The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 47: Clash
A single bullet soared out from Blakes' heavy pistol, flying across the room at amazing speeds to reach its target.
Adam quickly yanked out his sword, cleanly cutting the bullet in half, the metal landing in two separate places along the floor.
"Heh." Adam snickered as if this was all a big joke.
Blake growled, loading in an alternate clip into the gun: one loaded with Dust rounds of various sorts.
Blake cocked back her pistol before running forward at Adam, weaving in and out with her shadow clones to confuse him before jumping up, spinning before slicing down with her katana and its cover.
Adam held fast, catching the pair of blades with his own and his hilt, executing a back flip before hooking his sword to his waist, brandishing a black pistol, firing off three consecutive shots before running forward.
Blake spun Gambol Shroud so fast that the bullets simply fell to the floor on impact, running up to Adam. She clicked the trigger of her gun, sliding on the floor under Adam while spawning a shadow clone.
Adams' waist was frozen from the waist down, struggling to move as Blake leaped up from the floor, spinning to face her former mentor and firing off a few shots with her gun.
Adam managed to deflect the oncoming fire with his sword, growling as he began pulsating his Aura, his body glowing red with energy. Adam, with a battle cry, forced his right knee out of the ice while Blake ran up to swing at him. Utilizing all of his strength, Adam spun on his right foot, turning, and slammed his frozen left leg into Blakes' stomach, sending her flying across the room.
Blake slid to a stop, bits of ice shards impaled into her stomach and chest as she took rapid breaths, the impact momentarily stealing her air from her lungs.
Adam, now free, stood still, his sword in his hilt as he gripped the handle of his red blade, his whole body glowing red as he built up his ultimate attack.
The cat faunus slowly shook her head, taking in the sight before her. She quickly hooked Gambol Shroud into one blade with her hilt cover, holding it at the ready.
Adam quickly sliced sideways in a pure cut arc, a massive arc of pure red energy flying out towards Blake horizontally.
With a battle cry, Blake did a 360 spin and brought her blade down to the floor in a downward arc, sending a massive vertical arc of pure dark purple energy towards Adam.
The arcs connected in the space between the two, clashing in the air. The arcs struggled for dominance as Adam began laughing.
"You never were strong enough to beat me, Blake!" He called out with a sinister grin. "Last time we crossed our attacks, I came out on top. And this time-"
Adam didn't finish his sentence as his red arc began to crack in various places; Blakes arc breaking through his own.
"I come out on top." Blake finished Adams partial sentence in her own view, giving a small, faint smile as his arc broke.
Blake's powerful attack flew forward at incredible speeds, smashing into Adam before he could even think to counter. Blood was shot up into the air as he flew sideways to the floor, stunned by her attack.
Blake stalked over, pushing him over with her foot, looking down at his face.
Adams mask was broken on the right side, a blood red eye staring back at her with no emotion except faint fear.
Blake held Gambol Shroud to her side, spinning it so if she pushed down, she would impale his chest.
"..." Blake said nothing, cursing herself for her lack of commitment.
Blake stepped off him. "Leave. Now."
Adam slowly stood up, clutching his bleeding left arm.
"Blake..." Adam said softly, barely able to hold his blade.
"I'm not a monster, so I refuse to end this." Blake said with a single tear going down her right cheek. "So leave. Now."
Adam wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't find any words. With a limp from a hurt ankle, the White Fang agent made his way out of the room, turning to face Blake for a moment, before exiting through a hidden door.
Blake sighed as she hooked her sword to her back, making her way down the hall Yang and the others had gone, dropping an emergency beacon on the floor for Orion to get the others out of there.
"Guys, we gotta keep moving!" Yang shouted back as she fired off airborne shots with Ember Celica down the hall behind them, howls of pain echoing down the hall as Feng ran with Hayden in his arms, flipping over some rubble.
"You woke the horde!" Feng shouted as he dodged an explosion, running past Yang as she turned to run as well.
"At least we killed those White Fang guards!" Yang reasoned.
"Just run!" Feng said as a loud roar shook the building.
Dozens of mechanized Grimm were charging down the hallway behind them, tearing apart anything in their way as they chased the trio down the hallway.
Feng looked back and tossed Hayden to Yang, who caught him swiftly as she ran onward, Feng, sliding to a stop.
The monk got into a traditional martial arts combat stance, taking a few deep breaths as he spun in a circle, delivering an axe kick downward to the floor. The marble and stone fractured into a pieces, light green spikes ejecting themselves from within the earth, impaling the beasts multiple times as they began to get jammed in the hall, roaring in pain and anger as Feng ran to catch up to Yang.
"Next time, don't touch the red buttons." Feng said, exhausted as they turned a hallway.
"Oh shush." Yang retorted. "Gets your blood running." The brawler said with a wink.
Feng just rolled his eyes as the roars of the beasts echoed behind them.
"Watch your left!" Ruby called out as she sliced forward with her massive scythe towards one of the bowmen, who dodge it and spun, firing off an arrow.
Ruby leaned back as the arrow traveled on, Saturn slicing it in half as it nearly flew into Weiss's neck, who was currently dealing with her own issues.
A small metal door had popped open on the nearby wall, several mechanical Beowulf's running out to battle the newcomers. Weiss cut clean arcs in the air, cutting lines in their armor as she fought.
Saturn was engaged with one of the bowmen, who was using his bow as a battle axe. The back string of the bow had elongated downward and formed a large pole, the black wood and metal part of the bow glowing green as Saturn jumped back, countering and deflecting with his own swords.
Ruby rolled to her side as an arrow flew past her, connecting to the far wall before exploding, sending chunks of metal and stone across the room, nearly taking off Saturns' head as he ducked down, cursing as he crossed blades with one of the bowmen.
Weiss rolled and stabbed forward, thrusting her rapier deep into the head of a mecha-Beowulf, the beast falling still as she spun her rapier, swinging forward as a blast of ice shot towards the open door, freezing the area shut in a thick layer of ice. Weiss then turned her attention to the bowmen, running forward with her blade glowing red as Saturn was flung backwards by the axe-bowmen. The heiress slashed at the man as he brought down his axe on her, the blade connecting and stopping in its attack. The axe was flung across the room, impaling itself in the far wall.
The bowman ran forward and drove a fury of punches towards Weiss, who managed to weave in and out to dodge each fist, as she quickly spun in a circle, her blade meeting his waist as her attack cut into him, blood leaking from the wound as he fell to one knee in pain. Weiss spun her rapier and thrusted forward, driving the blade deep into his chest, yanking the blade out as he slumped over dead.
Weiss ran over to Saturn as Ruby fought. The bowman rolled back from one of her attacks, yanking back his bow as he fired off another explosive arrow.
Ruby, utilizing her super speed, quickly ran forward, grabbing the arrow and spinning, throwing it back at the man.
The arrow flew into his right leg, the man grunting as he looked down at the explosive arrow. The bowman blinked twice before the arrow detonated, his body exploding into dust, floating away in a mist.
"Well then. That was a piece of cake." Ruby commented as she yanked an arrow head out of her chest, dropping it on the floor as golden blood oozed from the wound.
Saturn and Weiss slowly walked over.
"Nice work, Kid." Saturn said in approval, Ruby executing a mock bow.
Saturn looked at the platform above them.
"Now, we take down Touko."
Blake jumped up a incline in the wall beside her, elbowing the grey vent beside her before slipping on in, skidding as she traversed the winding shaft of the vent, stopping as she heard the sound of talking.
"Miss Touko... We have to leave!" A male voice said quickly. "Our forces are being over whelmed!"
"Quiet!" Touko Mikasa said with a growl, stomping to a table. "We are FINE!"
Blake rolled over in the vent, kicking downward as she broke through the vent system, falling down to the floor of the office room overlooking one of Touko's labs.
Touko glanced upward and dove out of the way, twirling her wrist as she flung a pair of knives in Blakes' direction, who slashed with her katana to deflect them, landing on the floor of the room.
Blake instantly cut down one of the suit wearing men, kicking him afterwards and sending his body flying into a table, knocking it over.
Touko ran forward with her hand to her belt, flipping over Blake before throwing two more knives down at Blake as the cat girl continued to kill the others in the room.
The pair of knives impaled themselves in her back, Blake grunting in pain as they were laced with Dust, stumbling over as she thrusted her sword at Touko.
Touko dodged and spun in the air, kicking Blake in the face as she flew back, falling to the floor below with the Mech-Grimm.
Blake struggled to get back up, growling as she was surrounded by Grimm.
Touko appeared above her. "Halt, my pets. Leave her be for now." Touko said as she cleaned some blood from her attire, her bunny ears flopping around as she walked back into the office room.
Blake went to stand up before two large machine gun turrets emerged from the ceiling, aiming at her as the Mecha-Grimm surrounded her.
"Grrr..." Blake muttered to herself as she laid there, still.
Saturn and Weiss leaned on opposing sides of a large metal door with a large White Fang logo imprinted deep upon its surface. The duo sized up the metal blockade, debating their next move.
"It's going to be thick." Saturn said as he let his Semblance dissipate, placing his swords to his pocket. The former crime lord exchanged them for a large black pistol, cocking back the gun as he held it to his side. "It's going to be difficult to break in."
"There you go being negative." Weiss grumbled as she refilled her Dust chamber, spinning it for good measure.
Ruby hummed as she hooked her scythe to her back, making an X with her arms.
A X-shaped blast of pure red energy flew from her arms, connecting with the large door. The metal door, frame and all, was melted into nothing within a few seconds, leaving the entry way open.
The duo of Weiss and Saturn looked at her with raised eyebrow.
"I have no idea." Ruby said with a grin as they ran in the room.
The trio froze in place as the wall behind them shut tight with a secondary door, cutting them off from their escape.
Touko stood above them upon the office platform, the broken glass littering the ground like a plague as Blake was surrounded by Mecha-Grimm.
"Touko." Saturn growled as he leveled his pistol to her, freezing as the turrets began to aim toward his own body instead of Blakes, the Grimm still beside her.
"Saturn Laos? I thought you were lost to us!" Touko said with a confused frown, gesturing to the girls. "Are these not our contract for you? Will you not end them here and now?"
"You used me for your own end, and I don't recall making a single dime that was worth any of Beacon students lives." Saturn said with a hiss, locking eyes with Touko.
"Perhaps. Yet our offer still stands. Kill these two, and I'll have even more work for you. Those remaining brats are still loose in the base. Two million Lein a head." Touko mused as she knew his greed was too great. "Your choice, Mister Laos."
Saturn thought as he began formulating a plan, looking at the exterior workings of the lab room. Saturn followed the lines of cables connected to an array of computers behind him, leading to two power boxes, one behind Weiss and the other Ruby.
Saturn cursed himself as he weighed his options, holding the pistol to his side, looking at the two teens.
"Saturn... Don't listen to her..." Weiss warned as her grip on her blade tightened, Ruby slowly going for her scythe.
"Sorry, kiddo." Saturn said as he looked at Ruby.
The former crime lord leveled his pistol with one hand, firing off one shot at Ruby's head. As the rotating bullet reached its target, Rubys head exploded into golden blood, splattering the walls as a chunk of her forehead was missing, along with her right eye. The bullet passed though her head and towards the wall, flying into the breaker box, causing the power in the room to flicker. The girls body twitched before it fell over still, dead as a Goddess could be.
"RUBY!" Weiss cried out as the turrets locked on her now, causing her to freeze. "I'm gonna KILL you!" Weiss growled at the man before her, who was inspecting his work.
Saturn looked at Weiss and looked into her eyes, winking once.
"Its been nice, Schnee." Saturn said as he fired off one shot at Weiss, the bullet flying off towards her head.
A/N: I promise I don't have a hatred of Ruby. She is too cute and moe!
:3