(A.N: Heh, so ah... it's been a while (looks nervously at 'last updated') Okay, so I've been really lazy no thanks to writers block and shit, but I do hope that this truly grand finale to the Beacon's Fall Arc will be a great comeback! Enjoy after over 3 months of stagnancy!)
[Into The Dark]
[Chapter 24]
The power of the Silver Eyes!
The end of the beginning...
Ornstein
Beacon Academy Vault...
I sat on the floor, tapping my foot irritably. I could sense all the power being thrown around in the battlefield above, and it was starting to drive me mad. I could feel a powerful Abyssal Entity, two Deities, Artorias tapping into his Sacred Relic and now Asura's child unlocking the power hidden deep within himself? I needed to be out there, fighting alongside my comrade and my sister! "However..." I muttered to myself, looking at the reason why I was here. Amber Autumn. Looking at her put my restlessness at ease, if only by a small amount. Ever since I managed to drive away the darkness eating away at her, her condition has been rapidly improving, her heart beating firmly, her breathing no longer raspy, her face much more relaxed. And yet despite that... 'The amount of power held within her, and she doesn't even have half of it. It's like...' The sensation of the power of Fall was... familiar, yet I just couldn't place it. It was like a stagnant flame, bathed in... well, death.
"...Eh, I'll figure it out later," I muttered to myself. Suddenly, I felt a few auras begin to exit out of the elevator and I quickly leaped to my feet, spear in hand and a snarl on my face. "It's us Ornstein!" Ozpin called out, Nikos and her partner Arc in tow, though it didn't make me feel any more relaxed. "Ozpin, what the hell's been happening up there!?" I barked at him.
"Too much. We have no choice now, we need as much help as we can get." I snorted through my nose and looked at Nikos, sadness etched across my face at the look on hers. She had her jaw clenched in preparation for what was to come, yet I could see the fear in her eyes. It was almost painful to see how similar she was to me. "Pyrrha... what's...?" Jaune asked, confused and scared before a look of understanding and shock crossed his face. "Was this what you meant when you...!?" She glanced at him, nodding stiffly. "Nikos, get in the pod!" Ozpin shouted as it opened up. She took off her shield and blade before hopping in. "Ornstein, Jaune, stand guard until it's done!" I didn't hesitate, spinning my spear and letting my aura loose. Jaune paused for a moment before turning and standing next to me, his blade ready. It wasn't long before we both heard the screams as the aura-transfer begun. Panicking, Jaune turned to help his friend.
"Pyrrha-!"
"Don't you dare Jaune Arc!" I roared, making him freeze. "But-!"
"Yes, I know! You're friend is in pain, and every part in your body is screaming to help her... but you can help her and the world so long as you face forward! Besides," I snarled as a feminine figure carrying a bow entered, her eyes glowing with that same stolen power that resided within Amber. "We've got company." Cinder Fall didn't say a word as she leaped into action, her form blurring before she crossed the distance between us in an instant, an arrow pointing right at my face. I shot my foot out front of me, clipping her ribs as she spun out of the way in time, leaping up and slashing at my neck. I managed to duck in time, grabbing her by the leg and attempting to slam her down. She pointed an open hand at my chest and shot a ball of dark-looking fire point-blank, sending me backwards. Looking down, I was shocked to see that even with my armor having been improved, it was slightly warped from the heat. 'Semblance? No, that and something else... magic?!' Looking back up, again I had to weave out of the way of another fireball singeing my cheek.
Rapidly stabbing, I tried to close the distance between us, yet her ability to dodge was far better than I had expected. Sensing magic pooling into her hands, I stomped a foot down hard, tendrils of lightning shooting from the ground and right at her. On instinct she tried to intercept the bolts, but was too slow as they slammed into her. 'Her aura barely took a hit,' I noted, looking at the last-second shield of black glass protecting her. Over the edge of her shield, I could see her eyes looking at me with a sneer. I huffed and called forth a bit more power, lightning arcing through my vein as I raced right behind her in the blink of an eye, bringing my fist down on top of her head with a *BANG* of lightning, bringing her to a knee. "Don't think you're getting away with what you did to Amber," I snapped at her, grabbing her by the back of the neck and lifting her up, ready to skewer her on my spear.
She shot fire from her damn back, forcing me to drop her as she pivoted and landed a swift kick to my face. As soon as she landed she was attacking from a distance, rapidly firing off a combination of aura and magic.
'Time to go on the offensive, I can't give her room to use her magic!' I showed off my own speed and dashed forward, thrusting my spear straight into her chest.
She crossed her arms in time and formed a black glassy shield as my spear shot at her with a loud *CLANG*, sending her flying backward and into a wall. She was winded, and I took that opportunity to tear into her, flying at her and slamming my foot into her shield again, shattering it and burying into her stomach as I called upon a bit more of my strength. "Lion Knight Skill: Lion's Barrage!" Gripping my spear in two hands, I spun it in blinding figures, repeatedly slashing, crushing and electrifying the False Maiden, chunks of stone flying into the air around us. I stopped my barrage of spins and wound up to bring my spear down on her head: she wasn't anywhere near as stunned as I thought she'd be. She used what I assumed to be a mix of her semblance and magic caused all the stone debris in the area to instantly melt and fly at me, perfectly scoring shots on some of the least protected areas of my armor, burning through the metal and searing my skin even with my aura.
The agony made my knees buckle and Cinder took full advantage of my weakness, leaping up and kneeing me in the nose. She was still quite far from my level of power, but she still managed to stun me before she unleashed a wave of aura that sent me tumbling head-over-heels. Jaune managed to jump over me as I did an involuntary barrel-roll, blade raised to slash at her. "Jaune, don't-!" I roared at him too late. His downward slash was done well, his full weight behind the weapon. It meant absolutely nothing as Cinder caught it in her bare hand, smirking at Jaune's gawking face. "Listen to your Deity. You're out of your league, kid." She drew her free hand back and backhanded him hard, sending him spinning through the air to crash headfirst into the floor. I barely got up in time to see a flash of heat and light slam into my face blinding me. I bellowed in pain as I clutched at my eyes until another massive wave of aura send me skidding away on my face: I could feel Ozpin take some serious damage, caught off guard most likely.
Barely a moment later, raw, unfiltered magic and aura exploded into the air around us, and it was then that I finally pegged what that familiar feeling was from earlier: that power was that of one of the original Four Lords, easily able to match that of any Deity. 'This is... the power of the Gravelord!' My eyesight returned to see Cinder with her hand inside the pipe connecting Amber's pod to Cinder's, and she was draining the last of the Maiden's powers, bathing the area in an eerie dark-grey and orange light. "YOU BASTARD!" I screamed, no longer holding anything back out of rage as I sprinted at her, ready to lop her head off her shoulders. When she turned around, raw power burst from her as her foot just seemed to appear in my chest, my left collarbone and upper ribs snapping like twigs, blood flying from my mouth as I crashed into the floor, rolling to my feet next to Jaune. Pyrrha made a quick escape from her pod using her semblance just before Cinder turned it into a steaming pile of liquid metal.
She turned to do the same to Amber, pausing when she saw that she was no longer in the pod. I had nearly lost it, thinking that she was in the pod before I realized that Ozpin was holding her in his arms. He was in terrible shape, wearing only his pants and shoes while bits of his suit clung to his gash-filled chest, slowly healing with aura. Blood was running from his mouth, his entire right arm sporting a nasty burn. "And to think, you were hiding this power right here, right underneath our feet! Such... arrogance." She hissed at Ozpin, his face grim. "Ornstein," Ozpin said, "Take Amber and get her to safety, she may still have traces of the Seasonal Power within her. I need you to get to Mistral and go to Haven Academy. It's time I faced my fate head-on." I turned to him, shock spreading through me. "Ozpin... are you sure? It might take some time, but..."
"It's for the best Ornstein. Though, if you can, try to get back here as soon as possible. death may be an inconvenience, but I'd prefer not to die right now if that's an option." It was simple to Know that he was only joking: there was no way he'd survive this situation, even with his immense power. I nodded and gently took Amber from his arms, the woman shifting in and out of consciousness. "I will see you soon, Headmaster. I will never forget your kindness towards me and my comrades," I said firmly. Ozpin smiled back before brandishing his cane. "I won't be gone for too long, Ornstein."
"Jaune, Pyrrha, let's go!" I barked, the two of them hesitating, ready to fight by Ozpin's side. "Don't bother. You'll only get in the way." We quickly ran out, making sure to take care of Amber in my arms. Looking back just before the elevator doors closed, I saw the back Ozpin's calm, relaxed form with his cane in hand while also getting a good look a Cinder's mad grin, the stolen power of one of the greatest gods to ever exist bursting from her in a horrifyingly beautiful array of flame. The doors closed, and I let my anger tear forth. "DAMN IT ALL!" I cried, my fist ripping into the metal of the wall. Tears of frustration and rage spilled from my eyes and onto Amber's face. Pyrrha's face was hung low, her eyes hollow while Arc's was just wild with confusion, fear, and doubt. "M... Mr. Ornstein... who the hell are you? What the hell is this? What's going on?" He asked, his voice strained, and I could not blame him.
I snorted quickly, reigning in my emotions and looking him dead in the eye. "Arc, what I am about to tell you is secrets that in this time, people would kill to try and glimpse, understand?' He swallowed and nodded. "In your world, there are old stories, fairy-tales of gods and deities... and Grimm. I assume that you've heard of the Tale of the Four Knights? Artorias, Ciaran, Ornstein, Gough..." His eyes went wide as he put the pieces together. "You mean you're..."
"Yes, I'm that Ornstein, Professor A is Artorias and Combat Assistant Ciara is the Ciaran." He looked to Pyrrha, complete bewilderment on his face. "And you knew?" She just nodded silently. As soon as the doors opened, we bolted outside, thankfully running into no Grimm. Reaching for my pocket, I hissed as I saw how one of Cinder's fireballs managed to burn through both it and melt my scroll. "Shit. Arc, I need you to call Glynda or any of the other Professors available to aid Ozpin... if he's still alive," I muttered, lightning crackling off of my skin. "Both of you, get as far away from this building as possible and rejoin the fight with the others. I must get Amber to safety, she is still a highly important member of our group. Don't do anything stupid!" I shouted as I sprinted off, still doing my best not to let harm come to her. She was fully conscious now, though still terribly weak. 'Aura and a week's rest should allow her to recover,' I thought as I glanced at her.
"Y...you are..." My head snapped down in surprise at the sound of her voice, and I nearly ran face-first into an Ursa. Snarling, I spun and lashed out with my foot, kicking it's head clean off, only to be met with a whole pack of Ursai. "Child's-play. OUT OF MY WAY!" I bellowed, firing off lightning that carved through them like warm butter. Sensing one behind me, I whirled around to do the same until a small beam of flame shot out at its eye, searing it and sending the beast into agony. Again looking down in surprise, I saw Amber's index finger pointed, smoking at the tip. However, the effort behind it despite how small the attack was seemed to drain her severely, her breath faster and her skin sweating. "None of that!" I hissed, quickly diving into a hole in a wall of an ravaged building. "You've been weakened for a long, long time. I do not suggest you try to overexert yourself lady Autumn," I said as I slowly restored a bit of her aura with my own, strengthening her enough to talk freely.
"...You're the one who saved me, right?" She asked. For the third time the span of a minute, this woman surprised me. "I am just someone who wanted to help you, that is all," I replied, though I couldn't help but smile a bit as she said, "Thank you." It felt nice to be appreciated. "How do you feel? Can you at least stand?" She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I still feel weak yet I could probably stand, but how are you still alright? Blood is dripping from your mouth and nose, and your left arm is shaking a lot." It was then that the rush of adrenaline I didn't know was running through me faded, and waves of pain hit me, nearly making me black out as my knees buckled. Amber yelped and clung to me, quickly bringing me back before I could fall on top of her, no doubt injuring her. "Motherfu-!" I spat, gritting my teeth as I quickly used aura to heal the damage. "That bitch's power was greater than I thought. Forgive me my lady."
"U-um, it's fine," She said, utterly bewildered by both me and our surroundings. "So... what on Remnant is going on?" She asked, a bit of fear creeping into her voice. A large Creep spotted us and charged, teeth bared before I incinerated it with a quick blast of lightning. "Beacon's been attacked, two Gods from Mistral are currently fighting each other, there's a Continental Grimm here and the power of a Lord has just been stolen from you."
"...That's a lot to throw onto someone who just woke up from a soul-stealing induced coma," She snorted, annoyed and amused. 'I like her,' I thought with a small grin. "Still... I can't believe this is because of me. Why did I have to be chosen for this stupid role? Why do I have to be the cause of so much destruction?" I could hear the strain of her voice, and I knew she was going to cry. "Amber Autumn," I snapped, startling her with the firmness of my voice. "Do not blame yourself for what you see happening here. As far as I am concerned, this was bound to happen eventually, whether it was you holding the power or some other girl. So keep your head held high, grit your teeth and keep fighting." She stared at me for a moment before a look of awe made itself present in her face. "You really are that Ornstein, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm fairly sure that I am the same person," I quipped. Amber laughed, a gentle chiming sound before she looked at her feet in surprise. "Oh, I can feel my toes now... oh..." Her face suddenly turned pink, and for a second I didn't understand why. "U-um... you wouldn't happen to have some clothes, would you." My eyes flitting down for a brief moment, my felt my cheeks grow warm: I had forgotten that she was wearing only cloth wrappings, leaving the rest of her tanned (slightly pale) skin exposed. "A-ah, I see. Just a moment." Gently laying her down, and quickly looked around, finding a flag of beacon having fallen to the floor. It was surprisingly clean, so I took it and tore off enough excess fabric to make a cowl of sorts and rush back to amber, gently throwing it around her shoulders to protect the rest of her modesty. "Thank you," She said gratefully, holding the cloth tight to herself.
"It is of no big consequence," I said offhandedly before I picked her up again. "You know, you're not as tall as the stories make you out to be," She said with a small grin, making me snort in annoyance. "I'll have you know that I am still quite tall, thank you very much!" She laughed again before I laughed with her, conceding to her joke. "I think we have yet to make formal introductions," I stated, looking around quickly to make sure we were in the clear before I stuck out my hand to her. "Dragonslayer Ornstein, a pleasure to meet you." She took my hand, her grip being decently firm for someone who's been in a coma for months. "Amber Autumn. I'm glad to have finally met the one who saved me from death." There was a loud *THUD* as a Goliath seemed to come out of nowhere, glaring at us.
"...I wouldn't really say that I saved you from death just yet," I said after a moment.
"Really now? I didn't notice, was a bit too busy staring at the Goliath in front of us." It's settled, I very much like this human girl.
Ciaran
"Sacred Relic, Release!" I shouted as I sprinted at Tyrant, sliding under a swing of his blade before leaping into him and stabbing my Golden Tracer right into his chest. "BLOODBATH!" Black blood burst from the wound before hundreds of smaller wounds opened up, each of them spewing its own fountain of blood. Yet almost as soon as it started, the bleeding stopped as Tyrant grunted and his body tightened. "Took a bit of damage there!" He cackled before he swung his knee into my stomach with a *BANG*, breaking right through my aura and cracking ribs before sending me flying back. I managed to heal my injuries quickly before I was forced to back up some more as he charged at me. "I'll still tear you apart for- GHK!" He grunted as Artorias dove out of the air and stabbed right through his chest before roaring and yanking straight up, tearing him perfectly in half from the waist up. In a fascinatingly disgusting display, the two parts made a wet slapping sound as they merged together, even Tyrant's armor repairing itself again.
"Hmm..." The Corrupted Mortal hummed, "I think we've been playing long enough, it's time that I end this."
"End it? The fight has just begun, you abomination!" I snapped, gripping my Tracers tightly. "Can you not feel it, Lord's-Blade? The power of Fall in the air?" He retorted, and indeed it was there, yet there was no warmth or comfort in this power. There was only pure death in the air and there was only one being who could have possessed that level of pure death was... "A Lord-Soul?!" I heard Artorias mutter, his eyes wide. Not to mention, the fact that I could feel that power clashing with Ozpin's own waning strength. The only slight sigh of relief was that Ornstein had managed to get away with what felt like the smallest trace of the power in his arms. But even then, that means Pyrrha failed to receive the power, and now the False Maiden has a damned Lord-Soul in her!
"No more time to waste. I'll end your lives right here!" Tyrant roared, hunching over as his body convulsed and trembled, pitch-black aura tearing through the air and the ground around us. I put my hands up to guard myself as his aura lashed right at me, far too fast for me to dodge. I yelped in surprise as Artorias knocked me out of the way and stood in front of me, taking the brunt of the blow on his chest. "Artorias-!" I cried out, thinking that he would be mortally wounded. But he stood there and took it, wincing in pain but otherwise standing strong. "I'm the only one who can properly withstand the Abyss," He replied grimly. I wordlessly nodded, frustrated as we were unable to get close to Tyrant without risking death. The darkness of his aura was so complete, I couldn't see through it, nor sense what he had become underneath. In a final burst of black, the ground lurched violently, trees ripped from the ground, stone and dirt flying through the air as Artorias and I were sent with them.
We quickly got to our feet, both of us allowing our own power to come forth in response to the sight in front of us. Instead of being grotesquely disfigured by muscle, he had instead become smaller, equal to Artorias in height. Some of his armor seemed to have vanished aside from his chestplate, leggings, boots and helmet. The horns on his helm had become much more jagged, and the missing sleeves showed off his arms, tight with muscle. "Don't let his size fool you," I said to Artorias.
"Believe me, I know."
The moment I blinked, Tyrant vanished. Artorias tensed up, caught off guard by the sudden movement. Just barely, I could sense the faintest wisps on something moving very, very quickly at Artorias. Going off of pure instinct, I dashed in and shot my foot out as fast as I could. Tyrant reappeared, catching my foot with his hand. "Too slow." Artorias instantly slashed down hard, blade singing through the air. A loud *CLANG* echoed through the air as Tyrant brought up his own, now smaller sword, blocking with ease. I snarled and twisted out of his hand, slashing at his fingers and down his leg, but my eyes went wide as I realized that I barely scratched his skin, his black aura flaring around the areas that I tried to cut. "Weak." He brought his blade down at my head, forcing me to block only to get buried into the ground, pain jolting my back, arms and shoulders. Artorias roared and swung again, trying to knock him back, only for Tyrant to expertly block and counter with a quick thrust of his own.
The bone-white broadsword just scraped by Artorias' cheek, tearing his helmet off. I had to scramble away as they began to trade a terrifying display of sword-skills, blades ripping through the air and clashing into each other at speeds I was having trouble keeping up with. And the worst part? Artorias was losing. With every swing, Tyrant would perfectly deflect it and lash out with a quick attack of his own. With Artorias trying to compensate for calling upon more power and speed from his Abyssal Aura, he was sacrificing his technique and rational thought. What's worse was that he still wasn't as strong or as fast as Tyrant was right now. "Wolf Hunt!" Artorias bellowed, thrusting his aura-clad blade forward at his chest. Tyrant grunted gripped his blade in both hands, swinging straight up and knocking Artorias' sword skyward, aura firing off into the air. "Still too weak!" Tyrant snapped, stepping in and slashing down across Artorias' exposed chest. My heart stopped as his chestplate was sheared clean in half, blood flying into the air as the blade met his skin before he fell to a knee. I screamed and lost all composure, dashing forward and letting my blades fly through the air. They scraped uselessly across his skin and aura, but I didn't care.
"Loosing your cool, Lords-Blade?" He taunted before he began to dodge, gently moving out of the way of each and every cut and stab. He then began to fight back, doing a quick little slash that I barely managed to weave away from, slashing across the top of my shoulder and exploding in pain. The distraction was enough for Tyrant to slam his fist down on my face, my vision flashing white before I felt my body tumbling next to someone. My sight returned quickly, but I could barely move. Artorias was hunched over me, teeth bared as he pointed his blade at Tyrant. He had taken far more damage than I had initially through from their exchange: his body was covered in bruises and lacerations, all of them trying to heal as fast at they could. "Well, that was shorter than I had hoped," He sighed, black smog blowing through the gaps in his helmet, eyes glowing red with boredom. "I guess this is the end for you both."
He raised his free hand over his head, a giant sphere of pitch-black aura bursting to life and crackling with black lightning. "Die." He casually dropped it down on us, and I screamed. Pure, raw agony blasted through me, every inch of my body being violently pushed into the ground. Artorias was the same, still trying to protect me but too wracked with pain to help, his own body crushed into the ground right next to me. We looked at each other in that moment, resignation in our eyes as we managed to scoot out hands and hold each other, waiting for death to finally overtake us.
'It's... been a good run... Ciaran,' I heard Artorias speak in my mind. 'I... love you.'
'And... I you... Artorias.'
"FOOOOORE!" We were broken out of our moment from a loud, all to familiar bellow as we looked up just in time to see Ornstein in his Giant-Form, his spear wound up like a club. "What in-!?" Tyrant started before Ornstein's spear slammed into him full-force in a deafening clap of lightning. No matter how strong Tyrant was, it didn't change the fact that right now, he was much lighter than Ornstein was. With a loud *BANG*, he was sent flying through the air, far far away from us. The Abyss that surrounded up faded, and I felt like I could actually breathe now, gasping for air as I desperately drew upon my aura to heal me. 'Starting to run low,' I thought before I turned to Artorias, flecks of his pitch black abyssal power clinging to him and healing his wounds, albeit much slower than normal. 'Seems like I'm not the only one.'
"...So... no 'thank you for saving us, great Captain Ornstein?' Really?" The man gloated, making me scowl and want to hit him. "Shut...up," I growled, slowly picking my blades up and putting them back in place, standing up slowly and shakily before I fell onto my ass. "Thank you... Ornstein," Artorias groaned as he lay flat on his back. "You saved our asses." I was loathe to admit it, but indeed he was correct. Ornstein's face softened as he knelt down at us. "Seriously, are you going to be alright?"
"Eventually," I quipped before staring at him. "How are you in that form? I thought you needed the aid of another powerful being to... ah." It was only then I noticed the familiar olive-skinned girl on his shoulder, her hand glowing faintly as it pumped power into Ornstein's body. "Amber, you can stop now," Ornstein said firmly, Amber snapping out of her concentration and ceased the flow of power, Ornstein quickly shrinking back to his normal size, sparing his own aura and giving it to us. "So," I said, addressing the former Fall-Maiden, "Do you still have some of the Seasonal Power, even if it's just a trace?" Ornstein fixed me with the nastiest glare I've ever seen him give me, startling me with its intensity, and I could see why. Amber had hung her head in shame and I actually felt quite bad. The poor girl must be blaming herself for what's going on right now. Turning away silently, I looked at Artorias who was fully healed now, holding his armor and staring at it.
"We can find a blacksmith after this and repair it," I said to him, before he did something strange. He closed his eyes and held the broken pieces of armor together, allowing his Abyssal Aura to gently waft of his hand and somehow mend it, the metal slowly warping and fusing together. "...How are you...?"
"I believe I picked it up from Tyrant," He answered. "I just picked up on what he was doing with his aura somewhat." He slipped it on over his bare chest, banging on it twice just to make sure everything was in place. "Okay Captain, what's the plan?"
"Ozpin is pretty much dead and Beacon Academy is now doomed." He said bluntly, making us flinch, " We don't have the power to take on Tyrant, so as far as I am concerned we need to save as many lives as we can, hold off Tyrant and get the hell out of here."
"But, this is our home!" I argued, appalled at his sudden surrender.
"Did you not hear me?" Ornstein said sharply. "Ozpin is DEAD! Our home is as good as fucked, just like our last one! History will always repeat itself, no matter what we do." He leaned in, snarling, but I could see the tears in his eyes before he managed to school his featured. "So grab your shit, because we're getting out of here..." He stood at full height and clenched his fist. "And we're going to Haven Academy." The order got me interested, and quickly I was able to piece together why. "Cinder Fall and Kagome Kuroken, right?" Ornstein nodded. "Ozpin never told me why, but I suspect it's for that reason too. We'll get to the bottom of who allowed this to happen, and I'll gut them alive with my own hands."
I breathed out and bowed, getting down to a knee and surprising Ornstein. "Forgive me, I thought that you'd given up." He kissed his teeth and held a hand out for me to take, pulling me to my feet. "Please, I refuse to give up. I'm a Knight of Gwyn, Captain to you ragged lot, so I can't afford to throw in the towel."
"Heh, that is good to hear," Artorias chuckled, patting him on the back before turning to the tower, eyes wide. At first I thought it was because of the Dragon having ripped off the top of it... and then I saw what Artorias was looking at, or rather, who. "O-Ornstein!" I choked out, pointing at the tower. He quickly turned and his face immediately went pale. "No... by the Lords, NO! You stupid girl, I told you to run away!" He roared, sprinting off in a burst of lightning.
Cinder Fall
"Do you believe in destiny?" The girl had the audacity to ask. Destiny? It's been my destiny to claim what was rightfully mine! "Yes," I bit back sharply, drawing my arrow back. I heard a light thump and a loud clank of armor landing not to far away, and I let my arrow go on instinct. "NIKOS!" The Deity roared at the arrow pierced the 'Invincible Girl's' heart, a choked sound of shock and pain echoing through the air. Smirking, I walked up to her and put my hand on her face, flaring the Seasonal Power and turning the former champion into ashes with a flash of heat, her crown falling to the ground. "Barely a decent challenge," I snorted before turning to the two newcomers, the Deity and Ruby Rose staring in shock and horror. "Now... who's next?" I taunted, floating into the air.
(Que Music: DBZ OST, Ultra Instinct Reborn)
"PYRRHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The little brat screamed, her eyes glowing before pure white energy unlike anything I've ever seen before exploded from her eyes. "WHAT!?" I couldn't help but roar, crossing my hands over my face as I was nearly blown off the floor. The Deity did the same thing, putting up his aura to try and defend himself from the burst of silvery-white power. Tyrant's pet, the giant dragon screeched in pain as that silvery wave of power washed over it, its skin instantly blistering and boiling while it's bone-plating cracked and flaked away, nearly causing it to fall off the tower. A lash of the power raced towards me and I flared out my semblance, mixing it with magic to create a defensive glass bubble around me. 'There's no way that it can-!' My train of though was shattered as it slammed into my shield, cracks rapidly forming. 'I-It's so heavy!' I strained to keep the shield up, feeding more magic into it for as long as I could. I was lucky that I had an infinite amount to draw upon, otherwise I would have just wasted a massive chunk of it for defending myself against that little red-themed brat. As soon as it stopped, I let my shield down to see what exactly I was facing.
"...What in the name of the Gods..." I muttered, eyes going wide at the sight before me. The brat was floating in the air, her eyes spewing what looked like silvery flames, a face wet with tears but dead with emotion. Her scythe can grown five times its normal size, and had turned entirely white, glowing with the same energy that flowed from her eyes. Ruby Rose truly was the daughter of Summer Rose. "Silver eyes...!" I heard the Deity mutter. Everyone around us seemed to stop for a moment, turning to see the spectacle before us. Even the two fighting in the sky stooped, looking in awe at the girl. Grimm around us howled in fear and pain, averting their faces and covering their eyes. For some reason, I couldn't get a feel of her strength; that only made me even more curious. "Well then? Come at me, Ruby Rose!" I goaded, setting my feet apart and flaring my magic and aura to its highest, dark flames crackling in the air. It was probably one of the worst mistakes in my life.
(Que Music: DBZ OST, Ultimate Battle, Guitar only version)
She closed the gap in between us in an instant, her face directly in front of mine. The sudden movement startled me, making me stumble back and barely dodging her foot flying right by my face before she pivoted and followed up with her massive scythe, swinging straight down. I summoned an equally massive blade of molten stone and swung straight up, the resulting clash ripping whatever was at the top of the tower right off, including the Deity that was with us. I grit my teeth at the raw power bearing down on me before I tilted my blade to the side and let her scythe slide off, shooting my fist into her stomach with my full power, adding a massive explosion to turn her to ash. A *BOOM* echoed through the air at half the tower was engulfed in pure destruction... and yet... "Tch!" I spat as I leaped away from a slash behind me that cleaved what was left of the tower in half. Hell, it could've cleaved me in half. 'I didn't even see her move!' I thought before she appeared in front of me again slamming her fist into my face. What shocked me was that it hurt, and hurt badly, sending me tumbling through the air and crashing into the ground.
I got to my feet quickly, leaping away as she came down with ground-shattering force, glowing eyes trained on me before she rushed me again, effortlessly spinning her scythe into a blistering combination of attacks. Again summoning a molten blade, I met each and every strike with one of my own, dark flames clashing against silver light. "Is this the best you have!?" I roared, parrying a swing and stepping in and firing a wave of black and orange magic at her face. She leaned back at a strange angle, he face still stone-cold as she allowed herself to fall, shooting her feet straight into my chest with a sharp *BANG*, winding me and sending me backward, though not before I managed to grab onto her boot and fling her straight through a building, the walls crumbling onto her. I didn't waste the opportunity I had, conjuring more raw magic into my hand and pointing it at the rubble. "This place will be your grave! DEATHLY SOUL-SPEAR!" I roared as I fired off a massive sharp projectile made from burning stone and black flames, racing towards to the mound of brick. The rubble exploded and in a flash of red and white, my magic was sliced clean in half, Ruby Rose standing there with her scythe pointing upward.
"H-how...? Damn you!" I snarled, embedding my hand in the ground and focusing my magic into it, the ground around her exploding with pillars of fire, many of them hitting her cleanly. I grinned at I saw her body limply launched into the air before letting a wave of wind and flame loose on her, the attack engulfing her entirely. "Be reduced to ash!" I laughed, pouring even more power into it, adding one last burst of it before she began to fall back to the ground. I didn't stop there, flying into the air and slamming both fists down into her stomach, sending her shooting straight into the floor, dirt and debris flying into the air. I landed right on top of her, my foot embedded in her sternum as I smirked at her unconscious form. "I don't know what you just did, but you're no match for my power. Now...!" I started before her eyes opened, silver flames pouring out of them once again. "SHI-!"
"HAAAAH!" She roared, her voice reverberating through the air as she shot her rose-petal engulfed fist straight up, the air-pressure alone blasting me off of her. She flipped backward and right onto her feet, dashing to me as she took her weapon out again, the meta quickly glowing white and silver. I ducked under another terrifying swing of the massive weapon, the blade, ripping through several trees and tearing chunk of a building behind me. 'This doesn't make sense, I should be far stronger than her! I have the power of one of the oldest and most powerful Gods within me!' I spat a flash of fire right in her face, enough to make her step back. "Got you now!" I shouted as I pointed my palm at her, a concentrated ball of fire within it ready to explode. She barely looked at it before she shot her straight up in a burst of petals, blasting my hand straight up before I could fire my attack off. Again she jumped and spun, her boot connecting with my face and whipping my head back. 'WHY CAN SHE MATCH ME!?' I screamed and rocketed my fist into her face, blood gushing from her nose as she stumbled back.
I felt pain race up my hand but I ignored it, bellowing as I used my aura to keep pushing her back, sending both of us through a line of trees before I launched her skyward again. I elbowed, kneed, kicked, punched, utterly throttled the girl, blasted her with magic and aura. All of it was clearly damaging her, yet she barely showed any emotion, trying to block with her scythe from time to time. I went in for another wide swing, only for her to disappear again, my side exploding in pain as I felt her foot embed itself in it. Her scythe was already clipped to her back, and now she was trading her own blows with me. She was sloppy, untrained, and quick clumsy, by she had sheer, blistering speed on her side. I barely managed to parry and block while trying to match her, managing to land a handful of strikes that barely affected her. Her foot snapped into my jaw, her fist cracking my rib through my aura, a big swing of her left twisting my head to the side. I snarled again and tried to blast magic in her face once more: she'd grown wise to the trick, disappearing before I felt her boot in her spine, my lungs locking up as I felt her power tear into me.
'It's... it's not her physical power that's gotten a significant boost. It's her aura that's been increased and that silvery light itself that the seasonal power is weak to!' I grit my teeth and pivoted just in time to see her use another wild swing: I was ready this time. I quickly flew in close to her chest and grabbed her arm before she could hit me, flinging her clean over my shoulder and straight into the ground fifty feet from the sky. "I'll destroy this worthless school, and you along with it!" I screamed, holding my hands above my head and putting everything I had into my next attack. A massive sphere of orange and black flames, powered by every ounce of magic and aura I could muster: I wanted to end her right here, right now. "This will be your grave, Ruby Rose!" The sphere began to warp and burst in places, the power I was putting into it beginning to overload it. 'Perfect,' I thought as I cocked my hands back to throw it.
"FINAL ARTE: DYING SUN!"
I threw it with everything I had, the sphere of destruction plummeting and landing directly on top of the brat. The stone around her melted, trees reduced to burning husks, any Grimm who were around us instantly dying from the release of energy. "Haha... HAHAHA!" I cackled, literally cackled in pure, unbridled joy. "I WIN! Damn you Ozpin, damn all of you Deities, damn every one of you who think you can stand against us! WE WIN!" Barely a moment after I said that, rays of silvery light began to burst through the giant sphere, the attack beginning to break apart as the light began to break through it. "No... No-no-no, IMPOSSIBLE!" I screamed, already charging up more magic into the palm of my left hand. I didn't even get quarter way through before my previous sphere popped like a flaming balloon, Ruby roaring as she fired her silvery energy straight at me, the beam the size and thickness of an elder Goliath as it tore right through me as I tried to block it with one outstretched arm in a reverberating *BOOM*, my vision bathed in white.
(End Music)
I screamed in pure agony as I was drowned in pain. The only thing I could feel was pain, the only thing I could hear was torture, the only damn thing I could think was agony, especially in the left side of my body, the same side that made first contact with her power. Though the blinding light had faded, I could barely register anything as I started to fall. I felt someone catch me in their arms, but even then I barely felt it as I blacked out, unable to even curse my loss.
...
Three Days Later...
...
Yang
I just sat there. I didn't want a bed to waste away on, so I took up a chair instead. I looked at where my right arm used to be, and I winced as I felt the empty space there light up in pain. Dad called them phantom-pains, and I suppose he was pretty accurate: it hurt like hell. For the fifth time in the day, I wanted to punch something, anything, but I just couldn't get my body to respond the way I wanted it to. Every time I wanted to get up, to start fighting again, everything just seemed to lock up, images, flashes, of what that Adam did to me. Yet despite that all, it wasn't the worst of it. The school's gone, the Tower's been destroyed, Pyrrha was killed and now... I felt my lip quiver as I carefully placed a hand on Raiden's arm. He was cold, normally warm skin now clammy. His breathing was slightly labored, brows permanently scrunched in an expression of pain. Ruby had woken up not too long ago, thank God for that, but... "I'm... sorry," I sobbed quietly, placing my head down on his shoulder. "If only I was stronger... I could've stopped Blake running away. If I was stronger, I could've helped you!" He didn't respond as usual, too busy trying to stay alive.
I heard a faint, worried call of "Yang?" For a moment, I didn't respond, too drowned in sorrow to recognize who it was right at the moment. Of course, I wasn't going to pass this up. "...Ruby?" I turned to see Ruby's shining eyes, a mix of utter relief and sorrow. She rushed to me and I turned, letting her embrace me while I just let your tears fall for the moment. "I'm so glad you're okay..." She said shakily, her voice cracking slightly. I let out a small huff and muttered, "No, I'm not." I felt her stiffen up before she let go, just standing silently and letting me talk. "Ruby, so much has been lost. The school, the Continental Transmission System, Pyrrha, and..." I motioned to the stump of my arm.
"Yang," She said firmly, "Where are Weiss and Blake?"
"... Weiss' father came for her. Whisked her away to Atlas where he thought it'd be safe," I said bluntly.
"W-what? Why!?"
"Rubes... people don't really understand what's going on right now. The last thing they saw before communication went dark was hordes of Grimm unlike ever before, White Fang rampaging through the school, Atlas Androids attacking innocents, Gods falling from the sky and battling with each other. People are scared as hell right now sis... so he came for her and took her away."
"And Blake?"
"... she ran, Ruby." I said, looking away in shame. I tried to be angry about, I really did: this wasn't the first time she ran away from her problems. It would be too easy to get mad at her and lash out, calling her a coward for running, for not saying a word, for falling back to who she once was... but I didn't. I couldn't afford to do that, not now. I needed to mature quickly. "W-why?" Ruby asked, her voice sounding heartbroken. "I don't know sis. I wish I did but... Blake's got issues that need to be worked through right now. As much as she's changed, she's still Blake. If the guy who did this to me was the same one Blake was talking to us about back at Mount Glenn, I can't really blame her. I kinda want to slap her though," I chuckled a bit. "Sun and Oro saw her go. From what I can gather, she's headed back to her home Menagerie, most likely for some R and R."
"...You're taking this surprisingly well," Ruby noted, and I laughed a bit at that. "Yeah, well... no use getting mad without knowing the fully story."
"Yang, come with me to Mistral." The sudden, firm statement startled me. "The people who did this came from Haven Academy, and that's where I wanna go next. I want to make sure Pyrrha didn't die in vain." I sighed and help Ruby's hand, squeezing lightly. "Rubes, I... I can't come with you. Not right now. I need to get my feet under me first, and I don't want to hold you back. I'm your big sis, and it's also my job to make sure that you grow up, that you get stronger and mature. Besides..." I looked back at Raiden, "I need to take care of him." She pouted slightly, a determined but slightly desperate look on her face. "O-Okay then, I'll stay with you for as long as I can!" I chuckled and reached out, squeezing her hand. "Alright. But don't just laze around forever, okay Rubes? I'll catch up, eventually." She nodded and was about to leave before I tugged gently on her hand. "I love you, okay Ruby?" She smiled sadly and just nodded, walking out of the room. It hurt to see her like that, the light of innocence having faded within her. I sighed and turned to Raiden, again trying to feed his body with aura.
It just devoured whatever I gave it instantly, yet his aura wasn't replenishing at all. "Dammit," I cursed, lost on what to do. "It's his Awakening that did that to him." I nearly leaped out of my chair, my hand up in a defensive stance. "Relax Xiao Long, it's only me," Rei Ryuka said soothingly. All I did was feel more shame. "Do not blame yourself for his current state," she sighed sadly, walking over to stand beside me as she looked down upon her son, gently placing a hand upon his forehead. "...Wait, Awakening? The hell is that?" I asked, and she raised an eyebrow at me. "Has nobody told you?" I shook my head, confused. "During the attack, after you had been... incapacitated, sorry," She said, trying to be courteous about my disarming, which I was grateful for, "Raiden had encountered Kagome, and he was nearly killed by her." I bristled at that. "During the fight, he was blasted all the way to where you and other injured people were being evacuated. When he saw your condition and when Kagome threatened to kill you along with everyone there, he... snapped, I guess is the best term for it."
"...Okay, so what's an Awakening?" I asked, trying to be calm, yet I wanted to cry and kiss Raiden so badly. "An awakening is when your Semblance pushed to its absolute limit, to the point where that limit shatters. It is then that you unlock the deeper potential within yourself, bringing out a power unlike never before. Raiden being a half-Deity has much potential within him-"
"Half what!?"
"Half God, for a lack of better term." Again I turned around and I froze at the man standing at the doorway. As tall as Artorias, rippling with muscle across his bare chest, deeply tanned and scarred skin, dull orange markings across his entire body. Raiden was practically the spitting image of this man standing in front of me, a light pressure in the air around him. The only thing that separated the two was his stark-white hair and pure white eyes. "You're..."
"His father, yes." He answered gruffly.
"...Huh. I guess I should've figured that out," I said to him, prompting him to raise a brow. "What I mean by that is, he mentioned you once and he said I wouldn't understand if he told me who you were. It makes sense now though, that incredible strength, that feeling whenever he uses his semblance. To think you're his dad ain't such a crazy thought after everything that's happened." He nodded with a small hum before turning back to Raiden. "It will take time for him to recover," He spoke. "Unlocking that kind of power out of the blue while not having the body to withstand it takes quite the toll." He looked like he was about to get angry, sparks flying off of his skin before Rei placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down. "H-how long will he...?" I asked, worried out of my mind. "Months. He will recover, make no mistake about that though. He's my son after-all. Also," He turned to me, a look of respect and gratefulness in his eyes. "Thank you for caring for him." I felt my cheeks go a bit hot at that, and I nodded slightly, looking away. 'Looks like my recovery is gonna be... interesting,' I thought as I looked outside the window, seeing a single raven staring back at me. 'Very interesting.'
Somewhere in Atlas...
?Unknown?
"Tch," I muttered, trudging through the snow, "Cheeky bastard left me to fend for myself huh?" It wasn't too long before I reached a small cave and sat my ass down in it. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a jar of honey and chugged it, relishing the sweetness before I put it back, now half-empty. I breathed in and out, thinking over what I'd felt going on at Beacon not even three days ago: Asura, the other Gods, another Continental Grimm... "Too much shit's going on right now," I huffed as I looked at my scroll, a single message from Qrow. 'King is Down. Go to Mistral.' I sighed and thought about it: it was a pretty solid plan. Go east, regroup with Lionheart and see where we go from there. Not to mention, I finally had the chance to see her too. I smiled a bit as I took out a photo of a small girl, tanned with long black hair and a kukuri knife that was far too big for her strapped to her back.
"Well, Jack's coming home, just wait for a little longer kid."
In the Red Desert of Vacuo...
?Unknown?
"HAAH!" I roared, shooting my palm out and blasting a boulder to pieces. I quickly flipped backward and threw out a bunch of kicks midair, landing and quickly firing an aura-blast straight forward. Using my hand, I willed it to turn around completely, racing straight towards me as I tensed up, the aura slamming into me and kicking up a load of dust . I breathed out, relaxing a bit. "You've been training since midnight." I turned around, smiling a bit at my wife, a stern but worried look on her face. "It's Beacon isn't it? You know that the boys are alright, they're strong enough to take care of themselves. Not to mention, Oro is under Asura's son, so please stop and get some rest."
"But I could've been there to stop it, or at least help! Now a Maiden's power has been stolen, Deus is back and too many have been killed." I said back, frustrated at myself. "Besides, I got a call yesterday from Sun... Asura's son is in a coma." She put a hand over her mouth in shock. "He's going to be going with Oro over to Menagerie, for some reason."
"Why Menagerie?"
"Hon' I ain't exactly the smartest person in the world," I chuckled. "But... I think I might know why. If they're headed there for him, then I don't see why not. He can help them get stronger. But there is a few good things that came out of this. You remember Summer's daughter?" She nodded, curious. "She's unlocked the Silver eyes, and she's incredibly strong, she even beat the Maiden-thief too! Honestly, it's gonna be a while, but I can't wait to meet her. If she's anything like Summer, she'll go on to be amazing!" She sighed and lightly slapped me on the back of the head. "Alright, now stop fantasizing about fighting a little girl and come inside. You need a bath." I grinned and managed to relax a bit more, following her back to the house. "Okay Chi-Chi."
Somewhere in Menagerie
?Unknown?
"They have returned...!" For the thousandth time in three days, I couldn't help but feel utterly joyous, ecstatic, elated! "My dearest friends... thought, it will be a some time before I may see them. They'd probably slaughter me on sight with what I look like now," I sighed, somewhat downtrodden by this pessimistic but accurate thought. I paced out my shrine excitedly, occasionally causing spires of rock to shoot out of the ground from beneath me, the mountain seeming to gently rumble with every step. "Still, the chance to finally be freed of this cursed hold, to fight by their side against the forces of darkness once more! Oh how exciting!" I managed to calm down after a moment though, remembering what that accursed witch ordered to the other servants of the Abyss. "As soon as the Third Relic is ours, we devour all hope and sweep in, taking the final key to victory by force. Hmph, pretentious little..." I snarled, my aura flaring before I managed to calm down.
"...I have to prepare," I said to myself, looking to my giant bow lodged within a boulder. "It's soon time for me to escape. Damn the way I look, my comrades have returned. Even if Beacon is lost, we will still fight, and we will win!"
Artorias
Two months later...
"Their resilience is nothing short of astounding," I said with a small smile, watching as Ruby and the rest of team Juniper went off on a continent-spanning journey. "Though they have suffered loss, they will grow and mature from it, no doubt about that," Ciaran added, leaning into me. "But is it really wise to leave them by themselves?" Ornstein questioned Qrow, genuine worry in his voice. "Hey, don't worry about em', I'll stick close to the kids and make sure they'll be okay."
"... Is it wise to leave them without a responsible adult?" Amber questioned, raised a brow at Qrow, who looked wounded by the accusation. Ornstein and Ciaran snickered while I nearly roared with laughter, patting the drunkard on the back. "I promise I'm gonna get you back for that Ornstein!" Qrow growled playfully, lightly punching him in the arm. "I'll hold you to that, old drunk." He kissed his teeth and leaped into the air, transforming into a crow in the blink of an eye before following the newly formed team. Speaking of which, I turned to Amber, putting on as serious a look as I could muster. "Well then... Amber Autumn. Are you ready to set out with us? The future will be harsh, filled with conflict, no doubt about that. Are you willing to walk alongside us, knowing that?"
She stood proudly, determined as ever. "I know. But... I was chosen for this, and I'll stick to it, even if most of my powers have been stolen. Besides," She looked to Ornstein with a thankful smile. "I think that you're the best friends I can have right now." Ornstein smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder, genuine pride on his face. "Welcome, Amber Autumn, to the Knights of Gwyn."
THE END... FOR NOW...
A.N: First of all, I just want to thank everyone who stuck out with the long-ass wait and followed this story for as long as it's been going on. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'll hopefully be returning quite soon this time! I've already got the plans for the next part of the story out, which will be uploaded here, and believe me, that's where shit starts to get crazy. Hopefully you can guess who the unknown three are from the last part of the story: post a review and see if you're right! (one of them is pretty obvious).
Also, just wanted to address a few things before I get my ass roasted. Firstly, Ruby does NOT have Ultra Instinct, no matter what song choice I put in XD. Also, I added in the fight scene because I felt that Cinder's injuries just didn't make that much sense from the end of Volume 3: how can you be barely ONE METER AWAY from that blast, facing it HEAD ON, and ONLY have the left side of your body injured? Of course, there's the argument of the little Grimm-Bug thing being inside her already, but still, I digress. And if people starts saying 'RuBY CanNOT bE ThAt OP agAInST CinDER yoU IdioT!' Then why did the blast cripple her so badly? The way I see it, the Maiden-Powers are highly vulnerable to the Silver Eyes. I just wanted to make a cool fight-scene out it. And finally, I'm keeping Amber alive because I felt like there was a lot of potential in her character that was just killed off. I'm not gonna say what I've got in store for her, but just know that I'll do my best to flesh her out as much as possible.
Anyway, that about wraps it up for now. Be sure to tune in next time, and peace out guys!