On the great ice field floating north of Eternia, on the eastern side of the great frozen island, the gigantic summoning circle was materializing a large amount the Fallen with whom Shaft, who was personally observing the process, hoped to plunge Luxendarc into darkness even though his initial plan was shattered. As he watched, he noticed several figures flying on the horizon, and as he turned his gaze there, he smiled sinisterly, knowing that the battle would begin much sooner than he had expected.
On the western side of the great island of ice, the Eternia's aircrafts were landing and disembarking their troops, while Grand Marshal Braev Lee stood on an ice elevation, his blade stuck in the ice with both hands on the handle, watching the eastern side of the ice field, watching as the Fallen advanced into the field between the two extremes.
Soon Alternis advanced to his side, also observing what would be the battlefield, before addressing the Grand Marshal. "The troops are ready to advance, Grand Marshal,"
Brave didn't respond as he watched the horizon. "I never thought we would have a battle similar to when we took Eternia," He finally said.
"I was not present that day, but I can be sure that our number was much greater than it is now. I doubt very much that we can hold out on his behalf for too long," Alternis answered. "I just hope the message got through to the others,"
"Have faith, Alternis. And remember our part," Brave said and looked at the place where the summoning circle was. "If we can hold out until the Vestal summons the Pillar of Light, if we can hold out until the circle is destroyed, then we can win,"
"Do you think he won't see that it's a trap?" Alternis asked, referring to Shaft.
Brave then looked down, watching Kairi, Rena, Eve, Nina, and Edea among the soldiers of Eternia. "As long as he has his real targets insight, he will never see what is coming to him,"
Kairi looked out over the horizon, watching as the army of the Fallen advanced toward the center of the island.
"I never thought I'd end up in a war," Kairi said she was worried. "At least one of this magnitude."
"We've both been through two invasions already," Rena said. "This is no different for us,"
"Actually we went into the conflicts when they were already invading and they were mildly exhausted. This is the beginning of one, so the invading army is ready and fresh," Eve clarified.
"I must agree with you on that, Eve," Rena answered.
"Still, I wish at least Sora was here," Kairi said, looking at the serious faces of the soldiers around him.
"Is it because he has more experience in this kind of fighting?" Nina asked.
"No, because he would most likely do something stupid that would make everyone laugh," she said with a smile. "He's one of those who don't lose his smile unless the situation is hopeless,"
"And how would I do that?" Edea asked.
"Well, something like this!" Kairi said, making a funny face at them.
That caught the girls off guard, starting to laugh.
"I don't get it," Eve said, being the only one not laughing.
"It looks like it's quite a walking party," Nina said as she stopped laughing.
"You could say that," Kairi answered.
"Edea, what did your father give you before?" Eve asked, looking at Edea.
"That's right, he threw something at you before we went to the tower," Nina said. "It looked like some kind of gem or something,"
Edea nodded and pulled out the block she received from her father. "This is an Asterisk. This object can grant special abilities to the one who uses them, and each one is very different. Alternis has one too," The girls nodded as they remembered the power Alternis Dim manifested while ascending the Eternia Command Center. "This is my father's, the Templar's Asterisk."
"The Templar, huh?" Said Rena. "I think that's what some people seem to call your father,"
"And how many are there?" Nina asked. "They could be useful to us in this battle,"
"There are several, but it takes practice to use them properly," Edea said and looked at Kairi. "It's like your Eidolon Forms," She nodded her head. "But don't worry, I have experience with him," Edea said and used the asterisk, and after a great flash, Edea now wore armor similar to that worn by her father, which surprised the group a bit. "So don't worry about me!"
Kairi nodded, just before looking at Braev, who was still watching the horizon.
"Soldiers of Eternia!" Braev shouted, causing all the soldiers to turn to the Grand Marshal. "Today we rise against a threat that hangs over us. You are all witnesses to this threat at this moment. We may not be enough, and we may even lack help or reinforcements this day, but I know you well, and I know perfectly well what you are capable of. And we all know that the strength of one man defending his home is far greater than ten mindless monsters. On this day, I ask all of you to use that strength to fight, for on this day, we fight not only for our destiny but for the future of all Luxendarc!" After these words, the soldiers began to roar as they raised their weapons to the sky, shouting Braev's name loudly.
Shaft watched from a distance what was happening on the west side of the ice island, and with a mischievous smile, he gestured to the Fallen to attack the Eternian forces immediately.
The soldiers of Eternia stood in formation with the spearmen in front with the swordsmen and wizards behind, while a huge horde of Zombies slowly advanced towards them.
"It seems they're sending us the pawns first," Alternis said next to Braev.
Between the lines, Rena watched the enemy advance, and without warning shot a mana arrow that flew to the other side, hitting the head of a Crimson Head who was trying to pass through the Zombies.
"I don't think so," Braev said when he saw what happened. Soon several Crimson Heads passed among the Zombies and rushed like rampaging beasts toward the army of Eternia. "Hold your position! Spikes and spears pointed at the enemy!"
The spearmen held their lances firmly against the enemy, as the Crimson Heads rushed toward them. Some of them impaled themselves against the spears, while others attempted to advance between the spears, forcing the soldiers with swords to try and intercept them before they ended up harming their comrades-in-arms. After the first charge, the Zombies began to reach them, the first rows being shredded by the Spears, while the rest began to pass between the weapons, forcing the lancers to retreat while they held their weapons.
"Wizards, now!" Edea shouted to the ranks of wizards in the rear.
The mages soon began casting Blizzaga spells on the Zombies' rear, significantly reducing their numbers and releasing pressure on the spearmen.
"That won't do them any good," Shaft muttered and ordered a second attack.
On this occasion, it was a large legion of Skeleton Soldiers, Axe Armors, Armor Knights, and Wargs rushed toward them, while without warning a legion of Skeleton Archers rained arrows upon them.
"Arrows, look out!" A soldier warned when he saw the arrows fall from the sky.
Before the arrows could hit their targets, several barriers appeared above them, blocking the arrows that lay still as if they were lying on the ground, falling harmlessly when the barriers disappeared.
Kairi was confused by what happened, but then she saw Braev, who held his hand out in front of her, letting it be known that he was the one who created the barrier before the arrows fell.
"We must get rid of those archers!" Rena said, shooting at several of the approaching enemies.
"Leave them to me," Nina responded, taking flight over the battle. With the Skeleton Archers insight, Nina conjured up a spell that cast a tremendous bolt of lightning across the ice floor, striking some of the approaching armies of the Fallen, as the bolt itself slowly advanced to reach the Archer Skeletons and snuff out most of the platoon, negating any further attacks.
While on the front lines, the Fallen were advancing steadily, the Wargs being the first to make contact, some impaled by the spears while others managed to pass through and began to attack the spearmen, causing the formation to break up as the soldiers tried to rid themselves of the nefarious dogs, at which point the Skeleton Soldiers and armor made contact, making the battle more personal as the mages tried to reduce their numbers with their magic.
Kairi then leaped into battle and began attacking every Skeleton Soldier, Axe Armor, Knight Armor, and Warg that crossed her path, while Rena covered her with her arrows without neglecting the other soldiers on the front lines to contain the thrust.
"Alternis."
"Understood, Grand Marshal!"
Alternis drew his sword and descended into battle to support the troops against the Fallen, demonstrating to the dire beasts the power of the Black Knight, destroying every creature that approached while protecting the rear of the Fallen that reached the mages.
Shaft smiled at the scene and launched a third offensive, this time being formed by Hunters, Lickers, and Iron Giants.
"Great, now these ones!" cursed Rena, before firing several arrows that flew directly over the third group of attackers, piercing the organic Fallen and damaging the Iron Giants, though it was not enough to stop them.
Kairi manifested the Ifrit Form as she saw the new attack and cast every fire spell he knew and could use to try and stop them, but the Hunters and Lickers jumped into the battle, beginning to cause chaos on the side of Eternia along with the Fallen who were already there. One of the Hunters jumped on Kairi ready to attack her, but a shield appeared in the middle and blocked the Hunter, allowing Kairi to destroy him with a Firaga. She then turned to Edea, who had apparently done the same thing as her father before, just before she turned and split in two to an Armored Knight who was going to attack her from behind. The two looked at each other and nodded as they returned to the battle.
Nina continued to cast her spells with the intent of reducing the number of enemies but soon found herself beset by a large number of Elemental Wraiths who constantly hindered her because of the elemental immunity of each Wraith, forcing her to descend to the ground to receive support from the battle against the Elemental Wraiths.
Eve would attack with summoned blades the Hunters and Axe Armors that were attacking her at the time, sometimes summoning a robotic spear that she used against the Wargs that were throwing themselves at them. When she saw herself surrounded by the Fallen, she summoned a circle of steel spears that came out of the ground and impaled the Fallen around her.
Edea fought against the Fallen within her reach, but soon the tongue of a Licker grabbed the blade of her sword, preventing it from being used while she fought to free it from the Fallen, realizing that another Licker would attack her with its claws as it advanced toward her. At the last moment, however, Alternis cut out the tongue that held Edea's blade, allowing it to thread its blade over the Licker's head while Alternis decapitated the first.
Soon Kairi leaped beside them, standing back to back with Edea and Alternis.
"There seems to be no end to it," Alternis said.
"What? You're tired already?" Edea sneered with her katana in hand.
"I could still go on all day," The black gentleman answered.
"Well, if this keeps up, the end of the day will come sooner than expected," Kairi said, seeing herself surrounded by the Fallen.
"You are right there," Edea commented, watching as the Fallen now launched the fourth offensive, this time by giant Axe Armors, Stone Gargoyles, and Legionnaires.
The situation was getting worse by the minute during the battle, but before the bulk of the Fallen could reach them, the sound of something being fired was heard, soon raining cannonballs from the sky, impacting the Fallen and disrupting their advance.
"I know those cannons," Edea commented and looked up at the sky, spotting several aircraft firing from the sky. Edea soon smiled at the sight of the ships. "I know those ships!"
"The Sky Knights!" Alternis said, looking at the aircraft.
The aircraft were firing their cannons at the Fallen until a Stone Gargoyle boarded one of the aircraft, but it shot out as if something had hit it hard. The next moment someone jumped out of the aircraft, landing amid the Fallen, sending several of them flying on impact. The one who landed was a man with long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and beard, with a large nose and jaw, silver earrings in both ears, and a muscular construction, wearing navy blue shorts over orange leggings with a white shirt that only covers his chest and a large brown band over his torso, and with brown and grey gloves and brown boots.
"Come on, attack if you dare," roared the man, and without warning the man swung around with outstretched arms, beating any Fallen man who ended up near him.
"Either that man is crazy or he's suicidal," Kairi said she was concerned about the man's actions.
"That's Barras Lehr to you. It never changes," Edea said nervously.
As some of the aircraft came ashore, from one of them jumped a man with short white hair, a small black mustache, and gray eyes, wearing full armor and a chain mail hood with a brown belt and a white cape, armed with a large sword and a large shield.
"For Eternia!" shouted the knight as he landed, and soon several soldiers in red and white armor with different weapons followed him, charging on one of the flanks of the Fallen.
The Sky Knights advanced through the ranks until the knight reached where Edea, Kairi, and Alternis were, helping them in the fight.
"You've been late, you know!" Alternis asked.
"What's wrong? Did I miss the party?" the knight asked.
"Not at all, Heinkel!" Edea replied.
"And the knight?" Kairi asked.
"Argent Heinkel, at your service!" Heinkel replied, soon noticing the Kairi's Keyblade. "Isn't that what I think it is? I hear they are excellent weapons. But for me, a good sword and a good shield are the best," Heinkel said before hitting a Crimson Head with the shield and finishing it off with the sword.
"Very interesting, your friend," Kairi said.
Nina was using her magic against the Fallen but was wounded by a Hunter who attacked her from the side, receiving a slight scratch, though he forced her to retreat with several battle-scarred soldiers before finishing off the Hunter with his magic. Nina noticed her wound when she saw it start to heal, which confused her a little until she realized that she was the victim of a healing spell, just like the soldiers nearby who were recovering from their wounds. Wondering what was going on, she soon saw a woman with long blond hair and blue-grey eyes, wearing a white sleeveless dress and a white robe with long 'tails' at the bottom, wearing red boots up to her thigh with white socks and red gloves, also wearing a big white and red hat and blue earrings, and with a white cane with what looked like wings on the top.
"Don't complain so much, men," said the woman as she walked among them. "Now that you're better, if you don't want to taste the sole of my boots, you can go back to the battle!" he said firmly, pointing his staff at the fallen.
"A-at your orders, Holly Whyte!" said one of the soldiers, returning with the others to the battle.
"You're not really the type of magician who uses healing magic," Nina said to Holly when she saw her behavior toward the soldiers.
"Well, you don't look like the type of woman who uses black magic," Holly replied with a sneer.
One of the Axe Armors was about to throw his weapon at a soldier when a large red dragon-like beast bit him with its jaws, hurling him aside. Above the dragon stood a thin man with short cinnamon hair, a beard, and light brown eyes, wearing a black shirt and hooded cloak tied with a red cord around his waist, with the bottom of his cloak tied with a red cord, wearing a large witch's hat with a red tassel hanging from the top, wearing light blue sirwal pants and light blue boots with brown, also wearing purple gloves up to his elbow. The man shook his staff as he rode the dragon.
"Filthy beasts! Feel the wrath of the black wizard Ominas Crowe and his pet Bahamut!" The wizard stammered, conjuring up spells of fire over the Fallen.
"If this mage keeps this up, he's going to end up hitting his own allies," Kairi commented watching some of the flames the wizard summoned almost hit several of the allied soldiers.
A second group of aircraft began descending into another area of the battle. On the deck of one of them was a short man with short blond hair, a small black mustache, light blue eyes, a rat face with pale skin, very large ears, and a single crook tooth, wearing a red striped shirt with gold buttons and red striped pants, small brown shoes with gold tips and white gloves, a black turtleneck cape and a large watch around his neck, as well as wearing a brown cane with a gold handle, as well as wearing a tall black top hat with a red ribbon wrapped around the bottom.
"Well, well. You can tell they weren't kidding about what was going on here," said the man with a French accent as he banged his cane into his hand. "Anyway, a world in ruins is a world without benefits,"
Without warning, several Hunters, Soldier Skeletons, and Stone Gargoyles pounced on the aircraft, startling the man. However, a spell hit them, stopping them in mid-air without even moving. The man sighed heavily and looked back. "What a fright. And all because you convinced me to come here, Khamer,"
Beside him passed a man with a black beard and black eyes, his hair hidden by a black cover on his head, wearing a long black armor with silver lining and a long gold cloak, black boots and silver-lined gloves, a crown resembling a large gold watch gear and with watch armor around his neck and shoulders, carrying a cane that resembled the hands of a watch. "You know that if the duchy needs help, and as my name is Eloch Quentis Khamer VIII, you must come, like a clock."
After these words Khamer raised his hands, summoning several meteors that impacted the Fallen, destroying them on the spot.
"You and your loyalty to the duchy and its ideology. I don't know how I let myself be persuaded to join this crazy cause! But in the end, as bad as it is, there's no other way than to put a good face on it," the man said, raising his hand with the staff. "Khamer & Profiteur Merchandise Agents! I'll pay 100 coins for every monster you bring down! Erutus Profiteur's word!"
Then Khamer's henchmen began jumping out of the aircraft onto the ground and attacking the Fallen who were running towards them. Among them was a boy with short white hair and yellow eyes, wearing a gray hooded vest with white designs and a large green scarf around his neck, brown pants with a brown braided belt, black boots, and two bands around both arms, one red and one green, wearing a brown cover on his left side, with a tattoo on his left shoulder of a keyhole with a symbol of no surrounding it. The boy was moving swiftly among the Fallen, occasionally taking the weapon from one and pinning it to the other in a swift and agile manner.
"Seriously, this place seems to be out of control! These things don't seem willing to stop for anything!" the boy said as he grabbed the weapon from an Axe Armor and rammed it into his head. "At least it's cool here."
"Looks like the thief Jackal is having a good time here," Profiteur said he saw the thief fighting after getting off the aircraft. Just at that moment, a Warg came running towards him with his jaws open. Profiteur looked at the Fallen One and smiled maliciously. "Have you ever heard the saying 'If money is the strongest, so is death'?" He asked, holding several coins in his hand, tossing them into the Warg and impacting it like daggers, destroying it on the spot. "That means you never dare to defy the Merchant of Death."
Heinkel was fighting the Fallen on his own by separating from the initial group. His concentration on the enemies in front of him did not allow him to prepare for several Mermen approaching him from behind. But before they could attack, a stroke of the electric sword cut the Mermen off. After this event Heinkel smiled.
"Ciggma Khint, the wizard knight. Don't you want to miss the fun?" Heinkel asked, turning his head to look behind him, seeing a man with red eyes and long bluish-green hair tied up with two small red and white clips, wearing a long black robe with gold trim on the sleeves and bottom edge, and tied up with a red band, his hands covered by the sleeves, with a white shirt underneath the tunic with a large decorative gold clasp, a black cover over his head that has gold designs on the back with a gold ring holding it, adorned with two black horns with red tips and brown sandals, armed with a scimitar that was releasing sparks.
"I've just been paid for this job," Khint answered the knight. "Although as far as I can see, there's no fortune that can pay for this job."
"So why don't you get out of here like you always do?"
"Because that wouldn't benefit me at all."
Without warning, Heinkel turned and threw his sword forward, while Khint did the same with his scimitar. Although at first, it seemed that they were going to attack each other, in reality, their weapons were stuck on two Crimson Heads who were going to attack them by surprise with their swords behind their backs.
"Heh, typical of you. No one can understand you," Heinkel said with a smile.
"Maybe that's it," Khint answered.
Another group of ships began to descend into another section of the ice island, but moments before landing, from one of them, jumped a woman with blond hair in a bun of thread with her fringe on the left and short side fringe, blue eyes, wearing a white dress that reached her knees with blue-white wings on the back and white boots up to the knee, white gloves and a blue ribbon around her neck, a blue-white winged headband and a white spear in her hand. The woman landed in the middle of a group of Fallen who got severely damaged by her spear and the spears she had clutched to her dress, before impaling a Hunter with her spear and throwing him against a Stone Giant who fell to the ground on impact.
"Einheria!" Edea shouted through several rows of Fallen to her.
The woman, Einheria, looked directly at her for a moment. "Your father's Asterisk?"
Edea nodded. "He figured I'd need it, and it does," She said and created a barrier behind Einheria, blocking the arrows of several Skeleton Archers who fired from a distance.
The Valkyrie turned, preparing to jump. "Then let us drive these beings from our world!" Then he leaped very high, avoiding another wave of arrows, landing on the archers with his spears.
Rena shot her arrows at will at the fallen ones around her, coming to see a Warg and a Licker heading towards her, but before she could shoot them, a couple of arrows hit them. When she wanted to know who shot those arrows, she noticed that someone was jumping over the heads of both the soldiers and the Fallen, soon landing in front of her, seeing that it was a girl with short black hair and gray eyes, wearing a yellow tunic with hair around the neck and lower edge, closed with a brown belt and a circular buckle possibly made of bone, carrying a purple rabbit mask and a purple foxtail, a brown tube top and knee straps, and going completely barefoot.
"And you are?" Rena asked, but the girl shot an arrow from a bone bow into a Gargoyle flying towards her, knocking it down on the spot and surprising the Elf. "You're not bad at it, really,"
"Words not allude Artemia," The girl answered, speaking more animal than human. "Artemia prove to be better than big-busted old lady."
Rena's eyebrows twisted behind these words, even punching a Skeleton Soldier standing next to her with such force that the skull flew out from the blow. "You should be careful what you say if I were you, girl. You have to respect your elders, you know that?" Rena said in a threatening tone. "And it's Rena, by the way..."
"Artemia only respects big sister. If big-busted old lady wants respect, first show it," Artemia warned with her bow in hand.
Rena shot an arrow into the sky, this one splitting into several small arrows that flew toward several of the nearby Fallen. "You're warned."
The Fallen continued to advance toward the battle, until their advance was blocked by the sudden appearance of a gigantic figure that radiated energy, wielding a kind of metal structure like a sword.
Very few noticed that behind the entity was a woman with red eyes and long green hair with purple tips, with part of her in a chignon, while the rest hung down, wearing a colorful hair ornament, made of four feathers that are pink, blue, yellow and red, joined by a decorative pin, carrying a black choker, with metal shoulder pads, with pink, blue and yellow feathers coming out, Metal cuffs on her wrists with a small green gem in the center of each cuff, dressed in a black dress with strips that have the ends cut into diamond shapes, which lean outward, with pieces of multicolored diamond fabric that fill the holes in the dress, four small gems, two green and two blue, that go down the front of the dress, brown socks with high, black, high-heeled boots, holding a scepter of different colors in her hands emanating energy. When it moved its scepter, the huge figure moved its great sword executing a wide slash, throwing forward a torrent of rays that struck down every Fallen who ended up in the middle of the attack.
"Be more careful, you almost hit us!" one soldier shouted angrily, as some were nearly run over by the attack.
"You should have known what was going to happen when I summoned Susano-o, you bunch of pigs," said the girl with a high-handed gesture.
"What's wrong with this girl? Doesn't she know the term 'friendly fire'?" one of the soldiers asked.
"That's Mephilia Venus for you. Good with invocations, terrible with people."
Eve stood and watched what had happened, but pointed her weapon to the side from where several elemental Wraiths along with a Reditus Wraith were heading towards her, but without warning several elemental spells struck the elemental Wraiths, while the Reditus Wraith was hit by a direct slash with a sword in the back. As the Fallen disappeared, it revealed a man with red hair, a small black goatee, and gray eyes, wearing a red shirt with a large rose on the left shoulder, as well as red and black gloves, a small red scarf around his neck, black pants with rose designs on the sides and a red belt with a rose buckle, and red and black boots that went down to his knees, wearing a reddish rapier.
"Even monsters fall before the great Fiore DeRosa," said the man putting down his weapon and looking at Eve. "Changing the subject. I must admit you have a certain charm. Maybe when this is over we can-"
Without warning, Eve slapped Fiore hard enough to send him flying. "Focus on the fight, got it?"
"Got it!" moaned Fiore, still in the air before landing on the ground after the slap.
A last group of aircraft descended on the island, and as they landed, several warriors dressed as ninjas jumped out of the ships, with a tall, thin woman of Eastern descent at their command, with long blue-green hair tied in a ponytail with a white band and golden eyes, wearing white makeup and has small black eyebrows, wearing a short blue kimono with pink lining and a white flower print on the left side, long white sleeves with blue tips and white socks, and with black boots up to the thigh and two single-edged daggers. Upon landing, the ninja woman began to move back and forth, fluidly avoiding the attacks of the Fallen and destroying them with her daggers at high speed. She soon noticed a Legionnaire advancing toward her with the shield in front of her to block any blow from her and strike her, but just as she was about to make contact, she dodged the blow by moving aside and before Fallen could react, she stabbed the skull with one of her knives.
"If Konoe Kykio is here, that means the Black Blades are here!" exclaimed Edea as she watched the ninja fight the Fallen.
Some of the soldiers were being forced back by the Fallen's push, exhausted by the hard fight with the ghouls.
Soon a ship, or what seemed to be left of it, docked on the frozen shore of the ice field, and from it leaped a man with short white hair and sideburns, wearing a long black jacket with red lining and silver trim, a large black pirate hat with a silver lining, brown pants with a gold trim, bearing a scar on his left shoulder, wearing a black patch over his right eye with a white skull design, a single black fingerless glove on his right hand and a silver hook on his left hand in the shape of a small anchor or harpoon, a black and white boot on his right foot and a wooden leg on his left and wielding a large battle axe.
"All right, comrades, let's show these creepy kids how Hayreddin Barbarossa deals with this!" the pirate shouted as he wielded his huge axe back and forth, smashing rows of Fallen with each blow as if they were paper.
"A pirate with an axe... now I've seen it everything..." commented Kairi as he squinted at the pirate charging at the Fallen like a madman.
Brave began to descend the ice rise, sword in hand, heading towards the front, soon seeing a group of Fallen rushing at him, surely having crossed the defensive lines ready to take the king's piece, but before they could fall on him, a horizontal slash intercepted them and destroyed them instantly, without slowing down the pace as he advanced.
"You have taken your time in coming, Kamiizumi," Brave said without turning to see the person now standing beside him, a man with shoulder-length black hair and gray eyes, wearing a green and white kimono with a light green sash around the waist and dark green sandals with a pink pompom on each foot, a white hat, white gloves, a gray and green bolero around his left shoulder with a large pink pompom, with a sheathed katana at his waist.
"Do you dislike my presence?" the swordsman, Nobutsuna Kammisumi, asked Braev with a pungent smile.
"On the contrary! I am glad you are here. It is always good to have a friend at your side at times like this," The Templar replied. "By the way, any news of Yulyana or the Vestal?
"At the moment they are taking care of the crystals. I don't think it will take longer to summon the Pillar of Light. I just hope it's our salvation and not another ominous omen,"
"I hope so, old friend. I hope so,"
Kairi continued to fight the Fallen in her vicinity until she turned her gaze to the enemy flank, soon noticing that Shaft saw her looking at him, causing him to retreat along a flank not so crowded with enemies, heading for the summoning point.
"Girls, I saw Shaft retreating!" Kairi warned his closest allies. "If we strike him down now, the Fallen will no longer have someone to command them!"
Soon they all began to move toward Kairi's position when they heard the warning as Eternia's troops contained the Fallen, soon hunting the cat necromancer, beginning to catch up with him.
"You cannot escape, Shaft! You are finished!" Kairi shouted as he ran toward her, ready to attack when she was near him.
Suddenly Rena looked in one direction and pushed Kairi as she jumped backward, thus avoiding a sudden shot that went through the ice floor like a bullet, which had gone through Kairi from side to side if she hadn't pushed her.
Kairi began to look around like the others to find out where the attack came from, just as Shaft stopped several yards from the group and turned, flashing a vile smile.
"You were lucky, little princess," Shaft said with his hands behind his back.
Kairi glanced at the necromancer until heavy footsteps became audible, then a huge dark purple armor more than six feet tall with no head and a sinister fanged face on the armor's chest, armed with a large shield and a huge jousting spear with a red crystal at the tip.
"I present to you the Dullahan. My, insurance, in case things didn't go as they should," Shaft said.
Kairi frowned and took up a battle stance, but Shaft raised his hand to her. "Don't bother. The dart from Dullahan's spear, fired from the tip of her spear, can pierce through any kind of physical material regardless of its resistance, including your form, Alexander, so using the power of that walking fortress will do you no good. And that includes defensive spells,"
"That thing may have an advantage against a strong defense, but your invasion is over, Shaft!"
"Why? Because the Vestal will summon the Pillar of Light?" Said Shaft, surprising the girls. "You didn't think I wouldn't hear about that plan, and I wasn't unprepared for it? On the contrary, I've taken the trouble to leave a few 'friends' to play with your Vestal."
"You cowardly scoundrel!" shouted Edea as he took a few steps toward Shaft.
"Oh, I fear that even if she manages to summon that shining pillar, my army will have exterminated your allies, before it hits the summoning circle," Shaft said in a pitiful tone before flashing a grim smile.
Kairi gritted her teeth and lunged at Shaft, though when her companions attempted to advance they too were surprised by a large group of Fallen, forcing them to leave her alone in their attack.
Kairi rolled aside avoiding the spear of the armored Fallen, giving her a chance to strike the Dullahan's arm, but she ducked to avoid being hit by the spear's stick, jumping over the armor and hooking onto it began to hit it right where her face was, obviously showing anger from the blows with the Keyblade. The face opened its mouth, small sparks of fire appearing in it, and Kairi instinctively reacted by leaping up and away from the torso of the armor, which began to breathe fire from it, trying to burn it.
"Of course, a headless suit of armor that's pouring fire from the torso?" Kairi said running to one side to avoid being speared and jumping into the armor again, but she ran into the huge shield that hit her and sent her to the ground. She shook her head, but her eyes widened and she rolled to the side, preventing the Fallen from striking her with a downward blow with the spear.
Kairi soon noticed that the Dullahan was leaning more toward strength and defense, rather than speed, so she conjured up the Ramuh Form, then began to move at high speed around the massive armor, easily avoiding the attacks of the spear and shield, propelling swift attacks with electrical magic.
"Will you stop moving at once?!" Shaft shouted, watching as Kairi was outrunning the Dullahan with speed until he thought for a moment and struck his forehead with his hand. "What am I saying?" He said to himself and snapped his fingers.
Just as Kairi stepped back from the Dullahan's range to plan an attack, several dark chains came out of the ground, grabbing her all over her body and holding her down so that she could not move, totally surprising Kairi.
"Kairi!" Edea shouted, just before she retreated because of a Hunter.
"That will keep you tied up for a long time," Shaft said, seeing how helpless Kairi was now. "Right now there's nothing that can save you now,"
Kairi tried to break free of the dark chains, but was barely successful in doing so.
"Poor thing. And having to go through all this, just because she wants to know why she's an orphan, with hardly any memories of her parents," Shaft said in a mocking tone, causing Kairi to look at him in shock. "Yes, little one. I know what you don't know. I even know why you must die,"
Soon Kairi saw the crystal of the Dullahan's spear begin to glow, and she began to try and remove his chains as he feared the worst.
"But you shouldn't worry about your parents, child. Soon you will be reunited in the afterlife with your mother!"
The Dullahan prepared to launch his attack, aiming it at Kairi, totally defenseless, and when the attack was fully charged, he prepared to launch his lethal assault on the Princess of the Heart.
"Kairi!" Rena shouted as she and the others attempted to break through the Fallen blockade.
Kairi then closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, coming to a single thought in his mind.
'I am sorry.'
At the second, there was a shot of energy, and then there was the sound of a thump.
Shaft, looking surprised, slowly turned his face to the side behind him, seeing how several mounds of ice were pierced, and after looking in that direction for several seconds, he moved his eyes in Kairi's direction.
Kairi began to open her eyes, wondering what had just happened and why she was still alive, and without a scratch. As she looked forward, she saw that there was someone in front of her with her back to her, with a baton that looked somehow familiar.
"Treating an orphan like that... even when you're a cat."
Kairi's eyes widened as he heard the woman's voice, recognizing her instantly. It was the demon woman he saw in the Everlasting Tower! This woman, despite being a demon, has saved her?
The demon woman turned her head, her eyes looking at Kairi. "Are you all right, girl?"
Kairi blinked in confusion but then nodded. The surprise itself was such that the girls, and even the Fallen, had stopped their fight and were watching what happened. And they being Fallen...
Shaft soon became angry and turned to the demon woman. "Who are you, demon? Who do you think you are to meddle in matters that don't concern you? Identify yourself!"
The demon woman simply smiled and turned her gaze to the necromancer. "If you want so badly, I will answer you," Then she put her cane on her shoulder and her hand on her waist. "I am the Demon Overlord, Priere,"
"Demon Overlord?" Eve asked, confusion in her voice.
"What does she mean?" Nina asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"Priere you say?" Shaft asked, starting to think to himself until he figured something out. "Wait, are you telling me that you're the girl who used to be some kind of demon-hunting nun, but fought so many demons that she ended up becoming a supposedly superior being?"
"Supposedly? I'm far superior to them!" Said the demon girl proudly. "And much more than your cheap copies."
"Che-che-che-cheap copies?!" Shaft asked at his comment, stepping back from the impression.
"That is right. No matter how hard they try, your Fallen are nothing more than beings trying to imitate the true demons by using the fears of others. Something cowardly in my opinion,"
"You... you don't know what you're talking about!" Shaft snapped. "You have no idea of the origin of the Fallen, nor of their power!"
"Don't make me laugh. They are an insult to the demons themselves, even if they are used by them,"
"An insult? Let's see if this is an insult to you. Dullahan, finish off the princess, even if you have to go through this fool!"
Shaft's order was immediate and the Dullahan prepared to attack with his weapon, throwing forward the spear.
"Not so fast!" Priere said, striking the jewel of the spear with her staff, smashing it to pieces, at the surprised look of Shaft and the confused gesture of the Dullahan, who saw part of his main weapon totally destroyed. Such was Shaft's surprise that he lost his concentration and the chains that held Kairi vanished, leaving her free.
"So, it is true what they say about her strength..." Shaft commented even in his surprise.
"What a shame, now that giant won't be able to use his little laser anymore," The demon woman said with a smile, soon looking at Kairi. "Are you all right, little girl?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Kairi replied, moving freely and breathing a sigh of relief, catching the attention of a surprised Shaft.
The necromancer cat attempted to use its magic against Kairi, but then a yellow dagger impacted his shoulder, interrupting him. Groaning in pain, he turned his head in the direction the dagger came from, seeing that Elrena was several feet away from them.
"This time you won't escape, you damned furball," Elrena said, holding several daggers between her fingers.
"Elrena!" Kairi exclaimed at the sight of her.
"I don't like this at all. Dullahan, get rid of them!" He ordered Shaft before he ran away from them.
"Stop!" Elrena exclaimed, starting to hunt Shaft.
Kairi thought to follow the necromancer as well but turned her gaze to the Dullahan who stood before her at this moment.
"No one will move from here until this thing is smashed," Priere commented on seeing the headless armor.
"Are you going to help us?" Kairi asked upon hearing his comment.
The demon woman turned to Kairi for a moment. "What was your name again?"
"Kairi."
Priere then smiled at her name and looked at the other girls. "Hey, can you take care of those?! We'll take care of this one!"
After a moment, the girls nodded and focused on the Fallen around them, leaving Kairi and Priere to deal with the Dullahan.
"Well, Kairi. Let's see what you're made of with this thing," Priere commented by looking at the Dullahan, as Kairi prepared for combat.
The massive headless armor began by swinging its spear sideways with the intention of striking the two girls, but both jumped up at the same time eluding the attack. Kairi then began to run sideways trying to use the shield as a blind spot for the monster, but Priere stayed in place, hurling her baton into the Dullahan's chest, driving it back with the heavy impact of the object that bounced back into the demon woman's hands like a boomerang.
Kairi decided to leap into the armor above the shield, and clutching the armor began to strike it repeatedly with her Keyblade until it broke loose nimbly avoiding the breath of fire coming from the torso's face, but that distraction was enough for Priere to kick the side of the armor.
"Shut your mouth, your breath stinks a lot!" Priere joked during the kick, which was strong enough to make him stagger for a moment, soon responding with a punch from his spear.
Kairi stepped behind the Dullahan and threw a powerfully enhanced Thundaga with her Ramuh Form, obviously causing damage to the massive Fallen, but it was obvious that it could take many outside hits, even from a female demon who dented its armor with her amazing strength.
"Hey, could you distract it for a moment?" Kairi asked Priere, leaping away from the Dullahan.
"Whatever it is, hurry up, or I'll take it down myself," Priere replied, blocking the attack of the spear with her staff.
Kairi began to concentrate and within a short time changed from her Ramuh Form to her Ifrit Form, and began to carry a large fireball on the tip of her Keyblade. During that time, Priere was distracting the massive armor by causing serious damage with her powerful strikes, until she finally struck its shield hard and threw it away from the Dullahan, obviously enraging the Fallen.
Finally, Kairi's attack was prepared and she leaped over the armor, clutching its collar. She managed to hold on tightly at this point so as not to fall when the Fallen began to shake it off, finally striking with her Keyblade, driving the massive fireball into the armor cavity and jumping away.
The armor stood still for a few moments without knowing what was happening, until it suffered a powerful explosion of fire from within that shattered it to pieces, parts of it falling everywhere as it faded, leaving the heart and souls that shaped the Fallen free.
Kairi sighed heavily as she caught her breath, as returned to her normal form, soon seeing Priere approach her.
"I must admit you have resources, Kairi. I have seen almost no one do what you do," Priere said.
"Thank you, although I don't really know where this power comes from to be exact," Kairi replied. "You're not so bad yourself."
"Thanks for the compliment, it was nothing," the demon woman said with a smile and a wink.
"Kairi!" Rena shouted, stepping forward with the other girls after she had disposed of the Fallen that were holding them. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Kairi answered the elf.
"Priere, isn't it?" Edea asked, looking at Priere. "Thank you for helping Kairi,"
"Yes, this is the first time I've seen a demon help a human," Nina commented.
"Well, you could say I'm the exception that proves the rule," Priere answered calmly. "And I apologize for my behavior earlier in the tower."
"It's obvious," Eve said. "You were taken from your world, ending up in a very different one and surrounded by monsters. Your reaction would be the most obvious in any other case."
Priere nodded and looked at Kairi. "Well, now what?"
"What do you mean with 'now what'?" Kairi asked confusedly.
"I think it's best to try to end this attack. We'll rest later when that cat gets his due."
"Look, the demon woman is right," Edea said with a nod. "Until the plan takes effect, Shaft may cause more problems. And truthfully, I'm a little worried about Elrena,"
"Yes, we should go after them. We'll talk about apologies and stories later, okay?" Rena said, looking at the whole group, finally looking at Priere, who nodded in acceptance of the suggestion.
The whole group, with the support of the demon woman Priere, began to advance across the ice field, avoiding the eternal line of the Fallen advancing towards the battle with the army of Eternia, until finally reaching the vicinity of the great summoning circle from where the Fallen were being summoned.
There, they saw how Elrena was attacking Shaft with her daggers and her electric attacks, while he defended himself using floating crystal orbs that blocked his attacks, one of them finally hitting the blonde girl and sending her to the ground.
"Stupid woman. You should have stayed where you came from and not caused me any trouble," Shaft said, preparing to attack with one of his orbs.
Suddenly a projectile exploded near Shaft, forcing him to retreat while avoiding several mana arrows and magical spells, until he stood near the summoning circle, staring at the group that had attacked him.
"How could you have defeated the Dullahan?" Shaft asked, hurling one of his flame-covered orbs at the group.
Edea stood in the middle and waving her arm created a shield that blocked the orb, and then Priere struck her staff at the orb from afar, almost impacting the necromancer.
"You're finished, Shaft! You better give up!" Kairi demanded.
"Don't do it. You'll be giving me a reason to hit you with my staff," The demon woman said to the cat.
Shaft glared at the group, soon letting out a scream. "Don't you understand?! You can't do anything to stop this! With the traps I've set in the temples, that stupid Vestal is probably dead!"
"You're wrong!" Edea answered. "I trust Agnes, and I know that she will be able to fulfill her part of the plan! She will also be protected by the wise Yulyana and Lord DeRosso!"
"SHUT UP!"
Shaft began to throw his orbs at them, but each of the girls managed to stop each of the orbs with her weapon, blocking the attacks of the feline necromancer.
"Admit it, as long as there is hope, you will never win!" Kairi replied by blocking one of the orbs with her Keyblade.
Meanwhile, in a large stone temple inside a volcano, three shadows of different sizes, one with a sword, one with a rapier, and one with a large staff, stood in front of several Fallen who were beginning to fade away, when one of them turned towards a large door with a great red glow coming from inside.
"All clear, Pope Agnes! Now, before more of these things appear!" said the shadow with the cane. "We will hold the position here!"
Inside the adjacent chamber, a woman was praying in front of an enormous red crystal, watched by Yulyana and DeRosso. Apparently, the woman's prayers were increasing the brilliance and power of the crystal, soon shining with great intensity, until its glow became almost blinding.
"Now, child! Channel the power of the four crystals to the right spot! Let's end this invasion once and for all!" Yulyana said aloud.
In a very short time, a great column of light rose from the great glass, piercing the ceiling.
Back on the frozen field, Kairi and the others were repelling Shaft's attacks, until Edea looked up.
"See?! I told you she would make it!" Edea shouted, pointing to the sky.
Everyone looked up at the sky just then, when four different colored light trails began to gather over the spot where the great summoning circle was, to finally form a giant pillar of light that impacted the circle itself. The intensity of the Pillar of Light was not only strong enough to destroy the Fallen within it, but it also began to crack the ice violently.
"No, no! This can't be happening!" exclaimed Shaft, blinded by the powerful light of the pillar.
Shaft began to retreat as the ice where the circle stood began to break up and destroy it, when he instinctively turned, seeing Kairi rush to him, striking him with her Keyblade, causing him to take several steps backward. Just then the ice on his feet broke and he fell, plunging into the void formed by the Pillar of Light as it cried out in terror as it neared its end.
Kairi retreated from the cracking ice near the destroyed ice circle until finally, the Pillar of Light vanished. Kairi then sat down, hearing the sound of battle mixed with the roars of victory in the distance.
"This place is incredible!"
It had been barely a day since the battle had ended in victory for the army of Eternia, with few remnants of the Fallen scattered in the darkest corners of Luxendarc. And during that time, Kairi, Rena, Eve, Nina, and with surprise Priere, were rapidly recovering in the Central Healing Tower in Eternia.
"You're right, Rena," Nina replied. "We've barely been here a day, and we're already recovered,"
"Yes, who would have thought that you would have a center here that works like this?" Priere commented, stretching her arms. "I've never felt better in my life!"
"The medical evolution of this region compared to the rest of the world is apparent. Neither in our world do we have anything like it," Eve commented. "No wonder they seem to call this place the Land of Immortality."
"Yes, it's amazing," Kairi said, looking around. "Has anyone seen Edea?"
"She's most likely talking with her parents right now," Rena commented. "Which is reasonable, they've barely had time to talk since we've been here."
Then Eve looked at Priere. "Do you have any idea what to do next?"
"I don't know," Replied the demon woman, thoughtful. "If you really have a way to travel, I think I'll go with you,"
The other three girls looked at Priere in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes, why not? I don't have the means to travel between worlds, and you're the only ones with that ability," Priere replied, winking. "I guess I'll travel with you for now,"
"That would be a good idea, given the situation. The more the merrier," said an old voice.
The girls turned around, seeing the wise Yulyana approaching them.
"Sage Yulyana?"
"If you wonder, everything is already in place. I don't think there's any problem for now that requires the crystals. By the way..." Said the old man, looking at Kairi. "I'm glad to see how you've grown, little one,"
Kairi looked at the old man in surprise. "You already knew who I was?"
"Yes, and I think if my suspicions are correct, you already know who I was before I got here, too," Yulyana said with a smile. "I still remember when your mother told me to stay away, saying I might scare you," The old man laughed for a moment.
"But then..."
"Do I know where your real home is and what happened?" Interrupted the old man. "I don't know where it is now, but I know what happened. But before you say anything, let me tell you that if you want to know the truth, you'll have to go there,"
"That's not fair!" Rena answered.
"You'd better tell the young lady everything you know if you don't want to guess where I'm going to hit you with your cane!" Priere threatened, raising a fist at him.
"Makarov."
"Who?" Kairi asked, confused.
"Makarov. He is the man you must seek, for he knows the place you seek," Explained the sage Yulyana. "And I also know where you can find him,"
"And why are you changing the subject just like that?" Nina asked.
"I could explain everything to you, but I think a picture is worth a thousand words, don't you?"
"This old man seems hopeless," Eve said.
"But, if you give me a good kiss on the lips, maybe..."
"Do you want to get it or what?!" Priere replied, tired of his evasions and jokes.
"So we have to look for a man named Makarov, right?"
The group turned to see whose voice it was. It turned out to be Edea, but the hairstyle was slightly different and she was now wearing a white and aquamarine bow, wearing a short aquamarine dress with a mesh top on each side with an open cleavage, wearing silver gloves, and silver armored boots.
"Edea?" Kairi asked. "What's with the suit?"
"Well, the old one was pretty badly damaged by the battle, and I thought it was time to modernize a bit," Edea answered.
"I have to admit it looks pretty good on you, young lady," Priere replied, making Edea blush and the girls laugh a bit.
"Edea, are you going to come with us? And what happens with your parents?" Rena asked.
"I've already spoken to them. I intend to accompany Kairi to the end."
"Thank you, Edea," Kairi replied with a smile.
"Before you go, let me give you two things," Yulyana said. "One of them is the direction of the world where you will find Makarov. And the other is for you, my dear," Then the old man handed him a blue asterisk.
"And this?"
"It's only a prototype, but it's my greatest masterpiece, the Multi-Asterisc!" Yulyana said. "With it, you will be able to use each and every one of the jobs that the asterisks offered you. Knight, Hunter, Ninja, Black Knight, and even mine and Lord DeRosso's, the Conjurer and the Vampire," The old man explained. "You can use its abilities at will, but since it's a prototype, it's possible it will break if used too much, mind you, Edea,"
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Edea replied, holding the multi-asterisk in her hands. Then she remembered something. "So, how's Agnes?"
"She's perfectly fine, and she said that she wishes you good luck on your journey!" The old man replied.
"Thank you. That's comforting."
"By the way, wise Yulyana, any news about the woman named Elrena?" Eve asked.
"Now that you mention it, no one has seen her since. It is as if she has vanished."
"I see,"
Then Priere approached the old man and spoke to him in a low voice. "I don't know about you, but in the short time I saw that woman, I thought there was something out of the ordinary about her."
"Yeah, you're right about that, but I don't get to see what," The old man answered.
In one of Eternia's mountains, Elrena was observing the city without being seen by anyone, while the icy wind caressed her.
"Did it do any good?"
Elrena turned to find DeRosso approaching her.
"Now that Shaft is gone, I feel empty," Elrena replied. "Emptier than when I was a Nobody."
"Certainly," DeRosso said as he planted himself next to Elrena. "As Nobody, you had a goal as a member of Organization XIII, and as a whole, you made it your mission to hunt down the one who made you fall into darkness."
"Yeah, but since it's all over now, I don't know what to do anymore," Elrena commented, crossing her arms.
"Well, one suggestion would be to look for those that were important to you," DeRosso suggested.
Elena snorted. "The only ones I cared about were the Dandelions, and the group no longer exists."
"What about your partner? Marluxia's complete being?"
"You mean Lauriam?" Elrena asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't even know where he is." Then she leaned into him. "And if you mean to suggest that I go with those losers, forget it. I don't feel able to get close to them."
"Well, you had no qualms about approaching the girl." DeRosso indicated.
"Because she is in the same place as me every time!" Elrena exclaimed. "It's not like I like her better than the others or anything."
DeRosso laughed at Elrena's reaction.
"Well, what do you plan to do now?" DeRosso asked, but he spoke before Elrena answered. "If you wanted to listen to the advice of an immortal, you should carve out a path for yourself. One that does not lead you down the path of loneliness."
"I don't recall asking for your advice, old man," Elena replied. "But I'll keep that in mind."
After that Elrena moved away from her, opening a Dark Portal.
"Who knows," She started the girl as she turned her hips and head to look at DeRosso with a mischievous smile. "Maybe I'll become a Keyblade Master, or even form my own Union."
Saying so, Elrena entered the Dark Corridor, leaving DeRosso alone who stared at the city of Eternia.
