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Sephiroth's grin didn't fade for Zack's disappointed frown. Reminding the mercenary of the deadly mad man that he is. He heard Cloud draw his weapon and saw Zack advance. As planned, Sephiroth side stepped quickly to block the two broadswords together. The impact of the blades cracked the ground beneath them. Astonishingly, Sephiroth held his ground with ease against them both. "I'm looking forward to this... My new life comes with new strength." Masamune swung upward quickly forcing the two broadswords back off. Sephiroth targeted Zack first and dealt a powerful counter strike against the Buster Sword. This will have enough force to knock Zack away out towards the Bastion. Sephiroth leapt after him at great speed and swung his blade at Zack in midair. Trying to strike him down into the fort.

Sephiroth glared at Zack as he blocked his strikes. Hearing the two fret over his desired target. "The ignorance..." After blocking Zack's next attack, Sephiroth reached forward with his left hand and grabbed Zack's uniform near the neck. He pulled Zack in close enough to get a deep look in his slit-cyan eyes. The hatred in them would paralyze most in fear. "You both are responsible... For destroying my Reunion..." Referring to the day Sephiroth discovered his past and Nibelheim destroyed in his wrath. He then took Zack and threw him into the stone wall of the fort. The impact was hard enough to leave an impact crater and Zack stunned. Sephiroth immediately lunged forward and pierced Zack in the right shoulder with his blade. As he held Zack there, Sephiroth looked down at Cloud, angry and disappointed. "Are you going to stand there and watch him die, Puppet?... Just like how you watched 'her' die?" A sinister grin crossed Sephiroth's face as he then twisted Masamune to make Zack yell out in agony. He aimed to make Cloud suffer mentally but he also wanted them to get serious. Sephiroth wants to feel their strength wane as they fight to their dying breath. Revenge, now seems like his goal.

Sephiroth pulled away from Zack's shoulder. He blocked Cloud's sword as it forced them away from Zack. "That's better." He held his guard against Cloud's strikes. Noticing his raising power, Sephiroth didn't risk striking back at Cloud and focused on his guards. A powerful strike, even though it was blocked, sent Sephiroth back to the ground. His one wing slowed his acceleration as he skid to a stop. Sephiroth looked up to see Cloud coming down on him quick. He smirked and held his sword up with his other hand bracing the back of the blade. The block made the ground crack under his feet. "This bring back many fond memories..." Sephiroth quickly swung upward to force Cloud off then a dark energy cloaked his body. Sephiroth got into an offensive stance with Masamune pointed straight at Cloud. If he failed to dodge, Cloud would be met with the eight, fast-consecutive strikes of Octaslash. The eighth hit would launch him back to Zack in a bloody trail.

Sephiroth was surprised how Cloud remembered his stance and fluidly dodges his Octaslash. He was still focused on Cloud when he readied his Cross Slash. He blocked two of Cloud's strikes but was met with Zack's when his back was turned. Only to be dealt Cloud's final slash to the front. "...Clever..." Wounded, Sephiroth did a spin slash that sliced both Cloud and Zack across the chest and forced them back. Sephiroth turned and stabbed Zack through the the upper stomach, lifted him up and swung him into Cloud.

Sephiroth stumbles a bit as he covered his wound. He removed his hand to see blood on it then glared menacingly at Cloud but slowly Sephiroth cracked a smile and began to chuckle. Chuckling to laughing before a black veil of energy whipped at his feet. His one wing spread open and changed. As if the feathers one by one had been set ablaze and covered in smoke. His hair turned from silver to black and eyes from cyan to a fiery orange. His wounds healed rapidly and 'Ruined Sephiroth' raised Masamune and was ready to rush them. The silver blade turned black as obsidian and the energy it gave off seemed 'infectious.'

Ruined Sephiroth said nothing to them as they evaluated him. He held his stance with the twisted grin on his face. Then out of no where, a hallucination of Sephiroth appeared behind Zack and Cloud. Cloud got that similar ringing in his ear again but it didn't hurt. They could see Sephiroth but couldn't harm him. Ruin could see him too as he noticed Sephiroth's hateful glare towards him. Ruined Sephiroth chuckled at the hero thinking he struck a nerve.  "What's the matter, Sephiroth? Don't like having another entity in your head?!" Sephiroth was unfazed by Ruin's statement to provoke him. He knew what he was and what he has done. Sephiroth smirked at Ruin and replied strongly.  "Hmph. I knew you would leave strings attached, Ruin... You made it so convincing that you would let me act on my own will... However... I could hear you chanting in my head..." Ruined Sephiroth stopped grinning and went serious. He was surprised that Sephiroth could sense him while no one else could. Ruin had underestimated the fallen Hero. The real Sephiroth looked to Zack and Cloud. "You both should get out of here if you want to live another day... If you're met by the dark blade now, you may begin to hear that same chanting..." Ruin suddenly charged the two mercenaries when Sephiroth warned them. He swung the black Masamune at Cloud first then followed up with strikes towards Zack.

Ruin grew in anger since his strikes failed to meet. The black energy surrounding him flared aggressively and it let out a menacing roar unlike anything heard before. Ruin stood in a low stance when he saw the sigil appear beneath his feet. Quickly, he leaped at great speed outside the area of impact. However, just as Ruin got out of range, Sephiroth appeared in front of him. Ruin quickly stopped gritting his teeth in frustration. Sephiroth immediately grabbed Ruin by the throat and despite being a hallucination, he had an effect on his possessed body. "You'll return what is mine." Sephiroth threw Ruin back into the impact radius just as the explosion went off. The power of the explosion launched chunks of rock and debris into the air. Leaving a large dust cloud as well.

Once the dust began to clear, a figure was hovering above the crater. Sephiroth, back to normal and the black blade turned back to silver. He descended slowly and was unharmed by the blast. Once on the ground, the single wing on his back disappeared. "You're still here?" Sephiroth meant that both for Ruin and Chaos, who had been watching this whole time. Ruin replied in his head in a snarling manner. "You and the mercenary may have subdued me but you are a part of me! I will have other chances and my strength will continue to grow..." Ruin's chanting continued in his subconscious. Sephiroth didn't let on that Ruin spoke to him but showed concern. He looked at his hand and the dark energy radiated from his hand. "I may have to visit her after all..." He put his hand down and looked to Zack. Sephiroth smiled but wasn't intent on attacking him. "That was an ability I haven't seen for many years. I knew I couldn't win against both of you... I needed to draw Ruin out and confirm my suspicions..."

When Zack yelled at Sephiroth, he glared coldly at him. "You're foolish to think you could command me." When Chaos approached and told him the reason Zack was alive along with Aerith was due to Cosmos, his voice grew even colder. "Cosmos undid all my hard work... Looks like I have a reason to lend you my skills after all, Chaos." Sephiroth tightened his grip on his blade's handle. "She will pay dearly... Making me redo the past. You may be of use to me after all, Ruin..." The entity expressed interest in Sephiroth's deal and spoke in his mind as they both were thinking alike. "And you to I... What do you want?" Sephiroth offered his deal to Ruin out loud. "You will give me your power when I so choose and my mind must remain... Then I will get you the Darkslayer." Ruin snarled in his head menacingly. "Hmmm... You seek to use my power against Cosmos and these mercenaries... However, I expect we find Vaelynn after they are dealt with or should she cross our path... If you fail, You will be added to my Legion..." Sephiroth smirked. "Hmph. Instead of fighting for my memories I will fight for my new existence... So be it..." Sephiroth's eyes turned orange again and Ruin's voice spoke one last time through him before disappearing. "We have a deal." Sephiroth's hand radiated the same dark energy as before only this time, Sephiroth was controlling it. He raised his hand and the energy exploded with black lightning and the sun started to cover in darkness like an eclipse. Then the clouds gathered to turn the sky near black and Sephiroth began to glow lightly. "The Eclipse," is an Ability of Ruin. It is absorbing the sun and giving Sephiroth access to Fire magic and rejuvenation. Unless it is dispelled, Ruin will consume that star and Hollow Bastion will be lightless. Sephiroth lowered his hand to the ground then it ignited into an inferno that was directed at Cloud and Zack. Burning all in its path to ash with sunfire.