Lato had realised that Sandy is tired. His movements were getting weaker and sloppy with time. Lato enjoyed it. His grin and and relaxed eyes were proof of that. He slowly tortured him, throwing shallow beams at him. Sandy escaped and dodged but the litlle guy had now exhausted himself way too much. The tear in his gut, the constant pain and loss of blood made it difficult for him to even stand straight. His eyes were not able to see straight, his vision was getting blurry. Taking advantage, Lato closed the distance, he immediately got close and punched him where it hurt most. Sandy coughed out blood, got to his knees, falling down. Yet Lato caught him. He grabbed the back of his hair tightly and turned Sandy's blurry eyes towards himself, gasping, battered, he was unable to resist.
Lato laughed, he did so like a maniac.
"You little punk! You were able to escape Tusk's clutches and you thought you could now challenge us? Huh..."
He mocked him and slammed his head into the ground mercilessly.
Lato's gaze then shifted towards the shiny edge of his spear. He smirked and lifted his spear up, aiming for Sandy's neck to finish him off.
Lying on the ground, Sandy didn't even have the strength left to breath hard, Tears fell from his eyes straight to the ground as Eiser's promise and Anastasia's kindness clouded his memories. His jaw quivered, he remembered the time Arkas and Eiser saved him and took him in before a second thought. For Sandy, the two were like messiah, sent by the heavens to save him.
"Th-they saved mee.....! Gave me a new life! What should i do? Eiser?? Arkas??"
He thought to himself as tears ran down his eyes to the ground.
Sandy then recalled another memory, when the lot was inside the hideout of the Bald Theif Gang. All of that time Sandy wondered about Eiser's actions. He couldn't comprehend why he would want to save the Bald Theif Gang aswell. So inside the hideout, Sandy confronted him.
"Umm Eiser?"
He called him, nervously.
Eiser looked at him and replied "What is it?"
"Umm I know its weird but.... Why are you helping them? Why do we have to?"
He asked and closed his eyes, as if getting scared.
Eiser pat his head gently that gave Sandy abit of comfort.
"Hmmm??. He made a funny thinking face then he continued, Who knows? Perhaos because of you!"
"Because of me? Why tho?? I mean... You saved me already didn't you??"
"Well.... You are correct! But not entirely! He hit a gentle chop on his head and continued, Its just that there alot of people who need a little bit of help to be saved from their demons. And i didn't save you! You saved yourself!" Eiser smiled as Sandy looked up. "Would you help me guve that little piece of help to people?"
Sandy chuckled as he finished.
"What's that? Of course i would! I want to free all the slaves of the world that's why!"
So Sandy controlled his tears, and hardened the back of his neck with rocks just in time to block the thrust of Lato's spear.
Lato was shocked as he did, then suddenly he felt something around his feet, looked down and a powerful giant fist slammed him to the roof of the tunnel. Cracks appeard on that part of the roof and some of it even fell down with Lato. Sandy got back, he looked at that hole and got to know that this whole time they were fighting under the Elite Residential Area. Now Sandy had gained some hope, in himself and in his mission.
"How... How did you get back up kid?"
Lato asked in complete frustration and disgust.
To which Sandy smirked,
"You know there's a saying! The Ground is Endless!".
He said and he slammed his hands into the ground again, the earth got hold of Lato in no time and captured him, then Sandy slammed his legs onto the ground aswell, that granted him more control of the Earth, through which he created giant fists but before he could hit any Lato's spear came rushing towards Sandy without any command, he dodged and it attacked again so Sandy had to bind it against the wall aswell.
All of his gave time to Lato, he escaped those holds and shot magma bullets at him, Sandy dodged those bullets aswell but it was not all, when those bullets reached close, Lato snapped his fingers and those bullets exploded. That explosion caused the already cracked roof to break even more. Sandy also screamed by the damage of that explosion and the falling roof hit on his left knee and broke it. Soon enough the dust cleared, Lato also got his spear back from the wall shackles and stood girmly infront of a heavily injured, gasping Sandy. His eyes of disdain met those of Sandy's pitiable ones. Yet Sandy lifted that block up from his knee, enforced it by an armor and grinding the pain between his teeth, he got up. This sight infuriated Lato even more, for Sandy wemt against his morals. His attacks became more rash, quick and ruthless. He engaged in a close combat destroying everyone of Sandy's tricks by his spear and attackinh him head on.
"WHY DO YOU GET BACK UP??" YOU DON'T HAVE A CHANCE OF WIINING! SO WHY??"
He screamed his lungs out as his rampage continued.
Barely blocking and dodging. His wound still hurting, his eyes were dizzy and with a broken leg. Sandy still stood firm against a raging opponent who was clearly stronger tham he was. Yet even in these conditions, Sandy constantly got back up, for he knew he couldn't win. He had convinced himself that. Yet he fought against him to hold him back. So that his comrades could complete what he couldn't. So that he could place his hopes in those who ignited them in the first place.
Yet convincing himself of that thought was diffidant. It was infuriating, for he couldn't waste that spark that Eiser and Arkas had ignited inside of him and so he also pushed himself to the limit.
Sandy's dodge became lesser and he started to retaliate. He started to fight back with his boundlessness which enraged Lato and yet, it didn't work.
In that desperate condition, Sandy crashed out. He screamed violently and charged at him little did he know Lato was waiting for that. He shot a magma beam right at his wound and it reopened, causing intense pain. Sandy screamed in agony, as he fell down, crouched on the ground. Yet he still endured. He succumbed that pain by biting his lips, staggering, wanting to stamd up desparetly yet not being able to. It all contradicted with Lato, who would've run away any chance he got against an opponenet of that calliber. So he picked him up, covered his fists in magma and started to beat the shit out of Sandy. He sat on top of him and launched a barrage of punches at him as he too, crashed out and screamed.
Up on the surface, Riley noticed a giant hole in the ground — it was the same hole created by the clash between Lato and Sandy. As Riley approached that hole, he heard sounds of grunting and punching. He peeked down through the hole and saw Lato leashing it out on Sandy. He quickly jumped down and shot a mini tornado from his hand. Lato was sent flying back by that, yet he landed on his feet.
Lato's eyes of disdain met those of Riley's full of rage as he had seen the unconscious, completely broken body of Sandy.
Lato started to laugh as he saw Riley, as Lato and Ice were the ones who beat him and locked him up in the torture cell.
"Well well well... Look who it is. The slave boy."
He said as he laughed his lungs out.
Riley covered his right arm in a tornado and Lato crouched down aswell.
After waiting for a while, Lato shot a magam beam but it didn't even reach Riley, as it was deflected by the air pressure surrounding Riley.
"Heh... You couldn't beat me before and you wont be able to beat me now!"
Riley said, demeaning Lato.
Then a fierce duel started between the two, Lato launched minor scale attacks, as to not break the ground and expose their maze. Yet Riley was not on any brakes. He deflected his attacks with ease and laumched large tornadoes that destroyed the roof of the basement maze, he threw slashes that destroyed walls and if Lato wouldn't have dodged them, his body parts were sure to be ripped apart.
Now Lato was at a severe disadvantage. Even though Riley and Lato were both First Evolution, the difference in their Mastery was huge. For Lato tried hard to ignite those tornadoes on Fire or even explode them yet he couldn't those piercing slashes and destructive tornadoes ripped through his defences and tore Lato apart. The entire tunnel was destroyed and a ruckus was created above on the surface. Beneath the surface, a scorched Lato, with scars all over his body, was found unconscious and Riley went past him with an unconscious Sandy on his shoulder.
*********
Tips:
Lato's spear moves independently on its own will yet it constantly takes energy from Lato.