Chapter Seventy-One
Battleground
Performing a somersault kick, Lei Wulong was able to knock away a guard that had just attempted to attack him. After landing, he found two other guards surrounding him. He stood in his place before the three guards let out their battle cries and ran after him.
Let's get started, Lei thought to himself.
As soon as the first guard reached him, Lei moved himself sideways so that the guard ended up running passed him. Afterward, Lei moved behind him, lifted up one leg, and kicked down, his heel hitting the back of the guard's neck. The guard let out a small cry as he was knocked face first into the ground.
A second guard soon approached him and threw punches at him from different directions. Lei was able to avoid the attacks before finding an opening, throwing two punches to the guard's face before kicking upward, sending the guard flying in the air.
Lei was able to hear the running footsteps of the third guard behind him. Quickly, he turned to face him and saw the guard just a few feet away with his kwan do out in front of him. The guard swung his bladed staff at Lei's head, but the Interpol cop crouched down and was able to avoid the attack. In the meantime, he performed, a sweep kick, knocking the guard completely off his feet. Just before the guard landed, Lei quickly stood himself up and delivered a forward kick, sending the guard spinning and flying back away from him before crashing down on the dirt.
"That's gonna leave a mark," Lei said about the guard.
Suddenly, he felt a hard kick to his back, sending him stumbling forward before falling face first. Lei turned himself on his back and saw another guard standing over him with two long swords, one in each hand.
Lei attempted to get out of the way, but the guard ended up kicking him hard in the chest, sending him crashing back and losing some air from his lungs. As he tried to recover from the blow, he saw the two swords above him and his eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen…
"Spinning Bird Kick!" he heard a familiar female voice shout out nearby.
A second later, a foot met the side of the guard's head, knocking him away from Lei and the attacker, the blow rendering him unconscious. Lei was able to sit himself up as he watched Chun Li get herself in a hand stand after performing her upside-down spin kick before flipping back, returning to her feet.
"Are you okay?" Chun Li asked Lei just as he got back on his feet as well.
Lei was able to finally catch his breath as Chun Li ran over to him. "Yeah I'm fine." He then found himself smiling a little. "I'm more glad that you're okay."
"So far," Chun Li said with a small sigh.
Lei then noticed her looking passed his shoulder, a concerned look suddenly coming over her face. The older man turned his head to where she was looking.
Not too far from them, he saw their fellow allies Sakura and Asuka trying to fight off some guards. Despite being strong fighters, the two seemed to struggle against their enemies a bit, even after Sakura shot out a projectile at the guard she was fighting.
Lei was about to say something to Chun Li, but she was already beginning to run to the scene in front of them. Knowing what she was about to do, Lei followed to help her out.
Soon, Chun Li and Lei reached the two guards fighting Asuka and Sakura. Chun Li rapidly kicked at one guard with a single leg before kicking him upward while Lei landed a few palm strikes at the other guard before delivering a roundhouse kick, rendering him out cold.
Asuka and Sakura seemed to sigh with relief after watching the two fight off their enemies. "You didn't have to… but thanks," said Asuka.
"It's no problem," replied Chun Li. "But listen… I know you two want to help out, but I honestly think you should try to make an escape out of here. You have your whole lives ahead of you."
"She's right," Lei agreed with a small nod. A frown came over his face as he remembered seeing a few girls about their age lying dead on the battleground not too long ago. It made him feel grim knowing that their possibly-promising lives were suddenly taken away all because they either wanted to prove themselves or help out their allies.
Some determination came over Sakura's face. "I want to stay and help," she said.
"It's for the best Sakura," said Asuka. She had given it some thought and realized that it was indeed best to get out of Outworld while they can. For Asuka, she had the feeling that if she stayed any longer, then she wouldn't make it out of here alive.
After all, she was all her father had now since her mother's death.
For a moment, Sakura stayed silent, unsure of what to do. Eventually, she slowly nodded, finally agreeing with Chun Li's suggestion.
Asuka briefly rested her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Let's get out of here."
Both Chun Li and Lei stood where they were as they briefly watched Asuka and Sakura make their way over towards the portals.
Shao Kahn's Fortress
A loud clang! was heard all around the throne room as the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn and the Azure Knight Nightmare continued with their battle. Despite Soul Edge being such a large and powerful weapon, Shao Kahn's war hammer was able to actually withstand it's attacks.
At one point, Shao Kahn jumped forward with one knee out. In high speed, he darted towards Nightmare as green shadows trailed behind him. Before he was able to hit him, Nightmare quickly moved himself out of the way. Instead, the Emperor ended up smashing into one of the many statues in the room, shattering it into countless pieces.
This gave Nightmare the opportunity to swing his sword at Shao Kahn, flat side first. The Emperor was able to see the move coming and quickly ducked under the sword. Just as he began to face the Azure Knight, Nightmare spun a full circle, collecting lightning energy, which surrounded the sword. He then quickly jabbed the sword forward, sending lightning bolts out. They managed to hit Shao Kahn, sending him flying back before crashing into the floor.
Shao Kahn quickly got himself back up. "You will never win!" he called out before running towards Nightmare to continue their battle.
They exchanged weapon maneuvers for a moment before Shao Kahn managed to get a hit in on top of Nightmare's head. Despite wearing a helmet, Nightmare stumbled back a bit from the hit before Shao Kahn glided forward, ramming his shoulder into his opponent, which sent him stumbling away a few feet.
After recovering from the blow, Nightmare stood his ground as Shao Kahn attempted to attack him again. The Azure Knight was forced to defend himself with his sword for another moment as Shao Kahn swung his hammer wildly at him.
When an opening finally came, Nightmare jabbed his sword forward. Shao Kahn moved himself to avoid the attack, but the infamous blade managed to catch him on his spiked shoulder pad. Upon looking at the pad, he was surprised to see that all three spikes were cut off as though they were nothing but flowers.
Then, Nightmare twirled his sword about his head before swinging it down at Shao Kahn's head. The Emperor jumped out of the way in time, forcing the sword to crash into the floor instead, leaving a large mark behind.
Shao Kahn managed to get to Nightmare's side and swung his hammer, finally catching him in his abdomen. He then followed with an elbow to the face before ending the string of attacks with a kick to his side. Nightmare staggered a bit after the attack, but quickly regained his composure.
The Emperor ran over to Nightmare again and when he was close enough, Nightmare quickly reached out his grotesque hand at the Shao Kahn's throat before lifting him up to the ground. His strong grip was able to cut out some of Shao Kahn's oxygen, forcing him to struggle against his opponent. A sudden energy charge from the hand surged into his muscular form before Nightmare jumped up. As he landed back on the ground, he smashed him into the ground, causing a dent to appear on the throne room floor.
Nightmare straightened himself back up after the attack and let out a maniacal laugh. "I can see your madness!" he yelled out. "Indeed you shall be the perfect body host, just as the medallion promised!"
By the end of his sentence, Shao Kahn had already sat himself up. After hearing those words, he realized Chishio No Me's true purpose… it served as a window for Soul Edge in order to find a suitable host body when it's current one was no longer needed.
Since Shao Kahn had the medallion before giving it to Ivy last night, so it explained why Nightmare was after him instead of her… because Nightmare believed he had the medallion.
Soon, Shao Kahn was back on his feet, his hammer out and ready for more. He then let out a battle roar before charging towards Nightmare to continue their battle. For a while, they weapons clashed against one another, the sound of steel against steel echoing throughout the throne room.
Soon, Shao Kahn was able to get the upper hand once again. He jumped over a low sweep from Nightmare and raised his hammer above his head. As he descended back towards his opponent, he attempted to swing his hammer down. However, Nightmare was able to jump out of the way before receiving the blow.
Shao Kahn landed on the ground and turned his attention back to Nightmare. He didn't realize how close he was to him until he was met with two head butts to his forehead, causing the Emperor to stagger back from the attack.
Quickly, Shao Kahn shot out a green projectile, which Nightmare moved away from before being hit. As he avoided the projectile, Nightmare swung his sword with enough power to send an invisible wave out. The wave hit Shao Kahn, sending him flying back a few yards.
A thought came to Nightmare as he waited for Shao Kahn to get back up… he's fought countless others before this fight and many of them have either died or escaped his grasps before he was able to take their souls… and normally, this all would've happened by now.
At this point in their battle, Nightmare began to realize that Shao Kahn may be his biggest challenge yet…
Battleground
Fighting near a lake, Kitana and Mileena exchanged maneuvers with their respective weapons. Both were determined to win the battle as they fought viciously against one another.
At one point, Mileena backed up a bit and lifted her sais in front of her. Two pink projectiles in the shape of her weapons shot out towards Kitana, who used her fans to knock them away from her. Afterwards, Kitana surrounded herself with a blue aura as she teleported behind Mileena, leaving her confused for a moment before being kicked from behind.
Mileena was able to keep her composure even after the kick. Quickly, she turned her attention back to Kitana, let out a loud growl before charging after the Princess. Before she was able to reach her however, Kitana managed to jump up, intending on landing on her.
However, the pink-clad woman quickly sunk herself through the floor before Kitana landed. The Princess tried to pinpoint Mileena's location, but before she could, Mileena appeared from above behind her and was able to perform a diagonal kick to the back of her head. Kitana let out a cry as she slammed face first into the dirt.
As the Princess of Edenia slowly got herself back up, Mileena let out a sadistic laugh. "Face it Kitana! My win in this battle is inevitable! Soon you will once again serve our father!"
Soon, Kitana was able to get herself back up. "I'd rather die before I ever serve him again! And he is not my father, not by a long shot!"
"If that is your wish, then so be it!"
With battle cries, the two women charged over to each other. Once they reached one another, they weapons clashed and for some time, the two fought like this. Eventually, their weapons were knocked out of their grips, forcing them to fight hand to hand.
They exchanged various punches and kicks for a short while before Mileena was able to get the upper hand by performing a high spin kick to Kitana's face, forcing her to spin a couple of times. This gave Mileena the chance to strike a palm to her stomach, follow it with a kick to her shin before delivering an uppercut, sending her flying a few feet up in the air.
Before Kitana was able to land, Mileena was able to jump up and grab her by the neck with her legs. Taking Kitana with her, Mileena performed a backward somersault, throwing Kitana halfway through, sending her crashing to the ground.
However, after landing, Kitana realized that she was now in reach of one of her fan blades. Before Mileena noticed, she quickly grabbed the fan by the hilt before sitting up on her knees.
As Mileena ran back after her, Kitana spun her fan rapidly in front of her, sending invisible waves which managed to catch Mileena. Before she knew it, Mileena was a foot in the air and being dragged towards the woman she once called her sister.
Quickly, Kitana stood herself up and kicked Mileena back when she was close enough to reach, sending her crashing on her back. Mileena gave herself a moment to recover before rolling back and standing herself up.
"You'll pay with your life soon enough, bitch!" Mileena yelled out before running towards Kitana again.
Between her last move and now, Kitana took the time to charge up some energy power by collecting some aura around her. She stood where she was as she waited Mileena to come closer to her.
Soon, the opportunity came and Kitana landed a powerful kick to Mileena's abdomen. The force of the kick sent Mileena flying back far enough to where she would end up splashing down into the lake they were fighting near. Her screams were heard all around until a loud splash from the water was heard in the distance.
Finally having the time to breathe, Kitana wondered if her battle with Mileena would continue once she emerged from the water. She wanted her to be dead, but knew that wouldn't be the case… at least not like this.
"Kitana!" she suddenly heard someone call out. The Princess blinked a couple of times, getting out of her thoughts, before turning around to see Jade and Sindel coming over to her.
"There you are!" exclaimed Jade.
"And at a good time too," said Sindel. "At this point, I think we should take our leave and return to Edenia. It wouldn't be long before we become more weary than we already are."
A small sigh escaped Kitana's lips as she briefly turned back towards the lake. Thoughts of Siegfried came to her for a moment as she remembered her encounter with him last night. She had hoped to speak to him before departing back to her home world, but at this point, it wasn't going to happen. Then, a thought came to her…
Perhaps we weren't meant to be…
Soon, Kitana turned back to her mother and best friend. "Okay… let's go home."
Together, the three of them began heading to the portals.
Shang Tsung's Palace
Clashing swords were heard all around as the battle between Kenshi and Shang Tsung continued. Neither one of them were sure how long their battle had been going on, but neither of them cared. All they cared about was finally eliminating the other. Despite the different cuts and minor gashes they received from the other's sword, they were still able to hold their own.
At one point, Kenshi managed to kick Shang Tsung with enough force for him to lose grip on his sword. The sorcerer attempted to retrieve his sword, but he was forced to move away as Kenshi swung his weapon wildly at him. After stepping aside, Shang Tsung performed a roundhouse and his foot hit Kenshi's wrist, forcing him to also lose grip of his sword. Now the two found themselves fighting hand to hand.
For a while, the two found themselves mostly on either offense or defense as they both tried to overtake the other. Soon enough, Kenshi was able to get the upper hand by landing a punch to the sorcerer's face, following with an elbow to the same place before kneeing him in the stomach.
Shang Tsung stumbled a bit and he tried to recover from the blows, but he soon quickly found himself blocking Kenshi's attacks once again, eventually being met with three triple palm strikes. The sorcerer jumped back a bit, shaking off the pain that was developing on his face.
"Now it's my turn," he whispered.
The sorcerer ran towards the swordsman, but before Kenshi was able to get close enough to land another strike, Shang Tsung disappeared and reappeared behind him, still running. Then, he crouched himself low to the ground and slid forward with his left foot out first. To his satisfaction, Kenshi wasn't able to detect this in time and soon found himself crashing to the floor.
Shang Tsung stood himself up afterwards and it wasn't long before Kenshi was up as well. Soon, the two ran towards each other again and executed their moves at each other yet again. At one point, Kenshi attempted a double back kick, but Shang Tsung was able to avoid the attack by stepping sideways. Finding an opening then, the sorcerer managed to land a punch to Kenshi's face, causing him to stagger sideways a bit.
Having another opportunity, Shang Tsung raised a hand. Using his sorcery, he was able to suck some energy right out of Kenshi, a hush whisper being heard around the room as a green energy left Kenshi and went into Shang Tsung, giving him more energy.
Kenshi stumbled a bit, suddenly feeling dizzy after losing some energy. "What the…" he uttered.
Hearing this, Shang Tsung replied. "Don't worry yourself just yet. I merely took some of your energy, weakening you and strengthening my own powers. Soon enough, however, you soul will belong to me."
Mustering up whatever strength he had left, Kenshi ran back towards the sorcerer and attempted to swing a punch at him. However, Shang Tsung was able to dodge the maneuver easily before executing an uppercut, sending Kenshi flying upward. As he descended back down, Shang Tsung delivered a kick, sending him flying another few feet back.
After Kenshi landed back on the floor, Shang Tsung jumped up high in the air, moving himself so that he was directly above the swordsman. Then, he dropped down and landed on Kenshi's stomach with enough force to send the swordsman's arms and legs flying up and a painful shout escaped him.
Knowing that he had the complete upper hand in the battle now, Shang Tsung grinned. It was time to end this.
"Now," he said as he raised a single hand above him. "Your soul is mine!"
…Meanwhile, a small battle was going on just outside of the throne room of the palace. The guards who were guarding the door attempted to take down both Ermac and Alex, who were both trying to escape the palace. The two fought the guards until they were all rendered unconscious.
After taking a guard down, Alex happened to look into the throne room and she suddenly felt frozen upon the sight before her. She saw Kenshi on the floor, weakened from the fight, and Shang Tsung standing on top of him with his hand raised above him. Shang Tsung seemed to chant something in a different language… and soon a green mist began emerging from him.
Then, without thinking, she ran into the throne room, knowing that something had to be done before Shang Tsung consumed Kenshi's soul.
It didn't take long before Alex reached them and she attempted a flying kick. Unknown to him, Shang Tsung had already noted her presence in the room and waited until she was close enough to attack. Then, he quickly grabbed her stretched out leg with both hands and swung her around before letting go. Her screams were heard until she crashed into a wall with enough force to render her out cold before falling face first onto the floor.
Anger slowly took over Kenshi as he realized what just happened and he attempted to sit himself up… however, at the moment, he didn't have the strength to do so.
Shang Tsung's attention was now focused on Alex. "I know you're feisty for me my dear, but you're going to have to wait your turn."
Suddenly, a projectile hit him from behind him, causing the sorcerer to stumble forward. Believing Kenshi just attacked him, Shang Tsung turned around to face him… only for him to come face to face with Ermac, who walked forward as a green aura surrounded his body.
Angry now, Shang Tsung got into a fighting stance, welcoming the enigma to fight him. "You just made a big mistake."
Ermac narrowed his glowing green eyes at him. "You will soon be eradicated, sorcerer."
"I'd like to see you try, Enigma."
Soon, the two began their battle.
Outside Shao Kahn's Fortress
The battle between Akuma and Scorpion continued on. Time had passed since they began… and it seemed as though they were still quite even.
After being knocked back by a kick, Akuma quickly teleported towards Scorpion and was able to land two punches to his face before delivering a kick to his stomach, causing the spectre to stumble back a couple of feet.
Akuma then attempted to cover the distance between them, but Scorpion was ready by then. He quickly performed a flip kick, his feet covered in flames and leaving a trail behind. The spectre managed to knock the demon back a couple of yards away, leaving a big space between them.
Sitting up after the attack, Akuma shot out two projectiles at Scorpion, who jumped over them once they were close enough to him. By then, Akuma was back on his feet and the two charged towards each other again.
Once they reached each other, the two briefly exchanged moves before Scorpion landed a punch to Akuma's face. Given the chance now, Scorpion kicked the demon upward before shooting his spear out, which caught him in the shoulder.
"Come here!" Scorpion yelled out before pull him down towards him. Once Akuma was close enough, Scorpion kicked him away again.
After landing, Akuma immediately got himself back up and teleported towards Scorpion again, landing a hammer punch on Scorpion which was powerful enough to knock him back.
Akuma then waited for Scorpion to get himself back up. Suddenly, a projectile from behind hit his back, causing the demon to stumble back a bit. After regaining himself, Akuma turned his attention to the new attacker… a man with chalky white skin.
Akuma had no clue as to who this was… but he was all too familiar to Scorpion.
"Quan Chi!" he yelled out in anger.
A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Originally, I was on my way to this fortress for some… personal business. However, I couldn't help but notice your fight with your little pal here."
None of those words phased Scorpion. Thoughts of what Quan Chi had done to his family and clan members consumed his mind. Soon, he teleported towards Quan Chi and tackled him to the ground, beginning their yet another battle of their own.
Akuma folded his arms after witnessing this. "Pathetic."
That's when he noted a very dark energy that seemed to be coming from within the fortress nearby. He knew it had to belong to someone… someone who was quite powerful.
"Perhaps this may be more worth it," he said to himself.
Leaving Scorpion to fight Quan Chi, Akuma began heading towards the fortress…
Portals
After fighting their way to the top of the hill, Kitana, Jade, and Sindel finally reached the portals. Up there, they were met by Raiden, who was guarding the portals.
"Your portal is the light blue one," Raiden mentioned to them. He then smirked to them. "Thank you for helping us with our mission." His smirked then turned into a grin. "And I'll remember to summon you when you are needed again."
Sindel smirk. "I hope so Raiden."
"Let's head back," suggested Jade.
Raiden stood where he was as he watched the three Edenians enter the portal which lead back to their home realm.
Now we just have some of our chosen ones from Earthrealm who need to be returned to their homes,the Thunder God thought.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Thinking that another one of Shao Kahn's minions was coming, Raiden whirled around to face him, getting ready to fight yet again. However, he soon found himself sighing a bit of relief as he saw Rose approaching him.
"Raiden!" Rose exclaimed. "I just had a premonition and I had to tell you before it was too late!"
Raiden looked at her with a bit of concern. "Now?"
Rose nodded frantically. "It's a strong one… it was some green monster flying above, and he was shooting a laser-like proj-"
Rose suddenly cut her sentence as she looked up at the sky and a horrified look came over to her. Realizing that her premonition was now coming true, Raiden turned to where she was looking and saw the 'green monster' in the sky… the monster he instantly recognized.
"Ogre…" he uttered.
It was then that Ogre indeed shot out a laser-like projectile. At first, Raiden and Rose thought he was shooting at them… but the closer it came, the more they realized that they were heading straight towards the portals!
"NO!" Raiden yelled out as he shot lightning bolts at Ogre. However, the laser proved too powerful as shot through over half the portals present and even going passed the activator, destroying it.
With the activator now destroyed, the remaining portals began to shut down. Quickly, Raiden teleported to the portal to Earthrealm and, using his powers, managed to keep it open just before shutting down.
By then, Ogre had landed on the ground, standing a few yards away. Rose ran over to Raiden. "Now what?" she asked.
Raiden looked at her with concern on his face. "I used some of my power to keep this portal open… but it won't last long…"
In desperation, Raiden placed a hand over Rose's forehead. She wasn't sure what he was doing until she felt a small power surge go through her body. The surge was brief and once it ceased, Raiden moved his hand away.
"I have given you some of that power, but it's limited. Only use it when the portal weakens." Raiden then kissed Rose's forehead. "Protect the portal at all costs!"
It was only after Raiden teleported towards Ogre and began fighting him that Rose realized what could happen…
"NO!" Rose yelled out… but they soon began fighting airborne with Raiden leading Ogre away from the hill… and Rose could only watch until they were out of view…
…Raiden and Ogre eventually found themselves in the forest area, away from the battle near the main palace… but more importantly, away from the portals.
The two deities exchanged moves for a moment in rapid speed. Eventually, Ogre managed to fly up above Raiden and shoot multiple projectiles, forcing the Thunder God to dodge out of the way. Afterward, Ogre flew back down and managed to get himself close enough so that he kicked Raiden in the face, sending him flying back before crashing into a tree.
Raiden managed to get himself back up before Ogre attacked him with a powerful punch. The Thunder God teleported out of the way and the Fighting God hit the tree with enough force to shatter it. Raiden managed to get himself behind Ogre before kicking him back.
Ogre stumbled a bit before turning his attention back to Raiden. As he quickly approached him, they exchanged more moves once again until Raiden landed a double punch to his chest before jumping up and kicking Ogre in the face, causing the green monster to stagger back two feet.
After recovering, Ogre was forced to move out of the way from Raiden's lightning projectile. Leaving the God of Thunder open, Ogre executed three palm strikes, knocking Raiden back a few yards.
Raiden gritted his teeth as he began to feel pain within his body for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Damn him… he can't live…" he uttered.
Soon, Raiden managed to stand himself up. Then, to his surprise, Ogre shot out a long, red projectile surrounded by lightning. In retaliation, Raiden blocked with his own long, white projectile, also surrounded by lightening.
For a while, the two of them tried to dominate the other with their powers. Slowly, however, Raiden was feeling Ogre's power slowly taking over.
"I… cannot… let you… live!" Raiden yelled out.
He still felt some energy left with him… and used that last bit of power with him, letting out a howling scream in the process.
Then, a white light surrounded them…
…Back at the portals, Rose just fought off the first guard who came up the hill in an attempt to destroy the Earthrealm portal. As she knocked him out cold, she suddenly heard a loud explosion behind her. She turned around and saw a fireball rising from the forest and black smoke rising above that fire…
It was no guess as to where the explosion came from… it was from Raiden's fight with Ogre…
He had sacrificed himself in order to destroy Ogre.
"No… why?" Rose whispered as she felt tears well up in her eyes.
Despite their dispute in the beginning, Rose was becoming fond of Raiden towards the end of their time together here. As she thought of her memories with him, she suddenly felt saddened and heartbroken…she never got to tell him how she truly felt about him…
Rose let herself shed a couple of tears before slowly regaining herself. She knew she had to be strong right now. She had a duty to attend to and that was to protect the Earthrealm portal at all cost, just as Raiden had wanted.
"I'll make sure our surviving warriors make it out of here alive," she said out loud. "Every last one of them…"
Shao Kahn's Fortress, Sleeping Quarters
Sweat covered her body as Ivy Valentine continued her attempt to destroy the medallion. As it's red tear glowed more than ever, Ivy did everything she could to shatter it… step on it, throw it against the wall, but mostly lashed at it with her uncoiled sword.
To her dismay, no damage was left on the medallion… now even a single scratch.
After smashing the medallion with the hilt of her sword, more frustration took over her. "Why won't you shatter already?!" she screamed out.
She then collapsed on to her knees, suddenly feeling exhausted. Ivy hung her head down, feeling shameful. For years, she battled and defeated many opponents… now here she was, being defeated by a palm-sized artifact of all things!
How humiliating… Ivy thought to herself.
She then happened to look up and saw the fireplace in the room. Ivy had lit some flames in the fireplace not too long ago and had nearly forgotten about it.
An idea came to her then. Quickly, she took the medallion in her hand and chucked it into the fireplace. She wasn't sure whether or not the material would actually melt, but it was worth a try.
However, to her surprise, as soon as the medallion landed in the fireplace, it actually extinguished the flames right out within a blink of an eye.
"What?!" Ivy cried out in surprise. She mustered up the strength to get herself back up and walked up to the fireplace. She took the medallion in her hand and, in even-more frustration, threw the medallion across the room.
"Bastard!" she screamed just before it hit the wall and landed on the ground with a small clink!
Now feeling even more exhausted, Ivy fell back to her knees and hung her head down in shame. She was able to feel tears developing in her eyes, but she refused to shed them.
"This curse will follow me to my grave…" she whispered to herself. "I can't even destroy Soul Edge's connection…"
Unsure of what to do next, Ivy leaned herself against her bed and closed her eyes. A part of her hoped that this was nothing more than a nightmare, but she knew it was very far from it.
Fine… let it consume me… she suddenly thought.
Ivy continued sitting there as she tried to figure out what to do next…
Battleground
Cody and Maki continued fighting, having been since nearly the very beginning. Despite fighting off many guards, they were able to keep an eye on each other so that they didn't lose track of one another.
At one point, Cody was fighting a guard, who had a kwan do in his hand. The guard swung the weapon wildly, forcing Cody to dodge a few times. Eventually, he managed to grab the weapon and break the wooden portion in half, now having the blade part with him. Frustrated, the guard attempted to fight Cody with the other half of the weapon. However, Cody manage to move out of the way of his attack, giving him the chance to slice the guard's head off with the blade. Feeling satisfied then, he dropped the bloody weapon to the floor.
Maki had witness what her friend just did. "Was that necessary?" she asked.
"When they're out to kill you… yes," Cody replied.
Maki shrugged a little. "Good enough then."
A concerned look suddenly came over Cody then. "Listen, try to get yourself out of here while you can. Things are getting really tense here-"
"I won't!" Maki cried out. "I won't leave until-"
She was suddenly cut off as a familiar person suddenly began approaching them. Cody noted the surprised look on her face and she was looking passed his shoulder. He turned around to see what she was looking out…and was surprised to see their friend Guy approaching them.
"Guy!" Cody cried out feeling happy now. "Damn, we've been looking all over for you! I'm glad you're-"
He was then cut off as he noticed something was…different about him. After a brief inspection, Cody gasped as he noted that Guy's eyes were now colorless.
"No… what have they done to you…" Cody uttered, realizing that somehow, someway, his long-time ally was now brainwashed.
"Guy, why aren't you speaking?" Maki asked.
Cody quickly turned to her. "Maki, that's not Guy! Get out of here NOW!"
"Wha-" Maki started to say, obviously confused. However, since the two were distracted, this gave Guy the chance to jump towards them, getting himself behind Maki. He then executed a spin kick to her head, sending herself flying sideways as she was rendered unconscious.
"Maki!" Cody yelled out, realizing what just happened. He looked at Guy, who was now focusing his attention on him… then sprinted himself forward.
Cody quickly got himself into a fighting stance. He didn't want to, but at this point, he realized that he had no choice but to fight his now-brainwashed friend.
He just only hoped that he could find a way to make him snap out of it…