Last time...

"Do you see?" Collust inquired as he casually approached his fallen foe. "You feel no pain, for your body is dead. You can lose an infinite amount of blood, and it will continue to function, as your insanely large spiritual strength fuels the workings of your innards. But eventually," he paused, drawing himself to a knee, "despite how much energy you feed your physical form, if it is harmed to a certain extent it will collapse. Your legs, for an example, are incapable of supporting your weight, as I've obliterated the majority of muscle and bone in your thighs and ankles."

His eyes fell to his handiwork. "Your are not immortal, Alexander Kane. You have merely created the illusion of immortality."

"You little shit," the fallen Captain managed.

"And now, it is time to open your eyes." Slowly, Collust rose to his feet, his eyes locked upon his opponent's. His Slayer rose, the tip of the blade glistening in the light of the setting sun. "You are inferior. You are the impotency that defiles SHADOW. You are feeble. Kane, you are mortal."

And he struck...

Final Fantasy X: Annihilation

Chapter 25: Undying

Defeat. In truth, it was something Alexander Kane had never once suffered before, since the time of his death. It was said that at the moment a person is to stand before the shadow of death, with it's pestilent scythe curled around their neck, they are offered a final glimpse into their past. Their life flashes before their eyes.

He had experienced it once before...a long time ago, in a forgotten age. Before Zanarkand, before Sin, and before Oblivion.

Yet again he stood in the darkness, laid helpless on the ground at the feet of the sinister being that had once condemned him to eternal nothingness. And again...the pages of his life were turned back to the start, before the life he claimed now was even to be thought of, to the time of his true existence.

To the time of living...

The cold, unrelenting wind tore at Alexander's face as he ran swiftly and silently through the darkness. A shadow amongst shadows. The cries of the pursuing villagers rose at his back. His head turned, his eyes fixing on the bend several hundred yards behind him. The darkness was illuminated by the fire of multiple torches.

"Tch, persistent lil' buggers," he commented, annoyed, as he focused his attention once more on the path at his front. He kicked off, effortlessly leaping over a boulder that had suddenly presented itself as obstacle in his way. His feet thudded loudly against the ground as he landed. The spiraling trail that ascended up the mountainside was growing narrow, from what he could manage to see through the dark. The clouds above him roared with thunder, as if the very gods themselves had joined in on the chase, and were rooting for the angry swarm trailing him.

He chuckled quietly. "Heaven and Earth, unitin' all for lil' ol me. Pretty fuckin' excitin!"

The adrenaline pounded in his ears, his insides crackling as if electrified. His blood was boiling with anticipation. It was the excitment that came with the commiting of a crime, it was the benefit to living such a chaotic and murderous lifestyle. It was everything that Alexander lived for.

He rounded a bend, paying little attention to the significant narrowing of the trail. Then suddenly, he came to a halt. Just feet before him, the path he had been following cut short, ending in a ledge that dropped hundreds upon hundreds of feet below. He poked his head curiously over the side. He saw only darkness. The sounds of the pursuing mob were becoming more audible with their advancement. It would be only a matter of moments before they were upon him.

"Guess I won't be gettin away without a fight," Kane commented, faking a disappointed sigh, as he turned to the shouts. His hand fell to the large blade at his side, drawing it from it's scabbard soundlessly. He surveyed his surroundings. Although man was against him, it seemed that the Earth was not. The narrow path ensured that the group would only be able to attack him individually, rather than all at once. His pride in his strength and swordplay assured him that this victory would be his, for there were none amongst his pursuers who were capable of matching him.

They were all rushing to their demise.

Alexander almost cried out with the overwhelming excitment which instilled itself within him the moment the first villager came into sight. The man paused cautiously as their eyes connected. One by one, the rest appeared at the leader's back, each wielding a variety of weapons - from pitchforks, to swords, to clubs, and to shovels. Determination blazed like a fire in the eyes of some, whereas the others were fearful, cowardly, and apparently hesistant to move forward. They knew death when they saw it.

"Well now," Kane began as he took a step forward, making his confidence known, "ya'll chased me all da way up here?"

"Your days of murder have come to an end!" A man cried.

"You've taken our loved ones again and again! But no more!"

"You die today, monster!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

He stock a finger in his ear, wiggling it around as if to remove something. "Fuck, ya people sure are loud. Is that it? Did ya come up here just to start spoutin' you're lil threats? Or did ya came for some good ol' fashion blood-spillin?"

The leader stepped forward. He was young one, barely within his 20's. Long, black hair fell to his shoulders, his toned arms hoisting a large claymore into the air. "You will not escape, beast. For the last decade, you've terrorized our town. You've brought nothing but hurt! And for the last 10 years, I've trained and prepared for the day to the two of us would stand face to face. Are you ready for punishment?"

Alexander smirked wickedly, looking down upon the would-be warrior with evident amusement. "Are ya ready to die?"

His challenger sped off, dashing forward in a startling explosion of speed. Kane's eyes narrowed, drawing up his blade with but a split moment to spare. Their swords clashed in an explosion of sparks.

"Ah," the titan began, leaning down to draw his face in closer to that of his challenger's, "so ya got a bit of fight in ya?"

"The name is Vergil, you fiend," the addressed man responded. "Commit it memory, so that you will never forget who was responsible for sending you to the underworld!"

Kane forced forward, applying his weight and strength to shove his combatant backwards. Vergil was tossed effortlessly to the ground. "Ya be lettin' dat confidence get to your head! These er hands have seen too much blood to be matched by a youngin' like you!"

Slowly, the leader drew himself back to his feet, gallantly positioning his claymore before him. "I will kill you."

"Threats like dat are empty comin' from someone so weak!"

Again, the two warrior's face off, clashing their blades repetitively against that of the others. The onlookers could only observe with undisguised fascination towards the intensity to which they dueled, unable to follow their swift and relentless strikes that rattled the very path upon which they stood. The heaven's themselves seemed to tremble under their power.

Alexander could not deny that his challenger was indeed surprising. He fought and struck with a prowess beyond what one so young could possess. His attacks were clean and precise, accompanied by an adequate amount of force and swiftness. His agility was equally astounding, as he skillfully evaded and defended against every blow Kane unleashed. The youth was unrelenting in his determination, but bit by bit, his stamina revealed it's limitations.

Vergil's breath was quickly shortening. His movements were growing ever more delayed and sloppy with exhaustion. However well trained he may have been, his endurance failed before that of Alexander's. And it would be that difference which determined the ultimate outcome of this confrontation.

Then he slipped up. Vergil's attempt to parry one of Kane's vicious blows failed horribly, as his footing was lost to the pure force behind it. The warrior stumbled, seeking to recover his balance as swiftly as he was able. The opportunity was golden and Alexander could not resist.

With a triumphant cry, he thrust forward with his blade, watching with undisguised glee as the tip of his blade pierced into and through Vergil's abdomen. The sword continued onward, burying it's length to the hilt within his flesh.

Kane smirked victoriously. "Gotta say, kid, ya made for a hell of an interestin' match. Haven't had dat much fun in fuckin' years!" He placed a massive hand to youth's throat, curling his long fingers around his entire neck as he pulled back his bloodied blade. "Shame it's gotta end."

Effortlessly, he lifted Vergil from the grounded, pulling him to the side. His feet dangled across the edge of the trail, where nothing but darkness waited below.

"I m-may die, beast," the leader managed through the pain, "but you will join me in hell!" Suddenly, his left arm shot forward. Mystical energies crackled wildly around his fingertips, signifying the completion of a spell Alexander had been unable to notice. "Ultima!"

"Magic?" The brute whispered in surprise, his eyes tensing shut as a blinding light exploded before him. For an instant, pain overpowered his senses, casting him into an agonizing abyss of white. The ground gave way, collapsing beneath the pure intensity of the spell.

When his eyes focused, reacquiring their sight, he saw only darkness rushing up to meet him. And he welcomed it.

The world rushed back to him. Alexander's hazy vision cleared to witness the descending of his opponent's blade. A promise of death, on he held no desire to greet with wide arms as he had done before. To fall now would mark a defeat at the hands of one he would never fall before. He refused to.

Although Kane's consciousness retained a certain amount of quietude despite the dire predicament, something within him reacted with desperation. From his spiritual resovior, a surge of chaotic energies flooded throughout his entirety. It empowered him, rejuvenated him...inspired him.

With a ferocious cry, the injured Captain shot his left arm upwards, concentrating his might to generate a protective aura as he caught the falling blade in his grasp. His gaze fixed upon Collust's startled expression, smirking insanely.

"Did ya think I was out of it, pansy?" Kane inquired.

Collust breathed out, releasing the air he held in surprise. He struggled to pull the blade free, but found it would not budge. The weapon was locked within his opponent's indomitable grip.

"Why won't you just die?!" He roared through gritted teeth.

Alexander chuckled darkly. "Cause, dumbass, I'm already dead." His ferocious might flarred forth, encompassing him in a feral, aural flame. The multiple wounds that ailed him closed, the power accelerating his bodily functions with an unnatural regeneration that fully restored the lost tissue. "And ya can't kill what can't die twice."

FFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFXFFX

Yuna wrapped her arms around herself as she shuddered against the cold and unrelenting winds. Her footsteps crunched loudly as she moved through the snow, her eyes carefully scanning the landscape for any sign of the surviving Ronso tribe. Through Iiden's help, they'd manage to locate a few, including Kimahri, that had lived through the battle without suffering much injury. But then there was those that had not been so fortunate. She had found many who lay broken and motionless on the ground, their bodies bashed beyond repair against bolders and columns of ice. Others had been simply cast from the mountainside.

"Yuna."

The addressed Summoner turned the sound of the voice, her eyes fixing upon Iiden as he progressed down the slope towards her. Tidus was slung over his shoulder. He had not stirred once since the battle with Kane. The strain on his body had almost pushed him to the point of death. Any mortal would have been finished after be forced through such pain and exhaustion. But not him.

She knew that cursed monstrosity, the thing responsible for the horrific transformation he had undergone, would never allow it's owner to die, if only to use him further.

"Have you found anymore?" Yuna responded, her eyes downcast.

Iiden shook his head, his crimson hair flapping wildly around him in the wind. "No. There are none. The surviviors have all returned to their village. What's left of it...anyway."

"And Kimarhi?"

The man shifted his gaze to the side. "He's determined to find the bodies of the fallen. He said he would not rest until they have all been given a proper burial, rather than to leave them to vanish somewhere beneath the snow." Iiden smiled softly. "Kimarhi is a very respectful being."

Yuna nodded. "Yes." She paused, her eyes widening with a sudden realization. "Oh god!"

The crimson-haired man blinked in surprise, alarmed by her sudden change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Where is Gippal?!!"

Author's Note: I appreciate the review! Lol, and yes, I'm surprised myself that I decided to continue with the story. But I'm pleased that I did. I hope that my ability has not declined too terribly. I want to bring my reviewers the best material I am capable of providing! I'm aware that my previous chapter was a bit short, so I lengthened this one up a bit. Though not majorly. Still an improvment though! Well, I hope to get some more reviews in the future. Take care! And happy late New Year!