AN: Here we go, folks, I have waited for this moment. Enjoy!
Chapter 55: Righteous Rage
The tea parties in Wonderland were a truly enjoyable experience. The atmosphere made you feel like royalty, and the tea was simply divine. At least, that's what the allegedly "no older than ten years old" little girl thought. This little blonde-haired girl in the blue dress sat at the head of her table, which was decorated with both a white cloth and fine china.
Alice of Gray Jackal sighed contentedly as she took a sip of her tea. "Earl gray is probably my favorite brew here. Of course, after twenty years of sampling all of the teas available at these gatherings, it's only natural for me to consider myself a tea connoisseur."
Suddenly, the Cheshire Cat popped into view with a poof. He was floating in midair, looking absolutely frantic as he spoke to Alice. "Alice, Alice, Alice!" He exclaimed. "Trouble, big trouble!"
Alice chortled. "I think this is the first time I've seen you so frantic, my dear Cheshire Cat. What could ever be wrong with you?"
"It's that professor you dragged into Wonderland! He's ruining everything, everything, everything!" The Cheshire Cat exclaimed. "I didn't think such a thing was possible, but he's single handedly tearing apart the Red Queen's army!"
Alice sighed as she leaned into her chair. "Things will work out the way they are meant to, my dear Cheshire Cat." She promised.
"But Alice, he's a threat to you!" The Cheshire Cat reminded her. "And if you die, all of Wonderland dies with you! Please, at least take this seriously!"
Alice's smile faded. She then glared at the Cheshire Cat. In a flash, she was on the table. Before the cat could react, Alice grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and slammed him onto the table. "Measly little shit!" She snapped. "I am the master of this world! I have also been serving Gray Jackal for several years too as their living, breathing trap! My world is my ability as an assassin! Poor fools have dropped down the rabbit hole for years to be slaughtered by Wonderland's hellish dangers! Not a single person has reached this tea party of mine!"
The Cheshire Cat could only whimper in fear at Alice losing her temper. Alice then took a deep breath and let go of the Cheshire Cat, who immediately scrambled away from her. Alice, for her part, dusted herself off and returned to her seat. "I will admit this much," she continued, "out of everyone who fell down the rabbit hole, Professor Ozpin has gotten further than anyone. I suppose that's Remnant's Strongest Man for you. He really is on a completely different level."
Alice let out a hum, remembering when Ace of Spades gave her this assignment. "I am to assassinate Professor Ozpin, Lady Ace?" She had asked.
Ace of Spades had been calmly sipping tea across the table. "This assignment comes from our new allies." She had revealed. "Salem wants no interference as her subordinate, Cinder, takes the other half of the Fall Maiden power that had been denied before."
"My Lady, it is certainly true that I have a perfect success rate as an assassin. But my target has never been a man of Ozpin's caliber."
"Oh, Alice, sweet, sweet Alice. You don't have to kill him."
Alice's eyes had gone wide at this statement. "I mean, killing him would be a bonus. But all you have to do is slow him down until Salem's subordinates complete their mission."
"Then this could be…"
"Yes," Alice saw the Ace of Spades smile, "he could very well be the one you're waiting for. Or perhaps you have a few more missions in you after all. We'll see what fate has in store for you, my sweet, sweet Alice. Now, please permit me to leave. I have to pay a personal visit to Atlas."
"Atlas, My Lady? We're in Vale."
"I know, it shouldn't take too long. My precious Hansel, unfortunately, needs to be reminded of something."
Alice felt a chill run down her spine at that particular part of the memory. All assassins reported directly to the Ace of Spades. And every single one of them knew that for whatever reason, Ace of Spades was dangerously obsessed with the young Huntsman who had been a thorn in their side for a year now: Hansel Kobalt. Nobody knew why though, because the Ace of Spades' identity was kept a mystery to most. And she was violent towards those who pried into her affairs and her secrets. A few grunts were actually found in bloody pieces after trying to find out her identity.
However, there was a rumor that those who were given the rank of Numbers, alongside the Jack of Clubs, the King of Diamonds, and the Queen of Hearts, were actually privy to the Ace of Spades' true identity.
"A reminder, Lady Ace?" Alice had been unable to resist prying, just this once.
The Ace of Spades let out a chilling laugh. "A reminder of what happens when he drags others into our twisted little game."
"Now permit me to leave Wonderland. I am a busy woman after all." Alice had been too terrified to refuse.
As the memory ended for her like an old home movie, Alice smiled wistfully. "Yes," she said, "if he has gotten this far…then perhaps he is the one I've waited for. The one I've waited twenty years for!"
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Hansel Kobalt stared down Hazel Rainhart with an expression of pure malice in his eyes. He was flanked by Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna. Ruby, for her part, took stock of the situation. Pyrrha looked exhausted. Jaune looked half dead. Nora was starting to stir, as though she were about to regain consciousness. Ren, however, looked limp. Breathing, shallow breathing, Ruby could see that much coming from Ren's chest. He was alive, thank goodness.
Hansel then spoke in an eerily calm voice. "Hey big guy," he said to Hazel, "tell me right now. Are any of my students dead?"
Ruby felt her heart stop at that question. That was right. It was not just Team JNPR. Team CFVY was still out there. Hell, she was even worried about the boys of Team CRDL. She was then drawn back to Hansel. "Your answer will determine how painful I make your death." Hansel promised.
Hazel narrowed his eyes. So this is Hansel Kobalt. He realized. The young man who ruined Cinder's entire Vytal Festival Operation. I can't say I yet see the ceiling of his power. However, I do need to acknowledge a few facts. Cinder was stalled by him. Adam lost an arm to him. Ozpin mentored him. And Her Grace is very interested in him. And then there's that expression on his face. A look of pure, murderous intent. Almost like a calmer version of the looks Tyrian gives on a daily basis. It's almost tragic, really. Those are the eyes of a man who has witnessed an extra two decades of bloodshed, and has shed blood himself.
The last time I was actually put on guard by such a menacing composure is Salem herself. Hazel acknowledged. I cannot treat him like the other children here.
Hazel then took note of Ruby Rose. Ah, and that must be the girl with the silver eyes. I believe her name was Ruby Rose? Rose…that name…
"Answer my question!" Hansel exclaimed, cutting off Hazel from his thoughts. making Ruby and Blake flinch.
Hazel scowled. "If you must know, they are all still alive, as far as I know. To be frank, if Cinder came across any of them later, that is a different story."
"So tell me, young man, does this mean I'm going to get something quick and clean for my death?" Hazel could not resist the sarcastic remark.
Hansel scowled for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief. "Then they're alive, as far as we know, that's good." He muttered before addressing Ruby and Blake. "Rose, Belladonna, you two have your work cut out for you as far as evacuating the injured goes. I hope you're up to the task."
A high-pitched yipe rang out. Zwei suddenly appeared at Ruby's side, looking up at Hansel, as though he were reassuring the professor they could handle it. Weirdly, everyone had the same thought. Where did he even come from? Ruby was almost certain she had left Zwei on the airship.
Hansel then took a deep breath and walked over to the still shaken Pyrrha. "Take care of him, yeah?" He said gently, gingerly placing Jaune in front of Pyrrha.
Hazel narrowed his eyes. Hansel's back was turned. Theoretically, he could have attempted to strike him from behind. However, Hazel smartly knew that Hansel's combat reflexes and instincts were too finely tuned. He would never turn his back on an enemy, not without being fully prepared to intercept an attack from the back.
Pyrrha looked like she was ready to break down and cry. Hansel noticed this and shook his head. "No tears, alright." He ordered. "Not until you get him to safety. You can manage that much, right?"
Pyrrha then realized she was being ordered to run. This made her snap. "No!" She exclaimed. "I want to face the bastard for this! They were all hurt for me! I need to pay him back for that!"
Hansel shook his head. "Don't be stupid," he bluntly told her, "From where I'm standing, you've only got the strength to retreat with him in your arms. Don't try and do more than you can handle."
"This is my fight, isn't it?" Pyrrha pleaded. "This is what I was getting into, right? This is what I dragged Jaune and the others into, right? Please, don't ask me to run away from this. Don't ask me to play the coward when they all got hurt for my sake!"
"I'm asking you to make sure they didn't get hurt for nothing." Hansel sternly corrected. "If you die, Nikos, all of this was for nothing. It's that simple."
"He's right, Pyrrha," Pyrrha turned to see Nora rising to her feet, "we'll leave the rest to Team RWBY and the professor."
"You can get Ren fine, right Valkyrie?" Hansel asked as he turned his attention back to Hazel.
"I've got a concussion, but I'm good to go. You leave Renny to me, Professor." Nora promised. "Just fuck this guy up beyond all recognition and we'll call it good."
Pyrrha still looked visibly uncertain and furious. Ruby noticed this and smiled reassuringly. "Pyrrha," she said gently, "it's gonna be okay, the professor's got this."
Blake nodded in agreement. "Believe in us." She added.
Hansel turned his attention back to Hazel, whose arms were simply folded, waiting for him to make the first move. "Just get to safety." He ordered before turning back to Ruby and Blake. "You two get ready. Once things go down, I want you both to go as fast as you can, deeper into the forest. Don't look back."
Hansel pointed Wolf Fang at Hazel. "No more bullying the weak, pal." Hansel snarled. "It's you and me now."
Hazel cracked his neck while Nora quickly grabbed Ren and lumbered as fast as she could towards Pyrrha and the unconscious Jaune. Hazel knew he could gain leverage through a hostage. However, hostages were beneath him, in his eyes. That's more Watts and Cinder's thing. He added inwardly.
"Go!" Hansel yelled to Ruby and Blake, who sped ahead of him.
Hazel remained impassive as Ruby and Blake sped past him as fast as they could. Hansel then rushed Hazel as well. His hand then moved to the large cloak around his body. In a flash, it was off and tossed at Hazel, like Hansel was laying down a smokescreen. Hazel instinctively threw up his arms and blocked a sword-swing that sliced the cloak in half. Then, he saw Hansel pointing his free hand right at him. Black flames gathered around it. Hazel's eyes widened. The sword was the distraction?! He realized before he was enveloped in the black flames of purgatory.
Ruby briefly looked over her shoulder at the fiery black explosion. He took off the cloak in an instant. Ruby noted, remembering that Hansel used that weighted garb for training. Her eyes widened in realization. He's serious!
Elsewhere in the forest, Mercury Black was in the midst of grappling Yang Xiao Long. He gasped when he heard the explosion of Aura further into the forest. "What was that?!" He demanded.
Yang grinned. Her red eyes gleamed with confidence. "Ain't it obvious," she taunted, "Teach is pissed."
Nearby, for her part, Weiss Schnee let out a small chuckle as Emerald remained pinned by the gravity glyph. "He really doesn't know any speed other than 'full throttle'." She mused before aiming Myrtenaster at Emerald. "Well, at this point, I refuse to be left behind. Not by him, and not by Ruby either."
Several small glyphs then appeared around Weiss. What appeared to be snowflakes then flew towards Emerald like projectiles. Emerald was incapable of reacting as she was then peppered by the projectiles.
Way, way, way deeper into the forest, Glynda Goodwitch briefly paused a telekinetic assault on the Jormungandr when she sensed her foster son's Aura rise. Hansel… she thought with worry before resuming her assault on the massive snake.
The snake let out an unearthly hiss as it was assailed by Glynda's telekinetic attack. Glynda narrowed her eyes at the snake's tough hide. You're certainly tough. That's an Ancient Grimm for you. But your terror ends today! I swear by my name, this forest will be your grave, monster!
Back at the site of the showdown between Hazel and Hansel, the younger fighter of the duo quickly pressed an incredibly aggressive, ruthless assault. Hazel threw up his arms and blocked several aggressive sword swings. Such speed, such power, such precision in his swings. It takes the full concentration of my Aura to avoid injury. My Aura could certainly heal every single injury, but this is not the kind of enemy I can just rush my way through, injuries be damned.
Flames then exploded at Hansel's feet. A fiery knee then slammed into Hazel's jaw. Hazel grunted and stumbled backwards from the force of the blow. His creativity with his Semblance is incredible. Someone with a power like this…the temptation to simply use it for destructive force like Cinder does with her Maiden powers is great. However, he instead uses it for trickery, almost like the dangerous blade in his hands is the distraction. A style that would probably throw off more inexperienced fighters.
As Hazel scrambled to recover from Hansel's attacks, Hansel suddenly delivered a fiery low kick to Hazel's knee, making him buckle slightly. Hansel then kicked into the air with a small, fiery explosion once more. He maneuvered his legs above him and slashed at Hazel's eyes. Hazel gasped, unable to concentrate his Aura into such a small area in time and he was instantly blinded by the strike. The cut was shallow, unlike worse wounds such as gouging the eyes out almost entirely like others, but it was enough to blind him for a brief moment. Flames then exploded at the soles of Hansel's feet while also gathering around his free hand, now closed into a fist. Hazel grunted in surprise as his eyes healed themselves. Hansel's fiery punch fully knocked him off his feet and drove him into the ground. Black flames exploded around them upon his collision with the floor, like a bomb had just been set off.
Hazel's mouth was forced open due to the force of his punch shattering his jaw. His Aura worked fast to reset the bones back into place. Not only that, Hazel continued his assessment of Hansel's ability as a fighter in spite of his body being battered around, he sets up his next move so quickly that it's almost instantaneous!
Hansel then placed both hands on the hilt of Wolf Fang. He aimed it right at Hazel's forehead as he gazed down at the hulking man with a look of pure hate in his eyes. Hansel stabbed downwards just as Hazel's jaw reset itself completely. However, it is still not enough! Hazel declared as he suddenly threw a punch with enough force that Wolf Fang was wrenched free from Hansel's grip and flew away from him upon contact with the flat end of the blade.
Hansel's eyes widened as Hazel set up his next punch. I broke his jaw and blinded him with my last two attacks. I've never seen Aura heal injuries so serious that quickly. I haven't seen a guy with this powerful an Aura in a long time.
Hazel roared as he punched Hansel in the stomach, forcing the young man away from him. Hazel quickly leapt to his feet, showing impressive agility for a man his size. Hansel instinctively put his fists up in a boxer's stance as Hazel charged him. He was now on the defensive as he blocked Hazel's haymakers as best he could. He felt his arms ring and go numb from each impact, however. His attacks are quick for a man his size. His endurance and durability are as good as mine. Maybe even better, but it's too early to tell. Hansel noted.
Hansel then went on the offensive himself and threw a few fiery punches, only for Hazel to easily parry them with his forearms. Such a strong defensive Aura!
Hazel then surprised Hansel with a kick that pushed him back from the big man. He's putting distance between us? That's not smart at all. He should know I have the advantage in range. Hansel pointed out inwardly. That means he is planning something else!
Hazel let out another yell as he punched the ground with enough force to kick up a massive dust cloud that enveloped Hansel. A smokescreen? Damn it! He's suppressing his Aura too well for me to pick up his presence! So even with that massive amount of Aura he can hide himself that easily? That's just not fair! Hansel exclaimed to himself.
Suddenly, Hazel appeared behind Hansel, throwing yet another haymaker at the young Huntsman. However- Hansel was quickly cut from his thoughts when he threw up his right arm to block the blow. His arm bent unnaturally from the force of the impact. He felt the bones shatter. He grit his teeth from the pain and managed to envelop Hazel in another wave of black flames with his left hand.
The impact from his own attack blew Hansel out of the dust cloud. Hazel fought his way out of the flames. If he had reacted only a second later, I could've broken his neck with that punch. He must have used the movements of the dust to predict the spot of my attack. Clever boy.
Rather than press the assault, Hansel instead retreated. If he had managed to injure me, that would have been a great finisher. But instead, he gave me the perfect chance to retrieve Wolf Fang! He noted as his broken arm repaired itself with his Aura. A chance I have to take!
Hansel grabbed Wolf Fang just as Hazel stepped out of the cloud of flame and dust. Hansel quickly channeled black flames into the blade and swung it in a wide arc, sending a wave of black flames towards Hazel. Hazel instinctively crossed his arms and dug his heels into the ground as the arc of flames collided with his body. I'll keep my arms close to my neck and chest. He'll set up his next move quickly like before and go for my neck. And if he goes for my heart, I can move my arms quick enough to block.
The flames then cleared, just as Hansel came upon Hazel. He propelled himself into the air with an explosion of black flames and slashed vertically across Hazel's midsection. Hazel's eyes widened as blood flew from his body. It was a deep cut, but not a fatal one thanks to his massive Aura reserves. Hansel flipped over his shoulder
Did I miscalculate? No…he predicted how I was going to block his attack! Damn, so the boy is smarter than I gave him credit for. The quick decisions he made earlier were not just flukes. He is not just brute force. He has a tactical mind as well. Hazel realized. Not only that, but he also perfectly suppressed his Aura, forcing me to time the attack instead of perfectly reading his movements.
Hazel was then cut from his thoughts when he suddenly sensed Hansel's bloodlust directed at him. He's going for the kill! Hazel realized as he maneuvered his body just in time to avoid what could have been a fatal stab in the heart from behind.
Hansel had no time to be frustrated as Hazel whipped his body with enough force to throw him off and wrench his sword from his body. He watched as the two wounds he gave Hazel quickly closed thanks to his Aura healing him. That's going to become a huge problem if this keeps up. He noted to himself.
What's more…how does he keep shrugging off all the pain so easily to continue fighting? No matter how strong someone's Aura is, or how strong someone else is, they should be slowed down by a millisecond at least by pain, no matter how good their pain tolerance is.
Hazel scowled at Hansel. "Your bloodlust gave you away, boy." He derided. "Not that I blame you, of course. Try as we might, we cannot disguise our intent to kill as we go for the fatal blow. Tyrian's inability to do that is how I won every single match against him."
"You're on the wrong side to lecture me like some kind of teacher." Hansel replied.
The two then started circling each other, like lions about to pounce on one another. Hansel narrowed his eyes, realizing what the secret behind Hazel's insane pain tolerance was. "Let me guess, your Semblance nullifies pain, right?"
"Very good, boy." Hazel praised. "My Semblance is called Numbing Agent. It makes me immune to pain. As Her Grace describes, I am her perfect juggernaut of power. You can strike me and injure me as many times as you want, you will never make me cry out in pain."
"Until I drain your Aura." Hansel pointed out. "Semblances can't work without it, don't forget that."
"Easier said than done. Don't be so arrogant, boy." Hazel sneered. "I have served Her Grace for years, and only she has drained my Aura to zero during that time."
He then breathed deeply. "Still, I will give credit where credit is due. When I was informed the attack on the Vytal Festival failed, largely in part because of the interference of one insignificant boy, I was baffled. Even if you are a Kobalt, ruining such a large-scale plan shouldn't have been possible. However, seeing you in action now, I finally understand how Cinder and Adam were both stopped in their tracks by you." Hazel praised. "You have my respect and my acknowledgement as a Huntsman of great caliber. Ozpin certainly taught you well. Though I suppose that man would put a lot of investment into one of his 'weapons', right?"
Hansel scowled back, not liking how Hazel was speaking of his mentor and father figure. "Did you know that Her Grace is quite interested in recruiting you to her side. She is convinced that you will one day end up on our team." Hazel told him.
"Is this the part where you ask for my resume or a letter of recommendation or two?" Hansel deadpanned. "Though to be frank, I'm not interested in switching teams."
"I figured as much. To be frank, though I've served Salem loyally for many years, her interest in you is the one thing I just can't seem to understand." Hazel admitted. "After all, you are Ozpin's man through and through, aren't you? His loyal dog. Unlike plenty of others, your heart cannot be swayed so easily."
"Damn straight I'm Ozpin's man." Hansel said without hesitation.
"A pity," Hazel mused, "tell me, young man, how does it feel to know that you will die for nothing?"
Hansel fell silent at that statement. "You're just another weapon to Ozpin. Another weapon for him to use in a war he cannot win." Hazel lamented. "And once you inevitably break like all of his other weapons, he'll just move onto another one, like a child who just broke their first toy."
Hansel's grip tightened on Wolf Fang. He could feel his rage building at Hazel's words. "Oh, I'm sure he'll mourn you for a while," Hazel shrugged, "but in the end you'll just be another grave in the great big cemetery of people who have died for him. Just another statistic."
"Don't talk about Professor Ozpin like you know him, you son of a bitch!" Hansel snapped.
"Oh, I do know him, boy." Hazel promised.
"My name is Hazel Rainart," Hazel properly introduced himself now, "if you survive this, do ask Ozpin if he knows me. Then, you will understand what I mean about him and the soldiers under his command."
"You think he cares for you? Or these children that are his students? Your students?" Hazel then snapped. "Bullshit! You're all just weapons to him! Weapons for him to discard and draw as he needs!"
"And what about Salem, huh?" Hansel countered.
"At least with Salem, the only ones who have to fear death are those foolish enough to oppose her." Hazel claimed. "Children don't have to die because of her. They just have to get in line and listen to their elders."
Hansel almost charged at Hazel in a rage. Everything about this guy pissed him off. The insults to Ozpin, the sheer hypocrisy of his insane moral compass, everything. "Blind rage and righteous rage are two very different things, Hansel, never forget that." Hansel froze as one of Ozpin's lessons rang out in his head at just the right moment.
"Righteous rage can be controlled, channeled into positivity. However, it can easily turn into blind rage. And blind rage is the enemy of victory in life or death battles. You will encounter some truly depraved people, Hansel. People that will make you hate them. But make no mistake, the one who loses himself to rage first is the one who will die in a life or death struggle."
"I am not just training you to be strong, Hansel. I'm training you to survive. I'm training you to live."
Hansel took a deep breath. That's right, this is bigger than me and how much I hate this bastard. This is for the war against Salem, because if I remove him from play, she loses a crucial comrade. This is to keep the students safe too.
Hansel paused as a brief smile curled across his lips. Well, shit. Guess I do care about the brats, huh? He mused to himself.
But yeah, this is bigger than me. The only thing that matters is beating this guy. I cannot let him get to me, no matter how much I hate his guts.
"You're spacing out, boy!" Hazel yelled, appearing in front of Hansel in a single bound.
Hansel leaned to the side and avoided Hazel's punch. He stabbed Hazel in the stomach and then slammed his head into Hazel's, something that was possible due to Hazel leaning forward to punch him. Hazel grunted, stunned by the surprising move from Hansel.
"I don't know what went down between you and Professor Ozpin." Hansel admitted. "So I won't bother commenting on it. As far as I'm concerned, that's between the two of you, I've got nothing to do with it."
"Do you hear me? Whatever went down between the two of you, it has nothing to do with me. I refuse to let that change what I do know. And what I do know is that I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Professor Ozpin!" Hansel exclaimed.
Flames then gathered around Hansel's sword and exploded inside of Hazel. Hazel yelled in surprise as the explosion sent him flying away from Hansel. "Whatever history you have with him, I can't abide by someone who insults Professor Ozpin and what he stands for. I won't stand for that bullshit!" Hansel yelled.
Hazel rose to his feet as his wounds closed. He glared at Hansel. "I see. It's like I said before. You really are-"
"Ozpin's man through and through." Hansel finished with a nod. "You're damn right."
Two men with increasing hate for one another stared each other down, ready to continue their fight. For his part, Hazel wanted to shake his head in disappointment. I find myself disbelieving your notion that he will join us more and more, Your Grace. Hazel admitted to himself, thinking about Salem.
This boy will not join us. Ozpin has brainwashed him far too much for that. At the rate he's going, he's just going to be another fool who died a meaningless death. Someone like him would be useless to our cause.
Meanwhile, back at the fights between Yang and Mercury and Weiss and Emerald, the fights began to pick up the pace once more. Mercury finally ended a seemingly endless grapple-off with Yang with a headbutt to the face. Yang grunted in pain as the blow forced her off of Mercury. Mercury let out a kiai as he kicked Yang in the stomach. He added a shotgun shell into the blast for increased impact and damage.
The impact sent Yang flying from Mercury. Mercury, however, quickly cleared the distance between them in a single bound. "There's still more!" He exclaimed.
Spinning to increase momentum, Mercury threw another kick that went straight into Yang's head. He quickly added another shotgun blast for added damage that sent Yang spinning. The blonde felt her vision darken. She could tell that her body was starting to reach its limit.
Weiss, for her part, was gazing upon a motionless Emerald. The projectiles had struck her all over and sent her flying out of the gravity glyph's field. Stay on your guard, Weiss thought to herself, keeping Myrtenaster near her heart for defense, she could very well have put me under an illusion. If that's the case, another attack could be coming from anywhere-
Weiss was cut from her thoughts when she felt something sharp stab into her stomach, breaking right through her Aura. Weiss looked down to see one of Emerald's blades embedded into her body. A bloody Emerald then revealed herself, staring Weiss in the face with a manic gleam. "That actually hurt. I had to take that hit for this to work, you bitch." Emerald spat.
"But see, that's just the thing, the key to victory is mental fortitude." Emerald bragged as she raised her other blade into the air. "You showed me everything you had, as did I. Which means it was my resolve that brought me the win!"
Nearby, Yang's vision returned. Shit, I wasn't out for too long was I. Yang immediately saw Mercury approaching her slowly, cautiously. Good, it was probably only a second or two.
Shit, my head's ringing too. I guess I'm concussed. This sucks ass! Yang added, clutching her forehead as she rose to her feet.
"I'll grant ya this, Blondie, you definitely improved from last time." Mercury praised in a somewhat mocking tone of voice. "But it still ain't enough to beat me going at full-force."
Could do without this jerk talking. Yang glowered at him.
Okay, think this through here, Yang, the more damage you take, the stronger you get. That's Burn in a nutshell. But at the rate this is going, I'm going to run out of Aura before I can knock this prick out. So what the hell can I do? What have I learned from Teach, and an entire year at Beacon that can help me beat this guy?
Yang remembered everything Hansel had told her and the rest of the team before landing in Ever After Forest. I can't lose. Not to people like this guy!
Then, for some reason, something her dad once said to her after her acceptance letter to Beacon came. "They really do grow up so fast, huh? I still remember your first haircut, the moment your Semblance first manifested. It really is just one big temper tantrum."
Ruby had been laughing at their dad's description of her Semblance. "But it's a perfect Semblance for you. A strong, determined woman who bulldozes her way through every challenge. Just be smart with it, and you'll be fine, sweetie." Taiyang added with a proud smile.
Seriously? I need a spark of inspiration and that comes to mind? Oh, fuck me, is this because even I know I'm going to die and I want my last thoughts to be of my family?
Yang shook her head. No, screw that, that ain't my mentality at all. Mama ain't no quitter. I remembered that for a reason.
Yang tried to focus on her lessons at Beacon. Then she remembered all the advice Hansel had given her about her Semblance, along with his lessons about how Semblances can grow and evolve into something even the user did not expect.
"Spacing out on me, Blondie?" Mercury taunted. "Your funeral!"
Mercury threw a kick at Yang. Yang instinctively blocked the kick with both arms, but was still pushed away. She stayed on her feet as she skidded to a stop. Temper tantrum…the evolution and growth of a Semblance…how I fight…
Then, a spark of inspiration struck Yang. It was certainly a gamble, because even she did not know how it was going to turn out. But, it was do or die, and she certainly did not want to die.
"Oh, what the hell." She concluded, uncrossing her arms and ready for one final round with Mercury.
Mercury narrowed his eyes. Her demeanor has completely changed. He noted.
Back at Weiss and Emerald's fight, Emerald stabbed towards Weiss' face, intent on ending this fight. "It's over, I win, Weiss Schnee!" Emerald declared.
Then, much to Emerald's surprise, Weiss found the strength to push through the pain of being stabbed in the stomach to raise her hand and create a glyph between herself and Emerald. When Emerald's weapon struck it, she was immediately shocked by several volts of electricity. Shit that hurts! Emerald shrieked inwardly. She switched to a lightning-Dust glyph?
Emerald stumbled backwards in pain. Weiss panted heavily, clutching the open wound on her stomach. "You think you're the only one with mental fortitude? I've got plenty of that in spades, Emerald." Weiss promised.
Weiss then gave the thief a confident smirk. "And while we're on the subject, you mentioned that I showed you everything I had in this fight."
Emerald's eyes widened at what Weiss said next. "Since when were you under the impression," Weiss continued as a giant glyph manifested behind her, "that I showed you everything I had to offer.
A giant suit of armor then appeared from the glyph, ready to do Weiss' bidding. Emerald could only gape in awe at Weiss showing her a power that she never once imagined the prissy, pampered rich girl having this kind of ace up her sleeve. "This is my all, Emerald." Weiss revealed. "So tell me, do you have enough so-called 'mental fortitude' to deal with this?"
Meanwhile, deeper into the forest, Cinder Fall let a scowl fall across her face when she noticed something that gave her pause. I can feel the presence of the other half of the Fall Maiden drawing away from me. Cinder noted. So she is fleeing? Damn it, Hazel, what in the world are you doing?!
Cinder instinctively broke into a sprint. I cannot fail again! I cannot let the Fall Maiden's full power elude me again!
Cinder's Aura-sensing then flared in response to Hazel's Aura flaring for combat. Whoever he's fighting, he's fighting them with much more seriousness than before. Wait, that Aura, that's…
Cinder chuckled. Oh, I see, so you finally made it here, Hansel Kobalt. That's good, that's good. I have much to pay you back for from the Vytal Festival. I almost lost favor with Her Grace over your interference! But if you're fighting Hazel, I suppose I won't get that chance.
Then, Cinder sensed the Aura of two others moving deeper into the forest. Two presences on a crash course with her. She could tell they were trying to hide their Auras. One was doing better than the other. However, Cinder's status as a Maiden gave her sensory abilities that surpassed most Huntsmen. No matter how well they could hide their presence, they could not properly hide from her, not for long. Especially if she was concentrating her sensory abilities. Cinder recognized the one that was not as good at hiding her presence, and it made her smile with wicked elation.
And you're here too. Oh, what a happy day this is! Cinder giddily thought to herself. I hope you are prepared for what is coming next. I've waited so long to pay you back for what you did to me.
"Just thinking about it makes the scar ache!" Cinder declared. "I can't wait to kill you, Ruby!"
AN: So, let me just get this out of the way first. The only reason Hazel wasn't blind permanently was because he only received a shallow cut. This wasn't like the case with Maria Calavera. And the fact that we don't see her actually lose her eyes does leave it to speculation as to how badly Tock got her.
I've waited so long for Hansel vs Hazel, especially after the confirmation that Hazel is the canon interpretation of Hansel from Hansel and Gretel. Well, thankfully, there is another Fairy Tale character that Hansel represents. A secret fairy tale character.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. See you all next time.