Among the heroes, the one the Remnants feared most was Cloud—the warrior who had once been infused with Sephiroth's cells and ultimately defeated him.
To stop him, Yazoo and Loz gave it everything they had. The trio tore down the highway on massive motorcycles, engaging in a wild, high-speed battle. Despite the size of their three-meter-long bikes, they maneuvered them with the agility of skateboards, firing guns and swinging blades mid-ride. The clang of their weapons echoed wildly across the asphalt.
But Cloud, even without using materia, steadily regained his strength. Halfway through the chase, he began to overpower Yazoo and Loz. He shattered their weapons and blew up Loz's military-grade bike.
Seizing the moment, Cloud broke free and continued his pursuit of Kadaj. Yazoo and Loz tried to catch up, but Shinra had laid a trap—an enormous bomb buried beneath the highway. The explosion packed the force of over a hundred tons of TNT, stronger than a Gold-tier warrior's full-force strike. An explosion's power, unlike a direct attack, can't be concentrated, which was the only reason the blast didn't obliterate the two Remnants on the spot.
Even so, they were left severely wounded.
Even though their materia included healing spells, Remnants weren't like normal humans. Their life force was tied directly to their spirit. Using spiritual energy to restore physical health was like robbing Peter to pay Paul—it just didn't work.
The massive explosion didn't go unnoticed.
Jack Harper caught the shockwave from afar. "Looks like it's time for the next step," he muttered, forcing back his opponent and assuming the stance for Ice Apex Mahā. His Dark Gold Saint Cloth peeled away, and his ice and snow energy converged into a massive sapphire-blue aura that enveloped his body.
"Lady Night, get ready!" Magnor shouted.
Jack's power surge had disrupted their plan to stop Mahā Avatara, but Magnor had a backup. Ice Apex Mahā could only be used once. If Lady Night charged first, Jack might hesitate to harm Flora's body. That hesitation would turn his ultimate move into a liability. Even if he did strike, he'd be vulnerable afterward—easy prey for Magnor's Tenfold Kill from the Xuanwu True Skill.
Of course, Lady Night, though possessing Flora's body, wouldn't necessarily die. As long as she withdrew at the last moment, even if she lost a few bat familiars, she'd survive.
But moments later, the sapphire aura dispersed—and Jack Harper wasn't holding the signature blue sphere of Ice Apex Mahā. Instead, he was astride his summoned Headless Horseman mount, soaring into the sky and vanishing before the trio could react.
"What the hell is he doing? Why's he fleeing the scene?" Golden Flash bellowed.
"I've got no idea. But judging by the direction, he's heading toward the explosion site. Is he trying to rescue those two injured Remnants?" Lady Night asked, puzzled.
Magnor frowned, thinking hard. After a pause, he said, "Forget it. Let's find Jenova's head. Once we have it, we'll have the upper hand."
Unfortunately, Magnor didn't realize he had just let slip the final chance to turn the tide of this life-or-death battle.
Shinra's bombs were nothing if not reliable. The explosion rivaled Bahamut-Zero's full-force breath. The shockwave overturned land within a kilometer radius, leaving a crater over a hundred meters wide and twenty meters deep at the center.
A faint hum echoed from the blast zone.
At the heart of the crater, a flickering, semi-transparent shield finally collapsed, revealing two battered figures inside.
Yazoo and Loz—the two Remnant youths.
Though caught off guard by the blast, Yazoo's reflexes were astonishing. He managed to activate the "Barrier" spell from his materia at the last second, shielding them from the direct impact. But Shinra had clearly added something extra to the bomb. The shield, which should have blocked all physical damage and absorbed magical attacks, was torn apart. The two still suffered heavy injuries—alive, but barely.
As they struggled to climb out of the crater, a voice rang out from above: "You two okay?"
They looked up. Jack Harper hovered overhead on his death mount.
Yazoo weakly shook his head. "Forget us… Go help Mother."
Jack dismounted and walked toward them. "I will. But first, I need you to help me with something."
Loz, too injured to stand, asked in a low voice, "What… is it?"
Jack reached them and placed a hand on each of their heads. "Lend me your lives."
The next moment, both Remnants screamed in agony. Black mist and flickering blue light poured from their bodies, flowing into Jack Harper. As the energy drained, their forms began to blur.
"Every Jenova cell originates from the Mother and must return to her. When awakened, each cell carries a fragment of her memory, which it implants into its host. If the host's will is weak, they become a puppet. But if strong enough, they become the cell's master. You three inherited fragments of Sephiroth's memory."
Loz and Yazoo could only scream—too overwhelmed to speak. Jack's voice continued.
"The Jenova cell inside me contains memories of how individual cells devour one another. You're both too injured to resist. So now, you'll become part of me."
With that, the two Remnants vanished into black mist, absorbed completely by Jack Harper. The influx of Jenova cells triggered another wave of psychic shock, but Jack's mind held firm.
The cells' regenerative power surged. The black eyepatch covering Jack's damaged left eye burst apart in a cloud of mist. When it cleared, his face was flawless—his left eye fully healed, without a trace of injury.
Jack didn't have a mirror, so he didn't see that his new eye had turned a vivid green, while his right eye remained icy blue—giving him the mismatched gaze of a Persian cat.
Meanwhile, Kadaj had no idea he was now the last surviving Remnant of Sephiroth.
His situation was dire.
Though the summoned beasts had stalled the heroes briefly, they soon caught up. Cloud, the protagonist, and the three adventurers from the Dark Oath also arrived. Kadaj, who had already lost to Cloud once without using materia, now faced overwhelming odds.
Fortunately, Tifa noticed that Cloud—once depressed—had regained his fighting spirit during the battle. She pleaded with the others to let Cloud face Kadaj alone. The heroes agreed. The Dark Oath trio, though reluctant, didn't dare challenge so many Silver-tier warriors. They stepped back, waiting for a chance to steal the final blow.
Kadaj and Cloud fought without materia—just blades.
The duel looked intense, but it was one-sided. Surrounded by enemies and burdened by pressure, the emotionally unstable silver-haired youth was no match for Cloud, whose strength had returned to upper Silver-tier. Kadaj, barely mid-tier, was outclassed.
Worse, he had to hold the box containing Jenova's head with one hand, while Cloud wielded his modular greatsword—capable of splitting into multiple blades and switching between single and dual forms at will.
Soon, Kadaj was forced into a power clash. But his twin-blade, weighing only a few pounds, couldn't compete with Cloud's two-hundred-pound greatsword. When Cloud activated his inner energy, blue flames erupted. Even a dragon would fall to that strike.
Their blades met once. Kadaj's weapon flew from his hand, and he was sent crashing to the ground.
"Now!" Magnor shouted, drawing his longsword and rushing in—hoping to finish Kadaj and claim the "Master Summon" materia.
But someone beat him to it.
Before the Dark Oath trio could act, a rider descended from the sky—Jack Harper, clutching a glowing blue sphere. His death mount pierced the heroes' defenses with supersonic speed. Landing beside Kadaj, Jack raised his hand and unleashed his ultimate move.
"Ice Apex Mahā!"
The sapphire sphere exploded in his palm. A wave of freezing light burst outward, expanding in all directions like a tidal wave. Steel and stone froze instantly, then shattered into glittering shards. Even Silver-tier warriors had to retreat a hundred meters, waiting for the light to thin before breaking through.
At the center of the blast, Kadaj—exhausted and defenseless—was untouched. A strong hand caught him.
"You alright?" Jack asked.
"Ah—!" Kadaj tried to respond, but a wave of searing pain cut him off.
"Sorry. I hit a bit hard. But Ice Apex Mahā only buys me this much time," Jack said, rapidly absorbing Kadaj's Jenova cells and energy. With experience from absorbing Loz and Yazoo, his own cells had evolved. The process took less than a tenth of the time.
…Poor Kadaj didn't even have time to scream before his body dissolved into black mist, merging into Jack Harper.
The absorption triggered a massive psychic shock. Jack's body trembled, his mind flooded with chaotic memories—fragments of Sephiroth's past, his battles, his hatred, his pride. But Jack's will was stronger than any Remnant's. He endured the storm.
Then, something changed.
The Jenova cells inside Jack began to fuse, not just with his body—but with each other. The three fragments—Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj—merged into a single entity. The cells twisted and reshaped, forming a new consciousness.
Jack's body convulsed. His aura flared violently, then collapsed inward. A blinding light erupted from his chest, and his skin split open—not with blood, but with radiant energy.
From the light, a figure emerged.
Tall, graceful, with silver hair flowing like liquid moonlight. His eyes glowed with an eerie green hue, and his long black coat fluttered in the wind. In his hand was a blade longer than any greatsword—Masamune, the legendary katana.
Sephiroth had returned.
Not a clone. Not a memory. Not a puppet.
The true Sephiroth—reborn from the fusion of Jenova's cells and Jack Harper's body.
The battlefield fell silent.
Cloud's pupils contracted. He gripped his sword tighter, his breath shallow. Tifa gasped. The Dark Oath trio froze in place. Even the summoned beasts vanished, sensing the overwhelming presence.
Sephiroth opened his eyes.
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing a new body. Then he raised his gaze, scanning the battlefield. His expression was calm—almost serene—but beneath it lay a storm.
"Mother…" he whispered.
The box containing Jenova's head lay nearby, untouched. Sephiroth walked toward it, each step echoing like a drumbeat. He knelt, opened the box, and gazed at the grotesque remains.
Then he smiled. "It's been a while, Cloud."
"Sephiroth!" Cloud gasped.
The silver-haired warrior turned, his smile fading. "Cloud Strife. Still chasing ghosts?"
Cloud didn't answer. He raised his sword.
Sephiroth tilted his head. "You want to fight me again?"
Cloud nodded.
Sephiroth sighed. "Very well. Let's finish what we started."
The final battle was about to begin.
But this time, Sephiroth wasn't just a memory or a fragment.
He was whole.
And the world trembled.