Hey I am back with the next chapter of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass and neither do I own RWBY
During Gino, Anya, Nora, and Pyrrha's match
Beacon Academy Infirmary, Beacon Academy
Before the defeat of Gino and Anya as well as before the Royal Family received the worst news of the year so far, Cardinal Rolo Gaeibleu was paying a visit he should have taken care of several days beforehand.
Rolo froze the perception of time for everyone in the infirmary except for Cardin Winchester as the former walked into the room. Cardin at the time was still asleep thanks to a machine that would keep him unconscious until someone decided it was time for him to wake up.
When the Cardinal walked up to the injured hunter in training and noticed this, he got his staff out and fired a large burst of electricity at the machine overloading its internal electronic systems. When did injured Cardin but didn't wake him up, Rolo sent a light electrical shock into the boy literally making him jolt awake in slight pain.
"Glad you could be awake for this," Rolo said as he made sure to freeze Cardin's hands and feet to the bed so he won't try to attack Rolo or escape.
"What is it that you want? Who the hell are you anyway?" Cardin asked since he had no idea who the person who shocked him awake was. Cardin did a quick look over of his 'visitor' before Rolo could answer and a shiver ran down Cardin's spine when he recognized one of the symbols on Rolo's robe.
"My name is Rolo Gaeibleu, Cardinal of the Church of Geass in Area 11 and one of the executives of the Heretic Trial Division." Rolo explained as he put his staff back on his back. "If I remember correctly didn't your grandfather hold the position of Cardinal of the Church of Geass in Area 11 before me?" Rolo asked with a sly grin as Cardin started to get an idea of what was about to happen.
"At least let me fight you in a fair fight. I may occasionally bully people but I deserve not to be put down with no honor like mongrel." Cardin said only for Rolo to freeze more of his arms and legs.
"I would let you fight but we both know in a straight up battle of strength you would beat me and avenge your pitiful grandfather who I charged with heresy." Rolo said as he turned to Cardin's team member and completely incased in ice. "Survival of the fittest dictates that I take every advantage that I can take to ensure my survival. So by allowing myself to prevent you from obtaining any advantage in the fight, I am being virtuous."
Cardin was quickly becoming disgusted with the man who ruined his grandfather and father's life and making them move away from Britannia. "If you are going to kill me then you better do it now since once I break out of this ice I will strangle you." Cardin threatened only for Rolo to shake his head.
"I want you to watch as the team consisting of Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie effortlessly fall to the might of Sir Gino and Dame Anya." Rolo stated as he pressed a button on the remote on Cardin's bedside table and a television screen started to broadcast the fight that was going on in Amity Colosseum.
While Rolo, like all the Britannians in the delegation, was confident in Gino and Anya's capabilities to win. He was made furious when Gino was eliminated by Nora and Anya defeated herself in battle. "It looks like you overestimated the capabilities of the Knights of the Round." Cardin said as he felt his tongue suddenly being frozen.
"I guess there is no reason to keep you and your team member alive anymore." Rolo said as the ice on Dove's body shift and became a pillar sticking out of his mouth. Dove drowned in the melting ice and was completely unaware of his own execution. Cardin could only watch in horror as the rest of the pillar melted inside of Dove and then hardened freezing Dove's insides.
"I guess you could say he drowned with a cold heart." Rolo joked as the ice on Cardin's limbs grew and started to spread all over his body. "I'll explain what I have in store for you."
"You see this ice will continue to spread until your whole body is incased in it like your former friend Dove there was. However unlike him, frostbite will quickly cover your body and kill you with the ice melting as soon as you are dead. This way there will be way an investigation can lead to me thanks to the usefulness of ice as the perfect execution weapon." Rolo explain as the ice started to spread even faster than before.
Cardin was about to protest when his head was covered in the ice and the rest of his body followed soon after. Rolo waited a short amount of time for the frostbite to kill Cardin before melting the ice. Rolo was about to just walk out of the area and resume everyone's perception of time when he got an idea. "You know, I really did hate your grandfather and took joy in stealing his job from him." Once Rolo was finished telling the dead hunter in training that, three large icicles appeared about Cardin's eyes and mouth and then impaled his head through all three.
"I am glad to say my work here is done." Rolo remarked as he shut the door and resumed everyone in the infirmary's perception of time. "Hmm I expected for screams from that to be honest," Rolo told himself as he casually strolled away from the infirmary full of people screaming in fear and terror.
Following Gino and Anya's Defeat
Amity Colosseum, Vale Airspace
A few minutes after Schneizel received a phone call informing him of the worst news of the year so far, emergency news reports were sent to all the scrolls in the different kingdoms and when Velvet read what it was, she ran for the infirmary to inform Coco whether she already knew it or not.
Laying in a hospital bed and lying on her back so that nobody and can see the nasty wound given to her by Emerald, was Coco who had just finished the initial treatment for her injuries.
"What wrong Velv?" Coco asked as she saw the worried look on her partner's face and was unaware of the news since her scroll was in a box right now with her normal combat outfit.
"You need to read this right now!" Velvet order her team leader as she handed her scroll to the Britannian noble. "Pendragon Royal Hospital confirms the death of Emperor Charles zi Britannia." Coco read out loud as she quickly scanned through the alert with a panicked look on her face. "Though the members of the Royal Imperial Family has been at odds with one another for years with the individual relations with the Patriarch varying with each of his children, it is safe to assume all are in mourning of their father's death." Coco read to the rabbit Faunus before continuing to read about what different organizations are doing in response to the death.
"The Church of Geass' Heretic Trial Division has revealed that they will not be executing Princess Cornelia li Britannia in a move of mercy but will still be stripping her of her claim to the throne. The Church has also said a weeks of mourning would not be looked down upon and the people in the empire should remember the late emperor not for the evil things the other kingdoms have accused him for but rather for the positive impact he left on the empire while alive." Coco read aloud and was slightly relieved to hear about how the Second Princess will be spared execution for going against the Church's teachings. The relief was short lived as she started to worry another Britannian Civil War might break out if different Royals decided that they want to have the throne instead of letting Odysseus have it.
"The Pendragon Royal Hospital has declared the cause of death to be a result of a heart attack with multiple veins being blocked. They were unable to save the leader of the empire with the personnel that tried to save the Emperor's life not commenting on the matter." Coco read to Velvet as she actually felt pity for how the emperor died.
"Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia is to be crowned Emperor upon his arrival to the homeland after the Vytal Festival is over. Schneizel el Britannia is currently the Second Prince and is the Prime Minister at the moment. All governmental authority is being transferred to him until Odysseus assumes the position of Empeor. Prince Clovis la Britannia is currently the highest ranking royal still in Pendragon at the time and has been stated to support Odysseus' claim to the throne but wishes to not be disturbed in this time of mourning." Coco read as she ignored the rest of the article and tried to get out of the bed to see Lelouch about this but the pain in her back prevented her from leaving the bed before it was healed.
Realizing what her partner was going to do, Velvet nodded and ran off to where the Britannian royals were and quietly entered. Even though Coco told her about how Lelouch knows most of the Royal Imperial Family hated the emperor for the type of father he was, she was surprised to see how somber and depressed looking most of them were and actually managed to walk up to Lelouch without one of the Royals confronting her about her Faunus heritage. "Coco wanted to come up here and see you but her back was badly injured by that strike from Emerald. She thinks it would be best if you come with me to see her." Velvet said softly as Lelouch silently followed her to the infirmary. While walking out of the area, Velvet noticed a royal that looked like a younger pink haired Cornelia being hugged by that one guy that was on Aigis' team during the team rounds.
This was honestly the first time Velvet was along with Lelouch without Coco around and was shocked at how silent the halls of Amity Colosseum was as the news of Charles' death was spreading. The reason everything was so silent was that most people were worried that even though Charles was a very threatening leader of the Holy Britannian Empire, nobody was sure if his successor would try to invade the other kingdoms or not and whether or not he would be worse than Charles.
Coco only had to make one comment for the stoic expression on Lelouch's face, which was created following the reveal of the news, to start to break apart. "I know you hated his guts but I really do feel sorry for you and Nunally." Velvet was confused as to who Nunally was but watched as Lelouch sat in the chair next to Coco's bed and the fashionista placed a lone hand on his cheek.
"I figured he gave you the assignment as Viceroy of Area 11 to keep you and Nunally away from the rest of the Royal Family since you two were so young and Marianne wasn't around to use her influence to protect you anymore. I know you hate him for essentially exiling you and Nunally to a faraway Area with little to no support but he did help shape you into the man you are today." Coco told her old friend and the man who she was in an arranged marriage with.
"He kept you alive by giving you Aigis to protect you, Schneizel to teach you politics, and Cornelia to help you learn how to field an army. He paved the way for you to become the man you are today instead of someone like your siblings upstairs. If it wasn't for his actions of kicking you and Nunally out of Pendragon, who knows what would have happened to you two or if Nunally would even be alive today." Coco said as Velvet could swear her ears were hearing something coming out of Lelouch's mouth but decided to leave the room instead of investigating.
As Velvet was walking out of the room so that Lelouch and Coco could have some privacy without her around for once, she walked straight into Blake Belladonna from team RWBY.
"Have you see where William Sterling is?" The cat Faunus asked as Velvet only shrugged her shoulders and the dark haired girl continued to search around for where her father went. Blake finally found him when he was relaying orders to the Britannian security forces to move all the royals back to the Clarent on Schneizel's orders.
"So what is going to happen now that the Emperor is dead?" Blake asked her father after dragging him away from the other Britannians. "Well things back in the homeland will be chaotic for a little bit until Odysseus takes the throne. Other than that I have no idea what to expect in the future. I have only lived through one emperor so I don't know how things will unfold now that it is time for a new emperor and a war hasn't broken out over the throne." Sterling said while giving his own opinion about what will be happening soon.
"What about the White Fang? Do you think they will do something after hearing about this?" Blake said while worried that such a large collection of politicians. Most of whom have fought against the White Fang's agenda in the past, all in in one location.
"The dumb ones will think that this would be the best time to attack Pendragon since the government is falling apart without the emperor to guide them in the idiots' eyes. The smart ones would wait it out to see what kind of emperor Odysseus will be like. They probably don't know if he will be a peaceful emperor or rule with a more iron fist than Charles." Sterling guessed but interjected with one last prediction before his daughter could say something. "If they were pragmatic like me then they wouldn't strike at Pendragon but rather hit us hard here and then send an assassin after Clovis to kill him off. If they wanted to cause chaos in Britannia then they would take out as many people in a leadership position at once."
"I mean we have the Prime minister, and multiple Viceroys from more than one Area in the homeland. Hell even have a Cardinal from the Church running around here somewhere and his death would be important enough to shake up the Church of Geass a little. What I am trying to get at here Kitten is that if the White Fang was smart, they would focus all their resources on an attack here and try to get through the defenses we have set up and the Atlesian military Ironwood brought with him." Sterling explained as he put his gloved hand on Blake's head and ruffled her hair a little. "There is nothing you should worry about. I will make sure my little kitten stays safe."
Even though she and her father have tried to reconcile since the young Faunus learned of her actual heritage, she still got annoyed when he used little nicknames and messed around with her. "Ok you may be my father, and I might occasionally come to you for assistance but that doesn't mean you can start calling me kitten whenever you want."
"Blake I thought you would know better. I am you Father, I can do things like that if I want. But I guess you are right since you aren't a toddler anymore and don't act like a baby kitten anymore so I will have to find another name to call you." Sterling calmly told his daughter before he remember what he was actually supposed to be doing at the moment. "I have to go oversee the moving of Royals to the Clarent right now. If you want to have dinner somewhere let me know, us Knights of the Round get paychecks that are worth more than several pretty pennies."
Blake watched as her father order soldiers around for a bit until she decided to go check up on if the tournament will be continuing for the day. When she sat back down with the rest of her team she was surprised to see happened to the flags. Usually there is one large holographic flag for each of the kingdoms but since the time Blake left and returned, all of the flags had been replaced by the Britannian Flag.
"The councils of the different kingdoms have come to the joint decision that as sign of good faith to the Britannians that we wish the best for them in this transitional period, all the flags in Amity Colosseum are to be changed to the Britannian flag for one day and the Britannian National Anthem is to be played over the intercoms." Professor Port said as he pressed a button and All Hail Britannia started to play.
"Truth and hope in our Fatherland!
And death to every foe!
Our soldiers shall not pause to rest
We vow our loyalty
Old traditions they will abide
Arise young heroes!
Our past inspires noble deeds
All Hail Britannia!
Immortal beacon shows the way
Step forth and seek glory!
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Britannia!
Our Emperor stands astride this world
He'll vanquish every foe!
His truth and justice shine so bright
All hail his brilliant light!
Never will he be overthrown
Like mountains and sea
His bloodline immortal and pure
All Hail Britannia!
So let his wisdom guide our way
Go forth and seek glory
Hoist your swords high into the clouds
Hail Britannia!"
While this song was being sung, Blake noticed that every single Britannian was standing for the duration of it and only sat back down when the song was finished. "Hey since both of your parents are technically members of Britannian aristocracy, shouldn't you have stood for the singing of your national anthem?" Ruby asked since the team leader was right in that Blake was a pureblooded Britannian.
"I am still adjusting to the realization of where I was born and I never really considered myself part of the empire anyway." Blake explained as Oobleck announced that the next few Doubles round will be beginning soon and that Team RWBY was going to be one of those competing.
A couple of hours later the only royals that were staying for the rest of the Vytal Festival for the day were Lelouch and Schneizel. The former was given orders by Coco to stay with team CFVY for the rest of the day but when he refused to listen to her, Coco instead ordered Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi to follow him around and stay with him. Schneizel however was talking with Suzaku alone during the Team RWBY vs. Team FNKI fight.
"You fought very well alongside Aigis during the doubles round Sir Kururugi. I have taken notice of your talents and they are wasted in the service of Lelouch. What I need is for your help in bringing about a better world for all of remnant." Schneizel said as he congratulated the young man on his victory in the doubles round and was also trying to talk him into a job opportunity.
"What kind of world are you talking about your majesty?" Suzaku asked while trying to figure out what angle the Prime Minister was getting at.
"I dream of a world that is much better than the one we have today. The world I envision for Remnant is a world that allows everyone to live in peace. Imagine a world where Faunus and humans can live side by side without conflict or threatening each other. Picture a Remnant where the kingdoms can all come together and have an open trade of ideas and resources without one nation fearing the other." Schneizel said as he walked towards the large window the other Royals previously watched the fights from.
"If you look over at where a majority of the Atlesians are, you will see that they eye our soldiers with fear and mistrust. They are fooled by the lies woven by their instructors and general into believing that we are the greatest threat to exist in the world of Remnant. It saddens me that they are farther from the truth than they could ever imagine with us being the saviors and the greatest harbingers of peace in this cruel world that is covered with the blood of the unfortunate." Suzaku looked over at the Atlesian students and started to believe in what Schneizel was saying.
"I alone know the true way to bring peace to Remnant but I am unable to do it by myself. To achieve my dream of peace I will need your assistance and absolute loyalty. It will be a hard and sometimes almost impossible road to travel upon but I hope I can have your cooperation." Schneizel said as he extended his hand out for a handshake. "I will not order you to bow before me and make yourself beneath me in this grand plan of mine. No I will offer you my hand and work with you as a partner rather than a master."
Suzaku thought about what he was just offered for a short period of time. If I accept his offer than I will be betraying the trust of Lelouch who has been my friend for years. I will also probably be betraying my friendship to those from Ashford Academy since I would be betraying Lelouch. If I side with Schneizel then I can try and see if I can get to be a member of the Knights of the Round and eventually the Knight of One. Once I become the Knight of One, I can request Area 11 as where I am Viceroy and finally raise the living standards of my fellow Elevens while not betraying the system in any way possible.
"I will agree to work with you if you can convince Odysseus to promote me to a member of the Knights of the Round once he is coroneted." Suzaku demanded only for Schneizel to ponder on it for a minute before nodding his head.
"I will accept the conditions you place on the deal but I must ensure your loyalty first by giving you a mission that will judge whether you are truly loyal to me or not." Schneizel said as he took a step closer to the young knight. "Metis is too much of a wild card and does not work well with my orders, I want you to isolate her during Aigis' match in the finals and kill her. This action will cement your loyalty to me and allow you to have my trust." Schneizel said as Suzaku only nodded as left the room
I am sorry that I am having to do this to you Aigis but she was an obstacle to peace that I could not allow to live any longer. If word got out of what she truly knew behind the project that gave birth to you and your sisters, then peace around the world would be impossible.
A Few Days Later During the Start of the Finals
Amity Colosseum, Vale Airspace
It had been a few days the death of Emperor Charles zi Britannia occurred and the Royal Imperial Family was shaken up. All of the royals that were in Vale decided to stay aboard the Clarent with Lelouch and Schneizel being the only ones electing to actually come to Amity colosseum to watch the last of the doubles and the finals.
Lelouch tried wearing a disguise of what he thought a normal Ashford Academy student would wear but when Coco saw him in it she immediately dragged him away to "get some clothes that aren't absolutely hideous looking." The next time Velvet saw the prince, he was wearing dark colored pants, a black shirt, and a red jacket to complete the outfit. Lelouch also had a hat and a pair of sunglasses to help hide him in the crowd.
"Those aren't a pair of your sunglasses are they?" Velvet whispered to Coco who gave the Faunus a sly smile and a slap on the butt. "You know it's been a while since I did that and it has also been quite some time since I pulled your ears either."
Velvet's cheeks became super red while she folded and pressed her ears against the side of her head as Team CFVY plus Lelouch walked off the transport and into Amity colosseum. Once they were about to be seated, Lelouch decided that instead of sitting right next to them, he would be sitting one row behind them instead so that attention isn't drawn to himself.
Right when they were just getting comfortable, the first of the final matches were about to begin. Lelouch knew that Yang was one of the hardest hitting combatants and so he sabotaged the competition by pairing her up against Mercury to get revenge. Lelouch would have felt much more reassured in this match's victory on his terms but the person who was also changing the pairings left the pair alone. What do you have planned for this round?
The match was a wonderful show of skill and strength but the ending was one that would go down in the records. When it looked like Yang shot Mercury in the knee while unprovoked, two squads of Britannian soldiers led by Sir Sterling stormed the arena and surrounded Yang.
"Miss Xaio Long I don't want arrest you and I normally wouldn't for someone breaking the rules in this tournament but you just shot a man in the knee for no damn good reason so if you don't want to face the firing squad without a trial first, I would suggest you come with me right now." Sterling ordered as he positioned one of his revolvers to be aimed at the huntress in training's head.
"But he attacked first." Yang pleaded to the soldiers and the Knight of Five though it fell on deaf ears. As she surrendered and followed the Knight, Yang looked over into the audience and immediately regretted it. The first thing she saw was her team with varying emotions. Blake was in disbelief of what she was seeing, Weiss was shocked, but Ruby was affected the worst. She had a look of pure horror on her face as she witnessed her sister do something she never in her wildest dreams would do: attack someone for no reason and potentially cripple them.
Schneizel was surprised at the attack though he wasn't the only surprised one in the room at the time. Rolo wasn't expecting such brutality from the blond beauty but he was still impressed by her ruthlessness. Labrys was disturbed that a person was capable of such heartlessness.
"You don' think she could be the next maiden d'ya?" Labrys asked the two men who were with her. "If you asked me who it is, I would put money on Ozpin selecting that Nikos girl." Gaeibleu guessed as he opened the file they had on her. "Her profile makes her one of the primary candidates for the position. She has wonderful grades, already a four time champion, and apparently she has a very warming and embracing attitude." Cardinal Gaeibleu reported as he skimmed through the OSI report on the huntress in training. "One of the OSI operatives you brought with you also did a scan on her and discovered what her semblance actually is: manipulation of the magnetic properties of metal. It's probably what has allowed her to win so many fights in the past. It's a good thing she isn't battling Aigis or the robot would have been left in two or more pieces."
"I think it is safe to assume she is possibly the maiden. I want you to bring her here during the upcoming fight Aigis is participating in. If she really is the headmasters' selection for the replacement of Amber, then I will reveal the truth they kept hidden from her." Schneizel ordered the Cardinal who bowed and proceeded to leave the room to go find Pyrrha and take her to Schneizel.
"If Miss Nikos is indeed next in line to be the Fall Maiden, then you can expect Cinder to make her move during the match. That's why when her battle begins, we need to head down to Beacon before the match begins. Admiral Grey is to be in command during the time I am finishing the operation. If he tries to figure out what we are doing, reveal nothing to him." Schneizel told the Anti-Grimm Suppression Weapon.
"Nothing she can throw at us will be able to stand against the combined might of you, Gaeibleu and Sterling." Schneizel noted as Oobleck reported that after they had technical difficulties, the Sun vs. Aigis match will be commencing in twenty minutes.
"So that peace may live to see a future return, a life who stands in its way must be sacrificed." Schneizel said as he noticed Suzaku in the audience following Metis out of the seating area and into the maintenance tunnels. It is time for you to serve your purpose Sir Kururugi.
Aigis was wanting to see Metis one last time before her fight with Sun but after stalling for as much time as possible, her twin sister never showed up. What Aigis didn't know was that Metis was currently being held at gunpoint by Suzaku.
"I want to confirm it for myself first Metis, are you truly an enemy of peace like Prince Schneizel said you are?" The knight asked as Metis held her hands behind her trying to be subtle and reach for a collapsible version of her hammer.
"So the 'White Prince' sent you after me then? I am a supporter of peace but not the peace that Schneizel envisions. I am suggesting that you get out of here and as far away from Schneizel as you can while you have the chance. Because I had to get away when I realized the truth behind people like me and what you will soon become. The Royals see us as nothing more than tools to be used and disposed of when we no longer serve a purpose or refuse to play by their rules. The moment you move against me is the instant you sign away your freedom and become a puppet in the sadistic games the princes and princesses play against each other. Labrys and Aigis are already pawns in the game though Labrys is only kept around for the usefulness of her Shadow while Aigis is actually cared about by Lelouch and she cares more about him than either of them will ever realize until it is too late for her." Metis warned as she extended her hammer and held it in front of her.
"So you are the one they refer to as Sun Wukong? I have heard many good things about you from my friends Velvet and Nora. Do all civilians and hunters in training born in Vacuo wear unbuttoned shirts on a regular basis or just an odd habit you picked up?" Aigis asked her opponent as she adjusted the tie under her uniform. Lelouch just facepalmed in the audience since his bodyguard might have offended an entire kingdom without realizing it with such an innocent question.
"Well it's nice to meet you too Aigis. Don't worry it is just a habit I picked up along the way" Sun said as he pulled out and unfolded his weapon into its staff form.
"So I guess we will be starting this match with our weapons already out then," Aigis observed as she materialized her gatling gun and pointed it at Sun. Okay so she prefers to use that to keep people away from her and under suppressive fire. She can easily beat me in the long range game but I might stand a chance of winning this if I can get up close to her. Sun thought while Oobleck was starting a countdown for the match to begin.
Once the countdown began for the start of the match, Schneizel heard a knock on the door and Cardinal Gaeibleu followed Pyrrha inside. "It's an honor to be personally summoned by you Prime Minister el Britannia." The P of Team JNPR said as she approached him.
Schneizel motioned for Rolo to leave them be as he took a seat outside to watch the match unfolding in the arena below. "I should be the one honored to make the acquaintance of such a talented young maiden." Schneizel said and noticed the huntress stiffen slightly when he said the word maiden. So this truly is the next Fall Maiden.
"Well thank you for the compliment and thank you for sending Cardinal Gaeibleu to come and get me instead of one of your soldiers. He seems like such a nice and likable person. If only there were more people as considerate as him in this world." Pyrrha said as she took a seat Schneizel motioned for her to sit in.
"I assume you have heard of the story of the four maidens? It's a popular bedtime story we tell to children back in the homeland though there is always a part at the beginning that people outside of Britannia tend to forget. Would you like to hear the true historical version of the legend?" Schneizel asked as he considered this a victory for himself after seeing the finalist from Team JNPR squeeze the arms of the chair she was in at the mention of the story.
"I will take that as a yes then. Our story begins thousands of years before the official calendar that everyone knows is lying about the origins of the different kingdoms."
"We both know that Schneizel is capable of bringing about the peace that he envisions. I have already sworn my loyalty to him and I will carry out his orders. Even if it means betraying those close to my friends." Suzaku said as fired the VARIS rifle and lunged forward with a slash from his MVS sword.
Metis responded to the attack by shattering the rifle blast with her hammer and blocking the sword in the same movement. "I have been operational for almost as long as you have been alive. You will need a lot of skill to put me down permanently." Metis said as she swung her hammer with such force that when Suzaku blocked the blow with his sword, he slid back several feet thanks to the force of the strike.
"How long do you think it is going to be before he targets Aigis, Kallen, or even Lelouch?" Metis asked as she tried to smash him with her hammer but missed.
Suzaku ignored her question and fired the rifle a few more times only for Metis to either dissipate the shot with a blow from her hammer or she simply ducked out of the shot's path. Suzaku was about to jump forward and slash with the drawn sword but Metis stopped him. She shot forward at an incredible speed before kneeing the young man in the gut and making him fly across the room. If this is here fighting off someone like me, what is she and the others actually capable of against the Grimm? Suzaku thought as he tried to get up but the pain from two of his broken ribs forced him to use the wall as a crutch of sorts.
"I will give you credit though, most people that are as weak as you would have already died at this point in our fight. Maybe I should give you more credit than I gave you at first." Metis said as she was about to smash Suzaku's head into the wall with her hammer.
It must have been the implication that Suzaku would have died had he been weaker that triggered his semblance to force him to win no matter the cost. Metis was surprised when not only Suzaku ducked out of the way of Metis' hammer, but he also tackled her to the ground in one swift movement. So this must be his survival semblance I have heard rumors of for so long. Metis thought as she threw Suzaku off of her and barely avoided the knight's MVS sword.
Metis was actually starting to get mad by the multiple slashes she was being forced to dodge as she couldn't block them in time like before. "I haven't had an opponent anger me enough to use this in several years." Metis announced as she activated Neo Orgia Mode and charged at Suzaku with might more strength and speed than before. "My limiters are released, so let's dance."
As soon as Oobleck finished counting down, Sun immediately jumped to the side as Aigis unleashed a massive bombardment of bullets at him from the gatling gun.
"It looks like Aigis' suppressive fire is doing a job at suppressing Sun's ability to fight." Oobleck told Professor Port who was sitting next to him.
While trying to run around Aigis and her hail of bullets, Sun used his semblance to create two clones to attack Aigis. The first disipatted after managing to knock Aigis off balance with a kick to the back of the knee while the other one knocked the minigun out of Aigis' grip and the gun disappeared when it hit the ground.
Aigis recovered and summoned her missile launcher and countered Sun's attack when he jumped in the air in an attempt to hit Aigis in the head with his staff.
Sun came crashing down to the ground after one of the missiles hit him and Blake actually gasped at how he landed on his back in a very painful way.
"Sun Wukong's aura level has reached fifty nine percent while Aigis is still at eighty seven percent." Professor Port stated even though Lelouch knew that was a lie. All Anti-Grimm Suppression Weapons were built without auras and so to keep up the illusion of her not being a machine. So instead of an actual aura, what their aura detectors are picking up is an aura simulator that is supposed to predict how much aura Aigis and her sisters would have if they had an aura.
"Come one Sun! You can beat her." Ruby shouted as the rest of Sun's fans started to cheer him on and yell at him to stand up and beat Aigis.
Aigis wasn't without fans either as the Britannians started to yell encouragements to Aigis and even students from other kingdoms were also rooting for the girl.
Sun jumped back up to his feet and laughed a little as he rubbed his back. "I want to thank you Aigis, I have been meaning to get my back popped lately."
Aigis switched to her assault rifle when Sun came barreling towards her and changed his staff into its nunchaku form.
Sun once again knocked Aigis' weapon out of her hands and he unleashed a flurry of shotgun blasts from his nunchakus. Aigis quickly switched to a pistol and tried to hit him with a few bullets from it while dodging some of the blasts.
"I got you… Launch!" Aigis shouted as she tossed her pistol into her left hand and exchanged it for a shotgun with nonlethal ammunition loaded it and fired after blocking one of Sun's blasts and managed to point the gun at an upward angle at his chest.
Sun went fly several feet back before managing to get back up with a major bruise where Aigis had shot at him. Sun also noticed that there were several holes in his shirt where stray bullets from Aigis' pistol broke through the fabric but missed hitting him.
"From here it looks like Sun's Aura has gone below the thirty percent mark with Aigis still having over forty five after that barrage from Sun." Oobleck reported as he did an update on their aura levels.
"You know that was my favorite shirt Aigis." Sun complained as he took off the ruined shirt. His fangirls in the audience went ecstatic over the fact he was fighting shirtless but there was absolutely no reaction out of Aigis.
"If you are trying to impress me with your body, you are not doing a good job since my adoration is stolen by someone else already." Aigis told the monkey Faunus as she equipped her missile launcher, gatling gun, and mortar all at once.
"She is going to do an all-out attack isn't she?" Coco asked Lelouch who only nodded as the Sun vs. Aigis fight was about to reach its finale.
"Back when the Holy Britannian Empire was first being formed, the Royals were some of the strongest people in the empire. Our semblances were superior to all of those beneath them at the time." Schneizel said as he started the story.
"A group of rebels started to protest the Emperor's authority and a civil war broke out that would have put the latest great war to shame. The Emperor was overconfident in his ability to win the war so he hired a consultant who was really a spy for the rebels. This spy's semblance allowed him to suppress or even steal the semblances from other people." Schneizel recounted as Pyrrha tried to distract herself with the match below but found she wasn't able to.
"When the rebels finally started to siege the ancient capital, this was thousands of years before we adopted Pendragon as the capital, the spy opened the gates to let them in. The members of the Royal family put up an grand fight that they were effortlessly winning before the Great Betrayal occurred. The spy should have died many times over with how much of his semblance he exerted, and he seemingly did something that should have been impossible and is currently irreversible to the Royal Family." Schneizel told the young huntress who was starting to become confused as to what actually happened.
"When that man stole the semblances of the Royals, he didn't just steal the semblances from those that were alive at the moment, but all future descendants of the Royals that laid claim to the throne. That is why the only royals who actually have semblances are those adopted into the family and those who are married into it. This curse is what helps us identify one another from frauds since we are unable to have a semblance."
"The Knights were established to provide protection for us after the incident and ultimately the rebels were forced to retreat from the capital. The spy went into hiding and isolation until he was somewhere between old and middle aged. It was at this point that all the stolen semblances started to mutate within his body and become a new power. This new power was what was bestowed upon the four maidens and the man's semblance to steal other people's powers was changed into one in which he became an almost immortal figure." Schneizel explained as Pyrrha learned the truth behind where the maiden's powers came from.
"My ancestors hunted the old man down and when they learned they couldn't get their powers back due to them becoming mutated and being transferred, the tortured him for at least a century before seeking new things to replace their lost powers. We still haven't gotten our semblances back yet, or obtained the ability to get any semblance, but we have made artificial semblances that are replicated from other people as well as means for detecting and learning what someone's semblance is." It then dawned on Pyrrha that Schneizel not so subtly implying that he knows the secret behind her semblance and how she has won almost every fight she has been in.
"In the years since the creation of the maidens, many have tried to use their powers against the empire. Some have had partial success in forcing the Royal Family to relocate capitals, change the name of the empire and start over, or they might have prevented previous invasions of different kingdoms. Nevertheless, every maiden that voluntarily or were manipulated into standing against us has died. So when you are forced to make your decision by those who have no trust in my kingdom, choose wisely on whether you want us as an enemy or not." Schneizel said as he opened the door for Pyrrha to leave.
"I will keep your story in mind for when I make the decision," Pyrrha said as Cardinal Rolo stood up from his seat.
"Would you please escort Miss Nikos to her seat so that she can enjoy watching the last part of this fight?" Schneizel calmly asked/ordered the Cardinal.
"It would be my pleasure to do so," Rolo said as he escorted the shaken up girl to the rest of team JNPR while ignoring the glare he was getting from Jaune.
So will you stay a normal person or gain a power that will make you an enemy of an entire empire? Rolo thought as a smug smile appeared on his face that team JNPR couldn't see.
When Rolo finally arrived back at the room where Schneizel was watching the Aigis vs. Sun fight, he noticed a dossier laying on one of the tables.
"I suspect that Mercury Black is an accomplice of the rouge operative. I want you to investigate the warehouse district tonight and bring him in alive. I have a plan in mind for him." Schneizel ordered as Rolo read through the dossier and left the room afterwards in search of his new prey.
"Ugh, I thought that would do it!" Metis complained as Suzaku slid under Metis' hammer and he tried to slash her but missed as well.
Suzaku's survival semblance was making it to where he was more silent than usual in battle. When he realized that the missed with the sword, he immediately tried slamming the hilt into Metis' back but thanks to Neo Orgia mode, Metis was able to jump out of the way and caught her assailant off guard by disabling the VARIS rifle with a single smash of her hammer.
Suzaku immediately pulled out a second sword and went to work hacking and slashing at his opponent.
Metis received a warning that the cooldown phase of the Neo Orgia mode was about to kick in momentarily and that Metis had only one last shot at preserving her life and potentially Aigis' as well.
In a desperate move, Metis charged forward with the hammer held horizontally and rammed into the assassin with enough force to slam him against the wall. Suzaku tried to struggle against the might of the mechanical girl but the hammer was pressed up against his throat hard enough that he was starting to choke and his hands weren't able to do anything.
Terror struck Metis when everything started to lock up and she was forced to drop the hammer she was choking Suzaku with. The knight quickly pushed her away and readied his swords.
Metis was completely defenseless as Suzaku lunged forward and impaled the robotic maiden in her chest. Metis received numerous critical condition and immenate shut down notifications as her Papillion heart was ran through by the crimson MVS sword.
Metis' last thought after the fell to her knees and the second sword came swinging towards her neck was simply: I am sorry for everything Aigis, I don't want to leave you.
Aigis was completely oblivious to her twin's death as she rained down suppressive fire on Sun hoping to keep him from running around. Each time she thought he was stopping for a moment, she would fire her mortar and several missiles at the spot before sending a few clones to take the hits for him while he catches his breathe.
"It looks like Sun is getting worn out while Aigis isn't even breaking a sweat." Professor Port observed as Sun's constant use of clones to protect him was starting to wear him out.
"Come on Sun you just got to keep it up. She doesn't have unlimited ammo like in some of those video games we play." Neptune yelled right before one of the mortar rounds exploded a little too close and knocked Sun off balance.
"Ready! Final Strike!" Aigis yelled as she fired the largest barrage of missiles seen in the Festival so far and all of them came racing towards the tripped over Sun.
Blake turned her head as Sun was enveloped in a giant fireball that didn't look very different than the actual sun and was sent flying way out in the out of bounds area.
"There you have it folks, the first actual winner that didn't get disqualified of the finals, Aigis." Professor Oobleck declared as all of Aigis' fans started to cheer for her and even Lelouch was standing and applauding.
Aigis simply bowed to the audience and rushed out of the arena to tell Metis about her victory while unaware of her twin's fate.
When Aigis was walking down the hallway looking for her sister and the exit to get back up to the seats, she was too distracted to notice that practically all the members of the Black Knights had very faint red rings around the center of their eyes.
Well there you have it folks, the finals have begun and Aigis defeated Sun in their match. Charles actually is dead and wasn't assassinated or anything. I wanted to break away from the trend of Lelouch obtaining the throne by killing Charles or someone else doing the dirty work by giving him a sad but natural death. To those that thought the news was about Cornelia's death, she is still alive in the preview chapter which takes place between one to two years after the Vytal Festival.
I hope Cardin isn't promoted to one of the main characters in the future volumes of RWBY because I um sort of killed him off thanks to Cardinal Rolo who is now going to try and capture Mercury for Schneizel. Speaking of the Second Prince, we finally learn what his, Cornelia, and Lelouch's semblance actually is: absolutely nothing thanks to a hereditary curse. Don't ask how the curse can actually exist and target those in line for the throne.
So until next time, this is Bylackbre signing off.