I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters.
Unchallenged
Tyler turned, staring at a wall of darkness as something began to step out of it. However, after a moment, the darkness condensed into the person, leaving Caius this time in a full black body suit with dark grey skin, glowing gold eyes with cracks around them also glowing gold, and his sword radiating darkness and black flames.
"Shit," Tyler growled, summoning his keyblade again. "He's a heartless."
"Indeed," a voice above them said, everyone turning to stare at the newest stranger as he pointed his excessively long sword at Tyler. "You interest me. I wonder, can you kill me?"
The man was tall, probably six foot four, with silver hair reaching the back of his knees, an open black trench coat with red along the front edges, a belt over the coat with a stylized "M" on the silver buckle, a pair of silver pauldrons, a pair of black leather belts under the coat over his abdomen, a pair of brown leather straps crossing over his otherwise bare chest in an "X", black pants, black boots, a katana-style sword that was about eleven feet long, a black bat-wing-like fin with red webbing extending off the outside of each forearm, and a huge dark blue, feathered wing extending from his right shoulder blade along with from under the bottom of his coat on both sides, hanging about level with his thighs.
"What the hell are you?" Tyler asked, holding his keyblade ready, glancing at Caius every few seconds to make sure he wasn't attacking yet.
"I'm Sephiroth," the man said, still holding his sword out with one hand without his arm or sword even trembling a tiny bit, betraying a monstrous amount of strength. "So, can you kill me?"
Tyler swallowed hard, glancing at Lightning worriedly. "Lightning, you, Fang, and Noel fight Caius. But be careful. Serah, Vanille, stay out of this fight altogether."
"You can't fight him alone," Lightning said.
"Then kill Caius quickly," Tyler said.
And with that, he stepped forward, knocking Sephiroth's sword aside and lunging, slashing at Sephiroth. Sephiroth smirked, sword flashing all the way around behind him and slashing at Tyler from the side. Tyler pivoted, slamming his sword into Sephiroth's, only to be sent flying. As he crashed to the ground, Fang crashed down beside him, flipping and landing on her feet, growling in annoyance. Tyler glanced at Caius, seeing him slashing and sending massive blasts of darkness and flame at Lightning and Noel rapidly, the two of them barely able to avoid the blasts, all the while struggling to attack Caius back.
"How's yours?" Fang asked.
"He's a fucking monster," Tyler growled. "Sephiroth, if you want a challenge, let us kill Caius first, then we'll fight you together."
Sephiroth chuckled and nodded.
Tyler turned, sprinting at Caius instantly, only for Caius to send a blast at him. Tyler focused, light shining from his keyblade as he slashed the blast, sending it flying into the sky. The light faded from his keyblade as Caius sent a blast at Lightning and Noel, then slashed horizontally at Tyler. Tyler leapt over it and slashed at Caius as he fell. Caius's blade blocked Tyler's and Tyler landed on his feet, shoving Caius's sword aside, slashing at him again. Caius stepped around it, slashing downward at Tyler, only for Tyler to duck out of the way. Caius's sword smashed into the ground and Lightning opened fire, her bullets slamming into Caius's chest rapidly, making him shout in pain, his voice distorted and metallic, as he staggered backward. Then, Tyler and Noel both stepped forward, slashing him. Caius roared in pain, dropping his sword and staggering away again, turning in time for Fang to slash him up the front with the back end of her lance, hurling him into the air. Lightning and Tyler both jumped, slashing him rapidly, both using magic to hover for a moment, before dropping. As Caius fell, he flipped, darkness exploding off of his hand, reforming his sword, before he slashed at them as he landed, forcing both to leap back, only for several fireballs to explode into Caius from above, courtesy of Noel.
Caius burst out of the flames a half-second later, streaking toward Serah. She screamed, stumbling back but Noel stepped into the way, moving to block the slash, only for Caius's sword to smash directly through both of Noel's, splitting his torso open. Noel shouted in pain, staggering backward, Serah catching him, just before Tyler and Lightning slashed at Caius from behind, Caius leaping over the slashes, flipping backward and landing away from them all.
"Damn he's fast," Tyler growled.
"He's even more dangerous now than when he was alive," Lightning agreed.
"I'll have to stop holding back," Tyler growled, his keyblade beginning to shine, forming his light element keyblade. "Could Odin or one of the other summons help?"
"They'd probably be killed," Lightning said. "It's better not to risk it."
Tyler nodded and charged, the others just behind him. Caius slashed at Tyler and he ducked under it, slashing as he spun past Caius, missing by less than an inch before Caius kicked him away, slashing upward and deflecting a slash from both Lightning and Fang over his head. Then, he slashed back down at Fang, who dove out of the way. As soon as she had, Caius's sword curved around and slashed at Lightning. She hurled herself backward, avoiding the blade, and Caius turned, his sword blocking Tyler's. Tyler grit his teeth, pushing harder against Caius's sword, then leapt into the air, pushing off of it to flip over Caius. He formed a sphere of light in his hand and Caius spun, a sphere of darkness forming in his own. Then, they slammed them together, the spells forming a massive explosion, hurling Tyler into the air while Caius remained in the center of the crater unharmed and standing on a pillar of untouched ground.
"This is starting to piss me off!" Fang said.
"Then let's finish this!" Lightning said.
Both charged and Caius tapped his heel against the top of the pillar. It crumbled instantly and he ride a chunk of it down at Lightning, slashing at her as he reached the bottom. Lightning flipped over it, slashing upside down at his head, but he ducked under it, flipping backward and kicking her into Fang. Then, he landed on his feet, turning and raising his sword just as Tyler's crashed into it, cratering the ground below Caius even more and forcing Caius to brace his blade with his free hand. Caius growled in effort, then slashed upward, hurling Tyler backward. Tyler flipped, landing beside Lightning and Fang as they pushed themselves up. Then, he and Lightning charged again, both beginning to slash at Caius rapidly. Caius grinned wickedly, wielding his sword with only one hand, fending off both of them easily. Tyler ducked under a slash, and Caius turned, knocking Lightning's blade aside before spinning out of the way of a stab from Tyler. Tyler spun outward, slashing at Caius, only for Caius's blade to crash down on his stopping the attack before Caius planted his foot in Tyler's chest, hurling him backward. Lightning slashed upward at Caius, and Caius blocked it with his own blade, raising his left hand and catching the shaft of Fang's lance. Then, he yanked it away before instantly driving it back, planting the blade on the back end in Fang's gut.
"Fang!" Vanille shrieked.
Caius flipped the lance, hurling Fang off of it into the face of the cliff off to the side, then spun, slamming the shaft of the lance into Lightning's gut, hurling her away with it. However, just as he did, Tyler slashed at his arm, making him drop the lance and leapt backward. He chased Caius, slashing at him rapidly, Caius again fending him off easily. However, this time, Tyler began to focus his magic energy in a way he had been practicing in secret. He channeled it into his muscles and bones, making his body move faster, then into his eyes and brain to allow himself to process what was happening faster. As he did this, a pure white aura began to glow around him. Caius narrowed his eyes and began to lose ground, his sword sparking against Tyler's keyblade rapidly as both spun and slashed again and again, Caius actually using both hands now.
Finally, Caius knocked Tyler's blade aside and raised his own, only to spin, slashing three glowing arrows out of the air, glaring at Serah. Tyler stabbed at Caius from behind instantly, and Caius spun, knocking the blade aside and moving to slash Tyler, only for Tyler to drop, Lightning firing her gunblade rapidly, the bullets peppering Caius in the face and chest. He staggered backward instantly, and Tyler lunged, driving his sword into his abdomen, twisting it so that the edge was upward before ripping it up and out of Caius, turning away and slashing back down, stopping his blade at his side and sighing as Caius collapsed behind him. He turned, looking down at Caius as darkness enveloped him, raging around and around before dispersing, leaving nothing behind.
"Most impressive," Sephiroth commended. "You impress me."
"Great, now leave," Tyler said, looking to Fang as Lightning finished healing her, handing her lance to her.
"I don't think so," Sephiroth said. "We had an agreement. I allow you to fight Caius without me interfering, and all of you face me together. Now attack me, or I'll start."
Tyler grit his teeth but nodded and charged. However, as before, he couldn't get close. Sephiroth was fast and his sword was so long that he was able to keep Tyler from getting closer than five feet away. Lightning stepped up beside Tyler after a moment and when Tyler blocked Sephiroth's sword, Lightning slashed at Sephiroth. Sephiroth deflected the slash and Tyler lunged, stabbing at him, only for Sephiroth to step out of the way of the blade, slashing downward at Tyler. Lightning blocked it and Sephiroth kicked Tyler, launching him away. Tyler bounced and rolled to a stop, pushing himself up just as Sephiroth slammed his sword into Lightning's gunblade, hurling her. Then, as she began to stand, he lunged, slashing at her rapidly. The first lifted her into the air, then his sword began to rapidly tear into her, blood flying out of a fresh wound every second. Finally, he flipped, slashing downward and she managed to block it, only to be sent bounding off the ground, rolling to a stop beside Tyler.
"You're both pathetic," Sephiroth said, raising a hand, blue energy beginning to rapidly form into the palm of his hand as he rose, dark violet energy forming around Sephiroth. "Die."
He swung his hand, the sphere flying at lightning and Tyler, and Tyler turned, placing himself in front of Lightning. Suddenly, he felt like something had tugged a fishing line attached to his gut in a sudden jerk. Then, the explosion went off, white-hot daggers of pain stabbing into his ears, but not part of his body burning. He blinked, turning and looking back, staring at a massive mechanical thing shaped like a wall ripped off of a metal castle. Smoke was curling up from the other side of it, but the blast hadn't gotten through.
"It's Alexander!" Lightning gasped.
Tyler really wanted to know who Alexander was, but he had other concerns. He focused his magic energy into his body again, his white aura returning, brighter this time. Then, he sped around the wall, streaking at Sephiroth, who raised an eyebrow, slashing at him. Tyler deflected the blade upward, reaching Sephiroth and slashing at him rapidly. Sephiroth blocked his attacks, jumping backward rapidly as he fended off Tyler, however, Tyler kept up with him, pressing him hard. Finally, Sephiroth spun, his wing slamming into Tyler's gut and throwing him backward. Tyler flipped, landing on his feet as Sephiroth flew at him, sword pulled back, However, when he slashed, Cloud stepped past Tyler, knocking the sword aside and lunging, lashing rapidly at Sephiroth, Sephiroth retreating rapidly as he fended off Cloud's much heavier, broader, and almost equally long sword.
Finally, Sephiroth knocked Cloud's sword away and jumped, flipping and hovering in the air a fair distance away from them. "I see. So you sensed me then. I'll take my leave here, then."
Then, sank to the ground, darkness forming around him as he reached it, swallowing him before fading.
"Thanks for the save," Tyler said. "Who was he?"
"Someone from my past," Cloud said. "Someone incredibly dangerous."
"I can tell," Tyler said, turning to the others just as the massive mechanical wall broke apart, transforming into a massive humanoid robot before fading. "Everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Fang says, pushing herself up from beside the cliff. "I think I've had enough fighting for one day, though."
"Yeah, you're heading back to the ship," Tyler agreed. "Send Sazh to help me and Lightning. And see abut getting Noel patched up, and new swords."
Fang nodded and walked over to the others. A moment later, light enveloped them all, then left Sazh in their place when they left. Sazh walked over and Tyler sighed, turning to look down the path Sora had run with Donald and Goofy.
"Alright," Tyler said. "Let's go fight some heartless."
Lightning nodded and the three of them began to jog down the path, Cloud having left immediately after stopping Sephiroth.
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