-Chapter 166-

The Rise of Enerjak, Part 1


Isolated Island

At the Dark Legion base on Isolated Island, Lien-Da lay back on a table, visibly impatient as a doctor ran scans on her. He was focused specifically on the explosive chip implanted in her head, hoping to find a way to remove it. When the scan was done, she sat up.

"Well?" she demanded.

The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid, Grandmaster, removing the chip is impossible."

"What?! Why?!"

"The chip has been implanted directly into your cerebral cortex. Removing it could cause all manner of debilitating effects. Mental impairment, brain hemorrhage... and that's if you survive the process."

"Damn it…" Lien-Da cursed. "DAMN IT!"

She slammed her fists into the table.

"That little brat… I am going to rip her spine out when I get the chance!"

-X-

In her throne room, Lien-Da sat down, fuming as she drummed her fingers on the armrest of it. Some of her guards were there.

"Grandmaster, with all due respect, this could work out for the best," one Legionnaire suggested. "Is it really that bad being second in power only to Dr. Robotnik?"

That was the wrong thing to say. One guard backed up nervously as Lien-Da rose from her throne, her tone cold.

"And you think second is enough?"

"W-well…"

Lien-Da cut him off, slowly walking over and getting more angry and loud as she went on.

"Do you know what I had to do to get the power that I have...? The sacrifices that I made? The bodies that I buried? The months spent in a coma and then a body cast after my brother's faulty weapon blew up in my face?! People need to understand that they will pay for underestimating me! Second is not enough, and it will never be enough! That's why I need Robotnik's bomb out of my head, AND WHY I NO LONGER NEED YOU!"

With a violent shove, she sent the unfortunate Legionnaire out the window, the guard screaming all the way down. She turned on the others.

"Anyone else have any bright ideas?!"

"Well, I may have something."

Lien-Da turned to see a Dark Legion scientist by the name of Dr. Finitevus approaching. He was wearing the usual black cloak, a yellow medallion holding it up.

"Finitevus," she greeted. "What do you suggest?"

"Mount Fate," Finitevus replied. "Sound familiar?"

"Yes. The burial ground of my great-great-grandfather Dimitri. It was through him the Dark Legion was founded. What does that have to do with anything?"

"My dear, Mount Fate isn't just a burial ground for Dimitri. It's a prison. For four hundred years, he has been trapped in its depths."

Lien-Da blinks. "Wait... he lives?"

"Indeed he does," Finitevus confirmed. "The power of the Chaos Syphon and the Master Emerald has sustained his life. And if we set him free, the Dark Legion will have the power we need to deal with that oaf Dr. Robotnik, and seize power for ourselves."

"I can be free," Lien-Da realized. "We can be free. And all will bow before us."

She grinned. "The idea has merit. What do we have to do?"

"Tonight, under the cover of darkness, we will go to Mount Fate and crack it open. Once that happens, Dimitri will be free, and Mobius will be ours."


Angel Island

That night, Lien-Da and her Legionnaires made for Angel Island. Moving swiftly and silently, they hurried to the most far-off corner of the island, soon arriving before a large mountain marked with a skull-shaped edifice.

"Everyone stay close," Lien-Da ordered. "We cannot risk drawing the attention of the Islanders."

She looked around the mountain, touching the side as she tried to work out how to get it open.

-X-

Deep within the rock, buried under tons of rubble, was the figure of Dimitri. He was deep in meditation, glowing slightly, when the image of Lien-Da at the mountain appeared in his mind. Almost immediately, his eyes snapped open. He let out a long breath.

"It is time…"

-X-

Outside, the Legionnaires jumped as a rumbling noise sounded from deep within the mountain.

"What the hell?!" Lien-Da shouted.

"It's him," Finitevus realized. "He's awoken."

They stepped back as more and more tremors sounded. An ominous evil laugh sounded as the mountain cracked apart, collapsing into a hole in the ground as a figure rose from the depths. The figure in question was donned in an ornate blue-and-gold outfit resembling that of Efrikan pharaohs and gods, the face plate in particular, and consisted of a menacing mask covering all but the lower jaw bearing a red gem on the forehead, a chest plate, blue skirt, gold adornments on the arms and legs with blue clothing between, and boots with rounded gold toes. The Legion all stared in awe at him.

"Dimitri…?" Lien-Da let out.

"Dimitri of the House of Jordann died long ago," the figure told them. "I am the supreme god... Enerjak."

"Welcome back, Lord Enerjak," Finitevus greeted, bowing before them. "It has been far too long."

Lien-Da bowed before him herself.

"I am Lien-Da, your great-granddaughter. It was I who facilitated your escape."

"And for that, I thank you," A grin spread under Enerjak's mask. "Once again, I am free to smite the world as I did in days long past."

He began letting out a maniacal cackle.

-X-

In his home in Echidnaopolis, Locke suddenly sat up in a cold sweat.

"No…" he let out. "It can't be…"

All across the island, ominous laughter rang out. At the Master Emerald shrine, Knuckles and Kat looked up nervously, while Chomps woke up from his nap, looking afraid.

"What's going on?" Knuckles asked.

Kat gulped. "Whatever it is, it feels... terrifying."

Locke came running up to them.

"This is the absolute worst case scenario…" he told them. "Enerjak has returned!"

Knuckles' eyes widened, while Kat just seemed confused.

"Who?" she asked.

They were spared the effort of an answer when green sparks appeared above Echidnaopolis. They all ran into the city as Enerjak materialized in the sky.

"Echidna of Angel Island!" he declared. "Rejoice, for your true lord and master has awakened! I am Enerjak, your almighty god! Kneel, all those that stand before me!"

"How did you escape from the mountain?" Locke demanded.

"He had a little help."

All eyes turned as Lien-Da stepped forward, hands on her hips and a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Lien-Da?!" Julie-Su exclaimed. "But how?! You should be rotting in Eggman's dungeon!"

"I convinced him I was of more use to him out in the field, leading the Dark Legion," Lien-Da replied. "And soon, we will rid the world of his pestilence, and of all who oppose the Legion."

"Not if we can help it!" Knuckles declared.

Enerjak looked down at him, scoffing.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, boy," he remarked. "I am a Chaos demigod. I could snuff out the feeble flame of your mortal life with the merest twitch of a finger."

"Bring it on!" Knuckles shot back.

"Stop!" Locke shouted. "You cannot win this fight! Enerjak is a foe beyond any of you."

"I'm willing to die trying!" Knuckles insisted.

"Listen to your elder, boy." Enerjak warned.

Knuckles instead jumped at him. Enerjak just stood there before flicking his finger, unleashing a wave of force that knocked Knuckles out of the sky and sent him rolling across the grass in a heap.

"Ah, the audacity of youth," he sighed.

"Knuckles!" Kat rushed to his side, Julie-Su not far behind.

Enerjak's eyes narrowed at the sight of Kat.

"What is a filthy human doing on Angel Island?!" he demanded. "She has no place among us!"

"Screw you!" Kat snapped, her hair flaring up. "You hurt my brother!"

"BROTHER?!" Enerjak roared. "Is this how far the Echidna race has fallen in my absence?! Not only is a human among us, but she wields the power of a Guardian?! I will not stand for this!"

They stood, apprehensive of his next gesture as Enerjak clenched his fists.

"There is only one solution. I must start from scratch. Erase it all. Wipe the slate clean."

With a crack of power, he vanished, along with the Legionnaires.

"We need to leave," Locke insisted. "Evacuate the island. Now! Knuckles, Kathryn, your Warp Rings. I don't care where they go, just open all of them!"

After a slight hesitation, Knuckles did so, opening multiple portals.

"Now, grab the Master Emerald!" Locke ordered. "The last thing we want or need is for it to fall into Enerjak's hands."

"Locke, what's going-?" Kat began.

"There's no time!" Locke snapped. "We need to leave!

The two Guardians grabbed the Master Emerald, running as everything shook.

"This doesn't feel like the island falling!" Kat exclaimed.

"One last Warp Ring!" Knuckles declared.

"Knothole!" Kat cried.

He threw it, the duo and Locke jumping in just as a wave of green Chaos energy swept across Angel Island, warping and perverting everything in its wake.


Knothole

At Knothole, Sonic was taking Muttski out for a walk when a Warp Ring opened up. Locke, Kat, and Knuckles all screamed as they fell with the Master Emerald, landing in the Lake of Rings with a giant splash.

"What the…" Sonic let out. "Knuckles? Kat? What's going on? And why do you have the Master Emerald?"

"It's a long story," Knuckles replied.

"One we don't really know yet," Kat added.

Locke pointed into the sky. "Look!"

They looked to see Angel Island floating overhead. The portion containing Azure Lake had been severed completely, and the island was a dark, corrupted parody of its former self.

"What in Aurora's name?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"He calls himself Enerjak," Knuckles explained.

"I'll explain everything once we get your friends together," Locke said. "They need to hear this too."

-X-

In Freedom HQ, Locke sat them down and began explaining everything.

"Julie-Su told you of the Chaos Syphon," Locke began. "How Robotnik got the idea from a story Lien-Da told him. But what she didn't tell you, or didn't know, is what the device turned Dimitri into."

"Wait, that thing is a person?" Kat questioned.

"Once, a very long time ago," Locke replied. "He began as Dimitri, an Echidna scientist... and the brother of the late Guardian Edmund."

Knuckles perked. "You mean…?"

"Yes, our ancestor Edmund," Locke confirmed. "It all began when the two devised a means of returning Angel Island to the planet's surface, using the Chaos Syphon to slowly drain the power of the Master Emerald until it landed back in its original site on the planet surface. The High Councilor of the time, Menthor, realized that if the plan went through, Dimitri would be considered a hero, and that would upset his own plans and ambitions, thus he denounced the plan as 'heresy' and denied their petition. Dimitri was outraged and took matters into his own hands, deciding to use the Syphon anyway."

"Right, I remember this tale," Sonic recalled. "Julie-Su told us when we learned of the Syphon."

"What she didn't know was that Dimitri's hubris and draining the Master Emerald woke something up. Enerjak, a malevolent Chaos demigod whose essence was scattered across the Chaos Force by Aurora and the Ancient Walkers eons ago. When Dimitri drained the Emerald power into himself... Enerjak's spirit came with it."

"Turning Dimitri…" Knuckles realized, "into Enerjak's avatar."

"The end result: an insane, super-powered, virtually omnipotent Echidna with a massive superiority complex and no compunctions about harming others. He sought to conquer Mobius, and began by conquering Echidnaopolis and enslaving the inhabitants. He was only stopped when Edmund made an alliance with a colony of fire ants on the island, who ate through the supports of his Dark Tower, collapsing and burying him alive. The burial site was known as Mount Fate, serving as a reminder to Echidna society of the folly in reliance on technology that almost led to their downfall."

Something clicked for Sonic.

"And why you stashed most of your best tech and the like in the Grand Conversatory at the Marble Garden Zone."

"Precisely," Locke nodded. "We had hoped to prevent the rise of any machine like the Chaos Syphon that turned Dimitri into Enerjak, and prevent any of our own from becoming as twisted as him."

"But now that stash is gone," Tails pointed out. "Along with the entire island."

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly happy when he saw we let in 'outsiders'," Knuckles remarked, reaching over and taking Kat's hand in his.

"How do we stop him?" Sonic asked.

"You can't. Enerjak is far too powerful. The might he wields, the feats he can achieve... they are limited only by the imagination of his avatars."

"So what?" Sonic questioned, "If he so chose, he could make two plus two equal fish?"

"And so much more, all with a single thought, and a snap of his fingers."

"Whoa…" Sonic let out before shaking his head. "Well, we can't just sit here."

"What kind of fool are you? You can't possibly hope to win!"

"So what? You'd rather just lay down and die? Screw that. If I'm going out, it'll be fighting, not on my knees begging. Even if it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried."

"He will kill you, or something far worse."

"Then the last thing he'll see of me is me smirking in his face as he takes me out. I won't stand by as he incinerates everything I've sworn to protect."

"You'll fail. You'll die. We all will."

Sonic sighed, shaking his head. "Remind me never to send you an invite for a birthday party, Mr. Negative Nancy."

Locke was about to retort, but Sonic held up his hand.

"I get it. He's super-powerful, practically a god. Bringing Armageddon and all that. But that's exactly what everyone said about Chaos, and guess what? We beat him."

"Speaking of that watery guy, why isn't he rising up?" Sticks questioned. "If this Enerjak guy's so big and bad, then why's Chaos not waking up to do something?"

Suddenly, Bunnie came running in.

"The Lake of Rings is boiling!" she shouted.

"Sticks... I think he just did." Sonic realized.

Everyone rushed out to the lake, seeing that the water was indeed bubbling violently, glowing a brilliant green. The Master Emerald arose from beneath its surface, and Chaos emerged from it. He turned towards the Island, which was floating menacingly towards the Mystic Ruins. He gurgled a bit, eyes locked on it.

"He says to find the Chaos Emeralds," Cream translated. "He'll try and delay Enerjak as best he can."

"Good luck," Sally told him.

Chaos melted into the water and vanished. The Master Emerald then dropped back into the water with a large splash.

"Chaos is buying us the time we need," Sonic said. "We better start hunting, and warn anyone who's listening. Enerjak isn't a problem we can handle on our own."

Locke sighed. "If you insist on opposing him, I guess there's no stopping you. You're a stubborn piece of work, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm trying to save your people and your home," Sonic shot back. "You should be glad I'm this stubborn."


GUN HQ

The call went out, both the Kingdom of Acorn and the United Federation on red alert. With no other option, Tower gave the order to a fleet to engage Enerjak. As they were dispatched, Topaz approached Tower.

"Commander, if this Enerjak is as powerful as the Freedom Fighters say he is, what can we really expect to do?" she asked.

"Whatever we have to," Tower replied. "I refuse to just lay down and take this."

"We're sending them to their deaths!" Topaz objected.

Tower sighed, sitting back in his chair as he rubbed his eyes.

"I know," he confessed. "But we all knew what we were getting into when we joined the military."


Angel Island

Meanwhile, on Angel Island, Echidnaopolis had been transformed into Nekronopolis, a dark and nightmarish parody of its former self. In the center of the city was Enerjak's new base of operations, the Citadel of Darkness. As he lounged in his throne, several Dark Legion soldiers by his side, he heard engines approaching, and looked to see a sizable group of GUN robots, planes, walkers, tanks, and the like riding in.

"So, it seems the surface-dwellers have launched an attack," he mused. "Well... I can hardly allow them to destroy the city."

He warped out, getting their attention before heading into the Red Mountain. They all converged on him as he stood, smirking with his arms crossed.

"Lock on target, men!" one soldier shouted. "Ready! FIRE!"

Within seconds, Enerjak was bombarded with near-endless firings of grenades, missile launches, Volkan Cannons, lasers, and the like. The assault kicked up a massive amount of dust as the sounds of rocks crumbling reached their ears.

"Cease fire!" the commanding officer yelled. "There can't be much left of him after that. Even Sonic couldn't survive that kind of full-scale barrage."

As he looked with binoculars, all the soldiers gasped with shock; while their attack had destroyed the mountain he was standing on, Enerjak himself was completely unscathed.

"Is that all you have to offer?" he questioned. "I have more power in a single finger! Here, let me prove it!"

"Our weapons are useless!" the officer screamed. "Retreat! All personnel, fall back!"

They all began to retreat as Enerjak raised his hand, chuckling evilly as Chaos energy swelled in his palm. They didn't get far before Enerjak swiped his hand, a wave of energy exploding outward and laying waste to every GUN soldier and vehicle in the area.

"Now that was amusing." he remarked with a laugh.

He lowered himself back down, resuming his place on his throne.

"The legends about you don't do you justice," Lien-Da remarked with awe.

"Indeed they don't," Enerjak agreed.

"Then perhaps you can help me with a humble request," Lien-Da began. "Dr. Robotnik implanted a bomb in my skull. I ask that you remove it."

"And why should I?" Enerjak questioned. "I see no benefit from such an act."

Lien-Da recoiled in shock, before shaking her head.

"N-no!" she cried out. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go! Great-grandfather, please! I worked hard for you! Don't forget, I'm the one who brought you back to life! I'm your savior!"

Enerjak scoffed. "You're nothing but an angry, petulant little girl with delusions of grandeur."

"But-"

"Cease this inane prattling!" Enerjak snapped. "Or I will detonate the bomb myself!"

Lien-Da stepped back in shock, but kept silent.

"That's better," the demigod remarked. "Now, where did those wretched excuses for Echidnas scurry off to?"

As he floated off to search, Lien-Da's fists clenched in rage.


Robotropolis

At Citadel Robotnik, the doctor watched and listened to reports of Enerjak wiping out the GUN battalion.

"This Enerjak…" Grimer spoke up. "Lien-Da mentioned him once or twice, didn't he? That the original Chaos Syphon gave rise to him?"

"Indeed," Robotnik nodded. "He truly is as powerful as she made him out to be, if not more so."

"Aren't you glad I talked you out of using him?" Eggatha spoke up.

"Very," Robotnik nodded. "Chaos was bad enough, and he was just angry and grieving. Enerjak on the other hand…"

They heard a door open, turning to see Lien-Da walking in.

"Every horrible story you heard about him is true," Lien-Da announced

"Ah, Lien-Da," Robotnik greeted. "I don't suppose you have any idea how Enerjak is up and about, even though you claimed he's been dead for centuries?"

"I believed he was," Lien-Da replied.

"I'm sensing a but," Eggatha remarked.

"But… I was wrong," Lien-Da confessed. "He wasn't dead, just imprisoned. My scientists had done research and confirmed as such. So, the night before, I went to Angel Island and-"

"And stirred him up," Eggatha concluded. "Why?"

"Because of you!" Lien-Da snapped. "I'm only stuck playing second banana to Robotnik because of the bomb you shoved up my brain! I released Enerjak in the hopes he could remove it, that we could rule together. But he refused to grant me that courtesy."

"And since your little scheme failed, you decided to come crawling back to the doctor." Grimer hissed.

"He threatened to set it off on a whim," Lien-Da remarked. "At least with you, you see I'm worth something."

"Not at the moment, I don't," Robotnik told her, calm but cold.

Lien-Da went pale at his tone.

"You went behind my back, unleashed a malevolent demigod upon the world in the hopes of mooching off his conquest," Robotnik spat. "Did you really think you could come back to my city and expect a big cookie for changing your mind? I have half a mind to trigger the bomb and kill you right here and now."

"Y-you wouldn't!" Lien-Da cried. "Enerjak's influence spreads with every passing minute, and you want to waste time on me?!"

Robotnik raised his hand, revealing a red button in his grasp. One glance told her it was the detonator.

"You mean waste it on the small-minded imbecile who unleashed a mad demigod upon this world?" he questioned. "Absolutely."

"A-Agatha, please don't let him do this," Lien-Da pleaded to her. "You put so much work into my upgrades and the like. Are you going to let it all go to waste?"

"She's right," Metal remarked. "After all, you gave me a second chance, despite what I did."

"True, but there's a big difference between you and her," Eggatha pointed out. "I like you."

She glared at Lien-Da. "I don't like her."

"You only have yourself to blame, Lien-Da," Robotnik said in disdain. "I always thought of you as an opportunistic coward, but now you're proven to be a dirty sneaking little rat as well."

His thumb hovered over the button. "Goodbye."

Just before he could press it, Lien-Da held out her hands.

"Wait!" she cried desperately. "Don't set it off. I'll do anything you ask of me. I beg of you!"

Robotnik raised an eyebrow.

"Oh will you, now?" he asked. "Well, there's one way you can prove your loyalty to me."

He looked her in the eyes.

"On your knees. I want you to beg for forgiveness."

"Beg?! Don't you realize dealing with Enerjak is more important than-"

Robotnik held up the button threateningly. Immediately, Lien-Da dropped to her hands and knees, bowing her head.

"Please... forgive me for my actions." she managed to say.

"I need specifics," Robotnik insisted.

"Please forgive me for... for going behind your back and unleashing Enerjak."

"And…?"

"And attempting to undermine your authority over me," Lien-Da finished, shuddering with revulsion.

"There we go," Robotnik set the button aside. "Maybe I should have you kiss my boot for good measure."

"Uncle," Eggatha cut in. "Evil Chaos demigod?"

Robotnik sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll spare you some dignity."

Lien-Da rose to her feet at that.

"Now I think we understand each other, Lien-Da," Robotnik went on. "Once you agree to work for me, you belong to my army lock, stock, and barrel. You will serve the Robotnik Empire until the day you die, or I grow tired of you, whichever comes first. Same thing in the end."

"Yes… Dr. Robotnik," Lien-Da replied, defeated.

"Now that that's over, where is this wayward demigod going?"


Author's Note:

Yep! More Archie stuff. This time, the intro of Enerjak from the Archie Comics. Dr. Finitevus is also from that series.

Next chapter, Sonic and co. pull out all the stops to defeat Enerjak. But can they stand against his Chaos might?

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Enerjak - J. Michael Tatum (Eneru from One Piece, Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Klein Seiben from RWBY)

* Finitevus - Steve Blum (Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, Orochimaru from Naruto, Kazuma from s-CRY-ed)

Please R&R. Until next time!