Chapter 84: Star Wars : Chapter 84: Battle of Heroes I
AN :
This is the most challenging arc I've ever created.
It will span 5 to 6 chapters, blending elements from both the movie and the novel to craft a more refined and detailed scenario for what is arguably the most iconic moment in Star Wars history! Without further ado, let's begin!
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As fast as a blue lightning bolt, Obi-Wan concentrated all his focus onto his form, parrying each of the Sith's furious flurry of strikes in each moment as he backed away carefully by Anakin's opening offensive.
Every move that his former apprentice made came from ferocity, aggression and skill that was met by the grace, serenity and focus amidst the infernal abyss that shrouded the planet's surface.
Each opening that could be exploited by the fallen Jedi was quickly closed by the Master's unbreakable defense. However, a kick from Lord Vader sent Kenobi flying from a small distance, but he quickly regained his bearings as he parried another vicious strike from the fallen Jedi.
All those who are present in the Council Chamber were astounded, and even impressed on the ferocity and speed that the two former Master and Apprentice had displayed. Nothing from what they had witnessed from their sparring sessions could compare to the finesse and concentration that defined their way of dueling.
"Incredible...", Master Fisto marvelled at the spectacle before him, trying to keep up with the movements of the two's lightsabers. Not even he could match up against either the of two. "Master Kenobi's form is keeping up with Skywalker's aggressive, yet very fast finesse fighting style"
"I have never seen duels reaching the likes of what we see here", Mundi said, equally astonished as the rest of the Jedi present. "Not even Count Dooku or Jedi who came before them have displayed the same vigor as they have here"
"Master Kenobi was the most familiar on how Skywalker fought, given their previous practices and challenges over the years", Windu voiced out his observation, noting that the fallen Jedi's fighting style was most likely ingrained by the power of the Dark Side, which was shielded by Kenobi's faith with the light. "As such, only he had the capacity to fight Skywalker in even terms, unlike many who tried and failed within the Temple"
"Master Kenobi's use of Soresu proved to be a wise counter from Skywalker's use of Djem So", Saesee Tiin added. "In addition to memorizing the patterns on how they fought one another during their sparring sessions"
Anakin couldn't comprehend what he was trying to look at here. He wanted Obi-Wan to win no matter what, but would he ever bare see and let his Master go through the pain of needing to finish him off? He felt that each strike were the faults and bouts of anger that he bottled up for all his years as a Jedi and as a General for the Republic. Every move that his fallen future made were like each blaster bolt targeting him from within.
For Obi-Wan, every parry he made was how many times he wanted to deny that his brother and apprentice have fallen. As well as the many wrong decisions and flaws that he and the Jedi were made to their own kind, that led him to this. Every memory of friendship and brotherhood kept flashing before him like a phantom in the dark, where Anakin's charismatic and passionate smiles during their sessions in the past were replaced by the endless rage personified in the near future.
Padme held her chest, painfully struggling of accepting what Anakin had become. All that she knew at him was the kind-hearted man who looked out for his friends, vowing to protect everyone he cared for no matter what. Her Anakin in the present and the Anakin on the screen before her, do not share the same qualities she had known.
A part of her knew that Obi-Wan must stop Anakin for what he had become, but at the same time. She did not want to see him harmed in any way; deep within the Dark Lord he had become, a fragment of the Jedi Knight she loved, is still within. Trapped by his own desire to save everyone he had cared about.
Ahsoka watched in anguish as she witnessed the two closest familial figures she ever had, fought to end the other. They were not just her superiors, but they were the family that she never had alongside with the friends she made in the 501st legion.
And every time she witnessed the two drawing their lightsabers, they were always meant to be for sparring with playful banter that sometimes ended with one helped up the other.
But she never thought that it would end this way, not when they always had the closest bond that was a rarity within the Jedi Order. As for Rex, he watched the very man he gave both his life and loyalty, fought the man of whom he had the greatest respect for, for all their experiences with one another. Even he could not imagine the two raising their blades against one another.
Blade-to-blade, they were identical. After thousands of hours in lightsaber sparring, they knew each other better than brothers; they were complementary halves of a single warrior. In every exchange, Obi-Wan gave ground. It was his way. And he knew that to strike Anakin down would burn his own heart to ash. Carefully and skillfully, Kenobi parried every single strike landed onto him, not minding that the two are slowly making their way from the fiery balconies inside the Separatist Control Room.
Realizing they are inches with one another, Obi-Wan restrained an arm belonging to the fallen Jedi, where he raised his blade for an impending strike, only to be parried by Vader at the last moment. Returning back to their form, sparks engulfed the corridor entrance as their lightsabers collided with their walls at each strike and parry that persisted along the way.
"This is nothing like the fight that we had witnessed back at the Death Star", Depa spoke out in sheer fascination of the speed and precision that the two displayed before her. "Both of them are in their prime at this stage"
The memory of Anakin, who was now the mechanical monster, Darth Vader of the Galactic Empire striking down Obi-Wan Kenobi came flashing before them. Vader had displayed both brute force and sheer power compared to the finesse and speed that Skywalker possessed against Kenobi at Mustafar.
But still, every second of the footage felt like hours to those who knew the two very well. And they could not tell if they are still willing to see through all of this.
...
There came a turning point in the clash of the light against the dark. It did not come from a flash of lightning or slash of energy blade, though there were these in plenty; it did not come from a flying kick or a surgically precise punch, though these were traded, too.
From a distance, two lightning bolts blitzed one another; one green and one red. Darth Sidious and Master Yoda, the embodiments of dark and light respectively fought for the ultimate fate of the galaxy at hand.
Landing at the Chancellor's podium, their exchange of strikes caused it to activate, and the dome leading up to the Senate Chamber was opened, where all the seats lay empty. Even without the physical presence of the Senate, it was dead in all but name, with the power of the state had been vested to one man; the Emperor himself.
Padme could only look helplessly at the very symbolism she was looking at. Democracy was dead, replaced by the authoritarian Imperial regime that was forged from the man who manipulated the very institution she defended vigorously, for his own ends.
"It is just as ferocious as their apprentices", Luminara uttered out in complete astonishment of the fight between the leaders of both the Jedi and the Sith. "And yet it differs in so many ways, as the Masters"
"The Sith have hidden for far too long in order for them to strengthen and adapt", Plo Koon spoke out in a hollow tone, slowly beginning to to realize what had become of the two orders. "While we remained rigid for the years we believed them to be extinct"
Sidious' offensive was halted however, and Yoda forced him into a blade-lock. The Sith Lord struggled, to break the parry between them, though partially succeeding as the Grandmaster's speed and agility made him a very difficult opponent to kill, despite Palpatine's own.
"Master Yoda is out-dueling the Emperor!", Kit Fisto called out, realizing the Grandmaster's growing advantage against the Sith. "Sidious is beginning to struggle against him!"
"Confident, you must not be", Yoda advised the Nautolan Master. For all his wisdom and skill, he knew that Palpatine had plenty of tricks under his sleeve. "Settled through the lightsaber, this is not"
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Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you could throw some power stones to help elevate the ranking.
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