Chapter 13: The Day of Reckoning

Once the euphoria of surviving doomsday had worn off, the people of Spira had questions that demanded answers.

The citizens of Bevelle in particular gave voice to those questions, being the closest to the Maesters of Yevon that had maintained order in Spira for centuries. Many of them had seen the machina defenses deployed during the attack, fighting machina with machina, in direct violation of the teachings preached by the order. Machina weapons were expressly forbidden, yet here they were hidden from sight, kept in operational state when they should have been destroyed. The fact that they had been needed was irrelevant, for they remained physical proof that the maesters had broken their own doctrine.

So when the streets were cleared of the debris and the reconstruction effort was underway, the people marched through the streets in protest. They marched in mobs toward the temple of Yevon, chanting in a disjointed chorus of demands and insults that merged into incoherent noise. In response to the mobs the Crusaders were deployed to the temple, surrounding it with soldiers ready to fight, but only willing to do so if the protesters started something violent. They had been commanded to keep order in the city, even if they had to apprehend the citizens to do it.

Looking down from a balcony on the temple, Grand Maester Mika despised the view before him. It was everything he had worked to avoid over the last fifty years, an open revolt against the rule of Yevon. All of his efforts to maintain order in Spira had gone to waste, his ambitions dashed away in a moment of peril. He could feel his control slipping away by the minute, just from seeing the people marching toward the temple. It would not be long before they got inside, and he imagined they would be calling for his head.

Mika turned around and went inside the temple, returning to a meeting room with the other three maesters standing around a table. "It seems that we are at a crossroads. We must choose which direction we will walk."

The reactions to the crisis were mixed among his colleagues, each imaging the worst ways this could turn out for them. Kinoc had the most to lose, his command of the Crusaders, the wealth he'd accumulated, living in general, all things he cherished. Kelk Ronso was certain he would be the scapegoat, for ronso were the smallest minority in the city, and thus there would be few people offended if Kelk was thrown under the bus. Seymour could have his nature as Unsent revealed to the masses, and the nearest summoner would force him into the Farplane.

"Does anyone have a good idea?" Kinoc asked. He didn't get an answer from anyone. "Really? Nothing at all?"

"There are only bad ideas and worse ideas," Seymour said. He put a hand to his chin and thought about the matter, the options in mind growing worse and worse. "We are not getting out of this unscathed."

"We should come clean," Kelk suggested. "No lie will be enough to convince the masses to disbelieve what they saw. If we are honest, they may see reason."

"Or they will abandon Yevon entirely," Seymour argued. "We cannot have that."

"No, we cannot," Mika said. In truth, there was only one action that was acceptable to take. "I will take full responsibly for this. Hopefully, Yevon will survive my fall from grace."

Seymour nodded, and the fainted bit of a grin crossed his face. "If you insist."

"I think we've got it down perfect."

Goku was finishing this little exercise with Bardock, finally getting the timing down to make it work. All that was left to was actually perform the technique, something that Bardock was reluctant to do. Goku had to admit that he had his reservations about this technique, not sure what exactly would happen if they performed it successfully. The possibility of failure crossed his mind, and he definitely didn't know what that would do to them. So he could understand Bardock's hesitation, and he could agree to hold off on trying the technique for another time.

"Hopefully you'll never have to ask me to do this in public," Bardock said. "That pose is not something a warrior should be seen doing."

Goku shrugged. "Fine. I just wanted to have the option if we need it. Never hurts to be prepared."

They were standing on a rocky mesa outside of Home, close enough to fly back in a few minutes, far enough away so that no one would see them. Bardock had insisted on the latter point, for there was still some measure of pride he still kept even after all this time. This mesa was surrounded on all sides by vast fields of sand, the rolling dunes of a desert that covered most of this island. Home was just over the horizon, and over the opposite horizon was the eastern sea. Beyond that was the mainland, where the rest of Spira was separate and far away from the Al Bhed.

"Are you sure this technique will even work?" Bardock asked.

"I've seen other people do it," Goku answered. "I've just never found anyone compatible with me. I want to try it once just to know what it's like."

"Well we're only doing it if we absolutely need to," Bardock said. He looked toward Home, his belly rumbling. "Let's head back. I'm told they're preparing a feast for us today."

"Ho boy," Goku said, already imagining what they might be making. "This is going to be good."

By the time they flew back to Home, the Al Bhed had preparations well under way. Being very gracious hosts, and grateful for the save from certain doom, they were eager to please their apparent saviors. They had also come into a massive surplus of salvaged hardware to take advantage of, the raw materials alone being enough to sustain Home for centuries, so they were in a very good mood and being very generous. And they wanted to dedicate the coming good times to the men that made it possible, and they had made clear that the best way to repay them was in sheer volume of food.

The Saiyans were not disappointed.

A whole building was dedicated to the effort, so that everyone could participate in the celebrations. The main floor had table after table of various dishes, most cultivated from local foodstuffs, some imported from other parts of Spira, all very delicious when cooked properly. Goku and Bardock were given seats at the head of the largest table, and sitting all around them were Lady Yuna and her guardians. They got to see the ferocious appetites of the Saiyans up close and personal, whether they liked it or not, nearly all of them being not.

For a while everyone could only stare at the bizarre sight, two men devouring several times their weight in food. Caterers were constantly removing empty plates and replacing them with full ones, hurrying back and forth desperately trying to keep the pace. Eventually people got used to it, rationalizing it away as them needing the vast amount of calories to power their great feats of strength. It still made quite a mess, which had some people losing their appetites. Naturally neither Saiyan noticed the discomfort in others, focused single-mindedly on their meal.

Sitting directly across from them was Cid, and he struggled just to work up the will for a few bites at a time. "Keep this up and we might run out after all."

Goku muttered something through mouth stuffed with noodles, realized the problem, and swallowed before trying again. "I think we should be done soon. It's all great by the way. Best I've had in Spira."

Bardock made sure to swallow first, then talk. "We can stop if you want us to."

"It's fine," Cid said. He saw someone approach, a courier with a message for him, and delivered it on arrival. Cid read the message, had to reread it several times to be sure, because it seemed unbelievable. "Excuse me, Yuna, Auron, could you give me a moment in private?"

Sitting on the left side of the Saiyans, Yuna wondered what Cid wanted. "Sure."

In a distant corner of the Farplace, just barely on Spira's side of the afterlife, all was calm in the vast fields of colorful flowers.

Darkness appeared amidst the millions of pyreflies, a bigger pyrefly filled with the blackest void. The darkness took shape and physical form, humanoid with exaggerated proportions. Over nine feet tall, skin black with dark green spots, and eyes that were the deepest red. Around this new body the pyrefly lost its edge, the darkness turning into a black aura radiating raw power. The red eyes looked down at silver hands, flexing its slim fingers and muscular arms, examining the strength it now possessed. It seemed to be satisfied, nodding with a head that seemed to have a crown built into it.

A sinister smile formed from black lips, and those hands clenched into strong fists. "Perfect."

In a private room, Cid brought Yuna and Auron inside and closed the door behind them. "I think you two should have a look at this."

Cid shared the message brought to him, composed of a few sheets of paper in a folder. Auron took a look at it, and then passed it on to Yuna before looking back at Cid. "Are you certain this is real?"

Yuna read the message, stopping at the important part. "But… we killed him."

"So I'm told," Cid said. He waited for Yuna to finish reading. "It seems that Maester Seymour is up and about. Our spies spotted him going into Bevelle."

"He's Unsent," Auron said. He paused to let that sink in, certain that Yuna was remembering the moment Seymour died. "The guado wouldn't allow Yuna to send him. Someone like Seymour, he would not allow death to hold him back."

"Looks like he's been pretending to be alive and well," Cid said. "Which means the entire reason you've needed to hide is null and void."

Auron could easily imagine how the Maesters would reconcile Seymour's return with their excommunication. "Mika may have refrained from making our crime public knowledge. If he did, he could allow us to return without being executed."

"You'd have to reach him without hitting any soldiers first," Cid said. "They might still have orders to attack on sight."

"Goku can bypass all of that," Auron said. "It is how we got out of Bevelle."

"That could work," Yuna said. Just as her hopes were rising, she realized something that ruined the mood. "Wait, Cid, I thought you wanted us to stay here. Why are you giving us a way out?"

"I do want you stay," Cid said. "But I also want what's best for you. I know you're not happy here. If there's a good chance to nullify your exile, and let you return home in peace, it's worth taking."

"Oh…" Yuna muttered. She thought about that, and her mood picked up. "Thank you."

Cid nodded and smiled. "I'm just glad to help my niece."

They left the room to return to the festivities outside, having a plan in mind and needing to share it with the others. The party was still proceeding just fine, and no one seemed to have either noticed or cared about the three people leaving for a moment. They returned to their seats around the table, appearing as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and discreetly told the others about what they had learned about Maester Seymour. One by one they listened and understood what it meant for them, though what they should do about it remained up for debate.

It would have to wait until after the party was over, given that their means of transport was busy enjoying himself to the fullest. Eventually Goku managed to fill his belly, just after Bardock had finished eating his fill. Even then, there was partying to be had, and the Al Bhed were in the mood to celebrate throughout the entire day. But while their hosts were willing to socialize and party forever and ever, neither Saiyan were disposed toward social interaction for very long. The celebrations quickly wore off their welcome after the feast, and the Saiyans wandered off to return to their training.

They were about to fly off the roof when they were intercepted, and Goku turned to see the summoner and guardians following them outside. "Hey guys. What brings you up here?"

Yuna smiled as she walked up to him. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, we'd like to ask for another favor. We need a ride back to Bevelle."

"Why would you want to go back there?" Bardock asked.

Auron stepped forward, stopping beside Yuna. "There's a chance to set things right. But we need to act quickly. And no one is quicker than Goku."

Goku smiled at that remark, and he held out a hand for everyone. "I'm ready to go when you are."

The streets surrounding the Temple of Yevon were packed with people, almost ready to charge the Crusader lines and break down the temple doors. Bevelle was just about ready to explode, unless someone found a way to defuse the situation. Grand Maester Mika hoped he could do exactly that, even if it meant giving up his position to do it. Keeping order in Spira was worth more than any one man's position of power, even the Grand Maester. Granted, the position would be handed to another maester that shared his views, so it would not be a total loss.

From the balcony overlooking the mob, Mika gazed down on the people of Bevelle. He put on a façade of humility and reservation, and took a deep breath. "People of Bevelle, I-"

Out of nowhere the balcony got a lot more crowded.

Naturally, the crowd gasped.

His speech interrupted, Mika glared at the assorted group of summoner, guardians, and nearly identical men. "Yuna! Auron! Goku! What is the meaning of this?!"

"We're here to set things right," Yuna said. "Maester Seymour committed a terrible crime. He killed his own father, Lord Jyscal, to take his place as maester. We confronted him in Macalania Temple, and he attacked us to cover up his crime. We were forced to defend ourselves, and Seymour died there."

Although this accusation was announced to the people by the very equipment needed for his speech, Mika wasn't worried until he saw Goku disappear into thin air. "That is a bold accusation, and an admission of guilt to the crimes you are accused of."

"I'm not done," Yuna said. "Seymour refused to go to the Farplane. He has returned to Spira as an Unsent. He needs to be sent to where he belongs."

As if on cue, Goku reappeared with a startled Seymour in tow. "Here you go."

Looking around at the sudden chance in scenery Maester Seymour turned and saw Goku behind him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

There was a gasp at the sudden appearance of Seymour, given the accusation that he was deceased. Thrust into the spotlight without his permission, Seymour quickly shut his mouth before he could dig a hole too deep to get out of. Even Mika hesitated to explain Seymour's presence and reconcile it with Yuna's accusation, not used to being put on the spot like this. In contrast, Yuna was already preparing to Send Seymour, which would be indisputable proof that Seymour was Unsent. Seeing the first steps of the ritual had Mika in a pinch, immediately giving orders to the ceremonial guards.

"Stop her at once!" Mika ordered. He was looking for a way out of the immediate area, for he would be sent along with Seymour if he didn't leave. "Now!"

The guards closed in Yuna and her guardians, with the predictable results.

Her guardians struck back with their various weapons, easily overwhelming the ceremonial guard. More soldiers emerged from inside the temple, wielding guns in addition to swords and spears, rushing through as fast as the narrow doorway would allow. They lasted about a minute, dispatched by the far more experienced guardians, barely more than grunts to them. Crusaders were called from the lower levels of the temple, but they would need a few minutes to get up to the balcony. It was more than enough time for Yuna to perform the Sending, anything after that didn't matter.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Mika warned.

Meanwhile, as the guardians were fighting off the soldiers, Goku was looking off to the south, eyes wide in alarm. "Not now… Why did it have to be now?"

Bardock turned toward him, though he raised a fist to hit someone coming from behind. "You can't be serious. It's coming back now?"

"Yeah," Goku said. "I'm su-"

From nothing, a black shroud appeared, there was a loud impact, and Goku was seen launched into the air. The shroud flew off after him, leaving behind a shocked populace.

"God damn it," Bardock said. He flew off after the black shroud, seeing it as an aura that concealed whatever was inside. "Now is not a good time."

The blow to the face was definitely a surprise, both in how fast it came and how hard it hit.

That fist had come out of nowhere, and it struck before Goku could even think to react. The immense energy behind it had moved from far away to up close in an instant, not unlike what he did to move around Spira in a hurry. Knocked clear out of Bevelle, Goku was still hurtling through the air when he was hit again, and all he saw was a black aura shrouding the foe within. He raised an arm to block, the incoming blow knocked him away again, hurtling back down toward the city below. It vanished and reappeared beneath Goku, silver hands emerging from the aura, palms aimed directly at Goku's chest.

"DIE!"

A massive black beam fired from those palms, shooting straight up into the sky. It was seen from miles around, and had the undivided attention of everyone in the city. But it hit nothing, uninterrupted all the way out into space. Goku appeared behind it, fingers at his forehead, and swung his leg into the black aura. He hit a head, knocked the whole body away, dispersing the black aura and ending the black beam. Now Goku could see the foe properly, the body in a shape he recognized, only larger and mostly black instead of green.

"Cell…" Goku muttered. In a flash of light he transformed into a Super Saiyan, right before the newest form of Sin flew back toward him. "Skipping straight to the end, I see."

Sin flew in, black aura flaring again, and threw a fist at Goku. He blocked the first punch, and the next three hit him. Blows to the head and chest knocked Goku back, he tumbled in the air, and kicked upward as Sin closed in. His foot hit Sin in the face, knocked Sin back a bit, only for him to kick back and hit Goku's side. Goku spun, punched Sin's face, and was punched back several times more. The black aura flared, Sin's speed increased, and it struck at a rapid pace. The few blows Goku got in did nothing, lacking sufficient power to inflict damage.

Ordinary Super Saiyan wasn't cutting it anymore, not against a version of Sin powered by the foe that had killed him in the first place. Goku tried to power up, but Sin interrupted him with constant impacts, forcing Goku to focus on the fight instead of concentrating on powering up. Sin's blows were inflicting plenty of pain, though Goku put it out of his mind, blocking as many times as he could while getting in a few hits of his own. Sin's assault was unrelenting, determined to put an end to Goku before he could power up and overcome Sin once again.

Then another Super Saiyan flew up from below, and Bardock slammed his entire body into the side of Sin. The surprise attack knocked Sin away from Goku, and for a moment Bardock grappled with the monster half a size bigger than him. Sin forced Bardock off, punched him in the gut, and then flew back toward Goku. Bardock intercepted and kicked Sin's head, throwing it off course and past Goku, keeping the monster away just a little bit longer. A strong gale signaled a rise in power, the golden light becoming brighter with each passing second.

Sin swatted Bardock away again, but knew he would interrupt again. That would not be tolerated, and there was a trick to deal with both foes at once. Sin crossed its arms, called upon a memory from the soul inside, and divided its power into equal pieces. Its features blurred, refracted into four overlapping images, splitting apart to hover side by side. Each of them became as solid as the original, sharing the same source of power, acting as one being split into four. One of them flew after Bardock to keep him busy, the other three converging on Goku.

By now Goku had powered up somewhat, having reached the first step above Super Saiyan. Hair slightly longer, aura pulsing like a heartbeat, he was at the strength he fought Cell at the first time. The three bodies of Sin converged on Goku, he blocked two of them, but the third landed a kick on Goku's back. That blow knocked him into the other two, he punched both of them in the face, and did a flip to kick the third with both feet. The three Sins drifted apart, Goku clenched his fists to power up some more, only for the three Sins to recover quickly and converge on him again.

A flurry of punches moved faster than the Super Saiyan eye could see, a trio of black blurs surrounding Goku, all blocked or dodged as needed. Bardock couldn't keep up with it, especially when he was still fighting his own Sin. That one jammed its knee into Bardock's gut, slammed both fists into his back, and flew away as Bardock fell out of the sky. He recovered in time to see the fourth Sin join the other three, adding to the black blurs around Goku. Bardock flew in to join the fight, only to be kicked away by one of the Sins.

Suddenly, Goku vanished from the fight, and four silver fists collided with each other in the middle. He had slipped out from them and flown above them all, heading up toward the midday sun shining bright on this clear day. The four Sins followed him into the sky, closed in on him quickly, not letting him get away. Bardock nearly lost sight of them in the bright sun, and he had to fly to the side to get out of the glare. He flew up as well, not sure why Goku wanted more altitude, now seeing the Sins directly beneath Goku.

Goku held his hands beside his face, fingers spaced apart, and closed his eyes. "Solar Flare!"

Blinding light erupted from Goku's face, amplified by the light of the sun behind it, blinding everyone that happened to be looking up at the time. Bardock had to cover his eyes, cursing under his breath about the pain. It was a trick that Cell had used often in life, and Goku found it fitting to use it on Sin now. He vanished before the light faded, reappeared behind one of the Sins, and kicked it with all his strength. That Sin was knocked into another, Goku kicked them both into a third, and then kicked them into the fourth, and all of them fell out of the sky.

Now that he had an opportunity, Goku resumed powering up to fight for real. His aura flared even brighter than before, muscles bulging with raw power, his energy climbing up to its peak. His hair grew longer, became spikier than usual and pointing straight up, only a single bang still hanging by his eye. Lightning bolts appeared within his golden aura, sparking back and forth in tandem with the pulsing light, telling of the power he wielded now. It was the power of a Super Saiyan 2, only fitting that it be used on the Sin forged from Cell.

Bardock couldn't help but stare. "Incredible…"

When the battle was joined, the people of Bevelle retreated once again.

Their concerns were swept aside in the face of utter destruction once more, the battle in the sky causing chaos and destruction even from afar. Each blow released shockwaves that shattered windows and shook buildings, and all anyone could do was find shelter wherever they could. Their concerns could wait until safety returned to Bevelle, however long that would take. Now they emptied the streets as quickly as they could run, and the Crusaders that once stood in their way helped them find shelter, doing their job in the face of disaster.

When the battle in the sky had started, Maester Seymour saw an opportunity and took it. He threw his staff at Yuna, which Kimahri intercepted, but it still interrupted the beginning of the Sending ritual. Seymour ran forward, slammed his side into the ronso, which in turn shoved him into the other guardians. He took back his staff, swung it hard, hit Tidus and Rikku, which shoved them into Wakka and Lulu. They were only shoved back a few feet, but that put them at the edge of the balcony, backs hitting the railing and tipping over the side.

Yuna nearly fell off the balcony, her arm was caught by Auron, who pulled her back up. "Thanks."

Seymour shoved them and swung his staff again, pushing the guardians further over the edge. Lulu and Wakka hit the edge and nearly fell over, both catching the railing and holding on for their lives. Tidus and Rikku turned around to help pull them away from the edge, while Kimahri helped Auron keep Yuna from falling. But in saving each other from falling off the balcony, the time they used was time spent by Seymour and Mika, retreating into the temple while the guards covered their exit. By the time Yuna was ready to send Seymour, both maesters were out of sight.

Relieved after the near plummet, Yuna focused on the task at hand. "He can't have gone far. We can still catch up with him if we hurry."

"You heard her," Auron said.

Tidus held up his sword, and slashed at the guard that got in the way. "Excuse us! Coming through!"

The guardians rushed the guards, fighting their way through in short order. They forced their way inside the temple, entering one of many halls inside the large building. The ceiling was shaking on a regular basis, shockwaves from the sky battering the building, threatening to bring it down on top of everyone. The ancient structure held for now, built to withstand the ravaged of Sin, though never intended for the battle of gods raging above. Once inside, Yuna and her guardians looked for Seymour, finding him and Mika hurrying for the bottom of the temple.

"Where are they going?" Wakka wondered.

"No idea," Lulu said. She paused to cast some spells, which cleared part of the path forward. "If we hurry, we won't have to find out."

By now the guards were beginning to panic, both from the battle in the sky and the fight inside. Many decided to flee for their lives, abandoning their posts in the face of certain death. It became much easier for Yuna and her guardians to pass through the temple, and they reached the lower levels in just a couple minutes. Following the trail left behind the maesters, they soon found themselves on the path to the Cloister of Trials. But they quickly veered off that path, heading into part of the temple that was usually off limits to the public.

Tidus recognized this path, having been brought down it before by a voice of vengeance, and he knew what was waiting for the maesters at the end. "They wouldn't…"

His golden light shining like a second sun, Goku was ready to fight at the peak of his power. The four Sins cast shadows in that light, their black auras insufficient to overcome the glare. From far below Bardock gazed upward, his own golden light dim in comparison, and he knew he had to step aside. Further below the people of Spira looked up at the light, as if divine intervention had come in to deliver the world from the ravages of Sin. In this moment, time seemed to slow, all spectators reveling in the light and awaiting salvation.

The four Sins swooped in, each punching, each being blocked. A flurry of punches and blows followed, all blocked or dodged by Goku, as if it were easy for him to do. He punched back, broke the face of one Sin, and it fell away from the other three. A kick sent another Sin plummeting, and Goku slammed fists into the remaining two, and now all four fell toward the ground. The first stopped its descent, let the second one collide into it, and the third and fourth quickly followed. Coming together at a single point, the four Sins merged back into one entity, their immense power reunified in face of a greater threat.

Restored to a single entity, Sin flew back up faster than ever, hitting harder than ever before. The blows and the blocks produced ever larger shockwaves, battering the landscape below them, shattering the weaker buildings into piles of rubble. Sin struck with both fists, Goku blocked with both arms, the impact knocking him away. Then Sin aimed both palms, unleashed a massive black energy beam, which hit straight on. The beam pushed Goku all the way down to the ground, scoured a long trench in the terrain, until Sin stopped firing and flew after its foe.

Surviving the black beam unharmed, Goku flew back up as Sin came down, ramming into each other hard enough for the shockwave to dig out a crater in the countryside. There they traded blows again, punches and kicks hitting harder and harder, cracking black armor and bruising light skin. No real damage yet, just superficial wounds, prompting both to hit even harder. A kick launched Sin back into the sky, Goku flew after it and struck again, only for Sin to block and hit back, knocking Goku away from it once again.

Watching it all while hovering in the sky, Bardock was experiencing a strange emotion for the first time, pride for someone else. "Kakarot, I don't know how you did it, but you've become far more powerful than I could possibly imagine."

"Are you going to just stand there and do nothing?"

Bardock knew that voice, turned to see the small boy that was the Fayth of Bevelle, appearing here in a veil of pyreflies. "There's nothing I can do now. And there's nothing you can do either, so why are you wasting your time here? It must be a tremendous strain to be this far from your statue."

"It is." The Fayth looked at the battle, only seeing the many shockwaves from impacts scattered across the heavens. "But we cannot stand idly by when the fate of the world is being decided. Yu Yevon is desperate to destroy Goku once and for all. If he succeeds, our dream will never end."

"So this is it?" Bardock wondered. He caught a glimpse of Sin, locked in a grip with Goku, before both vanished again. "That's the last form Sin will take?"

"There are no stronger souls left to corrupt." The Fayth rose up to Bardock's eye level, locking gaze as if to look into his soul. "It is now or never for Yu Yevon. The same is true for us."

"Us?" Bardock questioned.

Several more veils of pyreflies appeared, surrounding Bardock in a wide circle of multicolored light. People appeared within the veils, a variety of shapes and sizes, coming from a variety of lifestyles from ages past. A young girl, a Crusader soldier, a sailor man, a cold-hearted princess, a humble mother, a bodyguard for hire, and three close sisters, all joining the young boy. One by one they nodded in understanding, all aware of what was going on today, standing in agreement with the young boy that was the representative of the Fayth.

"Long ago, you wished to become a summoner." The Fayth dwelled on that moment, and Bardock remembered it well. "You could not trust others then. You once lacked true faith in the strength of others. That is not true anymore, isn't it?"

Bardock turned back toward the battle, seeing a beam struggle in progress, Goku's blue beam steadily pushing back Sin's black beam. "What good would being a summoner do now? I've seen what aeons can do. They are not strong enough to make a difference against a Sin like this."

The ring of Fayths spun around, putting the boy in front of Bardock again. "I didn't say anything about an aeon."

That remark had Bardock curious. "What do you mean by that?"

The boy Fayth moved closer to Bardock, until their eyes were only inches apart. "Do you trust me?"

Bardock hesitated, looked at the battle again, and then looked back at the Fayth. "I trust my son."

The boy smiled. "That will suffice."

He moved forward, his ethereal form passing into Bardock, the magical and spiritual energies entering his body. There was a flare in Bardock's aura, his golden light shining brighter before settling, and he felt the strange energies mixing with his own. One by one the other Fayths followed, each flaring his aura brighter than the one before it, adding their energies to the growing mix within Bardock. The three sisters were last to enter, their mystic might tipping him over the edge, filling him with power beyond his wildest dreams.

As that power welled up inside of him, Bardock clenched his fists and struggled to keep the rising energy under control. A shimmering veil of rainbow light covered his skin, enveloped by the golden aura, pyreflies dancing in the space between. His aura grew brighter and brighter, all while the growing power inflicted quite a lot of pain. It felt like he was going to explode, needing something to release his power, screaming as he tipped his head back to glare at the heavens. Rainbow light shot out from eyes, piercing the sky for all to see, and his golden aura shined bright enough to seen across every horizon.

After the flash of light Bardock's aura pulsed much faster, and it was filled with lightning bolts arcing around his body. His muscles had bulged considerably, but not by enough to constrict his movements. His spiky blonde hair was even spikier, nearly all of it pointing straight up, with just a single bang still over his forehead. Golden light seemed to permeate his flesh, pulsing in tandem with his aura, matching the power he felt within. A rainbow of colors filled his eyes, glowing bright from the Fayth within him, merging in spirit if not in mind.

The glow in his eyes faded, returning to the usual blue-green of the Super Saiyan form, and he looked down at flexing fingers. "Incredible…"

Following the maesters through the temple had brought Yuna and her guardians into the Bevelle underground, though the passage that led away from the Cloister of Trials. Tidus was particularly concerned about the path they were on, for it was the path the ghost had forced him to take the last time they were here. Auron and Rikku helped Tidus lead the way for the others, ensuring that they would not be misled by adjacent paths, keeping pace with the maesters racing for the prize beneath the temple.

They passed through the convoluted prison room, Tidus still shuddering at the sight of one particular cell, and kept on going through the underground. By now they had closed the distance enough to hear the maesters' rushed footsteps, and they quickened their pace for a chance to catch them at the last moment. Kimahri and Wakka ran ahead of the group, readying their respective weapons, passing through the small entrance just behind the maesters, striking just as they entered the large spherical chamber beyond.

Spear and blitzball were hurled at Seymour, only for the former to get stuck in him and the latter to bounce off and return to Wakka. It did stop Seymour in his tracks, but Mika continued onward. Seymour turned around in time to see the rest of Yuna's party enter the chamber, all of them with weapons drawn and ready to fight him again, to kill him again if necessary. But Seymour had become more powerful in death than he had been in life, and now he didn't have to deal with petty concerns like mortality.

However, he quickly realized he was not the center of attention. Rather, the enormous machina behind him was, having drawn the attention of those that hadn't seen it before. Seymour noticed that three of his enemies weren't distracted, cluing him in to the fact that they already knew about the machina weapon. He yanked out the spear stuck in him and threw it back, only to see Kimahri catch his weapon before it could hit anyone else. That drew attention back to him, allowing Seymour to properly face those that had killed him once already.

"I'm afraid your pilgrimage ends here," Seymour said. His body glowed with the light of pyreflies, calling upon the power of death to do his bidding. "None of you will be leaving this place alive."

"We don't have time for this," Auron said, making his way to the front of the group. "Take him down, fast and hard."

Everyone attacked Seymour at once, bringing the full weight of a summoner's party to bear. Tidus and Auron swung their swords, Kimahri stabbed with his spear, Wakka threw his blitzball, Rikku swiped with her metal claw-gauntlet, Lulu cast a variety of dark magic spells, and Yuna even cast some holy magic. All of their attacks struck Seymour at once, the barrage easily overwhelming his physical defenses, tearing his body apart in a variety of ways. Pyreflies spilled out of every wound, and Seymour's strength spilled out with them.

A second volley of weapon strikes and magic spells tore through Seymour some more, and his body became transparent as his spirit lost its hold on the living world. Try as he might to hold him off, there was no stopping the attacks from seven people at the same time. A third volley tore apart the last of his physical form, vanishing into the pyreflies that escaped from him, his soul fleeing to another place rather than risk being forcibly sent to the Farplane. Once he was gone the path was clear, and there was still the other maester to stop from activating the machina weapon.

They had to catch up to Mika, or else Spira would face the wrath of Vegnagun.

With his newfound power Bardock shot forward faster than ever before, charging into battle with a fist pulled back. He interrupted the battle, got in front of Goku, and punched Sin in the face. The blow knocked Sin away, and black blood smeared his knuckles. The two Super Saiyans looked at each other, mirror images if not for Bardock's scars and headband, Goku being very surprised that Bardock had ascended beyond Super Saiyan. No time to question it, only time to fight, and both Saiyans flew after Sin, already recovering and flying back at them.

Goku took the hit, blocking with both arms, and then grabbing Sin's arm to hold it in place. Bardock swooped in and kicked Sin's head, with a loud crack that could have been a broken neck, if it were anyone else. Then Goku kicked Sin in the chest, his boot making a deep imprint, and he nearly lost his grip on Sin's arm. Bardock kicked again, dented in the side of Sin's head, and tore half the neck. Black blood spewed out of the wound, until Goku punched and Bardock kicked, both hitting the head and tearing it clean off, resulting blood spewing from the stump of a neck.

Yet decapitation wasn't the end, instead Sin kicked Goku in the gut, and he lost his grip on Sin's arm. The other arm punched Goku in the face, and both feet kicked Bardock away. There was a loud splatter when a new head burst from the severed neck, exactly the same as the old head, which was disintegrating into pyreflies on its way to the ground. Still, the regeneration had an energy cost, rendering Sin slightly weaker than before decapitation. Every little bit counted, as Sin soon discovered in the Super Saiyan counterattack.

Both intensified their assault, a flurry of blows converging on Sin, most blocked but plenty getting through. Many dents were made in Sin's armor-like black skin, and plenty of blood flowed freely. The black aura returned and intensified, building up power very quickly, and Sin unleashed it in a massive shockwave. It hurled away both Super Saiyans, tumbling through the air in the wake of the blast, quickly recovering and flying back into battle. Each punched at the same time, both fists hitting Sin's face, knocking the monster away again.

As Sin was hurled away there was a brief pause in fighting, which Goku used to glance at Bardock. "Can you hold it off alone? There's something I want to try and I need charge up time."

Bardock saw Sin already coming back towards them. "I'll buy as much time as I can."

Alone, Bardock charged at Sin, impacting with a massive shockwave. They exchanged blows faster and faster, Sin trying to force its way through, Bardock focusing on blocking and staying in Sin's way. Bardock slammed his head into Sin's face, busting it open and spraying black blood, only for Sin to punch Bardock's face. Sin then kicked Bardock's stomach, slammed both fists into his back, and flew above him. Recovering quickly, Bardock flew after Sin, delivering a spin kick to the side of the head, knocking Sin far off course.

With a burst of speed Bardock intercepted Sin, delivering a two fisted blow to knock it even further away. Sin recovered, stopped falling, and flew back up, scoring a punch on Bardock's face. He kicked Sin's gut, got punched in the face again, and spun around to kick Sin in the back. Sin fired a volley of energy blasts, Bardock blocked and deflected them all, but then Sin flew back on its desired course. Bardock flew faster and got above Sin again, received a couple blows for his trouble, but still held off Sin for a little bit longer.

Meanwhile Goku was concentrating his power for maximum effect, hands cupped at his side and glowing with bright blue light. "Ka… Me… Ha… Me…"

Sin punched Bardock away, and then turned around to shoot a black beam at Goku. Fired from one hand, the beam was thicker than Sin was tall, crossing the distance in a second. But then Goku simply disappeared, and the black beam passed through empty air and shot into space. Bardock couldn't see Goku anywhere, realizing that he had combined his teleportation trick with an attack. Sin seemed to be very confused, searching for its foe every which way. Then Goku reappeared behind Sin, and he thrust his glowing hands at Sin's back.

"HA!"

Goku fired the Kamehameha at point blank range, the bright blue beam filling his field of vision in an instant. But Sin's aura condensed into a dense black shield, taking the brunt of the attack at first, until it was whittled away in a few seconds. That was time enough for Sin to turn and block properly, holding back the Kamehameha with its bare hands, even if it pushed him bit by bit. The disrupted edges of the blue beam spread around Sin as if to swallow it whole, as Goku would not relent until Sin faltered and would be consumed by his attack.

But while Sin held off the Kamehameha, its flank was left wide open. Bardock held out one hand, an orb of blue light appeared above his palm, and he focused as much power as he could into the orb. He threw the blue orb with all his strength, willed it to move around the side of the Kamehameha, and slam into the back of Sin. On impact the blue orb exploded, light filling the sky and thunder booming to every horizon, shattering the wings on Sin's back. Severely weakened by the surprise attack, Sin's guard was shattered, and the monster was swallowed by the Kamehameha.

Overwhelmed by sheer raw power, the body of Sin disintegrated from outside in. Bit by bit black flesh and blood vanished into nothing, and the power of Sin faded away with it. Arms and legs disintegrated first, followed by the head, and finally the torso. Goku kept firing the Kamehameha until the last of Sin's energy disappeared, and continued a little while longer for good measure. The beam was well on its way into space when Goku stopped, and it would continue to move through the void until it either dispersed or hit something in the distant future.

When the air was cleared of the blue beam, an expanding cloud of pyreflies took its place. The pyreflies spread far and wide, fading into nothing at the edges. An image appeared within the pyreflies, similar to what Sin had been, but in the original colors. Goku recognized it as the perfect form of Cell, the only foe that he had intentionally surrendered to in a fight. The image of Cell vanished in a moment, and the pyreflies quickly thinned and faded away. But there was only one particular pyrefly Goku needed to find, and it seemed to have already left.

Bardock flew up to Goku's altitude and pointed to the south. "Go!"

Goku nodded and put two fingers to his forehead. "Meet you there."

Grand Maester Mika reached the top of Vegnagun, mere moments before pursuit caught up to him.

The controls of the ancient machina stood before him, all but daring to be used by the first person to come across them. They were counterintuitive to say the least, resembling a piano combined with an organ player, hardly appropriate for a weapon of mass destruction. Given the overelaborate design of the machina in general, Mika figured the engineer was trying to prove a point to someone, an ancient grudge lost to history. Mika got to the controls, hesitated to use something he barely understood, but overcame it and started bringing the machina online.

The summoner and her guardians reached the top a moment later, and Auron was the first to see the grand maester at work. "This is madness! What do you hope to accomplish?!"

"Restoring order," Mika said, hands moving across the controls. "Any way I can."

There was no reasoning with him, and Auron drew his sword. "Stop him."

Suddenly, the entire machina shook, Vegnagun coming to life after a thousand years of slumber. It tipped back and forth, knocking everyone off their feet, shaking centuries of dust off the once polished metal. Parts moved around, the cocoon like shell opening and sliding into carapace position, revealing sets of arms and legs stretching out from the thick torso, along with a tail extending for stability. The head rose upward into a proper position, now overshadowing the people near the controls, though the face could not be seen from this angle.

The rocking metal beneath their feat made it difficult to stand up, and Mika only did so by holding onto the controls. Still, Yuna and her guardians pressed forward, closing in on the grand maester threatening everything they held dear. Mika was still working the controls despite the machina moving underneath him, hoping that it would do as he commanded. Kimahri and Auron reached him and pulled Mika away from the controls, tossing him onto the floor and sliding away, almost falling off the edge when Vegnagun tipped again.

"You're too late," Mika boasted, hanging onto the edge while the machina tipped the other way. "Sin, Goku, his father, all of you, every threat to Spira's order will be laid to waste."

"Not if we can help it," Yuna said.

"That said, does anyone know how to shut this thing off?" Wakka asked. He certainly couldn't grasp the design concept of the machina, that much he could admit. "I think we're out of our depth here."

Tidus went to the controls, relying on intuition to figure out what to do. "Okay… if that does that… this triggers this… it should do-crap! Rikku! I could use a hand here!"

In a second Rikku was at his side, applying Al Bhed expertise to the situation at hand, helping Tidus figure things out. "We might not be able to shut this thing down."

"We don't have to shut it down," Tidus said. "Just keep it from destroying everything until Goku and Bardock can come down and destroy Vegnagun for us."

"Easier said than done," Rikku said.

Vegnagun rose upward, limbs grabbing the sides of the chamber, climbing up to the ceiling. The head smashed through the ceiling, and everyone ducked for cover to avoid falling debris. It continued to climb and break through the temple above it, demolishing the Cloister of Trials along the way, just barely missing the Chamber of the Fayth. Much of the temple proper was torn asunder, priests and Crusaders fleeing for their lives, seeing only glimpses of Vegnagun as it tore its way through to the surface, coming out right in the middle of Bevelle.

Despite everything falling around them, Tidus and Rikku kept at their work, desperately trying to keep the power of Vegnagun contained.

Goku appeared in the sky above Guadosalam, pulling his fingers away from his forehead. There Goku searched the sky for the black pyrefly, knowing that it would be coming here after the destruction of Sin. Yu Yevon would not be returning to the afterlife, not this time, not if Goku could do anything about it. It arrived a moment after he did, and Goku faced the black pyrefly flying at high speed. Goku's aura flared as he focused his energy, hands glowing with the light of a pending blast. But then the black pyrefly flew up and over Goku, stopping directly above him, and by extension directly above Guadosalam.

"There we go," Goku muttered, ready to fire at a standing target. "Goodbye."

That was when Guadosalam exploded.

The hill that was the ceiling of the guado capital shattered into a million pieces, and a torrent of pyreflies came rising out from the underground. Millions of them swarmed beneath Goku, overwhelming him with their sheer numbers, ignoring him as they flew into the sky. His sight was obscured by pyreflies on every side, and he couldn't see them converging on the black pyrefly. The flow of pyreflies didn't stop or slow, more and more of them coming out of the Farplane, ignoring the devastation their rise inflicted upon Guadosalam.

Meanwhile Bardock was flying for the underground city as fast as he could, and he stopped when he saw the funnel of pyreflies spiraling upward. "What in the world is going on?"

He heard a pop, and turned to see Goku there. "Are you as confused as I am?"

From here they could see the black pyrefly at the top of the funnel of pyreflies, pulsing with dark light as untold millions of souls were swallowed whole. This upside down tornado of souls seemed to be everlasting, a soulnado that was steadily draining the Farplane dry. A thousand years of death and destruction were absorbed by the black pyrefly, casting a dark light that bathed the land in shadow, overwhelming the sun in the sky. Only the golden light of the Super Saiyans could pierce the darkness, twin beacons of hope that promised salvation.

The last of the pyreflies left the Farplane and were absorbed by the black pyrefly, now large enough to swallow a city whole. Then the black pyrefly burst into flame, the outer layers becoming a massive inferno that filled the sky, the core remaining in the center of the blaze. A silhouette could be seen in the fire, that of a man merged with a bug, several pieces of a giant tick sticking out of human flesh. Cracks formed and spread in the tick carapace, breaking apart and crumbling into dust, leaving only the human shape intact.

The flames parted before Goku and Bardock, giving them a better view of the person floating inside the inferno. Easily six feet tall, a muscular build that was not excessively so, he appeared to be as physically fit as a human could be. He wore a long black coat that was tied at the waist, letting his chest remain bare, framed by the silver pauldrons on his shoulders. Black pants and boots were surrounded by the bottom of the coat, simple yet practical as if meant for a soldier. Black leather gloves covered his hands, flexing open and closed to gauge the strength in those fingers.

Long silver hair flowed from this man's head, able to reach his waist if it wasn't caught in the wind. His bangs went up before bending back down, the tips reaching his neck to frame his face. Plain and simple, with a short nose and smooth chin, he gazed with green eyes for the first time in a millennium. He reached for the curved seven foot sword at his waist, left hand grabbing the hilt of the blade, drawing the sword so fast it cut the flames around him. In that moment a single wing burst from his back, like that of a bird with black feathers, stretching out from the right shoulder.

Yu Yevon, restored to his true form, fueled by the power of Spira's fallen souls, was now ready to fight as the one winged angel of death.

A/N: There is no canon description of Yu Yevon's original form, and I was not going to create one from scratch.