In the Lost City of Ouroboros, the ancient serpent halls echoed with the unified chants of the Serpentine masses.
"Skales! Skales! Skales!"
The walls, cracked with age and pulsing with a faint green glow, reverberated with their fervor. Skales stood proudly atop a coiled pedestal, basking in the adoration—until he swatted a ceremonial box out of Skalidor's hands with a sharp smack.
"Idiot," he sneered, chuckling under his breath before turning back to the masses. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"
He waved grandly at the crowd, then turned to the generals. "Get down. All of you. No need to grovel. You're generals... act like it."
Acidicus hesitated, until Skales snapped a finger toward him. "Scram. Go, go, go."
He stepped forward now, tail raised with command. "Hypnobrai, Venomari, Constrictai, Fangpyre—my fellow Serpentine! Hear me!"
Down below, Mezmo tapped Spitta on the shoulder.
"You're it."
"No, you're it!" Spitta hissed back.
Skales's tail flicked in irritation, but he kept his tone regal. "The troubled reign of that duplicitous human, Garmadon, is finally at an end. At last, our time has come."
"Not you!" Mezmo slapped Spitta on the back of his head and burst out laughing.
Skales's eye twitched, but he pressed on. "We Serpentine must now unite in a common destiny. To secure our rightful place as rulers of Ninjago. No longer shall we cower beneath the surface, victims of their fear and betrayal. As my first command—"
He paused for effect, his voice growing darker.
"—I say we burrow beneath their beloved city… and bury them, as they once buried us! Fellow Serpentine, it's time we knock Ninjago City back down to size!"
The crowd exploded in cheers, slamming their tails and staffs into the ground.
Meanwhile, at Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo…
"Don't rely on your eyes," Cole instructed, circling around a blindfolded Lloyd. "Use your ears. Feel your surroundings."
Across the room, Dareth looked at the chaos in growing horror. "Uh, guys?" he said, holding a mop like a shield. "I'm teaching a class later. So if you could not wreck the place—"
He was ignored entirely.
Lloyd spun instinctively, parrying Jay's strike and accidentally sending him crashing into Dareth's prized display of—admittedly fake—trophies.
"Aah!" Jay cried.
"No, no, no, no!" Dareth scrambled forward, catching a gold-plated cup just before it hit the floor. "Not the Best Dojo 50% Off trophy!"
The next moment, a window nearly exploded from its frame as Jay was launched across the room. Dareth opened it just in time to prevent a full break.
"Ahh—hey! Open the window!" Jay yelled, hanging from the sill.
Meanwhile, Lloyd accidentally unleashed a small burst of fire, scorching a black mark into the dojo's pristine carpet.
"No, no, no, no!" Dareth scrambled to stomp it out. "This is wool!"
Aboard the Destiny's Bounty, Master Wu sat alone in the main cabin, a faded photograph resting in his hand. It showed a simpler time—himself, Garmadon, and Misako. They were younger, happier. Before everything unraveled.
Then the door creaked.
Wu quickly tucked the photo beneath his hat just as Misako stepped inside.
"I'd forgotten how pale Garmadon was," she said quietly, "before his change to evil was complete."
Wu straightened. "Misako… once again, you slip through my defenses."
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to pry. I brought my research on the prophecy of the Green Ninja. I thought we could… go over it together."
She unrolled a series of ancient scrolls. Wu's eyes widened at the sheer volume.
"My," he muttered, crouching to gather the edges. "There's so much. This could take days."
"I should have chosen you," Misako whispered.
Wu froze.
Then he sighed. "The past is the past."
"Yes," she said. "But… there's always the future."
The floor trembled. A deep rumble groaned through the ship's hull, like the earth itself was waking from a long slumber.
Wu and Misako exchanged glances.
"That wasn't natural," Wu murmured.
At the dojo, moments later…
Gayle Gossip's face filled the small TV screen. Her voice was urgent.
"This is NGTV's Gayle Gossip, reporting live from Ninjago City, where a massive earthquake has just struck the downtown district. But this isn't your average tectonic shift—scientists say they can't even locate a fault line! And more concerning: the aftershocks are intensifying."
Crowds had gathered on the street outside, staring at screens and feeling the ground shake beneath them.
Back inside, Cole frowned. "What do you think this is?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Garmadon," Kai muttered. "We haven't seen him in a while."
Misako's voice cut through firmly. "He would never. Lloyd's father may be evil… but he would never do something that puts his own son in danger."
Wu nodded solemnly. "She's right. Garmadon only wanted to halt Lloyd's training. This—this is something else."
Jay blinked, staring out the window. "But if it's not him… what is it?"
Zane stepped forward, lifting a single arm. His falcon glided silently onto his wrist.
"My friend," Zane whispered to the mechanical bird. "Be my eyes. Search the skies. Show me what danger creeps from below."
The falcon took flight.
The ninja watched it soar—unaware that deep beneath their feet, something ancient had begun to stir.
Beneath the surface of Ninjago City, deep in the twisting tunnels of the Undercity…
"Drill, baby, drill!" Skales barked, his voice echoing across the dimly lit underground caverns.
The Constrictai hissed in unison, their drills and claws tearing through the soil with rhythmic purpose. But as Skales strode forward to inspect the dig, a single drop of sickly green venom dripped from the ceiling above, sizzling as it touched his arm.
"Ugh! Disgusting!" he snarled, shaking it off. "This infernal Devourer's venom has seeped everywhere!"
He bumped directly into Snike, who stood motionless before the excavation site.
"Why are we stopping?" Skales snapped.
Snike turned, his voice low and awed. "My lord… we've hit something. We… we can't dig through it."
"Nonsense! There's no such thing as can't!" Skales pushed his way to the front—then stopped dead.
There, buried in stone and time, was a vast tomb—its surface etched with ancient symbols and cold menace. Statues of warriors stood frozen in eternal vigilance, their obsidian eyes gazing into nothingness.
Fangtom approached slowly, his usually confident slither now cautious. "It's… ancient. Perhaps older than the Serpentine themselves."
Far away, on the Dark Island…
Lord Garmadon climbed the jagged cliffside, his cape tattered in the stormy wind, hands scraped and bleeding.
"This is madness!" he growled. "You test me, Lord Garmadon?! Ninjago's rightful ruler?!"
The voice in his mind—deep, echoing, ageless—answered coolly.
"Patience, Garmadon. All will make sense in time. For now, follow my instructions."
"To what end?" he snapped. "What is so important at the top of this cliff?"
"The key to the greatest army ever seen. And the means to the greatest weapon ever known."
Garmadon's breath hitched slightly. "What good will these things do for me, marooned on this cursed island? How do I return to Ninjago?"
"My master plan has been in motion since the dawn of time," the voice murmured like a dark lullaby. "Every piece moves in perfect harmony—like the gears of a great clock—shifting the balance of power back to darkness. Every piece… except you."
Garmadon snarled—but leapt forward anyway, landing on a narrow ledge as the storm howled around him.
Back in Ninjago City…
Chaos erupted as tremors rocked the streets. Cracks split open the asphalt like spiderwebs. Screams filled the air.
A woman screamed across the street, "Oh, Snickers! Stay there—Mommy's coming!"
She sprinted after her little dog—just as the ground gave way beneath her.
"No—no! Help! Someone help me!" she cried, clinging to the ledge.
"Ninja to the rescue!" Lloyd shouted as he leapt from a nearby rooftop.
"Go!" Zane called, following.
"Go!" echoed Kai and Jay.
Forming a human chain, the ninja linked arms with precision. Cole, the strongest, anchored them with a firm grip, while Lloyd reached out toward the struggling woman.
"A few more inches, guys!" Lloyd grunted.
Snickers barked wildly, nudging Cole's leg as he braced.
"Appreciate the support, doggy," Cole muttered, sweat trickling down his temple. Another tremor struck—sending another chunk of the ground tumbling. "Ugh. Could've thought this plan through a little more…"
Snickers whimpered.
"No more help, please!" Cole groaned as he hauled everyone back up.
With one final pull, the woman was safe. She clutched Snickers tightly.
"Oh, thank you!" she cried.
Lloyd offered a tired smile. "No sweat."
"Speak for yourself," Cole wheezed, collapsing to his knees. "I did all the work."
Snickers jumped on him, licking his face. "Ugh!"
Kai stood, panting. "These earthquakes just keep coming… and without warning."
Misako, who had arrived moments earlier, suddenly snapped to attention.
"That's it," she said. "A warning."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "A warning?"
"The scrolls…" Misako whispered, her face pale. "The earthquakes—they're just a warning. A signal for something far worse to come."
"Far worse?" Jay exclaimed. "What could be worse than the ground trying to eat us?!"
Cole rubbed his temple. "Misako, that indestructible Stone Warrior we fought yesterday… where did you find him?"
"He was buried… beneath the city," she replied gravely.
Jay's eyes widened. "You don't think there's more, do you?"
Wu stepped forward, his expression grim. "Be on guard, ninja. We must be ready… for whatever comes our way."
There was a moment of stillness. A heavy silence hung over the team, broken only by the distant rumble of another quake.
Kai looked around and muttered, almost under his breath, "I swear this was easier when Jinx was awake."
Zane nodded. "I concur. Jinx could have easily used his elemental control to float both the woman and the dog out of the hole without strain."
The team fell silent again.
One by one, they turned to look at one another, the weight of that statement sinking in.
Lloyd's voice was low. "Do we… rely on Jinx that much?"
Zane blinked. "Based on my calculations and my reviewed memory logs… Jinx handled 70% of all enemy encounters since joining the team."
Another silence. This one heavier than the last.
Kai sighed. "We suck."
Beneath the ruined corridors of Ninjago City, the Serpentine slithered through toxic sludge, their scaly bodies slowly drenched in the Great Devourer's lingering venom. The air was thick with rot, and the hiss of discontent echoed between damp stone walls.
"Ugh… this is disgusting," one groaned.
Skales raised his head, voice firm. "I will not accept defeat! This wall must be destroyed if we are to bring down Ninjago City. Call for every Serpentine and—wait... what's this?"
His voice trailed off as his eyes locked onto a strange carving embedded into the ancient wall. It resembled… him.
"That's impossible," he muttered.
Skalidor squinted. "It looks like you, Skales."
"Get out of the way, you imbecile." Skales shoved Chokun aside with a hiss of impatience. "Ugh, sorry," Chokun groaned.
Skales pressed his hand to the carving, feeling a click beneath his palm. A stone mechanism shifted—and the wall split open.
He slithered inside slowly. "Spooky," he muttered.
He pulled a rusted lever, and ancient torches flared to life. The tomb revealed itself in full—row after row of towering, immobile Stone Warriors, still as death.
Lizaru leapt into view, striking a frozen pose. "Look at me, I'm a stiff!"
Mezmo mimicked him. "So stiff!" The two burst into laughter.
But the laughter was cut short. A drip of venom from the ceiling splashed onto the nearest statue—and its eyes lit red.
With an earsplitting groan of stone on stone, the army came to life.
"What? It's a trap! Attack!" Skales commanded.
Snappa lunged forward—his blade shattered uselessly against a Warrior's chest. "They're indestructible!"
Acidicus spat venom. "Our powers do nothing!"
"Do we retreat?" one hissed desperately.
"No retreat!" Skales bellowed. "We are Serpentine—we fight!"
But the Stone Army surged forward, emotionless, unstoppable. The Serpentine were pushed back. The warriors moved toward the tomb's exit, and as the last of them stepped through, the great door slammed shut.
Skales lunged, too late. He pounded his fists against the sealed stone.
"No! This can't be true!" he cried, his voice cracking with despair. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Above ground, Zane's falcon soared over the rooftops, its mechanical eyes locking onto movement below.
"Sensei," Zane reported calmly, "it's as we feared. A Stone Samurai Warrior is loose in the streets."
Another appeared. Then two. Then five.
"No," Kai breathed.
"No!" Jay echoed.
"They're everywhere," Wu said grimly. "We're under attack."
On NGTV, chaos unfolded in grainy live footage.
Gayle Gossip, barely maintaining composure, broadcast from a rooftop. "As this army of stone statues sweeps over the city, no one is safe! Mayhem and destruction are their only want. Attempts at communication have failed—surrender is not even an option! The mayor has already ordered a full-scale evacuation!"
Downtown, Rufus McCallister stumbled out of his store.
"What the—?" He blinked, picking up an Illuma-Sword from the sidewalk. He ducked back inside to grab his comics, then sprinted off, clutching everything to his chest as a Stone Warrior hurled a mailbox.
Nearby, the Postman pedaled furiously on his bike. "What about the privacy of the mail!?"
Dareth's students screamed as one of the massive Warriors cornered them.
"Run!" Dareth shouted, pushing them to safety. "You picked the wrong dojo today!" He grabbed a practice sword—but it was tossed aside like a toothpick. "Okay. Warm-up's over…" He raised a scythe and swung it—only to be punched into the pavement. "Nice knowing you!" he gasped, scrambling away.
He bumped straight into Vinny, NGTV's cameraman.
"That's it, I'm outta here!" Vinny yelled and ran.
"Quitter!" Gayle snapped. She shoved a camera into Dareth's arms. "You! You wanna be my cameraman?"
Dareth blinked. "Uh… not really?"
"Perfect. Follow me!"
He sighed and turned on the camera. "I hope I'm doing this right…"
"I'm standing outside Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo," Gayle declared to the lens, "only to find that even here, no one is safe—"
"Uh, Gayle," Dareth said nervously. "Behind you…"
"I talk, you film."
"But Gayle—"
CRASH! A Stone Warrior grabbed her. She screamed—
—and Zane swept in from nowhere, kicking the Warrior aside and catching her with robotic precision.
"You seemed in need of assistance," he said with a nod.
"Thank you, Mr. Ninja," Gayle whispered.
Cole landed beside them. "Stay strong. Show no weakness."
From the sky, the Ultra Sonic Raider screamed into view. Lloyd, Wu, and Misako stood at the helm.
"We have to protect the people," Wu said. "Gather as many as you can. Get them to our evacuation point."
On the screen, Nya appeared. "Bad news, guys. I can't find a safe place to land!"
Gayle pointed. "The NGTV building has a helipad on the roof!"
"Perfect. Lloyd, inform her," Wu said.
Gayle turned to the camera. "All remaining citizens of Ninjago, head to the NGTV building rooftop! Our heroic ninja will evacuate you from there—but hurry! We're running out of time!"
Wu turned to Misako. "You stay here. Out of trouble."
Misako gave him a look. "Looks like that won't be possible."
Lloyd gritted his teeth. "Uh-oh. More of them!"
The Ultra Dragon swooped in, clearing a path with a thunderous blast, freezing several Warriors solid.
"Haha! Yeah!" Lloyd laughed, climbing aboard.
Wu asked, "Have you practiced your Elemental Quakes?"
"Who needs practice when you're a natural?"
The dragon roared, creating a frozen ramp of its breath.
"Thanks, boy," Lloyd said, jumping into the Raider. "Now go save yourself!"
Far away, atop the jagged cliffs of the Island of Darkness, Garmadon reached the summit. There it stood—the Celestial Clock, ancient, unmoving. Before it: a pedestal bearing the Helmet of Shadows.
Garmadon narrowed his eyes. "What is this?"
A voice coiled around him like smoke.
The Overlord.
"This clock was created to count down to the Final Battle," the voice hissed. "Once one dons the Helmet of Shadows, the clock will start. But be warned—though the helmet grants travel between the Islands, once it is worn, the countdown cannot be stopped."
"Any more warnings?" Garmadon asked coldly.
"No."
With a grin, Garmadon seized the helmet and placed it on his head. Dark energy crackled. His laughter echoed across the isle.
"At last," the Overlord whispered. "The countdown to the Final Battle has begun. This helmet is your birthright. With it, you command the army."
Garmadon's smile widened. "What army?"
The Overlord's voice deepened.
"My army."
Garmadon laughed again—louder, darker.
Back on the Bounty, deep within its dimmed corridors, a single room pulsed with fading light.
Jinx lay motionless on his luxurious bed, his body still save for the slow curl of black veins spreading from his arm. Beside him, his sword—Silence—rested quietly… but wept.
Tears of shadow leaked from its hilt, connecting to Jinx's hand like roots of sorrow. His fingers twitched, and from his eyes, black tears slipped down his cheeks.
The light in the room flickered, and began to fade.
His power… unraveling.
His soul… tearing.
And still, the sword remained by his side, the only thing keeping him from slipping completely into the dark.
Meanwhile, at the NGTV Building…
The atmosphere was thick with urgency and the distant echo of stone footsteps.
"Barricade the doors," Cole ordered as the ninja burst into the building's main lobby.
Zane scanned the corridors with a cool, calculating gaze. "We must head to the stairwell. It's our best option."
Dareth, panting already, eyed the elevator panel with hopeful defiance. "Stairs? It's twenty floors! C'mon, guys, let's just take the elevator—"
Before he could finish, he slapped the button and the doors creaked open—only for a Stone Swordsman to lunge out. It slipped comically on a janitor's bucket and tumbled back in. Dareth, wide-eyed, shoved it back inside and smashed the "down" button.
"Okay," he gulped. "Stairs it is."
They began to ascend quickly—except Dareth, who was already winded after a few flights.
"Guys… need a breather," he wheezed—just as a Stone Warrior popped up beneath the stairwell.
"Second wind!" Dareth shrieked and dashed upward again, bumping into Misako and sending a scroll flying down the steps unnoticed.
"We need to buy time for the Bounty's arrival," Zane announced, eyes flashing blue.
"Ninja, go!" came the chorus as the team erupted into Spinjitzu, the staircase flaring with elemental energy as they battled their way through.
Lloyd and Jay teamed up, forcing a group of Warriors backward.
"Lightning up!" Lloyd shouted.
They landed clean hits—but the Stone Warriors stood up again.
"Not so tough," Lloyd began—then flinched. "Whoa. So tough."
Zane turned. "Let's hope we bought enough time."
Panting heavily, Dareth peeked up the stairwell. "Where's the Bounty?"
"Look!" Misako cried, pointing through the nearest window.
Cheers erupted as the Destiny's Bounty descended from the sky, Nya at the helm, navigating it expertly toward the roof.
"Hurry!" Lloyd shouted. "They're closing in!"
Misako froze. "My research!" Her eyes darted back toward the stairwell.
"No, Mom," Lloyd pleaded. "It's too dangerous to go back."
"It's too important to leave behind." She pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning and sprinting back down the stairs.
Kai's eyes widened. "Now, now! We're outta time!"
Below, Misako spotted the scrolls hanging from a tangled light fixture above the stairwell. She climbed the railing and reached—
Outside, the battle grew fiercer. A Stone Warrior leapt and slashed at the Bounty, cracking one of its boosters.
Nya gasped. "No! If that last booster fails, we're stuck!"
Then—snap.
A violent crack echoed from the rooftop. Everyone turned just in time to see veins of crackling magenta energy erupt from the Stone Warriors. It spread like lightning—coiling into the air and slicing across the Bounty's deck. The corrupted warriors began to stiffen, their bodies slowly petrifying as more magenta energy leeched from them and shot into the ship.
One by one, half of the warriors turned to solid stone.
The Bounty jerked free.
"We're airborne!" Nya cried. "But I don't know for how long!"
"We have to wait for my mom!" Lloyd shouted.
But even as he spoke, Wu leapt from the ship and disappeared from view.
"Sensei!" Lloyd called, terrified.
Inside the Building
Misako reached out, fingers brushing her tangled scrolls. The fixture groaned. She slipped.
"I… I can't hold on!" she gasped.
"Misako!" Wu's voice boomed as he charged through the stairwell, staff spinning. He parried a few warriors and lunged forward.
"Hang on!" He grabbed her wrist just in time.
Misako clung to his hand. "They're everywhere!"
"There's nowhere to hide now," Wu said, drawing a deep breath. "We must fight. Do you… still remember Spinjitzu?"
A smirk tugged at Misako's lips. "Do you forget you never beat me?"
"I confess," Wu chuckled, "I wasn't really trying."
"Neither was I."
Together, they took their stance.
"Ninja, go!"
The stairwell lit up with energy as the two spun into a controlled cyclone of precision and fury, their Spinjitzu ripping through the remaining warriors.
Above, on the Bounty
"Zane," Jay shouted, "now! Descend!"
Below, Wu and Misako ran toward the edge of the rooftop—shoulder to shoulder—then leapt from the building as the last remaining Stone Warriors roared behind them.
They landed hard onto the deck of the Bounty. Wu rolled as his hat went flying off, a single folded photograph fluttering away into the wind.
Breathing hard, Misako picked up his hat and gently placed it back on his head.
"The past is past," she said softly.
Wu adjusted it, meeting her gaze. "But there's always the future."
They smiled.
But before the moment could settle—a voice cracked through the silence.
"Well… isn't this cough a sight for sore eyes…"
Every head turned sharply toward the sound.
Standing at the far end of the deck, bathed in moonlight, was Jinx.
He leaned heavily on his sword like a cane, every movement labored. His skin was pale—unnaturally so. From the corner of his eyes, black tears trailed downward. His hand and forearm were webbed with black, necrotic veins that pulsed faintly beneath the skin. He was trembling, barely able to stand, but still upright. Still breathing.
The sword Silence shimmered faintly, tethered to his body by a thin thread of darkness like a lifeline.
The ninja and Wu stepped forward in unison, breath caught in their throats.
"Jinx!!"