Chapter 11
Crystillix cleaved through a Baterra, and watched as Zaeron's incorporeal claws tore through another. Zaeron cared nothing for Crystillix, but still fought beside him against the Baterra armies. Crystillix watched as Speewaa fled, eight Baterra following her, and saw Millennium strike him down with his huge axe.
The Mechanical Baterra cut down Benjarmin, then swarmed over the large Makuta, who attempted to bat them away with his claws. Crystillix turned and struck a blow at Millennium, but his Scythe simply glanced off the dark lord's armor. Millennium turned on him, his axe blade swinging at Crystillix's side. Crystillix blocked the blow, and then whirled around as he felt a stinging pain in his back. Millennium's blade had struck him there. Blood welled from his wounds as he fought to remain standing.
"The Axe of Eternity. Millennium snarled. "Can implant illusions in a victim's mind. You don't see where it hits before it's far too late."
Crystillix cursed, and whipped the scythe around. Dredzek leapt at him, claws extended, and brought him to the ground. Zaeron struck with blinding speed, flinging Dredzek against the walls of the cavern with a Crystillix of light. Crystillix cursed again when he saw there was nothing between him and Millennium. The Shadow of Ages leader had raised his axe blade high above his head, ready to crush Crystillix beneath the Axe of Eternity.
Then the cold, toneless voice of the Element Lord of Technology cut through the battle.
"Baterra! Attack!"
Hundreds of warriors broke away from Zaeron and Benjarmin, and watched as the entire cavern opened up into tunnels, leading to the world above. Crystillix gasped. If the Baterra struck now, they would annihilate the combatants above. None would survive.
"Zaeron!" Crystillix called "We have to stop them!" Zaeron turned to look at Crystillix, and a look of calm evil crossed his face.
"Oh, I will stop them. After they have destroyed everyone else in the arena."
A look of shocked horror came over Crystillix's face. "So it was you who hid the Baterra in the caverns. You approached the Element Lord, and told him to lure us down here."
"Yes, some of the most powerful contestants. All of them must die if I am to rule the arena."
"But Tetrack, Night watcher, Tabaris... they're still out there. One of them will destroy you."
"No, they will not. I command them all."
"So you serve Antidax." Crystillix spat. "You're conspiring with him, Tetrack, and the Kodax to bring ruin on everyone in the arena!"
"Finally, he sees the truth!" Zaeron cackled and insane laugh of one drunk on power. Nightwatcher, Tabaris, Maserix... All will cower before my Baterra army. All will perish before my might. But now, you will die, full of knowledge that nobody else will ever, ever know..."
Zaeron watched as the Baterra turned and raced into the realms above. "This is the end, Toa." Then he smiled again as the Baterra closed in on Crystillix.
Crystillix dodged the claw of a Baterra, and then kicked out at Zaeron. The Toa easily dodged, and slashed his blade down at Crystillix. Though Zaeron felt pity for Crystillix, he knew the only way for him to survive the Eternal Game was to kill the Toa, and use the Baterra to invade the surface world. Crystillix swung his scythe at Zaeron, but the incorporeal Toa dodged easily, the blade passing through his side.
"Give up, Toa." Zaeron snarled. "I can shift into virtually anything. There is nothing that can kill me."
Another Baterra jumped at Crystillix, who dodged, and watched as the Baterra whipped around and slashed another wound through Crystillix's chest.
"Oh, and the Element Lord and some of his elite Baterra are pursuing your little Matoran friend. She's trapped, cornered, begging for mercy...but the Baterra have none."
Crystillix snarled and ducked a blow from Millennium's axe. All was chaos as a full-scale battle broke out. Though Millennium was evil and treacherous, he was fighting on the side of Crystillix against Zaeron's Baterra legions. All was a blur as armor and corpses collapsed on the ground, shrapnel flying through the air. Dredzek was fighting eight Baterra at a time, cleaving through them with evil accuracy. Millennium lopped of the heads of Baterra and crushed them beneath his foot, and Crystillix fought Zaeron, the two toa fighting each other across the battlefield. Crystillix tore a sword from Zaeron's hands, and then blocked a second blade as it came flashing out of the darkness. Crystillix slashed out with his scythe of creation, and then fired three rounds from his Zamor sphere launcher.
Zaeron was flung backwards, and Crystillix grabbed Zaeron's blade and stabbed the Toa through his leg. Zaeron hissed defiance, and flung a dagger through Crystillix's hand. The Toa cried out in pain and flung the Scythe at Zaeron, who slashed out a half-solid claw at the weapon, and the Scythe clattered against the wall. Crystillix raised Zaeron's sword, then threw himself into a complicated series of attacks and feints. Zaeron reacted quickly, and blocked all of the strikes with lightning fast precision. Crystillix felt a twinge of admiration. Zaeron knew all the tricks in the book.
Zaeron's half-air, half-solid form leapt at him and flung him to the ground. Crystillix dodged away from Zaeron, and into an oncoming Baterra warrior, who he gored through the chest. However, he'd left his back unguarded, and Zaeron slashed out with his ghostly sword, cutting through the Toa's armor. Crystillix felt a terrible, numbing pain as the sword tore through muscle then bone. And then he felt something else-rage. Zaeron hissed as he saw Crystillix recover from the blow, and watched the Toa, blood pouring from his wounds, stagger towards Zaeron.
Zaeron snarled. He would shift into his deadliest form and cut the Toa to shreds. He braced himself for the charge. Crystillix did the same, and the two toa flung themselves at each other, blades extended.
And both Toa knew that this charge would end the battle, for one way or another.
Speewaa ran from the Element Lord and the Baterra, Benjarmin following her, blades drawn. Both groups were trying to kill her. This is the end. She thought numbly. The last battle for me. As she raced through the tunnels, she finally lost the Baterra warriors. For now, I will die. She drew the sickle, which glowed with power. Crystillix had imbued it with Creation powers, using his scythe. And she owed it to Crystillix, who had quite possibly given his life so she could live, to use the power one final time.
She would break the Sickle, releasing the massive destructive energy contained within. It would kill her too, and possibly kill everyone else in the caves, but she had to do this. Had to make sure that neither Millennium nor the Element Lord made it to the surface. She watched as the Baterra appeared at the cavern's entrance, followed by Millennium and Benjarmin, who were fighting the Baterra.
Dredzek was nowhere to be seen. If she could not stop them, the Baterra would destroy all the contestants and the Element Lord of Technology would win the games. Benjarmin spun around, a maelstrom of devastation, each swipe of his claws ending the life of a Baterra. But still the Baterra came, like a wave of unstoppable power the Baterra charged over the beings in the cavern below. Speewaa raised the sickle above her head and raised it to break open the power...
Crystillix, wounded horribly, staggered toward Zaeron as Zaeron began to change. Crystillix felt as if everything was moving slower, as if this was not happening. He could barely hear the screams of Dredzek as the Makuta desperately fought the Baterra hordes. Zaeron built up a huge Crystillix off annihilation power, redid to strike. He would fire as he had never fired before. He would crush he would-
Crystillix struck! Slammed into Zaeron, flinging his blade over his head. Zaeron saw an opening, and stabbed outward with his blade. Zaeron struck again, and Crystillix's sword clattered from his hands. Zaeron raised a claw and slashed Crystillix backwards, flinging him to the ground.
Crystillix flung out his hand and threw his Scythe of Creation at Zaeron, stabbing the dark toa through his chest. Zaeron hissed defiance, and as Crystillix struck again, released the annihilation bolt. Tendrils of dark power flung across the caverns, striking off Crystillix's scythe of creation and rebounding, striking Zaeron. And then Zaeron began to fade, and then he turned to dust, and then he was gone, his incorporeal form drifting through the wall.
And when Crystillix opened his eyes again, Zaeron was gone.
Speewaa raised the sickle, ready to end the lives of every being within the caverns, when Millennium flung a mangled Baterra off him and struck the weapon from her grasp. As she was flung against the wall, Millennium brought down his axe. Speewaa dodged, and the blade struck her leg. Lancing pain shot up her side. Millennium raised his axe again, and Speewaa knew this time he would not miss.
Suddenly, a Baterra broke through the throng of robots that were fighting Benjamin and flung itself at Millennium, forcing him to change direction of his blow to decapitate the Baterra. At the sight of more armed warriors, the Baterra charged at Millennium, hauling the titan to the ground. Speewaa tried desperately to flee to safety, dragging her injured leg behind her. She was almost to the cave's edge when Benjarmin appeared before her, stabbing his spear through her chest. As she gasped for a breath that wouldn't come, Crystillix, his armor in tatters and his eyes gleaming in rage, appeared at the cave's entrance, firing a bolt of pure destructive energy from the Scythe of Creation that turned Benjarmin to dust.
Benjarmin died before he could even realize his victory, consumed utterly by a Crystillix from the Scythe. One moment he was there, the next there was nothing but dust to mark his passing. He had been utterly obliterated by the Crystillix.
Crystillix was raging. The sight of Speewaa dying beneath Benjarmin's spear had enraged the Toa, causing him to use the Scythe in a way he had never used it before-to destroy. Noticing the sickle lying on the cave floor, he realized what Speewaa had tried to do. I'll finish what she started. Crystillix vowed. Then she will be able to die in peace.
Millennium saw the Toa appear in the cavern as well. Crystillix grabbed the sickle and flung himself at Millennium even as the Baterra charged at both dark lord and Toa. Millennium's axe was flung from his grasp, allowing Crystillix to strike first, bringing down the blade on Millennium's arm. Millennium screeched in pain, then swung his axe at Crystillix.
Crystillix narrowly blocked the blow, and as Crystillix counterattacked, Millennium cut a Baterra apart with his axe while he blocked the Scythe with his claws. Crystillix feinted with his Scythe, and then stabbed out at Millennium with the sickle, forcing Millennium backwards. Millennium charged forward, crushing Crystillix's armor apart and stabbing Crystillix in the leg with the hilt of his axe. Crystillix turned and blocked another swipe from Millennium's claw, then gasped as the axe cut him across the chest.
Millennium grinned and flung a bolt of energy at Crystillix. Crystillix counterattacked with another Bolt from the Scythe, and the bolts ricocheted off the walls, consuming three Baterra. Another Baterra flung himself at Crystillix, who blocked the Baterra's attack narrowly with the scythe, then blocked Millennium's axe with his sickle.
A bolt of energy flashed across the battlefield as Millennium attempted to attack Crystillix, flinging him backwards against the walls. As he tried to recover, Millennium charged forward and hammered Crystillix with his axe, flinging him into a Baterra. The mechanical warrior was consumed by another Crystillix of energy, and Crystillix blocked Millennium's axe with his Sickle. A stabbing pain shot up Crystillix's leg as he realized that Millennium's axe had been an illusion, and was now imbedded in his side.
But Crystillix was done running.
He was already terribly wounded, and would not let Millennium win the games. If Millennium or the Element Lord of Technology triumphed, then it would all be for nothing. Everything would die, above and below.
As Millennium bore down on him, Crystillix raised the Scythe above his head. Millennium dodged his blade, and redied his axe for the final blow.
"This is the end, I think." Millennium said whilst bombarding Crystillix's mind with his powerful telepathic powers. Crystillix resisted Millennium's power, and ducked as another burst of energy exploded above him. As Millennium swung the axe around, firing a bolt of power at Crystillix, Crystillix flung the sickle at Millennium's chest. As the sickle fell and Millennium released the energy burst, Crystillix flung out his hand-and shattered the Sickle into glowing shards across Millennium's chest.
Slowly, the leader of the Shadow of Ages sagged and fell to the ground as the explosions began, obliterating Millennium, obliterating the Element Lord, obliterating the Baterra, consuming them all in fiery half-light.
Crystillix ran to Speewaa's side. Her breath came in small gasps.
"Did you...kill him?" she asked, the effort to speak causing more blood to flow from her wound.
Crystillix nodded. "The Baterra will never walk the surface world."
Speewaa relaxed, watching as Spaunauh crawled onto Crystillix's hand. "Go..." she gasped. "Win the Eternal Games." Her body gave a small shudder, and then went still.
Crystillix bowed his head. Rage seething through his body. And, by the dying Matoran's side, Crystillix made a final promise to Speewaa.
I will find who has caused this, and try to destroy him. For anyone who would murder an innocent Matoran is evil.
Evil.