Richard opted against using advanced techniques like Octoslash or Gravesong, choosing instead a simple horizontal slash. Yet just as the Masamune was about to connect with the back of Sebastian Shaw's neck, it abruptly halted mid-swing.
Teleportation!
The moment his blade stopped, Richard vanished again, reappearing dozens of meters away.
After Richard's voluntary retreat, Shaw turned slowly, facing him with measured confidence. "If a sneak attack from behind could kill me, I would have died ten or twenty years ago." His voice carried a dangerous edge. "Don't underestimate me."
Richard ignored Shaw's warning, his attention fixed on his Masamune. The blade had stopped not from any hesitation on his part, but because its kinetic energy had been instantly absorbed by Sebastian Shaw.
He can absorb kinetic energy!
Though it seemed incredible, the evidence was undeniable. Richard tested the sword with a few experimental swings, confirming it hadn't been damaged or compromised in any way.
"Your powers are indeed troublesome," Richard admitted, "but they only make you harder to kill. Normal attacks can't touch you—but similarly, you can't touch me either."
With that assessment complete, Richard shifted his focus from Shaw to the enhanced Magneto clone. Without hesitation, he activated his teleportation, instantly materializing before the Magneto clone.
Gravesong!
Four fluid slashes launched toward the Magneto clone in rapid succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Masamune failed to reach its target, blocked by the magnetic force field generated by his opponent. Each impact produced a crisp, metallic sound.
Simultaneously, Richard detected an invisible magnetic field enveloping his Masamune. Though imperceptible to the eye, this was clearly the Magneto clone's doing—attempting to wrest the Masamune from Richard's grasp.
To casual observers, the Masamune appeared no different from other samurai swords—a metal weapon, albeit with impressive length. But this assessment couldn't be further from the truth.
Neither the game nor the film provided detailed explanations of the Masamune's composition. One fact remained certain, however: this was no ordinary metal weapon.
In the film, the "Thought-Form" Kadaj had merged with Jenova's cells, and the resurrected Sephiroth had directly manifested the Masamune through magic. Though Richard hadn't yet mastered the ability to conjure the Masamune or Sephiroth's attire through magic, he knew with absolute certainty that this blade—designated as an "exclusive weapon" by the system—wasn't composed of ordinary metal.
Discovering that the Magneto clone had shrouded the Masamune in a magnetic field, attempting to manipulate it like any other metal object, Richard channeled the mana coursing through his body.
Octoslash!
The magnetic field surrounding the Masamune dissipated instantly as the blade launched another assault against the Magneto clone.
Like the Gravesong technique before it, Octoslash failed to penetrate the clone's defenses, instead striking against the magnetic force field. Yet with each attack, Richard noticed the blade edge coming closer to his opponent than before.
The Magneto clone couldn't discern Richard's strategy, but he had no intention of remaining passive. As Octoslash concluded, the clone began manipulating nearby metal objects. Under his control, anchors, chains, and various metallic debris from the marina converged on Richard from all directions.
Before these projectiles could reach him, Richard had already teleported away.
Reappearing directly above the Magneto clone, Richard used the whirlwind generated by his Aeroga ability to keep himself aloft. After testing the magnetic field's defensive capabilities with Gravesong and Octoslash, he had formulated a plan to overcome it.
Hovering in the air, he didn't hesitate. He pointed the Masamune downward, its tip aimed directly at the Magneto clone's head, and gripped the handle with both hands.
In the next moment, he employed a technique he had never before used in battle.
Hell's Gate!
Gripping the Masamune with both hands, Richard descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning. The razor-sharp blade, carrying tremendous piercing force, penetrated the magnetic field and made contact with the Magneto clone's head.
Slash!
The Masamune, driving downward from the crown of the head, instantly impaled the Magneto clone's body. The moment the sword tip touched the ground, razor-sharp sword energy erupted outward in an "M" pattern, splitting the clone's body into several pieces.
Richard had deliberately avoided using Hell's Gate in previous battles. Partly because he'd never encountered an enemy whose defenses required such extreme measures to breach, but also because the technique was exceptionally brutal.
While skills like Octoslash and Gravesong could also dismember opponents, those techniques typically maintained some distance—several dozen centimeters or even more than a meter—between Richard and his target.
Hell's Gate offered no such separation. After executing this technique, the enemy's blood and severed body parts lay directly before him. Though he had learned to shield himself with mana to avoid being splattered with blood during combat, the intimate nature of Hell's Gate meant confronting the enemy's remains at point-blank range, standing in pools of their blood.
Teleportation!
After using Hell's Gate to eliminate the Magneto clone, Richard immediately teleported away without hesitation.
Establishing a distance of more than ten meters, he activated his Plunder ability.
[Gain new abilities: Magnetic Fields Manipulation, Mental Shielding!]
[Detected same type of abilities, initiating ability fusion!]
[Telepathy is enhanced!]
[Magnetic Field Manipulation: Manipulate any form of magnetic field, current level: Alpha level]
Reading the system's information, Richard smiled with satisfaction.
The seventh Alpha-level ability, acquired!
After dismissing the information panel, he turned his attention to Sebastian Shaw, who stood dozens of meters away.
All the minions have been defeated. Time for the final boss battle.
Having witnessed Richard dispatch the Magneto clone, Sebastian Shaw's expression remained surprisingly composed. Evidently, he had anticipated this outcome when Richard bypassed him to target the Magneto clone first.
After briefly examining the Magneto clone's remains, Shaw addressed Richard: "Let me ask you a question. How have I and the Hellfire Club offended you? Is it because I collaborated with the Department of Mutant Affairs? Or perhaps because I sent Emma and Azazel to deliver that invitation?"
Richard wasn't surprised by Shaw's confusion. In his position, he too would be curious about the motive behind such aggression.
"If you need a reason," Richard replied deliberately, "it's that you kidnapped a pair of twins that you shouldn't have taken."
Kidnapping twins?
Though Richard hadn't explicitly named Wanda and Pietro, Sebastian Shaw made the connection immediately.
"Are they your friends?" Shaw asked urgently.
"No," Richard shook his head.
"Did someone hire you to rescue them?" Shaw pressed.
"No one entrusted me with anything," Richard answered casually.
Seeing that Shaw intended to continue his questioning, Richard cut him short: "Don't waste our time. Delay any longer, and the police and reporters will arrive. Let's finish this!"
With those words, Richard raised his right hand, and a dark energy sphere materialized above his palm.
Black Materia!
In the next second, hundreds of flaming meteorites of various sizes materialized in the sky above Sebastian Shaw's head.
...
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