46 Blood drenched sands part 2

(AN: Sorry for the more then a month of inactivity, my grades were getting danger low and I had to refrain from Internet altogether in order to not have the entire year go to waste. This will follow until the first half of December, when vacation should start.)

The truth of the matter is that people rarily ever look up when searching for something, that's why it is such an effective hiding spot.

Jaune is also taking advantage of the high ground to look for the best terrain to fight in.

Though just a few bandits don't warrant so much caution from him, he is more concerned about the interference of a third party at the end of the fight, something the Grimm in this parts have a certain tendency to do.

Fighting carelessly and using more resources than necessary could be fatal, so he has no other option than to disengage and look for a better opportunity.

Where he was standing was the rear of the caravan and it is too open since most of the carts were brought to the front to serve as a barricade and would only enable him to be surrounded and favor anyone with guns.

So he plans to begin his attack more towards the middle and front of the caravan where the carriage carts can act as cover for himself and limit how many angles he can be surrounded by.

So concentrating aura in his feet, he used the near instant acceleration of the flash-step combined with a muscular enhanced jump to hop between the top of the carriages.

It wasn't a quiet or elegant process as most of the carts had their tops indented with the force and there was some noise. But it didn't matter since he was gone before anyone could spot him.

Reaching there, he didn't waste much time and pounced right in, he already had enough holding himself back.

And the place where he landed was right on top of some unfortunate bandit.

*Thud*

Jaune landed with his feet in the man's back, forcing him to the ground face first. The impact clearly alerting anyone nearby and get them rushing in.

But it doesn't matter, he is now exactly where he wants to be.

But it seemed that this wasn't quite enough to take out the guy that was beneath his feet as he seemed to be confused but awake.

So Jaune directly stomped on his head to change that.

Then not far from there, sounds of many footsteps could be heard. The others nearby no doubt.

But thanks to the cover of the carriages, there wasn't a direct line of sight, forcing them to get close. Right where he wants them.

So turning towards where the sounds were coming from, he directly rushed towards it to deal with them quickly.

As the two sides approached each other, they became aware of the other's presence through the footsteps, though the bandits didn't know that it was the person they're looking for just yet.

Then there was just a carriage cart between them, the bandits attention was naturally on the corners where the person would most likely meet them from.

But Jaune didn't plan to take the obvious path and instead of slowing down when approaching the cart, he sped up and right before collision he slid down, passing beneath the cart and between the wheels.

Going out on the other side, he seized the momentum and rushed towards the closest enemy to capitalize in the enemy's surprise.

So in blinking speed he approached the first bandit and performed a horizontal cut to the stomach while maintaining himself on the move and going to the next target.

The bandit died very unceremoniously as he didn't have the time to do anything to defend himself.

But unlike the first one, the second one had the chance to try and block the attack coming its way. Though not very skilled, this bandits have experience to make up for it, so their survival instincts are quite passable.

And it's thanks to this that it managed to take a defensive stance, even if a clumsy one to try and block the attack coming from the 'blur' that suddenly appeared.

And noticing this, instead of slowing down to change the angle of attack, Jaune simply infused aura into the blade of Crocea Mors and extended the aura reinforcement from his legs to also his arms.

This made his intention quite clear, he would rather power through his opponent than give them time to organize themselves by slowing down.

As the two weapons collided, the outcome was completely one-sided as Crocea Mors, the ancient relic of the Arc family completely shattered the bandit's sword and sliced through his neck in a single motion.

His head rolled down from his neck, maintaining the same shocked expression he had when he died.

Then he turned towards the third and last member of this particular group. And what he saw was a gun pointed straight to him.

Most people would back off or try to break line of sight in this situation, and this would indeed be the prudent choice considering that there was still a considerable distance between them even when considering Jaune's speed.

But that's one of the many smaller advantages of having your aura unlocked, it allows one to be much more aggressive than it would be possible otherwise, which in turn creates many opportunities to end flights early.

So Jaune continued on the offensive, showing absolutely no fear or hesitation on the situation, something that he wouldn't be able to do in his past life, but after going in several Grimm hunting expeditions with his master, this isn't a big deal at all in comparison.

Seeing the opponent not only showing no fear but also approaching him at full speed, the bandit gunman became momentarily flustered and seeing his comrade's fates, he briefly entertained the idea of running away. But realizing that he couldn't outrun it no matter what, he reluctantly stood his ground.

He already sent a radio message to the others, all he needed was to wait for them to arrive.

But Jaune wasn't interested in dragging things on for longer than it was necessary and he knew how to best deal with ranged weapons.

So instead of approaching in a straight line, he constantly change his direction in a zigzag motions to throw off the opponent's aim.

This is because he knows that as he gets closer, tracking with the gunbarrel becomes harder as the it must move further to keep up with the target.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

And the gunman wasted no time letting it loose and opening fire. But fortunately all of the bullets went wide, his original lack of skill when combined with the nervousness and Jaune's evasive actions made him have no hope of hitting the target, even if it wasn't that far.

So as Jaune finally closed the distance to its target, the gunman tried once more to take aim but the barrel of the gun was slapped aside making all the shots hit the sand.

And with his free hand, Jaune held his sword in a reverse grip and sliced the opponent's knee, forcing him down to his knees and then finally stabbing him in the back of the neck.

The sword went through, severing the spine and leaving no chance for survival, then he pushed the body to free his weapon which left the body without issues due to the incredible sharpness.

But even with the enemies defeated, there was no time to relax as more had just arrived.

So he took off his scabbard and turned it into a shield, assuming a defensive stance as he calmly observed his opponents.

Thanks to his position near a cart, the enemies couldn't quite surround him and their position wasn't as advantageous as it seemed.

But the bandits themselves didn't quite seem to realize this and wasted no time gloating.

"Now you're surrounded! You won't escape so easily this time you rat." One of the bandits says, thinking that Jaune escaped before because he was scared

"Don't drag this on! You're the one that's going to suffer." One says, showing anger and a sadistic glint.

"You're alone boy, no matter how skilled you are, there's no future in which you win." One says grimly as he sees the bodies of his comrades on the sand, but he remained confident despite the fear deep inside.

But hearing this, Jaune just shows a small smile and retorts:

"Who said that I'm fighting alone?"

...

Meanwhile at another part of the ransacked caravan, many man could be seen converging to where Jaune was at.

But they suddenly came to an halt as they saw a few corpses littering the way.

They became a bit taken back, especially seeing that there were no calls about this one and there were almost no signs of conflict on the place.

Which means that they were killed without having a chance to fight back.

So all the man momentarily become alert and accept that there's more than one dangerous person on the loose.

So they momentarily give up going after the person reported in the radio and start searching for this new threat.

But they didn't get the chance to even start the search before the supposed culprit decides to show herself.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a small figure appears and starts walking towards them in a very leisure manner.

The face of this person couldn't be seen as there's a cloak covering it but considering the thin frame, they guessed that it was a girl about the same age as the other tourist that was described.

But what puzzled them, was that after calmly approaching them, the girl then proceeded to do a polite bow, as if expecting applause and praize for the 'work' they've seen just now.

But they didn't talk any nonsense, they now know how dangerous this person is, especially after getting to see all their comrades corpse's.

Compared to the other one, being able to kill a group without giving chance of resistance or making a call for help is even more frightening.

So they point their guns and prepare to directly kill this person, there's not the slightest idea of capturing something so dangerous.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

But as they open fire, another incredulous thing happens.

The figure started to crack along with a bit of the space near it, then with a sound of glass being shattered it was completely destroyed, revealing there to be nothing.

And at the same time, they heard a sound coming from behind them.

Turning back to look revealed the same figure that they saw before, but this time it held weapons that were stabbed onto two bandits that were in the back of the group.

Those weapons were a folded paper umbrella which was different from normal for having a sharp metallic tip at the end of it and the other hand held a slim straight blade with a simple handle and no cross guard.

Those weapons were each stabbed at the neck of the bandits in a precise way, their comrades could only watch as the victims faces changed to a look of horror as they caught up with what just happened.

With a graceful motion, the weapons were dislodged from the bandit's necks and the sword was then swung to release the blood drenched in it before being sheathed into the umbrella which had the metallic tip retreat into itself.

At that point, what she held truly looked like a completely normal umbrella, which was colored white with pink cherry blossom patterns on it. But now it had a third color in the form of a red stain from the blood it just spilled.

This scene invoked a weird mix of awe and fear as even in the oldest bandit's vast experience, this was the first time they saw someone with such skill despite having such a unassuming stature.

But that's because aura and semblance simply transcend what a normal person that haven't been exposed to it knows about combat, any prior knowledge and experience is thrown out the window when you have someone with unique powers.

But they didn't have much time to contemplate on what they just saw as the girl than unfolded the umbrella and with a twirl supported it on her shoulder.

This motion alerted the bandits that quickly resumed shooting towards that direction.

But the result didn't change at all from last time, so once the figure was shattered, all they could do is continue searching for the target.

"Damn it, another slippery one. How are we supposed to deal with it?"

"Do all brats come with aura this days? How come we stumbled into two while in the middle of nowhere?!"

"Doesn't matter, we need to corner and kill them regardless. We can't risk a real huntsman chasing us."

"Start looking around, but don't stray from the group, otherwise don't blame me if you're singled out and killed."

So not being able to ignore this threat that's targeting the reinforcements heading towards where the tourist was at, they resign themselves to start trying to lure her out from wherever she's hiding.

But they were so focused on their surroundings that they didn't even notice that their group was 1 man larger and this sudden inclusion is remarkably alike one the dead bodies they saw.

...

And what followed,was one of Neo's favorite 'games', pretending to be someone else while slowly picking apart a group of enemies.

Targeting the enemies psychology and breaking their cohesion while sowing fear and suspicion.

And one might imagine that not being able to talk would make this tactic almost completely impossible, but you don't really need to have amazing acting or social skills to do so.

Just disturbing their mentality and creating a situation that's not conducive to rational thinking is more than enough. Then you just need to wait for them to slip up and...

Then you make the pounce.

Take for example the 'little sheep' that just arrived, they're so focused on their surroundings that they've basically given Neo free reign to do as she pleases.

And unlike Jaune which does things effectively and to the point, she's not aversed to toying a bit with her prey, especially after resisting the boredom of the uneventful trip for days.

At first the desert was new and interesting, but after seeing nothing but desert for several days straight, she's gotten sick off it.

In that sense, the bandits arrived at just the perfect time.

But it's not like she's just playing around, Jaune gave her a task and she's not going to disappoint him.

So although the bandits did the smart thing in sticking close together, considering the difference of skill and having aura, this in the end of the day won't save them.

So after taking a good look at the gunman, which she was entrusted to deal with. She made a mental note of their numbers and location before pouncing into action once again.

This time, she targeted the ones that were at the center of the group rather than the ones in the back, since there is where she previously attacked from, so they will already be expecting her to appear there.

Unsheathing her blade, something that those around her couldn't perceive, instead just seeing a fellow bandit wearily looking around. She channeled her aura into it, creating a very eye-catching flowing effect that although pretty in contrast to Jaune's more static one, wasn't something very desirable.

Since that effect represents the aura leaking from the weapon it is being infused to, so the more flowing and agitated it is, the greater the waste of aura.

But that can't be helped, Jaune has started training his aura earlier than her and his aura reserves means that he can practice it for much longer than her, so naturally there's a gap between them.

But regardless, it is more than enough to do the job. Especially considering that she lacks the raw strength to easily cut through them even without it like Jaune.

So approaching the group center, she finally sprung into action and with a sound of shattered glass the illusion was broken as Neo leaped off of it.

And without being able to fight back, two more bandits were taken out with stabs to do their necks. But she didn't stop there and kept on going, immediately setting her sights on the next target and charging towards it.

With graceful movements and aid of aura, this only took a moment.

And with a leaping lunge, she closed the distance and delivered a fatal blow by stabbing the sword directly on the heart of the target, precisely avoiding the ribs.

The bandit which was so occupied with looking towards the surroundings had no resistance during the process. Only realizing his own death when it was too late.

So this pattern repeated itself, as Neo would use her semblance to blend in, find a vulnerable target and dispose of them before they had the chance to warn their comrades.

It was very much the same as she did to the previous groups that crossed paths with her. Only that this time she had to show herself, since this group was much bigger than the previous ones and she needed her threat to force them to stop heading towards where Jaune was at and search for her.

But unfortunately, things usually don't remain smooth sailing for very long.

"Aaaargh!" When taking out a bandit, she misses the fatal strike and as a result, he wails and ends up alerting his companions that all turn towards her.

This greatly annoyed her, but her head continued very clear and she proceeded to deal with the situation in a serious manner.

First she freed the blade from the wailing man's body by kicking it away, allowing the weapon to slide off without issue and giving back her freedom of movement, thankfully without needing to abandon her weapon thanks to despite being off target, it only hit soft tissue.

"Fuck! She's over there! Don't let her slip away!" And as expected, the scream from the victim alerted the ones In the vicinity and they in turn alerted the rest of the group.

So now that the cat was out the bag, all that was left is for her to fight, she could try to retreat and continue with the same strategy she's been using so far, but by now some of them must have started to understand her semblance so it would be much harder to continue.

Not to mention that it would take too long and she wants to finish with this group as soon as possible, so that she can intercept the next one before arriving at where Jaune is at.

She's going to make sure no reinforcement arrives there, at least from this direction.

So she reinforced the umbrella with her aura, hardening it to a great degree and dashed towards the next target using it as a shield.

And when a hail of bullets arrived, what followed was various clinking sounds as the bullets ricochet from the paper umbrella that toughness was comparable to steel after being reinforced with enough aura.

That combined with the natural curvature it has, makes it quite an effective shield against projectiles.

That allowed her to close the short distance completely unharmed.

And taking advantage of the situation, she pressed a button on the handle of the umbrella to reveal a spike at the tip of it and sped up while charging towards the opponent.

And thanks to the momentum and the aura that was still infused into the umbrella, the tip had no issues stabbing the bandit straight through the gut.

The opponent had no time to dodge as he was completely focused on shooting and took too long to realize that the very thin coverage of the umbrella couldn't be pierced by bullets.

Meanwhile, the opponents were helpless to do anything in response as they had wasted their ammo shooting at the umbrella and had to reload, something Neo has been keeping track of while approaching.

And she wouldn't let this mistake go unpunished.

Folding back the umbrella, she pulled the hidden sword out of it and left the umbrella itself stabbed into the corpse as she went on a rampage.

With her two hands free to wield the sword after her umbrella was 'left for someone to hold', her attacks were now stronger, faster and even more precise than before.

And she would use this in conjunction with her acrobatic talents to neutralize as many as she could in a short time frame.

But although the gunners were temporarily out of commission, she would have to get past a few wielding swords and machetes in order to get to them.

And one of them was already at striking range, raising his machete for a downwards swing, he tried to directly split her in two, confident that the difference in power and reach due to the height difference would carry him through.

But unfortunately for him, such thoughts would remain only on his fantasies.

Seeing the highly telegraphed attack and overcommitment of her opponent to it, she simply took a few steps backwards and let the attack completely miss, resulting the enemy's weapon only stirring sand.

And with a clear gap, she ran on top of the opponent's weapon and arm, getting her into easy reach of his vitals, which she used effortlessly cut the enemy's head as she jumped from him.

Then the next one and the one after, she would gracefully weave through them like a wind of death leaving corpse after corpse on her path.

But such smooth sailing never lasts long, and the gunman were ready to shoot after that brief pause.

But this didn't worry her,in fact, it actually gave her a devilish idea.

While the headless corpse of her last victim was yet to fall, she kicked off it, gaining impulse to reach the next target in a single leap.

And while approaching from the air, instead of getting her blade in position for the kill, she instead readied her legs for a non-lethal takedown for a change.

Clasping his neck between her legs and using her momentum to spin and throw her enemy into the ground.

She performed a flying scissor takedown and despite the tremendous weight difference, she managed to generate enough force to throw a fully grown man to the ground, something that would be inconceivable in a world without aura and the strength that it can give.

But this left the gunmen confused, as now she was on the ground and completely vulnerable after performing the move.

But they didn't think much and immediately shot towards the figure that had managed to roll a few meters away, but it was simply not enough.

But instead of the girl being filled with bloody holes, what they saw was various cracks forming around the figure and then it shattered to reveal a scene that was very different from what they expected.

To their horror, what they shot were a small group of their own men that had been concealed by an illusion.

The dying bandits looked at their killers in shock as they failed to understand why their allies suddenly turned their guns towards themselves rather than the enemy.

Ironically, their expressions were exactly the same as the caravan guards that were killed by them a few minutes prior.

And soon, from where they thought was the fallen bandit, the director of the bloody play stepped out, completely unharmed.

And this seemed to be the last straw, the mental hit that the scene just gave them combined with everything they saw till now was enough to break their will.

Most of the bandits decided they would rather risk death by the hands of their leader after running away than certain death at the hands of this...

Monster.

But what they failed to realized is that they just turned the situation from a fight to a slaughter, as the 'little sheep' turned their backs against the predator.

And for the few that stood their ground, their originally low chances of winning just plummeted with their allie's retreat.

So it was just a matter of dealing with the stragglers.

But what those bandits didn't know, was that while doing so, their killers mind didn't stay on them for even a moment, instead all she was thinking of was the praise and reward she would receive from Jaune after doing such a good job.

If they knew how little their lives were worth in her eyes in comparison to a head pat and a few words of praise, they would certainly die feeling even more miserable.

But at the end of it all, the outcome would remain the same, they all would die.

When the sand settled, she was the only person still standing.

And regarding the living bandit that Jaune requested...

She's sure that there's more out there.

So deciding that she would continue her work at a different location, she moved to retrieve the umbrella that was still embedded on the bandit's corpse before figuring out where the next wave of reinforcements would come.

Approaching the motionless bandit that had a pool of blood beneath him, she took back the sheath/umbrella and hid the blade inside it once again.

But as she turned her back and started thinking about the next targets, a sound of something shuffling in the sand and labored breathing could be heard behind her.

"*Cough* Fuck you...*Cough*"

Then a weak voice full of spite and revenge along with the pumping of a shotgun following that.

There is a saying that goes something like this:

'Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.'