Riku's face shifted from frustration to annoyance, then to amusement as Ansem gave a soft chuckle at Sora's defiance. Now he would see just how powerful Riku was against his best friend. But first...he knew just what to do to keep Sora's friends occupied.
With a snap of his fingers from his free hand, Ansem seemed to call forth another group of Heartless. This one even bigger than the last. "Guys! We've got company!" Yang announced, just managing to stop a Defender's charge with her gauntlets. Ruby, Weiss, Sun, Neptune and Blake quickly jumped to action, along with Team JNPR. They didn't have time to spectate. And Ozpin didn't have time to dwell upon the revelation of their mysterious foe. Though something about that other voice claiming to be Ansem also sounded...familiar. A familiarity he also had no time to dwell on as he was forced to fend off a slew of Grimm that suddenly burst through the doors behind him. Readying his weapon, along with the young huntsmen and huntresses behind him, the Headmaster led his proteges into battle.
Glaring at the possessed form of his best friend, Sora clutched his Keyblade firmly. "Come" Ansem beckoned, daring Sora to make the first move. Sora took him up on it as he swung at Riku, only for his possessed opponent to step back with a laugh and countered with a swifter and more deadly strike as he zoomed past him and landed a hit across Sora's arm. Sora hissed in pain and turned around, seeing Riku make the same stance as before. He tried to strike again, but the result was the same with the dark Keyblade striking Sora in the belly. "Surrender."
Sora staggered back in the wake of his foe's taunt, using a Cure spell to heal his wounds. Riku's strength was even greater than the last time they fought. And this time, Sora didn't have his friends to back him up. Sora chose to try a more cautious approach as he shot a Fire spell at Riku. But with his free hand, Riku stopped the flames and seemed to absorb the magic energy from it, surprising Sora before he saw the sneer from Riku. "Foolish boy."
Before Sora knew it, Riku closed the distance between them, and with his burst of momentum, unleashed a diagonal slash. "Here it comes!"
For a moment Sora was off guard, but managed to roll out of the way from Riku's attack. But as he righted himself, he narrowly caught sight of a shock wave of energy coming from Riku's Keyblade when it hit the ground. Sora shuddered to think what would have happened had he not rolled away in time and took the brunt of whatever attack Riku planned using against him.
"Sora!" Goofy said, seeing the fight go on as he kept his shield up. He was nearly toppled over when a Wyvern Heartless clawed its taloned feet at him before making an uppercut with his shield to knock it off balance. That was perfect for Weiss who sent a volley of lightning at it from her weapon to finish it off.
"Stay focused, Goofy! I'm worried about him to, but we need to focus on the Heartless!" Despite Donald's own advice, he looked back at Sora in worry as Goofy refocused on the Heartless. The worried duck couldn't help saying, "Please be alright." before he took his own advice and turned back to the Heartless.
The refocused Donald unleashed a Thundara upon a group of Wyverns which Ruby helped to fire upon along with several wizards that accompanied them. Sun, Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha managed to get over to them when Ren, Nora, and Neptune managed to clear a path for them. While they were holding out well enough, the weariness from the recent battle with Maleficent still weighed on them. Worse still, there were far more Heartless than before, along with Ozpin being occupied with the Grimm that were now pouring in from where they came from. "Sora..." Ruby was just as worried as Donald and Goofy for him. She could only hope that Sora would be alright.
Just as with the Heartless, Ozpin dealt with the Grimm in a similar fashion. With calm, practiced efficiency as his afterimages and unusual magics struck them down one by one. With how many Grimm had been appearing, he was certain that his greatest fears were true. SHE had survived as well. The one that Cinder and her cohorts served. But his questions were boundless toward Ansem. This so-called Seeker of Darkness was nothing at all like how he remembered the wise sage and researcher that once ruled this world. But these questions could be answered later.
Sora meanwhile had managed to get a few glancing blows upon Ansem, but their trading of blows was clearly geared more toward the side of his foe. More still, Ansem seemed to only just be getting started. For a moment later, Riku's left hand suddenly sparked with dark energies as Ansem called out, "Welcome oblivion!" Grasping his Keyblade, Ansem swung with a yell, unleashing a wave of energy in Sora's direction. Sora narrowly managed to dodge out of the way. Ansem pivoted and unleashed another dark energy accompanied strike at Sora, forcing him to dodge again, and again, and again. Sora quickly recovered after the last strike, and swung at Riku, this time striking true. As he doubled over however, Ansem smirked and laughed, before twirling away from Sora. "Show me your power!" he taunted, holding his Keyblade in front of himself horizontally.
Sora was getting tired but shook off any fatigue he had in order to charge then attempt striking him. His Keyblade was blocked by Riku who effortlessly pushed back. "Pitiful."
In the moment of his stagger, Sora was cut across by his opponent's weapon then had the same thing happen when from his back. He glanced back and was momentarily frozen when seeing another attack incoming and rolled out of the way, being sure to heal himself upon standing again. If this kept up, he'd run out of magic to heal himself with anymore. There wasn't any time left now. Sora needed to stay focused and be sure to keep any damage he'd receive to a minimum.
"Give up yet?"
The taunting made Sora turn to Riku with a glare. "Not a chance!" he retorted furiously. In that moment he moved towards Riku with a Sliding Dash. Unfortunately, Riku avoided it with ease, grinning as he twirled around to strike the boy. Sora quickly reacted, countering with a Stun Impact. The sparking dome caused Riku to flinch long enough for Sora to focus his energy and unleash strongest power he had at the moment: Ars Arcanum. Six fast and precise strikes were landed upon Riku before seven slower but far more powerful hits followed suit, ending with a powerful forward spin, striking the possessed boy dead on the head.
Despite the absolute beating he took, Riku stood back up, utterly unbothered. "Is that it?" The shock on Sora's face amused him. Even with such a powerful attack, Sora seemed to have barely done anything. "Pathetic. You're nothing!" Riku taunted, readying another strike for the boy. This battle was just beginning.
As they continued clashing weapons, Neptune impaled a Darkball into vanishing black smoke and swept his weapon when it shifted into a spear-like form to cleave through a Wizard. "Okay, how are there still this many?!"
"Don't ask me!" Sun complained, swinging his staff at another Wizard, slamming it into the stairs.
"How about instead of complaining, you just focus on slaying them!?" Yang yelled over the combat, flanking two Defenders with Blake, slicing and pummeling them. Everyone was already worried as it was about Sora since this whole thing began. The last thing they needed was complaining distracting them.
"What bout Professor Ozpin?!" Pyrrha yelled, barely managing to hold back the gnashing jaws of a Darkball with her shield.
"He's got the Grimm under control! We need to focus on the Heartless!" Jaune said, as he shield bashed the Heartless attacking his partner. "Come on! Who wants to be turned to shadowy goop!?" At least Nora was having fun, practically making a sport out of home-run swinging Darkballs into the wall. Though Ren could tell that even Nora was starting to get tired. Everyone was, in fact. They didn't know how much longer they could go on like this.
Nobody was more concerned for Sora than Ruby, Donald, and Goofy. Ruby in particular found herself glancing over at Sora as he and the Ansem possessed Riku continued fighting. "Watch out, Ruby!" Donald exclaimed as her distraction allowed a Wyvern to swoop down on her. She narrowly managed to raise Crescent Rose, making the Wyvern's talons clamp down on on the shaft. She tried to wrench it free as the Heartless's jaws snapped at her face. She nearly lost her grip on her weapon before Donald managed to save her with a Gravity spell.
Goofy quickly finished it off with a downward slam of his shield before helping Ruby to her feet. "You okay, Ruby?" he asked.
"Y...Yeah...Thanks, Goofy." Her fatigue was becoming more evident from the panting pauses of her words. Just as a wizard warped in front of them, ready to cast a spell, they were reminded of what they were in the middle of.
"Pay attention, you stooges!" Thankfully, Weiss managed to skewer it from behind, before turning toward another Darkball that attempted to chew on her.
One which fortunately was squished by Nora's hammer as Ren elegantly sliced and diced a Wizard to pieces.
Sora was only ever able to land or or two hits at a time because of Riku's intense defenses. Sora was forced evade more and more as Riku grew more and more aggressive. This fight was was going nowhere and only Sora was getting tuckered out. As much as he didn't want to risk it, he needed to use his more powerful techniques. Perhaps he could conserve the usual amount though for something that would be enough to land some blows to hopefully scale the difference between them. The next opportunity showed itself in the form of Sora unleashing a Sonic Blade, ricocheting off the walls of the arena as he hit Riku again and again all up to a final, powerful blast of a blow. Despite how battered he seemed from that beatdown, Riku didn't look remotely concerned. For he had an ace up his sleeve.
"Behold the power of darkness!"
The instant Riku made that declaration, Sora watched as he was covered in a dark light and floated up wile his Keyblade was raised upward. Before Sora could react, Riku lunged at him with great speed and vanished upon reaching one end of the platform through a momentary portal. He quickly repeated the same process, striking Sora from every general direction over and over. Suddenly Riku broke the onslaught by leaping high up in the air above Sora, his blade leveled toward the ground. "You're finished!" he called out, plunging his weapon into the ground, releasing columns of energy radially. It was enough to send Sora on his knees and almost keel over, had he not used his cure spell again though he felt the little magic he had left was on its last reserves now.
"It's over. Surrender."
Despite how outmatched he seemed to be, Sora forced himself to his feet, holding his weapon firmly as he defiantly said, "Nngh...No...I won't! I told you...there's no way you're taking Kairi's heart...and I meant it!"
Riku merely scoffed before letting out a more furious bellow and kept attacking him with swift, powerful swings and graceful dodges as he and Sora continued the fighting. A fight Sora seemed destined to lose at this rate.
Whether the Heartless were starting to clear out or not, nobody could even tell. They simply kept fighting and fighting. Everyone else stopped fighting as suddenly the sound and sight of those geysers of energy rising from the ground around Sora and Riku's battleground. "Sora!" Ruby called out, dashing up the stairs, only to be reminded of the barrier that stood between her and her friend.
Even Ozpin found himself looking back in that direction as he struck down the last of the Grimm that poured through the door. And just in time as well. For the Heartless nearly took advantage of Ruby's distraction with a Darkball blowing past Donald and Goofy. Before it could reach the young huntress, Ozpin launched a stream of green energy from his staff, piercing and destroying the Heartless instantly. "We can't afford distractions, Ruby! Stay focused!" he said, lashing his Cain at a Wyvern that attempted to strike him from above. As worried as she was about Sora, she knew that Weiss and Ozpin were right. She let her guard down twice already.
As for Sora, his own foe, smirking through his best friend's body scoffed at his words. "Well, what now?" he asked, taunting Sora to see if he could back up his words at this juncture.
Clutching his Keyblade tightly, Sora looked up at Riku, determined to show him...no, to show Ansem that he could indeed back up his words. "Power!" two streams of light suddenly flowed inward toward Sora, shimmering as they met around his chest. He lunged forward, swinging at Riku, who simply evaded his attacks.
Now it seemed he'd left himself completely open to Riku's counterattack. "Now taste true power! Open your heart to darkness!"
But just as he was about to counter, Riku's face contorted with surprise, as he found the tip of Sora's Keyblade pointed in front of his face, the tip aglow with a sphere of gold light encased in rings of orange, hexes of pink, all surrounded by a ring of purple. And the next instant, it all unleashed in a blast that struck every part of Riku's body. And as the blast of light faded, Riku stood where he was, his face full of shock, not expecting this development. "My skills...fail me." Ansem said as Riku dropped his Keyblade and fell to his knees.
"Riku!" Sora said with concern as he ran to his friend. Before Sora could reach him, Riku's body vanished. All that was left of him now was his Keyblade. Wrought with grief, Sora lost his friend again.
The barrier previously separating him from his comrades was gone though most of them were still fighting the lingering enemies nearby. Donald, Goofy and Ruby ran to him though the latter was hit in surprise from a Wyvern and knocked down for a moment before Donald retaliated with a blizzard. Sadly, Ruby's aura was broken and in the red from the sneak attack even as Goofy helped her stand back up. "Sora. Are you alright?" Ruby asked, feeling herself become a little sore.
"I'm fine. But Riku..."
The trio were saddened for Sora but Donald remembered what needed to be done as he and Goofy called for him. "Sora!" "The.. The Keyhole!"
In the midst of his fight, Sora forgot all about the Final Keyhole. As much as he was still upset over Riku being gone once more, he knew it was best to focus on stopping whatever plan Maleficent originally had. She might have been gone but who knew if there was anybody else who might try finishing what she started. He approached and held his Keyblade out to try locking it up. Moments passed as Ruby looked at Sora's weapon in confusion. "Hey, where's that beam of light that usually comes out about now?"
Goofy looked from the Keyhole back to where the other Princess' were and thought about it all. "It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!"
It figured. The only way to seal it was to complete it, which was what Maleficent wanted. Sora put his Keyblade away. "What can we do?"
Thinking again, Goofy glanced back to who they found out the last princess of heart was. "Maybe we gotta go wake Kairi up?"
Sora, Donald and Ruby looked back to her as Sora pondered out loud. "I think you're right. If we could free her heart... but... but how?"
"How would we free a heart without the Heartless taking it?" Ruby wondered. She didn't know much about how this worked as it was. In the midst of her brain wracking for something that could help, she suddenly noticed Sora's gaze suddenly fixing on something. "Sora? What is it?" she asked, noticing his gaze was on the Keyblade Riku...or Ansem to be accurate, left behind.
"A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts...I wonder..." Sora mumbled thoughtfully. If it had the power to unlock people's hearts, then...maybe it could unlock Kairi's and return it to her. But her heart was within his. If he were to use it to free her heart, that would mean...It was a sacrifice he was willing to make. All he cared about was bringing Kairi back. Whatever happened to him, he didn't care, so long as she was alright.
"Sora?" Goofy spoke up when he saw Sora walk toward the dark Keyblade.
The instant his hands touched it, Ruby, Donald, and Goofy were overtaken with horror, realizing what he was going to do.
"Sora! Hold on!" Goofy called out.
"No, wait!" joined Donald.
"Don't do it, Sora!" Ruby cried out, pleadingly.
Sora had made up his mind, however. He lifted the Keyblade up, his blue eyes taking in its wicked blade as he weighed what he was doing. His chest throbbed with anxiety, though whether it was his own heart pounding from what he was going to do...or perhaps Kairi pleading to him not to do what he was about to do, he didn't know. All he cared about was bringing her back. And hearing their voices...the voices of the first three friends he ever made after his home was destroyed, the ones who had been with him ever since the beginning, he felt a wave of regret wash over him. As much as he hated to do this to them, he had to try. For Kairi's sake. But all the same, despite his own fears and regrets and sadness...he smiled. A big, silly, toothy grin, like the one he made when they all joined together as Team SRDG. He had faith that they'd find a way to set things right without him. That they'd get Kairi to safety and find a way to stop the Heartless.
And with that final smile, he turned the blade of the Keyblade toward himself...and plunged it into his chest.
The moment he pierced himself with the Keyblade, a bright light shined from the point of contact. Ruby, Donald, and Goofy could only stare in horror at the sight, unable to believe that Sora actually went through with it with such little hesitation.
Sora already felt his strength leaving him. His body felt so light, as if a great weight was being lifted off of him as his body began going limp where he stood. The Keyblade floated out of his chest and back into the air before dissolving away. The dark energy that made it up was gone, replaced by six glimmers of light emerging one by one and floating to the grand hall were the princess' of heart remained locked up.
As the others finished the last of the Heartless, they bore witness to the princess's hearts returning to their bodies. They looked around, wondering what happened up where Sora and Riku were fighting. The sight of the shimmering lights up on the platform caught their attention and...suddenly they all felt a pang of worry run through them. Ozpin in particular seemed to realize what had happened as he stared with sorrowful shock. "No..." Nobody hesitated to run in the direction of the platform...but it was too late to do anything.
In the spot Sora still stood from, another large glimmer of light escaped his chest and merged into Kairi's body. And the instant it did...Kairi's eyes opened again. Sora's body was slowly glowing brighter and brighter with light and faint trails of sparkles but his body became weaker each moment as well. He faintly noticed Kairi's eyes opening as he looked over at her. And though he wouldn't see anything more...he smiled contently, happy that his sacrifice was not in vain.
"Sora! Sora!"
"NO! SORA"
Donald and Ruby cried out as they ran toward Sora's body as it began to fall backwards. Kairi craned herself up, the first thing she saw being Sora falling back. She had been fully aware of what he had done for her, but couldn't bear to see what was happening to him either. "Sora!"
Running as fast as she could, Kairi barely managed to reach him before he hit the ground. But to her shock and confusion, she felt nothing in her arms as Sora's body vanished the instant her hands would have touched him. All that was left of him was a group of shimmering lights floating to the ceiling, blinking out of existence one by one. Kairi watched with sorrowful shock as the lights that were once her dearest friend, the boy who risked and gave everything to bring her back...rising up and disappearing from sight.
Everyone else ran up just in time to see the disheartening sight. They skidded to a halt the instant Kairi attempted to catch Sora's falling body, only to see him disappear. And the instant they saw Kairi, awake and moving, they knew instantly what Sora had done. He'd sacrificed himself to bring her back. The revelation left them all with a hollow, sad feeling within themselves as their dear friend disappeared before their eyes.
"SORA! COME BACK, SORA!" Donald shouted in grief. He and Sora may not always have seen eye-to-eye ever since this began, but he never would have wished Sora to do something like this. And now, he was gone.
Ruby fell to her knees, tears streaming from her silver eyes. "No..." Her voice was a weak whimper as the realization crashed into her harder than the destruction of Beacon. Sora, the greatest hope she and her friends had of going home, her first friend outside of her world, was gone. "NO! SORA, PLEASE DON'T GO!" she cried out as the dam burst and she fell to her knees, crying her eyes out.
Ozpin lowered his head solemnly. Though his was more masked than his students, he mourned Sora's loss as they did.
Blake wiped away a tear as Sun gently lay his hand upon her shoulder with a tender squeeze.
Pyrrha fell into Jaune's arms, whimpering sadly as her partner embraced her tightly with a guilty expression on his face.
Ren, stoic as he was, couldn't hide his sadness either as Nora leaned against him tearfully.
Even Weiss threw herself into Neptune's arms, whimpering sadly for the loss of Sora. And Neptune for once didn't make any inappropriate comments. He simply held her as she cried against him.
Yang tentatively moved toward her little sister, gently wrapping her arms around her shoulders as she cried her eyes out. Ruby had known Sora longer than any of them. She was with him through everything, even after Donald and Goofy abandoned him. Now he was gone...and they were powerless to do anything about it.
"What...What's happening to me?" A sea of blackness...That was all Sora could see now. Everything was fading away. His sight, all his senses, his feelings, his memories. Everything he was was now fading into the abyss that consumed him.
"Falling...Falling...into darkness..."