[7/3 (Wednesday) - Early Morning]
[Zone 8 (Commercial) — Docks]
And now, he was out of Garu Gems.
Switching back to Hua Po to gain the Nullification trait for Fire Attacks, he bit the inside of his cheek to keep the migraine that was flaring up from overwhelming him as flames washed harmlessly over his form.
Even with the elemental Nullifications provided by his Personas, constantly switching to a different Persona every few seconds was beginning to strain his psyche.
"It has been wounded considerably, Wanderer," Mary interjected through their connection. "Just a little more to go. You can do this!"
Breathing heavily, he once again switched to Jack Frost, changing his Nullification trait to Ice just as another barrage of hail descended upon him.
What can he even do at this point?
He had tried using the opposite element whenever the Asinious launched a particular elemental attack, and while those attacks managed to deal some damage, they were neither Resisted nor Weak. The damage was mediocre at best.
Only Wind had proven capable of dealing truly significant damage.
Was every Shadow going to be this difficult? Clerval silently wondered as he switched back to Oberon.
If the first "major boss" of the floor was this tedious yet seemingly impossible to defeat, what about the final floor?
The thought made his heart sink.
Only for a moment, though.
He shoved the thought to the back of his mind and refocused on the battle.
Hitting its Weakness had managed to bring the Asinious's advance toward Vale's docks to a halt, but without any more Gems of the Wind element, it had started moving forward again.
He had to defeat this Shadow before it reached the harbor.
Otherwise, there was no telling how much havoc it would wreak throughout Vale.
He had tried summoning two Personas simultaneously—one to Nullify the incoming elemental attack and another to strike back.
While Fortuna's Garu was every bit as powerful as a Garula Gem, the strain of maintaining two Personas at once only made the migraine feel like his skull was splitting apart.
Even supercharging the Wind Dust he had borrowed from Weiss's reserves with his Aura did nothing to the Shadow. It seemed that the Asinious could only be harmed by attacks from his Personas.
... He needed teammates.
The thought abruptly flickered through his mind.
Teammates who possessed the same powers as him.
"GET DOWN!"
Mary's scream snapped him back to reality as he threw himself onto the floor.
A split second later, a ray of fire shot from the Asinious's eyes, cleaving through the exact spot where he had been standing.
Shaking his head as he fought through the splitting pain in his skull, Clerval switched his mask to the ancient tree spirit of old, Hua Po, to protect himself from the Asinious's flames, his mind racing for a solution.
============================================
Heaving for breath, Clerval wiped the blood that had seeped from his nose as he coughed uncontrollably.
Asinious the Zero was now at the edge of the docks, its massive form slowly lifting itself from the water as it prepared to pull itself onto Vale.
He was too late.
Even after ten minutes of struggling, he hadn't done enough.
At that moment, the barrier surrounding them suddenly shattered.
It took the people outside a moment to realize that the massive Grimm, which had initially been far from the shore, was now right in front of them.
All hell broke loose.
Civilians screamed and cried in pure terror, scrambling over one another as panic swept through the crowd.
Policemen from the department immediately tried to usher the civilians to safety, desperately calling for them to remain calm, yet their attempts were quickly drowned out by the chaos.
The Hunters, however, reacted instantly.
The moment the massive Grimm emerged from the shattered barrier, they sprang into action, weapons drawn and combat cries ringing through the air as they moved to defend their Kingdom.
Seeing the sudden response from the Hunters, Clerval limped away from the Asinious's attack range before eventually collapsing to the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath.
For the first time in ten minutes, he had a moment to breathe.
The Shadow's attention was now split between fighting Vale's Huntsmen and Huntresses and attempting to take another step toward the heart of the Kingdom.
J-Just a quick break.
"We need a medic here!"
His eyes shot open just as he was about to close them, and he tilted his head toward the source of the voice.
"N-No..." he muttered.
A pair of footsteps hurried toward him, followed by the frantic voice of one of the nearby emergency responders.
"Hey! We've got an injured Huntsman over here! Get a medic!"
He forced himself upright, one hand pressing against his temple as he waved dismissively, albeit weakly.
Dust-infused attacks were ineffective against the Shadow for some reason.
"I'm fine."
"Fine? You're bleeding!"
Clerval simply ignored them, reaching into his utility belt and shoving a pinch of Snuff Soul into his mouth while his other hand crushed a whole Bead.
The bitter taste barely registered before its effects took hold, a surge of energy rushing through him as his depleted Health and Spirit were instantly replenished.
He exhaled slowly, the ringing in his head lessening slightly.
With the barrier down and the Asinious distracted, finding the best angle to hit the Shadow from afar was his main priority.
============================================
"Damn, nothing is working!"
"Get down; it's using fire again!"
"Wayde! You cursed Grimm—die!"
Pulling the injured Huntsmen back with her Telekinesis while directing the offensive, Glynda Goodwitch panted as she felt her Aura reserves rapidly depleting.
Her strongest attack, even when augmented with military-grade Dust, hadn't left so much as a scratch.
But attacks infused with Aura had worked—barely.
Hunters with Aura-enhancing Semblances were already on the front lines, but this was simply ridiculous.
Rays of fire that could be felt even through their Aura.
Hail that could dent and pierce through steel.
And a devastating, large-area Lightning Attack that could paralyze them for a split second.
"So this is the power of magic..."
The phenomenon had been designated as Black Magic, but to think that Amber possessed this much potential...
VRRRRRYYYYYYNNNN!
It happened in a flash.
A high-pitched ring screeched through the air before a violent gust of wind erupted from the Grimm's face, sharp and aggressive currents slicing into its body with the force of a hurricane.
The force blasted the Grimm back a few steps.
That attack actually damaged the creature of darkness?!
"Who fired that shot?!" she yelled, her eyes darting across the battlefield in search of whoever had launched the attack.
"Up above!" a Hunter yelled, pointing toward the rooftops.
Her head snapped in that direction.
A lone figure stood atop a nearby building, silhouetted against the night sky.
Then, familiar shards of velvet-blue glass suddenly shattered beside the figure's head.
They glittered in the air for a brief moment before a being began to materialize behind him.
"Fortuna?"
Glynda gasped as recognition struck her.
She knew that Persona.
It was one of the strange summons belonging to her student.
Clerval Grayson?!
But that was impossible.
Beacon was under lockdown!
Green gusts of wind coalesced within the summon's hands before firing outward with the same high-frequency screech, slamming into the Grimm and once again tearing into its form.
Roaring in rage, it spasmed uncontrollably as fire, ice, and lightning rained down across the docks at once, desperately trying to kill the only thing standing in its way.
Yet the green winds intensified.
While Fortuna continued bombarding the Grimm with relentless Wind Attacks, another summoned being materialized beside her.
Then another.
And another.
A rapid succession of Personas cycled into existence around the mysterious figure, each appearing for only a brief moment before vanishing, their abilities continuously bolstering Fortuna and increasing the damage output of her attacks.
Wind Attacks that fired out like bullets from a rotary machine gun continued to hammer into the helpless Grimm as it desperately tried to retaliate.
============================================
At 00:26 hours, approximately twenty-six minutes after the initial sighting of the large Grimm threatening the safety of the Kingdom of Vale, the Alpha Grimm, designated Reversed Zero, was confirmed neutralized.
The individual responsible for its elimination remains completely unidentified. The entity departed the area shortly after Reversed Zero was neutralized.
Available personnel were instructed to pursue the unidentified entity. However, all pursuit efforts proved unsuccessful, as the individual disappeared without a trace shortly after leaving the immediate area. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
Identity: Unknown.
Affiliation: Unknown.
Method of engagement: Unknown.
Current whereabouts: Unknown.
A person of interest has been identified as Clerval Grayson, ward and student of Beacon Academy. However, his involvement could not be substantiated, as his alibi was supported by multiple witnesses and corroborating evidence.
...
Report concluded.
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FIRST DAWN...
[VANQUISHED]
...
TIME TILL THE SECOND DAWN...
[?D : ?H : ?M : ?S]
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A/N: Sorry for the wait! I'm terribly sick right now, have been since Wednesday.
A/N (2):I really wanted to show the stark contrast. Usually Clerval has always fought and won against Shadows, but this time I wanted to make him lose, especially with lives at stake.
Even if he won this time, there may not be a next time.
That means one thing... Upgrades, people!
P.S. One more paid member to get another bonus chapter!
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