Blood will be shed.
The thing that hit most was the utter silence.
Rain scattered and dropped on concrete, blades and skin. Thetis and Neo's hair was hit with the droplets, messing and wetting their manes. Team RWBY and JNPR had all backed off into any cover under stores and roofs. Pyrrha was on the ready to charge out at any second on command.
The two women were waiting for the other to make their first moves. Neo felt as if she had enough to use just the last of her disappearing act, which not even Winter Schnee could dodge. Thetis had a feeling that would be Neo's next move, so she waited patiently.
After it was drained, Neo's invisibility took time to charge back up. Once she used the rest of it, she planned to keep Thetis busy by staying on the defense, before using it again and finishing the red haired Huntress off. Neo started moving in a circle, and Thetis took her weapon out of the concrete, staying opposite of Neo as she moved in that circle. Neo attempted to intimidate Thetis by summoning the blade from the tip of her umbrella and scraping it along the ground, creating a sick screeching sound.
Thetis tightened the grip on her blade, and held her positioning, causing Neo to freeze as well. She grinned at Thetis, pointing the umbrella at Thetis. Then, Neo suddenly disappeared. Pyrrha's breath went cold as Neo vanished. That move is what got to Winter… Mom needs to be careful. Neo cannot start her flurry of attacks, or it's over.
Thetis closed her eyes, standing still, much to the confusion of the two teams. She breathed slowly, letting her hearing take over her body. Weiss looked away, not wanting to see another victim to this attack. Ruby looked over to the white haired girl, and wrapped an arm around her.
"Weiss…" Ruby whispered. She looked up to Ruby as the red girl placed a kiss on her forehead. "Winter will be alright. I'm so, so sorry about what happened to her, but you need to look at me and breathe. Just keep saying it to yourself, that she'll be alright. You might be needed later, so you just need to stay calm, okay?"
Weiss muttered the words to herself over and over again, and Ruby hugged her, holding her head to her chest. "I promise everything will be alright. Winter would want you to be calm, wouldn't she?"
Weiss nodded, sighing deeply and closing her eyes. "I'm sorry; I know this isn't like me. It just… It caught me off guard."
"That's completely natural. I'm here for you, Weiss. She'll be okay." Ruby hugged Weiss tighter. They shared their warmth and love within the embrace, never wanting to let go and leave each other to the cold. Weiss needed Ruby, and Ruby needed Weiss. It was a simple fact that their love could carry them through the toughest mountains and the deepest cliffs. More than ever, Weiss needed Ruby close to her. They needed each other.
Yang watched her two teammates embrace, watched how much love her sister gave to Weiss, and she couldn't be more grateful to have a better sister. Her focus soon went back to Thetis, who was still standing in silence, waiting for Neo to come out of hiding.
Somehow, everyone knew they needed to stay silent, and no sound came from either team. Pyrrha watched with close eyes, her hand on her blade and ready to protect Thetis if it came to it. The wait for Neo to attack only made everything more intense and utterly terrifying. The rain seemed to pick up, creating only more noise and making it harder for Thetis.
It had to be a solid thirty seconds before Thetis suddenly opened her eyes and swung her large spear behind her, blocking Neo as she came into visibility and attacked. Neo's eyes went white in shock. H-How did she block that?! That's impossible!
Thetis took advantage of Neo's surprise to go on the attack. She took her spear apart into halves, one small one for each hand, before swinging at Neo. She got a few good hits in from the side and front, before Neo finally had the opportunity to use her semblance and get out of her. Thetis hit Neo again, and she shattered into glass pieces. Thetis looked around her, closing her eyes, listening out. She then suddenly opened them, put her spear back together, and raised it up high, blocking Neo, who came in charging from the sky.
The two held the lock for a couple of seconds, before Neo's feet hit the ground and she began sparring with Thetis. The two women swung from the sides, each blocking and parrying the others swing. Neo leaned back to dodge one swing, before wrapping the umbrella handle around Thetis' wrist, attempting to throw her away. However, Thetis simply gripped onto the umbrella, letting Neo swing her behind her back but keeping the grip on the umbrella as she circled around and shot two feet into Neo's back, launching the ice cream girl into the ground.
She hit a few times whilst rolling, before slamming into a concrete building, weakening her aura. This girl is no joke… I need to step up!
Thetis transformed her double-ended spear into a giant rifle, taking aim and firing at Neo. The girl shattered into glass as she was shot, and Thetis transformed the rifle back into its spear and swung behind her, hitting the idle Neo. However, that Neo also shattered into glass, and Thetis' eyes widened. Neo suddenly appeared in front of Thetis, launching a kick into the side of her stomach. She attempted to swing her umbrella to hit the woman, but she quickly raised her spear, blocking the blow.
She quickly transformed her weapon into a rifle and shot at Neo, who raised the umbrella to block the shot. Thetis went on the attack, swinging at Neo from side to side, and the ice cream girl started flipping back. Thetis swung from below, and Neo grabbed the weapon, allowing herself to be raised up. Thetis lifted her weapon and Neo into the air, and the ice cream girl attempted to kick Thetis in the stomach again.
However, Thetis simply caught the foot, before throwing Neo and slamming her hard into the concrete, creating a crater where she hit. Neo regained posture, kicking Thetis in the wrist then face, staggering her away. Neo used Thetis' stagger to go on the attack, launching a quick set of kicks to Thetis' face, lowering her aura by quite a bit. Thetis grabbed the foot, and Neo kicked at her wrist, before flipping away and gaining some distance between the two of them.
Thetis closed that distance quickly, charging and launching an attack from above, to which Neo blocked as she raised her umbrella and let it take the hit. The two women were engaged in a deep lock, Thetis gaining the advantage as she gritted her teeth and pushed. Neo simply grinned, even though she was losing.
Neo quickly took her umbrella apart, turning them into the familiar pistols, and backed away from Thetis, before firing at her. Thetis, at lightning speed, moved her spear around, blocking each and every shot. She spun her umbrella to block even more shots, before she started swinging her spear at Neo, actually deflecting the shots back at the ice cream girl.
Neo started flipping back, blocking the deflected shots, and barely had time to dodge the incoming spear being directly thrown at her. It scraped her shoulder, hitting her aura. Even though it did some damage, she now knew Thetis was unarmed, which gave her a huge advantage.
Neo charged and swung at Thetis from above, but she simply stood still, not even blocking. All of a sudden, Neo's umbrella stopped in the air, and she looked up to see a black aura surrounding it. "Good work, Pyrrha!" Thetis called out, and Neo looked over to see Pyrrha using her polarity to control the weapon.
She flung it out of Neo's hands and into a nearby building, and both women knew they had to get their weapons back. Neo launched a kick at Thetis, hitting her in the stomach, before raising her leg high in the air and smashing it down on the back of Thetis' head, dazing the woman slightly. Neo took this opportunity to launch a kick at the side of her head, staggering her to the ground. Neo stepped on Thetis' throat, grinning as she started to press down.
Thetis gagged, but she simply grinned, holding out a hand. Neo raised a brow, before she suddenly felt a huge blow to her back, staggering her forward. She turned around to see Thetis rolling to her feet, her weapon in hand. She soon realized Pyrrha's polarity had dragged the weapon all the way to Thetis' hand, and struck Neo from behind in the process.
Thetis stormed towards Neo, but instead of striking her with the spear, Thetis raised a fist, before punching Neo directly in the nose, causing it to explode in pain as some blood flew out. "That one is from Winter!" Thetis growled, much to Weiss' delight. "And this… Is for what you did to Yang!" She screamed as she raised a foot and kicked Neo directly into the building where her umbrella was. The building crumbled as Neo hit and Thetis watched on, waiting for Neo to come right back out.
Sure enough, she did, flying towards Thetis, who simply raised her large spear to block. Neo started going on the attack, swinging and swiping her weapon at Thetis at extreme speeds. Her semblance wasn't coming back any time soon, and her aura was surely lower than Thetis'. She needed to put up a good fight.
Neo swung at Thetis' chest, and dropped to her knees, dodging to the swipe. Neo swipe lower, and Thetis leaned back, her knees and back touching the ground, before she kicked up at Neo, hitting her chin. Thetis flipped, transforming her spear into its familiar rifle and firing at Neo, who quickly unfolded her umbrella, blocking the shot.
The recoil flew Thetis back onto the roof of a nearby building, and Neo jumped onto a sign, swinging herself towards Thetis and taking her umbrella apart and turning them into beautiful pistols. She fired at Thetis midair, who moved her spear around, blocking the shots. Neo landed on the roof where Thetis was, and went on the attack, swinging at Thetis.
Thetis blocked two swipes, before taking apart her spear into halves, and turning those halves into mini rifles, going on the offense. She swung the rifles in circles whilst firing at Neo, who rapidly moved her umbrella around, blocking the shots. Thetis kept on the attack, pushing Neo back to the edge of the building until her heels were hanging off the concrete roof. Thetis held both rifles out at arms lengths, firing each other at the same time, and Neo held out her unfolded umbrella, blocking the shots, but each one was skidding her back.
Thetis put her spear back together, before launching a kick at Neo and sending her flying off the building. Thetis then jumped off, getting behind Neo, before battering her into the building. Neo took the opportunity to wrap her umbrella handle around Thetis' ankle and send her flying alongside her into the building.
Pyrrha watched as both women went into the window of the store, and it started crumbling. Pyrrha jumped the window of her own store, running towards Thetis, ready to help her out. Suddenly, the sound of a kick echoed to Pyrrha's ears, and Thetis came rolling out the building, hitting the ground and bouncing.
Thetis threw her weapon ahead of her path, and one of the spear's ends hit the ground. Thetis' feet then hit the other end of the spear, slightly skidding it, before she stood atop the mounted weapon. Ruby recognized it was a move Qrow pulled against Tyrian, and she was thoroughly impressed. They've obviously trained together before… They would've gotten some moves from each other. I wonder who made up that one?
Neo came charging out of the building towards Thetis, but Pyrrha blocked the charge, before going on the offense herself. However, since Neo had been fighting such an expertly trained Huntress for some time, Pyrrha was lacking in comparison. Neo grabbed Pyrrha's spear mid-swing, and threw Pyrrha behind her back, before kicking her away.
Neo saw Thetis swinging at her, and blocked the incoming spear, before summoning the blade from the tip of her umbrella and stabbing it at Thetis' upper arm. The last of Thetis' aura took this hit, and it then vanished; now leaving Thetis open for a kill.
However, Thetis got one last hit in, striking Neo in the side of the stomach, before kicking her away and into Pyrrha, who held out a foot. Neo's back hit Pyrrha's outstretched leg, severely injuring her back and lowering her own aura.
"Pyrrha, I need to get my aura back up. Keep her busy!" Thetis cried out.
"Got it!" Pyrrha replied, who swung her spear at Neo, whose back was still at Pyrrha's leg. Neo took the hit, rolling away from Pyrrha. She quickly got to her feet, but wasn't fast enough to see he incoming flying shield, which directly hit her in the cheek, splitting it and sending her flying into a nearby store.
Pyrrha held out a hand, gaining her shield back. "Neo. I don't want to kill you. So just run away now before I seriously hurt you." Pyrrha called out. Neo slowly got up, her entire body aching and her nose and cheek bleeding. She looked at Pyrrha, who stood idly in the middle of the street, a death stare in her eyes. However, despite the injuries, Neo put on an evil grin, returning the stare. Think you're so tough with the advantage, huh, red head?
Neo grabbed her umbrella, unsheathing the blade within. Pyrrha put her guard up, readying her shield and spear for any incoming attacks. "I'm not afraid to cripple you, Neo." Pyrrha warned. Neo kept that grin up, tilting her head and baring her teeth as she smiled.
Quite wrong, Miss Nikos. It's supposed to be that I'm not afraid to cripple YOU! Neo giggled, before using her semblance and disappearing. The fight was long enough to charge her semblance right up and use it against Pyrrha. Thetis' eyes widened, and she screamed out.
"Pyrrha! Get out of there, NOW!" She cried, and Pyrrha started backing away, but her path was cut off as Neo suddenly appeared before her, hitting her with the blade three times in the chest at a rapid speed, before kicking her away. Pyrrha's aura took the hit, and she staggered back at the kick, gritting her teeth as she looked around. Despite how deadly it was, Thetis ran next to Pyrrha, guarding her. "Neo, don't you DARE touch my daughter!"
Neo's giggle sounded through the town yet again, and Neo suddenly appear before Thetis, stabbing her blade from above. Thetis raised her weapon to block, but the ice cream girl stopped her swing just before it was blocked, instead going for Thetis' arm. The blade stabbed right through her upper arm, poking out of her wrist. Thetis cried out in pain, and Neo kicked Thetis in the head, dazing her and staggering her away as she hit the ground.
Pyrrha swung at Neo, and she blocked with her blade. Pyrrha got a small combo up with her spear and rifle, all of which Neo blocked, before one hit turned her into shattered glass yet again. Neo didn't wait any more, she started rapidly hitting Pyrrha from all sides, vanishing and appearing in between each hit. Pyrrha cried out in pain with each shot, and soon enough, Nora and Ren had jumped in to stop it.
Before they could even get close to Pyrrha, Neo suddenly appeared before them, two pistols in hand. She fired at both of them, their auras taking the hits but still doing some damage. It gave Pyrrha a few short seconds of some breathing room, and she winced as she looked up to everyone. "Don't… Don't come closer… She'll… She'll kill you… Don't… Do that… For my sake…"
Neo then started attacking Pyrrha yet again, and soon enough, her aura was down. Neo suddenly appeared, before slashing at the side of Pyrrha's stomach, creating a deep but small stab wound. Pyrrha cried out in pain yet again, the wound immediately leaking blood, before Neo kneed Pyrrha in the face, putting her on her back. She tried to get up, but the pain in her stomach was too great and it stung her every time she tried.
Neo raised the blade up in the air, aiming directly for Pyrrha's throat. How ironic… Dying twice must be such an inconvenience. And in no less than a year? This must be cruel for her… Not to worry, red head. At least this time, your friends will be joining you. She put on a full teeth smile, raising the blade higher. Thetis looked up just in time to see the whole scene. It was as if her whole world had shut down, and she lost all feelings in her legs. As much as she tried, she could barely move.
However, as soon as Neo stabbed down, someone immediately ran in front of her path, taking the hit to their aura. Neo staggered back, looking to see whoever it was that just took the hit. Pyrrha's eyes immediately widened and her jaw dropped in utter horror as Neo laid eyes on him…
"J-Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out. Jaune slowly got up from the hit, his sword and shield drawn and ready.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He screamed. Pyrrha tried to get up and use her polarity to push Jaune away, but she was just too weak. Her stomach was still leaking blood. Neo tilted her head, smiling at her new target. The look on Pyrrha's face was enough to communicate that she loved this man.
And I know for a fact that killing someone they love is worse than killing them… Neo grinned, slowly walking towards Jaune instead of finishing Pyrrha off.
"Jaune! Go! S-She'll ki-… She'll hurt you! Please!" Pyrrha cried, before launching into a coughing fit as she slowly got on all fours, a hand on her stomach. "Please, Jaune! RUN!"
"I've let everyone take the blows for me for too long…" Jaune growled, striking at Neo, which she blocked and parried, pushing him away. "Pyrrha, this time, I'm defending you! Let me do this, please! You trained me!"
"Jaune… Please, just RUN! I swear I'll be fine-"
"I WON'T LET YOU DIE AGAIN, PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed at the red haired girl, who now had tears streaking down her cheeks, her eyes as wide as golf balls. Her jaw shuddered in silence as she had no response to what Jaune just said. Looking at Pyrrha didn't prepare Jaune for another incoming blow from Neo, and he staggered, before Neo launched a combo on his head and kicked him in the stomach to finish it.
"Mom, stop her! Please!" Pyrrha cried out, and Thetis immediately charged at Neo. Ruby joined in on the charge, and Neo immediately took apart her blade, turning it into pistols and firing at the two, who held up their weapons to block. Neo disappeared, before appearing behind Ruby and wrapping the blade around her neck. She then threw Ruby towards one of the stores, creating a crater in the wall where she hit and immediately taking down her aura.
Neo then disappeared and appeared behind Thetis, swinging at her ankles. Thetis blocked the swing, but Neo then shattered into glass, before appearing in front of Thetis. Her aura was still down, making it easy to swing at her bicep and cut through. Thetis cried out in pain as the blade hit the bone, and Neo kicked the Huntress away, slicing it as she staggered back. I'll kill you later… Take away everything red head loves before I burn her.
Pyrrha could barely hold back her cries, but then, Neo suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of Jaune, striking him. Pyrrha pushed through all the pain, grabbing her spear with her bloody hand and marking it, before screaming as she charged at Neo. All it took was Neo to shoot back her leg and kick Pyrrha right in the stomach for her to cough up some blood and go on to all fours again. Jaune cried out in rage when Neo did this, swinging as hard as he could at the ice cream girl, but it just wasn't enough. Neo didn't even need to disappear, she was taking Jaune easily.
Pyrrha looked behind her to see just about everyone charging in for a fight, and Neo noticed this as well. Yang, Blake, Weiss, Nora and Ren were about to attack, and with Neo's aura down, it could prove to be a problem for her. She flipped back, landing on hands then feet, making her way to a dust shop. She kicked down the door, grabbing a bunch of fire crystals, throwing them at the group.
She summoned her blade into two pistols, firing them at the dust crystals and blowing them up right in the group, blowing everyone back, and taking down all of their auras. Now nobody is safe… This is going to be too easy.
Neo went to attack Jaune again, since he was the only one that still had his aura up. She hit him a few more times, delivering hard hits in between each combo, and try as he might, there was no way Jaune could counter the utter speed Neo was going at.
Pyrrha eventually got up, despite the intensifying pain. She looked up, only to see Neo deliver one last combo to Jaune lowering his aura, before kicking him away. He kept his balance, looking up to Pyrrha, who had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. "Please… Stop…"
Jaune responded not with more tears or more screaming, but instead, with a smile. "The tables have turned, huh, Pyrrha?" He chuckled, his nose bleeding and his brow split. He also had multiple bruises and a cut along the stomach, tearing his hoodie and showing his bleeding stomach. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha… But this is to protect you."
Pyrrha just kept shaking her head, but Jaune saw Neo slowly walking towards him, and although he planned to kiss her, he knew he had no time left. He had to protect Pyrrha with the last of his life. He turned to face Neo, before looking over his shoulder and muttering his last words…
"I love you… Pyrrha Nikos."
What came next was the sound of metal clanging against metal as Jaune struck from above, Neo easily blocking. Pyrrha took a step, but immediately dropped to her knees. Her tears mixing with her blood, creating a red liquid that streaked down her cheek and hit the cold, cold concrete. She wanted to look away, but Jaune wouldn't want that. Everyone was just too weak to fight, too weak to save him…
Pyrrha watched as Neo blocked a swing of Jaune's blade with her boot, before kicking the sword away, moving the shield with the same leg, and thrusting her blade forward, into Jaune's chest and straight through his heart.
Jaune's eyes widened as the blade stabbed through him, and he slightly gagged. He looked up to see Neo grinning wildly in his face, and that was the last thing he ever saw. Not Pyrrha's beautiful smile or the team he had led for nearly a year…
No. All he saw was the evil, satisfied smile of a psychotic murderer. Neo pulled the blade out of his chest, and he hit the concrete with his knees, before eventually, falling forward, blood pouring from his stab wound. Fresh tears streamed from Pyrrha's eyes, and she didn't even have the energy to scream. All she could do is quietly sob, crawling to Jaune, turning him over onto his back to face her, his eyes wide and white like snow.
Jaune Arc was dead.
Thetis felt utter guilt for not being able to save him. Ruby felt the tears build up. Nora was loudly howling and sobbing at his corpse. Ren looked away, keeping silent as he cried. Yang and Blake didn't even know how to react, and Weiss felt horrible at how she had treated him when he was alive. But nothing compared to what Pyrrha felt.
"Jaune…?" Pyrrha whispered, holding the back of his head with one hand and another placed over his stab wound. "Jaune… Can you hear me? I-It's me… It's Pyrrha…" Pyrrha's bloody tears fell on his face, and her lips started to quiver. "I'm supposed to be dead, Jaune… I'm supposed to be dead, not you… I was supposed to protect you… Jaune, wake up… Please, for the love of god wake up, I love you, please… Please, I can't lose you… I didn't come all this way to lose you…"
Pyrrha quietly sobbed into Jaune's chest, and Neo just watched her. It was similar to how she felt when she had lost Roman. And only for a second, as she watched Pyrrha's hope and happiness tear away from her, only for a second did Neo feel like an utter monster. But she simply closed her eyes, reminding herself of what she was doing this for.
Roman would've wanted this… Roman would've wanted this…
She barely had time to react to Blake charging and swinging at her, but unfortunately, Neo's aura was back up and it took the hit. She skidded back, smirking at the cat girl. "Take me next. I won't lose." Blake growled, and Neo's smile grew wider. She suddenly flashed away, and Blake looked around to see the umbrella was gone. She looked outside the walls to see Neo, the umbrella now covering the blade, as she stood in the forest, waving a finger to the Faunus.
"She's mine." Blake growled as she started charging towards Neo.
"Blake, wait!" Yang cried out as she went after Blake. She slowed down next to Pyrrha and Jaune, looking down at them. She closed her eyes, whispering to Pyrrha. "I'm sorry…"
Yang took off after Blake as Pyrrha held Jaune's corpse close to her. She didn't want this to be real; she wanted this to be some terrible, cruel nightmare. She wanted to wake up and restart the day, now in Jaune's arms. But life wasn't so forgiving to her. It had a sick, cruel way of treating her.
Pyrrha never even got to kiss him before he passed…
"Blake?! Where are you?!" Yang called out, running through the forest looking for her. It was an endless maze of trees and bushes, only the sounds of combat being Yang's guide. I can't let what happened to Blake happen to Yang! I've gotta get there, NOW!
Yang pushed past a few bushes, and instead of coming to Blake, she was instead now face-to-face with a Beowulf. She flipped back as it slashed; well aware her aura was still down. "Y-Yang! Help me!" Blake's cries echoed on the other side of the Beowulf. Yang then realized there was a swarm of Ursa and Beowulf's blocking her from reaching Blake. Yang stepped back as they all spotted her, but she suddenly stepped on something hard and metal.
She looked down to see Blake's Gambol Shroud, and her eyes widened. S-She's fighting without a weapon?! Yang immediately picked up Blake's weapon, holding it in her hands as the swarm of Grimm closed in. She knew what she had to do to get through them.
Just hang on, Blake… I'm coming.
Yang pushed forward, and as the first Beowulf swiped, she ducked, swinging with Blake's weapon and decapitating the creature. She threw the blade at an Ursa, sinking it into its neck, before tugging it forward and stabbing it straight through the chest with the cleaver part. The creature fell forward onto Yang, and she slightly leaned back at the weight, before shrugging it off and moving forward.
Three more Beowulf's approached, and Yang held out the pistol of the Gambol Shroud, firing it and hitting all three of them directly in the head. She swung the blade at the Creep behind her, killing it immediately. She kept pushing forward, going faster to save Blake.
A pack of Beowulf's charged from within the bushes, and Yang activated her Ember Celica's, punching all of them with one hit and launching them away. She finally got close to where Blake and Neo were, and saw Neo was easily dominating Blake without a weapon.
Blake's shoulder had been dislocated, and her entire body was covered in cuts, one of her cat ears cut in half horizontally. She had blood dribbling from her nose and the cuts, and there was no doubt internal injuries were going to be a big factor to her fighting. Yang ran from behind as silently as possibly, swiping at Neo with the Gambol Shroud's and hitting her, staggering Neo as she turned to face Yang, their eyes locking and sending chills down Yang's spine.
"Blake, catch." Yang said as she threw the weapons to Blake. "How are you? I'm glad I caught you before she could do anything worse."
"I'm pretty messed up… But I can still move." Blake grunted as she got up, her familiar weapons in hand. Neo couldn't help but giggle at the little adorable reunion, and how much she was going to crush it. Blake swung first, but Neo simply blocked and shot out a foot, hitting Blake in the stomach and directly in one of her kidneys. She spun, her heel striking the side of Blake's neck and choking her as she hit the ground.
Yang tried to punch with her right arm, but Neo simply ducked the blow, spinning and swiping with her blade, cutting through the biotic arm and severing it off again. Yang staggered back, her eyes widening at the sudden move. Blake got a slight boost of rage to attack Neo at this move, but it did her no good as Neo simply spun and sunk her blade into Blake's thigh, stabbing it and crippling her. Blake grunted in pain, and Neo kicked her away, before moving on to Yang.
Neo kicked Yang in the face five times in a row, before kicking her into a tree, her back hitting it and winding her. Neo threw her blade like a spear, and it impaled Yang straight through her left arm, stabbing straight through the wrist and pinning her to the tree, meaning she had no ways to fight back except her legs. Neo quickly disposed of that option by kicking at both kneecaps, dislocating them and causing Yang to scream out in pain.
Neo leaned back, kicking Yang in the jaw, before kicking her in the kidney yet again. She then charged up a powerful kick, before launching it straight into Yang's ribs, breaking a few of them. Yang immediately coughed out some blood, dizziness and confusion overtaking her world. Is… Is this how I die?
Neo took the blade out of Yang's wrist, and the blonde immediately fell to the ground, landing on all fours. Neo grabbed Yang by the hair, raising her up to Neo's eye level. She gave Yang an evil glare, with a sickening smile to go with it. Yang returned the gesture by spitting blood directly onto Neo's face. "Go ahead, Neo…" Yang croaked. "Kill me… Just know… Ruby will know… Blake and Qrow and my dad will know… They'll come for you…" Yang then grinned. "And they won't show any fucking mercy."
Neo returned that by smashing her forehead against Yang's, before throwing her over to the other end of the small space of the forest. Neo slowly approached Yang, blade in hand, ready to kill her. Blake noticed this, and her eyes widened with horror. Yang… I can't let you die! Not like this!
With the last of strength, Blake threw herself in front of Yang, protecting her, just like she did with Adam. "Neo… You can take my arms… My legs… My life… I don't care…" Blake coughed, her death stare returning as she then screamed. "But as long as I'm alive, I won't let you take MY YANG!"
Yang could barely fathom what Blake was doing, and the sacrifice she was making. "B-Blake… Don't be stupid, she'll… Kill you…"
"I don't care. But I am not going to watch you die, Yang. I'm keeping the damn promises I made." Blake growled. "Yang, no matter what happens, just know that I've never loved someone as much as I love you. I'll always be with you, Yang. I swear." Blake sobbed, tears now fresh in her eyes, which caused Yang to start crying herself. Blake… Just run… Please…
Neo looked at Yang, slightly grinning as she knew she had found her next target, before lining up the blade with Blake's chest. She grabbed the Faunus by the hair, raising her up and holding her still as the blade lined up with the center of her chest… Blake looked Neo in the eye, and she returned the gaze. Yang desperately wanted to break and save her, but she had no strength. She couldn't.
Blake coughed and slightly jolted, and those were her last actions as Neo thrusted the blade forward, the blade going straight through Blake's chest. She gagged, struggling to breath, trying to get a few small breaths in but failing. Yang's eyes widened in horror as the other end of the blade leaked with Blake's blood. Blake felt her vision fading away, and before everything went black, she made her last thoughts…
Yang… Thank you for everything…
Blake's body then went limp, and Neo pulled the blade out of her. Yang used what little strength she had to lie next to Blake's body, which was facing up. Unlike Jaune, Blake's eyes were closed. Yang's lips quivered and fresh tears streamed down her face, going sideways since she was lying down. "Blake… Blake, no, no… Blake, I'm sorry… Please don't leave me, I… I can't bare it without you, it's… It's so cold… Blake, I love you, please wake up… No…"
Yang curled up into a ball, sobbing and howling uncontrollably, each sound hurting Yang's ribs even more. "It should've been me… It should've been me…"
Neo grabbed Yang by the hair, pulling her up and facing her. Instead of the death stare she was met with earlier, she was instead met with Yang's narrow eyes and wobbling lips, tear streaks going sideways on her face and blood mixing with the liquid. It was almost a tear-jerking sight for Neo, but she ignored it, holding her blade to Yang's chest, ready to give Yang's life away so she could join Blake.
However, Neo was soon interrupted as another girl came from the bushes, knocking Neo's blade away. Neo looked up to see Ruby, her clothes fluttering with the wind and her hair wet from the rain. Her Crescent Rose in hand and a death stare from her silver eyes.
"Weiss, Ren, Nora. Get Blake and Yang to the Mistral hospital." Ruby ordered, and Neo saw the three emerge from the bushes, picking up the girls carefully, and Weiss taking Yang's chopped arm. Blake's body laid limp and Yang's was crying, her hand locked with Blake's. Neo went to approach them, but Ruby held her scythe before her path. "You want me, don't you, Neo?"
Neo's glare locked with Ruby's. You were the one who took my Roman away from me… Neo's body straightened with Ruby's, grabbing her umbrella and sheathing her blade within it. "Good. This fight is between us now. If I beat you, you leave my friends alone, okay?"
Neo nodded, a smirk forming on her face. Ruby's aura was back up, but Neo knew there was no way Ruby could take her. Neo tilted her head, smiling.
She had found her next target.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
TheHuntress77: Thank you so much for your kindness; it warms my body and soul! Neo receiving a smack down? Well… It kinda happened.
BlackenedFlame157: YOU'RE AWESOME, THANK YOU! I'm so glad I've hooked you in on my evil!
JordanPhoenix: Love ya too.
Zanatoz: Thank you so much, your review means so much to me!
Blue-Velvet14: If I got to your feels, its mission accomplished for me XD Hmmm… You have given me some story ideas there… I'll let you know if I come up with anything solid ;)
KingofBlacks: Although constructive criticism is always appreciated and I'm thankful you still enjoyed the chapter, allow me to defend myself a bit here: There was never much attacking one by one, most of the team went in pairs. Having four people attack one person all at once would get a bit clustered and, as seen in this chapter; make for an easy K.O on all of them. And Neo, I believe, is a lot stronger than you might give her credit for, at least to me. Then again, I am biased because she's my ultimate waifu.
Guest: You aren't wrong, my friend! Raven is too OP for this story, though.
GrnDrgnzrd: Glad ya liked!
BrooklynOfVale: Will she be okay? … Maybe. Stay tuned to find out!
Kyrogue23: Neo is pretty damn powerful! Will Ruby deal a decisive blow? Or is it gonna be Neo…? Mwahahahaha…