SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Part 2 of 5 of the Zeenint Saga
Chapter Ninety-Six: Master of the Emeralds, Part 2
"Watch out, Zeenint!" Sonic declared. "Because I'm coming for you!"
Such a statement was not to be taken lightly, especially when going against the Mega Form. But while Sonic had managed to unlock the secrets of the high-powered form, Sonic was still under the pressure of the side effects. The long-haired hedgehog needed to end the fight in a limited amount of time. But this was against Zeenint, the source of the Master Emerald's power. This was not going to be an easy fight. Speaking of the former master, Zeenint floated loftily in the air, staring down at the golden hero with mild interest.
"You're coming for me, are you?" Zeenint said tauntingly. "That's the best you could come up with? I expected much better out of you. I bet you expected to strike fear into your opponent." He shook his head slowly. "But you worry me not."
"Believe me!" Sonic glared. "I don't make idle threats!"
"And I believe you." Zeenint shrugged. "But you still don't have the power or authority to back it..."
Before the emerald master realized what had occurred, he was hurtling backwards towards the ground. He smashed through three of the frozen pillars created by Nazo and landed inside one of the frosty buildings, which collapsed over him. Metal Sonic, who was watching the battle from the peek of the nearest pillar, looked from the fallen walls to the point where he started. Mega Sonic was hovering over the same spot where Zeenint once rested – his fist smoking faintly.
"This power..." Metal thought angrily. "It's clearly superior to the Super Form. I hate to admit it, but even I couldn't copy that kind of power." He glared at his flesh doppelganger. "Sonic...how far have you come?"
"Ugh...my head." Rouge was waking from her unconscious state, rubbing her head. "Did anyone get the license off that truck?"
"I wouldn't move if I were you." Metal suggested, landing next to the bat. "Your body has taken heavy damage from that one attack. It's possible that any sudden movements could be fatal. Of course, I am uncertain of vampire anatomy."
"Don't call me a vampire!!" Rouge screeched, punching Metal's face. "Anyway, what happened to Sonic?"
"Why don't you look for yourself?" Metal said pointedly.
Rouge followed the direction of her temporary ally and gaped in awe. She had seen the news reports of Sonic saving the world from the Armageddon, but seeing the Mega Form in person was a completely different experience. Sonic had never appeared so serious before – he was usually playful around enemies. Zeenint emerged from the ruins, scattering the debris in the area. He mostly appeared unharmed with the exception of the blood escaping his maw. The former master rubbed the blood of with the back of his hand, staring at the crimson liquid.
"So you become the one to draw first blood." Zeenint grinned. "That was awfully vicious. I approve."
"So what was that about not being able to back it up?" Sonic sniggered.
"Don't get overexcited." Zeenint said as he lifted off the ground. "I will admit that it was my own fault - I underestimated your abilities. But I promise I won't make the same mistake twice."
"I think he's actually serious." Sonic thought. "I used nearly half my strength in that one blow and I barely put a dent in him. This guy is unimaginably stronger." All of a sudden, his right arm seized up. "It's just like Nyrox said. The Mega Form is slowly destroying my body. I need to end this fast."
"Don't get distracted." Zeenint said, appearing in front of his opponent. "It could very well be your last mistake."
Sonic curved backwards as Zeenint foot swung close to his face. The long-haired hero flipped backwards in the air and stretched his foot the former master's chin. Unfortunately, his surprise attack missed as Zeenint swiftly grabbed the hedgehog's ankle and tossed him to one side. The long-haired hedgehog collided with one of the frozen pillars, only to be smashed straight through by Zeenint himself. The emerald hedgehog slammed his knee directly into the hedgehog's ribs and sent him speeding towards the ground, forming a crater of thirty feet. Despite Metal's various warnings, Rouge was determined to see if he was all right. So, being a "gentlemen", Metal allowed the weakened bat to ride on his back as the metallic clone skated over to the crater.
"Sonic, are you ok?" Rouge asked concerned.
"Maybe he's dead." Metal suggested hopefully; Rouge hit him over the head. "That is still uncalled for."
"I'm...I'm fine."
A gloved hand ripped out from the fresh ground, slowly pulling the remainder of the body. The cobalt hedgehog only had the strength to pull his upper body out of the dirt and collapsed weakly within the crater. Zeenint was clearly powerful as he had forced Sonic out of his Mega Form with a minimal of close range attacks. The hedgehog himself was covered in a number of bruises across his body, his fur was matted with random spots of blood, and he had a black eye over his left eye. Needless to say, Sonic had better days.
"What the hell happened to you?" Metal questioned. "How could receive that much damage in one attack."
"No..." Sonic thought tiredly. "It wasn't just one attack."
---Flashback---
Mega Sonic collided with one of the frozen pillars, leaving an indent pressed into the ice. And before the long-haired hedgehog could pull himself out, Zeenint arrived and jammed his knee into his opponent's gut. The ice cracked ominously, but didn't break. That's when it happened. The emerald hedgehog pulled back both fists and delivered exactly one hundred and seven blows within a matter of seconds. The ice pillar finally fractures and shot Sonic to the ground – his body regaining its royal-blue color before making contact with the ground
---End Flashback---
"He did all that without even Metal noticing." Sonic thought weakly, groaning in pain. "I'll bet if I wasn't in my Mega Form, I wouldn't have seen it as well. This guy is unbelievably fast."
"Is that all?" Zeenint taunted. "Come on, I was hoping for more of a challenge." All of a sudden, his fist swung around and made contact with an unseen object. The object made contact with a nearby temple, blowing off the top section of the building. "And I had hoped you would have learned from your own failure, my former subordinate."
The dust that had collected around the remains of the temple blew to the side at once, revealing the Dark Ruler himself. Nazo was convinced that his Guardian Form wasn't going to work and returned to his standard form. Unfortunately, the additional speed was not enough to catch his former master by surprise – proven by the welt on his cheek.
"I've already explained this once before." Nazo said grudgedly. "I am not the person I once was."
"Then tell me." Zeenint smirked. "Who are you?"
"That's an easy one." Nazo said seriously. "I am Nazo, the God of Darkness!!"
Without warning, the silver hedgehog exploded into a blast of sinister-red energy. Zeenint easily brushed the power aside, but stood impressed at his former servant's latest accomplishment. Nazo had entered into his Hell Form and went beyond – his quills formed a tangled mass that stretched to his lower back. Perfect Nazo stood ready to fight.
"Perfect Nazo, how original." Zeenint said sarcastically. "You know, Sonic's little trick didn't work on me either."
"I am different from Sonic." Nazo said strictly, hovering off the ground. "I am superior to him in every way."
"Really?" Zeenint taunted. "Because if I remember correctly, it was him who saved your hide from Black Doom."
Enraged by the memory of the Dark Gaia Incident, Perfect Nazo dived ahead and thrusted his fist for Zeenint, who effortlessly pushed it aside. Following his fist in the motion, the Dark Ruler swung his leg around and surprisingly landed a direct hit to Zeenint's neck. The emerald hedgehog hissed angrily and swiped his hand across his former subdominant's leg, which Nazo had pulled back at the last minute. This time, Zeenint went on the offensive. Much like his experience with Sonic, the emerald master released over a hundred punches faster than anyone could blink. But Nazo's eyes were much faster and his managed to knock aside each and every one of them. Growing further frustrated, Zeenint gathered a large amount of energy into his fist and thrusted it forward much faster than before. Nazo wasn't fast enough to completely dodge it, but the attack only grazed his shoulder. The former master and servant were now face to face with one another.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Zeenint said malevolently. "My own Chaos Energy acts as a poison to others, rendering them immobile for several hours. But I will submit that you were a much more worthy challenge than the blue one."
"The challenge has only just begun." Nazo smirked. The emerald hedgehog felt something press against his chest and looked down. Imagine his surprise when he saw Nazo's hand gained a light glow. "Say hello to the Council for me. Chaos Lance!!"
The spear of energy jabbed into Zeenint's chest and ripped through the other side. The emerald hedgehog's eyes were wide in shock and he drifted backwards, looking down at the open wound. A large hole was formed over the places where his heart and lungs once rested, completely eradicated. But to Nazo's dismay, Zeenint's skin began reaction almost instantly and reformed the missing fragments in a matter of seconds. The former master stood in silence as the black scar reformed over his restored chest and glared at his former servant.
"Something doesn't make sense." Zeenint thought suggestively. "I know for a fact that not even Nazo has the skill to counteract my Chaos Toxin with his own power. There has to be some kind of..." Realizing something, he looked down to the Chaos Emeralds sitting on the ground, noting their faint glow. "Of course. The only way he would be able to maintain his current form is by depositing the excess energy into his emeralds. That's how defeated my toxin. I'll admit that was brilliant."
"Have you forgotten your own words?" Nazo questioned, appearing before his former master. Next thing Zeenint knew, he was pressed into the nearest ice pillar. "Don't get distracted. It could very well be your last mistake."
"Funny." Zeenint commented. "Using my own words against me. That just won't stand."
Meanwhile, Metal and Rouge were able to unearth the cobalt hedgehog. Sonic was lying across he ground, panting deeply in his throat, while his metallic doppelganger searched over him.
"The injuries are not as severe as we had expected." Metal stated. "your body has taken a large amount of physical damage, but you internal systems seem to be operating properly."
"At least something's going right." Rouge commented.
"It must have been the Mega Form." Sonic said tiredly. "What about my life force?"
"That is the most critical." Metal answered. "Your Chaos Energy and life force were reacting simultaneously with your Mega Form, meaning you lose life along with your Chaos."
"How much?" Sonic questioned.
"I would say about nine years." Metal estimated. "Be thankful that you didn't use any of your Chaos Techniques or it would have doubled that amount. The more energy you use, the shorter your life becomes."
"I need to use the Mega Form again." Sonic groaned as he pushed himself up.
"Are you insane?!" Rouge screeched, trying to push him down. "If you keep using it, you'll only be killing yourself! And you have no idea how powerful this guy really is! What the hell would make you want to go back out there?!"
"Hey, someone's got to be the hero." Sonic said jokingly. "May as well be the one with the experience. And besides, I'm not stupid enough to go back out there without thinking things through."
"You have a plan." Metal stated.
The cobalt hedgehog merely grinned. Back on the battlefield, Nazo was no longer fairing any better than the others. Though he was no longer affected by the overflow of energy, this created a new problem. The God of Darkness was quickly running out of energy, cutting him off from the use of Chaos Techniques. Zeenint and his former subordinate were locked in close range combat with both sides moving at lightning speed. Nazo raised his foot and shot twenty-seven kicks simultaneously, possibly through a secret technique, and pushed the Emerald Hedgehog backwards. After forcing his former master's back against the nearest ice pillar, Nazo gathered an aura of crimson energy around his fist and released it. However, Zeenint effortlessly caught it and grabbed the other hand a moment later. It was only then Nazo realized something was amiss.
"You..." Nazo gasped horrifically. "You aren't even trying are you?"
"No, I'm not." Zeenint smirked confidently. "But I suppose I could tweak it up just for you."
The emerald master threw Nazo arms up and drilled his fist into the hedgehog's chest. The God of Darkness doubled over in pain, which was only intensified when Zeenint slammed his knee into Nazo's forehead. While his former subordinate was temporarily dazed, he grabbed the crimson hedgehog by his ankle and made a dive for the ground. The emerald hedgehog made a swift landing and threw pressed Nazo into the ground, forming a large crater in the frozen ground. Nazo was safe from any major damage due to his Perfect Form, but he was quickly running out of energy. His former master released his leg and motioned his hand closer to the Dark Ruler's neck, closing his finger around his throat.
"Oh, how the tables have turned." Zeenint said malevolently. "Maybe if you had been loyal to the Guardians like Obsiden and your brother, you might have lasted a few more days."
"How could I give my loyalty to someone who wanted to kill off the entire planet?" Nazo growled.
"You don't seem to have a problem with killing these days." Zeenint said darkly. "In fact, I believe there were two incidents where you were threatening to destroy it with you own power. Why is that?" Nazo remained silent, but the emerald hedgehog already came to the answer. "Oh, I see. Because the world took the love of your life, because you lost Lightra, you wanted to take revenge on all life."
"I was supposed to be a father." Nazo murmured sadly.
"That's right." Zeenint cackled. "Lightra was carrying your child at the time she died. You swore vengeance against all life and allowed yourself to be consumed by hatred. But there was one factor you did not predict: Sonic."
"What about him?" Nazo seethed.
"He's slowly converting you." Zeenint said knowingly. "As long as you continue to associate with the hedgehog, your anger and aggression will lessen with each passing moment. Then one day, you will be as threatening as a newborn Chao."
"That will never happen!!!" Nazo roared furiously.
Zeenint was genuinely surprised. Nazo's anger gave him a sudden explosion of power and kicked his former master back across the field and into one of the stone houses. The God of Darkness allowed himself to be taken over by a strong surge of evil energy and formed around his body. Zeenint stepped out of the home and watched with a superior grin on his expression.
"Yes...that's it." Zeenint said as watched his forearm; the veins were pulsing under his skin. "Allow your anger to take you over. Submerse yourself within your own hatred."
"You know nothing about me!!" Nazo exclaimed angrily. "I will not be tamed by anyone!! I am the creator of the Chaos Emeralds, the God of Darkness, and the supreme master of the universe!! And I swear I will send your straight to..."
"Naz?"
Without warning, the Dark Ruler's rage disappeared as a hand landed on his shoulder. Sonic, having regained his Mega Form, stood besides his temporary partner with playful grin on his face. Zeenint looked back at his forearm and watched the veins disappear back under his skin. Now Zeenint was furious. Who was Sonic to deprive him of such an excellent opportunity?
"You need to cool down, bro." Sonic said jokingly. "You already look like a boiled lobster."
"Don't touch me." Nazo said spiteful, shrugging his hand off. "And I'm not your brother. The moment Zeenint is dead, I'll be coming for you next."
"Let's settle that for later." Sonic suggested. "But right now, I have an idea."
The God of Darkness glanced at his temporary ally with interest. Zeenint watched the long-haired warriors as Sonic suddenly cupped his mouth close to Nazo's ear – the crimson hedgehog grinned eagerly. Fearing that they may have spotted his only weakness, the emerald hedgehog kicked off the ground and raced forward. The long-haired warriors jumped in opposite directions as Zeenint crossed between them with his fist thrown out. Taking the chance, Sonic swung his leg around to the master's stomach while Nazo threw a jab to the face. However, Zeenint flipped forward in midair, successfully avoiding both strike and giving him a chance for a counterattack. The emerald hedgehog grabbed Nazo's wrist with the joint of his leg and grabbed Sonic's ankle with his hand. The former master curled himself and threw Sonic backwards while forcing Nazo to the ground. Zeenint jumped away from the duo, brushing away the sweat on his forehead.
"That was too close for comfort." Zeenint thought. "I could take them one-on-one, but them working together could be a serious problem."
"That worked out well." Nazo grumbled, massaging his wrist.
"We don't need to beat him." Sonic stated. "Just stall him long enough."
"This plan of yours better be worth it." Nazo glared.
"What are they up to?" Zeenint wondered.
The emerald master watched motionlessly for several minutes, trying to think of their next move. It was only a moment later that he realized both long-haired hedgehogs were missing. Sonic and Nazo reappeared directly behind him, swinging their legs around to his head. Unfortunately, Zeenint predicted this outcome and dropped his upper body closer to the ground. The emerald master crossed his arms and aimed both palms over his shoulders as they formed two spheres of green energy. As the former master released the sphere, Nazo raised his arm and Sonic curled into his ball form. A cloud of smoke formed on contact and two blurs escaped at opposite ends. Nazo skidded backwards across the frosty ground while Sonic bounced a little before breaking out of his ball form. Both hedgehogs stood ready as Zeenint slowly made his way out of the smoke haze.
"You two certainly are something." Zeenint said amusingly. "I haven't had this much trouble since I battled Chaos and Aero together. And even then, they were unable to fully kill me."
"What is taking them so long." Nazo muttered, clenching his fist.
"Any second now." Sonic fidgeted. "Come on, guys."
"I don't know what you two had planned, but it won't work." Zeenint said confidently, summoning two spheres of energy into both hands. "Now just do me a favor and – Augh!!"
All of a sudden, a golden-eyed Rouge dived out of the smoke cloud and stabbed her fangs into Zeenint's neck. The emerald master suddenly felt his energy being drained away, forcing him to relinquish his attacks. At the same time, Rouge's wounds were healing the longer she continued to drink the hedgehog's blood – a trait she inherited from Alucard. With fear finally breaching Zeenint's heart, threw his fist around to throw the vampire bat off him. But at the instant he did so, Metal appeared in front with his right claw covered in an aura of electrical energy. The metallic clone thrusted his claw forward, just nicking Zeenint's cheek as the hedgehog sidestepped the assault. Hissing under his breath, the emerald hedgehog kicked Metal's chest to throw him back to Rouge, whose eye regained their aquatic color.
"Did you get him?" Rouge asked.
"Yeah, I got him." Metal nodded. "This battle is finished."
"Such arrogance." Zeenint smirked. "I should really repay for biting my...." The emerald hedgehog gaped horrifically. He tried to move his arms to strike, but his limbs were no longer reacting as they once did. "What's going on? Why can't a I move?"
"When I attacked you, it wasn't to draw blood." Metal explained, showing his electrified claw. "I have two distinct energies that can be used for different purposes. My regular energy is the one I use for direct attacks such as the Metal Surge. And then my secondary energy is used for smaller functions."
"Smaller functions?" Zeenint repeated.
"From the moment I opened that wound on your face, it was over." Metal stated. "I deposited by own elemental nature into your body and paralyzed all of your electrical nerves, rendering you unable to move."
"But then my Chaos Energy would have healed me." Zeenint growled.
"We thought of that, too." Rouge smiled deviously. "The special thing about being part vampire is that when we drink blood, it grants us two things: healing and absorption." She winked flirtatiously. "So when I was giving you my little love bite..."
"You were draining my power." Zeenint realized.
"I didn't think it would work, but I was clearly wrong." Nazo smirked victoriously. "This is the end...Master Zeenint."
Sonic held out his palm and started to gather a compressed amount of golden energy at the same time Nazo was forming a crimson sphere in his hand. Zeenint struggled fruitlessly to move, but the combined efforts of Metal and Rouge had proven to be his downfall. In one swift motion, the long-haired hedgehog raced across the field with their hands outstretched, meeting together with Zeenint in the middle. The emerald could only watch in horror as the two strike mingled together at their moment of contact.
"Twilight Sphere!!"
The blast radius expanded over the Mystic Ruins, destroying all that was left of the echidna culture. That's to Metal's swift speed, he and Rouge were able to avoid being caught in the blast. No one, not even Zeenint could have survived such an assault. The mingling energies remained glowing for several long minutes before being released into the atmosphere as thin streams of vapor. The cater that was left behind must have been at least a couple miles wide and at least fifty yards deep. Zeenint was lying in the center of the crater – his eyes were lifeless. Sonic and Nazo had returned to their original forms as the stared down at the corpse of the former master.
"Sonic, that was amazing!" Rouge cheered as she landed next to the hedgehog.
"Aw, it was no big deal." Sonic grinned joyously.
"I'd hate to admit it, you your powers have proven valuable." Metal stated as he followed behind. "But even so, that does not mean you stand a chance against my power. In the near future, I will kill you."
"Aw, you know you were worried about me." Sonic laughed.
"I was not!!" Metal exclaimed.
While Sonic and Rouge were laughing at the expense of the metallic clones, Nazo silently separated himself from the rest of the group. Zeenint's words were still buzzing around his head. There was no way Sonic the hedgehog would be able to tame him, the God of Darkness. It was impossible. But he had been right about one thing: Nazo was unusually calm around the cobalt hero. That needed to change. But just when the Dark Ruler thought his luck was running out, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The seven Chaos Emeralds were glistening under the vivid sun, despite being half buried into the ground. Nazo looked back to the rest of the group – they were too busy to notice him.
"This must be my luck day." Nazo chuckled lowly. "I'm sure they won't notice them missing."
But as the Dark Ruler stretch his hand to grab the nearest emerald, it vanished in a flash of green light. There were six more similar flashes, signaling the disappearance of the remaining emeralds. All of a sudden, a familiar voice echoed through the sky.
"That was very impressive!" Zeenint laughed. "If this had been a real fight, I might have actually broken a sweat!"
"Zeenint!!" Sonic, Rouge, and Metal exclaimed shockingly.
"But that's impossible." Nazo growled, looking back to the corpse. "I felt his heart rate drop. There was no way he could have..." Just then, the deceased hedgehog's body deformed into cloud of emerald vapors, fading into the atmosphere. "A Chaos Clone."
"What's a Chaos Clone?" Sonic questioned.
"It's an exact replica of the user made from Chaos Energy." Nazo explained seriously. It's one of the few moves I haven't mastered because it's too dangerous. It's a special technique that allows the user to create an exact replica with the same strength, stamina, and abilities. But in doing so, you must surrender a large amount of your own energy.
"On normal cases, that would be true." Zeenint said. "But in my case, that clone only used thirty percent of my power."
"Only thirty percent?!" Metal thought fearfully. "It took all four of us just to defeat the clone! How powerful is this guy?!"
"Zeenint, you better surrender the Chaos Emerald's at once!" Nazo demanded.
"Oh, I will in time." Zeenint chuckled. "If you want to obtain them, coming to the home of my prison. My powers have allowed me to send the island into the sky once more. So this time, there will be no interference."
And with that, his presence was gone.
"What do we do now?" Rouge asked depressingly.
"There's only one thing we can do." Sonic said, clenching his fist in determination. "We have to get to Angel Island and put an end to this freak of nature once and for all!"
"Yelling things like that is pointless." Nazo said coldly. "Zeenint is a god in his own terms. We were nearly killed by a clone that only used thirty percent of his power. Taking him head-on would be suicide."
"Hey, we've handled our fair share of gods before." Sonic grinned. "This time won't be any different. So if you're up for it, Naz. We could really use your help."
The cobalt hedgehog held out his hand to offer for the God of Darkness. Nazo wished nothing more than to kill Sonic where he stood, but that wouldn't solve anything. Zeenint had all seven Chaos Emeralds and the God of Darkness was possibly the only one who knew all the secrets behind his former master. Even if Sonic had proven to be a hindrance in the past, there was no denying he had the skills needed to win this war. Nazo was hesitant to raise his hand until his noticed a familiar glimmer in the hedgehog's eye.
"Aero..." Nazo thought nostalgically. "Fate can be so cruel."
There alliance was confirmed.
The ultimate power of the master continues to grow. Will Sonic and the others prove a match for the true Zeenint? Will the emerald Master be too much for them to overcome? And how has he grown so powerful over the centuries? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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