[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220729/023912a75a8a9b16c801799640a60148.png[/img]

[b]Word Count:[/b] 755
[b]Level 9 Roxas:[/b] 71/90
[b]Exp Gained:[/b] 2 (x2)
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 75/90

[h3]The Dead Zone[/h3][/center]

In the time it took for Roxas to shake off being thrown through the blood rain, a litany of crazy things happened around him. Nadia was seemingly taken under D’s control and began fighting against Juri. And while that was going on a big zombie hippo of all things came crashing into the scene from some other part of the chaotic battle only for D to become mist and the improvised projectile phased right through him. [color=gold]”You’ve gotta be kidding me.”[/color] The Nobody muttered to himself as he tightened his grip on his Keyblades. He knew just rushing D wasn’t going to get him anywhere, he needed a strategy.

As he pondered one, he saw Roland exchange a few attacks with the Consul before he had a wine thrown in his face that apparently had more power behind it than it looked. He also saw Geralt, Zenkichi, and Edelgard all rush forward to launch a coordinated strike of their own. He chipped in by casting a quick Tailwind on Edelgard to help her move faster in that armor of hers, then he hung back to let the trio do their thing. And from the looks of it, Geralt actually managed to finally overwhelm D enough to land some hits. But he backed off after that and unleashed a lightning attack instead.

[color=gold]”Alright, no more messin’ around!”[/color] Roxas said, hyping himself up for what would be his own next attempt to take on the Consul. He surged into a sprint with his Keyblades in hand. When he got closer he hurled them both like swirling boomerangs aimed right for where D was standing. But he wasn’t expecting that attack to hit. He figured D would use mist or a teleport to avoid it. And he was right, the Consul vanished before the Keyblades could hit their mark. But then Roxas himself vanished. The nature of his StepSword teleported him right to his target as they reappeared and came at him from behind with his ignited energy blade. [color=gold]”Gotcha!”[/color]

The only problem for Roxas was that this clever ploy didn't work as well as he hoped. Pillars of hellfire erupted around D's body, catching the Keybearer and knocking him back. Roxas was spry enough to land on his feet, [color=gold]"Ugh, seriously? Waterga!"[/color] he used magic and hurled a dense orb of water to go flying into D, hopefully dousing the flames and finally getting some kind of damage on him. After that instant he summoned Poltergeist, who used The Sun Is Not Gentle is cloak him with a litany of buffs that would last for ten seconds - Defense Up, Healing Up, and also Stealth to hopefully give Roxas a means to finally surprise D. On the flipside, Poltergeist also granted him Taunt, which if it worked well enough would goad D into focusing more of his attention on the Nobody, for good or bad.

When confronted by water magic, the Consul shrouded himself with his cape. It splashed harmlessly against his arcane garment, but the steam that rose from the fabric suggested that its affinity for fire magic would be dampened for a time. By the time D dropped his cape, though, he could find neither hide nor hair of his young assailant. Though immune to crowd control, the notion that his opponent might have outwitted him rankled D more than enough, and with Roland nearby, he wasted no time in attempting to prove Roxas wrong. At his bidding a swarm of bats took wing, flapping around him in a bloodthirsty cyclone. "Try what you like," he sneered, preparing another magic spell. "I will not be denied!" He lifted his hand as if dismissing a servant, and a ray of green energy flew upward.

Luckily, Roxas’ Stealth status gave him a moment to watch for D’s incoming move. And unfortunately the cyclone of bats and the ray of green energy weren’t going to let him attack up close. So Roxas opted for a more long-ranged option. Without approaching too closely to the cyclone, Roxas used his Phantom Ruby and summoned a full cluster of Virtual Cubes around the Consul to impede his bats and maybe inflict some touch damage as well. But the Nobody didn't stop there and proceeded to summon Kayano, his second Striker. The Spirit manifested and used her power to summon a powerful geyser of dark water from beneath where Consul D was standing.