"They WHAT?" Sora asked as he turned to cut through an attacking Shadow Heartless.
"They got here a few hours ago! We held them off as long as we could but then this clown guy appears out of nowhere, grabs Kairi and escapes before I could get to him! She sure put up one heck of a fight though!" Riku explained.
"Kefka! What is he doing here?" Aqua asked angrily as she entered the Magic Wish Command Style and started cutting down the enemies with renewed fervor.
"I think he just said he was here to kidnap Kairi!" Ven replied, entering Speed Rave.
"Where did he take her?" Sora asked.
"I'm not sure, but I can sense a very strong source of darkness coming from the old Heartless Castle. I could be Xehanort and Maleficent over there!" Riku said as he spun and blasted another Heartless with Dark Firaga. Sora immediately drove the front of his Keyblade into the ground, using the Trinity Drive Shoot lock and clearing the area of Heartless and Nobodies.
"We've got to get to that castle!" Aqua said as they quickly regrouped.
"Then you can count me in fellas!" a familiar voice said. They turned to see King Mickey leap down next to them.
"You're majesty!" Sora and Ven exclaimed.
"Nice to have ya back Ven." Mickey said as Ven smiled and nodded.
"I'm kinda beginning to wish I was back in Sora's heart." Ven said wryly.
"Ansem, is there anything you know about the city that can keep it better protected?" Aqua asked as Ansem pondered.
"I can divert all of the power from the Heartless Factory to the defenses. That should improve its potency." Ansem replied.
"Do it. Firion, he might need some escort." Aqua said as Firion nodded.
"Right." Firion replied before he and Ansem headed into the castle.
"Donald, Goofy, go and make sure that Leon and the others get the people to safety." Mickey ordered as Donald and Goofy saluted.
"Yes your majesty!" they replied in unison before running off.
"Okay, I'm not even going to ask how DiZ is still around." Riku said as he and the others started running towards the city walls.
"Better we save the explanation for later, for now we've got a world to save!" Aqua replied as she, Sora, and Ven summoned their armor. Before they could even reach the castle wall, they suddenly saw strange spheres of energy dropping towards the ground, exploding in a strange static filled bubble upon impact.
"LOOK OUT!" Riku shouted as they dove clear of the blast just in time.
"HEE-HAW-haw-haw-haw-haw! Look who decided to join the party!" Kefka chortled from atop the ruins of the broken wall.
"Kefka!" Aqua growled.
"What have you done with Kairi?" Sora asked angrily.
"Oh she's about to hand over the keys to Xehanort's coveted prize! Kingdom Hearts!" Kefka declared with glee.
"What? Y-You're lying!" Sora argued.
"You're lying!" Kefka mocked in a high pitched voice, "HEH! We'll just see about that now won't we?"
"You're not going to get away with this Kefka! We're going to rescue Kairi even if we have to go through you!" Ven said challengingly.
"Ooh I-see-a-poser!" Kefka said in a sing-song tone causing Aqua and Ven to glare at him angrily.
"You don't look so tough! You're probably a big coward in a clown suit!" Ven taunted, making Kefka grin evilly.
"Ooh I think you and I are going to have some fun! Let me take that weight off your shoulders!" Kefka said before he leapt up and snapped his fingers. All of a sudden three glowing blue triangles appeared around Ven and started converging on him. Fortunately Ven still had just a little bit of Speed Rave left and managed to evade it just in time and leap after Kefka. Kefka cackled as he leapt away and started running towards the area where Sora fought and defeated Demyx. Ven ran up to face him, leaving the others trapped on the outside of a magic barrier Kefka had activated.
"Time for your punishment, LITTLE ONE!" Kefka said before a towering pillar of light engulfed him. When it vanished, Kefka had transformed into a floating purple monstrosity. On his back were a pair of angel wings above a pair of black bat like wings. He now wore a simple red loin cloth that hung down around his ankles in the back. (A/N: His Dissidia EX mode)
Ven wasted no time, quickly leaping at Kefka who hurled a large spike of ice at him that was at least twice Kefka's own size. The spike of ice stopped in midair causing Ven to halt his charge and quickly threw up a Reflega shield before the spike burst into several bowling ball sized hail pellets. Fortunately the Reflega held and proceeded to smack Kefka with the resulting burst of light. Kefka growled as he reared back a fist and threw a large fireball at Ven who leapt back and blocked the fireball before creating a number of glowing white spheres to appear around Kefka and suddenly explode.
"I am not in the mood!" Kefka growled before he leapt at Ven and launched a small slow floating ball of energy at him. Aqua's eyes widened as she recognized the move.
"WATCH OUT VEN!" She shouted. Luckily Ven heeded her warning and leapt clear just before the ball exploded in a tremendous explosion.
"Whaddya think of this?" Kefka asked as the energy spheres started dropping from the sky again and exploding in the static filled bubbles but they were now starting to move towards him. Ven waited until they were right on top of him before he charged towards Kefka, Keyblade raised. He then quickly started unleashing a sudden flurry of lightning fast strikes on the Mad Mage.
"What-the? Get-offa-me-you-little-pest!" Kefka yelled as he tried to swat Ven away but he played right into Ven's trap, the latter leaping away just before a falling orb landed on Kefka's head.
"OWW! That does it!" Kefka roared.
"What do you hope to gain in all this Kefka? Why are you helping Xehanort?" Ven asked as Kefka laughed.
"Why else? I get to destroy the WORLDS!" Kefka declared gleefully.
"You do realize that Xehanort intends to shroud each world in Darkness, not destroy them!" Ven replied as Kefka looked appalled.
"Destruction without death? BORING!" Kefka said as he started channeling all of his energy together but before he could unleash it, Ven quickly re-released Speed Rave and launched towards the Mad Mage again. He quickly flew in, dealing a number of quick strikes, though Kefka saw through this one and grabbed Ventus by the throat.
"VEN!" Aqua and Sora shouted.
"Any last words?" Kefka asked with a dark grin.
"You…LOSE!" Ven shouted as he cast Firaga Shield and broke free before leaping back and started slashing in multiple directions before finally spinning and creating a tornado of shooting stars that each homed in on Kefka. It was Ven's Multi Vortex Shoot Lock.
"Oh, mommy." Kefka said with a sad chuckle before he was obliterated in a rain of shooting stars, ending the Mad Mage's dreams of total destruction, with his own. Aqua, Sora, and Ven's helmets disappeared as the magic barrier disappeared along with Kefka.
"Ven! You did it!" Aqua exclaimed as she quickly crashed into Ven, almost knocking him over.
"I knew he would." Sora said as Leon ran up to them from the city.
"We've got a problem! Some of the Heartless and Nobodies are still getting through! With the King's guard and magician and Firion guarding Ansem the Wise, there's been a slight gap in our defenses! We need someone to fill the gap!" Leon said as Sora quickly fished into his pocket and pulled out Roxas's Sphere and Axel's pendant.
"These two will help things out." Sora said as he threw the sphere and pendant into the air, summoning both the Flurry of the Dancing Flames and the Key of Destiny to the battle field.
"Yo, Sora. We're ready to lend a hand." Axel said as he summoned his chakrams.
"We'll catch up when we can Sora. Lead the way, Leon." Roxas said before Leon ran off towards the city with both Axel and Roxas in tow.
"Come on, we've got to get to the castle!" Sora said as the helmets reappeared on the armored Keyblade warriors before they charged off into the field of battle.
Within the highest point of the Castle…
Xehanort and Maleficent stood observing the battle from the balcony.
"They have dispatched Kefka. I am surprised that he was unable to defeat them." Maleficent said curiously.
"I'm not. They have re-awakened my former apprentice, Ventus, from his slumber. They have an extra Keyblade in the fight. But I still need more time to gather my strength for our last move. I need you to do all in your power to stop them, or at the very least slow them down." Xehanort said as Maleficent smiled and bowed humbly.
"It would be a pleasure my sweet." Maleficent said as Xehanort gave her a dark scowl before walking off into the darkness of the castle. Maleficent then turned her attention to the approaching Keyblade warriors. She then raised her staff, causing it to glow with an eerie green aura. Storm clouds started gathering and swirling around the top of the castle.
Down on the field the Keyblade warriors were cutting their way through Heartless and Nobodies as fast as they could when Riku noticed the storm clouds.
"Uh oh. IT'S MALEFICENT!" Riku shouted before a bolt of green lighting flashed and nearly struck Ven head on had he not dodge rolled out of the way.
"We've got to hurry! She's attacking us directly now!" Aqua said as they kept fighting their way through the canyon towards the Dark Depths. Maleficent hurled another lightning bolt at them but Aqua managed to deflect it with a Reflega shield, instead causing it to bounce off and hit a small cluster of approaching Heartless and Nobodies, obliterating them. Riku then looked up and saw Maleficent's pet raven, Diablo, flying overhead and scowled.
"That's how she's targeting us so accurately!" Riku shouted before he turned to Sora.
"Sora! Give me a boost will ya?" Riku shouted. Sora quickly slid up and allowed Riku to use his hands as a jumping point. The boost gave Riku enough loft that he was able to hurl a Dark Firaga and bulls eye the Raven, killing it in a large black burst of energy.
"No. NO!" Maleficent gasped as she realized what had happened.
"That's going to really tick her off you know!" Ven said as Riku grinned.
"I've always wanted to do that to the old hag!" Riku replied with a laugh. They were nearly at the Dark Depths but before they could however, Maleficent stood in the tower, waving her staff with a purple aura around over her head as she chanted…
"The Forest of thorns shall be their tomb, born from the skies like a fog of doom! Now go with a curse and serve me well, 'round Heartless Castle, cast my SPELL!"
Almost instantly purple bolts of lightning struck at points all around the castle perimeter, and where it struck, a twisted mass of razor sharp brown thorn bushes grew rapidly, quickly blocking the access route into the Castle. The Heroes skid to a halt when they reached the thorns.
"We've got to get through! Sora! Ven! You and me at the front!" Aqua ordered as they started cutting a path through the thick brambles as Riku and Mickey covered the rear. Maleficent could be heard cackling from above in the tower. Fortunately it didn't take them long to cut through the brambles and soon they saw the entrance into the castle.
"We've made it! Come on guys! Hurry!" Sora shouted as they started making a B-line for the castle. Up top, an incensed Maleficent ignited with green flames.
"No! It CANNOT BE!" she shouted in anger before she transformed into a glowing green comet and streaked down towards the entrance of the castle, crashing into it and reappearing as her usual Sorceress self right in the Keyblade Warriors' path. They quickly skid to a halt upon seeing her.
"Now you shall deal with me, and all the powers of DARKNESS!" She shouted before exploding in a towering pillar of green fire, her cackling being heard as a massive black shadow appeared within the flames with glowing green eyes. The flames died down revealing her towering dragon form.
"Dragons? Why does it always have to be Dragons with her?" Sora asked in disbelief as Maleficent snarled down at them.
"Get back! She's mine!" Riku shouted as he charged towards her, Keyblade raised.
"Riku! Wait!" Sora shouted but Riku didn't wait. Aqua quickly threw a reflega shield around him just as Maleficent breathed a long jet of green flames at Riku that would have cooked him alive. Riku quickly ran around to her side but she was fast and snapped at him a few times before Riku was able to deal a fierce blow onto her snout, causing the beast to recoil in pain for a second with a grunt before breathing another jet of flames at him, but missed. She instead proceeded to ignite the whole thick forest of brambles behind the heroes.
"Great! Now we're trapped!" Ven grumbled as Mickey ran past them.
"You're highness!" Aqua exclaimed.
"Hang on Riku!" Mickey shouted as he leapt up onto Maleficent's tail, running up onto her back as Riku managed to successfully dodge all of her attacks. Riku managed to lead her to a large cliff ledge overlooking the burning bramble forest but in the process, trapping himself between her and the cliff. Maleficent had no idea that Mickey was on her back.
"Come on! We've got to draw her attention!" Aqua shouted as she, Sora, and Ven summoned their Keyblade Riders and flew off towards the large dragon. Riku was about to get incinerated but Sora dropped down in between his best friend and the monster, throwing up a reflega just as she fired a fierce jet of flames towards them both. She was then hit from both sides by Aqua and Ven's magic spells as well as Mickey's own attacks to her head. She started snapping at them as well as breathing the occasional jet of flames at them as Sora turned to Riku.
"Riku! You said a while ago that you wanted to learn what I've learned, well now's your chance. Concentrate as much of your energy into your Keyblade and focus on Maleficent!" Sora said as Riku nodded and held his Keyblade close to his chest, causing it to start glowing with a yellow aura of light. Mickey leapt onto the back of Ven's Keyblade Rider.
"Maleficent!" Riku shouted, catching the attention of the monstrous sorceress, "Have you ever wondered what the purpose of the Keyblade's wielder was?"
Maleficent cackled tauntingly as she reared back for an attack. Riku reared his Keyblade back, ready to throw it.
"It's so the Keyblade flies swift and sure, that Darkness die and Light endure!" Riku said before he hurled his Keyblade straight at the dragon. The glow around the Keyblade grew much brighter, leaving a bright trail of light like a comet before piercing the soft underbelly of Maleficent's chest and bursting out the armored and scaled back. Maleficent let out an agonized scream before she started to tumble forwards. Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade Rider, grabbing Riku, and flying clear before Maleficent tumbled completely off the edge of the cliff to her doom, exploding in a massive burst of black and neon green magic. Maleficent's reign of terror was finally over for good.
"Alright! Way to go, Riku with that Shoot Lock." Aqua cheered as they regrouped back at the front entrance of the castle. Hers, Ven's, and Sora's helmets each disappeared.
"Thank Sora. He's the one who told me what to do." Riku said as he gave Sora a friendly punch on the arm.
"Hey, your power came from your heart. I just told you what to do with it." Sora said with a smile.
"We've won this victory, so now all that remains between us and Xehanort is time and distance. Let's not keep him waiting much longer." Aqua said as they turned towards the castle. They could feel the dark presence within, along with Kairi's light just within the castle. They knew Xehanort was waiting for them and they each silently prepared themselves before slowly walking inside. They arrived at the large round room where Maleficent had first been defeated by Sora a year ago, and also the same room where Sora, technically met and fought Xemnas for the first time as well. As they entered they saw Kairi inside of a large metal cage atop the platform at the back.
"Kairi!" Sora shouted as Kairi looked up at them.
"Sora! Riku! You're alright!" Kairi exclaimed with a smile of relief.
"Hold on Kairi, we're coming to free you!" Sora said as he started running towards the stairs. Unfortunately…
"SORA! LOOK OUT!" Aqua shouted just as Sora crashed into an invisible barrier that launched him across the room and skid onto his back up next to the others.
"Sora, are you okay?" Ven asked as he and Riku helped him back onto his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said, shaking his head a few times to clear his head. They then heard the echoing sounds of Xehanort's laughter from the shadows. The Keyblade warriors instinctively summoned their Keyblades and dropped into their battle stances.
"So young and so naïve. Ah how I miss those days when I was young and foolish." Xehanort said as he appeared from the shadows next to Kairi's cage, with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Terra!" Ven exclaimed as Xehanort laughed again.
"Well hello there Ventus. It has been far too long since we last saw one another. I hope that you've rested comfortably." Xehanort said maliciously as Ven snarled at his former friend and master.
"Xehanort!" Aqua yelled as she stepped up. Xehanort looked her over and an arched a curious eyebrow before a smile swept his face.
"Ah, so you have acquired the Keyblade of Master Eraqus, as well as his haori, marking you as a Keyblade Master. Please forgive me for only noticing this now, since we were a little distracted in Castle Oblivion." Xehanort said with a mockingly humble bow.
"You went back to Castle Oblivion?" Riku asked Sora.
"It was Aqua and Ven's homeworld before it was Castle Oblivion." Sora whispered before turning their attention back to Aqua and Xehanort.
"So you at least acknowledge that I'm a Master. Then as a Master of the Keyblade, protector and defender of the worlds and their secrets, I hereby order you to release Kairi from that cage, as well as release your control of Terra, my friend!" Aqua ordered as Xehanort grinned sinisterly.
"And what makes you think that I'm going to do that?" Xehanort asked with a chuckle. His answer came in the form of a Thundaga to the face, knocking him back slightly. The heroes turned to see Sora having been the one to fire it.
"Because you can't beat all of us at once Xehanort! Now release Kairi!" Sora ordered.
"And release Terra!" Ven added.
"Because no matter how hard you try-!" Riku said before Mickey added…
"-You cannot defeat the light!" Mickey said.
"Your choice Xehanort! Surrender Terra or be forced out of him!" Aqua said as Xehanort grinned sinisterly. He then started to glow with a black and purple aura before holding his hand out to the side and summoning his black thorned Keyblade.
"So be it." He replied.
The final battle between Good and Evil was about to begin…
End Chapter 36.
What will happen? Who will win? Find out in the next chapters!