"Team RWBY, Penny and Jaune vs. Cinder and Neo" is a battle that takes place in "Worthy" of Volume 8 where Cinder Fall and Neopolitan attack Team RWBY in the midst of evacuating Atlas and Mantle, with Penny Polendina and Jaune Arc eventually intervening.
Preceding Events[]
Team RWBY employed the Staff of Creation to create a mystical evacuation station to help everyone escape from Atlas and Mantle, following their defeat of Ironwood. As people began to realize the meaning behind the mysterious portals that manifested everywhere, Cinder Fall, Arthur Watts and Neopolitan made their move: Cinder reaffirmed her alliance with Neopolitan and used the final question of the Lamp to know Ruby's plan for saving Atlas and Mantle. The three then decimated an Atlas facility: just as Jaune Arc attempted to broadcast a warning, Watts interrupted the transmission. Cinder and Neo entered the Evacuation site and split up. As civilians made their way towards the exit, Cinder caused a massive explosion, sending dozens of civilians tumbling off one of the platforms.
The Fight[]
Team RWBY headed down one of the walkways to find the source of the explosion, dissuading Penny from engaging. Cinder Fall spotted them and headed towards them as Ruby used her semblance on her partners to speed off and narrowly avoided a firewall created by Cinder as she landed in a platform. Cinder then mocked Ruby for having known her plan, causing Ruby to launch herself at Cinder with a recoil.
All four members engaged Cinder in a close quarters attack, assaulting her by performing a serious of alternating sliding maneuvers and attacks. Despite their speed, Cinder was able evade or deflect the attacks. She then conjured a set of swords and stabbed the platform, triggering a fiery tornado to lift her upwards. While boldly commenting on Ruby's plan, a civilian with a briefcase approached Ruby. Out of the corner of her eyes, Yang noticed Neo drop her Semblance on her weapon and rush at her sister. With little reaction time, Yang instantly activated her Semblance and launched herself towards Ruby.
Neopolitan's attack broke Yang's Aura and caused her to tumble off the platform. Blake attempted to use Gambol Shroud to grab her leg, only for the weapon to miss by inches, leading to Yang to fall into the void, with no indication of her survival.
Despite her shock of the situation, Ruby was unable to linger on it, as Neopolitan viciously assaulted her. In rage, Blake attempted to land an attack, only to shatter an illusion. As Weiss engaged Cinder, Blake ran towards Ruby and Neopolitan, who were in a walkway.
Cinder shot waves of fire at Weiss, who used her Glyphs to outmaneuver her and block them, causing them to burn away. As she blocked another attack, Penny, who noticed the commotion, propelled herself at Cinder and landed a punch on her, despite Weiss' objections. Penny instinctively attempted to ready her weapon, which she no longer had in her human form. Cinder used a fire blast as she was distracted, causing Penny to land in a platform. Landing on her feet, Penny used her Maiden magic to create a stone like replicate of her swords and flew to Cinder, clashing weapons.
Meanwhile, Weiss slid on her Glyphs to a higher platform and attempted to aid Penny by conjuring a gravity glyph on Cinder, who burned it away. Spotting her, Cinder launched a series of glass projectiles at her. Weiss summoned her Arma Gigas' sword to block the projectiles, only for Cinder to use the embedded debris as bombs. As she was launched into the sky, Weiss rooted herself in mid-air with another Gravity glyph, exhausted. Penny and Cinder then continued their aerial combat.
Elsewhere, Blake became conflicted over helping Ruby against Neo or go and help Weiss and Penny against Cinder.
Though Penny continued battling Cinder, she was less experienced with her Maiden powers, and no longer had the enhanced abilities or Aura of her former android body; as a result, Cinder held the initiative and landed several blows on her. Weiss used a Summon of a Queen Lancer to rescue Penny from Cinder's Shadow Hand. Penny tried to convince Weiss to leave her to handle Cinder, as the latter destroyed the construct, causing them to crash in a platform. There, she offered herself as a sacrifice, but Cinder retorted that she wanted both the Relics and the Maiden's powers. Right as Cinder attempted to attack Penny, Blake launched herself at the Maiden, kicking her aside, giving Weiss time to recover and instead go help Ruby.
Meanwhile, as Neo and Ruby fight, the former eventually kicks Ruby to the ground, causing her Aura to flicker. Neo slowly approaches Ruby threateningly. However, Weiss slides in using her glyphs, intervening by using the Staff to knock Neo through a portal. Cinder notices this, and angrily launches flame torrents to hold back Penny and Blake. Cinder than kicks Blake off the platform. As Penny is distracted while saving Blake, Weiss helps Ruby back up. Cinder notices, and uses her Semblance to superheat the ground beneath Ruby and Weiss. The latter notices this and pushes Ruby back, simultaneously shoving the Staff into her hands.
An explosion goes off, knocking Ruby back. Weiss is launched up into the air before landing hard on the ground, her Aura breaking in the process. Suddenly, Neo reappears. She trades blows with Ruby, managing to snatch away the Staff as she knocks her off the platform. Ruby manages to land on one of the walkways, but helplessly watches Crescent Rose slide over the edge.
Ruby spreads her arms wide, offering herself as a target. She tells Neo that she hopes whatever the criminal wanted was worth it, as Neo extends Hush's blade to go for the kill. She lunges, but Ruby deliberately falls backward before the blade can hit her; she then uses her Semblance to circle under the path, come up behind Neo and attack her from behind, disarming her and knocking her over the edge. Ruby tries to catch the Staff, but Cinder launches a fire blast into her back, breaking her Aura and knocking her off the path. Ruby catches onto Neo's ankle, the former hanging from the edge of the path. Cinder grabs the Staff and approaches them. Neo reaches out to her, but Cinder's Grimm arm reaches past, grabbing the Lamp from Neo’s belt, declaring that Neo should never have threatened her.
Neo looks up at her in anger as Cinder kicks Hush into the abyss. Cinder's smirk turns to a glare as she turns toward Ruby, who starts to activate her Silver Eyes. Saying that Ruby should never have been born, Cinder uses the Staff to smash Neo’s hand, causing her to lose her grip and fall. Ruby starts to fall with her.
Penny flies in carrying Blake. Blake is thrown forward as Penny is knocked back by Cinder’s fireball. Blake manages to grab Ruby. She uses Gambol Shroud to hook onto the platform. The two try to swing back up, but Cinder launches another fire jet that burns through Gambol Shroud’s ribbon. Ruby and Blake fall and disappear into the abyss. Penny looks on, distraught.
Cinder prepares to attack Penny again, but is struck by Dust rounds. Weiss holds Gambol Shroud in its pistol form, firing shots at Cinder as tears stream down her face. Jaune parachutes to Nora. They shake hands as Nora heads through the Vacuo portal. Weiss is seen getting knocked back as Cinder hovers above her. Cinder spews a fire breath attack, but Penny flies in and blocks the attack with her Maiden swords.
Cinder tries to attack again, but Jaune arrives and knocks her back using the gravity Dust in Crocea Mors’ shield. Jaune, Penny, and Weiss (dual wielding Myrtenaster and Gambol Shroud’s katana), ready themselves to face Cinder again. Cinder gets back up, but suddenly her Grimm arm starts to act up.
Cinder creates a shockwave to knock the trio of teens back, and then launches two flame swords that Penny blocks easily. Suddenly, Cinder creates flames in a V shape, separating Jaune, Penny and Weiss. Penny looks to her friends, but suddenly screams out in pain. She looks down and notices Cinder’s Grimm arm impaling her chest and starting to drain her Maiden powers. Penny notices Weiss jumping in to fight Cinder again before falling over. She starts to lose consciousness from blood loss. Jaune comes into her view.
As Cinder and Weiss battle, Penny begs Jaune to kill her to avoid the powers from transferring to Cinder. Jaune draws his sword, his tormented expression reflected on the blade. Cinder knocks away Gambol Shroud and Weiss watches it fall into the abyss, before being knocked to the ground by Cinder. Cinder prepares to finish Weiss, but freezes when she hears Jaune scream out in anguish, her expression shocked. Jaune is seen standing over Penny’s body as his tears drip to the floor. Her blood drips from his crimson-stained blade.
Back in the pocket dimension, Cinder angrily launches herself forward to Jaune. He pushes her back with gravity Dust. She conjures a flaming sword and charges Jaune again. Jaune extends Crocea Mors to parry her swing, but the force of Cinder's attack shatters his blade. Jaune looks at his broken weapon in shock, before he is knocked to the ground. Cinder advances on him, asking him where the powers went in a rage.
Aftermath[]
The fight continues as Winter arrives on the scene; the Maiden powers having transferred to her.
Image Gallery[]
Worthy[]
The Final Word[]
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