Chapter 64: Kishida Hisafumi

A couple years back:

Kishida as a young boy had a normal life, one of a middle class. His father was a merchant, his mother was a maid to a powerful lord, and his grandfather was once a knight that participated in the demi human war. He was born into a class where he didn't learn too much of suffering or of pain.

He was able to live a normal childhood, away from the pain compared to Waraki, who suffered a lot compared to him. When he was around seven years old, the little boy met a legend from the demi human war, Wilhelm van Astrea. His grandfather, Tadao Hisafumi, had brought his old friend over to chat for a bit.

The two had kept in contact after the war, even if it was very little. Kishida looked at the man and could recognized that he was strong.

"Mister, who are you?"

"Ah, my name is Wilhelm Trias. Who might you be?"

"My name is Kishida."

"Well hello there Kishida, how can I be of assistance?"

"Are you a friend of grandpa?"

"Don't you worry grandson, he is a friend. A very strong looking one who even bested the sword saint!"

"There is no need for you to say that."

"Yes there is and you know it, my old friend."

Kishida had heard stories of the Sword Saints and how powerful they are. Hearing that the old man in front of him was able to beat someone with incredible power made him excited.

"Wow! Amazing! Can you teach me how to be strong?"

"Hehe, let us check if your grandfather is alright with that."

Wilhelm looked at Tadao only to see the old knight getting up from his chair to go fetch some wooden swords. Kishida's grandfather was hoping that his grandson would want to learn how to use a sword, wishing to pass down his knight knowledge to someone he deems worthy.

He wished his son took the mantle but seeing how he had a passion for being a merchant, he didn't want to take that away from him. So seeing Kishida excited to want to learn to use a sword brought a bit of hope that the young boy will be the one to become a knight like himself. Seeing that Tadao went to grab some wooden swords, he told young Kishida that he will give him a lesson in swordsmanship.

The three stepped outside into the back of the house where Tadao gave both his grandson and his friend a wooden sword before going off to the distance to observe the little training session. As Wilhelm set himself ready for a fight, the two looked at each other for a moment before the old butler pointed his wooden sword towards Kishida,

"I will be on defense for now. Show me what you are capable of."

"Sure thing!"

A young Kishida smiled with confidence before charging towards the old butler, wanting to show what he is capable of. Wilhelm smiled as he blocked each attack of the little boy, seeing that although they are a bit sloppy, they are still pretty impressive for a young boy like him. He blocked for a bit before easily disarming the young boy, seeing that he doesn't have a strong defense.

"You have potential for a knight, young boy. But you must train hard if you want to become the finest knight of Lugnica."

"I will! This was so much fun! Thank you!"

The boy bowed at Wilhelm to show respect to the old man and gratitude before grabbing his wooden sword to practice his fighting style on his own. This interaction was important to the young Kishida, causing him to train everyday until finally he himself entered the exams of becoming a knight. That was when he first met his two best friends, Yabuto and Waraki. He knew that Yabuto was someone from the higher classes due to the clothing he was wearing yet Waraki was one that caught his interest.

The boy looked like he came from the farm lands by his clothing yet his eyes gave off a bit of vengeance vibes. He sat down with other qualifiers for the position of knights and waited until he was called by one of the generals. Kishida entered the room and was evaluated by Marcos, leader of the knights. He looked at him for a moment before saying in a serious voice,

"It is time. Pull out your sword now."

"Understood sir."

Kishida listened and got himself into his fighting stance, using his grandfather's pose. Marcos paused himself for a moment, recalling that pose for a brief moment before getting himself ready to start the test.

"Let the battle commence."

As Marcos says this, Kishida and himself both charge at each other before clashing swords with Marcos having the slight advantage. Having been much bigger than Kishida, this gave him the edge in strength yet the young man wasn't going to allow himself to easily be beaten. He used some skills his grandfather had taught him to try to outwit his opponent. Marcos noticed Kishida's familiar fighting style and was able to tell what the qualifier was going to do.

He waited until the right moment before interrupting Kishida's offense technique to push the young man into his defense style. Marcos didn't go all out since he would completely overpower Kishida yet he was going a bit hard on him, forcing Kishida to use all of his strength to keep up with Marcos. After a bit of fighting, Marcos eventually disarmed the young man with one swift hit. As Kishida was disarmed, Marcos put away his sword while saying,

"That is the end of this test. Step outside now."

"Yes sir."

Kishida went to grab his sword before leaving off to wait for the results.

'Damn it. I think I failed.'

Kishida looked down in shame until he sat down somewhere nearby, allowing himself to regain his energy while managing to look at the next qualifier from a distance. As he does this, he notices Yabuto approaching Marcos, preparing himself for the knight test. Kishida observed as he saw the fight between the two, seeing the green haired young man managing much better than him.

His offensive skills were much better compared to him since he was giving Marcos a bit of trouble but when he was forced into defense, Yabuto was overpowered by Marcos a lot faster than him. As Yabuto is disarmed, Marcos put away his sword and told him the same thing he told him. Kishida watched Yabuto approach him and sit down, wanting to rest for a bit. As he sat down, the two look at each other before looking forward.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Yabuto Jinzadashi. What's your name?"

"Kishida Hisafumi."

"Neat name."

"Same with you."

"How did you think you did?"

There was a moment of silence before Kishida asked:

"Hm...well my offense was pretty good but I guess my defense might be what costs me in the end."

Kishida looked at Yabuto, seeing how he is carefree despite having possibly failed yet this made him smile, seeing the friendly nature of his. He looks up at the sky as Yabuto asks him the same question, wanting to know if he did alright. He took a moment to reflect on the test before looking at the green haired young man to answer him with,

"Well, I don't know. I think I did alright...well I hope I did. My offense wasn't too bad and I put up a bit of defense before I was overpowered but overall, I hope I did fine."

Yabuto looked at the young man next to him and just patted him in the back, liking his optimism. The two stayed there for a bit before deciding that they should join the others who finished the test. Just as that was going to happen, they noticed Waraki passing by them to go do his test. This caught their attention, the two seeing the fire in his eyes even if it was for a brief moment. As the boy passed the two, Yabuto looked at Waraki with concern in his facial expression.

"He doesn't seem like a bad person but..."

"...he does look like a villain."

"I wouldn't say villain."

The two continued to observe Waraki has he was about to take the test. Once Marcos said that the battle could commence, Waraki did not hesitate to start fighting. His offense was more violent and aggressive than Yabuto's offense. The two young boys were amazed but also horrified by this since they are aware that one who fights like Waraki tends to mean that they are fighting with vengeance in their mind.

They watched as Waraki was forcing Marcos to slightly try harder before being forced into defense. Waraki was able to keep up yet he eventually was overpowered. As Waraki was disarmed, he looked at Marcos for a moment before being dismissed. The young boy grabbed his sword and started to walk away, still having a cold facial expression. The two boys looked at each other before turning towards Waraki, wanting to talk to him yet he passed by the two.

"Hm. Something must've pissed him off today."

"Maybe but it isn't our place to ask."

"You might be right Kishida. We should probably start heading back."

"Agreed."

The two boys started to follow Waraki to meet up with the other qualifiers. As they were all waiting for a bit, Marcos with three generals approached them and started a speech of how it was an honor to evaluate everyone. The qualifiers all noticed that those whose names were called should stay while the others can return home. After a few names had been called out, Yabuto and Kishida both heard their names be called which caused the two to fist bump since that signified that they made it. As they fist bump, they hear an interesting name,

"Waraki Seimoto."

As they heard this, they notice Waraki look up for a moment with a hint of hope before returning to a cold facial expression. This alerted the two boys that Waraki does have a soft side. After everything was set and done with those who weren't called leaving, Marcos looked at everyone for a moment before saying to them,

"This is your first step into knighthood. Some of you have to work on your attacks, some on your defense, but most importantly of all, you must learn to stay discipline. You will be representing the knights of Lugnica. Anything you do will affect those you fight alongside and the honor of the kingdom."

The now new knights all understood this and nodded at Marcos before being instructed to report to the main quarters first thing in the morning for some training. Yabuto and Kishida were both excited to be knights though they noticed how Waraki was on his own. The two decided that in the next couple of weeks, they would try to win they boy's trust to gain a new friend.

That is how the three of them sort of met. As a few years pass by, the two boys manage to successfully befriend Waraki after a tournament to determine who is the finest knight. As time passed, the trio would eventually be in the same room where the Royal Selections begin. They all watched as each candidate had passed.

Crusch with the knight Felix, Anastasia with her mercenary leader Ricardo, Priscilla with the mysterious looking knight Al, and lastly Emilia with the Margrave Roswaal L Mathers. The three of them made their comments has they listened to the council of wisemen argue about Emilia being a part of the royal selection. The conversation starts with Kishida asking,

"In all honesty, do you all agree with what they are saying?"

"I don't know, I always stay out of politics. Hate them. Anyway, what do you think, Yabuto?"

"I understand that they are afraid of her since she resembles...you know but this is a bit harsh."

"Yeah, I'll agree to that."

"Same."

"Then on a different topic, who would you support?"

"I'd pick Crusch-sama."

"Interesting choice, why is that Kishida?"

"Well...I know the old man who fights for her. He motivated me to be a knight."

"Ah I see, so it is because of someone else associated with her that you would stand by her side. I wonder what Felix would think about that?"

"Oh shut up Waraki. Who would you pick then?"

"Hm. Personally I'd chose Priscilla-sama."

"Are you stupid?"

"Not as stupid as you, so called finest knight."

"Why her?"

"The fire in her is what catches my attention."

"You are weird."

"Oh shut up, Kishida."

The three of them having manage to keep their voices down chuckled a bit by their conversation until the reveal of Felt, seeing the fifth candidate before witnessing one of the greatest things. A boy with a key taking on the Sword Saint himself.

"Is that boy crazy?"

"He must be. Facing off against the Sword Saint himself. The boy is screwed."

"Have some faith, Waraki, Kishida. The boy might be stronger than we realize."

"Okay finest knight."

Kishida spoke in an annoyed tone of voice while he and his two friends watched has the boy with the key and the Sword Saint clashed weapons. The three were just left amazed to see the boy keeping up with Reinhard van Astrea for so long and then eventually they all saw something they never believed to be possible.

"Did he just...?"

"That can't be possible..."

"This boy..."

The three were so caught off guard by seeing the boy managing to land a hit on Reinhard van Astrea while the Sword Saint had all of his divine protections active. The three knights were not sure how to react, all three viewing the boy has someone extremely powerful.

"Who the hell was that?"

"I...don't know. I think I remember seeing him with the Emilia camp." Yabuto said in an uncertain tone, trying to see if his memory was correct.

"Well whoever he is, he could be a threat."

"Waraki, why do you think this?" Kishida looked at him with a serious tone.

"...you know why."

"He isn't with that group."

"Who knows about that? His power is not normal. You can't say that he is an ally if he can stand toe to toe with the Sword Saint himself."

"Regardless, we can't make assumptions. Let's just keep an eye on him and that boy, Natsuki Subaru was it? Let's just see how they act. That will give us an idea on whether this Sora kid is a threat or not."

Yabuto said in a serious tone of voice. Kishida and Waraki agreed to this but before anything else can happen, the kingdom became under attack by some unknown dark creatures. Because of this, the three to get their swords out and to go into battle, this being the first real battle they have ever been, at least for Kishida and Yabuto.

As they enter battle, Kishida and Yabuto both struggle a bit since they've never been in life or death situation. Just as a couple of shadow figures were about to overwhelm the two, Waraki jumped in on the fight and protected the two.

"Come on you two, fight with everything you have in you!"

"Y-Yes..."

Both knights nodded at Waraki before the pair looked at their friend fighting in an aggressive manner, seeing that they should also fight with everything they got if they want to survive. The three fought with everything they got yet what caught their attention mid-battle was the boy that was known as Sora's apprentice, Natsuki Subaru, joining them and doing his best to help out.

The three were unsure if the two keyblade wielders were a threat until they saw how Subaru was doing everything he can to help them out. Seeing the gesture of his, they decided to help him out when a mysterious coat man named Marluxia and the bowel hunter, Elsa Grainhart, attacked them. This was the moment Yabuto, Kishida, and Waraki not only trust Subaru but Sora by proxy, seeing that the Keyblade Wielder is like them, good hearted in nature.

After the events of the Capital, befriending Natsuki Subaru, facing the White Whale, and the events of the Sanctuary and Roswaal L Mathers' mansion, Kishida found himself back home. He hadn't been home since he started his training as a knight. He looked at his missing arm with a sad look before quickly knocking on the door. There was a brief silence before Tadao opened the door to see his grandson. It had been a long time since he had left to be a knight like him. This caused him to smile before saying to his grandson,

"My, it has been a while, Kishida. How is my..."

Tadao paused himself when he noticed his grandson was missing an arm. This drew concern to him but also to Kishida's parents, the two having joined in when they heard their son's name. As the three notice this, Kishida's mother goes to hug her son while Kishida's father asked,

"What happened, my son?"

"...it's nothing father, just a little scratch."

"Son, come on. No need to joke around about this."

"Please tell us what happened, my little boy."

"...well my friends and I joined the fight against the White Whale with the Emilia camp, Felt Camp, Anastasia Camp, and Crusch Camp. We got to beat that damn thing but I was a bit injured to help them face off the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. So I stayed behind under the care of Crusch-sama until we were attacked by two other Sin Archbishops."

Kishida had paused himself and looked back at his missing arm. He had always been proud to be a knight, he viewed himself as strong and reliable until he was beaten by a powerful witch cultist. He had heard the stories of the Witch cult from outside sources but the one that has a personal grudge against them is Waraki.

("They killed my family! They killed everyone I gave a damn about! I want...I want to kill them all!")

Kishida closed his eyes has he recalls the events of the tournament when he and Yabuto were in the finals, fighting to see who the best knight is. As he remembered this line, he understands more on why his friend has a complete utter hatred for the witch cult. As he thought about this Kishida looked at his family after a few seconds of wondering off in his mind to continue his story.

"I did lost my arm and had trouble defending the Margrave's mansion from another Sin Archbishop but I'm here and alive. All thanks to Yabuto, Waraki, and Subaru, my three friends."

Kishida's family were all silent by this, a bit surprised that he faced three Sin Archbishops and survived yet they were just happy to see him alive despite him missing his arm. They all hugged the boy before letting him relax as Kishida's mother prepares dinner for everyone. Kishida looked at his old room and could see how he was as a little kid after his encounter with Wilhelm, always wielding a wooden sword and pretending to be a knight.

("I'm going to be the best knight in the kingdom!")

'Hmph. I suppose I am considering how badass I am to survive three Sin Archbishops in one lifetime.'

Kishida had a smile for a moment before it faded away once he looked at his missing arm, knowing how hard it is now to wield a sword. He closed his eyes for a brief moment to calm himself before changing into more comfortable clothing, knowing that this should be a day of rest for him after everything his friends and him endured because of Roswaal.

'I once thought highly of Roswaal-sama but now...he won't get away with this.'

Kishida tightened his fist and wanted to punch something yet he kept himself calm as he looked at the old wooden sword. He grabbed it and just observed how old it looks before saying to himself,

"Natsuki Subaru, you'll become a knight like the rest of us. You earned it for sure."

Kishida set his wooden sword on his bed and then proceeded to change clothing before joining with the rest of his family for dinner. As the food was being distributed, the conversation between them all started once again with Tadao saying,

"Tell us, what is something you enjoy of being a knight?"

"I guess aside from the respect you get, the amount of good you can do as a knight. You can help those in need."

"That's an interesting way to see it, my son. Made any friends?"

"Yes, quite a lot actually. My two best friends, Yabuto and Waraki. The knight of Emilia-sama, Natsuki Subaru, the keyblade wielder known as Sora, and some of the maids from the Margrave's mansion."

"That's pretty interesting. What brought you to the half-devil's camp?"

"Grandfather, please show some respect to Emilia-sama."

"Emilia-sama? Surprised that she can even be called like that considering her features."

"Features? The hell are you talking about?"

"Language, son."

"Sorry mother. Grandfather Tadao, please explain yourself."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Emilia-sama deserves respect."

"Sorry Kishida but she isn't someone I can show respect. She resembles the Witch of Envy. For all we could know, she is the reincarnation of the half-devil."

Kishida looked at his grandfather with a serious facial expression, not liking the way he was acting. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before responding to what Tadao said,

"Look, I get that she as similar looks to the Witch of Envy but she is still a person, one with actual feelings. She deserves a little respect at least."

"No, my grandson, she won't. Not even a little."

The two looked at each other with much hostility, for the first time grandfather and grandson stare with an intense look. The never believing that there would be a day where they would have different views that would cause an argument. Kishida's parents were not sure what to do with Kishida's father looking at his son before saying,

"Son, you should listen to your grandfather."

"Father, you know I can't. I will fight for my friends, they have risked everything to save my life."

"Regardless of that, you will not serve that half-devil."

Kishida looked back at his grandfather, having noticed what Tadao had said. He had a serious look before closing his eyes, having been annoyed that his grandfather is acting in such a way. He took a moment before he turned around to head towards the exit of the house.

"Where are you going?"

"...I...I have to go."

"Kishida."

The boy left the house at night, having to think over on the events that had happened just recently. As the knight had left his childhood home, he was walking on his own in the kingdom, doing a night of patrol despite not having his usual knight gear. As he walked around the darkness of night, he closed his eyes with sadness.

("Emilia-sama? Surprised that she can even be called like that considering her features.")

("Sorry Kishida but she isn't someone I can show respect. She resembles the Witch of Envy. For all we could know, she is the reincarnation of the half-devil.")

("No, my grandson, she won't. Not even a little.")

'Grandfather, if only you've seen all the good things Emilia-sama has done. Hell, she was there fighting against the White Whale and took on the Great Rabbit.'

Kishida looked up at the night sky with a sad face since his grandfather was being so stubborn about Emilia. As he was on his own, a familiar voice said to him,

"Well, I haven't seen you in a long while."

"Hm?"

Kishida turned around to see a familiar old butler. This caused the young knight to smile since it had been so long since the two had talked properly.

"Wilhelm-sama! It is good to see you once again."

"The pleasure is mine. I see that you have grown into a fine lad since we last spoke."

"Yeah, feels like a lifetime ago."

"You did pretty good in the fight against the White Whale and you protected Crusch-sama from the Sin Archbishop of Greed and Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. Thank you."

"Yes...no problem, Wilhelm-sama."

The old butler could see that the boy seemed sad, as if something bad happen. Wanting to repay him for having helped Crusch in beating the White Whale and for protecting her.

"Mind joining this old man?"

"Y-Yeah, sure thing Wilhelm-sama."

Kishida was happy to join Wilhelm, the one person who motivated him to become a knight. The two walked for a bit until they reached a bar that was still open late at night. As the two entered, they sat down with Kishida noticing Ricardo and his mercenaries enjoying themselves. As he noticed this, both Wilhelm and himself sat down on a table for two. As this happened, Wilhelm continue their conversation,

"I want to say, I'm sorry about you losing your arm. Crusch-sama told me what happened and...I'm still grateful that you saved her but I do want to apologize that you weren't able to recover your arm."

"It's alright Wilhelm-sama, I just...I know that I need to train a lot more if I want to be a good warrior once again but I don't regret losing my arm to save Crusch."

"Let me at the very least buy you a drink, to repay for what you did for Crusch-sama."

"Okay."

Kishida allowed this to which Wilhelm quickly asked the waiter for two small size alcohol drinks. The waiter nodded before going off to get the drinks. As this happened, Ricardo had noticed Wilhelm and Kishida, prompting him to approach the two.

"Well hello there you two! What brings ya here late at night?"

"We came here to chat."

"Cool. Cool. Hey, yer the one that saved the dutchess Crusch Karsten from them Sin Archbishop guys."

"Um...yeah."

"That's so cool, dude."

Ricardo approached Kishida to pat the knight in the back before returning back to his crew, all of them having a drinking competition. As Ricardo left the two, Kishida stood silent for a moment before finally asking the question,

"Wilhelm-sama, do you think that...I'll be able to wield a sword once again?"

Wilhelm paused for a moment, having noticed both what Kishida said and the tone of voice he had when asking the question. The old butler set his drink on the table to think carefully on what he was asked, knowing how important the question is.

"Where there is a will, there is a way. Although it will be more challenging, there is a chance you can still wield a sword."

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind. For now, let us enjoy this night."

Wilhelm nodded and the two drank their drinks, enjoying themselves for a bit before the two leave the bar. As they two were about to split paths, Kishida looked up at the night sky.

"Wilhelm-sama. Thank you, not just for tonight but for setting my life to this path. I know that it sucks that I lost my good arm but I won't give up. I'll be the best knight I can ever be!"

"Hm. You and Natsuki Subaru-dono share the same fire to become better."

"That's what makes us friends."

"Well then. I'd best be going. Enjoy your night, Kishida-dono."

"You too, Wilhelm-sama."

The two nodded at each other before splitting off with Wilhelm heading one path while Kishida went towards another path. As the two went their own ways, Kishida looked up at the sky and could only think about what he said. He agrees with Wilhelm that the path forward to becoming the best knight he can be will be difficult, now that he doesn't have his right hand. He closes his eyes before making a promise to himself under the night sky,

'I will not give up. No matter what happens next, I'll never give up. I will keep fighting until the very end.'

Kishida thinks this with a smile on his face, confident that he can keep his promise. As he walks back home, he does look at his family, seeing that they were worried for him. He apologizes to them before going off to sleep, knowing that the next day he needs to be ready to help Yabuto and Waraki in speaking with Marcos about Natsuki Subaru's knighthood ceremony. Before he went to sleep, his grandfather grabbed his shoulder softly. This caused the young man to stop in his tracks.

"Grandson."

"..."

"Look, I don't want bad blood between us. We are family but I just...I don't want you putting yourself in danger by being in the half-devil's camp."

"Emilia-sama's camp."

"Regardless, I just want what's best for you."

"...I know."

Kishida knew that his grandfather wants to make sure he is okay, especially considering that he returned home with a missing arm. He turned around and gave his grandfather a hug, wanting to show that he does care for him despite their views differing. Tadao was caught off guard by this yet he hugged back his grandson. The two hugged for a moment before Kishida went off to sleep.

"I love you grandfather."

"Hm. I love you too grandson."

The two nodded at each other before they went to sleep.

Present day:
Kishida was following the group to help out Julius and Subaru. As they were going on their way to the second trial room, the knight started to reflect on how brutal Reid's training was. The first Sword Saint had an odd way of speaking, similar to Garfiel's speaking yet unlike the demi human boy, Reid tends to talk a bit more of things that shouldn't be said.

As he thought about his training with Reid, he tried to come up with some idea to help Julius beat Reid's trial. At first, he thought of using his skills he learned for defense while Julius went on the offense yet that wouldn't work since Reid would immediately overpower the two.

This caused him to be unsure on how to beat Reid. While he was trying to figure this out, the group arrived to see Subaru helping Julius get up from his fight against Reid with Emilia ready to heal the purple haired knight. Shaula was thrilled to see Subaru once again and wanted to hug her master yet Kenichi stopped her since she would cause Subaru to drop Julius.

The guardian of the watchtower pouted at this yet respected Kenichi's demands. Kishida looked at Reid and knew that he had to do something, causing him to get out his sword and to approach the first sword saint.

"Yer sure confident, boy."

"Yes, I think it's time that I took the trial once again."

"Ya sure 'bout th't? Ya haven't got enough trainin' with me t'even stand a chance."

"Doesn't matter, I have to beat you here and now."

"Ha. Aight. Like th'attitude."

Kishida nodded before the two getting themselves into fighting position. As this happened, the knight thought for a moment since he needed some motivation, something to help him push through this harsh obstacle.

'Yabuto, Waraki, Wilhelm-sama, mother, father, grandfather, and Subaru...you all are my strength, the reason I still keep fighting no matter what. Despite how I will fail here, I won't easily give up.'

The knight closed his eyes and took a deep breath, having everything he cares about flashing through his mind. Once he opened his eyes, it didn't take long before the battle commences with the two charging at each other. Although Reid was prepared to end this in one hit, he was a bit curious on what his apprentice can do.

He allowed Kishida to go on the offensive, seeing that the boy has gotten better in his swordsmanship, more than their first encounter yet he was still lacking. He blocked each attack with some ease while also noticing the strategy the young knight was using.

He was attempting to use a barrage of quick attacks to keep him on the defense until he is worn down. He was disappointed in this strategy since it takes a lot of energy to pull this off and for someone like Kishida that can only rely on one arm to use his sword, he knew it would fail. Just as Reid was going to end this fight before it even started, Kishida was about to swing his sword before suddenly dropping it, causing Reid to be caught off guard by this act.

'What in the hell is he doin'?'

Reid goes for the finishing blow but just as he does this, Kishida surprisingly blocks the attack with his left arm while using his hook hand to try and hit the Sword Saint in the face. This caught Reid off guard once again, causing him to jump back but as he tried this, Kishida was able to snatch away one of his sticks from his right hand.

This surprised him since he wasn't expecting his apprentice to do something like this, causing a prideful smile to appear for a second before going back into a serious facial expression.

He gained his distance for a brief moment before charging towards the knight, seeing that he is going to have to take the fight seriously now. Kishida noticed this and smiled, his plan having been relying on Reid going all out since he needs the group to see how he fights while also wanting to test his limits. He waited and waited for a bit before going for his sword, needing it to block Reid's attacks. As he grabs his weapon, he looks up to see his opponent right on top of him.

'Shit!'

Kishida quickly reacted to this by blocking off the attack, just barely managing to avoid getting hit with the stick. As this happened, Reid used his free hand to punch the knight in the face, catching him off guard and making him lose his balance. As this happened, Reid was about to deliver the finishing blow until Kenichi had stepped in and managed to just barely block off the attack.

"Eh?! I don't remember tellin' ya t'join in!"

"No but I can't let Kishida here have all the fun."

Kenichi says this with confidence, forcing Reid to jump back. The Sword Saint was annoyed at this since he wasn't expecting a second person to join in his battle with his apprentice yet he wasn't against it either. He observed his surroundings for a bit to question if anybody else is going to join in.

"Well? Anyone else wanna face me?"

"...I will."

"Wait but Julius—"

"I have to, Subaru."

Reid, Kishida, and Kenichi turned to see that Julius had volunteered to fight once again, having been fully healed by Subaru. As the finest knight was approached his two fellow knights, both Kishida and Kenichi looked at the purple haired knight with a bit of concern, worried that he might be pushing himself too much.

"Don't you think you should rest for a bit?" Said Kenichi, trying to use his fatherly skills on Julius which he ignored in a respectful manner.

"I appreciate your concern but this is my fight as well."

"Understood but...have you figured out why you haven't been fighting at full strength?"

"I do not know Kenichi-san, I have been trying to use everything but something is not right."

"What exactly are you having trouble?" Kishida ask, hoping that maybe he could solve the problem Julius was having. The knight noticed this and quickly responded with,

"Normally my skills as a swordsman are amplified when I'm using my quasi spirits. But they seem to be having trouble going all out in their abilities."

"Hm. Were you contracted with them?"

"Yes but..."

There was an immediate pause by the purple haired knight, having just realized the problem. Kenichi wasn't able to understand fully but Kishida was, understanding that once gluttony as taken your name, then any contracts you ever had are no longer there. Making it as if they never were created in the first place.

'What a disgusting ability.'

Kishida thought this, feeling sick that someone like Lye Batenkaitos and Roy Alphard have this sort of ability. Due to this finding, Julius looked at his six spirits after summoning them with a sad looking, seeing that he is forcing them to work for him. Kishida could tell that he is going to break apart from them. He went towards the handsome purple haired fellow and patted him in the back while saying,

"I know it's painful but you can always re-contract with them."

"Maybe so but...this is just painful."

"I..."

Kishida wasn't able to finish his sentence since he doesn't know that kind of loss. All he could do was pat his ally one more time before he and Kenichi both approach Reid without Julius, knowing that they have to do something. Subaru was prepared to join in on the fight until Kishida looked at the boy and told him,

"Subaru, there is no need for you to join in. This fight is one your father and I can beat by working together."

"Yes, just leave it to your amazing dad."

"Are you sure? Maybe I—"

Before Subaru could finish his sentence, a loud explosion accords which caused the tower to shake for a brief moment. This caused everyone to be a bit concern by this since they were not sure what just happened.

"What was that?"

"Sounded like an explosion, I suppose."

"But what could that be?" Emilia said in a worried tone.

"I don't know but you should check that out, my amazing son."

Subaru looked at his father and nodded, seeing that he is the only one not doing anything along with Shaula. He ran towards the guardian of the watchtower to ask her if she could join him. Without any hesitation she agreed to this which caused both Emilia and Beatrice to want to join the pair.

"We are going Subaru."

"Yes, you can't leave without betty, in fact!"

Everyone could see the slight anger on the great spirit's face, seeing that she doesn't want to be left behind. Before the boy with the key could respond, the silver haired half elf chimmed in to say,

"I'm going to...f-f-f-fiancé!"

"Fiancé?" Naoko asked with a look of confusion. Kenichi and Subaru both froze in place since this was something they wanted to avoid for now.

'Hehe...good luck buddy.'

Kishida chuckled at his friend's misfortune. Before anything can be asked, Subaru took a deep breath before telling both his fiancée and his contracted spirit,

"I need you both here. I need someone to protect them should a powerful threat come by."

"But—"

"Trust in me Beako, I got Shaula to protect me and I can defend myself now with my new keyblade."

"Yes! I will protect ma~ster!"

Beatrice looked at Shaula for a brief moment, noticing what she had said. This gave her a moment to think before she can respond to what Subaru had said to her.

"Hmph...just d-don't die on me now, I suppose! You better come back to Betty!"

"I will, beako."

Subaru hugs Beatrice before looking at Emilia, seeing that she is still mad that she can't help her fiancé.

"You are such a dunderhead!"

"I know."

"The biggest dunderhead!"

"Hehe...I know."

"Just come back safely, okay."

"I will, I promise."

Emilia smiled at the boy before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You better keep this promise."

"I'll make sure that this promise I keep, Emilia-tan."

The two smiled at each other before Shaula and Subaru left the room together to check out what was the explosion. While the two left, Kishida and Kenichi both return to focus on their priority, taking down Reid and passing the trial. The pair point their swords towards Reid before beginning their fight, quickly taking the advantage of Reid having only one stick in his hand and having his guard lowered. The first Sword Saint noticed this and was about to attack as he usually does until he remembered that he only was carrying one stick.

'Fuck! Th't's right!'

As he recalled this, Reid looked up to see both swords swinging close to him. He quickly moved his left hand to block the attacks with his remaining stick, managing to keep his defenses up. Kenichi and Kishida both noticed this, forcing the two to increase their offense attacks in both speed and strength.

As their attacks increased, Reid was slowly starting to take the fight seriously due to how he was starting to get overwhelmed. This caused both Kishida and Kenichi to use their separate skillsets to keep up with Reid's new found speed and strength.

Kenichi relied on the skills he had learned in Japan while Kishida used all of Reid's training. With their combined efforts, the two managed to keep up with Reid for a bit, managing to show that they are not to be underestimated.

Reid smiled as this is the second greatest battle he has had recently with the first being against the Keyblade Wielder Sora. Although it wasn't long until he had gained the advantage with his one stick, he was still impressed at both Kenichi and Kishida's efforts.

"Ya both fought well but time t'end th's!"

Both Kishida and Kenichi looked at how Reid was going to use his one stick to knock the two out until someone else joined in on the fight. Both knights were surprised by this for a few seconds before realizing who it is.

"Julius!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Should I really need to answer that question, Kishida?"

Julius looked confident towards Kishida has he asked the question, leaving the knight a bit puzzled for a moment before smiling back. Kenichi and Kishida both watched as Julius was able to push back Reid, seeing that the Sword Saint was curious on something. He got up and pointed his stick at the purple haired young man while asking,

"What changed?"

"Pardon me?"

"What changed in ya? I know yer weak but right now, ya showed a power like nothin' before."

"Well..."

Julius smiled before six bright lights appeared around the spirit knight, causing Reid to smile since this means he might get a worthy fight with the loser standing in front of him.

"Isn't th's interestin'? Maybe ya ain't gonna keep being a loser now."

"I know that alone I cannot win, despite how strong my motivation to Anastasia-sama is but with Kishida-san and Kenichi-san's assistance, we might be able to finally put you down."

"Aight then, show me."

He got himself into his fighting position, preparing to fight against Reid with Kenichi and Kishida approaching him to also prepare themselves. Before the fight broke out, Kishida turned towards the finest knight to ask him,

"How did you get your spirits to evolve?"

"I do not know but re-contracting with them must've done something."

"Well regardless, I think we have a better chance now."

"Agreed. Hey Kenichi, are you ready?"

"I'm always ready."

"Good, let's get started."

The three knights all got themselves ready for a fight before waiting for Reid to start the fight by charging at them. Julius allowed both Kishida and Kenichi to react to Reid's attack first, having the pair combine their strength to block off one of Reid's attacks before he joins in to protect the three of them with the assistance of his six spirits.

"Al Clarista!"

Julius' sword started to glow, allowing him to slightly overpower Reid for a brief moment with Kishida and Kenichi both providing some offense assistance. Reid realized that he shouldn't underestimate his three opponents, understanding now that their combined strength is an actual challenge.

He paid close attention to the way Julius, Kenichi, and Kishida's combined fighting patters, studying them and preparing to exploit the weakness the second he sees it. While the trio of knights were able to keep up with Reid, Kishida knew that it was a matter of time before the first Sword Saint would overpower them.

'There as to be some way to beat Reid Astrea...We can't lose here.'

Kishida continued to fight while trying to think of his friends to motivate him to push his body more and more. Julius looked at his fellow knight friend and could see that he is pushing himself to his limit. Knowing that he is the strongest of the three, he quickly used Ia and Alo to produce a powerful magical firestorm with the combination of both Fire and Wind magic. With this firestorm, he threw it directly towards Reid, forcing him back a bit. Julius took this opportunity to turn towards both Kenichi and Kishida to tell them,

"Allow me to fight Reid alone. With my spirits now powerful, I can take him on."

"You know we make a better team when we work together, Julius-san."

"I agree with Kenichi, we have to work together."

"Kenichi-san, shouldn't you help your son? He might need his father's assistance."

"That might be right, but I trust my son. He got back his memories, he is back to full strength."

"Not only that but we are in this together, Julius. We should beat Reid together."

Julius was hesitant to accept the assistance since he felt that this was his responsibility yet he decided to trust on Julius and Kenichi.

"Okay, but we best finish this fight quick. The moment he recovers his other stick or figures out our combined fighting pattern, we will fail."

"Don't you worry, Julius. We are going to win this, together."

The purple haired knight nodded at Kishida before the three of them turned towards Reid, seeing the first sword saint slowly approaching them with an annoyed facial expression.

"Y'all'r pissin' me off now. Fight me man t'man or else!"

"You never set rules that we can't use magic and spirit arts."

"...grrr."

Reid having realized that this is correct, he looked at the three with an angry facial expression before continuing the fight with the trio of knights. The three were slightly caught off guard by this since they were not ready, causing Reid to land a powerful blow on Kenichi, sending him flying into a wall.

"Love!"

Naoko shouted with a worried voice, causing her to run towards her husband's location with Meili and Anastasia by her side. Kishida and Julius both quickly got their defenses up and started to block off every attack thrown towards them. Kishida and Julius were both immediately struggling since they were not expecting Reid's attacks with just one stick to be extraordinarily tough compared to their last fights with him.

'We better do something and quick!'

Kishida thought this as he waited for the right moment before trying to go on the offense, knowing that if Reid continues on his fury of offense attacks, the two would get overwhelmed within a minute. As Kishida was going on the offense, Reid noticed this and quickly landed a kick on his apprentice, annoyed that he left himself open for such an easy attack. Kishida could feel his entire stomach hurting badly yet he was determined to hold on to that pain since he was able to grab Reid's foot with his good hand after having dropped his sword.

He looked at the Sword Saint to see him a bit confused all the while he was smiling confidently, knowing that the plan is going to work now. Reid was distracted long enough for Julius to use one of his spirits to increase his speed and strength, allowing him to start attacking the Sword Saint with everything he has in him. Reid was unprepared for this and was pushed back for a bit, allowing Kishida a little bit of time to recover from the kick to the gut he had received.

'Damn...that was quite the attack...but at least now Julius can take over for now...'

He thought to himself with a smile on his face, seeing that now they have the advantage at least for now. As he was still recovering, he looked at the ground and noticed Reid's other stick that he had taken from him.

'Well, there is his other weapon. I better hold on to it before he notices where it is.'

Kishida picks up the stick and hides it on the back of his shirt before going off to pick up his sword. As he does this, he looks back at the fight to see that despite Julius having had the advantage, Reid is now slowly closing in on the purple haired knight's strength and speed. Seeing that he needs to do something, Kishida charges back into battle to keep Reid on the defensive. The Sword Saint noticed this and quickly tried to adjust his strategy only for Julius to summon another firestorm to push him back.

"Damn you!"

"Sorry for this but I won't let you win so easily."

"Grrr. Damn you spirit users. Always takin' th'fun outta things!"

"Pardon me then, I didn't mean to make you angry, Sword Saint."

"Whatever, just fight!"

Reid with one strike was able to destroy the firestorm before charging at Julius, not having noticed that Kishida is back in the fight. His apprentice jumped in between and was able to barely block off the attack. Reid smiled at this before starting to go all out on his apprentice, overwhelming him within seconds.

"Ya have gotten stronger but ya still lack the necessary skills t'beat me."

"I know but that doesn't mean I'll just give up! I'll keep fighting and fighting until we finally beat you, Reid Astrea!"

"Hmph. Show me then."

Kishida continued to block off every attack he could before eventually Reid destroyed the knight's sword with one powerful attack. The young man was surprised by this for a moment before looking at his opponent in a serious facial expression. He let the handle of his broken sword go before charging at Reid to try and land a punch with his remaining hand.

Reid noticed this and easily blocked the punch by catching Kishida's fist with his free hand. The young man knew this would happen, causing him to quickly swing his hook towards his opponent, causing the sword saint to quickly react by using his stick to destroy the hook itself.

Despite his hook being destroyed, Kishida kept moving the remaining wood towards Reid's face, managing to land a hit since the first Sword Saint wasn't thinking that his apprentice would still keep trying to fight after having destroyed his two weapons he had. Due to this, the first sword saint threw his stick from one hand to the other before with an intense strength smacked Kishida in the head, causing some real damage to him.

As this happened with the knight disoriented, he looked at Reid with a serious and injured facial expression before turning it into a smile, causing Reid to look at him with a curious facial expression.

"Julius! Now!"

The purple haired knight nodded at Kishida, quickly powering up with the help of his six spirits. As his strength and speed had increased heavily, he charged at the first sword saint and without any hesitation he stabbed the guardian of the second trial in the chest. As this happened, Reid looked surprised at the two before looking down to see the sword piercing through him.

"Hm. Seems like ya got me."

Julius looked at him with a serious facial expression, wanting to know if this fight is done. Reid turned towards Kishida and smiled at him proudly, having been impressed by the way his apprentice had performed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking to both knights,

"Ya two performed well. I hereby say th't ya two passed me trial."

"Thank you Reid Astrea, it was an honor fighting you."

"Yeah, same here and...thanks for all the training."

"Just so ya know kid, ya got a long way but ya'll make it."

Kishida nodded at Reid before both knights watched as he started to fade away. This confused the two since they thought that he would just go back and wait until the next challenger.

"What is going on?"

"Well loser, ya got me and finally put an end t'me. I get t'rest now."

"Wait, what about the others?"

"Ah fuck it, they passed by proxy. I'm tired ya know. I wanna rest now which thanks t'ya, I can."

Julius pulled out the sword that he plunged Reid with to see the first sword saint's body slowly disappearing. He smiled at the two before closing his eyes and allowing himself to pass on to the afterlife, finally having a chance to rest. Once he did disappeared, both Julius and Kishida allowed themselves to fall on the ground, having used up all of their strength.

"We did it...Julius."

"We sure did Kishida."

As the two were on the ground, gathering their strength, Anastasia went to check on Julius while Kishida had Meili and Emilia approaching him. The two were checking on him before Meili asked if he was alright to which he response with,

"Yeah, I'm alright little one." Kishida said with a smile on his face. Meili looked at him for a bit with a serious facial expression before allowing Emilia to treat Kishida's head wound he received from Reid.

"That looked like it hurt a lot."

"It...sort of did."

"You and Subaru are the same, dunderheads."

"Haha! I suppose we are."

Kishida couldn't help but find Emilia's insult funny since he can agree with Subaru on one thing, who calls people dunderhead in this day and age? As Kishida's wound was starting to heal, he started to laugh to himself for a bit.

'Man if Grandfather was here, he would be furious to see Emilia-sama be this close to me.'

As he thought this, he did looked sad for a brief moment, knowing that his grandfather will never change his mind about Emilia. This was something that both Emilia and Meili picked up on, causing one of them to ask,

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just thought of a bad memory. It's nothing to worry about." Kishida said in a dismissing manner, hoping to not go into the subject with Emilia.

"Are you sure—?"

Before the conversation could continue, the group could hear someone entering the room. They all turned to see that it was Sora and Elsa, both of them entering the room in a hurry.

"Sora? Bowel Hunter? Have you two—"

"Yes Kishida, we took care of those three."

"Well Sora Dear managed to beat two of them. The third disappeared on us."

"Hm. That is unfortunate to hear but it seems we are making progress." Julius said in a calm manner as one of his spirits was healing his injuries.

"Where is Reid?" Sora asked in a bit of confusion, catching everyone off guard with his question.

"The original master swordsman has been beaten, for good this time." Kishida said in a calm manner, wanting to show respect to his master.

"That's good to hear...Emilia, you and I should take care of the last trial."

"Huh?"

Emilia looked at the Keyblade Master confused. She along with everyone including Elsa turned towards him with a confused facial expression. Seeing that everyone was looking at his direction, the boy cleared his throat for a second before saying,

"What I mean is we need to clear the trials of the Pleiades Watchtower. I would've wanted Me, you, and Subaru to do it together but from what I can see, he isn't here."

"Then you should wait for him, I suppose. He should return at anytime."

"Maybe but we need to finish this and quick."

"Why don't we all go together?" Spoke the purple haired knight, having his body fully healed and ready for battle. Sora noticed this and did appreciate the enthusiasm yet he knew that it can only be two.

"Sorry Julius but I need the rest to stand back and protect the entrance to the next floor. Should me and Emilia encounter a big threat, I would rather have you all down here where it is safe than up there and putting your lives at risk."

"But Sora-san, that is what a knight does. We risk our lives to protect the weak, the innocent. Julius-san and I are ready to face whatever dangers are in the next trial." Kishida got up with his spirits high, having confidence that he can help out. Sora was in a bit of a dilemma since he didn't want to deny help from others but his heart can tell that whatever lies ahead is much too dangerous to bring everyone. He crossed his arms and tried to think of something until Emilia spoke out here mind,

"If Sora says that only him and me should go, then I we should listen to him."

The large group looked at Emilia, seeing how determined she is. Kishida looked at her for a brief moment before being the one to ask,

"Are you sure, Emilia-sama? We can all contribute some sort of help."

"That is true but you all have done enough. Allow me and Sora to take care of the last trial. You can count on us."

The group noticed Emilia's confidence, allowing them to believe in her and Sora to finish the trials on their own. Kishida and Julius both still wished to help out yet seeing that they accomplished one of the toughest fights yet, they knew that they should rest while they can. Naoko approached Emilia to wish her good luck to her soon to be daughter-in-law while Kishida exchange some words with Sora.

"How dangerous do you think it'll be?"

"I don't know but I feel a powerful energy through that door. I can probably hold it off alongside Emilia but the rest of you aren't that strong."

"No need to worry about us. We will hold off anything that tries to get in the way of the trial."

"Okay. Me and Emilia will be counting on you all for that."

"You can always count on us."

Kishida gave a thumbs up to which Sora nodded confidently before he along with Emilia entered to the next trial, both of them determined to beat the trials together. As both Emilia and Sora go up the stairs, the group notice a couple of heartless starting to pop up around them.

"Well, seems like we have company." Kenichi spoke in a calm manner.

"You can say that again." Kishida responded.

"Well then, let us get rid of these creatures."

"Agreed, Julius-san."

Julius nodded at what Kishida said before going into combat, trusting that Anastasia is guarded by Naoko, Beatrice, and Meili while Kishida wanted to join in on the fight yet he realized that he doesn't have a sword or a hook to use. He had recalled that in his fight with Reid, he had destroyed his weapons.

'Darn, now what am I going to use?'

As he thought of this, he heard Kenichi tell him to catch something. He turned towards Kenichi's direction to see a sword being thrown towards him. The young man was able to quickly catch the sword all the while hearing Kenichi say,

"Take it. I can fight with just my fists."

"Are you sure? You probably—"

"Nope! No excuses. Use my sword. You seem like you'll need a weapon. I still got my martial arts skills that can come in handy here."

"Alright."

Kishida accepted this and used his one remaining arm to fight against the heartless, knowing that this would be better for him. As the fighting was about to start for him, he looked at the direction Sora had went for a brief moment before looking at where Subaru and Shaula had gone off.

'Sora-san, Subaru, both of you be safe.'

As Kishida wishes the two Keyblade wielders to be safe, he looked at the shadow heartless approaching him and smiles, confident that he will be alright.

Author's note:

1. I will be having a one week break, meaning no new chapter next week due to family things but I should be back the following week to post Chapter 65.

2. We are near the end of this arc, which I promise will have an epic final battle.

3. For those wondering, why hasn't Satella done anything, keep in mind that she is on her way and she is more deadly than anything.

4. Since this was my oc chapter, I needed to explain their backstory, which is why the chapter was structured completely different. Also if you've noticed, some of the memories are off which implies that this version of events are due to what Roy did to Julius.

5. Lastly, I want to confirm that the next arc will have an important arc for Sora.

Hopefully you all continue to support the story, we are reaching towards Arc 7 and there is where the fun begins.