Chapter 5: The last push. Strong wills.
The final monster of the labyrinth was a giant hydra that dwarfed the trio. Its heads hissed as they noticed the three beings they were facing.
"Here it comes!" Cloud noticed.
The beast slammed its tail on the ground. The red head of the hydra soon attacked first, launching a compressed shot of fire from its mouth. The trio used Quick Step to avoid the attack. It caused a sizable explosion, which was felt even from a distance.
"That's some blast…" Cloud noted.
Hajime attempted to take aim, only for a blast of ice hurled at him to interrupt his attack. He dodged, which caused a large icicle behind him to form.
"Those heads seem to align on specific elements. I noticed that blue one wielded ice while the red one used fire." Hajime analyzed.
The boys managed to shoot their respective revolvers on their targets. Hajime shot the blue head while Cloid shot the red head.
"That's strange. It looked like our bullets didn't punch through them." Hajime noticed.
Yue soon faced one of the heads. It was a yellow green hydra head that began forming blades of wind. The vampire girl managed to deflect the wind blades before uttering her attack.
"Ice spikes!" She commanded.
A hailstorm of sharp ice spikes rained on the yellow head of the hydra. It took the impalement, but it didn't stop its assault. The trio soon noticed the white head hissing loud and surrounding itself in a milky white aura. They noticed the attacks inflicted on the heads were healing.
"So that white one acts as the healer… We have to take it out before dealing with the others." Cloud observed.
"That one will definitely have to die!" Hajime agreed.
The boys took their aim as the other heads of the hydra were ready to strike. Soon, it manifested several elemental blasts from its mouths, firing them in a salvo.
"Start dodging those blasts!" Hajime spoke.
The trio began to dodge the attacks, barely avoiding them. Cloud and Hajime used Quick Step to avoid a concentrated blast , separating from each other to divert the heads away. Soon they took aim with their revolvers before firing. Yue also had a spell prepared to follow the assault.
"Lightning Javelin!" She spoke.
A spear of lightning formed on her right hand. She hurled it to the white head, only for a surprising tactic to happen. The yellow head intercepted the blow, opening the folds around its head like a shield. It took the attacks directly though it wasn't done. The white head began healing it from any damages incurred to it.
"That yellow one is going to be trouble… Its protecting the white one from any attacks." Hajime spoke with a grunt.
"One attacks, one heals, one defends… This monster will be a tough one to fight." Cloud noted.
Cloud and Hajime fired their last shots, forcing them to eject their spent bullets before hiding behind one of the crystal pillars to reload.
'This is going to be a challenge alright. Hope Yue is doing okay.' Hajime thought.
Yue was attempting to cast another spell, aiming for one of the heads. She was floating in their air, ready to launch her next move.
"Imperial cannon!" She commanded.
Before she could attack, the black head of the hydra interrupted her, causing the vampire girl to fall to the ground. Getting up from the attack, she was face to face with the black head of the hydra. Their gaze was briefly locked before Yue found herself in a dark corridor, alone.
"Huh?" She said, uncertain on what to see.
She then noticed a mirror image of herself in her former prison. Soon, she realized she was trapped in her own prison again as her mirror image walked up to her before vanishing.
"What…? Is that me…? No, this isn't real!" Yue exclaimed.
She soon saw Hajime and Cloud departing when they first saw her. She nearly broke down seeing them disappear.
"Hajime? Cloud? Wait, don't leave me!" She screamed.
Yue's scream alerted the boys, noticing the black head of the hydra was hypnotizing her. This angered them before Cloud managed to unleash an enraged slice at the head, cleaving it off.
"Stay there!" Cloud shouted in anger.
"Keep your fucking mouth away from her!" Hajime shouted, firing a few shots at the head.
The boys managed to carry Yue to safety. While running, Hajime dropped a few grenades to distract the heads. They soon exploded, giving them immense damage. Cloud noticed the black head was destroyed when he cleaved its neck off the body. However, the damage from the other heads began to regenerate thanks to the white one. Hajime soon formed a stone dome to provide a form of protection.
"Yue, wake up! Don't faint on me!" Hajime said.
Soon, Yue woke up from her traumatic vision.
"Hajime? Cloud?" She spoke weakly.
The boys were worried for her mental health. They could see she felt vulnerable.
"I thought you two abandoned me in the darkness…" She spoke in a shaky voice.
Hajime realized she was shaken by the experience. In a bold move that surprised her, the Synergist kissed her lips, leaving her stunned in shock. Cloud kept his attention to the hydra, keeping Hajime and Yue guarded.
"I'll try to buy time for you two to take this bastard down. Yue, are you alright now?" Cloud asked.
"Yes, I'm alright now." Yue spoke, her voice no longer shaking.
(Play Final Fantasy VII Remake OST - Let The Battles Begin)
"Listen close, Yue. We will kill this thing and leave this labyrinth to the surface. Once we do, we have to search our way home. All of us together." Hajime spoke to her.
Yue gave a heartfelt smile. Soon, the hydra began to damage the stone dome, forcing Cloud to hold its attacks. The dome began to crack before it soon collapsed, causing the trio to jump back.
"Time we cook up a plan of attack. Yue, I'll fire one shot at a time. No doubt that yellow head will try to protect the others. Overwhelm it while I keep the others busy. Cloud, use the hidden gun feature in your Yaeko to blast any head that tries to intervene my next assault." Hajime ordered.
Cloud and Yue nodded as they dashed across the hallway. The heads began bombarding the boys with elemental bombs. Yue soon unleashed a magical tempest, with lightning and wind magic combined. The attack disoriented the hydra, leaving it vulnerable. Cloud took aim with his gun-blade in its gun form and fired at the yellow head. The shot managed to graze it, due to the other heads attempting to distract him. He soon switched back to its blade form, ready to fight physically.
"Now Hajime! Take out the white head!" Cloud said.
Hajime quickly took aim, only for the yellow head to intercept any future attacks. This didn't deter him as he fired a single bullet at the head. Yue soon unleashed a barrage of meteor-like fireballs. The attack was too intense for the yellow head to keep defending. However, the black head attempted to break down Yue's mind.
'That one again…' Yue thought.
She soon recalled the kiss she had with Hajime. It gave her the strong willpower to overcome the hypnosis.
"That trick won't work a second time…!" Yue shouted.
She unleashed a lightning storm, shocking the black head. It quickly moved to Hajime and Cloud, subjecting them to its mental assault. They soon noticed the past trauma of their post-fall moments prior to eating the monster meat that changed them. However, this didn't deter them at all. They didn't even blink.
"Using a fear status debuff to immobilize your enemies before taking them down… Quite an intense skill. However, that won't work on us!" Hajime shouted with a dark smile.
Hajime fired two shots before Cloud performed an overhead swing, cleaving the head in two. The wound was soon healed by the white head, allowing the black and yellow heads to continue their fight.
"Time we pull the cards off, Cloud!" Hajime announced.
Cloud nodded, pressing the button on the pommel of his sword. The gun features became visible. He then loaded a single bullet. Hajime soon unveiled his new weapon, Schlagen. Both charged their shots with the Lightning Field skill before firing.
"We'll take them all in one shot!" Hajime shouted.
They fired. The recoil of their respective weapons was intense, causing the air to create a powerful shockwave. The boys held their ground as they kept aiming at the hydra. The yellow, white and black heads were obliterated from the two shots.
"That leaves the offensive ones. Time to take them out." Cloud said.
"Cloud, help me reload my Schlagen. I'll be ready to take those other heads out." Hajime requested.
Cloud soon regrouped with Hajime, reloading another bullet in the rifle. The remaining heads attempted to capitalize on attacking the boys, only for orbs of lightning to encircle them. Yue was casting them in succession.
"Heavenly Blade!" Yue commanded.
The orbs of lightning acted as a conductor, unleashing their energy to the hydra. The remaining heads were pulverized by the electricity, disintegrating from the assault. This left Yue exhausted for a moment. The trio kept an eye out at the monster in case it launched a surprise attack.
"We did it…" Yue spoke weakly.
(Let The Battles Begin OST ends here)
The boys quickly went to Yue, knowing she was too tired to continue. Her eyes were closed from exhaustion, catching her breath. She soon opened her eyes from her brief rest. However, the vampire girl noticed the hydra was starting to stand. She ran to the boys in response.
"Look out!" She warned them.
(Play Final Fantasy VII OST - Off The Edge Of Despair)
The boys noticed the hydra standing with a hidden silver head. It soon began picking its target to attack, looking first to Hajime before eyeing Yue.
"Shit…" Hajime noticed.
He attempted to reach Yue, shrouding himself in a white aura.
"Diamond Skin!" He commanded.
He attempted to take the attack, using Schlagen as an emergency shield. The silver head fired a rainbow beam, which caused Hajime's Diamond Skin to be overtaxed. The resulting defense tactic managed to absorb the blow, but it left Hajime knocked out. His rifle was destroyed, shattered into fragments beyond repair. He was bleeding from his right eye, which was now missing.
"Hajime!!!" Cloud shouted.
"No!!!" Yue screamed, heading to Hajime.
Cloud soon dashed in an enraged state, plowing his sword at the hydra. The creature was noticeably pushed back from the relentless swings from Cloud's sword. Each swing made it push further back, till it was forced to touch a wall behind it.
"Eat this you bastard snake!" Cloud shouted.
He soon pointed his sword, activating its gun form. The hydra fired another rainbow beam but Cloud fired from his gun-blade. Both shots were at a standstill till they dissipated, canceling each other.
"Damn it!" Cloud spoke in disdain.
"Hajime! Wake up!" Yue spoke.
The silver head soon created two purple orbs before firing two concentrated beams to Cloud, forcing him to dodge. However, the orbs remained. They soon fired a barrage of energy spikes to overwhelm the swordsman. Though he managed to dodge them and get the hydra away from Hajime and Yue, he was soon impaled by two spikes at his chest.
"Ugh…! Damn it." Cloud grunted.
The swordsman's attempted to use the ambrosia to heal from his injuries, but the wounds didn't heal. This got him in surprise.
'Its attacks are laced with poison!? That makes fighting this monster difficult…' Cloud thought.
Shrugging the pain off and removing the spikes by force, he continued his assault despite being overwhelmed by the hydra. Yue attempted to revive Hajime by forcing him to drink an ampoule of ambrosia.
"Please come back to me." Yue begged to Hajime's unconscious body.
Cloud continued to distract the monster, keeping it busy while Yue was tending to his wounds. She soon done what she could before taking Hajime's revolver, determined to continue the fight.
"It's my turn to help Cloud." Yue said.
However, she was still weakened from using her mana too much, causing her to briefly collapse. A rogue blast soon got close to her, knocking her to a nearby rock outcrop. The sudden blasts didn't deter her spirit.
"I can't back down! I have to help Cloud and keep going!" Yue said to herself.
Cloud soon noticed Yue holding Hajime's revolver. This got him shocked to see her ready to fight alongside him.
"Back away, Yue! I'm fighting this bastard down!" Cloud commanded.
"No! I don't want to lose you either!" Yue refused, firing a shot at the beast.
The shot managed to hit the monster's eye, stunning it. It soon roared, launching a rainbow beam up at the ceiling before aiming at Yue. She was knocked away by the blast, screaming. During the assault, she dropped Hajime's revolver.
"I can't stop… I can't…" Yue spoke to herself.
Soon, Hajime heard Yue's voice, waking up from being unconscious.
"Yue…" Hajime spoke.
Soon, the hydra fired another rainbow beam to Yue. She closed her eyes, accepting her death. The air soom began blowing intensely to her. Upon open her eyes, she saw Hajime, awake and ready to fight.
"Good to have you back, Hajime…" Cloud spoke out, losing his strength.
"Glad to hear that, Cloud. Thanks for protecting us." Hajime thanked to the swordsman.
Soon, the silver head knocked Cloud to a nearby stone wall, knocking him out. This angered Hajime in response.
"Ugh… It's…all on you, Hajime… Take it out…" Cloud spoke before fainting.
"I'm still here, Yue. Time for a comeback against the boss." Hajime spoke to Yue.
He soon looked to the hydra with an angered look. Yue was moved to tears from Hajime's speech to her.
"You may have taken us all by surprise, but I'll never forgive you for trying to kill Yue and Cloud. You hear me!?" Hajime shouted to the hydra.
A yellow aura soon channeled on Hajime's body. He then moved so fast, the attacks from the hydra were too slow in his perspective. Hajime realized he unlocked the derivative for his Air Step skill called Blink.
"Looks like this new skill will come in handy now. I can take this bastard on right now." Hajime said.
"How?" Yue asked.
"I got a few surprises left." Hajime answered.
He soon fired two shots, grazing the silver head.
"Are you okay?" Yue asked to Hajime.
"I'm fine, but help my friend. He needs your help now." Hajime spoke to Yue.
The vampire girl nodded as she made it to Cloud. Seeing the impalement wounds on his body made her sick to her stomach. She began administering the ambrosia on his body to heal the wounds. Though the wounds have closed and healed up, he remained unconscious, which worried Yue.
"Don't die on us, Cloud. You helped Hajime and I when you were with us. You two became the people I can care for." Yue spoke to Cloud's unconscious body.
Hajime fired another shot on the ceiling. The bullets soon managed to created dome shaped indents. The Synergist leaped up to the air, hurling grenades to the indents. He soon aimed his gun at the hydra before it launched another rainbow beam. Hajime used Quick Step to dodge it and landed on the ground.
"This is for hurting Yue and Cloud!" Hajime shouted.
He fired his revolver to the ceiling. The bullet hit one of the grenades on the ceiling. The explosive detonated, causing a cave in that crushed the hydra's body. Hajime walked up to the hydra and finished it by shooting the silver head, finally killing it.
"It's over…" He said, his strength leaving him.
Yue managed to heal Cloud's injuries. Upon hearing Hajime's collapsed body falling to the ground, she rushed over to tend to his wounds.
"Hajime!" She shouted.
An unknown amount of time passed as Cloud was soon stirred from his unconsciousness. He was confused to where he was. Looking around, he noticed he was in a basin filled with water. His clothes were still on, now soaked clean from the water.
"Where am I…?" Cloud questioned to himself.
He soon recalled the battle against the hydra. Cloud thought Hajime managed to finish it. However, he couldn't find him or Yue anywhere. He soon left the basin. He noticed his wounds were healed, but they left nasty scars unpleasant to look at.
'Yue must have tried to clean me up when I fell unconscious. I knew my wounds were deep, so she must have used the ambrosia to heal me.' Cloud thought.
This made him determined to find his friends. Upon exiting the bath, a sudden feeling of exhaustion came to him. Cloud fought it off to stay awake, but it proved too strong for him to resist. He soon fainted on the ground, collapsing into sleeping.
At the upper levels of the Orcus Labyrinth, Kouki and his group were at the 55th floor. They continued to venture their way down, with hopes of finding Hajime and Cloud.
"We should keep moving forward. Our training has since helped us grow stronger. We can't lose hope for our fallen friends." Kouki announced.
Shizuku soon recalled hearing her teacher's words with the king.
-Flashback-
Aiko was seen being displeased with the king.
"What do you mean my students are returning to the battlefield? We didn't had time to mourn for our losses. It's too soon for them to go back into the labyrinth!" Aiko shouted with disdain.
"I understand your thoughts. However, this kingdom is in a dire situation. I truly wish for a more positive outcome, but I'm unable to think of such." The king apologized.
"It's still an unconscionable act to suddenly send them out there! Haven't you made them suffer enough?" Aiko questioned angrily.
The king remained silent, seemingly contemplating the woman's words. Shizuku heard the outburst, having overheard the serious tone from her teacher.
-Flashback Ends-
Shizuku shook her head, knowing that thinking of Hajime and Cloud's fall to the abyss will distract her. She kept herself level headed to not let her thoughts overwhelm her mind.
"Amanogawa, that's putting it harshly. I suggest you keep yourself level headed before I'm forced to take disciplinary actions against you." Shizuku warned to Kouki.
Kouki briefly flinched from the sharp gaze Shizuku sent to him. He composed himself in response.
"We can't let the incidents or deaths of our classmates hold us back. We have to keep pressing forward." Kouki spoke.
Shizuku shook her head in disbelief. She didn't like how Kouki was so straightforward into helping the people of Tortus so suddenly. Moreover, he didn't appear fazed or suspicious of what happened to Cloud and Hajime.
'Kaori and Tifa took a long time to recover from the shock of their losses. Those two were the ones they cared for.' Shizuku thought in sympathy.
Kaori was soon healing the other classmates with her magic. They all recovered with little problems.
'Kaori… You have been pushing yourself hard to protect us. Even Tifa was showing to be a strong fighter, punching through every monster in our way…' Shizuku thought, looking at her friends.