Corsac wants to burn down the Belladonna household

The Albain brothers had the opportunity to run- which would have been the smart choice. Corsac however wanted to send a message. His ego was wounded after Blake hounded down on him. The Belladonna family has been a thorn in the side of the White Fang's objectives for too long! If he couldn't eliminate Blake tonight, he could at least snuff out her parents.

Corsac was outside the Belladonna household. Why not take a shot? Corsac draws his inferno dagger and aims at the Belladonna household.

"Brother no!" Fennec shouts, putting Corsac's hand down.

"The Belladonna's must pay for bringing us down at every step we try to make!" Corsac responds.

"The mission is over. We're done here!"

"Do you plan on explaining to Adam that we accomplished nothing tonight?"

"This is one battle. We are at war with humanity! Let us regroup and cut our losses."

"The Belladonna family's home is right there!"

"They will know we are coming! Three operatives have been caught!"

Corsac ignores Fennec's call for caution and prepares to launch a plume of fire at the Belladonna household. Before the plume is unleashed, Fennec reaches for Corsac's arm. The blast roars through the dead of the night, hurtling towards the Belladonna's household. It can be heard by Blake and Ilia in alleyways far away. Citizens of Menagerie wake up in fright.

Corsac and Fennec tussle for control of the inferno dagger. Fennec tries to aim the inferno dagger towards the sky to avoid any further damage. Corsac tries to wrestle his dagger away from Fennec so he can torch the Belladonna's household. Their team of subordinates begin shouting at them to turn off the dagger! Trees surrounding them catch ablaze. Some White Fang members are **** to duck and cover.

Corsac keeps his thumb thoroughly pressed against the button to unleash more flames until he accidentally sets one of his own subordinates on fire.

A blood curdling scream echoes through the night. The Albain brothers freeze as one of their operatives falls to the ground, rolling to put themselves out. The remainder of their squad flocks to their aid, throwing off their robes to fan out the fire. However, an unstable dust cartridge in the burning operative's pocket is exposed to the flames. It explodes!

Corsac and Fennec are sent flying back. The operative which they so needlessly harmed has put out of their agony, along with everyone else in the team the Albain brothers brought to **** Kali and Ghira. The bodies of their trusted subordinates are scattered to the wind.

The fire in the trees is spreading rapidly towards the homes of more civilians. Everyone in Menagerie must be awake now if they weren't woken up before the explosion.

The Albain brothers rise to their feet slowly. The ringing in their ears muffled the screams of panic from innocents that have awoken to a catastrophe.

"What have you done..." Fennec utters solemnly.

Corsac looks to his brother and sees that he has become pale as a ghost. Rather than admitting to his mistakes, Corsac chooses to double down.

"We should burn this whole place to the ground! Menagerie spoke of building a militia to stand against us! We ought to make an example of them all!" Corsac barks.

"We don't have time for this!" Fennec rebuttals.

"Then let the fire do its job! We can leave now!" Corsac shouts.

Fennec shakes his head. He is first to run away from the scene. Corsac follows. There is too much chaos for people to realise they were responsible for the fire. Members of the Menagerie guard run past them, including Sun Wukong. Their priority is to address the immediate threat of the fire.

With how much ground they cover through Menagerie, Corsac is convinced they may actually get away with ****. Sure, he will never be able to show his face in Menagerie again. But he didn't care! Blake and Ilia were the only people on the island that knew they were the culprits. So long as they didn't bump into them, the Albain brothers could escape scot-free.

There was only one wrinkle in the Albain brother's plan for escape- Ilia knew exactly where the airship that brought the White Fang insurgents was.

If she ran to the Belladonna's household in response to the explosion, she would likely have missed the Albain brothers. Instead, Ilia and Blake ran in the direction of the White Fang airship.

Blake called Ghira after she heard the initial blast of fire. He, Kali and their house guards escaped their home unharmed. Rather than running home to check on him, Ghira told Blake to find the culprit no matter what.

"Do not let them escape the island! cough cough You don't have to worry about me! They could be using this attack to lure you in. Block their means of escape. You can do this! I believe in you!" Ghira orders while shuffling through his burning home.

The Albain brothers find Ilia and Blake waiting at the most direct path out of Kuo Kuana towards their airship. Blake spots from a mile away.

Fennec shakes with fear, ready to run back in the opposite direction. Corsac on the other hand activates his inferno dagger to engage Ilia and Blake as they charge forward.

Once they are within range of his attacks, he launches a fireball large enough to engulf them both. They dodge both, flanking to the left and right.

Fennec is reluctantly **** into battle- he draws his cyclone dagger, sending a slashes of wind towards Ilia. Corsac focuses his attacks at Blake on the right, sending his own sequence of flame slashes at her.

Ilia weaves through Fennec's attacks, threading the needle to close the distance between them quickly.

Blake avoids the first two flame slashes but sees that Corsac's attacks are hitting buildings behind her when she dodges.

Blake is **** to parry Corsac's attacks to prevent his recklessness causing any further collateral damage. They use ice dust to neutralize his flame slashes. However, her supply is limited. She cannot play defence forever. Blake needs to end this fight quickly.

Blake switches her cylinder to rock dust and strikes the ground with an upwards slash. A stone wall blocks Corsac's attack while sending rock projectiles at him. Corsac commando rolls out of the way. Blake runs out from her cover, sprinting to take the fight to him. Corsac rushes forward to meet her in close quarters combat.

Corsac launches another flame slash as they near a clash, hoping to catch Blake by surprise. Blake uses her semblance to create a stone copy in her place to tank the hit while she leaps up.

Blake comes down with an overhead slash empowered by rock dust and Corsac's inferno dagger swirls with fire as he swings at them. Their blades clash with a burst of colour and energy! The earth around Corsac cracks! The air surrounding Blake bakes with orange streams!

Their blades slip past each other. Corsac's inferno dagger sends a flamethrower towards the skies! Blake's Gambol shroud sends shockwaves across the earth! They both turn to exchange heavy attacks. Sparks, smoke and stone accompany every collision of their weapons!

Their blades momentarily lock, giving Blake a window to deliver a heavy kick to Corsac's side. They clash some more until Blake delivers a crushing low kick. Corsac's knee crumbles.

Corsac lunges with a jab aimed at Blake's face. Blake uses her semblance to make a stone copy, trapping Corsac's dagger in stone. Blake switches her dust cartridge to electric while standing behind her opponent. Corsac growls before superheating the rock around his inferno dagger. He cuts through the stone copy, turning with a 360 degrees flame slash. Blake ducks beneath a wave of fire. She rises with a flash kick to the chin!

Corsac reels back! Staggered from her previous attack, Corsac remains standing but unable to defend himself from the flurry of strikes that follow. A kick to the guts. A kick to the head. A hilt strike on the noggin. Left hook! Uppercut! Knee! Slashes left and right! Blake's pummelling chews through Corsac's aura! Blake finishes her flurry with a roundhouse kick! Corsac corkscrews through the air and kisses the dirt!

Meanwhile, Ilia's electric whip slaps Fennec's cyclone dagger out of his hand. It lands close to Corsac. He crawls to grab it then combines the cyclone and inferno daggers together. He uses wind dust to repel Blake when she approaches. A gust lifts Blake high off the ground. She flips backwards and lands on her feet.

Corsac spins the combined cyclone and inferno dagger like a baton. Debris left around from Blake's earlier rock dust usage is swept up in the vortex Corsac creates. Earth, wind and fire swirls around him as he twirls the dagger in a ritualistic dance. He generates momentum for a finishing move. Blake cannot get close to Corsac due the heat and wind surrounding him.

With the elements in perfect balance, Corsac stops his twirling and thrust his dagger towards Blake- a fire tornado rushes at her like a freight train! The attack is too large for her to block!

Blake dives out of the way, converting her Gambol Shroud into its pistol form in midair. She closes an eye and calms her breath to focus her aim. As if Blake is falling in slow motion, she fires a series of electric dust rounds with perfect accuracy. Corsac's aura breaks from being hit with consecutive rounds! The home behind Blake is utterly obliterated.

The electricity rounds stun Corsac but he doesn't let go of his weapon.

Blake is quick to her feet and races to end the fight. stampeding towards Corsac. Blake changes Gambol shroud into its cleaver form. Corsac raises his arm to attack Blake- she strikes first, cutting off Corsac's hand!

Wailing in pain, Corsac falls to knees. His weapon spins in the air with his hand still attached to it. The dagger lands behind Blake, in line with the home Corsac just obliterated.

Blake towers over her traumatised, wailing foe. Her face is stone cold. She has zero remorse over her actions. Blake swipes the blood off Gambol Shroud and places it on her back.

"Don't even think about running..." Blake says sternly.

Blake turns around to see the collateral damage Corsac has done. Not just property damage- emotional too. All over Menagerie there is fire and tears. Panicked men, women and children who just wanted an escape from Remnant's cruelty.

Blake is suddenly reminded of the Fall of Beacon. The desperation... The fear... The questions... Why? Who? What next?

Fennec has been subdued by Ilia at this point. Ilia hauls Fennec (tied up in her Lightning lash) close to his wounded brother to prevent either of them from running away.

Blake walks over to pick up the cyclone and inferno dagger. She removes Corsac's hand then looks to the Albain brothers. Dread fills Corsac's veins as Blake's eyes, illuminated by fire, fix on him. Blake marches towards Corsac, dagger in hand seemingly with intent to use it. Corsac cowers in fear while clutching his bleeding arm.

"Blake? What are you doing?" Ilia asks concerned.

"He will bleed to **** if I don't cauterise the wound..." Blake says, stopping within striking range of Corsac.

Looming over Corsac, Blake activates the fire dust in the dagger to heat the blade.

"Your arm... Give. Me. Your. Arm..." Blake says menacingly to Corsac.

Corsac squeaks. Shaking with fear, he looks back to his brother.

"Do as she says..." Fennec whispers, defeated.

Corsac submits his stump to Blake, slowly reaching out. His gaze sinks to the floor. Blake grabs his arm with her free hand. She places the side of the heated blade against Corsac's flesh to burn the wound shut. Corsac's howls in agony. His flesh sizzles like a stake in a frying pan. Blake stares Corsac down while she burns him.

Satisfied, Blake pulls the blade away from Corsac's stump. The pain is crippling. Corsac is reduced to tears.

"Brother..." Fennec says.

Fennec shakes himself loose from Ilia's Lightning lash and hugs his brother. Corsac whimpers like an injured puppy.

"He will live now... for now. Be grateful..." Blake scowls.

Ilia watches on in awe and terror of what Blake has become. In some ways, she resembles the person she was while working for the White Fang. Except older and wiser.

The scaredy cat has become a panther, prepared to defend her territory. No more running. No more hiding. She was ready to do what is necessary to protect her people. Even if it required brutality. It didn't have to come to this but every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Crime and punishment.