CHAPTER 45 – THE UNBEATABLE
"Full-Life!"
The sparkling green enveloped Irvine, who was the second last to be revived from his temporary death.
"Welcome back, Irvy." Selphie managed to squeeze a tiny smile for his benefit, unusually subdued from her hyperactive tendencies, a result of the shadows of her close brush with the Gates of AKU (Read: Hell in human speech) still imprinted in her mind.
"…What happened? I remember being flung through the air, then everything went black…" Irvine rubbed his neck, which was more than a little sore due to the battering it had received when he was thrown off his feet into the air, only to crash to ground, resulting in a multiple-fractured back. He would have been paralyzed indefinitely if not for the miracles a Full-life spell could perform.
"The Monster's attack went through my Invincible Moon… guess it's not so invincible after all…" Rinoa said glumly.
"If we're here… then who's fighting the enemy? We've hardly got the time to moan over our failure to defeat it! Let's go!" He was up on his feet next the next second, and wanted to dash off towards the battle ground again, only to be pushed back by a couple of SeeDs.
"Please, you must rest, as your body has not fully recovered yet. Even a Full-Life would take some time to take effect." The boy who had cast the revival spell upon them gently but firmly insisted that he stay put.
"That's what happens when we try to get going… and he's as easy to budge as a boulder of rock!" Selphie grumbled, for she was dying to run back to battle with the Monster, urged on by her frustration at having been unable to hurt it at all.
"Anyway… Fujin and Raijin are out there fighting it… doing extremely well, it seems." Rinoa craned her neck and squinted at the spot where the two figures stood, dwarfed by the unmoving Monster.
Irvine followed her line of vision, and saw that indeed, they were fighting it better than they had...
Why hadn't we thought of using status affliction spells? The basic thing to ascertain at the beginning of any battle was to check for the enemy's status weaknesses… and we didn't! I suppose the sheer size of that thing had thrown us off-track… but still..
His train of thought was broken when his vision was drawn towards another alarming sight.
Squall had yet to revive, his eyes unopened, but he had started tossing and turning feverishly on the ground… as if he was suffering from epilepsy, only without the sudden jerks.
"What's wrong with him?" Irvine demanded.
"I don't know!" Selphie exclaimed, worried that Squall was suffering from some kind of illness.
"Squall! Wake up!" Rinoa tried to shake him, but he did not wake.
Finally, she did what she thought was an effective method.
"SQUALL LEONHART! WAKE UP THIS INSTANT OR YOU'LL GET IT FROM ME!" She yelled into his ear, her vociferousness causing those around her to cringe at the damage that was done to Squall's eardrums.
With a jolt Squall sat up, rudely pulled out of his dreams by her threat.
"….light… lots and lots of it…" He whispered, repeating what he had heard in his "dream".
"Are you alright, Squall?" Selphie peered anxiously at him, absolutely clueless about what he had said a moment ago.
Rinoa said nothing, simply placing a hand on his forehead to check for temperature.
"Knock it off, Rinny. I'm fine!"
"What was that you were saying about light, Squall?" Irvine's sense of hearing was rumored to be the sharpest in all of Garden Community, having honed it thoroughly in his many years as a sharp-shooter. Little wonder then, that he had been able to register Squall's barest of whispers.
"Remember what Celestine said before she left?" Squall gingerly got up on his legs, his joints creaking in protest at his attempt to stand up so soon after the burning out of his entire store of energy.
"You mean…"
He nodded at Selphie's unfinished sentence.
"We've missed out on an important fact. Pulling out all the stops and pummeling at the monster with the most vicious of our attacks, our friggin' Finishing Blows, for Hyne's Sake… when the answer might be as simple as casting that one single spell. We have only one chance. If this fails as well, we can kiss all our hopes of survival goodbye."
"I still don't get it…" Irvine's face looked as if he had just attended a lecture on the Further and In-Depth Theories of Quantum Physics (which definitely was not his area of expertise, by the way.)
"Holy."
* * *
"How did you…? Why?" The Monster stuttered, its speaking ability restricted to few worded questions as his astonishment at the grey-haired girl in front of him held his vocal chords in a vice-like grip.
"JUNCTIONING OF MAGIC TO ELEMENTAL ATTACK – MAGIC THAT ENEMY IS WEAK AGAINST." Fujin grinned maliciously at it.
You know, I could get used to all this smiling and grinning.
"FUNDEMENTALS OF ANY KIND OF ATTACK – EXPLOITATION OF ENEMY'S WEAKNESS."
"But how…?"
"INSTINCT. GUT FEELING TELLS FUJIN YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO HOLY."
The Monster let out a grimace, as if to show that it was in a lot of pain.
But the grimace changed immediately to that of a mocking smirk.
"Hahahahaha!" It threw its head back, its guffaws deafening in every ear around that vicinity, human or non-human.
"Well… I'd have to disappoint you girl, but this arm of mine can regenerate itself without a glitch." As it spoke, a small, jutting stump started forming at its right arm socket.
"It takes a while to form the arm fully, though. But that does not mean I'll be idle. Far from it, I assure you. That arm is reserved for destroying your cities, while this one... is reserved for killing stubborn humans such as you! Are you scared now, huh? You should be… cos…"
It thrust its hand out, fanning out the four fingers and facing the palm towards them.
A beam zapped out from the open palm, striking both Fujin and Raijin at the same time.
Within the time it took for them to blink once, their air of superiority over the Monster been struck down, replacing it with one of regret that they had allowed the Monster time to strike back, regret that they had been so easily duped by its bogus air of surprise, that they had been distracted by its reaction.
They lay upon the grass in spasms, the currents of the beam running through the core of their bodies.
A glance at Raijin told her that he was out cold, the impact of the attack too strong for him to withstand.
"MUST… GET UP…" Fujin struggled to get onto her feet off the ground, the act a futile one for her limbs refused to heed her bidding. The only thing she achieved for her struggles was an aggravation of her internal injuries, causing a burst of red to fly out of her mouth as a racking cough seized her lungs.
Monster… is too strong… I can't…
Before she could lapse into her depressive thinking and give up all faith in life, the merciful hand of an ally pulled her out of the desperation that threatened to swallow her wholly.
The hand came in the form of a soft voice… gentle yet determined, preventing her mind from falling apart at the seams.
"We'll take it from here, Fujin. You have a rest now." The owner of the voice said, placing an arm on Fujin's shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze.
"RINOA…"
"We will not fail this time. We cannot afford to." Squall's eyes were more focused than they had ever been before… a complete change from the uneasiness lingering in them when Fujin had spoke to him earlier at Mandy Beach.
"Someone bring them aside and heal them up." Irvine gestured towards a random SeeD, who immediately went up with another two to help escort Fujin and Raijin out of the battle field. (Or dragging him out, as was the case for Raijin.)
He was about to set off for the enemy, only to have a restraining force pulling on his arm.
He turned in annoyance, only to be replaced by surprise.
It was the SeeD who had earlier saved their lives by casting the Full-Life spells.
"What's up, Nobu?" He asked in puzzlement.
"Be careful. I don't want to waste any more Full-Lifes on you." He said with a somber face, which was betrayed by the mischievous twinkle in his pupils.
"I will." Irvine grinned at him, and sprinted off to join the rest upfront.
By then, the pride and joy of the Magic users in Balamb Garden, Rinoa and Selphie, had already positioned themselves before their foe, each concentrating on bringing their mental power to the maximum.
"Back so soon? Haven't had enough of my attacks? I shall grant your eagerness to experience another death then… only this time, there will be nothing left of you for them to cure! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The Monster raised both arms upon above its head. Its right arm was by then almost fully regenerated, with the exception of its thumb which seemed to take a much longer time than other fingers. Crossing his arms at the wrists, it started drawing energy from a source that only itself knew
"Holy." Selphie started summoning the spell, twisting her nunchakus in a variety of positions before holding then apart above her head. She worked hard at blocking out every stray thought from her mind, and simply focusing upon her spell.
As soon as the word left her lips, several spheres of white surrounded the monster, increasing in numbers until all converged in the centre, merging into a single shell of light, ending the attack with an explosion upon the Monster's entire body.
She was closely followed by Rinoa, then Squall, and Irvine.
Four Holy spells in close succession, each of similar degree of intensity.
They had placed their last hope on this attack… that it would be enough to wound the monster, and cease its attack as well.
They were certain that it would work.
If it did, they could finally find a way to destroy it… when it had seemed impossible before then.
True to their fervent wishes, numerous burns and holes appeared on various parts of the Monster's torso, smoking from the effect generated by the Holy Magic.
The Monster had stopped drawing energy for its attack, its uplifted arms now upon the holes, trying to stem the blood pouring out from them, then letting out a scream every now and then, for surely it must be painful to have a wound-ridden body.
The SeeDs looked at one another in unabashed excitement.
One after another, the remaining SeeDs and Cadets of the Balamb Garden Squad started joining their leaders.
The battle field was filled with the chorus of their voices, each yelling the word that bestowed a ray of light in them, erasing the fear and dread that had been weighing them down.
They were unified by their will to defeat the Monster, their intentions and fierce resolve unanimous, such that not only their voices had become a harmonious symphony… even their actions had become synchronized, creating an even better effect than they had hoped for.
The Light generated from their Holy Magic merged into one single powerful beam, hitting the Monster right in the middle of its left chest.
Where there once resided muscle, bone, and its pumping heart, there was only a vacant space now, large enough to allow them a view of the moon's reflection upon the dark waters of the ocean.
It looked down at the damage that had been
done to its body with a stunned expression… very similar to the look it had
given Fujin when she severed its arm, only this time,
it was not faking.
It started swaying from side to side,
precariously, as if it was going to collapse soon.
Not one to miss a chance when he saw it, Irvine summoned his GF, Alexandra, whose attack was strong in the Holy factor.
I will not fail you this time.
My HOLY JUDGEMENT shall destroy the Monster, once and for all.
The GF unleashed its Holy Judgment upon the Monster, bombarding it with countless flashes of the blinding light without even giving it a chance to shout, yell or even breathe.
When the air cleared and the dust had settled, the Monster's legs wobbled like jelly, unable to support the incredible weight.
It fell to the ground, yielding to the pull of gravity, falling face-first into the waters. A heavy shower of the salty seawater rained upon Timber, the grass and people surrounding the town, as well as the mobile Balamb Garden parked beside its gates.
Everyone waited with bated breath, hope glistening in their eyes as they looked for any sign of movement from their gigantic enemy.
There was none at all. It was motionless, as if someone had cast a stop spell upon it. And yet they did not think that it was in another one of its energy revitalizing trances… for its body was riddled with so many holes that it resembled a mulberry leave that had been visited by to many silkworms.
There was no way in Hell anything can survive that kind of injuries, many had thought.
For one moment, the SeeDs had thought that they had succeeded.
That they had killed the monster.
They let out cheer after exuberant cheer, sighs of relief, and for some, tears of joy. They gave each other grateful hugs and quite a number where doing their little victory dances, raising their fists in the air at their triumphant win over the Monster.
They did not care about the ruckus they were making, or the fact that the safety of the other cities and towns was yet to be confirmed.
"Well done, Irvine." Squall slapped him soundly on the back, causing Irvine to choke upon his breathe at the sudden assault on his back.
"Thanks for the boost, Squall." He said sarcastically.
"Irvy the World Savior!" Selphie clasped her hands together and pranced around, her actions very much like a star-struck teenage groupie.
"Sefie, stop it!" Irvine's face had turned into a peculiar shade of crimson, making a show of protesting at Selphie's over-the-top antics when he was in fact rather pleased with it.
"Well, let's see about getting the injured to the hospitals, now that the battle's over."
"You're right, Rinny. Let's go!" Selphie pulled Rinoa on the arm, leading her towards the Garden's direction, where all the injured ones rested.
A black mist drifted above the surface of the sea, heading towards the Monster. Its presence was camouflaged by the darkness of the night that had fallen upon the continent, the sky barely illuminated by the meager light of the crescent moon.
It was a mist formed by powdered remains of the Underground Army, which had been swept into the ocean by the winds when they had been destroyed.
Their hatred had lived on, along with their blood-lusty vengeance seeking will, searching for a new place to reside in…
And there could not have been a more suitable one than the Monster's vacated shell.
The Balamb Garden Squad and the Timberian Townspeople partied on, oblivious to the impending resurrection of the Monster.
Will the humans be able to defeat the Monster once more?
Or is it really that invincible, standing up after being near-fatally injured, as resilient as a cockroach?
And where the heck is Celestine?
Find out in the next chapter, which surely, will be the Final Battle of the Good vs the Evil, at least for this particular monster.
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Yay! Final Battle up next! Ending coming soon (well, I truly hope so, but there are at least three more chapters to go.)
I fell asleep three times when writing this chapter, so if there are any ridiculous faults that you spot in here, please please please tell me so that I can rectify it. Thanks.
Grateful acknowledgment time!
Celeste Spring: I don't quite know why I write at such pace... maybe because I try to write whenever I have the chance, be it on the train (on my way to work and back), during lunch time. Even when I'm not writing, I think of how to continue my story, etc etc etc. Basically I eat, breathe and sleep my fic… creepy eh? But that's what comes over me when the urge comes, and then I get writer's block… hahhah what a poke in the face. Erm… I don't suppose you know what the last sentence means… don't worry, me too. Am getting delirious… @_@ But thanks for saying that the battle scene had improved : ) And even more so, thanks for reading it!
Soulofflame: I dunno… Rinoa can get pretty hysterical when Squall does something stupid like stopping her from battling with the monster with him… but that's my humble opinion. Anyway, it was leaning more towards a joke of some sort. I usually can't write anything too serious without goofing up… bad habit, I know. But I'm like the proverbial dog that can't stop eating poo… ehehhehhe. Thanks for your review!
Anime-diva: Oh no! I forgot to thank you the last chapter! I'm terribly sorry, but sometimes my brain doesn't retain things too well. Here's thanks to the power of infinity, which I hope will make up for my previous boo-boo! Ahhh! *clutches hair*
Jengab057 – Oh.. thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
Quistis88 – Can you imagine Dr Odine's autobiography? Must be something like "Experimented with mental powers of three-eyed cat at eight, blah blah blah blah…" Maybe I should hook him and Dr. Kadowaki up… but naah…. That will have to be another fic, since this one is already overstaying its welcome. Thanks for you review!
Well, that's it people. If I missed out anyone, I'm so sorry, but just know that your review is truly appreciated. My arms are going to fall off if I don't stop writing, so that's all for now. Have a nice day/rest
Water-lily43