AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This chapter is a big one, as it is the penultimate battle for the Yang side of this series. With it, it has a lot of crazy moments, but the most insane one is right at the end. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 34 – Broken Wings
Yang.
Yang and Gilgamesh made their way to their parked motorcycles, the blond outlaw looking at her scroll, "Sakata said he needs to find his mother alone." She interpreted before reading the text word for word, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have your gauntlet to add some fire to my punch."
"Well, he doesn't sound depressed," Gilgamesh commented, "Maybe he got a lead."
"I hope so," Yang said before sighing, putting her scroll away, "I guess we could go back to Vale and see if Kairi needs some help. Maybe bug Blake and Achilles with a double date." She said with a smile forming, "We could even go to The Club, this time without me wrecking the place." She said before giggling, "That would sure surprise Junior."
"Yang," Gilgamesh said with a calm voice, "None of what you just said was trying to find your mother."
"Yeah…I know," Yang responded, a weak smile on her face, "After hearing what you two said… I need some time to think." She said before Gilgamesh had a small smile, "I'll let Raven go for now, but if she comes back…I'll cross that bridge when it happens." The two started to lean in for a kiss, their eyes closing.
Suddenly, Yang saw a red flash in the corner of her eye. She gasped upon recognizing it as the portals of the bloody huntress. Flying out of the portal of a battered Raven, her body bruised as blood ran down her head. She landed on top of the motorcycles as Yang and Gilgamesh turned their attention to the sight, "Raven!?" Yang said as the bloody huntress coughed, "What happened to you?"
"Yang, you put a bounty on me!?" Raven said as she stood up, woozy from blood loss, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"Hey, your bandit buddies started it by putting a bounty out on me!" Yang responded, her eyes getting red, "Tell them to take mine off first, and I'll do the same."
"They can't," Raven said with a scowl, "They were murdered by the bounty hunter to get to me." She said with Yang gasping.
"Yang!" Gilgamesh called for her attention as another person, jumped through the vortex.
Raven tried to close it halfway, but The Great Firebird of the Sun was too fast, "Come on, I thought you would be stronger than this." Quetzalcoatl said as she aimed her edged paddle at Raven, "And don't think you can get away from me." She said with her teeth sharpening as she spoke. Suddenly, the ferocious expression changed as she saw Yang, "Oh, you're that girl from another bounty I saw." Quetzalcoatl said before glancing back at Raven, "Wow, it's quite the resemblance seeing you two side-by-side."
"Who are you?" Yang responded with her fist already clenched.
"Quetzalcoatl, but you seem a little fiery, almost like mini version of me.," The Great Firebird of the Sun responded with a grin, "Why don't you call me, Big Sis?"
"What!? No way would I call you that!" Yang responded, her eyes turning red with rage, "What is your problem with Raven, why hurt so many people to get to her?
"I am on a constant hunt for the strongest opponent," Quetzalcoatl said before resting the edged paddle on her shoulder, "I heard she fought the Spring Maiden, but walked away with the Fall Maiden's power."
"I told you already," Raven said as she pushed herself up, "I am not the Fall Maiden!"
"Well, I'll only know for sure if I push you to your limits." Quetzalcoatl responded, but then saw Gilgamesh stand between them, "What do you want?"
"If you are a bounty hunter, then your job is finished." Gilgamesh responded, "The girl behind me had placed the bounty of Raven's apprehension, not death. We will take care of the rest now, while you will receive the generous payment for your help."
"Oh, trying to buy me off." Quetzalcoatl responded with a grin, "Sorry, but what I am after is far more valuable than money. I have wanted to fight a Maiden of the Seasons for so long. You see, my associated promised me that if I take care of this Maiden, I could fight two Maidens at once afterwards." The Great Firebird of the Sun said before expression changed with a sinister smile, "That is a battle I will not pass up."
"You act as though that fight will not result in your death." Gilgamesh said with Quetzalcoatl shrugging, "If you wish to fight those with a title to match their power." He said before rolling up his right sleeve, seeing the metal arm radiate red energy, "They why don't you try the King of Heroes?"
Quetzalcoatl slightly giggled as she readied for battle. Gilgamesh reposed in kind, while Yang watched on in worry, "Kairi was right, we would run into stronger bounty hunters." She thought as a line of sweat ran down her face, seeing an unmatched aura of heat radiating from the Great Firebird of the Sun, "But this one feels like she on a completely different level than the others." She then looked over to Raven opening a red portal.
"Oh no you don't!" Quetzalcoatl said before dashing past Gilgamesh, tackling Raven through her own portal before jumping in.
"Raven!" Yang yelled before jumping through the portal as well. Gilgamesh ran after them, but just as he was about to jump through, the portal closed before him. As a look of dread fell on his face, he punched the ground in frustration.
On the other end of the portal, a desert wasteland was all that could be seen for miles. Raven slammed against the sandy ground before pushing herself back kneeling position. Quetzalcoatl landed on her feet before grinning at the bloody huntress. Yang jumped out the portal before it closed behind her.
"Now, where were we?" Quetzalcoatl asked a struggling to stand Raven. Suddenly, Yang punched the Great Firebird of the Sun on the right side of the head. However, the blond outlaw gasped her hit didn't do any damage. Quetzalcoatl then shifted her eyes towards Yang, "You'll have to wait you, Little Sis." She said before spin kicking Yang in the abdomen.
Raven watched as Yang's eyes widened in agony, her body rocketed back into a mountain of sand, "Yang!" Raven called out in panic but was met with no answer. Instead, Quetzalcoatl rushed the bloody huntress with her edged paddle in mid-swing. Raven dodged the assault but was getting pushed back in the barrage. The Great Firebird of the Sun continued to push her target, then went for a fast-horizontal swing.
To dodge, Raven transformed into a corvid, evading the swing as she ascended. A few meters in the air, she transformed back before sheathing her weapon. In pulling out her sword, the blade was now and electrified yellow. Raven went for a vertical slash towards her opponent, creating a sparking wave of energy towards Quetzalcoatl. However, the Great Firebird of the Sun blocked the bolt with her shield. She then bent her knees before jumping into the air at a high speed. With her edged paddle, she snapped the electric dust blade. As Raven gasped, Quetzalcoatl headbutted the bloody huntress in the face.
Raven shut her eyes in pain before her back hit the ground again. She opened her eyes to see Quetzalcoatl stretching out her arms and legs in midair, her weapons despawned, and smiling as she went for a body slam. The bloody huntress dodged out of the way of the hit as her opponent was buried in the sand. Raven sheathed her sword as a plume of sand erupted a few meters in front of her. As the Great Firebird of the Sun walked out, slightly brushing off some of the sand, as Raven pulled out a blue blade of aqua dust.
"You expect to put me out with that?" Quetzalcoatl asked with Raven slashing the air, creating a vortex, "Or are you just running again?" She said before rushing forward, her teeth sharping and eyes full of murderous intent, "Where does this portal lead?"
"The bottom of Remnant's deepest sea," Raven responded as she jumped to safety.
"Eh?" Quetzalcoatl responded before a hydro blast of rocketed into her body. The high-pressured stream pushed the Great Firebird of the Sun into a mound of sand, turning into a mound of mud. Raven then unleashed multiple aerial cutting towards the sky, creating more water vortex that pelted the sandy ground below.
A few seconds later, Yang busted out of the sand, gasping for air. However, she soon gasped at the new terrain. The middle of this dessert was now a lake. The vortexes started to vanish, stopping the water from flowing. She then looked over to see Raven fall to one knee. In running over, the blond outlaw saw the bloody huntress' face was drenched in sweat, "It's over." Raven spoke up, "Drowning in water or mud, she's done for." She then turned to Yang, "Why did you follow me in the portal?"
"I thought she was going to kill you, dumbass!" Yang responded, then saw Raven coughed blood, "I-"
"It's fine, just using that type of portal is not one I like to use often." Raven then tried to get up, "Look, Yang… you need to know something-"
"It's okay, I know." Yang responded, casing Raven to have a look of confusion, "I was kind of hiding and listening to your talk with Gil." She then smiled at the gasping bloody huntress, "Listen, I know you don't want to be in my life. And for a second, I was okay with it being that way for a while." The blond outlaw said with a smile, "But look at you, this has to stop before you die in some ditch alone!" Suddenly, tears started to form in her eyes, "So please, come home."
"Yang…" Raven responded, the grip on her sword tightening, "I've caused you so much pain, but that will only lead to more suffering if I am in your life."
"I can take it!" Yang countered, "Please, I want my family to be whole again!" She said with Raven looking down breaking eye contact, causing silence to fall between them.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Yang and Raven looked over to the lake in the desert, seeing it steaming. As the mist grew denser, a massive concentration of flames erupted in the shape of a bird mixed with a snake. The two gasped as Quetzalcoatl was in the center for fire, grinning with the lake below her now evaporated. "What is she made out of?" Yang said as she held up her firsts, gritted her teeth, but then saw the Great Firebird of the Sun glance at her.
Quetzalcoatl then divebomb towards the blond outlaw. "YANG!" Raven said as she knocked her out of the way of the hit but left herself no time to dodge what was about to happen next, "AAAHHH!" She screamed as her blades and sheath exploded in her hands from the heat.
Yang watched as Raven was engulfed in the flames, Quetzalcoatl grabbing the bloody huntress' body. "You need more height!" Quetzalcoatl said before launching the bloody huntress into the sky, her body to the clouds, "I am the snake. I am the flame." The Great Firebird of the Sun said before jumping towards Raven. In the middle of her fall, she caught the bloody huntress, "Xiuhcóatl Charreada!" Quetzalcoatl declared as she and Raven rocketed back to the ground, "Adiós, rudo!" She said right before impact, creating an explosion with a shockwave that launched Yang back into a sand mound.
However, Yang was not buried for long as heard the screaming, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Raven called out in agony as Yang ran to the cries of pain. As the blond outlaw made her way to the center of the impact point, she gasped in horror. Quetzalcoatl held Raven by the neck and right thigh, the bloody huntress' back bent on the knee. Raven's body resembles that of an upside-down 'V' before the Great Firebird of the Sun stood up.
"NO!" Yang screamed in panic as Quetzalcoatl held Raven by the right ankle, then tossed the body to her daughter. Yang caught her before cradling Raven in her arms.
Slowly, Raven opened her eyes, "Ya…ng…" Raven spoke, causing Yang to smile in relief. However, that smile faded as the bloody huntress looked at her lower body, her face pale with dread, "M-my legs," Raven said as she gripped her thigh tightly, seeing blood drip, but felt no pain, "I can't feel my legs."
Quetzalcoatl walked up, "No more running away now." she said with her hands on her hip, "You should have used your Fall Maiden power's when you could walk."
"You crippled her!?" Yang said as tears began to form in Raven's eyes. However, Yang's turned red as she glared at Quetzalcoatl, "You psychopathic!"
"Oh, those are fighting words." Quetzalcoatl said before cracking her knuckles, "You want to go, Little Sis?"
"Yang, no!" Raven tried to order, but was in the middle of being put down, "She'll kill you."
"It's okay, I still have a trick or two up my sleeve." Yang said with a smile before refocusing on her opponent, her rage returning, "This one's mine, I got this!" The blond outlaw declared before hitting her fist together, lunging into the battle.
"YANG!" Raven called to her, but the fight was already in progress.
Quetzalcoatl dodged every swing Yang attempted, "A bit overconfident, are we?" She said while batting away her opponent's fists, "You're fighting the Great Firebird of the Sun."
"I'm hotter than the Sun, Bitch!" Yang said before going for a leg sweat. However, Quetzalcoatl dodged and stomped on the blond outlaw's right knee, "AAAAAHHHH!"
"Are you sure about that?" Quetzalcoatl responded before reaching for Yang's neck. However, she gasped as Yang pulled out Thunderer, pulling the trigger at close range in the face.
Quetzalcoatl's head rocketed back as Yang jumped back, "How do you like that?" Yang said before looking at her leg, seeing the stomp already allow her to put weight on the wound.
However, Yang gasped as Quetzalcoatl pulled her head forward, revealing the bullet she caught with her teeth. With her sharpened fangs, she crunched the bullet before rushing Yang. With a straight punch, the Great Firebird of the Sun shattered the revolver into pieces. "No more of those things," Quetzalcoatl said before unleashing a barrage of punches. Yang block with her arms up but could feel her body shake with every strike. As she saw an opening, the blond brawler went for a right cross to the face, connecting with the nose. In response, Quetzalcoatl grabbed her opponent's right arm, then landed three punches to the abdomen. Yang gasped for air before Quetzalcoatl punched her in the face, letting go of the arm. After her opponent landed on their back, Quetzalcoatl grabbed Yang's legs, then began to spin. Just before the blond brawler was about the vomit, the Great Firebird of the Sun let go and launched Yang into a hardened sand wall. The blond outlaws could feel her ribs break on impact, her hat falling off as she felt her skull crack.
"Come on, is that all you got?" Quetzalcoatl asked with a smile as Yang got up.
"Not even close," Yang said as her hair glowed, "Every hit just makes me stronger." She said before rushing back into the fight.
"Really? You rely on your opponents to make you stronger?" Quetzalcoatl inquired as she dodged her opponent's strikes, "That makes you lazy." She said before grabbing Yang's shoulders, then jumped. With a forward swing, she slammed her right knee into Yang's face, launching her back on the souls of her shoes, "You have to push yourself to the limit, not let others do it for you."
"Shut up!" Yang shouted before running back into battle, "I can't lose with my semblance and healing." She said as Quetzalcoatl lost her smile, "No matter how much you beat me down, I will get up and keep going until I knock you on your ass!"
"…What a boring way to fight." Quetzalcoatl coldly said before dodging Yang's right hook, "If you expect to beat me without learning a thing about yourself, what is the point of fighting to your limits." She said before gut-punching Yang. The blond outlaw vomited blood but struggled not to fall. Yang gritted her teeth before looking back to her opponent, but the Great Firebird of the Sun was not there. From behind, Yang felt Quetzalcoatl's left arm coil around her neck, the right arm grabbing the right side of her head, "If you are so confident in your healing," The Great Firebird of Sun said as Yang tried to break free, but could not pull away from the arms, "Come back from this!"
Yang could not say a word as she felt her head forced a different direction. In the motion, she saw Raven screaming and cry. However, the blond outlaw could not hear it over the internal snapping. Near instantly, the light left Yang's eyes as the red color went vacant. Her hair lost its luster as her whole body went limp. Quetzalcoatl let go of the body, which made no attempt to stop itself from faceplanting into the sand. The Great Firebird of the Sun looked down at the body slightly twitch but was unable to recover from this injury. Slowly, the movements stopped entirely.
"Burned out," Quetzalcoatl said to the corpse before walking away. However, after getting a few meters away, she heard Raven's cries as she crawled towards Yang. The Great Firebird of the Sun started to walk towards Raven, "She at least died trying to save you, but still failed."
Meanwhile.
"…Wha-" Yang said as she started to open her eyes, discovering herself in a black void, "Where am I?" She said before seeing a yellow light, causing her body to walk towards it, "N-no, I don't want to go there!" She said, but was not in control of her body, "I need to go back!" Yang said in a panic, but her body would not slow down, "S-someone, please! I need to save my Mom!" the blond brawler pleaded, hoping someone was listening.
At that moment, Yang saw someone in the light. A woman in a blue dress and blond hair tied in a bun and ahoge. The face resembled that of her rebellious friend, her right hand was reached out. Suddenly, Yang felt something pulled out of her heart. In looking down, she saw Avalon go towards the woman in the light. After grabbing the sheath, it began to glow with a similar aura. The woman in the light then tossed the sheath back, having it embedded in Yang's body again. The blond brawler's body fell back into the void, but she was now glowing in the same aura. The woman in the light faded as she turned around, returning to the other side.
Meanwhile.
Back in the desert, Quetzalcoatl felt something pass over her, "Huh?" She said before scanning the area, "What was that heatwave?" Suddenly, she gasped upon the origin of it. Raven gasped as well as Yang was standing up. The blond brawler's hair regained its luster, the red rage in her eyes returning as well. However, that red soon changed to a bright yellow, matching the aura erupting from Yang's body, "What are you-"
Yang then raised her right arm, causing Avalon to appear, "The sheath, the breath of stars, resides with me," She spoke, but as if someone was speaking through her, adding in the chant, "A torrent of shining life, one that is brighter than the sun's rays." Yang said as Avalon began to break apart, reforming over her right forearm as a new gauntlet, "While you turn to ash, I burn," the blond brawler said as she clenched her fist, causing a beam of yellow light to shoot up towards the sky, "Celicavalon!" Yang declared before punching the ground with her noble phantasm, unleashing a blast wave of burning yellow aura. A solar flare in magnitude and heat.
Quetzalcoatl could not dodge as the wave of flames was about to envelop her, but the smile did return to her face, "Wow!" She said right before impact, her body carried away in the stream of blazing energy.
Raven held onto the ground as best she could, hoping to not be swept away in the shockwave. She shielded her eyes for the duration of the attack. After the ground had stopped shaking, Raven gazed upon the sight in awe. While Yang was where she once stood, their opponent was not. Instead, a large canyon had now been created in this desert, the hardened sand and rocks still scorched from the burning yellow aura.
Raven then looked back to Yang, whose hair fading back to normal, and her eyes returning to lilac. The Celicavalon faded back into her body as turned to her mother, "Hey," Yang said with a weak smile forming, "Told you I got this." The blond brawler said before closing her eyes, passing out as she fell over on her right side.
With the last of her strength, Raven crawled to Yang. Within range, she reached out her right arm, gently resting it on her daughter's head, slightly brushing her hair, "Yes, you did." Raven spoke as a smile form on her face.
AN: There you go, Yang has now fully merged her soul with Avalon, allowing her to create this new Noble Phantasm. I really liked making Celicavalon to boost Yang's power for this series, and she was able to test it out against the Great Firebird of the Sun herself. There is a lot more to become of this series of events. Next chapter, you will see what happened as a result of this battle. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.