Chapter 61
I'll give him one thing. He knows how to clean off the blood. Arthur Watts thought with a derisive laugh as he walked the halls of Amity Colosseum. The massive construct had, according to Ironwood, been converted into a new Cross Continental Transmit Tower.
And Arthur was going to break it apart.
"Although… maybe I could transmit Atlas crashing To the ground before I do. That would be fun." He let out another laugh. Before him, the doors opened with but a flick of a finger, letting him into his destination.
The great arena that was in the midst of being turned into the centre of the new communications array.
Wait… it's not done? Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. He actually tricked me? The gal!
"Arthur Watts." A familiar, hated voice came over the speakers. "You've done a lot of damage, but that ends here." Ironwood leapt down from the commentator's box.
"James. I'll give you. This was a fine trap. But you made one, critical mistake." He smiled and waved his hands. The floor around them fell away as the system registered his command. The biomes changed to follow his will, summoning forth three types. Gravity, Fire and Steam came up, with him leaping onto one of the Gravity biomes.
"You thought this was your territory!" Arthur let a crazed grin form across his face as he was raised high above his archenemy, drawing his weapon as he sneered. "But it was always mine!"
"No." James Ironwood replied, drawing his pistols. "This was never yours. You've just stolen what you could never make yourself."
Shots rang out as their battle began.
"Copy that. You two. He's taken the bait." Clover reported, turning to face Qrow and Tai.
"Good. Let's nail this bastard once and for all." Qrow smiled. His grudge was close at hand. I can finally get him back for that damned poison.
"You two can handle him." Tai shook his head as he looked out over the city from their vantage point atop a building. "There's too many that need help. I'll take Zwei and pick up your slack."
"Tai… you're sure?"
"I am. I know you can take him down. I know it's what you need to do. What I need to do is support her. I can do that best fighting at her side." Tai smiled a confident smile.
"Heh. Alright, Mr Tough Guy. I'll see you later then. Let's grab a coffee."
"Sounds good!" Tai waved and took a running leap from the building. Zwei excitedly barked and followed.
"Alright, Clover. Let's take this bastard down."
"You got it, Qrow."
Clover jumped from the roof, using his fishing rod as a grappling hook to swing from building to building. He was followed by a small, black crow.
"Sector Eight is reporting an additional twelve Sabyr's heading towards Sector Ten!"
"Sector Three is reporting another Megoliath heading towards the shelter!"
"We've lost contact with a squad in Sector Nine! Last report indicated another pack of Sabyr's!"
"Understood." Ciel Soleil held in a frustrated sigh as she pulled her mic closer, glancing from screen to screen. "Specialist Bleu, you have sixty-three seconds to deal with the Sabyr's in front of you before an additional dozen arrive. Reinforcements are one hundred and thirty-one seconds out."
"Understood." A feminine voice bit out angrily from the other side. Ciel switched to a different channel.
"Team CRDL, you have an incoming Megoliath. Please execute it within ninety seconds, before your reinforcements arrive."
"Got it. We'll take it down quick." Cardin Winchester replied with a sense of ease and confidence. Ciel simply ignored him and continued on.
"Team FNKI, please head to Sector Nine. A squad has gone silent. You have two minutes to draw any Grimm in the Sector to you before casualties are guaranteed."
"Okay! We won't miss this beat!" Neon practically shouted back through the coms. Ciel had to bite back another sigh. She didn't have the time for it.
"Incoming! Teryxes are hitting Sector Seven! Squads request assistance!" An operator called out.
"Understood." Ciel replied, switching over to a familiar frequency. It had been a long time since she'd used it for anything other than orders. A part of her regretted that. "Penny. You are needed in Sector Seven. You have eighty seconds."
"Understood! Ruby, Ilia and I are on our way!" That familiar voice came through, sending a bolt of calm into Ciel.
"Good luck." Ciel whispered before cutting the link. She took a deep breath. Focus. I have to focus.
"Specialist Bleu, have you defeated those Sabyr's?"
"Rrrraaaaaa!" A Beowolf roared as it lunged forward. Tai gave it no response as he slipped under its arm, planted several explosives onto its underarm and then helped push it further, sending it tumbling into its friends.
A flick of his wrist detonated them, slaughtering the monsters.
He turned to face the oncoming foes, another pack of Sabyr's. Taiyang smiled and kicked up the ball of fur that raced in front of him. Without any words, Zwei knew exactly what Tai was planning. Such was the bond between the man and his companion.
With a roar of his own, he slammed his fist into Zwei, propelling the dog forward as a ball of fire. The corgi let out a happy yip as he smacked into the head of the first Sabyr… and then he bounced, hitting another. And then bounced… and bounced…
The dog bounced like a pinball, striking each of the incoming Grimm. The monsters fell to their sides, their insides or heads crushed and burned. Zwei happily trotted back over to Tai as the beastly enemies of humanity died to a man's best friend.
Tai let out a long whistle. "Damn… you've gotten stronger there Zwei."
"Woof!"
"Yeah. Let's hurry up. Ruby should be just ahead."
"Bark!"
"Gaaa!"
James cried out as he slammed into the floor, bounced up - "Oof!" - and smacked into the ground again only to bounce once more. He fell a third and final time to the floor, letting out a sound of agony as his Aura shattered and floated above him as little more than pinpricks of light.
Pulling himself to his feet James took solace in one fact. Watts had also lost his Aura. Now they were even. Ha. James could almost smile. 'Even'. No. James was far stronger, even without Aura or Due Process.
"Damn you!" Watts yelled. "You just had to choose that fat tub of lard over me! You! You abandoned intelligence and genius for a man longing for a puppet shaped like a daughter!"
"So what!? You're nothing more than an egotistical, self-centred child who fakes his death and runs away the moment things don't go the exact way he wants!" James knew he should have kept his emotions under control, but it was hard.
Almost two years had passed since his greatest failure. Since he had been made a mockery of. Since he had killed his best friend. Before him was the man who had helped orchestrate it all. The man who had done the hacking that turned the Atlesian army against itself. Against its allies.
How could he possibly hold back his emotions against such a man?
James and Arthur ran at each other and began to trade blows. A fist to the gut. A fist to the face. A knee to the flank. A kick to the leg. They traded and traded, but Watts was the one being pushed back. Of course he was. James was more than a man. He was more than flesh and blood.
He was a man of metal. A man of resolve. A man of-
"Aah!" James let out a gasp of surprise as Watts ducked under a fist, causing James to get his human arm between several pieces of metal. All holding rings. A barrier of Hard Light appeared, trapping his arm.
"Whew. That was close. I'm impressed James, I had to sacrifice quite a few of my rings just to stop you. Ah ah, don't move. Well, unless you want to replace more of your body!" Watts cackled as he moved away, sure that James would give up.
Looking between the barrier and Watts, James searched for an answer. But there was only one. Without his Aura, he would have to sacrifice his arm. And I don't even have my Semblance to rely on to make this easier. Oh well.
"GAAAAAAAAA!" James roared as his skin was flayed from his flesh, the Hard Light not willing to let him go so easily.
"I did tell you." Watts offhandedly waved a hand as he turned to the machinery above them. "Now then, be quiet while I work."
James bit his lower lip, focusing as much as he could tearing his arm free. It was excruciatingly painful. Watching his skin be severed from his body like it was nothing. Seeing the bright red flesh and muscle beneath. Shit. Shit. Shit! I! Can't! Let! Him! Wiiiiiiiin!
With an electric sizzle, his arm came free. James roared and charged, his mind was so focused on defeating his foe that he didn't even hear what the shocked man said. He just grabbed him and dragged his face against the ground.
"I! Will do anything! For Atlas!" James panted out, holding Watts over the edge.
"Good. I can't wait. Ha haha hahahahahaha!" Arthur Watts seemed to crack for a moment as chaotic laughter bubbled up from within.
"Shut your bastard mouth, Arthur." James sneered, knocked Watts unconscious and threw the man behind him. Still heaving deep breaths, James Ironwood called for a medical team before setting out to reset the arena.
Done… we're done… just Tyrian left…
"This is Clover. Tyrian is in custody. Repeat: Tyrian is in custody."
"Copy that. I need everyone back up top. There's a situation."
"Okay. We're on our way."
"Penny. I need you to join Winter at the Maiden."
"Understood sir!"
"We'll go get Oscar." Jaune said as they touched down. "Ironwood sounded… tense. Might be better to have a smaller group there to start with."
"Alright. Catch up quick." Ruby acknowledged the idea and waved her friends off. JNPR waved and hurried away.
"Shall we then?" Her father said, coming up behind her.
"Yeah. Let's." Ruby nodded in agreement and led Ilia, her father and Zwei off after the Ace-Ops towards Ironwood's office. Qrow and Clover were still busy with Tyrian, so they'd be late, and Penny had flown off saying she had to join Winter.
What the hell happened? Mantle isn't safe yet. Something must have gone wrong somewhere, but where? She wracked her mind for an answer, but only one came. I hope it's not true. I hope I'm wrong.
Because if she wasn't, then Cinder had already made it into Atlas.
A/N: So a shorter chapter that's mostly a few more snapshots of the battle, including the start and end of the best fight in V7(closely followed by RWBY vs Ace-Ops of course). I skipped the fight because it's basically the same, with only the ending being different due to Ironwood's different state of mind. He's so much closer to cracking already, just from the trauma of killing Oz. Aside from that, I decided to include a Ciel scene. Good to see her again. I get why we didn't see her in V7 or 8. She doesn't really have too much to add, but thanks to this being fanfiction I have the time to add her anyway! And include a reference to Vega Bleu, who was referenced in the CFVY novels and was a friend of Coco's. Went to the same prep school in Vale too. Apparently decided to go to Atlas though. Then I decided that she's already graduated. Like a rushed graduation after the Fall of Beacon. And maybe in this timeline, she was actually on Penny's team, which of course broke up since Penny wasn't allowed to be on a team anymore. Who knows? Also Zwei gets to be a badass with Tai for a bit. What a good dog.
One thing I forgot to mention last time is that Cardin's Semblance was something I came up with. Had a bit of help from my old beta too. I've been working on Semblance's for all of CRDL that follow a pretty simple theme of "Semblance's for bad guys, but good guys have them". Even if the intricacies don't show up here I can always expand on them in other/later fics. Anyway next up is the climax of the volume! With how much things have changed, as well as stayed the same, how will it go? I'm interested to see if anyone could guess it tbh.
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!