The New Rose

Chapter 34: Friends and Demons

"Die"

Those cold words rang through Ruby's head on repeat as she looked down upon the quivering mess that was Cardin Winchester, held down by her heel digging into his chest. She drowned out his pleas for mercy, she ignored the gasps of terror the crowd was giving off from her actions, she even ignored her own soul screaming at her to end this brutality.

"No." She whispered.

The words echoing in her head kept pushing her spirit. She despised this boy; he mocked her for her losses and now he needed to know how much despair one could feel. Ruby gave a menacing stare to Cardin, one screaming death to the frightened teen as she raised her scythe. He had quickly passed out from the shock, his pupils blank white, but she didn't notice as was focusing on something other than his face, his left arm.

Positioning her Scythe above her head as she gripped it tightly, Ruby took note of the straight red line of blood she had previously cut on his good hand, the other still trembling from the hole her blade put in it. She felt sick to her stomach as it reminded her of her own scars. But with that discomfort came only further rage, she just had to make him pay and know her pain even more now.

"Die Bastard!"

No longer able to think of anything else, Ruby gave into the dark suggestion that whispered in her ear and aimed her scythe straight for Cardin's head. Yang's eyes widened as she realized what she was about to do. She couldn't let Ruby go down that path, even if Cardin seemed like he deserved it at times.

"Weiss! Gravity Glyph now!" Yang hollered frantically to the heiress who was so startled she almost dropped her saber in fright before complying, inserting the dust crystal and waiving it in the air.

Yang jumped on Blake's clasped hands as they supported her jump onto the midair black glyph as it propelled Yang towards her cousin, who had just swung her Scythe, ready to strike the final blow. She was so focused on the act she failed to even hear her own cousin's cry and presence heading towards her in the arena.

"RUBY STOP PLEASE!" Yang cried as the force of a freight train rammed into Ruby's back, making her drop her scythe as her cousin put her in a full nelson to her shock.

This was nothing compared to Glynda Goodwitch's shock as she saw the scythe's curved blade landed right next to his head, inches away in fact. Her hand trembled as it gripped riding crop, still at her waist. She was about to pull it out sooner to stop Miss Rose as she had just won, but that glare, that sheer bloodlust she sensed that was just like Raven Branwen's….it froze her with fear.

"Ugh…Oh! The winner is….R-Ruby Rose of Team RWBY. Miss Rose and Xiao Long, please exit the arena!" Glynda nervously yelled as she ran up to check on Cardin and the rest of his fallen team.

She quickly called a medic for their wounds, noting out loud to one medic they were severe. Ruby's mind echoed each wound in detail on repeat in her head, ranging from fractured shoulder blades, severe lacerations, and internal bleeding!

"D-Did I…really do all this?" Ruby thought fearfully as she eyed the unconscious and severely wounded team CRDL before her. She completely ignored her cousin's calm grip on her shoulders and her soft attempts to coax her, but she did hear something horrible instead of even her own heads echoes.

"MURDERER!" A man in the crowd cried, making Ruby jolt as she darted her head towards the stand as some in the crowd roared in unison following the man's angry rant.

"GET OFF THE STAGE!" Another man cried with rage.

More people began to roar at Ruby as she clasped her head, breathing frantically with each insult and roar she heard. Yang did her best to coax her to walk with her, but Ruby just stood there firmly like a statue.