| Jack-Of-All-Trades, Master (Knight) of All | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2 |
| Season Episode | 4 |
| Air date | 11/17/23 |
| Written by | ObsidianCrusader SoMaShadow |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous GLaDOS vs The Master |
Next Chara vs Monika |
Leif vs Link is a What-If? Death Battle written by ObsidianCrusader, featuring Leif Faris Claus from the Fire Emblem franchise, and Link, the Hero of the Wild from The Legend of Zelda franchise.
Description[]
Fire Emblem vs The Legend of Zelda! A battle between highly versatile warriors bearing holy blades of light; fated to seal away the darkness that plagues their worlds. When put to the test, whose will shall remain absolute? Will Leif liberate the Hero of Hyrule's head from his body? Or will the Sage-Lord be reclaimed by the wilds?
Interlude[]
Wiz: It was Bruce Lee who once said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Versatility often comes to the detriment of proficiency.
Boomstick: "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none" y'might call it. Turns out these two didn't quite get the memo!
Wiz: Leif Faris Claus, the fugitive prince-insurgent of Leonster from Fire Emblem.
Boomstick: And Link! Hylian Champion and Hero of the Wild from The Legend of Zelda! He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and abilities to see would win...a Death Battle!
Leif Pops An S-Drink for DEATH BATTLE![]
(Cue: "When the Rush Comes" - Remix by Dragston Dev)
Wiz: The year is 762 of the Grann Calendar. A horseback knight flees the burning castle of Leonster as Thracian Wyvern-Knights dot the smoke-filled skies. He stops for only a moment to gaze back upon his fallen kingdom. At his side is the Nordionian Princess Lachesis, her young daughter Nanna, and staring out upon the chaos along with him is a child; too young to fully understand the death and destruction.
Boomstick: And that tiny traumatized tyke is none other than Leif – prince, or rather former prince – of Leonster; one of many kingdoms comprising Jugdral’s Thracian Peninsula.
Wiz: The events leading up to the subjugation of Thracia’s Munster District are long and complex, spanning back decades, or even centuries! But to keep things relevant to the topic at hand, we need only go back two years to Sigurd’s invasion of his own home-country of Grannvale, the leading kingdom of Jugdral.
Boomstick: En-route to Grannvale’s capitol, Sigurd was supposed to be reinforced by Crown-Prince Quan of Leonster and his wife, Ethlyn. Crossin’ through the Aed Desert, they were ambushed by King Travant of Thracia, and slaughtered to the last man! Why tell ya this? Well, see…they were kinda Leif’s parents? …Hey, guy’s a protagonist in a Fire Emblem game, gotta check “dead parents” off the list sooner or later.
Wiz: Sigurd’s invasion wouldn’t fare all too much better. Though they would succeed in slaying Lombard and Reptor, the leaders of the forces who framed him for high-treason…
Boomstick: Long story. Jugdral politics are really hard to explain.
Wiz: Sigurd would be lured into the capital by Arvis of House Velthomer under a guise of hospitality, only to summarily execute each member of Sigurd’s forces one-by-one, with only a few named individuals escaping the bloody massacre at the so-called “Battle of Belhalla.”
Boomstick: Sigurd himself was personally burnt to a crisp by Arvis to secure his position as the…ONLY living heir to Grannvale’s succession. Worst. Barbeque. Ever. …For Sigurd at least – everything looked hunky-dory from where Arvis stood. But one person in particular wasn’t too keen on how this invasion played out.
Wiz: That would be the father of Quan, King Calf of Leonster. Needless to say, upon hearing that his lifelong rival, Travant, was responsible for their bodies now rotting in the Aed sands, he went on the warpath; taking what few Leonster elites remained and spearheading a retaliatory charge into southern Thracia!
Boomstick: At least…that was the plan. See, Travant had kinda been conspiring with Grannvale to take full control over the Munster District, and as soon as Calf began to cross the great River Thracia, he was struck from behind by Raydrick, a not-yet-important general of Grannvale, and together with Thracia’s Wyvern-Knights, the river was stained red with the mangled bodies of Calf and his men. Teamwork makes the dream-work, kids!
Wiz: Thus, Finn, Quan’s direct adjutant, fled the castle before Travant could arrive, hoping to save the life of his liege’s orphan-child. Finn would travel across Thracia, seeking refuge anywhere he could, before Imperial Forces inevitably catch up with him, forcing him to slay all pursuers and repeating the process.
Boomstick: Is now a good time to say that Finn is probably one of the single-best video game Dads I’ve ever seen? I mean, the guy happily watches over two kids that ain’t even his own, has to keep his guard up for over a decade on account of harboring Thracia’s public enemy number-one, regularly starves himself just so the kids could have enough to eat, AND single-handedly decimating entire platoons of Imperial soldiers who got a bit too nosy. All the while still actin’ as as a healthy, surrogate father-figure for a couple a’ orphans. Best of all! He’s one of few Fire Emblem Dads to NOT DIE?! Suck on that, QUAN!!
Wiz: Is someone getting a tad jealous?
Boomstick: Don’t push me, Wiz! Don’t push me…
Wiz: Lachesis would leave the party midway through their journey to reunite with her son, Diarmuid, who she had been separated from amidst the Battle of Belhalla. She ventured into the Aed Desert, and–
Boomstick: Vanished without a trace, never to be seen again – go figure.
Wiz: Eventually, sometime in the year 773, Finn and his wards arrive in the secluded coastside village of Fiana. With Finn badly wounded as a result of a recent skirmish, Leif and Nanna beg the village’s guardian Eyvel to tend to his wounds. And for a time, Leif and Nanna would call Fiana their home, and Eyvel their mother-figure.
Wiz: She would train them in the ways of the blade, alongside the local milita group, the “Fiana Freeblades.”
Boomstick: And for a time, things would go pretty good all things considered. Leif learnt how to hold his own in a fight, hung out with a gaggle of reformed bandits, and went on to live a safe yet fulfillin' life in the countryside...
(Cue: "Applying Justice - Defense" - Remix by Vetrom)
Boomstick: ...Pffft! HAH! Hahahahhh...Nah, not really. He pretty quickly got snitched out to Raydrick by a weasley li'l pirate guy.
Wiz: Leif's time in Fiana would last for only three years, until the faithful year 776, where Imperial soldiers led by Raydrick stormed the village, kidnapping Nanna, and Eyvel's adopted daughter Mareeta. Though Leif and the Freeblades successfully escaped with their lives, Leif wanted never again to have his home stolen from him, and so he would go on a journey to rescue his friends!
Boomstick: Aaaaand almost immediately got baited into a trap and captured by Raydrick. Whoops.
Wiz: To make matters worse, Eyvel who had surrendered herself to rescue Leif and her daughter from the inside would be turned to stone by Veld, a high-ranking bishop of the sinister Loptyrian Church — the vengeful, dark-god-worshipping sect that had been using Arvis as a puppet-emperor for the past decade and a half!
Boomstick: Again, this stuff's complicated. Though Leif'd be rescued by a roamin' band of revolutionaries, his morale'd be at an all-time low. Though he'd swear to break Eyvel free of Veld's Petrification, he couldn't really escape the fact that he was a fifteen-year old weakling with nothin' more than a hand-me-down sword and a ragtag group of militiamen and absolute nobodies.
Wiz: And yet, press on he would. For context, Thracia 776 is widely-regarded as the most grueling game in the Fire Emblem series, and that's in large part due to the closely-knit integration of story and gameplay. Like other infamously-pathetic protagonist, Roy, Leif is inexperienced, weak-of-will, physically laughable, and horribly ill-equipped to face down Raydrick, let alone the Dark God's worshippers. Time and again, Leif and his forces would escape death by the skin of their teeth.
Boomstick: So how would this little wimp go from chronic-runaway to kickass warrior? Well, lotta reasons...but I think it's fair to say there's one man he can thank for absolutely BEATING self-reliance into his tiny little head!
Wiz: Indeed. That would be August, a—
Boomstick: I mean absolutely DESTROYING his self-esteem! Fuck your ideals, fuck your pride, fuck your narrow-minded bullshit Leif! You're doin' things my way!
Wiz: ...August, a wandering—
Boomstick: Yeah, you're probably gonna die. All your friends are gonna die too. Unless you man up and start using that little dried-up raisin you call a brain for somethin' other than findin' new and creative methods of suicide!
Wiz: ...Are you done?
Boomstick: I was at first, but now that I know it's annoying you, I sorta feel motivated to keep going.
Wiz: ...
Boomstick: ...
Wiz: ... [Slowly shakes his head]
Boomstick: ... ...Fiiine, you can talk about August. Buzzkill...
Wiz: Thank you. Now, while Finn and Eyvel had taught Leif to fight, it would be August who taught him why he should fight. To know his enemies just as well as his allies, with Leif's naïve idealism and self-sacrificing courage tempered and honed by his newfound advisor's pragmatic, down-to-earth counsel. Leif would come to understand why the Thracians had invaded his homeland; how his blind hatred for them would lead only to unnecessary sacrifices out of pride or spite.
Boomstick: He certainly wouldn't forgive 'em for the hell they put the rest of the peninsula through, and he was still a long ways away from the heroes of his age he aspired to be like, certainly not helpin' that unlike most of his contemporaries, he only had minor Holy Blood — meaning he couldn't wield any of the super powerful, broken weapons with magic ties to one's bloodline, which...yeah! We didn't even cover the 12 Crusaders and whatnot!
Wiz: Right, well, just to summarize that, there were twelve warriors who were infused with the blood of ancient, divine dragons centuries ago upon the "Miracle of Dahna," for the sake of slaying Loptous and bringing an end to his original rein over Jugdral. To this end, each Crusader was given a unique weapon with a blessing bestowed upon it that renders it completely incapable of being wielded by anyone without their respective Major Holy Blood.
Boomstick: Funny thing is, Leif was descended from one of the Crusaders, Njörun, wielder of the...pfft, the "Gáe Bolg."
Wiz: Not even gonna encourage you.
Boomstick: Unfortunately for Leif, he couldn't wield his family's "gay bulge" for a couple reasons. One...uh, Travant had it, and two...he didn't inherit the full extent of Njörun's blood — his older sister Altena did...who Travant ALSO had!
Wiz: While Leif's minor holy blood did by default make him a more adept fighter than the average commoner, the point remained that he was still leagues more inexperienced than his peers, and his inability to wield his family's holy lance to protect his homeland further compounded his issues of self-esteem. This is one of the reasons the presence of a more grounded advisor was so important. In spite of the arduous journey to retake Munster and rescue Eyvel, Leif would never give up. No matter what he had to sacrifice, or how overwhelming the odds against him were, he would no longer wallow in his own self-pity!
Boomstick: And along his way, he'd actually pick up quite a few new tricks and toys to add to his arsenal; of course alongside that heirloom sword he got from his mother.
Wiz: You're talking about the Light Brand, yes? A sword once owned by the erstwhile Princess of Grannvale, the Light Brand is unique among swords due to its ability to strike both at close-range and afar with a surge of weaponized light! When being actively wielded by Leif it also grants a +10 boost to his Luck stat, which...is a little difficult to translate into a Death Battle setting, but in his home-series, Luck increases Leif's odds to both hit a target, and avoid incoming attacks in turn, while also reducing the likelihood of whatever attacks do connect to inflict critical damage.
Boomstick: Of course that's not all it can do. It can also be used like an item to heal Leif completely at a slight cost to its durability! ...How he can heal himself the same way with a sword that he'd drink medicine I couldn't really tell you, but it's also durable as hell, so it could certainly save his life in a pinch.
Wiz: Of course, that's not the only weapon at his disposal. Throughout his journey to liberate Thracia, Leif can use almost any sword he can get his hands on. These range from the reliable Iron or Steel Swords, the near-weightless Slim Swords, or the razor-sharp albeit expensive Silver Swords.
Boomstick: 'Course, like many games in the series, he's just as adept with the armor-piercing, horse-euthanizing Rapier, or the serrated blade of the Killing Edge — great for makin' sure any of your blows that hit'll leave a lastin' scar! ...Also death!
Wiz: There are also more specialized, albeit rarer armaments at his disposal, such as the Kingmaker! A weapon wielded by the leader of the Dandelion Gang, serving as a hybrid between the Killing Edge and the Brave Sword, allowing Leif to attack multiple times in succession before his foe can react, while also having an increased chance to deal critical damage!
Boomstick: Also makes the user slightly more handsome, spurrin' his allies to give their all on the field! ...Not really useful in one-on-one scenarios, but hey, it's something. As if that wasn't enough, there's also the Meisterschwert! German for "Master Sword," this one...you guessed it — attacks multiple times 'fore the foe can react. ...I'm beginning to notice a pattern here...
Wiz: Similar to the Light Brand, Leif also has a variety of magical blades which can attack with cantrips from afar. These include the Flame Sword attacking with Elfire, the Levin Sword with Elthunder, and the Wind Sword with Elwind, each one granting a passive boost to Leif's stats — Magic, Dexterity, and Speed respectively.
Boomstick: 'Course when talkin' about your unorthodox magic blades, you'd be remiss not to talk about the Sleep or Berserk Swords! These tricky little bastards are difficult to hit with, but when they DO hit, hoo-boy! The Sleep Sword is fairly self-explanatory, tuckin' the target in and readin' 'em a bedtime story...leaving them a total sitting duck for you to pick up and drop in the river or something.
Wiz: The Berserk Sword instead drives the target into a bloodcrazed frenzy! Forcing them to abandon any semblance of tactics or planning and instead rush in for the kill, leaving themselves completely open to retaliation in the process.
Boomstick: While it's more useful if you're fightin' folks in a crowd, if your opponent's a tad too wary for your liking, it's like a healthy dose of reckless, self-destructive courage~!
Wiz: Of course, weapons and personal strength aren't all that Leif has to turning the odds of battle in his favor. He would inherit the "Adept" skill from his father, Quan, which...
Boomstick: Allows him to attack multiple times before the foe can react, for god's sake! Doesn't matter if you're stronger than him, his turn is over when he fuckin' SAYS it's over! Hell, it doesn't matter if his foe's faster than him! Adept's chance-activation solely relies on Leif's own Dexterity, meaning he can attack again whether you like it or not!
Wiz: Inheritance isn't the only way he could obtain combat-skills either, as he would find and be gifted a variety of manuals along his journey, instantly teaching him any boons they had to offer. Such as Wrath, which increases his odds of landing a lethal blow should he be sufficiently wounded.
Boomstick: This pairs well with Vantage, which allows him to ALWAYS attack first when already injured! ...At least, I'd say it pairs well, but Thracia's restrictions kinda don't allow that combo to work, so for simplicity's sake, we'll just assume neither can activate at the same time.
Popup: While the Vantage + Wrath combo WAS possible in Genealogy of the Holy War, Leif can only learn Vantage and Wrath in Thracia 776. As such, for the sake of this debate, it will be treated as though under the rules and restrictions of the latter game.
Wiz: Similar to Adept, Charge works mostly the same way, repeating any instance of combat, and likely doubling any damage he was able to dish out. This skill however is a bit of double-edged sword since it also applies to his incoming damage as well.
Boomstick: You also got your classic Luna and Sol skills! When Luna activates it both guarantees the next attack will connect, and also treats the opponent like they don't got no defense or armor whatsoever. While Sol heals the user for every bit of damage they were able to inflict on their opponent. And who said no one ever healed themselves by hurtin' others? Pah!
Wiz: Lastly, the Nihil skill completely and unconditionally negates any similar combat-skills the opponent might have. This includes both bloodline-related abilities and learned techniques.
Popup: Leif also has a single "Movement Star" which has a 5% chance per turn to move and act again upon taking an action. Though difficult to explain in a Death Battle format, its similar effect to the motivational performances given by the Dancer class and musical-note symbol that appears when it activates implies it to be a surge of motivation of some kind, spurring him to act again before the foe has a chance to react.
Boomstick: ...Huh...Y'know Wiz, that arsenal wasn't nearly as long as I expected it to be, given' the whole theme of this episode. Hell, HALF of them were just Leif bein' a bully and not letting anyone else get a turn swinging their weapons.
Wiz: Patience, my brash friend. The journey through the Munster District only marks the halfway-point of Leif's endeavors to live up to his potential.
Boomstick: Heh, yeah, and he was still far from ready. High on victory upon successfully liberating his homeland of Leonster, Leif split his army in two, with one half chargin' south to the Imperial-controlled kingdom of Ulster to aid in a good ol' fashioned peasant-rebellion!
Wiz: Where his forces would be immediately routed, one of Leif's most trusted advisors was killed, and Leif and his army were ambushed by hordes of Imperial forces, desperately scrambling to save as many of his fleeing soldier's lives as he could. Having fought the Empire on their own terms, Leif's childish optimism was thrown back in his face, and he would be taught a grim lesson at the cost of many innocent lives...
Boomstick: Hah! Dark. With his forces severely weakened, Leif would be forced into a six-month stalemate as Imperial forces tried time-and-time again to retake Leonster castle. It'd only be a matter of time till Grannvale had 'em dead-to-rights, but who shows up at the very last minute to bail him out but his own estranged maternal cousin, Seliph!
(Cue: "Trial of Genealogy - Free Us")
Wiz: Seliph, the son of the martyrized Sigurd, had been lauded as a hero on par with the Crusaders of old! Leif himself held great respect for the man, seeing him as his idol! Leif would pledge himself not just to liberating Thracia, but all of Grannvale from the clutches of the Dark God!
Boomstick: 'Course by this point, Leif damn-well knew where his priorities lay. As Seliph kept Grannvale busy, Leif and Leonster broke off to give Raydrik a little piece of their minds.
Wiz: Imbued with a newfound sense of purpose, Leif would win a decisive victory against General Reinhardt of Grannvale at the River Thracia, where his grandfather had been slain over a decade prior — even outsmarting and overpowering the illegitimate son of Arvis, Saias. The latter of which quite literally being regarded as a tactical god among men!
Boomstick: But Raydrik had been payin' close attention to the Liberation Army, and was absolutely freaking out! Veld, the guy who turned Leif's adoptive mama into a lifesize mannequin decided to give the kingkillin' bastard one last chance to prove his worth in a final defense of Munster Castle.
Wiz: Specifically, Raydrik would be given the Loptous Sword — bearing a special blessing from the Dark God himself, Raydrik would be protected against all damage short of legendary proportions! Saias, who had survived the battle of the river understood this well, and would himself join Leif's cause; gifting the young general with a Holy Blade of his own.
Boomstick: And that'd be Bragi's Blade! Or just the Bragi-Blade for simplicity's sake. A pseudo-Holy Weapon blessed by the Crusader Bragi in a similar vein to the Loptous Sword.
Wiz: Notably, unlike any of the other Holy Weapons, the restriction placed upon Bragi's Blade was significantly more lenient, only requiring that the bearer have some blood-ties to one of the original Crusaders, regardless of how potent their blood actually is. While it's by no means as strong as a legitimate Holy Weapon, it is at the very least capable of directly overpowering Loptous' own blessing.
Boomstick: And as though it were one final middle-finger to Raydrik specifically, it's also capable of cleaving right through heavy armor, dealin' additional damage to the poor sap inside!
Wiz: Finally, when being actively wielded by Leif it grants him the Miracle skill; capable of saving his life should he take an otherwise lethal blow, leaving him hanging from a thread in the process! With this Holy Blade in hand, Leif's Liberation Army stormed Munster Castle, confronted Raydrik and struck him down! With the arcane aid of one of his allies, Leif was able to reverse the petrification and at last reunite with Eyvel! Together, they would confront Veld in Loptous' Shrine beneath the castle and at last prying Thracia from the Empire's grip!
Boomstick: Oh and don't think just 'cause that's the end of his own game that Leif's story is over! While Leif does take a more minor, supportin' role in Genealogy of the Holy War as he continues to aid Seliph in liberating the rest of Jugdral, this is arguably where Leif finally unlocks his true potential!
Wiz: Having overcome numerous trials and tribulations and endured far greater than anyone more than double his age ever would, Leif had gone from a frail, self-deprecating runaway to the one whose name would go down in history as the Sage-Lord of Thracia! The year 776 had come to an end, and at the dawn of a new age, he would be recognized...as a Master Knight!
Boomstick: ...Where the hell'd that horse come from?
Wiz: The Master Knight class is widely regarded as one if, if not the most formidable fighter in all of Jugdral; boasting such incredibly movement speed that puts many others to shame.
Boomstick: Hah! Yeeeah, bein' a mounted unit in Genealogy kinda invalidates anyone who can't keep up. But a new pet's far from the only thing Leif gets upon his long-awaited promotion! He gains the ability to use some new toys, like... [Sound of crumpling paper] Mm...Mhm...Fuckin' EVERYTHING! [Boomstick tosses his script into the air, much to Wiz's chagrin.]
Wiz: More specifically, Leif obtains an "A-Rank" proficiency in every single weapon type, apart from the exceedingly rare Light and Dark magic, which he is merely above average in. What this means in essence is that, unless he intends to use a Holy Weapon or any other armament specifically restricted to any specific group of people, Leif is quite literally a jack-of-all-trades, master of everything!
Boomstick: Ohhhhhh~! [To the tune of "My Favorite Things"] Javelins, hand-axes, horse-slaying polarms! Safeguard and Brave Axe — bolts of pure lightning! Magical stat-boosting, wound-mending rings. These are a few of my favorite things!
Wiz: [Awkwardly singing along] He can cast...Bolting, and...uh...the fiery...Elfire? Even more brave-weapons! And...Killer weapons too-oo~?
Boomstick: Wiz?
Wiz: Inexplainable Thief-Sword to pick...pocket gold. These are few of...his things, I've...been told?
Boomstick: Wiz, just stop it — you're embarrassing both of us.
Wiz: Yeah...Yeah, I know...Look, point is, Leif gains unparalleled access to Swords, Lances, Axes, Bows, Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Staves.
Boomstick: Many of these are stuff we already covered for the wimpy Thracia 776 Leif, but he does gain access to more unique weapons, like the Lands Sword! Purchased without discount from his fellow orphan Nanna, this helps to mitigate his imperfection in Light, by automatically givin' 'em access to the only Light spell he really needs — Nosferatu!
Wiz: This works similarly to the aforementioned Sol skill, releasing the blast of light-based energy which drains an opponent's life-force, using it the heal the user in turn. The Barrier Blade and Safeguard increase his magical resistance and defense respectively, while the Silence Sword places a curse on the target, preventing them from using any magic whatsoever, be it through tome or staff!
Boomstick: He's also capable of either inheritin' or purchasing the Thief Sword! Seemingly invented by the single-most terrifying warrior in all of Sigurd's army, this funky li'l thing channels the true spirit of Thracia, stealing all the money the opponent has in their pockets after stabbing them. Is it gonna be helpful here? Not really, but it's funny as hell!
Wiz: Among his other weapon-types, many such as the Brave or Killer weapons are simply variations of weapons we've already covered, but he does gain access to the Horseslayer spear, which...well...excels at killing horses and whoever's unfortunate enough to be riding them at the time. This is similar to every single bow he's capable of wielding, which can shoot any flying opponent right out of the sky, dealing immense if not lethal damage!
Boomstick: You also got your standard magic fare — y'know the ones. Impale an opponent with a beam of electricity, summon a tornado right on top of them, literally tear the earth beneath their feet open and let loose a fiery explosion from below! ...You know, the boring stuff.
Wiz: Well...to put that into context, the "Bolganone" spell Boomstick mentioned is actually quite impressive with the relative scale given so far. Given the density of magma and the force required to burst through the upper crust, anyone surviving this would be subjected to a force of 531.7 tons of TNT!
Boomstick: 'Course that's not to assume this is all he can work with. While Leif got his Master Knight promotion in Genealogy, there's really no reason to believe he wouldn't also have access to the weapons he collected during his cult-raidin' Thracian escapades — and the weapons he gets there are ABSOLUTELY more impressive!
Wiz: Of course, there are...even more Brave Weapons, this is still Leif we're talking about. So getting the Meisteraxt, Meisterlanze, and Meisterbogen out of the way, he also gets access to the Devil Axe which...while powerful, has a non-zero percent chance to...well...act like it hit the user instead of the target.
Boomstick: Wow. That's... ...Why does he have that again?
Wiz: Best not to question it. The real meat of these additional weapons are his magic. More specifically, the Siege Tomes. There's Bolting, which darkens the sky and drops a bolt of lightning down on a distant opponent; which Leif himself is capable of avoiding at a reaction speed of about 37,000 meters per second! Meteor, which drops a volatile asteroid from above which crashes into the target with 15.65 Kilotons of TNT! And Blizzard! Which...actually really isn't all that impressive from a power or speed standpoint...
Boomstick: Thankfully, it doesn't have to try too hard, since just gettin' caught up in THIS snowstorm will immediately put you to sleep! For...some reason?!
Wiz: But of course, we've been saving what might be the most devious and infamous weapons...or rather tools in series history...
Boomstick: Thracia 776 Staves! WoooOOOOOoooo!! Just healing an ally needs an ACCURACY check!
Wiz: Questionable accuracy aside and unreliability in just...doing what healing staves are supposed to do, there is a reason these particular weapons are feared by all who have to face them.
Boomstick: And that is the sheer, unabated, metric-shit-ton of BULL these things are! Ohh, you start off innocently with your Heal, Mend, Recover, Physic; all for healing physical wounds. Hell, Fortify can even heal the user! But that's nothing compared to the mental wounds the STATUS STAVES foist on others! Silence, Sleep, Berserk! All things you may've thought he had to get in close and make contact with a specific, innaccurate sword just to inflict. Nope! Just gotta wave a fancy stick in their direction and they gotta PRAY they have the sheer magical resistance to avoid its effects. Because, OH YEAH! It doesn't matter how FAST you are! These things don't care if you can dodge light or electricity! If your magical-resistance ain't up to snuff, good night, sleep tight, walk into the light!
Wiz: While...your reaction is perhaps a little overplayed, there is no question that Leif's staves are by and large the most impactful part of his arsenal. Particularly since unlike in future games in he series, they aren't restricted to a specific range, and can instead target anyone so long as the user can still see them.
[Popup: Other influential staves include the wound-repairing Heal, Mend, Recover, and Physic staves, Warp and Rescue to teleport others away or right next to him, Torch to illuminate an area, and Restore to heal any lingering status effects such as Sleep, Poison, or Berserk.]
Boomstick: Hell, he really gets one real game-changer from Thracia, being the Rewarp staff; serving to teleport himself ANYWHERE he wants! This guy's mobility is insane!
Wiz: ...Is now a bad time to mention his ability to dodge light-spells, or the fact he could survive direct attacks from a magical projection of the Dark God Loptous?
Boomstick: Oh boy, wonderful. Alright big shot, how strong's this "Lollipop" guy anyhow?
Wiz: Well...that's actually rather difficult to decide. While Loptous is considered to be Naga's equal — the Naga tome can specifically negate the protective spell of Loptous and his chosen vessel. We do however know that Loptous is an Earth Dragon — the same species as Medeus, whom we covered just two episodes prior. Essentially, since the rest of the Holy Weapons were made by Divine Dragons, it should stand to reason that both Naga and Loptous stand leagues above them.
Boomstick: Now, while none of the Holy Weapons really have particularly-well-defined feats of power given...well, their age. Loptous' death at the hands of Naga IS somethin' we get to bear witness to! His mere death was enough to shake the entirety of Jugdral!
Wiz: While the exact size of Jugdral is...quite difficult to accurately calculate, specifically due to large scale of it as seen in Genealogy. However, the River Thracia, which is seen in both Genealogy and the smaller-scale Thracia 776 gives us a solid baseline to work with.
Wiz: Assuming the beginning from the first bridge to the end of the last is the average width of the river as a whole, that makes it 17 tiles wide; each tile capable of containing a house, business, arena, or tree rather comfortably. While the exact species of tree isn't clear given the graphical quality, for our sake, we simply averaged the width of the typical modern house with the width of a full-grown oak tree, giving a calculation of 45 feet per tile.
Popup: As seen in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, when zoomed-in, each individual tile is larger than is seen from a bird's eye view of the map itself. While units can occupy tiles adjacent to each other on the map, this is not to suggest they are necessarily as close in actuality.
Wiz: This puts the river at about 765 feet, and by extension each individual tile in Genealogy.
Boomstick: Each map in Genealogy is about 64x64 tiles, and thanks to each individual map basically just...BEING an entire country, we measured Jugdral's width to be 198 tiles in height, and 304 in width.
Wiz: With this, we can find that the area of Jugdral is roughly 35,225,863,200 feet across, and to create an earthquake of this ferocity, the epicenter had to have been experiencing a force of 16.5 Gigatons of TNT![1] That's a Magnitude 10 earthquake; greater than is even possible in the real world!
Boomstick: Hell, and that's just what was exerted with Loptous' dying breaths; Leif and other members of Seliph's army could also take and survive attacks directly from Loptous himself!
Wiz: And while it's not nearly as flashy as...dodging beams of light, or walking off blasts of draconic energy from an ancient dark god, Leif does also have one more notable attribute to speak of — his absolutely absurd stamina!
Boomstick: No, no, seriously! In Thracia 776, each unit gets naturally fatigued from doin' certain actions and can become so tired they can't even fight...EXCEPT for Leif! He's just...COMPLETELY immune to the effects of fatigue for no in-universe explanation! Hell, he rested once, and that was basically just because he was forced to!
Wiz: To restore their stamina, every other unit must drink a specialized concoction called an S-Drink...which, ironically enough, is Leif's personal skill in the mobile side-game, Fire Emblem Heroes.
Boomstick: He doesn't even NEED it! I bet he just drinks those things to spite everyone else!
Wiz: Of course, even with these in-mind, it's important to note Leif's faults; as even at his peak, there are still many that hold him back.
Boomstick: Yeeeah, remember how Leif'd rush into battle with bandits, or the empire at even the slightest provocation? While he certainly got better at managing that, he's still...very easy to goad into making some stupid plays.
Wiz: There is of course, the additional fact that Leif has never really fought any opposing army alone. While he's more than capable of taking on multiple foes at once, he is still very much used to having allies to rely on.
Boomstick: But I mean...really — what unit in this godforsaken series can't be a one-man army when trained diligently enough?
Wiz: You're absolutely right, Boomstick. And it would be this strength of both Leif and everyone else in the Liberation Army that would lead to the liberation of all Jugdral.
Boomstick: The Grannvalian nobles who ruled his kingdom with an iron fist basically went extinct, Loptous was slain for good, and heck, Leif even got to personally avenge mom and pop when Travant himself took the field!
Wiz: Though he would start his journey as nothing more than a confused infant gazing out upon his ravaged home to an inexperienced figurehead whose brash decisions constantly forced others to sacrifice themselves for his sake, Leif would eventually grow into his role, leading all of Thracia to a new era of peace, prosperity, and understanding. The long-running feuds that plagued the peninsula would become a thing of the past, and Leif's name would go down in history as the Sage-Lord of Thracia, surpassing the fame of his idol Seliph himself, proving himself the very definition of Zero-to-Hero!
Leif: I'll take it back — ALL OF IT!
Link Fights to the Last Breath in DEATH BATTLE![]
Wiz: Long ago, the forces of the Demon Tribe emerged from the depths of darkness, mounting a vicious war against the Gods Tribe and the surface people. Led by the Demon King, Demise, they sought to attain the ultimate power protected by the Goddess Hylia, the Triforce. An artifact without equal, it granted its holder the power to make any desire a reality; to alter the very fabric of reality itself. In order to safeguard it, and the people under her care, Hylia sent them skyward, beyond even the clouds, and joined forces with the land dwellers to fight back against the Demon Tribe, eventually sealing them away.
Boomstick: However, there was one remaining human who fought alongside her. This was Hylia’s Chosen Hero, Link. A paragon of his kind, he fought for seven days and seven nights straight against the Demon Tribe, allowing for humanity’s escape. However, he himself was not as fortunate. The wounds he had sustained during the war were too grievous, and he eventually succumbed to them, passing on, but this would not be his end. With the ultimate price paid by her chosen hero, Hylia allowed his spirit to live on, with a new Link inheriting the Spirit of the Hero, born above the clouds.
Wiz: Despite saving the humans and sealing away the Demon Tribe, Hylia knew that the seal would not hold forever, and nursing the pain of her own wounds, a plan came to her. Only a mortal could wield the power of the Triforce, and with the Spirit of the Hero eventually to be reborn in a new body, Hylia chose to reincarnate herself in the form of a mortal as well; one who could use the Triforce to kill Demise for good. With the blood and soul of the Goddess Hylia, this was Zelda. Though an era would pass before these two were born, when they were, they grew up together as close friends.
Boomstick: “Close friends” my ass, they’re so obviously in love! But anyway, their lives would be flipped upside down at the emergence of the servant of Demise, Ghirahim, who kidnapped Zelda in a plot to revive his master, and Link began his journey in pursuit of her. Eventually, the truth of Hylia’s plan was discovered, and Link was able to use the Triforce and his own power to defeat Demise for good, but just as he was about to fade, Demise placed an everlasting curse upon the Spirit of the Hero and the Blood of the Goddess to be forever chained to an incarnation of his, and the Demon Tribe’s, hatred, malice and resentment.
Popup: The Spirit of the Hero is the essence of what makes each protagonist Link. Demise’s Curse ensures that each iteration of Link will be forced to live a life of conflict, but has in-turn also indirectly forced the Spirit of the Hero to become increasingly stronger over time. This has led to each Link possessing superhuman physical characteristics, mastery over weapons and animals, and an immutable and unbreakable will, to name a few.
Wiz: A curse to shackle every future incarnation of Link and Zelda until the end of time itself, which would eventually go on to take many forms, but most notably, his direct reincarnation in the form of a Gerudo male, Ganondorf. Now, the important thing is that the actions of Ganondorf and the Hero of Time cause the timeline to split into three paths. Each timeline would have their own Links throughout the eons, but eventually, there reached a point so inconceivably far down the track in every timeline, that all prior history was lost to time and the events of the timelines began to unify into one. In this “Unified Timeline”, the earliest surviving point in recorded history dates back hundreds of thousands of years before the modern day.
Boomstick: From the Heavens, the mythical Zonai descended to the ancient Hylians like gods. With an unearthly appearance and technological advancements far beyond what the Hylians were capable of, they were revered in every aspect of the word. Eventually, the sect of their race which descended to Hyrule began to die out, with only two Zonai remaining; Rauru, and his sister Mineru. Rauru would take the Hylian, Sonia, as his bride and together, they founded the Kingdom of Hyrule, with their bloodline surviving to the current day. Yet there was one who would stand against this new kingdom, believing himself fit to rule instead.
Wiz: This was Ganondorf… again. And after stealing one of the Zonai Secret Stones which amplify the user’s power, he was known as the Demon King, and waged war against Hyrule. Eventually, his might would prove too much, and Rauru sacrificed his life to seal Ganondorf away for as long as he was able, but this was only a temporary solution. He knew that one day, a hero would rise to defeat him; a noble swordsman with the might to combat the Demon King. Despite the war concluded at a heavy cost, the Kingdom of Hyrule would go on. And, one teensy tiny issue with the sealing though, it would ever so slightly begin to lose power over time.
Boomstick: Now, at first, this was no problem, but thousands of years later, Ganondorf’s sealed, mummified corpse underneath the new Hyrule Castle would begin to leak that hatred, malice and resentment in the physical form of Malice. It sapped away the life force of any who made contact, and could corrupt basically anything. From people, to machinery, to even the moon, this stuff was extremely dangerous. Even more so when that Malice took on a more… iconic form as a demonic boar reminiscent of the power that previous Ganondorfs held. It would come to be known as Calamity Ganon, and once again, brought the world to its knees.
Popup: There is very little mention of, or reference to the Triforce during the Wild Era. The sole user of its power across both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is Zelda, but even this is vague and only alluded to. With the additional focus on technology over magic, it is clear that the Hero of the Wild does not possess the Triforce of Courage like other Links previously have.
Wiz: But without the technology of the Zonai, the Kingdom of Hyrule came to rely upon the technological prowess of the Sheikah. They built five Divine Beasts for chosen Champions of the races which inhabited Hyrule: the Zora, Rito, Gorons, Hylians, and Gerudo, and with another set of incarnations of Link and Zelda, were able to seal away the Calamity for ten thousand years. Although the peace lasted, Demise’s curse remained, and Calamity Ganon would begin to revive as the seal wore off. Luckily, a legendary knight from Hateno Village in service to the king would be expecting a child. A son he would call Link. And not long after, King Rhoam had a child of his own; a daughter he’d name Zelda. Though none knew it, their destinies would be forever intertwined.
Boomstick: But to begin with, Link was just an ordinary child. Rambunctious and full of energy, with a curious nature that made him a bit reckless, he sought to learn everything he could as he experienced the world around him. He’d receive training from his father, but even as a child, Link’s talents with a blade were beyond exceptional. At just four years old, he was skilled enough to defeat highly trained knights in direct sword combat, and as he grew, he was able to deflect the laser of a Sheikah Guardian with just a fragile little wooden pot lid. Keep in mind, these lasers move at light speed. In order to deflect it, Link would have to be reacting at over 4.18 times faster than light!
Wiz: That’s the Spirit of the Hero at work right there, instilling Link with the skills and mastery possessed by his previous incarnations. And that’s just the beginning! One of the many boons the Spirit of the Hero gives him is complete and instant weapon mastery. From the second he picks up a weapon, he can use it to its fullest capacity, and the number of weapons he can wield is just insane! Swords, bows, spears, axes, claymores, hammers, boomerangs, magic rods, scimitars, sticks, clubs, sledgehammers, bats, scepters, tridents, staves, Lynel crushers, and even shields are all weapons he’s shown masterful use of in combat, and his accuracy is flawless. Even in unarmed combat, Link is no slouch.
Boomstick: His physical might is far beyond that of an average human, able to knock back several tons of falling rock with just his shield and push around gigantic boulders and snowballs large enough to knock down reinforced steel doors. Don’t think he’s all brawn though. Link is also a skilled acrobat, able to manoeuvre around any terrain, backflip, summersault, and run circles around highly trained ninja assassins, even while decked out in heavy armour. It’s thanks to his acrobatic and martial skills that Link is able to enter a state of hyper-focus where his perception of time slows down immensely; to the point where everything else might as well be frozen.
Popup: Link’s consumption of stamina is purely a gameplay mechanic and not canonical to his character. He has consistently proven to be able to fight for far longer periods of time without rest, such as single-handedly slaying the horde of monsters in Eldin Canyon, and fighting off Calamity Ganon’s forces during the siege of Fort Hateno.
Wiz: He can use this state to execute the Flurry Rush technique, where Link lands a flurry of blows faster than his opponent can react. He can also enter this state in mid-air to deliver unavoidable arrow shots, at the cost of some stamina per shot. It’s even shown that he can enter this state whenever he wants, but these moments of high focus are where he shows the best usage of it. With such exceptional skills at such a young age, Link would be chosen to accompany a group of knights on a diplomatic mission to Zora’s Domain, and it was here that Link would meet the Zora princess Mipha, with whom he’d form a close and fast friendship.
Boomstick: However, a short two years later, the king’s wife would sadly pass away, and he was left to raise Zelda on his own. Split between his love for her as a father and his duty to awaken her sealing powers to combat Ganon, he made Zelda focus on her prayers to the Goddess and doing everything in her power to awaken the power she had deep inside, but her true passions lay elsewhere. The young girl was a scholar at heart and wished to help with the research into the ancient Sheikah technology that Sheikah researchers Purah and Robbie were conducting. She was allowed the newly discovered Sheikah Slate to perform her own studies on, but her relationship with her father became rocky, to say the least.
Wiz: Over the years, Link would grow into the finest knight Hyrule had ever seen, but that curious nature never left him. Instead, he focused it into uncovering everything he could about the land of Hyrule, and at the age of around twelve or thirteen, eventually found himself drawn to the mysterious Lost Woods in the Great Hyrule Forest. Navigating through the normally impenetrable woods, he would find the Korok Forest, its guardian, the Great Deku Tree, and stabbed into the pedestal in front of him, the one and only Master Sword. Blessed with the power to repel evil by Din, and then augmented by the blessing of Zelda, this was the very blade which drove back the Calamity ten thousand years prior.
Boomstick: However, not just anyone can wield it. The Master Sword chooses its wielder, and this choice is made by the spirit of Fi, the Master Sword herself. She’s been wielded by the many Links of the past, and the only ones Fi deems worthy of even lifting her are the reincarnations of Link and Zelda. For anyone else so much as trying to lift the blade, it’ll drain away your life force until death, but for Link, pure of heart, strong of body, and sharing the Spirit of the Hero, he was able to draw the sword. And with it, he gained a bunch of new abilities. Like firing off beams of energy and light, even when he’s not at full health, and absorbing, nullifying, and knocking back all kinds of magic.
Popup: There are some abilities tied to the Master Sword wielded by specific incarnations of Link which cannot inherently be applied to the Hero of the Wild. For example, the Hero of the Sky was able to use the Skyward Strike, Dowsing, and could analyse information, but these abilities are tied to Fi, and the Hero of Legend could channel the power of several different Medallions through the Master Sword, but the Hero of the Wild does not have these.
Wiz: The Master Sword attacks with holy magic due to its holy nature, and can manipulate light to create barriers. It can seal away enemies, create sharp slashes of air, petrify foes, disintegrate you entirely; body and soul, conduct lightning into the blade for greater damage, and grants the user the ability to resist corruption. By lifting the Master Sword and proving himself worthy, not only did he gain the friendship of the Great Deku Tree, but also the burdens that came with his role as Hyrule’s destined hero. He could no longer live his carefree life, now destiny-bound to slay Calamity Ganon and save Hyrule. It was a great honour, but also a future forced upon him.
Boomstick: With the eyes of an entire nation constantly upon him, and many looking up to him, Link felt it necessary to stay strong and silently bear any burden. He had to serve as an example for every person in Hyrule, and it caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings; to become quieter and more withdrawn. Despite this, Link would form a great many friendships in his travels across Hyrule. His natural ability to connect with others is a key reason he’s formed such great friendships with Impa, Purah, Robbie and Mipha, the latter of whom would fall in love with him, only furthered by witnessing his strength and unbreakable resolve to help others.
Wiz: He’d save the Zora under threat by the Lynel on Ploymus Mountain, with his actions forever documented in Zora history, but his travels would also see him in the volcanic mountains of the Eldin region, where he would meet the Goron Chief Daruk for the first time. Saving his life and impressing him with his strength, the two bonded over a mutual love of food and would become like brothers, which is a big deal in Goron culture. He’d also earn the respect of Urbosa, Chief of the Gerudo, and enter into a rivalry with the Rito archer Revali, all of whom would become Champions of Hyrule like those of ages past. As for the Hylian Champion and protector of Princess Zelda, it’s no question who was chosen for the job.
Boomstick: Though when things started out, Link and Zelda’s relationship was… rough. To Zelda, Link was a living reminder of her own failures. He was able to live up to his destiny, while she was not, and she took his silence and inexpressive demeanour as a sign that he despised for her not being able to use her sealing power despite being of the royal family. Zelda had already been eaten up inside about it, and to her, Link just made everything worse. Eventually, this reached a boiling point where she lashed out at Link, angry at his constant presence. She wanted to be left alone, however it was his unwavering devotion to protecting her which would end up saving her life.
Popup: Zelda inherited her powers of light, time manipulation and sealing through the Blood of the Goddess, which runs through her veins. Furthermore, these abilities were additionally possessed by Rauru, Sonia and Zelda’s mother respectively, who are all her direct ancestors. When first activating her holy power to dispel evil, and later again against Calamity Ganon, Zelda’s hand glowed with the symbol of the Triforce, though it is not currently known if she possesses the entire Triforce.
Wiz: On the run from Yiga clan assassins while in the Gerudo Desert, Zelda was trapped and about to be killed, but Link was able to make it in time saved her life. On that day, something changed in Zelda. Despite how poorly she’d treated him, Link still came to save her without a second thought, and defended her with his life. She hadn’t been fair to him, and she wanted to see what was under that stone cold mask. Little by little, they’d both start to open up to each other, realising how similar they are in their hardships of fulfilling their respective tasks. They’d talk about their passions, aspirations, and fears. The doubts that crept up into their minds at night, and they’d be there to comfort each other.
Boomstick: Link would also learn of Zelda’s love for a rare, endangered species of flower called the Silent Princess, which can only thrive in the wild, but Zelda held out hope that it would be strong enough to prosper on its own. She would further open her heart to him, questioning her duty to her kingdom against what she truly desires – if she were able to pursue the things she loved and not be pressured to attain a power that would not come to her. Another tense conversation with her father and failure to awaken her power at the Springs of Courage and Power led her to the final location of prayer; the Spring of Wisdom. Yet even this would not awaken the powers she had inside, and time was running out.
Wiz: And as it turned out, just as she returned from the pilgrimage, Calamity Ganon finally awoke once more. But this ghost demon boar was far more powerful than any of them could have expected. His very awakening shook the country of Hyrule, and his Malice spread out like a wave across the land, corrupting and taking over Sheikah machinery like the Guardians and Divine Beasts. The various Champions were trapped inside with a manifestation of his hatred known as the Blights, and with an army at his side, Ganon killed them all, as well as King Rhoam, before sweeping over Hyrule, bringing the kingdom to its knees.
Boomstick: Grieving the deaths of her close friends, father and countless Hylians, Zelda blamed herself for not being able to access her power and seal Calamity Ganon away, feeling that she’d failed them all; left them to die. Breaking down in Link’s arms as he held her, sobbing and inconsolable, neither would have much time until they were besieged by more Guardians. A battered, bloody, and nearly dead Link would fight off the hordes chasing after them, making a heroic last stand at Fort Hateno to defend Zelda, the girl he’d come to love so deeply. But in the end, it would be her who would protect him; finally awakening to her powers in her direst hour of need.
Popup: Although Link and Zelda are always intrinsically tied to each other through Demise’s curse, they do not always have a close or romantic relationship. In the Wild Era though, it is confirmed that the two are in love, with Zelda’s love empowering her abilities, and this is all expanded upon during Tears of the Kingdom. Additionally, Zelda’s English voice actress, Patricia Summersett, confirmed that she considers Link and Zelda to be in a relationship.
Wiz: Her love and desperation to save Link awoke her light and sealing powers, and she dispelled the Malice corrupting the Guardians around them, but Link’s injuries were already far too grave. With his life slipping away, the spirit of Fi within the Master Sword spoke to Zelda, and told her what she must do. In order to save Link’s life, he would need to be taken to the Shrine of Resurrection for healing, and Zelda would take the Master Sword to the Korok Forest, where it would wait for its true master to return. With Link needing all the time possible to fully heal his wounds, Zelda travelled to Hyrule Castle alone, facing the Calamity and sealing both it and herself away in Hyrule Castle for as long as her powers held out.
Boomstick: Though the world was nearly brought to the brink of destruction, Zelda’s sacrifice had given Hyrule peace and safety, and the people were able to slowly but surely rebuild. The events of the time would become stories passed down, but there was still one living legend of the time left alive: Link. Although still in the Shrine of Resurrection, 100 years after the second Calamity, Link’s body would be fully healed, and the shrine would wake him up. Turns out, the hero had not visibly aged a day in that time, still in the prime of his youth even after a century spent slumbering, but he could not remember a thing.
Wiz: The Shrine of Resurrection had narrowly saved his body from death, but his memory was something it could not keep fully intact. Waking up with no memories, he was guided by a kind and beautiful voice that directed him to pick up the Sheikah Slate and make his way outside to the Great Plateau in the land of Hyrule. All he knew was his name, and that he could feel some connection to the voice coming from Hyrule Castle in the distance. Meeting with the old man who called the plateau home, Link would be directed to the nearby Sheikah Tower, awakening it and all the others across the land.
Boomstick: After descending the now-raised tower, Link was tasked with visiting the four shrines across the plateau, and in each, Link would receive new abilities in the form of Runes. First was Magnesis, which allowed Link to move and control anything metallic, ranging from weapons to doors and giant boxes. This can also be used to attack enemies by dropping heavy objects on top of them, by grabbing their weapons during an attack and using it against them, or turning weapons into a massive rotating ball which severely damages foes. And second up, Link received the Bomb Rune, my favourite one!
Popup: In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Link also has access to a Sheikah Flail which is used to attack enemies in a variety of ways and also provides key methods of defence. This is accessed through the Sheikah Slate, though Link and others like Zelda have also shown the ability to use the Sheikah Slate’s Runes and abilities even when not in possession of the item.
Wiz: With it, he can create small explosive bombs of two types: spherical bombs that can roll around, and cube shaped bombs that will stay in place when thrown or put down. Plus, Link’s exceptionally crafty with them, able to use them for redirection, setting traps and boosting momentum. After that, he got the Stasis Rune. With it, he can freeze anything in time, from rocks, to monsters, to even people! He can freeze things in the air to use as platforms, build up kinetic energy to launch objects with massive force, or deal a ton of damage to frozen enemies, giving him a useful tool in combat no matter the situation.
Boomstick: After Stasis was the Cryonis Rune, which allows Link to create pillars of ice by freezing any source of water. From small ponds to lakes and waterfalls, any surface or depth works, but he can only create up to three at a time. It can also be used to destroy any objects made of ice, and is very helpful for mobility and defence. Additionally, already installed was the Camera Rune, which lets Link take pictures of anything he likes and expand the Hyrule Compendium within; an encyclopedia of all of Hyrule’s creatures, objects and things. And with the Amiibo Rune, Link can call upon the power of Amiibos to grant him important and exclusive items, or just some food to heal whenever he needs. Gotta love Nintendo’s cash grabs.
Wiz: Jokes aside though, it also lets him summon a wolf in the visage of the Hero of Twilight’s wolf form, who’ll attack alongside Link. But he wouldn’t be much if Link didn’t have skills of his own, and on the Great Plateau, Link would have plenty of time to get himself comfortable with combat once more. Skills like his charged attacks, which deal extra damage in a variety of ways, and Shield Surfing, where Link uses a shield like a surfboard and can cover ground extremely quickly. Clearing all four shrines, Link would meet the old man at the ruins of the Temple of Time, where it would be revealed to him that the man was truthfully King Rhoam, whose spirit lingered after all these years to help guide him.
Boomstick: He’d gift Link the Paraglider, and confide in him his regrets, wanting only for his daughter and people to be safe. Taking on the King’s final wish before he faded away, Link knew his end goal: Kill Ganon. But before he could do that, he had an entire continent to explore in preparation, weapons to gather, and the Divine Beasts to free. And taking that first step off the Great Plateau, he’d head for Kakariko Village, seeking the Sheikah Chief, Impa, who he’d known all those years ago. On the way, Link would find out his natural connection to animals, able to tame and ride all manner of horses, even undead ones, and hell, he can even ride bears! Dogs love him, too.
Popup: Link carries with him a maxed-out arsenal of 99,999 items each, many of which hold restorative properties. He carries up to 60 meals at a time, ranging from full-health meals, dishes which provide extra hearts, ones that grant increased physical ability or elemental resistance, increased stealth, stamina recovery, slipping resistance or swim speed. With certain dishes, Link can also make himself glow to light up dark spaces, and recover from the effects of Gloom, which normally prevents traditional healing.
Wiz: Back to Impa, after meeting with his old friend after so long, Link would be gifted his old Champion’s Tunic, which lets him see the health of opponents, safeguarded after all these years in wait for his return. Given the quest to recover all his lost memories, Link would set off around the world, visiting every location in the country and helping out all of its citizens. And I don’t exaggerate here, Link fully explored the entire country all by himself, every last square inch of it, and helped out every single person. A quest which involved the astoundingly extensive slaughter of Ganon’s monsters throughout the continent. Thankfully, Link had the right gear for the job.
Boomstick: Hell yeah he did! He’s got your standard weapons; broadswords, claymores, spears, boomerangs, several of each type of weapon with increasing power; you know the drill. But he’s also got these weapons in elemental forms of fire, ice and lightning, as well as magic rods which allow him to decimate his foes with powerful magic. He’s got Fire, Ice, Shock and Bomb Arrows, but also Ancient Arrows, which utterly wipe the opponent from existence! Even with a Korok Leaf, he can manipulate the wind to blow you away, but if we went over every single weapon this one-man army had, we’d be here all day! Even in the unlikely scenario that he’s disarmed, he can take your own weapon and use it for his own.
Wiz: But perhaps some of his most unique weapons are ones taken from his Guardian foes, or crafted using their parts. Like the Ancient Short Sword, Ancient Spear, and even a god damn chainsaw! Those are some which hold… sentimental value to Link, though. Journeying to Zora’s Domain, Link would meet and quickly become best friends with the Zora Prince, Sidon, and Mipha’s younger brother. Working together to calm Ruta and free Mipha’s spirit, Link would be given the ceremonial Zora Armour. This piece of armour was painstakingly hand-crafted for the princess’ future husband, and it fit Link perfectly. She’d been planning to tell him how she felt before the calamity hit, but she never got the chance.
Boomstick: But inside Ruta, facing off against Waterblight Ganon, the creature of Mipha’s demise, Link was finally able to talk with her after freeing her by vanquishing the beast, reconciling after all these years. And she bestowed upon him her ability, Mipha’s Grace, which lets him be revived at full health, with extra hearts, should be take fatal damage. It takes a couple of minutes to recharge, but that’s why Link carries as many fairies as he can, so in the unlikely event he’s put in that position, he’s always got an out. And he can hold up to 99,999 of these! But returning to Zora’s Domain, Link would receive Mipha’s Lightscale Trident, the very same weapon she used all those years ago.
Popup: The Champion’s Abilities granted to Link are intrinsic powers that he can all upon at any time with the same finesse as the original wielders. This would also allow Link to heal himself at will, control lightning, create updrafts, and constantly have a shield surrounding him, unless he wished not to. There is also no confirmation that these abilities were tied to the spirits of the Champions, nor that they faded or were lost, thus Link should have access to them, even after the spirits of the Champions pass on.
Wiz: In the region of Gerudo, Link would meet with the race’s current chief, Riju, a young girl with a great deal to live up to and pressure weighing down on her – something Link could empathise with. Though as Gerudo Town only allowed women inside their walls, Link had to initially disguise himself. Proving himself to Riju by infiltrating the Yiga Clan’s secret base and retrieving the stolen Thunder Helm under the cover of shadow, Link would face off against the leader of the Yiga Clan, Master Kohga. Although he may seem silly, Master Kohga is an extremely skilled warrior with decades of experience leading the Yiga Clan, striking fear into the citizens of Hyrule.
Boomstick: He doesn’t seem that impressive since Link is simply so skilled in combat that his skills surpass Kohga’s own, but it wouldn’t be the last we’d see of him. Returning to Riju with the Thunder Helm in hand, Link would put his shield surfing skills to the test as they journeyed out to the Divine Beast Vah Nabooris and defeated the frickin’ cheap boss inside, Thunderblight Ganon. Freeing Urbosa’s spirit, Link would be gifted her ability to call down lightning, Urbosa’s Fury! With just a snap of his fingers, Link can call down lightning in a several kilometer wide radius, electrocuting anything he wishes, and he can do this three times before it needs four minutes to recharge.
Wiz: From Riju, Link would be gifted Urbosa’s Scimitar of the Seven and Daybreak Shield, and after helping out all the citizens of Gerudo Town, Link would be loaned the Thunder Helm. With it equipped, Link is completely immune to any and all electrical damage and attacks. Next up was Rito Village, where Link would prove his archery skills to the village champion, Teba, save the Divine Beast Vah Medoh from the scourge of Windblight Ganon, and free Revali’s spirit. Though they’d quarrelled in the past, the two were able to make up, and Link received Revali’s Gale, allowing him to create an instant updraft of wind, which he can glide on thanks to the Paraglider. Super useful for traversal and gaining height for arrow barrages, and it can be used three times before needing two minutes to recharge.
Boomstick: And he’d be gifted Revali’s Great Eagle Bow, which shoots three arrows for the price of one! Which is super busted, but there’s other bows Link has, like the Savage Lynel Bow, which can shoot up to five arrows for the price of one, in both a spread shot or direct barrage. Imagine that with Bomb Arrows! That’s tons of damage for very little cost. And in Hyrule Castle, Link would also find the Bow of Light used by the Princess Zelda who reigned during the Era of Twilight, also now known as the Twilight Bow. These light arrows move at the speed of light and keep going until they’ve hit their target, so good luck trying to escape from them!
Popup: The Light Arrows are meant to pierce and destroy evil, but even though they’re empowered by holy magic, regular people and enemies can still be affected. Even those of pure heart are still significantly stunned and harmed. Historically, the speed required to dodge these arrows is around 2.6 times the speed of light, and there is no reason to suggest the Light Arrows seen during Wild Era would be any different.
Wiz: Entering Goron City, Link would set out to save the Gorons from the erupting Death Mountain, but the volcano’s extreme temperatures meant that he needed to acquire some Flamebreaker Armour, which makes him completely impervious to extreme heat and all fire attacks. Meeting with the Goron Chief-to-be, Yunobo, they would work together to scale Death Mountain and fight Divine Beast Vah Rudania, eventually slaying Fireblight Ganon inside and freeing both it and the spirit of Daruk, who would grant him the ability of Daruk’s Protection. A shield that covers his entire body, it automatically springs to defend Link from any harm, and can be used three times before it needs to recharge for six minutes.
Boomstick: And he’d be given Daruk’s Boulder Breaker claymore, which is a behemoth weapon that will smash apart any rocks or people like they’re nothing! So, with all Divine Beasts and their Champions freed, they’d set their sights on Hyrule Castle as Link finished up everything else he needed before taking on Ganon. Acquiring upgraded weapons and items from Purah and Robbie, who’d survived the Calamity and were still kicking just as energetic as ever, was another important step for Link. As was returning to Hateno, his childhood home. Even after all the years, the house he’d once lived in still stood, but was about to be demolished, so Link struck up a deal with the Bolson Construction Company.
Wiz: Instead of tearing it down, Link would buy it back and do work for them in return, gathering the money and materials they needed as the house was returned to its former glory. But once it was done, Hudson, a worker in the company, wished to branch out and start his own business, and so moved to Akkala in order to found Tarrey Town, but it was a long way off. Still, Link, the ever-kind man he is, helped Hudson build the town from the ground up, getting people of all races to help make the town into a proper home, and even helped Hudson find love! But his time in Akkala would also lead him to Kilton, a monster researcher who ran the Fang and Bone shop.
Boomstick: From him, Link bought masks that let him blend in with Hyrule’s monsters, and even received medallions for killing every single giant monster that inhabited the land; the Hinoxes, Taluses and Moldugas. Yet Akkala still held more, as it had one of the Ancient Labyrinths made by the Zonai, which granted Link a piece of the Barbarian Armour, increasing his attack by a stage for each piece he had on. And there were two more of these scattered across Hyrule; in the snowy depths of the Hebra Mountains, and the scorching heat of the Gerudo Highlands. The Barbarian’s Armour is only one set in Link’s ever-growing arsenal, though. He’s got something for every situation.
Popup: Other standout armour sets Link has acquired during his journey include the Armour of the Depths, which grants increased resistance to Gloom, the Charged, Ember and Frostbite Sets, which grant increased attack in electrical, hot, and cold areas respectively, and the Miner Set, which glows to allow for increased vision. The Evil Spirit and Radiant Sets grant increased damage with bone weapons, the Mystic Set makes Link invulnerable but drains his Rupees when hit, and the Zonai Set increases the efficiency of Link’s Zonai Devices.
Wiz: The Snowquill Armour makes Link impervious to the cold and ice attacks, the Climbing Armour increases his climbing speed, the Soldier’s Armour grants him exceptionally high defence, and the Stealth Armour makes Link nigh-undetectable, and increases his running speed at night. The Zora Armour grants him the great swimming ability of a Zora, the Desert Voe Armour protects him from the elements, and the Fierce Deity Armour increases his attack drastically, in the visage of the Fierce Deity himself. Now, Link has a ton of other armour sets, but by completing all 120 shrines across Hyrule, Link was granted access to one of his best armour sets, the Armor of the Hero of the Wild.
Boomstick: Link does have individual items which he can mix and match with other sets though. He can wade through sand and snow more efficiently with the Sand and Snow Boots, reduce elemental damage from fire, ice and lightning with the Ruby Circlet, Sapphire Circlet, and Topaz Earrings, respectively, and decrease damage taken from Guardians with the Diamond Circlet. And with Zant’s Helm, he becomes completely unfreezeable. In fact, he can put any pieces of any armour together with others, giving him practically unlimited combinations for any scenario.
Wiz: Scenarios like braving the waters of Lanayru, the cold of Hebra, the heat of Eldin and the lightning of Faron. Or when freeing the legendary dragon Naydra, who had been corrupted by Ganon’s malice, taking back Akkala Citadel, overrun by Guardians, and entering the Korok Forest once more, reclaiming the Master Sword that had been resting for one hundred years. But before storming Hyrule Castle, Link had one final objective: to recover his lost memories. Throughout his journey across Hyrule, Link would gradually gain back most of them, but with assistance from Impa, Link was able to recover his final one, and with it, his memory had been fully restored. He remembered it all.
Boomstick: Including his love for Zelda, and the sacrifice she’d made for him. Storming Hyrule Castle, he fought and slaughtered every monster inside on his way to Zelda, even gaining the nigh-indestructible Hylian Shield from Lockup. Entering into the throne room, Link’s presence forced the still-regenerating Calamity Ganon to cobble together a physical body at the last moment, emerging as this spider-like being held together by Guardian parts and malice. While Link had the help of the other Champions to bring down Calamity Ganon’s health, he’s fully capable of defeating him by his lonesome. I mean, hell, you can speedrun the game in under twenty-five minutes!
Popup: It is incorrectly translated that Dark Beast Ganon is the form that Calamity Ganon takes after “giving up on reincarnation”, but in actuality, Calamity Ganon is doing everything in its power to reincarnate into a new body. Ultimately, its efforts are stopped by Link and Zelda, with the real Ganondorf breaking Rauru’s seal six years later. Though Calamity Ganon is stronger than basic Phantom Ganons which can create Blood Moons worth 64 Zettatons of TNT, all pale in comparison to Ganondorf’s power.
Wiz: This is especially impressive given that this severely weakened form of Calamity Ganon could casually create and move the Blood Moon, a feat worth just under 496 Yottatons of TNT! To put that into perspective, that’s enough power to destroy entire planets the size of Jupiter! And not only did Link match its power, but surpassed it, and defeated not just Calamity Ganon, but Dark Beast Ganon, an even more powerful form. During the battle, Link would also receive the Bow of Light, a weapon with infinite durability that cannot break, and fires arrows that move at the speed of light. But Link didn’t care about all of that, because by defeating Ganon, Zelda was finally freed at last.
Boomstick: After an entire century, the two lovers were finally reunited. I don’t even have a joke here, it’s just so tear-jerkingly heartfelt and beautiful. They were finally able to confess their love after all of the pain and heartache they’d been through, the corrupted Guardians were freed, and with the kingdom saved, King Rhoam and the Champions were able to finally pass on in peace. With the threat of Ganon gone, the people of Hyrule were victorious, and the hardy Silent Princess was finally able to bloom and thrive in the wild. I mean, come on, even I get the symbolism here! Brings a tear to my eye every time… It’s just so damn beautiful, Wiz!
Wiz: I know, buddy, I know. And so, with the future ahead of them, they quickly made up for lost time. Link and Zelda would begin a relationship and she would move into his house, working on restoring the kingdom to its former glory. In just six years, so much happened. Link and Zelda founded the Hateno School, Purah perfected an Anti-Ageing Rune to keep her young, Impa stepped down as the Chief of Kakariko, and her granddaughter Paya stepped up. Sidon would find himself a lady to love, Riju and Yunobo both stepped into their roles in leading their people, and Hudson even had a daughter!
Boomstick: But Link’s constant self-betterment didn’t end once the fighting was over. He would undertake the Trial of the Sword, going through extremely difficult challenges in order to empower the Master Sword to its former glory, and even faced the trial of the fifth Divine Beast, besting the Sheikah Monk Maz Koshiya in order to gain one of his own. AND IT WAS A GOD DAMN MOTORCYCLE! The Master Cycle Zero, to be precise. Not just that, but his Rito buddy Kass had some tales about the Champions which Link was able to decipher in order to complete the challenges they went through, gaining decreased recharge times for their abilities.
Popup: During the Great Calamity, a small Guardian named Terrako escaped the destruction through a time portal, kicking off the events of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Although technically an alternate timeline to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, every character is comparable between the timelines, and Sidon, Riju, Teba and Yunobo directly cross over into this timeline from the original one. In this timeline, Link is considered superior to all of the Champions even without the Master Sword, fought off all four Blight Ganons at once, and defeated Harbinger, and Calamity Ganon before he could destroy Hyrule.
Wiz: Yet with Calamity Ganon gone, Demise’s curse would rise up once more as the seal holding Ganondorf beneath Hyrule Castle began to weaken exponentially. Reports of Gloom rising up from underneath the castle started popping up, and those who made contact with it fell seriously ill. Naturally, Link and Zelda would set out to investigate. And beneath the castle, they’d find murals of ancient Zonai history, which Zelda was crazy about, being a scholar and all. But deeper down, they’d find the source of the Gloom: a mummified corpse with a glowing arm sticking out of its chest. As they approached, the hand fell limp and a strange stone fell out, which Zelda picked up, and the corpse started to rise.
Boomstick: That’s right, Ganondorf is back! And, uh, very dehydrated, but hundreds of thousands of years will do that to you, I suppose. Still, the once-Demon King’s rule would not be stopped, and his Gloom attacked Link, draining away his life, emaciating his right arm and infecting, and then shattering the Master Sword! The god damn Master Sword! Raising Hyrule Castle into the air, he’d fall into the Depths below Hyrule as Link and Zelda began to fall along with him. Yet right at the last moment, Zelda vanished into a ball of light and Link would be lifted up by the fallen right arm, carried into the sky. How’s that for a game intro?!
Wiz: Waking up in a cave in the sky, Link found the glowing arm graphed onto his own, done in order to save his life. Information told to him by Rauru, the first King of Hyrule. Although the ancient Zonai sacrificed his life in the fight against Ganondorf, his ghost had lingered all this time in order to assist Link in his journey. Showing him the Great Sky Island, Link would receive the Purah Pad from one of the Zonai Constructs, which functions similarly to the Sheikah Slate, including the ability to teleport Link anywhere across Hyrule, and even bring people along with him. But before he could properly set out to save Zelda, he needed to complete four shrines and gain the power within.
Boomstick: Now, doesn’t that sound mighty familiar… Anyway, Link would first receive the Ultrahand ability, allowing him to telekinetically lift anything and stick it to other things. This allows him to fix broken vehicles and machines, or create his own with ancient Zonai tech. Hoverbikes, turrets, planes with laser cannons, cars with flamethrowers, hovering platforms, a frost emitting sled, the possibilities are pretty much endless as long as Link has access to the proper materials, allowing for a level of versatility and unpredictability that no previous incarnation of the hero has ever had access to. Next up was Fuse.
Popup: Link possesses the schematics for the Fanplane, Hot-Air Balloon, Dirigible, Hovercraft, Bolt Boat, Beam Cycle, Bridge, Instant Scaffold (Tower and Stairs), Rocket Platform and Automated Ally from the Schema Stones, and the Liftoff Glider, Raiding Plane, Fanboat, Fishing Trawler, Headlight Raft, All-Purpose Raft, Monocycle, Three Wheeler, Big Rig, Wagon, Excavator, Assault Cart, Tank, Instant Kitchen, Charged Charger, Beam Turret, Beam Spinner, Whirling Basher, Flamethrower Balloon, Shock Trap, Bomb Bouquet, Triple Cannon, Aerial Cannon, Scatter Trap, Smoke Rocket, Launch Pad, Super Spring, Vertical Escape, Sprinkler System, Rainmaker, Water Freezer and Floodlights from the Yiga Clan Schematics.
Wiz: The ability allows Link to fuse any non-living object with his weapons, shields and arrows. This can lead to a massive increase in the strength of his attacks, but can also lead to some special properties, such as longer reach, extra damage and defence, homing arrows, or elemental damage, just to name a few. Link can also fuse Zonai Devices to his weapons and shield, giving him access to a multitude of weapons, like shields that shoot fire at the target, spears that blast cannonballs whenever swung, or swords with lasers on them. After this was the Ascend ability, which allows Link to phase through any surface above him, and he can stop the process whenever he pleases.
Boomstick: After this was the ability Recall. Granted to him by Zelda herself, Recall allows Link to rewind anything he desires through time. It’s described as drawing out an object’s memory, asking where it was, how it arrived to where it is now, and leading it back to that original moment. Activation of the ability also freezes time for Link, and while he can’t move around until he rewinds something, it gives Link time to breathe and analyse his surroundings while everything else can’t react. So, with all these abilities literally in hand, Link was all set to return to Hyrule and save it once more, but first, a glowing spot called to him, and after placing the Master Sword in it, it disappeared; recalled back through time to Zelda.
Wiz: Because, as it turns out, Zelda had been transported back in time. With the power of the Zonai Secret Stone, her abilities over time were enhanced and she returned back to the time of Hyrule’s founding. Though, as explained by Mineru, the Secret Stones cannot grant you abilities you cannot naturally perform. Still, Zelda would come to experience the events of the past firsthand, learning how to utilise her abilities as Ganondorf made moves against the newly formed kingdom. Back with Link though, his path down to the surface would be cleared by a Light Dragon and he descended to Hyrule, meeting up with Purah at Lookout Landing.
Boomstick: Talk about a glow-up between games, my god! Anyway, she’d fill Link in on what he’d missed since Hyrule Castle rose into the sky during what they called the Upheaval, including new chasms across the land which led to the Depths below Hyrule. That’s right, an entire subterranean map, and along with the sky above, that’s three times as much world to explore. And you’d better believe Link scoured every last inch of it all, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Setting up and activating new towers across Hyrule, Link would receive an upgraded Paraglider, now customisable in Hateno, and set out to each of the four major regions to resolve the phenomena plaguing them.
Popup: The endless blizzard covering the Hebra region was created by Colgera, despite it being locked away within the Stormwind Ark. It dropped the region’s temperature by roughly forty degrees and extended, at minimum, from Rito Village to the Snowfield Stable. The energy required to create such a storm would be equivalent to 43 Kilotons of TNT. This is consistent with Vah Medoh’s laser carving a hole through Hebra Peak; a feat worth 2.267 Megatons of TNT.
Wiz: Returning to explore the world all over again six years later, Link’s first stop was in Hebra, which was covered in a harsh and unending blizzard. On his way to Rito Village, Link would come across the new Lucky Clover Gazette run by Traysi, who he would take on jobs for alongside Penn, seeking out potential sightings of Princess Zelda across the country. In return for checking out all twelve sightings, Link would receive the Froggy Armour, which significantly helps to reduce slipping when climbing during the rain. Continuing on to Rito Village, Link would be reunited with Teba and his son Tulin, working alongside the young Rito warrior to uncover the secret of the storm and end it.
Boomstick: A quest that would lead them to the legendary Stormwind Ark, a flying ship surrounded by a tornado! Now, if that isn’t badass, I don’t know what is. And as they arrived, Tulin would begin to hear the voice of the Sage of Wind from the age of Hyrule’s founding, guiding them to clear the dungeon and defeat the monster inside causing the storm: Colgera. Naturally, they did so, and in return, Tulin was granted a Zonai Secret Stone from his ancient ancestor, taking up his vow to aid Link in his quest. As the new Sage of Wind, Tulin’s Vow to Link was made manifest by a ring on Link’s new hand, allowing Link to be aided by a phantom of Tulin at all times.
Wiz: This spirit version of the Sage is an exact replica of the original, and can do anything that the original Sage can. For Tulin, his ability to create horizontal gusts of wind would also be shared by this copy, allowing Link to use it whenever he wants, with only a ten second cooldown. It also fights alongside Link automatically, and Tulin’s avatar tends to have some extremely accurate aim, able to headshot an enemy multiple times before they can even hit the ground. So, with Hebra saved and the blizzard stopped, it was off to Gerudo for Hyrule’s saviour, trekking through the burning sands and raging sandstorms to meet Riju once more and sort out the issues they were facing.
Boomstick: And they were dealing with zombies! Well, they’re Gibdo, but same difference, y’know? The whole town was overrun and the people were forced into a bunker below the town for safety. Thankfully, Link arrived just in time to let them fight back against the threat, taking the fight directly to the Gibdo Queen in the Lightning Temple. Oh, and he no longer had to sneak in wearing women’s clothes since he had their full and undoubted trust. Clearing through the temple and defeating the boss inside, the sandstorm outside subsided and the Gibdo threat was exterminated. And like with Tulin, Riju became the Sage of Lightning, vowing to aid Link in his quest to kill Ganondorf.
Popup: The spiritual avatars of the Sages that Link summons are incorporeal and cannot be harmed, but they themselves deal physical damage to their targets. They are constantly active unless Link actively seeks to dissipate them, and cannot normally be forcefully dissipated by outside interference. Additionally, Link was able to empower the Vows of the Sages into Solemn Vows, increasing their attack power.
Wiz: She likewise received a Secret Stone, and Link can call upon her spiritual avatar to directly strike foes or objects with lightning, and it has a cooldown of only ten seconds. In Zora’s Domain, they were dealing with sludge that was poisoning the water, and with the help of Sidon, as well as his fiancé, Yona, they made it to the Water Temple in the sky, defeated Mucktorok, the source of the sludge, and ended it, clearing up the waters of Zora’s Domain. Receiving a Secret Stone as well, Sidon’s Vow was pledged to Link, allowing him to summon his avatar as the Sage of Water and create a shield of water around him that will block any attack, as well as shooting water with any attack he pleases. And again, just a ten second cooldown.
Boomstick: And after they returned, King Dorephan passed on the throne to Sidon, crowning him King of the Zora with Yona as his bride. Aww, that’s such a nice moment… But what isn’t nice was the state that the Gorons were in. Yunobo had been put under mind control from one of Ganondorf’s Puppet Zeldas, and the town were inflicted with it too after eating the Marbled Rock Roast. Freeing Yunobo, he and Link set out for the ancient Fire Temple in the Depths, defeating the Marbled Gohma and restoring Goron City to how it previously was. And, y’know, same deal. Secret Stone, Fire Sage, ten second cooldown on the new spirit ability.
Wiz: It is rather interesting though! Link can fire the spirit Yunobo in a fiery ball to hit opponents with, and he can also do this on vehicles. Furthermore, it’s very useful for smashing rocks, given the Goron’s supreme strength. But with the regional phenomena dealt with, Link would explore all of Hyrule, the Depths and the Sky, recovering memories left for him by Zelda in the process. He’d see her entire journey in the past, connecting with Rauru and Sonia, Ganondorf’s betrayal, his murder of Queen Sonia and the theft of her Secret Stone. With it, Ganondorf became the Demon King of legend, laying waste to Hyrule in his siege with a demonic army at his beck and call.
Boomstick: And after deleting Queen Sonia’s spine with a single casual strike, the very first thing he did was raise the Blood Moon as a by-product of his power. Keep in mind, Calamity Ganon was created from the hatred leaking out of his sealed, weakened corpse. Even regularly, Ganondorf is way stronger! Strong enough to take on a fully powered Rauru, Zelda, and the other Sages all at the same time with little to no effort. Rauru had to sacrifice his life to seal him away, but we all know it was only temporary. He placed his faith in Link, who Zelda had told him about. They knew he would be strong enough to defeat the Demon King, but with a broken Master Sword, that wouldn’t be easy.
Popup: Ganondorf’s Gloom is a corruptive substance that corrodes the victim’s life force, takes over the mind, destroys the soul and can cause instant death. It is an enhanced version of Calamity Ganon’s Malice and possesses the same properties to an even larger extent. Though Link is vastly more resistant to it than the average Hylian, direct exposure to it from Ganondorf would’ve eventually killed him were it not for the intervention of Rauru, saving his arm, and the Goddess Hylia blessing him with increased vitality. Killing Ganondorf fully removed the corruption.
Wiz: The Great Deku Tree had told them that the Master Sword gains power when exposed to sacred light, and Mineru had explained the process of Draconification, whereby in swallowing a Secret Stone, one is permanently transformed into a sacred, immortal dragon. With no quick way back to the present, Zelda knew what she had to do. Rallying the Sages to their duties and receiving their vow to aid Link, Zelda held the Master Sword close and swallowed the stone, empowering the Master Sword as she made her way back to the present the long way as the Light Dragon. And after hundreds of thousands of years, the Master Sword was fully restored and stronger than ever. But Zelda herself was not yet saved.
Boomstick: After freeing the Great Deku Tree and Korok Forest from Phantom Ganon, Link was able to track down the Light Dragon and once more retrieve the Master Sword. Still, there was much to be done across the continent. Link would become a beloved professor at the Hateno School, free Hyrule from its pirate problem, help Hudson and his daughter in Tarrey Town prepare for her stay with the Gerudo, and rebuild Lurelin Village bigger and better than before. He’d come to blows with Master Kogha, who’d spent these past six years conquering the Depths, defeating the Yiga Clan Master once and for all, and even infiltrated, and became a fully-fledged member of the Yiga Clan with his own set of Yiga Armour!
Wiz: Let me reiterate, he successfully tricked the world’s greatest clan of assassins into accepting their greatest enemy into their ranks, becoming a genuine member and one of their strongest warriors in the process. He even earned their coveted Lightning Helm, a perfect replica of Riju’s Thunder Helm which makes the wearer immune to lightning and electricity, and the secret Earthwake technique. By punching the ground, Link can create spikes of stone burst up and smash the target, so even if he’s disarmed, he’s never out of options. He earned both of these by proving himself in the Yiga’s trials, besting several of their greatest members in a short timeframe.
Boomstick: They must be so proud! And in his exploration of the Depths, Link would clear through all underground colosseums, meet the seven Bargainer Statues, visit all of the underground mines and Great Skeletons and defeat every type of enemy they had to offer, like the new Froxes. He did the same in the Sky, checking off all islands, clearing all tests of courage for the sets of Glide Armour, defeating every Gleeok and Flux Construct, and leaving no stone unturned. On the surface, he once more awoke the four Great Fairies, become the star member of Hyrule’s Monster Extermination Squad, rode every dragon and completed the 152 shrines left for him, receiving the Ancient Hero’s Aspect.
Popup: Link is immune to electricity, fire, heat, ice, freezing and extreme temperatures with equipment, and cannot be confused by Muddle Buds, which manipulate the mind of those struck. Link is further resistant to several forms of corruption with the Master Sword and survived Ganondorf’s Malice and Gloom, which corrupt the target down to the mind and soul. He is also far more resistant to having his power and energy drained, and he himself was unaffected by Ganondorf’s power, which suppressed and nullified that of the Sages.
Wiz: Yet there was still one more ability Link had in store. With Ultrahand, he could create basically anything he wanted, from cars to planes, to packs to lasers that home in and kill you, rockets, inescapable prisons, giant mechs; the list goes on. With the Autobuild ability, Link can instantly create any of these builds with Zonaite. Though some drain away power from his Energy Cell, Link has fully upgraded it and can restore it to full any time he wants. He’s got devices like fans, wings, carts, bombs, rockets, flame, frost and shock emitters, hydrants, wheels, batteries, cannons, lights, and more. But if Link wants to build quickly, he also has the option to use any of the various schematics he’s acquired across his journey.
Boomstick: Allies in tow, Link stormed Hyrule Castle once more, following Ganondorf’s Phantom Ganon in the form of Zelda all the way to the throne room, where he and the rest of the Sages would face down against a horde of them, being greeted by a spectral form of Ganondorf himself. Though they were able to defeat the Phantom Ganons, they still needed the Sage of Spirit, and so more exploration was required. Deciphering the ancient texts found in the new Ring Ruins of Kakariko, Link made his way into the Faron region, covered in a massive thunderstorm. Working with the Zonai Research Team to clear the storm from below, they revealed the Thunderhead Isle above in the sky.
Wiz: After traversing the sky island, Link would journey to the Depths to find the Spirit Temple, constructing a body made of Zonaite for the Sage to inhabit. Turns out, that spirit was Mineru, who had put her spirit into Zelda’s Purah Pad to avoid death after the battle against Ganondorf. Now in a new and improved body, together they would defeat the Seized Construct and Mineru would vow herself as the Sage of Spirit to Link, giving him the ability to summon, ride on, and fight alongside her at any time. With his massive stockpile of weapons, items, armours, and with the Sages by his side, Link’s final preparations were ready and he dove into the Depths below Hyrule Castle.
Boomstick: Delving ever deeper, not only did he have to navigate the treacherous Hyrule Castle Depths, but the hordes of Ganondorf’s monsters that inhabited it. He’d face wave after wave of the Demon King’s Army, and each fell before him. Even the Phantom Ganons were no challenge, but in the Gloom’s Origin, Ganondorf lay waiting for him. After all these millennia, he was finally able to return to his regular body, re-hydrated and all. Waiting for the worthy challenge that Rauru had promised him so long ago, Ganondorf means business, and he sure as hell brings the A-game. Even just in his base form, he’s the only character to ever be able to react to Link’s Flurry Rush!
Popup: Link’s Flurry Rush is able to bypass defences such as shields and invincibility, and as of Tears of the Kingdom, Royal Weapons deal enhanced damage during it. Though characters in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity can also utilise the Flurry Rush, no other enemies aside from Ganondorf have been able to directly react to it in combat. Additionally, while Ganondorf was able to resist and move in Zelda’s Recall time stop, he was unable to do so during Link’s, suggesting that Link’s is more powerful.
Wiz: Which is especially impressive given the speed at which Link moves during it. His perception of time slows to the point where lightning is completely frozen, and he moves far faster than it. Able to backflip, race forward, and strike seven times before lightning can move, Link would be physically moving and reacting at over 388.7 times faster than light! And it’s consistent with Zelda’s usage of the Flurry Rush in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, moving over 38.43 times light speed. Not only is Ganondorf the only one fast enough to be able to react to the Flurry Rush, but he’s capable of the exact same, and Link can likewise react to it.
Boomstick: Pretty insane for a guy that bulky. I mean, he’ll shit-talk you, permanently take away your hearts, shift weapons on the fly and he’s got the same skills you do! If that isn’t final boss material, I don’t know what is. Oh wait, actually, I do! IT’S CALLED PHASE 2, BABY! Taking on the form of the Demon King once again, his health bar doubles and goes all the way to the end of the screen AND IT’S SO GOD DAMN COOL! And summoning Phantom Ganons, not even the Sages can stand up to him, so it’s just he and Link in a duel to the death. Yet even with the power of the Secret Stone, Link’s might and the power of the Master Sword is insurmountable.
Wiz: Facing defeat at Link’s hands, Ganondorf had finally found the proper challenge he had been searching for, but with the very real threat of death at a mortal’s hands, Ganondorf knew what he must sacrifice in order to plunge the world into eternal night. His body, mind, and very sense of self. Tearing the Secret Stone off and swallowing it down, the Demon King would transform into the immortal Demon Dragon, carrying Link up into the sky in his fangs as his eternal rule was to begin. But at the last moment, the Light Dragon came to join the fray, freeing Link and fighting by his side against the monster Ganondorf had become.
Boomstick: HELL YEAH, DRAGON FIGHT! But even creating the Blood Moon to bolster his power and even bringing it super close to the Earth wasn’t enough for the Demon Dragon to overcome Link and the Light Dragon, Zelda. After a long-fought battle in the skies, Link was able to plunge the Master Sword into the Demon Dragon, fatally wounding the once-Demon King. With a final explosion, it was finally all over. The Demon King Ganondorf was dead, ending his plague of corruption over Hyrule forevermore. But after those final moments, Link’s hand began to glow and he found himself in a strange realm with the Light Dragon.
Popup: The Demon Dragon bringing the Blood Moon close to Earth would require an energy worth 809 Yottatons of TNT, and was said to be able to “shake the sky”. In order to cause enough seismic energy for the Earth to shake without destroying it would equate to 20.83 Zettatons of TNT. Additionally, the Demon Dragon’s death caused massive quakes and dispersed all the clouds around. All of these feats are consistent with what beings formed from a fraction of Ganondorf’s power can do.
Wiz: With the power of Zelda’s gift, Link began to try and Recall his love back to the way she was. On his own, he didn’t have the power, but with the assistance of the spirits of Rauru and Sonia, they were able to reverse her Draconification and turn her back to a human. Finally, after so long, Hyrule’s Princess was herself once more. With Ganondorf dead, Link’s arm was no longer corrupted and returned to normal, with Rauru’s own fading away. With their missions complete, Link, Zelda and all of Hyrule now safe with Ganondorf’s demise, Rauru and Sonia’s spirits faded away, finally content and able to pass on in peace.
Boomstick: Catching Zelda as the two fell from the sky, they landed safely in the water below. Coming to as she was carried from the water, Zelda was finally, finally, FINALLY, reunited with Link. Like waking up from a dream with her hero and loved ones’ warm embrace, she was finally home… Back with the love of her life after millennia apart, and with nothing left to threaten their kingdom. A journey that gave both newfound family and the horrible tragedy of loss, but now it’s all over. And I thought the first game’s ending was beautiful, but just… man, it’s so amazing I hardly have any words. I know you’re tearing up over it too, Wiz!
Wiz: Not important! But with Hyrule saved, Mineru’s goal was now complete as well, and she prepared to pass on, having seen the wonderful princess Zelda had become, surrounded by friends and loved ones all dedicated to ensuring everlasting peace throughout Hyrule. Link and the Sages made a vow to Zelda there and then to forever support and stand with her, allowing Mineru her final moments before she faded away, ever so proud of them all.
Boomstick: And now, it’s just a matter of making sure that peace lasts. With a bright future ahead of them all, Link couldn’t be happier. He’s got his friends by his side, Zelda safe and sound, and the kingdom free from threat for the first time in forever. He played his part in her legend to the utmost, and like the heroes before him, is able to finally find peace of his own.
Wiz: Through a life marked by pain, turmoil and strife, Link was able to emerge from it all the saviour the world needed, and the hero of the Era of the Wild. He made his own path through life, prevented Ganondorf’s reign, mended the sins of the past, and ensured lasting peace for his and Zelda’s Hyrule forevermore. Though memories may have once faded, courage need not be remembered. For it is never forgotten.
Link: I finished visiting all thirteen of the locations in the old pictures. I remembered everything I’ve been through together with Princess Zelda. In those memories of mine, Princess Zelda always strived to complete the task burdened onto her… Even if it’s just a moment sooner, I want to save her as quickly as possible. I want to see her smile again, with these eyes of my own.
Intermission / Pre-Fight Poll[]
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set, and we've run the data through all possibilities. Feel free to vote for who you believe will win in the poll provided: https://strawpoll.com/e7ZJGVK3Gy3
Boomstick: But now! IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!!
Battle[]
(Cue: "Riding (Night)")
The tall grass of the Popla Foothills blow serenely in the wind. Morning dew drips from scattered green-blades, as a lone mountain-dwelling stag laps up the moisture, ears twitching, tail quivering. Though, not completely alone, as from behind emerges a hunter...A spear-wielding Bokoblin, eyeing the buck, mentally imagining how long the delectable venison would last them. The hungry creature inches closer...
Click...click...
Each quiet, rhythmic step as if to the tune of some imaginary background melody.
Click...click...click...click...
Click...Clop! Clop! Click, Clop! Clop!
The Bokoblin pauses — the buck does the same — both alerted by some distant sound, growing closer, and closer. Until—
WHAM!
(Cue: "Riding (Day)")
A regal, white horse gallops full-speed into the Bokoblin, dragging the unfortunate creature along the ground by its loincloth, shrieking and squealing. The buck is sent into a confused panic, sprinting to and fro, unable to grasp what in the world is currently going on!
Atop the steed sits a lone Hylian warrior, eyes set firmly westward, completely unaware of his unexpected "stowaway." Eventually, the Bokoblin manages to rip itself free from the beast's hoof, now covered in mud, grass, and tiny rocks. "Rr...reeep..."
...Before shaking itself clean and refocusing itself on the now-fleeing horseback-Hylian, lip quivering in rage.
"Sk-SkrreeeeEEEPP!! SGRAAAWWWUUUKKHH!!!" It kneels down and picks up a rock, reeling back to throw it full force!
"RRAAAUUGHHH!!" The startled buck roars, trampling the Bokoblin and throwing it to the ground with its antlers before running off into the distance, leaving the battered and bruised Bokoblin face-down in the dirt.
"...ree...ep..."
Hooves gallop elegantly and skillfully along the uneven grounds of the Popla Foothills; golden mane billowing in the wind. Its rider takes one final glance at a mysterious slate-like device, confirming that he and his stallion were headed in the correct direction. Nodding to himself, he reattaches the so-called "Purah Pad" to his belt, taking hold of the reins once more. For the briefest of moments, the up-and-down bobbing of his horse push his darkened hood from over his eyes — those eyes of the bearer of the Triforce of Courage!
(Cue: "Main Theme - Tears of the Kingdom")
The Hero of Hyrule...Link!
Scaling a small hill, their destination is at last in-sight! With one final spur, the Hero of the Wilds makes his way to the Skyview Tower.
. . .
"Whoaaa..." Link mutters in a bid to ease his horse to a halt. The hero stops to take in his surroundings; with all the vastly different places in Hyrule he's seen lately, a relatively normal, wide-open field of green felt almost halcyon — as though everything he could see was his home.
...
A home at the brink of ruin. His smile fades as he refocuses himself to his purpose in this place. Facing opposite the rising sun, across Deya Lake, lay the source of many rumors from townsfolk and travelers that have reached his ear. Of Yiga remnants encamped deep within the Depths. If his intuition wasn't wrong, the Hills of Baumer Chasm would provide a straight-shot to their headquarters. An ambush no doubt, but many would say courage and foolishness come hand-in-hand after all. Link chuckles to himself, stroking the mane of his horse. They'd relax at the tower for a while and sortie when he'd manage to come up with a plan.
...—op...clop...clop! Clop! Clop!
"Wh-Whoa, whoa! Hey, watch out! WATCH OUT!!"
(Cue: "Strong Enemy")
Snapping back to reality, Link has no time to react before he's suddenly struck full-force by a large, armored silhouette! Another horse collides into his own, sending the rider flying into him, with both falling rather unceremoniously to the ground below.
The stranger's horse whinnies and snorts, barely able to keep itself on its feet, glaring down at its fallen rider as if silently judging him for not paying enough attention.
"...Urgghh...Nnggoowww..." The white-armored stranger picks himself up and rubs his head. "What just...happened?"
Link meanwhile was wondering the exact same thing, his ears still ringing from how forcefully his head collided into the solid earth. What HAD just happened? He heard shouting, his swords and weapons are now strewn across the ground...He lifts his head. And there was his assailant. Were they one of the Yiga? Had he already fallen into their trap? Bracing himself, he takes hold of the closest weapon, a Royal Broadsword and brandishes it toward his foe.
"...H-Huh?" The stranger mutters, finally coming to. Seeing Link readying his weapon, he responds by unsheathing his own Silver Sword to defend himself!
FIGHT![]
"... ...Wait a second..." The white-clad knight mutters, lowering his weapon. Confused, Link does the same.
“Y…You’re…!” The stranger’s panicked expression morphs into sheer, unadulterated awe. “By the gods, you’re the Hero of Hyrule, aren’t you?!”
(Cue: “Foolish Soldiers” - Remix by Dragston Dev)
“...?” Link’s expression furrows with concern and mild embarrassment.
“Oh, oh man!” The boy struggles to think of what to say. “I’ve heard all about you! All the good you’ve done – all the heroics! The courageous hero of time, or…sky, or twilight! Or…or…hell, all of ‘em, right?” Nervously sheathing his sword, the knight crouches and begins picking up all of the fallen weapons. “A great, immortal evil, unbound by time or space…And I’ve heard so many tales of how a young hero slays the mightiest of his minions time and time again, neither an expression on his face, nor a word on his lips. …Oh! And this…!”
“...Hnnggh…Hahh…” Link mutters, trying to say something, clearly uncomfortable at this whole situation; not helped at all by this stranger picking up and examining the Master Sword...or...at the very least attempting to.
“This is...Nrgh, the Blade of Evil’s Bane!" No matter how hard he pulls, the boy is unable to remove the sword from its idle position on the ground. "Urgh, it's a lot heavier than it looks...Naga be blessed, I never thought I'd live to see it, much less touch...it!"
Link steps forward, nonchalantly picking up the sword this stranger had so much trouble lifting, brushing off bits of grass and clumps of mud from its scabbard.
“Oh...Well, you make it look so easy..." He pauses, attempting to rein in his excitement. "You’re a legend, Sir Hero of Hyrule; on-par with even Lord Seliph, and the Crusaders of old! I’ve heard so many stories of you growing up, and they inspired me to be just like you!” He pauses for a moment. “...I also heard that you died about one-hundred years ago, but…I mean, look at you! You look like you’re still my age!”
Link turns his gaze from his dirtied blade to his adoring fan, deep in contemplation. It was an unusual situation to say the least, but…this young knight didn’t seem to hold any sort of genuine malice, unlike all the disguised Yiga assassins he had fought in the past. Link takes a deep breath. “...Hh…Nhh… …HYAAHHH!!” Before shouting right in the stranger’s face.
The boy is stunned silent. “...I…um…What?”
“...Hy…Hyaaah!” Link repeats, quieter this time, somewhat embarrassed once more. Sighing, he simply points to his own face.
“…”
The knight narrows his gaze, slowly and silently mouthing what Link had said, trying to understand what on earth that and his gesture could have possibly meant. “...Hyah…Hyaaah? …Oh…Oh!” He snaps back to reality, having finally understood. “Link! You’re saying your name is ‘Link!’ Right?”
Link nods with a warm, reassuring smile. To be honest, that shout was little more than the first thing that came to mind. He COULD have simply told him his own name, but...somehow he managed to understand anyway?
“Got it! Sorry, it’s your accent. I’m not used to hearing it; I couldn't understand what you were saying at first.” The boy replies with a grin. “Link…Link…Shoot, I’ve just been calling you the ‘Hero of Hyrule,’ I didn’t even ask your name. And I hit you with my horse, and–Argh! I’m so sorry, Hero of–of–Link!”
"..." Silently, Link interrupts his musings with another hand-gesture, this time motioning to the stranger.
“Huh? Oh! My name…I am Prince Leif Faris Claus of Leonster…Err, Leif. My name is Leif.” Leif pauses. “Actually, I must admit I am a little curious. Why are you out here anyway? From what I heard in my travels you already slew the scourge that threatened to destroy this land.” Leif frowns. “And yet, you look geared for war, and…a-and, Gods, what happened to your arm?!” His eyes widened in shock, focusing on the ancient prosthetic limb on Link’s shoulder.
Choosing to ignore the latter question, Link merely shrugs and stares off into the horizon. Leif follows his gaze.
“...It’s not over…Is that what you mean to say?” Leif turns back to his idol with a grim expression. “And that you were sworn to protect the Princess of this land, I assume she remains in peril as well?”
Link nods, somewhat surprised that he managed to understand all that from mere body-language. Though perhaps he could ask many of the same questions. Link tilts his head toward a few of the other swords littering the ground; particularly Leif’s Flame-Sword, scorching the ground beneath its blade.
“...Guh!” Noticing it at the same time, Leif begins retrieving his remaining fallen weapons. “S-Sorry! You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here anyway. I suppose it was a little rude of me to ask your intentions before stating my own. I…came here without letting any of my friends back in Jugdral know, especially August. Because I had heard all about a great Calamity tormenting this land.” Finding an unfamiliar, serrated…thing, he hands it back to Link. “I-I…I wanted my own legend I suppose. The Crusaders slew the Dark God, Lord Seliph promises to bring peace to our land, but me? I avenged my father, but even still it feels hollow. Like I can never truly live up to the examples set by my father, or Njörun the Crusader. Leif closes his eyes, sheathing the last of his scattered weapons. “I seek purpose. I…heard you were dead, so I guess I wanted to inherit your cause and liberate Hyrule.”
As Leif tells his story, Link frowns. He had always told himself he had to be a hero, but deep down he knew the choice wasn’t his to make. Part of him wanted to dissuade the knight, lest he become yet another victim to Ganon’s terror, and yet…in some odd way it brought him some comfort. As though he could see himself in this ambitious young warrior-prince.
“But…but…!” Leif grits his teeth. “...Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset or disappointed or anything like that.”
(Cue: “Recruitment” - Remix by Dragston Dev)
“The Calamity is gone, but…Hyrule is still in danger, yes? So…let me come with you – together we ride!”
Link turns his gaze away, uncertain of how to reply to Leif's offer. An ally? After all the others he's failed to protect? Daruk, Mipha...Zelda?
"...It's your burden to bear — you don't want to endanger anyone else. That's what you're thinking, right Hero?" Leif replies, snapping Link back to reality. "Don't worry, I understand and I won't stop you. Hell, just standing by and watching your legend unfold before my eyes? That doesn't sound half-bad." Leif smiles. "Instead, well...I have another offer for you. I've become stronger since I began my journey, but I must push myself to the very limits of my mind and body if I'm to be a true hero. So..." The knight rests his grip on the handle of his sword. "I want to test myself...test each other! Let us spar, Great Hero!"
Link pauses, taking deep breaths as he considers this challenge. After a moment, he turns his back on Leif and approaches his horse.
"...Ahh...Well, it was worth a shot at le—"
Link snaps around, looking Leif in the eyes with a determined glare. He takes a small, wrapped meat and rice bowl from his saddle-bag and downs the whole thing in one go. His bruises and scrapes from the prior collision healed, he takes a bite out of the stone bowl's rim, packs the rest away for later, and unsheathes his Royal Broadsword once more!
"...Heh...Hehehehehahahahahahah!" Leif laughs uproariously. "I suppose I'll take that as a 'yes' then! Very well!" In response to Link's unusual method of response, Leif takes an S-Drink from his own satchel and bites off the cork. "I'll fight with everything I have, I expect you to do the same..."
Downing the enigmatic elixir, the warriors motion to their horses to back away, lest they be caught in the crossfire of this friendly duel. Leif tosses the empty bottle aside and readies his Silver Sword.
(Cue: "From Enemy to Friend" - Remix by Dragston Dev)
"EN GARDE!!"
FIGHT![]
Link charges first, followed quickly by his opponent; blades of pure silver ringing out across the windswept hills. Each consecutive blow expertly deflected and parried by the Hero of the Wild.
Leif leans forward, putting his weight into a powerful downward swing, which Link catches with the hilt of his sword. Link takes notice as sparks fly from the grinding blades and Leif’s stance shifts. Was he trying to overpower him? Let him then. Link sidesteps his opponent, letting the warrior-prince stumble forward, before swinging around and smacking Leif in the face with the flat of his blade.
“Waugh!” Leif yells, tumbling to the ground. Link stares down at him with disappointment, wondering if this duel really was about to end so unceremoniously. “I’m not…” Leif catches himself, kicking off from the ground and back into the fray, striking the base of Link’s Broadsword and catching him off-guard. “DONE yet!”
Getting a better grasp on his opponent’s fighting-style, Leif more easily predicts his opponent’s parrying habit, faking swings on one side, only to commit to a swipe on the other. Link is still able to evade a majority of his strikes but has undeniably been forced into a defensive stance.
Link catches his opponent’s blade, only for him to unexpectedly drop his Silver Sword, drawing the Brave Sword in its place. In an instant the number of incoming blows Link is forced to defend against grows in ferocity and frequency!
“Hnn–ngh!” Link leaps from the ground with one leg to evade a final horizontal slash, using his other to kick off from Leif’s blade in a backflip. Drawing his bow, Link fires a barrage of arrows down at the swordsman, who skillfully deflects each one, before slicing the final arrow clean in half with an upswing.
Both fighters pant, taking a short respite to catch their breath.
“Hahh…ahhh…So!” Leif starts. “How was that? …I’ve…learned to better analyze my opponents…you’re skilled, Hero. …Just as I…always heard you were! …Whew.” The warrior-prince pulls himself up to his feet, looking Link in the eyes. “It’s not just swordplay I’ve been trained in, you know…Whaddya say, Link? I’m done warming up – what say you we take this spar up a notch?”
Link stands straight – holstering his bow and readying his blade. His neutral expression remains unfazed, yet he was at the very least curious as to what the heir of Njörun had planned. He nods, reassuming a battleready stance.
“Heh…fine by me.” Leif says, fiddling with his armor. “To become stronger…to free my homeland…To ensure no sacrifices will ever be made for my sake, ever again! I will learn all that I can – I will do all that I must!” Leif’s smile transitions to a look of pure determination. “I wouldn’t say the title of ‘Master Knight’ quite fits me yet; but even so!”
The prince holds his cape over his face in dramatic fashion. “Ready yourself, Champion Link!”
(Cue: “Unshaken Royal Confidence”)
Leif tosses off his princely cape and armor, revealing another beneath – similar and simple in aesthetic, yet overall giving off more of an ornate, battle-worn appearance. A varied array of weapons lay sheathed at his back and belt from spears and axes, to a few small booklets – he appeared more as a walking armory than your typical rookie-knight.
The so-called ‘Master Knight’ once more readies his blades and plants his feet. “You face the son of the Crusaders!”
Leif charges back into the fray, bringing his Silver Sword down upon the Hylian hero, who brings his sword up just in time to block it. Leif strikes again, quicker with each successive blow, with his opponent finally being forced to put in some genuine effort into deflecting each blow, slowly stepping backward to create some distance between the two. But just as he lifts his hand to deflect another blow, Leif misses entirely before throwing the sword up into the air. Link’s eyes follow it with surprise, only to be blinded by the increasingly-harsh sunlight reflecting from its blade.
Link turns his gaze away just barely too late to witness Leif swinging an oversized hammer into his chest. “Ggh!” Link is sent rolling to the ground, digging his nails into the soil below to slow himself. Reacting on instinct, he raises his Royal Broadsword, anticipating a follow-up attack – but it is almost instantaneously snapped in two beneath the crushing downward swing of Leif’s Killer Axe.
“Hah! Predictable!” Leif taunts, spinning around with both hands gripped around the axe’s handle, using its weight rather than his own strength to swing it back for a second attack, with Link barely ducking out of the way. Coming to a kneel, Leif rips the Sheikah Slate from his belt, tapping away at the screen, rolling out of the way of another downward swing which sends dust and clumps of dew-sodden soil into the air. Dragging his finger across the artifact’s screen, a replacement Thunderblade manifests in the palm of his hand.
Leif meanwhile is too focused on his own offense to realize what’s going on, instead leaning forward and putting the weight of his body into one last swing of the colossal weapon, right into Link’s electrified sword. The Killer Axe works as a conductor, shocking its wielder. “GZZZZZTTT GZZZAAAHHHCK!!”
Leif drops the battle axe with a thud as Link kicks off from the ground; hopping backward before tossing the Thunderblade like a javelin toward his opponent. Leif, still twitching and convulsing, takes an unstable grasp of his own lightning-imbued Levin Sword and slashes at the air, sending a blade of concentrated Elthunder shooting into the oncoming projectile. Realizing that did very little to actually halt it, Leif flinches as the sword flies past, cleanly slicing off a lock of his hair.
Leif pants, feeling the singed line across his scalp with his fingertips. Not that his opponent would give him such an opportunity to get his bearings, as Leif would have to perform a hasty combat-roll to evade a downward sword-thrust from Link and his Frostblade, turning the impaled soil to a miniature, wintry crater. Pulling his sword from the ice like a Hylian King Arthur, Link presses his advantage, letting out his iconic battle-cry as he finally goes on the offensive!
“HIYAAHHHH!!!”
Leif swings his Levin Sword to counteract Link’s own blows, sending blasts of static electricity bursting forth into the air. Link merely pushes forward, gradually overpowering the less-experienced swordsman. Leif grits his teeth, pushing all of his strength into his weapon – however the ice creeping down the bolt-shaped blade would draw his attention.
“Nggh…NGGYAH!!” Acting without thinking, Leif grabs the hilt of Link’s Frostblade, tearing it away from the Levin Sword, using the opportunity to slash across Link’s armored tunic with his deteriorated sword, shattering his magic-weapon on impact. Both fighters pull back – Link brushes his fingers across his chest, gazing down at the slight red liquid on his fingers. Leif drops the now-useless sword-hilt and grips his stiff, frozen hand.
“Ggh…You have got quite an arsenal, Hero. A master of any weapon you take hold of…and yet…”
Link clenches his hand into a fist. Though it was merely a graze and not any sort of serious wound, it still felt as though he had gotten careless. He turns his gaze to Leif.
“...You’re still holding back, aren’t you?” Leif meets his opponent’s gaze with a glare. “I’ve been giving this duel my all. You’ve felt my strength – I want to experience yours, Link.” Leif takes hold of one of the booklets adorning his belt; reading but not detaching one. He mutters an incantation under his breath and his frozen hand suddenly bursts into flames, melting the ice and enabling movement of his fingers again.
Link hesitates and sighs, tossing the Frostblade aside, still crackling with remaining static. This had been the first fight in so long where he wasn’t fighting some sort of dark monster or long-maddened automaton of the ancients. To give his all could very easily lead to this idealistic yet harmless-seeming prince being hurt…or worse.
Leif produces a simple Heal-staff from his inventory, using it to mend his own wounds. He approaches Link and begins healing his as well.
…But as he had told himself his whole life – Link thought to himself – these burdens were his and his alone. To act with emotion and hesitation could cost him his life, or the lives of those around him. Conviction, duty, determination, faith…
Link closes his eyes and takes hold of his sword. Holy light pours out from the scabbard at his touch. Leif stumbles back in awe, his unbroken gaze focused upon this weapon.
(Cue: “Bipolar Nightmare” - From NieR Automata)
Courage…
To fight in a manner befitting his kingdom, his liege, and his role as hero…it is these ideals he must always hold close! No matter what, no matter when, he can never afford to lose!
Link finally draws the Master Sword!
“...Yes…Yes, that’s the spirit!” Leif hypes himself up, reaching behind his shoulders and producing two spears, the Killer Lance in his left, and the Meisterlanze in his right. “I cannot fail; I will win this contest and prove myself!!” The Prince of Leonster twirls the spears between his hands, grinds them together and holds them aloft at his side in a battle-ready, dual-wielding stance. “Hoist the flag! Rally the world to your cause, and give this your ALL!”
Leif charges forward, followed swiftly by the Master Sword’s chosen.
Both lances shoot forward in a series of rapid-thrusts, to which Link is easily able to sidestep and evade each one, leaping into the air to deliver a downward swing! Leif however manages to react just in time, crossing his spears to catch his opponent’s blade. Expecting this, Link immediately uses his opponent’s stance and the power behind his own attack to throw himself further into the air and draw his bow!
Time seems to freeze for the hero as he trains his gaze on his opponent – still lagging behind his movements. Link’s prosthetic Zonai arm glows a bright blue as he reaches into his satchel and knocks an arrow. In an instant, the arrow disappears and rematerializes with a Korok Frond fused to its head. Link lets loose, enveloping the warrior-prince in a powerful gust of air!
“Rnnghh!!” Leif thrusts his Killer Lance into the soil at his feet to keep from blowing away. Twirling and reorienting the Meisterlanze, Leif throws it like a javelin, impaling Link’s bow and sending both flying into the distance. Undeterred however, Link unsheathes and fires a beam of light from the tip of the Master Sword, striking Leif head-on and sending him tumbling to the ground once more. Catching himself, Link runs toward his fallen foe, ready for the coup de grâce to end this duel!
“Urgh, not YET!” Leif shouts, taking a small silvery Rescue staff from his arsenal and raising it into the air, summoning the Meisterlanze back to his side, thrusting both it and the Killer Lance toward his oncoming opponent.
Reacting quicker however, Link raises his Hylian Shield, blocking both strikes. Confidence gives way to confusion as two more spearheads join their brothers in their struggle against the legendary shield.
Leif chuckles, pulling himself to his feet, now wielding two lances in each hand; the Meisterlanze and Killer Lance in his right, with the Brave and Silver Lances in his left. The bladed edges of his four weapons glow with a dark-gold aura. “By crusader’s might! CHARGE!”
Though Link is able to dodge or parry the first few strikes from his opponent, the sheer storm of attacks quickly begin to wear through his stamina, causing his movements to become more sluggish and sloppy. Cuts and abrasions form across Link’s exposed skin, as he steels himself, just looking for any sort of opening he can use to his advantage.
Fortunately for Link however, this rapid barrage of strikes was not to last, as Leif suddenly leaps into the air, holding the Meisterlanze aloft, shouting as its head is bathed in a deep-blue light. “LUNA!!”
Link gasps, recognizing the opportunity, backflipping out of the way, just as Leif’s spear pierces and shatters the stony-ground below. Time slows to a crawl. Leif’s eyes track his opponent, opened wide in surprise – his body not nearly fast enough to reposition himself to a defensive stance.
“HYYAAAAHHHHH!!!” Link shouts, kicking off from the ground and unleashing his own rapid-fire Flurry Rush, each strike landing true upon his foe; ending this string of attacks with a leaping swing, sending Leif tumbling once more to the ground below, sending most of his lances flying in all directions aside from the Meisterlanze he held onto for dear-life.
“Augh! Hahh, hahhh…” Leif pants in a daze. But he couldn’t afford to let up now, gathering what strength he has left and charging and throwing the full weight of his body into a retaliatory thrust!
Vwoop–Clink!
“...?!” Leif is halted on the spot, his spear barely poking through Link’s shield – a strange, bomb-shaped fruit fused to the receiving end. Link looks at him, giving a sly grin and waving. “...Ohhh, shoot…”
BOOM!!
The Bomb-Flower explodes, sending Leif flying upward, high into the air. “Ngh! Not good enough!” Leif shouts as he reorients himself, drawing the Meisterbogen in mid-air, firing a hail of arrows down upon Link.
Link merely raises his shield, catching all incoming arrows and obscuring his view of his opponent, only peering out to watch as Leif unsheathes a sword bathed in holy light.
“Nosferatu!!” Leif shouts as he slashes at the air below him, the aura covering the blade suddenly shooting toward Link, passing right through the shield to hit him head on.
He falls to his knees, inhaling in short, stunted breaths as a portion of his own life-force had been drained from his body, as though he could feel Gloom’s cold-embrace over him once more. His body trembling, Link takes hold of the Sheikah Slate and aims it upward, taking hold of the Lands Sword with Magnesis.
“Ah! Huh?!” Leif barely has time to react before he is dragged down with his sword, slamming into the ground over and over again, each trip up and down increasing in strength and ferocity. The rocky, cliffside battlefield becomes more visibly damaged with each collision.
“Guhh, e-enough!” Leif lets go of the Lands Sword as he is carried into the air once more, drawing his Flame Sword in its place. “ELFIREEEE!!!”
A plume of flame coils around the arcane weapon’s blade, firing downward all at once toward Link. The Hero of the Wild returns the Sheikah Slate to its place at his belt, planting his grip on the Purah Pad, all the while maintaining a firm gaze on the ever-growing inferno. “...Heh.” Waiting until the very last moment, Link suddenly throws his shield in front of him and leaps on top, surfing off the explosion from his opponent’s attack, soaring high up into the air, swiftly reaching eye-level with the Prince of Leonster.
“...Huh?” Leif barely has time to react before Link materializes the Spring-Loaded Hammer within his grasp, using gravity to slam it down full-force on the top of Leif’s head, sending him shooting down to the ground with the velocity of a cannonball! Releasing the hammer, Link takes hold of his paraglider as he descends back to earth – in far gentler fashion than his opponent.
“...Unnghh…I…I can’t feel my body…” Leif mutters to himself, lying prone in his freshly-carved, smoldering crater. “...No wait…Now I can…Owwww…” Unable to gather the strength to pull himself to his feet, Leif merely reaches his hand to a scabbard at his belt; separate from the rest of his arsenal as if it were special to him. He unsheathes the Light Brand and grips its blade in his other hand, allowing its radiance to overwhelm his battered and bruised body. “He’s tough, that’s for sure…” He thought to himself. “I think I might be faster though…but that means nothing if he can predict my moves from skill and intuition alone. Guess I’ll have to take a page out of your book, August.” His wounds healed by the Light Brand, Leif returns the hand-me-down weapon to its holster and rises from the rubble.
“NYAAHHH!!!”
“...!” And not a moment too soon, as Leif is barely able to jump out of the way of a jumping-slash from Link, the shockwave nearly knocking him back off his feet. He reaches back, feeling about and grasping his Berserk Sword and bringing it down on Link, who manages to raise the Master Sword just in time to catch the blow.
Leif ducks in an attempt to swipe at Link from below, only for the latter to backpedal and go for his own retaliatory attack. Leif himself rolls out of the way, digging his hand into the loosened soil and scooping up a palmful of dust, throwing it into Link’s eyes just as he turns around. Link stumbles back, attempting to wipe his face clean.
“Now!” Leif shouts, swinging his sword upward across his dazed opponent, who even in spite of being temporarily blinded, is still able to lean out of the way, sustaining only a slight nick on the cheek.
“Hunngghhh…” Link groans, reaching into his pouch and retrieving a Splash Fruit. A groan that quickly devolves into a low growl – his reddened eyes staring blankly at the fruit in his hand. “Ahhh…Aggghhh…Gggghhh…!” The shallow cut in his skin glows and hums with magic energy; the Berserk Sword’s spell taking hold over his psyche. His grip tightens, crushing the Splash Fruit and drenching both his face and body. His vision cleared, Link looks back up at his opponent who stares back with a tense expression. “Guh…Ngghh!! GRRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” Link slams the Master Sword down on Leif, who parries it just as easily as Link had done moments prior.
(Cue: “Blight Ganon” - Remix by Vetrom)
“Whoa! E-Easy! Easy now! Just hold still and–” Link draws his sword back again, slashing at the Berserk Sword from below, snapping it in two from the hilt, leaving Leif to stare pathetically at his broken weapon. “...Okay…I can do this…!” Leif backpedals and draws his rapier, meeting Link’s next strike with a clash of steel.
Link reels back, striking again and again as Leif grips his blade to support it, eventually slipping past and smacking Link in the face with the flat of his blade, slashing at him as he stumbles backward. Link’s sleeve, tattered and destroyed billows out into the wind, exposing the circuit-like sinew of the Zonai Arm, which lights up in a blinding cyan as Link shoots his arm forward, reaching for Leif’s throat, only for the latter to duck beneath and reemerge behind him.
“Hrgh?! HYAAAAHHHHH!!!” Link spins around, using his remaining momentum to slam his open palm into the ground, sending an Earthwake geyser shooting toward his opponent.
Reacting quickly, Leif leaps backward just as a blade of air shoots out from beneath his feet. He twirls the Rapier in his grip, holding and throwing it like a knife through the Earthwake, piercing Link through the shoulder.
Link grunts in pain – his momentary distraction causing his wind to falter and dissipate. Struggling to pull the blade from his flesh, Link instead snaps off the handle and tosses it to the side. “...!” Before raising the Master Sword in an attempt to block Leif’s next strike; only for the latter to halt and lower his swing, smashing Link in the face with the flat-end of the Silver Blade.
Link stumbles back – the blow leaving no injury but the weight of the claymore-like sword easily throwing him off-balance, leaving him completely vulnerable as Leif swings the sword back around, sending him tumbling to the ground. Link digs his right arm’s claws into the soil, panting and wheezing. Why couldn’t he control himself? What was this unnatural rage tearing at his mind?
Leif sheathes the Silver Blade, retrieving the Killing Edge in its place. “Now!!” He unleashes an Adept-boosted flurry of strikes on his vulnerable opponent, who cannot even muster the strength to raise his weapon, only weakly raising his shield in a vain effort to defend himself. “Get ready, Hero! LUNAAA!!!” Leif’s blade glows with a soft blue light as he swings it upward, cleaving through the shield like a warm knife through butter and slashing Link across the face.
The Hero of Hyrule falls to the ground, a fairy emerging from his satchel and fluttering around him, scattering dust over his weakened body before flying off into the sky. Link coughs, planting his hands and knees into the ground to keep himself from falling over. He grips his sword and attempts to pull himself to his feet.
“...You’re…You’re still not done?” Leif asks incredulously, looking down at Link with concern in his eyes.
Link returns his gaze with a look of stubborn defiance – his legs trembling beneath his own weight as he rises once more. He brandishes the Master Sword in a battle-ready stance.
“...” Leif sighs. “Your determination is admirable. Very well! Let us finish this!” He shouts before leaping back into the fray, swinging his weapon into his opponent’s, nearly knocking him over again. Link swings back, much weaker than before. He grits his teeth, pushing himself forward and mustering all his strength into another attack!
… Snap!
Lightning suddenly surges forth from Link’s blade, coursing through the combatant’s weapons and electrifying Leif! “ACK! GGZZZ–GGYYAAAAHHHHH!!!” Leif pulls back, shooting his gaze just behind Link with a pained look of surprise.
Link – just as dumbstruck – turns around to face the translucent spirit of the Champion Urbosa; her hand stretched out and her fingers crossed into a pointing motion. Ghostly flames orbit and hover around her body. “...It’s so unlike you, Link. To let your guard down – to not even question such thoughts implanted into your mind.” She turns to meet Link’s gaze “Think carefully, Link. You’ve saved Hyrule once, and you must do so again. Even now, even here, you can’t let yourself be defeated.” Her lips curl into a slight, confident smirk. “With my Fury, Link. I place my faith in you. Claim victory worthy of pride…”
With this, the spectral champion fades and vanishes. Link stares blankly for a few seconds before readying himself for battle once again, his mind cleared and focus heightened. He will claim victory, no matter what it takes!
Leif meanwhile is still just as confused as when Urbosa had first appeared. He rubs his sword-hand, his eye still twitching from the shock. “Did…Did you just summon a ghost-lady to strike me with lightning?”
…!
Leif’s eyes widen, and with his Vantage, he is barely able to draw the holy Blade of Bragi to block Link’s oncoming attack. However, Link uses this momentary confusion to reel back and charge a follow-up attack, throwing Leif a short distance away with a spinning slash and sheer force. Leif catches himself on his feet, only to find his sword frozen in his grip, unable to be moved.
Link’s right arm, his final memento of Hyrule's first king, glowed with a sacred, golden light. Raising it towards Leif himself, Link let the memories Zelda had bestowed upon him guide his actions. With the power she had blessed him with at the beginning of his journey, Link felt himself coax the Blade of Bragi back to where it had been not long prior, pushing back against time's flow. The blade falling and embedding itself in loosened soil.
Sparing not a moment’s hesitation, Leif snaps a spell-tome from his belt and throws his hand forward. “THORON!” Electricity courses through his fingertips, before bursting forth all at once in a destructive beam of energy, scorching the land below Link’s feet; which the latter is only barely able to avoid by leaping into the air. Link takes hold of the Sheikah Slate, taps at the screen and thrusts his hand forward with Leif suddenly being frozen in place with Stasis!
Landing on his feet, Link throws a glowing draconic horn to the ground, pressing the Master Sword’s blade against it. The Zonai arm glows a bright blue, fusing with and absorbing the Light Dragon’s horn into itself. His weapon now infused with a vampiric healing magic, Link charges toward the motionless statue of his opponent, swinging wildly, his own wounds mending and sealing themselves before his very eyes. With the stored kinetic energy within Leif nearly reaching its limit, Link jumps into the air, slamming the Master Sword down upon his head just as Stasis’ spell expires, throwing Leif across the ground with the combined force of his attacks.
Though dazed, injured, and confused, the Heir of Leonster clings to life yet. He winces, coughing up dirt and a single Restless Cricket. With his weapons having fallen from their holster from the force and shock, Leif picks himself up from sheer adrenaline; crawling toward his fallen Meisterschwert.
He is too late however…As Link steps forward, plucking the mud-caked sword from its resting place with his arm glowing bright once again, fusing it to his holy weapon in the dragon horn’s stead.
“Oh come on…!” Leif groans, rising to his feet, backing away as fast as he can, barely slipping out of the way of Link’s increasingly erratic attacks, before ducking below a horizontal swipe, snatching one of many fallen weapons and retaliating; sparks flying from the clashing steel of the Master Sword and Kingmaker. Leif stares his opponent in the eyes with a look of pure determination before reeling back and striking again with similarly accelerated speed.
Rhythmic clangs and crashes continuously ring out, increasing in sheer speed and ferocity as Leif taps into the power of Adept and Charge – his sword too fast to even make out – only cuts forming across the face and arms of his foe. Blood flies from shallow wounds on both combatants, tattered clumps of cloth from their armor.
In an attempt to end what appeared to be a losing battle, Link flips backward through the air and shoots his right hand out in front of him, using Ultrahand to latch onto a nearby tree, ripping it clean off from its roots. Landing on his feet, Link throws his hand back as he disconnects the Ultrahand beam, sending the broken, splintered trunk flying into Leif from behind.
Leif reacts quickly however, twirling on the spot and swinging his blade down through the oncoming log, splitting it clean in two. Undeterred, Link merely raises his hand up into the air as it glows a soft violet hue, attempting to use Auto-Build. Leif growls, taking one of few staves still clinging to his back. “I think I’ve had enough of this – Silence!”
Link is not given any opportunity to react. Without warning, the arm of the ancient king is suddenly severed from its own magic, the light fading from its skin as it powers down. Link’s eyes and mouth shoot wide open in surprise, unable to utter a single gasp or “Hiyah?!”
Leif places the Silence staff and a few of his scattered weapons neatly on his back. “I don’t know what’s happened to that arm of yours, but if those tricks you’ve been pulling are because of some sort of magic…” The young rebel smiles, regaining some of his confidence and raising his weapon. “Come on! Just you and me, Hero!!”
Leif charges back into the fray, “Charge” being the operative word as he unleashes yet another storm of slashes and sword-thrusts on his opponent who is now forced solely to rely on his wit and skill to endure. Not that this would prove too difficult however, as with each missed strike on behalf of his opponent, Link is able to retaliate with a Flurry Rush of his own – both fighters striking and slashing too fast for the eye to track.
However, both knew this rapid-fire exchange of blows could not last forever. Leif knew his Kingmaker was among his more fragile weapons.
Likewise, while the Master Sword was unbreakable its own charge couldn’t last forever…and with how much strain Link had been putting on it, he knew it couldn’t last much longer.
Leif’s eyes scan the ground beneath Link’s feet…then to the sky above.
Link becomes lost in thought. His opponent had proven himself a crafty sort, and any ordinary weapon he was certain he’d have some counter for…
An idea emerges within Leif’s mind, interrupted by cracks forming across his weapon’s edge.
Without Fusion, Link thought. He’d just have to get creative…
All he needed was a distraction!
SMASSSSHHHHH!!!
In an instant, both Kingmaker and Master Sword shatter, the latter vanishing in a flash of light and returning itself to its wielder’s scabbard in dormant, unusable condition. Leif instinctively drops his now-useless sword-handle. Link however is just as quick to the draw, reaching into his satchel and throwing a glob of some sticky, yellow substance at the fugitive prince.
“...Huh?” Leif mutters, examining his goo-covered fingers – a sweet taste lingering on his lips. …Honey? A wave of realization washes over him as a faint buzzing sound rapidly approaches from a distant treeline – swarms of Courser Bees converging and homing in on Leif’s location. With a panicked expression, Leif looks to Link, finding the latter shooting a sly, mischievous grin back at him. “...Urgh…Clever…”
Link backs away as the swarm descends upon his opponent, who at first only fruitlessly swings and swipes at the small-bodied insects. Link knew this wouldn’t be enough to leave so much as a scratch on him, but all he really needed was time and a distraction. Whatever this spell Leif had put on him was, it was growing weaker by the second. He needed only to stall it out to regain access to his own magic.
“ELFIRE!!”
Relying on instinct, Link leans back, barely ducking out of the way of a blast of concentrated flame, and the occasional charred bee flying past.
“Enough messing around!” Leif shouts, replacing one spell-tome with another and throwing his hand forward. “BOLGANONE!!” The ground begins to shake and crack apart, Link nearly losing his balance in the upheaval.
(Cue: “Koloktos / Moldarach” - Remix by ToxicxEternity)
Heat rises rapidly from within the glowing crimson fissures. Thinking quickly, Link produces his paraglider, flying upward from the ever-growing updraft, just barely fast enough to escape being caught in a fiery explosion as the entire cliffside transforms into a miniature volcano! The Blade of Bragi – still embedded in the soil – is sent flying over the cliffside from the ensuing blast.
Leif mutters an incantation under his breath, before switching spell-tomes once again. “You’re everything I could have expected, and more!” Leif shouts up to the airborne hero as fireballs shoot out from the palms of his hands; Link dedicating his full attention merely to bobbing and weaving through as the rising ash and debris cover the sky in a thick black shroud. “I knew it wouldn’t just be raw strength, but skill and intuition as well! Which is why…”
Beads of sweat roll down Link’s face. His opponent was planning something, without a doubt. Yet he couldn’t read minds, and had no idea what. Whatever it was though, he wasn’t completely helpless…Shifting his grip on the paraglider, Link wraps his left arm around both handholds, and uses his other to reach within his satchel, retrieving an Ice-Fruit.
Leif balls his outstretched fingers into a fist and grits his teeth. “...Why I’m already a step ahead!! HYAAAAHHHHH!!!” Leif’s cape billows dramatically in the wind as he channels his energy into another spell, obscuring line-of-sight of Link with his own hand.
Link lifts himself up and over the roof of his paraglider, throwing the Ice-Fruit down to the ground below. It makes direct contact with Leif, freezing his entire body solid. After taking a moment to let this sink in, Link breathes a sigh of relief…a sigh cut short by a suddenly sky-rocketing temperature enveloping his entire body. The wind-speed only picks up, nearly breaking Link’s grip. But this didn’t make sense! He was too high up to be in range of that volcano, and none of the fireballs had struck his paraglider. …But if that heat wasn’t coming from below…then…
“...!”
Link’s eyes shoot open and he turns around just in time to watch as the blackened clouds are suddenly and violently parted. Link found himself face-to-face with a massive, flame-cloaked Meteor descending toward him at rapid speeds! What Leif had said suddenly made sense. In a desperate bid to defend himself, Link points to the Meteor with the Zonai Arm…but it was no use; Silence still dampened his magic and he was unable to Recall it away. This would not stop Link from trying again, and again, throwing his arm forward and backward, desperately trying to halt this calamitous projectile’s collision.
But it was no use…
Link is struck head-on, the paraglider incinerating on impact. But even with his body set completely alight, and death from the fall being seemingly inevitable, Link continued to push against the falling meteor in a futile attempt to slow it down.
“...nk…!”
A deep voice rings in the back of Link’s head.
“L…k…! …ink…!”
Though the deafening sounds of smoldering stone and iron, and the smell of burning hair overwhelmed Link’s senses, he could barely make out that familiar voice. Out of his peripheral vision, he could make out the ever-approaching ground below as he is forcibly pulled away from the meteor and held in a protective bear-hug.
… “Link…! I…won’t…let…”
… …
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!![]
Dust and soot fall from the sky like a light snowfall; what was originally a bright, sunny morning sky had darkened to the point that it would be hard to blame anyone for assuming it to be the dead of night. Even still, the songbirds continue their routine, one of which approaching the bright-white frozen statue that was the Prince of Leonster. With a series of semi-curious, mostly absent-minded chirps and warbles, it comes to a perch on Leif’s nose – immediately shattering the thin ice layer keeping him in place, flying away in sheer terror as Leif yelps in pain.
“YAH!!” Leif’s arm slumps rigidly to his chest. “C-Cold, cold! Ohhh, it’s so numb…This isn’t frostbite, is it? …Wh-What happened?” Leif spins around, taking in his surroundings. The tranquil, picturesque site of the Skyview Tower had been ravaged by their battle and was now completely unrecognizable from its former state. Leif racks his brain, trying to remember what had happened before he was frozen…when the reality of the situation sinks in, and he lets out an audible gasp. “Oh no…”
His movements slowed from the cold, Leif whistles, prompting a shrill neigh in return from his horse. His steed trots close, with an expression of pure indignance as it shakes clumps of dirt out of its mane. Not that Leif takes much notice of this, pulling himself up onto the saddle and riding down the hillside, following the trail of destruction left by the meteorite.
Link pants and wheezes, his trembling arms and legs barely able to keep him from falling over completely. Everywhere he looked there was only darkness. Crawling just a few feet forward, Link nearly bumps his face directly into solid stone. Was he…inside of the meteorite? It was clear it was no longer moving, and yet he had survived the collision.
“You okay there, little guy?” Link jolts upright, turning around to face the spirit of the Goron Champion, Daruk staring back at him. “HAH! ‘Course y’are! You’re a real tough Hylian, that’s for sure!” Daruk casually brushes his whiskers whilst taking in his surroundings. He whistles with a big grin on his face. “Y’know, sometimes I wish I were still alive, if not solely for the fact that…Well…how many times in your life do you come face to face with an actual, honest-to-goodness meteor like this?! HAHah!”
Link pulls himself to his feet, though struggling to find room to stand up completely between the cramped tomb he found himself in, and his spectral companion. It was Daruk’s Protection that protected him from the landing, wasn’t it?
“Heh…” Daruk sniffs, turning back to face Link with a look of pride. “Well, Link! That was all I had the power to do for ya. But really! Tryin’ to catch a meteor with your bare hands?! Now you GOTTA win, just so you can let everyone know what a gutsy little champ you are!” Daruk holds his hand out, balled into a fist. “Sounds like you still got a fight to win though. So you do whatcha have to! And give ‘em one from me, Link! I’m ALWAYS rootin’ for ya!!”
Link smiles and nods, bumping his own fist into that of his old friend. The spectral champion fades away with that same, prideful, ear-to-ear grin. Before Link could even move his hand, he was gone…
Left alone to his own thoughts once more, Link racks his brain. While they’ve both their fair share of tricks, his opponent’s swings lacked weight behind them, so Link knew he most certainly had the strength-advantage…Rather than trying to outsmart Leif, perhaps a more specialized approach was the solution! Link takes out the Purah Pad, tapping away at its screen.
The trotting of hooves comes to a stop at the crater’s edge. The rider, Leif, climbs down from the saddle, staring at the destruction with a look of sheer horror. He gently smacks the side of his horse’s leg, signaling it away as he paces around the meteorite’s radius. “Link? …Link?! Where are you?!” Unable to see his hero anywhere, Leif’s eyes scan the rocky foothills around him, looking for anything resembling his friend. “LINK! LIIIIINK?!”
…Thump
A faint noise catches Leif’s attention, drawing his gaze back to the colossal stone in the center of the crater. He didn’t want to think that Link was under it, and yet he could have sworn that noise came from…
Thump…
The noise repeats itself; louder this time. Leif stares silently, mouth slightly agape. The noise repeats, growing in speed and ferocity. The meteorite shakes and stirs, until.
CRASHHHH!!!
The meteorite is suddenly split in two from within – a bright purple flame emanating from the cracks – before exploding in a violent display of power! Leif covers his face to protect from bits and pieces of rock and metal shooting out from the epicenter, opening his eyes the smallest degree to make out Link’s silhouette amongst the destruction. No…it was something different – with eyes glowing the same deep violet as that which enveloped his spiral-shaped blade, and armor unlike any he’d ever seen. This…was the aspect of the Fierce Deity.
(Cue: “Applying Justice - Raydrik”)
“...Oh thank the Gods you’re oka–I mean, WAH!” Leif jumps back, barely avoiding a charging downward swing from the armored warrior; a fissure forming across the ground as if the earth itself was wounded.
Link reels back, swinging the massive blade horizontally, with Leif only barely ducking out of the way as the sword’s tip grinds against his chestplate. In retaliation, Leif takes the Silver Axe from its holster and smashes it across Link’s head before he can lift his weapon again. But the Fierce Deity doesn’t so much as budge, merely shaking splintered chunks of the axe from his face. Leif looks to Link with an expression of absolute terror, until the latter grabs him by the wrist, throws him over his head and slams him to the ground. Link spins around, dragging Leif through the mud before throwing him away.
Leif digs his hand into the loosened soil to keep from losing his balance, turning upward to see Link charging back with the otherworldly claymore raised above his head. Doing the first thing that comes to mind, Leif shoots his hands upward, catching the blade between the palms of his hands…though even with weight and leverage in his favor, Leif could still feel himself being pushed down from Link’s now-overwhelming strength. Link approaches Leif slowly, each step mirroring the frantic beating of his heart in his ears. Link’s cold lifeless eyes stare into Leif’s with a look of determination…to win, regardless of the cost.
With Leif’s fear-frozen hands curled around the looping blade of the Fierce Deity Sword, Link slowly lifts him up into the air. “Oh no…no, no, NO! NONONONO–REWARP–!!” Link’s sword crashes into the ground, splitting apart the earth itself! But retracting his weapon, his opponent was nowhere to be found.
…Thunk-thunk!
Two arrows fly into the back of Link’s head – still with not nearly enough power to overwhelm the Fierce Deity, merely snapping like toothpicks. Link turns, his foreboding expression locked upon his opponent, who had somehow teleported to a small hill a fair distance away.
Leif looks on, completely dumbfounded. “Oh…c-come on!”
Link draws the Savage Lynel Bow and knocks three arrows, fusing each with a lit Bomb-Flower.
Leif sighs, gripping a Rescue Staff. “If you’re stronger…” Leif vanishes in a flash of light as the bomb-arrows completely decimate the hill. Link grits his teeth, turning his head from side-to-side, only to be suddenly enveloped in the same light as his opponent and teleported just below the cloudline. Leif’s hand grips the back of his head. “Then I’ll just have to be craftier!!” He shouts, before Rewarping himself away once again.
Without his paraglider, Link can do nothing to stop his rapid descent toward the ground below. He gently returns his bow to its holster at his back and stretches each limb out in some meager attempt to lessen the impact.
Leif rematerializes atop yet another nearby hill, putting both Rewarp and Rescue away as he watches his hero shoot into the earth like a bullet, sending dirt and debris flying from the impact. Even still, he knew this would not be enough to take him down, especially not with the sheer power he’s finally letting loose. At the very least, it would grant him some breathing room to come up with a plan…
…Not that he’d have much time to think, spotting something odd within the dusty shroud – some kind of green material manifesting in midair and joining in the middle. “Oh, great…” Leif grumbles, retrieving the Silence staff.
For a moment, everything goes silent…Leif is unable to see through the dust; unable to see Zonai devices blazing to life. What he did see was Link shooting out from the cloud atop a strange, mangled mess of rockets, wheels, fans, and lasers, all homing in on his location with Link riding on top! Link waves the Fierce Deity cap in the air, laughing joyously! As he passes by Leif however, he tosses a Puffshroom into his eyes, blinding him with a cloud of spores.
“ACK! Oh, for the love of–” Leif spins around, unable to see through the thick shroud. Finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, the Prince of Leonster takes out his Torch staff, forming a bright ball of flame; its light cutting through the shroud, revealing Link approaching him from the shadows.
No longer wearing the ancient armor of the Fierce Deity, Link instead stands clad head-to-toe in the pride of the Satori spirits – the Mystic Armor. Even knowing he’s been spotted, Link doesn’t so much as change direction; maintaining an unwavering straight march toward his opponent.
Though confused at first, a respite to the raw power of the Fierce Deity puts Leif’s fears at ease. Not even stopping to question why his opponent was as calm as he was, Leif draws the colossal Meisteraxt and charges to meet his foe, slamming the battleaxe down on his shoulder. …Only for a few small gems to shoot out from the impact – Link not so much as budging an inch. Link looks up at him with a cheeky grin. “Oh…huh…” Link raises a cannon-fused shield – charging it directly into Leif’s chest. “Yeah…heh…guess I had that coming…”
Leif throws his hand up just as the cannon fires, disappearing in a flash of light from Rewarp. Annoyed, Link turns around just in time to have a large silver claymore smashed directly into his forehead. Yet still, he remains completely unfazed. Growing increasingly panicked, Leif reels back, swinging his blade again and again – rupees pouring forth with each blow, yet with no progress being made. Link grabs the sword’s edge, looks Leif dead in the eye, and turns his wrist; twisting the metal with ease.
“I…I-I…!” Leif drops his mangled weapon, slowly walking backward with a look of absolute horror etched upon his face. “I…” He vigorously shakes his head, mustering up some shred of courage. “I won’t LOSE!!” Leif swings the Meisteraxt into Link’s neck again-and-again. When this shows no signs of working, he strikes with the Meisterlanze instead. With a sigh, Link begins approaching the mortified Prince. “I won’t…I WON’T–!!” Leif scampers backward, sheathing both weapons and retrieving an armorslaying warhammer in their stead. “NGGAAAHAHHHHH!!!!” Leif slams the Hammer down on Link’s head full-force…but not even the feather-like antennae of the Mystic Armor’s hood appeared to have sustained any damage.
With a smirk, Link shoots one hand forward, grabbing and lifting Leif up by the throat.
At this point, it took all of Leif’s focus merely to keep up this facade of fearlessness…or perhaps it was merely stubborn defiance. Through choked breaths, he struggles to speak. “W…Wa…War…p!” Leif grabs onto the hand holding him aloft, teleporting Link several meters away. He falls to his knees, panting and wheezing. “Hrgh…ggh… …Grrrr…GRRRAAAHHHHH!!!” Overcome by sheer frustration, Leif draws the magical Flame Sword, pointing its blade toward his foe, overwhelming him with a blast of fire!
(Cue: “Defeat is Near” - Remix by Dragston Dev)
Even still, however…the Rogue Lord can barely make out the silhouette of his opponent – obscured by flame, yet growing clearer as he casually walked through the inferno. “H…How…?!” Leif pulls his sword back, prematurely ending his attack. He throws the depleted Flame Sword at Link like a javelin – the latter easily catching it in midair. “What…IS this?!”
Silent as always, Link throws the sword back, its still-scorching blade whizzing past Leif’s face – Link using this opponent to charge in for a flurry of strikes of his own. Though confused and demoralized, Leif still draws an ordinary Iron Sword to redirect and parry his strikes. “No…No, no!” Leif strikes Link in the face with the pommel of his sword, having no effect as expected. For his efforts, Link returns the favor, smashing the flat end of the Fierce Deity’s blade into Leif’s chest, throwing him to the ground.
“...No…no…” Leif’s instincts all cried out to him at once to get up and keep on fighting. But at this point, even the stubborn little lordling couldn’t deny that was getting him nowhere. …And yet, something still felt off – like it wasn’t completely hopeless somehow. Leif turns his gaze upward; even with Link’s eyes lacking the glow of the Fierce Deity, he still bore that wicked blade. But how? Was this all a trick? “...I…I-I…” Leif pulls himself to his feet, the Iron Sword falling to his feet with a sharp clatter. He stares blankly, focusing on Link’s furlike armor. He’d not managed to so much as scratch it…and yet, he knew he saw something bleed from it. Gemstones?
An idea comes to mind. Leif’s brow furrows – this knight, the princess’ chosen hero…he didn’t get to be such through brute force alone; a lesson he himself should have learned all too well by this point.
“...Hero Link…I’ve underestimated you; a mistake I won’t make twice…” Leif unsheathes a new weapon, the dull-looking, single-bladed ‘Thief Sword.’ “Come then! Tarry no longer! I know your weakness!”
To this, Link merely smiles – raising his greatsword and charging to meet his opponent head-on! The blade of the Fierce Deity swings downward, cleaving the ground asunder as Leif jumps to the side, swinging his own blade – though he is still too slow to recover, as Link pulls himself down along with the blade, kneeling and deflecting Leif’s next strike. While he knew his armor would protect him, he still couldn’t make his opponent’s same mistake and underestimate him; whatever “weakness” he’s discovered.
Link stands up, swirling his sword downward to throw his opponent off-balance, using the sheer weight of his weapon to spin around and slash at him. But at this point, Leif knew better than to stand there and take it, instead focusing intently on his foe’s movements, leaping into the air, and perching on the swinging edge. “I GOT you!” Leif shouts, slashing Link across the face with the Thief Sword. Link’s skin reddens along the gash and itches, though it doesn't hurt. He doesn’t even register the significance of this as he swings the Fierce Deity sword like a golf-club, throwing Leif to the ground once more.
Leif rolls over to a sitting position, readying a spell-tome as he does so; muttering an incantation under his breath. He raises his hand, pointing toward Link as he does so – the latter raising his blade and charging, unaware of the danger he was now in.
“TorNADO!!” Leif shouts as magical energy courses through his arm, conjuring a large, golden twister between him and his opponent. His advance slowed to a crawl, Link plunges his blade into the ground, feeling the effects of the spell. Rocks and stones uplifted by the current whiz past, scratching and cutting his face – and it’s only as blood drips down from his eyebrow does he finally realize what had happened. From outside the gale, Leif pulls himself to his feet, flaunting a small brown bag, bursting at the seams with rupees…Link’s rupees. “Looking for these? Heheh…have a nice flight~!”
Growling in defiance, Link holds on tight to his sword with both hands, even as his legs are lifted into the air above him. The sword shifts however, pried free by the powerful gusts of wind and Link is carried helplessly into the spinning tornado – the Fierce Deity sword flying away in the chaos. Desperately trying to reorient himself, Link tries to “swim” through the winds to reach his weapon, only for it to vanish before his eyes.
Leif stands below, holding the Rescue staff, and now, the blade of the Fierce Deity. Not sparing a moment for any further one-liners, Leif draws and aims the Killer Bow, squinting one eye as he peers into the wind.
Link meanwhile, realizing what must be done, tenses his right hand and holds it aloft – the rings of the sages adorning his fingers blazing to life.
“...Now!” Leif shouts, letting loose an arrow into the storm, only for an equally sharp gust of wind to manifest within the fading tornado, freeing Link from its grasp. The Hero of Hyrule catches himself on the ground below and throws his hand to the side, summoning five spectral soldiers to his side! Tulin, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju stand at the ready, weapons drawn to meet their foe! Behind the group the construct-body of Mineru manifests and crashes to the ground – brandishing its claws!
(Cue: “Seized Construct”)
…
“Really?” Leif shrugs. “This again?”
Link holds his hand aloft, before shooting it forward with index finger extended; rallying the sages to charge! Leif brandishes his stolen weapon, charging to meet the horde head-on! He brings the blade down on Riju, who manages to catch it with her twin-scimitars. Feeling a slight gust of wind behind him, Leif ducks to the side as an arrow fired by Tulin flies past, barely missing Leif, and embedding itself in the Sage of Lightning’s shoulder instead. Caught off-guard, Leif is grabbed from behind by Yunobo, pulled into a full-nelson as Sidon charges in with spear at the ready.
Much slower than her spectral kin, Mineru moves as hastily as she can to join the fighting, only for a whistle from her ally to draw her attention. “...Ahhh…” She sighs, returning to where she had been summoned. “Link…”
In lieu of a spoken response, Link merely whistles again at the Sage of Spirit.
“Link, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but I am not a horse. I have no idea what you’re trying to say when you just whistle at me.”
Completely ignoring Mineru’s incensed reaction and merely satisfied his whistling had caught her attention, Link reaches a hand within his satchel, spreading a cluster of Zonai Capsules to the ground. Cannons, flame-emitters, rockets, lasers, et cetera. Mineru eyes these devices with a contemplative expression etched upon the face of her construct. She inhales.
“This however…I do understand.”
With Sidon closing in and being unable to pry himself from the inhumanly strong Goron Sage’s grip, Leif lifts his hand, casting Rescue on Tulin – ripping the Wind-Sage from the air, placing him directly in front of him just as the Whitescale Trident thrusts toward him, stopped dead in its tracks by the unfortunate Rito specter. With a stoic, emotionless expression, Tulin vanishes in a flash of light.
Leif grins hopefully. “So even without physical bodies, weapons still strike true, huh?” He reaches back, unsheathing the magical Sleep Sword. “Good to know.” He mutters to his opponents, slicing the thick trunk-like forearm of Yunobo. The Sage of Fire, just as emotionlessly as his compatriot, relaxes and releases his lock on the Prince, falling backward with a tremendous thud.
Leif’s feet barely make contact with the ground before he is once more forced to evade a downward swipe from the Zora Prince, and yet more as he circles around him. Leif adapts a far more evasive stance, focusing himself merely on dodging attacks as he reorients himself – placing the Fierce Deity sword at his back, readying the Killing Edge in its place. Not that he’d have the opportunity to do anything, as Riju charges and slashes at him from behind.
“AARCK!!” Blood sticks and slides from the ethereal twin-blades of the Sage of Lightning – Riju and Sidon attacking Leif in unison. Barely able to keep himself from panicking and leaving himself open to further attacks, Leif parries Sidon’s lance-thrusts, taking advantage of its innately higher-weight to focus primarily on avoiding Riju’s slashes, rolling beneath her blades to slice at her wrists from below. The scimitars fall from Riju’s grasp, dissipating to energy as she herself backs away. Leif grabs Sidon’s spear at the hilt, seemingly attempting to pry it away from its wielder.
…Only to immediately let go as Sidon pulls back, resulting in the Sage of Water stumbling backward. Taking advantage of the situation, Leif charges and swings his blade upward – its blade awash in golden light akin to the morning sun – carving a deep wound across the apparition’s chest. “SOL!!”
Sidon collapses to the ground, struggling merely to keep his body from disappearing. An issue his triumphant foe was all-too-eager to solve for him; running the serrated edge of his weapon across his throat – ‘killing’ him just like the Sage of Wind before.
Riju meanwhile, watching events unfold, turns her attention to the large sleeping mass that is Yunobo. Unsure how else to awaken him from his slumber, she snaps her fingers, calling lightning down to jolt him awake. “Huh?!” Leif shoots up just as quickly; his attention once more on the other two remaining sages. “Oh, great…you can do that too?”
Reorienting himself, the Sage of Fire curls up into a ball and begins spinning on the spot, building momentum, with Riju gently guiding him.
“...You DO know how this is going to end, right?” Leif asks, with genuine concern in his voice. Not that it fazes the sages at all; being little more than lifeless facsimiles of their flesh-and-blood selves. Riju strikes the spinning Yunobo, causing him to shoot forward like a cannonball toward Leif! …And almost immediately vanish as the latter casts Warp. “Have it your way then.” Leif shrugs.
Yunobo reappears directly behind Riju; the latter slowly and cautiously turning to watch – as if attempting to process what had just happened. She turns back to Leif, who merely waves back with a boyish, ear-to-ear grin.
The Goron ruler explodes in a colossal plume of fire, instantly yet unintentionally destroying his fellow sage. Laying flat on the ground upon suddenly losing all momentum, Yunobo pushes himself up from the ground; glancing from side-to-side – completely unaware of what he had just done. With ash and dust settling around him, he is oblivious as Leif charges toward him, once more with the Fierce Deity sword drawn. “Aaaaand…Sol.”
CHSHSHCKK!!
Yunobo’s head is unceremoniously split in two by the greatsword of his own summoner. As the last of the warrior-sages vanishes into light – Leif lowers the blade – exhaustion finally setting in. “Ugh…Well, that…that was weird…” With the dust from the prior explosion dissipating, Leif is seemingly left completely alone amongst a field of devastation – flatter than the rocky precipice they had begun their fight, but still dotted with sharp rock formations and hills. Though it is this loneliness that makes him realize something. “...Wait a second…weren’t there five of those things?”
…Boommm...boommm…
The growing sounds of something striking heavy against the soil jolts Leif back to reality.
…Boommm! …boommm!
A sound that grows louder – a shadow approaching rapidly from behind – colossal in size, with each step shaking the very ground the Munster rebel sat upon.
BOOMMMM!! BOOMMMM!! …VrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR!!
(Cue: “Seized Construct - Phase 2”)
Leif hesitates to turn around, even just glimpses out of the corner of his eye striking fear into his heart. Only in this instant does he realize why his victory against the sages was so simple. Finally spinning to meet this weapon…he knows – body trembling and quaking – they were little more than a distraction.
The construct with the heart and soul of one once thought to be a god. With cannons, lasers, flamethrowers, and all manner of weaponry attached to its arms; Zonai head-devices glued to its shoulder and legs with additional ornaments all aimed in his direction. The entire contraption’s armored shell is reinforced with the scales of the dragons that fly high above this land. And atop it all, there he stood…The Hero of the Wild, Link – dressed once more in Champion’s Leathers, facing down on him not with a warm grin…but a look of sheer, unabated determination.
He had been outplayed…and now, only one thought shoots through his mind, again and again in a chaotic cacophony!
Run.
The Fierce Deity sword falls to the ground with a light clatter as Leif stumbles and nearly falls over as he makes a mad dash in the opposite direction. Weapons rumble and hum, blazing to life. Leif relies solely on his peripheral, barely evading a laser as it shoots past his face; sprinting in a zigzag fashion, hoping to throw off his pursuer’s tracking. This is for naught however, as a cannon mounted to the construct’s chest glows and ignites – launching an explosive projectile into the ground at Leif’s feet, sending him flying and tumbling to the ground. Leif coughs and sputters, his arms ripping through his tattered, tangled cape; losing the princely majesty it gave him…In this moment, as he turns back to face this beast, he feels just as he did that day so long ago…
A child, afraid and alone.
Whether his legs were spared devastation at the hands of the Zonai weaponry, or if he was operating off adrenaline alone mattered not. In desperation, Leif claws at the soil as he raises as if attempting to use it to hasten his retreat. He runs…and he runs…taking cover behind a stone precipice off the side of the cliff where their fight had begun. The footsteps of the construct were faint and distant…Leif breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he was at the very least faster than it. Even still…he couldn’t help but wonder to himself if this was even possible. Could he best such a formidable foe? And if he couldn’t claim victory here…back home, in Jugdral…could he even hope to liberate anyone? Has he proven himself worthy of such a grand role?
The Prince lays his hand down on the ground beside him, coming into contact with a sword. The Blade of Bragi…embedded in the soil. Taken by surprise, this too weighed on him. To lose sight of such a holy weapon; to not even remember its loss. “...Gods…What burden you’ve placed on us…a burden greater men are more fit to bear.” For a moment, he reaches for his weapon – only to hesitate. “...Like Seliph…Finn, or Eyvel. Lord Sigurd…and my father.”
…And Link…
Leif turns his gaze away from the blade, adrenaline fading and his wounds burning in pain. But even still…something didn’t sit quite well with him. He didn’t consider himself worthy of his role as one the people could look up to, and yet…he was. Even his foe – he believed – hadn’t gotten to be the hero he was by relying solely on some natural talent. Even with him having been chosen by that legendary sword, he knew there had to be a reason…
Turning back to the holy weapon, Leif’s thoughts went to those weapons of his own world…and those beside him, who fought even without such proof of power. What was it then? What enabled all those who fought and died before him? What made a hero…?
A question he asked himself, and deep within, he felt as though he finally knew. The rebel-prince grasps the Blade of Bragi at the hilt, pulling it from its earthen altar – the blade glowing bright; resonating with the ancient hero’s blood coursing through his veins. Leif looks his reflection in the eye with a look of stoic determination. “What makes a hero…”
Readying himself for battle once more, Leif removes his ruined pauldrons and pulls himself to his feet, charging back around the precipice, making eye-contact with his titanic foe once more. Throwing his ruined armor-piece to the ground, Leif brandishes his holy blade. “What drives me!” He shouts, breaking into a full-blown sprint back into the fray!
Zonai contraptions whir to life once again, as lasers shoot out toward Leif, who raises his weapon, reflecting the lasers off into the distance. “Above all…!” Leif rolls out of the way, bobbing and weaving through the lasers as he draws closer and closer to his foe. Cannonballs fly past his face, exploding on contact with the hills dotting the battlefield. Leif sharply inhales, changing stances, leaving himself wide open to attack. “Over life itself!”
The arms of the construct join together, allowing each and every weapon on its modified body to take aim, ready to finish this fight. Gritting his teeth and suppressing his fear, Leif charges head-on, directly into the range of the automaton’s combined weaponry. The Blade of Bragi glows softly mere seconds before each flame and frost-emitter, cannon, laser, hydrant – for some reason – and rocket all go off at once, resulting in a cataclysmic shockwave, reverberating through the Foothills!
Mineru reels back, raising her arms ahead, shouting to her ally in desperation. “Link!”
From the destruction, Leif emerges in a near-death state, barely kept alive by the holy sword he wields – a sword which glows blue, channeling Luna. Leif shouts, holding his weapon above his head!
“COURAGE!!!”
In a blinding flash of light, Leif brings the Blade of Bragi down on both Link and the construct. For a moment, they stand completely motionless…until slowly, with the cacophonous sounds of steel grinding against steel, the construct powers down – the light leaving the eyes of Mineru’s vessel – as it is split vertically from head-to-toe. Whether or not the ancient Zonai could feel pain, or if she was simply unable to utter a scream, Mineru’s Construct had perished; falling to the ground with a mighty crash!
“H…Heh…How’s that for…for fearlessness…? Urff…!” Leif collapses, nearly passing out entirely. In the moment, distracted by the adrenaline coursing through his veins and his own severe wounds from that final attack, Leif barely spares a thought to his opponent, laying flat across the ground opposite the ruined golem.
“...Link…” A calm, gentle voice whispers to the fallen hero. “Link…Open your eyes, my old friend…”
Feeling a soft, yet somewhat cold hand across his left arm, Link's head shifts, peering up to the Zora Princess Mipha...or her spirit at the very least; using her Blessing to heal his nearly-fatal wounds and bring him back from the brink of death.
"Even after all this time...after the Calamity, the Divine Beasts, and..." She stops herself, taking a deep breath. "You're still so reckless, Link."
Mipha removes her hand from Link's arm, her job complete. Even still, she struggles to think of what to say to the one who for so long held her heartfelt adoration.
"...Link, I...Link! Y-You...um..." Mipha turns away. "...I don't know what awaits you, but...I know you...everyone will be okay...and I...I-I..."
...
Mipha sighs, reciting a simple phrase to Link for what may well be the last time.
"It was my pleasure..."
With this final act of support, the aquatic Champion vanishes, all-the-while looking Link in the eyes with a warm, loving smile. Once again, Link is left alone with his own thoughts...and in said thoughts, one feeling surmounted all others.
What a good friend.
Though, with his life having just flashed before his eyes, Link knew he would have change up his plan dramatically if he was to emerge from this victorious. But no matter how he wracked his mind, it always felt like this battle was nothing more than a stalemate – with either having tools and abilities to counter each other. So, what could he do? ...Well...what he came here to do in the first place, of course. Link's eyes are drawn westward, gloom from the Hills of Baumer Chasm billowing high into the air – visible even through the ash and soot blotting out the sky from their skirmish. Link hesitated, unlatching the Sheikah Slate and scrolling through its runes; after all it was hardly the most honorable ploy he could execute.
...
Though Leif DID throw dirt in his eyes, so this will make them even. Link settles on the final of his runes; one sylized in the shape of a wheeled horse.
-
Leif meanwhile, was busy mending his own near-lethal wounds with the Recover staff. His entire body illuminated like a glowstick as its healing magic coursed all throughout. Though he was initially confident that his strike had not so much as scratched Link himself, concern gradually began to take hold; not helped by the almost unnatural silence from the other side of the wreckage. Returning the staff to its place on his back, Leif pulls himself to his feet, cupping his hands over his mouth in a shout. "Hero Link? Hero Liiiiiink?! Are you–"
Vwoop...!
"Are...y...you...uh..." Such a noise caught the Prince off-guard. At the very least it put his heart at ease to hear some sound of activity...an ease that was replaced with confusion and surprise as a different sound takes its place. A deep growl from a creature he's never heard from before!
Vrrrrr-Vrr-Vrr-VRR-VRR-VRR
(Cue: "Applying Justice")
Before Leif can react, the Master-Cycle Zero shoots out from behind the ruined construct; the Hero of the Wild riding atop it with a look of absolute ecstasy plastered across his face and a sword gripped in one hand! Leif can only throw himself to the ground to evade guaranteed decapitation as Link and the strange mount ride past, leaving the grass scorched and sizzling in its wake.
"Gah!! Wh-What the–" Leif coughs and wheezes upon inhaling exhaust from the Divine Beast-themed motorcycle. "URKK! G-Gods above, h-how many of...of these things do you HAVE?!"
Link doesn't answer, merely driving figure-eights, playfully taunting Leif as he does so, before riding off in the direction of the Chasm!
The rebel growls, producing his Rescue staff. "Ohhh, no, we are NOT done here yet, Hero!" Acting solely on hot-blooded impulse, Leif raises the staff up into the air, forcibly warping his horse to his side. Half an Endura Carrot still clenched between its teeth, the animal looks...less-than-pleased with its sudden relocation, staring into the distance with a dazed, frazzled look. Leif climbs up and snaps on the reins. "HYAH! Let's GO!"
In a familiar scene, Link rides the Master-Cycle before turning back to see Leif hot-on-his-trail, drawing the Blade of Bragi with an expression of the utmost determination to end this duel once and for all. Link smiles, snickering as he draws his bow and standing up, using his foot to control the flow of his mount as he fires arrow after arrow at his pursuer.
Leif manages to ride out of the way of the first few, with one shooting across the armor of his horse, startling it and nearly causing him to fall over. Meeting his strategy, Leif draws the Meisterbogen, firing a volley in greater number, attempting to overwhelm his foe.
Link evades the projectiles just as easily, if not more so, pulling the cycle low into an Akira-esque drift, before shooting back with his weapon drawn! Leif draws his weapon as well, and the two begin a high-speed swordfight chase, pulling away from each other in between swings. Link attempts to ram into Leif’s horse to knock it over – though not without serious pushback from the disgruntled mount, who kicks Link’s hand, sending his sword flying off into the underbrush.
Dazed, Link is barely able to swerve out of the way of Leif's sword-swipes; before closing back in and grabbing the Blade of Bragi by the edge. Though the holy enchantment prevents him from pulling it out of Leif's grip, he is at the very least able to hold it place long enough to plan his next course of action. Though looking ahead a plan quickly comes to mind, as Link releases his grip on his foe's weapon. Leif stumbles and loses his balance, nearly falling off his horse in the process as Link quickly rides ahead.
-
In a monster-camp a fair distance away, two Bokoblins and a Lizalfos babble and sneer at each other around a campfire, having what appears to be a riveting conversation, all the while digging into meals of only the most exquisite raw drumstick. A Moblin at the other side of the camp, dressed in an uncharacteristically pristine chef's hat and apron dips its finger into a stew-pot, savoring the taste and reaching for his ladle...
...Only for Link to come SHOOTING past on the Master-Cycle, snatching the Ladle right out of the Moblin's hand, as well as the adjacent Pot-Lid! The confused creature jitters and wags from side-to-side, absolutely aghast at what had just happened! It shakes its meaty fist, shouting some incomprehensible obscenities at the fleeing Hero of Hyrule!
... "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH–!!!!!"
Leif follows shortly behind not quite as gracefully, dangling from the side of his horse, inadvertently tramping the Lizalfos and one of the Bokoblins, leaving the sole-survivor thoroughly flabbergasted! A look of the utmost enmity plastered across its face! ...As it reaches over and retrieves its companion's fallen dinner...anger not exceeding its hunger.
-
Panting and grunting, Leif at last manages to pull himself back up into the saddle of his mount, shooting his gaze from side-to-side, seeking his foe...only to find an unexpected passenger; as the Lizalfos he had trampled also manages to climb up onto the saddle. The lizard-monster smiles curiously at the prince, licking his face and quietly contemplating the taste.
"Euck! Oh, gross! Who are–Where did– ...WAH!"
Leif ducks, just barely avoiding the weaponized Soup-Ladle of Death as swung by Link! The Lizalfos passenger is not so lucky, rubbing its eye and reeling in pain. Leif swings back on instinct, only for his blow to be parried by a makeshift Pot-Lid shield. Leif stares at Link incredulously.
"...What?"
BAM!
"OW!"
Leif rubs his head, steering out of the way of Link's subsequent attacks before spitting away entirely, making a harsh ninety-degree turn, tearing a thin-paged spell-tome from his arsenal, circling around Link as if shepherding him into the ideal range. “You’re not the only one who still has tricks up their sleeve, Link! This is the strongest wind-spell I got, so GET READY!!”
Leif’s horse reels back, whinnying and squealing toward the heavens as Leif throws his hand forward.
“Seek respite in eternal winter! Call to me…BLIZZAAARD!!!”
The darkened sky as black as coal shifts and distorts; harsh winds blowing in from every direction, carrying snowflakes glowing bright-green and white. Link spins around, attempting to make sense of this. As the temperature plummets, he pulls his hood over his head and holds a Ruby to his chest all in effort to stave off this abnormal squall. Even still…he fails to notice the true purpose of this attack until his eyelids grow heavy and his vision blurs. Unable to keep up his strength, he nearly falls off the Master-Cycle.
Whatever it was, it was clearly no ordinary snowstorm; Link could feel his energy being sapped with every flake of crystallized magic that came into contact with his skin, even his armor becoming too heavy to move his arms. He slumps forward on his still-moving mount, the jostling and bumping of the uneven ground being all that kept him awake…but even still, he couldn’t give in…! His fingers numb, and movement stiff, Link reaches for the Sheikah Slate. Whatever this spell was, it had the properties of water…As he switched to the Cryonis Rune, he very-well knew this would be a gamble…but it was a gamble he’d have to take!
Link’s arm raises upward, shivering and quaking – a light shooting out from the Sheikah Slate and dispersing into the enveloping veil of snow.
…
And after a few seconds…it works. Snowflakes converge and clump together, freezing solid into an ever-growing wall of pure ice stretching up into the sky! Mustering his strength, Link revs the Master Cycle, pulling full-throttle in the opposite direction to escape the storm before he’s frozen within!
-
Leif meanwhile, charged at the outer rim of the storm, outside of its sleep-inducing effects – eyes darting between the gales for his weakened foe, searching for the opportunity he needed. Deep within, he could only barely make out the Master-Cycle’s silhouette, to which he immediately readies the Bolting tome. “I’ve got you now…!”
The Lizalfos – still permitted to tag along for some reason – glances ahead, eyes widened in terror. The monster squeals and screams; tugging at Leif’s hair while pointing forward!
“Gyow! Ow! Hey! Let go of–” Leif follows the eyes of his passenger, realizing they were about to charge right off one of the many cliffs dotting the Foothills! “GYAAHHHHH!!!”
Leif tugs at the reins, desperately attempting to slow his horse down! However, the terror-filled screams cut through the blizzard to Link, who turns around and holds the Sheikah Slate aloft, casting Stasis on Leif’s horse and completely immobilizing it, and sending its passengers flying from the saddle akin to a car-crash!
The poor Lizalfos is essentially sent into a swan-dive from the cliff-face, disappearing into the vast canyon below. Leif was luckier however, managing to plunge the Blade of Bragi into the stone wall, slowing his descent. He takes a moment to process what had just happened…before groaning in annoyance.
Link meanwhile, now having escaped the Blizzard and recovering from the drowsiness inflicted by it, stares groggily at the frozen horse-statue growing smaller and smaller the further he rides. He smiles…and chuckles, thoroughly amused by what he had accidentally done.
Vwoop!
Leif joins in on Link’s laughter from the back-seat of the Master-Cycle, slipping the Rewarp staff back in its holster. The pair laugh…and laugh…and laugh – Link was no longer laughing. His smile fades as he turns around to find Leif holding the Blade of Bragi directly to his throat…still laughing of course, but with a slight air of deviousness to it.
“Hahahah…heheh…haaaaah, nice try…”
Leif reels back, swinging the Blade of Bragi, but Link reliates, parrying with his Pot-Lid shield! He tosses the cooking-utensil weapons off to the side, drawing a Lynel-Saber-Horned sword in its place. Weapons collide and sparks fly from the clashing of steel as both warriors fight on the back of the still-moving Master Cycle!
Searching for any sort of opening, Leif pushes his blade forward, putting Link on the back-foot; using his other hand to unveil a small, aerodynamic Hand-Axe...but rather than using it to strike his Hylian foe, he instead throws it off the side of the vehicle. It spins and twirls through the air like a boomerang, but Link can't spare the time to care about this, instead pushing back against Leif and nearly throwing him from the edge of the Master-Cycle. Link raises his blade, ready to end this duel – only for the Hand-Axe to return, striking against the front-wheel of the Master-Cycle, shaking it vigorously and throwing Link off-balance.
Capitalizing on Link's uneasy stance, Leif grabs him by the collar of his shirt and pushes him down, attempting to throw him off the side. Link continues to struggle and squirm within Leif's grasp, straining his neck to keep his head from grinding against the rocky ground below. At last however, he manages to free his arms from Leif's hold and grabs him by the wrist, using his own body as leverage to toss Leif off the side as well! Yet Leif maintains a firm grip on his foe, desperately clinging onto the moving vehicle.
Link lay sprawled backward on the seat of the Master-Cycle, and though Leif's armor protects him from the full-brunt of his body grinding and scraping against the ground – preventing a very-easily lethal case of road-rash – grunts and yelps bely immense pain and discomfort still. As Link struggles to bring himself back to an upright position, Leif follows suit, gripping the medieval motorcycle's spoiler to pull himself up. Though Link at first shakes his arm in an attempt to force Leif to release his grip on him, something else catches his attention.
Wisps of black and purple rising up from the ground; congealing into thick, light-absorbing clouds of pure hatred. The mark of the Demon-King...gloom. It is only as his foe manages to pry himself back up to the seat of the Master-Cycle does he realize what malice in such great quantity means.
(Cue: "Sludge Like")
"...Wh...What in the...?" Leif's eyes widen, struggling to process the sudden shift in scenery. Confusion quickly gives away to sheer, abject horror as he peers over Link's shoulder. "No, no, NO, NO! TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND!!!"
The Master-Cycle shoots toward the mouth of the Hills of Baumer Chasm quicker than either warrior can react! And though Link attempts to steer themselves out of the way, it was already too late...And the Master-Cycles goes charging off the edge, sending both its riders plummeting into the gloom-infested depths below! Screams ring out – the Heroes of Hyrule and Thracia vanish into the darkness below!
-
Link desperately searches through his inventory; searching for something, anything to save them both from certain death. Though with his paraglider having already been destroyed, his options were running direly thin.
Leif meanwhile – taking longer to compose himself – had at the very least some idea in mind. He turned to face Link, and though the fall bore its toll on his head, blurring his vision and nauseating him, he could barely make out his idol's silhouette in the darkness. "Link...LINK!!"
Link looks back, noticing Leif attempting to dive toward him.
"TAKE MY HAND!"
In a familiar scene, Link stretches out his arm, struggling to take hold of his rival's. Gritting his teeth, he preserveres – the pair at last meeting as Leif forcibly wraps his fingers around Link's grip, pulling him close and producing the Rewarp staff! "Come on, come on!!" Leif vigorously shakes the staff; closing his eyes in an effort to channel his magic.
...
But it was no use...Five times, Rewarp had been cast...and now...the staff, and their only lifeline...had run dry... ...
"...Oh..." Leif eyes his staff with an empty gaze...his grip unfurls, allowing the staff to fall away. "... ...oh..."
Havinng lost all hope, Leif lets go of Link's arm – the pair drifting apart in freefall...Gloom thickens the further they fall, obscuring all within a heavy shroud of darkness...
Even the air rushing past is now completely silent...
...
Winds rise from the depths, shaking the knights to their very cores. An ethereal warmth…and a dream, enveloping the Master Sword’s chosen hero.
“...Liiiink…”
A voice in the back of his mind. Echoing deep within his soul…or so it had seemed initially.
(Cue: “Light Dragon”)
“...Liiiiiiiiink…”
His eyes open to a sight different from before. Glowing fireflies illuminate the shadows just as before, and yet something else now joins them in their weightless dance in the dark. Pale-blue and gold lights, shimmering – flickering in and out of sight.
“Liiiiiiiiink…”
Only now does he realize that voice was not coming from within his mind and memories long-gone, but from all around him – a deep, booming voice; the volume of which shakes his entire body even in a whisper. From the surface above, the Light Dragon descends, at last coming into view. She knows not why she felt so compelled to come here; or what this name on her lip even means.
But it doesn’t matter…The ancient creature floats down below, Link colliding with its scales, yet feeling no pain. Yet still, he looks back, to Leif still hovering in freefall. Reaching out his hand just as he had done for him, straining yet at last succeeding; pulling his newfound ally to the back of the depth-bound dragon.
The warmth of the beast soothes and heals…even in this boundless, sickening gloom…
-
Slowly, Link’s eyes open to an endless abyss of black – the depths of Hyrule illuminated only by scattered Lightroots in the distance. Feeling the cold, slightly-moist bedrock ground below, Link turns upward to see the Light Dragon floating away, almost out-of-sight by this point. For a moment, he simply stares onward, lost in thought…That beast, its aura had felt so familiar. Could it really be…her?
“...Nck!” Rapid-fire coughs and wheezes from his sparring partner snap Link out of his trance. He crawls across the ground to Leif’s side, shaking him. “Urgh…stop…stop August, I’m awake. It’s still dark out, go back to–to, uh…” The prince opens his eyes, looking up at the dimly-lit silhouette of Link. “...Am I dead?”
Link concernedly shakes his head.
“...Oh…I FEEL dead.” The prince stretches and rolls his shoulders, the soreness of their battle finally catching up thim. “I don’t know where we are, but…it’s certainly hard to breathe, isn’t it?” Leif sits up, adjusting his armor and spinning around, attempting to get a grasp on where they were. “...Actually…do you hear that?”
At first, Link was tempted to shake his head in denial again, but now paying attention, the usual ambience of the depths WAS now undercut by an unusual humming noise, and quiet, unintelligible murmurs of what sounded like…other Hylians? Sheikah? …It suddenly hits him. The entire reason he was at the Skyview Tower to begin with, the entire reason he traveled so close to this chasm.
(Cue: “Master Kohga - Second Encounter”)
“Hey…Hey…! Look! Is that who I think it is?!” A whispering voice calls out.
“Blonde hair, blue tunic, weird-looking arm…And that sword looks like it’s glowing!” A second voice responds, alerting Link to the fact that the Master Sword had indeed been recharged, awaiting its call to action. “Yup…No doubt about it! It’s the sworn enemy of our Master Kohga…!”
“Link…!”
“Link!”
“IT’S LINK!!” All voices whisper at once, seemingly completely unaware that the knights can hear them conversing.
“...But wait, who’s that guy?”
“Oh…I didn’t even notice him. Uhh…Brown hair…white armor…ew, rounded ears?”
“Think it’s a Bokoblin?”
“What’s a Bokoblin?” Leif asks sincerely.
“... …Good going, you idiots! He must have heard you!”
“Aren’t Bokoblin ears pointy?”
“I forgot they even had ears – I thought they just had holes at the sides of their–”
“Shut up, shut up! He’s looking this way!”
…
… …
“Okay…I think we’re in the clear. Either way! It’s not attacking him…Maybe it’s a magic…clone! Made by that Lookout Landing witch!”
“Yeah…’Link-Two!’ That’s it, it’s ‘Link-Two!’”
“Hm…wait, before we jump to conclusions, how about a little test before we pounce?”
“Yes…Yes, good idea!” One of the assailants clears his throat, shouting to Leif. “Hey! Link-Two! Just woke up, eh? Bet you’re hungry. Want some breakfast?”
A Mighty Banana-bunch is thrown from the darkness, landing just beside the confused prince. Link looks on, half-uneasy, half-curious by whatever’s about to happen.
“...Oh…” Leif picks up the bananas. “Yes, actually, I would love some–”
“THAT WAS A TRICK! Only LINK would ever stoop to scrounging for scraps – especially from disembodied voices in the darkness!!!”
“Oh.” Leif remarks. “...Does that mean I should give these back, or…?”
“Yes…Yes! We see it now! You two are in kahoots – which means you’re BOTH the enemies of our master! And you’ve fallen…RIGHT into our carefully-laid, ingenious trap!”
(Cue: “Master Kohga”)
Floodlights blaze to life! Glowing Zonai glyphs bely the silhouettes of humanoid figures in the darkness. “We are the Yiga!” Laughter rings out as ninja-like warriors appear out of thin air; each one equipped with a sword or bow. Leif and Link rise to their feet, realizing they were completely surrounded by these vengeful assassins. “PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM!!!”
“Okay…” Leif stumbles to his feet, drawing the Blade of Bragi as he turns his back to Link – who does the same with the Master Sword. “Okay! This looks bad, but…what say you…we put our duel on hold for now?”
Link grunts in accordance, keeping his focus on the encroaching horde of Yiga footsoldiers, pointing his blade at any who get too close.
“Yeah…It’s you and me, Link! I’ll fight by your side!!”
“Now! GET THEM!! CHAAAAAARGE!!!!” One of the Yiga shouts, triggering every last one of the assailants to close in at once – weapons at the ready! Leif and Link charge to meet them, the former letting out an overly-bombastic war-shout as he brings his blade down on one of the assassins, who swiftly leaps out of the way, raining a volley of arrows down upon him. Leif only barely manages to roll out of the way, nearly having his head taken off by the sickle of another soldier.
Where Leif struggles, Link – who was comparatively far more used to dealing with such foes – proves himself a veritable whirlwind of destruction, cutting down and disarming enemy after enemy, each of the injured retreating in a puff of smoke. However, even he would struggle against the sheer number of enemies, with one firing several arrows directly into his back. Something Leif notices amidst his own struggle.
“...Eh?!” Leif brings up his blade, catching one of many blades swinging dangerously close to his face. “I get it. You like hiding where people can’t see you, huh?” With his free hand, Leif reaches for the Light Brand’s scabbard. “Funny…” Drawing his mother’s heirloom blade, the flash of light from the blade blinds every single one of the dark-dwelling Yiga around the pair, sending them reeling to the ground – clutching their faces in pain. “So do I.” Leif chuckles, sprinting to Link’s side.
Link pries the arrows from his back, spinning around and slashing at the air – sending a bladed beam of light from the Master Sword’s tip, sniping the ambushing ninja straight out of the air. So focused on this was he, that another pair of assassins uses the opportunity to appear behind him, holding their daggers at his throat. “Heheh…Distracted, are ya? I like the look you got on your face…think it’ll stay that way after I cut it off?”
Link remains completely silent as always, not even dignifying their threat with a response.
Suddenly, one of the Yiga clansmen feels a light tap on his shoulder. Turning around to see Leif staring up at him, he maintains a stiff, emotionless expression beneath his mask.
…Leif smiles, holding up the Warp staff.
“...Oh. …Ohhh…nooo–”
Vwoop!
The unfortunate Yiga is teleported just above the entrance to the Hills of Baumer Chasm; sent plummeting down into the depths once more.
With only one lone assassin holding onto him from behind, Link retaliates, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward, before smashing his forearm with his elbow, before throwing him to the side.
Turning to face Leif, Link shouts in surprise, taking aim and firing an arrow RIGHT past Leif’s face, striking another Yiga soldier behind him. Frozen from sheer terror, Leif doesn’t even react as Link rushes past him to continue the fight, merely swaying a bit like a mannequin.
Link charges and slashes at an oncoming horde of Yiga, immediately disarming them; preemptively turning to catch the blade of another would-be assassin. Link shakes his head, before slashing upward across the assailant’s chest. Though as the horde grows in size, Link begins to wonder just how many Yiga were stationed here to assassinate him. Returning the Master Sword to its holster, Link instead draws a Royal Claymore – a Lynel Mace Horn fused to its hilt, before spinning around on the tips of his feet like a top, using the sheer weight of his weapon to bolster the power of his swings.
Looking onward, Leif is mesmerized by this tactic, wondering silently if he could emulate it somehow. At his back however, only one particularly large weapon remained – the Meisteraxt. With great enthusiasm, completely dwarfing the fear that came with such a large group of foes, Leif begins spinning in similar fashion to his idol!
…
Though with his scrawny teenage body, this does not go nearly as well, as he very quickly veers off-course, crashing into a group of Yiga still hidden in the darkness – not a one of them willing to get within swinging distance of this rapidly-spinning herald of death and destruction!
Slamming the Claymore to the ground, Link eyes the Yiga around him with a smug grin; watching as they all slink back into the shadows, laughing silently to themselves. This, and the growing sounds of metal crashing against stone tips Link off to the fact that he was nowhere near out of the woods yet.
A fact only confirmed as a colossal rod of metal is SLAMMED into Link’s chest, throwing him and his weapon to the ground. A construct, similar to that possessed by Mineru – a single Yiga soldier at its helm, surrounded by a makeshift bunker of metal plates and hardened magma. The construct – draped head-to-toe in ancient Sheikah symbolism – reels back, charging an array of laser-guns and cannons at the princess’ knight. Gritting his teeth, Link draws the Master Sword once again, charging back into the fray to meet this weapon head-on!
Leif meanwhile, slows nearly to a complete stop, before dropping his weapon entirely and falling to a kneel. “Ohhggh…bad idea…urf…b-bad idea…” He mutters, rubbing his head. “...Um…Wait, where are all the–?” He spins around, realizing nearly all of the ordinary soldiers have already fallen back, and yet the sounds of battle were still clear as day. From brief flashes of light, Leif can just barely make out the silhouette of the mighty construct and its sword-wielding foe! “Ohh, not again!!”
Running in an attempt to reinforce his ally, Leif is stopped dead in his tracks as one final assassin emerges before him in a puff of smoke. A Yiga Blademaster points his weapon toward Leif, seemingly challenging him.
“...Oh, for the love of…You people just don’t know when to quit, do you?!” The prince shouts, drawing the Blade of Bragi.
Link strikes again and again, bobbing and weaving through attacks, yet still unable to so much as scratch the Zonai golem’s armor. Leaping back and fusing Bomb-Flowers to his arrows, Link lets loose a flurry of explosive rounds into the beast’s head, freezing it in place! …However…as the dust settles, the construct had suffered no more damage than it had before. The pilot points and laughs at the hero, slowly directing the mechanized-weapon toward him.
Link raises his shield, bracing himself for whatever would come next. Out of the corner of his eye, he could barely make out the sparks shooting out from the locking blades of two other figures. Leif no doubt, yet with the construct standing in his way, he was in no position to reinforce the prince.
With great strength, the Blademaster crashes his weapon down upon Leif – the latter of which blocking it with his own, yet clearly struggling just to keep in the fight. Side-stepping and allowing the Blademaster’s weapon to swing past, Leif attempts to circle around toward the tiny, almost unnoticeable lights from the construct’s body…yet each time he tried, the Blademaster would simply reappear before him, wagging his finger faux-mockingly.
He knew just from fighting that thing that it was unbelievably strong…and weakened from their own battle as they were, Link could only last so much longer.
He had to reinforce him.
He had to help him…
He couldn’t let this happen again.
Never again…!
Leif grits his teeth, eyes twitching in rage. Muttering under his breath, his fingers begin to crackle with electricity. “I won’t…I won’t…!”
Static grows and spreads throughout this brief pocket of darkness and gloom. Link could feel it himself – his hair standing on end, the tingling of his sword wrapped in his grasp.
“L-Link! I have an idea! Get ready!!” Leif shouts.
The Blademaster steps back, anticipating some sort of attack. Cautiously, the veteran warrior raises his blade, ready to react.
“THOROOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!” Rather than firing the blast of thunder-magic at his immediate foe however, Leif trains his magic on his own ally! Reacting quickly, Link strikes at the oncoming beam of lightning with his shield – parrying it directly into the construct’s head!
For a moment, it stood completely still…frozen in place…until its arms and legs begin to fall apart – as the construct gradually loses power…until…!
Zzrtt…zzzzrtt….zzzz–ZZZ–
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
The construct explodes in a brilliant display of light and flame! Bits and pieces of Zonai tech are sent flying in every direction, and what few Yiga footsoldiers remain begin to flee, one-after-another, running off into the darkness!
The Blademaster lowers his weapon, turning to find himself flanked by Leif or Link on either side; weapons pointed directly toward him.
…
“Heheh…Hnhnhhahahah~!”
Just as quickly as he had arrived, the Blademaster vanishes in a puff of smoke. Leif – still high off the adrenaline of the ambush – shouts after the retreating Yiga. “Yeah…YEAH! You’d better run!! You blasted cowards!!!”
With a sigh…Link sheathes his holy sword, placing a hand on Leif’s shoulder, lightly shaking him.
(Cue: “Leif”)
Leif smiles cheerfully – neither combatant noticing, or at the very least not batting an eye as the Warped Yiga from earlier falls back down from the mouth of the chasm, pulling himself up from the ground and vanishing in a panic like all his other comrades.
“That was…” Leif pants, looking back to Link. “That was what you came here to do, right? I know there’s still much left before your homeland can at last find peace. Believe me, I understand that more than anyone – that one battle is never enough to purge the dark and protect the innocent. But…even still…Sir Li–err…Link!”
Leif nervously holds his hand out.
“It was an honor to fight by your side!”
Mirroring his ally’s own warm smile, Link grasps his hand, shaking it firmly.
“No matter what comes, I vow to support you and Princess Zelda to return your home to the way it once was!”
Link closes his eyes, not uttering a word as he pulls his hand away. Leif does the same.
“But for now, what say you we pick up where we left off…Hero Link, sworn protector of the princess, and last line of defense of Hyrule…” Leif grips the Light-Brand’s hilt as Link grasps the Master Sword’s. “I, Leif Faris Claus – as descendent of the Crusader Njörun, son of Thracia, and knight of Seliph, the Scion of Light…On my honor, I challenge you! To test our might! As equals…and as friends!”
Both warriors walk backward several paces, before suddenly unsheathing their weapons – steel ringing against steel with a brilliant flash of light! All around them, deposits of Zonaite ore glow and refract in a brilliant multicolored display!
(Cue: “End of Despair” - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Remix)
“En garde.”
Both fighters reel back, striking their weapons against each other; both vying for any sort of opportunity to slip past. Link parries Leif's blow, kneeling down to sweep at Leif's feet, only for the latter to jump into the air, striking at Link from above. Link leans out of the way of the attack, swinging up at Leif's chest as he lands, catching him off-guard. The Master Sword skirts across the prince's armor, carving a deep gash all the way across from his abdomen to his shoulder.
As Leif stumbles back, running his fingers across the wound to check for blood, Link capitalizes, smashing Leif across the face with the flat of his blade, firing beams of light after him. The rogue-prince recovers quickly however, dodging the first two beams before countering the other with a projectile of light from his own weapon.
With each collission of holy blades, silver against silver, light illuminates the depths. Gloom scatters, leaving only subterranean mushroom-spores flittering about like powder-snow.
Link pushes forward, bringing his blade down on Leif's once again, attempting to overpower him in one final clash of blades.
"Urgh...El...THUNDER!!" Leif shouts, channeling static-electricity in the air around them; striking Link with a bolt of pure-lightning! But as the dust settles, Link stands unharmed, his fingers still locked Lightning Helm of the Gerudo atop his head. In his other hand, he holds a now-electrified Traveler-Sword; spinning backward before throwing it like a javelin just as he had done earlier in their battle.
However, with Vantage Leif reacts quickly, drawing the Wind Sword and slashing at the air and redirecting the weapon back toward its wielder, hitting him dead-on – shocking him in the process.
Tossing the Wind Sword to the side, Leif closes his eyes and holds his hands together. "My turn! ELWIND!!" Leif throws his hand forward, striking the ground beneath Link's feet with a vicious arcane gale; one Link deftly avoids via a well-timed backflip, drawing his bow and tightening his focus, firing a volley of Wing-Fused arrows, faster than Leif can react, nailing him in the shoulder and hip. "Ngah...!"
Injured yet far from finished, Leif draws the Meisterbogen, combatting the speed of Link's arrows with sheer numbers, rapidly knocking and firing arrow after arrow, and though Link easily manages to evade a large number of them, he is soon overwhelmed – his legs, chest, and arms turned into a living pincushion. He grunts in pain, kneeling to the ground and raising his shield in an attempt to protect himself from any further blows.
The second he takes his eye off him however, Leif jumps at the opportunity, pulling the arrows from his own body and draws multiple weapons at once. "Hope you're ready for this...! The fruits of my labor!" Grinding the Light Brand and Meisterlanze against each other.
Eyes widening, Link attempts to draw the Master Sword, only to be slashed across the face by Light-Brand, thrust in the chest by the Meisterlanze, and being struck once more by the Killer Axe – slicing down across the Zonai Arm, all as a part of the Quadruple-Hit attack.
"This is my fight...MY POWER!!" Throwing the axe to the side, Leif jumps into the air, drawing the Meisterbogen and firing down upon Link once again! An arrow...Link barely manages to catch in the palm of his hand.
His vision blurs...the Zonai arm falls limply to his side – unable to muster the strength to rise once again. Blood pools across the cavernous floor from his wounded arm. Examining the slash, Link knew...he would no longer be able to use it for this battle, at least to swing a sword...Time seems to slow to a crawl for him...he couldn't lose here...he wouldn't lose here...To protect Hyrule, to protect its people...and Zelda...He would fight, down to his last breath!
"...Heh...Hmhmheheheh...such a stubborn little 'hero' you are..." a familiar voice echoes in the back of his mind. "...Well? You don't expect me to give you some sappy pep-talk like the others, do you Link? You either win, or you don't...don't get this twisted...I hate you, Link...but you saved me...you saved us. And I'll be damned if you go and lose after ALL that, before Ganon's been put down for good! So get off your useless tail..."
A light breeze rushes past Link's face from below. His eyes closed in a state of deep-focus. He drops his shield and reaches to his back, his fingers curling around the Bow of Light.
"...Draw your weapon...!"
With the last of the power imbued in his right-arm, Link fuses the Bow of Light to the palm of his hand – fusing his joints together into a stiff, albeit usable position...one all too suited to finishing this, once and for all...
"And show us...show ME...why...you're...the best. Give them hell, Link..."
Revali...
Perception of time returns to normal. Leif steps back, gripping his Light-Brand, dumbstruck as a powerful gust of wind rises up around Link – the power of Revali's Gale! Link opens his eyes...meeting the gaze of his foe. Before suddenly leaping up into the air, drawing the sacred bow granted to him by his liege, firing volley after volley down on his foe.
Leif, not content to give up so easily, draws the Meisterbogen once again, firing back in turn! Each holy arrow met with countless more to slow their descent! At the pinnacle of their battle, the depths glows all around them; Zonaite illuminated like prisms all around, painting their underground battlefield in a vibrant display of color!
"I WON'T RUN! NEVER AGAIN! I WON'T!!" Leif shouts at the top of his lungs, throwing the Meisterbogen aside and slashing down with the Light Brand; destroying every arrow still locked in freefall – completely obscuring both combatants view of the other! "THIS! IS! IIIIIIIIITTTT!!!" Leif bellows, leaping up into the air – the Light-Brand gripped tightly between his hands!
...Inhale...
...and exhale...
...breathe in...
...and out...
Time slows to a crawl as Link enters a state of hyper-focus. He knocks an arrow, trusting solely in his intuition...Unable to see where his foe is...he closes his eyes, pulling back the string...
Leif emerges from the blinding flash of light, Light-Brand gripped between both hands with all his might. The arrow of light leaves the shelf, shooting out toward its target
Even in this slowed perception of time, the arrow travels swift and true.
Leif closes his eyes…until…
“...!!”
He reacts! The Prince of Leonster swings his blade into the oncoming holy-arrow, now-locked in a vicious clash, his grip quaking beneath the sheer power behind the shot! His strength begins to falter, and the edge of his weapon starts to crack! The blade glows with a bright blue light!
“Lu…naaaa!!!”
The arrow is split in two, bursting in midair like a flashbang, bathing all in an endless white, leaving only the silhouettes of the two warriors visible. Link’s eyes widen, he reaches to his scabbard.
Drawn by Cheesypickles564
The sound of the slash echoes throughout the depths, fading to silence just as quickly as it had begun…
The two warriors fall to the ground, the victor groaning and attempting to pull himself to his feet. The injuries of the battle come back all at once, and with the adrenaline at last beginning to fade as they breathe a sigh of relief, pain sets in. Blood trails down his face, pouring out over his nose, and dripping to the ground in a steady rhythm.
“Nn…nngghhh…ggrrr…” The warrior sticks his sword into the ground, using it to prop himself up. “...Ughhh…ahhhh…H…Hh…ow…” The corners of his lips raise to a grin, smiling confidently. “How…was that? Strong enough…for you?”
Leif, the Son of Thracia…raises his sword, wiping blood from his face. As he does so however, he notices his weapon…its light dampened and obscured by a thick layer of red.
Link, quaking and shivering, pulls himself to his feet, turning to Leif with an expression of concern. To the side, he notices through blurred vision, the Master Sword, laying alone on the floor. He takes one step forward…and collapses.
(Cue: “Theme of Love”)
“Wh…What?!” Leif’s eyes widen in horror, turning on the spot. “LINK!!” He rushes to the wounded knight’s side, propping his head up on his knee. A deep, blood-soaked gash runs across from just beneath his ribs to his left shoulder. “No, no, no…!”
Leif scrambles to his back, tearing the Recover staff from its holster, knocking the rest of his weapons to the ground in his haste. The staff illuminates the area in a bright, healing light…
…and yet…the wound was too deep…Leif’s magic is not enough…
“No…No, no, no, NO…!” Leif’s fingers unfurl, letting the staff fall to the ground with a sharp clatter. “NO!! Link! Keep your eyes open! Link, I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to – you weren’t supposed to…I can’t… Gahh…AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Leif clutches his head, letting out a scream of pure, raw frustration.
Wincing, Link rolls his head over, looking up at Leif. So many thoughts race through his mind at once…Of his kingdom…of his friends…and the princess… …Yes…the princess…He has been in this exact situation before, hasn’t he? …And yet…this unbearable, indescribable pain coursing through his body…Was it regret? Knowing he would now be unable to save the one who had saved him? That his duty will remain unfulfilled?
Is this…how Ganondorf wins?
…Link stares blankly at Leif – his vision fading in and out. He opens his mouth, though all that comes out is a short, stuttered cough; snapping the prince back to reality.
“Ah! L-Link?! P-Please…don’t talk, you…you’re going to…Your energy, you need to conserve your…”
Link’s brow furrows. He raises his hand, weakly grabbing Leif by the sleeve of his shirt, trying to get him to just…stop…talking, and pay attention. Link removes his hand, pointing off into the darkness…the Master Sword still barely visible from this distance.
“...!” Leif shakes, struggling to process this. “Wh…What are you trying to say? …That’s…the Blade of Evil’s Bane…Why are you…”
He now, finally…realizes.
“...No…NO!! DAMMIT, NO!!!” Leif grabs Link by the shoulders. “I can’t! I can’t take your place! Only YOU can do it! You’re the Hero of Legend! You’re…You’re going to make it out of this alive. Somehow! And you need that…You need that sword!! And you…you have to…” Tears roll down Leif’s face. “...You have to…You have to save them… …You’re a hero…Link…I can’t…I can’t fill your place…”
…
“...L…”
“Leif...”
Leif’s eyes widen, looking his fallen friend in the eyes. “Y...ou…You said…my…”
Link glares back, a look of pure determination etched upon his face. He may not be able to repay his debt…he may not live to see her smile again…But in his heart, he could find no sadness or despair…but hope. Hope that courage and light will still prevail; courage he knew would live on long after himself.
“...Link…I…You…” Leif closes his eyes, steeling his heart, forcing a smile. “...You don’t…have to worry, Link…We…We’re all going to be okay. All of us…even you.”
…Link smiles.
…
“Thank…you…
…Leif… …”
His grip loosens…and his hand falls to the ground…Even as the life leaves his eyes, his peaceful smile remains.
“...Li…nk…”
KO[]
(Cue: “Tears of the Kingdom” - Remix by R3 Music Box)
…Leif places one hand on the back of Link’s head, gently placing him down off his lap, before pulling himself to his feet. He sheathes his blade, though a flickering light out of the corner of his eye catches his attention.
The Master Sword…it glows softly in the darkness, as if calling out to its wielder…
Silently, Leif approaches, hesitating to reach for his opponent’s holy blade. “...You’ve…been through so much pain. Duty unfulfilled…Even if you had not said it, I know, that…that was your biggest regret.”
…
Leif sighs. “Link…” He places his hand on the sword’s hilt. Already he can feel his life draining. “I made a promise to you…” Pain shoots throughout his body.
“That I would aid you, in your journey…” His grip trembles.
“That we would…save Hyrule!” His vision blurs, almost as if in a dream-like state.
“...You’ve already done so much…Which is why it’s…my turn…” …
“Hero Link…I will inherit your cause…I will rescue Zelda. I will drive back the Demon King! I will fight…and you will watch over me!!”
Leif rises to his feet, wheezing and hyperventilating. On his hand, a rune glows bright…Power…Wisdom…Courage.
“Thracia…Hyrule…I will not ever let anyone else die in my place, ever again… …Your home will know peace, as will you. To this…” Leif raises the Master Sword; its blade glowing bright, illuminating the darkness all around. “And on your sword…”
…
“I vow…”
The ending screens show the aftermath of the battle.
Ending Screen A features Leif using the Purah Pad, teleporting both himself and Link’s body back to the surface. His horse trots to his side, allowing Leif to place the limp champion on its back. He gazes downward in mourning, before turning around, gazing up at Hyrule Castle – floating in the sky. The Master Sword glows bright upon his back.
Ending Screen B shows Link’s spirit, rematerializing back into existence before the Shrine of Resurrection. Confused and lost, he walks up to the edge of the cliff, peering out over the Great Plateau. The sun sets in the west, bathing Link in a warm orange glow. A hand reaches out and grabs him by the shoulder. King Rhoam smiles down at Link, accompanied by Urbosa, Daruk, Mipha, and Revali. Together, they all gaze out over Hyrule.
Results[]
Popup: Only feats and abilities from Genealogy of the Holy War, Thracia 776, Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, and Tears of the Kingdom were factored into the results. This excludes any other feats done by other Links across the Zelda timeline, or any scaling from Fire Emblem Heroes or Engage.
Boomstick: Wiz…? Sometimes I really have to ask myself why we do stuff like this… [Sniff] All they wanted to do was protect the ones they love! They didn’t deserve this…
Wiz: Well, such is the luck of the draw, I suppose. Heh, gun analogy. That’s your shtick isn’t i– …Boomstick? Are…Are you crying?
Boomstick: No! I’m just…sweating…my eyes, they – they’re sweating! That battle was just…so intense, that’s all…! [Sniffle]
Wiz: …Do you…need a moment?
Boomstick: Ahem…No! No, I’m fine. I don’t get emotional, y’hear? Just…get on with it, math-monkey!
Wiz: “Math-Monkey?” What…the– …I mean…Th…This…was an incredibly close match!
Boomstick: I know we say that a lot, but he’s actually not kiddin’ this time. You’d THINK we were screwin’ with ya considering how ASTRONOMICALLY stronger Link was, but considering what you just saw…well, obviously that’s not the whole story.
Wiz: It’s true, as impressively strong was Leif was, having been capable of surviving a close-encounter and direct attacks from the dragon-god Loptous clocking in at roughly 16.5 Gigatons of TNT, Link was by far on a whole other level.
Boomstick: Put simply, Demon King Ganondorf – everyone’s favorite turtle-killin’ mass of muscle and porkchop – used the Secret Stone of Queen Sonia to transform the Blood Moon and move it closer to Hyrule.
Wiz: And Link would later manage to slay Ganondorf after he had swallowed the Secret Stone and transformed into his ultimate Demon Dragon form, meaning Link was likely at a similar level to that; a feat that would equate to 496 Yottatons of TNT! A difference of 30.5 Quadrillion times!
Boomstick: Even if you don’t really buy the magnitude of ‘Dorfy fiddling with the Blood Moon, Link was still considerably stronger on his own by a wide-margin; capable of easily out-damaging the combined attacks of each of the four Divine Beasts combined, with just one of ‘em capable of carvin’ Hebra Mountain like a giant goddamned pumpkin!
Wiz: And while both Leif and Link have dodged light and lightning, putting them at roughly similar reaction-speeds, Link’s bullet-time gave him the edge in this regard too, meaning he’d be a far deadlier foe at close-range than Leif.
Popup: While Link is not constantly in a bullet-time state, the conditions required to activate it, such as dodging an attack or taking aim while in midair are relatively simple to achieve, still making it a consistent threat.
Boomstick: Things don’t look much better in the experience and training department either, since Link was directly trained as a royal knight and adjutant to Princess Zelda, and has been training with a sword longer than he could write his own name. Leif HAS had training, sure, and Finn and Eyvel were certainly highly-qualified to teach him to wield a blade on par with the best of ‘em. Though his status as a refugee living a nomadic lifestyle meant he’d never be able to concentrate nearly as much focus into his studies as Link could; particularly since Link IS older than him…albeit only by a single year.
Wiz: This isn’t much helped by Leif’s more hot-headed and impulsive demeanor, often charging into battles he is by no means qualified to win.
Boomstick: Yet, he does…Speakin’ of…What?! Wiz, we just spent the last minute talkin’ about how Link would crush Leif into a fine red paste – so HOW did he SURVIVE?!
Wiz: Well, fittingly enough, it wasn’t necessarily strength and speed that ended up deciding this matchup, but rather their arsenals. And…that’s where this debate gets…tricky.
Boomstick: Both Leif and Link were veritable masters with just about any weapon they could get a hold of, and to that end, there were COUNTLESS different interactions between the two.
Wiz: And believe it or not…Leif actually had everything he needed to not only pose a threat to Link; but consistently pull out a win. And for that, why don’t we start with perhaps the most pivotal array of tools available, the staves.
Boomstick: Sure, a good chunk of ‘em are dedicated to healing wounds, though that wouldn’t really matter much when one stray hit basically means instant death for the Rogue-Prince, but it was the ones that inflicted statuses and allowed Leif to get up to all kinds of shenanigans that really matter here!
Wiz: Such as Silence, and Leif’s Nihil skill. While on paper, Link’s arsenal is wildly more expansive with his Fusion and various runes granted by the Sheikah Slate and Zonai Arm, Silence COMPLETELY negates the use of magic, regardless of what tool is used, meaning Link wouldn’t be able to efficiently utilize the most important parts of his arsenal that make him just a massive threat.
Popup: The Master Sword has been stated[2] to be capable of dispelling curses, but the exact function and effectiveness varies from source-to-source; from only dispelling dark-magic, to any spell, or not at all. However, in the Era of the Wild, the canon this particular iteration of Link is drawn from, no such resistance exists, and Link instead utilizes specific armor-sets or cooked meals to dampen the effects of magical attacks from such foes as the Wizzrobe and blasts from elemental-gem-fused weapons – while bearing no resistance whatsoever to the Lost Forest’s sleep-inducing magic fog. This, and the fact that the Master Sword has specific gloom-slaying properties, increasing its power when nearby monsters influenced by Ganondorf’s power implies this particular incarnation is more-so designed to combat dark-magic, while staves in Fire Emblem are primarily Faith or Holy magic, thus making it unlikely for Link to be immune to the staves’ effects.
Boomstick: Leif could even cancel out Link’s pesky tactical advantage with the Berserk staff, essentially turning him into a blood-crazed brute with no regard for his own safety. Bit of a double-edged sword I’d say; goading your significantly-stronger opponent into focusing SOLELY on killing you, but hey! If it works!
Wiz: Leif could teleport himself or Link anywhere he wanted on a whim with the Warp, Rescue, or Rewarp staves, meaning he had an essentially unparalleled control over where their battle would take place! And this was perhaps one of Leif’s biggest advantages!
Boomstick: See, while Link was certainly faster in the reactions department, he mostly relied on his horses or Zonai contraptions to move faster physically. But with the Zonai Arm disabled by Silence rendering him unable to fuse stuff together with Ultrahand, or put ‘em together with Autobuild, AND Leif’s wide array of horse-slaying weapons and long-range magic, he’d essentially be forced to run around just TRYING to keep up, to which…Leif could just teleport again, or even just teleport him!
Wiz: Granted Leif’s staves are limited in their uses, and Link could break them if he managed a hit in, but that’s…actually not that big of an issue. Link’s fastest projectile would have to be the Arrows of Light; light which Leif himself has been capable of dodging in the past, with the added unpredictability of his better movement making long-range HIGHLY disadvantageous for Link.
Popup: Monster-eyeballs fused to arrows could prove a more accurate way of attacking from long-range, however arrow fusions still require the un-impeded use of Link's magic
Boomstick: Meanwhile, Leif’s staves had an unlimited range so long as he could see his opponent, and don’t even follow the traditional speed and reactions formula for accuracy, instead landing more often with a foe’s magic resistance…which basically means Link had no real surefire way to prevent Leif from usin’ ‘em.
Wiz: That’s not entirely true…With Puffshrooms, Link could obscure his position and render Leif unable to target him; though the time afforded by this is still quite limited, since Leif’s Torch staff could still easily expose him again.
Boomstick: And since the sages have to actively be summoned and desummoned by Link via their respective “vow” rings, there’s a good chance that Silence will just remove them as a factor entirely, meaning Link can’t just rely on them to overwhelm Leif with sheer numbers…Huh…Hey, Wiz? Do you think every time he summons a sage, he yells somethin’ like… “SAGE! ENGAGE!!”
Wiz: I…don’t think he yells anything.
Boomstick: …
Wiz: … [Sigh] Yes, I got what you were going for there – the similarity is not lost on me…
Boomstick: Hmph! You can be a real buzzkill sometimes…
Wiz: You’re awfully jovial for someone who was just “sweating from his eyes.”
Boomstick: He’d have wanted me to be happy! But anyway, probably the deadliest staff to Link overall would be the Sleep staff, which…well you can take a guess what THAT one does.
Wiz: While sleep as a status likely isn’t indefinite like it is in Thracia 776, it would at the very least make Link a sitting duck and allow Leif to land any attack he wants.
Boomstick: But Wiz! Isn’t Link like…a BAJILLION-million times more durable? What was the point of any of this if Leif couldn’t even hurt him in the end!
Wiz: Well, that brings us to Leif’s other big advantage being the Luna skill, which with its ability to COMPLETELY negate the defense of foes, actually gives Leif a very solid manner of dealing damage.
Boomstick: Though it’s by no means foolproof. Luna is by its nature not really too reliable, with it only ever activating on a percentage chance, based on Leif’s “Skill” stat.
Wiz: But even that’s not actually quite as damning as it would initially seem. As a fully-trained Master Knight, Leif’s maximum skill rating is 27, meaning in essence, each swing of his weapon has roughly a quarter of a chance to activate it.
Boomstick: So basically, Leif uses Sleep, teleports in, bonks Link over the head, then dies, is that the gist of it? Heheh, no, no, not really. See, that’s a 27% chance it’ll activate every swing, but if you’ll recall…Leif isn’t exactly the type to STOP swinging.
Wiz: With such skills as Adept, Charge, and his three different multi-attack weapons: the Brave Sword, Meisterschwert, and Kingmaker, Leif can attack up to eighty times in one opportunity. While actually ACHIEVING eighty swings is an astronomical improbability, relying on individual chances relating to Charge, even a fraction of this multiplies the chance Leif would be able to deal enough damage to seal the deal before Link can even wake back up.
Boomstick: While 27% is inconsistent by itself, if Leif swings up to, say, ten of those eighty possible swings, the chance of him NOT activating Luna are about 0.55%. And the sleep-spell doesn’t just wear off after you’ve been hit, allowing Leif to just…keep trying!
Wiz: And due to Leif’s ability to capture sleeping enemies, this renders the reviving effect of fairies more of a double-edged sword, since Leif can just take them for himself…as well as a large majority of his other weapons, barring the Master Sword and Bow of Light.
Boomstick: ‘Course none of that quite explains why Link couldn’t simply outpace Leif at the start of the fight, and that’s actually because of Leif’s Vantage skill!
Wiz: The way Vantage works is that no matter whether the user or the foe initiates combat first, the user will ALWAYS get the first action, meaning more often than not, Leif will nearly always have the best odds of turning battle in his favor right from the get-go.
Boomstick: Don’t get it twisted though! Leif may have plenty of tools to keep Link on his feet, but he’s still CONSTANTLY walkin’ on a knife’s edge here. Leif definitely has the advantage in the arsenal and trickery departments, and certainly has the means to end things just as quickly, but that still doesn’t help that one stray bump from Link is all it takes to bring him down.
Wiz: Indeed, and that’s exactly WHY this matchup was so difficult to call. In essence, since either combatant only needs one opportunity to win the battle as a whole, what really matters is who could GET that opportunity first.
Boomstick: It’s that exact one-stroke duel kinda nature that meant the durability of Leif and Link’s weapons, or Link’s recharge time from stuff like the Champion’s techniques weren’t really all that impactful in the end.
Popup: Daruk’s Protection could protect Link from a single physical strike. However, comparing it to the Pavise skill from Fire Emblem, which functions in a similar manner – a skill which staves could ignore, it is unlikely that Daruk’s Protection could protect Link from being afflicted by status-effects.
Wiz: To this end, we decided to look at whether or not Leif would even be likely to use his staves from the beginning.
Boomstick: While Leif is certainly a capable commander in charge of the lives of countless soldiers, he still has a bit of a nasty tendency to think with his sword rather than his head. So you’d think it’s that exact hotheaded nature that’d buy Link the first opportunity?
Wiz: Well…not exactly. As even with Leif’s reckless demeanor, that doesn’t necessarily mean he is any more likely to underestimate his foes.
Boomstick: See, Leif is kinda…ALWAYS fighting a losing battle. His escapades through Thracia had him hidin’ from the law, stealing weapons from captured enemy soldiers, running from battles he couldn’t survive, and generally just doing everything he could to STEAL victory from his foes. He is the textbook definition of an underdog. Guess you could say “this is what he does, EVERY day!”
Wiz: Un…fortunately, that’s actually quite an apt way of putting it. Take for instance, the decisive battle of River Thracia. Leif’s ragtag group of villagers, disgraced knights, prisoners of war, and literal criminals had to seize control of one of the most heavily-fortified fortresses in Munster – where his own grandfather and a platoon of trained knights failed decades prior.
Boomstick: And he wasn’t up against your run-of-the-mill militia either. Actual soldiers, actual battalions, ballistae, a general of Velthomer, and both Reinhardt AND Saias! Both of whom were highly-regarded as veritable gods of the battlefield, with Saias being the most famous tactician in all of Jugdral!
Wiz: Yet, Leif won. He wasn’t stronger, or had the numbers or terrain advantage. One of the main story-telling elements of Fire Emblem’s Jugdral duology is the idea of “story through gameplay.” To this end, the most effective strategies Leif uses are actually the result of his own cunning rather than brute-force.
Boomstick: If he charges ‘cross that bridge armed with a sword and childlike optimism, he dies – simple as that. But the most common strategies people use are to just…NOT fight them at all! Either stand on the other side of the river, battering them with spells, stealing their weapons, employ guerilla tactics, scare Saias into leaving early, and plop a sleeping Reinhardt into the river like a rock.
Wiz: And that’s the difference between them. Link is strong and skilled enough that he never has to fight dirty to win. Usually, his go-to plan of attack is to…well…attack.
Boomstick: That’s not to say he’s INCAPABLE of it! I’ve seen enough boulders Recalled into the heads of overly-persistent Boss Bokoblins to confidently say otherwise – but the point of that whole spiel was to say that Leif doesn’t always just charge right on in without a plan, and he definitely doesn’t just LET people hit ‘im.
Wiz: Though Link HAS faced similarly tricky foes before with the Yiga Clan – who also have a habit of teleporting in and out of sight – the Yiga don’t have NEARLY the sheer amount of utility and ways of messing with Link’s ability to fight back that Leif has.
Boomstick: Plus…the Yiga are kinda…just a little bit…incredibly dumb.
Wiz: And even if Link could land a hit, Leif has a potential safety-net in the form of Bragi’s Blade and its innate Miracle, allowing him to occasionally survive in a pinch. Though unreliable and not guaranteed to occur, it still goes along with the idea that landing a single hit isn’t nearly as simple as drastically overpowering or outspeeding. Both fighters need to form a plan to deal with the other right out of the gate, or they’re both at a heavy disadvantage.
Boomstick: And while Link does have some ways of messing with Leif’s plans as well, his are either completely negated by Silence, or require he already be within swingin’ distance.
Wiz: Really though, it CANNOT be overstated just how close this could end up being – and in very similar situations, either could very easily take the win for themselves. But in the end, Leif just has considerably more options and methods to work around Link’s massive stat-advantage.
Boomstick: If you put any other character from this series against Link – ANYONE who didn’t have the exact weapon-set, array of skills, tactical mindset, and overall absolutely batshit insane unpredictability, it’s basically a guarantee that none of them – not a ONE…would ever have even a shadow of a chance against him! Hell! With the Thief Sword, even the MYSTIC ARMOR, which protects Link from all damage so long as he still had money to bleed, wasn't a surefire way of protecting himself! It SERIOUSLY feels like this guy’s arsenal was specifically made JUST to win this fight!! And! Even! STILL! It’s by…no means…a guarantee…
Wiz: I suppose that just goes to show how skilled they both truly were in the end…So, in conclusion…this was an INCREDIBLY close match. There were certainly not-too-dissimilar situations where either combatant could win, but in the end, Leif’s underhanded fighting style, superior mobility, vast array of weapons and skills, and better ability to adapt to the situation just barely managed to earn him the win.
Boomstick: Only one could Leif the battlefield alive, so call me a Luna-tic and wipe those Tears, because in the end, Link had seen the Light… …Ahh, rest in peace you beautiful fairy-bastard…
Wiz: The Winner is the Sage-Lord, Leif
.png){kind=link}
Next Time on Death Battle...[]
(Cue: "Your Reality")
Chara: "Been disposed of, learned about LOVE..."
Monika: "If I can't hear the sound of your heartbeat"
Chara: "Lights above from stars slowly dying..."
Monika: "What do you call love in your..."
Midseason Finale: Chara vs Monika
"...Reality?"
Trivia[]
- The connections between these two characters are that they were both forced away from their home-kingdoms for years on end, either through being too young to fight, or having been mortally-wounded defending it. In their place, friends and allies gave their lives — their sacrifices being those that they try to honor in the present-day. When at last called to action once more, they aid in the vanquishing of a great evil that would threaten to destroy the entire world (Loptous and Calamity Ganon); armed with a holy blade of light (Bragi's Blade and the Master Sword). Though their greatest connection is the vast array of weapons at their disposal, being known widely for their sheer versatility and proficiency in standard arms, mounted combat, archery, and magic.
- Coincidentally, one of Leif's available swords, the "Meisterschwert," is German for "Master Sword."
- The soundtrack for this battle would be called "Light to Purge the Dark." Referencing the light-based projectiles fired by their most iconic weapons, and their statuses as warriors hell-bent on purging evil from their worlds. It is also a reference to one of the Master Sword's titles, "Blade of Evil's Bane."
- The cover depicts the Master Sword and Light Brand crossing blades. From every corner, differing weapons used by either combatant are directed toward each other: bows, axes, spears, hammers. Link's Hylian Shield takes up a majority of the backdrop, with the Emblem of Genealogy from Fire Emblem Engage engraved on its surface.
- This battle is made in collaboration with SoMaShadow, who wrote Link's analysis, provided counsel on the choreography of the battle itself, and assisted in deciding the verdict.
- Due to the sheer length of the battle, two major scenes ended up having to be scrapped to maintain pacing.
- After bypassing the Mystic Armor, the ensuing fight was originally longer, in which Leif puts Link to sleep via the Sleep Staff. While asleep, Leif would "Capture" Link, stealing a large number of his weapons, and causing the reviving fairies to escape, removing them for the duration of the battle. This was kept in some degree, with Leif still stealing the Fierce Deity Sword.
- During the mounted chase-sequence, the pair were originally halted by the Deya Lake river – flooded due to Leif's use of the Bolting spell. Link was to attempt to build a bridge, containing random junk such as tree-logs, rocks, crates, stakes, and a single Korok who "needs to reach his friend."
- Leif was originally intended to eat the bananas given to him by the Yiga Clan assassins while fighting. This was scrapped simply due to me not wanting to drag that scene on too long.
- The battle itself was made in dedication to a friend of mine – a fan of both series, who has supported me throughout the making my past few episodes, and has really helped me a lot...So, thank you. ^-^