Hello Everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you are all fine!
Thank you all again for being here once more. You are all awesome and I truly mean it.
Without any further ado, let's go to chapter 171. As always, I hope you enjoy it!
See you all next on the 21st with chapter 172. Until then, be well and have fun!
The darkness emanating from the decrepit chamber eclipsed all other senses.
The sounds of Grimm running down towards them, the alien sensations of dread anxiety and the exhilarating prospect of magic; all vanished into thin air the moment they saw Charon's red eyes staring through the shadows of the charnel tomb, sealed for countless and untold eons.
Their feet instinctively carried them inside. The world seemed to bend in impossible, alien ways as if they were not passing through a door but a portal- a mystifying gateway to a completely isolated territory.
The inside was a spacious chamber made of black stone and furnished in numerous articles of pure white gold. Countless treasures adorned the circular walls, objects of priceless value and ambiguous orientation.
Masks of horrendous shapes and forms hovered in the darkness. They were pure white and pulsing in sinister radiance. Queer, eerie noises of the most inhuman kind throttled their ears and pierced their skin.
They all held their breath as they stepped before the marvelous central ornament. Yang moved in slowly, her eyes a pulsing red and her fists curled into balls as she gritted her teeth at the unhallowed spectacle.
A pit of deep brown sand was formed in the middle of the room, dyed in black blood splatters. The shattered remains of various spikes, chains and seals were scattered around it, their remaining ends still attached on four crumbled pillars made of red clay and covered in fading runes.
In the middle of the pit the Mad King was sitting on a throne made of shining black obsidian. A long crown of spikes and vines was crafted on top of the seat and its body was forged to resemble swirling masses of skeletal human bodies, losing themselves in a sea of whirling glass,
The ornament was so pristine despite its age; even specks of dust were being reflected on its bony details. The pedestal around it was created to mimic thin veins that pulsed in the scarlet eerie gleam of dark magic.
As for the Grimm itself there were very few words to describe the Mad King's actual form. Mortal eyes could only perceive a human torso and long thin limbs, all wrapped in tattered bandages and broken pieces of iron chains. A golden mask concealed its face except for a pair of red eyes, matching the splatters that were visible all over its twisted body.
Yang, however, could see much more.
The creature's body was a mass of boiling flesh. Numerous pieces of old bones and cracked Grimm masks floated in the chaos forming its torso. It had no legs; its lower form was a worm-like coil covered by the sands.
Tatters of oozing red energy swirled in its abysmal figure, lashing out to form a humongous network of veins pulsing magical energy towards all directions, piercing through the barrier and towards the mausoleum.
Its head was made of pure black bone, not shining but pitch-dark like a moonless night. Cracks were formed on its surface, red wisps licking their outlines. Its teeth were short yet sharp and its eyes an empty void.
A crown of- Yang held back a gasp- rotten, twisted flesh formed over its ominous visage. Thick blood and Grimm flesh was splattered on the throne around it- the remains of Ichor and Alastor's ephemeral bodies.
"The air is so oppressive…" Blake whispered. A loud whistling echoed as if answering to her; a sharp, piercing wail akin to violent wind blowing through narrow holes. A mighty shriek boomed and abruptly stopped.
"If you are unable to withstand my domain, you are more foolish than I took you for, bearer of the Mirror Blade" its voice was guttural and carried a monstrous hue, but it came out rather humane. Blake gulped.
"You can sense Eidolon?" Ruby blurted. "I can sense all forms of magic, Former Child of Light" the reply was sharp and emotionless. "I can feel the fading remains of light inside you or the magical mysteries etched inside your weapons." It slowly moved its masked head to the far left.
"I can even feel the malicious aura of my kin eating away at your soul, Chosen of my Sister" it addressed Yang with a bit of disdain and maybe a tint of respect. "She wants to lash out- eat your soul and mine alike."
"Well, she ain't doing that" Yang clenched her fists. "She is right" Weiss and Ruby flanked the blonde girl, raising their weapons towards the old King. "Neither are you, for that matter" the silver-eyed girl added.
Blake unsheathed Eidolon and felt glee pouring inside her as a shadow clone appeared by her side, fully armed and ready for combat. "We are sealing you back inside, no matter what" she stepped besides them.
"Kneel!" the words had barely left the Mad King's mouth before a blast of power raked the room. The world compressed and exploded, as the Elder assaulted their minds with a fierce, inhuman mental onslaught.
In the span of a mere moment, images flooded their minds. Beautiful, horrendous and twisted beyond recognition, dreams and nightmares meshed together and overwhelmed their defenses without mercy.
Ruby found herself in a sandy beach. The shimmering waters of the big ocean enticed her into swimming. There were no bystanders- just she in the middle of beautiful blue. The sun was scorching hot and the cool waters looked so delectable.
She took a step forward smiling at the- dark waters poured from the pit of her most horrendous nightmares. Eyes of the most malicious evil red stared hungrily at her. Flabby amphibian arms reached out and grabbed her, dragging her powerless body into the deep primordial abyss.
Weiss cried as she held Yang's corpse. The half-transformed woman's body was full of cuts and wound marks, her dark blood pouring over pristine white. Myrtenaster was impaling her beloved one's stomach.
Once more, she felt terror strangling her as her most beloved person slowly and horribly died in her arms. Yang smiled at her before she vanished into thin air, joining the rest of the cult in the Netherworld.
Blake stood in Vale Cemetery, wind blowing her unkempt hair. A rolled newspaper with huge headlines was being wrinkled in her lowered fist. The scent of fresh flowers and dug-up earth filled her nostrils.
She wanted to say something; anything. She couldn't. She had long lost the chance to say the things she wanted to. She turned her back and fled from the memorial, her heart as heavy as the twelve black ribbons that decorated Nightfall's sheath- a reminder of her failure as a leader.
Jaune woke up in the same cage he had been for the past few months. The scent of earth and blood filled his nose and the familiar sensation of abandon crept up his spine. He could neither hear nor see anyone.
Wordlessly and sorrowfully, he stood up and started doing his daily routine of stretches and push-ups, reminiscing of the beautiful dreams of freedom and happiness he had just been woken up from.
Sun carefully trekked the ruined streets of Vale, tugging his cape in to hide his face from the toxic wind. His lips were parched and his eyes puffy from the poison cloud, but his concerns were pointed elsewhere.
Since the rise of the new Grimm and the transformation of Vale to a dead zone, his only worries were whether he would one day stumble upon a familiar corpse lying on the street or be killed before that.
Yang woke up in the same cavern she had visited almost every night for the last month. The faces of the restless dead surrounded her- a horde of horrifying eyes both stranger and familiar, reached out towards her.
Their void black eyes hungered for her soul, she knew that. The eldritch green light highlighted their horrible visages and bloodied mouths. They were silent, as much as death itself, but she could feel their hunger.
Above them, towering over anything else in the makeshift cavern of her nightmares, the horned shadow stood proud. The reflection of a being so powerful and imposing it covered her own form as its twisted image was cast upon the cavern walls from the eldritch green miasmatic light.
The dead stood by, but dared not approach it. She took a good look at the form with the large protruding horns and the powerful long arms. It was completely eclipsing her, standing just behind Yang's human body.
She closed her eyes for a moment and bit her lips in disappointment. It was obvious to her now. It had been obvious to her from the very first moment she had visited that prison; she simply didn't want to admit it.
She had never been afraid of whatever stood behind her, casting its tall shadow on the wall and urging the spirits in, stirring their souls like a herald of destruction. She had no reason to be afraid of that monster.
The time had come. Yang turned around and, after taking a long deep breath, opened her lilac orbs and came face to face with the truth- a truth she was aware from the beginning and was afraid to fully admit.
She had no reason to be afraid of that figure, for she was the only one inside that cavern. The only thing inside besides her and the restless dead was a vile altar of shiny metal burning in the wicked green flames.
The one casting the reflection was clear from the beginning. She smiled bitterly as she raised her metal arms and felt the long Grimm horns and the sickly burning sensation of the Grand Mother's protective halo.
The only monster was her and the inhuman evil that had been festering inside her since that day in Cornfield weeks ago. She sniffed and let a few hot tears to run down. They evaporated from the overbearing heat.
A distant summer memory filled her heart as the realization grew deep inside her, filling her body with chills. For a mere moment, she thought she saw a vast plain of sand spreading before her under a starry night.
Raven was standing beside her younger self. Her hair was messed up in a rather unorthodox manner and her muscular toned figure was a true and undisputable mess of cuts, wounds and bruises covered by a cloak.
The moon was almost full and in the distance she could hear the eerie howling of Beowolves roaming the sands of Vacuan Desert. It was that night- the last night her mother had lived in Remnant.
"The plan is ridiculous" she heard her mouth saying. Raven nodded and crossed her arms. "I know; but it's the best we have to cut off two of the snake's heads at the same time. Killing both Tyrian and Hazel will be a decisive blow at Salem's hands and if Ruby takes down Cinder, then-"
"Ruby is a hero" she said, no matter how much she wanted to object to the plan. "She has to take down Cinder in order to be able to move on; not for Uncle Qrow, but for her own good more than anything else."
Raven's scarlet orbs fell on Yang. She tried to say something, but held it back after some thought. "What I don't understand is why did you of all people decided to act as bait for luring out Grimm and Salem's agents?"
She had blurted it out so heavily. A mix of guilt and anger laced her voice. It was no more than two years ago when this conversation had happened and yet if felt like ages had passed them by. Raven sighed.
"Everyone has a treasure they want to protect, Yang" her voice was so damn emotional it felt like someone else was making her utter those words. "The only issue is how far one will go to protect that treasure."
"Like you?" She had scoffed at her. Damn, she actually could act like a big jerk if she wanted to, huh. "Like me" Raven had solemnly replied "I only hope you will never have to take such a path yourself, my prideful and stubborn girl" she had patted her head before walking away.
Yang's eyes burned in power as she felt sorrow rising up from her soul.
"Of all the things to remember now" the cavern collapsed and the stars were washed away along with the nostalgic sands. Faint gasps of agony and pants of horror welcomed her senses back to the burial chamber.
Yang stood up and saw everyone having fallen on their knees, bodies in deep shock as their hands reached out to the skies above. Their eyes in a state of shock, they seemed delirious as if in a haze of paranoia.
She felt the halo growing by every moment, feeding on her sorrow and the Mad King's magical power as the Grand Mother hungrily consumed the luxurious meal presented to her numerous parasitic jaws.
Slowly and calmly, she rubbed the place where Raven had caressed her for the first and last time of her acting like a normal mother. It most likely was just a delusion, but it was surprisingly warm and comforting.
Raven had asked her this thing. Cherry had repeated it. Lately, she had found her thoughts moving towards that line of thought more and more. A single damn question- the only wise thing Raven had ever said.
'How far are you willing to go to protect your treasure?'
Her eyes fell on Weiss and Ruby trying to reach each other; trying to find some comfort from the horrible nightmare they had been blasted with. She bit her lips – and let her anger burst out like a blazing inferno.
"Till the very fucking end."
-o—
The halo erupted in a brilliant pillar of green light. In the farthest, most stalwart recesses of their mind, Ruby and Weiss saw Yang's body twist and cry as the eldritch power rose to inhuman levels of monstrousness.
The horns rose high above her blonde mane, resembling more of a goat skull.
Her left arm grew armor plates and spikes, as thick green lines pulsed in complete harmony to her breathing.
Her ribs elongated and contorted, forming a powerful white armor that covered her torso. Green orbs blinked in furious hunger and eldritch maws rose from above the green fire that now wrapped her body like a cursed knight's mantle. Her legs grew spikes and reinforced plating.
The Mad King sat on its throne, visibly undeterred. Yang's eyes glared at the beast. They were still a brilliant, warm lilac with only flickers of red dancing across their shining surface. She breathed out heavily in anger.
Her vision wasn't blurry anymore. In fact she could now see even better than before. She saw all the floating particles of energy covering the Mad King's throne room as if in the middle of a humongous sandstorm.
She could see the vast layers of protection the monster had. She could see the dark hands of miasmatic shadow energy that pulsed out of its twisted visage, grabbing her friends' heads like a sickening, evil vice.
She could see the spirits waning in the outside of the kingdom; the old vestiges of the dead, forever entrapped by the Mad King's spells to its abolished world, haunting the nightmares of mortals and Grimm alike.
She could see the darkness breathing upon their necks. And for the first time in a while, she knew exactly what she had to do.
"Each and every one of you…" Mad King didn't react. "You have ruined so many lives… I won't let you ruin theirs too!"
"You can still stand" the monster exclaimed with no hint of surprise in its voice. "And you even retain your own mind, despite the partial level of transformation. You will make a fine host, as I expected."
Without allowing her time to reply, the skeletal figure raised its index finger. The magical energy in the room rose rapidly as the veins grew to life, turning brighter and thicker before her enhanced vision.
They quickly transformed into chains and assaulted Yang. Huge bindings of cold iron wrapped around her legs and arms, viciously pulling her to the imposing throne. They pulsed as crimson malice drained her power.
A primordial scream rose from the depths as the malevolent Elder that possessed her opened its flaming jaws. Yang joined its cry with a violent shout of her own, filling the chamber in primordial blood cries of war.
The jaws reached out and bit at the chains. Hungrily and voraciously, they consumed their magical energy rendering them nothing more than thick lines of iron. With a triumphant cry, she heavily pulled back away.
Her power surprised even her as the chains holding her metal hand got shattered in pieces just from her pulling it away. She quickly grabbed the other one and crashed it in half, freeing her possessed limb as well.
With a rapid motion, she kicked the two remaining chains off her feet. A gust of wind erupted around her, as the air suddenly caught fire. Her gaze hardened, seeing the veins sending tiny little sparks towards every direction, igniting the magical particles that saturated the atmosphere.
She didn't mind the fireworks, but she was sure her friends weren't in a state to defend against the upcoming onslaught. It was up to her- and she wouldn't have it any other way, to be completely honest.
Yang pierced her left shoulder with ice dust and immediately flared her semblance up, using Grand Mother's magical power to further add to it.
It wasn't easy by all means. Mad King's mental attack was assaulting her mind every passing minute, undeterred by all the attacks and spells it cast on her, trying to slip by her defenses and wreak havoc upon her.
On the other side, Grand Mother was feeding on her aura to cast its protective halo. The pain wracking her nerves was brain shattering, as if her skull was literally on fire.
It was a tug-of-war of colossal proportions between two ancient Grimm of immense power- and she was in the middle, her puny human body in a constant edge from the stress, shock and pain.
Still, her soul endured. Yang gritted her teeth and pushed forth. All the pain and suffering, all her anger and sorrow, transformed into aura and were poured into her semblance as she punched towards the ceiling.
The halo resisted but whatever sort of control that thing possessing her could exert, it was caught unaware of her resistance. Yang fed on the raw magic, sending a might shockwave of pure cold energy towards all directions. It engulfed the burning air sand, immediately snuffing it out.
Shards of ice cracked towards all directions. A couple of them melt just after a moment, but that round of combat was hers and hers alone. In a risky attempt to capitalize on that victory, Yang charged forward to the-
A blast of raw magical energy hit her head-on. The concentrated power was partially absorbed by the protective halo, but even Grand Mother's maw wasn't enough to completely stop the searing beam of dark light.
Yang let out a scream of agony. Her body contorted in pain as she felt a surge of cursed magic wracking her nerves and frying her skin.
The sensation was abysmally disgusting. The attack didn't just hurt her skin and nerves. It hurt her mind, her soul, her very being to the core. It was as if the beam itself was attacking all parts of her existence at once.
Frightened about the fate of its host, Grand Mother lashed out to gain control. The halo grew dark and tendrils lashed out to dig into her skin.
She tried to hold it back, but she failed. She had barely enough sanity left to hold Mad King's attack at bay. She reached out to grab the vial. One of the tentacles slapped it off her hand towards the ground-
And right into Weiss' hands. "YOU!" an angry roar pierced her ears. "One and all, heart and soul. Gates beyond, whispers unfold. Mind and matter, space will shatter!"
A soothing embrace suddenly engulfed her. A huge glyph blew right just before her, shielding Yang from the agonizing luminescent blast. Before she could even try jumping away, a whirlwind of blue petals burst right beneath and took her away, overwhelming her in the smell of lavender.
She knelt and stood up, eyes open wide in astonishment as she saw her friends- no, her family- standing up beside her with various levels of seriousness in their faces. They were all panting and breathing heavily.
"Are you ok?" Weiss asked, wiping the traces of a phosphorescent blue liquid from her thin lips. Sun and Jaune let theirs fall on the ground and she noticed Ruby and Blake had emptied one vial as well. She smiled.
"Yes!" Yang turned around and stared at the Mad King, ignoring all the pain and agony the parasite tormenting her was trying to exert. With a quick motion, she removed the used-up ice dust crystal from her body.
"As always, you are there when someone has to endure" Ruby's light voice filled her heart in warmth. She cocked Ember Celica again.
"You gave us exactly the time we needed to recover, reckless fool" Blake walked next to her and raised her blade, pointing at the throne of prismatic sands and glass. Nightfall glowed in a mighty blue color.
"Everyone; arm Anti-Elder bullets" she tightened her grip as if she was challenging the monstrous Elder. "Ruby; take over the combat plans as we agreed."
Silver met red and the reaper felt the intense stare of the creature. She blinked and restrained a cry of excitement at the sound of her leader's words. "Follow me!" she simply announced. "We end this; now!"