The End of a World
Another failed tactic? Then, let's try this combination next!
Neo summoned two winged Beringels and two Manticores in the air, plus two Yangs and two Hazels on the ground, to surround and attack The Rabbit at the same time with their raw strength. She was hoping to restrain The Rabbit long enough for an underground root to land on the target. But The Rabbit quickly destroyed them in just a couple of seconds, throwing aura slices and Sakura around her.
"Sorry, but I won't let you continue this for longer. Change of plans." The Rabbit said annoyed, not because of Neo's perseverance, but rather because of what the crew at the commanding center had told her.
"It's over, my adorable doll." The Rabbit launched herself with an impressive speed to her opponent, but Neo managed in time to summon Raven Branwen with her signature long sword, Omen, to stop the Zodiac member in her tracks.
At last, a construct that works against one of her attacks. I put a significant amount of aura into this one, so it's a more accurate replica than the previous ones, minus the Maiden magi-
While The Rabbit and the Raven construct had their swords in a bind against each other, the former gave up and spun around, evading the descending slash of Omen and quickly using her other hand to break the construct with a strong hit from Sakura, before it had any chance to raise its long sword in a defense position.
"An odachi is no good for close quarters." The Rabbit advised Neo. "Even an umbrella or a parasol is a better choice in these circumstances."
Shut up, already!
Neo in her anger summoned a Cinder construct without thinking about it. This one was not only breathing fire but even using combustion to fly around.
I hate to rely on this construct, but I've got no choice. Burn her down!
Neo using more aura than usual to make a construct that had something akin to elemental magic, ordered her flying creation to shoot several glass swords and fire projectiles at her enemy. The Rabbit casually opened Sakura to use it as a shield, spinning and dodging whenever an opening between Cinder's attacks was available. After some seconds, she used her wakizashi to launch another aura-enhanced slice, which cut diagonally into the construct's torso. The remains of the Cinder construct fell in front of Neo.
Ha! Serves you right, bitch.
Neo smiled for a second.
Oh, wait. That was my construct, not the real one.
" You still have issues you need to deal with, young lady." The Blacksmith said, disappointed in their partner's attitude.
Neo calming down her anger from earlier, began to think of another plan.
Blacksmith, have The Tree predict where I will lead the enemy so that a root prepared in advance hits her. Pay attention to the construct that will speak. If we don't give her even a second to use her Aura Boost, we can ascend this bunny...
" Something wrong?" The Blacksmith asked, unsettled by Neo's pause.
Sorry. I was clearing up my mind. We've got no other option, but to win this fight. This is it!
Neo barely managed to build on time another sturdy construct, stopping The Rabbit's charge against her. It was Qrow Branwen with his scythe sword, Harbinger.
The Rabbit didn't waste time and overpowered with her raw strength the construct's sword to prevent a bind, making it lose its balance. She followed with a kick to the construct's neck. Its force was so strong, that it shattered Neo's summon.
Perfect! She took the bait. Time to spoil her.
Neo jumped backward to make some distance between The Rabbit and her, at the same time she summoned another construct. Tyrian Callows. The Rabbit didn't lose time and dodged the construct's kicks to slice its head off with her wakizashi.
Yuck. She can be creepier than Tyrian if she wants to.
Before The Rabbit could close the distance, Neo again jumped away and summoned another construct.
Jaune Arc. Mercury Black. Harriet Bree. Lie Ren. Adam Taurus. Glynda Goodwitch. Yatsuhashi Daichi. Sun Wukong. Vine Zeki. Arthur Watts. Coco Adel. Leonardo Lionheart. Robyn Hill. Emerald Sustrai. Pyrrha Nikos. Clover Ebi. James Ironwood. Nora Valkyrie.
Neo made sure all her quick summons were as skillful, fast, and dexterous as the real deal, but at the cost of having low durability and lacking a semblance. The Rabbit continued to instantly finish them off, landing one hit on their bodies, while Neo continued jumping backward.
Blacksmith, pay attention. It may not look like it, but I'm now the one in control of this fight's rhythm and direction.
As soon as the Nora construct was shattered, Neo again jumped backward and pulled out another flash summon. It was Marrow Amin. A member of the Ace Ops with a semblance that allowed him to immobilize any enemy he was facing, uttering one word.
"Stay."
The Marrow construct said in the direction of The Rabbit, freezing her body and stopping all her movements entirely. It had taken Neo lots of aura to replicate the effects of Marrow's semblance, but the cost was worth it.
"Neo, good job!" The Blacksmith congratulated her partner, as a root below The Rabbit was about to break the ground.
I did it! I managed to defeat someone more powerful than even Salem and Cinder. Well, not by myself. This time I wasn't alone, Great Tre-
The Rabbit dodged the root aiming for her again, at the last possible second.
What!?
A shocked Neo asked herself, not expecting a reply. It took her time to process what her eyes had seen, but that her brain couldn't handle.
Slightly before the root's tip could reach The Rabbit's body, a couple of shots rang out in the clearing. They were produced by Ranran's machine gun, which shot down the Marrow construct, allowing its pilot to move again and escape from the root's reach. The Rabbit had used her AAIS bracelet to order the red mecha to free her from Marrow's semblance.
"Sorry, doggy. These bunnies aren't domesticated." The Rabbit taunted the broken construct.
No. No. No. No. No.
Neo kept repeating the same word inside of her head. Filled with despair.
I cannot believe I overlooked such an important detail. I was never fighting an opponent with only an umbrella and a sword as weapons.
Neo felt that she was about to cry, as the exhaustion from the fight started to take a toll on her.
"Neo, relax. You are losing control of your thoughts." The Blacksmith tried to calm down their partner, as she panted frantically and collapsed on her knees.
"You did well, pretty doll. Your semblance is impressive." The Rabbit bent her body to look at her rival's eyes. Worried about her state of mind, she complimented her rival. "If you keep training and improving your three pillars, I'm sure you will attain an Apex Semblance of your own, someday."
This instead ended up infuriating Neo.
Can you please, shut up already!? I already got the best semblance in all of Remnant and the Ever After. No one can rival me in either world, outside of maybe those with elemental magic bullshit! There's no improvement left for me. Also, stop it with that stupid Apex Semb-
Suddenly, Neo's angry expression turned into one of confusion and fear.
Blacksmith?
Neo called her partner's attention.
"What is it, Neo?" The Blacksmith, who had been silent till now, replied with a puzzled voice.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but so far, our opponent hasn't used something akin to... A semblance?
Neo asked, despite knowing the answer and fearing that her suspicions were confirmed.
"... I don't think so." The Blacksmith answered with a reluctant tone.
Neo decided to close her eyes and do her best to keep herself from crying, as she kept down a flood of negative thoughts and tightened her grip on Hush. She had never felt this humiliated in a fight before. Not even against Manda Rin, Maria Calavera, Penny Polendina, or one of the other two Maidens she avoided fighting.
"Neo, the enemy is changing its tactics and formation. The Tree will have to go all out." Neo was alarmed by The Blacksmith's sudden warning.
What do you mean?
As she was thinking about her next message, Neo noticed that the Monoliths had changed their flying formation and raised their altitude. Now they were all surrounding The Mother Tree's acre and flying above its crown. Around a dozen Minotaurs were aiming their guns and other weapons at the tree and its surroundings.
"I will protect you." The Blacksmith declared to her.
•
"Inu-san, what are you thinking!?" The Rabbit's scolding voice could be heard in the speakers of the commanding room. "I still haven't captured the girl! You are going to get her killed."
"Lieutenant, may I remind you that our biggest priority is taking over The Tree itself? Any other target is secondary." The Wolf rebutted. "You had your chance to capture the assigned target and wasted it playing around. She's clearly a lost nadir from an insignificant world that was exiled to this place. A failure that couldn't ascend. There's no value in her capture."
"Grand Admiral, with all due respect, we cannot be sure about that." The Monkey carefully interjected to calm down the issue between both, once again. "She could be a spy from another world that will become a threat to Zenith, in the near future."
"Capturing that clown girl alive is important too." Urgently, The Boar complemented The Monkey's response.
"It's the only way we can study her aura and find where she comes from!" She stood up in front of The Wolf, pointing her fan in his direction as if reprimanding her superior's impatient attitude.
"Enough! All ships and units, aim for the tree and its acre!" The Wolf commanded, losing his composure. "Ever After, you better show up, if you don't want her to die!"
Once its fleet completed his command, The Wolf gave the next order.
"Fire!"
•
The Monoliths positioned around the acre commenced their assault on The Great Tree. Large caliber guns, located in their lower side, shot armor-piercing and explosive rounds combined with fire and bright orange dust, while big railguns shot kinetic projectiles.
On the Monoliths' upper side, launchers released ballistic, dust-enhanced missiles that rained down on The Tree. Minotaurs complemented the attack, shooting at The Tree's branches or cutting them down with their axes and swords. Soon, The Great Tree's bark and cambium fell, breaking apart or catching fire all over the place.
This isn't at all like the fairy tales I used to read as a kid. I don't want to be Alyx anymore!
Thinking that she was sleeping and stuck in a nightmare, Neo felt shocked by what she was witnessing. The firepower from all the projectiles of the 13 Monolith combined was enough to blow up Atlas or Beacon academies 5 times over. And the attacks weren't showing signs of stopping.
"Watch out!" Neo heard The Rabbit scream at her, as a stray ballistic missile was about to land on the clearing both were standing on. While branches and roots sprouted from the ground to shield Neo, Ranran managed to intercept the missile and activate a big energy shield to stop its explosion from reaching their location.
"Forgive me, Neo. But things are about to get more dangerous. I've got no option." The Blacksmith said, extremely concerned for her safety.
What do you mean by I've?
As Neo pondered, a strange shriek and an earthquake shook the entire acre.
"Is that The Tree?" The Rabbit asked as she was looking at her surroundings for any signs of danger.
Hundreds of roots emerged from the acre's ground, while an incredible number of sharp branches came out from The Tree's trunk. Combining their forces, the branches and roots attacked and intercepted the enemy's projectiles.
Inside a 'shield dome' made of thick roots and branches, Neo caught a glimpse of the infernal war taking place outside of her 'refuge'. She saw a Minotaur firing its machine gun, defending itself with its big sword, and dodging attacks at incredible speeds while flying all over the place. When it got close to The Tree's trunk a branch, which grew out of it at an insane speed, managed to pierce its torso. The machine kept shooting and was about to use the sword to cut down the branch that pierced it, but before it could achieve this, from the same branch grew several others inside of their objective's body, piercing it several times from within.
The Great Tree's branches eventually grew enough to reach the Monoliths that kept firing at it, but before they could pierce or land heavy hits on the airships, energy shields stopped them from reaching their targets. The shields were so strong, that branches broke or burned whenever they impacted against them violently.
Millions of leaves from The Great Tree and its surrounding forests, as if elevated by divine whirlwinds, tried to engulf the Minotaurs and Monoliths, but the latter's shields effortlessly disintegrated. From all the burned leaves and tree barks, ascension smoke came out. Eventually, the entire acre became an 'instant ascension' zone.
Having no other option, The Rabbit left Neo inside of her shield dome and hopped into Ranran to avoid the smoke, crazy roots, and leaves flying all over the acre.
•
"Look at what you have done, Inu-san." Inside Ranran's cabin, Usagi complained to her superior.
"It's all part of the plan, Rabbit. Better return to a Monolith. Otherwise, you will get caught in the blast of thirteen simultaneous anti-matter shots." The Wolf eerily said, satisfied with his mighty fleet's firepower.
"Nani!? You are doing what!?" The Rabbit asked in disbelief.
"The Ever After finally showed its true colors. It's giving us a proper battle. We already lost half of the deployed Minotaurs and the Monoliths' shields are experiencing some strain." Despite the situation described, The Wolf spoke without worries. "It's time to rely again on bigger firepower to destroy this acre."
"But the cute doll is still down there! Her aura levels are low!" The Rabbit replied, doing her best to not scream and avoid her voice breaking with fear. "She will not be able to survive the intense heat and radiation from one shot, let alone thirteen!"
"That's not our problem, Rabbit. Taking down and capturing The Tree has always been the main mission." The Wolf ignored his subordinate's words. "You want the girl to survive? Then, deal with that tree yourself, before the Monoliths are done charging their shots."
The Wolf closed the communication channel so that his subordinate couldn't rebuke him anymore.
"AAAAAH, he's so obstinate and merciless!" The Rabbit grabbed the back of her uncovered head with both hands, doing small kicks inside the cabin.
"Ranran, lend me your power! We got a damsel to save!" After she calmed down, Ranran began flying fast up to the sky, dodging roots, branches, Minotaurs, and 'friendly' fire on the way. Its speed exceeded multiple times the sound barrier.
•
"Grand Admiral, Ranr- The Rabbit's flying unit made it past the Monoliths and is heading toward the Ever After's thermosphere. It's about to reach an altitude of 100 kms." The computer operator with the kestrel mask nervously informed The Wolf.
"Is she going to do what I'm thinking?" The Boar asked incredulously.
"What a showoff." The Monkey shrugged while speaking sarcastically. "All this to save a girl she's not even familiar with. That's Usagi for you."
"Attention all Monoliths. Cancel the procedures for anti-matter firing. Raise shield levels to maximum capacity in preparation for a kinetic bombardment. Now!" The Wolf speedily ordered with annoyance.
...
"Perhaps I shouldn't have taunted her, but this can turn out to be useful. That thing finally will reveal itself on the battlefield." Deep in thought, the admiral scratched the lower part of his mask.
•
Once Ranran made it past 250 kms above sea level, The Rabbit ordered it to stop at the Ever After's thermosphere.
"Ranran, let's try aiming for a location in which landing will be the least dangerous for our princess doll." The Rabbit input info into the computers of the cabin, so that it could calculate the best trajectory for the impact.
"Sorry, tree. It's either you or her. And it's clear you also care more for her than for your safety." The Rabbit thought aloud with regret.
"All AAIS restrictions lifted. Aiming for the highest possible aura synchronization levels." The Rabbit adjusted the configuration on her left bracelet and cabin computers. "Ranran, we will use together one of my favorite recorded semblances, Sakura Blast. Let's make it Apex!"
•
"Neopolitan, The Tree is running out of power. It won't be able to fend off for longer the invaders." The Blacksmith called their partner's attention, as she was trying to look at how the battle was developing from inside of her dome. "We have been saving enough energy for another portal though."
Great. Let's escape together, while The Tree has some bravado left.
Neo told the Blacksmith, trying to conceal the fear that was building up inside of her.
The Rabbit girl and her robot are gone, while most of the Minotaurs are either down or too busy to aim here.
"... Right. We will try to open a new door, as close as possible to you." The Blacksmith hesitated while saying this.
Blacksmith... Things are going to be fine, right? You will-
As an anxious Neo was speaking with her partner, she saw way up in the sky something that mesmerized her. From a distance, it looked like some sort of violet meteorite or comet. The closer it got to the ground, the more details she could discern from it. Its center was red. Its violet light and tail were the result of a flame that it was emitting. And it was leaving behind a trail of pink petals on its fall.
Could that be... Ranran? But something is off. The speed at which this object is falling is way too fast!
Never she had seen a transport or vehicle move this fast. Thanks to her above-average nerve conduction velocity, senses, and reflexes, Neo could predict in time where the violet comet was heading.
Blacksmith, I have a bad feeling about this. Something is going to crash hard against this acre.
Thinking fast, Neo detected the remaining broken shards of her fallen constructs laying on the clearing's ground. Using her semblance, she gathered them all together on Hush, to use the same shield tactic from earlier. As she was doing this, more roots and branches manifested, reinforcing the dome that shielded Neo, while previous ones installed there grew thicker, as if preparing for the upcoming impact.
With Hush opened in the direction of where the object was going to fall, Neo placed herself behind it as best as she could. Combining almost all her remaining energy reserves, plus the shards used to reinforce Hush's defense, a pink aura sphere shield appeared to cover her body. In front of Hush, a bright silhouette reminiscent of a pink flower with petals showed up.
All of this took place within 3 seconds.
•
"Falling speed: 50 kms per second!" The Owl operator said quickly and urgently to his superior.
The Monoliths' energy shields had been activated and reinforced as best as possible, sacrificing many of their other capabilities, including projectile firing, just to be able to sustain their defenses at their peak performance for longer.
"It's over, Ever After." The Wolf declared triumphantly.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" The Board said in panic.
•
"BUNNY KICK!" The Rabbit positioned Ranran so that one of its legs was fully extended, while the other one retracted. Ranran's body twisted a bit to take full advantage of the gained momentum and increase the force behind the kick.
•
The Monkey, who was sitting relaxed on a chair, with his arms behind his head and legs on top of a computer desk, casually moved one of his hands to the front and opened it to simulate an explosion.
"Boom!"
•
An intense violet light covered the entire area. Ranran had landed near the base of The Tree, on the other side of the acre where Neo's refuge dome was located. A big and long spiked column of purple smoke grew abruptly near The Tree, surpassing its height and the Monoliths' flying altitude, while several other spiked columns of a lesser size grew from its base.
A gigantic shockwave hit The Great Tree hard, destroying instantly all its branches and pulverizing its leaves. It reached the Monoliths with their activated shields, making them lose their balanced, flying positions for a moment. The ascension smoke and clouds produced by the burned leaves were dispersed by the force of the impact traveling across the acre.
The ground of the acre began to break, as entire big sections of it got leveled up and their forests got decimated. The ground continued to shatter, while some sections of the acre's border broke apart from the mainland, falling into the abyss that surrounded it. Big portions of land rose, while other ones got buried by the former, completely deforming the shape and landscape of the previously fertile area.
The shockwave and kinetic energy of the attack made it to the neighboring acres, destroying the wildlife and structures contained within them and making cracks appear across their entire ground areas. The impact made it to the beaches and its waters, tearing palms and other vegetation from the ground, and sending its sand flying away.
The shockwave continued travelling a couple of kilometers across the Ever After's surrounding sea, before losing its destructive force. No clouds remained in the sky above The Tree's acre.
•
Even if the Rabbit and Ranran had calculated that most of the force from their impact would be absorbed by The Great Tree's trunk, a significant portion of it reached the clearing in which Neo and her dome were stationed. The kinetic energy destroyed fiercely the refuge, instantaneously tearing apart the roots and branches it was made of.
Neo did her best to hold Hush and her flower aura shield in the optimal defensive position, but the latter started to break as it lost its petals. The shockwave's force continued breaking her external aura shield until only Hush remained.
Roman! Blacksmith!
As Neo's fear began to increase, doing her best to not lose her grip on Hush, she directed most of what remained of her aura into its canopy. Despite her efforts, Hush was beginning to break apart. The strong winds refused to give up on their victim, producing tears on Hush.
Please, no! Hold on! We can do this, together!
Flashes of her sad life back in Remnant appeared before her closed eyes filled with tears. Neo remembered all the tragedies and misadventures she had experienced throughout her life.
I know I don't deserve it, but I want to survive!
Neo suddenly remembered a pink box. The day she got Hush. A pink light spread across the parasol, as Neo's body kept getting pushed away. The destructive force of the kinetic bombardment continued to attack her, doing its best to claim her life, but her weapon refused to give up.
Without notice, Hush's canopy broke entirely, and Neo lost her grip on its shaft. The impact reached Neo's body and tried tearing her. She subconsciously covered her head and face with her arms, forcing herself to keep her aura shield activated over the most vital parts of her body. But as she did this, a terrifying thought crossed her mind.
ROMAN'S HAT!
She realized that the hat had been blown away from her head long ago. As she lost her concentration and tried desperately to look for it, the final push from the explosion sent a distracted Neo flying away. She fell several meters away from where she was last standing, almost losing consciousness.
Neo tried standing but noticed that her balance was a bit off. One of her shoes was gone, while the other one had its heel broken. Her gloves, detached sleeves, and scarf had also disappeared. Her pants had two big holes in them. One in the left knee and another one around her right thigh. Most of her brown coat was gone too, and what little remained of it was attached to her white vest. One of her two belt shoulder straps had broken, her ice cream keychain was gone, and she was covered in dirt stains.
But she was still alive, and her injuries weren't life-threatening.
She had cuts across multiple parts of her body. Fortunately, not deep ones, but still enough for some of them to cause slight bleeding, while purple bruises were beginning to form here and there. Despite some pain, Neo didn't have a broken bone or suffered a dislocation. Outside of messy hair, tiny cuts on her face, and some small bumps, her head had been mostly spared. Neo's aura had lasted long enough to protect her from most of the kinetic energy released by Ranran's fall.
Hush and the wood dome had served their purpose.
For the next minute, Neo tried to regain control of her senses and process her surroundings. She recognized that the broken and desolated area she was standing on used to be the acre of The Mother Tree. As she recovered from the shock, she saw up in the distance the extremely damaged and crooked trunk of what used to be the mighty Great Tree. Its foliage and branches were no more, along its surrounding forests.
If Vale had been the target of that same kinetic bombardment, not only Beacon Academy but the entire kingdom and its city would have been wiped off, without leaving any trace behind. If that same attack had landed on Atlas, the entire city would have been flattened. Along its floating continental landmass breaking down and destroying Mantle in the process.
Blacksmith!? Can you hear me!? Please, answer me!
Terror won over Neo. Memories of the night she lost her previous partner, Roman Torchwick, resurfaced. Fearing that this was a repeat of Beacon's Fall, she tried to get a reply from her partner.
I may not be able to ascend anymore, but at least let's escape together!
Neo began to run, looking aimlessly around the former acre in a futile attempt to find her partner.
Don't leave me alone, please! Not you too!
After minutes of a frantic and erratic search, Neo collapsed on her knees. Her throat and chest hurt a lot, and tears came out from her white-colored eyes. Neo opened her mouth while crouching and clutching her head, but as much as she wanted, a scream wouldn't come out.
I'm sorry!