Chapter 55

Blake gasped as she jumped back, allowing a clone to take Adam's lunge. The blade sank into the clone, becoming trapped as its form changed into an ice sculpture. Adam's good eye tracked Blake as she backpedalled. It closed for a second as he concentrated.

And then his sword ignited. Flames consumed what had once been her clone. A puddle formed beneath it as he tore his sword free. And then he was coming again.

Ilia lashed out to keep him back but he dodged under her whip and knocked it to the side with Blush. Blake opened fire on him, but his crimson blade cut down each of the incoming bullets. His eye was focused on her.

He was focused on her.

Blake gulped and switched Gambol Shroud back into its sword form. She drew her cleaver and blocked his incoming slash. Pushing back with her katana she cut into his chest with her other blade. Adam grunted and took it while he brought up his sheath and fired.

Another clone died in Blake's place as she jumped back out of the way. Adam gave her no time to recover, however. He was on her like an animal hunting wounded prey. His blade was a blur of red that she was barely able to block.

Ilia came in from the side, trying to pincer him. Adam took it in stride, however. He stepped back, dodging Ilia's attack and letting the girl overextend. Then he lashed out, slamming a foot into her midsection. She was thrown into Blake, sending the pair to the ground.

Blake rolled away, dodging Adam's follow up stab. Wilt speared the ground like it was nothing. He twisted around and whipped the sword up, his hair, clothing and eye glowing. A wave of red and black energy enveloped Blake and threw her backwards

Adam came again. Blake leapt to her feet with her swords ready. She put the world out of her mind and focused on Adam. I have to concentrate! A breath escaped her lips as he reached her once more.

Sparks flew as their blades crossed. She kept one blade locked against his and poked his stomach. He tried to blast her with his rifle-sheath. She let a clone take the hit while she backed up and charged in again. Blows were traded as the pair put their all into battle.

He's different. Before he wasn't focused. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. I capitalized on that to even the difference in our strengths but now? He's as strong as he was in the White Fang. No, wait. He's stronger!

A clone exploded in a ball of fire, engulfing the bull who chased after her. He simply shrugged it off and kept coming. Once upon a time hatred was all that she could see in that eye but now? She wasn't sure. There was a life and a focus that she had never seen before.

She felt… left behind. Like he'd grown so far beyond her in a matter of months. She'd taken over the White Fang but for what? How was she going to make him see her side when she couldn't even prove it made her strong?

I won because he was weak. Not because I was strong. Her blood went cold. A chill ran down her spine. How can I win?

Another fire-infused clone exploded but he expected it and avoided the worst of the attack. Her mind whirled as she tried to come up with a plan but she had never been the strategist of the group. That had always been… Adam…

She glanced over to see Yuma and her Lieutenant battling Adam's friends. Her soldiers were all weakly fighting the forces Adam had brought. Her own father waded through her forces, taking them down as painlessly as he could. She'd failed to stop Adam and now he'd turned Menagerie and her parents against her.

Sirens sounded as police airships surrounded the school, their lights beaming down over the assembled Faunus.

It's all going so wrong… she thought as an earth clone shattered in front of her. Adam was a relentless beast pursuing her, but where once it may have been fuelled by anger, rage and spite it now was full of sorrow, despair and regret.

Ilia came in again but Adam made short work of her. The girl was a spy, not a fighter. He knew all her tricks and wasn't holding back at all. Her lash was parried and her stomach was filled with buckshot for her efforts. Her Aura sparked and crackled as she fell back.

Blake gulped once again. "W-why!?" She blurted out. "Why do you keep trying to stop me!?"

Adam sighed. "Because what you are doing is wrong, and it's my fault you became like this. I have a duty to stop you."

"That's bullshit! You ran away from me!" Tears pricked her eyes. "You abandoned me! Because you were scared! I became what you wanted, right!? So why! Why do you hate me!?" It all bubbled up from within her. Once it started to spew forth she couldn't stop it.

"I know. You just did what I asked. I can't blame you for that. I blame myself. But Blake I don't hate you." He sheathed his weapon for a moment. "I could never hate you. I have made so many mistakes but loving you wasn't one of them! No, my mistake there was in not listening to you! In trying to control you! In trying to make you like me! And I am so, so very sorry for that!"

She could see tears in his eye as he spoke. Her hands shook. "You could have talked to me!"

"I tried! The words never truly reached you. Maybe I didn't use the right ones, but it's a two-way street, Blake. You needed to listen as much as I needed to speak. But we still have a chance! We can always turn things around Blake! If you just lay down your weapons and take my hand." He outstretched his hand once more, beckoning her to take it.

"Blake no!" Ilia cried out as she stumbled to her feet. "You can't! Not after everything we've worked for! We can't just stop now!"

Blake's heart beat quicker and quicker. A part of her, surprisingly a large part, wanted to take Adam's hand. Let him guide her once again. But if she did what did that mean for her? For what she's fought for? For what she's done?

"You say that it was a mistake to try and make me like you, right?" She clenched her hands. "So why are you trying that again!?" Her voice roared out.

Adam pulled his hand back, his eye wide in shock. "I… well I-"

The sound of splintering wood broke apart their discussion as Hazel was thrown through the doors. Pieces rained down upon them as the large man crashed into the floor between them.

Glancing inside Blake saw that the battle wasn't going well.

A man had appeared out of nowhere. He'd come from inside the building. Adam turned in shock to see what was going on. That was when his body truly froze. When his mind ground to a halt.

His eye met with Yang's. She's here!? I knew there was a chance but… damn it! What am I going to do now!?

Something wrapped around his leg and sent a jolt of electricity into his body. He roared and fired his sword at the source. Ilia cried out, her hand releasing the button that was shocking him. He tore Lightning Lash off of him and charged the girl, grabbing his sword as he went.

Ilia quickly took up her weapon and blocked his slash. He was slower, his body still recovering from the shock and how hard he'd been pushing it.

"Hazel! We need help!" Blake called out.

"This is your problem." The man growled, glaring at Adam before he marched back into the hall. The others! He's fighting them? That means he's part of this group. Whatever they're after is in there. He ducked back and glanced inside. The team's seemed even in strength but that meant it was equally possible for either side to win. Which means for my friends to win I need to get in there.

He swallowed as Blake and Ilia regrouped. The pair was tired but they would put up a fight. If he kept going who knew what could happen inside?

"Blake." He called out. "Leave."

"What?" She asked, her voice full of confusion and surprise.

"Go. Run away from here. Return to your base and plan your next attack. This one is a loss and you know it." He stared at the slit in her mask, trying to look into her eyes.

She thought for a moment, glancing at the battle inside and at the battle between SSSN and her forces. She looked back to him for a moment…

And then she turned and ran. Ilia looked shocked but followed. A part of Adam itched to chase them down, but he ignored it. Sun and the others will be fine out here.

Wood crunched underfoot as he stalked into the main school building. He looked around, analysing the battlefield. Everyone was split up. Ren, Nora and Weiss were fighting that man, Hazel, with some massive glimmering blue and white knight. Pyrrha fought a woman that looked extremely familiar, though the memory of where he saw her was slow to come. Jaune and Qrow were fighting women he'd never seen before whilst Ruby and Yang were locked in battle with Mercury and his partner. Some kid was there fighting an old lion Faunus, Headmaster Lionheart if he recalled correctly.

Adam rolled his shoulders and charged in.

"Hiya!" Ruby called out as she struck towards Emerald. Yang followed in behind her, slamming her fist into the green-haired girl's face. Mercury came in and kicked Yang back.

We aren't making any progress! Yang growled to herself.

Mercury came in for a counter-attack. Yang made to block it but a familiar rifle barked, unleashing a blast into the silver-haired teen. Mercury backed up slightly, right into the path of a crimson blade. He groaned as he tried to hold the sword back with his hands.

Adam allowed a smirk to creep into his face as his body glowed red. The sword ignited, burning Mercury's hands. He screamed and let go, inadvertently allowing the flames to wash over his body. Adam kicked him back to create distance.

"Sorry I'm late." He said with a sad smile to Yang.

"Y-yeah." She replied.

"Ruby! Go help Jaune or Weiss. Yang and I can deal with these punks."

"Right!" Ruby cheerfully responded. She was gone in the next moment, a burst of petals flying off to help Jaune.

"Be careful of greeny over there. I think she can manipulate senses." Adam announced as he stepped forward. Emeralds eyes twitched.

"Where'd you get that idea?" Emerald forced out.

"The tournament. Mercury wouldn't have the Aura capable of messing with my senses at the end there. And your friend over there obviously has some form of elemental Semblance." He reasoned.

He's not wrong. Yang thought. But he doesn't know why she has all that fire, does he?

Mercury growled. "Good work. Though you're not entirely right there." He said, wiping his mouth clear of blood.

"I may not have all the answers, but I do know how strong that Semblance is. It did manage to affect my Aura senses as well as my normal ones. That's a powerful Semblance."

"They did that?" Yang asked.

Adam nodded slowly. "She was doing it for a while as well. All through their time at Beacon. I thought something was up, but I was too self-absorbed to investigate. Now I see why they messed with my senses in Beacon though." He swallowed. When he spoke again his voice was full of regret. "If I had been better I could have stopped you. Just another thing to add to my list I suppose."

"Adam…" Yang looked at him. He had a different air around him. She couldn't quite place what had changed, however.

Adam shook himself clean of his regret and drew his sword. "Now then Yang. Let's crush these two and move onto the others."

Yang grinned. "I'm right behind you!" The pair surged forth, immediately falling into familiar patterns.

It felt good to fight by his side once more.

A/N: And so Adam comes to fight by Yang's side, whilst Blake and Ilia run away from their problems. Blake's got a lot to think about, however. Adam's words weren't perfect, but they struck a chord. I enjoyed writing the fight from Blake's perspective. In a way, it's almost like a scene from a normal fic with Blake as a hero like canon. Fighting the violent and terrifying Adam and barely surviving. But this time he's the hero, and she's the villain. Adam is a terrifying opponent when he's in his right mind. Which actually makes his flaws all the more interesting tbh. A control freak whose prone to violence and filled with an irrational amount of hatred and spite. The moment he loses control he spirals into madness. It's honestly a great way to use a character's flaws to weaken them. Ah, too bad we never got to see a full fight with him in his prime. Oh well.

I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!