Chapter Fourty Five: Against the Black Knight
A/N: The musical theme for this chapter's action sequence is "Against the Black Knight," a song from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I do not claim ownership to that song, Fire Emblem, or intend to profit from it. It's just a tiny bit of omake.
We entered our Gummi Ship manually; no teleporter needed. I went and sat in the captain's seat, now aware of my role.
If even one person disappears, it's all over... I actually have a purpose other than pushing buttons...
"So... where are we going?" Serenity asked.
"To find Sora and Kairi... at Disney Castle," I said, punching in the coordinates. We zoomed over there; not only had I equipped some of the best engines, but my computer skills enabled me to maximize thrust while minimizing power drain. We landed in the Gummi Hangar, now eerily silent... the gears were not turning.
"So... where are they?" Serenity asked as we walked out into the Courtyard.
"If anywhere... I'd have to guess... the Hall of the Cornerstone," I muttered, then walked over to the stairway leading down to the hall. When we got down there, Sora and Kairi were near the Cornerstone...
But so was...
The Black Knight.
Oryx.
"Black Knight!" I shouted. He turned around, no longer paying attention to Sora and Kairi.
I was relieved to see Sora still had both of his arms, but there was another bit of business to take care of...
"Black Knight... in the name of the order of the worlds, I challenge you to a duel!" I shouted, summoning my Keyblade and pointing it at him. The Black Knight chuckled, then drew his purple sword.
"Jason!" everyone but the Black Knight shouted.
"I know what I'm doing," I muttered. "I've fought him before."
The Black Knight shook his head.
"Stand back," I said. "This is my fight."
Everyone ran out of the room, closing it behind them.
"Now it's just you and me... Black Knight."
We stared at each other.
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I attacked the Black Knight quickly. He walked forward slowly, his armor clanking. We clashed our blades and locked into a contest of strength.
The Black Knight shoved me back, attacking my feet. I blocked the blow, then forced his blade back, and eventually struck his torso.
It was nicked.
The Black Knight seemed surprised. He ran forward, attacking me with a diagonal attack, but I blocked it, then forced his sword to the ground. I jumped up and over him, striking his helm, once again nicking his armor. He turned around and nearly struck me, but I managed to block the blow, despite being forced back.
I skidded and stopped just before hitting the Cornerstone of Light, then charged forward again. I knocked his attack aside, then whirled my blade to push him back. He moved his arm forward, blocking the stroke, then hit me in the shoulder. I staggered a bit, then straightened out.
"Your style... I've fought someone like this before," I said. "It's good... but not refined."
The Black Knight raised his fist, flared it to the side, then charged at me. I nimbly dodged the blow, intending to nick his armor again, but was blocked. He pushed me back, then clanged his sword against his armor.
"What's that supposed to... AAGH!!!" I shouted as a sonic screech rang through the Hall. I dropped to my knees, but got back up just in time to roll out of the way of a sword strike. Shuffling to my feet, I blocked the incoming strike, then pushed the Black Knight back a bit.
I dashed at the Black Knight again. He nimbly dodged my blow, after which he kneed me in the gut. I gasped, out of air, then was hit in the back with his large sword.
I fell to the ground, then got back to my feet. The Black Knight hadn't quite made it to the doors yet, so I charged at him. He blocked the blow, then sent me back.
The Black Knight's head was down. I watched in awe as a blue ball of energy gathered in his hand, which was raised to the sky.
"Wh... what is that?" I asked.
The Black Knight slowly looked up. I could have sworn he had a sinister smirk on his face, but it was obscured by his helm.
He threw the energy ball at me, which I knocked aside with my Keyblade. It deflected and exploded against a wall, leaving spiral grooves.
"Is that all you got?" I asked, beginning to feel a bit tired. "If so... it's not enough."
The Black Knight moved away from the door.
"Now... that's more like it," I said, branishing my Keyblade. I dashed forward, meeting the Black Knight halfway, and once again engaged him in a contest of strength. We both pushed, then pushed harder, then pushed harder still. After a minute, I let go, ducked, and attacked his shins. He brought his sword down, but I dodged the stroke, then got up on my feet.
I stood there, slightly down, then stepped back.
I know I'm stronger than this! I've got to be!
I took in a deep breath, then straightened out.
I kneeled, dodging a horizontal slice. I knocked his sword aside, then pointed my Keyblade at his face.
"It's over," I muttered. The Black Knight held out his hand, curling his fingers slightly, and...
His sword reappeared in his hand.
It was a Keyblade, as well.
No wonder. He IS Roy, but...
"Okay... no more games," I muttered, pulling my arm out of its sling within my coat. "Time to end it."
The Black Knight shook his head.
I dashed forward, no longer caring if he lived or died. We attacked in flurries of breakneck speed, but niether managed to land a blow. After a couple minutes, we clashed, putting a massive amount of force into the blow, and knocked each other back.
The Black Knight held out is spare hand, shooting bits of lightning at me. I dodged them, then charged at him. The Black Knight knocked me aside, then chased me, no longer using his sword; he now beat me up hand-to-hand. After a minute or so, and after spitting up a considerable amount of blood, he let me down.
The Black Knight drew his sword, then pointed it at my head. I managed to look up at him, still bleeding from the mouth.
"Hope," he said, then sheathed his sword. He walked towards the door, then shoved it open.
"ORYX!!!" I shouted. The Black Knight hesitated for a moment, then kept going before my vision blurred... and failed...