Chapter Summaries

Dante and Nero fought the Genesis and Angeal replicas while all four plunged toward the ground. With the replicas keeping them from steadying themselves and their fall accelerating, Nero boosted Scarlet Queen to its third gear and struck at Angeal's replica.

• Dante and Nero spotted the Genesis and Angeal replicas diving toward them and prepared to fight as they fell.
• The Genesis replica charged Dante with his greatsword while Angeal's replica appeared beside Nero and swung at his waist.
• Dante fired Ebony and Ivory, disrupting the Genesis replica and forcing him to retreat, while Nero fought Angeal's replica at close range.
• Dante warned Nero that they were nearing the ground and could not adjust their fall under the replicas' attacks.
• Nero revved Scarlet Queen to its third gear, accelerated toward Angeal's replica, and brought his sword down on him.

Dante and Nero defeated Angeal's and Genesis's clones with coordinated attacks, while the wounded Genesis survived his fall. Dante urged the group to leave before Shinra arrived, and the defeated clones began to dissipate as their Jenova Cells lost vitality.

• Nero attacked Angeal's clone, and Dante's explosive gunfire disrupted its attempt to dodge and helped send it crashing into a rock.
• Dante shot Genesis's clone with Explosive Bullets, leaving it badly wounded before it fell into a crater.
• Dante blew apart Angeal's clone's head, then killed Genesis's clone with another shot.
• Genesis limped out after surviving his fall, and Dante urged everyone to leave before Shinra sent people.
• Dante saw the two clones' bodies begin to dissipate as their Jenova Cells lost vitality.

Emperor Company began injecting Genesis with the Emperor Virus to save him from his deteriorating Jenova Cells, but the cells awakened and clashed violently with the virus. Genesis opened his eyes as his body began to deform, leaving the experiment's outcome uncertain.

• Emperor Company examined Genesis and found that his Jenova Cells were rapidly necrosing and endangering his life.
• After Genesis broke with Shinra Company, Emperor Company prepared him for implantation of the Emperor Virus.
• Genesis agreed to the treatment, and researchers injected him with measured doses of the virus.
• The Emperor Virus and the awakened Jenova Cells fought inside Genesis, causing his body to tremble and change color.
• Genesis opened his eyes as his flesh and tissue visibly began to deform.

Genesis endured a deadly conflict between the Emperor Virus and Jenova Cells as the medical team struggled to keep him alive. After hours of gene editing, they stabilized the cells’ symbiotic state, and Genesis’s vital signs returned to normal.

• Genesis suffered excruciating pain as the Emperor Virus and Jenova Cells fought for dominance inside his body.
• The chief doctor identified a repulsion reaction, but told Dante and Nero that stopping the experiment would leave Genesis with no hope.
• The medical team adjusted the virus injections and Genesis’s cellular environment, but his condition continued to worsen.
• The chief doctor proposed using Gene Editing Technology to balance the Emperor Virus and Jenova Cells.
• After several hours of gene editing, the team stabilized the cells, and Genesis stopped convulsing as his breathing and heartbeat returned to normal.

After Dr. Hollander defected from Shinra Company and handed Clone Technology to Emperor Company, Shinra's leaders planned a mission to recover the stolen secrets. They selected Sephiroth and Chang Wei to lead an elite team of Special Forces clones against Emperor Company.

• Sephiroth noticed secretive meetings at Shinra Company and told Chang Wei, who dismissed the company's affairs as irrelevant.
• Chang Wei, Sephiroth, and Cloud were eating together when news broke that Dr. Hollander had defected from Shinra Company.
• Dr. Hollander leaked Clone Technology to Emperor Company and agreed to help it build an army to challenge Shinra.
• Shinra's senior leaders met to plan a mission to find Dr. Hollander and recover the Clone Technology secrets.
• The leaders chose Sephiroth and Chang Wei to spearhead the operation with Shinra's Special Forces clones.

Shinra Company launched an operation against Emperor Company, but Genesis's clone attacked Shinra before the mission could begin. Chang Wei fought the clone at the building entrance and faced a newly awakened black wing.

• The Shinra President ordered Sephiroth and Chang Wei to lead clone troops against Emperor Company.
• An explosion and alarms erupted at Shinra Company, and the commander sent Sephiroth to protect the president and Chang Wei to the entrance.
• Genesis's clone seized a large Shinra weapon and attacked the troops, prompting Chang Wei to confront it with Azure Empress.
• Dr. Hojo and the Shinra President suspected Emperor Company had produced the Genesis clone, while Chang Wei recognized Holland had made it before leaving Shinra.
• Genesis's clone sprouted a massive black wing and lunged at Chang Wei, who evaded its strike.

Chang Wei and Sephiroth fought Genesis clones across Midgar, with Chang Wei swiftly destroying the threats he encountered. After Sephiroth reported trouble at the Fifth Mako Reactor, Chang Wei complained while Sephiroth offered to handle it.

• Chang Wei destroyed his clone with a single strike, and Sephiroth confirmed that Zack, Cloud, and Angeal were guarding the president and the others.
• Chang Wei and Sephiroth went to Fountain Plaza, where Genesis clones were overwhelming the Turks.
• Chang Wei rescued Sisney by defeating the Genesis clone attacking her, then left before she could thank him.
• Chang Wei cut down more inferior clones as Sephiroth cleared another area.
• Sephiroth reported that Angeal's clone was causing trouble at the Fifth Mako Reactor and offered to handle it without Chang Wei.

Chang Wei and Sephiroth discovered that Shinra Company had created monsters bearing Angeal’s face and uncovered files about Project Cetra and Project G. After returning, they learned Angeal had disappeared, while Dr. Hollander encountered Genesis at Emperor Company and demanded to know how they had solved degeneration.

• Chang Wei and Sephiroth found Angeal-faced monsters in Hollander’s Secret Research Laboratory and reported the clones to Shinra Company.
• Sephiroth read files on Project Cetra and Project G, learning about Shinra’s experiments with Cetra cells and Genesis’s unusual origins.
• A Shinra team took the clones for research, and Sephiroth decided to keep investigating the secrets behind the projects.
• Sephiroth and Chang Wei learned that Angeal had gone missing after investigating the creatures bearing his face.
• Shinra Company abandoned its plan to use the clones and chose to compete with Emperor Company in clone production.
• Dr. Hollander saw Genesis at Emperor Company, and Genesis asked whether Hollander had made his clone while Hollander demanded to know how they had solved degeneration.

Chang Wei unleashed Genesis and Angeal replicas, escalating Shinra Company’s crisis as it fought monsters near its Mako Reactors. Angeal reunited with Genesis and pressed him for the truth about the replicas, learning that the Jenova Project had caused them.

• Dr. Hollander was placed under house arrest by Emperor Company, whose people mistakenly believed he was producing replicas for them.
• Angeal replicas appeared as monsters near Mako Reactors, prompting Shinra Company to concentrate its forces and deploy automated combat robots.
• Chang Wei released Genesis and Angeal replicas, worsening the chaos and intensifying Shinra Company’s troubles.
• Angeal encountered Genesis while investigating the truth, but questioned whether he was the real Genesis or a replica.
• Genesis recited LOVELESS after Angeal challenged his identity, then told him that the Jenova Project had caused the replicas.

Genesis explained the Jenova Project and revealed that Angeal and he were products of Jenova Project G, while Sephiroth was created by Project S. Genesis told Angeal that the Emperor Virus had removed his Jenova Cells and offered him the same possibility, leaving Angeal willing to cooperate but wary of the virus’s risks.

• Genesis explained that Jenova Project G created Angeal and him, while Jenova Project S produced Sephiroth.
• Genesis described Jenova as an alien life form whose cells Shinra used in experiments to create powerful warriors.
• Angeal despaired at learning he was a monster, but Genesis told him he could become human.
• Genesis revealed that the Emperor Virus had removed his Jenova Cells and made him a Super Soldier, then offered Angeal the chance to undergo the process.
• Angeal agreed to cooperate with Emperor Company but questioned whether the virus could truly grant immortality and what side effects it might cause.

Genesis persuaded Angeal to join Emperor Company and seek revenge on Shinra, while Shinra dispatched Cloud and Zack to handle unrest caused by Mako Reactor accidents. The chapter ended with Lazard considering Emperor Company amid Shinra’s crisis, while secretly harboring hatred for Shinra.

• Genesis told Angeal that his white wing was a mark of Jenova, and Angeal left with him for Emperor Company.
• Shinra assigned Cloud and Zack to suppress civilians and monsters in regions destabilized by Mako Reactor accidents.
• Zack met Sisney while she was protecting Aerith, and Sisney said she wanted to thank Chang Wei for saving her life.
• Zack told Sisney that Chang Wei was protecting Shinra’s upper ranks and suspected Sisney was interested in him.
• Lazard reflected on Emperor Company and Shinra’s turmoil while secretly seeking revenge on Shinra for abandoning his mother.

Lazard sought Emperor Company's help to destroy Shinra Company's Clone Soldiers, and Chang Wei assigned Genesis and Angeal to assist him. At Emperor Company, Dante warned Angeal that his Jenova Cells were integrated into his body, making the effects of the Emperor Virus uncertain.

• Lazard stayed with Shinra Company and planned to destroy its Clone Soldiers, then asked Emperor Company to cooperate.
• Emperor Company agreed to help Lazard on the condition that it send someone to supervise and take part.
• Chang Wei assigned Genesis and Angeal to the mission, hoping their actions would lead Sephiroth to question Shinra Company.
• Genesis and Angeal arrived at Emperor Company and asked Dante for the strength to fight Shinra Company.
• Dante examined Angeal and explained that his Jenova Cells had likely been part of his body since before birth, so Genesis's successful treatment might not work for him.

Angeal agreed to destroy Shinra’s Clone Soldiers in exchange for Dante’s help becoming human again. He and Genesis returned to Shinra City and considered recruiting Sephiroth, who found them waiting in his room.

• Angeal agreed to risk his life to become human again, but Dante refused to waste the Emperor Virus on him.
• Dante offered to help Angeal if he and Genesis cooperated with Lazard to destroy Shinra’s Clone Soldiers and give Emperor Company a chance to defeat Shinra.
• Angeal accepted Dante’s demand, and Genesis suggested persuading Sephiroth to join them because they were all products of the Jenova Project.
• Angeal and Genesis returned to Shinra City, where Sephiroth found them in his room after Genesis had been declared a traitor for attacking a Mako Reactor.

Genesis and Angeal told Sephiroth that he was created through Shinra’s Jenova Project and was a monster, but Sephiroth rejected their claims and left to seek answers for himself. He went to find Chang Wei for support, only to discover him finishing an affectionate hour-long phone call with Tifa.

• Genesis told Sephiroth that Jenova was an ancient monster and that Shinra had used her cells in the Jenova Project to create him.
• Sephiroth knocked Genesis’s apple to the floor, dismissed the revelation as meaningless, and left while Genesis watched him begin to waver.
• Sephiroth fled his room and decided Chang Wei was the only friend he could confide in.
• Sephiroth found Chang Wei talking affectionately with Tifa on the phone and listened outside for an hour.
• Chang Wei ended the call, noticed Sephiroth, and called out to him.

Sephiroth told Chang Wei that Genesis and Angeal had made him doubt his identity by claiming he was a created monster. With Chang Wei's support, Sephiroth resolved to find the truth and began investigating the Jenova Project, tracing it to Nibelheim.

• Sephiroth teased Chang Wei about overhearing his private conversation and said he had found it interesting.
• Chang Wei encouraged Sephiroth to seek a romantic partner, but Sephiroth admitted he had never considered it.
• Sephiroth told Chang Wei that Genesis and Angeal had called him a created monster and that he was unsure whom to believe.
• Chang Wei reassured Sephiroth that his identity would not change their friendship and promised to support him.
• Sephiroth decided to investigate the Jenova Project and discovered that it had been carried out in Nibelheim.

Sephiroth returned to Nibelheim with Chang Wei to investigate the origins of the Jenova Project, while Genesis and Angeal saw their departure as an opportunity to pursue their plan against Shinra. Inside the Mako Reactor, Sephiroth suffered a painful memory and discovered that the monstrous creatures in its pods were incomplete and could never become whole.

• Sephiroth told Chang Wei he wanted to return to Nibelheim, and Chang Wei agreed to face the truth with him, even if they had to abandon Shinra.
• Sephiroth and Chang Wei left without notifying Shinra's executives, giving Genesis and Angeal a chance to advance their plan against the company.
• In Nibelheim, Chang Wei reunited with Tifa, and the two spent the night together before Chang Wei and Sephiroth set out for the Mako Reactor the next morning.
• Chang Wei and Sephiroth found rows of grotesque creatures in Cultivation Pods and discussed how their Mako exposure differed from that of ordinary SOLDIERs.
• Sephiroth clutched his head in pain, shut off a pod's valve, and explained that the creatures were still growing but could never become complete organisms.

Sephiroth and Chang Wei found JENOVA in a Cultivation Pod, and Sephiroth learned that he had been created by the Alien Lifeform. He accepted his origins but resolved to define himself and uncover the full truth, with Chang Wei promising to stay by his side.

• Sephiroth admitted that he feared he might be a monster and resolved to discover what he was.
• Sephiroth and Chang Wei reached the locked iron door marked JENOVA, and Sephiroth cut through its lock.
• Sephiroth removed the mask from the figure in the Cultivation Pod and saw the woman he recognized as his mother.
• Sephiroth realized that JENOVA had created him, felt relieved to know his roots, and declared he would choose his own path.
• Sephiroth vowed to investigate JENOVA further, and Chang Wei promised to accompany him.

Chang Wei and Sephiroth searched Shinra Mansion’s underground archives and uncovered the truth about the Jenova Project and Sephiroth’s origins. Shocked to learn he was created through the project and was not human, Sephiroth resolved to accept the truth and find his own path.

• Chang Wei and Sephiroth left the laboratory and explored a hidden passage beneath Shinra Mansion.
• Sephiroth found Dr. Gast’s notes in the underground archives and grieved that Gast had died without telling him the truth.
• After searching through the night, Chang Wei and Sephiroth discovered that Jenova had been mistaken for a Cetra and that Sephiroth was a product of the Jenova Project.
• Chang Wei comforted Sephiroth and urged him to face reality rather than see himself as a monster.
• Sephiroth accepted that he had to confront the truth and said he would find his own path.

Sephiroth chose to end Shinra Company and protect the people and home he had come to care about. After joining Genesis and Angeal in the assault on Shinra headquarters, he and Chang Wei helped seize it.

• Sephiroth told Chang Wei he would put an end to Shinra Company, and Chang Wei agreed to stand with him.
• Sephiroth and Chang Wei returned to Nibelheim, where Sephiroth resolved to protect the village and its people.
• The next morning, they learned that Genesis and Angeal had attacked Shinra Company with Emperor Company's Super Soldiers and that Director Lazard had destroyed Shinra's Clone Soldiers Legion.
• Sephiroth and Chang Wei hurried to Shinra headquarters and joined Genesis and Angeal in battle against Shinra's soldiers.
• Sephiroth, Chang Wei, Genesis, and Angeal drove back the soldiers and seized Shinra headquarters.

Zack and Cloud confronted Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, and Chang Wei after they turned against Shinra, and both were brought over to their side. Dr. Hojo revealed that Shinra had prepared for their betrayal, and Clone Soldiers emerged atop Shinra Tower, including a Sephiroth clone with a black wing.

• Zack and Cloud demanded to know why Sephiroth and Chang Wei had betrayed Shinra, and Sephiroth explained that Shinra’s greed had brought the world to ruin.
• Angeal and Genesis urged Zack and Cloud to face Shinra’s crimes and join them, while Chang Wei appealed to Cloud to stand with them for their hometown and innocent people.
• Cloud joined Sephiroth’s side, and Angeal pulled the conflicted Zack over to their group.
• The Shinra President grew furious at the SOLDIERs’ betrayal, but Dr. Hojo said he had prepared for it and that Shinra’s plan had reached its final stage.
• Clone Soldiers appeared atop Shinra Tower, and Sephiroth noticed that one of them resembled him and had a black wing.