A.N: I'm going to be taking a long family vacation soon (don't worry, I'm fully vaccinated), so I wanted to get this out before I left. Hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Oh yeah, and check out my YouTube Channel, Author Nicholas Drew. I just released a new video where I talk about the importance of having a writing process and give you my own.
Chapter 4: Relight the Beacon
The first of the Traveling Strike Force to make a move were stepping onto four airships, ready to take to the sky. Their mission was quite simple: to provide air support from above. Maria Calavera had been the one to suggest the idea of using the air to their advantage. This was especially true, considering the many flying Grimm that were converging around Beacon Academy, according to Glynda Goodwitch.
This group of four was known as the Eagle Squad, the air support in the battle to retake the City of Vale. Mitsuko, the veteran teacher turned Traveler of Menou, stepped up to the front of the airship where the pilot was. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Maria was in the pilot's seat. "You can fly this thing?"
"I'm certainly no 'top gun'," Maria admitted, "but I like to think I'm pretty good at least. You just keep those Nevermores and Griffons off our backs and we'll be good to go."
Mitsuko nodded. "Open up a channel with the others." She ordered.
Maria did as asked. "This is Mitsuko, does everyone copy?"
"Whoa!" Came Magna Swing's voice. "More communication without Telepathy Magic! This world is freaking insane!"
"Magna, you almost blew my eardrums out you dolt!" Noelle Silva yelled sharply.
"Cut the chatter, you two." Weiss Schnee cut in. "We all read you, Mitsuko."
"Our mission is quite simple, Eagle Squad. We're going to take to the skies and blast any unfriendlies to keep them from hitting our friends on the ground." Mitsuko told them. "You three were selected because you have range in your attacks, like myself."
"Aim well, and we'll all get through this alright. Over and out."
Mitsuko turned her attention back to the old lady flying her airship. "Take flight, Maria." She ordered. "We need to start clearing the skies for everyone else, and fast."
Maria did as asked, quickly going through the final required checks before flying. "You might want to hold onto something." She suggested. "The first couple of movements can always be a little jerky."
Mitsuko grabbed onto the nearest protruding object as the airship lifted into the air, followed by the other three ships. "So, how will this work, exactly?" Mitsuko asked. "There will be some sort of hatch that'll open up, allowing me to attack, right?"
"This is normally a cargo ship, they all are." Maria replied. "That means the back will open up. From there, you can step close to the edge and fire off attacks."
"Sounds simple enough." Mitsuko nodded.
"You say that, but you really should be careful." Maria told her. "After all, if you fall...well, let's just say I hope you have a good landing strategy if that happens."
Mitsuko chuckled. "I'll manage. I'll have you know that I've had to make up some pretty neat tricks with my Art. I've got a pretty good 'landing strategy' in mind."
"Well, I hope you don't forget it, because we're about to enter some rough waters. Enemy Grimm are up ahead." Maria noted. "I'm opening up the back right now. I'll be flying right into this, otherwise you won't hit anything. So you might want to get to work."
The back of the airship opened up. Mitsuko winced slightly, hearing the sound of demonic birds cawing. "Those must be the Nevermores." She muttered, walking towards the opening.
Maria flew a bit further forward, and Mitsuko soon found herself staring down flying Nevermores, along with Griffons, Manticores and Lancers. "That's a lot of monsters." She muttered before smirking. "Meh, no problem."
Mitsuko clapped her hands together as several black arrows seemed to appear. "Vector Tree!" Mitsuko yelled as the arrows extended outwards before branching out like an actual tree, impaling several Grimm simultaneously.
Magna Swing gaped at Mitsuko taking out so many Grimm with the greatest of ease. "No wonder she's a well-liked teacher." He mused. "Her students must've learned a ton of cool tricks like that."
Magna then smirked. "I wouldn't be much of a man if I didn't give my all either." He noted, brandishing his open grimoire as he stared down a bunch of flying Grimm as well.
"Flame Magic!" Magna yelled, generating multiple fireballs at once. "Explosive Scattershot!"
Magna tossed the fireballs and watched with satisfaction as they exploded in a wide area, incinerating several grimm at once. "Top that Miss Royalty." Magna grinned. "I may not have your massive pools of Mana, but I still think I've got you beat in overall destructive power!"
Then Magna got a look at what Noelle was doing in her area. It was methodical and slow, and totally not how a manly man like Magna would handle it. However, it was also effective. The former 'black sheep' of the Silva family was sniping Grimm after Grimm with water bullet after water bullet. Magna was admittedly proud of his junior Magic Knight. However, he also could not help but scowl at her success as well. "Stupid royalty and their high amounts of Mana." His mood shifted from smug to jealous in an instant.
Finally, Weiss Schnee thought about how she should approach this attack. Her family Semblance gave her a wide variety of abilities she could fight with. This was an easy answer for her to come to. There was absolutely one thing she wanted to try. A new thing.
Kotodama, Weiss remembered Sojiro's lessons and how Ruby had applied it, the belief that power dwells in words and names. A long time ago I would've brushed off the idea of such a childish concept.
Several small glyphs surrounded Weiss. But to take Beacon back...the happiest home I had ever lived in...I'll give it a shot! And besides, if it worked for Ruby it can work for me.
"Here we go then!" Weiss exclaimed. "Snowfall!"
Weiss fired several white blasts of energy from her glyphs that struck several nearby flying Grimm. Weiss grimaced slightly as the Grimm were damaged, as evidenced by the mist flying from their bodies. However, they were not vanishing. "I should've figured that wouldn't be enough." She muttered. "Well, that's why I developed an even stronger version of the attack shortly after."
"Let's try this then! Snowstorm!" Weiss yelled.
More glyphs appeared around Weiss as more of the same energy blasts were fired at the Grimm at even greater speeds. This time, the Grimm found themselves letting out shrieks of pain as their wings went limp and they all began falling out of the sky. Their bodies began to fade into darkness as they fell.
"Now that's more like it." Weiss smirked.
"Good work so far." Weiss and the rest of Eagle Squad heard Maria's voice over the comms. "Keep that up, and we'll all be home in time for dinner."
Meanwhile, on the ground, Falcon Squad made their move, sprinting through the City of Vale. The group saw a large concentration of Beowolf Grimm up ahead. "This is your guys' first fight against Grimm!" Ruby exclaimed to her teammates. "I know some of you have problems with killing. But Grimm aren't people. They're soulless monsters that only live for taking the lives of others."
"So don't hesitate, take them all down!" Ruby exclaimed. "Red Burst!"
Ruby tore through an entire line of Beowolves with ease, leaving behind red rose petals and dark dust. Katsuki Bakugou could not help but smirk. "Now you're acting like a proper boss." He mused. "So, we can go all out against these freaks without worry, huh?"
Katsuki rocketed himself forward, further beyond Ruby, with the use of his Quirk. Everyone watched as he rapidly picked up speed "That's good, I've got some new moves I've been raring to try out!"
This caught Tenya's attention. Katsuki had been doing a lot of training in private due to the destructive force of his Quirk being a danger to most sparring partners. Now that I think of it, only Izuku's gotten to see the fruits of his training. He noted.
I can't deny, I haven't been curious...we all have. After all, the application of Katsuki's Quirk, Explosion, is simple but effective.
He sweats nitroglycerin that can ignite into explosions upon command. The more he sweats, the stronger the explosions. The truth is, besides Shoto and Izuku, Katsuki's Quirk is without a doubt the strongest as far as combat goes.
After all, sweat is secreted when the body heats up, and that includes during moments of a high stress. Katsuki is an adrenaline junky, but anyone will say that battle is a high-stress situation.
A place like this is practically a playground for him and his Quirk!
"Schneider!" Katsuki brought both his hands together, palms pointed outwards. "Inferno!"
Tenya and Ruby's mouths dropped open as Katsuki's Schneider Inferno was fired wildly from the palms, enveloping another large crowd of Grimm, incinerating them all with the greatest of ease. Luck Voltia grinned at Katsuki's highly destructive attack. He built up speed first to increase the stress on his body and sweat more as a result. That increased the strength of his resulting explosion.
Luck's smile widened. I WANT TO FIGHT HIM SO BADLY!
"Yo Red!" Katsuki looked at the stunned Ruby. "How's that for hunting Grimm?"
"Umm...you did great, Katsuki." Ruby sweat-dropped, adding inwardly. I've been training to fight Grimm my whole life and he wipes out a small army of them in a near instant. I guess that hero training course is nothing to sneeze at.
Luck and Tenya looked at each other and nodded to each other, silently agreeing they could not be left in the dust by Ruby and Katsuki. The two saw charging Beowolves off to their left and nodded to each other once more.
"Lightning Creation Magic!" Luck yelled. "Holy Lightning Boots! And Holy Lightning Gloves!"
"Recipro Burst!" Tenya sped ahead.
"Lightning Magic!" Luck yelled, leaping into the air, clad in his boots and gloves, vanishing into a slipstream of electricity. He began to ricochet off buildings, striking down Grimm after Grimm with clawed swipes and kicks.
Tenya, meanwhile, kicked a Beowolf in the neck before pushing himself off with the use of his engines. He landed on the side of his building before pushing himself right off. He repeated the process, ricocheting off Grimm and buildings in a manner similar to Luck.
"Thunder Fiend!" Luck yelled, landing behind fading Grimm.
"Speed Demon!" Tenya added, landing right next to the Black Bull Magic Knight.
Ruby let out an angry grumble at seeing Luck and Tenya have the same success against the Grimm for their first time. "Yo, Red!" Katsuki yelled again. "We gonna get moving again, or what?"
Ruby regained her composure and nodded. "Move out, Falcon Squad!" She exclaimed.
As the Falcon Squad formed up to find another concentration of Grimm, Ruby made up her mind. No way am I going to be left behind by people who are pretty much new to this world. Izuku, Asta and Gon are so sparring with me again when we get back!
Meanwhile, Endeavorand Kinpatsu led the way for Inferno Squad. Much like the Falcon Squad, Inferno Squad was a squad capable of fast and powerful destruction of the enemy. However, Inferno Squad had one particular mission.
They were to charge ahead to the CCT Tower. And with a single powerful blast from Endeavor's Hellflame Quirk, the many Grimm concentrated around the tower would be burned away, allowing Izuku to nail the Grimm Dragon with a full-powered Smash attack.
"You ready, Yuga?" Denki Kaminari asked.
"Always, mon ami!" Yuga Aoyama responded.
Denki pointed a single finger forward before firing off a burst of electricity from the tip while Yuga used his Naval Laser Quirk to fire a laser beam from...well, his naval, blasting away two Beringels.
Kinpatsu calmly decapitated five Beringels with a single swing of his giant sword while Endeavor stared down a King Taijitu. "This freaking world." He muttered. "It's more in need of a hero than my world is."
All Might...you focus on our world for the time being...meanwhile, I'll be a flame of power that will light the way for this world!
"Flashfire Fist!" Endeavor yelled, rocketing himself forward to the white head of the King Taijitu, which was lunging towards him. "Jet Burn!"
Endeavor incinerated the King Taijitu's head upon coming into contact. The black head of the King Taijitu reared up in response and lunged forward. However, Endeavor quickly pointed his other hand right at the King Taijitu's other head. He extended his fingers outwards "Flashfire Fist - Hell Spider!" Endeavor yelled before firing off small bursts of flame that enveloped the black head like a spider's web, slicing through it in a near instant.
The King Taijitu's body fell as it faded away. Endeavor landed on the ground as well, cracking his neck. He quickly took his phone out of his pocket and dialed up Izuku's number. "Deku, this is Endeavor. What's your position?"
"Umm...I'm trying to find a street sign…" Izuku's nervous voice came out in response.
Endeavor rolled his eyes. "Deku, it really doesn't matter. We all know the exact point we're converging on." He reminded the younger hero. "Just tell me how far you are from the tower."
"Er...Yang, how much further from the tower?" Izuku went silent, waiting for Yang's response. "Wow, really? Er...well, Endeavor, Yang says if we keep going straight ahead, we should be at the tower in an hour or two."
"You think you can hold your position until we arrive, should you get there before us?" Endeavor asked.
"We can handle it, Endeavor." Izuku promised. "You just focus on getting the rest of your squad there alive."
Endeavor nodded. "Just thought I'd check in. Be safe, Deku."
"Will do, Endeavor. And...umm...if you're going to take the time to call and check in with me, you should do the same for Shoto."
Endeavor bit his lip, trying to avoid showing how embarrassed he was by that suggestion. "Umm...bye…" Izuku awkwardly said goodbye before hanging up.
"You are great at conversations," back at the Virus Squad, Yang Xiao Long could not help but playfully tease Izuku while holding up a Beowolf and punching it square in the jaw, emptying a shotgun shell right into its face.
"...I've gotten better." Izuku insisted.
Yang laughed. "I guess since I've only known you for a few months, I don't really have anything to compare." She acknowledged. "But, for whatever it's worth, I much prefer sincere dorks over some of the phonies I've had to deal with over the years. I mean, look at my sister."
"Hey, Ochaco, Tsu!" Yang called out to the two female heroes in training, who had been allowing the two heavy hitters of the Virus Squad to take down most of the Grimm. "You two have known ol' Green longer than I have. Can you confirm his claim?"
"I mean, Deku did use to turn into a stuttering mess whenever I was talking to him for some reason." Ochaco shrugged, making Tsuyu snicker under her breath. "But, since he can hold a full conversation with me now, I guess he has gotten better."
"Can't argue with that." Yang grinned knowingly.
"Anyway," Yang got back on track, pointing at their destination, "that there is the tower. Like I said before, if we stay on course we should be there in an hour or two."
"And does that include if we avoid running into enemies?" Tsuyu inquired.
Yang shrugged. "Between the four of us, I think we can handle just about anything the bad guys throw at us." She said confidently. "I mean, that all goes out the window if someone like Salem shows up, but we should be good."
Izuku sighed. "Well, regardless of how long it takes, we have a destination." He reminded the three girls. "So, we just have to keep moving forward until we get there, yeah?"
"You're right," Ochaco nodded, "the only thing we need to worry about is getting to the destination. Our job is the most important after all."
"If we can't take down that wyvern statue, then everyone else's struggle is going to be for nothing." Tsuyu added. "We can't fail."
"We won't fail, now come on!" Izuku exclaimed, running on ahead, the rest of Virus Squad following close behind.
Meanwhile, as several squads within the TSF moved into Vale, three other squads stayed behind to hold the city's county line with several other volunteers to keep even more Grimm from moving into the city. One such squad was Shield Squad, the squad Shoto Todoroki was a part of, led by Biscuit Krueger.
Shoto let out a yell as he created several large walls of ice. He then saw several Nevermores fly above the glacial walls and looked over his shoulder. "Gordon!" He yelled to one of his fellow Shield Squad members.
Gordon Agrippa's grimoire opened up. He muttered something about being happy to fight with new friends before speaking much clearer, launching his attack. "Poison Curse Magic: Aufwachen Raben." He said as several ravens composed of poisonous material flew up towards the Nevermores.
The poisonous ravens let out hellish caws as their beaks clamped down on the Nevermores. The Nevermores let out hellish caws of their own as they began to corrode from the contact with the ravens.
Gordon then muttered something about how a few Nevermores had gotten through. Shoto, having shockingly understood Gordon perfectly, nodded and pointed his left arm upwards. "I'll get the stragglers." He promised Gordon.
Shoto held his left hand out like a claw. I'll concentrate the flames into my fingers, just like Izuku, the Grandmaster, and Dad taught me. And shoot a concentrated burst of fire that will take them out one by one!
"Flashfire Fist!" Shoto yelled, calling upon his father's signature move, with his own twist added. "Jet Buster!
Shoto fired off five bursts of fire from his five fingers. Then, the flames converged into one, spiraling right into a Nevermore's chest, piercing it with ease and coming right out its back. The Nevermore let out a pained caw before fading out of existence.
Gordon muttered out praise for Shoto's new technique.
Shoto let out a rare smile at his new technique working out so well. The Jet Buster is my answer to Denki and Katsuki's efforts to better concentrate their quirks to avoid friendly fire. I'm glad to see mine is working so far.
There are a few others though. Shoto noted. Well, that's fine, I need to heat up my right side a little after building all those glacial walls of ice.
"So, let's fire off a few more of those!" Shoto exclaimed. Preparing to fire off another Jet Buster.
"Shoto, behind you!" Gordon then shouted with clarity.
Shoto looked over his shoulder and saw a Beringel leaping towards him, raising both of its arms in the air. It clearly intended to smash him into the ground. Damn, I knew a few Grimm would be able to get over the glacial walls by climbing, but to think one would go for me right off the bat. Shoto smirked. Well, that's why I'm not fighting alone.
Eijirou Kirishima was right in front of Shoto, already hardened and ready to protect him. "Don't you lay a hand on my buddy, Grimm!" Eijirou exclaimed as the Beringel attacked him instead.
Eijirou endured the attack with ease. "Red Counter!" He yelled, striking the Beringel in the chest and knocking it away from Shoto.
"All yours, Bisky!" Eijirou called out.
Biscuit Krueger suddenly leapt over Eijirou's head and delivered a roundhouse kick right to the Beringel's head, snapping its neck and making the beast fade away into darkness and dust. "You just worry about playing your little game of target practice with the ones in the air, Shocchan." Biscuit told him with a grin.
Shoto grimaced at Biscuit's nickname for him. She hears that silly nickname Izuku has for Katsuki one time, and she decides to give variations of that nickname to every boy who she thinks fits the naming scheme.
Arguing with that woman is pointless though. Shoto conceded, turning his attention back to the flying Nevermores. I need to focus on my duty.
Another squad in charge of defense was Joker Squad, a squad of specialists that could specifically hold any kind of line with a particular set of skills. Zora Ideale, who was placed in charge of Joker Squad, gave a cocky grin. "Hope you lot are okay with taking out the stragglers...because if these things are as dumb as your average beasts there won't be much left!"
Charging Beowolves and Beringels were then suddenly surrounded by magic circles at their feet. Then, they were all enveloped in explosions. "Nice one, Zora!" Mina Ashido cheered.
"That Trap Magic is something." Ilia Amitola noted.
"Don't celebrate yet!" Mashirao Ojiro exclaimed. "Look, it's just like Zora said, stragglers!"
Indeed, a few Beowolves and Beringels were charging out of the black cloud of smoke. "Okay, you kiddies are up!" Zora exited stage left.
"HUH?!" Mina exclaimed, face-faulting and looking at Zora in a mixture of shock and betrayal.
"Did you think I'd stand here and take a bunch of hits? I'm a trap master, a defensive mage. I counter, not attack. Attacking is your job." Zora reminded her. "Besides, I need time to reset my traps. So do your job and give me the time I need."
"I change my mind, you suck!" Ilia and Mina yelled in unison.
"Hey, hey, focus up you two!" Mashirao frantically yelled.
"Fine then, I'll deal with you later, stupid Zora!" Mina exclaimed before waving her arms out in front of her. "Acid Shot!"
A hail of acidic bullets were launched upwards before they arced and began to rain down on the Grimm that had escaped Zora's Trap Magic. Ilia and Mashirao charged forward as well. Ilia brought out her weapon, Lightning Lash. She swung the whip and struck down through three Beowolves at once, electrocuting them all with her whip.
Mashirao, meanwhile, turned his attention to a single Beringel. He dropped into a stance similar to a certain manga character that loved throwing out beam attacks. His tail rose up like a snake. "Tail Fist!" Mashirao yelled. "Striking Cobra!"
Mashirao's tail lunged forward, striking the Beringel in the face and making it stumble backwards. Mashirao then leapt into the air, spinning rapidly. "Tornado Tail Dance!" He yelled, striking the Beringel in the face once more repeatedly.
Eventually, the momentum built up to the point where one impact made the Beringel's neck twisted at an unnatural angle and snap with a sickening crunch. Mashirao winced at the sound, landing as the Beringel faded away.
"Damn it," he muttered, "even if these are just beasts, using my Quirk to kill like that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Mina nodded. "I know what you mean."
"It can't be helped." Ilia shook her head. "With Grimm, there is no reasoning with them. It is merely kill or be killed."
Mina sighed. "Yeah, I know, Blake told us that much, but it doesn't mean we have to like it." She could not help but pout slightly.
"Not to break up the philosophy chat, but you three are standing on the site for my next set of traps." Zora cut in. "Unless you want to get caught up in them, or just waste time to the point where more show up before I can trap 'em, get the hell out of my way."
"Man you are such a jackass!" Mina shot right back at Zora.
Mashirao sweat-dropped at how easily Zora could provoke Mina. He's way too good at that, and she's way too easy. He noted. I guess I should at least be glad this dynamic does not cut down on our productivity as a squad. I guess that's just what happens when you spend a few months training with a professional like the Grandmaster.
"Okay, enough, we'll get out of the way." Mashirao played peacemaker in the group. "You just get those traps down. I'll keep watch for the next wave of Grimm."
The last of the squads that had been left behind to guard the county line of the City of Vale was Night Squad, led by Yami Sukehiro.
"Here they come." Yami said simply, gesturing to a wave of charging Grimm.
It certainly seemed odd to have Yami playing the role of guard rather than going into the city on the offense with the rest of the group. However, one merely had to look at the rest of the layout of Night Squad. The heavy hitter of the bunch was Henry Legolant, who had recombined the Black Bull's HQ into a more portable form to be unleashed as he saw fit.
Then there was Fumikage Tokoyami, who was the lynchpin of Night Squad. He was such for one very simple reason: his Quirk, Dark Shadow.
Dark Shadow grew stronger and more uncontrollable in the dark. Fumikage could potentially become one of the biggest and most important assets in guarding the City of Vale from even more Grimm. However, he could also just as easily become a threat to the people around him.
It was why the other three were a part of Night Squad. Yami was there to surround Fumikage with more darkness to force Dark Shadow out of control should the situation demand it. Henry was there to use the Black Bull's HQ to wrestle a berserk Dark Shadow into submission. And finally, Gauche Adlai would use the light reflected from his Mirror Magic to weaken Dark Shadow back to normal.
This was the makeup of Night Squad. Not only was this the makeup of the squad, but also a dead giveaway of its mission. To beat back any charging Grimm by any means necessary, even if it means unleashing the monstrous and berserk Dark Shadow. Something Fumikage had come to terms with for one reason. Because he had absolute faith these people, his new friends, would be able to stop him if it came to that point.
"Let's go, Dark Shadow!" Until then, he would focus on what he could do right now, kill Grimm. "Black Abyss!"
Dark Shadow surrounded Fumikage's body like an exoskeleton. "Piercing Twilight Claws!" Dark Shadow's claw shot out, decapitating an Ursa with a single swing.
A small pack of Beowolves surrounded Fumikage upon seeing him easily bring down one Grimm. A group should be able to take him down if one cannot, right? "Numbers matter little against us, certainly not as we are now." Fumikage confidently claimed.
"Covert Black Ops Arms!" Two giant arms sprouted from Dark Shadow and spun about, sweeping away the pack of Beowolves like a tornado.
"Very...nice...Fumikage…" Henry complimented from inside the recombined HQ, currently in its Raging Black Bull form. He then commanded the mech of a building to smash a Deathstalker into the ground.
Gauche just scowled as his grimoire opened up. "The faster we win all these battles, the sooner I can see my precious angel Marie again." Gauche's expression became maniacal. "Damn beasts! How dare you stand in the way of Marie and me!"
"Mirror Magic!" Gauche yelled, creating a line of mirrors behind him. "Multi Reflect Ray!"
The line of mirrors blasted rays of light at charging Grimm like they were a firing squad. The Grimm had no time to avoid the attacks as they were all disintegrated from the blast. "Wait for me, Marie. Your big brother will be home before you know it!" Gauche declared.
Yami sweat-dropped at his subordinate's usual behavior. "Freaking creepy-ass sister-lover." He muttered in annoyance before turning his attention to a King Taijitu that was bearing down on him. "Now as for you, are you some kind of boss character or something? With how big you are, you've got to be, right?"
The King Taijitu simply hissed in response. The heads reared back, ready to lunge at Yami. "Oho?" Yami grinned as he prepared his katana, opening his grimoire as well. "You're eager to go, huh? The thing is, I'm something of a boss character myself. You think your boss-energy can match my boss-energy you two-headed freak?"
The heads of the King Taijitu lunged forward simultaneously. "Dark Magic!" Yami began swinging repeatedly as the sword became coated in darkness. "Dark Cloaked Lightless Blade Storm!"
Yami's sword swings were disorderly, without rhyme or reason. However, they were also creating multiple Dark Cloaked Lightless Slashes that flew towards the King Taijitu like a spider's web flying in a dangerously high gust of wind.
The King Taijitu seemed to realize the danger it was in, but far too late. The slashes tore right through its body, leaving it in chunks that fell harmlessly to the ground in front of Yami. Yami's mouth dropped open in disbelief, cigarette weirdly staying in said mouth in spite of that. What was left of the King Taijitu began fading away.
"Wait, for real? That's it?" Yami sounded genuinely disappointed. "Hold on, but what about your second form Mr. Boss Monster? Everyone knows the guy with the boss-energy has to have some kind of second form, or something like that!"
"Aww man," Yami pouted like a child, "did I actually misjudge this thing? Overestimate it? I guess it was just some giant mook and nothing special."
Yami turned his attention to Gauche and Fumikage. "Hey you two, things going well on your end? You still got plenty of Mana, Gauche?"
"I won't run out of Mana even if I'm near death!" Gauche vowed. "I'll take on anyone I have to so I can get back home to Marie!"
"Of course…" Yami sweat-dropped.
"What about you, Fumikage?" Yami inquired. "Are you still in control of your little buddy there?"
"Er...please don't refer to Dark Shadow as such, Captain Yami." Fumikage sweat-dropped. "But, to answer your question, I'm still in control."
Fumikage exited his Black Abyss technique to catch his breath. "Keeping Dark Shadow under control has never been easier ever since our training with the Grandmaster. His advice has been a godsend."
"Now that, I can certainly agree with. His advice is letting my squad push past their limits like never before." Yami acknowledged. "Kinda makes me wish something could actually come to challenge us so we can actually show how far we've worked."
"It's a little arrogant to wish for something like that, Sir." Fumikage noted.
Yami shrugged. "Or perhaps I just think my damn fine squad members and our new friends can handle it? And maybe I want them to bring on their best so we can end this faster and get home sooner? I've got a lot of debts to pay off, Fumikage. That's frankly priority number 2 just behind this war. Though the more the debt increases from interest, the more I start to consider it a higher priority."
"So yeah, I'd love to get this war over with."
Fumikage sweat-dropped. "You're weird, Captain Yami." He said bluntly.
"I'll let you get away with calling me that once. Say it again, and I'll kill you." Yami shot back, just as bluntly.
Fumikage grimaced at this. After a few months of training with the Black Bulls, he knew Yami would not actually kill him. But that did not mean that he would not follow up on his threat in another way. One that would kill him without dying.
Don't ask how that's possible, because that's none of your business…
Yami's eyes then narrowed all of a sudden. He calmly removed his cigarette from his mouth and looked up. "Hey, look up there." He ordered the rest of the squad.
The rest of Night Squad did as asked and saw a lone Nevermore flying even higher than the rest, seemingly ignoring them all. "Can anyone reach that?" Yami inquired.
"I'm...afraid...not...Captain...Yami…" Henry replied.
"It's out of my range as well, I'm afraid." Gauche responded.
"One Grimm getting through shouldn't be too big an issue." Fumikage offered. "Eagle Squad can handle one Nevermore with ease, Captain Yami."
Yami raised his katana in the air, angling it where a slash could be launched at the Nevermore. "Captain Yami?" Fumikage tried to get the older man's attention.
Yami then leapt into the air to get just a bit closer to that particular Nevermore. "Dark Magic!" He yelled. "Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash!"
Fumikage's eyes widened as Yami fired off a powerful Dimension Slash right at the Nevermore. Why would he fire off an attack like that? Is there something I'm missing?
"Hey, Fumikage," Fumikage turned his attention to Gauche, "since you're not used to it, I guess you wouldn't have noticed. But you should be able to. After all, Ruby and her friends unlocked Aura for you and your classmates, right?"
Fumikage gasped, remembering what Ruby had explained to them about Aura. "Aura gives you plenty of cool moves." Ruby had explained. "The least of which being extrasensory abilities. Basically, you're going to feel like you're constantly being watched. But on the plus side, you can catch onto the enemy's presence pretty quickly."
That's right...concentrate, Fumikage. You have their ability now, so you can sense one's presence just like they can! Fumikage reminded himself before closing his eyes. Now...how did they do it? Ah, that's right…
A moment passed Fumikage's eyes shot open as the Dimension Slash neared the Nevermore. Oh my God...there's a frightening, malicious presence atop that Grimm! Several in fact!
The Nevermore suddenly veered out of the way, avoiding Yami's slash just in time. Then, there were several brief glints of light. Yami narrowed his eyes again. "You guys might want to keep your heads on a swivel." He told them.
Suddenly, several large spikes of glass came flying down towards them like missiles. Fumikage and Gauche barely avoided them while Yami cut through the ones in his vicinity. Fumikage gasped. "There's such an intense heat from these spikes!" He exclaimed.
"Wow, looks like a real monster just got into the city." Yami noted before reaching into his pocket and taking out his communication device. "Better tell Four-Eyes to get the message out. There's someone really dangerous on the prowl."
"I better reach out to Momo too," Fumikage added, taking out his cellphone, "Hotel Squad's entire role is to help secure parts of Vale we've already taken back. She needs to know that we've already got someone who can throw a wrench into everything."
Later, with Hotel Squad, Momo Yaoyorozu nodded. Her phone next to her ear. "...Understood, thanks for the warning Fumikage. If Shuya will be warning everyone else with his Telepathy, everyone else will at least be aware of the situation."
"What's up?" Taiyang Xiao Long inquired.
Hotel Squad had recently helped set up a secure zone within the city for the TSF and the volunteer army Ironwood had managed to get together. The brief moment of peace had given them the chance to be updated on the developing situation.
"It looks like we were right to be concerned, an enemy has made its way into the city." Momo replied. "And from what Fumikage told me...it's an enemy that has Captain Yami concerned."
Rikido Sato overheard this and gasped. "Whoa, even Captain Yami's worried?"
"Well, I wouldn't say worried. Perhaps 'concerned' was the wrong choice of words." Momo acknowledged. "I'd say it's more like whoever this mystery foe is, they've caught Captain Yami's attention."
Kazuo, whose double was helping maintain the perimeter for the safezone, let out a small hum. "The important thing is that Shu will be updating everyone with a mass info dump with his Telepathy." He pointed out. "We all have our parts to play here. We can't afford to be sidetracked. The best we can do is focus on our respective jobs, while remaining aware that we've got a new player."
"Yeah, if this one does come after anyone, they'll at least be aware, that's the important thing." Taiyang added. "Besides, we've got squads specifically for this situation."
"Kazuo," Momo turned her attention to the Traveler in her squad, "have your double keep an eye on the skies. The enemy might see our large concentration of people and might decide we're a target."
"Understood, and I'll keep my eye on the ground." Kazuo gave a mock salute before going to join his double.
Momo let out a thoughtful hum. "I'll have to create some more long-ranged artillery." She mused before going to work, turning around and opening her vest.
Rikido and Taiyang both blushed and looked away. A few volunteers turned red with nosebleeds at the sight as well. "Is that...seriously how she uses her...Quirk-thingy?" Taiyang asked, not okay with perving on a girl young enough to be his daughter, even if he did impregnate half his team.
Rikido nodded, red in the face with embarrassment. "Well, it's definitely how she uses it for large stuff." He muttered.
"We don't mind," a few volunteers admitted in unison without the slightest hint of shame.
Taiyang instinctively grabbed onto Rikido to stop him from throttling those guys for talking about his classmate like that. They had way more important things to deal with, like this new foe.
Speaking of the aforementioned squads meant to take down tough enemies, Hammer Squad, much like everyone else, received the word from Shuya. "Word from Mr. Yami!" They all heard Shuya say in their heads. "A really dangerous enemy has entered the city and is flying on a Nevermore! Be on guard!"
Gon Freecss casually stomped a Beowolf into the ground. "So, what, watch the sky right? Those Nevermores are big birds, basically?"
"That's right," Nora Valkyrie nodded.
"Well, wouldn't that mean Eagle Squad is going to get 'em?" Minoru Mineta pointed out, really not wanting to have to fight someone so strong. "I mean, they're there to shoot those birds from hell out of the sky, right?"
"That may be true, but they're probably going to get in on the ground ASAP." Nora pointed out in a surprisingly sage tone of voice. "I mean, they're after the Relic of Choice, remember? That means they're going to land at some point."
"We can't let them anywhere near Oscar." Gon added.
Minoru grumbled in terror, realizing things were about to get more complicated and dangerous for him. Damn it, he thought in resignation.
Speaking of Oscar, let us now take a moment to see the point of view of Oscar Pine's squad, Horse Squad, leading Glynda Goodwitch, Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck. Their mission was quite simple: to reach the location of the Relic of Choice's vault and secure said relic.
"Does this change anything?" Glynda asked.
"Not at all," Oscar shook his head, "we have a job to do and we're going to do it."
Glynda could not help but smirk. "How brave." She muttered.
Hotel Squad was not the only place that had set up a safezone. Noise Squad was also hunkering down in an area they themselves had secured for the sake of communication and investigation.
Hanta Sero entered their safe room with a thumbs up. "We're good to go!" He promised. "Anyone who gets in, you guys will definitely hear the sound of tape ripping."
"Nice one, Hanta." Kyoka complimented. "Okay, that should give us the ability to move and act without worry here for the time being."
"But remember, Mezo, Hanta," she continued. "If and when the situation demands it, you two will be going off to secure the next 'listening point'. I've improved Earphone Jack's range considerably since training with Grandmaster Sojiro, but I can still only listen to a 300 meter radius at best."
"Hey, Koji," Kyoka turned her attention to the fourth member of Noise Squad, Koji Koda, "did you find a bird who was willing to do reconnaissance for us?"
"It wasn't easy, but I managed to draw a bird over here." Koji turned around, revealing a lone sparrow perched atop his finger. "It took a lot of convincing for this little guy, Kyoka. So let's not push him too hard."
"Yeah, I get it, but our job is to act as the eyes and ears of the rest of the TSF in regards to our blindspots. That's why we're currently set up near the county line." Kyoka reminded them. "Once we know that nobody is going to get past the county line any time soon, we'll move deeper into the city and keep audio surveillance going there."
"Speaking of which," Kyoka quickly plugged her Earphone Jack into a wall. "Do me a favor and keep quiet for a sec, kay? I need to listen in and check in on everyone else. When Shu gave us that update from Captain Yami, I've been a bit worried ever since."
Kyoka took a deep breath and channeled her Earphone Jack. Okay, concentrate, Kyoka. She told herself. Remember what the Grandmaster said, even if your weakness is too much noise, you can overcome it through concentration and learning to tune out the unnecessary sounds. That was how I managed to expand Earphone Jack's range.
Concentrate...concentrate…
What Kyoka heard next almost made her want to vomit. "M-Mayday! Mayday! We need backup now! We're at the southern end of the county line! We're getting pummeled by an unknown enemy and...OH GODS!"
Kyoka went pale as that voice was cut off with the sound of blood splatter. She instinctively retracted Earphone Jack, clutching her head in terror. "Kyoka!" Mezo immediately ran to his classmate in concern. "What's wrong?"
"It's...it's not just a small group of enemies flying in on Grimm." Kyoka replied fearfully. "There's more you guys. An enemy just killed a group of volunteers to the south at the end of the County Line. God only knows that's not the only situation!"
"Wait...we're close to the southern end!" Hanta exclaimed fearfully.
"We have to get the word out to everyone else." Mezo added.
"I know," Kyoka nodded before turning to Koji. "Change of plans, can you send that sparrow to get a read on whoever that assailant was?"
Koji nodded and walked over to a window to direct the sparrow to the southern end of the city's county line. Kyoka shook her head, regaining her composure. Easy, Kyoka, you should be used to this right now...as morbid as that sounds. She noted.
You've fought for your life several times against villains, survived the Cult's first attack...but who am I kidding? You never get used to the people on your own side dying in battle. Nor should you. I don't want to get used to something like that.
"Stay on guard, everyone." Kyoka ordered them all as the sparrow took flight. "Now, let's get into contact with Shuya."
The truth of the matter was that reaching out to Shuya for many of the TSF had its occasional difficulties. While Shuya could telepathically contact his comrades, they could not do the same due to them lacking his abilities. So, unfortunately, Kyoka had to reach out to Momo, who she knew would pick up quickly, and then have her Traveler comrade Kazuo contact Shuya through Menou and Watcher related channels. Channels that unfortunately they lacked access to at the moment.
Thankfully, the word did get out to Shuya, who sent out another telepathic message to everyone else he had 'mentally connected' with via telepathy.
Sojiro narrowed his eyes slightly at the message before relaxing, having cleared twenty city blocks of Grimm with ease. "I suppose we should have expected this." He mused. "No way Salem would've just given up on trying to secure the Relic of Choice, especially since it's clear we're going to make a push for it ourselves."
Sojiro then let out a pained cough into his hand. He grimaced when he saw blood on his palm. "Damn, looks like today's going to be a rougher day on my body than usual." He noted. "I'm getting weaker by the day."
"I guess I'm just going to have to rely on Hammer Squad and Wolf Squad to deal with whomever those enemies are." Sojiro relented with a sigh. "Damn, that a man who once fought alongside Kaishi would be reduced to this...getting old is terrible."
Sojiro leaned against a wall to try and relax a bit, hoping that would relieve his symptoms and give him a bit more energy to fight some more. "Yeah, the best thing we all can do at this point is stick to the plan. Jaune and Momo came up with a fantastic battle plan that played to everyone's strengths."
"Now we have to play our roles until the end."
Indeed, each squad was dedicated to playing their parts. Qrow Branwen of Wolf Squad was no different. "I'll head south and intercept whoever the attacker was." Qrow told them. "Hammer Squad should focus on whoever was riding atop that Nevermore. They're probably more important to the bad guys' plans."
"Great, I'll come and help." Asta said without hesitation.
"Kid, Wolf Squad's whole job is to back up everyone who needs it." Qrow reminded him. "That means, we have to spread ourselves thin in order to do our job correctly. I can take care of myself just fine, you keep your ears open for anyone else who may need our help."
"But what if you need help?" Asta asked while Vanessa Enoteca and Shogo both nodded in agreement with looks of concern for Qrow.
"I work better on my own. You guys should spread out too. We'll work better if we split up, with what the old man wants us to do." Qrow insisted before transforming into his raven form and flying off, unwilling to hear any more arguments on the matter.
"Qrow? Hey, Qrow!" Asta called after him.
"Wow, and I thought Noelle was stubborn." Vanessa muttered.
Vanessa noticed Asta's concerned expression and sighed. "I know you want to go after him, Asta, but he is right about one thing though. Our Squad's job is to back up everyone. As irritating as that 'lone wolf' attitude of his is, he's also right. We can't do anything if we don't spread ourselves thin."
"Yeah, but still…"
"I know, I know," Vanessa smiled, "I don't think his attitude is healthy any more than you do. But, there's a time and place for everything. Let's all get through this alive and then we can focus on talking to Qrow about his attitude."
Needless to say, Asta was not a hundred percent convinced by this…
With our heroes having made their moves, it is now time we focus our attention on the villains who intend to interfere with their actions in the name of their own allied army. First, the Nevermore that had flown past Yami and his group. Now in the middle of the city, the Nevermore flew closer to the ground.
"Hey, look!" A volunteer Huntsman yelled, gesturing to the Nevermore and getting the attention of his comrades.
Three individuals suddenly descended from the Nevermore's back. Blue flames were suddenly fired from the hands of one, engulfing all the Volunteers. Their Aura quickly burned away, they soon followed with a few pained screams.
"Good work, Dabi." Cinder Fall complimented, gracefully landing on the ground. "Your control over those flames is quite impressive."
"Heh, it's not really so much as control." Dabi admitted with a sinister smirk. "I'm just not afraid to let loose, consequences be damned."
"Dabi!" Himiko Toga whined. "Why'd ya have to kill 'em so quickly? I wanted to get a little bit of blood from 'em! All they are now are gross, burnt pieces of jerky!"
"There's probably still a little blood in 'em, Toga." Dabi shrugged uncaringly. "You're free to test it out yourself."
"Eww, no! Nobody looks cute when they're human beef jerky from you burning them to a crisp like that!" Toga shrieked.
"Enough, you two." Cinder sternly ordered. "We have to track down the boy that Ozpin is currently inhabiting."
"I still don't understand why this kid is the key to it all." Dabi admitted.
"Does he look cute when he's all beat up like my sweet and precious Izuku?" Toga inquired with a blush on her face. "Cuz that would certainly make him worth something in my eyes."
Cinder sighed slightly. "I'll explain it again," she said in a surprisingly patient tone.
"The location of the Relic of Choice is only known by Professor Ozpin, who's soul now inhabits the body of some brat. There's no doubt in my mind that their battle plan is not just to take back the City of Vale, but also to secure the Relic of Choice."
"But if they secure the City, they don't have to worry about the Relic." Dabi pointed out.
"Lady Salem brought this city to its knees before, she can do it again." Cinder retorted.
"Besides, even if they do not plan to secure the Relic of Choice, we must at least capture the boy and have him spill every last one of Ozpin's dirty little secrets to us." Cinder added.
"Well, if these Relics are as powerful as you claim, getting them will certainly be quite the boon to us." Dabi nodded with a smirk. "I'm in. We are okay with tormenting the brat a little, right?"
"Her Grace wants the boy kept unharmed for the most part. Rough him up a little if you must, since he'll most likely resist." Cinder admitted. "However, if you bring him back damaged beyond repair, Her Grace will be furious."
"What? I was under the impression she and that Ozpin guy were mortal enemies." Dabi noted.
Cinder hummed. "I'm not aware of all the details." She admitted. "All I know is, Ozpin is yet another in a long line of men who have opposed Salem over the centuries...no, millennia. And neither intend to stop until the other has been destroyed."
"Heh, a conflict spanning millennia? Now that sounds like a hell of a tale." Dabi grinned.
"You can gawk at my master's past later, Dabi, we have to focus on the task at hand." Cinder then remembered another important detail. "One more thing though."
This got Dabi and Toga's attention. "If you see a girl with silver eyes wearing red and wielding a scythe, be on guard." She told them. "Also note that she must be removed from this game."
"So kill her?" Dabi asked.
"Aww, that sounds like such a waste!" Toga whined.
"You don't seem to realize the kind of power we have at our disposal now." Cinder noted. "That old man, the Patriarch, has an extremely odd ability, one I've never seen before. I guess that's just to be expected from those Watchers."
"What do you mean?" Dabi inquired curiously.
"He calls his ability the Threads of Life." Cinder explained. "And the things he can do with them is astounding. Apparently he once attached new working arms to a man who had lost his arms. And it was like he had never lost them in the first place."
"And...I've seen it, he can actually use threads inside of a person's body that can actually force their organs to move and act. He can resurrect the dead in one of the most outlandish ways I could've imagined. They're basically independent puppets who are operated by his strings."
Toga's mouth dropped open. "Oh, so that's how Big Sis Magne came back." She realized.
Dabi narrowed his eyes. That also explains the method they used to give Overhaul his arms back. Of course, then Overhaul killed a bunch of them and ran off. Guess even those Cultists have moments of absentmindedness...well, I guess they are a Cult. Being foolish is in the job description.
"The point is, while Her Grace has rescinded the 'capture alive' order she had once placed on the girl, she still has use to us." Cinder explained. "We'll kill that brat and bring her back to Salem and the Patriarch. Then the Patriarch will use his Threads of Life to bring her back. Then the queen will be free to do with her as she pleases."
"Any objections to that plan?" Cinder asked.
"No reason for me to have any." Dabi smirked. "I'm just the hired help after all."
"Just as long as I get to see them both bleed a little." Toga added. "I hope they look as cute as Izuku and Ochaco."
"Then let's get going, we have a job to do and we're going to do it. Slaughter anyone who stands in our way you two!" Cinder grinned with determination as her right eye became surrounded by flame. It was time for them to go to work.
Meanwhile, at the southern part of the City of Vale's county line, where Kyoka had heard the cries for help, giant chunks of ice fell from the sky, piercing the backs of the remaining live volunteers who had been holding this particular section. A bone thin man with slanted eyes and short grey hair combed backwards looked down at his watch. "Two minutes," he mused, "good, right on schedule."
Heath Grice, a mage and a member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, who up until recently was dead by his own hands, looked over his shoulder at two other mages who had been supporting his assault. He then looked back at the corpses of the fallen volunteers.
"Such a tragedy, to not have magic, to be forced to swing primitive tools like barbarians." Heath spat in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. "And it's even more of a disgrace that I actually let my guard down and was taken out by the likes of you."
Heath looked over his shoulder at the two mages accompanying him. "Follow me!" He ordered. "We have a schedule to keep. I want to secure this Relic for the Cult of the End within the next two hours!"
"Master Heath!" One mage suddenly exclaimed, making Heath narrow his eyes.
"I tell you that we have a schedule to keep and you immediately try to get my attention for something? You better have a good reason for this. You're lucky I can't kill you, because I need you for our Compound Magic attacks."
"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but look over there!"
Heath looked to where his subordinate was gesturing and narrowed his eyes. "A bird? You're wasting my time for a bird…" Heath's voice trailed off when it began to hit him. He immediately began to understand why his subordinate was trying to get his attention on this.
A bird should not be in such a desolate place like this. Heath noted as the bird flew away. It must be being commanded by someone.
"It seems they know we're here." Heath noted. "They must've had a way to listen in on our actions. How irritating."
Heath grit his teeth, tightly clutching his pocket watch. "This is utterly infuriating! How can I possibly keep to a 2 hour schedule if we have to hunt down someone else. In 15 minutes, every single one of the people that bird leads us back to will die!" He snarled.
Meanwhile, back with Shield Squad, their defenses were holding quite easily against the Grimm. However, they were about to discover that there were beings far worse than the Grimm running around.
Suddenly, an inhuman roar split the sky. Then, an explosive force shattered Shoto's giant wall of ice. Shield Squad shielded their eyes from the force of the impact. "Whoo!" Came a rough and tumble voice. "Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm getting closer and closer to having a punch as strong as a nuclear bomb!"
Two silhouettes revealed themselves walking through the mist, smoke and dust kicked up from the destruction. One was thin, but had clearly designed muscles, but the other was a giant of a man. "I don't know what the hell a nuclear bomb is, but it must be something." The other male spoke up in a somewhat dispassionate tone of voice.
Biscuit's eyes widened. "Boys, get behind me!" She yelled in desperation. "The bigger one's Nen is incredible!"
Gordon was terrified as well. "And the other has an incredible Mana! We have to regroup!" He shouted in a clear tone of voice.
Shoto and Eijiro quickly retreated next to Biscuit and Gordon. "Well, would you look at that, we're already getting attention." Uvogin, the formerly deceased member of the Phantom Troupe stepped out and revealed himself in all his glory.
"...Great." Vetto, a member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's Third Eye, was visibly uncomfortable being on the battlefield again.
"Yeah, I do recognize that one's Mana." Gordon noted. "It's an Elf's Mana. And that one...I think he's the one we took on in the Seabed Temple! He looks way skinnier than I remember though."
Vetto's expression softened. "A member of the Black Bulls...sorry about this. This is for Patolli's sake."
What could he possibly mean by that? Gordon wondered. Patolli...he was the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, wasn't he?
"These guys are tough boys," Biscuit said, "be careful!"
"We have to hold this area no matter what though!" Eijirou pointed out.
"He's right, they're tough but we have to win!" Shoto nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, with Night Squad, Yami Sukehiro narrowed his eyes at that explosive blast that took down Shoto's ice wall in a distance. They'll be fine, Gordon's with 'em. Yami noted.
Yami then turned to an advancing individual. We need to worry about that guy.
A pale man with a cross tattooed to his forehead was slowly advancing on Night Squad. He let out a chuckle at the sight of the explosion. "It seems Uvo is taking advantage of his second chance at life." Chrollo Lucilfer, the leader of the Phantom Troupe responded.
"Well, I certainly can't let the legs of the spider do everything. The head must do its part as well."
Yami instinctively drew his katana. Fumikage and Gauche were put on guard as well. Well now, Yami grinned in anticipation, been a while since I've gotten a chance to really cut loose.
More antagonistic forces began to make their way into the City of Vale. One in particular, however, was moving unseen.
The Mavericks were moving through the dark and disgusting sewers of the City of Vale. "Ugh, this is just the worst! This place reeks!" Samone Gorgon complained. "I know I usually have to blind myself, but I'm tempted to plug these nostrils too!"
"It can't be helped, Samone." Ebony Wool sighed. "We're trying to move through Vale unseen so we can find this Relic of Choice, as per the orders of the Heavenly Kings."
"And the only way to move through the City unseen is to use the sewer system." Brawn Hanuman pointed out.
"You say that, chief," Lye Nett folded his arms as the group suddenly came up to a blocked area, "but it looks like the gods are hellbent on keeping us from Beacon. Do we maybe want to go around?"
"No, we can't waste too much time." Brawn shook his head. "We need to take a straight shot to Beacon if we want to beat them to this Relic."
Brawn then turned his attention to the group's resident Wolf Faunus. "BB, you're up. Do your thing."
BB Gray grinned as he walked past Brawn, taking his hands out of his pockets. "Time to huff and puff!" He grinned, holding out both of his hands.
Suddenly, several powerful gusts of wind were emitted from Brawn's hands and blasted the debris blowing it right up the hole that had been made from the collapse. BB laughed triumphantly. "Now that's how I roll." He bragged.
Suddenly, the ceiling above them began to shake violently. "I think you huffed and puffed a bit too well, BB." Skylar Poe deadpanned.
"Ah shut up, that wasn't me and you know it!" BB yelled.
Brawn scowled. "The fighting on the surface is getting too hot. Damn, I was worried this would happen. It's not safe for us to remain down here."
"It's not really safe up there either." Lye noted.
"At least up on the surface our fate is in our hands." Brawn noted. "It's too risky to stay underground. We have to surface and spread out, we can't afford to give ourselves away. Stick to the shadows, like we always do. We'll all meet up at Beacon Academy."
"And if we come across any of those so-called otherworld do-gooders?" BB folded his arms.
"Slaughter them if they're in your way, but only if they're a threat." Brawn responded without hesitation. "They're obstacles to this Relic, certainly, but we can certainly try to beat them to it like it was a race. Don't escalate a battle unless they're a direct threat to you or to our plans."
"Yes sir!" The rest of the Mavericks said obediently.
As the Mavericks made their move, the ones who had commanded them to go to the City of Vale were waiting just outside the city itself. The Royal Four of the White Fang were watching the chaos of battle unfold with looks of interest on their face. "Good...good...that was the right call...keep moving through the city Brawn." Aesop Mavros, the Black ordered from his scroll before turning his attention to the other Royal Four.
"The Mavericks had to surface, it looks like the infrastructure from the City of Vale has weakened considerably since the Fall of Beacon." Aesop told them.
"I suppose that was to be expected. Even the best laid plans have a few little problems here and there." Suzaku Tancho shrugged. "I'm not particularly worried. The Mavericks were always the White Fang's finest asset, next to us of course."
"That's rather cruel of you, not praising your old student like that." Aesop noted.
"Adam was a colossal disappointment in the grand scheme of things." Suzaku brushed the matter off.
"Enough chatter you two." Bai Hu Kungming rolled his eyes. "Our top priority should be getting the Relic."
Bai Hu turned his attention to the leader of the Royal Four. "Gaozu, are you sure we should be holding back like this?"
"It's the wisest plan. There's still much we don't know about our enemies." Gaozu Shenlong told him.
"Mmm, but this is still a fight we cannot afford to lose if the Relics really are this valuable." Bai Hu pointed out.
"Which is exactly why we're going to first see just what these otherworlders can do, and how they do against their foes." Gaozu sagely explained. "And while they're exhausting themselves, we'll move in from behind and get the Relic."
Gaozu grinned, his lizard-like tongue flickering in and out of his mouth. "Gentlemen, today will be a victory for the White Fang." He vowed.
Friend and foe alike were moving into the City of Vale, all converging on one thing: The Relic of Choice. But just where was this Relic? All either side could do was fight it out.
And the last man standing would get the Relic of Choice...
A.N: A lot to unpack here. The bad guys are pretty much trying to box the good guys in and surround them on all sides, all in the name of getting the Relic of Choice. And some particularly dangerous big names are showing up too. Chrollo, Uvo, Dabi and Cinder, just to name a few.
But, on the plus side, we've got some cool new moves for some of the good guys. All that training with Sojiro was not a waste in the least. And they've got a hell of a plan for this battle.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Next time, battles kick off as everyone continues to move towards their respective destinations.