I've been dying to write this chapter for months. All my plotting and scheming has led to this chapter, and soon it will bear fruits in the shit that I'm going to pull in Volume 4.
Also at the time of this upload, it will officially be April 15th, and well, yah friendly neighborhood author turns 21 today.
Yeah I know, I'm old but hey, now I'm officially legal globally so... WE GETTIN TURNT TONIGHT
Chapter 39: The Decisive Battle
-Beacon Vault-
Ozpin had been waiting inside the vault since the chaos began, standing guard like he was meant to, his allies around him almost nowhere to be seen, James was gone, Glynda was hold up with Elain, Qrow and Randolf insisted on providing ground support.
Hence, the great headmaster of Beacon was stuck protecting the one thing that he considered to be important, the Relic of Choice and by extension, the semi-living body of Amber, the Fall Maiden.
The one person he'd been expecting to show up, had in fact, just arrived. Pyrrha Nikos accompanied by her partner Jaune Arc were sprinting down the vast halls of the Vault, which Pyrrha now noted were unorthodoxly long, to Amber.
"What is this place…?" Jaune asked looking warily to Pyrrha and Ozpin. The red-head answered on automatic, her brain hard-focused on the pressured task at hand.
"It's… a type of vault…" she said as they continued to run.
Jaune looked at her confused, and a little unnerved, "You've… been here before?" he asked, though it wasn't exactly a question.
Pyrrha flinched but didn't respond, instead choosing to look away, confirming his already predetermined answer.
"What would this school need to… hide…?" his words faltered when they arrived at Amber's resting chamber.
"What?... who?"
"Jaune…"
"Pyrrha, get to the pods!" Ozpin instructed with all urgency, breaking any form of explanation on the blonde's part.
"What do we do now professor?" Pyrrha asked looking to her headmaster for guidance.
Ozpin kept tapping away at the control panels, "We… do nothing. You Miss Nikos… have a very important decision to make. Mr. Arc if you wish to be useful, stand guard." He instructed.
Jaune nodded and turned, baring his sword down at the barren hallway, anticipating an enemy he wasn't even sure was coming.
Pyrrha, on the other hand, was having an incredible mental struggle. This decision would mean the change of all life as she knew it. She would become a Maiden, be bound to a role that she can't escape, but on the other hand she'd be protecting the people, protecting Beacon. She'd save hundreds if not thousands of lives, if it meant losing her current self and becoming something else, then it was a small price to pay.
As Nova had said to her before, people like them don't have the luxury of free choice. The things they do are bound to a path they cannot deviate for fear of turning the world inside out. They are the ones who bear the burden of life and death on their shoulders, and whether it be the peace of the world or ending a war, she, him, people like them, they were born to become what the world needed. Protectors.
Wordlessly the red-head climbed into the pod and nodded confirmation to Ozpin. The headmaster held no expression as he initiated the aura transfer sequence.
Jaune watched in horror as the machine whirred to life, draining the aura out of Amber and sending it to Pyrrha, her body glowing the colour of the maiden as pain wracked her throughout.
At that moment, however, their enemy arrived, like an unexpected herald of the end.
Clad in a short red dress with gold patterns along the neck, shoulder, and sleeves, and a choker, stood Cinder Fall. The false Maiden causally walking up to meet the trio.
She stood wordlessly, a sinister smile plastered across her face, as the aura that was transferring to Pyrrha immediately stopped as life left Amber's body. There was a rush of energy as a blast of orange flew out of Amber and into Cinder, who in turn began glowing with fiery power.
The transfer had failed. Pyrrha's only chance at saving hundreds of lives, their only chance at protecting Beacon, was now in the hands of the very person that caused this problem in the first place.
Jaune made a horrible attempt at attacking her but Cinder easily batted him aside with her strength. Once Pyrrha was out of the pod she instantly equipped her spear and shield and threw the shield at Cinder, only for it to again be sent aside just like Jaune. It was as if normal attacks did nothing to her.
Pyrrha made a move to attack with her spear but Ozpin held her back, "Take Jaune and get out of here!"
"But…!" she wanted to protest.
"JUST GO! This is no longer something you can handle, besides… you'll just be in my way…" he said dangerously.
Pyrrha nodded and took Jaune and scampered out, while Cinder watched them go in amusement.
Cinder and Ozpin needed no words before they sprang at each other. In the fractions of what little light still held in the vault did they clash, as if every millisecond they took to drink in but a mere breath of air, where glass sword versus cane struck.
Cinder dashed back and began summoning her Maiden powers, and all-around Vale, those with the sensitivity, felt it. The drastic change in the power of Fire, as if the natural balance of the world had shifted, leaning ever so dangerously in the wrong direction. Nova felt it in his core, Luna shook with the chill that ran down the back of her neck, Randolf felt the sound striking his very being.
Cinder had amassed a level of power that altered the very natural order of the world. Ozpin generated a shield around him, entirely made of aura, in an attempt to block the oncoming burst of power. She released the energy in a single beam of concentrated destruction aimed at the headmaster. He bore the brunt of the energy in an attempt to close the distance between them but to little avail as soon, he was overwhelmed.
The headmaster's eyes went wide as he didn't have time to react, the sheer mass of energy piercing through his dense shield and vaporizing him out of existence. A blinding light erupted from the vault as Cinder smugly stepped out onto the elevator taking it up to the very top of the school, standing proudly at her achievement of destroying the very headmaster of Beacon Academy.
-Beacon Academy outside-
The majority of the Grimm on the compound were eliminated, as most students were gathered at the airship docks.
"THIS IS A MANDATORY EVACUATION! A SAFE ZONE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN VALE, ALL PERSONS ARE TO BE EVACUATED IMMEDIATELY!" Oobleck announced as he corralled the remaining students. There were so few of them left. At the start there'd been at least a few hundred students, now, they were dwindling on being countable. Each person looked utterly exhausted and defeated, all ounces of energy spent on a battle that was lost.
Ruby and Weiss sprinted to the docks, exhausted and barely standing from their escapades aboard the Atlas ship. They bore numerous scratches and smudge marks from the fire, and all Weiss could smell on her was gasoline and smoke, even if her outfit was still sparklingly white.
"Weiss how in the world did you manage to keep your outfit clean?!" Ruby asked trying to lighten their situation.
"It takes incredible concentration and…" Weiss' words faltered when her eyes landed on the remainder of her team.
Blake and Yang lay sprawled on the ground, beaten and badly injured. Nora and Ren were with them, though they were in similar states. Ruby felt her heart stop upon seeing the condition of her dear sister.
"YANG!" Ruby gasped running up to inspect her sister. "Blake! What happened…" she asked, clutching Yang desperately, looking for signs she was alive. Thankfully she was.
The cat Faunus bit her lip, barely able to move, "We… were attacked by… Adam…"
"HE'S HERE?!" Ruby practically flew out of her skin and Weiss held her hand against her mouth, her eyes terrified. Their bodies ached in remembrance of the beating they took all those months ago, on the snowy coast.
"Who's here?" Luna asked as she and Elain ran up to the rest of their team. Upon seeing the state of the others Luna felt her skin crawl. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" the blue dragon looked terrified.
"Adam… he… got to us. Nova's taking care of him." Blake explained.
"Oh, that looks nasty…" Elain said looking at both Blake and Yang.
"How's it looking mom? Can you heal her?" Luna asked nervously.
Elain rubbed the back of her neck, "I can heal Blake, but regrowing blondie's arm is beyond my power…"
Luna bit her lip, "Just… do what you can…"
Ruby then realized that someone was missing, "Nova! He's still out there! We need to find him!"
Nora looked up tearfully, "Ruby… Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing…"
Weiss saw the look in Ruby's eyes.
"RUBY!" she practically yelled pulling the girl to her, "Nova can handle himself! We don't need any more casualties!"
"But…" the sound of Ruby's voice made her heart break. She turned to her team and they all looked similar to their leader. Even Elain, who was trying her best to hold herself together, had instances of emotion break her facade. She wanted her son safe, more than anything.
"Ruby you are not going back out there alone..." the heiress said and the girl turned solemn, "Because I'm coming with you!"
-Meanwhile with Jaune and Pyrrha-
The outer grounds of Beacon were desolate and empty, barren of all life, be it Grimm or White Fang.
"I think I have Glynda's number, let me just…" Jaune began dialing on his scroll.
At that moment a blazing fire shot out from the elevator they just took, forcing them both to turn around to see Cinder blasting her way up the tower like a rocket, and a tall, dark and dangerous-looking figure standing there ready to meet her.
"But Ozpin…" Jaune said realizing the headmaster had been defeated.
Pyrrha grimaced, "There's no time…"
"What do you mean there's no time? Pyrrha what the hell are you going to do? YOU SAW HOW POWERFUL SHE IS! THAT BITCH BEAT OZPIN!" Jaune said frantically.
The red-head looked him in the eye, held his face in her hands and brought him close.
"Pyrrha what're you…"
She silenced him with a kiss, deep and passionate, pouring every ounce of emotion she'd held on to for her time at Beacon. From the moment she met him to the minute they fell in love, she gave him everything, and in that moment of bliss, she pushed him away.
Pyrrha harshly shoved the dazed blonde backward into an open rocket locker and shut the door.
"I'm sorry Jaune… but I have to do this…"
"PYRRHA! NO, YOU CAN'T!" but his pleas went unheard as she punched the numbers for the Vale safe zone and sent him flying.
"Alright, you pyrotechnic bitch… I'm coming for you…"
-Back with Nova-
The dragon leader was whipping his head around, the flames generating at his feet began lashing out in all directions trying to find the source of Onyx's voice.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" Nova practically seethed through his teeth, the grip on Asura's handle turned white-knuckled.
Onyx let out a throaty chuckle, "It's not that simple dragonling. You see… my powers have… a wide range…"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Nova said his ears working overtime to try and pinpoint the voice that seemed to come from his head.
"Allow me to demonstrate…" Onyx said with almost a hint of pride.
Nova had no warning as his feet were ripped out from under him, his body dragging along with them as the reality around him began to distort, as if the space itself between him and wherever it was taking him was rapidly being reduced. The world around him faded into practical blurring lights as he was ripped from one place in the world to another.
The dragon looked around him wildly as he realized he was no longer at the burning cafeteria. He was standing on a metal ground, the burning roof replaced by a domed ceiling and the sounds of the Grimm had become naught but distant noise.
"Wha… what?!" Nova was disoriented, looking around him frantically.
"Welcome, Nova Flareheart. Our meeting has been long overdue…" Onyx said rousing Nova to turn around and see the massive bear Faunus standing before him.
He towered nearly twice Nova's size, with a thick head of black hair that went all the way down to his shoulder, a great thick beard connecting around his face, eyes an abyssal black. He wore a large black and grey jacket with black fur around the collar. A dark blue, V-neck undershirt with a red White Fang symbol rested tightly around his form, with a dark black hexagonal crystal around his neck. The black jeans and thick combat boots made for a menacing image.
Alongside he was a woman he hoped to see before the end of the night, so he could put a bullet between her eyes. Cinder Fall stood at Onyx's side, with an air of power, much different from the last time he'd seen her.
Just then a large roar echoed around them as a massive Dragon-like Grimm crashed into the side of the tower and latched on, roaring before casting off again. Nova could only stare in horror at the sheer size of the monstrosity.
"Like my pet~? I think you two might be related~" Cinder laughed, though it was more sinister than jovial.
"How did you… I was… at the Dining Hall… that's on the opposite side of Beacon…" Nova uttered in awe as he realized they were standing in the inside of Ozpin's office.
"Wait… where's Ozpin?! WHERE ARE PYRRHA AND JAUNE?!" Nova said turning to Cinder practically livid.
Cinder chuckled, "The old man has been… dealt with. The kids, on the other hand, bolted off running, meaning we get to take you out two on one…"
"Really? I knew I was that powerful but… a Maiden and whatever the fuck he is?" Nova asked gesturing to Onyx who looked slightly offended.
"Call it insurance lizard. You survived me once. I do not intend to let it happen a second time…" the bear Faunus growled, baring his fangs.
"Well, then what're we…" He was interrupted when the elevator shot straight out like a rocket from their left, and the slender form of Pyrrha Nikos appeared. "Pyrrha?!"
The red-head landed gracefully and pulled up her spear and shield, "Nova?! What're you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing…"
"I'm here to kick this bitch's ass, what about you?"
"Honestly? Same, but I'm more inclined to deal with tall dark and evil next to her." He said shrugging and spinning Asura into a reaping position.
Pyrrha gave him a determined yet sad smile, "I guess I don't need to tell you the process failed, or that Ozpin is dead…"
Nova shook his head, "Nope, I kinda figured. Think we can take them on?"
"I'm not sure about the big guy, but seeing Cinder's power first hand… I'm not sure…" she said nervously, the look in her eyes said this was more than just a lack of confidence… this was a suicide mission.
"Then let's do our best… for all our friends' sakes. At least buy them some time to get out of here…"
Pyrrha raised her Milo, "We fight with everything we have, right rival?"
Nova smirked, "Without a shred of doubt."
"Ugh you two are so buddy, buddy it's gross… Allow me to cleanse the scene with fire!" Cinder yelled.
Cinder began channeling energy around her in a massive wave before firing it at the two teens. Nova and Pyrrha jumped in opposite directions, splitting off and attacking their respective enemies. Cinder anticipated the gap closure and pulled formed a sword made of glass to block a jab by Pyrrha.
A swift clash occurred as Cinder's speed kept increasing as if she was just toying with Pyrrha. Both fighters began practically blinking out of existence between each strike. Steel clashed with hardened glass as sparks raised.
Pyrrha made a move to kick Cinder in the stomach but the woman easily dodged back and shot fireballs to counter. The red-haired girl dodged them by a fraction as the heat they gave of singed her skin as they passed above.
"You like that? It's just a small taste of the power I wield…" Cinder said with a dark smile as she began summoning more power. Pyrrha's eyes widened as a hail of fiery bolts rained down on her forcing her to bring up her shield to defend, but it could only do so much as her aura was dropping quickly.
Meanwhile with Nova, he and Onyx had begun duking it out as the great bear Faunus drew out from behind his back a dark blue rectangular box with a hilt. Onyx dodged a reaping blow, aimed at his head by Nova and unfolded his weapon.
Nova stood in awe as the thing in Onyx's hand unfolded into a massive machete-like sword with a flat, straight edge with a hooked tip. It had no dull edges as all around the blade looked sharp enough to slice appendages straight off a person. The blade was black with a hint of blue, it reminded Nova of Adam's blade, but, much more sinister.
"Do you like her? She's named Draco Belthor… the Dragon Slayer…" he said, his eyes staring down Nova with murderous intent.
"Have you killed any dragons with that thing?" Nova asked raising his eyebrow.
"You have the honor of being the first!" Onyx yelled before swinging the sword in a wide arc with almost inhuman speeds, though it wasn't nearly as fast as Adam was before.
Nova easily ducked under and made a swipe attack with Asura knocking Onyx back, though it did very little to damage him. The massive man shrugged the attack off and swung again and again but Nova kept dodging.
"Not very fast are you?" the dragon said rubbing his chin as he calmly side-stepped the blade. The moment the sword touched the ground it ruptured the metal and tore through it like paper leaving Nova to gape. "But… you do seem to pack quite a punch…"
"Cheeky little lizard aren't you… fine… enough games." Onyx snarled. He'd been trying to gauge Nova's power but the young dragon refused to even show his real strength. It was now time to turn the dial up a little.
Nova watched Onyx's eyes glow and become covered in what looked to be stars like the night sky. He swung his blade hard and fast again, and Nova easily side-stepped… except he didn't.
Instead of the blade harmlessly sailing past him, it went straight for him, smashing into his stomach so hard it sent him sailing backward against the ground, cratering through the metal as he passed.
"What the fuck was that…" Nova said as he struggled to stand. He was one-hundred percent sure he'd dodged the attack…
He had no time to think as Onyx was on him again the blade slamming down vertically aimed at his head. Nova dodged again but, just like last time, the sword found its way crashing onto his head.
"RAAGH!" Nova yelled out in pain as the blade broke through his aura, through his dragon scales and cut his forehead. Blood leaked from the point of impact, down Nova's face, but the dragon felt almost no pain now. He only felt the adrenaline, as if a fire had been lit inside him.
"Do you have any idea what you put me through? What you put my sister, my mother through? YOU STILL HAVE MY FATHER!" Nova yelled feeling his emotions drive him. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? TO WHAT END WILL YOU GO TO FUEL YOUR AMBITION?!"
Nova began summoning fire around him, the Fragment of Fire in Asura began to glow hot as Nova generated a mass of energy. A blast of intense explosive fire shot out from him and sent Onyx reeling back, scorch marks on the floor as his body skated across the metal surface. Nova was sure that the level of damage would kill any normal person. The sheer explosive power rippled through the room, shattering the pillars and glass. All occupants observed the great dome of Ozpin's office crumble and fall off, revealing the open night sky.
"HA! HA! HA! FULL OF SURPRISES AREN'T YOU!" Onyx said getting up, and brushing off the soot from his clothes as if the fire barely tickled him.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Nova looked at a loss for the very little damage he'd just done to the man.
Onyx clenched his fist and smiled. The dragon looked on curiously as the man who stood almost ten feet away from him slammed his fist down at thin air, and suddenly Nova was pulled from his previous position and his body connected with the fist, the massive hand cratering into his stomach seemingly out of nowhere. Nova's eyes almost fell out of his head as the wind in his body was knocked out of him, he could feel his lower ribs cracking in half as the fist continued its onslaught upward on his body, knocking him high into the air.
"Oh looks like dragons can actually fly!" Onyx laughed as he swung his sword, and again Nova was caught from practical light-years away. The blade carving straight down onto his shoulder, wedging itself in deep making Nova lose all feeling in his left arm. The sound of crunching cartilage was all Nova heard as the blade was released from his body.
The pain was beyond anything he'd ever felt before as blood began gushing from the open wound, whatever was left of his aura working overtime to heal him.
"HOW? ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Nova screamed in agony as he struggled to stand, using Asura as a prop.
"The same way I dragged you across Beacon… with my power..." Onyx said, his eyes glowing for emphasis.
It then clicked in Nova like a switch. Onyx was using a power very similar to Luna, where he was removing the space between two target objects and connecting them.
"Are you sure you should be giving out secrets like that?" Nova said quirking his brow, now feeling a bit better as the nanomachines had begun to repair the damage, he could feel his fingers again.
"Whether you know it or not… the result is the same…" Onyx swung his blade again.
Nova smirked, the moment his body and the blade had their distance's reduced, he brought up Asura in the path of Belthor, blocking the strike.
Onyx stood surprised, "Impressive reaction speed… but… can you keep up?" this time he began rapidly swinging, like a whirlwind of strikes.
Nova was caught off guard, forcing him to bring react so fast he swore he gave himself whiplash. Strike after strike, Nova blocked, parried and tried to dodge, but it was becoming harder and harder to dodge.
"After I'm done with turning you into a new pair of shoes… I think I'll take a turn at the kids down at the docks below… who was it again?" Onyx pretended to ponder, "Ah yes, Ruby Rose and your little sister Luna… and well I guess those other kids to…"
Nova's eyes went wide, "YOU FUCKING TOUCH THEM AND I WILL BURN YOU UNTIL THERE'S NOT EVEN BONE!"
Onyx roared with laughter, "THAT'S IT, THAT'S THE TRUE NATURE OF YOU DRAGONS! VIOLENT AND FILLED WITH RAGE! HAHAHA!" his blade began to glow black as each strike seemingly became heavier to deal with.
In a desperate effort counter-attack, Nova summoned the power of the Fragment of Fire. He generated an explosion that forced Onyx back by the sheer force of the impact, giving himself breathing space.
"That was a good hit but not enough…" Onyx chuckled before he saw Nova standing there, his entire body glowing fiery orange. The scales began to erupt over Nova's body and his eyes turned to the reptilian dragon irises. The Fragment of Fire began to hum a violent rhythm as Nova drew on its power.
"Kid… you didn't tell me you knew how to enter the Aspect Form?" Onyx said in amazement.
Asura's dragon eye glowed orange, then bright red, the aura of power extending over Nova as the flames grew to explosive levels of power, greater than anything he'd ever drawn on before.
MORE! I NEED MORE POWER! Nova screamed in his mind as he began to remember his past. All the things Onyx put him through, put his family through. The people that have died because of his actions, the atrocities he's caused. Nova's rage had reached boiling point, and like a kettle that had been overheated, he exploded.
The Fragment of Fire responded to his emotions and suddenly his entire body was glowing a white-hot aura, the steel beneath him began melting.
"YOU WILL PAY IN BLOOD FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Nova yelled, raising Asura above his head.
Onyx smiled darkly, "I've been wanting to test this out…"
A dark mass of energy began swirling around him as his aura spread out like a miasma.
Pyrrha and Cinder temporarily halted their battle to see the mass of black, like a miniature galaxy appearing in Onyx's hand before his body become enveloped in a shroud of darkness. Shadow began to wrap around him like a cloak, covering his skin in a layer of energy until his entire body became something beyond natural comprehension.
"THIS IS THE TRUE POWER OF THE ASPECT, CHILD!" Onyx raised Belthor above his head, similar to Nova.
Both fighters rushed at each other, the very air around them seemed to tremble as they moved. Time slowed down as Pyrrha and Cinder watched in awe, as the two blades clashed in a flash of enormous power, erupting over the sky. Black mixed with White and Orange flooded the skyline like a wave of destruction, destroying every single Grimm that seemed to come near it, even the Wyvern had to fly away out of fear.
Asura met Belthor in a clash of Incindium and Steel, and at that moment, Nova realized he had lost. Asura shattered against Belthor in an explosion of fiery steel. Shards of the dragon scythe flew into the air leaving a wide-eyed and dumfounded Nova, staring at the headless pole of his weapon.
The moment the clash ended, Nova felt all strength leave his body and he fell to his knees, staring at his trembling hands.
Onyx powered down and stood towering above the boy. "It seems you haven't mastered your power… too bad you'll never get the chance to…"
Back with Pyrrha and Cinder, the two had quickly resumed battle. Cinder used her powers to launch herself at Pyrrha, barrelling her shoulder into the girl and sending her crashing into the wall.
Pyrrha reacted quickly, utilizing the momentum to launch herself off the wall and detach herself from Cinder, flinging her away. Cinder backflipped to recover but was given very little breathing room as Pyrrha was on her again, dashing through the air like a missile. Cinder used her fire to spin and kick, deflecting Pyrrha and sending her into the air again.
The red-head used this opportunity to aim and throw Milo at Cinder who easily blocked it with her power. Pyrrha threw Akouo and again Cinder sidestepped it easily, so Pyrrha did the only thing she could think of and tackled her with her bare hands.
The two grappled in a struggle of raw physical strength, which Pyrrha was clearly winning. It ended with Pyrrha holding Milo to Cinder's neck.
Cinder just smirked and generated a field of fire, forcing Pyrrha off her in the explosion.
It was looking tough for the red-haired champion. She was just a normal human being, fighting against a Maiden with powers beyond natural comprehension. It was as if everything she did was falling into utter futility.
Cinder felt confident she'd win, but the moment the dust cleared she saw the giant metal cogs that were once part of Ozpin's décor, were hovering above her like omens of death.
"WHAT?!" She barely had a moment to react as she saw Pyrrha standing, struggling with what was left of her aura, using it to cause the massive gears to come crashing down on Cinder.
Onyx watched in amusement as his 'partner' struggled against a regular human. It showed the fragility and utter uselessness of the human being. It further proved that the Faunus race and the Aspects of Remnant were far superior to anything the humans had.
Cinder was furious, buried under the pile of cogs. She generated the mass of fire and exploded the gears outwards, one of them flew directly and Pyrrha, knocking her back against the wall, her aura depleted.
Pyrrha groaned in pain but tried to shake it off. She stood up and jumped into the air, sending Akouo flying as she'd always done, in hopes to take Cinder out, but this time Cinder was done playing games.
The Maiden drew her glass bow and shot an arrow directly at Pyrrha, in like with the shield. The two projectiles collided except, when the arrow broke around the shield, it reformed at the end, and Pyrrha could only watch in horror as the black glass struck her from the back, embedding itself in her body, sending her sprawling on the floor in pain.
"ARGH!" She screamed in pain as she clutched on to her sprained leg and aching back.
Cinder looked on smugly, "You put up a good fight, but now you will die knowing that you didn't even make me scratch the surface of my full potential. You shall fall now, with the knowledge that no matter what you or your little friend did… you lost…"
"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha said looking up with a defiant gaze as Cinder stood above her.
Cinder just smiled, "I believe in my own…" and drew on her glass bow, aiming it at Pyrrha's chest.
Nova turned his head to the side, just in time to see Pyrrha, staring down the arrow of impending death. Her face was defiant and proud, determined to go down fighting and at that moment he realized.
If they were going to die today… then it wasn't going to be for nothing.
-In Vale-
Most of the students were gathered at the CCT Tower, a safe zone had been organized by Hex, Nitro Krome and Ragnar were hold up, tending to the wounded and escorting civilians while Noir kept the Grimm at bay.
Qrow and Randolf were fighting out in the streets, their clothes were torn and both looked exhausted.
"How did it come to this…" Qrow muttered as he cut down a Beowolf.
"Because we chose the safe route. We tried to abide by our own rules and keep the peace… it's because we didn't act!" Randolf grunted as he drew on his wolf blade katana and cut through two Ursa in a flash.
"We should've listened to charcoal when we had the chance… I sure hope they're doing alright…" Qrow said looking in the distance to Beacon.
"It's our nephew, I'm sure he's more than fine…" Randolf said as they packed up and regrouped back at camp.
Hex saw them coming in from the outside, "Any news from Beacon?"
"Kid we were out there fighting Grimm, the tower's destroyed, do you really think we heard anything?" Qrow answered gruffly.
Randolf elbowed him hard for his harsh words. Hex and the others looked solemn and worried. For the first time in their entire time knowing Nova, they weren't sure he was going to be alright.
Randolf leaned down and placed a hand on her shoulder, "He's fine. Nothing can phase that fire breather!" he smiled.
Hex felt her spirits lift, "Yeah, you're right…"
-Meanwhile, earlier on the ground with Ruby-
"RUBY! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO GET TO PYRRHA!" Jaune yelled over the scroll as Ruby and Weiss were wandering around Beacon looking for him and Pyrrha.
"Jaune?! Where are you?!" Ruby asked frantically to find her friends.
"NEVER MIND ME! JUST GET TO PYRRHA! Ozpin's tower!" He yelled again, his voice sounding desperate and hurt.
"Jaune if we…"
"RUBY NO! Please… just get to Pyrrha…" his voice was cracking as she could hear the sobs on the other end before the call ended.
The two partners made their way to the base of the tower just in time to see the massive explosion of White, Orange, and Black energy ripple through the air and tear the flying Grim to pieces. The shattered remains of the dome lay strewn on the ground and the sounds of clashing steel and explosions could be heard from far above them.
"What the fuck is happening up there?!" Weiss asked in horror as she saw the devastating flashes of light.
"It doesn't matter, we need to get up there…" Ruby said biting down on her lip.
"How?!"
Ruby smirked, "Remember initiation?"
Weiss deadpanned, then nodded confirming the plan. She set up a series of glyphs from the base of the tower, up the front. Ruby anchored Crescent Rose on the floor and Weiss placed a black glyph on it.
"Ready?"
"Ready!" Ruby yelled as Weiss charged the black glyph. The moment it hit peak power, Ruby fired off with Crescent Rose and used her semblance, charging up the side of the tower at maximum speeds, faster than anything she'd ever traveled before.
"Come on… come on… make it…" she muttered as she ascended the seemingly impossible height.
The wind whipped around her in a vortex as she achieved maximum altitude. She spotted the unmistakable white hair of Nova and the red hair of Pyrrha standing out. She was elated to see them alive, but that joy slowly came crashing down as she latched onto the side of the building and brought herself in closer. The more she drew in the worse she felt, a sinking feeling of foreboding that she could not shake.
Ruby arrived just in time to see Nova propelling himself forward in what seemed like slow motion to her eyes. Pyrrha kneeling, beaten and defeated as the glass arrow of Cinder sailed through the air aimed at her chest.
Nova had made the choice, he wasn't going to let them both die...
The dragon barely managed to close the distance just in time for the arrow to sail right through his body as he grabbed hold of Pyrrha, turned around and, with his last ounce of strength, tossed her to the ledge.
Ruby watched in absolute horror as Nova stood there, bloodied and broken, with an arrow sticking right through his left side, quite possibly through is heart, and coming out of his back.
Onyx watched with an amused expression, "To think he'd choose to save his friend's life… it matters not... they're all going to die anyway…"
"N-Nova…?" Ruby stuttered out, now climbing onto the area, ignoring the surprised looks of Cinder and Onyx.
Nova weakly turned his head, to see Ruby and his eyes went wide, "H-Hey… Red… it looks like I won't be keeping our promise…"
Ruby felt her entire body get shaken to the core as she saw the blade of Onyx flash out of nowhere, and in an instant too quick to react, cut Nova right down the middle, spraying blood into the sky.
The life in his eyes faded, and Ruby saw his body grow limp, the force of the impact sent him careening over the edge and Ruby stood there, too shocked and utterly powerless to stop it. Her heart ached and she could feel something in her soul physically shatter, a sense of overwhelming sadness and pain washed over her, consuming her mind like a tsunami.
"N…N… NOVAAA!" Ruby screamed as the emotions that had built up inside her burst forth. A blinding silver light showed out of her eyes as her body levitated into the air in a dazzling display. The light erupted over everything and soon Ruby's vision became nothing but darkness and silence.
Did I just do that? Yes, yes I did.
Onyx's weapon, Draco Belthor means exactly what it is. Draco is Latin for Dragon, though you already knew that. Belthor is Elvish for Killer, so the name literally translates to Dragon Killer. I thought it was a neat idea.
Anyway, until next time, love you all!
