Kassius
Pyrrha yells as she smashes Akuou into the face of Krueger but the gigantic Rhino Faunus does not even stagger when he charges towards her, but she uses her polarity to pull the shield right back as she runs right at him. He raises one fist above his head with a booming bellow as he pounds his clenched hand towards her. Pyrrha jumps and rolls right out of the way at the perfect time, spinning round to slash him across his side and he stumbles, managing to take off some of his Aura. But then he grabs her by the Ponytail, creating a yelp of pain from her as he lifts her off the ground.
Suddenly Kassius comes flying in, punching the Rhino across the face with his Cybernetic Arm, the shockwave ripples through the thick armoured skin of the man, making him stagger back. He immediately spins round and slashes Lash Equinox up his wrist, dealing some immense damage to his aura. The impact losses his grip on her hair, and she pushes her heels against his arm, throwing herself from him, and landing right next to him. She lifts her shield up, protectively pacing back and forth as she waits for him to make his next attack. "He just doesn't give in." Pyrrha states, but Kassius cracks his neck as she stares the beast down.
"Hey, Hyde – wanna have a crack at the big guy?" Kassius asks, then the amber eyes ignite and the cracks spread from his eyes and across his cheek bones, embers trailing out from the fissures. He grins with gritted teeth as he glares at the Rhino, his voice changing into the familiar voice of Hyde, gravelly and almost snarling at the same time. Hyde chuckles as he stares Krueger down as he prepares to charge at him once more.
"It'd be a goddamn pleasure." Hyde replies, as he sprints straight towards the Elite White Fang Soldier, and the Rhino goes to pound him into the ground. But Hyde catches his fist with Kassius' cybernetic hand, far stronger than he was before. Channelling his aura into his muscles and senses to become more powerful but only when Hyde is controlling his body. Krueger's eyes widen with confusion and shock, staring at Hyde as he grins back, kicking him in the chest. Hyde roars, spinning round to deliver a powerful attack, spiralling through the air with both swords extended outwards and firing both Vulcan Nox bracers constantly. The bullets fly everywhere, and Pyrrha has to use Akuou to deflect a rogue bullet from him.
"Hey, watch it!" Pyrrha calls out, running to aid Hyde, since he is not as strategic as his host is. He just attacks and attacks, almost blindly, running on rage and bloodlust. However there is no rage here, since he can actually tell who is friend and who is foe. That attack was completely focused on his chest, the weakest section of his body, they have determined. And that attack that he performed – also known as the Cyclone Attack – was very successful, shredded Krueger's Aura down to the minimum. But as Hyde goes to stab downwards with Lash Equinox combined into its Spear Form, Krueger grabs him by the throat and smashes him down into the ground. "Human filth!" Krueger roars as he punches downwards, only for Pyrrha to launch towards him and slam Milo into his chest, the impact creates an almighty crack that throws him back, smashing against the wall. He grumbles with frustration as he pulls himself from the rubble.
Pyrrha looks down and she offers her hand to Hyde, and he accepts with Kassius' human hand, using her help to stand back up. "Are you okay?" Pyrrha asks him curiously.
"Yeah...I'm loving this!" Hyde chuckles, bouncing on the spot as he kicks Lash Equinox upwards and into his hand, disconnecting the two swords to deactivate the Spear Form. Pyrrha has never witnessed an individual to get up with such excitement to fight something stronger than them like that before...
...well...maybe Nora is the exception in that regard.
"Well whatever it was that you did, it seemed to do some damage. We just need to keep wearing his aura down so then we can knock him down." Pyrrha explains, her shield still in her grasp as she stares the huge man down. He finally breaks free from the wall, landing before them with his weight creating a quake through their feet.
"Now!" Hyde orders, and they both rush towards Krueger, and Hyde smashes his fist against his head, whereas Pyrrha slides under his legs and she slashes across his back, since the torso is still the weakest place. She jumps up and kicks her body off the wall with her leg and she lands on his back as Hyde pounds his fists over and over again into his chest. Until Krueger just punches him square in the chest which throws him back. Pyrrha now hooks Milo under his chin and she pulls him back, pushing her feet against his back as she pulls her spear back with all her might, gritting her teeth as she does it. Krueger roars with rage, reaching up as he tries to grapple onto the young woman.
Hyde stands back up and sprints right at Krueger once more, firing Vulcan Nox into his chest with every single attack that he makes, blasting shells into his aura. Flashes of dark purple aura burst from every single punch made into him. Krueger snarls, reaching back and grabbing Pyrrha by the leg. He swings round and smashes her back straight into a Pillar, making her shriek in agony, falling to the ground with her aura considerably weakened from the process.
Jaune spins around with widened eyes when he sees her hit the floor, then sees Hyde pressing both hands to the horns that protrude from the man's head. He holds the charging monster back, but his eyes are focused on Pyrrha at all times. "Go! Help her!" Cinder orders, as she spins round to cross her swords over to stop the attack from Bonnie as she lunges out at her from the water. Jaune nods, turning to sprint towards Krueger, to assist her brother as well.
Or perhaps her brothers.
Jaune draws Crocea Mors as he rushes towards Krueger as he smashes Hyde out of the way, and he reaches to his back and he draws his burning mace, swinging it straight at Jaune with all his might. The young Arc Huntsman deflects the attack of the mace, sparks and bursts of fire erupting out from the attack made against him, pushing him back, but Jaune is smart so he slowly walks out and he kicks a door open behind him, and they both end up walking across a stone bridge that moves between a deep chasm of dust beneath them. Glowing red, green and blue Dust Crystals protrude out from the stone walls of the chasm where the wind howls into them from beneath.
Clearly this must have been a resource that the Schnee Dust Company would have wanted to utilize if it were not for the Political Issues of mining here. Not like it matters anymore, though – the S.D.C is not what it used to be. Jaune continues to back up from Krueger as he aggressively swings that Mace at him over and over again, shattering the stone bridge that they fight atop of. Smashing the cobblestones apart from every swing, he then takes the mace and slams it down towards Jaune.
He lifts Crocea Mors and stops the huge mace with both hands, being brought down to one knee. Krueger grits his teeth together venomously as he pushes him down with that mace. Until Hyde leaps it from out of nowhere, tackling the Rhinoceros Faunus off the edge of the bridge, and they both crash against the many other bridges in here, clearly used for mining. Krueger tumbles across the stone and Hyde reaches out, grabbing onto the edge to swing himself back onto it. Krueger's eyes widen as he sees his Mace plummet off the edge of the bridge, consumed by the dark haze beneath them.
He sighs with anger, his head hitting the stone, pushing his body back up slowly as Hyde stands before him, and Jaune jumps down behind him, sheathing Crocea Mors into the scabbard. "There doesn't need to be anymore bloodshed – just give up." Jaune orders, unaware of what happened between Fennec and Ruby above. Krueger chuckles menacingly as he turns and looks at both of them, Hyde not as willing to let him walk away.
But Hyde trusts Jaune's instincts, so he does not say a word, but is ready to engage if Krueger tries anything.
"After everything? You think I'm gonna let you Humans walk away?" Krueger questions with a deep snarling voice. Hyde raises his fists as he stares him down, stern burning eyes glaring at him.
"That'd be the wise thing to do." Hyde states, but Krueger chuckles as he pounds his fisted hands together, looking between the two of them.
"Cute little buggers, aren't ya?" Krueger says, as he suddenly rushes towards Hyde with his horns pointed right at him as he sprints straight at him. Hyde catches his horns with his hands, the impact of the gigantic man creates a boom, and the force of the Rhino pushes him across the ground. Hyde roars, slamming his elbow down onto the top of his head, kneeing him in his lower abdomen, before giving him a lethal uppercut that knocks him back.
And directly into Jaune's swing, the Greatsword slashes straight across his purple aura, and makes him stagger, but he immediately returns the favour with a punch to Jaune's chest. Hyde instantly jumps up and powers a punch all the way down into the side of his head.
Each strike made seems to make the stone bridge crack slightly as they fight, but Krueger does not even seem to care. In fact, he starts to launch rocks at Jaune, and the Huntsman backs up, using his sword to cut the rocks down before they can even hit him. Krueger sprints straight at him and he grabs the young man by the head, lifting him off the floor and smashing him head first into the support of the upper bridge.
Jaune groans in pain, practically seeing stars from that one, and in his blurry vision, he can see Hyde grabbing Krueger by his horn and yanking him backwards, punching him over and over again in the face. He backs up, ejecting the empty magazines from Vulcan Nox, firing more and more bullets into his aura. But Krueger charges at him, so Hyde jumps and he catches onto one of the rungs, swinging round and throwing his body up onto the next bridge above them. Krueger roars, jumping and smashing his fists into the stone walls, climbing up them that way. He jumps off and lands right in front of him, delivering a powerful punch towards him, that Hyde catches with both fists.
Krueger pushes them both back across the bridge as he does that, stones and dust thrown from their bridge in the process. Hyde snarls with anger, pulling his fist closer and moving out the way at the perfect moment, just missing his muscular body from slamming into him. Hyde draws Lash Equinox, standing his ground on the bridge as Krueger turns to stare at him, and he sprints, smashing both fists down at him from above.
Cracks spread through that bridge that he stands upon, and he turns as it begins to collapse, ready to send both Kassius and Hyde to a dark grave. But Hyde can see opportunities that Kassius would not, and somehow manages to defy gravity. He sprints and manages to place his feet on each individual stone, pushing his body off each of them, to jump and smash his body into Krueger's.
He rolls across his back and he slides to a stop, aiming both Vulcan Nox cannons at him. "Bet ya didn't see that one coming did ya?" Hyde challenges with a smirk, firing an explosive round that explodes against his chest, making him stagger and cause his ears to ring. Hyde roars, jumping up and he smashes his knee into Krueger's jaw, making him stagger back, flicking Lash Equinox up with his wrist, spinning round to slash across his chest, dealing more damage. Jaune vaults over Kassius' shoulder and kicks Krueger in the head with force, then smashing his shield across his head with all his might. The metallic bang from the impact of the Arc Crest against his horn creates a dance of sparks, and he goes to smash him in the chest with the pointed end of the shield.
But Krueger grabs onto the shield and twists Jaune's arm round, throwing his boot into his chest, before smashing both fists down at where he was, more cracks spread across the bridge. Hyde spins through the air as he jumps to build up the momentum in the next punch that dazes the man. Krueger grabs Hyde by the neck and pins him against the wall, before he stamps down onto Jaune's chest, pinning both of them down. "Now what, heroes?" Krueger questions.
Akuou suddenly clatters against the side of his head, making him stagger, and he turns to see Pyrrha pulling her shield back into his grasp, landing down behind him as she rushes straight at him with Milo in her other hand. Her aura has already recharged somehow, unlike the last time when she fought Cinder.
Jaune looks at her with awe...
How is that possible?
She screams with anger, spinning on the spot with the spear of Milo scraping across his aura, rotating round and firing Milo in its rifle form into his chest. The attack staggers him back and Jaune stands back up, smacking his shield across his head as he slashes his sword over and over again across the aura that covers his chest. Hyde blasts him over and over again with rounds from Vulcan Nox.
Finally Jaune takes Crocea Mors and with both hands he connects the Sword and Shield together to form his Greatsword, and he roars as he slams the sword into his chest. The impact shatters his aura, finally, and Krueger is thrown off the edge of the bridge. They hear him roar as he crashes through the cobblestone bridge beneath them, screaming as he fades away into the shadowy abyss.
With Krueger down...
That means that there is only Bonnie, Yuma, Mazen and Adam left now. Pyrrha turns to Jaune who looks at her with heavy breaths. "Are you okay?" Pyrrha asks him with concern, it may not be his first kill but it does not get any easier as it goes on. Kassius stands there, and the flames recede on his face, leaving the scars of which are left behind for a while after Hyde takes over. He falls to one knee from exhaustion.
"Damn...that guy was tough." Kassius sighs as he slowly recovers from that bout against him. Jaune clearly still looks torn; he did not want to kill Krueger, even if he had no other choice.
"I didn't want to kill him." Jaune sighs as he stands there, getting both of their attentions. Kassius pats him on the shoulder as he rises back up after wiping the sweat from his brow.
"It's alright man, it was only gonna end one way for him...and I think he knew that as well." Kassius says, Pyrrha was going to try and comfort Jaune, but Kassius is better at that kind of comfort than her. At the end of the day, he is used to killing people, as is his sister. It is the major difference between him and the others.
Jaune exhales, standing tall again as he turns to Kassius and Pyrrha, and he smiles, patting Kassius on the chest. "Good work, Hyde." He compliments, making Kassius chuckle.
"You're very welcome my dear." Hyde sarcastically says in Kassius' head, his form in his head most likely bowing as he says that.
"Come on, we need to go help the others." Jaune says as he walks towards the open door of which they both entered through.
Blake
Adam swings Wilt and Blush directly at Blake, narrowly missing her face and as she brings Gambol Shroud up he bats it aside with his Shotgun Scabbard, and as he smacks her weapon, he fires it as well. The shotgun shells impact her chest, knocking her back and she groans, looking at the scroll attached to her wrist to see her aura is falling into the orange. Her amber eyes focus onto Adam as he approaches her with Wilt and Blush scraping across the floor, leaving a deep scar in the marble floor. "I'm sorry, my love. But you must be punished for your betrayal." He states, holding his sword above his head.
Until Milo suddenly strike across the side of his head, making him grunt as he spins around, realising that Pyrrha stood behind him. He may not be able to see her due to the damage done to his eyes when he was younger, but the sound of her Polarity pulling her shield back into her grasp is enough for him to know. "The Invincible Girl...you were on those Islands." Adam remembers, keeping his shotgun pointed at Blake and aiming his sword at her. Pyrrha steps down, with Jaune at her side and Crocea Mors in her grasp. Blake looks over and sees Kassius rushing to help his sister fight Bonnie who is currently using the water to her advantage.
"Adam Taurus, I might not know you very well but I do know that you are not a monster." Pyrrha attempts as she approaches Adam. He listens to her words formulated in her gentle regal voice, and he fights the temptation to be swayed.
"You're right, I am not a monster." Adam states, before he slowly looks at Blake, finger on the trigger of the shotgun. "But she is." He states, pulling the trigger and blasting a cloud of shotgun shell fragments into her head, but she vanishes into a blur, revealing to be stood up at the ready to fight. He just smirks as he realises he was tricked yet again, looking over at where he can hear her breath now.
"Please...stop this." Blake begs with desperation, but Adam glares right at her.
"No." Adam replies, firing once again, spinning round to deflect Pyrrha's attack she tried to make against him, sparks flying everywhere from every single attack made against one another. Adam scrapes Wilt and Blush across Milo and he goes to fire the shotgun at her, but using her Polarity she pushes the weapon out of the way, and goes to swipe her leg under his own. Using his enhanced hearing capabilities, he jumps and kicks Pyrrha in the face, and turns when hearing Blake rushing towards him. Using Wilt and Blush as if it is like an artist who wields his paintbrush, he manages to deflect every single attack that she makes. But every single time he thinks he lands a hit, her shadow fades away, and she kicks at him. Adam backs up from her many attacks, this time striking her face with the scabbard, stamping down on the back of the leg to bring her to one knee.
Adam roars, swinging the red blade of Wilt and Blush towards her delicate neck, only for Pyrrha to launch Akuou towards him which hits him in the side of the head, bouncing right back into her hand. She throws the shield up into the air and jumps off it, flying towards him as she slams Milo across his aura, pulling Akuou towards her hand that hits him in the side, bringing him down to one knee. She takes Milo, transforming it into its sword form and she carves his aura with the serrated blade and bashes Akuou with every single rotation that she makes. Adam takes a few hits yet is still able to block the attacks with his sword, sparks flying from every single attack.
It is incredible that Adam is able to give the Invincible Girl a run for her money when in combat, when considering the fact that he is blind. If he had his sight he could be their most formidable enemy, yet his lack of sight is his weakness. Still strengthened by his heightened hearing though, that he uses to his advantage.
Adam slams Wilt and Blush towards Pyrrha, but she holds Akuou upwards to stop the sword as she kicks him in the lower abdomen, taking the chance to retreat from him. He stands tall afterwards, sheathing the sword yet keeping his hand close, like a true warrior would. "You're an impressive warrior, if only you were a Faunus we could be friends." Adam states, Pyrrha looks at him and she shakes her head.
"It's not too late." Pyrrha begs.
"It is for me." Adam replies, drawing the sword once again to stop Blake's attack as she shoots towards him like an arrow, in which she spins through the air and attacks like a saw blade, striking both with her scabbard and the Katana. He manages to deflect all of them with Wilt and Blush, sparks clanging from each impact, and he sheathes the sword, swiftly drawing it over and over again to blast streaks of red energy towards them. Blake's shadow clone diminishes as one of the arcs hits her, whereas Pyrrha uses Akuou to block that attack from doing any damage to her aura.
Pyrrha and Blake both strike at the same time, since he can only manage one of them at a time, hopefully they can dwindle his aura to the point of which they can knock him out and capture him. Help him see the light once more, since they do not want everything he fought to be for nothing. Pyrrha jumps as she jabs Milo towards him, and bashes Akuou across his face as she twirls round, Blake runs and she knees him right into his mask with force. He staggers back from the attack but still smashes the shotgun scabbard across her cheek, then spinning round to slash upwards, across Pyrrha's chest plate. Sparks and bursts of aura float out from her body, yet not enough to shatter the field that surrounds her.
Although she apparently could regenerate her aura faster than she ever could beforehand. Perhaps there is a good reason for that.
Pyrrha sticks the landing after being thrown into the air by that attack, firing Milo behind her, riding the recoil as she smashes her shoulder into Adam's chest, to knock him back. She immediately starts firing Milo repeatedly at him, but he spins Wilt and Blush through his fingers. Every bullet gets cut down and causes both his hair and sword to glow brighter. "Be careful! He could use his semblance again, it has already put Oobleck out of commission!" Blake warns, seeing what remains of his Thermos Staff on the ground as she holds him back with her Scabbard. She throws her Grappling Hook and she pulls herself away from him, swinging round to kick him in the chest with both feet, knocking him over.
They both slide across the ground and Blake pins him down by the neck with her legs resting against his chest, holding him down. "Please Adam! We do not want to go down this road! Just come back to Beacon with us! I can explain everything!" Blake begs, tears streaming down her cheeks as she holds him down, but he continues to struggle. Pyrrha watches his hand, he cannot reach his sword since she has his arm held down.
"I am done listening to your lies! You abandoned me when I needed you on that train! You started aiding the humans! Gained my trust again, and betrayed me again!" Adam screams with anguish in his voice.
"I didn't betray you Adam! It was Vir Nominis Umbra! I might have betrayed you before on the S.D.C Train but I never betrayed you after!" Blake yells back, using all her strength to keep him held down.
Adam stares at her, and he feels his arm starting to loosen, and he can feel her breath on his face, knowing how far her face is from his own. "It doesn't matter anymore..." Adam snarls, he suddenly smashes his head into hers and he grabs the sword and sheathe. He grabs Blake by the hair and with all his might he swings round and throws her through the wall. Blake screams and the entire wall explodes, sending her flying down into the elevator shaft.
Dust and silt covers her body as she lays there, groaning with pain and aching. Pyrrha grits her teeth and she goes to attack Adam, but the Taurus Warrior spins round and delivers deadly blow as he swings his sword, blasting red energy into her as well, the impact throws her back and she crashes against the wall.
He spins round and he sprints towards Blake, jumping into the shaft and holding onto the cable. He can see that the counterweight is beneath them, and if he cuts the cable they both will shoot up to the top. "Going up?" He asks her with a smirk, and her eyes widen, realising she is actually on the counterweight. Before she can even say a word he severs the cable, and they both go flying up to the top at great speeds.
He grabs her by the throat and he throws both her and himself out through the doors. He rolls across the marble floor of the lab where they were and he grabs her by the hair, dragging her across the floor as she struggles. Pyrrha stares at the top of the elevator shaft with widened eyes. "Blake!" She screams.
Pyrrha slowly turns round and her eyes widen as she sees the others all still fighting.
She cannot get up there fast enough.
She needs to help them defeat the others.
Adam takes Blake and throws her through the glass window, and she tumbles down the stone stairs that they walked up to get to the Radar Station. She yelps and cries out as she falls down each sharp step, finally coming to a stop at the bottom as Adam walks down the steps behind her. She groans with bruises covering her body, looking up as Adam stands before her, dropping Gambol Shroud at his feet. He then pushes the weapons towards her hands. "Let us finish this the way we started it – you and me. No one else." Adam states, hand on Wilt and Blush's hilt.
Blake stares at the weapon yet she refuses to pick her sword up, her voice stammering as she looks at him. At the monster he has returned to being. "Please Adam..." She begs with a trembling voice.
"Pick it up!" Adam barks, so loudly that she jolts, picking the weapons up, standing up yet keeping her distance from him.
"I do not want you to do this, Adam." She begs.
"Oh and neither do I, Blake. But you've clearly left me no other course but to end this here and now – either by me killing you or you killing me." Adam states as he stands before her.
"I will not fight you Adam!" She yells with anguish in her eyes.
"There it is again...always running from the fight. You really haven't changed a bit have you, still the spineless coward you always were." Adam scoffs.
"I've changed, I'm not the same girl anymore." Blake states.
Adam scoffs as he walks towards her. "Really?" He asks her, with a sudden and harsh smack to her face with the back of his hand, making her flinch and touch her cheek. "Then show me." He demands, staring at her with gritted teeth. "Fight me." He repeats, punching her in the face so hard that she is launched back and crashes against the floor.
Blake coughs, touching her eye which has bruised into a black eye. "I never chose this path! This is all by your decisions and your betrayals!" Adam yells with rage.
"This is Vir Nominis Umbra! Not me!" Blake begs, but he still does not listen.
"Enough with the lies! Is that what Sun Wukong taught you to do? To lie?" He challenges with a scoff in his voice.
"I am not lying." Blake coldly hisses, but he somehow hears something else entirely.
"Oh...it was? Well maybe...after we're finished here, I'll pay him a visit myself!" Adam yells, which makes Blake snap. They both yell and sprint towards each other, slamming their swords into each other.
Cinder
Bonnie darts around her in the water reservoir beneath Cinder, smashing through the glass to leap at her from behind. She looks around as she stands there, her conjured swords ready to slash anything that leaps at her. Watching the water beneath her to find the Barracuda Faunus, until she suddenly comes bursting out from the water and shattering the glass right in front of her.
She slams down onto Cinder, pinning her down with her bare foot, staring down at her with a smirk on her face. "Ah...the infamous Cinder Fall...to think that a Fall Maiden would be killed by me – can't wait to be the one to inherit those gifts of yours." Bonnie says.
Emerald...
Where are you?
Cinder's thoughts immediately went to Emerald, but before Bonnie could even try to damage her aura, Kassius suddenly shoulder charges Bonnie and kicks her in the chest after she staggers back. Kassius immediately swings round and slashes Lash Equinox across her chest, making her stumble across the ground. She immediately reaches down and launches one of her Knives at Kassius. But he instantly catches it as he dodges it, holding it in his cybernetic hand. "Not bad, sweet cheeks. But you're not the only one who is good at throwing blades." He says as he drops the knife onto the floor. He immediately offers his human hand to Cinder and she accepts, standing back up as she cracks her neck.
"Thanks, bro. You okay?" Cinder asks him.
"Oh feeling peachy, you?" He asks her.
"Loving life." She sarcastically responds, both of them set their eyes at where she was.
But she is gone.
"Oh for fu-" Kassius sighs with annoyance, since she has vanished back into the water once again. Suddenly a bullet comes shooting out from the water and they look down at where it came from, seeing the rippling apparition in the deep of Bonnie with her Amphibious Sniper Rifle aimed at them.
"I hate this chick! She just keeps cheating!" Cinder yells as she rolls out of the way from another one. Kassius rolls his eyes as he loads an explosive round into the magazine of his rifle.
"Let's go fishing the old fashioned way." Kassius says as he fires, creating a huge explosion in the water that throws water everywhere, but they totally lose sight of her. Water covers Cinder and her beautiful dress, and she sighs, staring at Kassius with a frustrated expression. He looks at her and he smirks.
"Seriously?" Cinder questions as she starts to wring out her hair. The water drools from her hair and she groans as she does that.
"What? I thought you hated that dress because of how you got it." Kassius presumes, remarking the horrific torture that she endured when she was punished for lying to Salem.
"Doesn't mean it isn't a nice dress. But hey, you wouldn't know about fashion would you, bro?" She scolds, making him gasp.
"Excuse me, but I am a man of many tastes." He says, flicking the collar of his trench coat.
"Yeah but that is like your only outfit." She replies.
"I rarely see you wearing different clothes." He points out.
"That's because it's for combat." She defends with her hand on her hip.
"Totally impractical." Kassius scoffs with the roll of his eyes. "Besides, Yang says I have good tastes."
"Did you see Yang when she left for Beacon all those years ago? She looked like a Bimbo." Cinder states, making Kassius raise an eyebrow.
"Hey." He says, immediately switching to defend his girlfriend.
"I'm just saying, at least she grew up and actually grew into those tits of hers." Cinder teases with a smirk.
Suddenly another bullet flies out from the bubbling water beneath them, making both of them jolt. "Seriously?" Kassius questions, in which Cinder rolls her eyes this time, sending ice cold magic through her right hand.
"Eh, screw it." She sighs, blasting ice into the reservoir. The entire lake beneath the structure suddenly freezes solid beneath their feet, instantly killing Bonnie inside of the gigantic ice cube she just got trapped in. Kassius looks down at the ice and then at her.
"Why didn't you do that ages ago?" Kassius asks her.
"I dunno...totally forgot I could do that." Cinder honestly admits.
Then the lights go out because they just killed the energy source of the building, resetting to a backup generator. "Oops." Cinder says as she looks at the darkness.
Qrow
Yuma yells with rage as he dives towards the Huntsman in the darkness, slashing his two blades at him with rage, and Mazen continues to battle with his Chainsword, scraping it across Kragen's Isomacium Staff. Sparks burst up from the attack made at him, but Kragen immediately spins the staff round and strikes him across the face. Yuma immediately lands right in front of Qrow as he slashes both swords into Qrow's only sword, creating an almighty bang in the process. But he is outnumbered, as both Kassius and Jaune both strike him at once with their swords.
Yuma lets out a screech of agony, falling to one knee as his orange aura crackles away around him. Blood leaks from his wounds as he collapses, yet he still tries to strike, until Qrow roars, swinging his sword and slashing it straight across his stomach. Yuma cries out with agony as he crumbles to his knees with pain, blood spilling from his wounds.
Mazen stares at Yuma...
He knows he cannot defeat them all.
Mazen snarls and he forces his Chainsword downwards with all his might, punching Yenna in the face and kicking the Architect away. He turns and makes a break for the other elevator, the one still operational. "He's getting away!" Winter yells as she chases after him. Pyrrha turns and she launches Akuou towards the elevator to try and stop him, but the doors close just in time. The shield bounces off the doors and she pulls it back into his grasp with a sigh.
"Damn it." Qrow sighs with frustration.
"We need to get topside, Adam took Blake. He's gonna try and kill her." Pyrrha warns.
"And Mazen could be headed up there right now." Jaune agrees as he jogs over, and they turn to see an injured Oobleck approaching as well.
But before they are able to proceed.
They hear Yuma snarling with pain not far from them, still alive as he presses his hand to his stomach that has been slashed open by Qrow's sword. They all turn to stare at him, and they approach him. Qrow crouches down and glares at him with stern eyes. "What the hell were you doing here? What do you want?" Qrow questions the Elite Faunus, but Yuma just laughs sinisterly.
"Technology is the key to destroying your race." He snarls with a smirk.
"What the hell did we do to you? We were making great strides to lessen the divide." Winter presumes as she looks down at him, but her mere presence just seems to ignite some rage in the man.
"Shut up you damned Schnee Bitch!" Yuma barks, clearly carrying no form of compassion towards the Schnees. But Qrow grabs him by the throat and glares into his eyes with anger.
"Watch your mouth, your maybe I'll toss you into that chamber with all those Thralls like I did your friend." Qrow threatens, legitimately intimidating them when they hear him say that. He really is not a man you want to be your enemy, because he will kill you. Similarly to Kassius and Cinder in that regard.
"You think I fear death? I welcome it...I have for a long time after what I survived." He snarls, clearly referencing the story of which that Blake told them about. The mission where he was supposed to have died from.
"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha questions.
"The mission – what happened on the mission?" Qrow questions, and to their surprise he actually answers, with the sticky hot red blood in his hand and holding his insides in. But the blood still pools around him from down his leg and belly.
"He arrived...we did not stand a chance. Brought devastation, wiped us out before we could even blink." Yuma growls through gritted teeth, blood spitting from his mouth as he holds back the agony.
Pyrrha mutters the name, because she has a feeling that she knows who he is talking about. "Vir Nominis Umbra..."
"He wiped out your team all those years ago? Why? Doesn't seem like it would matter in his grand plan." Jaune questions with confusion, and Yuma coughs with pain.
"We found something there – Arkhonex – something he did not want us to find. A secret so dangerous that he went to all lengths to hide it. And it seems Merlot found one of the warnings as well." Yuma growls in agony, staring at the Charred Visionary Book on the pedestal. They all look at it, realising that Merlot must definitely have some sort of base in Arkhonex somewhere to have attained that information.
"Could it be enough to kill him?" Oobleck wonders, but Yuma suddenly rears up and yells.
"You have brought this upon us!" Yuma roars with blood pouring out from his mouth as he coughs, wheezing with agony as he tries to breathe. "You humans...let one of your own desecrate his ancient secret, prolonged his plan – there will be immense consequences for these actions!" Yuma barks with anger.
"Wait what do you mean desecrate his ancient secret? What did you find?" Pyrrha asks, yet he never seems to give them an answer. It is as if he knows something is there but cannot even remember it.
"Your Silver Eyed Hero...she cannot save you..." He wheezes, smiling maniacally as he pants, staring up at them all. "...from what is coming..."
"...there are more..."
"...many more..."
"...this...is just...the beginning..." He softly and weakly says, before his eyes darken and he collapses before finishing what he started. His jaw slacked and muscles loosened as he collapsed to the ground.
"Beginning? Beginning of what?" Qrow questions with fear of what that meant.
Now with Yuma gone...
Only two remain.
And Yuma could have just given them the biggest hint yet of finding the answer.
And that answer.
Is somewhere in the Lost City of Arkhonex.
Blake
She performs a back flip that knocks him back and she staggers away from her with his sword drawn, slashing it directly at her. She shimmers away, using her semblance as smartly as she possibly can, blasting forward to slash both weapons at him. But Adam blocks her with the huge red sword, stopping her in her tracks before he fires the shotgun at her. She falls back and Adam jumps up in the air, stabbing down at her. But she rolls out of the way, and she kicks him in the knee, bringing him down.
Blake sprints and she wraps her legs around his neck, squeezing tight as she throws him over and he tumbles, dragging Wilt and Blush across the ground. But he gets back up, and he holds the red sword up, pointing it straight at her as he paces back and forth. "Seriously Adam, this is insane! We both know who the real enemy is, Adam!" Even after everything he has said, Blake is still ever so desperately trying to get him to see the good in the world. But he is blinded by revenge, by hatred and that is all that he wants.
"You wanna hear insane?" Adam questions as he paces back and forth, staring her down. "Blake Belladonna and her beloved friends race a delusional thief on a train to Vale!" Adam yells as he swings Wilt and Blush straight at her, but she hops back on her toes, keeping her distance both from him and the blade of his sword.
"Gods!" She yelps.
"Blake Belladonna helps discover the legendary Volcanic Chain Isles!" He yells, and he swings again.
"We did!" She yells back, but he is not listening.
"Blake Belladonna helped defeat Salem and her forces five years ago." He continues as he paces back and forth, listening to every move she makes. "Blake Belladonna is a hero. Even after what you did to me, and what you did to Sienna...people still call you that." He scoffs.
"Adam! We can make it out of this together!" She continues to plead.
"You know for all of your greatness, Blake? You are nothing! Still just a lonely little Faunus girl who continues to try and fit in with people who do not care about her. Only to betray them later on for her own ideals." Adam snarls, as he slashes towards her with the sword but Blake deflects with her Katana, but he immediately strikes again, cutting her cheek and using the blade to force her down to the ground with all his might. She screams out in distress as he forces her down, gritting his teeth together with anger.
"I have sacrificed everything for the Faunus, and I will not let a traitorous Faunus, a blonde airhead, the former Heiress and a pathetic child take that away from me!" Adam yells, until Blake smashes her head into his and cracks the mask, kicking him in the chest to get her away. Adam staggers away, hearing the cracks in the mask and he chuckles sinisterly, grabbing the mask and throwing it away.
She stares at the terrible burn scars that were inflicted upon his eyes by one of the Onyx Phantoms, still as heartbreaking as ever. But he continues to stand his ground, knowing where she is simply by the sound of her feet. "If you care about the damned Humans that much, then I'll make sure that you join them in hell." Adam growls, but Blake fights back the tears, transforming the sadness into rage.
"I gave you all the chances I could – let's finish this then." She agrees, and Adam chuckles.
"Finally." He snarls.
He rushes forward and slashes the sword at her with full force, but she deflects and immediately rolls out of the way, striking at his back with the Katana, shimmering away as he fires the shotgun at her just by spinning the scabbard round. The shells fly up and shatter the windows of nearby buildings, and she appears right at his side, slashing across his face but his waning Aura protected him. Blake makes another attack but Adam locks his blade against hers, staring at her mercilessly. "Come on, Blake!" Adam challenges, but Blake swings her elbow round with force into his head, and she knees him in the stomach then upper cuts him.
He staggers away but snarls more and more, and he sheathes his sword, then swiftly draws it three times, blasting three strafes of red energy towards her. Blake slices one in half but the second hits her, smashing her through the window of one of the houses, and the other burns through the wooden wall. Fire begins to spread throughout the house from the fiery attack, but that fire will spread to the rest of the town.
Adam vaults through the broken window, stabbing the carpet where she was stood, so Blake fires her Magnum at his aura covered body over and over again, but he stops the bullets with his sword, building up the power in Moonslice. His hair flickers as she does that, but she falls away from him, throwing her body through the window behind her to get out of the burning down house. Shotgun shell fragments shatter the lock of the door and he kicks the door open after breaching it.
"No more class mates to fight for you, Blake." He states, but his words continue to anger her as she scrapes her Katana across his to defend herself from his attack.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" She yells, slashing straight across his chest, cutting some of the pouches. He staggers back and he presses his hand to the wound that is beginning to bleed. Then his red aura crackles away across his body. The same for Blake, he stares in her direction and he smirks.
"Come on, Hero." He challenges with a snarl, yelling as he swings Wilt and Blush directly at her. Blake ducks down and she kicks him in the chest, now she really needs to be careful. She no longer has any aura to use her semblance anymore, and neither does he. Now they are merely fighting to kill each other. He spins the shotgun round and fires it at her, but she rolls out of the way at the perfect time, except not fast enough. For a fragment punctures into her foot and she shrieks in agony, limping on the spot as blood leaks from her boot.
Adam slashes the sword so fast that the blade slices through the sandy ground like a knife through butter, blowing the dust into her face that partially stuns her. They continue to clash their swords against one another as they fight, and Blake goes to stab him but he catches her arm, dropping his scabbard in the process. "Remember Ilia? How you failed her?" Adam questions with his cold cybernetic arm bruising her forearm. But then she yells with anger, swinging the Scabbard with force, smacking him in the side of the head to get him to release her.
"She died a hero!" She yells back, scraping the sword across Wilt and Blush, sparks dancing off the heated contact of both blades. The emotions run hot in this battle, the metallic taste of blood in both of their mouths, for they have already been fighting for a long time. The fire continues to spread around them, sweat glistening off their skin as they continue to battle, both the heat and constant fighting fatiguing their bodies.
"That what you tell all those who risk their lives for you? That if they die they die heroically? They people will sing songs about them? I've not heard a single one about her." Adam snarls, as he slashes and cuts her cheek, leaving a deep slice across her cheek that nearly went into her eye. She yelps from that hit, blood leaking down from the opening and dripping into her hand. Blake goes for the stab when she sees an opening but he scrapes Wilt and Blush across her blade and pushes her away, going to slash her and he slices the blade up her back. The blade cuts straight through her clothing but luckily she was just far enough away for it to not be serious.
Yet the hot pain that stings through her body does not fade, since her aura has not had time to recover. But she also cannot retreat, there is nowhere for her to retreat, if she runs the Thralls could get her.
She cannot risk that alone.
She has to fight him.
This time she nails a hard elbow strike into his nose, so hard that it breaks his nose and blood begins to leak out from it, and she swings her forearm round against the side of his head extremely hard. So hard the skin actually breaks slightly in the bruise. "You've gotten better over the years! Who taught you all of this?" Adam wonders as he paces back and forth, listening to every move she makes, the light from the flames glowing off the skin.
"My family!" She yells, calling her friends family, showing how far she has come in her life. Blake swings towards him, but he locks the blade into hers and forces her towards one of the burning buildings. She stands firmly, holding back his strength as best as she can, but she can feel her legs getting weaker from his force. He laughs cruelly as he forces her closer and closer to the flames.
"Now we're getting somewhere, my darling." He snarls, calling her by her old title he used to give her.
He's gone...
The Beast has returned
She forces her arms into him with all the strengths in her limbs, scraping the sword across his brow to force him back. "What the hell's wrong with you?" She yells, stepping away from the flames that made her skin tingle from the heat. Blake sprints towards him, jumping up in the air as she powers a strike with her Katana towards him, but he deflects it with Wilt and Blush. She immediately goes to attack but he grabs her by the throat, lifts her off the floor with all his might and crashes her down into the ground. The impact nearly knocks the wind out of her, and he goes to behead her with Wilt and Blush, but with both hands she holds Gambol Shroud up to stop the red blade. Sparks dropping own into her sternum as she holds him back.
"This...might hurt a little." He warns with a gritted smirk on his face, Blake snarls and moves her head and neck away, letting the tip of the blade scrape into the ground.
"Get! Off!" She yells, forcing her sword towards him and slicing him across the abdominal region of his body. He rolls off Blake and he presses his hand to the wound he has been given, feeling the blood leaking from the open wound. He turns his head to the sound of a Bullhead retreating and he may not see him, but he knows.
Blake stares at the Bullhead, and Corsac is piloting it with Mazen hanging on.
He just left Adam behind.
Blake turns and looks at Adam and he stares at her and he smirks maniacally, letting his inner demon out. "Come on, Blake." He challenges again, it is as if he wants her to kill him. "Argh!" He roars, swinging the sword straight at her harder and harder with every single hit he makes, and Blake backs up on her toes, parrying against every single attack. Sparks exploding from the two blades connecting with each forceful hit.
The inferno has spread throughout this section of Kuo Kuana like wildfire, and Blake keeps parrying against him, and he is striking even faster this time. Spinning round with each hit, his fighting style does not even seem like his own any more. He just striking over and over again instead of using the gifts his sword has. Not even using the Scabbard.
Blake swings at him and slashes across his shoulder, cutting deep into the armour plating and his skin, then smashing it into Wilt and Blush, smashing her shoulder into him as well. Adam grunts and he kicks her in the leg, then slashes across her side, releasing a grunt of pain from Blake as she presses her hand to the curve in her core where he hit her, feeling the blood leaving that new scar. Adam runs at her and he slashes at her with the blade, but Blake stops the sword with Gambol Shroud, then Adam grabs her arm, locking her in place. "What now, Blake?" He questions, so Blake swings her arm and smashes his face, but Adam twists her arm round, nearly dislocating her shoulder as he stands by her side. She yells and she stamps down into the back of his knee and she grabs him, throwing him over her shoulder.
Adam immediately gets back up as he swings Wilt and Blush at her, and Blake has noticed that with every single strike that he makes, he is damaging the sword. He is hitting so hard that cracks are spreading through the red blade. She keeps on deflecting the sword with Gambol Shroud. "Come on!" He yells with rage. She keeps deflecting his hits, and he scrapes the sword across hers and forces it downwards, until Blake swiftly forces his blade aside and scrapes it across his ankle.
He stumbles, now with a similar limp that she has, blood trailing from his wound. He rushes her, weaker though as he goes to attack, but this time Blake makes the strikes, thwacking her sword into his over and over again, forcing him into one of the buildings. His back crashes against the building, embers from burning wood falling onto his shoulder and burning him slightly but he does not even seem to feel it. He holds the sword up and stops Gambol Shroud, sending his boot smashing into her chest.
She stumbles and he immediately makes his next move, swinging towards her with all his might, more and more cracks spreading through the plague. "You failed to save Vale! Failed to save Mistral! You couldn't even keep them safe when you retook them! What hope do you have that you will win this war?" Adam questions as he locks his blade against hers.
"Because hope is all we need to beat him!" Blake yells.
"No! We evolve or we die! Those are the options we have!" He yells, spinning round and slashing her waist, bringing her down to her knee in pain. Blood pours from that wound and she coughs from the shock and pain of how may deep gashes she has in her body right now from this fight.
Adam walks towards her with his sword pointed at her, touching her neck in fact. "You know what, Blake? Underneath all your lies you are still that sad little girl with delusions of being the hero. You can't win this, none of us can." He states.
Blake readies herself, because she can see he is about to strike. "Goodbye – Blake Belladonna." He says.
He swings the blade straight towards her throat, but Blake aggressively smashes Gambol Shroud into Wilt and Blush.
And there is an almighty metallic twang.
The sight of seeing that red blade fracture is chilling, as the fragments float away from him, red dust blasting out from the weapon and leaving his hand. Tears stream down her face as she makes to rotation, and with both hands, screaming with anguish as she does it.
She drives the blade of Gambol Shroud straight through his chest.
Adam gasps with shock and pain, feeling the blade run right through him like that, she pushes him back and the blade protrudes out his back, blood dripping from the claret stained blade. She can hear his breathes becoming more and more laboured as he staggers across the ember covered ground, and he collapses to one knee, and she falls with him, crying constantly as he falls into her arms. He looks at her as she looks down at him tearfully, heartbroken with what she has just done.
Even after everything that they have been through.
Their history...
She still cares.
And somewhere.
So does he.
She looks at his chest where the sword is still lodged, the amount of blood leaking out and she looks back at him with tears drenching her cheeks. "Y-You've become...stronger than I...ever could have been." He stammers weakly, and Blake softly cries, caressing his red hair with her hand.
"Why didn't you stop? Mazen abandoned you..." She sniffles and he chuckles weakly.
"You didn't..." Adam admits, and those words nearly break her heart.
"I didn't...Adam...I swear I didn't do it. Umbra did..." She says with a heartbroken voice, and it is as if in his final moments the beast was lifted. And the old Adam returned, because he smiles weakly with blood leaking from his mouth.
"Then...kick his ass..." Adam weakly begs of her. "I wish I could see your face...one last time..." He sniffles as he tries to see her face. Blake squeezes her eyes shut and she sniffles.
Because there is a way for him to be able to see what she looks like now, since he has never known what she looks like before his eyes were burned. She gently places her hand on his heart, and she manages to manifest enough leftover aura to cast some upon him. Not enough to save him, but enough for him to mentally be able to see her face. "Wow..." Adam weakly says as he looks at her beauty. He reaches up, able to see his own hand in this form of spectral vision that Blake has granted him with her aura, feeling his pain at the same time. "You've...become so beautiful." He gently says.
The doors behind them open, and Qrow emerges first with his sword ready to fight...only to see Adam in Blake's arms with her sword stabbed through his chest. They all stand down, the Architect carrying Port's body in his arms. They turn to see Oscar with Ruby in his arms as well, who has a makeshift bandage wrapped around her stomach, made from Oscar's sleeve. He has also passed enough aura onto her to heal as much of it as he can.
Blake caresses his cheek, just wanting him to be comfortable when he goes, and she feels his hand gently hold hers. "I'm sorry..." He weakly says, and she looks at him tearfully. "That guy...Sun...He's a better man than I could ever be...look after him..." He weakly begs as he coughs, more and more blood pooling out around him and into Blake's legs. But she does not even feel it, she is merely numb from broken emotion.
"I promise..." She sniffles.
He then slightly leans up to her, looking at her, able to see her with the charm that Blake cast upon him. "You can stop him, Blake...I know you can." He says.
"I will." She promises.
He looks at her still, unable to look away from how beautiful she really is. "It was nice while it lasted though...being...friends." He weakly says, and tears stream down her cheeks, her words bring tears to Pyrrha's eyes when she hears what she says.
"Best friends." She gently assures with a smile, and she can feel his warmed emotions.
He gazes to her, and everything becomes more and more blurry.
With those being the last words he ever heard her say.
"That's alright then...it's alright..." Adam weakly says, as he sees the beautiful face of Blake Belladonna fading away before his very eyes.
Just like she did on the train seven years ago.
"Adam?" Blake whimpers, and she feels his body become looser, and his hand drop down from hers, his head slowly relaxing on her lap. And she feels the connection between the two of them disappear.
Adam is gone.
She lowers her head and sobs uncontrollably for the loss of her old friend, heartbroken that their friendship had to end the way it did. With his blood on her hands, she lifts her head and looks at the others. "We bury him...here...where he belongs." She tells them, and none of them argue.
They just smile and nod.
She looks at him and she gently kisses his forehead. "Goodbye, Adam." She sobs.
In the end...
It was Beauty that killed the Beast.