Destinies Intertwined (Lightning x Male Reader)

Chapter 12: Final Battle

Dysley sighed and slouched on his throne. "Such willful insolence... Disappointing." he said angrily, his expression hardening as he rose into the air. "You prolong Cocoon's suffering. And to what end? Refusing me today but condemns another to face your Focus tomorrow. If you truly seek salvation..." Minerva flew into the light of his staff, and Barthandelus revealed his true self. " You will obey! " His true form was the same as it was by the end of our battle in Oerba, that being with his face in the center and two and each side, only this time he had white metallic wings on the side as well.

We all gripped our weapons tightly, and as I ran forward I said "Fat chance!" and slashed with Indomitus. The move left a long scratch on his metal-like skin, and he grunted before the heads began firing lasers at me and the others. Sazh, Hope and Vanille began casting buffs while Fang and Sofia worked the debuffs, and Snow used Challenge and Entrench. Lightning and I ran forward, and she changed her blade into gun form before firing. The bullets hit the fal'Cie and struck sparks, but other than a few very minor dents they didn't do anything. She frowned and cast Ruin, finding the spells doing slightly more damage. Barthandelus grunted and raised his head, saying " Can you conquer this? "

The air around us swirled with energy, and that energy suddenly turned to heat and exploded. I cried out in pain as the force of the blast sent me forward, to the side, and then on my back. The others were similarly affected, and I hurriedly jumped to my feet. I cast Imperil, and once he was inflicted with it I cast Quake. Pillars of earth shot up from the ground and hit him from the sides and below. Unaffected, he said " Fulfill your Focus, and gain eternal life! " "I'd rather turn Cie'th than destroy Cocoon!" Hope replied, hitting him with Fira and Glacier + and Watera. Sazh nodded in agreement and using Blitz, sending a stream of bullets at Dysley. This time they went through, and he growled before resuming his attack.

Snow ran forward and swung massive punch, returning all the damage that he had been hit with when he used Vendetta. The blow was hard enough to send him back across the ground a few inches, but just as he cast Ultima again Sofia used Elemental Storm. The spell resolved and exploded, but all the energy of the spell was drawn into the orb over her head, which instantly swelled to the size of a beach ball. Although his faced didn't, and couldn't, change expressions, when he looked at Sofia I could feel anger and irritation emanating from him. " You wish to try and absorb my power? Then absorb this! " he said, his face splitting apart and the space left behind glowing.

My eye widened, and as I ran towards Sofia I saw her expression changed from determined to fearful. "Sofia!" I called, just as the Thanatosian Laughter Brasierd. Countless bullets Brasierd from his face and shot straight for her, and since she couldn't cancel her Elemental Storm spell they were all drawn straight for the orb over her head. In less than a few second it swelled the size of a beach ball to a desk, then a couch, and then a car. The orb shook and trembled, struggling to contain all that energy and sweat broke on Sofia's forehead from the effort of keeping it in. I ran towards her, and just as Dysley's face closed he cast Ultima again. The spell was once again drawn into the orb, which began to wobble and make a high-pitched keening sound.

Sofia tried to get away but couldn't and I channeled all of my strength into my sword. Jumping up next to the orb, I swung with all my strength and hit it with my sword like a baseball bat. I half-expected my sword to just pass through, but instead it landed solidly against the orb and caused it to shoot forward. Barthandelus had just enough time to shout in surprise before it hit him, detonating a blast not unlike that of a hydrogen bomb. I held my arm over my face and squeezed my eye shut, feeling the light and heat baking me as it blew outwards. The entire room trembled from the blast, more so when I heard something rising up and hitting the ceiling, accompanied by a pained yell.