This fanmade DBX features The Protagonist from Persona 5 and Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV.
Description
September... is going to be one hell of a month all thanks to the emergence of two massively anticipated RPGs. What would be a better way to celebrate than having the main characters of these games duke it out for true superiority?
2 Months Later: Dammit, the West won't be getting P5 until next year...
Interlude
NO RULES
ONLY BLOODSHED
DBX
Time to settle the score...
Location: Unnamed City (Yeah, I'm a lazy bastard, aren't I?)
The dark of night makes the perfect cover for all sorts of heinous activities in the big city. Whether it's a petty thug punching out an unarmed man in the alley, some random guy going around dressed in a brightly colored animal suit, or a simple hit and run, danger is never far away at this time of day... But that's not to say the lower quarter of society is the only place lurking with evil. Even the most stalwart of the top brass may hide a dark secret or two within their hearts. At least, those were the thoughts that raced within the mind of a certain Lucis prince as he browsed through the streets in the safety of his private vehicle.
"What in the world?" The prince softly commented, witnessing what appeared to be a dark silhouette rushing across the nearby rooftops for a split second. "Isn't that..." Noctis thought to himself in an attempt to recall the what could possibly be found in that direction. Paying the notion of a second thought no mind, the prince parked his car off to the side, equipped his signature blade, and set his sights for the city's peak...
Sure enough, Noctis was not hallucinating, as there really was a figure traversing the cityscape completely unseen by the public eye. He was a black haired youth, much like the afformentioned prince, but this figure was once of great secrecy. With a strange mask sprawled across his face and no name for the public to recognize him by, the "Phantom" had his eyes set on one target: the heart of a corrupt military official responsible for the "unexplained" deaths of a certain group of individuals. Unexplained... that's what the public's been lead to believe... But the Phantom knew from experience that this was simply not the case.
Why would such a beloved official have to lock himself up in his building all night? Let's just say that the interior takes a... drastically different form by the time the sun sets. With his friends too far away to call on for any sort of support, this thief was more than willing to simply bypass the dungeon (and the demons that inhabited it) in favor of taking a more direct route to the boss. The silent Phantom wondered why he never thought of this before as he discretely scaled the side of the building...
Little did he know that the famed prince of Lucis had caught the thief's trail as well. Wanting to find some answers for himself, he threw a blade at the side of the building, quietly following the behind to determine whether this Phantom was friend or foe. Eventually, the dark clad duo managed to slip right through an opened window a short distance from the top floor. As the first one to enter, the Phantom carefully analyzed the room he had arrived in. It was a rather lavish space with all sorts of decorations with no living beings in sight. Heh. Like it would really be that easy...
Noctis followed suit, dropping down on his new location without a sound. In an effort to avoid detection, the young swordsman rushed for cover-
"Damn!" The prince cursed, just noticing that he had inadvertently crossed paths with an invisible laser, which immediately caught the attention of the very man he had been following after...
The two protagonists stared at one another in an awkward silence as their surroundings completely transformed. The windows were barred shut, any other exits were blocked with a gate of electricity, and the room's lavish decorations vanished into the floor...
"Look, I can explain-" *Gunshot*
Noctis's words were cut short when a single bullet whizzed in from behind, though he clearly wasn't the intended target of this attack. In response, the Phantom adeptly swept around the bullet and returned fire, prompting a brief cry of pain from the direction of the window. Noctis looked back to see another masked figure dissolving into the shadows. Whatever this assailant was, he clearly wasn't human. Once the figure was well and truly dead, Noctis turned around to find himself in the Phantom's line of fire instead.
"Okay, so I can't really explain that..." Noctis sheepishly admitted as he reached for his blade. "Am I really this bad at negotiations? This is only the third time a complete stranger wanted me dead..." The prince openly monologued as he drew his weapon.
Glory or Ruin... FIGHT!
The unnamed thief made the first move, firing off a quick burst of bullets at the black clad swordsman. Noctis defended himself with ease, but was shocked to find that the Phantom had completely disappeared from his sight...
Acting purely on instinct, Noctis turned around and raised his blade in a defensive stance, just in time to foil the Phantom's attempt to slash a knife across the back of his neck.
"Playing hard to get, are you?" The prince slyly commented as the Phantom leaped away to avoid a counterattack. With the option of a head on assault debunked harder than a defense attorney's bluffs, Noctis shifted tactics summoned a triad of icicles to home in on his target. Much to Noctis's confusion, the Phantom didn't even attempt to dodge the attack, instead flashing a wicked a wicked grin as he raised his hand to his mask.
Noctis shielded his eyes in anticipation when his opponent's body was suddenly engulfed in a mystifying blue inferno, which naturally melted the prince's Blizzara before it could even come within striking distance. The flames dissipated shortly afterwards to reveal a terrifying new figure floating protectively before the Phantom. This was a vaguely humanoid creature adorned in a flashy red and black suit. Its hands were akin to a set of claws, a pair of black wings spread out of its back, knives were attached to the ends of its heels, and top it all off, a fancy hat was placed above the creature's head. The Persona Arsene had been called to the thief's aid.
"What the hell is that?!" Notcis tensed up, failing to notice the dark void opening up beneath his feet in the process. Before he could even react, the prince's feet spiked up in a fit of pain as he found himself being swallowed up by the floor. His situation only worsened when Arsene created a series of chains out of thin air and forcefully lunged them into the swordsman's chest. Sensing the perfect opportunity to secure a victory, the Phantom brandished his knife and vanished from Noctis's line of sight again.
Obviously, it would be a poor decision to remain in such a treacherous position, so Noctis threw his blade directly at the ceiling the moment his foe appeared behind him. The Phantom thrust his knife forth, only succeeding in striking a brief flash of blue light. The unnamed thief tilted his head in amusement once he realized that his foe was inexplicably hanging from the ceiling blade first.
Uttering a soft chuckle regarding his foe's confused state, Noctis pointed his hand at his grounded opponents and rained a storm of lightning upon them. Both Persona and summoner avoided the spell with ease and returned the favor with a quick volley of bullets and dark energy. Noctis created another blade in his free hand and chucked it to the floor, allowing him to safely return to the ground, but he knew he would quickly be surrounded on both sides.
As expected, the Phantom and his Persona rushed in, knives and claws blazing, ready to turn the prince into a stylish shish kabob. Their slashes were only met with pure unadulterated steel as Noctis materialized a new pair of blades in both hands. Looking to capitalize on the Phantom's inferior choice of close range weaponry, Noctis kicked him away and swapped out his blades for a single lance. This gave Arsene an opening to slash at the prince with his bladed heels, but Noctis leaped high into the air before the Persona could dig into his shoulder.
The Phantom fired off a few shots at his airborne opponent, but was forced to backflip away, lest he be skewered by the rapidly descending swordsman. Before Noctis could perform another leap, Arsene suddenly materialized before his eyes, swinging its heel down in an axe like motion. This time, the prince summoned a sword at least two times his size and raised it up in a defensive position. Arsene's foot soon began grinding along the blade, producing an ear piercing sound akin to nails on a chalkboard. A sense of dread enveloped the young swordsman when he realized that the Phantom had performed yet another vanishing act, ready to stab Noctis in the back at a moment's notice. The sound of gunfire ringing in from behind was more than enough to confirm Noctis's suspicions.
But none of the Phantom's bullets hit their mark. Not when a collection of crystalline weapons began to orbit around Noctis in mid shot. Admittedly impressed by the prince's Armiger Arsenal, the Phantom dismissed his Persona with the snap of a finger after taking a few unexpected cuts from Noctis's Limit Break. As if swiping through an invisible deck of cards, the Phantom was surrounded by a familiar blue flame as he summoned a new Persona: a demonic imp like creature that greatly resembled a court jester.
The newly awakened Black Frost immediately bent forward and unleashed a stream of frigid wind from its mouth. Unfazed, Noctis teleported a short distance forward, placing himself in the epicenter of the Personas's blizzard. Luckily, the Armiger Arsenal was more than enough to protect the prince from any harm in these harsh conditions, but it certainly wouldn't last forever. Noctis was never a big fan of the cold, so he lunged forward with one arm, creating a small orb of light that quickly evolved into a violent plume of flames strong enough to cut through the freezing storm.
The Phantom could only smirk in amusement as Black Frost moved to intercept the oncoming inferno with its own body. Oddly enough, the fires completely dissipated on contact with the frosty Persona. In fact, they only seemed to bolster the creature's power as Black Frost returned the favor by spontaneously combusting Noctis's position. Despite singing his coat slightly, Noctis was able to warp away from the explosion with minimal damage.
"Damn, why does this happen every time?" The prince sighed as he put out the flames that lingered on his attire. he turned his attention back to Black Frost... only to realize that a strange little girl clad in a blue dress had inexplicably taken the Persona's place. Noctis cautiously drew a blade from his revolving arsenal, eyeing the newcomer carefully as she innocently waved hello at the prince... Immediately sensing something was up, Noctis quickly turned around to find...
"What. The. Hell." The swordsman stoically commented, witnessing what may have been the most absurd thing imaginable: A horde of gigantic teddy bears with dynamite strapped to their bodies have surrounded the prince with a murderous look in their eyes. Shaking his head in disbelief, Noctis wasted no time in meeting the stuffed suicide bombers head first. The prince mercilessly cut down every last member of the horde, filling the air with a miscellaneous collection of explosions and body parts.
Noctis let out a sharp cry of pain the instant he decapitated the last demonic teddy. The Armiger Arsenal had run its course and he had forgotten to watch his back. A visual cue wasn't even necessary to figure out that Arsene's foot had been embedded in the prince's shoulder. Having patiently awaited this opportunity, the Phantom leaped from the Shadows and joined his Persona to point his knife at the back of his target's throat.
"That was quite an impressive display back there, but it's such a shame I can't leave any dangerous witnesses lying around." The Phantom suddenly informed.
"Wait, you can actually talk?!" Noctis exclaimed in disbelief, completely setting aside his treacherous position.
"Yeah. I just never had too much to say." The Phantom replied in a matter-of-factly tone.
"I've heard the term man of few words before, but this is just ridiculous..." Noctis sighed before abruptly reaching behind him to latch onto the thief's knife.
Impressed that his target could still keep up a reasonable fight, the Phantom took a page out of Metal Gear Solid and readied his pistol. Refusing to let the pain of gripping a blade with his bare hand, Noctis quickly elbowed the Phantom in the gut, forcing the thief and his Persona to drop their hold on the Lucis prince. Seeking to preserve the use of magic, the Phantom dismissed Arsene in favor of a more personal approach. Naturally, Noctis had the same idea and returned the favor with two small shurikens.
What followed was a cautious, yet fast paced series of slashes, parries, and gunshots. Though Noctis may have been at a technical disadvantage due to the lack of a firearm, he had no issue keeping up with the Phantom's dual offense. In due time, this CQC clash evolved into a blindlingly fast series of teleportations and flash steps spanning across the entire room. Now, there was no doubt in his mind that Noctis was fighting at his best, but the Phantom simply couldn't help the thought that the prince was merely stalling for time...
That prediction proved to be spot on. Anticipating what would likely have been a deadly surprise, the Persona user jumped back and called Arsene back to the battle the moment Noctis was able to reactivate the Armiger Arsenal. Likewise, Arsene opened up by unleashing a medium burst of dark energy beneath Noctis's feet. The swordsman was glad the persona didn't attempt to have the floor eat him alive again as he warped away from the spell, though the attack managed to graze his coat yet again, which only served to tear up the burned fabric even further.
"Seriously?" Noctis groaned, closing the distance to ensure that Arsene wouldn't try the same trick again. This time, Noctis was determined to successfully defeat his adversary's Persona, switching to a new blade with every strike in order to determine the best course of attack. Despite Noctis's myriad of options, Arsene kept up its own offense with ease, constantly hammering the young prince without the need for a real weapon. All the while, the Phantom eyed the ongoing clash carefully, firing off a bullet every now and then, ready to find the perfect moment to seal the kill.
(Yes, I'll just keep backing him up...) The thief silently monlogued as he set his sights on the reinforced door leading to the end of the dungeon. With a new plan set in motion, he only needed to wait for an opening in Noctis's defenses...
The moment of truth had finally arrived when the crystalline weapons surrounding the prince abruptly disappeared. The Phantom rushed in from the side, halfheartedly attempting to stab Noctis in the abdomen. The assault was easily halted, but this allowed Arsene to reach for the prince's shoulder and throw him towards the boss door. Noctis attempted to throw one of his swords to a distant location in order to escape, but Arsene managed to pin the swordsman down with another series of chains. Noctis slammed into the structure with a loud thud, unable to struggle free from his shackles.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Phantom was more than willing to take advantage of his foe's poor state. Noctis could practically feel the blood rushing through his veins as the Phantom pointed his pistol at him with a confident smirk. Noctis returned the favor with the same expression, subtly finding the strength to move his hand in preparation of one last surprise...
"Megidolaon!"
"Ultima!"
The two protagonists cried out as two inconspicuous balls of energy slowly descended from the ceiling. Their eyes now wide with fear, both combatants had a split second to take cover or at least reduce the damage taken from the oncoming blasts. What followed was an explosion so enormous, all you could see was a silent, fleeting flash of white.
Double KO!
<Stop Music>
He could hardly tell how much time had passed, but the Phantom was the first to rise from the rubble. Though his senses were still blurred, what he could see was rather disheartening to say the least.
"Huh. You know, it's a miracle our little spat didn't attract any attention up until now." Noctis's voice suddenly chimed in from the side. True to the prince's word, both combatants were surrounded by a mysterious horde of faceless figures.
"Hmph. Those guys are the least of our worries. Look, it seems my target has arrived." The Phantom retorted as he directed Noctis's attention to a grotesque demonic creature resembling the work of HP Lovecraft.
"So that abomination's the whole reason you're here to begin with? And you couldn't even be bothered to explain?"
"That about sums it up. Fair warning though, you'll probably become a fugitive if you involve yourself in this fight."
"I doubt any of these monsters even care about my identity. Besides, I don't think anybody'll find out about this if we leave no witnesses."
"Heh. Well, it's good to know you're a royal willing to take some real action. Now come on, I don't think we should keep our guests waiting."
"Right. But first..." Noctis grabbed a notebook from his pocket and began solidifying informtaion. "We'll have to settle our little bout some other time."
"What? Are you too afraid to admit you just lost?"
"Oh please. You know-" Noctis began to rebut before one of the guards finally lost it's patience and threw a single fireball at the bickering duo.
"Fine. We'll try this again later." The Phantom sighed as he took avoided the spell and took down the demon with a single bullet.
Episode Clear!
