Capítulo 1977: 207
"Guh… is everyone okay…?" Penny asked, pushing a hunk of slowly dissolving rubble from her body as she took stock of everything going on- the impact that the giant Monstra had made upon hitting the ground was utterly intense, made even more dangerous and lethal by the fact that the Gravity Dust and the grimm pools within its body had erupted into some kind of wave of sheer force and destruction. Not only did the combatants within the whale have to deal with the impact of falling out of sky, but they also had to weather an explosive shockwave almost an instant later and also withstand falling rubble as well. If there were any broken Auras, then she hoped that they'd broken somewhere safe.
"Somehow… I'm a lot more alive than I thought I'd be…" Yang groaned, pushing a hunk of rubble off of herself and huffing as Weiss and Blake crawled out of the shattered ground after her- the blonde bruiser having shielded the other two with her Aura flared to maximum power, as evidenced by the scorch marks around her and the molten rock still dripping out of her hair.
"And I'm having flashbacks to the Cataclysm," Weiss groaned, wincing and rubbing her head as she slowly stood up and looked around at the blasted crater they'd all landed in- jagged and rough and speckled with the remains of the crystals that the grimm whale had left with its death, splatters and hunks of dissolving grimm material falling from the sky still as the entire army of grimm seemingly scattered to the winds. It honestly felt like some kind of desolate plane of hell at this point- frozen and cold and with nothing but bare, empty rock for miles around as the explosion blew away the meters deep snow cover and yet somehow left all of them mostly unharmed.
"At least Ruby's still with us this time," Blake cut in then, watching as their Team leader reformed her body out of winding strands of grimm matter, stumbling about for a moment before falling into Penny's arms with a little yelp of surprise. "You good over there?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine! I think Crescent Rose is a little dinged up, but nothing that won't buff out," Ruby huffed, catching her breath slowly as her Aura rippled over her body in pulsing waves of red edged with rainbow and green- the scent of forest and growth heavy in the air. "Everyone else? Is everyone alright?"
"Surprisingly, there are very few injuries, it seems," Penny mentioned, looking around as she drew one of Floating Array's swords from her sleeve container and frowned. "Where are the Maidens? And Salem? There's…"
"Over here!" Cinder called out, wheezing a little as four nearly simultaneous blasts of elemental magic soared into the air. Above, an airship seemed to fly in a wide circle above, trailing with it a familiar Aura signature- two, as well as the emotions of two… entirely unfamiliar beings. Behind, Ruby could sense Aura signatures approaching- Team JNPR, it seemed, as well as the rest of Team CMNE, Team CFVY, and even Qrow and Professor Goodwitch and, of all people, Taiyang . "Shit… Neo- you alright?"
"Think we're all fine," Raven muttered, shaking the rubble from her hair as the crater became crowded with the sounds of activity- the other Huntsman students leaping in without any hesitation while everyone regrouped. "Regardless… there's too many people here… the kids need to get back."
"No- no… I…" Summer shook her head as she stepped out, leaning on Raven and panting a little as she stowed Sundered Rose on her back, nodding at Team JNPR as the speaking died down a little. "I think we need this to happen. I… Rae. We're fulfilling something big right now. Something important. There's a lot going on that I don't entirely understand it, but while I was gone, there- there's… fuck, this is hard to explain like this, but the long and short of it is that we need to…"
"Is it over?" Coco asked loudly, sliding to a halt as Gianduja spun up in her hands, pointing at every bit of settling rubble as everyone milled about in confusion, trying to find any kind of threat in the area that wasn't just the grimm. "I swear to fuck, if you guys beat that Salem bitch without me being able to put some bullets in her head, I'm gonna be real pissed."
"No- no, it's not over yet!" Oscar answered, shouting to get everyone's attention as he rushed over- the Manta carrying him parking off to the side while Robyn, Somewhat, and Juniper all followed one by one. "Salem is still alive!! A-and… I think we're gonna have to do something crazy to beat her."
There was a murmur of confusion amidst the collected teams, Qrow staying silent and off to the side as he stared at Summer as though he'd seen a ghost. Tai was no better, barely even dressed for the occasion- wielding nothing but his fists and his winter Huntsman gear as he leaned heavily on Qrow for support, eyes never leaving Summer's face.
"He's right- it's gonna sound crazy but Salem's gonna regenerate any minute now, and we have to be ready for her! Everyone- Yeah, I know we came back from the dead and we're older now, we'll explain later!" Jaune took charge next, raising his hands and clapping twice as his Aura flared. "Summer knows what we need to do, and so do we-"
"He's right- we've talked about it before on our way back to Remnant. It's a longshot, and there's a chance that it might not even work, but…" Pyrrha continued, taking a breath mid sentence to calm herself down as she peered slowly over at the mountain of rubble and stone in the center of the crater, the ruined remains of Salem's throne perched atop as though mocking them. "We need to channel everything we have into Ruby and Penny. I- there's a good explanation for this, but the long and short of it is that-"
CRASH
"My my… I think that was the closest to death I've come in a long while… and yet, even then, this was snatched from me…" Salem's voice carried out and brought a pall of dread in her wake, the pile of rubble within the crater shifting and cracking and falling apart as the black mass within- a former grimm pool, surging with magic and hate as it bubbled and burbled, black matter reaching up and curling around itself in utterly indescribable geometries, spiking and writhing like a living thing as it condensed and cracked and shifted about like an evisceration in reverse, a skeleton forming before being wrapped in tendrils of muscles and nerves, blood vessels weaving in and out as organs squelched and erupted out of the horrid annihilation, blood and viscera spurting as the grimm queen crawled her way back into life once more and flared with magic so intense that it cast nothing but pure, horrid evil over the land- the sky turning red where it was once the clouded night, the moon bleeding black, the haze of dust becoming like poisonous smoke as Salem's skin finally rippled into existence, followed shortly by a tattered, bloodstained dress that was a pale mockery of who she had been so long ago, corrupted and fouled not just by the pits of annihilation but also by her own mind, her own hate, the uncountable eons of isolation, malice, and murder playing toll on her mind until nothing was left but something that could only fathom salvation for herself through the destruction of all else.
"... Well. It's now or never then, I guess," Ruby huffed, gritting her teeth as she stood in front of her friends and family, holding hands with Penny as they stood there, facing down the greatest evil in the world, the queen of the grimm, the one who had killed humanity and ruined civilizations again and again for thousands of years. "One last go, beloved?"
"One more attack. This time we'll make it count, however it has to happen." Penny nodded, squeezing Ruby's hand gently as they stood before the incarnation of evil with defiant gazes and determined hearts.
"Give her everything you've got!" Summer cried, watching as Ruby and Penny joined hands together, the wind around them kicking up as their Auras flared and synchronized together in a flash of light.
Ruby breathed deeply, feeling her soul surge with power as the world itself seemed to respond to her call, Penny's hand warm in hers as they began to dance, heedless of Salem watching on in disbelief as they twirled together with smooth, elegant motions. Behind Ruby, tendrils of grimm flesh lashed out, latching onto the wrists of those she held dear, holding them gently and holding them close as they reached out as one.
"Take it all!"
"Go!"
"Win!"
"Alright, let's finish her off, once and for all!" Ruby cried out as the wind kicked up brighter, the light of her and Penny's souls glowing so, so bright that it cast away the red sky and bleeding moon, bathing the world in soft, golden light that was full of stars. Her soul surged in time with Penny's, their Aura mounting and climbing higher and higher like an impossible bubble, taking in the strengths of their companions and the magic from ages past.
"Right!" Penny nodded, grinning as she twirled Ruby around and dipped her low, the sheer power coursing through their bodies making them both burn from within with the glorious power of love. Familial, platonic, romantic- it burned in their hearts and surged so hot and proud that Salem couldn't even fight it, all but locked in place from sheer awe at the sight before her.
What… was this?
The overwhelming power, the grace, the gravitas, the feeling it brought to the air…
It was something that she'd never felt before, something she couldn't fight, something she couldn't- no.
She had to fight back, because this- whatever this was… might actually kill her.
"THESE HANDS OF OURS ARE BURNING RED!" Ruby and Penny shouted at once, glaring forward as they struck a dramatic pose- Ruby's cloak billowing in the wind while Penny's hair flared out around her body, as though performing a dance.
"THEIR LOUD CRY TELLS US-!" Ruby continued, clenching her fist proudly as the world seemed to swell with tension around them, the force of their combined Auras all glowing brightly into an ephemeral rainbow that cast auroras through the night sky.
"TO GRASP HAPPINESS!" Penny finished, mirroring Ruby's pose before they began to dance once more, twirling into a gentle hold as their Auras, burning and humming and singing with power as they synchronized so deeply that two became one, flared into a single point between their outstretched hands.
"ERUPTING! BURNING! FINGER!"
"SEKI-"
"HA!"
"LOVE! LOVE! TENKYOKEN!"
And before Salem could break free of the spell that came over her, before she could retaliate against the massive heart shaped beam of light, of Aura, of magic, of love that blasted towards her like her inevitable death-
"You're not getting away!"
Oscar grabbed her from behind, every last bit of magic stored within the Long Memory surging out in response to the encroaching wall of gold and silver light that bore down on them both, trapping them both in place with an orb of rippling green clockwork. "Whatever happens- whatever comes next… This better work, Oz!"
"Thank you, Oscar. And… goodbye."
"No- No no no NO NO NO NOOOOO!"
Silver light blazed like a second sun and rang like an ephemeral bell, washing over the entire world with the scent of rose petals and spring, of forests and new growth, of change, of happiness, of peace, of kindness, of unity, of harmony, of love.
When the light cleared…
"... oh my gods, I'm still alive…" Oscar muttered, staring up at the statue of two old lovers in blank, petrified awe- a living growth of wood decorated with stray branches and rainbow colored leaves in the middle of a small island in a springtime pond, surrounded by grass and the warmth of an eon long since past. They looked happy, holding each other, hands against each other's cheeks as they gazed soulfully into each other's eyes.
Salem and Ozma, reunited at last.
Notes:
I'm not sorry I ended this entire fic with a G-Gundam reference
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