Standard Disclaimer: Who sings in the shower? I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY! LAAAAAA!
Author's Notes: Don't ask. Just don't. My disclaimers have long lost their relevance.
To the reviews!
Anime obsessed fan: Actually, Terros himself said that Kefka's abilities as a whole are roughly equal to that of the Elemental Dragon and Blitzan. It all comes down to the summoner…so you could say that Summoner Yuna could use Valefor against Hirum's Kefka…and he would STILL lose. ;)
And don't worry…this aeon battle will have a nifty twist…
Assamite: (nods as he listens to the song 'Claim Your Aeon') Nice. I probably shouldn't have gone with upbeat…'frantic' or 'fast-paced' is better.
(listens to 'To the Victor Go the Spoils) Ooh. Catchy.
(blinks) …okay…you might want to wait on writing that article after Chapter 50, where Hirum and his guardians arrive in Guadosalam. The Guados eat…well…differently. Oh, and I fixed those typos, and I mentioned that the next temple would be in Guadosalam in chapter 40 (hooray for fixes!). Well…I did not change one; the 'Hirum's house' bit. Because the 'brown dot' was a REPRESENTATION of Hirum's house on a MAP of Luca. Get it?
And another thing; according to deviantART's Help page, w w w dot dmusic dot com is a website that hosts music files for free. Try putting your stuff up there; you might garner some actual onsite reviews. And another thing; my last update took me only one week. That's pretty normal.
Radszilla: Nope. Not even close…I think. We'll see it how it goes.
Wolfy16: A man of few words… ;P
Shadic the Hedgehog Author: Sorry. The replacement for the Magus Sisters was planned out MONTHS ago. Still, welcome to FFX-3!
Begin!
xxxx
As hard as it seems to believe, the reports are true.
They are trying to resurrect the first Sin.
xxxx
Chapter 49: Triple Aeon Battle
xxxx
/11:52 NT, Eastern Edge of Valka Peninsula/
"Nira. Look."
"Hmm?" said Summoner Nira out of slight tiredness. She had wanted to leave Guadosalam at 11:30 NT sharp…of course, she had still been sleeping by that time. Which meant Kurik had been giving her a piggyback ride right up until he had ascended the cliff. She was still tired…but the sight of an Elemental Dragon aeon immediately erased her tiredness. "An aeon?"
"No. The ones riding it."
Nira squinted…and she couldn't believe her brown eyes; it was Hirum…and his guardians. He had apparently added some new guardians, because aside from the brown-haired girl and the Al Bhed, she didn't recognize any of them. Still…she was more shocked to see Hirum. "Him…"
The dropout…the one who had defied the rules of the SSoB…and the one who had STOLEN an Eye of Baaj badge! How else could he have gotten it! But the worst part was that she had LOST to him before…but not this time. NOT this time.
The E-Dragon slowed to a stop; obviously Hirum had spotted her as well. Nira clutched her purple staff quietly. Kurik flexed his arms a few times, his bulging muscles stretching the red leather that covered them.
Hirum hopped off of the E-Dragon's neck, staring at Nira with a quiet expression. "…hello Summoner Nira."
Nira snorted. "At least you're courteous, you dropout."
"GAH!" roared Hirum. "I'M NOT A DROPOUT!"
"Yeah yeah, tell it to the judge!" Nira clutched her staff tightly as she glared at Hirum, her blue hair swaying in the early morning wind. "But since I've got a score to settle with you, I'm challenging you to a 3-on-3 aeon battle!"
Hirum sighed. What a way to wake up. "Fine." With a thought, he dismissed the E-Dragon.
Of course, he forgot that – with the exception of Trigon – everyone was still on the aeon.
SMACK!
"OW!"
"KUPO!"
Hirum blanched as he whirled around; Teela, Aaron, Serena, and Mog were on the rocky ground, clutching the back of their heads out of pain. Cid was on all fours, having barely managed to right himself; he had immediately awoken upon feeling a sense of vertigo that accompanied a fall. Trigon seemed to wince. "That looked painful."
Nira shook her head out of pity. "Pitiful…"
"HIRUM!" roared Teela. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF SPIRA DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"
"Sorry! I wanted to choose a different aeon for my battle!" apologized the summoner.
"What battle?" asked Aaron as he groggily rubbed his scalp.
"The battle of aeons that is about to commence," replied Trigon as he pointed his own staff at Nira.
Serena blinked at the sight of the Black Ronso standing behind Nira. "Ooh…" She scooped up a dizzy Mog in her arms and scampered over to the Black Ronso, much to Nira's surprise. The female summoner frowned as the young girl stared at her guardian with an innocent expression. Who's this kid…? And why is she a guardian? Is Hirum that hopeless?
"Are you a Ronso?" asked Serena.
"Kurik is a Black Ronso," replied Kurik with a small smile.
"Ooh…you're even taller than Mr. Cid!" exclaimed the young Psy Mage.
This statement caused the Black Ronso's yellow eyes to light up with a sort of light-hearted glee. Although he was a mighty warrior, and a guardian who would die to protect his summoner, he had an affinity for small, innocent children. "Such innocence in a world without innocence." He calmly reached down to brush her head.
An armored glove suddenly snapped onto his giant right wrist. The Black Ronso's yellow eyes looked confused until they glared upon a human in green armor. Nira yelped at the sudden presence of the man right beside her. How'd he move so fast?
"You will not touch her," sternly said Cid.
Kurik snarled as his warrior instincts kicked in, pushing aside any of his rational thought. He brought down his left fist at Cid's head. The CESS Operative countered by grabbing it with his right hand. The Black Ronso sneered as flipped his right hand around and clutched onto Cid's left hand before pushing him backward with his great strength.
However, Cid had great strength as well. He quickly slipped his relatively small hands out of the nine-foot Black Ronso's grasp and dashed forward, wrapping his arms around the mighty beast's waist.
Then, to the Black Ronso's – and Nira's – shock, Cid hefted the furry warrior above his head.
Of course, Kurik was not one to be left hanging (shoot me for the pun if you must). The Black Ronso snarled as he grabbed Cid's wrists and flipped himself over, landing in front of the CESS Operative. Less than a second later, the Black Ronso's tail wrapped around Cid's abdomen.
Much to the CESS Operative's surprise, the trail pulled him off his feet and threw him onto the ground. #34 quickly compensated by leaping to his feet and doing a sweep kick against Kurik's legs, causing the Black Ronso to fall to the ground. On impulse, the CESS Operative grabbed his combat knife and held it right in front of the furry beast's right eye. "Don't move."
Kurik did not.
Suddenly, a purple hand made of pure magic wrapped around Cid's body. With surprising speed, he was lashed backward like a whip. Seconds later, he crashed into the ground beside Serena.
Mog stood on Serena's shoulder as her head glowed with a purple glow: a sign of her Telekinesis technique. She sighed out of embarrassment. "Mr. Cid…you really need to loosen up…"
"I thought he was attacking you. I didn't want to risk anything." Cid remained silent until Serena released him. He promptly stood up and sheathed his combat knife.
Nira immediately rushed to Kurik's side. "Are you okay?"
"Kurik…okay," responded Kurik as he got to his feet, his eyes staring at Cid quietly. For a human…he is quick. Then his eyes drifted to Teela. But she is the stronger… Finally, his eyes fell upon Trigon. And that one…he is something else entirely…he is no mere human…
Nira, satisfied that Kurik was okay, immediately whirled around and screamed, "CAN'T YOU EVEN CONTROL YOUR OWN GUARDIANS?"
"I can't help it if he's overprotective of Serena," casually replied Hirum. His Magician's Gloves glowed with pyreflies as he said, "Now are you going to fight me or not?"
This caused Nira to forget her anger. This caused her to smile. "Fine…then let's cut to the chase. Me first! I summon…the Elemental Dragon!" With a flash of red, blue, white, and yellow light, the staff shot out an aura that formed the E-Dragon, which roared loudly.
"To respond…I summon the Machina Maw!" Moments later, after the Aeon of Baaj appeared, Hirum hopped on and gripped the handlebars.
This action caused Nira to scoff. "Still can't trust your aeon to fight for you, eh?"
"Don't even start with me Nira!" With a forceful push on the handlebars, the M-Maw rocketed toward the E-Dragon.
"E-Dragon! Use Thunder Breath!" In response to Nira's command, the E-Dragon's eyes flashed yellow as electrical energy gathered in her mouth.
-Elemental Dragon Special Move: Thunder Breath-
A stream of electrical magic roared from the dragon aeon's mouth, soaring towards the M-Maw. Hirum banked the handlebars hard to the left, causing the M-Maw to veer sharply toward the left. The elemental stream slipped past Hirum: a clean miss.
Nira snarled. "Not bad…but you won't be able to dodge forever! Elemental Dragon, keep on firing with different elements!"
The E-Dragon complied as her eyes flashed red.
-Elemental Dragon Special Move: Fire Breath-
Hirum rotated the handlebars backward, causing the M-Maw to tilt herself upward. The fiery stream barely missed the mechanical aeon, but it was a miss nevertheless. Hirum immediately rotated the handlebars forward, causing the aeon's nose to dip downward. "Machina Maw! Fire Howitzers!"
The aeon complied by aiming the gun barrels in her shoulder guards' slots at the dragon aeon. The E-Dragon snarled as bullets pelted her scaly hide.
"Elemental Dragon! Slash at the Machina Maw with your Elemental Claws!" yelled Nira.
The E-Dragon snorted as the claws on her front feet flared red, white, blue, and yellow.
-Elemental Dragon Special Move: Elemental Claws-
The dragon aeon leapt upward, her glowing claws contrasting against her black scales. Hirum immediately pulled back on the handlebars to try and avoid the claws.
Too late. The E-Dragon's left paw slashed through the M-Maw's right leg. Wires dangled out from the bottom of the right shoulder guard, sparkling with electrical energy. Hirum scowled. Never knew about that technique…not good. "Machina Maw! Fire Homing Ray!"
-Machina Maw Special Move: Homing Ray-
Blue energy flew from both eyes and roared at the E-Dragon while she was in the midst of preparing a Water Breath attack. The blue lasers suddenly smashed into the E-Dragon's now-blue eyes.
The E-Dragon howled as stinging pain erupted in her eyes. Hirum immediately roared, "NOW! FIRE YOUR THUNDER ELEMENTAL MISSILES!"
-Machina Maw Special Move: Elemental Missiles-
Yellow-tipped missiles erupted from two missile pods on the M-Maw's back. Exhaust streamed from the missiles as they crashed into the E-Dragon in an explosion of electrical magic. The black dragon howled; she had still been affiliated with the Water element when the attack had hit.
However, when the E-Dragon shook her head, she slowly opened her eyes…and they were flashing all four colors. Nira saw the opportunity and took it. "Elemental Dragon…use your Overdrive!"
The E-Dragon howled as her mouth flared with all four of the elements. Hirum frowned…and he quickly yelled, "Machina Maw, fire Elemental Missiles of all types!"
-Machina Maw Special Move: Elemental Missiles-
A plethora of elementally powered missiles swarmed away from the M-Maw and towards the E-Dragon. However, some of them went off course; a good several of them rocketed high into the sky and out of sight. Nira resisted the urge to taunt Hirum for wasting such good missiles. "Elemental Dragon…FIRE!"
-Elemental Dragon Overdrive: Elemental Storm-
The E-Dragon didn't care that a number of missiles pelted her body. She immediately unleashed her overdrive. The massive stream of flaming Fire, chilling Blizzard, drenching Water, and electrifying Thunder magic roared at the M-Maw with frightening speed. Hirum, under the grip of sudden panic, yelped, "MACHINA MAW! PROTECT YOURSELF!"
The M-Maw did. Her eyes flared red and blue as she accessed a defensive technique. Two panels on the aeon's forehead opened up, and a purple energy shield suddenly popped into place in front of the aeon. The shield seemed to ripple with red and blue lines.
-Machina Maw Special Move: Barrier-
The Elemental Storm Overdrive crashed into the Barrier…and seconds later, it tore through it. Although the Barrier – a mixture of the Shell and Protect spells, with a machina twist – was capable of warding off both physical and magical attacks, an Overdrive was something else entirely.
Fortunately, the Barrier had drained a lot of the elemental stream's power…so when the stream dissipated, the M-Maw was still floating in the sky. However, she was on her last legs. Both summoners knew that.
However, there was a small ray of hope for Hirum. The M-Maw suddenly spoke. "INITIATING OVERDRIVE; TOTAL ASSAULT."
-Machina Maw Overdrive: Total Assault-
Nira gulped as the armaments of the M-Maw prepared to open fire. "ELEMENTAL DRAGON! DEFEND YOURSELF!"
The E-Dragon wrapped her tail around herself as she hugged the ground, trying to minimize a target area. It was still going to hurt, however.
Bullets smashed into her scales.
Spiky artillery shells exploded upon her body.
Normal missiles crashed into her, dousing her body with smoke and flame.
Two blue lasers slammed into her body.
The M-Maw set down on the ground, her frame at a tilt because of her missing right leg. Sparks began to fly from her mechanical body. Hirum quietly stepped off and stared at Nira's E-Dragon.
The E-Dragon's blue eyes glared at the boy…and then she slumped to the ground, completely and utterly spent. As the dragon aeon disappeared, pyreflies flew upward, and then sank downward into the ground, apparently disappearing as usual.
Nira scowled.
Hirum chuckled. "I win round 1." With a flick of his wrist, he dismissed the Machina Maw; the aeon was nearly destroyed anyway.
"Pure luck," indignantly retorted Nira.
On the sidelines, Trigon – his smiling mask in the forefront – was mentally smiling. Impressive first bout.
True. Summoner Nira also did well.
Eh, so-so. Now, if I were fightin'…
Apparently, you've missed the point yet again.
Ever heard of sarcasm you moron?
(chuckles)
Meanwhile, Serena was utterly transfixed on the battle. Upon the E-Dragon's defeat, Serena cheered. "YAY! GO HIRUM!"
"Kupo!" cheered Mog, his feet happily dancing on Serena's head.
Cid was silent. Aaron watched the battle with quiet interest.
Teela, on the other hand, was actually smiling. She was actually quite impressed. Heh…nice show. Your spine's getting tougher everyday. However, she was smiling for another reason as well…
Because in all actuality, she had willed the pyreflies of Nira's E-Dragon to fall through the ground…and enter through her feet. She suppressed a snicker; later on, she was going to try and see if she could actually become an aeon. THAT'LL be a first.
Hirum's hands glowed pink, blue, and purple as he yelled, "I summon…Kefka!" Moments later, Kefka appeared in front Hirum.
Smirking, Nira said, "I wasn't expecting to bring out my trump card so soon…but seeing as how you're a bit troublesome for a dropout, I'll have to use it…I summon Blitzan!" Moments later, the masked blitzball-playing aeon of Besaid stood in front of Nira.
Hirum resisted the urge to groan. She calls THIS a trump card?
Then, with a smile, her staff began glowing a dull green. "And now I summon the Eternal Servant!"
Silence gripped everyone.
That's when the light on her staff morphed into a small orb that floated over to Blitzan's shoulder. When the light faded, a small little gnome of about one foot in height stood on the left shoulder of Blitzan. The tiny gnome was completely clad in dull green robes; the symbol of Yevon was embroidered on the front of his body in white. His head was completely covered by a dull green hood; the only things that could be seen were a large, pointy nose and a bushy, dark green mustache. Finally, his right hand – which was completely covered by his robes' long sleeve – clutched onto a tiny wooden staff. Nira grinned cockily at Hirum. "Meet the Eternal Servant, the aeon of the Temple of Yevon-Guadosalam!"
More silence.
On the sidelines, Serena commented. "How cute! That little guy's as small as Mog!"
Hirum immediately roared, "WHAT? A SECOND AEON? HOW THE HECK CAN YOU SUMMON A SECOND AEON? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" After all, that was actually an important lesson at the SSoB; why summoners can never summon more than one aeon at a time. It was actually quite complicated, but the basic idea was this: when a summoner summons an aeon, they call upon the fayth from within them; after all, that's the purpose for obtaining the fayth in the first place. When the summoner calls upon a certain fayth – like say, Sir Wakka – that fayth's life force travels through their body. The summoner then forcefully exerts that life force; this was when the pyreflies would start to form the aeon. After that, the aeon – in this case, Blitzan – fully emerges into reality, and it responds to the summoner's will…after all, the aeon's life force is the same as the fayth's.
The problem with summoning two is that using more than one fayth had disastrous consequences on normal people. Without proper training – or enhancement by other methods – trying to summon two fayth would cause an overflow of mana in the body. To be blunt, the body breaks down under the strain, and the summoner dies. It took something extraordinary to summon two at once…
Only someone like Yu Yevon would be able to summon more than one fayth at once, thought Trigon with a mental frown.
Nira chuckled. "True…of course, that applies for most aeons. But NOT the Eternal Servant. He is an aeon used only for the supportive means…in other words, he is meant to be summoned in conjunction with other aeons. It's a nifty quality unique only to the Eternal Servant…but enough chit-chat!" She pointed her staff at Kefka. "Eternal Servant! Cast defensive and offensive magic on Blitzan! Blitzan, ATTACK!"
The E-Servant quickly cast three spells upon Blitzan; Protect, Shell, and Cheer. A blue, paper-thin aura coated the aeon: the sign of Cheer. A transparent, hexagonal light-blue grid with yellow rims appeared in front of him: the sign of Protect. A glowing red sphere with yellow lines circumventing it: the sign of Shell. Supportive spells that increased resistance to physical and magical attacks…and Cheer increased offensive power.
Blitzan roared as he ran toward Kefka. The triune aeon leapt backwards to avoid a downward punch. Meant for the head, Blitzan's fist crashed into the ground, causing the rocky surface to splinter. Without hesitating, Blitzan immediately propelled himself forward off of his fist, sending his foot crashing into Kefka's sternum.
The flamboyant aeon groaned as he was sent backwards by the hit. He immediately used his hands to stop himself, but Blitzan was already charging again.
Crap! Thought Hirum with a frown. This isn't good! I need to act! "Kefka! Strike at Blitzan with Fira and Thundara!"
Kefka immediately formed two orbs of Thunder and Fire magic in his left and right hands, respectively. He unleashed the Thundara spell in the form of two bolts spiraling together in the shape of a corkscrew. He unleashed the Fira spell in the form of one thin line of piercing flame. All of it meant to pierce the protective Shell.
No such luck. The Shell spell bent a bit upon contact with the Thundara screw and the Fira line, but they both dispersed and dissipated upon the red sphere. Nira chortled. "Tough luck there! Blitzan, use your blitzballs!"
-Blitzan Special Move: Blitzball Barrage-
Two blitzballs emerged from the bony tubes protruding from the aeon's shoulder blades. With nary a pause, the aeon immediately threw both of them at Kefka. Hirum immediately yelled, "Kefka! Split up!"
-Kefka Special Move: Clown Trick-
Kefka suddenly split into ten. The Kefka that Blitzan had aimed for dissipated into smoke upon contact with his two blitzballs. Hirum smirked as the aeon of Besaid stared at his opponents quietly; even though the E-Servant had fortified the aeon with a bevy of supporting magic, he doubted the Shell spell would be enough to stand up against nine Kefkas at once. "Kefkas! Charge your Blizzara spells."
The nine Kefkas smiled as they charged a white orb of Blizzard magic in each palm. With hesitation, they fired their spells in a mixture of icicles, frigid vapor, and hail.
Nira chuckled as the mass of chilly ice magic roared at her two aeons. "Eternal Servant! Cast Reflect on Blitzan!"
Hirum froze.
On the sidelines, Serena asked, "What's Reflect?"
Cid calmly said, "The CESS Operatives were not trained in the use of magic, but we were told how it worked in case our opponents utilized it. Reflect is a defensive spell used for reflecting other magical techniques back at the caster."
"Correct," replied Trigon. "Did you get that Serena?"
Serena suddenly turned her attention away from Mog, who was now standing on her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry. Mog just finished explaining it to me."
This only got a look of confusion from Aaron, Teela, and Trigon. Cid remained stoic.
Mog just smiled. "Kupo!"
Sure enough, Eternal Servant waved his staff around and cast the Reflect spell on Blitzan. A nigh-invisible, almost mirror-like energy field popped into place in front of Blitzan. The wall of Blizzara magic slammed into the Reflect barrier…and, as predicted, the spells were reflected back at their individual casters.
Four of the Kefkas were struck. The other five had enough sense to evade. Abandoning their use of magic, they charged forward, hoping to physically overwhelm Blitzan.
"Abandoning magic because of my Reflect spell, eh? TOO BAD!" Nira smirked as she clenched her staff tightly, preparing to surprise Hirum yet again.
On the sidelines, Kurik remained stoic. On one hand, he could not help but feel happy for his charge; Nira had grown quickly as a summoner; this battle was proof enough. However, he was also concerned for her opponent Hirum…because something told him – call it gut instinct – that the boy was not the 'dropout' he had been claimed to be. Either way, Nira should not let her head get too full during battle. Enemies tend to surprise those who want to do the same…
"Blitzan…use your Blitzball Cannon!"
Hirum froze at the mention of that. ANOTHER new technique? What has this girl been doing? Well…going on her pilgrimage for one, unlike Hirum. He had been too preoccupied with the 'sidequest' to Nibilo to seriously train with his aeons.
-Blitzan Special Move: Blitzball Cannon-
Blitzballs suddenly came flying out of the bony tubes, as if being shot out of a cannon. With ruthless accuracy, he picked off the five Kefkas until only one remained: the real one. Kefka was being bombarded senseless by the barrage of blitzballs…that is until Hirum reacted.
"Kefka! Energy Shield!"
-Kefka Special Move: Energy Shield-
A familiar purple energy shield appeared in Kefka's hands; the blitzballs suddenly started pounding it, transferring more energy to Kefka.
At the sight of the shield, Nira immediately yelled, "Cease your attack!" Blitzan stopped his cannon. Hirum frowned; Nira undoubtedly had the aeon of Djose – why else would she be this far northward? – so she knew of his capabilities. Blast it all…so much for a quick and easy Overdrive. Oh well…some energy is better than nothing.
He wondered if his plan would work. It had been for the last aeon; he had intended for Kefka to quickly finish off the second aeon so he could utilize his plan for the third aeon. But with the E-Servant's arrival…he was now being forced to improvise. Kefka wouldn't be able to defeat this powered up Blitzan on his own. He glanced upward into the sky; he had to act now.
Suddenly, pyreflies began drifting out of Blitzan's blitzball tubes; his Overdrive was charged up. Nira chuckled. "What to do, what to do, eh dropout? The Eternal Servant's spells have made Blitzan too tough to touch…and your Kefka can't do a thing! Blitzan…USE YOUR OVERDRIVE!"
-Blitzan Overdrive: Auroch Storm-
Hirum growled as Blitzan split into six identical copies, each of whom held two blitzballs. Screw the waiting… A small blue aura flared around him; the sign of the Grand Summon Overdrive. It's do or die time!
Aaron frowned at the sight of the blue aura. "What's with Hirum?"
"…he's…oh no," muttered Trigon. His masks switched. "That fool…"
-Hirum Overdrive: Grand Summon-
"I summon…DULLAHAN!" yelled Hirum as he called upon the fayth of Luca Temple. Nira's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the sight. "WHAT? ARE YOU STUPID? WHY THE HECK ARE YOU SUMMONING A SECOND AEON?"
Hirum – much to his own surprise – chuckled as Dullahan materialized in front of him. "Why are you…so surprised…? You're doing it…" His breathing was labored…and he felt a surging burn run through him as the life force of two fayth struggled to remain stable within his mortal body. Hirum winced; it already hurt to move. Still…he had a fight to win. "Dullahan…use your Overdrive. Aim it for the ground."
Dullahan grunted as she clenched her sword tightly; due to the Grand Summon, her overdrive was completely maxed out.
-Dullahan Overdrive: Banshee Howl-
Kefka leapt out of the circle of Blitzans moments before the massive maelstrom erupted from the open hole on the top of the body. A shrill shriek accompanied the Overdrive, causing everyone – save for Trigon, Cid, and Hirum – to cover their ears. Trigon simply shut off his ears. Cid's helmet compensated for the loud volume by dampening the audio sensors. Hirum was too pained to close his ears.
When the maelstrom ceased, Kefka faced the original Blitzan defiantly. The Eternal Servant was on the ground, some distance away; apparently, the spells it cast did not work on aeon's Overdrives.
Before Nira could say anything, the E-Servant was vaporized with one blast of Thundara from Kefka. Hirum chuckled ruefully. "Heh…guess the Eternal Servant isn't really that much of a tough guy once he's separated from the other aeon, eh?"
Nira snorted. No way was she going to lose. No way! "Yeah, but Blitzan is STILL powered up. Your aeons won't…hey…where's Dullahan?" In her current state, Nira had completely missed out on the fact that Dullahan had seemingly disappeared after using her Overdrive.
Hirum smiled as he pointed upward…and then he slightly winced.
Nira looked upward, as did Blitzan…and so did everyone else.
They were surprised and shocked; Dullahan was high in the air. Nira paled; Dullahan's Overdrive had been aimed at the ground for a reason…to propel her upward into the sky for an aerial attack…
But that wasn't all. To Nira's horror, she saw missiles flying down towards Dullahan: the M-Maw's missiles that had supposedly missed. Their fuel had long since run out, and they had been falling for quite some time now. No way…Hirum planned this far ahead?
Dullahan slashed through the missiles with her sword. Her sword immediately became awash in bubbling water, frigid vapor, fiery flames, and crackling electricity.
-Dullahan Special Move: Elemental Strike-
Nira paled; Dullahan was aiming her sword for the Blitzan's head! "Blitzan! Run away!"
Blitzan tried…but couldn't.
In the time he had spent looking up at Dullahan, Kefka had grabbed him from behind in a locked body hold. Blitzan tried to struggle…but to no avail. Nira slowly saw everything crumble before her. No! This can't be!
SPLURTCH.
Blitzan moaned soundlessly as the massive blade of Dullahan entered his head. Moments later, the aeon of Besaid dissipated, leaving only Kefka and Dullahan behind.
Hirum chuckled as he dismissed both of his aeons. "Heh…looks like…the 'dropout'…won again…"
Even as relief from the pain flooded Hirum's veins, he immediately collapsed to the ground.
xxxx
To be continued…
Next time…
Chapter 50: The Farplane
xxxx
Author's Notes: How'd you guys like the aeon battle?
Anyhow, next chapter is a big milestone for FFX-3: the 50th chapter! And what better way to mark the 50th chapter than to chronicle Hirum and his guardians' journey to the Farplane…based in none other than Guadosalam…
See you soon, and please review!
