Chapter 35: ???

"Who... or what are you?"

A woman stood before the Mako Reactor, clad in a white lab coat. Bathed in the faint, eerie glow of Mako residue rising from the wreckage of a capsule, she exuded a bewitching and mysterious aura. Her long hair, reaching down to her back, was tied in a ponytail with a lemon-yellow ribbon wound in a spiral. Her skin was a sickly, porcelain white, untouched by the sun—a clear sign she had been confined indoors for a long time, shielded from the light of the outside world.

"Oh, do I really need an introduction? You should recognize my face. Though I haven’t aged a day since those old photographs were taken. Perhaps I seem different because I’ve spent so much time right here... for the sake of my research."

She chuckled, her lips curling into a smile full of confidence and allure. But her eyes weren't smiling; they were cold, calculating, as if she were appraising my worth. And I knew exactly who this woman was.

"What were you doing with the body of the former Shinra scientist, Lucrecia Crescent... Jenova!"

"My, what a shame. So you’ve figured it out already? And here I was, playing the part of the 'Onee-san' you like so much. How boring."

This was the woman Vincent had spent a lifetime searching for across the globe, never to find. She was the wife of Professor Hojo who, long before the SOLDIER Project truly began, had lost her mind to the influence of Jenova cells and vanished.

The entity inside her seemed unfazed that its cover was blown. She rested a hand on her hip and lightly touched her lips in a pensive gesture. Every single movement was strangely provocative.

"I see... You understand why this vessel went missing, and you clearly comprehend the nature of what you call 'Jenova.' Truly impressive. You are so exceptional, it’s hard to believe you haven't been integrated with my cells."

She praised me shamelessly, her tone shifting between pampering a child and mocking a rival. She must have peered into my memories.

"Say, why not become a SOLDIER even now? With your talent, you could become the greatest SOLDIER after Sephiroth."

"I’m not interested in your recruitment pitch. And stop mimicking Director Scarlet. When did you read my mind!?"

I drew the Buster Sword from my back and leveled it at Jenova’s throat. However, she didn't flinch. If anything, she found the gesture amusing and began to giggle.

What was this confidence? Did she have a trump card? I tightened my grip on the hilt of the Buster Sword. Slowly, she raised both hands in a mock gesture of surrender and spoke.

"So much spirit for someone who has no intention of cutting me. How adorable."

"Shut up. My mission is to dispose of you. I could take your head right now."

"My, my, such big words. But you can't do it. There are three reasons why. First: killing me here is pointless. My true body hasn't moved from the depths behind that door for years. You realize that killing the terminal I’m operating is a waste of time, don't you?"

She was right. Even if I cut down Lucrecia’s body before me, Jenova would not cease to exist.

"Second: there are too many reasons within you not to kill me. Sephiroth, Hojo, Vincent... this body is their beloved. You want to secure it unharmed if possible, don't you?"

"Tch. You can see all that just by reading my memories?"

"Well, yes. Although I only pulled that from you just now, when you were busy checking on that man who collapsed from mako poisoning."

Damn it. That’s when she got into my head. Normally, anyone controlled by Jenova is a target for termination, but I knew too much about Lucrecia to strike without hesitation. Scarlet had taught me she was a person of vital importance, and I had heard too many stories from Vincent.

But she was underestimating me. Even if she was a non-combatant woman, even if she was someone I didn't want to kill, I wouldn't let personal feelings interfere with the mission. If possible, I wanted to incapacitate her and strike the main body in the back, but this exchange made it clear. The horror of Jenova isn't just its power; it is this cunning that drove the Ancients (the Cetra) to the brink of extinction in its quest to dominate the planet.

Trying to gain more information now was too risky. I made my decision and tightened my grip, determined not to let Lucrecia’s dignity be defiled any further.

"And finally... because she has a proud son here to protect his mother."

A flash of light streaked between the Buster Sword and Jenova, followed by a high-pitched metallic clang. The Buster Sword, which should have been at Jenova’s throat, was blocked by a long blade that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Sephiroth..."

"That’s right. A copy, of course. But it’s a recreation of him at his peak—the man who single-handedly brought Avalanche to ruin and survived the harshest competition for survival."

Standing in my way as Jenova’s shield was Shinra’s strongest SOLDIER, Sephiroth. But so what? A copy is still just a copy. He was nothing more than Jenova’s puppet. I put my weight into the Buster Sword, intending to overpower him, when another blade slashed at me from behind. I dodged the strike by a hair’s breadth and swung my sword around.

"Another Sephiroth!?"

I locked blades with the Sephiroth I had just turned to face. The blow was heavy. Even for a copy, this strength felt no different from the real thing. The swordplay I was seeing was the exact same I had faced countless times in combat simulations. Two men with the highest combat potential in human history? Jenova’s capabilities were truly off the charts.

Regardless, being sandwiched was dangerous. To reset my stance, I cast a Fire spell at my feet and leaped into the air. I readied my Buster Sword and faced the two of them, but neither showed any sign of attacking. As I landed a distance away, they sheathed their blades and stood as a wall in front of Jenova.

"What do you plan to do with these Sephiroth copies?"

"Magnificent. The combat prowess to hold your own against my Sephiroth, and the composure to switch to stalling for time once you realized you were outmatched."

She seemed to be in a good mood. She saw right through my intent to talk, but it seemed she was willing to engage. Having traded blows, I realized they perfectly mimicked the sword techniques I had trained against. My training simulations against Sephiroth were ingrained in my muscles, but I had never prepared for multiple Sephiroths.

I had to buy time until Elena, Vincent, or the Turks could regroup with me. If these things were to leave the Mako Reactor and join the battle elsewhere, Jenova’s victory would be guaranteed.

It frustrated me, but defeating them alone would be difficult. Therefore, I would focus entirely on containment and stalling.

"Why didn't you have the two Sephiroth copies attack at once?"

"Simple. This body I'm using is fragile and hasn't been enhanced. To avoid any 'irregularities,' I’ve tasked this Sephiroth with being my personal guard."

She answered while hugging the Sephiroth standing next to her from behind. Her expression was one of ecstasy, like a young girl in love.

"In the past, I was defeated by the Cetra. I’ve thought about it for a long time—why didn't I win? It’s because I couldn't manage an organization."

Jenova continued, twirling Sephiroth’s silver hair with her fingers.

"Shinra, Avalanche, Wutai... even though an individual is a weak, inferior creature, they can cause such massive wars. That is because individuals unify their will for a single goal. My method of turning enemies into monsters and letting them run wild was nothing more than a rabble. That is why I am grateful for your human technology. You may be inferior to the Cetra in your use of Materia, but you’ve given me such a wonderful gift."

She placed her hand over Sephiroth’s and interlaced their fingers. It was a scene like lovers whispering sweet nothings; she looked at Sephiroth with pure adoration.

"SOLDIERs—warriors I can use freely by spreading my cells. The ones Shinra created were hard to control because they chose humans with strong wills and adjusted the Mako irradiation accordingly. But Avalanche... they were so kind to me. It was Avalanche who dragged this missing body out of that cave."

So that’s why she couldn't be found anywhere in the world.

"They knew she was a former Shinra scientist, but her mind was unstable. They injected her with my cells and bathed her in Mako for their own experimental purposes. Thanks to that, my influence permeated her further, and I was able to seize control of this body. Moreover, in place of my main body which is stuck inside the Mako Reactor, this body could go anywhere. I was easily able to manipulate all the Avalanche test subjects who were in close proximity."

She stared at me, tilted her head, and began to giggle. The sound was eerie, unlike anyone I had ever known.

"Was Avalanche taken over by you from the beginning?"

"Well, only the test subjects. The support staff and scientists wouldn't take the cells into their own bodies, and the quality of the soldiers they produced was too poor for Avalanche to ever defeat Shinra. So, I decided on a different approach."

I didn't know what the original Lucrecia was like, but Jenova spoke like a scientist bragging about her results—perhaps an echo of the body's original persona. For me, it was a blessing that she kept talking; I needed to drag this conversation out as long as possible.

"I put my efforts into creating my own superior pawns. Since Sephiroth always showed up to fight Avalanche, I had my test subjects fight him repeatedly to gather data. I even had Avalanche create the vessels capable of reproducing him. Their research couldn't be completed by humans alone, but with my ability to control the cells themselves, I was able to bring them to this form."

Sephiroth stepped away from Jenova and knelt on one knee like a servant, kissing her hand. She wore a rapturous expression before continuing.

"Sephiroth... the child born of my cells. The one who became the strongest warrior in this world. With him, no one can stop me. For that purpose, I want Shinra."

"You want Shinra?"

"Yes. The Mako Reactors are magnificent. I can drain the Lifestream without having to search for 'promised lands' where the planet’s life seeps out like the Cetra did. And Shinra has a massive supply of high-quality SOLDIERs. With their resources, I can create an endless army of Sephiroths."

I see. Avalanche’s technology and personnel lacked the resources to mass-produce these copies. If she could make an infinite number of Sephiroth copies, not just Shinra, but the whole world would already be under her hand.

"So Shinra’s technology and the SOLDIERs are your targets."

"Indeed. And I have a use for the original Sephiroth as well. His mind was too stable for me to find an opening, but I wonder what will happen when we meet through this body? I am the mother who truly gave birth to him. And he hungers for a parent’s love. I’m sure he will offer this planet to me. What a wonderful, filial son he’s grown into."

"Sephiroth will never submit to you!"

"Now, now, don't lie. The reason you didn't use SOLDIERs for this hunt is because you were actually afraid, weren't you? Afraid of what would happen if my children and I met directly..."

The closer one gets to the main body, the higher the risk of Jenova’s influence. Fearing the worst, this operation was composed of us and the Turks—personnel with no connection to Jenova cells.

"You realize it now, don't you? No reinforcements are coming for you. No matter how long you wait, time is on my side. It won't be your allies joining us here... it will be the Sephiroths."

She finished explaining her research with a look of triumph, seeing right through my situation. Truly, if someone introduced her as Professor Hojo’s wife, it would make perfect sense. That "mad scientist" vibe she showed occasionally was a perfect match.

"So, I have a proposal. Why don't you come serve under me?"

"Excuse me?"

The words escaped me. Of all the things she could say, she was trying to recruit me.

"I see your talent. Even without being a SOLDIER, your strength rivals Sephiroth. If you underwent the procedure, you’d become stronger than ever. It’s your dream, isn't it? To surpass Sephiroth."

She had definitely been digging through my memories. That was the promise I made to my childhood friend. A dream I once lost, only to grasp it again after ending up in my current department.

"I can make your dream come true... I can draw out every drop of your hidden potential."

She held out her hand, a seductive smile on her face as if inviting me to a dance. It was the temptation of a demon. If I took that hand, I would be betraying Shinra... no, the world. But my answer was already decided.

"Having my memories peered into leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Ara? Negotiations have failed? It’s a waste, especially since I'm using a body that's exactly your type. I kept the traces of this face so Sephiroth would always recognize me—maybe that was the mistake? Perhaps I should have worn a dress instead of a lab coat, and turned my hair blonde like yours."

"I'm ending this. Right here, right now."

"Can you? You were never trained to fight two Sephiroths at once."

CLOUD vs. SEPHIROTH COPIES: DEATH & SYNTHESIS