A/N: Happy Birthday Violet! I needed to get this chapter out today for her birthday, so I spent the whole day finishing it. That being said, it's not a pleasant read. You have been warned.
Setting: Ravine
The former sovereign of Corona stood right in front of the current sovereign who was flabbergasted at the sight of her. Brenton had no idea why Alexandrite was released from her cell and standing right here. He watched her grip her halberd and he prepared himself for the worse.
The Bedazzled Behemoth smashed her large polearm against her crystal wall, breaking it apart, then swung at the debris, jettisoning it toward the Grimm. The shards ripped into and through the Grimm's body as it screeched in pain, but its wounds continued to heal. Before the Grimm could react and before Blood could ask what she was doing, Alexandrite grabbed the lizard faunus by the collar of his jacket and threw him to side behind the crystal wall that remained. Her eyes turned green and she covered herself in crystal armor as it grew on her body.
He could only stare at her as he watched his former enemy march to the Grimm, like a knight ready to duel a dragon. Did that make him the damsel in distress? What was she doing here?
"Your precious leader let me out on the condition that I fight for her," she answered. " I'm still not happy with everything, but I haven't fought in days. It's time for me to rampage."
"What is Ebony thinking?" was all Brenton could think of at the moment.
The Grimm clawed into the sand as it watched Alexandrite approach it and its eyes focused on her, but they returned to normal when it felt a stabbing pain in its back. Turning its head, it found Monochrome with its large lance impaling its spine. With a quick swipe, it batted the robot into the wall with its tails. Despite how powerful Monochrome's attacks were, it meant nothing to an unflinching monster that could heal as soon as it's attacked.
Alexandrite was running toward the Grimm and heard a familiar voice shout, "Why are you here?!"
Looking overhead, Alexandrite could only sneer at the sight of an old comrade. Azura flew in with flames on her feet and was heading toward the monstrosity before the both of them. Seeing they had a common enemy, Alexandrite charged ahead.
The Grimm's head was positioned on the flying Cobalt who saw its next attack coming with ease. It lunged forward to try and bite her but quickly did a barrel roll to avoid its gnarly teeth and passed its head. She was prepared to attack from behind then she saw Alexandrite dive headfirst toward the Grimm and skewer its chest with the blade of her polearm. Azura always wondered if Alexandrite had a brain, but she could see it at work as she created crystal pillars from her feet that traveled to the Grimm. They rose higher and higher, pushing the Grimm's body upward until it was awkwardly to high for its legs to reach the ground. The uncomfortable position left its upper half vulnerable.
If Alexandrite called her Baby-blue, she'd let her just this once.
Like a rocket, Azura put all the fire dust in her tattoos to overdrive and slammed into the back of the Grimm's neck. It would've broke if it weren't for its healing ability. Luckily, she wasn't the only one taking advantage of its impaired state.
Everyone came in a swarm to kill the massive reptile. Blood flew in and was the first to strike. His attacks were ineffective and he had no weapons, but he knew a spot to hit. The bat faunus jammed his fist into the Grimm's right eye, squishing through it and got a scream from his work. Next was Brenton who pulled Oathburner's trigger and released a torrent of blue flame. Blood flew away from the Grimm and Alexandrite pulled her halberd out and rolled out of the way of the incoming inferno that rivaled the Grimm in height. The fire was all the Grimm could see and it was bathing in a sea of fire. The monster's screams couldn't be heard over the sheer volume of fire being blast at its entire body.
Clair and Ebony watched in awe at their subordinates. The Enforcers were fighting to keep their lady from harm and the Champions were accomplishing the goal of their liege. All of them were fighting so hard so their leaders wouldn't have to. They couldn't be more proud of those who chose to follow them.
"I love them," they both thought simultaneously.
The entire ravine had flames running through it as Brenton's powerful attack nearly filled the cavernous setting. Only the portion he wasn't facing, leaving the Grimm to suffer the full brunt of his fire. Monochrome was against the wall near the Grimm and he wasn't saved by the flames, but Brenton figured the machine would be fine with this level of firepower. After all, he knew he couldn't kill it, but he could hold it back for an opportunity attack.
In the midst of the fiery onslaught, the Grimm began consuming some of the flames again, ignoring the searing pain ravaging its body as the darkness of night helped it recover just as fast as it was burned.
The flames finally stopped and smoke was coming off the Grimm. The air was smothering and intensely hot, making it hard to breathe. The sand beneath and behind the Grimm turned to glass from the heat and it cracked beneath its immense weight. The walls were scorched horribly to the point they were charred black.
The King of Flames power could not be ignored, but neither could the Grimm's healing abilities.
It brushed off the attack to continue with its own, retaliating by discharging some of the fire it absorbed during that attack. The reptilian monster opened its maw to return the flames back to its owner, but something strong smack into its jaw. While the Grimm was readying its attack, Blood took the initiative and flew beneath it to deliver a strong uppercut as soon as it tried to breathe fire. He shut its mouth before the flames came out and it had devastating results. Soaring a few feet above the Grimm, he saw the fire in its mouth be unleashed in a massive burst and it damaged the Grimm's mouth internally and blew Blood back. He wasn't expecting to get hit but his aura was still protecting him, so it was worth it.
Watching from above, he could see the Grimm and its jaw nearly blew off. It dangled by the left hinge, but even more disturbing was how it was beginning to repair itself. The black flesh was quickly reconnecting and calling it a pretty sight would be a flat out lie.
Stardust particles moved to the Grimm's head and turned to an ice flurry. Bianca used her semblance to freeze its head again, halting the recovery.
The final person to act was Zinnia. She ran to the scene and extended her whip-sword, running until she passed Brenton. With a flick of her wrist, the whip of her weapon wrapped around Brenton's waist and she swung with all her might. She hurled her friend at the Grimm then leaped behind to follow him. She activated Armaments and imbued her whip-sword with her aura, transforming it into a ten-foot saber.
The ice broke apart and the Grimm howled, but it was met with Brenton's Oathburner as it slashed into its neck. The wound was closing but another blade, a much larger one, lacerated it even further. Zinnia's enormous weapon cut the neck at the same spot Brenton struck and she swung with all her might. Her aura-empowered sword continued where Brenton left off, leaving a severing blow.
In wild and spectacular fashion, Zinnia sliced the head and neck of the Grimm off its body.
The severed head fell to the ground with a loud thump near Blood. He saw no signs of life in its eyes and he didn't expect it to. What creature or Grimm could live without its head. A sigh of relief escaped his lungs. "It's done."
Zinnia landed behind the Grimm's body which was still standing upright, but completely motionless. She withdrew Armaments and looked at her work. She closed her eyes and took a quick breath, letting her instincts know the battle was over.
Everyone around them was relieved. Ghost was glad they didn't have to wait for the sun to rise just to kill it and his sister was pleased to know no one was really hurt from the fight. Alexandrite and Azura shared the same displeasure of the battle not taking longer than an hour. Azura wanted to blow off some steam from being tossed around and Alexandrite felt her time on the battlefield was too short. Monochrome had no feelings. It stood by the wall on standby, waiting for new orders. The only person who showed no pleased expression was Brenton. The lizard faunus waited because he knew the end of this battle meant the beginning of another.
The truce between the two Vantablacks has ended.
With the Grimm's defeat insight, a silence fell between Clair and Ebony. The tension was slowly forming as they purposely kept their eyes on their subordinates and not each other. Both had their weapons in hand but neither made a move. Despite what they said earlier, Clair and Ebony weren't sure what was going to happen next.
"So, what now?" Ebony dared to ask. "Are we still going to fight or can we let this satisfaction of victory let go our separate ways?"
"If our roles were reversed, would you let me go?" Clair asked her cousin, glancing her way. Ebony looked at her and took some time to answer, but she made sure to answer honestly.
"No, especially if you knew what my new goal was."
Her answer was enough. Bianca eyes Ebony with her guns in her hands. Clair steeled herself for the new battle that was about to begin. Ebony did the same as the sparks of conflict were ready to fly. That is until a horrid scream filled the entire ravine.
Both Vantablacks turned to find a terrifying sight, one that shattered their serious expressions and replaced it with fear and dread.
Everyone turned once they heard the blood-curdling scream and found Blood in the jaws of the Grimm's severed head. It was still moving, still alive, and it clenched down on the right side of Blood's body, gnawing on his entire arm, leg, and chest. His wing avoided the bite and he made sure to keep it away. Out of all his appendages, Blood didn't want to ruin his wings, but it didn't stop his aura from breaking. Blood was beginning to spill from his arm and leg, dripping onto the sand and staining the Grimm's teeth.
The pain was immense. All he could do was grind his teeth as he tried to free himself but his strength was fading as he lost more and more blood. If this kept up, his arm and leg would be torn off. His vision was beginning to blur. "Am I going to…"
A hand grasped Blood's and his body felt incredibly light. All the pain he felt vanished as he fell backward and landed in the sand realizing there was the weight of another on top of him. Eventually, the person on top came into his view and Blood found Ghost with a scared look on his face. His mouth was moving and he was shouting something at him, but Blood couldn't hear him. His senses were so dull. All he could do was feel and all he could only feel one thing; pain.
"BLOOD! ARE YOU OKAY?! BLOOD?" Ghost frantically called his friend. He found the bloodied bat's eyes on him but they didn't seem to be looking at him. His stare was distant and it scared Ghost. "Shit, shit. No, no!"
The moment after Ghost used his semblance to save Blood, Azura charged the head in a blind fury. The dust tattoos were alit with flames as she used the flames beneath her feet to jet toward the severed head. She grabbed it by the tendrils on its nose and flew upward, carrying the head which was trying to snap at her but couldn't reach. With all her strength fueled by her anger, Azura threw the head high into the sky then followed with blasting flames at the head as it fell far away from the ravine. Whether it was dead or alive was not Azura's concern anymore. Blood's well-being was all she cared about right now.
Bianca, not waiting for a response from Clair, scaled down the cliffside to tend to Blood's wounds. Out of all the Enforcers, she had the most medical training. Clair silently agreed with her friend's decision and Ebony didn't know what to do. Even if Blood was the enemy, he was a former Champion.
The other Champions watched the Enforcers tend to their own. They were shocked to see the Grimm was still alive, but it didn't last long when something else grabbed their attention. The body of the Grimm began to move, specifically the opening of the severed neck. A bulging, black mass took shape on the neck and it grew bigger and bigger until it became translucent, showing what was forming on the inside. Three things were inside it. Moving, wriggling, living, and ready to come out.
"Oh no," Zinnia said in disbelief, realizing what she did only made the battle worse. The black mass burst open and emerging from it were three heads, each identical to the one cut off. If this Grimm had no name, Zinnia decided on one at that moment.
Hydra
The Hydra caught most of them off-guard. All of its heads came crashing down on Alexandrite, beating her relentlessly until she stopped moving. Her aura was cut down considerably and she was in a daze. At the same time, a swing of its two tails and it swatted at Zinnia who tried to avoid it but they were too large and too fast. She barely dodged the first one and was hit in the waist by the second one, knocking her back and making her crash into the glassy floor. Brenton was going to retaliate by jumping on its back, but it moved from its position too quickly as it made its way to the Enforcers.
It was too late for them to respond properly. The first to notice was Ghost who turned only to be slapped away by a large claw. He collided with the rocky wall. His assault alerted Bianca who stood in front of Blood who was too injured to fight let alone stand. All three heads came down to overwhelm them and take them both, but Azura flew straight down and used her fire to accelerate until she body-slammed into the middle head, bringing it crashing into the ground. The moment she stood up, she used the fire dust in her arms to send a wave of flames at the head on the right, leaving Bianca to fire relentlessly at the head on the left.
They were able to halt the Hydra, but it wasn't enough. "I need to get this thing away from Blood," Bianca thought as she kept it at bay.
The middle head growled and Azura felt the rumbling beneath her feet. It sprang upward and Azura balanced herself as it moved, backflipping off when it reached its highest point. She changed from fire to ice dust, encasing her staff with it until it was an icy javelin. Ready to throw it, she found Brenton atop the Hydra's back and he plunged Oathburner through its spine. One of the heads shrieked while the other two turned to find the lizard faunus. The King of Flames pulled the trigger and unleashed flames into the wound, sending fire throughout the inside of its body.
The Hydra had fire expelling out of every orifice in its body, making it look like some demonic spirit, but its healing capabilities prevented it from dying. Cutting off its head and burning it from the inside out couldn't kill this thing.
"How are we supposed to last until dawn?" Brenton wondered. His worried thoughts left him open. A tail wrapped around his body, lifting him off its back where Oathburner remained. The wound from the sword healed over it, leaving the weapon stuck in place.
The tail squeezed tighter and Brenton felt more and more constricted. His aura was getting chipped away with every passing second. He could use Boost to overpower the appendage, but he would burn through more of his aura and he wouldn't be able to protect himself from this strong and fast enemy.
The Hydra's left head focused on Brenton and ignored the bullets Bianca sent its way so it could bite down on the King of Flames. It was coming his way until an ice spear pierced its head and ran through its jaw keeping its mouth open and stuck. Azura hit her target but the middle head smacked into her while she was open, slamming her into the ground. The head positioned on the left was still trying to reach Blood, but Bianca was keeping it away, slashing at it with her bayonets. The Grimm was adapting to fighting so many enemies at once.
Brenton was still being crushed and the Grimm head with ice sticking through it was going to attack. It couldn't bite him in its current state, but it did slam the tail into the glassy ground several times, repeatedly beating Brenton until he stopped moving. His aura stopped protecting him after the fourth slam and the two after that left him unconscious and bleeding from his head. All the Hydra had to do now was crush him to death.
The tail holding Brenton began to tighten until it loosened altogether. All the Grimm saw was a red flash and its tail was cut off. It watched Brenton's limp body fall then found Monochrome jetting straight to its face. The machine had its javelin crossbow and it aimed at its face and fired, hitting the Grimm in the middle of its face then the javelin exploded along with the head. Azura's staff was flung across the battlefield and landed on the ground. It was badly burned and more than half of it was blown off, but Azura didn't notice yet.
As Blood fell, he was caught in the arms of Zinnia who positioned herself beneath the Grimm just for this moment. She needed to get her comrade away from the battlefield. The tail she cut off began to flail and flounder around but she ignored it and made sure to get as far away as possible. Bianca did the same with Blood now that Monochrome took the attention of the other two heads. Destroying the head made the Hydra see the droid as its highest priority.
During the commotion, Alexandrite finally regained consciousness and watched as things got worse. Seeing how most people were retreating the battle seemed pretty much lost. Her inner warrior told her to fight to the death, but her brain told her to be smart. Live to fight another day. She slowly made her way back to Ebony's airship, making sure not to grab the Grimm's attention.
Zinnia hooked her whip-sword onto the cliffside where the Vantablacks were and pulled herself and Brenton up to their location. When she reached the top, she didn't find Ebony or Clair. Bianca wasn't as lucky as she couldn't climb or scale the side as quickly as Zinnia so she kept close to the wall.
"...Bianca…" she heard someone say. It was Blood. He finally came to. His arm and leg were still bloodied and it would take months for them to recover. Even then, he would be left with nasty scars. "It's alright. I can keep-"
"Be quiet and get some rest," Bianca told him in a scolding fashion. She was not going to have him overdo it and get himself killed. She laid him against the rocky wall and was prepared to get back into the fight. Until she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she found Clair and Ebony walking past her and Blood. Zinnia looked down to find her liege and had the same confused expression Bianca shared. What were they doing?
Clair had her pen-sword extended to its furthest length and Ebony had Trois Reines in sword form with her scabbard rifle in hand. It was clear what they intended to do. Neither of them wanted any more of their friends to get hurt or possibly die. It was their turn.
They dashed forward, running headfirst into the fray. Ebony was ahead of Clair as they moved past Azura's staff, Alexandrite, then by Ghost who watched them go with a flabbergasted look.
Azura was still underneath the Grimm and she watched in as the destroyed head was replaced with two more. The situation was getting bleaker. Monochrome was the only one left fighting this thing and it was struggling against an enemy that could recover instantly. All five heads were giving the droid their full attention as one was able to bite down on the machine's arm, piercing through its metal exterior and rip it off with a forceful yank. Monochrome lost its arm but it fired its entire salvo of missiles from its other arms at the heads. Eight missiles hit all the heads and the smoke they created served as a barrier between both fighters. Then, one of the heads came swinging and hit the robot until it collided with the wall. Monochrome had no aura, but its functions were beginning to cease.
The outlook was grim. Basking in victory, the Hydra let out a shriek. All of its head released a high-pitched wail that grated on the ears and bones of everyone in a ten-mile radius.
Each head was raised high in the air and unaware of the threat on its way until it felt something slash at its flesh. The sudden sensation made all the heads look down to find Ebony with her sword in hand. She looked back at the Grimm with intense eyes then aimed her scabbard rifle at it. She fired three shots, one for three different heads, then backed away. The Grimm roared in irritation, but as it did, fire came spewing out of its mouths, eyes, and nostrils.
It remembered how this happened the last time and looked to its back where it found Oathburner still plunged into its flesh but found Clair holding it and pulling the trigger. Fire filled its entire body as Clair did it again, showing the monster no mercy. It was able to stun the Hydra, but it was still able to fight back. Just like last time, it sent one of its tails to capture her, but Clair knew it was coming. She observed and analyzed how this thing fought the others. She quickly and nimbly leaped onto the hilt of Oathburner then pushed herself off of it to head toward the heads and avoid the tails.
Two heads moved toward Clair while the other three dealt with Ebony, attacking enemies from both sides, but they all writhed in pain as a melodious song was heard. As Clair approached the heads, she used Songstress to stun the Grimm by as the pain it felt was tremendous. Clair slashed at two of its heads, aiming for the eyes and she got all of them. Swift, precise strikes she was able to pull off thanks to days of training. For however long she had, two heads were blinded. Ebony was battling the other three as they were still under the effect of Songstress and it made the Charming Vantablack envious. Her semblance wasn't as battle-suited as Clair's.
Ebony looked to Azura who was finally on her feet. The Sky-Blue Warrior let loose a bolt of lightning that scorched one of the dazed heads. It was all she could muster at the moment. Her stubbornness was keeping her in the fight, but the fatigue was finally getting to her. Whatever aura she had left wasn't enough to protect her any longer. She fell to her knees, cursing her body for giving out before she was ready to withdraw.
Seeing her Enforcer fall, Clair landed on the ground near Azura and Ebony. She took hold of the former and got away from the scene, ensuring her friend's safety. The only member of the Enforcers remaining on the battlefield was Ghost but he knew the fight was lost with everyone withdrawing. Seeing Clair come his way with Azura, he knew it was time for them to retreat.
The only ones left were Ebony and Monochrome. Clair was no longer singing so her semblance had no hold on the Hydra who regained its composure and focusing entirely on Ebony. The Charming Vantablack didn't flinch or falter in the face of such a tremendous enemy. She didn't plan on letting all her ambitions end here. She wasn't going to today be the final chapter in her story. Her next chapter came after she defeated Team VRSZ.
"I'm not going to die here," Ebony said to herself and her silver eyes began to glow.
The Hydra lunged four of its heads at her and all of them were knocked to the side. Ebony didn't expect this and her steely gaze was replaced with astonishment as Monochrome tackled all the heads. It flew in with all the force it could muster to fulfill its number one priority; protecting Ebony. Seeing her machine go so far for her moved her heart in a way she didn't think Monochrome could.
The fifth head swooped in and crunched into the robot's hide. Its teeth were ripping into its exterior and damaging it further. Monochrome's functions finally ceased. It stopped moving and was laid limp in the Hydra's jaws.
That was the final push Ebony needed. In fury and sorrow, Ebony screamed and her eyes shined brightly, filling the area in silver light.
Clair had her back to the incident until she heard Ebony's cry. She turned and saw nothing but blinding light. It lasted for quite some time before fading away. Zinnia witnessed the whole thing and knew it was the mysterious power Ebony possessed. Brenton was safely inside the airship so she leaped off the cliff to go to her liege. Bianca watched as well then saw Zinnia jump back down then run to the battle. She wanted to go there and make sure Clair was safe, but she had to watch over Blood.
Alexandrite approached them and Bianca grabbed her Archangels. The Bedazzled Behemoth simply scoffed them then began climbing the wall. Returning to the airship was her only objective. Confused for a moment, Bianca ignored what just happened and went back to looking at the light. She felt a hand on her arm and she turned to see Blood. He was more awake and aware of his surroundings than he was earlier. His arm and leg were still grievously maimed, but he was leaning against the wall with his good arm while grabbing her hand with the wounded one.
"Go on. I can manage now," he told her with more life in his voice. Looks aside, his words sounded more reassuring than last time. Bianca helped him lay on the wall in a more comfortable fashion.
"I'll be back," Bianca whispered to him gently before dashing to the others.
The light of Ebony's silver eyes finally faded completely. There was a glimmer remaining in her eyes but the power went away. This time, Ebony was still standing. The power did not overwhelm her this time. She was able to stand on her feet and look at her work. The Hydra stood before her completely petrified. It was turned to stone with Monochrome's body still in its mouth. The robot wasn't harmed any further, but it was still badly damaged.
In a few seconds, the Hydra's body began to crumble into dust. As it did, Oathburner fell to the glassy ground and so did Monochrome. The droid's motionless body just laid there. Ebony looked at it with pain.
"I'll take better care of you,"
"How did you do that?" Ebony heard Clair say from behind. She was accompanied by Ghost and holding Azura.
"I'm not sure. This is still new to me…" Ebony stopped herself from divulging any more than she intended. Clair was still with VRSZ. She was still an enemy.
A moment of silence passed and Ebony approached the remains of Monochrome. There was no way she could carry all of him, but her worries were relieved when she found Zinnia run past her cousin and come to her side. Good. Both of them could carry Monochrome's remains then find a mechanic to fix it.
However, as they were about to take their leave, "Ebony," Zinnia said softly. Ebony looked up to see Clair, Ghost, and Azura block her path with Bianca coming in from the rear. She remembered her conversation with Clair earlier. This was a smart move on her cousin's part. Striking them down while they were weak was a clever and deceitful move. And just like in their previous conversation, she would've done the same. She couldn't blame Clair.
"Looks like we aren't getting out of here without a fight," Ebony stated, almost laughing at the situation.
Zinnia dropped the parts of Monochrome she had and went for her whip-sword, alerting the Enforcers to wield their weapons. With all the fighting they've done and the injuries they've sustained, Zinnia and Ebony felt they could hold their own against Clair and her weakened Enforcers. Clair thought the same about Ebony and Zinnia.
Before the battle could start, a roar echoed through the air. It grabbed everyone's attention and no one knew where it came from. Then the roar was heard again but it was louder, closer, and everyone could tell where it was coming from.
Jumping down from the cliffside and landing far behind Ebony and Zinnia was a Grimm. This Grimm was very different from the Hydra but they recognized it. It was smaller than the Hydra and humanoid in shape, being roughly taller than all of them and having two pairs of arms. Its entire body was black except for its claw-like hands, feet, and head which were all covered in bone-like armor. The Grimm had two pairs of eyes on its face with one set further apart than the other, giving the Grimm a wider field of vision than most.
Ebony and Zinnia heard of this Grimm. It was one of the ones they were hunting. It was the only one of its kind and never settled in one place. It always traveled until it found its next prey. With no official name, it was known as the Roaming Grimm.
The bone mask split apart, revealing its mouth and it let out another scream. Despite its size compared to the Hydra, Ebony knew this thing was incredibly dangerous and knew she couldn't fight it right now. None of them could.
Any idea of battling each other disappeared the minute the Roaming Grimm arrived. Ebony doubted she could use her silver eyes to kill it. The power was unpredictable. While contemplating what to do, Bianca activated Stardust and had her particles fill the space between them and the Grimm. A finger snap and the particles turned to ice, creating a tall and thick icy wall between them and that thing. Using that used up the last of her aura.
Everyone understood fighting in their current state was foolish. They all ran away.
Ebony made sure to grab Oathburner. Clair was still assisting Azura with her walking, but the Cobalt warrior pushed herself off of Clair and stood on her feet. She had a little time to recover, but she felt better. She could at least walk on her own and give Clair a head start. She slowed her walking until she stopped to turn around.
"What are you doing? Come on," Ghost told Azura.
"I'll keep it busy. You guys go ahead," she told him. Clair and Bianca stopped as well, but Ebony and Zinnia kept going. Once the Grimm was no longer a threat, they'd have to deal with Enforcers.
"Azura, you can't-" Clair called out but Azura countered her.
"Even if my aura runs out, I can still use dust, so get out of here. Now!" She already activated her dust tattoos, cloaking her arms and shoulders in flames and taking a fighting stance. Unfortunately, she learned of the state of her staff. "Bare hands it is."
The Grimm's fist punched through the ice then three more followed through. There was no room to argue. Bianca needed to get Clair out of here. Ghost was by her side and Blood was waiting a distance away. Their airship wasn't far from his location and Azura was fast when traveling in the air. She believed in her teammate.
The ice wall shattered and shards fell to the ground. Azura got herself in her flight stance. She released flames from beneath her feet and propelled herself forward as she made her way to the Roaming Grimm like a missile. As she approached the Grimm, she reeled back a burning fist and was ready to destroy it in one blow. She threw her fist and it collided with the Grimm, but instead of the face as she desired, it connected with the Roaming Grimm's open palm, surprising Azura greatly.
In two swift movements, Azura felt two body blows hit her and she was knocked back. She was on the ground and the Grimm was already on top of her. It punched her, but she was able to avoid the blow aimed for her head by swerving out of its path. She felt one of the other fists hit her stomach and the air was blown out of her. Fighting something with extra arms while pinned was a new experience for her and it wasn't a good one. A flurry of blows came her way until she had enough. Her aura was low and she hadn't fully adapted it into her fighting style, but Azura used Pulse to push herself upward into the air while knocking the Roaming Grimm away from her. Her aura broke with that burst of power. She used fire to levitate herself in the air.
"This thing is too strong. Did the other's make it-" her thoughts were cut short when the Roaming Grimm grabbed her foot and pulled her down.
For the Grimm to reach her at this height, it must have incredibly jumping power and leg strength. She couldn't fight it and defeat it. Not with her condition. The best she could do was escape, but the window for that seemed small. A tight hold on her ankle and the Grimm threw her back to the ground. She landed on the sand with her right side taking most of the impact. It hurt but she could still move. She was about to fly away until the Grimm showed itself in front of her. It was fast.
Raising its arms over its head, the monster was ready to crush Azura. She saw no way out of this, but her warrior spirit refused to accept defeat. Raising her hands in an act of defiance, the Grimm brought its own down and a huge thud was heard. Azura didn't feel any pain or the looming presence of the Grimm. She dared to look up and didn't see the Grimm anymore but she heard its growling from behind accompanied by the flapping of wings. Azura turned her head to see her enemy fighting a new opponent.
Landing four punches before being kicked away, Blood had his one good fist up. The bat faunus couldn't stand with his leg injury. In order to fight or move around, he relied solely on his wings. He hovered a few feet off the ground. He was still injured and his aura wasn't protecting him, but he was still fighting.
This didn't make any sense. Why was he- "Why are you here?! This is dangerous! Get out!" Azura yelled in anger and worry.
"I could say the same to you," he told her with a smirk.
He was right, but she knew he shouldn't be fighting at all. The Grimm ran toward him before she could say anything else, luckily, Blood's flight speed was faster than hers as he flew backward to avoid two punches. He quickly moved forward after the Grimm missed to kick it in the neck, pushing it a few inches away. His body wasn't as strong as it usually was. He couldn't injure it as much as he wanted.
As he kept a cautious eye on the Grimm, he felt the air chill. Without turning around, he could tell Azura was using ice dust. Spires of ice past him and they were heading toward the Grimm, impaling its torso and legs but none of the wounds were deep enough. Blood could tell Azura was using her dust tattoos too much. Like a muscle, they were weakening from overuse. If she used it for this fight again, she wouldn't be able to fly away. The Grimm broke the ice holding him back.
"Azura, fly out of here. Now!" he shouted.
"Like hell, I'm going to leave you here," she retorted. "What do you think you can do by yourself?"
"Keep you alive!" he yelled, looking her way. His eyes showed he was angry but there was a softness that demonstrated how much he cared.
"And what about you?!" she yelled back. Blood didn't reply. Her heart began to fill with dread. What was he intending to do?
The pit forming in her heart was felt by the Roaming Grimm. It was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. It knew who its next target was. Blood didn't have to be psychic to figure out the Grimm's next move. The question was if he could properly counter it. With his body in tatters, there wasn't much he could do, but he planned to stop it regardless.
He flew into the Grimm's path, the Grimm had its claw hand out to strike Azura, and Azura had wind dust forming in the palm of her hand and she was condensing it into a compact orb. She dashed forward to attack before it could. All three fighters were on a collision course with each other.
Ebony's airship was already airborne and flying away from the ravine. With Brenton unconscious and Monochrome in shambles, she couldn't afford to stay any longer. The ship was on autopilot and it allowed her to and Zinnia to tend to their injuries. Zinnia was wrapping Brenton's wounds in his room while Zinnia watched what she could of the battle unfold from the common area's window.
Clair's airship was taking off and flying toward the battle so they could recover their teammates. Bianca and Ghost were waiting as Clair opened the hangar doors so Blood and Azura could get it. The doors opened in time for her to witness the three fighters engage each other.
Blood moved in to intercept the Roaming Grimm who aimed for Azura and she planned on countering with her own move. A thrust of its arm toward her and it missed. Blood was able to block it, leaving Azura free to attack. She slammed her wind orb against the Grimm's chest and the compressed air sent it flying several yards away until it reached the edge of the ravine. Her arm was pulsing with soreness, but it was better than the Roaming Grimm whose arm seemed to be blown off after her hit. Triumphant in her last-ditch effort, Azura couldn't help but smile.
Viewing the battle from the outside were Clair and Ebony. Their eyes were lifeless and tears began to fall from Clair's before they did her cousin. The Lady of Nexus fell to her knees and the Charming Vantablack couldn't stop herself from trembling.
"See, I told you we could stop it togeth-" Azura turned to speak with Blood, but she stopped when she saw the sight.
Blood stood there with a smirk on his face when he realized they won. However, piercing his stomach was the severed arm of the Grimm. He was able to protect Azura the best way he could; by sacrificing himself.
The arm impaling him began to fade away into black vapor. He was glad for that. Removing it any other way would've been painful.
Azura couldn't hear anything around her. She couldn't hear her ragged breathing, Clair's terrified screams, or the wailing of the Roaming Grimm. The only thing she could do was look. She looked at Blood in disbelief.
"This isn't happening. It can't be real,"
"Why… WHY WOULD YOU GO SO FAR?!" she shouted and her voice cracked. Staying angry was the only thing she could do right now. It was the only thing keeping the tears at bay.
He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding onto then coughed up blood. Too much blood. His body began to lose balance and he was going to fall face-first into the sand until Azura caught him. Blood's body was getting cold.
Ebony was still silent as her airship flew away. It was on autopilot and she knew logically she should go, but her heart… her heart was broken. She stumbled to the couch and fell over. Her lips quivered but she never let out a breath. She silently wept over the loss of one of her Champions.
Clair's airship came down and Clair sprinted toward Blood and fell to her knees in front of Blood and laid him on his back. Her hands were already stained red just like the ground beneath them.
"No! No! Don't go! Don't go! You can't die now! What am I supposed to do without you?!"
Face covered in tears, Clair pleaded to Blood to stay with her. She couldn't lose someone again. After losing Sterling, she didn't want to lose anyone else. Who does?
Blood's eyes were losing their light but he was still there with them. His smile persisted despite the pain he felt and he looked at Clair. "You'll be fine. There's nothing you can't accomplish, Clair."
"But I don't want to lose you," she told him as her tears fell on his face. She didn't care what she could or couldn't do. It didn't matter to her if her loved ones died around her. "I love you, Blood."
It was Blood's turn to cry. Tears welled up in his eyes as he said, "I love you too, which is why you'll be fine. I'm still in your heart, so I'm never really gone."
His words sent her over as Clair began to cry loudly. This alerted Ghost and Bianca who were making their way outside. Azura felt the tears glide down her face. How was she supposed to handle this? This was happening because she didn't retreat and tried to play the hero.
"Azura," he called out to her, "This isn't your fault. One of us was going to die against that thing. I… just made the choice for us."
"Then it's my fault for not seeing it. You shouldn't pay for my-"
"Azura," he interrupted, "There's more for you to do than me. Clair's going to need you in the future. Look after her for me."
She couldn't even think of anything to say. What could she say? Nothing. This was a man's dying wish.
"Oh, one more thing. Tell Remus I'm sorry. We won't be able to have that rematch."
The guilt consumed Azura at that moment. How was she going to explain this when they got home?
One final breath of life passed through his lungs. Ash Blood died.
His eyes were devoid of light but his smile was still there. Even in death, he wanted to tell the others everything was okay.
Ghost and Bianca made it outside but they were too late. He already passed. After several minutes of mourning Clair and her remaining Enforcers took Blood's body onto the airship and they departed for Nexus, carrying the news to the others.
The mission was an utter failure.
Everyone held themselves up in their rooms after placing Blood in his. Regret, pain, sorrow, frustration, and anger filled the vehicle. Clair felt the most sorrow. She cried herself to sleep. These emotions were felt by everyone. However, there was one emotion felt by a specific someone.
Azura was resentful. Her eyes were red and puffy after crying for so long. She hated and cursed everything that caused this; Ebony, the Hydra, the Roaming Grimm, and herself. This guilt that was born in her chest felt like it would remain there forever, unless… The Hydra was dead. Going after Ebony and her Champions was out of the question. There was only one option left. The only way to make up for her mistake and avenge Blood.
"That Grimm is gonna die by my hands," she vowed as dawn finally broke.
This was probably the hardest chapter I had to do. It's up there with the final chapters of Volume 5. Even while writing this, I wasn't expecting this outcome. This was just the worst thing happening at the worst possible time. Is it weird I'm crying for a fictional character? I don't think so.
Goodbye, Ash Blood