Here we are at Chapter 26. Time for another big battle, and a small but important revelation too. I do not own RWBY or Genshin Impact. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 26. Enjoy.
Chapter 26: Lineage
As their enemies regroup, Yang and Weiss are only focused on the hole in the ground where Ruby once stood.
"We have to go after Ruby!" Weiss says.
"Guys, we'll find her, but right now, we've got bigger problems," Qrow retorts, keeping his eyes on Signora's group.
"But-," Yang starts, but Blake stops her.
"Yang, I'm worried about Ruby too, but we have to have faith in our leader. We know she can take care of herself. As soon as we're done here, I promise we'll find her but right now, we need you," Blake says.
As much as Yang hates to admit it, Blake is right. Signora isn't someone they can go after with half measures. Especially with Adam Taurus and Roman Torchwick at her side. She'll just have to believe her sister can stay alive long enough for them to find her.
Yang cocks her gauntlets, "Fine. Let's make this quick,"
Torwchick chuckles, "Sorry about little red there, blondie. That's what happens when you make a bet that you can't win. Take that as advice from a gambling man,"
"Then I'll take your bluff and raise my sword up your backside," Weiss says venomously.
"Ooh, feisty for a Schnee," Roman remains unperturbed.
"Enough. Signora, it's time to end this," Ei says before making the first move.
Signora smirks before conjuring some ice shards around her.
...
Down below in another part of the underground, Ruby slowly comes to and gets up to find herself in a cavern. Looking between one way and another, she looks up only to notice the way she came down has caved in with rubble. No chance of going back that way now.
"I need to find a way back to the others," Ruby mutters before zipping down one path with her semblance.
She keeps moving until she comes across some equipment that doesn't fit with the old city since it looks new... and the body of a dead soldier next to it. Ruby gasps at the sight before deciding to move on. She ends up finding a few more bodies along the way, each dead by some type of blade. Others looked like they were skewered. And a few more even looked like they were burned to a crisp. Whoever found these guys showed such ruthlessness that it scared Ruby. She comes into one section of the cavern that has a lot of equipment, weapons, and documents. Perhaps a hub for Signora's operations. At the other end of the room, however, stands a woman with long gray hair in a low ponytail. The woman holds a red scythe in her hands and when she turns, Ruby freezes upon seeing the red cross in her eyes. The sight drives a cold feeling up her spine.
"Hmm, I wasn't expecting to be spotted so soon. I was hoping you and your friends would keep Signora busy while I... do a little housecleaning," the woman notes casually.
Ruby takes out her scythe, "Who are you? If you're attacking these guys, then you're not their friend. But, did you really have to kill them like this?"
"They got in my way. I have a mission to complete, and they interfered. If you're prepared to kill someone, then you must be prepared to die as well," the woman notes.
This woman scares Ruby on the inside, but she definitely can't back down. If she's gonna get back to her friends, then she needs to fight. Using her semblance, she shoots over behind the woman and swings her scythe... only for the woman to block with her own.
"Hmm, I was expecting a bit more. Well, since you're so eager," the woman says before batting Ruby's weapon away and countering with her own.
Ruby barely dodges it before firing her scythe to put some distance between them. She fires a few rounds, but the woman twirls her scythe around to block them. Seeing as her bullets aren't working, Ruby goes back into close range. She swings her scythe at the women's ribs, but she parries the strike and then thrusts her scythe into Ruby's stomach, knocking her back. The woman swings her scythe, gliding it across Ruby's to strike at her chest, followed by twirling around and slicing her scythe downward. Ruby manages to dodge it, but not the kick aimed at her stomach. As Ruby rolls on the ground before getting back onto her feet, the woman pulls her scythe out of the ground.
"Hmmm, while the weapon was designed rather well, it seems you lack experience to master it. You should've trained more before taking on a challenge you can't win," the woman notes, calmly walking towards Ruby.
Ruby's starting to think that maybe fighting this woman was a bad idea.
...
Back above, Ei and her friends duke it out with Signora's group. While she, Qrow, and Oobleck deal with Signora, Weiss and Nilou take on the soldiers while the rest deal with Adam and Torchwick. Adam swings his blade at Blake who blocks with her katana.
"You gonna run this time, Blake?" Taurus taunts her.
"I'm NOT running," Blake argues.
"You. Will," Adam says, but then jumps back to avoid a shot from Yang. "But, not before I make you watch as your little human friends die,"
"Just try it, you bastard. You know, girls don't like pushy guys that can't take a hint," Yang says.
Adam growls before charging at her. Meanwhile, Candace swings her spear at Roman who ducks under the swing, then jumps back when Dehya tries to smash his face into the ground.
"You'll have to do better than that," Roman chuckles.
Candace and Dehya nod to each other. Candace makes the first move, thrusting her spear several times at Roman, who deflects them with his cane. Dehya comes in from the side, swinging her sword at him. He jumps back, but Candace is right behind him and knocks him forward with her shield. Dehya makes a second swing and nails him, sending him rolling back. Dehya swings her sword down on him, only to get blocked by an umbrella. Dehya jumps back and takes a look at the girl who saved Torchwick.
"Perfect timing Neo. Thanks for the save," Roman says as he gets back up.
Dehya growls before going after Neo. She swings her sword around, but the smaller girl is much more agile as she flips and twirls around her swings. Candace can see that Dehya is having a little trouble, so she makes a move. She throws her spear at Roman, who ducks under the projectile, as she runs by him. She pulls it back with her gravity Dust.
"Dehya, switch!" Candace calls out.
Dehya jumps up without looking just as Candace runs in to thrust her spear at Neo. Neo blocks with her umbrella.
"Shall we dance?" Candace smirks.
Back with Ei, Qrow, and Oobleck, the three warriors try to get close to Signora from different angles, but the woman constantly creates ice shards that rai down upon them, or sprout out from under their feet. This makes it hard to get close. Qrow eventually manages to find a opening and goes in for a shot. However, Signora uses the Pyro Gnosis to conjure a shield of flames to stop his advance. Her blade coated in lightning, Ei slices through the flames to get at Signora. Signora conjures up two ice shards to block Ei's strike in a cross guard.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that power is? It cannot be mishandled. Nor can it be used for selfish reason. It must be used for the people, to protect and guide them. For the world," Ei says.
"And what has this broken world ever done for me? It's done nothing but bring me agony and despair. If no god will grant me my wish. If no god or no one else will listen to my pleas, then I will simply do it myself. I will force this world to fix itself, and I need this power to do so," Signora replies.
"I do not know what caused you to think this way, but your actions put innocent lives at risk. I do not know how you were able to use the power of a Gnosis, but so far, you have proven unworthy of it," Ei retorts.
"Says the one who isolated herself from her people for centuries and did nothing while your home slowly fell apart. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Signora shoots back.
"How do you know that?" Ei demands, shocked that Signora knows about Inazuma.
"Oh, because that recent turmoil that occurred in Inazuma? That group in the shadows manipulating the Tenryou Commission... that was all me," Signora smirks.
Ei jumps back from Signora, "That was you?!"
"I had hoped to get your Gnosis while you were indisposed, but that plan failed, so I had to change tactics. But, now that you're here, I can pick up where I left off," Signora brings out the Anemo Gnosis.
"Oh no," Qrow mutters.
"This doesn't look good," Oobleck adds.
Signora brings the two Gnoses close together and conjures up wind and fire together, fusing the two elements together. Ei brings out her sword to unleash her power. This would be a challenge.
...
Back down with Ruby, the scythe wielder is having a hard time against the woman standing before her. Meanwhile, the woman looks like she hasn't broken a sweat.
"Ready to submit now?" the woman asks.
Ruby growls before shooting over with her semblance. She makes a swing at the woman's head, but her opponent catches Ruby's blade with her own. She swings Ruby around and sends her flying into some nearby equipment. Ruby staggers to her feet as the woman calmly walks towards her with her scythe out. Ruby fires her scythe behind her to shoot her up over the woman, who blocks it with the staff of her scythe. Even as Ruby races around her, making multiple attacks, the woman calmly blocks or deflects them all.
"Uncle Qrow's the one who taught me how to wield a scythe, but this woman might be just as good as him," Ruby thinks as she jumps back from her.
"Sorry, but I have things I must attend to, so let's wrap this up," the woman says before raising her hand and snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, red spikes sprout out from the ground and impact Ruby's body several times. The ambush attack takes out the rest of her aura and sends her to the ground. Ruby can barely lift her head as the woman stands over her. She raises her scythe, ready to deliver the final blow before her eyes stop on the rose emblem on Ruby's belt.
"Is that..." the woman mutters before reaching down and pulling it off her belt to inspect it. "This is..." for a quick second, her expression looked shocked.
Ruby weakly reaches up to her, "Give that... back... It's mine..."
The woman stomps a foot on her chest, "Where did you get this?" she demands. When Ruby doesn't answer immediately, she forces more pressure with her foot. "Where?"
"It... was... my mother's," Ruby confesses.
This revelation causes the woman to take her foot off Ruby. She stares at the emblem and then looks at Ruby who has since passed out.
"I've finally found a strong lead. Now I know what to do next," the woman says before putting the emblem back on Ruby's belt.
She holsters Ruby's scythe on her back and then picks Ruby up in a bridal carry before looking back at all the equipment.
"Signora, you should know better. Making such selfish moves... will lead to huge consequences," she says before her eyes glow and she snaps her fingers again.
Red spikes erupt from the ground everywhere, even going beyond the room she's in. They destroy everything in sight, even the stone walls which starts to make things unstable in the underground. The woman then calmly walks out while carrying Ruby in her arms.
...
Back with Ei's group, Nilou and Weiss have taken out the remaining soldiers and look at Yang and Blake's fight. Even with two on one, Adam holds his own against the bumblebee duo. Yang makes several punches with her fists, but Adam blocks them all with his blade, the blade itself starting to glow.
"Yang wait! His semblance is like yours. He stores up energy in his sword and then sends it back at you when he's ready!" Blake yells.
"What?!" Yang wasn't expecting that.
Adam smirks before sheathing his blade, now that he's stored up enough energy. However, before he can make his move, his body stops moving.
"What?! What's... going... on?" Adam can't move the way he wants to.
The pair look to see Nilou with her hand out, "Now!"
Weiss stabs her rapier into the ground, sending out a surge of ice that freezes Adam's legs. Yang and Blake use this chance to make a combo strike on Adam which sends him flying back near Signora. Meanwhile, Dehya has Roman on the ropes as she swings her sword, sending out arcs of flame at him while Candace deals with Neo. Though Candace can't and a hit on Neo due to her agility, neither can Neo thanks to Candace's shield and her semblance. When Neo tries to stab Candace with a hidden blade in her umbrella, Candace blocks with her shield and then pushes Neo back with her hardlight Dust. They regroup just as Signora prepares to attack Ei again.
"Now, you will all burn in the flames that shall usher in a new world," Signora declares.
"Everyone, get behind me!" Ei shouts.
Signora aims the two Gnoses at them and fires off a combined blast of air and fire. Ei charges up lightning into her blade, her Chakra at full strength. She swings the blade downward as the two attacks meet. Ei grits through the onslaught as she uses her thunder to hold back Signora's attack. Her feet slide slowly back across the ground. The clash of power continues on for a few more seconds, though they might as well be minutes, before the two attacks cancel each other out. Ei falls onto one knee, catching her breath.
Signora scoffs, "You actually managed to survive that. And here I thought I finally gained full control over these two Gnoses. Well, no matter. At least I now know I'm a match for an archon at my current strength. Perhaps, with one more, I'll even outmatch you, Ei," Signora says.
Ei hates to admit it, but Signora is definitely getting better at using the power of the Gnoses. At this rate, it won't be long before she becomes an archon like herself. She can't let that happen.
Ei stands back up, "I won't let that happen. I'm stopping you right here and now," Ei aims her sword at Signora.
Her friends join her at her side, ready for the next round.
"Don't worry. I won't stop until I claim your Gnosis next," Signora smirks. However, before they can fight again, the underground around them starts shaking.
"What's going on?" Nilou looks around.
One of Signora's soldiers kneels before her, "Ma'am, the underground facility has been decimated and the cavern walls are beginning to collapse. It won't be long before this whole place caves in. We must leave, now!" he informs her.
"What?! How!" Signora was not expecting that.
"There's no time to explain more. We must flee at once!" her soldier says.
Just then, rubble from above falls and hits the ground near them, almost crushing Adam Taurus.
"This is one bet we don't want to take, lady," Torchwick says.
Signora growls, "Oh, damn it all! Fine, we're retreating!" Signora turns to leave.
"You're not leaving-," Ei is about to chase her before another piece of the ceiling crashes down in front of her.
Qrow grabs her arm, "We have to leave, now!"
"But what about Ruby?!" Yang's still worried about her sister.
"We can't just leave her behind!" Weiss adds, equally upset.
"I'm sorry, but there's no time. There's a chance she's already heading out of here too. We need to go, NOW!" Qrow leaves no room for argument.
Their friends managed to coax the three young women to retreat. Ei gives a last glance at Signora's group as they disappear into the shadows before the place starts coming down on them. They retreat back to the way they came in and head straight up to the surface. They all managed to escape just before the entrance caves in behind them. They keep running as a portion of the surface starts to fall apart, taking a big chunk of the city down into the depths below. They watch as the old buildings fall and the smoke rises in their place.
"Ruby... Where's Ruby? Where is she?!" Weiss looks around, but can't find any sign of their team leader.
The group gets really worried as they all look around, but can't find her. Their minds begin to fall to the dark idea that Ruby in fact didn't make it out of the cavern before it collapsed.
Yang falls onto her hands and knees, "Ruby... no," she starts to cry.
Blake kneels next to her to try and comfort her while also holding back her own tears.
"Looking for something?" they hear and look to see a mysterious woman carrying an unconscious Ruby in her arms.
"Ruby!" Weiss nearly screams in relief.
However, Yang stands back up and engages her gauntlets again, "What did you do to my sister?!" her eyes are red now.
"Yang, wait!" Candace says.
"Give Ruby back, now!" Yang yells.
"Yang, ENOUGH!" Qrow shouts.
"But, Uncle Qrow-," Yang looks back at him.
"Yang, trust me when I say this... If you fight that woman... you will die," Qrow says.
Yang is stunned by his words, but then she notices the hand holding his blade is shaking slightly. All of his instincts as an experienced huntsman are telling him that this woman is not someone they want to mess with.
"At least one of you is calm enough to read the situation. I'm merely returning what was lost," the woman says, waking up to him. "Here you go. She's merely unconscious,"
"...Thanks. Whoever you are," Qrow holsters his blade before taking Ruby into his arms.
The woman hands Ruby's weapon over to Weiss, "You'd best take good care of her. She's rash and lacks experience. But, she's special. Very special," she says and turns to leave.
"Ruby," Weiss mutters with relief that her partner is okay, as are the others.
"Wait, who are you?" Ei asks.
"Hmm, you may call me... Arlecchino," Arlecchino says before walking away. She casts one last glance at Ruby. "Until we meet again... Your Highness,"
They watch her leave, their minds full of so many thoughts. One thing's for sure, Ei's mission against Signora is far from over.
And that's the chapter. The mission in Mountain Glenn is over, but the conflict is not yet over. Meanwhile, Ruby encounters the woman Arlecchino, who has taken a keen interest in her. What will happen next? Until then, please Read and Review.