Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Forty-Three
The silence that followed after Cloud struck was immense. The companions stood still, their eyes fixed on Cloud and Sephiroth. Everything was so quiet and so still it was as though Stop had been cast over the battlefield, keeping everything in place.
Cloud was standing on Odin's spear, which still pierced Sephiroth's torso. His sword was embedded deeply in Sephiroth's chest, just beneath his heart. Blood trickled thickly down the blade. It reached the hilt and spilled onto Cloud's fingers. A few drops fell and splashed onto the mako pool far below them, marring the gentle green surface with dots of ugly red.
Whatever magic had gripped the field then vanished, as Sephiroth shuddered and coughed. Droplets of blood splashed onto the blade, and Cloud raised his head. Sephiroth was glaring down at him, his face twisted in anger. Blood seeped out of the corners of his mouth. When he coughed droplets fell and landed on Cloud's face, trickling down his cheeks. Cloud ignored them, gazing up into the eyes of his enemy.
"You…" Sephiroth's voice was hoarse. "This… This is not over yet!"
Cloud responded by pushing his sword deeper into Sephiroth's chest, until it was almost at the hilt. Sephiroth coughed again and more blood spilled onto the blade. Numerous drops fell onto the mako below, forming a reddish cloud. Sephiroth shuddered—Cloud could feel his body weakening. He altered his grip and withdrew the Buster Sword, and then jumped back off the spear to rejoin his friends on the platforms below. They all gathered around him, looking up at Sephiroth.
Odin's spear disappeared and Sephiroth sagged heavily. His head slumped onto his chest. He moved away from the wall, moving slowly towards them. Before he could reach the companions a tremor shook his body and he began to fall. Sephiroth raised his wings, reaching for the companions, but they dropped back to his sides as the strength left them. He fell into the Lifestream, shattering its smooth surface. He sank, and the mako closed over him. He was gone.
One by one the companions lowered their weapons and began to breathe again. They could not believe it. It was over.
The only one who did not lower his weapon was Cloud. He stared down into the mako pool's shifting surface. No, it was not over yet. Sephiroth had said so himself. The swordsman raised his sword and held it ready, waiting.
The surface of the pool started to bubble. It swelled and then burst upwards, sending showers of mako flying into the air. The mako began to swirl around them, growing so hot that clouds of steam began to rise off of it. The clouds spread and surrounded the companions, growing so thick that they blotted everything from sight. Tifa turned and watched in alarm as one by one her friends vanished from her sight, swallowed up by the smoke. The ground beneath her feet disappeared, dispersing into the clouds, leaving her with the feeling that she was standing on the clouds themselves.
"Cloud!" she called, trying to find him through the smoke.
"What the hell's happening?" That was Cid's voice, coming from behind her.
"This is Sephiroth's doing." Red XIII's voice spoke from somewhere beside her.
"What!" exclaimed Yuffie. "You mean he's not dead yet?"
"That blow should have $%^&*# killed him!" That, obviously, came from Barret.
"Hmph," grunted Vincent. He didn't seem too surprised.
"This is Sephiroth you're talkin' about," Cait said. "You didn't think he'd go down as easy as that, did you?"
Cloud gripped his sword tightly. "Show yourself, Sephiroth!" he called to the clouds.
As you wish…
The clouds lifted, and the companions saw that once again the scenery around them had changed. When they could see each other again the eight friends drew together and stood in a wide circle, facing outwards, examining their new surroundings.
They stood at the centre of the Twirling Heavens, a landscape of Sephiroth's own devising, chosen specially for this final confrontation. Dozens of white clouds swirled around them, stretching endlessly into the distance. When they looked down they saw that there was no ground beneath their feet; they stood on the air itself. An unknown source of light shone around them, filling the battlefield with light.
Above them the clouds parted. The companions looked up and their mouths opened wide in awe as Sephiroth emerged from the parting clouds, descending upon them.
Once again Sephiroth's form had changed. From the waist up he was human—mostly—with his chest bare and muscled, his arms spread out. His left arm was normal with the palm facing upwards, but his right arm had been replaced by a long purple-black wing with feathers that were as sharp and deadly as blades. Sephiroth's face was cold and impassive, betraying no emotion. His long silver hair trailed above him, shimmering as the bright light of the heavens passed over it. Behind his shoulders and head were two large golden halos that shone brightly with untold energy, twirling slowly.
From the waist down all semblance of humanity disappeared, as his legs were replaced with six great white wings. These wings, with their purple-tipped feathers, beat slowly as Sephiroth floated down and hovered before the companions. The companions stood together, unwavering, their weapons ready in their hands. Sephiroth's eyes passed over them, unblinking.
"Sephiroth!" called Cloud. He stepped forward. His footsteps made the air around him ripple, as though he were walking on water. Cloud stopped in front of Sephiroth. He raised his sword. "This ends here. We won't let you destroy the Planet."
Sephiroth looked down at him. His lips twisted into a smile. "Come and try," he said.
Cloud accepted the challenge. He charged.
Sephiroth raised his winged arm and brought it down in front of him. The wingblade cut right through the air—they could hear it being ripped apart—and sent a powerful gust of wind and energy hurtling towards Cloud. Cloud swung his sword and cut through the energy, splitting it in two. He swung his sword again, and the blade clashed against Sephiroth's wing. There was a flash as the two connected, and tendrils of white energy tapered off around them.
Cloud drew his sword and struck again. Sephiroth, too, swung his arm. The two weapons clashed and more white sparks danced around them. Sephiroth's wing blade was harder than steel, and the strength put into each strike was immense. Cloud returned each of Sephiroth's blows with a strike of his own, fighting back with equal strength and determination. Gradually he began to push Sephiroth back.
The Buster Sword clanged against the wing blade. Sephiroth grunted and pulled back away from Cloud, his face dark. He raised his hand and a ball of dark energy formed around it. When Cloud saw it he jumped back out of the way. Sephiroth grinned and threw the ball down at Cloud's feet. The ball expanded, tripling in size. It pulled Cloud in, and the he cried out as the shock of Demi tried to tear his body apart.
Tifa gasped. She turned to her friends. "Come on!" she said, and ran in to join the final battle for the planet. Her friends looked at each other, nodded, and then followed her into battle.
Sephiroth looked up; saw the companions heading towards him. With a wave of his hand he cast Cloud away and turned to face them. He gestured with his hand, daring them to come. Still he mocked them and made light of their strength.
Barret and Vincent stopped and stood side by side as they fired a stream of bullets through the air. Seeing the volley approach, Sephiroth held out his hand, palm open, in front of him. A wall of energy rose up in front of him and blocked the bullets, which bounced off with a clang.
While the two gunmen fired their weapons Ifrit came thundering past them, charging on all fours towards Sephiroth. The beast then stopped and leaped into the air. Flames swept over his fist like a glove, making his already powerful arm much more deadly. The beast roared loudly and then brought his fist crashing down on Sephiroth's barrier, intending to smash it to pieces. The barrier gave a jolt and a long crack formed in its translucent surface, but it remained in place, protecting Sephiroth from harm. Ifrit landed in front of the calamity and raised his fist once more, this time preparing to smash the barrier completely.
Moving so fast the eye could barely see it, Sephiroth lowered his barrier and swung his wing blade. Ifrit scrabbled as he was swept up off the floor, and with another wave of his arm Sephiroth sent him flying through the air. He sailed over Barret and Vincent, and Barret paused in his volley long enough to watch Ifrit fly overhead.
"Barret!" called Vincent.
Barret turned back. His eyes widened as he saw Sephiroth surging towards him, moving at astonishing speed. Before Barret could even think about moving away Sephiroth was upon him, his wing blade raised and ready to strike. The wing came down and Barret closed his eyes tight. There was a loud clash followed by a flash of light. Barret slowly opened his eyes. Cloud was standing in front of him, the Buster Sword raised level over his head. The wing blade rested heavily against the sword, blocked by the sword.
Cloud glanced over his shoulder. "Hurry…" he said through gritted teeth. "Move!"
The former resistance leader did as he was told and jumped back. He raised his gun-arm and fired. Sephiroth instantly raised his barrier, blocking the bullets just in time. Sephiroth ignored Barret and looked down at Cloud still standing in front of him, blocking Sephiroth's wing with his sword.
"You," Sephiroth said in his deep, calm voice, "are becoming a nuisance." He smiled. "Why not go back to being a puppet and let me pull your strings some more?"
Cloud cursed. "Never!" he said, and pushed on his sword. Little by little, the wing blade was pushed back, succumbing to Cloud's greater will.
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. He raised his hand. Sparks of energy formed around it and were drawn into the centre of his palm. His hand glowed, and a beam of blue energy came shooting out. Cloud lowered his sword and dived out of the way, feeling the heat of the beam as it sailed narrowly past him. The swordsman hit the floor and rolled back onto his feet. He held his sword out in front of him, ready to attack.
Sephiroth moved after him. There was a flash of light and something suddenly zipped past his face. Sephiroth halted. Something trickled down his cheek. Sephiroth reached up and touched his face; stared at the blood that was on his fingertips. The calamity's brow creased in almost uncontrollable anger.
There was a second flash of movement, but this time Sephiroth was ready for it as he reached out and snatched the object out of the air. He looked down at the object. It was a shuriken. Sephiroth looked behind him and saw Yuffie standing at a safe distance with a surprised look on her face, startled that he had caught her weapon so easily. Sephiroth waved his hand and hurled the shuriken right back at her. Yuffie nimbly leaped out of the way and, while she was in mid-flip, Sephiroth fired another beam of pale blue light. The ninja saw the beam coming but was unable to dodge it in time. She braced herself for the end.
Out of nowhere, a wall of water rose up in front of her. The beam struck the water and exploded into a shower of light. The wall held firm, steam rising as the heat of the beam surged through it. Behind the wall Yuffie stared in wonder as the water wall glowed brightly. A shadow fell behind her and she turned, smiling in relief as she saw Leviathan settle down behind her. The serpent hissed, putting all its energy into the wall, protecting his summoner.
Sephiroth closed his palm and the beam ceased. Catching movement in the corner of his eye he swerved easily to the side, missing Cloud's attempt to catch him off guard. Behind Cloud, Cid threw his spear, and with a wave of his wing blade Sephiroth sent the weapon flying back, along with Cloud and Cid.
Sephiroth smiled in sadistic pleasure as the two men crashed and rolled along the floor. Then something large and heavy slammed into his back, knocking the wind out of him. The calamity stumbled forward. His wings crumpled beneath him and he fell down onto the floor.
Titan stood over him. Red XIII stood on the titan's broad shoulder, with Cait Sith sitting safely on his back. With a word from Cait the titan raised his fists above his head, preparing to end it all in one powerful blow.
But Sephiroth was far from finished. With a beat of his wings he moved out of the way of Titan's fists as they slammed uselessly into the ground. Red XIII ordered Titan to follow him, but Sephiroth was already up off the ground and rising high up into the air. The calamity stopped and hovered in the air above them. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.
Light swept throughout the Twirling Heavens, burning so brightly that it blotted out the clouds and the sky. The companions looked around in alarm as everything around them vanished, swallowed up by the white light. Dark shadows fell over their bodies, in contrast to the light.
Then it hit them. A hundred balls of bursting black energy burst out of the light and swamped the battlefield. The balls surrounded the companions and summons, contracted and then exploded in a shower of dark light. They screamed as the light whipped their bodies, cutting through clothing and flesh.
On Titan's shoulder, Red XIII howled and writhed in pain. Cait lost his grip and fell from the hound's back, tumbling down onto the ground below. Seconds later Red XIII fell down beside him, no longer able to maintain his grip.
Just as suddenly as it had hit, the light vanished. The companions all sagged and dropped to their knees, gasping for breath. The effects of the dark light were evident on their bodies: cuts and slashes covered their skin, and blood trickled from the wounds. Even Yuffie, with Leviathan wound protectively around her, had not escaped the onslaught. She clung to the serpent, also wounded, as blood poured down her arm from a gash in her right shoulder.
Cloud rose unsteadily to his feet. His hands were shaking. There was no doubt: Sephiroth was far stronger than he had been before. Bizarro Sephiroth was like a warm-up, a test to see if they truly had what it took to bring Sephiroth down. Now Sephiroth was not holding back. He showed them no mercy. Even fighting as one, Sephiroth was more than a match for them. They had to fight back with everything they had, or they and the planet would die.
And that was something he could not allow.
A shadow fell over him. Cloud looked up and saw Sephiroth descending before him. The calamity's six white wings beat slowly as he floated down to stand before Cloud. Sephiroth's arms were spread, his cold eyes bore into him.
"Why do you keep fighting?" Sephiroth asked him. When Cloud did not respond, the calamity turned his eyes to the Twirling Heavens, looking around at the clouds. "The Planet is already dying, Cloud. Shinra has been sucking up its life for years. All I'm doing is giving the Planet a swift end, putting it out of its misery and returning it to the Lifestream of the cosmos. But you want to prolong its suffering." Sephiroth chuckled. "How heartless you are."
"I'm not going to prolong its suffering," Cloud responded. "I'm giving the Planet a chance to decide its fate for itself. It's not for you to decide when it should die."
"You think Holy will save you? Holy acts solely on the will of the Planet. If the Planet wishes it, Holy will erase you and the rest of your kind from existence. Holy and Meteor are both cut from the same cloth. Forever in opposition but born as one. The Cetra's prayer may have called Holy, but her wish is meaningless."
Sephiroth smiled. Cloud recognised that smile. It was the same smile he had worn before he pulled his masamune out of Aeris's body and watched her fall, lifeless, to the floor. Cloud's hands shook in anger, the same anger he had felt back then.
Sephiroth slashed his winged arm, and Cloud jumped back out of its reach. When he landed a ring of light appeared, and the swordsman leaped back once more as a blast of light erupted from the ring, renting the air. The shockwave caught Cloud and sent him flying, but when he landed he quickly rose back onto his feet and charged forward. He leaped, blade thrust out, aiming to do as he had done with Bizarro Sephiroth and pierce Sephiroth's dark heart, bringing this to a bloody end.
Sephiroth beat his wings and rose up, flying out of Cloud's reach. The swordsman sailed past underneath. He landed and watched as Sephiroth rose up into the clouds.
"Cloud!"
Cloud turned. Tifa was running towards him. Cloud held out his sword and twisted the blade so that it was hanging flat. Tifa jumped and landed on the broad side of the blade. She jumped and Cloud pushed the blade upwards, giving her a boost as she soared up into the air. The fighter reached out and grabbed hold of one of Sephiroth's wings as it came within reach. She yanked hard, pulling herself upwards so that she was level with Sephiroth. Grabbing the calamity by the shoulder, she pulled him around to face her.
Before Sephiroth could defend himself, Tifa clenched her fist and smashed it into Sephiroth's face. There was the painful crunch of bone smashing against bone. Tifa drew back her other fist and struck again. Her diamond studs cut into Sephiroth's skin, staining them with blood.
"That was for Nibelheim!" she shouted.
Sephiroth swung his wing blade, but the fighter simply swerved her head out of the way. The edge of the blade caught her shoulder, but she ignored the pain and instead punched Sephiroth in his face once more. The calamity fell back, but Tifa grabbed onto his wrist. She pushed herself upwards so that she was moving over him. He looked up at her.
"And this… is for my father!"
She fell and drop-kicked Sephiroth in the back of his head. Sephiroth's hand was wrenched from her grasp as the calamity was sent hurtling back towards the ground. He slammed into the invisible ground, separating the clouds that gathered there. The clouds swarmed around him, covering him from view. Tifa landed on the ground seconds later. She looked up at the clouds, panting heavily.
Cait Sith and his Mog walked towards the edge of the mass of clouds. "Did that do it, I wonder?" he asked aloud, tapping his megaphone on his shoulder. Cautiously the cat leaned forward, trying to see Sephiroth through the clouds.
A wing shot out of the clouds. It struck the Mog and sent it flying backwards. Cait, meanwhile, watched in horror as Sephiroth rose up out of the clouds. He hovered above the clouds. Cait trembled and fled, retreating to run behind Red XIII.
Barret and Vincent opened fire. Sephiroth raised his Wall and blocked the bullets. Cid threw his spear and Yuffie hurled her shuriken with all her might. Sephiroth swerved smoothly out of the way of the spear and snatched the shuriken once more out of the air. He closed his fist around it, crushing the Conformer. He dropped the crushed weapon onto the floor, and Yuffie gulped. Sephiroth looked around at the eight companions standing around him.
"No more games…" he said. He raised his arms above him.
Cid quickly retrieved his spear and then ran to rejoin the others, who were gathering together in front of their enemy. They raised their weapons, bracing themselves for whatever attack Sephiroth was going to throw at them.
The sky behind Sephiroth opened up and began to disperse. It was as though Sephiroth had opened a doorway into the heart of the Heavens, and the darkness that lay beyond the door was surging through. The bright light of the sky and clouds disappeared, replaced by an impenetrable darkness that encompassed everything. Sephiroth lowered his arms and retreated into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
The darkness moved around the companions, who watched in awe as stars began to twinkle in the sky. They were sparse but grew in number, until thousands and thousands of stars filled the sky, around them, above them, and below them. It was as though they were standing in space itself.
Cid turned on the spot, watching the stars as they twinkled around him. It looked so real… for a moment he almost believed that he had somehow left the Planet entirely and had returned to the space that he loved so much.
"Is this… space?" he asked aloud. His voice echoed around him.
Vincent stepped forward. His footsteps caused the endless space to ripple like water. "No…" he answered gruffly. His eyes scanned the heavens, taking it all in. "This is just an illusion to catch us off guard. Don't be fooled by it."
"Pretty realistic-looking for an illusion," commented Yuffie. She looked down at one of the distant nebulas, with a dark green hue, hovering silently beneath her. It sent a shiver down Yuffie's spine. It really did look as though they were in space.
A flash of light appeared ahead, and the companions looked to the space before them. A summoning circle appeared, with numerous symbols and words written in a language they could not understand. The outer rim of the circle turned clockwise like a clock ticking away time. The circle then stopped ticking and glowed brightly.
A speck of light appeared in the distance. It grew closer and closer, moving at great speed, heading towards the companions. It was a glacial comet, called forth by the summoning circle. The comet was encased in a thick, rugged layer of ice and had a long tail running behind it. The tail was also made of ice, caught in the comet's gravitational pull. The comet passed by the companions, so close they could see its crystalline surface, and the thousands of tiny rocks of ice caught in its tail.
The comet ploughed through space, following an unseen trail. It approached one of the nearby galaxies and passed through one of its long, curving tails. It picked up speed as it powered its way forward, bypassing the many stars and planets that called this galaxy their home. It approached one solar system in particular: a solar system with a single young sun and eight orbiting planets.
The comet approached Pluto, the outermost planetoid at the farthest reaches of the solar system. The planetoid was moving slowly, following its long and distant orbit around the sun. Its surface, like the comet, was encased in a thick layer of dark ice.
The comet crashed into Pluto. With the comet's size and speed, the tiny planetoid stood no chance. It was smashed into pieces, its icy surface shattering. Giant chunks of rock fired off from the point of impact and went spiralling into space. What remained of the broken planetoid began to drift steadily out of orbit, leaving the solar systems behind.
The comet left the remains of Pluto behind and headed on towards Saturn. Thankfully the comet missed Saturn and instead passed through one of the planet's surrounding rings. It smashed its way through the ring, and any asteroids that were unfortunate enough to be in its path were completely destroyed on impact as the comet powered its way through. The remaining asteroids, caught in its wake, glowed hotly and then exploded. The explosions spread like wildfire throughout Saturn's rings, giving them a visible glow that would be visible from light years away.
The next planet to suffer the comet's wrath was Jupiter. Since the giant planet was made up entirely of compressed gases, there was nothing to offer resistance as the comet pushed its way through. The many gases separated and were forced outward as the comet slipped through. The comet passed straight through with ease, leaving a large, gaping hole in Jupiter's body.
As with Saturn's rings the gases within Jupiter ignited, causing a lethal chain reaction that nothing could stop. The planet glowed and exploded, sending shockwaves rippling throughout the system.
The comet meanwhile, continued onwards. It was heading towards the sun at the very centre of the solar system. The comet was moving so fast that the ice on its surface had barely begun to melt before the comet crashed into the sun and disappeared beneath its hot, fiery surface.
For a long moment, nothing happened. Then a violent shudder shook the sun from deep within, and the sun began to change. Bubbles began to rise and pop across its surface as millions and millions of explosions were set off all at once, rupturing it from the inside. The sun began to expand, almost doubling in size in a matter of seconds. It swelled like an overfilled balloon before it suddenly contracted into a tight ball… and then exploded.
The sun had gone supernova. The comet had caused a complete collapse in the sun's core, causing it to expel all its energy in one violent, devastating blast. Now the sun was expanding at a rapid rate, growing in strength. The light it emitted was so bright and so fierce it was impossible to comprehend.
Mercury was the first planet to be affected by the supernova. As the sun's giant body drew near the planet's surface sizzled and turned black as everything on it was burnt to a cinder by the extreme heat. A tendril of flame licked out from the sun's surface and brushed over the dead planet. At its touch the planet crumbled, breaking into tiny dust particles that were quickly swept away by the flames.
The sun then reached Venus and it, too, was burnt to a crisp. The planet's yellow surface turned dark as the acidic storm clouds that swamped the entire planet were burned away, leaving the surface bare. The edge of the sun touched the dead surface, and Venus disintegrated in a flash.
The eight companions watched in awe as the exploding star headed towards them. The sun was so unbelievably large it filled every ounce of their vision. An endless sea of flames that was ever-growing, never-ending. It threatened to overturn their minds and drive them to the brink of insanity. They were so small and insignificant compared to this! And the heat…!
Red XIII stepped back away from the others. His legs were shaking and threatening to give way beneath him. He closed his eyes, but the light burned right through his lids. He shook his head, trying to shake the image out of his mind. Nonetheless it stayed. Eventually the hound became so desperate to get the light out of his mind that he turned away, wanting to run until the light could not find him anymore. He turned, opened his eyes, and then froze in fear.
Red XIII turned back. "Cloud!" he called.
Cloud and the others turned. Their eyes widened. The Planet—their planet—was right behind them. The sun was fast approaching, and already they could see the effects the growing sun was having on the Planet. The atmosphere glowed red hot as it swiftly burned away, leaving the planet defenceless against the sun's rays. Through the rapidly evaporating clouds they saw the oceans boil over and dry up. The vast plains of green land grew as withered and dark as the lands where the Lifestream had already dried up. Fires swept over the planet's surface. Through it all, they could hear the planet screaming in pain and anguish as its life was burned away.
The companions turned their backs on the planet and faced the oncoming sun. At some point Sephiroth had emerged from the darkness and was now hovering in front of the star. He had a dark smile on his face as the flames of the sun reached forward like deadly fingers and wrapped themselves around his body, drawing him back into the flames. There he hovered, his wings ablaze as he beat them slowly. His arms were spread wide. The flames danced along his silver hair, which burned red.
Cloud closed his eyes. Vincent was right. All of this—the growing sun, the burning, withering plants—it was all just an illusion. Sephiroth had created this to sap their will, filling their minds with visions of what would become of them and the Planet. But despite all of Sephiroth's efforts, an illusion is all that it was. And Cloud would not be controlled by an illusion. He had to focus—focus only on what was real.
Cloud raised his sword and pressed the blade against his forehead. The blade was cool against his skin. The swordsman gripped the edge tightly, feeling the metal cut dig into his skin through his gloves. Yes… the cool blade, the pain he felt when he gripped the blade… This was real. This was something he could grasp with his hands and control. Sephiroth's illusion… was nothing.
Cloud opened his eyes and gazed defiantly into the light of the sun. Already the light seemed to have grown weaker; he could look into it clearly. The flames that were now only metres away hesitated, as though realising that Cloud had broken free of its spell. Cloud lowered his blade and held it ready in his hands.
"Everyone, wake up!" he ordered. "It's time we finished this."
The sound of his voice woke the others from their thrall. One by one they snapped out of it and came forward to stand beside Cloud, their weapons at the ready. The summons, Leviathan, Titan and Ifrit, returned to the materia, adding their strength to the companions' weapons.
Cloud walked forward. His footsteps rippled on the star-studded ground. The swordsman walked right up to the wall of flames and stopped a few feet from it. The star had ceased growing. He could feel its intense heat against his skin. One long wisp of flame flicked out and lashed his skin, but Cloud ignored it.
Sephiroth was still hovering amongst the flames, his arms spread wide. As long as Sephiroth was enveloped in the flames of his spell, he could not cast anything else. If they wanted to end it, then this was their chance.
Cloud raised his sword and charged. The others ran with him. They burst through the sun's barrier and charged through the flames. The heat was scorching, the light overwhelming, but they did not slow down. They kept on running, heading towards Sephiroth.
Barret and Vincent fired, and Sephiroth raised his right wing to shield his face and torso from the bullets. The rounds bounced off the wing, and while Sephiroth was busy shielding his face the two gunmen shifted their aim to below Sephiroth's waist. The bullets tore through the flapping wings, sending feathers flying. Sephiroth cried out and raised his wing.
A shuriken flew through the air. It clashed against the wing as it started to come down and knocked it off-course. The blade slashed through the flames instead, slicing through them and causing them to dissipate.
Red XIII darted forward. He leaped over the wing and ran behind Sephiroth's back. Sephiroth, surprised, started to turn, but Red XIII was still on the move. The hound ran to one of Sephiroth's long, bleeding wings and closed his teeth around it. He tugged the wing taught, holding it in place.
Above him, Sephiroth glared at Red XIII in fury. He was about to turn and knock the bothersome hound aside when he felt a sharp pain in one of his other wings. The calamity turned and his eyes widened as he saw Cid pull on his spear, dragging the wing he had just pierced towards him. The spear had gone all the way through the wing and now Cid was pulling it towards him, keeping it—and Sephiroth—from moving.
Tifa ran and joined Cid. She grabbed hold of another of Sephiroth's wings as it came sweeping past, pulling it straight with all her strength. Cait ran over to Red XIII and did the same, catching hold of the other wing. The Mog helped, too, gripping the wing in its large, flat hands. Now four of Sephiroth's six wings were trapped, and the calamity was unable to escape them.
That left only Cloud. The swordsman called on every single piece of materia he had and passed that energy into his sword, giving it additional strength. The blade began to glow brightly. Cloud drew back his sword and leaped up at Sephiroth. He swung the blade.
The blade hit, and on contact all the energy that had been stored up in the blade was released. It smashed through Sephiroth's body, ripping him apart from the inside. In an instant the glaring sun disappeared, as did the Planet and the vastness of space. The Twirling Heavens returned, the spell broken.
Cloud withdrew his blade and stepped back away from Sephiroth. Tifa and the others released the wings and also stepped back. The companions gathered, looking up at Sephiroth.
Sephiroth was hovering before them, his body frozen and still. The clouds behind him came close together and lightning flashed, followed by a deep roll of thunder. A strong breeze began to blow. The companions raised their arms to shield their eyes as more lightning flashed, blinding them.
Sephiroth began to move back away from them, being drawn back by the pull of the wind. Sparks of light began to dance over his frozen body, covering him from his head down to his wingtips. The two halos behind his head grew dark, their light gone, and as the companions watched they crumbled and dissolved into dust. The wind caught them and pulled them back into the clouds.
Sephiroth's body, too, began to dissolve. Starting from the top of his head, his silver hair shimmered and disintegrated. His wings and arms were next, followed by his head and torso. Sephiroth's eyes glared coldly at the companions, and his smile widened, almost in delight. Then the rest of the face dissipated, followed by the rest of the calamity's body, and Sephiroth was no more.
The particles of dust that remained were caught on the wind. The companions watched as these particles went swirling into the flashing clouds, vanishing from view.
Sephiroth… was finally gone.