Adventure of Astral Part 53: Corruption

Astrals defense was that to be rivaled of a forcefield that no one could see. Sora was clanging each and every strike onto steel. It either his Astral's armor and blocked it or collided with Muramasa. The two danced around the room as Astral was in a constant rotation of his back feet. He never felt threatened from Sora and his attacks. The overwhelming part of it all was one small detail he lacked.

The others, they all still were in the zone and mindset that Astral was the enemy right now. They were sitting back for the most part, waiting for their opportunity to strike. Sora awaited for the perfect angle to reappear. They made one more rotation around the room as Astral was in the middle. Sora leaped back as a lightspeed round sped between the two. Astral flicked his head behind him as James and Angel were attacking from his sides. 

He slid his blade back into the saya as he flicked his left wrist directly into Angel's spear, deflecting her attack away. Dislocating his right shoulder he pushed James back with the palm of his hand. Recoiling it back into its socket as he closed the gap on James. James sent several jabs into his midsection as Astral blocked them with perfect form. The touch and feel for all of his moves were returning, something felt right about these moves. He waited for James to leap into the air. Expecting it. 

James held firm for a moment as he jumped upwards. Trying to pounce on him like a fox onto its prey. James was the hunted though, Astral slid flat under him and launched his legs up into James kicking in his diaphragm as he got sent into the ceiling. Angel swooped up and caught him before he hit the ground.

Sugar watched as she became infuriated that her mentor and master had been so quickly bested by a simple and efficient trick. She charged forward from defending Tina. being covered by a barrage of magic missiles. Astral dashed side to side as he flicked behind himself. Blocking Sora's backstabbing attempt with Muramasa. He turned around and blocked both the daggers with one slice.

'This won't work, it also only buys me time to think of what is the best way out of here. There is one thing that I need to be sure to test beforehand however.' Astrak thought to himself as he faced Sora and blocked his three slashes. Extending his left arm out and summoning his scythe as he blocked Sugar's attack with it. She stumbled back at the sight of it while James came back to the fight ready to rip Astral to shreds.

Astral stood there and looked directly into James' eyes. They locked together as the two interlocked their minds as Astral pushed back Sugar and Sora with a strong parry. James charged into the opening as he started using strong cross slashes as a way to see how Astral defends himself against his claws with his sword. Using the backside of his sword he would slide the blade between his claws and his gloves. Making James recoil and have to pull back for every attack. It made him more potent with the power of his strikes. 'You want to just face me to show me something. We both fear your peak if you ever were to turn. But that won't happen, right?' James watched as Astral parried his claws. Astral would deflect them as James started to release them and close the gap.

'See, you can get closer.' Astral smiled as he sent down his blade at James as Angel came in from above hovering in place as her wings were silent with her flight. James connected with a set of claws directly to Astral's core as he took the attack. There was little room to counter without hurting them. 'Never alone, it's always you two together.' He switched his scythe to a staff as he pushed James back on one end of it. He pulled the blade down the block as he pointed it directly at Angel.

She smacked it to the side as Astral hit her in the upper chest with the staff. She rolled backwards as a barrage of light spears pierced the ground around Astral. Making a falsified cage. Sora and Sugar stood up as a light round came at him. He absorbed it into a sparkling gem. Tossing it into the ceiling as it hovered above, Astral swung Muramasa and shattered the light spears. The area began to shimmer as Astral muttered under his breath. "Twilight snowstorm." The ceiling turned into darkness as snow began to beat down.

Sanguine no longer had any clean shots on the room as she started to rush in closer, standing on the castle walls her run won't take too much longer. Sora charged at Astral as each swing Sora sent was parried with Muramasa. Astral wanted to figure out what was the perfect way to test his ability. "Be gone." Astral created a hole as Sora charged through it to the pocket dimension. The snow fell around them as Lilac lifted her body from the ground.

"He either will be stuck there forever or he will escape. Tina, what are the odds he gets out?" Astral asked her as she shrugged.

"It isn't a spell that I have read. I have never seen something like that." She responded as James and Angel looked at each other.

"It's not a spell. It's his special power. You have it back?" James relaxed for a moment as Angel watched the room become covered in a light layer of snow.

"That means his peak of power is slowly returning to his past. Does this mean you could still do the old tricks with it?" Angel asked as Astral shrugged, he felt a pull on his soul as he looked up. Sora was coming down from the clouds as Astral blocked the downward falling slash. He smiled as his theory was now true.