Disclaimer: I do not own the blazblue franchise or the RWBY franchise they belong to their respective owners
(A/N) To answer a couple of questions I've received.
Ragna and Lambda are not related at all. Lambda comes from the Murakumo Labs but she is not related to Ragna in any way.
I have several plans for this story when it reaches the Volume 7 and Volume 8 story portion of RWBY and given what I've seen. It makes me glad I'm deviating from RWBY canon. I would say more but I know that there are people that don't know what happened and I have to keep that in mind. I've already added several deviations in this story that is different from RWBY canon. When this story gets to volume 7 and 8, there will be some BIG differences from RWBY canon.
Jumping the gun a bit, I already know that I'm going to handle Adam very differently from canon. For General Ironwood, I have a few ideas in concept.
Chapter 67 The Looming Dread
(Campsite)
When the rest of the group saw the letter that Ragna left behind. Along with a very absent Lambda. It was easy for the group of three to figure out what happened and spent a few minutes searching for them. Unfortunately, the search ended because they quickly realized that with Ragna's experience in the forest and Lambda's natural skills. It was clear to Jaune, Bang, and Bullet that Ragna and Lambda have made a great distance between them and is making their way to the outpost. After figuring out where both Ragna and Lambda were going. Jaune decided to follow the trail.
"Where do you think your going Jaune? You saw what the note said, Ragna doesn't care about us and don't want us around anymore." Bullet said in a frustrated tone
"I admit that the letter does sound a bit harsh. But to say that he doesn't care about is a bit much." Bang told Bullet trying to calm her down
"Oh really, then maybe it meant something else when it said. Everyone, I realize too late that there's no point in us travelling together. A lesson I've learned from our time together is that this was a big mistake. All of you should go back home and let me go and finish this. If that does 't sound harsh and condescending, then I don't know what is." Bullet angrily said after reading the letter again
"There must be more to this than we know. We can't just get angry at him just because he left us like this." Bang said trying to defend Ragna
"Come on guys, Ragna and Lambda have a head start. But even those two will need time to get to the outpost. If we hurry, we can catch up to them before they get to the Outpost." Jaune said before he went down the trail. Before he went too far, Bullet spoke up
"Look, I see that you're trying to be the token good friend. But Ragna made it clear in his letter that he wants to go it alone from here. So who are we to get in his way. If he agrees to let Lambda come along fine. But its clear that there's nothing for us to do at this point. So why would you continue trying to travel with him?" Bullet asked in a confused tone while Jane was getting ready to catch up to Ragna
"Because Ragna shouldn't be alone out there. I know what the letter said to us. But he isn't thinking clearly. If we let him do what he wants while he's like this. Then he's just going to continue to make destructive choices. We're travelling with him not just to have his back. But also if it comes down to it. We have to save him from himself." Jaune explained to Bullet before Bang spoke up
"Jaune is right, our lack of vigilance gave Ragna and Lambda the chance to escape us. But as allies of justice, we can't let him go off on his own. Nobody can do everything alone, Ragna knows this and he merely needs a reminder. With my tracking skills, we should have an easier time catching up to him." Bang said agreeing with Jaune as Bullet was nodding her head.
"So you two are going to just catch up to those two knowing they may not like it? Well its not like I have anything better to do and making sure you two don't get killed is a priority. But why is it your so determined to go and help Ragna?" Bullet asked in a curious tone
"Because I know how he's feeling right now. I heard what Winter told Ragna while all of us were fighting. Ragna is angry at a lot of things that happened to him and that statement was the last thing he wanted to hear. To be told that it was his fault that everything happened the way they did at Beacon hurts more than anyone can thing and can anger him. But along with that anger, he also feels guilty, that maybe he should have done more. Or should have been able to prevent everything that happened." Jaune briefly explained to Bullet
"Ragna shouldn't feel guilty for any of the stuff that happened at Beacon. A lot has happened to him that nobody could have predicted or prepare for." Bang told Jaune
"Yeah, but the rest of the world doesn't know that and is labeling him the Beast of Remnant. He didn't ask to have the power that he has. But because he has them, he went berserk and killed a lot of people. There are too many people that doesn't know the full story. Right now, Ragna needs to be around people he can trust, who won't see him as a monster. Those people happen to be us, which means we have to assure Ragna that he's not alone and make sure that we protect him from himself." Jaune said before he started to go towards his intended path with Bang and Bullet behind him
"How passionate, you've spoken like a true leader and a true friend. I agree with everything you said. No matter how difficult things become, we must never abandon our friends and ensure that they do not fall to the grips of despair." Bang said as he was travelling with Jaune
"Alright alright, I'll still come along. Like I said, making sure you two don't get killed is a priority for me. But like you said we have to hurry. Even though it will take them some time to get to the Mountain Outpost. We don't know what can happen or what those two will face." Bullet said making Jaune and Bang realize the potential threats and the three of them hurried up
(The Forest Trail)
The group spent a good deal of time traveling the trail to get to a Village that has an available airship. Though what's making the travel more tense is due to the disturbingly lack of Grimm. For the majority of the travel, they were on guard for anything. But as they were traveling, Ren motioned for them to stop.
"Something is coming." Ren calmly said to the group
"I feel it too, but I don't know what it is." Qrow calmly said as he was grabbing his sword
Before anyone could think about what could be coming. Several Grimm popped up from the ground and was able to rise into the air. While the Grimm were in the air, they proceeded to fire a barrage of energy spikes at the group. Reacting quickly, Jin used his sword to cut the ground and was able to create an ice wall that was able to block the spikes.
A brief second after the spikes were blocked, the Grimm that popped up from the ground were able to land and proceeded to dash roll towards the group at an intense speed. Fortunately, the group were able to avoid the aggressive attack and a moment later, the Grimm uncurled itself and the group saw what it was.
"It's a Boarbatusk Grimm, but there's something different about it." Nora said as she wielded its hammer
"Its different because its an abnormal Grimm. Just our luck that we have to deal with a whole group of them." Qrow said before one of the Abnormal Boarbatusk rolled towards Qrow
The veteran Huntsman proceeded to knock away the powerful Grimm with a strong swing of his sword. After being knocked away, the Abnormal Grimm was able to quickly recover and proceeded to fire its energy spikes at Qrow. Reacting quickly, Qrow proceeded to use his sword to block the barrabe of spikes. This lasted for a few seconds until the barrage stopped and Qrow saw an opening. After seeing the opening, Qrow was able to quickly dash towards the Grimm and swung his sword t the Abnormal Boarbatusk Grimm soft spot.
Unfortunately, the Abnormal proved to be more durable than Qrow originally thought and was able to stand its ground. After the Abnormal Grimm stood its ground, it proceeded to charge towards Qrow. Before he could be rammed into a nearby rock, Qrow was able to jump over the powerful Grimm while his sword transformed into a scythe. After it transformed, Qrow was able to flip the abnormal Grimm over and proceeded to rapidly slash its stomach. A few seconds later the Abnormal Grimm dissipated.
Nora and Ren spent some time dealing with the Abnormal Grimm that that attacked the both of them. Because of its durability and enhanced strength, the duo were having more trouble than they anticipated. The two friends spent a good deal of time avoiding the spikes that were fired at the two. After dodging more of the spikes, Nora proceeded to fire her grenade launcher at the abnormal Grimm. The Abnormal Boarbatusk was able to endure the blast and proceeded to furiously roll towards Nora.
Before the Abnormal Grimm got close. Nora was able to quickly transform her grenade launcher to its hammer form and smashed it to another nearby Grimm with a good deal of her strength. The smash was strong enough to destroy one of the abnormal Grimm. While the other Abnormal Grimm was knocked towards Ren. Once the abnormal Boarbatusk got close to Ren. He proceeded to deliver several slash attacks at the known weak spots. The attacks were strong enough to stagger the abnormal Grimm but not enough to kill it. Before the abnormal Grimm could do anything to Ren. A large ice spike appeared beneath the abnormal Grimm and was able to pierce it from below.
After the abnormal Grimm was pierced, the ice broke apart and the remaining ice debris were sent to the abnormal Boarbatusk. The ice shard barrage was strong enough to stagger the abnormal Grimm. While giving Ruby a chance to use her semblance to dash through the abnormal Grimm at an intense speed and proceeded to slash at them at furiously while doing so. Once Ruby stopped using her semblance. The abnormal Grimm started to dissipate, and the immediate danger has passed.
"I never thought we'd come across the abnormal Grimm here in Anima." Nora told the group as the abnormal Grimm were dissolving
"Which means we need to keep going. Professor Lionheart doesn't know a thing about the Abnormal Grimm. The sooner we get him up to date on everything we know regarding Terumi. The more prepared him and by extension Haven will be when it comes to options on how to deal with that snake." Qrow told everyone before he noticed Ren looking down on the road and noticed something odd.
"Do the abnormal Grimm normally travel in groups" Ren asked while looking at a specific spot on the road
"Yeah, they also have a habit to follow the strongest abnormal Grimm that they know of. Why do you ask?" Qrow responded before they all started to look at what has gotten Ren's attention and see that he's looking at a large footprint on the road. When Nora looked at the footprint, she quickly realized why Ren is staring so hard and intensly at the footprint.
"You all need to go on ahead, there is something I have to look into." Ren said before Nora quickly objected
"We agreed to stick together no matter what. I know how you feel Ren, but you can't do something so dangerous without a good reason." Nora told Ren in a worried tone
"The map we have says that Toiyame Village is not too far from here. I can go and do a quick run to see if the Grimm is there. If there are Villagers there, I can use my semblance to help them. But if there all gone, then I can easily escape." Ren responded truing to reassure Nora
"But Ren . . . ." Nora said in a pleading tone before Qrow spoke up
"Toiyame Village isn't too far from our road. Ren can just go and check on things and get back to us. I know that your concerned but remember that we're dealing with Salem and Terumi. So time isn't on our side and the sooner we get things done the better. Besides, we both know that he's no slouch. Alone, he can get a head start and catch up to us without going too far out of the way." Qrow said reassuring Nora
"Don't worry, this won't take long." Ren said before he ran off to the direction the foot print is heading
"'He'll be fine, he still has a copy of the map. Besides, as long as he doesn't produce any negativity there shouldn't be any problems." Qrow said before they proceeded to go further before Ruby spoke up.
"Where's Jin?" Ruby asked in a curious tone
"He's probably out doing his own thing. He'll catch up to us, I'm sure of it." Nora said before the group left while she was visibly worried about Ren.
While Ren was going to the Village that the Grimm was likely at. He was filled with all sorts of memories from his past before anything went wrong. A specific day from his past that he will never forget for as long as he lives. A day that the only good thing that came from it was meeting and standing by Nora. As Ren was running towards his intended destination, he felt a familiar presence that he has grown accustomed to for the past few months.
"Did Nora or Ruby send you to back me up?" Ren asked while Jin was catching up to him
"They either haven't noticed or don't care that I'm separated from them. I'm here entirely of my own accord." Jin responded once he caught up to Ren
"I can handle this on my own. Go back and protect the rest of the group." Ren told Jin
"Have you forgotten that both Ruby and Nora are very capable fighters. I don't see eye to eye with them but I've grown to respect their strength. Their more than capable of handling themselves, besides Qrow is with them and that should be more than enough. There's a decent chance that you could run into more abnormal Grimm and if that's the case, you need additional help." Jin explained to Ren
"Then why have you come to me by yourself?" Ren asked as they were traveling
"Did you forget, Jaune asked me to come with you guys and help protect all of you. No matter the poor opinion you all have of me. Above everything else, I do keep my word." Jin stated to Ren
"I . . . understand. But we need to be careful. Because if this Grimm is what I think it is. Then things are going to be a lot harder." Ren stated in a focused tone as the two went towards their destination
(Menagerie, Belladona Estate)
"What were you thinking eavesdropping on my conversation with my Dad?" Blake asked Sun trying to contain her frustration
"I was just trying to talk to you about something. When I came and noticed that you were talking to your dad. I decided to um well . . . . wait until you were done. But I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important." Sun told Blake in a pleading tone
"Listen Sun, I know your trying to be a good friend. But there are times when you need to just back off. I haven't seen my family in so long and the way we left things were complicated." Blake told Sun
"I'm sorry but what I need to tell you is about the White Fang and . . . . ." Sun said before Blake quickly cut him off
"I'm going to have to stop you right there Sun. Didn't you listen to a word I've said earlier or during the entire time that you and Tao joined up with me. I'm not looking for a fight and I'm not focused on the White Fang. I just want to spend time with my family and try to figure things out." Blake said causing Sun to speak up
"I'm sorry Blake, but what in the world are you trying to figure out? Because from what it looks like, you're just trying to run again." Sun stated boldly which angered Blake
"How dare you say that . . ." Blake said before Sun interrupted her
"I'm sorry but you need to hear this. When I first met you, I thought about how cool and incredible you are. Whenever the White Fang is mentioned, you held firm about your stance with them knowing that they were a part of your life. But every time something goes wrong with the White Fang. you just withdraw into your shell and shut your yourself off from the world. I get that you want to take a break, but you can't just leave something like the White Fang unfinished." Sun explained to Blake
"I . . . ." Blake said before they heard some movement in the trees. When the two focused on the specific spot further. They saw a single individual who blended in to the trees and paid attention to the estate and looked at both Blake and Sun. Before either of them could do anything. The lone figure jumped down from the tree.
"Who was that?" Blake asked in a surprised tone
"That's what I was trying to tell you about. Now I can bring in that White Fang member." Sun said excitedly before he went after the mysterious individual
Sun spent time jumping from tree to tree. Trying to catch up to the mysterious individual who was spying on the both of them. The mysterious individual continued to blend into the trees and Sun was barely able to keep track of the person. After a few seconds have passed, the mysterious individual stopped jumping from tree to tree and looked around for her pursuer. Before the individual could be relieved that Sun was gone. Sun was able to tackle the intruder off the tree and knock the mask off. When Sun saw the face of the individual. He saw the face of a female and seconds later Blake was able to catch up to the two.
"Ilia?" Blake asked in a surprised tone
"You know her?" Sun asked before Ilia tried to attack Sun with the whip before it was dodged
After dodging the whip, Sun pursued Ilia and tried to land a few attack jabs against her. Unfortunately, Ilia proved to be much more agile than Sun expected and proceeded to avoid his attacks. Once Ilia avoided more of Sun's attacks, she tried to attack Sun with her whip. Fortunately, Sun was able to avoid the attacks but couldn't get any closer.
While Ilia was focused on Sun, Blake tried to attack Ilia while she was distracted. Unfortunately for Blake, Ilia was able to notice her and proceeded to avoid Blake's attack. After avoiding the attack, Ilia attacked the nearby pipes and used the steam to keep Blake at bay. While Blake was staggered by the strong steam, Sun used his semblance to pin Ilia down. When Ilia was pinned to the ground, she noticed that her scroll was dropped and was unable to recover it.
"You're not going anywhere, Blake tie her up so she won't be able to escape." Sun stated causing Blake to quickly recover and make her way towards Ilia. Unfortunately, Sun wasn't able to sustain his semblance for long and eventually the clones dissipated, allowing Ilia to avoid Blake even further.
"Why are you watching me?" Blake asked in a demanding tone
"You shouldn't have come back Blake. Now you need to make a choice." Ilia said before released a smokescreen. Once the smokescreen was set, Sun leaped through it hoping to catch Ilia. Unfortunately, Sun was unable to catch her and she got away
"She's gone, but at least we have her scroll." Sun said once he picked up the scroll that was dropped. Though Blake on the other hand looked out into the village thinking about her old friend.
(The Mountain Trail)
Both Ragna and Lambda spent a good deal of time traveling the mountain trail to get to the outpost. Lambda isn't able to sense the powerful presence she felt earlier. But the both of them knows that its coming for them and they aren't in a position to see whether or not its friend or foe. Despite having to deal with some Grimm along the way, the both of them have made great progress and were able to get to a sturdy location that's not too far from the summit.
"Are you still able to sense the powerful presence you felt earlier?" Ragna asked while on guard
"No, but we need to continue our travel. The last time I sensed it, the presence was heading towards this mountain. I predict that it will take us no more than two hours to get to the summit from here." Lambda briefly explained to Ragna
"Then we can take a quick break and drink some of the river water. After that, we keep going until we get to the summit." Ragna said before he started to drink the river water.
"Was it really necessary for you to go off on your own and be separated from the group like this? You can't deny that each of them have their own individual strengths that could have helped you in your mission." Lambda as before explaining her question to Ragna
"I know their all strong, I mean come on. Bullet packs a punch, Bang is a skilled ninja and Jaune is a pretty good strategist. But I just don't want them to be put in danger because of me. Most if not all of my mistakes have caused people to suffer in some kind of way. There has to come a point when I need to say enough is enough. So if it means, I have to deal with this alone." Ragna explained to Lambda
"Yet you've allowed me to come along with you on your revenge mission." Lanbda pointed out to Ragna
"You made it clear that I was stuck with you. So I didn't really have much of a choice but to let you tag along." Ragna said before he stopped drinking the water and stood up.
"We've rested enough, let's get going before . . . ." Ragna said before Lambda raised her hand and stopped him from talking further
"Someone is coming." Lambda said as she was bringing out her dual swords
"Is it the presence you felt earlier?" Ragna asked as he was getting his sword
"No, it's weaker but it is still a threat." Lanbda responded
"HAHAHAHAHA." Tyrian laughed as he leaped between Ragna and Lambda and tried to attack the both of them.
Tyrian Was successful in kicking the two and was able to push them back. Once Ragna and Lambda was pushed back, Tyrion proceeded to attack Ragna while he was close to him. Tyrion attacked with his wrist blades and kept the pressure on Ragnaa preventing him from doing anything. Before Tyrian could do anything further, he did a quick backflip to avoid Lambda's attack and proceeded to fire at the both of them. Fortunately, both Ragna and Lambda were able to block the gunshots with their respective weapons. After a few seconds, Tyrian leaped toward Lambda and started to attack her.
Lambda proceeded to use her dual swords and block the relentless attacks from the mysterious assailant. Unfortunately, she was unable to land any major attacks against Tyrian due to his impressive reflexes and agility. After blocking a few more attacks, Tyrian proceeded to move to the side out of instincts and was able to avoid Ragna's attack. Shortly after avoiding Ragna's sword attack. Tyrian proceeded to fire at Ragna while actively going after him. Fortunately, Ragna was able to block the shots like before and was able to quickly change his sword to its scythe form and tried to attack Tyrian from a moderate distance. While Tyrian was dodging Ragna's scythe attacks, Lambda proceeded to fire her sword guns at the nimble man. Only for him to block the gun shots and move away from the two.
"Your reputation precedes you Ragna the Bloodedge. Though the extra was unexpected, this merely means that my talents will be truly put to the test." Tyrian said in a onfident tone
"Your no amateur from the way you fight. I could feel so much killing intent from you it's clear that you're a man on a mission. So cut the crap and tell me what this is about." Ragna stated to Tyrion
"Correct Ragna the Bloodedge, my name is Tyrian and I have come to bring you before my Goddess. She demands that I bring you before her, and I must not disappoint her grace. So that shall be my noble task Beast of Remnant." Tyrian said causing Ragna to be upset
"Who is your Goddess then, is it Cinder? Have you com to avenge her?" Ragna asked in an angry tone
"Cinder my Goddess? Don't you dare insult me Beast of Remnant. I serve a being more graceful than Cinder can ever be. But she does remember you, since you did quite a number on her. HEHEHEHEHE HAHAHAHAHA." Tyrian said causing Ragna to chuckle which surprised Lambda and Tyrian
"Cinder is still alive, that's good. This means that I can still wring her neck for what she did to me and my family. What about Terumi, do you know where he is?" Ragna asked
"Terumi is off fulfilling other duties for the Goddess. But you should worry about me, because you are overdue for an audience with her grace." Tyrian said before he quickly disappeared and showed up behind Ragna and made an attempt to attack him.
Fortunately, Ragna was able to respond quickly and proceeded to block the attack with his scythe. After blocking Tyrian's attack, Ragna was able to push his assailant back with his scythe and proceeded to attack Tyrian with his scythe. The agile man was able to block several of Ragna's attacks but was unable to do anything else. When Lambda made a move to help Ragna, she sensed a familiar presence and instinctively moved to the side to avoid a powerful punch. Once Lambda recovered, she saw that it was Hazel.
"Took you long enough and just when I was getting to the fun." Tyrian said to Hazel while dodging more of Ragna's attacks before blocking one of them
"I didn't expect to see you again. I don't feel comfortable fighting kids, especially a child from the Murakumo Labs. But we're here for the Beast of Remnant." Hazel said before he started to attack Lambda
"The Murakumo Labs." Ragna muttered before he started blocking Tyrian's attacks
During the entire time Ragna was blocking Tyrian's attacks. He tried to find an opening so he could land a strong attack. The problem was that the man proved to be more skilled and agile than Ragna anticipated. This reminded Ragna of his fight with Neo and Amane, even though Ragna could overpower his opponents. It won't mean a thing if he can't land a hit.
"I have to release my seal." Ragna thought to himself before he jumped back and raised his right hand. Before he could do anything, Tyrion started to keep up the pressure against Ragna and prevented him from releasing his seal
"Ah ah ah, I know all about your seal Ragna. You can activate it in an instant, but you need to concentrate in order for you to release it." Tyrian said to Ragna in a confidant tone
"Looks like Cinder told you about my seal. That's fine, I don't need to release my seal to fight you. After all, I'm much stronger and more skilled than I look." Ragna said in a confident tone
"I know, that's what makes this fun." Tyrian said before he started to fight against Ragna by charging towards him
Once the two got close, Tyrian started to throw several punches at Ragna. Fortunately, Ragna was able to block Tyrian's quick jabs and after a few seconds, was able to find an opening and swung his scythe at Tyrian. Reacting quickly, Tyrian jumped over the scythe blade. But it was what Ragna wanted, since it gave him the chance to deliver a strong kick on Tyrian. After landing the kick, Ragna changed his scythe to its sword form and proceeded to fire several blast shots at the assailant. Seeing the blasts coming, Tyrian proceeded to avoid each of the blasts with relative ease. Though after dodging several blasts, Tyrion saw Ragna coming with his sword and proceeded to block Ragna's sword attack with his feet.
After Tyrian blocked, Ragna's sword attack. He jumped over Ragna's sword and was able to land several bladed jabs on Ragna before he proceeded to make distance between the both of them. Fortunately, Ragna was able to recover but noticed that Tyrian was quickly approaching him. Before the man got too close, Ragna threw his scythe at Tyrian. Reacting quickly, Tyrian bent over backwards to avoid the scythe attack and continued his pursuit of Ragna. Though reacting out of instincts, Tyrian did a backwards flip to avoid the returning scythe.
The moment the scythe returned, Ragna started to aggressively attack Tyrian. The agile man was on the defensive and proceeded to both block and avoid Ragna's scythe attacks. Though before long, Ragna was able to activate another function on his scythe and transferred some more of his aura to his scythe and a small stream of energy came out from the tip of his scythe. The allowed Ragna to move his scythe much faster than before and was able to land a strong scythe attack on Tyrian. The assailant survived the attack but was unable to fully recover because Ragna kept up his assault on him. Thinking on the spot, Tyrian proceeded to deflect Ragna's scythe attacks with his feet and stood on his hands. Before long, Tyrian started to chuckle and a long tail came out of his back and his tail had cut Ragna's torso.
"Damn, judging from your tail. It's safe to say I'm poisoned." Ragna said after taking a few deep breaths
"Correct Ragna the Bloodedge. Soon you will succumb to the poison, but it will weaken you long enough for me to present you to her grace." Tyrian said in a satisfied tone
"So I can be at the mercy of Cinder, Terumi, and the bitch who orchestrated everything. I don't think so." Ragna said which angered Tyrian
"Don't you dare insult our Divine Savior!" Tyrian yelled causing him to aggressively go after Ragna
Hazel, powered up by the Dust he implanted on his body spent time aggressively attacking Lambda. The younger girl spent time avoiding Hazel's punches, knowing what to expect from the last time they fought each other. After avoiding the attacks, Lambda proceeded to use her superior agility to avoid each of Hazel's attacks. Unfortunately, despite being able to avoid Hazel's attacks. She was unable to land any major attacks against the large man. Because along with having impressive offensive capabilities. Hazel has very impressive defensive capabilities. Making things worse is that Lambda doesn't have any significant ways to fight Hazel. Especially since the last time Lambda faced Hazel, Iron Tager was with her to help her. Though Ragna is around to help, he has his hands full fighting against Tyrian.
After avoiding another attack, Lambda delivered several slashes against Hazel. Though after landing a few attacks, Hazel was able to quickly grab one of Lambda's swords and managed to throw Lambda while she was holding her sword. After throwing Lambda, Hazel used the thunder dust stuck inside his arms and blasted electricity at Lambda. Reacting quickly, Lambda was able to dodge the electric blasts and fired her gun swords at Hazel. Unfortunately, Hazel was able to shrug off the gunshots and continued to fire his electricity at her.
Realizing that the gunshots won't do anything, Lambda decided to rush towards Hazel while avoiding the electric blasts in the process. Once she got close, Lambda started to use her impressive speed to slash at Hazel while trying to avoid his attacks. This continued for a few seconds, until Hazel smashed the ground and created a powerful shockwave. Lambda made a high jump to avoid the shockwave. Though this was what Hazel wanted, because while she was in the air, Hazzel was able to quickly grab Lambda and pin her to the ground. While electrocuting her.
"Like I said, I don't feel right doing this. But I can't have you get in the way of Ragna's capture." Hazel said while he held down Lambda
"LAMBDA!" Ragna yelled as he tried to make his way towards her. Only for Tyrion to jump in front of him and kick him back
"You already have your hands full trying to fight both me and the poison. Now your worried about the young girl. You're not doing your reputation justice Ragna." Tyrian said in a mocking tone before attacking Ragna with additional kicks.
Before anything happened further, Hazel was hit with a powerful energy blasts that caught him of guard and knocked him back. Shortly after Hazel was knocked back, Tyrion instinctively dodged an oncoming kick and ended up moving away from Ragna. After a brief second, both Ragna and Lambda saw Bang standing in front of Tyrion and shortly after that. Both Bullet and Jaune showed up armed and ready to help their friends.
"How did you three get here so quickly?" Ragna struggled to say while fighting the poison
"Even though you and Lambda got a head start. It was easy for me to track you all down. Plus, when we heard the fighting and knew the trail. It was quite simple for us to catch up to you two and assist with your current threats." Bang briefly explained while facing Tyrion
"Guys listen . . . ." Ragna said before Jaune cut him off and spoke up
"Ragna, I know how you feel about all of this. But you need to understand that we're your friends and part of this new formed team as well. So don't think for a second that we'll let you go off and do things on your own. Because you need to remember that we still have your back." Jaune stated to Ragna
"What I was going to say is that I'm poisoned and you guys need to be careful because their stronger than they look. We can go over the fire forged friends speech later since this is a life and death situation." Ragna said causing Jaune to have an awkward look
"Oh right, sorry." Jaune said in an embarrassed tone before he went to Ragna to heal him with his semblance
"Great, more lambs to the slaughter." Tyrian said before he started to go after both Jaune and Ragna before Bang blocked his path.
"You'll need to get past me foul villain." Bang stated to Tyrian
"Hehehehe gladly." Tyrian said before he started to fight Bang
"Guess the big guy is mine." Bullet said as she started to approach Hazel
"I don't want to fight any of you. We only came for Ragna the Bloodedge. But since your prepared to fight us." Hazel said before he threw a punch that Bullet was able to block
"Alright, its go time." Bullet said before she proceeded to fight Hazel
(Toiyome Village)
It took a good deal of time for both Ren and Jin to make it to the Village by following the trail that was left by the Grimm. As the two got closer to the Village, they were able to see the destruction in better detail. Jin stayed calm and composed as he saw the desolated fields and Village. The more Jin saw this, the more he was reminded of the resolve that he has. The resolve to keep fighting and to prevent things like this happening to other people. Ren on the other hand, held a look of pure horror the closer they got to the Village.
The realization that there would be no survivors slowly dawned on him and the possibility that his suspicions of what they will be facing became more and more likely. Ren remembers the horrendous day that affected his life so greatly. He remembers how everyone in his Village was mercilessly killed and how his father fought valiantly. Only to be killed by the dreaded threat. As the two were getting closer to the destroyed Village. The two saw a lone figure and at the sight of this. Ren knew what it was and realized that his suspicions were true.
"Ren, I can tell that this is a personal matter to you. But if we're going to have any chance at bringing this Grimm down. You need to keep a level head and not make any rash decisions. Its obvious that this Grimm is stronger than most, so we can't rush in blindly." Jin told Ren once they reached the Village and saw the lone Grimm
"I know Jin, but its worse than you think. This is the very Grimm that killed my family and destroyed my home. But that's not the worst of it." Ren said while looking at the Grimm
"What do you mean?" Jin asked while on guard for the Grimm
"When I last saw this monster, it was a Nuckelavee Grimm. This time, I don't know how it happened but its now an Abnormal Grimm." Ren said as they looked at the Abnormal Nuckelavee. When the two saw the Abnormal Nuckelavee, it was different from what Ren remembered. This time, the Grimm took the form of a Centaur with a white mask and armor with a green burning mane. Once the Abnormal Nuckelavee saw Ren and Jin. It materialized a twin lance spear before making a roar, ready to fight the two.
(The Mountain Cliffs)
Bullet and Lambda spent a good deal of time fighting against Hazel. Despite being outnumbered, Hazel proved to be much stronger and more skilled than Bullet expected and is surprised that the large man can hold his own. Once Hazel endured another one of Bullet's attacks. He was able to find an opening and proceeded to punch Lambda away from him. After Lambda was punched away, he was able to deliver a powerful thunder blast at Bullet. She was able to block the thunder blast and managed to stand her ground as well. After enduring the thunder blast, Bullet smirked and started to speak to Lambda.
"Lambda, we don't know how many more people could be coming after us. So how about you recover and focus on your semblance. I have a good idea on how he fights and I can handle him easily." Bullet said in a confident tone
"I've fought him before, his name is Hazel and his semblance makes him numb to any kind of pain." Lambda said warning Bullet
"With my semblance and my past experience, he won't be much of a problem." Bullet said before she proceeded to throw a punch and collided with Hazel's fist
After both Bullet's and Hazel's fist clashed with each other. Bullet proceeded to throw another punch with Hazel reacting the same way. This went on for a few seconds, but as things were going on. Hazel started to notice that Bullet's punches were getting stronger and were starting to match his strength. Along with Bullet being able to match Hazel's strength, she was also able to match his punching speed and noticed that slowly but surely, Hazel was starting to get overwhelmed.
Realizing that he could get overwhelmed by Bullet. Hazel tried to get away from her so he could recover and think of a new tactic. Unfortunately for Hazel, Bullet proved to be much faster than he expected and found himself on the defensive against Bullet's punches. Eventually, Hazel realized that his best option at the moment, is to counter Bullet's punches. Even though the counter tactic is helping Hazel in the moment. He's quickly being overwhelmed by her strength.
"My semblance is called Impact Drive. Every time I hit something my body and aura gets stronger. So since your semblance numbs you to all kinds of pain. That makes you the perfect punching bag for me." Bullet stated as she started to overwhelm Hazel. As Bullet was overwhelming Hazel with her own strength and punches. Her eyes started to glow gold as she was enveloped in her aura.
Once a brief second has passed, Bullet was able to notice a brief opening and she was able to land a powerful blow to Hazel's torso. After Bullet punched Hazel's torso, a strong shockwave was made that was felt by the nearby people. Shortly after that, Bullet proceeded to rapidly punch Hazel in his torso and he was slowly being lifted off the ground. While Bullet kept up her attack assault and showed no sign of slowing down. This kept up for a few more moments, until Bullet managed to deliver a powerful punch that was able to launch Hazel into the air. Shortly after he was in the air, Bullet jumped high up to meet Hazel and delivered a powerful punch that smashed him to the ground.
"It will take more than that, if you want to bring me down." Hazel stated before he put fire dust into his arms
Bang spent time aggressively blocking Tyrian's attacks. This was made much more difficult because of how agile Tyrian is. Whenever Bang would be able to aggressively keep up the pressure against Tyrian. The scorpion Faunus managed to counter and put Bang on the defensive. Despite being on the defensive, Bang knew to avoid the tail thanks to Ragna's warning. Once some time has been spent being on the defensive, Bang quickly thought of a plan to deal with Tyrion.
Once a few more of Tyrion's attacks has been avoided. Bang jumped away from the skilled assailant and proceeded to throw some of his nails at him. Reacting quickly, Tyrian was able to catch the thrown nails and quickly threw them back at Bang. Realizing that the thrown nails would hit Jaune while he's trying to cure Ragna of the poison with his semblance. Bang started to block the nails, since he knows what will happen next. The moment the nails hit Bang's gauntlets, the rethrown nails exploded and froze both of Bang's fists. The moment Tyrian noticed this, he rushed towards the Ronin-Gai ninja ready to deal a fatal blow. Before Tyrian got too close though, Bang threw his frozen fists towards Tyrian. Once he did this, a double burst of energy came from both of Bang's fist and Tyiran proceeded to move out of the way before being directly hit.
"Nice one Bang, and I'm good to go." Ragna said after he felt that Jaune was able to get rid of the poison.
The second the poison was gone, Ragna recovered and started to attack Tyrian with his scythe. The Faunus proceeded to avoid Ragna's attacks like before. But this time, he was also on the defensive against Bang and Jaune. When Jaune got close, he tried to attack Tyrian with his sword. Only for each sword attack to be avoided and for Tyrion to eventually make his way on top of Jaune's shield.
"Ooh, interesting." Tyrian said to Jaune as he leaned closer to his face before he jumped off to avoid Ragna's scythe. Though after the scythe attack was avoided, he was hit by Bang's blasting punch. The punch was strong enough to knock Tyrian back. But it wasn't enough to knock him out and he stood side by side with Hazel.
"They've come to bring me to whoever they serve. I don't know the specifics, but these guys work for the same person that orchestrated Beacon. Which means they work with those two bastards, Cinder and Terumi." Ragna said seething with anger at both Terumi and Cinder
"Correct and now that the cavalry has arrived. This shall be a truly exciting mission as I bring you to your audience for the Queen." Tyrian proudly said to the group before getting into a fighting stance and Hazel generated energy from the implanted dust. Though before anyone could do anything, Lambda felt that powerful sensation from before. Yet this time, the sensation was much more intense and after a brief second. The young girl held her hands to her head and started to scream
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Lambda yelled before she fell to the ground on one knee and surprised everybody nearby
"Lambda, what's wrong?" Bang asked in a concerned tone
"Not too long after we were separated from you guys. Lambda felt something very powerful. Is it the same thing from before?" Ragna asked while on guard and prepared for anything.
"Yes, but that powerful presence I felt is no longer coming. Its . . . . its here." Lambda said as she pointed at a nearby cliff higher up which everyone pointed to.
After Lambda pointed at the cliff, everyone went silent and was prepared for anything and on guard. Yet among the silence, simple footsteps could be heard. Despite not knowing what it is, Jaune felt nervous despite the oncoming presence feeling somewhat familiar. The seconds felt like hours and the sounds of the footsteps started to get heavier and heavier. Before long, a figure could be seen and everyone shared in their surprise despite staying calm. The imposing figure bears white and black armor with red eyes on parts of the body. Yet the feature that stood out to everyone is the faceless mask. The figure is Hakumen and once he approached the cliff. He stared at the group and gave a focused yet intense glare to Ragna.
"The Beast." Hakumen said before he jumped down from the cliff and started to approach the group. Before he got too close, he drew his sword.
"Its . . . . its Hakumen." Jaune said in a nervous tone
"Hehehehe, Hakumen in the flesh. Then that means I have a prime opportunity. To kill the enemy of the Goddess!" Tyrian said before he started to laugh wildly and rush towards Hakumen. As Tyrian was running, his left arm started to be enveloped in a purple aura and his eyes glowed purple as well. Before the sadistic man could get too close. Hakummen swung his sword in a blinding speed and was able to strike down Tyrian as if it was nothing. As a result, Tyrian fell to the ground and both his left arm and tail has been cleanly and quickly cut off.
"GGGYYYYYYYAAAAAA! YOU MASKED BASTARD!" Tyrian yelled out in immense pain. Before Tyrian could yell further, Hazel used the dust within his body and proceeded to quickly grab Tyrian and get off the cliff.
"Thanks, for your help again Hakumen." Jaune said in a nervous tone before he noticed that Hakumen is still holding his sword and feels the murderous intent from the White Void
"All of you, stand aside. As for you Beast, surrender and your death will be quick and painless. More of a mercy than you truly deserve." Hakumen stated to the group while giving a faceless glare at Ragna. After the statement, the group mentally prepared themselves and stood between Ragna and Hakumen
"We don't know the full story and I appreciate you saving my life last year. But Ragna is our friend and we won't just abandon him." Jaune said as he raised his shield
"Your judgement is noble as it is impulsive and misguided. Yet I see that you all stand by your actions with resolve. Very well, understand that I will do what I must and let nothing stand in my way for the sake of the world. I am the White Void, I am the Cold Steel, I am the Just Sword! With Blade in hand shall I reap the sins of the world and cleanse them in the fires of destruction. I am Hakumen the end has come!" Hakumen yelled before he released a quick yet powerful burst of power that the entirety of team RBAL felt.
(A/N)
I wanted to do something different for the Volume 4 portion of this story aside from having Jin join Ruby's group in the travel to Haven. So I decided to make the Nuckelavee Grimm an abnormal Grimm which will make it stronger.
In case there are any questions, Hakumen did not come from out of nowhere. At this point in the story, Hakumen has traveled around most of Remnant. So him being in Mistral was for the most part a coincidence. In a previous chapter, it was confirmed that Hakumen fought one of the Branwen tribe's Raid Parties. Which confirmed that he is in Mistral. In the chapter when Ragna released his second seal. Hakumen felt the energy presence and is the only character that refers to Ragna as the Beast. Which was mentioned in the same chapter.
As it stands, Hakumen is an even bigger threat than Hazel and Tyrian. The reason he didn't kill Tyrian or Hazel is because Ragna is the bigger priority to him.
So read and review
Thank you