Chapter 4 – The Hound
Kassius
The Hound leapt directly at Kassius, grabbing him by the throat with its huge hand and it smashed him down against the ground with immense force. It stared down at him as long strings of still warm gooey blood drooled over the side of his face. Penny launched Floating Array into its arm, yanking it away from Kassius. Yet it hardly moved from its position as it glared at Penny. The swords had gone all the way through, yet it was not in any pain at all. It stared at its arm and growled at her.
Penny gritted her teeth, then the Hound noticed the cables her swords were attached to, then it swung around and yanked Penny off the floor. The action threw her right against the wall, destroying an old busk of an Acclaimed Huntsman from many years ago. The Hound stood its ground as Oscar sped through time and he slashed straight through its leg, but the black tar just seemed to immediately repair the damage. Faster than anything they had ever seen before.
Sun rushed forward, vaulting over one of the knocked over crates and he kicked the Hound in the face as he came over. The Hound recoiled slightly, then he smacked the side of its head with Ruyi Jingu Bang. He yelled with fury as he spun his Gunchucks repeatedly, firing shot after shot from the barrels. Spent shell cases bounced across the floor around him, and the shell fragments fired from the guns splattered black blood and tar over the walls. It recoiled from every single shot that he fired, then he connected the Gunchucks together and brought the cane down over its head.
The Hound caught the Bo-Staff and ripped it from its grip, before it suddenly sprouted a long Scorpion Tail, lunging it forward and hitting him in the chest. The Hound threw his Staff aside, staring him down. Kassius stood back up, but his amber eyes widened with disbelief, watching as the Deathstalker Tail slithered back into its body.
"The hell is this thing?" Kassius questioned, feeling Hyde's presence, and he seemed to be just as lost as Kas was.
"I… I have no idea. Nothing in the Ebony Berserker's memories I have remembered show anything like this. This is brand new…" He revealed.
"Well… it's still just a Grimm. Everyone! Keep moving! We'll keep this ugly bastard away from you." Kassius promised, his eyes shone bright orange and he ripped Hyde from his aura, throwing the Demonic Entity towards the Hound. He roared and punched it in the face so hard it was the first strike to actually throw it back. It crashed against one of the paintings, then Hyde pinned it up against the wall with his Cane. He then pressed his hand against the side of its head, grabbing hold, and he closed his eyes.
His body pulsed as he tried to possess the Soulless creature, just like the Beowulf and the Leviathan back in Arkhonex.
Then the Hound clamped its jaws down onto his shoulder and threw him back down the hall. He drove his Cane down into the ground and he gasped. "I… I couldn't possess it." Hyde stammered.
"You just need more time." Kassius assumed, but Hyde stopped him.
"No, I mean that thing? It stopped me, it flat out kept me out. This thing… this Hound is no ordinary Grimm. Especially if I can't control it." Hyde explained, the look of confusion of Kassius' face was showing a confusion he had never experienced before.
"How's that even possible? I thought taking them over was easy? They don't have souls." Kassius stated.
"I know… that's what I was thinking." Hyde agreed, just as lost as the rest of them were.
"Don't worry about that right now! Let's just focus on killing this thing." Sun said as he spun Ruyi Jingu Bang through his fingers. The Hound pulled itself from the wall, chunks of wood fell from the spins as it cracked its neck, growling softly at them. Penny immediately fired a powerful laser down the hallway at the creature, but it suddenly grew hardened plates of bone over its shoulder. It forced its way forward even now, the heat started to cause the bone armour to glow orange. Oscar watched it as it got closer, squinting his eyes from the bright green light of Penny's laser.
Then he noticed the other arm begin to ripple, extending like the arm of a Nuckelavee's Imp. "Oh shit, Penny look out!" Oscar called out, but the Hound swung its elongated arm towards her, smashing the knuckles into her stomach. Penny yelped in pain as she crashed against the wall, the Hound charged towards her on all fours, but Oscar darted forward, driving his sword into its stomach. He forced the beast back as the black tar rippled aggressively around its entire body. He stared at the tar with fear.
I've never seen a Grimm that was literally made out of the tar itself… only what the tar created.
The Hound dug its claws into the ground, then grabbed Oscar by the back of his head, swinging around and smashing him into the wall. Kassius ran forward, throwing Lash Equinox into its throat, the beast roared in pain, staggering away from Oscar. Kassius jumped and caught the hilt of the sword, cutting a deep wound through its neck, spraying the black blood all over the wall. But within seconds it had been repaired by the tar, spilling back in closing the wound. Kassius fired Vulcan Nox, fully automatic, at the creature, firing shot after shot into its body. But it just kept coming towards him, and it slashed its claws at him.
He raised Lash Equinox, blocking the claws, causing sparks to burst from the impact, he backed up repeatedly as the creature continuously took swing after swing at him. It then jumped up onto the wall, roaring down at him, then he jumped towards him. Kassius finally managed to land a good hit when he punched it in the side of the head with his Cybernetic Fist, smashing it against the wall. Kassius went to behead it, but the Hound raised its hand, stopping the blade of his sword.
It then jumped at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and smashing him up against the wall. Its huge jaws filled with razor sharp teeth snapped at him, throwing saliva repeatedly into his face. Sun immediately jumped to help, kicking it in the side, then twisting around to smack it across the jaw with his Staff. The jaw cracked and it growled with anger, having to push it back in position with a crunchy cracking sound. Oscar groaned as he tried to get up, with Penny helping but the Hound turned and stared straight at him. It sprinted to grab him, but Hyde suddenly blasted a wall of fire into the Hound's face, pushing it from taking him.
It then stared at Hyde, in a similar way that it stared at Oscar. It swung at Hyde repeatedly, the Former Demon punched the creature in the face and rammed his burning Cane through its gut, but it had no effect whatsoever. The Hound then kicked Hyde in the chest and smashed its shoulder into one of the pillars. The pillar came crashing down towards Hyde, forcing him to catch it and hold it up.
Kassius and Sun sprinted towards the Hound as it rushed towards Oscar again, but it jumped just as Penny blasted a beam at them, forcing the two Huntsmen to get out of Penny's vision. The Hound punched Penny across the room then grabbed Oscar, picking the dazed man up with great ease, Sun spun around and aimed both Gunchucks at the creature.
"PUT HIM DOWN YOU FREAK!" Sun roared, gritting his teeth.
The Hound stared Sun directly in the eyes cracking its neck as it stood upright.
"No…" The Hound growled, speaking in a horrifically dark and demonic voice. All of their eyes widened with total shock.
"Did it just…" Kassius gasped.
We know the Knights of Grimm can talk, but they're not Grimm, they're people corrupted by dark magic.
We've never heard an actual Grimm flat out speak with intelligence, just mindless mimicking or echoes…
What the hell is this thing?
The Hound carried Oscar with one arm, but he growled and managed to shake himself back, and suddenly formed a Time Bubble around himself and the Hound. It looked around with confusion, trapped here with Oscar. He detached the two halves of Traveller's Atrocity, and let them form into their Dagger States, and he stabbed the hand that held him. The Hound roared in pain, and Oscar dropped back to the ground. He transformed the blades into their Revolver Forms, and fired repeatedly at the monster, before rolling out of his Time Bubble.
"Shoot at the bubble! Before it can't contain it any longer!" Oscar called out, everyone nodded and drew their firearms. Kassius and Sun fired their weapons repeatedly into the bubble whilst Penny charged up her laser. They stacked the bullets in the frozen moment in time, then it finally burst. The many stacked bullets all hit the Hound at once, dealing immense damage, then Penny fired her laser into its chest.
The impact launched the Hound through the wall and tumbling outside.
It growled in pain, then they watched as a pair of huge red wings – similar to the King Wyvern's – sprouted from its back. It howled in immense pain, before it swung the wings and flew away.
Kassius fired Vulcan Nox at the creature as it flew away, then clenched his hand into a fist. The Hound flew away, disappearing into the quickly darkening skies. Sun stood beside him with wide eyes.
"What the hell? This Grimm just gets weirder… it's made of the tar, can transform on command, can fricking speak… and is smart enough to retreat from a fight?" Sun said as he watched it fly away.
"I thought that after everything we've seen… nothing Umbra could create would surprise me. Looks like the bastard has proved me wrong." Kassius sighed, he just sounded tired. This fight against Umbra felt like it had been over decades… he just wanted it to be over, for Umbra to be nothing more than a terrible memory. Then, his face changed, and he furrowed his brow.
"What is it?" Sun asked.
"The Hound… when it spoke… it went straight for Oscar. It tried to take him… why?" Kassius wondered as he walked back to him.
"Are you okay? That thing hit you pretty hard." Penny worried.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm good." He panted.
Kassius' eyes widened. "Ruby, Oscar, Jaune and Pyrrha. It's the four of them, remember? They're the ones who are super important in this, right?" Kassius realised.
"You think the Hound was trying to bring Oscar to Umbra so… what? He could get rid of him?" Sun asked.
"Wouldn't be the first time he tried that. Hell, you and Ruby were captured last time, and he took Jaune and Pyrrha's souls to the Charred Forest. He could have killed them there, but they got away. The four of you have always been his targets, looks like that hasn't changed." Kassius sighed.
"You good, pal?" Kassius asked, gently holding his shoulder, Oscar got back up and cracked his neck.
"Yeah… c'mon. Let's check on the people down there, need to make sure they're all okay." Oscar said, the four of them quickly went down the stairs, passing a few people who made it here. They ran down, and eventually got to the Vault Chamber.
They approached the open doors, they had roughly one hundred people in here already, hardly any considering what they were aiming for.
Victor Watts and Professor Peach were here as well, tending to those who were injured. Burn victims, bites and slashes. There were a couple of students here as well, ready to protect the people in her in case it all goes wrong. "Victor! What's the situation?" Kassius asked, the old Uncle of Arthur Watts ran over.
"We're far from capacity. It's a good thing we stocked this place with medicinal supplies and resources." He explained, they looked around and saw all the crates they lugged down. Food, clean water, medical supplies, and other important needs. It was not going to be a fun experience down here, but they were going to be safer than up there.
None of this will matter though if Umbra destroys the Relics.
No shelter will save you from that… so let's make sure he doesn't get those things.
"Okay… we're needed up here. Let us know when the Vaults are at capacity. Things are bad up there." Kassius explained as they started to return to the stairs.
"Good luck! And stay alive!" Victor called.
"You too, Victor!" Sun called back with a smile.
Jaune
Nora swiftly kicked the double doors open with a defiant cry, Ren spiralled around and fired Stormflower into the Sabyrs that were clawing against the face of the school. The Oncoming Shadow were getting closer and closer by the second, Jaune sprinted out and rammed the blade of Crocea Mors through the throat of a Beowulf, and despite having a sword stabbed into its neck, it was still savagely slashing at him like a mindless beast. That was what scared Jaune most about these monsters… no matter what you do to them… no matter how unbeatable the odds against them are…
… the Grimm never stop. They never hesitate. And they never feel pain or fear – they are merely driven by bloodlust… and pure hate.
He twisted Crocea Mors and thrusted his arm to the side, cutting its neck open, causing the head to dangle from sinewy black flesh. It bellowed in fury as it staggered, but only to finally succumb to its wounds and fade away. The civilians all came rushing out from the school as Nora held the line, firing grenade after grenade into the swarm of Grimm that was barrelling towards them. The hundreds of different Grimm Variants were clambering over each other, rabid from the fear in the air.
Nora quickly began to retreat as the Oncoming Shadow grew even closer, swallowing cars, and not even being slowed down by the flames where Neo killed that Cop. The Former Assassin sliced Hush through the throat of an Apathy that was just about to shriek at them, which would have brought all of them to their knees and make them easy food for the huge horde.
Mason helped Aryl outside whilst Fleur and Sinna stayed ahead, clearing a path for the civilians. But as Aryl limped forward, she the cold hand of the Apathy that Neo killed dig its sharp claws into her bunt leg before it disintegrated. She screamed in terrible agony as she fell onto the ground. Mason stumbled forward, Pyrrha and Jaune both turned around and gasped. Pyrrha fired desperately at the huge horde that was piling towards Aryl on the ground.
Damn it! She doesn't have any metal on her for me to grab!
"Go! RUN! LEAVE ME! JUST GOOOO!" Aryl shrieked, turning with horrified eyes as the massive horde piled onto her. She punched at the monsters, but she could not contain her terrified – and agonized – wails. They ripped into her, biting and tearing her to pieces as she wailed. But her screams became muffled into nothing as the Grimm completely piled over her, slowly eating her alive despite her begging for mercy.
But the Grimm cared nothing for her pleas… and nobody could hear her begging over the deafening roar of hundreds of Grimm. A King Taijitu burst through one of the buildings, roaring at them as the rest of the swarm that could not get to Aryl pursued everyone else.
No… fuck…
Her death already weighed heavy on Jaune, but he saw Mason staring at the blood that pooled beneath the Grimm… he was shellshocked. He immediately grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. "Come on! It's too late for Aryl, we need to go!" Jaune yelled, pulling him up to his feet.
They ran as fast as they could from the beasts. The children screamed in terror as they looked back at the huge horde that just kept on coming after them. Nora ran at the very front of the group, firing Grenades at any Grimm that came around the corner. Neo sprinted ahead, rolling across the bonnet of a burning car and driving Hush through the eye socket of a Beringel, ending it instantly. She snapped her fingers down the alleyway to their side. Ren spun around and fired Stormflower at the huge horde. The Grimm that were killed by him and Nora's firepower just seemed to disappear into the wall of darkness.
A civilian tripped onto the corpse of another, shrieking as he was swallowed by the horde, meeting the same grizzly end as Aryl did. Sinna whimpered with fear and took off running away from them all. "Sinna!" Mason roared with fury, watching as his teammate ditched them. He swung around with his hammer with a furious bellow, smashing a Beowulf's head into the wall. They kept running through the alleyway, and Jaune could hear Adrien's cries of absolute terror. Terra looked back and she shuddered as she saw the Oncoming Shadow crash into the side of the wall, and the rest of the Grimm just viciously climbed over the stunned Grimm.
No matter what they did, their numbers never seemed to decrease.
They just… kept on coming for them.
Thralls howled, screaming in almost human voices as black blood poured out from their skeletal mouths. Eyes glowing red and all semblance of humanity that was once there – gone forever.
Neo fired shells forward into the fences, blowing them to pieces. As they got out, they turned as they saw Sinna trying to escape. But he found himself being surrounded, and a Spiker launched a spine straight into his leg. He let out a shrill, crumpling to the ground as blood came gushing out of his kneecap. Then the Grimm attacked, ripping him open with ease and smothering themselves in his bright crimson blood as he wailed. Begging for mercy as they ripped his arms with ease from his body. A Grimm Terror Bird clamped its jaws down onto his head, squeezing so hard his whole head exploded, splattering blood across the ground.
Mason and Fleur stared at each other with fear – but he left them… maybe if he stayed with them, he could have survived.
They had no time to waste though, and they left the Grimm to feast on what was left as they fled, and the Oncoming Shadow poured out through the wall, leaving a trail of black tar in their wake. As they ran out into the street, they saw a massive Leviathan smash through one of the tall buildings. The glass shattered and rained down upon the city, cutting powerlines. The Leviathan roared so loud it made the children cover their ears in pain. Jaune turned and his eyes widened as he saw the Oncoming Shadow swarming up behind him, until a tank shell whizzed directly into the horde. The explosion broke the huge pack apart.
He jolted from the deafening bang, turning with Pyrrha to see Hazel Rainart and Mazen Ursus. With a large contingent of White Fang forces and multiple Hellfire Tanks, the street suddenly became a warzone. "Get down!" Hazel yelled as he punched a Beowulf across the jaw. Mazen roared with fury, driving his Chainsword down through the ribcage of a creature. He sawed through the bone and muscle with ease, covering his arms and chest with its black blood.
The Hellfire Tanks were already on their mechanical legs, the treads still rotated around the bionic limbs as it marched forward. It hailed mortars down onto the Shadow, decimating their numbers. Then as Jaune took cover with Pyrrha, one of the Hellfire Tanks fired a shell directly into the face of the Leviathan that was bellowing at them. The shell impact broke apart pieces of bony protrusions, causing the creature to recoil back a couple paces.
"Jaune! Get your people to that tower! It's your only chance!" Hazel roared over the gunfire and roaring Leviathan.
"What about all the others?" Jaune yelled.
"This whole city is already a red zone, but this district is completely lost, Jaune! That skyscraper is your best bet! But be careful, I saw Fear and Fury patrolling the skies. Pop this flare when you get up to the very top, we don't have much time!" Hazel warned, throwing one of the flares to him. A Thrall leapt at Hazel, but he caught it by the throat and roared with rage as he smashed it down into the ground with all his might, killing it instantly.
Kaa sprinted across the roar and drove both her daggers into the ribs of a Beowulf, twisting them and pumping explosive dust inside of it, before jumping backwards and flipping through the air. She landed on both feet perfectly, before spinning her daggers through her fingers. Mazen slammed his fist down into the ground, activating his semblance to crystalise his aura and protect him from the incoming fireballs from attacking Manticores.
"Everyone! We need to get to that skyscraper! Through the alleyways!" Jaune yelled, pointing to the tower Hazel mentioned. He got everyone moving, helping Saphron and Terra up as they ran. Pyrrha sprinted with them as they rushed ahead, looking up with a gasp as the Leviathan advanced, roaring so loud it blew their ears out and blasting a beam of electrical fire through the buildings. Chunks of burning rubble plummeted down into the streets, and Pyrrha ignited her eyes, but Jaune stopped her. "No… not yet conserve it. You heard Hazel, Fear and Fury are around here. We need your power against them." He told her, she sighed as she watched the huge beast advance on Hazel and Mazen.
But relief rushed over them, as shells came hailing down from above as one of the few remaining Dreadnaughts fired a wave of explosive shells directly down its throat. The titan thundered a howl as its skull came apart and came crashing down onto some buildings nearby. Cracks spread up the walls of the many buildings that surrounded them all, and the shaking ground made many people begin to stumble.
Mason and Fleur kept in pace with everyone, killing stray Grimm, but Fleur screamed in horror. Mason spun around with wide eyes as he saw another Reality Split form in the ground, right beneath her. She plummeted down into the Charred Forest, being torn to pieces as she shrieked by the Grimm in the alternate Universe, skeletal hands grew out from the ground and held her down as monsters ripped her open.
He felt sick…
… in a few minutes… his family of friends were all dead.
He was all that was left.
He looked down at the fiery hell she met her gruesome end in… and the Grimm were coming. Another wave of the Oncoming Shadow… they really were just… endless…
"R-Run! RUUUUUN!" Mason yelled; the civilians screamed in terror as they kept on running. But as they turned the corner, they found a large metal fence blocking their path. Pyrrha stopped and stared at it… she could use her polarity to rip it out the way… but the Oncoming Shadow would still be coming for them. Her green eyes ignited, and she turned around, and held out one hand, blasting a constant gale of wind down the alleyway that the Grimm were coming from… then created a second upward gust, powerful enough to throw the people over the fence blocking them.
And give them enough time to get away from the Oncoming Shadow before they busted that fence down. "Go! Get over the fence! HURRY!" Pyrrha yelled as she held them back, gritting her teeth. "Jaune! Go!" She yelled, noticing Jaune refusing to leave her side. But Mason stood beside her.
"Go! I'll keep any strays off her." Mason assured, turning as a Thrall jumped climbed over one of the rooftops and jumped towards her. He yelled and smashed his hammer into its head, crushing it into the ground. It's body twitched beneath him, but eventually disintegrated. Everyone ran into the upward gust Pyrrha was creating, and it easily threw people high enough in the air and carried them over the fence wall. They crashed down to the ground and kept moving forward.
Pyrrha strained as she held the magic in place, but she was a Maiden who only had a few days' worth of experience, it helped her… but her power was nothing in comparison to Cinder, Coco or Yenna. Mason continued to cover her, smashing Grimm with his Hammer with fury, holding them back with every single swing he made. He swung the head of the hammer into one of the Sabyrs, sending it flying against a dumpster, killing it swiftly.
Pyrrha looked back again, most of the people were over, including Jaune, Nora and Ren. Neo stayed as she helped get Saphron, Terra and Adrien, alongside everyone else who needed to get over. It felt like she had to hold the Grimm back forever, but the wind was merely slowing them down. They kept coming, and some of them were breaking through the wind, getting closer. Ren shot through the fence wall at the smaller Grimm which snuck through, nailing them in their weak spots.
Finally, everyone was over and so was Neo, using Hush's Umbrella to help her float over the fence. "Pyrrha! C'mon!" Jaune screamed, she kept them back and she groaned, losing strength. She finally released, the flaming eyes extinguished, and they rushed towards the fence. Mason and Pyrrha had to manually climb over the fence, rung by rung. Pyrrha reached up and so did he… then the Oncoming Shadow threw themselves into the fence. The impact nearly knocked the whole thing down, Pyrrha slid down and so did Mason. They both screamed in terror as the snapping jaws of death roared beneath them.
Nora went to fire her grenades, but Neo stopped her. "No, Nora… she's right… if you do that the whole thing could come down and we're all dead. Or they both fall." Ren said, swiftly reloading fresh magazines into Stormflower. He shot repeatedly whilst Jaune and Neo stabbed at the Grimm that reached through the gaps.
Pyrrha grunted desperately as she felt the hands of the Grimm reach up and grab onto her leg, and Mason felt the same, hanging on for dear life. Pyrrha kicked down at the creatures, trying to get them to let go of her. Mason started to scream in pain as the Grimm dug their claws into his aura.
Then… he stared at Pyrrha… and she saw his horror.
"NOOOO! AAAAAAHHH!" Mason hollered as he felt his hands slip, and they dragged him down to the ground. The whole horde forced his body and face against the cold rusty steel bars. He screamed in agony as they bit into his aura, slashed, stabbed and stung, then his aura broke. While the Grimm were preoccupied with feasting on him, they took their attention away from Pyrrha, giving her the chance to climb up and over the fence. She crashed down to the ground, staring at him with horror…
It made her feel sick, watching him cry and shriek in immense pain. Seeing sharp spikes stab through his torso repeatedly, hearing claws cutting through flesh. His arms were being bitten down on, as was his neck and the back of his head. And they were constantly forcing him against the fence… crushing him whilst still alive.
"I… I'm so sorry…" Pyrrha whimpered with heartbreak, aiming her Rifle at his head and taking the shot, ending his suffering. His screams silenced, all they could hear now were the roaring of Grimm and the sound of flesh being devoured. Then they heard the metal creak and groan, as the Grimm continued to throw themselves into it so they could topple it over.
"We… we need to go." Jaune said, holding Pyrrha's hand, and they all turned and ran to the tower.
An entire team…
… wiped out in minutes.
Once they were just like those students, and if this had happened back then? They would have met the same fate.
We have to end this.
Ruby
The Knight of Death raised his sword at them, burning red eyes glaring directly into theirs, whilst he raised his free hand and closed it into a tight fist. Weiss looked back at Starla, seeing the pain on her face, but also clearly seeing the strings the curse bound her too, controlling her body against her will.
In the background the waves crashed against the docks as the Shark Krastax was viciously tearing the naval fleet apart, and they could hear the others laying siege inside the City of Vale.
Two Knights… Vs Team R.W.B.Y, Ozpin and Glynda.
Death suddenly launched forward, swing Ferrum Arctus directly towards Ruby, but she spun Crescent Rose around, hooking it onto the huge blade of Death's. He stared her down as Yang blasted towards him to go and punch him in the side of the head, but he formed one of his wings, smacking Yang out of the air. He then smashed his helmeted head into Ruby's face, knocking her back, then twisted around and slashed his sword across her chest. She grunted, tumbling across the ground, then Ozpin shot forward with a roar. He jabbed repeatedly at his armour with Mihi Vindicta in its Cane Form, but since Death was not bound to time like everything else, he was able to block every fast strike that he made. He then punched Ozpin directly in the face and charged black and red lightning through the blade of his sword, aiming it at Ozpin.
That was when Yang launched herself directly at Death, smashing her fist so hard into his head that the shockwave blew the water off the black steel. He tumbled across the ground then drove his sword into the ground. He looked up and saw Weiss Schnee, completely turning away from Starla, taken by fury, and she thrusted Myrtenaster towards his eye socket, screaming with hatred. Death only just moved aside, narrowly avoiding her attack, then she formed a Glyph that blew her right back at Death, only for the Deadliest Knight to swing around and catch her by the throat and throw her into the ground.
She laid there, dazed for a few moments, and Death went to drive his sword into her chest. "I can sense the hate in you, a lust for revenge. For the boy with the sapphire hair? Bold… and foolish." Death snarled, but Ruby darted to Weiss, grabbing her in her swirl of petals, and they both slid aside from Death as he drove the sword down into the floor. The small blades of grass in the ground crumbled to dust around Death as he calmly drew the sword from where stabbed it, staring at them. "Weiss… cool it… I know you're angry and you have a right to be. But this is Death, he's the most dangerous one. We can't just throw ourselves at him like that without a plan." Ruby explained.
"He killed Neptune…" Weiss growled with rage, clenching the hilt of Myrtenaster so tight.
"I know… but we can't lose you too." Ruby begged, Weiss was gritting her teeth with rage, but she calmed her nerves and took a deep breath, knowing Ruby was right.
Yang and Blake waited as well, turning to see Ozpin and Glynda against Starla.
Death was worthy of so many opponents for he was by far the hardest of the Knights to defeat, whereas Starla was the weakest due to her constantly fighting against her Curse. "The time has come for this Universe to meet its end. Remnant… it will all come to a close in the coming days. There is nothing you can do to stop this… relinquish the Relics to Vir Nominis Umbra. Spare the people of this Universe all this unnecessary suffering." Death requested.
"I haven't forgotten what that bastard feeds off, Death. He enjoys the suffering, it's where he draws strength." Ruby explained. "Don't even try to say that he doesn't want this outcome."
"If you know this then why challenge him when you know he cannot be destroyed? Especially when there is so much pain for him to draw power from?" Death questioned, Ruby smirked and shrugged.
"Guess I'm just stubborn. And I haven't given up… and I never will." Ruby promised, which just made the Knight of Death sinisterly laugh at her words.
"Confidence born from Ignorance." Death stated, suddenly forming the same Obsidian Bow that took Ruby's eye and firing an arrow towards her. She gasped and smashed it aside, breaking the arrow into a thousand pieces. But just as she did that, Death launched towards her and punched Ruby across the face.
Starla stared Ozpin and Glynda down as they waited to attack. "I'm sorry…" Starla immediately apologised.
"Don't be… we know this isn't your choice. We'll try and destroy your form as quickly as we can." Starla closed her eyes and softly smiled, as her arm rose against her will towards her veil.
"Thank you." Starla softly said, suddenly throwing the veil back and opening her glowing blue eyes. They both shielded their gaze, avoiding the emotional distress her magic could have on them. She immediately drew her bow and fired it at the two powerful warriors who rushed towards her. She divided her bow and transformed it into her two Tonfas, skating across her Glyphs towards Ozpin. He slid underneath her blades and transformed Mihi Vindicta into its Sceptre Form.
He spun it around, resting it over his shoulders and firing a bright green beam of magic towards her. She crossed her tonfas together, staring him down, eyes constantly streaming with tears and glowing a fierce blue. She flipped backwards as Glynda launched spikes forged from the rubble surrounding them, and as she landed, multiple Glyphs Formed above her head. She fired icicles towards Glynda, but she stared the Knight of Loss down, using the Disciplinarian to levitate pieces of rubble from the ground, blocking the shards of ice.
Loss dashed forward, savagely slashing her Tonfas across Glynda's aura, hacking her strength apart, before jumping and twisting through the air, slamming her blade down into the ground, creating a pulse of cold air. The impact threw Glynda up in the air, but she flipped and stuck the landing, throwing bolts of purple energy towards her. Multiple Glyphs Formed in the air, and she bounced between them towards Glynda.
Until Ozpin shot forward and smashed Loss across the face with Mihi Vindicta in its Mace form. He landed, shifting it back to Sceptre Form. He rammed the sharp tip of the spear into her chest, but her body was still functioning, and she grabbed the Sceptre and kicked Ozpin backwards. Ripping it from her breast, she connected the two Tonfas together once more, but Ozpin launched through Time, kicking the weapon from her grasp.
Loss twirled around and punched Ozpin in the face, but when she went to throw her next punch, he hit her right back. Starla ducked under his next punch, then swung her leg around in a roundhouse kick, the impact of which launched him through one of the destroyed cars. He tumbled across the ground and groaned, looking up to see her dropping down towards him, slamming her knee down where his head just was. He dashed through time, grabbing Mihi Vindicta, and he blasted a powerful beam of energy towards her, but Starla just got to her weapons in time and crossed them together. The beam perfectly connected with the centre, and she reflected it back towards Ozpin. But just as it was about to hit him, he stopped firing, and slammed the Sceptre down into the ground.
Time froze around him, and he charged towards her, and grabbed Starla by the throat and threw her against the floor with all his might. Time burst back into normal speed as she tumbled, then Glynda levitated multiple cars from where they were, throwing them towards her. She dodged all but one, clipping across her shoulder and making her grunt.
On the other side of the battle, those same cars came crashing down around Team R.W.B.Y as they thought Death together. The waves crashed violently against the edge of the pier where they fought. Blake jumped forward, throwing Gambol Shroud forward but he turned and caught the ribbon and yanked her down into the ground, but just before she hit the floor she vanished, using her semblance just in time. Weiss yelled, firing multiple fireballs at him, but he opened his wing to block the incoming fire. The feathers burned but the wing smouldered back into his cape as he stood tall.
Yang charged forward with Ruby beside her, and she dropped down to one knee, sliding across the slippering floor, firing multiple shells into Death's armoured body as he swung at her head. Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into the huge sword, staring him down with gritted teeth, but Death forced right back, burning eyes staring right back. Ruby fired forward, smashing herself into Death to break his stance, and he stumbled to the side, and as she flew past him and rotated her weapon, and fired it. She rode the recoil and just as Death turned, the huge scythe nailed him right under the chin.
She smashed Death down against the ground, but he formed his Nevermore Wings, throwing Fatal Feathers at them all with a deafening roar of immense fury. Ruby grunted as one of those powerful sharp feathers knocked her away from the Knight, and he swiftly got back up. He immediately blasted lightning towards Yang from his sword just as she went to attack him. She yelped in pain as the laser of lightning threw her the other way, black lightning rippled across her entire body. She groaned in pain, then stared at him as he spun the sword through his gauntleted fingers.
A bright white light formed behind him, and he turned, seeing the Arma Gigas rise before him, and it immediately slammed the huge glowing sword down towards him. Death held up his sword with both hands, falling to one knee as the powerful strike from Weiss' Knight hit him. The ground cracked beneath him, then as Death pushed back against her summon, Blake rushed forward, slashing repeatedly across his chest, before leaving an explosive shadow behind.
The shadow erupted into a huge explosion, blowing the Knight backwards, forcing him to drive his sword into the ground. Ruby rushed forward in Petal Form, but Death immediately knocked her across the floor with his sword. And just as he spun around, his wings opened and he flew up in the air, hovering over them all. "The canvas of life will finally be wiped clean from this universe! Nothing can stop it now!" Death roared.
"Only those who give up really believe that! And we're not! Not now! NOT EVER!" Ruby roared, then her eye glowed bright silver and Death roared in pain as the whole battlefield lit up white from her power. He came crashing down, and Weiss shot forward.
She stabbed him repeatedly in the chest, then went to drive the Pointed Blade up into the eye socket, and this time she managed to nick him there. Sparks and small flames erupted from the impact, and Death snarled with rage as he stared at Weiss. He suddenly punched her in the face, so hard it dazed her and made her aura flicker. He then swung his fist into her neck, the prongs pinned her against the wall.
"If you wish to be reunited with your departed, I can grant you that wish." Death snarled, then his helmet opened up, splitting into four pieces opening apart, revealing the burning skull within. The skull roared demonically at her, blasting hot air from its jaws. Yang threw her fist into the side of Death's face, forcing him to let Weiss go, and she ducked down, narrowly missing Death's sord as he swung hard and fast at her. He brought the sword down towards her as the helmet closed back together, hot air hissed between the plates, and Yang caught the blade in both hands, lilac eyes widening. "Your ends are all predetermined. You cannot be free from your decided fates!" Death roared with rage.
Yang stared back and her lilac eyes turned red, and her hair ignited, then she swung her cybernetic fist up in an uppercut, nailing Death in one hard strike. The shockwave shattered the windows of a bus and made the car alarms resound. Death flipped through the air and opened his wings, landing with ease, spinning Ferrum Arctus through his fingers.
Team R.W.B.Y stood together, looking around as the battle raged on around them. The Krastax were smashing buildings apart, slaughtering those who could not get to Beacon.
It hurt… but they had to hold this point.
It was the best chance they and anyone else had of escape once that Vault Closed.
Author Note - I'M BACK!
Sorry this took a while, like my update said I had some shit going on. BUT ALAS, THAT SHIT IS CALMING DOWN AND I HAVE BEEN ITCHING TO WRITE! And what a chapter to come back to, huh? XD Bloodthirsty as hell, poor Team A.M.F.S... they didn't deserve what happened to them. But this is not a story where people get what they deserve. Not everyone gets to die a hero's death :(
And to think... if this did happen when Teams R.W.B.Y and J.N.P.R were still at Beacon as Students? This would have been their fate, because they were not ready then.
I just love showing how... scary this whole situation is, with the Oncoming Shadow being so unstoppable and how those Reality Splits can open up anywhere.
Team R.W.B.Y Vs Death, always love writing Death fighting, he is so much fun, and poor Starla :( Someone free her and give her a hug.
And... the puppy. XD To think I wasn't gonna add the Hound into this story at first, but Volume 8 changed all that XD I wonder if anyone has any theories on the Hound in my story... please lemme know in the reviews!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - Desperation
- Matt