"Life and Death are both equally terrifying," Speaking
''Hoorah," Communications
'The body count only increases,' Thinking.
Phantoms
In the Emerald Forest is where Maggie and Irene side during the invasion. They've been fighting off the abnormal amounts of Grimm in the area with their dragon might. Their strength is unmatched by any of the Grimm they've encounter and at this rate they'll clear out the whole Grimm threat in the Forest in a matter of a few hours.
Irene and Maggie are back to back fighting off a Grimm hoard of tiny hoard of Ursai, Beowulves, Nevermores, and other Grimm species. In a duet of orange and purple the two dance to the song of death as they spew fire around them to defeat the black plague that surrounds them.
Irene spins her tail to clear the Grimm around her while breathing in deeply, as she spins she lets out a beam of orange fire that spins around her. With a combination of beauty and death she destroys the Grimm and the forest around her.
Black smoke covers her but she raises her scaly head above the smoke and screams a loud roar to assert her dominance on the field of battle.
Maggie on the other hand glows purple in her battle mode, two horns stick up on her head with the tips glowing purple. Scales around her glow purple as she raises her wings into the air, showing a terrifying sight of her fury. Many tiny Grimm try to climb on her but she only rolls to crush them under her weight. This is where her clumsiness comes in handy, at her size she can crush anything if she falls on it. Using the power of her clumsy ways and her purple flame she clears out the hoard on her side.
Black smoke covers the two but they are unscathed from the conflict, Irene looks at Maggie and finds that she is also okay. Irene grumbles of the mess they made but something catches their attention. The sounds of another roar fills their ears. They turn to the night skies to find a strange looking metal beast falling from sky, but that didn't make the roar, it's a darker figure flying next to it.
The sight makes the two go on their guard, a beast of black scales, an exoskeleton, red eyes and bat-like wings. Maggie can sense its power while Irene knows exactly what this enemy is. Natsu's nemesis, his goal, it's the Grimm Wyvern.
They watch as the Grimm Wyvern soars in the sky, looking for a target, they don't know where it came from but it spotted them. The Grimm roars a challenging roar and fires a black fire ball at Maggie. The attack is too fast for Maggie to sense as it closes in on her head, but Irene counters with her own fire ball to destroy the projectile.
Maggie and Irene watch as the Grimm Wyvern land 50 yards away from them, watching the two with its many red eyes. The three ready themselves for battle by clearing their minds and readying their claws. For a minute straight they wait for one to make the first move, during that whole time the sounds of war in Vale whisper in their ears as the three circle around each other.
Watching Grimm refuse to intervene against the three dragons for their power combined is leagues above them, simply trying to watch is too much for them, fear consumes them and they run off in the opposite direction to flee. After waiting Maggie nudges Irene, growling at her to leave.
Irene's eyes widen and she shakes her head,
'I can't leave you!' She 'says'.
Maggie nudges her again as her horns glow a bright purple, she is challenging the Wyvern to a duel between two beasts, between two creatures of the fire. Dragons have the utmost respect for duels and challengers. Even though their enemy is not a dragon Irene will honor Maggie's request...but not willingly.
She huffs in worry and bows her head, slowly backing away from the Maggie to fight this Dragon impostor. Maggie nods in thanks and looks back the Grimm, readying herself for the fight of her life. Melinda always told her that a duel is the ultimate way to prove your strength, so she'll prove to Irene, prove to her mother that she can fight, she can stand her own against the Grimm.
Irene watches from a safe distance but before the fight can even start, the danger inside the city calls to her, her friends are in trouble, Natsu is in trouble and he needs her help. She looks back to Maggie then to the city, she decides that Maggie and handle herself in this duel. So she roars to cheer Maggie on then she flaps her wings, leaving toward the city to help her human friends.
Maggie notices her departure but her mind is on this Grimm Dragon in front of her. Now without Irene's presence, she can't protect her now, Maggie can go all out now. So the purple dragon roars, spewing fire into the sky to show her power.
The Wyvern doesn't care and opens its large mouth, showing it's gory insides with mangled flesh threatens to rip apart the more it opens its large mouth. This doesn't deter Maggie one bit as she feels her power increase, her horns glow brighter as she can hear the gunfire in the city silence. She has made the battlefield her domain with all her senses focuses on one thing, her enemy.
Her enemy on the other hand watched as its environment darken that it can barely see 10 yards in front of it. In completed darkness like it was teleported to the void itself. Such darkness is like a never ending shadow that circles around him.
It looks around it to look find Maggie but it can only make out a purple light the flashes in the darkness for a moment then it turns off. Confuses the wyvern marks everywhere as the enemy and starts to slash out in the darkness desperately to find its enemy.
Maggie only circles her enemy on all her six legs quickly to give off the assumption that she can teleport. Flashing her purple horns from time to time to confuse her enemy to make the Wyvern end up to its confused state it is in now.
Now Maggie knows the Grimm is confuses and she goes in for a quick slash attack. From the darkness a three slash flash blinds the Wyvern as a sharp claw rips its flesh and makes black blood spurt out from the wound. The wyvern roars in pain as a barrage of slashes rip open it's body, the claws are too sharp and they rip through its natural armor.
Blinding and bleeding the Grimm tries to fight back but Maggie is too fast and the darkness is blinding it. In a last attempt to defend itself it sweeps its tail to clear a moment to counter. Maggie is forced to fall back to the darkness as the wyvern spews out fire while spinning to clear the space around it. Maggie protects herself by covering herself with her wings as the black tornado hits her.
The flame is more powerful than she thought and she is pushed back from the force as the fire slowly burns away her scales. The burning pain makes her huff a little but it's not enough to take her down. As the tornado fire ends Maggie instantly tackles the Wyvern down to the ground with her wings pinning it down to the ground her front legs tearing, ripping, and clawing its stomach.
The Wyvern is too weak to lift the dragon off it as it is gutted open, but it doesn't open its mouth and bites her right front leg, the sharp teeth dig into the flesh and makes Maggie cry in pain then she tries to free herself. The Wyvern doesn't let up as it opens its mouth even more that it's whole neck rips open in a disgusting manner, Maggie is too late to free her arm as the wyvern clamps its entire mouth around her right arm and shuts it tight.
Right there and then Maggie's right arm is firmly in the Wyvern's mouth. The pain of her arm's flesh being chew on is traumatic as she pulls away from it but it grips only tighter on her arm, making the pain for her. It didn't take long before the Grimm crew right through her arm, mangled, chewed, and destroyed Maggie's arm is nothing but a chew toy now. Still in the fight Maggie pulls back her arm for one last time, but this tears her arm right off. Her upper arm is freed but the rest is ripped off still inside the monster's mouth.
Her blood sprays all over the Grimm's body as it spits out her arm and breathes deeply. Maggie tries to flee but she can feel several spikes shoot into her stomach. She looks down to find 5 spikes sticking out of her stomach with her blood running down them.
She senses the Wyvern charging up another roar and she tries to flee, but the Wyvern fires away and it hits Maggie dead on the face.
...
..
.
She falls limp right after the attack as one of her horns is cleanly cut off her head.
Commercial District
Mercenary Noah Sterben
Fallen 01 lies down prone on the parking lot rooftop waiting for his enemy to cross his minefield down below. He is all by himself now, all allied forces have retreated deeper into the city while White Fang and Grimm infantry ravage the land they've taken.
He watches as a group of White Fang infantry walk up the street toward the parking lot with 4 Paladins marching behind them. Right in the middle of his minefield. Noah didn't exactly have a plan to retreat but he does have a plan to hold off the White Fang for a little while. Once the mines go off he'll open fire and if the infantry spot him on the rooftop then they'll just get blown up on the way to the top floor. He managed to plant claymores from the 3 floor and up before this platoon of White Fang showed up.
His Hud tells him the radius of the mines' explosions as he searches for a target to take out first. While he searches the White Fang look around, waiting for any ambushes for them as they walk down the street, but as they walk they don't see what's right at their feet.
Noah watches as the point man of the White Fang looks up as he steps on a pile of rubble in the middle of the street, a claymore. Everyone hears a click and in a flash 5 soldier are consumed in a smoke as little pellets drills into their bodies.
In the chaos one by one the claymores and anti-armor mines go off in the street below. The soldier scatter like cockroaches looking for cover, some only activate more claymores and others are shot in the head by a sniper.
The platoon of White Fang is completed wiped out along with the Paladin unit, but that didn't stop Noah, he watches as an fresh new company of soldiers run up the steep street toward the parking lot, assuming where a small ambushing fighting force is hiding. They spot Fallen's scope lens flare and point at him then take pot shots at him.
It was only a matter of time before the infantry breached into the parking lot compound and climbed the parking lot levels. They though Fallen was a small fire fighting force hold up in the parking lot.
Under fire, Noah crouches and draws his duel akimbo MI9II's then runs down the runway to the 4th floor. Explosions go off in the parking lot as White Fang troops step on claymores. The ambush was a somewhat a success so he must retreat. He slows down to a walk was he points his pistols at the runway in front of him.
Two White Fang heads pop out of the concrete wall and Noah instantly fires, the two drop dead from a bullet in each of their skulls. Noah takes cover behind a concrete pillar as another soldier runs up the ramp way and fires his rifle.
Noah flinches as bullets fly past him but he grabs one of his throwing knifes and chucks it at the trooper. He drops on his back with a knife drilled into his neck. Hearing more units on their way to his location Noah holsters his pistols and draws his two arming swords.
4 soldiers reach the 4th floor and they all armed themselves with dusted infused machetes. Noah then walks out of cover with his blades drawn. He doesn't say a word as the soldiers charge him, one with an overhead strike and another with a side slash.
Noah dodges the first troops and blocks the second one with one of his arming swords. He pushes him back and stabs him in the chest. Noah ducks a swing that almost takes off his head and returns with a upward cut. This slices his chin wide open and he falls back on the ground with blood spewing out of his gaping wound.
Noah doesn't waste any more time and attacks the remaining two soldiers then quickly cuts them down before they can defend themselves. With a quick encounter finished quickly, he thinks of an escape plan.
'This lot is covered with a wall and the only way out is through the front, I can use my semblance but what if they follow me...I can't fight them all," He mumbles to himself then hears gunshots on the floor below him.
Noah goes on guard and makes his way to the next floor down. Taking cover against several concrete pillars he makes it down the next floor. He peeks his head out of cover to find an Atlas soldier standing the middle of several white fang bodies.
"HEY!" He calls and the soldier snaps around to his voice and aims his rifle at him.
"Whoa whoa friendly!" Noah assures and puts his hands up.
The soldier is Scarecrow and he saw the White Fang storm the parking lot, so he followed them to see if anymore allied soldiers were still in the area.
Scarecrow stands down to find Noah, "So you're the one who's been causing all the trouble for the White Fang?" He mumbles.
"Yeah...yeah that's right, why are you here?" Sterben asks.
"We're leaving, it's too dangerous here," He bluntly explains.
"Well...you got an escape plan?" Fallen asks as he hears more White Fang infantry on their way to their location.
"No," He answers plainly.
Noah looks at him in disbelief, "Then we fight until we make a plan," He orders and peeks over a wall to find another wave of White Fang on their way.
Scarecrow readies his M14 and crouches while aiming his rifle at the sounds of footsteps coming their way.
"Copy that,"
...
For 30 minutes straight the two have been fighting all by themselves against the White Fang hoard. An endless wave of infantry stormed the parking lot with each wave growing larger and larger. The two took the fight to the rooftop to get an advantage over the soldiers. Running low on energy the two decide that it's time to leave but they can't find a window to flee.
On the rooftop the two soldiers fight side by side with guns in hand with bodies of white fang all around them.
As they fight they don't notice the approaching AC130 in the distance.
"Fallen 1, Metal 1, this is Officer Jay of the R12 do you two have your ears on?" Jay asks on comms.
Scarecrow tackles an soldier to the ground and puts a bullet in his head with his pistol, "Affirmative R12, multiple tangos all around the parking lot, danger close, take them out!" He orders.
Noah takes a soldier hostage and uses the soldier's own pistol to kill more of enemy infantry, "About damn time," He mumbles and executes his hostage.
"Copy that Metal 1, keep your head down,"
Scarecrow and Fallen drop to ground waiting for the airstrike to hit.
In the skies the guns on the gunship turn to the parking lot and begin to fire, the power of the ship echoes in the sky as explosions scatter around the parking lot, killing infantry and setting fear into the hearts of the enemy.
As the airstrike goes into full effect, Noah gets up and taps Scarecrow on the shoulder before running toward the bottom floor of the parking lot, "It's time to leave!" He yells as he sprints down the parking lot runway.
Scarecrow quickly gets to his feet and sprints after him. The two use the cover of fire to make their great escape, they run out of the parking lot, passing bodies after bodies of White Fang Infantry it was a sheer luck they've survived for this long. With no hesitation they sprint outside the parking lot as shells explode around them. The screams of white fang and explosion fill their ears as they exit the compound then sprint through alleyways.
"Come on come on!" Noah yells as he runs through the thin alleys of many stores.
Scarecrow follows him without hesitation but as they turn the corner, they find a platoon of white fang infantry right in front of them.
They put their rifles up but they are outnumber and out in the open, they'll be dead in a matter of seconds if they fight the white fang. The two are in a standoff as explosions by the parking lot come to an end.
"Jay...we can use your help right now," Noah whispers.
"Copy, where are y-" Jay starts but the two see a missile fire from behind a few stores and it flies toward the gunship in the air. Following behind that missile is a bombardment of missiles just like it.
They watch as the gunship fires a set of flares, little orbs of red burst out of the ship as the gunship goes into evasive moments as the missile approaches. The flares itself make a shape of an angel as the missile flies toward a flare and blows up.
The sky itself was covered with the smoke of the missiles as some go for the flares and other for the gunship. It didn't take long before one of the missiles impacted with the ship.
"Mayday, Mayday, R12 is hit,"
The gunship is put up in flames and crashes toward the ground just like the AAS Indigo. Noah and Scarecrow feel hope fly out the window as they hear the ship crash into the ground hard, making a bigger explosion than the one it is purposed to make.
...
..
.
Outnumbered and with air support down, Noah and Scarecrow drop their weapons and surrender.
Amity Airspace
Right after Ruby was thrown out of the airship, she watched as the ship crashed to its final resting place. The parachute automatically deployed and made Ruby slowly glide down toward Beacon. All Ruby can do was to watch the ship fall with her. The great flame in front of her makes her look at the dog tags in her hand.
HIS words burn into her head, 'Sometimes you can't save them on,' She repeats to herself.
One moment he was in front of her, now he's in that ball of fire that used to be an airship. He stayed to shut down the virus, he paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the whole city, to change the outcome of this battle for survival. In her time at Beacon she learned that she was training to save people, but what kind of huntress can she be if she can't even save a soldier?
Dark thoughts fill her mind of the death of Gizmo and she begins to feel guilty for not acting differently, if she said something different, acted differently, if she did everything different maybe...just maybe she would of saved him. As she lands on the ground of a destroyed plaza, she feels a new fire within her. The screams in the distance, the pain, the hate, the sorrow, everything calls to her. Calls to take action, and she'll do it gladly.
She takes off the parachute and puts Gizmo's dog tags in her pocket. Looking toward Beacon she knows that she CAN save someone, she won't anyone die on her watch ever again.
Ruby's eyes squint in determination and she sprints down the street then turns into roses, flying toward the school of hunters.
...
..
.
"I'm coming Natsu,"
Beacon Courtyard
"Is that the last of them?" Sun asks as he kicks a deactivated paladin.
The students of Beacon and Atlas fight in the courtyard of Beacon where Atlas Paladins storm the school. The combat robots are mowed down by the battle harden students. While they fight Natsu stays at the back of the group with Pyrrha to defend him.
After the AAS Indigo fell the Paladins and the Knights turned off. This gave the allied fighters a slightly relief of eliminating one enemy, now they can finally focus on the White Fang and the Grimm. With the courtyard cleared of enemies, Vale can now establish a second base to treat the wounded and shelter the weak.
Everyone takes a breather Pyrrha leaves unnoticed to initiate the aura transfer. Natsu on the other hand tries to follow her but he is reunited with team Blake, Yang, and Weiss.
"NATSU!" Black and Yang call as they tackle him to the ground, holding him tightly.
"Don't scare us like that!" Yang cries and almost tears up, whatever happened to him at the Amity it almost got him killed.
"Hey girls," He whispers as the two help him to his feet.
"Are you okay, are you hurt, how's your arm?" Blake questions Natsu while holding his cheeks affectionately.
"I'm alright, it's just a flesh wound it's nothing I swear," He assures and rests his hands on each of his mate's shoulders.
"Have you girls seen Ruby?" He asks.
"Wasn't she with you at the amity?" Weiss points out.
"She...she was, then she just jumped out of the ship we were on. I thought she would of regrouped with you girls down here," Natsu explains.
"JUMPED?" Yang yells.
Blake shakes her head, "Now is not the time to panic, maybe Ruby is deeper into the school, we should look for her before the whole school is taken over by the Grimm," She suggests.
Yang sighs and rubs her chin, "I'll check the amphitheater," She plans.
Weiss looks at Blake, "We'll look for her in the dining hall,"
Natsu nods his head, "I'll go with you Yang," He assures.
Yang smiles, "Then it's settled, stay safe everyone, we'll meet up here once we learn anything," She orders.
The group wish each other well then they go off to look for Ruby Rose.
...
Natsu and Yang reached the theater of Beacon and found it filled Vale soldiers stationed out on the front entrance of the theater while doctors and field medics rush in and out of the theater.
"They turned the amphitheater into a hospital?" Natsu mumbles while they two walk toward this said hospital.
"Well if she's here...she must be hurt," Yang warns, feeling worry fill her mind.
"But there are doctors to keep her safe," Natsu assures and rubs her back to comfort her.
"Yeah...true let's look around if she's here," Yang plans and the two walk into the amphitheater.
They hear the sounds of doctors screaming orders at each other with the whispers of the wounded trying to speak. Natsu and Yang feel their morale slowly break as they see all the wounded soldiers and civilians in the theater. Not one patient wasn't covered in blood and bandages. Some cry of unbearable pain while others sob thinking of death that will take them.
Looking at the victims of war they see soldiers, students, staff members of the Amity, everyone wasn't spared from the invasion. Men, women, and children were on beds with doctors trying to stabilize them, but none of them were the one they were looking for.
Yang double checks, triple checks again and again if Ruby is in the theater but she doesn't find her. Natsu only hugs her, "We'll find her, come on let's help Blake and Weiss," He whispers in her ear.
"This is my fault," She mumbles.
Natsu's eye widens of her words, "No it's not, Ruby is tough and you know it. She'll be A-Okay once we find her," He assures.
Xiao Long feels a little better of his comfort and she nods her head, "You right, we can't give up now," She agrees and lets go of Natsu runs out of the theater to look for Ruby.
Natsu smiles of her determination to find her little sister but he gulps as he hears the sounds of the suffering fills his hears. The room reeks of misery and negativity...and he loves it. His right eye begins to pulse with pain and he screams as he covers his right eye. Power begins to flow through his veins the more he hears the moans of the wounded.
He falls on his knee as he feels dark thoughts fill his head, begging him to kill everything around him, destroy the weaklings that roam in his presence. Such thoughts aren't foreign to him, this always happens when he senses a large amount of negativity. He breaths heavily as he suppresses his thoughts to kill everyone.
'I won't let you control me!' He fights his primal instincts as he feels someone touch his shoulder.
He slightly jumps of the feeling but he turns slowly behind him.
"Sir are you alright?" A nurse asks.
After a moment of silence Natsu rises to his feet and waves his hand, "No no I'm fine...it's nothing thank you," He plays his evil breakdown off and quickly leaves the theater to join Yang. He leaves with a grim look on his face.
...
..
.
'I am not evil...I am not Grimm,'
Outside The Dining Hall
Natsu chases after Yang's scent after his mental breakdown to the Dining Hall where Blake and Weiss should be. He immediately found the Dining Hall up in flames with Grimm running around the burning building.
"YANG!" He calls as he runs to the side of the building to look inside with one of the broken windows.
He finds Yang standing in front of a bleeding Blake with a strange man standing before them with a blade drawn. Fire surrounds the two but that won't stop Natsu from barging into this fight. The man fighting Yang is no one Natsu knows but if this man hurt one of his mates, this means war.
"I will break you like broke me my beloved, starting with your friend here," The man declares as he sheaths his blade but prepares himself to draw.
Natsu watches as Yang punches her fists together and charges this stranger. Acting on his instincts his jumps through the window then runs after Yang to stop her.
"YANG STOP!" He yells as he lights his left first on fire in an attempt to get this enemy's attention.
Yang keeps her eyes on the man in front of her to give him one of her hardest punch, but in the blink of an eye he draws his blade and blinds her.
Natsu's and Blake's eyes widen as Yang drops onto the floor right in front of Natsu with blood spewing out of her right arm. Dragneel feels his heart skip of beat as he stares of where Yang's right arm should be. His breakdown from earlier starts to come back and stronger than ever.
The man turns around and looks at Natsu, "Is this another one of your friends my love, I'll make short work of him out of pity," He taunts and draws his blade on Natsu.
Dragneel cracks his knuckles and stands in front of Yang, "I'll be the one to make this short punk," Natsu taunts.
"Natsu wait, you don't know what he's capable of," Blake warns.
"So does he," Natsu assures and lights his hands on fire.
The fire in his hand makes Natsu's opponent smirk, "This will be interesting," He admits.
"Run Blake, take Yang with you," Natsu orders.
Blake looks at Natsu with fearful eyes but complies, she quickly gets on her feet and runs over to Yang then picks her up.
"Go ahead Blake, run like you always have...like the coward you ar-" He taunts but Natsu punches his cheek, staggering him.
"This is between you and me," Natsu corrects.
The man rubs his chin, "So it seems," He mumbles.
Blake carries Yang back to the courtyard to get Yang some help, but she doesn't leave without looking at Natsu for one last time, "Be careful," Blake warns then leaves the burning hall to Natsu and her enemy.
"What is your name, I would like to know the name of the man I'm about to kill," The White Fang commander asks.
"Natsu Dragneel...the man who going to teach you a thing or two about manners,"
"Dragneel...how fitting for a...idiot,"
"Who are you?" Natsu ignores his taunt.
"Adam Taurus, commander of the White Fang," Adam introduces himself.
Natsu grits his teeth as dark thoughts plague his mind, "So you are the one help cause this mess...ah!" Natsu falls to his knee as the pain of his covered eye comes back again.
"That would be correct, sadly you won't return to Blake after I'm done with you," Adam taunts.
"..." Natsu doesn't say anything as the pain in his eye worsens.
"How pitiful," Adam mumbles from looking at Natsu's state.
Adam goes on guard as he feels the air around him darken and Natsu takes off his eyepatch then drops it to the ground. Natsu rises to his feet and a black aura surrounds his body.
"What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?" Natsu whispers grimly.
'What is wrong with him?' Adam asks himself as Natsu opens both eyes.
Adams find the eyes of the creatures of darkness in Natsu, both his eyes are black with red pupils. His veins pop with an abnormal color of black. Whatever happened to Natsu, he screamed evil from his aura and demonic appearance.
"What are you?" Adam asks and prepares for battle.
"Your worst nightmare," Natsu whispers as he turns into a black smoke.
The whole dining hall is consumed with orange flames as Adam looks for Natsu. He doesn't notice as a black smoke poofs behind him with Natsu running at him with his hands lit up with a black flame.
Adam turns around just in time but he finds only smoke, he then grips his blade tightly as he looks around, waiting for Natsu to attack.
"You can't hide forever," Adam taunts.
"Scared?" Natsu's voice echoes in the building.
"Never,"
"You should be," Natsu warns as he runs out of a fireball right in front of Adam and fires off a punch.
Adam dodges it and counters with a side swing but as the blade makes impact, it scraps off his skin like it was made out of concrete. He grits his teeth and hits Natsu again and again but all end just the same as the first time he hit him. Natsu's barbaric fighting style leaves him exposed but it was like Adam wasn't even hurting him at all.
Natsu's hair covers his eyes as he chuckles of Adam's attempts to fight him, "You have to try better than that to hurt me..."
"You don't scare me...freak,"
"How about this?" Natsu whispers and teleports in front of Adam using his black smoke 'ability' and grabs him by the throat then lifts him off his feet.
Adam starts to chock but he tries to free himself by switching his blade to a saw-off shotgun and fires it into Natus's gun. The pellets only bounce off him and fly outward, some even shot into Adam. He grunts of the fresh bullet wounds in his chest.
"How pitiful..." Natsu repeats his words and lets him go then takes a step back.
Natsu opens his arms and nods his head to Adam, "Come on...fight back,"
Adam yells his war cry and unleash a combo of slashes at Natsu, everything in his arsenal to even scratch Natsu but nothing works. Slash after slash he cuts but it's all in vain.
After his combo of attacks Natsu charges him and swings his hands at him. Clawing at him in an savage-like manner. Like a beast he fights in pure instinct, fights with his rage to guide him. It was easy for Adam to evade but when he blocked he was pushed back an overwhelmed. On top of that when Natsu landed a hit it hit Adam hard, the first hit Adam was knocked off his feet with a nasty burn on his chest.
Back and forth the two clashed but with Natsu on the upper hand. Natsu hit Adam with a three hit combo, left, right, left he punched him then grabbed his throat to end this petite fight. The Faunus struggles to free himself as he finds himself in another choke hold.
Natsu laughs of his enemy's attempt to free himself as he feels his neck tighten from Natsu's strong hand.
"I had enough of these games...see that arm you took?" He asks.
"..." Adam remains silent as he looks at Yang's severed arm that sits on some wooden rubble.
"Well as they say..." Natsu mumbles and slams him to the ground, he rests his knee on his head to keep him pinned to the ground while he puts both his hands on his arm.
"Arm..." He starts and starts to pull his arm out of Adam's socket.
He starts to scream as he arms dislocates then his skin starts to rip apart.
"For an..." Natsu pulls his arm even harder.
Adam tries to free himself but Natsu has him pinned.
"ARM!" Natsu yells as he rips Adam's arm clean off and gets off him.
Adam's screams are music to Natsu's ears as he watches Adam holds his numb that used to be his arm.
"When we meet again...I won't be as merciful," Natsu warns and slaps Adam with his own severed arm before dropping it then leaving him to die in the burning dining hall.
...
..
.
"Oh it a beautiful day to die,"
Beacon Courtyard
Yang and Blake receive medical treatment as they wait for Natsu to come back. Yang's knocked out cold with Blake holding her hand. She couldn't believe that Adam would find her again, and on top of that, Yang lost her arm trying to protect her. To fight her own battles she caused Yang to lose her arm...her right arm. Yet again she dragged her friends in her affairs, yet again she got one of her friends hurt again.
She can't do this anymore, it's like she's a walking beacon for enemies to come her way. She won't endanger her friends again, looking at Yang she could of die if it wasn't for Natsu to distract Adam. He won't always be there to save her...so then she must run. Run away to protect the one she loves and her friends. So she slowly gets up and looks back at the burning Dinning Hall that lights up the night sky.
"I'm sorry Natsu..." She whispers and looks at Yang.
"I'm sorry Yang..." She says and holds her hand for a bit.
A tear runs down her cheek as she lets go of Yang's hand then turns out of the medical tent they were in. She quickly passes a nurse as she runs down the courtyard to flee the city.
As she leaves the sights of the medical compound in the courtyard, Natsu shows up, who is knocked out of his evil mode. He follows Yang's scent and walks into the tent she's resting in.
"Yang!" He calls to see her sleeping on a bed, he walks up to her and sits on the bed then rests his hand on her shoulder.
He looks at her right numb and grits his teeth, 'What happened to me...why did it felt...so...good?' He ponders over his breakdown. Natsu waits for Yang to wake up for a few minutes but she's out cold,
"Where's Blake?" He mumbles and looks around.
He fines nothing and decides that he must look for her and Ruby. He grits his teeth of all the confusion and chaos going on in this night, but he gets up and walks out the tent to look for his kitten and his little red out in the warzone of the city.
As he walks out of the tent he instantly gets a feeling to check on Pyrrha, she must be in the aura transfer as he stands in the courtyard. He needs her, "Everything is going down the drain.." He admits and runs toward the tower.
In front of Beacon Tower
Pyrrha stands by herself outside of Beacon Tower, everything happened so fast. First she was in a pod ready to transfer the aura of Amber to her. Then a girl showed up and killed Amber, the next thing she knows she's outside with Ozpin fighting that girl who killed Amber.
She's all alone and confused but she isn't the one to just stand by idly while the people she cares for fight. Ozpin order her to leave him but she's having second thoughts.
"I can't just leave him to fight her by herself," She mumbles to herself then looks at the tower in front of her.
After taking a few moments to plan her next move, she ran back up the stairs of the tower to help Ozpin. She sees a glowing orange light from the top floor so she goes into the elevator and uses her semblance to reach the top floor.
As she goes up the elevator, she can see all of Beacon in its mangled form from the invasion but she closes her eyes from the strain of lifting an entire elevator. She does see a small figure fighting its way toward the staircase. Her little pupil all alone fighting for his life.
...
On the ground floor outside the tower is Jaune, fending off a pack of Beowulves by his lonesome. His training with Natsu and Pyrrha made him into an above average fighter. Natsu taught him the determination to actually fight while Pyrrha actually taught him how to fight like a proper knight.
He uses his shield to send a charging Beowulf over him, while that Beowulf flies over him, Jaune swings upward to slice another creature of darkness in half. He quickly turns around and stabs the first Grimm in the chest, but this wasn't enough to kill it.
So he reverses his grip on his sword and pushes the blade through the wolf, easily tearing through its meat and fur. This makes a gap from its neck from its arm, killing it as it falls to the ground. As the smoke consumes Jaune, he turns in front of him to find 5 more wolves waiting for him.
Jaune breathes quickly from fatigue with sweat running down his face. He wipes his forehead with his right arm and sighs.
"Okay...more bad guys...I'm down," He jokes and readies himself for another fight.
He screams with determination as he sprints to his new enemies, but before he could get into melee range a great flame consumes the 5 wolves and burns them into crisps.
"AHHHHHHH oooohhh..." Jaune's scream dies down as he stops, watching the wolves roll on the ground then poofs into black smoke.
"I know that flame..." He mumbles and jumps to find a figure behind the fire in front of him.
"N-Natsu?" Jaune mumbles as he rises his sword for a fight.
"Bingo!" He hears as Natsu walks through the fire and smiles at Jaune.
Jaune sighs in relief, "N-Natsu we gotta go, it's Pyrrha she's in trouble,"
"I know, where is she?" Natsu gets to the point.
"She went in the tower to find Ozpin," Jaune explains.
"Alright, I'm going," Natsu plans and heads off to regroup with Pyrrha.
"Wait I'm coming to-" Jaune starts but he's blocked off as a building falls in front on him.
The knight covers his eyes of the dust as he hears a growl. He opens his eyes slowly to find an Alpha Ursa standing in front of him. Jaune slumps his shoulders in disbelief,
"Oh you got to be kidding me..."
...
Natsu runs through the rubble of the school he made his home as he runs up the stairs of the tower. He looks up to find orange and green lights on the top floor.
"I'M COMING PYRRHA!" He yells as he charges wind under his feet and launches himself up the tower.
Top Floor Of Beacon Tower
Pyrrha stands before Cinder with Ozpin's office a total wreak with the roof torn off the room. She breathes deeply to calm her nerves, her opponent is tough. She can barely hold her own against Cinder with her new powers. She failed, she was supposed to keep the Maiden's power from going to the wrong hands and now Cinder, the mastermind of this whole invasion, has an ultimate power that puts her leagues above a huntress. But Pyrrha isn't a normal huntress and she won't give to someone as evil as the woman that hovers in front of her with her hands glowing an orange.
'It almost looks like Natsu's...NO...I will not compare this fiend to him,' She notes and charges Cinder.
Cinder grits her teeth of Pyrrha's stubbornness to keep fight but won't disappoint her by giving her a easy fight. Pyrrha picks up her shield at Cinder powerfully but she flicks it away and catches a fist that was supposed to start a combo for Pyrrha.
"Pathetic," Cinder mumbles.
Pyrrha smirks as her hands glow black and her shield comes flying back at Cinder like boom-a-rang.
Cinder pushes Pyrrha away and ducts to dodge the shield. She drops to the floor with her legs spread out while Pyrrha's shield shoots past her and returns to its owner.
Cinder instantly takes the offense and summons her bow and arrows then starts to shoot arrows at Pyrrha. One by one in a quick secession that it was almost inhuman.
Nikos covers herself with her shield to block the arrows but they get more and more stronger with each shot. They threaten to pierce through her shield the more Cinder fires. Pinned down Nikos makes move to evade by rolling to the side to take cover behind an abnormal sized cog.
Cinder ticks and summons three arrows at once then charges them with her power. The arrows glow orange at the tip as she fires away, when the hit the cog it begins to disintegrate into a golden mist. As the cog begins to blow away into the wind, Cinder summons a barrage of white crystals and fires it into Pyrrha's last known position.
As the crystals go into the golden mist, a stone wall rises from the ground to block the crystals.
Cinder's eyes widen, "What is this?!" She spits out like venom.
"I think I can use an explanation right about now," She hears the last voice she wants to hear right now.
"N-Natsu?" Pyrrha mumbles to find Natsu standing in front of her with his stone wall now desummoned.
"No...why are you here?" Cinder mumbles, feeling her heart drop, she can't fight Natsu, she knows her power from Salem...his real power.
"You see I don't like it once my friends fight, especially the ones I love," Natsu turns serious with soft eyes.
Cinder stares at him with shocked eyes, she actually starts to shake, "No...no this wasn't the plan...this wasn't supposed to happen..." She mumbles to herself.
"Natsu she started this...she's the enemy that started this all. She...she killed Amber Natsu don't you understand," Pyrrha explains and stands by his side.
Natsu's eyes widen and looks at Cinder, "Cinder...i-is this true?" He asks with a hint of denial that Cinder would do something so evil, sure Cinder is a little creepy but a good creepy in Natsu's opinion.
'I failed you Natsu...I'm sorry we must meet on the battlefield,' Cinder thinks and slowly begins to accept that she has to fight Natsu, even if he doesn't know his true origins.
Cinder gulps and rises to her feet then summons her duel blades, "Yes my love...I did this. I created the fall of Beacon, the destruction of Vale, but I can explain everything, show you the truth. Then you will understand Natsu...you will understand everything," Cinder hints of an offer.
"Natsu don't listen to her, she's only trying to trick you!" Pyrrha warns and prepares to fight Cinder with Natsu.
Dragneel takes a few steps forward, "Understand what Cinder...I-I don't understand anything of what is going on!" Natsu yells. and looks around him.
Cinder frowns as Natsu looks at her with such resentful eyes, they just tell her that she is now his enemy.
"My love just...join me. Join me and I'll explain why I did this, why I choose to be the demon," Cinder attempts to persuade him.
"No Natsu, remember why we go to this school, to protect. Look what she did, so many people...friends and family are hurt...dead because of her!" Pyrrha pleas but Natsu only looks at her and Cinder with confused eyes.
Natsu feels heartbroken for discovering that she is the enemy but he must know why, maybe just maybe he can protect Cinder long enough to join him and switch to the good guys somehow. This makes Natsu resort to his instincts as a dragon to guide him in his time of need. He turns his confusion, his pain into a power, into a fire. A fire that burns his core, fuels his soul for battle.
The man clenches his fists as he lets his power free, his body burns with a golden flame with electricity creating an aura around him.
Pyrrha and Cinder step back of such a raw, overwhelming, power spewing off of Natsu.
"N-Natsu please!" Cinder pleas.
Natsu doesn't hear it as he looks at Pyrrha,
"I'm sorry," He whispers as he draws Pheo and points it at Pyrrha.
"N-no...Natsu why?" Pyrrha is in shock of Natsu's betrayal, but Natsu wasn't finished.
Natsu turns to Cinder with soft eyes,
"You must understand," He suggests and pulls Sally and points it at Cinder.
"N-Natsu?! What are you doing?" Cinder cries, she thought he was joining him but...but he's challenging her as well.
"I have one rule..." Natsu starts as he drops the guns and walks backwards, toward the door, to put space between him and his mates.
"One simple rule," They hear.
They watch as Natsu lights his hands with his golden flame and looks at both of them.
...
..
.
"I don't take sides,"
The Afterlife II
Chibi Syrian puts back the microphone, he begins to walk away but he hears a rumble. He turns around to find the walls in front of him open up to reveal darkness. He looks in the darkness and hears the sounds of a...helicopter and music start to play.
The lights turn on to reveal a stage, a stage where a group of soldier stand. A familiar Juggernaut stands in front of the stage with a guitar and a mic on him. It's chibi Gizmo who is covered in burns and shrapnel.
Behind him is three soldiers, all Atlas, one is on drums, another with a bass guitar, and the last one with another guitar.
Syrian tilts his head of the live band but listens along to the song. It has a slow start with Gizmo singing the song.
"I can't remember anything.
Can't tell if this is true or dream.
Deep down inside I feel to scream
This terrible silence stops me
Now that the war is through with me
I'm waking up, I cannot see
That there's not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now," He listens and the music grows louder.
"Hold my breath as I wish for death,
Oh please god, wake me!" The chorus goes hard.
"Back in the womb it's much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can't look forward to revealing
Look to the time when I'll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me," The second verse passes.
"Hold my breath as I wish for death,
Oh please god, wake me!" The chorus goes hard again.
Gizmo pauses for a small guitar solo that is soft and kinda sad,
"Now the world is gone, I'm just one
Oh God help me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God, help me," Gizmo changes up the chorus a little bit then the tune of the song begins to quicken and becomes more intense.
"Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see
Absolute horror
I cannot live
I cannot die
Trapped in myself
Body my holding cell!" He yells, putting his soul into the song he choose to sing.
"Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech
Taken my hearing
Taken my arms
Taken my legs
Taken my soul
Left me with life in hell!" He screams and another guitar solo takes over. After a while the rhyme stays the same as the song slowly comes to an end.
The lights turn off and leaves Syrian even more sad than when he was singing.
...
..
.
"Man it sucks being dead..."
HI! I'm writing this on the anniversary of TPHH but this story will probably be publish not on June 8th but whatever. Illumi pointed that out XD
It's been a long road and I've learned many new things. To keep things short, THANK YOU! I never thought such a small idea 1 year ago would change into something this big with over 300 people more or less approving of it.
I'm speechless of such a path I've taken and it got me to a place I never thought I would be happy to be in.
So...
Thank you.
Thank you for sticking around so far...in the summer...where it's around 100 degrees for the rest of the summer where I live. God it sucks at my house, no AC in my house , it's like a makeshift microwave as I sit here sweating bullets while typing this, but this heat won't put me down.
It's been an amazing journey that will come to an end, but not today.
I know the OC thing may be a little annoying for those who didn't put an OC so I put in a Natsu part...and a dragon part to satisfy the numbers before I go back into the OC's next chapter. Shit just got real I can tell you that much I mean...MAGGIE! WTF I'm actually ashamed of myself for...that. Will she come back as only wounded? Or will she keep an off screen assumed KIA?
Keep those prediction coming cause this fight is about to end with some major plots twists coming in!
What is this Evil that lurks in Natsu?
What does Cinder know about Natsu?
Where the hell did Irene fly off too?
Ask yourselves that while thinking of this codeword "One" XD
Anyway again thanks again for all the support and the sappy stuff.
If you like this chapter I thank you kindly and I hope to catch you in the next one.
TILL NEXT TIME!
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