Ganondorf
Backstory:
He is often in possession of the Triforce of Power, a piece of the golden power imbued with the essence of Din, which grants him godlike strength and magical power as well as makes him immortal, making him one of the greatest threats to not only the kingdom of Hyrule but also the rest of the world. As the manifestation of the Demon Tribe's hatred for the gods and the direct reincarnation of the Demon King Demise himself, Ganon can never truly be destroyed and will eternally resurface in some form to pursue his goals of world domination.
The original Ganondorf was born as the sole male of the Gerudo tribe in a hundred years and due to tradition was made their king. Raised by the twin witches Koume and Kotake, Ganondorf grew into a powerful and feared warlock who desired to expand his kingdom beyond the sands of the desert and sought after the Triforce to achieve his ambition. Depending on the timeline he either sneaks into the Sacred Realm after the child Hero of Time unlocks the Door of Time, receiving the Triforce of Power after failing to obtain the completed Triforce due to his imbalanced heart, or he is sentenced to execution for his crimes and by a "divine prank" receives the Triforce of Power just before he succumbed to his fatal wounds.
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physical Characteristics,
Genius Intelligence,
Immortality (Types 4 & 8 - Due to Demises curse, he is bound to always follow and doom the Hylians, reviving repeatedly throughout history or being reborn as a new incarnation of himself should he die),
Weapon Mastery (Ganondorf is a skilled swordsman that can compete with different incarnations of Link in battle),
Acrobatics (Can perform a front flip to close the gap between him and Link, can turn himself midair after being launched by Link to land on his feet),
Magic,
Energy Projection (He can shoot singular bolts of energy or several spread out energy blasts, can create energy bolts that burst into dozens of smaller energy bolts that scatter in all directions, and he can create blue energy bolts that split apart upon contact with anything),
Minor Homing Attack (His light bolts have slight homing propertied),
Attack Reflection (Can reflect magical attacks),
Flight (True Flight - Can levitate in the air and quickly dash though the air while making sharp U-turns),
Light Manipulation (He can create and shoot out singular orbs of light or generate a large orb of light that splits into several zigzagging light bolts, and he can create pillars made of damaging light),
Teleportation (He can freely teleport short distances in battle and can teleport others against their will),
Transformation / Shapeshifting & Incorporeality (Can turn himself into a shadow, he can enter a spirtual state, and transformed into a bat),
Telekinesis (Could throw Midna outside of the Hyrule castle throne room without physical contact,has moved the bodies of his targets into and through the air multiple times, and he can pull objects such as swords to his hand),
Telepathy (Can telepathically communicate with his targets from across large distances, was able to look into and watch Zelda's dreams while she was sleeping),
Possibly Enhanced Senses (Possibly saw Link when he was invisible, although he might have simply followed the shadow which may or may not just be there for the player to see),
Invisibility (Can turn invisible),
Intangibility (Immaterial - Can turn himself into a formless shadow, when surrounded by darkness he can turn intangible even to those who can hit and destroy ghosts),
Dimensional Travel & BFR (Could create a gateway that would allow him to move between the Light World and the Dark World, can open portals to the gap between dimensions to banish his targets, and he can send people into the Dark World),
Elemental Manipulation (Fire Manipulation - He can create and shoot out fireballs, create a ring of fireballs that he can turn into flaming keese that fly towards the target, and he can create walls of flame; Earth Manipulation - He can provoke earthquakes; Lightning Manipulation - He can unleash large blasts of lightning; and Weather Manipulation - Maintained a thunderstorm until he left Hyrule Castle Town, placed a curse on the Great Sea that cast a massive storm over it),
Weapon Creation (He created two swords out of thin air),
Afterimage Creation (Leaves afterimages of himself while teleporting),
Barrier Creation (He can create magical barriers),
Portal Creation (Created a portal when banishing Phantom Ganon to the gap between dimensions, and created numerous portals between the Light World and Dark World),
Illusion Creation (Can create illusions of himself that despite not being real are still capable of physically attacking and damaging his opponent, his phantom is an illusion of his creation),
Power Nullification (It was his magic that allowed Zant to nullify the power Midna held as leader of the Twili, dispelled several magical disasters that couldn't previously be nullified by other magic users),
Power Absorption and Empowerment (Absorbed the agony and hatred of the Twili, gaining more power and the use of Twilight Magic as a result),
Shockwave Generation (Can create large shockwaves by charging energy in his fist),
Paralysis Inducement (He can stun grounded opponents by slamming the ground, his light bolts can stun whatever they hit, even himself despite his resistance to such an ability),
Sleep Inducement (Put Zelda into a deep sleep, possibly scales to the wizard that worked for the Prince of Hyrule, who put Princess Zelda into an eternal sleep),
Transmutation (It was his magic that allowed Zant to turn Midna into an imp and Link into a wolf),
Sealing & Crystal Manipulation (Can seal his targets within magical crystals),
Explosion Manipulation (Caused many spontaneous explosions while collapsing his castle),
Biological Manipulation (The holes within Jabu-Jabus stomach are implied to be Ganondorf's doing, turned a Great Fairy fat),
Curse Manipulation (He has placed curses on several people, and has even cursed the very land itself),
Pocket Reality Manipulation (Created small pocket dimensions within his tower that sends Link into time periods where he fights old bosses he's already defeated while only having the equipment he had during the original fights),
Time Manipulation (His curse on the Great Sea also locked it into a eternal night, preventing the sun from rising and bringing morning with it),
Spatial Manipulation (Created a maze that spatially loops onto itself, causing Link to go back to the center room if he makes even one wrong turn), and he can distort the space around him to invert his opponents movements and slowly drag them towards him),
Mind Manipulation (Capable of controlling the minds of all the soldiers in Hyrule Castle),
Madness Manipulation (Type 2 - His influence caused King Dodongo to go berserk),
Death Manipulation (Can place a curse on his target that causes them to slowly decay and eventually die), and Minor Reality Warping (Can distort his surroundings)
Resistance to Paralysis Inducement (Unaffected by Link's Magic Boomerang, which normally stuns most opponents, leaving them unable to move),
Fire Manipulation,
Ice Manipulation,
and Electricity Manipulation (Unaffected by fire blasts from the Fire Rod, ice blasts from the Ice Rod, and electrical blasts from the Ether Medallion, the latter two releasing blasts cold enough to flash freeze a persons entire body in a split second),
and Transmutation (Unaffected by Link's Magic Powder and the Quake Medallion, the former being able to turn monsters into weak slimes, and the latter being able to transform monsters who are immune to the effects of the Magic Powder),
All the abilities of his base form, plus he now possesses the Triforce of Power which blesses him with the chosen power of the gods and grants him vastly increased physical strength (After tapping into the power of his Triforce piece, Ganondorf broke free from chains that left him completely helpless beforehand),
Immortality (Type 2 - He is able to live through fatal wounds without the need for healing the damage, Type 3, and enhanced Type 4. After being killed by the Sword of Six Sages, the Triforce of Power brought Ganondorf back to life just moments later),
Regeneration (Low-Godly - After being defeated by Link and Midna his body began burning away and soon after he emerged in a fiery form, which is confirmed to be his soul, and soon after he reformed his physical body),
possibly Deconstruction (When the Triforce of Power activated Ganondorf was able to grab and possibly disintegrate the Sage of Water, although it's unclear if this is simply how beings like the sages die),
Transformation (The Triforce of Power had allowed him to become a demon, and allows him to transform into his larger and more powerful beast form),
Longevity (Ganondorf lived for hundreds of years between the events of Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, only becoming middle aged during that time),
Non-Physical Interaction (When the Triforce of Power activated Ganondorf was able to grab and destroy the Sage of Water, a transparent being who lacks a physical body),
Darkness Manipulation (He is able to conjure paralyzing waves of darkness that he can use as an invisible Aura that keeps significantly weaker opponents from going near him, he could also cover entire rooms in darkness that requires the light of the Triforce of Wisdom to dispel),
Unholy Manipulation & Corruption (Type 2 - The Triforce of Power turned him into a demon, and demons can emit fiendish power that can turn small innocent creatures into monsters, after gaining the Triforce of Power his evil power seeped out across Hyrule and gradually turned it into a land of monsters, it was his evil power that allowed Zant to turn the citizens of the Twilight Realm into shadow beasts, with guides also stating his powers are part of the reason the Twili had become demons),
Large Size (Type 0 in his beast form; Towers over Link and is roughly 3.35 meters tall) and Berserk Mode (If the Triforce of Power forces him into his beast form he'll enter a frenzied state, causing him to attack wildly and without much thought),
Resistance to Soul Manipulation (Triforce pieces protect their user from Zants twilight veil, which turns all caught within it to become spirits),
Unholy Manipulation & Corruption (Triforce pieces prevent their user from being corrupted and turned into a demon),
Information Analysis (Navi couldn't identify a weakness on Ganon after he tapped into the power of his Triforce piece to transform),
All previous abilities, plus the usage of Twilight Magic, granting him Matter Manipulation (Broke down his own body into particles and later reformed himself when he was expelled from Zeldas body, transportation via Twilight Magic in general requires breaking down people and/or objects into particles and then restoring them back to a solid state),
Selective Intangibility (Turned into twilight particles to phase through Midna and into Zeldas body), and Possession (Possessed Zelda's corpse by entering her body as twilight particles),
possibly possesses other twilight abilities such as Creation & Light Absorption (Possibly scales to Zant who could create shadow crystals that absorb light),
and Soul Manipulation (Possibly scales to Zant, whose twilight veil turns people into spirits).
He also wields the Sword of the Sages, which possesses Regeneration Negation (Low-Godly, the sword was capable of bypassing Ganondorfs regeneration and killing him, and even after being revived by the Triforce of Power the wound he received from the sword didn't heal even by the time he battled Link hundreds of years later).
Weaknesses: He is extremely arrogant and is sometimes blind to any threats to himself, which almost led to his death at the hands of the sages prior to the events of Twilight Princess. His invisibility technique only affects his body while leaving his magic visible and if he gets hit he unwillingly becomes visible again. His intangibility only works if he can sustain his darkness and a significant amount of light will force him to become tangible again, and his illusionary copies will disappear if he takes fatal damage.
Ardyn Izunia
Background:
Over two thousand years before the present day, Ardyn was set as the King of Lucis destined to purge the world of the monstrous creatures known as daemons. However, he found himself in a trap set up by his brother Somnus who declared himself as king and accused him as a traitor, chaining him in Angelgard where he would remain for two thousand years due to having absorbed a vast quantity of the energy of the Starscourge, giving him immortality. Soon after being freed, he adopted the surname "Izunia" and swore revenge on the brother that betrayed him, awaiting the day on which he would destroy the True King and the Crystal.
At some point in the future, Ardyn became the Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire, but despite his rank, he seemed to hold more authority than Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt himself. When the game begins, Ardyn appears at random points in Noctis' journey to offer the prince and his allies advice and even assistance, to bring Noctis closer to the Crystal and his destiny as the King of Light.
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physical Characteristics,
Weapon Mastery,
Extrasensory Perception (Mages have shown to naturally possess this),
Magic,
Subjective Reality (Magic, in its basest form, is projecting one's inner mind onto reality and is powered by intelligence and mental strength),
Non-Physical Interaction (Magic as a whole is shown to affect a wide variety of different beings, from intangible/immaterial beings to non corporeal beings, to abstract concepts like Chronodia, who's the flow of time itself, to Nonexistent beings like Exdeath and Cloud of Darkness),
Law Manipulation (Magic is stated to rewrite the natural order of things),
Limited Durability Negation, Forcefield Negation, and Intangibility (Magic negates conventional physical durability, barriers, and armor, requiring specific defense against magic which is powered by the Mind and Spirit),
Power Modification (Including Duplication, Fusionism, Statistics Amplification, Size Manipulation, Homing Attack, Danmaku, Aura, Breath Attack, and Energy Manipulation; Magic users across the games have consistently shown the ability to manipulate the shape and properties of their own magical abilities, with even higher tiers of spells simply being considered stronger versions of the same basic ability),
Conceptual Manipulation (Type 2) and Space-Time Manipulation (Magic is shown in the novels to remove concepts and warp space and time itself, like the Devil's road, which the concept of time was lost, and time and space were twisted to the point the past, present and future existed as one),
Acausality (Type 2 and 4; scales from the Demons; who can walk down the devil's path naturally, where the concept of time doesn't exist, and the past, present and future are merged as one in this realm),
Aura,
Flight,
Teleportation,
Duplication,
Time Stop,
Illusion Creation,
Absorption,
Fire Manipulation,
Ice Manipulation,
Electricity Manipulation & Pain Manipulation,
Air Manipulation,
Light Manipulation,
Darkness Manipulation,
Mind Manipulation (Brainwashed The Fierce into fighting the party, after which The Fierce claimed "his mind was not his own"; before doing the same with The Rogue and The Mystic),
Memory Manipulation (Can see the memories of those he Daemonifies, and has abused this power to learn as much of Lucis as he could),
Biological Manipulation/Corruption (Type 1. Can turn people into Daemons with Daemonification),
Immortality (Long living and battle damage),
Regeneration (At least High-Mid; casually regenerated from being frozen solid and shattered, likely Low-Godly; implied to not need his original physical form to live, and that no damage to it would matter in the long run, including the total destruction of it),
Summoning (Can summon various weapons in battle as well as Ifrit to aid him),
Forcefield Creation (Recreated the Wall around the Citadel),
Telekinesis,
Resistance towards Fire Manipulation,
Ice Manipulation,
Electricity Manipulation & Pain Manipulation (Is able to resist the Lightning spells, which are capable of attacking the nerves),
Poison Manipulation,
Mind Manipulation,
Time Manipulation,
Death Manipulation,
Petrification,
Transmutation,
Absolute Zero (Can survive Shiva's ice attacks, including Diamond Dust),
Conceptual Manipulation (Type 2),
and Space-Time Manipulation (Characters are capable of surviving and resisting magical abilities, Which isshown to project one's inner mind onto reality, and as shown with the creation of the Devil's road, remove entire concepts and warp space and time to where the past, present, and future exists as one,)
Law Manipulation (Resists magic, which can rewrite the natural order of things),
Power Nullification (Can resist the Silence status, which would render the target's ability to use magic null),
and Darkness Manipulation (With Shield of the Just)
Willpower Manipulation (a person's will is power there and enables them to do a multitude of things the stronger their will),
Reactive Power Level (the greater someone's will, the greater their power),
Law Manipulation (Beings with strong wills can overwrite the laws of the world and bend them to their will),
Creation (With a powerful enough will, once can create various things such as phone lines, airships and even entire countries and worlds),
Sealing (Can seal off large areas and people with her will, such as Cecil sealing himself in Castle Baron or the cast sealing Kefka inside a Torsion),
Dimensional Travel (Characters can open Torsions, rifts in space-time to travel various dimensions),
and Immortality (Type 2: Due to the crystal core of darkness's influence in the hands of Ardyn, warriors will not die no matter how injured they are)
Resistance to Mind Manipulation,
Soul Manipulation (Via Zalera, the Death Serpah, who was going to absorb the souls of every living being on the planet),
Corruption & Body Puppetry (Due to their light, Warriors of Materia can dispel attempts to control them),
Empathic Manipulation, and Madness Manipulation (Type 3; Resistant to the effects of the True Moon, which is capable of affecting the hearts and minds of all living beings on the planet),
Gravity Manipulation (Unaffected by the gravitational pull of the True Moon, which even the Lunar Whale couldn't escape from),
Spatial Manipulation,
Deconstruction, and BFR (Can withstand the attacks of Atomos, who manipulates space, crush enemies down to a molecular level, and can warp them into another dimension),
Extreme Cold and Cosmic Radiations (Can fight and survive on the moon),
Absolute Zero (Can survive Shiva's ice attacks, including Diamond Dust),
Hellfire Manipulation (Via Ifrit, Phoenix, Rubicante, and Marilith),
Ice Manipulation and Absolute Zero and Duplication (Via Shiva who's Ice and aura are stated to reach Absolute Zero including her Diamond Dust, Shiva can duplicate herself),
Water Manipulation (via Kraken, Cagnazzo, and Leviathan),
Necromancy (Via Lich),
Spatial Manipulation,
Deconstruction, and BFR (via Atomos, who manipulates space, crush enemies down to a molecular level, and can warp them into another dimension),
Death Manipulation and Space-Time Manipulation (Via Odin, who's Zantetsuken instantly kills an enemy and opens a rift in space time to take their remains),
Matter Manipulation and Radiation Manipulation (via Megaflare, which is stated numerous times to be a nuclear power),
Attack Reflection (via Carbuncle),
Poison Manipulation and Corrosion Inducement (The Poison status effect, which is also stated to corrode the target),
Darkness Manipulation and Perception Manipulation (The darkness status ailment via various equipment, which would render the target blind),
Power Nullification (The Silence status, which would render the target's ability to use magic null),
and Petrification (Via Malboro's Bad Breath),
Soul Manipulation (Via Zalera, the Death Seraph, who was going to abosrb all souls on the planet),
All previous abilities greatly enhanced, the abilities of the crystals (The Crystal Core contains the powers of Neo Exdeath and God of Magic Kefka),
Reality Warping (The crystal can rewrite the world),
Corruption and Body Puppetry (Ardyn was able to corrupt Caius Ballad and Ultimecia and control their bodies Seymour implies that the wielder of the Crystal could directly control the warriors of spiritus and drive them to rampage.),
Law Manipulation (The Crystal Core maintains the laws of the Land of Respite),
Sealing and Power Absorption (The Crystal Core was capable of sealing the transformations of the Warriors of Spiritus inside itself and can control them, which includes Hell Emperor, Neo Exdeath, God of Magic Kefka, Safer Sephiroth, Chaos Bahamut, Griever Ultimecia, Sin & Braska's Final Aeon, Seymour Omnis, The Undying, and Incognitus)
Weaknesses: Ardyn is somewhat arrogant and likes to taunt his enemies. He can be killed permanently by destroying his soul. If he is cut off from the Crystal Core, he cannot use its power.
Song: Legends of Dark Fantasy
A/N: Just to let you all know well, I knew that Ardyn Inzunia was a Final Fantasy villain, I forgot that he was also the main villain that Noctis goes up against, so I slightly did't intend FF15 to be back to back of each other. Now to the fight.
In an alternate reality, the fate of light was not fulfilled, and Ardyn Izunia triumphed over Noctis and his companions, enshrouding the world in perpetual darkness. Everyone had transformed into daemons, and the former Chancellor of Niflheim assumed the shattered throne of the Kings of the Lucii, reveling in his long-awaited retaliation after two millennia of planning.
A disturbance was felt in Ardyn's carefully constructed world order, causing his smile to waver with curiosity. He hastily flew from his throne to a cracked window, observing the city of Insomnia that he now commanded being infiltrated by unfamiliar creatures. Bats, floating skulls, avian mage-like beings, and resurrected carcasses were besieging his own daemons, bewildering the former Chancellor.
The Gerudo King, known as Ganondorf, strolled through the ensuing pandemonium, his face bearing an air of arrogance. He glanced up at Ardyn Izunia, who sat upon the broken window. Ganondorf remarked, his tone dripping with condescension,
"Ah, so you are the ruler of this new domain I aim to conquer. I must say, it's a rather unimpressive sight."
Ardyn gracefully descended to the street, assuming a casual demeanor. He spread his arms wide as he addressed the imposing Ganondorf.
"Please excuse the chaos. I've recently claimed reign over this kingdom, and indeed, the entire world. I apologize for being unprepared for visitors, especially one of your caliber. Might I inquire about your identity?"
A confident air surrounded Ganondorf as he extended his hand, showcasing the glowing Triforce of Power adorning his palm.
"I am the Demon King, Ganondorf. Do not underestimate the significance of that title. I had grand plans to rule the world myself, a ambition befitting my destiny. However, discovering that someone has preceded me in this endeavor is an unwelcome realization, particularly as my own homeland has been engulfed in corruption too."
Ardyn chuckled, tilting his hat in a mock gesture.
"My apologies if my dominion has encroached upon your humble kingdom. But, as the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And as you can see, I am now the epitome of absolute power."
Ganondorf's visage twisted into a sneer, visibly irritated by Ardyn's claim to absolute power. Given his possession of the Triforce of Power, he considered such assertions as a direct challenge to his authority.
"Insolent fool, your misplaced power corrupts your ability to reason properly. No man can challenge my power!"
Fists glowing with a malevolent hue, Ganondorf charged forward, his intention clear: to put down this audacious challenger. But Ardyn, undaunted, effortlessly evaded the strike, momentarily transforming into shadow to elude the blow. Reemerging, he manifested a swarm of red energy construct swords to assault the Demon King. However, Ganondorf, wielding his own magical powers, swiftly deflected each blade, keeping himself safe.
Taking advantage of the situation, Ardyn swiftly shadow stepped past Ganondorf, delivering a searing slash across his back. The Gerudo King winced at the pain, but swiftly responded by winding up his left arm, channeling dark magic into it. Unleashing a potent and dark magic-infused backfist, commonly known as the Warlock Punch, he unleashed a fearsome, powerful blow upon his adversary.
Ardyn's visage distorted from the force of the blow, his body propelled forcefully into a nearby building, smashing through the concrete. After a brief pause, however, the immortal man rose once more, any sign of injury on his body completely healed. Straightening his hat, he wore an intrigued smirk.
"Well, this might prove to be quite a fascinating encounter."
He commented, his confidence unwavering. Capitalizing on the shrouding darkness, Ganondorf adopted a stealthy approach, launching fireballs that emanated from unpredictable locations. Ardyn, making use of his shadow step ability, effortlessly dodged the projectiles by allowing his incorporeal self to elude the attacks. He hurled one of his swords in the direction he sensed Ganondorf, only to be briefly taken aback as the weapon seemingly passed through its target without making a physical impact.
"Oh, you're still there. You just make things tricky. Which makes things fun for me."
A subtle chuckle escaped Ardyn as he sent an orb of light into the air, enveloping the area in a bright glow that mimicked daylight. The nearby daemons reacted with a hiss, retreating from the unwelcome illumination. To his surprise, the Demon King was quickly revealed, having been found out by this simple yet effective tactic.
With his guard momentarily down, Ardyn seized the opportunity to unleash a warp strike, scoring a few hits on the King of Thieves. Irritated, Ganondorf created a vortex of darkness, shoving Ardyn back to gain some distance. Seizing the moment, the Demon King encircled himself in a ring of fire before dramatically expanding it outwards, creating a dangerous and formidable barrier.
Briefly engulfed in the expanding wall of fire, Ardyn suffered from third-degree burns, but his body swiftly healed, and his fashionably stylish attire restored itself. Retracting the fire, Ganondorf transformed it into numerous sentient fire bats, directing them towards his adversary with calculated aggression.
Ardyn observed the versatility and/or creativity of his adversary with a subtle smirk. In response, he summoned red dagger constructs, which he unleashed at the bats. Upon collision, the daggers transformed the bats into ice and plummet to the ground, shattering into pieces.
The Demon King swiftly descended to the ground and unleashed a powerful punch, sending out a ripple through the pavement before it exploded into jagged fragments. Ardyn, anticipating the danger, transformed into a shadow and made a hasty retreat, darting up a nearby building to the safety of its rooftop, evading the flying debris and the rippling shockwave.
Climbing up to the rooftop where Ardyn was stationed, Ganondorf coalesced a sphere of electricity in his hand, hurling it at the immortal. Effortlessly, Ardyn conjured a red shield construct to deflect the orb, reversing the attack with a flick of his wrist. The two adversaries engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, returning the ball to each other with increased force and speed.
The intense exchange concluded with Ganondorf losing the advantage when he failed to catch the ball, leaving him stunned as his own attack backfired. Taking the opportunity, Ardyn swiftly created a flurry of red sword constructs and launched them towards the Gerudo King, effectively turning him into a living pincushion.
Drawing upon the power of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf roared in defiance as he obliterated the swords impaling his body and healed his numerous injuries. Forming his own set of swords, the King of Thieves charged forward to dual-wield them, relentlessly attacking Ardyn. However, the immortal managed to withstand the onslaught, countering the Gerudo warlock's advance with his own array of sword constructs, keeping Ganondorf firmly on edge.
As Ganondorf executed an overhead attack, Ardyn countered with a well-timed shield construct, successfully blocking the blow. However, this was all part of the Gerudo King's strategy. He then delivered a swift low sweep, throwing Ardyn off balance and sending him tumbling to the concrete edge of the rooftop, causing it to crack upon impact. Feeling his ribs crack from the force, the immortal grimaced but remained composed, keenly aware that his injuries would soon heal.
Determined to ensure the demise of his resilient adversary, Ganondorf showed no mercy. He lunged forward, impaling two swords directly through Ardyn's lungs, leaving the immortal gasping for life. As a final measure, the King of Thieves manifested a formidable two-handed zweihander and forcefully thrust it through Ardyn's body, effectively splitting the immortal in half.
Believing he had claimed victory, a confident smile spread across Ganondorf's face as he turned his back on Ardyn. However, his satisfaction was abruptly interrupted when he felt a sharp pain in his own lungs, as Ardyn had recovered and struck him from behind with a deadly precision.
"Do you truly comprehend yet? I am invulnerable. Can you, on the other hand, make the same claim?"
Ardyn taunted, his smirk further highlighting his unparalleled resilience. Despite the excruciating pain, Ganondorf turned his gaze, his eyes burning with intense fury.
"Even when struck by the Sword of Evil's Bane, I will never be forever slain!"
He spat back defiantly, his resilience and determination on full display. By teleporting away, Ganondorf managed to create the necessary distance to charge forward with a Flame Choke, causing a devastating explosion that demolished the rooftop. The Gerudo King pushed himself back up, only to realize that Ardyn was nowhere to be found. Unaware of the trick, Ganondorf spun around, only to find Ardyn emerging from the shadows directly behind him.
With a burst of power, Ganondorf launched himself toward the immortal, preparing to deliver a powerful strike. However, Ardyn effortlessly evaded the attack using his shadow step ability, reappearing behind the Gerudo king. Laughing mockingly, he swiftly slashed his face, drawing yet more blood. Infuriated, Ganondorf's eyes smoldered with a deep purple hue as he retaliated with a devastating Warlock Punch, driving the potent punch directly into Ardyn's chest.
Confident in his strike, Ganondorf's smirk quickly faded as he noticed Ardyn's transformation into another shadow, nullifying the impact. With a swift maneuver, Ardyn shadow stepped to a higher building before charging a powerful Firaga spell and firing it at the Gerudo King, forcefully knocking him away. Ganondorf recovered quickly but was unaware of the daemons quietly approaching from behind. With a dismissive tone, Ganondorf declared,
"Your tricks are nothing to me."
He was abruptly hit from behind by a daemon, but the attack barely fazed him. Annoyed rather than harmed, the Gerudo king swiftly retaliated by punching the creatures to death or pulverizing it against the ground, demonstrating his power and superiority over the low-level daemons. As Ardyn materialized another formidable array of royal arms, Ganondorf's head snapped to the right, just in time to witness the incoming barrage of constructs approaching him at a breakneck speed. With quick reflexes, the Gerudo king managed to deflect most of the arms with his forearms, but the last one, the Axe of the Conqueror, overpoweringly pushed through, overwhelming his defenses.
As Ardyn warp striked in front of Ganondorf, he effortlessly lifted the King of Thieves by the neck, a menacing smirk on his face as he prepared to subject him to the horrors of daemonization. With a sinister tone, Ardyn commanded,
"Givr me your power!"
But the Demon King refused to have his body and soul corrupted. In a defiant act of resistance, Ganondorf called upon the power of the Triforce of Power to unleash a forceful explosion, pushing Ardyn back. Quickly teleporting behind the flying immortal, Ganondorf used Flame Choke to slam Ardyn into the ground before delivering a particularly potent Warlock Punch, propelling him forcefully through the air.
Following up with a series of energy blasts, Ganondorf had hoped to catch Ardyn off guard, but the immortal recovered swiftly. Using telekinesis, Ardyn deflected the incoming energy beams, redirecting them straight back at the Gerudo King. Ganondorf, in a desperate attempt, froze time to halt the approaching blasts, and teleports behind to try and nullify his immortal power. However, the former Chancellor reacted in spite of the time stoppage, utilizing the Katana of the Warrior to fiercely stab through Ganondorf's heart. Ardyn smirked, his tone dripping with condescending certainty.
"You'll have to do better than that."
He unleashed a devastating onslaught on the Gerudo king. Utilizing the royal arm duplicates, the immortal slashed, stabbed, and bludgeoned Ganondorf multiple times, each strike carrying the weight of the powerful weapons. Then, Ardyn retreated with a burst of shadow stepping, conjuring a Dark Tornado, a massive vortex of ominous purple energy.
Enveloped in the pain inflicted by the swirling storm of the Dark Tornado, Ganondorf roared out in anguish. However, as the Triforce of Power on his hand suddenly began to glow, a surge of energy burst forth from it, promptly dispelling the ominous vortex. It was then that the formidable figure of Ganon, the Dark Beast, emerged from within, captivating Ardyn's interest. With a commanding voice, Ganon declared,
"Behold true power!"
The Dark Beast then ferociously roared like a mad boar before charging forward, swinging its colossal swords in an attempt to slash at Ardyn. Undeterred, Ardyn effortlessly dodged the massive blades, slipping through their strikes with ease thanks to his ethereal shadow form.
With a swift gesture, Ganon manifested a blue crystal that trapped Ardyn. The immortal was already desperately attempting to break free, but before Ardyn could fully escape, he was struck by a powerful punch enhanced by the Triforce, propelling him through the air. Drawing in a deep breath, Ganon unleashed a potent red energy beam, completely obliterating Ardyn in mere seconds.
Surprisingly, even being disintegrated proved to be a mere inconvenience for Ardyn, as shadows coalesced together to reconstruct his body. No longer possessing a relaxed demeanor, Ardyn's previously pale features were now marred by black blood seeping out from the Starscourge that comprised his form. Ardyn expressed his disapproval in a matter-of-fact tone, stating,
"That wasn't very nice."
With a surge of magic, the immortal manifested a Cerberus-0 sniper rifle and proceeded to fire precision shots into Ganon's head, akin to a hunter targeting a wild boar. The Dark Beast roared in pain as its cranium sustained damage, with one of its eyes being shot out and bleeding profusely. Despite the pain, the injuries were more aggravating than truly debilitating. Recognizing that his large and cumbersome stature was hampering his performance, Ganon let out a primal snarl and began to shrink back to his Gerudo form, returning to a less vulnerable state as Ganondorf. Ardyn smugly descended to the ground, keeping the barrel of his Cerberus-0 trained directly at the warlock's forehead.
"Do not be dismayed, mortal. There lies no shame in losing against indomitable immortality."
Ardyn's smirk deepened, his tone oozing with confident superiority. Ganondorf's voice, brimming with determination, reassured Ardyn,
"I haven't conceded. I just need greater control to effectively concentrate."
True to his word, the Gerudo conjurer cast a spell targeted at the immortal, causing Ardyn's eyes to suddenly feel heavy and drowsy. In a quick succession of events, the immortal dropped his sniper rifle and succumbed to sleep, toppling onto his back.
"Now, show me what gives you power."
With a determined command, Ganondorf approached the sleeping body of Ardyn and boldly thrust his hand into the immortal's chest, forcibly penetrating the skin and bone to grasp the corrupted heart. Drawing upon the power of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf merged himself directly into Ardyn, delving into the very essence of his being in search of uncovering the secrets to the immortal's inexplicable strength.
Opening his eyes, Ganondorf found himself suspended within a metaphysical realm known as The Beyond, situated between life and death. His attention was immediately drawn to Ardyn, the daemonified soul who had been entrapped within the Crystal of Legend for 2000 years. Ardyn was completely astounded, his voice filled with disbelief.
"How... How can you achieve this? You're merely a mortal! Nothing more than a man!"
With a smug expression, Ganondorf lifted the back of his hand, showcasing the Triforce of Power to Ardyn.
"I'm no mere man."
He declared. As he spoke, he began to siphon Ardyn's negativity, drawing out the immortal's hatred in the form of a dark vortex, the malicious energy being absorbed into Ganondorf's own being. Ardyn's voice trembled with desperation as he pleaded,
"No! Stop it! I won't allow this!"
Desperate to halt the process, he lunged forward, only to find himself abruptly interrupted by a powerful Warlock Punch from Ganondorf, infused with the power of the Triforce. This time, Ardyn's daemonized soul screamed in agony as the devastating impact pierced through his chest, causing his very essence to explode into oblivion and ultimately vanquishing him from existence.
As the transformation of the Stone of Legend was completed, the crystalline structure shifted from a radiant blue to a menacing black. A Triforce portal materialized on its surface, and Ganondorf emerged triumphantly, having claimed the crystal's power for himself. With a commanding tone, he declared in a firm voice,
"I am Ganondorf. The undisputed lord of life and death. There exists no Hero, no matter how courageous, who can hope to challenge my supreme authority now."
Strength: While power initially doesn't seem important between two characters who can't kill each other, and more of that will be discussed later, it does help that Ardyn basically has infinite brute magical power over Ganondorf. Even if Ardyn was only galaxy level, that still puts him 54 decillion times stronger than the Gerudo.
Speed: Ardyn is also quintillions of times faster. Since Ganondorf is only as fast as 1/10th the speed of light, just take Noctis's speed feat in the last page and multiply it by 10.
Skill: Now here's where things tip to Ganondorf's favor. While the immortal can absorbed the essense of hundreds of people, they were mainly humans, with Ifrit being his only canonical conquest. Meanwhile, Ganondorf is a mage warrior who spent all his life becoming stronger both magically and physically mostly on his own.
Experience: While Ardyn is over 2000 years old, most of that was spent being stuck inside of a cave. And he's only had enough time to master his skills over a few decades. As for Ganondorf, he can live for centuries on end, and thus be powerful enough where only Link and Zelda can't defeat him.
Powers: Now here's the deal breaker. Both are immortal, where both can only be killed by two specific ways: holy magic for Ganondorf, and destroying Ardyn's soul in The Beyond. While Ardyn could use light magic to hurt the Demon King, he's unlikely to resort to it, given his practiced affinity for dark magic after getting corrupted. In fact, here's a detailed list of magic they could use and might resist:
Both:
Paralysis = paralysis
Fire = fire
Ice = ice
Electricity = electricity
Transmutation = transmutation
Imprisonment = sealing
Death = death
Soul manipulation = soul
Unholy manipulation
Corruption = corruption
Information analysis
Ardyn:
mind
time
petrification
darkness
madness
gravity/telekinesis
power nullification
spacial manipulation
Ganondorf:
intangibility
sleep
Ardyn has much more resistences to opposing magic than but one crucial thing is that he's never shown resistance against being put to sleep, which Ganondorf can do. And when Ganondorf becomes aware of Ardyn's source of power thanks to his genius intellect, he can use the Triforce of Power to absorb his power, and use it against him.
The winner is Ganondorf Dragmire
Next time:
"I know enough about myself now to know that memories don't matter – what's done is done. And it's time to move on."
"Ret-R-Go!"