I'm ready* came out as a whisper. Chase wanted to say something witty or deny him. Instead, he stared into Hannibal's new eye.

There was a long pause. A moment gifted to formulated his last statement.

Chase Young stayed silent. Hannibal waited for one more second. Maybe he was sentimental. But not enough to allow his once-student enough time to make a plan.

The ground was still warm, so as the thousands of roots reaped the island apart, they twist at the cold light snow and prepare to attack. Each aimed at a different appendage, Chase stay still until the very last moment when he dodges by rapidly laying on the ground.

"Now that's just sa-"

An invisible force blasts Hannibal a few meters back, and the high unbearable frequency splits each root on its path open.

Chase barely avoided the attack and carefully put distance between him and Hannibal. He quickly assesses the situation. Chase sustained more damage than he expected, his left arm was currently useless and his left leg too wounded to attack. Omi lays motionless on the ground but the snow the annoying ex-monk summoned still falls. Hannibal was hurt, but he could continue to fight, and he has taken the Island as an arsenal. Jack's machine was functional, but soon Hannibal will get rid off their weapon. And Wuya and her great gun were not yet found.

"Let's retreat." Chase beings to concentrate on a teleportation spell, his magic is drained.

Jack prepares to dismantle his tank by pushing multiple buttons on a specific order. The machine will explode causing considerable damage.

It was all about timing.

Jack watched the digital clock, once the self-destruction sequence begins Chase will have three seconds to teleport inside the tank, take Jack and leave.

They did all they could.

Jack's fingers trembled as he pressed his microphone but before he could signal Chase to initiate their retreat a red light flashes on each monitor.

They must leave now if they want to live.

*Shit!* Jack curses and Chase immediately moves behind Jack's tank to burn the vines tangling at the legs of the machine. Tiny green grapes pierced the metal armor by the smallest of creaks and reap cables and inner workings. They collectively unbalanced the giant machine for a second, but that was enough for Hannibal to tear the ray gun and squeeze it into metal scrap.

"No." The monster didn't longer a shape, hundreds of cuts over its body bleed a black acidic substance, and brown colored globs twitched on the floor. He was broken, but it didn't matter.

"No." He breathed out, and the air became thicker. The vines advance from every direction to surround Chase Young.

The dragon felt panic raise up his spine as he used hi leftover magic to summon wind. Unable to said it, Chase can only hope that Jack would come to the same conclusion that he has. The plan changed, their priority is to get out.

"Omi." The young ex-monk shakenly stood from his secluded spot. "Get rid of Jackie's toy."

Omi reacted too fast even to allow tension to boil. He ran towards the massive black machine and froze the legs.

*Shit! Chase-* Omi kicked the right leg of the machine, and an alarm beeps inside. *Chase I won't last long -I need to get out!* Jack hoped that Omi wouldn't hurt him.

"Stay inside!" Chase hissed. Jack would be too exposed out of his tank. Even if Omi doesn't attack him, Hannibal would. They need to think of another way. In the meantime, they must stay alive.

*Omi Stop!* The red lights flash on and off, and a mechanic voice informs Jack that they have suffered substantial damage. Omi kicks again. *He is going to kill you!* Jack knew that Omi couldn't hear him, but he needs to know. A white message appears on the main screen; last emergency resort. *shit! Fuck. No, stop.* Jack presses multiple keys to override the emergency protocol but then his machine tilted sideways. Heavy metal balanced back against the force of an inhumanly powerful kick. The tank leans forward one time before falling on its side with vertigo-inducing strength.

"Stop!" The radio was broken as most of Jack's tank. Omi didn't stop.

Multiple spy-bots rushed to the distress signal and attacked the treat. They were like mosquitoes to a dragon; Omi crushed them with a single hit.

Jack searched for the gun he hid under his seat.

Omi hits the glass.

Jack wastes a moment staring at the red stains on his gun. It was blood. He must have open his wound in the fall, there was blood on his hands, clothes, computers, and even the floor. Out of habit, Jack began to cry.

Omi froze the surface of the glass and punched it hard enough to crack.

"Stop! Omi!" Jack wasn't sure if Omi could hear him, but he screams until his throat could not scream again.

Omi froze the surface of the glass again, the cold caused the crack to travel deeper downward.

Jack lift his right arm, the left arm had suffered severe nerve damage, and it was useless.

Omi honestly believed that by forcefully taking away Jack's weapon it would force Jack out of the fight. Therefore, sending him to safety.

Jack broke the glass. It shattered as the bullet hit Omi's neck.

The young man felt a sting of pain and then he didn't feel anything.

Jack didn't waste his time on fear or remorse, he dropped his gun and used his good arm to climb out. Omi's brown eyes stared at Jack while he drifts into unconsciousness.

Jack picked a large piece of broken glass and tried to walk towards Chase.

Slowly Jack sneaks closer to the fight. Chase Young was in his dragon form, the green scales were dirty and splashed with blood, a foreleg had been crushed into a broken mess dragged on the ground. The dragon's eyes were wild hunting for an opening to attack while his body struggled to dodge the countless attacks.

Jack felt his vision go blurry and his hands ridged. They will die if they stay much longer.

But Hannibal was a mess. The old evil thing as a shapeless emotional broken mess. The acid black blood infected everything it touches like a disease taking control of everything. Hannibal couldn't kill Chase -as much as it wanted and concentrated Chase Young was too elusive and too strong to die.

Jack carefully step over the burnt vines.

Chase could win, he needs an opening.

Jack felt the air around him grow cold, as he inched as close as he could without being detected. He raised his knife and Hannibal captured the arm. The thick vine crushed Jack's wrist and pulled him up to dangle in the middle of the fight like a price. Jack screamed in pain and Chase flinched.

"I did make you a promise, didn't I?" Hannibal took the joy of shaking the fanboy up and down, and then he turned to his own back-up. "Thank you for unpacking little Jack." Omi lay on his hands and knees still recovering from his last wound. "You'll get used to that kid." Hannibal chuckled.

Almost lazily Hannibal returned to look at Chase. The great Millenium warrior was frozen in place. He knew that if were to attack, then Hannibal would merely kill Jack. But if he didn't do something quickly, Jack might still die.

The young man couldn't feel any pain. He felt dizzy and tired. Jack had his eyes on Chase, and he hoped it wouldn't end like this.

A silence as deep as a wound settled between them.

Chase stared into those ruby eyes as the light slowly fades, and Hannibal waited with almost holy patience.

"You won't kill me."

It wasn't a bluff or a threat.

Chase Young didn't think. Time didn't allow him to think and act. So he launched forward and cut appendage. He left himself open for an attack; another vine captured his already broken arm, Chase couldn't protect Jack and himself at the same time. Thorns anchored in the arm's bones and pulled.

Jack was barely conscious, but he recognized the rough, sharp scales, and he instinctively tried to hold on. He could tell they were moving fast.

Chase used every defense maneuver he knew to outrun the growing vines that spread across the island.

The temperature drops and Omi stands.

"Kid," Hannibal calls, and Omi knows what he wants. Hannibal has many advantages, and he commands the fight as long as they fight on the island. "Take the sea."

Omi breathes in the burnt acidic air stretching the newly formed trachea.

The air became cold, and the tide became aggressive. A storm begins to form.

Chase didn't have enough strength to bend the sea, but he still chose to leave the island. Chase young have to take a risk by assuming that Omi wouldn't kill an already defeated enemy.

The dragon fought the rough sea, unable to going under the water to protect Jack from drowning. He aimed to reach a close rescue ship that has come to evacuate the island.

"Kid?" Hannibal asked out of reflex, surprised that Chase Young still have enough power to fight Omi's control over the water element.

Omi stand only a few feet from him, he looked him in the one eye he has left, his young -almost childlike face was unreadable. "Of course." Hannibal laughs. It was funny. "Kid, you think I didn't saw this from a mile away!" Hannibal tries to rap a vine around the youth, but the ground is frozen. The evil is still tired and wounded from his fight with Chase Young, but Omi barely fought at all. "Good try. But you can't kill me Omi. It would kill you first." Omi looked down for a moment he waited until he knew it was time.

Hannibal Roy Bean was very old; he was born out of the vile and desperation of a small nameless province some secluded part of the world. He was born out of misery, fear and the most savage instinct of self-preservation. The Heylin nor the Xiaolin could kill him. No one knew how.

Omi stood calmly as realization comes to the old monster in front of him.

Wuya made herself visible. The ghost lingers over the ashes as she has on the earth for thousands of years. She leans over Omi and whispers the secret that all her sisters, witches of the old world took to the grave. She told Omi where to find the heart of the Heylin.

The battle was short and simple.

Hannibal was weak, wounded and frozen in place.

Omi used a short sword made out of ice, the black blood from his enemy burn his hands in a way it will never heal.

Wuya took the heart.

AN: I'm sorry this took so long. Please let me know how was this chapter! :O