chapter 26: farewell

—impossible ".Biju/Speaking Beast.

—" for her" Thoughts of characters.

—" How can I forget you ? " Thoughts of Biju/Invocation/Beast.

interesting."Character speaking.

No characters from Naruto or the RWBY series belong to me, this work is for mere entertainment, thank you in advance for reading this fanfic

—"Oh my God, this is incredible. Atlas' weaponry is impressive. Look at this damn... What are those? Laser beams? Wow."

Woooooo!

—"Ah, someone is calling me... Cinder, dear, how are you?"

—《Don't talk to me like that, Román!》.

—"I notice you're a little upset, has something happened to you?"

—《"You idiot! Why are you bombarding me?!"》

Cinder sounds furious, irate would be the most appropriate word to describe the rage she felt. She couldn't express it in words, only with her powerful voice. But Roman did not feel intimidated, he simply smiled arrogantly.

—"I'm afraid I don't understand. Bombing who?"

—"Motherfucker!". She screams louder. —《"I mean me! Why are you shooting at me?!"》.

—"Ah, yes... that," said Roman, scratching his head. "I don't think I'm the one bombarding you with Atlas' battleship. It's a misunderstanding."

—《"Don't give me that!"》. She screamed louder, she was losing her patience. All this time Cinder was bombarded by missiles and it was Atlas's great battleship that did it. It was not a pleasant experience. She was on the defensive, because no matter how much she dodged, another missile came, another beam hit her, and she just dodged. This had to stop and Cinder was going to do something about it. But first she wanted an answer from Román.

—"Yes, I would like to tell you that I am the one who is shooting at you. God knows I have wanted to do it from day one, but I'm afraid it's not me. It's a shame."

—《"Román, I'm starting to get angry"》.

—"No, no, seriously," Roman said sincerely,—"I'm on Atlas's battleship, watching from the screen how it bombs you."

—"I wasn't doing it. Look, I'm going to put you on a video call," Roman activated the video call function on his scroll and showed what was inside the ship,—"See? I'm not pressing any buttons or anything. Just the battleship started attacking you."

Seeing all this, Cinder realized that Roman was telling the truth.

—"《How? Why is he attacking me? He was supposed to attack the hunters and civilians》."

—"You haven't made someone angry you shouldn't have, have you, Cinder?" he asked sincerely, although with a jovial laugh in his voice.

—《"Listen, take command of the battleship now!"》.

—"I'm sorry, Cinder," he said sincerely. —"Even if I do it manually, I don't know, press a button on the battleship, I'm afraid it won't react." said Román, pressing a random button,— "It doesn't work, someone is piloting it manually from a distance and even if I wanted to know who it is, I'm not a damn hacker... So I'm sorry."

—《"Román, you better do something or I will blow you into a thousand pieces along with that battleship!"》.

—"I know, but I'm afraid that even if I wanted to tell you that I can stop this, I can't do it. You know, it seems that your seamless plan had a crack. It seems that you are not as infallible as you thought you were, Cinder."

—《"Román, you're dead!"》.

—"Why would he be dead?" said Roman from the battleship.— "I haven't done anything, I'm following your orders, do you forget? I stole and programmed Atlas' weaponry to attack people. So far I have complied with all this. This is nothing more than a simple incident out of your control and mine. In that case, you didn't foresee that some idiot might also be playing with you. Tell me, it looks like you've made an enemy you shouldn't have and he's been looking for you. What do I know, you are a person who makes people angry very easily... I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. I hope you will live up to yours, Cinder. After all, you are a woman of your word"

Roman knew that Cinder was furious about what had happened. But he was calm.

At that moment, Cinder didn't understand reasons and even if it wasn't Roman's fault, she had to find someone to vent her anger on, someone to blame and that was Roman. —《Son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you and your nieces...》! BAM!

—"Cinder," Roman said smilingly and with a laugh, because he saw exactly what happened to make Cinder stop talking to him: a large bronze-colored shield that hit Cinder, on her neck and made her skid on the ground.

She got up angry, but fine; she touched her neck; that blow was not simply to knock her out; No; she was going so hard that she could have taken his head off; She looked at her attacker: a girl with blood-red hair and emerald-green eyes; She ground her teeth: — "Pyrrha Nikos, it seems like you're stupid, you should have run, but you came here, to confront me."

The one called Pyrrha simply raised her hand and the shield that hit Cinder's neck returned to her hand; and she positioned herself with her spear and shield for a defense ready to attack.

—"I can't leave, Cinder; I was just buying time. Now I can fight. You better be ready, because this time I'm not going to fight to win a championship. I'm going to annihilate you; that's what I'm going to fight for."

—"Now you see it," Cinder smiled. —"That blow could have cut my neck or at least paralyzed me. It's a shame for you that that doesn't work for me. I'm not like other hunters."

—"I understand it now," she said and hit his shield twice with her spear. —"Get ready," then she looked at the battleship, as if saying something and Roman looked at Pyrrha Nikos from inside.

—"I see; okay; I guess we'll fight together, the criminal and the invincible girl joining forces, heh, this brings back a lot of memories," Román didn't have to do anything; a missile just flew towards Cinder and impacted and she dodged the impact of the missile, but at that moment Pyrrha attacked and hit Cinder.

Then when she took space another missile went towards Cinder; and they continued: one giving her long-distance support and another taking advantage of the small fissures to attack and finish off her enemy.

The wind crackled, sepulchral. No one said anything, everyone stood still, even the people who didn't know Sasuke personally. They had only seen that guy during the invasion, when the train collided with the Vale wall. In fact, only a few people had seen Sasuke, the rest was not even made public. To everyone, the attack on Vale that day was simply the work of Roman and the White Fang.

— "Why are you so quiet?" asked the one named Sasuke, who seemed to be relaxed and spoke so naturally that he even scared Glynda.

— "How could someone in the middle of all this be so calm?" Well, subconsciously I knew why. Someone with as much power as him should not feel afraid, much less facing people as he looked with interest at the Grimm they had just killed.

— "I feel an impressive presence, but it is not the same as that of the other Grimm... I see, this creature that they killed," he said, pointing to the Wyvern. — "is not like the other Grimm. This could not have been created by the witch... This is much older, its origin comes from the same place but its essence is different."

Glynda, James, and Qrow all tensed a little. They knew who she meant by witch, but Jaune, Ren, and Nora had no idea.

—"Who is the witch?" Nora asked curiously.

— "This is not the time to explain it," Qrow responded sternly.

A few minutes of silence passed and then Sasuke shrugged.

— "Well, in any case, see you. Bye guys, I just came to say hello."

Then he took a few steps to his right, walking away.

Surprised by this behavior, they wondered if he was not coming to attack or kill them. Glynda was alert, but Jaune just wasn't going to allow it. She wasn't going to let that crazy man walk free in the middle of this invasion.

— "Stay there," Jaune said with firmness and authority and Sasuke listened to him.

— "Where are you going?".

—"Well, I have to do something, I have a mission to fulfill."

—"Oh yeah? Which one?" He asked in a curious but stern voice.

— "My job is to keep him busy, to keep him out of this place, so that the entire invasion continues on its course. You know who I mean," Sasuke said with a malicious smile.

Jaune frowned but with a lot of anger.

— "Do you really think I'm going to allow that?"

—"I suppose not, but I suppose you are very smart and will know how to choose well. You will choose not to attack me, because it will not end well for any of you. What will you do?" .asked the masked man.

Jaune disappeared in a blur of speed and swung his sword ready to slash his neck, but Sasuke blocked the sword with his kunai.

— "You're not that smart. Sometimes I really despise that you're exactly like us," Sasuke said with disdain.

— "What?" the blonde wondered what he meant by that, but he didn't have time to think more. At that moment a stone was about to collide with Sasuke, but he managed to dodge it in time.

Sasuke looked back and saw that Glynda had thrown the stone with the help of her riding crop.

— "So you're all going to confront me? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you to leave," Sasuke said with a threatening voice. Glynda and Qrow charged forward, determined to stop Sasuke. James stayed with the injured students, caring for them. The battle was about to begin.

Jaune swung his sword and made a horizontal slash, but Sasuke dodged and kicked him in the jaw, knocking him back. As Sasuke prepared to deliver the final blow to the blonde, a metal fist approached his temple, the work of James Ironwood, but Sasuke caught James' metal arm and twisted it at a 90 degree angle, rendering it useless. The general felt no pain, but his arm was out of action. Before Sasuke could hit him in the chest, Qrow appeared out of nowhere with his scythe ready to cut off his leg, but Sasuke also anticipated his move and withdrew his leg in time to then grab Qrow by the face and throw him to the ground, forming a a small crater the size of a man. Then, several rocks flew towards him and exploded into smoke, revealing that Sasuke had used a tree trunk as a substitute. The hooded man stood behind Glynda and kicked her in the back, causing the teacher to crash to the ground and slip. Immediately, Sasuke turned his head to avoid being hit by a sledgehammer, grabbed the sledgehammer and shook it, causing Nora to bounce off the ground several times and fly away. He then dodged a couple of cuts, the work of Ren, and then grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up and crushed him, taking away his air and preventing him from breathing.

— "It seems like you guys don't learn, didn't I tell you that you have no chance? I'm being benevolent with you, imagine what would happen to you if I got serious." Sasuke punched Ren in the chest and let him fall to the ground, where the green-haired boy writhed in pain.

—"That's all?" said Sasuke with his hands behind his back with disdain at his defeated opponents.

—"¿Hmm? ".

Despite the darkness, Sasuke made out a shadow looming over him. He directed his gaze to the sky, intrigued by what was blocking his view. —"How interesting".

Above it were huge rocks, concrete walls, houses and remains of pavement. A large amount of debris levitated in the sky, as if suspended by an invisible force.

As if he were not in danger, Sasuke directed his gaze to the only one who could do that, Glynda Goodwitch, who was gritting her teeth with the effort of using his semblance. —"Very impressive, Glynda. Even being in that state, you can do all this." The masked man pointed up. —"You are dazzling."

Glynda was sweating, panting, and felt like her strength was running out. Levitating so many things in her state was not easy. She was on edge, but that didn't compare to the anger she felt. Her blood boiled when she saw the situation they were all in. They had been defeated quickly and easily by Sasuke, without managing or landing a single hit.

—"I give you an idea for a business: construction. With your likeness it would be very easy to carry out that trade."

There were many things he hated about that man: his clothing, his stupid mask, but what bothered him most was his voice, the manner and tone of his voice. It was so similar to that of his student and especially his tone. He couldn't see her face, but she was more than sure he was making fun of her. It was frustrating to be helpless, she felt like she did in her childhood, fragile and afraid.

—"Don't look at me like that, Glynda. If looks could kill, you would have killed me a hundred times already."

—"Stop teasing me!" Glynda lowered all the rubble towards Sasuke with all the anger she carried inside her. She wasn't going to let anyone make fun of her, ever again.

Sasuke saw everything falling on him and reacted quickly. He placed a hand on the ground and said: — "Invocation: Protection of the Iron Wall (Kuchiyose: Aian Wooru Hogo)." He summoned a large iron dome that covered him from Glynda's attack. The dome was incredibly strong and managed to withstand the impact.

When the attack ended, Glynda fell lying on the ground, very tired. She could barely appreciate the destruction she had caused, but she opened her eyes in horror to see a figure standing on top of a large rock. It was Sasuke, waving at her. Her eyes filled with tears, frustration like she had never felt. She tried so hard and she had achieved nothing. She was pathetic, crying at that moment, but what else could she do? She had tried everything and given everything she had, and Sasuke was unscathed.

Sasuke came down from the top and walked calmly, but numerous bullets of dust were heading his way. All the hunters, soldiers and students came out of his stupor and began to attack.

—"Oh? Even if there are a thousand of you, it won't be enough."

Everyone froze, every human and faunus began to tremble. Their faces reflected horror, fear, a feeling of irrational dread took over them.

They saw their deaths, the cruel and sadistic ways in which Sasuke was going to kill them. They felt their killer instinct, many fainted, others vomited and fell to their knees.

Glynda, James, Qrow, Nora, Ren and Jaune were no better, barely staying conscious. They were horrified.

—"His will is strong, it is admirable."

—"W-what did you do to us? What was that?" Qrow stuttered.

—"Murderous instinct," responded the masked man, standing in front of that group.

Ren observed the situation and the state of Nora, who was shaking and hugging herself crying. With her trembling hands, she took out the blue pill that Naruto had given her. Naruto had told him to use it only in emergencies. This was an emergency. More than ever, she needed power. Determined, Ren proceeded to swallow the pill, but before she did so, her hand was stopped. Ren looked at the person in charge, her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke in front of him, holding her hand curiously. Ren felt terrified at being so close to that man.

—"Is this what I think it is? It can't be, hehehe." The black-haired man witnessed how the masked man seemed more amused than willing to kill him. He looked like a kid in a candy store. —"Naruto managed to recreate them. Will they be as effective as those of the Akimichi clan?"

—"eh?" Ren could only be scared and confused by Sasuke's ramblings.

Ren knew what those pills were but not what effect they had. She only knew that Naruto had given them to her as a last resort. What did Sasuke know about them? What relationship did he have with Naruto? , Ren wanted to escape from that man, but Sasuke's grip was strong and the fear he felt didn't let him think.

—"Ren, were you really going to eat this? I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, unless you want to throw away your life. I'm going to guess and say that Naruto didn't tell you or explain to you what the consequences of take a soldier pill, especially one like this," Sasuke said with much mockery, —"Naruto is a bit ambiguous in what he says and does, right? Well, be honest, I'll give you a brief explanation of it. what could happen to you."

Ren wanted to get away, he wanted to flee, but Sasuke's grip was strong and the fear he felt didn't let him think.

—"hehehe, By forcefully converting the body's fat reserves into Chakra, each successively ingested pill results in a tremendous increase in power. The red pill is even said to be able to increase power by about a hundred times."

—" Huh? Chakra? What the hell are you talking about?" Ren couldn't do anything but wonder what Sasuke was talking about. He didn't understand that concept of chakra. He understood the rest, but what did he mean by that? But despite everything he said, Ren heard something else. He heard a voice that reminded him of a lonely and dark past, of blood and desolation.

—"Reny, w-where are you? I-I'm scared." He recognized that voice. It was Nora curled up on that same cold, destroyed ground, sobbing, begging him to help her, asking for help like when she was a child, like when her town was devastated. But he couldn't do anything now. He felt so afraid, so afraid that it was impossible for him to move or think properly. He was useless and powerless.

—"However, the pills have a drawback. Each pill damages the body, poisoning it, and since the third pill converts all of its fat reserves, the user will become dangerously emaciated. It is said that after the third pill, death is imminent."

Ren could only limit himself to listening to the masked man's chatter. It was as if the enemy could not feel the terror and tremors of Ren's body. He seemed to be amused. It was terrifying how indifferent that guy was.

—"You know, you should thank me. You're too young to throw away your life."

Ren didn't thank him at all. He just wanted to save Nora, his only friend, his only family. He didn't mind dying if he could protect her with it. She didn't care what Sasuke told her. She just wanted him to let go and leave him alone.

—"Ren, I'm afraid, save me," Nora pleaded incessantly.— "Reny, I don't want to be here."

—"Ren, you are my friend. I would never hurt you if I can help it, much less Nor..."

¡PAMMM!

In that instant, Sasuke's body disappeared, as if it had never been there, and then a large rock was completely destroyed. Ren blinked at where Sasuke was and saw that in front of him, with her back to him, was his leader, his partner, Naruto, with her fist extended. He had just arrived. She could feel the fury emanating from Naruto, so much anger in him, but it was not directed at any of them, but at Sasuke, who a few seconds ago had hit a large rock.

—"Stay away from my team!"

Naruto had arrived just in time to stop Sasuke from harming Ren and Nora.

Ren stood up with difficulty and ran towards Nora, who was still crying on the floor. He hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear that everything was going to be okay, that Naruto had saved them, that no one would hurt them. Nora clung to him and hugged him back. They both felt relieved and grateful.

Naruto looked at them with a smile and gestured with his hand for them to come to him.

—"I'm glad you're okay, don't worry, I'll take care of it from here."

Ren and Nora approached Naruto and hugged him as well.

— "Thank you, thank you," Ren could only thank, because Nora kept crying.

Sasuke watched them from afar with a mixture of guilt and curiosity. He apologized to Nora in a low voice, without her being able to hear him. — " I'm sorry, Nora. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I hope one day you can forgive me . "

Although he only shared his memories with Naruto Uzumaki, he felt deep in his heart that Ren and Nora were his friends. That wouldn't change, but he couldn't stop. No matter who stood in his way, he had a mission to accomplish. He wouldn't stop for anything or anyone.

Sasuke dusted off his clothes and looked at his opponent. Naruto Uzumaki was tired, but little by little he was going to regain all his strength.

Sasuke knew very well that in terms of power Naruto was at least three times stronger, but in terms of skill that was something else.

Furthermore, there was a small catch in this statement. Naruto was more powerful than him alone when he used the Kyubi's chakra.

—"Wow, and I had to look for you. I guess I'm not doing a good job. I hope Cinder doesn't fire me after this," Sasuke said mockingly.

Naruto was not amused. He didn't find it funny. He just proceeded to look at the masked man. His patience had reached its limit.

—..." You idiot, how can you think of participating in all this?" , Naruto took the sword from him and pointed it in front of his enemy. —"How dare you do all this? I thought that being you, you would have at least some consideration for them... But it seems not."

Naruto's anger was enormous. —"I had the intention of chatting with you, of listening to you... But when I saw them, when I saw Jaune's face, when I saw Glynda's face... When I saw everyone trembling with fear, when I heard Nora's pleas, her tears falling from her eyes. Don't expect compassion from me."

—"Haha," Sasuke scoffed at that statement. —"Compassion? I don't expect anything from you. The last thing I want is that."

Sasuke's fists clenched. Purple chakra covered his body. Soon everyone felt the pressure of the masked man's immense power.

Glynda, James, Qrow, Nora, Ren and Jaune widened their eyes in horror. They could feel all that immense power in their bones. He resonated in his gut. As if it were water under his feet they could feel the energy emanating from Sasuke. It was terrifying how powerful this guy was. They hadn't even considered him that powerful.

—"I don't want your pity, Naruto Uzumaki. I neither want it nor accept it. I can't stand it when you look at me with pity, as if you were superior to me. I have watched you from the beginning! From those shadowy places where you hid for being so weak! I know how miserable and pathetic you are! It would be the height of humiliation if you felt sorry for me! I would rather die before that happens!"

Naruto, with the sword in front of him, held it firmly and determinedly. The blue chakra that emanated from her body and her aura commanded respect compared to Sasuke's violet chakra. Soon, two forces clashed violently. The air vibrated with power. The ground cracked and shook under the feet of these two warriors. Everyone present looked at these individuals in astonishment. They were not just ordinary hunters.

Naruto's companions were speechless at seeing such a spectacle. Naruto was stunning, dominant, incredibly powerful.

—"This is amazing... I'm still... I'm still very far from reaching it," Jaune looked at his rival's back, looked at the enormous distance that separated him from him, looked at that insurmountable barrier, he couldn't compare himself to Naruto as he was. as it was now.

Glynda and Qrow stood in silence, watching in awe at Naruto's power. They had seen him in action before, but this was different. It was as if what he had done in that office had been just child's play compared to the beast before them. In their entire lives as hunters, as students, and as teachers, they had never imagined that something like this was possible. How could one person have so much power? Only maidens could do something like that, and they knew it.

—" Naruto, you need my help "...said a voice in Naruto's mind.

—" No ," Naruto responded firmly,—" I don't need your help, Kurama. I'm going to defeat him. I, with my own power."

Naruto fixed his gaze on the masked man, on his dark side, on his greatest desires, on his corruptions, on his doubts, on his fears, his failures and above all on his hatred.

—"This time I won't hold back, Sasuke. There will be no limits," Naruto's chakra rose and the air became heavy and tense,— "No more limits. I will finish you here and now. And I won't care if this kingdom remains in ruins if it means your death."

Sasuke smiled with excitement, with emotion — "That's it! Finally! I love that expression you have! This is you! Your true nature! You're a shinobi!"

The two lunged at each other, colliding with brutal force. Naruto hit Sasuke with his chakra-wrapped fist, knocking him back several meters. Sasuke recovered and launched a shower of kunai at Naruto, who dodged them with agility. Naruto drew his sword and swung it at Sasuke, who blocked the attack with his own kunai. The two exchanged a series of blows and cuts, looking for an opening in the other's defense.

Naruto managed to make a scratch on Sasuke's arm, who responded with a kick to Naruto's stomach. Naruto spat blood and backed away from Sasuke. Sasuke took advantage of the distance to form hand seals and launch a fireball towards Naruto. Naruto did the same and launched a blue chakra sphere at the fire. The two attacks collided and created a large explosion that shook the ground.

Glynda, James, Qrow, Nora, Ren, and Jaune covered their eyes at the flash of light. When they lowered it down, they saw Naruto and Sasuke emerge from the cloud of smoke unharmed. The two looked at each other with determination and ran towards each other again.

—"Naruto!" Glynda shouted, —"Stop! You don't have to do this!"

But Naruto didn't listen to her. He was too focused on his goal: defeating Sasuke.

—"Sasuke," said Nora, —"why does Naruto hate him so much? Apart from him hurting us, there's something else."

—"I don't know," Ren replied,— "But it seems like it has something to do with their past. It seems...they know each other."

—"Whatever it is, we can't let them continue fighting like this," Jaune said,—"They're going to destroy everything in their path."

—"We can't do anything," said Qrow,—"They are too strong for us. We can only hope that Naruto comes to his senses."

The six watched helplessly as Naruto and Sasuke continued fighting relentlessly, not caring about the damage they caused around them. Trees fell, rocks broke, animals fled. It was as if the entire world trembled before his fury.

Naruto and Sasuke moved further and further away from the area where their friends were, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. Nobody knew how that battle was going to end, or if either of them would come out of it alive.

-"shinobi", Murmuro Ren, -"Sasuke's brother in the Naruto era is a shinobi".

Roman watched with fascination the fight between Pyrrha and Cinder, which was taking place on a giant screen. It was like watching an action movie, full of special effects and emotions. Román felt comfortable in his seat, enjoying the show.

—"Hey, are you done yet?" Román asked out loud, but he was not alone. He was speaking to someone through his scroll, where a distorted voice answered him. It was a voice that did not want to be recognized, since it was a hacker who had infiltrated the Atlas security system a long time ago, that event almost caused a second great war.

— "《No, not yet. I still have access to the Atlas battleship thanks to you, but taking full control of the Atlesian army's weapons is something else. The virus you gave me is incredible, very sophisticated. I have never seen anything like it. Where did you get it from?》", the voice asked curiously, admiring the virus.

—"What do you think, that I'm a genius?" Román responded sarcastically. "I have no idea where that came from."

— "《I see, it was to be expected. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend your intelligence》," said the voice ironically, mocking Román.

—"Idiot," Román murmured, but the insult did not seem to affect the hacker, who was amused by the situation. The voice was silent for a few seconds, as if he was thinking something.

— "《Hey Román, how is everything there?》", the voice asked with interest.

— "You can see it yourself," replied Román.

— "《I can't see anything, the CCT tower has been destroyed. I can only watch the fight between your boss and Pyrrha Nikos,... How are they doing?》"

— "They're fine, don't worry," Román responded calmly. — "They're fighters, they know how to defend themselves. Much better than you could."

— "《Thank you...》", said the voice with gratitude.

Román knew who the hacker was referring to, they were the only people he felt some affection for, even if he didn't recognize it.

— "How long do you need to have control of everything?" Roman asked.

— "《Give me an hour, maybe two》," the voice answered.

— "Wow, it seems like you're not in a hurry," said Román, lighting a cigar.

— "《It's not that. I'm working as fast as I can. This is a very sophisticated virus, as I told you. It's the best I've ever seen. I've managed to get around the defenses of Atlas Academy, and that's not easy. Those defenses were created by Dr. Polendina himself, the genius of robotics. "This is incredible," said the voice with admiration.

— "Enough of praising that," said Román, irritated.

Román didn't know much about technology, but he knew that the virus they had given him was something special. An ally of Cinder, an ally she never revealed.

Roman looked out the window of the ship and saw the chaos that had broken out in Beacon. Explosions, screams, Grimm everywhere. It was Cinder's plan, and he was a part of it. He didn't care much about the reason.

Meanwhile, the hacker continued working on his scroll, trying to hack Atlas' military system. It was a challenge that he loved, as he liked to test his computer skills. Besides, he had a personal reason for doing it.

BOOM! then the ship shook.

— "《it seems that Cinder has destroyed one of your cannons》."

— "Yes, I already realized."

BOOM! and then the ship shook again.

— "《he just destroyed another of your cannons》".

— "I see it," Román said calmly, — "Very good, Miss Nikos," Román looked at the screen, — "you are alone from now on, please, don't get overconfident and keep your guard up at all times."

Roman admired Pyrrha Nikos. She was a formidable warrior, a champion. He had seen her sparring and had been impressed by her skill and her charisma. It was a shame that he had to face Cinder, as he knew that he didn't stand a chance against her.

Cinder was too powerful, too cruel, too ambitious. Roman didn't know what exactly he was looking for, but he knew that he would stop at nothing to get it. He might even betray his own allies.

Roman wondered if he would be the next to be betrayed by Cinder. He didn't care much, as he knew it was part of the game. He was also a traitor, a thief, a criminal. He had no loyalty to anyone but himself. And to Neo.

Neo was his only faithful companion, his only true friend. She was the only person who made him smile in this cruel, dark world...besides them. The only person she would risk her life for.

Román hoped Neo was fine, Román shrugged and continued smoking his cigar. There was no point in worrying about the past or the future. He only cared about the present. And in the present he had a job to do.

And I would do it with style.

The sound of the Bullhead's propellers could be heard faintly in the devastated space, as it calmly descended towards the ground. James Ironwood spoke in a firm voice:

—"It looks like our flight has arrived. Everyone, get on board. There's no time to argue." James would brook no objection. They were exhausted and needed to be evacuated, especially Jaune, who was in very bad shape.

Everyone obeyed him, climbed into the ship and made themselves comfortable, some lay down. They complained about their injuries, their tiredness, and most of all, they lamented that they were completely useless against the enemy Naruto was fighting.

Jaune remembered the scene he had just witnessed. Naruto had faced alone a monster that seemed invincible, a being that emanated a dark and evil power. The blonde had received brutal blows that had caused him to bleed and fall to the ground several times, but he got up again and again, with unwavering determination. Jaune had wanted to help him, but he couldn't move. He had received a serious injury that prevented him from fighting well. He felt helpless and unworthy of being called a hunter.

Enraged by his frustration, Jaune punched a chair and smashed it. The Scream:

—"Shit! I should be there, I should be helping him... but I'm here."

—"You can't do anything," Glynda chided him. —"You're hurt, you need to rest. Don't pretend that you can do something in your condition

Jaune didn't say anything, he knew it was true. It was completely useless. Maybe he could face some Grimm, some White Fang, but from that to helping Naruto... no, he couldn't. Not like he was now and even if he was one hundred percent it was impossible.

The Bullhead finally took off with the sole goal of reaching Beacon Academy. The blonde looked out the window. Below them they could see the ravages of the battle: destroyed houses, explosions, fire, traces of destruction. Below them they could clearly see that a fierce battle was taking place. Jaune could do nothing but watch his friend fight. He could only go to the window and lament.

— "Next time," he said to himself. — "Naruto...", he gritted his teeth — "Next time I'm going to help you, I'll fight alongside you."

Cardin looked around and wondered out loud if there was anyone else left to evacuate. Many students and soldiers responded that no, that they had already removed all the civilians from the area. Cardin had taken the lead in this situation, even though some didn't like him. However, they obeyed him because it was Jaune and Naruto who put him there.

Were there protests? ,Of course. Were there confrontations? Almost. Many people hated Cardin with all their heart. They reproached him for many things and insulted him in a thousand ways. And Cardin didn't fight back, he accepted them. They were true. He had been a complete idiot at that time. He had no way to justify himself. The only thing he could do was fulfill the mission that his friends entrusted to him.

—"Everything is ready, I have messages from many places in Vale, there is no one here, we can end this," said a soldier.

—"Well, these are the last ones left," Cardin sighed. At least this was over now. People were safe and could leave. It didn't matter that the Grimm had already taken this kingdom.

—"The bullhead is far away, but we can go now," said another soldier.

—"OK..."

—"Wait!" shouted a voice that came from afar. It was Dove, one of his team members, carrying a girl in his arms.

Cardin waited patiently for the boy to arrive and looked at the girl in his arms. It was a fragile little life, but she was safe, just unconscious, in no danger.

—"Dove, good job," Cardin smiled, but immediately that smile was erased when he saw something that was wrong with his partner.

—"Don't worry, I'm fine," Dove said with a forced but confident smile to reassure her leader.

Cardin saw a large, deep bleeding wound on Dove's left rib, as if three claws had tried to pierce it. He was bleeding horribly.

—"You should get out of here," Cardin said worriedly,—"Go get taken care of."

Dove didn't protest. In fact, she wanted to leave. He was already very tired. They had done enough and the work was done.

—"Very well, I want everyone to..."

¡Trummmm!

The ground began to shake. It was impossible. It was assumed that they were not in this place, that they had already been decimated. The nearest bullhead was very far from here. Now they were on a pedestrian bridge.

In the distance, large Grimm approached with slow steps, as if they knew they could not escape, as if they were amused by their situation. They were in a completely compromised position. There were a lot of people to take and the bullhead was far away. They had to buy time so everyone could escape.

Cardin felt a chill as he saw the beasts approaching. They were huge and ferocious, with sharp fangs and claws. He recognized some types of Grimm: Beowolves, Ursa, King Taijitu... But he also saw others that he had never seen before: some shaped like giant scorpions, others looking like winged bats, others looking like komodo dragons.

—"What the hell are those?" one of the soldiers asked with terror.

—"I don't know, but we don't have time to find out," Cardin responded with mock determination,—"We have to hold out until the bullhead arrives. Protect the civilians and maintain formation."

Cardin took out his weapon, a metal mace called The Executioner, and charged it with electric powder. But no soldier or student moved, so Cardin acted quickly,— "Very well, everyone who can, carry the wounded and the elderly, and those who can run, run. You," Cardin pointed to a group of soldiers and students,— "They stay with me to defend this area."

They hesitated for a few seconds, but decided to do it. While everyone ran they defended themselves with their weapons, the Grimm got closer and closer, they were like insects, unholy insects that didn't stop coming.

Cardin hated this situation. The Grimm had managed to get past the defenses and soon had to engage in head-on combat. Blow after blow, they had to defend themselves as best they could. There were too many but they wouldn't make it easy. Little by little this would have to end. They would die saving people. That's what they were trained for. And Cardin really had something on his mind, something that motivated him to fight 100%. And he didn't want to die. Why would he do it? He still had many things to do, things to live. Frankly, if it were up to him, he would have fled a long time ago.

He couldn't give up. He couldn't leave his comrades behind. He couldn't forget the innocents who were counting on him. He couldn't break his promise as a hunter. He couldn't run away.

—"No, wait!" a soldier exclaimed and Cardin quickly pushed away the Grimm that was charging at him, saving his life.

—" This is wrong. They are outnumbering us. It won't take long to finish us all off. The Grimm we face are not normal. They are greater ursas. They have enormous strength. We have to act quickly, but..."

—" What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" Cardin's mind was on the verge of collapse. He did not know what to do !.

—" Well... I guess we could stay here. We're going to die. We're going to die. No, no, no, no, I can't die here! I can't die here!"

He was hyperventilating, but his body was still reacting. She continued to defend herself.

— " They must not want to be here either. Maybe they didn't even want to be hunters. Maybe they had other motives: money, ambitions, fame... Maybe those were their motives. Maybe we should... No, no, no! !".

Cardin scolded himself,— " they stayed here. They knew what they were exposing themselves to. They gave their lives and will give their lives. I can't leave. I can't run away like a coward."

Then he saw how a Grimm ripped off the arm of a boy, a student. Cardin recognized him. He was one of the faunus he had once bothered. He saw how the Grimm swallowed the arm without any need, since they did not need to eat or drink. Why did they attack humans? They seemed to enjoy it.

The poor faun remained moaning on his knees on the ground, crying in pain, but he got up again to shoot the Grimm who had mutilated him, but there was nothing more he could do. Cardin moved quickly and got the boy out of there so another Grimm wouldn't devour him. He looked at the man, at the boy who was there, he remembered how he had mistreated him, how he had made him suffer.

He was paralyzed. Why did he feel so much pain seeing him suffer? In him he saw his friends, his team. He looked at the battle zone, saw how they were attacking the group he was responsible for, saw how the beasts rushed in and they screamed in pain. He did not know what to do. He was afraid. A Grimm lunged at him and he killed it on instinct.

He had to keep fighting, but he also heard a scream behind him. While he was distracted, a Grimm took advantage and killed the faun, tearing him to pieces.

Cardin's eyes widened in horror; He couldn't believe it, it couldn't be true, that boy shouldn't die, why did he do it? Why was life like that? He surely had something to do, he had a dream, and he was just a bully, a scumbag who had done a lot of damage, why could he continue fighting? Why did he continue like this? Why could he continue living for a few seconds? more while others died? It wasn't fair... not fair at all.

He looked at the combat zone and realized that it was nothing like what he had read in books or heard in stories. Heroes who fought against evil and emerged victorious with a smile, no, it was nothing like that. There were looks of terror, looks of stress, he couldn't stand it.

He gave an order: everyone who had weapons was to shoot with everything they had. That order was effective: they gave everything they could and drove the Grimm back. And as he did that, he squeezed the handle of his mallet, his weapon, and then with a blow of his semblance he hit the ground, cracking it.

He raised his weapon and cracked the bridge, but it was not enough. Once again and again.

He wanted to destroy the bridge, he wanted to cut off the Grimm, he wanted to give the survivors a chance, he wanted to do something useful for once in his life. But the Grimm weren't going to make it easy for them. Every time he hit the bridge, more Grimm approached him, trying to stop him or kill him. Cardin had to deal with them while he tried to accomplish his goal.

But he was not alone. His teammates supported him, covered him, encouraged him. Despite everything he had been through, despite everything he had done, they trusted him, they believed in him. They gave him strength to keep going, to not give up.

I felt the heat of their shots, the breath of their words, the beating of their hearts. She knew that they were not his friends, that she did not deserve them, but she also could not deny that they were his companions, his allies, his brothers in arms. They had shared difficult times together, they had seen horrible things together, they had survived together. And now they were ready to die together.

—"Come on, come on, please!" Cardin begged for this to work, and when the weapons ran out of ammunition he gave his final blow and the bridge was completely destroyed in one sector, but he didn't stay there. opposite side. Of course not. He jumped at the last few seconds to the Grimm area, although destroying the bridge would give time, it would not be enough. They would chase them

From the other side everyone saw how Cardin was left behind, they returned the look, but it was not a sad or horrified one. She was smiling.

—"get out of here, okay?... go-get out of here," his voice trembled with fear,—"you need to leave now, everyone is here, I'm in charge of giving you all the time that's necessary."

Everyone looked at Cardin's actions, and immediately nodded and left without hesitation.

Cardin smiled,—"idiots, you should have at least hesitated a little," Cardin directed his gaze towards the beasts. There were quite a few of them and he was alone, with fear still in his body he brandished his mace.

—"it seems like now it's just me against you."

The Grimm approached slowly, fixing their gaze on their prey. Cardin took a deep breath, calming his nerves.

—"I will not let them advance, they will have one more day of life, but you will not. They are brave and honorable, they do not deserve to face you. They deserve someone like me to face them, someone despicable and vile, someone who is in the right. lower, someone cruel and disgusting. Rejoice, you will die alongside one of your own." Cardin's expression turned sad,—"Today I will atone for all my sins."

I do not wait anymore. With a powerful leap, Cardin launched himself towards the beasts and the Grimm responded with fury. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he felt renewed. Cardin fought firmly, with determination, with courage. He was not intimidated by the number or size of the enemies. He beat them with his mallet, burned them with his dust. He didn't stop, he didn't give up, he didn't regret it. He knew it was the end of him, but he also knew it was his redemption. He had been a monster, but he would die a hero.

Cardin tore through the smaller Grimm, crushing their skulls with his mallet or severing their limbs with his sword, a gift from Naruto. The fire powder that he carried on his belt allowed him to throw flames at those who were further away or set fire to those who got too close to him. His armor was stained with black blood and his wounds were burning, but he didn't care. He just wanted to give his companions time to escape. To all.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back. A giant scorpion had stuck its poisonous stinger into him and lifted him off the ground with ease. Cardin screamed in pain and tried to free himself, but the scorpion shook him hard and threw him against a concrete wall. Cardin fell to the ground, dazed and weak. The poison spread through his body and made it difficult for him to breathe.

—" Dammit".

The scorpion slowly approached him, ready to deliver the final blow. Cardin tried to get up, but his legs wouldn't work. He looked for his mallet, but he had lost it in the flight. She only had his sword left, which he held with difficulty in his right hand.

The scorpion raised its stinger to deal the final blow, but Cardin reacted in time and stabbed the sword into its eye. The scorpion let out a horrible screech and backed away, shaking its head. Cardin took the opportunity and crawled towards his deck, which was a few meters away.

Before he could reach it, another Grimm stepped into his path. It was a winged bat, which descended from the sky with its claws open. Cardin barely had time to dodge it by rolling on the ground. The bat passed by and took flight again.

Cardin stood up as best he could and grabbed his mallet with both hands. He looked up at the sky and saw the bat preparing for another attack.

—"Heh, come closer, you filthy beast," Without thinking twice, he activated the fire dust from his mallet and threw it towards the bat as if it were a javelin.

The mallet flew through the air engulfed in flames and hit its target. The bat fell to the ground engulfed in flames and writhed until it lay motionless.

Cardin smirked, but it didn't last long. The scorpion had recovered from the attack and was charging back with more fury than before.

—" Oh, shit".

Cardin desperately searched for another weapon on his belt, but he only had an ice dust grenade left. He took it with his left hand and activated it. He waited for the scorpion to get close enough and threw it into its mouth.

The grenade exploded inside the scorpion and froze it from the inside. The scorpion froze and fell into pieces.

Cardin breathed a sigh of relief, but knew it wasn't over. There were still more Grimm to face. He stood up with difficulty and looked around. He saw an Ursa lunging at him with its jaws open. Cardin didn't have time to dodge it, so he prepared to take the hit. But it was a trap, Cardin stepped aside and grabbed the Ursa by the neck and strangled him. Once that was done he looked for his weapon, because the battle was not over, not while he was alive.

Cardin found his weapon, a long, sharp sword, lying on the ground. He picked it up and held it firmly. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was darkened by the shadows of the winged Grimm. They were like giant bats, with sharp claws and fangs. Cardin felt a shudder, but he didn't back away. He prepared for the attack.

The winged Grimm lunged at him, squawking and screeching. Cardin dodged them as best he could, cutting the air with his sword. Some fell to the ground, injured or dead, but others kept coming. Cardin received several scratches and bites on his arms and legs, but he didn't care about the pain. He just wanted to buy time.

Suddenly, he felt a blow on his back that made him fall to the ground. He was a Grimm that looked like a komodo dragon, with black scales and a forked tongue. The Grimm sank its teeth into his shoulder and tore off a chunk of flesh. Cardin screamed in agony, but did not give up. With one swift movement, he plunged his sword into the Grimm's neck and killed it.

Cardin staggered to his feet, bleeding from his wound. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded by Grimm. There were Beowolves, Ursa, King Taijitu and others that he didn't recognize. Everyone looked at him with hunger and hatred.

Cardin raised his sword and shouted with all his might:

—"Go for me, monsters! I'll take you to hell with me!"

And he launched himself against them, ready to fight to the end.

The battle was brutal and bloody. Cardin fought with bravery and strength, slashing and impaling the Grimm with his sword. But there were too many of them, and he was alone. Little by little, he was losing strength and endurance.

The Grimm beat, bit and tore him mercilessly. Cardin felt his bones break and his muscles tear. But he didn't stop fighting.

Finally, he fell to the ground, exhausted and dying. The Grimm approached him to deliver the final blow. Cardin looked at them defiantly, not giving up.

—"What are you waiting for?" , she said in a weak voice. —"End this."

When the first Grimm was close enough to deal the final blow, Cardin raised his Mace and hit the Grimm's foot, the Grimm roared in pain, but immediately with all his strength Cardin pushed him and threw his Mace upwards hitting the Grimm's chin. Grimm, causing his head to fly off his body and he fell limp.

Cardin slowly got up,—"Hehehe stupid, mindless beasts, do you really think I'm going to give up that easily? I come from a lineage of warriors, my family comes from generation to generation fighting against creatures like you , my grandfather fought in the great war!, I am not going to fall like this, I am not going to perish on the ground!, I will die standing!, because otherwise I will not be able to be at the right hand of my ancestors!, I want to be together with them and tell them with joy and joy about my last great Adventure!"

The Grimm backed away, it seemed that they felt confused with this man. No matter how much they hit him, they hurt him, they dirty him, they came to him, this guy kept getting up, it was disconcerting, incredibly disconcerting.

But their confusion did not last long, they soon attacked again with more fury and viciousness. They wanted to put an end to this man who refused to die, who challenged them with every breath. They wanted to devour his flesh and his soul, make him disappear forever.

They attacked the man, the implacable man who continued to defend himself against them. He continued attacking, killing more of his people, and they attacked him, mistreated him, but again he got up without stopping, you could clearly see how tired he was. exhausted and how scared I was, no, it was different, I wasn't scared. Of course not.

The Grimm could feel man's negative emotions, that's what they were created for, that's what that given ability is for, to be able to locate them through fear when the other senses were of no use, but in this man there was no fear, there was only resignation and regret, a lot of regret.

A claw managed to hit this man in the chest and knocked him down, but as soon as he touched the floor he got up with great impetus. It caused them to continue fighting, it was a little strange, any hunter, any man would have at least tried to flee, to make room, but not him, he attacked head-on, he attacked like no other, they had very rarely seen a man like that, so determined to give his life painfully even though he had no chance, and it was disconcerting to see how this man little by little killed everyone, until he left a minuscule amount.

Cardin didn't stop, he didn't give up. With his mallet, he hit a Grimm's jaw hard, causing it to fall to the ground. Then he finished it off with another couple of blows, and continued with another and another.

—"C'mon C'mon!"

¡POMMM!

Cardin's body was thrown and hit the hood of a car. It had been the work of a tail whip. He barely got up again.

The shadow of the creature covered him. It was a large creature, a lizard-shaped creature. A Komodo Grimm dragon, but it wasn't like the others. This Grimm was many times larger, three times larger than the ones he had fought before. And she curiously looked at him. He roared and the other Grimm didn't even come close. It seemed like they had made some kind of circle.

This was the commander, the alpha. He dominated this whole Grimm gang. He roared at him and Cardin looked at him defiantly. He adjusted his weapon and with impetus.

—"So you're going to face me? A one-on-one fight. It's very good to know that they have a damn leader. I'll be happy to tear you apart." Cardin's confidence was feigned. He had no escape, but he wasn't going to die like that, he wasn't going to die running away. Never again... never again.

The Komodo Grimm lunged at him with its jaws open, showing its razor-sharp teeth. Cardin barely managed to avoid the attack, rolling on the dusty ground.

He quickly stood up and landed a blow on the Grimm's side, making him grunt in pain. But the Grimm was not intimidated and lashed out with its tail, sending it flying.

—"¡Agh! ".

Cardin crashed into a concrete wall, which shattered upon impact. He stood up with difficulty, feeling the pain throughout his body. He had bleeding wounds and bruises all over him. He looked at the Grimm, who was slowly approaching him, dragging his tail along the ground.

—"Is that all you have? Can't you handle a simple human?" Cardin provoked him, trying to buy time. The Grimm roared angrily and leaped towards him, ready to end his life. Cardin jumped too, dodging his claws and bites. In the air, he hit the Grimm on the head, causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground. Cardin took the opportunity and slammed his mallet into the Grimm's chest, causing it to bleed profusely.

—"Take that!" Cardin shouted triumphantly. But the Grimm wasn't dead yet. With one last effort, he bit down on Cardin's leg, making him let out a cry of agony.

—"¡Aaaah!"

Cardin felt the Grimm's teeth sink into his flesh, tearing it apart. He felt the Grimm's poison enter his blood, burning it. He felt how life was slipping away from him little by little. He assumed there was poison, because that's how they killed Komodo dragons.

But he wasn't going to give up. He wasn't going to let that monster kill him. With all his strength, he landed another blow on the Grimm's head, and the Grimm let go, Cardin fell face first onto the floor, and the Grimm stood up again. The beast watched as Cardin crawled around trying to make room, his blood staining the ground. The beast jumped like a feline and stood on top of Cardin, with its mouth it grabbed Cardin's arm, shook it like a doll and then let it go.

—"¡ahh!".

Cardin crashed painfully into the ground, cracking it. He never let go of the gun from him. He didn't feel many parts of her body, only in some areas, but the pain was unbearable. It's funny, they say that when you are on the verge of death you always proclaim and call God, but it is not true, you always call the name of your most loved one... your mother. For Cardín it was no different,

—"Mom, mom, I'm tired... Sorry for everything."

The Grimm approached slowly, taking its time.

—"I should have called you when I still had time...hehe...the last time I saw you we fought,...I-I told you so many things...sorry...sorry."

Cardin remembered the happy times he had spent with his mother, when he was an innocent and happy child. He remembered his hugs, his kisses, his advice. He remembered how she had always supported him, even when he had decided to become a Grimms hunter. He remembered how she had seen him off at the airport, even though they had gotten into a fight.

—"I love you very much, son. I am proud of you. Be strong and brave. We will see each other again soon."

Those had been his last words. He barely managed to hear them, but he heard them, at that time he thought it was a trick of her mind, Cardin didn't know if he would ever see her again. Maybe that would be his last moment in this cruel and dark world.

—"I love you very much too, mom. I regret everything. I wish I could see you again."

The Komodo Grimm dragon bit Cardin's foot, shook its head and the young man's body rolled until it ended up on the edge of the destroyed bridge.

His body trembled, as if he were a zombie he stood up, gasping and bleeding. The Komodo Grimm dragon looked at his opponent, he was confused, the human's features were not fierce as before, they were sad and empty.

— "I can't let them pass," his voice was low, like a whisper. — "I must continue fighting."

Cardin walked forward, each step difficult, and the beast waited patiently. When Cardin was in front of his enemy he raised his mallet, but it seemed as if his weapon weighed more than he should. He wanted to give a strong blow but received a blow from the Grimm Komodo, and fell to the ground. The beast just looked at Cardin, not daring to finish him off.

— "No, I can't... I'm not dead yet," Cardin murmured, as he crawled to get up again.

The Grimm Komodo growled, irritated by the human's persistence. It lunged at him with its open jaws, ready to end his life. But Cardin reacted in time and blocked the attack with his mace, making the monster retreat.

—"It hurts..." Cardin looked at the Grimm, feeling the pain of his wounds.—"But I won't give up."

Cardin got back up and attacked again, his blows were clumsy, like he was drunk. The Grimm again knocked him down, but this time he didn't stay still. He lunged at Cardin with fury, ripping through his armor and his flesh with his claws. Cardin screamed in pain and tried to defend himself with his mace, but it was useless. The Grimm was stronger and faster than him.

He stood up and the beast took him away again, so that he could get up again, at this point Cardín's body rose and attacked by inertia, only his will and a desire in his heart kept him standing.

—" Please, please, God, listen to me , Cardin begged, while he felt like he was losing his life . — Let me win, let me win. I have spoken to you before, I have asked you for answers... I have asked you for so many things but you never responded. Just for today listen to me, fulfill this wish. This is not a selfish wish... it's not about me... just this once let me do the right thing!" .

In that moment, something changed inside Cardin. An unknown force invaded him, perhaps his last breath of life, or a force that came from his will and his heart. but a strength that gave him the courage and determination to face the Grimm Komodo. A force that made him remember why he was there, who he was there for.

Cardin gathered all his energy and raised his gavel with new strength. He brought it down with full power onto the Grimm Komodo's head, causing the metal to sink into the monster's skull. The Grimm Komodo let out one last howl and fell dead next to Cardin.

Cardin gasped heavily, staring at the Grimm Komodo's lifeless body. He had triumphed. He had done what he had to.

He dropped to the ground, a weak smile on his lips. She didn't know if she was going to live or die, but that didn't matter to her anymore. The only thing that mattered to him was that the others had been able to escape. Cardín felt happy, his face reflected joy, his eyes were cloudy but he saw how the other Grimm approached.

—"Idiots, I have won," Cardín said with sarcasm and happiness to the creatures, who were getting closer and closer, but he did not feel afraid, never again, he felt free.

¡PAM¡! ,PAM¡! ,PAM¡! ,PAM¡! ,PAM¡! ,PAM¡!

The shots echoed, but Cardín no longer heard anything else, he only heard the shots and a voice that was shouting his name, a voice that gave him so much peace.

—"Cardín! Cardín! Cardín!" The voice calling him was feminine, but it was full of anguish and despair. Cardín could barely move or speak, he only felt unbearable pain throughout his body. However, the voice insisted and he wanted to answer it. With great effort, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the face of the owner of the voice. It was Velvet, the girl with the rabbit ears that he had mistreated so much in the past. Cardin recognized her face and murmured the girl's name through her chapped lips.

—"V-Velvet...", his voice was barely a whisper.—"Velvet... is that you?"

—"¡Cardín! ¡Cardín! ¡Cardín!" .

She called out his name again, relieved to see that he was conscious. He opened his eyes a little more and realized that they were on an airship and that they were not alone. Around him there was a group of people who looked at him with concern: Fox Alistair, Yatsuhashi Daichi and his team; Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. All of them were his friends, his battle companions. Cardin's condition was pitiful: his body was covered in wounds and bandages, connected to a heart monitor that made a constant sound.

—"Miss, please make room. We have to check it. It's not right."

said the only doctors on the ship, trying to get closer to Cardin. But Velvet didn't want to separate from him, she hugged him tightly, as if she were afraid that she would slip through her fingers. The heart monitor's beeping was speeding up, indicating that Cardin's heart was failing. He was losing a lot of blood and his life was fading little by little.

—"Oum... This boy is not well. It's a miracle he's still alive," said one of the doctors in a deep voice. These words alarmed everyone present, who could not believe that his friend was so sick.

—"Why did they come? They should leave," Cardin said with difficulty, looking at everyone with a mixture of gratitude and reproach.

—"Of course not," Russel responded firmly.—"You are our friend."

—"You are the best leader there is," Dove added in a broken voice.

—"We weren't going to leave you alone. We brought reinforcements, but we were late," Sky lamented sadly.

They all cried when they saw the state of Cardin, their friend, their brother. The orange haired man knew he didn't have much time left. He sensed it when he saw the faces of the medical staff and felt his strength drain away.

—"Velvet... Velvet...", he called the girl's name, searching her gaze.

—"Yes, yes, here I am, here I am," she responded with a sobbing and broken voice. She carefully took Cardin's hand in hers.—"Please don't..."

—"Velvet... Sorry... Sorry..."

—"Don't apologize. You already did it." She shook her head, remembering how he had asked her for forgiveness for everything he had done to her before,—"Please, I don't want you to leave."

—"It's not enough," said Cardin looking at everyone.—"I want to apologize to everyone."

The sound of the heart monitor echoed faster and faster. There wasn't much time.

—"I wasn't a good leader. I was a bad person. I hurt them," Cardin said looking at the girl,—"Especially you, Velvet. I hurt you so much..."

—"No!" Dove shouted.

—"You are a good person. You changed, you helped us, you talked to us like that," Velvet reproached him.

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡

—"You fought until the end... Even with everything against you."

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡.

The sound of the heart monitor became higher pitched and more frequent.

Cardin smiled weakly, with much effort he took his free hand and caressed Velvet's cheek.

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ .

—"How beautiful you look," Cardin said sweetly.

—"Cardin...Stop...," she begged, feeling like her heart was breaking.

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡

—"You are dazzling... like the sun. Despite everything I did to you, you forgave me. You saw something in me that even I gave up for lost. You returned love where I gave you hate."

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡

The sound of the heart monitor was almost unbearable.

—"Cardin... Please resist. Resist, Cardin."

—"How could I be so stupid. My hatred didn't let me see. I hated you so much without justification... But despite everything you gave me your love... You loved me."

—"Don't talk... Cardin... I don't want to lose you," Velvet said, feeling like there was no time. She kissed him, a passionate kiss, of pure love... The last kiss.

Only the lack of oxygen separated them. Cardín just looked at the girl, he never imagined that she would love so much and that someone would love him. He gave her the biggest smile of hers.

—"I don't deserve you. I didn't deserve you and I will never deserve you... But..."

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡

The sound of the heart monitor became a solid line.

—"Thank you... "

¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡ ¡BIB¡.

The sound of the heart monitor became deafening.

—"For loving me."

¡BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB¡

With those last words and with the greatest of gratitude, with the resonant silence of peace and with the biggest of smiles, Cardín closed his eyes.

"You left my side, leaving a void that no one can fill, only your memory. You left with a smile, thanking you for the love I gave you, the love you gave me.

I don't know how to live without you, without your presence that illuminated my life, that gave me strength. I don't know how to forget your voice, your look that told me so much, that made me happy.

But I know that one day we will meet again in another place, in another life, where there is no pain. But I know that our love will never die because it lives in my heart, because it lives in your soul.

That's why I say goodbye to you, but I don't forget you because you will always be with me, because I will always love you. That's why I thank you, but I won't leave you because you will always be mine, because I will always be yours."

Thanks for loving me.

I hope you liked the chapter, sorry for the spelling errors and write me in the comments any ideas that I could add to this story

I clarify, that many things could not make sense, so any advice is appreciated.

I clarify that I will take certain liberties with some characters and it will not be 100% faithful to the original canon.

I thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy what I have written so far, and that you continue to accompany me on this literary adventure. A hug!.

The end of this arc is approaching and it doesn't look hopeful.

— write your comments!

Thank you for reading.