Chapter 4: A Fight for Intelligence
Intelligence (noun): Highly valuable information meant to be kept secret from an opposing faction, typically giving either side a strategic advantage over the other should they obtain it.
Sentence: We've received enemy intelligence regarding a hole in their defense.
Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy found themselves alone and surrounded on all sides by an innumerable number of Heartless. There were an uncountable number of distinct types, ranging from pure black beasts, humanoid knights sporting blades for hands, large spiked balls with arms and legs, plants, animals, objects, the list was endless.
Riku surveyed the make up of the army around him, and something quickly caught his attention.
(These Heartless... they aren't organized to compliment each other like the Battleship unit. If I had to guess, that Shadow tsunami crashing down on them must have disrupted any formation they did have. It'd surprise me if Shigaraki managed to give solid battle formations for all 10,000 of these things, but if he did...)
Dozens of the Heartless suddenly pounced at him, flinging their bodies, weapons, and projectiles alike. Riku leapt into the air, evading all of their blows and countering with a vicious combo of keyblade swings, eliminating a batch of eight melee Heartless.
(Darn, I'll have to think about that later. I need to regroup with Kairi, she probably won't be able to take all these Heartless without holding back.)
Riku jumped to the head of a Heartless and began skipping across them, darting his gaze about for her. After rounding the corner of a building, he spotted Kairi, sending huge magic blasts into the horde around her. "Kairi!" he shouted.
Another slew of Heartless jumped him. Riku deflected their assault and knocked them away, but the force of their attack sent him back too, falling straight into a crowd of Heartless. They all glared at him as the tall, armored ones readied their blades, the small armored ones wound back their bodies, and several ones resembling sunflowers absorbed energy in their mouths.
(Kairi...) Riku thought back to what happened earlier, both what she made Riku promise, and why she was compelled to speak up to begin with. (Saving a few surprises for Shigaraki will give us an edge we need, but holding back too much will force us into a corner, and make us to use our more powerful techniques anyway.)
The tall and short armored Heartless flew forward, and the plant Heartless spat out green pellets at Riku.
(I won't make any of them worry about me!)
Riku thrust his keyblade in the air, creating a bright, white sphere, with several small orbs of varying color inside it. The melee Heartless and green pellets were sucked into the sphere, leaving them spinning about helplessly as Riku charged in with a flurry of attacks, reducing them to mist in moments.
The display was quick and impressive, one Shigaraki was paying close attention to. (Interesting, a spell that sucks in things within its radius, but I can already tell it's not strong enough to even annoy me.)
He paused, thinking back to Aeroza, Thundaza, and Firaza. (Unless this spell also has a 'Grand Magic' variant. No reason to assume it doesn't really.)
"Kairi!" Shigaraki's thoughts were interrupted by Riku's shout, leaping high into the air and gliding toward her. Kairi noticed him too. "Riku!" she shouted before leaping up high and gliding to him.
(Yeah right, as if regrouping is gonna be a free action.)
Shigaraki jumped off of the Dark Inferno's shoulder, positioning himself behind it.
"You're up, Mid-Boss!" He shouted, kicking its back with incredible strength, creating a sonic boom as it went blitzing at Riku.
That maneuver caught both of them off guard, the Heartless smashing into Riku in moments, planting them both firmly in the ground with a thunderous boom as a number of Heartless around them erupted in the air like a geyser.
"No! Riku!" Kairi lunged at the Dark Inferno, only to get blasted away by a sonic boom. The Dark Inferno swatted Riku with its two swords, flinging him across the city at breakneck speeds before giving chase in a flash.
"That'll keep him busy."
As Shigaraki began falling, a black and purple orb appeared under him, giving way to a brown, black and tan, winged creature, resembling a monstrous pterodactyl with a spiked tail, jagged talons, and a misshapen T-Rex jaw for a mouth. It's a Heartless known as Dustflier.
(This thing's about as strong as that other one. Just what I wanted from Mid-Boss number two.) He landed on its back before returning his attention to the battlefield.
"I'm coming Riku!" Kairi shouted as she gave chase, but was intercepted by a horde of Heartless barreling into her, smacking her to the ground. She got back up and started blasting the Heartless away, but more hopped in faster than she could wipe them out.
All she could do now was watch as the Dark Inferno disappeared into the ocean of darkness with Riku.
Riku was left reeling from the Dark Inferno's attack, his chest still writhing in pain as he flew through the air. (Man. That thing is strong. But, is it going for...?)
Riku saw the Heartless soaring at him, blinking through the air and popping in behind him in moments, raising its blades for another strike.
Riku propelled himself around the attack before raising his keyblade and delivering a devastating blow to its head, pushing the creature's neck partway into its body, sending a burst of air out from the impact's center.
Its neck popped back out. Riku gasped in shock, then grunted in pain from the sword suddenly in his gut, knocking him across the city once again.
(I was right, it's targeting me and not Kairi. But why? It'd have a much easier time taking on Kairi instead of me.) He seethed in pain, air bursting out from his grit teeth as he clutched his stomach. (This must be Shigaraki's plan, but I'm not sure why he'd be more concerned with wearing me down than eliminating Kairi. Maybe he's-)
The Dark Inferno lunged at him again, forcing Riku on the defensive. A barrier of magic resembling glass panels appeared around Riku as the Heartless barraged him with a flurry of attacks, forcing him to hold his guard. (Darn it! This thing's ferocious! It's not giving me time to breath, let alone think about Shigaraki.)
The Dark Inferno relented for the tiniest moment, giving Riku the chance to counterattack. In a flash, he smacked its chest, making it flinch, then continued beating away at it, swinging his keyblade with all the strength and speed he had to keep it stunned.
(Whatever his plan is, I'll keep this thing on me and let everybody focus on their fights. If he thinks this is gonna wear me down or make me slip up, he's got another thing coming!)
Riku continued his exchange with the Dark Inferno, doing his best to pin it down for as long as he could while staying in the air to more easily evade the smaller Heartless around him. He kept himself out of as many poor situations as he could, but one he had no say in the matter on was Shigaraki's watchful, rainbow-colored eyes.
(Pretty damn convenient Search still works on people from other realities.) A list of bullet points appeared next to Riku. 'Low vitality,' 'Reduced combat prowess without weapon,' and 'Limited Resources.'
(Search may only show me someone's weaknesses, but I can still figure out their strengths based on their weaknesses. Given how this kid has been fighting, using fast, powerful attacks, combined with 'Low vitality' makes it easy to deduce he's a glass cannon, someone that can dish out damage but can't take much back.)
(Network was pretty helpful too. It may only show me their personality instead of combat abilities, but someone's personality is still indicative of how they act. The kid's a risk taker, he'll take dangerous situations on alone, and he's willing to throw his life away to protect people.)
Shigaraki sneered as he looked at Riku. (Just like a damn hero.)
He released his sneer, returning to a neutral expression. (I've got five targets here, not just one. Let's not get too hung up on anybody.)
He shifted his gaze at Kairi, who was feverishly fighting off a horde of Heartless. The bullet points that showed up next to her were; 'Low vitality,' 'Reduced combat prowess without weapon,' 'Limited Resources,' and 'Lacking combat experience'.
(Interesting, it's almost the same as Sora's and the kid's. Not like it matters, her potential might be high, but she's still a greenhorn. I don't intend on underestimating her, but everybody else here is a much bigger threat.)
A wide grin cracked across his face. (Besides, if everyone's so willing to protect each other, maybe I can take advantage of that later.)
He shifted over to Donald and Goofy, who were both fighting off Heartless together. (Huh, they found each other. Figures they didn't just pause for me.) Shigaraki's hand became enveloped in a dark aura. (But it's like I said, teaming up won't be a free action.)
Donald stood alone, faced against an innumerable number of Heartless. He casted spell after spell all around, and bashed any with his staff that got too close.
"Donald!" he heard Goofy shouting. To his side, he saw Goofy smashing a hole through the Heartless horde and quickly rush to him. "Good ta see yer okay!"
"Of course I'm fine! Do you know where everyone else is?"
Goofy shook his head. "I'm surprised I even found you through all these Heartless."
Goofy raised his shield, deflecting a Heartless trying to kick him, before parrying it with his weapon and sending it flying. "We must have landed pretty far apart from them, but I'm sure even if Kairi's all alone, she and everyone will be just fine."
Donald launched a chunk of ice shards, freezing the crowd before him in place. "Let's see about that!" His staff quickly amassed green energy, and with a swift motion, a typhoon of wind formed under them, propelling them into the air.
"There!" Donald shouted. After quickly surveying his surroundings, he spotted Kairi gliding toward Riku. "It's Kairi, and she's heading to Riku!"
In the blink of an eye, something large and black slammed into Riku, both of them smashing into the ground the same moment. Donald and Goofy both flinched from the sudden event, and again when Riku was smacked across the city, and a large, floating Heartless wielding two blades gave chase to him.
"Riku!" Donald shouted, "He's so far. I don't think we can catch up to him."
"Probably not," Goofy said, "but you know Riku. I bet he's okay with taking on that thing if it means keeping us safe."
Donald and Goofy both raised their weapons and blitzed down to the ground, creating an impact that blasted away the Heartless in its twenty foot radius.
As Goofy took a battle ready stance, he saw Donald angrily glaring at the sky, at Shigaraki. He growled like a lion as he stared at their tormentor on high. "Little creep. Who does he think he is coming to our world and wiping out so many of our friends?"
Donald's eyes narrowed, his beak scrunching tightly. "I think this is the guy I'll have to use Zettaflare on."
Goofy gasped in shock. "But Donald! Ya know what'll happen if ya use that spell!"
"I know! But we already know this guy is really dangerous. If it means keeping you all safe, I won't hesitate to use it!"
Goofy wanted to convince him it wasn't worth it, but knowing Donald genuinely had a good point, and seeing the ferocity in his friend's eyes, he knew talking him out of this wasn't an option.
"Donald..." Goofy weakly uttered as his expression began to droop.
Goofy's head shot up, spotting a barrage of pellets, arrows, and magic blasts coming at him. As he rose his shield, a barrier of wind enveloped him, helping him fend off the attacks with ease.
"Don't worry Goofy," Donald said, holding his staff up as its head radiated green, "I doubt I'm gonna have to use Zettaflare at all. I bet we'll mop the floor with this guy, just like we did with Xehanort and Luxu." Goofy and Donald smiled and exchanged nods.
A loud, violent crash erupted before them as a stream of Heartless crashed down between the two. This innumerable wave of bodies, consisting of all manner of Heartless, created a solid wall, splitting them apart.
Donald and Goofy both jumped back, wondering how to get around it to re-group, before the wave began expanding outward, pushing them both in opposite directions. They were able to fend off the stream, stopping it from consuming them, but the Heartless's numbers were constantly replaced, healing in moments before their eyes.
Breaking through this ocean was not an option.
"Donald!" Goofy shouted as the Heartless between them began rising, climbing each other to the height of a building. (These Heartless,) Donald thought, (it's like they're being forced to move, like something's controlling them.)
A group of Heartless came flying at Donald from behind, but he casted Aeroga, the green wind typhoon sending him into the air. He set his sights on a collection of Heartless forming a tall, wide rectangle, the ones on its side seemingly clinging to something, and the ones on top standing upright.
"Thundaza!" With a collection of light-speed, booming thunder claps, a torrent of lightning bolts rained down on the Heartless on top, revealing the roof of a building underneath as about sixty Heartless were eliminated. He landed on the rooftop, taking what few moments of reprieve he had to survey the land for his friends, but seeing nothing more than a sea of darkness.
As Heartless began climbing up to confront him, Donald gave a cold, malicious glare to Shigaraki, who was returning a sinister grin with his rainbow-colored eyes.
(So that's why the kid warned this one to hold back. As if the outfit wasn't enough of a giveaway, that duck is the most skilled with magic in this group. Compared to the kid and greenhorn, he's way more powerful.)
He squinted his eyes as he continued observing. (Not to mention this 'Zettaflare'. He and the dog thing were pretty serious about it. If that move really is as powerful as they implied, it might have the power to burn through my Regen.)
(Hell, it might even be able to...) Shigaraki thought back to his fight with the heroes in the remnants of Jakku City, where Japan's Number One grabbed hold of him and unleashed an unholy inferno on him, then thinking back to All for One speaking to him. 'If I hadn't lent you my power, you would be nothing but ash right now.'
(No.) His eyes flared up, widening as he fiercely grit his teeth. (I'm not the same spineless Tomura I was back then. Even if they all come at me full force, I'll push through every last one of them and come out on top! I don't need Shigaraki anymore, I can do this all myself!)
His hand became enveloped in an aura of darkness as he thrust it forward, aiming at Donald. (and I'll start by exhausting their biggest threat!)
The Heartless around Donald all gained the same aura of darkness around Shigaraki's hand. Their bodies began shaking erratically, uncontrollably spasming, before they began throwing projectiles, and even themselves at Donald. He casted Firaga, summoning a barrier of fire around him, but the Heartless's assault was relentless.
"Wak! They're so much faster now!"
They continued beating away at his barrier, quickly suffocating it on all sides before breaking through and barraging Donald with blow after blow. He squawked and grunted in pain, being tossed around like a rag doll as he could feel his grip on his consciousness weaken more and more.
But he soon gripped his staff, its head glowing red and white. As another Heartless prepared to pound him, he thrust his weapon upward.
"Mega Flare!"
Shigaraki watched as the entire building Donald was on became enveloped in a white flash. He blocked out the intense explosion of light with his arm, and when it vanished, his squinted stare became a wide-eyed, open mouthed stunted gasp as he saw the sixty foot tall building Donald stood on was now completely devoid of Heartless.
"What the hell?!" he shouted in shock.
Donald threw two collections of white particles in the air. They surrounded him, one turning green and the other turning blue. They traveled up and down his body, the only visible effect Shigaraki noticing was Donald no longer seemed winded.
(Man, so they weren't bluffing. If that's how strong this Mega Flare is, his Zettaflare would probably do me in for sure. Assuming it's a screen-nuke like this one, I'll need to be ready to get out of its range before he fires it.)
Shigaraki focused on Donald's staff. (Unlike those oversized anime keys, his weapon shines a certain color before casting a spell. I'll have to keep a mental note of the colors I've seen so far, anything new could be dangerous. Even if I manage to disarm him, he and that dog-mule seem to have multiple weapons, and I'm not even gonna bother figuring out how the kids materialize their giant keys from thin air.)
His hand became enveloped in an aura of darkness again. (He doesn't even look winded after all that, my mistake for letting healing be a free action.) He swung forward with a swift, chopping motion. (I won't let that happen again!)
A horde of Heartless around the building gained the dark aura, briefly squirming and twitching before shooting off in a frenzy, dashing up the building and flinging themselves at Donald.
Donald once again took to defending himself, but Shigaraki didn't watch for long this time. (As much as I'd love to stick around for him, there's someone I've kept waiting long enough.)
His gaze swept the battlefield, soon landing on a lone cyan dot. (Right, Sora?)
Heartless after Heartless fell before Sora as he carved a path through this war zone, but no matter how many he brought down, it never quelled the uneasy expression on his face, his grit teeth and eyes firmly squinted as the skin on his face wrinkled slightly.
(Come on! I've gotta be close to somebody by now!) Sora casted Aeroga, blowing back a swarm of Heartless around him and launching himself high in the air.
Yet all he saw was... (Darkness.)
He couldn't help but pause, overwhelmed and frustrated by the landscape before him, everything as far as he could see resembling the same, multi-colored disaster.
(I remember seeing Riku fighting that Heartless Shigaraki was floating on, and that crazy bright light was probably Donald casting magic.)
His eyes began to shake, his confidence wavering in place of fear. (But these Heartless are all moving constantly, and those giant waves are making things worse. They must be shifting everyone's location, moving us around to keep us separated. There's no landmarks to head towards, and I can't even tell where Donald's Mega Flare came from anymore.
(Not to mention...) Sora intercepted blows from three Soldier Heartless, blocking their kicks before smashing them to mist. (There's so many Heartless, and they're all relentless. I can barely focus on looking for everyone, and I bet everyone else is having it just as rough. They're all so busy, they probably won't even be able to check Gummiphone messages.)
Sora's heart began racing as he fell back to the ground, the landing spot he previously made with Aeroga now replaced with a frenzy of Heartless, gnashing their claws, winding up their bodies, and chomping at him to name a small morsel. (Things can't keep going like this. We can't just wait for The King. We have to do something, or else Shigaraki will-)
In a moment of inspiration, he let out a gasp. His eyes and mouth widened, all the wrinkles and shakiness fading away in a heartbeat.
(I...) His mind was wandering, traversing a maze as he tried making sense of the thought that came to him. As the horde once again launched themselves at him, Sora gripped his keyblade, staring down at them with passionate, determined eyes. (think that's worth a shot!)
Sora began gliding through the air, glancing at Shigaraki who was firmly staring back. (What on earth are you up to now?) Shigaraki mused as Sora flew at a mountainous pillar of Heartless, crawling across a tall, obscured object. Some began leaping off the object, slowly revealing it to be a building, while others remained in place, spitting projectiles at him.
In one moment, Sora's Keyblade was consumed by a flash of light, and in the next, the weapon's design had changed into a rod with a small sun design on its tip.
Shigaraki lifted his head back, eyeing the change curiously. (The hell? His weapon totally changed. Looks more like a staff than a giant anime key now.)
Sora began launching attacks at the Heartless barrage, utilizing bursts and beams of light rather than swinging and slicing. He flew across the sky, devouring Heartless and their attacks, dashing through them surrounded by a wall of light and shooting off lasers that pierced through their ranks in a flash.
(I get it.) Shigaraki thought, (This is some kind of formchange mechanic. It's still the same weapon, but he changed its properties, and it's a hell of a lot stronger too.)
Sora dashed behind the building, leaving Shigaraki's line of sight. (Not bad Sora. I was wondering when you'd try losing me.) Even through the solid building and massive horde of Heartless crawling over it, Shigaraki could still see a lone cyan dot. (Too bad you don't know how Search works.) His hand became shrouded by a dark aura as he wound it back. (Try all you want, there's no escaping me anymore!)
With a swift, chopping motion, the horde around Sora became enveloped in a dark aura. A group of one-hundred Heartless began violently and erratically twitching before lunging at him in unison, throwing themselves or rapid-fire spitting out projectiles, all disappearing behind the building.
Then, an immeasurable barrage of light lasers shot out from behind the building, consuming hundreds of Heartless, eviscerating them in the blink of an eye. Once the barrage was over, things became noticeably quieter, the amount of groaning and shrieking from the Heartless lowered significantly, and a large hole in the Heartless ocean, stretching across both sides of the building, remained.
(Not too shabby Sora, that's a pretty cool ultimate move. He's been spamming those lasers since he changed his weapon, so these attacks are probably tied to that specific formchange, and I'm willing to bet he's got a ton more of them too. Just great, not gonna make this easy, are ya?)
As he waited for what came next, the now quieter atmosphere continued solidifying, remaining unchanged. Shigaraki stared at the cyan dot in confusion, watching as it remained still. (The hell is he doing? Why's he just standing there? Is he catching his breath, or...)
With a puff of air and tap from his dark aura imbued hand, the Dustflier began gliding toward the dot. (I'm not gonna wait around to find out. He's doing something back there, something he doesn't want me to know about.) As he rounded the corner and regained line of sight on Sora, Shigaraki was overwhelmed by confusion.
Sora was sitting there, and he was... (texting on that phone?)
Sora held the Gummiphone in his hands, his fingers slamming down on it repeatedly with a nervous expression, teeth grit and wide, unblinking eyes glued to the device. With a final, powerful tap, he put the phone away, then his head shot up as his eyes darted around the sky. He flinched as he spotted Shigaraki, then quickly gained a blue aura and began scaling the building he hid behind.
Shigaraki continued eyeing Sora, the events he just witnessed playing back in his head. (There's no way any of this was random, everything Sora just did was intentional. But why would he be texting any of these guys? If they had a way of re-grouping, they would've done it by now. What the hell is he-)
The Network Vision popped back into Shigaraki's mind, sitting atop the Dustflier high in the sky as Sora fell to the ground, before being enveloped by an orb of white light and his vision going dark. Comparing that to what he just witnessed prompted a grin out of him.
(So THAT'S what you're setting up. Interesting, texting that person was so important, he ignored that silver haired kid's advice and didn't even try hiding his formchange. He must be confident that plan will work, or maybe he's just desperate.)
He aimed a hand at Sora, the gaping black hole in his palm shining a dark yellow and crackling with purple electricity. (Either way, I know better than to let you guys communicate freely!)
A surge of dark yellow light and purple electricity sprawled out of his palm, shrouding the battlefield in its intense glow. He still towered above all, floating high above the buildings, nearly halfway up the colossal castle, yet his blast reached and consumed everything below him.
Every battle was put on pause as both Guardians of Light and the remaining 9,000 Heartless all recoiled from the blast.
Kairi braced herself as she slowly skid back with a horde of Heartless, Donald was pushed down to the floor of the roof he was on, Riku and The Dark Inferno were both sent spiraling to the ground, and Goofy persisted through the blast, continuing to smash Heartless while they were down.
Sora was shot off the building, getting launched down and hitting the ground with a thud.
The blast was over in just a second, but everything present felt its effects. Sora panted as he laid on the ground, thinking about the attack Shigaraki just unleashed. (Purple electricity. It's the same thing he used to mess with the Gummiphone.) He swiftly drew his Gummiphone, and after a few screen taps, gasped in shock.
(No way! The Gummiphone! It's not turning on!)
His Gummiphone was surging with purple electricity, and no matter how hard he held the power button, how many times he tapped the screen, or how desperately he pleaded for it to turn on, it remained unresponsive, totally black and lifeless. Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi also noticed purple electricity emitting from their Gummiphones, and like Sora's, theirs were completely unusable too.
"Dang it!" Sora shouted, "Without the Gummiphone, there's no way my plan is gonna work! What should I do now?!"
Sora's thoughts were interrupted by encroaching whispers. The army of Heartless that was once immobilized now lumbered toward him, even the puniest monsters regaining their senses. The flying Heartless Sora commanded everyone to ignore ascended too, many returning to the sky, but some setting their sights on him.
Sora felt squirming from inside his shirt, and soon Jiminy Cricket popped out onto his shoulder.
"Oh! Jiminy!"
"Hiya Sora! I know now might not be the best time, but do ya think there's a way to reactivate the Gummiphone?"
Sora shook his head. "Maybe if I could use an Elixer or Esuna, but I can't use items on it. Even then, I don't know if that would work."
Jiminy nodded. "You're probably right, we don't understand this power enough to counteract it. If that's the case then, we gotta approach this from a different angle."
"A different angle? ... What do you have in mind?"
Jiminy giggled. He leaned in to Sora's ear and began whispering. Once he was done, Sora's mouth opened wide.
"Ooooooooooh! That's a good idea Jiminy! They'll have to figure out what's going on, but I know they'll pull through for us!"
Jiminy slid back inside Sora's shirt as he summoned his keyblade, retaining a similar design to the wand he held earlier, a small sun on its tip, a flower on its base, and a small tower connecting the two ends. "Hang tight Jiminy! It won't be much longer now!" Sora gained a blue aura and once again began running up the building, pursued closely by countless Heartless.
(Can't say I was expecting that,) Shigaraki mused, (Having a goddamn cricket living in his shirt. Reminds me of that bird kid from Izuku's class, but that's not important. Network showed me his spirit is insanely strong, but I've seen him cracking already. That said, he's definitely confident his plan will work.)
He cracked a wide-mouthed grin. (I wonder how he'll feel after I crush that hope?)
Riku continued his seemingly endless battle with The Dark Inferno. However many blows he slammed into this beast, it never showed a single sign of slowing down.
But now, Riku was in a comfortable flow against it. He was predicting its movements without fail, deflecting and dodging its assaults, and even got used to negating the surrounding Heartless's occasional attacks.
With every hit Riku dealt to this thing, he could see it's life force, displayed in his vision by a segmented green bar, decreasing, but the bar still had plenty of remaining segments. (This thing is no joke, it's easily one of the strongest Heartless I've ever faced.)
After a hefty blow that knocked The Dark Inferno back a few feet, Riku thrust his Keyblade forward and shot a chunk of ice shards at the beast, partially encasing it in ice. (But that doesn't matter. I've figured out this thing's patterns, it's not a threat to me anymore. Even if it takes a while, I'll win this fight and cripple Shigaraki's army!)
He began gliding at his target, his weapon wound back for another assault. As he flew forward, Riku noticed something strange. The Dark Inferno became enveloped in a dark aura, its being and blades gaining a misty layer of darkness as it twitched and spasmed uncontrollably.
(What the?! What's happening to-)
The Dark Inferno blitzed forward, slamming a blade into Riku mid-thought, sending him flying and crashing into a building. His impact was accompanied by the loud bang of destroyed stone and concrete, and the Heartless on the building were sent erupting about, flying off in numerous directions.
(Ow!) Riku grimaced in pain, teeth grit and one eye shuttered shut, (How did that thing-)
He was yet again interrupted by the The Dark Inferno crashing its blade into him, sending him through the building and proceeding to devastate him with a flurry of swings. Riku was left helpless as the monster wailed on him mercilessly, the pain of each strike drowning his thoughts.
With a singular, powerful strike burrowing itself into Riku's chest, a white ring went shooting off of the area of impact as The Dark Inferno launched him across the battlefield once more, his body creating an explosion and small crater as he smashed into the ground.
Riku laid in his hole, his forehead blue while he panted heavily.
(I can't... *haa*, give up.) The Dark Inferno rushed Riku again, seemingly popping into existence before him, before winding its blades back. (I won't... give up!)
As The Dark Inferno brought its blades down, they landed on a barrier of reflective light that surrounded Riku, the barrier shining on contact. After a few moments, the barrier shot out blasts of light, stunning the monster and knocking it back. Riku swiftly threw an orb of light in the air, and was healed of his injuries by the green particles that followed.
(We just got Sora back, we're finally together again.) The Dark Inferno went in for another attack, but Riku was prepared this time, and jumped over the strike. (I'll make sure nobody ever rips us apart again!)
He aimed his Keyblade at the monster and shouted "Blizzaza!" His point blank strike encased it in ice, freezing it solid with a frenzy of icicle spikes jutting out of the blast's center. It took little time for the prison to crack, and shatter into hundreds of pieces as The Dark Inferno continued floating, seemingly unfazed by Riku's spell.
(I can't beat this thing anymore, not by myself at least.) It came at Riku again, but with a quick swing of his keyblade, he created another barrier of light, shining as it intercepted its attack once more. The Dark Inferno continued beating away at the barrier this time, assaulting it with ferocious blows that created bursts of wind from their impact, shining with each blow it received.
(But that's okay. I don't need to beat it myself, I just need to stall until King Mickey and the others arrive! As long as it's attention stays on me, that's all that matters!)
The Dark Inferno's final blow crashed into the barrier with such force, Riku could feel its vibration course through his body, but his defense remained stable. The barrier shot out another volley of light blasts just as strong as the first, giving Riku the chance to cast Aeroza, creating a thick barrier of green wind around himself.
(Please, don't keep me waiting much longer.) The Dark Inferno came in for another attack, its blade carving through the wind barrier, but being slowed down enough for Riku to intercept it, clashing with the beast.
(Don't keep any of us waiting much longer.)
Kairi remained lost and alone on the battlefield. She'd been hacking away at Heartless for who knows how long, going through an unknown number of items to keep up her offensive. That price however, was beginning to bare fruit. Kairi was ripping through hordes of Heartless with a systematic combination of magic to soften up foes and keyblade swings to finish them off. She was learning specific Heartless's patterns, dodging their attacks, countering when vulnerable, and taking advantage of their weaknesses.
A bright, confident smile overtook her face. (Finally, I can feel it. No, I can see it. I'm holding my own, I'm catching up to everybody!)
A sharp, grim feeling pierced her heart, stripping her of her smile and leaving a heavy grimace. (But it's not enough, not even close enough to match Tomura. What else can I do to improve? I have to be making a few mistakes at least, but what are they?)
The world below Kairi began to tremble. A thunderous crash was followed by the ground shaking, knocking down dozens upon dozens of Heartless and nearly doing the same to her.
(What?! What was that?! Was it a Heartless?!) She scanned the area, but the landscape was so condensed with buildings and Heartless she could barely see beyond twenty feet. Eventually, she set her sights to her left. (I think it came from this direction, but what should I do? I don't even know what it is, how should I-)
From high on above, a colossal being came into view. A Behemoth Heartless, hidden behind a set of buildings, leapt over them, and began descending as its shadow was cast upon Kairi.
Fueled by panic and fear, she moved with all the speed she could muster, gliding out of the way as the Behemoth landed where she once stood, crushing a few Heartless under its massive, flat feet, and quaking the land below.
Kairi watched on as every single Heartless in sight lost balance, falling on their backs or hitting the ground after plummeting from the sides of buildings, creating large, messy piles as they continued falling onto of each other. Even while gliding above ground, her body still shook, gulping as she stared down this being over twenty times her size.
(This thing is so big, but I get why I didn't see it coming. I don't think anybody else will be able to see it with all the buildings in the way, so I can't count on anyone coming to help.) Her breathing began to quicken, and her eyes struggled to focus as they erratically swerved across the monster's body. (Where do I hit it? It looks so tough, but it's gotta be vulnerable somewhere, right?)
The Behemoth's two curved horns began glowing yellow, gathering energy on its smaller, straight horn in the form of a yellow orb. The orb became brighter and brighter, with the Behemoth slowly leaning down, until it suddenly pushed itself on its two hind legs, shooting the orb into the air where it split into dozens of smaller, purple and black orbs.
The purple and black orbs all began converging onto Kairi, ignoring the plethora of still dizzy Heartless around them.
She landed on the ground and started weaving around and deflecting the homing orbs with keyblade swings. She had little difficulty out speeding them and maintaining her defensive balance, and soon negated the barrage entirely. Despite that victory, she trembled in place.
(Alright. That's good, but what do I do now?)
The surrounding Heartless began returning to their feet, their gazes fixated on Kairi. She could feel her body stiffen as the glares of the army and the Behemoth all came together to corner her. She stepped back, but soon realized Heartless were encroaching her from behind as well.
(Oh no, this is bad... I... I have to take out the big one! It's too much of a threat!)
Raising her keyblade up, Kairi let loose Thundaza, raining down a hailstorm of lightning bolts over the Behemoth and the small fry around it. Numerous Heartless fell, but the Behemoth stood unfazed by the attack, not even flinching at it.
"What?!" Kairi shouted in shock, "It didn't even react?! There's no way... it can't be immune to magic, can it?!"
A slew of Heartless charged Kairi, flinging themselves and projectiles alike. One thought permeated Kairi's mind in this moment.
(What do I do?) Her mind wracked itself for a solution as she remained anchored in place, fear binding her, pausing her from acting.
This had already happened against Shigaraki, and like that time, the spell was broken by Sora and her friends. They popped into her mind, and the sights of them made her weight float into the air.
(I have to be strong. I can't afford to be weak or hesitate. But, I did anyway. Why? I know I can't be weak now of all times, but why did I freeze up anyway?)
She threw her keyblade over the Behemoth, teleporting to it just as the slew of Heartless tackled into each other where she once stood. She rose her weapon, aimed at the small, straight horn below her. (I don't know why, and it scares me. Sora and Riku would never get scared, so why did I?)
With a high-pitched yell, Kairi slammed down on the straight horn. The Behemoth bellowed in response, raising its head up before tumbling down on its stomach. It laid there motionlessly as Kairi continued wailing on its weak point with her keyblade.
(I don't know why, and I hate that I don't know, but it's okay. I can't let myself get frustrated and lose focus, I need to stay calm.) Sora and her friends flashed in her mind again. (Even if I'm not strong enough, I just need to stay safe until King Mickey and the others get here. We'll beat all these Heartless and help Shigaraki no problem once we're all together.)
Kairi's balance was thrown off by the Behemoth suddenly rising to its feet again and shooting its head up. A hailstorm of purple and yellow lightning rained down. Kairi yelped in pain as she was thrown off the Behemoth's back, landing amongst a crowd of Heartless that proceeded to beat and batter her, delivering kicks and slashes, engulfing her in razor sharp wind, and pelting her with all manner of ranged attacks. Many of the Heartless were caught in this barrage too, tearing each other up uncaringly as they wailed on Kairi.
"FIRAZA!"
A torrent of flames erupted around Kairi, consuming everything within ten feet of her. When the flames cleared, Kairi was back on her feet, her forehead blue as she heavily panted and gasped for air. She struggled to remain conscious as the Behemoth's curved horns began glowing and more Heartless moved in on her.
(King Mickey... Master Aqua... please hurry...)
Throughout this battle, Shigaraki remained perched atop his thrones, one of bulky black with two hulking blades, and his current winged brown, black, and tan seat. He enjoyed his all-seeing position, observing, and on occasion influencing those below struggling to survive.
(This is exactly what I was hoping for.)
Using Search, he saw five cyan dots before him, all a great distance away from each other. The Guardians of Light only seemed to move further from the castle as the fight went on, Shigaraki putting his back to the massive construct as he analyzed the state of the fight. (They're all miles apart, have no way of communicating, and have been showing off quite a bit about how they fight. None of them seem like they're getting tired yet, but I'll take every advantage I can get.)
He glanced at Kairi, who was rolling, gliding, and casting defensive magic to stay alive. (These things are all dumb brutes, wandering and acting on instinct like NPCs.) A grin cracked on his mouth as he aimed a hand enveloped in a dark aura at a Soldier Heartless. (So it's real useful that I can control them.)
The Soldier Heartless, that was mindlessly shoving and being shoved in the crowd trying to get to Kairi, now stood at attention like an army soldier, its arms on its side, not moving a single limb. It then briefly wound itself back before sending itself flying with a spinning kick, flinging itself over the crowd and hitting a caught off-guard Kairi into the air.
She launched a fireball at it, but the Soldier jumped out of the way, running across the heads of other Heartless as Shigaraki simply stared and held his hand out.
(That giant one never would've made its way to any of them if I didn't make it move, and to think all I needed to have was "darkness in my heart" or some crap too. Talk about an easy requirement!)
He moved his hand away from the Soldier Heartless, the dark aura he had disappearing as he did so. That same moment, The Soldier fell off the Heartless's head it was running on, tripping and face planting on the ground before getting up and continuing to shove the Heartless around it.
(I can take control of these things, buff them, and summon even more, but I can tell I have a limit to how many times I can do all of this. It's hard to gauge, but I think I've still got a good amount of this Heartless manipulation power left.)
His gaze shifted to Riku, who was still in an intense duel with The Dark Inferno, still shrouded in its Dark Aura. (I noticed messing with the Mid-Boss took a lot more power than messing with the toddlers. Must be something about them being harder to control I guess.)
His gaze then shifted to Donald, who was still on top of a building fighting off Heartless, then Goofy, who was charging through the ocean, making a path forward despite being miles apart from everyone. (I'm in control of this battle, couldn't be any better for me.)
Shigaraki placed a hand over his chest. (But, it's strange, I don't feel at ease at all. It feels like, there's a feeling in my chest nagging at me, trying to give me a warning. Maybe it's just one of those gut feelings. Maybe I'm paranoid because things are going so well.)
He squeezed his chest, his hands clenching over where his heart is. (Maybe it's White Cell Program.)
His grip loosened. (No, doesn't feel exactly like that, but then what the hell is it? I already know two of Sora's pals have a move that can kill me, but I'm not gonna get scared or cower like some helpless child. Whatever's gonna happen, whatever BS magic they wanna pull on me, I'll throw it back ten times harder! I'm the one in control! I'M the one who's gonna get what I want!)
His eyes were ripped to one of the cyan dots, rapidly growing in size. Although far away, he could make out Sora, covered in a blue aura, zipping from flying Heartless to flying Heartless as he made a B-Line to Shigaraki.
It was a sight that made the Lord of Death snicker. (Just who I was hoping for.)
As Sora made his way to Shigaraki, using various flying Heartless to Airstep to him, a plethora of thoughts ran through his head, but there was one he pushed to the forefront, one he forced above the rest.
(I just need to keep his attention on me.) With that primary directive coursing through him, Sora entered Shigaraki's airspace, floating in place a short distance before him.
"I've been wondering about something for a while, Tomura," Sora said.
Shigaraki smirked in response, then a bright light appeared on his chest. "I'm listening."
Sora paused, his eyes focusing to the light. Soon though, they returned to Shigaraki.
"Earlier you said that I was exactly who you need. You want me for some sort of reason, but why? Why am I so important you were willing to do all of these awful things?"
Confronted by Sora's words, Tomura's smirk slowly disappeared. What's more, the light on his chest continued to glow, but didn't brighten as it usually does during exchanges. (Damn,) Shigaraki thought, (I can still read his emotions, but I'm not getting another vision. I've never had two conversations with someone using Network, so I guess I can only get one vision from a person.)
"I like you Sora," Tomura said, "can't really help it, so I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't care about your Master, I don't care about your home, and I couldn't give any less of a crap about your friends. There's only one reason I've decided I wanted to seek you out. Your spirit. Your child-like whimsy, that insane ability to take life's hardships and just bounce em off of you, to remain steadfast no matter what stands in your way. It makes me jealous, wish I had that growing up, but not everybody gets a happy ending."
For a brief moment, Tomura thought about Izuku Midoriya, as the two faced each other alone in a crater, a large, partially crumbled golden construct spelling out "UA" pitifully on the ground, covered in dust.
"If you really meant your friends are your power..." Sora looked on in shock as Tomura's arm began expanding in size, his muscles growing to nine times their original mass, creating a mutated abomination of flesh, with bursts of thick, grey air puffing out of various areas. "Then I'm gonna kill them all one by one. I'll rip and tear at that spirit of yours until nothing but a broken husk is left! I'll destroy that spirit and prove the Lord of Death can't be held back by anything!" Shigaraki boldly declared.
Sora stirred in his words for a moment, remaining silent as the world around them did the same. That silence was finally broken however, by Sora chuckling.
"Heheh. You know, you don't have to lie to me."
Shigaraki wanted to question that line, but he was instead shocked by it, both that and what Network just told him. (How can he tell?!)
Sora aimed his Keyblade forward, launching a fireball at Shigaraki. He retaliated by raising his mutated hand, aiming with the help of his other, and blasted a ball of air. The two projectiles collided, creating an explosion that kicked up a small smoke cloud.
(No, he doesn't know,) Shigaraki reassured himself, (that just how he feels, that doesn't mean anything!)
Sora began gliding away from him, prompting Shigaraki to wave his non-mutated hand, now imbued with dark aura, at the Dustflier. It let out a primordial shriek before letting loose a fierce flap and giving chase after Sora.
Sora pelted the two with Thundaga after Thundaga, many of them missing due to the Dustflier's incredible speed, the few that did hit seeming to not even affect the Dustflier or Shigaraki at all. Shigaraki meanwhile, fired volleys of air blasts at Sora, who did spins, dives, twirls, and deflects with his weapon to mitigate the assault. Sora could feel every close shave with the air blasts, even those that simply grazed him feeling as weighted as boulders.
(No! I can't go too far! I have to stay close to the castle!) Sora halted his momentum and turned to Shigaraki with a flip, blasting off and flying right at him.
(Alright Sora, I don't know what your plan is, but I'm down for a game of chicken!) Shigaraki continued firing off air blasts, his accuracy getting better the closer Sora came. Sora continued dodging the best he could, but as the onslaught continued growing more ferocious, his defense continued to crumble. The blasts were even stronger closer, even harder to deflect or avoid, and the grazes kept getting more and more numerous.
(I don't understand,) Sora thought, staring at Shigaraki's mutated arm, (Ever since his arm buffed up, he's been shooting out air from it. I thought that meant he had a ton of air stored up, but...) he remembered the numerous shots Shigaraki had fired, and how his arm remained the same size. (Wouldn't it be getting smaller, at least a little? In that case, if it's not air, what does he have in there?)
Sora was snapped out of his thoughts by the impact of an air blast. He was left reeling, his gut forced back as he he grunted in pain and his mouth involuntarily popped open.
(Gotcha.) Shigaraki fired off an especially large air blast, smashing into Sora and sending him spiraling away. As Sora soared away though, he found the strength to grit his teeth, lock eyes with Shigaraki, and fling his Keyblade at him. His weapon span rapidly through the air, carving a path right to Shigaraki.
This maneuver made him more than happy.
(Not your smartest move Sora. You may be able to summon this thing from wherever, but unless this thing is immune to decay...) Shigaraki reached for the Keyblade with his non-mutated hand. (You just screwed up big time!)
Seeing Shigaraki's hand a mere few feet from his weapon made Sora smirk. The Keyblade began spewing out a stream of ice akin to a water hose, shooting off in a circle around itself. Shigaraki pulled back, blocking the assault with his mutated hand. After a brief spray, Sora summoned his weapon back. He gained his balance with an aerial flip, and after healing with a potion, went back in for another attack.
Taking stock of the damage, Shigaraki noticed his hands, as well as the wings of the Dustflier, were covered in chunks of ice. Although needing to put in more effort, the Dustflier stayed airborne despite this, however it was noticeably slower as it gave chase to Sora. "Not a bad move," he said, watching Sora coming at him again, "but you know all that did was slow me down, right?!"
Shigaraki lifted his hand up and smashed it against the Dustflier's wings, destroying a huge amount of the ice on both of them. He ignored the Heartless's agonizing shriek as he tested his arm's movement, soon grinning as he clenched a massive fist on his mutated hand.
(What the?! How?!) Sora griped to himself, eyes fixated on what just occurred before him, (Blizzaga Stream, it froze him, but, I've never seen anything break out of it like that. Why is it working differently now?)
"I wonder if it works like this." Aiming his huge hand at Sora, Shigaraki fired another air blast, this one combining with the remaining ice on his hand, forming an ice ball the size of a large rock. Sora dodged, the ice ball grazing him and leaving behind a trail of white dust in the air.
(Oh man,) Sora thought, his pupils shrinking in fear a tad, (Did he... combine his attack with my magic?) Sora could feel the cold air trail next to him, and recognized something concerning about it. (He did. This cold air, it's a mix of his air blasts and my Blizzaga Stream.)
Shigaraki, inspecting the cold air trail in front of him, moved his non-mutated hand to it. It began cooling, so quickly he could see his hand turning blue. (That's pretty cool,) he thought, pulling his hand back and watching as his hand swiftly returned to normal, (I was just messing around, but I didn't think our powers would combine so naturally.) He began grinning. (Makes me curious about a few more interactions.)
Sora and Shigaraki exchanged a glance, briefly catching the other examining the cold trail with just a small amount of airspace separating the two. (Guess Tomura figured that out too. That's not good, but it's not too important. I just need to keep his attention on me a little longer! Not much more now!)
Sora threw his Keyblade into the air, spinning wildly as it flew upward.
(Now that I think about it,) Shigaraki thought, (this isn't the first time he's used a new technique against me. Last time he blatantly showed off a new ability, it was just a smokescreen so I wouldn't notice something else.) A barrage of fireballs came spewing out of the Keyblade, all of them locking onto and traveling to Shigaraki. (It wasn't a bad move the first time Sora, but your little basket of tricks won't work on me this time.)
Shigaraki rose his non-mutated hand, and a barrier of yellow light releasing before him. The fireballs all collided into the barrier, exploding on contact and kicking up a huge smoke cloud.
(You might think you've got the upper hand,) His eyes lit up with a rainbow of colors, illuminating a lone cyan dot behind the smoke cloud. That dot suddenly rushed at him in the blink of an eye, Sora popping in his face in moments.
Sora was greeted to a monstrous, hulking hand snatching hold of him, trapping him in its firm clutches. "But you have no idea who you're messing with!"
Shigaraki began squeezing, crushing Sora under his grip, dragging out horrible screams of pain from the Guardian of Light. "This can all stop if you surrender Sora," Shigaraki taunted.
"F- Forget it!" Sora shouted while holding back more screams.
Shigaraki chuckled. "Heheh, wow, you really are-"
And then he stopped. His eyes shot open as something finally came to him. When Sora rushed in earlier, he was empty handed. (Oh shit! Where's his weapon?!)
Sora's Keyblade came flying out of the smoke cloud, piercing a hole through it while spinning in circles wildly. In the blink of an eye, it smashed into Shigaraki's forehead with tremendous force, jolting his head back and creating an audible crash akin to a hammer banging on wood.
(Damn it! The hell's this thing made of?) He grunted from the recoil, but still went to reach for the Keyblade. (Doesn't matter, I just need to touch it, and-)
In a single moment, the Keyblade shot out a volley of fireballs, all of them erupting on Shigaraki's head. Four explosions erupted across the Dustflier's back before Sora summoned his weapon back, ending the assault. (Oh jeez, I hope I didn't overdo it.)
A burst of air from Shigaraki's monstrous hand dispelled the smoke cloud, however Sora was left confused as it flew past him, not even close to hitting him.
It made sense when he saw Shigaraki. The sight made him nauseous. His face, although covered by his two fingered, gold device donning hand, was consumed by dark red, charred flesh. Even most of Shigaraki's hair was burnt clean off, leaving patches of burnt skin across his head. All of this was accompanied by Shigaraki's very, very loud moans of agony, kneeling on the Heartless's back as he helplessly cried out in pain, a single eye between two of his fingers glaring back at Sora.
The sight unnerved Sora, making him grip his stomach and cringe at the showcase. (Oh man. I've used Firaga more times than I can count, but it's never hurt someone like this before.) He looked at this keyblade with a long, concerned expression. (Why... why is my magic affecting him differently?)
As Shigaraki peered back at him, he saw Sora's fear, his shock, and most importantly, his hesitation. (He's so focused on me, he didn't notice his fire blasts melted all the cold air.) A smirk sprouted on his mouth as his hand gained a dark aura. (Big mistake.)
The Dustflier dashed forward, blitzing through the sky and closing the gap between them in moments. Sora could barely finish gasping before the beast crashed into him, launching him away across the sky.
"It's real admirable that you wanna play hero," Shigaraki said, "but you've got the wrong idea thinking I'm the one that needs help." Sora winced as he looked back, watching Shigaraki remove the hand over his face, revealing his skin to be slowly putting itself back together, and a deranged, twisted smile on his face. "Try all you want, but you don't have a chance in hell of beating me!"
"I know..." Sora responded, further distorting Shigaraki's smile, bringing out more deranged excitement from his voice. "Exactly! So why don't you-"
"I know you're lying."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed, returning an ice-cold glare to Sora. "I don't know why you're lying, but I think I get it now. This isn't about proving you're unbeatable or that you can overcome any obstacle, this is you ignoring your problems and making up excuses!"
Faced with Sora's fiery, passionate eyes, Shigaraki merely grunted in frustration. "You say you don't need my help, but you're just trying to push it down! You said you didn't have the best life, but that doesn't make anything you've done okay!"
Shigaraki grit his teeth, sneering at Sora. "I know what it's like to make a horrible mistake. Riku, Ansem the Wise, and me all do, but I also know none of us were able to be happy again until we acknowledged those problems and moved on from them!"
Sora reached his hand out to Tomura.
"I'm not sure if this is about your father or Shigaraki or somebody else, but they don't matter anymore! You don't have to let yourself be controlled by anybody else. You deserve to be free, that's what everyone deserves! Please Tomura, don't continue down this path! Make the choices that'll make you happy! Don't let someone else influence whop you are, be the person I know you wanna be!"
As Sora's words laid bare before him, Shigaraki remained silent. No matter what argument he searched for, whatever counterpoint he tried forming up, he knew none of them held water to Sora's declaration. He couldn't refute it, and that meant...
(Are you surrendering, Tomura?) Shigaraki jumped in place hearing that voice, a stern, sinister voice that made even The Lord of Death flinch. The world around him grew dark, even the Dustflier beneath him vanished, leaving him standing in an empty void.
Out from that void stepped All for One.
(And here I thought you had evolved past your childish ways.) Shigaraki's eyes bulged in terror, his mouth dropped open and his breath came to a halt Faced with this man, he felt a cold chill dance across his spine, piercing his body thoroughly and wholly.
Then he clamped his mouth shut, drawing blood from his skin as he pressed his teeth against his lip. He was showing weakness, and he couldn't be vulnerable now of all times. He punched All for One, blasting an air cannon shot at him. His old master's visage vanished in a puff of purple smoke that slowly flew into the air, disappearing before his eyes.
(I thought you had outgrown me, Tomura.) Shigaraki's gaze darted behind him, where All for One once again stepped out from the darkness. (If you still need me, I'll happily provide whatever assistance you need. I only ask one thing of you.) When All for One gave his request, his voice had morphed into something demonic, growing magnitudes deeper and reverberating as if multiple... things were speaking with him.
(Lend me your body.)
These voices didn't just come from before him, they surrounded him. That request, those four words echoed across this void, playing again and again and again, over and over and over again on never-ending repeat.
Shigaraki's breathing hastened uncontrollably, huffing and puffing as an erratic, insatiable itch formed all over his body. He scratched everywhere he could, but the echoing never stopped, and his desperate breaths kept getting faster and faster, no amount of scratching ever satisfying the itch.
Finally, a thunderous scream exploded out of Shigaraki. Slamming his hand down, he unleashed a wave of decay, spreading as far as he could see, consuming All for One's visage and silencing the voices. He took large, shaky breaths as he remained as still as he could.
(Tomura...) He couldn't stop his body from quaking when he heard the voice again. (Whenever you need my help, always remember...) All for One's face appeared before him, giving his plaything a wretched, sickening smile.
(I am here.)
His form vanished back into the darkness beyond, leaving Tomura alone in this void.
(I don't need you,) Tomura said, thinking of All for One. (I don't need you,) Tomura repeated, thinking of All for One. After a quick set of blinks, he found himself standing atop the Dustflier again, an ocean of Heartless below him, and Sora, still extending his hand.
That sight compelled a blistering fury from him.
"I don't need you," Shigaraki declared, looking at Sora.
He raised his mutated arm at him. A thick, red laser shot out of the gaping hole in his palm, aimed right at Sora's chest. Shigaraki continued tracking his movements for a moment, the laser flashing and veins appearing over his arm, and he grinned as smoke started leaking out of the hole in his palm.
"I'm a one man army! I don't need anybody else!" The smoke was shoved aside as three missiles came flying out of his hand!
"What the heck?! Missiles?!" Sora glided out of the way, but the missiles followed his movements no matter how fast or far he went. Even worse, they were faster than him. Escape was not an option.
"Fine! Try this!" He casted Thundaza to shoot them down. His spell collided with one of the projectiles, with smaller bolts hitting the other two, but aside from some electrical sparking, none of them seemed affected as they continued barreling at Sora.
"No!" Sora could feel their heat against his body as he slowed time to a crawl. Under his state of focus, he stared at the three missiles for a bit before unleashing a barrage of light beams against them. The beams struck fast from every angle, smashing through the missile's metal casings, exposing the wires and circuitry underneath, but by the end of the barrage, they were all still intact.
Sora could barely let out a gasp before, one by one, the missiles slammed into him.
Three thunderous explosions roared out across the sky of The World That Never Was, blasting away nearby flying Heartless, creating a beacon above the ocean. Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Riku were all startled by the bang, even some of the Heartless were drawn to it. There in the sky, just under the massive smoke cloud, they all saw Sora helplessly plummeting down, his eyes closed as he appeared unresponsive to the situation.
His four friends started making their way to him, all of them doing their best to push through the resistance before them. It was painfully obvious to all of them though, that none of them were going to make it in time.
Shigaraki sighed watching Sora fall. (I knew it. The kid's a lot tankier than Search told me. I figured he didn't get this far without some sort of protection. It's not too important for him, but it'll make killing the rest of them a lot harder.)
Shigaraki was brought to attention. His eyes shot open and his back straightened as he realized what he was looking at. The image of himself standing atop a brown, black and tan, winged creature high in the air above the city, looking down at Sora as he fell toward a sea of Heartless.
(This is the Network Vision. We're finally here.)
Shigaraki could feel his heart pounding, its beats reaching his neck and ears, yelling at him, screaming at him to act. Despite that, he remained calm. (Seeing how I'd already met Sora and his four friends here, it was impossible for the vision to be of any of them.)
Shigaraki flung himself off the Dustflier with an air cannon shot. Hardly a second later, the Dustflier was enveloped by a stream of white light, letting out a cry of pain before disintegrating into mist, a small pink heart floating out of it and into the air.
(It was undeniable proof Sora was getting backup.)
Facing the sky behind him, Shigaraki spotted a small figure free-falling from the castle, a short mouse with two round ears, pointing his own anime key where the Dustflier and he once were.
"What?! He dodged Ultima!" The mouse exclaimed in surprise.
Shigaraki had to do a double take, but when he confirmed this thing was indeed a humanoid mouse, he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA! You're freaking kidding me, right?! The hell are you supposed to be, Cartoon Nezu?! This is god damn rich!"
"Mickey!" A blond-haired boy wielding two Keyblades came in next to him. "Man, that spell was awesome. Wish I had it when I fought that thing."
Shigaraki's eyes widened in shock seeing a second fighter. (The hell? It's not just one of em?)
The blond-haired boy turned his gaze to Shigaraki. "This is the guy Sora warned us about, isn't it?"
Mickey nodded. "Yeah. I can feel a lot of darkness from him, and it looks like everyone's in trouble, but..." Shigaraki noticed six more figures moving in closer to Mickey, all but one of them wielding Keyblades. "We're here to help!"
Mickey thought back to the text message he received from Sora. 'Guys, the world destroyer is fighting us. 10,000 Heartless, he's strong, help fast! Enter world on top of organization castle, ambush white-hair guy when I give signal. Keep distance, stay airborne, don't trust edits or new messages.'
(I had no idea they were even fighting him.) Mickey thought, (Thanks for the message Sora, we got here a lot sooner because of it!)
The other six figures moved in around Mickey. "Alright everybody, Sora and the others need backup. All of you, split into groups, help them out, then let's take this guy down together!" Seven voices all spoke out in unison, delivering a firm and determined "Right!"
The eight fighters all split off into groups of differing sizes.
"Me and Xion will help Sora!" An orange-haired girl said, soon accompanied by a black-haired girl. "This guy is insanely strong," Xion said, "maybe stronger than Xehanort. This fight isn't going to be easy. Think you can handle it, Strelitzia?"
She returned a firm nod to Xion. "I'd do anything for Sora, for all of you. Consider this my thank you for saving me from Luxu!" The two straightened their bodies, accelerating their free fall to Sora.
"Terra!" A blond-haired boy, one resembling Roxas to a T but donning different clothing, spoke to a man with brown hair. "Riku's fighting a crazy strong Heartless! Let's back him up!"
"No Ven," Terra said, "You're better off handling crowds of weaker Heartless, not these massive, strong ones. You get me?" Ventus nodded with a smile, "Yeah, good point. I'll go help Goofy then!" Ventus straightened his body, accelerating his free fall.
Terra turned to a long, blue-haired person, wielding a massive club rather than a Keyblade. "Can you help me with Riku, Isa?" Isa smirked back, "Gladly Terra. Let's not dawdle." The two straightened out, rapidly approaching Riku and his foe.
After examining the battlefield, a tall, blue-haired woman spotted Kairi fighting a Behemoth. "Kairi!" She turned to Mickey and Roxas. "I'll help Kairi! Mickey! Roxas! You two go after Donald!"
"You got it Aqua!" Roxas responded, seeing her off as she accelerated her free fall. "Guess that leaves us for Donald," he said to Mickey.
"No, you go help Donald," Mickey said, focusing his gaze on Shigaraki. "I'll keep this guy busy!" Roxas began free falling to Donald while Mickey started gliding to Shigaraki.
(Well shit, Sora,) Shigaraki thought, (so this is why they say it's useful to have friends in high places. I gotta admit, without Network, Cartoon Nezu probably would've killed me with that blast.
(But that's alright, playing along and pretending I didn't know about them worked out.) Shigaraki's eyes flared up with a rainbow of colors, a cyan dot appearing over the eight newcomers before him. (Call in as much backup as you want, but I'm not leaving without you, Sora!)
Shigaraki's eyes shot open. He clamped his teeth shut and smashed a hand over his chest, desperately trying to hold back a sudden surge of pain. (What the hell?! What's going on with my chest?! It's... no, it's my heart! It's like, something's mangling it apart from the inside out! Damn! I can feel White Cell Program working, but it's not stopping this thing! Who the hell is doing this?!)
Seeing Shigaraki's pained, agonized expression brought a smirk out of Mickey. (Perfect, she's already working on it. I was hoping Sora's plan would work, but I wasn't going to take any chances with this guy.)
Mickey aimed his Keyblade, the Star Cluster, at Shigaraki. (He's not destroying any more worlds! We'll all stop him, right here and now!)
So, as you can see, brain not destroyed by steel pipe. Told you so.
As for where I've been, I don't wanna go into detail but TL;DR my entire family is homeless and I was stressed out of my mind since dropping CH 3 back in June. Fortunately we all have places to stay and have the best friends in the world so our lives have regained some sense of stability.
No promises but I'm gonna see if I can finish this story before Season 7 drops. Probably won't pan out that way, considering I'm expecting it to be 12-13 Chapters, but I'll damn try.