by N Felts
pillar as the chandeliers overhead shake and swing. Shaking off the pain, Link climbs to his feet to find the dark lord back on the ground, already summoning another one.
Waiting until the last possible moment, Ganondorf rises high overhead once again, laughing and dashing through the air as he searches for the optimum moment to attack again. Ready and waiting this time around, the hero aims to make certain this attack backfires. Soaring downward, the sphere is much larger than before, arcs of bright electricity dancing along the surface as the Hylian sends it back upward. Repeating the same process, the warlock knocks it back down with a heavy hand, but Link’s quick response allows him to dash beneath it, batting it back up with fury. Enjoying the game, Ganondorf dashes away from the approaching orb, flying back at it once again to flip into an inverted kick, launching the ball directly at the imprisoned women. Roaring with exertion, the hero dives between the coming sphere of destruction and the restrained duo, rolling to his feet and spinning around just in time to knock the ball of energy away. Well out of position for the first time, the warlock must quickly move from glyph to glyph backhanding the orb back downward at the last possible moment. Already charging back toward the center of the room, Link sends it back upward with ease, watching his antagonist now struggling to keep up. One dash away from intercepting the rising sphere, Ganondorf decides it is too close for comfort, immediately dashing away as it collides with the gargantuan chandelier. The explosion tears the decorative display of metal out of the ceiling, and with no time to react, the Gerudo is tackled out of the air by the fast-falling spectacle.
Slowly returning to his senses, the dark lord angrily throws the mangled mass of gold and candles off of himself, utterly ignorant to the coming strike. Able to catch the blade just before it impales his face, Ganondorf growls with rage as Link continues to press the thrust forward. Slipping in his grasp, the sharp metal eats into his gauntlets as the tip jumps even closer to his angry grimace. His blood spilling down his arms, the Gerudo feels the familiar call of his goddess, beckoning him to her arms before it is too late. Watching with disgust, the Hylian sees the distortion crawl onto his opponent’s face, twisting and spreading like a rapid cancer. His irises fade as his brow deepens, his large nose shortening and turning upright while his jaw becomes more defined, producing primal fangs. The visage seems to be worn like a mutated mask, not fusing with his actual features, but overtaking them just the same. An aura of red engulfs the man as his already intimidating stature begins to grow. Now attempting to retrieve his blade, Link is lifted off the ground as the monstrous Ganon rises to his feet with the hero’s blade still tightly gripped in his hand. Now dangling helplessly, the Hylian’s repressed anger resurfaces as the demon lifts his arm, and Din steps into view at his side. Pressing herself against him, the goddess makes her affection well known, glaring at Link briefly before shifting her gaze to her chosen’s empty hand. A sudden whirlwind of ethereal fire encompasses Ganon’s palm, reaching out in a tornado of translucent flame. As it subsides, a gargantuan blade of the darkest crimson hangs heavily in the monster’s grasp. With a smile of satisfaction, Din glances up at her chosen’s face, then steps out of view once again. Still refusing to release his sword, Link lifts his shield as the inevitable attack commences.
“Link!” Navi screams, appearing between her chosen and the coming blade. “No!” A primal roar sounds as Ganon releases the hero’s puny sword while swinging his own. Bracing for impact, the Hylian is confused by the lack of force from the blow, though he is sent flying all the way to the throne room’s entrance at high speed. Failing to feel the impact of the wall he collides with, the hero is unsure if he is mortally wounded or unscathed. Climbing out of the ample amounts of created rubble, Link sees the spherical shield around him dissipate, the green hue rapidly turning transparent as Farore comes into view. Walking over to her with a knowing expression, she doesn’t need to tell him any more than he needs to hear the words. “It’s time. Let’s finish this.” Raising her palms, the goddess lifts both Link’s sword and shield from his grasp, imbuing them with her power. As they are returned to his hands, he begins to emanate with the same green aura she placed upon them. Ridiculously lighter in weight, the steel tools infuse the Hylian with the confidence to destroy any evil. As Ganon marches into the center of the room behind her, Farore drifts forward, wrapping her arms around her chosen in a loving embrace. Relaxing for only an instant, Link realizes what she is attempting to do, and it is working. His rage is subsiding, however slowly, and now his heightened focus will carry him to victory. A deep roar sounds from the center of the room as the hero’s goddess fades away. An approaching wave of flame is easily sidestepped as Link charges back into the fray. Two more successive lines of fire erupt from the demon’s vicious sword swings, but to no avail as the Hylian has closed the distance.
A heavy, overhanded chop bounces off Link’s glowing shield as a much larger, shell-like defense appears at the moment of contact. The added protection will give him a chance, but the overwhelming power of the strike still forced him back a step as his wayward swing falls short of its goal. To both combatants surprise, the glowing sword throws a magical, blade-shaped beam forward, slicing past the overpowered demon as he narrowly dodges in time. Surprisingly nimble for such a large opponent, the demon shuffles his leg out of the way while bringing his large blade down upon the Hylian. Raising his shield, the hero is reassured when his large orb of protection absorbs the blow, and with his newly infused power, the path to victory seems all but certain. Quickly growing angry, Ganon wills his rectangular blade to become engulfed in blazing flame, and with the added power, suddenly slices through the protective orb. Rolling out of the way, Link remains unscathed, rapidly slashing at his distant opponent. Charging in a mad rush, the monster attempts to match the oncoming projectiles with powerful swings of his own, the projected beams of fire colliding with the approaching energy blades. Nearly upon the Hylian, Ganon howls with pain as his swings are unable to match the rapid pace of his antagonist, and one of the magic blades eats into his shoulder, sizzling with energy.
His rage steadily increasing as the tides have turned against him once again, the demon commences a non-stop attack, consistently whipping his sword at varying angles as waves of liquid fire spring from the weapon in precise beams. Slapping along the ground like whips of magma, the flames eat into the pillars and walls of the massive room before fizzling out. Forced to remain on the defensive, Link deflects the flames when he cannot evade them, searching for a way to close the distance. A strafing chop launches a beam of light at his opponent, but ends in failure as the fire rips through it long before it even gets close. Out of options, he decides the simplest course is his best chance for a successful attack. With a rolling shout of his own, the Hylian hurtles directly at Ganon, the relentless waves of flame slowing him down significantly, but not stopping him. Almost close enough to strike, the demon leaps at him preemptively, stabbing his blade deeply into the stone floor as the hero dives forward. Rolling to a knee, Link tumbles off-balance as he slices backward, the resulting bladed projectile finding Ganon’s Achilles tendon. The demon swings his sword blindly, turning to find nothing where the hero stood a moment ago. When another energy beam chops across his back, the Gerudo has finally had enough.
A broad, horizontal swing produces a wave of flame, and Link has no choice but to block. Lowering his shield reveals the unexpected, Ganon’s massive hand closing around his throat as the circular glyph in his wake fades away. The breath stolen from his lungs, the hero jabs his blade into the demon’s wrist moments before he can complete his decapitating swing. Dropping back to his feet, Link stumbles away as the Gerudo twists into another devastating swing, his sword no longer producing the energy projectiles he has come to rely on. His protective shield falters as he is forced to a knee by the strike, the demon leaping into a finishing maneuver as his prey hesitates beneath him. A sudden dive-roll forward eludes the earth-
shattering blow, and growing exhausted, Link opts for the unorthodox, leaping onto Ganon’s back. A savage series of stabs causes the Gerudo to recoil, bellowing excruciating shouts before skillfully twirling his massive sword overhead, batting the Hylian off of his form with the flat side of his weapon.
Briefly shaken by the unexpected counter-attack, Link finds his feet as the demon painfully rolls his shoulders, glaring at him with a livid expression. Expecting him to charge, the Hylian lifts his shield as Ganon stabs his sword into the ground and crouches in an aggressive manner. Baffled by the demon’s decision to remain where he stands, the hero realizes his intentions far too late. Slowly raising his upturned palms, the beast grins crazily as his blood slowly rises up from the floor and into the air. Even the liquid pouring from his wounds begins to ignore gravity, swirling around his form in droplets and long streams. Finally lifting a single hand, the monster begins to laugh in its gravelly, distorted tone as Link prepares to block the
