The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Scorched stone and smoking debris surrounded the courtyard at the base of the Mysterious Tower, torn open by Aqua's triple Firaga blast. Kurai stood amidst the impact crater, dust and darkness swirling around her like a cloak. Her white hair whipped behind her as she raised the Shadow Sovereign, the serrated Keyblade humming with malevolent energy.

Aqua floated just above, her blue robes fluttering in the wind conjured by magic and force. She descended gently, her keyblade Stormfall transformed in the Tidal Scepter gripped in both hands, glowing with rippling liquid light. Skuld landed beside her, Ravenveil Whisper drawn, but Aqua raised a hand, wordlessly telling her to stand back.

"Stand back. This is my fight," Aqua said, eyes narrowing.

"Good," Kurai responded, her voice cold and distant. "I have no interest in distractions."

Without warning, Kurai vanished—Umbral Step. Shadows burst outward as she reappeared above Aqua, blade cleaving down with Abyssal Severance. Aqua blocked just in time, her Barrier spell flaring with a brilliant flash.

The impact rang out like a thunderclap. Aqua slid backward across the courtyard, heels skidding against stone.

"You can use darkness to move through realms," she muttered.

"It's a simple trick really," Kurai replied flatly. "If you believe me to be weaker than you then you're in for a massive disappointment."

Aqua swung her staff forward. Hydrosurge—three orbs of water formed and darted toward Kurai. The dark Keyblade wielder swept her hand out—Umbral Aeroga collided with the orbs, scattering them in a burst of damp vapor.

Kurai charged forward, her blade slashing in a brutal, relentless rhythm. Her style was fast, suffocating—each blow fluidly followed by a spell or feint. She struck low with Dusk's Crescendo, then flipped backward, releasing Nightmare Blizzaga in midair—black ice shards raining down like razors.

Aqua's Doubleflight propelled her upward, dodging the freezing assault. She countered with Glacial Empress's Grace, transforming her weapon into a gleaming frostbow. Blizzard Lance—icy arrows whistled through the air, slicing past Kurai's shoulders. One arrow clipped her side, freezing part of her clothes.

Kurai spun, letting the fabric tear away, and retaliated with a brutal combination: Shadow Firaga followed by Black Hole Chain. Aqua blocked the fireball, but the chain speared toward her—only for her to Teleport behind Kurai and slam her staff into her back.

Kurai staggered, then grinned.

"Good," she said. "But not enough."

She whirled around, using Eclipse Mirage to send out multiple shadow clones. Aqua's eyes darted between them, uncertain—then launched a spread of Seeker Mines, magical charges detonating across the battlefield and forcing the clones to flicker and vanish.

The real Kurai emerged from the smoke, swinging down hard.

Barrier.

Abyssal Severance.

The two forces clashed—light against shadow. The Barrier held, barely, splintering outward like cracked glass as Kurai's blade dug deep.

Aqua raised her bow—Lightbloom.

Dozens of shimmering, multi-colored orbs had transformed into multi-colored arrows that spiraled around her, each infused with elemental energy. They launched outward, a radiant shotgun of destruction.

Kurai's form vanished into Shadow Monarch, her body becoming intangible. The orbs passed through her harmlessly, illuminating the courtyard in dazzling hues.

When she reappeared, she was behind Aqua, grabbing Aqua by the throat.

Aqua's breath caught in her throat.

"You're—!"

"—Weakling."

Kurai tossed Aqua in front and swung her keyblade with force. It slammed into Aqua's side, sending her crashing into a nearby wall that didn't crumble due to Yen Sid's spell. Unfortunately for Aqua this actually increased the amount of damage she received.

Skuld cried out but held her ground. She knew Aqua wouldn't want help yet.

On the ground, Aqua coughed, pulling herself up. Her clothes were scorched and singed. Her magic flared erratically.

Kurai stepped forward, casually dragging the Shadow Sovereign behind her through the ground. "You fight well," she said, her tone unreadable. "But I need to see more."

"You'll… get it," Aqua growled, raising her bow again.

With a sudden blur, she dashed forward in Ghost Drive, after-images trailing her every step. Kurai responded with Umbral Step, warping and weaving, matching Aqua's speed with uncanny precision.

Their blades clashed again and again—keyblade versus scepter-bow, light versus dark. Each impact sparked the air, shaking the world around them.

Aqua hurled a Compound Blitz arrow—a fusion of fire and thunder. Kurai caught it mid-air with Dark Reflect, sending it spiraling back at Aqua, who flipped sideways to dodge.

The ground was cratered. The sky roared.

Kurai's eyes narrowed.

It was time to end this exchange.

Kurai blurred into motion once more, the Shadow Sovereign trailing ribbons of darkness in its wake as she descended from the sky like a thunderbolt. Aqua raised her Tidal Scepter, and their weapons clashed with a sound like thunder tearing apart the heavens.

Kurai didn't relent.

Strike after strike came—each a vicious tempo of darkness, shadow, and pressure. She fought like a storm given shape. Her blade was no longer just a weapon—it was an extension of her will.

Aqua reeled from the onslaught, the ground beneath her cracking with each forced retreat. She summoned Maelstrom Veil, cloaking herself in swirling waters that parried Kurai's heavy blows, sending slashes of water outward in retaliation. Kurai dipped beneath one, then spun inside the veil and Void Dominion blanketed the courtyard in darkness again.

Everything vanished.

"Show me your power, Keyblade Master," Kurai whispered within the void. "Show me why you were trusted with the Light. Show me how brightly you can shine."

Aqua's eyes sharpened, her breath shallow.

Tidal Scepter spun beside her in midair, controlled by her magic. Aetherial Flow activated—three glowing orbs of pure arcane energy circled her form and launched outward randomly, seeking the source of darkness.

One found Kurai.

The impact was solid. Kurai staggered—but then she growled, her expression still unreadable. With a sweep of her arm, she activated Dusk's Crescendo again and sent a violent wave of dark shock energy tearing toward Aqua.

Aqua spun her staff—Reflect Dome intercepted the attack, catching it in a shimmer of light, but the feedback cracked the barrier.

Kurai appeared behind her in that moment—Teleport.

Aqua turned instinctively. Firewheel.

She spun, cloaked in flames. Kurai took the hit directly, flames burning across her coat and shoulder, but didn't flinch. She grabbed Aqua mid-cartwheel, spun her, and slammed her into the ground.

The tower's foundation cracked from the force.

"Still standing?" Kurai asked quietly.

Aqua's hands shook, but she rose. Her robes were scorched, one arm limp, but her gaze didn't waver. "Of course I am."

She healed herself with Curaga, then her weapon shifted.

Glacial Empress's Grace shimmered into form, and Aqua raised her icy bow.

"Let me show you what I can do."

She fired five Typhoon Barrage arrows in rapid succession—gale-charged projectiles that tore through the air like miniature hurricanes. Kurai darted left, right, then vaulted into the air with Blackened Sky, weaving shadow platforms underfoot to stay above the attacks.

Aqua followed—Doubleflight launching her upward as her hand crafted a Compound Blitz arrow: Blizzard and Thunder.

She fired.

The arrow exploded midair into a massive dome of crackling ice and lightning.

Caught mid-air, Kurai summoned Dark Reflect again, catching the blast just in time, but the overload threw her off balance and she crashed into the side of the tower.

Smoke and dust swirled.

Kurai emerged slowly, darkness surrounding her like a mist.

"You're stronger than you look," she admitted. "But still not enough. Show me more."

"I'm not here to be enough for you," Aqua said fiercely. "I'm here to protect what's left."

Kurai's gaze darkened. "So am I."

And she lunged.

Shadow Flare Storm erupted mid-charge, the dozens of dark fireballs forming a spiraling cage around Aqua. She blocked with Maelstrom Veil again, but couldn't stop the pressure. Kurai warped inside the veil, slammed her blade against Aqua's back, then vanished again.

Aqua twisted, blood in her mouth.

Kurai reappeared in front of her.

And struck—

But this time the strike didn't land.

A glimmering barrier had formed.

Skuld stood between them, her Ravenveil Whisper drawn. "That's enough."