Jaune's fist clashed with the Abominable's. Their blows clashed, causing cracks all around them before the beast landed a solid hit on Jaune's chest. The blow sent him flying before he crashed into a solid piece of the ice armor, causing it to crack.
Jaune coughed up blood before he ripped himself out, panting as he glared at the roaring beast. He was about to charge before he heard a tear. He looked down to see his Ace Op uniform was in tatters. "Huh. Lasted longer than I thought," he said before ripping it off his chest, exposing his muscular build and numerous scars. "Sorry, Winter," Jaune said as he threw away his uniform and took his stance.
'Jaune,' May called. 'I see a lot of cracks in the Grimm's armor! I've got a clear shot! Just give me the word!'
'May, wait! Jaune might be-' Ruby began.
"TAKE THE SHOT, MAY! NOW!"
'No, WAIT,' Ruby went.
Jaune began to morph his legs. When they were complete, he saw May's flaming arrow begin to pierce through the ice. He then ran out of the way, the arrow stabbing into the Dragon, the Grimm's roar of agony causing more of the armor to crack.
Jaune didn't care. He was just charging at the Abominable. He then began to slash it multiple times before the Abominable stomped, icicles shooting up around it. Unfortunately, Jaune was in range, the stalagmites piercing through his arms and thighs, sending him flying into the "roof" of the arena. He yelled out in pain from the attack, his black blood flowing down the ice as the Abominable roared.
'Jaune?! What's happening,' Neon yelled.
Jaune gritted his teeth. "Neon, how close are you?"
'Close enough to see some cracks and be able to attack it!'
"DO IT! DON'T MISS THIS BEAT!"
Neon's eyes widened, thinking something was up but bit her lip before her eyes shinned. "I NEVER MISS A BEAT!" She then swung her giant nunchaku.
"WHOA," Jaune went as the nunchaku barely missed hitting him, but slammed into the Dragon, freeing Jaune from both the impact and the heat of the weapon.
Jaune performed a superhero landing as he looked up at the Abominable, panting.
'Talk to us, boss,' Flynt said. 'I'm hearing way too much panting.'
"Don't worry, Flynt. I've got this," Jaune groaned as he got back onto his feet before spitting out some blood. He then noticed that certain pillars of ice were in a perfect position. "Actually, I think I can end this."
'You'd better mean that, hero,' Joanna said.
"If I don't, then I owe everyone on this channel a round and a buffet," Jaune said as he grew out his claws.
'This is the only time I hope I don't get rewarded,' Neon went.
'I wouldn't mind that reward,' Qrow said.
'QROW,' Everyone but Jaune went. Jaune just chuckled.
Jaune then took a deep breath, calming himself as he grew a Beowolf tail, trying to remember.
'You sure a human can do this?'
'Probably not. This is a Faunus martial art passed down by my clan. But if anyone can do it, it's you, my love.'
Jaune chuckled. 'Well, I do have the best teacher on Vytal.'
'Indeed, you do.' Jaune could still remember her beautiful smile.
Jaune's eyes then shot open as he knelt down, claws on the ground, legs positioned for a lunge, his muscles bulging. Jaune then began to groan. A groan that turned into a wolf's growl. Then, he roared, his roar turning into a howl. Then, he lunged.
The Abominable's eyes widened, not processing that it just got slashed in the shoulder, the only clue being the black blood gushing from its shoulder. Then, it was slashed in the back, then the thigh, then the face. It could have sworn it heard the barks and howls of wolves. Then, a slash to the legs made it airborne.
Before it could even begin to fall, it was being slashed, even more, the speed gradually increasing as it began to rise. Then, what felt like a slash from all directions caused it to spin around at incredible speeds. In one split second, it saw him. Jaune positioned above the monster, hands cupped together near his hip.
Then, Jaune lunged at it.
Jaune's claws slammed into the gut of the Abominable, the two roaring at the other. Then, Jaune's roar turned into a howl... before he went through the monster, landing on the ground with a heavy slam, hand still cupped, his tail and claws vanishing.
"Great Fang of the Wolf God, Sixth Fang, Wrath of the Pack."
Once Jaune said the name of the technique he performed, he heard a heavy thud. He looked behind him to see the still body of the Abominable. Jaune groaned before falling on his back, panting once more. He then held up his hand, looking at it. "That was intense. First time I've ever used Faunus martial arts in a real fight." He sighed before looking up towards the icy ceiling. "I should have taken her up on her offer and let her teach me how to properly use those moves. Could be really useful for what I am now."
Jaune chuckled. "Can't say that out loud ever again. If she ever somehow found out I said that she'd never let me live it down." Jaune looked back at the Abominable. "Hey, there's this beautiful Wolf Faunus that lives on the Vytal Islands who taught me how to fight in Wolf God Martial Arts. Think you can keep it between us that I used her teachings, despite saying to her face I'd probably never use it?" The corpse didn't respond. "Yeah, you can keep a secret."
Jaune then got back up, limping a bit towards the neck of the roaring Ice Dragon before reaching for his comms. "How's it looking out there?"
'We're holding out. I take it you were able to deal with that Grimm,' Flynt asked.
"Yeah. It's dead. I'm going to try and make more cracks in the Dragon's armor for you guys."
'That thing looked really tough. It's amazing that you were able to take it out by yourself,' Neon said.
"Well, you guys helped out a lot."
'Aaw,' Neon went.
"But we have this giant maggot to deal with. Hopefully, its corpse will look just as pleasant as this g-" Jaune's eyes then widened. "Wait. Corpse?"
Jaune then spun around. He held up his arm in time for the Abominable to plunge its icy fangs into that instead of his neck or shoulder, but it was still enough to make Jaune yell out in pain.
'JAUNE,' Ruby yelled out in fear.
Jaune glared at the Grimm trying to tear his arm off, his blood spilling everywhere. Then, Jaune got an idea, smirking.
He then surprised the Grimm by jumping onto its back, holding onto his arm into a pseudo-chokehold, and stuck his legs into the monster's side creating ice needles on his heels that dug into the monster's body. It wanted to roar, but it was muzzled by Jaune's arm.
"You wanted to bite me, didn't you?! Well, enjoy the taste of my body, asshole," Jaune yelled as his eyes began to spark with electricity. "Because my arm is your LAST GODDAMN MEAL!"
Jaune and the Abominable then roared as Jaune used up every last bit of energy he had left to turn himself into a living lightning bolt, magic electricity coursing through him and the beast. Its eyes widened in pain before they began to swell, the monster trying to rip Jaune's arm off.
Then... its eyes exploded.
The Grimm's arms fell to the side, the bite force on Jaune's arm now gone. Jaune released his chokehold right as the monster's head began to vanish. It then fell to the ground, its body now mostly smoke rising through the opening in the Dragon's armor.
The Abominable Grimm was now dead. Jaune had won. Jaune couldn't stop his victory roar if he wanted to.
And at this moment, he certainly didn't want to. He proved to the Abominable... that he was the stronger Grimm.
Weiss was practically dancing around the Hound, making it frustrated. Right when it looked ready to howl, its jaw was struck shut by Fetch. It tried to grab Marrow with its stretching arm, only for the black arm to be pinned into a wall. It looked to see a trident before glaring at Shiva. The young beauty smiled before she used her Semblance to make a Gravity Glyph to retrieve the trident half of her White Death, expertly catching it with a spin before giving a giggling smile at the Grimm.
The Hound roared before preparing to lunge.
"DON'T LOOK RIGHT!" It looked, only to get slammed in the face by Argent's shield, the boy landing behind the beast with a roll. "I warned ya," he laughed before jumping away, rolling over to Weiss. "Whoo! That was awesome! Ow-ow-ow," he went after Weiss tugged his ear and pulled him behind her.
"Let me and Marrow deal with this thing. You and Shiva need to get to safety."
"That might be easier said than done, Aunt Weiss," Argent said as he rubbed his ear.
"And why is that," Weiss asked as she sent fireballs at the Hound along with Marrow shooting at it.
"I think it might be after me. It called me a Chosen Heir. Something about my blood?"
"You mean it's after the kid... because of his dad," Marrow asked.
"Tch, even when he's not here, your father is causing me problems."
"Not the time to be placing blame, my dear Aunt," Shiva said as she spun her double-sided scythe before throwing it at the Hound, the weapon slashing its shoulder before returning to Shiva. "This beast is durable, at least. Maybe we could use Silber's help. Ow," she went after Weiss chopped her niece's head, not too dissimilar to when her sister did it to her.
"Don't even think about subjecting my daughter to this monstrosity. If I raised her right, she should be with everyone else in the Safe Zone."
Meanwhile.
Silber guided a Summoned Razorwing down the throat of a roaring Nevermore. She then glared behind her before backflipping to avoid a charging Ursa, stabbing it through the head with her rapier through its head before kicking off. She looked up to see Ravangers flying towards her. She grabbed a part of her blade, tugged it, and pulled it down to reveal a barrel. She then flicked off a part of her handle to reveal a trigger, shooting at the flying Grimm. When she saw an opening, she quickly and expertly switched out the gun's cartridges, aimed, and with an extra Glyph boost, fired. It created an explosion as grand as fireworks in the sky.
She then looked, eyes widening, and reached for her comm. "Counselor Hill, towards your 9'O-Clock!"
Robyn's Titan grabbed a Tempest by its head and crushed it before it could use its tentacles on her. 'Thanks, Snowflower.'
Silber blushed. "Please don't call me that, Counselor."
"Alright, Blubber Boy," Robyn said as she had her Titan aim its crossbow at the whale. "Back to our date!" The Monstra roared at Robyn as it flew towards her.
"ALL FORCES, PROVIDE COVER FIRE FOR COUNSELOR HILL! DO NOT LET ANY GRIMM DISTRACT HER FROM TAKING THAT THING OUT!"
'YES, MA'AM,' the soldiers responded to Silber's order.
Weiss then prepared to summon her Arma again, only to stop when she heard something crack. She looked to see the Hound beginning to morph.
"What's it doing," Marrow asked as everyone watched out of horrific fascination.
"It's... getting leaner," Argent went. "Like... how my dad does... when he's going fast!"
"Dark... CHOSEN," the Hound roared.
"Whoa, boy," Argent went as he held up his shield.
Before anyone could react, the Hound slammed itself and Argent through many walls.
"ARIE," Wiess and Shiva screamed.
Argent felt the brunt of the walls, his Aura becoming more and more depleted before he was rolling across the floor, his Aura sputtering. He groaned before trying to get up, only to feel the Hound's hand on his head. He was then slammed through the floor. Argent fell hard on something that sputtered, Argent feeling a shock before falling to the ground, his Aura now shattered, coughing up blood.
The Hound then landed near Argent, growling as it drew in closer to the downed boy. "Chosen... Heir. Complete... the Boy." The Hound's ear then perked up before looking behind it, only to be sent flying into a wall by a spike of ice. It growled as it clawed at the ice.
Argent tried to get up, only to wince in pain and fall back to the ground. He then heard the clicking of heels before being lifted up in strong yet soft and comforting arms. He felt a pleasant cooling touch as he was hugged into a soft embrace.
"You... have made... the worst mistake... of your disgusting life."
Argent recognized the voice immediately. "Aunt Winter," he said tiredly.
Winter was using her powers to their maximum, the technicians too afraid to say anything. One, because there was an SS-Class Grimm in the room. Two... Winter was furious.
The Hound punched the ice spike into pieces before lunging at Winter. She merely waved her hand, an ice pillar appearing and sending the Hound out of the room. it bounced down the hall before skidding to a halt, its claws digging into the ground before it looked up with a growl towards the approaching Winter, still carrying Argent, each of her steps freezing the ground.
The Hound then took a breath.
"Cover... your... ears," Argent went.
"Not necessary," Winter said.
As soon as the Hound howled, Winter raised a hand, a wall of ice appearing and completely blocking the howl. The Grimm's attack didn't even put a crack in the wall.
Vindictively, the Hound lunged and angrily slashed at the wall, barely scratching through it. It just barely made a small hole to yell through: "COMPLETE! THE! BOY!"
Winter glared at the monster. "You won't get your filthy claws on this boy ever again."
Winter then raised her hand, the Hound not noticing there were stalactites growing above it. Then, Winter brought her hand down. In a split second, like a guillotine, the ice slammed down on the Hound. Moments later, Winter saw the smoke, indicating the death of the Hound.
She then willed the ice away before walking toward the Grimm. She was horrified, but not shocked, to see a New Mantle soldier left behind.
Kneeling, she gently pushed the soldier onto his back, seeing his eyes wide open. She then closed his eyes for him. "Rest in peace," she said somberly.
The soldier then gasped, shocking Winter, before he grabbed Argent's hand. "I... know... your father's... enemy."
"My dad's..." Winter looked towards the barely conscious Argent. "Enemy?"
"Your father. . . is fighting. . . God." That's when the man died, with Argent finally losing consciousness.
Winter looked between the boy and the man. "God? Jaune... what are you up against?"
Jaune was panting as he looked down at the almost completely faded away Abominable, his body now slowly but surely healing. He was even starting to catch his breath, his leg starting to feel better. Still, he had a bit of a limp as he walked over to the neck of the Elder King Ice Dragon.
'Jaune, what the hell was that roar,' Ruby yelled.
"Doesn't matter. Just keep firing at the thing."
'Keep firing?! We don't even know where you are on that-'
"That's an order!" Jaune then coughed as he placed a hand on the Dragon, panting. "Harriet, any Grimm near its neck?"
'No. You're clear, Commander.'
"Alright. Harriet, don't attack the King with Close Quarter Combat. Take care of the other Grimm while everyone else-"
Jaune was interrupted by the Dragon's roar. He looked to see the monster point towards the sky and shoot an ice beam towards the dark sky.
"EVERYONE, RETREAT," Jaune yelled.
'WHAT,' Neon yelled.
"GET OUT OF THE BLAST ZONE! RUN! NOW! QROW, DRAG RUBY AWAY IF YOU HAVE TO, JUST GET EVERYONE TO SAFETY!"
'JAUNE, WHAT ARE YOU ONE ABO- HEY! QROW!'
'DON'T DISOBEY THIS ORDER, RUBY! YOU GOING TO SURVIVE THIS, HERO?!'
Jaune glared up towards the sky. "I'm probably the safest of us all," Jaune said as the massive balls of ice the size of icebergs fell out of the sky.
'I don't like leaving you in the blast zone, Jaune,' Elm yelled.
"I'll be fine! Just be ready to send this thing to hell when all this is- whoa-whoa-WHOA," Jaune went as the Dragon began to burrow beneath the ice.
Jaune stabbed his claws into the icy armor, hanging on for dear life and the sake of the mission.
Jaune had to force his eyes shut, ice, snow, and freezing water smashing into his face. He then felt a heavy chunk of ice smack onto his forehead, making him almost fall off, his dominant hand still stuck into the armor.
Jaune ignored the feeling of blood on his forehead before clawing back onto the worm. He climbed farther and farther up, looking for a weakness or crack in the monster's armor. He was fortunate enough to feel one.
He tried punching the area, only succeeding in making his own fist bleed. It got really bad when a sharp chunk of ice impaled itself through Jaune's bicep. Jaune bit it off before looking at his now bleeding arm. He forcefully raised it before channeling magic around his palm, ignoring the debris smacking into his head.
"Alright, Salem. Time for you to help me out," he said as he tried to replicate her favorite trick, four orbs of magic swirling around his hand. He willed it to go faster before it looked like a multicolored buzzsaw. With the grit of his teeth, Jaune slammed the magic onto the weak spot.
The explosion made the dragon roar in pain, but it never surfaced.
Jaune looked at his mangled arm but could still feel his nerves moving in it. Weakly and full of pain, Jaune tried to grab Nimueh. He yelled out in pain when she shocked him again. However, this time he didn't pull back. Instead, he grabbed the Relic, feeling its power practically burning Jaune's entire arm.
Jaune then took a deep breath and blew onto his sparking arm, encasing it in ice.
Jaune then reeled back his arm. "LET'S SEE YOU IGNORE THIS, FISH FOOD!"
With a roar, Jaune stabbed the Sword of Destruction into the side of the Grimm, black blood spewing as its "flesh" was burning away from the mere touch of the sword, let alone it being embedded within it now.
Unable to take the pain, the Elder King Ice Dragon shot to the sky, screaming in agony.
Just what Jaune wanted.
Jaune then shattered the ice on his arm before sheathing Nimueh, not even bothering to see his already healing burn would. Jaune then looked up with determination and raced off towards the head of the roaring dragon. When close enough, Jaune lunged toward one of the Worm's Goliath-sized fangs.
With his superhuman might, Jaune pulled the monster's head down, its mouth wide open. And to make sure it couldn't easily close its own mouth, Jaune used his free arm to anchor himself using the beast's ice armor. He then saw the Titans.
"RUBY, ELM, QROW, MAY, JOANNA; DIRECT ORDER: FIRE YOUR SILVER DUST ROUNDS! END THIS THING, NOW!
Robyn was shooting arrow after arrow at the Monstra, trying to make it roar. All she needed was one clear shot down its gullet and she could kill the beast. Unfortunately, she was running out of arrows, getting dangerously close to her final arrow, the Silver Dust Arrow.
The soldiers were also getting tired. Some were running out of bullets; others were out of Aura. One stubborn soldier was even stabbing a Beowolf as he was being mauled, the soldier and Grimm killing each other.
Silber was panting, her own Aura beginning to spark, her Summons barely taking on the horde of Grimm. It didn't help that she was out of Dust and regular bullets. The wounded Beowolf in front of her didn't help matters either.
The beast howled as it lunged at Silber, the beauty about to defend herself when the Grimm's head was shot off. She looked behind her to see a bleeding soldier had shot it, her savior holding a hand against their seeping side while leaning against the wall. The soldier then slid down, Silber running towards them to see if she could help.
Silber removed the helmet, the woman coughing up blood before looking up at Silber with labored breathing. She then held up her free yet shaky hand, Silber looking to see bullets and Dust in it. "All... I... have... left."
Silber accepted the ammunition and looked at the soldier sadly. "Thank you." The soldier smiled before the light left her eyes. Silber closed the brave woman's eyes before stabbing upward, killing a diving Razorwing.
'CRAP,' Robyn went.
"What is it," Silber asked.
'Down to my last arrow. I pumped that thing with every last one, yet it still won't open its damned mouth! I just need one shot! There's got to be a way to pry Blubberboy's mouth!'
Silber tried to think of something, but she has nothing worth summoning that could open that monster's mouth. She wished another Titan was with them, or her aunt, or even better, Jaune.
'Maybe I can help!'
Silber's eyes widened. "That voice. Shinji!?"
'Crybot?!'
'Please don't call me that, Councilwoman Hill!'
Silber then saw Shinji's Titan jump, landing on the back of the Monstra. Before the giant Grimm could react, Shin raised his sword and stabbed it deep into the beast. Its eyes widened, surprised at the sensation of pain.
Then, Shin pulled a trigger.
Gunshots could be heard. Though they sounded muffled, they were still loud. That's when it finally happened. The Monstra roared.
"NOT BAD, AOI," Robyn yelled as she aimed with a smirk. "DOWN THE HATCH!" She then fired her last arrow down the throat of the giant Grimm.
Moments later, light burned out of the Grimm. It was so bright and powerful that it burned other, nearby Grimm. It even had the added effect of scaring the monsters away. Everyone watched as the Monstra fell to the ground with a groan. When it crashed down and began to fade away, the soldiers began to cheer.
Shinji ripped his sword out as he walked over to Robyn.
"Not bad, Warbot. And to think you used to be the scared punk we kept telling to get into the robot," Robyn said as she playfully punched Shinji's shoulder.
"Warbot, ma'am?"
"You said your name means warrior, right? Well, you finally earned it today. You may not be the best soldier but damn are you good in a robot. No wonder you were so compatible with the Titan Program."
"That means a lot coming from you, ma'am," Shinji said as he saluted.
"I'm a politician, Aoi, not a soldier. You don't need to salute m-"
Robyn was interrupted by a massive explosion. Everyone looked to see a giant blast of silver light. They looked up to see that the black skies were beginning to clear as the light spread, the Grimm forces and negative air being erased by the dazzling rays.
"Mother," Silber went in worry.
Earlier.
The Elder King Ice Dragon was struggling with Jaune, the man holding the monster's mouth wide open as it tried to thrash around.
"WHAT THE HELL'S THE HOLDUP?!"
'YOU'RE IN RANGE,' Ruby yelled.
"WHO GIVES A DAMN?!"
'JAUNE, YOU'RE A GRIMM! THIS COULD KILL YOU,' Elm yelled.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! I'LL SURVIVE!"
'THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR BROVADO, HERO,' Qrow yelled.
"DAMMIT, QROW! I THOUGHT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD FIRE YOUR SILVER!"
'LOOK, WE HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES AND I DO HATE YOU, BUT I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU! NOT LIKE THIS!'
"DAMMIT, WILL SOMEONE JUST SHOOT ALRE-" The Dragon roared as it jerked its head hard enough to dislocate Jaune's arm with a sickeningly loud crack. Jaune screamed out in agony.
'JAUNE,' Ruby yelled.
"I... CAN'T... HOLD ON... FOREVER! SHOOT IT!"
'JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY! BREAK ITS JAW OPEN OR SOMETHING,' May pleaded.
"IF I DO THAT, IT'LL JUST DIG UNDER THE ICE AGAIN! I'M LITERALLY THE ONLY THING KEEPING IT UP HERE!" Jaune's blood began to spew from his shoulder. "SHOOT IT!"
'NO,' Ruby screamed. "GET OUT OF THERE, FIRST!"
'DAMMIT, RUBY! IF THIS THING GETS AWAY NOW, NOTHING WILL STOP IT FROM REACHING NEW MANTLE! IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO SWALLOW THE KINGDOM WHOLE!"
'I KNOW THAT!'
"OUR SON IS THERE!" Ruby's eyes widened. "QROW, YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER ARE THERE!" Qrow gritted his teeth. "ELM, YOU HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT THE KINGDOM AND EVERYONE THERE YOU CARE ABOUT! THINK ABOUT MARROW! ABOUT ARGENT!" Elm nearly shattered her controls with how tightly she was squeezing them. "MAY, JOANNA, YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT ROBYN WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP THIS THING! WE HAVE TO STOP IT HERE AND NOW!" Both women gripped their controls. "NOW FOLLOW YOUR COMMANDER'S ORDERS, DAMMIT! KILL! THIS! GRIMM!" Jaune then roared as he used the last of his awesome strength to yank down on the Dragon's jaw, opening it to its widest point, nearly ripping its jaw off, but still keeping it.
It was in the perfect position for a shot.
All five Titans then aimed their weapons, the eyes of the pilots burning brightly with determination. "BACK TO DUST," they all roared as they fired. A Silver sniper bullet, silver shotgun pellets, silver missile, and two silver arrows sped toward the Grimm. Light from Ruby's eyes shined out of her Titan, taking out nearby Grimm; while Flynt, Neon, and Harriet dealt with the remaining Grimm that tried to intercept the Silver Dust Ammo.
The Dragon roared one final time before trying to blast an ice beam at the ammo, only to hear a Nevermore screech. The eyes on the side of its head saw Neverflame fly down and send a burning wind down its throat before flying away, the flaming wind and ice beam clashing inside to make a small explosion in the monster's throat.
Then, the bullets entered the massive Grimm's mouth as it roared in pain. Then, explosions were heard within before the Grimm exploded with Silver Light.
A light that engulfed everything around it. . . Including Jaune.