"A possible act of sabotage could be underway right in the academy and the tournament itself.'
Indigo remained stern as she uttered that phrase. It had caught Subaru off-guard, his face revealing a hint of shock and surprise, though not as far as that time when he discovered that Rem had been eaten by gluttony. In fact, her warning to him is a bit tame compared to the things he had gone through, even the ones that are from Remnant itself.
But nonetheless, it had only been a single year without any major incidents happening from his perspective. Though knowing his experience and luck, he should have been more attentive and prepared for this sort of outcome in the first place. As such, that simple phrase drove his now rather inquisitive mind into a frenzy, even if his face did not show it that much from the perspective of others.
He had sat down with a restless leg alongside the rest of his team inside their dormitory. His hands had covered his lower face. Subaru then took a deep breath, before exhaling just as much in order to calm his mind.
Though even with all of the things he had gone through being a hint of his ever increasing wisdom, he could not think clearly. There just wasn't enough information to go off of this warning flag. Why didn't they tell him sooner? Why had things been so sudden for him recently? What had they been hiding all this time? Question after question piled up inside his mind with no clear answer he could give for any of them. Natsuki Subaru was truly and utterly confused, and off-guard.
There simply wasn't enough time to think about what was going on for him. With the tournament getting closer to its finale, he can't really plan a thorough investigation to delve into what might possibly be going on behind the scenes.
But, he could always ask the people who seemingly knew much more than he did at the moment. He looked up to face the two girls, Indigo and Scarlet, and promptly asked them the most basic of questions he could muster out of his overworked mind.
"Who are they?" Asked Subaru.
"Cinder Fall and Neopolitan. Two people that I never thought would work together." Said Indigo, "One is a direct subordinate of The Black Queen, the one that sent Hyena to you. The other is an experienced assassin, and a friend of ours, her former partner in crime, Roman Torchwick, was executed well over one and a half years ago just so you know who she is."
Indigo looked at Scarlet, her friend's expression noticeably souring and her grip on her skirt tightening at the mention of her more deranged past self. Indigo wanted to comfort her, but a more important situation was at hand.
"Who is the Black Queen?" Subaru asked her.
The question caught Indigo by surprise, "I...no, we don't know, and Scarlet never really wanted to open up about her. Ozpin seemed to also be in the dark about her, only knowing the name of the previous holder of that title." She answered.
Subaru looked at a tense Scarlet sitting beside him. From the looks of things, Scarlet was struggling to keep her composure. He could even see her whole body trembling with heavy anxiety. Subaru's face grew solemn for a moment as he thought, maybe they could have a nice casual chat with her after this ordeal was over.
"Natsuki," She called out to him, making him instinctively turn towards her, "I suggest that we should use Cor Leonis as a way to push Scarlet's performance to her max potential. It's the only way to ensure our victory."
Subaru blinked, "What do you mean? Could you please elaborate more?"
"Scarlet's full potential is being limited by her external spine implant. It essentially halves her potential due to it functioning as a torture device for her during her time as Hyena. If she ever decides to recklessly push her limits, that pain will increase drastically." She answered him, "But if we can remove that pain instead, it would be guaranteed that she'll possess more than enough firepower to go toe to toe with the likes of Cinder for a while, and the only way to do that is to-"
Subaru nodded, "I accept the proposal."
"What?" Indigo responded, wide eyes and mouth agape.
She was a bit shocked at his decision, not that she would complain though. But nonetheless, it concerns her that Subaru was willing to take people's burdens easily like that.
"These two opponents the two of you are about to face will threaten the safety of the academy and the people that are currently in it. So, it's obvious that I'll lend you a helping hand, even if I have to suffer for it."
Indigo was once again, dumbfounded. The man that sat in front of her was truly something different in her eyes. "Your courage and loyalty are worthy of praise, but you're really reckless, you know that right?"
"Uhh...w-well...you see, I-" Subaru was cut off.
"You're already used to it, yes, we know. It's just that this is a really concerning problem, you really need some help in not being so uncaring towards pain."
Subaru could only chuckle and scratched the back of his head with a lowered back, wearing an awkward smile as a visual response.
"Any other important things you want to tell me about before we set out on this whole 'boosting Scarlet's performance' operation?" He asked her again, fully recovered from the sudden surge of awkwardness he had that came from Indigo's comment on his reckless behavior.
"I-" Indigo was cut off by Beatrice, who was sitting beside her contractor, before she could fully utter her response.
"Betty would like to offer her opinion, in fact."
"Go ahead." Subaru replied, smiling a bit.
"Betty thinks that strategy is reckless, I suppose. You should know that even if Subaru accepts the plan…"
"Beako, you know I already did, right?" Subaru interjected.
She ignored his words, "...Betty would not support it. Meaning, you two will have limited time before the Scarlet girl regains her physical burdens again. Betty won't allow herself and anyone other than Betty's Subaru to accept Cor Leonis for it to last longer. She does not accept this plan, in fact!"
Subaru raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so selfish all of a sudden? You've been pretty quiet as well for the past half a day, Beako."
"She's a child Subaru, give her a break and not comment on her behavior when the situation is dire." Indigo added.
"She's 400 years old, even if she acts like one sometimes, she's wiser and older than most of us here." Subaru counter-argued.
Indigo was yet again, shocked. She gave no comment on the matter though, as she already knew that Beatrice was not a normal girl. Someone that can do what she did is totally not normal at all in her mind. She chose to stay quiet, scooting away towards Scarlet who began to lean onto her shoulder once again, with the white-haired assassin stroking her hair to lessen her mental burden in the process.
Subaru sighed before gazing towards Beatrice, giving another go-ahead for her to speak up her thoughts.
Beatrice looked at him before sighing and looking away, "Betty feels jealous due to Subaru's involvement with other girls, I suppose. She feels upset that she felt left out too, even if she knew that Subaru had other things to handle and think about. Betty is Subaru's contracted spirit, she has a right to be selfish, in fact."
Beatrice pouted and released a quiet cry, upset at her contractor's selfless behavior, "She's also upset that she has to watch her contractor accept this proposal and take the burden in the first place, all of you are too reckless and never considered Betty's thoughts and feelings on this, I suppose."
The black-haired knight's eyes softened as he heard his spirit speak her feelings out. He saw her almost crying, with a tear falling down on her cheek from her right eye. He felt pity and a hint of regret that he didn't speak to her personally that much after Meili and Shaula's arrival, with him only having her tag along and not acting in any sort of way for her to feel that was a part of something. It has been only a day, but he felt as if she was left out for more than that.
So, in order to compensate, Subaru tucked her close, surprising her a little, and gave a small kiss on her forehead. Beatrice immediately pushed him away, with her face fully red from the embarrassment, scooting away and having her eyes look somewhere else in an attempt to hide it. Subaru smiled at that before he gave her a pat on the head.
"Take that as compensation from all of the chances for you to bond with me that were lost on this day. I promise you that we'll get to spend more time together once all of this is over, alright?" He said to her with a small chuckle.
"I-it's not funny! Subaru should've told Betty that Betty's Subaru wanted to give her a k-kiss, in fact!" She uttered shyly, still looking away from him, "But if Betty's Subaru promised that, she'll forgive you for this time only, I suppose."
Subaru smiled at her reply before he refocused his gaze towards Indigo, "So, anything to add before we end this group huddle?"
Seeing that both Beatrice and Scarlet's situation had somewhat calmed down, Indigo spoke up her answer, "I don't have any further information to tell you for this time. All you need to know is that we wanted to borrow your power, which you accepted, in order to prevent them from winning. I believe that if we win, their chances of success will plummet to the ground, and the crisis would at most be averted, or it'll be easier to handle at least."
He nodded, though he had one more thing to confirm with her first. "One more question, before we end this." He said, raising his hand.
"What is it?"
He lowered his arm, "Why didn't you tell these two being the possible culprits towards Ozpin and his friends?"
Indigo had expected that, but her thoughts remained ambiguous when it came to her status with the headmaster after her outburst.
So, she decided to try her best in answering, "I...don't fully trust him, he's too secretive and slow. Even if that could be the best choice, my hate for him easily overwhelmed me from actually going for it. We could tell this to Ozpin later, but I'm not sure."
"Uhuh…" Subaru slowly processed the information inside his head, which concluded the possibility of Indigo having a natural born hatred for the grey-haired headmaster. "I think we should talk about that once the match is done, your history with him and all."
Indigo sighed, "Meet me at the rooftops for that, I don't want him eavesdropping on us."
Subaru nodded in affirmation, looking towards his comrades with a confident and wide grin. He placed his hands on his knees as he said, "It's settled then, even if this counts as cheating, we're doing something necessary in order to prevent a crisis from growing out of our control. So this meeting will conclude with an obvious answer: The operation is a go!"
"Shaula, why are you wearing cat ear headbands?"
Ruby turned towards the scorpion girl next to her with an eyebrow raised, her question filled with a tone of curiosity as they sat at their respective seats. Her team had sat in their usual rows going by their initials, Ruby being at the far side, Weiss next to her who then sat next to Blake, with Yang on the other end as well. Meili sat next to Shaula, while team JNPR subsequently also sat in the next row above them. The entire colosseum was filled with people as well, and most of the seats had already been filled, with only a few left open for others to come and enjoy the next match.
Shaula gazed at her holding the headband on her head, it was brown with green insides, the same colour of her hair and eyes respectively. She was a bit confused at her question, tilting her head at her before she started to swing her legs. She stared at the night sky above before answering with, "I found them at Master's secret stash, yep! Shaula knows that Master likes demi-humans with cute features, so wearing this should get Shaula a better chance at seducing him, yep!"
Blake blushed a bit at her answer, and her words also gained the attention of the others around her.
"I thought he liked the half-elf girl? Though seeing as they count as demi-humans, it would make some sense…" Weiss pondered.
"It is true that my Master likes girls with silver hair, but he should give me a chance to be with him! Shaula is upset, yep! He should apologize by kissing me, yep!" Shaula responded, puffing up her chest while crossing her arms.
"You sound really desperate, you know that?" Blake said to her.
"Well she did say she got left out for years on end without ever meeting him again, so...eh?" The little rose remarked, shrugging, still confused.
Yang thought of something for a moment before turning towards her team, "In that case, it means that their love for each other stings! Eh? Eh? Because Shaula's a scorpion girl? They have stingers?"
The rest of her team groaned at her, earning a disappointed Yang, who looked away and muttered something about not being appreciated enough.
"That's pretty offensive to say the least, and awful, like, that was among the worst of your puns." Pyrrha replied, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, "Also, hello again! And nice ears by the way!" She resumed with a wave towards them. Only Ruby and Meili waved back, Shaula smiled at her compliment.
After Pyrrha's greeting, they looked towards the situation with team JNPR. Ren and Nora were bickering about the next fight. It's mostly Nora with Ren always calmly answering her with his patience running out ever so slightly. Jaune was looking at his scroll, scrolling through the web while listening into the conversations.
Pyrrha continued, looking towards Weiss and Yang which she gained the attention of, "Oh I forgot to mention, congratulations on your victory against Flynt and Neon! That was a really narrow one you two managed to snatch."
"Thank you, though they were clearly no match for us!" Weiss bragged, smiling while holding a prideful pose.
"They were more than a match for you two, you got yourself burnt out, literally!" Jaune interrupted, closing his scroll before putting it inside his pockets.
"Yeah, even Nora fainted." Ren added.
"I did not faint in any way! I was merely taking a short nap! Isn't that right, Ren?" Nora replied to him, pulling herself close to his face with a threatening tone.
Ren turned his gaze away, "Yes yes, you're right. You're only taking a short nap."
"In the middle of a tournament?" Meili questioned, finally turning her head towards the ginger-haired girl.
"YES!" Nora yelled as she stood up from her seat, making the purple-haired girl flinch a little.
"She's just embarrassed, don't even bother trying to argue with her," Said Ren, pulling the ginger girl down to her seat again.
"Well, at least someone appreciates my work! Unlike you three who groaned at my puns all the time!" Yang said in a faked upset tone after listening to Ren and Nora's bickering.
The rest of team RWBY looked at her confusingly, not really understanding what Yang was talking about.
"I mean, making terrible puns and fighting off two opponents at once are two different things, so…" Ruby said to her big sister.
"Yeah, they're two different things." Blake replied.
Yang once again looked away. She felt upset at their replies. Truly, she's deeply disappointed that no one except her dad liked her puns, but at least they appreciated her efforts.
After a few moments of silence while the group waited for the fight to begin, Jaune decided to speak up, "Has anyone ever thought of how Subaru gained his fame back in his homeland? Like, he never clearly explained it, except towards you two," he gestured towards Ruby and Weiss, "like, what did he do other than killing three great beasts and defeating two supernaturally powerful bad guys, and becoming a crucial and key player in an empire's civil wa- wait, that really explained how he gained his fame now does it?"
His words earned him quite a few chuckles, though it did put some of them into thought about the raven-black and scary-eyed young man, specifically Ruby Rose. Who knows? Maybe they could get some more of Subaru's past for them to wonder about.
"Well, maybe we could ask the two over there for more information?" Ruby said
"Hmm, what do you mean~? Weren't the things that the scraggly man said about already enough?" Meili asked her.
"Well, considering that Shaula claimed that she and Subaru knew each other for more than 100 years ago, maybe we could get more info about him?" Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, that could be a good reason to ask about him more, it's not weird for him to have some kind of immortality after the things he had done right?" Weiss said, Blake and Yang nodded in agreement as well.
Shaula turned towards them, now grinning before puffing up her chest again before boasting, "Well whaddya know, Shaula's here to help, yep! The Sage's Apprentice shall assist you in your questioning, umu umu! What shall be your first question?"
Meili stared at the scorpion girl with skeptical eyes. She knew that what may come next might not be true at all, since she knows just how old her adoptive father truly is. But, this might provide her some entertainment so that she won't be bored.
"Ooh Ooh! Me first!" Nora interrupted, raising her hand with an excited smile, "Does he have a dragon!?"
"I can answer that, yep! He does have one! Shaula and Master always rode on his back whenever we go to work, yep! Though the old man had really gotten senile over the years, he still recognized both of us whenever we see him!"
"Really now? I thought Patrasche-chan was still quite young, wait…you're not talking about Volcanica are you!?" Meili said to her.
"I do! That blue senile dragon was really generous for offering us a ride everyday! Plus, to boast on how amazing my master is, every time Shaula was about to get sexually harassed by that darn perverted so-called sword saint of a human garbage, Master always defends me and beats him up to a pulp! He is truly amazing, yep! He even choked the half-elf witch to submission every night in bed at the tower, Shaula wished that he would do that to me for our first time though...Master is an idiot for not recognizing my feelings!"
The two teams were shocked at her explanation. Not only that they didn't know Subaru owned a dragon and befriended possibly another one that could possess a legendary status, he was also somehow able to beat down a 'sword saint', even when they and he himself know that he is weak. And not to mention, the last part got most of them blushing mad, going silent from the apparent awkwardness that was created by the scorpion girl's rambles.
Shaula, after finishing her rant, turned towards the group beside and above her, holding a prideful and smug-like expression and grin, "Now, next question for the Great Sage's Favorite Apprentice?"
"Uhh...yeah, how about we talk about something else, other than boasting about the things I clearly didn't do!?" Subaru said behind her.
"Master! How are you here!? Did you use Kamui to instantly teleport here!? Also do you like my cat ears?" She half-yelled, quickly turning towards him.
Both the black-haired knight and his contracted spirit had finally arrived, and now were searching for their respective seats. But Shaula's constant boasting about him was heard by Subaru just now, to which he promptly responded with that. He was utterly embarrassed at his so-called apprentice's actions that he had to intervene.
"No, we just got here, I suppose! And stop using more subaruisms that Betty had not understood yet! She is jealous, you know!" Beatrice said before sitting down next to Meili.
Subaru proceeded to lift Beatrice up moments after she had sat down though, and she was then put on his lap as he sat down. "You really just referenced Naruto huh, just how far did your master go on teaching you about Japanese culture here!? Also yes, I like it!"
"You are my Master! Don't differentiate yourself when you don't have an identity crisis, yep! And to answer that question, I actually learned how babies are made from those picture books that you made and told Shaula about, Master! The one that was called Metamorphosis was pretty sad when you told the story though, Shaula almost cried, yep! Sniff sniff." She replied.
"Eh!? That far!? And don't you dare make a sound effect of you crying, especially when it's about that!"
Shaula pouted and huffed. Her master had definitely changed as a person, but she loved him nonetheless. Even if he rejected her, she would still stay with him always.
"What's Metamorphosis about?" Ruby suddenly asked, raising her hand as she and her team, and the rest, looked at their interaction.
"No no! I don't want to tell you, it's something that will break your innocence! Nope! No bueno-ack!" Subaru half-yelled, shaking his head furiously before being suddenly stopped by a sudden surge of pain on his back. Now he just knows how painful it is for Scarlet, as he had Beatrice supporting him at all times throughout his journey here with murak, the effect pretty much dissipated until now.
But even if the pain was unbearable for him, he had to endure, it's the price to pay for Cor Leonis to be used after all.
"Yup, that really hurts…" He muttered.
"It seems that the spell has ended, I suppose. Do you want Betty to recast it again?" Beatrice asked, a bit concerned.
"No no, it's fine, if I don't move it'll go down on its own...damn, I don't know that it can be this painful...I've had worse though-Argh!" Another sharp stab was felt behind his back.
"Subaru! Are you okay!?" Asked Ruby.
"Yeah man, I think you need to go to the infirmary for this. It looks pretty bad." Jaune suggested.
"It's fine! I'm fine, just a backache after a recent sparring session-ack! Scarlet really did a number on me, I shouldn't have done that earlier…" He said, trying to sound as normal as possible, though he's not sure if he succeeded.
"Your back is hurt, that's something serious, you know?" Ren said to him, "An infirmary is the best place for you to be in right now, you can't force yourself to do this."
"You shouldn't try to help him, I suppose. Betty had already tried and she is the most trusted person Subaru has. If Betty's Subaru does not listen to her, it's safe to say that he won't budge, in fact!" Beatrice warned, not even bothering to look towards Ren.
"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, wanting confirmation.
She nodded, "Yes, Betty's sure. And to add, the pain will completely be gone after this fight is over, in fact. Betty's sure of that too!"
Team RWBY and JNPR didn't even bother questioning her after that. Even if they're worried for his health, knowing what the loli spirit is capable of, it's best to trust in her words and focus on the fight ahead instead.
Beatrice sighed, "I hope that it will end quicker, I suppose."
Subaru gave off a sigh, struggling to hold back the pain as he looked towards Shaula and Meili. Both possessed a concerned look, their eyes similar to that of a sad puppy trying to check and help their owner. Subaru mentally chuckled at their acts, and he proceeded to give Meili a head pat to assure her, even if moving even an inch would hurt him more.
As he was doing that, he looked towards Shaula and said, "Shaula, after this, how about we have a talk, face to face, person to person. Tsk….th-there's something important I want to tell you before I'm needed somewhere else."
"Will Master be okay?" She asked in a somber tone.
"Your master will be okay, I'm sure. Just, promise and obey his orders, alright?" The nasty-eyed man gave off a weak smile and placed his hands on Shaula's head, caressing her hair after his adoptive daughter had turned around to face the arena below.
"Alright Master! Shaula will promise to obey you again!"
He chuckled as he turned towards the front, "Alright...I think we should focus on the fight. It's been several minutes, I think they're just about ready now."
Shaula nodded eagerly and did so as well. Swinging her legs and playing with her new headband. She was happy that he's here, at least he won't leave her behind anymore.
Cheers erupt from the crowds seated above as both Scarlet and Indigo arrive at the central circle of the colosseum. Indigo wore her usual equipment, with her armor, mask, and pair of swords stuck to her hips. Scarlet on the other hand, did not bother to do so, still in her combat outfit but did not bring her swords, as if she's confident enough to not need them at all.
A rather satisfied and relaxed look fell upon the crimson war goddess, stretching out her gloved palm, no apparent sense of pain at all. She stretched further, no signs of pain as well. For the first time, a genuine smile covered her face. Unlike last time where she had to force it, her current one seems so gentle and confident. She felt more alive than ever before since the end of the Old Scarlet.
"Are you alright?" Indigo asked beside her, her mask covering her expression.
She nodded, "I'm feeling great!"
Granted, her thoughts still delved into self-hatred and she does keep blaming herself more and more as time went on. But Subaru's ability had halved the total amount of burdens that she carries. Now she just had to worry about her mental health more than her physical one, at least for now.
She felt indebted towards Subaru, and internally, she had started to grow a sense of comfort and warmth around him. Even with the pain that she carries clouding her mind, she felt safe, and she could see them becoming close friends, if not already.
After nodding to each other, they then refocused their gaze towards the two opponents in front of her. Both sides are familiar with one another, and their familiarity was even more evident with the fact that Neo waved at Scarlet, greeting her as an old friend.
The diminutive girl though promptly ignored her other opponent, Indigo. And the aforementioned person reacted with a bit of shock and regret after that subtle display.
Cinder looked at the short girl beside her, presenting an awful look of resentment towards her act. She sighed, not bothering to talk at all for this fight, she needed to focus, as the two opponents in front of her are something not to be messed with so easily.
The holographic banners that circled the entire arena soon began to blare to life, and after randomizing, had determined the biomes that shall be present for the fight. Forest, geyser, urban, and ice.
Scarlet then soon began to conjure a halberd on her hands and spun it around. Unlike her depowered semblance in the past which can only conjure the necessary shapes and details of each weapon, her halberd presented much more intricate details and design. It possesses varying shades of red, making it seem like a real physical object and not something that is just made out of aura.
She smiled at it, admiring the details herself, as it's something that she wouldn't be able to do for long, she just knew it.
The speakers then also began to blare to life, Professor Oobleck proceeded to speak his words shortly after the ringing had stopped.
"3, 2, 1, begin!"
A wave of energy travelling at the speed faster than sound immediately engulfed the entire arena. Its proceeding boom sounded off afterwards with a loud cannon-like bang, enough to kick up dust that blinded a large part of the arena. The sheer kinetic force sent Cinder and Neo back towards a ruined building, turning it into mere rubble.
The crowds sat shocked, even the announcers were silent with mouths agape. Subaru could only watch intently, but with that initial attack, he had confirmed that the rumors of Scarlet being an absolute beast in her prime were true. He hoped that they'll win this one, even with the unbearable pain on his back.
Scarlet had just tested out her strongest move using her halberd, which she aptly named Wave Of Absolution. After she had nodded to herself after confirming that her full power had just been reached, she looked towards Indigo and gestured to her to continue on with their plan.
Indigo responded with a nod, "Good luck." And promptly disappeared into the dust fog just before it settled down.
As the large cloud of dust dissipated, the crimson goddess proceeded to check the damages around her. All of the biomes were either ruined immediately, resembling the aftermath of a nuclear bomb, or are completely covered in rubble and debris from other biomes present around them.
After so long, after so many times she had told herself that she's nothing but a mere destructive monster, with the exception of her time as Hyena, she actually felt like one. She was not sure whether to feel relieved that she had temporarily become what she had wished, or be afraid of her own power. But alas, she had a job to do.
Cinder had stepped out of the pile of rubble now behind her, she looked towards Neo and was forced to say something after promising to not do it for the fight. She had noticed that the white haired assassin had gone missing.
She sighed, "Go to Indigo, I'll handle this one."
The tri-coloured girl nodded and went off as ordered, holding tight to her parasol as she ran to the forest biome, completely littered with debris and fallen trees.
Cinder looked towards Scarlet once more, smiling as she stared at her familiar opponent. "So, you've achieved your war goddess status again, after…what? 6 years?" Cinder said to her.
Scarlet went to her stance, still using her halberd, "Yeah, feeling like one right now," She responded smiling, "So...care to dance?"
Cinder took out her bow and conjured three arrows from her quiver, "It would be my pleasure to take the kind offer."
Scarlet sent several wind blades in one swing of her halberd and advanced towards Cinder with haste, ushering a sonic boom in the wake of her charge.
The ashen princess dodged it with little to no effort, and responded by firing her bow. She fired three arrows at a time, each of them filled with combustion dust, made to deter her opponent from advancing as she maneuvered around as well, trying to avoid a melee with her opponent if possible.
A series of explosions occurred as the arrow tips impacted the ground, Scarlet was forced to halt her advance and weave through the volleys.
Cinder continued on to suppress her with a few more volleys. And after Cinder felt confident enough to move forward, she went on to use her semblance, Scorching Caress.
She touched the ground below her, and as if it was magic, it heated up to the point it turned into magma in a near instant.
Cinder smiled and conjured shards of glass and obsidian from it. She created dozens, hundreds, and then a thousand of them. And like a volley of bullets shot by a thousand men, Cinder launched them against the War Goddess.
Scarlet was caught off guard, but with her newfound boost, she was not that overwhelmed. Stubbornly so, she did not back off and try to find a way to circumvent it.
Instead, she weaved and deflected Cinder's shards with her halberd and charged forward towards the volley. She did not even bother about the rest of the incoming shards damaging her aura, as her sheer sound-breaking speed prevented most of it from ever reaching her.
She managed to close the distance and struck down with her halberd, consequently stopping the barrage by forcing her opponent to react.
Cinder splitted her bow into a pair of swords and parried her strike before taking a few steps backwards.
Scarlet went for a lower strike and charged through with a thrust. Cinder receded once again and weaved through the polearm to strike at her sides. Scarlet dodged it, and used the back of her halberd to strike at her chin to force her to back off, it was a hit.
Cinder was knocked off balance and managed to narrowly dodged an upper strike from Scarlet with a backwards roll, who continued on with her advance. She then dodged and parried another swing and thrust from her.
She cannot find any possible opportunities of counter attack, for the speed which Scarlet attacked her exceeded even that of Ruby's with her scythe.
Each swing cuts through the air, making it scream like a banshee. It forced her to be on the defense, parrying and dodging every swing and thrust given to her, which in honesty impressed both of them as they fought.
But after deflecting another downwards strike from Scarlet, Cinder leapt backwards. She combined her swords into her bow once more before firing another set of three arrows towards her opponent.
The exploding arrows managed to connect with their hits. Cinder then landed and soon fell back. She had decided to abandon her plans for a quick fight, and now hoped for a battle of attrition to tire the Crimson Goddess instead.
Scarlet was knocked back by the explosion of the arrows but regained her composure, managing to catch a glimpse of Cinder's withdrawal.
With an annoyed sigh, she turned her halberd into a pair of swords, and forced herself to pursue her towards the rocky geysers of the arena.
All that Indigo could think of as she hides within the ruined foliage of the forested area of the arena was the proposed plan by Subaru before this particular match.
Simply put, let Scarlet handle Cinder, as she seems to be the most dangerous of them all. As for Indigo, who knows Neo the most after Scarlet, will try to negotiate for a deal with her if the ambush fails. If they can get Neo to stand down and try to play out a believable defeat, their victory can be guaranteed. But if all else fails, take her out as fast as possible.
Her expression turned into a serious frown, she was really not sure if this would really work. But, Subaru did reassure her that he has experience in being a strategist. So, maybe she could, for now.
After processing her thoughts on the plan for this engagement, Indigo tightened the grip of her double bladed sword, which she had recently named Nightfall before the fight. She was not sure why she didn't name her weapon until now, probably because it was unnecessary to begin with.
Her eyes then focused onto a new presence in front of her, just who she was after. Short stature and holding an umbrella. Her looks even felt a bit nostalgic for the white haired assassin. Neo had just entered her area.
'Subaru Natsuki, I hope you're right on this one!' She thought to herself.
Indigo crouched down to one knee, preparing herself to pounce at the right moment. But Neo then turned towards her position, seemingly curious as she held up her umbrella. Indigo hesitated further, she had covered herself with the necessary camouflage for the environment just a moment ago.
But then she realized something, Neo's smiling while placing her left hand on her hip, she's mocking her. Indigo sighed, a lost cause.
The white haired assassin stood up from her hiding spot, still covered in leaves and patches of mud, a disappointed look presented itself beneath her mask. "It's the white hair isn't it?"
Neo merely frowned while observing her opponent's entire body, she can't do sign language, but she attempted to communicate either way. A few gestures and pointing was done by her to indicate a message to Indigo.
"So that's a yes, and you're also pointing out that my blue made it stand out?" Indigo questioned.
Neo nodded, before immediately getting into her stance, giving off a smug smile. Indigo sighed while also lighting up her weapon, getting to her stance as well.
"You don't have to do this. You know you're fighting for the wrong side, right?" Indigo said to her as they circled each other upon the forest clearing.
Neo frowned at that, not sure of what Indigo is going for, but still somewhat pissed off.
"How about we make a deal, then? You will purposely lose, but make it believable so as to not raise any suspicion from both sides. We can sabotage the enemy from the inside, like old times."
Neo hesitated, stopping in her tracks. She began to consider her old friend's proposal, which seemed enticing to say the least. Though, she still stood determined enough as to not be lured into it. Indigo then continued.
"I know you seem suspicious because of my close ties with Godfather and his plans, but I assure you; this fight is for the good of Remnant, and this is coming from the words not passed down by him, but by someone else. You and Cinder may know who that is since you're both here."
Neo gripped her weapon tighter, still not being lured to accept. Indigo softened her expression beneath her mask after breathing out a sigh once again, and shortly after removed it altogether. Her sweaty and pleading face projected towards her, making Neo a bit uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Roman was a good man, even though his profession was a bit questionable. As for what had happened five years ago that made you feel that way about me, I would like to deeply apologize for it as well, it was something that even V could not prevent himself." Indigo said with a sigh, "But right now, you have the potential to make this eventual crisis far easier to prevent. So please, help out an old friend will you?"
Neo sighed, giving off a saddened frown as she briefly dropped her guard. Indigo smiled, thinking that she had finally accepted it, so she decided to drop her stance as well.
Neo approached her opponent's vicinity, presenting a soft and kind smile towards her. She then closed her parasol and positioned it behind her back. Completely harmless, that was the vibe that she gave off to the white haired assassin.
"So you're accepting then-"
Indigo was knocked back by a kick to her face. It was a surprise attack she did not manage to see through, which irritated her.
But with a quick switch of her position in the air, she regained her footing on the earthen ground shortly after, sliding backwards on the dirt whilst holding her sword tight behind her.
Indigo sighed, "It was worth a try."
Neo extended the concealed blade from her parasol and charged at Indigo with an initial pounce and then a thrust aimed at her now unprotected face.
Though Indigo managed to back away and weaved her blade through Neo's defenses, giving her a solid hit to her chest with a thrust, knocking her opponent back.
"Sorry if I accidentally utter any words that might sting you, again." Indigo said, her expression turning into a sad frown.
Neo replied with a mute huff and a scowl as she attempted to stand back up, but the white haired assassin had other plans for her. Indigo brought out and threw a flashbang towards her, stunning her with the namesaken effects, a flash and a bang.
It should be enough for her to move on with the next phase of her plan, which is to try and make her go on the aggressive.
Having decided on that, Indigo ran deeper into the forest, hopping over a log before climbing up a tree and jumping across branches faster than even Subaru's parkour skills aided with murak could handle.
Neo meanwhile had recovered from her daze, shaking her head before giving chase towards Indigo. Neo weaved through obstacle after obstacle in her path. While she's not as strong as Indigo is combatively, she's certain that her body is much more agile and faster than her.
Both knew their differences well enough that they could communicate without words sometimes.
The diminutive girl then rolled over shortly after falling from a tree branch, Indigo was now right in front of her. With a short pounce Neo managed to catch Indigo off-guard from the back, making her stumble upon a rock before falling forwards towards a clearing among the forest canopy.
Neo struggled to hold on to her choke hold, but Indigo replied by headbutting her from the back, giving her time to break free.
Indigo then proceeded to grab her weaker forearms and pulled it away from her neck, before giving her a kick that knocked her back towards a nearby tree, dazing her a bit.
Neo quickly recovered however, charging through and giving Indigo a thrust and a kick which Indigo blocked and deflected.
They then traded strike after strike with an ever increasing rate of attacks, Indigo being on the defensive and Neo on the aggressive, as it was intended to be.
With kicks, thrusts, and swings they have created a delicate tango of sword and parasol. Both were equally skilled and were experts in their art.
It's as if they had known each other for more than a decade in the eyes of the audience. Both knew of their moves so well that it came natural to them to react in a certain way just within a brief glance of each of their attacks.
It's almost captivating, and a much more intricate spectacle compared to the one happening by the geysers.
One could say that if they were to fight blind, nothing would change and it would've stayed the same as is, with the exception of the exclusion of sight as an element of their fight.
With a deadly grace and speed they had conjured a dance of battle, full of action with no wasted movement, fitting of their roles as assassins.
Though even if the audience were to demand it to last longer for their satisfaction, for the sake of the participants of this dance, it all must come to an end.
The exchange lasted for a few more minutes, which was then finalized by the aggressor, Neo. She pounced into the air and gave Indigo a flying kick which knocked her back.
Indigo managed to recover and attempted to attack back with a diagonal swing of her double bladed sword. But, with a sly smile, Neo had managed to exploit an opening and returned the strike to her with ease, knocking her away from her once more.
"Alright, enough of this! Amplify 25%!"
Neo's eyes widened, she knew what it meant. The hard light blade of Indigo's sword grew into an almost blinding light, her old friend is definitely pissed off. But, Neo stood determined, she knows her, and she will take that to her advantage.
Focusing more on dodging than blocking, Neo moved towards her opponent and proceeded to reply with a thrust aimed at Indigo's neck.
The white haired assassin simply dodges it and gives a jab with her weapon's conjoined hilt. Indigo continued with the swing of her blade that Neo managed to dodge.
Neo confirmed that her friend is certainly pissed off. It's a foolish endeavor to fight her now, she knows that.
So on that note, Neo tried to run away, but she was met with a flying blade that had almost caught her in the back. It proceeded to cleave through multiple trees at once, with their trunks burning with a searing radiance of heat and flame in the aftermath, before returning to Indigo's hand.
Neo confirmed that there's no way of escape with that sort of damage being possible for her opponent.
Indigo pounced at her with a vicious thrust, Neo managed to move away quickly enough before being met with a kick to the side of her face, and a slice at her parasol.
Indigo's weapon, Nightfall, had come into contact with her weapon, Hush. Though it was not the first time both objects had clashed, it was a first for Hush to actually be cut in half like a hot knife through butter.
All that was left of Neo's weapon was her melting handle which she proceeded to drop to the ground. Her face stood in shock and horror before being met with a blunt force, a hard kick from Indigo that swiftly knocked her out cold, one that would last until the end of the match.
"Again, sorry for this Neo, but it had to be done." Indigo uttered with a sigh.
She lifted Neo up and placed her onto a comfortable spot for her to rest, it was the most she could do to compensate for her defeat, at least for now.
Shortly after, Indigo moved on and ran fast, as she sensed that Scarlet may need her help against Cinder. She knew that Scarlet would not last long with the drawbacks of Subaru's authority being an ever present timer. Indigo just hoped that Scarlet could last long enough for her to help out.
Tremors and shockwaves littered the geyser and steam filled field. The Crimson War Goddess dashed across the blasts of boiling water with astonishing speeds.
She dodged incoming exploding arrows with ease and weaved through the volleys of obsidian shards launched at her as she went in pursuit of her opponent.
To Cinder herself, facing her was something akin to fighting a force of nature. She's struggling to even keep up with her.
Cinder had considered some other options to face Scarlet head on, but she knew she must not use her trump card lest she wanted to get caught.
Cinder scowled, continuing to fire arrow after arrow until-
"Shit!"
The last of her arrows had been spent. She really wished she could use her maiden powers right now, but she knew she's being watched from afar and will get caught if she ever does that.
Her mind raced in panic as she ran further and further away, reaching the central part of the arena once more, splitting her weapon into a pair of swords to prepare herself for another melee.
Scarlet advanced further, sending a wind blade from one of her aura-created swords; it cut through a geyser blast which allowed Scarlet to get through, before reaching Cinder, knocking her back several feet away as a result.
With an adrenaline filled grin, the Crimson Goddess, with a charge that caused shockwaves upon the battlefield, clashed her blades once more with her opponent's.
Cinder managed to hold out against the initial clash and backed away. But she was quickly met with a further barrage of attacks that pressured her further and further into a more defensive stance.
She tried to kick Scarlet away, but was met not only with a failure to do so, but also an upward slice at her torso as retaliation, damaging her aura even more.
Scarlet swept at her leg, making Cinder fall to the ground. She then attempted to stab her while she was prone, but Cinder managed to roll away and recover with her weapons still within her hands; It was a close call on Cinder's part.
Scarlet continued on by giving off another onslaught of strikes towards her afterwards, she's not giving up her advantage anytime soon.
But suddenly, Scarlet felt a begrudgingly and overwhelmingly painful weight upon her back. Her onslaught had stopped, which shocked Cinder and the crowds as well.
She almost fell to the ground, only managing to stand by using her swords as support. The sheer pain upon her lining of her spine had returned.
She tried to force herself not to scream, but she accidentally let out a painful yelp which concerned the spectating crowds of the match even more.
This could only mean one thing, Subaru had reached his limit, and as a result of that, Cor Leonis had been turned off.
Cinder had realized this on her own as well, grinning in satisfaction that she could finally go on the offensive. So with that, she charged forward and went for her first aggressive strike, a stab at Scarlet's abdomen.
Scarlet barely managed to parry it as she fought through the pain. She tried to retaliate, but she was only met with a parry and a kick to her jaw that knocked her to the ground.
Cinder felt exhilarated, resuming her attacks against Scarlet. Each of her next stabs, slices, and kicks either connect as hits or are an addition in her effort to pressure Scarlet further into a knockout.
It was a desperate situation for Scarlet, trying to dodge and block any attack whenever possible whilst the crowd watched in fear and anguish of her suffering. But the pain upon her back brought her down to her knees.
It was a close call and a valiant effort on her part in trying to win this match. Even if it reminded her of her failure half a decade ago, Scarlet was internally content with that fact. At least she tried.
But before the final hit could be done by Cinder, she was quickly met by a dust explosion that separated her from her ailing opponent. The explosion had conjured a smoke that temporarily obscured the intruder's form, but it was obvious enough who that might be.
"Indigo," Cinder scowled as she recovered, "way to go in ruining the party."
The white haired assassin stood in front of her victory. Wearing an ever hateful frown on her face, Indigo immediately charged forward with an overhead thrust of her sword, and a sweep targeting the legs of the Ashen Princess.
Cinder managed to parry the first strike, but was caught off guard by the other, falling to the ground again. She rolled away and overheated the ground in front of her into magma, trying to force Indigo to move away from Scarlet.
Indigo gave a small smile, "Old trick, bad move on your part."
She threw three needles filled with dust that proceeded to conjure itself into a floor of ice the moment it impacted the magma. Indigo used it to her advantage and dashed forward, going on the offensive by throwing volatile dust needles, several at a time.
It forced Cinder to back away again and again before she was finally hit by three of them at once, knocking her back even further than before, causing her to crash upon a ruined concrete building. Her aura started to flicker due to the severe damage on her part.
Cinder began to grow desperate. She had to do something, and she had an idea. While she was down, with the impending Indigo approaching her, Cinder turned on her earpiece, something she had put on in case of emergencies like these.
She contacted Emerald, and began to state her contingency plan. If this fails, she'll be forced to move on and to follow his command.
"Emerald, initiate the illusion." She uttered. Indigo is getting closer.
From the earpiece, Emerald replied, "C-cinder, are you sure about this?"
"Do it."
Meanwhile with Indigo, she had finally reached the once-was ruins as the smoke from the crash cleared, and her determined face turned into a confused one.
There were no signs of Cinder at all, something that brought several theories into her mind. She tried to investigate some of the spots that could be Cinder's hiding spot, but it was in vain. It left her appalled, but still on her guard.
Though in contrast, Cinder never moved at all. Knowing that Indigo had moved on to try and search for her, and seeing that it was an opportunity for her to strike back, Cinder moved away from her spot and proceeded to ambush her from the back.
But before she could do just that, she felt a sharp force against her. Her aura shattered with that last hit.
Cinder fell to the ground, defeated and knocked out.
However, the culprit was quickly found by the surprised Indigo, "Scarlet!?"
The war goddess laughed and went to her knees, panting off her exhaustion as her aura swords disappeared. Indigo went to help her get off her knees and stand, feeling every bit of happiness that Scarlet managed to survive.
Scarlet smiled, feeling as if she wanted to sleep from the sheer exhaustion and pain, "You can thank me later."
Indigo gave off a chuckle before hugging her tired friend. She smiled and promptly replied, "I know that. I'm just glad you're okay."
Scarlet gave off a tired but satisfied sigh, she could finally rest her mind after all of this. "Yeah, me too."
Indigo proceeded to carry her adoptive sister, and promptly do a final check on Cinder. But there was no body to be found. How did she escape? Was the clear question that popped into her mind.
Indigo sighed, she'll investigate that later. Afterall, she needed to tend to Scarlet before the next match. The sheer pain that her unofficial sibling had experienced is something that she must keep in mind as a responsibility whenever possible.
But on that note, at least they won. Just for now, they can breathe a sigh of relief and victory.
"Ozpin, are you sure about this?" A stern voice called out. Ironwood stood beside Ozpin as he said that, watching the footage of the tournament from afar.
They're currently the only ones present within the headmaster's office, as this is a more private matter to discuss. Qrow is unavailable due to him suddenly going missing, allegedly spotted near a bar taking some shots. Glynda is focusing on handling the students below, while also helping to prepare the finals for the festival.
And so, it's just them right now, two men with the position of authority, on top of the grand tower overlooking the entirety of Vale. To them, it seemed peaceful, but they certainly knew better that it wouldn't last. No matter how long it may take, the end will inevitably come.
"Telling someone as suspicious as him about Amber's condition, the gods, the current crisis, and the relic in general. It is dangerous!" Ironwood resumed, voicing his opinion with a slight outcry.
"If Indigo's right, this should suffice in helping us overcome this potential invasion, James. The black queen is someone we must not take lightly, and from what we see in that fight? The boy had planned it all and orchestrated his team to win from the start." Ozpin explained to him, taking a sip from his mug afterwards, "From what we can take from that footage, Subaru is shrewd and experienced. And if we connect the dots from what had happened a year ago to now, it seems he had somehow helped Scarlet to even things out against Cinder, the same way he helped Indigo in easing her pain during her fight with Hyena. It's not a mere coincidence that the boy is special."
Ozpin sighed whilst the general stood quiet, contemplating his explanation. After taking a deep breath, he resumed, "It's safe to assume that trust must be rebuilt between us, him and Indigo once again. I wholefully regret that we quarreled in the first place." Ozpin stood from his desk and walked past Ironwood, "I have considered her critique of me, and I have now decided that I will change a little. I will be sharing this truth to him in order to mend the wounds and heal the scars of our ruined relationship, and perhaps even get him to our side."
Ironwood turned his gaze, "But what if he refuses to help you?"
"From what I see, he and I are not that different in how we act, we can safely assume that he won't, and I'm willing to bet that. He would possibly realize it too this evening." He answered, taking a final sip from his mug before putting it back on the desk.
Ironwood sighed, "So, what now?"
The headmaster turned to him, "Tell the rest of the circle to come to the vault and have them wait for me, I'll take a small tour to the rooftops within half an hour or so from now. The end of the beginning is coming, it's best that we must prepare for the worst."