Chapter 33

"Erased?" Isshin smiled, slashing at the figure. Zeno reflected the blow, forcing Isshin back.

Meanwhile, another figure appeared. Riku recognized it as the being he first encountered. "I'll handle this!" Mickey grabbed his keyblade and charged at the light being, Actis, colliding with him. Actis brought his weapon, a scythe surrounded by red aura.

"So, I presume that this mouse is going to take me down?" The being laughed, raising his scythe to hit Mickey. Mickey yelled "Reflega!", injuring Actis.

Back near the shore lines, Eraquis raised his keyblade. "I do not want to hurt you, Aqua. Just join me, and all of this ceaseless fighting will end!"

"Then why don't you want to tell any of us what you are planning to do?" said Riku.

"I see...so you are a keyblade master," said Eraquis. "You must be Riku, the one that Terra sired."

"I think you are confusing something here. What do you mean 'sired'?"

"I meant that Terra gave you the power to wield the keyblade...whatever, I meant that you got your power from Terra. Anyways, you are not worth my time."

"So why do you consider to be above him, a hero?" said Aqua.

"I am bringing the light together to drive away the darkness. As we are talking, my army of beings of light are taking over the realm of darkness bit by bit."

"So, you are doing the thing that Xheanort was trying to do, only in reverse," said Riku. "How does that make you the good guy?"

"In your eyes? It does nothing. However, once I obtain control of Kingdom Hearts, I will be able to eliminate the darkness!"

"Master, no!" Aqua cried. "Destroying something is what led to your downfall. Don't you remember?"

"Ah, yes, with Terra. He had a noble heart, but his darkness led to our downfall. You remember that?"

Aqua's head hung down in shame. Riku was filled with rage. "Oh, so now, instead of looking at what you have done, you are blaming the darkness! I've seen your kind of people, only willing to blame anything but themselves when they are at fault. I won't let you do what you want!"

"Oh, the boy wants to play with the masters?" Eraquis raised his keyblade up. Almost in perfect timing, similar beings that were like Zeno materialized. "Ones with pure hearts can manifest the lightlings. Beings of light, created from my light."

"Master, stop-!" Aqua raised her blade up, but before she could react, Riku slashed through the lightlings.

"Don't worry about me, Master Aqua." Riku closed his eyes, aura surrounding him. "I've learned how to become a master. I won't run away from a challenge!"

Riku's blade changed into a red and black keyblade. It looked sleek, with an impressive three-pronged pointer. "Come at me, fallen master!"

Eraquis started to run towards Riku, but Aqua stepped next to Riku. "You've become brave, but we are doing this together."

"I won't disappoint you!" Riku charged at Eraquis, clashing blades with the man. Eraquis tried to push Riku off, but he kept pressure on him. Aqua ran around the field, setting up magical mines. Eraquis gritted his teeth, surrounding himself in fire.

"Burn!" Riku backed off, relying on the darkness to increase his speed. Eraquis chased after Riku, but he encountered the mines that Aqua created. "Augh!" Eraquis took off the fire field, side-stepping the mines with incredible speed. Riku kept repelling him away, slamming him into the mines. Eraquis, fed up with Riku's strategy, attacked with the light, hitting Riku hard.

"Riku!" Aqua cried in horror. Riku's vision was limited, so he could only see what was in front of him. Aqua took Riku's place, countering blows from Eraquis.

"It seems that your successors are not as great as you imagined..." mocked Eraquis.

"You think so?" Aqua smiled, letting Eraquis know that she was distracting him. Before he could react, Riku, who recovered from his eye problems, slashed his blade at Eraquis's back. Eraquis tried to counter, but Aqua encased her master in a glass sphere.

"Give up!" Eraquis lost some mobility, but not his spirit. He extended his arm, collapsing the barrier.

"You have improved, but not enough!"

Meanwhile, Isshin continued to trade blows with Zeno. Isshin kept swinging his sword, keeping Zeno occupied from attacking. Zeno surrounded himself in a force field, pushing Isshin back.

"You surprise me, shinigami. How did you survive Karakura town?"

"I escaped with several other people before the town disappeared," Isshin said. "After that, I managed to drop here, and I met the keyblade wielder."

"You remind me of your son..." Zeno smiled. "You have that carefree attitude."

"How do you know my son?"

"We keep tabs on important people. Ichigo has the capabilities to surpass Sora in power."

"Well, who are you fighting?"

Zeno raised his blade sideways. "I was born from the light of Soul Society."

"What?!" asked Isshin.

"When light is expelled from a being or world, a part of it can be manipulated to a figure. While the figure is not similar to its original parent, it can gain powers and abilities beyond that parent. In other words, I am beyond Soul Society."

"That pride of yours is so compelling. However, I am easily able to counter you. Plus, I am no soldier when it comes to fighting."

"Oh, so we are talking about army positions, then?" Zeno smiled. "In that case, I am one of the majors."

Isshin rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you think that being in the highest rank scares me?"

"Are you stupid? A major is way below a general. Highest rank?! I am more of a nobody than the ones that you see right now!"

Isshin was thrown off by that fact. "What?!"

"Now bow." Zeno hit Isshin, nearly ripping a huge hole on his stomach, but Isshin stepped back at the last moment.

"You were so close to death-"

Isshin smiled. "Not! Getsuga Tensho!"

Isshin brought his sword around, gathering energy and slamming it to Zeno. Zeno tried to defend himself, but he was too late, losing a lot of his energy.

"Urghhh...I can't believe that you got me!"

"Don't mess around with shinigami, fool!"

Before Isshin could attack again, Zeno teleported from the battlefield. Actis, tired from fighting Mickey, retreated as well, leaving Eraquis with the two keyblade wielders.

"You have won this match, keyblade wielders, but I will return with my full power!" Eraquis left in a flash.

"What?! He wasn't at his full power?!" cried Mickey.

"Well, all that matters is that we won." Aqua noticed another portal that opened. Ansem, who did not participate in the battle, was opening the portal back to the world of light.

"If we step to the portal, we should be back to the realm of light. Let's get out of here!"

Everyone headed to the portal, ready to return to the light.