Bury the Light and the Revengeance OST got me 200% motivated to finish this chapter.
Ren sprinted down the hallway, the thick smoke choking the air. The fire had spread from the main hall, strangling the classrooms he ran past. He slid to a halt, frowning, and tightening his grip on Storm Flower. Emerald and Mercury were running toward him, the annoyed look on Mercury's face fading when they caught sight of him. Emerald drew her sickles, not slowing down. He glanced behind him; Ruby was sprinting up to him, Crescent Rose transforming into a scythe as she spotted them. He looked back, raising Storm Flower as Mercury leapt toward them.
Hazel crashed through the burning wall, Mercury yelling as she crashed into him, the both of them slamming into the wall, crashing through it. Yang jumped through the flaming hole, firing a shot, clearing the hallway, her hair ablaze and eyes burning red. Ruby ran past him, leaping through the hole, shouting Yang's name as she landed on Mercury, eliciting a grunt from him, before running toward Hazel.
Ren side stepped, Emerald slashing through the air where he had been. She turned, slashing, sparks leaping as his blades caught her own. She pushed against him, snarling, steel grating against each other. He shoved forward, untangling his weapon, and spun, kicking, firing as he turned.
Emerald ran, the bullets ripping through the wood around her as she leapt through the hole. She turned in the air, her sickles extending as the blade shot up and out of sight, yanking her up. Ren ran for the hole, jumping out of it, and turning as he hit the ground, watching as Emerald landed on the roof. He jumped onto a nearby window, kicking off its ledge, grabbing onto a railing, pulling himself up and jumping again, grabbing the edge of the ceiling tile, yanking himself up. Emerald was running along the tiled roof, flames sputtering from the blasted-out windows.
He chased after her, firing a volley at her, a gasp escaping his lips as Emerald disappeared as the bullets sliced through her. He spun, grunting as Emerald slashed at him, a jolt going up his arm as he parried. He yanked back, slashing up, bullets spraying in arcs with his swing. Emerald dodged, snarling as he slashed down, the bullets ripping through the tiles. Emerald charged, firing at him. He ducked low, bending his back, the bullets whizzing past. He yelled, feeling his feet get swiped out from underneath him. He arched his back, landing on his hands, and springing back. He grunted, feeling Emerald's sickle wrap around his boot. She yanked her arm back, swinging him aside. He grit his teeth as he crashed through the tiles, bits of it ripping through his clothes.
Emerald pulled, yanking him toward her. She stabbed down with her other sickle with a yell. His free foot shot up knocking it aside, throwing her off balance. He grabbed her waist as she fell, tossing her behind him.
Heat washed over him, a rumbling roar filling his ears as the roof caved in. The sickle tightened around his ankle as he was dragged down, flames surrounding him, Emerald falling beneath him. Emerald turned in the air, firing at him with her revolver. His arms shot forward, bullets spraying from Storm Flower. Splinters and embers rained around them as they fired at each other, their aura shimmering as one of their shots grazed the other.
Emerald hit the floor, rolling, and yanking on the chain. Ren was yanked down, crashing into the wooden floor, the wind getting knocked from him. His head swam, fire and smoke all he could see as he staggered to his feet. He felt the sickle go slack, the chain reeling away from him. He turned, looking, gripping his weapon. Emerald had dissaperea-
Ren yelled, Emerald's boot slamming into his chest, knocking him back. He hit a mirror, the glass blazing against his back. Emerald charged from his side, firing. He fired back, gritting his teeth as Emerald dissolved.
Crap
The window shattered behind him as Emerald kicked him, bits of glass falling with him. His aura broke as he hit the grass, his body sore, his back aching. He coughed, struggling to get up.
Emerald leapt down, landing nimbly. She glowered at him, her sickles in hand.
Weiss' arms were trembling, her dress slick with sweat.
Please… please…
She opened her eyes, unable to will the muscles to form a smile as she heard Pyrrha groan. Her eyes fluttered open, her confused gaze going toward Weiss.
"What…happened?" she asked. Weiss couldn't respond, the glyph beneath Pyrrha slowing, growing dimmer. Pyrrha raised a hand, waving it over her face. "What happened to my eye?"
Just… a little-
Weiss cried out, her aura shattering, the glyph disappearing. The heat washed over them, the once sterile air replaced with cinders and smoke. Weiss grunted, struggling to keep a grip on Myrtenaster as Nora hefted her up, slinging her over her shoulder. Nora crouched down, pulling Pyrrha to her feet, shoving Échthra into her hands.
"You got hurt really bad, Weiss healed you, we have to leave right now." Pyrrha nodded weakly. Nora turned, starting to run, one hand placed against Weiss' back, the other hand holding onto her hammer. Pyrrha ran behind them, wincing. Weiss grimaced, feeling Nora's shoulder digging into her stomach as Nora ran faster, her hand moving off her back.
Nora grasped Magnhild, swinging it back as she sprinted toward the flaming entrance. She yelled, swinging it forward, the doors exploding into a spray of splinters and embers. She didn't stop running out of the building, smoke billowing out behind her. Pyrrha followed, coughing.
Weiss craned her head, looking out at Haven's courtyard. Yang and Ruby were fighting Hazel; Dust crystals were stabbed into the giant woman's arms, her veins alight with neon color.
Nora jogged over to a nearby bench laying her down onto it. The stone was cold against her sweat drenched skin, the air sweeter. Nora's face filled her vision, ash and grime coating it.
"Just rest here, we'll take care of the rest," she said. Weiss nodded weakly, gripping her sword. Nora flashed her a smile before turning and running. Weiss looked over, watching as Nora ran into the fray, Pyrrha charging after her, her spear splitting into twin blades.
Adam rested his hand against the handle of Wilt and Blush as he marched. The Mistral branch of the White Fang followed him, Vicar Hēisè and Salem's Children mixed with his followers, their Atlesian uniforms standing out against the Grimm masks and white robes of his siblings.
He stopped, holding up a hand, sniffing the air. Smoke? He strained his ears, hearing grunts and yells further ahead. He frowned, pulling his sheathed blade free from his waist, and resuming his march.
"Is something the matter, Brother Adam?" the Vicar asked, keeping pace with him.
"Cinder was supposed to be gone by the time we got here. Something isn't right," he replied.
They marched past several of the buildings on the campus, reaching the outskirts of a large plaza. His forces stopped behind him, some gawking. The main hall was ablaze, its entrance smashed to pieces. One of the towering buildings had been destroyed, its rubble littering the campus. Hazel was grunting, fending off several other humans as they swarmed her.
He turned around, facing his siblings and Salem's Children.
"Plant the charges on the CCT and kill the rest of the humans." He ordered. Several of Salem's Children rushed by him, explosives in hand. Vicar Hēisè followed, shouting instructions. He smiled as his siblings loaded their weapons, the pop of the magazines so satisfying.
"Adam."
His smile grew; he knew that voice, oh how he missed that voice. He turned to face her, his Belladonna.
She stood before him and his army, her ears free of that wretched ribbon; a midnight black katana rested on her back, a pistol holstered on her thigh. Her ears stood up straight, her amber eyes fixed on him.
"Have you come to your senses, my Belladonna? Come to rejoin me, to be at my side as we bring deliverance to humanity?" She drew her sword, reverse gripping it, the light of the fires behind her illuminating its blade. He shook his head, exhaled, and held out his sheathed sword. "You know I don't like hurting you, my little Belladonna." He gripped Wilt and Blush's handle, flicking the safety off the shotgun. "Don't make me do something that I will regret."
"You already have." She said. "You are not the future of our people, Adam." His ears perked up, footsteps, in the gardens and trees of the campus. He kept his eyes on Blake, hearing his siblings turn, gasping as the footsteps grew closer. "You are not the future of the White Fang." He could see them from the corner of his eye, illuminated by the fires and streetlamps; hundreds of Faunus, decked out in makeshift armor and carrying crudely forged weapons. Blake's foot slid forward as she lowered herself, glaring at him from her stance. He lowered his blade to his waist, gripping the handle, a frown tugging at his lips. Venom dripped from Blake's voice, her voice cracking as her ears pinned back. "And you are not-"
"My future!"
Blake threw a shadow clone forward, dashing aside, flanking Adam. She lunged, slashing upwards. Her blade struck Wilt's edge, sparks jumping angrily from the red blade. Adam looked at her, his frown turning to a smirk.
"Don't forget who trained you, my Belladonna."
She snarled, yanking her blade back, switching her grip as she swung, Wilt leaping from its sheath once again, catching each of her blows. Blake leapt back, throwing a clone at Adam. She swapped the grip on her sword, drawing her pistol, throwing clones behind her as she circled Adam, Wilt slashing through each clone.
She fired, Adam's horns glowing a bright red as he blocked the shot. She threw a clone to the side, jumping into the air as Adam turned, Wilt popping out to block the clone. She smirked, firing several shots as she turned in the air, hearing Adam grunt. She landed, throwing a clone into the air, sweep kicking at Adam's legs as he fired into the air with Blush. Adam grunted, hitting the ground. She lunged, gasping as Adam raised Blush. She tossed a clone in front of her, getting tossed back by it, Blush's shot ripping through it.
Blake landed, and ran toward Adam as he sprang to his feet. He snarled, Wilt a red blur as he swung. Blake caught his swing, grinding her blade against his.
"Done playing around, are we?" he spat. His foot shot out, hitting Blake in the gut, knocking her back. Blake staggered back, grimacing. Adam lunged, swinging Wilt in an arc. Blake dodged aside, throwing a clone in the opposite direction, catching Adam's blade with her own. He snarled, turning, and swinging down. Blake swung up, sparks jumping over her face as she snarled, forcing his blade down, his face close to hers. She punched forward with her pistol, Adam yelling as it slammed into his mask, chips of it flying into the air. He staggered back, grasping his face, grunting.
Blake yelled, slashing at his torso, his aura shimmering as her blade ran across him. He yelled, knocking Peace Bringer aside with Wilt before jabbing forward. Blake ducked, jabbing at his legs, eliciting a pained yell as Wilt flew over her head. Adam crumpled to his knees, growling, his aura shimmering.
Wilt shot out in an arc, Blake gasping, leaping up, landing on the blade, Adam yelling as he was pulled forward, crashing to the ground, Wilt clattering against the stone. She kicked off the blade, her boot slamming into Adam's chin, his mask going flying as he was kicked back.
Blake holstered her pistol as she landed, gripping her sword with both hands. He glowered at her as he stood, annoyance in his blue eye, his branded eye dead and empty. He looked past her, the annoyance turning to hate. She glanced back, her breath hitching.
"Weiss."
Yang rolled aside, gravel spraying over her as Hazel's fist crashed through the ground. Ice crept from Hazel's fist, spiderwebbing across the stone. Hazel pulled her fist free, glowering at Yang. Yang snarled, throwing a hook, Hazel not even flinching as Yang's fist slammed into her face. Hazel caught her next hook, her foot shooting out. Pain shot through her body, spittle flying from her mouth as Hazel's boot crashed into her stomach. Hazel squeezed, crushing her fist before launching her over her shoulder with a yell.
Yang hit the concrete, flipping and tumbling a ways away. She groaned, her stomach aching with each labored breath. She staggered to her knees, looking up, her hair clinging to her sweat drenched skin.
Hazel lumbered toward her, Ruby a red blur as she zoomed toward Hazel's back. Hazel threw out her fist lazily, Ruby crashing into it. Hazel grabbed Ruby's hood, jerking her to the ground before punting her away. Hazel looked behind her, grunting in annoyance.
Pyrrha and Nora were sprinting toward them, weapons in hand, grime and ash coating them. Pyrrha threw out a hand, a black glow surrounding it. Yang heard a yell, and saw Emerald fly toward the duo, a black glow surrounding her sickles. Nora jumped toward Emerald, swinging Magnhild. Emerald screamed as Nora's hammer slammed into her side, launching her into Hazel. Emerald bounced off of her, hitting the ground, groaning as her aura shattered. Hazel shook her head as she looked at Emerald before stepping over her, cracking her knuckles.
Yang snarled, springing to her feet and sprinting toward Hazel.
Pyrrha hurled one of her blades at Hazel, Hazel slapping it aside. Pyrrha charged, swinging with her other blade, smirking as Hazel caught her swing. Hazel frowned, letting out a grunt of annoyance as the blade she had knocked aside hacked at her legs, a black glow enveloping it.
Yang forward, grabbing onto Hazel's back, climbing onto her shoulder, latching an arm around her neck as she reached for the Red Dust crystal embedded in her arm. Hazel growled in annoyance, kicking Pyrrha's blade away from her legs, releasing Pyrrha's blade as she tried to grab at Yang. Yang grunted, grabbing the crystal with her aura arm, straining as she pulled. Blood shot out as she yanked it free, Hazel grabbing her by the hair and hurling her to the ground. Hazel hefted her boot up, snarling.
Pyrrha tackled Hazel, throwing her off balance; Yang rolled aside, Hazel's foot smashing through the ground. She sprang to her feet, tossing the crystal aside. Hazel yanked her foot free, punching Pyrrha, sending her to the ground.
A crack rang out, the Blue Dust on Hazel's arm exploding, ice and snow spraying out in a white mist. Yang glanced aside; Ruby was crouched, aiming down the scope of Crescent Rose, smoke drifting from its barrel as she pulled back the bolt handle.
Nora swung, Hazel catching it, electricity leaping from her hand, running down the length of Magnhild. Nora screamed, the electricity coursing through her body. Nora didn't stop screaming, the electricity changing to a pink color as she firmed her footing, yanking her hammer free of Hazel's grip and swinging. Hazel was thrown to the ground, electricity rocking through their body. Nora fell to her knees, gripping her hammer, sparks leaping from her hair as she tried to catch her breath.
Hazel stood up, smoke drifting from her face, the skin peeled away and charred, blood running from her lip.
"Why won't she go down!" Nora yelled. Hazel stretched her neck, the burned away flesh re-knitting, reforming. Hazel smirked at them, wiping the blood away from her lip.
"Dust, girl," Hazel sneered. She grabbed another Green crystal from her belt, jabbing it into a vein, grunting as her veins turned a bright green. "And my semblance negates any pain I feel." Her hand shot out, grabbing Ruby's scythe mid swing. She smiled. "You kids can't hurt me."
Ruby yelped as Hazel tossed her aside, skidding against the ground, Crescent Rose sparking as it skid.
Raven tightened the grip on her blade as an obsidian scimitar formed in Cinder's hand.
"I bet you thought you were so clever," she sneered. "Using my hatred of Ruby against me." She lifted the sword, the tip aimed at her. "Tell me, Valravn, did you expect Ruby's friends to be able to kill me? Or were you saving that pleasure for yourself?"
Raven shifted her feet, keeping her eyes on Cinder's sword. Cinder held out her left arm, her large, limp sleeve obscuring the arm inside. Cinder's smirk grew as she placed her blade against the top of her sleeve, cutting it away as she spoke.
"I wanted to do such things to young, little, Ruby. To pay her back for doing this," Her sleeve fell to the ground in a crimson heap, an inky black, taloned arm remaining. Cinder flexed the arm before raising it up to her mask, grasping it. "I was going to take the things she had taken from me, and then rip her heart out." She tossed her mask aside, shattering against the ground. Raven kept herself from grimacing. Half of Cinder's face was a shadow, a beady, orange eye peering from the black pits where her eye socket should be. "Truthfully, Raven, I had been looking forward to killing you for so long. I had fantasized about it after you let those bastards enslave me."
Cinder shifted her stance, lowering herself, an obsidian dagger forming in her Grimm hand.
"I wanted to make you feel the pain I went through for so long, to make you suffer in ways you could never imagine. But I'll settle for just taking your head and the Relic to Salem." Cinder's smirk turned sickening, the fire around her eye growing. "And after Salem is done getting a trophy from Ruby, I'll tear what's left of her apart."
"You're still a slave, just to a new master." Raven spat.
Cinder charged forward with a scream, sparks flying as her scimitar and dagger collided with Omen. Cinder screamed louder, fire erupting from her feet, launching them backwards. Raven's hair whipped around her and she grunted as they hit the tree. Cinder yanked her blades free, stabbing with the dagger. Raven launched herself down, Cinder's dagger embedded into the wood. Raven turned, controlling the wind, hovering in the air as Cinder ripped her dagger free, snarling, and launching herself toward Raven, flames spewing from heels.
She threw up her blade, Cinder slamming into her, their blades grinding against the others as they were knocked to the ground. Raven skidded, gritting her teeth as cracks formed in her blade. Cinder pressed on, hacking, and slashing with her blades, Omen meeting each swing and stab, the cracks growing wider. Raven leaped backwards, an ice wall forming behind her. She spring boarded from it, swinging. Cinder snarled, her blades a black blur.
Cinder screamed, bits of obsidian and red steel spraying into the air. Raven landed, pulling a trigger, the remnants of the blade clattering to the ground. She could hear Cinder whimpering and groaning and turned. Bits of the blade were embedded into her Grimm arm, pain etched into the human side of her face.
Raven drew a new, yellow blade, watching as Cinder grasped the shards embedded in her arm. "Look at yourself, at what you've become because of her." She said. The Maiden Fires blazed brighter as Cinder ripped the shards out of her arm with a yell, red blood dripping out. She tossed it aside, hatred and fury in her eyes as she glared at Raven, a jagged obsidian blade forming in her hand.
"Don't you fucking dare try to lecture me!" she roared. Cinder charged, hacking at her, electricity leaping from Omen's blade as Raven parried each blow.
Raven leapt out of the way of one of Cinder's swings, launching herself up with the wind, and hurled her blade down. Cinder snarled, leaping up, flames burning from her heels. The blade shattered against the ground, electricity arcing out, bolts striking the walls, dust and gravel tumbling from the walls. Raven whipped out a new blade, blue, parrying one of Cinder's swings as she launched by her. Cinder spun, launching herself at her again, and again, changing course, striking at her with each pass. Raven growled, and swung her arms out, ice and snow and freezing air blasting around, encircling her. Cinder flew to a stop, snarling as she cast her blade aside, holding out her hand.
Raven raised her blade, the winds and ice buffeting her as a gargantuan slab of obsidian and flames, too blunt to be called a sword, formed in her hands. She hefted it up, her arms shaking, the flames around her eyes trailing as she gnashed her teeth and heaved the blade at her. Raven swung, the winds and ice twisting with her, enforcing Omen's blude blade as it hit the slab. Steam hissed out, Cinder letting out a cry as her swing was tossed aside, the slab stabbing into the tree, flames beginning to lick it. Cinder ripped it free, the flames spreading throughout the branches. Cinder hurled the slab down with a roar, Raven swung up, ice and winds following her command, buffeting the flames and stones. Raven gasped, the slab breaking through the winds, hurling toward her.
The winds launched her aside, and she embedded Omen's blade into the stone, hanging from the wall as the slab smashing into the ground, the bridge cracking, and the cave walls trembling.
Yang ducked under a swing, hurling a flurry of punches into Hazel's stomach. Hazel chuckled before pulling her fist back. Yang grunted, leaping back, Hazel's fist crashing into the ground, flames and stones spraying out.
She stumbled, the ground trembling. She saw confusion flash through Hazel's eyes as she looked toward the burning Great Hall. She followed her line of sight, realization dawning.
"The Relic!" she shouted.
Hazel grunted in annoyance, Pyrrha landing on her back, her blades reformed into her spear, the shaft shoved underneath Hazel's chin. She pulled back on it, wrapping her legs around Hazel's chest. Ruby zoomed by, a shot firing out, one of the Green Dust crystals exploding.
"Yang! Go! We can deal with her!" Ruby shouted. Yang hesitated, watching as Nora ran toward Hazel before nodding.
She ran toward the flames, covering her mouth as she leapt into the inferno. Beams and columns fell, splintering apart, flames licking upwards as she ran for the hole Raven and Cinder had gone down. She jumped, the heat and smoke disappearing as she fell through the cold, damp, stagnant air. She jabbed her aura arm into the stone wall, grunting as her hand slashed into the stone, chips of stone spraying out as she slowed her fall.
Raven gripped the stone wall, grunting as she pulled Omen's blade free, noting the cracks running along its blade. She turned, crying out as Cinder appeared before her, her Grimm arm latching onto her throat, squeezing. Cinder's claw tightened and tightened, her throat burning as Cinder smirked. Raven gasped, and punched the wall, feeling it tremble, dust raining down. Cinder held her hand out, a thin dagger forming. She stab-
Cinder's claw was ripped from her throat, Raven gasping for air as a stone struck Cinder, it and her tumbling down. Raven pressed her legs against the wall, launching herself from it, and landed on one of the many falling stalactites.
Cinder shot onto the platform, kicking at her, flames launching from the kick. Raven ducked beneath it, spinning around as Cinder landed behind her. Cinder launched herself toward her, twin blades in hand, slashing and hacking at her. Raven dodged, parrying, and slashing at Cinder before Cinder leapt from stone, flames trailing her as she landed onto a different stone.
Raven leapt from her own, landing onto a passing stone, and launched herself from it, Cinder jumping from her own, the blades clashing against each other's as they zoomed past each other. Raven hit a stalactite, and launched herself from it, hearing Cinder crash into it behind her, shattering it. She turned, hurling herself toward Cinder. Cinder shot up, flying toward a higher stalactite. Raven grunted, kicking off the stone, leaping between the bits of rubble, following after Cinder.
Raven cleared the rubble, soaring in the air before crashing down, swinging Omen down at Cinder. Cinder snarled, and leapt back, one of the other stalacites crashing down between them. Raven sliced through it, zooming through the dust, Cinder gasping as she turned. Raven swung, her blades crashing against Cinder's, forcing Cinder back with each strike. Cinder swung her blades together, catching one of Raven's swings, the blue blade shattering, ice spraying out. Cinder charged, Raven backstepping, dodging her swings, drawing a black steel blade before catching one of Cinder's swings, and kicking her in the gut, knocking her back.
Cinder jumped from the platform, landing on a different one. Raven followed, leaping from bits of rubble. She hurled Omen onto a larger stalactite with a yell, the blade embedding into it. She leapt toward it, spinning on the handle, and kicking down, hearing Cinder grunt as she drop kicked her, knocking her off the platform and onto a smaller rock.
Rubble and dust flew around her, the stalactite shattering, the bridge groaning as it shattered, rocks flying down. She leapt from the remains of the platform; Cinder was free falling beneath her.
Water splashed into the air as bits of the bridge crashed into the lake below. She snarled, hurling herself toward Cinder, pulling her arm back with a yell, and hurled her fist into Cinder's chest. Cinder coughed, her aura shimmering, blood spraying out, her breath catching as she looked down. Raven scowled, feeling Cinder's heart beating in her hand. She squeezed, Cinder wailing as she ripped her heart out of her chest. She kicked off of Cinder's body, the winds launching her up toward the remains of the bride.
Raven landed, breathing heavy, blood soaking her hand. She tossed the heart aside and looked behind her. Flames enveloped the tree, the bronze Vault Door shining against the orange flames. She sighed, closing her eyes, and materializing a portal. She opened her eyes, looking back at the sound of a shotgun blast.
On the other side of the bridge, getting to her feet, was Yang. Her blue eyes turned red, her hair igniting, burning brighter than the flames consuming the tree behind her as she stared Raven down.
Hopefully it won't take me as long to do the final V5 chapter :"D
And I hope that the fights have been acceptable, I know they are a lot more bombastic and over the top compared to fights in previous chapters. Really wanted to make the Battle of Haven as cool as I could make it.