RWBY: Rose Reborn
Chapter 9: Showdown
"YOU BITCH!" Weiss screamed with fury.
She grinded her teeth with rage as she charged towards Cinder, her fingernails nearly oozing blood as she gripped her saber, intent on delivering the most powerful thrust to the neck of this monster who dared harmed her sister. She knew deep down beyond the haze of her rage letting wrath overtake her was a detriment to a huntress, but she just didn't care right now. She was so filled with the fire she could attract all the Grimm in this continent to the room right now that wreaked of blood, blood she was craving to extract right now from this demon.
With a flex of her aura she back-kicked her left knee, forming a black glyph behind her to propel herself at further, near-Ruby speed, hoping to enhance her strength for this attack. What she excelled in elegance in aura usage she lacked in physical might. She was no Yang Xiao Long but she was a jack of all trades, confident her abilities and ingenuity could make up the difference in strength between her and a maiden.
"Spoiled brat." Cinder snickered as her left eye glowed, determined to prove the heiress wrong, soon summoning an orange fire as she formed a flame blade, parrying the tip of the blade against Weiss's, the latter's body jerking from the sudden pause, nearly dislocating her shoulders, but Weiss fought the pain.
Quickly she pulled out a yellow dust crystal and jammed it into her saber's dust slot, sending a wave of lightning into the flame blood that connected with Cinder's hand, sending a jolt up her arm and making her wince.
"NOW!" Weiss roared to her team who nodded.
"Take her!" Rose called to Jaune as she handed him Winter's unconscious body, soon drawing Fury Rose as she and Blake clasped each other's hands, the former soon transformed them into a cloud rose that charged above the enemy maiden. Blake formed a trio of shadow clones that she jabbed into their arms ice dust. Rose soon transformed Fury Rose into gun form and blasted each clone, the shockwave sending a flurry of ice shards down towards Cinder who felt her skin pierced painfully by each sharp icicle that soon held her down to the floor. Rose's eyes twitched as she saw their chance.
"Go Yang! EM!" Rose called out to her sister and Emerald who propelled herself with her gauntlets, Emerald firing off fire bullets at her, the brawlers aura flexing yellow as she absorbed all the dust rounds, soon causing her hair to ignite as she activated her semblance, her human arm glowing as she prepared to strike the down witch.
Yang felt a swell of anger mixed with pride in her rise with her arm. She was about to do it, she was finally going to kill this monster for slaying Pyrrha, Penny and all her other friends who fell in Beacon and Atlas. This was going to end now.
But for who exactly?
"Pff! You think a little cold can stop me?" Cinder growled with a low chilling tone as the air around everyone nearly froze. Beneath the witch soon emerged a giant barrier of icicles that blocked Yang's strike, soon embedding her human hand in ice.
"Look out!" Blake cried towards Rose, as she saw them heading straight for the ice. Not wanting to deal with the nauseating effects of Rose's petal burst semblance, AGAIN!, Blake quickly grabbed the line from Gambrol shroud and latch it around Rose to swing them around one sharp icicle before they could be impaled by the ones below, managing to crash into the wall nearby to their displeasure as they felt grime on the walls stick to their backs, making them shudder in disgust.
"Yuck! What is this junk!?" Rose whined as she tried to pry herself off the slime covered wall, only to feel it force her neck back to the wall, latching her in place to her shock.
"W-Weiss! We're stuck!" She cried out to her partner.
"Hang on! I'll get you-" Weiss yelled in concern before she froze, her breath hitching as she noticed something in cinder's eye. She soon saw it, Cinder's right eye glowed, but instead of a orange fire they were accustomed too, it was blue.
"Winter….then she really-" Weiss whispered as she realized it firsthand as a massive pillar of ice erupted from the ground beneath the fall Maiden, the flames Yang's spouted being doused, merely melting a small chunk of the pillar that blocked her fist. Winter's powers had been stolen, and now they had to deal with 2 maiden's worth of powers. The realization brought a knot to Weiss's stomach, soon making her shudder as she heard chucking from behind her. Reflexively she drew her saber and turned around, but it shook as she locked eyes with the terrifying source.
"That was a nice little play you put on for me. Now tell us, are you and your friend their finished warming up?" Salem snickered nonchalant.
Weiss shivered as she heard that ominous cold tone from the demon woman. Those black blood shot eyes that pierced her soul sent chills down her spine. The mere thought of even getting closer to attack this demonic being sitting down seemingly defenseless brought goosebumps to Weiss's skin. She felt it, the sheer difference in their power just from her tone. This witch could slay her easily, not that she'd have too if not for Emerald head-butting her gut, knocking the wind out of her as she felt the wind around her heat up. Her eyes widened at what Cinder had sent her way, a fire spear.
"Awwww, bring back memories?" Cinder sang mockingly.
Weiss's sides began to ache as she felt the phantom pain burn her innards. She clutched her gut where she had been stabbed before, unable to keep herself from panting fearfully and sweat profusely in fright to Cinder's joy, It wasn't just the Grimm arm attached to her, her wicked core demanded she just had to keep this despair growing, and as she heard frustrated grunts nearby, she smiled menacingly as she knew just how.
"Damnit let go!"
Those grunts came from Yang as she vainly tried to pry her hand from the ice pillar, feeling the frostbite sting consuming it. She tried to clasp her frozen hand to shoot her gauntlets buckshot to free her, but couldn't activate the trigger, her hand was stuck in place.
This thrilled Cinder, the grim-mutated assassin licking her lips as she tightened the grip of her own human hand as it glowed, soon forming a 4 foot sized sword cladded in an orange light, her sole human eye glowing the same color.
"You can thank the summer maiden for getting you killed tonight Xiao Long." Soon she places the blade on the tip of Yang's sweating neck, tapping it a few times to ensure her aim before arching it back. "Say hi to her for me." Cinder gloated as she shifted her arm, readying to swing away and fling away her enemies head from its neck to her friends shock.
"YANG!" They all screeched.
Cinder felt a rush hearing and feeling their panic, but soon felt it creeping it upon herself as well as she heard a faint whisper in the corner of her ear.
"Say hi to her yourself." A woman whispered. But Cinder heard something even more terrifying than that cold tone, the sound of sharp steel leaving a scabbard. She turned her neck to see a red blade aimed directly for it, as well as eyes as crimson as the sword aiming for her life as well.
"BRANWAN!" Cinder cursed in her head in fright, for her jaw was locked as she grinded her teeth, jerking her body to the right as she ducked, narrowing avoiding the blade, it only managing to chip her ear, the sting sensation driving away the shock from the maiden as she yelled in frustration as her assailant, summoning a blast of fire form her mouth towards the dark haired Spring Maiden, who backflipped to avoid the inferno before transitioning into a Blackbird, the smaller corvid's form allowing her fly towards the Maiden at blinding speed to latch its talons onto Cinder's Grimm eye, squeezing to stab the sharp appendages into the human-Grimm hybrid who bellowed in pain, but soon felt the claws transition into something heavy that forced her to the ground in a moment. Raven transformed into human form to have her boots natural weight overpower the smaller framed woman, soon using the time to charge up her own maiden powers as her eyes glowed a stream of red fire, summoning a pair of twin red glowing kama's she encircled around the assassins neck.
"This is for Vernal." She coldly told her lieutenants killer as she attempted to draw her kama's to the left and right together to cut Cinder's neck off, but felt her body shift as she was met with a harden resistance, pausing her assault.
The Kama's were stuck in place at the base of cinder's neck by ice she formed around it. The witch was biting her lower lip in anguish at the frost pain combined with her crush eye that ooze burning Grimm sludge onto her cheek, nearly sizzling it like acid.
"That's it!" She screamed as she wrapped her legs around the older maiden before flinging her away and over her daughter who watched her fly through the air as Cinder grabbed the Kama's and forced them away from her neck allowing her to jump off the ground safely and regain her footing. Raven was filling dizzy for a moment from the spin the throw was giving her before grabbing her legs and somersaulting to regain her balance as well, determined not let her guard down, a devastating thing to do in the enemies lair especially as she couldn't risk the notion of having her maiden powers added to this woman who had 3 already. She was soon floating in mid air, reflexively forming a sphere of flames around her to avoid what she knew was coming.
"GAH!" Cinder bellowed as her Grimm arm, which she shot out like a tentacle at Raven, was soon encased in flames that she waved off painfully even blowing on it before chilling it with ice from her powers, inadvertently adding more ice to the area that encased Yang's whole shoulder and left face to her anguish.
"Oh?" Cinder hummed as she noticed the younger red eyed woman soon smashing the ice at her hand with her robotic one vainly, unable to puncture the maiden powered ice she formed.
Raven's smile of satisfaction quickly descended as she saw this; as well as one form on Cinder as well, it wasn't a good sign for the enemy to feel assured mid-battle when they were injured.
"I've wanted a rematch for a long time Branwan, since you humiliated me last year." Cinder said coyly. "But I've realized for while now I wanted something more. I wanted you to experience the same dread of loss I did when you took away my dignity. You know the old saying right? An eye for an eye?" Cinder asked the maiden who lowered her flame sphere, ignoring the ashes in the air floating around her red eyed that narrowed dangerously at the maiden.
"Then come and get me." She taunted her enemy who snickered.
"Why do that when I got something much better in mind." Cinder retorted as she soon turned her attention to Yang, making Raven gasp in fright as she saw the maiden charge at her daughter.
"Yang no! I gotta move!" Raven thought in fright as she reached for her blade to form a portal with her semblance to her daughter, but her fingers twinged as she saw Cinder raising the Kama's Raven had made and aim for her daughters neck, the sound of gunshots from Yang's robot arm towards the witch who nonchalantly slashed them away, startling Raven into almost dropping her sword to her shock.
"Shit! Stupid woman! No time for butter fingers!" She cursed herself as she saw gripped the handle and slashed at the air, summoning the portal she quickly flew into.
"PLEASE LET ME MAKE IT IN TIME!" She pleaded to herself mentally. After the loss of her tribe, and her daughters respect last year in the lamp's chamber, she couldn't bare the thought of losing her blood as well.
But as she stuck her head out the portal in break-neck speed, her eyes widened as they saw Cinder raise her arms inches away from Yang. She had been summoned unfortunately right behind Yang than in front, so blasting Cinder was a no go like before as she would no doubt hit her daughter in the crossfire, and with Yang frozen in place and unable to be moved, Raven winced as she knew there was no time to do anything else.
"Sorry Yang." Raven sighed as she drew her blade and swung.
Blood flew through the air of the room to Cinder and Salem's delight as they smirked, while her allies recoiled in terror at the sight before them.
Raven had slashed off Yang's human hand and full nelson her before jerking her body back in time to avoid the twin slash of her stolen energy Kama's.
As they landed a few feet away from Cinder, Yang clutched the bloodied stump of her severed hand painfully as her throat puffed, her face turning red as she struggled in vain to hold it back, soon erupting into a painful screaming fit as she withered and rolled on her mother's chest, crying in pain.
"YOU MONSTER!" Blake screeched in rage as she saw this, Rose just watching in stunned silence, the blood spurting from her sisters hand making her shiver as she saw Ren's splatter all over again, making her stomach churn. Emerald gagged into her mouth before she soon shook her head and ran to her girlfriend's side, soon jabbed her own dagger into the sludge that was stuck to her.
"Rose! Rose listen! I'll get you off this and then you can help her just stay focused!" Emerald pleaded, not wanting her lover to collapse mentally. But it seemed to be in vain.
"No…not again. Please not again." She whispered in fright and ignored Emerald, especially at what she saw next.
"Hang on! I'll help-" Ozpin tried to say as he drew his cane, hoping his semblance could slow her bleeding down, only to have Jaune grasp his collar and pull him back as a Beowulf suddenly popped from the ground beneath where he stood. The Arc quickly slashed at its neck, killing it before it could follow up from its failed ambush soon, grinding his teeth as they both eyed Salem giving them an annoyed look.
"Don't waste your energy on a dead woman Ozma. You'll need all you can muster for our rematch later." Salem warned him darkly, making the fellow immortal grunt in anger as he eyed his former wife viciously, knowing he had to be more careful. If he defied her warning now, Salem would certainly join the fray sooner, and her along with the powered up maiden would make their low chances of success drop considerably. For now he had to pray on her and Cinder's arrogance and hope they would remain cocky and divided while their sole Maiden turned the tides, but soon found her pre-occupied instead.
"Oh no." He whispered.
Raven ignored Salem and Cinder as she grasped her daughter tightly, trying to cease her panicking and avoid losing her to blood loss. She grunted in frustration and especially anger with herself. She knew it was unavoidable to do what she did, it being the only way to save Yang at the moment. But hearing her daughter wail in pain and cry profoundly by her own hand still stabbed the mother's soul itself.
"YANG WILL YOUR AURA! FIGHT THE PAIN AND CLOSE YOUR WOUND YOU WUSS!" She screeched at Yang as she smacked her head, urging her to do so with the only way she knew, tough love.
Yang soon whimpered as she buried her tearful face into her mothers bosom, her back arching as she grunted painfully, her yellow aura flickering as she tried to fight the pain and activate her aura. It wouldn't regenerate a loss limb, that she knew from last time which shook her up, but she needed to close the wound before she passed out and succumbed to blood loss.
After a few seconds of painful labored breathing, her aura finally shined, sealing up the red patch of bloodied tissue with pale skin, as if a lizards tail regrow.
Raven sighed as she saw her daughter soon groan and pass out from the exertion, still feeling her pulse strong.
"You'll need all your aura too Branwan when Cinder's done with you too." Salem snickered to Raven's shock as she soon felt something clasped her throat tightly, preventing the gasp from escaping her esophagus.
"Finally, there all mine!" Cinder said triumphantly as her Grimm arm began to glow red as it jabbed its claws into the bloodied neck of Raven whose eyes widened in terror as she felt her energy fade, with it soon seeping into the demon arm and towards Cinder's body, her eyes glowing a red flame now as Raven saw her vision fading, her body soon growing limp as darkness consumed her and she collapsed upon her unconscious daughter as well.
Cinder huffed as she felt the power surge through her, as if every vein and cell in her body was emitting a charge of aura.
"Yes. YES! AT LAST!" She roared in triumph as she summoned a stream of blue, red, orange, and yellow/reddish energy from her hands and mouth, blinding the room with its brilliance as the remaining huntresses, Jaune and Ozpin soon shuddered. Their last main weapon had been stolen, and was being used at full force now against them as their bodies trembled, losing their balance as they fell to the ground.
"Yes! More!" Cinder cackled as she saw their shaken resolve and bodies, wanting to relish in that more.
Emerald shook her head disappointed at her former lover.
"How could I have ever fallen for her?" Emerald thought with a grimace as she soon turned her attention back to Rose, still frozen in shock. She tried to pry off the sludge with her dagger, using her grip on her lovers hand as a base to try and pull without touching the sludge and getting stuck too.
Cinder, however, could hear the faint sound of her heart beat from the exertion, no doubt an added bonus of all the power she pilfered enhancing her senses. She turned her attention to the woman and saw her trying to free her arch nemesis.
"I don't think so." She said bitterly as she raised her hand, which cackled with electricity, before soon seeing a glimmer of white light in the corner of her eye, drawing her hand to it to unleash a blast of lightning that collided with a white Nevermore glyph.
"L-Leave my friends….alone." Weiss huffed in exhaustion with her saber pointed at her. She struggled to regain her footing from off the ground, due to exhaustion and the shock, her legs wobbling as she did so.
Cinder clicked her teeth in annoyance at her defiance.
"You sure have a lot of gall doing that twice to me, your better princess. Fine, I'll play with you first, but you never said HE couldn't have fun with your friends." Cinder snorted as she turned her attention to Salem who nodded to Weiss's confusion.
Salem quickly waved her hand, opening a door to her room slowly.
"Dear boy, can you and my pets please tidy up after Cinder?" Salem sang sarcastically.
Out on the other side stood Mercury, looking at them all annoyed as two Manticore's stood by his side.
"What do you want this time?" He asked in a mellow, somewhat annoyed tone. But what surprised Emerald, Blake and Weiss wasn't the fact he was standing by Salem's Grimm fearlessly without any regard for them or them having regard for him oddly enough, but the fact he looked at them downtrodded, as if he was sad to be here.
"What's wrong with you? Thought you liked to kill and play bad guy?" Blake taunted him making him groan. He soon eyed the room, seeing someone in sight that made him snort.
"Speaking of bad, looks like goldilocks sucked at fighting again. She's down another limb, guess she won't be fisting her pussycat anytime soon." He snickered, making Blake's face redden in rage and fluster from the vulgarity and cruel tactlessness.
"I'm gonna kill you!" She grumbled, but that's what startled the Manticore, making them roar in rage as they charged, drawn to Blake's anger.
Emerald gasped as she saw the behemoths lunge for her with large fangs and paws protruding dagger like claws. She couldn't handle two at once, let alone protect her girlfriend and Blake.
Jaune's eyes widened in terror as he saw this unfold.
"Please no, not again. I can't lose anymore friends." He whispered, Penny and Pyrrha's sad smiles bleeding into his eyes that wept. If only he wasn't exhausted from Grimm slaying and boosting Emeralds Aura, he'd charge right in with his sword and slash them-
Suddenly Jaune recoiled as he recalled something, eyeing the red and gold blade attached to his old scabbard.
"WAIT! MY SWORD! THE GENIE!" Jaune cried out as he gripped his blade to Ozpin's concern.
"No ARC! I warned you all what would happen if you summon-" Ozpin tried to holler in protest, but Jaune shook his head. He had made up his mind, he wouldn't dare watch and see another friend fall helplessly. He would save them, even if it meant making a deal with the devil itself.
"COME FORTH PROMETHUS!" Jaune yelled!
Just as quickly as he yelled that, all time around the area stopped as he planned, the Manticore's mere inches away from RBE and Cinder lunging at Weiss with a flame and lighting enhanced pair of daggers as she had weakly taken up a fighting stance.
Soon a red mist appeared, they smelled foul, like sulfar. Jaune's skin stung as it felt a painful force in the air burn his body slightly as he saw a red cloud of lightning appear, a fiery figure with red skin and a six pack wearing nothing but a crown on his head. Good thing the cloud was there to cover his lower area Jaune couldn't help but think. The figure before him looked like the other genies before him, only more satanic with those salem-like eyes that bore down on him, making him shudder. He was warned once one wrong word could lead to absolute misery before this one, who Ozpin said was the most malevolent of all the relic spirits.
"Why have you summoned the great Prometheus?" The fiery figure demanded in a low but menacing tone that made Jaune recoil.
"I…I wish-" Jaune tried to spit out, but the figure face scrunched as it bore down on him menacingly.
"THE SHEER ARROGANCE! YOU DARE SUMMON ME OUT OF NOWHERE AND MAKE DEMANDS!?" The figure roared, but Jaune stood firm despite his skin paling from the immense fear he felt stab his spirit. He gripped the sword of destruction relic tightly, making the figure wince in pain.
"GAH! MY SWORD!" Prometheus bellowed in pain and frustration, giving Jaune a chance to sigh and reclaim his bearing. He had a job to do.
"Yes. Apologies…."great" Prometheus" Jaune said with emphasis, treading lightly. "Which means I get one wish at least. Mine is for you to destroy Cinder and those Grimm attacking my friends…p-please." He asked fearfully yet respectfully.
Prometheus hummed as he eyed the boy trembling yet standing firm oddly enough before him. He was off-put by his demand, having rested well for eons only to be "rudely" awakened out of nowhere with no warning. He was tempted to fight his swords programing and just incinerate the boy, but soon grinned madly as he got a better idea.
"Very well. Your wish shall be granted." He moaned to Jaune relief.
"But-" He continued making Jaune wince to his delight.
"But sir?" Jaune asked wearily.
"Yes. You have to give me something for making me take away your troubles. I demand something precious from you in return." Prometheus whispered.
"L-Like what?" Jaune asked in fear.
The red Genie soon floated on his cloud around the room, humming with what Jaune knew from Tyrian Callows experience was sadistic musing. His heart sank as he knew where this was going.
"Perhaps….one of the girls? I could use a nice drink of "this" one's blood. I do love red-heads, don't you? He cackled as he caressed the frightened Rose's chin to Jaune's anger and disgust.
"NO! THAT IS TOTALLY UNNACEPTABLE!" Jaune roared in defiance making the genie grumble annoyed.
"Then no deal. Wish for something-" He began before Jaune cut him off.
"Then if you want blood take mine. An arm, and eye, a leg whatever! Just take that and save them please!" Jaune demanded as he waived off his body. Whatever price at his own expense was nothing compared to keeping them safe, from keeping "her" safe for once.
"I failed Ruby once, I won't fail Rose now too." Jaune thought firmly.
Prometheus eyed the boy curiously as he saw his resolve. This boy was no doubt an odd paradox. At one point he's shivering in fear pissing himself, now he's firm and defiant towards this almighty being. Prometheus then thought of his counter offer, eyeing up the boy and smiling.
"How about….all 3 then?" Prometheus asked darkly to Jaune's confusion before his eye, left arm, and right leg soon began to burn and he screamed as he flailed on the ground.
Prometheus laughed as he grabbed his sword from Jaune, soon cutting out those limps from Jaune and plunging them down the red genie's throat.
Jaune would barf in disgust right now if he wasn't spasming in anguish right now from the pain. Pain that worsened as the fire genie took the sword and jabbed it into Jaune's eye, yanking it out as he licked the blood off it before gobbling it up.
"Delicious. Alright then, payment fulfilled. Your wish shall be granted." Prometheus hummed as he soon charged up the sword with red energy, the blade emitting sparks of red lightning and fire as the Genie soon unleashed an energy slash that split the two Grimm in half, soon enveloping them in 2 balls of fire, but did not hit Blake or Rose as the Genie sucked up the flames in its mouth like a vacuum, before exhaling the flames right towards Cinder, enveloping her in a sphere of flame and lightning like the Genie's cloud.
Prometheus turned back to Jaune, the Arc Lamaze breathing weakly the floor, his lost limbs stumps trembling from the pain the fire cauterizing them caused.
"Your wish has been granted." Prometheus mockingly sang. "I look forward to the next summoning." His voice echoed as he gave off a malicious smile, soon his spirit melding into the blade of the sword relic, a red pair of eyes and a razor sharp teethed smile etched on the blade before disappearing and with it, the time freeze.
Emerald, Weiss, and Mercury's body ricochet from a tremendous and hot gust of wind, as if a tornado of fire struck them.
"WHAT THE!?" Emerald yelled in fright, unsure what happened.
Weiss was laying beside her now, groaning in misery as every muscle in her body ached before going limp. Emerald soon felt her pulse, sighing in relief as she saw her friend was alive, just unconscious
Soon her eyes beamed as she remembered her situation. Quickly she darted up, gripping her knives and bracing herself for a fight against the Grimm and Mercury, only to slouch her arms when she only saw the latter nearby, as well as a faint glow in the right corner of her eyes. She turned to see Cinder slouched on the ground, gripping the left side of her waist, groaning in agony as a stream of fire was cackling out of a hole freshly made, blood spurting from her mouth.
Emerald and her friends own mouths were gapping, as they were completely unaware how this could of transpired. Cinder wasn't even doing anything before this happened. Who struck her?
There answer would come in the form of an annoyed yell from Salem, making their spines jolt from start.
"That little brat had to use the sword didn't he?" Salem groaned as she gripped her seat, splintering off chunks of the handle in a fit of anger.
Her words hung in the air of the room, Rose herself feeling her heart sink into her stomach as she heard those words. Her spirit was screaming at her, telling her not to look, but she didn't need too. From the angle Blake was at, she could see for her, and her face paled in fright as she eyed it, Jaune's limp body, his severed limbs with red gaping holes that slowly bleed out.
"No….not Jaune too." Blake whimpered. She wasn't stabbed, but she felt the blood drain from her body as she limply hung on the wall, once more helpless to aide a friend. First Yang's arm, then Ruby's life, now she dreaded to see both happening to Jaune right now.
As badly Emerald saw Blake taking it, it tugged at her heartstrings to see a worse reaction from her lover Rose, who was grinding her teeth while her eyes bulged bloodshot, as they hadn't been closed for minutes, unable to close them despite the sting as her heart ached seeing those she cared for today fall. It was a living nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
"Why? Why is this happening? They told me you guys would be fine….they-" Rose choked on her whispers. The backlash of her words made Blake and Emerald recoil a bit as they knew whom Rose was referring, but it wasn't the only shock that came as Emerald heart gunshots rip through the air like lightning, instinctively raising her knives and her aura as she leapt in front of Blake and Rose, parrying a few bullets while the rest plunged into her stomach, her aura just barely deflecting them out without blood drawn, but the impact made her wince as they were still sore as hell.
"It's happening little red, or should I say big Red, because you idiots didn't get out while you could have. You picked the wrong side." Mercury spat as his blew on the smoke emitted by hit robotic legs, the source of the shots to Emeralds fury.
"Your one to talk! You could have left just like me asshole." Emerald shot back, but Mercury gazed upon her coldy.
"And for what? To play pretend hero? To live some fantasy and hope for a happily ever after where everyone kisses and cheers without care? Grow up Em, the world isn't like that, Salem made sure of that years ago." Mercury retorted, but Emerald shook her head vigorously in denial.
"No! We made that happen years ago at beacon, yes. It's too late to fix that wrong for Vale, but its not too late for the rest of the world. Rose and her friends taught me that." Emerald retorted.
"How can you beat an immortal?" Mercury spat as he pointed to Salem snickering in delight for emphasis, still sitting on her throne nonchalant despite Cinder still burning. "She doesn't even care her secret weapon you slaved over like an idiot is dying, she could kill her despite all her stolen power, she could kill all of us easily. Why fight when you can't win?!" Mercury yelled.
"Because I believed that I could win, or at least should try to think I could win instead of living in dread from absolutes. That's what she learned from two important woman in her life, and that's what my sole one taught me in return." Emerald said as she stole a quick glance at Rose, her eyes tearing up as she heard her lover's words. She felt a warmth in her heart, or rather two big ones erupt in response, her right shoulder flickering a golden glow beyond the grim sludge covering it at the time.
"You could have believed it too, you could have turned away and done the right thing for second time in your life if you weren't a coward." Emerald said coldly to Mercury who snarled in anger.
"Oh really?! When was the first bitch!?" He snapped.
"When you finally killed your bastard father without a semblance." She coldly said to him, making him backpeddle in shock.
"What did you say?" He whispered, anger in his tone.
"You fought a foe stronger than you and won. We can do the same, we believed in we could beat Salem despite her Immortality, because we didn't give up just like you didn't then. Why couldn't you just keep going on like that?" Emerald asked.
Something in Mercury snapped in that moment, the memories of his fathers iron grip on his neck when he stole his semblance with his own, the sense of helplessness in the lack of energy he had back then, the laughs of mockery he endured, it all was washed away as rage overcame him.
"You think you can win despite Salem's immortality? Well how about you say that when I prove SHE isn't immortal!" Mercury yelled as he pointed his boot towards Rose to Emerald and Blake's shock.
As the dust round was shot from his boot, Blake jerked her body forward with all her might, hopeful her body could shield Rose from the brunt of the blast, but Emerald beat her too it, throwing her knife in the blasts directions as the air around them exploded, small shards of burnt steel splattering on the ground.
"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU SHOOT AT HER!?" Emerald spat furiously as she reverse gripped her remaining dagger and charged at him, slashing vigorously at him wildly, but Mercury dodged most strikes, the only one that made it through he flickered off with his aura as he kneed her in the stomach, but she didn't yield, despite her aura drained from semblance over use she flashed her red eyes one more time, showcasing to his shock an image of Marcus Black.
It caught him off guard as he recoiled in start, which exasperated as she soon delivered an uppercut slash to his chin, blood oozing as he backpeddled, soon flashing his aura to close it before he bit his lip in rage.
"YOU BITCH!" He shouted as he backflipped, using both feet this time to shot, one shot at the illusion, another at her eye, the green haired girl screeching as she clutched with her free hand the eye to Rose's horror.
"EM!" She screeched, the glow on her shoulder flickering again, but Emerald waved her off with a forced smirk despite the pain.
"I-It's fine Rose! I'll be-" She tried to argue before Mercury cut her off with a kick to her chest, knocking the wind out of her as she gripped the metal boot weighing a ton on her chest, nearly crush her heart as she struggled to keep him from applying more pressure.
"You let your guard down for that brat?" Mercury spat disgusted. He always thought of her as weak, then took a glance at whom he thought was Ruby. It was then he saw it, her physical changes, that long black wavy hair, that mature expression, the flicker of gold light in her iris's encased by silver orbs. He then looked down at Emerald even more disgusted as he thought he knew the truth about this matured "Ruby".
"PFF! You only stuck your neck out for this girl because she looks like Cinder huh?" He spat.
Rose and Emerald gasped as they heard this remark, the glow on Roses arm ceasing. Emerald, despite the pain in her clouded damaged eye, jerked her head to meet Rose's.
"Em?" Rose asked, Emerald wincing as she did so, sensing the hurt in her words.
"No! I-It's not true Rose I-" She retorted fearfully but a cackle from Salem cut her off.
"Oh you can't hide it from me child. I could sense it the moment you looked at her. Our mature little Rose "inspired" you with her spirit, but it was just shallow looks, a look that resembled the one you wanted to love you but wouldn't that drew you to need a substitute? Right?" Salem snickered.
"E-EM….is that true?" Rose asked fearfully.
"ROSE DON'T LISTEN!" Blake pleaded but Cinder, groaning in anger from the pain, shot out a beam of blue energy at her mouth, freezing it shock to her shock, giving off muffled screams of horror.
"You shut it kitty. This is getting good." Cinder spat as she soon encased her hole with ice, ceasing the bleeding despite the sting the frostbite gave her as she limped towards Emerald and Rose, the latter she was enjoying the hell out of seeing horrified.
"Before I kill you, lets have your girlfriend who betrayed me tell the truth for once. That she just needed a substitute for me. Isn't that right Em?" Cinder asked Emerald, but the moment she did, Emeralds remaining eye went bloodshot with anger. She never once called her that, it reminded her of how cold she truly was all the time they spent together. Not once did Cinder treat her kindly, her cheek when slapped that night she stood up for herself stinging worse than her ruptured eye right now.
"I asked her out because I thought she was hot like you, that's true. I had some issues I needed to get out of my system." Emerald admitted, Rose whimpering as she heard her captors words seemingly recognized by her lover before another word from Emerald shocked her.
"But she's hotter than you." Emerald spat at Cinder, literally with some blood latched onto her cheek to Mercury and Salem's amusement as Cinder groaned in anger at the act.
"I liked her looks, but the more I was around her, I found out I LOVED her ideals. How pure she saw the world despite the pains Ruby and others had put her through with their selfishness and views. She fought the pain and showed me I just didn't need to give up." Emerald shouted, Rose breathing rapidly as she began to smile, overwhelmed with joy hearing her lovers words of truth.
"D-Don't give up Rose! We can-" Emerald said before her mouth was closed by a vile of grimm ooze radiating from the stump on Cinders arm as she growled at her.
"You, aren't doing anything but die here you traitorous bitch. Right here, in front of your girlfriend." Cinder coldly sneered.
"No. No more….no more…" Rose whispered, her right arm shivering as she saw Cinder smirk hearing her plea, nodding to Mercury who lifted his Boot up and hovered it over Emeralds head as Salem raised her hands, forming Beowulf claws out of the floor itself whose claws pierced Emeralds arms and legs making her groan in pain with muffled screams.
These screams ignited something in Rose, a feeling she had long buried since coming to closure with Ruby and Summer's spirits within her. Spite. She wasn't going to let these monsters get away, not with killing Ren and Nora, not for hurting her team, not for trying to kill her girlfriend, her EMERALD!
"I won't let them hurt you either Ruby." Little's voice echoed in her head, her arm flickering a glow again.
"THEN NO MORE!" Rose shouted at the top of her lungs as she heard that, as she saw Mercury dropped his foot towards her lovers head, her shoulder pad glowing bright gold like her eyes at the moment, the Grimm sludge binding her to the wall melting off instantly to everyone's shock. Soon a large golden glow enveloped Emerald, forcing off Mercury and Salem away Emerald, Cinder screeching at the top of her lungs as she felt it again, her arm and eye were melting as the light encased her.
"S-SCREW THIS!" She screamed as she forged a fire blade and jammed it into her Grimm eye before using it quickly despite the pain to slash off her shoulder and cauterize the wound. Without the Grimm essence within her, she finally felt the paralyzing glow cease to affect her. But as she slowly opened her sole eye, it widened in shock at what she saw.
"No more, you won't hurt the ones I love again." Rose said bitterly as she carried Emerald in her arms, Blake limply hanging on her shoulder while Mercury was pinned to the ground by mouse shaped ball of light, Salem though being the most shocking sight. She was encased in a golden stream of light, as if frozen in time itself unable to move.
"H-How did you…beat her?" Cinder whispered in shock at the seemingly impossible. Rose glared at her menacingly as she handed Blake Emeralds body, the Faunus using her as a balance as well as she nodded to Rose, knowing what she was about to do and stepped back.
"Give her hell Rose." Blake said coldly and Rose shook her head.
"I'm just gonna send her to it Blakey." Rose said as she reached behind her waist, Cinder fearfully forming a massive fire sword in her hand as she heard this, but as she dropped it down, to her horror it was easily held in placed by an axe blade from Fury Rose.
"WHAT!?" Cinder screamed in shock. She had the maiden powers, only Salem should have been stronger. How was she blocked so easily!? Were her thoughts, or rather her final thoughts as she noticed something, a small green light emitted around her energy sword. She turned back to see Ozpin/Oscar snickering at her, his cane glowing green. He had used his semblance to slow down her time, her momentum.
"You know the old saying, paybacks a bitch Fall." Ozpin/Oscar said as he nodded to Rose, the warrior flashing before Cinder's face in an instant with Petal burst, dodging the sudden slash of the released blade before plunging her axe's into Cinder's stomach, the witch spitting out a huge gag of blood as she did so.
"That one was for my friends, this one is for me." Rose coldly said as she gripped the trigger. "And this one is for Penny." She said as she pulled back, Cinder's eyes bulging as she felt a fire erupt in her stomach, soon followed by a jolt of electricity that surged throughout her body making her spasm. Rose ignited a shock grenade in her gut, and soon Cinder's eyes exploded as she screamed in painful horror as her body imploded.
Rose sighed as she saw the witch's death, feeling the lack of her disgusting presence as her chest eased with a relaxed breath. She had done it, she had avenged everyone. They could all rest now.
"W-What is that?" Blake's question snapping Rose out of that thought, gripping her weapon at the ready for another attack. But what she saw instead was a giant cloud of rainbow-like energy soon forming in the air. She shuddered as she sensed its power, but what was it?
It's…the maiden's power. All of them." Ozpin answered. "When one dies the last woman in their mind becomes the new host, but all of them have melded, Cinder's mutant body could barely handle it but-" He said fearfully as he eyed Rose backing away from the cloud that slowly seeped towards her.
"Could Rose handle all that power?" Blake asked fearfully but Ozpin shook his head.
"I shudder to guess, despite her own unique body I wouldn't dare put more pressure on her already strained body from using the light gods powers." Ozpin said.
"Then what do we do?" Rose asked him fearfully as the energy encircled her, shivering as she felt it slowly start to meld into her skin. She felt the countless souls from each of them seeping in, and she hated it. She had 2 people's memories already she struggled with, she didn't need so many.
Seeing her ordeal, Ozpin gripped his cane, smirking as he got a terrific idea.
"Then how about I return the power to its rightful owner?" Ozpin said as he opened his cane, his eyes glowing bright green, stopping the energy around Rose instantly to her joy.
"You stopped time again?" She asked but Ozpin laughed.
"Nope. I just told it to come home." He replied. Before she could ask in confusion what he meant, she soon had her answer as the energy soon drew itself to his cane and was sucked up.
"It was my power once after all. I just couldn't take it back till now. Thanks Miss Rose." Ozpin sighed. Rose and Blake also did as they gathered to the center of the room, dragging Emerald, Weiss, Winter, Yang and her mother, as well as Jaune whom Ozpin healed with his magic, sealing his wounds, allowing the girls to cradle him in a group hug as they thought this was it. They had won, all the maiden powers, Jaune's wounds, Salem, Cinder and Mercury, it was all taken care of.
"Take it back?" A cold whisper echoed throughout the room, ceasing that thought entirely as Rose and Ozpin looked on in fright from the source.
Salem's golden stasis was soon enveloped by a shadowy aura, the silver lining cracking like shattered stone as the witch freed herself furiously.
"Take what back?! You can't back what you did?! What you stole from me love!" Salem screech as her black and red eyes glowed bright, blasting the group with a surge of dark energy that felt nothing like Ozpin's magic. It was filled with a foul odor, spite and sadness almost infecting them as well as they grew limp once crashing into the walls as the witch slowly walked towards Ozpin.
"My daughters, my ambitions, you stole them all when you tried to leave me. Just like when you left me that day to some virus you weakling." Salem spat, pain in her voice.
Ozpin eyed her solemnly, hanging his head in shame but she gripped his throat, drawing his face to meet hers.
"Your not hiding from what you did again." She said coldly.
"I never could. I always saw them whenever I closed my eyes. I missed them too dear, but do you know who I missed more every day?" He asked.
"What? Me? Ashamed you couldn't beat me and make me your prisoner like father did too?" She asked offended, remembering those lonely castle days before Ozma saved her. "That was another thing you couldn't take back, and we lost our daughters because of it." But Ozpin shook his head.
"I missed the woman you were long before then, the woman who had a passion to explore life, rather than the witch who wants to subjugate and kill it all back then, right now too." Ozpin spat.
"She died long ago, and after you die too, again, I'll make sure you don't have any people or a planet to reborn into this time. I'll summon the gods and make them kill me too, because you failed. Your little army will fall too, and the Gods will see Humanity couldn't join together and triumph under you." Salem spat.
To her shock, Ozpin actually chuckled and nodded.
"Your right." He whispered to her surprise. "Humanity wouldn't unite and win under me, but they will with her." He said as he pointed to his left.
Salem jerked her head over there in start, her heart actually beating rapidly as he saw what me meant. Rose was gripping Ozpin's cane, while her silver eyes with gold lining began to shine with it.
"NOW ROSE!" He cried out and she did too, charging towards Salem and jabbing the cane into her face as both it and her eyes emitted a shine, enveloping the whole area, the room and the dark continent in a rainbow and silver-like glow. All the Grimm in the area surrounding the battleships screeched as their bodies were encased by the light, evaporating into the thin air.
When the shine settled down, Ozpin smirked with pride as he saw Rose huffling, exhausted but still standing before a once more frozen Salem, only her head not petrified in light as she grinded her teeth painfully at her helplessness.
"I…got free before. You can't kill me or restrain me long." She groaned, but Rose sighed as she walked past her and Mercury, still pressed against the floor. She smirked as she saw little's mark from her shield crest, silently thanking the smith and mouse spirit once more as she headed to her throne to the witch's shock.
She was going for the relics by it.
"No…please let me use them. Let me go. Set me free from this curse. Lets world burn with me please!" Salem pleaded, but her mouth was soon hit by a blast of heat.
"Oh…just shut up already so I can nap." Yang huffed weakly as her robot arm gave off smoke, soon going limp and hanging around Weiss who weakly threw a ice dust crystal from her pocket at Salem with Blake's help, sealing her mouth shut.
"Ditto for us." Blake whispered as cradled her weakened teammates, watching amused as Rose walked back with all the relics and picked up Jaune's sword, all soon beginning to glow to Salem's terror. Her plans had been foiled, her army's she felt were evaporated to nothing. Humanity would be spared and she would still be cursed to roam it.
Despite having won against a foe who hurt her so much, Rose couldn't bare to stand the sight of the witch's agonized face. Her memories of Ruby pushing to be a hero, her spirit of Summer Rose who urged kindness she taught in the former, all urged her to say this.
"I'll do what I can for all of us." Rose said as she joined the weapons together, becoming enveloped in a pillar of light.
When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but white light. It would have been shocking if not a familiar feeling she had experienced in the ever after, in Limbo when she and Ruby fell. It honestly made her surprised she wasn't startled when she felt 2 presences behind her, merely smiling as she turned around to see a shadowy figure and a golden figure with antlers looking upon her with their arms folded behind their backs.
"Hello Miss Rose." The light god called out calmly.
This is what startled Rose.
"You know me?" Rose whispered and they nodded.
"My brother watches all of his children, not that I blame him. You gave us quite a fun show to watch down there child." The dark god laughed.
Roses eyes twitched as she heard that.
"Was this all just a game? My friends falling down there? All the pain and misery Ozma and Salem went through?" She asked a bit offended.
Though the Dark god snickered to her rage, the Light God shook his head.
"Calm down my child." He commanded but in a fatherly tone, as if he was trying to curb an upset toddlers tantrum. His words were warm and soothing, instantly making Rose relax despite her wish not too. Was this a Gods power?
"Everything we do has a purpose. Despite my brother's…personal amusement from it, you showed us that ours was fulfilled." The light brother said as he pointed below.
Instantly the floor shined, summoning images of Human and Faunus soldiers and Hunters on the dark continent, cheering with joy as they hugged each other in celebration.
"Though I hate to say they defeated my pets, you indeed united Humanity and triumphed over them. As my Brother always suspected you would." The dark brother reluctantly praised as he folded his arms and huffed like a spoiled child angry he lost a bet.
"So…does that mean?" Rose asked and the brothers nodded before she could finish.
"We will spare Remnant. And…as a reward for your influence on it, we shall grant you a wish." The light brother said, but his tone of weariness caught Rose off-guard.
"What's the catch?" She asked.
"Just make sure you think carefully. We will leave this world forever once you do, so you can never have a chance to have one again. A loved one reborn from the ashes, my pets the Grimm eradicated, power greater than even Salem's, only one could be yours." The dark god whispered, showing off an image of Penny, Ren, and Nora before Rose who recoiled, realizing the choice she had to ponder.
"What do I do? I can spare Remnant from those monsters, but then I lose my friends. Do I only get to save one of them from death? S-Should I even? Won't I be just like Salem if I play God?" Such a thought was tormenting Rose right now as she pondered her choice.
The brothers eyed her curiously as she murmured to herself what she should do. The dark brother snickering as she leaned over to his brothers ear
"You think your descendent can figure this out." He whispered.
"She must…for their sake." The light brother whispered sternly as he gazed upon Rose firmly, hoping as such for his child. And if not-
Before such a thought could be expressed further Rose bolted, jumping in the air with a cheerful screech that actually startled the two deity's to their own surprise. One moment ago she was a stuttering mess now she was a ball of energy? They guessed even they could be shocked by humanity's unpredictability at time.
Rose soon burst over to them, looking at them giddy with anticipation as she smiled joyfully at them.
"H-Have you made your choice?" The light brother asked.
"Yup. I thought about it long and hard, but I think I know what I should do. What Ruby and Mom would do." Rose replied, her chest feeling warm as she did.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep inhale as the world around her began to become clouded in a dark light, her body fading a bit.
"I…wish…" Rose began to whisper as the light encased her.
Authors Notes
PHEW! At long last, this chapter ends. Sorry It took so long everybody, forced overtime at work. Credit to TThorn for dialogue help with Mercury and Emerald. Now, RWBY have triumphed over Salem, having bought enough time to steal the relics and summon the gods to win. To explain in detail, Rose's golden glow is the light gods powers on full potential display. That and Little's spirit amping up her connection as he wanted to be there to protect her fueled their like minded desire to protect their loved one. Rose seeing someone she loved dearly be hurt time and time again gave her the drive needed, that and a little help from the maiden magic she could finally overpower Salem even if not kill her. Sadly, 2 of our friends Renora passed and Jaune, Emerald, and Yang have been maimed further. What will Roses wish to the gods be? A peaceful world with no Grimm? Their wounds all healed? Maybe a new weapon to play with? Hah!
Also, what did the light god mean when he said "for their sake?" Is Rose still in danger?
Find out all this in the final chapter of Rose Reborn: From the Heart