Darting outside through the massive wound Emerald had accidentally created in the military facility's entrance when they'd avoided one of her previous attacks, Lux found his thoughts racing at lightning speeds. The urgency to assist his partner mixed with the dread that always accompanied the notion that any injuries she sustained would likely be his fault combined, and Lux even inwardly debated using his semblance to carry himself toward where Emerald and Opal were inevitably bound to land that much faster. However substantial the amount of willpower it required, though, Lux eventually decided against such a wasteful action. Why?

Because Opal wasn't a pushover, herself. It might've been somewhat sobering and shameful to think about, but time and again she'd proven herself as capable of sustaining some heavy damage without losing her trademark efficiency in combat. If they were to stand any chance of defeating a bonafide Maiden in fair combat, then Lux couldn't waste his finite aura on unnecessary haste – even more so when his semblance could be likened to an inferior version of a Maiden's magical powers, wherever the elements were concerned.

Nevertheless, that somewhat sound comprehension of their situation didn't stop him from sprinting like the wind in pursuit of wherever their battle would resume next. Upon witnessing what happened next, his efforts redoubled.

Once Emerald and Opal's magically propelled flight brought them just above the exact center of the military facility's frozen courtyard, Emerald's arm wreathed itself in furious flames. As her vengeful punch into Opal's stomach boomed through the immediate vicinity, Lux's heart leaped into his throat as his partner's pained cry simultaneously accompanied it. Instinctive fear evolved into outright terror at the sight of Opal slowly climbing onto her knees while Emerald seemingly had already prepared her next attack.

"Remember exactly why this is happening while you're boiling alive!" Emerald shouted, spreading her arms wide. Her hands clenched into fists, and all snow surrounding her target turned to boiling waters almost immediately.

As though brought sentience by their Maiden, those same waters churned and slithered like living tsunamis destined to broil Opal alive upon contact. Transforming his weapon instantly into its rifle form, Lux deftly delivered an earth dust round into the rifle's awaiting chamber. Taking aim without slowing down substantially, he mentally prepared himself to fire what'd potentially become known as his greatest trick shot in his entire history as a marksman.

'Eagle eyes, don't fail me now!'

On instinct, his trigger finger performed its important purpose perfectly. His earth dust-infused attack pummeled directly into his target's shoulder blade, and previously compressed stone grew instantly around where the bullet landed. Suddenly weighed down by several hundred pounds of solid rock, Emerald plummeted from the skies like a paperweight, but not before assuring she wouldn't immediately be attacked again upon landing. That same strike that'd been aimed at Opal hastily evaporated into a steamy smokescreen, perfectly protecting Emerald from being left wide-open to an anticipated second strike.

Confident though he might've been that his interference had drawn Emerald's attention towards himself instead of his partner, Lux stopped himself a short distance before he would've run straight into the steam himself. Carefully taking several steps backward, Lux again raised his weapon, steadied his breathing, and readied another customized round for his next attack.

'With those Fall Maiden powers of hers, there isn't a chance that Emerald's been brought down permanently by that earth dust shot,' Lux observed, scanning the steamy smokescreen for even the slightest sign of activity. 'If you wanna attack anybody Emerald, attack me. I have a gravity dust bullet chambered with your name written on it. That and twenty-five percent extra firepower thrown into things thanks to Wiz's upgrade.'

"Okay," Lux whispered. "Your move, Emerald…"

Despite his dedicated efforts to distancing himself from the smokescreen, Emerald's opaque steam naturally spreading throughout the empty courtyard brought it uncomfortably close to his present position. It didn't take much time for Lux to dedicate another small slice from his aura to the task of eliminating the obstruction. Only removing a hand from his weapon for the single second it took to channel his aura, his semblance swiftly fulfilled that task.

And in the process, revealed a recently-recovered Emerald hiding meters away from where the artificial obstacle had ended. Lux's finger moved-

But Emerald moved faster. Fireballs blasted her forward before Lux could fire another accurate round, forcing him into a dangerous race against the Fall Maiden to figure out what'd be faster, between them. His aim, or her flame propulsion?

"You just couldn't mind your own business, could you?" Emerald seethed.

"Yeah, that isn't exactly my forte whenever someone's trying to murder my girlfriend!" Lux snapped back.

'Now!'

His marksman's instincts guiding his finger faster than his mind, Lux pulled the trigger as his weapon's sights fell upon his foe. Emerald reacted even faster than his round could reach her though and raised a formidably thick earthen wall in her defense. As the amplified gravity dust round plowed into the Fall Maiden's shield, the entire stony barrier practically disintegrated into gravel. Much to her credit as a well-trained Maiden, Emerald turned the newfound destruction to her advantage.

Without sacrificing her speed for accuracy, Emerald merely pointing her fingers in the eagle-eyed faunus' direction caused an assortment of small stones Lux's attack had left behind hurtling his direction. Eyes narrowing with determination, Lux transformed his weapon back into its melee form and efficiently deflected almost every insignificant attack with minimal effort.

Yet Emerald wasn't anywhere near finished with him. Her inconsequential assault had bought her the time necessary to enter melee range, and her sickles slashed downwards, destined to rake across Lux's shoulders if he didn't defend himself. Unable to retreat without leaving himself vulnerable, Lux raised his quarterstaff and caught his opponent's sickles midair. Once Emerald landed, the pair entered a mutual contest of strength – the Fall Maiden attempting to pull her adversary's weapon from his grasp while the marksman himself searched for an opportunity to create some space between them. Lux didn't take much time to find one.

Perhaps predicting her opponent would tunnel-vision in on their struggle for control, Emerald's fingers slowly enshrouded themselves in flame. Thoroughly convinced she was more focused on manifesting a surprise attack than anticipating one from her opponent, Lux kicked into Emerald's stomach. Another short whirlwind sent her sailing a short distance away from his position, but the flames around Emerald's fingers disappeared moments before her launching herself back in his direction via magical propulsion.

Unfortunately for Emerald, Lux had sufficiently prepared himself for whatever came next.

Almost immediately upon his opponent's second engagement, Lux forfeited some ground in favor of luring her further away from where Opal had crash-landed, herself. Countering the thief's attacks with her sickles via the superior range his quarterstaff provided, Lux kept himself steadily backpedaling away. Should Opal recover sooner rather than later, then he'd have offered his partner the greatest opportunity to attack Emerald from behind possible.

In the meantime, their even exchange of blows would continue ad nauseum.

"Do you really think her life is worth saving?" Emerald spat.

"When she's done nothing except defend people from psychopaths like you?" Lux asked, a forwards jab from his quarterstaff forcing Emerald's assault onto a momentary pause. "I'll throw everything I have into this fight to protect her!"

"What makes her life more valuable than Cinder's?!" Emerald growled, the irritated slash she performed once Wiz withdrew being batted harmlessly aside before she could achieve any sort of advantage. "What gave her the right to kill someone else and get away with it and not Cinder?"

"Well, the fact she isn't assisting Salem in attempted genocide, or whatever her gods-damned schemes are, for starters!" Lux retorted.

"As if your cause is that much better!" Emerald shouted. "Ozpin never once helped people like me, Mercury, Hazel, or anyone else – Salem did! Cinder did! You're fighting for someone who's spent centuries standing around while people like us are left to live in misery!"

In what must've been a premeditated attack that had escaped the marksman's notice, a rocky pillar of not-inconsiderable size punched from the earth and into Lux's side. His aura protected his ribs from being shattered, but the attack still brought a pained wheeze from his lungs as his breath escaped him. Thoroughly winded, as his mind raced to figure out what actions could ensure his safety, Emerald raised her sickles to strike-

Then Emerald found herself tumbling across the battlefield as a black-and-green blur brutally kicked into her exposed right side. Although still recovering his breath, Lux couldn't help but smile at the sight of his savior as she sprinted in pursuit of their opponent.

'I'm glad that time I bought wasn't for nothing, after all…'

"You want to talk about misery, Emerald?!" Opal's expression twisted into an intense scowl as she swiftly neared striking distance of the thief herself. "This misery you think Ozpin should take all the blame for is only Salem's fault! If she dedicated herself to the cause of protecting others instead of conquering or killing them, then maybe none of you would've been forced to suffer!"

"Don't shift the blame, Opal!" Emerald snarled, smoothly backflipping upright. "You aren't ancient like Salem or Ozpin are, but you'restill the person that brought everything crashing down around me when you killed Cinder!"

Successfully steadying himself upright again, Lux raised his weapon in its ranged configuration and aimed. 'You know what Emerald? Fuck you.'

His marksmanship didn't fail him. Moments after Emerald and Opal began their brief exchange of blows, a normal bullet bulldozed into the Fall Maiden's torso, sending her sprawling across the snowy courtyard. Confident that the tide might've been turning in his side's favor, Lux slowly advanced closer to his partner's position.

"And you're the one that's been gaslighted so much she can't understand Cinder wasn't a damn paragon from the moment you met her." Lux stopped at his leader's side, folding his rifle against his chest. "You followed her as she caused thousands of people who didn't have anything to do with Ozpin and Salem's fight to die at the fall of Beacon."

"I knew she wasn't a hero, damnit!" Emerald protested, climbing back onto her feet. "Only she was the one that noticed me, fed me, taught me almost everything I knew about fighting before now! She was everything I never had growing up, but always wanted!"

Some small portion of Opal's battle-ready tension dissolved, although her katana remained ready within her sheath. "Cinder felt like family, to you… didn't she?"

"Now you're understanding why you deserve to die, tonight," Emerald stated. "You might think she never cared about me, but that doesn't change what she did do for me whenever we weren't on missions. Cinder did more for me than anyone else… and you took that away. That's why you're my number one target."

"A target you won't kill while we're both still standing," Lux warned.

"You Vacuans really are stubborn, aren't you?" Emerald twirled her sickles around idly.

"Some more than others," Lux admitted.

"It's actually one of their most attractive traits, if you befriend one of them," Opal added.

His expression turning confident, Lux stood tall. "Face the facts, Emerald. Maiden magic or not, you aren't winning this. Not against fighters from Iridescence, and not when it looks like you've underestimated us by thinking you could handle us two-versus-one."

"You're wrong," Emerald said harshly. Scowling, her hands balled into fists, and invisible forces propelled her upwards until she was hovering several feet above the courtyard. "You two have underestimated me. Salem didn't just let me come out here to try and get revenge without making sure I wouldn't wind up like Cinder. It was a nightmare, training with her, but she turned me into a better Maiden than she thought Cinder could've ever been!"

"I don't like the sound of that…" Lux murmured.

"Neither do I," Opal agreed. "What's she-?"

Five streams of flames that almost literally shrieked outwards from her outstretched limbs and opened mouth cut their conversation short. As those fiery streams steadied themselves and began slithering into a singular horizontal band around Emerald's body, a veritable hurricane of winds condensed itself into a spherical form layered beneath them. Additional boulders compressed into pebbles as they were wretched from the tundra, and an entire stream of snow turned to meltwater that seemingly magnetized to her location – combined, the two elements formed rings that overlapped in a simple 'x' pattern.

It took time to manifest, but the current Fall Maiden's true might had officially been revealed to her opponents. Lux didn't need to glance beside himself to tell Opal dreaded whatever was coming next as much as himself.

"That power…" Opal paused. "She really isn't like Cinder."

"Seems pretty arrogant to me," Lux commented.

"They're both arrogant, but believe me when I say Emerald's infinitely more skilled as a Maiden than Cinder once was," Opal carefully advised. "Whereas Cinder's frustrations made her sloppy, from where I'm standing, it looks like Emerald's turning her rage into strength. Even without her semblance, she's a machine."

"Yeah, well you're a prodigy and I'm about the best marksman anyone's ever seen, so…" Lux readjusted his grip upon his rifle, exhaling slowly. "I'm thinking we can win this, still."

"Was that meant as comfort for me or yourself?"

"Does 'yes' count as a valid answer?" Lux questioned.

"I'd like to think so," Opal confirmed.

"Well, it's about time we really find out who's stronger, here!" Emerald shouted their direction, her voice somehow overshadowing the cyclonic shield that surrounded her. "One Fall Maiden that came for revenge, or two faunus who could never fight me without their partner around to back them up!"

Their formidable foe wasted little time on ceremony, afterward, and lifted a sickle-holding hand to point in their direction. Those magical flames that surrounded her horizontally listened to the invisible command, and an imposing fireball launched itself beyond the confines of its infernal home. It didn't take an entire second before Lux again willed his semblance into reality.

With the small sacrifice of another portion of aura, another whirlwind from Lux thereby negated the attack before it became a legitimate threat – although the fireball's dissolution revealed a number of once-compressed stones sailing right along its previous path. Both leaping above the potentially lethal bombardment of boulders and pillars, with perfect synchronicity, Lux and Opal hit the ground running. With their weapons already transformed into their musket and katana modes, together, they were prepared for anything Emerald attempted next.

Even another number of earthen bombardments identical to that which they'd previously eluded.

It might've been mildly laborious, but their continued evasive maneuvers were eventually rewarded. Implementing the trained efficiency their team was becoming well-renowned for, they made their way through the ceaseless cannonade of harmful stones unscathed. Their arrival at the courtyard wall nearest Emerald's position was punctuated by the pair kicking against the concrete, sending themselves skyward for a coordinated offensive.

Halfway between the courtyard wall and their shared target, Emerald pummeled them away with two streams of pressurized water, throwing them violently back from whence they came.

Although the faunus fighter duo managed to arrest control over themselves to land safely on their feet, Emerald joined them upon the tundra just as fast. One compressed stone around Emerald's elemental sphere expanded and flew at Opal – yet she didn't surrender her position. Her katana transformed into a bow, and a well-aimed explosive arrow reduced Emerald's boulder to dust carried away in the bitter breeze; meanwhile, Lux had already taken aim with his rifle.

If Emerald felt like prioritizing her attempts at revenge instead of fighting her two opponents tactically, then he'd gladlyexploit that vulnerability.

But it appeared that the Fall Maiden's reflexes would protect her aura from suffering further damage, yet. Lux pulled the trigger and another normal bullet flew toward Emerald's temple, but the quick expansion of another stone rendered that shot entirely ineffective. Her attention fixed itself upon him instantly, and only then did Lux notice something – there was a conspicuously sickle-shaped hole in the tundra beneath Emerald's feet.

It was then that a kusarigama burrowed outwards from beneath the earth, its accompanying chain coiling around his leg with lightning speed.

'Oh, shit.'

In moments, Emerald's magical powers wrested the rest of her weapon's chain free from its hiding place underneath the tundra. Her strength and magical winds combined, Lux found himself thrown helplessly into another concrete wall for his troubles, and his pained shout echoed around the courtyard. Stunned and still ensnared by Emerald's chain, Lux noticed his aura flare while he fell limply onto the ground.

Between the two attacks she'd landed cleanly upon him at this point, he didn't exactly need to glance at his scroll to confirm that his aura was reaching its limits.

As the Fall Maiden again dragged him across the battlefield, Lux mentally prepared to utilize a desperate whirlwind to cushion himself from whatever Emerald threw him into next – only there wasn't any such need. Hardly a second after Emerald leveraged her control over his body again did Opal slice cleanly through the chains attached to their adversary's weapon, enabling Lux to disentangle himself and land safely some distance away from the action.

This impromptu breather his partner had offered him proved itself as something of a mixed bag.

Accelerated by the formidable winds that surrounded her, Emerald slid across the battlefield and recovered her fallen kusarigama. Upon transforming it into its sickle form, she wasted little time, her slide transitioning into a sprint that brought her directly before her main target. Emerald spun midair after an attempted elbow into Opal's stomach flew wide, although her sickles only encountered her opponent's katana when they pounded downwards. Unbothered by Opal's successful block, Emerald's expression intensified as she pushed harder against her defenses.

"Now do you understand how you've underestimated me?" Emerald spat. "You might be decent fighters, but when faced against someone with magic and skills that match yours? At that point, you're just delaying the inevitable."

"There's much more to fighting than unrefined strength and personal skills," Opal protested, slowly being pushed back underneath Emerald's vengeance-fueled strength. "Remember, I'm not fighting this battle against you alone."

"And you think I'm the idiot, here?" Emerald scoffed. "Let's see how much that teamwork matters when you're fighting someone who's completely out of your league."

"That remains to be seen," Opal warned.

Thoroughly provoked into another explosive of the elements, Emerald's compressed cyclone expanded three times over, unceremoniously catapulting Opal across the courtyard. With her characteristic grace, Opal landed in a backward roll and unleashed a flurry of ice and fire dust arrows in mere moments to neutralize the fireballs and boulders Emerald had sent in pursuit. As Emerald's elemental bombardment ceased, she instead peppered Opal from afar with a constant hail of bullets – all of which the feline faunus deflected with apparent ease.

Meanwhile, with his flight away from the main battlefield having long since concluded, Lux lifted himself onto his feet and swiftly ran to reinforce his partner. His weapon still in its rifle form, it didn't take much time for Lux to imagine precisely how his next attempt at interference should manifest.

Considering how much distance he had to cover before his plan could become possible, though, it was almost a positive that Emerald would remain obsessed with Opal. It wasn't ideal, but right now, Emerald wouldn't have time to realize how vulnerable she'd been leaving herself to an attack from behind until his plans were already in motion.

Which meant that the only thing between him and inflicting meaningful damage upon the Fall Maiden's aura was the moderate distance he was swiftly sprinting across.

With her continued ranged attacks bringing Emerald little in terms of meaningful progress in penetrating Opal's defenses, obvious frustration infected her expression. Sheathing her sickles, she extended her arms and clenched her hands into fists before reeling her limbs back inwards. Consequently, the concrete wall behind Opal acquired an entire network of cracks and fractures that assured its downfall shortly thereafter.

As the structure's instability brought several sections of its not-inconsiderable length crashing downwards, Opal reacted accordingly. An unnatural burst of speed that could've only occurred through a conservative use of her semblance escorted her away from the collapse. Although she didn't counterattack immediately upon stopping, she did transform her katana back into its bow form in preparation for another round of ranged bombardment from Emerald's elements.

Emerald growled. "Why won't you just die already?"

"Maybe because she's fighting for something worthwhile!" Lux lifted his weapon and aimed without even bothering to slow down.

"What-?"

His opponent turned around moments too late to defend herself, and an ice dust round flew from his rifle's barrel. It successfully penetrated Emerald's elemental shield, momentarily encasing her left arm from the shoulder downwards in ice – it wouldn't be long before the Maiden could easily free herself, but the instant Lux had bought himself was all he needed.

'Now's my chance!'

In one smooth motion, Lux swept Emerald's legs out from underneath her with his own and transformed his rifle into a quarterstaff one final time. He carried his momentum into a mighty spin and threw every ounce of his strength into a forward thrust that smashed straight into her solar plexus. It would've made him a liar if he didn't admit her shocked gasp didn't provide him some satisfaction.

"Don't count me out of this fight yet!" he shouted.

Bolstered by both her frustrations and indignation, Emerald managed to right herself midair and land on her feet faster than most could ever dream to themselves. "Not killing you when I had you helpless was my biggest mistake! You must be running low on aura, though… so let me fix that mistake right now!"

Wings of magical flame that surrounded Emerald's eyes flared brighter, and Lux mentally prepared himself for whatever came next.

First were several small fireballs – he knocked them aside, ignoring the discomfort his weapon being slowly heated incurred upon his flesh.

Second was an array of rapid-fire stones – an assault that buffeted against his weakened aura almost as often as he actually deflected the incoming strikes.

Third came a small tsunami's worth of water with ferocious winds above them – left with little choice, Lux blasted himself above the violent wave and neutralized the gale that would've otherwise sent him plummeting into the tundra below.

Winded though the constant combat made him, Lux twisted around midair and descended safely back onto the awaiting earth. Emerald had unsheathed her sickles again, but Lux threw her the most confident look he could still manage, at the moment.

"You know, it'll take more than that to-"

To describe Emerald's sudden movements as her flying forward in the ominous form of a green-and-brown blur would be an absolute understatement. One moment she was standing perfectly still, and the invisible tension of flames and winds being released underfoot had her streaking across the battlefield. By the time she'd decelerated enough for Lux to make sense of what he was seeing, her sickles had already slashed across his sides.

His body hardly had time to register the first strikes before Emerald kicked him in the stomach, shattering his aura like glass and knocking him away.

When his uncoordinated tumble across the courtyard ended, Lux's awareness returned to him only in time to recognize he'd wound up lying prone upon the ground, while his weapon had landed just beyond arm's reach beside him. With his aura broken, it took what felt like a herculean effort just to raise his head again.

Whereupon he found a sharpened stone needle as tall as himself hovering menacingly before him, barely two feet from his forehead.

In the distance, Emerald scowled at him. "Don't mess with Maidens."

And it didn't take eagle eyes to almost feel the disturbance in the air incurred by the needle's sudden movement. While in reality, the needle must've been approaching with immense speed, it appeared in Lux's sight as almost moving in slow motion. Helpless to defend himself from his imminent demise, memories from across his lifetime surged to the forefront of his memory.

Tenebris and himself beating the odds throughout their formative years.

Their admittance into Beacon Academy.

Fate itself conspiring to bring them into Opal and Aurora's company.

His internal consternation about his feelings for his leader – who swiftly became the love of his life in almost no time whatsoever.

'Tenebris. Aurora. Opal. There's so much I haven't done with you guys yet. This- this can't really be the end… can it?'

"NO!"

It seemed as though his partner answered that question on his behalf, and with only inches between his head and an untimely demise, an enormous rush of heat swept across his face as a fire arrow obliterated the lethal needle midair. Emerald snarled in frustration and dashed forward with her sickles to finish him off herself, although Opal intercepted her halfway. Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang, and the spiritual flames that flowed around Opal's shoulders contrasted against the magical flames around Emerald's eyes.

Still robbed of his strength by his aura being brutally broken, Lux was left with little choice but to watch helplessly as they matched each other blow for blow. Even with his stellar sense of sight, their incredible speeds blinded him to the intricacies of their combat.

"Would you look at that?" Emerald began. "It looks like I wasn't the only one that wasn't going all-out, originally. Whatever this trick is though, Opal, it won't be enough. You're still fighting a losing battle, here."

"You're wrong!" Opal protested, her katana swinging so swiftly into Emerald's sickles that sparks leaped from their weapons upon every time they clashed. "My semblance evolved during the fall of Beacon. This ascended state I'm using pushes it to its limits – it was enough to match Cinder for some time, so it'll be enough to fight you, now!"

"Then why didn't you open with this while your boyfriend was still around to help?" Emerald questioned confidently.

"Because this technique constantly drains my aura while it's being used," Opal explained. "More than my semblance usually does, too. Even if I've reduced the drain through training, this isn't something that's wise to whip out without knowing its necessary. Still… it'll help me protect those that I love, right here and now!"

Her limb moving like a bullet in its own right, Opal struck into Emerald's stomach with a push-kick without a moment's warning. It might not have done much, as Emerald cushioned her fall and righted herself with her magical winds, but a point had been made – Opal wasn't the kind opponent she could take lightly, even in a one-on-one fight.

"You weren't lying," Emerald observed. "It really is like your semblance is going into overdrive… I won't let that beat me, though. You wouldn't understand, but a Maiden's magic doesn't need aura to be used. You'll run dry long before I ever would, which means that it's just a matter of time before you get what you deserve!"

Opal sheathed her weapon, sinking into an action-ready crouch. "Even if that's the case, I won't make this easy!"

Their fight resumed in earnest, and once more, almost all details involved in their duel devolved into broad strokes, instead. Once-distinct bodies now blasted around the battlefield as nothing but multicolored blurs, leaving the only indicators of where their weapons really met being the sound of metal against metal and the sight of sparks spraying into the air between them.

'No…' Lux tried pushing himself onto his feet, but failed even at placing his knees underneath himself before his arms gave out.

Through the ceaseless chaos of combat playing out before him, Emerald and Opal's movements slowed just enough for him to bear witness to the Fall Maiden's elbow pummeling into his partner's back. Opal whirled around in time to slash with her katana, which prevented her opponent from capitalizing on the attack, but still found herself on the defensive as flames erupted from Emerald's elemental sphere.

'No…! If you don't get up now, Opal might die, and you'll be the reason why! She's the one that's protecting you right now, when you promised you'd protect her! Make that mean something, damn it!'

Stubbornness and raw willpower combined, Lux forcibly pushed his arms underneath himself and extended a hand toward his fallen weapon. Upon wrapping his fingers around Wiz, it felt as though some small amount of strength flooded back into his body, and an idea started forming in the back of his mind. Breathlessly huffing and puffing, with the assistance of his weapon, he pushed himself onto one knee and steadied himself.

'I can't fight… but I can still make a difference, here.'

As one last transformation of his weapon into its rifle form preceded the final preparations that would be needed for this plan of his to matter, Opal and Emerald's duel rapidly approached an incredibly risky conclusion. What happened up until this point didn't matter inasmuch as the fact that Opal had firmly been pressed onto the backfoot.

Emerald abruptly belched an inferno forward that her opponent just barely escaped, although her sleeve and pant leg were unfortunate enough to brush against the blaze in the process. Her entire torso heaving with exertion, Opal's aura flickered, her ascended state threatening to snuff itself out completely. If this fight dragged on much longer, there wasn't any doubt Emerald would emerge victorious.

Luckily, Lux had already aimed his rifle perfectly.

"Hey, Emerald!"

She snapped her head in his direction "What!?"

His lips quirked upwards into a dark smirk. "Stay away from my girlfriend."

Besides constantly forgetting the severity of her situation in a one-versus-two scenario, Emerald had forgotten to consider his weapon's capacity for destruction. Lux might've used a quarter of his upgrades power before his aura's destruction, but that still left more than enough strength within his weapon to wreak havoc on Emerald's own.

"Here's a seventy-five percent amped shot with your gods-damned name right on it!" he loudly declared. "Sayonara, Emerald!"

Reminiscent of the attack that had destroyed the ancient Beringel when Lux had first used his new upgrade, the round he released from his musket left a visible trail of compressed air behind itself. Emerald wouldn't even hear the attack being fired; rather, she'd only feel the supersonic shot hammer straight into her exposed side. Her pained scream was muted by the massive explosion that followed, and all that could be made out through the destruction was her aura's complete decimation.

When the dust settled, Emerald could be found clutching a newfound bullet-shaped wound that went straight through her side. Blood seeped through her fingers, and it looked like everything she could do to remain upright.

And just like that, the Fall Maiden had lost her golden opportunity for vengeance.

Having deactivated her ascended state amidst the explosion, Opal nocked an arrow into her bow and aimed it cautiously at Emerald's back. Either too in pain or too enraged by her newfound wound to notice, Emerald remained completely still, shadows from her hair obscuring her eyes.

"Surrender, Emerald," Opal ordered. "We… I don't want to have to kill you."

The hope inspired within his heart by those words even being uttered brought a second wind surging through Lux's body. His legs might've protested the suddenness of his movement, but he swiftly lifted himself upright with some assistance from his musket. If Emerald tried anything now, she'd have to avoid his and Opal's ranged attacks coming at her from both sides.

Perhaps somewhat shockingly, Emerald made no such attempts; instead, it appeared as though she was shaking.

"What the hell…?" Lux whispered, only to shake his head to dispel whatever concerns had wormed their way into his head immediately after. He raised his weapon warningly. "Make your decision, Emerald. Don't make a dumb decision you'll regret."

At the sound of his voice, Emerald's head snapped upwards to face him. Tearstains streaked down her cheeks, and her eyes appeared unfocused, as if the Fall Maiden had only now returned to reality. "N-no!I won't become another Cinder!"

Emerald backpedaled a few steps in the direction of the main military base, still clutching at her wounded side. As Opal and Lux tentatively followed their target, Emerald's attention swapped rapidly between the pair.

"You'll pay!" she shouted. "I swear you will, one day! I swear!"

Unsure of what actions the Fall Maiden would make next, Opal and Lux released their ranged attacks in unison – but it was too late. Taking advantage of the magic immutably imbued within her wounded body, Emerald rocketed herself back in the direction of the main base. In the direction of continued sounds of combat, and the direction of her allies.

"Damnit, she's getting away!" Lux exclaimed

"Not yet!" Opal countered. "Are you still fit enough to run?"

"After that last attack hit, and we won a fight against a Maiden?" Lux nodded. "I'll manage."

"Then let's go!" Opal ordered, and they dashed after their adversary. "It doesn't matter if she's trying to just escape with her allies or wants to help them kill the others – we can't afford to let her out of our sights!"

"Easier said than done, when she can fly!" Lux shouted. "Still, I'm right there with you, Opal! This mission's looking like it's almost over, now!"

"Agreed," Opal said. "One way or another, I get the feeling everything's gonna wrap up sooner rather than later. I just hope that things play out in our favor."

"There's only one way to find out!"

"Right. Now come on, we can't slow down now!"


"Justice."

"What the hell do you mean, 'Justice?'" Tenebris questioned. "Isn't flagrantly murdering someone because they thwarted your nefarious schemes the opposite of that?"

"Didn't you ever pay attention in class?" Liumang retorted snidely. "History's written by the victors, Griseo. Justice is therefore defined by those same folks. I haven't had any reason to assume that same principle doesn't apply to big bad bastards like me when we're dealing with Huntsmen, Huntresses, and anyone else with a death wish that thinks they can take me down."

"Well, we aren't dead yet," Tenebris pointed out. "Maybe there's something missing from that ideological garbage you were just spewing."

"Doubtful," Liumang said easily. "You kill me, and I'm cemented as the villain. I kill you, and my history will pen you two down as brats who didn't know their place. Either way, I'm the one that's proven right."

"Tenebris," Aurora harshly whispered, interrupting her teammate before he could make another mildly scathing remark. "Don't provoke Liumang anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know why, but I have a really bad feeling about what'll happen when this fight starts again," Aurora revealed.

One glance in her direction revealed everything Tenebris needed to understand about the severity of their situation. Aurora had spoken calmly, but the cold sweat that gathered near her temple and the tension that remained visible through her armor was enough evidence for him to forcibly still his tongue. If his teammate was afraid of what was coming, that meant something.

"What, no more threats?" Liumang taunted. "Finally seeing things my way, then?"

"No, more like we're just focusing ourselves on survival from here on out," Aurora said.

"Right. Victory would just be a bonus," Tenebris added.

"Then you finally understand how outclassed you really are – and without Justice even being thrown out yet! Bravo!" he mockingly praised. "Just for you though, Borealis… I'll grant you two both the honor of me giving this fight my all!"

Tenebris swallowed. In his lifetime thus far, he'd faced Vacuan thugs, international terrorists, Grimm abominations most people couldn't even imagine, and Opal back during Iridescence's dysfunctional beginnings, but the pressure Liumang exuded now was something else entirely. He felt his heartbeat hasten, and Boomstick grew heavier upon his back.

Nervously, Aurora took a step backward.

Radiating arrogance, Liumang inhaled deeply, his chest expanding like never before.

Everything after that devolved into chaos.

Spurred into action by the sight of Liumang preparing his semblance, Aurora transformed her weapon into an assault rifle and fired several rounds to interrupt the attempt, but the shots came too slowly to make a difference. Liumang's sharp whistle echoed loudly through the garage and bulldozed into the ground between several armored vehicles, detonating the abandoned fuel reserves. As the ensuing fireball obscured the reptilian faunus' exact position, Tenebris kept his guard raised and his eyes narrowed.

His reaction times wouldn't save him, however.

From within the ascending inferno, Liumang's whip lashed out and coiled around his wrist at lightning speed. Unable to free himself before Liumang made his next move, Tenebris found himself helpless but to be viciously yanked forward and through the thick smokescreen his foe's semblance left behind. When Liumang himself came into view, Tenebris had no time to deflect the criminal's fist slammed into his gut. In the same breath that the first strike hit, Liumang's knee crashed into his face, and Tenebris found himself pinned to the ground as the ex-cartel leader prepared another use of his semblance.

Only quick-thinking saved him, then. Activating Boomstick's thruster, Tenebris forcibly sent himself sliding across the garage floor and used his free hand to unravel his wrist from its entrapment in Liumang's whip. Not bothering to come to a complete stop before swiping his weapon off his back, Tenebris threw his full might into launching Boomstick like a rocket-powered battering ram back at his target.

His hazel eyes flashing with ominous inspiration, Liumang didn't even attempt to dodge. In a blinding burst of motion, his whip wrapped itself around Boomstick and, with Aurora catapulting herself toward his blind spot, redirected the brutal blow into her stomach, instead. With a pained cough, her cables loosened from around their holds throughout the garage, and she plummeted to the ground below.

"Aurora!" Tenebris shouted.

"I warned you that your aim needed work, Griseo!" Liumang taunted.

With the reckless abandon that only someone with impossible confidence in their skills could exercise, Liumang turned his back on Tenebris. When Justice loosened from around his opponent's weapon, it immediately whipped back around and tightened around Aurora's throat. Only recently having recovered from her fall, Aurora still summoned the strength to fight against it from fully constricting around her windpipe.

Unwilling to surrender her offensive efforts despite her predicament, Aurora struck back. At speeds that almost matched the movement of Liumang's whip, her cables surged forward and attacked from variable angles. Not using much more focus than his previous defensive efforts, Liumang had caught nearly all of Aurora's cables with his free hand when one successfully wrapped around his calf.

"Huh…" Liumang drawled. "Damnit, this gonna be inconvenient."

"P-probably…" Aurora managed.

In rapid succession, the two armored fighters among Iridescence made their moves. As her temporary captor's whip went slack around her throat, Aurora pulled Liumang's legs out from underneath him. The same instant that the criminal became airborne, Tenebris tackled him and stampeded forward until their ramming into the hood of an armored van forced them to stop. His fists pummeled downwards into Liumang's guard, attempting to vent his frustrations in the process, but only succeeded in amplifying his fury further.

"Stay! Away! From! Aurora!" Tenebris roared.

"Oh?" Liumang caught his fist. "Now why would I bother doing that…?"

Entirely uncaring about the damage his gambit would bring onto himself, Liumang abruptly unleashed a point-blank explosion between them. Tenebris throwing up a last-second guard protected him from instant immolation, but the concussive force that crashed into his chest launched him into an uncontrollable flight away from his opponent.

While he remained midair, Liumang's latest gambit expanded into another offensive opportunity that he proved himself easily willing to exploit. Despite his armor protecting him, Liumang's whip smashing into his chest left Tenebris stunned long enough for a quite literal explosive follow-up from the former's semblance. That second explosion's detonation beneath him renewed his momentum sailing through the garage, and Liumang dashed in pursuit, his tail pointed taut behind himself.

His chaotic spinning through the air brought Tenebris face to face with the ex-cartel leader moments too late to defend himself from what came next. With a satisfied shout, Liumang kicked him in the chest, and Tenebris' flight finally met its agonizing end. His spine smacked dead-on against a steel support strut, and his body screamed in protest despite the protection his aura provided against what would've ordinarily been a lethal blow. Stars filled his vision, and he fell limply onto the ground.

'Don't stop now…' he urged himself. 'If you don't keep fighting Liumang, you'll just die anyway! Get up. Get up!'

It took herculean willpower, but Tenebris forced himself onto his feet. He engaged his armor's upgrade in time to throw another punch at Liumang as he dashed merrily into melee range, but he avoided the attack with ease. Another strike followed the first, and this time, Liumang regarded the armor-augmented attack with considerably more respect before throwing his fist forward in return. On account of both parties being too stubborn to give ground or admit defeat in hand-to-hand combat, the following few seconds consisted entirely of attacks that almost resembled moves comparable to those often seen in professional boxing matches.

"So, this armor of yours actually does something interesting, huh?" Liumang observed, his smile never fading in the slightest as their scuffle continued. "I see you really made the most of your employer's resources. Smart choice!"

"Do you never take anything seriously?" Tenebris exclaimed. "If you have time to run your mouth, then shut up and focus on this fight, for once!"

"And who said that I haven't been already?" he asked.

In the blink of an eye, Liumang's occupied hand latched onto Tenebris' next heavy hook and entangled his wrist with his whip all at once. Leveraging his immense strength and the added grip his whip bestowed upon him, he flipped Tenebris overhead and uncoiled his whip. Freely flying through the air, Tenebris deactivated his armor's upgrade to preserve its uptime and landed on his feet – though his anger continued to grow.

"You know what?!"

His nostrils flaring and an enraged noise bubbling up from his throat, Tenebris called Boomstick back into his awaiting hand and surged forth. A dangerous look flickered in Liumang's eyes, and he accepted the invitation willingly, which left the short distance between them shrinking rapidly as they prepared for their inevitable explosive clash.

"If this is your latest attempt at suicide, I've gotta commend you!" Liumang mocked. "This right here's probably the most ballsy way I've ever seen anyone plan on going out!"

Tenebris ignored him. "Eat shit and die, already!"

His rocket launcher and his opponent's semblance both being unleashed simultaneously at point-blank range was deafening, but the two combatants suffered the same effect, and their clash sent them both skidding away from one another.

Although his weapon's metallic exterior shielded him from a substantial portion of the doubled detonation, Tenebris still felt his armor smoldering all around him once he successfully stopped himself. Once the smoke settled, if Liumang's clothes being singed around their edges was any indicator, it appeared as though the criminal had suffered more damage, between them. Not that Tenebris could confirm his suspicions, given how Liumang himself didn't seem inclined to care about whatever stress his aura might've been experiencing, right now.

"Damn. It isn't often someone matches my explosions," Liumang noted, his tone abnormally calm. "If you used that on someone whose body wasn't used to that sorta stuff, you probably woulda turned them into a gods-damned red paste!"

"Pfft. If you aren't careful, you might become one anyway," Tenebris warned.

"Especially if you don't watch your own back!" Aurora declared.

Compounding the damage dealt by her teammate with a slash of her naginata blade across Liumang's back whilst releasing her cables' grip on her surroundings. She worked with her momentum and spun around to initiate a follow-up stab aimed at Liumang's upper torso, but the faunus himself recovered faster. Thinking quickly, he captured her naginata again between his palms, inhaled-

And Aurora's cables immediately whipped across his body from every conceivable angle until she kicked heavily into Liumang's chest. Having freed herself from his grasp, she launched an available cable upwards and started rapidly reeling herself away to relative safety. Only letting his frustrations bleed through with a frustrated grunt, Liumang sneered.

"Don't turn your back on me, Borealis!" he shouted.

When Liumang lashed his arm forward next, his whip flew like a speeding bullet all its own in pursuit of its target. Had his weapon been even a minuscule amount slower, Aurora would've been home free, but the whip wrapped around her ankle before such she reached the refuge the catwalks could've offered her. Bringing his other hand to assist in his efforts Liumang leveraged his superior strength and practically tore Aurora back down and into his effective range.

"Don't forget you're fighting two-versus-one, either!"

Tenebris tackled their criminal opposition before he could release his semblance again, wrapping his arms around Liumang's back and dedicating himself fully to forcing him as far away from his teammate as possible. As successful as his efforts were initially, however, Liumang eventually planted his legs firmly into the ground, and their momentum slowly ceased.

His hands clasped together, Liumang raised his arms over the brawler's back. "Alright, Griseo, this reckless endangerment habit of yours has seriously lost its charm!"

As Liumang's arms slammed downwards, Tenebris' grip went slack, a pained shout exploding from within him as the attack connected with his already-sore spine. Momentarily stunned by the pain, Tenebris flopped onto his stomach. Liumang sensed the opening and hopped back a short distance to make room for a decisively destructive use of his semblance.

"I wanted to kill Borealis first, but you'll make a good replacement!" Liumang shouted.

"You aren't killing anyone, tonight!" Aurora exclaimed.

Several assault rifle bullets buffeted into Liumang's back from behind, the sudden force of the strikes sending him stumbling forward a single step. While Aurora continued rushing toward her teammate, two cables wrapped around Liumang's legs before the villain completely recovered – she didn't hesitate to thereby throw him as far away from Tenebris as possible. Once Liumang was airborne, she reeled her cables inwards to prevent them from being outright obliterated by his semblance and kept moving toward her friend.

Out of her periphery, she noticed Liumang making the most of his renewed freedom. An immoral monster though he might've been, his skills with Justice ensured that he could use his weapon as a makeshift rope to reassert control of himself mid-flight. Once he had swung himself onto the same catwalk she'd meant to escape to moments prior, Aurora had finally knelt beside Tenebris, and felt Liumang's arrogant gaze land upon them both.

Her attention alternating between her friend and their opponent, she hooked an arm underneath her teammate's and helped him onto his feet.

"Are you alright, Tenebris?" she asked. "You've been taking a lot of damage, this fight."

"I'll live," Tenebris answered. "You said it yourself – I'm Iridescence's resident monster. This armor and my aura aren't breaking that easily."

"Good," Aurora replied with an approving nod. "Can't have you falling apart now."

"I won't." Tenebris straightened. "Honestly can't say I'll keep my head on straight much longer, though. Liumang's-"

"The most formidable fighter you now wish you never would've faced?" Liumang finished, offering them his most self-assured smirk yet. "Come on, give me a heads-up and I'll record it!"

"…getting on my nerves," Tenebris grumbled. "That smile and that attitude of yours are getting real damn annoying, you know that?"

"That's because you're still too stupid to accept what this smile of mine means," Liumang said matter-of-factly. "In this world, those that smile are the strongest fighters around. Always has been that way. Always will be that way. Akainu and that damned smile of his made me realize that, way back when."

"Akainu…?" Tenebris echoed.

"I don't know who he's talking about either," Aurora answered preemptively. "I feel like the name came up once or twice during history lessons in Mistral, maybe, but beyond that? Liumang mentioning that name makes me think I should've paid it more mind."

"You think so?" Liumang asked, coiling Justice back into itself. "Well, since I've already given you some bestselling news by showing you my weapon, how about we broaden our horizons and make this battle the scoop of the century? How much do you know about my history, Borealis?"

"Besides your activities as a crime boss?" Aurora reloaded her assault rifle. "Nothing."

"Good," Liumang stated. "Only my elite officers and the original members of my cartel knew where I came from, and for damn some solid reasons."

"Then where are you from?" Tenebris pressed. "Were you were born in another kingdom?"

"As if! With a name like mine, I could've only been born and named on Anima." Liumang looked at the brawler's blue-haired companion. "What'd the history books say about a certain place called Marineford?"

Aurora's brow furrowed in suspicion, but after another few seconds of indecision, she answered the inquiry simply. "That Marineford was located on the southern coastline of Anima. It was supposed to have been a port-town, of sorts. Their booming shipping industry was always attributed to their labor force's dedication despite a lack of modern-day infrastructure being around to support their operations. The town collapsed without warning someday, and all their typical land-based communications suddenly stopped. Follow-up investigations brought about the conclusion that the Grimm destroyed it, but the mayor and his family's bodies were…"

"Finish the story," Liumang said all-too-calmly. "I'm entranced."

"Were found impaled upon spikes," Aurora finished.

"What?" Tenebris' mouth fell agape. "That's sick. Grimm don't- that means-"

"That people must have been involved with the incident, or there was some species of Grimm there that nobody's ever found," Aurora confirmed. "Marineford's mostly the topic of horror stories and conspiracy theories among the common folk, these days."

"Sounds about right," Liumang commented. "But lemme fact-check those history lessons for you though, Borealis. Everything you learned about Marineford was wrong."

"What do you mean by that?" Tenebris asked.

"Where to begin?" Liumang started. "The fact that the 'labor force' were exclusively exploited faunus, that Marineford was actually a hub for slave trade, or that all foreign authorities were paid off to keep the entire operation secret?"

Hardly three seconds passed before Tenebris had begun to regret making the inquiry. Everything in the abandoned garage's environment lost its color, and somehow, Tenebris felt the room grow dozens of degrees colder in an instant. At the same time, Aurora's already-fair skin paled almost enough to match snow.

"Y-you…" Aurora paused. "You can't be serious. Can you?"

"Oh, I am, Borealis," Liumang confirmed confidently. "Marineford was founded with having poor infrastructure in mind. Not having real roads or a CCT connection meant that reputable folk and half-decent inspectors always steered clear of the place. Enslaved faunus kept that city afloat the entire time it was up-and-running, and guess where yours truly found himself born?"

Where once Liumang's smile inspired frustration and fury, this time, a stray glance in the direction of his evident arrogance made a chill run down Tenebris' spine. Vacuo might've been a rather rough-and-tumble place to be raised unless you pulled your weight, but… enslavement? It was a concept that went beyond his ability to even imagine.

"As you pissants might probably assume, it wasn't exactly a wholesome time being raised there," Liumang casually continued. "Being whipped into keeping things running at optimal efficiency until you either died or collapsed from exhaustion at night didn't quite give me the impression that my hometown was situated in the nicest neck of the woods, y'know?"

"That's impossible!" Aurora protested, trembling. "If Marineford really was a place like you're describing, it would've fallen to the Grimm right after it was founded! Besides, Huntsmen, scouts, aircraft, someone would've found out about what was happening there!"

"Like I said, they paid off almost everyone who stumbled across the city," Liumang dismissed easily. "And the Grimm? Well, y'know Akainu? History wrote about him as this 'glorious admiral' type figure, when really… he was just the city's brightest slave master. Always believed that it was 'justice' for faunus to serve beneath humans' bootheels – which was why he proposed that faunus were thrown outside the city limits as sacrifices, every now and again."

As Aurora looked like she was about to vomit, Tenebris' heart leaped into his throat and he shook his head in disbelief. "You- you're actually serious about this…"

"What reason would I have to lie?" Liumang said. "I'll keep speaking with the broad strokes – save everybody here some time. Anyway, Mom and Dad got sick, were thrown to the Beowolves when I was just barely old enough to fend for myself, and that's when things got interesting for me. You see, Akainu and I never really got along. He couldn't break me. Me and my folk? They were everything to me, back then."

Liumang leaned forward against the catwalk railing. "Now I don't have anything against humans conceptually, but ah… I always held things against people who thought they could slight me and get away with it. Akainu's little habit of always smiling kinda pissed me off just a little bit extra when I learned what happened to my folks. So, since he hadn't quite broken me yet… I decided to break him first."

"You mighta figured this part out already, but…" Liumang gestured broadly with his coiled, bloodstained whip at them. "I strangled that bastard in his bed that same night, took this here whip… and called my first crew into action. Without Akainu around to coordinate any defenses and with my semblance awakening that night, we razed that city. Grimm mopped up everyone else who was too brainwashed or broken inside to join the party – those that did? Well, they got their revenge… and became my muscle, from that point onwards."

"You did it, then," Aurora shakily observed, the faintly horrified look expression upon her face earning her a concerned look from Tenebris, who remained still beside her. "Marineford's destruction, the Grimm coming in and slaughtering the survivors…"

"Was his fault," Tenebris finished. Steadfast in his determination to shield his teammate from further harm, emotional and otherwise, he stomped out his own existential dread in an attempt to feign confidence. "That was a great history lesson and everything, but that backstory didn't sound like a reason to become… whatever you are, inside."

"Isn't it?" Liumang asked. "I'm not nihilistic – I have my principles, as pretty much anyone with a brain stem could probably gather – it's just that Akainu and all his pals taught me that it really isn't worth giving too many shits about 'morality.' Rather, life's about living it up, and adhering to your personal sense of morality without compromise. Up until the point Mistral decided it should finally take my operations seriously, that philosophy worked wonders, for me."

Over what felt like an isolated eternity but was in reality only a single minute, silenced reigned between the assembled combatants. Tenebris couldn't read minds, but he didn't need miraculous telepathic powers to understand that both his and his teammate's perspectives on Liumang had been irrevocably changed. Even as someone who prided himself upon his Vacuan confidence and seemingly unshakeable willpower, Tenebris couldn't save himself from the shift.

No longer was Liumang Bakuhatsu an infamous criminal that once harbored machinations to bring Mistral underneath his chaotic rule. Instead, he'd revealed himself as a mass-murderer that committed atrocities that surpassed those committed even by the likes of Tyrian Callows in terms of creative cruelty. Their opponent wasn't a faunus anymore.

In absolutely every manner that mattered, Liumang was a monster.

"Still feel like you'll win this fight?" he asked plainly.

"I…" Aurora hesitated. "I don't know."

"Then we'll just have to find out!" Tenebris asserted. "Liumang said he'd be going all-out against us, and has he killed either of us? No! We aren't outmatched by him. Not completely!"

"Right," Aurora agreed. Her expression shifted from horrified to determined, and Tenebris felt his heart swell with renewed vigor. "You're right! We will win this fight!"

"That's cute, you believe that!" Liumang teased. "That optimism will make things somuch sweeter when you see your friend turned into a mangled corpse right before your eyes."

Iridescence's armored vanguards readied their respective weapons – Aurora her assault rifle, and Tenebris his armored fists. Unquestionable killer intent manifested in the latter's eyes when he opened his mouth.

"Come at us again," Tenebris warned lowly. "See what happens."

"Borealis," Liumang began, sparing a meaningful glance her direction. "You chose damn fine friends for yourself; you know that? You could've made 'Iridescence' into a criminal crew for the ages, in another life. It almost makes it a shame yours will end, tonight."

From within Aurora's armored apparatus, the faintest of sounds indicative of her weaponized cables being coated in dust could be heard.

From his position beside her, Tenebris disregarded whatever amount of time his armor's upgrade would require to recharge if they drained themselves entirely. His muscles tensed, and his kinetic amplifiers flickered back to life.

From atop the catwalks, Liumang's lips expanding into another smile betrayed his warped excitement for whatever action ensued next. His fingers twitched around his bloodstained whip, perhaps instinctively anticipating another imminent bloodbath.

As Liumang inhaled another deep breath, Remnant's would-be heroes stood stalwart against the embodiment of unbridled destruction that was their opponent. No matter what happened, once their fight resumed, neither Tenebris nor Aurora would stop until the outcome was decided.

"Liumang, Hazel, Mercury! Retreat!"

At the sound of Emerald's strained voice coming from somewhere within the main military base, Liumang's action-ready tension dissipated. His eyes remained on his targets, but his head tilted in the direction the Fall Maiden's voice had come.

"Hah. How about that…?" Liumang paused, his entire body still for another moment before he moved again. With little more than a shrug and an effortless vault onto garage floor beneath his catwalk, he started an unconcerned stroll back toward the exit. "Sorry to disappoint you kids, but it looks like we have to take a raincheck on the whole 'mutual intent to kill' battle we were about to start, there."

"What?" Tenebris uttered. His kinetic amplifiers deactivated, and his fists fell slightly. "What about your revenge scheme? After all this, you're just-"

"Yeah, I am." Liumang stopped and looked at them over his shoulder. "You were a good fight and all, but here's the thing… I could kill you two anytime, and I really don't feel like getting ganged up on because my temporary employers left me behind. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Exercising his trademark unpredictable and unexpected agility to its fullest extent, Liumang entered a sudden sprint that left a small cloud of dirt in his wake. Relieved yet somehow also angered by the sight of his rapidly shrinking form, Tenebris threw an incredulous look to his teammate, who remained completely still beside him.

"Aurora, are we seriously just-"

"We aren't," Aurora reassured. "We need to think about this strategically, though. If we chase after Liumang right now, then it stands to reason we should regroup and overcome whatever Emerald might be planning next with our team."

"Okay, that makes sense," Tenebris agreed. "Everyone else better be alive…"

"They will be." Aurora moved from a standstill into a sprint back toward the military base first, her teammate close behind. "If we could survive fighting Liumang, then Opal, Lux, and JNPR aren't being taken down that easily, either!"

Despite himself, Tenebris couldn't help but smile. "Damn straight! It doesn't matter what happens next – once Iridescence is all together again, there's nothing we can't handle!"


As anticipated, Tyrian found himself overwhelmingly bored with his assigned duties. Draped overside the catwalk railing nearest his assigned post, he tiredly lifted his scroll to check his aura and found that he was only somewhat closer to being topped-off than before. Rather than the app informing him he was battle-ready once more, a significant portion remaining missing from the percentage-based bar that monitored his aura colored the indicator a cautious yellow rather than the approving green he'd hoped to see. An annoyed sigh blew from his lungs.

"It's a shame, really," he began. "Someone with such an impressive assortment of skills should be down there amidst the chaos, but instead I find myself here… with you. This battle would be oh so much more entertaining if I were a participant, wouldn't you agree?"

On account of his assigned prisoner being gagged, Tyrian tilted his head around to ascertain one young Oscar Pine's answer. Oscar himself nodded nervously in reluctant agreement with his inquiry, and Tyrian felt some of his theatric vigor return to him.

"Good answer! That having been said…" Tyrian stood upright again and cracked his neck. "If it were my decision, I absolutely would join, but alas… I shouldn't leave such an esteemed guest as yourself unattended!"

As his legs absentmindedly carried him closer to Ozpin's latest unwilling host, Oscar's attention remained fixed more upon the battles below rather than the serial killer stepping towards him. In some ways, Tyrian found that flagrant disregard for his presence somewhat charming.

In others, it was somewhat contemptible.

"What, are you somewhat worried about your would-be saviors?" Tyrian turned on his heel beside Oscar such that his gaze matched his hostage's. "Well, I'm sure those concerns you might possess have plenty of validity, certainly! I mean, simply admire my comrades' skills!"

It didn't take the completion of Tyrian's sweeping gesture at the main battlefield below for him to notice another shift in Oscar's expression. His obvious concern for his friends blossomed into visible desperation for their safety – those same pleas being expressed through his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes alone.

Fortunately, Tyrian didn't need his hostage to actually speak to understand why his expression had shifted so noticeably. From where they were standing, it looked like Oscar's stalwart saviors among Team JNPR were well on their way to an unprecedented, permanent defeat.

Hazel might've been huffing and puffing from the combined strain of continually using both his semblance and dust infusion techniques combined, but at this point, the advantage he'd forged for himself had become undeniable. JNPR's shield-wielding defenders among Jaune and Pyrrha were on their last legs, now. They were moving more slowly than ever, and although Hazel had almost completely drained his previously injected fire and earth dust crystals of their magical potency, it seemed his inhuman stamina and endurance would crush his opposition before too much longer.

Mercury, it seemed, shared some similarity with their allied lumbering giant. Where Hazel's strength and endurance outmatched his opponents, Mercury's agility outshined his own by quite literal leaps and bounds. His weaponized prosthetics had begun sparking with strain as they were pushed to their limits and beyond to meet their master's commands, but the successes Mercury won for himself through this gambit were indomitable. Even with all their specialization in speed and technique, Ren and Nora couldn't help but fight completely defensively as Mercury fought circles around them both. At this point, even their being pressed back-to-back did little to protect them from the infamous young assassin's titanic assault.

And although Iridescence's fate remained unknown to them, Tyrian knew he didn't need to know their fates for his next statement to truly hit home.

"It's only a matter of time before Team JNPR's tale ends as tragically as every other valiant team of Huntsmen and Huntresses that came before them," Tyrian assessed. "They have grown a great deal in their time since Beacon's collapse, but indeed, they're no Team Iridescence. Now those are the fights I wish we could have witnessed!"

As expected, Oscar's desperation deepened further. His shoulders shook as he threw an utterly guilty, self-loathing look down to his unaware companions below them, and Tyrian felt sadistic pride blossom within himself at another mental battle well-fought.

"Now now, don't fret!" Tyrian encouraged, only to hook his stinger beneath Oscar's chin and wretch his face away from his friends' futile battles moments later. His next words eschewed their typical theatric undertone in favor of deadly seriousness. "This is simply the way things happen when you defy the will of an immortal goddess…"

Movement caught his attention elsewhere, and Tryian absentmindedly dumped Oscar's terrified face from his stinger's control. Whirling around to face the shattered windows that had betrayed the unexpected activity's source, he was granted the honor of witnessing the sky outside their abandoned battlefield transforming before his eyes. Solitas' dark nighttime skies were being slowly obscured by an all-consuming series of unnatural, pitch-black cumulonimbus clouds whose layers failed to hide the flickering arcs of red lighting therein.

As the most committed devotee Remnant's unappreciated goddess had ever recruited, Tyrian knew what this shift in the skyline meant before all others. It was everything he could manage right now to keep himself standing instead of groveling on all fours in ecstatic anticipation of what was coming next.

"Yes. Yes!" Tyrian managed through a sudden series of cackles. "Come now! Come now and assert your divine will upon this squalid world! Only you know the road by which Remnant should travel! Only you have the magnificence to accomplish what we mortals cannot!"

Given his unshakeable adherence to his faith and his impossibly high-energy fanaticism, Tyrian would've been satisfied watching the omens of his mistress' coming continue to blossom for hours; alas, reality forced his face away from the sight before much longer. As the Fall Maiden's magical propulsion back into the abandoned military base preceded her landing somewhere between Hazel and Mercury's personal battlefields, Tyrian noticed something.

Emerald didn't look like she'd acquired her revenge. Clutching painfully onto her bleeding side, her breathing heavy, and her body language almost screaming panic, Tyrian couldn't help but give the young woman his most sardonic smile.

"You know, profuse bleeding isn't that becoming when worn by someone that's supposed to have become a triumphant victor!" Tyrian called. "Wouldn't you agree, Emerald?"

"Shut up, Tyrian!" Emerald shouted back, throwing a firm glare his direction rather than continuing to stare in the direction she just came from. "For once in your damned life, shut up!"

Tyrian feigned a gasp. "So, you were defeated! Tsk tsk tsk… that's quite the shame, but I supposed my next question is, therefore, a logical one… what's your plan, now?"

"I…" Emerald paused, shaking her head in confusion. "I don't…"

"You don't have one? Well, never fear, because I have several suggestions!" Tyrian proudly proclaimed. He pointed outside with a finger. "Our goddess most assuredly knows our whereabouts! Salvation is at hand! Surrender yourself to whatever forces she sends our way and avoid pointlessly diminishing our allies' strength further with this pointless vengeance of yours!"

"What?" Emerald breathed, her faculties seemingly just returning to her. "What do you mean, 'surrender myself?' If we can't turn this fight around now, then-"

"Then you would lose your opportunity for revenge?" Tyrian finished. "Allow me to remind you, dear Maiden, that your apparent defeat has already bestowed that punishment upon you. Indeed, you have failed your self-assigned mission, but imagine how much more displeased our queen would become if you accidentally lost her priceless pieces, here…"

Terrified of the implications, Emerald paled and shouted her next command almost instantly around the battlefield. "Liumang, Hazel, Mercury! Retreat!"

"Excellent choice!" Tyrian praised.

He turned around once more and relished in the sight of Oscar's eyes widening with fear at the darkening skies outside. Once his tail retrieved the Relic of Knowledge from his belt, however, that fear amplified itself into uninhibited terror. Muffled screams and desperate pleas flew pathetically from the teenager's gagged lips, yet Tyrian ignored them all completely.

There was so little time before their mistress crushed Remnant's most militarily advanced kingdom, now, and Tyrian couldn't imagine the ecstasy that his potential participation would endow him with. Soon enough, he wouldn't need to imagine anymore. Salem had made his dreams into a reality a dozen times over, at this point.

Thus, it was an immutable truth that his immortal goddess would accomplish the impossible again, soon enough.


It couldn't have been ten seconds before their re-entry to the main military installation that Lux opened his mouth again. That said, if she was being completely honest with herself, Opal knew that him waiting until they'd hastily made their way through the damaged courtyard that'd once been their battlefield must've felt like an eternity, for him. If there was anything about Lux's behaviors that she could accurately predict, it was that he would always concern himself with his friends' and family's safety first and foremost.

Which made his inquiry that much easier to have seen coming.

"Okay, Opal, it almost showtime again," he began. "What's our plan once we actually catch up with Emerald, anyway? My aura's shattered and yours is pretty low, right now. Even if we're being optimistic here, JNPR's, Tenebris', and Aurora's have probably been drained tons, too. If Emerald plans on fighting again with her henchmen against us…"

"We'll do what we've always done, Lux," Opal reassured. "If everyone else is drained, then Hazel, Liumang, and Mercury must be too. It's just like we discussed with General Ironwood before – if we take down one of them, then the rest will likely follow because of our numbers advantage."

"You know, I really hate these missions sometimes," Lux muttered. "Hopefully, this mission will end without anyone winding up dead."

"Nobody that came with us on this mission came this far to die now," Opal reasoned, turning to face firmly forward. "It'll be tough, but since we somehow defeated Emerald before, then-"

It came from practically everywhere at once, but Emerald's voice echoed around the abandoned installation with complete clarity the moment they crossed the threshold back inside.

"Liumang, Hazel, Mercury! Retreat!"

Incredulous of what they'd just heard, Lux and Opal shared equally confused looks among themselves as they continued running deeper into the newly battle-scarred military base. It was the eagle-eyed faunus that formed their shared thoughts into words first, though.

"She didn't just say that, did she?"

"It sounds like it," Opal confirmed. "I'd still stay prepared for anything, though."

"Yeah," Lux agreed, "this seems like too easy a victory after everything that's happened."

And indeed, their situation seemed to somehow only became more difficult over time. Not long after Emerald had shouted her orders throughout the military base, Liumang sprinted out from the main battlefield's connected garage and toward the Fall Maiden herself. With her eyes fixed firmly onto the ex-cartel leader rather than the place from whence he came, a dreadful sensation sank into her heart. If Liumang had emerged looking largely unscathed from his battle against Aurora and Tenebris… the implications as to their fates were far from pleasant.

It certainly didn't help that the skies outside were currently darkening at an abnormal rate via the interference of ominous black clouds, either. Natural light became naught but a memory as those clouds covered Remnant's shattered moon, leaving the area's only illumination being the single operational light that presided over the entire installation.

But it was then that decidedly more positive twist revealed itself, with Lux and Opal's ears urging their eyes to follow toward the source of all-too-familiar voices nearby.

"Those skies can't mean anything good…"

"You think?"

Never before had the faunus fighters stopped faster than they did, just then.

"Aurora!" Opal exclaimed.

"Tenebris!" Lux shouted.

Indescribably thankful for her teammates' sudden reappearance following the same path their opponent had once took, Opal didn't think twice before throwing her arms around her long-time companion. In a similar respect, Lux and Tenebris clasped their hands firmly together and engaged in a mutual one-armed embrace of their own.

"Glad to see you're still alive, Tenebris," Lux confessed upon releasing his twin.

"Heh. You should know by now that I won't die that easily," Tenebris reminded. "It'll take more than some explosions to tear me apart."

"It looks like your armor did its job perfectly, then," Opal noted.

"Opal," Aurora firmly started. "We couldn't stop Liumang."

"And we couldn't stop Emerald," Lux divulged. "Not really."

Opal nodded in confirmation. "We wounded her, but she's still active. You probably heard her call for a retreat just like we did, right?"

"Yeah." Tenebris glanced warily at the still-shrinking form of his prior opponent. "What's she planning now, then…?"

"Maybe she really does want to escape while she still has the chance?" Aurora guessed. "If she was wounded, she might've realized she didn't stand a chance of winning, anymore."

"Really? You think she'd just bail that easily?" Tenebris shook his head. "Something feels off."

In the brief pause that ensued between the newly reunited quartet, Opal's feline ears reminded her of the still-active battles going on around them. Turning to face the disturbances' sources, she found JNPR's efforts against the likes of Hazel and Mercury coming to a sudden conclusion.

As Hazel slammed his hulking fists into the concrete beneath him, shockwaves and fractures in the building's foundations forced Jaune and Pyrrha into fighting to remain upright. Despite how vulnerable their momentary weakness left them though, Hazel only exploited the opening to disengage and begin a brisk jog back to Emerald's side.

Utilizing his trademark tactical efficiency, Mercury achieved a similar outcome. Easily performing a split-kick into Ren and Nora's faces that sent them both sprawling, he then shot himself backward almost half the distance between his battlefield and the Fall Maiden. His landing was accompanied by an irritated glare being thrown back in his opponents' direction, but he continued forward without further indecision.

"Now that we're looking at what's happening firsthand…" Opal's hand landed upon the hilt of her katana, her subconscious yearning for the comfort the sensation often provided. "I can't help but agree with you, Tenebris."

"Ditto," Lux seconded.

Without even being prompted, Team JNPR wordlessly regrouped among themselves and sidled up nearby their allies' position. Although none of them appeared wounded, not even their team's resident legendary fighter in Pyrrha looked like they were ready for another all-out fight. Upon finishing a brief conversation with his friends Opal didn't care to spy on herself, Jaune threw her a somewhat tired yet still reassuring look. Outside, the unnaturally dark skies became ever more infected with ominous clouds.

"Uh, guys…?" Jaune nervously started.

'Come on, think!' Opal urged herself. 'What are they planning? Even if Emerald's confident they can escape us now, what would they stand to gain by… oh no.'

"Lux. Where's the relic?" she questioned.

After a moment of searching, his reaction of urgently raising his weapon confirmed her fears before his words could. "Oh, shit! It's on Tyrian's tail! Someone-"

Everything after that initial answer was drowned out by the familiar screams of airborne Grimm rapidly rocketing to their position. Less than an entire second afterward, several Teryx crashed through the weathered ceiling as though it were cardboard. In moments, the Grimm had latched onto Salem's subordinates and begun furiously beating their translucent wings to swiftly escort them from the battlefield. Upon efficiently avoiding the single shot Lux managed to fire off at him amidst the chaos, Tyrian readily leaped atop his awaiting Grimm's back.

"If you're concerned about this battle remaining undecided, then fret not!" Tyrian taunted, proudly displaying the relic with his tail. "We shall most assuredly meet again! While your little battles were quite entertaining, for now, I must bid you all farewell! Until your righteous judgment arrives, then! Tata!"

Tyrian's abomination of an escort moved faster than anyone else could fire their weapons at the airborne Grimm. In its wake came reinforcements in the form of more Teryx and a small swarm of juvenile Nevermore sailing toward the shattered ceiling. On account of their side's drained auras, Opal wasn't about to risk combating them head-to-head anytime soon.

"Aurora, how much aura do you have remaining?"

"Enough to save Oscar before something takes him away," Aurora answered.

"Move," Opal ordered.

"Whoa, wait!" Tenebris exclaimed as Aurora launched herself upwards. "We're just letting them all escape? They have the lamp!"

"We have no other choice!" Opal asserted. "If we pursue them now then we're dead, and our scheduled pickup is almost here anyway! There's no time to draw this out when we're all already exhausted. We lost the relic, but Oscar's sill a priority!"

"Good thing Aurora's semblance isn't costly, then," Lux commented.

It didn't take much time at all after Aurora catapulted herself skyward like so many times before for her to accomplish her assigned task. Although a particularly swift Teryx attempted to swipe Oscar moments before she could latch onto him herself, a series of assault rifle rounds efficiently eliminated the Grimm as a threat, regardless. Oscar was summarily unbound, ungagged, and rapidly rappelled down alongside his savior with some assistance from her cables.

"Opal? Jaune? Everyone, thank you." Oscar grimaced. "I- I'm sorry. It's because of me that-"

"Don't apologize," Opal urged, cutting him off. "Don't apologize for what happened or what you went through when we were still fighting down in Mantle. You couldn't have done anything more than you already did."

"Opal's right," Jaune agreed. He unlatched Ozpin's collapsed cane from his belt and threw it back to its rightful owner. "We wouldn't leave you behind, no matter what."

"You really mean that…?" Oscar asked.

"Absolutely," Jaune asserted. "Now let's leave this place before it's too late! Who's with me?"

"I believe you'll find no arguments among anyone here," Ren stated.

After another moment passed where Oscar secured his weapon upon his hip and nodded to convey his readiness to move again, the joint alliance of Iridescence, JNPR, and Oscar set outside the military base. Teryx and juvenile Nevermore crashing into the installation caused the time-tested building to begin collapsing inwards, although nobody bothered to waste time with even a glance back toward the destruction. Instead, their efforts were rewarded with the blessed sight of their Manta landing right before their eyes as they passed through the courtyard wall's original opening.

Fatigued from constant combat or not, everyone among them summoned the strength to leap into their escape vehicle without even breaking their stride. As their aircraft started its immediate takeoff, their pilot's voice came at them from seemingly all angles inside the passenger bay.

"It looks like you guys survived!" he praised. "Good job! If everybody here's still alive after all this blows over, then drinks are on me!"

"That's supposed to be my line!" Lux responded. "You're a miracle worker, Capri! Let's head home before the Grimm realize they should chase after us."

"With pleasure, sir!"

Briefly bracing against the sudden acceleration and ascension of their aircraft, Opal continued staring at the shrinking military base as they successfully sped away from the scene. Aurora, Tenebris, and Lux slowly appeared beside her at the still-open passenger bay door, perhaps all realizing the same thing she was right now. For whatever reason, there were more Grimm in the skies now than they'd ever witnessed previously.

And almost all of them were somewhere nearby the blackened stormfront that still approached the distant Atlesian capital, even now.

"Someone tell me I'm not insane, here," Tenebris started. "We might've been fighting back there, but there shouldn't be that many Grimm in the skies, right? Otherwise, they would've been part of those Grimm invasions down in Mantle."

"Yeah, you aren't insane." Lux sighed. "Honestly, tonight's feeling like a nightmare."

"It looks like you-know-who really wasn't lying," Aurora mentioned. "Opal? What're you thinking about all this?"

"That this mission we just finished was just stage one for tonight," Opal answered quietly, her intent stare planted exclusively upon the roiling clouds and their allied Grimm. "We knew this was coming when we left Atlas. Now it's only a matter of time before stage two starts."

"Then perhaps we should attempt to rest ourselves while we still have the chance," Pyrrha suggested, drawing all eyes towards her. "If another fight will transpire so soon after our return, then we should make the most of every moment we have to replenish our auras, now."

Nora leaned against the wall and slid downwards. "No arguments there, Pyrrha…"

It might've taken some time for Oscar and Iridescence to follow their friends' example, but as their flight progressed and no Grimm dared approach their craft, they all lowered themselves to the floor, nonetheless. Capri wordlessly sealed the passenger bay doors closed, and besides the humming sound of their Manta's machinery at work, their flight continued in complete silence. Aside from the stress of their knowledge of what was coming constantly threatening their minds, it was almost the ideal setting any fighter could've asked for to facilitate the restoration of their battle-worn auras. Sadly, Opal knew abundantly well that this brief reprieve was the literal calm before the storm that would ensue upon Salem's arrival.

Exercising as much caution as possible not to disturb anyone from their rest, Opal stealthily glanced over at her teammates. Aurora had entered a meditative pose with her eyes closed, although the faint lines of unease still marred her otherwise fair face. Tenebris and Lux sat against one another back-to-back, with the former's arms crossed and his head down while his faunus brother busied himself with an inspection of his weapon for potential damage.

Despite the sense of complete helplessness that now permeated her thoughts, Opal relished the warmth that spread throughout her heart at the sight. They might've been faced with utterly impossible odds, but somehow, Opal couldn't imagine herself surrendering to the fear Salem's imminent invasion inspired within her.

Not while her friends, her family, were still there for her to protect.


Authors Note: It's finally over! Kinda. We still have the epilogue chapter of this volume before ToTI's well and truly finished, and I sincerely hope it delivers upon the hype of Salem's arrival better than would expect. That said… I'm actually kinda happy with how the final fight climaxes finished out! From Lux's defense of his girlfriend leading to the defeat of another Maiden (albeit not killing her) to Liumang's backstory, there's much that I could exposit about here, but I won't to save some time; rather, I'll highlight some simple notes I thought were worth mentioning.

Emerald's attempt at revenge has indeed failed, although the aftermath of what that means for her reputation in Salem's eyes remains to be seen… probably next chapter. Liumang's backstory was indeed inspired plenty by One Piece (because why not), and I think that I'm realizing his character kinda takes quite a few cues from the likes of Doflamingo and Eneru, in some respects, while still remaining utterly unique. I must say that out of all my original characters in ToTI, Liumang has often been the one that offers me the greatest opportunities for character exploration whenever I write him. Still, Iridescence's group dynamic is equally fun for me, and each member will only (hopefully) become more interesting as time goes on! Why?

Because every volume I have plans(ish) to provide one member among the group emphasis in terms of development/POVs to make up for their lacking screen time previously, during the journal format ToTI used so many moons ago. Until the finale… stay awesome, guys!