Crap, I forgot Elsa in last chapter's "Sora's allies come to help" scene, she's there too. And I forgot Ryuuko's Keyblade!
SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR (MOST) DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGE (CHARACTER PAGE IS NOW GONE)
-CHAPTER START-
In a far corner of the battlefield, Terra-Xehanort's demonic 'Guardian' caught the Lingering Will's helmet in its clawed hand and crushed it.
'As… planned…'
-Break-
The heroes marched forward, passing countless dust-covered Keyblades stabbed into the dead ground. As they reached an open section in the midst of the field of blades, they stopped as a large group of villains approached – the "core 13" (Master Xehanort, Xigbar, Dark Riku, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, Saïx, Terranort, Vanitas, Young Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, and a small unknown figure) in front, followed right behind by Ganondorf, Zant, Ghirahim, Karide, Alektra, and Checker. The seven "core" Guardians of Light – Sora, Riku, Mickey, Lea, Kairi, Aqua, & Ven – stepped forward to meet them, the two groups coming to a halt.
"Today," Master Xehanort said, "we join these other wielders and leave our mark on fate. I have waited patiently… but together, we shall unlock the Keyblade War's secrets."
With a twitch of his hand, he summoned his evil-looking Keyblade and held it high.
"Now, we forge it. The ultimate key… The χ-Blade!"
He spun the weapon around, the tip glowing with power, and then stabbed it down into the earth. Lines traced across the entire area, and then ancient Keyblades were hurtled through the air as massive earthen walls began to spring up – a huge labyrinth that quickly encompassed the entire battleground. Xehanort and his allies stood atop a slab of earth & stone that towered over the rest, looking down upon the heroes below. At his signal, the various Seekers of Darkness dispersed, moving down into the labyrinth. The heroes moved forward, splitting up to follow different paths and face different opponents.
Sora headed left at the first intersection, hurrying towards where Riku was trying to fight off Xigbar, Dark Riku, and Xehanort's Heartless all at once. Riku blocked Dark Riku's strike and flung him back, but then Xigbar leapt up and fired his arrowguns, forcing Riku to break off his attack and evade. Sora finally caught up, the two boys forming up together. Xehanort's Heartless cast a barrier of Darkness around the area, looking like flickering black flames clinging to the walls, and then vanished through a Corridor of Darkness. Dark Riku stunned Riku while he was busy trying to chase after XH, and then Xigbar fired several shots at the downed older boy; Sora managed to intercept and deflect them just in time.
(BOSS MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 – "The 13th Dilemma")
"Hey, let's speed it up!" the eyepatched man said. "Keep the line moving!"
Sora cast Cure on Riku to heal some of his fatigue, and then the duo charged at the two Seekers. Riku fired several Dark-type Sagitta Magica to intercept the handful of shots Xigbar sent his way, he & Xigbar soon flinging magic at each other. Dark Riku tried to attack Riku while he was distracted, but Sora intercepted, blocking his blade and going on the offensive to push him back. Jumping back, Dark Riku swung his blade, releasing slicing waves of dark magic, but Sora leapt or rolled to dodge and returned fire with a Strike Raid that knocked Dark Riku on his ass.
Xigbar brought an arrowgun up to block Riku's strike, then pointed the other weapon backward and fired into a tiny portal; the exit portal formed behind & above Riku, the bolt hitting him in the back and knocking him forward, but he managed to recover in time to cast a Shield against Xigbar's follow-up shot. The fight between Sora and Dark Riku came closer, and Sora flung a Blizzaga spell at Xigbar, forcing him to warp back, while Riku and Dark Riku dashed back & forth at each other, clashing blades each time they crossed.
While fighting Riku, Dark Riku conjured a shadowy blob of Darkness that raced across the floor toward Sora, who saw it coming and leapt away with fractions of a second to spare as it abruptly expanded into some bizarre bear-trap, antlion thing, curling scythe-claws trying to impale him from multiple angles at once. Sora blasted the thing with a Firaga shot, then used his Keyblade to deflect a few shots from Xigbar's weapons. Riku ducked under a swing of Dark Riku's blade aimed at his neck, then knocked his evil copy back with a kick to the gut, firing a Dark Firaga blast at him that was intercepted by a shot from Xigbar.
Riku & Sora switched again, Sora responding to a leaping strike from Dark Riku by knocking him out of the air with a Strike Raid. Riku managed to get past Xigbar's guard and land several blows on him, knocking him back, but then Xigbar's dark aura surged to life as he focused his power, his eye glowing faintly. He called upon the full strength of his spatial-manipulation magic, ensnaring Sora & Riku in a twisted maze of rock walls in shapes that kinda hurt to look directly at. Then, he started rapid-firing shots through tiny portals, the red arrow-bolts emerging from countless portals and firing in from every angle, some of them changing direction midair. Sora & Riku got back to back, their Keyblades nearly blurs as they deflected and blocked, just like the end of their first climactic battle against Xemnas.
As Xigbar ran out of steam, panting for breath as his spatial magic was dispelled, Sora went on the attack, using a Strike Raid to Reverse Recall himself right up in Xigbar's face. He struck with a barrage of heavy blows that sent Xigbar reeling, finishing with a full-strength diagonal slash that created a tearing flash of Light.
(MUSIC PAUSE)
After a few seconds, Xigbar fell to his knees, groaning weakly.
"Figures…" he said, looking down at his weapons. "If I had my Keyblade, it'd be different…"
"You think you're actually worthy to use one?" Sora asked, mocking.
Xigbar smirked. "Of course I am. Hell… I used to have one."
At that, Sora & Riku all but recoiled in shock.
"I got myself into a situation… where I had to give up either my Keyblade, or my life. And considerin' I'm here talkin' to ya, you can figure which option I picked." He stabbed one of his arrowguns into the dirt, pushing himself up onto his feet using it as a brace. "The old coot promised to either help me get my old Keyblade back, or bequeath me his. Why else do you think I would ever put up with all his nonsense?"
Riku frowned. "It'd be wasted on you."
"…Heh. As if."
Xigbar staggered back through a Dark Corridor, appearing on one of the labyrinth walls overlooking the battlefield. Grinning down at the youths, he stepped back toward the opposite edge… and let himself fall. A second later, his weapons disintegrated into motes of darkness.
(MUSIC RESUME)
"Well then," Dark Riku spoke up, "I guess I'll have to kill both of you."
He started firing shotgun-cluster shots of Darkness & Fire magic at the two heroes, and took advantage of Riku forming a Reflect shield by flash-stepping in behind him and landing a slash that would've cut Riku open were it not for the Key-bearer's outfit's protective magic. Before Dark Riku could press his attack, Sora came in and pushed him back, several blows that eventually broke through Dark Riku's guard and beat him around. Growling, Dark Riku released a shockwave of dark power that didn't really hurt Sora but flung him back and gave Dark Riku some breathing room.
Dark Riku's black & purple aura surged, the sky overhead darkening a little, and he started zipping back & forth, leaving trails of lightning-like dark power and dark shockwaves that raced across the dead earth whenever his feet touched ground. Sora and Riku dodged frantically, the latter grunting as he failed to completely dodge one of his evil counterpart's charges. Dark Riku finished by leaping high and then crashing to the ground to send out a deadly shockwave and slashing waves of crackling Darkness, knocking Sora away.
Healing himself with Cura, Riku went on the attack, hitting Dark Riku with a bright flare of magic to stun him and then laying into him with powerful blows. Finally, he charged a great amount of power into his Way to the Dawn, lashing out with a horizontal slash that sent a visible wave of magic through Dark Riku.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD – "Riku's Theme")
As Riku leapt back, Dark Riku wavered on his feet, his black & purple aura flickering weakly. He looked down at his shaking hand, willing himself to hold together.
"You're not… real…" he said.
"…What?" Riku was confused; where was this coming from?
"I'm… the real one…"
"Aren't you my past self? From when Ansem possessed me?"
"No" Riku Replica's spirit replied as he emerged from Riku, wreathed in light. "You beat Ansem, and you're still here. This guy isn't you from the past… he's me!"
He flew forward, plunging his hand into the Dark Riku Replica's chest. DRR's cry died as a surge of darkness fled from him, revealing him in an Organization coat with a dead expression.
"I knew it…" Riku Replica said. "It's a Replica body. A soon-to-be-empty vessel. I've been waiting for a chance like this."
He dove into the DRR body, and after a few seconds emerged flying in the air, the unconscious/dead Dark Riku Replica limp in his arm. The now-featureless Replica collapsed to the ground. Shocked, Riku looked up at his 'twin'.
"What are you doing?! Take the vessel!"
"…No. The world already has you. There's someone else who needs that Replica more. …Give Naminé her life back."
"…You're sacrificing yourself for her…"
The ghostly Riku Replica smiled warmly. "Good luck… my brother."
With a pillar of rising Darkness and Light, the Dark Riku Replica's Heart was returned to the time period it came from… while the present Riku Replica's spirit passed on to the beyond.
(MUSIC END)
-Break-
(BOSS MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – "Unforgettable")
In a "smaller" chamber somewhere in the labyrinth, three Diclonii squared off. Kaede & Kanba Kanade were in defensives stances, the latter's Keyblade ready, directing matching glares at Karidé, who had a bloodthirsty grin and was holding a serrated sword wreathed in Darkness.
"This is a looong time coming" Karidé said. "You threw me away, Kaede. Did you really think that wouldn't come back to bite you?"
"You've caused enough trouble already" Kaede growled, drawing a plasma sword. "We won't let you hurt anyone else!"
Karidé laughed, sounding a little unstable. "As Xigbar says, as if! After I kill you and your widdle baby bwother, I'll kill every non-Diclonius out there, along with any of our kind who try to stop me! We will be the master race over all creation, and I will be our queen!"
She punched the earth, releasing a shockwave that sent stony shrapnel flying at Kaede & Kanba. The siblings' vectors blurred with motion as they bashed/sliced away the incoming projectiles, and Kaede fired a wave of Sagitta Magica while Kanba rushed in close. He landed a couple blows on Karidé, leaping back to avoid her vectors, and then Kaede moved in. Karidé managed to bring her sword up to block Kaede's, though, backstepping to dodge the pink-haired girl's blade & vector strikes.
Kanba fired Blizzara blasts at Karidé, a grazing blow frosting her arm over, limiting her movements for a few seconds as she tried to block his attacks. Kaede followed in her little brother's wake, hitting Karidé with a ki blast that flung her back. Snarling, the Diclonius Unversed charged dark power into her blade and swung it to release slicing waves of energy at the siblings. As Kaede bent and stepped to dodge the incoming energy blades, Karidé dashed in and landed a kick to Kaede's back that would've snapped a non-ki-user's spine, sending her tumbling, but Kanba intercepted Karidé's follow-up attack and smashed her away, casting Cura on his sister.
Karidé fired a blast of Darkness & Wind magic at Kanba, knocking him off his feet, but then Kaede got in close and landed a few vector-augmented punches before Karidé managed to fling her away. Kanba got in close again and struck with a Gatling Fist / Tarenken barrage, his vectors lashing out with over a dozen punches per second. Karidé was sent staggering back, reeling from the assault, but when Kaede went in for the kill she managed to gather herself and block her good counterpart's plasma blade with a vector. She and Kaede punched each other across the face, and then vector-leapt back to avoid each other's follow-up slashes.
A black & purple aura surged around Karidé, her vectors glowing purple & blue with Dark power, her silvery horns lengthening slightly and becoming sharp & pointed. A tornado of Darkness-tinted Wind magic swirled around her, carving gouges into the earth beneath & around her. With a feral fanged grin, she lunged at the siblings, flinging deadly cutting waves of energy as she charged. She went for Kaede, lashing out with sword strikes and energy blasts while keeping Kanba at bay with her vectors. Kaede did her best to defend herself, even landing a few blows despite taking some of her own, bleeding from several gashes opened up by Karidé's wind-blades and vectors.
Kaede managed to blast Karidé back with a point-blank ki blast, and Kanba moved in and began beating the Unversed Lord around with Keyblade strikes. He managed to knock her serrated sword out of her hands, grab it with a vector and fling it far away, and chipped one of her sharpened horns, making her cry out in pained rage. Karidé's attacks became more ferocious, pushing Kanba back and making him bleed, until finally he broke off and leapt away. Kaede hit her with a few Sagitta Magica as she closed in again, the two Diclonii beating each other around for a few moments. Kanba threw his 'All for One' in a Strike Raid, a 'glancing' blow cutting across Karidé's side, dealing significant Light-based damage to the pure-Darkness being. Karidé snarled, turning to face Kanba…
…And then Kaede, having caught Kanba's Keyblade, poured power in and swung with all her might. A diagonal slash of Light went down across Karidé's body, as Kaede leapt away and landed by her brother, whose Keyblade returned to him. Both siblings readied for more action, but Karidé didn't attack. The Unversed Lord had an expression of shock and disbelief on her face, her body trembling.
(MUSIC END)
Soon, Karidé's body began to waver, motes of Darkness falling away like ashes. Desperately, she began staggering and stumbling towards the duo, her dark aura smoky and weak, bits of Darkness still falling away. With a look of determination, anger, and helpless fear beneath that, she came closer, reaching a trembling hand out toward Kaede. The pink Diclonius stood her ground, tense and ready, as Karidé's outstretched fingers got within inches of her chest…
…and then disintegrated. Karidé's body went still and then crumbled away into smoke & particles of Darkness, drifting away in the wind and vanishing into nothing. Kaede & Kanba shared a look, and Kaede then sagged with relief. The legacy of 'Lucy' was over; her dark side was gone forever…
-Break-
King Mickey leapt high to avoid Larxene's thrown kunai and Luxord's thrown razor-cards, then backflipped midair to dodge Marluxia's scythe. He landed beside Donald & Goofy as the former fired a Fira blast at Xemnas, only for Marluxia to bat the magic blast away. At this point, Sora came in, forming up with the trio.
Xemnas smirked, then floated up off the ground. Nothingness power gathered within him, then he released it to conjure a wave of black thorns that rapidly encircled the area, forming a barrier. Then, he poured dark power into Luxord, making Xehanort's essence overtake the time-bending gambler, his eyes glowing gold as a Xehanort-like smirk formed on his face. He then vanished through a Dark Corridor.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD – "The 13th Struggle")
Luxord tossed a handful of cards in all directions, and as they hit the ground they became person-sized and floated in a big circle. He threw a card at Sora, but King Mickey deflected it… and it then projected inward-spiraling purple magic that sucked Mickey in, trapping him in the card which then returned to Luxord. Donald & Goofy tried to intervene, but suddenly Marluxia & Larxene leapt in, tossed them both out of the card-barrier, then left the barrier themselves, leaving Sora & Luxord to duel one-on-one. Luxord then had the giant cards begin revolving around them.
"One final game, Sora" he said. "The rules are simple: All you have to do win is find me among these cards and strike me down."
He snapped his fingers and vanished. As Sora started looking around at the cards, which were all facing away from him, more giant cards appeared surrounding him and rushed inward; he barely got a Reflect barrier up in time. He rushed at one of the outer cards and struck, but it spun around to reveal a stylized 'X' and then exploded, flinging him back.
Casting Cure on himself, Sora looked around at the spinning cards, trying to see any hints. As he leapt to avoid another slicing-card strike, he noticed that although all of the giant outer cards were slightly bobbing up & down as they revolved around the area, one was slightly out of sync with the others. He threw a Strike Raid at it, the impact knocking Luxord out of the card; Sora immediately Reverse-Recall teleported to his Keyblade and started whaling on Luxord with powerful blows.
Luxord retreated into a card again the moment he got the chance, still reeling from Sora's attack. All of the cards were moving in sync this time, and some of them started firing normal-sized razor-sharp cards at Sora from different angles. Sora deflected and dodged the deadly projectiles while scanning the big cards, soon spotting one that seemed to be slightly closer to the card on its left than the one on its right. Sora rushed in and slashed that card… and it exploded, stunning him as Luxord emerged from the next card over, blade-cards held between his fingers and being swung like claws. Sora managed to block, and with a burst of strength he shoved Luxord back and landed a few more hits on him.
As Luxord retreated into the giant cards again, the onslaught of deadly sharp cards – both normal-sized and giant – intensified, giving Sora less room to maneuver and think. All of the big cards revolving around the edge of the battlefield were moving in sync and equidistant from their partners. Sora was about to just give up and start spamming area-of-effect magic when a brief break in the clouds made him notice something. He fired a Flare spell upwards while keeping his eye on one card, and saw it again: that card's shadow was slightly thicker and darker than the others'. He used the Strike Raid / Reverse Recall trick to bring himself to that card, and slashed with all his might, cutting the card in half and revealing Luxord with a burst of darkness, a diagonal slash of Light going down his torso fading from view. All of the other giant cards broke apart and vanished into motes of Nothingness.
(MUSIC END)
Groaning weakly, his body beginning to steam away, Luxord fell to one knee. He looked up at Sora with a tired smile as Donald & Goofy rejoined their friend.
"You were born for these sorts of games…"
Calling a card out from his sleeve, he tossed it to Sora, who looked at it quizzically.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A wild card" Luxord replied. "You've earned it. Hang onto it." He gasped as he felt his life ebbing away. "It could turn the tables… against the next threat that I know is in your future. Sora… Xigbar was more than he seemed. He's set something in motion…"
Eyes briefly wide in surprise, Sora nodded. "I'll be ready… I'll play ya again sometime, when we're just guys."
Luxord chuckled weakly. "I should like that very much, Sora…"
With one final burst of Light & Darkness, he was gone. A lone card fluttered to the ground, and with a flash of light Mickey was freed.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD – "Lord of the Castle")
With Luxord 'dead' and Sora's friends back in the fray, Marluxia & Larxene went on the attack. Larxene dashed in first, a crack of thunder sounding out as she lightning-jumped in, kunai held between her fingers and being swung like claws. Sora danced backward to dodge until King Mickey pushed Larxene back, and then Marluxia came in, a swing of his scythe almost taking Goofy's head off.
A blast of raw magic from Donald sent Marluxia tumbling back, the pink-haired Nobody digging his scythe into the ground to stop his motion and then launching himself at the heroes with a wide spinning slash that left a pink afterimage behind the blade. The four heroes broke apart to dodge, and Larxene moved to engage Sora & Donald, while Marluxia went for Mickey & Goofy. Larxene leapt and released a lightning-bolt shockwave upon landing, knocking Sora back, but her follow-up knife slash was blocked by a Reflect from Donald, who then used Cure on Sora. Sora went on the attack, soon breaking past Larxene's guard and landing a few blows on her.
Across the battlefield, Mickey leapt over a swing of Marluxia's scythe, giving Goofy space to bash the Nobody with his shield, sending the pink-haired man stumbling back a little. King Mickey landed another couple of hits, but Marluxia recovered and kicked him away. The "Graceful Assassin" then conjured sharp thorny vines of Nothingness that swung and stabbed at Mickey & Goofy, forcing them back, then swung his scythe down at Goofy. Mickey's Keyblade blocked the blade, and the little warrior king blasted Marluxia with an orb of Light magic, blowing him back.
Larxene summoned a few Shadow Clones that spread out and started tossing kunai at Sora & Donald from multiple angles. Sora batted the knives away while Donald surrounded himself in a small Reflect barrier, and Sora nailed one of Larxene's Shadow Clones with a Strike Raid, destroying it. Larxene went for a "Lightning Slam" against Donald, but Sora dashed in and cast Reflera to protect his friend; Larxene's two Shadow Clones tried to attack from the side, but Donald blasted one in the chest with a Firaga, destroying it. Sora then hit Larxene with a heavy blow from his Keyblade that flung her away.
Letting out a snarling laugh, Larxene crackled with power as the kunai held between her fingers were engulfed in powerful Lightning-type magic, forming a set of huge, crackling golden-yellow claws. She started zipping around too fast to see, leaving trails of lightning, dashing in and making lightning-quick strikes that made Sora's arms ache & tingle to block. She made upward slashes along the ground that sent cutting waves of lightning slashing across the earth toward Sora & Donald, leaving them leaping & rolling to dodge.
As Larxene zapped back & forth across the battlefield, making hit-&-run strikes at Sora and Donald, Sora did his best to keep calm and try to find a pattern in her movements. Finally, as she rushed at him, swinging her thunder claws at his head, he ducked under her slashing claws while swinging his Keyblade, turning her momentum against her to land an especially powerful blow that slashed across her midsection.
(MUSIC PAUSE)
A pillar of darkness shot up from Larxene as she fell to her knees.
"You're kidding me…" she griped in a trembling voice, her body already starting to break down.
"Why the long face?" Sora asked. "You're gonna be recompleted!"
"I didn't ask for your garbage opinion" she gasped out. "I lost to you again! But… I guess it could be worse. Become that hammy old geezer's vessel? No thanks."
"Then why help him?"
"Hmph! I was really just along for the ride. I only joined up for… for someone else…"
Sora tilted his head. "Who?"
Taking a look over at where Marluxia was fighting Mickey & Goofy, Larxene grinned. "That's my secret~."
With that, she disintegrated into sparks and ashes.
(MUSIC RESUME)
Even though he blocked Marluxia's strike, King Mickey was still sent flying by the force behind it. Marluxia then pressed his attack on Goofy, beating away at the royal knight's shield, until Sora came to the rescue, hitting Marluxia in the side a couple times and forcing him to back off. Donald got Mickey back on his feet with a Cure spell, while Sora & Marluxia exchanged blows, scythe and Keyblade clanging together as they blocked each other's strikes.
Marluxia leapt back and jabbed his scythe into the ground, conjuring patches of Darkness ringed in thorny black vines on the ground, limiting where in the battlefield the heroes could go. He then swung his scythe through the air, conjuring and firing waves of deadly-sharp flower petals with each swing, battering the four heroes' shields/Reflects, some of the projectiles breaking through. King Mickey charged power, casting a ball of Light magic that then split into multiple smaller orbs which flew at the darkness-&-thorn patches and destroyed them. With more room to maneuver, the heroes went wide, Sora & Mickey tossing Strike Raids at Marluxia from the left & right, catching him with them before he could evade.
Glowing pink & black with power, Marluxia sank into the ground and extended his now-glowing scythe out. He started zipping back & forth across the battlefield, scythe spinning and leaving an afterimage behind, looking like a huge pink deadly wheel tearing across the earth. The heroes scrambled to avoid being sliced apart, flinging magic blasts that did nothing to stop Marluxia's onslaught. All they could do was keep dodging until he ran out of steam…
Finally, Marluxia reemerged, panting softly. Goofy was the first to recover and go back on the offensive, closing in and swinging his shield, putting Marluxia on the defensive. The Nobody gritted his teeth as a Thunder spell from Donald coursed through him, and Goofy leapt back as Mickey & Sora came in, the two wielders of the "prime" Keyblades of the Realms of Light & Darkness bombarding Marluxia with mighty blows. Finally, Sora & Mickey used their Light-based magic to charge each other's Keyblades and swung with a full-power cross slash.
(MUSIC END)
Marluxia's scythe fell to the ground with a clang, dissolving into darkness and cherry-blossom petals. Falling to his knees, Marluxia looked down at his trembling, smoking hands.
"Oh… So now it all comes back to me…" he said wistfully. He let out a bitter laugh, a hand to his head.
"Is that a real laugh?" Sora asked.
"Yes… My heart is remembering how to feel."
"I'm glad to hear it" Sora grinned.
"And now, I am on the cusp of reclaiming my identity… as Laurium, survivor… of the Great War…"
Sora gasped. "Wait… Your 'Somebody' is a Keyblade wielder? One who survived the Keyblade War?!"
Marluxia nodded weakly. "The same is true for… for Larxene, Luxord, and Demyx. That's why Xemnas made us into Nobodies – in hopes of harnessing the Keyblade's power. But none of us retained our Originals' memories or ability to wield the Keyblade. It wasn't until Roxas that Xemnas got what he wanted. Now… I can reclaim my reason for being… thanks to you, Sora…"
Marluxia then came apart in a burst of flower petals, drifting away on the wind.
"So Xemnas was trying to get a Keyblade wielder in the old Organization," Mickey mused, "and it took him five tries to get it. Still… The Great War was centuries ago; how were Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, & Larxene's "Originals" alive in modern times to be made into Nobodies?"
"I'm wondering…" Sora said. "Xigbar admitted that he used to have a Keyblade, too, but he got in a situation where he had to either give it up or lose his life. What if he was from that era, too?"
"…We can figure it out later, I guess" the King said. "I'm gonna go after Xemnas; Donald, Goofy, wanna come with?"
"Of course, Your Majesty" the duo chorused.
-Break-
In his attempt to track and pursue Xehanort's Heartless, Riku caught up with Link, Hero of Twilight. The two young heroes pressed on together, vigilant for any signs of their enemies. That caution saved their lives, letting them see the incoming fusillade of diamond-shaped kunai and leap back to avoid, Link bringing his shield to bear. Hearing slow applause, they turned to see Ghirahim slowly floating down to earth.
"You two have done quite well for yourselves so far" he said. "However, I'm afraid you won't be going any farther. But not to worry; I'm sure your swords will fit right in with all the other grave markers that litter this desolate place…"
(MUSIC: Skyward Sword – "Ghirahim Battle (Final)")
As his dark aura flared to life, Ghirahim's skin and clothing seemed to disintegrate off of him, revealing a body of what looked like solid unpolished bronze, crisscrossed by white lines in bizarre patterns, along with a large gray diamond-shaped gem in the center of his chest, his eyes a uniform glowing white. A shimmering orange & black barrier sprang up around the area, trapping Riku & Link in with the flamboyant demon.
Ghirahim conjured a pair of large, slightly curved blades (like some sort of rapier/scimitar cross) and charged at the heroes with blinding speed. Eyes widening, Riku barely brought his 'Way to the Dawn' up in time to block, being pushed back an inch by the force of the blocked strike. Ghirahim grinned with an unstable little chuckle, then abruptly broke off and bent over backwards to avoid Link's downward slash. The two heroes went on the attack, but Ghirahim was able to block and fend off their strikes his twin blades, the sound of clanging metal echoing through the area.
Warned by Fi, Riku & Link leapt away right as Ghirahim conjured a wave of black and white diamond-shaped magic blasts, shooting straight up from the ground around & beneath him. Riku fired a wave of Dark Volley shots, but Ghirahim parried most of them and shrugged off the few that hit. Link fired an arrow, but Ghirahim caught it and snapped it in two. Link fired a second and third arrow, and Ghirahim did the same with them. Then Link fired a Bomb Arrow, and when Ghirahim reflexively caught that one as well, it blew up in his face. While Ghirahim was stunned, Link rushed in and landed several slashes, knocking Ghirahim over, then went for a leaping stab aimed at the demon's chest, only for Ghirahim to roll out of the way and get back on his feet.
Link went on the defensive as Ghirahim focused on him, using sword & shield to parry the demon lord's twin blades as best he could. Riku came to his aid, attacking Ghirahim from the side and landing a few blows before the demon compensated and fended him off. Ghirahim leapt back and started conjuring & firing diamond-shaped daggers that clattered against Link's Hylian Shield and Riku's 'Dark Barrier' spell, and soon he tried making some shoot in at the two heroes from above and behind, only for Link's Spin Attack to deflect the incoming projectiles while Riku expanded his barrier spell into a sphere around himself.
The moment the 'storm' let up, Riku attacked, firing a few Blizzard shots to distract Ghirahim as he closed in. He beat Ghirahim around a bit with a punishing combination of blows, the last hit causing a small chip/crack in the villain's chest-crystal. Growling, Ghirahim slapped him away, and was about to attack while Riku was briefly stunned but got nailed by a 'sword-beam' from Link that almost knocked him over. Link pressed his attack, battering at Ghirahim's guard and eventually pulling a feint that let him land a few more hits.
Ghirahim coated one of his swords in fire magic and the other in ice magic, pushing Link back with a renewed assault. Riku moved in, taking some of the pressure off Link, but the two heroes had to break off their attack and jump away to avoid another "rising diamond storm". The moment his feet touched ground and Ghirahim's attack ended, Riku dashed forward in a Sonic Blade strike, sending Ghirahim staggering back with a loud clang and scoring his chest-crystal.
Glaring at the human, Ghirahim blasted Riku point-blank with an energy blast that flung him back, stunned and in pain. His Keyblade was sent flying out of his grasp… and was caught by Link. It turns out that being the chosen bearer of the Master Sword, legendary divine-forged weapon of Light, led to Keyblades 'registering' him as a Bearer, and thus the Way to the Dawn stayed in his grasp instead of teleporting back to Riku.
With a roar, Link charged at Ghirahim, relishing the look of shock on the demon's face at the sight of Farore's chosen hero charging at him with the Master Sword and a Keyblade. Link's two swords beat at Ghirahim's guard, soon knocking them out of his grip, and then he pummeled Ghirahim with a ceaseless barrage of Light-based sword strikes. A cross-slash knocked Ghirahim over, a Strike Raid to the head stunned him to keep him from getting up, and then Link made a leaping downward stab with the Master Sword that pierced all the way through Ghirahim's core crystal, nailing him to the ground.
(MUSIC END)
"C… Can't be…" Ghirahim gasped out weakly, his body beginning to break apart. "I still… haven't…"
He tried to reach a clawed hand up at Link, but his arm disintegrated into countless crystalline shards, the rest of him soon following. The thousands of bronze glass-like shards then disintegrated further into dust which blew away on the wind. The surrounding barrier came undone, as Link pulled his sword out of the ground and Riku recalled his Keyblade.
Riku cast a quick Cure spell on himself and Twilight-Link, then the two got moving.
-Break-
Kairi jumped back to dodge a strike from the mysterious 13th member of the Seekers – a petite female opponent, identity hidden by her black coat, and somehow wielding a Kingdom Key. Lea moved in to block her next attack, only to be forced to leap away to dodge Saïx.
"Axel! Kairi!"
The two Guardians turned to see Sora rushing in, firing off a wave of Light bolts to force the smaller enemy back.
"They have a Keyblade wielder?" Sora asked. "And it's my Keyblade? I know that Keyblades can exist in more than one place at a time, like how Mickey & Yen-Sid can both wield Star Seeker, or Fate & Alicia can both use Sign of Innocence, but… Did they… Did they somehow get a Roxas from the past?"
"No" Kairi replied. "Whoever this is, it's a girl."
Sora's eyes widened. 'A girl…' He looked closer. 'It… It's her…'
As Xemnas vanished, Saïx and the Mystery Seeker charged together, the latter form-shifting her Keyblade into a replica of Saïx's lunar claymore. She released little shockwaves of power with every swing, pushing Kairi back, until Kairi nailed her with a Strike Raid and went on the offensive. Meanwhile, Lea and Sora double-teamed Saïx, whose strength and aggression meant the two of them were just enough to break even with him. Sora sent him flying with an Aerora spell, but then the Mystery Seeker came at him, only to be intercepted by Lea.
Sora & Kairi dodged the blue energy waves Saïx's weapon swings sent at them, working together trying to break through his guard. Nearby, Lea managed to stun the Mystery Seeker with a flash-bang fire spell, then joined the assault on Saïx. However, the blue-haired Seeker began rapidly charging power, lunar energy pouring into him, making his hair lengthen and spike out, his eyes changing. The trio's attacks were repelled by a barrier of Darkness as their enemy's power climbed and climbed.
Surging with lunar power, Saïx slammed his glowing claymore to the ground, releasing tearing blue shockwaves that knocked Sora & Kairi back, stunned, and then charged at them.
"Stop it, Isa!"
Lea put himself in Saïx's path, but the blue-haired Seeker's ensuing blow had so much force behind it, that even blocking it brought Lea to his knees. As Saïx loomed over the panting Lea, his eyes glowing yellow, consciousness suppressed, Xemnas re-emerged from a Dark Corridor behind him.
"There was I time when I trusted you to deal with traitors" Xemnas said, strolling towards Lea. "And now, your betrayal outstrips them all. What final words do you have for your superior?"
Lea grinned. "Well, lemme think about it. First, it was only half of me that was playin' along with your schemes last time around. And second… how about, 'You were never my superior'?"
"Ever the rogue pawn… Knocked from the board early in the game. Utterly useless and forgotten."
Lea chuckled weakly. "You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rootin' for me. Sorry, 'boss'. 'Lion-heart Lea' never lets anybody down, and no-one axes Axel. …Got it memorized?"
Springing to his feet, he leapt and struck, but Xemnas caught his fiery Keyblade near-effortlessly.
"A Keyblade is only as strong as whoever wields it" the 'Head Nobody' said. "And you…" he gripped Lea's wrist and twisted, making him lose his grip, then tossed the 'Flame Liberator' away. "…are not strong enough to stand against me."
He then shoved Lea back, and conjured dozens of crimson energy bolts in a darkness-wreathed shell all around. The storm of bolts crashed into Lea from every direction, bringing him to his knees, then ignited a red 'ethereal blade' and strolled closer.
"Our plans have been dashed by you far more times than I care to count" he growled. "Now, it ends. My darkness will snuff out your flames, and extinguish your pitiful light!"
He thrusted his blade at Lea's chest… and it was stopped by a small gloved hand gripping the energy blade.
"We need him alive" the little Mystery Seeker said emotionlessly. "You know that."
"We only need his Heart to forge the key. We do not need his soul. Oh…" he extinguished his energy blade. "But that's right. You were 'friends'. Then… you take his life."
The little figure stood before the kneeling Axel, Keyblade in hand, as he looked up at her with defiance and confusion.
"Who… are you…?" he whispered.
Pointing her blade at him, the Mystery Seeker trembled lightly, hesitating, but then seemed to affirm herself. …But then Sora walked in, pushing her blade aside as he stood in her way.
"Don't do this" he said softly.
Gasping, the Mystery Seeker went on the attack, pounding away at Sora's guard, even as he made no effort to fight back. She cried out with every attack, putting all her strength in, but Sora stood his ground, looking at her with empathy.
"It's all right!" he told her. "You don't have to do this! You can stop now!" And then, Roxas' voice spoke with his:
"It's okay… Xion."
In an instant, a mote of Light was seen zipping from within Sora's chest and into his opponent's, a Heart returning to where it belonged. He saw as the golden-yellow of the hooded Xion's eyes turned blue, an expression of horror and grief coming to her face as tears started falling.
"S… So…ra…?"
Her Keyblade fell to the ground with a clatter, and as he carefully hugged her, she latched onto him and started sobbing.
"Useless puppet…"
Xemnas' snarling voice was immediately followed by a kick to the back of Xion's head that slammed it forward into Sora's, knocking them both senseless. And as they fell, her hood fell away. Xemnas stalked toward her, ethereal blade forming. Lea gasped as memories poured into his head, seeing her face, remembering promises, remembering everything…
"Xi…"
'I'll always be there to bring you back!'
'You, me, & Roxas… We're best friends. Got it memorized?'
"Xion!-!"
With a roar, Lea re-summoned his Keyblade and leapt at Xemnas, only to be blindsided by Saïx, a glowing claymore strike slamming him into the ground hard enough to make the battlefield's earthen walls rumble.
"Wait your turn, traitor…" Xemnas growled, raising his blade to kill the downed Xion…
A point of Light shot up out of Sora's chest and up into the sky. A second later, a dazzling pillar of light shot down from the heavens, and Xemnas barely leapt away to dodge it as it crashed down right where he'd been standing. As the dust swirled, slowly settling, a Curaga spell rang out from within, enveloping Sora, Kairi, Lea, & Xion in restorative magic.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 – "The Other Promise")
"Get. Away. From my friends!"
Xemnas' eyes widened. "It cannot be…"
With a swing of Oblivion & Oathkeeper, the dust was blown away, revealing Roxas brimming with power, a shimmering white aura of Light clinging to him.
"This is impossible" Xemnas said. "Where did you get a vessel?"
"Same as you" Roxas replied.
"How so?"
"Most of the current Organization's members traveled here from the past as Hearts. And you had empty Replicas waiting – one for each of them. I owe my return to many – some of them familiar to you."
"…Ansem the Wise and Zexion…"
"And Vexen, and Demyx… Even Saïx helped, before Master Xehanort's essence completely overtook him." Roxas grinned. "It seems you're not as good at winning people over as you thought."
Xemnas frowned. "I see…"
"There was one last thing I needed in order for me to be whole again." Sora came up beside Lea, and Kairi beside Xion. "A connection. Sora helped me find my way back here… to my friends."
Sora and Kairi summoned their Keyblades, and Lea & Xion followed suit. Sora charged and leapt, but Xemnas caught his blow and flung him away. Lea, Roxas, & Xion moved in next, Lea keeping Saïx at bay while the two younger members closed in on Xemnas. They split up and attacked from both sides, but Xemnas merely conjured another energy blade from his other hand and blocked both strikes, using a surge of strength to blast them back.
Then Kairi was there, a leaping strike hitting Xemnas' guarding ethereal blades hard enough to dispel them. He quickly re-summoned them, giving ground in the face of her ferocious assault. Xemnas then ensnared Kairi with thorny chains of Nothingness, doing the same to Sora when he tried to help her. With the duo caught in Void Prisons, Xemnas returned to Saïx's side, staring down Roxas, Lea, & Xion.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – [Sora's Theme / Xion's Theme / The Other Promise mashup])
"Time to clear these useless pawns from the board…" Xemnas said.
He and Saïx charged, the latter going for Roxas. Xemnas ducked under a swing of Lea's Keyblade and went to stab at him, only for his thrusting ethereal blade to be knocked aside by Xion's Keyblade. Xion landed a few more blows before Xemnas leapt back, the 'Head Nobody' flinging explosive orbs of crackling Void energy. The two Key-bearers evaded, Lea firing a couple Fira shots at Xemnas while Xion fired a series of Light pillars that shot up from the ground in a wave, the last one catching Xemnas in a glancing hit.
Roxas and Saïx exchanged blows with furious intensity, Keyblades and claymore clashing. Jumping back, Roxas slammed his Keyblades down, releasing twin waves of Light shooting up from the ground that knocked Saïx into the air, leaving him helpless to the follow-up as Roxas leapt up and bombarded him with Keyblade strikes. Saïx was left to collapse to the ground, stunned.
With Saïx out of commission for a moment, Roxas went to join his friends against Xemnas. He came in just when Xemnas was about to land a hit on Xion, blocking the Seeker's ethereal blade with Oathkeeper while slamming Oblivion into his side. As Xemnas staggered, Lea and Xion blasted him with twin bursts of light, keeping him stunned.
"Get what's ours!" Lea cried as he, Roxas, & Xion rushed at Xemnas and struck. As they landed from their leaping strikes, a mote of light emerged from Xemnas' body and split into three, each light curling through the air and flying to one of the three heroes, taking the form of a shimmering 'χ' floating at their chests.
"Is this… the sigil?" Xion murmured.
"Yeah" Lea replied. "That's the mark Xemnas gave us. It's what connected us from the start. It's the… foundation… of the bond we share."
"The mark will disappear along with Xemnas," Roxas said as the villain in question leapt back to beside Saïx, "and that's fine. I just wanted to reclaim it for myself. It's how our bond came to be."
"This… This is the connection we needed" Xion said.
The Void Prisons came undone, freeing Sora & Kairi, and Xion & Lea promptly used Cure spells to get them back on their feet.
"I will scatter your ashes to the winds…" Xemnas growled.
He flash-stepped behind Kairi and grabbed her by the wrist, but her months of training under Aqua and with the rest of Sigma Team had given her better reaction time and ability to think under pressure. With her free hand, she threw her Keyblade forward in a Strike Raid toward Sora, and used Reverse-Recall to warp herself to it. Xemnas was pulled along for the ride, and Sora smacked his arm hard with his Keyblade, forcing him to release Kairi. Seething with fury and clutching his injured wrist, Xemnas poured a 'boost' of Dark power into Saïx, then retreated through a Dark Corridor. Three more Lunar Claymores appeared, the four weapons orbiting Saïx as he surged with blue & black energy.
"Lea, Kairi," Sora said, "catch your breath and heal up. Roxas, Xion, & I will take care of Saïx now."
Sora, Roxas, & Xion spread out to attack Saïx from different angles, firing blasts of Light magic at him; Sora's & Roxas' were deflected by the massive weapons floating around Saïx, but Xion's got through, making him stagger and leaving him briefly open. Roxas rushed in, landing several blows before a swing of Saïx's weapons knocked him away.
Saïx started charging forward, his weapons constantly beating the ground around him like a drum, releasing shockwaves of dark power. The three heroes tried to keep their distance as he rushed at them, firing magic blasts that barely did anything. When Saïx finally slowed down, Sora closed in and pummeled him with Keyblade strikes, Xion joining in after a moment. With burst of power he flung them away, sending tearing waves through the earth at Xion like giant claws scoring the ground.
Roxas rushed in, dodging the slicing waves Saïx sent at him and assailing the Nobody with Keyblade strikes and 'spears' of Light. The 'Lunar Berserker' made a spinning slash that knocked Roxas away, but Sora & Xion were right back in to keep the pressure on, beating him with a double 'Ars Arcanum' combo followed up by a twin Strike Raid from Roxas.
With a roar, Saïx started hurling his weapons in pseudo Strike Raids, wreathed in black & purple energy, while also charging around swinging his blades and loosing shockwaves. Roxas started throwing his own Keyblades in Strike Raids, alternating, timing them to smack away Saïx's. This gave Sora & Xion an opening to blast Saïx with a dual Ragnarok magic-bolt barrage, and then Roxas closed in with his Keyblades Strike-Raid spinning around himself in a combined offensive/defensive technique, slashing across Saïx. He, Sora, & Xion then leapt high above Saïx, and as Sora formed a pair of Rasengan, his two comrades melded Light power into them, leaving them glowing golden. Roxas then gave Sora a boost downward, and Sora slammed his Light Release Rasenrengan attack down into Saïx with enough force to crater the ground.
Groaning weakly, Saïx tried and failed to stand, his body already beginning to waver. Lea ran over, looking down at him.
"Why… so sad?" Saïx asked in a weak, teasing voice.
Lea growled, clearly hurt. "You let them reduce you to this?!"
"I thought… you outgrew the marks under your eyes. You look… like you need them…"
"…Stop it. The whole act. …I thought this was all for her."
"…At first. I sacrificed everything to try and track her down. You're the one who went off and made other friends – left both her and me in the dust. It infuriated me how you just exited our lives." He groaned, doubling over. "I lost… all sense of purpose…"
Lea knelt down beside him. "I didn't forget you."
"Yes… I know. You wouldn't do that. But… I was jealous."
"…You admit it."
"Well, if I make it back… you won't get it out of me a second time."
He collapsed, his body quickly breaking apart into wisps of Darkness.
"See you later… Isa" Lea murmured.
"…Same to you… Lea…"
With one last flare of darkness, Saïx vanished. Lea got to his feet, turning to face Sora & Kairi.
"You two had better keep moving" he told them. "We'll catch up."
Sora nodded, he & Kairi running off.
"All right…" Lea murmured. "What now?"
Roxas came up to him, and the two smiled at each other. Then, with the fight finally over for now, Xion broke down sobbing, all the built-up pain and fear and regret spilling out. Roxas immediately ran over, hugging her close, and Lea joined in a second later, all three of them crying in each other's arms.
-Break-
"Man, this place is depressing…" Pinkie Pie remarked.
"It's a giant graveyard" Trixie replied. "What did you expect?"
"I'm wonderin' if this place was always so barren," Applejack pondered, "or if the Keyblade War reduced it to this…"
Twilight Sparkle sighed softly, thinking of what this place must have looked like at the height of the Great War so long ago – thousands of Keyblade-wielders, fighting and killing each other… Speaking of which, she conjured her brand-new Keyblade in her telekinetic grip, looking it over. "Spellbinder", a predominantly blue Keyblade with magical and astrological themes & markings, a little green spellbook for a keychain… She could feel the magical power that filled the weapon, melded perfectly with her own magic, like an extension of herself.
'…Maybe I could ask Master Yen-Sid if it'd be possible to change a Keyblade's color,' she thought, 'add a little purple or magenta…'
Suddenly, a Dark Corridor opened in the seven ponies' path, and from it emerged a black-coated equine figure. The coat's hood was telekinetically lowered, revealing Checker Monarch glaring at them with cold intensity and contempt.
"So," she said, "the spirits of the departed saw fit to bestow Magic's bearer with a Keyblade… That makes you a priority target. Plus, the Elements of Harmony have been deemed a significant threat, one that I must neutralize." She looked at Trixie with a fanged grin, eyes gleaming with glee at the thought of murder. "And of course, there's the main reason I signed up: to teach my weak little cousin her place, and make her beg for death!"
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD – "The 13th Reflection")
The seven heroines got ready, Twilight's Keyblade thrumming with readied magic and Trixie's body crackling with Lightning Release Armor. The equine Seeker cast a barrage of Darkness-type Sagitta Magica, forcing the Bearers & Trixie to scatter. Conjuring a black & silver spear, Checker went for Rainbow Dash, and the blue pegasus narrowly twisted out of the way of a stabbing thrust. Dash went for a lightning-infused hoof-punch at Checker's face, only to be stopped by a shimmering purple barrier spell, translucent to show the evil unicorn's smug smirk.
Rarity fired a few rock spears at Checker, failing to break through the evil mare's barrier spell but keeping her distracted as Twilight closed in. Firmly grasping her new Keyblade in her telekinetic hold, Twilight managed to land a handful of blows with Spellbinder, followed by blasting Checker with a Blizzara spell. Checker growled and blasted Twilight back with a Dark Thunder spell, and was then in turn sent tumbling by an electrified tackle from Trixie.
Fluttershy cast Wind Release: Vacuum Wave through her wings, flapping them to fire off cutting waves of wind at Checker. The evil mare conjured a silver shield that blocked the wind-blades, though not without getting deep gouges carved into it, and she then threw the shield at Applejack, who simply bucked it right back with twice the power; eyes widening, Checker ducked, barely avoiding getting her head smashed. Pinkie pulled out her party cannon, switched it to "serious mode" and fired a blast of magical 'shrapnel' shaped like tiny hearts, stars, balloons, & confetti. Checker protected herself with another barrier spell, but Pinkie somehow 'jumped' to right beside her and hoofed/punched her in the face.
Checker knocked Pinkie away with a hammer of telekinetic force, then conjured & launched a few metal javelins at her. Twilight protected Pinkie with a Reflect spell, then closed in on Checker, wielding her Spellbinder in one forehoof and forming a small Round Shield on the other. Twilight & Checker dueled with Keyblade and spear, clanging metal echoing as they dodged and shielded and parried. Twilight managed to land a couple blows, then leapt back to avoid Checker's reprisal.
Trixie and Checker fired bolts of magic at each other, most of them crashing against each other's shield spells, a few getting through. Checker suddenly teleported in close, aiming to stab Trixie with her spear, only to be thwarted by Rarity's crystalline barrier spell. Growling at the interruption, she fired a few conjured javelins at the fighting fashionista, but Rainbow Dash flitted in and lifted Rarity out of the way. Trying to track her targets, Checker was hit by a flying tackle from Fluttershy that knocked her into a blow from Applejack that rattled her bones.
Snarling and swearing at all the interruptions, starting to lose hold of her temper, Checker started flinging blasts of dark- and lightning-magic at the heroines. The seven scattered to dodge and evade, but soon started taking advantage of gaps and openings, moving in and starting to land hits. Checker Monarch obviously wasn't used to fighting 7-on-1 against opponents who were all in her league. Slowly but surely, the villain was coming unhinged, her expression more enraged.
"Why won't any of you die?!"
"Give it up, Checker" Trixie said. "You can't beat all of us."
Checker glared hatefully at her cousin. "You're nothing without your 'friends'. The same simpering weakling you always were, pretending to be brave just because you've got other ponies to hide behind!"
"I'm not afraid of you anymore. And I'm not weak anymore, either. Not just because of all the training I've gone through, but because I'm not alone anymore! My friends are my power!"
The seven heroines charged, dodging Checker's magic blasts and closing in to attack together. They didn't give her room to breathe, keeping the pressure on, pushing her back. Getting increasingly banged up and increasingly enraged, Checker tried flinging magic in all directions, but couldn't keep up. Trixie ducked under a swing of Checker's spear, allowing Rainbow Dash to smash into Checker from above, leaving her too stunned to avoid a barrage of slicing diamond-shaped magic blasts from Rarity, which sent her stumbling back into a party-cannon blast from Pinkie, and then she was caught in a whirlwind from Fluttershy that hoisted her up into a powerful magic blast from Twilight.
Checker let out a screaming roar of fury, a black & purple aura surging around her like a blazing flame, floating up into the air and somehow staying there. With her forehooves held up over her head, a massive orb of Darkness and crackling lightning formed and began to grow, quickly becoming bigger than her.
"THAT'S IT!-!" she roared. "EVERYONE DIES!-!-!"
Despite being briefly stunned by how much power Checker was building up (likely enough to reduce most of the Keyblade Graveyard to a smoldering glassed crater), the six Element-Bearers shook off their shock and gathered together, calling upon the Elements of Harmony. The six heroines and their lone opponent finished charging their attacks at the same time, a rainbow beam of energy 'catching' the orb of darkness. The two attacks shoved against each other, and soon the power of the Harmony Elements overcame Checker's attack, engulfing the evil mare in a burst of rainbow light.
(MUSIC END)
The seven young mares spread out, watching and waiting as the dust slowly began to settle. Suddenly, a telekinetic wave launched five of them away, leaving just Twilight & Trixie. Then, several gleaming spears of black metal shot down all around the area, projecting a series of barriers to form a 'fence' trapping Twilight's other friends out.
As the dust finally settled, Checker stood. Her black coat was in tatters, she was bleeding and burnt in more than one place, and most of her tail's fur had been burned away. And yet, she looked oddly calm – almost tranquil.
"You know…" she said. "With the utter humiliation, the loss of my tail… I thought I'd be angrier. …Or maybe I'm just so unbelievably enraged that I've come full-circle." She shrugged. "Oh, well. Either way, it's time to end this…"
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 OST – "Destiny's Force")
Her irises glowed yellow as she conjured a short barbed spear and a spike-rimmed shield of black & silver metal, held close in her telekinetic grip. Twilight readied her Keyblade, and Trixie rekindled her Lightning-Release Armor. Checker leapt forward at them, her shield blocking magic blasts from the young alicorn as she rapidly closed in. Trixie ducked under a swing of her evil cousin's shield and struck with an electrified forehoof/punch to the chest that knocked her back a little, leaving an opening for Twilight to land a few Keyblade blows, the Light-imbued attacks dealing metaphysical damage to the wielder of Darkness.
Checker cast a spherical field of dark lightning magic around herself, a combination offense/defense that zapped Twilight & Trixie and flung them back. The two mares circled around, looking for an opening, which was made harder by Checker flinging attack spells at them to disrupt their focus. Twilight fired a wave of rainbow-colored magic bolts from her Keyblade, the 'Prism Rain' battering at Checker's electro-barrier, disrupting it a little. Trixie amped up her Lightning Armor, adjusting the current to try and nullify or weaken the effect of Checker's, and charged in. She gritted her teeth as she pushed through the numbing shocks, savoring the look of shock on Checker's face before her hoof met it.
Even as she was sent reeling by Trixie's blow, Checker swung her barbed spear at the other mare, who cried out as a small gash was cut across her side. Twilight moved in, casting Cura on Trixie and landing a few more hits on Checker with her Spellbinder. She twisted out of the way of a stabbing thrust of Checker's spear, smacking the evil mare with a focused concussive blast of telekinetic magic, and Trixie got back in the fray, blasting Checker with Light-type Sagitta Magica and then landing a hoof-punch imbued with an absorbed/stored S.M., sending Checker tumbling.
Springing to her hooves, Checker was enveloped in a black aura, eyes glowing with Dark power. A few more bladed lances were conjured floating around her, and she rushed at the two heroines, her weapons spinning and slashing through the air. Twilight and Trixie were hard-pressed to dodge the deadly whirling blades and spears, though they did their best to take advantage of what openings they could get to hit Checker with magic attacks. Trixie charged and fired a wave of Lightning-type Sagitta Magica, disrupting Checker's hold on some of her lances, and Twilight warped in and managed to land a few blows despite Checker's deadly defense. Then, she managed to pull off a Firaza spell that melted Checker's conjured lances, forcing her to discard them.
Checker charged lightning magic into her barbed spear and spiked shield, focusing on Trixie. The blue unicorn gave ground, rapidly forming & dispelling shield-spells to block her mad cousin's strikes, and lashing out with punishing melee blows and magic bolts whenever she got the opening. Trixie hissed in pain as a glancing swing of Checker's shield cut a gash across her right cheek, then twisted around a spear stabbed at her chest and hit Checker across the face with a spinning backhand (er, backhoof). Twilight then came in and knocked Checker's spear out of her grip, leaving her open for a mighty blow from Trixie.
Snarling, Checker lunged at Twilight while conjuring metal javelins, knocking Twilight's Keyblade away with one and then going to impale her. She loomed over the alicorn, a savage fanged grin on her face as she brought one of her javelins high, set to stab it through Twilight's skull. But just as Twilight's eyes widened at the prospect of being mortally wounded, Trixie grabbed Checker's spear and stabbed Checker in the back with it. Then, she poured as much Lightning magic as she could into her foe, channeling it through the metal weapon and into Checker's body. Checker's body jerked and twitched, her mouth open in a silent scream, smoke drifting from her fur as she knew pain – light – burning – darkness – nothing.
(MUSIC END)
Checker Monarch collapsed to the ground, limp and bleeding from the eyes & ears. The dark barrier around the area came undone, allowing Twilight's friends to rejoin her & Trixie. Trixie panted for breath, adrenaline still coursing through her. Recalling her Keyblade, Twilight ran a scanning spell on their enemy, and then dispelled her weapon.
"…She's dead" she said. "That last electric attack traveled up her spine and basically cooked her brain."
"I… I can't believe it…" Trixie muttered. "On one hoof, she's… she's finally gone. She can't hurt me anymore! But… But on the other hoof, I…"
Applejack put a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "It's alright, hun" she said. "You did what ya had to. She wasn't gonna be stopped by anythin' less."
"I hate the thought of k-killing," Fluttershy spoke up, "but… Checker is… was physically incapable of feeling empathy or love or friendship, or from being guilty or regretting anything she did. She wasn't someone who could be rehabilitated. And with her sadism, her skill at manipulating ponies… It was either this, or being locked up in prison for the rest of her life, and I'm not so sure she wouldn't have been able to break free if it was the latter. …This was the only option available to us."
"I can't help but wonder if the Elements of Harmony could've maybe, I dunno, rewrote her brain to give her empathy" Rainbow Dash pondered. "Of course, no guarantee that woulda stopped her being evil."
"The Elements did blast her," Pinkie replied, "and she didn't stop tryin' to kill us."
Rarity sighed. "Alright, darlings. Let's patch ourselves up and then keep moving to help the others."
-Break-
As Aqua gave ground in the face of Terra-Xehanort's attacks, Vanitas' blow sent Ventus tumbling back to beside her. The two duos stared each other down, but then Sora arrived on the scene.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – "Enter the Darkness")
"Ah, the man of the hour is here" Vanitas said. "Now the party can really get started."
He & Terra-Xehanort fired a sizable volley of Darkness bolts at the three heroes, who defended with Reflect spells and rushed in to fight – Aqua against Terra-Xehanort, and Sora & Ven against Vanitas. Terra-Xehanort leapt over a Strike Raid from Aqua, and attempted to bring his blade down on her head, only for the young Keyblade Mistress to teleport herself to her blade. The two flew into a fast-paced duel, the sound of Keyblade striking Keyblade echoing out over and over.
Sora and Vanitas locked blades, each one trying and failing to overpower the other, and Ven came in to help his friend, forcing Vanitas to backflip away to avoid a hit to the side. Ventus swung his Wayward Wind repeatedly, each swing releasing a blade of wind magic that sliced through the air. Vanitas ducked and swerved to dodge as he closed in on his 'other half', starting to beat Ventus back with an aggressive assault, but left himself open to a quick combination of blows from Sora. Shaking off the pain of being struck by a Light-oriented Keyblade, Vanitas vanished underground while leaving an afterimage behind, throwing Sora off just long enough to let him pop up behind Sora and lash out with a kick to the head, though Sora reacted in time to shift so that the kick hit his upper back instead.
Aqua conjured and fired a barrage of water bullets at Terra-Xehanort, who used his Keyblade to block or deflect most of them, though a few got through. While he was briefly staggered, she rushed in and landed a rising strike that knocked his/Xehanort's Keyblade out of his grasp… and, before he could recall it, Vanitas – being another 'vessel' for Xehanort's power – called it to him. Now, the Unversed Lord grinned savagely beneath his helmet as he dual-wielded Void Gear and No Name, attacking Sora & Ventus with renewed ferocity. Aqua went to intervene, only for Terra-Xehanort to conjure a dark barrier keeping her and himself from interfering, simply crossing his arms and watching the 'show' with a calm smirk.
As Sora & Ventus attacked together, Vanitas used his Keyblades to expertly block theirs, dodging and 'dancing'. He crossed his blades and shoved Sora back, off-balance, then landed a couple blows on the youth until Ven pushed him back with an Aero spell. Casting 'Cure' on Sora, Ven got into a close duel with Vanitas, both of them landing a few hits on each other. Vanitas leapt back and fired a wave of Blizzard blasts, and Ventus countered by orbiting a few Fire spells around himself as a shield.
Sora came in from the side, landing a couple hits before Vanitas could react. Vanitas vanished underground again, and when he popped back up it was with several Dark Firaga fireballs that arced up & out like debris from a volcanic eruption. As Ven & Sora scattered to avoid being hit by the plunging fireballs, Vanitas did it again, this time releasing more Dark Firaga balls and leaping up higher, before then coming down with a falling Keyblade strike that brought Sora to his knees even when he blocked it. Ventus came to the rescue, knocking Vanitas back with a wind-imbued Strike Raid.
Vanitas started throwing his Keyblades in alternating Darkness-wreathed Strike Raids, nailing both of his opponents a couple times. Sora charged and fired a wave of Light bolts from his Keyblade, some of them getting past Vanitas' guard while he was midway through prepping another throw and hammering into him, staggering him enough to let Ventus close in and land some more hits. Growling, Vanitas blasted him away with a focused burst of force, but Sora took the opportunity to blast Vanitas with a Light spell and then land a punishing barrage of blows.
A purple aura surged around Vanitas as he called upon the numerous 'dead' Keyblades littering the boundaries of the battlefield, dozens of centuries-old blades with faded colors flying in at his command, orbiting around him in rings at different angles. Vanitas started charging the Keyblades with Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, or Darkness magic and launching them at Sora & Ventus. The two Guardians of Light did the best they could to block and dodge the onslaught, healing themselves and each other whenever they took hits, and soon started firing magic at Vanitas whenever they got the chance. Finally, Vanitas made all of the old Keyblades shoot out in all directions in a wave of deadly shrapnel. Sora & Ven couldn't completely avoid the barrage, left staggering from the hits.
Vanitas dropped to the ground and rushed at Sora, beating at Sora's guard until finally he knocked the Kingdom Key out of Sora's hands. But then, Ventus caught it, wielding it and Wayward Wind together. He closed in on Vanitas, the two of them flying into a hectic dual-wielding duel, Keyblade swings and magic blasts being exchanged. Suddenly, Sora blasted Vanitas in the back with a small handful of Light-type Sagitta Magica, and that threw him off enough to let Ven press his attack. Ventus began pummeling Vanitas with both Keyblades, each strike releasing a flash of light, knocking Vanitas back but not letting him escape. Finally, Ven struck with a blow to the side of Vanitas' helmet and then a cross-slash to the chest.
(MUSIC END)
As Ven tossed the Kingdom Key back to Sora, Vanitas wobbled on his feet weakly, Void Gear and No Name clattering to the ground, his body letting out wisps of black. With a cracking sound, half of his helmet/mask crumbled away, revealing a face identical to Sora's except with yellow eyes and pitch-black hair. Seeing the look on Sora's face, he grinned.
"I'm the piece of Ventus that was taken away," he said, "and you're the piece he needed to be whole again. So, why shouldn't you and I look exactly the same? You define me, Sora, the same way Ventus does. The three of us are brothers, and together we make a greater whole."
Sora frowned. "Then why won't you stand by our side? Instead of with Darkness?"
"Because I am Darkness. And I do stand by your side. I'm the shadow that you two cast. How much closer could I be?"
"But we didn't ask for this" Ventus said. "To be sifted apart, nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light or darkness. We decide who & what we are."
Vanitas sighed. "But… Ventus. I did decide who I am. You see?"
Ventus frowned. "And what you choose, what you are, is Darkness?"
Vanitas nodded, beginning to come apart. "Yes. What I am is Darkness."
The two stared at each other, and then Ventus sighed and bowed his head. "Okay then. You've made your choice."
Vanitas looked up at the sky, a small smile on his face, and then he came apart into motes of Darkness that drifted away and winked out.
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – [Rage Awakened {KH3 Version}])
"Well then," Terra-Xehanort said, recalling his Keyblade and dropping his barrier, "now that that's out of the way…"
He struck the ground with his Keyblade, releasing tearing spikes of earth surging toward the three heroes. The trio leapt to dodge, Aqua tossing her Stormfall in an ice-imbued Strike Raid that Terra-Xehanort batted aside. A 'Ragnarok' barrage of Light bolts from Sora was similarly ineffective, deflected by the villain's dark barrier spell, but Ventus used that moment of distraction to come in low and land a clean hit, a reverse-grip slash from Wayward Wind making Terra-Xehanort stumble and grunt in pain. Terra-Xehanort's Heartless Guardian appeared, grabbing Ventus in one of its huge hands and hurling the boy away.
Sora closed in, matching blades with Terra-Xehanort and landing some hits, pushing him back briefly before the villain rallied and overpowered him. Aqua came to the rescue, a Suiton: Suikōdan blasting Terra-Xehanort back, and she & Ven double-teamed Terra-Xehanort, Ven keeping the Heartless Guardian back while Aqua focused on their human opponent. Terra-Xehanort made a wide spinning strike that knocked Aqua & Ven back, but Sora was immediately there to keep the pressure on, a series of Firaga spells battering at Terra-Xehanort's defenses, one of them getting through and blasting him back.
Terra-Xehanort fired a sweeping wave of Blizzara blasts that forced Sora back, while his Dark Guardian grabbed Ventus and threw him at the charging Aqua ("Damnit, stop tossing me!"). He began zipping back & forth in Sonic Blade strikes aimed to cut the three heroes apart, but Sora followed suit, Sonic Blade hits clashing repeatedly as the young hero matched his foe's movements and canceled them out. Frustrated, Terra-Xehanort focused his magic into the ground beneath their feet, making it roll and buckle, knocking the three heroes off-balance. He went at Sora, landing a couple hits before a wave of slicing wind from Ven pushed him back.
As Ventus cast a Cure spell on Sora, Aqua used a Reverse Recall jump to get in close quickly and struck with a combination of blows, finishing with a rising magic blast that knocked Terra-Xehanort airborne. She then blasted him with a Prism Rain barrage, but had to break off her next planned attack when his Heartless Guardian took a swing at her. Sora & Ven dashed in as soon as Terra-Xehanort was back on the ground, and he was hard-pressed to fend off both of them at once, taking a few hits when the boys managed to get around his guard.
Terra-Xehanort surged with dark power that he also poured into his Heartless Guardian, and Darkness covered the ground as the three heroes felt a force trying to pull them towards their enemy. The Guardian's claws swiped and swung, releasing tearing waves of dark lightning along the ground, along with magic blasts of various elements fired from Terra-Xehanort's Keyblade. They fought against the pull and did their best to shield against the various attacks, though all of them took a few hits. Sora charged and fired a wave of Ragnarok bolts at the Heartless Guardian, which shuddered and retreated into Terra-Xehanort's shadow.
Ventus used a burst of wind magic to propel himself at Terra-Xehanort, giving his ensuing strike enough extra momentum that blocking it made the villain stagger. Aqua and Sora moved in next, they & Ven overwhelming Terra-Xehanort's defense and not giving him room to attack. The villain was about to try something else, but then a split-second spark of resistance from Terra deep inside made him lock up for an instant, his concentration on building magic disrupted. Sora, Ventus, & Aqua filled their blades with Light power and struck as one, three slash-shaped flashes of light crossing Terra-Xehanort's form.
(MUSIC END)
The heroes leapt back as a pillar of darkness ejected from their foe's body. With a thud, Terra-Xehanort collapsed, wavering wisps of Darkness steaming off him. Aqua and Ven hurried over to his side, helping him up to a kneeling position.
"Aqua… Ven…" Terra spoke weakly. He then grabbed at his head, groaning in pain. "G… Get back… I-I'm not me! H-He's still…!"
"Terra, please!" "Come back to us!"
"Terra!" Sora cried out. "Your friends are here! Pull it together!"
Terra's arms went limp, and he began to chuckle with a voice not his own.
"Nice try…" Terra-Xehanort said mockingly.
Suddenly, chains of Darkness shot out from him, wrapping around Ven, Aqua, & Sora, hoisting them high into the air. They struggled, desperately trying to break free.
"You'll never be able to break these chains" Terra-Xehanort said. "They're a manifestation of Terra's bond with you Light-wielders, twisted by the Darkness. Now, I'll use my host's own bonds to kill those precious to him!"eHe began
He began moving his arms around like a conductor, making his chains toss Aqua & Ven around as Sora watched helplessly. Soon, the g-forces and Dark power had rendered both of them unconscious, hanging limp in the chains, high above the ground. With an evil smirk, he lifted them even higher, ignoring Sora's feeble attempts to fight back.
"…Terra…" Ven whispered weakly. "I kept my… promise…"
Then, the two Keybladers began to fall…
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts BBS – "Terra's Theme")
Suddenly, Xehanort's demonic guardian-Heartless shot up out of Terra-Xehanort's shadow, flew forward, and caught Ven & Aqua, lowering them safely. Glaring hatefully at Terra-Xehanort, the Guardian grabbed the dark chains in its free hand and crushed them; the entire network of chains broke apart, freeing Sora. As Terra-Xehanort glared in disbelieving fury, the Guardian gently set Aqua & Ven down.
"How?!" Terra-Xehanort screamed. "How are you free?! You fell to the Dark-"
In an instant, the Guardian shadow-ported to directly behind him, grabbing his head in one hand. With its other hand, it reached up and ripped the bandages off its mouth. The humanoid Heartless gasped and coughed, trying to remember how to speak.
"One day… I… will… set… this… right…" It held Xehanort forward. "One day… I will set… this right… I will return to this land…" At long last, Terra's face appeared over his Heartless' "and protect… my friends!"
The heart-shaped hole in Terra's Heartless' chest began to glow with Light. Thinking fast, Sora conjured his Keyblade, gathering Light at its tip.
"Terra! Now!"
Sora fired a blinding beam of Light, striking Terra-Xehanort from behind, leaving the possessed body wreathed in Light & Darkness. Terra's Heartless floated back, and then the light in his chest flared as Terra's Heart floated out. As the Heartless disintegrated in its wake, the Heart zipped forward and plunged into the enemy's chest. Brilliant light shone forth, darkness being purged, and finally Terra fell to the ground, landing on his feet and looking down at his hands – his hands… He spun around, running over to
"Aqua! Ven!"
As Aqua came to, Terra knelt down by Ventus and gently picked him up. With his free hand, he conjured his Earthshaker Keyblade and cast a Cura spell on the younger boy.
"Terra…" Aqua near-whispered. "Is it you?"
He looked up at her, smiling. "The two of you never stopped lighting my way back.
As Aqua's tears began to fall, Ven came to in Terra's arms.
"…You're here…" he whispered.
"I heard you too, Ven" Terra said softly, a tear rolling down his cheek. "You found me, just like you promised."
Finally together again after nearly 12 years, the three disciples of Eraqus embraced, holding each other close.
"Aqua and Ventus need rest" Sora said. "Terra, look after them."
Looking up, Terra smiled. "Well, look at you, Sora! You've grown up! I'm still amazed that the Kingdom Key chose you… I think it's safe to say it made the right choice."
Sora grinned, blushing a bit.
"We'll rest up and then catch up with you" Aqua told him.
As Sora ran off, Ventus hobbled over to where Void Gear lay on the ground. Picking it up and looking it over, he then stabbed it down into the ground – one more grave-marker for another Keyblade-wielder who'd met their end in this desolate place…
-Break-
As Lea, Roxas, & Xion made their way through the labyrinth, intent on catching up with the others, they rounded a corner to find another larger chamber, along with somebody – an ally – waiting just inside.
"Link!" Lea waved with a grin, catching the green-clad hero's attention. "Uh… Which Link are you?"
The Hylian chuckled. "Hero of Twilight; my 'little brother' is somewhere else in this maze. Don't know what he's been up to so far, but Riku & I took down Ghirahim. He went on ahead after – wanted to meet up with King Mickey and chase Ansem & Xemnas down."
"We…" Roxas frowned a little "had a run-in with Xemnas already. He got away, though. We took care of Saïx, at least."
Fi's voice chimed in. "Our allies have also disposed of Xigbar, Dark Riku, Luxord, Larxene, Marluxia, Checker Monarch, & Vanitas, and Terra has reclaimed his body. All who remain are Zant, Alektra, Ganon, Xehanort's three 'prime' incarnations, and Master Xehanort himself."
"So, we're already more than halfway done…" Xion observed.
"But the real bigshots still haven't been dealt with" Lea added with a slight sigh.
"Better get to it, then" Roxas remarked as he walked forward, standing by Link's side, the two hero youths sharing a friendly smile.
Lea & Xion were about to step forward to join them when suddenly, a few black & red pillars dropped from the sky and projected a red barrier between them, blocking Lea & Xion out. Another barrier sprang up over the other exit at the far end of the chamber, trapping Link & Roxas inside. The two drew their weapons, looking around for threats, and soon spotted a tall figure in an elaborate robe-like outfit and a googly-demon helmet, slowly floating down to the center of the battleground.
"Zant…" Twilight-Link growled.
"The so-called 'Hero of Twilight'…" Zant spoke, voice muffled by his helmet. "I've been waiting a long time for this."
"Waiting to die again?"
Zant chuckled. "As I recall, you never managed to kill me. It was 'Princess' Midna who struck me down the first time around. And she's not here right now…"
"But I am!" Roxas said, standing beside Link with Oathkeeper & Oblivion ready. "Axel told me a little about you – Ganondorf's servant, the "Twilight Usurper". You claim to represent the space between Light and Darkness, but all that's really driving you is sadism and lust for power, serving and basically worshipping a force of great evil. Now, it's time for the Light to burn your twisted shadows away!"
"Such bravado…" Zant slowly floated up. "But futile. I will extinguish that light, and Lord Ganon's darkness shall reign eternal!"
(MUSIC: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Zant Battle) (Part 1)
A complex magical rune appeared behind Zant, and then Link & Roxas were briefly engulfed in darkness. When they could see again, they & Zant appeared to be in a chamber in Agrabah's Cavern of Wonders. Zant started rapid-firing purple energy bolts at the duo, battering at Link's Hylian Shield and Roxas' Reflect spell. He teleported around a few times, firing attacks from different angles and dodging the arrows and magic attacks the two heroes threw at him. Remembering his first fight against Zant, Link pulled out his Gale Boomerang and tossed it in a wide arc while Roxas – noticing him pulling it out – distracted Zant for a few seconds with a wave of Light bolts. The enchanted boomerang caught Zant from behind, a whirlwind yanking him through the air towards the two heroes, and Roxas started pummeling him with his Keyblades, smacking the evil sorcerer around.
(Music Part 2)
Darkness enveloped them again, this time fading to reveal a dark and foreboding cavern in Olympus' Underworld. Zant extended his magic into some of the surrounding stalactites & stalagmites, making them come to 'life'; some of them thrusted at Link & Roxas, trying to crush or impale them, while others acted as springboards and platforms for Zant as he closed in on the hero duo. As Roxas shattered a couple of incoming stone spears, Zant kicked him in the head, leaving him briefly stunned. Zant went for a follow-up blow, but a Spin Attack from Link releasing a slicing wave of energy that flung him back and chopped away most of the incoming rock spears. Link pressed his attack, landing several blows with the Master Sword.
(Music Part 3)
Another wave of darkness, and this time the three combatants were somehow deep under the sea, in a purple-lit underwater wasteland just outside Ursula's lair. By some magic, they were all able to breathe and move around as if in normal air. Zant conjured multiple orbs of Light and Darkness, each orb then splitting apart into a barrage of bolts of its corresponding 'element'. Roxas did his best to deflect the incoming shots and return fire with his own blasts of Light, while Link fired arrows in-between dodging or shielding. Zant started forming another large orb of Light, but Roxas hit it with a Strike Raid that made it blow up in Zant's face, stunning him. He then rushed in close and landed several more Keyblade strikes, finishing with a rising cross-slash that sent Zant tumbling end over end.
(Music Part 4)
When the next all-encompassing brief darkness faded, Roxas & Link found themselves facing Zant in a small clearing amidst thick, massive trees – the 'Deep Jungle' that Tarzan called home. Zant started conjuring and flinging throwing-knives and 'bombs' of explosive magic. As the two heroes did their best to block and dodge, they returned fire with arrows and attack spells, but Zant was slippery, jumping from limb to limb amongst the trees. Roxas threw his Keyblades in Strike Raids up into the canopy, taking shelter behind Link's shield as his blades sliced through the foliage and limbs. Soon, one took out the limb Zant was currently balanced on while the other clonked him in the back of his helmeted head, sending him tumbling down to the ground. Link ran in and attacked, Zant's defensive magic only partially protecting him from the Master Sword's blows; the last hit broke through and cut a gash across Zant's chest.
(Music Part 5)
Zant sprung to his feet and called upon the darkness again, and now he, Link, & Roxas were inside a large chamber of the ice labyrinth Larxene had conjured in Arendelle. At Zant's command, Darkness-charged ice orbited around him as he floated in the air, formed into spiked balls, crackling spears, and in his hands was a big war-hammer made of ice and wreathed in shadows. He hit one of the spiked ice balls with his hammer, launching it at Link with bone-crushing force. Link raised his shield, but the blocked hit still knocked him off his feet, chunks of ice scattering around him.
A few ice spears were fired at Link, but Roxas smacked them away to protect his ally, flinging Fire spells at Zant. Link got back on his feet, and when Zant smacked another ice ball their way, he blasted it with a bomb arrow. Zant dropped and charged, swinging his ice hammer at the two young heroes. Roxas ducked under a swing and twisted to avoid an ice spear, and Link then parried Zant's next hammer-swing with his shield, the transferred force making Zant stumble backwards, trying not to fall over from the sudden shift of his weapon's weight. Roxas moved in and landed several mighty blows, finishing with a point-blank Light blast that blew Zant away.
(Music Part Final)
As the darkness swirled around them one last time, they were back in the labyrinth in the Keyblade Graveyard. Twitching like a madman (which he kinda was), Zant withdrew a pair of scimitars glowing faintly with Dark power. He teleported forward, and Roxas barely brought his Keyblades up in time to block the sorcerer's blades. Roxas pushed and flung him back, but as Link quickly nocked & fired an arrow, Zant rushed forward while spinning rapidly, blades extended, deflecting Link's arrow and forcing him & Roxas to leap away to avoid being shredded.
Zant started teleporting around and attacking from multiple angles while flailing his swords wildly. Link charged Light power into the Master Sword and swung to release a slicing "sword beam" that managed to nail Zant right as he came out of a teleport, then rushed in to deal a few more blows. Snarling, Zant raised a blade high, only for Roxas to zap it with a Thunder spell that channeled it down into him, leaving him open to a blast of Light from the Key-bearer.
Screeching like a lunatic, Zant started warping around even faster, making chopping strikes and spinning charges. Roxas 'jumped' around in orb-flashes of light, matching Zant's wild movements as best he could and clashing blades with him, but his opponent was so erratic and crazed that there was no real pattern to follow. Link was staying in one place, relying on instinct and reaction time to react to Zant's attempted strikes. Finally, he managed to bash Zant in the armored face with his shield, and then struck the sorcerer's helmet hard enough to knock the mouth-plate off, revealing the crazed snarl on the Twili's bone-white face. The devotee of darkness contorted himself to dodge Link's follow-up thrust and lashed out with punishing kicks, knocking Link for a loop and knocking the Master Sword out of his grip…
…And then, dispelling his Keyblades, Roxas caught the Master Sword and channeled power through it. The divine blade was enveloped in Light, shining in the sunset, as Roxas swung with all his might. The Light-empowered Master Sword slashed down across Zant with a flash, leaving a diagonal 'trail' down his body. Zant began to slump down, his swords falling from his grasp, and with one last disturbed wail he fell face-first to the dusty ground, silent and still.
(MUSIC END)
The barriers came down, the black pillars that had supported them disintegrating. Lea & Xion both cast Cure spells on Link & Roxas as they moved up to join them.
"That guy was nuts" Roxas said, still panting lightly.
"No kidding" Lea replied. "One less to worry about, though. C'mon, let's keep movin'."
The quartet started on, leaving Zant's body behind. When they were about halfway across the area, however, there was a rustle of movement and a blur of motion, and Xion's eyes widened as she felt and heard the maddened bloodlust and dark presence directly behind her, the whoosh of a blade being drawn as a zealot's crazed shout began to ring out:
"For Lord Gano-"
Link was faster. Drawing his blade and swinging back behind him in one motion, he struck true, separating Zant's head from his shoulders. Zant's headless body toppled over as his helmet – with head still inside – rolled to a stop nearby. Then, head & body began to rapidly break down into motes of Darkness and shadow, drifting away in the wind.
-Break-
At some point during their traverse through the labyrinth, Angelise Misurugi and Luke Skywalker had joined up, instincts on alert as they progressed, cutting down the occasional Heartless.
"I've been sensing a lot of darker energy signatures winking out" Ange remarked.
"Me, too" Luke replied. "Our friends are making good progress; only a few Seekers left at this point."
"…I'm really not looking forward to taking on the big bad, though. His energy is…"
Luke nodded. "He's deep in the Dark Side. I think… I think he may have had some noble or well-intentioned goal, a long time ago, but he's so immersed in the Darkness that he's forgotten why he started down that path in the first place. Now it's just lust for power and a twisted scientific curiosity to potentially end the world just to see what'll happen."
"And all that on top of being as strong as the evil old man you had to deal with."
Luke shook his head. "Stronger. From what I've seen and heard and sensed… Palpatine wouldn't be able to defeat Master Xehanort."
Pondering, Angelise called upon her new Keyblade, examining it in her grasp. A black handle with a silver spike in its pommel, an oddly-designed asymmetrical blue & silver guard, a shaft half blue & half yellow, the 'head' of the Keyblade a large hook with three curved spikes… She could sense its essence, its connection to her Heart; its name was "Astral Blast".
Suddenly, Ange reflexively halted and shot an arm out to make Luke stop as well, a split-second before the Jedi sensed the same dark presence – contempt and roiling rage – that she did. A second later, a Corridor of Darkness opened in front of them, and from it emerged a tall woman in red & black armor beneath an open black coat, a Neoshadow-based prosthetic right arm holding onto the Keyblade 'Total Eclipse'.
"Alektra…" Ange growled, readying her Keyblade; beside her, Luke held his inactive lightsaber, ready to activate it at a moment's notice.
The 'fallen' Awakened looked at Ange with contempt. "So the spirits of the wielders who perished in the Great War thought you worthy of a Keyblade… Given our history, I truly wish I could say they made a mistake, but after seeing you lead the Awakened to 'freedom' I cannot deny that, objectively, you are a skilled and charismatic leader and a gifted warrior, despite your pampered upbringing." Her eyes flashed corruption-yellow. "But you defied me. You cost me all of my influence, my power, my control. And worst of all, after everything Embryo did to me, you killed him – you stole my vengeance!"
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 OST – "Shrouding Dark Cloud")
Alektra's body flared with dark power, crimson sparks of psionic energy and black embers of Darkness surging across her body as her left arm's red psi-blade ignited and her Heartless-prosthetic right hand gripped her Keyblade tight.
"You took away my control! You took away my revenge! Now, I'll take your head!"
She swung her right hand to release a wave of crimson energy bolts at Ange, but Luke immediately stepped forward, igniting his lightsaber and expertly deflecting the incoming shots. He lashed out with a Force Push that briefly staggered her, and Ange closed in and struck with a couple blows from her new Keyblade. She then went to swing her blue psi-blade, only for Alektra to recover and block the blow, blue and red energy blades crackling against each other.
Ange jumped back to avoid a coursing current of red psionic lightning, channeling magic through her Astral Blast and releasing as a Fire spell. Alektra dashed in, swinging her Total Eclipse at Ange, but Luke intercepted and blocked, his Force-augmented strength standing firm against hers. The young Jedi easily kept pace with the fallen Awakened, reacting to her attacks & movements almost before she made them, skillfully giving ground when she pushed her attack and then pushing her back with his own offense. And as he fought her, he tried to get a better read on her through the Force. He could sense the expected darkness, rage and hate and contempt, but there was something else underneath. Probing with the Force, he discovered the abnormality was more physical than spiritual. His eyes widened as he became aware of what he was 'looking' at. Alektra flung him back with a psionic shockwave, landing beside Ange.
"Alektra" Luke spoke suddenly in a tone that commanded attention, temporarily distracting his ally & their foe. "What I sensed through the Force just now… The violation runs deeper than you realize. When he used you as his tool, Embryo physically altered your brain – made you more ruthless, more controlling, almost totally shut down your ability to feel empathy, made it so your thought processes were more like his! His taint on your neurochemistry has been influencing your emotions and thought processes for years! And since Tal'darim-style Force usage is already skirting the Dark Side, his altering of your brain left you more susceptible to succumbing to the Darkness completely, amplifying the negative traits that he implanted into you."
Ange and Alektra both froze in shock, especially the latter. For a brief moment, the Dark taint in her eyes 'flickered', but then they glowed red as she slipped into the Darkness again. She fired a wave of crimson energy bolts, deflected by Ange's psi-blades and Luke's lightsaber. Alektra leapt forward, coming down at Ange Keyblade-first in a leaping strike that Ange blocked with her own Keyblade, the transferred force making a shockwave in the air. The fallen Awakened immediately flew into a frenzied assault, pushing Ange back, but the Awakened leader soon rallied, giving as good as she got and halting Alektra's advance.
Luke moved in to assist, the Force guiding him & Ange to work together seamlessly, pushing Alektra back. The fallen Awakened was becoming more ferocious, her rage now carrying an undercurrent of desperation. Shoving them both back with a psionic shockwave, she form-changed her 'Total Eclipse' into a big battle-axe with red psi-blades. She rushed forward, each swing of her transformed weapon releasing shockwaves of dark power. A jumping strike sent a focused wave tearing through the ground that flung the two heroes away, but Luke propelled himself back to solid ground with a Force Push while Ange fired a wave of Lightning-type Sagitta Magica while still airborne.
Coming together, Luke and Angelise communed telepathically, strategizing. Then, a shadowy aura sprang up around Ange as intricate glowing markings appeared on her hands & forearms. Standing this close to it, Luke could tell that Magia Erebea did not use the power of Darkness, like some people might think. Just as how senjutsu was a fusion of Ki/Chakra and Force, and kanka was Ki/Chakra and Magic, Magia Erebea was a merger of Magic and Void – the same 'Void' used by Xemnas, Sailor Nothing, and the Dark Templar. Tapping into the Void without another Void-user to teach you was generally very difficult, and melding it with another form of energy even more-so; no wonder it had taken Evangeline McDowell decades of work to create this technique…
With her blue psi-blade now bearing a black 'outline' to it and her Keyblade gripped in the other hand, Ange resumed the attack. Even without a spell absorbed, the baseline powerup from Magia Erebea boosted her enough that she soon started to overwhelm Alektra, forcing the fallen Awakened to shift her Keyblade back to its default form and pushing her back. Too distracted trying to fend off Ange's fierce assault, Alektra lost track of Luke, and was thus caught off-guard when he came in from behind, grabbed her head, and poured the healing power of the Force into her, concentrating on the parts of her brain that Embryo had twisted. Angelise joined in, using Khalai-style Force power to aid her ally, sharpening his focus and amplifying the strength of his 'Force Heal'.
Ange & Luke leapt back, just to be safe, as Alektra staggered, hand to her head, eyes wide and unseeing. Her thoughts were different, smoother; the rage was still there, but sharper and clearer and with less effect on her thought processes, like she had more control over it than before. And there were other things, things she literally hadn't felt since before Embryo – regret, or guilt, or something that she'd long since forgotten the name for. Distraught and unbalanced, she retreated through a Corridor of Darkness, leaving the Keyblade Graveyard behind.
(MUSIC END)
Ange dispelled her Magia Erebea as she & Luke caught their breath.
"I hope what we did sinks in" he said. "Maybe without that taint on her neurons, she'll be able to leave the Darkness behind."
"Either way," Ange said, "I don't think she'll play any more of a role here. Let's keep moving."
-Break-
The sun had set, the reddish-orange post-sunset glow still warming the western horizon, slowly fading. Nearing the two tallest pillars of earth & stone, the various Guardians finally reconvened.
"Wow" Terra said as he came up to Riku. "And I thought Sora had gotten big. You're almost as tall as me now."
Meanwhile, Ventus and Roxas had caught sight of each other.
"…Well, this is weird" Roxas said. "I guess it kinda makes sense, since I was 'made' from Sora while your Heart was still hitching a ride in his, and that same connection gave your dark-side Sora's face & voice…"
"I… think your hair's a little bit lighter blond than mine" Ventus replied. "And your natural vocal tone is a little bit deeper, too – just a bit."
Roxas shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Well, I've already got Sora as an 'adopted' brother; one more won't hurt."
"So, who's still left to deal with?" Kairi asked.
"Only a couple" Riku replied. "As far as I can tell, it's just Ansem, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, Master Xehanort, and-"
A Dark Corridor opened up in the heroes' path, crackling with evil power. Out of it emerged a tall, red-haired man, cape billowing in a soft breeze. His dark presence was foreboding and intimidating on a deep, primal level, and as strong as Master Xehanort's.
"Ganondorf" King Mickey scowled. "Xehanort's partner in 'crime', the other leader of the Seekers of Darkness."
"Not like the Seekers exist anymore" Aqua added. "All that's left are him and the Xehanorts."
Ganondorf chuckled. "For now, perhaps. But all I need is a little time to build up enough dark magic, and I can resurrect Ghirahim and Zant. I should probably take care of more… immediate concerns, however."
With a flash of green light, Link the Hero of Time assumed his 'Adult Mode' transformation, drawing his Master Sword. The other heroes followed suit, weapons ready.
"The forging of the χ-Blade only requires a couple more clashes," Ganondorf said, "so I only have to leave a few of you alive. In particular, those of you who aren't even Key-bearers are unnecessary. And as luck would have it, that means I can start with some long-overdue revenge!"
Ganondorf was then engulfed in a swirling black & purple vortex of power that obscured him from view, steadily growing. Although Time-Link's clothes were barely ruffled, everyone else was hit by a gale powerful enough to blow them all away, outside of the dark barrier being formed. Among the heroes, those who reacted in time weren't physically strong and heavy enough to avoid being hurled back, while those strong enough didn't react in time and were blown away…
Except for Terra, who reacted in time and was strong & heavy enough to stand his ground, digging his 'Ends of the Earth' Keyblade into the earth as an anchor. As the dark gale faded, he found himself & Link trapped inside a dark barrier of interlocking purple & red shapes. Terra took a ready stance beside the aged-up Hero of Time, as in front of them a surging dark whirlwind grew to tower over them.
(BOSS MUSIC: either "Zelda Reorchestrated: Ocarina of Time – Last Battle" or "Breath of the Wild OST – Calamity Ganon (Stage 2)")
The dark vortex died down and faded to reveal a monstrous demon towering over the two heroes. The monster had a vague resemblance to a humanoid boar-like creature, a semi-lean muscled body covered in short dark blue-green fur, huge cloven-hooved feet planted into the earth, a pair of long arms with spikes of hardened fur along the forearms, clawed hands clutching a pair of huge swords, lower body clad partially in a Gerudo tunic, with a matching red cape draped over broad shoulders, a long spiked dragon-like tail, flaming-red hair in spiky 'tendrils', glowing green eyes over a fanged snout, framed by a pair of massive, forward-curving golden horns with unnaturally-sharp points… A terrifying aura clung to the demon, speaking of ancient, evil, overwhelming power boosted by the glowing Triforce emblem on the back of its left hand. Glaring down at the two humans before him, Ganon let out a deep, hissing roar.
Ganon lunged forward, swinging his massive blades, splitting the earth where Link & Terra had been standing as they leapt aside. Link couldn't get enough distance to avoid the next sweeping swing of one of Ganon's swords, and even though he blocked with his Hylian Shield he was still sent flying. Terra fired a few Firaga spells that Ganon deflected with his blades, and used that brief opening to dash in close and land a few heavy blows. He leapt over Ganon's tail swipe, and brought up his Keyblade to block a swing of Ganon's huge sword, sending him skidding back on his heels.
Link fired a couple Light Arrows at Ganon, making the demon hiss in pained rage, and Ganon then swung one of his huge swords, releasing a slicing wave of lightning magic that Link bent over backwards to just barely avoid. Ganon rushed at him, aiming to strike before he regained his balance, but a Thundaga spell from Terra made him stop short, giving Link an opening to slash across Ganon's chest with the Master Sword a couple times. Link was then flung away by a swing of the tall demon's muscular arm, the spiked fur on his forearm tearing at the young hero's tunic.
Terra form-changed his 'Ends of the Earth' into a longbow, firing arrows of raw, solid Light magic. Ganon blocked some of them with his twin blades, but was staggered by the ones that hit (due to their powerful Light magic and their sheer kinetic force). The demon's mouth opened wide as a baleful red glow built within, and then he spat out a thick beam of pure Malice at the young Key-bearer, whose eyes widened as he sensed the twisted evil power, throwing himself out of the way with less than a foot to spare. Ganon charged with head lowered, intent on goring the young man with his huge, deadly horns, bursting straight through the wall of earth Terra magically rose in his path without even slowing down. Link hit one of Ganon's legs with a "sword beam" loosed by a swing of his Master Sword, making the charging demon briefly stumble just enough to give Terra time to get out of the way.
The moment Ganon came to a brief halt, Link dashed in and landed several slashing blows before a tail-strike sent him tumbling back. Rolling to his feet, Link fired a bomb arrow at the demon, who briefly flinched from the impact and blast before then raising his swords high and slamming them downward, releasing twin cutting waves of dark power at Link. Terra intercepted, casting a Reflera spell that just barely withstood the attacks, then fired a wave of Light bolts from his Keyblade that spiraled through the air and came at Ganon from several angles. Unable to block all of them, the demon snarled from the pain and fired a focused sphere of Malice at the two heroes. Terra hit it with a Strike Raid, and it exploded with bone-shattering concussive force, making him stagger even several meters away.
Ganon charged in close, trying to crush or chop apart the two heroes with his huge swords. Link nimbly dodged while Terra braced himself and blocked, with Link then moving in low and slashing at the boar-demon's torso. Ganon focused on Link, the young Hylian dodging what he could and angling his shield to deflect blows instead of blocking the super-powerful hits head-on, dealing hits whenever he could. Finally, Ganon managed to knock Link away with a tail-strike, then turned to go for Terra again… and Terra had his 'Ends of the Earth' in its huge shoulder-mounted cannon form, an Ultima Cannon shot fully charged. The massive explosive blast of Light magic blew Ganon back, the demon tumbling to a stop and collapsing.
(MUSIC END)
Ganon was enveloped in a whirling blast of red & purple energy. Terra cried out in surprised pain as this time he wasn't able to brace himself, being hurled out of the barrier. He quickly got back to his feet, waving off his friends' concern, but now Link was in there alone… The dark energy faded to reveal Ganondorf, back in his human/Gerudo form, though his hair looked a bit longer and wilder. Even as he glared at Link the Hero of Time, he looked oddly calm.
"I suppose it's fitting that we end like this" he said. "The whelp carrying the reincarnated 'Essence' of Hylia's Chosen Hero, again standing against the 'Living Hatred' of the Lord of Demons… Both of us playing roles set out for us over 1,000 years ago."
(MUSIC: Hyrule Warriors – "Eclipse of the World")
A suffocating dark aura roared around Ganondorf like a blazing fire from Hell, his eyes glowing with power, as he called forth his 'Chaos Ripper' Keyblade.
"Link! Now, it is time for your soul to be scattered by the burning winds of death and cast into the scorching wastes!"
The hero and villain charged at each other, meeting with the loud clang of clashing blades. The duel commenced in earnest, Link and Ganondorf slashing and stabbing, parrying and thrusting, dodging and blocking. The ancient magic of the Triforce of Courage gave Link the power needed to match Ganondorf's tremendous physical strength, neither of them giving ground. Ganondorf leapt back and fired a Dark Blizzaga that crashed against Link's shield, and then formed a barrier to block Link's slashing sword-beam.
Ganondorf form-changed his Keyblade into a trident, firing crackling blasts of Darkness at Link from its pronged tip. Link batted each one away with his Master Sword, though Ganondorf twirled his weapon to deflect the few Link sent straight back at him. The Hero of Time brought his shield to bear and blocked the stabbing thrusts from Ganondorf's trident; the weapon was wreathed in electricity, so Link was thankful his gloves were insulated, protecting him from the current that coursed through his shield with every strike. Finally, Ganondorf leapt up & back and threw his trident down, right at Link's feet, and the green-clad hero barely rolled away in time to avoid the lightning strike that shot down at it.
Recalling his weapon and reverting it to Keyblade form, Ganondorf went in close for another offensive, Link giving ground and waiting for an opening. He ducked under a decapitating swing and moved in close, landing a few Light-imbued slashes across Ganondorf's chest. The Gerudo warlock growled, stepping back and raising a clenched fist glowing with evil power. Feeling a shudder beneath him, Link rolled to the side just as a burst of explosive magic shot up from the ground where he'd been standing. Ganondorf pulled this trick off a few more times, leaving Link scrambling to avoid getting caught in the blasts, until Link managed to throw out a sword-beam that forced Ganondorf to defend again.
Again, the hero & villain flew into a fierce duel, Master Sword and Chaos Ripper meeting again and again. Link grunted and stumbled back as Ganondorf landed a couple hits; the divine power of the Triforce converted it into non-lethal 'magic' damage, but he knew that defense wouldn't hold up forever. He gritted his teeth and charged again, using his Hylian Shield to block the Dark Firaga shot Ganondorf fired at him, attacking fiercely enough to put Ganondorf on the defensive. He managed to land a few blows before a wide swing to his gut flung him away, Ganondorf following through with a leaping strike aimed to split Link's head in half. Link rolled out of the way, throwing out another sword-beam slash to beat Ganondorf back.
Link managed to draw & fire a Light Arrow, sending Ganondorf stumbling back. The villain snarled as his eyes glowed red, and he started firing a continuous barrage of Dark Firaga, Dark Blizzaga, and Dark Thundaga spells at Link. The Hero of Time ducked and dodged, using his sword and shield to deflect incoming attacks as best he could. He leapt to avoid a falling axe-kick that cratered the earth, but then got caught by a 'glancing' swing of Ganondorf's long Keyblade. He closed in again, the two of them entering another ferocious exchange of blades.
Ganondorf launched Link back with a kick, the two of them panting for breath and marred with wounds & dirt. Following an urge he didn't quite understand, Link held the Master Sword high, pointing it skyward. After a couple seconds, his sword glowed and sparkled with divine power. Ganondorf's eyes widened in shock, and then he growled and focused the power of Darkness into his weapon, the mean-looking Keyblade being shrouded in shadow. The two of them charged each other and met with a fearsome clash, wind swirling around them and the earth trembling beneath them as they pushed against each other, trying to overpower. Finally, the Triforce on Link's hand glowed brighter, his strength increasing as he moved in close and pushed, shoving Ganondorf's Chaos Ripper up & back and knocking the warlock off-balance. Then, with a roar, he lunged forward, stabbing the glowing Master Sword through the center of Ganondorf's chest and out his back.
(MUSIC END)
Ganondorf staggered back, a look of disbelieving shock on his face and the Master Sword still impaled through his heart. The Chaos Ripper slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground. As the light began to fade from his eyes, the Triforce of Power fading away from his hand, an odd look of peace and resignation came upon his face.
"I… I feel… the… wind…"
With that, he fell backwards, dust being kicked up as he hit the ground and went still. His body then began to disintegrate into red and purple motes of essence and Darkness, drifting away on the night winds. Link walked over to his Master Sword, wiping it off and sheathing it. As the dark barrier came down, he grabbed the dropped Keyblade and stabbed it down into the ground, right where Ganondorf had fallen.
"All that's left now are the Xehanorts…" Lea observed.
Sora, Riku, and King Mickey took the lead, using magic to run up the side of the huge stone pillar/plateau. When they reached the top, they were met by three familiar black-clad figures – Ansem (Terra-Xehanort's Heartless), Xemnas, and Young Xehanort. Master Xehanort stood atop an even taller, thinner pillar at the far side, looking down at the scene.
"The time is almost upon us" Master Xehanort decreed. "With these final clashes, the 13 Keys will be called forth, and the χ-Blade shall be reborn."
"If you do summon Kingdom Hearts," Riku said, "we will defeat you, and we will close it again."
Xehanort smirked. "Perhaps. That is… if you survive that long."
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – [Vs. Ansem, Xemnas, & Young Xehanort])
All three of the 'younger' Xehanorts then summoned Keyblades – the blue & black clock-themed blade of Young Xehanort (hereafter referred to as "Eternal Legacy"), Ansem S.O.D. wielding a Replica of the same red & black blade he once wielded while possessing Riku (which I will call "Stolen Heart"), and a spiky, slender black & white blade with a Gazing Eye in the head, wielded by Xemnas (newer version of "Touch of the Void", designed by Deviant-Artist "PhoenixTrooper").
King Mickey charged in first, meeting blades with Young Xehanort. Ansem tried to intervene, only to be intercepted and engaged by Riku, while Sora went for Xemnas. Xemnas conjured thorny tendrils of Nothingness that Sora danced around, the young hero rushing at him and managing to land a blow before Xemnas then shoved him back with a barrier. The void-user fired a wave of red energy bolts, but Sora protected himself with Reflera and then got in close, Kingdom Key and Touch of the Void clanging together.
Riku did his best to evade as Ansem floated at him while surrounded in a cylindrical barrier of crisscrossing lasers. He hit Ansem with a Thundaga spell and then charged in, but the human-form Heartless recovered in time to bring Stolen Heart to bear and block Riku's Way to the Dawn. A short and frenzied duel ensued, until Ansem forced Riku back with an array of floating mines. Meanwhile, King Mickey used his Keyblade (Kingdom Key D) to bat away bolts of magic that Young Xehanort fired at him, returning fire with spiraling orbs of Light that YX blocked with a Dark Reflect spell. The time traveler came at him, Eternal Legacy battering at Mickey's guard until Mickey cast a whirling Aerora barrier around himself that flung YX away.
There was a burst of Darkness as, intrigued by the young heroes' skills and wanting to have a little fun himself, Master Xehanort took a Dark Corridor down to the battlefield. He came at Sora from behind while the hero was distracted locking blades with Xemnas, but then a pillar of light shot down from the sky above, striking the ground right in Xehanort's path. Glaring at Master Xehanort, Master Yen Sid – having transformed his robes into a blue coat modeled after the Organization's typical attire for easier mobility – brandished his 'Star Seeker' Keyblade. Xehanort grinned.
"We haven't last fought since long before these whelps were born" he said. "I get the feeling that age has not dulled your edge, Yen Sid."
The arch-mage took a stance. "Let us find out" he replied. "Your quest to endanger all Worlds ends this day, Xehanort."
Master Yen Sid conjured and fired a sizable wave of Light bolts that curled through the air, coming at Xehanort from different angles. Xehanort protected himself with a spherical Dark Reflect that he then made shatter outward, the magic 'shrapnel' being casually deflected by Yen Sid's barrier, and then called forth a wave of 'dead' Keyblades from the graveyard below. He perched atop one, surfing through the air at the head of a serpentine column of dead Keyblades, firing attack spells down at Yen Sid. The heroic master responded by conjuring a set of glowing golden wings of magic at his back, taking flight and flinging swords & stars made of Light at his evil former fellow-disciple.
Xemnas shifted to his dual 'ethereal blades', the red lightsaber-like energy blades extending from his palms, dashing about and coming at Sora from numerous angles with spinning slashes. Sora's adrenaline was pumping as he blocked and dodged as best he could, eventually getting Xemnas to back off by circling Fira spells around himself as a barrier. Xemnas tossed out a few crackling orbs of Void power that expanded several-fold when they got close to Sora, interrupting his attempt to rush in for an attack. Sora tossed his Keyblade through a gap and Reverse-Recalled himself to it, getting in Xemnas' surprised face and landing several blows.
Riku ran in a wide circle around Ansem, firing attack spells while fleeing the jet-black shadow chasing him. He abruptly changed course, doubling back and leaping over the shadow as it extended upwards into an antlion-like maw, narrowly dodging its scythe-like claws as they tried to grab him. He closed in on Ansem, Keyblades clashing as they dueled. Ansem conjured a few floating orbs that fired laser beams at Riku, and as Riku twisted around them while dueling the human-form Heartless he managed to use his Keyblade to deflect one of the beams back at Ansem, making him flinch and giving Riku an opening to land some hits with 'Way to the Dawn'.
Young Xehanort form-changed his Eternal Legacy into a whip with the Keyblade's 'teeth' at the end, striking at King Mickey from a safe distance (due to just how fast Mickey could flit about and attack at close range, plus his size making him harder to hit). Mickey batted the whip-head away each time it swung at him, and fired a wave of Light-type Sagitta Magica at Young Xehanort, who hit the incoming magic projectiles with a Slow spell and casually stepped out of their way. YX then moved his Keyblade in a sweeping arc, leaving behind a formation of bright-blue energy bolts that shot out and came at King Mickey from multiple angles. The little king protected himself with a Reflega barrier and then dashed in close, pushing Young Xehanort back with a barrage of Keyblade strikes.
Master Yen Sid swooped down at Master Xehanort, knocking him off his 'mount' and onto the tall spire overlooking the battleground. He dove down after him, swinging Star Seeker down, and as Xehanort's Keyblade blocked it, the transferred force fractured the rock beneath Xehanort's feet. With enhancement magic flowing through their aged bodies, they dueled with such speed that their movements were near-blurred, and such power that every blocked strike made a shockwave rip through the air. Xehanort shifted his Keyblade into a clawed gauntlet, taking swipes at Yen Sid aimed to eviscerate the old man, and Yen Sid shifted his Star Seeker into a scepter, expertly parrying Xehanort's blows and making lightning-quick jabs with the bottom point of his transformed weapon, which were in turn twisted around or swatted aside.
As their respective duels come close to each other, Sora and Mickey switch opponents, the little king matching blades with Xemnas while the Kingdom Key's chosen one clashed with the younger version of his archenemy. Sora ducked and weaved around Young Xehanort's Keyblade-whip strikes, throwing a Strike Raid at the villainous youth, but YX very briefly slowed time to evade. He then came in at Sora, Eternal Legacy swung aimed at the youth's neck, but Sora brought his Keyblade up in time to deflect Young Xehanort's, and then he charged power as the Kingdom Key glowed red. Sora surged forward, landing a withering barrage of extra-strength blows that had Young Xehanort reeling – an 'Ars Arcanum' attack. After dealing the final blow of the attack, Sora tried to form a Rasengan and ram it into Young Xehanort's chest, but the villain recovered and leapt away, growling as he cast Cure on himself.
Riku brought his Way to the Dawn up to block Ansem's leaping strike, Stolen Heart pressing down against his guard. Xehanort's Heartless pressed his attack, wild swings being blocked or parried as Riku gave ground, until Riku took a split-second opening to get in low and launch Ansem back with a heavy Keyblade blow to the chest. Ansem conjured a set of floating mines that started floating towards Riku, homing in on him, and Riku cast a wide Aeroga barrier around himself that set them off prematurely. Ansem dashed in and managed to land a blow with his Stolen Heart, but Riku powered through the pain and struck Ansem with a barrage of heavy strikes.
King Mickey leapt about and swung his Keyblade to dodge and deflect the red energy bolts that Xemnas was firing at him from multiple angles, firing a wave of Blizzard magic when he saw an opening. Xemnas cast a Void barrier with his 'Touch of the Void', dual-wielding it and a single 'ethereal blade' as he rushed at Mickey again. The head Nobody's fierce assault had Mickey on the defensive for a moment, until the little king adjusted to Xemnas' attack patterns and even landed a few hits of his own. Xemnas flung out a few of his expanding crackling orbs of Void power, but Mickey made a magic-powered leap straight up that cleared him of the attacks' radii, firing a wave of Ragnarok bolts down at Xemnas, who only managed to block some of them.
Xehanort and Yen Sid had switched to throwing grand-scale magic attacks at each other. Yen Sid fired a Firaza blast at Xehanort, who extinguished the massive fireball with a Waterza spell; the water was then flash-frozen into a Blizzaza spell, lancing spears of ice surging forward. An Aeroza spell swirled around Yen Sid, slicing wind tearing Xehanort's attack apart, and Xehanort barely brought a Refleza up in time to block the Thundaza that crashed down on him, the ground around him being charred by thunderbolts. Yen Sid then shifted his 'Star Seeker' into a bow and started firing arrows of Light magic, and Xehanort shifted his Keyblade into a shield with bladed edges, deflecting Yen Sid's shots as he closed in and slashed at the blue-clad Master, who gave ground while returning his weapon to its base state, trying to get through or around Xehanort's guard with his own strikes.
Sora's outfit flashed and turned mostly red as he assumed his Valor Form, a second Kingdom Key appearing in his off hand. He rushed in at Young Xehanort, closing in faster than before, and YX barely brought his Eternal Legacy up in time to block a crushing blow. Sora continued with a relentless assault, and soon Young Xehanort slipped up with his guard and was being pummeled with magic-enhanced blows that shook him to his core. Sora finished by putting all of his remaining current Valor Form charge into a mighty cross-slash with his twin Keyblades that scarred the earth beneath & behind Young Xehanort.
(MUSIC PAUSE)
A pillar of Darkness shot up from Young Xehanort as he fell to his hands & knees. His groans of pain turned into weak chuckles.
"What's so funny?!" Sora asked.
"My loss here doesn't matter" Young Xehanort replied. "I'm going back to my own time, to live out my life. It is already written that I will grow up to become your greatest foe, and bring about this Second Keyblade War. Soon, he – I – will purge the Worlds of false Light, and allow the Darkness to burn everything clean! Your time… is up!"
His Replica body then broke apart into wisps of Darkness, his Heart returning to its own time period.
(MUSIC RESUME)
With Young Xehanort out of the picture, Sora turned his attention to helping King Mickey against Xemnas. The head Nobody somehow channeled an ethereal blade around/through his Keyblade, giving it a crimson glow and lengthening its 'teeth'. He started flinging more explosive Void orbs at Sora & Mickey, and while they were distracted avoiding those, he caught them in a 'cage' of dozens of red energy bolts surrounding them. They all came shooting in at them at once, but Sora and the King reacted in time to defend themselves, Keyblades blurs of motion as they deflected and dodged.
The moment Xemnas' attack abated, King Mickey released a flare of light, and as Xemnas flinched from the brightness, Sora rushed out to the side and threw a Strike Raid that caught Xemnas in the side. King Mickey sprang forward, striking with several Sonic Blade attacks, knocking Xemnas around until the Nobody managed to catch him by the neck and slam him to the ground. Sora came in and blocked his attempt to strike down the stunned Mickey, who got back and used Cura on himself while Sora pounded Xemnas with heavy blows. Mickey joined in after a moment, the first two Keyblades bombarding Xemnas with Light- and Darkness-imbued strikes. Finally, twin beams of gold and silver light were fired from the two heroes' weapons, piercing through Xemnas' chest.
(MUSIC PAUSE)
Staggering on unsteady feet, Keyblade clattering to the ground, Xemnas looked down at his gloved hands as Darkness and Nothingness began to leech away from his body.
"Bested… yet again…"
Sora stepped forward. "I know that you have a Heart. What do you feel? Was it worth it?"
"I feel… the emptiness where my companions once stood. I took them for granted. And now, I have… nothing. My first surge of emotions in years… for as long as I can remember… and it's… loneliness. Do you see, Sora? A Heart is just pain."
"Pain is part of being a person, Xemnas."
Xemnas gave a small, sad smile. "Really? It must take… incredible strength…"
With his role done, Xemnas came apart as the void took him.
(MUSIC RESUME)
Sora and Mickey then moved to help Riku deal with Ansem, blasting the human-form Heartless with a wave of star-shaped magic bolts. Ansem snarled, casting a sizable Dark Volley barrage from his 'Stolen Heart', the dark magic 'projectiles' beating against the Reflect spells that Sora & Mickey protected themselves with. Riku dashed in while Ansem was briefly distracted, landing a few hits with Way to the Dawn before his opponent smacked him away.
Mickey hung back as Sora moved in, the Kingdom Key's bearer hitting his first major foe with a Sonic Blade strike. He and Riku double-teamed Ansem, attacking from both sides to overwhelm his defense. Ansem made near-wild swings with his own Keyblade, firing laser beams and striking with shadowy talons of Darkness, but the two experienced Guardians of Light were able to read and cope with his attacks, hammering away at him. Finally, they struck together, slashing across and through his body with full force.
(MUSIC END)
Xehanort's Heartless fell to the ground, clutching his chest as he began to evaporate into motes of Darkness. As Riku cautiously approached, the human-form Heartless smirked.
"What… a journey you & I have had…"
"…It's strange" Riku said. "I think I'm almost gonna miss you, in some strange way."
"Your strength is vaster than Darkness. I knew I never stood a chance. Part of me wanted to defy my fate… but when the others betrayed us, I found I did not care. And then, nothing else seemed to matter anymore." He looked up at Sora & Riku. "There is always more to seek, to discover, to learn… So go forth, youths, and seek it…"
With one last puff of Darkness, he was gone.
Up above, Master Xehanort cried out as he was overpowered, Master Yen Sid's strike sending him tumbling. Gasping for breath as he staggered to his feet with his Keyblade as a crutch, he began to laugh.
"And yet…" he said. "Still, you fail. Defeating me in a duel doesn't stop me, Yen Sid. In fact… you and your students have ensured that I get exactly what I want."
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep – "The Key")
As he cast a Curaga spell on himself, 12 copies of his wicked-looking Keyblade formed, it and the original floating around him in an orbiting circle. He fired a beam of light up into the cloudy sky, and a deep 'thrum' shook the world as the clouds began to swirl and part. Soon, a massive object was revealed, appearing like an enormous heart-shaped moon radiating blue & gold holy light – the Heart of all Worlds, Kingdom Hearts.
"All my efforts, decades of work, have led to this moment. The fated time has come! The Keyblade War will finally reach its conclusion!" The 12 Keyblades became masses of darkness & light that melded into his…
"The χ-Blade… is forged!"
With a flash of light, the weapon in his hands transformed into a massive longsword-like weapon, a shimmering gold blade extending from a hilt that looked like two Kingdom Keys crossed. He fired a beam of purple & black Darkness up at the Heart of Worlds above.
"Kingdom Hearts! I call upon your true form! Open now, and show me the World to come!"
Corruptive darkness began to rapidly spread across Kingdom Hearts' face. The night sky gained a shimmering grey tint, and 'fireballs' of darkness began to rain down all across the Keyblade Graveyard like meteors streaking to earth. As Sora fell to his knees, his comrades finally caught up with him, Riku, & Mickey.
"Don't give up yet, Sora" Donald said.
"So, he's finally done it…" Terra said, glaring up at the elderly Keyblade Master floating high up in the sky. "Formed the χ-Blade and opened Kingdom Hearts…"
"We're not out of this yet" Yen Sid decreed.
"Right" Mickey replied. "We still have one hope left."
"What would that be?" Roxas asked.
"Xehanort" Riku replied. "During the Mark of Mastery exam, we learned that he can transcend space and time. He's a living temporal portal. And we can use that against him!"
"It won't be easy, though" Mickey said. "Aqua, Riku, I'll need your help if we're gonna push Xehanort out of this world."
"No" Sora spoke up. "I'll do it. Kingdom Hearts being corrupted is a much bigger threat. I'll handle Xehanort while all you guys keep it shut, keep the Darkness from spreading."
"Not alone, you won't" Donald said.
"Donald & I were there for the start of your adventure, Sora," Goofy added, "and now we'll be here for the end of it!"
"And for the start of the next one, too!"
"We'll hold down the fort down here" Kairi said. "Put an end to this whole mess, you three!" She grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
Every Keyblade-wielder amongst the Guardians of Light drew their weapons and pointed them at the sky, Keyblades glowing with Light at their tips, pointed up at Master Xehanort. Beams of Light shot forth, and Master Xehanort turned around just in time to take one to the chest, a look of shock forming on his face as he seemed to be frozen in time, an odd portal similar to those seen in the Realm of Sleep forming from his body. Then, Donald & Goofy put their hands on Sora, and the three of them turned into a mass of light that shut upwards, flying into and through the Xehanort-portal. They and Xehanort vanished in a flash of light, and the spread of corruption across Kingdom Hearts' visible surface slowed dramatically.
As the Guardians of Light looked up at the Heart of Worlds, using their Keyblades to maintain a 'lock' on it to keep it closed up, the rest of the DDF heroes, having cleared out the dark hordes, finally arrived and caught up.
"I see a couple new faces among the Guardians" Shepard said.
"It looks like Sora and his friends managed to free Terra, Roxas, and Xion" Fate observed with a smile.
"So that's the Heart of the Universe…" Elsa murmured, awed. "Even with that corruption trying to spread… it's still beautiful."
"Yep" Genie replied. "Been a while since I last got to see it. And trust me, it's even more breathtaking when it's clean."
"…Where's Sora and his little crew?" Capt. Sparrow asked.
"That thing up there is a time portal of some sort" Sailor Pluto replied. "They probably went through in pursuit of Xehanort, to finish the fight elsewhere."
Suddenly, Goku gasped softly, and then glared up at the darkness up above. "Something's coming."
(MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – [Vs. Xehanort Replicas])
Suddenly, from the Darkness encroaching across Kingdom Hearts' 'surface', 12 black masses emerged, shooting down towards the core Guardians. The masses solidified into a set of 12 figures clad in red-lined purple cloaks with red metal gauntlets & boots, faces (if they had any) hidden by three-horned silver masks. Each of them wielded a glowing blue replica of one of the 12 Seekers' weapons (Master Xehanort's Keyblade, Xigbar's arrowguns, Dark Riku's 'Soul Eater' sword, Larxene's kunai, Marluxia's scythe, Luxord's cards, Vanitas' 'Void Gear', Saïx's claymore, Xion's Kingdom Key, Xemnas' ethereal blades, Ansem's 'Stolen Heart', and Young Xehanort's 'Eternal Legacy').
"Get ready!" Mickey shouted.
"What are these things?" Ventus asked.
"Replica bodies imbued with Xehanort's essence" Yen Sid replied. "He means to have them dispose of us while he handles Sora himself."
Then, a horde of dark creatures emerged all around – hundreds of Emblem-type Heartless, the surviving Unversed, some Nobodies, and every remaining one of the Hybrids that Xehanort had 'inherited' from Amon. The DDF heroes all got ready to fight; Fate, Erika, and Zeratul joined up with the Guardians of Light, while Ange, Luke, the ponies, the two Links, and the Karide siblings went to assist the other heroes against the massive tide of dark creatures.
"We'll handle the Replicas!" Riku called out. "Everyone else, take care of the horde!"
The 12 Vessels charged in from all directions, each one targeting a Key-bearer. Zeratul moved forward to intercept the Xemnas-Replica, Terra squared off with the Saïx-Replica, Kairi started dueling the Dark Riku-Replica, Ventus went for the Xigbar-Replica, Yen Sid engaged the Ansem-Replica, and so on.
[AN: Remember, they are not literally Replicas of the Seekers; they are soulless/heartless Replicas of Xehanort, each one wielding the weapon(s) and abilities of a Seeker but still a 'nort. It's just quicker to refer to them as "{Name}-Replica" instead of, say, "Xehanort-Replica Wielding {Name}'s Power"]
Riku ducked under a swing of the Terra-Xehanort-Replica's Keyblade, blew the wraith back with a Darkness blast to the chest, and shot a Dark Firaga that the Replica managed to deflect. The TX-Replica struck the earth with its Keyblade, making sharp stones shoot up at Riku, only to shatter against his Reflera barrier. A little ways away, Aqua rolled and leapt to avoid the giant razor-sharp cards being hurled at her by the Luxord-Replica, flinging slicing waves of magic back at the cloaked figure; most were intercepted, and the few that got through and hit the Replica didn't seem to do much damage yet.
Xion and Erika had teamed up, the two smallest Key-bearers (among those fighting the Replinorts, anyway) taking on the Xion-Replica and the Marluxia-Replica. Erika fired a Prism Rain barrage at the Xion-Replica, knocking it back into a slash from Xion, who then deflected a slicing wave of magic flung at her by the Marluxia-Replica's scythe. The Marluxia-Replica came in closer, but before it could attack Erika slashed across it with a couple of Sonic Blade strikes. Xion went for a heavy blow against it, only for the Xion-Replica to slide in and block her attack.
Lea & Ven had grouped up, fighting the Vanitas-Replica and the Xigbar-Replica. Ventus flung the Xigbar-Replica skyward with an Aerora burst, but when he fired a barrage of magic bolts at it, the Replica recovered enough to use its arrowguns to shoot Ven's projectiles out of the air. The Vanitas-Replica's falling strike split the ground where Lea had just been standing as the flame-user leapt back, swings of Lea's 'Flame Liberator' flinging slicing rings of fire at the Replica; the 'Replinort' managed to deflect most of them, but one got through to singe its coat. It pointed its 'Void Gear' at Lea and fired a concentrated wave of Darkness bolts, only for Ven to deflect them with a well-timed Strike Raid.
Riku and Terra came together, taking on the Terranort-Replica and the Saïx-Replica. Terra pushed against the Saïx-Replica's attempt to overpower him, lashing out with a kick at the Replinort's leg to make it back off. Riku came in from behind and landed a few slashes on the Saïx-Replica, and when the Terranort-Replica pursued him, Terra intercepted and smashed the Replinort away, then followed up with a blast of magic that his opponent unfortunately managed to block.
Kairi and Roxas worked together against the Dark-Riku-Replica and the Young-Xehanort Replica. Roxas blocked the YX-Replica's Keyblade with his 'Oblivion' and slammed his 'Oathkeeper' into the Replinort's side, stunning it. Kairi came in for another blow, only for the Dark-Riku-Replica to intercept her, blocking her swing and giving the YX-Replica time to recover. The YX-Replica extended its 'Eternal Legacy' into its whip form, swinging the extending weapon around to catch Roxas in the side. On contact, it ensnared him in a Slow spell, and then while he was briefly helpless, the two Replinorts double-teamed Kairi. She deflected the YX-Replica's next attack, but the force of it knocked her Keyblade arm up and out to the side, and the DR-Replica came in from the other side, attacking from a direction Kairi couldn't defend herself in time…
There was a spark of warmth in Kairi's chest, and then a second Keyblade appeared in her off hand, blocking the DR-Replica's attack. The new Keyblade had a handle like a honey-covered honeypot, a stylized tree trunk as the shaft, and a beehive with bees as the 'teeth' – the Keyblade known as "Sweet Memories". Kairi's eyes widened as she realized where this new Keyblade had come from:
"Naminé…" she whispered.
Since Naminé was the Nobody of a Keyblade-wielder, even though her 'Original' hadn't yet awakened their Keyblade when she was 'created', she too was a potential wielder. And since her Heart was a 'passenger' in Kairi, that meant that Kairi could wield her Keyblade along with her own. The DR-Replica jumped back to dodge Kairi's swing, just as Roxas broke free of the Slow spell and took position beside her, the two dual-wielders going back to back.
Aqua had formed up with Master Yen Sid, the two of them fighting together against the Ansem-Replica and the Luxord-Replica. Yen Sid's barrier spell stopped the Luxord-Replica's giant die cube and flung it back, bowling the Replinort over, while Aqua blasted the orbs of Darkness the Ansem-Replica conjured before they could shift into laser-firers or floating mines or such. The Ansem-Replica charged in, 'Stolen Heart' swinging at Aqua, but Yen Sid blocked the Replinort's strike and then brought a powerful Thundaga crashing down on the enemy. The Luxord-Replica threw a hand of razor-sharp cards at Yen Sid, only for Aqua to smack them aside with her 'Stormfall'.
King Mickey and Zeratul were taking on the Larxene-Replica and the Xemnas-Replica. Zeratul pushed the Xemnas-Replica back with a wave of green psionic lightning, the Replinort straining to push its Keyblade against the force assailing it. The Larxene-Replica threw a few kunai at the Nerazim warrior, but King Mickey leapt into their path and swatted the thrown knives away with his Keyblade, then fired a wave of Light orbs at the Replinort, who in turn deflected the little king's attack with lightning 'claws' extending from kunai held between its gauntleted fingers.
Skidding back on her heels after blocking a heavy blow from the Xion-Replica, Erika blasted the Replinort back with a Waterga spell. As Xion landed beside her after smacking the Marluxia-Replica away, Erika began forming a Rasengan. Staring at the growing sphere of chaotically rotating energy, Xion pointed her Keyblade's tip at it and started carefully infusing the power of Light into it, making the Rasengan grow in size and gain a shimmering golden glow. Erika charged at the Xion-Replica, and the Marluxia-Replica came at her from the side to intercept… so she abruptly pivoted, turned and slammed the attack into the Marluxia-Replica's chest instead, digging deep into the Replinort's chest and then exploding in a focused concussive wave of spiraling energy that tore the Replica apart. The Xion-Replica came in from the side, battering at Erika's guard, but then Xion managed to stun it with a blow to the head, leaving it open for her & Erika to slash over and over again at full strength, until it collapsed and disintegrated into wisps of Darkness.
Master Yen Sid pressed his attack on the Ansem-Replica, not giving it room to maneuver as he battered away at its guard. Finally, he hit it with a Blizzaza spell that froze it solid, and then a mighty whack with his 'Star Seeker' shattered the Replinort. The Luxord-Replica came at Yen Sid next, and therefore didn't notice Aqua weaving hand-seals and readying her chakra until it was too late. The Replinort turned just in time to get hit by the full steel-crunching force of her Suiton: Suiryūdan, crushing and destroying it.
Roxas and Kairi were steadily pushing their opponents back, wearing away at the two Replinorts. Naminé was more 'awake' now inside Kairi, occasionally casting her own barrier spells through her Keyblade in Kairi's hand to help against Xehanort's vessels, while she and Kairi were now communicating, able to hear each other's thoughts as they worked together. The two Replinorts came at Roxas from both sides, but he cast his powerful 'Miracle Hour' Light spell, the slicing beams of white light shoving them back and harming them further. He & Kairi landed matching kicks that knocked the Dark Riku-Replica and Young-Xehanort-Replica against each other, and then lashed past with a double cross-slash, four lines of light cutting through the two Replinorts as they came apart.
Zeratul had the Xemnas-Replica on the ropes, landing hits with his 'Shadow Walker' as he forced the Replinort back. The Xemnas-Replica tried to rally, keeping an eye on the Protoss' Keyblade… and thus losing track of Zeratul's green psi-blade until it pierced through the Replinort's chest and slashed upwards, partially bisecting the Replica and destroying it. Channeling the power of Kingdom Hearts above, King Mickey's 'Kingdom Key D' shifted into its Ultima Weapon form [KH1 design], and he surged forward in an Ars Arcanum attack, bombarding the Larxene-Replica with overwhelming blows, finishing with one that crushed its helmeted head, the Replica disintegrating into motes of Darkness.
The Saïx-Replica was flung skyward by a rising rock smash from Terra. The Key-bearer then shifted his 'Ends of the Earth' into its Ultima Cannon form, charging and firing a massive blast that incinerated the Replica. Nearby, Riku managed to lop off the Terranort-Replica's head in the midst of a frantic duel. Lea managed to jab the tip of his Keyblade into the Vanitas-Remnant's chest and fire off a Firaga spell partially inside the Replica, cooking it from the inside. Finally, Ventus wove in past the Xigbar-Replica's wild shots, flung the Replinort into the air with a rising Aeroga, and finished it off with a series of crushingly powerful blows with his 'Wayward Wind'.
(MUSIC END)
As everyone caught their breath, the wisps of Darkness that were once the 12 Replica-Xehanorts suddenly all came together and flew back up toward Kingdom Hearts, passing back through the portal.
"It's all up to Sora, Donald, & Goofy now" Riku remarked. "I hope they're ready…"
-Break-
When the light faded, the trio found themselves standing in a small courtyard, facing an enormous 'mountain' covered in (or made of) houses and buildings. Everything was white, gleaming under the clear blue sky. Gondolas connected various locations, ready to ferry people (of which there appeared to be none around) up or down the mountain-city. Windmills were all over the place. The town seemed to be surrounded by crystal-clear water, with several other mountain-towns scattered as far as the eye could see.
"It's beautiful…" Goofy said, awed.
"Admire it another time" Donald replied.
"Right' Sora nodded. "We need to find Master Xehanort."
As the trio entered the city and explored, they were struck by how quiet it was. After searching through the labyrinth of streets, walkways, and bridges, they kept a lookout for any signs of activity, but it was all still and silent…
"Of all the places to be sent…"
Hearing Master Xehanort's sudden voice, the trio spun to see the old man standing atop a flight of stairs, looking around with a nostalgic gaze.
"Look upon this place, boys" he said. "Centuries ago, the location known as Daybreak Town was the home of the Foretellers and the Master of Masters. When Daybreak Town was almost completely destroyed during the First Keyblade War, this sprawling place was built atop its ruins. This world is the nexus from which all other worlds spring…"
Suddenly, the essences of the 12 defeated Replica-Xehanorts appeared, flowing into Master Xehanort, who was enveloped in a smoky black & white aura.
"Here, I and my other selves can be one. The same place where I was trained as a boy, where my great journey with the Keyblade began, is where I shall bring this long and sordid tale to its climactic end! Welcome to where everything began, chosen bearer of the Kingdom Key! Welcome… to Scala ad Caelum!"
(BOSS MUSIC: Kingdom Hearts III – [Vs. Armored Xehanort])
A swirling cocoon of black and silver energy erupted from Xehanort, obscuring him from view. When it faded, he was clad in an elaborate set of Keyblade Armor, topped with a helm designed like a goat's head. He floated above the ground, his familiar Keyblade appearing in his hand, and then 12 more instances of the nameless weapon appeared floating around him. Sora, Donald, & Goofy came forward, ready to fight, but Xehanort waved his hand, and the buildings – as well as the ground beneath them – began to twist and bend overhead. A twist of his wrist, and gravity began to go haywire.
Sora focused deep within his Heart, drawing on the power of Kingdom Hearts itself. First, his Kingdom Key became larger and more ornate with an elegant blue, gold, & silver design, power flowing through it as it assumed its 'Ultima Weapon' form [KH2 design]. Then, his entire body was engulfed in a brilliant silver light. When the light faded, most of his outfit had turned white or silver, his eyes glowed white, Oathkeeper and Oblivion floated at his sides, and six swords of Light floated at his back, spread out like wings. Imbued with the power of Final Form, Sora charged, and Xehanort rushed to meet him.
They met with a ferocious clash that shook the air, Sora's 9 blades and Xehanort's 13 whirling through the air and clashing against each other several times a second. After several seconds of this, they broke off and fired waves of Light and Darkness bolts at each other, the dozens of magic projectiles intercepting and canceling each other out. Sora started rapid-firing Firaga shots at Xehanort, who swirled Blizzaga spells around himself as a shield and then launched them as a wave of deadly-sharp icicles at Sora, who in turn telekinetically spun his Oathkeeper & Oblivion to deflect and shatter them all.
Sora dove in, Ultima Keyblade giving off sparks of Light every time it clashed with Xehanort's 'prime' weapon, while the evil Keyblade Master's other 12 blades were fended off by Sora's secondary Keyblades and the wing-blades of his Final Form. The two of them zipped around through the air, firing blasts of magic and making jousting charges at each other, missed or deflected attacks blowing chunks off the twisted buildings around them. Xehanort attempted to charge an energy blast with several of his Keyblades, but a Thundaga spell from Donald ruined his concentration. Goofy boomerang-threw his shield, knocking a few of Xehanort's Keyblades aside, and Sora took advantage of the distraction to land several blows.
Xehanort fired a blast of dark magic down into the ground below. Seconds later, a huge pillar of Darkness-tainted flames shot up from beneath the center of the battlefield, filling the air with light and magically-contained heat. He became more aggressive, trying to push Sora towards the pillar of fire, but Sora pushed back as best he could. Then, Xehanort suddenly vanished, flash-stepping into the pillar of fire, which did no harm to him or his armor. He began swinging his Keyblades, each swing launching a shotgun-like blast of fireballs at Sora, but Donald & Goofy came in, using a Reflera barrier and enchanted shield to protect their friend.
As the flame pillar faded out, Xehanort came charging out with his prime Keyblade wreathed in flames. He closed in on Sora, every swing releasing a wave of fire, until Sora released a pulse of energy that knocked Xehanort back. Xehanort conjured a set of greenish-black spheres of Dark power that formed in a circle around Sora, following him as he flew around, but when they all crashed toward him at once, Sora timed a spinning slash with his wing-blades that deflected them all. Sora got in close, dodging a spearing thrust of Xehanort's blade and slashing at his armored foe, Ultima Weapon gouging into the enchanted armor.
At Xehanort's command, chunks of rubble began to float into the air, some of them the size of small houses. With a wave of his free hand, the rubble started shooting through the air at Sora from all directions. Donald & Goofy formed up with Sora as he spun his Oathkeeper & Oblivion to cast revolving Reflega barriers that the giant projectiles were shattered against. As soon as the barrage stopped, Sora & Donald fired off a Final Form-boosted firework-rocket barrage, dozens of sparking missiles coming at Xehanort from all sides. The old villain used his Keyblades to block as many as he could, but some managed to still get through.
The sky darkened as Master Xehanort charged the power of Darkness into his prime Keyblade, enveloping it in a shadowy black & purple aura that extended to half-again the weapon's normal length. Sora's Ultimate Keyblade glowed bright as he channeled power through it as well, and the two flew at each other, meeting with a crash like thunder. They dueled fiercely in midair, each strike releasing sparks of Light and Darkness; their 'extra' blades soon came into play, clashing against each other in a flurry of deadly motion. Sora struck with a triple-Keyblade Ars Arcanum barrage, hammering at Xehanort's guard and pushing him back. Knocked back by an especially powerful blow, Master Xehanort looked up to see Goofy careening towards him from above, glaring down at him while coming at him shield-first, shield glowing bright with power:
"Meteor Hammer!" the royal-guard captain called out.
Although Xehanort blocked the blow, it still sent him hurtling through the air, stunned with several of his duplicate Keyblades blocked away. He was thus wide open as Donald fired his mighty spell:
"Megaflare!"
A thick beam of concentrated fire/plasma magic crashed into Xehanort, wearing away at his dark armor and blasting him skyward. At the peak of his flight, Sora came at him, holding a Rasengan glowing bright with his Final Form's power of Light. Sora slammed the attack into the center of Xehanort's chest-piece, and the resulting grinding detonation tore his Keyblade Armor apart, sending the old man hurtling back through the air.
(MUSIC END)
Regaining control before he hit the ground, Master Xehanort came to land on the roof courtyard at the top of Scala ad Caelum's central tower. Sora flew in and set down there, carrying Donald & Goofy, as Xehanort cast a Curaga spell on himself.
"It's all over, Xehanort" Sora said, pointing his Keyblade at the man.
Xehanort smirked. "You thought you could contain me here… knowing all that you do about connections, Sora?"
He held a hand out, and with a brilliant flash of light, the χ-Blade appeared in his grasp. He floated up off the ground, looking down at the three heroes with an evil grin.
(FINAL BOSS MUSIC – Kingdom Hearts III – [Vs. χ-Blade Xehanort])
"There is one sky," he said, "one destiny!"
He pointed the χ-Blade high, and dark clouds swirled all across the sky. Soon, they parted to reveal Kingdom Hearts, the massive heart-shaped moon's Light shining over everything. Sora's Final Form suddenly came undone, power being drawn away from him and returning him to his base state, although he still retained enough of Kingdom Hearts' energy to keep his Keyblade in its Ultima Weapon form.
Master Xehanort vanished through a keyhole-shaped portal and flew out of another that formed off to Sora's left, coming in with χ-Blade swinging. Sora quickly spun and brought his Keyblade up to block, the force sending him skidding back on his heels, and he swung his weapon to release a slicing wave of magic, only for Xehanort to vanish through another keyhole portal. He reappeared above, swinging the χ-Blade down in a falling strike aimed to split Sora in two, but Goofy raised his shield and blocked the strike, giving Sora an opening to leap up and land a few blows, launching Master Xehanort back.
Xehanort floated higher, channeling his power, and a massive and intricate magic rune-circle appeared all over the rooftop plaza. It began to rise up, carrying Sora, Donald, & Goofy into the sky with it. Now with a battlefield high in the night-dark sky, dominated by the brilliance of Kingdom Hearts, Xehanort form-shifted the χ-Blade into a pair of gleaming golden chakrams like Lea's. He rushed in at Sora, attacking with a barrage of spinning strikes that the youth was hard-pressed to guard against. Donald flung Xehanort away with a Zero-Gravity spell, casting Cura on Sora while Goofy threw his shield at the fallen Keyblade Master, who shifted the χ-Blade back to its base state and deflected the shot.
Beams of burning light shone down at Xehanort's command, moving across the battlefield in sweeping, curving patterns. Sora, Donald, & Goofy had to stay in constant motion to avoid being caught by any of the beams, and to make it even harder Xehanort started flinging spells at them as well. When the onslaught stopped, Xehanort charged in again, he and Sora dueling and landing a few hits on each other. Xehanort then shifted the χ-Blade into a double-ended sword weapon [a Darth Maul-saber, if that helps you picture it], coming at Sora with sweeping slashes. Sora gave ground until his friends came to his aid, Goofy's charging tackle slamming his shield into Xehanort's side. Donald fired a Blizzaga, but Xehanort spun his blades to deflect and shatter the ice blast.
Xehanort floated up and back, and 13 pillars with thrones atop them rose to surround the battlefield, each with a shadowy Master Xehanort seated in it, wielding a pitch-black χ-Blade. They all rushed Sora at once, and the youth's Reflega barrier barely withstood the assault. Xehanort started firing purple-black beams of Darkness while his shade-clones kept up their attack, leaving the trio scrambling to dodge and block. Finally, Xehanort shifted the χ-Blade into a massive cannon that fired a huge, blinding beam of Light and Darkness at them, and even though he dodged it Sora still felt himself take magic-based damage just from the proximity.
The fallen Master's ferocious assault continued, bombarding Sora, Donald, & Goofy with all sorts of attacks with the 'Genesis Weapon' he wielded. Even so, he wasn't getting out unscathed, as Sora kept landing hits of his own whenever he saw openings. Soon, they were both panting and sore, feeling their energy reserves running low.
Sora and Xehanort pointed the Ultima Weapon and the χ-Blade at each other, charging power at their tips. Sora fired first, a thin piercing beam of scintillating Light shooting up at Xehanort. Behind the old Master, Kingdom Hearts was suddenly shrouded in Darkness, and from the χ-Blade he fired a beam of mixed Light and Darkness that stopped Sora's attack cold and quickly shoved it back. Donald and Goofy braced themselves against Sora, trying to will their strength to him, even as Xehanort's attack came nearer and nearer, set to kill them all…
"We're not… giving up!" Sora grunted. "We can't… lose here! I'm not gonna lose! Not with… my friends beside me!"
"Right!" Donald shouted. "We're his power!"
"And he's ours!" Goofy added.
Then, the Second Keyblade War saw one last miracle. Bars of light formed in Donald and Goofy's hands, soon shifting into oh-so-familiar shapes. With a flash of light, Goofy was suddenly holding a weapon with a shaft modeled after a Greek stone column, topped by a golden trophy with an upturned handle as the 'teeth' – "Mark of a Hero". In Donald's hands appeared a blue & purple weapon with a sweeping design, topped with a golden five-pointed star inside a blue one – "Shooting Star".
Astonished but determined, Donald and Goofy added their newly-manifested Keyblades' power to Sora's. The beam of Light became much bigger and brighter, a keening sound ringing out as it pierced through Xehanort's attack. It crashed into the stunned old Master, engulfing him in light…
(MUSIC END)
As the light faded, Kingdom Hearts was revealed again, purified. The hero trio and Master Xehanort stared each other down, back on the rooftop plaza. Wisps of darkness were 'steaming' off Xehanort, and the χ-Blade slipped from his grip as he fell to his hands & knees. He grunted in pain, trying to stand again.
"Why… How…"
"That's enough!" Sora said. "You've lost!"
"No, look… You are too late…"
He drew their attention to Kingdom Hearts high above, seeing how it was now radiating reddish light.
"What's gonna happen?!" Sora asked.
"A purge…" Xehanort finally got back on his feet. "The World will be returned whence it started. The World began in empty, primordial darkness. And from that void came both Darkness and then Light. From the Light came the people, and the people had Hearts. Evil burgeoned in those Hearts, and from there spread across the World like a plague. The primordial Light, the symbol of the World's hope, was devoured by shadow. The balance of Light and Darkness was upset, leaving nothing but ruin and death. And when the Light resurged, it burned too much Darkness away, leaving the cosmic balance off-kilter once again.
"But… the First Light – the Light of Kingdom Hearts – can give us a new beginning. It can restore the balance. An empty World, like a blank canvas, cleansed of the false Light people use to hide the wicked shadows of their own Hearts. A chance to restore the cosmos to how it should be…"
"But it isn't your decision to make" Sora replied. "A choice that would erase so much, so many… That's not something any mortal person should do."
Growling, Xehanort used the χ-Blade to prop himself up. "The World needs someone to stand up and lead. Someone strong, to stop the weak from polluting the World with their wickedness and selfishness. Someone to dictate their destiny."
"If so… You're not that person, Xehanort. A real leader knows that destiny is beyond his ability to truly control… and accepts that. The wheel of fate isn't something you can stop; you'll just get caught in its spokes if you try. You have to work with it, so you & it can carefully steer each other in the right direction."
Xehanort smirked. "You… remind me of an old friend."
Suddenly, a gateway opened up, eclipsing Kingdom Hearts from view. Masses of light flew out of it, setting down around Team Sora to reveal the rest of the Guardians of Light.
"Are you guys okay?" Mickey asked.
"Kingdom Hearts is closing on the other side," Riku explained, "but we managed to follow our Hearts to you."
Frowning, Terra turned to face Master Xehanort, and began to approach. He and Xehanort stared each other down in silence, numerous emotions crossing their eyes.
"…There's more to Light than meets the eye" Terra said softly. "As I told you."
Xehanort's eyes widened with realization. "You sly old fox…"
Terra began to glow with Light, and the second Heart that had been a passenger within him all this time emerged from his chest. Motes of light gathered around it, taking the form of the Heart's now-long-deceased vessel.
"Hand over the χ-Blade, Xehanort" Eraqus said.
Xehanort snarled. "It's too late."
"For us, perhaps. But not for them." Eraqus looked back at the Guardians.
"No…" Xehanort raised the χ-Blade in his shaking hand. "I can do this!"
Eraqus looked at his 'brother' sadly, slowly walked over and grabbed the χ-Blade, gently pushing it down and placing a hand on the dying Master's shoulder.
"Enough…" he said gently. "Checkmate, brother."
Memories long past resurfaced, and for the first time in over half a century, the corruption left Xehanort's old eyes, his irises reverting to their natural silver color. He sighed, then hobbled over to Sora. Gently, he placed the χ-Blade in the stunned youth's hands.
"Very well done, Master Sora…" he whispered.
Meanwhile, Eraqus came over to his three apprentices, who embraced him.
"Terra, Aqua, Ven… Please, forgive your foolish teacher. My zealous devotion to the Light blinded me to your splendors. Ventus, I put you through such a harrowing, painful experience. And Aqua, I left you with such a terrible burden. Terra… Now I understand. Your mastery over your own inner darkness, accepting and channeling it alongside your light instead of just denying its existence… You are a true Master after all. Please, look after them for me…"
Xehanort began to collapse, his old body starting to shut down, but Eraqus came over and caught him. The two of them shared a smile, and then both of them came apart in a beautiful flash of Light, their Hearts ascending to the hereafter…
Holding the χ-Blade high, Sora took a deep breath, Riku and Kairi's hands on his shoulders.
"Let's close the door to Kingdom Hearts," he said, "and go home."
Power gathered, and a beam of shimmering Light shot up into the heavens.
-CHAPTER END-
Oh my God, that took FOREVER. I've spent as much free time as I could get over the last month working on this enormous (over 27,000 words!) chapter. Why do it? Well, partly because with the upcoming Epilogue chapter, it'll mean this fic ends with a nice, neat 20 chapters.
Stay tuned for the final chapter which will wrap up a couple things and maybe reveal some new shadows skulking in the background…