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Paradise of Infinity: 228
🕑 Added 2022-09-10 15:44:23 +0000 UTCTitle: Immortal's Demise (3)
Aang's words did manage to get Grim a little upset as evidenced by the almost beastly growl that escaped Ozai's barely pursed lips. The flames coating his fists flickered and Ozai suddenly began to let his arm move circularly while his left fist opened and to point out his index and middle finger which formed a crackle of light to form and then buzz in a manner that made what little hair Aang had on his body stand to their end!
Seeing vicious blue lightning generate over the tip of Ozai's fingers, Aang knew to strike faster instead of being rooted in fear. Iroh may not have taught lightning bending yet due to its advanced nature but he surely taught the weakness of lightning bending and one of the safest ways to defeat this style was to strike first. And hard.
Aang slammed his staff on the ground and a rectangular pillar shot out right from under Ozai's chin, threatening to knock him out cold. Yet, the dark mist collected around him promptly and fashioned into a dark fist that struck and broke the pillar of stone while Aang's widened and he tried to dodge it.
The lightning.
He could predict where it would land.
He had a way to move.
He was confident he would survive!
But Lightningbending is considered one of the deadliest forces in the art alongside Lava and Blood for a reason.
Aang failed to dodge its sheer speed and his body felt both numb and toasted as a high-pitched scream traveled through his widened mouth alongside the sharp noise of lightning coursing through his body.
*Thud*
Aang fell to the ground weakly. His flesh and clothes were burnt in various regions but his staff managed to barely retain its integrity and not catch on fire.
Ozai's smirk grew vicious as he goaded, "Just a boy, indeed. Of so many ways including running when you had the chance... you stayed to fight? Should have kept true to your cowardly instincts, Avatar Aang." He walked towards Aang before the man quickly stomped over the boy's stomach who was already breathing softly. All this stomp managed was to knock the air out of Aang's lungs and make his eyes snap wide open in pain. His shout was cut short when a black gooey substance suddenly fell over his mouth and sealed it shut.
It was the same kind of item that Grim used to temporarily blind Aang.
"I can't stand the wailing of women and children," Ozai smirked, "But I wonder how long will you last."
Their fight had barely started and had already ended. Meanwhile, the sound of pained groans and shouts could be heard from the other side of the room including Iroh's surprising call for Zuko. It was clear to Aang despite his fading senses that things weren't simple within the room, too.
Another stomp right over his stomach made Aang want to curl and hold himself defensively but it was at this time Aang glimpsed at a number of cloaked individuals silently appearing at the end of the hallway and kneeling on a knee which made Ozai laugh out madly.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Avatar Aang, meet the culture you betrayed. The Fire Nation took them in, nurtured them, and let them remain free despite the plots they are well aware of. Won't you even sit up to greet them?"
Ozai's smirk broadened while the newly dubbed Stormbenders continued to remain silent until Ozai sighed, "Kill everyone inside alongside the incompetent men of mine except for Zuko."
His order made the group stand and silently make its way towards the door while Aang squirmed. His muffled groan barely escaped the black patch of substance over his mouth. His struggles made a few cloaked and unknown benders pause briefly. Their steps hesitated but a cold, authoritative voice whispered from amongst them, "Move."
Ozai's smile grew every bit reassured as Aang's gaze grew desperate.
Before they reached for the handle of the door, Aang managed to gain every bit of strength he could and shot a striking pillar of spiraling wind that stopped the hand from reaching for the door's handle.
"Oh? A foolish resistance to a foolish endeavor to the very end," Ozai chuckled, "Well, with the last of you dealt with, I'll have all the time to deal with my dear son slowly."
Aang, meanwhile, found Ozai's words barely grating as, for the first time, many cloaked individuals turned to look at him. He would have felt extremely guilty if unimaginable pain wasn't wreaking his body since most of them revealed a look of indifference and the remaining few looked at him with a hint of pity...
Unlike Niwan and Hina, Aang felt more and more resentful. To this entire situation. After all, Niwan and Hina did not inherit the teachings of Airbenders but Aang did...
What a joke of a legacy Ozai claimed to be... Aang hadn't felt this angry since a childish squabble with one of his earliest friends in Fire Nation but...
'Help me... guide me...'
Aang's gaze flickered blue.
He didn't have to wonder any longer why the other Avatars always whispered to him one thing— He is not alone. Even now, he isn't alone.
His eyes finally revealed a sharp glow that was accompanied by his blue tattoos in stark contrast to the red ones over the stormbenders. The black patch over Aang's mouth melted off while the remaining black mist fizzled out, causing Ozai to yelp sharply and back away as the remaining stormbenders grew tense and looked at Aang warily whose broken body began to float while moisture caught around the ceiling was brought over to his body that turned into a stream of water.
"I apologize," Aang's voice distorted but remained calm despite the obvious rage hidden under his tone, "But I will not let anyone desecrate the legacy of my masters!"
"Get—" Ozai shouted only for the water around Aang's body to glow and heal most of the burns except the one in the center of his chest that even caused the same spot on his back to have burnt flesh!
Their eyes widened when the flames in the hallway tore themselves from the edges of the hallway, "And I've had enough of you!"
Aang's commanding tone finally brought others from their daze as the hallway trembled violently and the ceiling collapsed on everyone present alongside the walls closing in on them.
"Attack!"
Ozai howled as the black mist practically exploded out of his body. Meanwhile, the eleven stormbenders covered in dark red cloaks entered into a practiced formation and attacked with their staves only for Aang to congeal the ring of flames around him and shoot it towards them. He followed this by promptly turning every broken boulder into a liquified hot mess of lava that even melted down the wall of the room for everyone within to stare at Aang with shock and awe.
When used to their extreme potential, bending is as deadly as any blade. All it takes is one attack.
Seeing the tide of sizzling lava descend upon them, not only Ozai paled but even the otherwise more level-headed stormbenders felt their breaths stolen by the absolute display of might. Hina and Niwan still had their eyes widened with many fire nation soldiers weakly laying on the ground. Meanwhile, Iroh held Zuko into a chokehold and promptly made his nephew go unconscious.
"Aang, we have Zuko!" Iroh promptly called out, unwilling to see Aang turn into something he would detest himself for, and the bubbling tide of lava did come to a stop at an extremely close range.
*Pop*
A portion of it popped due to extreme temperature, causing the enemy's senses to smell sulfur as their vision was entirely covered by the giant tide already concaving over them.
*Tssss*
A small droplet of it dripped down right next to Ozai's foot, causing him to finally realize how his body was already drenched in a cold sweat and not the high temperature that would melt his flesh off of his bones in seconds.
Aang's body gradually returned to the ground but his eyes didn't stop glowing. Although he had more knowledge about Avatar State, it was still a wild card and it showed how he still kept the lava active and almost upon his enemies, still hesitating to kill them or let them live.
"Avatar..." Niwan muttered. He wanted to help but even he didn't dare speak at this moment. He has had too many near-death experiences to know that anything could set Aang off.
"D-do something!" Ozai hissed quietly under his breath only to hear a monotonous reply, "Why should I? You're the destined immortal who believed that he could defeat the Avatar. That's an Avatar. Go. Fight."
Ozai's expression darkened only for his body to shudder and an ear-piercing shriek to escape his lips, "NO!!"
Even Ozai couldn't imagine what made Grim react in such a manner as thick tendrils of mist mixed with a reddish substance began to violently fill the surrounding. As if came into contact with the lava, it promptly began to solidify and before Aang could growl and move it, he felt his connection with the element in question cut off while one of the tendrils wrapped around his leg from under the debris.
Aang waved his hand but again, even in Avatar State, he found himself unable to connect. He could bend elements but... this was stopping him.
This tendril.
Grim.
"It cannot leave me!" Ozai screamed with blood leaking from his eyes as many, many tendrils rushed out towards everyone!
"Hina! Go!" Niwan shouted as Hina hurriedly knelt and shouted, "What about Aang?!"
"Leave..." Aang turned to their group before inhaling, finally producing enough suction out of his own breath to stop multiple tendrils aimed at Iroh and others.
"Leave, now," Iroh agreed and brought Zuko to Niwan, "Take good care of him."
Hina's expression changed but Niwan only gritted his teeth and forced himself to not think about Monk Gyatso as Iroh pushed the youth away and conjured lightning over the tip of his fingers, "I won't know if the attack will seal the deal so you two cannot stay here."
Niwan nodded heavily and looked at Hina who still remained a bit 'outside' from the ground. "Let's go," he whispered with Hina biting her lower lip and finally entering the door she'd created.
"No one shall leav—"
A thick bolt of lightning struck Ozai squarely and even if it only left the man burned and standing, it did make the mist-like tendrils around the stormbenders and Aang to finally crumble away.
"No more!"
Aang growled. He took a wider stance and punched out but instead of making a 'grand' move as he would usually do in his empowered state... he was deadlier, strangely. The giant, tide-shaped rock was broken into small chunks of sharp rocks that flew straight past Ozai's body, leaving many, many holes through his burnt body that still gave off heavy smoke. One of the stones pierced through his eye!
Iroh, Aang, and other Stormbenders continued to look at Ozai who bled but still did not fall.
Suddenly... his parted lips pulled into a smirk.
"Ah... to grant my wish out of your own volition even when our deal never came to a pass... makes me wonder if you're truly a spirit or a spiteful human like the rest of us. Well, them... I shall lead this world under a new banner... under the leadership of their destined god."
His skin began to revert back to its uncooked state. Every bit of his flesh and blood on the tiny rocks that passed through him practically flew back into him. His eyeball was made anew. His frizzled hair grew straight once again.
Everything about him except for his clothes returned to its primal, unharmed condition.
With his sneer growing every bit mocking, Ozai glanced at the stunned Ozai and the still 'glowing' Avatar and felt the boy's shock, too.
"Don't look so surprised now. It's as if you doubted my destiny of achieving my goals, brother. Rejoice... I have no need for a successor, a sibling, or a family. And I shall soon give you the rest you deserve for running the Fire Nation for me."
***
Alternate Title: It's Kyoshi Time
