Author's Note:

Rejoice ! another chapter has been completed and it's the end of Volume 8 now to Volume 9

As always PMs are open and etc and hopefully next chapter/Volume is to your enjoyment as we all write all of this

Till next chapter, Apzeta, Bishop, and Knight

The battlefield was chaos incarnate, a maelstrom of clashing powers and desperate retreats.

Akira, clad in his Ark-One Armor, stood at the center of it all, analyzing the conflict through the Ark Driver's predictive capabilities.

His single glowing eye processed everything in real-time, calculating the most efficient course of action.

"This battle is a waste of time," Akira muttered, reaching a conclusion. His voice, modulated by the Ark Driver, was cold and devoid of emotion.

"Amethyst, Adam, Onyx—proceed to the portal. Vacuo is our next step."

Amethyst, floating midair with her mechanical wings shimmering, frowned at Akira.

Amethyst: "Don't die on me, Akira."

He didn't respond. He didn't need to. He simply turned back towards the battle as his allies obeyed, disappearing into the portal.

At the same time, Penny Polendina and Cinder Fall were locked in an aerial clash, their respective Maiden powers sending out waves of energy.

Fire met steel as Cinder's inferno clashed against Penny's hardlight blades. They weaved through the battlefield, an explosive dance of raw power.

A fireball struck Penny's back, causing her to cry out as she tumbled through the air.

Cinder, smirking, extended her Grimm arm to ensnare her—but before it could wrap around Penny, a Queen Lancer, summoned by Weiss Schnee, flew by and intercepted her.

Nora Valkyrie stood watching the evacuation.

Jaune Arc grabbed her shoulder.

Jaune: "Priority one."

Nora nodded and moved to direct the civilians to the portal.

Riding the Queen Lancer, Penny steadied herself.

Penny: "Weiss, all she ever wanted was the Maiden power. I can buy you all time."

Weiss hesitated.

Wiess: "But, Penny—"

A fireball slammed into Weiss's back, and her summon vanished. She and Penny plummeted onto a platform below, their Auras flickering.

Cinder landed with a smirk, her eyes gleaming with victory.

Penny: "I'm right here! I'm what you want!" Penny shouted, stepping between Cinder and Weiss.

Cinder ( grinning wickedly): "I want it all."

She lunged, but before she could land a hit, a black boot connected with her face, sending her skidding across the platform. Blake Belladonna landed gracefully in front of Weiss.

Blake: "Get up!"

Weiss, wincing, pushed herself up, gripping Myrtenaster and the Staff of Creation. She ran off as Blake and Penny readied their weapons against Cinder.

Then, a wave of sheer, overwhelming malice flooded the area.

Weiss, Blake and Penny staggered as a cold, oppressive force weighed them down.

Their breath hitched, their muscles locked, their instincts screaming at them to run.

Akira jumped onto the platform.

Without a word, he walked past Weiss and Blake, effortlessly shoving them aside.

The instant his Ark-Driver activated, a surge of red and black energy crackled through the air. Malice radiated from him in thick, suffocating waves.

Cinder's confidence faltered. She tried to move, but her body felt paralyzed under the sheer pressure of the energy emanating from Akira.

Then, with terrifying speed, Akira palm-struck her face.

The force sent Cinder crashing into the platform, the impact forming deep cracks in the ground.

She gasped, clawing at her throat, suffocating—not from lack of air, but from the sheer malevolence pressing into her soul.

Akira loomed over her.

Akira: "Your obsession blinds you, Cinder Fall. Learn your place."

He turned his gaze to Weiss, Blake, and Penny. His voice was devoid of empathy or semblance of Humanity

Akira: "Focus on the real enemy. Be useful, or jump into the void like Blondie."

Weiss's grip tightened on Myrtenaster.

Wiess: "You insensitive Monster. You have no right—"

Akira: "Then prove your worth, Schnee." His red eye gleamed. "Or do you need another lesson in humility ?"

Blake's ears twitched in anger.

Blake: "You brought Adam back. You stole my Semblance. I will never fight alongside you."

Akira: "Irrelevant and Predictable, Your choices are survival or death. Decide."

Penny looked between them all, then at Cinder, still struggling against the invisible weight of Akira's presence.

Penny: "We have to work together, whether we like it or not."

Cinder snarled through gritted teeth.

Cinder: "I will kill you and take your power as well."

Akira tilted his head slightly.

Akira: "Then perish."

The battlefield stood still for a moment, a fragile tension in the air. Then, the battle resumed.

[ Change in Perspective ]

The battlefield was in chaos. Fire and smoke filled the air as clashes of weapons and bursts of energy shook the very foundation of the arena.

Amidst the destruction, Ruby Rose gritted her teeth, facing down Neopolitan with unwavering determination.

Neo smirked, twirling Hush in her hand before dashing forward. Ruby barely had time to react as Neo landed a solid kick to her stomach, sending her crashing to the ground. Her Aura flickered violently, signaling its imminent depletion.

Neo stalked towards her, eyes filled with cold amusement.

Weiss: "Leave her alone!"

A glyph flashed beneath Weiss' feet as she propelled forward, wielding the Staff of Creation. With a swift and precise strike, she sent Neo flying backward—straight into a swirling portal.

Cinder, witnessing the interference, growled in frustration and conjured massive torrents of fire, forcing Penny and Blake to retreat. Seizing the opportunity, she lunged at Blake and delivered a devastating kick to her torso, sending her off the platform.

Penny: "Blake!"

Without hesitation, Penny surged downward, wings of light flaring as she reached for Blake.

Before Cinder could press her advantage, another force intervened.

Akira appeared in an instant, his palm connecting with Cinder's face in a concussive strike that sent a pulse of Malice rippling through the air. The energy suffocated the air around Neo as she struggled to recover.

Meanwhile, Weiss rushed to Ruby's side, gripping her arm tightly and helping her to her feet.

Weiss: "Come on, we have to do this… for Yang."

Ruby's eyes widened at the mention of her sister. Before she could respond, the ground beneath them illuminated with an eerie glow. Weiss barely had time to react before she shoved Ruby away, simultaneously thrusting the Staff into her hands.

Ruby: "No!"

The explosion erupted, sending Weiss hurtling into the air. She crashed hard, her Aura shattering upon impact.

Neo reappeared in a blur, engaging Ruby once again. The two exchanged rapid blows, but Neo gained the upper hand, wrenching the Staff from Ruby's grasp and slashing at her with Hush, knocking her off the platform.

Ruby tumbled downward but managed to land on one of the lower walkways. She gasped as she saw Crescent Rose skidding across the battlefield—right into Akira's hands.

Ruby: "No!!"

Neo loomed above her, her expression unreadable.

Ruby: "Whatever you wanted…"

She glanced back briefly, gauging her surroundings before turning back to Neo.

Ruby: "I hope it was worth it."

She spread her arms wide, inviting Neo to make the final move. Neo's eyes narrowed as she lunged, extending Hush's blade.

At the last moment, Ruby let herself fall backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. Using her Semblance, she looped under the platform, appearing behind Neo and striking her from behind, sending her tumbling over the edge.

Ruby reached out, trying to catch the Staff, but a searing pain erupted in her back as Cinder launched a fireball at her.

Ruby screamed, her Aura breaking entirely as she plummeted.

In desperation, she grabbed onto Neo's ankle. The two dangled precariously above the abyss.

Blake Penny: "RUBY!!!"

Penny soared toward them, but Cinder intercepted with a barrage of fire, knocking her away.

Neo reached out for salvation, her fingers inches from Cinder. Instead of offering aid, Cinder's Grimm arm reached past her, snatching the Relic of Knowledge from Neo's belt.

Cinder: "You should have never threatened me…"

Neo's expression twisted in fury. Cinder's smirk vanished as she kicked Hush into the void.

She then turned to Ruby, her fiery gaze filled with her own malice.

Cinder: "And you… should have never been born."

With a wicked grin, she swung the Staff down, shattering Neo's grip. Neo let out a silent scream as she plummeted into darkness.

Ruby followed, her heart pounding as the abyss swallowed her.

Blake: "NO!!"

Blake hurled herself off the edge, using Gambol Shroud's ribbon to catch Ruby. Penny, regaining her composure, flung Blake forward.

As Blake secured her hold, Penny was struck by another of Cinder's attacks, sending her reeling.

Blake: "Hold on!"

The two swung back toward the platform, but Cinder, unrelenting, fired another stream of flame. The fire burned through Gambol Shroud's ribbon, severing their connection.

Blake Ruby: "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

They vanished into the abyss.

Penny: "NO!!!"

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Weiss, trembling, fired rounds at Cinder with Gambol Shroud's pistol mode, tears streaming down her face.

Weiss: "Get back!!"

Meanwhile, Jaune parachuted to where Nora was waiting.

Jaune: "May, Joanna, any Huntsmen that went through that gate, bring 'em here!"

As reinforcements attempt to arrived, Weiss was knocked backward by Cinder's flames. Cinder hovered above, smirking cruelly.

Cinder: "It figures that a Schnee would be the last one standing. Letting all your friends die first."

She inhaled deeply before exhaling a massive surge of flame.

Penny: "You wouldn't know anything about friends."

Penny intercepted, blocking the flames with her Maiden swords. Jaune arrived, reinforcing their stance as he struck Cinder with his gravity-infused shield, sending her staggering.

Jaune, Penny, and Weiss stood together, ready for battle.

Cinder steadied herself but suddenly faltered. Her Grimm arm twitched violently, the markings along its surface pulsating erratically.

Cinder: "She's back…"

A sinister energy filled the air.

Akira rushed forward, landing beside Weiss, Crescent Rose still in his grasp.

Akira: "This will interesting..."

Cinder created a shockwave, sending Jaune, Penny, and Weiss skidding backward. As they struggled to regain their footing, Cinder launched two flame swords toward them.

Penny quickly intercepted, her blades slicing through the fiery weapons, dissipating them into embers. But before they could counterattack, Cinder ignited the ground, sending a V-shaped wall of flames between them, cutting them off from one another.

Jaune coughed, shielding his face from the heat. "Penny! Weiss!"

Penny's gaze darted between her friends. "Jaune! Weiss! Stay together!" But before she could react further, searing pain tore through her chest.

Her breath hitched. She looked down in horror at Cinder's Grimm arm, impaling her torso. Dark veins spread from the wound as her Maiden powers were being drained. "No…!"

Weiss gasped. "Penny!"

Summoning all her strength, Weiss lunged at Cinder, Myrtenaster flashing in the dim light. Cinder smirked and turned her attention to the Schnee, pulling her arm free from Penny's chest.

Penny staggered, her vision blurring from the blood loss. She collapsed onto her knees as Jaune ran to her side, his heart pounding.

"Penny! Hold on!" Jaune activated his Semblance, his golden Aura flaring as he placed his hands over her wound, willing his healing power into her.

Penny reached up, weakly grasping his wrist. "No… there's not enough time..." she whispered, her lips trembling.

Penny: "She can't get the Staff and the power… but there is something you can do…"

Jaune's breath caught in his throat.

Jaune: "I—I don't know where the others are, but… Weiss! Akira! We need more time!"

Weiss, battling fiercely against Cinder, barely glanced back.

Penny: "We won't let her take anything else!"

Meanwhile, Akira's Ark-One armor flickered as he assessed the battle. His vision split into endless possibilities.

Then, one outcome crystallized in his mind—a certainty that was 1000% going to happen. His fists clenched.

Penny reached for Jaune's face, her emerald eyes pleading.

Penny: "Let me choose… this one thing… trust me…!"

Jaune's hands trembled as he drew Crocea Mors. His reflection in the blade mirrored the torment in his soul.

Weiss cried out as Cinder knocked Gambol Shroud from her grasp, sending it spiraling into the abyss. Before Weiss could react, Cinder struck her down, leaving her sprawled on the floor.

Akira lunged at Cinder, tackling her back. His Ark-Driver processed his next move, 3D printing a new weapon—Thousand Jacker.

Akira snatched it mid-air and retrieved the Fighting Jackal Progrisekey jamming it into the slot.

Thousand Jacker: [ Progrisekey confirmed. Ready to break.]

Thousand Jacker: [ Thousand Break ! ]

A jackal-shaped energy construct lunged at Cinder, crashing into her with incredible force. Her Aura flickered dangerously.

Cinder, panting, glared at him.

Cinder: "You think that will stop me?!"

Akira didn't answer. His gaze locked onto Jaune and Penny. The conclusion was inevitable. He braced himself for what came next.

A scream of anguish tore through the battlefield.

Jaune stood, his body trembling, Crocea Mors now stained crimson.

Penny lay still at his feet, her lifeless eyes gazing at the void above. His tears dripped onto her bloodied chest.

Weiss, struggling to rise, gasped in horror. "No…"

Cinder's expression twisted in shock.

Cinder: "Where did it go?!" Her eyes darted around, searching for the stolen Winter Maiden power.

Suddenly, a blue blast struck her from behind.

Winter Schnee hovered in the air, her new Maiden power radiating from her form.

Winter: "You… are going to pay for everything you've done!"

The two Maidens clashed, exchanging blows of raw magic and steel. Winter summoned a flock of Nevermores to attack. Cinder retaliated with a barrage of flaming swords, but Winter was relentless.

Jaune, wiping his tears, grabbed Weiss and helped her toward the gate to Vacuo.

Jaune: "We need to go. Now."

Winter, still locked in combat, managed to snatch the Staff from Cinder's grasp.

But as she turned, Cinder struck her, causing her to drop it. The Staff tumbled onto the path.

Seeing her chance, Cinder turned toward Jaune and Weiss, a cruel grin spreading across her face.

Cinder: "Oh, you're not getting away that easily."

She launched a massive fireball. Jaune hurled his Hard-Light shield grenade to block the attack, but the explosion knocked them both back.

Winter's eyes widened in horror as the ground beneath them began to glow. "No…"

Cinder clenched her fist. The ground beneath Jaune and Weiss detonated.

Winter: "WEISS!!!"

Jaune barely had time to react as Weiss was launched over the edge, her scream echoing into the abyss.

Winter landed, falling to her knees, grief consuming her. Tears spilled down her face as she slammed her fist against the ground.

Winter: "No… no, no, NO!!!"

Cinder, satisfied, retrieved both the Staff and Lamp. But before she could celebrate—

Akira moved.

Faster than anyone could track, he struck Cinder with a palm strike, sending her reeling.

He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground, his Ark-Driver processing his next move as he press the Ark-Driver with Cinder hearing every word like a count down.

Ark-Driver: [ Akui / Kyōfu / Funnu / Zōo / Zetsubō ]

Akira's voice echoes in Cinder's mind

Akira: "This… is your conclusion."

Ark-Driver: [ Perfect Conclusion Learning 5 ! ]

Akira's body crackled with crimson energy. Kanji representing malice and destruction surged around him.

His wings of energy expanded before he absorbed them, creating an expanding red energy field. The sheer force of it caused the entire battlefield to quake.

Cinder gasped, feeling true fear for the first time.

A blinding explosion erupted.

[ As the explosion happens ]

As the explosion and Echo of the Ark-Driver announcement rang through the air, chaos erupted across the battlefield.

Jaune's boots pounded against the crumbling walkways as he sprinted toward the Vacuo portal.

The edges of the paths were vanishing into nothingness, consumed by the abyss below. His breath was ragged, but he pushed himself harder, his mind set on survival.

Ahead, Winter Schnee turned her head just in time to see Jaune struggling.

Attempting to turn back, but the momentum carried her forward, and in an instant, she was through the gate, vanishing into Vacuo.

Jaune gritted his teeth as the final section of the walkway crumbled beneath him.

With a desperate yell, he leaped, fingers outstretched toward the portal. But just as he reached for salvation, the portal flickered out of existence.

"No!" he cried as gravity seized him. He plummeted into the abyss, the roar of the explosion consuming the battlefield above.

[ Back with Akira and Cinder ]

Cinder Fall gasped, her body locked in place by the sheer force of Ark-One's overwhelming presence.

The glowing crimson kanji and the malevolent energy of the Perfect Conclusion finisher coalesced around her, burning away her Maiden powers as they were absorbed by the machine, her very essence being unmade.

She tried to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. Her body convulsed as the energy surged through her, her single eye wide in horror.

The malice, the hatred, the despair—it all crushed down on her like an avalanche, suffocating and inescapable.

Akira stood over her, the white and black armor of Ark-One dissipating as the Ark-Driver deactivated.

The crimson glow in his singular eye dimmed, and his grip on the Relics tightened.

As the energy faded, Cinder's form disintegrated into embers, her existence erased by Ark-One's pure wrath.

The last vestiges of her being flickered into the darkness, leaving nothing behind.

Akira took a deep breath, his expression unreadable. But as he adjusted his hold on the Relics as he was falling, he noticed something.

His Forceriser and Fighting Jackal Progrisekey tumbled from his coat, lost into the abyss that he was now heading towards to

He watched them disappear into the void. For a brief moment, he felt the weight of his power—what it had cost him, what it had taken from others. But then, he exhaled and closed his eyes

With Akira finding a moment of peace as if Death was calling his name