BLAM!

"One down, guys! Get ready to take down more!"

"Good attempt to raise our morals, boy. But honestly, taking that one down already felt like a year's worth of struggle."

"Would you two just shut up and ATTACK?!"

That angry yell from Fang immediately silences Snow and Sazh. Without further ado, they continue unleashing their magic attacks at Mnerva, who —disturbingly—does not seem to be affected much by the loss of its leftmost turrets.

Conversely, we on team l'Cie—as Sazh calls it—are running low on stamina and magic.

Taking in a ragged breath, I force myself to shoot more Thunder spells at Mnerva's hulking form. Beside me, Vanille and Hope are doing likewise. Even Fang has foregone her usual physical attacks and is now going all out on magic.

Right… At this distance, our physical attacks cannot reach Mnerva at all. Hence we have reached a mutual agreement to torrent it with magic, and that effort at least shows some result. After a long succession of desperate magic attacks, we finally manage to take down one of Mnerva's turrets.

But that hardly means we are close to defeating it.

As of now, Mnerva is still as dangerous as ever—it is still hulking before us, as massive and indestructible as a fortress. Although its devastating firearm attacks have been reduced, but its other turrets and cannons are still preventing us from getting close to it.

The bright side of this near-impenetrable defense? It proves that Mnerva is wary of physical attacks. It fears them, hence it keeps us away by shooting at us like crazy. Well, at least that's what Fang said—in between her impressive barrage of curses, of course.

As for now, our plan is to continue attacking Mnerva with magic, while looking for an opening to inflict it with our physical attacks. Only then would we be able to defeat it… and go after Light.

A shudder runs down my spine at this thought. Here we are, taking such a long time to defeat Mnerva, while Lightning fights Barthandelus alone under unknown circumstances. Is she okay? Is she injured? Is Fafnir hurting her? Hundreds of questions swirl in my mind, urging me to continue attacking Mnerva despite my depleting strength.

However, that's when Vanille suddenly lets out a startled gasp.

"Vanille, whats wrong?" I ask, turning to face her immediately. Beside me, Fang sends the redhead a worried glance too even as she casts more debuffs at Mnerva.

Vanille looks up to meet my gaze—and my heart lurches upon seeing the desperation and worry in her eyes.

"It's Lightning—her wound from Yojimbo reopens!"

Those words stab me like knives, leaving me staring wide-eyed and speechless.

"What… why… how do you know?" I stutter. The others have heard it as well—their heads are all turned to Vanille, all the while struggling to avoid Mnerva's attacks. Luckily, Fang has managed to afflict it with Slowga—making its attacks clumsy and avoidable.

Vanille quickly explains, her voice nearing a whimper. "I… I sealed a Regen spell in that wound before, casting it in such a way that it would only release its healing power when the wound reopens. Just now—just now, I felt it activating—it can only mean—"

She doesn't have to continue. All of us heard her; all of us understand the implication. With a renewed vigor, we focus our attacks again at Mnerva. Beside me, Fang has almost gone berserk; with a feral roar, she casts Ruinga over and over again, hardly stopping in her effort to bring the demi-fal'Cie down.

"GET THE HELL OUTTA OUR WAY!" Fang roars.

Behind her, Hope is attacking feverishly as well; his face wane with worry. Meanwhile, it feels like all emotion has drained off me. I can't feel anything besides fear. Yelling desperately, I join in the others' barrage of attacks.


"Ugh…"

Lightning grimaces, clenching her teeth against the pain in her midriff. By now the throbbing has turned into a constant burning sensation, which flares even more painfully every time she inhales. Despite this, Lightning forces herself to control her breathing. She knows all too well what would happen if she doesn't—lack of oxygen would render her unconscious. And then… yeah. Barthandelus can kill her leisurely.

Gritting her teeth, Lightning forces herself to a crouching position. As she does that, she glances at Barthandelus—he's still hindered behind the storming wall of Aerora and Ruinga. At this short respite, Lightning lets her gaze drop to her blood covered midriff.

Damn you, Yojimbo…

Tensing herself for the pain, Lightning flaps her overcoat aside to inspect her wound. What she sees sends cold dread into her heart, a feeling she's always taught to avoid in the heat of battle.

Yet she can't help it; what with the terrifying sight of her wound. While it was usually a rough, reddish-brown line, now it is bright crimson, gaping and soaked with blood. The red liquid flows out from the wound with each throb, covering her left waist in its ruby hue. Lightning lets out the breath she's been holding, half-expecting more blood to surge out from the wound—

—but nothing happens.

Lightning blinks, struggling to focus her blurred vision. She thought it was her pained mind playing tricks on her—but it was not. Her wound has indeed stopped bleeding.

It was then that the soldier senses the warmth of a healing spell working its power in her wound. A grim smile tugs at her lips.

Regen… I owe you one, Vanille.

That's it. Lightning can sense it clearly now; a Regen spell is working in her wound, stitching back flesh and stopping the bleeding. Thanks to it, her wound does not fully open. Only the outer surface is torn—and even then, the Regen is already working to stop its bleeding. It is still hurting of course, but nothing she can't handle. At least she won't die from loss of blood… yet.

However, this small relief is ephemeral. Because right then, Barthandelus charges through the obscuring storm.

Lightning looks up in alarm as Barthandelus's roar echoes from the ravines. Cursing softly, she leaps to her feet—and has to stifle a cry of pain as her wound throbs. But still, the soldier grits her teeth and forces herself to remain standing. However, that's when Barthandelus perceives her bleeding wound.

The fal'Cie laughs. It is a cruel, victorious laugh; one that echoes his certainty of winning this battle.

"You're done for, Lightning Farron!"

He raises his claws to attack—and that's when a thought that every soldier dreads makes its way into Lightning's mind.

The thought that she is going to lose. The realization of an incoming attack, an attack that would cut her life source away. The knowledge that she is going to die in the hands of a far, far stronger opponent.

Not a damn chance!

Roaring in defiance, Lightning raises Fafnir and swings it to block Barthandelus's attack. The fal'Cie grins; his dying prey is trying to fight back.

Even as Lightning takes a step back from Barthandelus, she can already feel her wound throbbing more viciously—threatening to overcome Vanille's Regen and tearing fully open. Yet the soldier holds in the pain; she swings Fafnir relentlessly, chaining one attack after another, blocking Barthandelus's swiping claws away from her. The fal'Cie roars; the ferocity of her attacks startles him.

But he knows it is just the desperate ferocity of a cornered prey.

A slight opening amidst the barrage of attacks; without hesitation, Barthandelus slams his fist into Lightning's torso.


The blow isn't especially powerful— she managed to block most of its power with Fafnir. However, the impact force still reverberates through her body, further aggravating her wound. This time, a pained cry escapes Lightning's lips.

And that's when Barthandelus raises his right hand, claws out—before bringing it down like a guillotine towards her head.

Clang!

Lightning grunts; in a split second before the attack crushes her skull, her instincts have prompted her to raise Fafnir above her head. And now the blazing blade is the only thing blocking Barthandelus's claws from her flesh.

Barthandelus growls furiously; with a grunt, he adds pressure to his claws, their sharp tips only inches from Lightning's head.

Meanwhile, Lightning isn't giving up either; gritting her teeth, she tenses her arms and digs her feet firmly to the ground in her struggle to withstand Barthandelus's fist.

However, that's when her wound flares in greater pain.

Barthandelus feels Lightning's grip on Fafnir weakening; with a victorious roar, he forces his hand downwards. Sensing this, Lightning uses all her energy to shove Fafnir sideways, thus pushing Barthandelus's claws away from her head—

—Yet one of the fal'Cie's long claws still finds its way into her left shoulder, stabbing right through her Guardian Corps epaulette and entering her flesh like a bullet.

Lightning shouts in pain; under the weight of Barthandelus's hand, Fafnir slams against her shoulder. Immediately the offending claw buries itself deeper in her flesh, blood slowly pooling around it. Some of the blood stains Fafnir—but immediately disappears into the blade, as if absorbed.

However, neither Barthandelus nor Lightning notices this anomaly.

Barthandelus laughs as he watches Lightning's struggle to remain standing. Mercilessly, he flexes his claw; drawing a pained gasp from the soldier. The fal'Cie grins ominously.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he asks, his voice maliciously soft and caressing. "Well, it is just the beginning."

And with that, the fal'Cie pulls his claw out of Lightning's shoulder.

Lightning shouts in pain as the crimson-layered claw splatters her blood to the ground; her legs tremble heavily beneath her, threatening to give away. But Barthandelus isn't done.

Mercilessly, the fal'Cie's massive right hand lashes forward again—this time grabbing Lightning around her neck, lifting her body well off the ground. The soldier gasps for air, but Barthandelus's hold is iron-tight. It cuts her airway completely, blocking the much-needed oxygen, causing Lightning's vision to darken dangerously as her consciousness fades. Fafnir falls from her weak grip, clattering uselessly on the ground.

The fal'Cie chuckles.

"This is the end for you, Lightning Farron."

He raises his left claws, ready to bring it down upon Lightning and tear her body from head to toe.


It… hurts…

Lightning is exhausted… All the pain and blood loss are sapping her energy greatly, leaving her on the verge of unconsciousness. But despite this, her instincts are still awake; they are screaming at her to do anything, anything at all to avoid the falling claws.

A small groan escapes her lips. She can't breathe… her midriff hurts like hell… and her left shoulder throbs excruciatingly, the bleeding hole gaping as wide as Barthandelus's claw. In the midst of all this agony, the prospect of getting her body torn to death doesn't sound so bad… at least the pain would stop then…

Dying's easy.

At this thought, Lightning vision suddenly clears. She blinks in surprise—before her, she sees Barthandelus's raised claws. They would descend upon her soon, killing her.

And that's when Lightning's memory of her friends and sister surge forward, along with her resolve.

but I have people worth living for.

One second is all she had as the claws descend upon her.

But then again, one second is enough for Lightning.

Channeling all her remaining energy into her uninjured right hand, Lightning unleashes her Wrath of Heavens at Barthandelus's torso.

CRACK!

"Aaaargh!"

The fal'Cie bellows in pain; his descending claws suddenly lose their strength. His hold around Lightning's neck loosens—the soldier drops to the ground—

—but not before one of Barthandelus's flailing claws slashes her face across the right eye.

Lightning's pained cry joins the fal'Cie's.


"Lightning…?"

I turn my face up to the sky—the afternoon sun is shining brightly as per normal, but I know something is wrong. Damn, I can sense it… there is this sudden heart-lurching feeling jabbing into my chest, causing me to immediately think of Lightning.

I frown in worry, knowing that something is happening to her—and it's definitely not something good. Her wound is already half-opened… what now? Is it opening fully? Or is Barthandelus… hurting her?

…I don't even know what's befalling my sister. Here I am, completely helpless and unable to reach her beyond Mnerva's hulking form.

Yelling angrily in frustration, I cast even more powerful spells at Mnerva. Sensing my desperate urgency, the others glance at me. Whatever they see in my face clearly spurs them into similar renewed vigor; their attacks get stronger, barraging the demi-fal'Cie relentlessly.

And Fang—it seems she's felt the same tugging, unpleasant sensation as me. Her eyebrows are frowned in deep worry, her arms lashing out feverishly as she casts her attacks. Beside her, Vanille is attacking desperately as well—and I think I glimpsed tears flowing down her cheek.

We all know something is wrong. We all know… Lightning needs help.

Yet we are unable to aid her in any way…

"Enough of this! Let's go all out, combine our attacks!" Fang roars in desperation.


Lightning is panting heavily, her breaths coming out as short, pained gasps. She has dropped on a crouching position, her good hand pressed tightly against her right eye. Even then, blood still flows from the deep slash, covering her cheek with crimson.

"Guh…"

Lightning tries to open her eye; realizing with dread that she can't. Barthandelus's claw has torn a deep slash across it, and now she can't open it. She can't see… even with her left eye uninjured, her vision is still hazy due to the searing pain.

But she knows Barthandelus is still nearby. Blindly, Lightning grasps around for Fafnir; letting out a ragged sigh when she feels her fingers grazing its hilt. Without wasting any more time, she grabs the sword, using it as a support as she forces her battered-up body to stand. Her wounds throb—her midriff, her shoulder, her eye—her body is basically screaming at her to give up, to fall back and rest.

I'd love to—if only that wouldn't mean death.

Lightning grunts—right now, the only thing she can feel is pain. She can't even think anymore… her instincts are the only thing moving her body. She raises Fafnir—

—just on time to block Barthandelus's claws as they descend upon her body. The sudden weight presses against Lightning mercilessly, forcing her knees to buckle. Hell, she can't even see anymore—her right eye is a gone case, while her left eye only shows her flashes of hazy colors. But she can still hear Barthandelus's furious roar; that last Wrath of Heavens from her must have injured him quite badly. He's all the more set to rip her into shreds now.

I'm definitely cornered.

However, as this thought flits through Lightning's pain-fogged mind… a distant memory awakes as well.


"Tell me, Sergeant… which monster fascinates you?"

Lightning blinks—she looks around in confusion, taking in the familiar view of the Guardian Corps' private training ground. Frowning, she touches her right eye—it's perfectly fine. No deep slash tearing across it, no pain surging through her… even her shoulder and midriff are perfectly fine.

"Hey there, you heard me, Farron?"

Lightning's head jerks up—right to see the jovial face of her superior, Lieutenant Amodar. Right now the Lieutenant is raising his eyebrows, waiting for her answer.

A hesitant smirk tugs at Lightning's lips. Somehow, she's back at the GC headquarter, receiving her advanced combat training from the Lieutenant. She ponders his question for a while before finally answering.

"I guess dragons are quite formidable monsters, sir."

A glint of amusement in the Lieutenant's warm eyes. "Dragons, eh? Ha, somehow you and I have the same answer! What kind of dragon, though?" he asks further.

Lightning stares blankly. Sensing her confusion, the Lieutenant explains.

"Like, y'know… for me, I admire those Earth Dragons. You know… the ones with hulking bodies, muscular tails and all? They don't have wings, though."

Lightning chuckles at this. "Now that you mention it, sir… you do look like an Earth dragon. Hulking physique and all… but too heavy to fly."

At this, Amodar bursts out laughing. "You're feisty as always, Farron! But yeah, you're right. I can't imagine myself flying either… But you—I can totally imagine you flyin'! Especially with your liking to jumping off cliffs using those grav-con units, ha. Do you realize that most GC soldiers are reluctant to do it, even with the units? The falling speed terrifies them!"

Lightning scoffs; she doesn't care what other soldiers feel, it's their problem if they're scared of heights. She folds her arms, starting to feel annoyed. She isn't here to discuss other soldiers, she can't care less about them… she is here to train, dammit. "May I know why we are having this conversation about dragons, sir?" she asks, trying to get her supervisor back on track.

"No nonsense as always, huh?" Lieutenant Amodar chuckles. "Well, here's the thing, Farron—I'm planning to teach you a new fighting technique today. I'm sure you've noticed by now that some of these techniques are derived from monsters, right? Like, the 'Chocobo Kick' for example? Well, that's one. But there are actually way more powerful techniques than that, which are derived from dragons."

Here the Lieutenant grins. "Interested, Sergeant?"

Lightning eyes him skeptically, still unconvinced. "And how does fighting like a giant lizard benefit me?"

"Oh, come on!" Amodar waves his huge hand dismissively. "You said it yourself; a dragon is a powerful beast! Wouldn't you want to benefit from its style?"

Lightning shrugs. "If you recommend it, then I suppose it'd be worth training for, sir... just don't expect me to sprout wings, scales and stuff."

A satisfied chuckle from the Lieutenant.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that! This technique involves both dodging and offensive moves, quite similar to your own fighting style, in fact." He folds his arms, looking proudly at her before continuing his explanation. "Thus, I'm actually quite sure that you'll find this technique easy to master. But then again, I don't want you to merely master it! I want you to reach a level in which you can execute it without thinking or seeing, basically making it a part of your instincts. One day it might even be your savior when you're cornered…"

He trails off for a second there; but soon his sprightly eyes flick back to Lightning, glinting with challenge. "But beware, Sergeant—achieving that level of mastery is gonna be hard, I can assure you."

Upon hearing this, Lightning smirks slightly.

"Sounds good, sir."


And so she trained. Under Lieutenant Amodar's directions, Lightning trained day after day, perfecting each form, repeating each form endlessly until every one of them becomes a reflex to her. A reflex she only uses when she's cornered, though—and since she's rarely cornered, she seldom uses them. But the memory of their executions still lingers in her body, as permanent as her reflexes and instincts.


Lightning snaps back to the present, the distant memory fading from her mind. Immediately she feels the pressure of Barthandelus's claws on Fafnir again, threatening to crush her defense and tear her body. And yeah—not to forget the pain. Her right eye, midriff and shoulder start acting up again, surging waves of pain through her. They cloud her mind, turning her vision into darkness. But her instincts are still as clear as always.

As Barthandelus increases the pressure of his claws on Fafnir, Lightning feels her feet trembling. It's useless—they would give away soon. She's cornered—

When cornered, even the high-flying dragons would drop to the ground.

Lightning's head jerks slightly as this memory of Lieutenant Amodar's voice surfaces. No, it's more of… the memory of her training.

Time to move on instinct. Her body and thoughts are already numb; there is simply nothing else she can rely on.

Dragons drop themselves to the ground…

Without further ado, Lightning drops herself forward to the ground, breaking Fafnir's lock with Barthandelus's claws. The fal'Cie is surprised by this sudden maneuver—the loss of Fafnir's obstruction causes him to stagger forward.

They recoil like snakes…

Lightning pushes the ground with her palms, jerking her torso up and backwards—right on time to dodge Barthandelus's claws as they slam to the spot where her torso was a second before.

Raise their wings…

Her grip on Fafnir tightens—Lightning raises the fire sword, its blazing blade catching the afternoon sun brilliantly. Then, without hesitation, she jabs it downwards at Barthandelus's hand on the ground—

—releasing her grip just before the blade makes contact with the fal'Cie's flesh.

Barthandelus roars in pain; Fafnir has stabbed his hand all the way through, impaling him to the ground. Meanwhile, Lightning isn't hurt—her well-timed release of Fafnir means she wasn't in contact with the bloodthirsty sword when it wounded the fal'Cie. Hence, this time she's spared from the backlash. She can still use her right hand.

Then whip their tails.

Lightning's right hand shoots out, grabbing Fafnir's hilt even while the sword is still stuck in Barthandelus's flesh. Using the sword as a pivot, the soldier spins her body in a deadly arc—

—and kicks Barthandelus powerfully, pushing him backwards. The fal'Cie's roar of pain echoes from the ravines as his right hand is ripped from Fafnir's blade.

You know what's next. Dragons breathe fire.

Using the momentum of her spin, Lightning swings her body to face Barthandelus again. Back then in the GC, she merely used Manadrive Fire… but now that she's a l'Cie, she has her own magic to make use of.

Without wasting any second, Lightning holds in her wounds' throbbing and unleashes another Wrath of Heavens at the fal'Cie.

CRACK!

"Aaargh!"

Just like a dragon's fire, this Wrath of Heavens shoots out horizontally and strikes Barthandelus right in his chest. The fal'Cie bellows—but the attack is too powerful for him. It sends him tumbling backwards, straight towards the ravines, and…

…pushes him over the precipice.

Soon the fal'Cie's pained bellows grow distant as he falls to the bottom of the ravine. A deep, long trench scars the ground from where his body skidded across.

Meanwhile, Lightning collapses as well, her energy drained.


I've gotta move…

Lightning breathes heavily, struggling to get air into her lungs. She has to move, dammit… Barthandelus won't die just because he slipped off some cliff, he'd find his way back up soon… and she'd surely get killed if she just lie around like this.

With tremendous effort, Lightning drags herself forward with her hands. Already has the effort strained her wounds—a pained gasp escapes her lips as her left arm buckles, the gaping wound on her shoulder throbbing torturously. Gritting her teeth, Lightning inches forward until she feels the reassuring support of a rock against her good shoulder.

Letting out a trembling breath, the soldier turns her body around, her back now leaning heavily against the rock. In her state, even the coarse rock feels like a cushion—as long as it gives her wounded body a firm support, it's enough for her.

Only then that Lightning opens her left eye tiredly, glancing at her torso to check on her wounds.

Not good.

The left side of her waist is covered in blood, as well as her left arm. The deep wound on her shoulder still bleeds slowly, the crimson blood flowing in thin rivulets down to her fingertips. Lightning groans. She doesn't even want to see the state of her right eye now. The bleeding has stopped, but she can feel the warm blood covering her cheek. Opening that eye is out of the question—for now, she can only rely on her left eye for vision. Even then, her vision is hazy. She can barely see more than two meters ahead.

Lightning inhales painfully as she leans her head back against the rock. Every breath she takes strains the wound on her waist—and the damned gash hasn't even opened fully. The worst thing is that she's currently so exhausted that she can't even cast a simple Cure. She'll have to wait for Vanille… if there is anyone who can heal her wounds, especially her slashed eye, the little redhead would be the one. Her Medic skills are the strongest…

Provided she can survive long enough to see Vanille again, of course.

Lightning grits her teeth in desperation. She can barely move… her hand is trembling so much that she can't even hold Fafnir's hilt properly anymore. The moment Barthandelus emerges from the ravine—which wouldn't be long now—he would surely decapitate her. And she'd never see Serah or the others again…

At this thought, a different emotion surges through the soldier. It takes a moment before she recognizes it as… anger. Anger at Barthandelus, anger at her wounds… even anger at herself, for being so weak and battered up like this.

Right… in all their previous battles, Lightning always came close to defeating Barthandelus. Close, but never once did she actually manage to do it. She's always failed before delivering the final blow, while that blow was actually all she needed to defeat Barthandelus on the spot. But nope, she always failed.

And her friends are always the ones to suffer the consequences of her failures.

First Zalera… then Palumpolum… and now this?

Lightning doesn't need anyone to tell her what would happen if she doesn't defeat Barthandelus. The fal'Cie would doubtlessly slaughter her friends, before finally massacring the entire Cocoon. All the pain and suffering they've gone through to get here would be for naught. All because she is too weak to defeat the decrepit fal'Cie…

Lightning growls, struggling to get back to her feet. But it's useless—tries though she might, she can't even lift her head up anymore. All energy seems to be leaving her body, flowing freely out of her wounds. She's as immobile as a horse with broken legs.

"Damn…"

Lightning shuts her eye closed, cursing softly. She's never felt this furious with herself before… furious at her own weakness, furious at her own incompetence. The lives of her friends, and Cocoon, are at stake here… everything she's ever come to care about are going to be annihilated soon. Yet she can't even get to her feet to protect them.

The soldier grits her teeth in desperation.

Please… I just need more strength… to fight for those I care about…

However, right then the wound on her waist flares excruciatingly. Even though Vanille's Regen is still active, but Lightning's forcing herself to fight has aggravated it.

"Guh… ahk!"

Lightning's head jerks forward—another wave of pain stabs into her, accompanied by a coughing fit. Her body reflexively moves into a crouching position as blood starts spluttering from her mouth. The soldier clenches her fists against the pain, barely noticing Fafnir that is still gripped in her right hand.

But that's when a soft, hissing voice suddenly speaks.

"You hunger for power…"

Lightning looks up immediately, startled. "Who's there?!"

The voice speaks again, as softly as before. "Oh, you know me."

"Show yourself!" Lightning growls, her patience decreasing rapidly. She forces her left eye to focus, scanning the area around her quickly for signs of whoever it is talking to her.

But the voice's reply really takes her aback.

"I am already in your hands, dear master."

Lightning frowns. Hesitantly, she looks down at her right hand—right on time to see a drop of blood dripping onto Fafnir's blade from her wound and… disappears.

And exactly then, the flames within the blade suddenly pulsate with energy, coiling and rolling to form a massive eye staringat her. The eye is blood-red in color, with a pitch black, slit-like pupil resembling that of a dragon's.

Fafnir? Lightning thinks incredulously.

"That's right, dear master. Finally I can muster enough strength to reach your mind."

There comes the voice again. But this time, Lightning realizes that the voice speaks inside her mind.


"Clear with that?! We've got to get this right!" Fang shouts at her friends.

The united yells of affirmation she receives make the huntress nod in approval. This is their last resort to bring Mnerva down… if this tactic doesn't work, Fang doesn't know what to do anymore to get rid of this damn oversized bird.

If only Lightning is here…

Fang shakes her head in anger; it is exactly because Lightning isn't here that they have to try this ragtag strategy, dammit. No matter what, they have to make sure this strategy works… they have to get rid of Mnerva, for Etro's sake!

…Because Lightning is still out there, and Fang can definitely sense that her battle partner is in trouble.

The huntress growls, readying her lance. Before her, the massive bulk of Mnerva still hovers menacingly, blocking their path. She's fought something similar to this oversized piece of metal before… back there in Zalera, that stupid prison General's Warmech. Lightning was there with her back then, and somehow she came up with the idea to combine their techniques together to bring down the gigantic machine. Army of One plus Launch… Damn, ain't that move powerful.

And that's what Fang is aiming to recreate now. Combining attacks, not only from two people but from all of her friends here. Casting magic over and over again won't help them defeat Mnerva; they need to hit it with physical attacks that it so fears. And the only way to do it past all the demi-fal'Cie's defenses is by combining their attacks in one rapid chain.

Glancing sidelong at her five comrades, Fang's gaze meets Snow's.

He nods.

At this cue, Fang immediately starts moving.

"TIME FOR YOU TO CRASH, OVERGROWN OWL!" the huntress roars as she dashes towards Mnerva.

In response, Mnerva whirs angrily; without hesitation, it shoots its cannons at Fang. However, none hits the huntress—for she has leapt to the air…

…stepping on Snow's massive fist for a second, before the huge man yells and launches her straight at the enemy.

Mnerva's massive mechanic head flicks up in alarm; its blank eyes follow Fang as the huntress shoots through the air and reaches the top of her trajectory directly above the demi-fal'Cie. She raises her crimson lance dangerously, prompting Mnerva to aim its cannons at her again—

—But before it can shoot, Hope has cast a Ruinga to the air, the spell exploding right above Fang. The huntress is unhurt, though; Sazh has cast Shell for her just on time. Yet the impact force of the explosion still takes effect, hurtling Fang straight towards Mnerva like a meteor, her sharp lance glinting under the afternoon sun.

WRECK!

—And that's when Fang's much-strengthened Highwind hits Mnerva right on the center of its iron-clad body, tearing a hole straight through its hull with a deafening explosion.

Mnerva shrieks shrilly—Fang's attack has caused it to lose some control over its wings, the massive battleship now beginning to tilt sideways. The demi-fal'Cie struggles to remain airborne—with a furious whirring, its wings lift again as it attempts to retreat—

—But Vanille won't let that happen. With a powerful swing of her binding rod, the redhead sends its hooked ropes tangling around Mnerva, preventing it from retreating. Meanwhile, Fang lands safely on her feet—Serah's well-timed Slow spell has prevented her from falling smack-dab to the bone-crushing ground.

But the attack chain isn't over. With Mnerva entangled in Vanille's binding rod, Sazh quickly unleashes his best move.

"This is gonna sting!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Tens of meteor-bullets fall from the sky, as Sazh unleashes his Cold Blood combined with Firaga. The powerful bullets tear even more holes in Mnerva—a series of explosions wreck its body, smoke billowing dangerously around its wings. It's inevitable now—with a roaring whir, the gigantic battle ship plunges to the ground.

"Now!"

No one wastes any second—the moment Mnerva hits the ground, Hope, Serah and Vanille cast their Deprotect spells at it. When the spells take effect, Fang, Sazh and Snow immediately unleash their attacks.

Highwind, Sovereign Fist and a barrage of bullets hit Mnerva—a series of powerful physical attacks that it is weak of. Coupled with the Deprotect spells, it suffers a great damage, shrieking—

—before it finally explodes into thousands of crystal shards, which settle to the ground slowly around the victorious l'Cie.

But that's when Vanille suddenly shouts in alarm.

"Guys, watch out of the crystals! I think they possess magic of some kind!"

Fang hears her; without questioning, the huntress immediately dashes away from the settling crystals like Vanille does.

But the others act a second too slow.

"Whoa!"

Without warning, the floating crystals change color into red; before thick magic fibers appear to connect them to one another. Before long, the crystals have turned into a massive, dome-shaped mesh which imprisons all the l'Cie except Fang and Vanille. It is Mnerva's last attempt to slow them down: Paling.


"The hell is this!" Snow yells, charging at the shimmering scarlet web surrounding him and his friends. He punches at it with all his strength—but it doesn't even budge. Snow stares at it in disbelief.

"It's useless, Snow! This thing is a Paling; Barthandelus used this to trap Lightning and me back then in the Faultwarrens!" I warn, grabbing Snow's arm when he raises it to punch at the web again. Frustration wells in me; how can we let ourselves be trapped like this?! Breaking a Paling takes a long time! And we don't have time… Lightning…

"So how did you two get out?" Hope asks me nervously, eyeing the eerie scarlet web above our heads.

"Use magic! Palings are immune to physical attacks, but merely resistant to magic!" Vanille suddenly shouts from the other side of the web, her voice oddly muffled. I look at her and Fang as they cast numerous Ruinga at the web, in their effort to free us.

But we can't waste any more time.

Shaking my head in frustration, I quickly make my decision. I rush to the web, trying to get as close as possible to Fang and Vanille so they can hear my voice.

"Fang! Vanille!"

The two Oerbans stop attacking the web, their attention falling to me immediately. Even through this Paling, I can see the deep worry and desperation in their eyes. They know time is running short…

I shout again as loudly as I can.

"…Save Lightning! Go and help her; please! We'll be fine—we'll break this Paling as soon as possible! But until then, you two have to find Light—she's in trouble, I can feel it… Please, we can't waste any more time…!"

Fang and Vanille stare at me, hesitating. True that it would take quite a long time to break through a Paling, but can they just leave their friends like this…?

But that's when the others' voice boom as well.

"Go Fang, Vanille! Help Light!" Hope shouts, waving his arm urgently.

"Soldier Girl needs you two more than us; quit worrying like old grannies and help her!" Sazh joins.

"You guys gotta be the heroes now!" Snow hollers, even as he starts casting Blizzaga at the sturdy Paling.

My tears almost fall; this is a bad joke, how can we get stuck in this Paling right after defeating Mnerva?! Only Fang and Vanille are free to move around now, and I can only count on them.

"Please, Fang… Vanille… save my sister…"

That's it. Making up her mind, Fang straps her lance to her back. Vanille does likewise—with a quick flick of her wrist, she folds her binding rod and attaches it to her waist.

"Alright, fine!" Fang shouts. "But you all better break this thing fast and catch up with us, okay?"

"Don't worry! You two just go and help Light; there is no danger in this Paling! It's just here to slow us down…" Sazh replies, his eyes observing the scarlet threads.

"Hurry!"

With a grim nod, Fang turns around and dashes towards the portal that Barthandelus made, Vanille following her somewhat reluctantly. The little redhead never likes leaving her comrades behind… but Serah's right, currently they can't waste any more time. Lightning might be dying right now, and they've gotta help her!

With that, the two Oerbans sprint as fast as they can, heading to Gran Pulse. Behind them, within the Paling, Sazh has summoned Brynhildr to help him and the others in breaking the web.


Lightning stares at the flaring sword in her hand, struggling to see clearly through her blurred vision. Barthandelus still hasn't emerged from the ravine—it seems her last Wrath of Heavens has injured him quite badly. At least it gives her some time… to deal with this sword which suddenly speaks into her mind. Hundreds of question rush through her, but she simply has no time to demand the answers to all of them.

What… do you want? Lightning finally asks tiredly, her consciousness starting to fade with all the pain in her wounds.

But instead of answering her, Fafnir replies with a statement. "You desire power."

Lightning frowns.

So what if I do?

"I can help you with that, dear master," Fafnir replies confidently. "I can lend you my power, more than enough power to help you defeat that fal'Cie nemesis of yours."

Lightning blinks as she hears this. Can it be a mere coincidence that an ancient, bloodthirsty sword suddenly offers her his power just when she desperately needs it? No matter what, it sounds too good to be true. She is still suspicious of this sword... she just can't trust it immediately.

And how can I believe you? Who are you, and how can you be talking to me inside my head?

Something resembling a scoff echoes in her mind when the sword answers her.

"I am Fafnir," he begins, his voice suddenly rumbling heavily. "I, too, was once a fal'Cie. I was the fal'Cie of fire and death; I was the one who engulfed other fal'Cie in my flames. On my fiery claws I roam Gran Pulse, killing and slaughtering, longing to sate my eternal thirst for blood."

A Fal'Cie, huh… should've figured that out, Lightning thinks grimly. But she remains quiet, knowing Fafnir still has more to explain.

"For hundreds of years I reigned supreme, the blood of my preys giving me power beyond reckoning. I devoured every fal'Cie I met; I went to kill almost everything that moved, just to sate my blood thirst. But then… I grew too strong. Too uncontrollable, too dangerous. And so that cursed Lindzei came, punishing me for my bloodlust. He defeated me, sealed my powers, and turned my form into this pathetic sword!"

Here Fafnir's voice suddenly booms with ancient fury, sending throbs into Lightning's head that make her wince in pain. Immediately, the voice softens again.

"Lindzei used me whenever he needed to get rid of a rogue fal'Cie. He used me as his weapon… to turn falsehood into ashes. But when he no longer needed me, he enshrined me in his temple, and assigned his own monsters to guard me. And so I was stuck in that dark temple for eons… That is, until you came and freed me, my precious master."

The voice stops, ending its story. Lightning falls quiet for a while, connecting Fafnir's story to hers. Undoubtedly, they match… no wonder Yojimbo was so strong; he was Lindzei's own selected goon, dammit. But nevertheless, she's beat him and obtained Fafnir—although it turns out now that she's grabbed more than she bargained for at that time. A fallen fal'Cie… damn, no wonder he's vicious.

But although she has now understood Fafnir's background, doubt still lingers in Lightning's mind. She is still reluctant to trust a sword—a fal'Cie—that has been hurting her almost as much as Barthandelus.

If you are as powerful as you claimed, then why only talk to me now? she demands.

Fafnir answers smoothly. "Before this day, I was too weak, dear master… I hadn't drunk blood in eons. I simply had not the power to reach into your mind... But now that you have fed me with some blood, I've managed to regain a fraction of my strength."

At this, Lightning blinks to clear her view and observes Fafnir's blade. So that was it… no wonder the blade is never stained with blood. He absorbed all the blood, for Etro's sake. He gained strength from it…

At this realization, she senses Fafnir's approval in her mind.

"That's right… I am indebted to you, dear master. It is solely because of you that I can gain my strength back. That's why I wish to prove my gratitude… by sharing my power with you, and help you defeat this Barthandelus fal'Cie."

How exactly?

A menacing chuckle.

"My true power is still encased in this sword prison, dear master. If you but offer me a certain gift, I would be able to gain enough strength to turn into my final form. I would become a blade so powerful, that a single stab from me can turn that Barthandelus into ashes. That's the strength you desire, isn't it…?"

Lightning frowns, pondering her options. Fafnir's offer seems dangerous… somehow, she feels like there's something he hasn't told her. He's undoubtedly hiding something…

But honestly… there aren't many options left for her. If she does nothing, Barthandelus would emerge soon. Lightning winces.

And the 'gift' is…?

"Blood."


A/N: Dragons are cool. Like, seriously.

Heh, sorry, I just had to say that :P as always, thanks a bunch for the reviews, guys :DD

For PrincyJessie, heeey! :D thanks a lot for your review! Hehe, I'm glad you love this story. It's a lot of fun to write too, especially with people like you reading it ^^ Your review really made my day, I couldn't stop smiling for a while :,3 But yeah! Here's more battle scenes in this chap for yaaa. Hope you like it, haha. Thanks again!

votexLoc767, I'd like to thank you too for your reviews! Aww, you made me feel so flattered :,3 And just like you, I grinned the whole time I was reading your reviews! xD Haha, I guess it's a mutual reaction then. Oh and thanks too for wishing my hand well :,) although I'd gladly trade it for a chance to meet Vanille, heh xP Um! But nevertheless, here's an update for youuu. Hope you like it!