Chương 67: Chapter 64: The Choice in the Shadows (Part 1)

The evening sky over Kuo Kuana was a breathtaking canvas of deep indigo and bruised violet. The humid, tropical air held a deceptive stillness, carrying the scent of salt and blooming jasmine over the sprawling terraces of Menagerie. Blake Belladonna leaned heavily against the polished wooden railing of her family's balcony, staring out into the darkening horizon. The gentle rhythm of the ocean usually calmed her, but tonight, her amber eyes were clouded with a restless, churning anxiety.

The recruitment drive had been a spectacular failure. The Faunus of Menagerie were tired, content in their isolation, and completely unwilling to bleed for a world they felt had already abandoned them.

"Hey, Blake!" Sun Wukong's cheerful voice called out from inside the estate, accompanied by the muffled sound of him grabbing his gear.

"You ready to go? We've got the entire nocturnal sector to hit up! I'm thinking if we catch them before they hit the taverns, we might actually get a few signatures!"

"I'll be right there," Blake called back, her voice lacking its usual edge. She pushed off the railing, intending to head inside, but her fingertips brushed against something foreign. She stopped. Taped hastily to the underside of the wooden banister was a small, folded piece of paper. Blake's brow furrowed. She pulled the note free and unfolded it, her eyes scanning the hurried, frantic handwriting. B, Things going too far. Not sure what to do. Find a quiet spot, I'll find you. Come alone. Please. - I Ilia.

Blake's breath caught in her throat. Her heart hammered a sudden, frantic rhythm against her ribs. She looked around the darkening courtyard, her feline ears twitching beneath her hair, searching for any sign of her former friend. The sliding screen door clattered open.

"Come on, slowpoke, the night is young!" Sun urged, stepping onto the balcony with his staff strapped to his back. He stopped, noticing her rigid posture.

"Hey. Everything okay?" Blake quickly crumpled the note, slipping it seamlessly into the pocket of her long white coat. She forced her expression into a mask of calm determination.

"I'll meet you there," Blake said softly, not meeting his eyes.

"I just... I need to take care of something first." As Blake turned and walked away, descending the stairs into the shadows of the estate, neither of them noticed the subtle, near-silent rustling of the palm leaves in the dense trees just behind the balcony.

The alleyway was pitch black, a suffocating corridor choked by the tall, overhanging architecture of Kuo Kuana's residential district. The only light came from the faint, slivered glow of the shattered moon filtering through the rooftops. Blake walked slowly, her boots making no sound against the dirt. Her hand rested instinctively on the hilt of Gambol Shroud at the small of her back.

"Ilia?" Blake called out, her voice echoing softly into the gloom. From the deepest shadows of the alley, a voice answered. It was trembling, laced with an agonizing mixture of guilt and resolve.

"I'm here." Blake drew Gambol Shroud, the blade clicking sharply into place, but she kept it lowered. Ilia Amitola stepped out from the darkness. The chameleon Faunus raised her hands in a placating gesture, her skin rippling as she dropped her dark, localized camouflage, revealing her natural, freckled complexion.

"I know you're scared, Ilia," Blake said, her voice gentle, pleading. She took a slow step forward.

"I know Adam made you do this. You don't have to be afraid. My family and I... we can keep you safe. You don't have to follow him down this path." Ilia stood perfectly still for a long, agonizing moment. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lower lip trembling.

"I'm sorry," Ilia whispered. Ilia's right hand suddenly curled into a tight, white-knuckled fist. The sound of heavy, rapid footsteps echoed from the rooftop directly above them. Blake snapped her head up, but it was too late. A massive shadow plummeted from the sky. Yuma, a bat Faunus and one of Adam's most lethal assassins, crashed down directly onto Blake's back. The sheer force of the ambush drove Blake violently to the dirt.

Gambol Shroud slipped from her grasp, clattering across the stones to land directly at Ilia's boots. Blake gasped for air, the wind knocked completely out of her lungs. She struggled fiercely to push herself up, but Yuma pressed his heavy boot squarely against her spine, pinning her to the ground. He only stepped off when two more White Fang operatives dropped into the alleyway, flanking her. Blake scrambled back to her feet, her amber eyes burning with betrayal. Suddenly, a sharp thwip cut through the air.

A thick, incredibly strong strand of spiderweb silk shot from the shadows, wrapping tightly around Blake's torso and pinning her arms to her sides. Trifa, a spider Faunus enforcer, stepped into the light, grabbing the end of the silk strand to anchor her captive.

"I've got her," Trifa announced coldly. Yuma nodded, adjusting the blades at his forearms.

"Well done, Sister Trifa. And to you, Ilia." Yuma kicked Gambol Shroud aside and tossed Ilia her weapon, Lightning Lash. Ilia caught it, her eyes cast downward, refusing to meet Blake's gaze.

"Ilia! What are you doing?!" Blake screamed, struggling fiercely against the webbing.

"I tried to warn you, Blake," Ilia said, her voice shaking as she finally looked up, her skin flushing into defensive, angry hues of red and yellow.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me you're sorry!"

"But I am!" Ilia shouted back, desperation clawing at her throat.

"I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back!"

"Because we're trying to protect people?!" Blake shot back, her voice echoing with disbelief and raw fury.

"In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!"

"The same one as you!" Ilia screamed, her hands gripping her weapon tightly.

"There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There are the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there are the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate, Blake? Fear." Ilia leveled her weapon, pointing it directly at Blake's chest.

"I don't like hurting people. But I'll tell you this... it's gotten us results."

"Yeah, look where it's gotten you," Blake retorted, her amber eyes blazing. She stopped struggling against the webs, standing tall with an unshakeable, absolute conviction.

"You think power and fear are the only things that command respect, Ilia? You think Adam's way is the only way? I've seen true power. I know a man who can part the clouds and shatter mountains with a single, casual punch. He could rule the world through fear if he wanted to. But he doesn't." Blake's voice rang with absolute certainty.

"He wears a cheap yellow suit. He complains about the price of groceries. He saves lives just because it's a hobby, and he demands absolutely nothing in return! True strength doesn't need to terrorize people to get results, Ilia! Adam isn't strong. He's just a bully!" Ilia's eyes widened. She briefly pondered Blake's retort, the image of this impossible, humble god clashing violently with her radicalized worldview. But the indoctrination ran too deep.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, shrugging off the words. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good," Ilia said coldly, her skin returning to a slate gray.

"No matter how much it hurts."

"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?" Blake challenged.

"No," Ilia said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper.

"But getting rid of your family is." Blake's expression shattered. The defiant fire in her eyes was instantly replaced by a wide, paralyzing horror.

"You wouldn't!" Blake thrashed violently against the silk, raw terror gripping her heart.

"You can't! I won't let you!"

"I know," Ilia said softly.

"That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam." Tears pricked the corners of Blake's eyes as the horrifying reality of the coup settled over her. Adam wasn't just taking the White Fang. He was slaughtering the heart of Menagerie.

"Ilia, please!" Blake begged, struggling desperately to free her arms.

"You don't have to do this. This isn't you!" Ilia closed her eyes, shutting out the desperate pleas of her oldest friend. She had crossed the Rubicon. There was no going back.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Ilia whispered, her voice devoid of emotion.

"But Adam's order is absolute." She turned away, looking at the assembled assassins.

"Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks." Ilia and Yuma launched themselves onto the rooftops, disappearing into the night to join the assault on the Belladonna estate. The other two Faunus moved in, preparing to drag Blake away.

"Let's go, traitor," Trifa sneered, tugging sharply on the silk strand. But Blake planted her boots firmly into the dirt. She didn't budge an inch. Her panicked expression vanished, replaced by a sudden, razor-sharp tactical focus.

"Now!!" Blake shouted.

"Huh?" Trifa blinked. From the rooftops above, a golden blur plummeted from the sky.

"Surprise!" Sun Wukong yelled, dropping directly onto the Faunus operative standing next to Trifa, completely knocking him out cold beneath his boots. Trifa gasped, immediately drawing a jagged combat knife. Sun didn't miss a beat. He spun the staff form of Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang with blinding speed, flawlessly blocking Trifa's frantic, desperate slashes before stepping inside her guard and violently disarming her with a swift strike to the wrist. Freed from the tension of the webbing, Blake ripped her arms free.

She grabbed Trifa by the shoulder, spinning her around, and delivered a devastating, textbook right hook squarely to the spider Faunus's jaw. Trifa's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into the dirt, unconscious.

"Thanks for the backup," Blake panted, rolling her shoulder as she walked over to retrieve Gambol Shroud from the dirt.

"Thanks for the invitation," Sun grinned, resting his staff over his shoulders.

"You okay?" Blake secured her weapon to her back, her eyes burning with a frantic, terrifying urgency.

"No," Blake said, breaking into a dead sprint toward the exit of the alleyway.

"You heard Ilia. My family is in danger! Call the police and let's go!"

"Right!" Sun yelled, sprinting right beside her. Both of them ripped their Scrolls from their pockets. Blake frantically dialed her home, her thumb pressing the call button with desperate speed.

"Come on, Mom... pick up!" Blake whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs as the dial tone rang endlessly into the night.

Back at the Belladonna estate, the peaceful tranquility of the evening had been utterly obliterated. In the center of the elegant, paper-screened sitting room, Kali Belladonna's Scroll vibrated aggressively on a low wooden table. Blake's portrait flashed on the screen beneath the words BLAKE CALLING. The buzzing of the device was entirely drowned out by the deafening, staccato roar of automatic gunfire.

Suddenly, a stray bullet shattered a ceramic vase, and the low wooden table was violently kicked onto its side, serving as a makeshift barricade. Kali Belladonna and a Menagerie Guard ducked heavily behind the wood as splintering debris rained down upon them.

"Get down!" the guard yelled over the din. The guard popped up from behind the table, firing his rifle at the two masked White Fang soldiers advancing down the hallway. He managed to land a clean shot, dropping one of the insurgents, but a return volley caught him in the shoulder. The guard cried out, collapsing backward onto the tatami mats, incapacitated. Kali didn't scream. She didn't freeze. The matriarch of the Belladonna family reached forward, smoothly snatching the dropped pistol from the guard's limp hand.

With a fierce, terrifying maternal resolve, she popped over the barricade and began returning fire with absolute, lethal precision.

"Get out of my house!!" Kali roared, the pistol kicking violently in her grip.

"GHIRA!!" As a fresh volley of bullets tore through the paper screens, Kali was forced to duck back down, her heart pounding as the battle raged across her home. Meanwhile, in the grand entry hall of the estate, Ghira Belladonna was a one-man army. A White Fang operative lunged at the Chieftain, attempting a flying kick. Ghira didn't even flinch. He reached out, grabbing the operative by the ankle in mid-air, and brutally slammed him into the solid wooden wall, cracking the plaster.

Ghira ducked fluidly beneath a sword slash from a second trooper, pivoting on his heel. Another of his loyal guards managed to knock an insurgent out in a brief scuffle, clearing a path. Ghira turned his attention to the swordsman, delivering a devastating, bone-shaking punch directly to the man's diaphragm, followed by grabbing the back of his neck and slamming his head forcefully into the stone floor.

"Go find my wife!" Ghira commanded his surviving guard, his deep voice carrying over the chaos. Another White Fang troop charged blindly at Ghira with his fist drawn back. Ghira sidestepped, grabbing the man's wrist and delivering a brutal, paralyzing knife-hand strike to the side of his neck before tossing him aside like a ragdoll. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. A loyal guard threw himself in front of Ghira, taking the bullet meant for the Chieftain. The guard went limp.

Ghira caught the man's body, his face twisting in a profound, agonizing wince as he gently lowered his fallen comrade to the ground. Ghira rose to his full, towering height. He turned his head, a low, feral growl building deep within his chest. Standing on the opposite side of the entry hall, their weapons drawn and glowing with latent Dust energy, were Corsac and Fennec Albain. The two brothers looked entirely unbothered by the carnage, their white robes pristine amidst the destruction.

"I believe it's time our dear Chieftain stepped down, brother," Corsac said smoothly, a vile, arrogant smirk touching his lips.

"Yes, brother," Fennec agreed, gripping his dagger.

"I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree." Ghira's golden eyes narrowed into slits of pure, unadulterated fury. He reached up, tearing his heavy overcoat completely off his broad shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Sharp, lethal claws extended from his fingertips. He bared his fangs, releasing a feral, terrifying roar that shook the very foundations of the estate.

With blinding speed, Ghira leaped across the entry hall, using his claws to scale a wooden pillar before pouncing like a panther onto a nearby White Fang soldier, tearing him down. A female insurgent charged him with a spear, but Ghira caught the wooden shaft with his bare hands. Using his immense strength, he lifted her entirely off the ground and hurled her like a projectile directly into Fennec Albain, knocking the younger brother off his feet.

Corsac raised his weapon, the chamber glowing a volatile, burning red. Ghira snatched up the dropped spear, pulling his arm back to hurl it. Corsac fired a massive, superheated fireball just as Ghira threw the spear. The attacks crossed in mid-air. The fireball slammed into Ghira's chest, his Aura shimmering violently as it absorbed the blast, pushing him back a half-step.

But the spear flew true, piercing cleanly through the fabric of Corsac's hood and pinning the older Albain brother forcefully against the far wall.

"Brother!" Fennec yelled, scrambling back to his feet. Fennec activated his own weapon, the Dust chamber glowing a brilliant white. He slashed the air, conjuring a massive, concentrated gust of hurricane-force wind. Ghira brought his massive, muscled arms up to shield his face, his boots dragging backward across the floorboards as he braced against the gale. Seeing the Chieftain pinned by the wind, a White Fang soldier hiding behind a pillar raised his assault rifle, aiming directly at Ghira's exposed flank. CRASH!

The large stained-glass window behind the soldier shattered explosively. Sun Wukong burst through the rain of glass, his boots slamming squarely into the soldier's back and knocking him unconscious before he could pull the trigger. Corsac ripped his hood free from the spear, dropping back to the floor to join his brother. The two Albains locked eyes, executing a practiced, synchronized combination. Together, they unleashed a swirling, terrifying vortex of fire and wind aimed directly at Sun. Sun didn't flinch.

He stepped in front of Ghira, spinning Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang at blinding speed, creating a localized vacuum that flawlessly deflected the blazing tornado outward.

"Hurry!" Sun yelled over his shoulder. From the terrace above, the distinct, mechanical click of a new Dust cartridge being loaded into Gambol Shroud echoed through the hall. Corsac and Fennec looked up just in time to see Blake Belladonna leap from the second floor. She plummeted through the residual smoke and fire, executing a flawless, three-point Huntsman landing directly between the Albain brothers and her father. The brothers lunged, thrusting their daggers toward her. Blake remained perfectly calm.

She triggered her Semblance, leaving behind a solid clone crafted entirely of Ice Dust. The brothers' blades plunged into the freezing construct, their hands and weapons instantly flash-frozen and trapped within the solid block of ice. Blake leaped backward, landing safely beside her father and Sun.

"Dad! Where's Mom?" Blake demanded, her eyes frantic.

"I'm not sure. I got ambushed right away," Ghira grunted, his chest heaving as he kept his eyes on the struggling assassins. Blake started, raising her weapon.

"Once we take down Corsac and Fennec--""No," Ghira interrupted sharply.

"Go now."

"But--""You keep assuring me your friend isn't a complete waste of space!" Ghira barked, giving Sun a fierce, challenging glare.

"Let's see him prove it." Sun spun his staff, an arrogant, fearless grin spreading across his face.

"We got this, Blake. I've wanted to sock these creeps since the day we met!" Across the room, Corsac unleashed a torrent of Fire Dust from his weapon, rapidly melting the ice clone trapping their hands.

"You'll have to get in line," Ghira growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Blake, go!" Blake didn't hesitate. She turned and sprinted out of the entry hall, diving deeper into the sprawling, war-torn estate. Corsac and Fennec freed themselves, their robes dripping with melted water as they took up lethal stances.

"I won't let you down, sir!" Sun promised, stepping up beside the massive Chieftain.

"Shut up," Ghira grunted.

"You got it!" Sun grinned. Together, the monkey Faunus and the panther charged the treacherous brothers.

Blake burst into the estate's main forked hallway. She paused, her ears twitching. The muffled sounds of heavy impacts and gunfire echoed from the right. But her instincts, honed by years of running alongside the very people attacking her home, pulled her gaze down the shadowed left corridor. She sprinted down the left hall, pushing through a set of sliding doors into a large, expansive study room. Crouched silently atop the high wooden balcony railing overlooking the room was Ilia.

She was donning her bone-white Grimm mask, her posture coiled and ready to drop into the fray below. Hearing the door slide open, she paused, looking down. Blake stepped into the center of the room, her amber eyes locking onto the masked figure above. She shifted smoothly into a defensive stance. For a long, agonizing second, the two former friends simply stared at each other. The shared history, the years of survival, the ideological chasm that now separated them, it all hung heavily in the air.

Simultaneously, Blake's hand gripped the hilt of Gambol Shroud, and Ilia reached for the handle of Lightning Lash.