VS
ARENA:
Author: MoarCrossovers
Word Count: 10,286
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Gravel crunched under the young man’s feet as he sprinted up the mountainside path. Sweat rolled down his features and his breaths were heavy, but he did not stop to rest on his climb to the top. The man, barely past transforming from a boy, had been running for the best part of the day, carrying information that had been passed down from messenger to messenger from as far as the remote islands to the east. Something foul had set foot onto the world of Man, and now the tired soul had taken the task to inform the monks of the temple overshadowing the lands of his simple village.
At last, the peak of the trail came into view, and the messenger crested the top to bear witness to the impressive sight of the Yellow Lotus School. It was an image well accustomed to the people of his village, who visited regularly to bring the monks supplies or to join their ranks. Both groups were quite intimate with each other, so it was no surprise when the guards at the temple gate saw the man approach and opened the great doors upon recognizing him to grant the tired soul entry. He continued to run across the temple grounds, passing teachers and students deep in meditation and intricate statues of flowers and dragons as he made his way to the main temple. Pushing open the doors, the villager found the chamber filled with monastics, kneeling in rows on either side of the room as audience to the event at the far end. Two boys, barely younger than the messenger himself, were locked in combat, testing their Martial Arts knowledge on each other as the masters of the academy watched and judged from their balcony above. As the doors opened and sunlight flooded the chamber, the two elders looked up from the display and spotted the man hurrying towards them frantically. At once, the female teacher raised a hand to call a halt to the match and rose from her chair with her companion as he approached and came to a stop, gasping for air.
“Kai Lee, what brings you here?”
“Master Boruto, Grandmaster Mara.” Kai Lee addressed the two masters with a bow of respect. “I bring news… from the east… great danger…”
Seeing that the young man could barely speak, Mara motioned for one of the monks to bring over a cup of water. The messenger took the drink gratefully and drank deeply, soothing his burning throat and waiting for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
“Master, the nation and my people need you. A demon had descended from the heavens to punish us for our sins against the gods.”
“A demon? From the domain of the gods?” Boruto asked. The old man was a firm believer of the mystic world, but the phrase contradicted itself in his philosophies. A nod of Kai Lee confirmed to the old master that the facts were true.
“The tales say it fell from the stars, wearing the form of one before it crashed into the land,” Kai Lee continued. “It corrupted the earth that it touched and made its form from the farmland of those that first saw the devil. For weeks, it ravaged the outer islands to the east before encountering resistance from the guardians of the region.”
“You mean they couldn’t stop it?” Mara gasped. “Seatopia? Mu? Atlantis? Okinawa? It defeated them all?”
Kai Lee shook his head quickly. “No, Grandmaster, the great empires still stand. The demon fought fiercely, but the defenders of each kingdom it has attacked managed to drive it off. But each victory over the monster has driven it further north, and the scouts tracking it reported this morning that it’s heading this way!”
The silent hall was filled murmurs between the monks as they took in the news and discussed the proper way to respond. Master Boruto, with age and experience matching in equal, had never thought that such a scenario would come to be. Alas, it was true, and he’d had the foresight to plan ahead for such a thing. He looked to his master, communicating his wishes to her through their gazes alone and waited for Mara’s nod of approval before turning back to the crowd.
“I will send our strongest warriors back to the village with you, Kai Lee. They will see that your people will be safe.”
“Thank you, master.” The young man bowed in gratitude.
“The rest of the school will prepare our defences,” Boruto called out to the grand audience. “Inform your fellow students and teachers that they must help in securing the temple in preparation for this ‘earth demon’s arrival.”
The gathered monks rose as one and bowed before making their way to the many exits around the room. Boruto stood tall and stoic as he watched them leave, but within, the roots of doubt had taken hold. What he had ordered was their typical defence strategy against invaders, but it had only been tested against bandits and soldiers. It was easy to fight off their fellow man, but a demon was too far out of their skill level, and the old master feared that he could be sending his students to their deaths.
“It won’t be enough.” Mara’s words confirmed his suspicions as the room emptied of everyone but themselves. Boruto slumped over, grasping the railing and let out the breath that he had been holding as he struggled not to cry.”
“What have I done?” he choked. “These men and women were never meant for this. They joined in the pursuit of knowledge and self-betterment, and I have sent them out to face an enemy that can’t be beaten.”
As he hung his head in shame, Mara looked on with a sympathetic expression. Boruto had been a great fighter and teacher when they had first met, but as the years passed, her former mentor had slipped away from the life of conflict as the battles grew more and more traumatic in this era of expansion. The mere action of sending others to fight in his place was something that the man had always hated. Seeing him like this almost broke her heart, and this was the final straw.
“They may not need to fight at all, Boruto,” she said as she walked over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Our students have potential, but they are lacking in experience. No, I will go and face the demon myself.”
Boruto’s head snapped around, his face aghast. “My lady, are you sure? It has been years since you have used that power.”
“And I have no reason not to use it again. Only this era of peace has removed the need for combat,” Mara countered. Her gaze met the older man’s orbs and she gave a comforting smile. “Have faith, my friend. You need not despair just yet.”
The old master looked as if he was about to argue further, but stopped and dropped his shoulders as he accepted his master’s decision. He moved away from the railing and returned Mara’s smile. “Then I shall wish you look, master, and pray that Lord Ikusagami’s light protects you.
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The gates to the temple grounds swung open and Mara stepped out. The guards on duty bowed quickly and stepped inside as the doors swung shut behind her, as they were forbidden to look upon the grandmaster outside of her temple. Taking slow and deep breaths, she pressed her palms together and closed her eyes, focusing her spiritual Chi energies to her core. As she slipped into the meditative state, an orb of light illuminated on her chest, burning bright like a miniature sun. Wisps of energy flowed around the warrior, starting off small and few but growing quickly within seconds. Soon, there was nothing to be seen but a cocoon of blinding light, from within which a metamorphosis would be begin. All that was needed was for Mara to accept the light inside her. To become one with the soul of a dragon.
The cocoon grew to enormous size in seconds, towering over the walls of the Yellow Lotus School. The top split open like the petal of a blossoming lotus, exposing the sacred giant to the world. It resembled one of the many dragons that roamed the land, but kept the humanoid features of its original form. Her design was both beautiful and deadly, with lotus-like patterns of spikes atop emerald scales and armour. The face of the warrior was like that of a mask, completing the mysterious look of DragonLotus as the cocoon faded into trails of glowing petals. Her visor-like eye looked far to the horizon, where the devil was said to reside. A decade had passed since Mara had called upon the power she knew so little about, but she had nothing to fear except the destruction of everything she had worked so hard to build. Her temple was the only memory of her former home left, and the dragon warrior would see that it remained standing and proud.
From the top of the main temple’s steps, Boruto watched as his master began to sprint down the mountainside. The other monks watching cheered and hollered for their living goddess, unaware of their true identity. When the elderly warrior had first discovered Mara’s secret, he was cautious of the dangers that may come should that knowledge become widespread, and so urged his then-student to keep her identity secret, even to the students of her school. As far as the population of the temple knew, their grandmaster had summoned forth the emerald dragon to aid them in repelling the foul demon.
Mara could hear the chorus as she skidded down the mountain surface. Their praise brought a tiny smirk to her jagged lips and she came to a halt to look back at the school. In truth, she had doubts in her power after hearing Kai Lee’s report, but the cries of support soothed her nerves slightly.
The ground behind DragonLotus suddenly erupted in a tremendous explosion. The reptilian goddess spun around as soil and rock flew high, forming a dense, brown cloud. Through the gaze, she caught sight of something glowing, almost like a star, before it was swallowed up by the dark veil. The cloud began to throw thicker and seemed to shrink before her very eye, like the dirt was colligating together under an unknown force. But then the cloud started to solidify, forming a rough, cracked chest zigzagged with amber lines. Arms and legs followed suit, growing out of the main body while large, jagged spikes morphed out from its shoulders like demonic wings. Finally, the thing’s head took shape, sprouting spikes from its cheeks and a mouth filled with sharp fangs. Its eyes took fierce, triangular shapes, oozing malice towards DragonLotus seemingly at her mere presence alone. The golem let out a bizarre warbling sound and flexed its arms. It was eager for a fight.
At first, she’d had her doubts, but after seeing the “demon” for herself, Mara’s theory was confirmed. It seemed that even in this primitive time, aliens had set their sights on Earth. The thing’s true, orb-like form and the fact that it fell from the sky was undeniable proof of the entity’s origins, but whether it was here of its own accord or part of the scheme of a commanding force was something the dragon warrior had no care for.
The construct’s arm lashed out, forcing DragonLotus to bring up her own and catch the blow. Her crossed forearms held its claws back before she swung them out, causing Dororin to stumble back. With the speed of a bullet, the humanoid dragon went on the offence, swinging out with her fist and catching the golem on the chest, causing cracks to spread across the point of impact. The strange thing cried out with its unusual sound and swung at DragonLotus again, only for the grandmaster to fall back, balancing on one leg and striking out with the other. Her foot caught Dororin’s wrist, causing its entire forearm to break apart into rocks and dirt, to her surprise. She quickly capitalised on her discovery, switching legs as she spun on the spot and slammed her clubbed tail into the site of her first strike. The golem’s whole body fell apart on contact and collapsed to the ground as a mass of debris.
DragonLotus stepped back to admire the remains of the alien creature, but remained on edge. This invader had been tough enough to challenge the greatest guardians of the kingdoms of Earth, yet its form was fragile to the point of utter bafflement. What power was the creature keeping hidden from her?
The remains of the golem began to stir, rolling across the ground and across Mara’s feet as they congregated to a single spot. Right before the sacred warrior, Dororin’s body started to reform and emerge from the merging soil. It let out a warbled moan as its new form hardened, its eyes trained on DragonLotus. So this was the thing’s secret.
Shifting her stance to a defensive one, the lotus warrior prepared to fight again, but Dororin’s eyes suddenly crackled with bolts of yellow power. Flickering energy bolts fired from the creature’s eyes, forcing DragonLotus to shift her body to the side to avoid the surging beams. The thing fired again over and over, but the gracile and swift warrior easily weaved and flowed around every shot that Dororin aimed at her. On the next shot, however, the soil borne entity turned its firepower to the ground, kicking up a wave of dust and rock with the resulting explosion that blanketed its startled enemy. DragonLotus quickly raised her arms to protect her face from the blinding cloud, allowing the dirt to harmlessly shower her scales, but allowed a blast of the golem’s eye bolts to strike the guardian of light in the shoulder. She shouted as hot pain engulfed the targeted area and pressed her palm to the burn to try and sooth it, which allowed Dororin to rush towards the distracted grandmaster. The commotion of its charge recaught DragonLotus’ attention, but the construct moved with unpredicted speed and was on the feminine reptile before she had time to react. Its hand lashed out and grabbed her by the neck, lifting the protector off the ground and squeezing tightly. Mara struggled in the thing’s hold, gripping its arm to try and break its ironclad grip, but Dororin only responded with what seemed like laughter, before tossing her away.
As she rolled in the air, the trained fighter turned her form so to roll on her landing and back to her feet. The act took seconds to carry out and she was quickly retaking the stance of her Snapdragon style as Dororin spun around. She carefully judged the movements of the golem, analysing its next move while ensuring that her one was as neutral as possible, so as prevent her foe from reading into her plan. As the thing’s eyes glowed, she jerked to the side, prompting Dororin to fire in that direction. DragonLotus stopped herself mid-movement as Dororin fell for the bait and rolled towards the occupied creature, which only had time to stare in apparent shock before she uncurled and leapt up, delivering a dual-handed uppercut to the golem’s chin. Instantly, its head shattered into fragments, with the rest of the body falling back and breaking apart upon contact with the rocky ground.
Now that she was aware of the creature’s ability to reform, Mara kept her eyes trained on the fragments of Dororin, waiting for it to rise up again. She could understand how the other guardians had struggled to defeat this most unusual foe. Was there honestly even a way to truly destroy it? How do you kill something that can reform again and again without limitations?
The earth under her feet began to move, but Dororin’s remains did not stir. At first, the dragon warrior was confused, tilting her head, before she realised which way the dirt was shifting. She spun around as Dororin’s new body rose up behind her, launching its eye lasers that DragonLotus barely managed to duck under. She flipped to the side as another blast was directed at her, detonating in the spot where her feet once stood while she cartwheeled to safety. Dororin’s evil orbs appeared to narrow in frustration and it cried out with its alien sound as DragonLotus landed upright once more. Before she could act, the golem’s body began to change. The female guardian watched with interest and suspense, her guard faltering as Dororin’s shape morphed and slimmed, taking a more bestial form. Rocks and spikes were replaced by fur and claws, and as a tuft-tipped tail emerged from its back, Mara realised with shock and horror what was happening. The entity’s earth-forged skull shifted into a mammalian complexion, with glistening gems for eyes and a mouth of large canines as two wide ears grew from the top of its head.
More of the mystery surrounding the alien’s abilities was unveiled before the gaze of the emerald champion. It couldn’t just make bodies from the earth; it could copy the forms of others!
The imitation of King Caesar unleashed the defender of Okinawa’s mighty roar. With speed like that of the real deal, it rushed the stunned DragonLotus and spread its arms. Snapping out of her awed trance, Mara tensed her legs and leapt high over the copycat as it closed the distance, grabbing thin air fruitlessly as she twirled elegantly to face the false shisa on landing. She leapt at the shapeshifter, extending her foot for a flying kick, but as Dororin turned, its hand caught the dragon’s limb with astounding reflexes. DragonLotus barely had time to gasp before she was swung through the air and slammed into the wall of the mountain. Slumping to the ground, she moaned and started to rise, but the fake guardian’s claws wrapped around the back of her head and pushed, slamming the grandmaster’s face against the mountainside with enough force to crack the ancient stone. DragonLotus grunted under the impact, pain shooting across her features, but she ignored the sensation and pushed back from the rock face, leaving a faint smear of blood as crimson droplets fell from a gash across her forehead.
As the goddess shifted her legs to press her feet against the wall, her hands gripped the wrists of Dororin and ripped the golem’s paws from her head. Still holding the thing’s arms, she kicked off the mountain and flipped over it, using the momentum of the technique to drag the imposter with her and toss it overhead as her talons touched down and anchored into the earth. Dororin bounced across the terrain for only a short distance before it dug its stolen claws into the ground, digging trenches into rock and earth alike as it slid to a stop. Bits and pieces of the entity’s body had been broken off in the tumble, but as it stood tall, the chips and cracks were filled in by new dirt and sculpted to complete the perfect replica of King Caesar once more. With the royal protector’s feral roar, it charged DragonLotus once more, and this time, the lotus dragon chose to meet it head on. Swinging claws were blocked by armoured forearms and quick reflexes as Mara deflected every one of the shapeshifter’s strikes. The invader’s knee shot up, only to be caught against the emerald warrior’s own leg, causing Dororin to stagger as it was left to balance on one limb. Taking advantage of its instability, DragonLotus’ palm crashed into the golem’s gut, causing it to stumble back and surrender space to the champion of the gods. As it corrected itself, Mara closed the distance and started to pummel the fake creature’s body with her fists. The first few punches hammered Dororin without resistance, but the alien raised its forearms, copying the same stance DragonLotus had used and blocked each blow with expert precision.
But as the dragon’s assault intensified, Dororin learned of a horrible flaw in its strategy. With each of the feminine giant’s punches, the structure of the dirt borne thing’s arms began to crack, unable to handle the power and speed of the blows. As Mara swung faster and harder, Dororin’s arms started to fall apart as their form crumpled under the shattering strikes, until at last, the imposter’s limbs broke apart in a shower of dust and soil. It stumbled back, looking at the stumps of its elbows with an expression akin to shock.
Flickering embers rose from the corners of DragonLotus’ jaws. Behind her sharp jaws, flames hotter than anything produced by Man in this era grew, fuelled by the mystic’s reserves of Chi. As the inferno grew, the emerald dragon tapped her energies into the other element under her control. The wind around DragonLotus started to pick up, transforming from a slight breeze to a fierce gust of unbelievable strength. As Dororin looked up, Mara’s mouth opened and allowed the elements of fire and air to meet and shoot forth as one raging stream. The Kaze-en struck Dororin square in its chest, causing a massive cloud of dust and smoke to rise up as the entity cried out in King Caesar’s voice. Once again, pieces of the alien’s form scattered across the landscape, but as the cloud lifted, DragonLotus was taken aback.
The golem’s top was completely gone, but dark smoke rose from the still standing hips and legs. To any normal man, the sight would have been comical, but the grandmaster took it as a sign that the creature was adapting as they fought. Each time it was broken apart, the body would reform more durable than before. If she could not find a way to take it out permanently, nothing on the planet would be able to stop the invader from completing whatever it had come to do.
Although her spirit was shaken, something in the smog clouding the remains of Dororin drew Mara’s attention, giving the lotus warrior a fragment of hope. Hidden in the dark veil, a faint light emitted, and DragonLotus had to lean closer to make out the source of it. There it was; the orb that she’d seen when the shapeshifter had arrived. Decades of wisdom wasn’t needed for the dragon to make sense of the object. This was the thing’s true form, the “body” an outer shell to protect it and interact with the environment. Now DragonLotus held the greatest power of them all over her opponent. If Dororin was to be stopped, here and now, she had to get to the orb.
Dororin’s remains was drawn across the earth, merging with the golem’s legs as the stump atop began to bulge and expand. As its body regenerated, its appearance began to shift again. Fur and stone became green, leathery skin and the tail thickened and lengthened. A jagged shell grew from the imitator’s chest and back while its head took a reptilian shape, the massive ears of King Caesar retracting into its skull as massive tusks sprouted from its lower jaw. Before Mara’s eyes, the invader changed from the protector of Okinawa to Gamera, Guardian of the Universe. Dororin’s new form stepped forward with ground-shaking steps as it let loose the custodian’s thunderous roar. As it closed the distance, DragonLotus’ leg snapped up and collided with its chest, but the entity showed no response. The undeterred dragon kept up her attack, striking at Dororin’s plastron over and over as it continued to advance without hesitation.
Focused on her assault, DragonLotus almost missed the invader’s arm as it swung at her. She leaned back, ducking under the swipe with amazing flexibility before lunging up and grabbing the outstretched limb. Using the arm as an anchor, the emerald guardian lifted her form off the ground, twisting herself so to swing around and strike the golem’s face with her tail. The spiked club hit its stolen features with a loud impact and it fell with a surprised cry as Mara released her grip and rolled away as the shapeshifter toppled. The grandmaster was easily on her feet once more, while Dororin pushed itself upright with impressive speed. As it turned, half of the creature’s head was gone, leaving a jagged indent where the left side used to be, but not for long. New dirt expanded to fill the void, taking the appearance of Dororin’s true form for a moment before morphing to match the rest of the copied body. The false terrapin charged, driving DragonLotus back with swift slashes of its clawed digits that the grandmaster weaved and ducked away from with ease. But now put on the defensive, she struggled to find a way past the chaotic strikes.
As she jerked back from another strike, the alien’s elbow shot up after it. The pointed spike on the top caught the dragon warrior unawares, slashing up her chest with violent sparks as the blade met scales tougher than iron. Mara cried out, losing her voice briefly within an animalistic cry that ripped from her throat and lurched back, clutching a hand to her breast. When she pulled it away, droplets of blood stained her palm, stunning the champion for only a moment before she looked up as her enemy’s sockets crackled with power. The duo of lasers crashed into DragonLotus’ chest and threw her back, falling and rolling to a crotch as her chest smoked. She cocked her head at Dororin, curious about its choice to use its own beams and not Gamera’s power over fire. Could it only copy the physical abilities of its imitations?
Though her sternum burned, she forced herself up and took a defensive stance once more. If the thing was adapting as they fought, so she must, too. Dororin was strong in its current form, but the bulky sculpt of Gamera made it unsuited for speed. With this knowledge, she rushed the shapeshifter, stopping short as a clawed hand lashed out and blocked the hit with her arm. Almost as soon as it connected, her free hand chopped down on the crook of its arm and forced it down. The technique was repeated as Dororin’s other hand extended, grabbing it by the wrist and letting her fist fly into the invader’s nose. Quickly, a pattern was set up, with the dragon warrior countering the golem’s attacks almost as quickly as they came.
In Mara’s teachings, there was no such thing as perfection. Everything had flaws to their design, and it was a lesson that her students learned early on to identify and accept their weaknesses if they were to better themselves. The battle here was no exception to her logic. Without Gamera’s pyrokinesis, strength alone was not enough for Dororin to succeed.
With a howl of rage, Dororin’s jaws lunged toward DragonLotus’ throat. The grandmaster’s head shot forward to meet the attack, smashing her armoured cranium against the shapeshifter’s forehead. The sound of the impact echoed around the area and the thing stumbled back, its expression paved with large fractures. Taking the moment of opportunity created, DragonLotus leapt up and twirled in the air, with the warrior’s long tail twisting around her body like the ribbon of an exotic dancer. Her legs parted into a split while he spun, striking the alien’s skull with each limb before ending with a sharp and powerful strike of her clubbed tail to the temple of the imitator that sent it sprawling further.
Master Boruto watched on as the fight played out, muttering small prayers of encouragement for his master and former pupil. Around him, other disciples of the school looked at the duelling giants with neutral expression. No soul could afford to fall victim to the influences of emotion at this delicate time, so they were relegated to bystanders to this clash of titans.
The old warrior had always believed in the concepts of worlds beyond the mortal plane. Realms where the spirits of the deceased would find peaceful rest or be judged for eternity. In all manners of forms across various religions, there was the idea that creatures of evil roamed the darker worlds, and could step forth into theirs to spread sin and corruption upon mankind. Such tales of these encounters had been dismissed as the figment of troubled minds and vivid dreams, but here and now, some thing from a realm above modern understanding stood before the master, battling it out with a wielder of light like so many stories portrayed. His master was agile and valiant, but the demon was cunning. He desperately wanted to help somehow, but what was there that he could do?
Dororin slammed against the cliffside from the recent blow. The rock face trembled under the impact, causing trees to topple and boulders to break away and smash the creature’s back. The banks of a coursing river burst open, spilling freezing water down the mountain as Dororin pushed away and morphed once more. Scales and armour reverted to rough dirt as the entity took its original form with its bizarre cry. Before Master Boruto’s eyes, it flexed its arms, but only one limb raised in response. Confused, it looked to the offending limb to discover a dark patch spreading across its bicep. The torrent of spring water washed over Dororin’s left arm and was absorbed into its earthen structure, transforming compact dirt to sloppy mud. Warbling in distress, the golem could only watch as its arm fell apart, unable to maintain stability in its new state. With an ugly squelching sound, the limb dropped away from the thing’s shoulder, splattering across the soaked ground. Mara turned to face the golem, but had missed the full event while recovering from her recent attack. A confused sound escaped her throat as she craned her head, wondering what had happened to the entity.
Boruto had seen all, however. Like his master before him, he was quick to formulate a way to exploit the devil’s weakness.
“Find what you can that can hold water and fill them at the springs!” he called out, drawing the other monks’ attention instantly. “Bring it back here as fast as you can. Your goddess needs it! Hurry, hurry!”
His order sank in fast and the crowd dispersed to gather the necessary equipment. Buckets, pots, pans, even cups and bottle passed the old man in the hands of his disciples as they rushed towards the sacred springs that lay not far outside the grounds of the school. The wise master had faith, but he prayed to the gods that their efforts would not be in vain. Mara just had to hold out a little longer…
The pair rushed each other again. Despite its lack of an arm, Dororin charged with unwavering tenacity. The entity lashed out with its claws, but DragonLotus’ strikes were faster, slamming her palms into its chest, and stopped the creature in its tracks. More blows pushed the golem back, striking it again and again without hesitation as Mara sought to crack open the shell and expose the core. With each blow, the armour cracked, but Dororin’s arm swung down before it could be broken. Sharp claws tore diagonally down the chest of the guardian, shedding scales and blood alike and driving a scream from the normally stoic warrior. Closing the distance, the fiend drew the distracted grandmaster into a one-armed bear hug. The pain enveloping DragonLotus grew worse as it began to squeeze, slowly crushing her ribcage and making it harder for the injured dragon to breathe. Dororin’s stump of a shoulder began to pulse, finally able to regenerate with the lingering moisture evaporated. The new mass expanded rapidly and took the crude form of an arm, with the full details moulded into shape subsequently. With the new limb, it secured the emerald giant and lifted her off the ground, crushing Mara against its hardened chest.
The added pressure made DragonLotus scream in agony as bone groaned and cracked in the imitator’s hold. She could barely take in breath without hot pain shooting through her lungs as they were pressed against the dragon’s tightening rib cage. The grandmaster thrashed around in Dororin’s grip, trying whatever she could in her situation to break its embrace, but the golem would not relent. Her legs kicked at the entity’s ankles while she flexed her arms furiously, which was rewarded by Dororin squeezing harder. If she could not break free soon, something would give. The only options left were risky, but what other choice did she have?
Without further hesitation, the lotus dragon funnelled her elemental powers to her throat. Her reflective scales shone with the aura of her virtuous Chi, catching Dororin attention immediately. Before the otherworldly thing could act, the Kaze-en burst from DragonLotus’ maw and engulfed its upper half in raging fire and wind. The dirt that composed its body turned to hardened clay under the blaze, removing the golem’s ability to move rapidly. The same flames washed over DragonLotus, scorching the warrior’s hide and turning emerald scales as black as coal, but she continued to fire upon her captor. With its body almost like a statue now, Dororin fired its lasers at point-blank in desperation. The crackling energies were instantly consumed by Mara’s mystical flames and an enormous explosion blossomed forth, throwing the champion clear with a deafening cry. The alien’s form was blown apart instantly, its smoking remains launched far and littering the mountain like shattered pottery.
Parts of the golem bounced off DragonLotus’ sprawled form, whose beautiful figure was coated with ash and bruises. Every movement the great dragon made caused her muscles to ache, but she did not if there was time to waste. Groggily, she looked to the blackened earth where Dororin once stood as she stood tall, noting the transformed remains of the entity. She prayed to the luck of the gods that it had been enough to finally put the invader down, as the desperate move had taken out much of her reserves. She couldn’t fight on for much longer.
The earth beneath her feet pushed upwards. Instead of something bursting from underneath, a spinning, metal drill formed from the ground itself and gashed the grandmaster’s feet. DragonLotus fell over, shouting out her pain as blood spilled from torn scales. The soil was pushed up, transforming into a mountain of stone and roots as limbs began to take form. Chunky, dark green armour adorned with yellow patterns emerged across the golem, with a massive carapace guarding the back. The drill from before took the place of its hands as two halves, and a long, star-tipped horn and wiggling antennae grew from the top of its bulbous head. Large, glowing eyes and snapping mandibles completed Dororin’s transformation into the Lord of Seatopia, Megalon. The same mandibles spread open, launching a ball of napalm from the depths of the entity at Mara’s prone form. The warrior rolled aside at the last moment, avoiding the bomb and the sea of flames that blossomed upon detonation, and scrambled to her feet. She hissed as her injured soles pressed against the ground, but the guttural cry from the doppelganger focused her attention elsewhere as Dororin charged blindly. Spinning on the spot, DragonLotus’ tail smacked the advancing insectoid, but Dororin did not stop. Its arm shot forth, forcing Mara to jump back to avoid its strikes.
Suddenly, the lotus dragon was on the defensive, hitting at the golem’s arms and chest with palms and fists alike. Before, her blows would have been enough to shatter the body, but now barely a crack was left in the wake of her hits. She’d been too slow, too cautious, in dealing with the invader, and now the guardian was paying the price. Unless she could retake control of the battle, Dororin could not be stopped.
The lack of stamina was taking its toll on the grandmaster. Though she retailed her elegant and precise movements, there were moments where the emerald titan began sluggish and unfocused. Not long into the assault, one of Dororin’s drills evaded her guard and stabbed forward, tearing into the side of her abdomen. With a tormented shriek, Mara retreated and clutched the slashed area, trying to stem the blood loss with her Chi as quickly as she could. Dororin offered no relieve or mercy, throwing itself back into the fray, and bounced a drill off the distracted warrior’s head, making her wobble away. It spat another bomb from its mouth, which struck DragonLotus squarely in the chest and wrapped her shimmering scales in flame. The force of the explosion made the dragon take a step back, but while her front began to turn as dark as soot, Mara’s mystical nature rendered her largely immune to the ordinary flames. Another orb was fired by the golem, and this time, the grandmaster reached out and snatched it out of the air. Before Dororin could respond, it was thrown back at the shapeshifter’s feet, detonating with enough power to take chunks out of its legs. It roared in anger as fire consumed its lower half, but resisted the urge to pat out the blaze. It could not harm the creature with its limited supply. Instead, the golem turned its gaze to Mara, its sockets burning with anger and crackling with power.
The lasers slammed into DragonLotus’ torso, ravaging the wounded area further and driving a scream from the grandmaster’s throat. A second blast was aimed at the champion’s legs, causing her to fall to the scorched earth as dirt and fire erupted into the air. Dororin fired relentlessly, washing its golden energies over the dragon warrior’s writhing form again and again. Its stolen face was as immobile as the others, yet Mara knew that the twisted creature delighted in the suffering it was causing. Blast after blast pinned the mortal goddess to the ground, helpless to repel the bombardment while Dororin’s true, mocking cry echoed from the imitation’s mandibles.
Something wet struck the ankle of the golem. Ceasing its assault, Dororin peered down and discovered a tiny patch of moisture adorning a patch of its massive limb. Fragments of wood littered the ground around it, but it was inconsequential to the giant. As it looked away, there was another impact, and the sensation of moisture soaking into its structure grew. Another strike followed, and another, and another. Dororin turned its gaze back down and watched as tubs, pans and buckets of water were thrown against its legs, transforming the dirt that composed them to thick mud. The structure of its limbs began to sag and deteriorate, but it was still solid enough for the entity to keep itself together. Drawing its gaze away from the sprawled form of DragonLotus, it searched for the source of the assault.
Outside the walls of the school, the monks had set up makeshift defences. Crude slingshots and catapults lined the exterior and launched the collected spring water at the golem. Under the belief that the colossal thing was a demon, the disciples uttered ancient blessings upon the water to dispel its impurities and exalt it with the purity of the gods. The purification made no difference, but the effect it had on Dororin fuelled the misconception. As its legs turned to sludge, the thing began to march uphill towards the temple with rage in its eyes. Containers of water continued to be shot at the approaching golem, but there was not enough to fully destroy its body’s cohesion. Fortunately, that was not the disciples’ mission. They were the distraction.
High above, Boruto stood at the broken banks of the mountain river. The waterfall that had taken the demon’s arm was now a mere trickle down the cliff wall, but the river was far from dry. Thousands of gallons remained further up, far from the breach and too powerful to be redirected by hand. The old master’s hands shook with fear as his sight lay upon Dororin. Each step of the invader took it closer to the school, his home, leaving no time for hesitation. Fear still gripped the man, burdened with the task of stopping the vile thing when his successor could not. His body stiffened as he calmed his mind, reminding himself of the consequences, should he fall prey to negative emotions here and now. As Boruto’s pulse slowed, golden light shone from the elder’s chest and flowed to his hands. His head bowed and his palms pressed together, quickly mediating to draw out the vast reverses of Chi within that had formed over his rich and healthy life. It flowed to the elder’s hands, bathing him in the shining aura that shone from his palms while he concentrated his senses elsewhere. The same spiritual energies coursing into his hands were forced into the ground beneath him as well, spreading through the terrain as if it was water being absorbed into the dirt. Through the wave, Boruto searched for the site he needed. The right spot for which to---
The master’s fist slammed down, aglow with the indomitable might of his spirit that discharged into the ground. From the site of impact, cracks spread out in all directions, forming a shape almost like a spider’s web as the cliff began to tremble. Soil and rocks started to fall as Boruto leapt away with grace unfitting of a man his age. The rumbling of the shifting mass caught Dororin’s attention and it turned as the cliff wall fell away in a brown cloud, tumbling down the mountainside. Behind it, the waves of the river followed, bursting out of what little of its banks were left and careening down the collapsed cliff at frightening speed. The sight made the golem shriek in horror, but it had no time to act before the gushing waters slammed into its legs. It cried out loudly as its lower body began to crumble and sink into the torrent, turning the river a dirty colour with its essence as it washed away.
Mara’s head turned up as the waters splashed her sprawled body. The chill of the mountain melt water has felt even more by the reptilian goddess, driving her to prop her exhausted form up to escape the icy sensation. As her senses focused, she noticed the alien’s state of distress, flailing in the flash flood as it was eroded piece by piece. The grandmaster began to search for the cause, only to sense a familiar energy from high on the cliff, and nodded with a grateful growl in the direction of her disciple.
Now DragonLotus knew of the invader’s weakness, but the fierce river was drying quickly. What started as a torrent was turning to a slow trickle as the stream on the mountain began to run out, and Dororin, with its upper half dry and intact, started to notice. The rest of the battle was once more on the lotus warrior’s shoulders, and she promised not to let the shapeshifter best her again. Her Kaze-en fired at Dororin before it could recognise the danger and struck the golem’s head, destroying it with a burst of stone and dust. As the rest of the body toppled back, Mara pushed herself to her feet for the next part of her plan. Taking a stance like that of a dancer, the dragon started to spin on the spot, picking up speed rapidly as she summoned her aerokinetic power to form a swirling vortex around her elegant form. With a kicking motion, the tornado was launched at the stirring remains of Dororin, sweeping its fragments into the air and away from the soil that powered it. Without the pieces of its former body, the thing had no materials for which to take form, forcing the orb to emerge from the soaked ground in search of a new site. Before it could move off, however, it was drawn to the vortex, unable to escape its powerful vacuum and was pulled into the eye of the storm. The invader was trapped exactly where Mara wanted it.
The dragon warrior tensed her legs, prepping her aching body as she focused on the tiny orb. Her next strike had be precise and accurate. Even if the thing was in the grandmaster’s grasp, the margin for error was still present and great. There could be no room for error. Muscles contracted, her heart rate slowed and her luminous eyes locked onto her target, before finally she pounced. Flying across the clearing, her foot extended for the final strike that would end the alien menace.
The hands of fate seemed to throw the dragon warrior one last challenge. At the last moment, Dororin was ripped back into the howling winds, shifting from the spot where Mara was now hurtling towards. Her heel passed through empty air, but before she could hit the ground, the gusts of her own tornado whisked the grandmaster into its grasp. Flung around violently and uncontrollably, all that DragonLotus could do in her predicament was try to brave the storm as she spun and flipped over and over. Fragments of Dororin’s golem body smashed the champion from all angles, prompting Mara to attempt to guard herself from the projectiles as best as she could.
From the corner of her vision, she caught sight of the orb as the vortex drew it close to the feminine giant by coincidence. Her hand extended towards Dororin, straining the limb to its limits in an effort to grab the entity and crush it within her palm. But just as her claws came within range, Mara found herself flying in the opposite direction. She watched with terror as the vortex and the orb grew smaller and smaller, disappearing in the distance before all the lotus dragon could see was dirt as her head collided with the mountainside.
The reptilian goddess rolled down the rocky terrain at alarming speed and without control or grace. She bounced off the rock outcrops and jagged boulders before smashing back into the hard surface of the mountain, imprinting dark bruises and gashed scales upon her beautiful form as she tumbled towards the coastline. DragonLotus’ limbs reached out, reaching out to grab anything close or digging her claws into the earth to try and stop her descent. It would work to slow down the guardian briefly, but the loose density of the mountain soil gave little anchor for her weight and sent her plummeting down once more.
At last, she reached the bottom. The slope ended at a small cliff, and with no means of stopping, DragonLotus shot off the edge and to the beach below. Her landing was awkward, and a snap echoed as she hit the sand. Mara threw her head back with a loud gasp, her hand flying to her ribcage as agony ripped through her side. A rib had snapped in the impact, and pain shot through the warrior as they tried to move and stand. Slowly and carefully, DragonLotus rolled onto her hands and knees and pushed herself up, hissing with the overwhelming sting. With full reverses of Chi, the trauma of the wound could have been ignored. But she was drained and tired, leaving the grandmaster to suffer the full effects.
It suddenly clicked to the lotus warrior on where she was. Her gaze cast to the open sea, its crystal blue waters only dozen meters away. If she could get Dororin here, she only had to force the invader in to neutralise its power. But where was it?
Tons of earth slid down the trail of destruction left by DragonLotus, growing in mass as debris in its path was swept up into the avalanche. The tremendous noise generated by the movement got the draconic champion’s attention, and she twisted around just as the disturbance neared the edge of the mountain. It could have easily been a natural mudslide, triggered by the flooding of the highland and her rough descent down, but Mara was taking no chances with the invader’s unique abilities. Sure enough, as the mass of earth came to the cliff, it abruptly stopped. Dororin’s cocoon hung on the edge, reluctant to descent to the sands below. DragonLotus’ head snapped between the two materials in confusion, but the answer immediately revealed itself as she recalled the golem aversion to water. If mud was too loose for it to control, then the alien would no doubt have the same issue with sand. It wouldn’t come down and face her because it couldn't. But she needed it to.
Despite her depleted reverses, the dragon warrior channelled her precious remaining Chi to her maw and launched the Kaze-en. Instead of the mound of earth that contained the sentient orb, the blast of fire and wind struck the rock face under Dororin. Centuries old rock collapsed instantly, sending the collected dirt tumbling down to the beach below amongst dozens of tons of stone and formed a pile at the base of the cliff. For a moment, it remained still as the entity analysed the volume of usable mass around it, causing Mara to hold her breath in anticipation. Eventually, the rubble started to transform, forming the shape of another of the invader’s imitations. For a moment, relief washed over DragonLotus, but as the new body of Dororin began to develop features, she suddenly recognised the error in her scheme. The one guardian that she had yet to battle.
Emerald scales, shades lighter than the transformed grandmaster’s own, took form, spreading across the golem’s lengthening body to a pair of crocodilian jaws tipped with growing whiskers. A mane of hair ran down the back of the serpent, as arms and legs sprouted from the coiling creature. It was the spitting image of an Eastern dragon, the form of the god of the Mu Kingdom, Manda. It growled as its cat-like eyes scanned the weakened form of its adversary, gleaming with dark intentions. The entity may not be a demon in truth, but Dororin’s goals were filled with the same malice and cruelty as the spreaders of sin. It knew of the advantage that its current form held over a warrior of DragonLotus’ style. It had purposely saved this imitation for last.
DragonLotus turned and bolted for the sea, eager to get there before the shapeshifter could make its first move. The instant she began to run, pain shot though her right ankle and brought the goddess to a knee. She hissed in pain, bringing a hand to the afflicted, bruised limb to determine the issue. She’d done something in the fall, twisted or sprained it and could no longer put weight upon that foot for the time being. It was another disadvantage put upon her, but Mara pushed herself up and resumed her rush to the shoreline, hobbling across the sands at a frantic pace. Behind her, the serpentine form of Dororin slithered after, following its wounded prey at a pace that the lotus dragon couldn’t hope to exceed in her condition. It caught up in seconds and its head reared up, waiting for the sweetest moment to strike. Aware of the looming danger, Mara still limped towards the shoreline, fuelled by determination alone and running on fumes. She almost made into the waves when the golem struck, sinking its jaws into the champion’s shoulder and driving her to the ground with the impact of its coiling form.
The length of the false guardian began to wrap around DragonLotus. Its coils pressed the grandmaster’s limbs tight against her body with the strength of steel, locking her in place as it continued to squeeze. Mara thrashed frantically in Dororin’s hold, trying with no luck to break the thing’s hold. Every time the dragon struggled, the coils tightened further, crushing her ribcage around her lungs to restrict the warrior’s breathing. As they squeezed further, bones began to crack and pop, audible to the ears of both titans. Although her fight was valiant, Mara had little left in her reverses, and the growing pressure on her lungs increased the burden upon her. By the second, the guardian’s struggles weakened, her vision starting to blur from the lack of oxygen and fatigue. Her head slumped and DragonLotus’ visor dimmed as consciousness began to fade from the custodian of light. From the throat of the “serpent”, a sound like laughter came forth, filling the mind of the dying goddess as Dororin relished in its victory. Once it was finished here, the entity would move on to the next kingdom, and the next, and the next. It would not stop until all life had been extinguished from the planet and the people that Mara sought to protect were a distant memory…
The grim reality that could be brought the dragon warrior back from the brink. Although her movements were restrained, the clubbed tail of the champion was free enough to whip up and strike the back of Dororin’s skull. It instantly released her shoulder and roared in anger, loosening its coils ever so slightly as to turn around to determine what had struck it. The tiny bit of space was all that DragonLotus had to move, but it needed to be enough. Her feet dug into the sand while she used her knees to raise herself from the beach, standing upright for the briefest moment with the golem still wrapped around the sacred giant. Before it could react, DragonLotus threw herself forward, kicking off the sand to launch herself and Dororin into the thrashing waves.
The duo vanished in a colossal spray of sea water. Mara felt the coils of the alien relinquish their grip instantly as they sank into the shallow waves, and pushed herself away from Dororin, driving the panicked creature further into the ocean. Her upper half shot up to the surface, gasping for air and wiping the stinging salt from her vision. Just before the lotus dragon, Dororin hollered loudly, turning the surrounding water to white froth with its struggles. It instantly tried to break for the shore, but its body was already falling apart, melting like sludge or breaking into chunks as the material of the thing’s form absorbed the sea water. The true sound of the alien rang out as if for call for mercy, but it would get none. This time, there was no dry soil for it to assimilate. The golem was done for.
Instead of attacking, Mara sat down in the waves. She crossed her legs and linked her palms, adopting the same meditative stance as her students in the temple. Her eye darkened as she severed the sense of sight temporarily, terminating all influences from the outside world as she focused. To deal the final strike, she needed strength, and this was the means to obtain it. The grandmaster turned her thoughts away from the bruises and cuts adorning her scales and focused on clearing her mind. Banishing all thoughts and emotions and concentrating on nothing. As slow, deep breaths left the guardian, her body began to glow with the golden aura of Chi, consuming Mara in light as bright as the sun. Her energy levels, previously drained, began to recharge instantaneously, restoring DragonLotus’ stamina to full and lifting the strain of her wounds. The invader had underestimated the power of Utsuno Ikusagami’s chosen, not realised what she was capable of when put to the test. Now it would not have the chance to learn from its mistake.
The last of the golem sank into the waves, joining the tons of sand and earth that already made up the sea floor. The orb that was Dororin peaked from the waves and came face to face with the recharging DragonLotus. The female titan’s visor reignited, glaring at the shimmering object with disapproval, and she stood up. Her form was still marked with the toll of the battle, but she shone with the same confidence and vigour as she had in her prime. She was the one in control, not Dororin, and the extra-terrestrial immediately knew it. It shot in the opposite direction, trying to gain as much distance from the dragoness and escape to the safety of space. Despite the quite rate of the alien’s ascent, Mara did not rush to intervene. Her gaze followed on the retreating orb while her legs spread and tensed, honing her body in preparation for the next move. Even if she was fully restored in terms of vigour, the damages done to the guardian remained, making it essential that Mara ensured that her attack was accurate to the highest degree.
No second chances. Perfection or nothing. These were the stakes put upon the woman-turned-monster.
She sprang into the air, assisting herself by generating a burst of wind beneath with her aerokinesis to grant her the necessary height and momentum. Flying up towards the level of the entity, the lotus dragon’s foot extended for the final, perfect strike. Too preoccupied in escaping, Dororin never saw its demise approach as DragonLotus closed the gap in the span of seconds. Her foot smashed into the orb, shattering it into thousands of sparkling fragments instantly. The invader was vanquished at last.
Gravity took hold of the goddess and pulled her back towards the ocean. She twisted in the air, adjusting her stance in order to pull off a controlled landing with minimal injury. Saltwater sprayed DragonLotus as she impacted the shoreline, reigniting the pain of her wounds and earning a twine and a hiss in response before standing tall, the waves lapping at the bottom of her knees. Around her fell the remains of Dororin, sparkling in the air like trails of glitter; a beautiful and underserved memorial for something that wrought so much destruction. As she opened a hand to catch some of the stardust, Mara hoped that whatever malevolent force had dispatched the bizarre thing had watched, and learnt of the consequences of threatening her home. If they tried again, no power in the cosmos would be able to come towards the dragon warrior and her justice.
She stepped out of the waves and onto land as her chest gem glowed, emitting wisps of light that enveloped the emerald champion in a luminous cocoon. Rapidly, it began to shrink down to the size of a human and vanished just as quickly, transforming DragonLotus back to her mortal form of Mara. The grandmaster was bloodied and exhausted, her robes of office shredded behind repair but thankfully retaining the woman’s decency. She was victorious, however, and that was the fact that mattered. Her ankle retained its injured state, but she still started the short trek towards the nearby village, where Mara would be able to receive treatment and recover, spiritually and physically. When she would questioned on how she came to be at the foot of the mountain, she’d make the excuse that she had been dragged down in the commotion of the final skirmish, and that the dragon of light, while unable to prevent her injuries, had protected her from the wrath of the shape-shifting demon. It was a lie, but a necessary one to defend her school and pupils. If word were to get out on the warrior’s true identity, it would attract attention that was unwanted in her pursuit of peace. Warlords and emperors alike would send their armies to ensure that DragonLotus’ power became theirs, and while they could never match the guardian in battle, the loss of life that would undoubtedly ensue was not a reality that the grandmaster could tolerate. She had seen too much of that, in this life and the one that came before.
In truth, Mara was not from this time. It would be thousands of years before she would be born, in the same region that the Yellow Lotus School had been built in, and be taken in by the descendants of the monks attending as of now. They raised and taught her, a little girl who ran from a life that never suited her, and transformed the child into the warrior that she was now, before she was chosen by the divine light and granted the power of her colossal form. For years, Mara protected her home against the hordes of man and monster alike as the world entered a period of chaos, until the day where the dragon faced a foe unlike any other. She remembered that battle as clear as day, but it was in the past and could not be changed, even if the golden reptile showed itself again. By sending her into the past, it had made Mara a key point of her own history by creating the events and locations that would define her past self in the future, and turned the woman into a paradox waiting to happen. She couldn’t return to the present now without destroying the flow of time.
But there were no regrets from the warrior about her position. Despite her situation, Mara was determined to spread the lessons and beliefs taught to her by her teachers wherever she could. The creation of the school was an act that she was proud of, for it along with her adventures with Boruto across the Asian territories had inspired many to take up the path towards peace in this age of war and oppression. Injustice was everywhere, no matter where you stood in time, but even if she could make the slightest change and bring about peace just that little bit faster…
That was an idea that DragonLotus, regardless of where she ended up, would keep fighting for.
WINNER:
Spoiler:
