Ganon smiled wickedly down at Link and Zelda as they stumbled out of the hallway and into the central room.
"I was wondering if you'd ever show up, Link." His voice was deep and menacing as he spoke to them. "I suspected as much when I felt this barrier strengthen. Pity; Zelda's powers had weakened considerably, and I was almost able to break through. But, no matter. You've come right to me, so there's no need for me to break through and find you, now, is there?"
Link pushed Zelda behind him. He glared up at Ganon, his hand resting on the butt of his gun, and Ganon laughed cynically.
"Do you really think such simple weaponry will be any match against me?" he taunted. "I cannot die, Link. You Hylians will never win against me. History will repeat itself as it always has due to the curse placed upon the land hundreds of thousands of years ago until I finally come out on top. And that day is today. This world has forgotten about me, forgotten about my threat, my power. This civilized world that has evolved over the years has become weak. Too weak to be able to stop me. This time, I will succeed. I will win. And Hyrule will be mine."
"Big talk from the guy that keeps losing," Link muttered.
Ganon's smile grew into a wicked grin. "That ends now!" He raised a hand and a ball of energy appeared and grew, larger and larger, bits of lightning shooting out from it the concentrated ball like eager race horses. Ganon hurled the attack through the air towards Link and Zelda, but Link pulled Zelda's arm and threw himself on top of her, pushing them both out of the way of the attack. The ball of energy bounced off the floor and shattered in the air, sending strikes of lightning shooting out in every direction, just narrowly missing Link and Zelda.
Link scrambled to his feet, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Ganon. He shot off three rounds, but Ganon dismissed his attacks with a wave of his arm. The bullet whizzed around him as if pushed into another direction by a strong breeze and they plunged holes into the walls. One of them ricocheted upwards, splitting through a one of the banners on the wall.
"Your attacks are useless!" Ganon shouted. He leapt over the wall and landed lightly onto the floor below, his cloak fluttering up behind him as he marched towards them. He raised his hand once more and another ball of energy grew in his palm.
"There's nothing we can do," Zelda said.
Link pulled her out of the way as the attack was hurled at them once more, narrowly dodging the blow as it landed on the floor. The marble floor exploded where the attack landed and debris scattered around them.
When the attack dissipated, Link pulled Zelda up and they started sprinting across the room, Ganon's evil laughter bouncing off the walls. They ran across and into the hallway on the other side, following it as it brought them through to the other end of the palace and outside onto a large deck that overlooked a decaying courtyard. Link hesitated, looking around them. In the distance, he could see the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
Link pushed Zelda forward. "Go," he barked at her. "Get out of here."
"Like hell," Zelda spat.
"Go!" Link shouted at her angrily. "Just fucking go. I'll be right behind you."
Zelda hesitated a moment, studying Link for a moment before turning to run across the courtyard. Link pulled out his phone and his fingers flew over the screen as he typed out a message to his newly appointed Champions.
"Run, run, as fast as you can," Ganon's voice taunted from behind Link.
Link spun around on his heels, his gaze narrowing on Ganon's. All he needed to do was buy enough time for Zelda to escape, and with any luck, the Divine Beasts to attack. He stepped backwards as Ganon stepped forward.
"You're only prolonging the inevitable," Ganon said as he kept walking.
Link continued backing away until they stood exposed in the middle of the courtyard.
"Maybe," Link said. His phone vibrated in his pocket from an incoming message. "Just a little time was all I needed."
It seemed to come from Vah Medoh first, perched on the high peak in the distance to the west. But just as its deadly laser started to warm up, the other three followed. The blue lasers shot across the sky from all four corners of Hyrule with blinding speed, and before Ganon could react, the lasers hit their target, exploding the ground around them. Link tried to out run the force of the blasts, but he was knocked off his feet anyway and sent flying through the air, landing hard on the ground some distance from Ganon.
The world spun and doubled as he fought to stay conscious. He pulled himself to his feet, steadying himself against the trunk of a tree. The ground seemed to sway under him as he clung to a low branch and heaved, but his stomach was empty. He blinked into the fiery explosion, watching as the flames licked at the sky and spread quickly over the dried up courtyard. When the smoke and debris settled, Ganon's body seemed nothing more than a lifeless body on the ground.
But it was far from over.
Zelda was at Link's side, pulling at his arm. Her hands were on his face and his mind snapped into focus once more.
"Are you okay?" she asked with worry in her eyes.
"We need to get out of here," Link muttered. "We need to leave the city."
"Why? What's wrong?"
Ganon's body seemed to shutter, the force shaking the ground and almost knocking Link and Zelda off their feet. Another tremble shot through the ground after a moment and the body began to move, twisting and morphing before their eyes.
"Go!"
Link pushed Zelda forward and they sprinted across the courtyard, the flames from the explosion licking at their feet and legs. They left the courtyard behind, following the road as it twisted around to the front of the palace and back towards the front gate. They didn't waste time trying to keep out of sight from the drones that patrolled the area, and they simply dodged and out ran the blasts that kicked up the dirt around their feet, narrowly missing them.
They ran until they reached the car that waited just where Link had left it, and Link jumped in behind the wheel, starting the ignition and throwing the car into reverse. He spun the wheel as he floored the accelerator, spinning the car around and throwing it into gear, shooting down the street and out of the district and through the city.
Zelda twisted around in her seat, watching the palace as it grew smaller behind them, but there seemed to be no sign of Ganon. The fire that ripped through the courtyard seemed to have died down, but the ground continued to tremble and cracks shot across the ground. Link focused his gaze on the road, steering the car around the debris and the cracks that seemed to grow and split the roads. The needle on the speedometer climbed higher and higher until it reached its limit and they sped across the bridge and out into the countryside.
"Link!"
Link finally dared to look back in the rearview mirror, then twisted around, watching in horror as a large, dark beast seemed to spring up from where Ganon fell in the courtyard. It shot through the sky with lightning speed and crashed down before them. Link slammed on the break and the car skidded to a stop as the beast loomed over them. Its wicked, red eyes glared down at them. Its deep roar bellowed through the sky. It lifted a threatening foot and let it slam down on the ground, sending tremors shooting across the land.
"Take the wheel," Link shouted to Zelda. He stood and pulled himself through the moonroof as Zelda scrambled underneath him and into the driver's seat. Link slid another round into the gun and took aim at the beast.
"Drive!"
The car lurched forward as the beast swung at them, narrowly missing them. Link aimed, then fired. Once, twice, three times. Zelda swerved around the beast as it swung at them again. Link emptied the clip and quickly replaced it, then fired off another round, but the beast didn't seem affected by Link's attacks.
"Shit," Link muttered. "Nothing's working." He dropped back into the car and loaded his gun once more. He looked up just in time to see the beast throw its head back, letting out another fierce roar, then proceeded to shot a blast of fire at them. Zelda swore and swerved the car once more, peeling away and moving back around the beast that was Ganon.
Ganon continued to spray a cone of fire, sweeping the field and igniting the tall grass. The fire burned explosively, ripping through the field and threatening to swallow them hole. He turned around, spraying more fire that chased after them as Zelda zig-zagged across the field.
"You're not going to like this," Zelda said, "but I read a theory. There's a few weak points around his body. But your gun won't be enough to bring him down."
Link groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The sword?"
Zelda met his gaze, offering an apologetic look. "It's worth a shot."
"You have got to be kidding," he grunted as he reached for the sword in the back seat. "This had better work." He peered through the shattered windshield at the beast as Zelda turned the car around in a wide arc, slowing down for a moment. "What do I do?"
"There." Zelda pointed a finger towards Ganon. "See those two spots on each side?" She indicated to an apparent weak spot that seemed to glow a deep red-purple hue. "It's malice. That's what makes up his beast form and where most of his power comes from." She turned to Link and held out her hand. "Give me your gun."
Link raised a brow at her. "Why?"
She took the weapon out of his hand and sucked in a breath, then closed her eyes. A soft, warm light emitted from her hands and around the weapon for a moment. When it subsided, she handed it back to Link. "I've infused my power into the bullets. That might work against the malice, but I don't know how well."
"Great," Link muttered. He hated going in on a hunch. He pulled himself out of his seat and out the moonroof. "Let's get this over with."
Zelda floored the accelerator, dodging another blast of fire from the beast, and Link took aim as they pulled up along one side of Ganon. He fired twice at the first weak spot, and twice more as the second came into sight further down its body. The power-infused bullets seemed to do the trick as they ripped through the exposed malice. The beast roared angrily and it spun around, spraying another fiery attack at them. Zelda sped over the field, circling the beast until they were on its other side, and once more, Link shot at the two weak spots there.
The beast faltered slightly, roaring in agony for a moment as it fell to its knees. But almost as quickly as it fell, it pushed itself back up, raging fury in its eyes. The fiery blast that shot out of its mouth was wider, hotter, and deadlier, as it sprayed rapidly and blindly around the field, taking down anything and everything in its path.
"There!"
As they circled around once more, Zelda pointed at another exposed spot on the top of its head, and another underneath on its belly. She spun the car around until they were facing Ganon, then floored the accelerator. As they neared, Link took aim and shot at the weak spot on its head, but the gun jammed. He curse loudly as he ducked back into the car, reaching for his other gun, but he was officially out of ammunition.
"The sword!"
Link scrambled to grab the sword, then positioned himself once more through the moonroof, gripping the sword in hand as they neared the beast. Zelda swerved around the beast as it let loose another bout of fire, then spun the car around and sped toward the beast between its back legs. Zelda dodged a leg as it lifted and slammed down, then straightened the car as they approached the weak spot on its underside. Link thrust the sword in the air against the beast's belly as they sped along beneath the beast. The sword ripped through they sped through and out on the other side. The beast began to wail violently, shaking the ground before he fell. Zelda spun the car around once more, stepping on the breaks as they watched the beast fall.
Link pulled himself out of the moonroof and threw himself out of the car, landing on the ground and immediately breaking into a sprint towards the beast, taking advantage of its fall. He gripped the sword with both hands as he ran, and when he got close enough, he threw himself at the beast's head and thrust the sword into the exposed malice.
The beast let out another agonized roar that cracked through the air like thunder. It tossed its head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge Link, but Link held his grip on the sword as he dragged it down the beast's head before pulling it out and jumping back to the ground. The beast shuttered, stepping back for a moment before falling to the ground once more.
Zelda sprinted across the ground behind Link and approached the beast. "I think that's my cue," she said as she threw her hand forward. A powerful light emitted from her palm and shot across Hyrule, shrouding the land, brighter and brighter until Link had to shield his eyes. And then, almost as quickly as it started, the light disappeared, and the beast that was Ganon was gone.
Link stared at the spot where the beast had stood a moment before. He let the sword drop to the ground and the world fell silent. The Triforce faded from their hands and the dark mist that had once shrouded the palace was gone.
Zelda turned to Link and met his gaze. "We… we did it. It's over."
Link stared at her, speechless. He opened his mouth, but for once, he found himself speechless.
At that moment, Zelda's knees grew suddenly weak and they gave out under her weight. Link hurried to her, catching her in his arms and pulling her into his chest, but her was body limp and cold.
"Zelda." Link pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, but a single tear managed to escape. "Stay with me," he whispered to her. "Don't go."