Ionian Nights- Part 10
###Part 10
Years. It had been years since Syndra faced someone who might actually bring her a challenge in a setting where she was not bound in mystic chains. Even more stunning, it had been centuries since the Aspect of Ionia had faced the Dark Soverign. But that was just one battle that turned from history to legend and from legend to mere storytelling at a child's bedtime. There was no story now, however, only hard facts.
"Let's try THIS ONE!" Syndra snickered, floating with inhuman speed as she seemed to dance through the sky. A sphere the size of a cannonball shot through the air with a deafening whistle as it aimed right for the Ao Shin-aspect of Utsusemimaru. Instead of flesh and bone, this ball went directly through the aspect, blasting and shattering wall after wall of wood. In retaliation, said aspect dragged out his claws before firing a qi-infused arc of electricity. Nimbly, Syndra wove herself through the arc's path as if she was some manner of ace pilot. "Aaaaah it's been SO LONG since I actually had to put forth effort to win! Not much but enough to make me actually wake up!"
From below came the Leviathan aspect, webbed hands grabbing for Syndra's ankles with a drooling, toothy maw made of pure energy entrapping the arms. As the jaws of the Leviathan snapped, Syndra floated upwards, grinning with the insane delight that had only been seen on Jinx. "Yes, YES, TEST ME DAMN IT! Give me a reason to unleash my power!" she cried, Syndra turning around just in time to duck her head under a swing of Trajador Aspect's feathered assault.
On the ground, Soraka was busy tending to Karma's broken leg, entirely focused on mending bone and skin. While she could heal, numbing the pain would take away from the speed of the healing. In this situation? Speed was key. "Try not to breath too fast. I'd rather just heal a broken leg, not having to deal with you going into shock!" The astral woman explained, but Karma was miles away watching this fight.
"So when was I to know of this?" Ryota questioned, stumbling forward. He was clutching his chest where the ping-pong ball of Syndra's sphere struck him. He couldn't tell for sure but Ryota assumed at least five to six ribs were broken or cracked. He turned, glaring at Karma through his helmet. "Every day people accuse me of being obsessive. Manic. That Ionia is safe now that Noxus is gone," With one grand gesture he waved his hand over to the fight, the Kirin Aspect now launching an assault on Syndra while she lobbed spheres at the Leviathan and Ao Shin aspects, Trajador Aspect swooping low to try and claw Syndra with the talons that had replaced his feet. "And now THIS?!? Look, Karma, look at what you have wrought!"
Karma, however, was in no mood. She flung a small sphere of her own magic at Ryota's head. Not enough to injure but enough to feel like Malphite was slapping your face. "Get over yourself, Shogun. Do you think I knew that the Dark Sovereign and the Aspect of Ionia would face like this!? Do you ever think of defending the PEOPLE of Ionia or just Ionia itself!?" He glared back at Karma, not speaking as Wukong helped drag Yi closer.
"Good news, Master isn't going to need anything but a shave after this," Wukong chuckled, Yi clearly not enjoying the joke. "So...um....do you think he can win?"
Yi turned. "If either of them could have won, they would have," Yi spoke coldly, surveying the battle as his goggles whirred and clicked to gain a better field of vision. "It's remarkable, I only have a rough estimate on which Utsusemimaru is the real one. I'd say it's the only reason he's surviving this as long as he had. Syndra can't pin down the real one; She's firing in the dark hoping to kill something."
"And when she does land a hit?" Ryota proposed.
Just as they had been speaking, Syndra watched one of the spirits on the ground. Specifically the Leviathan aspect, turning his leg ever-so-slightly to shift the dust from the debris. "See you," Syndra coldly spoke, followed by a concentrated little sphere diving at said aspects leg. He tried to maneuver out of the way but it hit the ground just under him, spending him sprawling. "A neat little parlor trick, but that one is the only one kicking up dust. The others aren't doing a thing!" She cackled, launching another sphere...
...which went directly through the aspect. Syndra barely had time to react as the long, electrified claws of Ao Shin's aspect sliced the air inches from her eyes. She shoved hard, hand-meeting his chest as he went sailing backwards, snorting out what seemed to be a miniature stormcloud. "Aaaaaaah, so -that- is the little secret. You can switch to and from. Good, I was worried this would be over too fast!"
The fighting was almost too rapid to follow. Each time Syndra thought she found the real one, his physical form would jump. Each time Utsusemimaru had a chance to deal real damage to Syndra, she'd blast him back or block his Qi. The Kirin's hooves slammed at the space Syndra's back had been seconds ago. A black sphere of solid matter narrowly missed taking the head off of the Trajador aspect. It was a constant back and forth, neither side scoring an accurate hit.
Syndra, however, was done with this foolishness. As entertaining as it was, these intruders and interrupted her rest and trespassed in her domain as if she was some kind of commoner. Slowly she gathered her energy, spheres rotating around her rapidly. Each aspect moved in closer, ready to fight but cautious of what Syndra would do. By the time Utsusemimaru saw the fourth sphere blink into existence, he had no time to react. "We're done here," Syndra said coldly.
In four directions each sphere flew. Three of them went soaring through shimmering, ghostly aspects. The fourth rammed Utsusemimaru in the chest. He rolled along the floor, bouncing until he slammed hard enough to make a blast impact in the wall. A full-on hit in his soft monk clothing, made all the worse compared to how Syndra had taken out Ryota with a single, ping-pong sized ball. And HE was in full armor. "So I'll take some wild guesses: Your lungs are filled with the shrapnel of your shattered ribcage, right? Right?"
Utsusemimaru spit up an uncomfortable amount of blood. "And let me guess that your heart pumping as fast as it is probably isn't helping the whole 'help me I'm bleeding out' situation now is it?" Utsuseimaru weakly fired off a single bolt of qi, Syndra shoving it back with a wave of her own to slam into his forehead. Now he had a massive welt on his forehead, that too seeming to bleed. "Aaah, yeah, that's not too good now is it sweetie?"
Comfortable of her position, Syndra floated down from the floor, gently walking over to the fallen monk. "Had this been five years later, three years, hell I'd even say you could give me a life-or-death battle in just a year's time. But, sadly, you're only good for a small workout and an entertaining evening." Syndra smiled as his eyes fluttered, struggling not to be succumb to his concussion. "Please please please don't pass out, dear. I want you to be awake when you die."
There, mere inches from him, Syndra began to test the sizes of her spheres. "Maybe a big one to leave a nice splatter...no...no too much to clean up. Perhaps a small one that can go through slowly? Mm, it's been a while since I could take my time!" Helpless, Utsusemimaru looked through half-lidded eyes. Karma was still on the ground and probably weakened. Soraka would have to get through Syndra. Yi and Wukong would be smashed in seconds. Ryota was still reeling from his first attempt at assaulting Syndra. He truly was helpless.
"Right, I'll just go for a mid-size and just deal with the clean-up in the morning," Syndra spoke casually, lifting the sphere high above him. "Now is the time when you're usually supposed to beg. 'Please, I'll do anything' is a classic but I also enjoy 'Syndra don-' too. They don't get to finish. Adds to the enjoyment," Syndra paused, waiting for words, but Utsusemimaru had none to share. "No? Oh well. Heaven or hell, now is the time to see where you end up!"
Syndra brought her sphere down. Karma howled in anger and tried to do something but, alas, she was pinned. Yi and Wukong turned away. Soraka covered her mouth to scream. However, there was no blood, no splatter. No final yelp of agony. Utsusemimaru couldn't see much but he did hear a powerful, short jingle. Ionian, some short war-chant or war-song that was often played to raise the moral of the troops...
(Author's note: Start around 4 seconds and let it loop 1-3 times for a good feel of what the music should sound like. All credit goes to Kamen Rider Gaim's soundtrack)
https://soundcloud.com/captainmarvelous/kamen-rider-gaim-henshin-sounds-ringtone-version
Over him, blocking his entire body, was Ryota. The sphere was slammed down on his shoulder. His mighty armor cracking but the Shogun unmoving. "How...How did you-" Syndra sputtered, shocked at the sudden appearance. He hadn't even moved to intercept. Instead he had just...appeared. The entire time to beat sounded louder, Ryota reaching forward and grabbing Syndra's neck. She couldn't get away, she was too stunned.
He grunted, bringing her closer. The sphere dragged further down on his shoulder, armor cracking and what sounded like bones on the verge of breaking. "I have been a candidate for the League for some time now, Syndra," Ryota casually explained. "And now you are witnessing the power the League deemed to be my 'ultimate' ability. I call it "Stay of Execution"...the summoners, however, have opted to name it something different," Ryota spoke as he dragged Syndra's face inches from hers. She was lifted off the ground at this point, face to face with the giant.
"DENIED."
With one, swift backhand Syndra went sailing through the air. Every sphere under her control evaporated from existence as she skidded along the ground twice. One single flick of the wrist and she was flat on her back, maybe even chipped a tooth or two. "Now your game is over. SPEAK AND ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!"
Syndra sputtered as the beat stopped, Ryota slumping slightly but still standing as tall as he could. She wiped her lip on her sleeve, grinning manically. "Mmm, what crime? This is the first I'm hearing of any problems with your little council. Asides, what does the Sovereign gain from assaulting a bunch of low-life, good for nothing fools who think they really run Ionia?"
"So...you..." Karma stared, awestruck. Ryota's self-sacrifice to shield Utsusemimaru (Who, by the by, was still bleeding out). Syndra confessing that she had absolutely no hand in it. The questions: Is she lying? Does she truly have anything to gain? Has their entire journey into the sky to confront Syndra been nothing but a wild chase!?
"I hadn't a damn thing to do with all your problems. Now you got your answers. Get the hell off of my island before I send you down in pieces."
And at that point Utsusemimaru closed his eyes and let himself pass out from bloodloss, Yi and Wukong tried to keep Ryota from falling over and Soraka tended to those on the verge of death's door.
All of the bloodshed and assaulting had been for nothing.
Not. One. Thing.
End Part 10
