Chapter 13 – Corvi Et Mortem

Raven

She wields her Odachi Sword in her hand, the red blade protecting her daughter who looks up at the woman dressed in red. Death steps back from her, darkness following him as he stands there, staring straight into Raven's red eyes. His menacing breath emerges from the mask, the helmet is very, very similar to the mask that she wears most of the time, except it is black instead of white and red like most other Grimm. Raven points the tip of the sword right at Death with a scowl on her face, ready to fight him. "Leave, Death." She demands.

"The end of life is coming, Raven Branwen. Not even you can run from it." Death speaks, his voice comprised of hundreds of different voices, all speaking in unison at once, all the lives of those that he has taken. Trillions of lives are probably inside him right now. Amongst the voices, Pyrrha's can actually be heard in his speech.

"You will not hurt my child." Raven snarls at him, gritting her teeth as she stares at the demonic being. His cape transforms into the Nevermore Wings that spread out, the sharp feathers stretching out, blocking out the light reflected from the fractured moon. Death lifts his sword up at here, glaring right at her, plants dying around him and decomposing away.

"Extinction comes for all life on Remnant eventually, Raven...even the Humans and Faunus will meet theirs soon." Death states as he points his sword at her. "The time has come for life to fall behind the horizon and for the armies of my claimed to walk across the fields once more. I am here to claim what belongs to me. For far too long have Huntsmen and Huntresses utilised my gift for their own gain." He explains, standing tall as he looks down at them, towering above Raven, but she is not afraid of him, she just stares straight back. "All life will return where it began...to the Infinite and the Unbound." He says with menacing intent. Raven grits her teeth, swinging her sword straight at him with force. Death blocks her attack with his wing and he kicks her right in the chest, launching her backwards. Raven drags the blade of her Odachi into the soil to slow herself. Down. She launches towards him, transforming into a physical Raven, flapping her feathered wings to build up speed. She then warps back into her human form, punching Death in the head, the impact creates a shockwave and he staggers backwards, looking right at her. He lifts the blade of his sword up, the razor sharp serrated blade coated in darkness and red light flowing through the markings on the weapon. Raven stands ready for combat. "Then you have accepted your fate." He snarls.

Black and red electrical forks of light begin to crackle across the blade of his sword and he points it straight at her, blasting a constant beam of lightning right at her. Raven gasps, leaping out of the way and running towards him and the constant blast of lightning carves through the forest treeline like a super-heated knife cutting through them, causing them all to collapse upon contact. Raven jumps towards him, swinging the blade of her sword down towards him, but Death swings it back at her, blocking her attack with his sword. He pushes her back and then kicks her right in the chest. But Raven is strong, able to stick the landing and return for more combat against him. She forms red portals constantly, bouncing around him in fast attacks with her Odachi, slashing into his body with the red blade over and over. Raven yells as she drives the sword straight through death's chest, protruding through his back. The Angel-Like wings spread out and he growls in pain, but then he stares right at her. Raven looks at his burning red eyes as he stares straight through into her soul. A quick excess of breath escapes her lips, realising that stabbing him is useless. "You cannot kill what is already dead." He says to her, grabbing her by the wrist and throwing her onto the floor, leaving her sword driven into his chest. She looks at him with disbelief in her eyes. He grabs the hilt of her sword, but he drops it before her, walking away from it and standing back in a position to fight. Death has honour, and he wishes to claim the lives that he takes not just kill them.

Raven swiftly grabs the blade of her sword, staring straight at Death, analysing the situation on how to fight next. She looks back at her daughter who is trying to get back up. "Stay down!" Raven begs, looking back at Death, who has not flanked or taken advantage of her affection for her daughter that she usually is too afraid to reveal. But he stands there, waiting for her next move.

"I...can help!" Yang argues.

"No! Stay down!" Raven demands again, sounding more like the mother that she was supposed to be. Raven stands back up, holding her Odachi tight, her hair blows majestically in the wind as she stares at him. She then circles him as he walks with her, almost mirroring her. "You were there when we attempted to take those villages, with that Nuckelavee." She says, and he does not respond, but the constant stare he gives is enough to answer for her. "You may take the lives of the weak, but not my daughter." Raven growls as she stares at him.

"Life is never unending, eventually I will claim her aura again." He states. "Even if Salem fails." He concludes, pointing his sword at her like a fencer. They move closer towards each other to fight further, Raven for her daughter, Death for the souls that he is owed. His wings remain by his side as he walks. "She will belong to me." He growls.

"She will not fall into your hands." Raven says, launching towards him with her Odachi, sliding past him as she cuts through his flank, black smoke rupturing from his wound and he growls in pain. She immediately bolts aside when he spins round with his sword and drives it into his back and twists the red blade, pulling it back which pours black smoke from his stomach. She jumps backwards, performing a graceful back-flip as she does it. Death charges right at her, slashing his blade at her over and over, swinging his whole body weight round to cut her in half. Raven blocks his blade with her sword and kicks him across the side of the head, bringing the blade up again which cuts against his face, but the black smoke repairs the damage immediately. It is like he has an Aura somehow. Death stares at her, plunging his sword into soil with force, shadows squeeze out from the terrain, flora dying as it rises up. Raven avoids the darkness and she keeps one eye focused on her child to keep her safe from this monster. He removes his sword from the ground, proceeding to attack her further, throwing his sword up in the air and catching the hilt so the blade is pressed against the back of his forearm. He sprints straight at her, using his Nevermore Angel Wings to propel himself at her, slashing the blade straight at her. Raven steps back into a red portal, one that opens up behind Death and his sword simply cuts into nothing, nothing but air. He snarls in anger as she slashes into his back with her weapon. But it seems to be doing absolutely nothing. Raven continues to fight him, using her surroundings as best as she can, she is an incredible fighter, but she cannot outmatch Death, he has existed for thousands of years if the stories about him are true. The ultimate warrior.

Raven backs up to think of her next move against him, so she stands in a defensive position against Death, now. He rises back up, smoke trailing from his wounds, returning to where she had laid some major hits on him. Immediately regenerating his wounds into fully healed body segments. The best method in her mind is: don't give him a chance to regenerate. She stands there and Death charges the blade back up, growling in anger as he points the blade at her, burning the ground apart beneath her feet that causes immense damage. Raven dives, rolling out of the path of the black and red lightning that bolts towards her, burning through the treeline behind her. She immediately uppercuts him with her sword, blasting smoke into the sky which makes him roar in pain. His head opens up swiftly, releasing rage and revealing the scorching skull inside, roaring at her with a thousand screams that nearly deafens her like a Banshee. But to shut him up, she swings her sword right across the skull, cutting across the bone and he staggers back in pain, roaring in pain, creating a hauntingly horrible demonic scream as he grabs his head as the metal plates close up around his head. His weakness is his skull inside the helmet. Raven runs back towards him for another attack.

But like her daughter, she is not thinking straight.

He turns to her and he starts moving much faster, darting around her, each slash with his sword lowering her aura down with force, launching her into the air. He grabs her by the heel and throws her straight into the floor with force. She cries out as he does it, then kicking her in the side, making her yelp, rolling across the floor. "Mom!" Yang screams, certain that she is Raven Branwen. He slowly approaches her and she reaches out for her sword, but Death steps on her hand with his boot. He scrapes the blade of his sword against her cheek as he looks down at her, cutting into the skin as he looks down at her. Blood trickles down from her skin and she glares up at Death as he prepares to push the blade of his sword into her back.

"Through Death, we return to the Infinite and the Unbound." Death says, bringing down the blade. Until something smashes right into his chest from his side, throwing him across the field and causing him to crash through multiple trees. Raven looks up and sees his hand reaching down to her. She sees his slicked back black hair and his red eyes, and that smirk on his face as he holds his sword in his hand. She grabs her brother's hand and he pulls her back up to his feet. The Branwen Twins stand side-by-side, confronting Death as he returns to his feet, glaring at them both with his ancient sword clutched in his hand. Qrow looks back at Sun and Jaune who are stood there.

"Get 'em to the Safehouse." Qrow orders.

"We can help." Jaune argues.

"Just do it." Qrow orders. Raven looks at him and she just nods. Jaune looks at her, seeing Yang in her face and he already figures it out pretty quick. Jaune nods and they run over to Team R.W.B.Y to help get them out of there. Sun picks up the unconscious Blake who has blood running down from her head. Jaune helps Ruby back to her feet and Neptune picks up Weiss who groans in pain from the attack that she suffered from Death earlier. Kassius runs over to Yang and he picks her up. Blake wakes up slightly, looking at Sun.

"My hero..." She weakly says, making him smirk. They all retreat from the forest, leaving the Branwen Siblings to the Angel of Death himself.

"Corvi et Mortem." Death speaks, ancient tongue for Raven and Death or Crow and Death. Death chuckles at the symbolism of this fight at the two warriors stand before him. "You fight a battle that you cannot win." Death says.

"You will not harm my nieces." Qrow snarls at him.

"You mortals never understand." Death sighs. "I will always be there to bring you to the Infinite and the Unbound, no matter how or when they die. But Extinction for life is coming, not even you can stop that." Death says to them both.

"We're not too worried." Raven says with a smirk.

Death spreads his wings out and he launches his body directly towards them both, and they both jump right at Death, their swords held back as they jump at him. Death lands in between the two twins, fighting them with his sharp wings and his sword as they both perform incredible skill with their swordplay. Raven swings her Odachi with speed and power into his metal Curtana, cursed with the darkness of the Grimm. Her Odachi slams into his blade that he wields in one hand. Behind him, he slashes his razor sharp feathered Wings at Qrow as he fights him with his sword, spinning the blade round extremely quickly to slice through the thick layer of armour that Death wields. Death spins round with force, slicing his wings at them as he does it, lifting his form into the air. The Branwens are thrown backwards from the blast his wings make as he thrashes them downwards. He then spreads his wings out, whilst remaining in the air and he swings them both forward, launching salient feathers down toward them as well. Raven throws her sword up, catching it by the hilt and she carves one of the feathers in two as it darts towards her, passing past her elegantly and stabbing into the ground behind her. Qrow dodges them and cuts them down before they can even get close. Death throws his body down toward them, stabbing his Curtana straight at Qrow's feet, the blast throws him from his feet and in the air. Death grabs Qrow by the ankle, swinging round and launching him into her sister with force. He immediately stands ready again, walking towards them. He thrashes the blade of his sword at them and Qrow smashes his blade against the Curtana, batting it aside. He jumps back and the clockwork in the sword begins to gear up, cracking to life, shifting the metal that makes the blade of his sword. The sword transforms into Scythe form and he jumps right at Death and Death stands there with his Curtana as Qrow leaps at him with his teeth gritted. Qrow's Scythe carves Death in half, smoke erupting from his body.

The two halves stagger away from one another, blackness erupting from them and Qrow lands on the grass, turning to the Angel. But then...the two halves are pulled back together by the darkness, returning back to one form. He turns and stares straight at Qrow, making his eyes widen in disbelief at how this is even possible. Death suddenly appears in front of Qrow in a pulse of black smoke, grabbing him by the neck, lifting him off the floor, staring straight into his eyes with those glowing red ones. "You fight like a younger man, nothing held back...admirable...but mistaken." Death says with a threatening tone of voice.

"Don't call me old!" Qrow barks in anger, kicking both of his feet into the head of Death, straight into the blade of Raven's Odachi as she pushes it upwards, cutting his head in half. But it is effortless because his head just pulls itself back together, using the darkness to fix itself. They both continue to fight him, however. Raven uses her portals to warp around him to confuse him, cutting across his body for extra damage. Raven sheathes hr Odachi and the sheath switches the dust type, to white which she uses to freeze things. She swings her Odachi round with force, sending a ray of ice straight at Death which encases him in ice completely. But the shadows step out of the ice, leaving the sculpture where it was stood. Raven's eyes widen in shock, there is nothing that she can do to stop him, ice does not work and that probably means that burning him will have the exact same effect. They cannot beat him, he is more like a Spirit than a Grimm. Unlike anything that has ever challenged them before.

Death moves towards her and Qrow leaps in the way, using the blade of his sword to block his Curtana, kicking him in the side of the head. His Scythe has descended back into sword form as he fights. The blade folds down, launching rounds straight at Death, blowing holes in his armour which are healed by the smoke that makes up his armoured body. Death brings his sword upwards with force and Qrow blocks it with both hands, pressing his hand against the sword to hold him back. The Nevermore Wings stretch out above him and he looks down at Qrow, the plates of metal slide apart and reveals the burning skull once more. Qrow leans back, feeling fear when he sees that horrible face. "Well you're just a ray of sunshine, ain't ya?" Qrow sarcastically says, until a blade erupts through the skull of death, the red tip stopping right before Qrow's face, making his eyes widen. Death howls in agony, stepping away from Qrow, pressing his hands against his face where she had just stabbed through. He feels pain when they attack there and it does repair itself however. Qrow jumps at Death but Death kicks him in the chest with his armoured boot, sending Qrow sailing across the field, tumbling across the grass. Qrow throws his sword as he did when he thought Tyrian, pressing his feet against it to slow himself down. He jumps off it and grabs the hilt, dragging it from the soil, charging right at him.

Death flies towards him, using his wings to glide across the sky towards him. But his Sister stands by his side as they once did when they were together as team. Death spins his body around in a corkscrew fashion, launching the feathers at him. He lands straight in front of them, and he slams the blade of his Curtana with great force, so much force that it knocks them both on the floor, wiping their red aura out upon impact, it channels from their body and they both groan in pain. Death has beaten the Branwen Twins and he approaches them both with his sword at the ready. "You fought admirably..." Death states.

"But your fight...has come to an end." Death says, lifting his sword in the air. Qrow and Raven look at each other and they both close their eyes to accept their deaths.

Until...

A faint white light appears behind Death, catching his attention. He looks over his shoulder and he looks at who stands behind him. The Branwens gasp in shock and disbelief.

The white hooded girl looks at death with her silver eyes, holding a staff in her hand, glowing like an angel at him. Her black and red hair blows in the wind in the forest and she walks towards the demonic Angel of Death himself. She is a spitting image of Ruby...Of Summer Rose. Death stares straight at her and she walks towards him, and the plant life that died under his presence returns to life as she walks towards him. The green returns and Death looks around in confusion. "Impossible..." Death states in utter shock and disbelief. She looks at death with anger in hr large eyes, pointing her staff right at him, the glowing white crystal inside blasts light straight into him. It nearly blinds Qrow and Raven as they shield their eyes. Death is pushes across the soil from the impact of this magic that she uses against him, burning against his armour, pushing the shadows from his body. He roars in pain and rage as he tries to fight against it. She continues to hold her stance, his body becoming weaker as he tries to walk towards her. But then, when the shadows recede from his body, the armour plating begins to crumble and float away with the smoke, before with his roars, the light completely consumes him, destroying his form completely.

She lowers the staff and looks at Qrow and Raven, at where Death was once stood. They both are frozen with awe as they look at her, their mouths agape as she stands before them. Summer smiles right at them, but specifically at Qrow, turning and walking away. Her white cloaked body gently fades away as she walks off, disappearing as quickly as she arrived, destroying the Knight of Death instantly. Qrow and Raven look at each other in confusion. "Qrow...did you see what I just saw?" Raven asks him and he looks at her with the exact same expression.

"That was Summer...without a doubt." He says with shock still sat in his body.

Raven exhales, sheathing her Odachi into her sheathe for a couple of seconds to recover from that fight. "Just like old times." Qrow chuckles. Raven laughs a little as well.

"Yeah...her saving us all the time." Raven recalls with a smile, looking at where she was stood. But then Qrow looks at her.

"We need you back, Raven. Things are worse than I imagined, I didn't even know of the Knights of Grimm. Did you?" He asks her.

"Yeah." Raven answers. "I have met Death on occasion, along with Fury, Fear and Loss." Raven explains. She then starts walking down the grass with him, sighing as her hair blows in the wing. She places her hand on her hip. "I never believed the legends...until I met Fear." Raven remembers.

"What happened?" Qrow asks.

She sighs, placing her hand against the side of her head. "He killed a lot of our people." Raven says, mentioning the unknown group again. "Just like Menagerie...they are wiping entire villages out in one fatal swoop at a time. And our group are now on the run, I have been trying to find them ever since. But I..." Raven explains to him.

"You saved her again...I thought the rule was only one time?" Qrow says.

"I guess maybe our chat about family rubbed off on me." She says with a smile. Qrow smiles back at her.

"You need to help us, this is bigger than I thought...than Ozpin thought." Qrow corrects. Raven sighs, shaking her head.

"I can't." She says, looking at the destroyed forest that the battle took place in.

"Why? You said it yourself, this is getting worse. We can't defeat Salem while divided." Qrow states.

"I know what I said, Qrow." Raven says to him, looking back at him. "I just...I need to know that they are still out there." Raven continues. "If I can reunite them...I can lead them to fight with us." She says, showing a very big change of heart. She then looks at the floor. "Ruby's grown so much since I last saw her...looks just like her mother." Raven says. Qrow looks down and he smiles.

"Yeah..." Qrow says and Raven affectionately smiles. "At least tell her that her mother is there for her?" Qrow asks her. Raven legitimately begins to think about it. She stands there and she thinks to herself, then she looks at her brother again.

"I can't stay for long." Raven says.

"You won't have to. But she will have questions, just a fair warning." Qrow says with a chuckle in his voice.

"I bet she does." Raven says with a sigh, truly showing that she does love her daughter a lot, but she is caught between her people and her baby. She stands there, thinking and thinking. And then she finally returns with an answer. "Alright." She says with a smile. Qrow smiles.

"That's the Raven I remember." Qrow says. "Come on." Qrow says. The Branwens take off as they shape-shit into Raven and Crow forms, gliding away from the forest to return to the Safehouse. Cinder watches them leave from the forest, she hid with the others whilst the battle was going on. She is terrified of the Knights of Grimm.

And for good reason.

Salem

Salem stands at the precipice of her home, looking at the valley of black dust crystals that protrude from the ground like an old bone. She looks over her shoulder when she hears the sound of a Knight approaching. She turns, seeing Death forming from the shadows. He walks before her and looks at her. She holds her hands behind her back as she looks at him. "And? Were they successful?" Salem asks Death.

"No. The Silver Eyed Warrior's sister defeated them in combat, she can absorb the attacks of her enemies and strike back even harder." Death reports, holding his Curtana in his hand.

"And she used her Fall Maiden capabilities..." Salem sighs as she walks into the hall.

"Indeed." Death agrees.

"What of the girl?" She asks.

"Still alive, when I went to claim her, the Corvus Twins stopped me." Death explains, speaking of Raven and Qrow. "And Summer Rose appeared." He says. Salem stops and her eyes widen, with an emotion that has never been seen before: Fear. She stand there and looks right at Death.

"How is that possible?" Salem questions.

"Unknown." Death says coldly, like a machine. Salem stammers. "But she had the qualities of a Knight, able to form wherever she chooses." Death explains.

"Ozpin taught her something..." Salem snarls, clenching her hand into a fist. She stand there, closing her eyes as she thinks. They then crack open and her eye twitches. "Enough games." Salem says, bringing him to attention.

"Ma'am?" Death asks.

"Death, bring Emerald and Mercury. We have work to do in Vale. Mistral falls in the coming night." Salem says, walking past him with clenched fists.

The Fall is coming...

Soon...