**The Spirit Realm. Near one of the rifts between worlds. Roku.**
"How inconvenient!" I thought irritably as I approached an ancient spirit who was eerily obsessed with widening the rift to another world. And he wasn't alone in his endeavor. The problem was that these rifts were located near settlements of light spirits, and not all of them were deep within territories. Nearly half of them lay on the borders between our lands and areas controlled by the dark spirits.
"Though, in a way, it all fits…" Based on years of statistics, the dark spirits were due to attack within a year or so. It felt like a conspiracy, as all four rifts had become targets for ancient spirits. While they expanded their passages, higher and mid-level spirits slipped through to the other side. Fortunately, the nations had been warned of the attack and had already dispatched additional forces. Still, it was crucial to drive these pests away as soon as possible.
My other bodies were already engaged in battles. Van and Yuki's dominance was unquestionable, but Yo and I would have to rely on chi energy. At least there were real opponents to test the techniques passed down by the ancient turtle.
"Someone's clearly overdosed on steroids!" At the edge of the spatial rift, a massive anthropomorphic spirit with incredibly impressive musculature clung to the edges with his huge hands. His face was particularly unsettling, prompting the question: "Which horror game did you escape from?!"
"Ar-r-r-r!" Noticing my arrival, he greeted me with a loud roar and a spray of saliva.
"So, you're one of the newcomers," I nodded to myself. Even as ancient spirits, they lacked a shred of intelligence. Unlike the "old-timers," who could calmly engage in dialogue and devise clever plans even under the influence of dark energy. Moreover, the ranks of the dark forces were increasingly filled with bizarre spirits with twisted elements. According to Van Shi Tong, this happened due to their rapid "mass gain." Each spirit's core was constantly bombarded with the energy of defeated foes, and if done continuously, changes were guaranteed. By the way, he mentioned this in a slightly excited tone—the great owl was always eager for new research subjects…
Before lunging at the monster, ancient armor made of chi energy materialized on my body, covering its most vital areas. This defensive technique had been studied for ages by every self-respecting chi bender. Yes, different villages and settlements had their variations, but they all boiled down to the same principle. Some techniques had "springy" defenses, while others focused on covering the entire body—there were plenty of variations.
Slipping under the spirit's massive muscular arm, my two fingers, pressed together, reached his torso. Upon contact with the monster's aura, a thin beam of chi energy shot from my fingertips. A tiny, unnoticed hole appeared on the steroid-enhanced monster's body, but with very noticeable consequences. The green energy's single attack sowed chaos, preventing the spirit from using its full strength. Of course, it wouldn't take long for him to "patch the hole," but who would give him the time?
"Now I'm starting to understand how chi benders survived in their time!" I had just used Technique Number One among chi benders. Benders, indeed! At least, that's how the practitioners of that era referred to themselves. I've always known this world wasn't for failed benders!
The technique itself resembles the Hyuga Clan's "Gentle Fist." Admittedly, there's already too much Naruto in Avatar. The sequence is as follows: you twist chi energy and hold it at your fingertips, releasing the "green beam of death" upon impact. The closer you are to the spirit's body, the greater the damage. Some damage can be dealt from medium range, but it's minimal—chi bending, so to speak, loves contact.
This muscle-bound brute turned out to be a surprisingly skilled fighter, though nothing less was expected. Only the strongest survive in the cursed lands, and he must have endured thousands of battles to gain his current power. Unfortunately for him, he was an ideal opponent for me: he didn't emit any deadly energy, only charged head-on, and his unique spirit ability wasn't particularly practical.
My other selves were having a harder time. They were up against unusually complex spirits whose elements were riddled with various negative traits. And I couldn't even call on Driu—she was already in the thick of things, helping the slow-witted "ents" and other nature spirits.
As the battle continued, the spirit with the still-unknown element began to lose ground. No wonder—thanks to my efforts, his body and aura were a natural sieve, preventing him from absorbing energy and forcing him to rely on his reserves.
* * *
**Meanwhile. Tienhai City. City Hall.**
In front of a beautiful white marble building, thousands of people had gathered. Most were ordinary citizens who believed Amon's words, but there were also curious onlookers and police officers. Standing directly before the crowd was the leader of the Equalists himself. His posture exuded calmness, as if the state were willing to make concessions.
"On behalf of the peaceful citizens of our city... we demand equality!" Amon's powerful voice echoed across the square, eliciting varied reactions. Some gazed at him in awe, while others spat in anger. The latter were the law enforcement representatives, who had clashed with the Equalists dozens of times that week alone. The bastards were experts at blending into the crowd, and arresting everyone would only cause more chaos, which would benefit the Equalists. "We want…"
A series of explosions cut him off. Thick columns of black smoke rose in several directions. No one understood what was happening, but it was clearly nothing good. Law enforcement began slowly surrounding the Equalists' leader. In response, other members of the organization emerged from the crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder with their leader.
At the same time, in several districts near City Hall, "Little Ba Sing Se"—the world's first shopping center modeled after the city itself, complete with three rings and a similar architectural style—was engulfed in flames. Bodies of those affected by the explosions lay scattered everywhere. It was a horrifying sight.
Another source of explosions was the Silk Road Bridge—a massive suspension bridge. Its ruptured steel cables had buried numerous satomobiles and people beneath them. Fortunately, some explosions only grazed the ropes, providing crucial time for evacuation.
The third and final explosion site suffered the least damage. The Harmony Tower—one of the city's main attractions—was a colossal structure made of elegant metal support beams that curved upward and converged at a great height. The tower featured several multi-level observation decks. At night, it glowed with a beautiful golden light, warming the city's residents. And it must be said that the tower was clearly built with care! The structure withstood the exploding bombs, tilting only slightly, leaving people shaken but unharmed.
**Back at City Hall…**
Tension reached its peak when people learned of the events unfolding across the city.
"You've crossed every line, Amon!" a man in traditional Air Nomad attire growled. Looking at the tall, bearded man, it was hard to recall the former Avatar-boy.
"You won't believe I'm innocent, will you?" Amon bitterly smirked.
"No more leniency," Kuvira shook her head, raising her hand to signal her subordinates.
Aang set the example by attacking Amon. Of course, he knew about Yo's plans, but this wasn't the time to let the enemy go. Though doubts plagued him—the Equalists hadn't tried to kill anyone this entire time. Casualties in clashes were accidental; no one had deliberately murdered another.
A fierce battle erupted. Amon had to fend off two formidable masters simultaneously: a fully realized Avatar mastering four elements and a genius metalbender. The panicking crowd hindered the use of bending, turning the fight into chaos.
"Oh!" exclaimed a brave—or perhaps foolish—person who hadn't fled with the crowd but stood his ground, occasionally aiding the Equalists. "You… you said a firebender disfigured your face…"
Aang's attack grazed Amon, knocking off his mask. Despite the heated situation, many turned to look at Amon's face. And... his features bore no scars or burns. Before them was the unmarred, tanned face of a Water Tribe member.
"Years of work… all for nothing," Yakone muttered. In the next second, his fingers curled strangely, freezing Kuvira and Aang in place. Quickly approaching them, he struck their bodies with his knuckles, expertly blocking their access to bending and paralyzing their muscles. He swiftly subdued the interfering officers with classic waterbending.
"Look at your 'Great Equalizer'!" the bystander sneered, emphasizing the last two words. "Ready to judge benders when he's a waterbender himself! How much more of his lies can we believe?!" Those who had recently aided the Equalists began to retreat, disillusioned with the organization's ideals. It was unlikely anyone would follow him now—his lies and deceit had ruined his political career. On the other hand, this wasn't good either; it meant he had nothing to lose and could act more aggressively.
"Follow me!" he commanded, gathering water from the air with sparse movements. The brave officers were in for a defeat. Amon quickly demonstrated that he outclassed them in waterbending by a mile—or two.
"Better let him escape. I'll use the same energybending to eradicate Vaatu's particles…" Aang thought to himself, lying in an odd position. Honestly, he was ashamed of losing to a bender with only one element. "Got cocky," he admitted. He'd completely forgotten that humans weren't spirits and their cunning worked far better.
The aftermath of the fires and collapses was dealt with in record time—hardly surprising in a society with numerous benders. The bridge, however, couldn't withstand such rough treatment and began to collapse. Fortunately, Yo, Roku, Van, and Yuki's daughters were already nearby, riding flying bison. A dozen satomobiles had to be bid farewell as they became future fish homes, but the main thing was that people were saved.
In one of the new apartment buildings, a meeting of the Red Lotus Order was underway. They were behind the terrorist attacks that had claimed many innocent lives. Some philosophers were right in their sayings: "Man is the true evil." The Order members proved this, causing far more damage in a few minutes of explosions than all the Equalists combined.
A similar scene played out a few streets away from the Red Lotus gathering. But among the Equalists, a funeral atmosphere prevailed—all their prepared plans had been shattered by an unknown third party. Even Vaatu's particles were, to put it mildly, shocked—someone was doing their job far better than they ever could!
"What do we do now, Yakone?" asked Suyin Beifong, wearily massaging her temples.
"I don't know," he replied hollowly. Various thoughts raced through his mind, and for some reason, only the bloodiest options for their organization's future stuck. They'd be blamed for what happened anyway, so why not become executioners and judges themselves?
"Do you hear that?" the Lieutenant asked uncertainly.
"Is someone knocking on the window? We're on the fifth floor…"
"Knock-knock-knock, we've come to visit!" a cheerful voice called from the broken window. It was Chief Yuki of the Water Tribe. "How quickly children grow… Ah, I had such high hopes for you, Yakone," the unexpected visitor sighed. Behind him stood three other senators—Yo, Roku, and Van—all bearing the marks of a recent, arduous battle.
"*Damn!" Bakir cursed to himself, his thoughts devoid of positive outcomes. Not just him, but the others were still children when these monsters in human form were infamous worldwide.