Get ready for a somewhat longer chapter. This one has a lot in it.
Inverted Sky: KH 358/2 Days
Chapter 23: The World That Never Was part XII
As Zexion's form disappeared into black smoke, the hall immediately fell silent. All eyes shifted and focused on Xemnas, whom merely gave a small smile while meeting everyone's gazes. "Well well...it seems that you are each doing fairly well against our intruders." he commented, making a passing glance to each of the Organization members.
"Although..." he continued as he swiftly began scanning the others in the hall; "...it seems that you still require my assistance."
Upon finishing these words, the man instantly focused on the newly arrived Zack. Said man turning toward him as well, all while shoving the still berserking Saix away with a swift jerk of his arm. Zack then gained a forced smirk on his features, and rested the large sword over his shoulder. "So...you're this 'Xemnas' I've heard so much about?" he questioned in an obviously rhetorical manner.
"And you must be the one known as; 'Zack Fair'." Xemnas retorted while continuing to offer his own artificial smile.
"Guess my reputation proceeds me." Zack commented in a chuckle, but there was a clear intenseness in his voice.
"Indeed it does. Though...I do wonder why you're here." the silver-haired Nobody started, slowly walking to the side as he kept everyone's focus on him.
"You allied with this group to combat Genesis, did you not? So why are you not looking for him elsewhere? He'll avoid your grasp once again...if you don't hurry." Xemnas claimed, his tone sounding almost overly manipulative.
"The needs of my friends are bigger than my own personal grudges." the raven-haired man stated defiantly, his eyes narrowing a bit.
Though Xemnas let out a silent and very brief chuckle, he just offered a nod of his head. "I see, how very...unfortunate." he spoke in a slow manner, turning his back to Zack at the end.
Said man raised a brow curiously as to what the Nobody was planning, yet in a split second, the castle shook violently. Echoes of shockwaves radiated from above, drawing everyone's attention toward the ceiling. "Ah, it seems he found them. I suppose it's time for us to finish things here as well." Xemnas commented silently, glancing over to the others with a confident smile tugging his lips.
Due to nearly everyone's eyes being focused upward, no one noticed the silver-haired man briefly focusing his gaze on one individual in particular. Though, there was an immediate shift in the room that made the mood almost audible. Now that Xemnas was here, the group realized that this fight was now over and that they needed to escape as quickly as possible. Zack however, just chuckled loudly, gaining the attention of the others as he took a step forward.
"I wouldn't be so sure of your victory." he declared, pulling his blade up in a wide arc before pointing it toward the Nobody.
"You might have a lot of power on your side, but we have heart. And in my experience...heart always wins!" Zack stated firmly with a determined gaze and smile.
Just as Xemnas turned toward him for a retort, his eyes widened as they shifted to his right side. Where, down by his feet, Mickey was swinging his Keyblade into the back of the man's legs. Unable to dodge or block the attack, the silver-haired Nobody had both feet swept out from under him. As Mickey zoomed past with a nod toward Zack, the raven-haired man instantly appeared in front of Xemnas. Though said individual had his hands up to block the incoming attack, Zack simply smirked and slammed his Buster sword against him. The wide and powerful swing impacted two red beams that emerged from Xemnas' hands, but it was too little too late.
Zack sent the man flying into and through the nearest wall, further into the castle. But in the same moment, both Mickey and Zack rushed after their now shared foe. The former calling out to the others before disappearing beyond the opening. "Hurry and go, we'll get Roxas and Xion!"
Kairi turned toward Namine and Riku nearby, then over to Lexaeus, Leon and Yuffie further to the side. Most of them shared a nod in response, to which they all slapped a hand to where they placed their teleportation orbs. Immediately after doing so, everyone then began rushing to one another. Knowing that the spell would take a few moments to take effect, they wanted to gather into one spot. Not only making it easier to defend themselves, but also to support one another until the magic activated.
However, as Lexaeus rushed forward, he quickly noticed that all of the Organization members' eyes were on him. While Xigbar shot toward the others running toward each other, he still kept his focus on him. It being then that the ginger-haired man saw just how much further away he was from the others, likely by design. Upon piecing this together, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched in frustration. 'Of course...Roxas, Zexion, and I were the true targets of this trap. Xemnas doesn't care about the others.' Lexaeus thought while deflecting a few bursts of water from Demyx.
As the Organization began converging toward him, the large Nobody simply stopped in his steps once his path forward was cut off. While the others were gathering, they swiftly altered direction and started rushing to his aid. Taking in and letting out a long breath, Lexaeus knew that he was already in Xemnas' trap and that there was no way out. 'If this is to be my last stand, then I'll make it a good one.' he thought quickly while clashing his weapon against Xaldin's lances, pushing them all away.
Both Kairi and Namine called out to Lexaeus as they moved together with the others. Though, they had to create a large barrier around everyone to block the many arrows fired from Xigbar. These shots feeling far stronger than what he had been using previously, forcing the two to focus more energy into the spell. Which naturally slowed them down since they were literally weighed down by this shield. All the while, the eye-patch wearing man simply teleported repeatedly after shooting, making it impossible to counter his attacks.
Despite their pace being slowed, the group continued moving forward and assisted Lexaeus as best they could. But even with their attempts to protect him, he was being swiftly beaten down. Barriers were broken, thrown weapons were easily pushed away, and even attempts to teleport were interrupted. With each step they took, two more attacks were made against the large man. Whom was swiftly overwhelmed from the sheer number of strikes directed at him.
Everyone seeing just how much more cohesion in this assault there was, far more so than at any other moment in this battle. It was in that moment, that they truly realized how dangerous and powerful the Organization truly was. From the moment of activating the orbs, it needed fifteen seconds to cast the teleportation spell. It only took seven for the remaining members of the Organization to utterly destroy Lexaeus.
Cards were pierced into his coat and likely skin. Lances protruded from his back and now limp arms. Water and sweat dripped from his furrowed brows and down his heaving chest. There were even arrows jammed into both legs as he collapsed to his knees. The sounds of the others calling out to him were blurred and hazy at best. Lexaeus simply looked up slowly in a daze, a sense of disgrace filling him as he barely put up a fight, much less one he could be proud of.
Kairi screamed out to the broken Nobody, trying to heal him as she broke the barrier in a moment of panic. Yet the spell never reached, as an arrow stuck her in the side and knocked her to the floor. While the others scrambled to help her, Namine still defiantly attempted to heal Lexaeus. This too being thwarted as a card spun into the path of the magic, absorbing it while it passed. Luxord looked at the girl silently, almost appearing apologetic in his expression before turning back to Lexaeus.
Said Nobody just shifting his eyes to Saix, whom approached with his claymore at the side. While gazing into the man's glowing yellow eyes, there was an odd shimmer that flowed over them. Narrowing his stare slightly, Lexaeus swiftly turned toward the others and noticed the same thing from each of them. Though the man knew he didn't have long to think about what this was, he seemed to piece things together just as Saix raised his weapon up for the final strike.
'I see...Xemnas has some control over everyone. It seems he found a way to force them to work together.' he thought quickly, lowering his head in acknowledgment of defeat.
"You have great power Aeleus...and will soon be required elsewhere." Saix whispered before swinging his claymore down.
The others called out in desperation, but it was over in a flash. Lexaeus' body was almost instantly disbursed into black smoke, all as they were teleported back to Merlin's home in Hollow Bastion. A fitting world for their current state.
Some time before this escape, Xion dodged out of the way from another slash of Roxas' Keyblade. The two having fought their way through much of the castle, leaving a trail of utter destruction in their wake. Scorched and smoldering metal, spires of ice that pierced through the walls, and even sparks of electricity that left the air super charged. All of this showing a clear path to the very peak of the castle, near where the Organization's false Kingdom Hearts floated in the sky above.
Xion flipped backward from a series of electrically charge icicles, which shot at her from nearly all sides. But the moment she landed, the girl rushed forward as Roxas did the same. Their weapons clashed for what seemed like the thousandth time. A noticeable shiver was visible in their limbs, as both the teens' strength was starting to wane. They breathed deeply and gazed into one another's eyes, a clear sign of defiance in Roxas', while Xion's remained mostly void.
"I think we're getting to end Xion, it's time to finish this." the boy heaved out, his voice almost ragged from their battle.
Immediately following his words, a wave of white energy pulsed from the handle of his Keyblade. This pushing the girl on her back foot, but not enough to actually shove her away. It was all Roxas needed however, as he lifted his left hand up and touched where their weapons were connected. "If you did it...then so can I." the blond stated in a near whisper before jumping backward, avoiding the retaliating slash.
This also allowed him to then avoid a series of black, claw-like shadows that rose up from around Xion. Said girl holding her free hand out with an ever so slight flex of her fingers. This caused the shadows themselves to extend into spear-like shapes, before shooting toward Roxas. With a focused and narrowed gaze, the boy deflected these attacks with his Keyblade. Which he moved with such speed and accuracy, that it was like he held two blades.
Once he destroyed the last spear, it showed that he was in fact wielding two Keyblades. His own Oblivion, as well as Xion's Oathkeaper. As he glanced down to this new weapon in his grasp, his eyes slowly shifted back to Xion. "You got mine when I wasn't paying attention. So I got yours when you did the same." he claimed, readying both blades in either hand.
The raven-haired teen looked from him, to her open hands. After a brief second however, Xion lifted her gaze and simply brought both hands up into fists. Seeing this made Roxas just nod slowly with a small smirk; "I know...you don't need a Keyblade to beat me. But that 'me' you're planning for assumes that I would only have one Keyblade." the boy declared before rushing forward.
As he did so, Xion opened her hands and pointed both palm in his direction. This created large tendrils of darkness, which lifted up from her shadow. All of which swiftly lashed out in the boy's direction, yet he was already watching each one carefully. Flipping, ducking, and dodging out of the way, Roxas avoided these attacks, despite being forced to move further away from his opponent. In a split second though, he seemed to vanish and reappear a few steps away.
Xion's eyes moved toward the boy, but he once again seemed to teleport just out of the way from her continued attacks. Seeing the blond now getting closer and going on the offensive, the girl brought both hands up and swiftly swung them down. Her actions caused all the tendrils of shadow to swirl up and then come crashing down upon the area all at once. Roxas looked up to this with a narrowed gaze, but an ever so faint smirk curled across his features as he was engulfed in darkness.
The other teen seemed to look at this slowly condensing mound of dark energy. Her attempting to crush her foe, yet both her hands were trembling. While her power was running low, there seemed to be something else that caused this shaking. As if there was an invisible force that was attempting to pull her hands back. A glint of light briefly being visible in her blue eye, but it vanished soon after. It being replaced by a somewhat shocked expression as the many shadows seemed to be slashed away.
Light emanated through the darkness, as Roxas revealed to be unharmed with the two faintly glowing Keyblades held out to either side. Xion swiftly flexed both hands as her focus narrowed on the boy. However, as more tendrils of black energy rose up to attack him, Roxas merely cut through them all with ease. Him then beginning to rush toward his opponent, whom was barely able to keep up with his seeming increase in speed.
Xion herself staggered slightly as she began summoning power beyond what she was normally capable of using. The girl's blue eye had now become gold, to which a large aura of darkness surrounded her form. It creating a barrier that emanated wisps of black energy, of which Xion began shooting at Roxas. These exploding violently upon impact with the ground, as the boy easily dodged out of the way from each one.
Though the blond reached a range to attack Xion, he simply flipped to the side to avoid another wisp. There being something that he was waiting for the girl to do. Which she realized instantly and increased the barrier that surrounded her. But 'this' appeared to be exactly what Roxas was counting on, as he gained another small smirk. The boy then slammed his Keyblade together against the floor, creating a line of white that zoomed across the ground and beneath Xion's feet.
Instantly after the light touched the teen's boot, a pillar of white energy erupted upward and engulfed the girl. Whom actually let out a groan of pain while gritting her teeth together tightly. Yet as the force of the attack was starting to actually lift Xion off her feet, she let out a yell in anger before slamming a fist into the ground. The strike not only caused the light to be blasted outward, but also created a large shockwave that rumbled throughout the castle. As Xion took in and let out a breath, her eyes immediately turned toward Roxas. Or at least, where he had been.
The moment she began looking for the boy, a powerful impact was felt against her back. Roxas having delivered an 'X'-shaped, downward slash with both Keyblades. While his strength alone was weakening with his stamina, he concentrated as much energy into the strike as he could. Resulting in an attack that sent the raven-haired girl flying forward many meters. A white-hot pain surged through Xion's body as she rocketed toward the edge of the tower they were fighting upon. Though she did stop herself right on the precipice, her limbs were noticeably trembling.
Actual steam radiated from the point of impact, as the power behind the attack had a lingering scorching effect. With Roxas' eyes narrowed, he let out a deep and heavy breath. Though he could still fight, he was basically out of power now. But as Xion slowly turned around to face him, there was a clear stagger in her movements. The teen almost appearing to be close to losing consciousness, yet the blond wasn't ready to believe it.
'She already fooled us once...I can't take that same risk. I have to make sure I knock her out so I can get her out of here. Just a little bit more...and I'll get my friend back.' he claimed inwardly, just before rushing forward to press his attack.
Xion did not even appear ready to block or even dodge, as though she was too exhausted to move. Her merely watching with the same emotionless gaze as Roxas approached with great speed. Both his hands clutching the Keyblades tightly, showing he wasn't distracted enough to have either of them taken away. Just as he raised the weapons up to strike the girl though, a figure appeared behind the boy and struck the back of his head.
Roxas himself stumbling forward with wide eyes of shock, which slowly rolled back as he felt his consciousness rapidly fade. "N-No...I can't..." he uttered out, trying to resist his body's natural response to being knocked out.
However, he stumbled forward and eventually fell to the ground with both eyes closed. The two Keyblades clanging on the floor and sliding to Xion's feet, yet said girl's eyes were focused on the man standing in front of her.
Her simply gazing at Genesis as he smiled lightly, a single black-feathered wing extended from his back. "And here I was worried we wouldn't get the chance to meet again." he spoke in a small chuckle that still sent a surge of anger through Xion's subconscious.
And there you have it, the next chapter will be the final battle. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and will let me know what you thought in a review. Until next time.