Return to the Ninja Empire - Part 2

Lord Tyron laid on board a little bigger than him as it swayed above the cliffs. The night winds howled as it swirled, blowing cold air around him. However, he could not feel the cold nor hear the wind howl, what kept his mind busy was the news of his nephew's death. "Supper time, my lord," sneered Xiōngshǒu as the plate of food zipline to Lord Tyron's board. He looked at the food but didn't remove the plate as he rolled to the other side. 

"My lord, please, you must eat." pleaded Hòuhuǐ, he too was sadden by Zhōng's death but knew he should move on.

"He's right, you're no use to us if you die. Claim that Emperor Zhēngfú is the rightful king and you can live a prosperous and rich life." said Xiōngshǒu.

"I did live a prosper and rich life, I had everything I could dream of getting." began Lord Tyron as he stood up and turned to face them. "I understand where I was placed and where fate could lead me. I protected and taught my family lessons I learned from my experiences. I watched him grow up from a boy who was reckless and vengeful to a man who was deceitful and fearful. If I had to bend my knee to a king, it would have been him. But Zhēngfú isn't worthy to sit on a throne that he slew blood on. I'm disappointed in you, Xiōngshǒu, you should have learned your lesson. I'm also disgusted with you, Hòuhuǐ, he gave you a second chance for a new life and this is how you repay by going back to the way you were." he rebuked, he stared hard at Hòuhuǐ who looked away in guilt. "Let Zhēngfú know what I said, let him know the death of Zhōng was a mistake he shouldn't have made." He then closed his eyes and took one step off the board and fell as the two guards watched him fall in shock.

Lord Tyron twirled in the air as he fell, he felt he was going to be at peace when suddenly he was snagged and they skipped on the water of the lake a little bit. "You could have waited a little longer." said the boy with dark blonde hair and black eyes.

"Zhōng? Is that you?" asked Lord Tyron in shock. 

"Who else would do something so reckless to save you?" asked Zhōng. He started heading back to the palace keeping as low as possible away from the palace. "Now let's hope we rescued the empress as well."

"Who's we?" asked Lord Tyron, knowing his nephew wasn't talking about them.

"Oh empress, it's time to come out to play." called a guard. He and four others approached the fountain where Former Empress Wēi was tied and was hiding in a shelter.

"He said it's time to come out." said a second guard and yanked the collar around Wēi's neck out. She collapsed and looked up in tears of fear of what's going to happen to her.

"Please, no more," begged Wēi.

"Too bad, you're going to be a good bitch and swallow some hot dogs." stated a third guard as the fourth and fifth began undoing their pants.

"I don't want it, anything but that." cried Wēi as the fourth guard positioned her head in front of him.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure this will last longer than yesterday's. It's called a sixsome for a reason." he chuckled.

Just as the fifth guard positioned himself behind her, a red and yellow sword came out of his chest. When the other four guards noticed this, it quickly flashed out and struck two as quickly as the first. "You're under arrest you traitor." stated one of the guards as he and his remaining two companions armed themselves. They attacked the stranger as it parried before slashing another one down. It then ducked and kicked the feet of another out from underneath. The last one standing shook in fear as the blade raced across his body.

"Please spare me, I won't tell anyone." cried the last guard living, he didn't bother getting up as he watched his company get massacred in front of him. The stranger ignores his plea and plunges the blade deep into his mouth.

"There's your hot dog," growled the stranger before removing her blade. She turned to look at Wēi who hunkered in a bowl by the fountain in fear.

"Please, leave me, I won't tell you what happened." cried Wēi. Her leash was cut by the stranger's sword before she tossed herself on the former empress.

"You've suffered enough, Mother, I'm here to rescue you." said Zhen as she hugged her mother tighter.

"Zhen?" asked Wēi in realization. Zhen soon released from her hug and stared at her mother with her red eyes peering from the cowl.

"It's me, let's go before more show up." said Zhen as she helped her mother up.

"No, leave me, the leash is just for show." said Wēi. 

Zhen looked at her mother confused before seeing a small branded mark like a Vow Seal above her mother's chest. She looked at her mother and smiled before saying, "At least you serve it for a time. You've done enough suffering under his control, you serve him a lot longer than I did for Zhōng."

"Is he here as well?" asked Wēi. Zhen didn't respond and began dragging her mother away from the town square. "I guess I should have known since you followed him here." she chuckled, her daughter's silence answered her question.

Zhen carried her mother back to the marketplace where four carts loaded with goods were prepared to leave. "Your majesty," exclaimed Lord Tyron when he saw them. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lord Tyron, I see you survive as well." stated Wēi.

"We don't have to chat, we must move out." interrupted Zhōng as he stormed past with his black eyes shiny brighter with his cowl down. Lord Tyron and Wēi felt their legs suddenly shake and noticed they weren't the only ones as the men quickly got out of his way. He opened two secret small compartments and inspected them for any damage he wasn't aware of. "I hope you're not afraid of small spaces, your majesty and my lord."

"I was afraid of heights but I think I've never trembled harder than seeing your new look." said Lord Tyron as he looked at Wēi who was as pale as him. He then looked at Zhen who was calm and composed as she stared into Zhōng's black eyes.

"I'll tell you later, now you must get in." repeated Zhōng before pulling his cowl over his head. Wēi looked at Zhen who turned to look at her and nodded in assurance. She then helped her mother in the small tight hole as Lord Tyron took the other before they were shut, locked, and covered.

The party soon departed with Tony leading them and Zhōng taking the rear. They passed the guards posted at the gate when they were out of sight, they quickened their pace. They soon weren't too far from the capital when they suddenly heard the alarms going off in the city. Tony turned around to look back at the ruckus then he looked at Zhōng who was also looking back. Feeling he was being looked at, Zhōng turned to look at Tony and nodded. They both knew what it meant the real danger they entered.

Mechs flew overhead shining flashlights down into the woods as they searched for something very important. Below in the thick forest, the Spartan party watched in fear of being found. "Keep the lanterns as dim as possible, we won't start a fire otherwise we will draw a crowd of bandits and soldiers." ordered Tony to one of his men. The men nodded and Tony left him to man his post and went to join Zhōng who was waiting for him.

Wēi hugged her daughter tightly again, she still had tears falling down her face but it was hard to tell in the dark. "I missed you so much," she said.

"I miss you too, I cried when I heard what happened to you." confessed Zhen as tears fell from her face as well.

"How did you hear about her and not me?" asked Lord Tyron, he was disappointed that no one heard what happened to him.

"King Alexios only had spies roaming the city and not the palace, it was impossible to have any entered, my lord." replied Tony as he and Zhōng approached them.

"And you are?" asked Wēi, she noticed he was close to Zhōng but didn't know who he was.

"This is Mr. Tony, codename: The Poisoner, he used to be part of our black market and a good friend of mine." introduced Zhōng. Tony quickly turned to look at him, he saw the black eyes calm and assuring as if he trusted him once again.

"Poisoner," repeated Wēi, snapping Tony's attention to her. "When you first exposed the Fallen Prince's true name, I wanted to summon you to give you a reward. But after we searched places you own, we discovered you helping the Old returned to power. Even now, I'm tempted to have you kill when you're no longer useful."

"I can assure you, your majesty, I had to in order to survive." said Tony, he bowed his head low to show respect.

"He's telling the truth, mother," began Zhen, Wēi and Lord Tyron turned to look at her confused as to how she knew. "He told us the reason he betrayed us, he never wanted Emperor Zhēngfú to seize power. If anything, he wanted Zhōng but when he didn't want it, it was too late for him to escape the Old's clutches."

"Is this true?" asked Lord Tyron as he looked at his nephew.

"You remember me telling you my plans Tony and I made, I never told Tony I changed my mind and he never told me he was deep within their ranks. We both apologized to each other, but even before we did, I trust what he told me." defended Zhōng. Lord Tyron nodded and looked at Wēi to ensure they were safe. She sighed, even though she didn't trust Tony, she trusted Lord Tyron and Zhōng's support.

"Perhaps to strengthen our trust, Zhōng, shall I apply a symbol on you. A symbol that will be just as feared as the Dual Bladed Ninja and the Fallen Prince." suggested Tony.

Zhōng turned to look at him as a sinister grin grew on his face. "Considering my brother thinks I'm dead, it might be best to put on something to make him tremble." he said. Tony nodded and guided Zhōng away. He took a lantern and one of his men to hold it for light and began working on a new tattoo on Zhōng.

"Lord Tyron," began Zhen as she turned to look at him.

"Yes, I know who he is." interrupted Lord Tyron as he turned to look at her.

"Know who?" asked Wēi.

"You should know, your majesty, I also know what secret he's keeping safe." said Lord Tyron.

"Who's keeping what secret?" asked Wēi, still confused about who they were talking about.

"What is the secret? What does it have to do with me and my mother?" pressed Zhen.

"Don't worry about it," said Lord Tyron.

"Lord Tyron, please answer our questions." demanded Wēi as she glared at the lord.

Lord Tyron sighed as he looked at the two women in front of him. They wanted to know what he knew but he couldn't tell them. "The Lone Bandit has a journal I received from Lord Zhe when I came with you to the Old Mansion in Zhēn Lǐ Fiefdom. I promised him I will not share its secrets and sent it far away so Zhōng wouldn't discover it. The secret that the journal contains involves my family and your family, if I told you, it would destroy your family's honor. That's why I agreed with Lord Zhe to not tell Zhōng and no one else." he said.

"Very well then, we won't push further of what it contains. But who is the Lone Bandit?" asked Wēi.

"May I ask what deal you made with him that you fake his death?" questioned Lord Tyron. Wēi's suddenly widened in the realization of who was the Lone Bandit. Seeing her shocked, Lord Tyron bowed his head a little and walked away from them.

"Do you remember the time we decided to travel east around this time?" asked Tony the next day while they traveled back to Port Dake.

"If I remember correctly, we ran into a blizzard and were stuck in a town in the Zì Yóu Fiefdom for two weeks." recalled Zhōng his cowl was up as he and Tony rode ahead of the party.

"Well we were heading there anyway, I was impressed that the city was very fortified from both sides." said Tony.

"True, but I don't think discovering a secret, finishing a job, and getting into a drinking contest was worth the struggle." pointed out Zhōng.

"Well you had the after-party before the main event." reminded Tony, he and Zhōng chuckled as they remembered the adventure they had.

Zhen was close to the Spartan party, she guided a horse where mother rode while she stared at the two men leading them. She wanted to join them but seeing that they were catching up made her wish she could have that with Zhōng. "You can join them if you want." suggested her mother who noticed her sad stare.

"It would be rude of me to join their conversation." said Zhen.

Wēi frowned, seeing her daughter depressed; she looked to Lord Tyron for support as he rode behind her. Noticing her stare upon him, he turned to look at what was going on. "Do you think your nephew would allow my daughter to join them?" she asked.

Lord Tyron looked ahead and saw Tony laughing hard and Zhōng's shoulders shaking with humor. It was the first time he saw his nephew so lively as they told tales they encountered. "Tony has seen most of Zhōng's evolution, he was there at the birth of the Dual Bladed Ninja and the Fallen Prince. There's a deep connection between the two as they thrived both together and separately in the black market. Without Tony, Zhōng might have been dead long ago. And without Zhōng, Tony wouldn't have become so famous and powerful." said Lord Tyron. He could see Wēi was disappointed in his answer but he wasn't going to lie.

"My lord! Is it true that your nephew here fell into the bath house while girls were bathing?" called Tony looking back at the party.

"He slipped and there were loose boards that caught him." replied Lord Tyron, he then saw Tony clutching his chest just like he did when Zhōng told him last year.

"I'll remind you, uncle, that you left me hundreds of missions that needed to be signed when I took over." called Zhōng, looking back at them as well. They could only see his black eyes and his mouth smiling from remembering the good times he had.

"I knew he was going to bring that up," muttered Lord Tyron. He grinned a little to see his nephew was happy.

"Boss!" called one of Tony's men. Tony and Zhōng stopped their horses and turned around to see the one who called. "Someone's coming!" he shouted and pointed at twenty mechs flying towards them.

Tony and Zhōng urged their horses quickly back and got off them when they were close. "Have the former empress and Lord Tyron hide amongst the horses. Do not arm yourselves yet, I'm sure they don't know we have their prize trophies." ordered Tony. His men quickly organized themselves as Lord Tyron got off his horse to support Wēi as they went to hide between the horses and the carts.

"Uncle, you might need this." said Zhōng as he offered his mother's khopesh to his uncle.

"I'll give this back to you." promised Lord Tyron after accepting the weapon. 

Zhōng nodded and went to join Tony who was still at the front of the party. The twenty ninja-type mechs landed surrounding them starting from the back and working towards the front. Zhōng could see they weren't friendly and turned to see Zhen had her cowl up and was looking at him. She showed no fear and was determined to fight if needed to as he noticed her Roktavor blade tip just barely peeked out of her cloak. "This should be fun." he whispered to Tony.

"Twenty against ten, I take it you want to deal with fifteen?" teased Tony as he looked around.

"Unless you can talk our way out." said Zhōng.

Tony smirked and stepped forward ahead of them to speak with the enemies' leader. "Greetings friends, may I know the name of whom I am speaking to?" he asked.

"I am General Gomun, tenth in command of the Ninja Empire's army and I have a few questions to ask you." stated General Gomun.

"Why by all means, ask and I'll answer." invited Tony.

"Your party left the capital last night around midnight, correct?" questioned General Gomun.

"Correct, we didn't feel safe to stay for the night in your capital." answered Tony.

"Then where did you stop and camp?" asked General Gomun.

"In the forest, we lit no lights so we wouldn't get any unwanted visitors. I'm told that bandits run wild in these parts." replied Tony. 

"I assume then you heard the alarms going off in the capital before you left." guessed General Gomun.

"Indeed, but we had no idea what it was for." confessed Tony but he knew already.

"The former empress was discovered missing last night and Lord Tyron's body wasn't found this morning." informed General Gomun.

"That's surprising if I heard correctly, they are the last surviving leaders of a different faction." said Tony, he turned around to look at Zhōng to hide his smile. He saw Zhōng glance at him before looking back at the general. Even though he didn't show it, he knew Zhōng was impressed by his improved negotiating skills.

"They are and the last time they were seen was before midnight, before your party departed." began General Gomun and Tony suddenly didn't feel too good. "Your party left with ten people but I counted twelve before landing and the extra two are trying to hide between your cargo and horses. May I ask where you got them from? Or should I assume they are our escape prisoners, Poisoner?" The nineteen other men suddenly drew their weapons and pointed at the Spartan party who in return drew theirs.

"You knew him?" asked Zhōng as glared at his friend.

"I saw him a few times, I'm surprised he recognized me." said Tony.

"Surrender them, Poisoner, or I will order my men to kill yours." threatened General Gomun.

"You know something, general, you may think you have us trapped but in reality, we have you." stated Tony as he turned back around.

"What do you mean?" asked General Gomun, he wasn't the only one wondering that.

"Spartans! Defensive position!" shouted Tony, his men revealed their shields at their largest figuration and formed a short wall on each side of the carts. "You only have men to end us quickly but what happens if we drag this out?" he asked General Gomun.

"Why should they care about protecting her if it means they would die?" questioned General Gomun.

"Cause your men will be too focused on us." stated Tony as he turned back around to look at Zhōng.

"Us?" repeated General Gomun.

Zhōng smirked as he looked at his friend. "So this what you meant of us trapping them." he said.

"Shall we do it like we did in the glory days?" asked Tony and saw an evil grin across his friend's face.

General Gomun noticed the conversation before seeing two black eyes staring back at him. "Kill them! Kill him before he kills us!" he ordered as he realized who the stranger was.

The men turned to point at Zhōng and Tony, but before they could fire, they were ambushed from the forest on the left side of the road. "It's the resistance!" cried one of the soldiers.

"Kill the traitors." cried another as they focused on the forest. While they were distracted, Tony, Zhōng, and Zhen charged at the rear ranks of the soldiers. They were no match as Tony and Zhen activated immediately while Zhōng used his sword to slice through.

"All stations! This is General Gomun. I've found the former empress as well as discovered the Fallen Prince is alive and Former Princess Zhen has returned. Request every last unit to my location immediately, do you copy?" ordered General Gomun on the comms, he received no response but only static. "They're blocking our communication. Finish them already." he declared. He suddenly saw his men were overwhelmed and killed as the furious former princess and the resistance picked the last of them off. Seeing he was doomed, he tried to take off only to be impaled with something that made his mech go limp. As he fell to the ground he could see Tony had aimed at him before an explosion happened in front of him.

General Gomun lay on the ground as he heard the last of his men crying in pain before dying. Out of the smoke before him came a cloakman as his sword glistened in the sunlight. The general couldn't move or deactivate as the man now stood over him. "Please mercy, I surrender." he cried. The man didn't respond and plunged his sword deep into the general's heart.

"I thought I told you to stand down." growled Zhōng as he watched the last of General Gomun's breath escape from him. His cowl suddenly came off, revealing his new detail.

"Risen King," gasped General Gomun as the blue symbol on the head reflected in his eyes. It would be the last thing he saw as he died.

The resistance flew and joined the Spartan party who were still on guard. Zhen deactivated her mech and counted how many there were. There were about fifty both men and women who possessed the knowledge of how to pilot a mech. She then searched for anyone she might recognize and saw only one.

"Your majesty, brother, it's good to see you alive." cried Jiào as she came forward of the resistance.

"Sister? You're the leader of the resistance?" asked Lord Tyron, who was still supporting Wēi. They came out of their hiding after General Gomun exposed them and were ready to fight if needed to be.

"I took as many as I could out of School Town, I picked up a few more after you were arrested. We are two thousand strong and are ready to fight back." stated Jiào.

"Two thousand won't be enough to overcome Emperor Zhēngfú's forces of five hundred thousand." stated Tony who joined them.

"It all depends on the leader leading them, even if my nephew sends all five million soldiers of the Ninja Empire, there could be one that will stop him." said Lord Tyron. 

Suddenly a wolf ran past them and barked at Yáo who neighed in greetings. The wolf then turned to look ahead then sprinted at full speed to Zhōng who was still standing over the dead general's body. It tackled him and started whimpering, licking, and pawing at him as he laughed at the greeting. "Hey, stop, stop Marathon. I missed you too." laughed Zhōng. Marathon continued to cry before Zhōng put his hand behind her ear and scratched it. She calmed down as she looked into her master's black eyes. "Were you worried about me since I didn't return? I'm sure Yáo missed you as well." he spoke to the dog. Marathon turned her head to look back at the horse. She then ran back to him and they danced in a circle neighing and barking together. 

Everyone smiled at the reunion, but when they turned to look back at Zhōng, their happy faces turned to shock. Before they could only see the left side of Zhōng's face when he turned to watch his pets celebrate their reunion, he revealed his right side. His dark blonde hair could now be pulled back, revealing a symbol on his right forehead. It was like the Fallen Prince symbol but on its left side and had a different meaning as well. It was blue like his temporary tattoo before as it covered a scar he received long ago. He smiled as his black eyes glistened to show assurance but it was scary to all who saw his eyes.

After a month of traveling, they arrived at Port Dake where Tony had the goods boarded his ship as well as half the resistance. "Are you sure these are how to find them?" asked Zhōng to his aunt.

"Yes, the password would be a way to show your friendly." said Jiào, she turned to the ship where she saw her troops going below deck exhausted from the fighting. "Are you sure you don't want them? Most of them will fight for you." 

"They only know me as the Fallen Prince, that person died earlier this year. The new me is different and so are the reasons." replied Zhōng.

"You're staying here by yourself?" asked Zhen who was helping her mother as they overheard the conversation.

"You need the troops more than I, my plan is to hit critical places and send more men over to the Spartan Empire so you can have an army. I'll remind you that you're supposed to activate the call." said Zhōng to Zhen.

"But if she's taking the Ninja Sword and activating the call, what will you be doing all by yourself?" asked Wēi.

"I'm going to take this empire back, I'm going to take my treacherous brother's place and rule with a harder iron fist. I won't stop being fearful until you come with the other empires and their armies." explained Zhōng.

"But that would make you our enemy, the villain we will then have to face." said Lord Tyron.

"This is the way," confessed Zhōng.

"And you're doing it alone?" questioned Wēi.

"Don't worry, he's not alone." stated Tony as he joined them.

"Yes, I'll be doing it alone." answered Zhōng. He turned to look at his friend and confusion on his face. "I'm sorry but I won't forgive myself if something happens to you."

"Zhōng, I can take care of myself. Let me fight with you, I promise I won't let you down." argued Tony.

"I know you won't," began Zhōng as he put his arm on Tony's shoulder. "But I need you to help the princess in my stead. You must protect her and guide her in the path we walk now. I also know if I let you come with me, Jack and John would never forgive you or me. They need a leader and a guide as well. I can't think of anyone better to do what I'm requesting you to do."

Tony looked at Zhōng's arm on his shoulder, he knew his friend was being honest with him but he didn't like it. "I am willing to walk behind you as a villain. You know I will follow behind you without a second thought. But what you're asking me, I'm unworthy and won't forgive myself if something happens to you."

Zhōng then wrapped himself around his friend, he hugged Tony tightly as a tear fell down his face. "I know you'll follow me, but it's time the world sees the Poisoner as I do, a hero." he whispered into Tony's ear. Tony returned the hug and went tighter than Zhōng. They let go and saw tears in both of their eyes. 

"Farewell, Risen King," said Tony.

"Be safe, my friend," replied Zhōng. Tony then left and went to prepare the ship to make way. Zhōng then turned to Lord Tyron and hugged him as well. "Tell my sisters, I love them." he said.

"They know you do, don't get killed or caught easily." said Lord Tyron.

"I'll stay away from bath's roofs." joked Zhōng. He broke from the hug and hugged his aunt before she and Lord Tyron boarded the ship. He then bowed to Wēi who nodded before being carried onto the ship.

"Please don't do this," pleaded Zhen, her eyes were watery as she didn't want to say goodbye.

"Everything I'm going to do, I'll do it for you. I don't want to play this role either but the best chance for you to reclaim the throne is having me become the villain." stated Zhōng.

"Then don't be, come back with us. I'm fine being in exile as long as you stay alive. I don't want to lose you again." said Zhen. Zhōng suddenly hugged her tightly, she could feel he was shaking and in pain as well. They stayed like that for a while until Zhōng let go and looked into her red eyes.

"I will always be with you, you are protected by people I trust. Even if I could stay, I won't forget about this empire. We both swear to fight and defend it, you must understand that the choice you had was having the empire or me. Fate has chosen and we must no longer run from it." said Zhōng. He then stepped back from her and pulled his cowl back over his head. All Zhen could see was his mouth as the cold void swallowed any light.

Zhen then turned and boarded the ship, she looked back at Zhōng who stayed still as he watched her board. "Set sail! We head back to the Spartan Capital!" ordered Tony before he joined Zhen to watch Zhōng.

Zhōng turned away after the ship was unfastened from the pier, he slowly walked away when his head started to spin. "Why are you forsaking me?" asked a voice in his head.

"Leave me alone." groaned Zhōng.

"Why are you forsaking me?" the voice asked again.

"I said leave me alone." stated Zhōng, he soon realized he was losing his balance and tried to correct himself while walking.

"Zhōng," the voice began and it froze Zhōng. "You've been summoned."

Tony slowly walked along the starboard side of his ship. He was supposed to keep a close eye on any collisions caused by running into other moored ships. His mind however was on Zhōng as he looked up to him and saw Zhōng collapse. He blinked a couple of times to see if he was seeing things and was shocked he wasn't. "Poseidon, take control, ease the speed of the ship, and stay as close as possible to the others." he ordered as he hurried ahead to the bow.

"Aye, captain." replied Poseidon as he hurried to carry out the task.

"What happened?" asked Lord Tyron as he hurried to catch Tony.

"I'm getting Zhōng," replied Tony. He then jumped off the ship and landed another one. He ran fast and crossed another one then landed on the pier. He then looked up and saw Zhōng was still lying on the ground. However, he wasn't the only one who noticed as guards approached the body. Tony knew he was too far to reach him and loaded his crossbow with a poison dart. 

Just before he took aim, someone ran up to Zhōng and lifted him up. "Hey, what are you doing? I said you're in no condition to leave. Now look at you, you're covered in dirt." said the stranger as he had one of Zhōng's behind him and started to take him away.

"Hold it, you know this man?" asked one of the guards.

"Indeed, we were having a great time as you can see." chuckled the stranger as he turned around to look at the guards. "We've been having way too many drinks. Right, friend?"

"Do I know you somewhere?" questioned the other guard.

"Can't say I know you," said the stranger.

"Aren't you Hòuhuǐ, a guard at the palace?" asked the first guard.

"Me? If I was him, I would be at the palace. Otherwise, I'm failing my job as a guard if I wasn't there." said Hòuhuǐ and he turned around again to take Zhōng away.

"Let us see your identifications." requested the second guard. 

Hòuhuǐ froze, he knew his cover would be blown. Before he could move or say anything, two darts flew past him and struck the guards, killing them. He looked where they came from to see Tony with a revolver crossbow. "Come on!" he shouted.

"Stop in the name of our emperor!" shouted another guard as he and four others sprinted to Hòuhuǐ. Hòuhuǐ immediately sprinted to Tony as he gave cover fire as more guards came out from their hiding places. When he reached Tony, he took the other arm of Zhōng and led them across ships till they jumped onto his ship. Hòuhuǐ turned to look back as soldiers he knew by name stared at him with anger at betraying them.

"Poseidon, full speed to our waters before they are allowed to chase us." ordered Tony. He then turned his attention to Zhōng and started shaking to wake him up. "Okay, what happened? Hey! Can you hear me? I'm talking to you!" he shouted but Zhōng didn't even open his eyes. "This isn't funny, come on wake up!" He gave up on shaking him and started slapping him. "Come on Zhōng, wake up!" screamed Tony and started to slam Zhōng's head to the deck. "Zhōng!"

Zhōng looked around as he stood in a white void. His eyes were squinted as it was bright when he noticed a black mech approaching him. They widened when he realized what it was as it towered over him. "It's time," said the Ninja Mech.

"For what?" asked Zhōng.

"For your trial to see if you're worthy to wield me." answered the Ninja Mech, it stepped away and Zhōng saw six other mechs that were different build but were all black like the Ninja Mech.