56 The Battle of Mountain Glenn Pt. 2

It was a cool frigid night, darkness hid the massive airborne vehicle overheard. After dropping the load and sending off team RWBY, Hanns went out further and circled back again.

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As team RWBY fell from the sky, Hanns braced himself as he saw the battle-ending screen.

He was too far away from the battle meaning it didn't count as an active battle anymore.

Hanns stared at the ground below, praying to the moderator for his landing. He throttled down and let himself go at a slower speed.

He formed into a smaller plane, his Bf-109. He slowed down considerably when transforming into a new vehicle.

He took advantage of the slower speed and let out his landing gear as he approached the old open area they created the last time he was there.

His Bf-109 landed roughly as the tires touched down on the uneven ground. Hanns pressed on the brakes as he came to a stop moments later.

'Right, I'm heading straight for the tunnels.'

Hanns wanted to keep Cinder from getting any big ideas like detonating the whole stockpile of dust she had. Even though Hanns and the others were bringing setback after setback, Cinder still had quite a bit of dust lying around.

'Neo's info should be right.'

Using his knowledge of the show and the reconnaissance done beforehand by Neo, he would have a fairly accurate read on where Cinder would be.

He turned into his Leopard I and drove full speed to the lower floor. The gas had spread out fast from the cluster bomb Merlot made.

The wind Hanns created from driving around made the gas flow and follow him as he made a quick pace. His speed from the Tiger II was better since he was now a medium tank.

Him being a post-war tank meant mobility was more of a focus than armor.

He crossed broken roads and collapsed buildings with White Fang strewn all over paralyzed by the gas bomb he had dropped minutes ago.

It was very effective, most if not all of the White Fang present were already down on the ground struggling to move even an inch of their muscles.

He came upon the entrance he used before to enter the lower layer of Mountain Glenn. Hanns reminisces for a second, all those times before when he was just a weaker tank.

The ground below holding up the ramp of fallen foundations shook and stirred as he arrived. Once again he went down below to the lower layer.

Hopefully, it would be the final time Hanns needed to go down that path.

Meanwhile on RWBY's side…

Rose petals fell towards the ground, they swayed along the gas-ridden landscape. A red blur sped along the old ruined highway. Ruby was heading straight for Neo who was waiting for her arrival.

On her back was the uniform and gas mask she was going to hand over. Neo's part in the operation was the most influential.

Without her semblance to sneak around and learn about the important locations, Hanns and the team would be going in blind.

Ruby skid to a stop and looked at an abandoned restaurant. She approached the doors still intact after the place was left behind.

Ruby breathed in through her gas mask. The red lens ominously stared blankly as she intakes a deep breath. A wheeze was heard as Ruby's mask filtered the surrounding air.

She takes one step toward the door and opened it gently before going in and quickly closing the doors. Ruby relaxes and walks to the back and there she saw the locked door.

She knocked thrice and waited for a few seconds before a click was heard from inside.

"Neo! Here, take these. The uniform isn't necessary but it being black would help us move around. Not that you need it since you have your semblance but still! It's the aesthetic that matters."

Neo walked out from her hiding place, still covering her mouth and nose. It was a location she had chosen to make some of the gas out but she was still cautious.

She already had the chance to get affected by Merlot's gas back when she and Hanns invaded Merlot's island. It wasn't a fun experience holding your breath, that's for sure.

Neo grabs at the gas mask and wears it around her head. The straps securing it in place were tightened as Ruby helped put it on.

She stared at the uniform before looking back at Ruby who was excitingly waiting for her to change into it.

"Oh, uh. Torchwick made it if you didn't know yet."

With that, Neo shoved Ruby away before shutting the door and changing into the uniform. It was the same German tanker uniform but with pink highlights instead and Neopolitan ice cream is sewn on the right side.

Once they were ready, they headed out and followed Hanns' orders to round up every remnant of White Fang unaffected by the gas.

Minutes later they meet up with Weiss, Blake, and Yang all hauling unmoving White Fang members all from just the upper layer.

Cinder had brought out a lot of manpower to move everything in time for her plans which made it an arduous task for WYBRN to apprehend every single one.

Weiss struggled as she plopped down another Faunus she had been carrying and sat down as she wiped her head, forgetting she had the gas mask on and groaning about it.

"Bla- I mean, Neko… is this normally how many you have in the White Fang? It's an entire army!"

Blake looked around, her similarly crimson-shaded lens gazing into the still conscious but paralyzed White Fang. A sinister look for a group of teenagers.

"No, I've never seen this many altogether. Usually, we are separated into branches and spread out over the kingdoms. Though, this much is excessive."

Yang easily brings in 5 goons like they were a sack of potatoes and rests them on the ground while tying them up as she speaks up during the conversation. "You think Cinder is desperate to take in the entire branch in one place?"

Blake perks her cat ears up. "Maybe, we could finally stop the Fang in Vale in one fell swoop."

"Really? I thought you'd be uncomfortable with holding fellow Faunuses in captivity?" Yang asked.

"No, not anymore. If I'm going to help Faunuses gain recognition then I'd rather help Hanns in defeating 'her'. I'll show the world that a Faunus can do good not just acts of terrorism."

"Awww, Blake. We're here with you on that, now can you help me tie up these people before we go down to the next floor?"

Ruby raised shot her hand up into the air and hopped trying to gain their attention. "Oh, oh! We can head down there right now! Hanns might be a tank but there are still limits to what he could do!"

Weiss was the leader of WYBRN since Hanns designated her as one. Though she mostly just holds it for managing the team together. For actual leadership, Ruby was still superior so she acts as an equal leader when not in a tank to Weiss.

"You can go. Leave us to the top floor, we can manage."

Ruby speeds off into the distance as Neo, now in her tanker uniform follows.

Back to Hanns…

The layer of gas beneath Mountain Glenn was thick. Hanns could barely make out things below his hull. The gas was settling but he was sure anyone who wasn't ready for the gas would already be lying on the ground.

'I guess, Ruby did a greater job than I thought. Wind dust is amazing for spreading gas around.'

Hanns suddenly went silent.

'Ok, maybe thinking about how to improve gas attacks might not be good for me.'

He turned the corner and finally saw it, his supposedly final destination. It was the tunnel system from the show in the distance with multiple White Fang collapsed.

'Right, I'll active my shields now.'

Hard light suddenly covered his entire structure, light humms of energy emitted from his generator that was rumbling like a storm.

He approached the tunnels and could see the train Cinder intended to use to breach Vale itself. He was satisfied with the results but something was bothering him.

'Hmmm, where's Cinder.'

He looked at a lone train car still equipped with bombs. It was being manned by 2 White Fang members who were now slumped over boxes.

A flash of light suddenly erupted toward the side of Hanns. He quickly reacted by speeding backward, his newfound speed being able to dodge.

In the distance was Cinder with a crazed face angrily staring at Hanns who turned the turret to her. She was clutching her mouth and nose shut as she wandered into the train tracks while igniting her other free palm.

"You brats! I'll kill you! You ruined everything!"

'Oh, she must think I'm just a vehicle.'

With a limited amount of time left for her breath. Maybe only minutes left, she desperately sent out fire over and over again to the armored Hanns.

Hanns fired his gun and it zipped past Cinder as she dived into a nearby building. The shot nearly hit the train cars as the shell ricocheted off the ground and nearly missed the volatile bombs.

'Crap, I shouldn't fire my main gun in here.'

Cinder used the buildings to dart in and out, attempting to break the hard light shield while she hid behind some cover.

Cinder was no pushover and her firepower was intense. It broke the hard light shield every time she sent a wave of flames out but it quickly reformed like the generators back in Merlot's lab.

"How. How. How. How!?"

Hanns attempted to track Cinder's movements while she snuck around the narrow fighting area. He lost her while he tried to track Cinder. Up on top of a building was Cinder crouching down.

Cinder leaps into the air, attempting to land on top of Hanns. The sound of the hard light shields intensely humming made Hanns know she was on top attempting to focus fire right on top.

Hanns didn't panic as he started going in ramming speed toward a wall. Cinder loosens her footing as Hanns traveled through the bumpy ground. She falls and keeps herself standing as she lands on the ground.

Hanns stopped and turned the turret and his body as Cinder tried to quickly hide among the buildings.

Hanns fired his machine guns and a hail of bullets impact Cinder's side.

"Argh!"

She felt every shot as she barely makes it into the rubble hiding behind it. She checks her scroll and sees her aura at 50%.

She stares at it in disbelief, normal dust rounds would've taken her down to maybe 85% if it was lucky but Hanns' gunpowder bullets made them hit stronger.

She was out of options, with no way to keep breathing and keep herself up. She decides on the most drastic option for her to defeat what she thought was team RWBY inside Hanns.

Using a wave of fire she blocks out Hanns' view as he rushed in to give chase. Cinder retreats toward the lone train car and hides behind it, trying her hardest to hold her breath.

Hanns crept from a distance, his engine being the only noise resounding while Cinder examined her options. As one final strike, she tears out the unfinished bomb and prepares to launch it toward Hanns.

Hanns was waiting for Cinder to do something, closing in would be foolish since a tank within the distance of infantry would be a death sentence.

Cinder used every ounce of her aura to channel her semblance to the maximum level and engulfs everything in front of her in a blaze.

Hanns was entirely covered in the burns as he felt the soaring temperature.

'What's she thinking?!'

From the wall of flame came the bomb now barreling through the air.

'Uh oh.'

*BOOM!*

It was a huge explosion, a thunderous finale for what Cinder thought was her answer. The gas blew outward as the wave of energy expanded from the blast.

It gave her momentary relief to breathe but it was replaced by hot shrapnel digging into her body. It cauterizes open wounds as the sharp metal dug its way into her skin before charring what was left.

Her aura had already long broken the moment she tried to destroy Hanns by throwing the unfinished bomb. It was only a few bars of explosives, which was just dust shoved into bricks.

Cinder threw it with all her might but the distance was still too close. She smirked to herself as the explosion covered Hanns and Cinder was satisfied with just that. She felt her life fading as the extensive injuries made her weakened and crippled.

Cinder looks onto the mechanical structure scorched but still standing. Hanns' tracks were blown off along with anything weak enough to get thrown away by the explosion.

"You look surprised Cinder. Don't worry everyone does that when they meet a sentient tank."

Cinder's voice wheezes out. "Sentient... Tank?"

"Sorry, I'll be taking your dust supply now. You'll be coming with us."

Cinder laughed, her injury-ridden body pulsating in pain as she stood up in a daze. Bones broke and fragmented as some poked out from her body. She had burns all over and a multitude of cauterized wounds layering her previously unblemished skin.

"Never!"

She grabs her neck and used the last of her dust given in her dress, her hand glowed orange and for one last time, she glares at Hanns. She squeezes her neck and lets it all out.

It was a horrifying sight for anyone but Hanns was already used to such a scene. As far as he knows no one would care if Cinder died but Hanns still held some kind of remorse from the kill he technically didn't cause.

It was hard to tell if it was right but Hanns was sure he was right in doing so.

If Cinder didn't care if she killed Pyrrha in the original timeline along with the many other innocents' Cinder killed through Beacon's fall, then Hanns didn't care he killed her even though Cinder was the one to throw the unfinished explosives.

"Auf Wiedersehen."

*Ding!*

[Mission Acomplished]

[Cinder 'Fall's: 1/1]

[Notice: Rewards will be given after the restart.]

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Hanns went through his HUD before stopping himself.

"Shit! The maiden powers!"

He saw the glow of the maiden powers leaving Cinder and swirling around in a hypnotic serenade. It rushes to the exit as Hanns sped up to follow.

He reaches the entrance to see team WYBRN rounding up the White Fang in the lower layer. Though everyone was staying still. All of them directed their attention to one person.

Hanns turned to see who they were all paying attention to and saw it. Ruby with her eyes left a trail of magic as it settled in her.

"Hanns...? Why are my eyes glowing?"

"Mein Gott."