CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The Final Battle
It was finally over. All the dark forces lay dead on the ground with the army of heroes all standing strong. However, there was no cause to celebrate just yet. Once the last enemy had fallen, they waited for Saya while tending to their wounds. All of them had the lingering fear that Ganondorf may have somehow beaten her, but they did their best to stay composed. The most fearful of all was of course Lucas, clenching his fists as he felt sweat start to run down his palms.
She'd be alright, wouldn't she? Yes. She had to be…she promised.
He saw the shadows steadily begin to disappear from the woods and saw a steadily growing golden light, and he felt completely rejuvenated once Saya stepped out of the woods with a bright smile on her face and the Triforce glowing prominently on her hand.
"I got him."
The other heroes saw her and let up thunderous cheers with their weapons raised high. Saya cast her hand forward, the Triforce of Courage leaving her and flying back toward its original owner. Link smiled and gave her a quick wink before seizing the divine relic in one hand. He felt its warmth within him once again, and soothed his worry in combination with the evil king's defeat.
Amaterasu and the other two Celestial Mothers smiled at Saya as she stood triumphant, Lucas rushing into her open arms the second he got the chance.
"Told you I could do it." Saya whispered softly.
"Yeah…sorry I doubted you."
"Don't you be sorry about anything. It's finally over. So how about those Nowhere Islands, huh?"
Lucas smiled and tightened his hug as did Saya. It felt so good to hold him after all the hardship she'd been through. She'd finally brought a stop to all this madness, and she could finally fulfill her promise. She could finally go to a new home with the boy she'd come to love. She could finally…get caught in a huge ring of fire?
"What the hell's going on?!" Batsu shouted from the outside. "Those two are boxed in!"
Lucas and Saya separated and let their eyes roam about. The circle of flame had a mile long diameter, providing them a lot of space but without any way of escaping. Lucas fired a heavy blast of PK Freeze, only for it to melt in midair the second it came close. Saya however had something different in mind. Once the ring had completely closed, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her mind. She wasn't the only one to detect that something was wrong, Link and Zelda finding that their pieces of the Triforce were beginning to resonate.
Then all three came to one horrifying conclusion: "He's still alive!" On that note, a dark figure descended rapidly from the sky and into the ring, slamming its fist into the ground and unleashing a massive tremor that shook all in its wake. Through the flames, the heroes could see the malevolent figure of Ganondorf raise his head, snarling at Saya as he gasped for breath. Saya herself could do nothing but stand there in horror. How was he still alive?!
It was almost as though the evil king could understand her thoughts, his snarl turning into a psychotic smile as he raised the back of his hand to her. She should have known. As long as he had the Triforce of Power, nothing could keep him down for good.
"This…ends….NOW!" he roared.
He launched himself into the air in a fetal position, suspending himself in midair and spreading his arms out before he roared demonically at the heavens above. A brilliant light enveloped him and the light breeze accelerated into a heavy gale, Lucas and Saya covering their eyes as they heard Ganondorf's roar start to distort…sounding almost feral. They heard low grunts and shouts before the wind finally stopped and they felt another tremor, finally letting them lay their eyes on the horrifying sight before them.
Where there was once an already hulking man now stood a sixty-foot tall boar-like creature with the only similarity being the flaming red mane. His feet hooved with two tusks jutting from his lower jaw and a tail whipping about behind him, and as he glared at the two youths with his furious and blank eyes, two massive blades appeared in his hands. He roared, the sound echoing throughout the valley and sparking fear in all those who heard it. Even Saya having just defeated the original form (or so she thought) was frightened, but still managed to draw her blade.
What a mistake. The monstrous Ganon saw the Master sword and his fury skyrocketed, violently swinging one of his mighty blades. Just the tip of the blade making contact was all it took to knock the Master Sword from Saya's hand, landing a great distance from her outside of the ring. She was defenseless.
No. Not yet. It wasn't over. Even as Ganon roared again and increased the fear to exponential levels, she refused to back down and so did Lucas.
"There's nothing holding me back now!" Lucas shouted. "This time, we fight together!"
Ganon made the first move, swinging both blades inward and just barely missing the two as they rolled forward. They split up at Saya's request, Ganon mindlessly following her and leaving himself wide open to Lucas' attack, though that was pointless when the quick burst of fire had no effect on the hulking monster. Ganon paid no attention to Lucas, keeping all his focus on Saya. She tried to destroy him. She would be destroyed.
"Alright, you big freak…" Saya growled. "Show me what you've got."
She shouldn't have asked when his massive hoof slammed into her at full force. She held her ground and pushed against him as hard as she could. To him, she presented no resistance and he kicked her away in a matter of seconds, razing the ground before him when he swung his blades again. The gale enough was enough to send Saya stumbling away the second she stood up, but the pure malevolence in his swing manifested itself in a dark wave, slamming against Saya and stinging her whole body.
While the two helpless children fought as hard as they could against such a mighty force, the others tried to break through the ring to help, all of them finding that their efforts were in vain. Vergil's portals wouldn't generate within the perimeter and Ness couldn't teleport through. Pit, Star Fox, Meta Knight, and the twin succubi couldn't fly over the rung since its barriers stretched all the way into the sky, and X and Zero couldn't do something as simple as walk through it, their metal frames protecting them from the heat but some unnatural force knocking them backward every time they came close to breaking through. Even the Celestial Mothers with all their divine power couldn't dispel the barrier.
It was hopeless. Saya and Lucas were trapped in there with that monster.
"No…" Amaterasu growled. "I will not surrender. I have failed you too many times, Saya. Now I will make amends."
She sat cross-legged and planted her hands on the ground, chanting quietly under her breath in rapid Japanese. No one knew precisely what she was doing, but they could certainly guess when they saw light begin to generate from the ground and flow into her hands.
Meanwhile, Saya and Lucas kept fighting, staying close and throwing whatever they had at Ganon. They fought and fought as hard as they could. Nothing they did hurt him. He stomped down, shaking the earth beneath him and knocking the two off their feet. He swung and they dodged. He swung again and they jumped away. When he started to make his third swing, Lucas fired several blasts of PK Thunder, generating a bright light when they detonated and blinding the beast long enough for the two to roll between his legs.
They observed his unarmoured tail, starting to lash about like a whip when its owner realized they were behind him, Lucas launching a quick blast of PK Fire. When the flames made contact, the two were satisfied and relieved to see that this had harmed Ganon when he let out a loud shriek. Not by much, but at least they knew he wasn't invincible now. The sting was enough for Ganon to whirl around, planting one blade into the ground and casting his hand forward. Lucas didn't get out of the way in time and found himself clenched in the titanic boar's grip and tossed away. A problem easily solved with a cast of PK Thunder steered around into his backside. He landed on Ganon's head and prepared to unleash as powerful an attack as he could muster, but the beast took notice of him and bucked forward before he got the chance.
"PK FREEZE!" Lucas shouted as he fell.
As Saya summoned her wings and broke Lucas' fall, he launched the ice into Ganon's face. Ganon himself dispelled it with a wave of his blade, taking up the second one and swinging madly at two again.
"This thing is unstoppable!" Lucas shouted.
"Don't give up!" Saya called back. "We can bring him down! Just keep fighting!"
Without a moment to lose, Saya took to the air, dodging her foe's slashes and casting as many telekinetic pulses as she could to try and stun him, Lucas meanwhile firing every fireball, ice bomb, and lightning bolt he had. No matter what they did, Ganon didn't fall. He didn't even stumble or give any indication that he was starting to get tired. He'd keep fighting until they were both dead, and if this kept up much longer, they likely would be.
With one swing of his meteor-like fist, Ganon sent Saya slamming into the ground. She hauled herself to her feet, only to be kicked away again. She touched the fire, and even though it was only for a split second, the quick burn was enough to make her scream. Lucas focussed all his energy and launched it in one strong blast, and all Ganon needed to do was raise one hand and catch it, an unnerving smirk stretching across his face when he saw his tiny opponent's shock and casting the blast back. Lucas dove away as the ground behind him heaved at the impact, scraping his arm as he slid along the craggy ground. He stood and fired again and again and again. Over and over until he had completely exhausted himself, and still Ganon showed no signs of harm.
Ignoring the worthless little boy hopelessly trying to hurt him, Ganon turned his attention to Saya as she started to pull herself out of the crater she made in her impact. He slashed both blades inward toward her and she thrust her hands out just in time to stop them from slicing her up, but now there she stood struggling to push them away as this hulking monstrosity pushed against her. The sharp steel started to scrape against her palms and she felt blood run down her arms, the pain quickly becoming too much for her and forcing her to jump backward. Ganon swung, Saya stumbled, and in came his second blade…
"NO!" Lucas shouted, shoving Saya out of the way just in time.
Lucas was fortunate that he was just barely in range of the blade and thus took minimal damage, but having the very tip of Ganon's blade bite into his back and leave a massive scar wasn't exactly painless. He hit the ground. He didn't scream this time. He'd done that enough already, but he certainly moaned and clutched at his back and praying for help. Finally fed up with Lucas getting in his way, Ganon roared and made a fast stab, his blade deflected when Saya jumped between the two and generated a translucent shield.
"I'm the one you want!" she cried furiously as though he'd listen. "Leave him out of this!"
Ganon snarled and began to swing furiously once again, rattling Saya's body every time he struck the shield. It protected her, but she could quickly feel the strain of her enemy's blows becoming too much for her. She was feeling the shield begin to break.
"Oh, God, someone please help us!" she cried in her head.
What timing as Amaterasu had finished her incantation, her body glowing radiantly before she leapt high into the air and flashed through the barrier of flame with the glow enveloping her body and lengthening to exponential heights. She stood now at just under Ganon's height, towering over everyone else. A sheath appeared on her back and she pulled at the hilt sticking from it, drawing a magnificent and massive katana that she pointed at the dark beast before her.
"Now light and darkness begin their final duel!" she shouted. "Come, you monster! Face me now!"
With both blades, Ganon slashed at Amaterasu's neck and she deflected it, swinging fast and powerfully while leaving trails of sunlight in her blade's wake. As the titans battled above, Saya rushed to Lucas to tend to his wound.
"Lucas, what have I told you about doing stuff like that for me?!"
"LOOK OUT!"
He grabbed her and pulled her away just as Ganon's hoof came down where they had been, succeeding in scraping himself up even more. Once she was sure they were a safe distance from the battling giants, Saya fueled a her energy into Lucas and focussed on his wounds. They started to close up and Lucas felt his pain leave him, giving him the strength to stand. Their worries were not over, however.
"Bastard!" Amaterasu shouted as Ganon's sword nicked her arm.
Both had been of equal strength and speed until Ganon had finally gained the upper hand for but a moment, and now Amaterasu was paying the price for her moment of weakness. He kicked her chest and she responded with a flurry of stabs, all of which he deflected. It seemed impossible for a deity to sweat or show signs of fatigue, but Amaterasu clearly had all of them. Not even a few minutes into battle and she was already getting a feel of just how strong Ganon was, and she was not impressed nor disappointed. She was intimidated.
But she wouldn't back down. In her other hand, she held the Celestial Brush and painted streak after streak, cutting into Ganon's skin while she found her rhythm with her sword. The impact of the strokes forcing him backward gave the illusion that Ganon was being harmed by them, but the wounds he suffered from them didn't even seem to break his skin. In one last ditch effort to hinder him, she painted a circle high above, but before the sun could break through the blackness above, Ganon's hoof connected with her stomach and sent her sprawling to the ground. She landed very near to Saya and Lucas.
And she smiled? Why was she smiling?
"I never realized how adorable the two of you are." she laughed.
"This isn't funny, Ammy!" Lucas shouted. "He's kicking your ass over there!"
"Indeed. Perhaps this is a battle that we cannot win on our own."
The emphasis gave the two the hint they needed as Amaterasu pulled herself to her feet and (rather foolishly) reengaged Ganon, and Ganon himself continued to swing madly and rattle her bones every time she blocked one of his attacks. No matter how quickly Amaterasu swung, she could only succeed in nicking Ganon, managing to grasp his throat and pile-drive him onto the ground only for him to shove her off and stomp on her chest numerous times.
"You heard her, Lucas!" Saya said sternly. "We can't do this alone! We need to bring down that barrier!"
"I think I know how, too! Take my hand and focus all your energy! We can bring it down if we hit it with our conjoined power!"
While Amaterasu and Ganon continued to brawl and occasionally come close to either accidentally kicking or even stepping on them, Lucas and Saya joined hands and closed their eyes. They focussed on each other and then on the barrier, letting their energy join and fluctuate. Vitality filled their arms, their legs, and their minds, and as the power reached its peak when Ganon gripped Amaterasu's neck and prepped his sword for impalement…
"PK FREEZE OMEGA!"
With Lucas' PSI energy at maximum strength and infused with Saya's, the two were able to fire a massive sphere of ice into the air that exploded once it had shot up a fair distance. The blast radius matched the barrier's diameter exactly, and the flames froze in an instant before a loud gunshot rang through the air. The single bullet that zipped through the frozen barrier was all it took for the entire thing to shatter, and Saya and Lucas could now see that the heroes on the outside had been eagerly waiting for the barrier to come down, particularly Dante Alpha as he softly blew on Ivory's pistol.
"Anybody in the mood for some bacon?!" he called.
"Get that motherf*cker!" Falco hollered.
They all attacked at once. Bullets flew, swords slashed, the four Arwings as well as their unguarded flying counterparts dove downward and threw whatever they had. Ganon roared and shrieked and slashed about mindlessly, trying to get all these annoyances away from him as they all cut in to him. In a moment of weakness, Amaterasu struck, her blade piercing his shoulder. He shrieked again and yanked the sword out by the blade, not caring that it bit into his bare hand as he did so.
"You…" he growled. "Die…die….DIE!"
He planted his blades into the ground and let his power buildup before unleashing it in a massive wave. Thankfully, a certain swordsman from the future was one step ahead of him.
"Monado, lend us your power!" Shulk shouted. "ARMOUR!"
The Art didn't fully protect the army from taking any damage from the blast, but it certainly prevented them from receiving the full brunt of it. All were able to remain standing and keep fighting, but they knew that if they didn't bring him down and deliver an actual finishing blow.
Jill quickly saw her chance when the beast made a heavy swing at Amaterasu and missed, resulting in him teetering backwards. With quick and accurate aim, she fired one bullet that pierced Ganon's knee. He roared and fell on the uninjured knee, but as he landed on it, he unleashed another wave of darkness, this one too fast for Shulk to prepare for. As it struck each and every single one of the warriors, they began to feel their strength leave them. Some began to drop their weapons, others fell on all fours. Even Amaterasu began to feel weak, having to press herself to her limit to keep her sword in hand. Suddenly, she felt a burst of energy fill her as well light pressure on the back of her neck. She could sense the small figure on her body and felt warmth deep within her when the figure spoke.
"I won't let you fall here…" Saya panted as her strength started to leave her. "We're so close…I won't give up now, and you can't give up, either!"
"My dear Saya." the goddess said softly. "How you have changed through this journey…"
"I had lots of help from an old friend, and I won't let that old friend go down that easily!"
Amaterasu smiled and took Saya in one hand, looking down at her with a bright smile. Humans truly did marvel her, and this one was no exception.
"Spoken like a true hero, Saya."
As Ganon stood and prepared to slash again, Amaterasu clutched Saya close to her chest and sprang into action. She blocked the incoming blow and impacted it, once again sending Ganon into a stumble. She tossed her blade high into the air and pulled out the Celestial Brush. Then everything seemed to slow down as the circle she conjured in the sky formed into the radiant sun, its light blinding Ganon and forcing him to shield his eyes. Finally as the blade came back down, she seized the hilt and slashed hard, leaving one massive scar along Ganon's chest. The dark beast screamed once and teetered backward before fully falling over.
"This is it, Saya!" Amaterasu called. "FINISH HIM!"
Amaterasu opened her hand and extended it. Far below, Saya could see Link charging toward the fallen Ganon. The two made eye contact and knew right away what the other was thinking, and with a conjoined nod, they both took flying leaps with their blades raised high over their heads. Their mighty battle cries filled the air as they fell through the air, landed on top of Ganon…
…and plunged the two divine blades straight through his heart.
FATALITY!...!
Alright. Final two chapters will be released tomorrow. Not to commemorate a certain disaster that took place on that day, though my heart goes out to all those who lost someone important to them in said disaster. Rather, it's for another reason. And like I said, the fortieth chapter consists of two epilogues that feed into two different stories, one of which is a new Star Fox crossover story. I have dropped a couple hints as to what it crosses over with in some of the previous author's notes, so feel free to go back and look through them and sound off in the reviews what you think it is. Join me tomorrow (or within the next twelve hours since I might actually have a midnight release. That sounded sexual) when we bring this story to a close.
SOUNDTRACK SO FAR
Saya, Ness, and Lucas- "Pollyanna" from Earthbound (SSBM)
Marth to the rescue- "Together We Ride" from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (SSBM)
X and Zero versus Kirby and Meta Knight- "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star (SSBB)
Link versus Morrigan- Morrigan's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3
Link versus Dante- "Never Surrender" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Krystal and Trish versus the Moblin horde- "Lock and Load" from Devil May Cry 1
Krystal versus Mewtwo- "Poké Floats" from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Saya versus Ghirahim- Ghirahim's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Frank versus Ghirahim- "On a Mission" from Dead Rising
Courthouse caving in- "No Redemption" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Samus escapes- Metroid Prime main theme
Chun-Li versus Samus- Chun-Li's theme from Street Fighter IV
Standoff on Mount Fuji- "Douchuumen" from The Mysterious Murasame Castle (go on Youtube and look for a version by a group called ysk1210)
Saya and Lucas- "Love" from Mother 3
"LET'S ROCK!"- "Devils Never Cry" from Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
The Devil Trigger- "How Old is Your Soul?" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Ryu and Ken versus Juri- Ryu's theme from Street Fighter IV
Jedah's assault on the airship- Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 (SSBB)
S.I.N. versus B.S.A.A.- "Ride on Sea" from Resident Evil: Revelations (or Biohazard: Revelations if you live in Japan)
Ike to the rescue- "Eternal Bond" from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Saya's sorrow- "Kinder Days" from Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (known as Successor of the Skies in Europe and Australia)
An army of twenty-one- Main menu theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee
Dante versus Dante- "Empty" from DmC: Devil May Cry
Saya's rage- Tabuu's theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tetra's pirates- "The Great Sea" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Lagiacrus- "Sea and Land Tremble" from Monster Hunter 3
The Ancient Mother- "Shenandoah" from Endless Ocean
Vergil versus Lilith- "Super Ultra Violet" from Devil May Cry 1
Moblin attack on Tokyo- "Taiyo High School Rooftop" from Rival Schools: United by Fate
Mac and Batsu to the rescue- "Minor Circuit" from Punch-Out! Wii
Star Fox reunited- Star Fox: Command's ending theme
Amaterasu's "little game"- "Humoresque of a Little Dog" from Earthbound (SSBB)
Halberd going down- "Crisis" from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Samus versus Ridley- Ridley's theme (any variation you choose but my pick is the one from Other M)
X versus Ridley- "Dr. Wily's Castle" from Mega Man 2 (look for the version by SongeLeReveur)
Captain Falcon to the rescue- "Mute City" from F-Zero (SSBB)
Wild Pokemon to the rescue- Pokemon Red and Blue theme
Attack of the Shadow Queen- "Shadow Queen stage 2" from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Sheik to the rescue- "Temple" from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (SSBM)
Attack on Aokigahara- "You Will Know Our Names" from Xenoblade Chronicles
Their last chance at escape- "Justified" from Dead Rising
Amaterasu's confession- "Luma" from Super Mario Galaxy
Saya and company versus Takamaru, Lilith, and Giga Bowser- "Final Destination" from Super Smash Bros. Brawl
A surprise return- Super Mario Galaxy theme
Ryu's rampage- Akuma's theme from Marvel versus Capcom 3
Link returns- "Song of Healing" from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Link and Morrigan versus Jedah- Legend of Zelda theme (there's an awesome rock remix by a guy called Elias Bardsen on Youtube. Go check that one out.)
To war!- "Into Free" from Dragon's Dogma
"IT'S-A MARIO KART!"- "Mario Kart Stadium" from Mario Kart 8
Sonic to the rescue- "Reach for the Stars" from Sonic Colors
The kiss- "The Roost" from Animal Crossing: Wild World (SSBB)
Aokigahara- "Ganon's Tower" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Saya versus Ganondorf- Ganondorf's battle theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Saya and Lucas versus Ganon- "Last Battle" from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Amaterasu versus Ganon- "The Sun Rises" from Okami