Chapter 34: Lose the Battle, Win the War
Gray clouds hung in the sky over the wilderness north of the city of Atlas, muting the midday sun. There was a chill in the air and patches of frost on the ground. Winter had unquestionably arrived. Jaune was hiking down a dirt road that cut through a forest of pine trees. Ren and Nora were by his side. From all outward appearances the three of them were just another band of travelers forging their way through to the more remote parts of the kingdom. However, Jaune of all people knew that looks could be deceiving.
It had been over a day since Jaune and his team had fled Atlas, the city at least, and there had been no sign of pursuit so far. However, Jaune still felt incredibly nervous. He really wished he'd been able to get his hands on a car or some other kind of vehicle, but unfortunately, that wouldn't have been a smart idea. A vehicle would've been much easier to track than three people on foot.
Jaune glanced over his shoulder for what seemed like the tenth time in as many minutes. The road he'd chosen wasn't highly traveled, even in the summer, and as expected, there was no one else to be seen. However, when Jaune turned back, he noticed that Ren was eyeing him conspicuously.
Jaune said, "Everything's going to be okay, Ren."
Ren didn't say anything, but as always, his silence spoke volumes.
"We'll stay up north long enough for things to blow over," Jaune said. "Then we can go back to the city and catch a boat to Vale or Mistral. It'll be fine. You'll see."
Nora spoke up, saying, "I'm not sure things are going to blow over this time, Jaune."
"No one at the Academy ever saw us with Ruby. It's our word against hers," Jaune said. "The public will believe us. We're heroes, remember?"
"What about Weiss?" Nora asked.
"She doesn't have the Schnee Dust Company to use as a platform anymore. It'll be fine," Jaune said, trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince his friends.
Ren finally said something. He pointedly asked, "If things really will be fine, then why did we need to leave in the first place?"
Jaune stopped walking. He turned to face Ren and Nora. He said, "Look. What else were we supposed to do?"
Neither Ren nor Nora answered.
"We either left or we stayed and dealt with the police trying to arrest us," Jaune said. "Is that what you wanted?"
Nora muttered, "Maybe…."
"If we end up in jail, they'll separate you and Ren, Nora!" Jaune said. His voice was getting louder. "Would that have been better? Is that really what you want?!"
An awkward silence followed. Jaune took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. Then he said, "It wasn't just the cops that we needed to worry about."
"What do you mean?" Nora asked.
"What do you think Weiss would've done if she'd caught us?" Jaune asked. "She's from a family of slavers. We might have ended up in chains at one of her mines."
"I don't think they have slaves anymore," Nora said.
"Maybe not officially," Jaune said. "But everybody knows how they treat their workers. Even if no one says it out loud. And don't forget about Ruby's sister, Yang. You heard what Ren found in those police reports. She's some kind of predator who stalked the roads of Mistral for nearly a decade before she wound up here. Maybe even Blake would've gotten involved. She's the worse one of them all! She's literally a murderer!"
Nora glanced nervously at Ren.
Jaune said, "This…this is my fault. It's my mistake. But I don't want to see either of you get hurt because of it. So I'm trying my best to keep you both safe."
"Okay…" Nora said in a small voice.
"Come on. We need to keep moving," Jaune said. He turned his back on Nora and Ren and started walking again.
Jaune's thoughts drifted inward as he listened to the rhythmic sound of his boots trudging against the dirt road. He still couldn't believe how wrong everything had gone back in the city. He'd expected Weiss to try something, but he'd almost lost his mind when she'd shown up at the Academy with the literal military working for her. It was absolutely ridiculous the degree to which the rich could bend the rules to suit their own ends. Maybe he would stick around after he'd saved the world after all and become a crusader for social equality. But he realized that was neither here nor there. He'd meant what he'd said about trying to keep Nora and Ren safe, and right now that involved putting as much distance between them and Weiss as he could.
Jaune's eyes absently drifted up toward the sky. He was glad there were clouds out today. He wouldn't put it past Weiss at this point to somehow conjure up a fleet of airships out of nowhere and send them to hunt him down. Fortunately, the cloud cover would make it harder for anyone to track them from the air. And much to Jaune's relief, the skies appeared to be empty. The only thing he could see was a large bird of some kind circling above.
Jaune refocused on the road ahead. But as he continued to walk, a stray thought popped into his mind. He recalled the specific police report that Ren had found about the party crashers, Yang and Blake as it had turned out, who had attacked Weiss in her family's home. The report had specifically mentioned Weiss claiming that one of the assailants had transformed into a bird and escaped out a window. The officer who had taken the report had noted his skepticism, but he'd believe Weiss at least enough to write what she'd said down. Jaune had asked Torchwick, who had apparently also been there, about that part. The only answer he'd gotten from him was an amused chuckle plus a sassy wink from Neo, but that had been answer enough.
"Nora," Jaune said, trying to look, act, and sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Yeah?" Nora asked.
"There's a bird overhead," Jaune said. "Blast it."
"Huh?" Nora asked.
"Blast it. Hurry," Jaune said, feeling much less calm than he sounded.
Nora nodded. She pulled her grenade launcher off her back. She quickly took aim at her target up in the sky and fired off three grenades in quick succession.
Jaune immediately stopped in his tracks and craned his neck to follow Nora's shots. The canisters soared upward and violently exploded. A loud boom reverberated in the air above, and the bird vanished into a ball of fire and smoke.
Jaune's eyes were laser-focused on where the bird had been. As he watched, the smoke started to dissipate, but all of a sudden, a woman with a long braid of blonde hair burst through the dark cloud. She plummeted toward the ground, and Jaune quickly realized two things. One, the woman was Yang, Ruby's sister. Two, she was rocketing directly for him with her feet thrust forward. She looked ready to drive him into the ground like a stake.
"Scatter!" Jaune shouted. He and his teammates went scrambling out of the way.
Less than a second later, Yang slammed into the ground. A tremor rippled through the road beneath Jaune's feet, and a spray of loose dirt pelted his back. He spun around, and Nova Mors unfolded from his bracer into its heater shape.
Much to Jaune's surprise, Yang didn't immediately make a move to attack. She was just standing there with a slightly deranged smile on her face.
Jaune said, "Is this how you usually go about robbing people?"
"I used to, yeah," Yang said. "I always loved the looks on their faces when I just dropped in out of nowhere. They could never figure out where I'd come from."
"You're a monster," Jaune said.
"Like you're one to talk," Yang shot back. "I don't even rob people anymore. I'm a mercenary now."
"Okay, mercenary," Jaune said with venom in his voice. "How much is Weiss paying you?"
"Weiss? Nothing," Yang said, although the grin she gave Jaune told him there was something she was keeping to herself.
"Then you're not a very good mercenary," Jaune said. "You shouldn't have followed us."
"And you shouldn't have kidnapped my sister," Yang said. She squeezed her fists together, and blades made out of solid yellow Dust popped out of her bracers.
Ren and Nora were already moving to flank Yang. Nora gave her grenade launcher a twirl, and it unfolded into the shape of a giant hammer. Jaune was so glad that after years of trying he'd finally convinced Nora that it wasn't a good idea to fire off grenades willy-nilly when they were in a close quarters fight.
Jaune said, "You don't stand a chance against all three of us."
Yang eyed each of her opponents one at a time. Jaune didn't like how unconcerned she seemed. She said, "Agree to disagree. Not that we'll get the chance to find out."
Jaune spotted a sizable aerial flarr that was tucked into Yang's belt. She'd obviously brought it to let the others know her whereabouts. Jaune flexed his knees slightly, getting ready to spring into action. He said, "We're not going to let you signal Weiss."
"Well good thing somebody already lobbed a bunch of grenades into the sky then," Yang said. "Thanks, by the way."
Jaune's eyebrows shot up in alarm. At the exact same moment, an airship zoomed by at an unnervingly low altitude and a dizzyingly fast speed. The roar of its engines washed over the road followed by a gust of wind that threatened to knock Jaune off his feet. Less than a second later, the airship was gone. But the airship itself wasn't what concerned Jaune. He shouted to Ren and Nora, "Group up!"
Ren and Nora quickly peeled off from Yang, and Jaune's shield fully unfolded into its tower shape. An instant later, a mass of rose petals suddenly spilled onto the ground from above. Ruby materialized from the billowing cloud with Weiss in her arms.
Weiss leaped out of Ruby's arms and pulled out her dagger. Ruby drew her scythe which unfolded in her hands. Weiss glared at Jaune with the angriest eyes he'd ever seen. She said, "Surrender. If you know what's good for you."
"That's not going to happen," Jaune said. He moved in front of Ren and Nora to protect them with his shield. But more importantly, his shield also blocked his opponents' view of Ren. Jaune didn't even need to look to know that Ren was activating his semblance.
Yang said to Weiss, "I told you we'd get to do this the fun way."
Ruby said, "Jaune, please. I know deep down you're trying to do the right thing. But this isn't the way! You can still save the world. But only if you come with us."
If anyone's words could have swayed Jaune, Ruby's were it. Unfortunately, Jaune knew he was in too deep. The only way out for him now was through.
Jaune figured that Ren must almost be in position for a surprise attack by now. With a little luck, he'd be able to completely knock someone out before the fight had even begun. Jaune wasn't aware of exactly where Ren was, but he could feel him at the edge of his perception, skulking about somewhere behind Weiss and her group. To stall for the last bit of time Ren would need, Jaune said, "Ruby, the only thing you're doing here is endangering the world. I'm the only one who—"
Weiss suddenly spun, and a purple glow emanated from her dagger. She slashed at the air, and a wave of energy whipped out in an arc behind her and her teammates. Ren suddenly appeared out of nowhere—or more accurately, Jaune became directly aware of his presence again—as the power of Weiss's gravity Dust bowled Ren off his feet.
A smug smile crossed Weiss's face. She said, "You didn't really think I'd fall for that again, did you?"
"Nora!" Jaune shouted. "On Weiss!"
Like that, the fight was on.
Nora charged for Weiss. At the same time, Ren sprung back to his feet and raised his fists. He squared off against Ruby. Jaune himself went lunging for Yang.
Jaune's shield folded up into its heater shape again as he made as big a show as he could of trying to bash Yang with it. She easily dodged, as he'd intended, and slashed at him with her blades. Jaune blocked, relieved that Yang had taken the bait to fight against him. Thanks to Torchwick, he knew a bit about how Yang's semblance worked. The last thing he wanted to do was feed it, and he knew who was at the most risk of doing that. As far as he was concerned, his sole purpose in the fight at the moment was to keep Yang and Nora separated.
Yang's blades slashed against Nova Mors again as Jaune stayed on the defensive. He quickly glanced around to see how his team was doing. Ren was already locked in a duel with Ruby. It was only his fists against Ruby's scythe, but he was doing that trick of his where he hardened his aura at a specific spot on his body to deflect an incoming blow. Jaune still had no idea how Ren was able to achieve that level of control, despite Ren's repeated attempts to explain it to him. Meanwhile, Nora was rapidly closing in on Weiss. However, Weiss stomped her foot on the ground, and her dress briefly glowed cyan. A wall of ice sprung up in between her and Nora, hiding Weiss from sight. Nora apparently didn't see the wall as a problem. Rather than going around the frozen barrier, she slammed her hammer into it, sheering off a huge chunk of the ice. Nora then pulled her hammer back to take a second swing.
Jaune turned his attention back to his own battle again. He saw Yang's bladed fist poised for a heavy hit. He knew he could block it, but he had a different plan. He deliberately fumbled his shield out of the way and let Yang's attack through. Yang's blade smashed into Jaune's aura with her full strength behind it. It would've been a lie if Jaune had said he hadn't felt anything at all, but his aura was so strong that he barely even flinched as Yang's blow came to a dead stop. Jaune had never understood why his aura was as powerful as it was, but he wasn't going to complain. He'd always assumed it was a side effect of his semblance. Whatever the case, one of his favorite tactics was to let people who prided themselves on their strength, like Yang, hit him so they could see how little their might actually mattered. It never failed to demoralize them.
Yang pulled her fist back. She did look shocked at first, but only for a moment before her expression shifted to something more akin to excitement. Jaune found himself taken aback rather than things being the other way around.
Yang suddenly struck at Jaune again with renewed eagerness. Jaune hastily took a step back and managed to get his shield in between himself and Yang. The battlefield rang out with a series of clangs as Yang laid into Jaune with fresh fervor. Jaune couldn't help but wonder what kind of freak he was facing off against. This wasn't how things usually went.
A few feet away, Jaune saw Nora's hammer crash down on the ice wall Weiss had created. The ice finally shattered into thousands of tiny shards, but it wasn't Weiss who Jaune first glimpsed standing behind the destroyed barrier. A glowing figure made of pure energy that resembled a woman with cat-like ears burst past the crumbling remains of the ice wall. The figure drew a facsimile of a sword from its hip and swiped at Nora as it sprinted toward her. Jaune quickly realized he was looking at Weiss's summon which bore a striking resemblance to the photos he'd seen of Blake.
The summon hadn't been alone behind the ice wall. Weiss was still there, and a fireball suddenly leaped off her hand. The fireball slammed into Nora, making her stumble. The summon then slipped away and went charging for Ren.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, but she quickly found out that one little fireball wasn't enough to keep Nora down. A hammer came swinging at her out of nowhere and struck her dead center.
Weiss's aura flared brightly, but Nora's hammer took its toll. Weiss was flung backward. She tried to land on her feet when she hit the road again, but she couldn't manage it. However, she quickly pushed herself up onto all fours.
"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, turning her attention away from Ren. Unfortunately, Ren wasn't able to capitalize on his opponent being distracted like Nora had. Weiss's summon was on top of him now, wildly slashing away.
"Don't—!" Weiss tried to shout as she staggered to her feet. However, Nora was already swinging her hammer again. Weiss raised her hands. A black glyph appeared directly in front of her. Nora's hammer slammed into it with enough force to make the glyph waver in the air.
"Ruby!" Weiss shouted again. "Light him up! Hurry!"
"Right!" Ruby shouted. "Yang!"
Jaune knew he needed to stop whatever was about to happen, but the moment he took a step forward, Yang delivered a swift kick right into the middle of his shield. An unpleasant vibration traveled down Jaune's arm from the raw power behind the blow. He might as well have walked face-first into a wall for how quickly it stopped him in his tracks.
Ruby was running for Yang now, and she had pulled a single bullet out of a pouch on her belt. Yang held out her open hand, and when Ruby reached Yang, she stepped into Yang's waiting palm as she slammed the bullet she was holding into her rifle's breech. Yang spun, flinging Ruby high into the air. Then, as she came back around, Jaune saw she'd grabbed the flare she'd had tucked into her belt. Before Jaune could posit why Yang had decided she needed the flare, she lobbed it like a grenade, and it arced over Jaune's shield.
Jaune watched as the flare fell in between his body and his shield. He was confused about what Yang was trying to accomplish. He supposed the flare could work as a weapon in a pinch, but Yang had failed to light it before she'd thrown it at him.
All of a sudden, a shot rang out from above. Jaune saw a bullet, presumably from Ruby's scythe, pierce the flare Yang had thrown. A trail of fire followed in the bullet's wake. It must have been loaded with red Dust. An instant later, the entire flare ignited all at once. Jaune didn't even have time to panic before it exploded in his face.
Jaune's aura held, but it almost didn't matter. He was blown off his feet by the point-blank blast. If his shield hadn't been directly attached to his bracer it surely would have been ripped from his grasp. His body was thrown back like he'd been kicked by a particularly ornery horse, and his back hit the dirt road hard enough to leave a shallow indention.
Jaune lay dazed on the ground for a moment. His ears were ringing with a shrill hum, but he vaguely heard Weiss's voice shout, "Yang! On Nora!"
Jaune shook his head clear. He pushed himself to his feet as fast as he could and saw a battle whose favor had completely swung against him. Nora and Yang were slugging it out in a clash between titans. Meanwhile, Ruby, Weiss, and Weiss's summon were triple-teaming Ren.
"No, no, no!" Jaune said. He started sprinting toward Nora in a frantic bid to regain control. As he drew close, he saw Yang swing at Nora with one of her Dust blades. An idea spontaneously came to Jaune. He poured on the speed, and the moment he reached Nora, he shoved her from behind.
Nora lurched forward, causing Yang's blade to hit at a much more drastic angle than intended. The sudden strain from the blow snapped the blade in two. The broken tip spun in the air for just a moment before a spark shot over it.
There was a blinding flash as the chunk of yellow Dust in between Nora and Yang burst in a furious storm of electric energy. Jaune was forced to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he saw Yang staggering back. She'd apparently gotten caught in the blast. Nora, however, had a huge grin on her face. Electricity was coursing over her body, and her semblance was happily gobbling it all up.
Yang finally had the decency to look concerned. Both of her blades retracted back into her bracers. She'd clearly figured out what had just happened, and it seemed she didn't want to risk empowering Nora again. Jaune would have loved to believe that Yang was less dangerous fighting with just her fists, but he didn't.
Nora let out an excited battle cry and hefted her hammer up. Before Jaune could stop her, she brought it swinging down toward Yang at full speed.
Yang managed to twist out of the way of Nora's attack, and much to Jaune's relief, the hammer slammed into the road, not Yang. Although the blow had been close enough that it had practically grazed Yang's nose. Jaune knew it was possible Nora could hit Yang hard enough to take her out before her semblance could come into play, but he'd rather not test that theory if he could avoid it. Yang wasn't the priority target anyway, although right now she was being a very effective distraction. Jaune intended to change that.
Jaune scrambled to get in front of Nora before she could try to attack Yang again. He shouted, "Nora! Super charge!"
"You got it!" Nora said. She reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a yellow Dust crystal. Then she jabbed it into her thigh.
Even more electricity cascaded through Nora's body, but Jaune's attention turned to Ren as he spared him a glance. Ren was entirely on the defensive, but in a supreme display of martial prowess, he was managing to hold his own. He flowed like water as he blocked hit after hit. Ren never failed to impress Jaune with his skill, and this moment was no exception. However, Jaune knew even Ren couldn't last forever. At this rate he might fall over from exhaustion before his aura was depleted. But crucially, he'd held on long enough. With Nora charged up and off of Yang, Jaune was ready to seize the initiative again.
Jaune said to Nora, "Take out the summon! Quickly!"
"On it!" Nora said. She pushed off her back foot and sprung toward the furious melee that was unfolding around Ren. Then she leaped into the air, holding her hammer high.
Yang shouted, "Ruby! Weiss! Look out!"
Nora had everyone's undivided attention now. Weiss, Ruby, and especially Ren all scattered to try to escape the Nora-shaped meteor that was about to crash down on their heads. However, none of them had been Nora's actual target. Her hammer slammed into the glowing replica of Blake. The summon was completely obliterated on the spot, and the energy comprising its body dispersed like a flame that had been snuffed out.
Weiss suddenly wobbled on her feet. The summon's near-instant destruction had apparently caused some kind of backlash effect. Before Jaune could even say anything, Ren was in motion. He surged forward and delivered a devastating kick that struck Weiss across her jaw.
"Weiss!" Ruby shouted. She tried to run over to assist Weiss, but she hadn't taken Nora into account. Nora's hammer suddenly came sweeping in and caught Ruby right in the chest. Her aura glowed as it resisted the blow, but she was knocked off her feet all the same.
Jaune wanted to look smug. He'd turned the tables back in his favor, but he knew he couldn't afford to be overconfident. As if to drive the point home, a fist suddenly slammed into the side of his head. It hit with the force of a wrecking ball, but his aura easily took the blow. He turned and saw Yang right on top of him.
Jaune decided he was done wasting time with Yang. It was obvious now that taking out Weiss was the key to the whole battle. She'd been the one who'd been countering his tactics. Plus her glyphs were too versatile and too powerful. She needed to go. Conveniently, she'd already taken some nasty hits. Her aura had to be on its last legs.
"Ren!" Jaune shouted as he blocked another hit from Yang.
It only took a second until Jaune sensed Ren behind him. Ren suddenly leapfrogged over Jaune's shoulders, and Jaune simultaneously stepped back, letting Ren take his place. It was one of the many maneuvers he and his team had practiced over and over again until it had become second nature.
Free of Yang, Jaune sprinted over to Nora. He shouted to her, "Weiss! Take out Weiss!"
"Right…" Nora said, although the enthusiasm was gone from her voice. The pain of having a Dust crystal jammed into her leg probably had something to do with that, but Jaune knew she could take it.
Nora hefted her hammer. She took off running in Weiss's direction. Jaune stuck to her side with his shield out. No sooner had they started moving than Jaune saw Ruby leveling the barrel of her scythe at the two of them. He moved his shield into position just in time, and the crack of Ruby's shot was only met by the clang of it ricocheting off of Nova Mors.
Weiss, however, had something to say in her own defense. She pointed her finger at Nora, and her dress glowed an umber brown. A boulder about the size of Weiss's head coalesced in the air in front of her. Then it launched itself for Nora at high speed.
Shots were still coming in from Ruby, but Jaune knew what to do. He unfolded his shield into its tower shape and held it sideways at an angle. Ruby's shots continued to bounce off, and Weiss's rock collided with the very bottom of the shield, crumbling into powder. The hit had been at a very awkward angle for Jaune. He felt his muscles strain to hold Nova Mors in place, but his face was the very picture of determination. He wasn't going to let Weiss get away.
Weiss suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck as Jaune and Nora closed in. She stomped her foot again, possibly in a panic, and a new wall of ice sprung out of the ground in between her and her charging assailants. However, Nora plowed right into the barrier with her semblance-enhanced strength and smashed through it like it wasn't even there.
"Ruby!" Weiss frantically shouted. "Swap! Swap!"
"Hurry Nora!" Jaune shouted, not wanting to find out what Weiss had in mind. He felt like a hunting dog that had caught the scent of blood, and he would not be denied his quarry.
Nora and Jaune finally reached Weiss, and Nora let her hammer fly.
Jaune watched, feeling like the world was moving in slow motion. Nora's hammer arced toward Weiss and toward victory, but just before it connected, a cloud of rose petals flew in out of nowhere and swallowed Weiss up. The cloud then sped off, leaving someone else behind in Weiss's place. Jaune gasped in horror as Nora's hammer slammed full force into Yang.
"No!" Jaune shouted, but it was too late. Yang went lurching backward, doing a good impersonation of someone who'd been hit by a truck, but as she tumbled through the air, her body began to shrink. She transformed into an eagle and flapped her wings hard, slowing herself down. Then she transformed back, and her boots hit the ground as she landed upright.
Yang shook her head. Taking the hit from Nora had clearly not been a pleasant experience for her, but it hadn't been unpleasant enough in Jaune's opinion. She started marching toward Jaune and Nora again. She stopped a short distance away and asked, "Is that all you got?"
Jaune gritted his teeth. He realized it was time to go all out. He'd never faced a team like Weiss's before. But he was certain they hadn't faced anyone like him before either. And unlike them, he had nothing to lose. Or so he believed.
Jaune said, "As a matter of fact, no."
"Good," Yang said, practically purring. "Because that's not all we've got either."
Just when Jaune thought things couldn't get worse, he heard Ren frantically call out, "Jaune!"
Jaune's head immediately snapped in Ren's direction. Anything that could prompt an outburst like he'd just heard from Ren demanded his immediate attention. He spotted Weiss standing next to Ruby some distance away. Weiss was pointing her dagger down toward where a glyph was spinning beneath Ruby's feet. The glyph was gold in color and resembled a clock. Weiss's expression was one of pure concentration. Ruby, however, was staring directly at Jaune with genuine malice in her eyes.
Jaune wasn't sure what was happening at first. But then he realized he'd seen Weiss use that particular glyph on herself once before. It had allowed her to move inhumanly fast. And now she was about to use it on Ruby who could already move inhumanly fast. Jaune's blood ran cold.
"Ren!" Jaune desperately shouted. "Stop them!"
Yang suddenly called out from behind Jaune, "Oh no you don't!"
Jaune turned in time to see Yang running right for him. He raised his shield, but Yang wasn't trying to attack him. She suddenly leaped up and planted both of her feet on his shoulders. Then she vaulted over him and charged for Ren.
Jaune realized he was seconds away from a complete disaster. Fortunately, he already knew what his next move was. He grabbed Nora's arm and said, "It's time for a super-duper charge!"
Nora sucked in a fearful breath, but like the loyal friend she was, she said, "R-right."
Yang had managed to intercept Ren, and the two of them were locked into an old-fashioned fistfight. Jaune knew Ren would figure out how to get past Yang quickly, but he wasn't sure if it would be quick enough. He concentrated on Nora and let his semblance stir to life. Energy from his aura started flowing into her.
Nora whimpered in pain as Jaune did everything he could to push her semblance as far past its limits as it would go. If he could boost her up enough, then Ruby's speed, Yang's power, and Weiss's clever tactics wouldn't matter at all. Unleashing Nora would be like carpet bombing them into oblivion.
"It hurts…" Nora muttered. Electricity was surging all over her body now. So much energy from the yellow crystal jammed into her thigh was being pumped into her that the crystal itself was visibly eroding.
"I know," Jaune said. "But you can do this! You have to."
Ren suddenly juked his way past Yang and made a beeline for Weiss at top speed. Jaune watched in delight as a pink glow shimmered over Ren's fist as he focused his aura there. Yang was hot on his heels, but she wasn't quick enough. Ren's fist plowed into Weiss's gut, making a sound that resembled the pop of a gunshot.
Weiss let out a cry of alarm as her body jerk back and she lost her footing. Her aura surged over her body, but it broke before she'd even hit the ground. However, Yang's fist suddenly sucker punched Ren in the back of his head. With his aura focused on offense, he never stood a chance. There was a flash as his aura failed too, and he crumpled to the ground. But with Weiss taken out, Jaune didn't care. The moment he let Nora loose, it would all be over. They'd won.
Suddenly, Jaune realized the glyph underneath Ruby's feet hadn't gone away. In fact, it started to glow even brighter, and a golden light washed over Ruby's body.
"Nora!" Jaune frantically shrieked. It was too late. For a single moment, Ruby was standing still. The very next moment, she might as well have been everywhere.
Jaune flinched and turned his head away as a gale-force wind rushed past him. It felt like he was standing an inch away from a freight train moving at top speed. He closed his eyes and awaited his imminent demise. But surprisingly, nothing seemed to happen.
Jaune slowly opened one of his eyes. To his utter shock, he was still standing exactly where he'd been. He could still feel Nora's arm firmly in his hand, and his semblance was still siphoning his aura to empower her. He opened his other eye and looked around. He spotted Ren and Weiss both lying on the ground. They both looked only semiconscious. However, neither Ruby nor Yang where anywhere to be seen.
At first Jaune wondered if Ruby had decided to escape with her sister and leave Weiss to her fate, but he quickly dismissed that possibility. Ruby was up to something, and he intended to not get caught unprepared. He tightened his grip on Nora and tried to push even more energy into her. He felt her semblance eagerly lap up everything he gave it.
Jaune said, "Get ready, Nora. We need to—"
Suddenly, a boom echoed from some distance away. Jaune saw bolts of lightning go streaking up from the ground into the air. They had come from behind the trees past a bend far ahead in the road. A plume of dirt rose into the air a moment later from the same location. To Jaune it kind of looked like what happened when Nora inevitably released her overcharged semblance. But that didn't make sense to him. How could Nora be far away and right next to him at the same time?
Jaune felt a nauseating dread start to creep into his stomach as he got an inkling of what must have happened. He slowly turned his head to look at the person whose arm he was gripping. He found himself face-to-face with Yang.
At first Jaune didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but reality stubbornly refused to change itself to match his wishes. The facts were as clear as they were unfortunate. He had a firm grip on Yang's arm, and he'd unwittingly been doing his utmost to boost her semblance to its absolute extreme.
Jaune let go of Yang. The connection between them broke, and the flow of energy stopped. However, the damage had been done. Jaune took a few fearful steps backward. Yang was breathing heavily with a wild and crazed look in her blood-red eyes. A mist was being expelled from her mouth every time she exhaled. It was her saliva evaporating.
Jaune stared in horror at the monster he'd created. He quietly whispered, "Oh no…."
Suddenly, Yang let out a primal, guttural yell, and she exploded like a supernova. White-hot flames erupted from her body, and Jaune was blown off his feet.
The moment Jaune's back slammed into the dirt road, he scrambled up again. He saw Yang stalking toward him. She was covered from head to toe in flame, as if her body was made of fire and brimstone rather than flesh and blood. Jaune saw a yellow liquid oozing out of Yang's bracers. He quickly realized it was the material that formed the bracers' blades. Yang's semblance was burning so intensely that the solid Dust had melted.
Yang suddenly surged forward with her fist cocked back. Jaune raised his shield, but when Yang's punch hit, he almost lost his balance. He dug his feet in a little firmer just in time for the next hit which was rapidly followed by another and another and another.
Jaune didn't know what to do as he cowered behind his shield. He couldn't run for fear of Yang utterly destroying him. However, he didn't think he'd last very long standing his ground either. He could feel his aura straining as each of Yang's punches hit hard enough to otherwise dislocate his arm. He felt like he was holding back an avalanche, except an avalanche had nothing on Yang as she was now. And the heat rolling off of her was unbearable. Even behind his shield, Jaune was starting to sweat.
The rain of colossal blows suddenly stopped, but Jaune didn't dare relax. He was just about to peek out from behind his shield when an object of some kind pierced an inch or two right through it, making a nasty screeching sound. Jaune recoiled in fright. Then he stared in abject terror as he realized the object lodged halfway through his shield was actually Yang's fingers. The fingers on Yang's other hand suddenly pierced through the shield as well. They all curled inward, and the metal in between them began to heat up until it glowed.
Jaune almost couldn't comprehend what he was watching. But then there was a horrific noise as Yang literally ripped Jaune's shield apart with her bare hands.
Jaune stumbled back as he was hit with the full power of Yang's flames. It was like standing in front of an open blast furnace. His aura visibly glowed as it fought off the extreme heat, but it was being worn away bit by bit just from Yang's proximity.
"Stop! Stop! I—!" Jaune shouted.
Yang's only reply was to deliver a bone-shattering kick to Jaune's gut.
Jaune let out a pained wheeze as all the air was squeezed out of his lungs. His feet left the ground, and he was launched backward like he'd been shot out of a cannon. The road whizzed by below Jaune until he collided with it. Then he went rolling end over end in a tangle of limbs until he finally came to a stop.
Jaune pushed himself partway up with his hands. He could see his aura flickering over his body. Then something happened that hadn't happened to him in a very long time. His aura collapsed completely.
Jaune didn't think he had the wherewithal to stand, so he rolled himself into a sitting position. He saw Yang stomping toward him. Even more concerning, he felt the temperature rising with her approach.
"Stop," Jaune said weakly. "I give up."
What Jaune didn't know was that while Yang's semblance was partially fueled by her emotions, the reverse was also true. Right now Yang was experiencing more rage and anger than any human had any right to. Mercy wasn't part of the equation anymore.
"Stop…. Please…" Jaune said. He lifted his hand in a feeble attempt to defend himself. Yang was practically on top of him now, and he could feel his skin reddening like he'd been out in the sun for too long.
Yang's eyes were an abyss of infernal wrath. She raised both her fists up high, ready to smash Jaune into paste.
Jaune lowered his hand. His skin itched as it slowly roasted. He finally understood that he was about to die. In a strange way he felt relieved. His only regret was that he didn't know if Nora and Ren were still okay. He hoped with every fiber of his being that they were.
Suddenly, a woman dressed in purple and white rushed in between Jaune and Yang. Whoever she was, she grabbed Yang's arms. Her aura surged over her body as it tried to protect her from the intense flames. She shouted, "Yang! It's over!"
Jaune looked up at his mysterious savior. It was Blake. He hadn't recognized her at first. She'd cut her hair since the photos he'd seen had been taken.
"Yang! Look at me!" Blake shouted as she wrestled with her. Fortunately, Yang seemed to be too focused on Jaune to leverage her overpowering strength against Blake.
"It's over!" Blake shouted at Yang. "You won! It's over!"
Yang suddenly stopped struggling. She took a few steps backward and lowered her arms. She looked at Blake, clearly confused. Then the fire blazing over her body died away, and her eyes turned lilac again.
There was a distinct chill in the air now that Yang wasn't burning like the sun. Blake's shoulders slumped, and her aura shimmered over her body one last time before it gave out. Jaune was surprised it had lasted as long as it had.
"Blake…?" Yang said in a small voice. She started to reach a hand out, but having her semblance pumped up to unimaginable heights must have been too much for her. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she started falling backward.
Blake rushed over and caught Yang in her arms. Then she gently lowered her down onto the road. She worriedly put one of her human-like ears next to Yang's mouth to make sure she was still breathing. Then, apparently satisfied that Yang was alright, she let out a relieved sigh.
Jaune watched, dumbfounded. He had no idea what had just happened or why. But then he saw Blake glare at him.
Blake stood and walked over to Jaune. She said to him, "Never forget that you owe me your life."
"Thank you…" Jaune said, not knowing what else to say.
"Don't thank me," Blake said. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for her. She doesn't deserve to live with the guilt. She doesn't deserve…to be like me."
Suddenly, there was a sizzling sound. Blake must have heard it too because she turned her head. Then she exclaimed, "Yang!"
Blake rushed over to Yang again. Jaune could see now that the bracers on Yang's arms were glowing red-hot. Yang's semblance must have heated them up. And with Yang unconscious, she didn't have an aura to protect her skin from the searing hot metal she was wearing.
Blake frantically reached out to unlatch Yang's bracers, but the instant she touched them she recoiled with a yelp. She didn't have an aura to protect herself either at the moment. She looked panicked, but then her expression hardened. She grabbed one of Yang's bracers again and pulled at the latch. Tears of pure pain streamed out of her eyes, but she managed, somehow, to rip both of Yang's bracers off and fling them away. Then she sat down on the ground next to Yang, gingerly holding up her badly burned fingertips.
Ruby suddenly appeared in a burst of rose petals. At first she looked stoic, but her eyes went wide when she saw who was sitting there beside Yang. She shouted, "Blake!"
"Hello, Ruby," Blake said, sounding a little bashful.
"You…!? You're…!? You've…!?" Ruby sputtered as she looked Blake up and down.
"We'll catch up later," Blake said.
"Are you alright? Is Yang?!" Ruby asked.
"We both will be," Blake reassured Ruby.
"Help is on the way!" Ruby said. "Weiss's sister is sending a team. They've got a medic too!"
"Good," Blake said.
Ruby turned to Jaune. She stared at him with something akin to disappointment. Jaune felt it was a gentler treatment than he deserved. But he wasn't concerned about himself at the moment. He asked, "Nora? And Ren?"
"They'll be okay," Ruby said.
Jaune nodded. With his fears about his friends allayed, he suddenly felt very tired. He slowly laid down on his back and stared up at the sky. A gentle snow had begun to fall. He hadn't even noticed.
Jaune asked, "Is it finally over?"
"Yeah," Ruby said. "It's over."
"Thank goodness," Jaune said. He closed his eyes and felt the snowflakes sprinkle onto his skin. After all these years, he could finally stop. His thoughts turned to Pyrrha. For the first time in what felt like forever, when he pictured her in his mind, he didn't see her dying. He saw her smiling and happy. That was all he'd ever really wanted, to see Pyrrha again as she was meant to be. He began to wonder if maybe he hadn't needed to save the world after all. Maybe all he'd ever really needed to do was let go.
Author's Note: The more people you add to a fight the harder it becomes to write. Doing a full-on three verse three was perhaps not my best idea. I also did a little experimenting by using the antagonist as the POV character. It's probably not something I'll do very often, but I think it worked for this chapter.
So. Story time. Er…meta-story time. I made the first outline for this fic many years ago not long after I'd finished writing the original. When it came time to actually start writing, I was pondering what to do for the final battle. (A very important thing to consider when writing RWBY.) I had forgotten just about everything I had planned on doing, and when I looked at my original notes, all they said for this part was, "Super Saiyan 2 Yang". Fortunately, that was all I needed. I'm so glad I wrote that down.
Has Weiss ever used her time dilation glyph again since the mech battle in the middle of Volume 2? If not, she should. It's stupid powerful. Anyway, only one chapter left in this beast of a project.
As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.