And so the fight begins!


Chapter Fifty-One: Clash


Almost as soon as their screams had penetrated the atmosphere of the room, thrown from both of their demonic, approaching forms came a massive wave of explosive darkness, blasting outwards and slamming over the five forms of the young Links. The explosion rumbled through the entire room, knocking debris loose from the walls and ceiling and sending the heroes falling backwards once again onto the ground.

As soon as they had fallen, one of their eyes had jumped open and widened at what they witnessed- from the debris and chunks of rocks that were falling from the ceiling and walls, the two beings, as they approached, were taking control of them and sending them flying quickly towards the downed heroes. And so, without hesitation, the young Red Link jumped up, whipping out his Ice Rod and shouting aloud as a large shield of ice burst from the tip of his rod, forming a dome-like shield around him and his friends.

"Green!" The moment Vio had hit the ground, he'd gasped and called out their leaders' name. He shook his head and got to his feet as quickly as he could- and, noticing Red's defense at the corner of his eyes, quickly turned towards Green, his eyes wide and urgent.

The leader of the Links had once more been thrown against the wall by the explosion- the breath knocked out of his chest a third time over. However, stumbling to his feet, he shook his head, mentally snapping himself back into action. There was no time to reel from pain or surprise- the fight had started. And, upon hearing his name called, Green had quickly turned to who had shouted at him.

Snarling, clawing against the debris-covered ground as he struggled to his feet, the headstrong and stubborn Blue hadn't wasted a second form the moment he hit the ground to the moment he jumped back up, infuriated and eager to start the fight. He blinked in surprise upon noticing Red's shield- and yet, though the shield held firm and solid around them, it was only ice- and already, pieces were beginning to shatter from the boulders flying at them. Leaping beside his friend, the Link whipped out his hammer, swinging at the rocks that flew at them, unguarded by the shied, and hurling them back.

Though he had been unharmed by the blast of darkness, it had also thrown him off its feet due to the sheer force- and, still shaking in his rage and realization, he had slowly gotten back to his feet, staring furiously over at the two who were beginning to approach. Mentally he cursed and kicked at himself- how had he been so blind?-!- but as he heard his name called, quickly he looked to the side, running up to join the others.

"Green, we need to keep them separated!" Vio shouted, quickly trying to explain what he had thought of as the two kept behind Red's shield and Blue's protection. "We don't stand a chance against them if they work together! We'll have to fight them one at a time!"

Green grit his teeth, but nodded. "Shadow!" he called out quickly- the other, upon hearing his name, ran towards Green, knowing their time for discussion short and growing shorter by the second- and then nodded upon seeing him come. "Vio's got a plan. We can't-"

"We can't attack them together," Shadow said firmly, baring his fangs and narrowing his eyes. "The second they combine their powers is the second we've lost."

Though Green was slightly startled, he quickly nodded. He hesitated for a moment as he looked over his shoulder- the distance between them was all but closed, there was no more time for discussion- and then, looking back at the others, nodded.

"Vio and Shadow," Green said quickly as he turned towards the fight, his eyes narrowed and his voice quick as he dealt out his orders, "you two, take Red and fight Veran. Keep her away from Onox. Blue and I will take care of him."

Without hesitation, the two Links nodded, quickly running up and grabbing Red by the arm, explaining quickly to him their situation as they bolted to one side of the room. Blue, blinking in surprise watched them leave- but as Green came up beside him, he turned to look at him- and grinned.

Green gave a wry smile, taking out his sword. "You and I are gonna take that general down," he said with a nod. "You ready?"

Blue's grin grew wider. "Am I ready? Ha! Green, I'm ALWAYS ready!" he shouted, eager to start the fight, putting away his hammer and taking out his glistening, silver and gold Four Sword.

As the three Links ran to the opposite side of the room, Shadow, gritting his teeth and keeping his sights focused on their single target, threw balls of shadow magic from his hand towards Veran. "HEY! Veran! Over here!" he shouted as loud as he could, snarling and taunting her with his sneers and his attacks. They had to draw her away from Onox's side, as Blue and Green would have to also keep Onox from fighting alongside Veran. And as his attacks flew by her, some striking- yet not harming- Veran, blasting to pieces as they hit the protective barrier of shadow around her, so the sorceress' wide, infuriated eyes were jerked to the side, her power influenced by her rage, and she turned towards the new nuisance.

Running across the opposite side of the arena, Blue set his jaw into a firm, grim smile as he kept his eyes focused on the massive general. "So, what's the plan?" he shouted, huffing as he ran, towards the leader who ran beside him.

Green returned the same grim smile. "We'll improvise," he answered in between breaths as he ran beside him- and, as soon as he'd spoken, so he reached out from behind him his particular weapon, and grinned. "HEY! Onox!" Shouting aloud, Green threw with all his might his boomerang, his aim perfect and true as it flew towards the terrifying, massive general.

Onox's ball-and-chain, swinging as he stepped, quickly and without hesitation slammed against the incoming boomerang, sending it whirling backwards, unable to penetrate the offensive and defensive weapon and get to the general behind it. However, the distraction had done what it needed to do- and, his eyes jerking to the side under his pointed, golden helm, Onox's sneer crinkled the metal around him as his heavy footsteps began to change their direction.

Quickly, Green was running through the information in his mind as he caught his returned boomerang. They wouldn't be able to get through and strike him while his ball-and-chain was twirling madly around him- so that only left one other possible opening. Green didn't like it, and he grit his teeth-

Grinning, Blue ran up beside Green as the two stopped, a good distance away from the others, and watching Onox walk towards them. "So," he said with a laugh, "improvise, huh? I like it. Tell me what to do!" His eyes narrowed eagerly as they watched his enemy approach, and his grin spread wider and wider.

The leader hesitated for a moment. However, pushing past it, he said quickly, "There's no way we can get to him while that weapon is moving. Meaning we need to-"

"You mean, meaning SOMEONE needs to get hit by it in order for there to be an opening," Blue finished with a clever glint in his eye. "Preferably, someone who can take a hit pretty well, right? ... Dibs!"

Green blinked in surprise. However, a grin soon found its way on his face- and, suppressing a laugh, he shook his head. "Fine. But use your shield," he said firmly, his face becoming serious as he looked back towards Onox, who was approaching fast. "If you get hit without it..."

Blue rolled his eyes, but grinned as he swapped out his sword for his shield. "No problem," he said with a laugh, grinning as he got into a defensive stance and set his sights on the closing-in Onox. "You got my back?"

Green smiled. "Always," he answered firmly, turning his sights onto the enemy and backing up, giving Blue his room to work while he waited for the precious, pricey opening he would need to strike.

The blasts continued to barrage from Shadow's balled-up fist onto Veran's approaching form, though the Links could only watch in terror as the sorceress approached them- and began to glide upwards into the air above them. The high ceiling offered plenty of room for the witch to move, and as she closed in on the heroes, the magical blasts of Shadow's magic continued to bounce harmlessly off her protective shield around her.

And yet, before the three Links could do anything else-

Laughing, and bringing up a hand, the sorceress Veran quickly flicked her wrist at the heroes- and from the palm of her open hand came several hideous, powerful shafts of blackness which slammed downwards at the ground beneath her. And as each blast of darkness blasted against the ground, so they didn't explode or burst upon impact- but, as if absorbing the shock of the impact itself, the blackness began to grow, changing shape until it developed form...

The three Links' eyes widened in horror as they took more steps back, their sights having been changed from Veran to the several monstrosities she had created- three blackened, soulless and red-eyed forms that matched their own.

As the Links reveled in their horror and shock, so the hideous laughter from the witch above once more split the room in half with its shrieks. "Quite a nice trick, don't you think?" she taunted the heroes from above, her sick grin plastered all over her face as she looked proudly upon her monstrosities. The three Dark Links, wielding swords and shields of blackness of their own, began to circle around the three heroes, their silent, narrowed red eyes, hungry and relentless, focused solely on their targets before them.

And when one got too close-

Shouting aloud, Shadow whirled around, his good hand balled into a fist as he slammed it in front of him, sending a blast of shadow magic aimed at one which had circled around him. Yet, in his triumph of the attack, Shadow's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he watched his successful attack fail.

The blast of darkness from his fist went clean though the Dark Link- and though it had paused, looking at its chest where the attack had gone through- it continued to advance once again, a sick grin on its face.

"Damnit! My magic doesn't work on these things!" Shadow swore as he stepped closer to the others, looking at their enemies with narrowed, hateful eyes.

Again came the horrible, twisted laughter from above, and, shrieking in her glee, Veran taunted once more, "Of course not, you traitorous child! Why should dark magic be able to harm dark magic? You foolish, insolent boy!-!"

Vio's eyes narrowed as the three Links began to be drawn into a tight circle, Veran above them laughing as the three Dark Links started to close in on them. He had to think of something... a plan! But what? He didn't even know what their attacks or weaknesses were!

"You... you leave my friends alone!-!" Red shouted, his eyes narrowed in anger as he took a step forward. Whipping out from behind him his Ice Rod, the young Link aimed for the Dark clone still approaching Shadow, firing an icy blast of magic towards it.

Caught up in its advance upon Shadow, the Dark clone's eyes were only just able to snap to the newest threat before it was upon it- and, shrieking in pain, the creature took a step backwards as the ice blasted over it, cracking and popping as it solidified and encased the monster in ice. Leaping forward, without a second's hesitation, Red had swapped out his Ice Rod for his sword- and, slicing out at the frozen enemy, Red's blade quickly and sharply went through the ice-covered enemy, digging deep into the dark material the creature was consisted of and slicing clean out the other side.

Vio's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Red's attack- and when the monster screamed and writhed in agony, stumbled backwards out of the shattered ice and clinging its glowing-white wound in its side, the Link turned to look at Red with a bright grin. "Way to go, Red!" he shouted ecstatically, laughing in surprise and triumph. Already, the other Dark Links, learning from the first's mistake, were beginning to back up, now wary of Red's weapon. "That was-"

"Look out!-!"

Interrupting Vio quickly came Shadow's voice- and in a split second, the Link had leapt in front of Vio, his hand extended as a blast of shadow magic burst from his palms outwards- just barely meeting an opposite blast of shadow magic in the air before it was able to reach its target. The two blasts collided- and, opposite each other, blasted apart into oblivion.

"What?" Veran screamed from above, her eyes narrowed into slits at the anger of Red's successful attack, and her own failed one. "How can you-"

"Dark magic can't harm dark magic, remember?" Shadow sneered, looking triumphantly back up at Veran.

Quickly, Vio spoke.

"Red! Take care of the Dark Links!" he shouted quickly, looking over to Red and nodding sharply. Red returned the nod- and, in the next instant, Vio looked over to Shadow, giving a grim smile as he took out his bow. "I can't reach her by sword while she's up there," he said quickly, "So this will have to do. Block her attacks for me- when she leaves an opening, I'll take it."

Shadow looked over his shoulder at Vio, giving a smirk. "My pleasure," he said with a laugh, looking back at Veran with narrowed, determined eyes as Vio docked an arrow to his bow and readied to fire. "Come on, Veran!" Shadow taunted, shouting out to their enemy in triumph. "Let's see what you've got!-!"

And as Veran began to shoot off her blasts of magic, Shadow returning his own, Red firing blasts of ice magic at the still-circling Dark Links, and Vio dodging the attacks as he fired arrow after arrow from his bow, so, on the opposite side of the room, a similar fight was beginning to play out as the lone Link readied his shield, keeping his eyes firm and determined as he waited for the right moment.

Blue took a slow, deep breath as walked forward, his shield held out firmly in front of him. The menacing sound of the spiked, heavy ball-and-chain whirling through the air grew louder and louder as the terrible, powerful General approached... and when it was almost too loud, Blue grit his teeth, forcing a grin on his face, knowing he was ready- that he would always be ready.

Onox, roaring in fury and might, swung his ball-and-chain with all his force, propelling the gargantuan, terrifying weapon through the air and towards its victim. And yet, Blue could hardly be labelled a victim- as, with a wide grin on his face, his shield held out sturdily in front of him, the Link leapt forward into the range of the weapon, ready to take the hit.

And take it he did- for in the next split second as Blue ran forward, the massive weapon, almost as big as the hero himself, struck the blunt side of his shield, the spikes heavily denting the metal and the sheer might of the force behind the swing sending the hero flying off his feet and skidding across the ground. Blue's eyes were shut tight as he winced against the hit- but, ignoring the pain and ignoring everything that came with it, he kept the grip on his shield tight, knowing he'd done just what he needed to do.

And in Onox's split-second of weakness, the quick moment after he fired his weapon, putting all of his force and energy into the one, single motion of swinging his weapon to its target-

So Green took it.

Charging in from the side, his blade trailing behind him as he ran, Green's eyes were narrowed and focused on his target as he ran in, leaping up as soon as he reached the enemy and swinging outwards with his sword in a powerful and precise Jump Attack. Onox's eyes went wide and jerked to look to the side as his attacker came- yet it was all he was able to do before Green's sword came down upon his armor.

And what followed next was what Green was expecting last.

His blade scored heavily across the golden, metal armor, digging a harsh groove into it and sending thousands of sparks flying across its path, the blade slicing over the armor as it attempted to get through the protective material to the vulnerable enemy beneath. And yet, as his strike came to an end, Green found himself gasping and stumbling back from the effort, and from the shock of what he saw.

The strike had left a massive cut in the general's armor- and yet, still his sword had been unable to get through. And Green watched with wide eyes as the scratch in the armor slowly began... to change... As if disappearing into nothingness, the golden armor beneath and around the scar began to expand, filling in the dent carved by Green's sword until the entire mark was gone- as if it had never been attacked.

Slowly, the general turned around towards Green, his heavy footsteps making the ground rumble with every metallic step he took. The sick grin spread across his face as he stared down at his enemy, and his arm began to raise, the chain bound to his ball-and-chain beginning to move...

And, in a split second, the general roared out in rage as he flung his ball-and-chain around him, the spiked end of it aimed for the defenseless child right in front of him-

The ball swung and collided heavily with a resounding thud- but both the attacker and the attacked stared in wide-eyed surprise just at what it had hit.

Lunging forward and leaping in between his friend and the weapon, Blue had quickly stepped in between them both, his hammer gripped tightly in both fists. And as the spiked weapon came around to them, so he swung with all his might- and as the end of the hammer hit the end of the spiked weapon, so both the ball-and-chain and the hero himself were flung backwards by the resulting, opposite and equal forces.

Staggering backwards from his weapon's loss of momentum, and the change in its direction as it was flung backwards, the General shouted in fury as he was caught off-balance, his eyes narrowed and burning towards the one who had interrupted his strike.

The hit had taken more out of the strong Link than he had expected- and, thrown into the wall with such force it made the rocks crack behind him, Blue had gasped, slumping down against the floor, all the energy drained out of him in a heartbeat. His muscles shook as he tried to push himself back up and into the fight- but as he looked up, his eyes grew wide at what he saw.

The ball-and-chain swung around powerfully in the air as it was once more charged into a raging arc by its owner, the towering general having advanced upon the injured hero and setting his burning, hating sights upon him. Screaming in all his rage, Onox charged back his weapon as he swung it around him, preparing to strike-

And yet, in the moment before his weapon was directed to the Blue hero, a flash of motion caught Blue's eyes- and he watched in wide-eyed surprise and excitement as the ever-faithful, ever-precise boomerang of his friend whirled around them, quickly and sharply arcing back as it struck the unsuspecting General straight in his chest.

The boomerang had an instantaneous effect- and, as soon as it had struck through the General's armor, digging deep in between the plates of golden metal and then arcing back to return to its owner, so the monster's eyes had widened and he had frozen dead still in his tracks- as if his entire body paralyzed from the hit.

His eyes burning with the rage of a warrior, the fierce devotion to protect his friend and take down his foes rising up within him, Green ran towards the stunned General, both hands gripped tightly around the hilt of his holy Four Sword and his sights set upon the target before him. Shouting aloud, Green leapt forward upon his enemy- and brought his sword down.

Blast after blast of shadow magic barraged the three heroes as they ran around the central point of their enemy, one protecting the other as he tried to land a blow on the enemy as the third kept the ever-constant threats of the dark copies around them at bay. The battle was intense and gave the fighters not a second's moment of rest, nor allowing a second's moment of hesitation. And as the Dark copies tried to advance upon the unsuspecting Vio and Shadow, so Red found himself having to quickly jump from side to side, keeping them back with powerful, threatening blasts from his Ice Rod. And yet, the three versus the one were slowly beginning to overwhelm him, and the exhausted Link found himself tripping and stumbling, shouting out as he once almost came too close to getting hit by their blasts.

Arrow after arrow flew through the air in quick succession by the skill of Vio's precision, his eyes narrowed and focused as he aimed for the moving target above him. And yet, with each arrow, his frustration mounted, until his face was completely contorted in anger, and he fired each arrow with a growing anger. For almost every arrow that he fired, cackling like a mad witch, Veran quickly and easily dodged, with almost unnatural speed and accuracy.

Vio's eyes narrowed as he focused his arrow on the shrieking witch above him. He'd had enough. He wasn't a Link for nothing- and, his finger twitching as he waited for just the right moment, the hero kept his calm gaze focused on Veran...

And as she blasted another beam of shadow magic towards him, which Shadow quickly countered with one of his own, Vio's eyes snapped open wide as he let the arrow fly-

Slicing through the air towards its target, the arrow could not have missed. It flew straight and true, and aimed right to the center of the devilish Sorceress-

"NO!" Even Vio could not contain his rage as he shouted aloud, his eyes widening in fury and taking a step forward as he watched his arrow sail effortlessly through the space above where Veran had just been seconds before- but right as the arrow came towards her, so, cackling, she had vanished into thin air. Quickly, he whirled around, his eyes wide as he raced to find where she would reappear- and, his eyes flashing, quickly saw her image reappear in the corner of his eyesight.

Whirling around, Vio had just enough time to dodge- as Shadow threw back more blasts of his own- before another blast came at him from behind. Once more, he threw up his bow and aimed- but in another second, so she had disappeared again.

"Ahh!"

Shadow and Vio, their eyes snapping open at the sudden shout, quickly looked to the side-

Knocked down against the wall, Red was wincing as he held his arm with one hand, looking up at the creatures which had advanced upon him. They each were ravaged with marks of his hits- frozen and unfrozen, time and time again, struck down by Red's sword, they were covered in almost as many scars of light as they were darkness itself. And yet, formed from the very magic itself, so they did not stop, and had been advancing on the single Link further and further, wearing him down into exhaustion until finally, seizing the moment, one had gotten close enough, another attacked, leaving the third to move in and strike.

"Shadow! Go help Red, now!" Vio shouted, his mind instantly racing as his heart beat unnaturally fast in his chest. They were fighting a losing fight- he didn't think they could've been in more trouble than they already were, but this made things worse. He still couldn't land a blow on Veran, who was constantly teleporting, and Red was being overwhelmed.

Shadow clenched his jaw tightly as he bit back an argument. Vio would have no protection against the shadow blasts, and his magic didn't even work against the Dark Links. And yet... bitterly, he nodded his head, quickly whirling around and running over to Red. He wouldn't allow Red to be overrun.

The monsters were advancing on Red, those sick grins pulled all the way up to their devilish, glowing-red eyes... And yet, leaping in front of them, Shadow quickly put himself in between the approaching Dark Links and Red, his hands curled into tight fists and a heavy, threatening snarl on his face.

"You want something to kill, you little bastards?" Shadow snarled, pulling his lips back into a grin to match theirs. "Come and get ME." Aiming to miss, the Link threw blasts of magic at the three creatures, quickly letting his own shadow magic surround him as he attacked all three of them. The monsters, high in stamina and strength yet low in intelligence, quickly leapt away from the new threat, snarling and circling their new target. And as the dark magic grew around Shadow, so their eyes fixated onto him, growling and snarling as they cluttered towards the familiar power.

"Red! Get up! I'll keep them busy!" Shadow shouted back towards Red as he dodged to the side, drawing the three creatures towards him and away from the Link behind him.

Nodding weakly as best he could, Red pushed the ground beneath him as he moved to stand, shaking his head and recovering from the previous hit. He held his breath as he watched the three monstrosities chase after Shadow, retreating from his feigning hits and firing some of their owns- and, holding up his Ice Rod, frowned. He'd never tried this before... But he HAD to. Gritting his teeth and clenching tight his rod, Red ran into the fray, a plan forming in his mind.

"Alright, Veran! Just you and me, now!" Vio shouted as loud as he could up towards the witch who continued to taunt him by teleportation. He raised his bow, another arrow already ready, searching the skies for her as she continued to disappear and reappear.

"Oh, no... Now... it is just ME!"

Cackling once more and reappearing behind Vio, the Sorceress of Shadows quickly threw another ball of shadow magic to the young Link.

Vio whirled around, his eyes wide-

-And yet, in one swift motion, in a move which surprised even himself as he performed it, the young hero quickly put away his bow- and, in the same motion, drew his sword.

Leaping forward, Vio shouted aloud as he swung his Four Sword against the ball of shadow magic- and, in triumph, he grinned and watched as, upon being struck by the holy blade of light, the ball of shadow magic was instantly shot backwards, its trajectory changed in a second as it aimed for its own creator.

Veran's eyes flew wide open- yet even she was unprepared for such a change, and, shouting aloud, didn't have a moment to protect herself before she was struck by her own magic. Screaming aloud in pain as the dark magic surged through her, wisps of shadow magic crackling around her like electricity, the witch became paralyzed in the air- and, still screaming, began to fall to the floor. Vio's eyes widened- and the grip on his sword tightened. He'd only have one shot at this.

Backed into a corner, Shadow grit his teeth as he looked from side to side, re-evaluating his position. He was surrounded, they were advancing upon him, and he had no means to protect himself, nor fight back. He grit his teeth as he begun to prepare for the worst, raising his fists and clenching his teeth. If he had to go down... magic or no magic, it wouldn't be without a fight.

And yet, from behind the clones, a dull, blue light began to grow...

Unsuspecting, the clones continued to advance- yet Shadow, noticing it in an instant, watched with wide-eyes as the light grew- and in an instant, exploded outwards.

Leaping forward and holding his Ice Rod out, Red shouted aloud as a massive beam of ice shot out from the tip of his rod. He had been biding his time, charging the power in the Ice Rod and letting it grow... Instead of releasing it in short, powerful bursts like he was used to, instead he had let it slowly build up... until the right moment. And when the beam fired, so it grew in a wide arc and instantly sailed through the three Dark Links in front of them, freezing them in an instant upon contact.

And the second the blast had ended-

Running forward, blade exchanged for rod, Red jumped once more in the center of the fight, shouting as he twirled around in a quick and powerful Spin Attack, slicing through the ice of each of the enemies and gouging his blade deep into each and every one of them. Finally, gasping for breath, the Link came to stop beside Shadow, and the two Links watched in awe and triumph as, screaming from the pain of the multiple hits, finally too much for them to keep up their strength, the three clones began to become overrun in the scars of light around them...

And as Vio ran forward, crying out as he leapt and sunk his blade deep into his fallen enemy's form, so the light grew from the corner of the room where the three Dark Links imploded upon themselves, the darkness fading away into the light...

And, in the same motion, so Green's blade came down upon the back of the General, his magical protection gone and his blade easily sinking through the deep, golden armor and gouging into the enemy beneath.

The room was silent for a moment-

And then, erupting in sound, and in both light and darkness, the two enemies, screaming in pain and reeling from the two hits, stood up and staggered away from their attackers, explosive amounts of dark energy radiating from their forms.

Quickly, Green ran over to Blue, extending an arm and helping his friend up. The two looked from Onox to the other shrieking form in the room- and, each of them grinning, nodded to one another and ran towards the center of the room.

Backing up and keeping a careful eye on his enemy, Vio only needed to glance to the side to notice Shadow and Red running up next to him, both freed of their victorious fight. It was then that Red tugged on Vio's sleeve, drawing his attention away from their enemy- and, looking in his friend's direction, soon saw Blue and Green running to meet them. With Shadow tagging along, the three Links, without wasting a second, hurried to meet their friends in the center of the room, grinning in their achievements.

"Are you all alright?" Green quickly asked as soon as the others were in earshot, looking at the others in quick concern.

Grinning brightly, Red gave a nod- though weary, he answered ecstatically, "We're okay! Vio stabbed Veran, and Shadow and I got rid of the Dark Links!"

Shadow smirked, crossing his arms. "More like Red did, and I served as the bait," he remarked with a laugh. He looked over at Green and Blue, "what about you two? You guys alright?"

"Who, me?" Blue asked, still lightly exhausted from the run, but giving a bright grin all the same. "Of course I am. A little dazed, but hey, you try walking still after getting hit by that thing." He jerked a thumb towards Green, "Green here managed to get a hit on Onox."

Vio gave a grim smile, nodding. "Then we were all successful," he said, looking back over at Veran and Onox. "Has it done much...?"

The five Links, battered and exhausted, though triumphant, looked towards the center of the room where their two enemies had retreated to, still screaming and writhing in their pain as the darkness surrounded them in a protective, angered barrier, blasting outwards in waves, preventing the Links from getting close to them.

Shadow frowned, shaking his head. "No," he said bluntly, narrowing his eyes. "This isn't over yet. Get ready."

Green looked over at Shadow curiously, yet, nodding, looked back over to Veran and Onox, doing as the others had and drawing their swords in preparation.

As all of the darkness had been exploding outwards towards the Links, in an instant, as if sucked back into their controllers, so it was suddenly gone, drawn back into the two devils and leaving the room deathly quiet, and still. Building around the two forms, of the tall and slender Sorceress and the heavy and massive General, so the darkness grew around both of their forms... and, though their eyes opened, only empty, soulless orbs of burning, glowing red stared back at the heroes before them.

"It's growing," Shadow muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing. "No... this is far from over."

"Shadow? What do you know about this?" Vio asked quickly, looking to the side over at their friend in surprise.

"... Enough." Shadow's answer was short and curt- but before the Links could press on it more, their attention was forced back to the center at what was occurring there.

Blinded by their pain and rage, the two enemies were once more advancing upon the Links, the darkness growing around them, reverberating over their forms as if feeding off its power.

And as Veran took her steps forward, the cruel smirk twisting downwards in a horrible snarl, so she once more began to rise into the air- and, forgoing the shield of darkness around her for a flaming, solid-yet-burning crystal-like shield around her, so she raised her hands, once more bringing the flaming dark magic burning around her fingertips, eager to resume their destruction. Her image flickered once more, and she sneered- ready to now fully utilize her teleportation powers, and all the tricks they were capable of pulling.

A deep growling sound echoed through Onox's deep, armored chest, and as he took a step forward, so he then stopped- and, holding up the chain of his weapon in both hands, suddenly jerked his arms apart- and, with a sharp clinking sound, so the chain instantly was snapped in half, one of the links falling uselessly to the floor. The General then sneered as he lifted both halves of the chain upwards- and, to the horror of the Links, showed the two spiked balls on the ends of both chains. In easy and effortless succession, the General then began to twirl the two shorter ball-and-chains around him, advancing heavily and quickly upon the Links.

Far from defeated, their loss only strengthening their power and their darkness, the two demonic enemies once more advanced upon the team of Links, the darkness eager and hungry to strike back and exact revenge on those who had dared stand against it.


Hope you guys enjoyed this twist in fighting! ;D Two bosses, five heroes, at the same time? Who can do it? THE LINKS CAN! ^^

Like Shadow said, though- it's still far from over! ;D Look for Chapter 52 sometime at the start of next week!