Author's Note: I wanted to get the invasion of Fortuna and Volume Five complete before the end of 2017, but that doesn't seem like a possibility now. I'm still working on the last chapters of the story and will be uploading them more frequently to finish the volume.


Chapter 44: VRSZ Ravagers Part Four

Setting: Concordia

Violet, Silver, and Onyx finally made it to their destination, Concordia. They saw small groups of people make their way through to get to the eastern border to escape the destruction. Hours have passed since this all started and Clair has been able to make sure her people were escorted out of Fortuna. C.P. has been taking droves of them to safe settlements. Violet planned to have Onyx and Silver get on board where they could be safe while she continued the fight against the Ravagers and find her other boys.

A small group of escaped prisoners came out of a vacant building in order to get the drop on the people. Unfortunately for them, Violet was present and she wasn't taking any prisoners. She left Onyx and Silver to fight them off. She approached one and delivered a hard elbow to his jaw, knocking him out in an instant. The other three prisoners could barely react to her as she activated Invisibility to remain unseen and undetected. One was unsure what was going on until he felt something grab his arm then felt it snap. He screamed in tremendous pain now that his arm was bending in the opposite direction then he stopped when he Violet kicked him in the back of his head, forcing him down on one knee until she delivered another kick in the same spot, smashing his face into the ground and rendering him unconscious. One prisoner decided to attack the citizens and Violet responded by throwing an Enigma at him while she and the knife were still invisible. The man was stabbed right below the throat and collapsed while Violet and the knife became visible once she deactivated her semblance. The prisoner was dead, leaving only one more to deal with and he didn't plan on going down without a fight. He came up behind Violet in an attempt to take her down. She was fully aware he was there and was prepared to counterattack, but someone beat her to the punch. The man was stabbed through the body by a small blade. Once the blade was pulled out of his body and the dead prisoner fell, Violet and the others could the one responsible was Sterling with his pen sword.

"Thanks, Sterling," she said gratefully.

"Anytime, Miss Violet. I am to assume you are here to leave with the rest of the citizens?" the older Vantablack guessed.

"Close. I'm just dropping these two off then I'm going to get the rest of my boys and stop Grayson and his group once and for all."

"Then I should say thank you for saving my nephew and good luck on your endeavor. Head in that direction and an airship should be there. Just follow the people." Sterling pointed in the direction the citizens were walking.

"Thank you. Um… Where's-" Violet started and Sterling answered.

"Clair is in her office issuing her task force to retreat. She wishes to stay until the last group of people escape before moving on her own. I'll be her guardian in the meantime. And perhaps it's better for you to find the others and leave. I would hate to learn any of you didn't make it out alive because of a grudge."

"Alright, that's good to hear. We'll be going now," Violet said as she escorted Silver and Onyx to the airship and Sterling returned to Concordia to resume his duty.

Sterling walked into the building then took the stairs to get to Clair's floor. Unknown to him, Carabosse and Ebony were outside Concordia and were making their way into Clair's office. The malevolent and charming Vantablacks were ready to strike.

Setting: Eastern Border

Violet, Silver, and Onyx finally made it to the eastern border of Fortuna. They could see all the citizens that made it this part of the city line up for the airship that's supposed to take them to safety. After a couple of people got on board, C.P. started the airship and flew off. Violet got Onyx and Silver in line where she planned to leave them.

"Be safe you two. I'll be back," Violet told them in a reassuring tone before leaving.

Once she was gone, Silver walked off the line to head back into the city. Onyx had no idea what the freelancer was thinking so he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Back. I'm not staying on the sidelines while they fight those Ravager bastards," Silver answered as he made his way back to Fortuna while being careful with his bruised arm. Onyx didn't try to dissuade him because he didn't believe Silver would listen.

Silver tried to get back into the city but stopped when he looked up at the sky. He saw a horde of Grimm beginning to reach Fortuna. A swarm of the bat Grimm, Alucard, were flying above and he realized it was best if he stayed here. He remained at the airship, not to get on board and leave, but to fend off any Grimm that came toward the people and of course, they did. Silver pulled out Ceasefire and fired bullets non-stop at any of the incoming monsters. He wasn't alone in this endeavor as Bianca and Blood were on the scene. Bianca joined Silver by shooting with Archangels. Blood was unarmed so Silver tossed him both Ceasefire guns and he pulled out Fenrir. The three members of Team BASG were able to hold down the fort for all the remaining citizens to get on board, including Cerise protecting citizens with Shields then, Sapphire, Hazel arrived while dragging an injured Ghost who helped as much as he could by shooting lightning out the palm of Purgatory at a swarm of Alucard three times before getting on the airship.

Setting: Moneta

Grayson was supposed to be with the two Vantablacks, but he had to be somewhere else. He walked through the ruined streets of Fortuna with his scroll out and leading him to the signal of another. He reached the signal to find Shiranui in the hypnotic state Hazel left him in. Grayson was wondering why his strategist wasn't moving around the city or briefing him about the targets. Watching his tactician in this state was pitiful and Grayson remembered how to snap him out of it. Grayson slapped Shiranui hard in the face which snapped him out of Pandemonium.

"GAH!?... What the-" Shiranui shouted out once his nightmare was over.

"Come on. Time for you to tag out. Your part in this mission is over. Get to the airship and wait it out there," Grayson ordered.

"Very well. I apologize for not retrieving any of the targets."

"Don't worry about it. That's Carabosse's objective, not ours. We want Fortuna and we'll have when this is all over. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet with the employer," Grayson said with confidence as he made his way to Concordia.

Setting: Liberia

The battle with Platinum was still going on. The destruction began with her, but it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. She was fighting Remus, Zelts, and Loden and the battle progressed aggressively, destructively, but slowly. She fired missiles at first but she stopped after they broke through her shields and Remus could redirect them with his semblance. She resorted to firing laser cannons and bullets from her guns which proved to put them on the defensive. The mad genius admitted trying to kill them took too much time, but she enjoyed every second of it.

She fired large, powerful laser blasts at them consecutively, but Zelts was able to take care of it for a time. He used Conversion to absorb all the lasers that were fired their way. He had one wingblade embedded into the ground so the energy had a run-off point and allowed him to absorb an infinite amount of energy, but he was stuck in one place to do it. Loden used World Splitter to create tall, large walls of stone that served as barriers for herself and Remus. They were pinned down for the moment as Platinum unleashed relentless attacks on them. She knew Zelts could absorb energy, but not bullets. She aimed the battlesuit's barrel guns at him while he was still in the middle of using his semblance.

Remus saw this coming and used Checkpoint to intercept. He teleported in the air in front of one of the guns and threw Romulus at it the gun turret before it fired. The double-bladed staff entered the gun and ripped through it with relative ease. Remus teleported right in his weapon's path, caught it, and teleported again. He teleported behind the other gun and did the same thing again, destroying the other turret but it was able to fire one shot. Zelts brought up one wingblade to block the which was successful, but Zelts was pushed back because of the inefficient way he blocked it. Remus used this moment to try and slice through the hide of the battlesuit. He teleported to the machine's cockpit and lifted Romulus to pierce both the armor and Platinum, but there was a small problem: Remus couldn't deliver the final blow. He was hesitant on doing this because he could kill the mad scientist and that weighed on him. He brought Romulus down halfheartedly and only stabbed the armor lightly despite the energy coursing through his weapon. Zelts noticed this as well and realized he had to speak to his friend.

Platinum saw the tip of Remus' blade from above and she laughed manically. She transformed her cybernetic arm into a plasma cannon and aimed it directly above. He fired it and the destructive orb of energy blasted through her cockpit and hit Remus point-blank just like the last time. He was sent flying in the air and Platinum aimed all her laser cannons on him. She was about to fire everything she had on him with a deranged smile on her face until to waves of stones erected from the ground and slammed into the battlesuit, interrupting her attack. Zelts need to protect Remus as well and sent a powerful blast of condensed wind Platinum's way, pushing the battlesuit back a couple of feet which were an impressive feat. Remus finally came to and used Checkpoint to teleport back next to Zelts. Platinum fired everything she had at them and Loden used her naginata to create more walls of stone to protect them. She made layer after layer and continued to make more as the battlesuit's weaponry began blasting through their defenses. Zelts and Remus took cover behind one of the walls and Zelts had something to talk about with his friend.

"Remus, what are you doing? You could've finished this if you followed through," Zelts told him.

"…I don't think I can actually kill someone Zelts. It's one thing if it's Grimm or machines, but a real person… I don't know. Even you told me killing was wrong," Remus admitted to his friend.

Zelts was amazed by this. He remembered the talk he had with Remus when they started out as a team, back when Remus was more stoic and unfeeling.


"P-please stop, have mercy," the bounty hunter said hoarsely trying to crawl away from Remus who raised his sword ready to deliver the finishing blow but Zelts grabbed his arm tightly to stop him. The coldness in his eyes vanished when he saw it was Zelts who looked upset with him.

"I know they were after us, but we shouldn't kill them, Remus," Zelts told him firmly.

"...We shouldn't?" Remus asked tilting his head with the coldness starting to fade.

Seeing that it didn't take much to convince him, Zelts lightened up. "...Yeah, we don't kill people on a whim. It should only be a last resort."

"Understood"


Zelts was actually proud Remus kept that moment close in his heart and it helped shape him into the individual he is today, but Zelts needed him to put that behind him for this instance.

"I remember Remus, but I also told you that killing should be a last resort and this is it," Zelts tried to convince him and it was working.

"But-" Remus was still contemplating until Zelts told him what he needed to hear.

"Remus," he said in a stern tone. "Platinum has destroyed Fortuna, our home, and killed some many people just for fun and she doesn't plan on stopping. She's not playing by the same rules as you and you have to adapt to that. If you don't, then she's going to kill more people. That includes us, Silver, Violet, everyone!"

Remus took Zelts' words to heart. His eye was intense like they used to be when he was in an intense battle. He remembered the last time fought Platinum and how he could barely cut through her improved cybernetic limbs. It was true that he couldn't cut all the way through, but he could've done a deal of damage if he had the killer instinct he lost long ago. After all, Lupa told him not to let fighting consume him or become the Delta that she originally raised him to be. He felt torn between staying the same and losing everything and taking a dangerous Platinum wasn't going to hold back so why should he? Remus realized he needed to go all-out for this and he couldn't hold back anymore. Zelts didn't realize it, but his words changed Remus internally, for better or worse.

"Zelts," Remus said with confidence. "I need you."

"Delta Stream?" Zelts guessed, but Remus shook his head. As he said, Remus was no longer holding back.

"Omega Drive," Remus said with resolve.

Loden was creating more wall of stone to replace the ones Platinum's battlesuit demolished with ease. This continued while Zelts had his speech with Remus and after, but Loden couldn't keep this up forever. Her arms were getting tired every time she dug World Splitter into the ground to rip up some earth and she was slowing down. Platinum's battlesuit, however, wasn't showing any sign of running out of ammunition. Bullets, lasers, and missiles broke through the stone wall Loden just created and the force of the impact knocked the huntress in training all the way back into the stone wall behind her. It was enough to break through her aura and frustrate her further. She didn't plan on being humbled by the same opponent three times in a row.

A missile was heading to Loden's way and her arms were too exhausted to lift World Splitter. She didn't flinch or look away from her impending death, even though it never came. In front of her was Zelts with his shield raised up to take on the missile then felt Remus put his hand on her shoulder. When the missile collided with the Heart of Gold and the explosion covered the area in smoke and fire, Remus used Checkpoint on himself, Loden, and Zelts to take them behind all the stone walls Loden created.

Platinum noticed they were gone and decided to just fire everything everywhere, hoping to flush them out. Loden had no idea what they were planning until Zelts asked if she could make a runway out of earth. She said she could but asked why he needed it and he answered, "Remus is faster on solid ground than he is on sand."

Loden did as he asked and created a runway made of stone on the sands of Fortuna. Remus got on in and Zelts stood behind him, getting in position. Zelts' eyes were glowing gold from a full-powered Conversion and he had Heart of Gold as wingblades. Remus crouched down into a runner's start. Thanks to Lupa, Remus has been trained to have unlimited potential, making his abilities above that of average humans, the first ability to be bloom was his speed. His top speed has never been seen by his teammates. The fastest he has done is around 80 mph. He always just started running from any position and being in Vacuo meant running on the sand all the time. Now that he was on solid ground and getting a runner's start, it was anyone's guess. Loden stayed on the side to witness their plan.

"Ready?" Zelts asked.

"Born ready," Remus stated.

Platinum was breaking down the last of the stone barriers as the two Freelancers got ready. Zelts began by twirling his wingblades around to create a wind funnel using all the energy in Conversion which transformed his usual green gale into a golden windstorm surging with electricity. It enveloped Remus and the entire runway as well as hit the earth wall in front of them. Zelts concentrated the wind so it was smaller while it still encompassed Remus. Remus himself was in the eye of the storm as he waited for Platinum. The mad genius blasted through two more walls until there were only three walls left and that was his cue. It happened in an instant. Remus ran and he kicked up the stone where he started. Zelts nor Loden saw him the moment he launched himself but they could saw him run forward in the storm and rode the wind. He had Romulus in staff more with one blade and the blue energy flowed through it. The blade served as a lightning rod as the electricity reached the tip of the blade. Remus' body rotated along with the tornado funnel as he pressed forward. They were performing Delta Stream until the cobalt blue glow from Remus' blade and the golden wind of Zelts' tornado combined to create the shimmering jade color that signified the evolved Omega Drive.

There was only one barrier left. Platinum had her laser cannons ready to fire everything they have to incinerate all in their path with Remus on the other side inside the spiraling vortex of power. Omega Drive was much faster than the lasers so it reached the stone wall first. Before the lasers reached the wall, Remus pierced through it with explosive force and hit the lasers instead. The two attacks didn't clash in a struggle because the moment Remus came in contact with the large laser blast, he overpowered it with ease and split it apart as he made his way to the battlesuit's laser arm. The spiraling jade tornado pierced through the left arm of Platinum's battlesuit, something the mad genius did not expect. She looked at the beauty of Omega Drive and how it ripped through her battlesuit. All the additional she equipped it with were flying all over the area. She was getting aroused at her masterpiece being damaged like this.

Zelts and Loden were happy they were finally able to greatly damage the battlesuit. However, Remus, still spinning in the tornado, was far from satisfied. He was going to end this once and for all and he was going to do it by breaking his limit and then some. He used Checkpoint in the middle of Omega Drive and teleported himself and the entire attack to the battlesuit's right side then drilled through the right arm. He did it again, ripping the right leg then again with the left leg, reducing the once terrifying Atlesian weapon of mass destruction into nothing more than an open cockpit with a deranged girl inside.

Zelts and Loden were amazed at how Remus combined their ultimate attack with his semblance to attack from all sides with devastating force. Zelts was glad that he could bring this out of his friend so they could win the fight, but that changed when he saw that Remus wasn't done. Omega Drive was coming to an end as the shimmering jade tornado was losing rotation, but that didn't stop Remus from using the last of its power. He used Checkpoint to teleport in front of the airborne cockpit, where Platinum was too dazzled with what she saw to react properly, and plowed right through it. Platinum was in the flying in the air along with Remus. Her aura levels were reduced to zero in that attack and her cybernetic arm was destroyed. Remus, on the other hand, didn't relent in his offensive. He split Romulus into its dual sword form with the energy still flowing through it and slashed off her left leg then the right. He used Checkpoint to teleport safely on the ground while leaving a one-limb girl to fall from great heights.

Zelts thought they may have been overkill though that word seemed to be Platinum's middle name so he didn't think much of it. He and Loden walked toward their triumphant friend and defeated foe to see Remus raise his blade at Platinum's only flesh and blood arm. Now Zelts thought this overkill.

"Remus! Stop!" he shouted, but Remus didn't listen as his eyes were focused solely on Platinum.

"You lost," Remus said to Platinum in a stern tone that was so not his character. "You said you'd tell what's going on if we beat you and we did. Tell us everything you know or else." Threatening someone was too out of character for him and it concerned Loden and Zelts.

Platinum was laying on the ground with blood trickling down her mouth. It was grand for her. She always got a high from her machines getting defeated because it meant she could try creating something better. She loved challenges. This time she created her greatest masterpiece and it was reduced to scrap metal. Platinum wasn't upset or sad it was destroyed, but rather her body was aroused to a level she has never reached before. She felt like she had reached a higher plane of pleasure leaving her completely content. She looked at Remus with a small smile.

"We were hired by someone to attack Fortuna and capture people. In exchange, she told us about the location of your base," she answered honestly.

"Who hired you," Zelts asked.

"Carabosse Vantablack," she answered.

"…Violet was right. That lady is bad news," Zelts said more to himself. He felt horrible for giving that woman the benefit of the doubt.

Loden didn't know what to say to Zelts to make him feel better. She felt like she was just a witness to this revelation and couldn't do anything more which frustrated her. Remus caught something Platinum said in her answer.

"What did you mean by capture? Who did she want you to capture?" Remus interrogated.

"Oh, a few people. Two or three, including Zelts' shield. She wanted that too, but it doesn't look like she'll get it. Ah. And she wants to take Violet for herself but never told us why." Hearing their leader's name on Carabosse's list surprised Remus and Zelts.

"Why Violet?" Remus demanded, even though she just said Carabosse never told them.

"She wouldn't tell us, Grayson didn't trust her," she said in a sing-song voice. "She didn't say anything, but the other one, Ebony, told us behind her aunt's back. Carabosse was going to take Alyssa to Atlas. To her family."

"Who's Alyssa?" Loden asked, but Remus and Zelts were too stunned to answer.

Carabosse Vantablack knew Violet's true identity, backstory, and was planning to unravel her life. And Ebony ratted her out for some reason. Regardless, Remus and Zelts weren't going to let the Vantablack get away with her scheme.

In the sky above was a horde of Alucard that were filling the sky. The Grimm were planning to dive down and attack any remaining people in Fortuna and leave nothing but ruin in their wake. Zelts looked up and was worried this was truly going to be the end of Fortuna. Loden was worried about her teammates and hoped they made it to safety. Remus was more concerned about Violet and planned on making sure they all got out of here in one piece. A small group of Alucard swooped down to attack them, but Remus put a hand on Zelts and Loden then used Checkpoint to get out of there, leaving Platinum at the mercy of the Grimm. The mad genius didn't scream or cry in pain when the large bats piled on top of her then ripped her to shreds. She was at peace, even in her last moments, Platinum had a smile on her face. Despite all she had done in her life, Platinum had no regrets.

Setting: Team VRSZ Base

Remus used Checkpoint to teleport them all to the place he was most familiar with, their home or what was left of it. He, Zelts, and Loden were astonished to see their base was reduced to rubble, again. Zelts and Remus were tired of finding their homes destroyed every time enemies invaded their home. And Zelts didn't know why, but he figured Silver had something to do with this. With the Alucards covering the sky above them, Loden figured it was time to reunite with her teammates to make sure they were alright. Remus and Zelts were going to locate Silver and Violet to deal with this matter together, received a text from Silver saying he needed their help at the eastern border. The two of them departed to help their friend as well as hoping Violet was with him.

Setting: Concordia

Violet ran through what remained of the city in order to find her other teammates. The path from the border to Concordia was much more dangerous than before. The arrival of the Grimm meant she had to fight her way through, throwing Enigmas at any Alucard that got to close and using Invisibility when she wanted to lose a swarm hunting her. She watched as the remaining escaped prisoners were attacked by the Grimm. Some were grabbed by the large bats and taken high into the air to be attacked in a frenzy, others were ripped to shreds on the spot, but Violet had no remorse for them.

She made her way to the building of Concordia and wondered if Clair made it out safely, but that changed when she saw someone she knew all too well. Grayson was swinging on the roof of the building with his grapple sword. He leaped off and swung into the window of a room, breaking in with ease. Violet recognized which room he broke into, Clair's office. Violet ran into Concordia and scaled the stairs as fast as she could n order to prevent whatever was Grayson was trying to do.

Violet made it to the floor where Clair's office was located and didn't hesitate to burst through the doors. At first, Violet couldn't believe the sight she saw because she didn't want it to be true. In front of her was Clair, on her knees and shedding tears, Grayson standing close to her while removing the pen sword that was stabbed into his chest, and between them was Sterling, laying on the ground with Grayson's sword through his chest. Blood filled the air and only the sound of Clair's weeping could be heard. Violet felt nothing at first. There was a void in her mind that was still processing what she just witnessed.

Grayson slowly pulled his sword out of Sterling's deceased body then flicked the blood off of it. He pulled out the pen sword in his chest and threw it in front of Clair.

"So much for a guardian-" Grayson mocked but stopped when he finally noticed Violet was in the room.

"Oh, hey Vi. I was wondering when you'd show up," he said in a friendly tone.

The empty void in Violet's mind was filled with searing rage. She didn't say a word to Clair or Grayson. She simply pulled out her kukris then tackled Grayson through the window. The two of them were falling form Concordia until Grayson threw his grapple sword at a nearby building to save his life. Violet did the same with the new cable she bought herself today and hunted him down. She wasn't going to let him run, she wasn't going to fight him and leave, Violet planned on killing him and the negative emotion was attracting some of the Grimm to their battle.

Back in Clair's office, Carabosse and Ebony Vantablack appeared through the door that connected the office to Clair's bedroom. The malevolent Vantablack had a satisfied look on her face with everything that has happened, especially the death of her obstinate brother. Ebony was quiet about the whole ordeal. Carabosse extended a hand out to Clair for her to take.

"You're coming with me."

Chapter 45: VRSZ Ravagers Final Act


Remus will be receiving a new theme song and it's the first theme song without lyrics; Jet Set Run: My Hero Academia OST. This song is the evolved form of You Say Run and I feel it fits because Remus has evolved as well. At the beginning of the series, he has been 'all training, no experience'. After his fight with Platinum, Remus has undergone character development that will affect him for either better or worse. Remus lost some of his naivete after training with Lupa, but now he was lost all of it. He takes things a little more seriously and fights with his all, no longer afraid of giving it his all and becoming the Delta. Despite losing what remained of his innocence, Remus is still a kind and friendly individual, but now he has the drive. His change will be noticed by his teammates and they'll wonder if he is alright when he shows a little aggression, but they'll understand that he is showing signs of growth. I began watching the show a few weeks ago and felt like Remus' "Give it your all!" attitude might fit into My Hero Academia.

His change in attitude made me think of a 'what if' story for Remus. In an alternate story where Remus was still the Delta in Lupa's experiment and he was pitted against his brother, Alpha, Remus would've won the fight and grow to be a living weapon. Lupa wouldn't be concerned about his life like she is now and only sees him as the Delta. She would have him gain more and strength to prove that inner potential is the way for people to fight the Grimm. Remus would have no emotions at all and be considered a dangerous threat to the kingdoms. They would attack and he would unleash destruction against all those who pose a threat, including Dr. Lupa who soon considered him a threat that needed to be terminated. Eventually, Salem would find her way to Remus and coerce him to her cause. This 'what if' story is like the story of Frankenstein's monster.

If Remus' story did take this turn, his theme would be changed to Infinite: Sonic Forces OST for obvious reasons. This theme could also be used for his brother Romulus when he was killed and rebuilt as the Alpha.