[Nujabes – Battlecry (feat. Shing02)]


残り:四の影/ Remnant's Four Shadows

Volume 4, Episode 8: Nightmare Before Night


The group were readying for a fight and Lapis was on edge as she was waiting for word from the Menagerie Guard. Ghira insisted that Lapis should ease her nerves.

"Ok, so a submarine is here…what's the worst that happen?" Kali said only for an explosion to rock the place.

"Kali, if we get through this alive, I'm slapping the shit out of you." Lapis said bluntly. "And I will literally freeze your husband in place before I do."

Saber called revealing someone came out of the submarine and proceeded to tear a path of destruction on the Grimm there. Lapis took the phone from Ghira and called for Saber and his men to back down. She was not going to put their lives on the line.

"So, what are we going to do?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune. We're going to fight this asshole. I don't know if we can even take him…I can sense his aura…it's not natural. And he's not alone…there are two others. One of them giving me…a bad case of déjà vu." Lapis said darkly. "Team Lavenbrun, ready your weapons. We're going in."

"I think it may be best to have the city ready to evacuate just in case something goes wrong." Sun said as Ghira and Kali nodded.

Lapis immediately had taken her team away off on a cloud she formed. Racing out to the wilds of Menagerie, Lapis felt her heart race. She had a horrible feeling in doing this, but she knew she had to protect the innocent.

"I see…Holy shit!" Blake said seeing the looming figure of Gen strangling an Alpha Beowolf with his bare hands.

[Cues: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 OST – Lonesome Wild]

Gen spotted them and snapped the neck without even looking away. Team LABW jumped down from the dissipating cloud.

"Ok, he is freaking huge." Sun said as Gen cracked his neck. "But we can take him, right?"

"Please, come forth and thrill me." Gen said letting off a blackish-red aura.

Lapis did not even waste time slapping the extended nozzle on her pistols putting them in 'Pay 'n' Spray' mode before opening fire on him and calling for the team to back up. A cloud of dust kicked up before showing Gen barely fazed.

"Is that all you got?" Gen asked as the bullets were either dented on his body or crumpled on the ground.

"That was the opening act, and here's the chorus." Lapis said as the bullets began to glow red.

Gen's eyes went wide as the bullets exploded on him leaving him a bit blackened with soot and mildly amused. He used his aura to materialize a massive zweihandler with a bonelike motif for a handle. Jaune rushed in first clashing blades with him first. Jaune did what he done to parry and land hits in, but he admitted to himself that Gen's massive height and frame gave him both advantage and disadvantage. From what Lapis and Jaune could observe, it was clear Gen had plenty power, but…he was green. Gen knew how to fight, but his movement gave off the indication that Jaune was his first go at fighting an actual opponent.

Gen let loose several energy slashes from his sword to which Jaune had to block a few with his shield. Even then, the shockwave pushed him back when Gen took advantage to rush in with a punch to the shield. The gravity dust of the shield returning the momentum sending Gen hurdling into the air. Lapis rushed in leaping up grabbing Gen's leg and throwing him into the ground. Lapis took aim while having her water wings steady her in the air as water formed around her pointer finger making a finger gun. She generated a ball of water at her fingertip while cupping both hands together, it doubled in size unleashing water bullets in quick succession kicking up dust. Blake had her guns aimed on the spot.

[Cues: Naruto OST – Bad Situation]

"Did we get him?" Blake asked.

"We can sense his energy." Lapis said dryly as Gen rose with a wide grin.

"Not mind. I was always told the art of auric techniques were lost to this world, but I see the world still remembers." Gen said showing signs of injury. "You…the blue one…you must know of the one the King calls the 'Perfect Hybrid'."

"Hybrid?" Sun said going for a strike on his staff only to for Gen to sidestep and swat him into the ground.

"The man who of blue and sliver…who hides a layer of black and red." Gen said eerily.

"Yuki…" Lapis said darkly. "What does he even want with him?"

"The same as I…the fight of a lifetime with the one destined to give him the ultimate challenge." Gen said wryly. "But…"

He was cut off by a punch to the jaw from Sun to which Gen chuckled before Sun jumped back.

"You're impressive, but you're not there yet." Gen said before vanishing.

Sensing him, Blake reacted in time leaving Gen to hit the pressure point of a clone which exploded into sand.

"You mastered making clones of the elements?" Lapis asked.

"Not exactly. I can only produce them with dust…but that one was just using the environment." Blake said flipping back.

The sand blew away showing no Gen. Gen was swift in using more of his speed to stab a pressure point on each of them with Armis coated fingers sending them all into the ground paralyzed.

"It's not enough to stop me. Don't worry, you won't die…you'll just be stunned for the moment. Long enough for me to vanish to return to the good doctors." Gen said before leaving in a plume of smoke.

[Music Ends]

"That asshole was toying with us." Lapis snarled out.

Jaune calmed himself and used his semblance to heal himself allowing him to spring up first. He got his scroll and called for Saber to pick them up. They would be taken back, but Lapis stayed quiet the whole ride for she felt she had truly failed. They had only lived as Gen let them live…

o-O-o

After Gen returned to the sub and explained everything…

"You were confronted? And you let them go?!" Alexa roared. "Why?"

"Not worth it…besides I want another round later. No use killing what can be a challenge…" Gen said as Alexa and Merlot facepalmed.

"You and that king are going to get us all killed with that attitude." Merlot barked. "Regardless, I am glad you clearly tested out your power. We can plan the assault…"

"No. They will expect us…and I have no desire to burn the land. I want an opponent who can give me a real fight." Gen remarked.

Alexa noticed something on the radar and looked onto it.

"What's this? Someone's on their way here, high power too. Looks like it'll be here…in a day." Alexa said as Gen grinned.

"Then I will wait." Gen said going to meditate.

The doctors both sighed in annoyance, and Alexa deciding to go out and train.

o-O-o

Lapis was quiet as night fell. She distanced herself from the others once night fell. She threw herself into training fiercely…out of pure frustration. She worked on her new techniques making dragons of water, bullets, and just fought her water clones like they murdered a puppy. She kept throwing backs ignoring her feeling of exhaustion or any sounds.

[Cues: Nujabes - Aruarian Dance]

Her body firmly called for quits when she collapsed onto the beach. She screamed in frustration holding her head.

"First day as leader and I fucked it up." Lapis said blankly staring into the evening sky. "How does Yuki do it?"

"It's a lot harder than you think." Jaune said sitting next to her. "You of all people knew exactly why I struggle with it."

Lapis groaned.

"Jaune, you and I are a bit different. You were a leader with no experience with anything of the huntsman world…I was technically an agent of a goddess of time. I had experience and advantages. I never believed myself to be invincible, but I'd be damn hard to take down. He bodied us…and he was clearly a newbie. Something about him was off…and I have a sickening feeling he was an experiment." Lapis said darkly as Jaune hugged her.

"Still, being leader is never easy. You'll fumble it, but you lived to fight another day and lead." Jaune said gently.

"To think I almost let you end up with Pyrrha because that's how it went in the original timeline." Lapis thought leaning her head on his. "I do wonder what has become of her."

Jaune was becoming her source of comfort…someone she could spill her guts to. And she would defend him with her live if she had to…which made Gen's win against her all the sourer. However, it would be the driving force to keep getting stronger. He had to carry her back to Blake's with the cheeriest of grins.

"I told you, he could get her to smile. He just has that charm." Sun mused.

"Whatever." Blake mumbled.

Lapis was set on her feet as she cleared her throat.

"Team, I'm sorry I shut off like that. I don't exactly emote properly…and even then, I can't just shut down on you. You're my teammates and I have a responsibility to lead you. Tomorrow, we train. We defend this kingdom and if Gen returns, we show him technique trumps power." Lapis said determined.


(A/N: While Alexa does say it'll be here tomorrow, what's coming is going to just show up the next day though. Not just yet. Episodes 6 and 7 were edited for errors and the like.)

Ending Theme – The Boondocks Soundtracks – Red Ball Theme