Chapter 93: Disgraceful Night

The four kingdoms watched with anticipation, the events of last night still lingering in the back of their minds. But the thrill of the next match washed over the world like a wave. Tonight’s battle would be between two shining stars: the invincible girl, Pyrrha Nikos, and Atlas’s own Penny Polendina. It was a clash many had been waiting for, and the stadium trembled with the roar of the excited crowd.

The match opened with explosive energy, Pyrrha moved with grace and precision, her spear and shield dancing through the air, while Penny controlled effortlessly her dozen flying blades, the blades were swirling around her like a metallic storm, controlled by thin metal wires.

In the crowd, Amazo sat quietly, his face passive, but his eyes glowed faintly as he observed every movement, not just of the fighters, but of the audience. His systems scanned the entire arena.

Then he saw her.

Emerald, sitting among the spectators, her eyes locked on Pyrrha with an unnatural focus. Amazo’s eyes narrowed. His sensors read Pyrrha’s aura a sudden spike. Her expression shifted from confusion to fear.

Without hesitation, Amazo stood.

Pyrrha’s semblance flared. A powerful wave of magnetism burst out from her, unintentionally redirecting Penny’s swirling blades. The thin wires snapped, the blades hurtled toward Penny like deadly missiles.

But then, everything stopped.

In a flash, the blades shattered mid-air sliced, crushed, and disarmed all at once. Standing between Penny and Pyrrha was Amazo, calm and composed, shards of metal falling around him like snow.

Pyrrha froze in shock.

Penny’s wide eyes blinked. “Amazo? What are you doing here?”

Amazo glanced at her. “The blades and wires were about to destroy you. So I stepped in.”

Penny looked at the wreckage and nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

Pyrrha rushed toward them, horrified. “I
I didn’t mean to
 I don’t know what happened!...”

The three stood in the center of the arena, speaking quietly, but the stadium itself was engulfed in stunned silence. No one had ever seen a match interrupted like this. Whispers spread. Confusion churned through the crowd.

Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck, the commentators, tried to bring order back to the broadcast, but their voices were abruptly cut off.

Then, the giant display above the coliseum lit up, showing a black queen chess piece. A voice echoed through the stadium, Cinder Fall.

“Headmasters hold more power than most realize,” she began smoothly. “One of them commands not just a school, but the military as well. And now you ask, how are you safe? When students are taught to injure a downed opponent
 when another nearly kills her classmate?” Her voice darkened. “These are the students of Ozpin.”

But before she could continue, another voice rang out, light and familiar to many.

“Cindy! I’ve been looking for you! What are you doing all the way here?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Where there had been fear and tension, there was now a buzz of confusion
 and amusement. Some of the audience members knew that voice.

Ashborn.

Cinder’s voice snapped, “What are you doing here?!”

Ashborn’s reply came without missing a beat. “I heard from a certain White Fang terrorist that you were doing something fun tonight, so I came to check on you. What’s with the edgy speech, Cindy? Where did the nice Cindy go?”

“Don’t call me Cindy!” she hissed. “Leave before I burn you!”

“Ouch, that hurts!” Ashborn said with exaggerated offense. “Where did the kind and gentle Cindy go?... Ah I know, you must be possessed by a new type of Grimm! Don’t worry, Cindy. I have the perfect cure for you.”

Then the entire arena heard it: a loud, echoing slap.

Ashborn’s voice followed, triumphant. “I will slap the Grimm out of you!!! And the best part
 I know you like it kinky!!”

The arena exploded half in stunned laughter, half in bewilderment. Even those in power who knew what the black queen symbol meant didn’t know how to react’

The enraged voice of Cinder blared across the colosseum and every tv “I will kill you!”

SLAP!

Her voice faltered. “You
”

SLAP!

“You
”

SLAP!

“Will regret
”

SLAP!

The crowd grew numb. They sat motionless, stunned, as the sound of slaps echoed again and again. The woman who once radiated menace now sounded helpless, humiliated. Then came the rapid-fire slaps, one after another, and through them, Cinder's pleading voice could be heard:

“Stop
! Please
 stop
!”

Ashborn's voice rang again, smooth and collected.

“I knew it. Slapping the Grimm out of you was the best cure.”

A pause.

“But our terrorist night won’t end without addressing the terrorist leader of the White Fang, the one and only Adam Taurus.”

Another male voice snarled in fury. “You filthy human, I will fucking
”

SLAP!

Ashborn’s voice returned, now addressing the audience with mock enthusiasm.

“My dear audience, have you ever wondered how to correct the behavior of a terrorist and make him a productive part of society? It’s simple.”

SLAP!

“You slap them!” The words came with too much glee.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Adam Taurus’s angry screams turned into curses and then into muffled grunts. The slaps came in rhythm, a perverse orchestra of humiliation. The audience, professors, even Atlas soldiers, all who once tried to wrest back control, simply stood still and listened. The arena was silent save for the constant echoing of slaps and occasional pained groans.

Finally, the black queen image vanished from the display.

In its place appeared a feed, Cinder and Adam Taurus on their knees, their faces red, swollen, barely recognizable. Neither could speak, and Ashborn’s image was nowhere to be seen, though it was clear he was the one holding the camera.

Ashborn’s voice returned, tinged with mock disappointment.

“It’s really sad, you know. To see such talents fail so hard not just at being productive members of society, but even at being decent people. Hell, they can’t even succeed at terrorism.”

He turned his attention to Adam.

“Hey Adam, enlighten me. How does joining hands with humans to attack innocent civilians, including Faunus, and destroying lives help your cause for equality? I’m truly baffled by your logic and would love to understand.”

Adam groaned and said weakly, “Filthy
 racist humans like you should burn in hell
”

Ashborn laughed. “How rude! Look at Cindy next to you. Then look me in the eye and tell me I’m racist.”

There was a beat of silence.

“I made sure to give you the same treatment.”

Adam clenched his jaw, seething, about to speak again


Ashborn cut in.

“Speak out of turn, and I’ll slap you live this time.”

Adam fell silent instantly.

Ashborn chuckled, now gleeful.

“There you go, everyone! The terrorist of equality doesn’t recognize equality when he sees it. What did we learn today?”

Another pause.

“Slap them till they behave!”

He added cheerfully, “And besides that, Atlas’s robots know how to dance!”

The screen cut to a feed of Atlasian robots and paladins marching in the streets
 doing a bizarre, stupid-looking dance. Their limbs flailed in clumsy rhythm. Some spun. Some toppled. The visual was accompanied by ridiculous music and glowing effects.

Ashborn’s voice spoke once more.

“Ozpin
 the infiltration from a while ago? Yeah, that was to gain access to these fine dancers and help the White Fang attack Vale. Reflect on your mistakes and fix your security. And in my humble opinion, you should retire, you are too old”

He paused, letting that sink in.

“As for the rest of the audience, for all your trouble, enjoy this rare show of Atlas finest and most sophisticated robots dancing. And on your way out, feel free to take pictures of the half-naked White Fang members hung outside the colosseum. It’d be a shame if you didn’t capture the memories.”

The broadcast faded, replaced by a final message in yellow text:

‘Note 1: Yang Xiao Long was framed, she was tricked by a semblance that makes her see things not there. 

Note 2: In my power as the sole controller of the systems, I declare Penny Polendina the winner of tonight’s match.

Note 3: No non-terrorists were harmed in the making of this video.’

Then it returned to the dancing robots, now with even more absurd music, neon filters, and comedic sound effects layered in. The audience just stared. Dumbfounded. Speechless.

In the center of the arena, Penny blinked slowly and turned to Amazo.

“
Was that your father’s voice?”

Amazo nodded. “I was wondering what show he had planned tonight. I guess he was too bored”

Pyrrha and Penny remained frozen, wide-eyed, entirely at a loss for words.

___________

In the heart of the Atlas main airship, amidst the flickering lights and scattered weapons, Roman Torchwick stood tall. Around him, dozens of Atlas soldiers lay unconscious or groaning, sprawled across the floor like broken toys. Beside him, Neo twirled her parasol with a smirk, barely even winded from the fight.

Ashborn appeared beside them. Roman didn’t flinch.

Ashborn looked around at the scene, his gaze lingering on the pile of defeated soldiers. “So,” he asked, voice calm, “how was the show?”

Roman burst out laughing. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect!” He gave a dramatic bow. “Bravo! Encore! I haven’t laughed like that in years.”

Neo gave a thumbs-up, her expression gleaming with amusement.

Roman added, “It’s just a damn pity those two assholes and the other two annoying brats aren’t hanging up there with the rest of the White Fang morons.”

Ashborn raised an eyebrow. “Then,” he said smoothly, “I shall make your night perfect. Check this.”

He handed Roman a scroll.

The criminal mastermind snatched it eagerly, Neo peeking over his shoulder. The screen lit up and there they were.

Cinder Fall. Adam Taurus. Mercury Black. Emerald Sustrai.

Hung up in their underwear. Bruised, swollen, and unconscious strung up beside the other humiliated White Fang members outside the coliseum. Every single one of them looked like they'd been through a hurricane of slaps.

Roman stared.

Neo’s eyes sparkled.

Ashborn crossed his arms, a smug grin tugging at his lips. “Fine sir, you underestimated my ability to slap them for life.”

Roman broke into raucous laughter, nearly doubling over. “Oh gods, I take it back. It was not perfect, this is perfect.”

Neo gave a theatrical slow clap.

Ashborn chuckled softly.

And with a flick of his hand, shadows swirled around them and the trio vanished from the airship, leaving behind a room full of unconscious soldiers and one unforgettable night of disgrace.