Chapter 14 – Battle of the Summit's Claim – Pt. 2

Ren

Icarus roared with a seething fury as he flew directly towards them, and he spun quickly, slashing his dual Khopeshes at them. Li rolled aside whilst Ren charged towards him, dropped and slid underneath him. Nora fired her Grenades at him from Stormur Skeggox, but folded his wings before his chest, shielding the pink explosives from hitting his body. He then spun around, slashing his huge wings at her, and she raised her axe with both hands, stopping the razor-sharp feathers from cutting across her aura. Nora swung the axe diagonally at him, but he caught her axe with the curved blade of his Khopesh, and then punched it from her grasp. Nora gasped, suddenly grabbed by the throat, and lifted off the floor. Icarus glared at her with enraged eyes, snarling through his mechanical jaw.

Nora's eyes crackled and his widened, he immediately ducked as Magni came flying towards him from behind. He threw her aside and ducked down, narrowly missing his head. He stared at her as the two weapons came flying back into her hands. She smirked at him as her eyes shone a bright pink, electricity started to course through her veins thanks to the Electrified Dust Cartridges she now had built into the grips of her weapons, ready to charge her up to full power whenever she needed to.

She squeezed the triggers on her weapons and golden lightening erupted through the metal and coursed through her scars, causing them to light up bright pink, alongside her eyes. She roared with fury as Icarus blasted towards her. He then threw his Khopesh towards her, Nora was unable to dodge it in time and it hooked her by the throat, pinning her against the wall. She strained as she tried to break free. Icarus launched forward and drove both his sharp wings directly into the walls where her head was. But he kept her trapped there and proceeded to punch her over and over in the face, sending a hard punch directly to her gut as well. She grunted then roared with rage, creating a powerful electrical pulse that threw him backwards.

He stared at his wings, noticing the electronics were going haywire. "Crafty trick you have there, Valkyrie." Icarus hissed; he may no longer have a mouth but somehow, she could tell he was grinning. Just by looking at his squinted eyes.

"I'm just getting started." She assured, and the head of Stormur Skeggox started to glow even brighter as she channelled energy through the entire weapon. She then yelled and thrusted it forward after breaking free from his Khopesh in the wall. A powerful beam of pink energy shot forward from Stormur Skeggox's axe-head, and it collided directly into his wings as the power returned to them. The feathers folded over each other and he held the beam back for as long as he could. The sheer power behind the attack was pushing Icarus through the snow, even melting and evaporating it from the heat.

Just as the beam ended, he opened his wings to attack, only for Nora to throw Magni straight into his chest. The Hammer whistled as it flew through the air and crashed into his chest. Icarus barked, thrown back and tumbling through the snow. Ren swung around one of the flagpoles and slammed both feet into Icarus' face. The Archangel tumbled through the snow, flakes fell from his metal wings and Ren skilfully rolled across the snow, landing onto his feet. He twisted around and aimed both the Stormflower Pistols at him and opened fire. The green bullets came flying towards him, but Icarus raised one wing, opening the feathers like fingers, blocking all his bullets from hitting him.

He then opened his spare hand, where Gravity Dust started to connect to his secondary Khopesh. "You lot have gotten better, but you're still nothing compared to me." Icarus snarled, the Khopesh he threw at Nora flew off from the snow and he used the gravitational pull from his gauntlet to slingshot it towards Ren. He gasped and flipped backwards, narrowly missing it, but then it circled back around and returned to his hand. As Ren landed, Icarus blasted his thrusters towards Ren and he jumped towards him, slashing both Khopeshes downwards with immense force. Ren blocked the incoming strike with the bladed machine pistols, but Icarus proceeded to kick him in the chest.

His Wingsuit opened, two little silos appeared, and he fired tiny explosive projectiles towards him. Ren ran and he jumped up in the air, firing his grappling hooks onto the shoulders of the Mercenary. He corkscrewed through the air, narrowly dodging the tiny missiles which exploded around him. It was like time slowed as he focused his mind on his enemy, fire erupting all around him. Icarus snarled back at him, before he swung his Wing around, and knocked Ren out of the air. He dropped to the floor, quickly rolling aside as Icarus swung both the curved Khopesh Blades down towards his face. They clanged off the rock, and as Ren jumped back up, he roundhouse kicked Icarus across the face.

His mechanical jaw hissed violently, and he frantically grabbed onto his nutrient cannister, securing it back in place. His eyes turned wild with rage and he launched into a berserk rage, firing multiple grenades from his bracers which exploded upon impact. Ren flew backwards from the powerful explosion, his aura flickered but was not broken. He raised his head from the snow that he fell into, and he saw that familiar glowing red light shimmering in his eyes as he writhed around.

That was when he remembered his Semblance…

Blind Rage.

Where he would just lose himself in anger and see everything around him as a threat and would kill it on sight, becoming more and more powerful the angrier he got, until someone broke his aura. He was like a living time bomb, and he gripped onto his Khopeshes – Undying Hatred – tighter and tighter. He turned to see Li, and it was like all that rage was being directed towards him now.

He unleashed a berserk and metallic roar, and launched his Khopesh towards him, but Li redirected it with his staff, and Icarus opened his palm, using the Gravity Dust to summon it right back. He charged forward before blasting directly at him, and he slashed the two weapons down at him, before taking off up into the air and staring down at him. "ALL OF THIS? I WILL BURN IT ALL TO EMBERS! THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT!" Icarus bellowed, before he dove down towards Li like a Falcon, and slammed his fist down into the ground.

The shockwave staggered him and created a brief moment of confusion for everyone as the snow hung in the air. But Li? His blindness was more of an advantage now than ever before since he never needed to worry about vision. He stood calmly as he listened to the environment, blocking out everyone else, the sounds of gunfire and the Grimm. Only what he needed to find. He swiftly turned as Icarus lunged for him, slamming both blades down onto his staff, but Icarus yanked it from his hands and threw it across the floor. Icarus swung his knee up into Li's gut and then slammed his elbow down into his back. Li grunted but proceeded to swing both fists up into his jaw.

Icarus roared with anger, looking around as Li seemed to vanish into thin air. "Your rage blinds you, Icarus. Can you not see that what Salem is doing to the world is wrong? Is cruel?" Li questioned.

"Salem has brought more law and order to the world than the U.G.R could have ever dreamed of! Look around you, old man… step down from the peak and see. The Faunus no longer live-in fear of the Schnee Dust Company, the Crime Syndicates are no more! And the Grimm no longer act like wild animals and keep the peace!" Icarus called out.

"Perhaps, but the cost was far too great. Thousands died for this new world. This new world is built upon the bones of many." Li stated as he walked through the fog.

"Sacrifices must be made for a better future. You of all people should understand that you killed my father and gave me this so then you could start your own family." Icarus stated as he gestured to his jaw.

"Yes… and I have paid the price for my actions. And soon, so will Salem. But I will not let you take my son and daughter in law." Li burst through the snow and swung his staff down the Mercenary's head, and then proceeded to swing it upwards with immense force. Icarus grunted as the impact threw him up into the air and crashing back down against the snow. Icarus blasted his Wingsuit's Thrusters, and shot forward, banking around one of the buildings before he caught Li by the neck with Undying Hatred, smashing him down against the floor before he threw him into the wall.

Li grunted but just as Icarus went to attack, Ren yanked him back with his grappling hook. Icarus snarled and he wrapped the cable around his arm, and then yanked the skilled Huntsman directly at him. He caught Ren by the throat and pummelled him down onto the ground. He turned as Nora rushed him and she threw Stormur Skeggox at him, but he batted it aside with his wing, yet she still jumped up and lightning crackled through Magni as she smashed it down into the ground with immense force. He stumbled backwards but then slashed his wings down her chest, cutting across her aura, before hooking the curved blades under her armpits and he lifted her off the floor, before jumping up and swinging his boot down into her gut, smashing her down against the ground.

Nora groaned from that one, he got her good. He clicked the triggers on Undying Rage, and red lightning coursed through the blades, a lethal combination of Fire and Electrical Dust, and he slashed across Li's face, knocking him down to the ground. His aura flickered as he walked around him and went to behead him with one sudden attack. That's when the screech of an eagle came from behind, he turned as the huge wings blocked out the sun.

It was Li's Eagle – Harmony Gives Humble Mind.

The huge Altum Eagle slashed its talons across his chest and knocked him away from Icarus. The massive beast glided around the Monastery, and then landed atop the roof. It opened its wings and screeched to the sky. Li got up swiftly and pulled his staff up Icarus' throat and threw him across the snow. He drove his wings into the ground to slow himself down. He stared at the three of them, Nora being helped back up by Ren. They saw Icarus' eyes twitch as his semblance grew stronger and stronger, and his eyes were glowing red, shining brighter and brighter.

"I forgot how strong this bastard's aura is." Nora panted.

"We just need to get him to his limit." Ren stated.

"The only issue is his semblance, the longer he fights the more enraged and stronger he becomes. He never tires, he just gets stronger and stronger, and fights more wildly." Li explained.

"We just need to break his aura. Once his aura is down, we can finish him off." Ren assured, remembering how it all went down last time.

Once his aura broke, and Nora broke his Wingsuit, the battle was over.

Ruby

The wall exploded as she collided straight through it, covered in dust and chunks of rock fell from her hair. Ruby groaned as she struggled to get back up, hearing the clopping hooves draw nearer and nearer. Her silver eyes turned as the massive monster emerged through the fog, two separate pairs of eyes glared at her, glowing red, one pair from the horse, and the other pair from above it. The beast growled as it cleared through the dust cloud, drooling from the mouth as it stared down at her, eyeing up the Relic of Knowledge.

Ruby didn't know it… but it was the exact same Nuckelavee that destroyed Kuroyuri that night. Icarus must have always known where its home was for Salem to upgrade it, it was pretty easy to tell. Not only were the eyes glowing brighter than normal, like that Shifter and the Beowulf, but it had more plates of armour covering the body. Ruby turned as she saw the Praetorian Knight stood beside it, pointing the Sceptre in its hand at her. "Relinquish the Relic of Knowledge, Silver Eyed One… or perish." The Knight threatened.

Ruby narrowed her eyes and she quickly got back up, spinning Black Thorn through her fingers. "You're gonna pry her from my cold dead hands." Ruby growled back at the massive Knight.

"So be it." The Praetorian Knight replied, it suddenly launched towards her, swirling into multiple chunks of metal, colliding right into her. The impact knocked Ruby onto her back and the Praetorian Knight shifted back into its Knight Form, spinning its Sceptre through its fingers. Ruby turned as the Nuckelavee scraped its hoof through the cobblestone and snow, the Imp riding the monster screeched to the sky. So loud that Ruby had to cover her ears, then the Horse roared as well, charging towards her. Until someone fired their gun into its side, the beast turned to see two people stood there. The Imp roared and swung its stretching arm towards him, grabbing him in one and then holding onto his legs with the other. The man screamed in immense pain as the flesh and skin tore, bones snapped, and blood poured out. The man was ripped in half by the beast, then the Horse charged forward and clamped its bony jaws down onto the second gunman, shaking him around like a toy, splattering blood everywhere.

"No!" Ruby screamed in desperation as the Horse killed him, his blood smothered the Equine Grimm's face, drooling from its teeth. It turned and stared at her, then charged to attack. Ruby dashed aside, using her Semblance to her advantage, then she closed her eyes and spun around, about to use her Silver Eyes, only for a beam of red energy to hit her in chest. The Praetorian Knight spun its Sceptre through his fingers after firing and walked towards her. It kicked her in the side before smacking the Sceptre across her cheek, knocking her against the floor.

"Relinquish the Relic!" The Praetorian Knight yelled as it held her above the floor, then threw her across the courtyard again. She tumbled and groaned, only for the hot breath of the Nuckelavee appear over her shoulder, and warm blood drooled down her cheek. The Imp grabbed her by the head and lifted her off the floor, staring right at her. Its jaw hung from sinewy black muscle, and it created horrible rasping groans. It slowly opened its jaws to devour her and Ruby squinted her eyes shut as she tried to get free.

Until a blinding green light erupted, garnering both the Knight's at the Monster's attention. The thick beam of light collided into the side of the Nuckelavee, the Grimm roared with pain as it was blasted down to the ground. It was not dead, but it was enough for the creature to release Ruby. She landed on the floor and Penny descended beside her, helping her back up. "Are you okay?" Penny worried.

"I'm fine… but Penny, we still have that Praetorian Knight." Ruby warned, and the twelve-foot-tall entity sprinted towards them and went to skewer Ruby with its Sceptre. But that was when Cinder landed in front of them both and blasted a huge column of fire and wind directly into the Knight. The Praetorian Knight got forced back by the blast but started to spiral its huge Sceptre with telekinetic energy, blocking her strike.

Cinder ceased and stood her ground, glaring at the Knight. "I have not missed you ugly assholes." Cinder stated as she watched the Praetorian Knight pace back and forth.

"Traitor." The Praetorian Knight growled; Ruby got back up to her feet with Penny beside her. She turned as the Nuckelavee got back up, shaking off Penny's attack, which definitely delt quite the blow to it.

"We can't let that thing take Jinn." Ruby said.

"Then let's take it down." Cinder said, her eyes igniting fiercely.

"Yeah… sure… why not? It only took an entire Academy to bring down one before… this one will be totally easy." Ruby sarcastically scoffed.

"Go for its face, it's the weak point." Cinder reminded, and Ruby nodded her head, then she turned to the Nuckelavee. A normal one of them was deadly even to a full team of Huntresses and Huntsmen… but this one was different.

Older, and advanced.

This was going to be one tough fight.

The Nuckelavee grunted and roared, charging directly towards the Fall Maiden, who turned and flew directly at the monster. She threw her burning fist right into the Imp's skull, creating a powerful shockwave. The Imp screeched in pain but then its long arm cracked around, catching her by the heel and slingshotting her towards the buildings, but Cinder blasted flames from her hands and feet to steady herself. She stared right back at the monster as she slowed herself down, then launched forward. The Horse reared backwards and kicked its from clawed hooves, roaring to the sky, before it charged directly at her once more. Cinder opened her palms and formed her Obsidian Axe, throwing it straight at the monster. The axe spun through the air but the Equus darted aside, quickly scaling across the cobblestone fence, before jumping over the next and bucking at her. The back two hooves clopped into her chest and threw her backwards. Cinder tumbled across the snow and she pressed her hand into the snow, staring back at the monster.

Saliva drooled from the Horse's jaws, concocted with blood, and it shook its head before it rushed her once again. But the Nuckelavee jumped and slammed its heavy hooves down into the ground with immense force. The floor cracked and the beast reached its long hand out and grabbed onto Cinder, yanking her towards the Horse's jaws. Only for Cinder to form two Obsidian Swords, and she sliced them clean through the arm of the creature. Black smoke and blood covered her, and she flew up into the air, her eye igniting with an amber flame. She could hear the screeching Imp below, crying out over the pain it felt from losing its hand. But she watched with disbelief.

"That's new." She softly said, watching the Imp start to regenerate its hand, black smoke constantly poured from the stump, but then the tar started to forge a brand new two-digit hand once again. The Nuckelavee roared up at her and immediately extended the arm back up at her, in which she reacted by blasting a bolt of lightning down from the sky at the beast. Dark clouds swirled above her head, flickering with forks of lightning. The Nuckelavee swiftly sprinted across the town, even breaking through one of the buildings at one point. The Horse slid across the cobblestone, with the Imp hanging lifelessly from its back, only when the Equine Grimm halted did it rise back up. It then showed its intelligence, by reaching out to parts of the house it smashed through and ripping chunks of wood and stone from the old structure and throwing it up at her.

Cinder hovered, quickly blowing up the pieces of debris thrown up towards her. The wood exploded and burned into embers around her, until it threw a piece of Rebar like a spear. She gasped, catching it in her hands, just stopping it from impaling her throat. She tossed it aside and formed a spear of ice that she threw down towards the Grimm. The Nuckelavee jumped out of its path before the Imp reached up and grabbed onto Cinder by the leg and pulled her down towards it.

A smirk drew across Cinder's face as she formed an Obsidian Spear, referencing Milo whenever it was in Spear form. She waited until the perfect moment and burned herself free from the Grimm hand, and she landed behind the Imp. It screeched and tried to twist around to defend itself, but Cinder was faster, and she pulled the spear up its throat. The Imp barked with rage as it writhed violently despite Cinder choking it out with all her might, and the Horse began to buck wildly to try and get her off.

On the other side of the fight, the Praetorian Knight jumped up in the air and brought the huge Sceptre down to the ground with immense force, creating a powerful shockwave mixed with red electrical energy. Ruby rolled backwards, then drew Black Thorn, firing her dual Volcanic Pistols with deadly accuracy. The Praetorian Knight swiftly deflected the dust rounds that came flying towards it, then Penny charged up her laser, firing it directly at the entity.

It held the Sceptre up with one hand, catching the blade in the razor-sharp tip, refracting the laser across the Claim, killing a couple Grimm in the process, and burning through one of the empty Yurts. The Praetorian Knight's cold, glowing red eyes, lacking all soul whatsoever, stared right back at Penny who kept firing, realising too late that the Praetorian was turning the laser back at her. It then fired it right back into her chest, the impact was so hard that it threw Penny backwards.

"Penny!" Ruby screamed, until she felt her throat get squeezed tighter and tighter by the Knight, lifting her high off the floor. The Knight reached towards the Lamp, but Ruby gritted her teeth, and a powerful blast of white light erupted from her large silver eyes. The Praetorian Knight roared with rage as it stumbled backwards, the floating metal rattled around, breaking apart and reforging over and over again. It slammed the Sceptre down against the ground as it stared back at her, then Ruby launched towards it. She slashed her Scythes down the huge Sceptre as it backed up, blocking her strikes with efficiency.

The Praetorian Knight thrusted forward to stab Ruby, but she launched herself forward and drove her hooked blade into its neck and rolled across its shoulder. She landed down behind it then shot multiple fire rounds into its back. But they had little to no effect whatsoever, it turned and stared directly into her eyes. The Praetorian Knight channelled dark energy through its body formed from floating pieces of metal and rock, and right into the head of its staff. It pushed forward, blasting the beam at her, but Ruby cartwheeled backwards, only for the Praetorian Knight to rush her again, slashing its Sceptre hard and fast. It pirouetted with it, scraping across Black Thorn's blades, throwing golden sparks from the impact. Ruby kept backing up, but the Knight just continuously struck at her, so hard it started to break her stance.

Penny flew overhead and launched her many blades down towards it. Some of them just went straight through the plume of smoke trapped within it, but some did manage to get caught into the pieces of metal. Penny then wrapped her cables around her arm, and she flew up in the air, ripping the blades straight through its arm. The metal was thrown in many directions, yanked away by the pull of the Knight's form.

Sometimes it was easy to forget these things were the final stage of a Geist's Evolution. And their weakness was always the same – the face. Penny then flew right back at it and slashed Floating Array towards its face. The head was covered in armour like a knight, however, inside was still the head of a Geist, and it roared with anger at feeling the pain. It reacted by punching penny out of the air, then kicking her back up in the air before she hit the floor. It spun its Sceptre through its fingers as the metal returned, reforging the arm she destroyed, and it rested the Sceptre across one arm, using it to aim more accurately.

Crackling red lightly blasted from the Sceptre and collided into Penny's chest, knocking her down to the floor. She tumbled across the snow, before driving her swords into the ground to slow herself down. She saw the Praetorian Knight pick up one of her swords and it snapped it with its heavy foot, only for it to crumble into dust.

Grave Dust.

Watts' little upgrades he gave her after acquiring her body from Amity Arena were actually coming in handy now. A small smirk appeared on her face as the dust returned behind her, alongside cable which got retracted into her spine. She replaced it with a new sword, replacing the one it destroyed. Ruby and Penny both looked at each other and smiled, then they both rushed the Praetorian Knight at the exact same time.

It stood motionless as they got closer, before it quickly kicked Penny back, and spiralled around to stop Ruby's advance with the blade of its Sceptre. She scraped Black Thorn down it, then she jumped up to attack its face, only for it to catch her by the throat and throw her into the floor, and suddenly spin the Sceptre so fast through telekinesis, that it stopped Penny's second blast from hitting it. That was then it launched the spear towards her, and Penny slashed all her swords directly through the middle of the spear. But just like the Praetorian, it was forged from that ghastly smoke, and it shattered around her blades, and reforged on the other side.

Penny gasped, and it smashed into her chest and carried her off. Penny tumbled through the snow and her green aura flickered for a few moments. She had to be careful, she was already nearing the amber level. Penny watched as the Sceptre banked around, and went straight through one of the Yurts, travelling like a swarm of birds in the form of shards of metal and rock, before returning back into its original form in its master's grasp. It stared her down as it stood there, then Ruby jumped up behind it and jammed Black Thorn straight into its eye.

The sound the Praetorian Knight created was unlike any cry they have ever heard, it was ear piercing, dark and demonic, and utterly nightmarish. It stumbled around as Ruby kept her scythe dug into its face as it started to panic. It grabbed her by the hair and threw her off it, Ruby transformed into a flurry of petals, which then returned to her human form, sliding across the floor with both weapons in hand. She stared at the Knight with a smirk.

The Praetorian Knight snarled, and black smoke poured out from the eye of the helmet, but it was still not down yet. It walked towards them and the body grew in size, just like the one they remembered back at Beacon.

Ice… we need to use ice dust to hold the body together so then it can't shift…

The Praetorian Knight sprinted directly at her and drove the Sceptre down into the ground, blasting red lightning through the stone, and causing it to erupt all around them. Like volcanic springs, but Ruby transformed into Petals, and she flew to her girlfriend and grabbed her. Both red and orange petals flew up into the air, then they both reformed above the Knight. They both smiled at each other, ready to continue fighting it, and Penny blasted another beam down towards the Knight.

The body of the Praetorian Knight exploded outwards, the black smoke kept all the pieces together, causing the beam to just go through ghostly smoke instead. Once her beam ceased, the Knight collapsed back down into its humanoid form, and it spun the Sceptre around, firing it up at her. She dodged the incoming beam and proceeded to glide overhead whilst Ruby dove down towards it, slamming Black Thorn into the Sceptre with all her might.

Yang

The battle against the Knight and the Nuckelavee continued, but Yang and Taiyang had their hands full with Adam. He smirked as he stood before the two of them. "Like father, like daughter. Both fools who would rather do things the old-fashioned way." Adam stated as he looked at their fists.

"Well, at least we don't have to compensate for something." Yang sneered, which Taiyang chuckled at. If they were not facing a highly lethal enemy, he would have given her a fist bump. Adam growled as he kept Wilt and Blush drawn, now Yang could actually see his full face, since he was no longer hiding behind his mask.

"Y'know… if it were anyone else? I'd feel sorry for you, looking at that gnarly mark on your face." Yang hissed viciously, staring at the S.D.C branding over his eye. Adam growled as he gripped onto the hilt tighter.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to my little girl, you son of a bitch." Taiyang snarled, which made Adam laugh at his words.

"Your daughter wasn't fast enough to beat me at Beacon, what makes you think she can fare any better this time?" Adam challenged as he pointed the sword at them both, still holding his Scabbard in the other, finger on the trigger.

"Wanna find out?" Yang challenged, that only made him smirk, spinning Wilt and Blush through his fingers.

"Oh… I know how this will end." Adam promised, before suddenly lunging towards her. His hair shone red and so did his sword and coat. The slash turned the area black and red, and the boxes exploded into ash from the raw power collected inside of that blade. But this time, Yang blasted backwards, flipping through the air as she avoided the deadly attack that took her arm before. She glared down at him and fired both Ember Celica Gauntlets backwards, and she rode her recoil down towards him, and planted one powerful punch into the side of his head. Adam yelled in pain from the strike, staggering backwards, before Yang rushed forward to attack once again.

Adam swung around and smashed the Scabbard across her jaw, before kicking her in the chest, and swinging the sword up her chest. He jolted forward, sending shadowy energy clones of himself towards her, all of which cut the sword down her gauntlets. Sparks flew from each strike made, but just as he went to shotgun her in the face, Taiyang suddenly tackled him to the ground. He wrapped one arm around his throat and pummelled his head down into the stones, before throwing him up in the air, and roundhouse kicking him in the gut.

Adam landed and drove his sword down into the ground with gritted teeth as Father and Daughter charged towards him. Taiyang jumped to punch down at his head but Adam slashed up his chest and proceeded to slam his sword down towards her arm. Yang gasped as her cybernetic replacement stopped it, yet he still persisted with an insane grin carved across his face. He grinded the blade across the steel, still not painted, and he forced Yang down to her knees.

"Just like I expected… you haven't changed one bit." Adam scoffed.

"Wanna bet?" She yelled, suddenly flipping backwards and throwing both her feet up his jaw and landing on both. Yang fired Ember Celica directly at him, but he blocked the shots with his blade, and then store the damage into the Scabbard. He rushed forward and fired the blade from the Scabbard, and Yang crossed her arms together. It bounced off her metal gauntlets but returned back into his hand and he swung his boot down at her, then hacked at her with the sword repeatedly. But Yang quickly ducked and dodged his blows, returning the favour with equally fast blows with her fists. Yang swung her knee up into his gut, hunching him and allowing her to smash her metal fist downwards into his cheek, causing him to lose his footing and tumble across the floor.

Adam launched his Wilt and Blush forward, it spun through the air like a buzz saw, grinding against Yang's arms, throwing golden sparks everywhere, then he fired his shotgun at her as the sword stabbed down into the ground. Yang rolled backwards as Adam ran forward, and yanked the sword out from the rocks, pirouetting around with both hands and driving the long red blade down towards her. The impact blasted a powerful arc of glowing red energy towards her, but Yang fired her shotguns to the side, using the recoil to easily slide across the slippery snow.

Yang pumped her fists and Ember Celica opened up, loading her missiles and she fired them towards him. Adam smirked sinisterly, and his body turned black and red as he moved so fast, he looked like a blur, dodging and slicing the missiles apart. They erupted into flames behind him, then jumped directly at her, swinging the sword towards her head. Only for Taiyang's burning hands to catch it. Adam landed and stared right into his blue eyes, seeing the rage in them. His semblance made his hands like they were made from titanium, and they burned with his raging aura.

He pulled Adam forward and proceeded to uppercut him with enough force to throw the terrorist sky-high. He flipped through the air, then fired his shotgun up at the sky, copying Yang's method of riding the recoil. He descended down towards them and smirked as he held his sword above his head. As he landed, his hooves cracked the ground around him, and the sword created a powerful pulse of crackling red energy. The blast threw them all back a couple steps, and he smirked at them, gritting his teeth together as he rose back up to his feet, walking forward.

"I really hate this asshole." Taiyang snarled.

"The feeling's mutual." Yang assured, raising her fists in a boxing position. Adam paced around and Taiyang noticed his legs.

"I'm not the only one seeing that, right?" He asked her.

"Oh… I noticed." She said, watching as the Grimm Hooves clopped across the floor as he walked. He paced back and forth as he waited for them to make their first move. Yet they were doing the same.

Nearby in the Monastery though…

Amber watched nervously from behind the crates, able to see Yang and Taiyang against Adam from here, and she shook for her sake. "It's him…" She nervously stammered as she stared at him.

Blake sat there as she heard his voice, but also Yang's.

"By the way… where is my darling?" He asked her.

"She's not yours, she's never been yours and she never will be." Yang snarled.

"Heh… I'm surprised you give a damn, considering what she did to you. Don't you realise that she is no better than me?" Adam asked her as he gestured to her totally different arm. "Yeah… I heard all about that fun story."

"Then you heard it wrong. Blake didn't have a choice, the only person at fault that night was me. I was the one who failed her… don't you dare blame her for my mistakes. Just as you need to stop blaming her for yours." Yang growled as she stared him down, and Blake could not get her words out of her mind.

As she heard them engage in combat once more… something came over her… a feeling she had not felt in a very long time.

That urge… to fight.

Her hand found the grip of Gambol Shroud and she followed the sound of combat between them.

I'm done hiding.

Yang rolled backwards as Adam stomped his Hoof down where her head just was, and then he fired the shotgun at her repeatedly, before bringing down the blade of his sword, narrowly missing her head as the powerful energy stored inside of it went for her. But Yang rolled backwards again, only just missing it, but just as she landed, he jumped forward and kicked her straight in the face. The impact of his hoof nearly knocked Yang unconscious, and she slid across the floor, growing in pain as everything became fuzzy.

Taiyang grabbed the snow and melted it down to boiling water, throwing it straight into Adam's face. He barked in pain from the scolding hot water, then he kneed him in the chest and punched him repeatedly in the face. He grabbed Adam by the arm as he went to stab Taiyang through the chest and proceeded to slam his elbow down into his forearm, forcing him to release the sword. His other fist channelled pure aura into the knuckles and Taiyang roared with fury as his eyes shone brighter. He punched Adam in the chest so hard that he flew straight into one of the stable houses.

The wall exploded around him, and he tumbled past the horses that started to panic. Taiyang jumped inside and kicked Adam in the head, which shoved him into the wall, where Taiyang pinned him up against it by his throat. Adam snarled, not as effective without his sword, but not useless. He dropkicked Taiyang in the torso, the hooves hit hard, and he crashed against the wall, then Adam grabbed one of the hooks attached by a chain and he swung it towards him. Those hooks normally held Horseshoes that were cooling off after being forged. Taiyang ducked under the chained hook and proceeded grab the hay and set it on fire in his hand. One of the horses brayed in protest. "Sorry, boy! You can have some more later!" Taiyang promised, before he threw it into Adam's face again.

It did… pretty much nothing, but it made Taiyang laugh.

So, he did something else, and turned to the bigger pile of hay and he drove his burning fist into it, setting the whole thing alight. The horses panicked and he let them free, one of them ran straight into Adam and knocked him over. The fire roared in the air and started to crawl towards Adam. He got up and spun through the air, his coat set alight and he swiftly removed it.

Adam punched Taiyang in the face, knocking him back and he went to kick him again, only for Tai to dodge him and grab onto his Grimm Leg, and with all his might he threw him back through the wall. He tumbled across the floor and just as he lifted his head, he met the fist of Yang Xiao Long. That punch was nearly enough to knock him out. His red aura flickered momentarily, meaning he was now in the amber, and as he fell, a smirk fell upon his face. Yang and Taiyang gasped, realising their mistake.

He landed right next to Wilt and Blush.

"Son of a bitch! Stop him!" Taiyang yelled as he rushed forward, and Adam grabbed the Scabbard first and shot him in the chest, blowing him off his feet. Then he grabbed onto the hilt of the sword and held it up with both hands as Yang jumped at him with her arm pulled back. Her fist clanged into the blade, but it shone red and he reflected the damage right back at her, blowing Yang up into the air.

He sheathed his blade and jumped up at her, cutting across her aura repeatedly, before he kicked her in the breast with both hooves. She crashed into the ground with immense force and she groaned in pain, holding her head. Her eyes turned red, but she whimpered. "No…" Fearfully, she let her eyes go back to lilac. "Not… not again…"

Flashing memories of when she last used her semblance returned, the glowing blue flames, and that unstoppable anger that was pulsing through her body? That was not a feeling she ever wanted to feel again.

Adam laughed as he landed behind her.

"I have to say I'm disappointed. I hoped you would be a better fighter after the ten years since we last met." Adam chuckled as he stood over her.

"Y-You… talk too much." Yang growled as she went to attack, only for Adam to kick her across the face.

She rolled onto her back and groaned, wincing in pain as she saw him stand above her with that cruel smirk on his face. He crouched down and tapped her metal arm with the sword. "Tell me… how did it feel? To be nothing? Worth nothing? To anyone?" He questioned her. She glared at him with hatred.

"Fuck you." She snarled, spitting in his face, he flinched and wiped the saliva from his face. He chuckled and pointed at her with a smirk.

"Oh… oh… I can see why she liked you. A pity… because now I get to see how she will react when she sees your corpse… heh… so to speak." He said as his hair glowed brighter and brighter, about to use Moonslice again.

"Yang!" Taiyang screamed and Adam went to drive the sword into her heart, only for Yang to gasp in horror.

Blake suddenly covered her vision, and the sword impaled right through her chest. She looked down at her, but she was lifeless. Then… she turned to ice, trapping Wilt and Blush inside of her icy body. Adam gasped and looked right at her as she launched right at him and slammed both her feet into his face. Adam barked in pain and tumbled across the ground, driving Wilt and Blush into the stones. He stared at her with disbelief as she stood tall, holding Gambol Shroud in her hands.

Her heart was racing, it was the first time she had ever fought someone in six years, and she never could master fighting without her eyes. But now she had to figure it out on the go.

I can hear him… I can hear his heartbeat… he's terrified.

He was terrified of her even now… because she was no longer hiding. "Blake?" Yang gasped. "But… your eyes…"

"Don't worry about that… we need to take him down." Blake stated as Yang and Taiyang got back up. Adam laughed sinisterly.

"You tried… and look at how that turned out for you." He stated as he swung the sword over the snow, cutting through and melting some of the flakes. "But okay then, my love… let us continue where left off."

"I'm not your love. I never was."

Author Note - Well there goes my plan to make this be the conclusion of this battle XD This chapter would have been huge also!

Sorry for the longer waits on these chapters, writer's block has been kicking my ass for the past few weeks. BUT ALAS IT IS OUT! Some awesome fights in here, I loved writing Ren, Nora and Li Vs Icarus. Icarus' fighting style is always so fun to write because of how diverse his style can be, plus his weapons and semblance are really cool. And of course we had Ruby, Penny and Cinder Vs The Praetorian Knight and the Nuckelavee. That was great fun, always love writing the Praetorians, totally unlike anything they have faced before, making them all the scarier. And of course the Nuckelavee is always awesome, love the whacky wavy inflatable arm tube Grimm XD

And finally, Yang and Tai Vs Adam. Not sure what Taiyang's fighting style will be but I have always liked the idea of him using just his fists and skills against his enemies. Shows that sometimes you don't need crazy weapons, and the old fashioned way works too. Plus Adam and Yang are fighters that are always fun to write.

AND BLAKE IS BACK IN THE FIGHT!

She may be a bit rusty, and definitely is gonna need help with dealing with fighting and being blind, but right now? She just needs to help as best she can... even if it means getting hurt.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt