The battlefield stretched endlessly, but this time the tides had shifted. I could feel it in every pulse of magic flowing through my veins, every flicker of energy from the Overlord's coiled darkness beside me. I was stronger now—far stronger than the last encounter. The raw power stolen from Stone Clay fused with my own forbidden magic, expanding my reserves in ways I hadn't imagined even Monstrox's memories could allow. I could feel it bending the air, the landscape, the very laws of Ninjago around me.
The Overlord had completed his Invincible Stone Army. Watching him stand at the forefront of that colossal legion, I allowed a brief acknowledgment in my mind: he had grown formidable, and even I respected that. But respect had no place here—only strategy. His forces were disciplined, cruelly efficient, and yes, powerful. And yet… mine were better. Smarter. Flexible. Adaptive. My army could respond, reshape, and dissolve at a whim. And with Ruina Stoneheart by my side, her magical precision sharpening the edges of my plans, I could strike with a force that would rival even this First Spinjitzu Master.
The fight began.
It was a symphony of chaos, energy, and destruction. I unleashed storm after storm of forbidden magic, each spell layered atop the next: fire streaks that burned the sky, lightning that arced in impossible patterns, waves of shadow that tore at reality itself. Illusions laced the air, fracturing the First Spinjitzu Master's perception, forcing him to fight not only the physical, but the mental, the conceptual, the impossible.
The Overlord tore into him as well, blasts of pure energy writhing like living darkness, rending the air. My army and his moved together in terrifying harmony—stone soldiers cracking mountains beneath their feet, gargoyles tearing through the air like living arrows, Krakenbeasts smashing anything foolish enough to move. Grimrock titans stomped across the battlefield, magical constructs casting entire sections of terrain into rubble.
And yet, the First Spinjitzu Master endured.
I could see it—through sheer force of will, through the immense bond between creation and destruction that he wielded, he was still standing. Not just standing, but fighting back, pushing my attacks away, repairing terrain as fast as we shattered it, channeling his dragon in perfect synchronization with his elemental mastery. His presence was overwhelming. It had been overwhelming before, but now the battlefield itself seemed to bend around him, acknowledging the threat he posed.
Still… he was losing.
Not fast. Not decisively. But losing. Every spell I cast, every army I commanded, every forbidden technique I unleashed chipped away at him. My lightning crackled through him, fire burned across his shields, illusions bent his perception until he had to strain to see the truth. The Overlord's own attacks forced him back, tested his limits. I could see exhaustion flicker across his movements, subtle and careful, but present.
I smiled, even briefly. Victory, finally, was close.
And then I saw it.
A motion in his eyes, a subtle shift in the stance of his dragon, a change in his energy flow that spoke volumes. The First Spinjitzu Master was preparing something catastrophic.
I focused, heart slowing, senses expanding. He sank his sword into the ground. The earth groaned. Energy rippled across the battlefield, spreading like veins through the land itself. He intended to split Ninjago in half—a move that could destroy everything, a desperate gamble born of raw survival instinct and immense power.
I had no time.
Every decision became instinct. I desummoned my entire army, feeling their essence dissolve into the core of my being, absorbed back into my soul like water into a storm. Power surged into me, a tidal wave of raw energy that fused with every spell I had cast, every forbidden incantation I had learned, every ounce of dark magic I possessed. I became something else entirely—a shadow of intention, a shadow of force, a shadow of myself.
The Overlord… was caught off-guard. His corporeal form could not withstand the splitting. The force tore him from existence as the island began to fracture. His physical body was obliterated, flung across the emerging void between the two halves of Ninjago. I didn't hesitate. Shadows pulled me into the ground. I sank, becoming intangible, stretching, flowing. My form split itself from the world. My essence moved across the fissure, following the main island, flowing like ink through water.
I emerged under the shadow of a massive rock, hidden from view. Below me, the island fractured violently. The First Spinjitzu Master roared—a mix of frustration, exhaustion, and raw, undiminished power. I watched him falter for a moment, shoulders hunching under the strain, before he straightened and stalked off. His dragon followed, not fleeing but standing in readiness, as though the collapse of Ninjago was nothing more than another battlefield obstacle.
I allowed myself a slow breath.
Reforming my body from shadow was easy. I stood upon the main island, grounded again, my staff solid in my hand. The battlefield behind me was a ruin, shattered by energy beyond reckoning, but I had survived. And I had a choice.
I would not pursue the fractured Dock Island. It was irrelevant. Trapped there, my forces would be constrained, my strategies limited. Time would slow to a crawl. Planning for centuries while achieving nothing was not my style. No—better to remain here, on the main island, free to move, free to strike, free to grow stronger.
My shadow lingered, a faint echo behind me, a reminder of the power I had mastered. The battlefield was quiet—silent in comparison to the chaos before. My senses remained alert, combing the fractured land for any sign of danger. None came. Not yet. The First Spinjitzu Master had gone, leaving me with only my thoughts, my forces in reserve, and the lingering hum of magic that filled every corner of the island.
I surveyed the land. The Overlord's physical form was gone, his essence shattered into fragments by the island's split. That was fortunate for me. His shadow had been weakened already by my parasite. Even if he attempted to rebuild immediately, he would need time, energy, and focus. Perfect. The battlefield had become my sandbox, my opportunity to rebuild, reassess, and expand without interference.
I allowed myself a grim smile. Ruina Stoneheart would arrive soon, along with the remaining loyal subordinates I had summoned. Stone Clay's essence—though diminished from my earlier theft—remained at my command. My forces were intact, ready to reform at a moment's notice. And the First Spinjitzu Master? He had left, exhausted but unbroken. That would be a problem later—but for now, the advantage was mine.
I moved from the shadows into the open, stepping over jagged stone and remnants of shattered magic. I could feel the energy of the fractured land beneath my feet, distorted, chaotic, but manageable. Every spell I had cast, every army I had commanded, every forbidden power I had drawn into myself had strengthened me. I was no longer merely a dark wizard or Monstrox's reincarnation—I was something new, something greater.
And now, free from immediate threat, I could plan the next stage. The First Spinjitzu Master had underestimated the depth of my cunning, the breadth of my power, and the ruthlessness of my strategy. He may have survived the split, but I was already thinking five steps ahead.
I would reform my forces, strengthen my elite soldiers with the new stone material I had gathered, and prepare new spells and traps for the inevitable rematch. The Overlord's absence—or weakness—would be an advantage I could exploit in future encounters. And with Ruina Stoneheart and my remaining lieutenants at my side, the battlefield of Ninjago would bend to my will even further.
The First Spinjitzu Master had escaped for now, but I had survived, unchanged and unbroken. Shadows still followed me, whispering with latent power, coiling around my mind and body. I smiled, dark and confident.
He would return. And when he did, he would not face the same foe he had before.
I would be ready.