- Chapter 11: Let the Wings of Thunder Soar in the Skies. -
雷の翼を空に舞い上がらせましょう。
As Nora would charge into battle, her grin still present on her face even underneath the mask, she would then decide to switch out the sword she had been holding in her hand for her weapon, Magnhild, feeling that it was clearly much more comfortable and was something she was much more adept at handling compared to the sword, something she saw as much lighter and not part of her expertise. And as Saber chuckled, preparing to transform, his train of thought would then be interrupted by Nora, who would then toss the Raimeiken Ikazuchi towards Homura, before he would catch it, fumbling a little.
Much to the surprise of everyone, he would then call scream at Nora, "Oi! Don't go around throwing the holy blade of lightning like that!" "But I do hammers better than I do swords!" "Well- you have a point, but still!" Sighing, he went back to his business, opening the Brave Dragon and Peter Fantasista Wonder Ride Books, though he was noticeably a little strained from being forced out of transformation during the fight with the Usagi Megid. And as the books would then echo out their activation and story announcement tunes, Ruby would notice Homura visibly flinching ever so slightly.
[BRAVE DRAGON! Katsute, subete o horobosu hodo no idaina chikara o te ni shita shinjuu ga ita…]
ブレイブドラゴン！かつて全てを滅ぼすほどの偉大な力を手にした神獣がいた…
[PETER FANTASISTA! Toaru otona no naranai shōnen ga kurihirogeru yume to kibō no sutōrī…]
ピーターファンタジスタ！とある大人にならない少年が繰り広げる夢と希望のストーリー…
As Homura would then close the book, he would then flinch, almost falling onto the ground, as he barely caught onto the Raimeiken, clinging onto it, before getting up and inserting the Brave Dragon and Peter Fantasista Wonder Ride Books, the Wonder Ride Books glowing, as holographic book projections would then form, before a giant manifestation of the two Wonder Ride Books manifested, forming behind him in a burst of flames, before Homura would grip onto the Kaenken Rekka, inserting the sword and pulling it back out.
[REKKA~ BATTŌ!]
烈火抜刀！
And as he would twirl around the sword, he would extend out his left hand, before both of the giant books behind him would open, as a fairy would emerge from the gigantic Peter Fantasista Wonder Ride Book, before it would spin around his hand, as it would then form into more armor, a light blue arm with a hook attachment emerging, while the Brave Dragon would then form, before circling around him and forming the rest of Saber's armor, the Driver echoing the transformation announcement.
[Ni-satsu no hon o kasaneshi toki, seinaru tsurugi ni chikara ga yadoru! Wandā Raidā! Dragon! Peter Fan! Futatsu no zokusei o sonaeshi yaiba ga togi sumasa reru!]
二冊の本を重ねし時聖なる剣こ力が宿る！ワンダーライダー！ドラゴン！アランジーナ！ニっの属性た備えし刃が研き澄まされる！
And holding both of the swords in both of his hands, he would then rush towards Jaune, who was still next to Ruby as they were about to continue attacking the Megid and whatever Grimm that had now suddenly started forming around them, before he would then ask him, "Jaune. Do you specialize in dual-wielding?" "Wha- no?" "Then here. Use this sword." He would pass to him to Raimeiken, as Homura would then nod, hoping he would understand what to do, as he would then rush towards the Megid alongside Espada, leaving a very confused Jaune, with Ruby who tried to explain what he meant, and hoping that she was stating what he was thinking.
And as the two Riders would charge the Megid, with Weiss, Yang and Ren jumping in the fray against the rabbit monster, who had continued summoning more killer rabbits, while Ruby, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha fended off against the Grimm that was starting to swarm their location, Sophia would overlook the battle going on through the white book projector located in the middle of the Sword of Logos base, before Daishinji, also watching the battle with a very observant look, could only comment, "Are you sure he's made the right choice in selecting that hyper girl as the Thunder Swordsman?"
Sophia could only smile warmly, before replying something along the lines of, "I can trust him. If he knows enough to become a worthy Swordsman of Flame, then I can trust that he'll choose a worthy user for the Raimeiken…" At the exact moment, the door to the Sword of Logos would then open, before a male stepped through the door, dressed in a dark-blue robe, very akin to that of an actual magician or wizard, wearing underneath a crimson-hued shirt and a pair of jeans, as he would then comment, "I'm back."
Sophia could only smile, though there was a vivid look of surprise present on her face, as she could only comment, "Ah, Kento. I'm surprised you're here."
And as the mysterious creator of the Usagi Megid would overlook the battle taking place between the Riders and huntsmen-in-training and the Megid and Grimm, he could only laugh in a manner that almost seemed so sadistic, as he sat on top of one of the pillars in the area, continuing to watch the battle with an interesting look of glee, for a person he supposedly considered as not-that-into-battle. And as a white book projection appeared next to him, he could only chuckle, as out from it, stepped the creator of the Golem Megid, donned in his crimson and black robes, as he would watch the battle unfolding as well.
"And what brings you here, Legeiel?" The creature of the Usagi Megid asked in a tone that could be described as unholily and disturbingly soothing, as the other would take out an Alter Ride Book, that seemed to have some shades of dark green and not just the ugly dark brown the previous Alter Ride Books contained, as he would only grin creepily, commenting, "Decided to give them a… bit of a challenge, so to speak. Immediately, he would then activate the Alter Ride Book, as he would then open the book, unleashing the creature from beneath.
[SOBIETATSU TREANT!]
そびえ立つトレント！
From the book, multiple books would fly from the small book in the individual's hand, before enlarging, crashing onto the trees with a soft thud, before consuming one of the emerald trees in the vast expanse of forest, before an outline would form into the gargantuan books, dark green lines burning and being etched into the books, before the books would then shatter, revealing what appeared to be a dark brown and dark green monster that resembled treants from forest mythologies, as it would then look up, the bright sun illuminating its shadow menacingly.
And as it turned towards the Riders, it would then let out a groan that felt almost horrifying, before it would then jump on top of the trees, rushing towards the nine fighters, as the two figures continued to watch from afar, interested to see where this would go.
And as the two Riders, alongside Weiss, Yang and Ren, charged at the Megid, it would then dodge out of the way of their attacks, before Weiss would try her best to freeze it using the same technique she had utilized earlier to help Homura during his small scandal, as Nora would then slam her hammer head into the Megid's face, pummeling it into a tree almost as if a game of Megid tennis of some kind. Saber would then rush towards it, before rapidly sending out slashes towards it, as Yang would then hop in, much to Homura's own surprise, before the blonde brawler would then send out a flurry of punches.
[BRAVE DRAGON!]
ブレイブドラゴン！
However, the Megid would then recover, sending out a flurry of cottonballs and cattail fluff towards the five, as Ren would then hop it, firing bullets at the small rabbit creatures that the Megid was continuing to fire out, as Homura would then press the Brave Dragon Wonder Ride Book, his arm catching on fire, as he would ready a finisher, screaming out something along the lines of, "Fushigina Kiseki no Honou! (Wondrous Miracle Blaze!)" As the red mechanical dragon was summoned from the confines of the Wonder Ride Book, it would charge at the Megid, sending out a powerful fiery blast, as it glowed with the runes of '不思議な奇跡の炎', sending it flying back even more.
However, as the first Megid would be sent flying, the five's trains of thoughts would suddenly be interrupted by the tree-like Megid hopping into the fray, sending out multiple tentacle-like branches, that would trap them within it, as they struggled to get out. The Usagi Megid would then take the chance that they had, before it would then execute multiple claw attacks at the five huntsmen-in-training, causing them to either grit their teeth, or groan in pain, their Auras beginning to go down a lot.
However, the Megid's attacks would then be interrupted by Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha and Blake, who had just finished defeating the Beowulves and Ursai that had swarmed them earlier, as they rushed the Megid, Ruby and Jaune taking on the Treant Megid and Blake and Pyrrha taking on the Usagi Megid. Ruby would then run around the Treant Megid, as it tried to attack the rosy speedster, sending out its branches in a very rapid-fire manner, though she would manage to dodge them.
Immediately, Jaune would then use the Sword of Lightning to attack the Treant Megid, although his swordsmanship seemed to be a little clumsy, something Homura managed to catch notice of, as the other five would be let free from the grasps of the Treant Megid. And Blake and Pyrrha would manage to destroy quite a good few of the killer rabbits, before sending the Megid flying. And immediately, the Treant Megid would jump pretty high into the skies, much to Homura's confusion, until Blake would then realize what the monster was planning, before she screamed to the rest of them, "Dodge!" However, they took notice of it a little too late, as the Megid would land, sending out a big shockwave, that would send them in all directions.
Homura would use the hook of his Peter Fan armor, using it to latch onto one of the trees, spinning around it as he would grab Jaune and Pyrrha, much to their groaning as he would put them down. Getting up, he would grit his teeth, before he jumped, landing nearby Nora, as he then noted, "What do we do right now…?" Nora thought about it for a moment, something that didn't feel like something she would do, before then commented, in the same hyper voice, "You handle the giant tree, I'll break the rabbit's legs!"
"Good plan." Homura noted, as the nine would gather together, before Homura devised, "Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby, you're with me. Weiss, Ren, Yang, you're with Nora. Now, we better hurry!" All of them nodded, including a very nervous Jaune, as Homura could smile under the mask, looking at him for the briefest of moments, before he then thought of something. "Jaune." "Huh?" "I need your help with something…" "Wh- what is it?" "What is your Semblance?" "I… I dunno. All Pyrrha told me was that I had a big Aura reserve."
"I see… hmm… I wonder if you could use your Aura to coat your blade and make it stronger…" "I guess? I think that's what the textbooks said?" "Good. Let's take this giant tree down." He would nod nervously, before the two would then rush the Treant Megid, as Ruby and Pyrrha continued to attack it, distracting it with their flurry of bullets, the tree-like monster sending out a storm of leaves towards them. And as Homura and Jaune rushed the Megid, sending out a flurry of slashes at them, Homura would take out his Brave Dragon Wonder Ride Book, passing it to Jaune, as he took out the Peter Fantasista Wonder Ride Book, before nodding.
"Scan the book on the sword!" "I- I'm on it!"
[DRAGON! MM-HM!]
ドラゴン！うーんうーん！
[PETER FAN! MM-HM!]
ピーターファン！うーんうーん！
The two would then scan their respective Wonder Ride Books on the respective Holy Blades, the Raimeiken suddenly growing a bright red as the blade would then turn from red to white, catching on fire in a flurry of flames and fury, much to Jaune's surprise, as he looked at Homura, with a very confused expression on his face, as Homura would only nod, stating, "That's how it works, don't worry about it." Jaune nodded confusedly, as Homura would then charge up the Kaenken, as it glowed a light blue, the sections of the blade separating.
"Kaen~ Muchizan. (Flame Whipping Slash.)" Homura muttered to himself, as runes resembling the Japanese characters, '火炎むち斬', would then glow on the blade, as Jaune would look at the Megid, as he suddenly found himself with new motivation, much to his own confused surprise. Immediately, the two would then rush towards the Megid, slicing it with a fury of flames and whips, as Ruby and Pyrrha continued to fire a flurry of bullets at the Megid, causing it to explode into flames and dust, as it would then dissipate, revealing what appeared to be a teal-coloured Wonder Ride Book.
And as Homura picked up the Wonder Ride Book, Jaune would also notice it, as he confusedly asked Homura, "Jackun-to-Domamenoki?" Homura shrugged, before he would then rush into the other battle, joining Nora in her crusade against the Usagi Megid. And as Nora and the three huntsmen-in-training rushed the Megid, Homura would jump in, sending a slash of flames as he inserted the two Ride Books back in, to make sure he didn't de-transform. And Weiss would then constantly freeze it to the ground, along with Yang attacking it relentlessly, in a confusing mix of fire and ice.
The Rabbit Megid would then scream in a horrifying voice, as its jaws would then open, as it would then rush towards the Riders and huntsmen-in-training, almost as if about to eat them, much to their own horror. As they would dodge the Megid's attacks, Ruby would then aim a shot at the Megid using Crescent Rose, before grinning, landing a Gravity Dust-enhanced bullet on the opponent, sending it flying and falling onto the ground, before Saber would land besides Espada, Jaune providing back the sword to Nora.
"So. Do we use the finishers now?" "Yep, Nora." "Good." The two grinned at each other, before they would insert the swords into the Seiken Swordrivers, before they would then press the triggers twice, preparing two different finishers as they readied their attacks.
[HISSATSU DOKUHA! DRAGON! PETER FAN! NISSATSU GEKI! F-F-FIRE!]
必冊読破！ドラゴン！ピーターファン！二冊撃！ファイア！
[HISSATSU DOKUHA! ALANGINA! ISSATSU GEKI! THUNDER!]
必冊読破！アランジーナ！一冊撃！サンダー！
As Homura awaited the moment, his foot glowing a bright red and catching on fire, he would prepare a fiery-enhanced 'Rider Kick', as he would simply mutter, "Hiryu~ Fukkuha. (Flame Dragon Hook Break.)" Nora, overhearing what he had said, would ready her own finisher, as her foot glowed a bright yellow, as sparks of electricity would emanate from the sole, as she would then mutter, in a very overhyped voice, "Katastrofi~ Keravnon! (Thunder Destruction!)" Homura was definitely caught by surprise by her sudden words, thinking to himself, "Does Nora know Greek or something?"
The two would then jump upwards, aiming kicks at the Usagi Megid, as they would follow their trajectory, their feet glowing with runes that resembled the Japanese characters of, '火龍蹴撃破' and the Greek characters of, 'Καταστροφή κεραυνών', respectively, as they would then strike the Megid with their kicks, causing large red and yellow book-like constructs and gargantuan constructs resembling the Kaenken Rekka and Raimeiken Ikazuchi to be projected, before they would descend through the books further, making the sword projection pierce through the book projections, as they would then land, before the hook on Saber's arm would then pull the Megid towards them, before they executed a final kick on it, causing it to explode.
And as the Megid was destroyed, the two of them would de-transform, Nora cheering for what was her first battle as the Swordswoman of Thunder, as Homura struggled to gain his footing, ultimately falling into Ruby's arms, much to both of their surprises, and to further embarrassment as Yang would tease the two of them, much to both of theirs' chagrin.
As night fell, Pyrrha would find herself in the hallways of Beacon, trying to look for her team leader, who had seemed to suddenly disappear, as she would find herself on the rooftop of one of the buildings, as she would find herself being towered over by Beacon Academy's main towers, the green orbs on the central tower glowing ever so slightly. And in the corner of her eye, she would find Jaune, as she walked towards him, the blonde swordsman noticing her in the corner of his eye, as she would confront him, noticing the dejected expression on his face.
Jaune only commented, "Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not that depressed. I can always be a farmer or something..." "N-no! Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so... I want to help you!" "Wh-what?" "We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" "You think I need help?" "N-no! No, that's not what I meant." "But you just said it."
"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!" Jaune only looked away from her, lowering his head and voice, as he would then state, "You're wrong. I-I don't belong here." "That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!" "No, I don't!" Jaune turned back towards Pyrrha, now very angry, as he then stated, "Not only is Homura probably a more capable team leader! …I wasn't really accepted into Beacon…"
"Wh-what do you mean?" "I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy! I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!" Pyrrha found herself taken by shock and confusion, as she could only ask, "What…? But… why?" "'Cause this is always what I've wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough." "Then let me help you!" "I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"
"Jaune, I-" "I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand? If I can't do this on my own... then what good am I?" As Pyrrha could only solemnly stare at Jaune, she would attempt to reach out his arm and console him, he would lean back from her touch, as he stated, "Just... leave me alone. Okay?" "…if that's what you think is best…" Pyrrha would simply walk away, leaving Jaune to pace on the rooftop, thinking of everything that had happened today. And all happened as Cardin would watch from the windowsill, a malicious smile forming.