Disclaimer: I do not own the blazblue franchise or the RWBY franchise they belong to their respective owners
(A/N)
To answer a few questions I've recently received
Without spoiling anything, I have several plans to implement several plot stuff from Blazblue into the story. A good portion of it will start from the diversions I'm going to do and I'm excited for them. I will also divert some stuff from Blazblue to make it fit into the story. I have a lot of plans and I can't wait to get to those points.
As for withholding information, Ozpin sees it as a similar situation with Salem and doesn't fully get the context. Rachel knows exactly why Ruby and Ragna should not fight Terumi but she chooses not to tell the reason. She does have a good reason and it will be revealed. Though Blazblue canon is a good hint since something similar happened in the second game.
Some of the characters will catch the hidden meaning behind Ozpin's question and Relic Jin's answer. There will also be some who will try more sympathy for Ozpin compared to canon. But I am not going to reveal who.
Chapter 82 It's a trap PT 1
(Haven's Plaza)
It is currently nighttime at Haven and a good deal of time has passed. Aside from training and improving their skills. Nothing of great significance has happened that would require their attention. Once the day for the meeting has arrived, a plan has been put into motion. Jin, along with a small group would stay behind in case things goes wrong. As everyone was getting ready. Ragna was the most anxious, because of his frustration at being essentially a negotiation tool for the plan. Adding to the frustration is that while some people fully trust Ragna. Others aren't fully comfortable with him because of the power he has within and his decisions.
"Are you nervous about this mission Ragna?" Ruby asked once she saw Ragna
"I'm not nervous Ruby, just very frustrated. Being used as a tool for negotiation is already bad enough. Me getting no closer to having my revenge against the bastards that ruined my life is worse. But now I have stomach the fact that we have to keep the fact that we spoke with Rachel and met with that son of a bitch a secret." Ragna stated to Ruby
"I know how you feel, but Professor Ozpin and uncle Qrow did make a few good points as to why it has to be a secret. Learning Hakumen is from a bad future is cool. But that just means we're going to have more questions on top of everything else we have. Also, know that we were told that you and me are not to fight Terumi, is not something we can just accept. Especially since Rachel won't tell us why." Ruby explained to Ragna
"I see your point, but it doesn't make it any easier for me to accept." Ragna angrily stated to Ruby
"I know, once everything is settled with the Relic of Haven. We'll tell everyone so we can figure out what to do and how to deal with this." Ruby told Ragna
"Fine, I supposed it's better than nothing." Ragna reluctantly accepted the idea
"By the way, I've seen you train with Weiss for the past few weeks. Were you able to learn any cool moves?" Ruby asked with enthusiasm
"I've learned a few tricks but nothing worth mentioning, there were a few . . . . problems we had to deal with." Ragna said before he remembered his training sessions with Weiss
(A few days ago)
Ever since everyone were given the details of the plan. Many days were spent training so everyone would be prepared for the retrieval of the Spring Maiden. Ragna would spend a good portion of his time training with Weiss since everyone is too nervous to be near him and they won't be able to teach or show him anything he doesn't already know. Due to the fact that despite his fighting style, Ragna is more skilled and much stronger than most of the people who traveled to Haven. The only ones who could be a good sparing partner for Ragna are Jin and Qrow. Unfortunately, Qrow is busy doing various activities for Ozpin. While a sparring fight against Jin, would get too intense very quickly. Especially since they have very different opinion on how to deal with Nu.
Currently Ragna is fighting against both Weiss and her summoned giant knight. A good portion of the time has been spent attacking the summoned giant's legs to bring it down. Then once it was down, Ragna was able to knock it down further by attacking its head. Before Ragna could attack the summoning further. He quickly blocked Weiss's sword attack and after blocking it, he kicked her away.
After Weiss was kicked away from Ragna, she summoned a glyph to blast several ice shards at him. Reacting quickly, Ragna blocked the ice shards with his sword. But this allowed the summoning to recover and once it did, it tried to attack Ragna. Thinking quickly, Ragna avoided the attack and used his dodge movements to get closer to Weiss. This strategy paid off because the moment the giant knight noticed that it's attack would hit Weiss, it stopped its movements.
Once Weiss realized what Ragna did. She summoned a glyph and used it to propel herself away. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough, because Ragna was able to land his sword attack against her. After successfully landing his attack, Ragna focused his attention on the giant knight and saw that it was about to make another attack. With the attack being a simple but effective downward slash. This time, Ragna braced himself and the moment the attack landed, Ragna blocked it with his sword. Before the giant knight could move its sword. Ragna used the gun function in his sword and delivered a powerful headshot at the giant knight landing a direct hit. After the shot blast hit the giant knight's head. It fell backwards and started to dissipate.
"That's enough." Weiss said as she was brushing herself off
"What's wrong, can't keep going now that your summoning is gone?" Ragna said in a mocking tone
"I am not going to dignify that with a response. But it is clear that you've been training. Though I do notice that your strategy basically amounts to endure and overpower your opponents. You are more skilled than I thought, but overpowering people tends to be your default decision in a fight. Didn't Jubei teach you that there is more to a fight than that?" Weiss asked as she was drinking her water.
"Don't remind me, he's been telling me constantly to stop relying on brute force for years. But it never really clicked with me, it's not like I rush into things blindly, but it's hard to not rely on brute force so much when I'm stronger and much more skilled than practically everyone I fight. There are only a handful of people I can fight without holding back. As much as I hate to ay it, Jin is one of those people. Now I can add Hakumen to the list." Ragna briefly explained to Weiss
"Well you need to make it click this time. Because we're going into something big and if we're ill prepared then we could end up dead. Have you tried concentrating on your aura?" Weiss asked
"Honestly, no I haven't, Master Jubei tried to get me to do it before but honestly, it never worked out. Since a good portion of my aura is sealed anyways. I convinced him that there was no point to it. Especially since I needed to learn other things that interested med more." Ragna told a dumbfounded Weiss
"One of the greatest heroes who has ever lived has spent a lot of time training you and it you cut corners because it didn't click and you weren't interested?" Weiss asked in a surprised tone
"Come on, it's not my fault that I didn't take to the technical side of things as well as the other stuff. I'm good at cooking if it helps. Besides, I know a lot of technical combat stuff, but some things worked for me better than others." Ragna told a surprised Weiss
"Well you need to learn a few things. Because now that everyone in the world sees you as the Beast of Remnant. They will do whatever it takes to find a way to bring you down. So if you don't hone your techniques, then the weaknesses to your fighting style will be used against you." Weiss explained to Ragna
"Your right, especially if I have another encounter with that Masked Freak again. I barely survived the first time. But if I have to go for round two, I don't think I'll be as lucky the second time. So what can you teach me?" Ragna asked Weiss causing her to think for a moment before she spoke
"Since you've gotten stronger and your semblance has evolved. Try focusing on your aura and we'll work our way from there. I don't know what to expect but given how strong you are. It must be something impressive." Weiss told Ragna before he started to concentrate on his aura. As Ragna was focusing on his aura, his right arm started to slowly but surely be enveloped in red and black energy. As the seconds passed, Ragna started to put more intensity into his focus and soon his entire arm started to be completely enveloped. In addition to that, the enveloped had is in a shape of a claw. Weiss had a surprised expression on her face as she saw what Ragna is now able to do.
"You can envelop your body in aura. That is honestly very impressive." Weiss said as Ragna was looking at his enveloped arm
"Yeah, no kidding, just think of the things I can do with this." Ragna said as he concentrated even further and extended his aura to his other arm. When this happened, both arms look the same enveloped in aura, even the aura claws.
"Well I'm glad that I was able to help you learn a new ability. But remember this Ragna, having an ability or new power doesn't mean you have the skills that is required. If you want to fully utilize the powers and abilities that you have. Then you need to develop the skills that's needed. Which includes a lot of practice. I know that you train every day, but if you don't expand on the fundamentals. Then you'll learn the hard way that it will hold you back. Especially against people who are a lot stronger than you think." Weiss explained to Ragna
"Thanks, I'll keep all that in mind." Ragna told Weiss
(Present Day)
"How can learning a new ability not be noteworthy? You can envelop your arm in aura, just think of what else you can do with it." Ruby excitedly told Ragna at learning the details
"I agree, I can do a lot with it but I learned it a few days ago and I need more time so I can get the hang of it. If I use it without a good understanding of it, then that's nothing but trouble." Ragna briefly explained to Ruby
"I know what you mean, but it is still so cool. I tried asking the Professor some questions about how my Silver Eye powers work. But they don't fully know either. All they know- is that it's effective against the Grimm." Ruby told Ragna
"It's still better than nothing, just as long as you don't let it get to your head everything should be fine. Though it kinda sucks that we don't know anything more about it. We do know something about it so that's a plus." Ragna told Ruby before Qrow approached the two
"Come on you two, everyone's on their way to meet Leo." Qrow said making the two leave. Before they went too far, Qrow stopped Ragna to speak to him
"Whatever happens, do what you can to look after my nieces." Qrow told Ragna in a low tone
"Are you telling me this because your afraid of things going wrong? Or that you don't trust my judgment because of the things I've done at Beacon?" Ragna asked Qrow
"To be completely honest, it's both. I see too much of Raven in you and that raises concerns for too many reasons. Especially since we both know what earned you the infamous name Beast of Remnant." Qrow briefly answered Ragna
"Given what we know of Terumi, you should be more worried about him." Ragna told Qrow
"Who says I'm not." Qrow responded as the two joined up with the others
(Haven's Grand Hall)
Once everyone made it to the Grand Hall, they were greeted by the sight of the lone Headmaster. When they all took a better look at the Headmaster. They all noticed that he looked as if he has been consumed by nothing but high anxiety. Once the Headmaster saw all of them, his anxiety became much more noticeable, which was noticed by Qrow and Ragna.
"Welcome everyone, I am glad to see that you all could make it. I also see that there are much more of you than last time." Leo said in a nervous tone
"Well you know the saying, the more the merrier. So what's going on with the council, are they going to help us like you said?" Qrow asked Professor Lionheart
"Well they . . . . ." Leo said before he took another look at the group and recognized the infamous individual Ragna
"Is . . . . is that the infamous Ragna the Bloodedge. I didn't know that you had Ragna among your numbers." Leo said in a very surprised tone
"Yeah, it took him a while, but he made his way to us. He's in complete control, so he won't lose control of his half of the Grimm Aura." Qrow told Leo while the latter's nervousness became more noticeable
"Well I supposed that's fine since . . . um where is Jin?" Leo asked in a cautious tone
"There was something urgent we needed him to take care of. But all of us is more than enough. You seem different, are you OK?" Qrow asked in a concerned tone
"Yes, I just haven't had my evening coffee yet and my nerves are just getting to me that's all." Leo quickly answered
"Look, it's good to see you too but we have a lot of work to do. So are we getting help from the council or not?" Qrow asked as Yang looked around. As she looked, she saw very familiar raven that is perched on a rail.
"Mom?" Yang said before Qrow looked at the Raven's direction and quickly shot it. The raven avoided Qrow's gunshot and flew past Leo before transforming.
"It really is magic. I can't believe they really are magic." Nora said in a surprised tone
"Raven." Ragna said as he grabbed the handle of his sword
"If you're going to shoot me then do it. That was insulting." Raven said as she took off her mask
"What are you doing here Raven?" Qrow asked while he took up a stance
"I could ask you the same thing little brother. You've been scheming, planning to attack your family, even your own sister." Raven responded to Qrow
"Leo, do you have any idea of what you've done!?" Qrow asked Leo in a surprised and angry tone
"He did what any sane person would do. He looked at all the information, assessed the situation and made a choice. Something that all of you have made." Raven said as she looked at the group before she looked at Ragna
"Ragna, I know that you've made a choice but it's not too late for you to reconsider. There is no stopping Salem but you might be able to ensure our survival. Don't let Ozpin's mission blind you from doing what it takes." Raven told Ragna
"I'm already determined to do whatever it takes." Ragna quickly responded before Qrow spoke
"You have the Spring Maiden." Qrow stated in a tone that's a matter of fact
"I do." Raven plainly responded
"Then hand her over and let us work together. It's the only way for us to beat Salem." Qrow told Raven in a pleading tone
"You still don't get it. There is no beating Salem, it's impossible." Raven said before Ruby spoke up
"We have done things that people thought are impossible. It's because we had people to help and teach us. We had each other and we didn't do it alone. If we work together we will stand a better chance against Salem. So please Raven, work with us." Ruby pleaded to Raven
"You sound just like your mother Ruby, and we both know how things ended for her." Raven said before she quickly opened up a portal
The moment the portal opened up, a fireball was sent towards Ruby. Reacting quickly Ragna used his sword to block the fireball but his expression was that of pure rage because he figured out a crucial fact. A second later, people started to appear from the portal. First it was Vernal who Ragna recognized from the camp. The second person was a young kid in a large mechanical bed. The next person is someone Ragna recognized all too well. Mercury walked through the portal with a confident look on his face. The next person is Emerald. The last person to appear from the portal is someone that infuriated Ragna at the mere sight. The moment Cinder walked through the portal, Ragna was filled with pure rage and hate for what was done to him and his family. At the sight of the Fall Maiden, Ragna was figuratively and literally seeing red.
"Hello boys and girls, it's nice to see you all again. Especially you Ragna the Bloodedge. Or should I start calling you, the Beast of Remnant?" Cinder said in a noticeable mocking tone
"BITCH!" Ragna yelled before both Qrow and Bang stopped him
"Ragna, you need to calm down!" Qrow told Ragna while trying to hold him back
"The hell with being calm, I'm going to kill this bitch with my bare hands!" Ragna yelled as he tried to go after Cinder
"You have a lot of rage towards me Ragna. But as I recalled, I didn't even hurt your family. So your rage against me is simply misplaced." Cinder told Ragna
"IT'S BAD ENOUGH YOU AND TERUMI RUINED MY LIFE. BUT YOU HAD THE GALL TO THREATEN AND GO AFTER MY FAMILY! I WILL KILL YOU JUST AS I PROMISED!" Ragna yelled at Cinder which shocked some of them
"Your focused on me yet you're ignoring your other family. Like your little sister Nu, who's very existence is nothing but a tragedy. Lived and endured the Murakumo Labs for years. Knowing nothing but pain and despair, only to be used as a weapon. Live as a weapon or die never knowing a peaceful life. Quite unfortunate no matter how you intend to deal with her." Cinder explained mocking Ragna further
"I haven't forgotten about Nu Cinder, but you sick bastards took advantage of her instead of trying to help her. I even fought my own best friend just so I can try to help her. But you all took advantage of her. I will find a way to save Nu and I will make you, Terumi, and Salem pay for all that you've done." Ragna angrily stated to Cinder
"I've heard how that woman spoke to Emerald and Mercury. So I can't help but to be a little curious. How much does that weak-willed woman mean to you?" Cinder asked maintaining her condescending tone
"What does Sister Celica mean to me?" Ragna said as his body was cackling energy. In the span of a quick second, everyone in the grand hall felt the energy that was radiating from Ragna and they felt the same dread that's similar to the first time he lost control but not quite as intense. Then once another second has passed, Ragna released a powerful burst of energy that pushed everyone back
"EVERYTHING!" Ragna yelled before he rushed towards Cinder and delivered a powerful punch to the side of her face and succeeded in knocking her to the side. Before Cinder had the chance to recover, Ragna grabbed Cinder's head and slammed it to the nearby wall before pushing her back even further. After he pushed Cinder, Ragna grabbed his sword and tried to attack Cinder again. This time, Cinder used her Maiden power to summon her swords and was able to block Ragna's sword attack.
"IT'S TIME TO PAY BITCH!" Ragna yelled before he quickly and instinctively turned around and blocked one of Mercury's kicks. This gave Cinder the opening she needed to land a direct hit to Ragna with a strong fire blast which knocked him back.
"Come on, we have to help him." Ruby yelled before she proceeded to run towards Ragna. Before she went too far. She was grabbed by a chain sickle and was pulled back further away. When Ruby saw who it was, she realized that it was Emerald who pulled her away.
"I don't think so Ruby." Emerald confidently told Ruby
"We need backup!" Qrow said as he looked at Raven as Weiss tried to call Jin and tell him what's going on
"It's not going through." Weiss responded
"That's because we made sure that nobody will be coming to help you. Nobody is getting in or out." A deep voice said causing them to look at the source and they all saw that it was Hazel.
"You again." Bang said as he approached the large man along with Ren and Nora
"He's the one your group fought Bang?" Nora asked as she wielded her hammer
"Yes, he is much stronger than he looks. So we can't approach him carelessly." Bang responded as he focused on Hazel
"I take no pleasure in any of this. I don't want to fight either of you." Hazel told the three
"I do not wish to fight you either. But I cannot ignore the choices you have made up to this day. If your adamant on making decisions that will result in the deaths of many. Then I will do what I must to stop you." Bang told Hazel as he took up a fighting stance
"I feel the same way." Ren said as he grabbed his guns
"So we're prepared to stop you." Nora added
"Very well then." Hazel said before he rushed towards the group
Seeing Hazel coming, Bang used his speed to dash towards the large man and once the two got close to each other. Their fists clashed with each other and the collision pushed the both of them back a moderate distance. Seeing an opening, Nora used her hammer to launch herself into the air and once she got close to Hazel, she swung her hammer at him. Unfortunately for Nora, Hazel caught the hammer with his bare hand and tossed Nora to the side.
Ren quickly ran towards Hazel while firing at him. The large man was able to endure the gunshots. But was unable to land a hit against Ren due to the younger man's natural speed and agility. While Hazel was having a hard time trying to attack Ren. Bang rushed towards the large man and delivered a punch against him.
"PULVERIZING FIST!" Bang yelled as his punch made impact with Hazel. Once it did, a small explosion soon followed and it pushed Hazel back even further. Following up on the attack. Bang leaped towards Hazel and quickly kicked him into the air before the large man had a chance to recover. Once hazel was launched, Nora launched herself into the air again and this time she hit Hazel with her hammer and succeeded in slamming him down to the ground. The large man was able to recover, but it was clear that the trio has great coordination with each other.
"It's going to take more than that to keep him down." Nora said while eyeing Hazel
"Agreed." Ren responded
"But as long as we maintain good coordination with each other. We'll keep him off balance and eventually wear him out." Bang told the two
"That explosive punch was pretty cool, it looks a little different from usual. Ar you using some new dust?" Nora asked Bang
"No, thanks to the fruits of my training, I can make explosive punches without the need for dust." Bang said in a proud tone
"We need to focus on this before we ask questions about our abilities." Ren said before he fired at Hazel
"Right sorry?" Nora said before her and Bang went after Hazel
Once Ragna was knocked back, he was able to quickly recover. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have much time to think of a plan because he started to quickly block Mercury's kicks. Mercury's attack barrage continued until the agile young man did a backflip and allowed Bedman to grab Ragna with the mechanical claw from his bed. Ragna struggled to get free, but he quickly realized that the claw is much stronger than Ragna initially anticipated.
"So you're the infamous Ragna the Bloodedge, I must say that the details about you is very accurate. Immense power and prone to pure rage, a very dangerous combination to have for the one who holds half of the Black Beast's power." Bedman quickly told Ragna
"Go deal with the others Mercury, we can handle him." Cinder told Mercury before he left to go fight Yang
"I was given clear orders to bring you back alive. But Salem didn't say anything about you having to be in one piece. So I will give you the same pain that you gave me." Cinder said as she ignited the flames in her hands. Before she could get closer, a shield was thrown and it ricocheted off of Bedman's mechanical arm and towards Cinder. The Fall Maiden knocked the thrown shield away. But Jaune was able to easily catch it and quickly crossed blades with Cinder.
"Did you think I would forget your role in everything you've done? Even the death of my friend Pyrrha." Jaune told Cinder as the two clashed
"I remember you, you're the dense one who can't tell when he's out of his league." Cinder mocking told Jaune before she put more strength into her sword and pushed Jaune away. Once space was made, Cinder proceeded to fire several fireballs at Jaune. Fortunately, Jaune used his shield to block the fireballs and after doing so. He threw his shield at Bedman.
Once Bedman noticed the thrown shield, the other mechanical arm effortlessly knocked it away. This gave Ragna the chance to use the gun function of his word and fired a shot blast directly at Bedman. The barrier surrounding Bedman's body protected him. But it gave Ragna a chance to break free and regain his footing. Once he did, he quickly found himself blocking the aggressive attacks of Bedman's mechanical arms. This lasted for a few seconds until the mechanical arms were retracted and the bed that Bedman was in was suddenly launched into the air. A brief second later, the bed slammed downward towards Ragna. Fortunately, Ragna was able to avoid the attack and made a move to attack the young boy.
As Bedman was blocking Ragna's attack, there was a hidden smirk before his body glowed purple. One second later, a gray figure that resembled Bedman slammed down on top of Ragna and was able to knock him down. Before Ragna could recover, the bed's mechanical arms grabbed Ragna and threw him to the wall. Ragna was able to quickly recover and found himself blocking another one of Bedman's attacks. Once the attack was blocked, Ragna moved to the side to avoid a follow up attack and he found himself getting closer to Jaune fighting Cinder.
Cinder quickly noticed Ragna was getting closer to her and once he was closer. Cinder ran past Jaune and crossed blades with Ragna again. This didn't last long as she used her reflexes to avoid an attack from Jaune and quickly fought against both Jaune and Ragna with their respective swords. Cinder was on the defensive against Ragna because of his immense power and obvious grudge. But fighting against Jaune didn't require as much effort. Which is the reason Cinder focused on simply pushing him back with mainly basic attacks. This lasted until Jaune and Ragna was back to back against each other. One facing Bedman and the other facing Cinder
"The kid in the bed is a lot stronger than he looks. He even has several tricks up his sleeves, but I don't know the full details." Ragna told Jaune
"We can't forget about Cinder, she's a big threat with her Maiden powers and it's obvious that she's holding back." Jaune told Ragna
"Where the hell is our back-up? They should have noticed something has gone wrong by now." Ragna told Jaune
"Something must have happened on their end that's holding them up. We have to hold out until we can bring down their numbers. Or a good opportunity comes along. Qrow is fighting against Raven and Ozpin is fighting Professor Lionheart. But if Ruby can use her power against Cinder, it might be able to turn the tides." Jaune told Ragna
"Fine, for now just focus on fighting defensively against Cinder. You've gotten a lot stronger since we've first met at Beacon and her holding back can buy everyone else time." Ragna said as he went after Bedman and Jaune defended against Cinder
(Haven's Courtyard)
Many gunshots have been both seen and heard and the reason is obvious. Jin, along with Bullet, Makoto, and Lambda were to be on standby in case something went wrong. The first sign of things going wrong was when Lambda sensed a lot of people approaching the CCT tower. Upon closer inspection, they see that a large number of the White Fang were approaching them and upon first sight. The White Fang fired on the group.
Thanks to the ice barrier that Jin made, the group were protected by the gunfire and successfully dispersed. Unfortunately, this means that they had to deal with the White Fang and since the numbers were much more immense than before. They all had their work cut out for them. Especially since they still don't know what's going on with the other group but the only thing that is clear is that everyone is in danger. Currently, Lanbda and Jin are alone. While Makoto and Bullet teamed up to deal with the White Fang
Makoto aggressively attacked the many White Fang members that were firing at the both of them. Fortunately, Makoto was able to deal with a good number of them with quick but powerful jabs thanks to her immense strength. Bullet used her gauntlets shield function to block the heavy gunfire directed towards her. As the gunshots were being blocked, Bullet rushed towards the White Fang and proceeded to aggressively attack them with various punches as well. Several White Fang members tried to attack Bullet at a distance. Fortunately, Bullet was able to avoid the gunshots and used the energy blasts from her gauntlet to deal with several of them in small groups. Once Makoto and Bullet had a second to breath. They regrouped with each other and stayed on guard while the White Fang were slowly surrounding them.
"Can't contact the others and this attack is obviously too organized. Safe to say that it's a trap." Makoto said while on guard
"Now we just need to figure out what to do. It's obvious that they have plans for the CCT tower. So we just need to stop them before they do what they need to do." Bullet told Makoto
"One problem, the White Fang knows they need to buy time. So once they bought enough time they can just retreat. Time isn't on our side and we're severely outnumbered and they know it." Makoto told Bullet
"Then we better hope the others make it to the CCT Tower before the White Fang destroys it." Makoto said before both her and Bullet fought against the White Fang
After being separated from the group. Jin spent a good deal of time attacking the many White Fang members that were shooting at him. Using the power of his Nox Nyctores Yukianesa he was able to freeze them after delivering a single slash on each of them. He made sure that it was non-lethal but Jin made sure that they would be frozen for at least a few hours. He even made sure their heads aren't frozen so they could still breath. As Jin was fighting, he came to the realization that the Headmaster turned and that everyone was walking into a trap.
Proof of this is that there has been no notification since the others went to meet up with the Headmaster. Adding more proof to the realization is that the White Fang had a lot of time to plan and organize the attack. Which would have required detailed knowledge of the Academy and the CCT Tower. It is clear to Jin that the main target is the CCT Tower and that he needs to get there as soon as possible. As Jin proceeded to make his way to the CCT Tower hoping to stop the White Fang. He saw the shadow of a familiar figure on the ground and when Jin looked to see who the figure was. Jin recognized the individual all too well.
"You." Jin said as he looked at Adam standing at the top of the nearby tree
"A pleasant surprise seeing the Hero to the Humans here. First the fall of the CCT Tower will deal another blow to the humans. Then once I kill you, the humans will lose hope. The opportunities granted to me this day is a sign that the time for the Faunus's revolution is upon us." Adam told Jin as he wielded his sword
"It's obvious that your ignorance is blinding you to the consequences of your actions. Do you have any idea as to who your working for. I know you worked with the people that orchestrated Beacon's fall." Jin told Adam
"They are a means to an end, with their aid the White Fang shall bring true justice to the humans." Adam quickly responded
"You are serving agents of chaos, the ones you're working with are only using you and the White Fang. They don't give a damn about the Faunus, all of you are only a means to an end. Look beyond your delusions for one moment and think about everything that happened. You all take the full blame and they get away with everything." Jin told Adam causing the Faunus to give a glare behind the mask
"I am no fool, I know not to fully trust them and there will be repercussions if they fail to keep their word. But that won't matter to you in a few moments since you'll be dead real soon." Adam said before he leaped off the tree and swung his sword
Reacting quickly, Jin managed to clash blades with Adam in a brief second. Once Adam landed, he dashed towards Jin and the two fought against each other in a furious and intense speed. As both Adam and Jin were fighting against each other with their swords, the both of them were surrounded by a flurry of red and blue slashes.
This lasted for a few seconds until Jin jumped back making space between the two and created several ice shards and launched them at Adam. Seeing the ice shards coming, Adam proceeded to run around Jin while using the many nearby trees to block the many ice shards that were launched. This continued for a couple of minutes until Adam stopped running and stood behind a sturdy tree. Once the tree stopped the ice shards, Adam quickly climbed the large and sturdy tree and fired at Jin with his gun while on top. Jin proceeded to quickly block the gunshots with his sword. As Jin was blocking the gunshots, Jin quickly thought of an idea and dived towards the side that got him closer to a large number of trees.
Once Jin got closer to the trees, he used his semblance to get the water from the leaves and created a water shield that was strong enough to block the gunshots. While the water shield was blocking the gunshots, Jin launched the water shield towards Adam while it was blocking the gunfire. Seeing the water shield coming, Adam jumped off the tree and avoided the launched water shield. Once Adam landed, Jin dashed towards him and aggressively attacked the masked Faunus. This forced Adam to be on the defensive, but he was able to recover his footing and maintain a defensive stance.
Adam maintained his defenses for a few seconds until his body started to glow. Remembering the functions of Adam's semblance, Jin stopped attacking and proceeded to quickly jump back a far distance. In an instant, Adam used his semblance to launch a powerful burst slash towards Jin. Reacting quickly, Jin used his sword to quickly create a sturdy ice wall to block Adam's attack. The ice wall was strong enough to protect Jin but it quickly shattered the moment Adam's energy sword burst made impact. This was what Jin wanted, since he quickly used his semblance to control the ice debris and launched them at Adam. Reacting quickly, Adam blocked the ice debris with his sword at an incredible speed.
This gave Jin the chance to rush towards Adam and aggressively attack him while he was dealing with the ice debris. While Jin was fighting against Adam, he used his semblance even further and took more water from the nearby leaves and shaped and froze them to become more ice shards and launched them at Adam. Despite his impressive speed and sword skills. Adam was unable to defend against the ice shards that surrounded him and Jin's aggressive attacks. As a result, Jin was able to find several brief openings in Adam's defenses and made sure to use them to attack Adam.
In a few seconds, Jin was able to land several sword slashes against Adam. This didn't last for too long since the masked Faunus's body started to glow and this time Adam quickly decided to use his semblance. Jin jumped back to avoid a potential attack and this time, Adam made a forward stab towards Jin. Thinking quickly, Jin focused a good portion of his aura and strength to his sheath and dived towards Adam. The moment Jin got close, he knew that he only had one chance at this and he needed to be precise. When the moment came, Jin sheathed Adam's sword with his own sheath and endured the strength of Adam's attack. Once Jin succeeded, he jumped back and in a split second. Yukianesa's sheath started to freeze itself with Adam's sword inside. Seeing what's happening, Adam quickly threw his sword to the side and immediately after doing so, Jin delivered a strong downward slash at Adam. Adam jumped back to avoid a major injury but his mask was cut in half. As the broken pieces of the mask fell to the ground. Adam merely started into the ground.
"As much as I hate to admit it, your strength and skill is impressive. I supposed the humans did need to choose a worthy champion. Which is what will make my victory over you all the more satisfying. Because the difference between you and me. Is that I am fighting for a noble cause for all of the Faunus. I awoke to my will to fight for my cause the moment your kind gave me this." Adam said as he showed Jin his face showing the SDC scar that's been branded on his face
"So that's where your hate came from." Jin said in a calm tone
"The humans have always seen the Faunus as monsters. Yet your brother, is a human is considered a monster by the world. Since he revealed himself to the word as the Beast of Remnant." Adam told Jin
"You don't know what your talking about. You don't know a damn thing about Ragna." Jin told Adam
"But I do know suffering, my scar is nothing compared to what many other Faunus have had to endure. The Faunus has endured countless monstrosities for too many years. Where were our heroes? Someone needs to stand for the Faunus and fight for them. Therefore I will be the champion of the Faunus and bring bloody retribution to the humans." Adam stated to Jin
"What about the many Faunus that have died because of you and the White Fang? There are many innocent victims in your destructive crusade for revenge." Jin stated to Adam
"If the Faunus are prepared to aid the humans that have brought us despair. Then they will pay for their betrayal. If they refuse to see the path to redemption, then they will share the punishment. So that the other Faunus will learn to fight with us instead of against us." Adam explained to Jin
"Your nothing but a mad beast that embraces destruction. You need to be stopped." Jin told Adam
"Your welcomed to try." Adam said before he started to fire at Jin with his gun.
This time, Jin spent time blocking the gun shots with his sword while trying to get closer to Adam. This continued for a few seconds until Adam got closer the frozen sword and kicked it towards Jin. The blonde swordsman easily avoided it but it made impact with a nearby tree with enough force to break a piece of the ice that exposed the sword handle. Once Adam saw the exposed sword handle, he got closer to it and grabbed the sword and used his strength to lift his frozen sword and blocked Jin's sword attack. This gave Adam enough energy to use his semblance to break the ice that his sword was trapped in and launch the sheath a far distance. Once Adam's sword was free, he clashed blades with Jin once again.
"I fight for a noble cause, what do you believe in Hero?" Adam asked in a mocking tone
"I fight for the order of the world." Jin responded while staring down Adam
"A corrupt order for a corrupt world." Adam responded
"If you think I'm blind to the problems of the world. Then you know nothing about me." Jin responded as him and Adam glared at each other
(The CCT Tower)
It didn't take Lambda long to get to the CCT Tower. The good news is that dealing with the White Fang members didn't take too much time and strength from Lambda. Making things even better is that thanks to the enhancements implanted into Lambda by Kokonoe. Lambda can see easily locate where the bomb charges are and disarm them. The bad news is that the White Fang numbers are immense and are preventing Lambda from getting close to the charges. Making things harder is that a single individual is more skilled than the others and is admittedly giving Lambda a hard time.
The individual is Sienna Khan and thanks to her natural agility and skills with her chain whip. She kept Lambda at a moderate distance while the younger girl continued to deflect each of the chain whip's attack. Quickly realizing that something needed to change. Lambda fired at Sienna with her gun swords while trying to get closer to one of the bomb charges. Realizing what Lambda was trying to do, Sienna used the fire dust in her chain whip and created a fire whip and sent several fire slashes at Lambda. Seeing the fire whip coming, Lambda avoided the fire whip but found herself defending against Sienna's attacks.
"She's stalling for time, she just needs to make sure that the White Fang are able to fulfill their objectives. Since they've had time to prepare, the White Fang already have a significant early start." Lambda thought to herself before a gunshot was fired. What was surprising is that the gunshots hit Sienna and briefly staggered her. A follow up shot was fired but this time, Sienna deflected the gunshot and both her and Lambda saw who fired at her.
"I would have gotten here sooner if I didn't have to deal with so many members of the White Fang. Good thing I stuck around when I did after Tora gave me that warning." The figure said as she came into view. Once she did, it is clear that the individual is Baiken
"I see, so Baiken is working with Tenjo. This confirmed some of my suspicions at least." Kokonoe told Lmbda in a private communication
"Does this change anything?" Lambda asked Kokonoe privately
"No, but it is worth making note of for future reference." Kokonoe responded
"Hey kid, since you can actually fight, stop the White Fang from setting these bombs. She looks like the leader of this group so I'll deal with her." Baiken said as she jumped down and started to approach Sienna as she drew her sword. Once Baiken got closer, she spoke to Sienna Khan
"I've done a lot of research on the White Fang since Beacon. I know who you are Sienna Khan and this isn't your usual MO. So tell me, did you remove your restraints or lose control of the organization you turned to violence?" Baiken asked Sienna Khan while armed
"Let's just say that I'm trying a different approach. Which requires me to make a few adjustments." Sienna Khan said before Baiken fired at Sienna with her rifle arm and Sienna Khan deflected them
(The Grand Hall)
Ruby spent a good deal of time fighting against Emerald, The young girl tried to reason with Emeral to make her see that she's fighting for the wrong side. Unfortunately, Emeral made it clear that she is loyal to Cinder and the two continued to fight against each other for a good deal of time. As the two fought, she noticed that Ragna and Jaune are fighting both Cinder and Bedman. While Ruby is glad to see that Jaune is holding his own against Cinder. She knew that unlike Ragna, he is not ready to fight someone on Cinder's level. But she has her hands full dealing with Emerald. Before Ruby could think of anything, Qrow tried to attack Emerald and was able to give Ruby a chance to land a hit against the dark-skinned girl.
"Cinder is bad enough but that kid is a lot stronger than he looks. It seems like Ragna is pulling his punches because he doesn't want to hurt Jaune. Go help them out kiddo, I got this." Qrow told Ruby with a smirk
"But what about Raven?" Ruby asked in a concerned tone
"She's watching everything unfold, I don't know why she stopped fighting me. But I'm not going to question this window of opportunity to help my family. Now go." Qrow said before he blocked Emerald's gunshots and Ruby used her semblance to go to where Ragna and Jaune are
It only took a few seconds for Ruby to get to the two thanks to her semblance. At the sight of Ruby and knowing what will happen with her silver eyes. Cinder used her power to launch herself away from Ruby as fast as she could. Once Ruby got closer, her, Ragna, and Jaune blocked Bedman's mechanical arms.
"Give up, your up against us. Your outnumbered and outmatched." Ruby told Bedman with an angry glare
"I see so your Ruby Rose, I was told a great deal about you. Your talented at such a young age and possess a unique ability. An ability that Cinder herself is afraid of. Evident by how she quickly ran from you at the sight of you approaching us. I was also told how incredibly naïve you are. You need a dose of reality, it will be interesting to see how you recover." Bedman said before he blocked Jaune's sword attack.
Bedman easily knocked Jaune away and quickly blocked Ragna's attack. Bedman used the other mechanical arm to block each of Ruby's gunshots. After blocking the gunshots, Bedman swung his arm and knocked Ragna to the side. Once Ragna was knocked to the side. Ruby rushed towards Bedman, only for an after image to appear and knock Ruby to the side. Before Ragna could check on Ruby and tell her about the ability. Bedman gabbed Ragna with the mechanical arm and threw him to the side. Once Ruby herself stood up, Bedman stood close to her face to face with a sinister smirk on his face.
"Welcome to the Nightmare Theatre." Bedman said before he enveloped him and Ruby in a magenta aura and they both became transparent.
The next few seconds felt like hours as Ruby was seeing several intense images. The images are of her seeing many people lie down beneath her dead while she wielded her broken scythe. Making things worse is that the people that are dead beneath her feet are people she knows personally. From Yang and her team. To her father and her uncle, especially to the people she sees as her close friends. As Ruby looked further to the world, it is in a desolate state and more and more corpses can be seen. As Ruby was looking a single quote has been repeatedly echoed through Ruby's mind.
"You failed, they all died because of you." The voice said repeatedly to a horrified Ruby
No I . . . ." Ruby struggled to say before a figure started to approach her. Once the figure came into view. It's obvious that it's Terumi and the man has a sinister smile on his face
"Thanks to your numerous failures, I have won and you failed just like your mother. HEHEHEHEHEHE HAHAHAHAHA!" Terumi taunted to an even more horrified Ruby before Bedman spoke
"The Nightmare Theatre is about to end and now I see your fear. You are afraid to fail those who need to be protected and truly believe that you can make the world a better place. While suppressing the worry that you might be unintentionally making things worse. For further details, you are also afraid of what will happen to the people and the world if you fail." Bedman said before the magenta aura stopped and Ruby had a shocked look on her face. A brief second later, a noise was heard by everyone
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ruby shrieked which got Yang's attention
"Ruby!" Yang yelled in a worried tone before Mercury landed a direct kick at her
"Uh uh uh, shouldn't you be dealing with me?" Mercury said in a mocking tone before he noticed Leo was knocked down before Hazel approached him
"Your letting a little kid get the better of you." Hazel told Leo in a scolding tone
"That's no little kid, that's Ozpin." Leo told Hazel causing the large man to look at Oscar with a look of pure rage
"Ozpin, Ozpin, OZPIN!" Hazel yelled with pure rage getting everyone's attention
"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD HIDE FROM ME!? AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE AND GOTTEN AWAY WITH! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL YOU PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES!" Hazel yelled as he brought out several dust crystals
"Oh no." Ozpin mentally told Oscar as the watched Hazel put the Dust crystals in his arms
The moment the Dust Crystals strengthened Hazel, he proceeded to attack Oscar. Thankfully, Qrow was able to block Hazel's attacks. But the strength and rage behind Hazel's attack. Made it clear that this wasn't going to last long and in a few seconds. Qrow's defenses were broken and he was knocked to the side. Once Hazel was face to face with Oscar, who is now the reincarnated Ozpin. The large man proceeded to throw another punch. This time, the attack was blocked by Ragna himself.
"My grudge is not with you Ragna the Bloodedge. It is with that monster your protecting. The evil that has the galls to hide behind a child and use him for his own purposes." Hazel angrily told Ragna
"I hate Ozpin's guts too, but I can tell it's more personal with you. So tell me what he did that pissed you of so much." Ragna told Hazel
"He is responsible for the death of my sister. He recruited her into Beacon but failed to protect her and she died. All because of his arrogance and those damn schools!" Hazel stated to Ragna
"Is that true?" Ragna asked causing Ozpin to come out
"Unfortunately, it is true Ragna. His sister Gretchen enrolled in Beacon despite her brother's wishes. She died in an unfortunate training accident and he holds me responsible." Ozpin said before he gave control back to Oscar
"As he should." Ragna said before he protected Oscar from another punch
"She knew what she was fighting for, and she knew the risks. You should feel proud of what she stood for." Oscar told Hazel
"SHE WAS A CHILD, SHE WASN'T READY TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS!" Hazal said before Ragna blocked another attack
"You understand my rage Ragna, so why do you protect him?" Hazel asked
"Your right, she wasn't ready to make decisions like that since you know her well. Ozpin should have respected your wishes and stopped her from enrolling knowing you felt so strongly about it. I can even relate to your rage more than you think. After all, you're working with the same bastards that hurt my family. If we'd have met under different circumstances I'd even help you. If what happened to your sister happened to mine. I would destroy the world for my revenge. But I need to protect him because he is needed. Just as he can't stop your wish for revenge, you can't stop me from my revenge. If it helps in any way, because I can relate to your rage and pain. I don't consider you an enemy, but that bitch Cinder and that bastard Terumi, are another matter." Ragna said before him and Hazel fought against each other
"Ozpin is here?" Cinder said in a surprised tone
"Is that a problem?" Raven asked
"I don't know, but we can't drag this on for too long. We have the upper hand and we can't waste it. Leo, open the passageway!" Cinder commanded before Leo used his watch to open the passageway to the vault. The process took a few seconds and once it was opened, Cinder, Vernal, and Raven entered and made their way towards the Vault.
Yang was able to get to Ruby after the younger sister endured Nightmare Theatre. Bedman didn't attack Ruby further, but the silver-eyed girl was heavily dispirited as if her will to fight has been greatly damaged. Once Yang saw Ruby in this state, she furiously attacked Bedman. But the young boy easily blocked Yang's attacks and eventually knocked her away.
"Don't worry I won't kill the young girl. But since you're an adult with anger issues you are fair game. Besides, I'm not the only one you need to contend with." Bedman quickly said before Yang looked to the side and noticed Mercury running towards. Once Mercury got close, he was about to land a strong dive kick towards Yang. Though before the kick could land, Bang ran in front of her and blocked Mercury's attack. Next, Emerald was about to attack Yang and Bang. But she quickly dodged to the side to avoid a grenade blast from Nora's grenade launcher. After Emerald dodged and Mercury jumped back, Nora and Bang stood near Yang while she tended to Ruby.
"We have to do something about Cinder. They need to be stopped before they get the Relic." Nora told Yang
"I can't leave Ruby like this and we already have our hands full. Unless . . . . . ." Yang said as she looked around at a specific induvial who stands a good chance against them. Despite her rage and pain, within Yang, she still trust this individual and knows that if anyone can succeed, it is him.
"RAGNA, STOP CINDER AND MY MOTHER! GO AFTER THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY DON'T GET THE RELIC! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN STOP THEM!" Yang yelled which surprised Ragna before he regained his focus. Before he could stop another one of Hazel's attack, Qrow stood in front and blocked Hazel's punch
"Yang's right, don't worry about us. I can handle him." Qrow told Ragna before Hazel blocked Jaune's sword attack and Ren's machine gunshots.
"You're not fighting him alone Qrow." Jaune told Qrow causing the older man to have a smirk
"Valiant efforts that will have an unfortunate end." Bedman said before one of his mechanical arms blocked a sword attack from a summoned knight
"Go on Ragna, we trust you to be able to stop them from getting to the Relic. Now you need to trust us to handle this." Weiss confidently said as she faced Bedman
"Hehehe got it." Ragna said before he concentrated on his aura and enveloped his arm in aura. Once Ragna did so, he extended his arm and latched on to the ground and launched himself towards the passageway. A split second later, Ragna dived into the passageway at an intense speed
(Haven's Vault)
As Ragna was heading deeper into the vault. His heart was beating rapidly, not because of fear or nervousness. But because of the anticipation of what will happen in a few moments. The chance for him to get his revenge against one of the people that hurt his family is coming and Ragna is more determined than ever for the upcoming confrontation. This will also give Ragna a chance to put his secret plan into motion. They will all hate him for it, but they will be alive to hate him for it. As he was getting closer, Ragna was hearing a voice that he had come to recognized and noticed what was being said.
"No, this shouldn't be happening at all. Where is the power that's supposed to be mine?" Cinder said in an incredulous tone. Cinder's confusion lasted until she heard a loud thud. When she turned to see who arrived, she saw an individual that fills her with rage. An individual that she wanted to kill since the very beginning.
"You honestly thought that trap would be enough to kill us. I don't know whether to laugh or feel insulted. But quite frankly, you have bigger things to worry about Cinder." Ragna angrily said as he grabbed his sword
"Recklessness truly does come naturally to you Ragna. Especially since your bold enough to come here alone. I admit that you caught me by surprise when you gave me my injuries. But my power has grown significantly since that day at Beacon. So what makes you think that this will have a favorable outcome?" Cinder said as she summoned her sword
"Because this time you have nowhere else to run, this time no one will get in the way. This time I won't stop until I'm standing over your wretched corpse. Let's go bitch." Ragna stated as he released his seal and both him and Cinder clashed blades against each other. The moment their blades clashed, a powerful shockwave that shook the vault occurred. The fight between Ragna the Bloodedge and Cinder the Fall Maiden has begun.
(A/N)
Ragna has developed a new ability which is similar to one of his distortion drives and to one of Naruto's tailed forms. But he will not use it in the fight anytime soon since he still wants to get a good grasp of it. Him using it to propel himself towards the passageway was a spur of the moment situation.
Also, Bang can use explosive fists without the use of Dust. Thanks to his training from Ronin Gai and the training he's done since coming to Mantle. Other characters will get new abilities too and I am excited for other new abilities that will be revealed soon and in the future.
For Ragna's rage and violence towards Cinder. Please keep in mind that Ragna truly cares for his family. He warned Cinder back in chapter 34 that he will show no mercy if Cinder does anything that puts them in danger. As it can be seen, Ragna is a man of his word.
If there are any questions about Jaune being able to hold his own against Cinder. Please remember that Jaune did a lot of intense training in Ronin-Gai and is much stronger than he was at canon up to this point. Though he is not strong enough to beat Cinder, he is able to put up a much better fight. Not to mention that he was not blinded by rage and grief. Though for his encounter with Relius, that remains to be seen. Especially since like Carl he does hate Relius.
So read and review
Thank you