Ninjago:Rising

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

The rain poured down as Lloyd and Lyra clashed, their fight becoming a blur of relentless, raw power. Each hit felt like a shockwave as fists connected with bone, each strike echoing across the abandoned streets of Ninjago City. Lloyd moved with precision, every punch fueled by the desperation to reach his sister buried beneath the darkness, but Lyra met him with equal ferocity, her eyes blazing with a cold, ruthless determination.

"Come on, Lloyd," Lyra sneered, her voice dripping with contempt as she blocked his next blow and twisted his arm, forcing him to stumble. "Is this really all you've got? The great hero, holding back?"

Lloyd grit his teeth, steadying himself as he pulled free of her grip. "I'm not giving up on you," he managed, his voice strained but resolute. "You're still in there, Lyra—I know it!"

Lyra laughed, an icy, hollow sound that sent chills down Lloyd's spine. "That part of me is dead," she hissed, striking him hard across the jaw. "You're fighting a ghost, Lloyd. All I care about now is power—power you can't even comprehend."

She lunged at him with terrifying speed, her movements blurring as she rained down blows. Lloyd barely managed to deflect her strikes, the force of each one sending pain radiating through his arms. Summoning his energy, he unleashed a burst of green light, knocking her back just enough to gain a breath.

But Lyra was relentless. She caught her balance and came at him again, moving like a shadow in the storm. Lloyd countered, landing a solid punch to her stomach, then another to her ribs. His strikes grew fiercer, each hit punctuated by a plea. "You're not alone! We're family, Lyra! Fight this!"

Lyra snarled in fury, retaliating with a ruthless uppercut that snapped Lloyd's head back. "Family?" she spat, her voice seething with bitterness. "Family is nothing but a weakness! A chain holding me back. But not anymore."

She surged forward, striking him with a series of brutal punches. Lloyd staggered, his vision blurring as pain shot through his body. She took advantage of his falter, grabbing his wrist and twisting it until he cried out, her grip merciless.

Before he could react, Lyra wrenched his sword from its sheath, only to toss it aside like a piece of trash. Lloyd watched in horror as her dark energy flowed over the blade, causing it to decay and crumble into dust. With his last weapon gone, he was forced to rely on his own strength, his own resolve.

The fight became raw, brutal—fist against fist, every move a desperate struggle for survival. They traded blows, each punch fueled by years of unspoken pain and unresolved anger. Lloyd struck her again and again, refusing to relent, but his strength was waning. Lyra, seemingly unstoppable, met his attacks with a twisted smile, as though his resistance only amused her.

Finally, she caught him off guard, ducking under his swing and grabbing him by the throat. Her grip was iron-tight, her dark energy seeping into his skin, chilling him to the bone. "Still holding back?" she taunted, tightening her hold as he struggled to breathe. "You can't save me, Lloyd. You can't save anyone."

With a vicious sneer, she hurled him upward, sending him crashing through the wall of a nearby building. The impact was brutal, the concrete shattering around him as he hit the ground inside, coughing and gasping for breath. He struggled to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest, his vision swimming.

Lyra stepped through the hole in the wall, her silhouette dark against the lightning-streaked sky. She looked down at him, a twisted smile playing on her lips. "This is the end, brother. Face it—you're not strong enough to defeat me. You never were."

Lloyd's heart pounded as he forced himself to stand, each breath ragged and painful. Despite the crushing exhaustion, despite the voice in his head telling him to give up, he looked at her with defiance, a spark of determination flaring in his eyes. "You're wrong," he said, his voice steady. "I won't give up on you, Lyra. Not now, not ever."