Author note: I do not own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Yakitate! Japan.
This is another fic in my crossover series "Trials Of The Wild!' If you haven't read up to "The Great Break-In," PLEASE do so before reading this fic, since this is the final battle against Ganon in this series!
Warning: Canon-typical violence, Yakitate! Japan and BOTW spoilers, combat, and established relationships touched upon.
The Final Battle
Summary: The bakers and the Champions must rescue Princess Zelda, save Hyrule from Calamity Ganon and Yukino, and also stay alive. But will they succeed?
Zelda struggled with her bonds as she watched Yukino place two of the Champions' weapons, the Great Eagle Bow and the Lightscale Trident, on the ground in front of her.
"What do plan to do with this?" She hissed, glaring up at the woman who glowed red and black all at once. "What do you want with me and Hyrule, Ganon? You lost once already!"
"On the contrary," Yukino/Ganon spoke, directing a full glare towards her as she paused, "I'll be winning. Once I'm done setting this up, all I have to do is kill you."
Her blood froze. Zelda would try using her magic, but it wasn't working. The Goddess wasn't answering her, and Link wasn't here yet, or the other champions.
Was this it? Was she going to die?
"You see, Yukino was…essential." Ganon's voice came through Yukino's body more thoroughly. "Her Blizzard Hands will help me freeze all of Hyrule and take over it. I imagine I'll take over Zora's Domain first. It's full of water after all, and water freezes."
She didn't comment, but she couldn't help but shudder. Zora's Domain was already unstable enough with Sidon's recent exile and so on, and she wasn't sure how resistant the Zoras were to the cold.
"Rito Village, next. They're used to the snow compared to the Domain, but they're smaller. Easier to crush."
"What next?" Zelda spat back at her. "Goron City? Hyrule Castle?"
"Hyrule Castle's for last." The other simpered, walking towards her. She got down on a knee to face her properly, before leaning in with a wicked sneer on her face. "And your death is going to bring the castle down. The spell I had prepared would've used items belonging to people that once died…and none are more powerful than the Champions themselves. But because Daruk and Urbosa had their own weapons destroyed, I needed a replacement. So, I chose you."
"Doesn't feel like it should be an honor." Zelda muttered, just as Yukino leaned back and stood, before kicking her hard. Zelda wasn't sure if a bone cracked as she landed on the ground on her side, groaning.
"You should be honored, actually." Yukino managed, looking down at her with a small chuckle. "You'll be making history as the princess who took down her own kingdom by sacrificing herself for its destruction."
Before Zelda could speak up, she heard someone else do so.
"How about we try not forming that kind of history for future generations to come?"
It was Urbosa, stepping out from the shadows. Zelda didn't know how she got there, but she was here, and Yukino's gaze snapped towards her.
"Take a step closer and the princess is dead." Yukino hissed, eyes flashing red.
Urbosa simply smiled. "I don't have to."
An arrow suddenly struck Yukino in the head, and the force of it was strong enough to send her stumbling a few steps away from Zelda before completely collapsing on the spot. Zelda turned her gaze to see that it was none other than Revali who shot the arrow.
"That's for kidnapping the princess." He spoke wryly, before aiming another arrow. "And this…" He let it fly, and the arrow hit Yukino a second time in the head. Zelda thought she heard her choke up blood. "That's for taking my Great Eagle Bow!"
"That's enough Revali. She should be out temporarily!" Urbosa rushed over to Zelda, undoing her bonds. Her brows knit with concern as she looked her in the eyes. "Are you okay, Princess?"
"I'm fine, Urbosa. Barely harmed." She managed, before wincing lightly, her side aching as Urbosa helped her stand. "…maybe somewhat harmed, but nothing fatal."
"I should get Mipha to take a look at you." She heard the Gerudo Champion murmur, before looking towards the two weapons. "Those are…?"
"Mipha and Revali's weapons." Zelda managed quickly.
"Then we'll take them." Urbosa and Zelda grabbed the weapons, before they started running out of the Yiga Clan hideout, Revali also following them. At least there were no clan members stopping them in the area, but the lack of Mipha, Daruk, Link or anyone else by Urbosa and Revali's sides.
"Where's Mipha and Daruk? And Link?"
"They're distracting the other minions that tried to keep us out of this hideout. Good thing I guessed that Ganon might hide out here, given that the Yiga clan is gone." Urbosa managed.
As the three made it closer to the entrance of the hideout, Zelda saw Link, Daruk and Mipha still destroying minions left and right. She shuddered as she realized that some of those particular minions were glowing red, likely powered by Ganon's own magical abilities.
"Mipha!" Zelda yelled, and she saw Mipha turn towards her as she threw the Lightscale Trident at her. "Catch!"
Mipha ran forward and caught the Lightscale Trident in both hands, before turning to her left and slashing down two Bokoblins that tried to hit her. "Thank you, Princess!"
Zelda couldn't help but smile briefly, but that was when she noticed a Moblin charging towards her with a roar. She quickly held up a hand, summoning her power, and light emerged, sending the Mobling flying into the distance. It would be funnier to watch if they weren't in such a huge life and death situation right now.
Revali shot down several Bokoblins with his Great Eagle Bow, and Zelda noticed Link cut through several of them at once himself.
How long could this fight keep on going? Zelda knew that they had to push through and defeat Ganon once and for all, but could they do it all by themselves? Or would she and the others fail Hyrule once again?
Urbosa wasn't sure how much longer she and the others could hold off Yukino and Ganon. They still didn't know exactly how to get them separated, and even worse was the fact that yes, Zelda was rescued and Mipha and Revali's weapons were retrieved, but Yukino/Ganon could still potentially kill them all regardless.
And she was not about to let that happen again.
"I'm sure that Rito Village, Goron City, Gerudo Town and Zora's Domain are already falling," Yukino cackled as she shot a beam of ice at Urbosa. Urbosa dodged, and Daruk also rolled out of the way. "All my minions will have them in ruins by the time I'm done with all of you!"
"I don't think so!" Urbosa slashed at Yukino, but the other blocked it. She felt ice graze her fingertips as she sidestepped another attack from Yukino, before she watched the other create an icy rapier to use as her own weapon. "Your tricks are tired, Yukino! You and Ganon won't win over us!"
"Don't be so sure!"
The two women clashed at each other with their attacks; Urbosa with the various spears and other weapons she'd brought with her on her way to rescue Zelda, and Yukino with her icy rapier. The two of them were even at first, and Urbosa wondered if Yukino previously took fencing or other sorts of swordplay back where she came from.
But then she noticed that the ice of her blade was starting to chip, bit by bit. Every slash, every hit, took off a tiny bit of the blade at a time. This was her chance, Urbosa realized, as she parried the other's attacks.
She jumped back at Yukino's next swing, and then lunged forwards, swinging with all of her might.
Yukino's icy rapier broke in two, the blade end of the sword rotating in the air as it flew up, before plummeting, shattering the moment it hit the ground. Yukino herself hissed at Urbosa, before her eyes turned red. The broken sword hit in her hand grew a new blade to replace the old one, and this time it also glowed red.
That…probably wasn't good, was it?
"Everyone!" She called to the others. "Be careful!"
Yukino roared, and the sky turned dark suddenly, before turning red.
Bokoblins, skeletal and flesh alike, emerged from the ground with a roar, starting to surround the entire group. She noticed Mipha brace herself, shoulders tensing as Daruk pointed the club he held towards them. Even Revali, Link and Zelda seemed concerned with the new swarm of enemies that arrived.
It wasn't like it would be impossible to beat them. Urbosa had fought countless beasts like them before. But this many? And seemingly powered by Ganon and/or Yukino? She gritted her teeth, glad that she and the others left the bakers and their companions back at the castle. If they hadn't…
"HEY! YUKINO! PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"
The entire group of Champions, Link and Zelda turned to see none other than Shachioko, accompanied by many of the other Champions and bakers alike, all of them standing not far from the now-risen group of Yukino's/Ganon's minions.
How… Urbosa's eyes widened, spotting Shachioko among the group, all of them wielding various weapons, How are they…?
"What!?" Yukino gawked at them, before Ganon's voice roared through her. "How did all of you get here!? How are you alive?"
"Because your dumb tricks didn't work." Monica managed, crossing her arms, glaring at Yukino completely. "That's why."
"Also, you didn't even try taking over the Divine Beasts at all." Kawachi pointed out, tilting his head to the side. "Link told us all about it, and we were ready in case somethin' like that happened, but you didn't even try to. Did you realize we could've used them to smite most of your forces?"
Cue Yukino swearing on the spot, clearly pissed off and ready to punch someone if not smite them with Ganon's powers. Urbosa glanced towards her, then the group of newly-joined fighters, and she swore that Meister was straight-up smiling at how pissed off Yukino was.
"We've surrounded you now, Yukino. How about you just give up?"
"As if!" Yukino pointed at the group of bakers. "Minons, get them!"
And so the fighting restarted.
"Little guy!" Daruk couldn't help but beam as he caught up to Azuma, after bashing several Bokoblins and taking down two Moblins. "You're here, too!? Nice of you to join in!"
"Yeah." Azuma nodded, dodging an attack from a Bokoblin before he shot it with an arrow of his own. "Everyone came back to the castle so fast, and we all got worried about you, Zelda, Link and the others so we came all the way here with our Shiekah Slates!"
"You all solved your problems at the other places that fast?" The Goron Champion was impressed. Maybe he and the other Champions had underestimated the others' strengths after all. "Good on you for doing so! And good timing, too. We just broke the Princess out and we gotta wipe out all of Ganon's forces!"
"Then let's do it!"
And with that, they kept on fighting.
"Behind you!"
Mipha ducked and she heard a Bokoblin go down behind her. As she straightened herself, she saw Kuroyanagi with his own bow and arrow. She then noticed a moblin trying to sneak up on him, and she she rushed at it, pushing Kuroyanagi out of the way before stabbing the Moblin several times with her trident.
"What the…!?" Kuroyanagi's gaze snapped towards the Moblin going down, before offering Mipha a quick grin. "Thanks for the save."
"You're welcome!" Both of them went back-to-back, looking around. "Are you alright, Kuroyanagi? How was fighting at the Hebra Mountains?"
"Chaotic." Kuroyanagi admitted. "I don't think Teba likes me very much."
She couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I'm sure he'll warm up to you more after we're done dealing with Ganon for good."
"I hope so." A pause, and then… "Mipha? About our earlier conversation – actually, nevermind. We need to finish off Ganon first."
She swallowed. "Right." Hopefully a new conversation between the both of them after all this fighting was over would be more…productive.
"TAKE THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS, DAMMIT!"
"Shachioko!" Shachioko felt himself get dragged back by his shirt collar, and he turned his head to see Urbosa. "Be careful!"
"I am careful." He insisted, looking towards her before holding up a shield strapped to his arm. "See? Shield! I remembered to get one this time!"
Cue the arrow hitting his shield and getting embedded in it. A shriek left him at the sudden save, and he noticed Urbosa visibly wince. "I appreciate you remembering to bring a shield this time, but you should still be on guard."
"Got it!"
The two of them cut down many more Bokoblins, both flesh and skeletal alike. At one point, Shachioko ended up grabbing the skeletal arm of one Bokoblin and then smacking another Bokoblin sneaking up on him with it.
Why did the skeletal arms have to move? Just…why?
He tried not to think too hard about it as he watched Urbosa's back in case anyone tried sneaking up on her. It was only fair that he help her out as much as she helped him, after all.
"Hey Urbosa?"
"Hm?" She looked towards him briefly after cutting down another Bokoblin. "What is it?"
"After we're done defeating Ganon and the like…uh, I think we've got some things to talk about."
"I thought you'd mention that at some point, actually. I was going to bring it up soon." She snapped her fingers, and Shachioko heard a few Moblins get electrocuted to his right. "Unfortunately, I think we'll have to save that for after the battle, as you just mentioned."
He nodded, before turning to face a few new approaching Bokoblins. "Got it."
After all, one couldn't exactly have a conversation about relationships if they were dead.
Monica could tell that Yukino was seriously reaching a breaking point with controlling all the monsters, being possessed by Ganon, and so on. Even though she was full of rage, she also noticed how pale the other was despite the power she supposedly had.
"Kai?" Moncia paused after destroying another Bokoblin with her own sword. "Is it just me, or does it look like the life is literally being sucked out of Yukino?"
"Her body might not be able to stand having Ganon within her for much longer." Suwabara frowned as he rushed to Monica's side, both of them observing Yukino from a distance. Yukino writhed on the spot where she stood, still parrying the attacks from Link and Zelda as the two of them battled her. "And we don't know exactly how much power Ganon has, considering that this is supposed to be the remnants of him possessing her to begin with…"
That was when Yukino suddenly backed off from Link and Zelda, before throwing her head back and screaming. Everyone had no choice but to cover their ears as the screams echoed through the air, before the red light surrounding Yukino burst into the sky above her. It flowed out of her like a neverending flow of steam, flowing back behind her several feet before it began to take form.
"It's Ganon!" Monica heard Zelda call. "He's getting into his Dark Beast Form!"
"Wait, what!?" Several of the bakers could be heard screaming, and Monica only realized a moment later that she was one of those screaming bakers.
Why?
It was bad enough dealing with Yukino being possessed by Ganon. Why did Ganon have to come out of her and become a giant dark beast?
Meister prepared a bow and an arrow as he stared up at the colossal monster, before deciding to straight-up fire at it.
It didn't work. The dark energy surrounding the beast completely destroyed the arrow at once.
He looked towards Riju and Yunobo with an awkward grin. "That…wasn't going to work, was it?"
Both of them simply shook their heads, and Meister braced himself as Ganon roared and charged at the group.
"HOW DO WE DEFEAT A DARK BEAST GANON!?" Shachioko was heard screaming from somewhere. Meister found himself in a mad dash to get out of the way of Ganon's rampaging, and he grabbed Sidon by the wrist, pulling the prince out of the way along with him.
"We have to shoot at any exposed parts of its body!" Zelda called back. "I'll use my magic to expose weak spots, and all of you need to fire at it! Link, do you have the Bow of Light!?"
Meister noticed Link nod, holding up a gleaming bow in his hands…
Only for a tendril of Ganon's malice to appear and smack it out of his hands. Link let out a surprised yelp, backing up from Ganon trying to attack him with the tendrils that extended from Ganon and towards him, and the bow itself ended up in Revali's claws.
"Revali!" Meister found himself yelling while Link took out the Master Sword and starting swinging it at the tendrils to get rid of it. "Now's your chance! Shoot him down!"
Revali hadn't expected the Bow of Light to end up in his talons, and yet here it was.
"Now's your chance! Shoot him down!"
As Meister yelled to him, he noticed a few of Ganon's tendrils headed his way. Revali aimed, fired, and the tendrils vanished upon being hit.
This was it. This was his chance.
His chance to get even with Ganon and help destroy him like he should have, once and for all. He noticed Link look up with him with a small smile, and Revali knew in that moment that this was his time.
"Cover me!" Revali yelled to the others, just as more tendrils appeared. He saw Zelda glow with a bright light, before holding out her hands. The tendrils withered away, and Revali noticed a few spots on the Dark Beast open up.
As he started aiming more arrows, he noticed Link light the ground on fire underneath him, before using the gale Revali once gave him to get into the air with his paraglider.
"What are you doing!?" Revali couldn't stop himself from hissing, offering Link a glare. "I'm trying to defeat Ganon with the bow that you carelessly dropped."
"I have the Master Sword." Link reminded him quietly, raising a brow as he stayed steady in the air along with him. "Consider me backup?"
The Rito Champion smiled lightly at that. "…Sure, why not?"
More tendrils of malice came rushing at them while Ganon's main beast body tried to charge at the other bakers and Champions. Revali and Link slashed and shot through them as if they were butter, and Link knew that this was their chance to finally end Ganon.
As Zelda exposed Ganon's weak spots, Revali would fire at them. Link, meanwhile, slashed at any tendrils of malice that got too close while Revali aimed and fired, not wanting the other to get knocked off balance by any of Ganon's attacks.
The other bakers and champions were holding their own below. Daruk and Yunobo rolled into the beast's legs to slow it down. Urbosa sent down lightning while Riju distracted the beast with her and her sand seal. Mipha made sure everyone stayed healed, while Sidon would sweep anyone that got too close to safety. Teba provided extra backup for anyone still facing Ganon's minions, and one of his arrows even hit the dark beast in the eye.
The bakers were also trying to do their best; most of them mainly stayed out of the way of Ganon, but some tried to hit Ganon's legs with various weapons to try to slow it down, mainly by chucking said weapons at him if not shooting with a bow and arrow.
This was it, Link realized. Fighting alongside their friends against Calamity Ganon…
"Impossible!" Ganon roared. His voice shook the air, and Revali and Link both had to quickly rebalance themselves while still flying side by side. "You CAN'T defeat me!"
"I think we are." Revali snapped back, and Link smiled lightly at the other's comeback.
Zelda glowed white, and exposed more vulnerable areas. Revali fired, several times, each arrow perfectly hitting their designated locations. As Ganon screamed out one more time in pain, a giant appeared in the center of its forehead.
"Shoot that eye!" Link called to Revali, and Revali aimed his next arrow at the beast's giant eye. As he pulled back the arrow, he took a deep breath before letting the arrow go.
The arrow flew and met its target immediately. Light spread into the eye itself, before beginning to surround Ganon itself all at once. The large beast screamed and howled into the skies, but nothing could save Calamity Ganon from its ultimate doom.
The beast exploded into a burst of smoke, before the smoke itself was drowned out by the light. The light itself rose high into the sky, before vanishing only moments later, nothing remaining of where Ganon used to be.
Everyone went silent. The minions that once fought by Ganon's side all faded into purple dust and smoke all around them.
"Did we do it?" Kuroyanagi couldn't help but ask, looking around. Was it over? Was Hyrule…?
And then he glanced towards Zelda, seeing tears form in her eyes. She almost fell to her knees, but Urbosa quickly helped her stay standing, letting the Princess lean against her.
"We did it," Kuroyanagi heard her sob. "Hyrule is saved."