The 'Lone' Hero of Vale (RWBY & Link)

by xyzLinkXZeldaxyz

Team RWBY runs into a classmate while on a self-assigned mission, when they realize he does not have any teammates because he is a one person team. Link quickly proves he's not just a swordsman and is very much worthy of calling himself a huntsman despite a dark past that correlates with major events. (More of a fusionfic since its Link in Remnant.) (Story is undergoing re-writes)

49. Battle of Haven, Part 1: More Bloodshed

Mistral: The Group's Home, Link and Weiss' Room

Continuing from where she last left off, Weiss Schnee continues to shake Link by his shoulder while softly touching his cheek, hoping to only be gentle in order to wake up the blonde young man. She finds herself in this predicament after choosing to stay by Link's side, after he slept all day from his crystal clear fatigue that everyone knew he was pushing through recklessly. However, the day he chose to finally get deep sleep also happens to be the day where Leonardo Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy, had asked Qrow and the rest of the students with him to meet back at the school. This sudden meeting was called to discuss the lion faunus' recent breakthrough with the Mistral council, which means they are huntsmen and huntresses available to choose from for their mission. Qrow's eagerness to get the meeting over with has rushed everyone outside and on a march straight to Haven, but the rash decision leaves behind the two students, as Link is still asleep and Weiss does not want to leave his side

"Come on, I do not want to shake you any harder, nor do I wish to become violent." Weiss sighs and add the smallest amount of power into her actions

"...Ngh." Link makes the slightest noise, but the blonde swordsman continues to sleep, requiring more rest than what he has already accumulated

"Link!" Weiss shouts, switching her sweet demeanor to an aggressive one, as her soft, gentle cheek graze transitions to a pinch, while she leans forward to get in his face

"H-Huh? O-Ow!" Link mumbles some coherent words but even then, his eyes still do not open; however, he does listen intently. "W-W-Weiss? Is that you?"

"That's right." Weiss lowers her tone to a polite whisper now. "We need to get up and go. Ruby and Yang's uncle is leading the group to meet with Professor Lionheart at Haven."

"W-What?" Link softly exhales, "That's not possible, the meeting is tomorrow night?" His ears suddenly twitch. "Oh no, did I miss my morning training with Ruby?"

"You absolutely did." Weiss returns to caressing his cheeks. "And you missed the entire day too, Link."

"N-No. Impossible." Link moves his hands, one to wipe his eyes, while the other grabs Weiss' hand. He brings it towards him and gives the soft hand a gentle kiss

"W-What was that for?!" Weiss narrows her eyes while she tries to pulls back her hand

"I'm not sure, I suppose I just wanted to kiss your hand." Link smiles, his eyes slowly but steadily open, and the blushing girl is the first thing he sees. "Hey."

"Hi." Weiss rolls her eyes, showcasing annoyance. "But I am serious, it is night time and an entire day later. You slept an entire day, Link. You looked so gentle and peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you but…"

"Did something happen?" Link's expression drops

"I already told you." Weiss scoffs. "Qrow, Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Oscar are on their way to Haven to meet with Professor Lionheart for that meeting we were told would likely be nothing productive."

"Oh… You're right, you did tell me." Link nods and lets go of the girl's hand to rub both eyes and fully wake himself up. "Why didn't they wake me up? And why did they leave you behind too?"

"Well, you see…" Weiss smiles. "I've been by your side all day. I skipped breakfast, training, lunch, dinner, and more. I was encouraged by more than one person to leave you for a bit to stand up and at least stretch my legs, but I did not want to leave your side. Fast forward, the night comes, everyone is getting ready to leave, then Ruby and Yang's uncle comes upstairs to tell me they are about to leave and want me to tag along."

"Or in other words, leave me behind?" Link quizzically glances at her

"Y-Yes." Weiss shamefully nods. "It was weird and he contradicted himself too. First, he said it would more than likely be fine if you slept and rested longer, but then he said if the meeting goes wrong, he wants as many of us there as possible. That wasn't even the craziest part, he said I could stay behind willingly if I wanted to keep you company."

"Qrow really said that?" Link sits up, then proceeds to stretch his arms and neck. "Based on what you said, it seems as if Qrow is on edge or something like that. For him to tell you that I wouldn't be needed and you could stay behind, but then he needs as many of us there. Something is not right."

"Agreed." Weiss stands up and glances out of the window, into the shattered moon. "I am going to Haven, Link. Whether they need help or not doesn't matter, I woke you up because it's important that you know what's happening. I assume you will join us as well but that decision is all yours. Will you come with me to Haven and join our friends for that meeting with Professor Lionheart?"

"Weiss, come on now." Link grins. "Is that even a question? Of course I will join you."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Weiss smile

"As if there was any doubt." The young man's grin transitions to a big smile. "Regardless of where you go next Weiss, I'll be right next to you, no matter what. Whether it's back to Vale to reclaim Beacon, Atlas to face your family, or even a brand new adventure in Vacuo or another part of the world. As long as I get to stand by your side, hold your hand, and keep you company… I will follow you anywhere you go."

"I…" Weiss' jaw drops. "You really mean all of that too, don't you? Because I believe you and hope to always stand by your side too, Link." Suddenly, the young woman's smile fades. "Now come on, they haven't gotten too far and if we lose them, you're the only one who knows the way to Haven."

"Oh shoot, you're right." Link slides over to the left side, where his weapons and belt lie by the night stand, "This is perfect now that I think about it. I just had the best night of sleep since-!" He cuts himself off and blushes

"Since?" Weiss leans forward, attempting to look at him

"Do I really need to say it?" Link chuckles

"I order you to." She crosses her arms

"And you know I will do anything for you, that's not fair." Link sarcastically sighs. "I just had the best night of sleep since the night we spent together at Beacon. It all comes full circle, my two best night's of sleep have come with you."

"Link…" Weiss covers her mouth and quietly giggles. "That's really nice."

"I know." Link smiles, quickly puts on his belt, and slots his sword and shield tightly on his back. "As I was saying, this is perfect. I feel rested and if anything goes wrong at this meeting, I could maybe show off my developing speed against any foe in our way."

"Qrow said we shouldn't expect a fight, dunce."

Weiss shakes her head, walks over, and sits down next to the blonde as he tugs at his sword to make sure it smoothly slides out of the metal scabbard

"Hey… I've been wondering and I should have asked before." She clears her throat. "But why have you been obsessed lately with becoming faster? Did Ruby make fun of you? Because if she did, I am going to yell at her. That semblance of hers is not fair and you shouldn't raise the bar to be that fast."

"Hm, you're on the mark but also off the mark too. However, good job either way."

Link sighs, rests his right hand on top of Weiss' bare left leg, and turns to her with a smile on his face

"Ruby did not make fun of me but the fact that she is still significantly faster than me is the reason I have been wanting to become faster." He nods. "I did raise the bar, but for another reason too. Do you remember at Beacon, I would have brief moments where I would move really fast, as in potentially even faster than Ruby?"

"I do…" Weiss turns away. "I may have been jealous of that."

"That's adorable." Link leans over and nudges her. "Well, if it makes you feel better, that was not my skill or talent on display and you will be the first one who finds out why I could occasionally move at lightning speed."

"Is it a secret?" Weiss raises an eyebrow

"Sort of, but it's not a special ability. It is this." Link removes his hand off her leg and grabs the girl's rapier 'Myrtenaster', then promptly cycles the chamber on her sword until it lands on the yellow slot, also known as lightning dust

"Dust? That's your secret?" Weiss tilts her head in confusion

"Yes, dust. I'm not sure if Ruby told you about her interaction with Professor Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood, but they informed Ruby that I know how to weave dust into clothes." He grins. "If you've ever wondered why my clothes and weapons have a subtle glow, mystery solved."

"Oh my… Dust in your clothes, so that means on your boots as well, right? That's why the bottom of them look a little charred." Weiss gasps. "Isn't that dangerous? Is the dust in direct contact with your skin?"

"It isn't and that is why I haven't endured any long term harm… At least I think so." Link giggles

"How long have you been doing this?!" Weiss shakes her head

"Two years if we're looking back to when I first learned and then started." The blonde huntsman nods. "Although, I only do it when I've been able to get my hands on dust, which is not often."

"I see." Weiss blinks in confusion. "Pyrrha and I always wondered why your body glowed and thought it was your aura, but the aura is not constantly visible so it couldn't have been that."

"Look at that, the smartest girls in Beacon couldn't figure it out." Link meets the girl's eyes and winks

"S-Shut up!" Weiss growls and takes back her rapier. "What does that have to do with improving your speed now? Couldn't you keep embedding dust into your clothes, put a lot more of it into your boots and become even faster?"

"You still haven't realized?" Link smacks his lips sarcastically. "I'm all out of dust, Weiss. I used the last of it when we fought a massive Grimm in a destroyed village. This was right before two Mistral ships found us. All of my training at the house with Ruby to improve my speed has been-!"

"You're kidding!" Weiss gasps again. "It's your natural speed that has been improving tremendously, hasn't it?"

"Correct." Link nods. "Wait a second, now I must ask. How can you say tremendously? Did you spy on our training? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"No, but Ruby told Yang, who told me." Weiss grins, "I must say, I had no idea you could do that with dust. With that being said, I can see why you always downplayed your abilities at Beacon, you knew your speed was not what everyone thought it was. And yet, I am still impressed. The fact that you are improving your actual speed is impressive too. Now…" Her eyes glisten with joy, "I can only imagine how fast you will be when you fully develop it, combined with getting your hands on more dust. Actually-!" She pops open her rapier. "You can have the dust I have in here. I-!"

"No, it's okay. I wouldn't want to take your limited resources to make up for my lack of resources." Link shakes his head. "If anything, we should get going."

"Are you sure? I can go without using lightning dust if it benefits you more." Weiss' bottom lip puckers in disappointment

"I am sure. Besides, we shouldn't expect a fight, remember?" Link rises up to his feet and offers her a hand. "Shall we?"

"Mhm." Weiss nods, takes his hand, and yelps as she is pulled up to her feet within seconds. "Be more gentle!"

"Sorry!" Link blushes in embarrassment, but then opens the door and keeps it open with his foot, signaling for the young woman to exit first. "Let's go."

"Right." Weiss frowns and marches out of the room

"W-Wait. Before we go…" Link clears his throat as he closes the door

"Yes?"

Weiss turns and immediately has two arms wrapped around her, with Link resting his chin on her right shoulder, but this hug is not a big one where the former lifts up the ex-heiress and spins her around dramatically. It is long, soft, gentle, and intimate, with plenty of love and care going into it

"Thank you, for staying with me all day. You did not have to and you still did." Link opens his hands and rests them on her lower back. "And for last night too, that was the best night of my life."

"You really don't have to thank me, Link." Weiss smiles brightly and happily hugs her friend in return. "I know where I was needed and where I wanted to be, and I enjoyed every moment from last night and all of today."

"Wow." Link happily sighs and applies a bit more pressure to the hug. "I am not doubting you but… Do you really mean all of that?"

"Yes." She nods. "Sleeping next to you, holding your hand, being so close, looking after you all day, I would do it all over again without hesitation."

"Weiss… Hearing that is so sweet and means everything to me." Link smiles and softly rubs her back. "And hey, I want to thank you. Staying with me through the night in itself warms my heart, let alone remaining by my side and caring for me all day. Thank you, Weiss. You are the kindest person I know."

"Please. I am far from the kindest. But thanks, I know you believe that." She rolls her eyes and blushes. "Hey Link?"

"Yes, Weiss?" He perks up at the question

"Promise we'll never be apart again?" Weiss whispers in his ear

"We will never be apart, ever again." Link confidently nods. "Not a single full day will pass where we don't speak, hug, laugh together, enjoy each other's company, or see each other. I promise."

"Thank you." Weiss lets out a soft, faint giggle

The two former Beacon students hesitantly break away from their long, intimate hug. Soon enough they race downstairs, exit the house, with Link closing the door behind them. Followed by Weiss, they both take a sharp right and sprint towards Haven Academy, hoping to not have fallen too far behind

---

The City of Mistral: Haven Academy

Qrow Branwen leads the way as half of Team RWBY, the surviving members of Team JNPR, and Oscar Pine follow close behind. Ruby initially stops to look up and admire Haven's CCT tower. Then, being the caring person she is, stops to look behind the entire group, hoping to see Weiss or Link join them, before a nod from the farmhand makes her turn back around and follow the rest of the group inside the prestigious academy. However, before Qrow enters the building, loud footsteps and clicking heels grow stronger and stronger with each passing second. Soon enough, Link and Weiss catch up with everyone

"So, you did wake him up after all?" Qrow chuckles, but does not turn his back, knowing exactly who is behind them

"Huh?" Ruby turns around and her face immediately lights up. "Link! Weiss! You both made it!"

"Oh yay!" Yang brightly smiles. "The gang's all together!"

"Awesome!" Nora cheers

"Indeed, half of us figured you'd show up." Ren softly smiles and gestures towards himself, Ruby, Oscar, and Yang. "The others, not as confident."

"Ouch." Link chuckles

"Don't blame us, kid. you almost didn't make it after all." Qrow shrugs

"I'm glad you both could make it." Oscar mumbles. "We're all happy you made it."

"W-Well duh!" Weiss bends over to catch her breath. "I c-can't b-believe… Y-You actually left us behind!"

"We were running late, kid." Qrow nods. "Leo has been horrible with time lately, I didn't want to be a hypocrite and potentially miss this meeting."

"We're all here, that's what matters." Jaune turns to face Link, he looks him in the eyes, and firmly nods

"Right." Link nods back at Jaune, then places a hand on Weiss' back out of concern, "Are you okay?" He mumbles whilst gently rubbing the young woman's back

"Y-Yes, j-just-!" She coughs and harshly slaps his hand away. "Out of breath, I will be fine."

"Okay, good." Link carefully places his hand on Weiss again, this time higher up to rub her shoulders

"If you kids wouldn't mind." Qrow interjects with a raised tone. "Our host is waiting for us."

Weiss nods, rises, and opts to breathe heavily through her nose now. The rest of the group collectively nod and enter the grand hall, a spacious and luxurious area, containing stairs that lead to the headmasters office. The group walks together in line and in order, front left to right are: Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Link, Weiss, Oscar, Qrow, Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, and Jaune Arc. They are greeted by Professor Lionheart, who is standing at the top of the stairs, below him is a statue of a woman in chains 'holding' the terrace where the headmaster of Haven stands

"Why hello. Thank you for… Coming." Leonardo nervously chuckles, "There um... Seems to be a lot more of you than last time." His eyes fall on Yang, shift to Oscar, and then Weiss but they ultimately rest on Link at the end. "Qrow had to bring the unhinged boy too? This is going to be quite the battle."

Qrow, along with the rest of the group, stop near the stairs and look up to face Professor Lionheart

"Yeah, there are more of us. You know what they say, Leo. The more the merrier, ya know?" Qrow grins. "So what's going on with the council?"

"Y-Yes! Yes, the council of course!" Leonardo tucks both hands behind his back and stands formally, but seeing the group of nine, each with weapons on their hips or backs makes him hesitant. "Why... Did you bring your weapons? This was just supposed to be a meeting."

"What? We brought our weapons during the first meeting." Qrow shrugs. "We always bring our weapons, Leo. We're Huntsmen. Are you okay?"

"Me? Okay? Yes! Of course!." Leonardo nervously smiles. "I am very sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee, that is all."

(Everytime he speaks, he sounds more nervous than before. What's going on here?) Link frowns and glares at the headmaster

"Link? Is everything okay?" Weiss whispers

"Honestly? I don't know…" Link shakes his head. "Something doesn't feel right."

"You feel uneasy too?" Nora turns to him and covers her mouth to discreetly talk

"Mhm." The blonde young man in green nods

"I hope you're both wrong." Weiss balls up her hands into fists, but they shake with fear

"Okay then?" Qrow blinks in confusion. "Look, it's nice to see you, but we have work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not? I didn't find any huntsman to recruit, but we acquired some young blood with the three additional kids that are here with us."

Qrow gestures towards Yang, Weiss, and Oscar as the new recruits, and while the two older men speak, Yang turns her head to the right as her eyes trail upwards, where she spots a black raven with a red eye perched on a balcony railing, conveniently observing the meeting

"Mom?!" Yang shouts and points to the bird

All of the attention immediately flips from Leonard to the bird. Qrow grabs his sword 'Harbinger', swings to snap it open, and with its shotgun barrels, fires a shot at the target. The sudden gunfire forces the raven to fly down and 'land' behind Professor Lionheart, but rather than a bird landing, it transforms into Yang's mother and Qrow's sister, Raven Branwen. She wears her full grimm head mask and takes in the glares she receives from everyone down below

"Raven…" Ruby growls

"T-They…" Nora gasps. "They really are magic."

"If you're going to shoot me little brother, then shoot me." Raven scoffs as she removes her mask and slots it on her right hip. "That was insulting."

"What are you doing here?!" Qrow shouts

"I could ask you the same thing." Raven angrily stomps down the stairs. "You've been scheming, brother. Planning to attack your own sister, you ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"How did you-!" The older huntsman turns his head towards Professor Ozpin's longtime friend. "Leo... What have you done?!"

"I-I–!" Leonardo stammers

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position. He looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and-!"

"Shut up!"

Link's angry shout takes over the conversation and draws stares from every person in the room, but more specifically… Raven

"It's really you. My brother really does have you in his group of delusional kids, thinking they can save the world." Raven narrows her eyes as she stands only a few feet away from the entire group. "The twilight demon, you have quite the reputation and bounty on your head. And yet… You're still just a little boy!"

"Really? If you and your tribe want me dead, I'm standing right here." Link grabs his shield and rapidly unsheathes his sword. "Time to wrap up the fight we didn't finish. "

"Link!" Ruby calls out

"Calm down kid!" Qrow shakes his head. "Nobody is fighting anyone."

"Eager to die I see?" Raven locks eyes with him, but the lack of fear in the young man's dark blue eyes does not allow the older woman to continue speaking. "I…"

"Is she… Scared?" Yang raises an eyebrow in confusion

"Not at all. I'm not going anywhere, and nobody I love is going to die ever again!" Link steps forward, but a hand quickly reaches and grabs his right forearm

"Stop it." Weiss mumbles

"Weiss…" Link shakes his head. "With Raven here, we're in for a fight."

"Perhaps but…" Weiss' angrily stares at Yang's mother, despite her body trembling. "We don't have to start it at all, it can be avoided if Qrow talks to her."

"Alright, I trust you, just be ready for a fight, okay?" Link frowns and stops advancing

"Mhm." She nods

"That's what I thought." Raven smirks and looks away. "That was close, I almost lost my train of thought and attacked… I need to get everyone in here before I think about killing that boy."

"Raven!" Qrow barks. "Since you already know about our plan, let's cut to the chase. You have the Spring Maiden, don't you?"

"That's right. I do." She nods

"Then hand her over and let's work together!" Qrow shakes his head, deactivates his weapon, and places it behind him. "Come on, all of us united as one? We can beat Salem! Don't be stupid and-!"

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with." Raven furrows her brows. "There is no beating Salem! It doesn't matter how many of us there are or how strong we are, the result will be the same!"

"You're wrong." Ruby interjects in a low tone, "We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had each other." She glances at her sister, then at her sister's mother. "Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please Raven."

Ruby holds her hand out as a gesture of peace, but Raven's glare suggests she will do anything but take the silver eyed girl's offer

"You…" Raven sneers. "You sound just like your mother!"

Suddenly, Raven draws her red sword 'Omen' and creates a portal with her semblance 'Kindred Link' specifically using the portal for her daughter. The narrow but loud portal opens, it's range expands and is presently open in front of Yang, Qrow, and Ruby

"Here comes the fight." Link tightly grips his weapons

Suddenly, a fireball is launched from the portal and aimed right at Ruby. However, Link, the only one with his weapons drawn, dashes to his right and slides in front of his best friend, holding his trusted defensive weapon up and taking the incoming small blast of fire

BOOM!

The fireball collides against the metal defensive weapon, nobody is harmed and not a single spec of fire touches Ruby as within seconds, the fire is gone… And out comes Cinder Fall from the portal

"Cinder…" Ruby frowns, but her expression softens when realizing she was saved from the blast of fire. "Thanks Link."

"Mhm." The blonde nods

"He's fast!" Ravens angrily stands her ground, waiting for the rest of the makeshift team to come out

"Hello boys and girls."

Cinder smiles, her eye catches sight of everybody, but then her smile fades upon realizing that the fireball does not make contact with her intended target, and that Link is the one who prevented it

"This… Damn… Brat!"

The fall maiden scowls, but otherwise shows no fear. Seconds later, she is joined by the spring maiden, Vernal. Up next are Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, the last ones to step out of the portal. Cinder and her two loyal proteges line up alongside Raven and her protege. Most of the heroes frown at their opponents, while a few gasp at what this means

(I suppose this is the spring maiden.) Link glares at Vernal, who returns a nasty stare

"Is that him?" Vernal mumbles

"That's right." Raven nods

"He doesn't look so tough." She scoffs, a big grin forms on her face in the process

"Stop it, Vernal. Don't underestimate him or anybody else." Raven leans towards her and whispers. "Remember what we're here for."

"Yes ma'am." Vernal's cocky grin fades

"You!" Yang frowns at the gray haired teenager, the same person who ruined her reputation during the tournament by faking an attack and injury

"C'mon blondie, lighten up. Same with the rest of you guys." Mercury chuckles. "Is that any way to greet your old friends?"

"Shut the hell up!" Yang growls

"Everybody, stay calm." Qrow calls out whilst focusing on his sister the most

The doors inside the grand hall suddenly open, which makes Qrow and the students jump. Next enters a big, tall, and muscular man intimidatingly towers over everyone as he walks inside. This man wears an olive green coat over a black shirt, a large belt around his waist, black pants with two pouches, one strapped on each leg, and lastly is his footwear, solid brown boots with steel toes. Additionally, he does not have a weapon and his identity is a mystery

"Oh no…" Oscar gasps

(Who is this guy? He's huge!) Link frowns, glaring back and forth at the opponents in front and behind him

"Is everything ready, Hazel?" Cinder asks

"Yes." The tall man, now identified as Hazel, firmly mumbles, "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in…" He narrows his eyes at the group comprised of Qrow and the students. "And no one's getting out."

(Wait, the White Fang is here too? That means… Adam.) Link's worry dissipates as most of Salem's crew is here, just as he wanted. (Two maidens, Mercury, Emerald, Raven, Professor Lionheart, Adam and this unknown Hazel? That's a lot of people to take on.)

"You have got to be kidding me." Weiss' shaky nerves seem to go away as her balled up fists tremble in anger. "This was all just a trap?"

"It appears so…" Ren frowns

"Sadly, it looks like we were right, Link." Nora's bottom lip quivers

"Hey!" Link speaks up. "Where's Tyrian? Besides Raven, he and I also have unfinished business."

"You have some nerve!" Emerald's eyes shoot open. "To demand more enemies when you're already going to lose!"

"Tyrian is none of your concern anymore, little elf." Cinder smiles. "He's getting a new tail, but you two will not be seeing each other again. Because you will all die here today."

"Is that right?!" Link frowns and tightens his stance

"Yeah. What the hell are you going to do about it?" Mercury crosses his arms

(You'll be wishing I spare you.)

In the middle of all the questioning, realization and awareness of the current situation, Qrow never stops looking at his older sister, with the coldest glare he can muster

"Raven. Tell me…" His tone shifts to anger. "How long have you been with them?"

"Aww." Cinder smirks, "Don't take it personally, birdy. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand…" She smiles and waves her right arm imposingly at Leonardo. "Entrance into the Vytal Festival was far too easy. On top of that, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?"

"S-Stop it." Leonardo turns away in shame

"Leo… It was you. You sit on the Mistral Council." Qrow breaks the tense glare he was shooting at his sister and turns to Professor Ozpin's 'loyal' friend. "You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her?"

"I-I-! Qrow!" Leonardo stammers. "You must understand! I-!"

"I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!" Qrow shakes his head in complete disgust. "Nothing you say or do is going to grant you redemption either. Your cowardly, spineless actions have gotten so many people killed, and you will get exactly what's coming to you for working with Salem!"

Professor Lionheart does not have a single word to say, instead he simply looks further away, his expression changes from being shocked and scared, to sad and ashamed

"Aw come on now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart." Cinder sarcastically giggles. "I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

"What is wrong with you all?" Jaune seethes as he pushes his words out through a clenched jaw, "How can you be so broken inside? To take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?" He lowers his head. "What the hell is wrong with you people?!"

"Jaune…" Nora mumbles

"Don't do anything reckless, please." Ren nervously looks towards his leader

"And you say all of that with a damn smile on your face!" Jaune lifts his head, revealing tears streaming down his cheeks

The tone of his voice immediately makes Ruby, Yang, and Nora draw their weapons, while Link carefully slides to his left, getting closer to Weiss, step by step

"Everybody stay calm!" Qrow reaches for his sword

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!" Jaune shouts, but Cinder's expression appears to be one of boredom

(That's my line, Jaune. But, I suppose we should all make Cinder pay.) Link stares at the fall maiden

"Stop it, kid!" Qrow shakes his head at Jaune

"Well?! Aren't you going to say something?!" The team JNPR leader furiously shouts one last time

A short pause ensues as everyone, even those on her side, wait for Cinder Fall's response. Despite her silence only lasting mere seconds in reality, it feels as if half an hour has passed before the woman opens her mouth once more

"I'm sorry." Cinder narrows her eye. "Who are you again?"

Jaune's eyes widen in shock, before they narrow angrily. He grabs his weapons, Crocea Mors, with the shield remaining attached to the sword, the combined weapon transforms into the thick side blades he first showcased against the Nucklelavee in Kuroyuri, and the angry blonde rushes forward. Cinder summons a large scimitar on the palm of her hand, and blocks Jaune's attack with ease

"Jaune!" Ruby leaps into the air, but a chain wraps around her and she is pulled to the ground by the girl who deceived the silver eyed girl and her friends at Beacon the most

"You're not getting near her." Emerald smirks

"Maybe she won't!" Link mumbles, "But I will!" He shouts before taking off in a rapid sprint

"Kid no!" Qrow extends his hand to grab him, but he is too fast

Emerald, Mercury, Vernal, and Raven stand en garde, waiting for a foolish direct attack by an angry teenager. Link continues his run until he is a few feet away, and then suddenly… He is completely gone, leaving behind a brief afterimage

"There's that speed we've been working on!" Ruby quietly cheers whilst getting back up to her feet

"Where did he go?!" Raven shouts

While Link is gone, Jaune is easily pushed back by Cinder as the two begin their test of strength, with the smaller woman gaining the upper hand over the physically larger novice huntsman. Yang runs forward to join the fight, but Mercury lands in front of her and wags an index finger

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, blondie. I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg, don't ya-!"

ZOOM!

The arrogant Mercury is swiftly cut off when Link appears behind Cinder, with nobody spotting him at all. A sinister look is present in his eyes as the blonde swordsman plunges his sword into the fall maiden's lower back!

"AHH! WHAT THE-!" Cinder winces in pain

"CINDER!"

Mercury and Emerald shout as the latter turns her back on Ruby, gasps at the sharp sword that is seconds away from exiting out of her mentor's stomach; she panics and hurriedly activates her semblance 'Hallucinations', determined to make him stop

(What the-!?)

Link's sight flashes for a split second and everyone in the room is gone. From Weiss and Ruby, to Cinder and Raven, his friends and foes are nowhere to be seen. The only people he sees now are himself, stabbing his sword through a different person… Pyrrha Nikos, who says nothing and only gasps

"P-Pyrrha?!" He shouts and barely pulls his sword back, not realizing he is sparing Cinder

In Emerald's semblance, the gasps are in reality Cinder's gasps. But in Link's head, he recalls the exact same gasps Pyrrha was producing after she was shot in the chest with an arrow

"Why isn't he letting go?!" Cinder lashes out

"I-I-I don't know!" Emerald's eyes shake with strain and fury from using her semblance. "I thought showing him that dead Nikos girl would help get him off! H-He's resisting!"

"What?!" Jaune frowns and is still unable to overpower the woman, despite the fact that she is currently in a compromised position

"It's that damn semblance of hers!" Yang calls out as she goes toe to toe with Mercury, with their hand to hand and kicking styles being perfect matchups. "Ruby! Get her!"

"Right!"

Ruby fires a shot from her sniper rifle-scythe 'Crescent Rose' and launches herself forward, but Raven appears in front of Emerald and and unsheathes her blade

"Let's see what your daughter is made of, Summer." She coldly mumbles

Ruby gasps at the second mention of her mother, but like her uncle promised, it is he who will face Raven. And Qrow does just that, jumping in front of Ruby and colliding swords with his own sister

"You're not putting a hand on my niece!" Qrow growls. "Why the hell are you doing this, Raven? Running away was one thing, but this? You've crossed the line!"

"Sorry, brother." The woman pushes back with her red blade. "Sometimes family disappoints you like that."

"We're not family anymore." Qrow coldly mumbles

"Were we ever?" Raven smirks

"I thought so, at one point." He scoffs. "But I guess I was wrong."

Meanwhile, despite his large presence, Hazel slips by, completely unnoticed and helps the villains majorly as he grabs Link by his collar, violently pulls him back, which slides the sword out of Cinder's back in the process. Next, the large man hurls Link towards the group and sends him crashing back first in between Oscar, Weiss, Ren, Nora, and Vernal.

"Augh!" Link coughs as he rolls over to his stomach and pushes himself up to his feet, determined not to show any weaknesses, not aware that his fondness of Pyrrha was just exposed

"Link!" Weiss briskly sprints to his side and helps the blonde up to his feet

Meanwhile, Oscar uses this commotion to sneak away and make his way upstairs for a confrontation with Professor Lionheart

"I'm okay… Emerald, she made me see Pyrrha." Link growls. "Just when I was about to cause some serious damage to Cinder, damn it!"

"And it won't get any easier, now they know how strong you are." Weiss sighs and continues to help him up until he stands firmly

The Branwen siblings continue their fight in the meantime, with Raven on the attack, she attempts three slashes, two high horizontal slashes, aiming at her brother's head, and a low slash to sweep him off his feet, but Qrow successfully blocks the high slashes, whist leaping backward to avoid the low attack

"Vernal!" Raven exclaims as she throws a side kick that connects against her Qrow's midsection and sends him sliding backward, "Take out the heiress and don't bother wasting your power on her, you know exactly how to beat her. And whatever you do…" She glares at Link. "Don't engage with the monster. When I deal with my brother, he's mine!"

Raven propels herself forward with her impressive speed and returns to the battle with her brother, Vernal draws her weapons and confronts her intended target, although there is an instant problem.

"Let's see what the Schnee name really means." She snickers and draws her weapons, but she worries deep down. "How do I separate her from that blonde kid? They're obviously close in some way, she almost attacked Raven at our camp at the mere mention of his name."

"I'm more than a name." Weiss gets in a fighting stance, with her rapier 'Myrtenaster' firmly in her left hand

"Hm, prove it then." Vernal smirks

"She's not alone!" Link proudly grabs Weiss' right forehand and stands by her side. "If you and Raven think you can pick us off one by one, you're wrong!"

"Oh really?" Vernal rolls her eyes. "Why don't you let us ladies fight it out? Or does the entitled, privileged, and talentless Schnee need this much help, from someone obviously superior?"

"Nice try." Link shakes his head. "You think I'm going to let Weiss fight alone against a maiden? Well think again!"

"But you will." Weiss mumbles. "Go help somebody else that needs it, Link. I can take her!"

"Weiss no! Don't you see what she's doing?!" Link growls

"She's not doing anything, I need this!" Weiss stares into Vernal's eyes and shakes Link's hand off her forearm. "She's the one who taunted me in the camp and made me lose hope that I'd ever see you, Ruby, Yang, or anybody else again. There's no time to explain all the emotions I went through but… Know that this is personal and I will make her pay."

"We can still fight together." Link angrily glares at her, growing frustrated at her insistence to fight alone. "I wasn't there to help Pyrrha, but I can help you!"

"No Link!" Weiss snaps

"Come on! Think smart, not angry-!"

"Trust me." Her tone reduces significantly, now down to a gentle whisper. "I will be fine, nothing will happen to me. Can you trust me?"

"Of course I can trust you." Link nods. "But-!"

"No buts!" Weiss shakes her head. "I'm going to be okay and she is going to pay. Spring maiden or not, I am not scared!"

"You should be." Vernal smirks

(I don't want to leave your side Weiss, but if you don't want me to interfere, I cannot simply stand around.)

"Go Link!" Weiss shouts

"O-Okay…"

Link carefully slides away in a dejected manner as Weiss activates a glyph below her and launches herself forward with incredible speed to fight Vernal, instantly colliding her rapier with the spring maiden's hand held semi-circle bladed guns. Hazel marches over and confronts Ren and Nora, seeing as everyone else has opponents already; the latter hold up their weapons defensively

"I don't wish to fight either of you." Hazel shakes his head

"Nor I, you." Ren mumbles

"Just surrender, you don't want to get involved in this." The tall man cracks his neck

"Like my partner said." Nora begins. "We don't wish to fight you, but we will if you're with her!"

"Very well, then."

Hazel cracks his knuckles and stomps forward as Ren and Nora take wide stances, ready to counter anything thrown at them. However, the tall man stops when a third person comes in between the pair and stands fearlessly in front of them…

"They won't fight alone. You have me to deal with too!" Link grunts. "Weiss already brushed off my help, so I'm going to help you two fight this guy, okay?"

"B-But! Jaune needs help!" Nora shakes her head

"Yeah, he does. That's why he has Ruby nearby." Link turns back to face them. "Any objections?"

"No." Ren nods. "Thank you for assisting us."

"Of course." He furrows his brows

"Thanks, Link." Nora weakly smiles

"So you're Link… The boy Salem mentioned who defeated Tyrian." Hazel tilts his head in confusion. "Who are you exactly?"

"I am someone who wanted a normal life of peace, quiet, and only fighting when I needed to." Link's grip tightens on his sword. "And then it all got taken away from me. Special friends like Pyrrha, Penny, Amber, Ray… Homes, my happiness, it was all destroyed and for what? Evil people who want power they do not deserve?!"

"Link…" Nora shoots him a sympathetic look

"If you truly know what it means to lose someone, you would be on our side right now." Hazel frowns

"All I wanted to do after the world around was destroyed the first time was simple: Attend Beacon, become stronger, form bonds with amazing people, graduate, and move on to live my life in peace as a professional huntsman." Link grits his teeth and clenches his jaw. "But people like you and anybody associated with Salem took that away from me and so many others. Now it's your turn to suffer and get what you deserve!"

"Enough talking then." Hazel continues walking

"Ren, Nora, let's take this guy out and go help the others, are you with me?"

"You bet we are!" Nora grins

"We will win, together." Ren nods

Link sprints forward, the duo of Nora and Ren trail behind him, with no plan or strategy, the three of them attack blindly, not having a single clue as to what Hazel can really do

"RAH!" Hazel winds up his right fist and brings it down, timing it to catch Link, the person leading the attack

"Too slow!" Link skids his feet on the ground, coming to a complete stop, and raises his shield to block the punch

SLAM!

Hazel's massive fist collides with the shield of Link and unsurprisingly to him, completely knocks the blonde young man off balance and sends him flying all the way to the entrance of the building, where Mercury and Yang are fighting

"LINK!" Nora growls, jumps in the air and brings her hammer 'Magnhild' down with plenty of power, intending to land a strike on her opponent's head

"Ahh!" Ren attacks with her childhood friend, firing off his bladed machine guns 'StormFlower' low and aiming for the tall man's legs

Unfortunately, their attempts fall very short as Hazel catches Nora by her hammer and launches it to the ground, sending the orange haired girl flying away in the process. The bullets cause no damage, forcing Ren to get close and slash the man's legs, which in the process almost gets him clobbered with a powerful left hook. But luckily, the agile young man dodges a second punch from Hazel with a smooth jumping corkscrew twist

(W-What the hell?!) Link springs back up to his feet and stares at his shield in disbelief. (I cannot take a direct hit from that guy, my shield just saved me big time.)

The blonde young man takes a couple of seconds to observe the fighting that is happening all around him. Weiss is jumping from glyph to glyph, dodging shots from Vernal, who chases after her. The spring maiden intends to smother the former heiress, who needs time and spacing to execute calculated moves. Ruby is deflecting revolver shots from Emerald's chained revolver kusarigama 'Thief's Respite', with the two girls being evenly matched. Nearby, Yang is putting her shotgun gauntlet 'Ember Celica' to good use against Mercury's mechanical boots 'Talaria', his legs. Qrow and Raven Branwen continue their collision of swords and just like Professor Lionheart said, the siblings would be evenly matched. The cowardly Haven headmaster on the other hand, is in his own battle with Oscar, he attempts to blast the farmhand to smithereens with his dust powered shield 'Stalwart'. However, Oscar is no slouch and uses Professor Ozpin's cane 'The Long Memory' to good use, staying in close range and not allowing Leonardo to maneuver and fire his weapon. Lastly, Jaune and Cinder continue to clash weapons, with the fall maiden only needing one arm to match the strength of the emotional JNPR leader

(Too much fighting… G-going on… A-At once!) Link grunts and holds his head in pain, recalling how he stabbed Pyrrha moments ago, despite it being only an illusion.

"Keep fighting Link!"

(Huh?)

The blonde looks around after hearing the voice of a young woman, and then he spots something. Next to the spot where Qrow shot at Raven moments before the fighting broke out is Pyrrha, in a ghost like form, the same way he had seen before in the forests of Anima

(P-Pyrrha?)

"I know you will win this battle tonight! Stay strong Link! I believe in all of you!" Pyrrha waves before she disappears into thin air

(I won't let you down!) Link nods

"She's right! Don't you dare give up now or else I'm going to kick your butt!"

(Ray!) He looks on the opposite balcony and sees his brunette haired, green eyed friend giggling

"Duh! You think I'd let your pretty red haired friend take all the glory? You can do this! These bad guys have nothing on you!" Ray jumps and waves with both hands before she disappears as well

(Where are you Amber? I have to see all three of you now.)

Link's eyes travel everywhere and then he spots the previous fall maiden, standing behind Cinder and Jaune as they battle

"Hello." Amber softly smiles. "Look at how strong you've become. Now you're saving the world from evil, something I could not do…"

(D-Don't say that-!)

"...And that's okay, it was not my destiny, but it is yours. You were destined to be more than a huntsman. You are a hero." She extends her arm upward, opens her hand, and waves. "Until next time, sweet boy."

(That was… A lot.) Link sighs and watches her disappear too. He glances around the grand hall one more time before locking his sights on Hazel. (But Amber, Ray, and Pyrrha are right! Stay safe everybody! We will win this battle!)

Nora and Ren both find themselves on one knee after being ragdolled for a second time each, they have been successful in landing offense, but none of it damages the tall man, who towers and stands two feet taller than Ren, while nearly being three feet taller than Nora

"Ren! Nora!" Link calls out

"W-We're going!" Nora pushes forward and sprints at Hazel once more

"Yes!" Ren nods along and does the same

The three former Beacon students charge forward, Nora and Ren lead the way for a change, while Link trails behind. The duo of team RNJR splits up, with Nora attacking the left side, Ren the right, allowing Link to attack head on. Ren jumps and spins in place, directing the blades on his machine guns at the large man's upper body. Nora also finds herself spinning but on the ground as she delivers a powerful strike to Hazel's upper legs. Lastly, it's the former one person team's turn, and he takes a page out of Ren's book by planting his feet and leaping into the air; although, he jumps the highest and goes for the killing blow, with a spinning slash aimed in the direction of Hazel's neck and head

"GRAH!"

Hazel lets out a chill inducing scream as he successfully thwarts all three attempts. First he lifts his leg and slams his boot into Nora's chest with a powerful front kick. Next, he takes the spinning double blade attack from Ren in order for the student to get close; Hazel grabs him by his long hair while he is mid-spin, and tosses him over his shoulder, sending Ren crashing against the floor back first. The last obstacle in his path is the easiest to clear, with Hazel only needing to cross both forearms in front of his face and charge into Link, whilst he rises, spins, and slashes with his sword. The victor if his exchange is Salem's loyal warrior as he bulldozes through Link's attack, collides into him, and sends the blonde young man crashing to the ground, next to Nora and Ren

"You guys have landed something, right?" Link asks

"D-Duh! Why do you ask?" Nora groans

"Because… I have too." The blonde narrows his eyes. "And nothing is working."

"He does not have any armor, fights bare handed, does not appear to have enhanced aura." Ren rubs his chin. "There has to be a way to defeat him."

"It does not matter what you say, do, or come up with." Hazel dusts off his forearms, mocking Ren's lack of impact with his bladed machine guns. "The outcome will remain the same."

"We'll see about that!" Nora growls and rises to her feet, Ren stands up next, followed by Link as well

Nora leads another direct attack, Ren and Link trail behind her, and with the tall man being a short distance away, the orange haired girl strikes first, she plants her feet into the ground and simply takes a big swing at one of Hazel's knees. Ren follows up next, he jumps high in the air and fires off his machine guns. Both of the attacks keep Hazel occupied as he raises his right hand to block the bullets from Ren, while he simultaneously bends and turns his knee to the outside, ensuring that he will take minimal damage.

"Grrr! Take this!" Nora slams her hammer directly into the bare handed man's knee

"RAH!" Hazel pays no attention to the hammer being driven into his knee, as it does no visible damage again; instead, he aims for the aerial opponent above him

"Huh?" Ren gasps, and after shooting his machine guns with as many rounds as he can fire, the quiet and reserved member of the group is eventually caught on the way down. "Whoa!"

"Get him now!" Nora shouts, she spins in place and with another big swing, collides her hammer with Hazel's stomach

"Hmph!"

Link nods and sprints with all the strength and speed in his body, knowing this might be the only chance he will get. Hazel tosses Ren into Nora and the two close friends let out painful yelps as they are sent flying away for a third time. Suddenly, Link drops and slides hip first against the ground, going in between the tall man's legs and emerging behind him. The blonde young man puts away his shield, plants his feet, explodes off the ground to jump in the air blazing speed! Holding his sword with both hands and moving faster than his opponent can react, Link drives his sword forward and stabs Hazel in the upper back! His powerful, sharp sword completely shreds through the clothes and skin of the tall man, and with full power going into the thrust! And the blade comes out through the other side, out of his chest, directly in between his lugs, but centimeters above the heart

(GOT HIM! That should be one down after I l;anded a direct hit.) Link internally sighs while he lets go of his sword, waiting for his opponent to fall. (I better go help out Weiss as soon as-!)

"Is that all?" Hazel grunts, reaches behind him, grips the blade with his bare hand, and awkwardly begins to pull it out

"HUH?!" Nora cries out whilst struggling to get up

"I don't believe it…" Ren shakes his head

"W-What the?!" Link gasps, then instinctually jumps to grab and pull the sword out himself, not allowing his opponent a chance to grab him or his weapon of choice. "Why aren't you going down?!"

"You're exactly as weak as a kid should be." Hazel shrugs. "Tyrian really lost to you?"

"Grrr! STOP MOCKING ME!"

Fighting with his emotions rather than intelligence, Link takes another aerial trip, landing above Hazel and with his sword aimed downwards. Intending on using the move he picked up from his former student to finish the giant off once and for all with a direct sword plunge into the skull. This time unfortunately, Hazel does not allow his opponent to get close and then counter at the last second. Instead, he takes a big step back and now has an easy target that is crashing downwards; he takes his opportunity to wind up a punch and deliver a perfect right hand on Link's midsection, specifically the left side of his body, directly on the ribs

"URGH!"

Link loudly coughs, his eyes shoot widely open, and this punch temporarily knocks the air and life out of the blonde, who activates his aura to absorb all the damage, but it is not enough. He tightly holds onto his weapons, but is still sent flying back and hits the ground front first. However, more importantly, the exact area where the punch lands causes a ripple effect that knocks everything off his belt, from Pyrrha's canteen, to Ray's canteen. The same applies to the brown pouch as different items, such as smoke bombs, throwing knives, a steel baton that transforms into a bow, an old Black Hawks shoulder patch, and Ray's gemstone she gifted to her dear friend, not long before she and the rest of her village were slaughtered. Every single item hits the ground and scatters everywhere: with smoke bombs flying in Weiss and Vernal's direction, the throwing knives slide towards Emerald and Ruby, but everything else is within arms reach of the evil Hazel Rainart

(Ahhh…) Link struggles to open his eyes and wake himself up from the stunned state he finds himself in, even slightly grazing his ribs, the area where he got hit inflicts instant pain

"What is all of this?" Hazel approaches the golden circlet and kicks it aside like an empty can

"HEY!" Ren growls but cannot stand or do anything about it

"STOP!" The blonde boy grunts and exhales heavily, watching Pyrrha's circlet fly in the air and then make a clang! sound as it hits the ground enrages the young man, but his anger is not enough to make a quick recovery and stop the tall man

"Hrah!" Hazel stomps on the handmade canteen with force, the beverage holder caves but does not break

"L-Link…" Nora gasps

"NO!" Link slides the palm of his hands onto the ground and pushes himself up to his knees. (R-Ray's canteen…)

"What do we have here?" Hazel eyes the pink rock and bends down to touch it

"Please, stop it." Link mumbles and slowly rises to his feet

"Special dust?" The giant man picks up the gemstone and frowns when it does not meet expectations, "What a waste of my time." He extends his arm, closes his fist, and gets ready to crush the stone

"LET. THAT. GO!" Link violently shouts, then in the process he briefly reveals something not seen by anybody since their days at Beacon, his golden eyes that emerge when enraged or when the demon attempts to take over. However, the golden eyes are only visible for a split second before they return back to their regular dark blue color

"L-Link…" Nora loudly gasps

"Shhh." Ren gently places a hand over hers and shakes his head. "That man is going to regret everything he just did."

The blonde swordsman channels all of his hatred, anger, anxiety, love, fear, and combines them with all of his goals. Following this are his memories of Ray and how close he got to the young villager in only a month, how she got taken away, and the way one of her parting gifts was already damaged. This is added onto his strength, courage, speed, resilience, and desire for revenge. Link holds onto his shield but grips his sword by the hilt as tightly as possible. He bends his knees, ready to attack, and without his golden eyes and glow of his weapons or clothes, he takes off with the same rapid quickness

"What now? Another trick?" Hazel bends his knees and opens his hands, reading to attack or defend given the way his opponent attacks, and in the process lets the pick rock hit the ground

"RAHHH!"

SLASH!

Link is seen behind Hazel once more, with his torso twisted to the right, shield covering his lower back, and sword across his body, indicating that his lightning speed slash attack was successfully executed. The tall man who seemed invincible, suddenly holds his midsection with his right hand as it is badly cut to the point of shedding blood, but what comes next is even more gruesome. Hazel retracts his left hand to cover the same area, then his eyes widen in shock as he witnesses that his hand is completely gone, cut through cleanly at the middle of his forearm… The same hand fatefully used when making the costly error of grabbing Ray's gemstone hits the ground with a sickening thud!

"O-Oh m-my-!" Nora gasps

"He completely shattered through the aura of his left hand and cut it off with one attack." Ren's jaw drops

"..." Link does not say a word, but instead turns his head to look at the reaction of his opponent

"Grrr!" Hazel frowns, "GRAH!" He releases a powerful scream, but it is not significant enough to undo the severing of his hand or the blood spilling out of the wound; while still not feeling pain, he most certainly appears to have taken damage at last

"It doesn't seem like he feels any pain. But why?" Nora smacks her lips in disappointment

"Perhaps it is genetic and something to do with his sensory nerves." Ren narrows his eyes. "Or it could be something else."

(It appears I have to cut him down entirely.) Link sighs and turns around to face Hazel again, but something else catches his eye and grabs his attention

That something is Weiss, who manages to launch Vernal out of the way using a black gravity glyph, she kneels to the ground, stabs her rapier into the floor and prepares to summon her signature Arma Gigas. Regrettably, Vernal is not sent away for long as she is right back in her face, collides her bladed guns against the long majestic sword, and fires two point blank shots that make contact with Weiss' midsection and visibly depletes her aura

"AHHH!" Weiss screams in pain as her head jerks back and both hands let go of her weapon

(WEISS!) Link's head snaps in the direction of the scream

"Too easy." Vernal smirks. "Is that all you can-!"

STAB!

Before she can finish her mocking sentence, Vernal forcefully retreats and just about dodges a sharp sword nearly that makes contact with her neck… Link's sword to be exact

"What the-!" She gasps as the blonde finds himself in the spring maiden's face the second Weiss let out her chill inducing scream. "Oh great…"

Meanwhile, the short haired brunette shrugs and with the short distance, aims her bladed guns and fires, but Link makes a fool out of her by side stepping both shots with his superior speed, despite having a shield that could easily block the gunfire

(This one's for you, Weiss!)

Link gets in striking range of the spring maiden, expecting her maiden powers to emerge and really bring the fight, but Vernal continues to battle only with her bladed guns by first launching one towards her opponent, while spinning in place with her second blade. The goal being to strike and make contact with the launched blade, but if that is blocked, Link will run into the other blade with all his momentum. Unfortunately for her, neither of these two scenarios occur. Link swings his sword horizontally and to the right, knocking one bladed gun and sending it in another direction. Then, leading with his shield, takes the spinning attack head on, the metallic collision only slows down and soon enough brings Vernal to a complete halt. The blonde huntsman steps forward with his left foot, and drives his sword upwards, slamming it into the young woman's weapon and sending it flying in the air, leaving her completely defenseless and open for a direct jab aimed right at her chest

"R-RAVEN!" Vernal shrieks in fear and performs a backward somersault to avoid the incoming attack

"Get back here!" Link's voice reeks of coldness and hate as he plants his feet, pushes off the wooden floor, and chases the young woman who has incapacitated Weiss

"Vernal?!"

Raven still finds herself evenly matched with her brother in another test of strength with their swords. But even so, hearing a cry for help from her protege snaps the woman's head towards the fight, her eyes seethe with hatred when she witnesses one of her biggest targets outmatching her loyal soldier

"Our fight is going to have to be put on hold, brother." She frowns, sidesteps and pulls her sword back to throw the huntsman off balance, then sends him flying against the ground with a powerful slash that lands perfectly against his back

"Ugh!" Qrow sits up, but his sister is already gone and within seconds, she is right behind Link, who is chasing Vernal, "Shit shit shit! This is not good!" He cups both hands around his mouth and warns the blonde. "KID!"

Link's ear twitches at the sound of Qrow's voice and right as he is about to stab Vernal in the chest, he turns at the last second and with a big overhead swing, he collides his weapon into Raven's red sword

"What the hell?!" Raven frowns. "Even with my brother's call out, he turned way too fast. His agility is even greater than his speed!"

"Raven Branwen… Finally!" Link pushes against his sword but finds himself unable to overpower the older woman, appearing even in strength

"Shut up and die like you're supposed to!" Raven frowns and attempts to do the same, ultimately having zero success

(Please be okay, Weiss. I promise I will not be held up too much longer here.) Link clenches his jaw

The two pull back on their swords and lunge forward again, while Vernal catches one of her blades and tactically retreats, allowing her leader to handle the blonde huntsman, like she requested. Raven shows off her impressive speed again by dashing and placing herself inches away from Link in seconds, she attempts multiple horizontal sideways slashes, aiming for his feet, legs, torso, and head, but Link crouches and extends his arms when needed to block each swing with his shield. Following the older woman's failed attempts, it is the blonde's turn and he makes the most of his opportunity. Link pushes forward and slams his shield into Raven's head, stunning the bandit tribe leader momentarily. Next, he continues to march forward, spin in place, and launches a spinning slash attack! But that is blocked, and despite this, Raven gets absolutely no time to retreat or attack, as Link repeats the step forward and spinning slash over and over and over again, relentlessly putting pressure on the opponent in front of him. Eventually a change must come, and it does when Link repeats the rapid step forward, but no spinning slash follows…

"What?!" Raven frowns, having been conditioned to block at this point

Instead, Link dashes forward and takes a sharp right, before dashing again and positioning himself directly behind Yang's mother. Then comes another spinning slash, but this one with more power when Link plants his feet, twists his body, and releases multiple strikes with full power, spinning five times and landing each time against her back

"AUGH!" Raven grunts whilst being launched forward, but she stays on her feet and only turns to angrily eye the 'twilight demon'

In the near distance, the middle of the grand hall to be specific, Ruby holds her own against Emerald, who uses her semblance to make the silver eyed girl believe she is fighting Cinder, who in reality is having no trouble combating with Jaune on the east side of the building. Ruby deflects a long range chain attack from Emerald's kusarigama and glances around to see what is happening, and gasps when she sees Weiss on her knees in pain, Link and Raven exchanging powerful and rapid sword swings, while Vernal picks up her other bladed gun and returns to help her leader, sneakily getting closer to the clueless blonde who is focused on Yang's mother

"What's wrong?" Emerald smirks, "Too many people to try and save all by yourself?" She nods her head to the left

Cinder points her scimitar at Jaune and ignites it right before his eyes. In mere seconds, the long weapon is in a blaze and fully coated in flames. Jaune growls and charges forward with his combined sword and shield, while the fall maiden also rushes forward.

"O-OH NO!" Ruby panics and hyperventilates

Upon noticing Cinder's weapon igniting, it brings back the dark memory on top of Beacon Tower for the young huntress. Where the same evil woman murdered Pyrrha, incinerated, and scattered her ashes. Ruby turns back, watches Link and Raven continuing their struggle, with Vernal now directly behind him, ready to fire a direct shot that will easily land; the exact same way she depleted all of Weiss' aura not long ago. Meanwhile, Qrow is slow to get up, Weiss does not get up at all, Ren and Nora evenly combat with a one armed Hazel, Oscar is getting the best of Professor Lionheart, and Yang is chasing Mercury in circles, with no powerful punches or spinning kicks landing. Soon, Ruby is completely overwhelmed and her eyes start to shine bright again, just like they did at Beacon shortly after Cinder killed her close friend…

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

She loudly screams and simultaneously, a bright light engulfs the room for a few seconds, only for it to die down when the silver eyed warrior is swiftly knocked unconscious by Emerald. The girl with red eyes and mint green hair uses her kusarigama once again to fire another long distance attack, this time it lands because Ruby has her back turned. However, the temporary blinding light does aid one of Ruby's allies

"Ruby?" Link pushes Raven back with a powerful thrust and whips his head to see his best friend crash to the ground, but in the slight second he turns his head, the huntsman notices Vernal out of the corner of his eye, about to shoot him in the head at point blank range. "HRAH!"

The blonde teenager rapidly spins and diagonally slashes at the spring maiden, who regrettably stands too close to him. Vernal leaps back to dodge, but the tip of the sword grazes her cheek, continues upwards, and slices the young woman's right eye and forehead

"Ahhhhh!" Vernal gains enough distance, drops to her knees, holds her face and covers the right side of her face with pressure from both hands

"VERNAL!"

Raven lunges forward and slams herself into Link, shoulder first. The woman picks up enough speed and momentum to send him flying away from Weiss, Vernal, and herself. Link soars through the air, ultimately landing feet first next to Yang and Mercury, who have distance between one another for the time being

"Damn, first Hazel sends me flying. Now Raven too?" Link shrugs, puts his weapons away, and turns around

The next thing he witnesses is Raven checking on Vernal, who frantically shakes her head, all while Weiss slowly crawls away. During this time the blonde takes to observe, he lets his guard down, assuming he is in no immediate danger…

"HEY!"

Mercury loudly shouts before he blindsides Link with a sprinting side kick to the head, which is paired alongside a powerful shot from his boot, blasting his head with a powerful attack! This attack drops Link to the ground, back first, and knocks him unconscious

"Link!" Yang frowns and propels herself forward with a shot from her shotgun gauntlet, then delivers a massive punch to the jaw of Mercury with her prosthetic arm, marking the first strike landed between her and the evil gray haired young man

"HUFF!" Mercury groans whilst he is launched against the wooden stairs, slamming against them back first

"You like that?!" Yang clenches her jaw, "I have plenty more for you!" The blonde huntress uses another shot from her shotgun gauntlet to get back in close range of her opponent

Meanwhile, Jaune finds himself in a tough situation, as Ruby's blinding light from her silver eyes manages to hurt Cinder and leave her vulnerable. Unfortunately, nothing comes of this opportunity when Jaune strikes, but only grazes the left side of her head, where the woman's face used to once be intact. Her evasive maneuver, a simple sidestep, gets get out of the predicament while making Jaune trip over himself due to his lack of balance, along with how much power he put into the straightforward jab

"Grrr!" Cinder rises to her feet, enraged, marches over and steps on Jaune's chest to hold him down, "Did you think you actually had a chance against me?!" She frowns and activates her maiden powers, a fiery glow emerges around eye as fire streaks from it

"I-It d-doesn't matter! If… I stand no chance!" Jaune grunts, attempting to reach for his weapon

"Hm, I understand now." Cinder smirks as her powers mellow down. "You're dense and have a death wish."

"S-Shut up!" Jaune struggles to move but angrily shouts. "If I die buying them time, then so be it! They're the ones that matter!"

"Oh really?" Cinder looks around for herself with her eye, witnessing every battle

Oscar is easily smacking Professor Lionheart silly with Ozpin's cane, Qrow returns to fight Raven, Emerald stands triumphantly over Ruby, not killing her for Cinder's long desired revenge. Nora jumps and attempts to bring her hammer down on Hazel's head, but he grabs it with his only remaining hand, tosses her aside, and raises his forearm to block more spinning slashing attacks from Ren. Mercury is on the defensive, with Yang now getting the better of him, but it turns into another cat and mouse chasing game, with the gray haired boy dodging and sprinting. Link is on the ground, motionless from the direct attack to the head, showing no signs of movement anytime soon. Finally, there is Vernal, who still cannot open her right eye, but she slowly accepts her potential blindness, stomps forward, and angrily kicks Weiss in the back out of sheer spite

"Are these pests really that important to you?" Cinder smiles

"Be q-quiet!" Jaune nods

"Very well then…"

Cinder turns her head and relishes at the targets available to her. There's Ruby, the girl who caused the fall maiden's injuries, she is passed out on the ground. Link is also on the ground, he has been a thorn in the side of Salem's group, more specifically Cinder's inner circle; he too, is seemingly knocked out. But the evil woman wants even more pain, in the form of somebody awake and conscious, which locks her sight onto Weiss. The former heiress lands on the ground face first after Vernal's kick sends her forward a couple of feet. Cinder slowly proceeds toward Weiss, the scimitar in her hand disappears, only for a spear to magically appear in the same right hand in a mere moment, showcasing the woman's full control of her maiden powers

"N-No… Not her!" Jaune scrambles to sit up as quickly as he can, but can only watch helplessly while Cinder marches forward, "NO!"

He panics and shuts his eyes, thinking about what is going to come next brings back what was said to him the previous day by Link, regarding witnessing death first hand. Following this recollection, Jaune opens his eyes and glances towards the unconscious Link, his mind races at what may happen if anything bad happens to Weiss, given how close the former one person team and ex-heiress have gotten lately

"T-This can't happen! Link has witnessed too many people die! If the same happens to Weiss-!" Jaune cuts himself off, jumps to his feet, and sprints forward when the fall maiden extends her arm backward. "NOOOO!"

But it is too late! Cinder throws the spear with all her might, and within seconds, it stabs and ultimately impales Weiss' right abdomen. The girl, who had just gotten up to her knees, gasps in shock. Ren and Nora look on in shock, Yang stops chasing Mercury and gasps, Qrow pops open his sword to blast shots and put space between himself and Raven while he looks at Weiss in concern, and then there's Jaune… Who stares in complete shock, many thoughts course through his head. The panic stricken blonde raises his hands, presses them tightly against his temples, opens his mouth and shouts with all of the power and energy in his lungs

"LINNNNKKKKK!"

(Huh?) Link groans, opens his eyes, and immediately sits up like a robot at the sound of the chilling scream calling for his name. (Jaune? Why are you-!)

The blonde huntsman stops thinking clearly when he sees with his own eyes… Weiss' breathing shortens significantly, hands shake vigorously, eyes widen, and her mouth opens, attempting to breathe that way but only gasps exit. The spear then disintegrates as Weiss slumps over… Ominously in the same way Pyrrha slumped seconds before she was incinerated into ashes

(W-Weiss?!)

Before she completely slumps over and crashes into the ground, Weiss turns her head to the left and meets Link's gaze. Her teary, wide, and shaking light blue eyes tell the whole story, she is scared, unable to speak or move, and in desperate need of help. Unfortunately, she cannot utter a word, only gasps of shock; tears stream down Weiss' cheeks before she shuts her eyes and hits the ground face first

(NO! This can't be…) Link's eyes widen in fear, his head slumps to the ground, his gaze on the wooden floor. (I said we would get revenge on Salem and her crew for taking loved ones from us. But I did not want anybody else to die in the process!)

Beneath the blonde huntsman's scared exterior after witnessing yet another special person die, with Weiss being a person he just confessed his feelings for… Is an interior of vengeance seeking, boiling anger that has been developing for many months, but now… All of it is ready to come out

(I'm going to avenge you Weiss. I'm going avenge you all… Right. Now!)

"WEISS!" Jaune aggressively shoves Cinder to the ground as he runs towards past her and towards his fallen friend

At the top of the stairs and on the terrace, Oscar watches in horror as Jaune's slides next to and turns Weiss over, along with Ruby on the ground, out cold. The last sight to take in is Link, who is sitting up with a lowered head and closed, shaking fists that are brewing in anger. Enraged, he cocks back his arms, and slams Professor Lionheart with a head strike courtesy of Ozpin's cane. The cowardly lion faunus tumbles over and falls down the stairs, crashing into Hazel back first

"Ruby!" Oscar races down the other set of stairs and runs over to Ruby, with Nora and Yang joining him. "Ruby, get up! Please! We need you!"

"Help me!" Jaune shouts, which draws a sprinting Ren to assist as much as he can

With the heroes distraught and most of them occupied with the exception of Link and Qrow, a villain regroup occurs. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Raven, and Vernal meet up in front of the same statue of a woman in chains 'holding' the terrace. Hazel, on the other hand, picks up Professor Lionheart by his throat, and lifts him off the floor

"What the hell are you doing? We're all fighting like our lives depend on it, I even lost my hand." He frowns. "And you're letting a little boy make a fool of you!"

"I-I-I-!" Leonardo, being a cowardly weasel, quickly thinks of how to exonerate himself. "B-But that's not just a boy! It's Ozpin! He's already reincarnated!"

"H-Huh?" Hazel drops the faunus and looks at Oscar, who is desperately nudging Ruby to wake up the silver eyed huntress. The tall man then notices Professor Ozpin's cane being held in the farmhand's right hand. "Ozpin?"

Suddenly, his entire demeanor slowly turns into that of fury, despite just having dealt with three enemies, one of whom sliced off his hand/ Knowing that Professor Ozpin has reincarnated sends Hazel over the edge

"OZPIN!" Hazel shots. "You thought you could hide from ME?!"

"Huh?" Oscar blinks in confusion

"You'll pay for what you did!" The giant rips his coat off, grabs a pair of lightning dust crystals from a pouch on his right leg, with only his right hand, "And you'll die again and again and again!" He stabs the lightning dust into his left arm, grabs more lightning dust, and with a complete arm flex, manages to stab his right shoulder with the dust; his eyes, veins and arteries glow yellow, and his skin has a faint coating of lightning. "RAWRRRR!" Hazel charges to attack with another straight punch

But Qrow steps in and gets Oscar away from the tall man for the time being. The young Branwen sibling transforms his sword into its scythe form and his red eyes gleam. The rest of Salem's crew watches on, clearly with the advantage, taking in the violence and destruction they have caused, but not for long as they know the revelation of Professor Ozpin being alive is another problem to deal with

"Ozpin is here?!" Cinder frowns

"What does that mean? Are we toast?" Mercury asks

"N-No!" Emerald shakes her head. "Look at him, it's Ozpin in the body of a boy, he can't possibly be good in a fight right now."

"Ma'am?" Vernal whispers, her right eye now completely shut

"Right." Raven nods before clearing her throat. "Well! Is that going to be a problem?"

"I'm not sure." Cinder nervously shakes her head, "But right now we have the upper hand. We better not waste it!" She turns to the Haven headmaster. "Leo! Open the path to the vault!"

"Upper hand?!"

All heads turn towards the powerful voice. The voice is Link's, who is on his feet but with a lowered head and loosely dragging arms, he looks defeated but possessed and hell bent on inflicting damage

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?!" Mercury crosses his arms. "Look around you, one of your friends is dead, the other one is out cold, and the rest have given up. We have more than an upper hand!"

"Merc is right." Emerald smirks. "The battle is already over, kid. Go tend to Ruby or the dead heir-!"

"SHUT UP!" Link picks up his head, revealing tears down his cheeks as well, and the golden eyes that were briefly seen earlier, are present again. "You people got Penny killed, then murdered Amber, Pyrrha and now Weiss. All of you will suffer the consequences! And I mean ALL of you!"

Link stands up straight, his eyes shake with anger, body completely tense and ready to explode, and his jaw is clenched tighter than ever before. The blonde young man never once turns to his friends, instead keeping his sights on the enemies in front of him. He extends his left arm, turns his hand, curls his fingers, presses his thumb against his middle finger. Before he does anything else, Link glances at Weiss, this blurs his vision and all he sees now is red… The desire to obtain revenge completely takes over

SNAP!

With a calm and loud finger snap, Link's golden eyes glow brighter than before, the engraved triforce on the back of his left hand ignites, and what comes next is a sight seen by nobody inside the grand hall. Strange, twisted lining emerges from his eyes, spreading outwards and onto his cheeks first, then his ears, forehead, jaw, neck, trailing down his chest and back. A pasty bright white color engulfs his complexion and entire body, all the way down to his fingertips and feet. His physical appearance remains the same, but now he appears possessed and deranged. Link firmly walks forward, with obvious intentions to hurt and potentially even kill his opponents

"W-Whoa…" Oscar gasps. "Is that… What Link was talking about when he said someone was in his head?"

"Stay focused kid." Qrow frowns. "We still have Ozpin's mortal enemy and he will target you."

"Y-Yes Qrow!" The farmer nods

"I don't believe it." Ren mumbles while he checks Weiss' pulse by her neck and wrist. "They made him snap."

"Cinder is g-going to r-regret doing t-that." Jaune heavily stutters, his hands press on the girl's wound, but his eyes never leave Link. "C-Come on Weiss, you have to wake up. Link needs you, we all need you!"

"J-Jaune." Ren sighs. "She's hardly breathing."

"DAMN IT!" He shouts

On the opposite side of the room, Nora and Yang's insistent shaking finally awakens Ruby, who groggily sits up

"H-Huh?" Ruby blinks and her eyes shoot open when she sees Link. "U-Um… Why is Link like that?"

"L-Look over there." Nora shakily points towards Ren, Jaune, and Weiss, with the latter on the floor and barely showing signs of life

"Weiss!" Ruby gasps. "O-Oh no, what happened?"

"There's no time for that." Yang's left hand shakes uncontrollably. "Link… If you're still there and this 'demon'… Kick their asses!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Raven shouts. "Are we going down to the vault or not?"

"Yes." Cinder nods. "Leo! Open it!"

"But-!" Leonardo shakes his head, being as cowardly as he is, the faunus' biggest fear is dying, and right now he fears Link more than he does Cinder or anybody else

"Just do it!" The fall maiden balls up her right hand. "Emerald, Mercury, Hazel, Leo, and Raven can hold him and the rest of these brats off. Vernal and I can head to the vault alone."

"As if I'm letting you two go down there alone." The older Branwen shakes her head

"We don't have the time to bicker!" Hazel shouts as he eyes Qrow and Oscar, but he is intrigued by Link and his transformation. "Make a decision and now!"

"Fine." Cinder growls and rolls her eye. "The three of us will go down to the vault and-!"

"No you're not!"

Link draws his sword and shield, walks forward until there is less than ten feet of distance between them, and then does something unexpected. Rather than get in his usual fighting stance with his right left forward, left leg partially extended backward, a bend in his knees, shield raised high, and a low sword, down by his hip, a new stance comes from him. He stands neutrally, legs extended at an arm's length, left leg is slightly in front of his right, and then there is the huntsman's upper body. Link's torso is slightly twisted to the left, his shield is raised all the way up to his chin. The blonde's left arm is raised with his elbow up to the ear, aligning his sword to be level with the shield. And finally, his head lowers, chin tucked, most of his face covered with the exception of his golden eyes, which have a murderous look in them

"Why is he standing like that?!" Emerald shakes her head. "I thought we had him figured out! How to fight him, how to counter, and how to get in his head!"

"At this point, who cares?" Mercury shuffles to get into a fighting stance. "Let's just kill him already."

"Finally, a real plan." Hazel nods. "The sooner we get rid of this child, the faster I can kill Ozpin, and then go on the hunt for the next person he merges with."

"These people are out of their minds! We can't fight him!" Leonardo carefully shifts behind the entire group, eager to stay out of sight

"R-Raven?" Vernal looks to her leader

"Same as before, keep your distance from him." Raven firmly mumbles

"I know this stance…" Cinder internally says as her right hand shakes vigorously

The woman's face wrinkles in rage as she recalls being at the top of Beacon tower, inside of Ozpin's office with her newly acquired maiden powers, in a standoff with none other than Pyrrha Nikos herself, who was in the same stance Link is using

"This boy is even more obsessed with avenging the dead girl than the stupid dense one." Her right eye glows, faint but magical fire streaks from it, indicating the activation of her powers. "I know what he's doing."

"Y-Yes Cinder?" Emerald asks, her hands tremble and barely hold onto her weapons

"If he really wants to desperately avenge that girl…" Cinder magically summons a sword in her hand. "I will kill him the exact same way I killed her!"

(...) Link does not respond to the mention of Pyrrha's death, but what he does do is take one last look at Weiss, who's jagged breathing is all the blonde can hear at this moment. (You will be avenged.)

The girl's twitching and gradual loss of life only fuels his anger even more. Next, he turns to the enemies in front him and everyone is ready for him to strike. Vernal, Raven, Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, and Hazel stand side by side, with Professor Lionheart hiding behind them. Almost all of the villains enter in their fighting stances, some are nervous, others are eager, and the opponent in front of them stands calmly. The lone huntsman, honoring his deceased friend with her battle stance, angrily stares at all the foes in front of him, determined to get revenge for every loved one he has lost. Link shuts his eyes, quietly exhales, and thinks of his friend one more time, seconds away from entering the biggest fight of his life

(I... I love you, Weiss.)

---

(Author's Note: That will do it for this chapter, finally we have made it to the Battle of Haven, it's been a long time coming. Again, I apologize for my 2020-2023 hiatus, that's been one of my biggest regrets, but here we are at last! Chapters 27 and 28 have been updated if you would like to give those another read :) I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all in the next update. Have an amazing day everybody!)