Chapter 44: Attack on Vale III
-Start of the attack-
Blake and Yang had quickly made their way down into the streets of Vale. The civilians were fleeing from the combined attacks of White Fang and flying Grimm. Though some clearly didn't make it. Plenty were already dead despite the Huntsmen fighting all over the city. The White Fang would leave the faunus be but would shoot the humans down whenever they encountered them.
Blake saw the insanity expressed by their actions and their twisted grins. Some were trying to be stoic but others had actually begun to question if this was really the right thing to do. Blake and Yang mercilessly beat down a group of White Fang that were chasing a family through the streets. Blake bound their legs with her shadow semblance just to be sure they could no longer move, just to be sure they wouldn't try again should they get up. Yang scoffed in disgust at them.
"Why are you helping the humans!? You're a faunus too! You're even more faunus than the rest of us!" One of the young men with a broken leg screamed at Blake in rage, many of his fellow White Fang agreeing with him.
"I'm not helping just the humans. I'm helping Humans AND faunus! You don't even realize how wrong this is!? You're killing innocent people! Sure, some might have been bigoted but what about the others? You're sowing the seeds of further retaliation and hatred against us!" Blake yelled back angrily, her eyes slitting and becoming more cat-like.
"Innocent!? There are no innocents! They could have stood up against the oppressive humans and said 'NO, we won't behave like animals' but did they!? Instead they quietly accept it because it doesn't concern them! Well now it does! Fuck those humans!" He screamed back at her.
"You morons! This stopped being about human versus faunus when GRIMM attack the city! This is way bigger than race issues!" Yang stepped in and yelled, though she was scoffed back at and glared at by the White Fang.
"Then what about the ones who did stand up for us? Can you honestly say there's never been any? My friend saw one racist bully pull the ears of a rabbit faunus and laugh at her in contempt. Do you know what she did? She beat his ass. She focused his anger on herself and kept beating him. Yang here? My teammate who didn't even know I was a faunus until months in, accepted me. So did all of my team. Even a SCHNEE did! A Schnee. There are people in this world who will accept you for the way you are. Your violent actions and ignorant decision to help GRIMM, yes GRIMM.. take over the city of Vale has set us back so much. Do you not understand how wrong this is!? The Grimm hate human AND faunus. The fact that they're not targeting you should be a red flag! My partner is right! This is so much bigger than race issues. This could be the end of human and faunus. That giant Grimm in the sky? Someone is controlling it. Someone who is USING your hate for humans to suit their needs! Are you going to be ignorant pawns still or will you cast off those uniforms and do the RIGHT thing!?" Blake passionately asked them as Yang punched a smaller Nevermore down and crushed its neck with a kick.
The White Fang had gone quiet. The young man was still glaring at her, though not as heated as before. One girl threw off her mask and shook her head. She wasn't the only one. Many more of them started to throw their masks off. Some refused but a little over half cast away their masks.
"How do we help?" The first girl who took off her mask asked.
Blake nodded with a small smile and unbound the ones who deserted.
"I need you to grab your weapons and help the Huntsmen fight off the Grimm. If you encounter any more former brothers, tell them what I told you. The.. stuff about being used by the Grimm, not the whole thing.." Blake coughed awkwardly, hearing a snicker from Yang behind her.
"Wow Blake! That was something else" Yang complimented as she watched the former White Fang split up and grab their weapons.
"Yeah I guess Neo was right.. Help me knock the rest out and we can shove them into a house and lock them up" Blake suggested as Yang smirked and cracked her knuckles.
-Ten minutes later-
Putting the rest of the White Fang out of the way, the two continued on and saw a wide area of the street ahead of them on fire. In the center was Adam, fresh off killing a human Huntsman that tried to stop him. Blake gripped her weapon hard and Yang put her hand on her shoulder assuringly.
"Blake.. my love. I see you've.. changed. You've become more beautiful my absence. I see you've become more faunus-like. How did you do that? I'd love to do the same. Looking like these.. disgusting and weak humans isn't good for our image" Adam said as he flung the blood off his blade.
"Well that's.. creepy" Yang commented.
"He really called you 'my love'? What, like some kinda drama show?" Yang resisted the urge to laugh.
"Yeah.. looking back now? Pretty creepy.." Blake muttered, making Adam grit his teeth in anger.
"Fine then. Let's just get to the point. I'll be killing that human, the girl you ran away with and severing your limbs before I take you back with me to watch the White Fang take over the human Kingdoms" Adam said, tapping the tip of his blade onto the pavement.
"Can't believe I was so naive to think someone as depraved and monstrous as you could change.. But it's impossible. The Adam I knew is gone forever. You're somebody else that just inhabits his body, nothing more" Blake prepared and took her stance, prompting Yang to do the same.
"Depraved!? If I'm a monster, then I'm a monster made by HUMANS, Blake! You know what they did to me, to the faunus! Abuse, mistreatment, slavery, exploitation and even war! They have this coming.. It's our time now" Adam now prepared and got in his stance.
"I'm tired of hearing this psychopath talk" Yang shot off toward him and swung a flurry of punches at him that he managed to block, though he slid back from the sheer force of Yang's attacks.
Before he could swing at the blonde, he quickly stepped back to avoid Gambol Shroud stabbing into the concrete in front of him. Blake launching herself at Adam with a flying kick he blocked. Adam swung again and advanced on the two, but they both quickly dodged out of the way and Yang launched Blake up in the air with her two hands before igniting in flames and throwing quick but light jabs at Adam he struggled to block. All he saw was a yellow blur throwing fists at her. He decided to duck preemptively and hit Yang with a rising kick to her gut. Then he was hit four times by Blake's shadow clones she made in the air.
Each clone was charged elementally by dust. One was covered in sparks, one was on fire, one had a chilling frosty aura and the last Blake looked normal. He surmised she was the original and prepared. All four Blakes charged in and swung Gambol Shroud at him in an arc. Adam jumped up to avoid it but Yang threw rounds after flaming rounds at him, which he blocked half of before recovering in the air and flipping back on the ground. The Lightning and Fire clones transformed Gambol Shroud and opened fire on him, though his aura still tanked the shots.
His katana was steadily glowing red as he deflected the shots being fired at him by the clones and Yang. The ice and fire clone transformed Gambol Shroud once again and dashed at him. Yang and the other Blakes still providing ranged support. Once they were in range, Adam sheathed and quickly unsheathed, unleashing a red wave of destruction that dispersed the clones.
"Yang! Be careful, his semblance is like yours but he stores energy in his blade and unleashes it in a massive attack" Blake warned as Yang nodded.
"I too have learned a few new tricks, my love. Here, allow me to show you" Adam pulled out a number of dust crystals and started eating them, crunching them in his mouth like candies before his whole body glew a bloody red.
His aura had skyrocketed and his blade ignited in a multitude of elements. He quickly sheathed and unsheathed even faster. Both Blakes pulled Yang away into a nearby alley as a blast of unstable elements destroyed the entire street they were on.
"Oh shit.." Yang muttered.
"He shouldn't be able to hold onto that power for very long.. I have a plan" Blake looked at Yang and started to quickly explain before Yang nodded.
Adam, seeing no bodies from the result of his attack, sneered. Then he saw Blake, her ice charged clone and Yang run out of the nearby alley before flipping him off and running in the opposite direction.
"Running again!? Like you ran from me!? The White Fang!? Your Family!? You're not getting away this time!" Adam chased them and started throwing elemental arced slashes at them.
"Damn he's really seeing red!" Yang joked and snickered to herself before dodging an unstable elemental flying arc.
"Must you..?" Blake sighed and they saw Adam getting closer, using his elemental charge to close in fast.
The ice charged clone nodded at Blake before using all of her charge to create a huge and thick ice wall to block him off. That only seemed to buy them a few seconds though before another street destroying blast of elements plowed through it and threw both Blake and Yang forward. Yang covered Blake's body as they rolled up in front of city hall. All around them they could see White Fang and deserter White Fang fighting as they stood up.
"Yang.. we made it. Come on.." Blake urged as Yang groaned in pain, aura flickering before she stood up straight.
"This better work.." Yang said as Adam strode towards them, the White Fang all stopping once they saw their commander.
"What are you waiting for? Kill the human and take Blake down!" He commanded.
"Sir! Blake has instigated quite a few of us to desert and betray the White Fang!" One of Adam's loyal supporters shouted.
"Kill them then. We won't be denied victory when it's so close" Adam uttered without hesitating.
"Brothers and sisters! Our commander is being led astray! The Grimm are the real enemy here! The one on the giant whale is manipulating the White Fang!" The first girl who deserted shouted out, making quite a few look up at the Whale beyond the wall.
"No. I'm using the Grimm's leader to help further our agenda. They're cooperating with us" Adam retorted.
"Then why are they killing faunus Huntsmen? They're only helping you to destroy a kingdom for THEIR sakes!" Blake opposed him.
"I've had enough.. I won't be challenged in front of my own army" Adam looked at the deserter woman and sheathed his blade.
But as he unleashed his enhanced power at her and the deserters behind her, Blake jumped in the way and attempted to block it. She was, however, quickly overwhelmed by the bright display of elemental power.
"NOOO!!" The girl cried out in shock as the Loyalists and Deserters stared in shock at the sacrifice.
She managed to stop the blast from reaching them but as a result, she had simply been left without even a body in the aftermath. Adam looked down at the spot he eradicated her coldly and snorted in contempt before sheathing once again to kill the deserters. Yang quickly dashed forward in desperation and started punching shot after flaming shot at him once again. His aura flickered but he didn't go down.
As he was about to unsheathe, he was hit by an axe kick to the top of his head. So hard was this kick, that he briefly saw black spots all across his vision. His aura buckled and he quickly turned around to see Blake, who looked to be enhanced somehow. He unsheathed and hit her with the elemental blast but she somehow broke through with Gambol Shroud, which was enhanced by that massive energy she was emitting.
He widened his eyes and tried to back up but Yang came in from behind and grabbed him, catching him and executing a hard German suplex. His aura shattered and he watched in what looked like slow motion as Blake descended on him like some kind of Cat Goddess and plunged Gambol Shroud into his chest, pinning him to the street.
He violently coughed up blood and stared in disbelief as Blake stood over him. Yang now picking herself up with a groan. The White Fang around them all silent.
"This is the man you want to lead you!? They may have deserted this foolish attack but to kill them so mercilessly!? How could you follow a man so enraptured by his own hatred that he views you as expendable tools? Stop this insanity and start helping against the Grimm! The only way is coexistence and we can't fucking coexist if we don't EXIST in the first place!" Blake shouted out in righteous anger.
Many of the White Fang, dropped their masks then and there. Adam did not see this though. The last thing he saw was Blake standing over his body before it all went black.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone