Six more chapters. And then everything changes.
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Jacques had been sitting in the cell block by his lonesome ever since Robyn, Qrow, and Marrow had broken out. Leave it to a criminal like that Cinder Fall woman to throw everything into chaos again. The Atlesian elite just sighed in boredom. Even if they were insufferable and downright irritating, at least those three kept him from feeling true isolation. He didn't have the courage to ask the guards for an update. If anything, they'd probably just tell him to shut up. As he let out another sigh, the door to the brig opened and he saw Ironwood get shoved through, followed by Winter.
"Winter?" Jacques asked, making sure this wasn't just some hallucination.
"Jacques," Winter curtly greeted before she moved over and shoved Ironwood into a nearby cell. The general seemed barely conscious at this point, almost as if he was sleepwalking.
"What…what are you doing?"
"What I should've done from the start. Bringing down a dictator," the eldest Schnee sibling pressed a few buttons on the cell's controls and activated its Hardlight walls, sealing the general inside.
"Ironic. I never liked you siding with him, you know. His stubbornness, his abuse of power on the council-" Jacques began to list off.
"Stubbornness and abuse of power…sure you're not projecting?" Winter interjected, cutting her birth father off. Instead of trying to argue his side of things, Willow's first ex-husband actually changed the subject.
"How's…how's Whitley doing? Given everything?"
"Why do you care? You never cared about me or Weiss, did you?"
"Is it so hard to imagine that a man can change during the end of the world?" Jacques huffed.
"For most people, no. For you though?" Winter began, turning to face him. There were so many choice words she could say here, vent all of that anger she had for him. But she didn't. The general's now former second in command composed herself, taking a deep breath.
"...Atlas is falling," Winter finally said.
"W-what? What do you mean the city's falling?!" Jacques panicked.
"You…you're taking the Staff?" a groggy voice spoke up. Winter and Jacques both turned to see Ironwood, full consciousness having returned to him.
"Yes, general," Winter hissed with disdain.
"And you're just…callously ok with that," the general sighed, "I've chased a lot of shadows over the years, always expecting betrayal, but never once did I expect it from my own daughters."
"Just like Jacques, you lost the right to call either of us your children, you hypocrite. You had secret plans to neutralize us the entire time."
"You would do the same thing in my position!"
"I would actually trust the people who are supposed to be my goddamn allies!" Winter yelled, "I have not once faltered in my duty in fighting the enemies of this Kingdom…and I won't start now."
"Winter…I know what is best for Atlas, but no one can see it! They're all blaming me for trying to do the right thing! Look at all I have sacrificed!" the general tried to counter.
"No, you didn't sacrifice a damn thing. You had everyone else sacrifice for you. You put up the embargo, you choked Mantle, deprived it of needed resources, you tried to turn Penny into a mindless puppet! You tried to control everything around you and when you couldn't, you tried to destroy it. If you were armed and you weren't behind a shield, I know you'd try to shoot me. Just like you tried with Cammie."
Ironwood didn't say anything, just backing away from the shield. The now ex-Specialist didn't need to hear anymore from the steel-hearted man. Winter just turned and began marching out of the brig.
"Oh…oh god," the Atlesian elite's eyes widened, racing up to the cell wall and placing his hand on the barrier, "Does this mean you're going to leave me here?!"
"No. Unlike the general, we have a plan in place to save the populations of both Atlas and Mantle. But you two will be going last."
"Oh…oh Winter, thank yo-"
"It wasn't my decision. No matter how much you might deserve it. Both of you," the elder Schnee sibling walked out of the brig, the door hissing shut behind her.
Fear and confusion spread among the refugees as they huddled together, seeking refuge in the dimly lit subway station. Their eyes were fixed on the mysterious portal which had suddenly materialized near them, emanating a strange energy that sent shivers down their spines.
"What is it?" Someone in the crowd asked, curious.
As the crowd pushed forward to get a better look at the portal, a bespectacled man was thrust to the front. Someone in the crowd saluted this "brave volunteer" as he was forced to investigate the portal. He took a few anxious steps forward before he swiftly picked up a rock from the subway floor, a piece of debris knocked loose from the ceiling, and hurled it towards the pulsating portal with as much force as he could. Right as he threw it, someone emerged from the portal, putting themselves right in the way of the thrown rock. The unfortunate newcomer was smacked in the head by the thrown stone.
"Everyone-OW!" the stranger yelled, cut off by the rock, "Gaaaah, damn it, that hurt!" The citizens dove back behind cover upon seeing and hearing someone walk through the portal.
"Yoooowch. Whoever threw that has one hell of an arm. Everyone, relax! It's just me," Ben produced his Omnitrix, rubbing the spot where he was struck, "The...alien guy."
"Ben?" Neon asked, peeking her head around a wall, lowering her weapon upon seeing a familiar face, "Oh my god, it is you!" The feline Faunus skated up ahead and greeted the Omnitrix wielder with a friendly hug.
"Nice to see you, too," Ben smirked and hugged back.
"How did you do this?" the hyperactive girl broke the hug and motioned to the giant portal behind the Omnitrix wielder, "What even is this?!"
"This is our plan. It's how we're gonna get everyone out."
"What, is this one of your aliens? What do you call him, Portaler?" Flynt joked.
"Pfft. Nah. That's a lame name, even by my standards. Come on, follow me." Ben Ben scoffed at the name before he motioned for everyone to step through. There was a little hesitation from the general civilians, but they'd follow if one of their protectors went in first. So Flynt was the first to step on through with Neon close behind. The other civilians soon followed them through. Once they crossed over, they were greeted with an odd sight that could only be described as a pocket dimension.
"...this is still one of your aliens, right?" Flynt asked, completely awestruck.
Ben just smirked instead of answering.
"Right?!"
The dimension itself consisted of an empty void colored a deep shade of blue, with golden bridges criss-crossing across the otherworldly space. Many of the bridges converged at different circular shaped platforms of a deeper shade of yellow, larger ones serving as connections between bridges and smaller ones acting as entry points. Three oval portals with golden outlines and light blue light shining on the inside were arrayed around the smaller platforms at three points, the bottom of the platform connected to one of the golden bridges.
At the far end of the bridge network was a much larger platform, the end point of several bridges, that could hold quite a substantial number of people. Towering over the platform was a much wider, much taller, single portal that functioned as an exit. If everything had gone according to plan, crossing over from this pocket dimension would carry the people hundreds of thousands of miles across the planet.
"What...is this?" Neon asked.
"A one way ticket to Vacuo." Ben declared. "Oh, uh, you might wanna take off your skates. Guy who set this up warned us not to fall off. Probably should have made some guard rails."
"Goood thing the wheels come off," the energetic member of FNKI muttered, quickly backtracking a bit so she could be on stable ground. After disconnecting the wheels from the bottom of her boots, she walked back into the pocket dimension and just took in the sight.
"This is...certainly something," Ivori commented, not really able to find the accurate words to describe what he was seeing. The sound of something soaring through the air, almost like a jet plane, grabbed their attention, Kobalt almost sprang into action, ready to fight, until he saw who it was. It was Penny, a fully human Penny, flying around in the air thanks to a set of green flames beneath her feet.
"7th Street subway has been alerted! Yaz is on her way!" Penny announced.
"Great to hear!" Ben shouted up to Mantle's Protector, "Any word from the mines?"
"You mean us?" Fiona shouted. Ben turned around to see the sheep Faunus on another platform, hands cupped around her mouth so that her words would carry across the void better. Joana, after taking in the sheer spectacle of the place, gave the Outcast a wave when she saw him and he returned it.
"The mines?" Flynt repeated.
"The portals connect to all of Atlas and Mantle," Ben explained, "Anywhere there are people taking shelter, they got a portal ready for 'em."
"Seriously!? Damn. This…this is crazy. Guess you did have a better plan than Ironwood."
"Not really," Ben visibly looked bothered by the comment, "We...only came up with this an hour ago."
"An hour!?" Team FNKI yelled in disbelief.
"I mean that's all the time he gave us, really. You heard the broadcast, right?"
"Fair enough," Flynt said. "Better get these guys through the portal then. Sounds like you could use the help here. So, see you on the other side?"
Ben nodded. "See you in Vacuo."
With the explanation given and some help from FNKI, the Happy Huntresses, the Outcasts, and other allies directing them, more and more people began to pour through the portals. They were quickly making their way towards the exit portal, some of them totally dumbfounded by the laws of physics being so completely destroyed like this.
But not all of the Outcast were directing the evacuation. A full team of people were assembled before the towering gateway, sort of a vanguard for the trip over. Half the Outcasts were a few steps away from the gate. Once all these people crossed, their negative emotions would serve as a massive flare to the Grimm on the other side, but hopefully, they shouldn't have to worry about the beasts too much. Ciel, Holiday, Six, Pietro, Ari and Levi were among the first people through, acting as guides and providing other relief services.
"We all clear on the plan?" Oscar asked, looking at those assembled. Aside from himself, there was Min, Kevin, Kylie, Rook, and Ceres.
"Yep. Once we're through, we should find ourselves on the city's doorstep and if we need help, we call," Ceres recapped.
"...Kevin," Min reached out her hand and took his, "Once things are...I guess settled, we can talk, ok?"
"Yeah. I'd...I'd like that." Kevin said, closing his eyes and taking a breath, "I'd like that a lot."
"I just hope everything will go as planned. I am not afraid of heights, but..." Rook's eyes drifted down to the void beneath his feet.
"Agreed. It's scary." Ceres admitted. "I'll stay back here, okay?"
"Our first responder in case things go south," Kylie smirked.
"Of course," the Archimedian saluted.
"Alright guys. Let's go to-" Oscar said, stepping through the portal. The others all followed suit, the glowing light rippling as each person stepped through as if it was the lightly-disturbed surface of a pond.
"-Vacuoooooo-OH COME ON!" Oscar finished on the other side of the gate. His words were almost lost on the raging winds of the sandstorm the group now found themselves in the middle of.
"You gotta be kidding," Kylie deadpanned.
"Which way is the city?!" Kevin yelled over the winds.
"It must be here somewhere!" Rook called out, trying to shield his eyes from the sand.
"Guys? Guys!" Ciel yelled, racing up to the newly arrived Outcasts, "We tried to call back and warn you but, this storm isn't just killing visibility!" The punctual Atlesian held up her Scroll and showed that it flashed two big words across the screen.
NO SIGNAL.
"Oh no..." Oscar muttered.
"Um, where are we?" the first of the bewildered Atlesian refugees asked, as more and more poured out of the evacuation dimension.
"Well...this is Vacuo," Kevin answered.
"...BULLSHIT, how the hell did we get here?" The refugee cursed.
"Magic," Kevin deadpanned.
"What!?"
"Listen, you see a dude turn into aliens and don't bat an eye. It's MAGIC, okay!?" Kevin frowned.
"Off to a great start…" Oscar sighed.
Back inside the central location, Ceres, Team FNKI, and some of the Happy Huntresses were directing more and more people through to the other side of the Vacuo gate.
"Alright, making good progress," Flynt reported, "I think. Head down and 'em out. Be right behind you."
"Better be!" Neon smirked as she dashed off towards the gateway.
Ben was acting as the messenger here, traveling to the portals no one had gone through and invited people to evacuate. He was charismatic enough to sell it well, too. He didn't flaunt it, but that extra bit of fame he had definitely helped.
Everything was going perfectly. The Outcasts couldn't ask for a smoother execution of their evac. However, amidst the advancing crowds of people, practically lost in the moving sea, was a single cloaked figure that followed those around her, for now. She adjusted her hood, just in case someone was able to catch a glimpse of her face. After crossing through, she looked around the central location and had to admit its impressiveness to herself. If these brats were anything, it was resourceful. She continued following the other civilians until they reached one of the larger platforms, where she just stopped. To others, it would appear as if she was just awestruck at the very existence of this place, but to her, it was a tactical decision. After all, she was right in the middle of the crowd, the perfect place to do the most damage. She smirked as her one good eye glowed with Maiden power.
Ben joined back with Ruby, a big smile on his face. "So far so good. Kinda thought we'd get some resistance, maybe from the Grimm, maybe the people, or any surviving soldiers, but...none so far."
"Good." Ruby beamed. She was smiling, genuinely smiling. Ben noticed and couldn't help but feel relieved. He'd been worried about her ever since the Hound.
...would...
When this was all over, would that be the right time?
"Hey, after we get to Vacuo...I wanna ask you something important." Ben suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?" Ruby asked. "What, what's up?"
"It's nothing, really. Just...I think we should talk it over before." Ben explained.
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Talk what over?"
Ben took a deep breath before speaking, his heart pounding in his chest. He was about to say something-
A high-pitched hissing sound rang through the air, catching some of the soon-to-be refugees' attention. The cloaked figure raised one of her hands, her palm aglow with sweltering power. She then snapped her fingers, a simple gesture but one that had dire consequences. A massive explosion rang out on the platform, inciting panic among every single person in the location.
The remaining Outcasts, Flynt, Ivori, and Penny all turned to see the explosion as people screamed in sheer panic. Bodies were hurled into the air like rag dolls thanks to the sheer power of the blast and they just plummeted. Without any way to catch them all, dozens of people just dropped into the abyss.
"No!" Penny yelled.
"BEN TENNYSON! RUBY ROSE!" a familiar voice shouted, echoing throughout the entire evacuation nexus, "We've come to kill you and take back what's OURS."
Cinder smirked as her cloak burned away in pieces.
"Is now a bad time?" the Fall Maiden scoffed.
Ben was about to activate the Omnitrix, and go full force Ultraviolent on her (yes, he was sticking with that name) when something wrapped around his waist.
Ben's pupils shrank as he realized what he grabbed him.
A collection of familiar green tentacles.
"Shi-!" Ben cursed, before he was yanked towards one of the various portals.
"Ben!" Ruby yelled, bringing out Crescent Rose. She tried to slash at the tendrils and sever them, free Ben from their grasp, but a glass arrow forced her to abandon that plan. She spun Crescent Rose in front of her and shattered the arrow, letting Ben be taken through the gateway back into one of the subways out in Atlas. Vilgax tossed Ben down the train platform, rolling his shoulders before drawing his massive blade, the weapon he dubbed Chikagetsu. Puffs of steam hissed out of his breathing mask as he narrowed his eyes at his nemesis.
"Tennyson," Vilgax growled.
Ben didn't respond, his reaction almost immediate upon seeing his old enemy. He slapped the Omnitrix and let the rage take over. Ultraviolet rushed towards the warlord and slammed his giant drill-like fins into Vilgax's chest, carving into his armor. Vilgax, unyielding and unfazed, swung his massive tendrils at Ben to swat him away like the fly the Murrian considered him, but his opponent was too quick. Ultraviolet dodged the attack and retaliated with a blast of energy that sent Vilgax flying across the subway.
"GET BACK HERE!" Ben yelled, flying after him.
Vilgax couldn't help but smile behind his mask. With Chikagetsu at the ready, Vilgax roared as he slashed out at Ultraviolent, clashing against the sharp arms of the alien. The two engaged in a violent duel that showered sparks down upon the rails. Ben ducked under one of the slashes and leapt up, slashing into Vilgax's chest with both arms in a devastating uppercut, leaving behind two deep gashes that would've been lethal to anyone else. Thanks to his annoying healing factor, the warlord's body just began to weave itself back together.
"WHY. DO. YOU. KEEP. COMING! BACK?!" Ben yelled between his follow-up slashes, aiming to just cut Vilgax apart. The last thrust was aimed to just stab right through Vilgax's eye, but the latest recruit to Salem's cabal caught his opponent's arm and simply growled.
"Because you still have so much left to lose," the Murrian threatened, using his free arm to grab Ben by the face and slam him into the third rail of the subway line, sending a current of electricity through his body.
No matter how much the shock hurt, Ben just *refused to stay down. With a short grunt, he pulled himself up and broke free of Vilgax's grip. His arms ignited with energy as he hammered away at the warlord's defenses, his armor being battered by strike after strike. Vilgax grunted as the blows connected, each one threatening to tear past his crimson armor, but he remained steadfast. He retaliated with a powerful punch to his nemesis's face, knocking Ben back once more. Ben staggered for just a moment before spinning around and launching right back into the assault with more continued attacks.
"I have so much to lose?!" Ben sneered, his voice dripping with anger. "You're the one who keeps losing! You lost to me when I was ten, when I thought I *killed you! I made you retreat down in Mantle! Salem's helping you but she's a smoldering heap right now! And you know what? You're going to lose again! Right here, right NOW!"
"Naïve as ever," Vilgax chuckled, "Did you not hear what Cinder said? We have come to take back what's ours. Who said I was her only support?"
"God damn it!" Flynt cursed, readying his trumpet for the fight ahead, but Weiss held out her hand to stop him.
"No! Keep helping the civilians! Cross over and tell the others if you have to!" Weiss sternly said.
"You sure?"
"After everything that's happened the last few days," Weiss loaded fresh Dust into the cylinder of her rapier to prepare, "yes."
"...good luck then, Weiss," Flynt tipped his hat before he motioned for Ivori to follow. At this point, the calm and orderly crowd had turned wild and panicked, with civilians making mad dashes for the portal. They did their best to try and keep things orderly enough to where people weren't at risk of falling over the side.
Team RWBY and Emerald quickly raced over to the platform Cinder had so "graciously" cleared for them, wherever they were in the evacuations. Ruby didn't even waste time and fired off a few shots at Cinder. A wall of flame cut off the shots, incinerating them before they even reached the Fall Maiden.
"Hello...traitor," Cinder hissed, giving a passing glance to Emerald. The thief felt a shiver of fear creep up her spine as she felt her now former teammate's eyes bore into her.
"Ignore her," Ruby frowned, stepping in front of the green thief and catching Cinder's attention, "This is between us."
"You know, you're right. Just like your little friend Oscar. But the easy part ends now."
How did she know about that? Weiss thought to herself.
Ruby rushed in and tried to hook Crescent Rose's blade around the Maiden's waist. A blast of fire from her hand launched Cinder above the strike, stabilizing herself with her flames. She summoned up an obsidian spear, spun it in her fingers and then threw it, aiming it at the distracted Weiss. She quickly snapped out of it and was able to dodge out of the way, spinning the chamber on Mrytenaster until it clicked, stopping on the wind Dust. She reared the rapier back and thrust forward, allowing for a concentrated gust to slam into Cinder.
Yang rushed in, ready to throw some of her own punches.
"Round 3!" the brawler yelled.
The Fall Maiden conjured up and stabbed a glass word into the platform to stop her from being blasted by the wind. She turned to see the blonde brawler rush towards her and smirked.
"Funny...that's what he wants, too," Cinder said ominously.
A shot rang out, knocking Yang off balance as she rushed in.
"Hey Blondie!" Mercury shouted, "Ready for a rematch?"
Yang frowned as she skidded back, "Great. Two psychos..."
Mercury grinned as he stared down the blonde and former teammate. "Disappointing that Emerald sided with you guys...though, I can't wait to break that news to Hope."
"You wouldn't." Emerald grit her teeth.
"Hey, she has a right to know, doesn't she? I mean, better than going on thinking she still has a girlfriend," the assassin's son taunted.
That sent Emerald over the edge. She let out a war-cry as she unfurled the blades of Thief's Respite and ran in. Yang was about to stop her but nothing she said would get through to the green haired girl, just rolling her eyes and following in after her. Mercury smirked as he ducked under the first of Emerald's enraged swings, dodging and weaving through the rest of the assault before he brought his leg up to clash with the curved blade. Another strike from Emerald forced him to break the struggle, if he'd been a second slower then Emerald could've hit something important to his prosthetic. The assassin's son parried aside another slash, before kicking his former partner in the chest, sending her staggering back. Yang used the opportunity to rush in from his flank and land a right jab to his ribs. The hit was strong enough to make Mercury's Aura react, a quick flash of white energy blinking over his form.
While the most unlikely of duos fought her ally, Cinder rushed in with all of her fury firmly aimed at Ruby. Glass swords appeared in her hands as she engaged in a flurry of wild slashes that Ruby was forced to block and parry. She tried to cleave the Fall Maiden in half with a side slash, but a boost of flame launched Cinder into the air and over the strike. A black glyph appeared beneath Blake's feet, courtesy of Weiss. The feline Faunus used the glowing glyph to leap into the air and clash with Cinder, Gambol Shroud striking against those obsidian black blades. Blake managed to land a side kick to the side of Cinder's head and throw her off balance, knocking her back to the ground. That was just the opening Blake needed as she descended, blade at the ready. Gambol Shroud would've found Cinder's heart if it hadn't been for that damned Shadow Hand of her's grabbing hold of the blade. Cinder smirked as she threw Blake aside, but instead of stumbling, she landed on her feet gracefully. Weiss even summoned another platform glyph to aid her friend.
Cinder's eyes burned with a vengeful fire as she quickly assessed the chaotic battlefield. Determined to gain the upper hand, she conjured an array of deadly obsidian knives in her hands. With a swift motion, she unleashed the smaller blades, sending them hurtling through the air towards their targets. Blake thought they'd be coming for everyone engaged in the intense battle, but that wasn't the case. No, Cinder had something much more *cruel in mind.
The sharp blades of obsidian whizzed through the chaos, finding their marks with precision, their marks being any unsuspecting citizens who were unfortunate enough to be *around. Many of the daggers thrown were lethal, stabbing into people's throats, heads, or hearts. Some daggers were off just enough to where they were only wounded instead of killed, but Cinder seemingly thought of that. Those people struck by the daggers, dead or wounded, stumbled and fell off their respective bridges, lost to the abyss below.
"NO!" Ruby gasped.
"Oh, it seems my aim's still off," Cinder falsely lamented, "I was aiming for you."
Ruby's eyes blazed with determination as she faced Cinder.
"I'll gouge your other stupid eye out if I have to!" Ruby shouted before she lunged forward, using her speed to close the distance between herself and Cinder in an instant. Crescent Rose whirled through the air as she swung it with precision, aiming to strike at Cinder's vulnerable points.
Cinder, however, was not one to be caught off guard so easily. She swiftly evaded Ruby's attack, dancing away from the deadly swing of the scythe. A wicked smile played on her lips as she taunted her young opponent, relishing in the intensity of the battle.
"How's your boyfriend, by the way? Heard Ironwood gave him a nasty concussion. I hope Vilgax won't bang him up too bad..." Cinder faked concern, "I'd love to pick at the scraps."
"You won't get the chance!" Ruby promised, slashing at the Fall Maiden, only for her to duck under the swing and counter with a fire-boosted kick to the red-hooded huntress' gut. Ruby was sent flying back from the hit as Weiss and Blake rushed in, trying to ensnare Cinder in a pincer attack. She was less than impressed. She spun in place, flames and glass surrounding her in a massive vortex that reached skyward. The shards of black glass swirled between the fiery winds before being launched out at the monochrome duo. Weiss summoned up a shield glyph and let the shards shatter against it, while Blake used shadows to tank the barrage of glass and dodge out of the way.
Weiss switched the selected Dust in her cylinder, swapping from pale green to a deep blue. The heiress slashed the air, unleashing a large crescent wave at the flaming vortex. Upon impact, the water evaporated into mist, blinding Cinder for a second just as Weiss had planned. The monochrome duo charged in, ready to leap up and knock their fiery enemy off her scorching highground.
However, Cinder was far from easily overwhelmed. With a flourish of her hand, she unleashed a spew of flames, the intense heat radiating from her attack cut through and dispelled the steamy smokescreen. The scorching inferno surged towards Weiss and Blake, threatening to engulf them in its destructive embrace. Weiss reacted quickly, pulling Blake close and summoning a glyph in front of her, creating a protective shield to deflect the oncoming flames.
At the same time, Emerald and Yang tried to coordinate as best as they could, but considering that they'd also fought against each other, it wasn't exactly the smoothest combo. Mercury, meanwhile, had all the advantages. He knew how both of them fought, what to say to get under their skin, how to counter their moves, and his job was made all the easier by them not really knowing the other's style. When Emerald went in for a quick slash, Yang rushed in from the other side to try and pincer him, but he ducked under the twin attacks and spun around, sweeping their legs out from under them. He quickly and seamlessly transitioned into a somersault that would let him crush Emerald's chest underfoot. The green-haired girl rolled out of the way and jumped as well, firing off a series of rounds that bit away at Mercury's alabaster Aura. Yang quickly got back to her feet as well, launching herself forwards, only for her next right hook to clash with the assassin's mechanical leg.
"First you're one of his shining stars, then you're Atlas' Most Wanted. How's it feel to take my old man's spot as public enemy number one?" Mercury scoffed.
"Do you ever shut up?!" Yang hissed.
"Not when I know all this talk is working!" Mercury forced the brawler's arm aside and landed a three-hit kick combo to her chest, making her stagger back.
Back in the subway, Vilgax blocked another double thrust from Ben's sharpened arms, the blades of Ultraviolent bouncing off the thick bone of the repurposed To'kustar fin. A few heavy swings from Vilgax put his nemesis on the back foot, forcing him to weave and swerve between slashes, until the Murrian warlord launched his whip at the Laceritter form. The tendril wrapped around Ben's neck before Vilgax lifted him off the ground and spun around in place, slamming Ben into pillar after pillar, wall after wall down in the subway. The Murrian smirked when he used the momentum to launch Ben into the ceiling, the impact causing the stone above him to crack before he thudded back into the floor. Vilgax first picked Ben back up and then he roared, punching his enemy right through the portal. The warlord cracked his neck and leapt in after him with his blade raised. Ben groaned as he got up, but he couldn't get back on his feet fully before Vilgax emerged from the portal. Ben rolled out of the way as Chikagetsu stabbed down into the golden pathway.
"Real smart, Vilgax," Ben hissed as he leapt back to his feet, "Bring us back to where you're outnumbered!"
"Did you already forget how little your numbers mean to me? Not even your paltry excuses of 'cruisers' could harm me," the warlord boasted.
"Because Breach probably saved your sorry ass before the shells made impact!"
Vilgax chuckled. "I shall admit, she can be quite handy in certain situations. Her timing and speed are impeccable as well. I have to wonder why good help is so hard to find nowadays..."
"Why even do this to yourself?! Why enhance your body to settle a score? I'm not the one who destroyed your homeworld! I was a kid, for christ's sake!" Ben ranted. "You hurt my best friend just to regain your former glory, and even that wasn't enough! Why? WHY THE HELL DID YOU COME BACK IF YOU WERE JUST GONNA PULL THIS SHIT!?"
"As Fall can attest, revenge is quite the driving force. Hatred born from it can sustain one far past a normal breaking point," Vilgax explained, "You may not have been directly responsible, but you ensured I could not save who remained. My planet was gone, but my people survived. I could have saved some of them, and protected those scant survivors from the Fulmini! But you...you and your pathetically binary code of ethics couldn't see that. Your own biases condemned an entire species! Perhaps that one Plumber had some truth to his words. What was his name? Servantis, I believe?"
"What? Because I had the audacity to be a kid? Because I acted with my heart and not my emotions! You just attacked me! You came after me, my friends! I'm sorry if this sounds callous, but I had no stake in your little war with the Fulmini! If you came as an ally, in the end you were just going to use me weren't you?!" Ben argued.
"Not you," the Murrian corrected and pointed to Ben's chest,"That. Azmuth claims to be the smartest being in five galaxies and yet he realized that such a device could prevent extinction. Why put in the effort when you can play GOD and just restart? Or has the story of the Brothers not changed your view?"
"How do you-?!"
"She told me, explained it all to me after I ran her through with my blade and ripped her head from her shoulders with my bare hands, as a test of her 'immortality.' She let me watch her flesh stitch back together before she told me of her quest of defiance. How the so-called 'gods' cursed her after wiping out their own creations, waiting for new ardent followers to rise from the ashes. I pledged my loyalty to her once her tale was done...because her defiance was familiar. It was befitting of a Murrian, and when all is said and done on this pathetic mudball, she will aid me in dealing back my pain to the Fulmini a thousand-fold!"
"How can I be content knowing that playing God is like some kid knocking down a bunch of block towers? There is no restart button, and there should never be one. If you're telling me you'd be content with watching everything burn down to ashes just so you can feel something, then maybe you should have never been a king, or monarch, or whatever the hell you're supposed to be." Ben countered with confidence, "This is MY life and you-!"
"Tell me, then." Vilgax suddenly interjected, "Have you ever wanted to walk away from that life?"
Ben held his position, taken off guard by that simple question.
"You can be honest. You've wanted to be 'normal' for a while, haven't you? The way you're pushing yourself through this one-sided battle tells me you're tired of a life like this. Your eyes show you want this fight to end soon...so allow me grant your wish." Vilgax prepared his next attack, leveling his blade behind and preparing to charge.
Normal.
What a powerful phrase. A normal life, a normal day, a normal existence. Anything may become ordinary to someone over time. The booming of trains as they pass by your house. A long wait at a restaurant you enjoy. Traffic on the way back to your flat. These kinds of things just build up and become normal to a person.
Ben thought back home, to Bellwood, a town full of normal people. When he thought of what an ordinary person's definition of 'normal' was, his childhood friend Jonesy came to mind. B average student in the suburbs. He was on the soccer team with him. He liked hot dogs, and hung up posters of his favorite baseball players on the walls. He didn't like pancakes. He hated people getting on his nerves.
That's a typical person.
Ben was the same way. He was 'normal'. All the strangeness in his life was gradually becoming routine. Giant spacecraft, aliens with delusions of grandeur or dreams of conquest, monstrous Grimm, and the insanity of the Hunters' weaponry They'd all become second nature to him.
Despite their differences in what was normal, Ben knew damn well Jonesy would fight to keep his normal life. Who wouldn't? Anyone would fight tooth and nail to protect their 'normal'.
And Ben's most normal thing he had was…his friends and family.
And Ruby.
Always Ruby.
A normal girl with normal knees.
Vilgax adjusted the grip on his sword before rushing at Ben and leaning into a swing that, if not interrupted, would cut right into Ben's neck. Before the blade could make contact, mere inches away from the alien form's neck. the vents on the Laceritter's arms began to roar with a new power. White energy roared out of the vents as if they were jet thrusters and-!
SLASH!
Vilgax finished the motion, his slashing moving to the other side of Ben. The Murrian warlord wore a sick, satisfied grin underneath his breathing mask. At this point, he was just waiting for Ben's head to fall from his shoulders. He wasn't usually one for mementos, but mounting Tennyson's skull above his command chair was an idea he could get behind. Only, Ben's head never fell. The grin faded and confusion took over Vilgax's mind before he looked to Chikagetsu-
The fin had been neatly seared in half. The part of the weapon that had been cleaved off was falling, spinning down into the endless abyss beneath the two. Ben's eyes were all locked onto Vilgax, taking in that rare sight of the warlord showing genuine surprise.
"Normal's a funny word, Vilgax," Ben snarled with one arm raised, practically covered in glowing white energy, almost like a fiery cone on an object as it re-entered the atmosphere, "It's all a matter of perspective. And this life, no matter what alien weirdness or Grimm madness walks into it, is normal to me."
And with his piece said, Ben proceeded to absolutely eviscerate the warlord in a flurry of punches. Portions of armor and bits of his flesh were torn off and burned away by the power of Ultraviolent's white U.V.
"Die...die...diedieDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!" Ben shouted as his punches got faster and faster, the Laceritter's penchant for violence slipping into his speech again. Vilgax wasn't even able to block as the white ultraviolet energy just tore through him. Yes, he could regenerate, but this assault was actually hurting.
Such overwhelming power made Cinder's duel almost come to a standstill. She watched in abject horror as Ben tore into Vilgax, watching pieces of his burnt body fall into the abyss.
Tennyson. Cinder cursed mentally. So...this is your normal?
Okay.
Throw your temper tantrum.
I'll destroy your normal life.
Cinder's gaze then shifted to Mercury's fight and she got an idea. Why hurt just Ben, when she could make this hurt for both of her worst enemies? She dodged a thrust from Myrtenaster and slashed at the heiress. One of her swords was hooked by Crescent Rose, much to the Fall Maiden's annoyance. She tried to free the blade, but Ruby was able to disarm her in the end, smacking her with the end of her weapon and making her stumble back. Cinder growled and morphed her remaining sword into a bow and fired off a trio of flaming arrows at the group, but the arrows were slashed out of the air by glowing green crystalline swords. Cinder watched as Penny descended, getting into a combat stance as she hovered in the air.
"Why did you have to come back?" Penny asked, "Why couldn't you learn your lesson?"
"Oh, Penny...I did," Cinder grinned, her Maiden flame flaring up. The shards from the arrows hissed and glowed before detonating, knocking back her four opponents. Cinder had to be quick about this. She turned her back to the group for a split second and made a swift hand motion, forming a hissing area of flaming energy that blazed beneath Emerald and Yang. The green-haired girl looked down and noticed the would-be mine. Without thinking, she shoved Yang out of the way and took the blast herself, thrown into the air from the blast. The explosion caught Blake's attention before she dodged another arrow sent her way, letting a shadow clone take the hit for her.
"Emerald!" Yang called out, watching the girl slam back down onto the pathway. She raced over and grabbed Emerald's hand before she could fall entirely. With no small amount of effort, the blonde pulled her once-enemy back onto the pathway and sighed.
"Did...you just...?" Emerald asked.
"Oh like I'm gonna let you fall!" Yang replied.
Yang was about to pull Emerald back up when a hard, metal boot smashed down on her arm. If it wasn't for her Aura, or what remained of it, her arm might have broken from the impact.
But instead, she recoiled in pain.
...
She lost her grip.
Emerald was no longer holding her hand.
The magical thief's eyes widened as she fell, darting around as she hastily tried to think of a plan. She grabbed Thief's Respite and shot out their chains to try and hook onto the pathway above.
"Come on, come o-!" Emerald pleaded, only to watch Mercury fire off two concussive rounds at the blades, shattering them to pieces.
Emerald's heart sank with fear as she started plummeting and Mercury, her former teammate, just watched on with a blank expression.
"See ya." the assassin's son smirked, giving one last taunting wave. Yang watched in horror as she saw Emerald fall further and further and further into the void.
Before she turned into golden dust.
"You're welcome for the help!" Cinder yelled.
Mercury didn't acknowledge her. "I knew Emerald would go soft. I don't exactly blame her. Hope made her heart weak. I don't buy into that crap, y'know..."
"...Hm. But you do." Mercury muttered as his eyes darted back to Blake.
The assassin took aim and fired off three rounds right at Blake, the cat Faunus still distracted by the fact that Emerald was just gone. Not a single trace of her remained.
"No...no, no, no!" Yang muttered, firing herself away from Mercury, much to her opponent's amusement. By some miracle, the blonde was faster than his bullets, expending every single shell loaded into Ember Celica to get there first. She shoved Blake out of the way and tanked all three shots, her golden Aura shattering as she was knocked off her feet...and off the platform.
Weiss and Ruby's pupils shrank in fear at what they saw, an electric shock of pure dread jolting through their bodies as they witnessed the impossible. The sound of Yang's body hurtling through the air was like thunder: booming, resounding, and deafening. Everything happened so quickly, as though time had suddenly decided to speed up and leave them behind in the wake of this disaster. For a moment, the world stopped turning. It was almost as if the air had been sucked out of their lungs with one harsh, swift gust.
Blake was the first to break from the shock-induced paralysis. Like a warrior awoken from a deep slumber to the harsh reality of battle, she rushed to Yang's side with an unwavering determination. Hopelessly, she threw her weapon down to her girlfriend.
She'd hoped Yang would catch it.
She always did.
She...she always-!
No. Gambol Shroud came an inch too short.
Blake just screamed.
Yang's body continued its downward descent, spiraling into the abyss like a leaf caught in a hurricane. Terror laced through Ben's veins as he watched the horrific scene, igniting a firestorm within him. He tried to break away to save Yang, but Vilgax caught him, and slammed him into the ground.
"Your happiness ends here," Vilgax hissed, his grip on Ben's chest like a vice.
"Get the fuck off!" Ben yelled, slashing off Vilgax's hand with a renewed fury, but he was too late. The Outcasts could only watch as Yang turned to golden dust, just as Emerald had, before it scattered in the void.
Ben's jaw was agape, his pupils small.
Yang...
Yang wa
Yang.
Yang?