Hello, everyone. I didn't mean to be away from this story for so long. Long enough that a new Zelda game's announced (actually featuring Zelda) and 100 Year Quest's anime adaption to start airing. Well, this story goes on, especially since this chapter includes events I've been meaning to get to for almost a year now. I hope you all enjoy it!
I do not own anything.
Chapter 9-A Dance with a Demon Pt.2
Counting seconds. It was a nerve-wrecking habit, yet it was also how one passed time, particularly in bad or tense situations. How long would the situation go on? How long until it ended? Those were the constant thoughts that went through one's mind as they counted down the seconds, one after another. That's exactly what Link did as he held his own sword against his chest. Not a favorable situation, but it was preferable to it being longed deep in his chest. All because he'd shouted out the name of the woman who'd commanded him to kill himself with his own weapon. He counted each second as the reaction to his shout played out.
Silence. Pure, nail-biting silence in which his heart pounded like thunder. It was out of pure fear and curiosity at what was about to happen next, what could happen next.
Life or death.
The moment he'd shouted out the magic-user's name, her command over him was disrupted, but not enough for him to break free. He was currently struggling to do that. Amidst doing so, he searched the office for the woman he'd called out, Mirajane. Link still couldn't look too hard as a large chunk of his focus was still devoted to stopping the Master Sword from piercing his chest; embarrassing wouldn't even begin to cover his life ending in such a way. Pride and survival, what a combination to draw strength from.
Mirajane was nowhere in sight, but Link knew she was there. Not only had he heard her voice, but he continued to hear it. The heavy breathing was not only proof that she was present, but that his calling her name had gotten through. Rising just barely above his grunts, he heard her labored breathing, sometimes transitioning into deep groans. Whatever spell was holding her, she was now fighting it, all while maintaining her hold on his body. It was impressive, but Link had to make something give, preferable something that helped him stay alive. Sweat collected on his brow as he struggled to move the sword away while forcing his vocal chords to work.
"Mira…jane…Mirajane. Mirajane Strauss, t-t-that's your name, r-r-right!" His voice called out to the darkness once more. A piercing scream answered him. "Mirajane Strauss!" Link called again. He felt the hold over his body weakening. With a mental tug, he broke free of it completely. The Master Sword cluttered to the ground as he stumbled backward, chest heaving as he felt complete control over himself again. As tempting as it was to bask in that feeling, he knew danger still lurked around him. Immediately, he began scanning the darken office knowing that the magic-user was there somewhere. His first impulse was to follow the sound of her voice, and that's what he did. "Helen of Shalford, she told me about you. She's worried about you." Holding his hand out, he ignited a spark of electricity to illuminate the darkness of the office. A figure was revealed, but not one that Link was expecting.
The woman in front of him didn't look like the she-demon he'd battled multiple times before. She was still demonic, but…different.
He was standing before an entirely different woman, one that Link was, ashamed to admit, was quite attractive.
The electricity in his palms illuminated her bare skin, her face, shoulders, and the top portion of her chest, including the top of her breasts. Her rather large, sizable breasts. The kimono she wore reminded him of some of those worn by the Sheik, albeit with a leopard pattern that he'd only ever seen on nobles and royals who'd prided themselves on their exotic wear. This woman's outfit was certainly exotic, and it further complimented her own stunning features, features that were a further contrast to the woman he'd known. Instead of snow-white hair, hers was dark, as were her eyes; one was closed in agony while the other was constantly twitching. Finally, and most importantly, there lay a mark on her forehead, a U-shaped mark sprinkled with dots on the side, and finally her horns. Two curved horns that jetted out of her head. Undoubtedly the biggest indicator the woman in front of him wasn't human. A demon, but not the one he'd come to know.
A section of his mind instantly questioned if he'd made a mistake. Was this woman Mirajane Strauss? The same one he'd fought? The same one Helen had beseeched him to save?
"H-H-Helen?" Now that he could focus on it, he found even her voice was different. That said, her tone was one of recognition. She knew who he was talking about. This woman, though different, was still Mirajane Strauss. "H-He…len." She mumbled again as both eyes shut and hands went to her head. Nails dug in as invisible pain wracked her brain. Her bent knees trembled as the pain evidently grew worse. A heartbeat later and her groans morphed into an outright scream that tore through the office.
It shook Link to his core, yet he remained stationary. A voice within him said now was the perfect time to kill her-all he had to do was pick up the Master Sword behind him and it'd all be over in a single sweep. Such a sweep was used to silence that voice. Though he did pick up the Master Sword, he kept his focus on Mirajane. Sheathing the blade on his backside, he stepped closer toward her. "Yes, she took you in when you washed up in Shalford. She's worried about you. The whole town is. You saved them from the Acolytes of-!" Sensing the shift, he immediately stopped talking. The power of his Gerudo comrade was dismissed in favor of his Goron one. Arms came together in a cross-shape as a translucent red-colored barrier manifested around him.
"SHUT-UP!"
Thrown off his feet, the barrier took the brunt of the blast, but Link still felt the force of it. The wall crumbled behind him, the entire wall, and much of the ceiling. As he soared backward, he saw pieces of Yunobo's office go up in an explosion of pure magical energy. Briefly, he thought of how sad the young Goron would be, but Link internally promised he'd make it up to him somehow. Helping rebuilding it stuck out. Of course, he'd have to survive in other to do that, and find him.
After rolling across the ground, he came up in a guarded position, Daruk's Protection still active. He knew he was going to be needing it. That was confirmed as he felt the wave of heart-stopping dread roll over him. Storm clouds rapidly covered the sky darkening the land below as well as bringing the temperature down like an anvil. Link braced himself against the fierce winds that whipped at him, his body tightening in up as the familiar song of battle began its opening notes. As it played in his ears, he glanced up at the building he'd just been blasted from. Amidst the distorted air caused by the aura of magic, he caught sight of the storm's epicenter. Admittedly, Link felt his blood chill as he was hit with the full force of the demon's ire.
Her face was a half-snarl, like a wounded beast promising retribution for the pain inflicted upon it. Such a promise was reinforced by the wisps of violet and black-colored energy he saw floating around her. Link's blue eyes narrowed even more at the sight of the remnants of Malice. Even from such a distant, some several meters, he felt the sickening energy. With that sharpened gaze, he watched the wisps condense into an aura around the woman, who threw her head back in a furious wail. He couldn't shake the feeling it was directed at the foul energy more so than him. His ears rung with the echoing roar as did his heart. All the way down to his bones he knew another battle awaited him, another life-or-death struggle that'd take all his skill to survive, never mind win.
How exactly do you plan on winning this? Asked a voice in his mind.
While reaching for the Master Sword, his ears shook all the louder, but not with a roar but with a roar condensed into words. "STOP! STOP IT! G-G-GET OUT! GET THE HELL OUT!"
That halted his hand. Wide-eyed, he watched the woman continue to shake her head back and forth, her dark, dark purple, hair flailing about. The whisps of malice condensed around her head, practically forming into some sort of crown-proof of the control that the Acolytes had over the woman. Seeing it, Link found himself at the crossroads he knew he'd end up at for weeks. As he bitterly realized, indecision struck him hard. Scenario after scenario, idea after idea, came to him. Amongst them, he grasped for one in particular, only to curse as he noted it wasn't viable.
He knew he could make the shot at the "crown" of Malice, but that'd only work if he had the Bow of Light. Unfortunately, he didn't. What he did have on hand though was-
Sensing the danger, he jumped to the side, an impulsive move that he went with when he wanted to avoid getting hit. It proved to be a wise decision as the ground he'd been standing on erupted in a blast of energy whose heat he felt through his shield. Looking back up, he saw the aura of malice ahd thickened. Mirajane's dark eyes were tinted the magenta color of Ganon's Malice. It also seemed to color her once golden horns. Opening her mouth, fangs flashed while she swept her arms across the street. Getting the hint, Link took off running, explosions promptly trailing behind him. He'd have laughed at the familiarity if the situation wasn't so dire. As he ran, he continued to sense that overwhelming shadow of danger. Far from questioning it, Link kept it at the forefront of his mind as he ran.
Right in front of him appeared the woman, Mirajane. She struck out with her leg, a kick that he dodged with his trained reflexes. The rest of her melee blows came at the same speed, and he dodged them all the same. He noted how her limbs weren't coated in dark magic like before, this was purely physical combat. Coincidentally, that was his area of expertise, and he let it be known when he caught her right fist with his. With speed to rival and even surpass lightning, he twisted her arm and threw her over his shoulder. Knowing time was of the essence, he used his continued hold on her arm to twist it as hard as he could. The woman snarled in clear pain, but Link didn't stop. Not until he saw the concentration of magical energy amassing in the palm of her hand. That was when he jumped away. The shot flew high into the sky.
Quickly jumping back to her feet, Mirajane rushed him, her arm snapping back into place. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, Link threw out his own fist to parry her punch. Daruk's Protection was still up, adding a fiery element to his attack. Perhaps that did the trick in overpowering her. Seizing his advantage, he laid into her with a flurry of punches, each one enhanced by the power of fire. Despite their power, he knew he wasn't doing great damage to his opponent, but he was keeping her on the defensive.
"Marco!"
Or at least, that's what he thought.
Her eyes flowed, emitting invisible waves of magic that slammed into him. His body froze up again, freezing him in place. Mirajane stood up straight, a cold look in her tainted eyes. Something about it set Link off.
As she inhaled to speak, every muscle in his body roared. "Not again!" he yelled with a fully functioning mouth. He felt it like moving through water to burst through the surface. One step forward, then two, his left fist slammed into the woman's raised arms, knocking her back several feet. As she slid back, Link rushed her, concentrating all the power of Daruk's magic into his right arm. Doing so caused his arm to burst into flames, but he felt little in the way of damage. Roaring, he slammed it into his opponent, watching her vanish in the resulting burst of red and orange flames. Despite the building-sized explosion, Link knew she wasn't down. She'd taken far worse blows in their previous battle for that to be the end of her.
Seeing a shadow dart out of the smoke, he was proven right. Raising his right arm up, he readied himself.
BOOM!
And through multiple buildings, stone buildings he went. Pieces of rock and furniture (rock furniture) flew by in an instant. Their collapse became a distant echo in Link's ears. He could hardly focus on them as he was more preoccupied with the head-to-toe agony that gripped his body. His hand stretched out, pushing him up as he tasted blood in his gums. Everything hurt, but miraculously, nothing was broken; his constitution had simply become that sturdy throughout his training and adventures. Link knew he wasn't invincible, though. Mirajane knew it too, and she planned on making sure he ended up exactly like the half dozen buildings he'd just been sent through.
Finally, he drew the Master Sword, using it to parry his opponent's oncoming attacks. Blood spilled from her wounded arms as she fell back, a look of hateful pain on her face. Even if she'd taken a new form, she was still a demon, thus weak against the holy powers of the sword. She looked between it and him in feral fury. Hardening himself, Link lunged at her, launching a barrage of slashes that she mostly avoided. Mostly, a few strands of hair and pieces of her kimono fell off. Now sprays of blood though, meaning he wasn't doing the damage he needed to do. Link realized he'd have to kick it up a notch for that.
Knowing that, Mirajane retreated backward. To the naked eye, she seemingly disappeared, but he simply saw her jump far back. Coming to a stop atop a nearby building, she glared down at him with dark, cold eyes. Link felt that familiar feeling of being sized up, of being hated without words, wash over him. His stoicism came out in full force in response to it. Rather than mutual hate, he simply glared back at the horned woman with determination. He was going to defeat her, but beyond that no more. That would be easier said than done as Link knew Mirajane was wising up to him. The look in her eyes was vengeful, yet also calculating.
Readying himself, he waited for whatever her next move might be.
"Crush him."
Blinking at the simple, two-word declaration, it took him a moment to realize it was a command. Link quickly looked around, knowing that someone else was nearby-that's who Mirajane had been speaking to.
Not just someone, but multiple people-Gorons.
To say it was sudden would have been an understatement. For all their size, Gorons could move quite fast when they were curled up. More so when they were motivated; apparently, that's what they were.
Wide-eyed, Link called upon Revali's Gale, taking him high up as the ground he was standing on was completely rolled over by the Gorons. Shit! I should have known if she could control me, she could control the Gorons! That's what she must have done to-! Responding quickly, he used the whirlwind to spin himself around. The Master Sword was held down as he swung it with enhanced force. Seeing it coming, Mirajane broke off. Pressing the whirlwind, he came after her instead, intent on cutting her down, if not at the head, then at the shoulder. Before he could get the chance, the sound of something rolling through the air caught his attention. Eyes wide, he reshaped the whirlwind into a barrier all around him. It was just strong enough to withstand the three Gorons that tried to slam into him. Gnashing his teeth, he chose to push back. The whirlwind violently expanded, knocking the Gorons back to the ground.
From his position in the air, Link looked around, his heart sinking as he saw dozens more familiar shapes rolling in. Literally. A few quite literally launched themselves at him. Channeling the magical power within him, Link commanded the whirlwind to take him higher. Behind him, a phantasmal vestige of his Rito comrade appeared. His feathery arms were flapped, taking him higher still, and out of the Gorons' range.
The ground was now over a hundred feet away. Spread out before him was the bulk of Goron City; once eerily silent, he saw it becoming a beehive of activity. Multiple shapes, Gorons, literally rolling into action. They were mobilizing for battle, mostly likely against him. His heart sink deeper as the realization they were all under Mirajane's control hit him. For the moment, he was out of range, but that just meant he was able to fully take in the scope of the she-demon's magical control.
The entire city and everyone in it. Just like the kids said. She's had them under her control all this time. A mixture of shock and anger shot through him. It was hard to tell which emotion was strongest, but the anger felt like a good contender. The Gorons were a boisterous but peaceful people, and they were being used like puppets. It's time to sever the strings. Just as that resolve was solidified, he spotted a dark object approaching him from his left side. Simultaneous to it, his danger sense sounded the alarm. No way! You've got to be-! He swung his sword just as the object came up on him.
Boom!
It was a shockwave that ripped across the skies over Goron City. If the populace weren't mind controlled, they'd have looked up at the sight in bewilderment. Instead, Link had a gut feeling they were looking up in blank-eyed waiting, waiting for their next command.
There was little time to think about that as Mirajane came at him again. Arms and legs flew as did the Master Sword. She continued to hiss feeling the blade's enchanted metal make contact with her skin, but kept at it. Link knew there was a reason for it, but he had to focus entirely on fending off her melee barrage, even as they began to descend.
During that descent, he concentrated energy into the blade, causing its to glow cyan blue. It sharply contrasted the malicious whisps that danced around the demonic woman. She looked to the weapon with renewed fury, especially as he raised it up then brought it down, unleashing a blazing crescent-shaped wave of energy at her. Throwing her arms out, a magic circle appeared, a barrier. Sparks flew as his attack collided against it, breaking through it in seconds. Link made several more slashes, unleashing a flurry of such energy blades. The aura of Malice flared up and condensed around a second magic circle, undoubtedly strengthening it. Still, every slash caused it to flash and crack, showing that the demonic power was no match for the holy might of the Master Sword.
Link looked away from the shield back to the ground. It was drawing closer, but he still believed he could press his attack. Not to mention break his fall.
Well, you've been experimenting, and there's nothing like live practice! Both hands on the hilt, he angled the blade behind him and called upon the sacred power, within himself and the sword. An image came into his mind-blue skies dotted with clouds like rolling fog. Glittering sparkles danced around a feminine figure in front of him. Somehow, looking at it felt familiar, as if he knew who it was. Those sparkles intensified as it, as she, spun about. Link's jaw dropped as he looked into a face seemingly carved out of blue marble, a construct. Still, he felt life pulsating within it. The entity bowed, and suddenly the skylike realm was engulfed in fire. Such fire manifested around the blade, propelling him forward like a rocket.
Mirajane grew closer, her brow knitted as concern nakedly showed on her face. Link was about to turn such an expression into one of downright fear.
But at the last second, her frown transformed into a smirk.
Following the call of instinct, he looked to the left, and saw it heading straight for him.
"RAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" Shouted the soaring fireball amidst the cackling blaze it emitted. With its speed, Link quickly redirected his attack, and just barely saved himself from being burnt and pulverized. Even then, it felt like he was trying to hold back a flaming boulder, one that miraculously doubled in size as it grinded against him.
"Dammit! Y-Y-Yunobo!" The realization hit him as hard as the attack did. This flaming mass, it was similar to Daruk's Protection, which left only one possibility of who it was.
Something else that became readily apparent was the young Goron had gotten much stronger since their quest to free Vah Rudania.
Link had caught Yunobo mid-roll before. Still young, he wasn't quite as big or heavy as other Gorons, including his ancestor. He' encouraged him to get better; evidentially, he had, in spades. His teeth gnashed as he felt Yunobo spinning at breakneck speed against him while burning hot, or hotter, than the omnipresent lava. It was a combat roll he'd seen Daruk perform dozens of times, yet he would say that it was stronger than the former Goron Champion. Arms strained under the pressure as well as the never-ending heat. His vision was blurry, but he saw the latter amassing at the point of contact between Yunobo's body and the Master Sword. It took him all of a few seconds to realize what was about to happen. Alarmed, Link summoned all his strength to push back, raising his foot as well. The fire-proof boots were put to the test as he tried to kick off his mind-controlled friend.
BOOM!
Eyes shut, Link felt himself launched backward, eventually hitting something solid. Eventually going through something solid. Once more, his entire body rung with pain, hot pain that he would rather have avoided. There was no such avoiding it, and no denying that Yunobo had packed quite a punch.
Pushing himself up, he did a quick survey; while he was back on the ground, he'd practically been blasted there by the second Goron Champion. Said Champion was coming at him in the form of another blazing boulder. Acting quickly, Link grabbed at the Master Sword, infused it with energy, and brought it down. Yunobo was stunned, ceasing his rolling attack. Link saw him, body temporarily frozen in mid-air. While the metallic chest armor was normal, the sleeveless coat he wore was not-its black and magenta colors reminding him of Malice. Those same colors illuminated Yunobo's eyes as he glared at Link with violent hatred the likes of which he'd never seen from him.
It was sensing that same hatred coming at him from multiple directions that led him to perform a three-hundred-sixty-degree spin. His empowered blade left a ring of wind and energy around him that repelled the dozens of Gorons that came rolling at him. Before their bodies hit the ground, Link looked up to catch another Goron coming down upon him with a cobble crusher. Snarling, Link launched himself upward, deflecting the attack while also gaining some airtime. Without hesitation, he slashed forward, deflecting another attack. Cursing, he finally pulled out his shield, his Ancient Shield. The mystic energy spread out and formed a barrier around him. Multiple Gorons slammed into it, straining the force field, but it held. Then came more Gorons.
"She…really got all you." Link groaned peering around him. Sparks danced around him as the barrier continued to hold, but Link knew that couldn't go on indefinitely. Though he planned on doing something about it himself, Yunobo had other ideas.
Through the Gorons, he the flickers of red and orange. His mind moving fast, he realized what it was, but the sheer shock slowed his reaction.
Boom!
Link went flying, as did the Gorons who'd been trying to crush him. They were collateral damage. Structures, buildings, landscape, those were things he could see Yunobo deeming as acceptable collateral damage, but not people-not his fellow Gorons.
The Ancient Shield had taken most of the impact, but it'd been pushed far in holding off so many attacks. Another attack was coming courtesy of Yunobo, face bent in a snarl as his Boulder Breaker was alight with raging fire. Deciding to bite the bullet, he ran forward, shield arm out and the Sheikah device ready. Once Yunobo brought his weapon down, Link leaped forward, activating the shield. Blue and orange exploded outward as the two collided. Thanks to his timing, the Goron Champion was stunned. The moment Link's feet touched the ground, he dropped down and sweep kicked him off his feet. Reaching for his Sheikah Slate, he cast Stasis before Yunobo even hit the ground. Still holding onto it, he spun around, rapid activating the rune at the other Gorons coming at him. Translucent yellow chains appeared around them, freezing them all in place.
With the momentary breather, Link ran, putting some distance between him and the mob of murderous Gorons. It was a sight that he never thought he'd see outside of wartime-though he supposed this was war. Hyrule against the remnants of Ganon, his mad followers, who'd taken control of the Gorons. Looking at them, Link was reminded of just how dangerous the volcanic dwelling people could be when incited to violence. They weren't the only dangerous ones though.
Her eyes were purple, he was able to tell that much before he felt that familiar, invisible hold wash over him.
"Kill yourself. Now." Spat the cold voice from the icy beautiful voice in front of him.
The puppet strings began to pull, attempting to force his body to obey. With every fiber of his body, he resisted, stalling the command. Link felt his face twist into a snarl as he defied the she-demon. Her own face became marred in annoyance, but only briefly.
The Stasis Rune! Alarm spread through him as he tried all the harder to force his body to respond. Behind him, the tick-tock of the rune sounded off. Perhaps intrigued by it, Mirajane looked over his shoulder at the Gorons. Once she did, Link felt a light flicker in the darkness. Seizing it, he screamed for his body to move, and it did.
Immediately, Mirajane looked back at him in alarm. His sword arm flashed, the blade descending toward her. Instead of dodging, the black-haired woman took a stand, near literally. Her hands shot out, catching the Master Sword mid-swing. It was a surreal sight, but Link didn't let it stop him. Calling on his strength again, he bore down on her. Her face twisted into a grimace as she attempted to hold him back. All she needed to do was hold him for a few seconds, and that's exactly what she did. Behind him, the sound of chains breaking was like the doomsday bell.
Aware of the Gorons rolling in behind him, he looked intensely at the demon in front of him. Link knew with her superhuman strength, she could hold him in place until the Gorons came down on him. He had a few means of breaking free, but one stood out to him. What he needed was a way to hit multiple targets-he had just the move for that, even if he was reluctant about turning it on the Gorons.
Urbosa likely felt the same way, yet she was resolute. As the numerous Gorons came at her, the phantom snapped her fingers in tandem with Link's mental command.
KRA-KOOOM!
Mirajane vanished, a true testament to her speed, surpassing that of lightning. The Gorons, Yunobo included, weren't as swift. Link quietly warned if the mind control had dulled his senses. While nowhere near as speedy as his fellow Champions, he could still move fast, fast enough he could dodge Riju's lightning bolts. Then again, there was still a mountain's worth of differences between her and her ancestor.
Each of the Gorons cried out in agony as their stone bodies were angrily torn into by the lime green lightning Link had called forth. Link winced looking at them, regretful of the pain he'd inflicted upon them.
As his eyes locked with Yunobo, the regret he felt morphed into shock as he watched the young Champion grit his teeth and attempt to move forward. Though the lightning continued to tear into him, he seemed to be willing to press onward. For a second, Link was reminded of his grandfather, the strongest Goron he'd ever known. Without a doubt, Daruk's blood was flowing, but the body within it was possessed by evil. It was an evil Link was sworn to defend against, and that oath rung through his mind. Lifting the Master Sword up, he channeled Urbosa's Fury through the blade, and then brought it down. What came out was an electrified slash that would knock Yunobo out cold once it hit. Except it didn't.
Clenching his Boulder Crush, he deflected the attack with a roar and a push, both filled with effort. The ground splintered as the attack was parried and the lightning storm mostly dissipated. Link channeled the residual energies into his sword, giving it a green glow as he launched himself at Yunobo. With another battle cry, he did the same thus their weapons collided in a burst of lightning and fire. The ground heaved beneath them as they put all their strength into the clash. Their feet dug into the cracked earth, which seemingly bulked beneath them. Link's aura, verdant green and azure blue, rose up, Yunobo's was a raging fire that aggressively bit into his. It was like a storm against a fire, and neither side were willing to back down.
Link would have admired the fire in Yunobo's eyes if it wasn't tinted with darkness. His auras was tinged with darkness, the same darkness he'd faced a century ago and no more than two years ago. He hated seeing it in the presence of one of his allies, his friends.
That anger was swiftly swept underfoot as he sensed something behind him. The presence of demonic power told him who it was-it was the last person he wished to be on his six o'clock. Link knew he couldn't complain about it, he just needed to act, preferable before the array of rocks slammed into his backside.
Eyes narrowing, he roared and pushed forward. Yunobo stumbled backward, and as he did so, Link spin around, the lightning around his sword flashing as it grew in size. It annihilated the volcanic rocks that would have slammed into his backside, but Link didn't stop at them. His spin continued, becoming a complete revelation. From it erupted an electrified slash that spread out in an ever-growing circle. Yunobo cried out in agony as he was hit by the full force of it; his scream became a distant sound in Link's ears as he rushed toward his true target.
Unfortunately, Mirajane had dodged his attack, by simply jumping upward. Seeing him coming, she struck at him with a cartwheel kick that he batted away with his shield. With her side exposed, Link swung at it, intent on finally landing a solid hit.
"No!" Shouted a course of male voices. The familiar rumble of the ground beneath him made him groan. Despite that, he kept going toward his original target.
He heard her wince, Mirajane winced in pain as her right leg struck out, meeting the metal of the Master Sword. Given her contact with the blade's edge, it must have hurt, but she put enough force behind it to knock his weapon away. Once again, Link shifted into a spin attack, energy flying from divine sword and colliding against the three Gorons that were rolling toward him. They were all knocked back, but Link doubted they'd stay down for long. He panted a little while maintaining eye contact with Mirajane as she hit the ground several feet from him. She wasn't visibly sweating like him, something that caused him to chuckle. It was far from admirable, but he couldn't help but find something admirable in the cool stoicism Mirajane maintained, especially in this less monstrous form.
Cra-ack!
Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me! At some point, he probably should have expected it. While rolling was an innate Goron skill, they were also good diggers. A handful amongst them better than others. Those must have been the ones that burst through the ground a heartbeat later, screaming for his blood. I've got to immobilize them somehow! Get them out of the way long enough I can go for Mirajane! Two fields of options immediately popped into his head. One of them would be more painful than the other, so he rolled that one out. He'd try the first one, even if it might have seemed impractical. Link knew it might cost him, but he knew he wasn't quite ready to inflict such pain on the Gorons, even if he believed they could take it. Link also believed they'd have taken the lightning over ice, but he was going for the latter.
Sheathing the Master Sword, he summoned one of the many Great Frost Blades he had stored in his arsenal. The sword's sub-zero temperature was at odds with the above average heat of Goron City, but Link felt the former's coolness rolling over him the minute it was summoned. Flooding the sword with his own innate power, that coolness increased, the arctic aura expanded to quickly override the innate heat of Goron Town. As he poured more power into the weapon, its icy glow magnified, tendrils of frost began to roll off the weapon. Everywhere those tendrils touched, frost began to develop, starting with the ground beneath Link's feet. As the glow of the golden triangle on his right hand intensified, the sword's power reached new heights. Despite the impressive display, the Gorons continued charging at him, Yunobo included. While saddened, Link was also happy-targets charging into range of an attack was always a welcome thing.
Link could have sworn he felt the frost spreading up his arms. It'd been a while since he'd so intensely called upon the power of ice, but here he was, in the heart of Goron City doing so. There were few places more fitting, and few places necessitating such a call.
KKKKKRRRRINK!
Yet another spin slash, but this one unleashed a wave of cyan-blue ice that traveled in all directions, freezing everything in its path. That included the six and seven-foot Gorons that'd been heading for the Hylian. As the cyan wave washed over their bodies, they too were coated in solid ice. The freezing was instantaneous.
In a flash, it was over. Link surveyed his handiwork, noting with grim pride that the move had spread to everything within twenty meters of him. Even the remains of buildings had been flash-frozen, as had everything in them. Most importantly, Link looked to Yunobo and saw him frozen solid. The sight brought a deep sigh of relief to him, one intermixed with a breath of slight exhaustion.
His eyes wondered to the Great Frost Blade, the blade itself still fully formed. Its sub-zero constitution not only held, it seemed to remain in pristine condition as evident by the way the air froze around it. Link continued to let the cool aura of the weapon flow into him; it was all a welcome relief to what seemed like hours of intense heat.
Once he was finished catching his breath, Link looked around him. It seemed all the Gorons that'd been after him had been caught in the frost slash leaving them frozen stiff. Thus descended an eerie calm over Goron City, or at least his portion of it. Listening closely, he heard the faint traces of battle far beyond his corner of town. The messages began to come through more loudly on his Sheikah Slate affirming that battles were raging across the city. He knew of one way to bring them all to end before anyone else was hurt, or worse.
"Mirajane!" he shouted. "Come on out and face me! Just the two of us! There's no need to get anyone else involved in this!" Link knew the odds of her taking him up on his request were slim to none. Still, he could at least bait her into coming out in the open. Without the other Gorons coming at him, he'd have a clear shot at her; that's what he hoped for, at the very least. It was clear she'd bewitched all the Gorons in town, so he and his allies were massively outnumbered. "Mirajane! Mirajane Strauss!" His voice echoed across the frozen field he'd created. It was a drastic contrast to the rest of the volcanic landscape; the mystical nature of the ice would keep the ice from melting too fast, including the Gorons frozen in it. I've got a gut feeling you could undo it if you wanted to. You could, couldn't you, Mirajane?
Sweat rolled down his brow anew as he sensed her presence, but pinpointing it proved difficult. She was watching him, waiting for the opportune moment to attack. When and where they'd be, he didn't know, but he readied himself for it.
"Yunobo," came her unseen voice. "Free yourself, and continue to fight. Crush him. Pulverize him."
Breaking into a sprint, he made it to his Goron friend just as he glowed red. The Frost Blade was swung against him, intensifying the icy prison the young champion was still bound in. His body's rising heat clashed with the renewed ice, the two in a constant struggle. Link added his own energy into the mix, tipping the scales in his favor. Which was exactly what his opponent wanted.
Tearing one arm away from the Frost Blade, he drew the Master Sword and swung it in the opposite direction. Mirajane fell back, hissing all the while. She was about five feet from him, a short distance they could easily close in less than a second. Link chose to, believing he had Yunobo locked down, or frozen down.
Wielding both swords, he came at her, half-knowing the frontal attack would fail. She seemed ready to face his frontal assault, at least until he moved in behind her.
Spinning about, she looked surprised to see the blinding-fast display of speed. Link didn't smile as he brought both swords down on her in a parallel position. Light and ice exploded on contact, pushing Mirajane back. He followed up with not one, but multiple such attacks, a flurry of attacks that kept the she-demon on the defensive. At the rate he was going, Link was confident he'd be able to poke a hole in her defense, he just had to keep up the rapid attack, something he was rather good at when the situation called for it.
The ice blade lunged toward her arm, which was raised to parry it. Throughout their repeated clashes, the sleeves on her kimono had been slashed and now frozen. Despite such damages, the fabric overall remained-for the moment. "Stop!" She shouted as the Frost Blade descended toward it. It did.
Link's eyes widened in alarm, and in confusion. "Wha?" It wasn't his body that was frozen, it was, ironically, the sword. He tried to move it, but it seemed like the sword was intent to remain positioned in mid-swing. Looking to her, the realization dawned on him too late.
KA-SHINK!
The instantaneous freeze was felt. It brought back memories of his battle against Waterblight Ganon, the Blight that he hated more so than the others. The damned phantom had been the strongest ice-type enemy he'd ever faced, easily surpassing the Frost Talus that came after it. In some ways, Link was glad for that as battling the Waterblight had been anything but easy.
Having his Great Frost Blade explode on him reminded him of what it felt like to be back there, in the depths of Vah Ruta. His entire body frozen and helpless as the Malice-borne creature loomed over him, ready to finish him off and destroy the last of Hyrule's hope.
This time, it was a beautiful she-demon. Link was conscious through the ice as he helplessly stared at Mirajane. His heart raced in fear as he frantically tried to break out of the ice, something he'd done countless times before. Not since Waterblight Ganon had the urge been so dire.
WHA-BOOM!
His chin hurt, but he was free. The pain in his gut from the punch was a hell of a tradeoff, though. Despite her delicate appearance, this form still packed one hell of a punch, just as much as her other forms. Link kept his eyes open, tracking her as she moved in behind him while he flew backwards. The Ancient Shield activated as he spun around and took the hit. It fluxed with the hit, but held; the second hit came and it continued to do so. At the third hit, however, it finally failed. Before Link could call forth a replacement, Mirajane laid into him with a barrage of punches and kicks-this time without anything to stop her. All Link had was his body's natural fortitude.
Any thoughts Mirajane had that she could completely break through that were dashed as Link eventually caught her leg. Blood poured down his lips and his nose, but he was still standing. With an iron grip, he gripped the limb and spun her about. Roaring, he sent her sailing through the air, eventually skidding atop the frozen ground. She was up on her feet and charging at him in a moment. Link concentrated his strength into his arm as he reared it back. He saw her doing the same, setting the stage for their inevitable collision, and what a collision it was. Their empowered fists clashed, releasing shockwaves that cracked the ice beneath them and shook the air around them. They dug their feet into the cold earth as they pushed against each other.
Golden light flared up around him, emanating from his right hand. With it, he overpowered Mirajane, then laid into her with a left uppercut. She retaliated with a right kick to his sides. Link felt his rubs cry out in pain, but he kept going. He drove his right fist into her cheek, and she did the same with hers. Though his head rung with pain, he remained standing, and kept his focus on her-taking her eyes off her meant the end.
Her horns had been eye-catching; they were also rather big vulnerabilities if one was fast enough, and daring enough, to grab at them. Link did, and he used the grip to bring Mirajane's pretty face crashing against his raised knee. Twice. He should have stopped at one. Though likely dazed from the pain, Mirajane wasn't ideal. Her fists shot out, sandwiching his lower leg between them. The pain was immediate and nail-biting. It made him loosen his grip on her horns, and made it painful for him to stand. Mirajane used the former to shake herself free. Through his grimace, he looked at her, watching her mouth move.
"Yunobo!" She yelled. The call made him groan, and not at the lingering pain in his knee. It was nothing compared to what he knew he was about to start feeling.
At her command, Yunobo broke free. Perhaps he'd been struggling while he and Mirajane exchanged blows. In a burst of fire and steam, he was out, and glaring at him with the same hateful rage. It still looked so out of place on him, but Link knew the only way to wipe it off his face was to snap him out of this mind control. That'd proved easier said than done.
Watching him come at him, Link ran over his options. I can either freeze him again or knock him out. Forcing down the lingering pain in his knee, he jumped over the Goron, and side stepped wide-reaching back swing once he realized he'd been evaded. The good news was that while Yunobo's attacks were furious, they still lacked a certain level fineness to them that made easier to predict. If I put him on ice again, he could just break out. I've got no choice but to knock him out! Doing so would hurt, it'd leave Yunobo feeling like shit when he woke up, but hopefully that'd be after the situation was under control.
Flames alight, he brought his Boulder Crush down atop him, or tried to. Link easily parried with the Master Sword, then dragged the blade across his stone body. Every second of it was painful, but he pushed on through his and Yunobo's agony. Speaking of which, that probably fueled him slamming his blunt-tipped sword into the ground. Link jumped back as magma spikes erupted from the space around him. Their heat melted away the residual ice in a flash. He had a hunch if he wanted to, he could melt the rest of the ice as well. Luckily, he seemed entirely focused on him. Then again, Yunobo was undoubtedly showing what these last few years of training had accomplished.
The magma spikes surged toward Link, the superheated rock almost howling for his blood. Standing strong, he summoned a Frost Spear and hurled it at the approaching attack. In an explosion of frost and steam, the attack was halted. Perhaps not for long, but long enough for Link to get out of the spikes' way. Yunobo caught him and charged, his Boulder Breaker swelling with flames. As his grandfather did, he became spinning about, accumulating power that would explode once he made impact.
Common sense told Link the wise thing to do would have been to evade the attack, or parry it so he could knock Yunobo off-balance. Both options were tempting, yet watching him come close, he felt the call of a third option. This one was ridiculously dangerous and likely to injure him if he wasn't careful…but that made it more appealing.
Gripping the Master Sword, he made his choice, uttering a silent prayer to the goddesses and Hylia that this didn't end badly for him, or Yunobo.
While he didn't have as much time as him, Link was able to summon up near the same amount of strength with only a few spins. The Master Sword became wreathed in azure energy, sharply contrasting the raging flames of the Goron heading for him. They were two energized cyclones heading for a collision, and when they did, it released the greatest shockwave so far, crushing the ground and releasing boulder-tossing shockwaves. That included the Gorons, some of whom broke free of their frozen imprisonment, others were still incased in ice as they were knocked aside like pebbles.
There at the center of the two storms were Link and Yunobo, testing their power against one another. Despite his greater size and vigor, Link knew he had more to give than his young friend. He summoned up that strength as he pushed harder, knocking Yunobo's Boulder Crush aside. Face bent in tight focus, he completed his spin, and then drove his left fist straight into the Goron's gut. The air knocked out of him, the stumbled backward, one hand going to his painted gut. Link hated to see him hunched over, and he hated the fact his attack wasn't finished yet, but he had to do it.
Calling forth a new weapon, he took no joy in the grim irony of using a Stone Crusher. It was definitely going to hurt, but he'd apologize to Yunobo for it later.
"Rah…RAAAAAH!" Suddenly, his face shot up before Link could bring the weapon down. Fire was literally blazing in his eyes, and around his body. It morphed into a geometric shape he recognized all too well; it rapidly expanded while his Stone Crusher continued to descend. Link tried to stop it, but the shield closed the distance on its own.
From the moment of contact, it was an instant explosion. Link felt the weapon go flying out of his hand, though he had little time to register the loss. Yunobo surged forward, his fiery barrier still growing-Link felt it slam into him at full force. It was hot and hard, exactly like getting hit by a chunk of magma. He'd stopped such a thing before, but that needed time and effort; he didn't have a lot of the former, and the latter was something he quickly tried to muster up. That got a lot harder as a pair of stony arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him against the heat source.
"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!" Between being crushed and burnt to death, Link felt like he was entitled to a scream. It was like being caught in an Igneo Talus' grip, which he'd been in before. Somehow, this felt worse. "Gaaaahh! AARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" His face was burning, his chest was burning, everything was burning while his spin was screaming in agony. If he didn't do something, Yunobo was actually going to kill him. N-No way! I'm not…GOING TO LET IT END LIKE THIS!
"…ster. Ma…ster. Use…me. Use…"
Link might have written off the voice as a pain-induced hallucination if he hadn't seen the Master Sword glowing amidst the flames. Not questioning it, he quickly angled the sword as best he could and drove it into Yunobo's stony flesh. The enchanted sword plunged through the magic barrier; Link faintly heard the sound of glass breaking, a familiar sound to him. In this case, it was a sound he was grateful for. Even more startling, he was grateful to hear Yunobo cry out in pain. His grip on his body loosened, and Link immediately seized on that opportunity to break free.
But Yunobo wasn't going to let go that easily.
Suddenly, he felt himself moving upward. Startled, he looked around and found he and Yunobo were ascending skyward. "W-W-What the hell?! Y-Y-Y-Yunobo!" Panic seized him anew as he recognized the setup for this move. Daruk had performed it numerous times, and each time he'd been left with a small amount of bit for poor bastard that ended up crushed beneath him. Though his grandson didn't quite have as much body weight to him, Link knew Yunobo could still crush a few of his bones when he came down on him. He knew Daruk would be proud of his grandson, just as Link would be. But he had to think of a way out of this.
Seeing the Master Sword still lobbed in Yunobo's arm, he knew he had to use that as best he could. Tightening his grip, he pushed the sword in deep.
"Use…me…Master. Use…the sacred power…dispel…the darkness. Dispel the darkness." Called that voice for the second time.
He didn't question its identity or how it knew this, he just did as it asked, or tried to. I don't want to kill him. I want to save him! I want to break the spell he's under! Golden light burst from the top of his right palm, flowing from it into his sword. Reacting quickly, Link wretched the blade around, causing Yunobo to cry out in pain. As he did so, wisps of darkness flew out of his arm. Finally, his grip was loose enough for Link to push himself free. In doing so, he looked back at the flailing Goron. Amazingly, he saw more wisps of darkness, not just Malice but jet-black rings around Yunobo's head. That's it! The spell! Gripping the Master Sword, he made one final prayer that this would work, then he brought the weapon down on seemingly empty air.
SWOOSH!
The dark rings broke in half while the whisps of Malice dissolved. With their destruction, Yunobo's eyes flashed a purple and red before settling on their original black.
"L-L-L-Link?! L-L-Link? W-W-What's going-aaaaaahhhh! WE'RE FALLING! OH NO, WE'RE FALLING!"
He laughed even as he felt gravity rapidly returning them to the earth. "Nice to have you back, Yunobo!"
"WHAT'S GOING OOOOOON?!" Wailed the young Goron.
Grabbing him, preferable his uninjured right arm, Link reached out to another one of his fallen companions and their abilities. The oh-so-familiar voice of his rival was a happy melody in his ears.
"Urgh, how utterly asinine."
A sudden gale pushed the pair upwards moments before they could hit the ground. It was on the lighter side than those that'd come before it, but it was enough to cushion the pair's inevitable fall once it ended. Link and Yunobo landed on their feet once it ended, both hunched over and panting, but very much alive.
Confusion and panic still had a tight grip on Yunobo's face. "W-What's going on! Why were we up there? Oh man, I can't remember a-owwwww!" Pain blossomed across his face. Finally looking to his left arm, Yunobo flew into a new panic as he became aware of the somewhat deep stab wound that was the cause of his discomfort.
Link looked to it with deep sorrow. "I'm sorry about that, Yunobo. It was the only way I could get you to let go of me."
His black eyes looked to Link with astonishment rather than anger. "Let go of you? W-Wha? You mean…you mean you and I were…fighting?" Grimly, he nodded. His eyes began roaming Link's bruised and burnt body, particularly the sizable burn scar on his left cheek. His armor was broken and scorched in several places; Yunobo quickly put the clues together, including those that lay around him. They'd landed near their original battleground, meaning he saw the broken up and scorched scars of the land. "W-What…what happened?"
"You know that she-demon that's been on the loose? She put some sort of spell on you and the rest of the Gorons." Link quickly explained. While Yunobo digested the news, Link surveyed the area. While free of Gorons, he knew that could likely change. A second later and it did. "Yunobo, get ready."
He jumped, both from Link's warning and the sight of his fellow Gorons emerging to encircle them. "Uh, g-g-g-guys? W-W-What's g-g-going on?" His frown deepened as he took note of the hateful glares on their faces. "T-T-T-They're possessed!"
"Just like you were." Link growled. "I either break their control or go for the source." Who has made herself scarce, again. Damn, I wish she'd just use one of her other forms to smash up everything in her way.
With a slight grasp on the situation, Yunobo stood up straighter, his eyes hardening. He knew he hated the thought of fighting his fellow Gorons, but like him, he recognized they didn't have any other options. "W-W-Where's the source?"
"A woman, one with golden horns wearing a kimono." He answered.
"A woman with horns wearing a kimono? Wait, I-I think I remember seeing someone like her bef-!" The collective roars of the Gorons cut him off. Then, it was the sound of them rolling toward the two of them all at once. They were coming at them from all directions, dozens going at topside. "I-I got this, Link!" Slamming his fists together, the fiery barrier inherent to his bloodline rapidly expanded. While it stopped the plethora of mind-controlled Gorons, it was clear the barrier was struggling to hold them back. The strain immediately manifested on Yunobo's face.
He's running low on energy, can't say I blame him after all that. While Link wasn't quite as fatigued, he knew Yunobo was going rapidly going to reach his limit if he was pushed like he was. He knew he'd begin to reach the latter half of his own strength if he had to run another all-Goron gauntlet, especially while refraining from seriously hurting or killing any of them. Pushing all that aside, he slammed his fists together, adding his version of Daruk's Protection to Yunobo's. The flame barrier was reinforced, providing the strength needed to send all the Gorons flying backwards. As their groans of pain rose up, Link quickly looked around him. In failing to spot Mirajane, he whipped out his Sheikah Slate and used its scanner. Near immediately, the red dot came up, approximately thirteen meters from his location. "She's watching us."
"C-Can you get to her?" Yunobo questioned.
Looking around the battlefield, Link responded, "Possibly. It won't be easy with so many Gorons getting in the way. They're under the same spell as you."
"So…talking to them won't help." He gloomily remarked.
Link heard the groans of the Gorons getting back on their feet. They'd run themselves ragged, even to the point of death, to stop them. That'd eat up time and energy on their part.
"Call upon…the sacred flames…to cleanse the curse…the divine flames…cleanse…Master."
His eyes were on the Master Sword, which glowed with an ethereal light. The voice was soothing despite its stoic tone. The more Link stared at the blade, the more it seemed to glow, as if trying to convince him of its suggestion. It didn't need to work too hard at it.
You haven't failed me before, and you never failed my ancestors. He thought raising the sword to the sky and gripping it with both hands. "Yunobo," Link called. "Can you keep them off me for a second?"
"I got it!"
Closing his eyes, he quieted his mind, creating a canvas of perfect darkness. Suddenly, it became alit by fire, three fires. Green, blue, and red, the colors of the Golden Goddesses. Their power dwelled in the Master Sword, even after thousands of years. He called upon them, asked them, for their power. He needed it, Hyrule needed it.
FOOM!
Rather than one color, it was all three, red, green, and blue, all swirling around the Master Sword. Link took one look at the flames and knew of their mystical nature. "Okay, it's now or never. I just hope this works!"
"Link!" Yunobo called, his voice strained from effort.
"I'm ready! Just get down!"
The fire wall came down, and in rolled all the mind-controlled Gorons. Link spun, the Master Sword traveling in yet another circular arc. From it exploded the tri-colored flames, quickly enveloping all the approaching Gorons. They vanished in the blaze, but Link didn't worry for them, even as their voices rose in confused screams. All too quickly they died down, morphed into quiet moans followed by the sound of bodies slumping against the ground. Gradually, the blaze faded to reveal their hunched over forms, no different than how they'd been a second ago. Link knew something had been burnt away though.
Yunobo lifted his head and looked around, noting the confused state they were in, similar to his own state. It brought a smile to his face. "Y-You did it, Link."
"Yeah, but I'm not done yet. There's still other Gorons under her control." Link raised the sword and aimed the tip at the ground. "This is going to go big." His confused murmurs were quickly drowned out by the roar of the sacred flames that flowed from his sword into the ground. Link couldn't see it, but he could feel it interacting with the heat and lava that flowed beneath the city. He was commandeering them to save its inhabitants.
From him shot up the tri-colored flames, an inferno that alarmed the Gorons as they came to. Their alarm swiftly turned into confusion as they realized the flames weren't burning them; they in fact felt quite warm and even welcoming, particularly the red flames. The flames continued to spread, stretching for miles and miles until they covered all of Goron City. Shock, confusion, and awe ripped through all the city's occupants, Gorons, Hylians, and humans alike. Naturally, the first thought of many was that they were going to burn, but the lack of such caused their confusion to magnify. At least, that was the case for all save for the Gorons, who did find the flames affecting them.
Giant hands clenched at hands as the mystic fire burned them, but not their bodies in the typical sense. Onlookers watched whisps of darkness burn up in the triple-colored flames, and with them the Gorons collapsed. At first glance they appeared to be dead, but their worry, and borderline horror, dissipated as they began to move. They woke to just as much confusion as the onlookers.
From a bird's eye view, all of Goron City seemed to be engulfed in a tri-colored blaze, yet such a phenomenon yielded no screams. There was no destruction, not of the city or the people. A rare sight, but so were the three-flames that were bathing the city. Even the red flames were of a unique shade that highlighted their unique nature.
For the Gorons, they faintly recognized them. They were the flames of their patron deity.
Slowly, the great blaze began to die out. As quickly as they'd come they went, leaving behind absolutely nothing except awe in their wake. Nothing was scorched black, not people nor buildings.
Last to go were the flames around the Master Sword, the spark that'd ignited the great fire. Though the flames may seemed to have die, the power was still there. Albeit Link knew he wasn't going to be calling upon it again so soon.
He withdrew the Master Sword from the ground and fell to a knee. His breathing was hard, his chest and shoulders heavy. His undershirt was coated in sweat that dripped from his brow. While minor, he felt a slight tingle in his arms. It wasn't the "lead filling" Link knew it was a sizable step in that direction. Honestly, he wasn't big on taking another step there, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd be taking it. As he looked around, he noted the absence of the instigator of all this chaos. He didn't believe for a second that she'd been hit by the holy inferno he'd summoned, she was far too skilled for that.
"Link! Link! Holy shit! There was a…a…that was you, wasn't it?" Sounded off his Sheikah Slate.
His immediate response was a slight chuckle. "Yep, Trevor. That was me. Is everyone alright? Have the Gorons regained their senses?"
"Yeah, and as usual, it's thanks to you. Though a lot of them seemed to be wondering what the hell's going on."
"There's going to be a lot of that going around." He responded while looking back to Yunobo. He had his own Sheikah Slate out and seemed to be scrolling through it for something. "Look, regroup with the others and remain on standby. I'm sure that the She-Demon's still somewhere in the area. Watch out for her though. She's taken on a new form and has access to some kind of mind control magic."
"Geez, can't we catch a break? Don't suppose you know any tricks to avoiding it, do you?" He sounded off.
Link grimaced realizing that there was no real trick to avoiding it. For him, it'd just been sheer willpower that allowed him to break her control. Not to put down his comrades, but he doubted the same would work for most of them. On top of willpower, he believed his own divine power had played a part in breaking the spell. That was something else none of his allies had. Granted, they did have holy quartz weaponry, but he didn't know how it'd standup to Mirajane's magic. The more he thought about it, the more he realized there was only one thing to do.
"Like I said, just regroup with everyone and stand ready. I'm…going to go take care of this at the source."
There was a short pause from the other end, one he'd half-expected. "Link,"
"I'm the only one who can stand up to her. Besides, now that we've seen what she can do, we can't let her continue to roam free. I have to stop her."
"Do you even know where she is?"
Good question. He mused. "I'll find her."
"Link, that's not encouraging."
"No, but I know I'll find her, or she'll find me." Was his response.
He could practically see Trevor rolling his eyes. "Still not encouraging, but somehow, I feel like it'll work. In finding her, now when you two meet-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But hey, I've survived this long." Link chuckled.
"…Heh, yeah, you have. Just watch yourself, okay? Paya would be in tears if you went and got yourself killed, not to mention our queen."
"Got it." Once the call ended, he became aware of something. The familiar smell of smoking, hot meat mixed with rock made his stomach rumble. Swiftly looking to his left, he saw a prime rock roast offered to him. "Y-Y-Yunobo," he stuttered taking it. Despite it primarily being a food of Gorons, Link had proven himself more than capable of chowing down on them. And enjoying them.
The current Goron Champion gave a sheepish laugh. "Figure it's the least I can do, especially since you're about to head off to another fight. You'll need all the energy you can get! And for that, there's nothing like a Prime Goron Rock Roast!" His head fell low in an embarrassed bow. "Plus, I…really, really owe you an apology."
"…Thanks, Yunobo, and don't worry about it." With eagerness, he began biting into the searing hot rock-meat hybrid. His stomach hummed in approval as he scarfed down the delicious food. He welcomed the lava-like heat as it blossomed throughout his body. "Ahh, now that hits the spo-!"
Tossing the roast aside, he threw up his arms, summoning Daruk's Protection.
CRA-ACK!
THOOOM!
His lungs were completely deprived of air. Every last ounce of it was forced out of him while his body was pulled upward. He could feel nothing, yet everything hurt, especially his stomach. Something had been driven deep into it, a spike? A cannonball? A piece of magma? The last one seemed quite likely since he felt pure, scorching hot pain spreading through him. It was different from the heat of the rock roast, nice and refreshing. This was fire that simply hurt. Link could have sworn he felt it attempted to burrow inside of him to set his organs ablaze. If he didn't do something, that's exactly what was going to happen.
WHAM!
Once more, his cheek burned, but not just with heat but raw physical pain. The agony of a punch, one carried out by an extremely tough fist.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
It wasn't just punches, it was kicks as well. All of them, coming from every direction at high-speed and with the heat of scorching lava. Quite a barrage, and he was near helpless to do anything about it.
Near helpless, not completely.
Through the pain, he was able to trace her movements. Not easy given the pain, but he'd worked through such agony before. The trail of flames his opponent-Mirajane, was leaving in her wake helped. Her form appeared different than it had been before. It was too hard to make out the specifics, not that doing so was his top priority. Link knew he had to put up a defense before he was killed. That was, of course, easier said than done.
"Still got some fight left in you?" Called the former leader of the Champions of Hyrule.
Arcs of lightning coursed between his fingers, then up his arms. He watched a fireball zip past him then intensify above him. The heat bombarded his beaten body like rays of the summer sun. Plenty. Link whispered back. Down came the fireball, a figure identifiable within it. A fist was pulled back ready to either pummel him back into the ground or incinerate him into ashes. He wasn't going to let either one be his fate.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
Illuminated by the lightning, he was able to make out Mirajane's face. It was back to what he'd seen it as, what he believed to be her true face. Her snow-white had had grown, becoming a massive scruffy mane that was unlike her previous hairstyles. Link would say it matched her new form, which seemed to exude a sense of overwhelming power more so than the others. Some sort of gold armor looped around her chin up to her ears, which were covered by two horns, practically opposite position of the previous form she'd taken. It seemed to glow bright thanks to the luminescence of their colliding attacks, her fire and his lightning.
They were frozen there in the sky, hundreds of feet above the ground. Link half wondered if anyone saw them. Maybe they did, given how much power they were putting into overwhelming each other. Mirajane didn't seem surprised he'd managed to catch her fist, or her second one when she tried to smash it into his fist. They were now deadlocked, but that wouldn't stand for long.
Roaring, Link threw his head forward as Mirajane did the same. Lightning and fire crashed against one another between their faces, breaking them apart. Link felt his head ringing and his arms throbbing, yet he was still determined to finish this. He called up the second power he'd obtained on his journey across decimated Hyrule. Revali's phantom appeared behind him, looking far more imposing than before, a fierce caw leaving his beak as he spread his wings and bequeathed his wind magic onto Link. Using it, he surged forward, summoning a new sword. The residual lightning from Urbosa's Fury coiled around the Gurdian Sword, turning its blue blade bright green. Verdant arcs flashed about as he brought the magitech weapon against Mirajane's flaming fist, creating another burst of clashing elements. It painted the evening sky a mix of green and orange, hues that remained even as they separated from one another.
Their attacks were repeated at different angles, each with the hope it'd be enough to get an edge in, but to no avail. His supercharged blade and her fists, each clashed with enough force they parted the clouds around them. Surely such a spectacle was being watched on the ground; it was akin to two demigods battling it out, but only one of the combatants had the divine on his side. The other was a demon. Lacking her previous wings, but no less unholy in appearance and power, especially in power. Fire followed her every motion, from her fists to her legs, the latter of which spouted flames from the soils of her feet, propelling her wherever she wished.
Link realized that was perhaps the greatest danger of this new form, the flaming propulsion. Her speed exceeded his, especially in the air where he was force to rely on Revali's Gale. Even using it at this great expense left him just barely keeping up with her. It was clear she was just as skilled as the late Rito archer at aerial combat. Still, that didn't meant Link was at a complete disadvantage.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!
He saw Mirajane sneer in annoyance as coils of lightning bit at her left arm, even as his Guardian Sword shattered. Link simply summoned another, though its power was far from that of the previous blade. In addition to the sword, he summoned forth a shield, believing he'd be needing some defense. He was proven right as Mirajane, of course, came back again with more fire, primarily a blast of concentrated fire. Such an attack blasted him down, but the shield held for a time. There was almost a sigh of relief when the attack ended, but it was swiftly cut off as Link laid eyes on what was about to come.
Mirajane had her arms up, and within it a spherical mass of fire was forming. It wasn't simply her power feeding it, massive waves of fire were being drawn in from somewhere-somewhere down below.
Heart pounding in fear, he craned his head back and looked down.
It was an incredible sight, even if it heralded his potential destruction. All the fire within the Eldin Region was seemingly being pulled from the earth up into Mirajane, it was hers to command. Such a feat was limited to only Vah Rudania, and in the distant past, the fire dragon whom the region was named after. Such acts were truly divine in scope, yet it was being replicated by a she-demon that'd come out of nowhere. By her will, the scorching hot power of the Eldin Region was hers to command, and she was going to use it to destroy everything and everyone. That was the only conclusion Link come could to seeing the fireball the size of a mountain.
If she drops that, it'll destroy the whole region! To think, she can command this much power! It's greater even than Fireblight Ganon! Panic was rising fast within him, as was desperation. He had to do something or else it was the end of him, Yunobo, and everyone else down below. Hell, such a blast could trigger a seismic shockwave that tore apart the whole country. Link couldn't let that happen, but what could he do? He was freefalling with pain in every part of his body and his magical energy beginning to run low!
"Hey, Link! You still there!"
Grabbing the Sheikah Slate, he held it in front of him. "Y-Yunobo!"
"Yeah, it's me! Look, I'm going to try something! Wish me luck!" The white-hot fire of determination was in his eyes. Whatever he was about to try, Link immediately prayed it would work.
As the waves of fire suddenly reversed themselves, he'd say his prayers were answered.
It too was an amazing sight, the snaking pillars of fire suddenly reversing their flow and moving downward. Following their path, Link's jaw dropped as he made out the lizard-like shape of Vah Rudania, undoubtedly piloted by Yunobo. The mech glowed with a fiery glow as it called forth the flames into itself, roaring as if to proclaim them its property. Link welcomed it, and he was sure those looking on did so as well. Turning his gaze back to the she-demon, he smiled seeing her massive fireball was shrinking in size, now deprived of the power that'd fueled it.
At least, until the sphere began to grow in size once more.
"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Link shouted to the clouds. D-Don't tell me…she's using her own power to fuel it! It's equal to all the energy in the Eldin Region! Looking back at the Slate, he heard Yunobo's panicked stuttering. "Y-Yunobo, you've got to fire!"
"B-B-But according to my scanners, you might get caught up in the blast!" He yelled back.
"That doesn't matter! You've got to stop her before she kills us all!" He defiantly shook his head at Yunobo's hesitancy. "I'll be fine! Just do it! Do it for the Gorons! Do it for Hyrule! It's your duty as a Champion, Yunobo!" He smiled seeing the immediate hardening of his face.
Summoning his paraglider, Link felt his once rapid descent deaccelerate. With it, he could also watch at his leisure Vah Rudania began to charge up its Guardian beam. Attacking with fire was out of the question, leaving the Divine Beast its most basic yet most reliable weapon. That weapon, that bright blue beam of focused mystical energy, fired from the split "mouth" of the Divine Beast. It was just as jaw-dropping as it had been when it and the three others fired on Hyrule Castle, drastically weakening Calamity Ganon. This time, it collided against something else, power of equal measure. Mirajane launched the fireball she'd been creating down at the beam, lighting up the horizon in a horrifically beautiful clash of blue and red.
Link felt the resulting shockwaves nearly blow him away like a leaf in a storm. It took a great deal of strength to hold onto his paraglider as he was thrown aside. He had no control over his direction. Ever further he was blown, yet the clash between the energy beam and the fireball remained in view. The more Link saw of it, the more he felt a desire to play a part in it. He had no idea if Yunobo and Vah Rudania would triumph, even if he had faith in them.
He'd told Yunobo it was his duty as a Champion of Hyrule, a duty he shared.
"Revali's Gale is ready, but…are you sure about this, Link?"
His knuckles white against the paraglider's handles, he answered in a voice lost to the storm winds, yet audible to the spirits around him. "Yes, I am."
Once again, the vestige of the late Rito Champion appeared behind him, wings spread out. With their flap, the tempest-like winds were brought under Link's control. Dismissing the paraglider, he commanded them to carry him toward the clashing beams. It wasn't an easy journey, but he flew straight toward his object. From his Sheikah Slate materialized a new weapon, an Ancient Bow complete with an Ancient Arrow, unfurling as it was readied to strike. More energy pooled around the mystic arrowhead. Whisps of gold flowed into it from Link's palm, making it a meniscal star against the infernal sun and the divine comet pushing against each other. Taking aim at the former, Link let his arrow fly, watching it cut a straight path through the storm winds.
The star struck the sun, triggering a chain reaction within it. While still struggling against the beam, blue and gold distortions appeared across the fireball, shrinking and warping it. Sensing sibling energy, the mystic beam seemingly stretched toward the distortions, nearly consuming the fireball. Roaring, Mirajane fed the spell more of her energy, returning it to its original size, yet the distortions remained. It and the beam seemingly merged into one, their colors meddling into a hideous mix that cackled with power that boiled the air and clouds.
Link dropped the bow in favor of a shield, then threw up Daruk's Protection. Two layers of defense, but he knew it might not before when the powerful fusion exploded.
As he was thrown through the air like a ragdoll, he found he couldn't have been more right. Everything vanished in the blinding flash of light.
It was impossible to tell if they'd beaten the She-Demon, all Link could do was hope that they hadn't lost.
And that's Chapter 9. Almost eight months wasn't as long of a break as I planned on, but I suppose it took me some time to get some motivation back. This chapter was always planned to be a big one, a bigger and more action-packed version of the mind-controlled boss battle against Yunobo in Tears. Not only did I have Link fight him, but a couple of other Gorons as well since I set it up as Mirajane using the Marco Curse on pretty much the entire population. While she, nor even Seliah I believe, ever showed anything quite on that scale, in this story she's been boosted by Malice, which has bolstered all dark-related abilities Mirajane possesses.
Speaking of boosts, I had Yunobo give what was hopefully a better showing here than he did in-game. Given my love of writing action, I went hard on showing how he's coming into his own as Daruk's successor. It'll be the same when Teba (sorry, Tulin fans), Riju, and Sidon get moments to shine. Age of Calamity's going to be a big inspiration, as it has been for writing Link's combat abilities.
In case you were all wondering, yes, Fi's sneaking up and about, particularly since her master's up against a literal demon (or a woman using demons' powers). I've probably mentioned it before, but I'm really leaning into the Master Sword's aspect as a holy sword, something that doesn't quite exist in Fairy Tail canon. It's the perfect counter to the Curses used by Etherious, although Link doesn't quite know that since he still has no idea where Mirajane came from or what her world's like. Rest assured, an honest meeting and heart-to-heart talk between the two is coming. There's just one last hurdle in the way of that.
Hopefully it won't take so long for me to get out Chapter 10 since it's going to mark a major turning point. Until then, take care, readers!