Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this brief battle… especially for the one who never actually bothered to show up.

~保護者~

"Destruction"

~保護者~

Dazed and in pain, Sonic staggered to his feet. His eyes flickered from one person to the next, taking stock of everyone's condition in light of the massive attack they had just suffered. Tails was unconscious, as was Vector. Cream lay shivering in agony on the ground with Sako in her arms, a tiny protective sphere being the only thing that had prevented the baby from being harmed as well. Alana and Kath were quickly picking themselves up, jumping into battle as if in slow motion with their Therian ally (Calypso, he recalled) and Locke hot on their heels. Silver and Shadow seemed mostly fine, as Sonic himself was. Li had been thrown some distance away, collapsed and unconscious while Novei was completely out of sight. Rose was clinging to consciousness with all her might, trying to push herself to stand despite her injuries. Steam was out from the injuries, but his body was brimming with the Demonic Darkness he'd absorbed purely to protect Rose. Kial was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

A thought suddenly occurred to Sonic. Where was Sein? Turning his head back around, he spied the hawk valiantly trying to hold off another attack, only to be violently slammed into the ground by seemingly nothing at all. As Sonic recovered enough to start to reach for his sword, Calypso and Kath were both batted away as though they were nothing more than mere flies. Alana was blasted high into the air, only to be violently reunited with the ground in the same manner that Sein had been. Locke soon met a similar fate. All the while, Kaden stood glaring at the four of them, pissed but not bothering to even physically engage in this conflict. The implications ran deep, and Sonic shuddered. His father wasn't even exerting himself… at all.

Those glowing demonic eyes drifted toward Sonic, as if aware of his attention. There was so much rage in them, so much animosity, that Sonic suddenly felt as though he was frozen in place. This experience conjured up similar emotions that he had experienced the first time he had seen those eyes, and yet there was something fundamentally different about them now. His father had been calmer before, perhaps even outright relaxed. There had been none of this anger before, and certainly not directed at Sonic himself. He was chilled to his very core at the sight of it.

Without warning, there was a loud crack. Things ceased to move in slow motion as Saika sailed through the air and stabbed through Calypso's stomach with so much force that she crashed backward through the burnt-out husk of a once massive tree. Then, just as quickly, the sword was back in Kaden's hand and a fresh storm of Darkness was raging over the group. Only, this time, Kath had a chance to react. A barrier of pure Light surged up around Sonic and his allies, shielding them temporarily from the attack and leaving Sonic in a brief state of awe. He hadn't even previously recalled that Kath had Light. Something about the... Soldier of Light or something like that?

This reminder, this show of strength, seemed to have been just the excuse Kaden had been looking for to focus his attacks solely on the hawk. Fierce, relentless attacks composed solely of his corrupted, demonic Darkness made quick work of the barrier and caused it to shatter. Then a large clawed hand borne of the same energy rose up out of the ground and ripped Kath from where he had been standing. He was brutally slammed into the ground again and again, creating an ever-deepening crater, while anyone who could have feasibly helped him were kept at bay by other attacks… try though they might to break through them.

Kath did his best to defend himself, once more calling upon Light to aid him, but this only seemed to fuel Kaden's rage. With one more particularly savage slam into the ground, that clawed hand engulfed the hawk entirely, hiding him from view. Darkness began crackling like lightning around him, and suddenly Sonic just had a feeling. Stomach sinking, he realized, He's draining Kath of Light.

Knowing there was very little else that he could do, Sonic sprang forward and snatched up Cream and Sako from the ground. "Silver, get Tails and Vector!" he snapped. Then, glancing around, he added sharply, "And Li!" Looking pale in the face from fear, Silver offered a shaky nod and used his psychokinesis to lift the two unconscious males into the air. Then, following Sonic's line of thinking, he took Cream and Sako from Sonic and immediately teleported away with them. It was only then that Sonic realized with heart-pounding clarity that Kaden might not let any of them escape. Whirling around, he saw Kaden glance to where Silver had just been… only to immediately ignore his grandson's disappearance in favor of batting aside Sein and Alana again. They were keeping his attention… for now.

Feeling sort of breathless (maybe it was just the adrenaline), Sonic turned his brother and helped him stand. "Can you fight?" he asked. "We have to do something about Astra. With everyone else distracted by Dad, she could easily kill someone."

Shadow pursed his lips together and withdrew a gun. Yet, even as he did so, he quietly demanded, "What do you expect to be able to do against her, Sonic?"

Now was not the time for uncertainty. Sonic had to be confident. Taking a breath, he reminded, "I have magic, too. I may not be trained, but the magic itself is still powerful enough that it could make a difference. Maybe it'll hold her off from the others long enough for the tide to turn in our favor." He hesitated before adding, "Plus, I don't know… maybe I can deliberately conjure up some Chaos for once in my life."

"That would be useful," Shadow remarked dryly. Then, faster than Sonic could blink, his brother leveled a shot and fired a bullet of pure Darkness at the still figure of Astra.

Kaden reacted without giving her the opportunity to defend herself or retaliate in any way. Glaring sharply, he plowed his sons over none-too-gently with an explosion of his own deeply corrupted magic. Then, using his Darkness, he launched into the ground while simultaneously doing the same to Shadow. He didn't use nearly the same amount of force on them as he had with the others… but damn if didn't still hurt.

Astra waved a hand and launched the bullet away from herself, casting several spells in rapid succession to replace the ones that Kaden had broken earlier upon arrival. She was momentarily surprised when a dragon suddenly descended on her and slammed its claws against her barrier followed by a torrent of flames. What the hell? She unleashed a wave of her magic, but the woman blanched when she realized this particular kind of dragon resisted magic. All Astra could manage to avoid the next attack that ripped through her barrier was a quick roll followed by a number of threads extending from her hands and tying themselves around the creature's neck. This was all an attempt to mount the creature's back and manage to kill it off.

Elsewhere, Alana picked herself up with a soft groan of pain, then quickly hurried over to her husband. "Are you alright?" she demanded.

"Fine," he bit out, throwing himself to his feet and unsheathing his claymore. "He's got Kath." With this statement uttered, he launched himself back into combat against the God of Demons. Alarmed, for she hadn't seen that event take place at all, Alana rushed after him.

Sensing their approach, Kaden turned their way with his sword idly twirling in hand. Once they were close enough, he unleashed a shockwave with a swing of the blade. It tore through homes and trees alike as though they were nothing, hurtling straight toward the couple. Alana dodged with a quick teleport. Sein disappeared in a blur, throwing all of his might into a blade of aura launched at Kaden. The hedgehog sidestepped this attack before showering the pair with a torrent of sickle-like energy attacks that filled the air. He wasn't making too much of an effort to do real damage to them, that much was apparent. But for some reason, he was preventing them from getting close. Alana was just concerned as to why. There was just no time to wonder about it. Gritting her teeth, she readied herself for another attack.

Elsewhere, Rose was on the outskirts of the battlefield. She had hastily created a barrier around herself as she began healing her wounds. Her body was in horrible condition, but slowly getting better. The entirety of her mind was now focused on what part of the fight she should even attempt to be involved in. In the end, she made a decision. I have to stop my sister…

Having finally managed to sense her energy as she regained it, Sonic hurried over with Shadow in tow. The two were injured after the attacks they had suffered, but were powering through it all for now. "Rose! You're alive, thank god!"

Her eyes widened and she forced herself to stand up despite her entire upper body screaming its detest of such motion. "I am. Come here," she almost demanded, focusing on healing them as well. "Are the seriously injured out of the battlefield?"

"Yeah, Silver took them," Sonic answered with a nod. "I had him take them away a little bit ago. Dad didn't seem interested in stopping him, so hopefully they're pretty far away by now."

Shadow chose to speak up. "Security cameras in Century City picked them up three minutes ago. They are very far away." Sonic looked at him, confused, then decided not to ask and just nodded again.

"Who all is left? I-" The sudden realization of why she was still alive hit her and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Did anyone die?" she asked suddenly, eyes widened further.

"I don't know," Sonic answered grimly. "I haven't seen everyone yet. Silver left with Tails, Cream, Sako, and Vector, and we saw some people fighting, but not everyone. I only saw Locke once, and I haven't seen Espio, Armaris, Novei, or Steam at all."

Rose bit her lip and shook for a moment. "I see…" She felt her wounds close up finally, not fully, but enough so that she could move without opening them once more. "If you are to get involved in the fight… be as careful as you can." The woman sighed softly and glanced to where Astra was. What have you brought upon us…?

Ears low, Sonic asked her, "What do we do? I mean… we don't stand a chance, do we?" Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the sound of an explosion not so far away made him flinch. Shadow barely flicked an ear. He was no doubt used to such a sound, working with guns and explosives as he did. The bastard.

"None of us do. All we can do is fight, regardless of the situation." Rose's sword appeared in her hand and she glanced to the both of them. "If you do not wish to be involved… I can teleport you away. I will not ask you to risk yourselves in such a battle."

In an instinctual display of agitation, Shadow bared his fangs at her. "We are staying," he said firmly.

Sonic, meanwhile, had a different concern. Glancing nervously to a different section of the battlefield, he laid eyes on the black mass of frenetic energy that was still engulfing Kath. "What… happens if we can't get him out of there?" What happens to him… and to Dad?

"He dies," Shadow muttered.

A memory hit, and Sonic winced hard. The same way Silver did at the hands of Malevolence… an empty husk contorted in agony...

"I will do what I can." Rose didn't wait for a response, instead teleporting into the fray and locking blades with her sister once more.

Near the center of the battlefield, Sein unleashed wave after wave of aura attacks, using the energy to mimic the behaviors of all sorts of elements such as fire and water. He refused to back down no matter how many times he was knocked to the ground. Alana backed him up with a variety of attacks of her own, all aimed at backing Sein up enough so that at least a few of their attacks got through. Not that this was working… until a beam of dark purplish-black magic sailed through the air. This one actually made contact somehow, much to Alana's amazement, and soon Calypso stalked into view full of quiet fury. A smile broke onto Sein's face, but he didn't dare turn his head as he continued his onslaught. All he could hope was that this intrusion could end up saving all of their lives.

Calypso appeared by their side in a flash. "That be not him," she snapped. "It be a clone, and not a high level one. Good clone expend too much energy to make and keep. He be needin' that where he at, so he send t'is. It take a few too strong hit, it disappear." This bit of hope was swiftly followed up with, "Good luck hittin' it. It may be weak for him, but it be still strong for us."

"Then we'll just have to hit it. If you've got any plans, say it," Sein answered quickly. "We could use a good plan here."

"T'is a weak clone," she reminded in quick tones. "It only handle so much before it be overwhelmed. Attack a lot from different side. May be enough, if we lucky."

Alana frowned. I do not like this. "A low-level clone or not… this is still Kaden. Surely it will take more than that to-"

Dark purple eyes tossed her a glare. "You ask my advice, I tell it. You no understand magic and clone like I do. Do as I say and perhaps we will kill it in time to save him." She gestured vehemently with an arm toward Kath's location. Alana felt her heart sink as she focused on the place. While earlier she had been able to sense her father's efforts to free himself… now she could not. What exactly did that mean?

Sein grew starkly aware of the same thing, his entire body shifting into a form of pure aura energy. He circled around to a different side of Kaden's clone and immediately resumed his barrage. Taking his lead, Alana ascended into her own aura form and followed suit from a different angle. Pleased with their cooperation, Calypso engulfed her body in magical energy and began unleashing it upon the clone at the same time. Novei stormed back into the battlefield, throwing a tree into the mix with a rage settling over her that she wasn't used to. Purple magic encased her hands and she violently loosed every conceivable manner of magic-based attack she knew against the clone. The clone retaliated with a multitude of its own attacks but, as predicted, couldn't defend itself anywhere near to the same extent as the real Kaden could. As such, several of the attacks aimed at it met their mark.

Seeing this, Alana swung her head around to look at the trap her father was in. The Darkness there was raging a little less violently before, was a little less wild than before. Something about the sight of this renewed her capacity for hope in this situation. Maybe we are not as doomed as it first seemed…

Back where Rose was, Astra was violently thrown off the dragon and to the ground, forced to tumble in an effort to regain her footing. The sword fight began anew as Rose lashed out with several powerful strikes in quick succession. Above Astra, the dragon shifted into a cat that Rose was far more familiar with, still covered in scales as he descended and slammed his staff against her shield. Astra blasted him away with magic and channeled magic into a gut wrenching knee to Rose's stomach. Luckily for the Light being, she stood her ground and retaliated with a powerful blast of Light that knocked the corrupted cat some distance away. Sonic and Shadow found them too close to her for comfort and quickly moved away, knowing it would be better for all parties involved (them included) if they stayed out of this fight for now.

Kial didn't spare Rose a glance (not that it would matter for him to do so) as he tore off after Astra. He leaped into the air and shifted his body as quickly as he could into that of a water elemental, quickly throwing out several concussive blasts of water that he condensed to the best of his ability. The retaliating slash would have soared straight through him, had it not been for the magic laced within that temporarily immobilized him. His last effort to move away was a pulse of water that tossed his now prone body a few meters from the enemy.

Rose was unrelenting, allowing Light to slowly build up within her body as she powerfully tore through the magic sword Astra wielded. She sensed a magic circle appear behind her and jumped off the ground, delivering a strong roundhouse kick to her sister's shoulder while slashing through the nearly activated attack.

A malicious growl escaped Astra as she raised a hand and brought down a storm of Black Magic spikes, leaving no room for escape. She managed a pained smirk when she watched Rose suddenly release the Light she'd spent so long building up into a massive tempest that swept away the magic and began crashing back down onto the ground all around them. She took the chance and tackled Rose, using the magic enhancements she'd placed on herself to throw the now defenseless cat in front of a particularly strong current of water launched by Kial.

Seeing what was about to happen, Sonic finally stepped in. He knew he couldn't be of much use, but he could control his magic enough to formulate barriers - and do so very well. So, without thinking, he rushed forward and threw up a barrier around Rose and Rose alone, making damn sure to leave Astra unguarded in the process. Then, worried again about his brother's safety, he hurried back to Shadow's position. Then, making use of his Light in one of the only ways he knew how, he made a snap decision and began rapidly healing Steam - where he was - to the best of his ability. He was no healer (certainly not like his mom or Amy), but he and Rose had gathered enough Light to revive people that he figured he could pull it off this once. Or at least he hoped he could.

Rose was swift to take advantage of this, grabbing Astra's arm and (unhappily so) slamming her into the oncoming torrent with as much force as she could muster. She didn't think this could kill Astra and was certainly relieved when it didn't. However, she refused to let her guard down and used her magic to dissolve a forming magic circle while quickly maneuvering where she was able to throw out a strong series of punches that finally broke through the barrier Astra had hastily thrown up throughout the fight before throwing out a particularly vicious kick.

This sent the corrupted woman flying back and tumbling to the ground with a loud cry of pain. Before anyone else would be capable of taking advantage of her now injured state (considering her frail body could not survive another hit like the one she'd taken from Rose), Astra disappeared with a quick storm of magic needles flying toward them all as an effort to catch anyone off guard.

At roughly the same time, Shadow suddenly snapped his head to the side and took off faster than Sonic could register what was going on. The dark hedgehog tore off in a seemingly random direction, but soon skidded to a stop and unintentionally dropped to his knees (damned tremors, making him fucking trip like a child) in the process. Eyes still engaged in a full scan, he quickly determined the state the person he'd found was in (not dead, that was the key thing) and then shook said person. "Steam, get up."

Steam would have reacted violently, but given the circumstances, he thought twice before doing so and very quickly found himself happy with said decision. "Shit's still going down?" He asked as he rolled onto his side and began pushing himself up.

"Yes. Astra and Father are both still fighting." Shadow stood up, ears flicking minutely as he listened to the battles taking place around them. "Sonic apparently believes you, specifically, are needed to aid Rose." He hesitated, did another scan, then corrected, "Astra has gone. She just left."

The green hedgehog got to his feet and looked around. "Fuck… sword's gone," he waved off the fact and his body began filling with Light. "Fists it is. Thanks, Shadow." He moved slowly at first, trying not to push himself too hard immediately.

Shadow turned away and began walking back to Sonic. "Do not push yourself. My brother is not a trained healer. He could not do much for you."

"No offense, but I figured that out." Before long, Steam had started running back toward the fight, intent on helping finish this before anyone was killed. When he arrived, he realized that there was something far more dire he needed to do. His gaze was trained on the sphere of Darkness surrounding Kath and he moved straight toward it while calling for Rose to come over (hoping she could hear through the sounds of the ongoing battle). The hedgehog focused his Light into undoing and pulling apart the confines holding Kath. Seemingly stirred again by this outside interference, Kath's own Light weakly rose up from within the sphere, working again to try to release him. Rose appeared as well, having heard Steam's call and immediately setting to work on releasing the hawk.

Taking note of this from her position in the air, Alana called out to Sein, "We have to keep going! It is not enough! They cannot get through!"

Sein's aura fluctuated in anger, growing more intense the longer he kept up the attacks. "Kial, get your ass over here!" he snapped unintentionally. "We need all of the help we can get!"

Kial's body shifted into a lightning elemental, rushing over and throwing himself into the air to unleash a beam of his lightning at the clone. "I was already coming!" Huffing at the pair of them, Calypso unleashed another attack of her own just as Alana was doing the same. Novei's attack joined in with others. All the attacks somehow coalesced into one giant blast that rolled over the clone to devastating effect. The ensuing explosion and flare of light were terrible to behold, yet they seemed to last almost too little time. Alana dropped to the ground straight away and hurried toward the center of the blast's radius.

The dust had no time to settle before her voice rose up from its depths. "The clone is gone!" She looked around briefly, scanning the surrounding area with all of her senses, then added, "It is dead!" Sein's aura transformation faded and he dropped to the ground, quickly hurrying to where he knew Kath had been. He wouldn't relax until he knew his adoptive father was safe… until they knew that everyone was safe.

~保護者~

4,029 words this time. Hope y'all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 10:50 p.m.) 03-31-20.