Inspiration: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency (Continued from Splendid as Bubbles)
Chapter 8: Going Down with a Bang
"So, how's that?", Aeralyn asked the audience who chuckled at what they saw.
"Pretty neat! Can we see more of this soon?", Ruby asked her.
"Of course, Ruby. We will.", she replied.
"Tell me about it, bravery and stupidity blended really well!", Nora happily said to her.
Qrow then woke up from his drunken escapade and asked. "Hey, what did I miss?", Qrow asked before he was bonked in the head by Summer. "What was that for!?"
"Being a delusional idiot, that is all", Summer huffed as she returned to Ruby's side.
Aeralyn smiled at this. But her gaze shifted towarda Phyrra Nikos, whose face show a veil of sadness. She approached Phyrra where she knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Something wrong, Ms. Nikos?", she asked in concern.
Ren turned to tell her. "You see, we have earlier seen a universe where Jaune had died fighting the Pillar Men, and she hasn't gotten over yet.", he exclaimed.
"If you want, we can go back to that universe and see how it goes", Flit suggested as Ruby and Nora's ears perked up.
"I'm in!", Ruby enthusiastically called out.
"Fearless Leader must be avenged!", Nora called out.
Jaune placed a hand on Phyrra's shoulder. "Come on, we can go through this", he told her as she smiled.
"You heard'em. Do it Aeralyn", Flit requested as she nodded, pressing a remote as the screen flashed white.
(Queue Bloody Stream)
The wall rocks exploded.
"Is this an opening intro?", Blake asked as this is the first time they had seen one.
"Yes, well one of my favourites firsthand", Aeralyn replied with a smile.
The pink silhouette of Yang started to pose by bringing her hands up behind her back and tilting to the side. "Koooooh!"
"Is she... Posing?" Glynda asked in skepticism. "Don't question it, Glynda. Just enjoy it." Ozpin quickly replied, obviously loving it.
"I'd do that to show off, just so you know!", Yang sassed.
The silhouette threw two punches to the left before posing again. "You bastard!", she said in a playful way before spinning and doing another pose to the top left. "Depending on what you say I might have to kick your ass!" she quoted before kicking and posing once again.
Then three different silhouette with huge shadows were shown
"Huh, wonder who these people are." Yang mumbled. "They seemed to be imposing." Ironwood observed.
Suddenly a sculpture of two women and a man in fabulous poses were shown as an old woman praying on her rosary, a woman with a scarf, an x ray of someone's trachea and dark skinned kid screaming were shown in a quick transition before a feminine silhouette conquered the screen who swiftly moved her arms around to pose. "I'm not teaching you for your own sake, I'm teaching you to defeat them." they heard a female voice say, but many knew this was Raven.
Suddenly a blue masculine silhouette entered the frame, who threw a few kicks "I am a proud member of the Arc bloodline!" before jumping away with his legs crossed in a figure four.
And then Yang's pink silhouette appear to lace away holding a rope before standing upright in a pose as she lets out a chuckle.
He punched the blue silhouette, to which he parried it effortlessly, he dodged a head kick before the two paused in to a stance before Jaune delivered an elbow to which Yang blocked as they competetively glared at eachother as the colors disappeared, revealing them.
But it's quite clear that they look like rivals rather than bitter enemies.
"Clacker volley!" the pink silhouette returned as the brunette clumsily got tied up and fell.
A woman with a perfect figure closed her eyes as she gracefully spun around the screen.
Weiss can't help but feel envious of her because the heiress is not exactly blessed in the body department. As did the other students.
A pendant with a red jewel swung momentarily as hands suddenly appeared to reach for it.
Transition occured as the song neared it's chorus. Showing an old scarred man, a long haired man that could pass off as a woman, a blonde girl with red lipstick wiping a tear, two burly men, and...
"REMNANT'S GREATEST!", shouted a man with a dark hair and shaggy beard saluting.
"I feel like we are getting spoiled big time." Nora thought out loud. "I don't know, but I still find it exciting.", Ren replied.
It showed a stone statue of a woman with three masks before...
"WHAT ON REMNANT IS THAT?!" Phyrra exclaimed as the mighty yellow figure of Mercury appeared in a rather feral and animalistic artstyle compared to the glorious drawing of everyone else.
"Wind Mode: DIVINE SANDSTORM!!" he screamed, gritting his teeth as his red eyes blared, two twisters rock the screen.
"That's Mercury technique!", Ruby pointed out as people suddenly had grim faces, remembering this was the technique that sealed Jaune's fate in this universe.
"Way to show my good side!", Mercury cheered from their position.
"Heat Mode: BURNING PRISON!" another figure, red, leapt around with a ton of what seemed to be tendrils or tentacles.
"I guess that's me", Emerald remarked but was inwardly disappointed that she wouldn't be able see herself on action or what kind of power that she had.
"Light Mode: Shining Sabres!" the last mysterious figure spun around as he sliced the screen in half to a neat transition of the three almost naked built individuals stood on top of a pillar with fabulous poses as the large moon illuminated the area.
"I guess the last would be me but why do we look like a trio of strippers at this one?", Cinder asked, flabbergasted of their appearance. Salem merely chuckled at this.
The camera panned as the back of the two showed to be Yang and Jaune prepared to fight the villains. "Hmph!" Jaune glared with seriousness and determination as he did a pose.
"Jaune...", Phyrra muttered out as said boy held her shoulder with a smile on his face and a nod and she returned nonetheless.
Yang on the other hand, smirked and taunted the villains above them.
"Pretty much that's me", Yang stated with a grin as Weiss and Blake sighed at this one.
Suddenly the mask and the stone were briefly shown and then a figure of a mysterious woman glaring and laughing maliciously at the camera with the sun on the background.
("LIKE A BLOODY STORM ATSUKU LIKE A BLOODY STONE!")
Yang and Jaune then appeared where the two performed shadowboxing. Yang delivered a punch as she got spun out of frame before Jaune performed two kicks before spinning out of frame as well. Yang reappeared again and delivered a couple of kicks to the air before doing a backfist before being taken out of the shot again. Jaune appeared and made bubbles just by spreading his hands. Yang then performed another kick just before Jaune screamed to the skies.
("Ukiagaru kienai hokori no")
It cuts to the Yang, looking ready to fight, tying the bandana to her head tightly before she too also screamed to the heavens. "KIZUNAAAAAAAAAA!
Everyone then remembered Jaune's final battle with Mercury as Phyrra shedded a few tears at her eyes. Those who knew them are looking forward to see Yang avenge Jaune in this universe.
("Nigirishimete~!")
The camera panned up to the skies as a shooting star appeared, zooming out, revealing the red jewel they saw earlier.
"End of opening, proceeding to the battle", Aeralyn announced as she pushed a button, fast-forwarding to the battle at hand.
"That was amazing...", Ruby muttered, clearly awed by their art styles.
"It practically tells the plot as a whole without any of us knowing it", Ozpin remarked.
"Im must admit, the singer is quite charming at delivering the lyrics", Glynda complimented.
"Will other screenings have openings?", Blake asked Aeralyn who simply nodded before motioning them to return their focus at the screen.
It was a fiery pit in the middle of the arena. The audienced were awe at the impressive battlefield where the two combatants will fight. Yang stood beside Raven as she looked to avenge Jaune as well as to destroy Mercury while the latter stood focused as he intends to destroy Yang and take the Red Stone of Aja for his master, Cinder. What is noticeable is that Yang wore the headband that once belonged to Jaune.
"Jaune...", Phyrra muttered out, tears threatening to leave her eyes after remembering his sacrifice.
"She's keeping Fearless Leader's memory alive. Go get'em Yang!", Nora cheered on the brawler.
"What is the purpose of this 'Red Stone'?" Cinder questioned, wondering what is its purpose.
Aeralyn turned to explain. "The stone is said to be able to absorb light and refract it a million times which it then emits as a laser-like beam, and in conjunction with the Stone Mask, would enable Pillar Men to unlock their full potential, removing all weaknesses, including the inability to withstand sunlight. Thus creating the Ultimate Lifeform, with almost god-like abilities"
Cinder was intruiged at the thought of being a goddess at this one, but she still remembered that Salem will always be her goddess nonetheless and she will use her power to help her leader fulfill her goals.
Salem then pondered of the thought on what if she was on her position but she was already powerful and she would want a powerful second-in-command who has undying loyalty towards her.
"Can I say that the Stone of Aja and the Stone Mask are similar to Relics in a way?", Ozpin asked Aeralyn who nodded, at the question.
"In a way yes, and its power is enough to conquer the world at this point", she exclaimed.
Cinder then stepped forward, wearing a revealing attire and a turban around her head, serving as the announcer. "The first round of the battle for the Red Stone, Yang against Mercury! Will start as soon as the moon emerged from the clouds!. She pointed up as the clouds covered the moon as the vampires who served as their audience cheered. "YAAAAAAAAH! MERCURY! MERCURY! MERCURY!"
"Oh yeah, I'm so popular!", Mercury sassed to Emerald, who merely scoffed at his ego.
Yang was clearly annoyed at this, "Shut the hell up! I get it! It's not my home court, big deal!", she shouted at them, who continued to cheer on Mercury.
"I'll be honest, I'd say the same thing if that is the case", Yang said as the others thought of it.
"I want to see you kick his ass! He killed Fearless Leader!", Nora called out from the side.
"Nora, I'm still alive.", Jaune told her. "I have faith that Yang will win this one"
"We'll see soon enough", Ren replied.
Mercury turned to the teen in front of him, "Yang. Just so you know, this is no ordinary race. This is a battle. The Pillars you see along the track hold weapons you can use against me. The course is 960 meters long, these fine steeds can do a lap in a minute. The first weapon is going to be, a two handed warhammer.", he explained to the blond.
"Come on, I'd never give tips to my enemies!", Mercury whined to his counterpart.
"In fairness, Mercury, I prefer this version to you", Emerald said, after seeing the honorable and respectful side of this version of her jackass of a teammate.
"That's quite fast. Those vampires weren't kidding about the horsepower thing." Weiss mumbled.
Salem wondered where she can get those type of steeds, wanting to own one herself.
Yang went in to deep thought. She knows this is going to be a tough fight. She has to get the hammer first, if it went to Mercury's hands, it'll be an early death. "I expect a splendid battle from you, Yang.", Mercury said to her.
She turned to face him and called out. "You can bet on that, Mercury. My resolve burns hotter than hell itself!"
Raven felt a sense of pride towards Yang, seeing her determination to mirror that of hers as a member of the Branwen Tribe. Taiyang felt the same way.
"Go get him, Yang!", Ruby cheered to her sister. "Do it for Jaune!"
The moon was deep with the clouds, but much to Raven's concern, her student went down from his chariot and adjusted his wheels. "Yang! What are you doing?"
"What is she doing?" Blake asked.
Weiss replied, "Knowing Yang, it's probably a scheme. And hopefully an effective one".
"Relax! I'm just ensuring a quick start.", Yang replied to her mentor before shifting her attention towards the Pillar Man. "Oh, Mercury! It doesn't look too cool down there, you might wanna check it out?
Mercury ignored her as the undead stared at the moon.
"Yang! Hurry!", Raven called out.
"Meh, I think I can still win this one", Mercury declared, remaining confident that he can still win this one.
Yang returned to her chariot as the music reached it's climax. The moon finally emerges... and Cinder shouted "STAAAAAAAART!"
The race starts as the two combatants whipped their steeds loudly. Yang went on and left Mercury as his chariot halted immediately. Overdrive kicks in. The vampires gasped along with Cinder.
"What did just happen?!, Cinder shouted at the side.
"What the fuck just happened?!", Mercury shouted at the side.
"Looks like your overconfidence made you careless", Emerald sassed as Mercury growled at her.
One of the vampires noticed what wrong. "L-Lord Mercury's wheels are stuck! It's full of pebbles!"
"That clever devil", Raven remarked at her student.
Mercury realized what had happened. "Yang did this!"
"She did this while we were staring at the moon!", Cinder said.
"Cheating bitch!", Mercury cursed out as Cinder sighed.
"If anything, Mercury. It's tactic rather", she deadpanned.
"Would you do something like that?", Weiss asked Yang.
"Depending on the situation. I even rigged our game at our dorm by plugging out your controller!", Yang said with a grin.
"You WHAT?!"
The Vampires are not amused by this. "You fucking cheater! Go die!", they cursed out.
"Oh fuck ya! I don't mess around when it comes to survival! When your life is on the line, THERE ARE NO RULES! Beep beep!", Yang reasoned out as she went on.
"I guess that makes sense" Glynda remarked.
"Has it, Glynda?", Ozpin asked.
Mercury lets out a roar and whipped harder, forcing his vampiric horses to power through and free the wheels and was quickly catching up to Yang.
"M-Mercury is chasing me at unbelievable speeds. But I'm thirty meters ahead and these fellas don't run out of breath. I think I'm gonna get the weapon first.", Yang thought to herself.
"Hurry up Yang!", Ruby called out at the screen.
"You can do this!", Blake cheered her on.
"With Mercury holding the reins, it's gonna be difficult for him to use the Divine Sandstorm. I see, so the hammer goes to that little schmuck.", Cinder thought as her apprentice went after Yang.
"So the plan is to gain some distance, which means Mercury can't use those tornadoes.", Ironwood remarked, impressed by Yang's way of planning.
"Now I could see why Ms. Xiao-Long and Mr. Arc are partners in this universe", Ozpin said, seeing their similarities.
"But still, that does not a guarantee victory.", Glynda said, pushing her glasses.
"Here I cooooome! You're coming with me, good'old Hammer!", Yang called out as she grabbed the hammer. She sped by the column and grabbed the hammer with a clang noise, and she smirked as she held it in one hand, controlling the horses with the other.
"Gotcha! Uh… I'm going faster than I thought!", Yang thought.
"No! The hammer!", Nora called out.
She looked back in panic, unable to hold the weapon as it began slipping out of her grip. "No!"
"It'll all be for nothing!", Roman surprisingly called out in support for Yang.
"Yang!", Raven called out.
The hammer fell from her hand, but the hook that the vampires had used to hang it from the column got caught on his ring before it could tumble from his chariot.
The audience lets out a sigh of relief. While Mercury groaned.
"Oh fuck! It got caught on my ring! B-But now this fight is in the bag! Mercury, you unfortunate bastard. Luck's on my side tonight!", Yang thought as she glanced from behind.
"You're luck is going to run out!", Mercury called out to the screen.
She twirled the hammer so it would land in both her hands, and grinned down at it even as she held the reins in one of her hands.
"At least she had an advantage now.", Winter complimented.
Mercury stared ahead from behind Yang, calm despite Yang having grabbed the weapon. "You can have the hammer. That was my plan from the beginning."
The members of Team RWBY gulped at the ominous message.
A grin settled onto the warrior's face, and the camera cut to Cinder'a and Raven's booth. Cinder chuckled as she watched the race in the arena.
"Mercury has some sort of plan. He is not the type to allow himself to be left behind. Now let's see what you can do, the genius of the battlefield!", Cinder called out to Mercury.
Back down inside the arena Yang spread some oil along the shaft of the hammer with a squelching noise, before lighting it up with Hamon as her theme played. She twirled the weapon in her hand and let it land on her shoulder, cockily grinning back at Mercury. "A little oil and some Hamon! All lubed up and ready to penetrate. Bring it on, Mercury!"
The members of the audience blushed at Yang's choice of words, immediatley getting the wrong idea. "What kind of mouth do you have in this universe, Yang?", Weiss asked the brawler, who only scratched her head sheepishly. But the people who were really bothered are the men, for some reason.
"Hamon can be augmented into different materials...but since its energy is strong as the sun's and is augmented into the oil...", Glynda began before Ozpin finished for her.
"She is planning to hit him with an exploding Hamon-fused hammer. Fascinating", Ozpin said in awe, impressed by her planning.
The view backed up to show both chariots, and Mercury slowing down slightly, before switching to Raven and Cinder, who smirked..
"Mercury slowed down.", Raven exclaimed.
"This is a fight to the death, not a race. The proper usage of your weapons and your horses is the key.", Cinder said to her.
Down below, Yang had a wide grin on as she smiled towards the camera. "Okay! Now I'll just move in and whack him with my hammer, and it'll all be over."
"Yang, no! You can't slow down now!", she called out to her student, realizing Mercury's plan
"I like where this is going", Mercury remarked.
As Yang's chariot began slowing and closing in on Mercury, the Pillar Man stared ahead with an expression of assured victory. "You have the hammer, so I'll grab something else!"
"What other else?", Emerald asked.
Mercury began winding up, and as the pillar that held the hammer minutes earlier closed in, he threw his arm out and demolished it, snapping it in two like it was a simple stick in the park.
The audiences's jaws dropped. They forgot that he had super strength while Mercury grinned at this.
Yang apparently didn't hear any of this, as she had her eyes closed and was still smiling as she chuckled to herself.
"Yang! You didn't hear ANY of that?!", Jaune called out.
"So, Mercury, are you ready to get slammed by this thing?!", she taunted the Pillar Man. She turned, only to yell in shock and almost drop her hammer at the sight of Mercury holding up the massive pillar easily with both arms. There was even the vampire that had put the hammer on the hook earlier still clinging to the top.
"It's official! I'm awesome!", Mercury praised to himself as Emerald only rolled her eyes. Cinder however, was keenly observing the fight.
The vampires in the stands all began laughing and pointing uproariously. "She was so happy with her hammer, but now look at her face!"
"H-He sure had a bigger idea.", Yang stammered to herself.
"No! Speed up and get away, Yang!", Raven shouted.
"RUUUUN!", Team RWBY called out to their friend.
As Yang made to do so, Mercury finally attacked. "Too late!", he called out.
He swung the pillar down at Yang's chariot hard, the vampire still clinging to it screaming. The chariot was destroyed in one blow as Yang managed to leap from it in time still holding the hammer, and the vampire was crushed under the pillar in a shower of blood.
"NO!", Ruby called out to her sister.
"Her chariot was destroyed! How is she going to fight back?!", Nora exclaimed.
"This is not looking good.", Jaune muttered.
"Not good at all...", Ren seconded
"Now you have abandoned your chariot!", Mercury called out as Yang bounced along the ground, "hUWAAAARGHH!"
As her hammer slamming down near her with several clangs as she landed face down. Up above Raven looked on sweating and Cinder just smirked, the vampires all around them cheering.
"She fell? I guess the fight ends early.", Cinder remarked.
"Yang!", Raven called out.
"Looks like I win", Mercury praised.
"I won't be so sure about that", Emerald said, noticing that something will be up.
Yang began getting up as Mercury's horses closed in, slobbering as they thundered across the ground. "What will our cunning Yang do next?", Mercury mocked the blond.
Yang stumbled to her feet, visibly wobbling and holding her face in pain, grimacing. The camera focused on Mercury as he exuded a determined aura, the screen dark and the background colored in light reds and blues.
"I give a 90% chance he'll be crushed by my vampire horses. There's a 5% chance he'll break left… and a 5% chance he'll go right. Now what will our valiant warrior would do?", he assessed the possible outcomes.
Yang was still stumbling, and mumbling to herself. She suddenly began looking around in a panic, even as the horses were only feet away. "M-My hammer… Where's my hammer?!"
"Her hammer? Did she hit her head?", the vampires mocked. "A hammer won't save you now!"
"She mustn't dodge… If he does, Mercury will stop and finish her with a Divine Sandstorm!", Raven thought.
"That doesn't really help in the situation", Qrow said to the screen.
As she spoke, an image of Mercury descending on Yang while his arms twisted with his ultimate move as the colors inverted flashed across her mind.
That image brought back the reminder on how Jaune was struck at this technique, resulting in Phyrra gripping her seat.
"But Yang ran straight at Mercury's horses!", Ozpin narrated.
"WHAT?!", Teams RWBY, JNPR and CVFY called out. Even the adults were astonished.
As Ozpin spoke, Yang found her hammer and grasped it, before sprinting straight towards Mercury's rampaging horses, and the vampires around the arena yelled in confusion. Cinder began sweating, unable to think of what Yang is planning to do, while Raven did a fist pump. "Yes, Yang! Quick thinking! That'll work!", Raven praised her student.
"She's gonna die.", Mercury simply said, thinking his victory is all but assured.
Yang roared and wound up, before slamming her hammer down on the metal bar between both horses sending sparks flying.
"You were saying?", Emerald shot back. Inwardly she was silently rooting for Yang to win this one. So she could shoot it at Mercury's face.
"He struck the harness between the horses!" One of the Vampires exclaimed.
"The horses ran on, and Yang used the hammer to send herself skyward!", Ozpin narrated with astonishment
As the narrator explained, the momentum launched Yang upwards in an impressive display of animation, where she glared with a determined expression, with a cocky smile to boot. Making Yang squeal while Mercury looked on in shock. Cinder glared down at the battle, while several vampires behind him gasped in shock.
Everyone else's jaw dropped at Yang's quick-witted act.
"U-Unbelievable!", a vampire called out.
"The hammer's length kept her from being kicked!", another exclaimed
Yang smirked, "IN YA FAAAAACE! And now to give you a good whack!"
The blond landed on her ass, on the back of one of the horses with a massive grin. She shot up to her feet and let the hammer rest on her shoulder, as she was bounced up and down from the gait of the horses. She then gasped, and the camera turned to show that Mercury had disappeared from his chariot. "He's gone! Where'd he go?!"
"Where is he now!?", Nora called out while the others gasped.
Cinder smirked. "Mercury is always a step ahead of Yang".
Below Yang, Mercury's hand slowly extracted itself from inside the horse he hid in.
"I'm freaking out!", Ruby shouted as she held her head with both hands in confusion.
Although he didn't rip the horse apart as he did so, and several strands of… some gooey substance clung to his skin. He grasped Yang's ankle, and she looked down in panic.
"He's got her!", Jaune called out.
"Yang...", Ruby muttered, worried for her sister.
"R-Right! These guys can hide inside others!", Yang remembered, her old encounter with another Pillar Man.
Mercury clenched his fist, crumbling Yang's boot as she jumped out of it to avoid having her ankle crushed, and the vampires all cheered. Yang gave off a laugh as she leaped away, grinning. "That was fucking close!"
As she landed on the other horse, the vampires around the arena could see Mercury still gripping Yang's boot.
"YES!", Ruby cheered.
"Her boot!"
"It saved him!"
"If she wore a different kind of shoe…", the Vampires muttered.
Cinder scoffed, and Yang laughed again, pointing at Mercury's horse.
"Luck's on my side! This hammer got caught on my ring, Luck is part of being effective! Now look at yourself! Your own power has trapped you inside that horse! I believe it's checkmate!", Yang declared.
The audience, knew that it would be too easy to be true.
As Mercury clenched his hand, Yang once again let Hamon flow across her hammer before grasping it in both hands. She leaped high into the air, before swinging down to destroy both the Pillar Man and his vampire horse.
"Here's Hamon for you and your fucking horse, Mercury!",Yang declared.
"Wait- don't do it!", Weiss called out, in warning.
"Mercury has a counter doesn't he?" Ironwood said.
"Well, he wasn't holding the rei- OH NO!", Summer said in alarm.
"Got something else in my non-existent sleeves", Mercury praised to himself.
"The fool, she doesn't see!", Cinder mocked.
"Look out, Yang! Stay away from Mercury!", Raven warned her student.
In one swift movement, Mercury leaped from his horse. Yang gasped, and suddenly Mercury was in Yang's face, both arms ready to blast her away.
"NOOO!!!", Team RWBY shouted for her.
"She can win this...", Raven silently muttered.
"VICTORY IS MINE!", Mercury declared from his seat.
Cinder smirked as she explained. "Inside there, Mercury's hands are free, and speed and shaking are no issue. That means…"
Raven's eyes widened in horror. "Nobody has survived a direct hit! Jaune didn't!"
Mercury's eyes suddenly began glowing red, and a green aura surrounded his body as the wind picked up. "You fell for it fool! Wind Mode: Divine Sandstorm!", Mercury chanted.
"OH FOR FUCK'S-", Yang uttered out but was cut off.
Mercury's fists began spinning, before two whirlwinds surrounded them and blasted Yang high into the air. She was visibly battered and cut up from the attack that went on for several seconds, and when it finally ended, two large spurts of blood erupted from her body.
"YAAAANG!!", Ruby cried out.
"That was at point blank range!", Winter called out.
Ozpin gritted his teeth. "The distance he got hit on has the maximum power exerted! Not too close but not too far either!"
She flew back through the air, and landed hard on her own chariot like a sack of potatoes, that had been heavily damaged from Mercury's earlier pillar attack.
"That's it, I win", Mercury confidently said.
The vampires all began cheering, and Raven gasped as she took a step back. Cinder simply smiled and fell to the floor to sit cross legged, before snapping her fingers. A vampire came forward and handed him a glass before pouring red wine into it.
Cinder was thinking to try some red wine, that is when it poofed in front of her and drank it, feeling the apple and grape juice flavour in it.
"Even with just half a lap around the arena, it was a fight full of twists, eh? BUT in the end, Mercury was the better thinker, and the better fighter.", Cinder taunted Raven, who clenched her fists.
"I refuse to accept that she's down! For Fearless Leader!", Nora called out, raising her fist into the air.
Cinder took a sip from her glass, before glancing towards Raven. "Next up is the battle between you and me. To be honest, I don't prefer fighting fellow women. Mercury dislikes it even more. Even so, all Hamon-users must be exterminated.", she exclaimed to her as she held up a small silver capsule the size of her finger, before tossing it towards Raven where it bounced against her red high heel.
"Drink that for a painless death.", Cinder suggested.
Cinder was kind of impressed. As much as she enjoyed fighting, she would be amused if her opponents died by their own hand in fear of a death given by her.
"Why that scheming-", Summer cursed before she was cut off by Qrow.
"Wait for it...", he said to her, focused at the screen.
However, Raven's face showed determination than despair. "You seem to be mistaken. Yang and Mercury aren't done fighting.", she declared.
"See?", Qrow told Summer, who sighed in relief.
She glanced towards Cinder with a smirk, light glancing off the side of her glasses, while Cinder looked at her in confusion. One of the vampires ran forward and pointed towards the arena in shock. "L-Lady Cinder, look over there!"
The glass that Cinder held fell to the ground and shattered, sending wine splattering across the rock as the Pillar Woman stood up. "What!?"
"Lord Mercury's arms look like they're about to fall off!", the Vampire exclaimed.
Down below, Mercury was still riding in the chariot, but his forearms and biceps were only connected by stands of gooey, melting yellow flesh. They flopped around, looking like they could fall off at any moment, while Mercury stared at the sky while sweating in shock.
"HE IS GOING DOWN!" Nora yelled. "More importantly, damaged! What in the world did Yang do?!"
Mercury was shocked. "M-Madness… How did that happen?"
"M-Mercury! What happened to him?!", Cinder demanded an explanation.
"It's Yang! She survived! She's up!"
She's just fine! That lucky bitch!", the Vampires snarled while Raven was speechless.
And it was true, down in her chariot Yang sat up and groaned as she rubbed the back of her head, her entire body covered in bruises, yet somehow alive. She grasped and shook her head with one hand, before chuckling and grinning, opening her eyes to stare cheekily at the camera. "Oops, I did it again! I played with your heart, got lost in the game. Oh baby, baby..."
"YEAH!", Ruby cheered.
"I must admit, this fight is very impressive", Ozpin remarked, taking a sip in his new coffee mug.
"IMPOSSIBLE", Mercury shouted in disbelief as Emerald smirked.
Cinder was shocked. "That Divine Sandstorm hit him directly! H-How…?"
Raven huffed at her. "Directly? You should check your eyes, Yang was cunning enough to make it look direct. She's an absolute genius of trickery, to the point that I don't know if I should praise her… Take a closer look at Mercury."
She lowered her sunglasses, revealing her strikingly purple eyes. The camera began closing in on Mercury's arms, before Cinder gasped.
"I-I see…", Cinder confirmed her suspicions.
"But how? There is no way she could use her feet. It would destroy it", Winter said, baffled at the revelation.
It flashed back to when Mercury erupted from the horse to strike at Yang, but this time it was revealed that Yang had used her foot to grab the reins and send Hamon through them, covering Mercury in the yellow electricity.
Everyone was shocked at Yang's state of the art planning. "Blondie did that? Awesome...", Roman complimented as Neo nodded.
"Amazing", Jaune said, wondering if his alternate self would be proud at her.
"He wrapped Hamon-filled reins around Mercury's arms. Mercury's Divine Sandstorm was halted.", Cinder explained.
Yang barely called out. "Mercury was sticking his hand out of the horse. I knew he'd stick his other hand out to use his Divine Sandstorm. And I had the perfect counter! Mercury! I'm NOT that innocent!
The students applauded at her performance, including Emerald who received a glare for Mercury, who was sweating bullets.
Yang grinned as he gripped the reins of her chariot and closed in, while the vampires all gasped. "Mercury, I bet you never lost a fight before, have you? But that's because... YOU ONLY MET ME RECENTLYYYY!"
"Look at Lord Mercury's face!"
"He's sweaty and pale!"
"Where is he looking? He looks high!"
"W-What's he gonna do?! It's lap two! B-But Lord Mercury can't grab a weapon like that! Can Lord Mercury fight on?", the Vampires ranted.
"It's no surprise… Mercury was struck with Hamon in the middle of his attack. The confidence he built over millennia has crumbled. The quiet intensity his victories gave him has vanished. It was surely a shock for him.", Cinder exclaimed.
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious", Mercury groaned at the side.
"Jaune was hot-headed and confident while fighting Mercury that costed his rationality while Ms. Xiao-Long used her intellect and wit to counter Mercury's attack", Ozpin explained.
As Mercury kept staring at nothing, Cinder just crossed her arms into an X formation.
"But it matters not! Put out the next set of weapons!", she ordered as her arms glowed with her light abilities, signalling the vampires to pull out the next set of weapons.
Salem growled at the thought of her subordinates using light-based abilities but has come to convince herself that not all light abilities are good.
"Lady Cinder gave the order!",
"We must obey her command."
The two vampires nodded at each other, before performing a strange jog towards the arena.
They stood on the base of the destroyed pillar Mercury had picked up, the taller one holding the shorter one on his shoulders, with the shorter vampire holding two different crossbows.
"For the second lap, both warriors get crossbows! Each comes with two balls for ammo! The faster warrior chooses the large or small bow!", Ozpin narrated as the camera panned up to show the approaching chariots, Yang riding with her signature defiant grin, and Mercury with his gaze still dazed and unfocused.
"Rethink your life choices now, Mercury!", Emerald teased to her teammate.
"Shut up! I know I can win this!", Mercury whined at her.
The screen came back, focused on the two vampires, before cutting to Yang's chariot slowly edging in front of Mercury's. "S-So now there's two... What are tho- oh! Crossbows, a big one and a small one?", Yang asked.
Back with Raven and Cinder, the Pillar Woman sat down on the ground and smirked to herself.
"Raven, let me say what's on your mind. 'Mercury's mind is in no state to fight. So why is Cinder deploying weapons with such confidence?' It makes you nervous, right? Here's why. It's because Mercury is a true warrior. He won't go down that easy.", Cinder declared to her.
Mercury was still staring at nothing as he was bounced up and down in his chariot before the Ozpin began narrating. "Top athletes use a psychological technique called the 'switch comeback.' When pressured by shock, pressure, or fear, they can flip a mental switch and bring out their fighting spirit! In desperate situations, a ritual is needed. This is Mercury's!"
It focused on Mercury's hand, hanging limply, before it clenched into a fist. Mercury's head rolled forward and a determined expression crossed his face, before using both thumbs, he gouged out his eyes… not seen but a shower of blood did.
The Audience flinched at the sight.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?", Mercury called out.
"I wouldn't expect less if you went insane at this point", Emerald sassed.
"Kid's got some issues", Roman muttered as he gulped his soda.
"Oh god...", Summer gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"What is he doing now?", Cinder wondered, not bothered that Mercury gouged his eyes.
Yang looked back in shock, gasping. "W-What the…?! What the fuck is he doing?!
"LORD MERCURY!".
"Look at his eyes!"
Mercury's eyes were closed and leaking blood and he was grimacing, yet he gripped the reins hard and kept riding. "He poked them out!", one of the vampires pointed out.
"I foolishly relied on my eyes because I could see. Yang exploited my weakness.", Mercury gravely said.
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO GOUGE OUT MY EYES!", Mercury cursed out to his counterpart, having lost his legs already to his father, now watching himself remove his eyes.
As Raven and Yang watched, he stood up and leaped while lifting his head high. Out of his head came his familiar horn, which spun like a drill for a moment. "I will use this horn to see wind instead of light! Now my senses are boundless."
"Nice abilities?", Emerald sarcastically remarked.
He landed back in the chariot, and Cinder smirked as she watched.
"He flipped his switch by removing his eyes. Mercury is now psychologically invincible. Now he can sense the wind with his horn. He sees air better than light. Now, what will your runt do next?", Cinder taunted Raven.
Yang was clearly grossed out from the gruesome act. "W-What was that all about? That won't psyche me out! I lost my bestfriend! And Emerald was more terrifying than you! Your eyes are nothing compared to that!"
"Even she admits I'm way scarier than you", Emerald said to him, who was eyeing his counterpart.
He snapped the reins, and sped towards the vampires holding the weapons.
"Which crossbow-"
"-Will you take?", the Vampires asked.
"Don't ask questions if you knew the answer!", Yang called out.
She thundered past and snatched the larger of the two weapons, causing the vampires to stumble and she grinned. "The big one, of course! I need the firepower to take that big fucker down!"
For some reason, the vampires just snickered at his words, looking at each other.
"I have a bad feeling about this.", Nora grimly said.
"Indeed, Ms. Valkyrie", Ozpin said to her.
"That one does have power."
"Yeah, lots of power!, the vampires said to Yang
They held out the smaller crossbow which Mercury easily grabbed as he sped past, showcasing how he could still see, before cutting to Yang having trouble with his weapon. The drawstring wasn't being pulled back, even with her impressive strength.
"WHAT?!", Yang called out.
"Did they sabotaged it?", Winter asked.
"Scumbags", Jaune called out.
"Can't be. These vampires aren't that smart to know what Ms. Xiao-Long is going to pick, so I doubt it. If Mercury did get the large crossbow and it was sabotaged, Cinder will likely have them killed.", Ozpin exclaimed.
"N-No! I can't draw this fucking- S-So tight!", Yang cursed out.
The males blushed at what she said, including Flit. The females glared at them for getting the wrong idea. Aeralyn elbowed Flit for that.
The vampires atop the broken pillar laughed. "You got greedy! Even a normal crossbow takes a lot of strength to draw!
"You got greedy! So greed got you back!".
Mercury meanwhile was still behind Yang, however he was able to pull back on his crossbow with ease, before grabbing an iron ball and loading it. He lifted it up, aiming with his horn.
"I'll use the first ball to get a picture.", Mercury said to her
"Good luck trying to aim, wiseguy!", Mercury sassed to his counterpart where Emerald snickered, finally seeing Mercury talking to himself.
He fired, and Yang yelped as the ball whizzed past her and luckily missed. "AH! HOLY-"
Unluckily, it slammed into the head of one of his horses, completely obliterating it in a shower of blood and gore.
"Guess I still pack a punch", Mercury commented.
The body fell down dead, and Yang had to leap onto the back of her second horse as Mercury's chariot swerved around the bloody body, and he reloaded. "Now I see the range. The next shot won't miss."
"If it had that power to decimate a horse, it'll go through Ms. Xiao-Long for sure!", Glynda called out.
"Damn. How can I shoot back?", Yang thought.
"Lord Mercury, blow her to smithereens!"
"Let us feed on whatever remains!", the Vampires suggested.
Yang managed to slowly pull back on the drawstring, but before it could stick in place it snapped back, hurting her fingers. She winced, looking back at Mercury as she held the reins in her mouth. She suddenly commanded her horse forward, and since her horse wasn't pulling a chariot, she was able to pull ahead further.
"She has to maintain some distance from him at this point", Ozpin said.
Mercury's crossbow sights followed him as Yang circled around the arena, before she was on the complete opposite side, hidden by the roaring flames. Mercury grimaced, and Yang grinned around the reins in her mouth.
"J-Just as I thought. The wind stirred up by the fire makes it hard for him to see. This is the spot!", Yang calculated.
Ozpin and Glyda were impressed at her assesment, seeing her way of thinking similar to Jaune's.
"She's underestimating Mercury.", Cinder smugly said.
"And you're underestimating our friend!", Nora fired back.
Mercury growled and lifted his crossbow, but instead aimed it at the arena wall beside him.
"H-Hey, what's Lord Mercury doing?"
"He's turned away from the flame!"
He fired, causing the vampires to yelp and duck back as the ball slammed into the wall, but instead of bouncing off and slamming into the ground, it began following the curve of the arena wall with a screech of metal on stone.
"Yang is staying opposite of Mercury and near the flame. She's giving away her position!", Cinder declared as she thought an image of the arena appeared behind her head, showing Yang near to the flames and ahead of Mercury, before it zoomed out to the show the circular arena. Raven's face replaced hers as she figured out what Mercury was doing.
"He's banking his shot like a billiard ball!", Raven pieced out.
"I'm a fighting genius!", Mercury praised to himself at this planning.
"Bullshit", Emerald muttered.
The ball continued spinning along the wall as if it were powered by the Infinite Spin, before clanging off the wall and shooting directly towards Yang. Yang turned as it blazed towards her, before it slammed into her side and dug into her flesh with a painful crunch noise but not piercing her perhaps due to its momentum being slowed from spinning along the wall.
"YANG!", Ruby cried out, embracing her sister.
"WHAT?! He hit me from behind..!, Yang uttered as she fell from her horse as blood spurt from her mouth, but as he crashed into the ground, her fingers pulled down hard and managed to cock the crossbow. She rolled across the ground and winced, shivering against the floor as she grimaced, before lying still. The vampires went wild, cheering and roaring while Cinder smirked and Raven gasped.
"I was looking at the terrain as we circled. I wanted to find a wall I could use on you!", Mercury told her. He tossed away his crossbow as Yang struggled on the ground, eyes wide and clearly in pain as she gripped her side. "C-Can't breath! Fucker got my liver..!", she thought as she was in pain.
"It lost momentum, so it didn't pierce the skin. But she's spitting up blood, which means organ damage at least. More than enough for Mercury to finish her.", Cinder remarked with glee.
Yang lay in the center of the stone pathway, and the camera zoomed out to show how small she was, while Mercury slowly closed in around the flame.
"Finish her, Mercury! But Yang is a sly one. Be on your guard!", Cinder commanded.
"Has ahe set a trap?", Mercury said to himself. Mercury's chariot and horses closed in, and Yang continued to lay on the ground, the cocked crossbow next to her.
"My crossbow cocked itself when it hit the ground. I can't let him know that!", Yang thought.
"Come on, Yang! You can do it!", Ruby called out to her sister.
"Come on! For Fearless Leader!", Nora cheered on.
She slowly reached out even as she winced from the pain, placing the metal ball into it. He glanced towards Mercury and frowned. "I can't kill him from this far. Closer. Come closer. Now!", Yang thought before she suddenly sat up, grabbing her crossbow.
"He has!", Mercury gasped.
Mercury began spinning his arms, starting a weak Divine Sandstorm, his arms were heavily damaged so it won't be much devastating but it had the power to blow the iron ball away, while Yang roared and raised her weapon, preparing to fire. She had it aimed directly towards Mercury, before she winced, the screen turning red as she coughed up blood. She dropped the crossbow and fell back, causing it to launch its payload into the air, away from Mercury.
Mercury followed the ball with his horn, and the vampires around the arena began roaring with laughter as Cinder chuckled. "Almost! Almost! Her shot went wild, though. I should commend her for fighting until the very last."
Raven just watched without saying anything.
"Here I come, Yang! Have at thee!", Mercury declared as he went closer. Yang however, began cowering before him.
"S-Stay away! Don't come any closer! Go away! Leave me the hell alone! Please, just spare me!", she begged as she started grabbing pebbles and small rocks that lay near her, and tossed them feebly at the blind Pillar Man.
"Muahahahahhaha! I AM INVINCIBLE!", Mercury goaded as his victory is inevitable but Emerald and Cinder are unconvinced at Yang's acting.
"I'm not going down like a damsel in distress! Come on! Do something!", Yang called out to herself at screen.
"She is a good actor...", Ozpin smirked as Glynda realized what his tone meant.
"You don't mean-"
Mercury grimaced as the small pebbles bounced off his face harmlessly, and growled at Yang's apparent lack of honor. "You cur!", he cursed out.
"Huh? She's throwing rocks?!"
"What a pathetic loser!"
"At least die like a man, wanker!", the vampires insulted.
As Mercury continued to growl angrily at her, Yang kept throwing rocks. Eventually though, she stopped with a smirk, pointing a finger at her. "Mercury… Here's what you'll say next: 'Do not dishonor our fight, Yang!"
"Bullshit that ain't happening", Roman scoffed as he drank his soda.
"Is she serious now?",Mercury said like it was the lamest thing he heard.
"Do not dishonor our fight, Yang!"
All those who had drinks spat at Yang's prediction, with said teen pumping her fist into the air. "OH YEAH!".
Mercury gasped, and Yang grinned even wider as she grabbed a large amount of rocks and tossed them to distract Mercury. "Here! A bat could fly between those stones, but what about you?, she taunted.
Yang raised her hands in front of her face and Mercury suddenly stood up straight, but he was too late.
*BANG*
The ball that had fired from Yang's crossbow suddenly clanged off the arena wall behind him, and pierced through his heart in one shot.
"See what I mean?", Ozpin remarked.
Ozpin narrated. "The arena went silent. Everyone was silent. There wasn't even a moan. Mercury's wound was like a jack-o'-lantern's grin. The iron ball carried a small amount of Hamon. The wound began to fester. Mercury's damages arms grew worse. There would be no more Divine Sandstorms."
"Aww what?!", Mercury groaned.
Yang grinned "Looks like Mercury is finally DISARMED, eh?"
Everyone else groaned at the pun, even Flit and Aeralyn facepalmed at this.
Mercury finally fell forward, however his eyes began to open, glowing red. Yang watched warily, gasping raggedly as the ringing of Hamon sounded out. "I-I have to r-resume my Hamon breathing."
Mercury suddenly roared and flipped forward, causing Yang to ready herself for the attack. "A front flip kick?! You're just lashing out in pain! Here, have some more! Rebuff Overdrive!"
Yang lit up her elbows with Hamon, slamming them into Mercury's legs. Mercury cried out as the Hamon ravaged his legs, leaving them smoking just as his arms and chest was.
"That was it! His limbs are busted!" Nora called out.
"Yang won! Mercury won't get up again!", Raven called out.
Mercury twitched on the ground, smoke rising from his battered body. "W-What has become of the great Mercury? I have fallen into such a sorry state. A body that lived for 12,000 years is reduced to this.", he lamented.
"I don't know either man", Mercury slumped his shoulders in defeat."
Mercury slowly sat up as Yang watched, revealing that his arms were gone from the elbows down, confusing the team.
"Where did his..?", Ruby asked.
"I refuse to go down without a struggle. My wounds are my flesh. My losses my ability. I will use all of this to claim victory!", Mercury declared.
"That don't look too good..." Jaune gulped.
"What are you mumbling abou-", Yang turned to ask but was cut off. Mercury turned to Yang as his body glowed green, before suddenly firing his severed arms from the hole in his chest.
"WHAT?!", Team RWBY called out.
"AHHH FUC-", Yang cursed but couldn't move out of the way in time and was blasted backward.
"His arms! He fired the severed forearms from the hole in his chest!", Raven called out. Yang was slammed into the brazier holding the arena's flames, grasping at the hands around her neck, choking. "Wha…?! C-can't breath! I can't use my Hamon breathing!"
"Ha! Proved you wrong again Emerald!", Mercury said to his teammate.
"Without Hamon, Yang's by the ropes", Jaune said, gritting his teeth.
"You don't know that, Yang can do this!", Ruby snapped.
Mercury continued to kneel, before odd metallic pipes burst from between his ribs. The air around him began to be sucked in, and Yang watched as she struggled to remove the hands from her neck. "T-That wind. It's flowing towards Mercury.", she barely uttered out.
"This is my ultimate mastery of wind.", Mercury declared.
Cinder's eyes widened at the declaration. "Ultimate mastery? No! Stop Mercury! You cannot do that!"
The wind continued to be sucked in as Cinder waved her arm to signal Mercury to stop. "Mercury! Stop! Can he not hear me?"
Raven scoffed, "He gouged his eyes out, not his ears. Try yelling louder."
"The wind is going into those pipes!", Yang uttered as the wind grew stronger.
"My ultimate mastery. Atmospheric Rift!", Mercury chanted.
Blood exploded out of him as his face grew determined, while an image of Yang appeared in the corner of the screen, before the Ending began playing.
Aeralyn pushed a button at the screen. "So that ends our-"
"Play it! Play it now!",Yang called to her.
"Come on! Fearless Leader hasn't been avenged yet!", Nora seconded.
"Are you sure? I mean we can take a break-", she tried to reason before she was cut off.
"We can take our break later! Please just play it!", Ruby whined to her, showing her puppy dog eyes. Unable to resist, she glanced at Flit, who gave a nodding smile at their determination. Aeralyn gave a sigh but with approval.
"Very well then. Part 2 here we go!", Aeralyn announced as she pushed a button on her remote and the screen flashed white once more.
Mercury was still kneeling before Yang, drawing in wind through the pipes, as Yang tried to remove Mercury's severed hands from around her throat. "Ahh..! I'm not in to this shit!", she whined.
Yang grimaced as she sweat, the firelight flickering off of her face and blood leaked down her lip. "T-That wind… It's flowing towards Mercury."
The influx of wind grew more and more violent, as Mercury concentrated. "My ultimate mastery: Atmospheric Rift!"
The turban he wore on his head around his horn was torn to shreds, before a visible stream of sharpened, forceful wind was fired out, the sound akin to a jet engine.
"Ahh it got worse!" the Blake whined.
It slammed into the stone wall that Yang leant against, and instead of washing away like normal wind it visibly cut into it. The wind began slicing down closer and closer towards Yang as the brawler watched in horror, the wind more akin to a highly sharpened blade than actual air. "T-That's wind?!"
"You're near the flame, so I only know your approximate location. But now that you can't use Hamon, I'll find you eventually and cut you down.", Mercury spoke, blood spurt from his body and patches of flesh were visibly ripped away, revealing lava like innards as he concentrated. Cinder's face appeared, two beads of sweat dripping down her face as he thought to herself.
"Atmospheric Rift is Mercury's final weapon. The pipes that he uses to cloak himself suck up huge amounts of air and then compress it. The air is then blasted out of a paper-thin slit. It is a razor made of wind. But it creates a terrible amount of heat and friction, even for Mercury. His body can't handle it, so it's falling apart."
"A suicide attack? Really Mercury?", Emerald questioned her partner.
"Come on, I'm not that desperate to win, okay!", Mercury defended himself.
The others concluded that it was a suicide attack. "You really pushed him to the brink didn't you?" the heiress muttered to the brawler.
"The concept of thin air being razor sharp still made no sense though..." Yang said.
As Cinder had thought to herself, Mercury's body continued to spurt blood, before Cinder began speaking out loud. "But that tragic figure is truly breathtaking. Victory is yours! Take her life to salve your wounds!"
"Yang!", Raven called out in horror.
"It's close! I'll have to use one of my tricks!", she thought to herself.
"Come on... Come on... she must have something." Raven quietly cheered.
As the blade of air cut ever closer, sending shards of rock flying, she reached into her back pocket and grabbed a clear bottle filled with a slightly opaque liquid and a string plugging the opening. "This one's called the Hamon oil trick!", Yang declared, holding the bottle. She reached up and stretched her arm backward, reaching towards the blazing inferno behind her.
"His lungs are like high-pressure oxygen tanks. Those pipes… If I can hit them… He'll suck in the flames and explode! But this is the last ace up my sleeve. If I fucked this up…"
"Then it's game over for you", Mercury finished, but not liking the suicide attack he was performing.
The wind finally reached her, cutting into her ear and causing her to cry out in pain.
"GAAAAAAH!"
"Yang!", Ruby cried out, embracing her sister.
"Oh my god", Summer gasped, covering her mouth.
"Come on, firecracker. You can do this!", Qrow cheered on.
Mercury turned his head, having heard her cry and using it to pinpoint her location. "I've got you now!"
"Toss it now!", Jaune called out to the screen.
"It's now or never! Throw it now!", Ironwood shouted
"Damnit! Mercury, CHOKE ON THIS!", Yang shouted as she reared back and launched the bottle of oil, which now had a flaming string and flew perfectly towards Mercury's air pipes, until Mercury turned his head and sliced through the middle of it.
"As much as I'd like to win, this is gonna be messy", Mercury thought out.
Yang cried out and watched with wide eyes as the liquid fell from the bottle, and the flaming string went out.
"A firebomb? Pathetic. I can sense things that are away from the flames. You're out of tricks. And that cry gave away your position. Have at thee!", Mercury declared as Yang grunted as she pulled at the hands and Mercury sucked in even more air which resulted in more blood spurting from him.
Taiyang's teeth gritted, with all hope seems lost, he can only hope that Mercury destroys himself before his razor wind reaches Yang.
His horn was pointed at the sky, the wind swirling around it as he prepared his attack. And now, Atmospheric Rift!
Yang continued to cling on to life, before taking of Jaune's headband. "JAAUUUNNEE! Lend me your aid!
Jonathan and Elena Arc's eyes widened at Yang's plea, and silently prayed that their alternate son's soul to aid Yang on her peril.
With that roar Yang reached back, gripping the end of Jaune's headband, throwing the now flaming cloth towards Mercury as dramatic dubstep played. "More fire? Imbecile, I can sense things away from the flames."
Another flick of his head turned the headband into shreds of cloth and embers, eliciting a grunt of dismay from Yang.
"No...", Phyrra cried out, with tears leaving her face, seeing Jaune's legacy torned to shreds.
"No.", Jaune said with determination. "It's not over yet!"
"And now, I will cut you in half to claim my victory.", Mercury declared but Yang scoffed at him. "You fell for it fool."
Suddenly, Yang looked calm, and she held out both hands. A very familiar theme began playing in the background, Il Mare Eterno Nella Mia Anima or The Eternal Sea in my Soul. The Audience's mood changed drastically as they heard the theme.
Ovunque tu vada!
"Mercury… You lost the moment I threw Jaune's bandana. Don't you see that I meant for you to break the bottle?"
Ovunque io vada...
"Amazing, she planned this all along", Winter remarked with fascination.
"That's my firecracker there", Qrow said with pride towards them. And for once, Winter agreed to his point.
Mercury grit his teeth in anger and confusion, not sure what Yang meant, while Yang simply stared back, completely serious. The camera cut to the bottle, where the liquid inside was being sucked out by Mercury's pipes.
C'è il mio amor nella tua vita.
"Welp, I'm going to die", Mercury sighed, accepting his fate in this universe.
The oil flowed through the air, before being drawn into the very weapons that would have allowed Mercury to kill Yang.
c'è l'amor nella tua giornata...
Yang turned to explain. "Your ability to cut it so easily led to your defeat. The oil that was inside is now vapor. And the bandana you sliced up?"
Above him, the embers and fragments of cloth that remained of Jaune's headband flew down, drawn to Mercury just as the oil had been.
Basta un tuo sor"
"The fire… It's still burning. And I'm sucking it in!", Mercury uttered and was sillougheted by light as four streams of flames were sucked into the air pipes along his body, and he was unable to do anything to stop them. Yang looked on, watching calmly.
un tuo sol sorriso..!
"Mercury. You were an honorable fighter. But a powerful ally named Jaune was with me this whole time.", she said to him.
Mercury grunted, pain flaring up inside him, and the music reached a crescendo.
Non morirà l'anima mia. È IMMORTAAAAAAAAAAL!
With a massive roar of sound Mercury exploded from the inside, his body blown apart into fragments, and cracks running along his face as his head was thrown away from his disintegrated body.
"She did it...", Ren muttered.
"Fearless Leader is avenged!", Nora said with teary eyes.
"Splendid! Just Splendid!" the powerful song caused Ozpin to stand up and applaud. Summer, and Glynda followed. Phyrra's eyes shed a single tear. Mercury lost, and Jaune was avenged. But why does it feel so... strange?
"H-He lost."
"He lost! Lord Mercury!", the Vampires called out.
"Well at least I went down with a bang", Mercury remarked as Emerald placed a hand on his shoulder, approving on what she had said. But strangely, she felt a pang of sadness on his defeat but she didn't know why.
Cinder just watched, saying nothing, before Mercury's head bounced along the arena floor. His neck and several cracks in his face glowed orange, and he groaned pitifully as his silver hair lay against the ground.
"Mercury!" Ruby called out in concern. The rest of the team shared her complicated feelings. They slowly just realized that this version Mercury is not malicious enough to deserve it.
The arms constricting Yang's breathing finally released, and Yang breathed several large sighs of relief as she tore them off.
"Yang, that creature can regenerate, even after exploding like that. Use your strongest Hamon to finish him completely!", Raven ordered her
"She has too, otherwise it would become a problem again", Raven said.
Cinder solemnly watched in silence. Yang walked towards Mercury's head, one foot bare and her outfit ragged as bruises lined her body, and looked down at the severed head of her enemy.
"S-So it's finally over, Yang", Mercury weakly uttered.
"It is."
"You paid me back for Jaune."
"I did."
Accepting his fate, Mercury said. "Then do it. Finish me."
Yang clenched her fist for one moment, before chopping downwards with sudden speed and force. "I will!"
The Audience flinched, it was too brutal.
There was an explosion from the force that the brawler used, sending up dust and debris, but as it cleared, her hand was revealed to have been slammed into the floor next to the Pillar Man's head. Mercury gasped in confusion, and Yang raised her hand to watch as a small amount of blood shot out of it. She moved her hand over Mercury's head and clenched, sending a stream of blood down towards Mercury. "W-What is this?!", Mercury questioned her.
"That smoke isn't from the explosion. It's from your wounds. The Hamon from your limbs spread throughout your body. I know how painful that must be for your kind. I cannot mend you. But my blood can ease your pain before you go.", Yang said to her fallen foe.
Mercury couldn't understand why she was doing this, Emerald was curious though.
"Do you wish to shame me as I die? Stop! I don't need your pity!", Mercury ranted as Yang stayed calm.
"Pity? Did you say 'pity?' So why did you ignore the bubble that carried Jaune's bandanna and this ring? Was it pity?", Yang asked back.
"It was because that man was a proud warrior. I wished to honor him.", Mercury said before he gasped at the realization, and Yang pointed towards him.
'No, Yang, you don't mean…'
"No, Yang, you don't mean…",
"I do, Mercury. A fight is a fight. My grief for Jaune is my grief. But somehow, I wanted to honor you in return. My blood pays tribute to you.", Yang explained to him.
Team STRQ expressed their pride what Yang had said to him. Ozpin and Glynda were proud at her resolve, as did her fellow classmates. Even Salem and Cinder could deny the respect they expressed to her.
"The respect these two share..." Blake mumbled in amazement, wiping the last tear she shed.
Yang stood tall and looked behind her towards Mercury, her scarf and hair fluttering in the night's wind. She raised a bloody fist in respect, eyes showing no lies. Mercury was silent, before his head twisted and he let off a soft chuckle. "I have lost, Yang. It seems that as a warrior, you stand taller than I did."
"Maybe because you're currently a head." Nora whispered only to be elbowed by Phyrra. "What? Come on, I like the guy, I don't mean disrespect." she said with a grin.
They both went silent, their mutual respect needing no more words, before the silence was broken by the vampires around them. The undead creatures roared, eyes glowing red as they scrambled for the brawler. "Kill the bastard!", they shouted.
"Oh no!", Phyrra called out in fear.
Yang stepped back and watched as the vampires neared, wielding all manor of weapons, before Mercury intervened. "HOLD! What betrayal is this?!"
Said teen in the audience gasped, "What the-"
Mercury used his hair to put his head into either his own or Yang's crossbow, before using several more strands of hair to pull back the lever and fire.
"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK!?", Mercury called out as Emerald laughed.
"AHAHAHAHA! OH MY GO- WAHAHA!" Yang laughed at the absolute insanity of the situation.
Mercury's head flew forward, his horn spinning like a drill and used to sever and slice through the vampire minions. "You recreants!", Mercury berated them. Blood flew as Mercury slaughtered them even as just a head, before his horn suddenly broke off, and he fell to the ground. Yang ran over, kneeling down.
"Mercury! W-Why?", Yang asked him, shocked of what had transpired.
"I am sworn to Lady Cinder, but I will not allow the vampires to attack you. I told Jaune this as well. It's not because I am sentimental. To me, only the strong are real. Victory alone is just and admirable. I merely lived according to my own code of honor. To me, immortality was a trivial thing. All that mattered was living up to my code. Now… drink the antidote for me. Do it before I fade.",
Yang looked down at him as she stood up. "You won't see it though", she told Mercury.
"I do not need eyes or a horn. I will know it. Do it now.", Mercury requested her.
Yang reached down and grabbed the ring, lifting it to her mouth to bite off the removable portion, and swallowing the antidote. Her heart appeared on screen, beating calmly, with the ring swiftly disintegrating into nothingness.
Yang stood before the fire, her and Mercury's shadows being cast over the bodies of the dead vampires. "I have no regrets. I am glad I was able to witness your growth. Perhaps I lived these thousands of years in order to meet you at the end.", he told her as he begins to dissolve.
"Fare… well… Yang…"
With a final gust of wind that fluttered through Yang's hair, Mercury's head turned to dust, drifting along through the air and disappearing into the sky. Yang's scarf waved, and Yang raised a hand, placing it to her forehead to salute as a final sign of respect. Ozpin narrated.
"Mercury merged into the wind. Yang immediately gave her opponent a last salute. Though she shed no tears, they had shared a silent song. They had shared an affinity.", Ozpin narrated before the screen fades to black.