Raid #109 [GROUP #1]

[Deleted]

Kingdom Hearts has been attacked by Light.

Light Group | Attacking:

Terra[Leader]
Aqua
Gilgamesh
Kairi
Kaiju

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The Dark has ten days to get a team together to counter this attack or the Light will have a claim on the world! Light, feel free to post here. Another post will be added when the Dark gets a Raid Group, or if the Light has won the world! Keep an eye out!

[Deleted]

A Dark Group of Five has Countered the Attack!

Dark Group | Defending:

Stroud [Leader]
Ferser
Yazoo
Felix
Yukimura

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Posting Order: Terra, Stroud, Aqua, Ferser, Kaiju, Felix, Kairi, Yazoo, Gilgamesh then Yukimura.[/font][/size]

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If no winner has been decided by June 29th, then a staff member will review and decide the winner!

Remember the Rules!! - [RULES HERE]

Let the Battle Begin!!

[Terra]

”Stroud! Where are you?!”

Terra refused to leave Kingdom Hearts ever since his loss to Stroud just a few days ago. He came to the heart of all worlds for a reason, and that reason was to eliminate the Heartless masters. He couldn’t believe how short they had all fallen in their last attempt; he’d never lost a battle so decisively. The red haired man, the little girl who fought on Eraqus’s front, the thing that looked like a bunny and a cat hybrid, and a few others, they’d all disappeared after the battle.

So here they all stood, Aqua, Eraqus, Selena, King Mickey, Kairi, Ventus, and himself amongst other warriors, they’d all united to give the darkness one final push forward. Together we’d all show what a group of friends, no family could accomplish. He considered his fellow keybladers as his family. Ven was his little brother of sorts, and Aqua was like a sister to him. Master Eraqus had been the only father he’d ever known. Together they all stood, united with a common enemy, the Heartless masters.

A few days ago, destiny had entered his mind when first fought the king of the Heartless. He honestly believed it was his calling for redemption to end the plague, but now…now he saw it as more of a calling. It was pre-determined or anything, because, if it was, he would have defeated the champion of the Heartless the first time around. Standing in front of the legion at his side, Terra called out one more time in challenge to the Heartless Horseman.

”Stroud! I know you hear me! Why don’t you show yourself, or does the darkness also make you a coward? We’ve come back for what belongs to the people! You have no right to hold onto Kingdom Hearts, and we aren’t leaving until its free! I will not give up! I won’t lose!”

[/b]

The familiar temptation of darkness crept back into Terra’s thoughts. It was like an alcoholic being shown a bottle of aged scotch. It was irresistible . He couldn’t help it, not anymore, and the best he could do was to hide it from his master and friends. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, they’d taken on an amber color and he’d given himself to the addiction.

”We’re waiting on you, Stroud.”[/b]

All inhibitions were gone; Terra was out to defeat the Horseman at any expense. He was as heartless as the Heartless master himself.[/blockquote][/size]

[stroud]

"So the roaches are still infesting this world and have scuttled back for more, have they? Are you too idiotic to remember avoiding to come back where your hearts were crushed, much less die when they do?"

The now proclaimed 'king' of the Heartless materialized from the darkness in mid-air, color blurred through the shadowy veils of darkness until they sharpened into his broad, masculine figure. He hadn't been hiding at all, as he remained there sitting mid-air in the darkness with his Levitation on a throne that was not visible in this very thinly veiled light. Really the camouflaged throne was made of the deepest darkness within darkness, beside the massive archway to the heart of all worlds that was now laid open wide for all to bare. Without any heroes of the Light to oppose and suppress the darkness the keyblade wielders Sora, Riku and Mickey had strived to seal years ago, those of darkness had complete dominion over the physical portal that lead from the Realm of Light into the very depths of the abyss that was the Realm of Darkness itself. Stroud turned his white-haired head and cold, ice blue eyes over to the enormous gateway, watching as many powerful Heartless spilled over into a new realm ready and ripe for the harvesting of hearts.

A small chuckle escaped his lips at the victory of their new highway through the rifts of worlds, and turned back to Terra as if he were an afterthought.

Slowly he pushed himself up from his seated position, and stepped down an ebon staircase that was as black as his own heart. A train of his robes trailed after his loud footsteps that echoed through oblivion, red and yellow Heartless colors contrasting with the depths of charcoal hues. His armored knight grieves came to a stop as they touched down on crunchy ivory grantite that served as the floating platform for the Door To Darkness, his massive Piercer sword carving it's own trail behind him with it's sharpened edge. The Human Heartless placed a deathly pale hand on the hilt of the weapon, pulling it out of it's sheath with a flare of deep violet gleam from it's unholy metals. A simple 'Hmph' was uttered from the man's bloodless lips as in a blindingly fast movement pointed the broadsword with one arm before him, it's pointed edge aimed straight at Terra's heart.

"I seem to remember you were the one who got away like a flea-bitten mongrel with his tail between his legs away from the fight, which would define you as the coward. It must have been a struggle for you... having such mediocre strength."

It would seem the Light warriors were too stupid to realize when they were beaten, and going up against a battle they couldn't hope to win without the cost of their lives. Such vices would be their undoing, and Stroud was more than happy to assist them once more towards certain doom. This time there would be no speech, no oratory or tirade; last time it had been merely a tool to place fear in the hearts of his adversaries. Fear was a very powerful motivational tool, the fright of uncertainty made the heart uncontrollable and unpredictable, making one weak and vulnerable. This time however those of the Light knew there was no turning back from what they were getting into, and now was the time not for battle, but complete obliteration once more. Amused by this fact and as Terra's eyes opened to match his own that were stained by the power of darkness, he broke out into a callous laugh.

"Those that are too gutless to obtain true power have no right to claim what is rightfully mine! That's it, Terra, open your heart to the darkness that was once your downfall. Let darkness cease you!"

The time for callous words was over, and the battle had already begun. Stroud's Piercer flew forward from his hand as he used Telekinesis to have it homed in on Terra, aiming to impale him in the area of his chest where his heart lay. If that didn't work it was merely a distraction in case Terra blocked, and with his free hands, Stroud waved his fingers before thrusting forward the palm of his hand. Instantly Shadow Flare was conjured, a giant dark fireball as big as Terra himself was conjured in mid-air before Terra and blitzed towards him before exploding violently. The Horseman of Destruction laughed an amused, crude laugh as the Piercer returned to his right hand.

Around them, the darkness suddenly lit up with some light and color as a world formed around them. The once aqua blue of the waters of this had been replaced with a violet taint, the landscape of the palm trees and vegetation ripped asunder with shadows lurking in their folds, the darkened sky swirling above with an deepening ominous vortex amongst the darkest indigo. A cold chill swept through the destroyed landscape of what had once been Destiny Islands, now merely a corrupted shadow of what it once was. The very heart of the island had literally been ripped in two as if a earthquake had ravanged the landscape, leaving a giant gaping maw of black where the Secret Cave and Treehouse had once been. The paopu island's trees lay uprooted in ruins, the star-shaped fruit all rotten and squashed. Finally, the pure white sands of the beach itself was cracked into pieces by the darkened earthquake which had fragmented the very coastline that lay as the battlefield for the two sides where the now looming Door To Darkness stood, as if a giant tombstone for the world.

"I told you that the first world that would fall victim would be that of the keybarer that saved the worlds countless times... his island has now like all hearts returned to the darkness whence it came. And it's all your fault for what you have failed to do, and countless worlds will follow." Stroud antagonized in pure mirth, as the battle for the fate of all worlds once again began.

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Telekinesis: Stroud throws his sword forward like a spear, enabling him to hit flying/floating targets that are far away from him. He can also move objects other than his sword this way, but the more powerful the exertion the larger and heavier and object is, the more it drains his magic power. One-turn cooldown, four-turn cooldown moving an object heavier or larger in length than his sword.

Shadow Flare: A Dark version of Flare with the Dark element, Stroud casts a blast of dark fire on his opponent. Four-turn cooldown.

[LT:Kingdom Hearts OST - Guardando nel buio]

[aqua]

She had never thought that they would lose.

Aqua held her hand over her heart to calm herself. The Light assembled for a second time to fight the Darkness that claimed the heart of all worlds... an action the group shouldn't have had to taken. Failing meant the destruction of the worlds.... which by the looks of the place, had already happened. Stroud had kept his promise.

They had failed Sora.

Aqua removed her hand from her heart so her keyblade could materialize into it. She clenched it tightly- she owed Sora and failing to save Kingdom Hearts was how she repaid him? It seemed that whenever she was involved with saving the worlds, she usually screwed something up. In this case, Aqua messed up by losing. The difference between a decade ago and now was that this problem she could fix. If they could defeat the Heartless Horsemen... She shook her head to clear her thoughts. They would defeat the Heartless Horsemen. Together.

Despite having complete faith that they could win this second fight, Aqua would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about her friends. The blue-haired Keyblade Master looked over at Terra as he taunted Stroud, and noticed his eyes turning gold. She was right. She knew he would use the Darkness again eventually. Yet this time she had come to accept that light and darkness weren't what separated good and evil.

Her train of thought came to an abrupt end as Stroud moved in for an attack. Aqua moved her keyblade to her other hand so she could activiate her armor her when she realized this time Stroud wasn't going for an all-out attack on everyone, just at Terra. Not the type to stand idly and watch as a friend got attacked, Aqua swiftly raised her keyblade and shot out a barrier spell at Terra like she had done in the Keyblade Graveyard long, long ago, hoping the spell would rush there before Stroud's Shadow Flare did.

"Today is the last day you'll ever talk about destroying worlds, Stroud!" Aqua said as she pressed the orange button on her shoulder armor, and with a glow was in her full, lavender-gray armor. "It ends here!"

It was then Aqua sensed it. A familiar darkness that attacked her relentlessly during the last battle. She narrowed her eyes behind the dark mask of her helmet, clenching Stormfall just a bit tighter. "I know you're here, Ferser!" She called out bravely, looking around to see if she was hiding in any crevices of the mutilated remains of Destiny Islands.

Renewal Barrier - 3 post cooldown

[Deleted]

Ferser has been removed from the Raid for not posting within four days. Kaiju is next to post in thread. He has four days.

[kaiju]

Kaiju slowly made his way through the darkness. There was no light in sight and only thing around him was the feeling of someone or thing watching him. It creeped him out a bit but he kept walking. This place was new to him, never before had he been to such a world filled with darkness. He was summoned here to fight to regain control over a place called 'Kingdom Hearts.' The Taru had no idea what this place was or why people needed it but if he was summoned to fight for it, it had to be big. The Taru began to wonder though if there were other people here like him, randomly summoned to fight.

After a few moments of walking, the room began to clear up to reveal the landscape around him. It was an island. The island seemed to been hit by an earthquake or something. Everything seemed to be in ruin all around him. From uprooted trees to darkness in the sky above; everything was covered with the feeling of evil. The sun that normally would sun brightly above was covered by darkness. This place was scary. His ears twitched a bit as he heard the laugh of someone followed by an explosion and a bright light.

What was going on? Kaiju quickly rushed over to where he heard the noises and found himself a few feet behind a woman in armor. In front of the woman, was two people. A male with brown hair and a male with silver. They seemed to be fighting. Just looking at the silver haired man, Kaiju knew he was up to no good. Was this the man he was summon to fight and were these people his allies? Either way, a battle was to be fought.

The Summoner rushed over to the side of the woman in armor and looked up at her. "Is this the man we have to fight?""[/b] The Taru asked as he pointed over at Stroud. The Summoner never met these people before but in battle, one gets to know people rather quickly. These two warriors looked super strong, doubt filled his heart that he couldn't do much but he knew he had to try. The time was now and he had to face his fears and doubts and move on but, was he strong enough to even hold his own?

[Felix]

Kingdom Hearts… he was here again. A lone figure trotted down the beaten path in front of him, darkness surrounding him from all sides as his thoughts wandered to his last visit to this place and how to describe… unfruitful was the first word that came to mind. Indeed, his last visit had only embarrassed him when he went to attack the clown he now knew as Kefka, the clown seemingly able to ignore the laws of gravity and dodge all his blows effortlessly. Immediately after dodging all his attacks, he had been taken into another dimension that seemed to reflect the desires he held in his heart. On the one hand there was greed and on the other wrath, these desires often conflicting amongst each other. It was during that time he had had to choose between the two, his decision having been rather easy when he thought back to his past.

“I’m going green right?” he said to himself, a small smirk curving against his lips as the words left his mouth… he was here for that same reason again as well. Indeed, now that Felix was under Genesis’ command, he now had an employer who not only paid well but was trustworthy (at least more so then previous ones). Not only that but he was a rather strong fellow, one that when teamed up with him seemed to go unopposed when they had visited the Land of Dragons in order to turn it to Darkness. While Felix would have enjoyed a good fight when he had been there, it did speak volumes of his employer that the Light feared his power.

‘Or maybe they were studying for exams? It is that time of year anyway,’ the freelancer thought as he soon approached the battle field. Instead of coming from one side or another, this time the red-head had come from the flank, a fact he would take advantage of. His eyes quickly spotted Stroud and Terra, his ears also picking up the rather laughable taunt.

‘Wait isn’t he the guy that got his ass handed to him on a silver platter? Jeez these guys on the side of light really are nothing but bark,’ he mused as he shook his head. Stroud replied to the arrogant taunt, his words akin to Felix’ previous thoughts and soon followed by an attack. It was at that point that a barrier had appeared, blocking the attack and saving the brown haired keyblader the pleasure of getting annihilated in one blow. What was interesting about that barrier was that it meant a certain other keyblader was here, a certain keyblader with dark blue hair that Felix never had the chance to introduce himself to… Aqua. His eyes quickly found said keyblader and approaching her was another warrior who seemed completely out of place. Either way, it was something he’d try to take advantage of as well, certain that the face on the shortie was one of curiosity and he was going to attempt to ask the female keyblader something (or attack her if he just happened to be a trickster with that diminutive appearance). Without hesitation, Felix would unsheathe his blade, charging at Stroud as fast as his legs could take him with the human limits opposed upon him.

“He’s pretty weak no doubt but why don’t you try me big guy?!” he shouted as he approached Stroud, his eyes filled with the craving for battle. But when within ten feet of the monster, his left foot would suddenly pivot, turning his body 90 degrees as he slid just another foot. Suddenly, the freelancer’s body mass would drop (Mass Manipulator), and just as quickly as it had, he would disappear, seemingly out of sight. Within a second he would be on Aqua’s other side, a grin replacing his earlier smirk as he stopped right next to her, his feet sliding just a tad again as he pivoted to face her flank. During the second he had taken to get to her flank, the freelancer had managed to place his katana on his left side as if in a sheath, a katana that was ready to be drawn. With his reduced mass it would come at the keyblader, a blade that was easily breaking the sound barrier and would cause a sonic boom upon impact. While this alone would probably be enough to wreck the female keyblader, Felix never held back on a job even if it was a woman. As the blade neared, threatening to strike at her lower back, a blow that would certainly limit her movement, the mass of the blade would suddenly change to 3000lbs, something surely unexpected… much like the rest of the attack. Indeed, by approaching her from her flank as the other creature had approached her, whether he spoke to her or attacked her, Aqua would have more than likely been inclined to divert some attention to the creature, perhaps even turn toward him since it was a natural human reaction to turn toward a person speaking to you. Not only that, but due to his earlier performance, it would have seemed that Felix was going to attack Stroud and was on the side of Light like he had been last time (at least until being bribed… not that he got to fight anyway). Furthermore, even if the keyblader had managed to notice Felix, being able to react to such a speedy attack in time was an entirely different matter. Regardless, the freelancer would quickly release the mass switch upon his blade whether the attack was successful or not, and run backwards about 15 feet rather hastily to avoid any immediate counter from the diminutive fellow nearby.

‘I hope hitting her with the back of the blade doesn’t ruin her skin, no need to cleave her in half anyway right?’ the freelancer questioned with a smirk… okay maybe he did go a bit easy on women regardless of work.

OOC:

Mass Manipulator
Two Switches Used
Three Switches Left
Two Posts Left to use
Current Body Mass: 20 times less

[kairi]

Kairi could not remember the last time she had been here, and the Princess did not quite wish to. All she knew was that her will had been seized by the clown known as Kefka, and she had been forced for fight her own friends. Doing such a thing still had her heart clenching in anger and fear, because never would she have done such a thing if she had known. Kingdom Hearts had to be freed from these dark Horseman, and Kairi knew she would do whatever she had to do to free it. Her friends were with her this time, and she could take confidence in knowing that. There were two other keyblade wielders beside herself, and it comforted her to know that she would be fighting alongside Aqua this time. The Princess vaguely knew Terra, but that would not stop her from defending him if the need arose. Destiny's Embrace was clutched into her grasp tightly, inhaling deeply to calm herself. They had to win this time, they just had to. As Terra called for Stroud to appear, the Horseman did not disappoint with his appearance.

The only Horseman she had truly faced had been Maurelle, but it appeared to only be Stroud this time. Kairi did not underestimate him, because she had witnessed his power for herself in the last battle. Oceanic eyes stared up at him in a determined glare, her lips pursed as she readied herself for this battle. Shock and dismay flickered upon her features at the sudden appearance of her ravaged home, and it reminded her of that first night when the darkness had appeared. "Kingdom Hearts is not darkness! And I won't let you destroy my home again!" she called out, glaring at the arrogant Heartless. The male had already aimed an attack for Terra, but it appeared Aqua had managed to come to the elder male's aid. Kairi slipped into her usual stance, Destiny's Embrace giving her a hope and comfort of an old friend. There was a light even in the deepest of darkness, and she definitely trusted herself and her friends to make it through this battle. All the Princess had to remember was to believe in her own light. Oceanic eyes flickered to the new Warrior that had walked over toward Aqua.

Smiling kindly, Kairi hoped to reassure the surprisingly short mage. "He's the one we have to fight. Please, we could really use your help," she answered. The Princess was taken off guard by the sudden attack that came toward Aqua, but the red haired male had fought for the Light in the last battle. Well, it appeared that he had switched sides rather quickly. Her breath hitched, and Kairi moved forward without thought. "Aqua!" Kairi pointed her keyblade forward, casting a hasty Reflect spell to rebound the attack the male executed. The Princess did not wait to see if Aqua had recovered, but instead rushed past both her and the diminutive male to counter attack. He had not moved too far off to dodge any counter, and so she raised her keyblade in a vertical sweeping motion. An arc of light emitted from Destiny's Embrace, and Kairi skidded to a halt, lingering before Aqua in a protective manner. There was no way she would let one of her friends become hurt!

Summary:
Reflect: Two post cooldown.

[Yazoo]

Yazoo came from the Darkness near the place everyone had gathered. Once again he saw Stroud. In the Darkness, he could sense Kadaj elsewhere with other presences, so he was sure his brother was fighting as well. This was different than the last time. It didn’t actually matter, regardless. The place would remain in control of the Darkness.

He sensed Ferser’s Dark presence vanish, meaning the Horsemen had either gotten lost or something else. Perhaps the man would reappear later or had different plans on his own. From what he could see, it was just him and Stroud. The freelancer, he was first uncertain of, but the man seemed to be paid by the Dark now as he attempted to attack Aqua.

Taking a quick look around, it appeared to the Remnant that Terra was too focussed on Stroud then to fight anyone else. The strange little boy that appeared to be either from Vana’diel or Hydeaelyn was seemingly confused, but Yazoo was more interested in another presence that was present. This time uncontrolled, the Princess of Heart was fighting for the Light as she protected Aqua.

“Hmm...” Yazoo vanished from his place through the Corridors and reappeared nearby as he walked towards Kairi, Aqua, and Kaiju. He didn’t give the other two much of a look as he let Felix do his thing and would help where needed, his first attention went towards Kairi. “How did you get free?” He questioned the girl calm, his face neutral, but a light smirk did quickly appear on his face, if freed, then that just means you need to be caught again, he mused to himself in his mind.

Pulling his gun out from his Organization cloak, he aimed and released four quick bullets in the direction of Aqua and Kaiju. Since Kairi was standing in front of Aqua towards Felix and he was standing towards their side, he wouldn’t quickly hit Kairi unless she would change her protection from front to side, but that would allow Felix to attack from the front again.

The Remnant had assumed it would be better to work together with the red-haired man as their opponents were three others, two of which were Keybearers and one he had no idea of as of yet. Since the boy was an anonymity, it seemed a good idea to remove him quickly. Yazoo smiled playfully at the three. He had his hood currently down.

[gilgamesh]

Not all of the destined fighters had assembled just yet. Those anticipated, perhaps, but there was still at least one wildcard that had yet to be dealt. Gilgamesh was not by any means the sort of person typically invited to a battle of ideological differences. That he had participated in any was more a fluke than anything. It was one such fluke, in fact, that would bring him to this climactic battleground. In his hunt for this Chee-Blade he had heard about a while back he would take notice of a typically empty endpoint in the Rift that had taken on some strange sensations. It was nothing he could immediately put his finger on, but the atmosphere had suddenly become more hectic for whatever reason. And so a doorway he once held no interest in had gained his awareness, and a new world was discovered.

There was a point in the darkness, several dozen feet off the ground, that almost seemed to pulse. Space itself distorted as the empty air seemed to bulge outward before simply shattering like a pane of glass. And amid that rain of shards, from the door connecting one reality with another, sprang a red-clad figure with a gleeful cry. With a bold grin shining beneath his crimson veil, the interdimensional gatecrasher’s eyes scanned ‘bout the place. His airborne position gave him something of a vantage point, even amid the tumbling fragments of backdrop that had once housed unbound space. That which lay in welcome below him was most fascinating indeed. In fact, it looked an awful lot like a fight!

The first thing to catch his eye was the sheer contradiction of the place. Looking down and about one would assume that he had arrived on a beach of some sort. Unlike the typical beach, however, something seemed to have taken freaking bites out of the landscape. It was a land splintered in ways it realistically shouldn’t be. Things were just.....gone. What really caught his attention though, standing beyond the gulf to oblivion, was a door equal parts magnificent and ominous. To where did it go? Clearly there was only one way to find out! That would be his reward when he was done having fun.

Gilgamesh’s trajectory began to arc, and so with is descent initiated he began to scope out the combatants. Much to his surprise he could kiss a few of those stupid key things.Three of them. A distinct lack of Sora, but keys everywhere. He did in fact recognize the blue-haired girl from that one other beach though. What was it with her and beaches? Granted, that last one had been dark as all hell and no fun to play in, but regardless. The other two keypeople......did he know them? Eh, probably not. Immediately losing interest in them the Ancient Man of Mystery went about analyzing the rest. Nearest to the key-swinging gals was a little munchkin of a guy who didn’t seem to be doing anything. Lame. Also near them was some ginger he didn’t recognize. Lame. The third keydude was fighting a marginally more interesting fellow with a really cool sword though! Maybe he could swoop in there and-

And then he saw the hooded guy.

Now, Gilgamesh had no real beef with the hooded stranger. They had only encountered one another twice, and neither time had they directly engaged each other. But he recalled the guy with the neat double-sword thing. Whenever that little jerk of a kid showed up this gunman tended to follow, which even Gilgamesh could connect as an alliance of some sort. And considering that the silver jerk had tried to take Sora in a duel to the death, it seemed pretty obvious that he had just found his opponent.

Without a second thought the otherworldly brigand threw his legs out and brought his body around so that he would fall feet-first, rather than that faceplant he had been hazardously close to risking. Then, with a final “HIYAAAAAAA!!!” he extended his rightmost leg into a falling karate kick. By this point the now unhooded man had already fired his shots, so there would be no stopping that. This kick was gonna hurt though.

[Yukimura]

A corridor of darkness ripped open on a large rock a good distance from where Terra's and Stroud's allies were gathering. The corridor shrank and vanished out of sight, leaving in place the dark swordsman, Yukimura. His sword remained strapped to his back, despite this being a battle. He was going to watch the battle for a bit. There was no need to rush into battle this time around. Yukimura closed his eyes, to focus on sensing who was near by.

People were arriving everywhere. A large group had been fighting amongst each other not far from this particular group. The energy of half the people that have arrived here radiated darkness, while others seemed to radiate light. Yukimura could tell that some of these people that had darkness in them were Heartless. There were others, though, that had darkness in them that were similar to his own. However, there was one individual in particular that peaked Yukimura's interest the most.

One of the dark energies Yukimura had been picking up had been very strong and seemed extremely familiar. The individual was located in the other area and reeked of a horrendous dark power that Yukimura admired, even more than this Heartless that the warriors of Light were slowly start to swarm. The person's darkness couldn't be ignored by anyone with the ability to sense the strength of a person's heart.

"How interesting... It seems Ansem's power seems to be infecting a lot of people lately... Or did Ansem's power come from this person," the swordsman pondered, as he looked off in the distance towards where he felt the dark aura. He grinned widely. He felt like he would come face to face with this person in the future.

Yukimura brought his attention back towards the closest group. It seemed the fighting had gone under way finally. Two of the warriors fighting had seemed familiar to Yukimura. One had been the blue haired woman wielding a key-like sword. The other warrior was one that appeared to have changed the mass of himself and his weapon to fit the situation. The rest were new to Yukimura, but it didn't matter to him.

The swordsman hopped off the rock and slowly started walking towards the group. Darkness had been swarming everywhere on this world and was not going to leave it to the light. Yukimura kept quiet as he walked calmly towards the fight, observing each fighters' abilities and skill.

[Terra]

Terra's mind was finally open to the darkness and all reasoning was lost. However, some things remained. Terra actually had complete control over his body. He didn't know how he'd accomplished it, but it was as if he'd made a compromise with the other half of his power. Terra wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but he felt...whole.

"You can talk all you want, but talk can be outweighed by actions."

[/b]

Sure, he'd let the sinister force finally run like the drug it was, but he didn't feel incapacitated by it. In fact, it was like he was shaking hands with a long lost friend. What was this? Why did the light inside of him also have a say in the matter? Had he really found a way to bring two opposing forces together in perfect harmony?

As if the epic finale around them needed a kickoff, Stroud launched his sword at high velocities toward Terra. Thing is, he didn't flinch, he didn't block, and he didn't defend at all. He somehow saw the trajectory of the blade, and he knew it was aiming for the center of his being, his heart. As if it were a championship for some game called limbo, Terra leaned backwards and allowed the blade to pass over him.

As the blade returned to the it's owner, Terra saw the attack as a diversion for the Shadow Flare. He was prepared to take the blast head on. The fusion of light and darkness within him gave him the feeling of invincibility, even if it was a facade. He felt unstoppable.

Even in the smoke of the blast, he couldn't feel a thing, but he quickly discovered Aqua had been behind one of her signature barriers to protect him. He stared, unflinched, straight into the eyes of Stroud as a mystical key summoned in the palm of his right hand. The taste of darkness swirled around him as his key held the opposing light to the darkness in his heart. Completion tasted satisfying.

He waited, only a moment, as history flashed into his head. Eraqus had been afraid of the darkness, but he didn't know the power it held Did he know there was a way to balance them? He held darkness, yet he cherished the light. Was this uncommon? Or, perhaps, was Master Eraqus preparing him for this exact moment?

"Aqua, Ferser is not here. I can't sense him."[/b]

He glared backwards only enough to let his determination shine into her eyes.

"Watch my back."[/b]

Without another second's hesitation, and the complete ignorance to everyone else around them, Terra rushed in headfirst to take on the Goliath to his David. He then became notified of the surroundings as he noticed he was running through water of a familiar beach of some sort as he made his target clear.

Light gathered at the tip of his blade as he quickly dashed past the god of Heartless. That was the first strike. The second and third came as he dashed through him once more and jumped up, aiming through the monster's right shoulder. The fourth was a falling slash towards the right. The fifth came by a sliding dash from right to left. The next two were full three hundred and sixty degree slashes, the first vertically and the second horizontally, as he gathered light in the tip of his blade. As if it was the only weapon capable of stopping the plague in front of him, he slammed his weapon, in hopes that ever single slash had hit its mark. A powerful shockwave erupted from the weapon and spread out ten feet from where the bronze keyblader now kneeled. Where there was once sand, now stood a crater that began to fill with the salt water of the tide.

Ars Solum was the first step towards the end of an era.

Cooldowns[/u]

Ars Solum - 3 posts[/blockquote]

[stroud]

Hope was such a whimsical notion. It took an investment of emotion to see one's hopes through to become reality, but the moment the true reality set in that it would not be possible and the feelings were gone it would become false and merely fleeting. Then came the sensation of one's heart plummeting as if slipping from the top of the stairs in the dark, falling into that unfamiliar uncertainty and doubt. These warriors had come here before with the hope they could win against such odds, only for them to be crushed and sent back to where they came from. Stroud had to admire their perseverance in such uncertainty, but it would only be a matter of time after each and every failure that would before them until they could see trying to reclaim his Kingdom Hearts was indeed a lost cause.

And he would send them back to the very thresholds their mortal coils could withstand, every single time. It was a pity that they had managed to escape the last time he had struck them down, but perhaps he had let them run to toy with them. Turning them into Heartless now seemed all too easy, and perhaps making them suffer as they gradually realized there was no hope saving the heart of hearts was entertaining now he was the god of these realms. But perhaps he should not be so bold in his underestimating of them, and end them here and now? Showing them his true power before their hearts caved to pure strength would not only be the smart thing to do, but also a delight to behold that none should oppose him as the now proclaimed god of the Heartless.

His broadsword flew forward into the air, watching with a entertained smirk as the keyblade wielder known as Terra dodged by bending backwards. Impressive, but it would not be enough for long. Next came the keyblader's ally, a blue-haired woman known as Aqua, casting Barrier to block the powerful blast from his Shadow Flare. A sinister chortle rasped from pale lips instead of a look of disappointment, as it was merely an exercise in futility in eyes inhuman and cold of ice blue hue. She could try to protect him, but she could not protect him forever. "Such bold words yourself... but let me remind you how contradicting they are. How was it... to face off true power?" he said with smug amusement, in reply to the dark keybarer.

There came a note of recognition between the two heroes who thought they were safe for that moment, that the Horseman Ferser was not present. Ferser was a decent challenge but he had failed him at Disney Castle, and he had failed him once more here. "That is because Ferser is now a part of my power." he remarked, before adding another sinister grin. They didn't know any better and he was allowed to lie as the villain, but it was also a half-truth. Thanks to the powers of Kingdom Hearts as the leader of the Horsemen, he had all the powers the other Horsemen had. He watched as a small Tarutaru who did nothing threatening entered the scene, followed by the red-headed mercenary whom put on the facade we was going to attack him before turning on Aqua at the last minute.

And then a different person of red hair had appeared, and Stroud only drew interest of her presence when she addressed him. One of the Princess of Light, and the only one capable of wielding a keyblade whom had fought on their side in the last battle. She no longer was enslaved by that outlandish jester, but it did not matter. "So, you too would turn against me. So be it. You are nothing but a lowly pawn." And it was true, for now that he had Kingdom Hearts he had no need for one of seven keys needed to get to it or the celestial blade needed to unlock it.

He had yet to answer her remark as two more warriors of the dark and an intruder from the Rift entered the fray, but such frivolities were put aside as Terra came for him. A combo of slashes and swipes came for him, and like Terra lowered his sword and did not try to block or evade the damage coming for him. "Yes, that's it. Give me... your darkness!" he encouraged, registering the pain as each blade slice tore through armor and pierced through the skin of his darkened body. When Terra had finished with a powerful shockwave, he stepped into it as the rage of the earth sent shockwaves throughout his body. As the earth beneath his feet shattered and crumbled into the crater he was now standing on the edge of, Stroud merely laughed.

But he did not address Terra, who was knelt some distance away on the other side of the crater. Instead, he simply turned his head and looked at the Princess of Heart. Remembering her earlier declaration, he spoke. "You are right. I will not destroy your world again, because it it already broken. But more importantly, Kingdom Hearts is not darkness." He turned to address everyone as his powerful voice boomed through the illusion of the abyss. "The Heartless were there when Xehanort was destroyed by the light of Kingdom Hearts, but there will be no miracle to save you this time."

With that, he turned to the large Door to Darkness that still stood behind them on the beach as the luminance of the heart-shaped moon above them shone upon him. "Kingdom HEARTS! Break the seal of the Door to Darkness, fill me with absolute power! That of darkness... nothingness... AND light!" The radiance of the moonlight intensified above him as the heart of all people's hearts stolen from the Organization granted him his wish, shining down upon the ivory frame of the massive doorway. The paling energy that was the seal Sora and King Mickey had put upon the door appeared and shattered like pristine glass fragments, and the door slowly began to groan as it creaked open. The very earth began to shake much more violently than Terra's shockwave had caused, as if a giant trampoline had been placed under their feet.

This tremor broke the last of the cracked earth beneath the Horseman's feet, and he continued to arrogantly grin even as he plummeted to the depths of the violet abyss shown through the cracks. A crack had emerged from between the parting door, and suddenly a massive deluge of consistent darkness and light came streaming through. It poured into the hole Stroud had disappeared into, and continued to cascade in amounts that were almost impossible to comprehend if one were not present. Suddenly a massive white arm reach out of the trench and slammed down on the beach, kicking up sand that revealed as it settled a limb the size of a freight train. A giant head then emerged from behind the appendage resembling that of Stroud's, and a massive roar exploded out through serrated fangs and beastial jaws that could consume a small village.

Both Kingdom Hearts had indeed turned Stroud into something other than human.

As he pulled his tremendous girth stepping out of the crater much faster than any could have comprehended from such weight, Stroud's Grim Form pulled itself to full height with the Heartless Emblem on his chest emblazoned for all to see. His humanoid body was now twisted and shaped with ivory armor that spiked dangerously off all his limbs, which now included a growth of two pairs of wings on his back. While the white pulsed with the luminescence of light, his face, hands and chest all were soaked with the darkest of ebon plating. His face now resembled a hawk with a deadly hooked beak around that massive maw of serrated teeth, but there were still features that resembled Stroud including the silvery mane that framed his head. These facial features now looked ahead as the landscape once again began to shift in appearance, the Horseman of Destruction now standing over the pit in a different world.

Not even when this world had always been coated in darkness did it look even more worse for wear than it was now. The platform of land the warriors were all standing on now had once been lush with green grass trimmed around embroidered tiling, but the circular shape had been fragmented from prior battle as the lifeless brown grass lay around it. The large white walls of a castle with turquoise and chocolate roofing remained detached and floating around the central square that lead to it's entrance, lights out beyond shattered stain windows. Even the pitch black sky seemed unnatural as it was streaked with swirls of white and violet around a void circling in the sky, the landscape beyond twisted and warped in fragmented ways. Once called the Land of Departure, the land once known as Castle Oblivion would forever be altered drastically from it's original state.

A fitting world, for the last world that the keybladers and their friends would ever see if they would not survive this battle. "Let me show you the meaning of true fear." Stroud spoke through his inhuman appearance, indicating there was still an intelligence behind the monstrous figure that loomed over them. Crossing his arms over his chest, he swept them out quite gracefully in comparison to their intense speed as did his wings. A large mass of dark green and black bubbled into existence before him, before exploding into globules of acid that shot out towards every warrior of light. Bio was as intoxicating as it was deadly, and such a representation of Ferser's power he wished to demonstrate would burn damage as well as poison upon contact. There would be no reprieve as he cast glacial orbs of ice around the groups of Light warriors that homed in on them like bullets, Ice of Doubt also inflicting the feeling of doubt within their hearts.

Yes, hope was such a fleeting notion when it did not even exist. This world was an example... it would never be the same again. It was the same of a heart, it would never recover once hope had been pulled out underneath it like the very foundations it stood on. Floating endlessly, one could not trust the bond that could easily be broken between friends to rely on. Nor the light that radiated in their heart, for it had created the very darkness that opposed it. Selfishly serving it's own purpose to want more light for itself and creating misery and pain around them, betraying others to cold, bitter embrace of the very darkness they fought.

Boss Theme: Third Time's The Charm.

---

Telekinesis: Finished cooldown.

Shadow Flare: Three-turn cooldown.

Bio: Stroud sweeps his hand before him, conjures a massive ball of toxins before the enemy, and thrusts his hand all in one quick motion to explode it onto them. Attempts to hit all enemies and inflict Poison damage, doing moderate damage over two turns. Three-turn cooldown.

Ice of Doubt: Summons orbs of ice around a group in a circle and has them home in on them, inflicting damage as well as emotional doubt.[LT:Dissidia Final Fantasy - Chaos: Last Battle 3]

[aqua]

Blue eyes scrutinized the battle field as Aqua awaited any other incoming opponents. She spotted that red-haired guy in the distance... he practically showed up at every single battle she participated in... which made him either a determined warrior or a creepy stalker.

Her musing was interrupted when a small... creature asked if Stroud was the man they should be fighting. The blue-haired Keyblade Master was about to give a response in addition to nodding her head yes when she heard the voice of a familiar ally.

Kairi!

Aqua's thoughts flickered to the last battle at Kingdom Hearts, where Kairi was being controlled by... something, someone, as Aqua still wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was that her friend was being used as a pawn of the darkness, of those that sought to destroy the worlds. Just like Ven and Terra had been all those years ago. She was glad to see that Kairi was herself again, and Aqua clutched her keyblade tighter, knowing that if they won today it would be the beginning of a promise she now made to herself: she would never, ever let her friends be used again.

Kairi then responded to the question Kaiju had asked the blue-haired Keybearer earlier. Aqua nodded happily in response, and in her peripheral vision caught the creepy stalker guy charging at Stroud, whose attack seemed to have thankfully been blocked by the barrier she sent toward Terra. She soon found that she would also be thankful that she had looked slightly to the side- as she noted that Felix had a face heel turn and was now charging at her, blade raised. She had two options- attempt to block with her keyblade, or charge at him. She knew with how fast he was running and how close he was she would never have enough time to build up any sort of momentum. So instead, Aqua planted her feet as she raised her keyblade in front of her horizontally, bracing herself for a hit. She was never good at blocking this way, and remembered the last time she tried this when fighting Red Eye and she practically ate dirt.

Luckily for Aqua, Kairi had cast Reflect at the last second, and Felix's unnoticeably heavy sword rebounded off of her. Aqua grinned and resumed her keyblade to its original offensive position. "Thanks, Kairi!" She said, almost chuckling at how similar their defensive moves were. Even though Aqua had unintentionally made Kairi a Keybearer, she couldn't help but suppose the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

More people of both Light and Dark allegiance made their way onto the battlefield, and Aqua frowned as she noticed that one of the Horsemen was strangely absent. She couldn't dwell on that thought long enough to guess as to why, as Yazoo decided that would be a good time to shoot at her, Kairi, and Kaiju. When she saw the gun being pointed she knew there would never be enough time in the world for a cartwheel dodge, so Aqua did the next best thing. Time seemed to slow down and almost stop as she glowed and shifted into Ghost Drive, and with a quick swish of her keyblade, Aqua teleported out of the way, hoping that her friends would be alright.

Appearing in midair and slicing her keyblade in a combo for more momentum as she teleported a safe distance away, now not too far from Terra and far enough to land a few blasts from a shotlock on Felix and perhaps Yazoo. Terra then voiced what she had been wondering all along- that Ferser wasn't here. In response, she huffed in annoyance- she really would have liked for Ferser to meet his end at her keyblade, but if he didn't show, she supposed she'd pick on that creepy stalker turned traitor. She smiled as Terra turned to face her and asked her to watch out for him, "I will." She said with enough determination that it reflected his own.

Stroud then began his speech, and she knew she should have surmised as much that Stroud would use his own ally to make himself stronger. "You're right, we don't need a miracle." Aqua voiced loudly in response, still glowing an eerie green due to Ghost Drive, "No matter how many times you try and stop us, we will keep fighting you... And one day, whether it's now or far into the future, we will win!" As Stroud kept talking, Aqua prepped herself to use Lightbloom instead of Ghost Drive as a hopeful surprise attack, however, she never could have anticipated what would happen next.

The ground shook violently, knocking Aqua off balance, leaving no possibility of her using Lightbloom at all at the present moment, considering that attack required perfectly balanced pirouettes. She shielded her eyes and the massive amounts of darkness and light poured onto the battlefield, reminding her of the Realm of Darkness and blinding her at the same time. When she looked up, she saw a monster no Heartless in the Realm of Darkness would even dare compare themselves to.

Her surprise at Stroud's change in appearance was nothing compared to her shock and rage that accompanied the change of scenery.

Even if Castle Oblivion had been taken over by others...

...She still considered it her duty to watch over it.

...And she had failed.

"You...!" Aqua said, not finding an insult good enough for the situation as clenched Stormfall so tightly one would not be surprised if it shattered under her grip. She'd do everything within her power to drive out the Heartless Horsemen and their comrades- beginning with what she started earlier. Lightbloom.

Her glow from Ghost Drive shifted to a white-blue one as she swung her leg to the side in a graceful grand battement at a 90 degree angle, shifting her hold on her keyblade as she did so, twirling lower to the ground as bursts of light shot out from the tip of her keyblade, magic swirling all around her. Aqua straightened herself as she spun, and as she stood straight she performed an arabesque, Stormfall now high in the air as the last bursts of light shot out of it. Her twirling eventually slowed and she locked her blue eyes on her enemies. Her fierce gaze said it all, even as she got pummeled by one of Stroud's shots from Bio, knocking her right into the ground. Even as the poison quickly coursed through her, making her dizzy, Aqua managed to stand up, keyblade poised at her side with a glare, a glare that clearly said:

You'll pay for this.

Renewal Barrier - 2 post cooldown

Ghost Drive - 1 turn remaining

Lightbloom - 4 post cooldown (being a ballet dancer came in handy for this one -brick'd-)

Poisoned Status - 1 turn remaining