Author's Note: Got a really funny review after the last chapter's announcement of there not being a rewrite. Most took it well, but obviously not all are going to be pleased. Still, rude or no, important insight was gained. Just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who go into detail and are reasonable in your reviews.

Other than that, enjoy the chapter!

Adam didn't wait long to strike, seizing the momentum and forcing her back towards the downed Bullhead a few steps. She didn't let it go farther than that, knowing that to close that distance was too much of a risk. The crew were wounded, and even if they hadn't been, they never would have stood a chance against Adam. He closed the distance between them in only a few steps, leaping over the ball of flame that she threw at him; attempting to bring his sword down on her shoulder with the added force of gravity.

Pyrrha sidestepped the strike, watching as the red blade swung down. Thrusting her hand out, a shard of ice crashed into his chest with enough force to push him back. As his footing stumbled she lunged forward, aiming the tip of her sword for his throat. Were the weapon functioning properly she would have transformed her sword into its spear, granting her the ability to strike without leaving her guard quite so open; with it broken however, Adam was able to pull back before her strike could land. He covered his retreat with a blast from his sheath, buckshot slamming into her face and forcing her to close her eyes on instinct. Though most of the shot was blocked by her extended sword arm, enough made it through that she felt the pressure on her eyes and forehead.

The moment she closed her eyes however, she started thrusting her hand towards the ground; shooting out a jettison of fire that both kept Adam at bay and launched her up and over her opponent. With a minor adjustment mid-air she was able to land smoothly behind him with enough space to strike. Allos cut through the air parallel to the road, roughly even with Adam's hip. He turned in place, bringing his sword around to block her strike. Metal scraped on metal, sparks flying as the two blades pushed off one another. Adjusting, Pyrrha brought Allos up in a slash down Adam's middle. His sword caught hers again, deflecting her blade to the left as he stepped right.

She brought Allos down towards his shoulder, forcing Adam to lock blades with her to block the strike. A flash of light reflected off of his mask as Pyrrha forced her maiden powers through Allos, flame engulfing the blade and forcing Adam to wince at the sudden heat. Pulling back, he was unable to fully clear her sword, Metal sparking against Aura. The flames fell from Allos, crashing into the ground and forcing both herself and Adam back. Angling his sheath, Adam tried to take a shot at Pyrrha, but a wall of ice sprung up between them before it could. The ice was thin, shattering after the first shot, dropping ice into the quickly dwindling flames. Steam exploded out, singing skin but otherwise clearing the way for Pyrrha to charge back in. Adam was ready, parrying her first strike and flicking out with his sword to score a minimal hit on her thigh.

Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha felt her Magic flare up for a moment as she launched forward, her armored knee crashing into his stomach before time seemed to catch up. She was already moving past him as he began to react; spinning, she scored a solid strike on his back before he could even turn. He stumbled forward but continued to turn, firing a shot from his sheath as he finally faced her, the kick of which he allowed to push him back; using it to fall into a more stable stance. Pyrrha covered her eyes with her forearm, blocking the metal pellets that threatened them. Aura or not, she could still feel pain, and the eyes were the most vulnerable part of the body. Adam seemed to be going strictly for hers whenever he could, and Pyrrha saw no reason she couldn't do the same.

Kneeling down, she kept her eyes firmly on Adam. He was in a low stance, blade at the ready but notably not yet sheathed; sparing her any immediate risk from his Semblance. Placing her hand on the road, she took a deep breath. Adam wasn't content to let her do so uncontested and fired a shot, attempting to close the distance. The ground before her froze rapidly, meeting Adam halfway before spreading out around him. While certainly a more difficult terrain to navigate, Adam did not immediately lose his footing; that hadn't been her intention however, and raising her palm, she sent a blast of fire at the ice in front of him. The ice melted suddenly, shooting more steam up just as before, but this time directly in his path. He was already committed and unable to stop in time, forcing him to run through it.

The steam obstructed him for a moment, but it quickly billowed out as he came running toward her. His face was red, though it was clear his Aura had stopped any real damage. His sword cut down overhead, and Pyrrha brought Allos up to catch it. He pulled his sword back, bringing it wide and angled towards her side. Their swords clashed again as she brought hers up, and but she didn't fail to notice his hand slip away from his hilt. Preparing herself for another blast, Pyrrha's eyes winced closed on habit, a move she regretted as she gasped in surprise as a fist crashed into her stomach. Though the air was driven from her lungs, Pyrrha had the presence of mind to drop down into a low crouch and throw her legs out. Adam pulled back, avoiding having his legs swept out from under him, and created enough distance that he would have the time to react to any of her elemental attacks.

Breathing heavily, Pyrrha shook her head. This would have normally been the perfect chance to fire off a shot or two at her opponent, if only Allos wasn't broken. Instead, she settled on lashing out diagonally with her free hand; launching half a dozen ice shards in Adam's direction. He easily blocked them as he quickly moved to close the distance, only for the ground in front of him to be torn up as a torrent of bullets and the deafening sound of gunfire ripped through the streets. Though she didn't look up, Pyrrha had long since learned to recognize the sound of an Atlesian Bullhead, and couldn't help but smile. That smile died as she heard a blast from the rooftops, and saw a bright light rocket up over her head. There was no impact, and a few seconds later she could hear the Bullhead pulling back.

Lamenting the loss of her air support, Pyrrha took it as a good sign. While they might not have been able to stay around, it meant someone had noticed their fight. Help would be on the way, just as soon as that anti-air weapon could be dealt with. Pyrrha's eyes shifted to focus on the rooftop of the building.

"It seems our time is running out," Adam shook his head, sheathing his sword. "I shall make this quick."

The surprise of Adam's Semblance had long worn off, but that did not negate the danger it posed, and Pyrrha watched every twitch of his body as he drew his weapon; that familiar red glow growing in intensity as he drew his blade. It was roughly hip height, meaning that with her still in a low crouch it would decapitate her if it landed. It was low enough that she couldn't duck under the blow without throwing herself on to the ground, thus giving him a sizable advantage if he decided to press an attack after using his Semblance; leaping up would also take time, but with the use of her Maiden powers, Pyrrha knew she could make it.

Pressing off the ground with her hand, she fired a jettison of flame from her off hand, launching her up and causing her to spin due to the uneven force; she pulled her hand back and flooded her Aura in the direction of the attack. Wounded and depleted as it was, she doubted it would help if the attack landed, but it was instinct at this point. The wave of red washed underneath her, cutting several hairs from her forehead, but otherwise leaving her unhurt. She landed in a low stance, her legs almost buckling under the force as Adam rushed in. She brought Allos up to catch his blade and was driven to a knee.

Flesh crashed into asphalt, broken bits of the road digging into her knee as she desperately pushed up on his blade. For all her training, and though she had certainly possessed more raw power than she had months prior, Adam still had the edge when it came to sheer physical strength, and it took both of her hands bracing Allos to keep the blade from being pushed aside.. One hand on her hilt, the other on the back of Allos' blade. The metal threatened to dig into her flesh if her Aura faltered for even a second. It was a losing effort however, and the metal inched closer and closer to her head. Fire burned in her eyes, as did a large flame from her hand on the back of Allos' blade, rising directly into Adam's mask.

Rather than flinch away however, he held his ground, Aura flaring to keep the fire from burning his eyes as he pushed down with all of his might. It was little more than a delay, to buy him time to overwhelm her guard, but buy him time it did, and despite all of the training Pyrrha had put Amber's body through, it simply hadn't caught up yet. Her strength wavered, and Adam's sword rocketed downwards unopposed. The best Pyrrha could do was throw herself to the side, taking the blow on the space between her shoulder and neck, rather than the top of her head. Aura flared, holding, but rocketing pain down her arm and up to her head. Rolling in the directions she had thrown herself, she raised her hand and aimed it at Adam. She'd meant to call on her Maiden powers, but the pain from the strike distracted her and she felt her Magic answer instead. Adam managed to get his sword up to take the attack as a bright green light crashed into him, launching him into, and through, a glass storefront.

"Agh!" Pain lanced through her body. Using Magic, proper Magic, was dangerous. Ozpin had taught her how to utilize it in familiar ways to avoid unintended side effects, but in her panic she had thrown such warnings aside. Now, she felt the consequences. It reminded her of the pain she felt in the church in Mistral, when she had first unlocked her power, but this was different. It felt like she had hurt herself just as she had tried to hurt Adam, as if the Magic had been bound back at her just as much as it had hit him.

She tried to stand, but the pain drove her to hands and knees, as her limbs shook violently. It reminded her of being electrocuted, as if someone had attacked her with a taser; her body unwilling to respond correctly to what she wanted it to do. Her only saving grace was that Adam didn't immediately pull himself from the window. Even when he did, he was forced to use his sword as a sort of crutch.

"Enough tricks!" Adam roared. "Enough fire, and ice, enough bullshit!" He stepped forward, two becoming three as he flexed his Aura over his body. How he had any left, Pyrrha didn't know, but it did flicker weakly where before it had held strong. His stumbling walk slowly grew more confident as he closed the distance, overcoming the effects of her Magic. "Now, you die!" Adam made it half way as the sound of another Bullhead could be heard. "Agh! What now?!"

Looking up, Pyrrha saw the ship following along the road in their direction. It was an open path, making Adam and her easily visible, but it was also an open point for the White Fang to fire through when it slowed to support her. She could see the White Fang scrambling on the rooftop now, preparing for just that. Pyrrha wanted to reach for Allos, but her reactions were still slow and delayed; even if she had been able to, the transformation needed to shoot at the crews on the roof tops would have been a death sentence if Adam decided to attack her before she could transform it back.

The Bullhead grew closer, but it did not slow down, nor spool its weapons, rather, the side door opened. As it passed overhead, a small figure jumped out, and the Bullhead was off. The White Fang managed to fire a shot, but the craft slowed and thus never lost its momentum and it was easily able to evade the rocket. The figure that jumped managed to lose most of their momentum however, landing roughly but in relative safety. Their back was to Pyrrha, face locked in Adam's direction. All she could see was pink and brown hair.

Blinking dumbly, it took Pyrrha a moment to register that, and by the time she did Neo had partially turned towards her, tossing a small metal box at her. She didn't once take her eyes off of Adam though. Adam watched her cautiously, but didn't look too intimidated as Neo charged in.

Looking down to the box, Pyrrha felt her heart surge. A hard case, used to transport scrolls. They were the cheap kind, military issue, and usually limited in their capabilities, but exactly what she needed. Extending it turned the device on, and a call was quick to come through. There was no video feed, only a voice.

"Specialist, report." The General's voice rang out clearly, calm but tinged with a clear amount of worry. Whether that was for her or the general crisis in Vale, Pyrrha couldn't tell. While she had given up her honorary rank, she didn't object to the title.

"I'm here, General."

"Is Adam Tau-"

"Still alive." Pyrrha relayed, looking up to see Adam nearly decapitate Neo, only for her to bend backwards and kick up into his guard. "Currently being kept occupied. Sir, did you mean to send a wanted criminal here?"

"Neopolitan has… agreed to aid us, in exchange for a few guarantees." Pyrrha desperately wanted to know what he had guaranteed and how exactly he had pulled that off, but held her tongue for now. "She's there to help deal with Taurus. We dispatched her after we had confirmation from Raptor seven-four." He paused for a moment, barking orders away from the mic so rapidly that Pyrrha couldn't make them out. "More forces are on the way, if you need to just stall him. Taurus is a priority one target, you are authorized to kill if necessary."

That much was obvious, and she hadn't exactly been holding back. Killing Adam was easier said than done, however. He was a monster, skilled, strong, and cunning in a way that made him dangerous. His Aura was low though, that much she knew for certain. Their earlier fight, the Bullhead crash, and then their fight now. None of that had gone ignored, and even Jaune's Aura would have been wavering by now. Neo was getting the odd sturdy strike in as well, and more than one Adam was letting through rather than wasting Aura. That kind of control was impressive, but it also meant he felt like he was low.

"Beacon, is it still-"

"Focus on the fight at hand," The General ordered. "After that we'll get you to Beacon."

"Understood Sir," Pyrrha nodded, standing on shaky legs. "Nikos out." The call ended, allowing her to access the rest of the Scroll's functionality. Connecting it to her Aura, Pyrrha couldn't help but wince. Halfway through the red, in any formal spar or tournament fight, she would have long been disqualified. Breathing heavily, she took a moment to stretch out her muscles and flex her fingers. Whatever her Magic had done seemed to have mostly worn off, though she could still feel the odd buzz or tingle in her joints whenever she moved them.

Neo's blade was batted to the side with a flourish as Adam attempted to cut her down. The nimble woman knelt down, only to take a knee to almost take a knee to the face; barely avoiding it by rolling to the side. Adam's sword rocketed down towards her, and while the woman looked ready to move away from it, Pyrrha blasted it aside with a well placed bolt of ice, guaranteeing her escape. Adam growled, angling his sheath in her direction and firing a blast as he cut out in Neo's direction, forcing her back and forcing Pyrrha to duck down to preserve what little Aura she had remaining.

Neo took the moment of his split attention to glide past his sword, stabbing her thin blade up into his armpit and causing Aura to spark. Adam groaned but brought his blade down in an attack, but the move was slow and Neo was long gone before it moved through the space she had been. Pyrrha had closed the gap by then, and brought Allos down diagonally across his chest. His Aura flickered, but held. His sword came up to block her next strike, before retaliating with one of his own that she deflected. Neo came around her back, stabbing out in the open space of his guard. His sheath came up to push it aside, detached from his belt.

"Always someone to save you!" Adam screamed, his sword clashing with Allos as he blocked another strike from Neo. "Always someone to rush to your side when you need it! How is that fair?!" Adam kicked Neo in the chest, launching her back. She bent double, turning the motion into a back flip and landing on her feet before rushing back to reengage. "What makes you so special?!" Allos caught his blade once more, but then felt his sheath crash into her knee, forcing her leg wide and creating an opening.

Neo's sword hit his wrist before he could strike, nearly forcing him to drop his sword and giving Pyrrha the chance to roll away. Flicking the catch, Pyrrha continued to pull back as Allos slowly transformed into its rifle; Neo darted in and out of the man's guard to buy her time. When it had finished, she fired three shots at his knee.

"Agh!" Adam's leg buckled, his Aura wavering over his skin as Neo darted in for the kill, blade angled. He sheathed his blade, pulling it out with a yell. The blast was weak comparative to the ones that Pyrrha had faced before. Whatever preparation Adam needed failed to have been fully met, and though the attack struck Neo firmly in the chest it did not deter her.

The thin blade struck Adam's chest, Aura shattering and blood splattering on the ground. Neo withdrew the blade swiftly, pulling back just as Adam tried to swipe at her with his sword. It was a weak strike, futile considering his lack of Aura and quickly fading strength. He lashed out in her direction, even as Neo refused to close the gap. He tried to stand, stumbling back before sitting on his legs. Defenseless, Neo still didn't go in to finish him.

She wanted him to suffer. Pyrrha didn't, though she didn't doubt for a moment he deserved it; she just wanted him dead. Dead for what he had done to Vale, and Beacon, for killing Meadows and the majority of the first team she had ever led, dead for helping to orchestrate the single worst day of her life, costing her everything in the process. She wanted him dead, so that she could move on.

"I-its not…" Adam's void was raspy, a thin line of red falling from his mask. "Fair."

Part of her thought she should offer him the chance to surrender, if he even lived long enough to truly accept what came with it. She ignored that idea, leveling her rifle and taking aim. The shot that echoed through the streets was just one more in a warzone.

Sighing, Pyrrha stood, withdrawing the Scroll from her pocket she sent a message through to the last number that had contacted her. A scroll call came through quickly after that.

"It's done." Pyrrha reported. "Taurus is dead."

"Branwen is still enroute," The General replied. "Neo has orders to clear the rooftops if she can, but for now you hold tight." Contrary to his words, Neo hadn't moved. Her eyes were locked on Adam's slumped body, her hands curled into tight fists.

"If you can get in touch with Qrow, I'd recommend having him clear the roofs, Sir," Pyrrha advised. "It'll be quicker if he flies up. We need a moment."

"Understood." Ironwood didn't sound pleased, but he didn't object. "ETA on Bullhead once the roofs are clear will be less than ten minutes."

"We'll need medical transport." Pyrrha looked back towards her downed bullhead. "The pilots were roughed up, but a crew member was impaled."

"I'll dispatch the Medevac now, they should arrive well after Qrow has cleared the area. Vanguard out."

It was difficult to describe the feeling that fell over her as the call ended. The city was anything but quiet right now, the crack of gunfire was still audible, the sound of battle happening only a few blocks away, and yet, on their street, things were eerily still. Pyrrha didn't know Neo, she had been their enemy in her last life, albeit not a very present one. She had her part to play, and Pyrrha assumed she played it well. She hadn't this time however, instead working with them. The reason why was easy to guess, yet impossible to understand.

Pyrrha hadn't known Roman Torchwick, not more than just a few meetings. In truth, she doubted if she would have wanted to. He was a criminal, someone that worked with Cinder and led the Breach. She didn't doubt he had a larger part to play, though what that had been Pyrrha would likely never know. He hadn't done any of that in this life however, jumping ship at the first chance he had gotten. Even going so far as to aid them in giving them the virus that would have turned Atlas' forces against them.

What Roman was to her was complicated, an adversary, an ally, some odd combination, but whatever he was to Neo, it had been important. The man had given his life to buy them the time to pull her away, and she had fought Adam with a ferocity that Pyrrha could deeply understand. The girl didn't flinch away as Pyrrha approached, nor as she set a hand down on the shorter girl's shoulders. Those same shoulders hitched, but there was no crying, and her eyes remained locked on Adam's corpse.

A gunshot, far closer this time, drawing Pyrrha's attention away and up towards the rooftops of the nearby buildings. A terrorist was thrown over the edge, and there were several more flashes before it fell silent. A bird quickly swept low off the building, flying in their direction. Qrow waited until transformed halfway, sliding to a stop, weapon out, but noticeably lowered.

"See I missed the fun." Qrow quipped. "That's it then?" He looked past Pyrrha towards Adam and the bloody puddle that had formed around his body. "Well done, rumor has it he was a tough one."

"He was wounded from the crash, not to mention I had a little bit of help." Pyrrha nodded towards Neo, who had finally turned from Adam's body, now doing all she could to ignore it, as if the corpse was that of someone she didn't care about. That sudden shift, and seeming indifference, was unsettling, but given the current crisis, Pyrrha tried to ignore it. "Thank you."

Neo rolled her eyes, holding up her hand and rubbing two fingers against her thumb.

"James will get the check." Qrow replied with a shake of his head. "Bullhead should be here any-" As if summoned by his words, the sound of a Bullhead's engine could be heard. Four quickly moving into the air above them. Two remained in the air, while one landed far closer to the downed Bullhead than them, medical personnel quickly rushing out.

The second set down a dozen feet away, door opening as a woman poked her head out, waving in their direction.

"Taxi's here." Qrow looking back at her before looking down at Adam. "We can leave him here, Atlas will recover before they fly out. Not like he's going anywhere."

Grimacing, Pyrrha pushed past him towards the Bullhead. Stepping up, she turned to offer a hand to the woman that had followed her; hefting Neo in with an easy pull. Her arms still burned of course, made all the worse as the adrenaline began to fade, but Neo was thankfully light. Reaching up, Pyrrha grabbed onto the handlebar both to steady herself and keep herself standing as her legs started growing heavy.

"We're good!" Qrow shouted towards the crew. They must have heard him, because the Bullhead quickly took off, hanging in the air for a moment before moving in the direction of Beacon. Higher this time, so as to give ample time to respond to an attack, and with one of the remaining three Bullheads peeling off to accompany them. "We're bound for Beacon!" Qrow kept his voice raised, the sound of the engines and wind rushing in the open door too loud to talk normally. "Not really sure what they'll have for you, but I'm guessing Jimmy gave you something to do?"

Neo made a so-so motion with her hands.

"Eh, good enough. Just don't steal anything and we should be fine!" Qrow paused, before adding, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and don't kill any of ours!"

The way Neo rolled her eyes was a mix of reassuring and worrying, as if she thought that was obvious. An odd gesture given the nature of the request. It brought a small smile to Pyrrha's face, if only because of how heavily it opposed the gloomy nature of their present. She could feel the pressure and negativity in the air. Not literally, obviously, but in the way the soldiers held themselves. The way that Qrow joked, the stiffness in his shoulders, even as he forced himself to slouch, like a coiled spring ready to launch. They were all tense, even if Adam was dead, the attack was far from over.

"Did you find the Colonel?" Pyrrha asked in an effort to get someone talking.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Qrow turned away from the open door and Vale below. "A little roughed up, but alive! He managed to drive Adam off before he could finish his flight crew, but he's still bound for Beacons infirmary himse-"

Negativity was an odd thing. Something that, by all metrics, should not have been miserable. It was a vague and human thing, and most emotions were more than simply two dimensional than to be simply labeled as positive or negative. The Grimm seemed to track it, perhaps even feed on it, but how was a mystery. How much attracted what from how far wasn't so much a science as guess work. Vale had survived the fall of Mountain Glen despite the monumental despair in the streets, and yet a small town in the wild might fall because a large family lost a few members to illness. Vale, currently in the middle of the largest attack in its lifetime, was drowning in it, and that hadn't gone unnoticed.

The city below them shook, the air rippling even the Bullhead. The mountain cracked, and with it, Pyrrha's hope for a quick victory.

Author's Note: Yes, Neo saved the day… sort of. She gave Pyrrha a much needed breather at any rate, how nice of her. Ironwood did promise her she would get to kill Adam after all.

I'm also curious whether or not this fight held up to the one a few chapters ago. That was always meant to be more of a warm up, a test, at least from Adam's point of view. Hence why he surrendered so willingly. Which fight do you, the reader, think was better?

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always, I encourage you to review and let me know what you think.

Sincerely, SE