Not much to say about 012 this time. I picked up some new info on Tifa, but it's pretty basic, I think we all predicted that her EX Mode would be called "Equipped Premium Heart" and that her alt outfit would be her Advent Children attire. Going with the tradition of most of the VI and beyond heroes, her EX Burst will be her Limit Break from VII, and the last blow will obviously be Final Heaven.
I learned something more relevent, though. Evidentially the number of new stages, and the number of new characters, will be equal to each other.
You know, I wonder if Tifa's presence might exclude Prishe from XI... then again, SE might not be quite so "variety is key" as I am. I can forgive an overdose of people of the "Warrior" class, because half of the main heroes are of that class, more or less.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The orb shuddered for a moment, then it took on a proper coloring again. Only, the colors were off from the design of Griever, the orb began to… unfurl. It uncurled itself, forming into a new abomination, it bore a direct resemblance to Griever, though distinctly different in the shape of its body, but more noticeable was the image of a woman, Ultimecia, fused onto the beast's chest.
The new creature made no attempt to speak, instead, it attacked immediately. It's body shuddered for a moment, but it made no particular movement, until Shantotto noticed a wave of energy coming at them from under their feet.
"Move to the side if you don't want to say bye! Otherwise, you might die!"
The two other warriors listened immediately, and they had all moved away from the front of the creature as the ground erupted in a geyser of flames. As the flames soared higher, a distortion in the air occurred to the right of the creature, a crystal of disconcerting shape appeared in the air and hovered. It seemed to serve no practical purpose as the creature continued its attack.
It began to cast Holy, Ultimecia, fused to the creature's chest, felt her energy's been drawn by the creature, feeding it the power it needed. The creature spawned a large collection of white orbs in the air above the three Cosmos Warriors, though they weren't about to sit and wait for the attack to come.
A sudden blast of Flare from Shantotto onto Ultimecia delayed the full casting of Holy, though it did not negate the spell. Rather, the attack was negated by a barrage from Laguna striking Ultimecia, temporarily severing the magical energy linking her to Griever. The orbs of Holy faded as the connection between Ultimecia and Griever began to reawaken, but before it could try to recast its attack, Jecht was on it.
Though not much of a strategist, Jecht could at least understand that tearing Ultimecia out of the creature would severely hamper its power. Jecht jumped up in the air, his sword firmly in hand, hoping to cleave Ultimecia right out of the creature, but his attack was intercepted, struck out of the air by a swipe of the creature's left claw.
As Jecht tumbled through the air and landed back on his feet, the air to the left of the creature distorted, a second crystal appearing, yet it was ignored by the Cosmos Warriors, unless the creature used them for something, they would look at it as beneath their concern.
Jecht began his next attack, leaping up in the air again, rising too quickly for a claw swipe to catch him this time. He came down on the creature's head, striking directly across the creature's face, generating a low howl from the abomination, Jecht attempted to begin another attack, but the creature suddenly made a feral snap at him. The bite fell short of Jecht, but the suddenness of the attack threw him off-balance, he began to fall back down, but, regaining his orientation on the way down, he made another slice, cutting into the skin to Ultimecia's left. This failed to make any true impact, the creature's body seemingly more akin to armor in that area, but it did unnerve Ultimecia, seeing as the attack had come so close to her head.
With a distinctive growl, the creature moved to another attack, energy glowed from the two crystals around it as it raised its arms, from the fingertips it fired strands of light to the surrounding canyon walls. The ends of the strands jammed into the rocks firmly, then after a moment, they began to pull, huge canyon walls were ripped out as the strands pulled from back toward the creature, but the creature wasn't their destination.
The three warriors realized that they were the target, but by the time this had been realized the chunks of rock were far too close to them, all Shantotto could do was erect a Protect spell and hope…
The walls collapsed on the three warriors and settled down, crumbling as they lost the force that had been moving them. The creature, the fusion of Ultimecia and Griever, was content to watch this for just a moment, with a wave of its hand, the rocks dispersed, revealing the three injured warriors.
"Insolent fools." Ultimecia shook her head from her position on the creature's chest, "You would stand in the way of she who will become the eternal being?"
The creature advanced forward for a moment as Ultimecia continued, "What did you think you could accomplish, speeding this war to its conclusion? Fighting against reality… perhaps you should have realized just how harsh reality is…" she began to smile as Jecht began to stand back up before his two companions. "At the conclusion of this war, I shall cast the ultimate spell, Time Compression, and your existence shall be… denied."
Delusions of grandeur do not become you, Ultimecia.
Ultimecia paused, and the creature followed suit, she heard a distinctive cracking sound, she turned her gaze to the ground to see a large crack going across the ground. Yet something seemed incorrect about the movement of the ground, she had not caused it, and she'd have sensed if Shantotto or Kefka had attempted to manipulate the crust in some manner.
The ground split open, and a wave of energy was unleashed, a sudden beam of energy shot up out of the ground, it flew straight toward the back of the Griever-Ultimecia abomination, slicing through the back half of it. Ultimecia and the creature felt the pain come through them as the back half of the creature fell off, though it continued to hover in the air.
Flames burst out of the crevice in the ground, only barely stretching above the top of the long hole, but something else began to emerge. A being of some sort.
This being began to slowly emerge from the flames, a demonic visage appearing from the flames.
Though I find the idea of you as a ruler deliciously absurd, the worlds can have only one ruler.
"Wait… that… voice…" Ultimecia backed away from the person that came from the flames, though the face was now different, there was no denying who it was.
"How… could you…?"
"I have absorbed much power in that hell, now you will know my absolute reign." The figure emerged entirely from the flames, holding a familiar scepter in its right hand.
"No, impossible!" Ultimecia sounded uneven, disoriented, "You faded, I felt it!"
"I am the only true ruler of all worlds, death alone can not stop me." The figure pointed the pointer figure of its left hand at Ultimecia, instantly a black beam shot out, reaching at maximum speed, it pierced right through Ultimecia's chest, and all the way back to the end of the creature.
"Do not think me oblivious to what you were trying to do, Ultimecia. I am the ruler, you are not." The beam stopped emitting from the being's finger, and he clenched his fist, immediately the fusion of Ultimecia and Griever began to explode and rupture from within.
"You… ah… Em…per…or…" the fusion disappeared in a large explosion, flinging dust and debris in all directions, the figure snapped its fingers, and a whirlwind sucked the smoke away. Ultimecia kneeled over on the ground, back to her normal form, yet weakened.
"Next time, Ultimecia, you will understand the one who is truly in charge."
No… n-no… I…" Ultimecia struggled to force herself up from her knees, unable to do so, "Mateus, you… how did you survive?"
"Survive?" The figure's face was inhuman, but Ultimecia could somehow tell that it was smiling. "Ah, you presume much."
A flash of light appeared around the figure, Mateus, and once again, the Emperor stood, "I did die, Sephiroth pierced me fatally. Yet I had desired that, I knew… I knew what I could acquire in hell."
The Emperor smirked his familiar smirk, and he was enveloped in black energy, transforming him back into the Emperor of Hell. "Sephiroth is gone, Exdeath is gone, and I felt Gabranth's passing at Garland's hand." The Emperor chuckled, "The war is about to end, but not like this, there is one more thing to settle."
Mateus turned his gaze to Jecht, "I need one of brutality, to let the hatred flow through him, though I cannot guarantee he will be a Chaos Warrior, it will only be a matter of time before the opportune selection of warriors arrive."
"Man, what the hell are you talking about?" Jecht tilted his neck to the side, rubbing his free arm against it, "As far as I see, you're one of Chaos' kids, so I'll deal with you simply enough."
Jecht sprung into action, heading straight for the Emperor, running right past the injured Ultimecia, yet as he tried to strike Mateus, he instead found himself stopped by a invisible magic wall in front of him. He strained against the force that was keeping him merely a few feet from the Emperor, then the wall surged in power, knocked Jecht back to the position his comrades were at.
"Lowly worm." Mateus dismissed Jecht's power as he began to approach the three warriors. As he walked by Ultimecia, he shot a small surge of electricity from his left hand into the back of her head, she fell to the ground with a distinctive thunk.
"Kefka." Mateus did not turn back, "Leave, head for Cosmos, its time for this war to come to its end."
Mateus heard the sound of a Warp spell, he felt slightly surprised that Kefka had followed his order without as much of a comment, then he reminded himself that Kefka would likely not waste an opportunity to fight someone like Cosmos.
"Now then…" Mateus raised his scepter in the air, "Let's see what emotions you'll feel when your allies die. One of you shall be used appropriately…"
Obviously Great Attracter had to be toned down somewhat, compared to how it worked in VIII, pulling four planets down and all.
Now really, did anyone actually think getting killed by Sephiroth had put an end to Mateus' involvement in the story?
Please review.