Adventure of Astral Part 54: Final Leap

Astral made his staff vanish as he used his free hand and punched Sora in the shoulder. Sending him into the ground. Striking his body into the frame of the floor. Sora felt all of the wooden beams surrounding him as Astral stood above him. "You are but a mimic, none no stronger than the past. How much do you truly know of me?" Astral pointed Muramasa at him as Sora reoriented himself.

Sora looked up to Astral as he had an evil grin fill his face. "You call me a mimic when we both know who the copy is." Astral slid his sword away as he clapped. A thunderstorm struck all around Sora as he fell through the floor. James and Angel shook their heads.

"Copies and mimics? That sounds too confusing." Angel spoke as James sat down. "You can make clones, is he meaning that you aren't the original?" Astral paused for a moment as he turned and faced Lilac. She started to swing her massive hammer as Astral summoned the bubble spell around her. Lifting her up off the ground.

Sora jumped up and popped the bubble. "NO HE ISN'T THE FIRST." He stood in between Astral and the rest. "YOUR DEMONIC RULE WILL BE AT AN END, A UNIVERSE CYCLE WITH YOU STILL ALIVE WILL BE THE LARGEST TRAVESTY." Sora charged at him as Astral drew his blade once more, parrying each and every slash with ease. Their skills weren't comparable as Angel and James rushed back into combat.

"Don't you have a sick and twisted sense of irony." Astral mocked him as he deflected his blade. Kicking Sora in the knee as he stumbled backwards. James hopped over him as Angel flew in from above. The two started to enter a fervent rush of close range claw slashes and jabs from Angel's spear. Astral realized his best way to defend from them was to keep them at awkward ranges for the both of them. Make Angel fight closer and James from farther.

Astral bypassed James and stood in the middle of the two. Sending light jabs with his left into a close gap where Angel had no choice but to only defend herself. Her spear's base was more than enough to block his punches. She couldn't send any counter attacks at him as she couldn't get past his punches and back up at all.

James couldn't get close. Astral was using wide swiping attacks and James could either evade or block them. There was no way to get close with his range and lack of. He could only play defense. It then clicked for him. "Switch! Toss me the spear!" James beckoned to Angel as she tossed it upwards. Astral was impressed as her aura flared to life. The jabs now being taken instead of blocked. She wasn't planning on using her ability but it became time to use them. James caught the spear and started to use his range to play the point of attack against Astral. Her spear was well used in his hands as he matched with Astral and his slashes.

Tina and Sugar watched, silently rooting for the two of them versus Astral. The least they could offer is moral support. They would mostly get in the way, as they watched slowly Angel started to have feathers surrounding her as James smiled. He jumped backwards as she lifted into the air, Astral watched to recognize their pattern. Usually one of the two of them attack in this moment. Tina answered as she sent a powerful blast at him. Astral blocked it with a shield charm as he twisted around and blocked Sora's backslashing attempt.

Astral then looked up at a flock of feathers as they came speeding at him. He used a hard light barrier to deflect them. Being completely surrounded by all the various attacks he wondered what their plan of action would be if he was able to counter them all at once. Astral pointed his left hand at the ground and guessed how much he would need. A few acres of platform should be enough. Creating a hardlight barrier platform for all of them to stand on. He sent it skywards above the entire castle. The debris being deflected by Tina as the rest gripped on for dear life.

Astral chuckled as he hopped to one end of the platform. "Such a familiar feeling, we both knows what happens to the opponent on this platform. Be lucky to not find yourself on the same level of him." Astral held his blade up in a neutral stance as the rest looked at Sora. James sat down as he motioned for the others to sit. Lilac stood in front of them as the others outside of Sora sat.

"You are bold to think that we are alike in any way. He is insane as you are currently." Sora raised one of his two swords at him.

"Bold of you to think I am the insane one here. Its more of being incomplete." Astral had a soft chuckle as Sora rushed in. Astral kept his parries quick and light. He knew that this fight was at its climax. Sora could be as rushed as he wanted to be. It wouldn't make him better. Astral's form and elegance became more of a show than a fight for himself.

Rain began to fall onto the platform as Astral stood calm and undisturbed. The rain was easing his mind for the plan of his adventure. It was a new chapter of his life and his journey that he has partaken so far. The rest of this is his and his alone. 'The kids are all going to hate me, but this weight is one bear alone. Not for them to share with me.' Astral parried Sora's flurry of wild and uncontrolled swings perfectly as he smiled.

Astral saw the window as he lifted his leg and drop kicked him off the platform with such force and velocity that he would start flying faster than the speed of sound. And not a moment too late. Astral found himself on the edge of the platform. James and Angel rushed to him as he fell backwards. They reached out to grab his hand as he accepted the fall. And in a flash of white light Astral was gone.