Chapter 42…

Sometimes fights were fair… sometimes they were a beat down…

The fall of Verdant Bulwark firmly sat in the latter category. It was one thing to face down a single scorned combatant… but facing down four equally pissed off combatants was a whole different rodeo.

While the situation was clearly hopeless, Verdant wasn't the type of man to go out with a whimper. Verdant was an animal, and when animals got cornered they got desperate.

Verdant began the fight, roaring with anger and priming Asher's rifle for an explosive shot. He raised the rifle up to point at the feet of his four enemies with the intention of blowing them to smithereens…

… but that plan failed when the rifle clicked empty.

The gangster snarled when the first volley of bullets slammed into him, his already weakened aura beginning to falter as his semblance struggled to keep him alive. Verdant slammed his foot down to hold his ground and dropped Asher's rifle, reaching into his coat pocket to draw his pistol. Verdant fired wildly in the direction of Team MARS, satisfied when the teammates scattered to avoid the shots.

Verdant watched carefully as Rust Zephyr and his nephew began weaving around the ruined missile towers to try and flank him. Asher and Mauve disappeared in another direction…

...that truly made Verdant worry.

The whoosh of air to his left caught his attention and Verdant dropped his spent pistol, whirling around to sidestep a downward slash from Ruination. Rust growled and angled the axe, swinging to the side to catch Verdant by the ankle. Verdant jumped upwards to avoid the strike but was caught off guard when a flying riot shield smashed him right in the chin.

The hardcase that contained the crown flew from Verdant's grasp and was sent careening off into the distance. Verdant flew backwards and slammed back first into the snow, immediately rolling to the left and struggling back to his feet.

The riot shield that had struck him flew back in the direction of its owner and landed in the snow. Sage wasted no time picking it up and sticking it back onto his gauntlet. Rust reared up next to him, gripping his axe tightly in his hands.

Verdant wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "Neat trick, Sage." The gangster's eyes widened when he no longer felt the weight of the hardcase under his arm. He scanned the nearby area but couldn't see where it had ended up.

"Just give up!" Sage growled, capturing Verdant's attention; the faunus boy was clenching his submachine gun tightly in his right hand. "This is over!"

"Maybe…" Verdant chuckled in a low, dangerous tone. "Maybe you're right…"

Moments before the fight between Rust and Sage commenced, Asher used his semblance to grab Mauve by the arm and whisk her away to cover behind the furthest missile tower. The lynx girl was surprised at the fast motion and looked a little discombobulated.

"Listen," Asher gasped, peeking out from behind to cover to see his teammates were alright. "I need your help here… I ne- MMPH!"

Asher was cut off when Mauve surged forwards to smash her lips against his. The grey eyed boy held for a moment and fought off the urge to continue the kiss, gently pushing Mauve away with his hands.

"Sorry," Mauve breathed as she pulled away, shuffling in place uncomfortably. "I-"

"S'fine," Asher gave her a small smile, resisting the urge to gently cup her cheek. "Listen… I need your help… does Verdant have a semblance?"

"Yes," Mauve nodded frantically as the sounds of battle grew louder. "As long as he's standing still his aura is almost invulnerable… and he has a lot of it."

Asher hummed under his breath, a plan formulating in his mind. "Do you think you can conjure up a decent sized electric bolt?"

"Yeah, why?" Mauve asked. "And can we speed this up?"

"Right," Asher gulped. "The sack on my back is full of plastic explosive, it only activates with an electric shoc-"

"I see where you're going with this…"

"Great! You help out while I grab Sage!" Asher nodded frantically.

"Wh-" The lynx girl was cut off when Asher grabbed her and used his semblance to carry them back into the battle. He deposited them both straight in front of a defensive looking Verdant, Mauve reacted quickly by bending low and mashing her foot straight between his legs.

Verdant howled in anger and darted down to grab the lynx girl but Asher was faster, delivering a vicious uppercut to Verdant's nose that snapped his head up. Mauve darted between Verdant's legs to get behind him while Rust jumped in from the side, smashing his axe blades into Verdant's left arm.

But none of that mattered unless they got Verdant moving...

Asher took the opportunity to dash backwards and grab Sage by the arm, whisking them far away from battle.

Sage gasped for breath and looked around in confusion at the sudden impulse of speed before a knowing look settled on his face. "Asher!?"

"How are you?" Asher panted, peering around Sage's shield to watch the fight. "Nevermind… could you do something for me?"

"Name it…"

Asher slung the bag off his back and dropped the strap into Sage's outstretched hand. "It's filled with explosives… when I say so could you deposit it at Verdant's feet?"

"Yes?" Sage looked confused. "Should I hang back?"

"Ideally," Asher muttered with a smile and a pat on Sage's shoulder. With his piece said Asher used his new power to disappear from the plane of Remnant. He ignored Sage's gasp of surprise and sprinted forwards, his feet now completely unhindered by the snow and ice on the concrete tarmac.

The grey eyed boy approached Verdant from behind, the massive man still standing still and trying to fend off his other teammates. Asher narrowed his eyes when Verdant managed to catch Rust's axe, rearing back a fist for a retaliatory punch…

Verdant screamed in surprise when Asher rematerialized and smashed into his back at high speeds.

"Mauve! Keep him busy!" Asher yelled out in a strangled yelp. He jumped around a still reeling Verdant and grabbed Rust, using his semblance to carry him away a few meters.

"Rust!" Asher roared into his friend's shocked face. "Use your semblance to keep him in motion!"

"What?" Rust deadpanned. "Looking genuinely shocked."

"DO IT!"

Asher used his semblance to dash back to the fight. He grabbed Mauve by the back of her collar and hoisted the lynx girl away for her own safety. "DO IT, RUST! NOW!"

The tall huntsman in training held out his arms and began channelling his semblance. He used the existing winds already at his disposal, forming a tunnel of wind that began to push Verdant off his feet.

"No!" Verdant roared as his feet began to slip. The powerful wind tunnel whipped up snow as Verdant was pushed off his feet and began to tumble across the ground.

Asher waited until Verdant was nearly pressed up against the base of a missile tower before enacting the next part of his plan. "SAGE, NOW! RUST, GET TO COVER!"

The faunus boy did his part, drilling his shield into the ground and spinning the duffel bag of plastic explosives around in an arc. Sage roared as he released the bag towards the ground, using his semblance to skip it forwards and land straight near his uncles legs…

Asher was already in motion by this time, using his dashing semblance to carry Mauve behind Sage's shield for cover.

"MAUVE! HIT IT!"

Asher yelped and withdrew his hand from his girlfriend's shoulder as her form began to crackle with electricity. Arcs of electricity shot of her skin, singing and blackening the fabric of her already singed clothes as she channeled her semblance into one massive strike.

Asher pulled Mauve to the ground just as she released the bolt onto the bag at Verdant's feet, the minor amounts of aura he had regenerated flaring up around his hands to protect him from Mauve's semblance.

There was a flash of light… followed by the ear-ringing shockwave of the blast. Asher laid on top of his leader as a searing hot wind ruffled his clothes and stung his exposed skin.

Things were silent for a long moment…

Asher blinked his eyes multiple times as his ears continued to ring from the blast. He could smell smoke in the air and the world around him was tilting. The colour red caught Asher's attention when his arm briefly came within view; the gashes that had been bound together by the smoke of his semblance had now reopened, allowing a steady but not life threatening trickle of blood to escape. Asher could only assume that the rest of his wounds had reopened as well.

The voice in his head had fallen completely silent...

Wait… no… there was someone speaking… his hearing was becoming clear again...

"Asher?" Mauve groaned weakly, her voice close to breaking.

"Yes?" Asher groaned back.

"Could you get off of me?"

Asher cleared his throat and shakily got off Mauve, very gently helping her to her feet. The lynx girl wasn't in good shape, her skin was paler than usual and her clothes had burned to a blackened crisp. Asher wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her upright and to protect her from the elements.

The fair haired boy heard some ruffling to his left and turned his head, spotting a pair of blue eyes staring right back at him.

"You okay, Sage?" Asher asked quietly, using his arm to support Mauve.

"I'm alright…" Sage huffed, clapping Asher on the shoulder. He turned his head and his blue eyes widened. "Damn…"

Asher followed Sage's eyes to find what he was gesturing at. The titanium riot shield he had drilled into the ground was twisted and bent backwards, the anchor still holding firm.

"That was a good shield…" Sage whispered under his breath. Suddenly his eyes widened in shock. "Rust!? RUST!?"

Asher's eyes widened and he followed Sage's lead, frantically searching around the area for their teammate. Mauve joined in too, weakly calling out the name of their missing teammate.

"Don't panic…" A deep voice rasped to their left, prompting the teammates to turn around. Rust was standing a few meters away, propped up on his axe for support. Rust's clothes were singed and blackened from the blast but his aura had held. "I'm here…"

There were no words… the entire team regrouped and supported each other.

The whir of bullhead engines over their heads is what finally convinced the team to break apart from the group hug.

"This isn't over yet," Rust muttered, watching with tired eyes as the military bullheads began their descent. "Is Verdant…?"

"He can't be…" Sage frowned, staring down at the melted snow and the ruined concrete. The faunus boy lifted his chin and gazed off into the horizon, his eyes becoming fixed on the rising sun.

Even the world around them was beginning to settle down… the sky was painted an appealing orange colour as the snowstorm began to lull and dissipate.

"I'm sorry, Sage…" Asher frowned, shifting his arm to keep Mauve on her feet.

"There's no need for that…" Sage frowned, turning his head and meeting Asher's grey eyes. "He made his choice… I stopped feeling anything for him a long time ago… as far as I'm concerned you guys ar-"

The howl of a bullhead hovering directly overhead cut Sage off, the four battered teammates looking upwards as the aircraft touched down a few meters from their position. They stood to attention as the cargo door slid open and General Ironwood stepped out, flanked by Winter Schnee and a small troupe of personal bodyguards.

General Ironwood set his jaw and smoothed his coat, his cobalt eyes carefully scanning the four members of Team MARS. He took several large strides in their direction as several bullheads began touching down around them.

"Team MARS! Where is the cas-" Ironwood began before stopping abruptly. The older General's eyes softened when he realized just how injured and battered the teammates were. "Let me rephrase… how are you four? Do you need medical help?"

"Yes sir," Mauve spoke weakly, shifting in Asher's bloody arms. "That would be appreciated…"

Ironwood frowned at the lynx girls' uncharacteristically meek response. The General leaned over in the direction of one of his bodyguards and muttered something; the helmeted man nodded and immediately sprinted off in the direction of another bullhead, the airship in question was emblazoned with the image of a red cross.

"Help is on the way," Ironwood gave the team a small smile. "Sage… would you mind coming with me? Can you?"

"Yes," Sage rasped out, smoothing out his ruined clothes. He walked in the direction of Ironwood and stopped at the General's side. Several team's of medical staff were now swarming the location, mobbing Sage's team and settling them down onto stretchers for transport.

Sage turned to watch as his teammates were wheeled towards the bullheads so they could be properly tended to. He and Mauve briefly made eye contact before she was wheeled out of sight…

... there was a look of shame in her eyes… or remorse, he wasn't really sure.

He would have to smooth things out with her later… he would have to do it with each and every one of his teammates. But there was a time and place for that… ideally when they weren't suffering from a myriad of injuries.

"Sage?" Ironwood asked, seeing the faunus boy snap to attention. "Are you listening?"

"Sorry," Sage huffed out with a sigh before clearing his throat. "Could you repeat whatever you said?"

"I asked about the hardcase," Ironwood repeated himself, wringing his gloved hands together. "Do you still have it?"

Sage felt his pace quicken. "No! It was knocked out of Verdant's hands! I'm not sure where it ended up after the blast…"

"I wouldn't worry," Ironwood frowned. "I've already briefed my men to comb the area, it will turn up… hopefully soon…"

"I'm sorry…" Sage muttered, averting his eyes.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Sage repeated himself, feeling more awkward by the second. "I should have trusted you from the beginning-"

"I didn't give you much reason," Ironwood interrupted, which caught Sage off guard.

"Pardon?" Sage blanched.

"It was your leader who chewed me out for it," Ironwood cleared his throat, watching as the bullhead's that contained Sage's teammates ascended into the clear sky. "I lied to you to get you to participate… I shouldn't have done that. Don't blame yourself for anything that has gone on here today… it was my fault for treating you like a disposable asset."

Sage was silent for a long moment, contemplating the General's words. "I-"

"GET OFF ME!" Roared a strangled voice from inside the crater that now dominated the middle of the tarmac.

Sage was off like a shot towards the noise, Ironwood and his bodyguards hot on his heels. The faunus boy skidded to a stop as he approached the rim of the shallow crater.

In the middle of the debris, the hulking form of a man was weakly batting away the hands of medical personnel.

"You!?" Sage shouted in surprise, recoiling in horror.

Verdant stopped struggling and lifted his head. His face was covered in a thick layer of soot and most of his hair had been burned away, including his eyebrows; despite his haggard appearance his blue eyes were still sharp and shone with a feral look.

"Sage!" Verdant croaked before slowly chuckling. The gangster weakly propped himself up on one knee, freezing at the sound of multiple guns being primed.

"That's enough, Verdant," Ironwood growled, stepping past Sage and pushing the faunus boy back with his hand. The General stood ramrod straight as he leered over his longtime foe, a proud look etched on his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment…"

"General Ironwood," Verdant rasped, still chuckling. "How have you been?"

"Save your breath," Ironwood sneered. "After all these years I finally have you exactly where I want you… I'm going to make sure th-"

Ironwood was cut off when Sage stomped past him to roughly grab his uncle by the collar of his badly burned jacket. Clenched in Sage's hand was a small golden throwing knife that he had fished out of his pocket.

Sage made sure to keep his grip on Honey's knife very firm, he pressed the edge of the blade against the soft, soot-covered flesh of Verdant's neck.

"Do you know who this knife belongs to!?" Sage spat into his uncle's burned face.

A cold smirk edged up the sides of Verdant's chapped lips. "I have a faint idea of who it belongs to..."

"The girl you just put in danger…" Sage growled in affirmation, pressing the knife harder against Verdant's neck. "CALL IT OFF! NOW!"

Verdant was silent for a long moment before he frowned. "Why should I?"

"I'll kill you," Sage hissed, feeling the anger boil in his blood. "I'll kill you here and n-"

"Do it," Verdant muttered, making Sage falter.

"What?"

"What else is there for me, Sage?" Verdant whispered. "The rest of my life in a cell? I would rather die a free man than be locked in a cage," Verdant punctuated the last word with a long hiss.

Sage was about to respond when Ironwood beat him to it, stepping around the faunus boy's side.

"Verdant," Ironwood muttered, a softer look in his eyes. "The life of an innocent girl is at stake here… just call it off."

"How?" Verdant chuckled. "Should I call them up on my scroll? What you're asking of me is ridiculous, the pendulum has been set in motion."

"You had to contact them somehow!" Ironwood quirked an eyebrow, his hand drifting lower towards the interior of his officer's coat. "There is still time…"

"Doubtful," Verdant frowned. "And even if I do tell you how? What will it get me? A slap on the wrist?" The frown on Verdant's face vanished and a thoughtful look took hold of his features. "Perhaps…"

Sage snarled and used the hand not holding the knife to roughly slap Verdant across the face. "You rat bastard! You can't let her die!"

"Oh I can," Verdant gave Sage a small smile before looking up at Ironwood. "But perhaps I can be persuaded to tell you how to contact my contractor… if my list of demands is met?"

"You-!" Sage growled.

"Don't be an idiot, nephew," Verdant spoke in a flat tone. "Killing must serve a purpose, after all-"

"Enough!" Ironwood rumbled, gripping Sage tightly by the shoulder. He turned his cobalt eyes down to view Verdant with a critical look. "You're too smart to try asking for your freedom… but I will accommodate your demands."

A small smirk crawled up Verdant's face. "Very well… I have a system of CCT relay's set up across Remnant so I can give simple instructions and orders. You can find the control room in the deeper part of the bunker… follow the western path. If you get there in time you might be able to send a message to call it off, but chances are you'll be too late to do anything."

"Go!" Ironwood roared to his many bodyguards, the helmeted soldiers already scrambling towards the bunker door, which was still ajar. "You heard the man! I want that message sent immediately!"

Ironwood breathed out a sigh and turned to his left, finding the icy blue eyes of Winter Schnee.

"Sir?" Winter asked, one hand still clenched on the handle of her sabre.

"Coordinate with the rest of the men comb the area," Ironwood muttered before leaning in closer. "I want you to deliver the crown to Atlas personally… do not answer any questions or allow them to authenticate the cases contents, understood?"

"Yes sir," Winter nodded before turning on her heel and leaving to join the search effort.

"It's magnificent to look at," Verdant interrupted, the ghost of a smile on his face. "You know what I'm talking about…" Sage was still holding him up, Honey's knife was still pressed against his throat.

"It is," Ironwood huffed, gently grabbing Sage by the shoulders to pull him away from his uncle. "It's a shame so many have had to die over it…"

"Indeed," Verdant chuckled. "Very right indeed…"

Halfway across Remnant…

For the first time in a long time Nyx was starting to break a sweat a little bit…

It was an unfamiliar but wonderful sensation she had not felt for a very long time! The ACE operatives were starting to get wiser about her capabilities… which was certainly making this fight more interesting!

The assassin cackled and spun low to avoid a swipe from King Fisher before jumping back into a cartwheel to build some distance. Nyx angled her blade to block a punch from Harriet and then sidestepped to avoid a downward smash from Elm's hammer.

"Finally! You're all getting a little wiser!" Nyx nearly sang as she used her acrobatics to build some distance. She sprang off the ground in an aura infused kick to gain some verticality, planning to throw her blade and sever one of Vine's approaching arms…

… Nyx was smashed out of the air by a shotgun blast.

The darkly dressed woman howled in rage as the individual pellets vibrated with intense frequency, damaging her aura and putting her in danger. She landed on the ground and used her blade to dispel another shotgun blast from Teal, darting forwards to quickly close the distance.

The blue haired girl yelped and turned her pump action sideways to try and block the strike. Teal's eyes bulged when Nyx's hacking blade sheared the weapon in two, the assassin followed up with a kick that left the blue haired girl sprawled on her back.

"That fucking hurt!" Nyx hissed, her golden eyes narrowing. "But you're not worth my time…"

The assassin darted off when a plume of flame crashed into the ground at her feet, forcing her to move.

"Press forwards!" Vermillion howled, having been freed by Lavender. Her bastard sword was once again wreathed in flame and clenched tightly in her hands. "Pile on!"

"Please do!" Nyx grinned.

An absolutely massive throng of people all pressed forwards at once. The crowd was made up of people from all walks of life: Vermillion and her remaining teammates, the entirety of the ACE Operatives, even the many retired huntsmen and huntresses who called Vermillion's town home…

Each and every single one of them rushed forwards to bring Nyx down… each and every one suddenly clutched their eyes and collapsed, screaming in pain.

To this day no one in that crowd was exactly sure what happened… one moment they were charging, the next there had been a blindingly bright light… as if the sun had descended from the sky.

Nyx lowered her arms as the blindingly white light that wreathed her form dissipated. It was a useful semblance to have, the ability to blind people always came in handy…

It was her first and actual semblance… the one she was born with rather than the ones she collected…

Nyx Penumbra propped her hacking blade on her shoulder as she carefully walked through the crowd. She made no attempt to step over people as she approached her target, hearing the strangers below her shriek in agony as she pressed her feet against their flesh, leaving second degree burns wherever she stepped.

Honey Aurum has been the only person spared from the sunflare, the girl was still writhing on the ground where Nyx had left her. Nyx allowed a smile to creep up the sides of her lips as she stared at the blonde girl below her.

Honey wasn't crying or whimpering anymore. Her left hand was clamped over her sliced left eye socket, trying in vain to slow the blood that poured from the wound. Her right eye shone with a hard look that Nyx had not seen on her before…

"Honey Aurum," Nyx smiled widely, lowering her blade off her shoulder to rest near her side. "This has been fun… but it's about time I take my leave-"

"Save it!" Honey spat out, her voice stuck between a growl and a sob. "If you're going to kill me then kill me… but don't hurt anyone else…"

"Is that your final wish?" Nyx deadpanned, an unamused look on her face. "I don't do final wishes… but if it's any consolation I have no real need to kill your friends. Does that satisfy you?"

"Give me your word that you won't hurt them," Honey choked out.

"No," Nyx chuckled as she raised her blade high up in the air. "Now let us finish thi-"

Nyx's eye twitched when her scroll loudly buzzed, indicating that a message had just been received. She slowly lowered her hacking blade and sighed, moving a gauntlet covered hand to pull her scroll off her belt. "Wait just a moment…"

Nyx used her hands to unfurl the device, checking for the message she had just gotten.

"Please do not kill Honey, her death is no longer needed" -Verdant

"What!?" Nyx snorted in disgust, re-reading the message a few more times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. The assassin growled and collapsed the scroll back into its compressed form, slamming the device back onto her belt. "Ridiculous…"

"What…?" Honey gasped weakly, still clutching her ruined left eye.

"It appears as if there has been a change of plans," Nyx sighed, sheathing her blade back onto her hip. "The one who has ordered your death wants you to be spared… consider yourself very lucky…"

"What?" Honey groaned, fresh tears beginning to well up in her right eye. "What's going on… I-"

"Shhh," Nyx raised a finger to her ruined lips. "In most cases like this I would just kill you anyways… but not this time… not you… do you know why?"

"What…?" Honey gasped, glaring up at her would-be assassin.

"Because I see that look in your eyes… well, eye," Nyx grinned. "I see defiance, perhaps even a little bit of hatred…"

"I do hate you!" Honey suddenly snarled. "Bitch!"

"Good!" Nyx encouraged her with a bright look in her golden eyes. "Let it fester, let it build up and rot you from within! Something tells me that we are going to cross paths again…" The assassin stood up straight and turned to view the incapactiated crowd, watching as some of them were beginning to slowly struggle back to their feet. "Goodbye… I hope our next encounter will be… a little less disappointing…"

"Fuck you!" Honey spat.

"That's the spirit!" Nyx chuckled before walking away.

Honey gingerly turned her head and watched in horror and revulsion as the mysterious woman transformed. Her body melted like a candle and ended up as a small black puddle on the ground; the puddle rose and began to coil like a snake, writhing in the air like an aquatic creature before flying high over the town and out of sight.

"Honey!" Vermillion screamed, finally fighting into a standing position and rushing to Honey's side. The whites of Vermillion's eyes were red with blood, a side effect of burst blood vessels. "Oh God…"

"Teal?" Honey rasped, weakly holding Vermillion's hand. "Lavender?"

"They're fine," Vermillion loudly sobbed. "Oh God… your eye…"

"I'm fine," Honey struggled out. "Just… I'm confused… and scared…"

"You have a right to be, Miss Aurum," an even voice spoke, rising above the low mutter of the large crowd.

Vermillion whipped her head around to glare into the green eyes of Clover Ebi, who was hastily walking in their direction. The redhead shielded Honey with her body and grit her teeth as the man approached.

"Who are you!?" Vermillion loudly demanded. "Don't you touch her! What the fuck is going on!?"

"You have a lot of questions and I can try to answer them as best I can," Clover held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "But your friend is injured and one of my men is missing… we need to deal with the immediate issues here…"

"Fine," Vermillion spat, still not moving from Honey's side. "But after all this is done I expect a good fucking explanation…"