Cloud made the first move, rushing Ifrit and bringing First Tsurugi down in an attempt to cleave the summon in two. Ifrit, however, jumped back and slammed his fist into the ground. A small earthquake emanated from Cloud's feet as the ground split open to unleash a pillar of flame. Cloud quickly blocked the fire with his sword, but the force of the attack sent Cloud flying high into the air. Ifrit took advantage by jumping up to meet the blond warrior mid-air and deliver a devastating axe-handle smash. The sheer power behind the blow rocketed Cloud downwards, his body hitting the ground hard. The Demon Lord of Flames then followed up by falling feet first and delivering a vicious double-foot stomp onto Cloud's torso, driving the warrior deeper into the mountain.
Ifrit leapt back and let loose a deafening roar as Cloud staggered back to his feet. Cloud did his best to ignore the intense pain he was in as he dropped back into his battle stance. The longer this battle took, the farther away Cyrus got. And Cloud was not about to allow Cyrus to succeed. Not when so many were counting on him…
Ifrit stopped roaring as he noticed Cloud standing in front of him. Enraged, the summon lunged at its opponent with increased fury. Cloud rolled out of the way and managed to get behind Ifrit. He took advantage by bringing both First Tsurugi and his offhand sword down on the demon's back, slashing Ifrit's hide open. Ifrit turned and howled in pain as flames and dark blood flowed from his wounds. Cloud attempted to drive his sword through Ifrit's stomach, but the demon managed to grab First Tsurugi in his large right hand and throttle Cloud with his left. As the Demon Lord of Flames held Cloud in his death grip, the summon slammed the warrior's body repeatedly into the ground and spun the warrior around before loosening his grip and sending Cloud flying into the side of the mountain.
As his body met the hard rock of Mt. Nibel, Cloud felt the wind escape his lungs. He tried to catch his breath only to cough up blood. "Damn it," he muttered, realizing he was in bad shape. Ifrit was too strong and fast for him to keep up with, especially with his attention not on this battle but on Cyrus.
"Calm down," Cloud ordered himself as he started breathing again. "You have to focus on Ifrit. If you don't beat him, everything else will cease to matter. Focus…"
Cloud's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Ifrit gathering his energy in the form of a fire barrier that surrounded the demon. Cloud knew full well what was coming next…Ifrit's ultimate attack, Hellfire.
"Suit yourself," Cloud quietly said as he closed his eyes and focused his energy as well. The blonde warrior's body was soon bathed in a blue-white energy as he felt all his aches and pains slowly disappear. He added his offhand sword to First Tsurugi and held the completed fusion sword firmly as he opened his eyes. Ifrit roared in defiance as he began to rush towards Cloud, a move that Cloud immediately mimicked.
The warrior and the demon rushed at one another at breakneck speeds…one the manifestation of fire and despair, and the other a glimmering beacon of light and hope. Cloud readied himself to deliver a finishing slash as Ifrit continued pressing forward, rage in his eyes. Finally, the two opposing forces clashed in the form of a huge release of energy. Blue light and flames furiously exploded out from the nexus and caused the ever-sturdy Mt. Nibel to shutter and shake as if the mountain itself felt terror. Eventually, the energy dissipated as Cloud and Ifrit stood with their backs to one another. After several seconds, Ifrit dropped to one knee, clutching the deep wound in his chest as blood dripped from Cloud's blade. Ifrit didn't roar, didn't scream as he returned to the Planet and the flames that he was born from.
Cloud breathed a sigh of relief as he too fell to the ground. That last burst of energy had managed to mask the pain he was in, but with that gone he felt the full toll Ifrit had taken from his body. He reached for his tool pouch and hoped he had something to ease the pain.
He grabbed a vial from the pouch and brought it eye level. To his surprise, it was an X-Potion…one of the more powerful healing potions ever produced. They were especially hard to find as only top-tier chemists could produce them with any success. Cloud was confused because he never remembered buying the X-Potion or finding it as battle spoils. As he examined the bottle, he noticed a note attached to the bottom of the bottle. Cloud carefully removed the note, set the bottle down, and gingerly opened the note and read it.
Dear Cloud,
We're really glad you've decided to spend more time at home with us. We think Tifa's really happy that you're around more often, too! We know you get into fights with monsters every once in a while, and while we know you can handle any dumb old mu or zemzelett, we just wanted to give you something in case you needed the extra help.
We saw this X-Potion at Nero's Item Shop. We saved up our allowance for seven months and did chores for the neighbors to get the money. Finally, we had enough Gil to buy it. We snuck it into your item pouch when you were asleep because we wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, if we just gave it to you, you'd probably have us return it and get our money back!
Wherever you are, we just want you to be safe and come home to us. Take care, and we'll see you soon!
Love,
Denzel and Marlene
Cloud smiled as he neatly folded the note and put it in his back pocket. "Thank you…Denzel, Marlene. I'll come home soon, and my friends will be with me. I swear it."
Cloud quickly grabbed the X-Potion and drank it down completely. Immediately, the pain in his body began to disappear as the liquid repaired the internal damage inflicted by Ifrit and eased Cloud's suffering. Once the potion was finished, Cloud still felt sore…but the majority of the pain was completely gone.
The smile on Cloud's face quickly vanished as he stood up, grabbed his sword, and looked towards the reactor. His face showed his anger as he ran for the door, hoping that nothing else would stand in his way of stopping Cyrus and his mad designs.
"This ends now," Cloud muttered under his breath as he entered the Nibel Reactor.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This was Cyrus's first time inside a Mako reactor. If he didn't feel disgusted at the thought of standing inside one of the engines of the Planet's suffering, he might have actually been impressed.
The reactor was a cylindrical structure composed of three floors, all of which needed to be accessed by climbing a series of chains. Apparently, Shinra had decided that, due to this reactor being in a backwater area, it didn't need to be completely finished. The top floor housed the reactor itself, while the floor below that housed the monitoring equipment.
The bottom floor, and the one Cyrus currently found himself on, consisted of a narrow walkway leading from the front door to the pit of Lifestream below. Four years ago, the only thing down that pit was processed Mako. Now, the Mako had dissipated and was replaced by pure Lifestream. Cyrus contemplated the best way to get close to the Lifestream as he investigated the room on the other side of the walkway.
As he entered the room, he noticed the numerous pods that Shinra had set up. While he didn't know for sure, the claw marks on one of the pods seemed to suggest that these pods were used in some sort of experiment with Mako and monsters.
He walked up the central staircase in this room as he looked up at the heavily-sealed door in front of him. Above the door was an engraving that said, "JENOVA."
"So," Cyrus muttered as he fidgeted with his glasses and tightened his grip on his cane. "This is where they kept the abomination…"
Cyrus stopped and heard the sound of heavy boots running on steel. He turned around to see Cloud Strife looking up at him with sword drawn, rage and determination in his eyes. Although his clothes were a bit charred from his battle with Ifrit, he seemed to not be suffering from any injuries.
"Amazing," Cyrus said with complete honesty. "I knew you were strong, but to defeat Ifrit without any serious injury! Most impressive…"
The Repentant leader raised his right arm as it glowed green. Cloud felt the magical trappings of a Sleep spell surround him. He shook it off as the spell faded, leaving Cyrus a bit surprised.
"My spells don't work? Hmm," Cyrus mused as he stole another look at the ribbon Cloud had tied to his arm. It almost appeared to Cyrus that the ribbon emitted a faint glow. "That ribbon…it was a gift from the last Cetra, wasn't it? And it seems that it prevents me from using my status magic. How interesting…and annoying."
"Enough talk," Cloud demanded. "This ends now. You're out of tricks, Cyrus. Hand over the Clear Materia and surrender."
"Hand it over? Never! This is the key to the Repentant's forgiveness and the Planet's salvation. I would rather die than let a traitor like you possess such a gift of the Lifestream!"
"If you don't surrender, then you will die," Cloud affirmed, "especially if you plan on fighting me with that cane."
Cyrus shot Cloud a quizzical look as he started laughing uncontrollably. "Cane? What cane?"
Cyrus stopped laughing as his cane started to glow bright white. The cane began to grow in shape as the shaft stretched out until the staff was as tall as its wielder. The grip also grew out to close to a meter in length as it curved and sharpened into a blade. Cyrus smiled as his cane completed its metamorphosis into a vicious looking scythe.
"Avalon's Key," Cyrus said as he held the bronze-colored scythe behind him with his left hand. "It's been a long time since I've had to fight someone like this…"
Cloud and Cyrus stood silent for a few seconds before Cyrus broke it. "Why do you insist on fighting me? No one will feel any pain once I use the Clear Materia. They will simply cease to exist as physical beings and return to the Lifestream. My desire is to give the Planet the spirit energy it needs to heal itself and create a new race, one who will look at our mistakes and learn from them. My dream is to bring about a brand new race of Cetra, who will return to tend to the Planet and bring about a true utopia. Why would you want to stop me from bringing forth the Promised Land?"
Cloud shook his head as if he was disappointed, "You don't understand. You think you're brave for doing this…but you're just being a coward. The Clear Materia is the easy way out, a way for you to feel forgiven without putting forth actual effort.
"Yes, humanity owes the Planet a debt it may not be able to repay. But we've learned from our past mistakes and will work with the Planet as our penance. You would deny us the chance to fully atone…and most importantly, the right to live. So, yes…I will fight you and end this madness."
Cyrus shook his head in disbelief. "Easy? How dare you! You cannot possibly comprehend the pain and suffering I endured to find this Legendary Materia…the sacrifices I and my Collective paid to see that humanity answers for its sins! And you have the gall to say I'm taking the 'easy way out?' Blasphemy!"
Cyrus then grabbed a hold of Avalon's Key with both hands, his right hand out in front and the blade behind him pointed towards the heavens. "It seems I have no choice then. For the sake of the Planet and my fallen comrades…I, Cyrus the Repentant, will send your soul to hell."
Cyrus began to glow in ethereal energy as he jumped into the air and propelled himself at Cloud at lightning-fast speeds. Cloud tightened his stance as he prepared for the imminent collision.
The final battle had begun…
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Notes:
MoriMemento and Kishi (hope you don't mind the shortening Kairi-loves-Sushi), thanks for the reviews!
Well, here it is...the final battle! Cloud verses Cyrus with the fate of humanity in the balance. How exciting is...
Knock, Knock...
Me: Who the hell is that? *walks to the door and opens it*
Man in Red: Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas, Cyrus Truth!
Me: Holy hell in a handbasket! Santa Claus...in July?!
Santa: That's right. You've worked so hard this year and have made so many people happy with "The Rise of Repentant" that I decided to get you a present early! *reaches into his bag*
Me: All right! This is freakin' awesome!
Santa: Here you go...lots of reviews for your story!
Me: Oh, YEAH! Just what I wanted! Thank you so much, Santa!
Santa: You're very welcome. Merry Christmas! *turns to walk away*
Me: W-wait, Santa! Since you're here, do you think you can help me get a job?
*Santa turns around with a pissed-off look in his eyes*
Santa: Why you ungrateful little bastard! I give you a great present, and you have the BALLS to ask me for something else! You piece of crap!
Me: H-h-hold on a minute, Santa! I didn't mean to...
Santa: SANTA PUNCH!!! *socks me in the gut with his fist*
*I double-over in pain. Santa kicks me once on the ground, turns around and walks away in a huff*
Ugh...moral of the story: don't piss off Santa. Seriously, DON'T DO IT.
Until next time,
"The Exile" Cyrus Truth