Chapter 37:
Weiss and Pyrrha once again found themselves dumbstruck as they stared at Ruby's new scythe.
The shaft and head were deep crimson in color. About three quarters of the way up the length of the shaft, it spread outward in smooth, curving lines to each side, up to the head of the weapon, mounted on a circular hinge that allowed it to swing out when opened up, or fold back in on itself when closed. One end of the head was rectangular in shape, slightly curved into a gentle arc about two feet in length. The other side was less than half the length. Glowing lines of a lighter, more vivid red stretched between the two points of the head.
Most remarkable of all was the blade. The same brighter red of the veins of light running between the two points of the weapon's head, the gentle, curving crescent of the scythe's blade extended down from the longer section of the head, its edges actually spreading wider than the head of the weapon itself. From the blunter section, more light had formed into a sweeping, winglike projection that curved slightly in the opposite direction of the blade.
All told, it was a thing of beauty; substantially different, yet hauntingly familiar. Ruby hefted it and spun it around herself, the blade becoming a flashing blur of crimson light, accompanied by a darker red blur of the shaft. After a few more passes, she brought the weapon to a stop, allowing it to stretch down from behind her right shoulder at an angle, passing behind her back to extend downwards from her waist to her left, the blade angled upwards.
"Wha-what...what is that?" demanded Weiss, thunderstruck by the sight of this new weapon. What is that blade? It looks like hard-light. But a stable Dust-energy field of that size should be impossible. Our best technology hasn't even come close to that level of miniaturization. Where did she get a weapon like that? There's no way a dunce like her could have forged something that sophisticated.
"This is Shining Rose," said Ruby. "After I laid Crescent Rose to rest, I forged her with all my heart to embody my will as a Huntress."
"That's impossible!" exclaimed Weiss. "There's no way you could have forged something that advanced. That level of technology doesn't even exist yet."
Dust-energy fields were new ground relatively speaking. A great deal had been accomplished in the creation of hard-light constructs and energy barriers, to create energy that could produce the effects of matter. The safety barrier around the arena was an example of such technology. However, the level of refinement to produce a stable energy construct the size of an individual weapon, much less a part of one, was still beyond the reach of the current technology available to even the likes of the Schnee Dust Company. If Ruby's weapon truly contained such a miraculous advancement, its mere existence could potentially change the face of Remnant.
"Where did you get that?" demanded Weiss, pointing her blade at Ruby. "Tell me!"
"I don't need to tell you anything," said Ruby simply. "We're here to fight, remember?"
Weiss growled, but returned to her starting stance, leveling Myrtenaster at Ruby. "Fine," she said. "It's not like you'll be any better with that than you were with your last one."
Weiss glanced at Pyrrha, who looked back and nodded at her. Even if the blade was some kind of unknown energy field, it didn't change the fact that the rest of the weapon was clearly composed of metal, and, thus, would be subject to Pyrrha's Semblance. Once the fight actually began, Ruby would have no chance at victory.
In the spectator section above, Yang and the others stared in awe at Ruby's weapon. "Where did she get that?" she asked, looking to Ayumu and Gin.
"We can't tell you that," said Gin simply, "yet."
"Or rather...it is not for us to tell you," added Ayumu, seeing the frustrated look on Yang's face. "If you want to hear the story behind her blade, you should get it from Ruby directly."
"It's beautiful," observed Blake. "It's beautiful...but..."
"But, it will still have the same limitations that her previous weapon did against Pyrrha," said Ren, understanding immediately.
Gin and Ayumu shared a glance, Ayumu's amused, Gin raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't worry about that," said Ayumu. "I'm sure you'll find that Ruby is full of surprises now."
Down below, Weiss shot forward like an arrow from a bow once again, the tip of her blade leading. She closed the distance between herself and Ruby in a flash, attacking with a lightning-fast thrust. Ruby countered effortlessly by sweeping Shining Rose in front of herself in a spin that allowed her to catch and deflect Weiss' thrust with the shaft. Continuing the spin, Ruby brought the blade around, the bright-red flashing as it slashed down at Weiss from angle. Weiss parried, but the force behind the attack sent her skidding off to the side.
However, Pyrrha was following immediately behind Weiss. Returning her shield to its holster across her back, Pyrrha attacked solely with Milo in its javelin form, wielding it with both hands, alternating between slashes and thrusts with the blade. Ruby met her attack, spinning her weapon in a similar manner, the air between the two girls sparking and flashing as their weapons blurred and clashed against one another.
Skidding to a stop, Weiss reversed her grip on Myrtenaster and stabbed straight down. At the same time, the Dust chambers of her weapon revolved, bringing the cylinder of light-blue in line with the blade. Thrusting the blade into the ground, Weiss triggered her weapon, unleashing a wave of icicles that exploded upwards and outwards from the ground like a thicket of icy spears.
Pyrrha leapt back and away to avoid being caught in Weiss' attack, trying to time her retreat to leave Ruby with no time to shift and counter. However, red petals exploded from the winglike projection of energy opposite the blade, and Shining Rose accelerated so abruptly that it almost seemed to vanish from sight, a red streak crossing Weiss' vision as Ruby cut through the wave of ice spears, the attack's passage shattering the ice in the process, and the following shockwave launching the fragments back at Weiss like shrapnel from a grenade explosion.
Weiss gasped, flicking the first two fingers of her right hand in front of herself. The snowflake sigil of the Schnee family flashed into being in front of her, as Weiss used her glyph to repel the incoming ice away from her body. Her reaction had been a little on the slow side though, and stinging lines of cold etched themselves into her body, though Weiss managed to avoid the bulk of the damage. Flicking her fingers, Weiss turned her glyph from white to black, its effect transitioning from push to pull, and dived through it, using the glyph to increase her acceleration, launching her at Ruby like a missile.
Once again, Ruby deflected Weiss' thrust with a well-timed spin of her scythe, whirling it back around to counterattack. But Pyrrha moved in to take her back, collapsing Milo down into its xiphos form as Akuou slid back into position on her left arm. She brought the blade down in a slash aimed at Ruby's shoulder from behind. Not even looking, Ruby spun her weapon between her hands, bringing it up across her back in time to catch Pyrrha's slash, bouncing her blade back. Releasing her hold on it with her left hand, Ruby pulled down with her right, using her shoulder as a fulcrum to allow her to bring the blade sweeping up to slash at Pyrrha from below. Catching the slash with her shield, Pyrrha fell back a step, even as Weiss closed in from the front once again.
For several brief, albeit furious, seconds, Weiss and Pyrrha pressed Ruby simultaneously from the back and front. However, Ruby's defense was flawless, often transitioning into attacks from her blocks and parries, forcing one or the other of her opponents back to give her the space she needed to counter the other's attacks. Shining Rose was a two-toned blur of crimson around her body, sometimes even seeming to occupy two spaces at once, red petals signifying the activation of Ruby's Semblance exploding out from the back projection intermittently, causing the weapon to accelerate, lending speed and power to Ruby's counterattacks.
Falling back two steps, Pyrrha jumped back out of the reach of Ruby's scythe, slinging her shield at Ruby's head. Ruby turned slightly and leaned aside, allowing Akuou to skim past her temple without touching it. At the same time, she brought up her weapon so that the shield struck the shaft of her scythe, rebounding at an angle that sent it flying at Weiss. Caught off-guard, Weiss fell back, determined not to fall victim to having Pyrrha's shield redirected at her again. Raising Myrtenaster into a vertical position, Weiss caught the rim of the shield with her blade. Meanwhile, Pyrrha guided the direction of the rebound so that Akuou was sent flying right back at Ruby. Weiss called forth a propulsion glyph at her feet, allowing her to launch herself at Ruby in the shield's wake, even as Pyrrha closed in from behind, her sword poised for a thrust.
Sinking into a crouch, Ruby evaded the shield by ducking beneath it, not seeming to notice that Pyrrha was closing in behind her, effortlessly catching her shield without even breaking stride. In fact, she also seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that Weiss was right behind the shield. Holding her scythe up and to the side, Ruby poised it for a single, wide, powerful swing. The onlookers thought she might be allowing Pyrrha to land her blow in exchange for landing a heavier strike against Weiss. But she seemed to be telegraphing her intent too clearly. Weiss would surely see the attack coming and block, while Pyrrha would land her own hit, and do considerable damage to Ruby's Aura.
But, when Ruby moved, it was impossible to follow. One second, she was crouched and poised for a single, powerful strike. There was a flash of bright red as the petals of Ruby's Semblance exploded out from her in a ring, a perfect circle of light, the color of her blade, encompassing her. To those observing, it was as though they'd been watching a video that had just skipped a frame, Ruby having already transitioned to the finished position of her attack, Shining Rose gripped by her right hand near where it began to widen towards the weapon's head, the rest of its shaft stretched across her back.
Weiss and Pyrrha were sent flying back, sparks flying from where Ruby's weapon had bitten into their Auras. Defense hadn't even been possible, as blindingly fast as the attack had been. Pyrrha hadn't even gotten the chance to bring Akuou up to defend, not expecting Ruby to use an attack that would allow her to strike them both, to say nothing of seeing such a wide attack launched so abruptly.
Weiss slammed into the floor with her right shoulder, crying out in pain, and nearly losing her grip on her rapier in the process. Bouncing hard, she landed on her front, playing out the remainder of her momentum on the smooth floor as she slid to a stop. On the other side, Pyrrha also cried out as she slammed bodily into the ring's safety barrier, the energy field crackling as it absorbed the impact, Pyrrha taking a painful jolt from the impact as well, feeling as though she'd slammed into a solid wall that was also slightly electrified. Dropping away from the field, she fell to her knees, stunned for a moment.
Ruby rose out of her crouch, rotating Shining Rose so that she could rest the shaft over her shoulder, standing casually at ease, a look of perfect confidence on her face as she slowly looked back and forth between her opponents. She wasn't even breathing hard yet, though there was a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"That was...incredible!" gasped Blake, barely able to comprehend the kind of speed that Ruby had just used. The only thing she'd seen at that same level of speed had been Adam, when he used his ultimate attack...and Adam could only do so after charging himself and his weapon with his Semblance to boost the speed and power of his sword-draw to the absolute limit. Ruby had matched his speed effortlessly.
"I knew Ruby was incredible," said Yang, "but how did she get this good in just a few months?"
"Well, Master Yu is a frightfully effective teacher," said Ayumu with a soft chuckle. "That said, very few people would be able to improve as much as Ruby did, even under his tutelage."
"Master Yu...?" said Jaune, looking at the boys in confusion.
"We can elaborate on that later," said Ayumu. "There are more important things to focus on at the moment."
Ruby might not have been panting for breath yet, but Weiss and Pyrrha certainly were. It didn't help that their bodies were beginning to feel heavy as the damage they'd taken took its toll. They'd already lost a significant portion of their Auras, an especially large amount to Ruby's last attack. Weiss felt the remnants of the blade's impact against her stomach like a line of fire, the pain lingering, even though her Aura had kept her body from sustaining actual damage.
This is impossible, Weiss thought. How did that dunce improve so much so quickly? There must be some kind of trick. She must be cheating...somehow...
Pyrrha was having similar thoughts, glaring fiercely at the back of Ruby's head. Her fingers clenched so hard around Milo's handle that the sword shook.
Ruby waited patiently for both her enemies to get back to their feet. From a practical standpoint, it was foolhardy, not pressing the attack when both her opponents were debilitated by the hits they'd just taken. But Ruby's posture exuded confidence that she could continue to hold the advantage, even if she gave Weiss and Pyrrha all the time in the world to recover from the last exchange. That confidence, bordering on contemptuous, stoked the fires of anger burning in the guts of Weiss and Pyrrha.
Weiss's ice-blue eyes met Pyrrha's emerald ones and narrowed slightly. Pyrrha's narrowed in return, and she nodded slowly in Weiss' direction. Weiss set herself once again and launched herself at Ruby. At the same time, Pyrrha reversed her grip on her weapon, allowing Milo to transition to its rifle form as she leveled it at the back of Ruby's head, aiming the barrel through one of the semicircular indents on her shield. As Weiss closed in from the front, Pyrrha fired several shots at Ruby from the back.
Not even looking Pyrrha's way, Ruby twirled her weapon between her hands behind her back, the spinning shaft catching each of Pyrrha's bullets. As Weiss closed within reach, Ruby used the spin's momentum to bring Shining Rose around in front of her in a horizontal slash across Weiss chest. However, a snowflake glyph appeared on the floor directly beneath Weiss' feet, launching her up above the line of Ruby's strike, her momentum carrying her over Ruby's head. With a flip and spin, Weiss came down to land daintily, her motions graceful and almost dancelike, next to Pyrrha, who holstered her shield and switched her weapon back into its javelin form, gripping it in both hands and leveling it at Ruby.
Raising her sword, Weiss positioned Myrtenaster vertically in front of her face. At her feet, a new glyph appeared, growing wide enough to encompass both her and Pyrrha. Unlike her previous snowflake glyphs, this one had a clockwork design, a pair of hands revolving around a circle of numerals, spinning faster and faster with each revolution, the glyph glowing yellow, its light surrounding Pyrrha and Weiss in harsh outlines.
"That's..." Yang's eyes widened, recognizing Weiss' new glyph. It was something Weiss had been practicing recently during their team training sessions, apparently one of the potential functions of the Schnee hereditary Semblance that Weiss called time dilation, which allowed her to increase her speed, and/or an ally's speed, for a brief period of time, having practiced using it in conjunction with Yang and Blake in training. And she's using it in a combo with Pyrrha. Have they been training together on the sly?
Pyrrha and Weiss shot towards Ruby like bullets. Weiss' free hand flicked out, and white snowflake glyphs flashed into being in the air around Ruby, one after the other, forming a loose hemisphere around her. Ruby settled into a ready-stance, waiting for her enemies to come to her. Weiss and Pyrrha split apart, going in opposite directions right before they would have been in range of Ruby's scythe. The two of them leapt into the glyphs and were launched back inwards at Ruby like projectiles.
Weiss and Pyrrha flashed back and forth between glyphs, bouncing between them almost like pinballs, executing lightning-fast strikes as they passed by Ruby, before zipping back out of range. It was an all-out blitz, designed to outmaneuver and overwhelm Ruby with the speed and number of attacks, striking continuously over and over again.
Yet Ruby seemed unfazed, remaining in place, not even trying to follow the two other girls with her eyes. Her scythe was no less swift than her opponents, almost seeming to blink from one point to another as she effortlessly blocked or parried each strike that came her way. This carried on for several seconds before Ruby suddenly whipped her weapon around, sinking the tip of the blade into the floor, allowing her to vault up over Weiss, who had launched herself on a low trajectory, targeting Ruby's legs. At the same time, Pyrrha came at her from a higher angle, trying to catch Ruby when she jumped above the line of Weiss' attack.
Using her hands, Ruby pivoted on the bar like a gymnast, bringing her body around and angling it almost horizontally so that Pyrrha's thrust barely missed her, while lashing out with a foot and slamming her combat boot right into Pyrrha's face. All of Pyrrha's speed and momentum fed into the impact with a smacking sound, accompanied by a crunch, that made their audience wince.
Though Pyrrha's head was stopped by Ruby's foot, her momentum caused her body to continue forward, swinging downwards so that it was almost as though she was standing upright. Ruby withdrew her foot and swung her body around and down, landing in a crouch that allowed her to duck beneath the line of Weiss' next attack. Rising back up, Ruby leapt forward, jumping past Pyrrha, holding her scythe out behind her, the blade angled outwards so that it hooked around Pyrrha's stomach. Strangely, the blade didn't bite into Pyrrha's Aura, rather, it behaved more like a blunt object. This allowed Ruby to pull Pyrrha's body with the swing of her scythe as she spun about, an arc of red petals flashing through the air around her as Ruby triggered her Semblance to accelerate her spin, allowing her to bring Pyrrha around and use her scythe to throw Pyrrha at Weiss just as the latter rebounded off another glyph after her last attack, the two of them colliding with a painful-sounding crack as Weiss's face slammed right into the back of Pyrrha's head, the impact killing their momentum, and leaving them to drop straight down to the floor. Weiss' glyphs shattered into motes of light that scattered into the air before vanishing.
This time, the force behind the blows, enhanced as it had been by their speed being turned against them, had overwhelmed their Auras. Rising up from the floor, Pyrrha felt warm wetness trickle down from her nose. Reaching up, she rubbed at it with the back of her hand, which came away bloody. Behind her, Weiss slumped dazedly, the skin around her right eye darkening into an ugly blue and purple color.
In the meantime, Ruby had hopped back several paces and was now once again waiting for her enemies to get their act together. She was breathing harder now, but still looked as though she could go plenty longer if necessary.
Up in the stands, the spectators were speechless, save for Ayumu and Gin.
Gin closed his eyes and slowly let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "That had me worried for a minute," he admitted to Ayumu. "I wasn't sure she could keep up with that level of intensity."
"Well, Master Yu did spend the last phase of her training working primarily on developing her Shingan," said Ayumu. "It appears Ruby absorbed those lessons as well as she usually does."
Gin's posture relaxed, and a fond smile crossed his face. "What else is new?" he asked rhetorically.
"Well, from the look of things, this fight is nearly over," said Ayumu, looking over Ruby's opponents. "Ms. Nikos is clearly on her last legs, and it looks as though Ms. Schnee no longer has the wherewithal to fight."
Indeed, while Pyrrha was struggling to rise up on her feet, Weiss had collapsed onto her knees, blinking slowly and staring dumbly at the floor, the bruise around her right eye starting to swell up to the point that it would be a struggle to even keep that eye opened. Myrtenaster clattered against the floor as Weiss' fingers lost their hold.
Her movements halting and faltering, Pyrrha planted Milo against the floor, and used the javelin to help push herself up to her feet. She blinked her eyes furiously, trying to focus them, though Ruby's image continued to blur and sharpen before her eyes. Rubbing her face, Pyrrha wiped away more blood trickling out of her nose, as well as sweat from her forehead, which had been dripping down to sting her eyes. Turning her head to the side, Pyrrha spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with her saliva, indicating that the last hit had caused her to bite her lip or her tongue as well.
Ruby waited patiently for her, once again resting Shining Rose over her shoulder, staring right at Pyrrha. There was no smile or taunt in her expression, only a solemn seriousness as she regarded one of the two girls that had tried to murder her months ago.
For Pyrrha's part, her body was still humming with anger. However, that anger was dulled by confusion. All throughout the fight, she'd been trying to use her Semblance on Ruby's weapon, whether to divert an attack or disrupt a defense. However, every time, the power of her polarity seemed to slide off Ruby's weapon like water, finding no purchase on the metal of the weapon's shaft and head.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed into a glare and her lips pulled back, baring bloody teeth. The movement almost desperate, Pyrrha stretched out with her left hand, groaning with the effort as she bent as much of her remaining Aura into her Semblance, reaching out with all her strength, determined to use her polarity as she had during their last fight, to wrench Ruby's weapon from her grip and tear it apart before her eyes. Even if it was the last thing she did, Pyrrha would at least take Ruby's new weapon, which she'd clearly invested a great deal in, away from her.
However, despite Pyrrha bending every ounce of her remaining Aura to the task, her polarity once again failed to take hold on Ruby's scythe, washing impotently across it, as though the younger girl's weapon wasn't metal at all. Pyrrha's eyes widened, confusion and fear replacing her anger. Her polarity was a powerful tool, one that had enabled her to control the circumstances of battle and secure victory against every opponent she'd gone up against in the past, including Ruby herself. Its nature allowed Pyrrha to even affect non-ferrous metals, like aluminum. It was her trump card, the very thing that had enabled her to reach that untouchable level where people had labeled her the Goddess of Victory.
And yet...Ruby's weapon remained untouched by her power. Pyrrha gasped and slumped against Milo, the exertion leaving her dizzy. Ruby hadn't moved a muscle, merely continuing to watch Pyrrha silently.
Scarcely any of Pyrrha's Aura remained. Even without checking her scroll, Pyrrha knew her Aura level had probably reached the red-zone. Had this been a sanctioned match, she would have been disqualified already. However, Pyrrha had no intention of giving up. Summoning the last of her strength, she glared furiously at Ruby, who met her gaze squarely. Pushing herself up from where she'd been leaning against her weapon, Pyrrha hefted Milo, collapsing it into its sword form, sliding Akuou off her shoulders and down onto her left forearm. In front of her, Ruby lifted Shining Rose from her shoulder and took a ready stance, waiting for her.
Pyrrha started to run. Her steps stumbling and clumsy at first. But, as she picked up speed, muscle memory took over, and Pyrrha closed with Ruby with all the speed and grace she'd had at the beginning of the battle, raising her sword to slash at Ruby. The younger girl remained motionless, waiting to counter until the last possible second.
In a flash, Ruby burst into motion, the blade of her scythe becoming a streak of light, shearing through the blade of Pyrrha's sword with effortless ease, coming back around in the blink of an eye as Pyrrha raised her shield to block, only for Ruby's blade to split the shield in two as well. Pyrrha's mental processes ground to a halt as she saw her weapons, her beloved companions that had seen her through so many battles, were effortlessly destroyed by Ruby's weapon. She didn't even react as Ruby spun her weapon around, bringing the tip of the scythe around in a curving strike from below, aiming directly for Pyrrha's stomach.
Across the ring, Weiss was roused by a scream of horror. She had no idea who it had come from. Blinking blearily, Weiss found that her right eye refused to respond properly, the lids swollen shut by the black eye she'd gotten from the back of Pyrrha's head. Working her remaining eye, Weiss slowly managed to bring her sight back into focus, but what she saw made her wish she'd simply been struck blind.
Pyrrha dangled limply in the air, the glowing blade of Ruby's scythe piercing through her stomach to emerge from her back so that Pyrrha now hung across the shaft, hefted into the air by Ruby. As the echoes of the scream faded, they were replaced by an oppressive silence. Ruby hefted her scythe and tossed Pyrrha's motionless body off the blade, sending it skidding across the ring as her attention came to rest on Weiss.
Slowly, step by deliberate step, Ruby advanced on the heiress, the one who had hatched and meticulously planned out the scheme that had almost resulted in her death, that night in the forest. From the spectators' seats, Weiss could hear movement and shouts. But it seemed that the spectators were being prevented from intervening. However, none of that really registered to Weiss, her focus filled by the sight of Ruby drawing inexorably closer.
Icy fear gripped Weiss' heart, to the point that she was afraid it would stop in her chest. Her body didn't seem to even be responding to her mind, despite her efforts to will it to move. All thoughts of the unfairness of this situation, how everything she'd worked for had been snatched away from her, had fled. In their place was a desperate, almost mindless panic, a singular urge to get away from the vengeful girl in front of her, now advancing, scythe raised like the specter of death itself. However, Weiss' body remained unable to move, save for tiny jerks and tremors.
Ruby slowly brought her scythe around, bringing the blade to rest against the back of Weiss' neck. Strangely, it felt neither hot, nor cold, just the lightest pressure of an edge against her skin. That alone was enough to make Weiss' hair stand on end, and caused goosebumps to emerge across her body. Weiss found herself staring up at Ruby with her one good eye. Ruby stared back coldly, no mercy in her gaze, her demeanor that of an executioner carrying out a death sentence.
"R-R-Ruby.." stammered Weiss, barely able to force the words out of her lips. "P-please..."
Ruby's eyes merely narrowed. "I didn't get the chance to beg," she said. "If I had...tell me, Weiss...would you have listened? Would you have had a change of heart, and let me live?"
Weiss desperately wanted to answer, to say "yes." But the lie died on her lips as she knew it wouldn't move Ruby's heart one bit. Fear swallowed Weiss whole.
"Goodbye, Weiss," said Ruby, before pulling her blade through Weiss' neck.
When Ruby had impaled Pyrrha on her scythe, Nora had shrieked. Jaune had shouted Pyrrha's name, still not entirely able to come to terms with the atrocity his partner had committed and still concerned for her wellbeing, even as he tried to wrestle with the horrifying truth of her actions. Ren had immediately snapped into action, rushing forward, though he didn't have any weapons on his person at the moment.
Blake had also burst into motion, rushing forward, though remaining unsure of what to actually do. All that she did know was that, whatever else had happened, she couldn't let Ruby become a murderer...even though it seemed she was already too late.
Yang, however, had frozen in shock, the realization of what her sister had done combining with the churning mix of feelings in her gut as far too many lies and truths about this evening had meshed together, rendering her unable to even respond.
Glynda Goodwitch had no such hesitation, striding forward, her riding crop rising to put a stop to things before they got even worse than they already were.
Everyone froze when Ayumu and Gin planted themselves firmly between the spectators and the ring.
"Out of my way!" thundered Glynda, even as Ren came up short, raising his hands as he prepared to fight, even unarmed, ready to force his way through this impediment.
"Patience," said Ayumu calmly, but firmly. "This is not over yet." His smile widened slightly. "Besides, things are not exactly as they seem. I assure you that, regardless of how angry she feels over being betrayed, Ruby has no intention of committing murder."
"If she did that, they truly would have broken her," added Gin with a small smile of his own.
Their words, as well as their calm response to what had just happened, gave Glynda pause, though she couldn't see how things could actually be different from what they looked like.
In the meantime, Ruby had already thrown Pyrrha's body aside, and had made her way to Weiss, holding her blade to the Schnee heiress' neck. From their perspective, the spectators could see Weiss' lips move in a feeble attempt to beg Ruby for mercy. However, Ruby's response was cold and contemptuous. Then, with a single, sharp motion, Ruby sliced clean through Weiss' neck and Weiss slumped over as well.
Once again, Glynda's impulse was to raise her crop and blast the two boys blocking her aside, so that she could descend to the ring and take Ruby into custody for what she'd just done. However, she found herself forestalled by Ayumu, who stopped her, not with words, but by simply raising his hand. Remembering his warning, Glynda narrowed her eyes and examined the situation more closely.
Slicing through Weiss' neck like she had, Ruby should have beheaded the heiress cleanly. When Weiss had fallen over, her head should have gone tumbling across the floor, while blood spilled from the stump where her neck had been. But, strangely, Weiss remained in one, albeit unmoving, piece. Glynda's eyes then drifted to Pyrrha's motionless form. Having been impaled by a wide blade through the stomach, Pyrrha should have been left lying in a pool of her own spreading blood. However, the floor was unmarked, save for a single, smeared streak of red that led to Pyrrha's bloodied, probably broken, nose. There was no sign of the massive bleeding that should have accompanied having a blade the width of Ruby's scythe being driven through her midriff.
Glynda turned her gaze back to Ayumu and Gin, her expression firm, but no longer carrying the wrath it previously had. "Let me through," she said.
The boys nodded and stepped aside. Blake and the remaining members of JNPR rushed down into the ring, Glynda following them at a walk. Blake rushed straight to Weiss, while Jaune, Ren, and Nora rushed to Pyrrha's side. Crouching down, Blake examined Weiss with careful eyes, reaching out to press two fingers to her neck. Blake's body went numb with relief when she felt the presence of a faint pulse. Moving her hand up, Blake held it in front of Weiss' nose and mouth and felt her fear completely dissipate when she felt the gentle stirring of Weiss' breath against her palm.
Looking over towards Pyrrha, Blake relaxed completely when she saw Jaune and Nora almost collapse with relief as Ren announced that she was alive.
The soft sounds of metal clicking and sliding drew Blake's attention back to Ruby as she collapsed and holstered her weapon. Looking at Ruby, Blake found herself swallowed by a confusing morass of emotions that threatened to sweep her away as she was confronted once again by the realization that Ruby was alive. She should have been relieved, possibly angry that Ruby had gone months without bothering to tell them. She should have been horrified and enraged by the revelation that Weiss and Pyrrha had tried to murder her. However, the end result of all those disparate feelings clashing together was that Blake was left feeling numb.
"Ruby..." she said, unable to think of anything else to say or do in this situation.
Ruby looked at her and her eyes flickered with uncertainty and fear, making Blake realize that Ruby knew full well the mixed feelings tonights events were producing. Still, she managed a small, nervous smile as she met Blake's gaze. "H-hey, Blake."
"Ruby."
Ruby froze in place, her eyes going wide, her face pale. She began to tremble slightly as she slowly turned around to see her sister standing there, staring at her with equally wide eyes. "Y-Yang..." Ruby had no idea what else to say. It was easier back when she'd been rationalizing it with Ayumu and Gin, or Qrow. But now she was faced with the realization that there was nothing she could say to truly justify the pain and suffering she'd put her sister through. "Yang, I...I...I can't..." Ruby looked down, clenching her eyes shut, unable to meet Yang's gaze, certain that she would bear the brunt of Yang's anger any second now. She'd figured that this moment was coming a long time ago, and had specifically asked Gin and Ayumu not to interfere, not to protect her from the consequences of her choice.
Her trembling increased as she heard Yang's boots click on the sparring ring floor, coming closer and closer...until they came to a stop right in front of her. Not looking, Ruby could still feel her sister's presence. Yang's warmth was like standing next to a lit fireplace, a warmth that Ruby had felt keenly, having grown used to Gin's considerably lower body temperature.
She expected shouting, screaming...she expected a punch to send her sliding across the floor. Ruby had prepared herself to face the whole force of her sister's anger. However, she was caught off-guard when Yang's arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Yang?"
"I don't care," said Yang, her voice harsh as her arms squeezed Ruby to the point that her bones began to creak. "Yeah, I'm angry. Yeah, I have a ton of questions. Yeah, I have some things to say to you. But...right now...I don't give a damn. You're alive!" She sniffled softly.
Ruby felt tears well up in her own eyes. Her arms rose up to return the embrace, not caring that Yang was hugging her with all her might. Ruby hugged her back just as hard, pressing her face tightly into Yang's shoulder. "Yang! Yang!" Unable to contain her feelings any longer, Ruby broke down crying, Yang joining her, the two sisters sobbing as they collapsed against each other, their confused, powerful feelings spilling out as they held onto each other.
Despite her own confused emotions, Blake couldn't keep a smile from her face at the sight of the sisters being reunited. Not far away, Jaune, Ren, and Nora watched the reunion as well. Nora was crying too, hiding a jubilant smile behind her hands. Ren's expression was more subdued, albeit happy to see Ruby back home. Jaune also smiled, though he found himself glancing at Pyrrha's unmoving body, which made the smile vanish like a summer mirage. Confusion and horror at what Pyrrha had been a part of, what she'd done, twisted in his gut. Why...?
Still, those questions could be asked later. Right now, it was a special moment for Yang and Ruby, a moment that no one, not even Goodwitch, wanted to intrude upon. Yang and Ruby's sobs slowly quieted, but they continued to cling desperately to one another, as though afraid to let go.
Finally, the moment came to an end with the click of shoes on the arena's polished floor as Ozpin made his entrance. "Ms. Rose," he said softly, his tone apologetic, "I understand you need time to reconnect with your sister. However, there are still matters to be addressed, now that you have met your goal."
Reluctantly, Ruby let go of Yang and stood up, pulling on Yang's arms to help her stand up as well. Ruby turned to face Ozpin and nodded. "Yes," she said. "Thank you for all your help, Professor."
Ozpin smiled and adjusted his spectacles. "It was worthwhile to see how much you've grown Ms. Rose." He turned to Goodwitch. "Glynda, please take Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos into custody. We will make arrangements for their trial shortly. In the meantime, please ensure that they are fully secured."
"Yes," said Glynda, her tone slightly reluctant as she turned to the two unconscious girls. Blake stepped away from Weiss, while Jaune, Ren, and Nora did the same with Pyrrha, albeit reluctantly.
"I understand you have questions about what has just taken place, as well as the things you have seen and heard," said Ozpin. "I am sure that we will be able to arrange for Ms. Rose to brief you later. In the meantime, please return to your rooms."
"Ruby," said Yang in a plaintive tone, watching her sister.
Ruby smiled over her shoulder at Yang. "Don't worry, Sis. I'm not going to disappear again. I promise."
"You'd better not," said Yang with a sniff, wiping her eyes. "Otherwise I'm going to hunt you down myself."
As Ruby nodded, Ozpin turned his attention back to the two boys that had accompanied her to Beacon. "Mr. Ao, Mr. Ueno...if you would join us."
"Of course, Professor," said Ayumu pleasantly.
"What else do you need, Professor?" asked Ruby, once they had adjourned to Ozpin's office. For the time being, Ozpin had asked that Ayumu and Gin wait in the lobby, until they were called for.
"Thanks to your uncle, we have a full compilation of the assembled evidence," said Ozpin. "Because of that, we can prove that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos attacked and injured you. The recordings you've obtained have also shown that it was with intent to kill, as well as providing evidence of premeditation. Taken altogether, it is a damning testimony and renders conviction more or less certain. They will most likely be given life sentences."
"Good," huffed Ruby. Truth be told, now that she'd gotten to confront her attackers, and now that she'd returned the favor by beating them down, she felt more tired than anything else.
"The trial might take some time," said Ozpin. "Fortunately, we have the means to hold Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee here at Beacon until said times. Because of the laws regarding the imprisonment of Huntsmen and Huntresses, they won't be officially transferred to Vale Penitentiary until they've been convicted."
"Why?" asked Ruby, slightly confused.
"Because keeping someone with an unlocked Aura, and a Semblance, imprisoned requires measures that are quite expensive," said Ozpin. "Ms. Nikos, in particular, would be rather difficult to keep confined without the proper precautions."
Ruby nodded. With her Semblance, Pyrrha could easily use her polarity to warp the bars or doors of a regular prison cell, and force her way out with ease. Likewise, regular handcuffs would be unable to keep her restrained for long.
"That said, Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are quite fortunate they chose to face you, rather than run," said Ozpin. "They would have been tried en-absentia and their actions would have been considered an automatic guilty plea. They would then be subjected to bounties, to be taken in, dead or alive...and most the authorities generally prefer the quarry of such bounties to be brought in dead, again due to the expense of confining someone with an unlocked Aura."
Ruby nodded slowly, taking all that information in.
"Of course, it goes without saying that we are equipped to ensure that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are fully restrained." Ozpin sighed. "It saddens me that we need to do so, however."
"Me too," said Ruby.
"However, that is a matter for later," said Ozpin. "Now that you've gotten what you wished for, it is time to move on to other matters, starting with your return to Beacon...I assume you do intend to return to your class and team."
"I do," said Ruby, "if they'll have me."
"Is there any reason to believe that they won't want you back?" asked Ozpin.
"Well...I did keep quiet and let them believe I was dead for months, just so I could have the chance to get payback against Weiss and Pyrrha," said Ruby shyly. "Yang was happy to see me, but...once she gets over that..." Ruby cringed in anticipation of the scolding she was sure to receive.
"If you accept the consequences of your actions, then I do not think you have anything to worry about," said Ozpin. "Even if your sister is angry with you, it is only because she loves you so dearly."
Ruby nodded. "That's why I'm not going to run," she said. "Also, if I did, it would be like admitting that Weiss and Pyrrha were right about me after all."
"That is not the way I see it, but no matter," said Ozpin. "Seeing as you are returning, there are certain affairs to address. While it is clear that you have trained diligently, and improved markedly during your time away, the fact that cannot be ignored is that you have missed the better part of a semester of studies."
Ruby gulped and blanched.
Ozpin continued. "I doubt that you will need to make up any ground in your combat studies. If anything, you have probably excelled well beyond the level of your year-mates, if your performance in the ring this evening was any indicator. Academics are another matter altogether."
I was afraid of that, Ruby groaned internally.
Ozpin chuckled at Ruby's clear discomfort. "However, I believe that will be rectified easily enough, thanks to your own actions appropriately. By destroying Roman Torchwick's plan, and helping to fulfill your team's mission well ahead of schedule, you've opened up a period that we can use for intensive supplementary lessons to help bring you back up to speed on the things that you missed, while you were away. We will also have to schedule makeup exams for the ones that you missed at the end of last Semester."
Ruby groaned and slumped in her seat.
Ozpin chuckled again. "Unfortunately, this is another consequence of your decision to take your time returning to us." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you still believe that it was worth your while?"
Ruby sat back up and met Ozpin's gaze, then slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "I guess the fight with Weiss and Pyrrha on its own wouldn't have been enough. But the things I learned while I was out there, and the strength I gained, made it worth every minute."
Smiling Ozpin nodded. "Then it is also worth your while to accept the consequences. I have full confidence in your ability to get through this particular obstacle. Compared to what you endured on the road to Vale, at the hands of your teacher, I imagine this will be quite simple in comparison."
"Yes," said Ruby, nodding.
Ozpin smiled and sipped from his coffee mug. "Now then, we can move on to your request, the admission of Gin Ueno and Ayumu Ao into Beacon."
"That's right," said Ruby.
"Before we get to the particulars of that, I will need to speak with them more," said Ozpin. "Their situation and background is considerably different from yours, and they will most likely require intensive lessons of their own if they are to join this year's student body."
"All right," said Ruby, glad that it sounded like their admission itself wasn't in question.
Ozpin activated the scroll system built into the surface of his desk, connecting with the receptionist in the lobby of Beacon Tower. "Could you inform Mr. Ueno and Mr. Ao that I wish to see them in my office?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Professor," the receptionist replied. "They aren't here anymore."
"What?" gasped Ruby, shooting to her feet.
"They left?" asked Ozpin, his eyes narrowing.
"Well...General Ironwood arrived and...he took them into custody."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed further. "And you did not inform me of this, why?"
"I'm sorry, sir," said the receptionist, her tone frantic. "The General told me it was a matter of the highest security and I wasn't to discuss it with anyone without permission. But since you asked..."
"He does not have the authority to issue punishments to you, particularly for informing me of developments within my Academy," said Ozpin firmly. He ended the connection and looked up at Ruby. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rose. I did not expect this development at all."
"Um..." said Ruby, not sure how to respond.
I hope that fight was fulfilling. Ruby certainly has come a loooong way since the beginning of this story. Hopefully, reading this fight was as fun for you as writing it was for me.
That aside, it looks like there are some unexpected consequences of Ruby choosing to spend so long away from school. But that's academics for you. Yu certainly isn't the kind of guy to worry about schooling his kids in the Three Rs (that's Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic).
Now, for the story behind Shining Rose. There is a definitive image of Shining Rose, except it's not really Shining Rose. While perusing fanart for RWBY, I came across an image of Adult-Ruby, by the artist anonamos701, which said artist created on commission by another person for a fic he/she was writing, which I was never actually able to find (the story, that is). In any case, I absolutely fell in love with the design of Future-Crescent-Rose, and chose to incorporate it into my story. I hope that doesn't count as plagiarism. In any case, that was the inspiration for Shining Rose's appearance, although the function is considerably different. If you go to the artist's deviantart account, you should be able to find the image in question with relatively little trouble.