Chapter 44.5
Sora's Ultimate Test: The Final Clash with the Seven Amazons
While Sora and Usagi were cutting their way through the thorns to reach Nehelenia's Castle, even though the young Keyblade Master didn't want to see Chibiusa fade away into nothingness, he knew that he needed some extra help. Without wasting a moment, he quickly pulled out his gummi phone and alerted Master Yen Sid of what was going on, even as he cut his way through the forest of thorns with his Keyblade, so that Usagi wouldn't get badly scratched up by them.
"Yes, Sora, what is it?" the sorcerer asked him.
"Bad news, Master. Mamoru's been taken captive by Nehelenia, Vassago, and Sephiroth. And now Chibiusa's existence is on the verge of being erased, now that she's been compromised. We're gonna need some help, and fast. Send the rest of my friends and family here to your side when you get the chance. That's all I'm asking right now," Sora replied.
"I will do what I can, Sora. But remember, that the ones you cherish will never truly leave us forever. They are always in your heart, as well as in Usagi's heart. That is where you can always find them, and you must never ever forget that," Yen Sid replied calmly.
"Thank you," sighed Sora, his features filled with slight relief, but had a great deal of concern for Chibiusa's existence in the timeline they were in now.
"Usagi, I know this might be sad for you to hear, but I do know this. Our friends are always in our hearts, and they're telling us to keep going, even if they're not gonna be with us in person. That's why, when they say they are always with us, they mean in both body and spirit. I'd forgotten that multiple times before, but the guiding lights in my heart have always asked me if I'd truly forgotten, and the greatest argument that I've made was that I'd never forgotten. That's why, I'll keep fighting, even if their not being my side starts to make me feel lonesome without them. But I'm better than that now, and I know you can be too. So trust me when I say that we'll make it together," he explained.
Usagi nodded, then a content smile formed on her lips.
"Okay, let's do it. If what you say is true, Sora, then I'll accept it," she replied kindly, and they exchanged a comforting hug with each other, as the thorns slowly started to surround them again, thanks to Nehelenia's dark magic.
"You will fail, Sora. And when that happens, after that pathetic child you share a strong bond with, vanishes into nothingness, only then will you accept that my ultimate destiny will be complete," scoffed Vassago.
"What'd you say!?" snapped Riku.
"You leave them alone, you megabully!" Chibi Moon snapped as well, despite her existence being put on the line.
Meanwhile, inside his tower, Yen Sid called Kirito and his friends to his quarters.
"What's wrong?" Kirito asked after he, Asuna, Leafa, Yui, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang arrived on the scene.
"Sora has informed me that Nehelenia, Queen Serenity's sister intends to sacrifice her niece, all for the sake of creating a dark future, where Dead Moon wins, and the Realm of Light is under their control, along with Kingdom Hearts. We must not allow that to happen, or else everything that they have done will amount to nothing," said Yen Sid.
"We're not letting that happen at all, Master! We're gonna help them, no matter what it takes. Sora and his friends have helped us out, time and time again, and we can't let them down. No, we will NEVER let them down! Because even after Kirito killed Gouxas out of vengeance, even when he taunted him about what he'd do to me, just like before, he felt remorseful, as well as ashamed of himself, but he chose to continue on, even when I tried to tell him that despite what he did, he ensure that justice would prevail, and I even made doubly sure that he should try and better his focus on justice, rather than vengeance," interjected Asuna.
"Asuna's right, Master. Even if my brother is unable to recover from his actions, I also swore that I'd help him be true to justice, and the same could be said for the rest of our family back home, like Silica, Lizbeth, Klein, Agil, Sinon, Alice, and yes, Sakuya, Alicia, Yuuki, Yuna, and more. We told them that even though we care about Kirito, that doesn't mean we'll help him walk the path of justice again," added Leafa.
"As for Sora, he doesn't just have Kairi, Twilight, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, he's got me as well. And it's because of how he saved my best friend from being killed, as well as told me that I shouldn't give up on the Fire of Hope, just because Salem wanted to have Remnant remade into her own personal playground, we also told him that despite killing Cinder Fall, by reducing her to ashes, Pyrrha and Penny were disappointed in him for desecrating their memories. But we told him that he could still learn from his failures, as well as let him know that he could still be a better kind of huntsman like all of us, so I told him the same things he told me, and that despite what happened before, he was still bitter about destroying Cinder, we learned that Sephiroth was the one responsible for filling her heart with darkness, so that he could trick Sora into killing her, and there's no way we'd ever forgive him," Ruby explained.
Everyone else voiced their agreement with Ruby and the other girls, including Asuna who acknowledged Sora as a trustworthy friend and ally, until Cody arrived.
"I wish to join as well. And so do both the Mane Seven and the Mane Six, which in turn makes them the Main Thirteen. They too care about Sora, and the true power of the Elements of Harmony they carry in their hearts is what makes them truly invincible. Because Twilight also taught me something that I can never forget. No matter how deep the darkness, there will always be light, and no matter how bright the light is, a great darkness lurks within. That's why my heart is saying we gotta help Sora and Usagi out. If we don't, then everything will die, just as Ydoc said," he said to them.
"Cody's right, Master. Please, let us go. Even though we've learned other forms of magic from Donald Duck, it's thanks to him that we've learned to wield this power with the greatest form of responsibility," added Twilight Sparkle's human counterpart.
"As for Riku, he told me that deep down he wanted a younger sister of his own, even though he and Sora were the only kids born from different families. They were like brothers, but deep down they needed a younger sister to call they're own, like Yui and Chibiusa, after what they've gone through in the past," Sunset said.
"I would have it no other way. I will join you as well, and we will assist Sora and Usagi. But should one of their lives be in danger, we will come and save them from death itself. Therefore, Nehelenia must be stopped no matter what the cost," Yen Sid replied firmly.
The group soon gathered around him, and they soon transported to the palace of Nehelenia, where they would hopefully reach them in the nick of time. However, inside the palace, Vassago stood with a hint of mild curiosity in his features, as the clock was ticking closer and closer to midnight.
"That day, if our positions were switched… would our fates be different? Would I have our life, and you mine?" he asked himself, drawing the attention of the remaining Warriors of Light to him.
"What are you talking about, Vassago?" Sailor Saturn asked skeptically.
"That's not your concern, little girl," Vassago remarked callously.
Then he sat down upon his own throne of darkness, and held the Cetra Blade in his hand.
"Let's settle this… Sora," he said with a sadistic smile.
The causeway with the thorns shuddered and shook violently.
"What…? What's going on? I thought we would be reaching Mamo, Sora! Now I have a really bad feeling about this," Usagi gasped in shock.
They knew that time was off the essence, until Yen Sid, and the other Warriors of Light appeared beside her and Sora.
"Yen Sid, what are you doing here?" she asked him.
"Usagi, let me explain things to them," Sora interjected.
"Speak, Sora. What is happening?" Yen Sid asked.
"Vassago and his parents took Mamoru, and I'm gonna tear him apart," he said bitterly.
"Wait, Mamoru's—? But how?" questioned Kirito.
"Hold on, Kirito. Mamoru is Usagi's responsibility, but he's also another of Sora's friends. When he bonded with him, he was also bonded with us," interjected Asuna.
"Wait, but Mamo's—" Usagi tried to protest.
"Okay, okay, we'll talk about it later. Right now, you guys need to be ready to jump in to save us. As for me, I have a score to settle with Vassago. And I think it's gonna be a huge doozy," Sora interrupted them, so that an argument wouldn't break out.
He soon hurried on ahead of them, while also cutting through more of the thorns, so that Usagi would follow after him.
"Never would've guessed you'd come back… Why, Vassago, are you planning to destroy the light?" he asked himself.
More thorns appeared around him, but he still cut them down to nothing without a second thought, even with Usagi close at his side. Finally he saw some familiar faces. It was the Amazon Trio and the Amazoness Quartet, alive and well, but Sora was rather skeptical.
"Hey, guys where were you? I thought Vassago and Nehelenia were sick of you, but I kind of think you'd still work with them," he said to them.
"Oh, well if it isn't the wise guy, Sora, Sailor Moon's brave and loyal knight. You know our souls had been absorbed by Vassago, but he allowed us one last chance to try and kill you, rather than take your dream mirror, now that he's aware that Helios has Sailor Chibi Moon, whose existence is on the verge of collapsing into nothingness. But you knew that after you stopped them before…" remarked Hawk's Eye.
"Come to think of it, I did know something was off. Just like with Nehelenia's kid," Sora said with a bit of a casual smirk.
"Then you should know that we're merely following his final order to eliminate you, after he absorbed the souls of the Amazoness Quartet after he ruthlessly murdered them, just like how he absorbed our souls after our final failure. No longer are we able to live our lives freely, we're only here to carve you to ribbons as per his orders. And destroying you is what we shall do," scoffed Tiger's Eye.
"Consider it his liberation!" cried CereCere, as she called forth Dark Storm.
"DEFENSE!" cried Sora, and the bolts of lightning ricocheted off his energy shield, just as Usagi came to his side.
"We will turn you into a rotting corpse, Sora. Us, not Vassago," finished JunJun.
"Tch, Vassago, you monster. You'll pay for this," Sora said angrily.
"Sora, please be careful," warned Usagi.
"I'll be fine, Usagi. Even though we're on the clock, it's sort of like another kind of trial. There's no such force of darkness that can extinguish the Fire of Hope in our hearts," he replied.
"All right, let's get started! This'll be quite the party!" smirked Fish's Eye, as he drew his dual rapiers.
"Come and face us like a man, Sora!" called VesVes, readying her quarterstaff.
"Why the rush? I'm starting to enjoy this a bit!" Sora said with a bit of casualness in his voice.
They fought furiously with all they had, but of course, these seven amazons were actually proving to be more challenging.
Even still, Sora was still hopeful that they'd reach Mamoru in time, despite the fierce resistance.
"Not bad, but we're just getting warmed up!" grinned Hawk's Eye.
"Just close your eyes and go to sleep…forever!" cackled the Flower Master.
Sora lunged at them, and still fought with all he had with all his strength, despite the fact that Nehelenia and Sephiroth were really starting to get on his nerves.
"Ahh, to reminisce about the good old days, back when we tried to hunt down the dreams of the people for Pegasus, until we learned that you had very modest dreams," grinned the acrobat.
But Sora still kept on fighting, until he managed to beat the seven amazons back.
"Whoa, time out! Give us some time out!" cried the beast tamer, and they quickly fled.
"Great… can't wait for the rematch," Sora sighed.
He turned to the others.
"Guys, remain with Usagi, and clear more of a path for her through this forest of thorns Nehelenia made. I'm going to fight these Amazons myself," he said to them, and raced off into the distance.
"Sora!" Usagi called to him.
"Let him go for now, Usagi. We must press on, or else the darkness will win, and that's something you don't want at all," Sunset assured her.
"Sunset's right, Usagi. And hey, after we defeat Nehelenia, Sephiroth, and Vassago, and even save Mamoru, we'll head to Rei's place for a party," agreed Pinkie Pie.
"That's right, because we all know that thanks to our bond with Twilight, and our pony selves, friendship is and always will be magic," added Fluttershy.
Sora had managed to cut his way through more of the thorns, when he heard something start to collapse near him.
"Oops, that doesn't sound good. …Eh, I'm sure it's fine," he told himself.
He gathered himself and continued onwards towards the next point of his destination, while most of his other friends fought off the Heartless, as well as kept the thorns from overwhelming them thanks to Nehelenia's magic. Finally, he came into contact with Tiger's Eye.
"You know, I'm a bit surprised to have found out that most of your other lady friends had very beautiful dreams, but I'm afraid you leave Prince Vassago with no alternative," he said.
"Yeah, sure, but there's no way Kairi would even think of falling for you, Tony," Sora remarked.
"It's Tiger's Eye! Not Tony!" Tiger's Eye snapped.
They fought furiously with each other, until Sora decided to break out the bigger guns, by using the double arrowguns from Shooting Star, as well as utilized the Ice blades from his usage of Crystal Snow. Tiger's Eye was surprised to see that Sora had been improving, even though he was aware that he had died and had his soul absorbed by Vassago, but orders were orders. They continued their clash without any further need of talking. Now was the time for him to break out the bigger guns.
"Go, Divine Equestrian!" he called to the heavens, and in a burst of pure light, grew golden pony wings, a pony tail, and golden pony ears.
"You really thought that Sailor Moon was the only one with a power to rival the gods? You haven't seen it from me yet!" Sora said to him.
He now attacked even more viciously than before, thanks to the empowered form. Tiger's Eye tried to fight back, but after several minutes of being bashed around, he quickly fled for his life.
"Running away…? Nah, I didn't think so," he said after reverting back to his normal state.
He continued to pursue them, despite what was going on, and even had to fight off the Heartless that tried to stall him for as long as possible. There was no way he was going to let Vassago win. Suddenly, some Soldier Heartless appeared around him, and he had to carve his way past them, as well as make another arena for his enemies from before. Finally, after a couple of minutes of running around and killing Heartless, he came into contact with Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye again.
"Hey, watch the birdie, Sora!" he called to his adversary, as they fought again.
"You can't kill what's already dead… And a monster is a monster, even in death!" added Fish's Eye, who was watching from far away.
"Not a bad line…I feel the same way,' Sora remarked.
"In your dreams, maybe, but not to us. We have no need for dreams and honor, and that's the motto of the Dead Moon Kingdom!" scoffed JunJun.
"Yeah, but that's really sad to hear. Dreams and honor are what make me who I am," he said.
"We don't plan on letting you reach Vassago!" snapped PallaPalla.
Their battle intensified even further, until Sora decided to use Valor to go all out on his enemies. This made them even more worried as he proceeded to go all out against them, despite his desire to not kill without a good reason in his actions. The powersurge felt overwhelming towards them, making them even more worried.
"Even that couldn't stop you!? You aren't so bad!" said CereCere, as they fled once more.
"One more round… It's almost like being on Mallet Island with Dante, when we were told by Trish to find and defeat Mundus," Sora told himself, and renewed his pursuit of them.
He even thought back to when he first met Usagi, as well as when he first learned of her pyrrhic victory over the Dark Kingdom from Luna and Artemis, even though he learned that the Makai Tree was a force of good, rather than evil, only to be reduced to ashes by Maleficent's hands, thanks to her usage of the flames of darkness and death.
"They know they don't stand a chance… Are they trying to atone for something?" he asked.
He soon arrived at the final arena, and down came all seven amazons, ready to face Sora in their last battle.
"Bring it on! This is a grave—either yours, or ours!" VesVes said to him.
Not the worst place to die… But death's not on my agenda just yet!" Sora remarked, as he prepared himself for battle against them.
He assumed his Divine Equestrian form again, and began attacking the seven of them without any hesitation, despite his disdain of killing without a reason.
"Damn… you're as tough as you look!" called JunJun.
"We're going to kill you! We'll kill you, Sora!" snapped Hawk's Eye.
"Aw, what a mess!" giggled PallaPalla.
"Yeah, well this new dolly of yours has a few tricks up his sleeves," Sora remarked boldly, and he struck at the Ball Balancer with all he had.
Normally, he didn't like hitting girls, but after his previous experiences with Ursula, Larxene, Mother Gothel, Cinder, and several other female opponents, he didn't care anymore. The remaining amazons tried to dog pile him, but Sora quickly dodged out of the way. CereCere tried to use a paralysis powder, but Sora was quick to her scheme, and knocked her down.
"Okay, this is good. Now we're talking!" grinned the beast tamer.
Sora still fought even harder than he had, but he still needed some strength in his being to finally face Vassago in one last match. He decided to press the advantage, despite the unfair odds in this seven on one battle. They fought without any quarter at all, but the amazons began to think that Sora's strength was slowly waning, when in reality, it was all thanks to some of the power from both the Silver Crystal and the Golden Crystal, which seemed to fuel his power. Without warning, he attained his Harmony Form, then attacked them all with the six Keyblades that were forged from his bond with the Mane Six. It was a shocking surprise for his enemies, but they knew they had to keep up the fight, or else they'd have their souls absorbed back into Vassago.
"Sorry pal, we don't know when to stop. Get used to it," sneered Fish's Eye.
"Oh, you will stop, after I defeat you all, because this is the end!" Sora said firmly.
Then he charged furiously at them, and with the full power of the Omnislash he learned from Cloud, the seven amazons of Dead Moon were defeated, as they all collapsed onto the ground, broken.
"Should've known better. You got some serious guts, but you're about as sharp as a marble," he said to them.
"Perhaps… But if you had even a little bit of trouble defeating us, imagine what Vassago can do to you. Go see for yourself. Us? This is our final flight… And the end of the Dead Moon itself," Hawk's Eye replied wearily.
Sora knelt down before the light pink haired amazon, and looked sadly into his eyes.
"Godspeed, Sora… You'll need it," he finished.
"Sora, now that we are freed from Vassago's influence, thanks to you, our hearts can now merge with the fragments of the Amazon Stones that Sailor Mercury collected and kept close to her side. When you get that chance, use them to bring us back, and awaken our true power from within," groaned VesVes.
"I will, VesVes. I promise," Sora replied quietly.
Then he turned to Fish's Eye, Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye, and gave them a bit of an understanding smile, as he knew that their dream of being part of Vassago was now well and truly over, as their hearts had now come back to them.
"Rest in peace, Maverick, Sharkbait, and Tony. It's been a bash," he said to the Amazon Trio who were now fading away, but could at last be at peace within Kingdom Hearts.
Then he slowly walked away, just as Usagi rushed up to him, with the rest of their friends and allies.
"Are you okay, Sora?" she asked, having arrived at the clearing of thorns with everyone else.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I had to deal with some unfinished business. It turns out both the Amazon Trio and the Amazoness Quartet had their souls absorbed by Vassago, which in turn made him stronger. But now that Tiger's Eye, Hawk's Eye and Fish's Eye have now been set free, after I managed to defeat them, they chose to let themselves go after I defeated them. In other words, their hearts have now returned to Kingdom Hearts, so that they can finally be at peace. But I did promise VesVes that when Ami presents me with the stones of herself, CereCere, JunJun, and PallaPalla, they'll be restored to life," Sora explained.
"So, what do we do, Sora?" asked Cody.
"We're going right up to Nehelenia's castle, and then we'll not only save Mamoru, but ensure that Chibiusa's existence is preserved, just before the clock strikes midnight, and she fades into nothingness, which is something that must never happen. But if it does, and Vassago adds further insult to injury, then Vanitas will be released from within, and that will be the signal for all of you to save Usagi, if she's truly at her lowest point, and about to be killed by her own aunt," he replied bitterly.
"No way. We're never going to let that happen to Usagi, Sora. After all, neither you nor Usagi are well and truly alone, because if they say you guys are, they are spewing bullcrap, not truths," countered Leafa.
"Leafa's right, Sora. After all, we did get ourselves knee deep into trouble when we least expected, and besides, even if something happens, Master Yen Sid will make sure that it will unhappen at the moment that crazy Nehelenia least expects it," agreed Rainbow Dash.
Kirito knew what that meant all too well. He remembered how he had failed to protect Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats, but this loss had motivated him to seek revenge against Akihiko Kayaba for trapping them in Sword Art Online, which became the Game of Life or Death, where the players would play to win, or they would surely pay with their lives if their health reached zero percent.
"We'll take Vanitas' appearance, or Usagi's cries of pain, agony, and sorrow as a sign, Sora. And besides, Master Yen Sid will also ensure that we don't lose her, or any of her other friends," he said to him.
Meanwhile, back in the throne room, Riku smirked at Nehelenia, just as Chibiusa ran to Mamoru's side, and tried desperately to snap him out of his trance.
"Do you see now? Sora defeated your final puppets, because he knows that deep down we are always with him," the silverette said.
"Your arrogance will become your destruction, but no matter, after you witness this child's disappearance, all will be as it was written in the Book of the Stone. On all lands under one destined sky, darkness prevails and light expires. That is why I defied the prophecy of the chosen Queen of Queens, who wishes for Mother to die, and my existence erased, by becoming her sacrificial lamb," remarked Vassago.
"Liar! Not another word! You, Sephiroth, and Nehelenia are monsters, Vassago! You have no dreams and honor in your hearts, because all you do is view us as your own personal puppets in your twisted little puppet show!" snapped Sailor Saturn.
"I agree with Saturn. You are beyond forgiveness, but now that the souls of the Amazon Trio have returned to Kingdom Hearts, your plans of establishing your kingdom will be doomed to failure," added Hotaru.
"How petty," scoffed Sephiroth.
"All that we do is for Jenova's memetic legacy, and the rebirth of Dead Moon. You cannot stop what is to come," sneered Nehelenia.
"Even if you believe that, you are sorely mistaken. Even if Chibiusa does fade away into nothingness, even if you did have us all killed, there will always be a force that will ensure that never lets that happen," Riku replied calmly.
"Such empty promises, but soon the people will worship us as their true rulers, and they will know that Mother and Father's rule is divine, not devilishly maddening," the dark prince said in a callous tone, as he watched the remaining Warriors of Light continue to hurry to Nehelenia's castle.
Their final clash was now just around the corner, but what none of them knew, was that Vassago was planning something with Sephiroth, which would surely cause the fabric of destiny to shift in a rather horrible way for Nehelenia.