Don't say I didn't warn you about the wait. Expect slow updates as I'm planning to travel a lot very soon.

Enjoy the chapter.

He chose this.

A roar of hatred accompanied the fist slamming into his midsection. It wasn't from him.

This was his burden to bear. The price for his deeds.

The rolling clouds around them shifted violently as that fierce strike sent them spiraling.

He'll throw a right hook next. Then follow it up with a quick jab with his left.

After feeling the fist pull back, a right took its place, with the boys left soon following. Speed rendered both near streaks of white, yet it didn't hide the fact that he was correct in his prediction.

This boy was so expressive it gave his next attack away long before his body would execute. That look on his face screamed that his continued existence was an affront to all that was Just. It was all too easy to read. Truly it was a show of pure hearted honesty.

Had he ever been like that?

They both fight for what each believes is Just, yet why was the rage he was filled with so different? What had changed?

The snarl that accompanied the straight kick slamming into him served as a reminder that it didn't really matter. To this boy, he was now a monster in the most literal sense of the word. Nothing would change that.

Jaune leaped at him, grabbing onto the collar of his coat with one hand. Looking into those tear stained eyes showed a reflection he'd long tried to avoid seeing.

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to look at it for long as a torrent of punches blocked sight of them.

There was one thing that hadn't changed, though.

He was a riotous man. His entire life had been devoted to bettering the world. Even now, enduring this onslaught was merely a manifestation of that same core belief in justice. As strike after strike landed firmly on his face, he simply closed his eyes.

His feet scraped the ground as he was pushed back by force. When he felt Jaune let go and kick off his chest, he still didn't react. Skidding to a stop, he didn't bother with guarding, fully expecting the onslaught to continue. Maybe even hoping it would.

When it didn't, his eyes opened to see Jaune nearly collapsed on the floor. He was heaving badly. Yet, from the look in his eyes, he could tell that his anger had yet to waver. His body was a different story.

It looked that he'd surpassed even his own Aura's rejuvenating property and pushed his body beyond its breaking point.

As he stared into those hateful eyes barely kept open through sheer will alone, he was reminded of the eyes Summer now held. Though the eyes may be similar, there is one key difference between them, and it became more apparent as the seconds ticked by and the boy had yet to recover.

He swirled around and spat out a mixture of mucus and blood, all while his Aura worked to mend his wounds. By the end, he had recovered from his superficial injuries, seemingly rendering all that effort spent inflicting it pointless.

"Tell me, is that the limit to your resolve?"

No response. Why did that anger him so?

At this point, the boy was on one knee, clutching his chest greedily sucking down air.

"Stand up…."

He didn't budge.

"Stand up!" Not even the booming sound of his voice seemed good enough motivation.

"Fine. Then…then I'll end this farce." He should have ended this waste of time earlier. Instead, he allowed the situation to degrade this far. Well, no more.

It was time to complete his mission.

He turned and marched towards the edge of the dome of smoke. No more entertaining this selfish quest of self assurance. She was no doubt still watching.

"For what it's worth," He spoke aloud. "I hope they all died quickly."

He continued to approach the outskirts of the arena until abruptly stopping. However, it wasn't out of choice.

"We're… we're they with you…."

Even dead on his feet, he was still able to stump him.

"What?"

Turning, he saw the boy's eyes now cast to the ground as if lost in a memory.

Or perhaps a nightmare.

"Y-you know—those men…those monsters."

Men?

It took a long while, but it eventually struck him. Along with the memories came a sickening realization.

Did they-

"They tortured us."

His breathing stopped caught in his throat. That wasn't part of their deal.

"They played with us!"

They were merely supposed to deal with the alarm system, not—

"Answer me!"

He remained silent for a long time, unable to confront the harsh truth in front of him. Unable to even understand why this specific act of cruelty stabbed so deep in his heart.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Those villagers were to all have perished quickly in one single act of cruelty and then rest eternally without ever knowing why. To know no fear except for a brief moment.

They were only a means to that end. They weren't supposed to indulge themselves in needless violence.

This wasn't what I wanted.

Yet now, he must come face to face with the fallout of his actions. Just like she foresaw he would.

"I-I—"

Before he could even truly process what to say to this revelation, he was interrupted.

Both combatant's attention shot above as an object pushed through the layers of smoke. Slithering down from the heavens, it clawed and squirmed through the thick layers of debris. After it pushed through, it continued to float down, coming to rest in front of Hazel softly.

He didn't bother guarding, knowing full well what he was seeing, unlike the freaked out boy across from him.

It's jet black body was accented by bits of bone protruding from its flesh though what made up the bulk of the creature appeared to be a glass like material. Long red tendrils lazily fluttered about, somehow keeping it afloat midair while it drifted closer towards him.

It turned from merely unsettling to downright horrifying as, within the glass ball, a miasma of darkness swirled within until finally parting to reveal its master. His master.

Salem.

Even in this frazzled state, his mind was aware enough to throw his body down to a low kneel. He could only hope that with his head hung low that it would hide the mounting dread he felt at how the situation was deteriorating—a futile hope.

"Hazel."

Her voice was like honey, distracted and even lazy in its delivery, yet underlying it was an edge that showed her displeasure in a single utterance.

"Yes, my queen."

He didn't know if the hint of alarm in his voice would upset or please her.

"Hmm…it seems that the hunt is taking longer than expected. Explain."

He tensed. "I've…run into complications, my queen."

"Enlighten me. Tell me what is halting my current Champion from fulfilling this…oh so simple task."

Her ghastly appearance did nothing to hide the all too viciously human expression she wore. She already knew. She'd been watching from the start, so why go through the motions?

A lesson? Perhaps by having him reflect on his actions throughout the day, he'd come to see some revelation that would put his worries to rest.

Or is it simply to watch me squirm?

"The mission was progressing well. Everything was falling into place, my queen but then…."

"And then?"

His eyes wandered for a brief second, darting from her spectral image. Noticing, she had the image somehow twist itself coming to follow his line of sight.

"Hm, I see…or maybe I don't. Why don't you explain to me what that is?

His brow furrowed, yet her gaze no longer lingering on him did little to ease the pressure he felt. If anything, it was steadily gaining. It was threatening to swallow him whole.

"I see…I see a young boy—"

"Wrong."

He nearly flinched.

"All I see is an obstacle in our way. One that you have yet to vanquish."

His face didn't shift in the slightest. At this moment, he was grateful to have become used to hiding his emotions.

But he refused to lie.

"I…don't think I can, my queen."

His head hung low, locks of hair nearly dragging along the ground. At this moment, all he could feel was his guilt. He wished that she would turn and reprimand him if nothing more than to take his mind off of the crushing weight he felt.

Yet his only answer was that same crushing silence he heard within himself.

"I'm sorry, my queen."

Silence.

Even in his head, it sounded forced. Yet even if it weren't, he doubted it would have pleased her.

A tentacle appeared in his vision, and he almost flinched away. Only just stopping himself less, he incurs even more of her wrath. It came to rest on his chin, slowly lifting it to face his queen's spectral image. He expected to see revulsion in her eyes but instead was blindsided by the sheer amount of empathy they contained.

They're almost…motherly.

"Look what they have done to you. My most loyal Knight reduced to a whimpering dog."

Even if the appendage wasn't there to hold him in place, he doubted he'd be able to look away. The light in her eyes was different from the searing light he'd come accustomed to during the last few hours. Hers was a dim yet no less intense bonfire. To look away would be to cast himself back into the shadow of uncertainty. He didn't think he could keep it together if he lost this smoldering light.

He'd come undone.

"Or should I say what he has done to you?"

In that one sentence, he felt those strings inside him that once felt as if they were a hair's breadth from being pulled apart once again come together.

"He?"

"Ah. I see that this day has almost made you lose sight of your purpose. Or maybe it was merely the final drop of blood needed to dull your steely resolve."

"N-No, I would never be swayed, my queen. My resolve is ironclad!"

He didn't know if he was trying to reassure her or himself at this point.

"Even iron has a breaking point. If soaked in a river of blood, even the mightiest of weapons will rust. Soon you will give way to those cracks that now run along your blunt edges."

Fear gripped his heart and clawed its way throughout his whole body. All those empty promises used to placate the restless voices that tormented him. It threatened to consume him as he thought back to all the blood he'd shed to end this madness.

Would it all go to waste?

He fell to his knees, unable to take the onslaught of doubt. His hands rose to clutch his throbbing head as he looked towards his only hope for salvation.

"My mistress, please tell me what I must do to save myself from this fate!"

Locking eyes with her had the terrible pain subside only minutely, yet it was just enough to understand her words.

"I fear it is too late."

No…he had to…only he could save this world from this stagnate fate. He couldn't falter now, not with their plans so close to fruition.

"At least for your current self."

Her eyes dug into him as if judging the extent of the damage he had accrued—the value lost from wear.

"What?"

Hope burst forth from the depths of his soul, but his uncertainty weighed it down. His calculating mind was scrutinizing every odd word choice she'd made.

"Hazel look at yourself…I can see the cracks running nearly through to your very core. No, better to let this form go and start anew."

Her cryptic words did little to assuage his confusion, nor did her blatant disinterest in saving him fill him with much hope. If anything, it amplified his fear that he would be unable to fulfill his duties.

"What do you mean, my mistress? What must I do to save myself?"

"As I said, we'll start anew. To do that, we'll have to scrape the old and reforge it to better withstand what is to come."

"Scrap?" Unease filling his voice.

Those same eyes turned themselves back to him, easing the doubt in his mind once again.

"Do naught fear, for you were already on that path. Better to continue to soak it in blood until those cracks fully run through to your core. After that, it'll just be a matter of…blunt force."

"How would I go about that, my queen?"

The sides of her mouth peeled upwards as she gained a horrifyingly sweet tone.

"Oh, my dear Champion. You already have what you need right in front of you."

Her form was dashed as a blade cut through her visage, slicing the Grimm in two. His body was splashed with its blood as his arms instinctually blocked its sharp edge.

It seemed the boy had caught his breath.

Throwing it back with sheer force had a shining foot slam into his open guard, launching his assailant back. That was fine as it meant he had a few seconds to process this new threat. Or should he say the same threat but modified.

It seems that sword wasn't just for show.

He still looked tired, but the addition of his long sword undoubtedly made attacking easier. Even if it looked unwieldy due to the size difference, it didn't change how efficient it was with his added speed and strength. The cut on his arm proved that much.

He was grateful for the distraction. It was too bad it didn't last long.

"You never answered my question!"

His eyes narrowed as he was reminded of that revelation. Yet what once made him nearly break down at being confronted by his horrendous deeds now only made him want to bury his head in the sand. Instead, he used it as fuel to push through the doubts in his heart. He would complete his mission and save this damn world no matter how many cracks ran through him.

Charging forward gave more of an answer than mere words would, and the snarl Jaune gave back showed he understood that. Meeting him halfway, they clashed as biting steel met iron muscle. A shock wave expanded from the point of impact, opening up the area around them.

The light that had once bathed the plaza was still smothered amidst the cloud of debris surrounding them. But that didn't stop it entirely as they held their ground that light seemed to swell in intensity as the boy poured more and more into their clash—a mistake on his part.

Dropping back, he pivoted and allowed the sword to win the struggle. Not expecting it, Jaune was caught off guard as he met no resistance and carried through. It rent the very air as its silver edge sliced through and into the ground.

The sheer speed of the strike created a pressurized slash that flew at ludicrous speeds slicing anything it came into contact with in two. Wasted effort as he continued to pivot undeterred by the residual wind.

Coming full circle, he reached over and attempted to grab the boy. But while he was unaffected by the wind, it seemed that Jaune himself was a different story. Caught up in their own attack, he barely grazed the boys' side when they were carried back and out of his reach.

It's as if the gods created him just to spite me!

This game would go on no longer. Now his purpose has been reinforced, and so long as there is hope that he can become the weapon he needs to be, he won't let anything stand in his way!

But can I bring myself to kill him? Have I genuinely changed since last time, or am I still that same failure?

Bringing his hands up to his face, he searched within himself to see if he could find that terrible strength. Within that abyss, he stared long and hard, feeling as though he was on the precipice of madness.

But as he looked within himself, he never lost awareness of his surroundings. So when a blade neared his neck, there was no delay on his block. As his mind returned from the edge, he brought with him what he desired.

His answer.

/-/

She was as useless as she felt right now.

It was kinda validating to know without uncertain terms that you were, in fact, useless. She'd spent the last few minutes sitting back, trying not to fall off unsteady feet.

These tremors aren't helping either, but at least they proved that Jaune was okay.

Actually, the fact she was still alive proved that. Though thankfully—or maybe not there seemed to be a change from the norm.

"Woah!"

She threw herself to the side and slammed face first into the cobblestone. As a giant slash of pressured wind came flying at her, she shielded her head.

The sounds of buildings being split in two reverberated behind, showing what would have happened to her unprotected body had she stayed put.

As the shock wave rent passed and into the distance, she felt confident enough to try and stand.

Emphasis on try.

Ugh. Well, at least I didn't get hit-

She uncovered her eyes just in time to see something drift down in front of her.

Her hair. A precious few strands of hair.

Damn you, Hazel. Damn you.

Choosing to ignore the fact that only one person right now has a weapon capable of doing this type of damage was pretty easy when you're already pissed. What wasn't so easy to ignore was the pain flooding her body.

She wondered when her Aura would regenerate but gave up on that idea when realizing that she still wouldn't be of much use anyway, even when it did return.

"At most, I'd be able to fire a few Aura enhanced rounds." She growled out.

It was the best she could hope for in her state, honestly.

At that moment, fate threw one last curveball at her. Literally.

"Oh, not again!" She yelled as she threw herself back down.

Hearing the telltale sound of an explosion, she huddled as a massive gust blew by. The remains of her cloak nearly ripped off as the current peeled the tiles off roofs while dislodging bits of the road below. Only the nearly rotted away structures remained after the shockwave attack.

When it settled, she scrambled to try and stand on shaky feet to survey the damage.

"Oh, gods no…."

As the arena sized dust cloud had been completely blown away, now leaving nothing behind but a single figure. A massive wall of flesh and malice stood at the center of it all, having blown away everything with a single attack.

He didn't look the least bit fatigued, instead seemingly as calm as when they'd first encountered one another.

But she didn't have time to worry about that.

"Where is he. Where is he!" She was desperately scanning around, looking for a single clue as to Jaune's whereabouts. It was only after a minute of scanning that she found him.

If she weren't already on the ground, she would have fallen to her knees.

There, slumped in a crater propped up by a nearly crumpled home, laid an innocent boy. Down and out.

He's okay.

He's unconscious.

But he'll be fine. I know he will!

He's bleeding.

Her breathing hitched as she looked closer. Like a puppet with its strings cut, his entire body was slack, causing his head to lull. It gave her a perfect view of the slow trickle of blood leaking from the back of his skull.

It seemed she wasn't the only one to notice. A shiver went up her spine as she felt a piercing gaze roll over her.

"I'll deal with you in a moment." He rumbled out. "But I refuse to be caught off guard again."

With that ominous statement, he left her speechless. Until he turned his gaze back onto the downed boy, then instinct took over.

"Get away from him!"

He didn't bother dodging as she let out a volley of ineffective rounds, ignoring them altogether as they ricocheted off his Aura. He just kept walking closer and closer to the downed boy.

Three shots turned to five, then ten until she was forced to reload her empty mag. Left with only a single magazine left, she reloaded and scooped in.

First shot.

I won't let him die here.

Second shot.

I won't fail again!

Third shot.

He was completely ignoring each shot. Even headshots did nothing.

Fourth shot.

He was already too close to Jaune and too far from her to catch up to him. This was her only hope.

Or maybe not.

She glanced back and looked at her little problem solver. She hadn't been idle this entire time. While Hazel was trapped in their makeshift arena, she'd gone ahead and positioned herself in the perfect place to detonate the explosives.

Standing right in between its legs, she'd be completely fine when it all came crashing down.

But Jaune wouldn't.

Looking at his position, he'd just barely be crushed under its massive head. She couldn't detonate it.

She was truly out of options.

Five shots became six, then seven, with none even slowing him. Her last bullet, no doubt due to stress, struck his shoulder instead of his head. She was losing it.

"Get away!"

Eighth shot.

"Get the hell away!"

Ninth shot.

"Get the fuck away from them!"

Her tenth and final shot.

It spun as it arced through the air zeroing in on Hazel's skull. It would have struck too...if the bastard didn't catch it midflight. Wringing his hand he crushed it, all the while he just kept marching closer.

"It seems I wasn't the only one projecting." He muttered to himself.

She'd heard it. Those words traveled down her spine with the way they made her freeze.

Get away from them? Away from who?

Teeth gnashed together as her mind went into overdrive. Memories of her failure flooded into her.

Her fingers squeezed the trigger, but only a hollow click rang out. She was out. Out of bullets. Out of options.

No…there's one left.

She ejected her final standard magazine.

If I do nothing, I'll lose them.

Hadn't she already?

She reached for the ammo bag strapped to her belt.

I promised I wouldn't lose them again. That I wouldn't fail.

Fail who?

She dug through her bag and grasped its only contents. It felt heavy.

Ruby…Yang…I'll save you.

They're already gone. He took them.

No, she could see them. They were right in front of her crying and begging to be saved.

She slammed the dust magazine in and racked the bolt back. Spinning around, she aimed at the exposed portion on one of the explosives.

"Give them back!" She shrieked.

Yanking the trigger back, she watched one last time as the Dust round flew towards its target.

It was at this point that she regained her senses and recognized what she'd done. As the round neared its target, she was filled with horror.

"What did I-" But it was too late.

It felt like all of Remnant was shaking as violent explosions rocked the area. Multiple stages back to back shook her as she watched the larger than life statue begin to crack.

Watching as its base was rocked with tremors and its upper body engulfed in flames. Cracks ran through its legs with the explosives giving it a push foreword it fell at a perfect angle.

It was knocked off its supports in less than a second and was on a direct path for Hazel and Jaune.

There was nothing she could do but watch as her most hated enemy and the child she was supposed to protect were to be crushed in a fiery grave.

First off thanks for being patient. I won't speak much about my personnel life but I've just moved to the mythical weeb paradise of Japan. Pretty big move if I must say.

Onto this chapter, I'd tried to just get back into the grove of writing as I'd taken a break for a bit and only wrote this up within the last 2 weeks. So if any of the writing feels stilted you know why. I don't think I've improved a whole lot with action scenes but I am trying to cut down on the minor details since they just slow the pacing to a halt.

Once again this was supposed to be a longer chapter but I'm keeping things as concise as possible. Next chapter should be the climax of this...what do I even call this portion of the story? Either way, expect its peak next time.

By the way, I've got plans for new stories some even in completely different fandoms too. Stay tuned!

See ya next chapter.

Rest in peace Kentaro Miura.

My hero may be gone but his bonfire of dreams lives on within us.

Date Published: 2021/05/30