You better have enjoyed the memes my friend, Fox, made!

  OKay back to the story, only a few more chapters left of V3~

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  Down in Vale Maize arrives at the Cats Corner Book store, though the lights are off. She checks the front door and finds it unlocked and she enters.

  "Penny?" Maize calls out as she walks in. Her pink eyes glow in the darkness as she scans the empty book story. "Penny?"

  Maize takes a few steps forward and continues to look around, until she jumps as the front door sms shut. She turns around and finds Pink locking the door with a sadistic smile

  Maize jumps back and gets ready for combat. "You!" She pulls out her fan.

  "Oh, it is indeed." Pink's eyes glow dangerously as she takes a few steps forward. "Dear sister, I think it's time we catch up."

  Maize gres at Pink, unit the girl is suddenly in front of her with her a rge knife held high; and a sadistic smile.

  Over at Amity stadium, Byzan sits in the stands beside Rose and Ambré, his legs are crossed as he watches Pyrrha and Penny stand across from each other. He smiles with a mischievous look as his amber eyes slightly narrow down at them.

  But then he notices something, he looks around and notices one thing. 'Where's Maize? Hmmm.' Something deep down starts to bug him as he looks around, not Ruby.

  'She was gonna be watching this fight, so where is she?'

  Rose puts a hand over Byzan's. "Something wrong, Byzz?" Byzan looks to her, her blue and golden eyes looking up to him.

  Byzan gives her a smile. "No, everything's fine." Though a feeling of dread creeps in. He clenches a fist as he looks back down to Penny and Pyrrha.

  "Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos!" Penny greets with excitement. "It's an honor to finally meet you!"

  Pyrrha looks trouble as she doesn't respond, looking at her hands as she clenches them in attempted determination.

  Penny doesn't notice Pyrrha's reluctance. "This is going to be so much fun!"

  A feeling of being watched washes over Byzan, making him bite his lip as his eyes scan the crowd. To many people, too many faces. Byzan's ears flicker as he swivels them around. Someone's watching him, and yet he can't find them.

  "Fighters, are you ready?" Oobleck calls out over the announcement system.

  Penny beams widely in anticipation, but Pyrrha is still looking around as if in a daze, though she manages a small scowl at her opponent, her weapons Miló and Akoúo already in hand.

  Oobleck counts down as Byzan keeps looking around. Ambré cheers for Pyrrha while Rose just cheers in general. Then Oobleck shouts for the match to begin.

  Penny surrounds herself by Floating Arrey, gesturing the swords around to her command before unching a volley of them at Pyrrha, who runs towards them and leaps through or deflects each aimed bde. The swords fly into the air until they turn around and come back to the fight.

  Byzan eyes gnce over a pair of pink eyes and hair, and he stops and quickly gnces back over to them. only to find the person he spotted gone. Byzan fists clench harder, a small bit of blood drips out from under his palm.

  Down in the arena Pyrrha puts her shield on her back, and twirls her javelin to block each sword swipe of Penny's, dropping her weapon when she needs to somersault away after being hit by a ssh. Them she magnetically returns her weapon to her hand as penny readies another wave of bdes.

  "My word!" Port calls out. "What a tremendous dispy by Miss Polendina!"

  Fully glowering, Pyrrha rushes forward and jumps on an incoming sword, swinging down on Penny, only to have the assault halted by a collection of bdes, though she leaps away from the retaliatory slice as Penny backs away as well. She tries to defend against the multitude of swords with the length of her weapon, but is forced back regardless, prompting Pyrrha to roll the shield from her back onto her arm with pority.

  "Come on, Pyrrha!" Ambré shouts.

  "Fight on!" Rose loudly calls out, until her eyes turn red and Thorn shouts. "Come on, one of you kill the other!" Rose takes back over and lowers herself into her seat. "Sorry!"

  Byzan bites his lips as the dread keeps growing.

  Despite the cheers, Pyrrha isn't doing well, looking down to see her Sembnce's bck energy bend the weapons in her hands unnaturally for a split second.

  Somewhere in the stands Emerald is starting to use her sembnce on Pyrrha.

  Pyrrha spins wildly as she deflects and dodges each sword, until she gets close enough to Penny to deliver a few sshes with the spear, sending her flying back as Pyrrha bats aside the bdes called to their wielder's aid. Penny slides to a stop and makes a new series of motions, the weapons folding up until she's circled by several ser rifles, a few of which open fire on the approaching champion. Pyrrha avoids the bsts and fights off the remaining swords with her bde until she slides into position to charge at Penny and knock her back.

  Pyrrha straightens with a victorious grin that disappears into dizziness, just as she sees Penny rocketing forward, weapons firing behind her like a jetpack so she can leap into the air, then come down as an energized meteor on her opponent.

  Rolling back to her feet, Pyrrha doesn't expect a sword to knock her shield off, then another to do the same for her bde. She tries to get the tter back with her magnetism, but has to use the power to send a flying sword back at Penny's side. It disappears behind Penny, only for her to grin and raise her arms as several appear above her, aimed to strike.

  With Emerald still squinting down on the arena, the sharp sound of Emerald's Sembnce is heard as Penny's eight swords double, then triple, multiplying into an unreal thicket of bdes. At the sight of this, Pyrrha unsteadily steps back, both in reality where the eight swords are ready to go forth and in the hallucinated world, where the cloud of weapons thicken to even block the crowds around her.

  Penny sends them all forward, few in reality and hundreds strong in Pyrrha's mind, who is left with no choice but to spread her arms and send out a magnetized shockwave. Each bde is sent reeling back to Penny, who is also unintentionally affected by the Sembnce attack clutching her chest in pain. Pyrrha only has a brief moment to understand what's happening before Penny's arms are spread wide as she gasps, the strings attached to her own weapons curling around her left arm and midsection, which are crumpled by the force with the ease of an aluminum can.

  There is a moment of darkness, cut by the wire slicing through the electronics in Penny's torso to reveal a shocked Pyrrha, and the entire stadium watching the now unmoving swords drop to the ground. A piece of fabric flutters to the arena floor, only to be pinned by the point of a falling bde, away from the torn halves of Penny Polendina.

  Pyrrha stares in abject horror, eyes wide and mouth agape.

  "NO!" Port shouts over the PA.

  Byzan blinks in shock. "Holy shit..."

  Rose covers her mouth in shock as tears prick at the corner of her eyes. Even Ambré is shocked into silence as her jaw slightly drops.

  While the remains of Penny's missing arm spark with electricity from the exposed wiring inside. Her big green irises, now looking like camera shutters, slowly expand so her dark, lifeless pupils take up most of her eyes with the sound of a machine shutting down.

  Byzan's eyes scan the shocked crowd and he finally comes across a pair of red eyes. Byzan's eyes narrow as he sees Emerald gnce towards him and wink, before she stands up and walks off.

  The corners of Byzan's mouth twitch as he grits his teeth in anger. He swiftly stands up, unnoticed by Ambré and Rose. He stomps off towards where he sees Emerald leave.

  Suddenly Cinder's voice is heard over the PA as a Bck Quuen symbol appears over the TV Boards.

  "This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, tour safety, your children, to men who cim to be our guardians. But are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

  Ambré stands up and starts looking around, putting a hand on Rose's shoulder.

  "They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's start pupil. What need would Ats have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."

  Pyrrha states at the remains of Penny in dread and guilt. Lips parting as she raises a hand to cover her mouth. Then her eyes start watering, a single tear falling.

  "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? it's a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

  Inside the Vale Police department, Detective Folly is watching the broadcast from his office, until someone bursts into his room. Another officer runs over and shows him a tablet, a hoard of Grimm is on it's way to Vale.

  Folly stands up and starts shouting and everyone starts to move about.

  "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Ats in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

  Byzan stomps down a hallway, TVs beside him dispying a Bck Queen chest piece. His Hellish shroud is on his back, while his Pistol "Light" is on his right hip. He's in his combat outfit, searching for Emerald.

  "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you, When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

  The screens in the Colosseum cur to complete static.

  Rose starts to grow scared as she grabs onto her sister's arm. "Ma s?ur, qu'est-ce qu'on fait?"

  "Je-je... je ne sais pas...." Ambré mutters.

  Suddenly an arm starts to wail throughout the structure as the screens turn orange and fsh "Caution."

  "Alert." The Automated System calls out. "Incoming Grimm attack, Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

  Everyone starts to panic and rush towards the exits.

  "Nine?" Rose questions. "That sounds bad."

  Ambré grabs Rose's arm and starts to drag her towards the exit. "It's fucking bad alright."

  Ironwood's voice is suddenly heard over the PA. "Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic."

  With that said, a Gaint Nevermore appears atop of the arena's domed force field, giving a series of deafening screeches as it cws and pecks at the defense with its beak.

  "A Nevermore?!" Rose shouts in panic.

  "Fuck!" Ambré shouts.

  In Vale, Professor Ash, with his ōdachi on his back, runs through the streets. His school in his hand as he? on a voice call with Ozpin.

  "Ash, what's the situation down there?!" Ozpin shouts.

  Several people run past Ash in panic, and he slides to a stop as a rge hoard of Grimm run towards him.

  "Ash?"

  "It's bad, Ozpin." Ash unsheathes the weapon on his back. "I'll need to call you back."

  "Stay safe down there."

  The call cuts off as Ash takes a deep breath, holding his sword out in front of him. He then smiles and ughs.

  "Let's dance!"

  Ash charges towards the Grimm hoard. Byzan stomps down a hall, nearing one of the nding pads. Ambré and Rose stare up to Nevermore in shock. And Pink giggles as fire burns within the Book store, pink blood coating her knife.

  Everyone's in for a Long Night.

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  03-02-2025

  2105 words