Chương 50: End of an era
-Minutes earlier, within the Monstra-
Neo, Raven and Cinder felt the overbearing magical presence within and gave each other a look. Neo stopped and grabbed their shoulders, stopping them too.
"Okay, we need a plan.." Neo said quietly.
"We should be fine if we just get close so you can unleash that lance on her" Raven looked confidently at Neo.
"That'd work if I had the magic to unleash that full blast. Pretty sure even the Yamato could deal with her if I was better at using it. But! I'm no 'Son of Sparda' so I'm still learning. I need to recover my magic so I won't be able to spam magic in there. Right now I'm below half my reserves and Rhongomyniad needs about ninety percent to unleash.. So, we're gonna probe her and attack her regularly. Don't worry, I have a plan if we end up getting surprised and she pulls out a killing move" Neo gave them a cheeky smirk before going ahead.
Raven and Cinder looked at the other before shrugging and walking after the small girl.
-The crumbling Monstra, now-
As soon as Salem strode away from the destroyed bodies of the three Maidens, the image left behind shattered like glass. Neo walked over to the crater that Salem thought they were in. Raven and Cinder joined her with a cold sweat running down their backs.
"I guess the probing was needed.. I never once saw her wield a weapon.." Cinder fearfully looked at the silhouette of Salem.
"Yes but.." Raven slapped the back of Neo's head.
"Oww! What the hell was that for..?" Neo looked up at Raven in protest.
"You idiot.. Why did you jump in to take that hit?" Raven pulled her in and checked the cut on her back.
It was still bloody and blocking Neo's regeneration. It was emitting a dark aura still and looked rather painful. Luckily, it wasn't affecting her magic.
"I don't know.. my body just... mov- OKAY stop, I'm joking! I'm joking!" Neo cut herself off as soon as Raven's expression darkened in annoyance.
"I did it because I was scared you'd die, Raven" Neo scratched her head and said while looking everywhere but at Raven.
"If YOU died though, the world would fucking end. Promise me you won't thoughtlessly risk your life when yours is tied to the future of a world" Raven pulled her cheeks and demanded.
"Oh-haay I hwon! (Okay I won't)" Neo acquiesced and freed herself.
Pulling up the chat, Neo looked at Beacon and started to type.
[>Neo²: Mommy Salami is on her way to Ozpin. Make an effort to stall her but don't throw your lives away. Try to get anyone in danger away. I need to recover magic and I can't buy those mana potions in the shop. Fucking things are like 100,000 points each<]
[>Prettykitty: What!? Oh for.. Okay, fine! Pyrrha, Neopolitan and I will deal somehow<]
Neo took a pained breath and watched as Salem advanced to the first perimeter among her horde. She gave Cinder and Raven a cursory glance before nodding.
"You guys should stall her too. At least until I can recover in twenty minutes" Neo suggested, though Raven shook her head dismissively.
"You'd be vulnerable here if I left. Cinder should go and back up your teams" Raven and Neo both turned to Cinder.
"Cinder, I can't stress this enough.. I need you to help protect my team, RWBY and everyone else.. except CRDL, they can bite it for all I care. If things look bad, please make sure they can get out" Neo gave her a serious and pleading gaze.
"..Okay. I do owe you one" She turned around and took off on her flaming wings.
-First Perimeter-
The battle had quickly become chaotic. The horde had been battling the Huntsmen, Staff and White Fang who were in Atlesian Paladins. Though none but the flying Grimm got past them, they were managing to keep the majority of the Grimm from wreaking havoc further in. Until they saw a lone, white haired woman wielding a spear walking towards them.
The Grimm parted for her as she leisurely strolled towards the defenders. Thinking she was human, the confused White Fang and Huntsmen avoided attacking her. Though this didn't last long, due to the yell of Goodwitch.
"She is an enemy!! A human-Grimm. She is the one commanding this attack!! Do NOT let her reach Beacon!" She shouted and sent large building debris flying at her.
Salem snapped as a Goliath Grimm head materialized in front of her, taking the hit before she sent the head flying into their defenses. She easily made a hole in their defense with one move. The moment it was made, Beowolves poured in. Despite that, they all saw how urgent it was to prevent Salem from advancing beyond them. All of them created a storm of gunfire aimed right at Salem in the hopes of stopping her.
Salem hummed and held out her hand, creating a magic barrier that reflected many rounds harmlessly to the side. Though it still slowed her down, she kept pushing until she was in range before twirling the Longinus and piercing through a Paladin's cockpit. After killing the man inside, she blocked numerous hits from Huntsmen before a Grimm body barrier blocked Goodwitch's semblance. Once the Paladin was destroyed and the focus shifted onto Salem, the Grimm overran the perimeter.
Glynda, seeing this had retreated back to the second perimeter and saved over thirty Huntsmen and White Fang by bringing them along too. Salem hopped on a Nuckelavee that bowed to her as the horde continued. Teams RWBY, JNPR all saw the incoming danger. Ren gripped Stormflower tightly and narrowed his eyes at it before he felt Nora's hand on his arm.
"Right.. I'm okay, Nora" Ren nodded at her before seeing the teams gather around with Ruby taking a stand.
"Okay guys! We have to stop that evil lady here and now! The world's counting on us today.. So failure isn't an option!" Ruby declared and started to set up defense plans with everyone at perimeter one.
Perimeter two, full of Beacon staff and Mercenaries had begun to fire at the horde, which had gained a lot of momentum after breaking through the first defenses. They were trying to bombard Salem with grenades and mortars but every time, a Grimm stood in their way. When they were finally within range, they were forced to retreat. Quite a few of them had died within the first two minutes of contact. While they thinned the horde, there was simply too many Grimm to deal with.
Once the survivors retreated back to the first perimeter, they saw all the students and other Mercenaries had set up a tight defensive arc. Any and all resources were used and the students with the most long range options were firing into the horde before them. Ruby was sniping with Crescent Rose, Weiss was summoning Grimm with her semblance and sending ice shards at the horde and Coco was using her minigun while her team kept supplying ammunition to her.
They stopped the horde's advance dead in their tracks. The Grimm who advanced couldn't move forward at all, lest they be hit by the neverending gunfire. Salem, atop the Nuckleavee watched with an amused smile as her army had been stopped right there. She commanded the Black River to create more flying Grimm to attack the perimeter. Slowly, the horde advanced more and more as some attention had to be divided to deal with the flying Grimm.
She was halted again as soon as Goodwitch landed with the thirty survivors by using her semblance to its fullest. The flying Grimm were met with telekinetic projectiles and gunfire from the survivors, which let the students focus all their shots on the Grimm before them.
Seeing no other choice, Salem aimed the Longinus and bombarded the Perimeter with blasts of corrupted energy and magic. Though, once the smoke cleared, she saw Ozpin's magic protect them, along with their defense they set up and their enhanced aura. Salem narrowed her eyes and mimicked the move Neo had used on the Monstra. She raised the spear up high as a corrupted orb of magic expanded above the spear's tip.
It grew larger and larger. Those who tried to shoot it or blast it found their attacks all being absorbed into the growing orb. It expanded to ten meters in diameter before Salem aimed it at them.
"Run!!" Ruby tried to command but it was no use.
The orb came in too fast and exploded. Before it did, everyone felt a film of heat wrap around their bodies before a loud explosion rocked the school. Most of the Grimm had been caught in the explosion too, but it was of no concern to Salem, who had taken the opening and ran forward with a mad grin of anticipation.
Everyone had been knocked to the ground and injured. Though for some reason, CRDL was more injured than everyone else, who at least still had a bit of aura left. Emerald yelled excitedly as a flaming figure landed right in front of them and killed four charging Grimm.
"No time! I helped save you all on Neo's behest so thank her and I later. For now, put my hard work to use and try not to die!" Cinder commanded and shot a Goliath through the head with a flaming Greatarrow.
"I have to stall her!" Pyrrha and Blake both shouted as Neopolitan nodded her head, as if saying the same.
"Go!" Cinder agreed and all three took off into Beacon, following Salem.
They quickly ran inside before their teams could form any protest. As they ran through the halls, they could tell which route Salem took. There were fallen students and faculty leading towards the elevator that went up to Ozpin's tower. They quickly noticed the doors were pried open.
Before they could enter to see above, the elevator came screeching down before crashing at the bottom. They saw a human-sized hole going from the bottom to the top. Salem was desperate now. She was so close to the goal she had strived for, for so long now.
-Ozpin's office-
He stood there, waiting and ready. Salem had burst in and ripped through the doors with the Longinus. She smiled as soon as she saw him. Though it faded as soon as Shizuka had dropped in from above and obliterated her head with a dropkick. Her body fell to the floor with a 'thud'.
Her smashed head reformed as her body jerked itself back upright. She looked at Shizuka like she took her present. Sneering, she opened her palm and a destructive beam of dark magic flew at her, only to be countered by the light of Ozpin's magic. The room, which had been trashed, now suffered immensely as the clash of magic intensified.
The room started crumbling. The walls started to fall apart and the air burned. Then Salem aimed the Longinus and channeled her corrupt magic at him and pressured Ozpin. He was being pushed back now. Shizuka tried to hold him steady but the magic was overwhelming. That's when Ozpin grit his teeth and drew on something he knew she would detect. He drew on the relic, 'Choice' he hid within his soul.
Salem's grin almost split her face now. The relics she possessed hummed in response to 'Choice'. She now drew on the three within her and overturned the tide once again. The room exploded with the empowered magics, fueled by the relics, clashed. Ozpin and Shizuku were almost thrown off the now roofless tower and Salem had been thrown to the opposite direction.
Salem's body reformed, though just in time to be hit with a giant gear that flew into her and pinned her to the floor. It managed to pin her long enough to be beheaded by red and blue scissors before four elemental Blake clones pinned all four limbs with her blade.
"She should be pinned like this!" Pyrrha shouted, arriving right on time with Neopolitan and Blake.
Salem drew on her magic but couldn't focus for very long due to Blake, Neopolitan and Pyrrha constantly damaging her body with attacks. Meanwhile, Ozpin was being healed by Shizuka, watching Salem.
"This won't matter, Ozma.. Stall as long as you must, I will tear the last Relic from your decrepit soul and end this... Summon your Silver Eyed weapon, it will do you no good, remember? You already tried that" Salem spat out venomously.
"No. But I did meet someone else able to take you down. You're right about one thing though. It's time this came to an end" Ozpin wearily stated.
"The reincarnator? She's dead or severely injured. In the state I left her.. Well, she will not survive" Salem mocked with a tone of amusement.
"Yeah that'd be an issue if I was actually as hurt as you thought, huh?" Salem heard her voice above.
Flying above them was Neo, who quickly landed before Salem. Rhongomyniad was in her hand and she quickly stepped over to her.
"I suppose I was the one who under-" Salem was cut off by Neo, who raised the lance and aimed it at her.
"Light, may you be released from the ends of the world" Neo immediately started the chant and Rhongomyniad was unleashed, drowning the area in magic and light.
Salem's eyes widened in shock. She wasn't even going to get to say anything. Pyrrha, Blake and Neopolitan all moved behind Neo to avoid any possibility of being hit.
"Split the Heavens and tether the earth, anchor of the storm!" The lance whirred to life and all power was unleashed.
Salem was desperately trying to move. She could not. The giant gear on top of her along with the weapons pinning her in place. She quickly tried to summon her magic to do something. Anything.
It was fruitless.
"Rhongomyniad!" And Neo unleashed an ultra bright light that mercilessly ran through Salem's body.
"NO!! NO!!!! STOP IT!!!" Salem screamed hoarsely as her body was completely and utterly obliterated by the Noble Phantasm.
It drove through the tower, the school and even the ground. The clouds were dispersed quickly, like they were never there. The Grimm below became catatonic almost instantly. Salem's aggrieved wails echoed for half a minute before disappearing, just as Salem did.
"Hoo... That was close.." Neo wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to see the gaping faces of everyone behind her.
"What? I'm not waiting around again to hear her villain dialogue. Or to see her transform to full power" Neo was about to rant again but Neopolitan's laughter cut in.
Neo watched as Neopolitan fell to her knees and laughed even harder. Soon enough, Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle. Then it was Blake.
"You.. you didn't even give her a chance.." Pyrrha explained between laughs.
[Main Quest Complete!! Congratulations!!]
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