I want to believe you.
That was what her teammate had said to her. And that short sentence alone was enough to break her heart. At first, sadness and grief had overwhelmed her because the one person that was supposed to watch her back had doubted her at first. But after everyone left, anger quickly took over. How could she? Why would a friend ever doubt her words when she told the truth? She saw Mercury attack her, so she fought back! Why was that so hard to believe!?
Yang slumped forward and softly cried into her hands. She tried her best to keep her sobs contained, but it leaked out occasionally as her emotions continued to swell and grow.
"Warning. Unauthorized personnel are restricted from this area. Please turn back now."
The muffled voice of the Atlesian robots that stood outside of her dorm room caused Yang's attention to be drawn towards the door that led outside into the dorm halls. She quickly wiped her tears away and slowly walked towards the door with her fists ready. She didn't have Ember Celica with her, but that wasn't going to stop her from giving any intruders a well-deserved punch to the face.
"Another warning. Please turn back now or lethal force will be authorized."
What Yang didn't expect to hear next was what sounded like a heavy metal crash followed by the sound of something breaking into a million different pieces. She could hear the mechanical whirl of the second robot raising its arms to aim its gun, but another loud crash followed by something heavy slamming into the wall stopped it. She jumped back and took her fighting stance, expecting the door to come flying off next.
Instead, what she heard were three soft taps like someone was knocking on the door. Yang tilted her head in confusion and carefully placed an ear against the door.
"Yang? You in there?"
The blond brawler softly gasped and jumped away from the door. Her tense shoulders dropped down as she took a few breaths to relax. "Professor Strife?"
"Can I come in?"
Yang didn't answer immediately. She awkwardly shuffled around for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts. It had been a while since she had last seen the aloof professor, and it didn't help that she heard him literally dismantle the guards outside. But she was starting to feel extremely lonely watching the festival continue from her room. At this point, she was desperate for anyone to talk to.
"Sure. Make yourself at home." Yang mumbled. She sat on a bunk and waited for the professor.
The door slowly opened and the spiky blond entered the room. A silver briefcase was in his left hand. He carefully studied the room before grabbing a chair and sitting across from Yang.
"Those bunk beds look pretty dangerous." Cloud noted, setting the briefcase down next to him.
"Is that why you're here? To lecture me on my bed?" Yang asked bitterly.
Cloud coughed into his hand as he awkwardly shifted in his chair. "Sorry. Couldn't help but notice."
"It's fine. So, are you here to finally give me my punishment? For attacking a 'helpless' student?" Yang spat out. "You're here to expel me, aren't you?"
"No. I don't think I'm allowed to expel you. That's up to the administration," Cloud leaned forward so that he could take a closer look at Yang. Her eyes were red and he could see a wet spot on her pillow from her tears. "I came here to hear your side of the story and check up on you."
"I get it already! I won the match, and he suddenly attacked me! So I fought back!" Yang yelled out, shooting up from her bed. Her hair flared up and her eyes turned red. "I appreciate you coming here to check up on me, but I've told everyone under the sun about what happened. So please give me some time alone!"
"I believe you." Cloud calmly answered.
Yang blinked in confusion. Her hair settled down and her eyes returned to normal. "You...believe me?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Cloud questioned. "The footage may say one thing, but the words of my students say another. If I questioned you guys on every little thing you did, I wouldn't be a very good teacher. I'm an instructor, not a parent."
Yang slowly sat back down as Cloud stood up and stared out the open window. "You're not ruthless. Sure, you make some stupid decisions and you generally don't think when you're throwing punches. If you were the kind of person that kicks people when they're down, I would've found out the moment I saw you."
"Thanks for the compliment." Yang whispered as she wiped her eyes.
Cloud grabbed onto the silver briefcase he brought with him and suddenly tossed it towards Yang. She caught it and opened it to reveal her trustworthy weapons.
"This is…!" Yang gasped. "How did you get these? Why are you giving them to me?"
"A storm is coming. Something smelled foul as soon as I saw what happened. The Grimm are growing stronger in number and strength outside the cities. I saw it for myself. We have an enemy in our midst, and I will find them before they can invade this kingdom." Cloud said.
"Wait, are you talking about war!?" Yang exclaimed.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Cloud sighed. He turned around and began to head towards the exit. "That's another reason I came here. To warn you in case the spark is lit."
"Then, we have to tell everyone! If a war is really going to break out, then letting Ozpin or the other professors is the right thing to do!"
"No. They'll only complicate things," Cloud said. "I'm still not sure who our enemy is right now, or what their objective is. But I know I'm close. Your match against Mercury was just the beginning, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Be ready when that time comes."
Yang couldn't say anything as Cloud exited the room and closed the door behind him. She hugged the briefcase against her chest and tears once again began to flood out. Someone else believed her. But the words about an invasion and war continued to haunt her mind. She wanted to think that everything he said was a joke, but Cloud never joked around. And he looked so serious that it even scared her. If he was joking, then why did he give Ember Celica back to her?
"Please be safe, everyone." Yang muttered. She put on her gauntlets and chambered a shell into each one. All she could do now was wait and hope that the festival would end peacefully with no accidents.
Hiding among the crowds of people getting onto the ships to take them to the stadium wasn't the hard part. It was finding a seat within the packed airship that was the hard part. His own reputation along with his spiky hair usually made him easily recognizable. Hopefully the large brown cloak he wore would hide some of his features.
As the airship landed and everyone was being ushered out, Cloud followed the crowd and got into line that led to the entrance. Everyone's bags were being fed through a metal detector and each station was manned by Atlesian guards. Despite this, Cloud wasn't deterred. It was exactly what he expected.
"Alight, next please. Place your suitcase on the track and walk through the metal detector." one soldier said.
Cloud did exactly as he was ordered. He placed the large metal suitcase he brought with him and placed it on the track. He then passed through the metal detector without any issue.
"Alright, you're good. Take your case and head to your seat."
The blond wordlessly grabbed his case and walked away. But instead of walking to the seats like everyone else, he veered off and walked down several winding stairs before entering a maintenance room. He pushed the red door open and dropped his case onto the ground. The case popped open, revealing all six individual blades that made up the Fusion Sword.
"Gotta say, I never expected Atlas cloaking technology to be this good." Cloud mumbled. "No wonder they have some of the best hitmen out there."
The completed Fusion Sword was quickly assembled and on his back. He slowly walked over to the tiny window in the maintenance room and peered out. It gave him a perfect view of the stage without him having to be in the crowd.
There was only one way to find out what exactly caused everyone to see Yang attack that kid when she kept insisting that she was the one that was attacked. He had to wait and see for himself what was going on. A video feed could only show so much.
"And now, we shall begin the randomization process for our next fight! Our first contender will be…" Oobleck exclaimed.
The sound of the randomizer spinning made Cloud pay extra attention. He squinted hard as the first wheel began to slow down, showing Penny's picture.
"Penny Polendina from Atlas! And her opponent will be…"
Another beep, and it stopped on Pyrrha's photo. Cloud's eyes widened as he realized the possible implications of this match. Polarity versus a robot. It almost seemed too good to be true.
"Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"
"Shit!" Cloud cursed. This matchup alone wanted Cloud to burst out and stop the match no matter what. But if he did, he was going to get arrested on the spot and Ironwood would be even more on his ass about revealing a secret considered top secret. All he could do now was watch how the match played out.
And Pyrrha looked confused and lost. No doubt a result of being told a secret that was considered lost ages ago. Ozpin didn't listen to him. Just the thought of him telling Pyrrha about the Fall Maiden made Cloud clench his fists in anger.
"Ozpin!" Cloud growled.
"Fighters! Are you ready?"
The crowd's cheers grew even more as Pyrrha's spear and shield fell into her hands. Both fighters took up fighting stances, ready for the countdown.
"3...2...1...Begin!"
The metal compartment attached to Penny's back revealed several small swords that flew up into the air and floated in a circular motion before being launched at Pyrrha. The star prodigy of Beacon responded by running forwards and jumping over every blade, occasionally using her shield to block any blade that managed to get through. Both fighters displayed tremendous mastery over their respective weapons and superhuman reflexes to dodge attacks. The crowd roared with excitement over the spectacle they were witnessing. This is what they came to see at the Vytal Festival after all.
"Still nothing…" Cloud muttered.
His concentration on the match was swiftly broken when a loud gunshot echoed in his ears. It wasn't from the one-on-one match he was watching. It sounded too close and clear. Why was a gun being fired within the stadium when everyone was screened for weapons?
Honkai Impact 3rd OST-Kiana vs Herrscher of Dominance
Cloud glanced back at the match one last time before tearing his gaze away and bursting from the maintenance room. Another bang rang out, and Cloud raced towards the sound. He was getting closer. The sound of someone running towards him only confirmed his suspicions when a red blur suddenly slammed into him. The two were knocked down and set tumbling before they came to an eventual stop.
"Ruby!" Cloud exclaimed in shock.
The professor's voice brought Ruby's attention back to reality. Her eyes went wide as she got off of Cloud's body in a hurry.
"P-Professor…" Ruby stammered.
Before she could say anything else, Cloud threw Ruby behind him in time to block a bullet that was fired at him with the Fusion Sword. He lowered his sword and couldn't help but spit at the ground when he saw who attacked him.
"Yeah. Now I remember you. Your father at least." Cloud spat. "That fighting style, along with your last name. I had a suspicion the moment I saw you fight and thought it was all just a big coincidence, but I didn't know Marcus Black was sentimental enough to have a son before he kicked the bucket."
"Guess not, seeing how you killed him!" Mercury shouted. He leaped forward and swung down on Cloud with his legs, but they were stopped by the broadsword. Cloud swung up to throw Mercury away from him.
"Ruby! I know you have a lot of questions right now, but you need to stop Pyrrha and Penny's fight! It's all been set up!" Cloud ordered.
"W-wait! I can help!" Ruby protested.
"You don't even have your weapon! You'll only get in the way!" Cloud dodged another series of kicks from Mercury before punching the teen in the stomach.
"Kuh!" Mercury grunted as he flew back. He fired two more bullets at Cloud, who swatted them aside with one swing.
"Go!" Cloud yelled.
Ruby looked like she wanted to protest, but she eventually turned around and sped off in a flash of rose petals. Once she was gone, the two fighters circled one another.
"I've been waiting for this moment. The chance to kill The Wolf." Mercury remarked.
"Is that what people are calling me?" Cloud asked sarcastically. "I'm just a delivery man. Back off before you end up in a puddle of blood. I don't pick fights with kids like you."
"We'll see about that!" Mercury fired several rounds at Cloud, expecting him to block it all with his sword and attack when he saw an opening. What he didn't expect was for the blond swordsman to stab his enormous sword into the ground and dodge every bullet with acrobatic precision. He flipped backwards and somersaulted over every shot like it was nothing.
"Shit!" Mercury cursed. He unleashed a flurry of recoil-powered kicks at Cloud, but he blocked every strike with his arms and legs as if he knew exactly when and where they were going to occur. Cloud did his own roundhouse kick and slammed into Mercury's leg to knock him off balance. Once he stumbled back, Cloud punched Mercury in the face hard enough to make the teen's aura briefly flicker.
"Had enough?" Cloud asked as he slowly walked up to the struggling Mercury.
"Bastard! What's the point of carrying a sword if you're not gonna use it!?" Mercury demanded angrily, rubbing his face where Cloud had hit him.
"Like I said. I don't fight kids." Cloud repeated. "Marcus was faster and stronger. And I knew a girl who could run circles around you and bring both you and your old man down with one punch if she really wanted to. You're too weak. All bark, no bite."
"Shut up! My father was nothing but utter trash! Day after day, he just continued to beat me saying it was training. And then he took my Semblance, saying that he would give it back if I get strong. So I got strong, but you killed him! Now I'll never get it back!" Mercury spun around and kicked Cloud's arm so hard that the blond slid back a few feet. "And I'll prove I'm stronger than him, by taking your head!"
Mercury lunged at Cloud once more, only for the blond to roll away and yank his sword off of the ground. Blue flames surrounded his body and Mercury gasped at the suffocating presence that covered the hallway.
"Fine. You asked for it." Cloud said softly.
"Rrrrraaaaaaaah!" Mercury fired his boots into the ground and performed a spinning axe kick right at Cloud's head.
It all happened in an instant. Cloud swung his sword, and Mercury's body instantly crashed through the ceiling, creating a large dent in the reinforced metal. His aura finally shattered and his body slammed into the ground.
"H-how!?" Mercury coughed.
Before Mercury could say anymore, Cloud slammed his foot down onto Mercury's stomach. The teen coughed and his body went rigid when Cloud stabbed the Fusion right next to Mercury's head. A thin line of blood formed where the sword had grazed Mercury's head.
"I don't give a shit about the grudge you have against me. You infiltrated the school, and attacked one of my students…" Cloud growled. "Now, tell me who your accomplices are or I'll be the one taking your head instead."
Mercury gulped nervously. Cloud could tell that he was scared, from the way his eyes constantly darted around and the amount of sweat that was dripping down his face only further cemented the fact. Gone was the killing intent and hate that made Cloud nearly consider killing Mercury when they first clashed. Now, all he saw was a kid too deep in something he should've never been in.
"I-" Mercury gasped.
Cloud heard a faint metallic click behind him, and he spun around and twisted his body to narrowly dodge the metal spike aimed at the back of his throat. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Neopolitan lunge forward and flip forwards so that her feet landed onto Cloud's sword. She pushed off to send him back and flew back towards Mercury.
"Neopolitan!" Cloud growled.
"Y-you…" Mercury babbled.
Cloud wasted no time jumping forward and bringing the Fusion Sword down onto both of their heads. But instead of cutting through flesh like he expected, both Neo and Mercury's images shattered like glass. The tiny shards flew everywhere like confetti.
"Damn!" Cloud cursed. He was barely a second too late before he could score the kill. The blond simply huffed angrily and took out his scroll to call in Ruby.
But after several seconds of hearing a dialing tone, he angrily ended the call and ran in the general direction where he last saw the young student.
Just follow the noise. Where there's a crowd, that's where she's sure to be. I just hope she managed to grab someone's attention about what's going on here!
After running for a few seconds, Cloud could finally see the entrance to the stadium. His boots skidded on the ground as he braked himself and turned around so that he could see the arena in full display…
Only for him to feel an enormous magnetic pulse so powerful that he could feel the Fusion Sword nearly being torn off from his back. He briefly shielded his body to brace for his sword being potentially being thrown back or for a potential enemy ambush.
"Tch!" That kind of magnetic pulse could only belong to Pyrrha. But what could cause her to exert her Semblance that much? She only used it in the most dire situations or very subtly during a fight.
The sound of a sickening metallic crunch made Cloud's blood turn cold. He slowly looked up and saw what could only be described as a scene from a horror movie.
Honkai Impact 3rd OST-Yesterday
The various small swords that Penny kept in that metal compartment flew back violently. The barely visible wires that connected her swords to her body wrapped around her body, cutting through her body with ease. All Cloud could do was watch in horror as Penny was literally ripped apart by the razor-thin wires and her body was scattered across the arena.
"No…" Cloud whispered as he fell to his knees. The light that was once in Penny's eyes faded away and her irises zoomed out.
A series of gasps and screams could be heard throughout the entire stadium, though it was all but dull noise in Cloud's ears. All he could see in front of him was the helpless remains of an innocent girl as her eyes stared right into his soul.
Again, I couldn't protect someone. I let someone die in front of my eyes again-
A loud static noise filled the arena as the giant screens that broadcasted the arena around the stadium suddenly sparked to life. The screens flashed red and showed a simple black image of a chess piece.
"This...is not a tragedy."
"A...queen piece…" Cloud absent-mindedly mumbled as he stared at the screen.
The mysterious voice continued on speaking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "This...was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, safety, and children to me who claim to be our guardians. But are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our academy's headmasters wield more power than most armies. And one was audacious enough to control both. They claim to use their power for peace. And yet what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the grimm can tell the difference. And how do you think Ozpin is teaching his students and running his school? First dismemberment, and then hiring a rogue mercenary to teach your children. Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and dignity, yet I have witnessed neither of those. Perhaps this is his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. The existence of peace is fragile, and our leaders conduct business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we the citizens are left in the dark. So, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"
The mysterious broadcast then cut off, leaving everyone startled and confused. Even though the message was over, Cloud was still left in a state of shock. Then, the alarms began to sound. And the panic set in.
"Alert. Incoming grimm attack. Threat level: 9. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly fashion."
This prompted all of the spectators to jump out of their seats and run to the nearest exits. So many people were trying to get out at the same time that many fell over while those who didn't simply trampled over anyone to get away.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need for panic." Ironwood assured through the stadium's intercom.
Cloud finally snapped out of his stupor when he heard something big and heavy land of the shields above. He looked up and saw an enormous Nevermore land on the shields and aggressively peck at it.
"It got through the kingdom's automated defenses…" Cloud mumbled. A sharp pain suddenly pierced his head, causing the blond to briefly stagger and clutch his head in pain. He could hear the echoes of the peoples' scream, as well as the occasional roar of the grimm echoing in his mind. The realization then hit him like an incoming train. "It wasn't alone!"
Cloud spun around away from the arena and began to follow the massive hordes of people trying to make it out. He pulled out his scroll and quickly dialed Ruby's number. But after several minutes of dial tone, he ended the call.
"Dammit!" Cloud cursed. He wanted to know if she was still okay after the scuffle with Mercury and Penny and Pyrrha's match, but decided to put his trust in her. She was a prodigy. A team leader. She could take care of herself.
Cloud's scroll began to vibrate, and he opened it and saw that Yang was calling him to his surprise.
"Yang!?" Cloud yelled over the noise.
"Professor! I can't reach Ruby! Have you seen her?" Yang asked.
"I saw her at the stadium, but we got separated. I don't know where she is now!" Cloud answered.
The sound of a gun being fired followed by the death rattle of a grimm came out of his scroll. "Yang!" Cloud yelled desperately.
After a few more shots, Yang returned to the call. "I'm fine! The White Fang are here, and they're releasing grimm into the school!"
Cloud stopped in his tracks. "They're here!?"
But the call between him and Yang ended abruptly. All Cloud could do was curse to himself and continue to run towards the stadium's exit.
The shields should be more than enough to hold off that Nevermore. It's clear that whoever did this is trying to get to the Fall Maiden by causing this huge distraction. I need to get there before it's too late.
As Cloud finally made it to where the airships were evacuating the citizens, he noticed several other unmarked airships suddenly pulling up in front of the evacuees. Just the fact that these ships didn't bear the Atlas or Vale emblems were incredibly suspicious to him.
The main door opened, and Cloud watched in shock as an Ursa jumped out and stomped a man to death. Another ship released several Beowulves and those began to mercilessly tear away at anyone that was too close. The Atlas troops that were around fired at the grimm, but their rifles seemed to do little against them.
"Get away from those ships!" Cloud ordered as he ran forward with his weapon. He cut the first Ursa in half down the middle and loosened the Hollow Blade, swinging it off and allowing it to sail through the air and cut through the Beowulves with ease before returning to the main Fusion Sword like a boomerang.
"T-thank you!" a startled citizen softly cried.
"Everyone, don't get on any ship that doesn't have an Atlesian or Vale mark!" Cloud repeated. "Follow the Atlas troops' orders, and evacuate in a calm and orderly fashion!"
The presence of a Huntsman seemed to calm everyone down and rallied the shaken Atlas troops. The evacuation proceeded to go on somewhat normally.
Now, all I need is an airship to get to Beacon. I just hope they don't know where she is right now.
A bright flash of light drew Cloud's attention towards the skies. An large Atlesian airship carrier suddenly swerved around and fired its lasers at its own, causing it to tumble down onto another ship, sending both of them up into flames. It then repositioned itself so that it fired its cannons on any ships that were exiting the stadium.
"No!" Cloud yelled. He angrily pushed through a crowd of people and ran towards a ship, but a Beowulf swiped at his head, forcing him to roll back and draw his weapon.
Before Cloud could raise his sword, he heard a loud gunshot behind him. The bullet smashed through the monster's skull and Cloud looked back to see who fired.
"...Thanks." Cloud mumbled.
Ironwood didn't say anything as he holstered his revolver. "You're planning on going to one of my ships?"
Cloud nodded. "Whoever hijacked your ship is firing on any ship carrying the evacuees and shelling Vale. If we want to get these people out of here and regain control of the skies, someone has to go and kill whoever is controlling it."
"Then you'll need this." Ironwood took out his scroll and tossed it to Cloud. "It should regain full access to my ships."
"You're not going?" Cloud questioned.
"As much as I would like to give that vagabond a piece of my mind, someone needs to stay to fight the Grimm and coordinate the evacuation. I wouldn't be much of a general if I ran off and did my own thing."
Cloud simply shrugged and jumped into an empty cockpit. He flipped a few switches and the machine blared with life. "I'll end this in an instant."
"We're all counting on you, Strife." Ironwood said.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake OST-Rematch atop The Pillar
Cloud closed the cockpit and flew towards the airship. Motion sickness briefly caused his vision to become blurry, but subsided as soon as he saw the air carrier's guns aim towards him.
Now's not the time to be sick. You're piloting this thing!
The ship opened fire, and Cloud swerved and dodged as much as he could. The sheer volume of fire being thrown his way made it inevitable that some of the bullets would graze his ship. It was nothing like driving a motorcycle, but it was similar enough that he was able to handle flying a ship.
"Warning. Structural integrity at 70%. Right thruster damaged." a robotic voice warned.
"I don't need to hear this crap!" Cloud yelled as he spun the ship around to dodge the bullets. He could feel each impact as he got closer and closer.
"Almost there!"
"Structural integrity at 50%. 30%. 10%"
Cloud slammed the cockpit wide open and jumped on top of his ship. He could see smoke coming out of the left thruster while the right was completely on fire.
"Engine state critical. Please eject now."
A shell then tore the right engine off completely, causing the ship to teeter to the right and nearly threw Cloud off. He stabbed his sword onto the plane to keep himself grounded.
Once he was finally close enough, Cloud pushed off and jumped as far as he could towards the rogue air carrier. He sailed through the air and broke his fall onto the ship with a roll. He glanced back and saw the ship he was just piloting explode into a brilliant ball of flame.
"Too close…" Cloud mumbled as he dusted himself off.
"Well well. I didn't take you for a pilot, so color me surprised when you dodged all that gunfire and made it here!"
Cloud spun around and took his battle stance. "Roman!"
The crime lord simply smiled in response, and Neopolitan revealed herself from behind Roman with a sly smirk and a condescending wave. "Gotta say, I didn't expect you to go rogue like that. I thought those days of hunting down criminals and blowing up buildings were behind you. But we just can't seem to run away from our past, no matter how hard we try!"
"Shut up!" Cloud yelled. He jumped up and swung down on Roman, but his image crumbled away and he rolled to the side to avoid a thrust from Neo's umbrella.
"Like it or not, we're one in the same. The people that hired me are gonna change this world, and you're just gonna be another footnote in Remnant's history!"
"In your dreams!" Cloud yelled back.
Roman aimed his cane and fired. Cloud rolled to the side and raced toward Roman, but Neo leaped from behind him and kicked Cloud away. She then jabbed at Cloud's head multiple times with her umbrella before hooking its grip around the Fusion Sword's handle and yanking it, sending Cloud stumbling forward. He swung his sword at Neo, but the small hitwoman avoided each swing with precision and acrobatic grace. The sound of another bullet being fired caused Cloud to guard his side with his sword to block another shot from Roman.
"Tch. This is just unfair!" Roman spat.
"Just give up. The two of you can win against me." Cloud warned.
A flame-like blue aura surrounded Cloud's body and he slammed his sword onto the ground. Three green projectiles flew out towards Roman. Neo jumped in to shield the two of them with her umbrella, but the two of them were thrown back into each other.
"Gah!" Roman growled. He tried to fire another shot at Cloud, but the blond simply cut it in half and ran towards him. He desperately looked around for Neo, but looked just in time to see her pink aura shatter. "Neo!"
Roman closed his eyes and braced for whatever judgement Cloud was going to bring to him, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked off into the distance with a fearful look in his eyes.
"No…!" Cloud gasped.
Curiosity got the better of Roman and he looked in the general direction Cloud was staring. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a distant mountain literally explode and the largest grimm he had ever seen emerged. The thing was massive, nearly the length of the air carrier he was currently on. It let out a roar so loud it rattled Roman's head, even though it was far away.
"Y-you've gotta be kidding me…" Roman stammered. "They didn't tell me anything about that!"
The dragon-grimm expanded its wings and took off into the skies. It continued to fly until it became apparent to him that it was flying straight towards the ship.
"Hang on!" Cloud warned, stabbing the Fusion Sword onto the deck. Roman was too startled to register his words in his mind before it was too late. The dragon slammed into the airship with such force that it tilted the ship sideways. Roman tried to reach out towards the unconscious Neo, but her limp body fell off the deck and he began to slide downwards too.
"A-AAAAAAH!" Roman flailed around for anything to grab onto. He could see the edge of the ship getting closer and closer and prepared himself to be thrown off. But before his body went overboard, a strong grip grabbed onto his right hand, saving him at the last second. He looked up to see Cloud's weapon impaled onto the deck and his left arm was holding the sword's handle while his other was keeping Roman from falling into the open air.
"Tell me everything if you don't want to become paste! Who's your sponsor, and why are they after the Fall Maiden!?" Cloud yelled.
"F-Fall Maiden!? I don't know what that is!" Roman exclaimed in fear. "I was just hired to steal all the dust in the kingdom and cause some trouble!"
"What for?" Cloud further questioned.
Roman laughed nervously. "T-to wage war, dumbass! That Cinder chick has two cronies that constantly follow her around, Emerald and Mercury! I don't know who their boss is, but you bet your ass they're someone really powerful!"
"Then why work with the White Fang? What does Salem have to gain by working with those guys?"
"Salem? I dunno who that is, but we needed the humans and the faunus divided! That way, we could draw more grimm towards the kingdoms and make our jobs easier!"
But before Roman could say anything else, a flying Griffon snatched Roman away with its mouth.
"Shit!" Cloud yelled.
"AAAAAAH! SAVE ME!" Roman wailed.
All Cloud could do was watch helplessly as the monster tossed Roman around in its mouth before another joined and bit into his legs. He looked away and grimaced before he could see Roman being torn in half by the two monsters.
Cloud looked up and he could see the bridge just a few feet away from him. He then looked back down and saw that the ship was getting closer and closer to the ground. He jumped up and yanked his sword off the ground and ran along the steepening deck. Cloud took Ironwood's scroll out and jammed it into an open slot as his body broke through the glass. A long-winded mechanical whir sounded off before settling down.
"Admin credentials detected. Auto-pilot activated. Multiple grimm detected, preparing to engage."
Cloud sighed in relief as the ship righted itself and aimed its cannons at the grimm. The skies began to get clearer and clearer as the clouds of monsters began to thin out. With this, Atlas regained control of the skies and the citizens could be evacuated safely.
"Emergency! Massive unknown signature detected! Approaching in 1000 meters...500 meters...100 meters!"
The ship shook violently as a horrible grinding noise assaulted Cloud's ears. Red alarms flashed to life and the dashboard in front of him began to beep uncontrollably. He looked to the side in time to see the dragon-grimm grind its wings against the ship's shields. The ship's powerful guns tried to slow it down, but the dragon moved with a surprising amount of agility despite its size. It veered around and yanked a turret off of the ship and threw it towards the bridge.
"It's just one thing after another!" Cloud yelled in frustration.
The gun smashed through the bridge, and Cloud jumped up to intercept it. He cut through it with one swing and opened a palm towards the beast. A massive Firaga spell shot out and exploded against the beast. It let out a howl of pain and glared murderously at Cloud, trying to swipe at the blond, but he easily jumped over its claws and slammed his sword on top of its head. The impact was so strong it forced the grimm out of the air and sent it tumbling towards the ship's deck. It landed with a heavy thud and struggled to get up.
Cloud raised his sword as his body glowed blue. Compared to Bahamut, this dragon was too weak. "This is it!"
The blond swordsman swung down, but didn't cut through the monster's head. The scenery around him broke apart like the entire world around him was made out of glass. He quickly guarded his body to prepare for an incoming attack, but nothing came.
Girls' Frontline OST-Main Enemy (Normal): Shattered Connexion
"Where is this!?" Cloud gasped. He was no longer in the night sky above Vale. He now found himself in a place he didn't recognize. The sky was the color of blood and covered in a thick, hazy fog. The airship he was on was still under his feet, but it looked dull in color, almost like it was a statue.
It was like he was transported to a completely different dimension. The feeling he got from this place was unlike anything he had felt before. To a certain extent, it reminded him of the Edge of Creation. A place disconnected from reality and somewhere no one could get to.
"So. We finally meet, guardian of Remnant."
The icy-cold tone caused Cloud's body to tense up. Every instinct in his body told him to get ready for a fight, and that was what he did. He turned towards the voice and readied his weapon.
"So you're Salem. You're as ugly as I imagined." Cloud snarked.
The Queen of Grimm simply smiled as she quite literally walked down the air like she was walking down a set of stairs. She stopped after a few steps, still hovering over Cloud and casting a menacing shadow over him.
"It's funny, hearing that from a soldier with no soul. I couldn't have you killing one of my more precious pets, so I brought you here where no one can interfere. We can't have the main act end so soon when it just started now, can we?"
"At least you saved me the trouble of having to look for you. Your invasion of Vale will fail and I'll end this long war right here and now!" Cloud declared. Cloud's blue aura fired up so much it looked like a column of blue flames surrounded his body. He spun the Fusion Sword above his head and slammed it against the ground. "Let's finish this, Salem!"
The Queen of Grimm only smiled and spread her arms out. Red lightning flashed all around and thick storm clouds formed above. She laughed menacingly and hundreds of grimm suddenly rose up from the ground. They roared to challenge the warrior before them and raced forward for the kill.
"You will try." Salem challenged.
Boom! Another chapter finished. So, what'd you think about the ending of this one? I tried to do something a little different this time for my story by having Salem appear fairly early on. I thought that by doing this, it can subvert a lot of expectations and create a lot of excitement for things to come as well as answer some questions regarding Cloud's power level and the skills he can use in battle. For the next chapter, I'm planning to focus on Ruby's perspective more to keep things fresh and exciting, since some of you may find it a bit boring to only be sticking to Cloud's perspective.
And yeah, the ending of this chapter is inspired by Honkai Impact 3rd. I recently got back into that game, so I couldn't help but be inpired by that game's story beats a little.
Thanks for to all the readers leaving comments on this story. It's what keeps me going, even if I might suffer from writer's block and the occasional lack f motivation from time to time. And happy early Thanksgiving!