Getting a clear look at everyone inside, Neo took a good look at their souls via the help of Tearwyn. It would determine if she had to give the order to mercy kill them all or knock them all out. Fortunately and unfortunately, their souls showed Neo they could be saved. Their corruption hadn't affected their core and the darkness covering their souls could be reversed if the thing linked to them was dead. It was like they were being remote controlled but still operating with their personalities in tact, as twisted by the corruption as they were anyway.
"Blake, Scrungo. You know what to do. Non lethal mode" Neo gave out her order, hearing Blake sigh in relief.
Also Blake 3.0 had figured out that Blake was her from another Remnant after Neo's explanation. Though she was tempted to hit her head into a wall due to how obvious she found it afterwards.
"The rest of you? Non lethal but feel free to beat some sense into them" Neo stepped down the rubble, face to face with Grimmified Neopolitan.
"That's a pretty face you got there" Grimmified Neopolitan tilted her head and complimented.
"Back atcha. Or.. so I'd say, if I could see past that Tokyo Ghoul mask of yours" Neo responded with a shrug.
"Are.. Are they hitting on each other or..?" Ruby cut in, confused.
"Who gives a fuck!? I'm beating that bimbo's ass and fucking her to death!" Grimmverse Yang exclaimed, earning a look of confusion from Yang.
"Disperse and deal with your counterparts" Grimmverse Neopolitan ordered and they all followed, splitting off into different sections of Mt Glenn's interior while Fou and Blake faced the horde of Grimmified people, Velvet and Coco.
Neo watched as Grimm Neopolitan took out her living Grimm umbrella with moving tentacles and began circling her. Trying to taunt her, Neopolitan snickered and tilted her head.
"You must be thinking 'how will I beat her? We both know our moves before we make them'. Sadly for you, that's not the case. Aww.." Neopolitan taunted before seeing Neo grin.
"No, I was thinking of something. I already made the 'come together' joke a while ago. Oh! Here we go. The safe word for this fight is 'Go fuck yourself'" Neo replied with a wink, hearing Tearwyn's little cackle.
-Ruby-
Getting a decent distance from everyone else on her team, Ruby stared at her counterpart warily. Her scythe was a Grimm construct she could tell was a living being. It was no longer her baby, Crescent Rose. Apart from feeling that affront to her baby, she also felt pity. This Ruby was nervous and timid, like how she used to be. She figured it had something to do with her Yang and the corruption Neo taught them about. Both gripped their weapons and got ready, though Ruby thought to give talking a try.
"You don't need to do this. We don't have to fight.. What was done to you is horrible and I can't imagine having to go through it but-" She was interrupted by Grimm Ruby, who used her semblance to speed towards her and swing, both scythes locked as the Grimm Ruby snarled in anger.
"Are you taking pity on me!? You want to HELP me!? I cut off your legs, idiot!!" Using their semblances, they separated before Ruby blocked her counterpart's swing and kicked up at her head, which was blocked by Grimm Ruby's Grimm arm and her aura.
~Good, she has aura.. Which means I don't need to hold back~ Ruby thought before jumping over a vicious horizontal swipe from Grimm Ruby that left a clean cut in the rocky wall.
"It doesn't matter! I know this isn't you.." Ruby transformed Crescent Rose and fired at her counterpart, who was hit once while pursuing her before using her semblance and going right through her before deactivating it and swinging a decapitating strike at Ruby's neck.
Ruby held up the shaft to block but the power behind it threw her away, making her aura flicker. Ruby drove Crescent Rose's blade into the stone to slow her momentum and turn herself. Just in time, as Grimm Ruby came crashing down on her with considerable force. Ruby vaulted over her just in time to drive her heel into Grimm Ruby's face, making her spin back from the force. Not willing to waste an opportunity, Ruby utilized the training Neo gave them and used her semblance. But this time, using a considerable amount of concentration so Crescent Rose was still out as she became a mass of aura powered rose petals.
She hooked the scythe blade around Grimm Ruby's waist and sped up. Going up toward the ceiling, she deactivated her semblance and pulled Crescent Rose up, winding Ruby as the blade violently pulled her up in the air. Ruby then transformed it into its sniper configuration and shot her with a heavy amount of fire dust before they both crashed to the ground. Panting from the strenuous use of her semblance, Ruby looked over to her counterpart, who was in pain and holding her stomach, aura weakly flickering but still in tact.
"It's always me.. Me.. Me.. Me.. I always fail when it matters the most.." Grimm Ruby choked out as Ruby stood up with the help of Crescent Rose.
"What are you..-" Grimm Ruby hit the floor with an angry sob.
"I failed to stop Torchwick! I failed to stop Cinder! I failed to save Pyrrha! I failed to save Mantle! I failed to save my team! I keep.. failing.." Grimm Ruby cried, clutching her face.
"I deserve everything Yang gives me.. Because I failed.. If I fail here.. Salem will kill us all.. So I cannot.. fail.. here" Grimm Ruby stood back up with determined eyes.
"You failed? Ruby.. I learned this recently but if someone on your team fails? You all fail. It's not solely your burden to carry. Besides.. you heard my friend Neo, right? Non lethal" Ruby replied gently to the now confused Grimm Ruby.
"So what..? We always used to..." She stopped and started to think.
"We're going to save you. She said you weren't too far gone. We can save you if we kill Salem. So share your burden with us, okay?" Ruby asked, seeing the confusion and indecision build up on her counterpart's face.
"She-She can't be beat though.." Lowering her scythe, Grimm Ruby was approached by Ruby, who put her hand on her shoulder.
"She can and will be. We'll make sure of it" Grimm Ruby stared at her counterpart's shining silver eyes and lowered her scythe.
-Yang-
Getting to a sufficiently far enough location, Yang began to stretch, watching her counterpart and her freakishly big Grimm claw arm clench in anticipation. Deciding to take Neo's cue, she cut the tension.
"So fuck me to death eh? I didn't think I was that hardcore.. or narcissistic! Me? I'd much rather us gush about our sisters and you give up peacefully" Yang said with a small chuckle.
"Fuck that shit! I hate lookin' at your fucking face. I think I'll mess it up now.." Grimm Yang pulled her giant grimm claw back and took a beast-like sprinting stance before her arm flexed and she launched herself at Yang, whose eyes widened at the launch speed Grimm Yang had.
Yang jumped and tucked her legs in, jumping over her counterpart's attack before wrapping her legs around her head and using Grimm Yang's momentum to throw her in the opposite direction, giving her a mild case of whiplash. Yang landed steadily and breathed in while she chambered Ember Celica's rounds. Calmly, she watched as Grimm Yang furiously got back up, anger fueling her semblence along with the rather violent counter Yang gave her.
~The acrobatics Neo beat into me is super useful. I guess she knew I used to struggle against super acrobatic fighters. Well, that and..~ Yang bent her body back to avoid a clothesline, courtesy of her furious counterpart.
Not stopping there, Yang rolled forward to dodge a shot from whatever Grimm Yang substituted Ember Celica with. Slugs fired at her repeatedly as she maneuvered around the shots, using Ember Celica to make sharp turns and jumps as she moved toward her counterpart, swinging her fist at the eager Grimm Yang. Though a punch is not what she would receive. Yang's punch was a feint, though she used her momentum to spin on her heel and spin kick Grimm Yang right in her jaw while ducking her grimm arm at the same time.
Grimm Yang spun back and stumbled, growling in fury as her semblance roared to life.
"How.. How the fuck are you so calm!?" Grimm Yang shouted angrily.
"Calm huh.." Yang muttered, remembering back to their training.
-Four days prior, Emerald Forest-
Yang was laying on the grass, sweating while chugging a bottle of water Neo threw to her. After finishing the bottle, she sighed and looked over at her new friend.
"You sure this acrobatic stuff will help? It's just not really my style.." Yang asked, wiping her sweaty head.
"Considering you're going to fight yourself..? Yeah. The kind of brawler you are, plus the fact that the other Yang is Grimm.. which just means she has a hilariously short fuse, means that these acrobatics and calmer style of fighting will piss her off. You know I bet she's got all those anger issues you're portrayed to have in Abused and Neglected stories.." Neo muttered the last part, cringing and hearing Fou gag with Tearwyn nearby.
"The what..?" Yang asked incredulously.
"Ah nevermind.. It's important to piss her off and activate her semblance. It takes a lot out of you. Think of it like.. a fire that burns brightest, burns half as long as a controlled flame" Neo explained, seeing Yang slowly nod.
"Aside from the acrobatics and physical training, you're pretty good as you are, Yang. You're much more mature than the Yang I met. Just keep on practicing that emotional control" Neo then stood up and put her hand on Yang's head, smiling at her in assurance as Yang blanked before scratching her red cheeks with a happy grin.
"I'll do my best!"
-Mt Glenn-
Yang dodged another swipe from the enraged and fast Grimm Yang. Seeing her hit her peak of anger and power, she made her move. Yang activated her semblance and elbowed the wrist of her Grimm claw before shooting a barrage of shots at Grimm Yang and finishing it with a full powered uppercut that broke Grimm Yang's aura and sent her sprawled out on the cavern ground.
"Haah... Haah.. I'm calm, yeah.. But I'm mad too, you know. I'm mad I got my arm severed. I'm PISSED Ruby had her legs cut off! But even more so.. I'm livid that a version of me was subjected to.. this! You hurt your Ruby to vent out your own anger. You don't think before you lash out. I'm angry this is what became of me..!" Yang yelled the last part, seeing her counterpart move her human hand up to her face.
"It's not fair.." Yang heard a weak reply.
"No. But we can still fix this. You can still pull out of this. After all, you're me! And you'll get through this, no matter... Xiao-Long it takes!" Yang finished with a flashy grin, hearing her counterpart wheeze.
-Neo-
Neo and Neopolitan's fight had been unlike the others. That is to say, it was way more one sided. Grimm Neopolitan swung the Grimmified Hush at her for the eighteenth time, trying to catch or pierce her with its tentacles, something Neo always retorted to with a suggestive face. She used her semblance to try and sneak attack her, only to break the illusion Neo put up. Seeing the glass like semblance shatter in front of her, Grimm Neopolitan gnashed her teeth in anger while swinging behind her.
Only to be stopped by Neo, who was wielding Rhongomyniad while bouncing Tearwyn off her shoulders and head. Grimm Neopolitan had tried to hit the small Goddess but it was useless. Though Tearwyn made a game of it by 'dodging' her swings, even though they would phase right through her. After the seventh minute, her patience ran thin and she tried to stab Neo with Grimmified Hush, only for Neo to enter her Proxy form and dodge once again.
This time, she sat on Grimm Neopolitan's back and tapped her boot's heels together.
"So are you ready to say the safe word? I don't like beating up any Neo. Even if you do look like you fell into a radioactive vat of edgelords" Neo remarked, hearing Tearwyn snicker.
"Yeah why not give up? Neo's being awfully merciful to you guys after all~" Tearwyn encouraged her to give up, just in time to flip with Neo over the next attack.
"What the hell.. You can't be serious. Mercy? To creatures like us!? I've killed before all this but what we've done.." Grimm Neopolitan gripped her umbrella tighter with a snarl.
"Well, given that you were turned in Atlas, I'm pretty sure I know some things. The others, I can infer" Neo shrugged.
"No.. You're not me. You're some imposter.. What would you know!?" Grimm Neopolitan yelled in anger.
"Trivia Vanille. Awful family life. Parents sold you off, never showed you any real affection. You never really had a 'home' until Roman. I have the memories. It's just I happened to live them all in a second. Who I was before this and 'Neo' fused together. That's me" Neo stated, seeing her eyes widen.
"Roman was killed by-" Neo cut her off with a snort of disdain.
"You think RUBY, killed? The girl before the transformation? That fifteen year old cookie monster weapon junkie kid? You think she murdered him? You were right the first time, when you attacked Cinder. It was a Grimm who killed Roman. You want someone to blame? Blame Cinder and Salem, who coerced you into helping their attack in the first place" Neo said before her image shattered like glass, the real Neo landing a Kugi punch to Grimm Neopolitan's stomach and shattering her aura.
"I... I have nothing but this now.." Grimm Neopolitan tried to get up shakily.
"You have them, right? After all, you were turned against your will too. Nobody but Salem's to blame for the actions she made you do. Sit back and wait. I'll be killing her real soon" Neo caught Grimm Neopolitan as she stumbled, gently placing her on the ground.
"A..Ah.. yeah.. okay. Go fuck yourself then.." She giggled a little as she said.
Neo grinned and shot her a wink as she closed her eyes.
"Hehehe!! You already did though, didn't you?" Tearwyn asked, nudging Neo with her tails.
"Damn right I did"