Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine!
Chapter 167 is here and as always I hope you enjoy it!
Once more thank you all for keeping up so far. We have reached the final stretch of the story with 10 chapters remaining. You are all awesome and I can't express how much I appreciate your support!
And that's it. See you all on the 11th in chapter 168. Until then, be well and have fun!
Fundamental Law of Physics; very few things can outrun a shockwave. Blake, no matter how accurate and powerful a semblance user she may be, wasn't among those things. Of course, she already knew that.
As soon as the blast hit her, she had already resolved to blink away, but not too far. Doing so would leave Weiss wide open to the attack and render all of her attempt at supporting her friend completely pointless.
She shifted backwards and the blast was already upon her. She gritted her teeth in agony. She already knew that. I guess… she bitterly laughed at her odds. I will have to Yang it out- quite poetic isn't it?
She felt the shock wrack the core of her body. Her very being shook to its soul. This shockwave wasn't as strong as the one Alastor had used to demolish a house, but she wasn't the sturdiest warrior to begin with.
If so, then why did you do it? Easy; it had to be done. She had to give Weiss an opening. She had to get her to the Mad King, at her very best condition. She had to get them all to safety. Simple, wasn't it?
Yes, but at what cost? She could feel her bones and flesh resisting being torn to shreds. Had her aura given in already? She had to hold out more, there was no time to dwell on that. Time was a luxury for her.
She had jumped to tank on a shockwave. Why? She giggled, lips being seared in the face of her imminent demise. She heard Sun call out to her. Good; that meant her mind and body were still able to function.
The answer was simple, actually. She jumped in to save her friend from the image her instincts saw; being reduced to smithereens by taking the blast head-on while furiously charging at the oversized monstrosity.
Self-sacrifice was never RWBY's path. Since the loss of CFVY they all had realized how dying for the sake of your friends was not a heroic action, but something that left the survivors with deep, painful scars.
For her to choose a path like this; she- Blake smiled as her nostrils felt the smell of ozone. She knew exactly what was happening. Weiss could never stop Lightning Stinger after its activation, after all.
This was the sole reason she had opted to let her aura die without any attempt to reactivate it. She had to use her clones one last time after all in order to open a path for her petite friend. And that she did.
As she felt a sharp sting at the back of her chest, Blake reactivated her aura and blinked away, leaving a silver spear pierce through her clone and right towards the massive horror's shark-like head.
She landed just in time and smiled as she saw Weiss' attack splitting the Chariot's head in pieces. She felt a strong pair of arms grab her while a kind, worried voice called out her name. She smiled- and collapsed.
Weiss didn't wait more than a moment after confirming the kill. There was no time to relish in her victory or to cry out in triumph. She could not change her attack after being unleashed, but that didn't mean she hadn't realized the stunt Blake had pulled off. She ran towards her.
Sun had already grabbed her and was now holding her severely harmed body, tears running down his eyes as he called her name. Jaune was kneeling before the pair, panting as he poured his semblance into her.
"How is she?" Weiss asked. "She is alive" Jaune replied, stifling a gasp of pain. He was considerably weakened as well and utilizing his aura in such a manner was exhausting him too "her aura is responding to me."
"Nice" Sun commented and kissed her forehead. He gently whispered in her ears. Weiss averted her gaze to not pry on whatever the boy was telling her. Holding back her tears, she sent a choice stare at Alastor.
The huge Grimm body was- wait. It's not disintegrating? Realization hit her and she raised her arms again, ready to protect her friends from any sudden attack. That was when she heard it- when they all heard it.
A primordial screech of hunger pierced through the darkness, dawning upon them like a roaring thunder. The closest pillar shook and a Grimm appeared out of it, as if having surfaced from a tank of dense liquid.
Ichor's serpentine body and monstrous crocodilian head rushed at the hapless huntsmen. Weiss immediately conjured a shield and braced for impact- the creature ignored them and landed next to Alastor's corpse.
Leaving no time to them, the snake-like body wrapped around the huge carcass and then dived back into the floor.
Weiss held back a gasp as Ichor melded into the hard granite, dragging the Chariot with it until they both vanished, leaving nothing but shock and astonishment behind them. At the same moment, the eerie song stopped. Weiss bit her lips and turned her gaze to their surroundings.
Something was about to happen- and she didn't like it.
-o—
Ichor cared not about the huntsmen standing like fools in the middle of its father's castle. Its magically formed body slipped through the thick layers of hard granite, dragging Alastor's preserved corpse all the way.
Swimming like an expert diver, the serpentine Grimm finally reached its destination; a circular tomb covered in reinforced black marble, filled to the brim in protective runes cast by Salem ages ago to keep Charon in.
There truly was no way in for creatures of Grimm, or humans. Except for it, that was. It knew nothing of the sort of magic and its mind was no more than a cerebral vessel of primal hunger, governed by instincts.
Said instincts had kicked in when the second of the four remaining Mad King's Spawns had fallen. Gnastaur had already given Ichor Blekklat's essence and now Alastor had been killed as well. The time had come.
Slowly and carefully, Ichor slid into the stone again, always dragging its fallen kin's corpse along. It lowered its massive body and then moved right beneath the decrepit mausoleum's floor- the only part of Salem's cage that hadn't been reinforced by her magical sealing runes.
Ichor let out a piercing screech and dived up, surfacing by the sealed King's corpse. With a quick motion, it dragged Alastor closer to the Mad Grimm's lips.
The monstrous Elder opened its mouth and took a small bite of its flesh. Without pausing or even acknowledging its actions, it hungrily began consuming the blasphemous remains, dripping black goo upon its body.
It didn't take more than a couple minute for the King to finish its feast. A loud growling sound akin to the terrified cries of the drowned left its parched throat. Ichor opened its jaws wide-
And suddenly bit its very skin. It didn't understand what compelled it to do such a thing, but it gleefully tore its own flesh apart, using its sharp fangs to open huge wounds on its torso and throat.
As if governed by frenzy, Ichor mauled and maimed itself. Dark blood dripped all over the sealed chamber, dying the sepulchral interior in its vile goo. There was no screaming or crying; the only thing observing the silent demise of the newborn Grimm Spawn was a pair of scarlet eyes.
The very same eyes that had commanded the Grimm to take its own life shone in power and forced the dying monster to drag its bloodied remains towards it. As with Alastor, Ichor's body was presented to its merciless, inhuman king like a devilish sacrifice.
While being eaten alive, Ichor's instincts realized its purpose. A Grimm formed by Gnastaur, the Hanged One's cause was to offer its flesh for the Harbinger of Curses to escape its impenetrable prison.
As Ichor died, the Mad King would live once again. It hungrily consumed its feast and roared in glee as it felt power filling up its body. The ritual was almost complete, only one thing remained; its human sacrifice.
With a mighty bellow, The King broke a couple shards of glass, dripping down thick, viscous blood. It cried in hunger; it cried in anger. It cried in triumph. And its cries echoed in all of its embalmed armies' minds.
-o—
The angels' song was cut off abruptly. The sound of metal carving flesh put a stop in their malevolent choir. Blood splattered on the floor in a disgusting puddle of eldritch goo. Gnastaur turned its head around.
"How astonishing" the monstrous Grimm commented. Somehow Ruby had not only managed to recover from the mental onslaught, she had also decapitated the angelic adversaries with cold, inhuman efficiency.
Her eyes were fixed on the monstrous Grimm. Blood dripped off her scythe. Her head ached as if hit by a hammer. Her breath came out in rasped, erratic attempts. "You are the last one" she whispered.
"It matters not" Gnastaur growled "the King is awake. Right now, as we speak, Blekklat and two more of the Mad King's servants have been offered to our creator. He shall escape his prison, even if I fall here."
She clenched her teeth "you offered your own selves to awaken it? In all other cases, it wouldn't have been possible!" she protested. "Make no mistake, warrior. Your sacrifices are still needed" it raised its arms.
"What we did is merely release our King's chains and untie the eldritch rope that was passed around his neck. To escape the prison- this castle of darkness" it deeply exhaled "he still needs you and your comrades."
Ruby wiped some goo off her forehead. "That whole 'the more you are aware of, the more your value increases' thing you things have going for you is quite annoying" she whirled Cr. Rose and lowered her knees.
Gnastaur scoffed. "I can feel the darkness inside your heart, oh child of the light." "You know nothing of me" she narrowed her gaze. "You have seen darkness for yourself; and accepted it. That is a feat on its own."
"Why are you talking to me like that?" she let anger dye her voice. "You have even reduced your voice to that of a human. I didn't know Grimm had capacity for respect and communication- and I don't like it."
Gnastaur didn't reply. Instead, it formed runes on its claws and chest. In a split second, Ruby saw magma-colored lines running down its armor plates, encasing its dark skin in power. Red fire slowly rose up its torso.
The air grew hot all of a sudden. She saw rocks being liquefied beneath its carved hooves. Its hands crackled in burning sparks. The decorated skulls shook; she swore she saw red orbs appear in their empty sockets.
"Warriors who still follow the old ways are treated in respect" it stated, reminding the silver-eyed girl of a certain pink-haired faunus cultist. She gulped and tightened her grip, steeling her resolve against the Grimm.
"I am Gnastaur, High Priest of The Mad King and last survivor of the Grey Sand Kingdom. I act as my King's envoy and, in accordance of the old ways, will present your sister's life to Him to fulfill His awakening."
"I am Ruby Rose" she replied, washing down the anger from hearing it seeking Yang's life. "A huntress of Beacon Academy; I will end this with my own hands and seal your King back to the Abyss."
She burst forward and let a flurry of petals behind. The air grew hotter and hotter with every step she took, but she didn't care. Ruby span on her left foot and appeared behind it, slicing at its nape with her scythe.
A wall of fire immediately appeared between them. Gnastaur swung its mighty claws and stroke at Ruby who barely managed to shoot upwards and propel herself away from the monster's attack.
She immediately whirled her weapon and, gaining momentum from the motion, armed an air canister at rifle and shot towards the powerful adversary. The bullets hit the wall and dispersed the wild flames away.
Another burst brought her just beneath its belly- right where a flaming sphere had just manifested. Ruby collided on the fiery orb and let out a gasp of pain as her aura literally caught on fire. Gnastaur kicked her and the force of its hooves made her erupt in flames before crashing away.
"Urh" she stood up, holding her skull in throbbing pain as the flames went off, taking a huge chunk of her aura with them. "You remind me of a powerful enemy I faced once- he could teleport as well."
"Spare me the flattery- I don't need it." She spread her feet and fired a quick succession of high-powered air bullets at the Grimm. Gnastaur didn't attempt to block them this time- it simply vanished in thin air.
"What-" fire burst from behind her and Ruby, for the first time in quite a while, felt both impressed and terrified by what had just transpired. A shower of flames covered her and she kicked the ground to avoid it.
Knowing the attack was coming, she blinked and landed away. With a rapid motion she- a searing beam of scarlet magic hit her head-on and thrashed her on the walls, evoking a painful cry of agony from the girl.
"I messed up" she reached out for the anti-Elder vial. She didn't make it in time. Gnastaur, noticing the unnatural gleam in the pale blue vial its enemy tried to arm in her weapon, teleported again before her.
This time, Ruby was ready and threw the vial upon the monster as soon as it arrived in her flank. The liquid splashed on its face, melting its pure white plating and corroding its skin with a hateful intensity.
That wasn't enough to avert Ruby's fate. Roaring in agony and primal fury, Gnastaur sent four blasts of flame upon the girl. Three of them formed a cage of fire that surrounded Ruby, while the fourth one hit her from above. The huntress burst into petals and passed through-
That moment Gnastaur activated its curse of eruption. Flames blew up on Ruby's body and obliterated her aura. Her semblance failed and the young huntress fell on the ground with a sickening splashing sound.
She tried to get up but the Hierophant was quick. It stomped her head with its hoof, knocking Ruby out with a searing smash. Before she could crash on the wall however, it grabbed and picked up her bloodied body.
"You surpassed my expectations, warrior" Gnastaur carefully placed her upon the altar "you have outstanding instincts and combat skills that have nothing to envy of the humans of old" it spread her limbs in an X-pattern. "You would possibly defeat all my fellow Spawns if it came to."
Gnastaur picked up the angels' remains and slowly scattered them all over the altar, surrounding Ruby's unconscious form. "Blame your fate for bringing you to me" it raised its hands and began chanting again.
-o—
A huge slab of ancient rock stood before her. The green light pulsing out of the dust-powered lamp barely managed to illuminate the area, but it was still enough for her lilac eyes to realize it was a dead end.
Yang's metal arm traced the ragged stone. There was no opening; no air was passing through. She sighed deeply. I guess I have to go back to the balcony and find another route. "You are wasting your time, Miss."
She lowered her gaze at the beaten and tied-up figure belonging to the Professor. Maize was staring at her in his cold, emotionless expression; something she definitely didn't want at the moment. "Can it, will you?"
"Or what?" he asked. "You want me alive for some reason I can't at the moment fathom. So, you are not going to kill me and I can't possibly imagine you torturing someone" he stated, aggravating her even more.
"That's one thing; killing you is another. I need your help with the ritual; Weiss will need all the assistance she can get" Yang moved forward and grabbed him, tossing the weakened man over her shoulder.
"I am not helping you, Miss" he objected as the blonde carried him over to the dim corridor and back to the oversized balcony. "You will" she moved to the left and then took a small, narrow passage leading down.
"I still have a chance to stop Mad King if you lend me your hand" Maize carefully added. Yang lowered her head and carefully descended to the floor below, coming before a small circular hall decorated in rusted iron pieces of jewelry.
She clicked her tongue. Their motifs were quite similar to the talismans hanging around Grand Mother's temple. "We are not doing that thing" she passed below one of them, hair standing on edge.
"It is the best shot we have" he ignored her protests. "Shut up!" she cut him off, her right arm pulsing for a mere moment reacting to her anger.
"I asked you once to give information; you refused. I asked you to help me with the sealing ritual; you ignored me. I asked you to help me find the way to the hall and try reaching my friends; you scoffed at me."
Yang sent him a side glance full of anger "you blew all your chances at talking this out; now shut up unless you want to tell me where the fuck this ritual is going to take place at" she added and averted her gaze.
There was no response. She stared at a flight of stairs that came down from the opposing side. The area was a bit illuminated and she thought for a moment that she could smell a faint aroma of gunpowder residue.
"I thought so" she commented on Goldenrod's sudden silence. "Well, it works for me either way. Blake or Weiss will have you talk sooner than you can say-"
A loud, piercing scream stopped Yang's monologue. It was a cry of pain, coming right from the deepest bowels of the earth. It resonated in the empty walls and pillars, even causing the talismans to rattle a bit.
Yang felt cold. A sudden chill ran down her spine. The scream echoed once more, clawing at the deepest recesses of her exhausted soul. A violent chorus of gasps and tortured moans followed it soon after.
"That wasn't a Grimm- it sounded human" Maize noted. She ignored him, for she was already aware of that fact. She couldn't even mistake that voice, even if it was one in the middle of a maelstrom of screams.
The voice, filled in so much agony and pain, was Ruby's. And, from the way she was crying and carrying her gasps and moans, Yang realized she wasn't fighting. It was torment; someone was torturing her sister.
She didn't even try to suppress the anger swelling up from inside her. A feeling of rage spread across her body. Maize's eyes opened in awe as a malevolent green flame slowly engulfed the girl's left arm.
He felt heat. The flames licked his body, radiating inhuman malice and a very human sense of absolute fury. He tried to scream as the burning flames slowly moved towards his body, but the girl tightened her grip.
"Where did this come from?" she asked. Her voice was hissing and had a crackling between each word, as if she was trying to speak in between the roaring fires. He gritted his teeth; even if he knew there was no-
A thought passed by Maize's head, stimulated by another cry. It was naught but a fleeting idea- a desperate gamble unlike anything he used to do. But, at this point, it might have been his last remaining chance to salvage whatever was left of his plan. There was still some foolish hope.
"This must be Gnastaur's chambers, if my memory serves me well" he did his best to sound reluctant. "Is this a Grimm?" she asked back. "It is the Mad King's High Priest- the commander of its remaining kingdom."
"How do I find it?" she asked again, squeezing his body more with her burning arm. The heat was becoming unbearable and the power she was currently emanating was anything but human, even for Xiao Long.
Was she truly aware of what was happening? He asked himself. Was she aware of the pulsing gazes staring at them in hunger from the vile green flames? Was she feeling the malicious gaze of Grand Mother?
If she did, she definitely didn't seem like she cared about it. That was exactly what he was hoping for. "Move forward and then pass by the flight of stairs. You will find a corridor on your left; squeeze through it."
She nodded and started walking in such a mechanical manner that his heart skipped a beat in surprise. Her face was half-covered by him, but he could see the lines running up her neck and reaching out to her nape and cheek. The flames were slightly rising, illuminating her scarlet eyes.
"After passing through, you will see a large room shaped like a dome, with windows of stained glass and ancient-looking mosaics. That is its chamber- the sole remaining altar to the Mad King is inside" he added.
She simply shook her head and picked up the pace. There was nothing she asked of him; nothing she cared enough to question him about. If she picked up his suspicious change of heart, she blatantly ignored it.
It didn't matter. Whoever was currently being tormented by Gnastaur gave him a chance. He would lead Xiao Long to the Hierophant as she had requested- and then wait till the Priest did its job with her.
Maize chuckled, his laugh hidden deftly by the searing flames. There still was a chance for his plan to succeed. Fergus was still out there, in full compliance to their preparations. He gulped to ease his throat from the scorching heat, as the green sparks began consuming his flesh.
He still had a chance- even at the very end of his life.