14 Minutes Until The Firing Of The Gauntlet Of Zeus
Ragnar moved slowly through the pipe towers. His feet clicked softly as he moved across the ground. It was dim here…but not perfectly dark. Ragnarok still flickered slightly. He had it at his side, but not in front of him at the moment. Every so often, a drop of sweat would roll off the end of his nose and strike the ground, creating a noise so soft that he knew only he and Sephiroth could hear it. His eyes were wide, and scanned his surroundings slowly, looking for the slightest item out of place.
He was far from Cloud now. It was just him, walking through this black forest of pipes. His eyes saw nothing, so he relied mostly on his heat vision. He could see little other than a few pipes active with hot waste, water, or steam. He could smell and hear nothing. However, he had a feeling that Sephiroth was near and was watching him. Once again…he was being played with. Sephiroth wanted him to feel fear…despair. He wanted him to feel as helpless and weak as he had last time. He knew he'd come eventually however. And he knew he wouldn't strike him from behind. Like he said…he wanted him to suffer.
The youth took another tentative step forward, putting out another click so soft only he could hear it…
Very slightly…he heard another sound on top of it.
There.
Ragnar spun around and brought Ragnarok up…just in time to intercept Masamune. There he was, towering over and gazing at him like the devil himself. His eyes burned into him. Suddenly, he advanced. He swung his blade down on him four times with hammering blows. The male Cetra quickly backed up and intercepted each one. They hadn't gotten any less painful, but he had rested a bit…and so he withstood them. Each strike sent sparks out to illuminate the entire chamber.
Sephiroth locked blades for the fifth strike. Ragnar planted his feet and gnashed his teeth. The dark man, on the other hand, barely looked tried. Twisting as hard as he could, Ragnar forced the Masamune down to one side…striking the ground and cutting up metal and concrete. Sephiroth brought his blade back up just as hard though…threatening to wrest his sword from his grasp. So Ragnar quickly pushed in the same direction instead, smashing his blade down on the ground again. This time, he leapt back to get some distance between them.
Sephiroth quickly moved in again. His blade slashed against Ragnar twice overhead, once from below, and then once overhead again. Moving as fast as he could, Ragnar deflected each hit, sweat flying from his body. After these hits, however, he was moving too fast and strong for Ragnar to keep countering. Sephiroth's next swipe went for his head, and he had to quickly dodge to one side. The blade struck the ground again, and cut up another rift of metal and stone. Ragnar raised his blade and blocked two more blows…but again the dark man was moving too fast. He soon had to dodge his sword again as it came from the opposite side.
When Sephiroth raised his blade again, Ragnar tried a pair of offensive blows, trying to get him off guard. They did little good. Sephiroth blocked both, and then their swords locked once again. Ragnar shed more sweat and spittle as he struggled to hold back the dark man. Sephiroth, on his part, kept his smile. He had smiled this entire battle…not encountering anything to make him cease. Ragnar struggled with him for a moment…but this time Sephiroth seemed bored with pretending to grapple. He simply threw Ragnar off of him, casting him away about eight feet. As he did, however, he sliced out with Masamune one more time…turning more of his torso clothing into rags…and drawing more blood.
Ragnar collided with the ground a second later, gritting his teeth in his latest bit of pain. He was going to cry out again…but he forced himself not to. One…he wouldn't give Sephiroth the satisfaction. Two…he didn't want Aerith, wherever she was, to know what was going on. His hair was totally soaked at this point, and so were the wet rags he still wore on his torso. He could feel sweat running into his wounds again, and they stung. Yet tired as he was…he huffed again and rolled back to his feet. He shot up into a standing position once more.
Sephiroth hadn't bothered moving. He kept the Masamune out and pointed at him, but he didn't take another step.
"Haven't we been here before, little boy?" He calmly addressed him. "Did my last attack on you damage your short term memory? You're about to die again…exactly like last time. I'll give this to you. It seems that my running you Cetra through the heart is a rather ineffective way of keeping you dead."
Ragnar held Ragnarok in front of him again, ready for another assault. His face was turned into a frown, and he kept his eyes on the dark warrior.
"You were the best this world could do." Sephiroth went on. "Trained by espers…entrusted with their blade…one of the Cetra himself…" The man trailed off after this.
After a pause, he snorted.
"How pathetic."
Ragnar didn't show any emotional change. Yet now, he realized, was time. He had nothing to gain by making Sephiroth wait any longer, and he had made the dark man firmly believe he could beat him as easily as before. Once again, he wasn't sure if this would be enough. He wasn't even sure how much power he would gain. Yet he had to do it…and hope that he really did catch the man off guard this time.
Master…I really need your help on this one.
Abruptly, Ragnar spun Ragnarok around and embedded it into the floor. He dropped out of ready stance and stood straight and tall.
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're giving up?"
Ragnar reached up and seized his shoulder. With one sharp tug, he ripped the rags that were there, and tore all the others on his chest. Soon he flung the entire remains of his shirt off, and cast it aside. His own eyes burned as he went from a frown to a challenging smile.
"This means I'm through warming up."
The dark man stared back, not losing his smile. However, his eyebrow now quirked slightly.
"Oh really?"
Ragnar balled his hands into fists, lowered his head, and focused his gaze on the ground. Once that was done…he reached deep inside his own spirit and flesh. It didn't take as long as he thought. Bahamut's presence was very strong…far stronger than he was. It was right there, standing around and waiting for this moment. With his improved mentality, it took no time at all to dip himself into the store…and bring it out.
The youth's teeth suddenly grit. His hands tightened…and he began to grunt. As he did…he felt warm all over. His muscle fibers itched, and his skin seemed to crawl on him. The power of the Cetra within him suddenly increased…so much that he couldn't hold it back initially. Suddenly the air began to ripple around him as his fire power started to leak out. It soon began to form colors as well as the heat built around him.
Sephiroth's smile faded slightly.
As Ragnar tightened his teeth further…the veins and ligaments in his neck began to strain. His eyes, glowing with new power, began to turn oval. They continued to burn brighter as he focused. Before Sephiroth's eyes…Ragnar's skin began to stretch. That was because the muscles beneath it were getting larger…more defined than before. Before he had still been slender though his muscles were strong. Now he was growing to an average build as they increased all around him. While this happened…each one of his cuts instantly sealed up. He didn't have to wait a minute any longer. The new power that coursed through his veins increased his regeneration abilities, healing him instantly.
Sephiroth's smile faded completely.
Ragnar felt Bahamut's memories more clearly now. He could sense his presence much greater. He could almost hear him talking within his brain. The aura around him flared again…and the heat did turn into a weak flame surrounding him. His eyes really were glowing now…beginning to turn blue like the one whose power they obtained strength from. The roots of his hair began to turn white. His muscles were now very large and well defined. The new power that Ragnar felt…it made his old body seem like nothing. He felt at least five times as strong now. His brain felt like it had been soaked in lubricant…as fast as he could think. The slightest thought of moving made his body respond strongly.
Brimming with this new strength, Ragnar's eyes looked up and locked with Sephiroth's.
The dark man barely reacted in time.
Like a flash of light…Ragnar was on him. He had barely seen him take up his sword…which now ignited with a dazzling glow…before he attacked. Sephiroth actually found himself moving back as fast as he could…yet quickly as he moved he still felt his head snap to one side from Ragnar's blade slicing out and knocking it.
Blood flowed from a long cut across his cheek.
A thousandth of a second slower…and Ragnar would have taken off the top of his head.
The dark man snapped back, face genuinely amazed now…but didn't have time to stare. Ragnar was attacking again. The youth was striking at him savagely, whipping up what looked like a solar storm around him as he beat on the Jenova mutant with his sword. A flurry of strikes were unleashed upon Sephiroth, which he soon found himself hard pressed to counter. He couldn't believe it. He had left an after image before when he dodged Cloud, so he hadn't had to actually take his hits. Yet now…Ragnar was attacking him as if he was in a permenant state of Omnislash. To keep up with him, he actually had to hover in the air. Yet Ragnar seemed to almost hover himself as he advanced just as quickly, face full of fury and passion as he beat away at Sephiroth again and again.
Sephiroth deflected one hit aimed for his head. Without even seeming to move, Ragnar was below, slashing him from beneath. He quickly stopped that one as well. Ragnar launched another chop from the side, and Sephiroth actually felt himself strain his muscles to block it. Three more hits came, each one from another wild side, each one Sephiroth had to struggle to deflect. Yet after the sixth…Ragnar suddenly stepped back. Sephiroth barely had time to see it…before he noticed that he was lunging at him with blade extended. Quickly, the man moved to the side, gritting his own teeth now, and brought his blade down on top of Ragnarok…bringing it down to his side.
It hardly seemed his blade had connected with Ragnar's when the youth appeared to rematerialize next to his head…smashing the heel of his foot into it.
For the first time that fight…Sephiroth was ripped off of his feet and flung backward.
The dark man's eyes were wide in surprise as he went flying back…but then they focused and turned furious once again. He swung himself down and planted his legs. Moments later…Ragnar came rushing at him again. He blocked his first strike…but the youth moved with lightning speed away again, and came in from another side. Sephiroth struck this down as well. The youth tried again, and once more he deflected it. It wasn't easy anymore, but he was keeping him off. And now that he had a second to catch his breath…Sephiroth watched the youth more closely. He watched him as he attempted to dart out and come at him again.
He didn't block this time. Instead…he stuck the point of Masamune out blade first. He intended for Ragnar to run on it. However, it seemed his enemy's senses had improved as well. He saw it and shifted to one side. Masamune sliced open the edge of his abdomen instead. He pulled away…and Sephiroth soon saw he had more tricks than that. The blade had hardly left his skin when he saw it seal up again, leaving no injury in its wake.
Sephiroth didn't dwell on this. Instead, he quickly leapt into the air, letting his flight powers take him away. Ragnar shot his head up to him, teeth still grit and furious. Then…to Sephiroth's surprise, he actually ran and flung himself at a nearby pipe. At the last moment, he jumped and leapt into it. Yet rather than grab it, he simply kicked off from the pipe and leapt again, straight for the rising dark man. He was amazed that he had to suddenly bring Masamune down to deflect him again. Yet no sooner had Ragnar broke out of the block and began to sail down…then he seemed to direct himself to another pipe. Sephiroth was amazed. He had planned to knock the boy back to the ground to keep him from doing this. However, the youth seemed to have mild levitation abilities of his own. As soon as he hit the next pipe, he launched himself off again, higher this time, and swept at Sephiroth again.
This strange sort of dance continued. Ragnar leapt around the pipes like a flea, constantly launching himself back off and at Sephiroth again. The dark man actually had to move…for Ragnar was throwing himself at him from different angles too if he stood still. It looked like some strange game…Sephiroth flying through the air and striking down Ragnar's golden form again and again, only to have to hit it back as soon as it bounced off something and flew again. The sound of swords ran through the air.
Yet it didn't last. As Ragnar came up to strike again, Sephiroth swung down with his blade hard to smack his sword away, but he didn't stop there. The dark man swung himself around in a somersault in midair, and came at Ragnar with the heel of one of his feet extended. The blow smashed against Ragnar's head and sent him groundward again…yet it only drew a small amount of blood and a bruise rather than fracturing his skull. The man shot after him of course…but Bahamut had been knocked around enough in his life to know how to right oneself even when falling. He snapped out of it and intercepted Sephiroth's strike as the two met again. For a few moments of free fall, the two spiraled around each other as their blades dueled.
Finally the time came to hit the ground. Moments before touching down, Sephiroth used his flight power to pull away and leap back. Ragnar did the same, only he did touch down before he went away. Shortly thereafter, however, both sprung back and went to each other again. They both planted their feet and clashed their swords. One overhead strike…one below…and three more overhead. Each clash was deafening to a normal human. The metal around them ringed with the ferocity of each hit.
At last, Ragnar swung his blade down on top of the dark man again. The Masamune came up and intercepted, and the two locked. Both dug their feet into the ground and stretched their muscles, and both of their blades quivered as they ground into a clash. Ragnar's face was rather sweaty at this point, and he was turning red from the amount of effort he was putting into this. Now he pushed even more out. Sephiroth, naturally, wasn't sweating or red at all…but his own teeth were clenched, and his smile was gone. Now, his own eyes blazed at Ragnar as the two locked into their life-or-death struggle. Both of them gave grunts as the clash went on.
Ragnar focused himself firmly against Sephiroth, meeting his own burning green gaze with his dark one. The first tip of his blade hovered just above the man's head about two inches. He looked at that too, and struggled to make the distance close. It looked like this was it. Both of them were putting out everything they had. Now he had to prove he was the stronger…that he had enough to overwhelm Sephiroth even at his maximum. The youth swore to himself that he would not fail, and with that he ignored his strain and growing pain, and just kept pushing for all he was worth.
It seemed they were at this for a full minute with neither side giving. Ragnar focused on pushing more every few seconds, but other than making their blades quiver nothing happened. Sephiroth's teeth continued to clench. His gaze burned with more ferocity, accenting his power. Ragnar kept an eye on him…waiting for him to crack…waiting to end this once and for all.
Then…very suddenly…Sephiroth's blade became solid.
The dark man stopped quivering all together.
Ragnar looked up to this…and then saw the tip of his blade slowly but steadily being pushed away. On seeing this…the youth's face went aghast with shock.
Impossible…
But it was happening. He hadn't lost any strength. He was still pushing full force. Yet now…he was very calmly being pushed back. It couldn't be true. Even Bahamut couldn't believe it.
Yet as his look, growing fearful, turned back to the evil man's face…he received another surprise.
Sephiroth's calm smile had returned.
"I'm sorry…did you think you were winning?"
Ragnar only felt the bones in his nose get crushed and blood gush out from the bottom of them. His two front teeth were knocked partly inward, and blood came from his gums. Other than that…nothing. He never saw his sword swept aside. He never saw Sephiroth return Masamune to his hip. And he definitely didn't see him ball his hand into a fist and smash him in the face. He had sailed a hundred feet away before he even began to realize what happened. That was when his body ripped through the first large pipe, the force propelling him far stronger than the metal. He ripped through two more, each one making him lose some force, before smashing into a much more solid wall. After leaving a heavy indentation, his body flopped off and smacked face first against the ground.
The youth stiffened…and then slowly put his hand out in front of him to start pushing himself back up. Yet even as he did so, and began to watch the blood slowly drip out of his nose, he saw just at the top of his vision a pair of black boots slowly come down and rest. Somewhat slower than he would have liked, Ragnar raised his eyes and looked up in front of him. There he stood…having caught up with him already, and looking perfectly calm.
Ragnar couldn't help but gape at him from his inferior position.
"I apologize." Sephiroth coolly stated. "I was determined to defeat you with only using half of my total power. But eventually, I saw that I was getting nowhere. It would have taken hours to beat you with that. You surprise me. I didn't think you could possibly force me to use any more than that."
The young general couldn't help but feel his body quiver as fear sank into his stomach. He couldn't believe it. He heard what Sephiroth had just said…
Half...?
While he thought he was pushing the Jenova mutant to his limit, he had only been making him use an average amount of strength. Even Bahamut was in total disbelief. He heard his personality within him asking what this monster was made of. Even if Sephiroth had stood his ground against Neo Bahamut…the esper realized that he would have been defeated by the level the man was using at the moment. And yet…he could go even stronger than that. He knew he wasn't lying.
And with even Bahamut now filling with fear and desperation…the youth himself only began to shudder more as his sweat turned cold.
"You can die with a bit more pride now. You clearly aren't as useless as I first anticipated." Sephiroth went on. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are a fool. You thought I was simply uttering idle boasts and showing off when I smiled throughout our battles. It never crossed your mind that I was smiling because no matter how many times you increased your power, I was still far above you. You should have taken my advice and ran and hid. I might have at least considered you prudent then. I told you once before, boy…"
Not even seeing it happen…Masamune was suddenly up and pointed in between Ragnar's eyes.
"I am Death…and you can't kill Death."
This was it. It was all over. Everything he had done had been useless. All of their attacks had failed. There was no way to stop him now. That meant that the world was doomed…that Aerith and his friends were doomed…
Yet even as he thought this…Bahamut within him made him remember something from their last meeting.
Take this as your 'trump card'. You can fuse yourself to my energy as Rydia did before you. Fuse yourself normally and your power will grow even greater than what you will be after the junction. Fuse yourself totally…and your body will become even mightier than that. But know also this…your flesh will be too weak to handle that level of power for long. Do not do it unless you have no other choice.
Ragnar had a greater grasp of what that meant now that he was one with Bahamut. Esper bodies were designed to be able to channel and manipulate inconceivable amounts of power. Human bodies, on the other hand, burned out far easier. If the body simply reached a temperature less than ten degrees higher than normal, the brain would die. Muscles could be ripped and torn. Limbs could be flung so violently that bones could be broken. In this particular case…Ragnar knew that his body could literally explode.
Then again…this is a time in which I have no other choice.
Better to blow myself up then let him do it.
Sephiroth saw as Ragnar's face suddenly became less fearful. His own smile faltered slightly at this. Obviously, he realized that the youth had something more to unleash. That only seemed to irritate him. He drove his blade forward, meaning to pierce Ragnar's head in such a way as to be painful, yet not kill him until he tortured the youth further…
However, Ragnar reacted first. He had expected this. Using the maximum of his current level of power, he swung his blade up and around and smacked Masamune away. At the same time, he sprung up and into a backflip, whirling backward and putting distance between himself and Sephiroth. He landed on his feet a moment later, placed both hands on his blade, and lowered it to the ground. He meant to do this to focus.
Yet Sephiroth wasn't waiting like last time. He immediately shot for the youth with his blade up and out. Ragnar quickly had to raise his own sword to intercept it. The two locked again. This time, however…Sephiroth was putting out more at the get-go. Ragnarok soon began to quiver and buckle, and slowly started to lower in the wake of the power… The Masamune started to near Ragnar's head again.
The dark man looked to his opponent's face. For a moment, he saw him gritting his teeth and struggling. Sweat continued to pour down the sides of his head, and he glared at his own blade with the intensity of one fighting for his life.
Yet then…he looked up and to Sephiroth's own eyes.
Immediately…Ragnar's turned into some new color…a mixture of pure blue and burning green.
The dark man's smile vanished again on seeing this strange reaction. Moments later…to his surprise…his own gloves and cape ignited into flame. He looked down, once more stunned, and saw the cause. Ragnar's aura was blazing again…and now it was as if the youth himself was truly wrapped in flame. Yet his blue-green eyes continued to blaze from within the fire as he started to change again.
His muscles didn't necessarily get that much larger…but his skin began to stretch…as if something was deep underneath it and threatening to rip it off. Ragnar started to grunt and strain…not from the sword but from what was going on inside him. This increase was hurting him. Points began to raise out from underneath his elbows and shoulders. The tips of his fingers did the same. As his teeth gnashed…Sephiroth almost saw them all start to grow blade-like tips. His brow surged forward…and the white roots of his hair moved down the rest of them…beginning to lengthen the hair once that was done.
Ragnar's grunt suddenly deepened…turning into a bestial growl. When that happened…his skin suddenly ripped in the previous places. What looked like a dark-blue scaly spur erupted from his shoulders and elbows. His pants tore, as ones over his knees extended as well. Another erupted from his eyebrow, leaving a dragon-like crest across it. The ends of his fingers turned into talons. His hair, now pure white, continued to extend until it was halfway down his back. Through it all, the flames continued to burn.
Slowly…Ragnar's blade began to stop quivering and became solid. An instant later…and the Masamune began to quiver instead…and be pushed back.
Sephiroth saw this…and now his confidence disappeared. His face was in genuine surprise now. He looked to the swords moving, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. Then he looked back up to the man in front of him. The fire died now, but the new person beneath remained. As he saw him…saw the white hair…the blueness of the eyes…the scales now erupting from the soft flesh…he saw and understood.
"He's…inside you…"
The new being smiled. When he spoke…he heard both Ragnar's voice and something far deeper and more powerful within it.
"I hope you remember, Sephiroth…how I vowed to destroy you."
The dark man grit his teeth…as a rare emotion, anger, began to fill his eyes. He looked down to himself again, and began to put out more effort. Soon he was straining his muscles again like last time. However…none of that seemed to matter. What Ragnar had turned into continued to push against him, and continued to gain ground. Sephiroth now was the only one giving off flames…his entire black cape and coat engulfed in them as the fire spread. He didn't seem to notice…but it made him look far the lesser of the two. He looked back up in disbelief…yet the thing continued to push. He struggled to brace himself…yet when he did so he merely felt his knees begin to bend…
Now, the dark man lost all confidence and coolness. His eyes blazed again. His pupils narrowed into slits. But now, his corneas seemed to vanish…turning black. That left green flames for eyes, which blazed through the darkness. The air suddenly began to turn cold around both of them again. The lights turned dimmer. A wind felt like it was whipping up around them, although down here there was no source. It cast up the debris on the ground and flung it in a circle around the two. In a flash, the flames on Sephiroth died. In another instant, the remains of his gloves and coat turned into what seemed like dead skin, and both fell off. The man's own bare torso was left behind.
Sephiroth's knees straightened again…and soon the thing's blade was quivering too as both locked. Yet that was all. The man looked down, and his anger gave way to more surprise. He couldn't force him back. He was holding out against him...nothing more. Despite all of his power…power that he believed had no possible equal in the whole of Gaia…the boy was holding him back. He looked back up…and his hate doubled twofold against the person before him.
Abruptly…using all of their speed and power…both men broke off at the same time and aimed to take off the other's head. However…both of their heightened senses saw this, and both pulled back to try to avoid the other's blow while lashing out with their own strikes. A blast of wind blew in both directions from their swipes…and then died again as both flew back away from each other and touched down on the ground. Both snapped back up into ready position soon after, and aimed their blades at one another at a further distance. Both of their eyes blazed with killer intent.
Sephiroth watched…and saw a cut across the side of Ragnar's neck slowly begin to bleed.
As for the new creature, it saw the same on Sephiroth's own neck.
This time…the blood flowed freely.
Both personalities within the new creature smiled…knowing they had finally done it. Now, both Bahamut and Ragnar were clear within the new creature's brain. Hence…you could really term the new creature as "Ragnamut". Yet the blood meant they had finally earned a small victory. Sephiroth had unlimited energy, which meant he would never tire. It also meant that so long as he had a store of power within him, he could heal from any injury. Yet now, the cut remained against his neck and continued to bleed. That meant that Sephiroth was now devoting all of his power to battle. He had none in reserve to spend on healing. He had to use all to replace what he was using to maintain this level of strength and speed. His body was being strained to the limit. Now…not only would he retain all damage, but even fighting at this level would cause him pain.
Unfortunately…he…they…realized that the same applied to him. What was worse was that while Sephiroth could maintain his peak performance unless his body was damaged, his own was burning out all the time. Just holding Sephiroth back had been agony on his limbs. Standing here was killing his feet. If they both fought each other like this, he would have to pray that Sephiroth would lose the ability to keep fighting before he did. He could sense they were so close to each other at this point that this wasn't likely. The only other option was to hope that he could get a fatal strike in. Though the odds were much better for victory now than they had been the entire fight…they were still slim.
Well…standing around here won't help anything.
Let's go.
With that, Ragnamut leapt into the air and lunged for Sephiroth. The Jenova mutant himself immediately leapt up and did the same. Their blades collided in midair…showering the world below not only with light, but also with blasts of heat and cold from their respective entity.
Both warriors began to go into the sky now. Yet now, Ragnamut soared into the air along with Sephiroth. Their blades clashed into each other again and again, sending out blasts of light and shockwaves that indented and crushed the pipes around them. They continued to circle all the way to the ceiling…before both of them, hardly seeming to notice their environment around each other due to their fight, punched right through into the above area. Beneath there was nothing but a mako pit…and soon boiling waste was raining down on both of them. And yet…they continued to ascend and passed through it, stopping only when they couldn't see each other in the midst of the material.
Ragnamut raised a bit higher until he punched through the waste. It burned…but not nearly as much as it would have done if he had been human…and not as much as his body burned from strain. On coming out, he expected to see Sephiroth right in front of him as well, and the battle to be renewed. Instead he saw nothing. Yet he sensed something…and it was coming from behind.
A moment later, Ragnamut flipped in midair…just as Sephiroth came shooting out of the mako himself and sliced at him from behind. However, due to Ragnamut's flip, he hit only air. Yet the man wasn't stopping…and soon flew above and next to him while he was still upside down in space. He slashed at him again, and Ragnamut barely put his blade in front of him in time. As such…his whole body ached on intercepting the blow, flinging him back and away from the mako pit onto the metal platforms on the side. He didn't smash this time, but instead spun himself back to regular orientation and folded his hands and legs behind him to intercept the wall.
Again, he had to move quickly as he shifted to avoid Sephiroth's stab…no longer for pain but to kill him. He barely made it out…letting him slice into his side as he came free. This cut was deeper…and the blood seemed to be forced out of the wound by his new power. However…it wasn't fatal. The Masamune slid easily into the metal behind Ragnamut after touching his flesh…and Sephiroth proceeded to rip it out again, cutting through more steam pipes and cables, as he struggled to slash at Ragnamut from the side. Yet despite his pain, Ragnamut now had two consciousnesses inside him. One of them managed to make him twist down in a split/crouch, letting Sephiroth's sword cut an inch off of a few hairs…but also letting him strike out with Ragnarok. The black fabric over Sephiroth's top left leg was shredded…as was the skin and a bit of muscle underneath it.
Ignoring their pain, both men charged at each other again. Their blades locked, and the resulting collision forced mako in the pit nearby to be flung up and out. As it touched the metal on the opposite side, it immediately began to burn it away. Neither man noticed. Ragnamut advanced, striking at him with two slices at either shoulder. Sephiroth actually had to back up from this power, but he deflected both blows none the less. Ragnamut finished with an overhead chop. Sephiroth took this as well, but also twisted to allow it to be deflected to the side. With that, he ran forward and smashed his elbow into Ragnamut's face. Already dazzled from the amount of power he had, the fusion was even more unbalanced after that blow, and his charge was stopped as he staggered backward. Sephiroth advanced next, using the length of his blade to engage in stabbing slices, trying to both cut the man and stab him. Ragnamut backed up as well, however, recovering much faster than Sephiroth wanted. Though his nose bled even more now, he twisted his sword around and deflected each strike. After a few, he abruptly dodged to the side of one thrust and smashed his blade down on Masamune, deflecting it downward. Just like before when Cloud had been on his feet, he spun in with Ragnarok extended and closed the distance in an attempt to slash Sephiroth. The dark man managed to pull his weapon up and block…but this time he had to strain to do it. Once more their blades locked. Once more both grunted and pushed against each other. Ragnamut suddenly surged and threw Sephiroth's sword down against the catwalk railing. Sephiroth tightened his muscles and pushed back, shoving both of their swords into the metal wall opposite them. Abruptly, they broke and clashed with each other again. Sephiroth ripped his sword back faster, and aimed a slash for Ragnamut's head. The man dodged, and then quickly swiped at Sephiroth again from the side. This too was blocked…before Ragnamut tried to slash at Sephiroth's own head in a similar way as the dark man had. He too dodged, and the two locked swords again. Both of their blades were twisted down…and both grunted and struggled to hold the other back. Then, with a mighty yell, both twisted their swords up and in as hard as they could. Neither managed their desired result…but as they ripped up they both yelled in pain as they cut large slashes across each other's chest.
Sephiroth recovered first, and brought his blade down on Ragnamut as fast as he could. The fusion, however, used his power to make him leap back and cleared it easily. As soon as he leapt back and touched the ground, he fired off again and rushed for Sephiroth with sword ready to slice. In response, the dark man waited for him to near…and then leapt into the air at the last moment. Yet he didn't run away either. Instead…he drove his body forward with incredible power…and smashed both of his feet into Ragnamut's face. The power was so great that his body was ripped out of the air, against the floor, and punched through it. As a storm of debris and metal was cast about them, both men broke their way through the steel flooring again…tearing through countless pipes and lines, surrounding themselves in a deluge of scrap… They soon were through, and falling back to the ground again. Sephiroth pulled off here, brought his blade behind him, and came in to slice at, what he thought, was the lifeless, dazzled Ragnamut. Yet as he shot for him…the thing sprung back to life. Nimbly, he dodged out of the way and swiped down with his own blade…opening the skin on Sephiroth's back. The dark man clenched his teeth hard to keep from expressing the pain that it caused. Ragnamut moved to follow up…but was unable to. Sephiroth spun around and locked blades with him once again.
Just as they had spiraled to the ceiling before, now both warriors clashed and dodged the swords of the other as they fell to the ground. They seemed totally oblivious to the mako pouring down on the floor from the ceiling a short distance away, or to the deadly metal shards that rained down around them. All they cared about was their fight as they struck each other again and again. At last they touched the ground…and both immediately sprung away from one another, moved across the floor, and touched down briefly.
Ragnamut struggled not to have his new sharp teeth fall out from Sephiroth's blow. It felt like the gums were trying to push them that way…and he could feel blood oozing from cracks in them. His own wounds were still flowing blood. Everything was in pain now. Just breathing was starting to burn. His flesh felt as if it was on fire…his bones like dried sticks ready to break. But Sephiroth was hurt now. He couldn't stop. The enemy had to drop first…
The creature launched off for Sephiroth again. On reaching him, he swung out his blade for his feet. Sephiroth leapt up over it, letting Ragnarok cut a massive swipe into the floor and destroying more in the wake of the slash. As soon as he was overhead, he put the Masamune beneath him and drove it down to impale Ragnamut. The fusion quickly dropped to one arm and pivoted around it…letting the spike puncture a hole in the floor instead. As he came back around, he launched himself back up and attempted to slice Sephiroth from the side. The dark man answered by pulling Masamune back out and blocking the strike just in time. After doing that, he quickly swirled the blade into a new orientation and brought it down again. Ragnamut quickly dodged to one side…letting it hit air. He rose to his feet and struck again. The blades collided over both heads, then below toward the legs, before they struck to the left and right. Ragnamut swung his blade around and struck two more times, but both hits were deflected.
The fusion brought his blade back to strike harder…but that was a mistake. Sephiroth used the moment to backflip in the air again, once more lashing out with a boot and striking him hard under the jaw. The thing's body was sent flailing into the sky. This time…blood did gush from out of his mouth…but only in part due to his body straining itself. He could feel it fracture when the hit connected. His eyes went starry…his head throbbing from pain and his brain being fried… Yet he still caught a glimpse of Sephiroth leaping into the air over him, sword once again down and poised to stab him. Somehow, he pulled his senses back together and let Sephiroth's last attack push against his airborne body, letting it flip him over in a backward somersault. As he came around, and as Masamune came forward, he willfully stuck out a hand and slapped it off the top of the long nodachi. The result sliced open his palm…but also shoved him forward toward the dark man himself. Before Sephiroth could realize what he had done…Ragnarok went out again and opened a bloody gash that extended across his nose from his left forehead to his right jaw.
Sephiroth used his power to keep hovering, but hissed in anger as blood flew from the cut into his eye, blinding him. Ragnamut, on his part, let the spin come out until he went back to the ground, touching feet first. Immediately, he launched himself up and at the man again. Sephiroth looked stunned a moment…but then sprung to life. Lashing out with Masamune, he struck Ragnarok away, actually knocking it out of Ragnamut's hand and sending it back to the ground. Yet Ragnamut kept coming…continuing to drive himself forward until he bashed his head into Sephiroth's stomach as hard as he could. To his satisfaction…he actually felt two ribs snap. Sephiroth gagged, and his power of flight was broken. He began to fall back to the ground. As he did, Ragnamut kept his head in his gut, burying it deeper while twisting Sephiroth's body around. As they landed, he drove it in again. Sephiroth choked again as blood exploded from his mouth.
Ragnamut yanked himself off of Sephiroth again, but only a short distance. The dark man was down and unable to use Masamune from this distance. He felt his muscles strained now…and they were nearly ripping. But he didn't care. Sephiroth still lived. He pinned Sephiroth's free arm down with one of his own. With all of his might, he smashed his free fist into the dark man's face. Blood flew from his nose as it was violently snapped aside. Again he bashed it into his head, this time hitting hard enough to make one of his eyes swell. He pulled back for another hit…but that was too late. Sephiroth removed his other hand from his sword and hooked Ragnamut with violent force. The fusion thought his head would obliterate from that as three teeth flew from his mouth, and his jaw dislocated. Next…the dark man drove that fist into his throat, choking him and nearly cutting off the blood supply to his head. Ragnamut was dazzled and weak, and Sephiroth used that time to seize him by his neck and fling him off of him as hard as he could. This time…Ragnamut wasn't able to stop himself. Sephiroth was off balance and wasn't able to do so that far...relatively…but he still went about a hundred feet before crashing and coming to a stop.
Ragnamut couldn't think anymore. His brain felt like it was on fire. He was choking on blood from the punch to his neck. He was dizzy and felt ready to blow. He hacked…trying to get the blood out of his throat. He turned his head up…and somehow his over-pressurized eyeballs saw Sephiroth rising. No longer was he moving like lightning. The battle had taken its toll on him. He was dizzy, bruised, and bloody now. Yet still, he managed to get up and snatch up Masamune with him. Focusing as much as he could…he started to charge for Ragnamut again.
Moving only with will now…feeling his joints spraining with every gesture…Ragnamut rose to his feet and planted them. He extended his hand and sent out a mental command. In response…Ragnarok, from its place on the ground, was drawn back into Ragnamut's palm. By now, Sephiroth was nearly on him. Quickly, the fusion brought his blade up and prepared to strike. An instant later…and both men struck each other with their full force. Their blades locked…and held. Both of them shifted down, bracing them against their chests. After that, they pushed in as much as they could. Both quivered…and both held.
This is it.
Ragnamut was covered with sweat and blood…and he began to feel his skin about to tear along his back. Sephiroth likewise was covered with blood, although no sweat had ever come out. It didn't matter…both of them were struggling with everything they had. And both of them were feeling their bodies burn and weaken in the midst of their struggling. Ragnamut felt like every muscle in his body would rip any second…but he had to keep going. The fate of the world was resting on this. He had to win. If this didn't stop him…nothing ever would.
Both quivered more and more as the intensity increased. Both blades began to turn red from the sheer power between them, and every so often another spark would go off from grinding. Their feet both shifted. Blood began to run out of Ragnamut's nose, mouth and ears. Sephiroth clenched his teeth so hard that Ragnamut saw one begin to crack. Ragnamut was growing dizzy…and soon all he could do was force himself to keep pushing. Just tell his body to push until he dropped…or died. He couldn't give up. He had to beat him. It had to end here. He knew every life that was resting on this…the fate of perhaps not only this world but countless others.
Their feet began to crack the ground. The wind and flame whipped up around them again, blasting the area with heat and chills. What was still standing around them was now pushed away…leaving just the two of them. Ragnamut felt himself reach his limit. He struggled to hold it. Despite the horrible pain…he had to wait until the pain was too much for Sephiroth to bear. The dark man himself was in considerable agony as well now, and he too was holding through it.
And yet…as the two went on…based on their pained expressions…it slowly began to become clear that Sephiroth's pain was less than Ragnamut's. Even after all this…after as far as Ragnamut had come…when they finally broke the one who would still be standing would be Sephiroth.
The dark man realized this as he kept pushing.
"You're…finished…"
Ragnamut didn't respond. He couldn't…although he knew it was true. He was still holding for now…but he would break any moment.
At this point, both men were fully devoting their entire sensory abilites on the other. Each bit of their focus and mental power was fully powering their muscles and attention on their opponents. There was no room for anything else but thinking of putting more and more power into their strength.
However…Ragnamut had two minds within him. And of the two…only Ragnar was truly devoting all of his focus to fighting. Bahamut was able to think of other things…and to sense something else. With this knowledge…he transmitted a new thought to Ragnamut…and the creature understood. He lacked the power to even smile now…but he knew what to do.
As Sephiroth began to feel himself getting the edge…began to allow a smile to creep back on his face…he heard something most unexpected…something that was in mockery of his final words on his previous duel with the speaker.
"Remember me?"
Then…without a moment's hesitation…Ragnamut broke away. Using his last ounce of full power, he twisted himself out from underneath Sephiroth's blade and down to the side. Masamune went by and sliced off a large portion of his shoulder before it embedded in the ground, but he didn't even seem to notice. Neither did Sephiroth.
All he saw was Event Horizon sailing up at him as soon as Ragnamut had dodged…and the briefest instant later felt it sink into his chest.
Behind it…about fifty feet away…stood the bleeding, tired Cloud. He wasn't nearly as beaten or tired as Ragnamut, however…and he had managed to drag himself this far. He had only one good shoulder left…but it was enough for a man of his power to hold Event Horizon over it…to bring it this far…to wait until Sephiroth had no idea it was coming…and then fling it straight at him.
Sephiroth's eye slits turned wide and almost circular. His mouth hung loosely open as blood began to pour again from the sides of it. He was the picture of total, overwhelming astonishment. He staggered on his feet, shifting the massive blade in his chest slowly...now piercing through through his entire body to the other side. Slowly, his hand removed itself from the hilt of the Masamune. He began to raise it toward the handle of Event Horizon…to actually pull the blade out and heal from this horrible wound...
That was when Ragnamut shot back up. In a flash, he seized the end of the Masamune and drew it out of the rock. Now with both blades, one in either hand, he extended his arms out and caught Sephiroth's neck in between them.
With one powerful yank…he slid both blades off each other and cut through Sephiroth's neck all the way back to the spine on both sides.
Sephiroth let out a single gag before he lost control of his facial muscles. As blood fountained out of his neck wound, filling his lungs and esophagus, his entire body went limp. It staggered back one more step…but then lost all strength. His face still frozen in that last moment of shock…unable to comprehend how he could have been defeated…the dark man fell backward. He hit so strongly that Event Horizon was forced up and outside of his body, nearly thrown out of the wound in his chest. As soon as it was up, it fell to the side, ripping its tip out of Sephiroth's torso. The man himself went completely still and flat. He slowly created a pool of blood beneath him…and moved no more.
Ragnamut was unable to think of his savior. He wasn't even able to think about his final victory. All he knew was that now that Sephiroth was down…there was another duty to perform.
Farewell…my pupil.
Ragnarok and Masamune both fell out of Ragnamut's hands and to his sides. He dropped down to his knees as all strength seemed to leave him. His hands flailed out to either side. As Cloud watched…his aura began to blaze again. Only it was much stronger and faster this time. In only instants…he was enveloped in flame once more. But the flames raged hotter and fiercer than before. They glowed brightly too…soon becoming blinding to the ex-mercenary. He shielded himself and turned away.
Ragnamut's eyes were closed…and it was as if he was bathing within the fires that surrounded him. Drinking them in like a reptile drinks in the sun. The wind around him suddenly kicked up, although Sephiroth was dead. In no time at all, it went even farther…becoming wild and fierce, and beginning to circle the youth in the center. He didn't care. He let it continue to wash over him. The flames burned hot enough to turn gold into slag…and yet he loved their feeling… He let them penetrate him within and without…
Cloud had to shrink back…the heat too much for him. Yet the fire continued to grow and swirl. Soon, it was circling around like a great pillar of flame…or a tornado of fire. The winds viciously whipped up around the area, picking up debris and pipes and throwing them into the furnace. The light grew brighter still…until it was no longer mere flame. It was the light of the sun itself…driving all darkness in the Dome far away and turning shadows into daytime.
As the flames continued to build…the twister that whipped them around abruptly formed a tail end. It was thin, making it look as if it was not only a flaming maelstrom…but one that was upside down. The end of the fire found its way back to the hole in the ceiling, and began to stream out through that. It ignored the hole from mako, which by now was empty, and had sunk into the floor below by eating through it. As it sank up through this one, the fire began to die back again. The winds redirected themselves, coming up and through the aperture. The flames quickly shot up into it, and they soon built in speed. The entire flaming cyclone was being drawn up through it and when it did the wind began to die along with the flames below.
After a few moments, the fire had vanished into the ceiling. Cloud uncovered his eyes and looked back. He could still hear the fire burning overhead, but below the darkness was coming back. The wind became a breeze, and then not even that. The smell of oil and iron began to return. The sound faded and silence replaced it. Soon, it was as if nothing had ever happened at all.
Ahead of him, Sephiroth still lay, his blood having stopped flowing now. Next to it was Event Horizon. Masamune and Ragnarok was nearby…encircling a youth kneeling in the center.
Ragnar at once felt both very weak and very alone. It felt as if half of his brain had been taken away from him…and he was as fragile as an infant. His body seemed so much heavier now…and everything about him seemed slower. Even thinking seemed to take forever. Although it took only a few seconds, it felt like weeks before he finally realized what had happened.
The youth's eyes slowly cracked open. They were green now…perhaps having a natural beauty like Aerith's, but other than that no special power. He slowly lowered his head and looked down over his body. No sign of his injuries. His shoulder was missing no pieces, and the slash over his breast was gone. All of his teeth were intact and his jaw had never felt better. His clothing was still in tatters…but other than that he was fine.
The youth looked up to the ceiling. The flames had passed now…leaving no trace behind. But he had given him one last gift. His body was as good as new. No trace of the injuries sustained before or after the junction. And he could still hear the soft, powerful voice of his beloved master saying the last three words in his head.
Slowly…Ragnar smiled as tears began to roll from his eyes.
"Goodbye, master… Thank you." He whispered.
Ragnar wasn't sure how long he kneeled there, looking up at the ceiling. He could hardly wrap his brain around what had happened to him. Even now…his memory of the past few months seemed…patchy. It felt as if he was missing half of its details. But it was done. Sephiroth was dead. The greatest threat to their survival was gone. No matter what else happened…the world was safe. They still had to deal with Aleron and Jenova, yes…and the cannon would be trouble…but the hardest part was over.
Of course…he knew he should have been springing up right then and there. Aleron had to be going after Aerith…assuming she wasn't already there. They did have to take her out soon. She might be hurting her even now. And yet…Ragnar had to pause a moment. He had to just let sink in the fact that the nightmare was over. The unbeatable man had been defeated…and it had been because of his master. He had helped him one final time…served Gaia one final time. He never could have done it alone. It was because of him…him and…
Suddenly, Ragnar remembered. He began to get to his feet immediately. He felt no pain from it now…but he was unhappy that it seemed to take forever and was such a hard thing to do. But once he was up, he turned and looked behind him.
There Cloud stood. He had recovered now and was looking back at the youth plainly. For a brief moment, the two locked gazes and said nothing.
In the end, Ragnar felt himself crack a wry smile.
"You could have shown up a few minutes earlier."
Cloud answered back with his own.
"Not bad for some amateur punk."
Both men let out a laugh…and though it was short it felt better than it had in a long time. For the first time in months…the future looked to be full of hope and promise rather than fear and despair. Everything was going to be alright from now on.
Ragnar bent down after a moment and took up Event Horizon. He meant to rise and toss it to Cloud…only to find that doing so nearly pulled his shoulder muscles. With some unhappiness, he realized he was no longer strong enough to do something like that. With an embarrassed look, he set Event Horizon on the ground and slid it over to Cloud instead. After that, he snatched up Ragnarok and began to rise. Cloud bent down with some stiffness, grabbed his own blade, and rose again. Both looked to each other once more.
"Ready to end this?" Ragnar asked.
Cloud was moments from responding…when he was cut off.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. It wasn't a tremor either…but something with far more power. The smiles on the two men's faces vanished, and they began to look around in confusion. However, the trembling only continued to grow. It soon became a quake, and picked up in violence after that. It rattled the ground powerfully, scattering debris and metal in its wake. Pipes that were barely standing shook, disengaged, and then came crashing to the ground, causing huge noises to join in with the rumbling. Dust began to rain from the ceiling soon after…and soon bigger things did too.
"What the hell?" Cloud yelled over the growing quake.
"They didn't just fire the Gauntlet, did they?" Ragnar yelled back.
Somehow, despite being jostled so much, Cloud looked to the time.
"We still have eight minutes!" He yelled back.
"They could have finished earlier!"
"This isn't coming from above us! It's coming…"
Cloud didn't get a chance to finish. Suddenly, the two heard a great breaking noise. They turned and looked, and soon their attention was diverted behind Cloud to one of the walls of conduits and pipes that was still standing. Yet something had hit it…broken a large part of it inward. Now, huge parts of it were raining down and collapsing all around the floor below. When they did, the quake increased. As they watched…something huge smashed behind it again, knocking even more loose. The whole wall, large as it was, looked about to break down. Industrial lights glowed from behind it.
A hideous alien sneer was heard as well.
Ragnar's eyes widened as he understood.
"Oh no…"
Cloud turned to the youth in a flash, his own eyes filling with panic as he realized what was coming. "Get out of here, kid! You don't have any power left! She'll-"
But it was too late. Abruptly…the wall exploded…flinging giant pieces of debris at the two men.
Ragnar had no time to check on Cloud. He quickly had to throw himself to the ground to keep a piece of grating from slicing him in half. Luckily, the first piece that almost hit him was huge. He might not have tried to dodge a smaller piece, for although it would have seriously hurt or killed him he still hadn't realized how weak and fragile he had become compared to his junctioned body. At any rate, he covered his head and cringed as more fragments of devices rained down near his location. Large banging sounds rang out as metal crashed down around them. The floor overhead shuddered from the loss of supports, and the ground gave one last mighty heave. It felt as if the whole structure was going to come down on them…
Yet then…the rumbling leveled off, showing that it was finished for the moment. A few more sounds of metal falling on metal or stone went out, but then those began to stop too. The chaos was over. Ragnar's eyes slowly opened, and his hands began to pull back from his head. He turned his eyes skyward, and quickly looked for any more "widow-makers". There were none, and he began to pull himself out more. There was lots of debris around him now, making the smooth floor rather hard to traverse. But as he looked over to Cloud, he saw a large girder suddenly get flung aside with an accompanying grunt. Moments later…Cloud slowly brought himself up as well.
Before Ragnar had a chance to ask how he was…a sickening smacking sound went out. The youth went white as his blood ran cold. He slowly turned his head back over to where the wall had been.
Somehow…it had ripped itself off of the pipes. It was still dragging some behind them…but now it was suspended on six massive, twisted, misshapen limbs. They scarcely seemed able to support its torso, and so its fleshy, rotten arms were on the ground, dragging it forward. It tentacles snaked out and grabbed pipes and gratings in the ceiling and walls, helping to support it. The horrible monster filled the entire hole it had made as it drug itself through. Its calmness was gone. Its hideous face was now full of rage.
"You…wretched…filth…" Jenova spat, letting out some foul drool as it spoke.
To be continued...