Alright here is chapter 17, with by far my best fight ever. Get ready for a fight that will be FAR from One Sided. Let us begin, I own nothing except my ideas and OC's.
All four members of GRAY charged at the Ghoul, which returned it. Ash swung his sword at its head, which it moved out of the way quickly, and slammed Ash into the snow. George swung his axe into the Ghoul's leg, only to realize that this thing has some thick skin, despite its bony look. The Ghoul raised its hooved foot, and was going to stomp George, who rolled away. Ryan swung at its arm, which it moved and backhanded the blonde sharpshooter. Yaron teleported with his Mark and roared, stabbing his daggers into the Ghoul, tearing them out and repeatedly doing so, the Ghoul growled in irritation before jerking its arm, yanking Yaron forward, and into a fist, knocking him into the snow, his daggers still in the Ghouls arm, prompting him to draw Daybreak.
The four regrouped, still facing the Ghoul that tore the daggers out in irritation and threw them off into a tree, which it impaled all the way through.
"Analysis"? Ash asks, rubbing his head slightly.
"That things got some thick skin, its been here from the start, so I'm not surprised". George analyses.
"It's fast". Ryan adds.
"And its clever, most clever Grimm I've seen". Yaron says, staring the thing down.
Ash nods with a hum, staring the Ghoul down, which returned the stare, obviously wanting to see what entertainment they could make.
"Alright, no jokes this time, lets hit it for real this time". Ash orders, the others nodding. No poking for weaknesses, its time for action.
Ash raced forward and swung his sword, which the Ghoul dodged, before spinning on whatever heel it had, and swung at Ash, who put up his lance just in time to stab the offending hand as it swung, allowing him to stick to the hand and continue to stab it. The Ghoul shrieked and attempted to bite Ash, who leapt out of the way, prompting it to bite its hand, which did nothing but anger it. George swung his axe once more, this time into the Ghoul's knee, the strike infused with his Semblance, which managed to knock a couple of bones inside of that knee to dust, causing the Ghoul to shriek and smack George away, opening it to a myriad of bombs being stuffed into its open mouth, which blew up. Yaron raced forward and stuck a container into Daybreak's hilt, which caused it to glow and extend into a greatsword of light, before leaping up and swinging, cutting a thin line through the Ghoul's chest, which made it glare at Yaron and punch him away again, into the snow.
The Ghoul, obviously angry at their blows, didn't give them breathing room, instead made a beeline for George, and leaped high, both fists cupped together, before slamming both onto George, before repeatedly punching him, shrieking all the while. A mortar shot let loose from the dust, which blasted the Ghoul in the face, disrupting its attack. Which Ash took advantage, he leapt up and channeled an immense amount of lightning into hands, before landing on the Ghoul's back and unleashing a barrage of punches, causing it to recoil and scramble back, before completely flipping onto its back, very nearly crushing Ash, who vanished into smoke as it landed.
The Ghoul got up in irritation, very little damage done.
"Seriously?! We've been giving it our all! And it doesn't even have a dent on it"! George snaps.
"Not our all". Ryan reminds, causing them all to glance at each other before nodding.
Ash's eyes shifted before he roared, shifting into his Awakened Xuen form, a loud roar erupting from his throat.
George slammed a hand onto his shoulder, which erupted into a light and formed the Armor of Brutus on him, its red cape flowing behind him as he drew the Dagger of Brutus, and dual wielded it with Earthbreaker.
Blizzard dropped from the sky and into the snow, kicking up mist as it cooled down from sudden heat to cold temperature. Ryan hopped in and drew the rifle, aiming it at the Ghoul.
Yaron sheathed his weapons and bit into his Grimm Pill, roaring as his arms shifted into its Grimm form.
The strengthened Team GRAY stood against the Ghoul, which roared a challenge and raced forward.
Ash surged forward and ducked under a swipe, before punching and kicking for all he's worth, even going as far as to claw at the Ghoul's skin in an attempt to deal some damage. The Ghoul caught Ash between both of its hand before slamming him into the ground. George stabbed his dagger into the Ghoul's arm and leaped up with the momentum onto its shoulder, before attempting to hit its neck, only for it to shift quickly, stepping back, knocking George off balance, and smacking him off of his shoulder. Ryan continued to shuffle inside his mecha, firing round after round at the Ghoul, hardly penetrating its thick flesh. Yaron clawed and tore at the Ghoul, leaping across the Ghoul's body with his heightened mobility, scarcely escaping various swipes and punches, before the Ghoul grabbed his foot and swung him around in mid air, before throwing him into multiple trees, knocking them down and onto him.
Ryan growled and dropped his current loadout, and switched into its quad rocket launcher, loading the rockets in and began to fire, hitting the Ghoul in the arm, causing it to shout in pain, before it ran forward and punching Blizzard with all its might, knocking it into the air and collapsed onto the ground, both itself and Ryan dazed from such and attack.
The Ghoul was about to continue, when George leaped onto its back and slammed his fists into it, each punch carrying the power of a freight train inside it, causing the Ghoul to shriek as its skin as penetrated, it swiftly leapt high in the air, throwing George off, before grabbing the Scotsman and held him high over his head, using both the momentum from the fall and strength it had, it slammed George hard into the snow, forming a crater.
Yaron slowly got up, his Mark glowing incredibly bright, before he growled, blood going down from a gash on his forehead. He held his wrist in his other hand, his Mark beginning to glow with immense power. The Ghoul noticed and charged, only for a electric rocket to slam into its head, pulling its attention once more.
"Over here"! Ash taunts, on his feet.
"Ash! Buy me some time"! Yaron says, charging his Mark.
Ash nodded and raced forward. George slowly getting up, his Aura healing him.
Ash leaped over a swipe and slashed its arm, using his agility to its fullest now. The Ghoul swung, only for the hand to be blocked, and punched away with Ash's momentum from the attack. Ash exchanged blows with the Ghoul as Ryan got up, Blizzard beeping a warning. "Server's damaged, be more wary". Blizzard's deep robotic voice warns.
"Got it, thanks". Ryan thanks the mecha, before pulling out the rockets again and firing.
The Ghoul growled, it's defenses wouldn't last long under the barrage, it leaped back and roared out into the woods, the Grimm erupting from the tree line.
GRAY was prepared for the Grimm to attack them, only to gasp at what they saw.
The Ghoul picked up a Ursa and ate it whole, crunching down on it and swallowing, a dark black miasma leaking from it now, it continued to devour its fellow Grimm in front of the startled team, its wounds starting to heal.
Ash snapped out of it. "Ryan! Your on Grimm duty! Make sure the Ghoul can't refill"! Ash orders.
Ryan nodded and opened fire on the Beowolves and Ursai that attempted to come out, stopping the Ghoul from having a mid battle snack.
The Ghoul growled and stepped into the miasma, which it vanished into.
Ash coughed as the miasma went into his lungs, his Aura and electricity surging, keeping the poison out of his system. "Guys! It's poisonous! Get something to block it"! Ash snaps, pulling out a red Shado-Pan scarf and wrapping it around his face, stopping the miasma from getting through.
George tore the kerchief around his arm off, and over his mouth.
A subtle 'clank' could be heard from Blizzard over the rockets, signifying a filter being in use.
Yaron's Grimm Blood prevented the miasma from getting to him, but he pulled his scarf up to his mouth just in case.
The miasma had stretched across the clearing, covering all of GRAY in its dark maw. The four looked around, without any Aura, the Ghoul was invisible to them. The Ghoul leaped from the shadows and slashes at George, putting a big dent into his Armor, before it grabbed him and, to the horror of his teammates, ate him.
The three froze, hearing the Ghoul audibly swallow.
RAAAAGGHH!
Ash roared in absolute anger, before charging at the Ghoul and kicking it in the chin, before unleashing a lightning fast barrage at the Ghoul, which was startled by the sudden pain in its face.
Ryan unloaded everything in his arsenal, rockets, bombs, just about everything the Blizzard had in its arsenal, it was fired at the Ghoul in raw militarized anger.
Yaron's Mark glowed red, obviously intent on giving the Ghoul everything it has.
The Ghoul recoiled from the attacks, stepping back into the miasma, only for Ash to roar and clear it with a powerful burst of wind from his Aura, surprising the Ghoul.
The Ghoul was about to charge when its chest suddenly expanded slightly, causing it to bend over in pain. The others stared as its throat did the same, and then somewhere around its skull. The three watched as the Ghoul's jaw was wrenched open, seeing a blood covered George inside.
"I. Am Not. Going to be. SOMEONE'S DINNER!" George roared, pointing Earthbreaker into the Ghoul's mouth and firing again, blasting him out of the Grimm's maw.
George rolled in the snow a bit, the snow managing to clean most of the blood off of him, before he slid to a stop.
Yaron's eyes flash green, a big grin coming over his face. "Oh ho ho, YEAH"! Yaron cheers, pulling their attention.
Ash looked at him curiously. "What"?
"You all better stand back". Yaron warns.
"What are you doing"? Ash demands.
Yaron's Mark glowed brightly. "Ending this"!
The Ghoul stalked closer, rubbing its now searing jaw.
"Because this Monster".
Yaron's Mark was now unbearably bright, his Grimm claws beginning to glow along with it.
"Is going down..."
The trees around them warped and twisted, Ash, George, and Ryan all backed up.
"RIGHT!"
His body began to glow.
"NOW!"
Yaron thrusted his hand forward, which glowed brightly before unleashing a HUGE beam of Energy, blasting the Ghoul and enveloping the 3 story Grimm, swallowing it in its glow.
Yaron put everything he had into this attack, down to his very soul.
George put in his last Mortar shell and opened fire, blasting the Ghoul as it attempted to resist.
Ryan shot one last rocket barrage, before stepping out of Blizzard, and opened fire with his pistols, Blizzard stepping back.
The beam finally faded, the Ghoul nowhere to be seen. A thick silence went throughout them.
The Ghoul stepped out, a loud shriek letting out, horribly burned and broken, but still willing to fight.
Yaron let out a cry of anguish. "You have GOT to be kidding me"! He shouts in anger.
"Can you do it again"? George asks.
"If I had two days". Yaron snaps.
"I don't think we got two minutes". Ryan snaps.
Ash stared, before realizing something, the Ghoul's skin was horribly burnt and charred, obviously weakened as how it limped slightly.
"It's hurt..." Ash realized.
"Well, at least we can go down, knowing we dented the thing". Yaron snaps, looking more irritated than usual.
"No, I think I can take it down". Ash says, standing tall.
"You sure, by yourself"? Ryan asks.
"If I don't hold back now, Yeah". Ash responds.
George nodded. "Finish Strong, Ash".
Ash shifted out of his Xuen form and grabbed both weapons, before walking forward.
The Ghoul growled, it was struggling against this...pain, a new sensation for it. The combined effort from all of GRAY's attacks weakened its thick skin, strengthened over millenniums of feasting. It shrieked as Ash approached, only it seemed much weaker.
"Feeling tired"? Ash remarked. "Join the Club, care to make this the last stand"? Ash asks, twirling his weapons into a ready stance.
The Ghoul seemed to understand Ash, it snorted, almost in agreement.
"Alright then, let's end this".
The Ghoul raced forward, a bit more slower. Ash surged forward and leaped onto its chest, before stabbing it, which went all the way in, causing the Ghoul to let out a shriek of pain. Confirming Ash's theory, Yaron's last attack had taken all of its defense down, it had the advantage, but they're both tired and ready to go down.
Frankly, this was as even as it was going to get.
The Ghoul bucked Ash off and swung at him, Ash was too tired to dodge, and got slammed into the snow. Ash leaped up and sheathed his weapons, before racing up and slammed an electrically charged fist into the Ghoul's face, before continuing to do so, the skin breaking more and more as he continued his assault. The Ghoul picked Ash up and threw him away, nursing its wound. And, to Ash's horror, approached his teammates.
Ash put all of his energy into his body and rushed forward, leaping high into the air, an impossible leap, and onto the Ghoul's back, and punched it with everything he had, beating the Ghoul down badly right through to its spine. Before leaping off of the Ghoul, and facing it.
The Ghoul was on shaky legs, pain surging through it with the electricity of its inflictor.
Ash wasn't too far behind. "This is it...isn't it"?
The Ghoul looked at the Saiyan.
"We got one last blow in us". Ash mutters, lightning coursing through him, like a jet ready to take off.
The Ghoul gained a powerful strong footing once more...knowing it would be its last.
"Alright, lets end this now. You win, we're dinner, we win...your dust".
The Ghoul just seethed.
"Alright...bring it".
The Ghoul shrieked and charged in.
Ash put on foot behind for balance and cupped his hands in front of him, before unleashing a streaming Thunder Storm directly from his body, using his Aura as the conductor for his lightning. The attack collided with the Ghoul, which shrieked in defiance and kept pushing through. The harder it pushed however, the harder Ash pushed back. The Ghoul kept trying to force its way through, but it couldn't keep it up. First, its leg broke from underneath it, then an arm melted. Soon the entirety of the Ghoul was withered away.
Ash kept pushing until he absolutely couldn't, the lightning arcing across the sky.
In the town of Patch, all of the citizens screamed when a stream of lightning arced over them, crackling brightly.
Ash roared as he used the last bit of his power, before collapsing onto his knees.
All was quiet.
The dust cleared, and showed the Ghoul's head, which began to fade away.
They had won.
"WAHOO"! George cheered, leaping into the air and throwing his fist into the air in joy.
"Nice"! Ryan shouted, holding a thumbs up.
Yaron smirked, before nodding at his leader.
Ash collapsed into the snow, a smile on his face.
It was over, they had won.
"Very good". A dark voice cuts in.
Ash's eyes snapped wide and turned, seeing 'Him' standing nearby, clapping slowly.
They all turned, fear enveloping their senses, knowing they couldn't stop him.
'He' walked forward slowly, looking at the beaten and battered boy. "I'm impressed, killing off one of, if not THE oldest Grimm alive." He applauded. "But it isn't enough". He finishes, his voice going to a hiss. "You have gone too far behind, the plan cannot go through anymore, its time to put an end to this, but first". He began, before kicking Ash in the side, knocking something out of his satchel, his stone.
'He' turned and saw it, before grinning and walking over to it, which was just beyond Ash's grasp.
Ash's eyes widened, his face paling. "No...please don't". Ash begged.
'He' put his foot high in the air, and crushed the stone beneath his boot, shattering it.
Ash's eyes widened, seeing his only way of going home, of seeing his friends, family, and anyone outside of Remnant, being shattered right before his eyes.
'He' twisted his boot for added effect, and turned to Ash. "Now for the main event". He says, before walking forward, only to stop and leap back when a slash erupted.
There stood Ember, her face twisted into a look of pure rage, holding her sword in front of her, ready to attack her Father's murderer.
"Oh? A new actor in the play"? He asks, before his stature faded into one of anger. "You aren't SCRIPTED"! He roars, racing forward, a dark liquid forming on his arm.
Ember blocked the strike and swung, the man leaning back and kicking Ember hard, knocking her off of her feet and to the ground, her sword sliding away from her.
Ash felt his heart plumet at seeing his Daughter fall, and he felt it being ripped from his chest, when 'He' put his foot onto her stomach, his hand poised to kill her.
"Let's remedy that, shall we"? He ask, his fingertips glowing purple.
BANG!
The man felt his head being shot, it didn't kill him, but the recoil and suddenness of the shot knocked his hood off of his head, and forced him to turn.
He had sickengly pale skin, almost dead, with pale white hair that flowed down to his upper back, he had piercing purple eyes that glowed in rage. As he glared at Ryan, who stood with a pistol in his left hand.
"You dare...to spill MY blood"?! He roars, before swinging his hand, shooting an impossible fast wave of power.
Ryan didn't have time to react, nor did he see it coming. He felt it hit his arm, and it went numb. He looked and saw he wasn't dead, before looking at the others, who gaped. He then looked down at his left arm, and paled.
It was gone, simply gone, all that was left was his bloody gauntlet, which sat in the snow.
Ryan collapsed onto his knees, holding the place where his arm used to be, which was bleeding badly, before screaming in absolute pain.
'He' thrust his hand forward, which glowed a bright light. "DIE"! He roars, shooting a beam of dark power at Ryan, the shards from the stone on the ground glowing in response.
Ryan's eyes widened as he was enveloped in the light, screaming. Before he was gone.
"RYAN"! All four of them shout, looking absolutely terrified.
"I'm not stopping there, you will ALL Die"! He shouts, before turning to George and unleashing another blast, eliminating George from this world. Who shouted out a cry as he faded.
Ash stood in fear, his eyes widened and his face pale. "George..."
Yaron didn't even respond to the beam coming towards him, only shouting when it hit him, and he was gone.
"Y-Yaron..." Ash mutters, his eyes beginning to leak tears.
'He' approached Ember, ready to end her.
"N-NOOOOOOOO!" Ash screamed, tears flowing, as he glowed a bright white.
'He' stopped as Ash practically exploded in a golden light, a loud Oxen roar could be heard.
'He' felt an immense pain enter his stomach, causing him to look down.
Ash's coal black eyes stared at Him, now in a new form.
His hair was now a bright white, with two Ox horns on his head, and covered in onyx black armor, the pauldron having an Ox look to it, his hands were covered in pitch black gauntlets, which glowed with a bright light, looking like fragmented gloves made of katchin.
"Stay. Away. From my DAUGHTER"! Ash roared, before punching him away, who skidded as he stopped himself.
It didn't stop Ash.
Ash raced forward, an image of an Ox overshadowing him as he punched Him in the kidney, then the temple, then the kidney once more, before backhanding his chin, any attack his opponent made didn't faze him at all, he was like a brick wall!
Ash's snorted, steam literally erupting from his nostrils as he slammed both hands into the figures head, causing him, for the first time in Ash's life, to cry out in pain.
'He' stumbled back and roared, before blasting Ash with both hands, causing a Dark beam twice as strong, to erupt and envelope Ash fully, the shards on the ground glowing once more in response, before Ash was gone.
Ember stared, seeing her Father being murdered once more.
'He' panted in exhaustion at the sudden assault, and put his hood up, before turning to Ember, who whimpered.
"It's over, THEY ARE DEAD"! He roars, before vanishing in a dark portal.
Ember collapsed on her knees, before weeping, the shards on the ground glowing one last time, before vanishing.
To be continued.
...