The atmosphere of forgotten power permeates the air, along with a distinct smell of musty decay and sacred incense. Thick as a Goron's arm, vines wind around decaying pillars that rise from the overgrown floor like spectral sentinels. The broken roof allows sunlight to seep through, creating mottled patterns on the mossy stone floor. Half-buried in the wreckage are Mako-powered machinery with geometric precision, and elegant arches that evoke the spirit of old-world workmanship. The weathered Triforce murals and broken statues that line the walls of the temple are adorned with glowing crystals that pulse with an unearthly inner light.

In walks the Hero of Hyrule, in his breath of the wild incarnation, with a tiny fairy flying around him. Link observes the place, holding his ever-present master sword and Hyrulian shield. That is until he stops in his tracks, his expression becoming more serious. On the other side of the room, Cloud Strife fiercely observes him, brandishing his Iconic Buster sword.

Cloud: Do you know how you got here?

Link returns the question swinging his sword downwards in a pose.

Cloud: Have it your way.

The two get into a fighting stance, ready to dash at each other.

FIGHT!

They clash their swords with each other in a crossing motion, and both jump back.

Cloud charges in at Link and delivers a mighty buster sword swing, which Link uses his shield to block, sending him sliding backwards a little distance. The two clang swords against each other, parrying and blocking each of their swings. With precise footwork, Link attempts to overwhelm Cloud with a flurry of rapid-fire sword strikes, seamlessly transitioning between slashes and parrying his returning blows, his movements mirroring the wind itself. Cloud, undeterred, counters with the immense strength of the Buster Sword, heaving the heavy thing around at surprisingly fast speeds and blocking most of the blows. Amid the onslaught however, Cloud kicks Link in the stomach, bringing the action to a halt, and attempts to bash him away with his weapon, but Link does the spin attack, sending Cloud flying into a nearby pillar. He lands on the pillar from the side, breaking physics.

Link shoots, normal, Ice and fire arrows at Cloud, who bashes them away after hoping off the pillar. Link brings out the Fire Rod and begins unloading on Cloud, creating so much fire, that it covers his figure completely. But through the overwhelming heat, Cloud emerges, with a gleam of the ribbon tied tightly to his arm, which startles Link. Cloud uses Quake to disrupt the ground, shooting a blade beam at him, which Link blocks with one of his own. Cloud then shoots Thundaga at him, which he doesn't block. The electricity was so potent, it brought Link down to one knee.

But he wasn't going to be put down that easily! He looks up, determined, and pulls out his hook shot which he shoots at Cloud. The ex-SOLDIER does dodge the initial shot. But the claw attaches to another pillar, which Link uses to pull himself at Cloud at high speeds, disarming by flicking the sword out of his hands with his own.

Cloud: Huh?

Link cries as he brings out another hookshot, and begins to manoeuvre around the battlefield at high speeds as Cloud struggles to find his sword in all of the chaos. The Hyrulian zips around in all directions, tagging Cloud with nasty hits. He intercepts some blows as Link overwhelms him until he uses Toad.

In a first-person shot, Link wakes up and views his hands, before looking forward and back at his hands again.

Link: HUH!!!??!!

Cloud smirks and uses Firaga at the now toad hero of Hyrule, who oddly rolls around in his toad body, dodging the large craters made by the fire attacks. After the onslaught, he hops over to his sword and touches it, immediately transforms back to his old body, and blocks another ember.

He brings out his patented sheikah slate, using the magnet function to gather a large amount of nearby machinery into a giant ball and sends it forward at Cloud, with it gaining fire as it moves at him at top speeds. Cloud though, uses Stop, freezing just in time, heaving a sigh of relief. Until Link bursts through the giant fuck-off meteorite rolling at Cloud with immense pressure. He had put on the Goron mask.

Cloud: (Genuinely Confused) What even is that?

Cloud uses the buster sword and gets pushed back across the map, struggling to hold back the behemoth ball. After a short struggle, as he's about to lose his grip, he uses Graviga. Link seemingly stops in place as Gravity takes a toll on him, making him sink deeper and deeper into a crater until the mask starts to crack and even shatters, leaving Link, lying weakly. Cloud watches as Link drags himself back to his feet. He points out his sword at him, indicating that he isn't quite done yet.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Cloud: (With a small smile) Neither am I.

Cloud cures himself by casting Curaga, while Link somehow materializes and downs a Spicy Fruit and Mushroom Mix. The Ex-SOLDIER is a bit confused, but shakes it off, before the two nod at each other with a respectful smile, prepared for a round two.

Link brings out his crossbow and starts to shoot even more arrows at Cloud, who flies through the barrage, bashing away any attacks which come too close. He tries a Crossslash on Link, furiously swinging. But he expertly parries every attack and freezes him in time in with the Sheikah Slate before he can do anything.

He takes a breath.

He then shoots an arrow at him, signifying that he wants him to fly forward. Before then charging an extra powerful Spin attack, unleashing every slash before the time stop finishes, leaving time for a massive hammer to be swung at Cloud, sending him into the air just as the time stop ends. Cloud, disoriented from the massive blow straight to the cranium, faceplants a while away, unable to really do much. Meanwhile, Link puts on his cape and disappears from the battle completely. Cloud rises again like he always does, albeit sluggishly and looks around the battle-damaged, yet serene environment. He breathes a disappointed sigh. It seems the battle was still going.

Cloud: I thought I would be home by now.

In his background, there seems to be a bow charging up. It shoots an ancient arrow, which drives through the floor, tearing up even more of the temple's grounds. Cloud notices this late but still blocks it regardless, but has his sword dematerialised in his hands in the process.

Cloud: (Disappointed) Really?

Link reveals himself, tossing the cape to the side in a cool manner before pulling out a Clawshot and shooting it at Cloud's arm. It carries him along and pins him to a pillar. To him, this is all moving too fast, he frantically looks around, struggling, before Link charges forward, and the screen fades to black before a white slash is seen. Link appears on the other side, still in a slashing motion, as the humongous pillar behind him starts to crumble and falls off completely, making a massive thud as it hits the ground. Cloud spits out a lot of blood as he crumples to the ground, holding a massive gash in his torso that Link had created for him.

Cloud: (Groans), I still have people I can't disappoint.

Cloud grips his hand, using DEATH, as the grim reaper himself appears and blitzes Link before he can react.

As the sickle is about to land, memories of times branching across various games quite literally flash inside his eyes...

Before they all go blank, his whole body loses its life. Link collapses once and for all.

Cloud drags himself back to his feet again, clutching his injury, walking away from the fight.

But in all the blackness, a voice remains in Link's head.

Mipha: Keep fighting, Link.

With the activation of Mipha's grace, Link takes a heavy breath in, as life fills his lungs once again. He frantically reaches for the fierce deity mask and hesitates before angrily shouting and slamming it into his face. The entire area gets levelled as Link flails around, the mask causing him immense pain, before he stops completely and looks straight at the now horrified Cloud Strife. He looks around frantically and sees his Fusion sword, stuck in the machinery. He looks back at Link, who had sent a humongous beam at Cloud. It blows up the area he was standing in. Luckily, he rolls out of the way and grabs the stuck sword, pointing it forward.

Cloud: Let's mosey, asshole.

Link slowly shuffles forward in an ethereal manner, leaving mini-craters with every step, dragging his sword against the temple floor. Cloud frowns and uses berserk, causing Link to scream in terrible pain.

But the screams would soon fade out, turning into horrific laughs as the walking turned to dashing. He swings at Cloud and leaves a crater with a huge bang where he was as Cloud rolls away from the attack. Link chuckles, and brings his shiekah slate again, but Cloud knocks it out of his hands and uses a massive flare, which the monster now known as Link shouts in pain due to. Cloud uses Climhazard, rising through the Carnage and taking Link with him, before doing the all-to-legendary Omnislashes that have fallen the mightiest of foes. As he falls back for the finishing touch, Link desperately pushes forward his shield, in an attempt to block the blow.

As Cloud's sword falls for the final blow, an otherworldly orange glow surrounds him, as Cloud slams him into the ground so hard, that the entire temple shakes. A cloud of dust emerges from a large crater. As Cloud lands, he shakes his head properly and positions himself in a more upright position. No regrets.

Daruk: Come on, Link!!!

The warrior, flat on the ground, grips his hands together, as the Triforce of Courage glows on his arm. Suddenly, the entire temple starts to light up. Each of the remaining pillar's Triforce inscriptions illuminates in tune with Link's triforce, as Revali's gail envelopes the entire area. Cloud notices this and turns around to see Link still standing, as he struggles against the wind.

Cloud: (Firecely) I'm not interested in being a memory.

Link creates 3 more clones to join the fray. They all rush at an enraged Cloud, who tries his best to parry their blows, but after a while gets overwhelmed. They all bombard him so much, that he has to use finishing touch to take them into the skies using pulling them into a black hole he created with remove.

Cloud turns his attention back to the main Link, who holds up his hand, showing the Triforce, which glows above him. He rushes forward at high speeds and slams the Deku mask onto Cloud. He slowly shrivels up as Link delivers a flurry rush, with the impacts of each hit decimating him, and the surrounding temple walls as well, creating bigger and bigger holes around everywhere.

But Cloud just wouldn't give up that easily, and still attempts one more blow. But Link parries it, and slashes him one final time, cutting him in half. The impact sends a gust of wind, which blows up the roof of the temple.

Link delivers a victorious cry and looks back again on his fallen foe, before looking forward and hooking his way out of the scene.

K.O