Chapter 33 – Susanoo

After her statement, Susanoo rushes at Cinder with his weapon poised to swing horizontally. But before he could follow through, Cinder's designs on her outfit light up as dust forms around her. The particles from a glass bow and arrow. The black harried woman then shots the biological imperial arm at close range. The arrow explodes on impact, sending Susanoo back, sliding against the ground. He comes to a stop at Najenda's feet. The leader of Night Raid looks at her Susanoo and sees a cracks forming around his red core.

"I assume that was the core. A poor design choice if you ask me?" Cinder smugly says.

"Susanoo is a lot stronger than you think!" Najenda says as a yellow energy leaves her body through her green metal arm. The energy gathers around Susanoo as his body transforms. His hair turns white and his skin turns gray. His clothes turn black as a black ring forms behind him as he gets up.

Cinder forms and shoots a second arrow at Najenda, but Susanoo summons a large mirror to protect his master. The arrow hits the mirror, but instead of exploding on impact, is reflected back Cinder. The black haired woman evades the counterattack, the arrow makes contact with the gate behind her and exploding. Her eyes glow brighter as she raises her hand slowly with her palm facing the sky. As she does this, the ground around Najenda and Susanoo grew hotter until erupting under their feet.

As she looks at the smoke were her foes stood, Cinder sees the leader of Night Raid run out the smoke towards her. Cinder responds by splitting her bow into two short blades and runs towards her foe. Najenda then stops, aims her metal arm at Cinder, and rockets it towards the black haired woman. Cinder, throws one of her short swords at the rocket arm. As the two meet in midair, an explosion occurs, destroying both.

With her other arm, Najenda shields her eye from the smoke and derby. Cinder then rushes through the smoke and runs her other short sword into Najenda abdomen. The tip of the blade exits out of the leader of Night Raid's back. Najenda coughs up a cup full of blood on Cinder's hand as she looks back in the growing eye of Cinder.

Cinder tries to carver into her foe deeper, but Najenda uses her other arm to try and pull out the sword. The black haired woman giggle at her foes futile attempt and user her other hand to grab Najenda by the neck. She begins to chock the last of the life out of the leader of Night Raid.

"How pathetic, you really had known idea how deadly my powers are. Just wait until I get the rest of the maiden's power. That is, unless you have not bleed to death by then." Cinder says as she tries to pull out the sword. However, her mood changes as she realizes that her foe was smiling. The black haired woman realizes she could not pull out her sword because the foe had an iron clad grip on her hand.

"What do you know, Esdeath was right. She knew exactly what would cause you to die." Najenda says as she spits blood into Cinder's eye. The black haired woman flails in a blinded state, as the other eye was cover by her hair. Najenda calls to someone behind her.

"NOW SUSANOO! END THIS!" On command, Susanoo emerges from the smoke. He summons his large sword, Ame no Murakumo, and horizontally swipes, cutting both of the women in half in one slash, even breaking through Cinder's aura. The black haired woman looks in denial and horror as the yellow glow around her eye left her body. It formed a ball of light that travel towards the tower.

Now exiting the elevator, Ozpin and Chelsea see the ball of light pass by them and the floor of the elevator. Ozpin looks in confusion for a second until realizing what this meant. Chelsea looks out in the distance to see Susanoo in his transformation. She runs to him to ask where their leader was, until she looked down in horror. Najenda, barley enough strength, looks up at her comrade. She gives a slight smile to try and clam Chelsea.

"It is okay Chelsea, it will be alright." Najenda says as she coughs up blood again.

"What are you saying, none of this will be alright. The Grimm have been heading to this location." Chelsea says as she begins to cry, "And what happened to Esdeath, she is still a huge threat to us. How is any of this going to be alright?" Najenda slowly closes her eye as she breaths her last breath.

"It will be alright because I know that my friends are strong enough to overcome any obstacle. None of them would give up on our goal of overthrowing the Empire, even after death they gave us the strength to keep moving forward. Have faith in them to save this world as they did in ours." Najenda says as her breaths stops and body stops moving. Chelsea hears her boss's last words and wipes the tears from her eyes.

Ozpin walks over and puts his hand on Chelsea's shoulder. "She was a brave woman with a strong moral compass. I do not think anyone in her situation would have sacrificed so much to save people from another world." He says as she nods in agreement with his kind words. Both look up in the sky to see the Grimm circle overhead.

"What do we do about them now?" Chelsea says to Ozpin. Looks up and has a sudden realization.

"I know one thing we can do." Ozpin says as he starts walking by Susanoo. "Please move the bodies and defend the tower. If anyone returns, have them take refugee inside the tower." Susanoo nods before reverting to his normal form. Chelsea looks back in confusion to what he meant.

"What is it?" She says as she follows him. He looks down and tightens his grip on his cane.

"First, I need you to tell me again. Do you really wish to do whatever you can to help people?" Ozpin says in an unflinching tone. Chelsea looks at him even more confused, wonder why ask it again. "No matter what may happen to you, what pain and torture you may have to endure to gain immense power." Ozpin says, stopping in from front of the elevator. Chelsea stops for a second to consider what he had said. She remembered when she witness the students being killed by Esdeath and what Tatsumi said to her. She then walks over the elevator with determination in her answer.

"Yes."