Chapter Summaries

Vergil and Sephiroth fought an exhausting duel until Chang Wei intervened with Great Dark Heaven—Dark Heaven Wave Eye, striking Vergil in the darkness. Sephiroth tried to finish Vergil, but Vergil blocked his blade and told Dante to go.

• Vergil unleashed Dimension Slashes, forcing Sephiroth to evade and counter as both fighters’ strength and stamina waned.
• Vergil vanished and attacked Sephiroth with a deep blue spatial blade strike that Sephiroth could not avoid.
• Chang Wei plunged the battlefield into darkness and summoned red glowing eyes with Great Dark Heaven—Dark Heaven Wave Eye.
• The glowing eyes struck Vergil and blasted apart the surrounding area, allowing Sephiroth to rush in with a fatal strike.
• Vergil blocked Sephiroth’s blade with another spatial slash, and Dante charged toward him through the darkness as Vergil told him to go.

Vergil and Dante withdrew after the battle, while Emperor Company’s assault won it fame and drew interest from Shinra’s opponents. At Shinra headquarters, executives questioned Sephiroth’s defeat and ordered an investigation into Emperor Company’s technology and stronger biological weapons.

• Vergil used his Spatial Displacement Ability to leave the battlefield with Dante as the Emperor Super Soldiers retreated according to plan.
• Chang Wei’s battle strategy raised his and Sephiroth’s standing, and forces including Wutai Nation began contacting Emperor Company about resisting Shinra.
• Shinra Company strengthened its security and defenses and increased its focus on training Special Forces.
• The Shinra President confronted Dr. Hojo after footage showed Vergil fighting Sephiroth to a standstill, and Hojo admitted he could not explain Vergil’s strength.
• Shinra executives debated whether Emperor Company had discovered Jenova and Cetra technology, and the Shinra President ordered Hojo to find the Jenova Cells’ weakness or develop stronger biological weapons.

Dr. Hojo considered stealing Emperor Company's Super Soldier technology as Shinra Company's attempts to infiltrate Emperor City repeatedly failed. Meanwhile, Genesis asked Chang Wei to fight, suspecting that his body was beginning to degenerate.

• Dr. Hojo weighed the risks of capturing an Emperor Super Soldier to study Emperor Company's technology.
• Shinra Company's Special Forces failed to infiltrate Emperor City, where surveillance drones, armed vehicles, and Emperor Super Soldiers defeated them.
• Chang Wei recognized signs of degeneration in Genesis after his injuries from fighting Vergil and Dante.
• Genesis asked Chang Wei to fight so he could test whether his abilities had begun to weaken.

After Shinra’s Enhancement Experiment gave Zack a powerful symbiosis with Jenova Cells, Chang Wei invited him to test his strength against Genesis. Zack overwhelmed Genesis in their duel, while Angeal noticed something was wrong with Genesis’s condition.

• Shinra’s leadership refused to let Chang Wei undergo Dr. Hojo’s experiment, so Hojo injected Zack with Jenova Cells instead.
• Zack’s Jenova Cells developed a degree of coexistence with him, causing his strength to surpass Genesis and Angeal’s.
• Chang Wei stopped his duel with Genesis and asked Zack to test his enhanced strength against him.
• Zack blocked Genesis’s attacks and countered with increasing ease, eventually gaining the upper hand.
• Angeal watched the duel and sensed that something was wrong with Genesis.

Zack defeated Genesis in their sword fight, proving his strength after the Enhancement Experiment and earning praise from Chang Wei and Angeal. Genesis left the Medical Room wounded and alone, consumed by resentment and uncertainty about his defeat.

• Zack found an opening and struck Genesis in the chest, leaving him wounded and unable to continue the fight.
• Zack realized he had won, and Chang Wei praised his performance.
• Angeal offered to tend to Genesis's wound, but Genesis rejected his help and walked away after Chang Wei tried to calm him.
• Angeal credited the Enhancement Experiment for Zack's improvement, and Zack thanked him for his support.
• Genesis wandered into a secluded corner, brooding over his loss and wondering how to face the reality of his defeat.

After Zack’s transformation left Genesis shaken, he sought the Enhancement Experiment to regain his strength, but Dr. Hojo declared his physique unsuitable. Dr. Hojo then considered injecting Genesis with Sephiroth’s Jenova Cells to slow his degradation and perhaps restore him.

• Angeal found Genesis, urged him to accept his failure, and offered to help, but Genesis chose to be alone.
• Genesis recalled Zack’s dramatic increase in strength and decided the Enhancement Experiment was his only hope of regaining power.
• Dr. Hojo refused Genesis’s request, explaining that his physique was unsuitable and the experiment remained unstable.
• Genesis argued with Dr. Hojo, then left the laboratory feeling defeated.
• Dr. Hojo studied the Jenova Cells and considered injecting them into Genesis to slow his degradation and possibly restore him.

Dr. Hojo decided Genesis was expendable after Zack proved the Sephiroth Transcendence Project could work. Sephiroth reunited Chang Wei with Cloud, and the two recommended Cloud for the Enhancement Experiment, which Dr. Hojo accepted as a chance to test purified Sephiroth Cells.

• Dr. Hojo concluded he no longer needed to preserve Genesis and could use copies as weapons of war.
• Sephiroth brought Chang Wei to his room, where Chang Wei was surprised to find Cloud.
• Sephiroth told Cloud that he had visited his hometown and that Claudia was worried about him.
• Chang Wei learned Cloud was still a Shinra Soldier and offered to recommend him for the Enhancement Experiment.
• Sephiroth agreed to recommend Cloud, and Chang Wei brought him to Dr. Hojo.
• Dr. Hojo accepted the recommendation and planned to use untested purified Sephiroth Cells on Cloud.

Dr. Hojo asked Chang Wei to undergo the Enhancement Experiment, but Chang Wei refused, saying he was already strong enough. Cloud emerged from Mako Immersion and Jenova Cell treatment conscious and vastly stronger, was welcomed into 1st Special Forces, and received a sword from Chang Wei.

• Dr. Hojo tried to persuade Chang Wei to undergo the Enhancement Experiment, but Chang Wei refused, and Sephiroth told him he did not need to worry about his feelings.
• Dr. Hojo treated Cloud with Jenova Cells and Mako Immersion; Cloud emerged conscious and with dramatically increased strength.
• Sephiroth congratulated Cloud on becoming a 1st Special Forces soldier, and Cloud thanked him for his guidance.
• Chang Wei gave Cloud an enormous sword as a promotion gift, and Cloud promised to use it well.
• Zack welcomed Cloud to 1st Special Forces, while Cloud regarded Zack as an idol and felt jealousy toward Chang Wei.

Cloud reflected on his determination to surpass Chang Wei, then sparred with Zack to test his newly enhanced strength. Cloud adapted to Zack’s powered Roaring Claymore and drove him back, ending the chapter with Cloud thrusting toward Zack’s vital point.

• Cloud resolved to focus on improving himself rather than dwelling on comparisons with Chang Wei.
• Zack invited Cloud to spar so he could test his strength, and Cloud accepted.
• Zack activated the Roaring Claymore while Cloud drew the massive sword Chang Wei had given him.
• Cloud and Zack clashed, with Zack’s weapon initially overpowering Cloud’s sword.
• Cloud adapted to Zack’s attacks, blocked the Roaring Claymore, and forced Zack back before thrusting toward his vital point.

Zack defeated Cloud in their battlefield duel, then joined Chang Wei, Sephiroth, Angeal, and Cloud for a celebratory dinner paid for by Sephiroth. Over dinner, Zack told Cloud about Shinra's weapons reforms and the powerful Mako-powered Roaring Claymore.

• Zack found an opening in Cloud's defense, knocked his sword away, and defeated him.
• Zack praised Cloud's strength and talent, and Angeal encouraged him to keep training.
• Chang Wei revealed that he had bet on Zack to win against Sephiroth, who agreed to pay for dinner.
• Zack invited Cloud, Angeal, and Sephiroth to an upscale restaurant in Shinra City to celebrate.
• Zack told Cloud about Shinra's weapons-development reforms and explained that the Roaring Claymore was a powerful Mako weapon coveted by Special Forces soldiers.

Genesis felt increasingly pressured by Zack and Cloud’s Enhancement Experiment results and his own declining health, so he considered leaving Shinra Company for Emperor Company. He worried that his departure would harm Angeal’s standing, leaving him unable to decide what to do.

• The chapter described the Roaring Claymore’s power settings and the risks of using its second setting.
• Rumors spread within Shinra Company that its Mako weapons had been copied from Emperor Company’s Divine Light Weapons, and management arrested employees who repeated them.
• Genesis watched Zack and Cloud gain great power through the Enhancement Experiment and feared he had fallen behind.
• As his health continued to worsen, Genesis considered joining Emperor Company in search of attention and treatment.
• Genesis worried that leaving Shinra Company would damage Angeal’s position and began searching for a choice that would protect his friend.

Genesis decided to join Emperor Company to pursue his own future and find treatment for his deteriorating health. Dante welcomed him and brought him to the company’s Medical Room, where Genesis met Nero Sparda.

• Genesis sought Angeal’s advice, realized he needed to choose for himself, and decided to join Emperor Company.
• Emperor Company accepted Genesis despite his poor physical condition, and Dante personally came to welcome him.
• Genesis asked whether the company could cure him, and Dante promised to help while warning that treatment would take time.
• Dante led Genesis into Emperor City and the company’s Medical Room for a physical examination.
• Dante introduced Nero Sparda as Vergil’s son and Emperor Company’s No. 3, surprising Genesis.

Nero took Genesis to the Emperor Company's laboratory for a physical examination and discovered that his condition was worse than expected. When Nero revealed that Genesis had been implanted with Shinra Company's Jenova Cells, Genesis rejected the claim and questioned his past.

• Dante asked Nero to take Genesis for an examination because Dante had to deal with a large number of monsters.
• Nero brought Genesis to the Emperor Company's laboratory, where researchers conducted a full-body scan.
• Nero told Genesis that Jenova Cells inside his body had multiplied without fusing, then died and released toxins that severely damaged him.
• Nero explained that Shinra Company had used Jenova Cells in secret experiments to create Super Soldiers, and that many subjects had died.
• Genesis rose in anger and denied that Shinra Company could have experimented on him since childhood.

Nero explained that Jenova Cells were destroying Genesis’s body and outlined two possible ways to save him. Genesis chose to risk implanting Emperor Company's Emperor Virus.

• Nero told Genesis that necrotizing Jenova Cells were releasing toxins, damaging his body, and weakening his immune system.
• Nero said Genesis could try to replenish his cells by devouring Jenova Cells, but warned that Sephiroth’s and Angeal’s cells could cause a fatal rejection reaction.
• Nero offered Emperor Company's Emperor Virus as a second option, explaining that it could repair tissue and potentially suppress Jenova Cells, though its compatibility with them was unknown.
• Nero explained that the Emperor Virus was a bioengineered product inherited by him from his father and that the Emperor Twins had undergone implantation experiments.
• Genesis decided to try implanting the Emperor Virus.

Genesis sought the Emperor Virus to free himself from the Jenova Cells, and Emperor Company eventually agreed to consider his request if he proved his loyalty by attacking Shinra Company. Divine Light Irradiation began restoring his weakened body and suppressing the Jenova Cells, preparing him for the mission.

• Emperor Company initially refused Genesis's request because it feared the risks of implanting the precious Emperor Virus in an untrusted former Shinra member.
• Nero explained that combining the Emperor Virus with Jenova Cells could kill Genesis or create a dangerous, uncontrollable monster, but Genesis insisted he was willing to risk it.
• Nero agreed to report Genesis's request to Emperor Company's higher-ups, who later decided to give him a chance.
• Dante told Genesis that he had to prove his loyalty by attacking Shinra Company's Mako Reactors and soldiers in the Wutai region.
• Dante explained that Divine Light Irradiation could repair Genesis's body and suppress his Jenova Cells, and Emperor Company began irradiating him.

Genesis recovered temporarily through Emperor Company’s Divine Light Irradiation, then went to Wutai and attacked Shinra Company. There, he encountered Shinra’s clones of himself and Angeal as Chang Wei learned the mission rewards for killing them.

• Dante explained that Divine Light Irradiation only temporarily suppressed Genesis’s Jenova Cells, and Genesis trained before heading to Wutai.
• Shinra Company dismissed Genesis’s disappearance after Dr. Hojo revealed the Genesis clones, while Angeal worried about his friend.
• Shinra’s leaders sent clones of Genesis, Zack, Angeal, and Cloud to Wutai to test their combat potential.
• Genesis destroyed Wutai’s Mako Reactor and killed Shinra Soldiers, seeking revenge and hoping to bring Angeal to Emperor Company.
• Genesis approached Angeal, but Angeal’s clone treated him as an enemy, and the other clones appeared.
• Genesis realized Shinra Company had cloned him and Angeal, while Chang Wei received a prompt listing rewards for killing the clones.

Genesis fought two powerful Shinra replicas of himself and Angeal, whose black and white wings and second-gear Mako Engine Greatswords overwhelmed him. Despite losing his Red Sword briefly and suffering serious injuries, he recovered it and continued resisting as the replicas pressed their attack.

• Genesis was struck down by his black-winged replica, while Angeal's replica transformed into a white-winged Angel.
• Genesis discovered that both replicas wielded second-gear Mako Engine Greatswords and struggled to defend himself without worsening his Jenova-induced degradation.
• Genesis's replica knocked the Red Sword from his grasp, and Angeal's replica struck him down with a powerful blow.
• Genesis retrieved his Red Sword and renewed his resolve to protect those who depended on him.
• The replicas attacked together, and Genesis continued clashing with them as their increasingly fierce assault left him barely able to fight back.

Genesis was defeated by a clone soldier, while Dr. Hojo presented Shinra Company's executives with the clones' enhanced abilities and replaceable lifespans. The Shinra President approved a plan to produce a combat-ready batch in about a month to destroy Emperor Company.

• Genesis fought the clone until it wounded him, overwhelmed him, and knocked him unconscious.
• Two clones announced that Genesis had been eliminated and began the recovery procedure as his consciousness faded.
• Dr. Hojo told Shinra Company's executives that clones could reproduce their originals' peak condition and be replaced as their lifespans declined.
• Dr. Hojo dismissed the originals as tools for creating clones and claimed that even Sephiroth and Chang Wei were replaceable.
• The Shinra President asked how long clone soldiers would take to produce, and Dr. Hojo estimated about one month.
• The Shinra President approved Dr. Hojo's work and said the Clone Soldiers could help Shinra Company annihilate Emperor Company.

Dante and Nero rescued Genesis from a Shinra aircraft, but Genesis's clone and Angeal's clone attacked them. Their battle damaged a critical component, leaving them fighting to escape as the aircraft lost control.

• Dante and Nero broke into the aircraft and rescued Genesis, explaining that they had been monitoring him.
• Genesis's clone and Angeal's clone arrived and identified Dante as a target to eliminate.
• Dante and Nero fought the clones in the cramped aircraft as it shook under the battle.
• Dante and Genesis's clone damaged a critical aircraft component, causing the aircraft to lose control.
• Dante knocked the clone's weapon away while Nero moved toward the exit, but the clones pursued them and forced them to keep fighting.

Genesis watched Dante and Nero battle his and Angeal's clones inside the aircraft as the clones' enhanced regeneration made them difficult to defeat. The aircraft exploded, throwing Dante and Nero high into the sky, where they struggled to keep hold of nearby fixed objects and withstand the shockwave.

• Dante and Nero fought the clones, landing fatal strikes as the wounded clones rapidly regenerated and attacked more frantically.
• A violent tremor shook the aircraft, and Dante and Nero turned toward the exit while the clones pressed their attack.
• Dante and Nero fought side by side through fire and flying debris as the aircraft began to collapse around them.
• The aircraft exploded and hurled Dante and Nero into the sky among flames and fragments.
• Dante and Nero grabbed nearby fixed objects and fought to steady themselves against the explosion's shockwave.