Flames of the Past #7: Seeds of Deceit (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 10

The tunnels were silent. The explosives weren't going off. The gauge was at one hundred percent.

Still holding his detonator, Jay looked at Cole in confusion. "What is—"

Crash!

The ninja and Guardians skidded backward as the far wall burst open in a cloud of purple dust. Footsteps sounded from the same direction as the figure of a person moved through the dust, holding a long blade at its side. A large grin was plastered on the figure's face, and as he stepped into the light, the team realized they were staring at an upgraded version of Sleete.

The Dark Lord's primp suit had ripped, leaving most of his arms and legs bare. His skin was black as night, with bright purple veins wrapping around his arms and legs and cracking around his face. His hair was just as dark, his shadowed face seemed hardly human, and his eyes glowed an intense shade of purple. Extra armor had been built over his chest, and as he held out That Sword, the ninja realized the Overlord Crystal was no longer inside it.

"Quite the welcoming party," Sleete cackled as his gaze raked the room. His voice sounded distorted and echoey, almost like all human emotion had been sucked out of it. A cloud of mist followed him as always, but this time, he didn't leave a trail of goop behind him.

"Oh, my God," Cole rasped out, feeling a chill sweep down his spine. "It really is the Overlord 2.0."

Jay took a wary step backward. "What happened to you?" he asked.

Sleete looked at him, tilting his head. "I've reached my full potential, love." His giggling echoed off the tunnel walls. "You can thank your friend for that. He's been a great help to our little association."

As he spoke, he moved out of the way of the room he'd come out of, revealing a metal bed and hundreds of lab equipment. A lot of it was burnt or destroyed, but the ninja were able to see a clear canister, still bubbling with a small amount of green liquid. It glowed and crackled, and the team recognized it immediately.

"Lloyd's power," Nya gasped.

"The green ninja chose his side wisely," Sleete cooed. "You... not so much." Purple glowed at his fingertips, and a matching light surrounded the explosives around Central. He had stopped them. "Gang," he called as the explosives crushed underneath his magic, "destroy them."

The ninja and Guardians jumped back into action as the Sons of Darkness charged toward them.

"So much for the plan," Cole grumbled to his team.

"Sleete can't hold his Overlord form forever, remember?" Nya said. "We just have to tucker him out."

"Then let's go!" Jay exclaimed before racing forward. Cole, Nya, and Zane sped after him.

Sleete laughed as he saw them coming. Throwing That Sword to the floor, he spread his arms out and power surged over him. His mist sucked into his body, and just as the ninja leaped at him, he released it in a large burst of magic.

The four ninja flew backward. The power shot through the entirety of Central, throwing everyone off for a few moments. Shakily, the ninja got back to their feet and rushed at him again.

Jay reached him first and he struck his nunchucks, but a bolt of purple shot from the Dark Lord and struck the blue ninja, flinging him back again. Nya tried next and received the same blow. Cole and Zane darted for Sleete at the same time.

The pulsing power around Sleete deflected each of Zane's shurikens. When Cole slammed his scythe at his enemy, the Dark Lord caught it in his hand. Cole's eyes widened in alarm. Laughing in amusement, Sleete crushed the scythe between his fingers before throwing it and the black ninja into the wall. Cole gasped as he hit the ground, looking down at his weapon to see dents in its blade. Shocked, he looked up at Sleete as Nya, Jay, and Zane continued to attack him, although not one of them could land a hit. Sleete's strength and focus were ten times sharper than before, and his immense power fought for him where he couldn't. It was as if the power had a mind of its own, overtaking the Dark Lord and revealing the darkest parts of himself. We can't fight him, Cole suddenly realized. He's too powerful!