Chapter 21 – Argus' Fate
Ozpin
Beacon's Headmaster stood at the foot of the military base with the Relic of Knowledge floating before him. He could hear and even see the Oncoming Shadow headed directly towards him. Dust and smoke were kicked up through the streets as they grew ever closer. But Ozpin was not even afraid of them, not one bit.
Cordovin started moving the civilians, but Glynda stood there for a few moments, looking back at Ozpin. But she trusted his judgement and knew that the Relic's Knowledge and magical energy it has are limitless. If anyone can find away to turn this into a win, it would be Ozpin. As the old Professor stood tall and kept his eyes closed, he subconsciously asked the Relic the question he needed answering.
Show me how to use the Supernova
A brilliant pulse of emerald energy burst from the glowing stone, and he remained still as the knowledge was swiftly planted within his brain. Maria watched him with awe as the Relic was sending faint arcs of green energy into his temples. She really wasn't expecting the Relic to literally plant that knowledge into someone's head. Ozpin's eyes snapped open, glowing green, and they returned to normal.
He walked forward and jumped down from the base and landed in front of the incoming Grimm that was surging towards them. Bertilak, Carmine, and Maria stood with him, and Bertilak slammed his mace down into the top of a Beowulf's head, crushing the skull into the road. Black blood splattered everywhere, whilst Maria walked forward and blasted a powerful ray of silver light from her eyes and into the incoming Grimm, killing or petrifying them in one attack.
"We need to buy Glynda and Cordovin time to get the few people of Argus left to Dragonspire Keep." Ozpin reminded.
"What then? What do we do once they're clear and you do… whatever the hell that spell is gonna do?" Bertilak asked.
"We head for Arkhonex. Our goal is still the same as Ruby's. We need to get this Relic to the Embered Grove. We only split up to make Umbra's job harder. The fact he sent the Higher Demons after us is proof that we're right. We just have to keep being right." Ozpin explained. "But Argus is done. We need to try to get to Mistral first so we can get our hands on a new Airship. Ours is destroyed. The closest place that could have one is that Kingdom."
"If there's anything left there, either." Carmine said.
"There has to be." Ozpin responded.
They heard the collective howls of Grimm growing ever closer, but then they heard the explosion of water behind them. Everyone turned, expecting to see the Krastax making landfall, but it wasn't.
As the sapphire ocean erupted, Leviathans marched out, roaring to the sky as they arrived, blasting through the side of the Military Base that Cordovin's forces were inside of. They were very lucky they left when they did. Those Leviathans would have wiped them out otherwise. The gigantic monsters smashed through buildings and burnt through the city, destroying every single sign of civilisation they could find in search of Ozpin.
He rolled aside and formed a protective barrier between himself and everyone else as a massive chunk of rubble came crashing down on top of them. He then thrusted his Sceptre upwards, blowing the rubble into dust, and they ran as fast as they could to get away from the attacking sea monsters.
Bertilak stumbled as they ran from the enormous creature behind them. It blasted a powerful beam of golden lightning and fire behind them. But as they got out into an open and defendable position, Ozpin spiralled his Sceptre through his fingers. He rested it down over his other forearm and blasted a powerful beam of green energy through the eye of the Leviathan. It roared in fury as the beam burned its eye away and it crashed into the side of the cliff. Not dead, but disorientated.
"Maria!" Ozpin called out. She narrowed her Silver Eyes and unleashed her inner power. The Leviathan howled in agony as the silver light burned its body away, extinguishing the beast. Maria collapsed to one knee in pain as she looked around, seeing the other Leviathans were still laying waste to Argus, burning everything they set their glowing red eyes upon.
But as they stood there, they felt the ground shake beneath their feet, knowing that the Oncoming Shadow was on their way. They all turned as they saw the horde of Grimm flooding through the streets towards them. There were far too many for them to hold off on their own, and they were just getting closer and closer. But they stood their ground despite that.
The Grimm burst through the streets and even through some buildings. Ozpin spiralled his Sceptre through his fingers and drove it down into the ground with all his might. He combined his semblance with a magical spell, creating a barrier of powerful magic, slowing time around them all. He looked around, watching as the horde of Grimm surrounded them all. They were climbing over the barrier, and slowly began seeping through the barrier towards them.
"By the gods…" Carmine gasped in horror at just how many of the creatures were trying to get to them. And they were still making their way through the time slowing bubble of magic that Ozpin created. Some Grimm started dropping or pushing through the walls towards them. A small Deathstalker landed in front of them, screeching as it snapped its pincers at them.
"We hold the line until we see that flare!" Ozpin called out.
"What makes you think we will even last that long?" Bertilak yelled over the endless roaring of Grimm.
"JUST KEEP FIGHTING!" Ozpin commanded, slashing through the stinger of the Scorpion, cutting it clean off, then Maria jumped up and buried her scythe down into the roof of its skull. Black blood squirted out, and it crumbled away into a cloud of black smoke.
Another Grimm came charging through the wall, a Therapod. The massive Jurassic bipedal predator sprinted towards Ozpin, they noticed all the Grimm were focusing on him the most. The Relic was definitely doing its job. It was bringing every single Grimm in Argus down on their heads, which meant the plan was working for now. Ozpin rolled out of the way as the Therapod jumped and bit down at him, its jaws snapping shut so hard they could hear the bony clapping sound of teeth colliding.
It shattered the ground beneath its three clawed feet, dragging the claws through the ground as it spun around. The Therapod breathed deeply and suddenly blasted a fireball from its mouth at Ozpin. Carmine launched her Sai, and it sliced through the back of its heels. The weight of the beast caused it to topple forward, ripping the feet open as it descended. It howled in pain before Bertilak buried his mace down into the top of its head, killing it instantly.
They all looked around, knowing more Grimm was going to come through that dome soon, but they felt something else.
Something different… the ground was shaking, but like something was coming up from underneath them. Suddenly, the floor blasted upwards as a massive Serpentine Grimm emerged, and it crashed down atop one of the buildings. It reared its two heads, revealing it was a very rare form of Taijitu.
But this was no Giant Two-Headed Boa.
This was a King Cobra Variant, three times the size of a King Taijitu, and far more dangerous. "Oh, shit… it's a Pharaoh." Carmine gasped in horror.
"Damn it, this bastard's gonna be one tough thing to kill!" Maria warned, spinning her Scythes through her fingers.
The two-headed King Cobra glared down at Ozpin, then both of them roared to the sky, their frills splayed out and shimmering bright colours. Pharaohs were the final stage of evolution for the Taijitu Variant, forming their frills and even gaining new abilities that their younger brethren lack. The Pharaoh suddenly shot down. It was not only massive but fast as well, slithering across the surrounding road. They all stayed close to each other as the Pharaoh continuously surrounded them. Suddenly, the two heads revealed themselves and their jaws opened, and they blasted powerful beams of acidic venom towards them.
Ozpin formed a protective barrier as fast as he could, but some of it burned across Bertilak's arm, damaging his aura. Maria flashed the Pharaoh, that was all she could muster after using her eyes so many times in such a short period of time. The two heads recoiled back, smashing their heads down, one into the road and the other against a building. The rooftop fragmented, tossing shards of red tiling everywhere.
The Pharaoh suddenly dove downwards, drilling its body into the road and down underground. Ozpin looked around, listening carefully and feeling the tremors it was creating. He turned as it erupted once more, smashing its enormous head down into the ground right in front of him. The second coiled around its body before lunging towards him, jaws wide open. He slowed time and sprinted away from its jaws, and slashing across the side of its body with his Sceptre in the process. As time returned to normal, the Pharaoh recoiled away, and as the head that crashed into the ground ascended, Ozpin transformed the Sceptre into Mace Form.
The Pharaoh stared at the Relic within the mace and shot forward, only for Ozpin to dodge and smash the Mace downwards into the side of its head. The impact shattered the road, and then it slithered back, both heads wrapping around its body. Their frills rattled, then they both spat beams of acidic venom at them all, mindlessly flinging their heads back and forth, the venom melting through the buildings behind them as they all jumped and dodged the incoming attack.
Bertilak smashed an Ursa across the face then shot a Thrall in the head with his Mace before turning back to the massive Cobra. He jumped and ran across the body towards one of its heads, but it snapped its jaws at him, only for him to catch the jaws. "CARMINE!" He yelled, holding the jaws open for as long as he could.
She kicked a Beowulf aside, for the Grimm were in fact still breaking through the barrier, then she launched her Sai through the jaw of the creature. The Pharaoh recoiled its head, shrieking in immense pain as black blood sprayed from its mouth. He held on for dear life as the bottom jaw dangled. The Pharaoh threw him aside as it swung its head around, smashing through one of the smaller houses, completely pulverising it.
He tumbled across the ground, causing his aura to flicker and weaken even more. He groaned in pain and looked up to see the Pharaoh Head he was holding onto coiled back to charge. It launched forward only for Ozpin to fly into the side of the head and ram his Sceptre through its eye socket. The red eye burst and the Pharaoh shrieked in agony as he blasted a powerful beam of energy out the other side, killing the head. It crashed to the ground but was yanked away now that the last head of the Pharaoh was in full command of the body.
It zoomed across the terrain, and it ascended up one of the ancient Arkhoni Activation Towers, coiling its vast body around it, and the Cobra roared to the sky, blasting acid upwards. They immediately took cover after it fell like rain. Ozpin raised his mechanical wings over himself and Bertilak whilst Carmine jumped inside of a car, raising the seat over her head, whilst Maria sprinted inside of a building. The acid melted through steel and concrete alike, destroying a lot of the surrounding town.
All whilst Leviathans continued to close in on their location, burning Argus to smithereens. Ozpin growled in pain as he felt his metal wings melt away from the burning acid rain, eating away at his aura as well. The acid rain ceased, then the Pharaoh dove downwards, smashing itself into the ground, digging around them all, before erupting out and flattening the car that Carmine was in, only narrowly missing her when she climbed out and ran away.
The Pharaoh swung its head around directly into Carmine, tossing her against the wall of a building. Maria launched out with both Scythes connected. The Pharaoh swung its body, using the dead head like a tail as it tried to knock her out of the air. But she spiralled, slicing clean through the neck of the deceased head and cutting it off. Black blood spewed everywhere, and she slid past it, shooting up at its head. It recoiled back, then it roared, enraged by her attacks.
The Pharaoh shot forward, snapping its jaws at Maria, but she only narrowly rolled out of the way, and the enormous snake's body crashed through the side of the Activation Tower. The enormous and ancient structure came crashing down, making the ground shake.
After spraying another focused beam of acid towards them, the cobra reared back, splaying out its frill. Ozpin launched towards the creature and it saw him. It coiled and shot forward, jaws wide, but Ozpin pushed the bladed tip of Mihi Vindicta forward, stabbing straight through its throat and he spun inside, firing a beam of energy through the flesh from the inside. The Pharaoh's hissing roar ceased as the head dropped from the body and it crashed to the ground.
Ozpin – smothered in smoking black blood – landed, panting as he watched the body of the Pharaoh crumble away into a cloud of smoke and ash. Ozpin panted, and he looked at all the Grimm that were now all covering the bubble, slowly trying to get through. He then raised his Sceptre. "About… time…" He panted, knowing a massive number of them had surrounded them, and suddenly he slammed the Sceptre down against the ground.
The dome exploded, blowing the thousands of Grimm apart from the shards of frozen time trapped in the dome. In a single attack, but a costly one, Ozpin killed the most Grimm at once. Maria caught Ozpin as he fell to one knee.
But despite his impressive move, they still saw more and more Grimm pouring through the Reality Splits.
And still no flare.
"Come on… fire that flare already!" Bertilak begged, holding his side.
"Nice moves." Maria complimented with a chuckle as she helped steady Ozpin.
"Thank you." He chuckled.
"We can't keep this up… they're just gonna keep coming." Carmine panted.
Maria looked at Ozpin. She wasn't afraid. She was a Silver Eyed Warrior, and a Huntress, and from everything they've seen? Not much can scare her anymore. She was with him on this.
But their moment of respite was cut short once again when they turned to the sea, hearing the alarms blaring from the military base. Ozpin's face hardened, knowing what that meant.
"They're here…"
The ocean erupted, and the three other Krastax Vir Nominis Umbra sent had finally arrived. The Manta Ray, the Arthropod and Mantis Krastax. The three of them burst through the water, and the Arthropod smashed through the tall building and rock that Cordovin's Base was located with ease, flattening what remained of the base as they made their approach. The Mantis jumped out from the water, making a terrifying amount of distance from one jump, slashing its claws through entire buildings, tossing burning rubble high in the air, roaring in fury.
The Manta Ray sprinted through the city, pummelling everything in its path and crushing things with its enormous claw or long tail.
But they were headed directly towards them.
"Oh, gods… what do we do?" Carmine whimpered, Ozpin turned to the sky to see if the Flare had been fired yet.
Still nothing.
He stared the Krastax down with a scowl.
"We hold the line."
Ruby
Atlas was already fallen by the time they had reached the main city, and they could barely even see the massive Academy Tower through the flames and smoke, or merely the amount of Grimm that were in the air. Screams echoed in the streets as the Grimm tore the place apart, burning and destroying everything in their path.
This was not a fight. Ruby, Blake and Yang knew that their only chance here was to run as fast as they could and get through what was left of this burning city and get to the Ace Ops. "Don't stop for anything!" Ruby yelled. She launched herself forward in a flurry of petals, slashing through two Sabyrs with Crescent Rose. Black smoke trailed behind her whilst Blake and Yang sprinted behind her.
As they ran through the streets, their eyes widened as a Reaper rammed through one of the skyscrapers, blasting flames from its jaws, melting the supports and sending aflame screaming civilians to their deaths. It stung to see this, knowing there was nothing they could do to save the people here.
Jacques had taken all these people down with him… his final act for Atlas was sending the city up into the sky and become a feeding ground for the Grimm.
I hope Weiss got him…
… death is the least that bastard deserves.
The Reaper descended towards the street they were running through and he fired more flames from its jaws down into the road, burning both Grimm and people alive. The fire shattered windows from the shock wave and sheer heat, forcing the team to sprint to their left, running down an alleyway just in time. They rolled away as the fire flooded into the alleyway, only narrowly avoiding it.
Yang stumbled after throwing herself across the floor, but Blake helped her back to her feet. They continued to run, but as Ruby ran out, a Thrall launched itself into her side. It snapped its bony jaws at her throat, trying to rip her throat out. "Ruby!" Yang screamed as Ruby held it back as long as she could, but Yang grabbed the Thrall by the long black hair on its head – by the looks of it the Thrall used to be a woman – and she shoved it towards the wall, punching it in the face so hard with her metal fist that the skull burst.
Ruby shook it off, but Blake quickly checked for a bite. They may have been vaccinated, but a bite from one of those things could still be deadly, infection or no. "You're okay." Blake sighed with relief.
They twisted round the corner to see a woman screaming in terror as she tried to flee, only for a Nightmare to fire its tentacles towards her, wrapping them around her ankles. She screamed in horror as it dragged her towards its mass of screaming bodies. Ruby rolled out and fired into it, causing the Nightmare to recoil away from her, staring at the Rose. The Nightmare suddenly creating an ear-bleeding screech, bringing Ruby down to her knees, but Blake just aimed her pistol up and fired into its body more and more, until it exploded, spraying black blood everywhere.
The shrieking cries of the souls trapped in agony ceased, and the woman panted in horror, covered in its blood. Ruby sprinted to her side, helping her up. "Ma'am, are you okay? You need to find somewhere to hide." Ruby told her.
"T-Thank you… I… AAAARGH!" the woman shrilled, suddenly grabbed by the claws of a Teryx, carrying the screaming woman away. Ruby aimed and shot at the beast, but two more arrived and she had to look away as they started feasting and ripping the poor woman apart as she screamed.
"FUCK!" Ruby yelled.
She had never felt so useless.
What the hell do we do? I hate just leaving all these people to die, but we need that Relic!
And how do we even try to save people from… this?
So many people are dying… and I can't do a thing to stop it!
They didn't even have time to console Ruby, because now the Oncoming Shadow were headed their way. Blake gasped, her amber feline eyes widening as she saw the side of a building explode, chasing two more civilians and swarming them. Their screams faded away under the roars, and the rest of the horde came sprinting through the street towards them. There were so many Grimm that they could barely identify them all. It was just a horrifying mass of death that took up the entire road.
"RUBY! WE NEED TO RUN!" Blake screamed, firing her pistol at the Grimm. The gunfire snapped Ruby out of it and she sprinted with the two of them.
Gods… how the hell does Weiss intend to follow us through this on her own?
She'll never make it…
Why the hell did we agree to leave her there?
They couldn't dwell on these choices. The Grimm were still on them as they ran for it. As they sprinted as fast as they could, the stormy clouds broke and before them a King Wyvern descended, blasting more fire towards them. They had to break off down yet another alleyway, and as they went down there, the Oncoming Shadow crashed against the wall directly behind Yang. The Grimm viciously scrambled over each other as they tried to continue their pursuit on the Huntresses, only for many of them to be wiped out by the Wyvern's flames.
They followed the alleyway only for it to lead to a dead end, luckily before panic could set in, Blake already found a means of escape. She jumped up and bounced off the wall, catching onto the ladder of a catwalk. She slashed the lock that held it in place and it slid down so they could climb with her. Ruby went first, then Yang as the swarm of Grimm flooded down after them, roaring viciously. Yang climbed, but a Thrall grabbed onto her leg, she kicked at its face over and over to be free from it, feeling her grip loosen. Both Blake and Ruby fired their guns down at the Thrall so she could get free, and she swiftly climbed the rungs up to the top.
"Thank the gods for you two." Yang panted.
"Look out! Don't stop!" Ruby yelled, yanking Yang away as a Shrieker dove towards them. The screeching Grimm collided into the building behind them, exploding and causing that part of the catwalk to break apart and drop onto the Grimm, trying to climb up after them. They sprinted across the catwalk then jumped onto another roof top. As Yang jumped, another Shrieker launched itself into the building mere inches behind her, exploding and throwing her forward. Yang tumbled across the roof but got back on her feet.
They continued to flee, hearing the screaming in the streets as Grimm fed on the populous, enjoying the taste of their suffering and terror. They ran from rooftop to rooftop, looking ahead to see the Academy getting closer. They just had to cross the bridge at the end of this district that lead there, but by the looks of things, it was looking worse by the minute.
They saw in the distance as a Tempest descended and brought its huge tentacles down and electrocuted the area, knocking out and overloading the power, causing power stations to explode, blasting massive clouds of dust into the sky, and frying anybody in the area with thousands, maybe millions, of volts. They could hear the howls of the Monstra Whales all over the city, where they had them surrounded and endlessly spewing out Grimm into the city.
The barricade in the street below exploded as a Megoliath smashed through with its huge tusks, crushing the few Acolytes of Lien Mercenaries that remained. Ruby, Blake and Yang looked around to try to find a way through, seeing nothing but Grimm in the streets. They'd never make it the way things were. "We need a distraction…" Ruby said as she looked around. Blake narrowed her eyes and then gasped with a smile, spotting a crashed leaking fuel lorry.
"Ruby! There, if you can hit it, you can make a big explosion. It should get the Grimm to clear out long enough for us to make it for the bridge." Blake explained.
"And then what? Once we make a break for it, they'll figure it out." Yang asked.
"Then you blow the bridge." Ruby answered.
"But how do we get out?" Yang asked.
"Well… I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Ruby shrugged, making Yang chuckle.
"Good one."
Ruby transformed Crescent Rose into Sniper Rifle form and aimed through the scope, laying the crosshairs onto her target, and she pulled the trigger. The rifle fired, and the bullet impacted with the tank. It exploded in a brilliant fireball, killing multiple Grimm in the process, that big Megoliath being one of them. As they predicted the Grimm sprinted to the sound of the explosion, so they waited until it was clear enough, then jumped down to the road below.
Within a few seconds the Grimm heard them and turned, and now they had a massive swarm of monsters directly behind them. "Go!" Ruby yelled. They all ran as fast as they could across the bridge, and Yang readied her missiles, spotting the supports needed to bring the bridge down.
Ruby looked back at the enormous swarm of Grimm on their rear, getting closer and closer. "Yang! Now!" Ruby called out, and Yang jumped and spun around, firing her missiles towards the supports. They shrieked as they flew across the air and detonated into them, blowing the pillars apart. The bridge cracked and crumbled, buckling as the support vanished. They kept running, jumping from a breaking chunk of road to the next.
They all jumped across just in time as the bridge dropped, sending the Grimm plummeting down into the mechanical depths of Atlas. They rolled across the road on the other side, panting and grabbing their chests as they caught their breath. Ruby looked across the road to see a Griffin diving towards Blake, but she swiftly fired her Sniper Rifle up into its face, killing it instantly. The corpse crashed into the ground nearby, crumbling away.
Yang stood back up, looking at the Grimm roaring at them from the other side of the bridge, so she stuck her middle metal finger up at them. "Yeah… screw you too…" she panted, pressing her hands against her knees as she panted.
They looked around to see the Ace Ops still outside, holding off the Grimm that were attacking them.
Elm roared, slamming her hammer down onto the top of an Ursa's head. Across the path they saw Marrow crouched down at the door, trying to get inside, hacking his way through the security, whilst everyone else were fighting off the Grimm one by one. Ruby launched forward, cutting three Beowulves in half with her Scythe whilst Blake launched Yang towards a Beringel and she punched it across the face.
The huge Grimm Gorilla staggered back, but just as it punched at her, she fired a missile into its roaring mouth, blowing its head off its shoulders. Blake rushed forward, vanishing as a Spiker shot at her, impaling her shadow, only for her to cut its long tail off, then ramming the blade of her Katana down the top of its head, killing it swiftly.
Harriet shot up into the air, punching a Manticore down, and Vine caught the dropping beast with his elongated aura arms and smashed it headfirst onto the floor. Clover wrapped the line of his Fishing Rod around the throat of a Thrall and yanked so hard the line cut through its throat. "How's it coming Marrow?" Clover called to him.
"Almost there!" He called back.
Ruby jogged over to the leader of the Ace Ops, holstering Crescent Rose. "What's the situation?"
"There's one last squad of Acolytes of Lien left and they've holed themselves up down in the Vault. I honestly don't think they're following orders anymore, they're just hiding from the Grimm. Marrow is trying to get the doors open. Their security isn't too advanced." Clover explained.
"Damn it, have they sealed themselves in the Vault?" Ruby asked.
"No, they don't know how to open the thing. They're just hiding in there." Clover answered, which put Ruby's mind at ease.
Clover looked around, noticing that only Blake and Yang were with her. "Were's the Schnee girl?"
"Weiss stayed behind to stop her father. She said she'll catch up with us… but I am worried about her. We barely made it through the city…" Ruby explained, looking back at the smouldering ruins of what once was the greatest Kingdom of Remnant. But even with all their wealth and power… it meant nothing during the Shivering Dominion.
"I'm sure she'll be okay. Schnees are resourceful." Elm assured as she walked over to them with her hammer rested on her shoulder. Harriet jogged over with Vine.
"Hey, do any of you know what the hell happened to the Shield Pylons? We listened to the radios of the Mercs we killed, but none of the teams defending them responded." Harriet explained.
Ruby sighed. "Umbra… bastard is always one step ahead, and he has allies who can get in undetected. First… that… Hound…" Ruby didn't mention it being Raven, both since the Ace Ops didn't know who Raven was, but Yang was still trying to digest what she just saw. "… he must have others."
"Correct." The voice of Kannix Volantis answered. She gasped and turned, suddenly being shot up. She only had a split second to raise her aura, and it was lucky that she did since the fire projectile directly hit her sternum. The impact blew her across the floor, and Yang ran to her sister's side, staring at him as he approached.
He walked down the chunks of rubble of destroyed structures towards them, raising his smoking arm cannon up, thrusting his arm down and up, cocking it and recharging the dust shell, and his other hand transformed into the Hook Blade after throwing the detonator for the bombs towards them. The Mad Silver Eyed Warrior smirked villainously down at them.
"You…" Ruby growled in anger, holding her chest as smoke trailed from her body.
Blake's ears perked up, and she gasped, spinning around to hear the wings of the Hound fly overhead, and it landed behind them. The monster stood tall, snarling viciously as it stared them down, and Yang winced as she looked at what used to be her mother.
"I hate to disappoint you all… but our employer needs what's in that Academy. And we can't let you go in there." Kannix stated.
Ruby stood tall with Yang beside her, transforming Crescent Rose into Scythe Form, staring him down.
"Just try to stop us, you bastard." She hissed.
He grinned, chuckling. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Battle of Mantle
Kassius held on tight as Cinder flew him across the Oncoming Shadow horde towards the Eel Krastax.
This is crazy.
This is crazy.
Oh, hey guess what? This is crazy.
Cinder dodged the incoming Grimm that flew towards her, then the Krastax turned and roared at her as she got even closer, and it sprayed a beam of acidic venom at her, but she spun through the air, dodging the incoming attack, and then dove downwards, getting him as close as she could to the monster. "Are you sure about this?" She called to her brother.
"Hyde can do it! I know he can!" He promised.
"He better be able to!" Cinder flew up the side of the huge barnacle covered beast and dropped him onto its shoulder. Kassius drove Lash Equinox down into the plates, holding on for dear life as the Krastax snapped its mandibles at Cinder, but she easily avoided the giant, firing a couple fireballs at its face to keep its attention off Kassius.
As he made the climb, the situation at the walls of Mantle was getting more frightening by the minute. Jaune climbed up the ladder and looked around, dodging as a Nevermore slashed its talons at him, and as he rolled aside, the immense beast banked across the sky, only to get shot down by one of the Anti-Air cannons. The huge Mass Accelerator continued to fire at the massive Grimm in the air, knocking a Tempest that was trying to get close enough to shut it down out of the sky and into the city below.
Jaune looked as he saw more of their forces climbing the ladders to get up there, whilst the tanks remained down there, firing everything they had at the incoming swarm of Grimm. The Atlesian Knights remained down there with the tanks, firing their weapons and using their mechanical bodies to take the hits for their people. Paladins also continued to hold the line with the remaining Colossi, which burnt and crushed the Grimm with their powerful weapons, pushing their numbers back one step at a time.
The Hellfire Tanks transformed their treads into leg mode, walking around so the Grimm would struggle to clamber onto them, and crushing some under the spidery legs. Every now and then the shot from the turrets would make Jaune jolt, the bangs of each shot were so loud he felt them in his bones.
Then another volley of Broadside Cannon Shells came down from above as the Drift of Wandering Star and remaining Dreadnaughts up above fired down at the Grimm, thinning out their numbers. Jaune could see all of his friends' and recognisable faces were up here now. Pyrrha, Nora and Ren stood with him, firing their weapons down at the Grimm as well.
More and more soldiers could make the climb thanks to the covering fire of the others. The most chilling part that hit Jaune, though, was that he knew that half of their forces had been lost in the first phase of the defence. Most of the fighters hadn't learned how to use their auras or activated their semblances, so he was just dreading to know how long he and his friends would last when their auras cannot protect them.
And soon… he could meet the answer.
Penny flew up in the air with Coco beside her, using her Maiden Powers against the Grimm, and Penny relentlessly cut the Grimm down either with lasers or with Floating Array. Coco blasted a massive cloud of freezing cold air into the horde, freezing many Grimm which Nora finished off with her Grenade Launcher.
Hazel panted, pressing his hand against the wall as his semblance deactivated, sweating from how many times he had to activate his Blood Rage in this battle. Sun looked at him and sighed, running to his side. "Hold fire on the semblance, alright? Get your strength back." Sun told him, and Hazel just nodded his head.
Qrow remained a distance away from the others, not wanting to mess up the plan with his Bad Luck Charm, firing his shotgun down at the Grimm that were making their way past the tanks and heavy hitters. One of the Colossi swung its fist through the Grimm as they climbed on top of one another like ants to try to get onto it, toppling them down like a house of cards. Another Colossus fired its powerful Dust Cannon into the Grimm, blowing them to pieces with huge fireballs mixed with Earth Dust, spreading lava everywhere.
Emerald shot down at the Grimm with Neo beside her, and Team C.F.V.Y held their own portion at the same time, laying down heavy fire from above, either with turrets or with Velvet using Gianduja. Mazen and Kaa stood on the wall with the White Fang and Acolytes of the Rose, firing huge amounts of artillery down into the Grimm forces.
But as they fought, Militia's eyes widened when she spotted Grimm charging through, dodging the heavy fire, and clambered over each other at specific points of the wall. "They're coming up!" Militia yelled, so those who specialised in melee prepared themselves for a fight as they climbed up the wall, using other variants like platforms. A Howler jumped up but was immediately smashed across the face by Ryuji Jingu Bang. Sun punched another in the face as they continued to make their way up.
Jaune rammed Crocea Mors through the face of a Beowulf, sending the beast crashing down into the tank below. Pyrrha fired shot after shot down at the Grimm, nailing some of them with perfect headshots, before turning to see a Manticore snatching a soldier and carrying him away. "Keep your eyes on the sky!" She yelled, but Penny slashed through the Manticore and caught the man, bringing him down to the lower defences with the other soldiers.
"Thank you!" The soldier called up to Penny. She smiled and saluted to him.
"What the hell is Kassius doing?" Hazel yelled, grabbing a Thrall by the head as it climbed the wall and pummelled it into the structure, killing it instantly.
"Something insane, probably! Best to trust him. He always pulls something out of his ass." Sun responded.
Oscar fired his dual pistols at the Grimm as they jumped up onto the wall with him. He ducked as a Knights Bannerman jumped up and swung its axe down at him. As he avoiding the attack, he shot the two guns, before transforming them into dagger mode. The Bannerman slashed the axe wildly at him, but he backed up then rolled under the next swing, lacerating through the leg.
It fell to one knee, and then he stabbed down into its eyes, twisting them. The Bannerman collapsed into itself, howling as it faded away. Oscar connected his two daggers together and looked up at Atlas, seeing the smoke, feeling nothing but fear for Ruby's safety up there. He cut down more Grimm as they climbed up, though, holding the line as they agreed, standing with Hazel and Sun.
Suddenly, though, the Knight of Fear landed right behind the three of them, grinning maniacally. They lost sight of the Knights of Grimm when the battle lead to their retreat, completely forgot they were here. "Oh, shit…" Oscar stammered.
"Well, well… look what we have here." Fear chuckled sinisterly, spinning Formido Falcem through his fingers, eyes glowing bright gold.
He was not alone either.
The other Knights were circling the sky, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Fear made his move…
… who knew what the others would do?
Across the battlefield, though, Kassius continued to climb up the Krastax, trying to stay balanced as best he could. He needed to get up to the side of its head, and he saw the perfect spot where it couldn't grab him, between two plates of spiky armour, just enough room for him to press his hand against the head and hold on tight without being thrown off, no matter how wildly it moved.
Hopefully, anyway.
Cinder circled the beast, blasting it repeatedly with fireballs and sharp icicles. She was not doing that much damage to the Krastax, but it was enough to annoy it. The Krastax swung its long claws at her, but she easily avoided it, moving too quickly for it to keep a fixed look on her.
Kassius approached the side of the Krastax's head and stabbed his sword between the plates to lock himself in. He then held his human hand up and his eyes shimmered fiery orange. "Please work…" He panted, then pressed his hand against the skin, and Hyde immediately began his possession of the beast. The Krastax suddenly writhed around in fury, crushing Grimm beneath its feet as it shook its head around, clawing at the skull as he entered its soulless brain.
Cinder watched with concern. "C'mon Hyde… you can do it." Cinder prayed.
The Eel Krastax bellowed with fury as it stumbled across the ice. Kassius held on for dear life as Hyde continued his control. Then… it went still… and slowly stood tall.
Cinder smirked.
The Shark Krastax turned with a deep hissing growl to see the Eel Krastax stand tall, eyes surrounded with burning cracks in the skin and amour, burning bright gold with flames. As Hyde challenged it, the Krastax opened its jaws, creating a sound. The Shark roared back, knowing it had been possessed and charged towards it, but Hyde sprinted forward, making the Eel Krastax sprint on its arms and legs like a Cheetah, it jumped up and stabbed the claws into the plates, crashing them both down against the ice, spreading cracks and collapsing the ice in places.
Hyde avoided the water, but the Shark dove into the water and burst up from the ice behind the Eel. It roared, jaws open as it went for the neck where Kassius was, only for Hyde to stab it in the chest and throw it into the snow.
Jaune watched and smiled, proud of Hyde being strong enough to take over a Kaiju as the two Krastax battled nearby. He then watched the Knights of Grimm circle the skies, knowing the Nevermore, the Burning Wyvern and the Mourning Dove would attack soon. But then his eyes turned to Atlas.
"Penny!" He called, and she turned, landing beside him.
"Yes?" she asked.
"I need you to get up to Atlas, find Ruby and the others, try to help them." Jaune said.
"But you need all the help you can get, right?" She asked.
"We have an army, Penny and three Maidens. Team R.W.B.Y only have the Ace Ops against the Oncoming Shadow up there. They need you right now. Go to Schnee Manor and see if they're there. Please." He begged her, and Penny nodded her head, trusting him.
She took off and headed straight for Atlas.
Jaune looked at the Knights of Grimm and then across the battlefield, knowing Vir Nominis Umbra was preparing to do something. He just couldn't figure out what.
Ozpin
The three Krastax sprinted across Argus, destroying everything in their path as they made their attack on Ozpin. His eyes widened, but he hardened his gaze and turned to the others. "Go! I'll lure them off!" Ozpin yelled, but before they could even argue he immediately opened Mihi Vindicta, exposing it so the Grimm could focus on him.
The Krastax focused on him and he opened his Knight Wings, flying up into the air, avoiding the Grimm on the ground and luring them towards the centre of the city. The Mantis jumped and slashed its razor sharp arms at him, smashing through another one of the Activation Towers, blowing it to pieces.
Behind him, the Grimm gave chase, but a large pack pursued Bertilak, Carmine and Maria as they made their retreat. Fighting was no longer an option, and they ran as fast as they could. Bertilak roared in pain when he suddenly felt something stab through his leg and then through his chest. He gasped in pain to see that a Spiker had launched quills into him and his weak aura was not enough to deflect the projectiles.
"Bertilak!" Carmine screamed as she turned back for him, but he shoved her away.
"Go! Get the hell out of here!" He yelled as they ran into an alleyway. He turned to the Grimm and Maria had to hold Carmine back as Bertilak just held his arms out and used his body to block the Grimm from getting into the alleyway.
"BERTILAK! NOOOOO!" Carmine shrieked as Maria pulled her away as the Grimm impacted him. He howled in pain as they bit, slashed and stabbed into his body, spraying blood all over their bodies as they tried to clamber over him.
"GO! NOW! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bertilak howled as they tried to force through his body.
"WE HAVE TO GO!" Maria yelled, pulling Carmine away and sprinting away from Bertilak.
Ozpin flew across the sky, blasting powerful magic at the Krastax that were pursuing him, blowing the Mantis down against the ground with a long beam of green energy. The Mantis tumbled across the ground, then he dove like a falcon, narrowly avoiding the Arthropod's claws as it swung at him. The Manta swung its long tail at him, cutting the steeple of a church clean off like a beheading, throwing the bell down into the street with a loud gong.
Ozpin stayed ahead as the flood of Grimm pursued him. He slid down across the ground and swung his Sceptre all the way around, beheading ten Grimm in a single attack. He backed up, stabbing a Beowulf through the chest, before raising his Sceptre up and blocking the incoming strikes from a Bannerman, he swung his clockwork wings through the face of the Knight and then jumped up in the air, spinning through the air and slashing more Grimm apart with the feathers.
He rolled aside when a Hellhound jumped towards him, melting tarmac beneath its paws. He looked around and saw the Krastax were getting into position all around him to make their attack. But he continued to fight off the horde of Grimm that surrounded him, launching time bubbles back and forth to keep Grimm back, stabbing Grimm repeatedly with Mihi Vindicta. He spiralled the Sceptre through his fingers and stabbed it into the ground, creating a powerful explosion of energy, killing a hundred Grimm in that one attack.
But more Grimm continued to surround him.
He gritted his teeth, glaring the monsters of Darkness down… but then… he saw the red light of a Flare shoot up into the sky. He hardened his stare and held the Sceptre with both hands, closing his eyes and beginning the spell. Carmine and Maria remained back to back as Grimm swarmed towards them, but they were repelled by a powerful glowing purple rune that acted like a dome.
Maria and Carmine knew what this meant, and they both got down and covered their ears, knowing it was about to get loud.
The three Krastax bellowed and charged towards Ozpin as the Relic glowed bright green and the large Magical Glyph formed on the ground beneath his feet. The three of them leapt towards Ozpin, roaring furiously, only for Ozpin to yell with fury as he slammed the Sceptre down against the ground.
A blinding white light shone, and the loudest explosion they had ever heard erupted. Glynda raised her scroll moments earlier to contact him. "Ozpin! Ozpin are yo-" The massive explosion cut her off, and she looked away with everyone else as they screamed.
The Krastax vanished in the blast, and the tremendous explosion sent white flames through the entire city, obliterating the buildings and blowing water on the sea back. The Oncoming Shadow were blown away by the incoming blast front and the shock wave flowed around Maria and Carmine like a river round a rock. The lifeless body of Bertilak was completely vaporised along with the rest of the Grimm that claimed his life.
The statue of Pyrrha Nikos… completely blown apart…
Saphron's home…
The prison that held Tyrian Callows…
The Sleeping Angel of Remnant… was no more…
Author Note - Argus is no more...
Rest in Piece Bertilak, you may not have been perfect but in the end you died saving Carmine and Maria. And do not underestimate the power of the Relic of Knowledge, it's main power may not be destruction man it can still cause a massive amount of devastation if you know the right spell.
And now Kannix is here with the Hound, and he was the man who destroyed the Pylons to allow the Oncoming Shadow to attack Atlas. Was pretty scary to show how much devastation they brought to the city.
And good old Kassius XD His plan worked and now Hyde has a Krastax to play around with, but the Knights of Grimm are making their move as well.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt