It's the showdown you've all been waiting for! Personally, I was waiting for it too. I like to write battle scenes.
Link's revenge has been due since the prologue. Kneph is back, but now our hero has the support of the Brotherhood. Will their numbers overwhelm the demon, or will Azazel's spawn show off a few new tricks?
Chapter 11 – Kneph Returns
Link saw Kneph diving for him in slow motion. He gripped his shield and the Master Sword tightly, and yet he was numb, paralyzed by a burdening fear. It was the teenager inside of him, the fourteen year old tortured by that same scream, those empty eyes, and that ghostly visage every night.
This was his chance for vengeance!
He rationalized that he should, and could, slay this demon once and for all and that Link Jensen of Volesdale had nothing to worry about. Yet the fact remained that Kneph was the one opponent that bested him. There was a very real chance that he could lose his life again in this battle.
And that chance was right before him, represented by two blades that had seen countless deaths. The tips of the swords were aimed for his neck, ready to add another body to their count. He raised his shield in defense, but their clash was interrupted. A blue ball of energy whizzed by from Lucario's direction, only missing Kneph once the demon's reflexes kicked in and parried into the sky.
The aura sphere was too close for comfort for Link, as he could feel the electrifying energy jolting from the unstable nucleus. The sphere collided with a decaying wall and exploded, sending debris raining down onto the battlefield.
"What a novice mistake," Lucario chastised the demon almost playfully. "Always be aware of your surroundings."
Kneph's expression was unreadable behind the mask, but Link did notice something new in his motions: hesitation. Not only had he battled Lucario before, he was actually having second thoughts about continuing the fight.
"I came for Link," a raspy whisper slithered from behind the mask. "But I never revoke an invitation for death. Especially for your wretched group."
"Enough talk, cur," Marth spat, brandishing the Falchion. "Your misdeeds continue to seal your fate. There is only one acceptable outcome for this battle!"
Kneph made a mighty swing with his sword, whipping up a blade of air. Marth leapt back as the ground he once stood on split upon impact. He countered instantly, moving towards Kneph as a blue streak. Their swords clashed and locked before the demon released a burst of wind from his body, blowing Marth into the branches of a tree beyond the ruins.
The demon had little time to recover when Lucario charged him with Force Palm, shoving an aura-laced paw into the ceramic mask. He carried Kneph through the air, barreling into a temple barrier. The dust barely settled when a bolt of lightning struck Lucario and sent him crashing through an adjacent rocky wall.
Kneph emerged from the hole in the temple wall with another unholy wail. Link reached for the Hero's bow when he remembered that his quiver was devoid of arrows. Unfortunately for him, Kneph noticed this gesture and dove right for him. He prepared his shield, but a wind blast knocked him off his feet.
Kneph brought both swords down, but Link managed to stop them with the shield and Master Sword. The demon put pressure on the swords in a cross shape, forcing Link's back towards the ground.
"Hello, Link!" Kneph expressed with genuine delight. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm glad to see you. I've never had the opportunity to kill someone twice!"
Before Link could retort, the demon went up in a flash of flames. There was a shriek of surprise as the Sword of Seals cut through the wraith's body. He did a spin, releasing a blast a wind that extinguished the flames and sent Link and Roy rolling away.
"Now where were we?" Kneph began, but a turnip smacked against his head and rolled to a halt near Link's legs. The strange face upon the vegetable and the timing made the moment virtually comical, a thought that wasn't lost on the demon. His rage showed through his actions and he closed in on the princess. His swords disappeared in a smoky haze as he grabbed Peach by her neck and strangled her.
"Do you think that was funny?" Kneph hissed, choking the life out of the princess. Peach held tightly to the bony arms of the demon, lifting her legs and pummeling the mask with her heels. Eventually, a heel pierced into one of the empty eyeholes, annoying Kneph enough for him to throw her to the ground. She bounced hard with a short cry.
The harsh treatment of Peach enraged Link. Watching her suffer reminded him of all the people in Hyrule that faced similar attacks from Kneph. Years of death swooping in from the skies, picking off the people of his land for no reason beyond for the demon's own entertainment.
"Shyaaaah!" Link screamed, twisting into the air with a spin attack. The Master Sword gleamed with light as it passed through Kneph's form. The searing light sent Kneph reeling with a screech.
A black substance splattered across the grass, thick and opaque like sizzling oil. Link glanced at it as he landed perfectly, and then looked to find Kneph nursing one of his grotesque hands with more of the stuff oozing from it. Was this the demon equivalent of blood? Could a wraith even bleed? Link knew for sure that Kneph's hands and face were fully tangible, but the presence of the mask meant that the demon wasn't as cocky as he was during their first battle. Even doing this much damage was most likely a fluke.
A hand tightly grabbed his shoulder, and Roy came into view.
"We've only got a few seconds," he whispered quickly. "He's pissed at you and predictable right now. He's gonna charge you. I want you to duck on my signal."
Link nodded, hoping that whatever Roy had planned worked out.
"What's the matter?" Link taunted, holding his sword and shield out to his sides. "First you put on a stupid mask and now you run away from me! Seeing me resurrected must have really spooked you. I'm starting to think you're more scared of me than you are of Lucario."
The demon's head turned briskly in his direction, unleashing a scream as he dove for Link once again.
"Get down!" Roy yelled. Link jumped to the ground just in time to see a thick ball of flames pass over him and explode on Kneph. Tiny sparks of fire hit the ground and fizzled out; Kneph himself spun and cried as his body burned again.
"You have been a pest for far too long!" Kneph declared through the flames. He spun rapidly until he became a blur. The flames were replaced with a twister growing in size.
Link jammed the Master Sword into the ground, using it as an anchor. He latched on to Peach as she flew by in the gale. Roy tried a similar gesture, but debris from the ruins slammed into him, leaving him at the mercy of the twister. Kneph stopped spinning but used the power of the winds to draw Roy towards him. He revealed one of his swords and struck without hesitation. Roy hit the ground, leaving blood and a piece of his chest plate beside him.
Kneph was not satisfied, circling the fallen warrior. He drove both his swords into the ground, several feet apart in length with Roy at the center. Link charged, unsure of the demon's plan, but he knew he had to stop it. Unfortunately, he was forced to jump back when the swords brimmed to life after being struck with lightning bolts, creating an electrical dome. Roy screamed and convulsed under the power of the electrical currents.
The purple light of the dome filled the ruins. Kneph's focused attention easily revealed that he was pleased with this turn of events. He always did like to watch his victims die.
I won't let him take another life as long as I'm here, Link thought. He would see that through, even if that meant removing the swords himself to break the spell. He approached one with his hand outstretched and was suddenly pulled back by Marth.
"The swords are the conduit!" Marth warned, struggling to hold Link. "You will be electrocuted!"
"We just can't leave him to die!"
"Death is not always the end," Marth murmured. Link gave him a look of pure disbelief. Was he condoning this? How could Roy's friends just watch?
"But I won't allow this!" the prince finished. He leapt into the air and unleashed a flurry of slashes upon Kneph. Weaponless, the demon was forced to evade them all, but he wasn't having much difficulty.
Peach stepped next to Link. He was surprised to see her up and about so quickly. "Allow me," she said, tossing a turnip at one of the swords. The vegetable violent exploded on impact, and she was visibly upset. "How can we stop this?"
An aura sphere burrowed into the sword and exploded, sending it spinning through the air; the spell was broken and Roy was spared. The red-headed warrior disappeared in a blue blur. Link and Peach turned quickly as it passed by them. Roy was propped against a pillar with Lucario kneeling next to him.
"You are okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'll live," Roy sputtered.
"No!" Kneph hissed. He pointed a finger, sending a bolt of lightning zipping past Marth. Lucario erected a shield for a fraction of a second, deflecting the bolt and sending it into a wall.
The pokemon levitated until he was level with the demon. Aura laced his body as he growled, "this time I'm ready for you."
"I was starting to get worried," Kneph said, summoning a wind stream that drew his swords back into his grip. "Link is my target, but Father will be particularly pleased when I bring him your head."
Lucario was unfazed. "Consider this round two."
The battle is not yet over! Even with the support of the Brotherhood, Link has trouble with Kneph. Roy is down, but Lucario is back in the game. The demon and the pokemon seem to share a mutual hatred that eludes the others, but that will be overshadowed when Link's rage brings forth a potent power...