Chapter 20

Olympus Coliseum-One Winged Angel

Sora didn't know the Gummi Ship was capable of traveling at such high speeds but Goofy must have been pushing it incredibly fast when the Coliseum came into view. They got out of the ship and ran as fast as they could into the Coliseum. There stood a shaking Phil.

"Where is he?" Sora asked. He noticed the seats were full of spectators but everyone was looking around nervously.

"He said he's got some business to attend to," Phil said. "But he said he would be back very soon."

"Why don't we get these people out of here?" Goofy asked but Phil shook his head quickly.

"He set up some type of shield. People can come in, but they can't go out."

Hades was sulking around the Underworld, blasting away random spirits with blasts of fire. He scowled and got to his feet.

"That's a very childish way to act," Sephiroth's chilling voice came from behind him and Hades whipped around.

"What do you want?" Hades shouted.

"I'm battling the Keybearer," Sephiroth calmly sat in Hades' thrown. "And it would be best for you not to interfere."

"You can't order me around!" Hades shouted and he shot a stream of fire at Sephiroth that would have knocked Sora out. Sephiroth laughed and pushed the attack away with a simple wave of his hand.

"God or not," Sephiroth turned serious and grabbed Hades by the throat. "I will kill you if you interfere. And I came to get my sword."

"You have your sword!" Hades pointed to the blade strapped to Sephiroth's side.

"No, my real sword," Sephiroth glared at a suddenly shocked Hades. "Yes, I know Ansem saw me as a threat. I know when the Heartless destroyed my world and sent me here you were ordered to remove my sword and replace it with an exact replica. But I tell you my blade cannot be replicated."

"You're crazy!" Hades shouted to him.

"My sword was forged by the greatest sword smith who ever lived and it is the most powerful weapon in existence. I can certainly tell when I have it and when I don't. So give me my sword!" Sephiroth shouted in rage and snapped the replica in half.

"Fine," Hades snapped his fingers and Sephiroth's true sword appeared.

"It is called the Masamune and my key to victory."

"You're wrong," Hades whispered. "The Keyblade is the greatest weapon there is and Ansem will take that power for himself. He possessed that boy just to hold one but still was defeated by the true Keyblade's power."

"What makes you think there is only one true Keyblade?" Sephiroth asked and laughed at the look on Hades' face. In a flash, he was gone.

Sora stared hard at the area in front of him when it exploded with red light. There was some kind of oriental design in the sky with a great red beam came forth from it and slammed hard into the ground. When it was gone there was the figure left kneeling on the ground. There he was, silver hair, black wing, and all.

Sephiroth stood and turned around his gaze finally falling on Sora and the corners of his mouth turning up into a grin.

"It is time Keybearer," Sephiroth said quietly. Sora summoned the Oblivion to his side and prepared to fight.

"You can't keep these people here!" Sora tried to sound defiant but his voice was shaking. "Let them go."

"The people? But why? They seem to be on my side," Sephiroth waved his hand toward the crowd and Sora saw they were all on their feet, their eyes glazed over, and they were chanting something.

"Estuans interious ira vehemoti," the people chanted. Cloud stood in the stands, he was seemingly the only one not affected by Sephiroth's spell. Even Donald and Goofy were chanting now.

"This can't be happening," Cloud muttered as he started moving through the stands, they were still chanting the horrible chant.

"Estuans interious ira vehemoti, Sephiroth. Sors immanis et inanis. Sors et inanis, Sephiroth. Veni, veni, venias no me mori facias. Veni, veni, venias no me mori facias, Sephiroth."

Sora was the first to attack, he raised the Oblivion and ran forward and swiped at Sephiroth but faster than he could have imagined Sephiroth had his Masamune out and his strike was blocked. Sora brought the Oblivion around in a horizontal arc but Sephiroth blocked once again.

Quicker than lightning, Sephiroth lunged forward and cut deeply into Sora's stomach, sending him to the ground in pain. Sora cured himself and was back on his feet but barely avoided another strike that went past him. Sora tried to block Sephiroth's next attack but the strength behind it sent Sora flying back again. Sora struggled to get to his feet and held the Oblivion up, knowing it wouldn't do much.

Cloud pushed his way through the dazed crowd until he got to the ring and tried to jump onto it but there was a shield there stopping him. He pulled out the Buster Sword and began hacking away at it but the shield held firm.

"No!" Cloud slammed the Buster Sword against the shield one last time but it still held fast. "Sora! Hang on! I'll find a way to help you!"

Sephiroth held his blade at his side and began a painfully agonizingly slow walk toward Sora. Sora dropped into a defensive stance and watched for any sudden movement. Sephiroth swung the Masamune and because it had such long reach Sora would not be able to strike back. He dropped and rolled forward and brought the Oblivion back to get a slash into Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth raised his left hand quickly and a great pillar of flame burst up from the ground and Sora cried out in pain form the intense heat. Not even a blast from Hades was this hot. Sora tried to dive away but the flame was too wide and he couldn't escape the attack. He hit the ground as the flame disappeared.

"I figured there would be more of a challenge than this Keybearer," Sephiroth leaned down on one knee. Sora struck incredibly quickly, even quickly enough to catch Sephiroth off guard and cut through his side.

"How about that?" Sora asked as he used Curaga.

"You will soon be feeling sorry you didn't stay down," Sephiroth growled and cured himself as well.

"Then I'll need defense," Sora smiled and powered up his spell. "Aeroga!" He shouted and the shield of wind came to life around him. He had finally learned all of the third level spells.

"Interesting," Sephiroth said and took the glove off his left hand and placed his hand through the shield, making several deep cuts appear all over it. He healed it before slipping his glove back on. "Sharp wind."

"Ars Arcanum!" Sora suddenly shouted and his arms became a blur but Sephiroth had the Masamune up and he blocked every single strike. "Impossible!" Sora yelled as the attack died down.

"Prepare for defeat Keybearer!" Sephiroth shouted and lifted both hands high into the air making several meteors appear out of thin air. Sora stood back and awaited any kind of move Sephiroth would make. The meteors suddenly flew forward and straight at Sora. Sora tried to dodge them but was only able to dodge two as the others crashed into him with fierce power.

"Strike Raid!" Sora jumped back to his feet and launched the Oblivion toward Sephiroth but Sephiroth deflected it with the Masamune. He almost felt like crying. He had sent some of his best attempts at Sephiroth but nothing had proved successful.

"You just prolong your defeat Keybearer," Sephiroth said quietly. Sora ignored his words and stood on his now wobbling legs.

"I will not be defeated by you," Sora said even quieter than Sephiroth but there was an unmistakable edge. A determination to win that no one could destroy.

"We shall see!" Sephiroth started for Sora again but instead of a slow walk he was now sprinting forward.

"Sonic Blade!" Sora was propelled forward with untold speed and just as the attack was about to hit there was a flash and Sephiroth was gone. Sora stopped and looked around but there was no trace of the insanely powerful man. First there was searing pain and then an earsplitting scream as Sora felt the cold metal tear through his back.

Sephiroth had appeared behind Sora and sliced deeply into his back cutting through bone and flesh, almost having the blade come out the other side. Sephiroth sneered and brought the Masamune up fully prepared to deliver the finishing blow. There was a green light and Sora was healed once again, quickly rolling away as Sephiroth's blade struck where Sora's head had been a split second before.

Cloud grinned in the dazed crowd. He had not been sure if his healing spell would penetrate the shield Sephiroth had put up but luckily it had. But he still needed a way to end this fight and get Sephiroth away from Sora.

"You should have died where you lay stupid boy," Sephiroth said with a slight growl behind it. "Then I wouldn't have done this to you." He started to be surrounded by some type of red energy.

"I won't let you!" Sora rushed forward and swung the Oblivion at Sephiroth but a fierce wind picked up and it was strong enough to blow Sora away. Then a red halo appeared over Sora's head.

"Sin Harvest!" Sephiroth shouted in a fierce and chilling voice and it happened. Sora stopped in his tracks and red energy swirled around him. He let out a scream so loud a few people may have been awakened from Sephiroth's spell. The slash in his back felt like a tickle compared to this attack.

It felt as if every sin Sora had ever committed from the moment he was born until now suddenly jumped from his body and brutally murdered him a thousand times each. He fell to the ground, unable to even try to break his fall. He was not dead but he was praying to God that he could be. Sephiroth shook his head. He disliked that attack. Even someone as evil as himself wished it didn't exist. He slowly walked up to Sora.

"My apologies," Sephiroth whispered. "No one deserves that." He closed his eyes for a second and then brought the Masamune up. "Let me ease your pain." Sora couldn't think straight. Sephiroth was about to kill him and he only wished he would hurry.

"Oh God no," Cloud held his head down. "I must do something!" Cloud looked around as if one of the chanting people would give him the answer and then it hit him. He held his hands out and transferred all of his energy to Sora.

Sephiroth brought the Masamune down but the Oblivion was up faster than Sephiroth could have imagined and the attack was blocked.

"Impossible!" Sephiroth screamed as Sora got to his feet. Sora stared at him with the Oblivion shining with energy and an attack came to mind.

"Omnislash!" Sora shouted and he flew forward with the Oblivion set to strike.

"Cloud," Sephiroth muttered as the Oblivion met its target. Sora slashed Sephiroth a total of thirteen times in a little over a second before jumping back and pointing the Oblivion at Sephiroth and a great beam of energy burst forth and slammed into Sephiroth and sent him flying backwards and hitting the ground hard.

"Whoa," Sora muttered as the attack ended. Sephiroth was sprawled on the ground and he was left standing. "I won."

"Not bad Keybearer," Sephiroth began to stand but dropped down to one knee. "I will release my hold on the crowd and leave you be. There may just be hope for you yet." With that he was gone in a flash of light and the audience started blinking and looking around. The battle was over.

"So I won't be able to use the Omnislash again?" Sora asked Cloud as they went to board the Gummi Ship, Donald and Goofy not remembering a thing.

"No, it's my attack," Cloud told him as he turned around. "You were good out there today Sora but not good enough. I never did expect you to win and technically you didn't but Sephiroth could have easily killed you."

"I won. Shouldn't that be the important thing?" Sora asked.

"No. The important thing is to remember that you will never be the strongest. There will always be someone there. When you've surpassed everyone you know someone stronger will always rise to challenge you. Remember this Sora and never for a second believe you're the strongest."

"That sounds negative. I think I should be a positive person, you know?"

"If you find yourself believing you're the strongest then you will stop training and grow weak. It's not the brightest thing to think about but it's true."

"I guess."

"Oh, and one more thing," Cloud turned to face Sora and for the first time there was a smile on his face. "Beat Ansem. I know you can."

"Thanks Cloud," Sora shook his hand and boarded the Gummi Ship. Their course was set. It was time to end their journey. It was time to end it all.