Hello Everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine!

Chapter 172 is here and as always, I hope you enjoy it!

We almost at the end, everyone. There are five chapters left, which means the story will probably conclude on January 31st with a double chapter. Thank you all once more for keeping up with it, by following/favoring/ reading it. You are amazing and I love you all!

Having said that, see you on December 31st with chapter 173. Until then, be well and have fun!

"Spread around! Yang and Jaune, take the mid!" Ruby's first order came to them and the huntsmen opened their formation wide to surround the Mad King's throne. Rapidly, they armed Anti-Elder dust cartridges.

Five blue glows illuminated the area, dying the cursed ruler's glass seat in their hue. The air coalesced around them as their weapons seemed to even repel the volcanic ash and polluted atmosphere of the throne.

Yang's halo was the only thing to overshadow the powerful luminous glow. Grand Mother's jaws had acted way too aggressive towards the use of the vial and she didn't want to risk it going berserk right now.

She cocked Ember Celica and waited as Jaune whirled Crocea Mors and moved next to her with his shield up high. She could hear-no, feel- his ragged constitution and diminishing aura. He was beyond exhausted.

On the throne's left stood Ruby and Weiss. Crescent Rose, Myrtenaster and Crown were glowing with energy. The silver-eyed girl had her rifle aimed at the Mad King's head, while Weiss stood in between them.

Blake and Sun had taken the right flank. Eidolon's outlines hovered by the cat girl's shadow, as Nightfall pulsed with its tip pointed forward. A small motion from the blonde boy indicated his gunchucks had armed.

The situation was tense. Everyone waited in anticipation for Ruby's new command, but she motioned for them to keep steady. She carefully was eying the monstrous foe, waiting for a window of opportunity to open.

The monster simply sat there. No motions, no words or speeches were uttered. There was no magic stirring and no energy pulsing. If not for Yang's stance indicating otherwise, one could easily think of it as dead.

Of course, no one in this room was fool enough to even consider such a thing. The black skull didn't move but the humongous red veins behind it slowly spread. Yang's cursed vision caught their growth in an instant.

"It's doing something!" she screamed. Everyone tensed but had no idea what she meant and frankly, neither did she. That was, until they heard a loud, eerie baying like a demonic hound's leaving its rotten mouth.

At once, the air accelerated. A mighty twister erupted around from the throne, reaching towards them with unimaginable power. It oozed of malice and pain, carrying with it a faint song of Grimm angels of death.

The world shook under its might and the sand rose, forming a black whirlwind of darkness. As it moved, they felt their faces being cut by the rapidly moving sand and their auras drained by the siphoning spell.

Fortunately for them, facing colossal sandstorms was something every veteran of the Vacuan Wars was accustomed to.

Without even needing to be ordered to, everyone immediately put on their masks to protect their faces and covered their bodies with their cloaks. Weiss, Jaune and Sun each threw an orange shard before them.

Three huge slabs of rock burst out from the ground to provide shelter. The three pairs jumped right behind them to cover their bodies from the sand. Ruby spared a look at the unmoving adversary as she dived in.

The massive hurricane had stopped, rising a ceiling-high barrier to keep them away from the throne. Magical power roared across the room in such intensity that Ruby saw the stone slabs being slowly eaten away.

"Good thought, but we don't know how long that thing can keep that storm up" she told her partner. "There is no high ground to move to as well" Weiss replied. "I hope the others won't act stupid" she added.

"They won't, but our position is not favorable- time works against us" the brunette took a skeptical look and tried to think above the roaring echo of the grinding sand and the mighty wind of the makeshift twister.

"If it is magical, there is a chance you and Yang could disable, right?" Ruby wondered. Weiss scoffed "Yang using her powers aside, I need a solid spot and some time to prepare something like that and it would consume an unhealthy amount of air dust just to counter it."

"I see…" Ruby's voice was partially lost in the cacophonous roar of the black whirlwind. "If I could get past the wind barrier, I could take a shot at it with the Anti-Elder bullets, but I don't know how much damage I will take… or if there's going to be anything waiting for me back there."

Weiss nodded in agreement. Acting out in impulse was too risky and if the Mad King actually had prepared for them charging in, it could cost them both the fight and their lives. They needed to act smart or else.

"Say, Weiss" Ruby licked her lips in nervousness, glad for the mask that protected her face from being seen. "I don't like the tone of your voice" the reply came as a matter of fact "what plan did you come up with?"

"Dust isn't going to help with such magic eroding it" she smacked on the wall to prove her point. "And we can't move without risking being hit or our aura being eaten- except for one person" she sighed deeply.

Weiss' eyes opened wide the moment Ruby's words sunk inside her mind. Even though it wasn't visible, her stance and movements made it clear to her best friend that she didn't like that train of thought at all.

"You want to use Yang as a shield to advance?" she hissed in anger. "Or am I missing something?" "I want to use her more as a spear than a shield, but the general idea is the same" the silver-eyed girl admitted.

"I hate you" she clicked her tongue "and I hate Yang for agreeing to it, because I know she will." Ruby kindly smiled under her mask and then reached out to her partner "I am going full-speed, so hang on tight."

Used to their friends' antics, Yang and Jaune weren't caught unawares when a red-white burst slammed on the ground next to them. Weiss and Ruby quickly dashed behind the crumbling cover, gasping in pain.

"Are you two okay?" Jaune's voice was as kind as ever, but both girls shook their heads to show they needed no help. Yang raised a brow in anticipation for the plan- she knew a quite ridiculous one was coming.

"Please don't get mad" Ruby turned to her sister "and listen out to me, ok sis?" she pleaded in her most girly and most unprofessional voice.

-o—

One of the things Blake hated the most was being surprised. She had spent an entire life fighting, escaping and surviving enough ambushes and attacks to grow an unhealthy aversion to most surprises.

Then, she had teamed up with a group of impossibly and completely reckless people and had spent five years fighting by their side.

She had been forced to follow all sorts of unimaginable orders to the point where she believed she had developed a healthy immunity to all outrageous theories and plans Ruby's mind could come up with.

Yet, when she saw Yang stand up and casually walk towards the dark twister of death and decay, her mind failed to comprehend whatever plan her family had decided to follow this time. Sun reached out and pulled her behind the crumbling shelter before she jumped at her.

Eidolon trembled by her shadow, but she managed to restrain it. She knew- she definitely knew- it was a plan. She wanted to smack Ruby on the head and then smack herself for giving the silver-eyed girl the-

Hair being messed around by the furious storm, Yang turned her head and winked at her beloved partner as the plague wind began corroding her aura. Blake's yellow orbs opened wide - and the world erupted.

A few minutes ago

"I don't like it, but it sounds good" Yang tried to half joke. Ruby gulped and shook her head in acknowledgment "I may be signing up for your death, sis. The only reason I am proposing this is why-"

"You trust that I can pull it off, right?" she tenderly head patted Ruby, her eyes shimmering under the protruding horns. "We don't have much time, ready Jauney Boy?" she turned at him, but Weiss tugged her arm.

"Baby I know how you feel, but-"

A pale blue hue filled her eyes as the smell of lavender assaulted Yang's nostrils. Undeterred by the raging tornado, a glyph erupted beneath her feet, filling her with power. She felt its strength; its warm kindness.

"Love's blessing, a prominent word

Mind shielded, bastion behold."

The melodious voice was followed by the sensation of Weiss' soft lips on her own. A mix of tears and lipstick filled her tongue, taking her in by surprise as the pale girl removed her trembling lips from her own.

"That cost me my second to last vial" she whispered. "No matter what will happen from now on, my shielding spells will-" Yang kissed her back and immediately broke the hug, turning around to take Jaune's hand.

"Save it for our wedding!" she screamed, hoping her fiancée couldn't notice her own tears. "Let's go, vomit boy! Give me your best shot!"

Present time

Yang pulled out all the stops and activated her semblance. Instead of utilizing its power she let the concentrated energy run amok, fueling all her body with raw, primordial energy for Grand Mother to devour.

Yang felt nothing, however. Ruby's trust, Jaune's support, Weiss' kind words and the lingering taste of her kiss… Blake's worried face as her partner had realized what she was going to do… Sun's dependability…

Darkness and deep cold enveloped her body but her mind was calm as the green flames began to transform. She didn't know if it was the spell or not, but she took a deep breath and focused on steeling her mind.

The halo grew and flourished in magical energy. Her skin turned a deep dark color, as thick green and red veins burst around her bones. The horns grew and her blonde mane got filled in numerous darker tinges.

A bone mask covered her face, as if her skull grew and stretched out of her skin. Ruby bit her lips and prayed to all Gods of this world or any other. Weiss held back her horrified cry. Blake lowered her gaze away.

Green flames danced on her half-transformed skin. The mask cracked, revealing a mouth with- Yang raised her left fist and took the mask off.

It was as if someone had broken a mystified spell that was holding the humans bound to their will. Yang's metal arm, her only unaffected part, broke the skull mask into pieces. The woman stood up and- laughed.

Just beneath the dark skin and protruding bones, a pair of lilac eyes stared at them before turning at the growing twister. Yang armed her fists and powerful green flames formed hundreds of voracious maws.

She took a couple more breaths. The air was still dusty and full of death but she felt its aftereffects even less now. She couldn't feel it pummel her skin any more, neither draining her aura like a voracious vampire.

Let's see what you've got, you oversized corpse. She cracked her fists and the maws charged at the frenzied tornado. A wave of green fog and flames seared at the black wind and stroke the magical barrier head-on.

The world shook once more. Yang's flame wave began to spread across the whirlwind, the primordial jaws feasting on its humongous magical energy as the entire barrier caught on fire. Sparks flew and ashes grew.

There was no reply, no rebuttal or any sort of counterattack from the Mad King. Yang didn't like it, but it wasn't that she could do anything at the moment. She merely took a step forward and shot another wave.

The wind resisted, whirled and shook, but it ultimately wasn't able to withstand being devoured. The hungry maws feasted and gorged at its power and ultimately a gaping hole appeared on the barrier's surface.

It took less than a heartbeat for Sun's clones to appear and dash at its sides. The whirlwind tried to reform to its original shape, but the clones reached out and pushed it away. It took a couple seconds for the spell to obliterate the monkey faunu's semblance and shatter the replicas.

A couple seconds was more than enough for them. Sun and Blake rolled through the opening and stood up before the Mad King, weapons ready to intercept. The skeletal being raised a finger and gathered power-

A bullet passed through the closing hole. The gunshot was muffled from the raging air and crackling flames. It was a large caliber bullet shot by a high-impact rifle, glowing with a faint blue color as it passed by them.

Magical barriers rose and formed protective shields to stop the attack. The bullet resisted all the layers of spells poured upon it, its powerful Anti-Elder dust enchantments proving their worth before the enemy.

Everyone held their breaths as Ruby's bullet found home and struck the waking Elder right in its horrendous left eye, cracking the ancient mask to pieces.

The magical power was disrupted and the tornado vanished, as swiftly and as abruptly as it had appeared before. They were left standing right before the Mad King's throne, upon a pool of black sand.

There was no scream. There was no wailing or shouting or any form of baying. No sound came from the monster as Ruby's bullet exploded in a fluorescent blue blast. Nothing came- except for what Yang could see.

Ruby's shot blew up the horrendous skull. Pieces of black bones and a lot of pouring dark red and black blood dripped on the ground and melt into the sand.

The monster opened its jaws- and screamed without making any noise. It was a horrible sight for the blonde, seeing the rotten bones pulsing in ferocity and the world around it wordlessly coalescing in morbid agony.

The veins reached down- and pierced its back. Where the magic power before poured away, it now imbued the Mad King's body- possibly to make it recover from the wound. The soundless screeches intensified.

The veins grew darker. They turned an ominous black-red color, as if they were stained in the monster's blood. Then, they grew thicker and-

"IT'S ATTACKING!" her scream came out rasped and far louder than she expected it to, but at this point she didn't care enough. The only thing drawing her attention was the hail of dark red veins hovering above her head, aimed at almost every direction inside the cursed throne room.

Deadly and invisible, the veins lashed out like spears and skewered the very air they breathed in. From every single point they passed through, the sand in the air ignited like a heavy compression dust bomb.

The explosions engulfed them. "Reposition to the left side! Weiss; give us a path!" Ruby's voice echoed above the onslaught.

Glyphs roared below, in a rapid-fast display of the alabaster girl's skills. A path of white formed right beneath the explosions. Blake, Sun and Ruby skidded right through the searing wave, reaching the throne's left.

Jaune didn't follow. He simply poured all of his might onto his shield and jumped between Weiss and the blast. His power field activated and absorbed the might of the explosions. He bent his legs to withstand-

Green and transparent fusion glyphs of air and hard light encased Jaune and his weapons, reinforcing his shield with Weiss' combined power. A slight laugh reached his ears from right behind him. He chuckled and firmly rooted his position, muscles trembling and aura shaking in pain.

Yang simply stood and opened her arms. The blast engulfed her in its fiery clutch, searing her skin and face. Her aura shook, but the alien's halo held still. Nothing hurt her, not the flames not the shockwaves.

The only thing she could feel was agony from her aura being eaten by the horrible creature using her as a vessel. It raked her body and soul.

The explosions continued, as the veins kept lashing and burning at each and every corner of the room. Ruby dashed forward and whirled her scythe at the throne- a huge blast forced her to withdraw in frustration.

Blake teleported next to her, avoiding another blast. "It attacks without any plan or aim" she said. "I know, but the intensity and power behind makes it really-" she burst away from an explosion, taking Blake along.

We need an opening. Again, that thing is horrendously powerful. Ruby's eyes scoured the battlefield as she dashed- and saw her sister standing in the middle of the blast. She clicked her tongue in anger.

"Yang!" she let Blake next to Sun and teleported next to her sister's tall grimmified figure. A slight tilt of her head and blinking of the eyes was the indication she had heard her. "We need an opening once more!"

Before Ruby had burst away from the upcoming blast, the blonde had already realized what she meant. She balled her fists and slammed them together gathering power from the numerous burns she suffered.

Unlike everyone else, Yang could see the veins. She didn't like why and how, but if she could help them this way then nothing else mattered. She took a step forward and punched the veins right as they lashed out.

Weiss, Jaune, Blake and Sun stared in shock and disbelief as they saw Yang Xiao Long punching an explosion right in the face. The grasping maws poured out of her outstretched fists and completely obliterated the blast, devouring the dark veins. She took a step and punched again.

Weiss stood agape. Yang was… punching the explosions away! Jaune's shield lowered and the boy looked at his alabaster friend. He could see her lithe body tremble in anxiety, but she still stayed put. He smiled.

"Cover behind Yang's attacks!" Ruby instructed Blake and Sun. Both of them complied and started moving in diagonal patters just as the tall woman picked up the pace moving towards the throne, smiling madly.

This can't be the only thing you've got, is it? Both sisters thought the exact same thing as the makeshift tactic seemed to work. All explosions aimed at them were being stopped by Yang's fists, while they kept ignoring every other one. Ruby raised her rifle and waited in patience.

They moved a couple steps, Yang making sure to keep Jaune and Weiss away from the blasts. Blake and Sun moved behind her back, peppering the monster with small caliber Anti-Elder bullets. Ruby took aim.

Time seemed to halt for all of them. They were moments away, mere moments were needed for Ruby to pull the trigger and blow its head to oblivion. Weiss stood by, not allowing her heart to relax even a bit.

It looked too easy. It seemed outrageously easy. She was preserving her power to use for sealing that thing- she had spent all her latest nights in reading and studying Red's rituals for that particular one purpose.

She would seal that monster and then spend all her time scavenging its tomb to find a way to bring Yang back to normal. She cared not about the monsters lurking around; she would entomb them all if needed.

Ruby pulled her trigger and the bullet flew towards the ancient Grimm. Weiss held her breath. Yang punched forward. Jaune got ready. Blake armed her blade. Sun whirled his gunchucks and waited.

The throne pulsed in power, sending thing lines of bloodstained glass towards them. The first one whirled like a shining whip and swatted Ruby's bullet away. A Second one grabbed her leg and pulled her down.

Three more formed a sphere of liquid prismatic energy and hurled at Weiss. Jaune was there, but even his shield wasn't enough to absorb the attack. The sound of glass shatter drowned their agonized cries as the orb smashed upon them like a falling sun cast on a barren land.

A prismatic wave of shards hurled at Sun. The boy jumped and whirled to kick the projectiles away, but as soon as he landed the ground had already turned into quicksand. He struggled to get out as the shards hit him in the face.

Blake found half a dozen javelins aimed at her. As they struck, Eidolon's form came out and deflected the attacks with its mirror knife. She took advantage of its aid and Used Nightfall to defend, dancing around her clone as they both shattered the upcoming attacks.

Yang stopped punching the veins and turned to see at her friends. The Mad King had needed only a moment to take them all- she felt the air get thinner. The veins it used to bombard them retreated and all of a sudden dug deep into the ground. Its magical energy soared once more.

She glared at the monster in hatred. She took one instinctive step to the front and pulled her fist back to throw a-

"Fall" the voice announced their demise. Immediately after its call, she felt the ground shake. The sand grew thin and began whirling around as if it were a huge whirlpool. She felt heat raking her body.

Gasps and pants of pain filled her ears. She could make out Weiss' thin breaths as her love tried to cope with the pain. Ruby shouted out to her at some point, but the roaring sound of the quicksand covered her.

The ground started absorbing them; literally. The throne room turned into a massive pool of quicksand, dragging them down in its clutches as they tried to move.

Even worse, the sand was impossibly hot. The temperature was near to boiling levels, oozing like lava. The air grew steamy and they soon found themselves being encased into moving pits of searing death.

Yang tried to fight it, but she soon realized she had no way to. Moving slow and trying to grab something stable was the way to fight, but this quicksand was dragging her down even if she didn't struggle against it.

Not to mention the flaring pain scorching her legs. Shit, she was losing to it. Even with the Grand Mother possessing her body, she had no way to escape from this damned trap.

I don't assume you can grow wings, can you? She laughed bitterly at her own joke, as the sand poured upon her body. She tasted hot dust and death. Darkness, fiery and absolute, consumed her.

And then, a light sensation filled her body. A melodious voice chimed in the wind, speaking of dreadful things and uttering forgotten words in a manner befitting of an ancient magical sovereign.

The Mad King tilted its broken skull towards the voice's owner. Weiss' chanting erupted in a vocal crescendo of abysmal music. Magic seeped out of the ground and swirled, commanding the woman's desires.

The alabaster girl opened her eyes and let tears of blood drop to the ground. Her left hand's glove was burned and thin black lines marred its now cursed surface.

Behind her, an army of crystal blue magical veins turned into spears, powered by her magic and fueled in Anti-Elder dust. She flicked her wrist and the veins shot at the throne like a hail of shimmering arrows.