CoWR - Introduction
Chapter 24: FFVII - Eternal Rivalry
DISCLAIMER: I shall...never own a copywrited thing.
Seeing Cid struggle against his weak attacks, Sephiroth chuckled more and continued to toy with him. However, he saw a familiar figure, and addressed him immediately.
Looking at Cloud, Sephiroth spoke. "Well, well... the puppet has returned to dance for me again. Hehehe." Even though Cloud was fast-approaching with his deadly Climhazzard attack, Sephiroth just stood there, calm and collected. "Hmph. Blind... even to this day." He then held his sword up with one hand, as if he was guarding.
As he's guarding, he quickly charges forward and meets Cloud with a single slash to hit multiple times. He then strikes again to do deal heavier damage.
Thus, there was a clash. Sephiroth's attacks were fierce and efficient. He successfully blocked Cloud's Climhazzard that staggered him. Almost all the succeeding flurries of slashes connected as Cloud curled and held his sword forward to parry a few. He was pushed back but nevertheless went to the offensive once again as he winced.
"I am not your puppet Sephiroth! And never was!" He front flipped and slammed the ground with his sword to send energy beams to Sephiroth then quickly leaped back to him to heavily slash him in the air whether Sephiroth evade, or block the Bladebeams.
Sephiroth was enjoying his tussle with Cloud. To fight his arch enemy was always a pleasure. To distort his mind was a gift for him.
Sephiroth saw blade beams approaching, and tanked the attack. Although he was damaged, he didn't falter, and neither would he show it. "Still a fool in denial. I'm disappointed, Cloud."
Cloud then approached and attacked Sephiroth hard. Guarding fully, he met the slashing blow, but was staggered, definitely. He was caught slightly off guard, and bent his posture a little. "Such... power. Can you channel all of your hatred into your full force?" Sephiroth then stood up, and readied his blade. "But... if it's despair that you so desperately crave... then it is what you shall receive." Sephiroth quickly charges forward while slashing multiple times with great force and swift movements.
0-0-0-0-0
The catastrophic explosion on the plains of the Cosmo Canyon was easily picked up by on the WRO Headquarters. Reeve instantly became apprehensive and quickly dispatched a search and rescue team after they have determined that it was indeed Cosmo Canyon.
'Both on Junon and Cosmo Canyon? Who could have...?' Reeve place his elbows on the table as his hands grasped each other, contemplating and as if looking far beyond what the walls of his command room. He then turned his head to look on the large green monitor. It now shows a map, a much bigger map compared to what it was six months ago; a big portion of it was darkened and has no markings at all as to identify it. "Could that be caused by abominations from the other world?"
0-0-0-0-0
Meanwhile, two beings were already flying across the vast ocean that was separating the western and eastern continents of the Planet. "Sephiroth... we can finally shut him down permanently. Not even a speck of his negative lifestream will remain once we dispose him. Be prepared, Altima."
The black haired lass giggled and nodded to her brother. "Hai! Onii-sama!"
Bahamut flew faster towards Junon, as Reia keeps up with them.
0-0-0-0-0
The search and rescue teams were shocked on what they saw on what was left of Cosmo Canyon, a massive crater and no signs of life whatsoever. As they search on the rubble, they finally saw one soul lying unconscious to the ground ~ Nanaki. "Quickly! Bring him back to HQ.!" A medic yelled after administering first aid to the fallen warrior. Thus, Nanaki was flown to the WRO HQ.
0-0-0-0-0
Yuffie helps several people in Junon flee to safety, as do Cissnei and Katana, though Yuffie does not know that they're there.
Cid helped Yuffie on evacuating the survivors from the Junon siege. "So I assume we will be taking them all to WRO?" He asked Yuffie.
Yuffie nods "It's either sending them there or sending them directly to another town."
Cid Highwind winced as he still assists Yuffie on the evacuation. "Heh! If Sephiroth is back then there's no goddamn place in this planet that is safe."
0-0-0-0-0
Meanwhile, a separate WRO airship landed on Edge. The WRO operatives' purpose was Tifa.
"Oh! What brings you here? Did something happen to Cloud?" Tifa asked.
"Cloud Strife is still fighting Sephiroth as we speak; he seemed to be holding his ground against him. What you need to put your concern into is Nanaki." The WRO operative said.
Tifa's eyes widened. "What happened to him?"
"It is best that you come with us, the proud warrior was mentioning all of your names earlier as he sleeps, a bit on a troubled tone."
"Okay... let me close my bar first."
With that, Tifa flew towards WRO's HQ to go meet Nanaki. Unknowing of what exactly happened to him.
Drowsy still, Nanaki stirred, and slowly opened his eyes to be greeted by a white light. Looking around him, he was in what seemed like a ward. Suddenly, he noticed a figure in black.
Looking at the figure, he realized that it was a friendly one. It was that of Tifa Lockhart, an old friend. "...Tifa? What happened...?" Dazed and confused, he couldn't move much, and felt exhausted. "All I remember... was the canyon..."
"Don't move Nanaki. I know... Cosmo Canyon... I saw WRO's aerial shot of the canyon...It is so cruel... Was it Sephiroth? He came back again and just wrecked Junon. Cloud is fighting him now..."
She laid her palm on Nanaki's crimson fur above his head and gently brushed it. "We'll get to the bottom of this. Reeve is already busy sending WRO operatives and gathering intelligence."
Nanaki purrs as Tifa strokes his mane. As he listens to her, he interrupts her quickly. "What? He's returned? But how?" He then speaks again. "No, it wasn't Sephiroth... it was a couple of twins. They were young, and very powerful. It's not wise to underestimate them." Trying to get up, he failed, and continued to lie there. "They were looking for the Huge Materia, but their efforts were in vain. The distribution of the Materia was a good idea..."
Tifa was shocked on what Nanaki uttered. Another enemy as sinister and cold blooded as Sephiroth was at toll. She thought of it to be Kadaj and his cohorts. But Sephiroth was already present. There is no need for them. "Who... who could they be?"
Then a stuffed cat jumped on top of Nanaki's bed. "I believe these are the twins you're referring to Nanaki." The stuffed cat pushed a remote and the LCD screen by the wall showed a live footage of the ongoing fight at Junon with Sephiroth dealing with the lad and Cloud on the lass. "It is safe to assume that those children do not associate themselves to any of the conflicting sides. I do not know if that is something to look forward to though."
Nanaki looked at the screen, and watched the carnage unfold. "It's the twins! And Sephiroth! Cloud must be careful! They are dangerous beings!" 'Father... grandfather... look over Cloud. The canyon has been lost - don't let us lose this planet's lone soldier too.'
0-0-0-0-0
"I do not wish for anything that you offer Sephiroth!" Cloud raised his blade to parry the quick slashes but the extreme force and ferociousness of the slashes went pass Cloud's guard. He was nicked several times by the Masamune and the final slash sent him against the crumbling wall of a cut building.
Wincing out the pain, He rushed back to Sephiroth who was chasing him to meet blades mid air, drawing the hollow blade to dual wield while traversing. Thus, a spectacular air clash was seen in the air as the shockwaves from Sephiroth's blades tear concrete walls and thick steel anew with Cloud blocking each of it.
And another blade lock happened mid air. "Stay where you belong! Deep in my memory!" Sephiroth was a bit irritated by Cloud's words and pushed him back to the ground releasing the blade lock. Cloud rebounded and launched himself back to the air to attack Sephiroth with Braver.
Then... a flash of light.
Cloud hit something solid mid air. He was sure of it for he felt the tingling sensation through out his body. However, to his surprise as he looked on what he hit. A pitched-black sword with a swallowing gleam blocked his powerful strike. "Hello there, Mr. Cloud." The lass in white overalls smirked.
On the Sephiroth's side, holy orbs surrounded him and simultaneously exploded. "You are already judged by Gaia unworthy of even a fragment of existence, Sephiroth!" A lad in black overalls on top of the soaring Bahamut uttered.
"Who are y~Nnnrargh!" Cloud was slammed back to the ground with one mighty swing of Reia's Nefarius Blade ~ Tyrhung.
Raiu drew out his twin Soul Sword ~ Kusanagi and sky dived from Bahamut towards Sephiroth who was still engulfed with the holy explosion.
Sephiroth was matching Cloud blow for blow, until the fight was interrupted. "Hm? Looks like the script has changed..." He is then bombarded by a barrage of Holy. As the smoke clears around him, he is attacked by the male. However, he could be seen holding his blade in front of him defensively. He stopped the attack, and he wasn't smiling. "Hmph. Birds of a feather, I see."
He looked on at the twins, but soon cracked a smile. "You've dealt with my plaything. That won't bode well now, will it, Mother?" With one swipe of his blade, he sent the man flying into the air. He flapped his wing and began to levitate, holding his hands out as if he had some divine right. "Go." In a flash, he was in front of the man, and slashed upwards while charging. His blade was angled, and therefore sliced towards the man's torso.
Raiu was specially crafted by the Lifestream for speed. And that is what he is about to prove this very instant. As Masamune makes its way to Raiu in a flash of light, the lad just grinned as the blade went pass through him. At a glance, one can see it as a clean hit that can cut a person into two. However, Sephiroth's blade only hit Raiu's afterimage.
Raiu was already about 10 meters away from Sephiroth. "I am without any reservation to the likes of you! We shall cleanse the Lifestream of its stain that is you and the wretched one whom you so called as 'mother'! And by erasing your very existence will be the first part of that contrivance! Now die and be silent!"
Thus, in a flash of light, Raiu charged back to Sephiroth and engaged him on impressive high speed sword fight. Sephiroth was able to hold out his ground for awhile but Raiu was slowly picking up the pace. Against the man with unequal strength, Raiu can not willfully afford to block or parry his attacks, he skillfully evade each slash and retaliates with flurries of slashes that Sephiroth was able to block until they finally reached the peak of their encounter.
As if mocking Sephiroth, Raiu mimicked his words. "Dodge this!" Wolf Fang In one fluid stroke that seemed like a flash of light, Raiu scissor cuts his twin sword Kusanagi and went past through Sephiroth. Only an afterimage of 8 blades, four simultaneously coming from the left and four from the right, seemingly gnawing Sephiroth was seen.
Meanwhile, Cloud's clash with the lass was already reaching its peak as well.
"Wow! You're so strong Mister!" Reia grinned deviously as her front flips midair and attacked Cloud with Tyrhung Breaker, sending massive amounts of crimson black energy towards the ground where Cloud stood.
Cloud narrowly evaded the deadly swing as he side stepped but the succeeding blast pushed him against the wall again. "Who are you people? What do you want!" Cloud said to Reia as he picked himself out. He unloaded a Firaga to Reia simultaneously sending three fire balls to the lass.
"What do I want? A playmate! Would you be the one to entertain me for eternity, Mister?" Reia just swiped away the fire balls with her black great sword. "Oh! Brother and I want the Huge Materias as well. 'Mama' wished for it. Waaa!"
But it was on that swipe that Cloud was able to connect his next move, Climhazzard, which pushed Reia backward as he used the Firaga only as a diversion. "Not a chance!" He slashed his equally massive sword upward that send Reia to the air and follows through with an Omnislash Version 5.
Cloud was about to blitz his way around Reia when the lass surrounded herself with torrents of tremendous fire that burned Cloud instead. "I'm not so sure about that." She giggled as she backhands Cloud back to the ground. "Play a bit nicer with me, Mister! That one earlier hurt a bit." He flashed another devious grin on her face.
Cloud thrust his sword to the ground to stand. "Well... this is not the game I am inclined to loose... kid." Emerald energy gushed out from Cloud as he enters his EX Mode, sliding all the blade attachments to the main blade of First Tsurugi.
Reia went ecstatic. "Oh! Oh! Was that lifestream energy that came out from you, Mister?" And then her face turned menacing. "Or was it you filthy humans called as... Mako...? The energy you sapped from my poor 'Mama'." Thus, she dives down to Cloud thrusting her Tyrhung forward engulfing herself with black crimson flames.
Sephiroth leaned forwards, as if he was weak around the abdomen. He then began to fall to the earth, looking like he was unconscious. "If only..." Before he hits the ground, his body flashes, and he lands on both feet perfectly. "...if only you knew. But you're all blind. Blind to your own sins." He then began to hover slightly. "A world which has been corrupted by greed, evil... yet you cling to your beliefs like flies cling to a rotting corpse."
He then begins to hover backwards, as a he then holds his blade in front of him with both hands. "If only you knew... how your lives are all forfeit!" A light begins to shine from his hands. Small particles of energy then form around everyone in Sephiroth's vicinity, including Cloud and the twins. "I'll take you down... into the fires of destruction AND creation." The particles grow, and they engulf the people closest to Sephiroth. Their vitality is dropped to only 1%, putting them on the verge of death.
Nothing can ever defend them from Sephiroth's Heartless Angel. Not Raiu's speed, nor Reia's toughness.
"I-impossible!" Raiu stood as he cured himself with White Wind.
Reia, who was enveloped by crimson black flames earlier, just fall flat to the ground.
"Altima!" Raiu yelled as he saw his unconscious sister. He went complacent, he thought. If he could have continued his barrage of attacks to Sephiroth, he could not have casted such devastating spell. He gritted his teeth hard that a bit of blood gushed out from his gums. In a blink of an eye, he was already beside her sister, tending her wounds. "Altima... please wake... please…"
Meanwhile, Cloud was again on his knees, both his hand was just hanging on the hilt of his great sword that was fixed on the ground. "I'll..."
As Sephiroth prepares his final swing to finish off his adversaries, multiple projectiles flanked him in a stellar array of immense explosions.
"Don't mess with us you motherfucker!" Cid was seen descending from the sky after unleashing his EX Burst ~ Highwind.
"Just go and hide under your mama's panties!" On Cid's background were multiple WRO airships, already on a lock on with Sephiroth's location.
Sephiroth looked up as he saw a whole fleet of airships approaching. Spotlights shone on him, and he saw Cid attacking with projectiles. "Well now, it's gotten lively all of a sudden." He then swipes his sword downwards, as if he was going to attack no longer. He then closed his eyes and smiled warmly. 'My existence... there is reason for this change. I can sense it.' He then chuckled lightly. '...it's just like you'd always say.'
He then flapped his lone wing, and began floating in midair. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises..." He then looks up, and concentrates on the oncoming onslaught. "...nothing shall forestall my return." His wing then wrapped around him, covering him whole. In a moment, the feathers all broke up and scattered in the wind. He was gone.
"And don't you ever come back here you son of a bitch!" Cid yelled after Sephiroth vanished. "Heh! Piece of trash."
"C-Cid..." Cloud muttered. "There are still... those kids..." Cloud finally gave in and let go of his grip on his sword, stumbling side ways.
"Oy! Oi! Oi! Hang in there!" Cid quickly ran to Cloud to assist him and then looked at the twins.
Reia finally opened her eyes and saw herself in her brother's arms. "Onii-chan... what... hap... pened...?"
"I'm so glad you made it... Altima..." He hugged his sister tightly and then glared back to Cid, cursing.
"We shall... meet again..."
In a burst of emerald light, seemed to be streaks of lightning, Raiu and Reia vanished into thin air. Tiny orbs of emerald light disperse in the air.
"Alright! All clear! No more hostiles." Cid comlinked to the rest of the medical team on standby. "Go check for survivors. And I need a damn fucking medic and stretcher here!"
As the medics searched on the remains of the battlefield, two faint cries were heard. "Someone's still alive here!" One of the medics yelled.
As they remove the rubble, a lad and a lass were seen with blood all over their torso and head. "Quickly, we can still save them."
Some time later, Cloud and the rest of the survivors as well as the two children were now on a chopper flying towards the WRO HQ.
Beside Cloud's stretcher on the chopper was the lass with bandages all over her head down to her chin. Only her face was exposed. She tilted her head to look to Cloud. "Hello there Mister spiky! We meet again!" The lass giggled. "I'm glad to see you much better now unlike before on Mideel."
"Reia please... stop that... can't you see that Cloud is sleeping? And just stay still. We just survived a genocide earlier." The lad on a stretcher beside the lass spoke.
The lass was just oblivious on what just happened on Junon and just frowned on her brother's remark. "Onii-chan... you're such... a kill joy..."
"Alright... we'll be needing your names and origins before we put you two to sleep." One of the attending physician said.
"Raiu... and Reia Midori... of Wutai... currently residing at... Mideel." And then Raiu felt asleep as the physician injected him some tranquilizers.
"Sleep tight little ones... don't move around too much." The physician uttered. "We'll arrive at the WRO HQ shortly."
Neil: Sephiroth, Nanaki,
Me: Cissnei, Katana, Yuffie,
Reikakou: Everyone else...he seems to do that a lot.