After his first appearance on the competitive world stage, Haruka is held captive by the swimming of the unmistakable champion, Albert, and feels like he's lost his way. With the current state of things, his swimming and what the water means to him are called into question. Haruka begins to sink to the bottom of the murky water as he struggles on his own. Pushed on by a restless urge in his heart, Haruka purposefully puts himself through a rigorous and intensive training regiment, relentlessly devoting himself to practice. In his heart, Haruka knows that he's pushing himself beyond his limits both physically and mentally. His friends can do nothing but watch over and have faith in him. Memories of Albert's cold, dry swimming keep replaying in his mind. I have to get faster, I have to become stronger. I have to compete against Albert again. Haruka unleashes his stroke to cut through the heavy, indifferent water. His friends draw closer to watch. What scenery will Haruka see at the end of this struggle＊──!

With reports of monsters terrorizing the reactor at Mount Nibel, the Shinra Electric Power Company dispatches their elite fighting force SOLDIER to investigate. Accompanied by fellow SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair and a small contingent of company guards, the war hero Sephiroth is to assess the condition of the Mako reactor at the behest of the company. In Nibelheim, the village that the reactor powers, Sephiroth discovers the source of the monsters and the origins of Shinra's legendary Jenova Project. Running through the woods months later, Zack is no longer the hero he once dreamt of becoming. He flees from the General Affairs Department of the Shinra Electric Power Company, better known as the Turks, who desperately seek to bury the evidence living within the two.

Yuki Kano has it all: fame, wealth, the world at her feet. There's also something very wrong with her... from time to time, she's totally unable to sing (which, for a pop star, is not good). Enter Bosujima, a "psycho diver" with the capability to enter people's heads and straighten out what's wrong with them. Well, most of the time, anyway.

Despite the Ends’ attack on Verlina being successfully repelled, the war has not yet ended. With the monster armies regrouping, the Black King tightens his grasp on the already conquered territory. New conflicts erupt all across Orte, as its remaining forces struggle to retain control over long-oppressed demi-human races. While Ends grow more potent each day, Toyohisa Shimazu remains unconscious after heavy injuries suffered during the Battle of Verlina. Facing enemies on every side, humanity’s fate is still on a knife's edge.