Chapter 26

Deliverance

Looking back at such a rival as Ganondorf, even as formidable as he was, he had had a weakness in his strength. Though this had been carried out by the use of a sword when he reflected Ganondorf's own dark energy back at him, it still followed that concept. Even with Serapis's former self he had done this by outsmarting his smart moves…

The only problem with the current situation was that Serapis's current state was greatly mobilized by hunger, and how did one turn hunger, let alone brute strength, against an opponent?

Link was glad to have finally recalled that something he had lost earlier, but in his present situation, it did him no good. The key to defeating his former great rivals was tapping into their weakness and that sometimes took some serious strategizing. Here Serapis was capable of coming to harm only with excessive difficulty, however, yet Link knew his weakness. In addition to his mouth being the obvious target, Serapis's lack of caring for his own well-being due to his intense hunger was another crucial weakness. Link just had absolutely no idea how to use that.

When Serapis had charged him, he had not come with mouth gaping open and ready to take a direct hit right down his throat again, so that entry had mostly been closed off to him. The rest of Serapis was a random hit or miss as to whether or not Link would be able to break through the scales. Not even a decent sword strike guaranteed him anything.

Any animal could learn from pain and the possibility of nailing him with a good blow to the mouth was becoming slimmer and slimmer as Link watched in slow motion, as he had been this whole time, Serapis crouch into pouncing position and push off from the ground.

Link attempted to dodge the mass that was flying towards him, but succeeded only with a narrow escape. Serapis's claws, however, raked away a good chunk of flesh from his left side as he dived to the right.

Blood streamed through the fresh tears in his clothes and skin as Link stumbled and fell in the aftermath of the blow. He caught himself with his hands before he completely hit the ground and struggled to push himself back up with those same, yet now blood soaked, hands, but he failed miserably.

As his hands slipped from under his weight, his chin slammed into the ground and he laid there in agony as pain wracked through him. He had gotten back into the fight, yet already he was down.

Gritting his teeth, Link maneuvered himself carefully this time and was on his feet in no time. A wave of dizziness washed over him and through it he saw with great horror that Serapis was already coming back for a repeat of the last attack, a repeat that was sure to kill him.

Link glanced around frantically trying to pinpoint where his sword was. In all this time he had stupidly forgotten about his sword again as he made pitiful attempts to stay alive. Finally locating it, he sprinted in a diagonal path out from the shadow of Serapis in the direction of his sword.

Serapis had not built up quite enough momentum to cause him to barrel on past and so he was able to turn on Link, lunge for him, and get his hand around Link's leg while digging several claws into it.

A gasp escaped Link at the shock of this action and he was forced to the floor again as Serapis jerked him backwards. What made the situation even more frustrating was that his sword lay just inches away from his finger tips. Serapis was much too strong, however, and it was just a matter of seconds before Serapis would finish him off once and for all.

With this thought in mind, Link stretched forward despite the gash in his side and missed by a hair.

In retaliation, Serapis jerked him back harder and Link suddenly found himself dangling in the air upside down as Serapis held him by the lower half of his leg. "It seems even my inferior self was quite capable of apprehending you. That is quite satisfactory."

Link gaped in astonishment as Serapis slowly twisted him around to face him. It had been so long since he had heard that voice, but he no longer knew which Serapis was the more formidable-either was highly capable of killing him in his current situation. "H-how…?" Link eventually stammered.

"There is no how. It simply seems I have overpowered my primal half temporarily so that I might be lucid enough to enjoy your defeat," Serapis hissed in pleasure at this thought.

Blood from the wound in his side flowed to his head where it visibly dripped onto his face. Link could see Serapis eying him hungrily as the crimson continued to spread. If only he could get to his sword…This Serapis liked to talk too much, so a chance to strike his mouth was at hand.

"Since you are in such a weakened state I think I might make you suffer rather well before I get around to killing you, though I mustn't keep it too long or I fear my less desirable half will present himself once more."

Link could not bite down a scream when Serapis tightened his hand so tightly that nearly every bone in his shin and foot distinctly cracked.

Numbness from shock had already spread to his side, but it did not move fast enough to shield his mind from the torrential pain that racked his freshly broken leg. Serapis laughed at this and took his other leg, allowing the other to fall loosely down to him in such a way that no leg should.

Faced with the possibility of more excruciating pain quickly on its way and the hopelessness of his situation, Link was hit by the perfect idea. It was dangerous and stupid, but one way or another he was about to die. He would rather take his opponent out with him versus die in the helpless state he was currently in.

He had to work Serapis into a blood-frenzy. He had to make the creature have a desire so strong for Link's immediate death that he could not resist. The switch back to Serapis's other self would disorient him enough to allow Link a brief moment of freedom. Freedom enough to grab his sword, implant the crystal Kiani had given him into the metal, and stab it down the throat of the cavernous mouth as it lunged for him.

Whether he made it out alive was no longer the issue. For Hyrule he had to succeed, for the Guardians that had held their posts for so long. He could not let those now dead have died in vain. Now was the time to act and now was as good a time as any to die.

Through the blood that seeped into his eyes, Link somehow seemed to distance himself from his body as Serapis snapped the other leg and the pain did not hit him so hard. Thinking quickly and acting just as fast, Link ripped off his blood drenched shirt and threw the fabric right into Serapis's wide open mouth immediately putting a halt to his evil laughter.

The blood of his enemy on his tongue did exactly as Link had expected it would. Serapis stumbled back in a total daze and his hold on Link failed. With only seconds to move, Link pulled himself across the cold floor with his arms while his legs trailed uselessly behind him. He did not stop to survey the damage done to them and traveled onwards to the sword.

Hearing the roar behind him, Link knew the change had completed and he pulled himself along faster. When he reached the sword and held it in his hand, he reached into his pocket and thankfully found the crystal was still there despite his upside down trip. The sword's metal seemed to accept the crystal even though there was not a slot in it anywhere and absorbed it into its tip.

Link did not stop to think on the strangeness of this, but turned around and found Serapis to be nearly on top of him. Channeling the last of his strength and hoping the crystal would prove potent enough, Link dove forward into the cavernous mouth to meet his fate.

He watched the sword light up with an unmatched brilliance as light exploded into existence, but then darkness consumed him as his momentum carried him on.

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Well, I was shocked at how little I really had left in this story to get to the end. There's one more chapter after this and that's it. Now that I see all I had to do was come up with three more chapters, I feel pretty foolish, but oh well, that's life for ya I suppose. Welp, thanks for reading and the last update for this story will come on Sunday night and then it'll be on to a new, more consistently updated/longer chaptered story!

-blondie91