Chapter Twenty Nine: The Graceful Assassin
We shoved open the Throne Room doors, only to see the Black Knight and Marluxia already locked in combat. The Black Knight had his back turned to Marluxia, whose scythe was around the Knight's neck.
"Insolent fool! Now you will pay the price for your betrayal!" Marluxia shouted at the Black Knight.
He simply brushed aside the scythe without a scratch, then walked toward Roy and I. He stopped for a moment, glancing at Roy, then resumed his heavy gait, red cape fluttering in the breeze.
"That Black Knight will be the ruin of us all..." Marluxia grumbled. He then looked at us. "So... you're here. I didn't expect you to defeat both Demyx and Luxord."
"We're far superior warriors to a coward and a gambler," I said. "After all... we're... heroes."
"He's no hero," Marluxia said, pointing to Roy. "His heart and soul are stained with the blood of billions of innocents."
"Sh... shut up! What would you know about hearts?" Roy shouted at him.
"I remember what it was like to have one," Marluxia said, getting into a ready stance. "That's why the Organization... no, the Upper Organization will conquer these empty worlds and restore life!"
"Life doesn't need you," I said to him, "because, after all, you don't exist."
"Maybe not yet," Marluxia said, "but after I kill you two and steal your hearts, I might truly exist at last."
I could feel the room becoming more humid by the second...
"Demon," Roy said with disgust.
Marluxia smiled devilshly.
"Now... would you like me to show you why I'm called the 'Graceful Assassin?'" Marluxia asked. Before we could react, a jungle sprang up in the room, complete with a thick fog. He disappeared in a dark corridor... but I knew he hadn't fled the area.
"An assassin, eh?" I asked. "Can't you sense him... with aura, I mean?"
"Nobodies don't have aura, remember?" Roy asked. "If I could sense his aura, this fight would be over in an instant."
Then... what was that power from Luxord?
"Wonder where the 'graceful' part fits into his personality," I muttered to myself. We began to tred around the new rooms, all of which were covered in plants.
"There's a lot of 'life' around you, right?" I asked. "So... you could sense where there is no aura and find him that way."
"It's not that simple," he answered. "There's too much aura around us to sense where there's an aural void."
Right... your abilites have been rendered useless.
"Marluxia! Show yourself!" I shouted into the fog.
There are eight places on the human body that, after succumbing to massive damage, lead to instant death, Marluxia's voice called from the fog. The throat, spinal column, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, subclavian artery, and jugular vein. Now... which way would you like to die? Heh heh...
"Monster," Roy muttered under his breath. "He knows as much about human anatomy as a doctor would."
Roy raised his sword to block an invisible stroke aimed for his heart. I could see Marluxia, if only for a second, who then disappeared into the thick fog again.
I see... you're not called hitokiri for no reason, Marluxia's voice called from the fog. So... how does a dark knight fare?
Roy sent out an aura burst that knocked me aside just in time to avoid being decapitated.
"This place is a double-edged sword for you, Marluxia," Roy called out as I got to my feet. "We can't see or sense you, but thanks to all these plants, I have nearly-unlimited aura to draw on."
"We can take down assassins," I cshouted. "Xemnas was a more honorable fighter than this."
You'd dare to compare me to that excuse for a Superior? Marluxia asked. I see... you really are asking for it.
Roy blocked several more hits, and, using the darkness, I blocked more hits as well...
I see... neither of you need each other to stay alive. Very well...
The fog lifted, and Marluxia stood in front of us in an ornate room. The plants began to wither and die.
"Now neither of us have the advantage," Marluxia said. "So... if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get."
"I think 'Angel of Death' is a better moniker for you," I said to him.
Roy, Marluxia and I all got into our ready stances.