Chivalry of a Reborn Huntsman

Desperado

The farce that was the Vermillion vs Cradleland tournament was set to leave a permanent scar in Ikki's psyche. The reason being he – he actually had to kill someone.

Iris Ascarid left him no choice, he reasoned as he struggled to stand upright, the aftershock of Oikage drilling through his bones and the realization of killing drilling through his mind. She smiled while dying, confident that she'd made the right choice by going back on her word to stop Or-Gaule. The mad puppeteer was still her brother, so Ikki didn't really have a retort for that.

The voice of the terrorist that seemed to come from everywhere at once exploded and the last thing Ikki saw was a sharp thread driven through his chest, presenting to his blurry eyes his still mid-beating heart. With a cry of surprise that was muffled by vomiting blood, Ikki Kurogane – the Sword God – had unmistakably died.

The soft feeling on his back could only be grass, he noted, as he snapped his eyes open. He also was still gripping Intetsu, feeling comforted by the steel that was the physical representation of his soul. Quickly getting up, he didn't even have the time to inspect his surroundings when he heard a shrill cry. "Ruby, run back to dad! I will hold it off!"

It was a girl's voice, the tone of who had to start a losing battle – he should know, that was the tone Alice noted he often used, used to the self-doubt and the crippling feeling of validation. He would start his comprehension of the situation afterwards, a real knight helps first and foremost.

Yang Xiao Long, 16 years old, best student at Signal Academy and obsessed with a doomed mission of finding her mother, was discovered by her little sister Ruby Rose as she prepared to leave the house. Ruby Rose, 14 years old and most innocent thing in all Remnant, couldn't know what she was really up to, so she made up that she was going for a hike and that was that.

The island of Patch that her father Taiyang had retired to was a rustic paradise, if there ever was something like that in the world, the ever-present threat of Grimm hanging over their heads. Something that had robbed her of Summer - supermom slayer of monsters and baker of cookies - and left her father crippled emotionally to raise Ruby on her own.

She was wholly unprepared for an Ursa Maior. How could she? Combat class at Signal was just that, no missions on the field. Ruby's cry of fear triggered something below the Aura her father had unlocked just before her enrollment and her private training began – her eyes flashed red –

And the Ursa slid out of her vision as a figure slammed into it with speed she never saw. "First Secret Sword, Saigeki.", the figure said, his back broad before her eyes. "I could use some help, and you could use the experience, wouldn't you say?"

Who was Yang to deny someone who saved her, and her sister's more importantly, life? The progeny of half of Team STQR wouldn't live to be a coward. Besides, her dad was likely coming. Yang, looking to the boy in front of her and then back at the Ursa, noticed that the Grimm was oozing black blood from the attack on its left side – she also noticed that the attack was not a slash but a pure piercing impact that likely aimed to cause internal damage more than the big wound visual effect, as uncle Qrow would often say.

"Right behind you! That filth threatened my little sis! Name's Yang, by the way."

"Ikki Kurogane." She didn't comment on how foreign his name sounded, that would be a discussion for after killing the beast. Cocking Ember Celica on her wrists, shotgun roaring to life, she launched a first barrage at the Ursa which defended itself by crossing its arms with the bony scales, tanking the hit. Ikki performed a series of slashes and then fell back, the attack having done absolutely nothing in Yang's eyes. ''Yang, punch it! Remember that feeling!"