Angels Fall [Closed/Open]

[oathshackledbird]

Characters: Sephiroth (neverbeamemory ), Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (oathshackledbird ), Cu Chulainn (puppy_lancer ), Waver Velvet (fionnuisce ), Suzaku Kururugi (swordofzero ), Patrick Dawn (bashfulshifter ), Veronica Madaraki (stitchedupbodyguard ), Ryoji Mochizuki (notsogrimreaper ), Naoya Toudou (imperialsun ), AU Sephiroth (pinnaculum ), Asagi (irreverence ) and anyone who wants to visited a locked up Sephiroth in the second prompt.
Setting: Floor 62 (Fight)-Closed and Floor 43 (Incarceration)-Open
Format: Beginning in prose. Pick your poison after that.
Summary: Months ago, Sephiroth took control of Ryoji and made him fight Diarmuid and Yukiko. That fight culminated with Sephiroth forcing Ryoji to kill himself in front of them. Diarmuid swore there would be consequences for these actions, but held back because of a shaky truce made between Waver and Sephiroth in the interests of moving the collar fluid research along as fast and smoothly as possible. That truce has been broken, and Diarmuid has learned some very disturbing information about Sephiroth's past. For better or for worse, the time for waiting is at an end.
Warnings: Sephiroth is a warning to himself as he will not be holding back. There will also be language, likely mentions of forced suicide, mind control, violence, blood, injury, and death. This will be updated if needed as the fight progresses.

Floor 62 (Fight)-Closed, Friday 11/15:

This had all started months ago when Sephiroth had discovered that he could manipulate and control Ryoji's mind after the boy made the mistake of insulting him. At first he had only played with Ryoji, shifting his emotions and causing him to act in ways he never would toward those he cared about. However, that hadn't been enough and soon things escalated, culminating when he first forced Ryoji to fight his adoptive father, Diarmuid and his good friend, Yukiko, and then made him kill himself in front of them. The actions were not only a violation of Ryoji's very self, but of his rights as a human being, something Diarmuid swore there would be consequences for. In the Tower, though, things are rarely that easy and after 'speaking' with Sephiroth at the Midsummer's party that Cu Chulainn had thrown, Diarmuid realized that just killing Sephiroth in retaliation would have no effect on the man. In fact, he would probably be pleased. As a result of this realization, Diarmuid put off his revenge, searching for a way to make it matter. His revenge would be further put off when Waver and Sephiroth declared a shaky truce so that everyone's energies could be focused on what was more important--the collar fluid.

To say that Diarmuid didn't like Sephiroth working with something so important to the whole Tower would be an understatement, but he was well aware of how much more important the research was to them all than any individual hatreds they had. That was why he let things lie and did his best to avoid causing problems.

Then, Sephiroth broke the truce. Not only did he break the truce, Diarmuid realized as he was nursing his wounds and fixing the minor damages to the printing press afterward, Sephiroth was up to something. Sephiroth could have all too easily killed him, Diarmuid had learned from Reno. He could have as easily as breathing destroyed the whole section of library they were fighting in. Instead, not only had Sephiroth left Diarmuid alive after knocking him out, he had only fought using Diarmuid's own stolen sword.

Why? The obvious conclusion in Diarmuid's mind was that he was hiding something. Something big. Something that left him not wanting to draw attention to himself. Something that probably meant bad things for everyone in the Tower. And that was why this confrontation couldn't wait any longer. It was no longer just about revenge for what Sephiroth had done to Ryoji.

It was about protecting them all and making sure what happened on Reno's world, didn't happen here.

That was why, after talking to those closest to him and securing their help and the help of a few of their friends, Diarmuid had sent Sephiroth a letter asking him to meet him. The letter itself was simple, only enough to get the man to actually come as opposed to ignoring him. It held no lies, but it held no details either, leaving plenty of space for wrong assumptions. Wrong assumptions that Diarmuid was counting on.

Was it dishonorable? Well, Diarmuid had said Sephiroth brought out the worst in him and this was just another example of how true that was. But, it had to be done. In Diarmuid's mind, there was no other choice. If he must sacrifice his honor to protect his family and everyone else in the Tower, he would do it.

At least, it was his choice this time to take these dishonorable actions instead of being forced to do them by another's hand.

As Diarmuid enters the floor, his eyes immediately scan it, and he is pleased to see that aside from the one who is supposed to be there, no others are on it. That will soon change when his friends join him, but for now he has asked them to wait before entering. He wants to make sure he isn't walking them into a trap, especially after what the younger Sephiroth had told him about the elder's suspicious not long ago.

Sephiroth has his stolen sword, which Diarmuid is glad for since part of him had not expected the man to bring it. The same part that had wondered if he would actually come at all.

"So you are less of a coward than I thought..." Diarmuid's voice is cold and detached, much like his expression, and he plans on keeping himself that way. There will not be a repeat of his loss of control in the Library.

Floor 43 (Incarceration)-Open, 11/16 to 11/20:

Floor 43 is often called the prison floor by those in the Tower because it is filled with cells. Cells that strip a person of their powers and can only be unlocked from the outside. They are a great tool for keeping those who cause problems from causing them as long as a person can get the troublemaker into one to begin with. That task is a little easier when the person who needs to be locked up just died in a fight and has almost two hours of sleep paralysis and numbness to wait through. Since there is really no other way a person can get someone as strong as Sephiroth into one of those cells, it shouldn't be too surprising that someone from the fight yesterday has taken advantage of Sephiroth's death and moved him into one of the cells. It is there he stays, watched over by a loose guard of people. Every so often, though, there is a break in the guard which allows people the chance to taunt talk to Sephiroth for a short time.

(OOC: Please do not attempt to free Sephiroth in this prompt as he will be getting let out in a separate log. Thanks!)

Section Links:
Fight-Floor 62
Incarceration-Floor 43

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

[There is no greater boost than at that moment when after a seemingly endless bout of strike after parry, after counter, after dodge, slowly but surely your opponents defense starts to be picked apart. Inch by inch, and multiplying quickly, more and more of Sephiroth's perfectly executed attacks break through and nick at skin - each time more certain, a downward spiral for Veronica indeed. Never mind that he still had to block at Asagi every so often as she tried to monopolize on the small openings starting to crack in his own attack pattern.

He had perhaps been too bold too soon, in making a slash for Veronica's head but there is no time to follow it up; as one darts away to re-orient herself, another is immediately picking up the slack. Asagi crouched under that very same blade swipe and came up from underneath - it took a great amount of self-control to force back against his momentum and avoid a overly keen punch to the face, and too-much so he stumbled back a step to avoid that knee that would certainly impale him with a blade again. Sephiroth isn't the only one starting to become predictable.

At least the turn away from Asagi's extending blade faced him directly towards Thanatos' as Ryoji barreled in ruthlessly, swinging his sword like a true impersonation of the monster he has become. Sephiroth has fought Thanatos' before though - there is a wild glint of green again at the hilt of his weapon, this time encasing Sephiroth's whole grip around Masamune just before he swung the sword in Thanatos' direction.

An intense wave of fire encased the whole length of the blade momentarily and soon the entire sweeping motion sang through the air telekinetically flinging a vertical beam of fire directly at Ryoji - which Suzaku was in the way of before he promptly moved.

The next few seconds slowed down dramatically for Sephiroth. That last magic he had cast had cost well over what he was really capable of, with some wounds still seeping and a deep ache starting to settle in his core. He needs to finish this, and that need is now beyond urgent. Veronica jumps, and Sephiroth thrusts his blade forwards, up, and the fine point slips into her body as she comes down. But it's not for more than a moment, before she is then flung in Ryoji's direction, intending to collide them, yet another fireball follows in her wake. Sephiroth still has Asagi to dodge around and so cannot afford to split his attention for too long.

Veronica's blades slashed at his forearms as they came down - the price he had to pay for that two-handed fling, drawing two new, scalding lines through leather and flesh. He grunted audibly as now feeling was starting to go from his arms. He wields Masamune two-handed now, to get as much support for the great sword as possible.

As soon as Asagi fights him back close enough to Ryoji and Veronica, he will make decidedly to finish them both - as quickly as possible. His strength starting to wane dangerously, but still able to keep up the speed for now.

He still needs to ensure Diarmuid pays for this game, after all.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji jumped back after his barrage of attacks, noticing the glint of green on the sword and trying to move to avoid it. Unfortunately, Suzaku's considered sacrifice makes him pause, first because he's upset his friend is about to take the hit for him... and then confused when he rushes out of the way. He doesn't have time to think about what that means before the fire hits him, and he screeches at the pain, even as more seems to hit him.

He doesn't even have time to notice who's hit him before he's hit with another fireball, and they're both sent to the ground. His form flickers just slightly, but the adrenaline of the situation is keeping him going. He checks on Veronica, gently moving her to a comfortable position off of him and onto the ground, and then calls out in his distorted voice.]

Someone heal her!

[He can't do anything else for her now, because he's back up and rushing into the fray. Hopefully the pain will be enough of a distraction to Sephiroth so that Thanatos can get a few swings in.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[The last few seconds had slowed down considerably in Veronica's eyes. First Sephiroth had pierced her with his sword, then he had slung her at another person and then hit them both with a fireball. At least someone had been kind enough to put her in a mildly comfortable position. Now, from her new spot on the ground, Veronica assessed herself.

The sword impalement was as painful as it was embarrassing. She should have seen it coming really, how could she had been so stupid? Luckily, the sword had somehow managed to avoid her heart, but it did cut through quite a few muscles and arteries in the process. She couldn't go into specifics like her sister could, but she could say that it really fucking hurt.

Trying to make herself sit up, the effort caused a ripple of pain to shoot through her entire body, more blood pouring out of the wound on her chest. With a cry of pain, Veronica fell back onto the sand. Looking over, she spotted her guillotine blade a few feet or so away, within reach. Her broadsword had been sent flying to another part of the beach though. She was starting to lose quite a bit of blood; the dark splotches dancing around Veronica's vision growing worse. If she didn't get help...]

....Son of a bitch..! [Veronica cursed loudly, coughing up blood in the process. Ignoring the pain for the most part, and putting her aching muscles to work, she grabbed her weapon and started trying to drag herself away from the fight scene. She refused to give up just yet.]

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth didn't approve of their disorganized attacks, but he didn't approve of the other Sephiroth's retaliation, either. It was not as if he was cornered. If he wanted to escape, he likely could--Sephiroth knows he could, if trapped in a battle he didn't want to fight.

There was no purpose to any of this, and it frustrated him, yet he continued to follow the battle, as he continued to stay out of it while staying in it, in his way. If he could mitigate the damage, then he would.

That's why he was ready at once when Veronica fell. Her wounds were severe. He wished she had heeded his advice to stay back and out of danger, but he would not judge her if she felt she needed to assist her comrades (however much he disapproved of their methods). He considered her the least culpable. She had clearly had no part in the planning.

He alighted at her side, green light flaring in his hands, then bathing her body with a healing spell. So, she was both wounded and healed by Sephiroth.]

[neverbeamemory]

[The somewhat narrowed duel between Asagi and Sephiroth continues unabated as Thanatos charges back in to turn it into a trio once more. The scorching lines down his forearms from Veronica's blades are more than a mild inconvenience, Sephiroth has to change his attack style slightly on account of the two-handed wield and also to be more on the defensive side while his body creeps along to catch up with the wounds he's taken so far.

It's impossible to not notice Thanatos when it's on the approach though, and it's with a disgruntled noise that he slashes in a final uppercut towards Asagi - following with a single pulse of his will psychically to propel her a distance away, necessary for him to turn and deal with the monster just as it makes it's first swing at him.

Sephiroth blocks two-handed, holds Masamune steady and then arches to parry before going even more on the evasive in his battle with Thanatos. He recalls from before, that it is easier to dodge around and pick at this form with small, piercing thrusts of the very tip of Masamune, rather than engaging him in a fight which relied more on strength - which was hemorrhaging almost like some of his deeper gashes at this point. And so this fight starts to lean more into a stab-and-retreat until Sephiroth sees an opening he can go for.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji continues to slash at Sephiroth, alternating between brute strength and some of his skills, but when Sephiroth backs off to try to chip away at him, he howls angrily, ready to change tactics to avoid losing more blood.

Unfortunately, the thing that seemed to do the most damage to Sephiroth is also the one that leaves Ryoji the most exposed. He has to charge that Megidola to use it again, and for those few seconds when he's casting that spell, he's open. Hopefully the explosion will catch Sephiroth before he catches Ryoji.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth has been using his strike-and-retreat attack pattern to buy his regeneration some time. Already, the majority of his wounds have stopped bleeding and those sustained early on are closing up rapidly - the slashes in leather the only sign that they were even there.

But he'd have been a fool to miss the way that Ryoji leaves himself open while he's charging that Megidola. That blast had caused sufficient damage to stun him off of the back of Gae Bolg that it had given Rick the window to come and chew at his booted foot. In short, couldn't be allowed. Sephiroth takes a sharp breath inwards and then moves throwing all of his prowess into speed this time.

The slash is low, but quickly makes itself known for it's brutality. It sweeps a curved line across the bottom of Ryoji's abdomen, deep enough to threaten gutting him in one swift motion. Masamune then comes free and is swung around and up to paint a similar - vertical line up towards his chest. The maneuver is followed by both a telekinetic pulse backwards and a quick fireball.

Sephiroth takes a beat longer to observe, to make sure that the beast simply doesn't just get back up - before promptly turning and resetting his stance towards the triad of Waver, with Diarmuid at his feet and Lancer somewhere nearby as well. Asagi would surely be dashing back to to engage him if he lingered where he was and so Sephiroth fought still-healing slashes, pulsing bruises to straighten himself up into somewhat of a salute with his weapon before charging directly at them.

He holds stubbornly onto that speed he'd conjured to deal the lethal attack to Ryoji and dashes with boots hardly touching the sand back into range. Sephiroth slashes again and again at the Volumen Hydragyrum specifically, leaving no break in his attack and sparing no iota of his speed. Sephiroth wouldn't stop, if the great mercurial shield was passed he'd cleave into whomever was unfortunately the other side of it.]

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji knew Sephiroth was going to take advantage of that opening, but he had no idea how quickly he would. One moment, Sephiroth is standing still, the next he's right in front of Ryoji, and there's a sharp pain in his gut. Before he can finish casting his spell, he reverts back to a human form, gasping in pain. He staggers backward a few steps, but he can't get back far enough to avoid the next slash.

He's knocked down by the telekinetic pulse, so he avoids the fireball, but that only ensures that he'll die from bleeding out instead of burns. He turns his head to the rest of the group, watching them even as his vision starts to blur. He probably won't be loud enough to be heard, but...]

Everyone... k-keep fighting. You can still s-stop him... sorry I couldn't...

[He trails off to silence, his breathing ragged. Everything feels numb now, so it's only a matter of time before his breathing stops completely, and his body eventually shuts down... but until that moment, he's hoping for their safety, and hoping no one else will be harmed before the battle is over. He can always ask them tomorrow, can't he?

He coughs up a bit of the blood in his lungs, smiles weakly, and passes out.]

[oathshackledbird]

[When Rick goes down, Diarmuid almost is sick. He knew he shouldn't have let the man come. He knew, but he allowed Rick to come anyway convinced he would be okay as long as he stuck to supporting them and stayed out of the fight proper. Diarmuid had forgotten one important thing about the blond...how foolishly brave he is.

Then the girl falls and everything slows down. Even though time slows down, as injured as Diarmuid is, he hasn't got the strength to move to save her. He doesn't EVEN KNOW HER NAME, and now she's laying in the sand bleeding to death because he isn't strong enough to protect anyone. Not anyone.

Was he ever strong enough?

The world stops when Ryoji falls, a cry forcing its way from Diarmuid's bloodied lips. He actually starts to his feet, but again his strength fails, and he falls back into a crouch, white hot pain lancing through his body and clouding his eyes so that he doesn't see Veronica crawl away from the fight or the younger Sephiroth go to help her.

What he does see, after cutting down his son, is Sephiroth heading straight for the one he loves the most in the Tower. What he does see is that Volumen Hydragyrum is still cutting a path through the sands and, as a result, is not at full strength and no longer a guaranteed defense for them both, let alone Waver himself.

To be honest, the decision is an easy one for Diarmuid to make. Even if he is more than willing to sacrifice himself for Waver, there is more to it than that. He can no longer fight. Waver can.

As long as he is still alive to do it.

The world bursts into motion again as Diarmuid forces himself to his feet moving between Waver and Sephiroth just in time to take Masamune though the chest. He has no idea if he has stopped the blade from striking Waver considering how long it is. He can only hope he has.

More blood spills from his lips followed by...a bitter laugh.]

Always the heart. Always the heart.

[Diarmuid's head suddenly flies up. At the same time, he uses the last of his strength to will Gae Dearg back into existence and puts it straight through Sephiroth's shoulder. The spear doesn't remain manifest for long--Diarmuid doesn't have the strength--but it is long enough and a bloody hole is left as it vanishes again.

Perhaps, though, even more startling than the sudden attack is the change that comes over Diarmuid. His eyes slit, golden and white becoming stained with blood. Most frighteningly is the dark, edged tone that fills his voice as he continues speaking. It is a tone that Cu Chulainn will remember from April and a tone Waver will remember from memories once witnessed in a nightmare.]

What is the darkness going to do when I finally excise that weakness? What will you do then?

[Diarmuid draws a shaky breath, the sound weak and wet. For a moment it seems he will try to say more, but a tremor runs through him and he falls back against Waver. His eyes flutter before finally falling shut. As the world fades away, lost in a swirl of red and black rage, Diarmuid forces one last thing through his bond to Waver. That message is free of rage and free of pain. It is simply...

I'm sorry.]

[fionnuisce]

[They were dropping like fucking flies, Waver thought with a small scowl before discarding the matter. Surely all of them knew what they were getting into.. Waver himself had fully expected to die today; he'd accepted that easier than the idea of killing someone. The concept still left a terrible taste in his mouth, even when it came to Sephiroth.]

[But he could worry about morality later and check up on the casualties tomorrow. If he wanted to at least disable Sephiroth, he had to concentrate on finishing the magic circle. The magus didn't even flinch at Sephiroth's attacks being met strike for strike by what little of his shield wasn't engraving lines in the sand. But as Sephiroth moved, Waver realized there was a problem. For a moment it seemed his Mystic Code was slowing down, but that wasn't the case--Sephiroth was moving faster than it could keep up. Waver hadn't even known that was possible.]

[The next thing he saw was blood-- a lot of it, and not entirely his own. Sephiroth's sword had struck through Diarmuid's chest into the arm Waver had raised in a useless reflex, but any possibility of a mortal injury had been halted.]

You... [Whatever Waver was going to try to say trailed off shakily at Diarmuid's own words, spoken in a voice that very frankly terrified the magus beyond comprehension. For a few seconds Waver was aware of a strange sense of detachment that came over him; for a moment he moved automatically, lowering Diarmuid to the ground with an expression of wordless shock. But the pain in his arm began to set in, and with it came an unfamiliar sentiment; genuine rage and hatred not unlike that which Diarmuid was often so conflicted over. Green eyes burned with something hateful and murderous...and perhaps something not fully stable at the moment.]

Scalp--!

[With a snarled activation word the shield turned to a mass of bladed tendrils, spinning and slashing and lashing out at any part of Sephiroth they could reach to drive him back. If he could just buy enough time to finish the damned circle, this would all be over.]

[Hangups about murder? Morality? Fuck it. Fuck all of it. Waver's clothes and hands were stained with the blood of the only friend he'd ever known, and therefore Sephiroth was going to die, by his hand, right now.]

[puppy_lancer]

[Cu Chulainn had rushed to Diarmuid's side at the end of the Gae Bolg explosion. And there, he had tried to apply his dwindling prana into healing his brother's wounds. That is the reason he had not intervened to save anyone. And that is the reason he is too slow to stop Diarmuid.]

[Even after that, he cannot move. The blood trickling from Diarmuid's eyes reminds him too much of that time in April. It chills him, making him unconsciously recoil, fearing that his brother will curse him again. He only remembers to move again once Waver has laid Diarmuid on the ground.]

Brother!

[He screams, scrambling over to Diarmuid's side.]

Bother, stay still! You'll be alright! I'll heal you!

[He starts trying to piece together his runes, though using them makes his head spin. He knows that it will likely take the rest of his prana, dooming him to die of prana drain.]

[But his brother's life is worth that.]

[As he sketches out the runes with one hand, he grabs Diarmuid's hand with the other. Diarmuid feels so cold it makes his heart skip a beat. But he won't admit that his brother might already be gone. Even if they were arguing just a little while before, he doesn't want Diarmuid to die.]

SORRY FOR THE FOREVER LATE

[imperialsun]

[Naoya still has no idea what is going on. For the most part, what little time he had to react he could only watch as people he only met in passing died, clenching his fist. His healing spells would only delay the inevitable. That is, at least until he saw Thanatos fall down and revert to his human form.

Something snapped inside of him, like the blood that splattered on his coat.

He wished he could have had a clearer picture, but at this point it was simply do or die - and he was not going to let anyone else go down on his watch. The figure standing behind him cast Tarukaja on him again before disappearing in a flash of light, and he begins to walk forward as bluish energy seems to seep out of him in a raging storm. Slowly. Calmly.]

Stand aside.

[His voice sounds distorted, with an echo of someone else speaking at the same time as him. Above him, cloth shifts and move until a new figure emerges, towering over him, sword in hand. He never brings out Kamakura Gongoro. Never. And even then, he's only the soldier to stand in front. In the back, he can feel one of his other selves pacing gleefully back and forth, waiting for that moment when he'll be unleashed...]

I don't know what's happening, but stop this madness!

[Perhaps a last ditch attempt, or just utter madness on his part, he was going to try the peaceful solution before unleashing his own version of hell.]

[irreverence]

Kinda too late for that.

[Asagi is, for the moment, more preoccupied with Cu Chulainn's insistence in trying to heal Diarmuid, who she can very well tell is already gone. So much so, that she doesn't bother to pursue Sephiroth again for the moment past a glancing blow as he retreats. She only spares Naoya a passing glance, momentarily intrigued by the power he's displaying before returning to herself and setting her attention on Lancer once again, and she pushes past Naoya with a warning of-]

So move it or lose it nerd!

[Then she's at Cu Chulainn's side, pulling his hands away from Diarmuid and shaking him a little to try and get his attention back to the present- even as a few of the spears of her hair try and give Sephiroth reason to be wary.]

Stop. You can't help, and you're not doing the rest of us any good if you die, idiot.

[Another shake, followed by a firm slamming of her forehead against his, eyes narrowed and lips pulled into a grimace.]

Are you listening to me?

[puppy_lancer]

[Cu Chulainn's eyes are dazed as he stares at Asagi.]

W-what do you mean? I'm listening. Just let me save Diarmuid first.

[Slowly, realization seems to dawn upon him.]

Are you saying that...that he's gone? He...

[For a second, it seems that he's ready to cry. Then, his eyes blaze with anger.]

...I'll kill him! Sephiroth! I'll tear you to pieces!

[irreverence]

Oh for the love of...

[Even as she watches him get angry, she grabs his shoulders and digs her claws in, just a little, and slams her forehead against his again.

She's lucky she's so sturdy, otherwise she's sure she'd have a concussion.]

Cu Chulainn. Getting angry won't do you any good at this point.

[But she still turns her gaze toward Sephiroth, eyes narrowing. Because it might not be personal, but it is for Lancer- and that's good enough for her. She squeezes his arms again, and then slides a hand down to squeeze one of his, red eyes bright.]

Now come with me- we'll rip him apart together.

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku came back to himself outside of the battle circle again and began to rush back in, he saw the fire envelope Ryoji, saw him continue anyways, going back to fight Sephiroth.

He rushed forwards but he was too late, he was always too late and he saw the sword hit Ryoji.

Suzaku didn't manage to get to his side before the boy slipped away. Even though he had known that the likelihood of most people dying in this attempt to bring down Sephiroth was likely and even though he knew that Ryoji would just reappear the next day didn't help. He felt his heart lurch and anger boil to the surface. He had failed to protect him, what was worse he had probably distracted him, made him think he was safe and then abandoned him.

He looked up from the body, knowing that Diarmuid would not be taking this well. What he saw instead was Sephiroth running towards them. Suzaku tried to move but his eyes flashed red again and he stayed still.

Sephiroth's sword went through Diarmuid, this time being frozen in place had nothing to do with Geass and more to do with shock, Diarmuid's anger shook him, but not so much as his death. Suzaku had seen enough death, that even from this distance he knew his friend wasn't merely unconscious.

Suzaku let out a cry of rage, of pain and took out his gun. Not caring about saving bullets now, rushing towards him, shooting until he was too close them bringing his sword up to cut and slice and stab. Not caring about tactics or sense, just wanted revenge for the death of his friend, the death of his brother.

He couldn't die, it was about the only edge he had in this fight and so he was going to use that to his advantage, and throw all his strength at Sephiroth.]

[neverbeamemory]

[He felt first the Volumen Hydragyrum give under his high-speed barrage of short strikes and Sephiroth just knew somehow that it would give under the next. This drew Masamune into a brutal two handed slash once more, for the extra strength before it was swung that last time.

Passing through shield and sure to cleave Waver in two on impact. It's only then there is a whoosh of movement registered and it's Diarmuid all of a sudden there in between the two of them. Masamune halted mid-swing by the sheer amount of meat it's had to cleave through - stuck mid-way through the Servant's torso. It's as Diarmuid spews forth more blood and words that Sephiroth steps back to slowly draw the great length out of his opponent.

The sudden movement of Diarmuid's head being forced back up catches Sephiroth's attention again for the second before there is a more immediate problem - the sudden appearance of a spear through Sephiroth's right shoulder, cracking silver armor; which falls to the floor instantly. Sephiroth froze in his retreat, breath taken and held for those few moments when he could see a terrifying hell in Diarmuid's face. He would value this glimpse into the Servant's darkness later; though he does manage a momentary smirk, before the injury left in Gae Dearg's wake is all of a sudden a large, empty gushing hole in his shoulder which robbed his right arm of all sensation and movement.

Masamune in left-hand Sephiroth stumbles back and away into his right-sided injury, very nearly crashing to that knee under the crippling agony now penetrated through his shattered shoulder joint. He swings with the momentum of the swoon back around though and resets his stance to be heavily left-side dominant. No choice now but to wield his sword left handed. His cells scream at him metaphysically, pull at his consciousness before he forces himself above the increasing dire need to regenerate.

There is the vague recognition of Naoya's appearance on the battlefield, and the over-large Persona behind him but under the immediate counter-attack between Suzaku and Waver's Volumen Hydragyrum Sephiroth is much too occupied concentrating with everything he has on deflecting what he can; one-handed. Bullets lace up his back afresh as Suzaku races back in, and Volumen Hydragyrum slices lines wherever it can get around his defense - forcing the retreat back towards the magic circle. He's quickly turning into a lacerated mess of blood and leather, leaving a easily traceable trail in the sand.

He mistimes a step in the sand and just about manages to turn in time to meet Suzaku's bladed attack with a block, growling loudly as he forces his whole body weight and his dwindling telekinetic power against it - anything to force Suzaku back away from him. To buy his body time to at least stem bleeding, this being most important for preserving and readjusting his power output.

That done, Sephiroth does drop to one knee on his right side. Breathing heavy and with his right shoulder curled inwards - left fist in the sand still around his weapon. He swoons but still his body begins to catch up, the blood stops gushing from his shoulder at least and Sephiroth looks up to meet Naoya's gaze dead on. He can see the power coming from this one, it will have to be dealt with quickly.]

What's this- [He grunts and spits a mouthful of blood into the sand and gets his weight underneath him, pushing up to his feet. He'll still have to fight one-handed but the green Materia flares up dangerously in the hilt of his weapon, he's scraping every last ounce of power that he has. It would be important to keep this newcomer at a distance.] -a latecomer?

[He wastes no time in launching a volley of three fireballs at Naoya.]

[imperialsun]

[He doesn't even flinch when he gets pushed by Asagi. He's had his share of team members that would do the same. Instead he just continues to walk, hands in his pockets. For the untrained eye, now he looks completely harmless. when Sephiroth speaks up, he looks disappointed. No matter what happens, he would rather take the peaceful route. He finally stops walking to stand a little closer to him, hands on his waist his face perfectly neutral, apart from that annoyed glint in his eye.]

...Yeah. I am.

[His voice is back to its normal pitch, and he doesn't get to say much more as the fireballs hit him. The persona behind hims disappears just as the entire area bursts into heat, the flames growing as each fireball hits, melting the sand into glass.

Then, a sudden shift as they begin to whirlwind together, dissipating to reveal him again standing there, a cloud of steam rising from above him. A quick change from the sea of his mind switched his persona for another, as succubus took the blunt of the hit and absorbed it. He switches back to Kamakura Gongoro again.]

Persona.

[The creature silently raises it's hand and a torrent of bullet-like projectiles of the Sonic bullet attack are flung towards his foe's direction. Yet even now, Naoya only means to disarm him, and remove that elongated blade from his hand.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth kept flaring eyes locked on Naoya as the fire, and the effort he had expelled into it seemed at first to pay off. Through vision starting to dot with white specks Sephiroth widened eyes as the fire whirl-winded around the newcomer and dissipated harmlessly into steam, the succubi-Persona having anulled it completely.

Had Sephiroth been sure of his footing on the sand he'd have charged right in then and there to take whatever advantage he could cleave. As it was, distracting deep rooted throbbing at his mess of a right shoulder held Sephiroth in a defensive position.

All things considered in his one-handed defense, he did quite well in turning Masamune into the Sonic projectiles - knocking some harmlessly away, blocking some entirely but the impacts of the heavy attack shook the blade out of his grasp, the end of the torrent flicking the great sword up into the air and a fair distance away. The blue-handled sword landing harmlessly in the sand several feet away.

No weapon or Materia left to use, Sephiroth now only had the remains of his telekinesis to play with. He bit his lip and crouched in a deep squat, forcing the momentum up and forwards - extending in a desperate kinetic wave of energy towards Naoya. Sephiroth stumbled forwards with the effort but managed to catch his balance, charging forwards towards Naoya in an attempted shoulder barge with his good side.]

[imperialsun]

[The wave does connect enough for Naoya to be pushed backwards. If he didn't have a persona, it would have caused a lot of damage, and it still connected enough for his lip to be busted and what felt like his nose bleeding on his shirt.

In annoyance, he wipes it away, letting it color his already colored shirt even farther.]

Kamakura Gongoro!

[Naoya had always been an avid video game player. Despite his best intentions, even now his mind was acting in accordance to those strange rules laid out by his favorite RPGs. If this guy was an issue with his friends, there had to be some dark energy to him (logically), so when push came to shove, he chose for his Persona to unleash the Makouha, a holy/expel type of spell.

The creature advanced to meet Sethiroth as he charged, attempting to have him connect with him instead of Naoya. Gongoro's left hand moved in a series of incantations before two whitish circle appeared around its intended target. White cards with engravings of holy protection upon them attached themselves to him like a bad plague.

His foe may not have heard it, but the pacing voice inside of Naoya was growing louder with each hit that connected.]

Hey! Hey!
Let ME have some fun too!
Just one look is all you'll need, into those eyes of his, and he'll be gone!
Sure it's a risk, but that's half the fun!
You haven't gotten to do that yet, self, this is the perfect time! It's quick and harmless right?
Come on me...

[...he couldn't deny that that feeling was swelling up in him as he looked at Ryoji's lifeless body again.

...the self capable of demonic cruelty was hard to ignore, once it made himself known.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Veronica was sure that her miscalculation would be her downfall, as the dark spots spread across her vision, she barely noticed as someone was at her side once again, leaving her with a strange sense of deja vu.

Before she could pass away though the girl was surrounded by a green light. With no strength to panic, she simply let the light wash over her and... she felt better. The bleeding had slowed somewhat, and some of the smaller wounds were closing. Her violet eyes looked up blindly until her focus cleared and she saw the young boy standing over her, apparently the cause of her sudden healing.]

Y...You... s-shouldn't be h-here...

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth shakes his head. It's hard to explain to people that he's actually a thirty year old man reverted to the body and mindset of his child self, and that he's safe from any violence from his older self because of the simple reason that they are not enemies. But that's too complicated, and likely too compromising. It's easier to let people believe that he's what he seems to be: a child. Because he is. Even though he isn't.]

I will not be harmed in this battle.

[Unlike Veronica. Sephiroth casts another spell to hasten the healing, but he does not believe she will die now, as long as he protects her and prevents her from being wounded again.]

You do not need to worry about me. You are the one who is injured.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[The healing process was still slow, but Veronica could feel it already working on her.]

You keep.... s-saying that. G-guess it m-must be true.....

[She chuckled, which ended in a pained grunt.]

....I g-guess I should h-have... planned it b-better huh?

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth didn't like to share too much information regarding his abilities, offensive or defensive, but he was able to withdraw from any fight without injury, so long as his powers were not disabled.]

It is true.

[Sephiroth nods.]

You should not rush into battle uninformed about your opponent.

[Although he has enough tact to realize he shouldn't just criticize a wounded person.]

Although your efforts were courageous.

[Foolish, but courageous.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[She laughed at that. Though it once again ended badly as she coughed up a little blood.]

Courageous and f-foolish.... Y-you don't h-have to lie...

I... I-I guess I j-just ran in... because I saw R-rick in danger...