Helios struck first, rage burning brighter than his light. Bríon na Lú shot forward in a silver arc, tip whistling as it carved the air. His whole body lunged behind the thrust, every ounce of fury pressing the strike.
Baldr met it with nothing more than a tilt of his wrist. No Name slid across the spear's haft, redirecting it into the ground with a dull clang. The counter lacked force, yet the weight behind it rattled Helios' bones as if he'd been struck by a boulder.
He snarled and wrenched the spear free, spinning it into a blur. A cascade of thrusts followed — fast, wild, relentless. Each jab would have impaled lesser foes a dozen times over, but Baldr's blade was always there, waiting. The keyblade cut lazy parries through the air, batting aside every lunge as though Helios were little more than an overeager trainee.
"You've not hit me once," Baldr said, his tone calm, almost bored. "This strength is wasted."
Helios grit his teeth, ignoring the words, and launched into Solar Drive. He vanished, reappearing in flashes of moonlight across the field, spear stabbing from impossible angles. Afterimages layered over each other, a storm of silver streaks that stabbed for Baldr's heart.
Baldr stepped through them like shadows. He pivoted, struck, and each time his blade clipped Helios as he emerged from a teleport — once across the shoulder, again along the thigh, then a shallow slice across the ribs. The boy stumbled, blood spraying, yet still he pressed forward.
A scream tore from his throat as he spun into Corona Spiral, arcs of burning light whirling outward in a furious sunflare. The shockwave cracked the stone beneath their feet, ripping dust into the air.
Baldr carved a single stroke through the storm. Light parted like a curtain. Helios' eyes widened, but the man's fist met his chest before he could react, sending him skidding backward, boots carving trenches into the ground.
"Pathetic," Baldr murmured. "Your anger controls you rather than empowering you. You fight like a child. I must say I'm growing more and more disappointed."
Helios coughed blood into his palm, staggered upright, and spat to the side. "Shut your mouth!"
He thrust his spear into the ground. Reflect panels burst outward like crystalline shields, scattering shards of light in every direction. Helios bent the magic into razored fragments, hurling them at Baldr while charging behind them with a brutal thrust.
Baldr swiped his blade once. The shards shattered harmlessly. Bríon na Lú followed, but Baldr turned with practiced precision, catching the tip on the crook of his keyblade and twisting it aside. His boot smashed into Helios' gut. The boy gagged and doubled over, nearly dropping his weapon.
Baldr's blade whipped down. Helios barely rolled aside, stone splitting where his body had been. He countered with a wide sweep, sparks flying as the two weapons clashed again. The impact rattled his arms to the shoulder, but he pushed harder, screaming as he forced his body to match strength with Baldr's.
Baldr's eyes glowed faintly yellow. "You're reckless. Easy to read. Do you think you will be able to bridge the gulf between us?"
Helios roared and drove the spear forward again, chaining into Fang Piercer, rapid thrusts in a heartbeat. Baldr stepped into the rhythm, his keyblade blurring. Each thrust turned into an opening, each opening into a punishment. Shallow cuts bloomed across Helios' arms, a slice across his jaw, another across his chest. Blood ran freely now, soaking his coat, dripping onto the stone.
His breath came ragged. His vision blurred red. Still, he fought.
Desperation pushed him into a feint. He slid Magnet into his next strike, pulling Baldr's stance half off-balance. For the first time, the his guard shifted slightly late. Helios thrust for the opening—
—but No Name was already there, intercepting, pressing down. Baldr twisted, locking the spear, then slammed his shoulder into Helios' chest. The boy flew back and crashed to the ground, coughing blood onto the cracked stone.
Baldr advanced, blade in hand, calm as if nothing in the battle had touched him. Helios struggled, forcing himself onto his knees, blood dripping from his chin. Bríon na Lú wavered in his hands, trembling with the weight of his exhaustion.
Baldr's voice cut through the silence. "This is what you've chosen? Even your light is wasted when wielded by trembling hands. How lackluster, oh well, at least I now know your body also has quite the resistance to light."
Helios pushed himself up with a snarl, swinging wildly. Baldr caught the haft, twisted, and slammed Helios across the face with the flat of his blade. The boy's head snapped sideways, blood spraying from his lip. He collapsed to one knee, dazed.
Another blow struck his ribs, another across the back. Baldr's attacks were no longer testing — they were a beating, deliberate, precise, meant to break.
At last Helios fell fully, sprawled across the ground, his spear clattering a few feet away. His body was painted red, bruises swelling across his jaw and ribs. He wheezed shallow breaths, one eye swollen nearly shut.
Baldr stood over him, keyblade pointed lazily downward, golden eyes gleaming with something between disdain and curiosity.
"Tell me…" he mused aloud, tilting his head. "Is my sister here to watch this?"
The words cut through the silence like a blade.
From the edge of the battlefield, shadows stirred. Darkness rippled, coiling until it spilled outward, and from its depths Kurai emerged. Her gaze was colder than the steel she carried, her posture composed as if the carnage before her were nothing.
"I don't remember having a brother," she said flatly.
Baldr turned, and for the first time in the fight, a faint smile touched his lips. "Ah… denial. I see that you also had the same idea as I did. No, you seem at ease with your vessel, and the darkness radiating from it could not be withstood by these pathetic creatures. Tell me how you managed to achieve such a thing, sister. How on Earth did you manage to find such a vessel that accepts you? How did your power grow so much? Enlighten me, sister."
Kurai's hand tightened around her keyblade, but her face did not change. She stared at him as though staring at something long dead.
On the ground, Helios stirred. Bloodied, broken, but still conscious, he forced his head up. His blurred vision caught Kurai's figure, her voice slicing through the haze of pain. "I have nothing to share with you, and I have no family."
Baldr looked between them, amusement in his eyes. "So, you wish to be my enemy and align yourself with this creature of light. I see you have been tainted by him. Should I eliminate him? Will that break his hold over you?"