Chapter 6 - Players and Pieces

"Woohoo!" The exuberant blonde cheered as she maneuvered through another rush of Nevermore feathers. Her lips curled into a wide grin as she fired her weapon twice; subsequently propelling herself closer to the Nevermore.

"Bang!" She announced, squeezing the trigger, causing pellets of ice dust to embed themselves into the beast's stomach, encasing several feathers in a delicate sheet of ice.

"Aw, it didn't work..." She moped as she began free falling to the ground, her short golden hair akin to waves in the wind.

The Nevermore cawed before dive-bombing downwards with it's beak snapping open, revealing rows of jagged teeth as it glared at the blonde with a crimson menace.

Aria yelped, startled by the creatures screech before quickly attempting to take another shot at the creature when suddenly, she was whisked away by the collar, "Whoa-" narrowly avoiding the Grimm's path and causing it to crash to the ground with the impact of the fall sending light tremors through the forest.

"Yikes..." Aria hissed, "That's gotta hurt."

'Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.' Yosuke thought to himself as he set Aria down, wincing at the voice of the screeching bird, 'This isn't good, it's calling for reinforcements.'

"If we stay here any longer then we will more than likely be surrounded and besieged by Grimm." Turning, he subconsciously picked up the blonde and ran into the forest.

"Huh-hey, put me down!" "Oh, apologies."

As the pair sprinted through the dense forest, the atmosphere grew more restless before suddenly, a Beowolf lunged at them, its menacing fangs bared, growling as it swiped its claw at Yosuke.

But before Yosuke could strike the creature down, a gunshot rang out from behind him as the shot blew past his face and pierced the creature's head, the sudden impact exploding its skull and dispersing it in an instant.

Looking back, the duo's eyes were drawn to two tufts if pink-they were the twins from earlier. The taller one's weapon reverted to its original spear form as he attached it to his back while mumbling.

Aria beamed as she approached the pink-haired twins and extended her arm expectantly, "Thanks for that. My name's Aria. What're yours?"

Saya lazily regarded the gesture before shifting her gaze to the girl's face then to Yosuke, Toño, on the other hand, stared at Aria's hand, his face scrunching with mild displeasure before swatting it away.

"Keep your hands to yourself." He warned, he wasn't particularly fond of others being near his sister much less touching her.

Retracting her hand, the blonde laughed, "Sorry 'bout that, I'm just excited izall!"

"So, uh, could you tell me your names?" She alternating her gaze between the twins whilst smiling with anticipation.

Toño huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. "The name's Toño Yuki, and this pretty little flower is my younger twin sister, Saya." He introduced, a smug grin gracing his lips at his sister's mention.

The winds gradually began picking up as Saya's gaze shifted to her right, her pink hair swaying gently in the breeze as the sun shined through the gaps in the foliage.

Aria gasped, recoiling animatedly, "! She looks pretty even when she's doing nothing! How?!"

Toño quirked a brow in amusement before casting a thorny eye at Yosuke, who had been staring at Saya for quite some time now. A little too much time.

'As they say, she is rather beautiful...' Yosuke thought to himself, his scrutinizing gaze lingering on Saya's still form; oblivious to the displeasure he caused to her mirror image.

"Hey!" Toño frowned, his tone threatening as he reached for his spear, "I told you not to stare."

Yosuke was startled out of his thoughts, before a sheepish smile stretched up his face, "Ah, my apologies. I was lost in my own world for a moment."

"Hn...Anyway, your name?" Toño asked, crossing his arms in front of him as he regarded the blue-nette with a curled brow.

"I'm Yosuke. Nice to meet you both." Yosuke replied with a small smile, silently noting the way the boy was assessing him with a slight scowl.

From what Toño could infer, Yosuke seemed to be more of the passive type and based on his manner of speech he could take a guess at the kind of upbringing he had. Upon further inspection, he noticed that Yosuke had a toned physique meant for combat but his features seemed a little.....

"You look more like a girl than a fighter." Toño stated bluntly as his pink orbs scanned the blue haired boy.

"Now that you mention it, he does look kinda girly." Aria added, rubbing her chin with a squint as she inspected the taller teen.

Yosuke supposed it was true, the way he styled his haired did make him look more girly than he'd like to admit, however all he could do was smile with a slight shrug of the shoulders as he replied, "Well, looks can be deceiving."

"Ehhh, not really." Aria shrugged with a so-so gesture.

"Introductions are over, get ready." Saya interjected as she peered out into the thicket, Toño walked over to his sister, his eyes slowly narrowing as he spoke, "How many?" He asked, whilst carefully retrieving his golden-crimson spear from his back.

"About 40." Saya informed, releasing a sigh as her body flickered a light shade of rosemary pink.

"What're you talking about?" Aria queried, quirking a brow in confusion, emerald orbs of curiosity flitting across to Yosuke expecting an answer which she didn't have to wait long to receive as he articulated it with but a single word.

"Grimm."

Stalking over to the twins and Yosuke positioned himself on Tono's right. Aria's ears perked up at the mention of the creatures, her lips curving upwards into a wide grin as her heart began pounding against her chest in anticipation.

'This is gonna be fun.' Aria thought, selecting her shotgun as she took a stand to Saya's left.

"I assume your semblance is a detection type?" Yosuke's gaze remained fixed ahead as he rested his gloved palm on the hilt of his blade as he prepared himself for his oncoming foes.

Saya nodded, "Mm. It lets me map out the surroundings and identify hidden people or Grimm." Swiftly unsheathing her daggers while releasing a breath as her body shimmered a soft pink.

The rustling of leaves, the trampling of bushes, the scuttling of the Deathstalker, and the booming caw of the Nevermore signaled the beginning of the battle.

Right on cue, a Beowolf rushed out of the bushes, snarling as its bloody red orbs locked onto its targets. The Beowolf pounced at Toño who's spear spun elegantly on his fingertips before clutching and swinging it in a wide arc; ramming it into the creature's ribcage, easily severing it in half.

Digging his lance into the ground, Toño hopped, using the weapon as a pivot whilst he swung with an extended leg, slamming a powerful kick into a Beowolf's chin; its neck breaking with a sickening snap.

Landing gracefully, he followed up with a quick horizontal swipe as the bladed edge ripped through the creature's stomach with faint speckles of obsidian ash dyeing the grass.

Dashing forward, Yosuke hefted his blade above his head while simultaneously clicking the button located on its hilt as he swung downwards. Golden flames burst to life as they came into contact with the beowolf; searing through the beast's inky black flesh with minimal effort, only leaving its body to dissipate as he repositioned his sword and parried a blow from an Ursa, causing it to stumble forward.

Seizing the opportunity, Yosuke swung upwards severing the beast's arm in a spectacle of flaming brilliance. The Ursa roared in agony, swinging wildly at him with it's remaining limb with reckless abandon. Yosuke evaded the beast's strikes as his eyes shifted about, finding the eyes of an oncoming Beowolf as he slipped under a swipe aimed for his head and thrusted his blade to the right.

Yosuke's sword impaled the Beowolf through its chest, incinerating it's murky insides as the blade ripped through the midnight creature, exposing the flaming tip which exited through its spine; citing a final howl from the puppet of darkness as it returned to the abyss.

Several other Grimm lunged at him from multiple directions, prompting Yosuke to leap into the air to gain some distance between them. He quickly sheathed his sword before swiftly retrieving the pistol attached to the sheath as he took aim at the Grimm's heads, pulling the trigger and unleashing rounds infused with lightning dust. The crackling rounds impacted the beasts and blew their heads to smithereens with thunderous efficiency before they collapsed lifelessly as he touched down on the grass once more.

Aria's laughter pierced the air with a childish resonance as she blasted through the head of an Ursa, her body reeling backward from the recoil as she flipped mid-air. In one smooth motion, she transitioned into a devastating axe kick to a Beowolf's skull, shattering it's alabaster mask as it face planted firmly into the soil.

Falling into a crouch, the blonde shooter grinned as she swung her gun wielding arm, firing as soon as the nozzle aligned itself with a Beowolf's chest; blasting it back into a nearby tree that splintered upon impact.

At she tumbled backwards, a Boartusk charged at her from behind, which was something that failed to go unnoticed by the shotgun enthusiast.

Rolling into a kip up, "Aand up!" She easily mounted the charging Grimm that could only halt in shock at the direspect before continuing its mad dash around the foliage in a desperate attempt to get the cyan eyed human off its back.

Unfortunately for the Grimm, its attempts at dismounting were all but a means of entertainment for the blonde who's giggles rang out with glee. "Woohoo, giddy up!" This only served to anger the boar as it began thrashing about even harder, shaking and smacking against nearby trees in an attempt to shake off it's unwelcomed rider yet only managing to damage itself in the process of doing so.

Aria felt a rush of wind smash against her face and coarse through her hair; the thrill of the ride dancing upon her tanned skin, the wild, unkempt rage that was emanating from her victim made the ride even sweeter than cherry.

Holstering Pelt, her shotgun, Aria leaned forward slightly, gripping the boar by its namesake before flipping her gun's lever with a chuckle, "Whew~ that was fun."

"Who's up for some smoked ham?" Glancing to her sides, the adrenaline fueled teen took note of the rapidly shifting visages in the blurry greenery as she rode by; which was normal since she was on the back of a charging Boartusk, but, what was caught her eye was the reds and blues within said greenery.

Peering down on the face of the creature, Aria couldn't help but chuckle at this particular Grimm's misfortune.

"It's all gonna be okay..." Was it really?

Nahhh

With a simple click, the trigger went, blowing off the skull of a nearby Beowolf, the swift motion happening before the demon even had the chance to attack her.

Rising to a standing position on the Boartusk's back, Aria flipped the lever once more before pointing Pelt at its neck and pulling the trigger, which ended in the beast's head erupting into a sea of flames, the resulting shockwave sending Aria hurtling through the air.

"Safe!" She said, scanning the area while eagerly searching for her next target and subconsciously loading the next shell. However she was too late to notice the Ursa at her rear. The creature burst from the undergrowth and lunged at her from behind, its crimson orbs locked onto her form as its paw struck down on her with bloody menace. However, before it could make contact with Aria, an arrow glowing a radiant sapphire embedded itself into the creatures arm, engulfing the attacking limb in a thick sheet of ice that rendered it immobile.

Acting swiftly, Saya scaled the Ursa in moments, immediately jamming her twin daggers into its eyes; citing pained roars from the creature, only increasing the volume with but a simple twist of her wrists as her blades burrowed deeper into its skull. Aria's head snapped upwards, minty spheres of wonder meeting enigmatic rose as the latter gracefully dismounted the Ursa.

The creature then collapsed to the ground, fading from Remnant in a moment's notice.

Aria smiled as she took a step forward, "Thanks for that-" She began, but her words were abruptly cut off.

"Alpha Beowolf closing in fast to your left." Saya warned, swiftly jumping back. Aria turned her gaze toward the direction of the Grimm, raising her gun in front of her in defense. The Alpha Beowolf slammed its paw into her, sending her soaring across the dirt with a "Woah!" As Aria executed a flip and propelled herself off a tree trunk while rapidly firing shots behind her to gain momentum.

Noticing this, the Alpha Beowolf was overcome by madness as it's body shot towards the woman, swiping its claws in her direction. It came inches to drawing the blood it so craved, however...at the last moment, Aria changed trajectory with a simple shot to the ground.

Ascending into the sky, she took aim at the beast's head and pulled the trigger, but the creature raised its arms, blocking the impact of the dust rounds.

"This is so much fun!" She squealed with delight. Gracefully landing upon the soil in front of the Alpha before immediately rolling to the side, narrowly dodging a boartusk's charge.

She swiftly rose to her feet as she took a quick scan of her immediate surroundings. Most of the Grimm had been dispatched, leaving only about six remaining unattended. Donning a smirk, Aria dashed toward the beowolf that charged at her, leaving specks of dust in her wake as the wind danced around her, the strikes of the ebony grimm missing its golden target over and over again as she skillfully evaded the strikes meant for her death.

Effortlessly, she back flipped over another boartusk's charge, causing it to collide with the Alpha Beowolf and pinning it against a tree, momentarily stunning both monsters. Seizing the opportunity within a thought, Aria tensed herself before lunging at the beowulf, using the boartusk as a platform to launch herself into the air.

With Pelt cocked behind her head and her grip tightened on the weapon's nozzle she delivered a devastating blow, BASHING the chunk of iron into the beast's head with a ferocious swing, causing it to stumble to the right.

Rolling to her feet with her back towards the boartusk, she unleashed a final shot, dispatching it with a well-aimed hit to the head, propelling herself forward by the resulting shockwave toward the Alpha Beowolf.

"Can you play soccer?" Sporting a confident grin, she targeted the beast's leg and with a ring of explosion, blasted it away, causing the creature of darkness to tilt to the side, off-balance.

"Well, with skills like those, I guess not." She giggled.

Slowing her momentum just mere feet away from the animal the tanned teen lowered herself into a leg sweep which brought the beast crashing to the ground before swifly aiming her weapon at the base of its skull.

Bringing the butt of her rifle to the hilt of her shoulder, Aria rested her cheek on the rubber fitted to its stock and took aim..... just to smile at the sight.

"Don't tell me you're done already. Aren't you supposed to be an alpha? Y'know, the leader of the pack?" The gold themed girl taunted, her eyes gleaming with mischief much to the Grimm's ire if it's growl and death stare were anything to go by.

Brushing a strand of hair from her eye, the gleam of the sun shone down upon the two, a now distinct breeze washing over the landscape as the two heaved in breaths, one more hurt than the other.

Obviously.

Stepping on the fallen creature's skull, Aria waved with a playful smile, "Bye-bye." coupled with a flick of a switch and the pull of a trigger; the creature's head was engulfed in a ball of flames. It's midnight skin now charred to an even greater extent.

The Alpha Beowolf howled out in anguish writhing in pain as it swung its claws wildly, a stray swipe almost inflicting harm upon Aria, who narrowly evaded the unsuspecting strike before watching the beast finally succumb to the inferno that was dust as it's form faded into nothing.

Aria rested Pelt on her shoulder with a grin of satisfaction as she craned her head to the side, surveying the area and flashing a smile.

"Hey, all clear over here!" She shouted, waving her hand in the air to get the attention of her teammates.

Toño executed a series of quick thrusts, his spear jamming into the Ursa's body repeatedly, each strike effectively tearing away massive chunks of the beast's flesh and painting the grass lands in a waning obsidian ichor.

Rotating on the ball of his feet, Toño slammed a devastating kick into the creature's gut, sending it crashing into a nearby tree which induced a grunt of agony from the beast as it flopped to the ground. He slowly approached the grounded beast as he glared at its fallen figure with a burning hatred; stopping infront of it, he hefted his weapon above his head, the rose-gold metal glinting dangerously in the sun's light.

The Ursa growled as it made a futile attempt at standing. Tono scowled, bringing his hand down in one swift gesture; effortlessly decapitating the beast with but a single motion. The beast's head fell to the ground with a dull thud, slowly returning to the void as the fading skull rolled to his feet.

Toño scoffed, crushing the head under his boot as he re-attached his spear to his back. Turning on his heels he then made his way back towards Saya, who was now perched atop a tree, her gaze fixated in the direction of the cliff where the Nevermore and Deathstalker had gone along with the other participants of the initiation.

Meanwhile, Yosuke gingerly lowered himself into a squatting position, Sanction's light slowly hidden against his sheath once more as with a slow intake of air, his eyes fell closed, taking shallow yet concentrated breaths as he allowed his senses to thrive in his area, his ears twitching as the low pitched crunch of trampled leafs neared his form...

'One, two... four of them. I'll end this in one strike.'

His palm balled upon the hilt of his blade as four creatures approached, their menacing presence felt even with his eyes closed, each step turning over quicker and becoming more prominent by the second.

Now

Yosuke's eyes snapped open, his hand gripping his sword's hilt as the world itself slowed in tandem with his heartbeat. Awakening Sanction from its sheath, the moment all four Grimm entered his range, Yosuke felt the very atmosphere itself resonate with his figure, sending a sudden splash of heat surging through his veins.

His movements were fluid; nigh instantaneous as his sword crackled with a thundering grace granting him the boost needed to cleave through the necks of the Grimm quartet, the lone horizontal sweep of his blade ringing true the sunlight's glare before Sanction swiftly slumbering within its sheath once more, the bodies of the defeated Grimm falling to the ground as their corpses gradually dissipated into eternal nothingness.

Yosuke sighed, his gaze shifting upwards towards Saya who remained perched atop the branch, the sun's soft golden gleam coupled with the faint breeze greatly adding to her already profound beauty.

"Woah how'd you do that!?" Aria exclaimed, rushing over to Yosuke's position, eyeing his sword with genuine curiosity.

Yosuke regarded the enthusiastic girl for a moment, finding amusement in her genuine interest as a small smile found his features, "It's a technique from a martial art I practice." He replied, striding past her and making his way towards the twins.

"A martial art technique? What's the name of this supposed art of martial?" Aria queried, brows quirked in expectancy as she followed closely behind, the one in questioning regarding the blonde with a soft glance as he chuckled.

"It's called Iaido." Pausing by the trunk of the tree next to Toño, Yosuke peered up at the bubblegum beauty.

"Saya, do you sense anything?"

"The other teams are battling the Deathstalker and Nevermore. Based on their movements... It'll end soon." Saya responded, her gaze shifting towards the ground as her body momentarily flickered a light shade of pink.

"And that's not all."

"Huh? There's more?" Aria arched a brow.

She gracefully hopped down from her perch, her obsidian garments fluttering in the wind as she descended, Toño swiftly extended his arms catching her and gently placing her on the ground.

"Grimm." Saya informed, her brother narrowing his eyes as he followed her gaze. Yosuke turned around, peering in the same direction as the twins.

"Oouuu! Where!?" Aria inquired, selecting her gun as she grinned at her teammate with a giddy bounce.

Saya's eyes sifted about slowly before suddenly shooting up and into the sky.

"There."

"Hu-"

"Dodge." She instructed, prompting the trio to jump away as a black and white Simian creature came crashing from above into the patch of grass they once stood, web-like cracks rippling through the grassy terrain and rousing a cluster of grass and dust due to the force of its entry.

The four teens readied themselves for combat, Toño narrowing his gaze at the creature as he equipped his spear and stepped in front of Saya who had already unsheathed her twin daggers.

"Woahhh... That thing's huge!" Aria commented, her head craning up to meet the crimson eyes of the beast, barely fighting back a smirk as she gripped Pelt firmly, "I wonder if I can beat it..."

Yosuke regarded the beast with a cautious gaze through the fading dust, ready to respond to any sudden movements the Grimm may make.

'Its rather stealthy despite its huge frame. If not for Saya's semblance we'd likely have been caught off guard by its approach.' Yosuke thought, tightening his grip on his weapon as the dust completely faded, revealing the Simian beast in all its grandeur.

Roaring with the might of a lion, the Beringel pounded its armored chest like a drum as its voice echoed throughout the dense forestry, inky midnight skin contrasted by white bone-like armor scattered about its large frame. Crimson orbs teeming with untamed malice finding its teenage opponents.

"Don't rush in. Fighting a Beringel won't be as easy as other Grimm." Saya warned.

However, her words fell on deaf ears as Aria shot forward, squealing child-like as she closed in on the Simian Grimm. Swiftly flicking the lever on the side of her weapon Aria took to the skies, pulling the trigger as an ice dust round burst from its hide, only for it to be blocked by the creature's sizable forearm, encasing a fair bit of its arm in a thin sheet of ice.

Undeterred, Aria flipped the switch once more as she shot behind her, the combustion propelling her towards the creature who countered with a wide swing at her approaching form.

"Peek a' boo!" She smirked, shooting upwards, the force from the dust round sending her to the ground allowing her to deftly dodge the incoming blow. Flicking the lever twice, she took aim at its legs, pressing the trigger as the shell impacted the beast's leg and encased it in ice, anchoring it to the ground before she jumped once more, dodging another of the beast's blows as its hand slammed into the ground.

Raising the barrel of her shotgun to the Grimm's eye, Aria declared, "I see you!" A grin spread across her face as she simultaneously flipped the switch, and then squeezed the trigger. A pellet of fire dust shot out, exploding upon contact with the Beringel's face, causing its skull to erupt in a golden sea of flames.

The beast bellowed in agony, its arm lashing out, gripping Aria's leg before she could react. With a mighty swing, it slammed her into the ground with incredible force, leaving a dent in the earth as she bounced across the grassy terrain. Yosuke acted swiftly, cushioning her fall as she was hurtled towards her teammates.

"Are you alright?" He asked, supporting her as his gaze remained fixed on the Gorilla-like creature. In the midst of its fiery agony, it writhed about in pain, attempting to extinguish the scorching flames, already managing to break free from its icy prison due to its frenzied movements.

Aria chuckled slightly, responding, "Yeah, I'm good. That was fun." She stood to her full height, cocking her gun as she eyed the still raging creature. "Its hide is definitely tough, but I'm sure I can beat 'em if I go again."

Yosuke sighed, his concern evident in his expression. "Aria, you need to be less reckless. You could get seriously injured." He warned, his features softening as he regarded her.

"Ehhhh, you're no fun." Aria grinned, brushing aside his worries with a dismissive wave. Yosuke shook his head, sighing softly as he glanced over at the twins.

"Do you know how to defeat it?" Yosuke inquired, gesturing towards the still-flaming Grimm to which he received a nod of affirmation from Saya.

"A Beringel's weakness is its mouth since it's the only place without any armor aside from the joints. Usually they travel in packs and fortunately for us, there aren't any others nearby. This will be over quickly if you follow my instructions." Saya explained, her eyes focused on the Simian creature as the flames gradually subsided.

"Toño and Yosuke, keep it contained with close quarters combat. I'll provide support from a distance to make sure it doesn't escape."

"Oh, and what should I do?"

"...Once immobilized, you'll finish it off with a combination of fire and ice dust rounds to its mouth." She finished, causing the blonde to pout slightly at her lack of action in the plan.

Yosuke's curiosity piqued. "How do you plan to provide support?" He asked, raising an inquisitive brow as he regarded the pink-haired teen. Surely she didn't plan on supporting from afar with daggers, unless they could merge into something like a bow of sorts to aid th-... and so it did.

Saya swiftly joined the butts of her daggers, a thin line of hard light dust forming and connecting each edge, shaping it into a bow. Dipping a hand into one of her many pockets, she retrieved a small box with a few strange markings and placed it onto the blue string, indicating it was an arrow.

"I see." Yosuke nodded, understanding her strategy.

The echoes of the Beringel's anguished roars filled the area as its flaming skull subsided to that of inky black skin with a now charred white skull mask and red orbs burning with hatred.

"Are you ready?" Yosuke posed to the older of the twins, flexing a knee as his gaze remained fixed on the seething beast.

Toño snorted, spinning his spear on his fingers expertly before gripping it tightly, "Just keep up, pretty boy."

With that Yosuke and Toño took off, speeding towards the Gorilla-like Grimm, its beastly voice booming as it came charging at the two head on. Rearing its hand behind its head, the Beringel swung with immense force, only for it's attack to miss it's intended targets; imbedding itself into the ground and ripping into the earth. Yosuke had leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the crushing blow while Toño dodged to the side, circling the beast.

Tightening his grip on his blade's hilt, Yosuke slashed downwards hard, intent on cleaving through the Beringel's outstretched arm, only to barely nick the oversized Simian creature's thick skin, the toughness causing the boy's sword to rebound with a metallic clang.

'It's just as Aria said. It's hide is incredibly tough. Normal attacks are ineffective unless done in bulk or powered by dust.' Yosuke noted as he slowly descended.

Roaring, the Grimm swung its arm backwards, attempting to hit Yosuke but its efforts were fruitless. Twisting his body mid air, Yosuke maneuvered himself under the strike, using his sword to redirect the blow away from himself as he landed on his feet.

Charging the Grimm's blindside, Toño spun his spear with elegance before swiping up the creature's spine, his weapon grating against the bone armor with a metallic shriek. Continuing his assault, Toño raked his spear against the creature's upper back mercilessly, small cuts becoming deep gashes with each precise slice; prompting a beastly cry of agony from the Grimm.

Hopping back a few steps, Toño narrowly evaded a crippling backhand, his hair fluttering fiercely from the air pressure of the swing alone; a testament to its great strength. Toño scoffed, blowing a stray strand of hair from his eye as his opponent turned towards him fully with red orbs of blazing fury.

Closing in on its target, the Beringel swung wildly at its pink opponent, bone meeting steel in a grueling collision. Pink visage evading limbs of black and white like the plague. Every punch the beast threw was met with the boy's parry and a piercing counter attack to the chest which gradually whittled away at its thick hide.

Ducking beneath a heavy swing, Toño rotated his body and spun his spear, sweeping the Simian beast's legs from under it as it fell with a resounding thud, shaking the emerald forestry. Jumping with his weapon poised to strike, Yosuke ignited the blade with fire dust as he plunged the hot iron into the chest of the beast. Sanction easily ripped through the beast's flesh, courtesy of Toño's constant and precise strikes to the same spot, embedding itself deep within the depths of the beast of darkness.

The Beringel released an agonized cry, instinctively swinging its arm with malice at the one that dared to cause it such searing pain. Twisting his sword, Yosuke maneuvered his body with grace as he swung his legs harshly, redirecting the limb before retrieving his blade and leaping back.

Roaring like a madman, the Simian Grimm rose to its feet and smashed its clenched fists into the ground, causing large chunks of rocks and debri to be uprooted to which it grabbed and hurled with no hesitation. The earthly projectiles ripped through the air, smashing into anything in Yosuke's general direction except Yosuke himself who stood in place and unleashed a barrage of lightning fast strikes, cleaving through the oncoming rocks with ease before quickly re-sheathing his blade.

'It's becoming more agitated, good. Now to give it a slight push...'

As the beast charged forward, Yosuke's eyes strayed elsewhere, locating Toño who spared him a quick glance. Yosuke gestured to his back to which Toño pointed to his chest as he sped towards the beast's rear.

Plunging his spear into the ground, Toño launched himself forward and delivered a heavy kick to the beast's back, causing it to stumble forward. Yosuke's expression hardened, his sword springing forth from its sheath as it frothed a misty blue hue, the blade slashed across the creature's exposed chest, encasing the area in ice. The Grimm roared as it tumbled to the ground, Yosuke leapt back, propelling himself off of a tree as he landed on the beast's back before he began raking his now flaming blade across the beast's nape, eliciting a more agonized cry of anguish as his sword seared through its beastly flesh.

Shooting to its back, the Beringel's arm gripped onto Yosuke's leg like a vice before raising and slamming him into the ground with devastating force as his body bounced and shimmered a light blue upon the green canvas.

Yosuke released a pained grunt, his bones rattling as his body was hefted once more, an armored fist coming into his inverted view. Acting swiftly, he crossed his arms in front of him, taking the full brunt of the blow as he was sent ragdonlling across the battlefield with a cough.

Rolling to his feet, Yosuke barely managed to dodge a fist as the outstretched limb crammed into the bark of the tree stationed behind him, sending waves of splinters in multiple directions as the tree rested off kilter. He tightened his grip on his blade as he slashed with vigor, meeting most of its blows head on as he felt his knee buckle slightly from the force of the punches before tanking a horizontal backhand with his sword as he skidded across the battlefield with a grunt of effort.

Charging towards him, the beast dove forward opting to smash him with its arms intertwined above its head, only to be denied as a flying kick from Toño lodged itself into its jaw, catching it by surprise as it tumbled. Wasting no time, the pink lancer slashed the sprawled beast's stomach repeatedly, barely making it past the tough exterior despite his efforts. Grabbing his weapon, the Grimm hurled Toño away with an irate roar as it returned its attention to Yosuke who dashed forward. With a click, he unsheathed his blade in a flaming golden flurry, slashing at the oncoming fist with all his might.

His heated blade slammed into the beast's bony fist, the ground beneath him quaking from the force of the Beringel's blow. Shifting to the side, Yosuke maneuvered around the outside of the creature's fist, causing the Grimm to lurch forward. With gritted teeth, he slashed downwards, intent on cleaving through the creature's skin...

But suddenly, a searing pain erupted in his chest as the creature struck him with a devastating back hand, sending him crashing into a tree and coughing in pain.

Tagging in, Toño launched his spear into the beast's nape before swiftly executing a drop kick on the weapon, forcing it to embed itself deeper within the Grimm's flesh. The Beringel roared in beastly anguish as it turned around, its glaring red orbs meeting Toño's cool pink gaze. Toño gracefully leapt above a strike aimed at his legs, his jump punctuated by a forceful leg strike to the creature's chin, snapping its head back as it stumbled backward.

'An opening.' Yosuke's blade crackled with intense lightning as he swung at the Beringel's right leg, successfully severing its Achilles tendon and forcing it down onto one knee.

The creature roared with escalating fury, its hand reaching out to grasp Toño, only to have an arrow strike it, encasing the appendage in a thick sheet of ice.

Without allowing the creature any respite, Yosuke swiftly slashed at its right thigh, diverting its attention to him as the creature growled. Meanwhile, Toño executed a devastating spin kick to the left side of its skull followed by yet another arrow striking its forehead leaving it in stunned shock. The trio relentlessly wore down the Beringel, their coordinated attacks rapidly chipping away at its strength.

Each time Yosuke targeted one of the creature's limbs, Tono would launch an attack from the opposite side. Saya's arrows would then slam into the Grimm, further weakening it. The continuous onslaught finally pushed the creature to its breaking point. It responded by slamming its fists into the ground, causing the surroundings to quake. The tremors forced Toño and Yosuke off balance, granting the Beringel the chance it needed to escape.

Taking flight, the Gorilla Grimm latched onto a tree as it scaled it in an attempt to flee the group. However, its escape plan was thwarted when an arrow embedded itself into the bark of said tree and detonated, sending a pulse of pressure through the air. The sudden increase in gravity caused the creature to succumb to the amplified weight of its body and plummet from the tree, landing on its back. The force of the impact causing the spear lodged in its nape to tear through its skin and become embedded in the ground while simultaneously protruding from its chest in a fountain of obsidian ash.

"Aria." Saya uttered much to the delight of the aforementioned girl who's face twisted into a feral grin as she shot behind her, propelling herself forward with her cyan eyes affixed upon her next victim.

The sound of giggling cut through the air as Aria dashed over to the anguished Grimm, her eyes gleaming with child-like glee as she closed in. Stuffing the barrel of her gun into its mouth she flipped a switch, wrapping an arm around the protruding spear and using it as a stabilizer.

She grinned, as she unleashed a barrage of bullets into the creature's throat.

"Hey hey! how many bullets will it take for you to disappear?" She asked, staring into its malicious crimson orbs which seemed to transition to fear as the realization finally dawned upon it whilst it peered into the blonde's curious jaded orbs.

It was no longer the predator, it was the prey.

"I hope it's alot 'cuz I really wanna enjoy this." The Grimm's executioner grinned and with a swift and calculated sequence, Aria bombarded the Grimm's mouth with a colorful spectacle of yellow and blue pellets. Her finger flicking the switch again and again as her shots alternated between ice and fire, burning then freezing its head before it could even register the pain of either element, ensuring the Grimm's demise.

After a few seconds, the head of the Beringel was no more than an ashy smear, its body slowly withering away as the team regrouped, a slight wind picking up as the trees swayed with a soothing hush.

"Let's go." Saya declared.

Almost as if on cue, the sounds of explosions echoed from the direction of the cliff as a golden flare erupted into the sky accompanied by the sound of falling rocks and the fading screech of the Nevermore, culminating into a resounding thud as the quartet set out towards the source.