Ba his room, Helios leaned ba his chair, his eyes fixed on the s as he watched the rec. The pieces were falling into pce, just as he had anticipated. Xehanort’s manipution of the apprentices rogressing smoothly, each of them ing closer to being pawns in his grand design.

  “Cssic Xehanort,” Helios muttered to himself, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Pulling the strings like a master puppeteer.”

  Helios turned his attention to another image, where the footage of the Heartless-filled b tio py. His analytical mind worked tirelessly, pieg together the intricate web of pns that was beginning to take shape.

  “Time to see just how far you’ll go, Xehanort,” he murmured, his voice carrying a tinge of curiosity. “Things should really start ramping up now. He has to take Isa and Lea soon. They’ll proably be his first test subjects for the nobody process. Time to focus on what I need.”

  Helios knocked firmly on Sephiroth's door. It had been a long time since he willingly sought out a beating, but today he o make some progress desperately. When Sephiroth’s calm, disied voiswered, Helios wasted no time.

  “Sephiroth,” Helios began, “I need a sparring session.”

  Sephiroth, lounging in his usual chair with Masamuing nearby, didn’t even look up. “Is that so?” he asked, his voice ft. “And why should I oblige?”

  “Because we have a deal,” Helios said, his tone unwavering, “I want to see how far I’ve e. I’m ready to go all out, and there’s er oppohan you.”

  Sephiroth’s lips curved into a faint smirk as he finally stood, t over Helios. “Lead the way,” he said simply, grabbing his bde.

  Helios opened a dark corridor, stepping through with Sephiroth close behind. They emerged in the wastend outside the city where they’d first met—a barree stretch of nd framed by jagged cliffs and an ominous red sky. The air was thick with tension as Helios cast a barrier, sealing the battlefield from any outside interference.

  Sephiroth gnced around, his sharp eyes taking in their surroundings. “A different location,” he mused. “And why is that?”

  Helios summoned his Keybde, his dark form enveloping him in shadow. “Because I don’t want to hold back,” he said, his voice steady despite the sting inside him. “I o see just how far I’ve e—and how far I have to go.”

  Sephiroth chuckled, the sound low and menag. “Very well,” he said, uhing the Masamuh a fluid motion. “Show me.”

  The fight began in an instant.

  Helios lunged forward, his Keybde gleaming with dark energy. Sephiroth parried effortlessly, their ons colliding in a shower of sparks. The force of the csh sent shockwaves rippling through the air, but Sephiroth barely flinched, his calm demeanor unshaken.

  Helios spun, following up with a rapid series of strikes, eae aimed with precision. Sephiroth danced around the attacks with almost supernatural grace, his long bde moving like a silver streak as it deflected Helios’s blows.

  “You’ve improved,” Sephiroth said, his tone almost amused. “But you’re still quite predictable.”

  With a burst of speed, Sephiroth vanished and reappeared behind Helios, the Masamune slig downward in a deadly arc. Helios spun just in time, raising a Reflect barrier that absorbed the attad sent Sephiroth skidding back slightly. Without missing a beat, Helios followed up with a Firaga spell, ung a massive fireball directly at his oppo.

  Sephiroth raised his free hand, summoning a wall of fmes that ed the attack effortlessly. “If yoing to rely on magic, at least make it iing,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he unleashed Shadow Fres—dark orbs that radiated fiery malevolehe orbs circled Helios, closing in with terrifying speed.

  Helios reacted quickly, castio shield himself from the onsught. The orbs collided with the wind barrier, exploding in bursts of dark fmes that sent Helios skidding across the ground. He barely had time to recover before Sephiroth on him again, the Masamune fshing in a deadly series of sshes.

  Helios blocked the first few strikes, his Keybde vibrating uhe sheer force of Sephiroth’s attacks. But the relentless assault soon overwhelmed him, and a sharp ssh across his side sent him staggering back, blood staining the grouh him.

  “Is this the extent of your strength?” Sephiroth taunted, his voice calm but ced with derision. “Disappointing.”

  Helios gritted his teeth, summoning Cure to heal his wound before ung into a terattack. He cast Blizzaga, freezing the grouh Sephiroth’s feet, then followed up with Thundaga, sending bolts of lightning crashing down from the sky. The bination forced Sephiroth to take to the air, his bck wing unfurling as he soared above the battlefield.

  From above, Sephiroth unleashed his Meteor attack, summoning fmieors that revolved around him before hurtling toward Helios. The explosions rocked the wastend, leaving craters in their wake. Helios dodged and weaved through the chaos, his movements a blur as he avoided the deadly projectiles.

  But Sephiroth was relentless. He desded with a powerful ssh that Helios barely blocked, the impact driving him to his knees. “You’re strong,” Helios admitted through gritted teeth, “but I’m not do.”

  He cast Slow, attempting to hinder Sephiroth’s movements. For a brief moment, the spell took effect, giving Helios an opening. He lunged forward, nding a solid strike across Sephiroth’s chest. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was enough to draw blood—a rare aplishment against the legendary swordsman.

  Sephiroth’s eyes glinted with something akin to approval as he wiped the blood from his chest. “Impressive,” he said. “But you’ll regret that.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Sephiroth cast Heartless Angel, a devastating teique that drained Helios’s stamina and magic to near zero. Helios staggered, his vision blurring as he fought to stay scious. Sephiroth followed up with Fsh, his bde moving so fast it was almost invisible as he delivered a series of 16 lightning-fast sshes.

  Helios mao bloe of the strikes with his Keybde, but the sheer speed and power of the attack overwhelmed him. He colpsed to the ground, blood dripping from multiple wounds as Sephiroth stood over him, his expression cold and unyielding.

  “You fought well,” Sephiroth said, l the Masamune. “But you’re still far from ready.”

  Helios forced himself to his feet, his legs trembling as he summohe st of his strength. “I know but now I know I’m closer than I thought,” he asked, his voice hoarse but defiant.

  Sephiroth smirked faintly, his golden eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and something darker. “I suppose,” he said. “If you survive.”

  With that, Sephiroth turned and began to walk away, the fight seemingly over. But Helios wasn’t ready to cede defeat. Summoning his remaining magic, he cast Dark Firaga, ung a massive orb of dark fire at Sephiroth’s back.

  Sephiroth turned, his smirk widening as he raised the Masamune and sliced through the attack with a single, effortless motion. The orb dissipated, and Sephiroth’s gaze locked onto Helios. “Reckless,” he said, his tone almost disappointed. “But bold.”

  Before Helios could react, Sephiroth vanished and reappeared in front of him, delivering a powerful kick that sent him crashing into the ground. Helios gasped for air, his body screaming in protest as he struggled to rise.

  “You’ll need more than that to defeat me,” Sephiroth said, his voice calm but anding. “But for now, you’ve earned your rest.”

  Helios colpsed onto his back, his body battered and broken but his spirit unyielding. As Sephiroth walked away, Helios allowed himself a small, grim smile. He hadn’t won, but he had wouhe man for the first time.