AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. We now take on another group set out to defeat one of the White Fang Killers. It's Sienna and Sigurd as they move to take on Nagayoshi. However, he has a couple of tricks up his sleeve here. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 53 – Lending a Hand
Sienna.
The airship landed with Sigurd and Sienna exiting. The two walked through the woods with the King of Warrior viewing a map on his scroll, "We will be approaching the enemy any minute now." He said before looking back to Sienna, "You have fought Nagayoshi before, is there anything you wish to tell me before our battle begins."
"He uses an army of paladins and a type of power armor, but both were destroyed in the last raid," Sienna responded, "So, I am not sure what he will fight with now." She said before sighing, "Listen, this is my fight, he will be after me more than you."
"Are you asking me to stand back?" Sigurd responded.
"No," Sienna responded, "But I will be the one to finish this monster off." She said before they made it to a clearing in the forest, discovering Nagayoshi standing at the center, holding his lance over his right shoulder. The Leader of the White Fang scowled while the raging paladin ginned.
"Well, you actually showed up," Nagayoshi spoke before looking to Sigurd, "And it looks like you brought a nerd with you."
"…" Sigurd glared before adjusting his glasses, "You are Mori Nagayoshi, a member of the White Fang Killers." He said before spawning his massive sword, "Surrender, or prepare to fight for your life."
"HAHAHA, fight you?" Nagayoshi laughed before sneering, "Nah, I want to kill you." He then looked back to Sienna, "Especially you, so that I can reach my new high score."
"The only one dying here is going to be you!" Sienna responded, "Every faunus life you have taken, I will avenge right now!" she said before whipping her chain, launching an arrowhead with a fire dust gem inside. However, Nagayoshi made no effort to dodge but smirked as his body glowed in a crimson light before impact. He was encompassed in smoke from the explosion, but one swing of his massive lance dissipated it all. Sienna and Sigurd gasped as Nagayoshi dawned a new set of armor. It was bone white with black cloths, a blood-red orb was seen on the chest and in the shoulders, "What is that?"
"You like it?" Nagayoshi asked, "This is a new armor from our employer." He said before pointing his lance, "It's like those mask your kind always wears, only this is more than just style."
"It looks like it's made from-" Sigurd was saying before getting cut off.
"Grimm? Hehe, exactly." Nagayoshi finished.
"How? Wouldn't the armor disintegrate before-" Sienna was saying until her faunus ears twitched. She then turned around towards the forest, witnessing more of the same armor emerging.
"It would, except the Grimm is not dead." One of the Grimm Armors spoke with the same voice as Nagayoshi.
"It's a type of mount I fused with my soul, creating a new Noble Phantasm." Another Grimm Armor spoke, "Normally a process limited to the Rider Class, but the person who made these armors found a loophole for me."
"There must be over a dozen of them." Sigurd said as he reposed his weapon, "I cannot tell which one is the real Nagayoshi."
"Then we kill them all," Sienna said as she readied her chain whip.
"Hahahaha!" all the Grimm Armors laughed before pointing their massive lances at their opponents. A silence fell a few of the set of Grimm Armor rushed in. Sigurd parried one of the lances, then dodged another attempted impalement. As one set of Grimm Armor approached him from behind, the King of Warrior elbowed it in the face to knock the Grimm Armor back, while cracking the faceplate.
Sienna jumped to evade a lance strike, then landed on the weapon before kicking the Grimm Armor in the head, shattering the helmet. However, nothing was inside but a cloud of black smoke. The Leader of the White Fang gasped as the helmet reformed, followed by the Grimm Armor shaking the lance. Sienna was forced to jump off before another set of Grimm Armor attempted to impale her from behind. However, Sigurd punched the Grimm Armor in the helmet, sending it crashing into a few other sets before its weapon could get near the Leader of the White Fang. "We need to prevent them from surrounding us," Sigurd advise with Sienna nodding, causing the King of Warriors to tackle past another set of Grimm Armor before she followed.
The Leader of the White Fang glanced back to see the army of Grimm Armor dashing after them. She then whipped a few of her dust arrowheads at them, but none of the elements had any effect on these targets, "Damnit, these things are unkillable." Sienna spoke before seeing some of the Grimm began chucking their lances like javelins, "Watch out!" Sienna warned as she and Sigurd evaded the incoming attacks. However, the Leader of the White Fang watched as the spearheads glowed in red light. Suddenly, the erupted with a red-hot flame. Sienna blocked with her forearms while getting pushed back from the heat.
Suddenly, Sienna was shoulder tackled to the ground by one of the Grimm Armors, "Hahaha, I guess I'm just too high level for you now." Nagayoshi spoke as Sienna gritted her teeth, seeing him point his lance down at her.
Before he could plunge his lance downward, Sigurd charged through the spoke and punched the Grimm Armor in the red chest orb, shattering it. The Grimm Armor flew back before cracking, then exploded, "Just as I thought," Sigurd said before adjusting his glasses, "That core is the weak point."
"I see, it's just like his last armor," Sienna said as she recalled her first battle with Nagayoshi. However, her mind flashed back to the moments prior, "I aimed for that point earlier, but my weapon does not do enough damage." She said while looking at her dust arrowheads.
"Here." Sigurd said as she Sienna looked over, seeing him offering a few of his daggers, "Launch these with your chain whip." He said with her accepting the daggers. At the same time, another set of Grimm Armor rushed in. The Leader of the White Fang launched one of the daggers at high speed, which was covered in a teal aura. it collided with the red core, shattering it before the Grimm Armor convulsed and exploded.
Sienna had a confident smile form before seeing the other Grimm Armors approach. However, each set now gained a darker red aura, "Are they getting stronger?"
"It appears that the more that are killed, the stronger the remaining ones get." Sigurd responded, "But I believe if we kill the one that homes the real Nagayoshi, then the others will fall."
"What makes you believe that?" Sienna asked.
"He enjoys videogames," Sigurd said before adjusting his glasses, "This common mechanic in them." He said with Sienna looking at him with half-open eyes. However, she then focused back on the charging army for Grimm Armor. Sienna turned to warn Sigurd but discovered the King of Warriors spawning more daggers in a hoovering circle. He then focused before punching them towards their opponents, striking two sets of Grimm Armor in the cores. They exploded while a third rushed in, the lance aimed for impalement. Sigurd spawned his sword and parried the lance. The King of Warriors then ran his blade through the Grimm Armor's core, causing it the explode as well, "Use as many of the daggers as you wish." Sigurd then adjusted his glasses, "I shall be fine with only Gram now." He said before dashing towards more of the Grimm Armors.
"…Showoff." Sienna slightly scoffed before seeing another group of Grimm Armor rush towards her. The Leader of the White Fang ran towards them before wiping another arrowhead, but one of the Grimm Armors deflected it. However, Sienna jumped the catch of the arrowhead before plunging it into the Grimm Armor's core before it could repose. She jumped back before it exploded, then readied for more of the Grimm Armor to rush in.
Sigurd faced three sets of Grimm Armor at once, parrying and dodging each lance strike before slashing one across the chest with Gram. The core shattered with the Grimm Armor exploding, pushing back the King of Warriors. Sigurd then reposed as the two others rush, thrusting their lances at the same time. He then pivoted to dodge both strikes, then kicking one away before focusing on the other. Before the Grimm Armor could repose, Sigurd bisected it, cutting the core in half before the two chunks exploded. He then rushed through the smoke towards the third Grimm Armor, but this one blocked his assault.
"Oh, you're a tough one." Nagayoshi spoke through the Grimm Armor, "Too bad you're not worth any points."
At the same time, Sienna stabbed another Grimm Armor in the core. However, before this one could explode, it hurried the lance toward the King of Warriors, "Watch out!" Sienna warned, causing Sigurd to glance back before jumping out of the way. However, the Grimm Armor caught the lance before thrusting both towards Sigurd, each impaling through his arms at the biceps. Sienna gasped as Sigurd was pinned to the ground, his Gram falling out of his hands before being caught by the Grimm Armor. The King of Warriors gritted his teeth as the blade was raised over his head. Just before the Grimm Armor could bring the weapon down for the final blow, multiple daggers stuck the core, creating an explosion. Gram few out of its arms before landing near Sigurd's head, causing him to let out a sigh of relief.
Sienna let out a sigh of relief, knowing her last attack worked. However, she looked down to see she had only one dagger left. She then turned back to discovering three more sets of Grimm Armors. "Looks like it's just you and me," Nagayoshi spoke through one of the Grimm Armors.
"And you have just one shot left," Nagayoshi spoke through another set of Grimm Armor.
"Better make it count," Nagayoshi spoke through the third set of Grimm Armor, causing all three to rush the Leader of the White Fang at once.
Sienna gritted her teeth before focusing on each one of the lances that tried to impale her. She dodged out of the way of each stab, but could not repose her weapon, "Damnit, how can I figure out the real one!?" she thought while continuing to dodge, then jumped back, "Think, what does the real Nagayoshi do that the others don't?" Sienna thought before focusing on the three.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" Nagayoshi spoke as one of the Grimm Armors tried to stab her. However, Sienna dodged before seeing one of the other armors coming in. She barely moved out of the way before seeing the third rush in. The Leader of the White Fang reposed her weapon before her faunus ears twitched. She then jumped out of the way, but not without this attack grazing her right thigh. Sienna landed with a staggered stance before falling to one knee, "Hahahaha, getting a little scared now?"
Sienna stood up with a scowl, "You don't scare me." She said before smirking, "And I know which one it's the real you."
"Huh?" All three Grimm Armors smoke at the same time, "How?"
"Let's me show you!" Sienna said before removing the dagger from her chain whip, then equipping three fire dust arrowheads. She launched all three at the Grimm Armors, each exploding on impact with a smoke cloud. However, each one rushed out without any damage. Sienna required her dagger, then aimed for the middle set of Grimm Armor.
As it looked like Sienna was about a make her choice, a slight noise was made, "Hehehehe." Suddenly, the faunus ears flinched before she focused on the rightmost Grimm Armor, "Eh?" the Grimm Armor said before the dagger was flung towards him. While the Grimm Armor used his lance to defend the core, the dagger was not targeted towards it. Instead, the dagger collided with the faceplate of the helmet, "AAAAAAAA!" Nagayoshi screamed as his helmet shattered, his face revealed, and the dagger had pierced into his left eye.
"Got you!" Sienna said before looking to the other two sets of Grimm Armor, seeing them stagger as the real Nagayoshi recoiled.
"Tsk!" Nagayoshi scoffed, "No matter, I'll kill you myself!" the ragging paladin said as he launched himself forwards, his lance reeled back.
Sigurd looked on in shock as Sienna stood still. The Leader of the White Fang took a breath before jumping back to dodge. However, Nagayoshi smiled as he anticipated that this time. He then ran his lance through Sienna's abdomen.
"SIENNA!" Sigurd screamed as the Leader of the White Fang coughed blood.
"HAHAHAHA!" Nagayoshi laughed as Sienna's body went limp on his lance, the body sliding down the polearm towards him. The raging paladin then used his other hand to grab the top of Sienna's head, lifting it to look her in the half-open eyes, "And that's a new high score."
"…No," Sienna spoke as her eyes focused, "It's game over."
"Wha-" Nagayoshi spoke in confusion but was cut off as Sienna shoved her left hand into his mouth, "Mm!?" he spoke in a muffled voice, feeling something metal brushing against his teeth and tongue. Nagayoshi then glanced down, seeing Sienna's ammo pouch of dust arrowheads was open and empty, "MMM!" Nagayoshi realized as he looked back to Sienna, who smirked as she locked her grip on his mouth. The raging paladin tried to pull away, but could already feel the mixture of elements reacting, "MMMMMMM-!" Nagayoshi tried to scream before his head glowed, followed by an explosion of fire, lightning, and ice.
The force of the blast knocked Sienna away, the lance still embedded in her body. However, Nagayoshi stood where he was, but his head was replaced with a bloody stump. The red core on his armor began to crack, the same happening to the other two sets of Grimm Armor. Soon. All three exploded simultaneously with nothing remaining but black smoke.
As the dust settled, Sigurd managed to reach the right lance with his hand, allowing him to pull the weapon out of his biceps. He pulled out the other before rushing over to Sienna. She laid on her side, blood pooling around her body, "Sienna!" Sigurd spoke while cradling her body, detecting a faint breath. He then took out his scroll, then sent out a distress signal.
In looking up to the sky, a green flash was seen before Achilles on his chariot road up, "I came as fast as I could." The swift hero spoke before examining the area, then saw Sigurd holding Sienna's body.
"Quickly, we need to head to Nightingale," Sigurd spoke as he boarded the chariot, causing Achilles to nod before taking the reins. The chariot soared through the sky while Sienna's vision grew blurry.
A short while later.
"…Uh…" Sienna slowly opened her eyes, her faunus ears flicking at the sound of a waterfall. She looked down to discover her body bandaged. She then turned to discover Sigurd sitting nearby, his arms bandaged as well.
"You woke up earlier than she expected," Sigurd spoke, glancing over to Nightingale in the distance talking with Achilles.
"I'm…alive?" Sienna spoke.
"Of course," Sigurd spoke with a smile, "It was your order to make sure nobody would die on this mission." He said with the smile slightly fading, "Still, this one was not without its wounds."
Sienna had a look of confusion, then realized what he meant. In lifting her left arm, she only saw a bandaged stump where her hand used to be. Sienna then sighed, "…Oh." She said before lowering her arm, then looking back to Sigurd, "How are the others doing?"
"We can confirm Izou and Nagayoshi are dead, no casualties on our end." Sigurd responded, "However, we have no word back from our other two teams."
"I see," Sienna said before looking up at the sky, "I had left a note to Caenis, saying that if I perished, she would be the new Leader of the White Fang in this army." She said with a smile forming, "Hehe, I guess I need to rip it up before she gets back." The Leader of the White Fang spoke before tears from her in their eyes, "Please, come back alive as well." She spoke as her tears ran more rapid
"She will make it back." Sigurd spoke, his left hand resting on her left shoulder, causing Sienna to turn to him. "All of us will be returning to our loved ones." He said while looking up at the sky, his eyes focusing on the clouds. In his mind, the image of his beloved was seeing, looking down with a smile on her face. Sigurd smiled back, but with tears running past the glasses.
Sienna slightly gasped at his tears, then looked back to the clouds as well. In her mind, she saw numerous faunus take shape, include a lizard faunus with a long ponytail, "I'm sorry, I could see you again," She thought as she looked at them image in the cloud, "But there is still more I can do for our brethren here." Sienna thought before glancing back to Sigurd, "And for our new allies." She thought as Sigurd had looked back as well, the two sharing a soft smile as the clouds moved across the sky.
AN: There you go, another one down. Our heroes managed to combine their skills to take down the ragging paladin. With the way his third ascension looks, I had to reference how much it looks like Grimm Armor. This fight was fun, but my favorite part was the ending. Sienna got a cool line as she finished off a White Fang Killer but does lose a hand in the process. If you are wondering how she lived this stab, it's because the weapon was not pulled out right way to lead to massive blood loss. And thanks to Achilles's speed and Nightingale's quick healing, she gets to live another day here. However, we are only halfway complete with the mission. Next up, the Weiss, Yang, and Reines group heads towards the Leader of the White Fang Killers. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
