A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, the Returners left Thamasa to reach the Floating Continent, and before landing, they had to face the Imperial Air Force and defeat Ultros once again. Arriving at their destination, they found Shadow, who was missing for two weeks. He was betrayed by the Empire because it was no longer useful for their purposes, and Kefka badly injured him and left him to die, but after being convinced by Terra and the others, he agreed to help them stop him. But what challenges will they face? Let's find out!

Chapter 24: Ultima Weapon: The Beginning of the End

(''The Sky- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword OST'')

(Objective: Explore the Floating Continent to find the statues of the Warring Triad!)

Characters:

Terra

Mog

Locke

Celes

Edgar

Sabin

Cyan

Gau

Shadow

Setzer

Strago

Relm

Now that the heroes were twelve, their destinies had crossed, they all fought against Kefka and the Empire for a reason. In the case of Terra, it was to end the war, Mog to protect her, Locke to avenge the murder of the woman he loved, Celes to redeem herself from her past actions and be free from Kefka, Edgar to help the Returners in saving the world, Sabin to avenge the murder of his father and to offer support to his brother, Cyan to avenge the dead of his kingdom, Gau to offer them support, Shadow to take revenge for getting betrayed without even getting paid, and Strago and Relm because they felt it was their responsibility to prevent Kefka from destroying the world after he devastated their village. They continued together, attacking and casting spells at every monster they encountered. Among the enemies they faced were necromancers capable of using the most infamous spells, flying skeletons capable of blinding, and other dark creatures. ''Leave it to me.'' said Celes. ''Dia!''

From the clouds above the Floating Continent appeared a ray of colored light that damaged the undead(1) and Sabin's Aura Cannon defeated them.

''We hope we'll make it in time...'' murmured Terra, passing her fingers between her emerald locks.

''We all hope so, Terra. We'll make it.'' Strago told her. Terra tried to remain calm, but the situation had put an even greater burden on her shoulders than she would have liked.

''Sabin, where did you get your axe and your hammer from? I could understand your use of the sword, but these?'' asked Edgar.

''It's a long story. That was several years ago. I was about fifteen years old at the time. I had a day off, since Master Duncan had no classes scheduled with me that time.'' Sabin began.

''Who is Master Duncan?'' asked Relm.

''Duncan Harcourt is Sabin's martial arts master. My brother has been training with him for almost twenty years, but he recently died.'' replied Edgar.

''My condolences.'' said Strago.

''It's fine.'' replied Sabin, showing his axe and hammer. "However, while training in Mount Koltz, I came across a secret passage and discovered a cave infested with bats and undead creatures. With the techniques I had learned, I had no problems, and discovered two chests that contained this axe and this hammer. Master Duncan was very surprised when he found out what I had found, and explained to me the history of these two weapons. This big axe is the Gigantaxe. It is a huge axe that according to legend had been forged to measure for a giant, but as a result of my almost twenty-year training, I can use it even with one arm only. And this is the Gaia Hammer. It is said to be associated with the Esper Titan, a giant capable of shaking the earth with powerful earthquakes, is imbued with the power of the earth and can cause earthquakes just like him.'' he explained.

''Cool, kupo...'' murmured Mog, amazed.

''There are other legendary weapons like the Ultima Weapon that we found before summoning the Espers from their world.'' said Celes. ''Among these are swords such as Ragnarok and Excalibur or the katana Masamune.''

"If we can find them, we could win for sure," Locke commented.

(''The Sky- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword OST-s'')

(''Kefka's Theme- Final Fantasy VI OST'')

''Do you really believe it?'' he asked a voice, followed by a laugh. There was Kefka within walking distance.

''Well, well, well. Here is the biggest pain in the ass in history.'' commented Locke.

''Seriously, Kefka, we must stop meeting like this.'' said Edgar.

''You again? Seriously, you are more annoying than the fleas my hair!'' Kefka said with irritation.

''I have a bone to pick with you.'' said Shadow.

"We will not allow you to get to the Warring Triad, no matter the cost! You will pay for what you did to my village!'' declared Relm.

''A little girl and an old man? Ah! Don't make me laugh, how pathetic.'' snorted Kefka.

''How to give you! You have no idea who you're talking about!'' Strago cried out.

Cyan growled with clenched his teeth, and seemed on the verge of taking his katana and cutting him into pieces like chive. ''And you slaughtered half of my kingdom. You killed my wife, my son and my king. And now I can avenge them.'' he said. Although his voice was low, his tone seemed horribly sinister. Gau, in front of him, was on all fours and was hissing menacingly.

''And with you there is also that brat who bit me! That beast, that bastard, I hope they eat his testicles and cook them like a Behemoth!'' shouted Kefka, furious at Gau for the punishment he had given him in Thamasa, and everyone was shocked by that threat.

''Don't you dare! Gau is more human than you could ever be!'' growled Sabin, defending him.

''Do you have any idea what that fuckhead did to me?!'' the clown man snapped.

Cyan advanced to Sabin's side in front of Gau, and both spread their arms horizontally, as if to create a wall in front of him. ''Do you kiss your mother with that foul mouth of yours?'' Locke commented, as Strago covered Relm's ears.

Kefka used magic to lift Gau off the ground, grabbed him by the neck and then tossed him repeatedly to the ground, still strangling him with a hand of dark magic, and everyone watched in horror as the psychopath enjoyed his suffering. When he finally finished, Gau was losing blood and looked like a cat on the verge of vomiting a furball.

(''Kefka's Theme- Final Fantasy VI OST-s'')

This pushed Sabin and Cyan to their breaking point. They acted at the same time and attacked Kefka from both sides, Sabin from the right side and Cyan from the left. Both threw him to the ground, with Cyan not even holding his katana, and punched him in the face, then the samurai knelt in front of the little boy, who seemed to have tears in his eyes from the pain, and tried to calm him down, even letting him cry on his shoulder. He, Sabin and Terra glared furiously at Kefka.

''Why, you...'' Sabin muttered.

Relm approached, and when Kefka tried to taunt her by slapping his butt, she made the same gesture, to his shock. ''You will pay for what you did back at Thamasa! You know that place where the sun doesn't shine and has never shone? I'll stick my brush right in there and and I'll kick your big, fat, ugly butt!'' cried Relm. Although she was on her tiptoe, she did not even reach Kefka's shoulder, as short as she was, but despite this, she hit him in the face with the magic brush, leaving paint on him. ''And you know what? With your horrible laugh, it seems more than you squeal like a piglet on helium.''

''You take that back, you brat!'' cried Kefka.

''Sure, when you ask me as a man.'' commented Relm.

''I AM A MAN!'' the crazy Kefka screamed, and on that occasion his voice became shrill.

''Really? 'Cause right now you look like a mouse that has discovered that they run out of cheese. Or rather, a mouse whose parachute won't open.'' replied the little girl. ''And as long as you're quiet I don't care to hear you another two hours.''

''Daaaamn! Nice burn, Relm!'' exclaimed Locke, and he, Relm and Edgar burst out laughing.

''That little girl is really brazen, huh? She just stood up to him!'' said Setzer.

Kefka uttered a scream that hurt everyone's ears, then slapped Relm in the face. She got angry, and Gau approached her, clawing the crazy harlequin in the face with his nails. The pictomancer spun her magic brush like a rod, hitting him several times in the head. As a result, she was also humiliated: Kefka, cursing her and her mother (Shadow reacted by stepping forward and taking a knife to hear this), lowered her pants, revealing her heart panties, stole Strago's whip, spanked her and whipped her butt. The little girl screamed in pain, all while he laughed like a madman and enjoyed it. Celes felt her heart beating wildly as what were only a few weeks before began to seem to her only a few moments, and Locke took her hand to try to calm her down, while everyone else watched in horror and Mog covered his eyes with his hands. Furious, Strago took back the whip and tried to get closer, but Kefka magically pushed him away, causing him to fall head to the ground and get a bloody nose.

When Relm finally got up and Kefka stopped spanking her, her rear was all red and irritated, with marks left by the whippings, and she was crying in pain. ''You... you, ugly pervert!'' yelled Celes in pure disgust.

Strago stepped forward towards Kefka in fury, followed by Celes, but Terra, who had flames in both hands, got there faster, and...

*SMACK!*

with all the strength she had in her body, she slapped him in the face with both hands, burning some of his skin, then squeezed Relm and Gau in her arms, still with a furious look. ''You bastard! That little girl will probably be traumatized for the rest of her life because of you!'' she yelled.(2)

''Don't touch the child!'' shouted Locke.

There was a huge uproar over Kefka's actions, and almost everyone began to scream furiously. Even Edgar seemed on the verge of losing his cool, and after mumbling something between his clenched teeth, he couldn't help but get angry. ''What kind of depraved man are you, Kefka?! I've never known someone like you!'' he said.

''Look what you did to two kids!'' cried Sabin, on the verge of beating him up again.

''These little brats must be punished. Much like you, Celes.'' chuckled Kefka.

''You raped me, you cocksucking piece of shit!'' Celes screamed, and everyone was stunned for a moment to hear those words.

Strago also acted, hitting Kefka with his whip several times. ''DON'T-TOUCH-MY-GRANDDAUGHTER!'' he screamed, whipping him a every word.

''It doesn't matter. When I have the power of the Warring Triad, no one will stop me! Smell you later, losers!'' sneered Kefka, teleporting away.

''Come back here, you damn coward!'' yelled Cyan, but Kefka was already gone.

(''Relm's Theme- Final Fantasy VI OST'')

Everyone was outraged, and the atmosphere was as incandescent. Sabin looked at his weapons as if contemplating tearing Kefka to pieces like a pig at the slaughterhouse. ''For the Triad's fuck! Is it ever possible for him to be worse and worse?!'' yelled Locke.

''That's it, kupo. I'm done.'' said Mog, going to the other side, but Setzer stopped him, reminding him of their mission.

''Is he gone?'' asked Relm, still trembling in Terra's arms.

''For the moment. Now he won't do anything to you anymore.'' Terra told her, hugging her tightly. ''You're OK, aren't you?''

''My poor butt hurts so much...'' murmured Relm, still shaken. She couldn't cast Cure because she was too sore, and Terra did it for her, curing her injuries. Gau had already calmed down a bit, and took her by the hand. ''Thank you. It's better now.''

Strago looked sadly at his granddaughter. ''Relm...'' He couldn't believe that by the age of ten she had already been traumatized with everything Kefka had done.

''I knew Kefka was a horrible person, but to get to that point...'' commented Setzer, with his eyes turned to his cards.

"And they say I'm the one who is inhuman because I'm a mercenary. Even I was disgusted when Kefka wanted to poison Doma.'' added Shadow.

''Come on, let's go. We've already wasted too much time.'' said Celes.

As our heroes continued, they still continued to discuss Kefka's inhuman cruelty. ''That guy has a thirst for blood second to none. I'm sure he has a vampire mother.'' said Edgar.

''I guess so. Vampires are bloodthirsty.'' Strago said in response.

''And he's completely crazy too! This clown-man should just be locked up in an asylum, it reminds me too much of Joker. Maybe at Arkham Asylum?'' commented Locke(3), and everyone chuckled.

(''Relm's Theme- Final Fantasy VI OST-s'')

(''Dive Into The Heart- Awakened- Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix OST'')

Continuing across the Floating Continent, the members of the Returners took teleportation points and found themselves in a mysterious hall. It was well lit, and there were nine colored crystals representing the elements: fire, ice, thunder, earth, wind, water, sacred light, darkness and poison, respectively red, light blue, yellow, brown, green, blue, white, purple and dark green. They approached the crystals, amazed that they were there, since even Celes was not sure of their existence, and heard a voice. ''Welcome, chosen...'' said the voice.

''What? Who are you?'' asked Terra.

''Do not be alarmed. You have been kept an eye on for a long time, and the crystals have chosen you from among the fourteen chosen ones destined to save the world. They will give you the powers of the elements that correspond to you the most. The thirteenth chosen one is perhaps one you know, while the last is unknown, but it will help you in your mission.'' said the voice.

''I guess we're destined to do that.'' said Celes.

"One of you will take turns approaching, and the essences of the crystals of the elements that correspond most to you will provide you with their power. They are: Pyro, the essence of fire, Glacialis, the essence of ice, Dynamo, the essence of lightning, Terrador, the essence of earth, Aria, the essence of wind, Jacques, the essence of water, Lucis, the essence of light, Tenebrae, the essence of darkness, and Toxicus, the essence of poison.'' declared the mysterious voice.

''The thirteenth chosen one... is it Umaro, kupo?'' asked Mog.

''Maybe.'' Terra replied. She was the first to approach the nine crystals, and a shimmering sphere came out of the Fire, Wind and Holy Crystals and entered her body, infusing it with the power of these elements.

''Everything OK, Terra?'' asked Locke, seeing her with one hand on her chest.

''I'm fine. They gave me their power. Now my magic is more powerful than ever.'' she declared.

It was Locke's turn, and he received the power of fire and holy light. The third was Mog, who received power from the Earth Crystal and the Light Crystal. Celes received power from the Ice Crystal, the Light Crystal, and the Wind Crystal. It was Edgar's turn, and he was infused with power by the Poison Crystal, the Fire Crystal, and the Lightning Crystal. Sabin received the powers of fire, earth, and holy, and Cyan those of fire and ice. Setzer was then infused with power from the Dark Crystal. Next was Strago, who received power from the Water Crystal, the Earth Crystal, and the Wind Crystal. Shadow then received the power of darkness and Relm that of sacred light and lightning, before a ball of light came out of the Ice Crystal, disappearing towards the horizon in a northwesterly direction.(4)

''Really interesting...'' commented Cyan, looking at the aura that enveloped his katana.

''I feel stronger than ever before.'' Sabin said.

"I don't think this attitude will get us anywhere. We mustnt get cocky because of these new powers.'' said Shadow.

''I guess you're right.'' said Setzer.

''Do we have to let anyone know? Maybe Arvis?'' asked Edgar.

Terra had already thought about it, taking his father's Magicite. ''Are you there, Father?'' she called him.

''I'm here. Did you want anything?'' asked Maduin, after becoming corporeal again.

"We have come across these crystals, and apparently, we are the chosen ones. We wanted to save the world, but I didn't expect it to be our destiny, let alone about crystals. Not even Celes knew of their existence. Go to Narshe and let Arvis know, it should raise the morale of the Returners.'' said Terra.

''I'll let them know immediately.'' Maduin said, teleporting away. He returned a couple of minutes later, informing our heroes that Arvis was very surprised and that Terra was indeed the last ray of hope for the world. ''If we're fast enough, we can still make it.''

''I understand. Thank you.'' said Terra, and her father turned back to Magicite.

(''Dive Into The Heart- Destati- Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix OST-s'')

Strengthened by the blessing of the crystals, the twelve heroes continued the exploration of the Floating Continent, making their way between different monsters, including a sort of sleeping lion, a beast similar to a Behemoth that was extremely difficult to defeat, since the elemental spells did not work and counterattacked by launching Weather, one of the most devastating black spells, which Celes could not block with his sword, and then it became invisible. Fortunately, among the spells they had learned was Stop, a magic that immobilized the enemy as if time stood still, and Relm drew a copy of the monster, reversing the situation and allowing Strago to remember the use of the blue magic spell Traveler, whose damage depended on the journeys and steps taken, and Transfusion, which allowed him to sacrifice his life force to cure an ally, but even when the sleeping lion was immobilized, it took a lot of blows from the Ultima Weapon used by Celes, Sabin's Meteor Strike, Cyan's Bushido techniques, and Setzer's random effect attacks, to the point where Terra was forced to activate Trance to defeat him. As they continued their exploration, they were put to the test by the constant changes, between dead ends, places too high to climb, the risk of falling and various points that crumbled. Suddenly, they heard a laugh and stopped.

''No, no, no, no! Not that!'' exclaimed Sabin.

''What is it?'' asked Cyan. He turned around and saw what appeared to be a woman, but with a serpentine lower body. ''Oh, no...''

''That's a lamia! A lamia is a snake-woman weak to sacred light and ice who attracts men and seduces them, sending them against their allies, and then kills them with their knife, crushing them to death, or worse, with a poison kiss: her lips have a lethal poison that kills quickly if it is not cured with an antidote. But the worst thing is that she feeds on the flesh of her victims. So we must not be tempted by these snakes.'' Sabin explained. ''And that means you, Edgar!'' he added with irritation.

The lamia was accompanied by another one, and although it was easier to defeat than the other monsters of the Floating Continent, but it was certainly not to be underestimated. Their slaps had a paralyzing effect, and when they used their seductiveness, someone from the Returners felt strange for a short time. Thanks to training with Duncan Harcourt, Sabin was immune to their attempts to seduce him, and Locke avoided this fate because he was too far away, throwing boomerangs together with Shadow, who threw chakrams and also made use of ninja scrolls, but Edgar and Cyan could not avoid it. While the samurai was motionless, the king of Figaro approached the lamia that had seduced him, and she began to crush him. ''Edgar, the fuck are you doing?!'' exclaimed Locke, while Sabin covered his face in exasperation. The lamia was slowly crushing Edgar to death.

''Seriously?'' commented Relm, and Strago shook his head in disapproval.

As for Cyan, the other lamia was crushing him and disarming him. She grabbed his face and leaned in to kiss him on the lips and thus transmit her poison into his body. Scared out of his mind, Cyan sweated profusely as he tried to free himself, but the snake-woman had a firm grip on his cheeks.

''Dia!'' Terra released rays of light that blinded the lamiae, forcing them to let go of Edgar and Cyan, and the samurai came to his senses, killing one, while Gau jumped on the other before Celes froze her.

Edgar got up with a severe headache. ''I feel really dizzy. What happened?'' he asked.

''I'll tell you what happened! You were seduced by a lamia, and she almost killed you!'' Sabin snapped, grabbing his brother by the shoulders and shaking him.

''Are you mental? Sabin had warned you, and you get yourself promptly seduced!'' said Locke irritated.

''Men...'' commented Celes.

Sabin's earful seemed to last for hours, and it took a while for him to stop shouting. ''Are you listening to me, Edgar? I told you not to get tempted by a lamia. Just because she's a woman doesn't mean you have to give in like that! Look, I don't want to lose you, I've already lost Master Duncan, and our father is dead.'' he said.

''Sorry, Sabin. It's not easy to resist the temptation of a lamia.'' said Edgar.

''How is it that the lamiae failed to seduce you, Sabin? Your training?'' asked Setzer.

''Yes. I'm twenty-seven, and I have been training with Master Duncan twice a week since I was eight years old. It is a particularly hard training, and it is not only physical, but also mental. Among the things that aspiring martial artists must learn is not to be tempted and always remain lucid.'' replied Sabin.

''Well, young lad, you certainly had a good teacher.'' said Strago.

''Yes, kupo. But I don't even know how Kefka ended up in the Empire. No one there can stand him!'' said Mog.

''Gestahl is the only one who tolerates him. This is why Kefka was a prominent figure in the Empire. But hiring that psychopathic clown would qualify someone for being a saint!'' replied Celes.

''Look there.'' Shadow suddenly said.

''What is it?'' murmured Relm.

In front of them was a large six-legged beast with a mechanical appearance. What appeared to be muscles were visible, and it had long blue horns, a very long and robust tail and a mysterious coalescence coming out of its mouth. Its brownish color seemed to mix perfectly with the soil. Its presence was fearful.

(''The Fierce Battle- Final Fantasy VI OST'')

A penetrating voice filled the air. ''My name is Ultima... I am power both ancient and unrivaled... I do not bleed, for I am but strength given form... Feeble creatures of flesh... Your time is nigh!'' It was the Ultima Weapon.

(Objective: Defeat the Ultima Weapon!)

Edgar cast Scan. ''I don't believe it! It's the Ultima Weapon! This bio-mechanical beast was created during the War of the Magi, and was the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. It uses devastating spells, such as Weather, Flare, Ultima and other powerful spells, and is very powerful. But it seems that we can defeat it if we drain its magic: some monsters need magical energy, since draining too much magic will cause its death.''

The Ultima Weapon cast Meteor, which Celes' sword could not block, and everyone suffered severe damage as meteors penetrated their armor and protections. ''How are we going to destroy that thing, kupo?'' asked Mog.

''I don't know, but we'll think about something.'' replied Strago, who was casting Aerora. The Ultima Weapon charged at Shadow, who dodged the blow using a smoke bomb to teleport and hit it in the back with a katana used by ninjas. Celes managed to block the next magic spell, Firaga, but she could not block another devastating magic, Ultima, in time.

''I don't feel my legs anymore...'' murmured Strago.

Relm barely got up, preparing to cast white magic. ''Curaga!'' she said as loudly as she could. A colourful light surrounded the group and restored much-needed energy.

Edgar jumped high for an attack from the sky, and his spear began to shine with a mysterious light. After hitting the Ultima Weapon, he was rather surprised by the energy surrounding his weapon, but did not pay much attention to it. Cyan used Bushido Sky, taking a physical attack before counterattacking with an ice slash and Fira, supported by a Spellblade Blizzara from Celes.

Sabin dodged a Firaga, but was struck by the Flare spell, whose fiery power was like a nuclear fusion. The Ultima Weapon ran at high speed towards him, but the martial artist reacted promptly with a punch towards the ground, causing a rock pillar to appear which then destroyed, followed by a Raging Fist and an electric punch.

''We would need... a little help...'' said Locke, breathing heavily. He had struck the Ultima Weapon with Fira, but the damage he suffered was beginning to be problematic. Edgar, who tried to offer support from afar with his rifle, Bio magic and his other tools, agreed with him.

''The Espers!'' exclaimed Gau.

(''The Fierce Battle- Final Fantasy VI OST-s'')

Terra took a Magicite, the one to summon Carbuncle. ''Carbuncle, we need your help! Make your ruby shine!'' she said.

(''Dream Eaters- Kingdom Hearts III OST'')

The Magicite shone, and Carbuncle landed on two legs. He turned to Terra and issued a squeak.

''How cute!'' said Mog.

Terra took Carbuncle on her left hand (Mog was on her right hand), and the rabbit Esper curled up on her face, then leapt forward and made the ruby on his forehead shine, creating around the group a magical barrier that disappeared, leaving them in a blue aura.

''Those are the effects of the Reflect spell, there's no doubt about it!'' exclaimed Celes. In fact, the Ultima Weapon had tried to hit her with Thundaga, but the barrier created by Carbuncle had sent the magic back to the sender with greater power.

Setzer threw his dice, but they didn't do much damage because a four had come out, so he threw Fira on himself, causing the magic to be reflected against the Ultima Weapon. Carbuncle began to run around the battlefield, charging at the weapon of destruction, although it had little effect, and then he was struck by the Blizzaga spell, reflecting it. After that, he jumped on Relm's shoulder and then on Terra's shoulder.

''Thanks for your help, Carbuncle. Now get some rest.'' said Terra, stroking Carbuncle's mint-colored fur before he became Magicite again.

(''Dream Eaters- Kingdom Hearts III OST-s'')

(''Even Towards Death, Valiantly- Breath of Fire IV OST'')

Both Mog and Edgar jumped into the air with their spears, and after dodging the leap of the Ultima Weapon, they hit it, triggering a strong earthquake.

Gau uttered a roar and jumped on the Ultima Weapon with a thundering charge, then his hand began to shine with red energy. The Ultima Weapon emitted roars, trying to shake it off, but Gau maintained a firm grip and kicked, absorbing its vital energy. Sabin approached and ripped through the bio-mechanical beast with the Gigantaxe, supported by Edgar, who was throwing poisonous grenades and firing from his gun, but was bitten in the arm and hit by Flare at close range. Not giving up yet, he got up, took Gaia's Hammer and hit the ground with it, triggering an earthquake, which caused the Ultima Weapon to fall. The efforts of the fight were slowly beginning to become apparent.

''I have destroyed thousands of flesh-and-blood creatures like you, and you will be next!'' declared the Ultima Weapon, firing a destructive beam. It didn't count as magic, so he completely ignored the effects of Reflect.

''Now I'm starting to have enough!'' said Celes. ''Rasp!'' She released a purple aura, and the Ultima Weapon roared with pain as it magically energetically. Cyan used a Bushido Dragon, absorbing both his vitality and his magical energy, but was grabbed by the leg and thrown against a rock.

Relm raised her brush in the air, striking with a series of magical attacks, but after some time, she began to get tired. ''Osmose!'' With this spell, she absorbed the magical energy of the Ultima Weapon.

"With this battle we will waste too much time. It's going on forever.'' said Cyan.

''There is no other choice. I will have to transform.'' said Terra. She closed her eyes and activated the Trance, turning into Esper. She stopped using her sword and levitated towards the Ultima Weapon to hit it with her claws and then cast Aerora.

With a nod, Celes and Strago attacked together, throwing Blizzaga and Watera, respectively. The jet of water was frozen in a large ice crystal that exploded on impact. It did not directly affect the Ultima Weapon, but the impact inflicted the necessary damage. Setzer cast Dark, unbalancing it, and then rolled the dice again. He got a nine, with good damage as a result.

Sabin fell to the ground after being struck by the Flare spell, and had difficulty getting up. At that moment, the Ultima Weapon jumped on him. ''Watch out, Sabin!'' shouted Edgar. The martial artist heard his brother's warning and raised his legs, hitting the Ultima Weapon in the chest with a kick, causing it to end up in mid-air. Strago struck her with Aqua Breath, followed by a magical kick from Terra and a surprise attack from Shadow and Interceptor.

(''Even Towards Death, Valiantly- Breath of Fire IV OST-s'')

(''Let's Hit the Climax!- Bayonetta OST'')

Celes took the Magicite of Ramuh, determined to end the battle as soon as possible. ''Ramuh! Avavago!''

Ramuh appeared in bright light and raised his scepter, releasing rays of thunder. Gau began to run around the Ultima Weapon, to make it miss the spells that it was aiming at him and make it tired, then cast a spell himself. ''THUNDAGA!'' At the same time that Ramuh had unleashed his Judgment Bolt, Gau raised his hands and made a black cloud appear above him that released a series of thunderbolts that struck him, then rotated on himself, releasing the energy all around him and hitting the Ultima Weapon.

''Gau will get hurt like that!'' exclaimed Sabin, and Cyan nodded with concern.

Through his combined attack with Ramuh, Gau had caused severe damage to the Ultima Weapon, which was paralyzed, but had himself suffered recoil damage, which Relm cured with Cura. Interceptor took advantage of the opportunity and killed the weapon of mass destruction, but was forced to retreat due to the Firaga spell, and Edgar struck it from behind with his drill before cutting its legs with his chainsaw. Although it was in pieces because of this, it still continued to attack, emitting sounds that seemed like robotic screeches.

''I'm starting to run out of ammo here!'' said Edgar, who had just reloaded his plasma gun. And he was not the only one to show signs of fatigue: everyone had little energy to keep fighting, and Terra was not only showing difficulty staying in the air, but she was still transformed, and if the battle did not end quickly it would be impossible to find the opportunity to return to her human form. He saw that Sabin was performing movements as if he were trying to use a Blitz. ''Sabin, what are you doing?'' he asked.

"You must recover your strength and put an end to this battle! I have something in mind, but it's crazy!'' Sabin replied. He continued to turn on himself, creating a green whirlwind around him and levitating from the ground. ''Soul Spiral!'' He spread his arms as he moved in mid-air, enveloping his friends in a healing aura.

(''Let's Hit the Climax!- Bayonetta OST-s'')

When the light disappeared, everyone was at full force again, but not Sabin. Groaning, he collapsed to the ground. ''Sabin, what's wrong?! Sabin!'' shouted Edgar, running towards his brother.

''Oh, let's just put an end to all this here and now!'' sighed Locke, and Terra struck the Ultima Weapon with an enhanced Firaga that destroyed it and caused it to fall down. After that, she returned to normal, and Ramuh did the same by returning to his Magicite state.

Sabin barely got up. ''Damn, that was too close for comfort.'' he said, breathing heavily.

''We were worried about you, Sabin. What happened?'' asked Terra, concerned.

''Just a side effect of this Blitz.'' replied Sabin.

''What do you mean?'' asked Relm.

''It's a long story.'' Locke said.

''These techniques can only be learned by martial artists with a pure heart, and Master Duncan taught them to me during private lessons with me.'' said the martial artist.

''Sabin, why did you collapse like that? And when did you learn this technique?'' asked Edgar.

"A year before the death of our father. Remember when Maduin said that Terra cannot transform into her Esper form too often or keep that form for too long or she could faint or die? When I learned this technique, Master Duncan warned me not to use it if I am injured unless it is an emergency, since it uses my vital energy, and its reckless use can cause fainting, a coma, or worse, death.'' explained Sabin. ''A few months later, something unexpected happened during a lesson, and all of Master Duncan's disciples paid the price, including me, Josef, and Ursula.''

Everyone looked at him confusedly. ''Who are Josef and Ursula?'' asked Terra.

"They are my childhood friends, and I remember it was Josef who introduced me to Master Duncan's training. If you don't know, they are a little older than me and had been attending this course for over a year when I decided to join. Josef is tall and bald, and I remember that even then that he was a child his muscles were surprisingly well developed, while Ursula is slimmer. Ursula's father didn't want her to attend martial arts because he thought it was inappropriate for her, but after a little insistence, he allowed her to do so.(5)'' replied Sabin.

''What happened next?'' asked Gau.

Sabin sighed. ''Something that might leave you shocked. During that lesson, I, Josef, Ursula, Vargas and the other disciples had to climb Mount Koltz to meditate on the summit, but the lesson was interrupted because we were attacked by mountain bears that we had to stop. I managed to defeat them and drive them out, but apart from Master Duncan, everyone was badly injured. Josef had a broken leg and cuts everywhere, Ursula had sprained her ankle and had a broken arm, Vargas was battered pretty bad and I had a broken shoulder because a bear had bitten me there. Since everyone had fainted, I made the decision to use Soul Spiral, and in this way, I was able to heal and awaken them, but I fainted in Master Duncan's arms. He was so worried about me that he sent everyone home and took me to the hospital in South Figaro to check on my condition, then took me to his hut and stayed there to keep an eye on me until I woke up. I was in a coma for two weeks.'' he explained.

''That's why it took you fifteen days to go home that time!'' exclaimed Edgar.

''That's right... when I regained consciousness and had to go home, I knew you would make a big scolding of me. Either you or Dad.'' sabin said.

''And you, Celes? What is it that you said when you summoned Ramuh?'' asked Setzer.

''It is an ancient language, Enochian. It is said to serve to communicate with the gods.(6)'' replied Celes.

''I know this language. Sabin and I have studied it throughout our lives. After all, royals must have an education that is worthy of a ruler.'' said Edgar.

''Terra, do you feel the presence of the statues?'' asked Relm.

''I feel it. We're almost there.'' replied Terra.

''I have to go.'' said Shadow.

''What? Why?'' asked Cyan. ''After we cooperated again?''

''I'm sorry, but after I sold myself to the Empire, I can't be with you.'' replied Shadow.

''And abandon us like this?! No way!'' Relm snapped.

"Don't get me wrong, I do want to stop Kefka, but the Empire almost killed me when I played my role, and since I worked for them, I don't deserve to be with you. You have to go through all this on your own.'' said Shadow.

''Shadow, wait!'' cried Terra, but the ninja had teleported away with Interceptor.

(Shadow has left the party.)

''There is no time to lose! Come on!'' said Celes, and the eleven remaining heroes went in a hurry.

A/W: Really messed up part, huh? Well, can our heroes stop Kefka before he interferes with the statues of the Warring Triad? Find out in the next chapter!

(1): In the first game of the series, white magic spells and items cannot be used against enemies, and Dia and her variants are only used there, with the purpose of damaging the undead. However, from Final Fantasy II onwards,you can use on enemies items such as potions or white spells, and on the undead, healing effects have the exact opposite, but if you use Drain or Osmosis on them, they will cure them. Dia and its variants return in Final Fantasy Record Keeper, where they inflict damage of sacred element, and Dia's animation is used to depict standard physical attacks by a character that is infused with the power of holy light.

(2): This moment comes from a scene from Resident Evil: Degeneration, a canonical Resident Evil movie and in the same universe as the games due to the presence of TerraSave, an association fighting against bio-weapons, of which Claire Redfield is part of. For much of the film, she takes care of Rani, the niece of a colleague of hers, and when she finally reunites with her aunt and Senator Davis makes an insensitive comment, Claire slaps him in the face.

(3): Reference to Batman. In Gotham City, the setting of the series, the supervillains that Batman defeats, such as his nemesis Joker, whose design partially inspired Kefka, to the point that Kefka himself is compared to him for his madness, are locked up in an asylum, the Arkham Asylum. Starting in 2009, the Batman: Arkham quadrilogy has been released, starting with Batman: Arkham Asylum and ending in 2015 with Batman: Arkham Knight.

(4): Elemental infusions for characters are from Final Fantasy Record Keeper, but a couple of them are not. In the hack rom Final Fantasy VI: Divergent Paths, among the character changes, Relm has been completely redone from scratch: unlike the original game, she can learn spells naturally like Terra and Celes, and while Terra learns offensive spells, often of fire element, and Celes learns ice and status spells, she learns mostly white magic spells and lightning spells. In the first six classic games, andFinal Fantasy VI is the only one in which the crystals of wind, water, fire and earth do not appear (they appear in Final Fantasy II,but in a minor role in the Tower of Mysidia), but the crystals will appear in later games, such as Final Fantasy Type 0 and are important in Final Fantasy IX, representing the logo of the game and the core of the planets.

(5): Josef is a character from Final Fantasy II, a temporary companion whosacrifices his life for Firion and the others, which is also mentioned in the story told by Ramuh in Final Fantasy IX, while Ursula is from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and is the daughter of Yang and the princess of Fabul (at the end of Final Fantasy IV, the previous king resigned and entrusted Yang with the role). They are both monks, and in Final Fantasy Record Keeper, their elements are ice for Josef and earth and fire for Ursula. Among the several subplots from the character point of view in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Ursula's story is about the fact that she wants to become strong like her father and train as a monk under him, but Yang refuses both because he believes that she is giving too much importance to power alone, and because he thinks it is not suitable for her position as a princess. He only agrees to do so only after the events between Ursula and the monks who accompanied her against an Adamantoise, which Ursula only manages to defeat after recalling a training of her father to which she had witnessed and learning to use the Tenketsu technique, capable of penetrating the armor of the Adamantoise.

(6): Enochian is an occult language known as the language of angels. In Final Fantasy XIV, there is an ability that has to do with a similar name and enhances black magic spells, and in the Bayonetta series, it is used for formulas used by the Umbra Witches like Bayonetta to summon Infernal demons such as Madama Butterfly through Wicked Weaves, a technique that has to do with the user's hair. Bayonetta's formula for summoning Gomorrah is ''avavago'', meaning ''thunder''.