Jaune and the Abominable Grimm charged at each other, the Grimm lunging at Jaune with its arms raised above its head, ready to smash down on Jaune as he seemed to be preparing to punch it. When it looked like Jaune's fist was about to collide with the massive arms of Abominable, Jaune smirked.
He side-stepped with such precision and speed that it looked like he vanished. Before the Grimm's arms struck the ice, Jaune grabbed it by its hairy arm and started to spin around, using its own momentum against it. He then threw it through pillars of ice. He smirked as he watched it vanish behind the ice.
He then noticed the sky darken and the area gets warmer before looking up. "OH, SHIT!"
He jumped out of the way to avoid what looked like Neon's giant nunchaku. When it landed, there was a fiery explosion, followed by the pained roar of the King Ice Dragon.
'HAH! NEVER MISS A BEAT!'
Jaune got up. "Sure looks like you did a lot of damage. The ice is starting to melt."
'Really?! Wait, how do you know that?' Neon gasped. 'WERE YOU AT THE STRIKE POINT?!'
"I jumped out of the way."
'Damn, Arc. I can't tell if you're lucky or skilled,' Flynt said.
"I'd rather be called skilled. I'm going to try to break it even further before the Dragon can repair it. Should leave a visible enough area for you guys to strike until I can get its giant maw ready for Ruby's bullet."
'Just be sure to get out of the strike zone,' Ruby said. 'I don't want anyone else to accidentally turn you into a stain on that thing's shell.'
'I'm sorry,' Neon went.
"Don't apologize for a clean hit, Neon. If I got hit, it would have been my fuck up, not yours."
'Wow, you're a great guy! How could you let a catch like that get away, Rubes?'
'Neon, we could have another friendly fire accident, you know,' Ruby responded.
'Eep! Um, commander, about that weak point?'
"On it." Jaune then jumped, preparing to punch it with his superhuman, Grimm Strength.
"AURGH," he went after he was struck by a block of ice before he could punch the area.
'Jaune! What just happened,' Ruby yelled.
Jaune groaned as he looked up. "You gotta be kidding me."
'What is it now,' Qrow yelled.
Jaune got up as he growled. "The Grimm. It's a smart one."
'What makes you say that,' Elm asked.
"Because it's carrying ice spikes like they were clubs," Jaune said as he watched the Grimm approach with a giant icicle resting on its shoulder.
'Grimm aren't that smart. The only Grimm reported with that kind of intellect was the Hound, and that was because it had a Faunus as its core,' Harriet said as she punched two Ice Dragons into dust.
"This thing seems to disagree." Jaune got an idea. "Harriet, punch at my coordinates in exactly 60 seconds."
'WHAT!? JAUNE, ARE YOU CRAZY,' Ruby yelled.
'You'd better know what you're doing, hero,' Harriet said.
'Harriet, don't you dare,' Ruby went.
'He outranks you.'
Jaune wasn't even listening to Ruby and Harriet's argument as he charged at the Grimm. It first swung the icicle-like a bat, which Jaune slid under. Before he could slide under the Abominable, he performed an uppercut that landed right on the Grimm's chin. Jaune was about to jump off the Grimm's chest, only to be grabbed by the neck.
The Abominable looked right at Jaune with glowing red eyes as it flipped the icicle, pointing the sharpened edge at Jaune. He smiled, the Grimm doing exactly what he wanted.
Jaune then tried out an old trick of Emerald's that she thought of after getting her powers and created a flash bomb by collecting and concentrating flame in his closed hand before releasing it all at once in a quirk burst of light. The Abominable roared out in surprise as it released Jaune.
Jaune then ran up the Abominable, and heel kicked the icicle right into the ice.
The Dragon gave a quick roar of surprise as it looked at where it felt the pain.
'SIXTY SECONDS!'
Jaune jumped away from the area, the Abominable regaining its sight when it saw how everything was darker around it. It then looked up. Time slowed as it saw Harriet's Titan, fist reeled back, falling towards it.
Then, with a battle cry, Harriet threw her giant metal fist, the sound of ice shattering and the Elder King Ice Dragon's roar filling the air. The Grimm were in a frenzy, the King's roar making them more aggressive as they attacked the robots.
As Harriet jumped away from the gigantic Grimm, she had to crush many others attacking her. She even ripped a Sphinx in half. The other Titans were fighting, looking like they were swatting and shooting at bugs. One Titan was unfortunate enough to be completely overwhelmed, the pilot's screams filling the communication line.
Flynt then cleared the area with a blow of his horn.
'Status report,' Harriet went.
"You did it, Har," Jaune went
'He's right,' Ruby cheered. 'I can see a hole in the Dragon's armor!'
'Nice work, Har! Jaune, jump off! I'm going to blast it with my rockets,' Elm yelled as she turned her hammer into her launcher.
"Looks like you can save your bullet, after all, Ru-whoa, WHOA, WHOA! WHOOOA!"
'Why is it standing straightening up like that,' Neon asked in worry.
"Oh, shit. EVERYONE CLEAR OUT! NOW," Jaune warned.
No one dared to ignore Jaune as the Grimm, tall Atlas Tower, fell towards them.
'TIMBER,' Neon went.
'NOT THE TIME,' everyone else yelled.
'Wait, JAUNE,' Ruby yelled.
Jaune looked to see the ground quickly rushing towards him, the man unfortunate enough to be on the impact area of the beast. He then saw his risky chance. Flynt didn't blow away all of the Grimm.
Jaune, forcing his way through the air pressure, wall ran towards the Razorwing, and with all his might, lunged at the Grimm, somehow able to grab it by its ankle.
The Elder King Ice Dragon slammed onto the ground, creating an entirely new mountain range of ice. The ice barely missed Jaune as he held onto the struggling Grimm before he Conquered it.
'Great! Now we have to make a new opening,' Qrow complained.
'So we have to blow a new hole in it. Nothing we can't handle, right, Commander,' May asked teasingly.
"Very funny, Ms. Marigold. Still, she's not wrong. I'll try to find a new area to- OH, COME ON!"
'What is it, this time,' Qrow yelled.
Jaune saw a Manticore flying towards him. On its back was the Abominable, roaring challengingly at Jaune.
"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KILL THAT THING?!"
Two men were sitting in a cafeteria. One looked nervous while the chubbier guy next to him was eating.
"Grif, don't you think we should be helping?"
"Oh yeah. Let's go take our standard guns and help out the world's strongest man take down a kingdom-sized Grimm. Great idea, Simmons," Grif said sarcastically.
"But we're at war with the biggest Grimm Horde since the Death of Atlas."
"Look, we have the world's greatest superhero-"
"Huntsman."
"He's a superhero and you know it."
Simmons sighed. "Yeah. Everyone knows it."
"Anyway, we have the Vale freakin' Knight himself, our General who literally has magical superpowers, a team of giant freakin' robots-"
"Which I SO wanted to drive," Simmons whined.
"And Ruby Schnee. You know, the chick who's the inspiration for the Silver Dust? We've got plenty of super soldiers to deal with this war. Let's just enjoy the safest place to be."
"You only like the cafeteria because it has cake."
"And nothing ever happens in the cafeteria."
As soon as Grif said that an explosion occurred, followed by a "WHOA! OOOF!" The two "soldiers" looked behind them. "Ooow," someone said as they sat up and shook their head with a cartoony warble.
"Please tell me that's not Argent Arc," Simmons went.
"Argent is a ten-year-old that looks just like Jaune but with silver eyes and hair like Ruby's who has a sword and shield?"
"Yeah."
"Nyaah, shit."
"It's him," Simmons asked with a whine.
"It's him."
Argent stood back up, the soldiers looking towards the sound of stomping.
"Uh, Grif? Is that a-"
"Really big dog." Simmons looked at Grif, who turned around to get back to his cake. "It's just a really, really, REALLY big dog."
"Hey," Argent called, making the two shutter. "If you two have weapons, I suggest you use them. If not, running's a much better idea."
"I like how that kid thinks," Grif said as he got up and ran.
"Wha- Grif! Are you really going to leave a ten-year-old behind to fight a Hound?!"
"HE'S THE VALE REGIONAL CHAMP! HE'S GOT THIS!"
Simmons was dumbfounded.
"He's not wrong." Simmons looked at Argent, who smiled at the soldier behind his shield. "I got this." The Hound then roared loud enough to create a sound wave that pushed Argent's hair back. "I think." He then shook his head, making it poof back into his mother's hairstyle.
"I'll call for backup! There's a communication center nearby," Simmons said as he ran off.
"Take your time," Argent called. "Alright. So... Round 2?"
The Hound roared as it lunged at Argent. He held up his shield in time for the creature to grab onto it, trying to push him back. Its ears perked up when Argent didn't budge an inch. Argent gave a toothy smirk. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm WAY stronger than I look," said the glowing boy.
Argent then swung his shield arm, making the Hound stumble back. He then did his favorite combo, an upward, downward, then horizontal slash; done in a way that creates an A. What's more, the final slash creates a powerful wind slash that sends its victim flying.
Unfortunately, it only pushed the Hound back a few tables away from Argent, the beast growling at the boy. "Wow, you're tough."
The Hound then howled at an even louder volume, at a frequency high enough to stun Argent. 'Can't... move!'
The Hound then grabbed Argent by the neck before slamming him against the ground repeatedly and holding him in the air, watching his Aura spark.
Argent then looked at the beast. "Shouldn't have used me like a rag doll just now." He then stabbed through the Grimm's arm. "'CAUSE I CAN MOVE AGAIN!" Argent then slashed his sword out of the Grimm's arm, making the Hound wail in pain as its black blood gushed out, releasing Argent.
However, in the next split second, the Hound grabbed Argent by the leg and slammed him face-first into the ground before throwing him through another wall.
Argent groaned and coughed as he pushed himself up. He then sneezed dust out of his nose before the Hound stomped on his head, his Aura close to shattering.
The Hound then looked down at Argent, sniffing around him. "Blood... of... Dark. Chosen... heir. In... com... plete." Argent was barely able to move his face to glare at the Grimm. "Must... com... plete," it said as it raised its claw. Argent just glared defiantly, hoping he could figure out how to use his eyes. He then felt a twinge of fear when the claws swung down.
"Ahem."
The Hound stopped and looked behind it.
"That's my adorable cousin you have your filthy foot on."
The Hound was then tackled off of Argent by a summoned Boarbatusk.
Argent, with a hiss of pain, sat up and rubbed his neck. He then looked and beamed. "Shiva!"
"Greetings, Arie," she said with a smile. Her smile never went away when her summon went flying past her, the red-eyed beauty glancing at her disappearing summon before glancing at its slayer.
The Hound sniffed at her. "Not... Chosen. Not... needed."
"Oh, my. Are you saying I'm not special? How cruel," she said in a mock hurt tone as she covered her mouth. "To say such a thing to a lady. Sob, sob, sob," she went monotonously. She then gave the Grimm a cold look. "That was your second mistake," she said as she reached behind her. She then took out what looked like a canister. "Your first one," she began when she pressed the side of the canister.
It then flashed. When the light was gone, Shiva was holding an ice-white scythe that had the Schnee symbol on the blade, the other end of the weapon pointed in the shape of a trident. The weapon was as tall as Shiva herself, every bit of it practically sparkling at the slightest touch of light, and if looked at closely, had barrel holes at the base of the blade, a vial of dust just barely seen behind it. The bottom of the blade and part of the hilt looked different as well.
"You threatened my family. It's time for your punishment," Shiva said with a beautiful yet cold and somewhat scary smile as she pointed her scythe at the growling Hound.
Jaune glared at the Abominable before looking up at the roaring Dragon before one of Elm's rockets hit its face, making the monster angrier.
'Dammit! That thing's armor might as well be New Mantle steel instead of ice,' Elm yelled.
Jaune glared back at the Abominable. "Track my movements. Once I give the signal, fire at my coordinates."
'Dammit, Arc! If you're feeling suicidal, just piss off my dad,' Ruby yelled.
"Don't question your Commanding Officer," Jaune went. He then swung on the Razorwing before vaulting towards the Abominable. The Grimm stood up, ready to grab Jaune.
But Jaune grew his Nevermore wings at the last moment and used them to boost his speed, slamming into the Abominable, surprising it.
As they were falling, Jaune was continuously punching the mighty Grimm's face before it caught his fist. Before it could do anything, Jaune breathed fire into its face, ripped his fist out of its grasp punching it again. He then grabbed it by the fur on its head and began to spin around. At top speeds, Jaune threw the Abominable onto the Dragon, creating a few cracks in the spot it landed on.
The Abominable tried to get out of the spot it was stuck in before Jaune stomped onto it, further cracking the armor. Not only that, but the Dragon also roared in pain before looking at the area.
"NOW," Jaune roared as he jumped away.
Before Ruby could say anything against the order, May and Joanna's Titans jumped up and stabbed their crossbow staffs into the spot, shattering the ice armor on the area, making the Dragon roar and rile in pain as the giant robots jumped and ran away.
'You'd better have survived that, hero,' Joanna said.
'Oh, please. It takes a hell of a lot more than that to kill me,' Jaune said over the communication line. 'Just ask Qrow, Tai, and Ruby. Or anyone from the Schnee and Xiao Long family for that matter.'
'He's right,' Qrow went in annoyance.
'BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T TRY! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU,' Ruby yelled.
"Farther down the base of the Dragon's tail," Jaune said as he looked at the exposed area before looking up the Grimm's neck up to its head. "I'm going to try and climb the bastard and make more dents in its armor for you guys to attack. Without that other Grimm, it should be easier."
'We still have swarms of fliers, Jaune,' Flynt said.
"Then it's a good thing we got the funkiest trumpet player in Remnant to 'serenade' them, huh?"
Flynt laughed. 'Damn right.'
"Alright. Don't worry about attacking the exposed area. I'll avoid it. Unleash hell on it while I- ARUGH!"
'Jaune?! JAUNE! WHAT IS IT THIS TIME,' Ruby yelled.
Jaune was struck from behind with enough force to send him crashing through four ice pillars and slamming back first into the fifth one. "That cracked a few ribs," he groaned as he ripped himself out of the ice, panting as he looked at his enemy. "Seriously?"
The Abominable was walking towards him, dragging the ice pillar it used to attack Jaune... panting. Jaune chuckled. "At least you two did some real damage to it, May."
'You mean that thing is still alive?! How tough IS that Grimm,' she asked.
"Tough enough," Jaune said as he popped his neck with a tilt of the head.
The Abominable then roared as it stomped on the ground, sending a wave of ice spikes rushing towards Jaune.
"WHOA," he went before jumping out of the way.
'KID, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED,' Qrow yelled. 'The area's been repaired!'
'Actually, it looks even scarier than before! There are spikes all over it now,' Neon said.
Jaune looked to see if they were right before looking at the approaching Grimm. "Great. It has ice powers."
'Are you saying the Grimm your fighting caused that,' Harriet yelled?
'Then that means that we can't break the King's armor,' May began.
"Until I kill this thing," Jaune finished. "Qrow, shoot at me!"
'Huh?'
'What are you planning this time,' Ruby yelled.
"It might make killing this thing easier."
'AND IT MIGHT KILL YOU,' Ruby yelled.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. I dated your wife for a year, Branwen! And she was happy! If she didn't realize she still loved you, she might have been my wife instead of yours! And I got your favorite niece pregnant, took Argent, and raised him without you, Yang or Tai knowing he was part of your family! I denied you the chance to be a Great Uncle, denied Yang to be an aunt, and Tai to be a grandpa to Ruby's son for ten years. And let's not forget, Ruby never had the chance to be a mom to her own son for ten years because of me!"
'Okay, if you're trying to get a rise out of me to make it easier for me to shoot you... IT WORKED!'
'Uncle Qrow, DON-'
Jaune heard the sound of Qrow's giant shotgun going off. He looked to see the giant bullets rush towards him. He used his speed, reflexes, and instincts to avoid all of the bullets; the Dragon roaring in anger being a bonus. The yell of pain coming from the Abominable was the absolute icing on the cake.
"That worked."
'I'M SLAPPING BOTH OF YOUR FACES OFF,' Ruby yelled.
"Worth it," the men said in unison.
Jaune was about to turn towards the Ice Dragon when the Abominable roared loud enough for everyone to hear. The roar was enough to even stun and even kill a few weaker Grimm.
It then looked at Jaune with blazing red eyes, its fur standing viciously, ice growing over its hands and feet, with even its fangs growing larger. It then began to violently pound on the ground before ripping a giant chunk of ice off.
"I think it's pissed," Jaune said.
The Abominable threw the chunk at Jaune, who ducked in time to avoid it.
The ice chunk smashed through the ice pillars before slamming into the neck of the Ice Dragon, making it roar in pain and anger. It then looked at its body, took a breath, and blasted an ice beam at itself. Jaune looked to see the beam rushing towards him. A beam of ice behind him and an enraged super Grimm in front of him.
Jaune took a chance and grew wings, flying up and avoiding the beam completely. He looked to see the dragon now covered in thicker ice. "Dammit! Does anyone have enough Fire Dust to help with this?"
'I don't think so,' Flynt said.
'I'm running low for my nunchaku,' Neon reported.
"Alright. It's only the body, anyway. The neck still looks-" Jaune heard a crack. He looked to see the armor begin to break apart before the Abominable lunged out of it towards Jaune with a roar. It slammed into him, roaring in his face as they fell before smashing him into the ground with enough force to break apart the ice.
When Jaune landed, he groaned as he sat up, coughing up blood as he got to his feet. He looked to see he was basically in a forest of ice spikes before looking towards the stomping Abominable. "Alright. Fine. If I wanna kill the King, I gotta kill the Knight."
The Abominable roared as if confirming Jaune's words.
Jaune then took a stance. "FINAL ROUND, YOU HAIRY SONOFABITCH! COME ON!"
The Abominable roared even louder than before, ready for the last fight between the two.
Argent was wide-eyed in awe. He had so much trouble with the Hound, but Shiva was fighting with a smile.
The Hound constantly tried to slash her, but she kept dodging elegantly, looking almost like she was dancing. She then began her counterattack, spinning her scythe at great speeds, slashing the Hound countless times.
When she turned her back on the creature due to a move, the Hound thought it had a chance. Shiva giggled as her smile grew knowingly.
Shiva stabbed the trident end of her scythe into the monster's foot, surprising it before slamming the back of her scythe's head into the Grimm's face. As it stumbled back, Shiva used her Semblance to make another Boarbatusk slam it into a wall.
"Come now. Is this the best you can do? You gave my cute cousin such a hard time. I expected more."
Argent grew a tick mark. "I'm not cute!" His eyes widened when he saw the Hound take a breath. "COVER YOUR EARS!"
Shiva glanced at Argent before quickly following his advice.
The Hound then roared.
Even with their ears covered, the vibrations shook the two to their very bones. Unfortunately for Shiva, it stunned her long enough for the Hound to throw her summon back at her, slamming into the thirteen-year-old. It would have lunged at her had Argent not slammed his shield into its side and used the Gravity Dust to send it crashing through another wall.
Argent ran over to Shiva and helped her up.
"That was unpleasant," Shiva said.
"That roar is going to be a pain. Any ideas?"
"We could stuff our ears with napkins."
"Think this'll work," Argent asked as he already began to stuff his ears.
"We'll find out soon enough," she said as she stuffed her ears.
The Hound broke through the undamaged part of the wall.
"There's a hole right there," Argent pointed out.
"That was unnecessary. The repair bill will give Mother a migraine," Shiva said in annoyance.
"Did you say something," the cousins said in unison to the other.
The Hound then howled, Argent and Shiva gritting their teeth from the pressure.
"Can still feel it," they said in unison. Then, they smirked. "But nowhere near as bad!"
Argent then held his shield forward at a particular angle. Then, as if reading the boy's mind, Shiva jumped onto the shield, Argent sending her shooting off towards the Hound at rocket speeds.
She readied her scythe to cut off the beast's head, but it was smart enough to try and grab the blade, knowing full well that Shiva was prepared to maneuver out of the way of a grab for the head. Yet, Shiva used the momentum of the sudden grab of her White Death to land on the back of the beast, pulling up to try and cut its head off. It struggled, the two now in a power battle.
"Quite... a... stubborn... mutt... aren't you," Shiva strained as she was using all her might. Makes sense considering Qrow put her through extensive weight training. Despite her petite frame, she had the muscle to beat even Elm in arm wrestling. Though, technique also helped in most of those contests.
Unfortunately for Shiva, the Hound had many tricks, like growing a third arm. Said arm grabbed Shiva's ankle and proceeded to slam her onto the ground. It did it so frequently and violently that Shiva's Aura began to spark.
"SHIVA," Argent yelled, getting the Grimm's attention.
When it saw Argent running towards it, it reeled back its now free arm, preparing to grab Argent. Unfortunately for the Grimm, it didn't realize that Shiva never released her grip on her scythe. She surprised it by stabbing the trident through its arm. It looked at the now smirking Shiva long enough for Argent to slice off the arm holding her with his greatsword.
Shiva then grabbed her scythe and twisted the handle, revealing that the weapon had more Dust Cartridges inside, including a black one. She then quickly activated the Gravity Dust and created a black glyph that sent the Grimm flying back.
Argent once again helped Shiva up and began to sign language with her:
THIS THING IS PUTTING UP A BIGGER FIGHT THAN I THOUGHT. THINK WE CAN HANDLE IT? I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU STRUGGLE AGAINST ANYTHING BEFORE.
Shiva giggled before signing back: THEN YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED ME SPARE WITH MY PARENTS. THOUGH, I ADMIT, THIS GRIMM IS POWERFUL. HOPEFULLY, THOSE SOLDIERS FROM BEFORE REALLY DID CALL FOR BACKUP.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE BACKUP.
I WAS JUST AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
'If I'm being honest, mother thinks I'm in one of the safe zones,' Shiva thought.
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK WE HAVE TO HOLD OUT, Argent signed as the two looked towards the approaching monster.
She then did something that Argent was hoping to see because of how cool he thought it looked. Shiva separated her White Death, scythe in one hand and trident in the other. She then pressed a button on the empty end of her scythe before spinning it. When she was done, there was an ice scythe at the end where her trident used to connect. Next, she pressed a button near the empty end of her trident, more Ice Dust forming a needle-like end that made the Trident nearly as tall as Shiva, the beauty stomping her trident down like it was a royal scepter.
"We'll hold out as long as we need to," she said out loud. Somehow, despite how muffled it was, Argent was able to understand his cousin.
The boy then took his stance, his greatsword being held up taller than the boy wielding it, while Shiva expertly spun her weapons before taking her stance, scythe pointed at the Grimm while her trident was being held like a staff at her side.
The Hound growled at the two as it readied another lunge before its ears perked up. It looked to see another Boarbatusk running towards it. This time, it easily caught it by a tusk with one hand and slammed it into the ground, destroying the summon. It then looked up, only to be sent flying by a white sword.
Argent's eyes widened. "I know that sword," he said in excitement.
Shiva nodded. "Impeccable timing."
"How dare you attack my family?" The Hound got out of the rubble to glare at its attacker. Before it was the summoned Arma Gigas. Below next to it was an angry-looking Weiss. "My niece AND my nephew? You'll pay for that, monster. This won't be the same cat and mouse game between us fifteen years ago."
"Aunt Weiss," Argent went excitedly.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you, Auntie," Shiva said.
"Um, I'm here, too," Marrow said as he walked up next to Weiss, aiming his Fetch at the Hound.
"Oh, and you two are in a lot of trouble when I'm done with this thing," Weiss promised, making the kids nervous.
The Hound, on the other hand, looked angry as it roared at its new challengers.
