A fist to my jaw.
A kick in my stomach.
A heel to my ear.
"Get up. You think anyone else would spare you?"
I can't help but gasp for breath. Am I even allowed to breathe?
"You're too weak."
A part of me disappears. I feel...
"The weaklings of today all but rely on their semblances. You will not do the same."
"Ah... Father, no... P-please!"
"You may speak when you can get off the damn ground, Mercury!"
Father?
...
.........
The life in Blondie's eyes disappear, and the world is consumed by darkness.
F-Father?
"Skill. Critical Strike."
My aura is completely obliterated.
"Gah!"
I fall to the ground.
"Hah..."
My surroundings... Have I been moved? No, it's just... (Y/N)! He just had to come back so soon.
"Heh... Heheh... So... You're gonna beat me now? After I was brought to the brink? And here I thought you wanted to-"
*SNAP*
Oh.
Oh.
Oh my god.
"H... HRAAAAAAGH!"
My arms!
"Skill. Dominator's Touch."
He simply holds his hand out, and I am gripped by the throat. The feeling of a god clenching my windpipe shut... The darkness letting me perceive nothing else.
My arms incapable of movement.
A fist to my jaw.
A kick in my stomach.
A heel to my ear.
"You think I would spare you?"
The heel pushes down harder.
"I couldn't give less of a shit about an equal fight, and I'm not waiting to let you blabber on. Fucking die."
Father, please!
I'll get up!
I'll fight back!!
I won't lose anymore!!!
My semblance... If I just had my semb-
*SNAP*
...
.........
The splattering of whatever gross shit is in his skull is all I hear. I see light return around me.
New Skill Obtained: Monarch's-
I don't care.
I look at Ruby. She's still conscious. Her aura is entirely empty, but she is staring at Yang.
Yang's body is motionless. In fact, it's lifeless.
Emerald did this.
I immediately look toward where the girl is, and-
Oh for fuck's sake, she's gone. I'll find-
"YAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!"
A light. A white light. A blinding, extremely bright white light.
Ruby's eyes glowed the second she began to scream, and...
Memory Unlocked!
Would you like to view it?
What?
Yes?
...
.........
"They just LEFT us!"
"On this rotting world."
"Their experiment is over, why should they care?"
"Whining does nothing. We all should do something about this."
"And what do you suppose we could do? Do you genuinely believe we could do anything now? They're gone. They left."
Silence...
"They left to another experiment. They..."
"We could find them...!"
"But how could we..."
"Where is the architect?"
The group collectively gasps.
...
.........
Memory Completed!
I absolutely love when important information is withheld. Why was so little shown to me??? No context??? Am I supposed to understand what the hell I just saw???
Later on, I'm gonna go "gah! So that's what it meant! I can't believe I was so blind-"
Gah, who cares right now?!
Ruby has fallen silent.
I look up. The giant nevermore that had been above the stadium, atop the glass ceiling, has been turned to stone?
Ruby is unconscious, and the light came from her. Something about her is special, then...
I turn to Yang's corpse.
"Yang... I'm sorry. I couldn't make it in time. And... I cannot promise you a normal life anymore... But... Please. Help me fight. I will be a better leader... And you can protect Ruby. Even in death..."
...
"Arise."
...
.........
"General! The citizens have been evacuated!"
"Excellent. The response has been fast. Keep medical staff available for wounded fighters, and ensure all who aren't powerless are made aware of the help they can give."
"Sir, about that..."
A scroll shows shadows fighting off Grimm. And it cuts to a young man crushing the skull of one of the perpetrators...
A horrific image. Brains scattered across the floor, blood painting the floor, and a satisfied smirk upon the boy's face.
And yet...
The general's smile matches the boy's.
"He is exactly what I've been looking for. Contact him. Give him access to all of the current information we have, and ensure we stay in contact with him when this is over."
"Sir!"
...
.........
Skill: Speed
I race around the area to no avail. Any shadows I had placed on my foes had been discovered and destroyed. They were hardly the strongest, being honest...
Ruby is safe in her hands, so now I have work to do.
Emerald is nowhere to be found, but there are tons of Grimm I'm able to defeat in a single slice, so that makes the area a bit safer. But Blake isn't here...
Skill: Telepathy
I had wanted to find Emerald first, but she's gone. Blake's condition is the next priority.
"Kh...! Ha...!"
Shit! Everything is going wrong!
Skill: Shadow Exchange
Cool-down time Remaining:
1:42:33
Dammit.
I race to the edge of Amity Colosseum and shoot off of its side.
I left behind a third of my army. Speaking of...
Shadow Preservation LV. 2
As a result of it having grown a level, I can now extract 820 Shadows and Preserve 155. Most of the shadows are the demons I fought in the S-rank Dungeon. Demons are mostly beast-like creatures with more abilities than Grimm. Speaking of, Grimm not being extractable is extremely aggravating and inconvenient, but beggars can't be choosers.
Regardless, 50 of my soldiers stay behind in Amity, and...
CRASH
I make a crater in the ground when I land.
I immediately shoot in the direction of where I saw Blake.
Shadow Exchange lost an hour of wait-time upon Level-Up, but it's still unusable in the most important scenarios...
I exchanged to save Ruby, but now I'm wasting Mana to speed toward my Faunus companion.
...
.........
Crashing. Explosions. Tremors...
Beacon Tower. It is in great danger.
That much is certainly obvious. Unfortunately, I am entirely alone at this present moment. Had I known moves were going to be made, I would have approached Ms. Nikos sooner.
"Hey there, Oz. The missus gives her regards, but she also says you have something for me."
This woman's attempt at a seductive attitude is painfully forced. As if it would work, anyways.
"I do not plan to make this easy for you. You would not mind returning home with a lost limb, would you?"
"And you wouldn't mind returning to a destroyed home with a lost relic, would you?"
"You know of the relic's location? Would you please disclose that information? I have been most concerned with its disappearance."
"Cut the sarcasm, it doesn't suit you."
"Your maiden powers do not suit yourself."
"Be quiet."
The wonderful wizard of Oz...pin wields his cane.
The fight begins.
...
The monarch of shadows wields his daggers.
The fight begins.
...
The Salem Witch herself wields a strange stone as she watches atop her tower.
The fight awaits.