Chương 74: Chapter 67: The Battle of Haven (Part 4)

Earlier, in the Grand Hall... Jaune Arc's fingers twitched. Lying near a shattered wooden pillar, Jaune took a sharp, ragged breath, his blue eyes fluttering open. The agonizing burns across his chest behind his armor had already faded to dull red marks, rapidly knitting themselves back together under the brilliant, pulsing white glow of his amplified Aura.

The hellish, body-breaking physical conditioning he had endured had forged a muscular density that, combined with his massive Aura reserves, allowed him to recover at a terrifying rate.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha Nikos practically threw herself to his side, her hands hovering over his chest, her green eyes wide with profound, overwhelming relief.

"You're back... thank the gods, you're back." Jaune groaned, gripping the floorboards and pushing himself into a sitting position. He rolled his broad shoulders, feeling the last of the stiffness fade away.

"Ugh... my head is ringing. What did I miss?"

"A lot," Pyrrha answered, helping him quickly to his feet. She kept her shield raised, her eyes darting toward the massive hole in the center of the hall.

"Cinder already went down into the vault. She took Raven and the girl claiming to be the Spring Maiden, Vernal, with her." Jaune's jaw tightened. He reached down, picking up the heavy, steel-riveted form of Crocea Mors and strapping his shield to his arm. He took a deep breath, feeling his Aura hum at near-maximum capacity, mirroring the steady, vibrant glow of Pyrrha's own defenses.

"Then we can't afford to waste any more time," Jaune stated, his voice ringing with absolute, unshakeable determination.

"Let's go help the others."

Across the hall, the battle against Hazel Rainart was rapidly turning into a massacre. Ozpin, still fiercely commanding Oscar's body, darted backward, narrowly avoiding a massive, sweeping clothesline from the lightning-infused giant. Beside him, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie were panting heavily, their bodies bruised and exhausted from the relentless, high-impact brawl.

"You can't run forever, Ozpin!" Hazel roared, completely ignoring the volley of bullets Ren fired into his chest. Fueled by decades of festering vengeance, Hazel charged forward with the unstoppable momentum of a runaway train. With a brutal, sweeping backhand, Hazel swatted Ren and Nora aside like ragdolls. They crashed into a nearby wall, groaning as their Auras flickered dangerously low. Hazel loomed over the exhausted Headmaster.

He raised both of his massive, lightning-wreathed fists, preparing to crush the boy entirely.

"This ends now!" Ozpin braced himself, raising his cane for a final, desperate block. CLANG! A deafening ring of steel echoed through the hall. Hazel's eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated shock. His descending fists had been stopped dead in their tracks. Jaune Arc stood firmly planted between Hazel and Ozpin. His boots dug deep into the splintering floorboards, his heavy shield raised high.

The sheer, impossible physical strength forged into the blonde knight's muscles absorbed the giant's crushing blow without Jaune buckling even an inch.

"Get away from him," Jaune growled. With a powerful, explosive heave, Jaune shoved his shield upward, breaking Hazel's guard. In the same fluid motion, Jaune swung his heavy broadsword in a vicious horizontal arc. The blade carved through the air, striking Hazel directly in the chest and violently throwing the towering man backward. Hazel skidded across the floorboards, completely stunned by the sheer physical power of the boy. Ozpin, Ren, and Nora looked at the towering blonde knight in absolute awe and relief.

Jaune looked back over his shoulder, offering a small, apologetic smile.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Better late than never!" Nora cheered, using Magnhild to eagerly push herself back to her feet. Ren nodded in agreement, sliding fresh magazines into StormFlower as he and Nora flanked Jaune. Together, the four warriors formed an impenetrable wall, continuing their fierce standoff with the recovering giant. Meanwhile, near the grand staircase, the clash of weapons rang out in a desperate, high-speed blur.

Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee stood back-to-back, both panting heavily, their weapons lowered slightly from sheer exhaustion. Across from them, Mercury Black wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, his metallic legs humming as he dropped into a cocky fighting stance. Beside him, Emerald Sustrai gripped her dual revolvers tightly, her breathing ragged.

"I'll give you brats credit," Mercury taunted, masking his own deep fatigue with a cruel, arrogant smirk.

"You're persistent."

"We're not backing down," Ruby declared fiercely, spinning Crescent Rose and slamming its blade into the floorboards.

"Not to you!"

"We will finish this," Weiss added, leveling the glowing tip of Myrtenaster directly at the assassins.

"Then die tired!" Emerald snapped. Her red eyes flared. Instantly, the space around Ruby and Weiss fractured. A dozen identical copies of Emerald and Mercury materialized from the shadows, completely surrounding the two Huntresses in a disorienting, lethal illusion. Before the phantoms could strike, a heavy bronze shield spun through the air like a buzzsaw. It violently struck the real Emerald squarely in the shoulder, knocking her off balance before ricocheting directly back into its owner's hand.

The illusion completely vanished. Pyrrha Nikos stepped firmly between Ruby and Weiss, her spear leveled, her green eyes burning with an intense, furious fire.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby gasped happily. Weiss let out a deep sigh of relief. Emerald stumbled back, recovering her footing as she and Mercury scowled at the newly arrived champion. Pyrrha's gaze locked onto the green-haired thief, her grip on her spear tightening until her knuckles turned white.

"It was you," Pyrrha stated, her voice trembling with a potent mixture of deep, agonizing guilt and righteous anger.

"At the Vytal Festival. When I fought Penny... you were the one who manipulated my vision. You made me see a threat that wasn't there." Emerald sneered, refusing to look away.

"Just following orders."

"You made me hurt a friend," Pyrrha growled, her Aura flaring brilliantly.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Emerald and Mercury gritted their teeth, simultaneously lunging forward to attack the trio. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. BANG! A single, high-caliber gunshot echoed through the hall. The bullet struck the wooden floorboards mere inches from Mercury's boots, completely halting their advance. Mercury, Emerald, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha all snapped their heads toward the shattered main entrance of the Grand Hall.

Standing in the archway, her amber eyes shining with quiet, unshakeable confidence, was Blake Belladonna. The smoking barrel of Gambol Shroud was pointed toward the ceiling.

"Blake!" Ruby cried out, tears of absolute joy pricking the corners of her silver eyes. Across the room, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Ozpin turned their heads, their faces lighting up with immense relief as they saw the missing member of Team RWBY finally standing among them. Blake holstered her pistol and calmly walked across the battlefield, joining Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha. She looked at her teammates, a warm, genuine smile breaking across her face.

"I told you I would catch up," Blake said softly. Ruby lunged forward, nearly knocking Blake over in a massive, desperate hug. Weiss quickly joined the embrace, holding her partner tightly.

"We never stopped believing in you," Ruby sobbed happily into Blake's shoulder. Blake returned the hug tightly before pulling back, her tactical instincts taking over as she scanned the room.

"Where is Yang?"

"She's currently in the vault," Weiss explained quickly, pointing toward the massive hole in the center of the room.

"She went down to chase after Raven and Cinder!" Up on the second-floor balcony, the duel of the headmasters reached its brutal conclusion. Qrow Branwen spun Harbinger in a massive, sweeping arc, completely shattering the Dust chamber on Leonardo Lionheart's shield. With a vicious, spinning kick, Qrow swept Lionheart's legs out from under him.

The cowardly Lion Faunus crashed onto his back, scrambling in sheer terror as Qrow planted a boot on his chest, pointing the heavy, razor-sharp barrel of Harbinger directly at his throat.

"It's over, Leo!" Qrow yelled, his crimson eyes burning with absolute disappointment and fury.

"Stop all of this madness! Right now!" Lionheart simply whimpered, raising his trembling hands in surrender. Down below, the tide of the battle had completely turned. With a unified, ferocious battle cry, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Ozpin launched a perfectly coordinated assault, violently driving Hazel backward until he was forced into the center of the hall. Simultaneously, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha pressed their massive numerical advantage, forcing Mercury and Emerald to retreat directly to Hazel's side.

The three villains suddenly found themselves completely encircled. The heroes of Haven stood united, their weapons drawn, boxing the assassins in from all sides. Qrow stood above them on the balcony, his gun trained on the group. Mercury clicked his tongue, spitting a glob of blood onto the floorboards.

"Damn it." Hazel cracked his massive knuckles, the electrical charge in his veins dimming as his tactical mind took over his rage. He looked at the unbroken circle of heavily armed Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"We are outnumbered."

Suddenly, a low, terrifying rumble vibrated through the floorboards. The entire Grand Hall violently shuddered.

"Whoa!" Sun Wukong yelled outside the academy, desperately waving his arms to keep his balance as the courtyard violently bucked beneath his feet. Ghira, Kali, and the entire Menagerie Faunus militia stumbled, clinging to each other and the stone archways as the Mistral Police officers fell to their knees. Inside the hall, the heroes and villains alike staggered. Ruby planted her scythe into the floor to keep from falling"What is this earthquake?!"

Massive, jagged cracks suddenly tore across the stone courtyard outside, traveling like lightning bolts directly into the foundation of Haven Academy. The floorboards of the Grand Hall splintered and heaved, creating deep, dangerous fissures, though the reinforced architecture stubbornly refused to completely collapse. A horrifying, deafening screech echoed from the city below. Down in the streets of Upper Mistral, the cobblestone roads violently exploded.

Massive, horrifying Centinels, gargantuan, armored centipede Grimm, erupted from the subterranean earth. Those monsters thrashed wildly, their segmented bodies crushing buildings as the citizens of Mistral ran screaming in absolute terror. The night sky above the academy suddenly turned pitch black, blotting out the fractured moon. Massive flocks of Nevermores and Griffons descended through the clouds. They weren't just attacking. They were carrying payloads.

The flying beasts opened their talons, dropping hordes of Beowolves, Ursai, and towering, muscular Beringels directly into the streets and the academy courtyard like monstrous paratroopers. The Grimm invasion had begun, and thousands of those creatures were rapidly advancing directly toward the shattered gates of Haven Academy. Up on the balcony, Qrow stumbled back, his eyes wide with absolute panic as he looked out the massive stained-glass windows at the apocalyptic swarm.

"What is going on?! The city defenses should have stopped them! Where did they all come from?!" There was no time to question it. Every single person in the academy, Faunus, Police, Huntsman, and student alike, raised their weapons, realizing they had absolutely no other choice but to fight for their lives. Beneath Qrow's boot, Leonardo Lionheart trembled violently. The disgraced Headmaster didn't look at the Grimm.

He just stared blankly at the floorboards, tears of absolute, suffocating despair streaming down his face as he felt the oppressive, suffocating blanket of negative emotion wash over the city.

"T-This..." Lionheart sobbed, his voice cracking with pure, paralyzing terror.

"This is her wrath!" The horrifying realization of Lionheart's words hung in the air for only a fraction of a second before the deafening roar of the Grimm shattered it completely. Through the massive, broken archways of the Grand Hall, the Huntsmen and Huntresses could see the sheer scale of the nightmare unfolding. The protective perimeter of Haven Academy was failing. A massive Beringel crashed through the pristine courtyard gates, thumping its chest with a bone-rattling shockwave.

Above it, a flock of Nevermores circled, their massive wings casting dark, erratic shadows over the panicked Faunus militia. Realizing the immediate, apocalyptic threat to the civilians and their allies outside, Qrow signaled the retreat from the center of the hall.

"Leave them! We need to hold the courtyard!" Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Ozpin, and Qrow abandoned their encirclement of Hazel, Mercury, and Emerald, sprinting out through the shattered main entrance. They burst into the cool night air of the courtyard, immediately forming a defensive line alongside Sun, Ilia, Ghira, and the Menagerie Faunus. The sky rained monsters.

A Beowolf plummeted from the talons of a passing Griffon, crashing into the stone tiles before immediately scrambling to its feet, bearing its jagged fangs at the militia.

"What is going on?!" Sun yelled, spinning his staff to knock a lunging Creep out of the air.

"I thought this place was a fortress!"

"It is!" Weiss shouted, projecting a barrage of ice shards to impale an advancing Ursa.

"How are they even getting up here?! Upper Mistral is supposed to be impenetrable!" Qrow gritted his teeth, his grip on Harbinger white-knuckled.

"She's right! The city has early-warning radar! Automated hard-light shields! Anti-air artillery! Those creatures shouldn't have been able to get within ten miles of the mountain without tripping the alarms!"

"They didn't trip the alarms, Qrow," a calm, ancient voice spoke up over the chaos. Everyone turned slightly to see Ozpin, fully commanding Oscar's body, standing firm with The Long Memory resting in his hands. He looked out at the advancing horde with a deeply grim expression.

"Haven Academy is built atop massive stone foundations spanning a subterranean cavern," Ozpin explained rapidly, dodging the sweeping tail of a passing Nevermore.

"Upper Mistral is heavily fortified. However, Headmaster Lionheart holds top-level clearance. To allow Cinder, Raven, and the rest of Salem's inner circle to enter the academy undetected... Leonardo deliberately disabled the city's perimeter defenses." Qrow shot a furious, disgusted glare back toward the Great Hall, where the cowardly Lion Faunus was still sobbing on the floor.

"That traitor..." Qrow growled.

"But why now?" Jaune demanded, raising his heavy shield to block a barrage of bone-spikes fired from a distant Grimm.

"Why wait until they were losing to launch the invasion?"

"Because Salem must have been watching the entire time," Ozpin deduced, his hazel eyes narrowing as he analyzed the battlefield.

"She utilizes specialized Seer Grimm to monitor her operatives. Seeing her inner circle failing and cornered... it made her desperate. She seized the opportunity we inadvertently handed her."

"Opportunity?" Ren echoed, firing StormFlower into the advancing pack.

"What opportunity?"

"The beacon," Ozpin answered gravely.

"The massive, violent clash outside between the Menagerie militia and the radicalized White Fang... combined with the intense, life-or-death battles inside the hall, and Lionheart's own suffocating, sheer terror. All of it coalesced into a massive, blinding beacon of negative emotion. She is using this massive surge of negativity to draw the horde directly to our doorstep and advance her goal." A chilling, bone-deep dread washed over Blake Belladonna.

The roaring fires, the shattered stone, the endless tide of black-and-bone monsters tearing through a Huntsman Academy... the memories slammed into her with suffocating force. Blake gripped Gambol Shroud tightly, her amber eyes wide with horror.

"This... this is like the Battle of Beacon all over again." The morale of the Faunus militia wavered. Even Qrow looked overwhelmed by the sheer, impossible numbers of that monstrous army pouring over the walls.

"No." A clear, ringing voice cut through the despair. Ruby Rose stepped forward, planting her boots firmly at the very front of the defensive line. She triggered Crescent Rose, the massive scythe unfolding with a sharp, mechanical shriek that echoed over the roaring monsters.

"It's not like Beacon," Ruby declared, her silver eyes blazing with an unbreakable, radiant hope as she looked back at Blake.

"At Beacon, we were separated. We were caught off guard. We were scared." Ruby looked around the courtyard, making eye contact with Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren.

"But this time... we are together!" Ruby shouted, raising her scythe high into the air.

"We know what we're fighting for! We have our friends, we have our allies, and we are not going to let Haven fall! Stand together!" The fear in Blake's eyes vanished, replaced by a fierce, determined spark. Jaune and Pyrrha locked their shields, nodding in perfect synchronization. Nora let out a booming, ecstatic battle cry, hoisting Magnhild over her shoulder.

"She's right!" Sun yelled, rallying the Menagerie Faunus behind them.

"Push them back!" The Creatures of Grimm let out a deafening, unified roar, charging across the courtyard like a tidal wave of darkness.

"Let's go!" Ruby commanded. With a ferocious, unified battle cry, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Haven Academy surged forward. They charged headlong into the monstrous horde, their weapons flashing with Dust and Aura as the final, desperate battle for the survival of Mistral began.