MB: Apologies for the brief hiatus. School finals.

Also, it took me FOREVER to try and make this "Let's-get-this-over-with" chapter look good. But, hey - it's just a Fanfic. I'm happy with it.

Well, it's time to get back into the swing of things (you'll see the pun soon enough). Enjoy! :)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:

SWORD AND SORCERY

(FINAL BATTLE, PT. 1)

Adrien let Darkblade make the first move.

As soon as the black knight's sword came shooting toward his gut, the prince sidestepped and swiped at Darkblade with his staff. Their weapons met with a hard CLANG!

In the corner of his eye, Adrien caught Alya and Nino's forms fleeing from a blast of magic, no doubt sent by Volpina. The sound of scattering coins filled the room. Luckily, there were no cries of pain.

Adrien's only concern now was getting the Miraculous from Darkblade. Unfortunately, his old teacher was making it tediously difficult for him.

Master and student fought, both of them trying not to slip on the sea of treasure as they manoeuvred in and out of each other's way.

Adrien mostly fought on the defensive side, blocking or evading Darkblade's attacks, and for two good reasons. One, the prince knew how much his mentor had worn him out the last time they had fought. Saving his strength was key to this fight, especially with Volpina still in the picture. And two, Adrien wanted to use this opportunity to lead his opponent over to the grand balcony, where the prince could gain better footing... and a better chance of acquiring the amulet while Volpina was occupied.

Adrien gave Darkblade a sly grin after leaping back from a lousy lunge. "You're getting slow, old man," he taunted, spinning his staff in his hand. "Being Volpina's new doormat must have dulled your technique."

The black knight's teeth grounded together. "I see your fiancée's death has not dulled that annoying mouth of yours," he snarled. "Quite surprising, given how desperate you were back in the dungeon. What changed, boy? Finally decided that a baker's brat was not living up to your standards?"

Now Adrien was the one snarling. She's worth more to me than you can imagine, he thought, knowing that speaking those words out loud would arouse suspicion. So instead, the prince said, "The only person not living up to my "standards", Armand, is you."

Darkblade snorted and stepped forward, raising his rapier. "Allow me to remedy that, Your Highness."

He struck again, and Adrien parried.

Dodge, strike, block, dodge, block, flurry, dodge...

Their duel became a dance as Adrien purposefully led his old teacher out of the chamber.

Meanwhile, Alya and Nino were putting on a little show of their own: leaping nimbly away from rows of roaring flame.

Ash and smoke almost choked Alya, and the heat made the exposed skin on her face sweat. The redhead ignored it and swept behind the large shipwreck for cover.

Nino fell in beside her with shield in hand, grinning at her through his heavy breathing. "We should have dates like this more often," he said.

Alya raised an eyebrow at him, until she saw slim, slithering things creeping along the hull towards them.

"Heads up," Alya said, launching away from the ship.

Nino sliced at the enchanted tendrils of rope with his shield. The severed ends fell motionless at his feet. A few tried to strike at Nino, but then Alya waved her hands and the ropes froze in mid-air.

That's when Alya finally asked, "You seriously consider this a date?"

Her boyfriend rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... yeah. Us fighting together, side by side." He smiled at her again. "It's so... exhilarating. And it makes your eyes light up like fire."

Alya chuckled through her teeth, blushing. "You are such a romantic," she drawled.

Suddenly, the floor of coins beneath them churned like a sleeping dragon starting to wake up.

Alya and Nino grasped each other's hands before the latter shot them both high into the air, away from the crushing wave of treasure that nearly swallowed them whole.

As soon as they landed, however, the couple was met by a tall, golden statue. Its eyes glowed orange as it came to life and swiped its fists at the two heroes. Nino blocked one with his shield, cringing from the tremor running through his arms.

As Alya grasped her pendant again, she heard Volpina laughing.

The cursed clouds above coiled angrily, shrouding the entire city beyond the wall in a darkened, red haze.

Marinette landed steadily on the marble steps that lead to the palace gates. Then she set a rigid Nathalie down before recalling her yo-yo to her.

The blunette gave the royal steward a brave look. "Find a safe place to hide," she said before turning away. "Alert the city watch if you can, but stay out of sight until we come get you."

She almost threw her yo-yo before a slender hand grasped her shoulder.

"What about Gabriel?" Nathalie rasped.

Marinette looked back, surprised that Nathalie had used the king's name. Normally, it was "His Majesty" or "the king", or even "Adrien's father". She must be really scared for him, Marinette thought.

She patted the steward's hand in reassurance. "Don't worry, he's safe... and away from the fighting."

Nathalie's slim, blue eyes refused to soften. "He won't stay away," she murmured, "especially from his own son."

The morose in the woman's tone made Marinette frown with concern. "But... Adrien..." she began.

Nathalie let out a sorrowful laugh, shaking her head. "Adrien is Gabriel's only child; the last thing on this good earth that he has left of his beloved queen," she explained. "The king couldn't protect his son from Volpina once before. He's not going to throw away a chance to do so now, no matter what Adrien tells him."

Marinette's heart stopped for a moment, remembering the strain in the king's voice from earlier: I almost lost you to that witch once, Adrien. Don't ask me to bear that again.

Her brow furrowed with realization at the seriousness of those words.

Without another word or glance at Nathalie, Marinette spun her yo-yo, flung it towards the palace, and flew into the air.

Thunder boomed in the distance as Adrien stood his ground against Darkblade on the grand balcony.

Blade and staff clashed repeatedly. Both sides were equally matched. Adrien had a tiny gash on his upper right arm, and his middle hurt from where his opponent had previously kicked him. Likewise, Darkblade had a bruise on his forehead from a blow to the noggin, and some parts of his black armour were bent inward.

Now and then, Adrien's cat-like eyes would dart to the Miraculous swinging from Darkblade's throat. If only he could just grab it...

The prince parried another blow before Darkblade leapt back.

Then, the swordsman casually opened out his arms, giving Adrien a clean shot.

But the prince smirked. "Not this time," he murmured.

Gripping his staff in both hands, Adrien sprinted towards his foe. As expected, Darkblade spun away from his supposed attack and prepared to swing his sword in an upper-cut.

But Adrien had anticipated that trick, and counter-attacked with a trick of his own.

Adrien's staff stopped Darkblade's upper-cut halfway up. Then, with a hard grunt, the prince swung both weapons around until the black knight lost his grip on his rapier. The thin blade went flying to the side before clattering along the floor.

Darkblade's eyes widened with fury, and he practically flung himself at Adrien. Though the boy was able to dodge, he was unable to stop the swordsman from grabbing onto his staff.

Adrien gritted his teeth as both men fought for possession of the weapon.

Then, Darkblade leaned closer, his metallic breath making Adrien crinkle his nose. "It seems you're not as poor of a student after all," he hissed as he struggled. "I'll be sure to say as much to your father... once I defeat you!"

Adrien caught a flicker of movement behind his former teacher. He paused for a heartbeat as he fully registered it.

Then, the prince smirked at his former mentor. "Why wait?" he murmured with a prideful slur.

Darkblade blinked at the question, unsure how to respond.

Then... WHACK!

Adrien couldn't help but wince at the impact on Darkblade's skull.

The swordsman's face went slack, almost as if he found the sensation surprising. Then, he became as limp as a bag of sand, and his grip loosened. Finally, Darkblade collapsed to the ground, his armour clanking against the stone. He lay there, groaning but otherwise motionless.

Adrien sighed and straightened up with a firm glance at his fallen opponent. Then he looked up at the assailant with something between surprise and concern.

King Gabriel tossed the small, golden statuette aside as though it were a feeble thing. "When you said you wanted to "do this stealthily"," he said with a raised eyebrow at his son, "this was not precisely what I envisioned."

Adrien grinned at his father, despite himself.

Then, a cold, slithering voice called out from the throne room. "Well, well... The king finally decided to join the party."

Father and son turned sharply towards Volpina, the latter moving to stand in front with his staff at the ready.

Through the ring of columns, Adrien saw Nino and Alya suspended off the ground in the hands of a giant, golden statue, which stomped over to Volpina like it was her personal bodyguard. Adrien's gut clenched at the sight of his friends, who were struggling to pull free of the statue's cold grip.

"And just in time," Volpina continued on, bearing a wicked grin on her sharp face, "for the main event."

The sorceress snapped her fingers, and the animate giant beside her began clenching his fists harder. Nino and Alya cried out from the crushing pressure around their bodies.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Let them go, Volpina!" he shouted. "I'm the one you want!"

Gabriel was immediately beside him. "No, Adrien..."

"Listen to your daddy, Adrikins," Volpina said with a girlish tone. "I may not be able to kill anyone, but my new friend here certainly is. The only way I'll convince him to let your comedic sidekicks live is if you take my Miraculous... and wish me free."

Adrien froze. No, he couldn't...

Behind him, he heard a low grunt and a heavy breath. "W-What?"

The prince looked back to see Darkblade pushing himself up to his hands and knees. His armour shook as though the movement was a great effort for the defeated swordsman. But Darkblade's eyes were hard and flaring with confusion.

"But... what about my wish?" he demanded, his voice strained as he rubbed the back of his sore head. "I haven't... You promised...!"

Volpina scowled at him, unimpressed. "So much for being perceptive, Armand. Now that I have the Prince of Agreste at my mercy, I don't need you anymore. Our partnership has been nullified. I am done with you."

Darkblade's mouth dropped. "You... You swore to reward me for this!" he insisted. Well, pleaded was more like it. "You promised me my ancestor's stolen glory!"

Volpina let out a harsh laugh. "Glory?!" she repeated incredulously. "What glory could a feeble-minded, mediocre fencer like you possibly obtain? If it weren't for me, those bumbling bandits of yours would have left your broken body for the buzzards in the desert. If it weren't for me, you'd be nothing. You are nothing."

Darkblade's face paled, and the strength within him turned to water.

Adrien realized now that he pitied his former teacher, no matter what part he had played in arranging Marinette's execution.

Volpina huffed with indifference, returning her attention to the prince. "Now then, Cat Noir, you have a life-altering decision to make. Save the kingdom and destroy my amulet, and you lose the last friends you have left. Without them or your precious Ladybug, you'll spend your heroic reign alone, wallowing in your grief. Or..." the sorceress said more softly, "you can wish for my freedom, and all of you can live the rest of your lives as my personal slaves. I know you don't love me, Adrien, but I can make eternal servitude much easier for you. You can still have a place by my side."

"Never!" Adrien spat.

"I thought as much, but it was worth a shot. Aw, well... Maybe I'll turn you into a real cat this time, just to see if your demeanour will change."

King Gabriel glared at the evil sorceress. "You are a monster," he stated with damnation.

"I'm flattered," Volpina said with a dip of her head. "Unfortunately, I've had my fill of flattery." She raised her hand as though to snap her fingers again. "Make your choice, little prince. My patience is wearing thin."

Adrien's eyes darted over to Nino and Alya, both of whom were shaking their scrunched faces at him. The prince knew with a heavy heart that his friends would not stand to once again watch him become Volpina's pet cat on a chain. But neither could Adrien stand to lose his friends in this battle.

Thankfully, Astruc offered another solution.

One that soared right over Adrien's head.

The prince managed to catch a glimpse of the startled appall on Volpina's face before something red and blurry collided with her, sending the sorceress flying off into the throne room.

The giant statue, realizing its mistress had been attacked, glanced over at the flying, red figure. Unfortunately, in the confusion, it had loosened its hold on Nino and Alya.

Both of them struck as soon as they wiggled free. Alya shot a burst of orange light at the statue's eyes, blinding it. Nino landed a heavy blow of his shield onto the giant's foot, causing it to stumble backwards onto one foot.

Then, a spinning yo-yo came and yanked the giant down by its neck, and it toppled onto the treasure floor with a great crash.

The whole balcony shook from the force, but Adrien was no longer scared.

He beamed with immense pride as Marinette came flying through the air and somersaulted before landing gracefully in front of her fiancé and his father... oh, and the pale-faced swordsman who now resembled a gaping, bulbous-eyed fish.

Marinette brushed her midnight-blue tails from her masked face. "Phew!" she sighed with a smile at Adrien. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

The prince grinned slyly at her. "Really? Should I scratch "Fight a Giant" off the honeymoon wish-list, then, Milady?"

She opened her mouth to answer that...

... before a dark, thunderous crack spoiled the moment.

Adrien and Marinette looked just in time to see a whirlwind of black and orange smoke explode between two of the supporting pillars, knocking both of them right off and sending them crumbling down. Alya and Nino quickly ran out of the way of the collapse.

Adrien shielded his eyes, and his father, from the bursting wave of dust and smoke. Likewise, Marinette shielded them both. While it harmed neither of them, Adrien could feel the pulsing aura of rage within that burst of magic... and suddenly he was afraid again.

Afraid because it was Volpina inside that destructive whirlwind, her hair and dress billowing as her power blew about her in ferocious wisps of fury.

Afraid because the sorceress's glowing, yellow eyes – now outlined in red – were locked directly on his beloved Marinette.