Chương 68: Chapter 64: The Choice in the Shadows (Part 2)

Deep within the darkened, secluded tea room, the battle for survival was taking a much more desperate turn. Kali Belladonna and her lone surviving guard were pinned behind a heavy oak bookshelf, returning fire against unseen assailants lurking in the shadows. Click. Click. Kali scowled in profound annoyance, tossing her empty pistol onto the floorboards. She reached over, grabbing a thick, solid-brass tea tray to use as a makeshift shield against the incoming crossfire.

She glanced over at the female guard, who was leaning heavily against a wooden pillar, clutching a wounded side, her eyes wide with terror.

"Do you have a better idea?" Kali asked wryly. Suddenly, a massive shadow swooped down from the ceiling rafters. Yuma the bat Faunus landed directly behind the wounded guard, violently knocking her to the floor. He wrapped his clawed hands around her throat, choking off her cry for help.

"Quiet now..." Yuma hissed, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. Kali Belladonna didn't hesitate. She didn't call for help. She hoisted the heavy brass tea tray high above her head and let out a fierce, terrifying, absolutely maternal battle cry.

"Ma'am, no!" the female guard choked out. Yuma let go of the guard's neck, turning his head in sheer, absolute bewilderment as the middle-aged matriarch of the household charged him. Before Yuma could even raise his arms to defend himself, Kali swung the heavy brass tray with all her might. CLANG! The tray connected squarely with the side of Yuma's skull. The brutal, resounding impact rattled the assassin's brain inside his skull.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and the feared White Fang operative collapsed into a pathetic, unconscious heap on the floorboards, completely knocked out cold by a housewife.

"Did you come in here to hide?" Blake's voice was steady as she stared up at the balcony. Ilia gripped her weapon, her voice muffled behind the Grimm mask.

"I told you, I didn't want this."

"But you're still here!" Blake countered.

"I don't have a choice!" Ilia screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.

"Of course you do!" Blake yelled back, her eyes pleading. Ilia didn't answer. She simply looked away, unable to meet Blake's gaze. Blake let out a heavy, defeated sigh. Her shoulders dropped.

"Just... stay out of my way." She holstered Gambol Shroud onto her back, turning her body and taking a step toward the exit, fully intending to leave Ilia behind to find her mother. The perceived dismissal snapped something inside Ilia. With a furious yell, she leaped from the balcony, her camouflage activating mid-air as she vanished from sight, charging directly at Blake's unprotected back. But Blake was ready. She triggered her Semblance, leaving a shadow clone behind.

As Ilia's weapon struck empty air, Blake reappeared a few feet away, Gambol Shroud drawn and held in a flawless defensive guard. Ilia roared, unleashing the whip form of Lightning Lash. The jagged, electrified blade cracked through the air. Blake dove into a forward roll, popping back up and sprinting across the scattered desks and overturned chairs. She moved with fluid, feline agility, dodging and parrying the lethal, whipping strikes that tore through the furniture.

Seizing an opening, Blake launched her own weapon's ribbon, the black cord snapping outward to wrap tightly around Ilia's wrist. With a fierce yank, Blake pulled the chameleon Faunus off balance, closing the distance and delivering a brutal, spinning kick that sent Ilia crashing to the floor. Ilia scrambled up, their blades locking with a sharp screech of grinding metal.

"Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way?!" Blake demanded, her face inches from the Grimm mask.

"Because it works!" Ilia grunted, straining against the blade lock.

"That doesn't make it right!" Blake yelled. Ilia snarled, her finger pulling the trigger on Lightning Lash. A massive surge of electrical energy shot down the blade. The shock traveled instantly into Gambol Shroud, violently electrocuting Blake's hands and forcing her to drop the katana portion of her weapon a few feet away. Blake quickly unholstered her secondary cleaver, but Ilia used the desk as a springboard, launching herself into a devastating, mid-air spinning kick.

The boot caught Blake squarely in the chest, knocking her backward over another desk and forcing her to drop the cleaver as well. Ilia raised her whip to deliver a punishing strike, but Blake used her Semblance to phase out of reality, leaving a shadow to take the hit as she dove for cover behind a heavy oak desk.

"Stop lecturing me!!" Ilia screamed, her breathing ragged and frantic. Blake peeked around the edge of the desk. Lying discarded on the floorboards, a few feet away, was Ilia's bone-white Grimm mask. It had fallen off during the scuffle. Before Blake could move, Ilia reached the wall panel and smashed the master switch. The study room plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness. Blake didn't panic. She dropped to a low crouch, creeping silently across the floorboards to retrieve her katana.

As her fingers brushed the hilt, her ears twitched. A floorboard creaked faintly to her left. Ilia, utilizing her natural chameleon camouflage in the dark, lunged from the shadows, her boot striking Blake in the shoulder and knocking her back. Blake recovered instantly, shifting Gambol Shroud into its pistol form. She fired three rapid shots into the dark, the muzzle flashes briefly illuminating the room, but Ilia easily evaded the gunfire, remaining completely invisible.

"Why couldn't you just leave?!" Ilia's voice echoed disembodied from the darkness, thick with betrayal and grief. Blake paused. She knelt in the dark, her heart hammering. She thought about running. She thought about giving up. But then, a montage of faces flashed vividly through her mind. Ruby's unwavering, pure optimism. Weiss's proud defiance. Yang's unbreakable strength. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, standing together against impossible odds. Sun, diving recklessly into danger just to watch her back.

And Saitama. The man with unimaginable power, who chose to protect a world he barely understood simply because it was the right thing to do. With a smooth, metallic shing, Blake transformed her pistol back into its katana form.

"Because I have people who believe in me," Blake declared, her voice ringing clearly through the darkness. Blake ducked under two more invisible whip strikes, launching herself upward to land gracefully on the overarching balcony. She ducked behind the wooden railing as Ilia continued to shout at her from the floor below.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did!" Ilia's voice cracked, raw with desperation.

"If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left... is to attack back!!" Crouched in the shadows, Blake reached into her ammo pouch. She pulled out two specialized Dust cartridges. One red, one blue. She loaded the Fire Dust cartridge into Gambol Shroud with a sharp click, aiming the barrel directly at a cluster of dry, decorative indoor shrubbery sitting in the far corner of the room below.

"Sorry, Dad," Blake whispered. She pulled the trigger. The Fire Dust round exploded upon impact, instantly igniting the dry foliage. A massive, roaring fire illuminated the entire study room, casting bright, dancing shadows across the walls. The sudden, intense light completely ruined Ilia's camouflage. She was revealed standing in the center of the room, her skin shifting wildly as she tried to adapt to the flickering flames.

"Quit taking potshots and fight me like you mean it!!" Ilia roared, charging forward. Blake leaped from the balcony, engaging Ilia in a fierce, rapid-fire exchange of blades and hand-to-hand combat. They moved in a dizzying blur, years of shared training reflecting in their synchronized, lethal dance. Blake dodged a low sweep, back-flipping away and firing a barrage of pistol rounds.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did!" Ilia spun her whip, deflecting the bullets with sparking precision.

"If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left... is to attack back!!" Blake quickly swapped her magazine, loading the Ice Dust cartridge. She fired a precise, localized burst at the floor right as Ilia stepped forward to whip her. The ice rapidly expanded, freezing Lightning Lash entirely in place. Before Ilia could break the ice, Blake launched her ribbon, wrapping it securely around the frozen weapon and yanking it violently out of Ilia's grip.

Utilizing the opening, Blake leaped into the air, delivering a powerful, driving dropkick that sent Ilia crashing to the floor. Blake landed directly on top of her, pinning the chameleon Faunus firmly to the floorboards.

"You're wrong, Ilia," Blake panted, holding her down despite Ilia's frantic, desperate struggling.

"There's always another choice."

"Get off me!" Ilia thrashed, her skin flashing angry, jagged colors.

"Ilia... please," Blake begged, her amber eyes shining with tears.

"You're a good person, but you're making all the wrong decisions!"

"SHUT UP!!"

"Is this really what your parents would've wanted?!" Blake yelled, hitting the core of Ilia's trauma. Ilia froze. Her eyes went wide, the fight completely draining out of her. Her skin faded into a pale, sorrowful blue.

"I don't know what else to do!!" Ilia screamed, her voice breaking entirely. Her hands went limp against the floorboards. The fanatical assassin vanished, replaced by a terrified, broken girl. Tears spilled over Ilia's cheeks, mixing with the dust on her face.

"I don't know what else to do..." Ilia sobbed, her chest heaving as she finally surrendered to the grief she had been running from for years. Before Blake could comfort her, the wall to their left violently exploded. BOOM! Corsac Albain was hurled backward through the splintering wood and plaster, crashing onto the floor of the study room. The impact forced him to drop his half of the Cyclone and Inferno daggers. Through the gaping hole in the wall, Ghira Belladonna leaped into the room.

He was battered, his coat gone, his breathing heavy, but he still radiated the terrifying presence of an apex predator. He let out a feral growl, advancing on the fallen Corsac, before noticing Blake pinning Ilia to the floor. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Blake!" Ghira called out, momentary relief washing over his face. From the shadows of the hallway behind Ghira, Fennec Albain lunged. The younger brother drove his dagger forcefully into Ghira's back. Ghira roared in agony, his massive body slumping forward toward the ground.

"Dad!!" Blake screamed, her focus shattering. With Blake distracted, Ilia's survival instincts kicked in. She threw her legs up, kicking Blake forcefully in the chest and launching her into a nearby heavy wooden chair. Blake's head struck the wood, momentarily knocking her unconscious. Ghira pushed through the agonizing pain in his back. With a massive heave of his shoulders, he threw Fennec off him, tossing the assassin across the room just as Corsac scrambled back to his feet and charged.

Ghira reached behind him, gripping the hilt of the dagger lodged in his back, and ripped it free with a pained grunt. He tossed the bloody blade aside, turning just in time to catch Corsac's incoming strike. The Chieftain and the assassin clashed, their hands interlocking in a brutal, straining test of pure physical strength. Ilia scrambled to her feet, staring in absolute, paralyzed disbelief at the chaotic, bloody battlefield around her. Her mind was fracturing under the weight of her choices.

"Ilia! What are you doing?!" Fennec yelled, picking himself up from the floor.

"Fight!!" Fennec pulled a secondary wand from his robes, charging forward to assist his brother. Ghira roared, using his immense leverage to violently push Corsac backward. He ducked under Fennec's sweeping slash, parrying a secondary strike as he engaged both brothers simultaneously. Fennec leaped into the air, aiming a downward stab at Ghira's neck. Ghira caught him by the robes mid-air and slammed him ruthlessly onto the floorboards.

As Ghira recovered his defensive stance, Fennec scrambled up, channeling volatile Wind and Fire Dust into his weapon.

"Raaaah!" Fennec let out a battle cry, charging forward with a lethal thrust. Ghira didn't block. He reached out, his massive, clawed hand clamping down with crushing force onto Fennec's wrist. He violently twisted the assassin's arm, redirecting the glowing weapon directly at Corsac, who was just recovering his footing. The weapon discharged point-blank.

A concussive blast of fire and wind slammed into Corsac's chest, blowing the older brother backward across the room until he crashed against the far wall, slumping to the ground completely unconscious.

"BROTHER!!!" Fennec screamed, his composure shattering. Fennec desperately tried to wrench his arm free to attack Ghira again, but a golden blur dropped from the overarching balcony. Sun Wukong crashed down, driving both feet squarely into Fennec's chest, kicking the assassin violently across the room. Sun landed gracefully, his golden staff spinning into position. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Blake struggling to push herself up from the broken chair. Sun's jaw tightened.

He turned his gaze toward Ilia, his blue eyes hardening into a furious, unyielding glare.

"Go help Blake!" Ghira ordered, keeping his eyes on the recovering Fennec.

"On it!" Sun replied. He didn't hesitate. Sun charged Ilia, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang a blur of golden light. He slammed the heavy staff down, shattering the floorboards as Ilia narrowly back-flipped away. Sun spun, dodging her sweeping counter-kick, and split his weapon into its nunchaku form. He launched a relentless, blurring flurry of strikes. The shotgun blasts propelled his swings with devastating speed, entirely overwhelming Ilia's defenses.

A swift strike to her back sent her stumbling forward, leaving her completely open. Sun delivered a punishing kick to her side, sending her reeling. Ilia recovered, desperately re-joining the halves of Lightning Lash. She locked her weapon against Sun's staff in a fierce struggle of leverage. She sneered, her finger pulling the trigger to deliver a lethal shock. Click. The weapon jammed. The ice from earlier had compromised the firing mechanism. Ilia's eyes widened in sheer panic.

She frantically pulled the trigger again, but Sun didn't wait. With a powerful shove, he pushed her backward, driving a solid jab into her stomach. He drove her back until she slammed hard against a heavy, wooden structural pillar supporting the overarching balcony. Before she could move, Sun pinned her to the pillar, the heavy shaft of his staff pressing firmly against her chest. Nearby, Fennec ducked under Ghira's sweeping claws, attempting to block the Chieftain's left arm.

Ghira simply absorbed the block, bringing his massive right fist around in a brutal hook that punched the younger Albain entirely through the jagged hole in the wall. As Ilia struggled desperately against Sun's hold, the ancient wooden pillar she was pinned against began to groan ominously under the pressure. Deep, splintering cracks spider-webbed up the timber.

"Stop!!" The desperate, tear-filled scream echoed through the room. Sun and Ilia both froze, turning to look. Blake was standing up, her hands clutching her head, tears streaming freely down her face as she looked at her best friend pinned against the wall.

"Please..." Blake sobbed, the fight entirely gone from her voice. Ilia stared at Blake's tears. The final, fragile threads holding her radicalized worldview together completely snapped. She stopped struggling, her hands dropping to her sides as the anger drained away, leaving only profound, tragic regret. With a soft grunt, she managed to push Sun off her just as the cracks in the wooden pillar echoed with a loud, terrifying snap. Sun stumbled backward, his eyes going wide.

"Whoa!" He dove out of the way just as the massive, heavy wooden balcony above them gave way. The entire structure collapsed downward in a rain of timber and plaster. Ilia looked up, her eyes wide with paralyzing terror as tons of wood plummeted directly toward her. She couldn't move. Suddenly, a massive shadow eclipsed the falling debris. Ghira Belladonna threw himself directly beneath the collapsing balcony.

He raised his enormous, muscular arms, catching the entire weight of the falling structure upon his own shoulders. The sheer, crushing impact forced the Chieftain down onto one knee, his muscles bulging as he groaned under the tremendous strain. Ilia stared in absolute, breathless awe. The man she had been ordered to assassinate was currently holding up a building to save her life.

"Go!!" Ghira roared, his boots cracking the floorboards beneath him. Ilia didn't hesitate. She scrambled out from underneath the debris, diving to safety.

"Hang on!" Sun yelled, his Semblance flaring brilliantly. Two luminous, golden light-clones erupted from his body. They rushed forward, planting their glowing hands beneath the timber to help bear the crushing weight. Blake grabbed Gambol Shroud, transforming the blade into its kusarigama form. Unbeknownst to them, Fennec Albain had crawled back through the hole in the wall. Seeing his brother unconscious and his mission failing, a manic, fanatical desperation seized him.

He grabbed both his and Corsac's Dust-infused daggers, screaming as he charged directly at the kneeling Ghira. Blake's amber eyes locked onto the threat. She swung her weapon, tossing the weighted ribbon through the air. It wrapped securely around her father's torso. With a fierce, adrenaline-fueled yank, Blake pulled Ghira completely backward out from under the balcony. As Ghira was yanked to safety, the golden clones vanished.

The entire weight of the balcony crashed down, smashing into the floorboards at the exact spot Ghira had been kneeling. Fennec Albain, sprinting forward blindly, was caught directly beneath the falling timber. The massive wooden beams crushed him against the floor. The impact violently ruptured the highly volatile Dust crystals within both of the daggers he was holding. A massive, fiery explosion erupted from the wreckage, sealing the younger Albain brother's fate in a violent flash of light and smoke.

The room fell silent, save for the crackling of localized fires and the settling of dust. From the hallway, the heavy doors slid open. Kali Belladonna stepped into the ruined study, casually dragging the unconscious, heavily bound body of Yuma behind her by his collar.

"Mom!" Blake cried, dropping her weapon and rushing forward to throw her arms around her mother. Kali dropped the assassin, hugging her daughter tightly, her eyes scanning the room to ensure her husband was safe.

"I've got you, sweetheart." Their embrace was cut short by a dark, furious groan. Corsac Albain slowly pushed himself up from the floorboards near the far wall. His pristine white robes were scorched and torn. He looked at the smoking, crushed wreckage of the balcony where his brother had perished.

"What have you done?" Corsac whispered, his voice dark and trembling. He slowly stood up to his full height, his eyes blazing with fanatical, unhinged madness.

"You ruined everything... EVERYTHIIIIIIING!!!" Ghira, Kali, Blake, and Sun instantly shifted into defensive stances, raising their weapons as Corsac charged blindly forward in a suicidal rage. Before he could take three steps, a jagged, electrified blade whipped through the smoke, wrapping tightly around Corsac's torso. A massive surge of high-voltage electricity coursed through the tether, violently electrocuting the older Albain brother.

Corsac convulsed, his eyes rolling back, before he collapsed face-first onto the floorboards, completely unconscious. Standing in the clearing smoke, holding the handle of Lightning Lash, was Ilia. With the battle finally over, the adrenaline left her body. The weapon slipped from her trembling fingers, clattering against the wood. Ilia fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into the quiet, ruined room.

The Belladonnas and Sun slowly lowered their weapons, looking on in silent, profound sympathy.

Outside the high walls of the Belladonna estate, the night sky was stained with the glow of localized fires. A massive, anxious crowd of Faunus citizens had gathered in the streets, murmuring nervously as they watched the smoke rising from the Chieftain's home.

"Back! Everyone, stay back!" a Menagerie Guard yelled, holding his arms out to hold the perimeter.

"We've got people inside doing their best!"

"Look!" a Faunus woman pointed toward the front gates. The heavy wooden doors groaned open. Emerging from the smoke-filled courtyard was Ghira Belladonna. He walked with a heavy, deliberate stride, carrying the motionless bodies of a White Fang soldier and a loyal Menagerie Guard, one slung over each massive shoulder. He gently handed the bodies over to the waiting medics as Saber Rodentia, the captain of the Menagerie Guard, arrived at the gates with a squad of reinforcements.

"Get in there!" Saber commanded his men.

"Search for any stragglers! Put out those fires!" Moments later, more guards emerged from the estate, forcefully marching a heavily restrained, handcuffed Corsac Albain down the steps. They were followed closely by Blake, Kali, Sun, and Ilia, who walked with her head bowed in quiet surrender.

"We came as soon as we got the call," Saber said, saluting Ghira before turning his gaze toward the captured prisoner.

"And Fennec?" Ghira sadly shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. Saber walked over to Corsac, who was kneeling in the dirt, looking up with a mixture of fanatical pride and snarky disdain.

"Was it worth it?" Saber asked, his tone dripping with disgust. Corsac looked down, his silence a defeated admission. As the commotion of the cleanup continued, Blake stood near the bottom of the steps. She shared a brief, meaningful look with Sun, who offered a tired but supportive smile, and then looked at Ilia, whose eyes were still red from crying. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Blake turned away from the group and began to walk down the steps, moving deliberately toward the edge of the gathered crowd.

"Blake!" Ghira called out, stepping forward to stop her. Before he could reach her, Kali gently placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. She offered a soft, proud smile, shaking her head. Ghira looked at his daughter, realizing she needed to do this on her own. Blake stopped on the second-to-last step, turning to face the massive sea of anxious, frightened Faunus citizens. She stood tall, her amber eyes burning with an unshakeable, profound conviction.

"Humans didn't do this," Blake's voice rang out, clear and unwavering in the night air. She raised her hand, pointing back toward the smoke billowing from her own home.

"We did this. Faunus. We did this to ourselves." The crowd fell into an absolute, breathless silence.

"We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans," Blake continued, her voice carrying the heavy weight of truth.

"But I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?!" She stepped closer to the edge, pleading with her people.

"By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place! And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves! This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him!" Blake's voice rose, vibrating with passionate, undeniable resolve.

"But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution." She paused, looking out over the faces of the people who had fled to this island for peace.

"I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. The future of our people, and the safety of the world. So I'm going. And I'll stand by myself if I have to." The silence stretched for a long, heavy moment.

"I'll stand with you!" Blake turned around, a look of profound surprise crossing her face. Ilia Amitola stood up from where she had been kneeling. Her pained expression faltered as she looked down at the cobblestones.

"If... if you'd have me," Ilia whispered, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

"Isn't that the White Fang girl?" a male Faunus muttered in the crowd.

"I thought she hated the Belladonnas," a woman whispered back. Despite the murmurs rippling through the crowd, Blake offered her old friend a beautiful, forgiving smile. As Ilia took a hesitant step forward, Saber Rodentia suddenly stepped into her path, his hand resting aggressively on the hilt of his sword.

"You're not going anywhere!" Saber barked.

"Let her come," Blake said softly.

"Huh?!" Saber balked, staring at Blake as if she had lost her mind.

"You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!" Blake didn't hesitate.

"I am." Saber looked back toward Ghira, seeking validation for his anger. But the massive Chieftain merely smiled, offering a single, approving nod to let Ilia pass.

"What does she think she's doing?" Saber muttered, utterly baffled.

"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older," Ghira rumbled proudly, looking at his daughter.

"That there is strength in forgiveness." Ilia continued down the steps, stopping right next to Blake. Blake reached out, placing a warm, supportive hand on Ilia's shoulder. The two girls shared a tearful, profound smile, the years of ideological division finally bridged.

"I'll go!!" Mata, a burly ram Faunus who had rejected Blake earlier that morning, stepped forward from the front of the crowd, raising his hand high in the air.

"I'll go too!" a female aquatic Faunus shouted, stepping up beside him.

"I'll stand with you!"

"I'll go!!"

"Yeah!! Me too!"

"Let's go!" Like a dam breaking, the crowd erupted. Dozens, then hundreds of Faunus began to shout their support, stepping forward to volunteer. The toxic, suffocating apathy that had gripped Menagerie was entirely washed away by a roaring wave of united resolve. As the cheers echoed into the night sky, Sun walked down the steps, his golden tail swishing proudly as he joined Blake and Ilia. They all smiled, looking out at the mobilized crowd.

"Looks like we've got work to do," Sun grinned.

"Thank you," Blake said softly. Sun turned his head, pointing an accusatory finger at Ilia.

"You stabbed me." Ilia looked down, her face flushing with deep, sorrowful guilt.

"I--" Sun reached out and playfully, sharply pinched her arm.

"Ow!" Ilia yelped, rubbing her shoulder in surprise.

"There," Sun laughed, offering a bright, goofy smile.

"Let's just call it even." Ghira and Kali walked down the steps, standing proudly behind the three teenagers as the crowd continued to cheer.

"We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven," Ghira announced, his tactical mind already working.

"We're going to need shields, weapons training, and logistical support to protect as many people as possible."

"We'll need transportation, too," Kali noted pragmatically, looking out toward the ocean.

"For everyone." Blake smiled, a confident, determined gleam returning to her golden eyes.

"I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor."