When it comes to Sephiroth's ultimate moves, "Angel Without a Heart" is arguably more infamous than "Supernova."
It doesn't split the sky or shatter the earth. There's no blinding blade or thunderous roar. Instead, it summons a cherubic figure—like a Cupid of pure will—that spins once in the air. But the effect is terrifying: it drains the target's mental energy to the brink, then turns that energy inward, dealing damage proportional to the victim's own spirit.
If "Supernova" represents Jenova's apocalyptic power, then "Angel Without a Heart" is the embodiment of Sephiroth's tragic fate—his inner torment made manifest.
Of course, those struck by it never get to feel Sephiroth's sorrow. Their own suffering is far worse.
**"Aaaahhhhhhh—!"**
Lady Night, who took the full brunt of the attack, let out a blood-curdling scream. Hundreds of crimson bat-shaped sigils that had clung to Flora's body burst free, exploding midair into sprays of blood. In the blink of an eye, nearly all were destroyed—only one blood-colored bat remained, wobbling as it tried to flee.
Jack Harper couldn't have pulled this off with his own power. But after inheriting Jenova's cellular memory, he gained more than just knowledge of devouring—he also acquired fragments of Sephiroth's techniques, including "Angel Without a Heart." While Flora was under Lady Night's control, her spirit was suppressed, leaving Lady Night exposed to the full force of the mental attack. And when that energy turned inward, it targeted Lady Night's own body. Even hidden within Flora, she couldn't escape the curse's reach.
It was this technique that convinced Jack Harper to use himself as the vessel to resurrect Sephiroth.
Originally, his plan was to hide his core will within the dreamscape of his mind, subtly influencing Sephiroth through the three thought-forms. He hoped to guide Sephiroth into using "Angel Without a Heart" against Lady Night, forcing her out of Flora's body. Risky, but plausible.
But fate is fickle. When Sephiroth suffered a sudden mental blow, Jack seized the moment—and succeeded in taking over his idol's body. With Jack himself wielding the move, the plan became far more reliable.
And it worked exactly as intended. Lady Night could no longer control Flora. She was forcibly expelled.
**"Tch!"** The final blood bat, carrying Lady Night's core will, tried to escape. Jack Harper wouldn't allow it. With a single slash, he obliterated the last member of the Dark Oath.
**"Finally…"** With every cursed enemy wiped out, Jack Harper felt a rush of relief. He nearly howled with triumph. Brandon Caswell's dying curse—**Stygian Blood Vow**—had weighed on him for too long. Facing a Silver-tier squad as a rookie was an unfair challenge. If not for his luck, unique talents, and ability to seize opportunity, he'd have had no chance. Even so, it took a string of fortunate breaks—killing their strategist and healer early—and countless calculations to reach this point.
At that moment, Flora's own spirit finally broke free from Lady Night's grip. She gave Jack a weak smile.
**"Mo… thank you."**
Though her spirit had been suppressed, it hadn't been devoured. She'd remained conscious throughout, even absorbing fragments of Lady Night's thoughts. She knew the silver-haired warrior before her—despite his changed appearance—was the person she trusted.
But before she could finish her sentence, her body trembled violently. A surge of demonic energy erupted from within, and her form began to swell—on the verge of awakening again.
**"Damn!"** Jack Harper instantly recalled what Elliot Gray had once told him: Claymore warriors could return from an awakened state through sheer willpower—a process called **partial awakening**. But each time they did, they edged closer to full demonization. The more partial awakenings, the harder it became to resist.
Flora had never undergone a partial awakening before. Her spirit wasn't particularly strong. Yet Lady Night had forcibly triggered it countless times. Flora's awakened form had reached the level of the **Silver-Eyed Lion King**, and only Lady Night's unique immunity to demonization had kept her from losing control. Now that Lady Night was gone, Flora's body—already far beyond its limit—began awakening the moment her mind returned.
If she awakened this time, there would be no coming back.
Jack reacted instantly. Before Flora could transform, he raised his hand. A flash of blue light burst forth, and a chilling aura swept the field.
**"Ice Apex Mahā — Eternal Frost Coffin!"**
A temperature below minus 270 degrees surged outward, penetrating even the deepest layers of the body. The combined effect froze Flora solid, sealing her within a massive wall of ice before the awakening could begin.
**"This is bad. Looks like she'll have to stay like this. I wonder if Elliot Gray's alchemy can help…"**
Jack pondered, unaware that trouble was already brewing again.
**"ROOOAAARRRR—!"**
A wave of black mist exploded from his body. Sephiroth's once-handsome face twisted into a snarl. His long silver hair whipped upward, caught in the rising storm of darkness.
**"No… Sephiroth… he's… waking up…"**
Jack's thoughts hadn't even formed a plan before a monstrous will surged forth, drowning his consciousness.
When those emerald eyes turned deep and chaotic once more, the one controlling the body was no longer Jack Harper.
But calling him Sephiroth wasn't quite right either.
The silver-haired warrior now radiated pure madness. Gone were the elegance, pride, and regal cruelty of the Angel of Destruction. What remained was a beast—wild, violent, and unhinged. Less a fallen god, more a devourer of worlds.
He rose slowly into the air, reaching toward the sky. From the swirling vortex of black clouds above, hundreds of dark tendrils descended, wrapping around him. These were streams of corrupted **Life Spring** energy. As they poured into his body, his power surged.
With a roar, two new black wings burst from his lower back.
In the original tale, Sephiroth's final form during the meteor summoning was the **Seven-Winged Angel**—one wing on his back, six around his waist, legs hidden beneath. Though he hadn't reached that form now, even the distant heroes could feel the surge of evil energy. It was like gasoline thrown on fire—explosive, unstoppable. And the power kept rising.
If Sephiroth had once stood at the peak of lower Gold-tier, he now broke through to the upper ranks—a true mid-tier Gold powerhouse. At such levels, each step forward widened the gap. Two lower-tier Iron warriors could take down a mid-tier one. But ten lower-tier Gold fighters couldn't touch a mid-tier Gold.
Fortunately, real battles don't allow invincible transformations. As Sephiroth absorbed the black Life Spring, his reaction slowed—giving the heroes a window to strike.
**"Stop him!"** Vincent shouted. **"Satan's Roar!"**
A massive demonic head—the size of a football field—rose from the earth, jaws wide, aiming to swallow Sephiroth whole.
**BOOM—**
The attack exploded from within, unable to fully contain Sephiroth's power. But it disrupted his transformation and bought precious time.
Then came the protagonist—**Cloud**.
**Omnislash Ver. 5.**
The name might sound awkward, but its power was undeniable. In the original story, Sephiroth had dominated until he was caught off guard by this ultimate move—and lost.
Now, just after breaking Vincent's attack, Sephiroth was vulnerable. Cloud closed in. He swung his massive fusion sword, but it split apart mid-strike—revealing hidden mechanisms. The sudden shift threw Sephiroth off balance.
The seven blades scattered. Six smaller ones formed a hexagram around Sephiroth. The largest hovered above his head.
**"Haaah!"** Cloud roared, his body transforming into a stream of blue light. Like Magnor's **Tenfold Martial Path**, he split into afterimages—each wielding a blade—attacking from all directions.
In mere seconds, Sephiroth was struck by over a dozen heavy blows. With each slash, black mist and blood erupted from his body.
**"Become a memory!"**
With a final "thud," the largest blade cleaved downward. Cloud passed by, landing on the ground. The seven blades fell—six embedding around him, the largest in his hand. He looked up, waiting for Sephiroth to fall.
But unlike the original tale, this Sephiroth—fused with three thought-forms and Jack Harper's body—endured the full force of Cloud's ultimate move.
Of course, even the Angel of Destruction couldn't walk away unscathed. The two black wings he had just grown were completely shattered.
It was a clear sign: the surge of power he'd gained had been forcibly stripped away. Yet perhaps because of that, Sephiroth's once-chaotic eyes began to focus. He was no longer lost in madness. He had noticed the enemies below.
**"Rrgh… rrgh… die… all of you!"**
The fully transformed, frenzied Sephiroth let out a guttural roar and shot forward like a bolt of black lightning.
His first target: the red-winged demon Vincent, still hovering in midair.
Vincent's latent power might have rivaled Cloud's, but he had just unleashed both **Chaos Swordsman** and **Satan's Roar**—two ultimate techniques. Though they had briefly suppressed Sephiroth's three-winged form, they had also drained Vincent's strength. His demon transformation was already collapsing.
He couldn't withstand Sephiroth's full-force assault.
After two brutal exchanges, Vincent's demon form was shattered. Then came a devastating slash—from shoulder to waist. Vincent screamed and plummeted from the sky.
That blow should have split him in two. But as Masamune sliced into his shoulder, a burst of light erupted from Vincent's chest—shielding his vital organs. It was a relic from ancient civilization: a magic stone implanted by Sephiroth's mother, Lucrecia, to suppress the chaos cells within him. It saved his life.
Sephiroth, now consumed by rage, moved to finish him off—but Cloud intercepted, forcing him to redirect.
Unfortunately, Cloud was already battered and bleeding. His strength had dropped to Silver-tier. He barely blocked a few strikes before Sephiroth's thrust pierced his chest. Then, with a violent swing, Sephiroth hurled him into the sky.
The one-winged angel followed like a shadow.
**"Eightfold Flash: Fang!"**
A modified version of Eightfold Flash. Masamune stabbed forward like a spear, striking again and again. Though not as powerful as the original, it was far faster. The final thrust pierced Cloud's shoulder blade. Sephiroth spun his arm, slamming the blond warrior into the ground.
**"Cloud!"** Tifa and the others cried out. Seeing Cloud defeated, they launched their attacks.
Tifa's **Final Heaven**, Yuffie's **All Creation**, Red XIII's **Cosmo Memory**, Barret's **Catastrophe**, and Cid's **Highwind Hurricane**—all unleashed at once.
But Sephiroth struck first.
**Supernova — Abyssal Blade.**
The crimson star reappeared in the sky, vast and apocalyptic. Its deep, burning light descended with divine finality. The heroes' ultimate moves, powerful as they were, crumbled like foam before the blade's overwhelming force. The backlash left them all wounded. Barret, Cid, and Red XIII were knocked unconscious.
And the sword's momentum didn't stop. It continued to fall—like a mountain crashing down. Stronger than before, it promised total annihilation. If it landed, Cloud and the remaining heroes would be obliterated.
No one could stop it. Everyone was injured. No one could fight.
The blade fell—unimpeded.
Until… the light of destruction illuminated a patch of pale blue ice below.
Inside it, frozen in time, was a golden-haired girl.
The sword halted.
Sephiroth's right hand slipped from the hilt. Instead, he gripped his own left wrist—tight.
**…I won't let you hurt Flora…**
Within the chaotic black sea of Sephiroth's mind, a single thread of icy blue light rose—like the first ray of dawn.
And in that moment, a flicker of blue shimmered in his emerald right eye.
Jack Harper's consciousness… had returned.