This is a bit of a long one, so be ready for that.
Inverted Sky: KH 358/2 Days
Chapter 18: Hollow Bastion part II
As Roxas and Axel turned swiftly to face Xion, they were instantly blown backward from a blast of white magic. Their ears rang from the explosion, all as their bodies were flung through the air like a pair of rag dolls. Before they painfully hit the ground however, some of the energy of this attack seemed to coalesce around them. A faint purple aura shimmering across their forms, causing every muscle to grow sluggish.
After tumbling across the ground, Roxas and Axel were slow to stand back to their feet. Both quickly realizing that Xion cast a gravity spell on them, making it harder for the two to move naturally. Despite their realization, neither of them had the time to dispel the magic, as they saw a series of red arrows shooting down toward them from above. The pair narrowed their eyes in frustration, before moving as best they could to avoid the attacks. Both having to block a few of the incoming attacks with their weapons, but did indeed manage to avoid being hit.
Xigbar positioned himself on one of the cliff-sides nearby, while using the sniper version of his combined arrowguns. Rather than getting closer to continue his attack, the Nobody seemed content with simply staying at a distance and observe. "Boss man said that I needed to keep an eye on her...but I'm guessing it wasn't just for the mission." he muttered to himself, all while taking aim once more.
At the same time, Xion moved behind Roxas with her Oathkeeper Keyblade slashing forward. Only being able to move half as fast as normal, the blond grimaced in worry as he tried to block the attack. Thankfully, Axel threw a chakram into Xion's Keyblade from the direction of her swing, allowing just enough slowed momentum for Roxas to indeed stop the strike from hitting. Yet his eyes widened slightly as he felt the power behind this slash. Though the look of the attack seemed like it wasn't at full strength, it certainly had the impact of being such a strike.
Once the weapons slammed against one another, sparks flashed briefly while Roxas slid backward half a step. His gaze narrowed when deducing that Xion wasn't going all out just yet. Which she seemed ready to do, as she made a motion to step forward and push her attack. However, the raven-haired teen's foot moved backward instead, allowing her to dodge the other chakram Axel threw. As the pressure on his Keyblade lessened from Xion's loss of momentum, Roxas let out a strained growl and managed to push the girl back further.
The boy using this moment to then spin around, deflecting the arrow coming toward him from behind. Of which made Xigbar simply huff in irritation, before reloading his weapon. Though Roxas felt his rotation slowing thanks to the spell, he pushed hard with one leg to complete the circle. When doing so, Roxas managed to make a slashing attack at Xion, aiming for her head in order to knock her unconscious. Said girl having waved her free hand over her Keyblade when being pushed away. The weapon taking on an aura of ice energy, to which she flipped it into a reverse grip with a simple twirl of her fingers. Upon which, she ducked under the boy's swing and pointed her weapon to the side, in Axel's direction.
The man himself charging forward to close the distance, both weapons returning to his hands. Letting out a quick gasp in surprise however, he saw this sudden wave of ice magic coming at him. With only a split second to react, Axel managed to leap to the side and into dodging roll. Thanks to this, he not only avoided the attack, but also instantly sprang back to his feet. Upon which, he swiftly threw both chakrams at the girl once more. Xion simply flipped up and over this attack, all while keeping her gaze locked onto Roxas. Said teen also following her movements with narrowed eyes, to which he thrust his free hand forward when his initial attack missed.
There being a large amount of concentrated magic in his palm, which instantly shot forward in a trio of white beams. Moving like a lightning-fast snakes through the air, they rushed at their target. While the raven-haired girl slashed or deflected these attacks in the middle of her flip, Roxas threw his Keyblade to the side. This spinning weapon blocked a series of arrows that were shot at Axel, before it returned to the boy.
Meanwhile, the red-haired Nobody caught his returning chakrams, before turning to face Xion. The impacts of the white beams against her Keyblade having propelled her through the air until she went over and behind the man. As Axel's gaze narrowed on the teen, the fire on both his weapons seemed to flare across his entire body. The purple glow that once clung to him, swiftly being destroyed in the process. "I know you're in there Xion! We're going to snap you out of this!" he stated firmly as he readied into a battle pose.
During this declaration, Roxas' eyes shifted toward Xigbar. Whom was very clearly intent on keeping his distance, which made the blond's gaze narrow slightly. 'He probably doesn't want to run the risk of getting in Xion's way. Which likely means she doesn't work well with others while under Xemnas' control. And that also means, Axel and I will only need to worry about Xion for most of this fight.' he thought quickly to himself while gripping his Keyblade a bit tighter.
A quick flash of light radiated from the weapon, and through his body. This forcefully dispelling the spell cast on him, as he needed to make sure he could move properly for the rest of the battle. Though, the light that surrounded him swiftly funneled back toward his Keyblade, of which he pointed toward Xigbar. "But it doesn't mean I'm gonna make this easy on you." the blond whispered out in a low growl, just as a beam of energy shot from the blade at nearly the speed of light.
It striking the stone under where the man was standing, causing a large explosion that rained down a large number of small pebbles. While the man was no where in sight when the dust cleared, Roxas knew he likely wasn't even hit by the attack. But the boy simply turned to face Xion and Axel, a shield spell shimmering around his back as an extra precaution. Xigbar though, was a bit further away from this blast, with his back against a large rock rutting out of the ground. He slowly moved around it and took aim at Axel once more, said man rushing toward Xion with his chakrams at the ready.
Each fire-coated weapon being a blur of blazing flames, which scorched the very air around them. Axel expertly swinging them toward his target in rapid succession, trying to break through the girl's defenses. Despite the man wanting to hold back against his friend, he knew that he couldn't. Therefore, while there was hesitation in his eyes, the red-haired Nobody's movements didn't slow in the slightest. Yet Xion still dodged or deflected each of his attacks with ease, her own motions being smooth and calculated.
With a quick glance toward the now approaching Roxas however, the raven-haired teen made a powerful swing when deflecting Axel's next assault. This knocking him onto his back foot, all while both the Nobody's arms were flung upward from the force. As Xion moved in to take advantage of this opening, a blast of fire blaze up from the ground in front of the man. These flames appearing to engulf the girl, yet she simply appeared to his side and swept both legs out from under Axel.
Gasping in surprise from the sudden attack, the red-haired man actually managed to use the momentum Xion gave him to turn his fall into a back-flip. Him landing both hands onto the ground, while still clutching his weapons. The fire crackling on their metal surface slowly burning and scorching the stone under them. Axel's gaze however, remained fixed on Xion, even as she rushed past and toward Roxas with her Keyblade trailing behind her. Immediately understanding the girl's intention, he used his arms to springboard himself back to his feet. Using this velocity, he threw one of his chakrams at the teen before rushing after her.
Xion did not appear to notice the attack coming from behind, as she continued charged toward the boy. Though, in a strange motion that shouldn't be possible under normal means, back-flipped while keeping her forward momentum. This allowed her to dodge the chakram, as well as cause a long whip of ice to extend from her weapon when it left the ground. It lashed out in Roxas' direction, forcing him to dodge to the side while keeping his eyes focused on his raven-haired friend. Reading her movements as she began to descend to the ground once more, he readied for what he assumed she would do. Which was to lift her Keyblade up, before swiftly swinging it down. By doing so, the whip's upward arc altered into a downward one, straight at Roxas once more.
But the blond was ready for this, to which he easily slashed at the incoming attack. The ice instantly shattering at the point of impact, him knowing exactly where the weak point in this spell was. As Xion landed on the ground, she briefly glanced to her weapon and let the spell fade. Despite not paying attention, she still tilted her head to the side and avoided the chakram Axel pulled back to his hand. With Roxas in front and Axel coming up from behind, she was clearly trapped in a pincer as both friends rushed in to strike.
In the brief second it took for them to reach her, Xion just remained still, as if thinking of a way out at hyper speed. With a sudden burst of movement, the girl ducked beneath their attacks and delivered a palm to both their stomachs. Not only vacating the air in their lungs, but also pushing them back several steps. But before either of them could painfully gasp for oxygen, Xion rushed toward Roxas and spin kicked him off the edge of the walkway and down to the canyon below.
"Rox..as..!" Axel strained out as he watched this happen, yet was swiftly kicked backward as well.
His back slamming against the wall of the castle behind him, creating a deep crack in its surface. Groaning in pain as he stepped forward, the red-haired Nobody seemed to regained a bit of composure and air. His breathing being somewhat ragged for a moment as he stared at Xion, whom was slowly approaching. "Were you always this strong?" he uttered out silently before rushing at the teen.
At the same time, Roxas landed hard against one of the plateaus in the canyon. Though his velocity made him tumble across and over the edge, the boy managed to grab the lip and keep himself from falling further. Finally managing to take a breath, Roxas winced in pain while climbing onto the top of this raised area. 'This is not going well...I better start taking this a bit more seriously.' he thought to himself with a few deep breaths.
However, his gaze instantly snapped to the side, as he saw a rain of arrows coming at him. Silently growling, Roxas rushed across the plateau and leapt from one large boulder to the next. Him dodging out of the way from these attacks, all while getting himself closer to Xion and Axel. As he went, the boy held out his Keyblade and shot multiple bursts of fire magic. While not well aimed, many of them did strike close to where Xigbar was, causing him to move once more.
Using this brief distraction, Roxas jumped back onto the walkway with a roll onto his feet. Upon which he saw Axel being flung back and straight toward him, leading for the teen to catch the man. Even with the force of the blow that hit him, the blond halted the red-haired Nobody's velocity. "It think it's time for our back up plan." Axel stated with a somewhat pain-filled expression, clearly rather hurt from the impacts he's taken.
"Agreed." Roxas whispered while nodding, to which the two slowly moved in opposite directions.
Upon seeing the sudden slow in the battle, Xion's own approach almost became relaxed. Though it was clearly a ruse, as she was simply using this time to examine their movements so she could predict what they were about to do. As they moved further and further apart, the girl stopped entirely while darting her gaze between them. Sense a sudden shift in their approach, the girl slowly moved into a different fighting pose.
Her body being turned a little to the side, with both knees slightly bent. The right foot was positioned a little forward, making her face more toward Roxas. She had her Keyblade held in both hands, to which she lifted the grip near her face. Lastly, the tip of the weapon was pointed directly ahead, if a little toward the ground.
As Axel saw this pose, he paused for a moment in his own steps. Both eyes slowly widening in a sudden feeling that he had seen this stance before, despite not being sure when or where. But this sense of familiarity also came with pure and utter dread. A cold shiver running up the man's spine as his breath hitched in his throat. However, he swiftly shook his head and refocused his gaze on the girl in front of him, knowing that he needed to keep his attention on her.
The red-haired man briefly shared a quick glance with Roxas before they both rushed at Xion once more. Said girl remaining still as she simply watched their approach carefully. Despite Xigbar keeping his aim on Axel, he didn't fire his weapon. A small smirk curling his lips as he simply watched with a highly interested gaze, wanting to see how the rest of this fight would go. "I really wanna see what she'll do." he whispered silently.
With a flash of movement, Roxas and Axel altered their trajectory in an intersecting path. The teen moving behind the man as they continued to get closer to their opponent. However, the blond never emerged from the other side as Xion's eyes were forced to fully focus on the approaching man. Whom threw one of his weapons at her, all while swinging the other with a flourish. A faint smirk curling the Nobody's lips, appearing confident that he and his friend would win.
Xion shifted her weapon to the side to deflect the first chakram into the air, before swinging it to block the following attack. The power behind her slash being so much that Axel was pushed back, despite all the momentum he built up. But even with the red-haired Nobody standing in front of her, the girl's eyes darted from side to side, clearly looking for Roxas. Of whom she noticed to the side, as he leapt off the castle wall in a downward strike at her.
During this, Axel regained his footing and catching his chakram, before swinging both weapons down at the raven-haired teen. Whom released the Keyblade with her free hand and flexed each finger all at once. This simple act caused a surge of wind to blast Axel backward, yet it wasn't enough to truly damage him. While he flew back however, the blond came down at the girl with his Keyblade slashing at her head. But Xion simply turned to meet this attack, knowing that she could easily knock him back.
As she turned though, the girl noticed a small glow in the corner of her left eye. While she had her blade up to block the incoming strike, both eyes turned in the direction of this anomaly. Which revealed to be another Roxas shooting a ball of magical energy at her. Seeing this made Xion's mind kick into over-drive, her determined to overcome both attacks, regardless of which one was real. "Magical Bli-" she started, but was instantly silenced as she was struck hard in the back.
Her turning just in time to see the real Roxas, having emerged from behind Axel and striking her with his Keyblade. All the while, the other images of the teen disappeared and a mass of lightning magic gathered around his weapon. Xion's eyes widened slightly as she turned to face him, but instantly noticed Axel moving to the other side of her with two large balls of fire in either hand. As raven-haired teen moved to cast a spell, she was bombarded by the pair's attacks.
Fire blazed around her form, draining her magic defenses, rather than actually burning her. This allowing the lightning to surge through her body, it being their last hope at knocking her unconscious. But even through the pain that wracked every part of the girl, she still brought her weapon and free hand out. Her using the Keyblade to split the electricity coming at her from the right side. All while, creating a shield in her free hand, to block the fire from the left.
The blond ground his teeth as he saw this, him knowing that if they pushed too much, Xion could be destroyed. Though his own free hand was glowing a bright red, he hesitated to place it on his Keyblade. He was brought out of his thoughts however, when he heard Axel call out to him. "Just a little bit more! We can do this!"
Roxas blinked briefly, as he gazed at Xion through the flames roaring in front of him. Her body slowly gaining what looked to be a black aura that was actually pushing their attacks further away. 'She'll be okay, right? It's Xion after all.' he thought to himself before shaking his head.
Then, with an almost regretful battle yell, he placed his other hand to his weapon. "Fusion Magic: Lightning Inferno!" he called out.
The boy's eyes flashed with both yellow and red energy, to which the electricity he was conjuring suddenly burst into flames. The added magic instantly overwhelmed Xion, to which her own power gave in and both attacks exploded against her. While it could have been enough to destroy the girl, Roxas made sure to hold back just enough to make sure she wouldn't take the full force of the magic. Yet the resulting blast was still extremely power nonetheless, even knocking Xigbar on his back from dozens of meters away.
Roxas and Axel were blown backward violently, yet they just ignored the pain and swiftly rushed to their feet. The pair gazing out toward the large billowing smoke caused by the explosion. While waiting for it to clear, they remained at the ready. Both knowing that if Xion was still conscious, they needed to be prepared for a trap. Once the battle field cleared enough for them to see, they noticed the raven-haired teen unmoving on the ground.
But due to their focus being so heavily placed on the girl laying in front of them, they didn't notice Roxas' Keyblade was gone...until it pierced through Axel's chest from behind.
And there you have it, this was a pretty important fight, so I felt it needed to be a bit longer and more descriptive than normal. I know I used a lot of the same words all throughout, so I do apologize for that. My vocabulary isn't overly extensive. Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed and will let me know what you thought. Until next time.