Hey hey hey everybody! We're here with another chapter! Two more chapters left till the end! We're really close to the end of this book! I'll tell you, this book felt longer than the previous ones! But I hope that this book is better than the previous book! So, let's get on with the chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters, music, etc belong to their respective creators!
[-Music: Robot Carnival / Robot Storm [ Sonic Heroes ]-)
The scene opens to sounds of blades clashing, gunfire, and punches & kicks being thrown. The black void vanishes as sparks surge as we see Pyrrha Nikos and Cinder Fall clashing with Jaune Arc at the back. Then we see Ruby Rose combatting Emerald Sustrai, Yang Xiao Long & Qrow Branwen against Raven Branwen, Weiss Schnee against Vernal, and Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren fighting Hazel Rainheart with Sonic Takamaki, Shadow Yaminagi, and Knuckles Kaji behind them; observing the battles. The academy was turned into a battle zone. Then the camera pans to Oscar Pine climbs the stairs and confronts Leonardo Lionheart.
The Lion Faunus notices the young man approaching him. "Young man, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave. Now."
Oscar defiantly remains stationary before taking a few more steps toward Lionheart.
"I'm warning you!" Lionheart warns him as he pressed a red button on the bracer that transforms to a wrist-mounted shield with several Dust containers beneath a cross. This only made the former Farm Boy prepare to draw something from behind him. "That's enough!"
Lionheart rotates his weapon, having a glyph appear above it which then conjures a flaming rock that launches at Oscar, who holds out his arms in front of him defensively as the attack explodes. Oscar is unscathed, though his Aura shimmers. He continues to proceed up the steps and draws The Long Memory.
Lionheart's eyes bulged, almost coming out of their sockets. "Ozpin?!"
"Not quite." Oscar responded.
Oscar then proceeds forward as his attacks force Lionheart on the defensive. Lionheart blocks or dodges most of them, one drives him against the rail. Oscar hits it as Lionheart avoids another strike, then follows up with a swing that sends Lionheart staggering down the steps. He jumps down to continue attacking and eventually manages to whack Lionheart back a few steps.
"This can't be... I knew you would be back, but... you made it here! You found Qrow! How?"
"Leo... what happened to you?" Ozpin thought, feeling disheartened about how far that his former friend had fallen.
Lionheart had an epiphany. He stands up, prepping his weapon. "Wait. You can't have this form for long. You're... not really Ozpin right now. Boy. Child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this! I can finally be free!"
"What do I do?" Oscar inquired to the former Headmaster of Beacon.
"Fight." Ozpin's dryly responded.
The two began their bout. Lionheart fired a shot of Ice Dust, which Oscar ducks and charges at his opponent with swift strikes with Long Memory that the Lion Faunus barely deflects. Then, then black gem glowed. Vivid-green orbs turn to Stalwart as her eyes narrowed.
"Jaune! SWITCH!" Pyrrha called to her partner.
No hesitation, Jaune dashed towards her as he got Crocea Mors ready as Pyrrha evaded a strike from Cinder's scimitar. He clashes with the Fall Maiden while the Gladiator Girl switches Miló to its semi-automatic rifle form and shoots Lionheart's shield. This spooks him as Oscar smacks him with Long Memory that makes the Headmaster of Haven fall down the stairs and into Hazel Rainart, who remains unfazed as Lionheart falls to the ground after
Hazel picks up Lionheart by his collar, lifting him off the floor. "You're lettin' that boy make a fool of you."
"That's not just a boy! It's Ozpin." This statement made Hazel's eyes widen. "He's already reincarnated!"
Hazel drops Lionheart and looks over to Oscar, who is conversing with Pyrrha. Then he notices The Long Memory being held in the young farm boy's hand. "Ozpin?"
Suddenly, the usual calm demeanor of Hazel slowly turns infuriated.
"OZPIN!" He bellowed.
(-Music Ends-)
The shout caused the former Farm Hand and Sanctum's Champion to gaze at him.
"Oh no…" Ozpin mentally dreaded this moment.
"You thought you could hide from ME?!"
Nora and Ren stood in front of him with their weapons ready.
"If you want to get to Cute Boy Ozpin, then you'll have to get through us!" Nora declared.
Hazel rips his coat off, and then grabs a pair of lightning Dust crystals from a couple of pouches on his legs. This made his opponents widen their eyes in shock.
"What's he doing with those Lightning Dust crystals?!" Sonic inquired while unsheathing Caliburn.
Shadow unsheathed Ddraig Goch with gritted teeth. "Be prepared for anything! We might have to step in!"
"You'll pay for what you did! You'll die over and over again!" Hazel angrily declared as he let out an animalistic growl.
(-Music: Released Power [ Fairy Tail ]-)
He stabs the lightning Dust into his arms, with his blood vessels turning yellow and popping out from his skin as well as having some lightning coat them. His eyes glow yellow, and he lets out an intimidating roar. Oscar slowly backs away, holding his cane up cautiously as Pyrrha stands in front of him in a defensive position.
"J-Jaune! How are you holding up?!" She asked her boyfriend as she briefly glanced at him.
With Jaune, he somersaults to avoid a flaming spear from the Fall Maiden. Then Crocea Mors's blade had a white outline as he swung it, releasing a white arch that Cinder sliced through, but she skidded to the wall.
"Barely getting by Pyr! I heard the big guy! Be careful!" The Blonde Knight yelped as he used his shield to block a strike from Cinder's sword.
"Have to say boy, you have improved. But you stand no chance against me! Begone!" Cinder had an evil smile as she put more power into the sword.
In turn, the blade released an explosion. Sending Jaune to a wall with his Aura flickering, making him kneel. Pyrrha gasped with wide eyes as her vision got blurry as she glared at Cinder.
"Pyrrha! Don't worry about me! Protect Oscar!" He grunts as he steadily but surely stands up. Then he gasps. "LOOK OUT!"
She gasps seeing Hazel charging at her as Pyrrha braces herself for impact but black and blue blurs bash him down to the ground revealing to be Sonic and Shadow who were a bit wobbly but they got their bearings as they stood in front of her and the frightened Oscar. Then Jaune and Qrow joined in as well.
"Ozpin is here?!" Inquired an infuriated Cinder as Raven and Vernal walk by her side.
"Is that a problem?" The Branwen Tribe Leader inquired.
Shadow noticed the two, but noticed how damaged Vernal was. She had a cut on her right cheek, several slash marks on her clothes. "I see that you bested Weiss…"
"I have to give it to you." Vernal said as she popped her neck. "You trained her well. For a Schnee, she gave me a run for my Lien. But I had to get serious since we're on the clock."
Cinder shook her head in regards to Raven's question. "I'm not sure, but right now we got the upper hand. Let's not waste it."
"Hold on there Cindy! You'll have to get through us!" Sonic points Caliburn at her. "You're not getting your hands on the Relic!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself Sonic. You have to get through Hazel and Raven to get to me. We wasted enough time with you fools. Have a Relic to obtain for my Queen." The Fall Maiden smirks at him as she turns to Lionheart, who is on his knees. "Leo! Open the path to the vault!"
"LEO! DON'T DO IT!" Qrow yelled.
Lionheart gets back up and approaches the statue in the room. He takes out his pocket watch and places it in a small niche on the statue. The hands on the watch gradually spin faster and the statue lowers. Yang Xiao Long watches the situation in front of her. She looks to Nora, Ruby, and Lie Ren as they tend to a badly damaged Weiss.
"Stop them! We got your team covered!" Nora told her.
Yang lingers a bit before heeding Nora's advice, but she gets shielded from an attack from an awake Mercury Black by Flamberg. Then the Assassin uses Talaria to fire a shot, blowing the Guardian back using the recoil.
"You wanna get to them? You're going to have to get through all of us." Emerald challenged the two powerhouses who looked at each other and then grinned.
Yang pounds her fists together and Knuckles gets into his fighting stance as their fiery Chaos Auras appear.
"Challenge accepted/Bring it!" They said in unison.
The green-haired girl uses her Semblance to create multiple copies of Mercury, which surround the Powerhouse Duo.
Meanwhile, Vernal steps onto the platform leading down to the vault.
"Make sure they leave Ruby and Sonic alive. This won't take long." The Fall Maiden told the Headmaster of Haven who gave a feeble nod.
Cinder steps onto the platform. Raven looks back a bit as she hears her daughter and the Guardian fighting vainly, shaking her head before she steps on the platform too before descending. Oscar is then shown dodging out of the way as Hazel slams his fist into the ground.
"Oscar."
"No!" The former Farm Hand evades another strike before Sonic spin dashes into Hazel's stomach.
"Oscar!"
"I told you, no!" He sharply shuts down the former Headmaster's inquiry as he sees the hulking man grab Sonic and slam him into the ground making him wince and then he gasps as he and Sonic get sent to a column.
"Please, let me take over! I can handle him!" Ozpin pleaded with him.
"You told me I needed to fight for myself!" Oscar stands back up, helping the Speedy Faunus up as well. "So I will."
"Kid! As much as I admire your bravery but this is way past your paygrade!" Sonic retorts as he sees his teammate charging at Hazel. "Yo Shads! Don't let him grab you!"
Oscar furrows a brow in confusion by his statement. "What does that mean? Why is he so upset with us?"
"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy?" Hazel asked the boy while blocking a strike from Ddraig Goch and raising his right fist. "I thought you looked familiar, to think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed. Your blood won't be on my hands, it'll be on his."
Qrow and Sonic jump in the way to block Hazel's attack, but he slams his fist into the ground, the shockwave knocking the four down as the hulking man throws Shadow's sword to the column, embedding it there. The three get back up as the Alcoholic Huntsman engages Hazel as Qrow dodges a punch then slashes at Hazel, who blocks the sword with one arm. Then Sonic kicks him at the face.
"What was he talking about?"
"Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you KILLED HER!" Hazel bellowed as he glared at Sonic.
"Her?"
"Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel... holds me responsible. Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed." Ozpin explained to his vessel, hoping that he understands why he needs to take on Hazel.
"You know now!" Hazel tosses Sonic and Qrow aside as he approaches the former Farm Hand. "You can forgive me for what I'm about to do."
"Did she know?" His question stops the Dust-powered man. "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?"
"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!"
"She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself!" Oscar holds his cane defensively. "So do I!"
Hazel glares at the boy, the feeling of regret leaving him. "Then you've chosen death!"
"I'm sorry."
"Huh what?"
Oscar's eyes glow and his body falls to the ground as Ozpin takes over him. Ozpin looks up, and Hazel looks back at him, enraged.
"OzzzzPIIIIIIIIN!"
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: White Dragon and Shadow Dragon [ Fairy Tail ]-)
Hazel and Ozpin fight each other intensely, Ozpin dodges several blows as one punch hits a column. Lionheart tries to intervene by launching another attack from Stalwart, but is stopped by a gunshot from Qrow. The two of them begin to fight each other, with Qrow swinging Harbinger at him. Then following up with a kick before blocking several of Lionheart's projectiles. With the two busy Ozpin and Hazel engage each other again. Hazel tries to smash him with his fists, but Ozpin is too fast for him. Nimbly jumping around while striking the man several times. Using Hazel like a springboard to launch himself away, their fight moves back over to the terrace. Ozpin kicks off a wall dodging fists and electric blasts, striking Hazel's face then jabs him several times in the chest. Eventually, Ozpin manages to roll under him and knock Hazel down on all fours with a hit to the legs. Ozpin then twirls his cane and prepares to deliver the finishing blow, but Hazel roars and smashes his fists into the ground, creating another lightning shockwave.
"Chaos Heal!" Ren holds his hands above Weiss as a green glow enshrouded her for a moment. "There. Your injuries should be fine for now."
"Thank you Ren. Now, go take care of Pyrrha. I need a moment." The Former Schnee Heiress told him as she remained in her kneeling position.
Ren nods as he approaches the unconscious Pyrrha and Jaune is using his Semblance to amplify her healing. "Jaune. Let me help!"
"Thank you Ren!" He thanked his teammate. "That guy… I can't believe that he made her go unconscious… just how strong is he?"
"He's powering himself up with those Dust crystals of his." Shadow spoke as he approached the group with his sword in hand. "It seems that his pain tolerance is high."
"That's how he's taking all of us on… Knuckles, Yang, and Nora are perfect counters for him since they are powerhouses." The Hooded Huntress said with a frown as she turned to see her sister and Knuckles fighting Mercury clones. Then she stands up getting Crescent Rose out. "Jaune. Ren. Keep on doing what you're doing. Shadow? I'll need some help taking care of Mercury and Emerald."
"Admirable your resolve is Ruby but they'll need back up." The Ultimate Life Form paused for a moment before gazing at a standing Weiss. "Weiss. You and Nora, keep the enemy away from Jaune and Ren till Pyrrha wakes up."
Weiss nods. "Okay!"
"Aye aye sir!" Nora chimed with Magnhild at the ready.
"So what's the plan?" Shadow asked Ruby.
"We need to get Knuckles and Yang down there so they can stop Cinder from getting the Relic. So we'll take on Mercury and Emerald." She answered him firmly while transforming her weapon into its scythe form. "I get Emerald, you get Mercury! Good enough?"
"Just don't get in my way." Shadow told her as he got into his battle stance.
"I won't."
Ruby runs and activates her Semblance as she jumps into the fray and knocks Emerald back with a hard kick to her face that sends the Master Thief skidding on the floor. Causing Emerald's Semblance copies of Mercury then disappear, reforming back into the main Mercury. Then Shadow performed a roundhouse kick at his face that sent him hurling through the railing of the second level, where Lionheart is.
"Thanks sis." The Blonde Brawler thanked her little sister. "You okay?"
"No… I'm angry…" The Hooded Huntress answers as she proceeds forward.
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: Sum Total [ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ]-)
Back down in the vault, Vernal, Cinder, and Raven walk towards the Relic chamber. Suddenly, a symbol on the ground glows bright, as well as the circle enclosed around it. Similar circles with symbols in them also glow leading up to the Relic chamber's door. The tree's flowers then glow even more, and its petals gently fall and float around the vault. One petal falls into Vernal's hand.
"Having fun?" The Fall Maiden inquired.
Vernal glares back at Cinder as the petal in her hand dissolves into particles.
"Vernal, stay focused." Her teacher told her.
"Oh, come now, Raven, let her enjoy this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Cinder said to Raven with a grin forming on her face.
"How does this work?" Vernal inquired with a quirked brow.
"Once the Spring Maiden places her hand on the door, it will open. For you - and only you. Then I will walk into the vault, and retrieve the Relic. No one else. Is that clear?" The Fall Maiden firmly instructed the Fake Spring Maiden as she got a nod from her.
"It doesn't matter to us. Let's get this over with." The Branwen Tribe Leader says, getting a bit impatient.
"Alright then. Vernal, when you're ready."
Vernal approaches the door. While she does so, Raven slowly reaches for the hilt of Omen, but stops when Cinder speaks.
"You know, I've heard so many stories about you, Raven. They say you're a cunning leader, that you're strong, that you're clever."
Vernal hovers her fingertips close to the door. Cinder glances back at Raven with an insidious smile on her face.
"It's a shame that they're wrong." The Fall Maiden suddenly launches out a blue, frost-like projectile from her hand.
"VERNAL!"
Raven reaches out, but she is already encased in ice by Cinder's attack. Vernal spins around and draws her weapons, but her body suddenly jolts as something stabs her stomach. She looks down and notices an elongated Grimm hand coming from Cinder's left arm, its claws piercing her torso. Cinder looks from Raven back to Vernal.
"It's nothing personal, dear." The Fall Maiden said in a dark tone as she approaches Vernal, and then lowers herself to be face-to-face to the pierced girl. "You're just not worthy of such power… I am."
Cinder twists her Grimm arm, and Vernal screams in agony as she is thrown to the ground, struggling to remove the claws from her stomach. The ice coating Raven is shown cracking.
"So I will take... what is mine…"
Vernal's struggles begin to weaken, her grip on Cinder's arm loosening. Cinder smirks as she looks down on Vernal's body, but then realizes that something is wrong.
"Wha- what is this? Where's the power?!" She asks, being surprised at not receiving the Spring Maiden's power from Vernal.
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: Natsu No Mahou 1 [Karyuu No Houkou] [ Fairy Tail ]-)
Cinder hears ice shatter from behind her and spins around, to see that Raven has broken free with a bluish aura glowing around her body.
"You won't find it, because Vernal isn't the Spring Maiden!" Raven said as she took off her mask and dropped it with a fiery glare on her face. "I am!"
The Branwen Tribe Leader opens her eyes, the telltale flames of a Maiden glowing around them, before the screen cuts to black.
(-Music Ends-)
[ To be Continued… ]