Chapter 26
Final Battle Part IV: It Rages On…
Din paced around anxiously as Nayru reclined in a chair nearby.
"This isn't fair!" Din whined like a miscreant child. "Sure she actually went down there, but what right does she have to keep us here?"
"She knows what she's doing," Nayru replied brightly. "Just try to relax and don't worry about a thing."
"Me, not worry? My son is a crazed killer trying to destroy Hyule and you're telling me not to worry?"
"Yes, that is exactly what I'm telling you."
"Easy enough for you to say…" Din muttered.
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"So you do have it in you," Zen spoke as if he were surprised. "I must say that was a pretty good for a last futile attempt at victory."
"Futile? I think not. Victory? Heck yeah, I'm thinkin' that's where I'm headed," Link replied with a new fire fueling him on.
This humored Zen greatly and he burst out laughing. In the following moment however, the laughter stopped and Zen became grim. The next thing Link knew, terrible pain was shooting through his body, caused by some unseen force.
"You need to understand boy, I hold all of the winning cards in this game. You can't win."
"I…can…and…I will!" Link exclaimed through gritted teeth, finally fighting away his invisible 'attacker' with those last words.
"This strong belief you have will only make your demise all the more worthwhile," Zen said with an evil smirk.
With his large sword grasped tightly in hand, Zen charged…he charged fast and struck hard. Too bad for him though, the damage his weapon would have done was all received by the Master Sword. For the brief instant their swords remained locked, their eyes locked as well…Both exotic gold and deepest blue bore immense hatred for the other.
The actual fight had finally begun…and this time there would be no stopping until death met one or both of the two contenders.
Their swords clashed together constantly, sparks flew every which way, and they were both pushing the other to their limits. Link was fully utilizing the Power Gauntlets and Pegasus Boots to keep up with his opponent on the strength and speed level. He didn't even pause to think about what things would be like if he didn't have those two objects…
Link cried out in pain when Zen's blade found its mark between his shoulder blades. His blood spurted out from his body, nailing Zen in the face. Zen immediately let out a sound of total disgust and backed away, trying to wipe off the contemptible fluid. Taking the opportunity given to him, Link plunged his blade into Zen's well-muscled chest in the hope that he'd pierce right through his heart…if he even had one. He was received however, by a hard kick from his opponent. It sent him sprawling across the floor.
Zen was staring down in astonishment at the blood that now stained his shirt-front. It was almost as though he had never experienced the sight of his own blood…which was probably true. He angrily stomped towards Link, tiny fires of rage flared up in his eyes. Link sat up and whipped out the Golden Bow and two arrows. The first arrow he launched followed up exactly on what had happened before and it clearly put Zen in some pain. Although, with the second arrow, his luck didn't hold out. Zen caught the arrow before it could even make contact with his skin and snapped it in half just as easily as if it had been a measly twig.
Link jumped up only to have Zen come barreling towards him and then to receive a hard punch to his jaw. He grunted in pain but stood his ground, returning the 'favor' with a sharp bite from his sword. But suddenly, Zen…was gone.
Link looked around in utter bewilderment, why would Zen leave the battle ground at such a time? "Coward!" he screamed out in the hopes that Zen would hear this insult and come back to finish the fight.
"Oh really?" Zen scoffed, yet…he was nowhere to be seen.
"Show yourself!" Link spat in reply.
"I don't see why I have to," he taunted.
Almost spontaneous to this taunt, Link found himself being hammered down by another unseen force. Of course, it was pretty clear who was behind this. What made matters worse was, the blows kept coming…each feeling like a large fist driving itself into his chest, following each blow up with another in speedy succession.
The very breath was knocked from Link's lungs and he could only struggle under the blows as they continued to assault him. Every time one struck, he felt as if his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know how much of this he could take, but he knew he had to stop this…especially when he tasted blood and felt it dribble out the side of his mouth.
Acting in complete desperation, he pushed back against the blows and hurled his sword into the space in front of him. It flew from his grasp just an arm's length before it impaled itself into his attacker. Zen became visible with his sword no longer in his hand, the blows stopped coming, and he now had Link's sword protruding right out of his chest.
He staggered back, staring at Link's sword in fascination as his own blood seeped from around it and dripped onto the ground, staining the blades of grass red. Link forced himself to fight through the pain he felt and he grasped the hilt of his sword before yanking it free of Zen's body.
This action angered Zen mostly due to the pain that followed. His sword abruptly reappeared in his hand and he began hacking at Link. For the most part, Link was able to block these blows with his own sword, but each time Zen struck, a tremor rang through his arms…Zen's invisibility trick had certainly worn him down. At one point both their swords clashed in the middle, the strength behind each evenly matched and caused both to stagger backwards by several steps.
"You should be proud of making this far, I thought for certain you would have died a long time ago," Zen said with his weariness clearly resounding in his voice.
Link replied simply, "I am not proud as I should have beaten you a long time ago."
"You're too funny," Zen said with a dry chuckle. "Well if you think you should have beaten me, let's just see how you contend with this!"
Instead of using some new power like Link had expected him to, he merely reverted back to an old, yet apparently highly-favored, trick of his…one Link had come to utterly despise. He soon found himself airborne with Zen's insane laughter ringing in his ears as he went soaring right into the bark of a nearby tree.
The rough surface of the bark scraped his skin as his feet were returned to the ground and by the evil look in Zen's eye, he could tell he was about to become a bird for a few seconds more. However, he was going to make Zen work for it if he wanted to continue with that little strategy of his. Like a flash of lightning, he was there for one brief second…and then he shot off, disappearing from his former position as he pumped his legs in a running motion, allowing the boots to carry him along while he circled around Zen.
Despite the speed at which he moved, Link somehow managed to once again withdraw the bow and send off an arrow. Zen was unable to stop this one and was bombarded with the arrow's effect. Just like Zen was taken off guard, Link soon had his turn. One minute he was running but then the next…he was flying through the air after having tripped over Zen's outstretched foot. When he landed…he ate plenty of dirt.
He stood up and spit out the dirt whilst glaring daggers at Zen. This sent Zen right into another fit of laughter. In anger, Link bolted towards him.
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Din and Nayru jumped in surprise when Farore came marching in with two certain individuals following behind her.
Princess Zelda looked around in astonishment and could only gape at the other two goddesses, much was the same with Vera.
"W-what are they doing here?" Din stammered.
"Relax, we'll be gone in just a few minutes," Farore scolded her. "Have you seen the recent location of Zen and the Hero? It seems as though he's blocked me from finding out where they are."
"Actually yes, although we can't find them now. Before we were cut off as well, we were able to see they were in Hyrule Field," Nayru said calmly.
"Thank you," Farore curtly replied. "Come along you two," she said in reference to Zelda and Vera, "there's no telling what's happening down there."
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"You really are starting to annoy me," Zen stated in a bored tone.
"Uh-huh, maybe then I'll just have to annoy you to death then," Link replied in the same tone of voice.
"Words mean nothing if you don't follow up with your actions," Zen retorted.
"Hmph, we'll see."
Directly after this last comment, Zen went in for a crushing blow. In a flash, he closed the distance between them to a mere few feet and prepared to cleave Link in two with a single swing of his sword.
"STOP!" Zelda suddenly appeared in the small gap between them. Seeing her there stayed Zen's hand much to Link's, and even Zelda's, surprise.
"Ah, it's so good to see you've returned," Zen said, betraying no emotion in his voice. However, a mischievous glint did sparkle in his eyes.
Zelda was clearly astonished when she saw the dried blood staining Zen's shirtfront. "Y-you had better n-not have h-harmed L-link!" she stammered out in what she hoped was a somewhat threatening manner.
"I'm impressed," Farore said as she gracefully glided up to them. "I always thought you were too prideful to let a mortal nail such a blow on you."
"I didn't let him do anything…" Zen growled virulently, Farore's presence obviously aggravated him.
"Oh, my mistake then. I guess that means he got the better of you for at least long enough of a time to inflict that kind of damage."
"Just shut up and let us finish this battle!" Zen roared, immediately lashing out with his power to control what could not be seen. Zelda was sent sliding backwards well out of the way but Farore easily stood her ground, defiantly staring him down despite the struggle she was going through to keep from being knocked back. "Be gone you wretched woman!" with these words, Farore was finally sent to the sidelines.
"Huh, you fool! The boy will defeat you!" she snarled, feeling great contempt towards him regarding what he had been able to do to her.
Zen shrugged to show that he didn't believe her or even care about what she had to say. To Link he said, "Now where were we?" and then swung his sword in a wide arc.
Link, who had been in a contemplative silence the whole time, barely managed to duck and avoid being decapitated…although his hat, which had amazingly stayed on his head despite everything, was sliced in half. Link ripped what was left of it free from his head and let it fall to the ground, his blonde hair stood wildly, sticking out in jagged points.
"Looks like you missed," Link pointed out before making his move. With a bound, he leaped off the ground and up into the air. The attack he had planned would surely do some massive damage…except, one little factor got in his way.
With a sigh, Zen waved his hand and Link felt something close around him. In no time at all, he was held in place where he was in the air.
"Honestly, that was absolutely pathetic," Zen said rolling his eyes. He then proceeded to slam Link into the ground. "Besides, wouldn't you rather be with your loved one right now instead of going through all this pain?"
Link didn't reply, he only got back on his feet and glared vehemently at Zen.
"Who's fault do you think it was that you went through those worthless temples anyway? It certainly wasn't mine…"
"Zen!" Farore snapped seeming to know where he was going with those words.
"I went through all that to acquire what I needed to beat you," Link stated plainly.
"Instead of making you go through all of that trouble, the goddesses could have just given the items to you. It was Din who placed the Power Gauntlets with in the Moon Temple, it was Nayru who was not going to give you the Master Sword or her worthless shield until you reached a certain point in that temple, and it was the two of them who brought Anguis down here so you could receive all that other junk. They could very easily gotten what they needed from Anguis and they could have simply given you what they had. But no, they made you risk your life to get those petty trinkets when they had them all along."
"They did that for a reason," Farore exclaimed. "He was not ready yet and it was the best way to increase his skill before he fought you."
"Oh sure, listen to that wretch who's just speaking up on the defense of her sisters. They could have given those things to you and maybe your beloved Zelda wouldn't have gone through so much. Then again, once I finish with you…she will be mine."
"I will never become yours!" Zelda spat.
"Says you my dear," Zen said calmly.
Wings…the Pegasus Boots have wings, would I be able to fly with them too? Link thought, only half-listening to everything that was said. Taking in a good breath to help deepen his concentration, Link focused on the boots. The wings flapped and then flapped some more, and before he knew it, he was hovering several feet above the ground…this time on his own accord.
Subsequently, Zen gave him sarcastic praise, "Wow, I'm in awe at this 'amazing' stunt of yours," he rose off the ground to reach Link's level without moving a single muscle. "I guess this means we're taking the battle to the air."
Link hid his nervousness well. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle staying airborne like this on his own, and if he screwed things up then chances were, the battle would tilt in Zen's favor.
And yet again they went at it, working themselves into a frenzy as they struggled to out do the other. Link's uneasiness about being in the air was soon forgotten in the heat of battle.
Vera was there of course, hovering in the background. She was considering the thought of sneaking away, especially seeing as how no one's attention was on her. She just didn't want to face Link if he managed to survive through this whole ordeal. Actually, she was quite surprised with how well he seemed to be doing on his own. Although she couldn't help but notice the fact that his shield hung on his back, merely swaying with his body.
The goddess of courage was there and so was the princess, what was the point of her being there anyways? Surely Link had enough support…However, as she tried to wander away, Farore's sharp voice stopped her, "And just what do you think you're doing?"
Vera gulped and slowly flew over to her. "N-nothing…" she lied.
"You're just too scared to face the hero. If you don't want to be seen as a selfish traitor then I suggest you get out there and make amends. It seems as though you know something…you should tell him."
"B-but he won't listen to me…not now."
"Have you even tried?" Farore queried.
"Well no, but--…"
"Exactly, go right on ahead and tell him what to do."
As Vera fluttered closer in to the scene of the battle in heed Farore's words, Zelda gave Farore a questioning look, "Did I miss something?"
"It's nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over," Farore replied absent-mindedly, her attention returning to the battle. "If anything happens and the hero can't handle this task, I will intervene."
"But why do you stand back now?"
"It's just nice for a change to watch what you humans can do. This is your world and unless things get too extreme, it is not the place of the goddesses to interfere."
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"Use your dadgum shield!" Vera exclaimed, suddenly returning to her usual vitality at the aspect of being able to redeem herself.
Link was caught totally off guard and cast a bewildered glance her way. That was all the opportunity Zen needed and he instantly shoved his sword into Link's already battered body. Link gave a small cry of astonishment and pain before dropping like a rock to the ground. Vera mentally slapped herself, "You dope! Get up, get your shield out, and focus on the fight!"
"Ah, well if it isn't little miss turncoat. Come back have you?" Zen said slightly bemused.
"Why yes I have!" Vera snapped in a matter of fact way. To Link she yelled, "Hurry up already! What's taking you so long to get your lazy butt off the ground?"
Link struggled to rise to his feet, his side was bleeding heavily and that's where he clutched in an effort to staunch the blood flow. Zen didn't allow him much of a chance to recover and immediately fired an onslaught of beams, each one just as painful as the last.
"Use your shield!" Vera screamed in frustration.
Struggling against the blows, Link managed to grab his shield and hold it up in front of him. He completed this action just in time too. In an effort to bring things to an end, Zen drew a larger bit of energy into a final beam. He released it right when Link brought his shield up.
Upon impact, a deafening explosion echoed all around them and smoke erupted into the air, clouding everyone's field of vision.
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((sigh)) This chapter was unbelievably hard to write : (…Sorry this update took so long, but the weekend I was originally s'posed to update , I ended up in the hospital for three days and I was quite sick. It kind of took a little while to recover from all that and get back my will to write, but I'm a lot better now. Thank you reviewers for the awesome reviews: )
Either the next chapter or a chapter that could possibly come after that will be the last chapter of this fic, so be on the lookout for that. Oh, and don't forget to check out reviewer replies!
-blondie91
Disclaimer: Things still stand the same…