Kingdom Hearts: Consumed by Darkness

The air in the arena was thick with smoke and tension, the battlefield scarred by fiery explosions and jagged craters. Helios and Sephiroth stood side by side, blood dripping from their wounds as they faced their opponents. Across the platform, Vincent and Barret prepared for another assault. Vincent's crimson eyes glowed faintly as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, while Barret's gun-arm whirred ominously, charging for another blast.

Helios tightened his grip on the Equilibrium keyblade, sweat dripping down his temple as the Underworld's curse sapped his strength. His body felt heavier with each passing second, and his magical reserves were dwindling rapidly. Beside him, Sephiroth's breathing was steady but shallow, his coat torn and blood-stained. Despite the strain, his piercing gaze never wavered.

"We don't have much left," Helios muttered, his voice low.

"Then stop wasting time and finish this," Sephiroth replied coldly, raising Masamune.

Helios shot him a sideways glare. "You're welcome for saving your ass earlier, by the way."

Sephiroth didn't respond, his focus already shifting back to their opponents.

Vincent moved first, his body blurring as he darted forward. In an instant, his form twisted and morphed, shadows engulfing him as he transformed into Chaos. Bat-like wings erupted from his back, and his crimson eyes burned brighter, now fully demonic. A dark aura radiated from him, distorting the air around him.

"Chaos…" Helios muttered, his chest tightening as the overwhelming pressure hit him.

Before Helios could react, Vincent raised a clawed hand and unleashed a blast of dark energy. The attack streaked toward them like a comet, pulsing with destructive force.

"Move!" Sephiroth barked, shoving Helios aside as he teleported out of the blast's trajectory. The attack struck the platform, detonating with a deafening explosion that sent chunks of stone flying in every direction.

Helios stumbled but recovered quickly, summoning Reflect to deflect the debris raining down on him. "We can't let him stay in that form," he said, his voice tight. "His magic's stronger, and he's not holding back anymore."

"Then stop talking and act," Sephiroth snapped, already moving.

As Sephiroth closed the distance to Vincent, Barret charged at Helios, his gun-arm now transformed into a spinning wrecking ball. "Let's see how good you are up close!" Barret roared, swinging the weapon in a wide arc.

Helios ducked under the attack, the wind from the swing nearly knocking him off balance. He retaliated with a Blizzaga spell, the icy projectile striking Barret's arm and freezing part of his gun-arm. Barret roared in frustration, smashing the ice off with brute force.

"Damn, you're slippery!" Barret growled, switching his gun-arm back to its gatling gun form and opening fire.

Helios raised his keyblade, channeling a Thundaga spell that arced through the air toward Barret. Lightning crackled as it struck the gatling gun, causing it to spark and misfire. Helios didn't hesitate, rushing in and slashing at Barret's exposed side with the Equilibrium keyblade.

The blow staggered Barret, but he quickly recovered, slamming his mechanical arm into Helios' chest and sending him skidding across the platform. When he finally stopped Helios wheezed and coughed up some blood.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth and Vincent clashed in the air above the arena. Vincent, in his Chaos form, moved with unrelenting speed, his claws slashing at Sephiroth in his one-winged angel form with lethal precision. Sephiroth met each attack with Masamune, the blade's length giving him just enough reach to parry the strikes.

Vincent's dark energy flared as he unleashed a barrage of shadowy projectiles. Sephiroth teleported through the air, dodging each blast with effortless grace. Closing the gap, he slashed downward, forcing Vincent to block with his claws.

"You're persistent," Vincent growled, his demonic voice echoing.

"And you're in my way," Sephiroth replied, driving his blade forward.

Vincent retaliated by summoning a sphere of darkness around himself, the energy pushing Sephiroth back. With a roar, Vincent expanded the sphere, releasing a shockwave that shook the entire arena.

On the ground, Helios pushed himself to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Barret was relentless, his gun-arm now switched to missile mode as he launched explosive rounds in Helios' direction. Helios rolled to the side, summoning Aero to create a wind barrier that absorbed part of the blast.

As he prepared to counter, Helios felt a strange pull from his keyblade. A surge of energy coursed through him, and the Equilibrium keyblade began to glow.

"What the—" Helios muttered, watching in shock as the keyblade split into two. In his left hand, he held a radiant blade of light, its silver glow almost blinding. In his right hand was a dark, shadowy blade, its edges crackling with malevolent energy.

The sudden transformation caught Barret off guard. "What the hell is that? The sword split," he shouted, momentarily hesitating.

Helios didn't waste the opportunity. He dashed forward, slashing with the blade of light. The strike left a searing trail across Barret's chest, forcing him to stumble back. Before Barret could recover, Helios followed up with the dark blade, the shadowy energy exploding on impact and sending Barret crashing to the ground.

The newfound power surged through Helios, but it came at a cost. The light and darkness within him began to clash, the strain leaving him disoriented. His darkness was overwhelming while his light was weak and this new form of his keyblade made both powers rage out of control. His vision blurred for a moment, and he staggered, barely able to stay on his feet.

"Helios, focus! If you fall I'll kill you!" Sephiroth's voice cut through the haze.

Helios snapped out of it just in time to see Vincent descending from the air, his claws aimed for Sephiroth's back.

Thinking quickly, Helios raised the blade of light and cast Reflect. The shield of light appeared around Sephiroth just as Vincent struck, the counterattack sending small explosions of energy back at him. Vincent snarled, flinching from the blasts, and Sephiroth seized the opening, slashing upward with Masamune.

"Now!" Sephiroth shouted.

Helios understood that they needed to make a final push so he held nothing back. He combined his Thundaga and Dark Firaga spells, creating a swirling orb of fire and lightning. With a grunt of effort, he hurled the spell toward Vincent. The orb struck with devastating force, lightning crackling through the dark flames as it engulfed Vincent in a fiery explosion.

Vincent fell to the ground, his Chaos form fading as he reverted to human form. He struggled to rise, but his strength was gone.

Barret, seeing his partner down, roared in defiance. "You bastards aren't takin' me out that easy!" He charged his gun-arm, the energy building for his ultimate attack.

Helios and Sephiroth exchanged a glance, both battered and barely standing.

"Together," Helios said, gripping the two keyblades tightly.

Sephiroth nodded, raising Masamune.

Barret fired his charged laser, the massive beam tearing across the arena. Helios and Sephiroth moved in unison, Sephiroth teleporting to close the distance while Helios summoned Aero to shield them.

Sephiroth struck first, his blade slicing through the beam's source and disrupting its energy. Helios followed up, crossing the two keyblades and channeling all his remaining magic into a combined Firaga and Blizzaga spell. The fire and ice swirled together, creating a devastating vortex shockwave that struck Barret head-on.

The explosive force knocked Barret off his feet, his mechanical arm shattered. He hit the ground with a heavy thud, unmoving.

The arena fell silent. Vincent and Barret lay defeated, and Helios and Sephiroth stood victorious, though barely. Blood dripped from their wounds, their breaths ragged.

Hades clapped slowly from his throne, his grin as wide as ever. "Well, well, well! You two actually pulled it off. I'm half impressed! Not many can survive against these losers."

Helios dropped to one knee, the strain finally catching up to him. Sephiroth leaned on Masamune for support, his expression unreadable.

"This is over. That was what we agreed upon correct?" Helios muttered, glaring up at Hades.

Hades chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But we never shook hands you see, so I had my fingers crossed. I know you're running out of gas, kid. But you've still got one match to go. Gotta capitalize on the excitement we've built up now don't we."

The god's laughter echoed through the arena as Helios and Sephiroth prepared for what was still to come.