Weiss was losing, there was no denying it. Even with her years of training, and honing her semblance, she stood no chance against the full might of the Spring Maiden, especially one that was an experienced bandit. Stupid Branwen tribe, stupid traitous Lionheart! They could have worked together to defeat Cinder and Salem, but they chose to be criminals. Weiss hated them! But most of all, Weiss hated herself for being so weak. That still wouldn't stop her from doing her best. She wouldn't disappoint her Team, disappoint the remnants of Team JNPR, and especially not herself.
Weiss dodged a strike from the Spring Maiden's crescent blades, and parried a swing, using her glyphs to launch herself in the opposite direction of the bandit. Running a finger along Myrtenaster's blade as the Dust chamber rotated, the ancient Atlesian etching on the blade came to life, turning the blade orange.
"Hyah!" Weiss swang Myrtenaster, unleashing a wave of flames directed towards her opponent. Vernal jumped back casually, avoiding the flames. She responded by firing a volley of bullets, forcing Weiss to form a glyph, the Dust chamber rotating to ice. A wall of ice rose from the glyph, providing her some measure of cover.
There was only one way Weiss could change the tide. Aiming the tip of Myrtenaster's blade towards the ground in front of her, a glyph appeared, one decorated with images of a very familiar sword. The Arma Gigas, the very one that gave Weiss her signature scar could help to turn the tide! The glyph parted like a door as armored arms started to pull themselves out.
It was half-formed when a yellow laser sliced through the ice wall, decapitating the weakened summon.
"Damn it!" Weiss muttered, barely raising Myrtenaster in time to block another swing from the bandit. Vernal's evil blue eyes stared into Weiss' own as their weapons locked together.
"Did you really think I was going to let you take the easy way out, Schnee?" The ugly woman growled. Weiss narrowed her eyes and formed a black glyph beneath her, launching herself away from the Spring Maiden.
Vernal threw one of her crescent blades, forcing Weiss to form another glyph to deflect it midair. She caught her weapon easily, and started spraying bullets in Weiss' direction. Landing gracefully on the ground, Weiss launched herself back into the air, using Myrtenaster to deflect several bullets, and used her glyphs to dodge those that she couldn't.
Launching herself away from Vernal again, Weiss landed on the ground, stabbing it just barely with Myrtenaster. The summoning glyph returned, an arm was formed when Vernal struck, her crescent blades slicing through the half-formed arm and locking with Myrtenaster.
"You should have focused on fighting me instead of trying that again, you one trick beowolf." Vernal's feral grin would forever be locked into Weiss' nightmares. She fired a barrage of lasers straight at Weiss' chest, sending her flying through the air.
She struck the ground hard, shattering her aura as pain suddenly flooded her body. Gritting her teeth, Weiss forced herself to her knees, using Myrtenaster to assist her. She was definitely going to be feeling that when this was over, or at least until her aura returned.
"No!" Weiss heard Jaune scream from across the commons, his voice pained. Before Weiss could even turn around, she gasped in pain. Something had pierced her side, each breath causing Weiss to wince and shiver from the pain. Looking down at the golden spear that had impaled her, Weiss felt like screaming, but no noise escaped her throat.
The golden spear disappeared, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in her side, with drops of her blood falling onto the ground. The ground rushed up to meet her.
'I'm sorry Ruby.'
The crowd of villains by the water fountain had thinned by the time Weiss arrived, using her glyphs to jump through the air. With most of them laying on the ground unconscious, it seemed that Mr. Aizawa was more competent than Weiss had given him credit for. He was engaged in sharp hand-to-hand combat with the guy with a hand on his face. Using another glyph to soften her landing, Weiss rotated Myrtenaster's Dust chamber silently. What type of Dust would be necessary here?
Mr. Aizawa disengaged from Handman, his elbow crumbling and bloody. Could that be the Handman's quirk? A handful of surviving thugs surrounded him as he took several deep breaths. It seemed that Handman was in the middle of a monologue, how cliche.
"Isn't this different from your usual job, Rogue?" Handman said with his actual hands on the ground. "Your stats are for short fights after a surprise attack right? You're out of your element here."
Handman's head suddenly turned to her sharply. "The Bard? How did you get here!?" Mr. Aizawa also turned to look at her though he hid his confusion much better than Handman. Then, the thugs surrounding him used that moment to charge. Weiss used a glyph as a launchpad, heading straight towards the group of thugs.
Mr. Aizawa kicked one in the head, using his scarf to wrap up their body just as Weiss' blade pierced the shoulder of another thug. Another swing later left them on the ground bleeding. Mr. Aizawa ignored her as he turned to face Handman, after a punch to the neck of another criminal.
"You guys are so cool." Handman said cheerfully. "Sadly, I'm not the final boss here." His voice darkened. "Nomu, get Eraserhead, don't kill him yet though. I'll handle the Bard."
A rush of black slammed into Mr. Aizawa, pinning him to the ground in an instant, just as Handman started running towards Weiss.
"You maxed out the wrong stats Mirror Singer." Handman reached out one of his hands, his insane eyes visible behind the hand mask.
"Don't call me that." Weiss mumbled as she jumped backwards, avoiding his hand, and swung Myrtenaster towards his outreached arm. The world seemed to slow as they made contact.
Weiss' sharp blade sliced a finger off, causing Handman to shriek in pain. The Dust chamber rotated to electricity.
"AHHHHHH!" Handman stared at his bleeding hand, breathing deeply. He shouted an order before Weiss could swing again. "Make her suffer Nomu!" So he gave the commands here.
The bird beast with an exposed brain instantly left the downed Mr. Aizawa's body, and charged towards her. Weiss' eyes widened. Oh shit, it's too fast!
"Time dilation!" Weiss activated her yellow clock glyphs, causing time around her to slow down, allowing her to seem faster to the naked eye. The beast Handman called Nomu was still coming at her fast, but it was slightly slower than before. Dodging a lazy strike at the last second, Weiss narrowed her eyes.
She had fought monsters before, human and unnatural monsters in the Grimm. She had killed all types of Grimm, faced terrorist, bandits, rogue androids, but never something like this. Nomu was faster than any Grimm she faced before. Weiss could feel the power radiating from Nomu. Forming several glyphs around them, Weiss rapidly thrusted Myrtenaster into the beast's joints, her blade piercing its skin just barely. She used the vertical glyphs to launch herself back at the Nomu, piercing its skin before repeating with the other glyphs.
The wounds healed near instantly, even with Weiss using time dilation to make herself move faster. Her eyes widened again, she had never seen this kind of power before! Even the Maidens could regenerate like that! The Nomu didn't even seem to notice them as it launched another punch. Weiss barely dodged it, even with her speed boost. Ending time dilation before she ran out of electricity Dust, Weiss jumped backwards, avoiding the Nomu striking the ground, turning the section she was just on into rubble. A single hit from Nomu looked like it could shatter her aura! She would have to be careful, it was able to keep up with her, even with time dilation, but it was all power and no skill.
Myrtenaster's Dust chamber switched to ice. She didn't have as much as she did before, having wasted it on the useless thugs from before. Now was as good a time as any to use it all up. Stabbing the ground with a glyph just as the Nomu charged, ice sprouted from the ground, wrapping itself around the deformed beast, trapping it.
"Ahahaha, do you think that's going to stop Nomu!" Handman screamed as he sat on his knees, cradling his hand. Weiss ignored him and turned her eyes to Mr. Aizawa. Asu, Midoriya Mineta were attempting to carry him away, with Mr. Aizawa on Green boy's back, good. She didn't need them slowing her down.
Taking a deep breath as the ice surrounding Nomu was starting to crack, Weiss formed another glyph, one that she hadn't used in a long time. The snowflake-like glyph was decorated with swords, and the royal symbol of the Schnee household. The vertical glyph started to part like a doorway as Weiss closed her eyes.
"You want to become a huntress?" Father said coldly, his eyes harsh and full of disgust. Weiss nodded slowly, her eyes meeting the ground. "First Winter and now you? Do you think I've been teaching you how to run the company just so you can go off and kill monsters?" Father's voice was bitter.
"I wish to bring honor to the family, Father. Just as Grandfather did when he went out to hunt the Grimm." Weiss said carefully. She had been practicing for this moment for weeks now, waiting for Father to be in a good mood. It seemed that she miscalculated.
"Yes, yes, I'm quite aware of your Grandfather's eccentricities." Father's hands were closed. "At least you're not thinking of applying to Atlas Academy. I don't need another second Winter that's under Ironwood's thumb, but at least there you would be able to create connections."
"Beacon Academy is known for producing the best huntsman." Weiss insisted. "And I can use what I learn to hunt down the filthy faunus that keep attacking our properties!"
Father's white mustache twitched, he then formed a smirk. Weiss didn't like the look of that.
"Very well, I shall allow you to attend on one condition." Father's demeanor changed, but Weiss could tell that his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yes?" Weiss lifted her head sharply. Father was going to let her go?! Would she finally be able to escape his grasp?!
"As I'm sure you're aware, the SDC has been experimenting with suits of armor with the Atlesian Military in a collaboration with Merlot Industries." Father stood up from his desk and walked over to an armor stand that held Grandfather's ancient armor. "We just recently had a breakthrough, by using possession Grimm that were recently found in a cave far from Mantle."
Weiss' eyes widened in shock. They were experimenting with Grimm? The very creatures that wanted to exterminate all of humankind?!
"By using it to control a mech suit that's vastly stronger than the suit of armor in the Schnee Family museum, it will change the future of warfare forever once its trials are complete." Father continued.
"Why are you telling me this, Father?" Weiss said, holding her hands together. Even as the heiress, there were many projects that Weiss wasn't privy to knowing.
"I want you to fight it."
What?
"Father?" Weiss started before she was cut off.
"Defeat the mech and I shall allow you to attend Beacon Academy." Father turned back towards her, his smirk still on his face. "That is, unless you wish to give up on this insane idea of yours."
Weiss shook her head. "No! I'll do it, I'll fight." She swallowed the saliva that had built up in her throat.
"Excellent. You shall be its first combat subject. I shall schedule it for tomorrow." Father walked back towards his desk and stared at her. "Just let me know when you want to give up."
Weiss took a deep breath and nodded, staring back without flinching. She hated him, but she loved him at the same time. Weiss hated herself, what kind of daughter didn't love their Father? The hate was starting to outgrow the love she once had for him. "I won't give up."
Father shrugged and spun around in his seat. "You are dismissed."
Weiss bowed respectfully and started walking towards the exit, when Father suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, just so you know, it's called the Arma Gigas."
Weiss heard the ice surrounding Nomu shatter, and a rush of wind heading straight towards her, when she heard a loud thud. Opening her eyes slowly, they suddenly turned into pinpoints. Standing right in between Nomu and herself was the Arma Gigas, its white armor shining in the manmade sunlight of the USJ, its large blade just barely blocking Nomu's fist. The blade was already bent, showing off just how strong the Nomu was. It would clearly win if the fight dragged on any longer than it should.
"Hey! Now that's cheating!" Handman started complaining like a baby when the purple mist reappeared next to him. Nomu didn't move as the two had a short conversation, Weiss couldn't hear with how loud her heart was beating. "Fuck that, we're killing the kids!"
He charged towards Asui and Mineta, who had fallen behind Midoriya who was still struggling to carry Mr. Aizawa away, dripping blood from his missing finger as he went. Mineta started throwing his balls, but Handman dodged them easily.
"No!" Weiss shouted as she formed a line of glyphs, Myrtenaster's Dust chamber starting to rotate, when a loud noise came from the entrance, a cloud of dust came from the large doors, the shadow of a tall figure easily visible, even from as far away as the water fountain. That caused everyone to pause and turn, even the criminals.
The dust settled as the figure reached the top of the stairs. Standing there as the dust cloud swirled around him was the Symbol of Peace! Shining like a beacon of hope, and dressed in a fine white shirt, blue tie and yellow striped pants with his suit jacket in hand, Weiss could feel the intensity coming from him. He threw his jacket to the side, his face no longer having his signature grin, instead replaced by a serious look.
"It's fine now…"
Weiss' breath was caught in her throat as All Might's loud voice sounded throughout the USJ. Not even the Maidens were as impressive as he was.
"Because I AM HERE!"
A/N
This is my longest chapter yet, and it was fun to write. I usually struggle once chapters go past 1k, but this came so easily. Longer chapters might come in the future! And yes, the flashback back to the first chapter was done on purpose before I see anyone complain about it. It was done on purpose.
Question of the day:
Who do you think Weiss would get an internship with?
Till next time on Schnee: Hero or Huntress!