A.N: Here we go, here we go. With Volume 9 delayed another year, I can continue my efforts to make Wild Hunt the true canon! Mwa ha ha! JK, JK. But am I though? That's for you to decide. Anyways, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 44: The Demon That Devours Sinners
Once upon a time, the small army charging towards the once proud city of Mantle had once been the majority of the prison population in the many maximum security prisons run by Atlas. However, that changed when four masked individuals liberated them from their respective prisons, killing all but one guard in the process. The prisoners were then taken to a location where Atlas could not track them, and it was at this point that their benefactor introduced himself to make them an offer.
"Brothers and sisters, fate has united us to work together towards Atlas' downfall. Today, I offer you the chance to claim vengeance! However, there is a catch." The King of Diamonds had said to them. "I command that you all fight each other with all your strength. The only rule is that you are not allowed to kill each other."
This had caused a bit of confusion amongst the prisoners. One asked what King hoped to accomplish with this test. "Those left standing are needed elsewhere, to aid Gray Jackal in an endeavor just as important as Atlas' destruction." King explained. "The losers however are free to strike at Mantle and Atlas with all their strength."
The convicts were still left uncertain. One voiced the obvious. "Why would we pick a fight against Atlas when we could just leave free men and women?"
The King of Diamonds smirked in response. "How many years did you all lose because of your imprisonment? Don't you think you should pay them back for that kindness?"
The convicts started murmuring in response. "You certainly could just go out and live your lives. But I am giving you a unique opportunity to take your revenge on the men who imprisoned you. They put you behind bars in the name of justice, it is time you responded with justice of your own."
"My friends, what Atlas took from you, you have the chance to take back. Do not pass up this chance just to live frivolously!"
This began to rile up the convicts. "Now fight, let us see where fate shall take you all!"
And now, the convicts who lost this massive battle royale were charging towards Atlas. It was an army of B and C-class fighters who had been imprisoned for a wide variety of crimes. Murder, rape, conspiracy, you name it. The kind of crimes that got you locked up in a maximum security prison. And they all had their attention on Mantle. They would pillage and burn Mantle and then turn their attention to Atlas.
The King of Diamonds was right in their eyes. Atlas took years of their lives from them in those damn prisons. It was time they paid the piper.
And Mantle was left unaware of how much danger they were in. The chaos above them was distracting, and they had to focus on putting out the flames in the abandoned Magnolia Weapons Factory.
The prisoners all whooped and hollered as they trudged through the snow, excited for their vengeance. Then, in a near instant, they stopped dead in their tracks. A massive, hulking man wearing a big, red coat and a snowy white beard stood between them and the city of Atlas. Goat horns protruded from his white hair. He glared at them all with red eyes.
"Who the hell are you, Faunus?" One of the convicts demanded.
"You know who I am," the goat Faunus responded in a booming tone of voice, "I am the guardian in the snow, protector of Atlas and Mantle."
"You may call me Klaus Rot."
This caused the convicts to all freeze in terror. Yes, they did indeed all know this man. The ninth strongest Legend. The S-Class Huntsman. The Winter Hermit. Klaus Rot. "Did you honestly think you could move through my territory without me knowing?" Klaus inquired. "The snowy lands of this kingdom are my territory."
"Damn it, they didn't say anything about having to fight the Winter Hermit!" One convict exclaimed.
"I heard he's invincible as long as he's in the snow!" Another added.
"Don't be cowards!" One of the B-Class convicts stepped in. "There are several hundred of us, and only one of him! And we're all skilled fighters ourselves! We can take him if we attack him together!"
This caused the convict army to start hollering with determination. Klaus cracked his neck. "I don't know why you're all outside of your cells, but this will make you wish you were still in prison."
The snow was suddenly becoming faster, more violent. A few of the convicts began to slow down as the temperature dropped considerably. Then, Klaus raised his right hand. The snow seemed to become even more ferocious. He then swiped right and snow already on the ground raised into the air. The snow then violently whipped left and right into a hellish snowstorm that almost seemed like a cyclone.
The convicts at the front yelled in surprise as they were suddenly swept off their feet by the snow manipulated by Klaus.
Klaus Rot's Semblance: Winter Wonderland. He could freely manipulate snow, whipping it up into a frenzy, creating a nightmarish blizzard that could bury and freeze his victims to death. In other words, in a snowy kingdom such as Atlas, he was invincible. This was why he was called the Winter Hermit. The man who never left the wintery comforts of Atlas, and did not need to. The guardian in the snow who protected Atlas and Mantle from harm.
"Shit! Is that his Semblance?" One convict exclaimed, though his voice was being rapidly drowned out by the sound of the blizzard.
Klaus looked off to the side. There are Grimm attempting to breach Atlas as well. He noted. I must expand the reach of my Semblance in order to account for that as well.
Klaus clapped his massive hands together. The blizzard grew in size and intensity. The convicts could only scream in terror as they were enveloped in the blizzard. Klaus kept an impassive look on his face as the blizzard covered Atlas and Mantle like a white dome.
Robyn Hill looked up and saw the blowing snow that shaped itself into a dome in shock. "What the shit?" She exclaimed.
"What's happening?" Fiona Thyme wondered.
"Someone's Semblance is going crazy." May Marigold noted.
Eugene yelled in surprise as his airship was caught up in Klaus' blizzard just as he began to touch back down onto Atlas' airfield. "What the fuck? Where did all this weather come from?" He wondered.
Flynn frantically looked outside. "Is some kind of Huntsman responsible for this? This doesn't look natural at all!" He yelled.
Finally, Winter Schnee arrived where the Grimm were coming from just as the weather turned awful. She watched in surprise as the blizzard seemed to slam into the Nevermores and Griffons flying towards Atlas.
"What the hell?" One of the few remaining soldiers exclaimed in surprise.
Winter's eyes widened immediately realizing who it was. "It's the Winter Hermit." She muttered. "What a lucky break."
If he's here, then Atlas and Mantle are definitely safe. She thought with relief.
"Schnee!" Another soldier exclaimed. "A few Grimm are still coming through!"
Winter looked up and saw a few Nevermores and Griffins fly through the violent veil of snow. "I suppose even the Winter Hermit can spread himself too thin. We should count ourselves lucky he managed to get things down to a manageable level for us."
Seriously, if this strange blizzard is his Semblance, then he really is an S-Class. This blizzard is affecting the entire area around Atlas and Mantle...and maybe even a bit further than that.
"Stand back, all of you." Winter ordered. And with a flick of her sword, several hundred Glyphs appeared right behind her. "Back me up on the off-chance I miss a few."
"But ma'am…" a younger, less experienced soldier began, looking at her in worry.
"Stay back, son." A veteran grabbed him and pulled him away. "You're new, so you haven't seen it yet."
A large army of snow white Nevermores appeared from the glyphs, much to the shock of the young soldier. "You haven't seen the power of Atlas' strongest Specialist in action. There's a damn good reason why Ironwood keeps her close to him."
Meanwhile, Hansel Kobalt stared down former Atlesian Specialist, Rainn Biggs, the true culprit behind everything in Atlas. The man who betrayed his student while playing the role of a kind and helpful teacher and scientist named Dr. Glen White. The man who had been stealing from Atlas and giving to the terrorist cell, Gray Jackal. The man who had killed several people just to keep his identity a secret. And now, after all that, he had the nerve to try and run away.
Hansel was SO going to kill him for all that.
"So," Rainn cracked his neck, "is this the moment where you ask me to explain my evil plan or something like that?"
Hansel just glared at Rainn for that comment. "Nah," he replied, "this ain't that kind of movie."
"Oh? And here was me thinking you wanted to learn more about Gray Jackal." Rainn taunted.
"Would you actually tell me anything?" Hansel countered.
"No, of course not, soldiers say nothing when they're captured by the enemy and interrogated." Rainn replied.
"Then there's nothing we have left to say to each other." Hansel pointed Wolf Fang at him. "I'm going to kill you."
Rainn responded by retracting the blades in his ice skates and stomped the ground. Hansel watched in shock as a wave of spiky ice sprouted out and charged towards him. Hansel's eyes widened and rocketed upwards with the help of his flames acting as an ignition boost. Rainn then created a large spike of ice that reminded Hansel of a javelin. He then threw it right at the Beacon Professor.
Hansel quickly sliced the javelin of ice in half right down the middle. He then kicked off a spike of ice and landed safely on the ground. Rainn held his right palm out in front of him and created several spikes of ice. He then shot them at Hansel like they were fired out of a cannon. Hansel quickly parried the spikes with Wolf Fang.
This is crazy, he noted, Project Witchcraft, and the previous iteration my family worked on, had the express goal of allowing warriors to replicate the use of magic from the legends. But even if I didn't know that the experiments would destroy the people involved, I would never believe the experiments would actually work. Magic was lost to Remnant with no records other than legends. The only people who should be capable of such feats are the four Maidens, Salem and Professor Ozpin: relics of a legendary, bygone era
If I wasn't looking at it myself, I'd have never believed they had unknowingly succeeded in creating a mage by surgically infusing him with dust.
Hansel leapt towards Rainn. Rainn quickly created a massive glacier between himself and Hansel. Hansel quickly generated black flames in his right hand and threw a haymaker right into the glacier, shattering and melting it at practically the same time. Hansel then swung Wolf Fang with his free hand. Rainn narrowed his eyes and countered with a kick, one of the ice skating blades protruded from his shoe and blocked Wolf Fang.
He then backflipped and palmed the ground with both hands, creating a smaller, spiked glacier that slammed into Hansel. Hansel gasped in surprise. Thankfully his Aura had protected him from actual impalement.
This practically is magic, it reminds me of the fight with Cinder that night. But I just don't understand how the experiments could've worked this well! There have been records of people putting and even ingesting Dust inside of them and using their power, but all those records have shown that people who do that can only emit elements like fire and lightning from their body. He's creating ice practically everywhere. Is this because the ice was surgically infused inside of him...did Rainn's Aura actually adjust itself to manipulate the Dust and its power like it's an extension of his body?
Hansel looked and saw Rainn create a path of ice down a building. He skated downwards and then fired off more ice spikes at the swordsman. Hansel dodged and went back on the offensive. Rainn created another small glacier to try and impale Hansel through his Aura. Not this time you bastard! Hansel snarled.
Hansel quickly propelled himself over the glacier with fire rocketing from his palm. Rainn tried to turn and counter, but Hansel was faster. He quickly enveloped Rainn in black flames.
Rainn then leapt from the flames and grabbed Hansel by the throat. "I know it may seem that fire has an advantage against ice, boy, but the Ice Dust infused with my body allows me to regulate my body temperature." Rainn taunted before kneeing Hansel in the stomach and tossing him into a wall, embedding him in the resulting crater.
Rainn quickly created a platform of ice for him to skate on and moved towards Hansel, freezing his hands to the wall before he could fall from it. "What the…" Hansel began.
Rainn quickly backed up and created another javelin of ice. "Now remain still, Hansel." He said in a voice as chilling as his powers.
Hansel regained his composure just as Rainn tossed the javelin. He quickly set his arms on fire and melted the ice around his hands, allowing him to fall to the ground just as the javelin embedded itself in the wall where his hand was. "Fire still melts ice, Rainn." Hansel reminded him.
Rainn scowled and created more ice spikes with a wave of his hand. He directed the spikes to launch themselves at Hansel from above. Hansel quickly parried those spikes as well. He then looked up just in time to see Rainn coming down at him with an axe-kick. An axe-kick that was sure to hurt with those blasted skate blades below his feet.
Shit. Hansel quickly positioned Wolf Fang above his head and blocked the axe-kick.
Hansel forced Rainn off of him, but not before Rainn managed to freeze the blade with his powers. However, when Rainn landed, he quickly kicked with his other foot, hitting the wide-open Hansel with another wave of spiky ice that forced the Beacon Professor off his feet.
Hansel yelled in surprise from the impact, but managed to land on his feet. His fighting style is way too unpredictable, he's got the upperhand!
"You look frustrated, Hansel." Rainn taunted. "Surprised that an old man like me has this many tricks up his sleeve?"
"More annoyed than surprised." Hansel fired back.
"To be honest, I was surprised when the surgery worked and I was...given this power." Rainn admitted. "It took a long time, but I finally figured out how it worked."
"You see, the Ice Dust has become an extension of me, a body-part if you will. And my soul, my Aura treats it as such." Rainn explained.
"Is that how you were able to put yourself in a death-like state and escape Atlas back then? By freezing your vital organs, making it seem like you were dead?"
"Impressive, is that how you managed to figure out how I was still alive? You're far craftier than I gave you credit for." Rainn admitted. "You're absolutely correct though. That was how I escaped. And because the dust is now an extension of me, part of me, my Aura can manipulate its power freely."
"You see, those Atlesian fools dreamed of creating a mage like that of the legends, and they succeeded."
"They did, and that's exactly why I wish I knew they were bringing it back ahead of time. The Professor should've stopped it. He could've stepped in or even convinced Ironwood to stop. Venturing into uncharted scientific pursuits always sounds so virtuous on paper, until you realize that the downside could be just as awful as the upside."
"And the thing is, they never consider the downside. Funny how that works, huh?"
"It's hilarious." Rainn chuckled.
"Not nearly as hilarious as how you used Charlie." Hansel glared at him.
Rainn flinched at this. Hansel took advantage of his distracted state and rushed him. He quickly slashed his chest with Wolf Fang, making Rainn stumble backwards. "Regrets, Mr. Biggs?" He inquired.
"I've been called a lot of things, been a lot of things, Hansel Kobalt." Rainn admitted. "But 'sentimental' is not one of them."
Hansel scowled and fired off a burst of flames from his right hand while Rainn let loose a wave of ice. The two attacks collided, creating a miniature explosion. Keep up the assault, no matter what. Hansel remembered his training. Do not let your opponent fight back. Overpower your enemy.
"Overpower your enemy, Hansel." Professor Ozpin said to him five years ago.
"But, you're not my enemy, sir." Hanzel reminded him.
"During sessions like these, I am." Ozpin reminded him, twirling his cane. "With your Semblance and swordplay, you could potentially develop a fighting style similar to mine, but all your own."
"Now, again, and remember what I told you. Watch your opponent carefully, read his moves, act fast, strike hard, press the assault, and do not let your opponent fight back. Overpower your enemy, Hansel."
Hansel rocketed towards Rainn through the fire and the flames. Act fast, strike hard, press the assault! Hansel charged up a fist of black flames. Press the assault!
Rainn gasped when Hansel came out of the flames with an attack at the ready. He quickly erected a wall of ice. And overpower your enemy! Hansel yelled in his mind, throwing a devastating haymaker that shattered the ice and exploded as soon as it impacted against Rainn's face, sending him flying into a wall. Rainn went straight through the wall. Glass shattered and fell from the sky. The building began to shake.
Hansel let a rare smirk fall on his face. Let's hope the old general doesn't get too pissed about a little property damage. I am doing him a public service, after all.
Hansel's smirk then vanished when he heard the sound of children whimpering. His eyes widened in horror when he realized they were coming from the alleyway right next to the building he just punched Rainn into. Oh no.
He looked into the alleyway and saw two children cowering in fear. A little boy and a much younger girl, clearly his little sister. They must've been separated from their parents in the chaos. He realized. Damn it, how could I have made such a rookie mistake? If I hadn't been so focused on Rainn, I could've noticed them!
At that moment, Hansel forgot about the fight and knelt down, beckoning to the two children. "Come here," he said, trying to sound a mixture of gentle but also insistent at the same time, "you two can't stay there, the building could come down any second."
The children seemed hesitant. Can't say I blame them for being scared. They did just see me punch a guy old enough to be their grandpa into a building.
Hansel took a deep breath. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm going to get you both out of here, but please, you've gotta trust me."
Rainn was in a daze inside of the building Hansel punched him into. I am really beginning to hate that boy. He growled before taking note of the shaking building. He quickly used his ice to stabilize the building as best he could. That won't hold it forever.
Then Rainn heard the sound of Hansel trying to draw out someone...it sounded like children. Hmph, so the big bad demon has a soft spot after all. Well, I guess it had to be children if he was going to be a teacher. Rainn smirked. That's good.
Back outside, the children took note of Hansel's softening expression and the building that looked ready to collapse at any moment. The older brother then took his sister by the hand and led her to Hansel. "Where are your parents?" He asked.
"I don't know," the brother replied, "we got separated."
"Do you think you can find them? I'm sure they are looking for you." Hansel noted.
"Yeah, I totally can. Dad had me prepare for this."
"Smart man," Hansel nodded, "hang on a moment."
After briefly sighing, Hansel then spoke into his phone-connected headset. "Call Ruby Rose."
Meanwhile, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, surveying her evacuation efforts. Good, I can't sense anyone else. It looks like I managed to evacuate everyone else.
Then, Ruby got a call on her scroll. She recognized the ID. She quickly answered. "Professor?"
"Rose, listen to me, I've got two more people coming your way, two children. I need you to get a bit closer to the fight, make sure they get away from here safely."
"No problem, anything else I can do?"
"No, just get those kids away from here. They should be the last. After that, just stay clear and…"
Ruby heard Hansel trail off. "Professor?" She was now very concerned.
With his headset still on, Hansel gasped as Rainn suddenly trudged out of the hole in the building Hansel had put him in. "That actually hurt." Rainn noted before taking note of the two little children. "And I see you've adopted a few more brats in the time I was gone. Good for you."
Hansel's expression turned fearful. He turned to the elder boy. "Listen to me, take your sister and run!" He ordered.
The boy looked hesitant. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself, get going!" Hansel insisted in a tone of voice that clearly showed he had no time for arguments. The ruthless old man ready to fight and kill also showed that.
Rainn turned his attention to the fleeing children. "Ah, I see you've already taught your new kids how to retreat." He mocked. "Good for you."
Rainn then pointed his hand at the kids. "Then consider this dodging practice." He said cruelly, creating several spiked shards of ice.
Hansel gasped when the shards shot towards the kids. "No!" He exclaimed, moving without thinking.
On the other end, Ruby could only listen in horror as she heard the sound of something crashing and stabbing into Hansel. "Professor? Professor!" She shouted in worry.
Rainn looked on in smug satisfaction at the sight of the mist created from the impact of the shards stabbing and then exploding into the pieces from the impact upon coming into contact with Hansel. The kids could only whimper in terror as they continued to flee from the fight. I wonder if part of being a so-called demon is being utterly predictable. He chuckled to himself.
Rainn's eyes then widened as a very frightening presence briefly washed over him. One that made his blood run even colder than it had been since the experiments. The hell was that? It felt like…
"What the hell is wrong with you?" A familiar voice came from the mist.
Said mist then cleared up, revealing that Hansel had shielded the children from the spiked shards with his own body. His blue Aura was shimmering, visible for Rainn to see. "Answer me, Rainn, what is wrong with you?" Hansel demanded. "They're just kids! This fight's between us!"
"No, this fight is between an Atlesian Black-Ops Specialist willing to do anything to get an edge and a Huntsman sworn to protect the public." Rainn corrected. "Blame yourself for not trying to kill me while I was focused on the brats."
"You bastard."
"Then again," Rainn frowned, "you're not exactly any Huntsman, right?"
"Yep, Hansel Kobalt, the infamous Blue Demon. The lightning rod for all the hate the world still holds for the once proud and respected Kobalt Family."
"But looking at you, I gotta be honest, I don't see any demons." Rainn admitted. "The only thing demonic about you, boy, is that shit personality of yours."
"Well fuck you too." Hansel scowled.
"The point is," Rainn said, "neither you, nor the people of Remnant know a thing about demons in human flesh. The things Black-Ops Specialists have done to keep our kingdom safe. Heh, we're the real demons. Ironwood discontinued the Black-Ops division for a reason."
"Regrets, Biggs?" Hansel asked, which Rainn ignored.
"I'm saying that you can't hope to compare. The limits you've placed on yourself will make this win easy for me." Rainn admitted. "Like I said, if you had just gone after me and sacrificed the brats, you'd have stopped me."
"But you couldn't do it, because then they win, right?"
Hansel fell silent at Rainn's piercing question. "Let me ask you another question. Why do you even bother? I'm only a demon through my actions. You're a demon through their opinions alone. The kind of opinions that won't change no matter what you do."
"You could save a thousand lives and it would never change how they feel about you. They'll always hate you for what your family did. Honestly, you're like a kid trying to win the love of his absent, alcoholic father. It's sad, but also very pathetic."
"So tell me, why bother saving any of them?"
Unbeknownst to them both, Hansel's call was still connected, meaning Ruby was hearing all of this. She clenched her scroll in anger as she made her way closer to the fight, hoping she would come across those kids. Then, she heard Hansel's voice on the other end. He was...laughing?
Back at the fight, Rainn scowled at Hansel, who was holding his face in his free hand and laughing. "And what the hell is so funny, boy?"
"You." Hansel replied.
Rainn frowned. "Just what the hell do you take me for, huh?" Hansel asked. "When did I ever, EVER hint that I do this because I want their approval?"
"'Win their love'? 'Change their opinion'? What a load of bullshit!"
Hansel then revealed his face, and he was grinning with a defiant sneer at Rainn. "Let's get this straight you decrepit old man, I don't fight for Remnant or save anyone's life for anyone's love or approval." Hansel revealed. "I do it for me. I do it because I want to."
On the other end, Ruby's eyes widened at Hansel's declaration. "I mean seriously, how petty do you think I am, huh?" Hansel continued. "I know that their opinions of me probably won't ever change. I'm headstrong and stubborn, but I'm not oblivious."
"That said, if I was petty enough to leave someone for dead just because they hated me, I'd have to laugh in my own face and then find a way to kick my own ass."
Hansel trained his katana on Rainn once more. "If the people of Remnant are going to look at me as a demon either way, then I'll at least decide what kind of demon I'll be." Hansel declared. "And I've already made up my mind on that."
"Hansel, for whatever it's worth, how you view yourself is far more important than how Remnant views you." Ozpin once said to him, "So they view you as a demon? Well here's how I view it: if there is an underworld, a hell, or whatever, devils and demons exist to tempt sinners and then torment them for eternity. A bit morbid, but in a way, they are the punishment for sinners, their eternal jailers and torturers. If Remnant really does look at you as a demon, then perhaps you should embrace it, embrace it and become…"
"I'll be...the demon that devours sinners!" Hansel declared.
Ruby had to hang up upon hearing that. That was all she needed to hear. Then she sensed two souls coming towards her. She looked and saw two children running towards her, a boy and a girl. They were the kids Hansel saved. "Over here!" She waved them down.
The children ran over to Ruby. "Are you two alright?" She asked.
"We're fine, thanks to that Huntsman." The older brother replied.
"Is he going to be okay?" The little girl inquired worriedly.
Ruby smiled reassuringly and knelt down to their level. "Don't worry, Professor Kobalt is very strong." She promised.
Still… Ruby quickly sent out a text to her teammates.
"Listen, are you two okay with staying here for awhile, with me? I'll protect you both if something does happen, okay?"
The children nodded. Ruby smiled. "Good, and then you two will get to meet my teammates. Doesn't that sound great?"
With that, Hansel resumed his assault on Rainn, setting his entire body on black flames in the process. Rainn scowled as Hansel's attack speed seemed to increase exponentially. Rainn erected small barriers of ice in each spot Hansel attacked him from. The side, the front, even diagonally. I have to keep the defenses small if I want to erect barriers fast enough to block his attacks. Rainn noted. Ozpin taught him well.
However, thanks to the data Gray Jackal gathered on him after a year of him wrecking their operations across Remnant, I know his weaknesses, all of them. Once he overclocks his Semblance, he risks severely hurting himself.
And thanks to those brats earlier, I managed to exploit his other weakness: civilians. He limits his power in their presence and will focus on their protection if he knows they're in the crossfire. Those shards definitely damaged his Aura. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for the perfect opening to strike.
Hansel on the other hand was relentless. I can't let this dirtbag get anywhere near any other civilians. I'll snap him in two before that.
Wait for an opening, Rainn. A Black Ops specialist only gets one chance to strike a decisive blow. Rainn reminded himself.
Hansel continued striking at Rainn repeatedly. Rainn began creating a field of ice for him to skate on, allowing him to dodge and defend at the same time. He's way too damn fast for me to rely on defense forever though, that's very annoying.
But at this point, I don't have to win, not yet. I just don't have to lose, I rattled him when I attacked those brats. In spite of that lovely heroic speech he gave, I can tell I rattled him. There are only two times when someone tries to kill a man with this much ferocity. He either hates them, or is worried about him and wishes to end the fight quickly.
Hansel continued pressing the assault on Rainn. If I can land just one solid hit, I can break through his Aura. He's still well-trained in spite of his age, but that age also implies a hint of frailty. Just one good hit, and I'll end him.
Hansel then winced as he felt his flames slowly start to eat away at him, burn through his Aura. Endure it. He told himself. You've endured the pain of pushing your Semblance during your training, you can endure it.
The pain started to worsen by the second. Rainn noticed Hansel's body tense up. He smirked. Good, he's reaching his limit. You're strong, Hansel Kobalt, but you are still no threat compared to the people who command me. You still know nothing of real power.
Hansel then rocketed above Rainn. Like I said, you… Rainn's thoughts were cut off when Hansel threw a few embers right into his face, blinding him for a brief moment.
Hansel then threw a powerful axe kick right into Rainn's forehead, creating a shockwave and a fiery explosion. Rainn groaned and stumbled backwards, managing to retract his skates so he avoided tripping. Hansel then charged ahead. Don't let up, overpower the enemy! Hansel reminded himself before adding, also, worry about the pain you're in later.
Hansel stabbed forward with Wolf Fang. Rainn managed to regain his senses in time to avoid the blade and freeze it. Hansel, however, quickly followed up with a fiery punch. Only for him to let out a yell of pain as the fire receded due to a loss in concentration. Rainn looked at Hansel's fist and saw a variety of second and third degree burns. "And that is your limit, boy." Rainn taunted before sucker-punching Hansel in the stomach.
Hansel gasped out before he felt his lower body become chilled to the bone. He looked down to see ice forming around his body. No!
"All I had to do was wait for you to overclock your Semblance, and I would win." Rainn taunted. "Your Semblance is very dangerous, Hansel, but I'm afraid with your overreliance on raw power and speed, someone like you could've never hoped to bring down Gray Jackal."
"The things its highest-ranking members can do...well, I can practically use magic and I'm jealous." Rainn admitted.
Hansel yelled in anger before swinging Wolf Fang at Rainn, who quickly retreated. He then grit his teeth and forced himself to fire a fireball from the palm of his hand. He yelled in pain as the fireball emitted itself. He could feel his flesh be burnt from the exertion.
Then with that, his entire body from the neck down froze over. "Damn it." He growled. "When I get out of this, Rainn…"
"Don't bother with the taunts, Hansel." Rainn sighed as he created a massive spike of ice. "We both know it's over. This is going right through your Aura, right into your skull."
"Now hold still, you little shit. That shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"
With that, Rainn directed the ice right at Hansel's face. Hansel could no longer bring himself to struggle free from his icy prison. I don't have the strength to call on my flames. He realized.
The spike neared him. Hansel's expression turned somber. Well shit, I guess this is as far as I go…
It's not like I didn't know it was going to end like this. I've long been prepared for this possibility.
"Hansel, I know I should've asked you this when I offered to train you, but are you absolutely sure this is what you want?"
"I was a sickly kid who could do nothing without collapsing into a coughing fit, Professor. A kid who also has to bear the name of Remnant's most hated family. And most importantly, they are out there. This is absolutely what I want."
I knew as soon as I entered this never ending war, that my story would only be a tragic one. Constant battle…
Memories of tearing through Gray Jackal bases, slaughtering any soldier who got in his way flashed through Hansel's mind.
Struggles to survive…
Memories of pain as a Gray Jackal agent got lucky and managed to wound him.
Experiencing the worst the world had to offer…
Memories of weapon smuggling, drug rings, and human trafficking used as 'businesses' for Gray Jackal's funding. Memories of witnessing innocent people killed by the weapons his family created to protect and keep them safe.
And never receiving any thanks for it.
"Damn you!" A rock flew into Hansel's face, courtesy of an angry, grieving mother. "My husband and children are dead because of those bastards! Why couldn't you have arrived sooner, damn it!"
"I'll bet he brought those Grimm here himself somehow." The whispers of a hateful distrusting populace flashed through his mind.
"Guess all Kobalts really are the same, obsessed with getting back their long-lost glory by any means necessary."
"Yeah, too bad, he didn't just die out with the rest of them."
None of it mattered to me though. The danger, the pain, the horror, the hate, I simply tuned it all out. Because I don't do this for anyone. Only me. Because someone who's experienced so much evil already can't ignore it.
But you know that's not the whole truth, Hansel.Hansel's subconscious chided him.
...Yeah, I guess no matter how much I want to deny it, a part of me hopes that the more evil I destroy, the more darkness I drive back, the more I'll slowly start to feel like a worthwhile person. Hansel admitted sadly.
The spike was even closer now. But in the end, this is as far as I go. I wonder if I actually made a difference in the long-run. Hansel scoffed at the thought. Who am I kidding? I've accomplished nothing of note.
Are you perhaps not ready to die? Because you still feel unaccomplished? Are you hoping that someone will save you?
Of course not. I'm ready to die. I've long been ready. Hansel promised. This is a just reward for my own sins.
I'm glad we understand each other…
Hansel closed his eyes and waited for the end. Glynda, Professor, I'm sorry. It looks like I won't be making it back to Beacon.
After all...who would bother saving me of all people?
As if answering the question for him, Hansel's ears suddenly picked up a whistling whoosh. He opened his eyes and gasped.
Ruby Rose landed between Hansel and the spike and was at the end of a very powerful swing that shattered the spike upon impact. Rainn gasped. This was something even he did not expect. The brat with the silver eyes…
Ruby's eyes briefly flashed with a bright silver light as she glared at Rainn. "Don't you dare touch our teacher!" She yelled before spinning around, preparing to swing Crescent Rose again.
Why isn't she aiming that sniper rifle? Rainn wondered.
Then, Ruby's eyes flashed silver again. Crescent Rose's blade was then enveloped in silver. With a single swing, Ruby sent out an arc of silver energy. Rainn gasped in shock. "What?!" He could only say before erecting a wall of ice that the arc quickly tore through, slamming into him and sending him right into a building.
Hansel watched in shock as the force of the impact did what even he had failed to do earlier. It brought the building down right on top of Rainn with a loud crash. I don't believe it, she tapped into the power of her Silver Eyes. It's just like the Vytal Festival. She fired off an energy slash that looks like something out of a freaking comic book.
Not only that...but the force of the attack brought the building down. Hansel narrowed his eyes. But it's not enough, I can sense that Rainn's still alive beneath the rubble, and I can't imagine he's going to get up happy.
Hansel then noticed Ruby hunched over, panting. She's still not used to the output...but at least she's not unconscious.
"Control your breathing, Rose. Steady yourself." He ordered.
Ruby did as asked. She then straightened herself out. "Now what the hell are you doing here?" Hansel demanded, now angry with her and having registered that once again she was interfering with his battles.
"Isn't that obvious?" Ruby was surprised. "I came to save you."
"I ordered you to save others, civilians. What about those kids I sent your way?"
"They're with the rest of my team." Ruby replied.
Hansel still looked angry with her. Ruby frowned. "Professor, I was only observing the fight at first. I was going to fall back if it looked like you were doing alright."
"I have everything under control." Hansel replied.
"We both know that's not true." Ruby countered.
"Damn it, Rose, what is it going to take for you to just follow my directions?" Hansel demanded. "This is my fight, and I don't need your help!"
Ruby looked hurt at that statement. However, it was not because Hansel was dismissing her that she was hurt. It was the moment she decided to act that upset her. The moment where Hansel closed his eyes and just...accepted his death. Professor, you were giving up at that moment. She noted.
"Why do you always have to interfere? Why can't you just leave me to do my job?" Hansel yelled. "Don't you think I've gotten this far already on my own because of my own power? I don't want your help! I don't need your help!"
Win or lose, I fight my own battles! Hansel added inwardly
Ruby's hurt turned to anger. Don't you dare, don't you dare talk about your power when you just gave up like that!
And with that angry thought, Ruby did something that she never expected. She reached back and struck Hansel across the face, just like Ironwood did after his fight with that Specialist. Hansel's head whipped to the side.
His Aura protected him from Ruby's slap, but damn it, it still stung. He looked at Ruby in disbelief. The little reaper lowered her head, unable to face her teacher due to her face showing a mixture of emotions. Hurt, frustration, anger, sadness and empathy.
"Why do you always act like this?" She asked.
Hansel did not respond. His mind was still registering the fact that Ruby Rose of all people slapped him. "And I'm not just talking about fights. You always act like this. You always act like you have to carry everything on your shoulders. You always have to play the martyr, just like General Ironwood said."
"Haven't you ever considered how that makes people who care about you feel, Professor?" Ruby asked before adding.
That seemed to pierce Hansel through the heart. Ozpin, Glynda, he lost track of the amount of times he had listened to them throw in a lamentation that he was fighting this war of his alone in every call and text they had.
"Not only that...but you just gave up Professor. I saw it." Ruby choked out. She sounded so upset, so frustrated, like she was on the verge of tears. "Not only do you try to bear all of this on your own, but now you just...you just give up, without thinking that you dying would make the people who care about you sad."
"Kid…"
"And not just Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin!" Ruby admitted. "Yang, Blake, Weiss, all of our classmates...and me too, Professor. We all care about you. How could you just give up and try to martyr yourself one last time? Does the way everyone else in Remnant treat you really bother you that much?"
It never has… For the first time in his life, Hansel found himself unable to convince himself of that.
Ruby looked up at Hansel, fighting back tears of frustration with his behavior and sadness at almost losing her teacher. "Professor, as much as this frustrates me, I care about you. Not only that, I admire you as well!" She admitted.
"And that's why, I don't ever want to see you like that again! Ever!"
Hansel's mouth dropped open. All words escaped him due to Ruby's sincere words. "I don't want to see you give up, I don't want to see you give in, roll over and die." Ruby told him.
"Because...I like you better when you're strong! I like you better when you stand proud, no matter how badly Remnant treats you! I like you that way, because you're the kind of Huntsman I want to be, Professor!" Ruby declared. "Strong, determined, and proud!"
Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tightly. "You're my goal, Professor, the person I want to surpass the most. If I can do that, I feel like I'd be closer than ever to becoming the kind of Huntress my mom was." She acknowledged. "I want you to live so that I can keep chasing after you, and one day catch up to you."
"And I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen, and that includes fighting alongside you today, no matter how much you don't want it. Even if I have to fight that jerk alone."
Hansel looked very uncertain of letting Ruby fight, even if it was alongside him. Ruby narrowed her eyes. "You once said that if something can improve your chances of victory even by a single percent, then it's worth it."
"Well I'm confident that even if it's not much, I can add the 1% you need to win!"
Hansel was gaping in disbelief. This was the most strong-willed he had ever seen the socially awkward, hero-worshipping, cookie-loving student act. And it was all out of candor towards him.
Before he could think on this matter any further, Rainn suddenly emerged from the rubble, glaring at him and Ruby. "Okay, that's it, die." He snarled before sending a high-speed wave of icy spikes at Ruby.
Hansel acted quickly. His body heated up. He could feel his power returning to him. Ruby looked over her shoulder just as the ice was near her. Then, she felt her feet leave the ground.
Rainn gasped in surprise as an explosion of black flames surrounded the spot Hansel and Ruby were before. Did I get them or not? He wondered before sensing Hansel's location. Damn, no I did not.
Rainn turned upwards, looking at the position the two were in now.
They were no longer moving, but Ruby still felt herself off the ground. She looked around to get her bearings and saw Hansel's left arm wrapped around her, hoisting her off the ground.
"You know something," came Hansel's voice above her, "you are by far the most troublesome, stubborn, disobedient brat I've come across in my entire life."
Ruby looked up at Hansel, who was staring down at her with an impassive expression. It then softened ever so slightly. "Then again...I can't really say I'm any better." He admitted.
Hansel then put Ruby down on her feet next to him. "So just this once...JUST. THIS ONCE. I'll let you fight alongside me."
Ruby's expression brightened. "But let me be clear," Hansel frowned, "if you slow me down, I will leave you in the dust. I don't have time to babysit in a fight like this."
"You remember who you're talking to, right?" Ruby grinned. "You should try to keep up with me."
Hansel scowled as he brandished Wolf Fang, ready for the final battle. Ruby brandished Crescent Rose as well. "Aww yeah, here we go!" She cheered excitedly. "Red and Blue, fighting side by side! The ultimate duo!"
"Don't get too excited, kid." Hansel rolled his eyes. "This is a one-time deal."
And with that, the final battle in this long investigation in Atlas was about to begin...
A.N: Once again, a lot to take in here. We've got Klaus Rot showing up, and he's a goat faunus. Look at it this way, if Nicholas Schnee is Santa Claus, good old Klaus here is Krampus, who believe it or not isn't typically antagonistic. In most legends, he only scares misbehaving children and assists jolly old St. Nick. A little lesson from another...you know what, I'm not going to call myself Saint Nick either. I frankly consider that sacrilege.
Anyway, we also have the showdown between Rainn and Hansel and arguably the first time Hansel's been genuinely outmatched. We've seen him in even fights with Reaper, and we've seen him caught off guard by Kelly, but this is definitely him being overmatched. Raw destructive power can only get you so far in the end. Hence why Ruby comes in with a well-deserved slap to the face.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Next time, a very long-awaited team-up.