Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine.
Chapter 138 is here and as always I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you all once more for following/ favoring/ reading the story. You are all the best; truly!
Se you all next week for the finale of the Arc in chapter 139. Until then, be well and have fun!
Fire and ice erupted around her, as the dawn's first light graced the sky or Vale. Weiss maneuvered below a Moroa, skewering its back with her rapier as the Queen passed by. The monster tried to attack, but a well-placed rifle shot from the nearby tower blew off its head. Nice one!
William appreciates it, Erik replied via his semblance. She flew up high, coming face to face with the remaining four Grimm vampires. Erik and his comrades had done an excellent job helping her take down the rest.
She let out a heavy sigh. For a split second, the Queen faded before her body oozed out more energy to maintain the summons. I am running out of juice, Erik. How are you holding up? She tried to not sound tired.
The monsters hovered a few meters above. After losing more than half their numbers to them, they had started acting more cautious towards the huntsmen. We are nearly out of ammo, you should retreat soon.
She gritted her teeth in fury. General Nile's line was holding its part and she for sure didn't want to let those beasts jump at them from above. There are only four left, damn it! I don't want to let them go elsewhere.
As if replying to her, the monsters flapped their wings and hovered in a circular pattern to surround her. Had they noticed the lack of cover fire from the tower already? She checked her dust reserves- and groaned.
I will draw them towards me and try keeping them in place for a while. Hit as many as you can till my attack stops, will you? Ignoring the loud protests that came towards her from below, she lowered her position.
The four monsters that flew above her head sped up. They would come at her soon, so she couldn't mess this up; for her own sake more than anything. She had a bit of fire and wind dust left, so making a trap with-
The Moroas stopped their attack. What? A sudden cry erupted from all over the Shadow Border; a maniacal howl of mourning, produced by a sea of throats not belonging to a mortal being. The vampires shrieked.
They replied to the howl, screaming above Weiss' head even as the sun started illuminating their charcoal black skin. Weiss! She heard Erik talk to her mind again. The mist is being dissolved across the Border!
Being sure to keep an eye on the floating nightmares, she allowed her gaze to fall on the invaded city. The dark fog slowly, yet steadily, faded into nothingness. That means… she thought… Blake did it!
Her heart soared in happiness and her mind sprang into action. There was no reason to let the Moroas get over their creator's demise. No, she would send them to join their vile King once and for all right now!
She pushed her remaining aura to her limit, adding a double-layered set of glyphs around her. Sensing her surge of magic, the mourning Grimm dived towards her. Weiss kept her concentration and dived to the wall.
Accelerating at high speed, she rushed to the closest rooftop, making sure the Moroas were running after her. Follow me and be ready to hit them with everything you have! She told Erik, as wind lashed her face.
The ground was coming closer to her at an immense speed. She could now feel the Queen's body trembling and vanishing below her feet. She could feel the rasped breath and hungry howls of the monsters behind.
The world is tranquility; an abyss of motions reflecting your own state of mind. Chanting her spell to stabilize her runes, she dismissed her servant and jumped down on the rooftop, keeping her ability on hold.
The vampires rushed after her. Erik shouted- thankfully not inside her mind- at her to take cover. Undeterred, she elegantly formed the sign and released her glyphs; an outer layer of wind and an inner one of fire.
A fiery column erupted from the ground, spreading around Weiss and rising up to hit the four Grimm. They tried to avoid it, but the second glyph formed a barrier of wind that trapped them inside the fire pillar.
The Moroas tried to dive towards Weiss; she was standing in the middle of the twin pillars, her eyes blazing in power while her aura was being slowly eaten from the intense heat. She smirked at them in satisfaction.
The blazing flames, forming a tide of searing attacks due to the air circle trapping inside, melt the Grimm skin, forcing them to use their powers to reform at a faster rate than their reserves allowed them to do.
They were expertly trapped and running out of energy since Nyctos was no longer there to provide them with its magic. They were doomed and they knew that- unless they managed to feast on Weiss' life force first.
Unfortunately for them, Weiss was completely aware of that too. When the charging monstrosities reached way too close for comfort and their evaporating saliva sizzled next to her ears, she dismissed the dust trap.
The Moroas, skin severely charred and body heavily burnt, surrounded her. They opened their fangs at Weiss- and got annihilated by a shower of dust-powered bullets from Erik's teams emptying their clips at them.
Weiss coughed out wildly. A small tug in her mind warned her of Erik's telepathy. I have to say, that was mildly insane. The others say it was awesome and hot as hell and want your autograph, though.
Weiss was caught by surprise and started laughing, her crystal clear and childish laughter mixing with waves of cough. I sure feel hot as hell now she replied, gazing the Border where the fog had vanished completely.
A couple signal flares flew up to the sky immediately after that, making the petite huntress stand up and grab her weapons. Aura of not, there was still plenty of fighting left and tons of Ghouls to get rid of around.
In the distance, the roaring sound of car engines approached the city from the east, dyed under the rays of the rising sun.
-o—
Yang was seated next to the driver on one of the mentioned cars. It was the advance scout unit of the SHU, mounted on rovers, driving through the district's empty carcass- the results of Bistre's selfish, vile ambition.
She combed her blonde mane to her back. Now that she had seen the trick Weiss had pulled and the overwhelming Halo of fire swallowing up the vampires, her heart had calmed down a bit. The vanishing fog that indicated Blake had managed to take down Nyctos helped a lot too.
She felt a pang of happiness. If she could somehow learn that Ruby and the others were safe as well, she would be totally joyous. If so… what is that feeling of fulfillment inside my heart? It feels as if I ate a full feast!
She had barely eaten anything besides the rations. She would normally dismiss such deep thoughts, but her mind went at the abhorrent eye she knew was hiding deep inside her flesh. Are you the cause of this?
Not that she expected any response, of course. "Aren't we going way too slowly?" she asked, eager to distract her mind somehow. The boy driving the rover- a young, handsome guy with chestnut hair- sighed.
"It's the third time you are asking me, Ms. Xiao Long. The rovers are not designed for charge attacks; they have low speed limits. I am going as fast as the vehicle allows me to. Besides, we have a formation to hold."
"It's as we told you" a blonde girl with shiny blue tips and bright pink eyes added "we grew up in this place; we know the fastest routes to the Shadow Border. But you must stay within the mission, Ms. Yang."
Her eyes opened wide and she hid her gaze by looking outside the car. Her name was Amelia Prisma; a beautiful young girl, member of team DAWN that had taken their name after the district they grew up in.
She let her orbs drift towards the black ribbons each member of the team wore. They were the huntsmen symbol of mourning. The boy who was driving, Date Heinz, smiled. "We are gonna find them alive, Yang."
She suddenly felt her face turn red in shame. Yup, that was her current situation. Those people, who had learned from a news report that their loved ones were either dead or missing, were trying to cheer her up.
"Guys… thank you" she muttered. "And I am sorry for your losses" she added. They all nodded "let's do our best to not add any more people. Dad hated crowded places" Amelia hid her sorrow behind a big smile.
Yang nodded, before the radio beeped. It was Albus calling. She picked it up. "Yang and DAWN here; hit me." She heard the man groan "there are signal flares being lit over the Border; change of tactics" he said.
"Scout units are to lure the Ghouls away from the city, so that we can surround them with General Nile's army. The SHU has suffered severe losses and will only provide cover fire, while we prepare the cannons."
"Roger!" everyone's voice echoed through the radio. "Yang I am sorry-" "Save it" she rubbed her fist. It didn't hurt at all, but that didn't ease her fear "we are huntsmen before anything else, you said so already."
She slightly smirked "besides if I go off on my own in the middle of a mission again, Weiss will skewer me in the middle of the academy in public attendance." They all blinked- and then broke out laughing.
"I see the Border coming closer. What the heck?" Amelia's voice cut off the laughter. She had picked up the binoculars, staring at the outlines of deserted buildings separating the desolate zone from defense lines.
She picked up the radio, ignoring her friends' gazes "Ghouls are pouring out from the Border's outpost buildings! They are numerous; at least a few dozen!" "Halt your advance; get ready to engage!" the reply came.
Following their commander's orders, all rovers stopped. The huntsman teams jumped out of the vehicles and started forming a defensive line around them, jumping up to roofs and using dust to barricade streets.
"Are they coming towards us?" Date asked. "They are moving towards all directions. Their behavior is nothing like what we saw when clearing up Yugure. They simply charge at everything they can see, like they-"
"Like they are normal Grimm" Yang completed the girl's reply while she moved out of the car, slamming the door behind her. "Our job remains the same, then. We hold them back while soldiers and SHU push away."
"Exactly" a boy with bright green hair, who was seated next to Amelia, replied. "We hold their advance, the Border and the army push them, and we surround them here. Then, Commander is bombarding them."
Yang nodded and allowed her gaze to fall around. They were in Main Street right now, probably the beginnings of Dawn Avenue. The road was wide enough for them and other two teams to properly deploy.
Ruined buildings, blood splatters and remains of a horrible slaughter adorned the capsized cars, shattered store windows and trashed sign posts. Bistre's hatred and ambition had marred this land forever.
Maybe… she cracked her shoulders. Maybe it's for the best if we level every piece of this place. She saw team DAWN discussing their usual strategy in determination. Maybe those four will manage to go on then.
The growls of Grimm broke her out her thoughts. She checked her own equipment and dust; thankfully, Albus was generous enough to help her replenish her stock. She checked her palm. Her skin was unmarred.
"Here they come" Date raised a long spear with a bright green emerald tip. "Let's all survive this" he stared at Yang. She gave the boy a bright, warm smile. "For those who watch us from above" she replied.
The mass came closer; a huge wave of gnarling teeth, moving around as if possessed by a demonic hunger. She raised her fists as they got closer and charged at the nearest walking corpse of a being, screaming in fury.
-o—
To Yang Xiao Long, this was a giant, fleeting reminiscence. The sound of combat from far away… the growls of numerous enemies trying to feast on her… the feeling of blood on her fists… it was Vacuo all over again.
Signal flares and radio commands echoed all over the place. They were repositioning almost as much as they were killing. Screams of agony, of Grimm and humans alike, reached her ears. She kept killing monsters.
To her, it was simple. Every punch was an enemy off Blake. Every kick was an opponent less for Ruby to defeat. Every explosion brought her a step closer to Weiss. It had always been like this- Yang never fought for her sake. Every fight was to help her friends; the people she loved.
It was easier to lose one into the battlefield like this. At some point, her shoulders slumped. She reattached her bones and kept punching. The waves of Grimm were lessening. The sounds of combat moved closer.
The perimeter was being formed. She was sure she heard Albus saying so at some point. It didn't matter. She had to keep it simple; protect the ones behind you and kill the monsters in front of you. That was all of it.
At some point, she heard Date calling them to fall back. She was really reluctant to do so, but she had to comply. Losing oneself too much was a serious mistake and she had no intention to die; they would be sad.
She was glad she did; as they retreated to the second perimeter under the cover of rifle fire, she managed to take a glimpse at one of the most imposing man-made spectacles she had ever seen since Amity Arena.
Two towering canons, made of shining blue-white steel, stood above Forever Fall Forest's tree line. They sizzled in energy like angry birds, as waves of lightning dust powered up their shells. A heavy smell of ozone filled the air, travelling the many kilometers up to the ruined districts.
She remembered gawking at the powering towers as the rovers skidded on the bloodstained asphalt, Date screaming at them to hold on while the others furiously shot down Ghoul trying to chase after their retreat.
She would never forget the powerful blast that signed the Grimm's final moments, annihilating the soulless monstrosities. She didn't avert her eyes from the blast. She wanted to etch the unfortunate district's final image forever into her mind, before the bombs engraved it into history.
She silently mourned the dead, never once turning to look at the crying faces of team DAWN, driving away to join their comrades' ranks.
-o—
"VICTORY!" the roar erupted across Vale, resounding in every corner of the city. As the continuous pummeling of the Grimm forces reached its peak, the cries of triumph grew behind the strike forces. Vale had won.
Immediately after that, the dust settled down. Patrols and cleanup duty SHU teams scoured every part of the city, making sure to annihilate any monster survivors down to the very last Grimm.
As Yang had said, the scars of Bistre's hatred had marred the land in an irreversible way. As reports blew over the news and estimations gave way to victim lists and numbers, triumph was replaced by deep sorrow.
No other place in Vale, though, had taken a greater hit than the Border. Dozens of people mourned their dead, holding trinkets and belongings or waiting for their loved ones' cremated ashes to be returned to them.
The sorrowful atmosphere became even heavier when Blake and Sun walked into the camp holding Glynda's massively traumatized body in their arms.
Doctors ran to her aid at once, but it didn't take long for the news to spread around; Commander Goodwitch was heavily wounded and in a critical state. A cloud of dread spread across the huntsmen quarters.
Rejoining with Blake, Weiss, Sun, Neptune and Velvet was like a single ray of light inside the dark morning for Yang. "I am so happy you are all alive!" she cried in Weiss' arms. Everyone smiled softly at her.
"Erik is joining Albus and Alex; they said they will catch up to us later. Cherry is under their custody, but I don't know what will be decided of her fate" the bunny girl said. "Sun and Blake; doctor. Now" she added.
"We will" they exchanged a look of acceptance. "Sorry to barge in, but my scroll isn't working. Does anyone have any news from Ruby and the others?" Yang asked them. Everyone shook their head in denial.
"The situation is so chaotic around here that I won't be surprised if she tried to call us but couldn't connect" Neptune tried to ease his friend. A sigh of worry left Yang's lips. She looked at Weiss. She was worried too.
"Does anyone have a car? I left Bumblebee II at Ozpin" she asked them. "You won't reach the cemetery until noon if you try going through the road. Everyone is going nuts with all that is going-" "I don't care, sorry."
Sun's reply was cut off. Yang was trembling. "We saved as many people as we can. Now, we have to-" Weiss' scroll rang. Yang's heart skipped a beat. The alabaster girl picked up, fingers trembling. "This is Schnee."
Everyone tensed. "Yes, doctor, I understand." Yang's stomach felt sick. The tension inside the tent was mortifying. No one dared say a word; all were fixed on listening to Weiss. "Yes, tell me. I am aware of this."
Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. Yang felt her heart break. Sun, Blake and Neptune grabbed each other in shock. Velvet gasped. Weiss' hand shook and blood was drained off her paler face "we are on our way."
"Weiss, who- who was it?" The alabaster huntress clutched her chest to control her heavy breathing. "They- city patrol found four bodies washed away in the cemetery sewers" she gulped "they want us to-"
"Identify them" Yang whispered. Before she could even register what everyone else was saying, her mind blacked out and the world erupted in a blissful oblivion, as she fainted in Weiss' still trembling arms.