[center]Chapter 15: Tension Rising[/center][/b]

A pipe clashed with a metal, spiked bat, forced aside before the latter weapon was swung again, spikes briefly entering the Thuggish Splicer's chest, falling backwards off of the roof to his death afterwards.

Hayner looked around to the other enemies around him, all dead or dying by his weapon. These Thuggish Splicers were just the latest enemies that he had faced   Since losing sight of the younger versions of the Zivaku brothers. The boy had been on his own, fighting as many melée fighters as he could since being forced to go on his own. Since that amazing assault by the demigoddesses, he was mainly picking off stragglers or any who were stuck on rooftops for some other reason.

He was doing very well, too, trained better along with that "disciplinarian" Seifer Alamsy by the captain over the last month and a half, along with the many battles they had been part of in that time. Might might have not had any special magic powers like most Interferences, the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee (who, besides Aerith, had gone back to the portal to Betwix and Between to retrieve Grace and her future, Somnio, if they were even alive, rather than apparently dead like Shooter), and Vivi, but that didn't make Hayner defenseless, though he did put his bat back in the harness on his back for faster travel.

The boy saw the rooftops with Geth snipers takin their positions, picking off Omega soldiers. Pretty competent, as they had been on the side of Reaper's army.

Seeing that he could not help much more from this roof, the blonde boy looked to another rooftop. It seemed close enough to jump. The young man took two steps back, eyeing the point he aimed for, and broke into a sprint. At the edge of his current building-top, Hayner kicked off of a corner, and launched himself into the air. His arms pinwheeled and his legs cycled, as he was flying across the gap, nearing the other roof...and he landed, rolling over his shoulders on impact and drawing his weapon once more to fight.

Not a moment too soon, as multiple Jackals were coming up, likely in response to the defeat if the Splicer team on the other roof. The reptilian aliens activated gauntlets on their left arms, producing protective shields of plasma akin to a normal shield as oppose to those in most Covenant armor and Kaith's. Such shields, ranging from green to orange to purple, could not be bypassed by metal, nonplasma weapons, though they did have small notches that could be hit through, as could be knocked aside with enough continuous force. The Kig-Yars also drew drew pink cutlasses from sheaths at their sides, weapons Hayner had faced before, but Kaith had not prior to his work in the war. Energy Cutlasses, composed of explosive Needler ammunition that would detonate if they entered the body. Dangerous and painful, as Hayner had once learned. The Jackals surrounded him, a circle of five, and he stood ready. Then, he charged.

Hayner smashed his bat into one of the Jackal's shields, the cutlass scraping his elbow painfully before the alien staggered back. He continued the offensive, hitting again and forcing the soldier to lower the protection, stunned for a few brief moments as the last hit to the face killed it.

Two more came from either side as their comrade fell, stabbing at him with their explosive armaments. However, Hayner chose to duck, the potential blows hitting each other's arms. The Twilight Towner barely dodged the subsequent pink explosion by diving forward, the heat still felt on his feet. The shocked Jackals who remained did not have time to react to his new angle of attack, and a smash to each of their unprotected legs knocked them to the ground and deactivated their shields, two more smacks to the chest killing them.

With that situation out of the way, Hayner looked to the next roof, one with Brutes wielding a different type of weapon once again. They held staves with energy crackling at the forefront tip, Energy Staves that they only rarely used. Were the Gravity Hammers being used by someone else?

No matter. The bat-user again went for a jump. He soared through the air, going for the roof to kill them as well...

...And misjudged.  Hayner's hands barely grabbed the edge of the building, his breath knocked right out of him by his chest's impact with the side. He felt his short-wave radio fall from his pocket as he dangled there, Brutes were laughing above at his difficulty as he started to slip. Was this the end? Falling to his death on another world?

No, he couldn't. These invaders had taken his world, destroyed it and built it again in their image. That deed would never go unpunished. He had to keep going! But how?

Suddenly the sounds were cut short. Metal against metal was audible as someone attacked the Brutes, one actually forced past Hayner's left side and over the edge. Finally, someone grabbed his wrist, pulling him up and falling on his backside as the leader of the Usual Spot group gasped for breath, then looked to his savior after seeing the scattered corpses and staves.

"You're a real loser and an idiot, you know that?" Seifer asked. "I mean, nobody tries a jump like that."

The angry boy scowled at the arrogant one. "Why save me?"

"First off," Seifer stood. "You owe me now. I'll make sure to collect when we get back to Twilight Town and it's safe." A groan from Hayner went unheeded. "Second," a smirk. "I can't beat you at Struggle or in the alleys if you're dead."

It was then that more Brutes came up the stairs at the sounds of battle, possibly having followed Seifer. Five of them. Two carried Gravity Hammers, Three more with Energy Staves. All surrounded the rivals as they went back to back. The disciplinarian spoke first.

"A hundred munny I can get more of them."

"You're on."

Both split up as all weapons were swung. A careless Brute sent his comrade flying with a Hammer swing, lowering the pike-wielded count to two. Hayner bashed one of the remaining warriors three times with his bat, forcing him back. A stave thrust hurt him, and he almost collapsed in pain from the plasma. Still, pain turned to rage, and he jumped into the air as he swung down. "Take [i]this[/i]!" Hayner called out, the strike actually strong enough to make the Brute stumble before the boy knocked the weapon from his hands with another hit, followed up with an armor-destroying smash to the side of the head, killing the rhino-skinned gorilla alien.

Seifer did about as well, though he fought far more defensively. A stab with a stave met a deflecting blow from his guarded stance, followed up by a spin around to the Brute's side as he readjusted his aim and a strong swing to the back of his left leg. As the alien swung across at him, the hatted boy ducked, swinging at his leg again and knocking out his armor. The leader of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee then jumped into the air, bludgeon held high. "Isn't this ro[i]man[/i]tic?" With that, he landed, the high guard of the Brute missing as he stabbed forward into it's chest, killing it.

Both turned to the remaining two, who were roaring in rage. They charged as one.

Four sniper shots could be heard impacting Brute skulls. One for each armor, one for each kill and dropping them to their knees, then flat in their faces. That...worked too.

The pair turned to the buildings around them, seeing the small forms if Geth snipers. Four to aid them in a fight, if that dragon didn't destroy them like he was doing to the others.

After the last of the Jiralhanae had fallen, Seifer took out his radio. "Vivi, I found Hayner." Said 'loser' threw his hands up. He was taking all the credit!

The hatless boy then saw something in the distance, coming closer. "Seifer..."

"Yeah, we're good." Still, the gang leader spoke to his follower. "You just--" His shoulder was shaken quickly to get his attention. "[i]What?![/i]" Something was coming close. A dragon-beast. Quickly, he shouted into the handset. "Vivi, everyone! We need a distraction, backup, anything! That huge dragon's coming right for us!"

Both he and Hayner ran, the radio dropped in the frenzied escape and was smashed by a leg of the monster. They both jumped to another roof, and hit the ground running. Unfortunately, the ground they hit was closer than they thought, they hit it too soon, and they tripped, falling and rolling on the ground from the impact. They both looked where Armitael was going.

Away from them? Did it even know they were there? Best to count their blessings. They were safe.

Both traded annoyed glances. They just [i]had[/i] to think that. Both looked to the entryway to this building's roof. There stood a massive Brute, about seven and a half to eight feel tall and wielding a particular Gravity Hammer. Alviorus, newly appointed Chieftain of the Jiralhanae better known to the heroes as Alvior, stood there as they got to their feet, speaking as they did.

He squeezed the Fist of Rukt Hammer, a shield that seemed to be composed of blue flames coming up to surround his body to protect against any physical attacks they could make with their weapons. "We shall have our [i]empire![/i] You two humans cannot oppose us, no matter what it is you believe! The Great Journey will completed even without the Hierarchs, and we shall continue along the silver path of the chosen!"

"Are you done yet?" Seifer asked impatiently. Even Hayner had to admit that the reaction was priceless.

This only angered the Brute further. He apparently lived up to his human-made designation. "Arrogant human! You shall suffer!" And their battle began.

Rather than fight, Seifer looked to Hayner. "We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for you."

"Are you [i]serious[/i]?!" Hayner shouted back. "[i]Now?[/i]"

Alvior was chuckling as he approached them. The foolish humans did not even know when to stop arguing.

"I'm just laying down the facts, loser." Alamsy curled his hand into a fist, holding the bat tightly as Hayner did the same. "If you want to hit me, go right on ahead."

"Gladly." Both held back their bats as Alvior came close...

The dual smash caught the Chieftain in the face, surprise causing him to almost drop the Fist of Rukt.

The rivals took their stances, not even looking at one another after the successful trick. It was time for combat once more. The real argument would probably come later.

The Hammer swung down as both jumped back, though still damaged and weaker. More and motte strikes came at them, one almost hitting Seifer as another came close to being killed by a direct hit. They came forward soon after, hitting the Brute, to no actual damage.

Then came the many shots from the snipers below, some using Beam Rifle snipers. Alvior shouted as his shield was destroyed, and the true counterattack began in the form of a combination attack, almost a pseudo-Limit. Both of the boys ran forward, jumping and kicking Alvior in the face before backflipping to land upright. They then charged again, smashing at the Chieftain's head repeatedly ad they jumped before hitting the abdomen, forcing him to turn around. Finally, both swung at his right side, causing a spinning half turn before their finisher.

Both boys ran at Alvior's back, each grabbing a leg and tackling him to the ground in pain. Afterward, the two climbed on top of him before he could recover, repeatedly bashing his head and neck with their spiked weapons, viscous, purple blood flowing from the alien's wounds. Only then did both exhausted heroes stumble off. The Chieftain of the Brutes, Alviorus, was dead.

"That one...was mine," Seifer panted.

"Shut....up...."

After that effort, the pair of Twilight Towners could stand no longer.  They both pitched to their sides, falling into the temporary release of passing out.  Rivals, they had managed to work together.  After that kind of stress, that fight with no magical powers, they needed rest.

And they definitely deserved it.

---

Slashes back and forth continued between the two future brothers Zivaku, until Reaper backed off, drawing a ranged weapon, his bow recovered from the Chapel of Skorm, where Kynthia had been initially corrupted: Skorm's Bow, the best longbow that the medieval period of Albion history had to offer.  He seemed to be choosing a new strategy as the weapon glowed bright blue, three orbs of blue light hovering around him.  A Multi-Arrow spell.  He was trying to shoot Kaith out of the sky with five arrows formed from one, a tactic he could perform thrice before having to re-cast.  The demon had a smirk in his eyes, though his mouth was not visible, as he let loose.  One shining, blue arrow split into five, each hitting Kaith from a different direction.  This attack was performed twice more before Reaper came at him again, using the Blood Sword once more.

A blue blade fell from the sky, its ethereal glow fading into the darkness of many corpses below.  Kaith was forced to catch the Blood Sword with his hands, flattening his palms against its sides and forcing it to his side before drawing a new weapon.  His Sentinus greatmace, an enormous, silver-bladed mace that was from the Temple of Avo, the polar opposite to Skorm's chapel, had some light magic in it, possibly better than many other weapons.  But not the Blade.

[i]Sh**,[/i] the captain thought, catching a crazed look of victory from Reaper as the thought was read from his heart.  So he was using that tactic in combat?  Perhaps he could only see certain extents of his memories in a battle this intense.  Still, that no longer truly mattered.

Kaith knew, even as he re-entered the fight, that he was now fighting a losing battle.  He needed the Blade of Olympus to pass his brother's near-instantaneous, Darkness-produced healing factor.

Without it, he had already lost.  It was just a matter of when.

---
Armitael continued to fly, passing building after building and seeing the many different ships in the air.  More and more fell, some of the Heartless now in the ranks due to having broken the blockade in their attempt to gain access to the remains of Kingdom Hearts itself, or Nobodies attempting to retake their world.

A light caught the eyes of the transformed future of Ronald Rivers, on a far off rooftop.  It was a small, twinkling light, almost unnoticed.

The combination of the three Sacred Beasts, the Raven Lord, and an Interference banked, heading in the direction of the brightness.  It could not have been from Omega, and so one thing was certain.

It had to be extinguished in order to help to reestablish order.