Chapter 822 - 822: I Will Not Become a Memory

Indeed, tragedies are what leave the deepest impressions.

That's why, throughout history, many works of literature and art have ended in tragedy.

Abroad, there are Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, and in China, there's Butterfly Lovers.

These stories all end in tragedy and are remembered vividly by people.

And in Final Fantasy:

Zack sacrificed himself to protect Cloud, Aerith was killed by Sephiroth while trying to save the world, and the Avalanche trio, including Jessie, also perished.

From start to finish, it felt like the game was draining players' tears.

It also generated a lot of lingering resentment among players.

......

In the game, much like after Aerith's death, Ben took a long while to calm down before nervously continuing the story.

Even though, based on the characters appearing in Advent Children, it seemed unlikely any more main characters would die, he couldn't take the risk after the crushing blow of Zack's death.

At this point in the game, Cloud, with Tifa's help, had also regained his spirit.

In this moment, Cloud truly became himself.

Instead of the mentally unstable Cloud who had been mimicking Zack's actions, he gripped the Buster Sword tightly. For the Cloud who had regained his memories, it was more than just a weapon.

From Angeal to Zack, and now into his hands, this sword carried their honor and dreams.

After Cloud recovered, the massive meteor in the sky continued to fall.

Although Aerith's Holy magic had been successfully cast, it couldn't take effect because Sephiroth was still alive.

That was Sephiroth's black magic.

Knowing this, Cloud and the others prepared to confront Sephiroth for a final showdown.

But just then, a colossal Shinra weapon monster called 'Weapon,' emerged from the ocean, heading directly for Midgar.

Marlene, Aerith's adoptive mother, and countless innocent ordinary people in Midgar were in danger. Considering this, Cloud and the others decided to intercept Weapon on the way.

However, just as they were about to engage Weapon, a giant cannon was erected on the rooftop of the Shinra headquarters in downtown Midgar.

This was Shinra's plan to deal with Sephiroth. As the cannon fired, Weapon was successfully destroyed, and even the Great Glacier's barrier was breached.

But under Sephiroth's dark magic, the massive energy was reflected back towards Shinra headquarters.

Shinra President Rufus was buried under the rubble. Seeing this, Ben realized why Rufus was paralyzed in Advent Children – he had caused it himself with this shot!

However, with Rufus's fate unknown, different factions within Shinra began fighting for power. Cait Sith, a double agent, informed Cloud about the situation within Shinra.

More terrifying than the power struggle was the fact that Hojo, freed from the restraint of Shinra's executives, had completely lost control. He wanted his biological experiments to dominate the scientific weapons and decided to open all the Mako reactors, causing Mako to leak.

The consequence of this would be the literal explosion of Midgar.

At the same time, in this part of the story, Vincent's tale was another emotional blow to the players.

While not as devastating as Zack and Aerith's fate, it was still a deeply sad story.

More importantly, Vincent Valentine's story revealed something that stunned countless players.

It was the background and origin of Sephiroth, the game's ultimate antagonist.

It turned out that Sephiroth's biological mother was originally Vincent's lover.

When Vincent was younger and working for the Turks, his girlfriend was indirectly responsible for his father's death during an experiment.

This guilt made her unable to face Vincent, and she eventually broke up with him.

After the breakup, she was deceived and manipulated by Hojo.

However, Hojo, being a mad scientist, didn't love her.

Hojo's sole objective from the beginning was to use her to implant Jenova cells into the newborn fetus for better experimentation.

Even Vincent's transformation into a monster was also the fault of Professor Hojo.

It's rather heartbreaking for Vincent, losing his girlfriend and then being turned into what he became.

This revelation left countless players utterly shocked.

Back when Advent Children was released, many players didn't harbor intense hatred for Sephiroth.

From his appearance to his departure, Sephiroth only fought Cloud once.

He hadn't actually done anything evil.

Furthermore, Sephiroth's entrance was incredibly imposing, appearing with the majestic "tada-da-da" angelic arrival music.

Even as he departed, Sephiroth's theme music continued to play.

In fact, the refrain of his background music even contained Sephiroth's name.

In terms of presence and spectacle, Cloud and the others couldn't hold a candle to Sephiroth.

Naturally, such a character garnered many fans.

Although after the game's release, Sephiroth's evil deeds emerged – manipulating Cloud, killing Aerith – causing many to grit their teeth in hatred, when it came to his looks and demeanor, no one could find fault with Sephiroth.

"You're kidding me? Hojo could have a son like this!?"

Ben watched this part of the story, utterly bewildered.

If looks were scored out of 100, how could the 10-point-looking Hojo have produced the 90-point Sephiroth?

Was it a genetic mutation?

Or were Jenova's cells that powerful?

capaces de transformar a Sephiroth, el cual había heredado la genética de Hojo, un ser tan feo, en un gran galán?

This contrast largely overshadowed the tragic elements of Vincent's story.

He went to Shinra and defeated the source of all evil, Hojo, who had turned into a monster by implanting Mako and Jenova cells.

Ben could feel the game was entering its final stretch.

Because next, Cloud and the others would head to the depths of the Great Glacier where Sephiroth resided.

Like most games, this part allowed players to make final preparations, such as further developing their characters or completing side quests in other areas, to ensure they had no regrets about their current playthrough.

Upon arriving at the Great Glacier, Cloud and the others encountered Sephiroth once again.

At this moment, Sephiroth seemed like a god.

But with the help of Cloud, Tifa, and their other companions,

they managed to defeat Sephiroth after a hard-fought battle.

However, even so, Sephiroth had not truly disappeared.

This was because Jenova cells also flowed within Cloud's body, meaning Sephiroth's consciousness also still existed within Cloud.

The reason Sephiroth was able to manipulate Cloud before, besides Cloud's own mental issues, was also a critical factor.

This battle was exclusively Cloud's fight against Sephiroth.

In the past, Cloud was no match for Sephiroth.

But the Cloud of today was no longer the weakling he once was.

"Having dreams, wanting to become a hero requires having dreams…"

"You've finally come! You're falling apart yourself, aren't you?"

Zack and Aerith seemed to appear in Cloud's mind.

He once again raised the Buster Sword in his hand and charged towards Sephiroth.

From his past pain of not having the strength to protect Tifa, leading him to admire Sephiroth and join Shinra, to meeting Zack, witnessing the destruction of his hometown, and the death of his best friend.

Transcending those past false memories, the Cloud of today no longer needed to imitate anyone.

Just as Zack had hoped and expected, Cloud had already become a hero.

The Omnislash, compared to the six forms used in Advent Children, was still breathtakingly spectacular when performed with the Buster Sword, the weapon passed down from SOLDIER.

It wasn't luck, nor was it a lucky break. In this moment, Cloud possessed enough strength to defeat Sephiroth with his own power.

It was as if a scene from the end of Advent Children was being recreated.

With the final sword thrust piercing Sephiroth's body, Cloud descended from the sky.

"Farewell… Sephiroth." Looking at the gradually disappearing Sephiroth in the sky, Cloud said softly.

Sephiroth in the air simply smiled with an unintelligible smile and repeated one line.

"I… will not become a memory."

Looking at the vanished Sephiroth, Cloud in the game showed little reaction.

But Ben let out a long sigh, understanding that Sephiroth would never truly die.

Back when he watched Advent Children, Ben hadn't fully grasped the meaning of that statement.

But now, having understood Sephiroth's origins, Zack and Cloud's story, and the concept of Jenova in Final Fantasy, Ben finally understood the meaning of that line.

It was like a Russian nesting doll.

Why wouldn't Sephiroth die?

Because the planet had a unique energy called the Lifestream. All life on the planet originated from it, and so did it return after death.

Sephiroth was no different.

But the key was that Sephiroth had merged with Jenova cells.

You could say Jenova was Sephiroth.

Yet, on the other hand, Sephiroth was also a part of the planet's life.

Therefore, after death, Sephiroth would return to the Lifestream, which meant as long as the planet wasn't destroyed, Sephiroth would not truly die.

But compared to this, a more critical issue facing Cloud and the others was that Holy's casting was too late; it had even had the opposite effect. Midgar was already destroyed by immense power.

The planet itself was in grave danger, but just as everyone was despairing, a miracle happened.

To everyone's astonishment, a green light surged from the Lifestream, quickly forming a barrier between the meteor and the planet.

With a blinding flash of white light, everyone closed their eyes. In the darkness, Aerith's beautiful face and her smile suddenly appeared.

Aerith, who had already died and returned to the Lifestream, was still protecting everyone, still protecting the planet.

After the final battle concluded, Cloud, holding the Buster Sword, returned to the place where Zack had sacrificed himself to protect him, and slowly inserted the Buster Sword into the ground.

Thus, all content of the game concluded.

Watching Cloud's receding figure and the appearance of the game development team credits and the end-game song.

Ben took a deep breath, his heart filled with emotion.

(End of Chapter)