Excerpt:

After jumping back to his feet, Cloud dashed forward for a second before yelling and slamming his sword down upon the floor. A wave of bright reddish energy went flying from the point where the sword hit the ground; though Lexaeus braced himself for the attack, he was still pushed backward several feet before the shockwave's energy dissipated, his boots leaving behind deep scrapes in the stone.

"Interesting," the large man said. "The Cloud from my universe never used an attack like that."

"The Cloud from... what? You mean there's another version of me somewhere?"

"Yes."

He raised his weapon and pointed it at the spiky-haired man before continuing.

"And, although I believe my universe's Cloud may have more raw strength and speed... you are a far more skilled fighter."

The entire arena began to rattle as Lexaeus unleashed more and more of his power. A faint aura of reddish-orange flames began to flicker up around him, and loose bricks fell from the sides of the platform, clattering onto the packed-down sand below.

"Be proud, Cloud Strife. You have proven yourself worthy of facing my full strength."