Chapter 41: End Pearl
Zidane opened his eyes. Bruised, cut, bleeding, and tired, Zidane turned on to his back. He stared into the dark veined ceiling of the great hall.
"No, Zidane, you're not dreaming." Zidane gave a sigh. Glancing to his right, he saw his teammates on the floor as well. They were still not awake, but breathing. Zidane gave a smile upon seeing Vivi's rested pitch-dark face. "And not dead fortunately…"
"…Zidane?" A voice called over his left shoulder. Glancing slightly as to not turn his head, Zidane eyed the commentator, who happened to be Vincent Valentine.
"I'm alive! Don't throw me with the corpses!" Zidane laughed, still in his relaxed position.
"Our team is still alive. Asleep but alive. We were roughed up pretty good. How's your guys?"
"Beaten to a bloody pulp, but we made it. We're still all accounted for."
"What of Kuja?"
Zidane glanced to his left, seeing his friends. But Kuja was not there. Zidane immediately hopped to his feet and stared about, searching frantically for his brother genome. After a quick panic attack, Zidane spotted him, lying on his side, his back facing this way. Zidane walked over to him, making a gesture for Vincent to stay.
"Hey Kuja! Wake up!" Zidane said as he approached the limp figure. His form wasn't silently rising and falling, as it should. "C'mon bro! Snap out of it!" But upon shaking Kuja, Zidane found a horrid surprise. A pool of blood was at Kuja's side, and his own dagger in his heart. Zidane immediately fell to his knees and lied Kuja upon his lap.
"…Kuja, w-what happened…"
Vincent could not reply from his position. He had already lost a friend, little Kuriko. He knew what Zidane was going through, and wasn't about to interrupt.
"…Kuja, did you do this for us?… Did you sacrifice yourself to defeat ERA…?" A tear slowly rolled down Zidane's cheek, soon followed by another. "Why do you keep leaving me brother?!"
Zidane slowly stood back up, placing Kuja's hands over his wound. Turning towards Vincent and wiping his eyes, a scowl stretched across Zidanes worn out face. Shaking with frustration, anger, and sadness, Zidane marched towards the crimson clad gunner. "Stay here… I'm going to finish this, Cloud or not…"
Vincent nodded and stepped back. A large glass stained window behind him on a wall was the only exit.
** *
"Grand WEAPON, huh?" Cloud asked the angel as he raised his Ultima Weapon.
"Destroyer of the higher forces, ultimate soldier. That is I. I possess the strongest soul in existence." The translucent angel also readied it's massive sword.
"And who's soul might that be?"
"The soul of the master of Terra."
"…I don't understand, but I don't need to. You're a creature of EON, and I'm here to kill you!"
"Hahaha! You think you can defeat me?! I AM the closest thing to a higher power!"
"Just shut up and fight!"
"Very well." Grand WEAPON closed his eyes.
"DEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" Cloud clutched his head, dropping his sword to the ground.
"So you're Cloud Strife of Nibelhiem? I thought you'd be more impressive. As an arch nemesis of EON, I shall slay you right here in the cathedral of evolution! And when I'm done, you're friends are next." Grand WEAPON opened his blue eyes and brushed his long golden hair out of his face.
"No! Leave them out of this!"
"And when I'm done with them, your love Tifa. Oh, how I shall make her death slow and painful. She'll be screaming for death when I'm through with her."
"SHUT UP! LEAVE TIFA LOCKEHEART ALONE YOU MONSTER!" Cloud picked up his sword and ran through the faded aisle towards Grand WEAPON.
"Hahaha!" Grand WEAPON raised his hand, throwing iron pews off the floor towards Cloud. Cloud dropped to the floor right before they crashed over him. Suddenly all sorts of twisted objects were flying at sonic speeds around the cathedral. Cloud was trying to dodge everything, knocking pieces with his sword, leaping or ducking under heavy things. He couldn't get through.
"Oh, Strife. We are going to have some fun, aren't we? ANGEL BURN!" The cathedral became all enclosed in white. Everything in the room soon caught flame. Cloud tried backing away, but was too late. He, too, caught on fire!
Suddenly a hidden stained window crashed open, revealing a somersaulting Zidane. Catching Grand WEAPON by surprise, he slashed him with the Tower, ending the ANGEL BURN attack.
"Gah! Who are you?! You will pay innocent!" Grand WEAPON shouted. He jabbed at amazing speeds with his grand sword, but Zidane was pissed off. Zidane dodged every attack, making a few strikes himself at the angel with his smaller knives.
"CLIMHAZARD!" Cloud screamed. While Grand WEAPON was busy with Zidane, Cloud pulled off his astonishing limit break.
Grand WEAPON, injured slightly, leaped off the red carpet into the jungle of blackened rods, bars, and pipes above.
"Infidels! You shall pay dearly for your actions! SINS OF THE WORLD!"
A purple haze drifted out from within our heroes. Lighting flashed and thunder bellowed. Cloud and Zidane were paralyzed.
"OMEGA KJACTA!"
The familiar summon of Kjacta soon became real. This time around, the elements were much more merciless, dealing extreme damage to both heroes.
After the summon disappeared, Zidane and Cloud were under a pile of pews.
"…Zidane?" Cloud asked weakily from underneath.
"…What Cloud?"
"You alive?"
"Yea, I'm alive. I still have a pulse."
"Good…"
"What's this? You're still alive?" The soft sweet voice of the angel came to haunt them. "Heroes you are indeed, but mortal you are. You won't last too much longer."
The iron black pews flew into the air as Zidane and Cloud leaped back into positions.
"Think whatever you like Grand WEAPON, but you are still-" Cloud started, smiling.
"A jackass!" Zidane finished, grinning.
Grand WEAPON swung his grand sword lightning fast, but only got Clouds boot and Zidanes tail as they fled.
"This is for Kuja!" Zidane said as he swung the Tower into Grand WEAPONs face, causing a large scar!
But with Zidanes strike, Grand WEAPON managed to actually hit him with the grand sword, causing Zidane to go flying into the altar.
"Zidane!" Cloud screamed as he saw his comrade fly by.
"Ahahaha! Fools! EON will reign!" Grand WEAPON laughed. "There is no fighting it!"
"You'll see about that!" Cloud launched himself at the translucent angel, only to be batted to the side.
"Growing tired eh? That's a problem with mortals, never enough energy."
"Just shut up!" cloud screamed as he got up.
"Hmph. I'd be quiet if I were you, or you might end up like your friend."
"Zidane!" Cloud instantly turned towards the altar. He had expected Zidane to be at his side by now. Cloud quickly ran over to the altar, looking for his friend.
"It's not smart…" Grand WEAPON began.
"Zidane, where are you?" Cloud said as he rummaged through the debris at the altar.
"To turn your back!" Grand WEAPON struck at Clouds rear with his sword, sending him flying upwards into the twisted skeleton of pipes.
"You could go for a little of your own advice!" Zidanes voice echoed as he struck Grand WEAPON in the back.
Grand WEAPON instantly sent a pew at his assailant, buying time for him to turn to see Zidane against a pillar. "You're still alive? I see that I'll have to call in the master blow. Both of you, prepare for FINAL FANTASY!"
"That doesn't sound good…" Zidane mumbled as he freed himself from the pew wreckage.
Grand WEAPONs eyes lit up as the atmosphere around him darkened. Laughing like a crazed maniac, images of strange people danced around. Images of a fighter and a black mage. Pictures of dragons and dragon slayers. Silent people fighting a demon tree. Flashes of an emperor leading an army across the snow drenched lands with mechanical armor. Scenes of Sephiroth, Cloud, and Aeris. Odd illusions of a sorceress at a parade, fighting a man in leather. Pictures of Zidane and Quina fighting the Earth Elemental. Scenery of a water world, where a sorceress and a man with a sword made of water embraced. Scenes of medieval knights on Chocobos. And others of elves fighting pig like monsters in the rain. The atmosphere seemed to be crushing.
With a demonic voice, the angel laughed. "Behold, the dimensions of all fantasies! I shall end this one right here!"
Cloud leaped down from the rafters, torn and bruised. "Zidane, follow my lead. We have to finish him off before he finishes the summon!"
"Right!"
"OMNISLASH!" Cloud bellowed. He and Zidane lunged towards the potent creature.
Swinging both blades countless times, Cloud and Zidane pulled off combo after combo after combo of insane fury on the destroyer of worlds. GRAND WEAPONs energy was building up.
"Cloud, follow me!" Zidane shouted. He instantly went trance. "GRAND LETHAL!" Zidane unleashed the primal explosions of rage upon the summoning monster.
"Limit Break! CHERRY BLOSSOM!" Cloud did his version of the attack. This was Clouds version of the ultimate attack. Unleashing power from beyond, Cloud summoned a storm of nature to reckon with Grand WEAPON. Swinging his sword, Cloud struck with the power of godliness.
The cathedral begun to shake.
"OMNISLASH!" The two started the insane combo routine again, firing off massive damage.
"HAHAHAHA!" Grand WEAPON seemed to laugh from a million miles away.
"He's going to finish it Cloud!" Zidane shouted over the rising energy.
"Know he's not! Aeris, give me strength. GREAT GOSPEL!"
With a flash of heavenly angels, GRAND WEAPON was overloaded. His summon stopped, but the energy still within.
"Cloud! What happened!?" Zidane shouted.
"Aeris stopped his summon!"
With a last rush of energy, Grand WEAPON exploded in a fury of leftover energy. Silent purple energy waves passed over the heroes, knocking loose every bolt and nail within EON…