The fishman and the necromancer clashed. Muddy water flew. The two of them punched at one another, meeting one another head on. A second before their fists met, Levi dropped to the ground. Kuja’s fist flew over him. From his prone position, the Armalgam slashed at the fishman’s wrist.

  Blue blood flowed. Behind Levi, Kuja’s punch hit the ground. A deep hole opened in the ground behind him. Water gushed into it, filling it with darkness.

  Levi rolled over. Mud immediately coated his body. Paying it no mind, he scrambled back to his feet. His shoes slipped in the mud. Reaching down, he yanked them off and tossed them Colin’s direction. Truth be told, he’d planned to rush toward Kuja the second the fishman threw the punch, but he’d slipped instead. The quicksand effect of the shivering mud was one thing, but it was also slippery. Truly the worst possible footing.

  Kuja turned. He was so huge he didn’t need to step to chase Levi. He lifted another hammer-like hand with every intention of driving Levi into the mud.

  Levi kept rolling, moving as fast as he could in the mud. His cape grew heavy as mud soaked into it. Even as he rolled, he shouted, “Go!”

  The fishman zombies hurtled into action. They rushed Kuja from either side, baring claws or pointing spears. Without any care for their safety or lives, they charged his legs.

  Kuja grunted. He changed the angle of his punch, slamming the ground instead of Levi. A tsunami of muddy swamp water rushed over the narrow path, wetting the path yet further. The frogmen fell back. Levi used the momentary distraction to climb back to his feet. Every step he took sunk deep into the ground, and every hole he left behind remained forever. A dozen tiny potholes opened up behind him as the ground caved in where he’d stood.

  “At this rate, we’re going to end up swimming,” Levi muttered to himself. “Isa, grab Colin!”

  “I’m doing fine,” Colin protested.

  “It’s not about doing fine or not, it’s about real estate,” Levi replied.

  “Understood.” Isa swooped down, grabbed Colin by the armpits, and took to the sky once more.

  Levi whirled his sword. He hung back, watching as Kuja flattened his previous subordinates with a few huge stomps. This fight couldn’t last long. Kuja’s techniques were clearly geared toward taking out the already shaky ground. Even if he blocked all the fishman’s attacks, the ground gave way on its own, falling away under his feet. Kuja clearly held the advantage in a swimming battle. By the time it came to that, he’d already lost. His brows furrowed.

  He held his off-hand out, calling the remnant death energy in the room to him. Black-and-green energy swirled around his fingers. Not much. Just enough for one attack. His Armalgam sported two swords; three, if he used his personal reserve sword. The Spinal Cord twitched, ready for action. The Armalgam flexed, likewise. All the rest of his zombies were dead, save pure-support Colin.

  “I don’t suppose you’re undead?” he quipped at Kuja.

  Kuja looked up. His eyes were dark, full of sorrow. “Many times, I have buried my people. This time, you made me end them personally, with my own hands. I will tear you limb from limb, slice you inch by inch. Your death will be suffering.”

  Levi shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t done before. Hey, big man. Come on in. Let’s stop playing with the mud and have a real fight, mano-a-mano, huh?”

  Kuja chuckled darkly. He lifted both hands, forming one massive hammer fist. “That’s right. Come on in. We’ll settle this, once and for all.”

  Levi nodded. “Okay.” He strode forward, into the range of the boss’s strike.

  “Are you stupid?” Isa asked.

  “Whether he is or not, it’s my victory!” The fists slammed down.

  As they fell, the Spinal Cord leaped out from Levi’s midriff. Its sharp end impaled itself in Kuja’s shoulder. Instantly, the spines retracted, rolling Levi up to the boss’s shoulder. The fists landed behind him, hammering the path out of existence where they landed. Kuja looked around, searching for Levi. With his fixed head and immobile eyes, he couldn’t turn toward his shoulder.

  “Colin! Heal me!” Levi shouted, barely clinging on. His vision whirled, and vomit rose up in his throat. He’d just spun himself at top speed a thousand times, and it was a struggle to figure out where he was, let alone fight.

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  “Oh, right!” Colin lifted his staff. Pale gold light streamed over Levi.

  The nausea lifted. Levi’s inner ears settled. Levi stood, putting his feet against the fish’s slippery scales. His Spinal Cord hooked into Kuja’s shoulder, bracing him upright.

  “There you are.” Kuja slapped at his shoulder with his opposite hand, as if he were slapping a fly.

  “Levi, run!” Colin shouted, shocked. He hefted his staff in preparation.

  Levi stabbed his sword into the boss’s shoulder alongside the Spinal Cord, completely digging in. His Armalgam gripped its two swords with two hands each and pointed them outward, toward Kuja’s descending palm.

  The enormous palm struck him with all its strength. His two raised swords sunk into the palm, impaling it straight out the back of Kuja’s hand. Levi sunk into Kuja’s shoulder. His bones groaned and his joints strained. His bare feet dug deep dents into the fish body’s soft shoulder. His sword slipped, slicing through fish meat. The Spinal Cord sunk deeper, wiggling its way to truly root itself in the fish’s depths.

  Kuja shouted in shock. He yanked his hand back. Levi almost came with him, and would have, except for the spines coiling tight around his waist. The blades slurped free of the boss’s hand. He slammed back down on Kuja’s slippery shoulder. As Kuja flinched back, Levi whirled. Unspooling the Spinal Cord just enough, he stepped toward Kuja’s head, for the fish couldn’t be said to possess a neck. Levi dropped low. The Armalgam swung both its blades, slicing just under the gills. Blue blood flew, soaking the already-muddy Levi. Gritting his teeth, he dug his toes in, pushing with all his strength.

  The Armalgam’s blades met resistance as their very tips touched Kuja’s spine. Then they sliced through, leaving the bone unbroken.

  “Shit,” Levi muttered.

  “A good cut. But I remain,” Kuja rumbled. He bent. Levi swung with the motion, barely holding on. Kuja grabbed a handful of mud and swung again at Levi.

  Using the mud to protect his palm—he’s smart. Levi kicked off Kuja’s neck, throwing himself sideways across the front of the fish’s throat. The Spinal Cord jerked free, releasing its deep hold. For a second, Levi dropped.

  The mud-filled hand landed home. Mud rained down, blinding Levi.

  “Fuck! Just go!” He pointed toward where he’d last seen Kuja. The Spinal Cord flew forth. It found flesh and dug deep. Levi’s drop jerked to a halt. He swung in place for a few beats. Spitting curses and mud, he wiped the filth out of his eyes.

  Colin snorted. Isa rolled her eyes. Kuja stared down at him, big fishy body turned sideways to present one big round fish eye to him.

  The Spinal Cord had found purchase in Kuja’s belly. Levi dangled below that, swinging between Kuja’s thighs like something unmentionable. No one moved.

  “Fish stick,” Levi said.

  Kuja slammed his thighs shut. Before he could crush Levi like the watermelon he aspired to be, the Spinal Cord retracted, rolling Levi with it. This time, Colin didn’t need to be cued in. He hit Levi with the anti-dizziness spell even as Levi retracted. Reaching the belly, Levi drew his reserve sword. In the moment of impact, he struck home with both swords, digging them into Kuja’s gut like two enormous fangs. The Spinal Cord jerked itself free. Yanking his swords free, Levi climbed his way up Kuja’s belly like an ice climber forging their way upward with ice picks.

  Kuja roared. He smashed both hands toward his gut. The Spinal Cord flashed out, flying back up to the other side of his neck, and once more, Levi whirled after it, spinning like a top. Gold light banished his dizziness. Kuja’s hands were on his belly. Nothing blocked his way. He ran up the steep slope of the fish’s shoulder, sheathing one sword as he went. Hauling back, he unleashed a giant cleaving strike at Kuja’s gills, pushing deeper than he had before—swinging the swords to the hilt, so his hands pressed against fish scales. The blade found the spine, and this time, it severed it.

  Kuja toppled onto his side. His enormous body sunk half into the water. One fish eye remained above the surface. It stared blankly at the sky, showing no emotion.

  “I suppose this must be it. Our final go-round,” Kuja grumbled, speaking with effort.

  “Shit! He’s sinking! Quick, someone, help! I can’t let these beautiful arms go to waste!” Jerking the blades out of Kuja’s neck, Levi ran to his shoulder and started hacking away at his collarbone.

  “…” Kuja stared, speechless.

  Isa descended. Gently setting Colin down, she strode to Kuja’s side. Her feet sunk into the water, but when she strode, not a drop of mud clung to her boots. She crouched at his side. “Farewell, old friend.”

  “Hmm. At least you were there. Do you remember what I told you, the tenth you defeated me?”

  She chuckled. “I do. What was it? ‘Stop killing us down here in the dark, and go seek a challenge in the day.’”

  “No, the rest. What I told you, about what little I remember of the truth.”

  Her eyes turned hard. She pressed her lips together and nodded, just once.

  “If the time has come for the truth to be revealed…”

  “I know. I’ll do all I can to make sure it ends up in the right hands.”

  “And he, is he the one?”

  Not far away, Levi crooned. Wrapping both hands around Kuja’s freshly severed arm, he dragged it toward the relatively dry path. “Hell yeah. Arm get!”

  Isa snorted, gazing after him. “I have my own reservations, but I can at least promise you this: he’s nothing like the others.”

  Kuja laughed, just once. “Perhaps that’s what we need. Not someone with grand plans, or great goals, but merely someone determined to get the job done.”

  Smiling, Isa patted his head. “Get some sleep, old one. I’ll watch over this truth you’ve entrusted me with.”

  “Good.” Kuja’s eyes went dead. He let out one final sigh, and that was it.

  Isa bowed her head, just for a second. Her eyes shut.

  Colin hovered awkwardly nearby, twisting his hands on his staff. “Uhm, uhm… are you okay?”

  She looked up. Resolve shone in her eyes. “I’m fine. In the end, he was nothing but a training partner.”

  Colin opened his mouth, clearly wanting to say something more, but shut it. He nodded and looked away, pretending not to see the single tear that glimmered in Isa’s eye.