Note: There is a brief overview of the first round of battles in the midway of this chapter. Each fight, and all the subsequent fights, will be included later in a set of chapter-ettes called Lost Fragments, which will be posted once I dig them out of the void what is my hard drive.

Chapter 4 - Olympus

This is... incredible...

(This is the world in its true form.)

So then... it's all just an illusion.

(There are only the memories.)

Kydran moved up beside the cabin door. The gummi ship Cloud had retrieved was not of a large type, but it was big enough to house three rooms. Pandora had gotten her own, because the others had recognized her need for privacy. The sight of Traverse Town being swallowed whole by the Darkness was painful to all of them, but it seemed to agonize Pandora the most.

Still, the wielder of the Heart Key could not help himself. He found his thoughts, empty though they had been, straying to the image of her face, her smooth violet eyes that seemed welcoming to him despite the girl's sassy nature. He raised a hand to the door, preparing to knock, and had second thoughts.

'Reifa was taken by the Heartless. That must really be doing a number on her heart. Maybe Aerith was right. I should just leave her alone.'

But he couldn't.

He rapped softly on the door with his left hand (his right was not yet fully healed), and listened intently. A stifled sob reached his ears.

"Go away!" was the shaky response from the girl. Kydran frowned.

"It's me. Kydran," he responded quietly, and was rewarded with silence. "If you need somebody to talk to, I'm all ears."

Still more silence. He waited patiently, hoping for a response, and as he began to turn to find something else to do, the door cracked open.

The sight of her made Kydran's heart ache with empathy. She was disheveled, her hair messy, undealt with since the massacre. Her eyes were red with the tears she had cried, and she looked about ready to break again. The boy's voice was pained; it hurt just to see her in the condition she was in.

"I couldn't save her. When I heard the windows break, and the people screaming..."

Her voice wavered, and she took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

"And even when that... thing came after, I couldn't do anything. They ran her down, they just tore her apart like... wolves..."

At this, Pandora was overcome by her grief. The door swung open, and she sunk to the floor, hands covering her face as she wept. Kydran caught her, braced at the sharp pain now traveling up his right arm, steadied her, embraced her. She wept.

"And... I was going to die, too, and then you... and Leon, you were there!"

Kydran felt dizzy, disoriented. Her words registered, but that was all he heard. Even his own thoughts were muffled. He felt his heart... tingling. His body felt cold; he knew he wasn't supposed to enjoy her pain, but having her there made him feel glad. A

(That was the choice you made.)

But I didn't know that it would mean this...

memory stirred within him, and it was brushed away immediately.

"I'm so glad you came, I could have died, and then that... monster, that enormous black abomination appeared and you almost died-"

"I what?"

"You almost died! That huge black thing almost crushed you. I thought you were dead."

His mind was still in overdrive; what he was now seeing of Pandora was so vastly different from the one he had known in Traverse Town. Confident, sassy, humorous. Now she was shell-shocked, panicked, and grieving. He wondered how long it would last.

"It's alright, now. We're safe. We're on our way to Olympus Coliseum."

She sniffled, took a shuddering breath, and seemed to achieve control. She looked up at him.

"Why?"

"Ask Sora, I don't know. Are you gonna be okay? I'm around if you need me."

Pandora nodded, and backed away. Her cheeks grew a little pink; she was clearly embarrassed at having received the attention the boy. She retreated into the room again, and closed the door. Kydran blinked. Gone as quickly as she'd come. Well. He'd just go find something to do.

Like finding Sora.

He did so. The boy was in the dining area (Kydran was amazed at the amenities that this gummi ship possessed), munching through a small sub sandwich, eyes distant. Aware of Kydran's presence, the Keyblade Master's eyes followed Kydran as he sat down, and the two were quiet for a long moment, barring the noise of Sora's chewing.

"So, it's you and me, huh?" queried Sora, putting the sandwich down about halfway through it.

"I suppose so."

"I'm not gonna lie, you make me really uncomfortable. You're dressed all in black, your hair's black, you have this creepy look in your eye and you have that keyblade. I'm not even sure if you're a good guy or not."

"Well... I don't know what to tell you. I can't prove to you that I'm on one side or the other. I don't even think I know what the sides are. You and I both know that there's a connection between us, somewhere, though. Something. Unless it was just me."

"No, it wasn't," said Sora, and this time, he was the thoughtful one. "But I've never met you before in my life."

"I haven't seen you before, either. But I think we should stick together."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, if my keyblade is an evil thing, then you can handle it if something goes wrong. For two... you need a traveling partner, right?"

Sora was quiet.

"You know, Kydran... I'm the Keyblade Master. It's my job to protect everybody from the Darkness, to keep them safe, to set things right. I couldn't protect anybody. I let them all down..."

"That's not true. You saved me, and you saved Pandora, and you did everything you could. There was no way we could have stood up to that monster. We have to find another way."

"How do you know?" Sora retorded, clearly upset. "There was something I missed, something I could have done, I know it!"

Sora got to his feet, shoving the chair back up to the table. Kydran watched him, trying to figure out what, if anything, he was supposed to say.

"We should be in Olympus Coliseum soon. We might even have time to play in the games- they're going to want something to ease their pain. A distraction, you know? I hope you register," stated Sora, who then left the kitchen with his plate on the table and Kydran with a mind full of tumultuous thoughts.

Aerith's regenerative magics had done their work by the time the ship made its arrival at the Coliseum. Kydran's arm was still a little sore, like a deep bruise, but it was otherwise fine. He was the third person out of the ship; Sora was in first, Leon a close second. Cloud gained ground behind them, but look now! Here comes Yuffie, taking the lead! Pandora remained in the ship, not yet having decided whether or not to come with them.

"Wow. It's been a long time since we were here last, huh, Leon?" chirped Yuffie. Kydran was puzzled; she was able to keep on that happy-go-lucky demeanor even with the terrible news they all had to bring. The destruction of a world was no laughing matter, especially the destruction of Traverse Town, where would those displaced from their worlds go now?

Leon was silent. The gunblader was not in nearly as high of a spirit as Yuffie was; neither was Cloud, but Cloud didn't seem to care either way. Aerith's was very glum. Sora's thoughts were preoccupied with something, and he was clearly agitated. There was much more than just one subject for him to worry about.

They caravanned from the docks through the two immense gates, and then proceeded through the open court. The Coliseum had picked up a great deal of business than the last time that Sora had been there. People, mostly warriors, stood and conversed in the dusty courtyard that lay before the registration areas. Kydran eyed the huge banners that adorned the walls of this open area. He could make out the name 'Sora' on four of them, in the first-place slot. He shook his head.

Sora entered the registration area, and Kydran was surprised to find a stout little goat-man ambling toward the Keyblade Master. Eventually the entire party filed into the room, and stood in a solemn silence. Phil started to speak, immediately picking up on their demeanor.

"What's goin' on? You guys look like somebody killed ya dog!" prompted Phil.

"Traverse Town has been consumed by the Darkness," replied Leon, after a moment of Sora trying to speak but discovering he was incapable of doing so.

The little red satyr, the coach and trainer of legends, blanched.

"Traverse Town! No way! That can't be right!"

"I'm afraid it's very true. We need you to make a public announcement, to let everybody know that they probably don't have a home to return to anymore," Aerith said, in a respectful tone. Kydran had taken a liking to the woman's formal and quiet attitude.

"I guess I'll hafta. Just stay put, I'll take care of it," said Phil, and he disappeared through the entry area.

Sora turned around, and looked at the others. He looked positively helpless, his eyes pleading, as if they could somehow fix it. He saw himself as a sort of failure; he had completely failed to protect the people of Traverse Town. To protect Traverse Town himself- and even when faced with that monster, he told everybody to run, and ran with them. Wasn't a Keyblade Master supposed to protect the worlds from the Darkness, instead of running away like a frightened rabbit?

Kydran was the one who spoke, which was surprising, considering it was usually Aerith who bestowed the kind words, but what was even more surprising was what he said.

"No frowns. No sad faces. This boat runs on happy faces," he stated, grinning broadly. This time, it was everybody who gave him the double-take (save for Cloud). Kydran froze, and eyed them all. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"...where did you hear that?" queried Leon, suspiciously.

"I... I don't know. It just seemed like the right thing to say."

Oddly, the words had had a strong impact on the Keyblade Master. He took Kydran's speech into consideration, and then grinned as well.

"You're right, Kydran. It all comes out in the wash; we'll set everything straight! Just watch!" he spoke, having resolved something in his mind. Maybe there was a way. If he found the Door...

Their exchange had brightened the outlook of the entire party (save for Cloud), and Phil was surprised to see them all smiling (or giving a lopsided grin, in Leon's case).

"Whoa, this is the same crew, right?" chuckled Phil. The good mood was contagious. "Well, I gave 'em the bad news. A lot of the fighters didn't take it too well, and the guests in the coliseum aren't jumping up and down either, but I think I know what might get their minds off the subject."

Sora's cheesy grin grew even wider; he was beaming from ear-to-ear.

"A tournament?" asked Sora, nearly on the breaking point.

"A tournament."

"A tournament!" Sora whooped, hopping up and clicking his heels. Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Leon, and Kydran all backed away from him; that reaction was entirely unexpected. Well, not entirely.

"Wow. I bet it'll be big. There's a lot of fighters out there," observed Yuffie, already making her way to the door so she could fetch her weapon. "You know, we should all split up into teams! Me and Leon, Sora and Kydran, and Cloud and Aerith!"

"Sorry, kid. This ain't gonna be no teamed tournament. It'll be a 20-man single-elimination tournament, only the best."

"You guys gotta sign up!" begged Sora.

"No thanks, I'm not one for fighting," Aerith replied timidly, brushing her dress off and shaking her head. "But I like the thought of helping Cloud in battle."

Cloud was silent.

"Yeah! It'll be great, come on, Kydran!" exclaimed Sora. He smiled nervously.

"Uh, sure, Sora," was his quiet response. Hadn't the brown-haired kid just told him a couple hours ago that Kydran made him uncomfortable? Still Kydran could see the reason for Sora's excitement; all the tournaments he'd participated in, he'd won. Go figure.

Leon shrugged, and also made his way to the gummi ship.

"What about Pandora?" asked Kydran suddenly, as they moved out into the open court, where the word had apparently gotten around.

"What about me?" called the girl from across the way, and she smiled halfheartedly. She started down the steps, and appeared to be familiar with the territory. Her eyes were on the black-clad Heart Key wielder.

"They're having a tournament," announced Kydran, approaching her with a goofy grin. "To get our minds off of what happened. You don't know how to fight, do you?"

Pandora shook her head and smiled brightly, glancing from Kydran to Sora. "No, I'll be just find watching you guys. I'm cheering for you, Kydran."

She moved over to the black-haired boy, and Sora cast a nervous look to Kydran, who was entranced by the girl with her long obsidian locks.

Her clothing was much the same as it was when they had first met: tight-fitting black leggings which fit into the pair of black boots at her feet, with a light blue tank top draped over this. A white longcoat was fit over her body, buttoned at the waist, the tail of the coat draping over her left leg, the sleeves of this coat flaring out. Black vinework weaved its way along the edges of this coat in a dazzling pattern. Sora had to admit she had style.

She reached into a pocket of her coat and withdrew a small bauble dangling from a silver chain. It was a blue-shining crystal, set in a delicate silver vinework base. She handed it to the boy.

"Here, Kydran. Auntie Reifa and I both had these when we awoke in the alleyway in Traverse Town. I think I read somewhere that in the olden days, the brave knights would go into battle bearing their ladies' favor. I want you to have this, and keep it on you while you fight."

"I, uh..."

"Please?"

Kydran looked from the bauble, and then looked to the girl. His hand was shaking. Something deep within him told him there was so much more to this small act than met the eye, something that had roots that weent deeper than it appeared.

"Alright. I'll be your knight," he said, taking the bauble. She wrapped her arms around him, and he smiled, holding her. "I'll fight for you."

That all the best fighters would gather to fight in the Traverse Town Cup was no joke. Each warrior was indeed formidable, and the Tournament was the most intense and entertaining that any in the crowd had ever seen, and many of the battles were the most difficult that the participants had ever taken part in.

Prior to the tournament, Sora had looked over the list of twenty combatants, noting who was in each round. The matchings were interesting.

The first match would be Kydran versus a girl named Mei. He had caught sight of Mei in the courtyard while they all awaited their matches in the tournament, and she didn't appear too formidable- a fragile, pretty young girl with a silver flute that looked like it belonged in an art museum. Kydran, not wanting to use his Heart Key for fear of the damage he could do, was using an Oriental crystal-sword that somebody had given him prior to his battle. He would be interested in seeing that fight.

The second match featured a Dementia Caster (which was something Sora had never heard of) called Reverend and a girl named Lilka. He had no idea what Reverend was capable of, and by the looks of his pale skin and outlandish magical focuses, he didn't want to know. As for the girl, she didn't say much, but the tournament board had her listed as a 'Crest Sorceress'.

Third match was a hulk of a man named Kull, facing off against a thin, lightning-fast young man calling himself Syne. Sora wasn't particularly interested in either, and followed the listings down.

The next match would be Leon versus Seifer. Sora hadn't gotten a glimpse of Seifer yet, but the way Leon looked when he had heard the name... Sora knew there was something between himself and this Seifer. He would have to be there to cheer for Leon.

The fifth match... Cloud versus Sephiroth. Sora was immediately interested; he had fought both Cloud and Sephiroth in the tournaments, and knew they were out for each other's blood. He had a feeling that Sephiroth would overpower Cloud quickly, unless there was something Cloud was hiding, keeping in reserve, which wouldn't surprise him. Cloud tended to keep to himself.

Next up was a black-robed figure, who was listed as Puppet against a swordsman by the name of Triel. Sora had heard Triel spoken of as legendary in many ways, but his fame was centered entirely around the arena. He was a pit fighter; the arena was his home. When Sora caught sight of the one named Puppet and his companion, who was listed as Knives, he was immediately alarmed. He had seen one of those black-robed men in Traverse Town. They had to know something about its destruction.

Seventh match pitted the robed one Knives against a gunslinger named Argus. Neither of the robed men sported any visible weapons, and Argus had only a pair of beat-up looking pistols. Somehow he knew that the two had something up their sleeves.

Following the seventh match would be a bout between an assassin by the the name of Vasily Zaitsev and a man named Link Valentine. It looked like it was going to be a straight-up fight between a masked fighter and a geomancer, which could prove to be interesting.

Next in line would be Hercules, the hero of Olympus, against a red-coated, large-sword-wielding man who was named Auron. Sora resolved to see this fight if it was the last thing he did; he had beaten Herc, but he seriously doubted that it the swordsman Auron would be capable of it.

The final bout (to his dismay) pitted Sora himself against Yuffie. He knew he'd be able to defeat her; he was able to handle Leon and Yuffie at the same time by himself. Unless, of course, she had learned a thing or two when he wasn't looking, which he doubted. It would be pretty straightforward.

And so the battles were carried out, one by one, and Sora progressed from his initial standings through two rounds (one of which was a byfight), making it into the final round against both Kydran and Puppet. Strangely pleased by this turn of events (he had wanted to fight Kydran after all), he was still unnerved. Puppet, wielding a glaive-spear weapon, had given little effort to moving through his battles to the final round, handling himself easily against one of the most dangerous opponents Sora had ever faced.

So it would be Sora and Kydran facing Puppet. The Keyblade Master readied himself.

Sora waited behind the portcullis, Keyblade not yet summoned. He was considering how to defeat his opponents; even if he allied with Kydran and their combined power was able to defeat Puppet somehow, he would still have to face down Kydran alone, and the wielder of the Heart Key had proven himself to be more than a match for many.

Sora got to his feet as he heard the gears turning all around him. The machinery that worked the portcullises was unseen, but was rather loud and seemed to cry for oiling. The gate before the Keyblade Master lifted into the ceiling, and he stepped out into the open, taking in the wild cheers of the crowd.

The three fighters had been placed in the large arena, the one that had been used throughout the tournament. Puppet was already in the pit, standing in the center, holding his weapon in his right hand. From the gate across from Sora emerged Kydran, his Heart Key already summoned in his left hand, upside-down, his other hand wrapped about the handle of his crystal-sword, which he had slung over his back.

Sora looked to Kydran, and Kydran looked back to Sora. The two of them nodded, acknowledging that Puppet was the greater threat. Their little rivalry would have to wait.

Both of the boys erupted into a charge at the raincoated man. Sora could hear only the pounding of his feet, the cheers of the crowd fading into white noise. He reached out with his mind, calling to the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion. This time, he felt no resistannce, and in a flash of Light and Dark, the two keyblades materialized.

Kydran was the first to reach Puppet. As Kydran closed in, Puppet's spear arm lifted to the level at which he chose to strike, then popped straight out at Kydran. He was not gripping the spear; the shaft of it slid easily through his hand, the business end of the weapon darting at the black-haired boy. The Heart Key wielder responded by moving into a spin, knocking away the weapon with the Heart Key, and as he completed his revolution he drew his diamond weapon from its sheath, using the momentum to bring power into the stroke.

Puppet was impossibly fast, and despite the velocity with which Kydran was moving, the Unknown had had time to pop the spear back up, allowing the shaft to again slide through his hands. He blocked Kydran's slash with the base of his spear and, taking a hold of the top of his spear with his other hand, made a broom-sweeping motion to take Kydran's legs out from under him. The flat of the spear caught the back of his legs, and down he went.

The raincoated one, not skipping a beat, popped the base of the weapon over his shoulder at the approaching Sora's face. The spear, being longer than either of his Keyblades, would force Sora to tie up the Oathkeeper swatting it aside. The Keyblade Master came swinging with the Oblivion, eyes focused on Puppet, but he was no longer there.

A sharp pain shot through Sora's legs, and felt himself fall. Puppet had used the momentum gained from, Sora's overuse of force in turning his weapon aside and had spun, ducking down beneath the swing of the Oblivion, and swept him off his feet. At this moment, Kydran had performed a strange sort of break-dance spin on the ground to give him the momentum to get onto his feet, and had used the motion to take a slash at Puppet's heel. He was a millimeter out of range, however, striking nothing but air.

By the time Sora had realized he was disconnected from the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as Puppet brought the shaft of his spear down into his body with both hands. Sora landed, groaning.

In the same motion, Puppet had readied himself to thrust at the now-standing Kydran from beneath an armpit. Kydran turned this stroke aside and came in with a counterslash from the crystal sword.

Puppet moved just out of range, hopping onto Sora's chest as he began to pick himself up. The boy fell back down with a grunt, and Puppet, holding the very base of the spear, swung its full length at Kydran. The black-haired boy dropped beneath it, and sprung at the raincoated man.

Puppet fell backwards, and narrowly avoided two strokes from either of Kydran's weapons, keeping himself just out of reach. The Unknown swung the spear back over his head as he somersaulted over it, standing it straight up and balancing on it. Then, with a spring of the arm, he launched himself into the air and brought the weapon to bear on Kydran. Puppet, propelled by his spear-spring, and Kydran, still bearing momentum from his jump to strike, launched upward.

There was a cacophony of steel as Puppet kept both of Kydran weapons at bay, somehow doing so with one hand and also, somehow, keeping the point of his spear from deviating from Kydran's vital zones at any time.

Puppet suddenly turned himself in midair and planted a foot on some kind of unseen platform. Reversing his direction, Puppet charged at Kydran now, nearly skewering him in the weapon. The Heart Key wielder had had only an instant to react, and had used both blades to turn away Puppet's counter-thrust, hoping to spin and cut him as the raincoated man moved out of range, but instead felt a jolt as Puppet grabbed one of his feet and flung him, full-force, into Sora, who had just managed to get to his feet in attempt to join the fray. Both the boys went flying across the pit, and slammed against the wall opposite the one Puppet now stood before.

Then, Puppet's head snapped upward, and he looked to the sky. The crowd's gazes followed his.

High above them all, a dark figure hovered in the air, his raincoat flailing about him as though in a hurricane wind. It had one hand raised up, pointing toward the sky, hand grasping a sphere of violet power. It was Knives.

"Maybe you can't understand my words, slum-rodent, but you'll understand my fury soon enough!" he screamed down, the energy he was harnessing amplifying his voice to the point of making more than one set of ears bleed. "Now, king of all monsters, make them bleed!"

Knives hurled the sphere of purple haze, bright as a sun, toward the Coliseum floor, and summoned a portal around himself, fading into nothing.

As the summoning sphere sped toward the ground, it enlarged, revealing a black core within the sunlike orb. The globe grew larger and larger, until it was at least the size of a house, and before it struck the ground, there was a blinding flash of light.

Before Kydran and Sora and Puppet stood Omega WEAPON, sword in hand, both of its faces glaring at the hooded one.

The fight was on.

Omega WEAPON was immense to say the least, a violet-silver crystal-plated nightmare standing eighteen feet high and, from head to the end of its tail, nearly as long as a basketball court. It was a centaur-like monster, bearing the lower body of a bulldog shape and the torso of a man. The WEAPON had two faces, one of them on the humanoid head and another at the front of the lower portion of the body. The human head had no mouth, its head almost crystalline and crestlike, a pair of emerald eyes set in deep sockets. The lower body's maw was huge, sporting many razor-sharp teeth. The upper portion of the monster also featured a pair of small, crystalline bird-wings sprouting from its back, and the lower portion of the WEAPON had an immense plated tail which swung back and forth, threateningly. And then there was its weapon.

The Omega WEAPON's sword was legendary amongst warriors, told to be even more powerful than any sword created, by a mortal or otherwise. The weapon was huge, easily twice the size of a man, and it was wielded by WEAPON with only one hand.

Puppet took the initiative instantly, launching himself at the monster, his initial burst of speed quick enough to fool both Sora and Kydran's eyes into thinking he had disappeared. Wasting no time, the two boys charged forward.

The Omega WEAPON's speed was unreal, despite its size. Puppet had little time to react before the WEAPON had grasped his spear, in mid-thrust, with its off-hand. It made to swing at him with its blade, but Puppet released his spear and landed on the ground, looking straight into the lower body's face.

The WEAPON laapt forward, and the lower body made an attempt to grab Puppet with its maw while the torso swiveled around to take a swing at Sora. Kydran had already been taken completely off-guard by the monster's tail, swatted aside like a gnat. The black-clad boy was sent flying into the stands, as a result, had killed more than one person upon impact. Sora ducked below the Weapon's swing, his counterattack making a marginal connection with the monster's wrist, and was forced to roll off of the WEAPON's lower-portion's back in order to avoid the next swing.

Sora landed on the ground, and sprung forward, narrowly avoiding being caught under the colossal beast's clawed foot. He executed a quick roll to gain more distance, unaware that he had avoided an azure pulse of power from the monster that had been an attempt to destroy him.

By then, the crowd in the Arena was in panic. Kydran coughed, the breath knocked out of him, and tried to pick himself up before being knocked back down by the mob of frightened Arena patrons. Regaining his bearings as best he could, he shoved his way through to his feet, leapt out of the crowd and back into the fray.

The Omega WEAPON made another lunge at Puppet, but was halted when the Unknown threw up an azure wall of energy. The WEAPON bounced off of it, and Puppet leapt out from behind it, thrusting a hand out, palm-forward, at the WEAPON's wrist. A red laser burst out, connecting with the monster's wrist, forcing it to drop his spear. With a deft leap forward Puppet retrieved his weapon before it struck ground, in time to half-turn in midair to deflect a swing from the monster's blade.

"Hold on, we're coming!" Sora heard a familiar voice cry, and while the monster was busied with Puppet, he risked a look to see who had called. Cloud, Leon, Hercules, and Auron all emerged from one gate, immediately spreading out so the WEAPON could not blast them all at once. From the gate opposite them, Sephiroth came running toward the battle, Masamune in one hand and a sphere of condensed flame in the other.

The monster seemed to give no notice of them as it deflected one of Puppet's thrusts and countered with a needle-thin beam of azure power, concentrated enough to cut through anything. Puppet rolled out of the way, got to his feet, and had no time to react to the next needle-laser.

While Puppet seemed to move, just a hair's breadth, the beam nonetheless entered into the hood and passed out the back. Sora would have sworn it had passed just far enough to miss, but the man froze and, after an moment, fell to the ground, unmoving.

Sephiroth took the initiative, his boots pounding on the dusty ground as he neared the WEAPON. The mouth of the monster's lower body opened as wide as it could, power gathering within it. The monster's torso turned to face the One-Winger Angel, and shielded itself with its sword from the eruption of flame from Sephiroth's hand.

Auron, closing the distance, wasted no time in assaulting the bulldog-face, in attempt to harm it enough to dissipate the energy, underestimating how quickly it would gather. Hercules, seeing this, barreled toward the swordsman, plowing into him as the WEAPON released the Corona, a beam of energy the intensity of a sun.

Hercules tried to shield his eyes, to do something. He was engulfed in the yellow flood of power, which blasted past him and into the thick of the escaping crowd. The screams of the dying filled the air, and when the beam had done its work, an intense explosion erupted in its wake. Hercules styill stood, though his golden aura was gone, and his skin was heavily burned, his arms charred.

Sephiroth was doing well in keeping the monster's upper body occupied; the Ex-SOLDIER and the WEAPON fought at blinding speed, their weapons creating a symphony of steel and crystal.

Leon, Cloud, and Auron had settled themselves with combatting the monster's lower body, while Kydran rushed to get Hercules out of harm's way before he was killed and Sora dealt with the monster's tail, keeping it occupied while Sephiroth did his work.

The maw was spitting fireballs left and right, nearly knocking out any one of the three warriors fighting it each time, though they had done a well enough job harassing it that it dared not attempt another Corona. Soon, however, the monster decided to break the pattern. Ignoring Sora entirely, the WEAPON's tail lashed whipped away, snapping towards the front of its body, making full contact with an unprepared Cloud. The warrior flew backwards, taken off his feet by the force of it, and landed in the Arena's stands.

"I'll help you fight!" cried a female voice from behind one of the gates, and Leon didn't even need to look to see who it was. His stomache turned with worry. Yuffie had joined the fray.

Kydran dragged Hercules out of the Arena, into the gathering area before the two large statues, and looked desperately for somebody to help him. The place was practically in shambles, and many charred bodies littered the ground everywhere. Aerith was nearby, he saw, fighting to save those who were not instantly slain with the help of Pandora and the Crest Sorceress, Lilka.

"Please, you've got to help him, and you've got to help us! Everyone will die if we don't stop it, and we're no match for that monster!" cried Kydran, laying Hercules down, summoning the Heart Key and drawing his crystal sword weapon once more. "I'm going back in. Take care of Hercules!"

He was gone before any of the girls could say anything.

The WEAPON's tail connected with Auron as well, sending him rocketing into a wall no far from the battle, his impact leaving a cracked indentation in the marble bricks. When he fell down, he did not get up again.

Omega WEAPON, having dealt with two of its assailants, then used its tail to swing at Sephiroth. Soraq had tried, in vain, to strike at it, to keep it under control, but had done so in vain. Sephiroth turned, slashed through the monster's tail, and was cleaved in two by the Omega WEAPON's sword. Sephiroth froze, hung in midair, and then exploded into a cloud of black feathers.

Leon watched these things happen, all in rapid succession. Then, things began to slow down. He could see it all happen, watch as every moment was dragged down to a snail's pace, though all his senses had been heightened.

He felt the pounding of four feet as Yuffie emerged from the front area, and Kydran emerged behind her. He saw the gathered power in the Omega WEAPON's jaws, saw it overflow and begin to burst forth, saw the world turn as he dove out of the way. He heard Kydran's scream for Yuffie to get out of the path of his attack, and heard the rush of Kydran's Heart Key being flung toward the monster's beast-mouth. He smelled the smell of burnt ozone and heat as the Corona erupted. He tasted the blood in the back of his throat from his physical exertion.

As Leon hit the ground, he saw the Corona engulf Yuffie, saw Kydran hit the ground and cover his head so that the beam would pass just over his head. He saw the Heart Key fly into the WEAPON's open mouth, and watched as the Corona backfired into the monster's own heart, opened by Kydran's weapon.

He tried to cover his face as the monster exploded with the force of a dying star, taking apart every standing building across Olympus, consuming all the unprotected.

Leon passed out.

Kydran placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, trying to reassure him as he stood looking over the remains of the coliseum. How they had survived, the emerald-eyed boy had no clue, but there they were. He was surprised to find that he felt good, almost elated, despite the apparent destruction and extinction of all other life on Olympus.

Sora swatted his hand off, and stormed toward the world exit, picking his way through the rubble. The gummi ships had been blasted apart; he began work on putting together a ship from the debris.

Kydran made to go after the boy, but Pandora took a hold of his arm. She shook her head, and Kydran frowned. The girl looked completely emotionally drained; she had cried all her tears for Traverse Town and had none left for the world they now stood on.

Kydran let Sora go.

(Tell me something.)

What?

(Why do you care about him? He's of no concern to you.)

Because...

Because he's the only Light I have.