Alf Layla wa-Layla crossed his arms as Darkspine Sonic floated up to face him in the black skies. "I am… the creator! The stories of this world are… mine!"
The masked pyrokinetic waved an arm to the side, engulfed in a flaming aura. "If this is your world, then it's a world that I don't want any part of!"
The monster cackled wickedly as he flew off into the distance.
"Get back here!" Sonic yelled, pursuing him.
Alf Layla wa-Layla stopped fleeing and turned around. A pink ball of energy formed around each of his six hands. Swinging his arms, he launched the orbs of radiation at his enemy.
The speedster managed to dodge the energy shots, but in the confusion, found himself close to the demonic being.
The evil spirit slashed at the flame-engulfed teenager, clawing him in the face.
Although Sonic felt stabbing pain, his mask did not take damage. It was like his suit was fused to his skin and hair.
The pyrokinetic retaliated by unleashing a new command. "Speed Break!" The flames around him intensified as they launched him forward faster than the speed of sound. He extended a fist out as he plowed into the demon's gut.
The deformed genie reeled from the blow as Sonic angrily spoke. "You should have killed me when you had the chance… Because now, you're going to pay for what you did to the benign spirits, the innocent people, the world of the Arabian Nights in which we stand, and a good friend of mine who sacrificed her own life to put an end to your ambitions! So, you're wondering how I'm going to stop you? I'm going to undo your damage the same way I undid Perfect Chaos: I'm going to beat the power out of you!"
Alf Layla wa-Layla merely laughed, swinging his talons at his enemy again. "You think you are a match for me?" Jets of fire followed the path of the genie's arms.
"I don't think… I know I am!" Sonic retorted, dodging the flaming slashes.
"Match this, then!" The monster had launched another series of the orbs of radiation, this time at an accelerated rate. It was only a diversion, however. Using the tail on his enormous back, the djinn created a massive whirlpool of dark energy. It was intended to suck the speedster out of the realm of darkness, preventing him from stopping the evil spirit's aspirations.
Sonic's lack of aerokinesis prevented him from moving as swiftly as he'd like. The flames helped, but it wasn't enough. Frantically dodging three of the purple orbs, Sonic was distracted as a fourth one hit him square in the face. The attack slowed his momentum and he began to be forcefully sucked into the inter-dimensional maelstrom.
Sonic tried with all his might to break free of the wormhole, but even using Speed Break, he was unable to escape its suction. In a last-ditch effort to get away, the speedster shouted the command to slow time down. The whirlpool's effect wore off as colors faded to black and white. Seizing his chance, the teenager flew forward and out of the suction's range. The time flow snapped back as the maelstrom disappeared.
Alf Layla wa-Layla also caught in the fluctuating time flow unleashed another attack to follow up the whirlpool. Raising two arms in the air, Arabic text began to gather in a spot above his head. In a matter of seconds, a massive violet sphere formed, twice the size of the demon itself.
The monster spoke as he hurled the attack at his enemy. "It would take a miracle for you to avoid this one!" The speed of the giant ball of text broke the sound barrier.
Seeing no way to dodge the incoming attack, Sonic had no choice but to charge it. "Speed Break!"
The two collided; their momentums struggling to push the other in the opposite direction.
The super-powered teenager was losing ground. His speed was giving out. Soon, the orb would push him back, crushing him.
"NOOOOOOO!" In a yell of rage, Sonic pushed the ball of Arabic text as hard as he could, fueling his pyrokinetic boost with fury. The increased velocity on his end caused the massive sphere to lose momentum and come to a standstill. Charging up flames in his left foot, the speedster kicked the orb of energy like a soccer ball, deflecting the attack.
Alf Layla wa-Layla did not expect such power to come from a scrawny teenager. Before he had a chance to move, the supersonic deflection struck him in his oversized torso causing a rift to form in the center of his chest and leaving him paralyzed. A brown, bulging object with veins in it popped out of the cavity.
That's it! That's his heart! Seizing the chance, Sonic used speed break and reached the spot where the monster's weak spot was located. The speedster unleashed another flurry of rapid punches directly to the exposed muscle. Raising his hands above his head, the enraged Sonic formed a large amount of concentrated flames around his fists. Releasing another yell of fury to power his strike even further, Sonic slammed his fire-fueled hands on the monster's weak point. The flames severely damaged his chest, burning his heart and causing Arabic text to fly out of the beast at an accelerated rate.
Regaining mobility, Alf Layla wa-Layla fled from his enraged attacker, shocked at his ability to do such damage with brute force alone. "How can he have such power?"
Sonic gave chase as the monster tried to escape and form another attack. "Oh, no you don't! Time Break!"
The flow of time slowed, bringing the deformed djinn to a near-standstill.
Sprinting forward, the pyrokinetic grabbed the beast by his golden tail, turning him around. In succession, Sonic ripped open the monster's chest, exposing his heart again. Flying backward one hundred meters to gain momentum, he unleashed one final command as time returned to normal.
"Speed Break!" The blue blur extended a fist wreathed in fire as he shot for the genie's weak point faster than the speed of sound. His flaming knuckles made contact with the heart of the grotesque demon, destroying it.
Alf Layla wa-Layla roared in pain, falling as most of the Arabian Nights he had consumed burst out of him in flashes of light, causing him to revert back to the Erazor Djinn.
Darkspine Sonic floated in the air, watching Erazor lay unconscious on the ground below as four of the World Rings circled above him. "Your tale is finished, Erazor! Next time, try writing a better story!"
The teenager floated down to the ground where the evil genie lay. Landing, Sonic clenched a fist in front of his face, charging up energy. Finished, he unleashed a flash of light, causing the black void to revert back to its original state. The palace was back to normal, but everything else was gone. A sky blue limbo surrounded the palace, letting light in. The speedster's mask and skin-tight suit had been replaced by the track pants, shoes, and shirt he wore at his journey's start. The damage his clothes sustained had also been reversed. The Flame of Judgment, once seen burning brightly on his chest was gone, negated by his pyrokinetic Darkspine form.
The Rings of Sadness, Rage, and Hatred flew out of Sonic as he reverted back to his normal self. The three rings rejoined the four that were circling above Erazor's unconscious body.
The speedster extended his arms and closed his eyes. "Go. Go back to where you came from."
The seven World Rings flew out of the palace window, scattering as they went.
Sonic looked around the chamber. Shahra was gone. Nothing of hers was left, except one: the mysterious relic she had given him at the Levitated Ruin was seen lying on the red carpet. The object had changed form, though, this time, to a large, gold, Arabic oil lamp bigger than his hand.
Walking over, he picked it up. Staring at it for a few seconds, another flashback came to him as he realized what this thing really was.
Solomon paused to clear his throat. "…and many such spirits were driven to madness. It is my fault that they became the minions of the Erazor Djinn. However, by carving up the words that make up our world, new spirits have also appeared. His power is nearly godlike."
Sonic crossed his arms. "Godlike, huh? Well, that's a problem, then…"
"Even so, supernatural beings like the Erazor Djinn always have weak points that are told of in stories."
The speedster perked up. "Huh?"
Shara also paid closer attention.
"In truth," Solomon continued, "he is a Genie of the Lamp. Somehow, though, he has escaped… If we had the lamp he belongs to, it could be possible to seal him away again… forever."
"Lamp, huh?" Sonic pondered.
Of course! Erazor's Lamp! Shahra was carrying it this whole time! Sonic walked in front of the throne in the back of the room. If he wakes up, I can force him to undo the damage he's done to this world and everyone in it.
A hard look formed on the teenager's face as he turned around, facing his unconscious enemy lying on the floor. Staring coldly at the would-be conqueror, Sonic spoke aloud as he waited for the evil djinn to wake up. "Get ready, Erazor. Your future's about to change and it's taking you with it!"