AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This chapter is the battle against the reborn faunus alter herself, Nikushimi. For the season, this is the climax battle that sets the tone for what will happen in the future. I really enjoyed this one a lot and have been waiting to write the ending moment here for such a long time. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.

Chapter 48 – Making a Choice

Nikushimi.

The reborn faunus alter ran through the woods at high speed. However, she soon stopped when a pair of twins blocked her path, "It's you two." Nikushimi said to the Malachite sisters, who each had their arms crossed while scowling, "What do you want?"

"We want to know which girl are you." Melanie asked first, "Are you the one that tried to kill me and my sister?"

"Or the one that left us for dead." Miltia added, "You never even came back to check on us."

"She never asked for your help." Nikushimi responded, "To Blake, you did this to yourself by being partnered with her." She said before scowling, "And to Atalante, you were nothing but a minor obstacle in the way of her target."

"So, what you're saying is," Melanie said while taking a step forward in a fighting stance, "Half of you is a self-victimizing coward."

She said while Miltia readied her claws, "While the other half is a total bitch."

Suddenly, both twins charged at Nikushimi with their bladed weapons in full swing. Nikushimi blocked the kicks and claws with her black bladed bow, then went for a horizontal slash. Melanie ducked the blade while Miltia jumped it, then went for a stabbing jab towards the face. The blades had made contact, causing the white twin to grin, but the red twin soon gasped.

Nikushimi's bite had caught the weapon in her teeth. In one chomp, the crimson claws shattered with the twins leaping back before gawking at the damage. Both sisters turned to see the reborn faunus alter spit out the bits of metal before aiming her black bladed bow. The dark weapon started to glow with black flames building around it. The twins look on in fear as the trigger was about to be pulled.

Suddenly, Nikushimi's ears flinched. She quickly turned around with her weapon aimed at Nightingale, firing without hesitation. However, the steel nurse dodged the shot while dashing forward. She grabbed the reborn faunus alter's face with her right hand. Nightingale then picked up Nikushimi's body, reeling it back, then tossing the reborn faunus alter deeper into the woods. The steel nurse then adjusted her glove before turning to the twins, "Leave this battle to me."

"Okay." Both Malachite sisters said at the same time before Nightingale walked towards where she threw Nikushimi. After the twins let out a sigh of relief, they soon heard more people approaching. They looked over to discover it was Yang, Achilles, and Weiss.

"What were you two doing?" Yang spoke first.

"We tried to flank her to take down this crazy girl," Melanie answered.

"Did you hurt her!?" Achilles said with anger in his eyes, but Miltia responded by showing him the crewed-up crimson claws.

"What do you think?" the red twin responded.

"I thought you have a contact to protect Blake?" Weiss said before crossing her arms, "I guess there is no honor among criminals."

"Hey, we have a clause that says the contract is terminated if the person we are defending tried to kill or abandon us." Melanie while crossing her arms, "No matter which girl this is now, she broke that contact and we are going to make her pay."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Yang said as she stepped forward, her eyes red. "I beat both of you before, and you don't want to fight me now when my friend is in damage."

"…Tsk." Melanie responded, clenching her fists, "You really think a friend would abandon you like this." She said with Yang slightly gasping, causing the white twin to glare with her next remark, "Or try to shoot you."

"She…She's just not well. I don't-" Yang was saying until her mind flashed back to the moments of the Apocrypha invasion, the time after she survived the massive explosion, "Wait! I know what happened to her!" the blond brawler said before looking to Weiss and Achilles, "She's possessed by that Grimm gunk like I was."

"Huh?" the twins said while Achilles and Weiss gasped.

"But that stuff was in Apocrypha, how did it get here-" Weiss said before she realized it, "Her alter."

"It's the same as what happened to me." Yang added, "The rapid healing, the violent outbursts, even the hair color change."

"Okay, but how do we save her from it then?" Achilles asked.

"Well," Yang said with the memory of Mordred's attack ringing through her body, eradicating all the Grimm essence inside of her. In the present, Yang looked down at her right hand, "I can do it, but…" the blond brawler then clenched her fist, "You need to get her in position and get that nurse out of the way." She said with a look of focus in her eyes, then turned to the Malachite sisters, "And you two probably want to get far away from here."

At the same time, Nightingale walked through the woods. She soon found Nikushimi partway through getting up. The reborn faunus alter glanced around, seeing her black bladed bow was knocked out of her hand. It now rested closer to her opponent's feet. "You should have asked for my help before going down this path." Nightingale spoke, "Yet you choose to hide the truth from me instead."

"She could not trust you." Nikushimi said, now fully standing up, "You could have stopped her from saving others."

"And how many lives have you save now?" Nightingale responded with a cold glare down at the reborn faunus alter.

Nikushimi gritted her teeth before flaring her fangs. She then reached out her left hand towards her weapon, causing purple energy to form. Suddenly, a ribbon-like beam shot out. Nightingale glanced back at the weapon, now seeing it hoover with the ribbon of energy attached to it. With the twist of the reborn faunus alter's wrist, the black bladed bow began to spin like a propeller a high speed, "Do not mock me!" Nikushimi yelled before pulling her left arm to the right, causing the spinning weapon to rocket towards the steel nurse.

Nightingale ducked the attack, causing the spinning weapon to keep going a cut through a tree. However, Nikushimi pulled her arm back, which made the weapon redirect towards the steel nurse. Nightingale then dashed to evade the weapon, which was quickly gaining on her. With her revolver, she shot towards Nikushimi, but the reborn faunus alter dodged. The steel nurse then aimed at the energy ribbon, shooting it with a bullet. However, the bullet melted upon contacting the violet aura. She looked back to see the spinning weapon closing in to bisect her.

Suddenly, Nightingale stopped and closed her eyes, causing a teal aura to from her body. The spinning weapon was about to rip through her but was instantly parried by a spiritual sword of some kind. Nikushimi gasped as her black bladed bow was flung back into the ground. The reborn faunus alter looked back at Nightingale's clam expression, causing her to flare her fangs in rage as her violet aura was infused with black flames. She drove towards the steel nurse at high speed, her right arm reeled back for a slash. In response, Nightingale leaned back to avoid the attack. Once Nikushimi passed over her body, the steel nurse opened her eyes with a piercing gaze. She reached and grabbed the reborn faunus alter by the right ankle. Nightingale then leaned forward, using the momentum to slam Nikushimi's back into the ground, causing a slight tremor upon impact. The reborn faunus alter gasped for air while coughing blood. However, she then gritted her teeth upon seeing Nightingale looking down on her.

"I never did get to fight an Alter in the Apocrypha invasion, only eliminating the puddles that formed them." Nightingale said before aiming her revolver at the reborn faunus alter's head, "I will say, you have been a disappointment." She before pulling the hammer back. However, while a shot was fired, it was not from the revolver. Nightingale's eyes widened as an explosion of violet energy and dark flames erupted on her back. The steel nurse was flung forward a few meters before falling to one knee. In looking at the origin of the shot, she found it was from the black bladed bow. While it was still embedded in the ground, its aim was aligned with the steel nurse's back.

As Nikushimi started to sit up, she pulled at the energy ribbon still attached to her weapon to return it to her left hand. "I am nowhere near finished yet." She said with a glare while Nightingale scowled back. Both got on their feet as they readied for another assault.

However, a large pillar of ice formed between the two, acting as a barrier. Nightingale slightly gasped before turning to her left, seeing Achilles with his lance at the ready, "What do you think you are doing?" The steel nurse asked.

"Saving my girlfriend," Achilles said with a grin before reposing his lance, "And acting as a distraction."

Meanwhile.

The Malachite sisters ran through the forest as fast as they could, "What do you think Blondie is going to do?" Miltia asked her sister.

"Don't know, but considering it's her, I'll bet something crazy." Melanie responded, "We just need to get as far away as we can." She said before making it to a clearing in the woods, "This should do." She responded, slightly gasping for air, "I really hate running in these heels."

"Uh, look up there." Miltia pointed up with Melanie following. The two saw a small airship start to descend, "What do we do?"

"Well, can't run or fight them." The white twin responded, then raising her arms, "Let's just hope they're friendly." She said with the red twin nodding, then raising her arms as well while the airship landed, and the hatch opened.

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the ice pillar, Nikushimi had a look of confusion before her ears flinched. She then turned her head to see Weiss approaching. "Blake," The white heiress spoke, "You have to calm down."

"You have to start listening." Nikushimi responded as she fully turned around to face this person, "I am no longer Blake." She said with Weiss responding with a cold gaze, "Those eyes, constantly judging. She remembered how much you hated who she was. Rather, hated for what she was." The reborn faunus alter said before reposing her weapon, "You really are a Schnee."

"…" Weiss let out a deep breath, slightly looking down, "I already lost one sister." She said before slightly looking back up at her friend, "I'm not losing you too."

"…W-what?" Nikushimi said in worry forming in her eyes, "Weiss, what happen-" Suddenly, her body pulsated, "AAAAAHHHH!" She said while radiating a purple aura. Weiss gasped before seeing Nikushimi flared her fangs, "RRRAAAHHH!" she roared before rushing the white heiress.

Weiss gritted her teeth before drawing her gun-blades, barely having time to block the black bladed bow, "Blake, you have to listen to me!" the white heiress spoke through the grinding of the blades, "Winter is dead. She died trying to save everyone from the White Fang Killers." She spoke while parrying Nikushimi's wild swings with her weapon, "She did everything she could to make a better world for everyone to live in. Humans and faunus alike." She said before jumping back to dodge a downward slash. Upon landing, Weiss slightly lowered her weapons, "I'm not my sister." Weiss said before reposing with her weapons, a look of determination in her eyes, "But I will continue her dream with my own strength. And I'll do so by saving my friend!"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nikushimi roared before rushing in, attacking with another barrage of slashes. Weiss continued to block and dodge the assault, moving backwards through the woods. However, with an upwards slash, the reborn faunus alter knocked out both gun-blades from Weiss's hands. As Nikushimi was about to impale the white heiress, Weiss jumped back to dodge the strike.

Nikushimi tried to reach to stab her opponent, but could not move her legs. She glanced down to a white glyph that had frozen her feet in place. Weiss skidded on the back of her heels before shouting, "Yang, now!" With those words, Nikushimi gasped before noticing a yellow light in the corner of her eye.

There, Yang stood with right arm raised, her Noble Phantasm charged at the apex of its power, "Here goes," the blond brawler said before clenching her fist, "I hope this works," Yang before looking at her target, "Celicaval-" She was saying before looking at Nikushimi, seeing the flash of memories of her times with her partner. Suddenly, Yang gasped as the light slightly faded a bit, her fist trembling.

However, the reborn faunus alter looked back with a cold gaze. Suddenly, Nikushimi's aimed and fired a bolt of black flames at Yang. The blond brawler refocused before blocking with her the Celicavalon gauntlet. The blast left her slightly stunned in a smoke cloud. Nikushimi then violently pulsated a purple aura, shattering the ice at her feet. She then leaped into the smoke with her right arm reeled back, followed by the sound of blood splatter. Weiss started to run over but stopped in horror at the smoke clearing.

Nikushimi stood in front of Yang, her right hand embedded inside the blond brawler's chest. The sound of Yang's own heart beating echoed in her ears, as well as the pain from the reborn faunus alter's fingers coiled around it, "You hesitated, just like she did." Nikushimi spoke in a cold voice, "For being like her, you can pay the same price." She said before clenching her right fist, crushing Yang's heart. Upon pulling the right hand out of the body, Yang's blood spilled by the cupful, both from her mouth and from her wound, "Now, fall back in shame." Nikushimi said without emotion at the blond brawler's hobbling body, "Just as she did-"

However, Yang fell forward, yet still on her feet. Her head rested on Nikushimi's right shoulder, "Bl…ake…" She still tried to speak, slowing moving her arms towards the reborn faunus alter's back, "Please…remember…" The blond brawler said while hugging with the last of her strength.

Nikushimi eyes were trembling as she was gasping, "Y-Yang?" the reborn faunus alter said before gritting her teeth. She then pushed the blond brawler off her, causing Yang to land on her back. Weiss panicked as she ran over Yang's body, forming a healing glyph around the wound with the light of Celicavalon pouring in, "Why?" Nikushimi spoke with her fists clenched, "Why don't you hate me!?" she started to shout, "I lied to you, abandoned you, even just tried to kill you!" The reborn faunus spoke, looking down at the ground, her body trembling, "Just…just hate me!" Nikushimi said with tears in her eyes.

Weiss responded first, "Blake, we don't hate you." She spoke while the wound started to heal, the heart also reforming, "Because we're a team."

"We're… partners." Yang spoke as she started to sit up, "And more than that… we're your friends."

"STOP IT!" Nikushimi yelled back, "I can't have friends! They will only get hurt, just by knowing me." She said before dropping her weapon, then grabbing her head with both hands, "I have to get away from everyone I care about. Only then will they be safe."

"You have to…let us… help you!" Yang shouted back, recoiling a bit from her wound, "If you don't slow down… it's only going to get yourself kill!"

"…It already has." Nikushimi emotionlessly responded before lowering her arms, "The Blake you know is dead." The reborn faunus said while picking up her black bladed bow, aiming at Weiss and Yang with a blast charging, "And only Nikushimi remains."

Suddenly, before she could pull the trigger, Nikushimi's faunus ears flinched at something being slammed against a nearby tree. She and the others looked to discover it was a bruised Achilles. He then turned to the trio, "Hey, you all need to move!" the swift hero called out.

Nikushimi's ears then flinched again, this time causing her to gasp. She turned back to the forest, seeing a teal light formed. "I have no choice," Nightingale spoke as she walked with the radiating teal aura again, then coming to a stop. "I shall sever all that which is toxic, all that which is harmful." The steel nurse spoke while closing her eyes, holding out her hands in open palms, "I shall do all in my power to guide people to the state of well-being!" suddenly, the aura expanded, then formed into a massive nurse that was taller than the trees. Over its head, a massive executioner's sword was wielded. While the face was familiar, there were no eyes on this aura summoning. However, Nightingale's eyes shot open with a piercing gaze to the reborn faunus alter, "That is my Pledge!" Nightingale declared before the teal aura nurse, swung her sword down at Nikushimi. The reborn faunus alter took the brunt of the strike her body erupting with a pillar of purple aura. The others were caught in the shockwave, resulting in a teal aurora to radiate in a large radius from the strike.

After some time had passed, Weiss started to regain consciousness. In quickly scanning the area, she discovers multiple toppled trees from the Noble Phantasm's strike. In the corner of her eye, she found Yang's body turned over on its stomach. Remember in the wound on her friend's chest, she rushed over to resume healing it. However, upon turning the blond brawler's body over, the wound was gone. Weiss gasped before seeing Yang's eyes twitch open, "Yang!" Weiss said before hugging her friend, "You're still alive."

"Heh, it takes more than that to put me down," Yang responded to with a smile, then looked to her right arm, "Still, that was a close one." She said before seeing Celicavalon fade away back into her spirit, then looked back to the white heiress, "But you sure save me with that last glyph."

"Thanks, but I don't think it was my power that saved you." Weiss said before turning to someone approaching, seeing it as the steel nurse, "It was your Noble Phantasm that saved her."

"My healing aura negates all toxicity and hostility within the effective range." Nightingale clarified, "It is what I used to use purge the Grimm essences that made alters before." She said before looking back to the crater where her blade struck, "If she is alive, Blake should be back too normal." Nightingale said before walking over to the crater.

Yang and Weiss look at each other before standing up. They then heard some rumbling in the distance, soon discovering it was Achilles pushing debris off himself. "I'll help him up, you check on Blake." The white heiress said with the blond brawler nodding back. The two then went separate ways with Weiss quickly making it to Achilles's side, "Is anything broken?"

"No, I don't think-" Achilles said before remembering, "Wait, where's Blake?" He said with Weiss pointing at Yang and Nightingale at the crater.

"I mean, this wasn't according to plan." Weiss responded, "But, maybe it worked." She said before turning back to Achilles, who was looking at his right hand in confusion, "What is it?"

"This feeling..." Achilles said before clenching his fists as hard as he could, "Can I now-?"

At the same time, Nightingale and Yang looked down in the crater. There, Nikushimi's body laid on its side, covered in dirt and wounds, "Blake!" Yang called out as she was about to jump into the crater, but Nightingale blocked her by holding out her right arm.

"Let me examine her," Nightingale said before lowering her arm, then jumping in the hole.

"But." Yang said, slight tears forming her eyes as she looked on, "She doesn't look to be breathing." She said as Nightingale reached out her hand to turn the body on its back, "…Wait." Yang said before she realized, "Look out!" the blond brawler warned, "It's a shadow clone!"

Nightingale gasped at the remark, realizing the body she was looking at was a fake. Before the steel nurse could think of were the real Nikushimi was, one of the bladed limbs of the black bow rocketed out the clone. The blade headed straight for Nightingale's skull, causing her to quickly grasp the weapon to stop it from skewering her. However, she was unable to stop the blade before it could make contact. The blade stabbed into Nightingale's right eye, plunging an inch deep as fluids and blood spurted out. The steel nurse gritted her teeth before jumping backwards and out of the hole. She landed back near Yang before falling to one knee, her right hand over where her right eye used to be.

A second later, the real Nikushimi erupted from the ground, landing on the other end outside of the crater. While her body was as damaged as the clone was, she now radiated a dark purple aura, "You thought could purge my hatred?" She said before glaring at everyone with flared fangs, "My hatred is eternal!" the reborn faunus alter then held her black bladed bow aimed at the sky, the aura gathered into the weapon at a single point, "Now, all of you can die. Gambol Tauropolos!" Nikushimi declared before a single flaming bolt towards the sky. When just under the clouds, the shot expanding into a light massive purple and white orb. The others looked up in horror as hundreds of shots began to rain down at high speed.

As seconds passed before the onslaught, then all knew this attack was unavoidable. However, Achilles realized what he could now do. With a single whistle, he called his chariot with a flash of green light. The swift hero then grabbed Weiss and boarded the chariot as the horses began to charge towards Yang and Nightingale. They grabbed onto the carriage as it passed by, allowing the chariot to increase its speed. Achilles took control of the reins while the bolts of dark energy rained down Weiss then placed her right hand over towards the sky, creating a glyph to shield from the bolts. However, they quickly started to shatter that barrier. While evading the bulk of the barrage, the endless onslaught started to chip away at the carriage. The horsed began to get pelted with the bolts, as did the individuals in the carriage.

Achilles then gritted his teeth before his body glowed in a green light. Suddenly, the chariot rode a blinding speed while encompassed in the same aura. They outran the radius of the blitz of black flames, soaring high into the air with the aura fading. Upon reaching the safety of the clouds, Achilles let out a sigh as he loosened his grip on the reins, "Yikes," he said with an exhale, "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, I think," Yang said, holding her right leg at where a black bolt and landed.

Nightingale held her right arm at was struck multiple times, her shoulder seemingly dislocated, "This is nothing to worry about." She said before taking her left arm, using it to push her right socket back into place.

"I'm good, nothing hit me." Weiss said while she had one hand on her head and on her stomach, "But, did you really have to go that fast?" She said before her cheeks puffed.

Achilles had a half-smile before looking down with a serious gaze, "She is still down there." The swift hero while watching the smoke cloud dissipate.

At the center point of her Noble Phantasm's attack, Nikushimi stood on the only spot that was not obliterated. The nearby trees were demolished at the soil was scorched with the dark flames, "Tsk." The reborn faunus alter scoffed while looking up at the sky, "He saved them, acting like the hero she saw him as." Nikushimi commented before sighing, "I can use this smoke as cover for another attack. Or maybe… I could just leave." She said before closing her eyes, "That is all I ever do. I have to ru-" Suddenly, her faunus ears flinched, hearing someone approaching from behind. Nikushimi turned with her black bladed bow at the ready, seeing a silhouette in the smoke. However, in seeing this person step out of the smoke, the reborn faunus alter gasped in dismay, "Ad-…Adam…"

"…" The white fang swordsman stood, not saying a word.

Slowly, Nikushimi's eyes started to fill with a hatred unlike any before, "You…" She said while flaring her fangs, "Why are you here!?" the reborn faunus alter said before seeing his crimson sword in his hand, "Are you planning to kill me as well? To get your revenge from me abandoning y-" Nikushimi was saying until Adam dropped Wilt onto the ground. She slightly gasped at him standing empty hand and defenseless.

"…" Adam sigh, his voice filled with melancholy, "I'm sorry." He said Nikushimi's eyes widening in shock, "For everything I did to you, the way I treated you, and for not being able to say any of this until now." Adam said before bowing his head in shame, "I am sorry for it all."

"Y-you're sorry?" Nikushimi responded, her weapon trembling in her hand, "T-that doesn't change what you did!" The reborn faunus alter said while glaring back with her grip tightening, "Adam, you're a monster."

"I know. I can't run from it anymore." Adam solemnly responded, then looked up at the sky, "I thought, for me to change the world, I would need to become the beast that others would fear. That was the path I choose, and the same one I thought I could drag you down." He then looked back to Nikushimi, "But I was wrong, that is not the path for you." Adam spoke with Nikushimi still aiming her weapon at his head, but her trembling intensified, "At first, I thought you were running away from me, but you were chasing your own dreams. You saw the world in a brighter light than I ever could."

"SHUT UP!" Nikushimi shouted, "I hate you! I hate you as much as I hate myself for being with you!" she said with the black bladed bow filling with a dark aura, "It is because of you that my alter was even created. She lived because I hate you!" She said with a scowl in her eyes, "I could kill you now. I could prove that you were right." The reborn faunus alter spoke in a cold voice, "That your Darling is a beast after all. What do you have to say about that?"

"…," Adam was silent before he spoke, "We don't get to choose what we're born into this life as," he said with Nikushimi slightly gasping, "but we do get to choose what we do with this life." He said with the reborn faunus alter quivering, "I leave that choice to you, Blake Belladonna."

Nikushimi stood in shock, her breathing heavy as she looked at Adam standing still. Her trembling continued as she could barely aim her weapon. She gritted her teeth as she focused in, her finger about to apply pressure on the trigger, "AAAHHH!" Nikushimi screamed while tossing the bladed back bow aside, causing her to fall to her knees, "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" the reborn faunus alter grabbed her head in agony, causing a violet area pulsated through the area. Adam stood and watched as the chariot with others landed. Achilles, Yang, and Weiss ran out of the chariot and towards the purple light, which suddenly erupted into a beam towards the sky. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed as the others stopped to shield themselves from the light, but Adam stood still. As the others regained their vision, they gasped at what remained. The silhouette showed that Nikushimi had remained, her attire was intact. However, one small change was seen. Her stark grey hair was now a familiar shade of black. She turned to the trio, tears in her eyes, "Please, help me." Blake spoke, causing tears to form in her friends' eyes as they ran over to hug the black cat faunus.

Nightingale watched the moment from the chariot, speechless from the sight. She then turned towards Adam, who watched in silence before picking up his sword and holstering it. He walked away, turning back to a part of the forest with undamaged trees. There, he made it back to Sigurd, who stood next to the Malachite sisters, "Well," Sigurd asked, "Did you talk with her?"

"Yeah, I did." Adam responded, a slight smile forming, "We should give them some time before taking all of us back to base." The white fang swordsman spoke, the smile slightly changing to a look of determination, "Then, we plan for rescuing Musashi."

AN: There you go, Blake is back. We now have WBY reformed and all on the same group. Showing off Nikushimi's skills was cool, especially making her NP Atalante Alter's version of Tauropolos from the Apocrypha anime. More than that, nearly everyone got a little spotlight this chapter as well. Weiss reaffirmed her sister's resolve as her own now. Yang proves how much she cares about Blake as a friend, even after she quite literally broke her heart. Celicavalon has the same effect as Avalon in that the user can survive that type of injury, plus she had Nightingale's NP heal to boost recovery. Speaking of the steel nurse, she got to show off her moves in action this chapter but took a stab to the eye as a result. And with her NP as well, she was able to heal the recoil Achilles had taken from the bonds, letting him get his chariot and near invincibility back. Even the twins got to help by pointing Adam in the direction he needed to go to talk with Blake. With this version of him, what he has went thought and developed as, Adam finally apologized for all that he did to Blake. And with that quote, he was able to let her choose who she wanted to be. Next chapter will be the planning for the main part of the next season, the final battles against the White Fang Killers. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.