Vytal Festival IV

The day of singles matches had arrived. There was an overcast sky and it was likely to rain soon. Neo was at the arena's center, lined up with Mercury, Penny, Sun and Yang among others. All for the finals Neo knew wouldn't actually finish. Today was the start of the battle. Neo looked at Yang as she and Mercury were set up to fight.

"Yang, remember the training" Neo warned her as Yang grinned and looked up to her Mom in the stands.

"I got it. Thanks, Teach! I wanna make her proud" Yang pumped her arm and stated.

"I know she hasn't said it to you yet but she is. She's just sure you don't wanna hear it since she thinks you may not like her or you're still mad. Show her your good side eh?" Neo fist bumped her and walked offstage with Penny.

As soon as the match was starting, Yang took a deep breath and relaxed. She drew her fists back and got into a stance. Mercury smirked and assessed her before the match started.

"So I'm fighting the bimbo huh? Well I can't say I'm disappointed! Just don't blame me if I 'accidentally' hit your chest okay? They're probably fake anyway so it's fine" Mercury said with a smirk.

"Haah... I see" Yang sighs and cracks her neck.

"Begin!" Professor Port announced and Mercury kicked off the ground and started his attack.

Yang awaited his attack and saw him kick at her face. She slightly moved away and hit him in the ribs with a strong right hook before shooting to propel her into a spinning roundhouse. Mercury narrowly avoided it with a quick duck before landing and seeing a flare flying at his face. He moved back but Yang kept up and threw a barrage of quick jabs and short kicks at his legs to trip him up.

She felt how solid his legs were and gave up on tripping him. She used her shots to speed up her movement, dodging Mercury's heavier attacks while blocking his lighter ones. Even though they were light, they seemed to get harder the more she took. She slid back after blocking the twelfth jab by Mercury and activated her semblance, setting ablaze and exhaling a wisp of flame.

"Alright let's kick it up a notch then!" Yang shouted with a grin before she was propelled up into the air, a trail of flames following her and crossing as she dropped in with an axe kick at Mercury.

He dodged back but the flame explosion resulting from the hit knocked the wind out of him and reset his semblance. He looked up and saw Yang sprint at him in a different, more destructive stance. Her feet cracking the tough arena floor as she threw faster and stronger punches filled with flames right at Mercury. He used his legs to take the heavier ones but took considerable aura damage when she hit anywhere else.

Yang stomped and several pillars of flame rose from the ground, leaving Mercury with limited options where to dodge. He leapt backwards and used the guns in his mechanical legs to jump up seven feet high. He was going to counter with a dropkick of his own but Yang used all her ammo to close the gap, having jumped to his height before making a claw gesture with her hand as a flaming Eastern Dragon head formed around her hand and hit Mercury in the stomach, driving him into the arena floor with an explosive roar that shattered his aura.

"I taught her that! Woo! Yaaaang!!!" Jaune cheered for her excitedly.

"Yeah but hers looks cooler!" Nora cheered with him.

Yang landed and turned her semblance off, dispersing her flames. She looked at the defeated but not injured Mercury and smirked, opening her arms up cockily.

"Guess you didn't need to worry about hitting my chest huh?" Yang snarked before walking away.

She heard him yell and saw him charge at her once she was far enough away. She clenched her fist but just turned and smiled at him, though he never ended up hitting her. She saw the sight of him attacking her fade away as she furrowed her brows. Mercury looked surprised and got back up, walking away and pretending like nothing happened.

"Weird.. what was that?" Yang muttered before walking up to the stands.

"What was that?" Cinder sighed and asked Emerald and Mercury who had just returned.

"I.. I don't know? I showed her Merc attacking her so.." Emerald scratched her head.

"Yeah I swear she was the trigger-happy and reckless type, right? We wrote that down" Mercury agreed.

"Fine.. Do it to Neo when she fights then" Cinder rubs the bridge of her nose and looks at the hesitant Emerald.

"I mean.. is she that bad? She gave me some ideas.." Emerald coughed and looked away.

"Like what ideas..?" Cinder was a little afraid to ask.

"The baths.. massages.. my pajamas.. That kinda stuff?" Emerald saw Cinder's face get a little red.

"I.. Alright just.. Fuck.. just wait until Salem then.." Cinder shook her head of the images.

"Anyway.. how is Taurus doing with his plans?" Cinder asked and Mercury responded.

"He's waiting for the go-ahead to let the White Fang run loose. Though quite a few of his units haven't reported back. Think it's Ozpin?" Mercury asked with a tinge of unease.

"Has to be.. He expects us. This is likely going to be Salem's most important and maybe last fight" Cinder calmly responded.

"And if she.. brings the Gods back? What if they wipe humanity out again?" Emerald asked nervously.

Cinder didn't answer. She was looking at Neo, who was relaxed, watching the arena fix itself and change for the next fight.

A couple hours later, Neo was matched with penny. It had started to rain and it was only going to get heavier with time. Neo stepped into the arena with Penny and ignored all other sounds but her own thoughts. She was focused on Penny and what she would be hearing soon.

Penny charged at her, swinging the string of blades at her. She was fast, yes. But Neo was now in a different league. She was dodging her attacks and only swinging probing attacks at Penny. She hadn't wanted to actually damage the android. She stopped once the Grimm alarms had blared.

"Finally.. Penny! The Grimm are attacking. The Festival and fights can wait, don't you think?" Neo asked, putting Playboy Plunder in shotgun form as a Nevermore pierced the top of the dome.

Neo and Penny had immediately rained a hail of laser and shotgun blasts into its face, making its epic entrance into a near insta-kill.

"She's here.." Ozpin said in his booth while tightening his grip around his cane.

-Whale Grimm-

"It is time. Arthur, Tyrian, Hazel.. you know your jobs, get them done" Salem commanded from the mouth of the Whale, looking at the city below as a mass evacuation was issued.

The Grimm had started to attack the walls in droves. The goliaths and megoliaths were smashing against the thick metal walls. The walls would at most last fifteen minutes before they broke down. The Manticores, Griffins and Nevermore were flying in from above but there were quite a few Huntsmen with long ranged weapons killing many. The one she sent into the arena just died. Salem was actually impressed. Ozpin prepared a decent defense.

"And you.. I believe you know yours? Or are you still in a disagreeable mood?" Salem idly asked, looking at the hyperventilating Wendigo behind her.

He was gripping his skull tightly and drooling a thick black substance. His eyes were fully activated and trembling and his entire body oozed bloodlust.

"Chaos.. I'll.. I.." He rasped out and snarled.

"Yes.. indulge in the chaos. Nothing matters now. Kill and maim your reincarnator. Kill them all. Everyone who will stop me.. Just as you killed Summer Rose. I like this side of you more, Mad Grimm. Far more agreeable. Hmhmm.." She chuckled with a small smile.

"Go. Ensure Vale's demise" Salem whispered, watching him walk out of the Whale's mouth as black and red membranous wings burst from his back and take flight.

"And he has the confidence to say I do not control him.." Salem said as she smirked and watched the beginning of the fall of Vale.

-Vytal arena-

"All students! Call your weapon lockers to the arena and prepare to defend Vale. Staff, follow your instructions and assist with helping other Huntsman and evacuation" Ozpin said sternly over the system.

[>BoobaphysicsFTW: Time to go back up the Headmaster. Stay alive okay? If you get hurt, you know where to find me!<]

Shizuka quickly took off from the stands as Manticores and Griffins flew in from the hole the Nevermore made. The students having called their rocket lockers immediately all convened down at the arena. Cinder, Mercury and Emerald all making their exit as soon as the alarms went off. Shizuka kicked off a Manticore's head and sent it plummeting into Nora's waiting hammer, who killed it with a powerful swing.

"Gotta go see the Headmaster! Good luck all of you!" Shizuka waved before jumping up to the booth Ozpin was in.

"Hey! You're the NURSE, Lady! You should be down here! Dumb bitc-" Cardin, who started talking was tripped by Blake and had his legs held spread apart before Neo jumped off his crotch with her heels and killed a Griffin with a beheading swing of Playboy Plunder.

He made a noise akin to a balloon deflating rapidly before his team picked him up with a sigh.

"So.. where's Neopolitan?" Pyrrha asked as she shot a Nevernore that was attacking civilians' head off.

"Letting Roman out. Last I checked they were watching the fights while eating lobster. Even sent me a picture of it" Neo shrugged as the rest of the students and teachers cleared the arena of Grimm.

"She and Guyliner have their targets though. We have ours. But we're definitely helping kill off Grimm on the way, of course" Pyrrha nodded at Neo as she finished.

"Blake! You good to go?" Neo asked as she watched Raven turn into a bird and fly off, likely to find her brother.

"I am! I'll take Yang! It'll be easier with backup" Blake explained.

"What? Where are you taking me?" Yang asked, looking at them in confusion.

"Helping around Vale, duh!" Neo retorted as she saw White Fang controlled bullheads fly overhead.

"Quick, we'll help more people if we split up!" Blake urged and ran outside with Yang as soon as Yang nodded back to her.

"Come on Weiss! You're with me! Let's go help the teachers!" Ruby shouted to her.

Weiss joined Ruby in going to assist Goodwitch outside. Ren and Nora had grouped up to take a more offensive stand and hunt the swarm of Grimm outside along with the Huntsman and Huntresses.

Jaune joined team SSSN in defending the evacuation transport bullheads into Vale. CRDL stuck with the teachers and helped set up defenses in key points across Vale. The huge Whale in the sky was revealed only by the flashes of lightning, making all the defenders very nervous. They knew the horde outside was huge but some of these Grimm were never seen by many of them before.

Neo looked at Pyrrha and nodded. Both of them left the arena last and had boarded a Huntsman bullhead into Vale to help fight off the horde coming. After that, they were going to track down Cinder.

"Are you worried, Neo?" Pyrrha asked, putting her hand on her partner's shoulder.

"I believe in them. We trained pretty hard after all.." Neo nodded but her grip on her weapon was tight.

"That's not what I mean" Pyrrha shook her head.

"I know.. I know. Yeah, I'm worried. Scared even. I don't want to lose any of you guys. It's.. really hard. I can't go through that kind of loss again. I won't" Neo finished with a firm tone before looking down into Vale, which was quickly becoming more and more of a warzone.