Lingering Will
Japanese	留まりし思念
Rōmaji	Tomarishi Shinen
Type	Construct
Game	Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
KHII tracks Battle theme - Rage Awakened

Location		HP	Strength		Defense	EXP
Keyblade Graveyard		3400[1]	86		51	0
Physical	Fire			Blizzard
×1.0	×0.5			×0.5
Thunder	Dark			Neutral
×0.5	×0.5			×1.0
Rewards
First Sora: Drive gauge +1 Donald: Max HP +3 Goofy: Max HP +4 Second and after Manifest Illusion (100%) If a blue seal core is… …damaged: HP prize (1) ×1 …destroyed: HP prize (5) ×10 If an orange seal core is… …damaged: MP prize (1) ×2 …destroyed: MP prize (3) ×10
World(s)
Keyblade Graveyard

The Lingering Will is an unlockable secret boss featured in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It can be fought after unlocking The Gathering, then returning to Disney Castle's Hall of the Cornerstone, where a portal to the Keyblade Graveyard has appeared. Defeating the Lingering Will grants the Proof of Connection, and the Lingering Will can be fought again by leaving the Keyblade Graveyard and returning.

Strategy

The Lingering Will prepares to battle Sora, Donald, and Goofy within the Keyblade Graveyard.

Sora should have High Jump, Dodge Roll, Aerial Dodge, and Glide all at Level 3, as well as some action abilities like Retaliating Slash and Horizontal Slash and support abilities such as Once More, and Second Chance. He should pack as many Ethers as he can, and have at least one Combo Plus. Sora should also have Decisive Pumpkin equipped for its Combo Boost.

The Lingering Will has a very high forced retaliation point/Revenge Value, meaning that it is especially vulnerable to multiple combo attacks, but this can easily cause an inattentive player to be too combo-happy and not notice when its Revenge Value has been reached, making its counterattacks quite harsh and/or near-fatal. Combo Boost, Air Combo Boost, Combo Pluses and/or Air Combo Pluses are recommended to equip (especially the former two) due to such a high Revenge Value, but the key point is that in most normal circumstances, the player should be careful to back off before dealing a 5th normal combo finisher in a row to manage its Revenge Value via an estimate.

Furthermore, it has a unique armor mechanic where the more combos landed on it (including finishers), the more overall damage starts to build up on it, completely independent of either Combo Boost or Air Combo Boost damage formulas. The first combo landed on it each time it is left open will always do very little damage, until the subsequent ones increase in output.

One safe and effective setup would be for Sora to have only two Combo Pluses, a Finishing Plus, and the Guard Break and Explosion combo finishers equipped, allowing him to land three combos—two ending with Guard Break, and one ending with Guard Break and then using Finishing Plus to follow up with Explosion—before the Will forcefully retaliates. The combo portion of Ars Arcanum, without the Reaction Command finisher, is also quite useful for racking up damage without triggering any increase in Revenge Value, albeit Elixirs should be stocked for MP recovery + Damage Drive or any other Drive-enhancing abilities to ensure Limit Form can be used as often as possible or to last long in one-go or two.

However, if trying to intentionally trigger its Revenge Value to properly punish it, then Sora should only have Explosion equipped since it creates some distance between Sora and the Will to avoid some of its Revenge moves. Using Thundaga from a distance to safely trigger a retaliation is also a viable strategy.

The Lingering Will's most basic attack, Rush Attack, has it dash at Sora three times in midair. The timings of the dashes are easy to predict, so avoid being hit by Dodge Rolling or Guarding. Anticipate where its third dash will end, and attack afterwards. If hit by the first or second dashes, use Retaliating Slash to block the next dash, and time successive Horizontal Slashes to deflect further dashes.

The Lingering Will can Formchange its Keyblade into a variety of weapons to assault Sora. Its Drill Attack has it sprint towards Sora, Formchange its Keyblade into a drill, and perform a three-hit punching combo that finishes with a multi-hit thrust. It isn't easy to predict when the Lingering Will is going to actually use Drill Attack after running, but Sora can easily defend himself using Guard or Reflega. If Guard is used to block the attack, Sora must wait before attacking; otherwise he will take damage from the drill and be knocked far away from the Lingering Will. However, if Sora simply Guards the first two attacks, the drill will miss, creating an opening.

The Lingering Will's Whip Attack has it Formchange its Keyblade into a whip that it will swing around itself, dealing massive damage to anyone caught within its radius. Whip Attack can easily catch Sora off-guard, but the Will tends to use this move after three Rush Attacks, or as a forced retaliation. Sora can defend himself with Guard or Reflega, but it is much better to just run away and quickly get close to the Lingering Will as soon as it is landing and attack it with a new combo. However, if Sora does get hit, it will very likely reduce his HP to 1 if Once More and Second Chance are equipped, so do not try to resist with Aerial Recovery or Retaliating Slash, or else Sora will likely fall. To get out of the attack and save HP, activating a Drive Form, or using a Limit with Donald or Goofy are the only ways for getting some invulnerability.

For Cannon Gun, the Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into the cannon from Terra's Ultima Cannon Shotlock and fires a giant sphere of energy that can home in on Sora. The explosion is huge, but Sora can deflect the sphere back at the Lingering Will by Guarding, hitting it, or casting Reflega. If it is charging the cannon and Sora is too far away, then Dodge Roll, or Quick Run against it to nullify the explosion. If Sora is close enough to the cannon, deflecting it back at the boss will launch it high into the air, leaving it vulnerable; the shot counts as a finisher and contributes to its hidden Revenge Value.

For Command Change Attack, the Lingering Will Formchanges its Keyblade into a bow-like weapon and shoots three Light Arrows at Sora, but keep in mind that it can shoot up to five when low on HP. If any of the Light Arrows hits Sora, it will inflict him with a similar curse to the Unknown's Invitation to Nothingness from Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, draining his health as the Command Menu begins shuffling between Release and Fall. To break free of the curse, Sora must select the Release command; selecting Fall will cause considerable damage to Sora. He should Glide away while waiting for Release. The Light Arrows can be evaded with the right timing of Dodge Roll, or Reflega; equipping Quick Run may be counterproductive in case one uses it by mistake. When it turns its Keyblade back to normal form, it is time to attack.

Wave Rider has the Lingering Will Formchange its Keyblade into Terra's Keyblade Glider and move around the map extremely fast. Using Guard is the best way to defend, and if Sora is in Final Form, simply using Glide will cause his Keyblades to protect him. Sora can attack when the Lingering Will lands, though it's hard to predict when and where.

In addition to its Keyblade, the Lingering Will has some magical abilities as well. Command Seal Attack has it create a seal that either creates a blue or orange orb above Sora's head. The orange orb prevents Sora from attacking, while the blue orb prevents Sora from using Magic or Items. To break free from the curse, Sora needs to deplete a new, smaller HP bar on the Lingering Will. If a blue orb in seen, attack to deplete the bar; if an orange orb is seen, use Magic, Valor Form's abilities, or Limits in Limit Form. Either way, Drive Forms are still usable. Sora can evade this move by using Dodge Roll, Quick Run, or Reflega if timed right. The Lingering Will uses this move unpredictably, but it has a relatively slow start-up which is also telegraphed by a distinct sound cue. Another clue for Sora to prepare for this attack is when the Lingering Will begins flying at high speeds and repeatedly landing right behind Sora.

The Lingering Will can summon Bits that fire beams of light at the party. When it is low on health (below seven bars left), it automatically launches them and disappears for a few seconds, signifying the beginning of the second phase. Sora can react to this attack by using Guard, Reflega, or simply gliding away. Sometimes though, even when the Lingering Will is full on HP, it can combine its other moves, especially Wave Rider, with the Bits. This can make the battle more difficult as not even a correctly-timed Guard or Reflega can always protect Sora from several angles, although with some luck Sora may be able to deflect against the Lingering Will itself. The Bits can be destroyed with Aerial Dodge - although it's not worth it to specifically aim to do this - as well as through collision with a rock spire, however any destroyed Bits may be resummoned immediately.

In the first phase of the battle, the Lingering Will usually executes its abilities in a predictable pattern, which corresponds to the first attack it used at the beginning of the battle. Thundaga is best for staggering the Will if Sora is too far away, giving him time to get closer. Remember to keep track of the its forced retaliation point to prevent being attacked unawares.

When the Will's health reaches below seven HP bars left, it will use its desperation move, Super Wild Dance for the first time, marking the end of the first phase. In this phase, it will be much more aggressive with its moves, often chaining them together for extended periods of time. It will also make use of Magic, casting gravitational fields similar to Magnega to pull Sora into its path or fire icicle shots similar to Blizzaga in tandem with Wave Rider; it can also cast gravitational fields in tandem with Command Change Attack.

When the Lingering Will uses Super Wild Dance, it enters a berserk state similar to Terra's Ars Solum. Its arm gauntlets and helmet will emit a bright red aura, and it then splits its Keyblade into two weapons. The first part of the attack is quite easy. Sora can either use Guard or Glide and no particular time is needed for blocking. In the second part of the attack, Sora cannot physically block anything. Just Glide away, and land as soon the Lingering Will prepares the third and final phase of the attack. The third part is probably the most difficult move to block/evade in the entire battle. It is all about having perfect timing with Guard, Dodge Roll, and Quick Run. The final part starts by the Will swinging its Keyblade in midair. It then disappears, and reappears near Sora and utilizes several teleporting dashes similar to Terra's Chaos Blade. To defend Sora from this attack, lock-on to the Will and Guard. Keep Guarding until it does a final horizontal dash through Sora and lands, after which it is left vulnerable. Just like every other move, however, there are various ways to evade this one as well. If Sora happens to get hit, make sure to use Aerial Recovery at the right time to nullify the final dash. This way, Sora can still quickly reach the Lingering Will and start a new combo. A very useful trick for avoiding the final part of the desperation move is gliding away and keeping Sora's back against the edge of the map. This way, the Will is forced to always teleport in front of Sora, making it easier to Guard all of its attacks.

During the final phase, the Lingering Will's AI can be exploited by stopping Sora's combos just short enough to manipulate its Revenge Value, causing it to repeatedly retaliate with Super Wild Dance in a predictable manner whenever it lands back on the ground. Otherwise, if the forced-point/Revenge Value is reached, the Lingering Will will instead generally retaliate with Rush Attack and Whip Attack in sequence, often choosing randomly between which of the two to start with; even then the player can watch out for those in order to punish it accordingly.

Overall, learning to manage the Lingering Will's Revenge Value can be considered quite hard since the Will's chosen Revenge moves are among some of the hardest to see coming once triggered and within enough range to barely escape; this can also apply to hitting its specific HP ranges when trying to get a grasp on its usual retaliation points since hitting said ranges to enter another phase will ALWAYS cause a Revenge move to come out regardless. The Lingering Will is invincible in the middle of attacking, making it impossible to chain Reflect to build up damage on it.

Video

Notes and references

• Construct
• Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix bosses
• Optional bosses
• Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
• Gameplay