Because we are near the end of the story, I would like to make a reminder. After this, I plan to completely revise and rewrite the story. It of course will not be the "same" story, but I do hope it will be a better story that covers what many of you have commented on in all of your reviews.
Thank you all for the support, and I hope I don't disappoint.
Chapter 64
There was one day left before it was time to depart again. It wasn't exactly lenient for a group that had just recently reunited. In that time, the intent was to use it as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, a certain blonde brawler believed that most "efficient" way to use their time was combat exercises. And for that purpose, Weiss, Blake, and Yang found themselves in one of the Academy's training rooms.
In part because her day-plan was not chosen, Weiss agreed to fight both Blake and Yang on her own. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was just as eager to see how her friends had grown, and words alone would never suffice.
It was a large dark gray cube, with a glowing blue grid on every surface. Hundreds of large blocks stacked against each other, simulating obstacles and terrain. They stood on opposite ends, watching as the timer counted down.
At the moment the bell rang, Weiss stabbed her sword into the ground. A Glyph appeared, and a large tower of ice raised her into the sky. At the same time, she heard two distinct sounds of gunfire. Once the Ice Tower stopped growing, Weiss unearthed her sword. However, there was immediately a loud crashing noise that shook the tower violently.
Thinking quickly, Weiss abandoned the proverbial ship, launching herself away. As she did, she saw Yang with her fist embedded in the side of the ice, and couldn't help but be amazed. Her construct could have withstood multiple explosions, yet still came crumbling down.
After landing, Weiss looked up and her eyes widened. Blake was charging directly at her, but something was most definitely off. As far as she knew, Blake was one person, not three.
"Two of them must be fake." She thought.
She knew Blake was able to create doppelgangers with her semblance, but she couldn't remember when those very creations could actually move. Either way, they needed to all be dispatched. She expelled a wide-reaching plume of fire from her sword to engulf the three. However, one of the doppelgangers revealed itself to be a different color—white. It exploded when the fire reached it, creating a frozen mist that countered the flames. Through this mist, the other two emerged and continued to run.
"And they used to call me Ice Queen" She grumbled, still bittersweet about the nickname.
By the sound of a shotgun blast, Weiss saw Yang rocketing down to the ground. Just before hitting the floor, two blasts came from her hands, slowing her descent and allowing her to land safely.
Clearly at a disadvantage, the fencer conjured several overlapping Glyphs. At her silent calling, ice-formed bodies of Beowolves, Beringels, and Ursai materialized with their "fangs" pointed at her foes. With a confident look, she directed her minions with the point of a finger.
Ruby walked down the hallway, humming happily to herself. In her hands was Crescent Rose, repaired and revamped. It was somewhat larger than before, and therefore heavier, but she paid no mind to the changes. The new additions would more than make up for that, and she couldn't wait to show her team.
"They probably already started without me." Ruby thought, before shrugging her shoulders. She told them to go on ahead and not let her tinkering delay them any longer. One round wouldn't be enough, not for her sister, so there was plenty of time.
As she turned a corner, her eyes shot wide open. There was a pair in the hall ahead of her, one of which was Doctor McArthy, but the other caught her attention; a girl with bright green eyes and orange hair. Her outfit, her shape, practically everything except for the style of her hair was just like that of someone she once knew.
"Penny? Is that you?" Ruby said curiously. She quickly approached Penny, her smile growing wider as she came nearer. "It's been so long, how've you be-" However, she stopped when she noticed the blank expression Penny had. She looked as if she had never seen Ruby before, or really anyone for that matter. The doctor, on the other hand, looked confused.
"Hm, your name was… Ruby, yes?" he asked.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
Doctor McArthy gestured towards Penny—or at least the girl who looked like her. "The last one talked about a girl named Ruby Rose who wore red and black. You happened to match the description." He said. Ruby looked no less confused than before, prompting him to continue. "Oh, I see. You never knew the truth about her."
"What do you mean 'truth'?" Ruby asked, sounding slightly aggravated.
"Penny, or the girl you called Penny, is an android developed for use against the Grimm. She was the first of her kind that successfully generated an aura of her own, which is an incredible achievement if you ask me. That said, what you're seeing now is the third generation." The doctor looked proud, as if he were a parent looking at their child, yet there was a hint of sadness behind his voice.
"Does she… remember anything the old one did?" Ruby asked, looking hopeful.
"Unfortunately no. The memory unit was too large to be backed up. You are the first non-atlesian scientist that she's met."
"Hello, Ms. Ruby Rose. It is a pleasure to meet you!" The new Penny exclaimed, outstretching her hand.
"Uh… yeah, i-it really is." Ruby muttered, shaking the offered hand.
Seemingly by his intuition, Doctor McArthy's expression soured. His eyes turned away, as if he was perturbed by something. "Well then, if you will excuse us, there are still a number of tests we need to run." He said, taking Penny by the hand and walking off with her in tow.
Ruby raised her hand up to touch Penny, but stopped halfway. She didn't give chase, or even say anything. She only retracted her hand, then noticing that it was shaking for some reason. "Well, whatever I guess." Ruby thought, shaking her head.
She quickly put her hand into her pocket, out of sight and out of mind. All things considered, there wasn't any reason to care. She didn't know Penny well, nor did she really think about her. There was no reason a look alike would change that. What Atlas chose to do with its weapons was up to the higher ups, like Ironwood, not to a future huntress like her. What was important was that she had somewhere to be, and something to show off.
Ruby holstered Crescent Rose on her back and activated her semblance, before flying through the corridors. At her top speed, she transformed into a red blur, passing right by Ironwood, Jacqueline, and Madara at an intersection, not even noticing their presence. The former of which was the last, and only, to actually react with surprise.
Ironwood staggered back, startled. "W-What was that?"
Madara grunted, looking contented. "Ruby has been getting faster lately. Although, it might be better if she didn't." he thought, changing his expression to a more serious visage. "James, I will need her with us once I can use the Relic."
General Ironwood looked at the Uchiha puzzled, and contemplated it to himself for a silent minute. "If you're certain she can be trusted, then alright. I'll have her notified in secret."
Madara nodded. "Good. Then let's continue."
The three continued, with Ironwood as their lead, towards a particular location. Madara needed the Relic of Creation, and after they resumed their conversation, Ironwood discovered what it was he needed it for. To his relief, they didn't need to remove the relic from its integral location. They could remain within the vault during its use, and close it as soon as Madara was finished.
It took around half an hour before they arrived at their destination, the Vault of the Relic of Creation. Finally, the three stepped out of a secure elevator and into a new room. The elevator then closed, making its return to the surface.
Ahead of them was a tall trapezoidal door made of multiple, mechanically-themed components. It was protected by over a dozen layers of energy shields. Gun Turrets and Cameras lined the ceiling and walls, covering every inch of the room from multiple angles. Atlesian Knights of a different model, more bulky and heavily armed and armored, stood in wait. Their rifles were already pointed at the open elevator door. If there was an unwanted intruder, they would be dead before getting anywhere near the chamber ahead, even despite the fact that the door could only be opened by one person.
"Yikes. How much dust are you using to keep just this room alone up and running?" Jacqueline asked, looking almost concerned at the general.
He shook his head before pointing at the protected door. "Dust isn't part of this, actually. The Relic is supplying power to its own protection, as well as most of Atlas' other defenses. That is why I was so reluctant to give it up before. It might as well be the heart of our kingdom, and removing the heart from the body is a very dangerous procedure."
"Open the vault." Madara ordered.
Ironwood directed Jacqueline to a slanted panel, on which there was the print of a human hand. It was connected to a group of tubes, which ran underneath the ground. "It requires your signature, Ms. Hail."
"Sure." Jacqueline reached out, putting her hand on the panel. Her eyes became covered in fiery lenses, and a dim light appeared from her body that flowed onto the panel. The same light began to course through the tubes like water. One by one the energy shields deactivated, with a moment in between each. The robotic guards also lowered their weapons, assuming regular upright poses—like they were statues.
Finally, the magical energy from Jacqueline flowed through its tunnel and into the door. The decorative gears suddenly started to turn, their collisions creating a loud clicking sound. One by one the cogs moved away from the middle of the vault door, leaving an empty space. Several unseen mechanisms pulled the two halves open, revealing its contents.
Inside was an ornate golden staff, with a light blue prism at the head that sat atop a pedestal. Several thick tubes were attached to the pedestal, transferring energy out of the room and into other facilities. Madara stepped up to the staff, slowly reaching out his hand. It needed to be removed from its place in order for him to use it, as it could not multi-task.
"Before you touch that, Mr. Uchiha, I would like to remind you." Ironwood said, looking tense. "The moment that you remove the wand most of Atlas' defenses will be to some latency in transfer, each second that it's misplaced will equal ten seconds that we're unprotected. Please be as quick as you can."
Madara nodded, grasping the Relic's pole underneath a handguard. With a yank, he dislodged the staff. The tubes went empty and the crystal began to glow. Likewise, his arm became covered in a golden light, reaching into his bicep and shoulder. At that moment, a surge of information flooded into his mind.
The staff practically spoke to him, informing him of what exactly he had at his disposal. The Relic of Creation could produce practically anything, with but a single stipulation. It could only create something native to the world. That said, anything that it could create had practically no limit. A massive amount of energy to sustain all of Atlas? Produced without issue. Certain entities and objects that originated elsewhere? Not possible. In other words, he could not simply use the staff to create a pair of Rinnegan.
"Well, that's fine." Madara thought, sighing. He was glad to know that nobody could simply create such powerful and dangerous eyes. Unfortunately, it meant he couldn't either.
Regardless, he already had something he intended to create. With his mind set, the light glowed brighter, and the staff immediately worked to grant his desire. Once it was in his other hand, he immediately returned the staff to its place. The light from his arm vanished, as did the light that radiated from the staff itself. Madara's other hand was clenched, holding something in it.
With his objective completed, he walked out of the chamber and past the shields, which automatically reactivated.
Jacqueline crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow "I guess that was it? So we're done now?" she asked,
Madara silently took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. "The difficult part."
As if on cue, the elevator behind her and Ironwood dinged, and the doors opened to reveal a certain heterochromatic eyed girl. She had a confused, but also amazed, look on her face because of the room. It was not enough to form a smile, however.
"Uh, there was something you needed me for, Mr. Ironwood?" She asked, putting away her Scroll.
"Actually, Ms. Rose, that… would be your brother." He answered, albeit reluctantly, and stepped out of the way.
Ruby stepped forward and past Ironwood, her eyes wandering to his clenched hand. "What's that?"
"It's time I took my Rinnegan back," Without a word, he opened his hand to reveal a small glass container. It held a seemingly green liquid, swishing around its confines like that wasn't the only thing inside. The liquid contained something round in it—a bright and unblemished silver eye.
"W-where'd you get that? And why?" Ruby asked, looking shooken up.
"Your… no, I need my Rinnegan back." He said bluntly as he stared at the aforementioned eye. "I'll also be replacing what you lost when it awakened."
She always knew it was connected to him. He was the one who told her how important it was and explained how it worked, speaking as if he formerly used it. The eye let her see chakra, which was something she only ever knew Madara could do. It had caused Luna to go berserk, which Madara then interrupted and concluded. It only made sense that he intended to get the Rinnegan as well, just as he collected the Tailed Beasts they encountered.
Even so, giving up such an important thing was more than a little difficult. After everything they've been through—everything she'd been through, it was thanks to that eye that she developed her electricity power. She wouldn't be able to perceive, let alone control, the chakra that was in her without it.
"But why? You've never needed it before." Ruby said, looking nervously at her brother. "Just sorta seems like you don't need it."
Yet there was something even more important, well beyond her own personal abilities, that made Ruby so opposed. The eye was many things. It was a key to a locked door; a hole in the ever-expanding wall. Most of all, it was a link that connected her to an unreachable place, an unreachable thing.
"No one in the world was even meant to have it but me. " He answered. "I've allowed it up until now, but now it's time that I took it back. Salem can't be defeated otherwise."
"And then what? What happens after Salem?"
And there it was. The question he knew would inevitably arrive. Although Ruby was the last person he expected to ask such a thing. She always had a one track-mind about fighting the Grimm, never thinking about the future.
"I'm going to collect the remaining Tailed Beasts and return to my world." is what he could have said, but it would seem outright ludicrous. Who would accept such a statement? That said, it was entirely possible that Ruby already knew he was from a different world. Instead, he said, ?
Madara was becoming more frustrated as their conversation dragged on, but it wasn't quite Ruby's rebelliousness that caused it. "That's something you don't need-."
"No, I already know. I heard all about it last night." She cut him off, noticing the surprise in his eyes. "So after this, it's all gonna be over? You're gonna run off to who knows where, to do who knows what, all on your own? You think anyone's okay with that?" her other eye, the one nobody was focused on, glinted briefly.
"It's for everyone's sake. Otherwise they will be in danger. Or did you forget that heroes exist to protect?" For the first time, both the Maiden and the General heard Madara raise his voice. It may have also been Ruby's first, but she didn't react with surprise.
"Who said heroes need to do things alone?!" Ruby screamed with more fury than she ever had before. She may as well have breathed fire in her excitement. It was enough to give pause to everyone else present. Conversely, however, the stationed Knights stood at the ready with their weapons drawn and aimed.
"Ms. Rose, stand down immediately." Ironwood demanded, looking sternly at the premature-huntress.
"No, I need Madara to listen to me." She said, her platinum-colored eye flickering like a faulty lightbulb. She was still, waiting for her brother's response before making her next move. "I don't want to lose anyone—not anymore. Don't you know that we all want to be heroes and save people? But that doesn't mean we have to be alone. So that's why, at least for now, I can't hand over the one thing that keeps us connected."
it was the right thing to do in his mind. Humanity and the entire world was at risk, if not by Salem then by the Tailed Beasts simply by existing in this world. No matter the cost, ensuring safety and peace was the most important; it was what he knew and what he reaffirmed a long time ago. So the correct answer was obvious, wasn't it? Move quickly and take it by force—as he had done in the past. Just like that the issue would be solved. It would be easy—almost effortless—wouldn't it? Or shouldn't it?
END