The Vytal Festival.

An international festival held every two years in one of the kingdoms. A way to let the four kingdoms exchange their cultures while strengthening their bonds. Keeping the spirits of the citizens of every kingdom up by celebrating dances and parades, stalls selling exotic goods and foods, and what everyone is really excited for, the Vytal tournament.

It was a beautiful day, (Why are you narrating?) where the sun is shining, tree leaves are falling, and people are celebrating. The 40th Vytal Festival is here, and the people, Humans and Faunus, are making the most of it. Carnival games are being played, foreign foods are being eaten, and everyone is having a smile on their face.

I don't need magic or any supernatural ability to feel the happiness and excitement from them. Everyone's so incredibly amazed, basically oozing with positive emotions.

Which is why Beacon will not fall today.

Yes, today is a beautiful day.

"What do you mean I can't?!"

Well, it would've been if Ozpin wasn't being a dick.

"I am sorry." He shakes his head regretfully. "I know how important it is for you to participate in the tournament, but you don't have a team to compete with."

Thankfully, only Qrow and Ozpin were in the office. Otherwise, Glynda would have my head for yelling.

"So?" I ask irritably. "You're the headmaster of Beacon, you can do whatever to make me enter."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." He takes off his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Besides, you're the only student that knows about Salems agents in the school, and I don't want you to waste any energy."

That would've been a good point if I wasn't The Gamer. Unfortunately, I can't reveal that I suddenly have super mana/aura regeneration. It would only make me more suspicious.

"But- but Qrow!" I point at the drunk. "He can deal with them, right?"

Qrow simply raises an eyebrow and Ozpin sighs. "With the way you always boast about how you would deal with them, I could've sworn you wanted to confront them directly."

I flinch. "I... Well..."

That's true. And you couldn't blame me even if you tried. After seeing Amber's face in that machine... I just had to make it personal. Do you have any idea how different it is from the show? The amount of pain and suffering she was feeling is just... heartwrenching. Everyone was only feeling her Mana, so they have no idea what it felt like to feel a glimpse of what was happening inside her.

Imagine reliving your worst nightmare over and over again. If I had spent another minute sensing what was happening in that machine, I would've abandoned the plan and confronted Cinder directly.

Not to mention the disgusting parasite living inside her.

"Ugh... Damn it! Fine! You can have it your way then." I relent, throwing my hands up in the air.

He smiles. "I was sure you would've seen it my way." He leans back on his chair. "I promise, I will do everything in my power to get you to join the next tournament."

"It's two years from now." I groan. "And it's in Atlas! The most miserable place in the world."

"Actually," Qrow interjects. "it's Mantle that's most miserable."

"You're not making this any better Qrow."

"Nevertheless," Ozpin speaks. "you will get to join the next tournament."

"Yeah yeah you already said that." I sigh but grow serious. "But when we do confront them, Cinder is mine."

"Kid." The drunk takes out his flask. "I don't know what you saw in that vision of yours, but you shouldn't let grudges get in the way."

"Sorry." I look at him. "But I won't rest until I personally kick her ass."

His eyes narrow. "...She's a Maiden."

My right arm engulfs in blue fire and I smirk. "Your point?"

"That's enough you two." Ozpin calmly orders. I disperse my magic and he continues. "I do believe that you easily surpass her, Reid, since she only has half the power, therefore half the Mana pool and Control.

"While your own Mana pool is far behind hers, her lack of control will cause her to burn through her Mana quite fast. As long as you remain vigilant and fight smart, she won't pose much of a threat to you." I smirk and he turns to Qrow. "Qrow, you should be able to easily handle Mercury Black. He should not be very difficult for you to handle."

I nod in agreement. "The strongest huntsman in Vale against a newbie assassin isn't much of a fight."

"He's Marcus' son, right? I should've known earlier. His name sounded so familiar."

"Finally, The Illusionist." He looks at me. "I believe you already have someone to deal with her. Roman Torchwick's partner, Neopolitan I assume?" I nod. "Have you contacted her yet?"

I shake my head. "Wanted to finish our plans before doing so."

"Good. You may do that now. Qrow and I will discuss more and inform you later on. Finish with her and text me. After that, you may enjoy your time with your friends."

I nod and walk to the elevator. "Right, I'll talk to you later."


(Neo)

This place is so damn annoying.

Cocky snot-nosed kids running around everywhere, no one to openly harass, no one serving her ice cream, and Roman is not here to keep her company. But most importantly, no one is serving her ice cream!

She had to do it herself! Get her tub! This is madness!

At least the library is quiet. And nice. A lot better than the warehouse she lives in actually. And this is just the library. It makes you wonder what the rooms look like. Unfortunately, you can't eat in the library, ice cream included.

She smirks and takes a bite from her Semblance-hidden Neopolitan flavored ice cream. Not like the rules stopped her before.

She sighs in content. Her Semblance is so damn useful she loves it.

"Hello?" She stops her monologue as a somewhat familiar voice speaks up. She turns her head to the source of it and Silver looks at her with a smile.

He points at the chair beside her. "May I sit here?"

She groans on the inside. What do these kids want with her? She just wants to eat her desserts in peace.

She gives him the most dazzling smile, making him smile back.

Then she shakes her head.

He loses his smile. "Oh." He pauses for a second before shrugging. "Well, I'm gonna sit here regardless."

Why did you ask me then?! Her smile turns into an annoyed scowl.

He sits next to her, leaning back as she continues to eat her cold goodness in annoyance.

"So..." He drawls out. "What happened during your 15th birthday?"

She freezes mid-bite.

This... Is not a good thing, she thought. Aside from her, only Roman knows what that question means. This code is only used when Roman sends "Trusted" individuals her way and no way in hell would he give it to this privileged kid. Unless...

She frowns deeply as cold sweat trails down from her cheek.

They tortured him and he gave in.

Neo slowly puts the spoon on the table, reaching for her concealed weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He stops her. "You're at the heart of a huntsmen school. Unless you could kill me in one blow and escape before anyone finds out, you will never leave this place alive."

She winces slightly.

"Don't worry though." He assures. "I came with an offer." He pulls out a folded paper and puts it on the table.

She warily eyes it, anxiety and fear creeping to her heart. She takes a breath and takes the paper, slowly unfolding it. Her eyes widen as relief fills her, reading the content and seeing Roman's signature on it.

"I take it you're listening?" He says with an easy smile. She can't tell if its fake or not.

A nod.

"Good." He nods back. "For now, only a few people know about you. Four including me." He loses his smile and replaces it with a blank look. "Currently, you'll be taking orders from me."

Another nod.

"Alright. First, go on with Cinder's plan, a little bit before she tells you to infiltrate the Emergency Vehicle. Text me and meet up with me, and hand me the flash drive you were given, understood?"

She nods again.

"I'll give you a fake flash drive so you don't get suspicious. Go along with them until after Mercury's single fight. The moment it ends, disappear and stay hidden until I speak to you again.

"Lastly, don't do anything taxing. I need you to be in top shape when I call you." He cracks his neck and gets up. "Welp, I think that's all. Oh yeah!" He pulls his scroll. "Here's my number."

She takes out her own and exchange contacts. He smiles approvingly and starts walking away.

She hesitates a bit before steeling her resolve and grabbing his arm, making him stop to look at her in curiosity. "Yes?"

She types in her scroll 'What about Roman?' before showing him.

"Ah right, he's in Ironwood's custody. Don't worry about him though, Roman's fine."

'That's not what I meant.' She types again.

"...Give me a month after the festival and I'll get him out of jail. I promise."

'Likely story.' She glares.

He sighs in frustration. "Look, you either trust me and make the right choice or tell Cinder and burn to death with her. I gave you a chance right here and now because I don't want to kill you for no reason." He pulls his arm away from her. "I offered Roman and he accepted. Don't fuck it up for him by refusing, alright?"

She hides a flinch and stares for a bit before looking away in defiance.

"You...!" He growls as he spots other people looking at them. "If you think about betraying me..."

She stops to stare at the mini-crowd they made. Well, she thinks crowd but it was like, four people looking at them from afar. It took her a moment to realize why he seems less than thrilled to seriously threaten her before a plan forms in her head. He can't because they're not alone.

If there was one thing Neo really enjoys, it's taking risks.

She smirks, even though she was somewhat scared on the inside, and displays her scroll. 'I can't betray what I never joined.'

"Christ, how do you write so fas-" He clamps his mouth shut as he read the message. "Neopolitan, I swear you will regret this."

She pouts and crosses her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

He glares at her for a full minute before sighing. "Fine, fine, you win. What do you want?"

Well, this is a no brainer.

'Ice cream'

"Fine, I'll get you three tubs."

'Seven.'

"Not on your fucking life. Three, take it or leave it."

She rolls her eyes in amusement. 'Fiiiine.'

He sighs. "This is supposed to be me blackmailing you..." He gazes at her before shaking his head and grumbling. "Damned favorite characters..."

As he walks away, she stops him again, making him groan.

"Oh God, what now?"

She extends her arm and opens her hand. He takes a while before comprehending what she wants. "Oh no, I'm not giving you anything until after we deal with Cinder."

She raises a brow. 'Same as before, how do I trust you?'

... ... ...

... ... ...

..."How much?"

'4,000 per tub'

"It's 2,000, you fucking liar!"

Why did you ask then?! She scowls.

"Here!" The boy throws the cash at her face. "Take your damned money and leave me alone!"

She was a bit stunned at the action, not noticing him leaving immediately after looking at the cards of Lien falling around her and on the ground. With a smile, she leans and starts collecting them, thinking of how much of a win this is. Roman is safe and will be back in action soon (Hopefully), She gets lots of free time after a few hours, and gets to stab one of those assholes until they're bleeding from everywhere.

Hopefully that bitchy girl with the knock-off illusion Semblance.

And she gets to steal from her blackmailer.

Such a good life for one Neopolitan.


10 Reputation with Neopolitan!

I text the 'OK' sign to Ozpin with a scowl.

Fucking midget.

I should've waited until we were alone, but no, I had to get ahead of myself and make it worse.

What were those people doing at the library anyways? It's the Vytal Festival damn it! Go do something else!

"Haah..."

Thankfully, those fanfictions I always read depicting Neo as an ice cream lover were apparently right in this world, and I managed to bribe her with some.

2,000 Lien isn't really that much, like 20 dollars...

...Okay, 60 dollars is quite an amount for ice cream, but I have like, 650,000 Lien so I'm good.

Gasp! I could buy a motorcycle with that amount!

Wait, why buy a motorcycle? I'm The Gamer, I can build my own!

WAIT! Not a motorcycle...

A hoverbike!

I couldn't help but giggle childishly at the thought.

Thank you, God, for this amazing power.

(You're welcome.)

"Reid!" I hear Jaune shout for me. "Over here!"

I pause to look for the voice, spotting both JNPR and RWBY waiting for me inside Amity's docks.

"Where were you? I thought you were gonna miss the fight."

"Sorry." I smile apologetically. "Had to do something real quick."

"Well, that 'something' should've waited." Nora chides. "Ruby would've been sad if you didn't see it!"

"Ah..."

A day after my talk with Yang, we were eating breakfast where she very loudly revealed the relationship between me and Ruby. It was cute how Ruby turned extremely red at everyone congratulating us. What wasn't cute, however, was when Yang started subtly teasing me about the confession.

I feel like Blake picked something up from how hard she was staring at me behind her smut. It was so embarrassing...

But I did feel smug when I felt some losers' glares on my back. Turns out there were people who had a crush on my Ruby.

"It's fine, Nora," Ruby assures. "I'm sure it was important."

"What about you?" Yang questions. "Did headmaster Ozpin get you in?"

I couldn't help but frown. "No."

Jaune's brows shoot up in surprise. "But why? You're one of the strongest fighters we have!"

My frown deepens. "I don't have a team he said."

"That's it? That's not really important."

"Of course it is, dolt," Weiss interjects. "Having a team is the most vital point of the tournament. It's supposed to test the team's valor and skill working together. Reid might be powerful, but I doubt even he could beat an entire team alone."

"You have to admit though," Blake speaks up. "having Reid fight would significantly up our chances of Vale winning the Tournament. I mean, imagine a team that consists of Pyrrha, Yang, and Reid together."

Ren chuckles. "That's not very fair for the other teams, Blake."

Blake smirks. "Exactly what I mean. They have a little amount of experience of working together, but their sheer power combined is enough to beat almost every team competing."

Pyrrha blushes at the praise and Yang smugly smirks.

I lose my frown and chuckle. "Oh come on guys."

"Too bad you couldn't fight in the single matches." Nora quips. "You would've killed it there!"

Our chat was cut off by the speakers' announcement. "Attention: Team RWBY's and team ABRN's fight shall begin in five minutes. Mentioned teams, please go to your designated area. Spectators, please go to the seating areas."

Ruby gasps. "Oh no, we're gonna be late. Come on sisters! Let's show them the might of team RWBY!"

The other members cheer and pump themselves up, walking towards the arena.

"Ruby!" I call out, pulling the bracelet out of my inventory and throwing it to her.

"Huh? Ah!" She yelps, barely catching it. She stares at it quizzically before looking at me.

"It's for good luck." I wink.

A slight pink hue colors her cheeks as she smiles at me. "I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't."

10 Affection with Ruby Rose!

10 Reputation With Ruby Rose!

She beams and runs off to catch up to her team.

With a sigh, I turn back and see Nora wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Hehehe..."

I roll my eyes. "Let's just go and find ourselves some seats before they're all taken."


"Hello! It seems that we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?" Port's voice booms through the Colosseum.

"Doctor." I can feel Oobleck's eye twitch from here. "And yes Peter, I think it's safe to say-"

I tune out the rest as I focus on the fight.

Everything was going as I remembered: Reese and Blake were fighting in an equal footing, Blake having the upper hand, while Ruby and Weiss deal with Bolin.

Well, Yang's fight was a little different... Because she's actively wiping the floor with Arslan.

She ducks under a roundhouse kick and delivers two punches to the stomach, knocking her opponent back a bit. Arslan recovers and tries to rush her with a flurry of punches but Yang easily either dodges or blocks all of them, then uppercut her, sending her to a pile of fire dust. Arslan panics, quickly getting off the explosives, not noticing Yang propelling herself with her gauntlets. The leader of team ABRN gasps as Yang appears in front of her, striking her face with full-power, knocking her out of the arena.

"And a devastating finishing blow from Yang! Taking out the last 20% of Arslan's Aura and knocking her out of bounds!"

What kind of juice did she drink before this?!

Name: Yang Xiao-Long

Age: 17

Level: 61

Title: Sunny Dragon

HP: 4000/4000

MP: 6/6

AP: 10500/10500

STR: 200

VIT: 170

DEX: 140

INT:75

WIS: 40

CHA: 190

LUK: 10

...What?

20 levels? 20 levels in less than a year? Are you serious?

Her MP went up too! How?!

(I really need to fix the Rival status effect.)

No no you don't have to!

(Sorry, I don't make the rules.) She pauses for a bit. (Actually, I kinda do.)

Then don't nerf it, please.

(Hmm... Nah.)

"Is it me or did Yang get really strong?" Jaune asks in amazement.

"You're not alone in that regard." Ren confirms with a nod.

"How... Did we not notice this?" Pyrrha questions in disbelief.

"I have no idea." I lie.

How strong is she anyway?

(As strong as her Volume 7 self.)

Her WHAT?!

Wait, Volume 7 is out?! Why didn't you tell me?!

(You didn't as-)

Oh, don't you dare pull that shit!

"And Reese Chloris is out of bounds! A beautiful display of teamwork between the partners, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long!"

See, you distracted me from the fight!

(How is it my fault?!)

"Humph!"

I stop arguing with the god inside my head re-focus on the fight.

Nadir Shiko, the sword wielder of team ABRN was being mercilessly attacked by Weiss, barely blocking her precise thrusts. He parries a stab to the head and counter-attacks, skillfully swinging his sword and turning the table on the Schnee. Weiss summons a glyph and blocks vertical strike, rolls her dust-barrel to wind dust, and shoots a powerful gust of wind, sending him flying.

She creates another glyph under her feet and propels herself with it. She reaches him before he hit the ground and delivers her punishment, stabbing him multiple times and reducing his aura level to under 10%

"And Weiss Schnee dispatches of Nadir Shiko! It seems that team RWBY is taking the win!"

"Nice." I comment.

"You go Ice Queen!" Nora cheers.

Ruby backflips over Bolin's staff, aiming her sniper and shooting, hitting him on the thigh. He flinches and backs away before charging again, breaking a fire dust crystal and launching it at his opponent. Ruby uses her Semblance and easily dodges the flying crystal, speeding behind him and sweeping him off his feet. Bolin slams his staff on the ground and pushes himself away. Ruby, with an eager smirk, doesn't give him a chance to recover as she closes in and spins her scythe so fast it begins to blurs.

He attempts to defend himself from the onslaught, but simply couldn't and getting his Aura completely destroyed in the process.

"And there goes the last remaining bit of Bolin's Aura!" Port exclaims. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winners are team RWBY!"

The crowd roars, whistling and clapping for the team.

"Alright!" Jaune stands up and pumps his fist.

"It seems I was worried for nothing." Pyrrha sighs.

I chuckle while shaking my head. "I knew they were going to win, but I didn't think it would be so one-sided." I pull out my scroll and text Ruby to meet us on campus. Standing up, I gesture for the others. "Come on, let's go and congratulate them."


"Girls!" Nora calls out to the winning team. "Over here!"

Blake's ears twitch and she looks over to us, breaking into a smile. "Hey."

"You did amazing out there!" Jaune praises.

"Of course we did!" Yang confidently proclaims. "We're the best team at Beacon."

I was about to comment before Ruby grabs me in a tight embrace. She looks at me with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling. "Did you see me?! I did amazing right?!"

Oh my God, she's like a puppy!

Patting her head, I return her smile. "Amazing isn't close to describing it. I'm so proud of you."

She giggles, not noticing the huge shit-eating grin on Yang's face.

"D'aww!" Her sister coos, a teasing smirk on her face. "That's so cute!"

Ruby immediately freezes and turns red, letting go of me and chuckling nervously. "S-sorry, I just got too excited and-"

Yang bursts out laughing and I sigh in amusement. "She's messing with you, Rubes."

"Yaaaaang!" Ruby whines.

"In any case," getting their attention, I pull out 10,000 worth of Lien. "Since you went on and made your friends and Beacon proud, I decided that you can order whatever you want on me."

The team's eyes widen. "Y-you really don't have to do that Reid..." The blonde of the team rubs her neck awkwardly.

"Please." Another 10,000 in my other hand. "I insist."

5 Reputation with RWBY!

"Well in that case..." The leader starts.

...I do not like the hungry looks on their faces.


(Emerald)

She cringes inwardly at the sight of the two teams (and one extra guy) eating their lunch. Chatting and joking around, not the slightest hint of worry in their voices. How can they be like this? Always so... happy?

With a sigh, she wears her fake smile and approaches them. The little red hood was the first one to notice her as she waves with a grin. "Hey, Em!"

"Hey, you guys! That was an amazing match! How did you learn to fight like that?"

The red hooded girl blushes. "Oh, you're just saying that."

"We did our best. The other team fought well." The Faunus admits

"I heard you guys won too." The bimbo sips from her cola.

"Oh yeah. It wasn't that hard, to be honest."

The bimbo's eyes twinkle with excitement while the heiress tilts her head. "We never really got to know your other teammates. How did they do?"

Emerald hides a snort. The other team didn't stand a chance. "They did really well."

"That's great," Ruby says. "so, uh, why don't you guys join us? Reid is paying!"

"Don't invite others behind my back!"

Oh, no way in hell. "That's, ah, nice of you, but we're not really hungry." Emerald grimaces as she spots Mercury sniffing the inside of boots. "Not to mention, my partner is not exactly... A social butterfly, as you can see."

Yang grimaces too. "I see alright..."

"Oh, right, Merc and I are moving to the next rounds. What about you guys?"

The youngest of the team puffs her chest in pride. "Well, as the leader of this team, I decided that-"

"We voted." The heiress deadpans.

"Ah, I decided to put a vote-"

"It's Yang and Weiss." Blake cuts her off.

Ruby whines while the silver-haired teen laughs. "They got you good, Rubes."

Yang pumps her fists. "And we're gonna kick some ass!"

"Don't be so crass!" Rich girl scolds. "but yes, we will win the next round, I'm sure of it."

"Ahaha I'm sure you will. But don't think we're gonna hold back if we meet you down the line."

"I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way." Silver interjects with a knowing smirk, his voice low.

Okay... "Well, I'll let you guys enjoy your meal. See you later!"

She waves them goodbye and immediately drops the nice girl act, scowling when she was out of sight. Gross...

"How are your new friends?" Mercury joins her to the way back.

"Somehow, they're worse than you."

"Come on, Em. I'm not that bad, am I?" He smirks.

"I take it back. You're worse."

He chuckles. "Did you at least get what we needed?"

She waves his question away. "It's blondie and rich girl."

"Good. We know who we're working with."

As she walked away, she gave them one last gaze, meeting Reid's eyes, before looking away and keep moving. She never liked the guy, even more than the others. He always had that know-it-all smirk and the "I'm superior" vibe.

Like he knew some big secret and was too happy to keep it that way.

It honestly irritated her way more than she would've liked. She can't wait to see the look on his face after Cinder is finished with-

She freezes.

A sudden overpowering presence descended on her, making her pupils dilate and throat hitch. Fear overcame her heart as her legs felt wobbly. She feels as if she was a prey cornered by its predator, who was exactly behind her.

She knew what that feeling was all too well. She fought criminals and other street urchins like her before to not be unfamiliar with it. Death was staring at her back directly.

And in an instant, it vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving her terrified and confused. She whips her head behind to see Silver still standing at her with a blank face, before returning to his conversation with the Arc wearing an easy smile.

"Em?" Mercury says. "What's wrong?"

"I-it's-" She takes a deep breath through her nose. "It was nothing. Let's go."

What the hell was that? Was that him? A semblance? But- but his semblance was storing things, right? That's what it said on his student sheet.

She shakes her head, dismissing those thoughts. It doesn't matter. It was probably nothing, she thought. Even with the nagging feeling telling her otherwise.

Damn it. She sighs. What the hell are you thinking? Why are you having these thoughts now? Cinder's plan is flawless. There's nothing to be worried about.

She keeps telling herself that, but at the back of her mind, buried under all the blind devotion, love, and admiration, she knew that something was very wrong.

She didn't know what though...


[Magical Presence (Passive/Active) LV24 EXP 14.26%]

Unleash the presence of your mana and let your enemies tremble in fear.

-Passively lets out a comforting presence. Can hide the magical signature of the presence.

-Actively releases an overpowering aura onto someone, intimidating them. Success chance depends on the level of the user, level of the skill, Mana mastery and pool compared to the target.

-Intimidation skills can be used together with this skill when in close distance.

It's no Conquerer's Haki, but it's something alright.

(You're gonna be found out if you keep doing this you know.)

But it's kinda fun though.

(This skill cannot be used without letting some of your Mana leak.)

True, but neither Emerald nor Mercury can sense it, so Emerald didn't recognize the feeling and couldn't deduce that it was magic.

And I doubt Cinder has a long sensing range when she didn't practice her magic.

(...Oh well, I'm just giving you a warning. )

"Will the teams JNPR and BRNZ report to the battlegrounds immediately!" Port's voice booms from the speakers, getting Jaune to perk up.

He smiles nervously. "Guys? Come on, it's our turn."

Nora gulps up the last remaining bit of her pancakes before abruptly standing up. "Alright! Let's go and kick some butt!"

Pyrrha puts her teacup down and follows after the hyperactive girl. Ren does so as well, all of them except the leader having confident expressions.

"They, uh, don't seem too nervous." Jaune states rubbing his neck.

"Why should they?" I lean on the food stand, my front facing the three. "And why should you?"

He sighs. "I don't know. What if we lose? What if I mess up?"

"Ifs and buts my friend. They usually kill success before it has a chance." I shake my head and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let these things discourage you before you try. So what if you lose? It's not the end of the world.

"But I am positive that you guys are gonna win. I mean, you have Nora and Pyrrha in a single team!" He chuckles at the implication. "Not only that, but your team has one amazing leader."

"...Yeah, I think you're right. I shouldn't let myself down when I never tried." He looks at me with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Reid."

I pat him on the back. "Anytime. Now go get 'em, tiger!"

He nods and jogs to his team, sending me one last wave.

5 Reputation with Jaune Arc!

I look over to team RWBY. "Are you girls done?"

Ruby burps and gives me a thumbs up while Yang sighs contentedly and stands up to stretch. "Let's go, then. We don't want to miss our friends' match."

She leads the way as her teammates follow her. Just as I went to follow them, someone grabs my arm.

I look over curiously and see the owner of the food stand, squinting his eyes at me.

"Can I help you?"

He sticks a piece of paper to my face. I take it out of his hand and visibly flinch at the bill. I grimace as I pull out the needed amount and pay him.

...I'm never doing this ever again.

-56,540 Lien!


"Who do you think is gonna win?"

I raise an eyebrow at Ruby's question before answering. "JNPR obviously. Why ask?"

"I just wanted to know what you think." She says. "I think they'll win too."

I tear my eyes from her and to the fight.

And it went extremely similar to the original, albeit Jaune did much better in this version, considering I did train with him the most out of the others.

Jaune was extremely enthusiastic when training. He'd literally do anything I tell him too. Did I do mean things to test his obedience? Of course not.

(That's a big fat lie.)

Well, maybe once.

(That's another lie.)

Though, he picks up things very fast. He already mastered his stance and he barely messes it up anymore. He doesn't panic or freezes as much as usual, and his offensive capabilities improved immensely.

I have to say, he might not have trained as much as Yang or Weiss, but he's definitely a natural-born fighter. Either that or it's my teaching skill.

Nonetheless, I think if Jaune keeps this up, he's gonna be one of the strongest guys in Beacon. Maybe even the world.

I already thought about what enchantment I'm gonna give his weapon and armor. He's a tank type, so mostly defense-related enchantment. Probably damage reduction and elemental resistance, whenever we fight rouge Maidens or elemental Grimm.

"And with that, team JNPR takes the win! Can someone please check on the other team?"

"Woohoo!" Ruby stands up clapping, a grin on her face.

"Their teamwork was phenomenal." Blake comments.

"...I guess that dolt wasn't as incompetent as I thought."

"Oh come on Ice Queen." Yang elbows the heiress teasingly. "You were so impressed with his tactics."

Weiss scowls and blushes. "I was not!"

"Ah, well, Vacuo fans are sure to be hurting after that one, but this next one will have them on the edge of their seats!" Oobleck comments.

"Team NDGO of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite, but these lovely ladies are going against some of the toughest, testosterone-filled teammates we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about... Team SSSN!" Port announces.

Weiss loses her scowl and smiles sweetly. "I'm rooting for you, Neptune!"

"This should be good." Yang quips, then looks at Blake. "Don't you think?"

She nods absently but keeps her attention on Sun.

I open my mouth to speak-

Bzzt!

And close it, taking out my scroll and see a message from...

My eyes narrow.

Neo...

This is... It's too early.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ruby asks.

I face her with a fake smile. "Something came up. It won't take long."

She nods and refocuses on the fight.


I grimace as I see the huge Atlesien fleet of airships looming over Vale, causing the citizens to grow concerned. Ironwood still doesn't know about the future vision nor Cinder being Salem's agent. The reason is that he's just too impulsive. If I did tell him, the first thing he'd do is go gun-blazing at them, ordering them to surrender. His method might be effective, yes, but it would only draw attention. The kind of attention that we don't want.

If we secretly deal with the agents instead, then no one has to know about them, therefore no one either losing faith in Ironwood or Ozpin, or be extremely worried that some sort of terrorists managed to infiltrate Beacon, attracting Grimm in the process.

I shake my thoughts away and continue my search.

"There you are," I whisper, spotting Neo in her twin-tail disguise in a cafe sipping from a milkshake.

I slowly approach her and she notices me, remaining neutral as I sit opposite of her.

"You have it?"

She nods and hands me the flash drive and I inspect it.

[RTC 1 Terabyte Flash Drive. (984GB/1TB) (Uncommon)]

An expensive Flash Drive made by Remnant's Technic Company. Able to hold in one whole terabyte worth of memories. It's usually used by the military.

This is it, alright...

"Why so early? I thought she wanted you to infiltrate maybe after the double rounds." I buy an empty flash drive from the MS, barely costing anything, and hand it to her

She shrugs and displays her scroll, pocketing the small object. 'Earlier is better she said.'

"I see... Thank you for your cooperation. You can go now." She nods and leaves me alone with my thoughts.

What does this mean? I know that she sent Neo after Mercury's round with Yang, but why is it different here? What made her change her mind?

A ripple effect? Possibly. Even with the smallest of actions could change something drastically. But what caused it? Ideas and theories swirl through my head but none of them makes any sense. Does she perhaps... Know?

No. that isn't possible. If she knew, she wouldn't send Neo with the real flash drive. That's just shooting yourself in the foot. Only a dumbass would do that.

Maybe I'm just overthinking this and it is a ripple effect, caused by something very insignificant.

Bzzt!

I shake my head and check my scroll.

RubyRose: where r u? weiss and me went to meet her sis. we r back at the dorm now.

I smile.

ReidAstera: It's "Weiss and I" Rubes. And I'm at a cafe near the docks.

RubyRose: its all the same.

RubyRose: wanna meet up? uncle qrow is there too.

RubyRose: btw why did u change ur name? I liked Zeus9001.

I wince at the childish name before ignoring the last message completely.

My thoughts went back to Cinder's situation, making me frown.

Glancing at my scroll, I text Ruby my response and, sigh pay the bill again.

Damn midget.

ReidAstera: Sure, I'll be there in a minute.

I lean back and close my eyes in thought.


(Ozpin)

He takes a sip from his mug as he walks the streets of Vale, a content smile on his face. Everyone seems to be having the times of their lives with the festival.

An occasion that occurs every two years should be free from worry and fear. A message to the people that they should not fear what is outside the walls, that the protectors of the world are doing their absolute best to keep them safe.

To think that everything I worked to protect was destroyed in the future. He frowns behind his mug. A memory flashed in his mind, where a carnage of a certain group took place. He stood powerless, not nearly capable of stopping her as she personally slaughtered everyone, men and women, children and the elderly, powerless villagers and warriors. No one was safe from her.

And it was all your fau-

A sigh escapes him as he shuts down that thought. He perks up a bit as he sees people on chatting and watching the tournament on their scrolls.

But not this time. He won't let it happen again, that much is certain. He'll do whatever it takes to keep the smiles on everyone's faces. To keep them safe from the horrors of Salem.

If it wasn't for Reid... Indeed, if it wasn't for that silver-haired boy, it would happen all over again. Most kids his age would've used his powers for fame and glory, and others would've used it to do whatever they wish for.

He shudders as he imagines a mage of his potential joining Salem.

The boy was a godsend, not like those bastards did anything to help him.

They started all of this... And dragged him to clean up their mess.

He shakes his anger away as he spots said godsend boy in an outside table of a popular cafe, eyes closed in concentration.

With a few steps, he reaches the student. "Reid?"

The teen's eyes shoot up. "Jesus Christ!" He tumbles on the ground, his head hitting the ground quite hard. "AH FUCK!"

Ozpin backs away a step as his student stands up, whipping his head at him, scowling angrily while nursing the newly formed bump on his head. "What is your obsession with SNEAKING UP ON ME EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU SEE ME! YOU AND YOUR DUMB STUDENTS!"

Ozpin raises an eyebrow in amusement. "You do realize that you are indeed one of my students, no?"

"Oh don't you dare get- You know what, forget it." He slumps back with a long sigh.

The older man sits on the chair facing him. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be with your friends?"

"...Cinder made her move earlier than I thought." He reveals. "I guess I was just worried about what that might mean."

"I... See."

"I thought that she might know, but it doesn't make sense." He continues. "If she was aware, why would she give me the real thing?"

"You mean the virus?"

"Yeah." A flash drive materializes in his hand. "Neo called me to meet up a couple of minutes ago. She told me that Cinder wanted to get things done earlier."

The object disappears from his hand. "I think I'm just overthinking this. But what if I'm wrong? What if she told Salem and..."

"Reid." The teacher smiles. "You are overthinking. I doubt even Salem, for all her experience, could think up of an elaborate plan that counters yours in such a short amount of time. Remember, they don't know that you have future vision."

"Had, Ozpin. The moment we do stop them before they destroy Vale, most of my knowledge will become useless."

"That doesn't change the fact that you have already saved countless souls with your knowledge," Ozpin says. "You already know what would happen had you not interfered. Don't undermine your actions, Reid."

"I..." He rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I-"

Bzzt!

He stops mid-sentence to check his scroll, wincing as he reads a message. "Ah, crap." He gets up and dusts his clothes. "Sorry Oz, the doubles match between RWBY and FNKI is gonna begin soon."

The headmaster nods in understanding. "Of course. But before you go, tell me." The student looks at Ozpin. "Do you think you're ready?"

He scratches his head with a nervous smile. "...I'll admit, I'm kinda anxious, and kinda excited too." He nods. "But yeah. I think I can take them on."

"That's all I wanted to hear." Ozpin nods approvingly. "Go now, before you miss the match."

"Okay." Reid waves as he starts to jog towards the airbuses. "See you soon!"


(Reid)

"I didn't miss anything, did I?" I ask before sitting down next to Ruby.

"Nope. The fight is gonna start right now though." She tilts her head. "Where were you anyway?"

"Had to meet up with a friend. Not really that important." I reply.

"Hey! Why don't you?" A grating voice instantly catches my attention. I look at the arena and spot Neon pointing at Yang. "That's what you sound like."

"..Uh..."

That is exactly how I would've reacted.

"Hey! Where'd you get your hair extensions?"

Blake winces at that.

I could feel Yang's irritation. "This is just my normal hair."

"Ohh, really?"

"Yes!"

"You should try rollerblading sometime! It's super fun!" Neon swiftly changes the subject. "It'd probably take you a while, though, since you're so... you know, top-heavy."

"Oh, great." Ruby deadpans.

"Huh?" I utter.

"Excuse you?!"

"Three! Two! One! Begin!"

Right as the fight starts, Yang charges Neon with an angry scowl, causing the cat Faunus to flinch and start running for her life. Flynt raises his instrument and blows, creating a sound wave that pushes Weiss away. The heiress stabs her rapier on the ground and creates a glyph to stop her from flying away. Weiss makes four glyphs behind her and charges them with Ice dust, shooting ice crystals at her opponent. Flynt stops his blowing and dodges the attack, while Weiss goes on the offensive.

"So, Rubes." I start, not tearing my eyes from the fight. "Who did you vote for?"

"...Me." She chuckles nervously. "But I think we did the right decision with who to choose."

I raise an eyebrow in interest. "Oh?"

Yang shoots Neon with her gauntlets, missing as the N of FNKI skates and slides over the terrain of the ruined city, muttering something. The blonde growls in annoyance as she starts chasing again. Neon eventually comes down and charges at Yang, a rainbow following her as she smacks Yang with a glow stick. Neon smirks as her glow sticks turn blue, dashing past Yang and encasing her leg in ice.

"Yeah." Ruby continues. "Choosing Yang is obvious since she is the strongest one of us, and Weiss because of her versatility. Weiss is more of a team fighter than a solo one, and with Yang being the strongest and with the most Aura reserves, it feels logical to pair them up. Their compatibility is great." She pursues her lips. "Well, it should've been but..." She finishes with a grimace.

Yeaaaaaah, they're not really working together.

"That is true." I ignore the last part. "But you fought with Yang the most, did you not? Would it not be better for you to fight instead? Or Blake, since they're teammates?"

"We mostly fight Grimm together. Other huntsmen are a different story." She shakes her head. "And again, Weiss is the most versatile and the best dust user out of us.

"And it's true that Blake is the most experienced, and her team work with Yang is amazing, but I think Flynt would be the worst kind of opponent for her."

"Because his attacks have a wide range." I finish for her and grin proudly. "And to think you once doubted yourself as a leader."

Not to mention that his Semblance counters Blake's.

She blushes at the praise. "Oh, it's nothing. There are probably better plans anyone could have thought of."

"True, but your insight was amazing nonetheless."

5 Reputation with Ruby Rose!

5 Affection with Ruby Rose!

Just a few points away from my first maxed REP.

"Oh look!" Neon points at Yang's frozen leg. "Now you're bottom-heavy too!"

And this is turning out like it's in the original show. Where's the-

Neon rushes Yang with her glow stick ready, but the blonde grabs her opponent's hand, stopping her in place.

Ah, there it is.

Yang cocks her arm back. "Looks like you missed a beat after all." She mocks with a smirk and eyes glowing crimson, before slamming the cat Faunus' face, sending her flying into the ruined building. Not wasting any chance, Yang breaks the ice encasing her leg and sprints where Neon flew, starting her barrage of attacks, reducing her opponent's aura significantly. Panicking, Neon tries to parry one of the attacks but is parried herself, setting the match in stone as Yang knocks her out of the arena.

"Yes! Go Yang!" Ruby cheers.

Yang smirks and leaves the defeated Neon, rushing back to aid Weiss, who was having trouble against her opponent as Flynt uses his Semblance, creating three duplicates and sending Weiss flying back.

"It appears young Flynt has just activated his Semblance!" Oobleck reveals. "And quite a remarkable one at that. Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on Flynt Coal's Killer Quartet!"

Flynt stops his attack and absorbs his clones to glance at the scoreboard, his eyes widening as he sees that Neon is out of the game, He instinctively dodges a jab from Yang, jumping back to gain some distance. He doesn't notice that Weiss already recovered and is using her glyphs to speed up herself, getting the jump on him as she slashes him repeatedly. In an effort to defend himself, he tries to activate his Semblance once again but is interrupted by Yang as she punches his trumpet away from his grasp.

What follows was a one-sided beating from Yang and Weiss, depleting his aura at a very fast rate.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! A decisive victory for team RWBY!" Port announces, causing the entire coliseum to explode in applause.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheers, her and Blake jumping over and running to their teammates.

"They did amazing." Pyrrha comments.

I glance at her. "That they did..."

In another world, she would've been on her way to Ozpin right now, and the secrets of the Maidens' existence would be revealed to her. She would've been under the weight of responsibility that does not belong to her.

Not in this world, however, because I won't let any of them go through what their other counterparts did. Until they graduate Beacon, they won't have to know anything about the war, and even if they do, I will never force them to help me.

They don't deserve to be dragged into it.

(Telling them now will save you a lot of trouble.)

No, they're not ready.

She chuckles. (Are you telling me you are?)

Yes. Because I have power.

(That you have~)

I ignore her and jump off to the arena, walking up to the winners wearing a small smile. "That was amazing you two! Especially you, Yang."

Yang smirks proudly. "I know, right? Wasn't that much of a struggle, to be honest."

"Easy for you to say." Weiss frowns. "Flynt was a very bad matchup against me. What were you doing with Neon? Ugh, we should've switched opponents."

Ruby laughs nervously. "That's true..."

"Hey, we won, didn't we?" Yang shrugs. "There's no point in getting all pissy about it."

"Still, you should've recognized that Weiss would do better against Neon." Blake admonishes. "Team fights aren't all about you, Yang."

Yang groans and looks at me for help.

I chuckle in return. "Sorry Yang, but they're right. Should've thought before you let that temper of yours get the better of you."

She pouts and rolls her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry I got angry and didn't think much about strategy. Happy now?"

Weiss scowls at her. "That feels very half-hearted." She loses the scowl and sighs. "But since I am a very forgiving person, I accept your apology."

"Yeah, this is nice and all but we need to get going." I urge. "An arena is not an ideal place for chatting."

They nod and get moving, me trailing behind them. I look at Yang's arms and notice that she's not wearing what I gave her, setting off alarms in my head.

"Psst, Yang!" I whisper. Though I'm sure that Blake can hear me. "Yang!"

"Huh?"

I grab her by the shoulder and forced her to walk beside me. "Where's the bracelet?!"

"Oh." She dumbly utters. "It's back at the dorms."

This- this dumbass... "Are you serious?!"

"Look, I didn't want to lose it!" She fiercely whispers back. "What if it falls off in the middle of the fight? You saw how things could get, and I'm not taking any chances."

"You moron it's not-" I shake my head with a sigh. "Can you please at least wear it at your next match?"

"I don't know..."

"Yang." I force her to look at my eyes. "Please. It's important."

She gazes at me for a second before nodding. "...Sure."

I smile. "Thanks, that's all I wanted." And with that, I let go of her and we continue on our way.

... ... ...

... ... ...

"By the way, why did you assume it's me that's fighting?"

Oh shit. "Because out of your team, you're the strongest when it comes to one-on-one fights. Not choosing you is just dumb."

She smirks. "Yeah, you're right."

Whew...


(A while later...)

(3rd POV)

"Mercury black and Yang Xiao-Long!"

Mercury glances at the blonde, noticing her confident smirk, causing him to give his own. This is gonna end badly for her.

"Would all combatants please leave the stage!"

The other students do as they're told, leaving the two opponents moving closer to the middle of the stage.

"Good luck," Yang says.

"To you too." He replies.

Both fighters get into their stances, facing each other and waiting for the countdown.

"Three!"

Yang's fists clench tight.

"Two!"

Mercury's smirk widens.

"One! Begin!"

Almost instantly, both fighters charge at each other, Yang's fist meeting Mercury's foot, creating a shockwave pushing them both back. Mercury rushes the blonde, throwing a punch after punch while Yang ducks and weaves under them. Yang delivers a powerful jab to the face knocking him away and she charges on the offensive. He dodges an uppercut but gets a nasty blow to the gut. Gritting his teeth, he parries a right-hook and kicks her upward.

Yang falls back on her feet and starts shooting with her shotguns, fiery blasts that were easily evaded by the assassin. With a smirk, Mercury uses the recoil of his weapon to jump up high, coming down on her with an ax-kick, one that was blocked by his opponent. Yang uses her free arm to shoot Mercury, his eyes widening as a blast of fire sends him sprawling all over the floor. Yang keeps shooting, and he back-flips over all six shoots, his smirk returning.

The blonde's eyes twitch and she uses her gauntlet to propel herself, gaining speed and throwing a jab he dodged. They get in an equal fist-to-fist for a moment, before Mercury blocks a left-hook and kicking her in the gut, sending her back. He shoots multiple silvery projectiles from his foot into the air, and one backward to propel himself. Yang dodges one of the blasts but is distracted when Mercury reaches her and delivers one powerful kick to her gut, causing her eyes to widen. with a smirk, he starts his assault with a flurry of kicks to her face and stomach, his leg a blur to the untrained eye. Finally, he gives a roundhouse kick, sending her to the ground. The remaining blasts fall down on the blonde, creating an explosion as smoke covers her downed form.

Seemingly proud of himself, he grins, dusting his outfit as he leisurely walks away. Suddenly, the smoke bursts into flames, revealing a red-eyed Yang with a wide smirk.

"Don't count me out just yet!"

She slams her knuckles together, yelling as she propels herself with incredible speed, enough to turn his confident grin into a surprised look. He tries to bring his arms up to protect himself but is shocked when she targets his body. Four consecutive blows to his gut and chest knocked the wind out of him, three others to his face made him dazed, and one powerful uppercut sent his Aura to zero, ending the match.

"What a way to kick off the finals!" Port announces, followed by a roar from the crowd.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yang's eyes turn to their usual lilac color, smiling at the hunched-over form of Mercury. "That was a good fight. Too bad for you I won, huh?" She starts walking to the exit, sending a small wave. "Better luck next time."

Mercury smirks darkly. There won't be a next time, blondie.

... ... ...

His smirk drops as he notices that blondie isn't coming for him. Instead, she went on her way, not giving a single glance at him.

"Uhh, Em?" He utters in confusion, looking for his green-haired partner in the audience, spotting her looking as confused as he was.

What the hell is she doing? He panics internally. The bimbo is practically gone by now! Why the hell aren't you doing anything?!

"Will Mercury Black please leave the stage for the other participants?"

That jolted him out his trance, hurriedly getting up and slowly walking in the opposite direction. "Is this... Part of the plan that I don't know about?" He mumbles.

He sends one last glance to Emerald. Seeing her pale and horrified face made him chuckle humorlessly. "Guess not..."


(Pyrrha)

"Woah..." Her crush utters, in complete amazement at his fellow blonde's performance.

And she couldn't blame him. She herself was in awe at Yang's match. They had fought once in professor Goodwitch's class, and it was a hard victory for the champion. Yang was an incredibly talented fighter, one that could be better than the redhead without her Semblance.

She is not full of herself to admit that her Semblance had carried her in a lot of fights before. Of course, not to underestimate her skills in her weapons, but she holds a significant advantage against almost every Huntsman or Huntress, given that they're using metal weapons.

But she isn't arrogant enough to think that she is the strongest huntress in Beacon. Surprisingly enough, even if it was the most anticipated matchup in Beacon, she still has never battled Reid even once, so she isn't sure that she could defeat him. And she definitely doesn't think she can win if he uses that "Smokin' State" as Nora called it.

That doesn't mean she isn't excited by that thought, though. Maybe one day, when they do battle, he can finally take that wretched title that plagued her all those years.

She glances at Yang's face on the scoreboard. Or maybe, Yang can do it, here and now.

"Yes! It worked...!" She barely heard her silver-haired friend whisper, a huge relieved grin on his face. Said whisper was drowned out by the remaining of RWBY's cheers.

"GO YANG!"

With a breath, she stands up, leaving the stage to get ready for the next fight. Hopefully, the randomizer chooses her this time. She sends her team's and friends' smiling faces one last glance, raising an eyebrow at Reid furiously whispering to a red-faced Jaune.

"Good luck Pyrrha!" Ruby says.

After a grateful nod, she makes her way to the exit and to Amity's locker rooms, opening her locker and taking Akoúo̱ and Miló and strapping them on her back. Taking a glance at her scroll, she sees that she only Has five minutes before the next match.

"Pyrrha?" The voice of her partner calls out. She looks to her right, gazing at his beautiful deep blue eyes. "Got a second?"

She nods with a smile. "Of course Jaune. What is it?"

"It's just that, uh..." He blushes. "What I wanted to say is..." With a sigh, he hands her a bronze-colored bracelet, big enough to fit her arm. "I, uh, have this."

Her heart skipped a beat. "F-for me?"

"Y-yeah. It's for good luck."

"Oh..." She utters, her face flushed and her heart feeling fuzzy. She takes the bracelet and puts it one immediately. "Thank you, Jaune. That's very sweet of you."

"O-of course! That's what friends do, right?"

She slightly winces at the word 'Friends' and hoped to the gods he did not notice. With a fast-beating heart and a crimson face, she strengthened her resolve and stepped forward, her crush not noticing until he felt soft lips on his cheek. With that little peck, she dashed past him, leaving the scraggly blonde frozen.

I did it! I did it! Inside her head was mini-Pyrrhas celebrating. I can't believe I actually did it! I kissed Jaune!

No, Pyrrha, get a hold of yourself! She shakes her head with still reddened cheeks. There is still a battle ahead of you. You can't get lost in your thoughts now.

After a deep breath, she continued on to the stage, seeing the other participant there before her.

"And with that, we have the final competitor arriving on the stage! Barty, would you please spin the roulette?"

And spin it did. After a few seconds, it reveals the first fighter. A ginger-haired girl with a freckled face and a pink bow.

"Penny Polendina versus..."

And the opponent is... Me?

"Pyrrha Nikos! Would the other participants please leave the stage?"

And so, the two opponents were left alone, facing each other as the floor around them opens, rings of spotlights rising up to automatically fix their lights on the two.

"Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos!" The eccentric girl greets. "It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Pyrrha smiles. "It's nice to meet you too, Penny."

"This is going to be so much fun!"

The redhead giggles. "I think so too."

"Fighters, are you ready?" The doctor asks.

With a nod, Pyrrha takes out her weapons, a javelin in her right hand and a shield in her left. She gets into her stance, shield up and javelin down, staring warily at her opponent. Penny simply beams brightly, waiting for the countdown.

"Three!"

Her hands tighten as she sees her teammates cheering for her. I will win this.

"Two! One! Begin!"

In an instant, multiple swords burst out of Penny's backpack, spinning and almost looked like they were dancing with her gestures, before flying at Pyrrha. The champion runs towards the swords, leaping through some of them and deflecting others. The swords fly away into the air and return to the battle once again. She gives a quick glance to the swords following her before speeding up to her opponent. A swipe of her javelin was ducked under, and she didn't get another chance to attack as Penny's weapons finally reach them.

Pyrrha side steps from the weapons, charging once again at Penny, twirling her javelin to block and attack simultaneously. She is struck on the side as Penny slips one of the blades under her watch, causing her to somersault before she is damaged anymore. Pyrrha takes a breath through her nose as she rushes again, her weapon gripped by her two hands as she tries to stab Penny. Three blades come from her right side but are dodged with minimal movement as she used her Semblance to subtly redirect their course, appearing as she had dodged them.

Penny's eyes widen as Pyrrha strikes her shoulder and chest, backing away before recalling all her swords, folding some of them and turning them into rifles, shooting green laser beams at the champion. Pyrrha's eyes narrow as she blocks one with her shield and ducks under another, deflecting swords and gracefully evading all of Penny's attacks.

Letting her keep her attacks like this is a bad idea. She narrowly side-steps from a blade. Dodging her weapons requires a lot of stamina, more than anything I've encountered thus far.

With that thought, she grips her weapons and charges at her opponent. I need to keep on the offensive. Don't give her a chance to breathe.

Penny gasps, not predicting the sudden change in Pyrrha's attitude. She brings up her weapons to her face but is thrown back by Pyrrha's raw power. Pyrrha smirks, rushing once again at the other combatant, swinging her javelin and landing three solid hits on Penny, before the ginger has had enough and brings all her blades at Pyrrha. Pyrrha deflects two but is pushed back by the other three, cursing under her breath as her chance of dealing significant damage is lost.

Deflecting two more, the two that were already blocked knock her weapons out of her hand. She uses her Semblance to bring her javelin back but is knocked away mid-air. She widens her eyes as Penny quickly recalls her eight blades and sending them flying at the redhead.

No choice... She cocks both arms back, and with a yell, she shoots a small magnetic blast, pushing every blade and disorientating their movement. What caught her by surprise though, was how Penny also been pushed away too, albeit slightly.

What? Quickly recovering her weapons, she gets into a defensive stance. How was she...? Is she wearing armor underneath? No, metal armor can't get that thin...

Is she hiding more weapons? Dying to find out, she runs at Penny, her shield held up and javelin forward, dashing through and blocking the flying weapons with little to no difficulty. She gets past Penny's defenses and shoots a mini magnetic blast at her hand, much smaller than the previous one, and is shocked that it managed to push away her arm, giving her a chance to strike.

And strike she did, slashing vertically and knocking away Penny a few paces back. Pyrrha stops her assault as she thinks over what happened.

That was barely enough to push a dagger a small distance away. Her eyes focus on Penny as the ginger propels herself using her laser rifles. How did that push someone with her strength that much? It's as if she was made of...

She grunts as Penny brings three swords down on her shield, pressing on the redhead, but is thrown away as Pyrrha pushes her. One thought went it to her head that made her want to test her theory.

There's no way that could be possible... She brings her hand up to focus on the approaching form of Penny. Could it...?

With a deep breath, she activates her Semblance on Penny directly, causing her to freeze completely. Pyrrha's eyes widen and she lets go of her Semblance almost immediately. She... she's not human...

Penny stops for a moment, tilting her head curiously as she stares at her arms. Pyrrha shakes her head and takes the chance to advance forward, throwing her javelin at Penny, who is shaken up from her stupor as she narrowly dodges the flying weapon. Pyrrha parry's a blade with shield, freezing Penny again for a brief moment as she gets her weapon back, starting her onslaught as she stops the not-human every time she tries to counter-attack. Many of Pyrrha's blows pushed Penny to the edge, and as Penny finally realized what was happening, Pyrrha slashes one last time, finally pushing her out of the stage.

As Penny tries to propel herself with her rifles, Pyrrha smiles sadly and stops all of Penny's weapons, assuring her victory.

"What a match! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! A round of applause for Pyrrha Nikos!"

Pyrrha sighs, jumping to where Penny fell and extending an arm to her. "You fought well."

Perry nods anxiously and takes her hand. "I don't suppose that your Semblance is... Telekinesis?"

Pyrrha giggles softly. "No, it's polarity."

Penny freezes and hiccups, slowly stepping back.

Pyrrha smiles warmly. "It's alright. I know how to keep a secret."

Penny stares down before asking. "Um, Friend Ruby told me that friends keep secrets so..." She gazes upward to Pyrrha's face, her green eyes shining with hope. "A-are we friends?"

Pyrrha nods. "Of course we are."

Penny beams at the redhead. "Sen-sational! I look forward to learning more about you, Friend Pyrrha!"

"I do as well, Penny."

What a strange and nice girl...


(Reid)

I look outside the Bullhead, seeing the familiar ruins of Mountain Glenn and feeling strangely calm despite where we're going. I glance at Neo sitting next to me and eating her icy dessert, not the hint of worry on her face.

"Hey."

She glances at me questingly.

I pull out her silver bracelet and hand it to her. "Here. This should help against Emerald's illusions."

She takes it and inspects it curiously, then looks at me skeptically with her scroll in display. 'This dull thing?'

My eye twitches. "If you don't want it then you can give it back."

She puts it on hastily and silently 'Humph's.

A moment of silence is broken when Qrow who is in front of me asks. "Kid, are you ready?"

I nod resolutely. "As ready as I'll ever be."

... ... ...

... ... ...

"Too bad we won't see the finals, eh?"

I groan. "Don't remind me..."


(Cinder)

"What do you mean 'It didn't work'?!" She screams at her green-haired subordinate.

"I-I tried multiple times to use my Semblance on both of them, but nothing happened!" She tries to explain herself.

"You said that already." Cinder growls. "And I ordered for an explanation as to how didn't your Semblance work."

"I-I-I don't know."

This was supposed to be a simple and easy plan. How the hell did she mess it up?

"Is it out of your Semblance's range?" Cinder curbs the white-hot rage brewing within, knowing that it won't help her in any way.

Emerald shakes her head. "N-no. As long as someone is in my line of vision, it works."

"Then how?!"

Emerald whimpers. "I-I don't know..."

Cinder closes her eyes and counts to ten, calming herself before she does something she regrets. She sharply turns to Mercury, who straightens his posture.

"And you. Why didn't you do anything?"

"H-huh?"

Cinder glares at him. "Why didn't you move your tin ass to do something useful when this useless street urchin didn't?!"

"I-I thought it was part of the plan!"

"I told what the plan was! Why would I not tell you the plan you were supposed to act on?! Who do you take me for?"

Mercury foolishly glares back and yells. "What the hell am I supposed to do then?!"

One of Cinder's eyes glows. "IMPROVISE!"

She pants, slowly losing her composure as the fear of failure creeps into her mind. She takes out her scroll, searching for contact and texting for information.

... ... ...

"She's not answering..." She turns to the duo. "Where's Neo?"

Both of them look away, clearly not knowing the answer. Cinder grits her teeth at the display, turning her attention on the scroll once again.

"Useless. All of you..." As she was about to activate the virus in the broadcast channels, Emerald stops her.

"W-wait, I can use my Semblance on the other matches-"

"And fail once again." Cinder cuts her off. "If you couldn't the first two times, what makes you think it'll work now?"

Emerald flinches and looks down in shame. "I-I-"

"Emerald." The green-haired girl looks at her mistress. "Be. Silent."

With that out of the way, she activates the virus... Only to get electrocuted, dropping the device and backing away, holding her hand in pain.

"What was that?!" She demands.

Suddenly, a song blasts off from the little object in an unrealistically high volume for a normal scroll. It was in a language she never heard before.

After a full 30 seconds of being dumbfounded, the song getting louder with each passing second, she gets closer to the scroll, seeing three words changing colors every half a second.

As she picks it up, muting the scroll in the process, what she sees made her blood boil and freeze at the same time.

OMEGA FUCK YOU

"Uh..." Mercury utters, not knowing exactly how to react.

...They...

"What... does that mean?" Emerald questions almost silently.

The raven-haired beauty was not hearing them. Her mind was racing, her heart was beating a mile per second, and she was shaking. Out of fear or anger, she wasn't sure. All she knew now was that Ozpin somehow knew of her plans, and only struck when she was 100% sure her plans would've worked, crushing her completely. She would've laughed at the irony that the 'Protector Of Mankind' would be so cruel had despair not filled her body.

"How..." She whispers, still not believing what happened. Her plans she worked on for months was completely dismantled in an instant.

How long had he known? Recently? Was it Tuckson's sudden escape? A traitor in the White Fang? Did they torture the information out of Roman? Or... did they know all along?

If so, then how? She left no evidence at all. She made sure of it.

Hundreds of questions went through her head, and not knowing the answer made her feel absolutely powerless.

"We're leaving." She says. "We're gonna take the first Bullhead we could and leave this place. Discreetly."

"C-Cinder?"

"Move it!" She barks, whipping her head at them. "We don't have all day-"

Bzzt!

She stops mid-sentence to look at her scroll, her eyes widening when she sees a message from Neo.

N: Our cover is blown. We need to get out of Vale, and quick.

Cinder bites her lips. You don't say...

C: Tell me something I don't know.

N: Like how every single huntsman is looking for us right now? Yeah, the situation isn't exactly great.

A growl escapes Cinder.

N: Listen, I got a good thing going with the White Fang right now.

C: What do you mean?

N: I mean they're willing to help us escape.

A glimmer of hope ignites in the Maiden's heart.

C: How?

N: "How" Isn't important. What's important is that a Bullhead is waiting for you near the docks to take you to Mountain Glenn. Adam and I are there, and we'll leave the moment you arrive. I've always wanted to go back to Vacuo anyways.

C: Where did you disappear off to after Mercury's match?

N: I was fighting for my life against four huntsmen at the same time! I barely managed to run away!

Cinder narrows her eyes, suspicious of the criminal.

C: And why are you helping me? I know for a fact that both you and Roman are not fond of me. Why the change of heart?

N: Change of heart? LMFAO! There is no change of heart! You dying means Roman is stuck in a cell for life. If working for you means getting Roman out of Irondick's grubby hands, then fine. I'll suffer a few months with you.

And she reveals her real thoughts in the midst of a crisis. Cinder calms down a bit, knowing that there is a way to escape Ozpin.

She almost flinches when she remembers Salem.

Oh... Fuck.

"Cinder? I-is everything okay?" Emerald quizzes.

"To the docks. Now." She orders, heading to the place with her subordinates in tow.

Jumping down from the building she was on She checks for any of Ozpin's dogs. Noticing the lack of them, she looks at Emerald. "Be useful and use your Semblance on any huntsman you see. I don't care how many at once."

Emerald flinches and nods.

The next ten minutes were the worst of her life. Never has she felt the humiliation of being so powerless in years. Like a rat, she moved from one alleyway to another, hiding behind garbage dumps until the huntsmen looking for her left.

This wasn't supposed to happen! She screams in her mind. I was supposed to destroy Vale, get the Maiden's power, and take the relic from under that old fool's nose!

Why is this happening? My- my plan was flawless! Everything was going smoothly. I had Adam and the White Fang under control, Roman and his little demon child working for me, and I even got into Beacon!

And why didn't Emerald's Semblance work? How did they block it out?

It was then when a memory resurfaced. One that made her heart drop

"And beware, dear," Salem warned. "Ozpin has a mage working under him"

"A... Mage? Like a Maiden?" Cinder asked hesitantly.

"No, this one is separate." The Witch gazed at the blood-colored wine glass in her hand. "Completely unrelated to Ozpin. One that is growing at a baffling rate."

"Growing..." Cinder muttered, knowing that Maidens can't grow in power, only in control. "But, I thought magic was-"

"It disappeared from the world along with the gods, yes." Salem smiled. "I was surprised as well. Not once in many millenniums, yet a being with a nigh limitless amount of magical potential suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"...How strong are they?"

Salem stayed silent, wearing a small frown. Cinder was worried that she somehow upset her mistress, but is surprised when she opened her out to answer.

"I don't know."

Cinder was dumbfounded. "W-what?"

"They hid their mana only a few weeks after the first time I sensed them." She sipped from her drink. "Ozpin must've told them the moment they met.

"And that, dear, is worrying." Salem turned her gaze to Cinder. "Which is why I need you to be very careful. We don't know what they're capable of after a few more months. I believe if they put their mind to it, they could possibly surpass a fully realized Maiden in a little over a year."

That shook Cinder to her core. For a Maiden to reach their full potential, they need decades and decades of intense practice. And this mysterious mage can do it in a year? That is worrying.

"Is... Is there anything else I need to know?"

A change in the Dark Queen's expression made Cinder pause. It was fleeting and faint, but a look of hope, grief, and longing crossed Salem's face, but it immediately returned to its usual indifference.

"They use Pure magic and recently discovered lightning. Be careful when dealing with them, Cinder, they could discover more elements as time goes on."

"Was it the mage...?" She whispers. "Is there a spell that blocks illusions?

"Does that mean... They somehow told Ozpin about my plan? But... How did they know about it...? This isn't making any sense."

"Cinder?" The mint-haired girl flinches when Cinder glares at her. "We arrived."

She spots the Bullhead, the pilot beside it and smoking a cigarette. As she marches there, the pilot notices them and nods, getting inside the vehicle and starting it. The three get inside, relief flooding the two subordinates as Cinder bites her nails, her thoughts going to a certain powerful woman.

Goddamn it...


(Emerald)

She slowly follows her pissed mistress through the ruined town, said mistress occasionally glancing at her device. Cinder stops, gazing at a two-stories building, where the entrance is almost completely destroyed.

Emerald gulps and asks. "Is this the place?"

Cinder doesn't answer, simply looking around the place before muttering. "Where's our ride...?"

Cinder shakes her head, slowly walking towards the building with her hands tightening. As the three enter, Cinder creates a small fireball to see in the darkness.

"Neo. Adam." She calls. "I'm here."

Emerald looks around inside, noticing the broken furniture, ruined paintings, and shattered glass. It was somewhat depressing to see an entire town destroyed by the Grimm.

A full agonizing minute of complete silence, the midget finally comes out of the shadows, staring at them with a blank look.

"You're here." Cinder pauses. "Where's Adam? And the bullhead?"

Emerald notices a faint flash of light behind Neo, the shadows of the building hiding away what it was.

Neo smirks and sticks her tongue out in mockery, getting Cinder to freeze.

Cinder growls, one of her eyes flashing white. "What's the meaning of this?"

"It means you've been tricked." A masculine voice quips, causing Emerald's heart to drop.

Emerald whips her head to where the voice was heard, seeing Qrow Branwen, leaning on the wall to their right with a smirk. When did he get there?!

"Betrayal is one nasty bitch, huh?" He mocks, straightening his posture with his hand gripping his sword.

The mint-haired girl spots another flash, looking like a lightning spark before disappearing entirely. "C-Cinder, something is-"

"You..." Cinder growls. "How dare you... You fucking DWARF!"

Another flash, this time much more visible.

Neo points at Cinder and giggles silently.

"You'll pay for this with your life you worthless girl." Cinder takes a step forward, her right hand bursting with fire. "You hear me? I'll burn you until nothing is left of your body!"

"Uh..." Mercury gulps. "Am I seeing things, or is there something back there?"

True to his word, another flash, much brighter than the last, got Emerald's attention. "Cinde, let's get out of-"

"SHUT UP!" She screams. "WE'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL I KILL THAT DUMB BITCH! AND YOU!" She turns to Qrow. "YOU THINK YOU'RE SAFE?! YOU THINK I CAN'T KILL YOU TOO?! I have the power of a Maiden! I can easily destroy the both of you!"

Qrow glares at her. "Power that doesn't belong to you."

Cinder laughs almost manically. "It is mine! So are Summer, Winter, and Spring! They all belong to me, you hear!? THEY'RE MINE-"

Suddenly, before Cinder could finish her sentence, the place were the flashes appeared exploded and a bolt of blue made its way in front of Cinder. A fist struck her face, causing a shockwave and the ground to shatter, sending Cinder completely flying out of the building.

Reid appeared where Cinder once stood, his whole arm covered in black substance and extended, while his whole body crackled with electricity.

...What?

With a sigh, he crouches. "Good luck to you two. And Neo?" Neo flinches. "No killing."

And With that, the ground beneath him explodes and he disappears, following Cinder.

...What the fuck was that?!

She shakes her head, turning around and dashing to help out her Savior. But Neo shatters into reality, giving a smug smirk and shaking her finger.

Emerald glares. "Get out of my, traitor."

Neo's smirk widens and readies her parasol.

"Fine." Emerald takes out her Kusarigama. "If you want to die so badly."

And so began the battle of illusionists.


(Reid)

[Lightening Cloak (Active) LV12 EXP 35.28%]

Let the power of lightning flow through you!

-Increases the user's DEX by 500%

-Increases the user's STR by 30%

-Costs 500 Mana per second

This is my new favorite skill. Took me level 70 in Lightning mastery to actually create this.

As soon as I'm close to Cinder, I deactivate the skill, not wanting any more mana. I see her slowly lifting the debris off of her, grimacing and nursing her cheek.

I smirk. "Hey!" She stops and gazes at me in shock. "Did you like the song?"

"Y-you...?"

My smirk widens. "It's called 'Caramelldansen'. You can find it on Youtube."

Her face turns into one of fury. "It was you all along?!"

"Yup! But let me re-introduce myself. That punch must've riddled with your memories a bit." I bow mockingly. "My name is Reid Astera. A huntsman-in-training, the strongest student in Beacon... And the first-ever master wizard in centuries, at your service."

She growls loudly... but then chuckles.

Hmm?

"Hehehehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughs manically. "I knew it! I knew it was you!"

I tilt my head. "Did you now?"

"That feeling you gave off every time looked at you, that strange grin you had when someone talks about the future, the glares at my back when you thought I wasn't looking... You knew all along, didn't you?" It was more of a statement than a question. "But how? How did you know when I made sure to destroy every evidence? Was it Roman? It was Roman, right? He betrayed me, didn't he?"

"Nope! Well, kinda?" I scratch my head. "Roman did betray you, but I knew before that." I take a step forward. "I knew the moment I met Ozpin."

"Impossible!" She yells. "I didn't even attack the Fall Maiden at the time! how the hell did you know before I even did anything?"

And here comes bullshitting time. "Simple. I am a champion sent by the brother gods."

... ... ...

... ... ...

"BULLSHIT!"

Lie Failed...

Ah, it was worth a shot.

"Okay, fine I'm lying..." I grin. "But that's really not the question here. The real question is..." Starlight crackles with electricity. "Can you survive against a true mage?"

She snarls as one of her eyes glow. "Can you?"

I chuckle. "Let's find out."

Emergency Quest! The True Fire King!

Objective: Defeat Cinder fall

Bonus Objective: Do at least 5000 worth of Damage with fire magic

Reward: 100000EXP, 100000Lien, 20 Increase to all stats, 50 High-Quality Dust (Random)

Bonus Reward: 50000EXP, 50000Lien, 10 Increase to all stats, new title, Unique skill book, 2 Gacha tokens.

(Yakuza 0 OST - Pledge of a Demon)

I slowly walk towards her while she stood still and after ten seconds that felt like hours, I use Soru to get in her face, her eyes widening as I bring both blades onto her. Fortunately for her, she managed to create two swords and block my deadly strike, but it still sent her back from the pure force of it. The blades she created break shortly, causing her to extend both hands to shoot gouts of fire. I smirk, easily side-step away, causing her to get back further, throwing explosive fireballs. I make three mana shields in front of me, blocking some of them as I dash in between others.

Cinder Fall

MP: 215200/250000

Her mana is depleting fast...

"Is that all you've got?!" I mock. "Come on, at least make this fun for me!"

She growls, using fire to fly away and throwing more and more fire spells. One fireball managed to get in between my shields, blowing up in my face.

-2115 AP!

Shit, that took a lot...

She laughs. "Oh?! Did that hurt?! Don't worry. the next one should hurt even more!"

"Tsk!" I activate Lightning Cloak for one second, merging it with Soru for extra speed. To the naked eye, I would've looked like I teleported in front of Cinder directly. With a yell, I use my own fire spells, slamming her on the ground. I blast fire from my feet, propelling me downwards and I bring my feet, still on fire, onto her stomach.

Her eyes bulge out of her skull as the strike makes her spit blood. I smirk, but then she aims one of her hands at my face and blasts with full power, knocking me away from her.

-3246 AP!

Fuck! That really hurt...

I grimace as I'm falling down, flipping and landing on my feet.

"This..." She coughs violently. "Isn't over yet..."

"Yeah..." I straighten my posture and crack my neck. "Far from it..."


(Qrow)

He lazily ducks under a roundhouse kick, blocking three other attacks with his sword. Evading one more, he counters with a punch to the gut, sending the assassin back. Qrow uses his advantage and slashes horizontally, almost getting the kid as he dodged. Qrow grabs and incoming attack and throws Mercury away. He sprints forward, getting many consecutive hits on the kid.

Qrow jumps back from a counter, smirking and running behind a building. He transforms into his bird form, flying high as Mercury looks around for him. Qrow caws, coming from above as he transforms back, bringing down Harbinger on the assassin. Mercury doesn't notice until the form of his opponent shadows the ground beneath, unfortunately not able to defend himself from Qrow's powerful strike.

A crater formed on the ground, Mercury back-flips away as blood seeps from his head. He holds his arm in pain, grimacing as he saw Qrow grinning at him.

"How the hell did you do that old man?"

Qrow glares. "Don't call me old." His grin returns. "That, kid, is called skill."

"Or a Semblance."

Qrow didn't miss the bitterness in Mercury's voice. "Or that, whatever." The older huntsman stretches slightly. "Last chance buddy, give up now or face the beating of your life."

Mercury stays silent, his gaze turning to the building they were in. "You... are not gonna kill me, right?"

Qrow raises a brow. "Not really, no." He pauses. "Wait, you're really giving up?"

One minute later, Mercury sighs deeply and raises his arms. "Yeah, not really worth dying for it." He mutters.

Qrow stares in shock for a moment. "Well, I'll be damned." He chuckles, slowly walking forward. "This is the first time that actually worked... You're not hiding a dagger in your boots, right?"

As he arrives, he stares at Mercury in the eye. "You're gonna have to forgive me, but..." He gestures to the young assassin's mechanical legs. "I'm gonna have to get rid of those. You don't mind, right?"

Mercury closes his eyes. "Just get it over with."

"Alright, if you say so..." And with a swift slash, he slices off said legs. He catches Mercury before he falls. "Let's see what the midget is doing..."


(Reid)

"EAT THIS!" She yells, blasting fire from both of her hands. I bring up a mana shield, barely managing to block it off.

With a growl, I shoot two lightning spears at her. She dodges them both, but they were merely a distraction as I strike her side. She was sent sprawling over the floor as blood spills from where she was struck. I try to keep up my momentum but I got completely blown away as a sudden pillar of fire engulfs me, dealing a huge amount of damage.

-4234 AP!

AP: 934/12500

Damn... Her magic is insane.

Really should've enchanted my armor before doing this...

"I...I'll kill you..." She utters, slowly getting back to her feet. "I'll turn yOU TO ASHES!'"

"Bring it on you bitch!"

She roars, creating two swords as she charges me. I give my own roar as I meet her. ebony meets magic, shaking the ground as our strikes met each other again and again. One more strike broke one of her swords, but she instantly made a new one to fight with. Finding an opening got me to kick her in the gut and I sprint over to her, using my speeding skills to slam her down before she hits the ground. I bring both blades down to her neck, noticing how her aura flickered and died down, but I didn't notice that her hand was aiming at my gut until the huge gout of fire sent me away.

Warning! Your Aura has been shattered!

-6324 HP!

No! I was close!

I Get on my feet quickly, seeing her also up, and not liking her crazed expression. At all.

"Haaahhh... I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!" Her mana shines brightly as fire explodes everywhere. "HUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What the-?!"

-8412 HP!

You've been inflicted with [Death's door]!

I have no idea how Cinder suddenly appeared right in my face, blasting me off with 50000 worth of MP, sending me flying to the building behind me and breaking the walls in the process, but she somehow did it.

I cough blood, shakily getting on my feet. I take out my ice staff and immediately create walls upon walls over me, emptying the staff in the process. I take out all of my health potions, hurriedly drinking them as I hear the walls either breaking or melting. As my HP reaches a good number, Cinder breaks through the last wall, grinning widely as her hands burst into flames.

"There you are~"

I narrow my eyes and use Soru to get closer, but she anticipated the move as she brings both hands to my face. I narrowly duck under the fire spell and blast her off with my own, sending her flying back.

Bonus completed!

"Heh..."


(Neo)

She takes it back, the bracelet is not dull at all.

She had the time of her life when she saw her confused and paling face when the lil bitch realized that her semblance doesn't work.

Honestly, this is one of the best fights the had because she was easily toying with Emerald. This is even more fun than the time she fought Ice Queen and Blondie!

Ah, good times...

Neo simply sat there, staring at Emerald hacking and slashing at her illusions, not knowing who's the real one. Not long after, she got bored, tip-toeing to her opponent... Before stabbing her back.

"Agh! Son of a... Fight me fairly!"

Fairly? Those are bold words from an illusionist. She deserves another stab!

"Ow! You little bitch!"

Gasp! How rude! Another stab!

"Fucking... Stop!"

Bad word!

Stab!

"Stop it!"

Stab!

"You'll pay for that!"

Stab!

"You damn midget!"

Stab!

"Ow... What, are you scared?"

Sta- Oh?

"Yeah, that's right! you're scared, aren't you? You don't want to fight fairly because you know you'll get your ass whooped."

Hohoho?!

"That's what you are. A cowered!"

With a huge smirk, Neo finally reveals herself, feeling absolutely over the moon at the turn of events.

Emerald grins. "There you are, short stack." She spits on the ground and gets into her stance. "I have no idea why my Semblance isn't working today, but I don't need it to beat you."

Hohohoho! These are some brave words, little girl!

With a cry, Emerald charges at the shorter girl, causing Neo to get into a defensive stance. Emerald finally reaches her opponent, slashing with her bladed weapons... Only for Neo to shatter again.

"What?!" The bitchy greenhead shouts, slipping over a bump on the road and falling on her chest. "Oof!"

Neo rushes over to her and brings her feet on the thief's back, smugly smirking at her toy's burning face.

"Get off of- Agh!" She yelps as Neo's foot dig into Emerald. "You... bitch!"

She's gonna have so much fun stabbing her to...

She almost groaned when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to kill them.

"You'll pay! Once Cinder is done with that jackass, she will-"

Not wanting to hear anymore ranting, Neo stomps on Emerald's face, knocking her out entirely.

Ah, Silence. Her third favorite thing after Roman and ice cream.

"So you're done too?" The scary huntsman states. She whips her head around and spots him holding tin-ass like a sack of potatoes. "That's good.

"Now-" A sudden explosion caught them both off guard, as two huge pillars of flames, one orange and the other blue clashed against each other.

With a gulp, she takes out her scroll and types in fast.

'Should we help him?'

Another explosion went off...

"Let's uh... wait for things to calm down a bit."


(Reid)

How the fuck is she so fucking strong?! How is she not dead yet?! I keep hitting her but her HP is not going down! I already destroyed her Aura ages ago!

"Damn it!" I curse, struggling to keep my shields up against a gigantic fireball. "DAMN IT ALL!"

With a roar, I use all of my remaining Mana to create a wave of flames, pushing back her spell blowing it up in the sky. The force of the explosion destroys all the buildings in the vicinity, and it pushes both of us back.

I stab my blades to the ground so I don't get thrown away. I get a glimpse of Cinder using fire to speed up her flight to me. I evade her strike by a hair's width and bring my Haki-filled leg up, kicking her gut and finally reducing a good bit of her health. She falls to the ground, holding her stomach in pain and coughing blood violently.

She tries to get up and I immediately stab her thigh, stopping her in her place as she was electrified by the runes, causing her to scream in pain.

Cinder Fall

HP: 152/5000

MP: 93/250000

It's over...

Emergency Quest Completed! The True Fire King!

Reward: 100000EXP, 100000Lien, 20 Increase to all stats, 50 High-Quality Dust (Random)

Bonus Reward: 50000EXP, 50000Lien, 10 Increase to all stats, new title, Unique skill book, 2 Gacha tokens.

Level up X5!

The new title, [Fire King] Added!

Congratulations! You have reached 100 in INT, WIS, and CHA! You have gained three new perks!

[Growing intelligence]

Your intelligence's growth is limitless. It can reach unbelievable heights! 2 INT with every level.

[Growing Wisdom]

Your Wisdom's growth is limitless. It can reach unbelievable heights! 2 WIS with every level.

[Prince Charming]

Your features are most likely to be mistaken for that of royalty. People are more inclined to follow your orders.

Gives the [Gaze of The Prince] skill

Congratulations! You have reached 50 in LUK! You have gained a new perk!

[Chance Encounter]

Walking through the city could trigger an event that gives you a small quest, or a DLC sized one. Difficulty depends on the player's level.

D-DLC sized?

I shake my head slightly. That's not important right now.

"I'll... kill you... I swear I'll kill you, and destroy everything you hold dear, you hear me?!"

I sigh deeply. "You can't."

"..."

"...Hah..." I create a mana spear, aiming it towards her heart. "Any last words?"

"...Why?"

"Hm?"

"...Why is this happening?!" She screams, tears of frustration running down her face. "I was supposed to be the strongest! I was supposed to beat you! I was promised power! Why are none of these things happening?! I'm destined for greatness! Not this!"

"..."

"And you!" She yells. "You have all the power in the world, and it's still growing! Why the hell are you not doing anything with?! You could bend all of Vale to your knees with enough time, why are you wasting it for this?!"

My eyes narrow. "Protecting others is not a wast-"

"IT IS!" Her voice cracks. "WHO THE FUCK CARES ABOUT THESE KINDS OF THINGS?! Family? Friends?! Innocent people?! They just get in the way of greatness!

"You could do so much with that kind of power. The power I dream of having. Yet you waste it all away for nothing..."

She glares through her glassy and tear-filled eyes, frustration and anger written all over her face.

Haaaaah...


(Cinder)

(Bleach OST - Never Meant to Belong)

He sighs as his spear dissipates, crouching to meet her eyes with his empty ones.

"Why are doing this?"

...Huh?

He glares. "What do you get out of all of this senseless destruction?! These unnecessary slaughters your White Fang does?! What do you get out of it?! ANSWER ME!"

She glares back. "POWER! I GET MY DESERVED POWER!"

"Oh yeah?! Then what?!"

"Then..." She smirks sinisterly. "Then the three Maidens are next." She chuckles. "I'll get all their powers and become unstoppable!"

"...Then what?"

She loses her smirk. "...W-what?"

He sighs in frustration. "You work under a genocidal maniac that wants all life on Remnant dead." He stares at her almost incredulously. "What the fuck are you gonna do with all of that power in an empty world? What, are you gonna lord over the dead? Or the dumb-as-bricks Grimm?"

Her words were caught in her throat as she was unable to answer.

"See? You don't even know!" He chuckles humorlessly. "You just want power for the sake of having power."

"I..."

"Okay, maybe I could understand if you wanted to 'Rule the world' or some cliche shit like it." His glare disappears as a pitying look replaces it. "But this? This is just sad... You literally don't have any reason to live." He chuckles again. "How depressing is that?

"You're just... living. That's it. just living..."

And with these words, all her rage moments ago completely disappeared.

Why does she want power? Well, obviously because... Because... She... Wanted to... She doesn't want to die...? Yes! Salem will kill her if she didn't do what she said! That's it!

"B-because Salem will kill me!" She shouts almost too desperately "If I didn't do what she wants then-"

"Oh? What was that?" He asks mockingly. "Now you pin it on Salem? If that's the case then why did you follow her in the first place?"

"I-I didn't have a choice-"

"LIAR!" He cuts her off a roar. "IT'S BECAUSE OF HER EMPTY WORDS OF POWER THAT YOU FOLLOWED HER YOU FUCKING WORTHLESS GIRL!"

He pants, then just shakes his head, as if she was a lost cause. "You know... We're kinda similar, you and I." He looks up to the cloudy sky. "We both want power. We both want to get stronger, to be the strongest. Hell, I want to surpass even the gods one day... But unlike you, I have a reason.

"I want to protect those I love. I want to make sure they live their lives comfortably and not feel any kind of grief. I want to make them happy. I want to do so much..." He smiles fondly then frowns sadly. "But you... you're so hollow. So empty..."

After that, he sighs deeply, making another spear as his previous anger turned into pity. "I've wasted enough time." He aims the spear to her head. "Any last words?"

None

He sighs again. "I'll... at least make this painless for you."

He raises the spear, and just as he was about to end her, he gasps and looks to the left, almost too late in defending himself against a heavily armored Beowulf.

"NO!"

She doesn't know what happened next, not really caring either as her whole world just shattered right now, but she felt herself get picked up by something, then the wind hit her face.

One question went through her head the entire time.

Why am I alive?


"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" I curse loudly, fighting off a powerful Beowulf. "GET OFF OF ME!"

I uppercut its chin then engulf it in a fire blast, completely vaporizing it in seconds.

"Where is she?!" I spot another Beowulf running away with Cinder. "There!"

I use all of my mana to make Lightning spears then shoot them forward.

Suddenly, Grimm-like worms appear from underground, taking most of the spears as the last few miss the target.

"DAMN IT!"

I try to run after them, but then a powerful presence defended onto me, freezing me in place.

"My, my... How impressive." An eerie and familiar voice commends. "So you're the mysterious mage hmm?"

I take a deep breath as cold sweat trails down my brow. Turning around, I'm greeted by Salem's face through a seer.

I hide my fear by smirking, albeit a bit shakily. "Well... Didn't expect to meet you so soon..."

"Oh?" She raises an eyebrow in amusement. "You expected us to meet?"

"Of course!" I chuckle. "Though, I always thought that it would be on the battlefield."

She smirks. "Did you now... That is quite arrogant of you."

"It's not really arrogant if it's the truth, now is it?" I shrug. "You're the arrogant one for letting me grow freely. If I were you, I would've destroyed Vale the moment I sensed magic."

"Grow as much as you want, you'll never be able to kill me."

"Because you're immortal?"

Her eyes widen slightly in surprise. "So Ozpin told you? I never actually thought that the old fool would actually trust someone."

"Oh he didn't tell me anything, but that's really important right now." My smirk widens. "Ig you really think that immortality is enough to stop me, then you're sadly mistaken."

She chuckles slightly. "Oh? And what will you do, then? Seal me away?"

"No no, I'll kill ya. Of that, you can be assured." I shut her up with my bold statement. "Honestly, if you think you're invincible with immortality, then your probably gonna die easier."

Her red eyes narrow. "You seem confident in your abilities."

I chuckle. "Let me tell you a little something, Salem..." I get closer to the Seer. "I've seen immortals that are far above you in power die before... And I know exactly how to kill you. Permanently."

I could almost hear a growl from here. "Is that so? Your arrogance knows no bounds, mortal, but I'll play along." Her frown deepens. "We'll see if you can your word."

"Oh, we'll see alright." I stand up and immediately burn the Seer to ashes. "... You'll never know what hit you the moment we meet..."

After one minute of watching the Grimm's ashes scattered about, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Holy shit that was nerve-racking!

(That was bold. Very bold. You could've easily regretted it.)

I know I know, but... "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."

(Sun Tzu, hmm?)

Yeah, the guy is a damn legend and I'll be damned if I don't take his advice now.

I should... Probably go back now. They must be worried about me...


"Kid!" Qrow calls out to me. I jog to them, wearing a blank face. "By the brothers, what happened to you?"

"Huh?" I look down to see that all of my clothes and armor completely destroyed. The only remaining thing survived was a part of my pants that covered my private areas, only reaching to half of my legs. "Oh. Well, magic duel does that to you."

"I can see..." He then looks at me seriously. "What about Cinder?"

I look down, not meeting his eyes. "...Escaped."

-20 Reputation with Qrow Branwen...

"Are you kidding me...?" He sighs in frustration. "Realy, Reid? Really?"

"L-look, I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' isn't gonna help Amber." He grabs both sides of his head. "Damn it, kid!"

"There was nothing I could do-"

"I knew we shouldn't have let you get your-"

"SALEM WAS THERE!"

He freezes, staring at me in shock. "...Y-you serious?"

"Yes! Through a Seer, true, but there were Grimm I've never seen before came out to protect her minion." I explain. "Salem probably knew about this and sent out some Grimm in an area I already cleared to help Cinder."

He stares at me, not knowing if what I was saying is true or not before just sighing. "Let's just... go back. We can tell Ozpin first then we'll see what we can do."

I nod, following him to the parked Bullhead.

You know, this day might not be perfect. I might not have captured or killed Cinder, but... That's fine. At least I saved Vale, I saved Beacon, and I saved a lot of people...

And... I saved both Pyrrha and Penny...

"Hehe..."

And now... My friends don't have to go to war at their ages. They can actually keep their youth and not have to worry about anything. Living carelessly, as any teenager should.

I feel someone tapping on my shoulder. I turn to see Neo staring at me blankly, gesturing to her eyes.

"Huh? Oh." I rub my eyes, feeling wet tears running down my cheeks. I wipe them off and smile. "It's nothing. Just caught something in my eyes."

It doesn't matter if Cinder escaped. I'm The Gamer, I'll find a way to fix Amber. That's my next course of action.

Thank god... I can finally not worry about them anymore...

Through your actions, you've changed the course of history, and with that, you've gained a special perk.

[Fatechanger]

You're the kind of person to take Fate... And crush it under your boot.

You now have the ability to dream of the future, either through horrific nightmares or sweet dreams and have the choice to keep it as it is or change it.

"Hehehehe..."


Aaaaand cut! jeez, fucking finally! That took so long, and I'm so sorry about that. I just felt so unmotivated and I just didn't want to write at all. I know that this isn't really an excuse, but I really couldn't write anything even when I tired.

But Finally, I did it. I finished the first arc of the series, which will probably the biggest one.

By the way, how was the Penny/Pyrrha and Reid/Cinder Fights? Were they good? I hope so...

Reviews:

Leaprechuan1: I just don't like how they handled the shipping is all. I don't care about Bumblebee much (Blacksun for the win) But it least don't force it.

TH3-VO1D: Could you elaborate more? I need to know exactly so I know how to avoid it.

dantezess: I know what you mean and don't worry about it. I have plans for it.

Now, I need to take a break after this and work on my other story I just posted, "Play The Game differently". it starts in Highschool DXD and yes yes another gamer but I just had the idea to write it. If you're gonna follow it, then I'll warn you right now, it contains a villain mc, so yeah, pretty dark. I mean it's currently in it first chapter, but it will be much darker as the story goes on. And it uses Dark Wolf Shiro's game system. By the way, check this guy out if you want an evil mc story with a lot of smut. He's good.

Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this chapter even though I'm not really with it myself.

I think that's it... Oh yeah! Go wash your hands and don't leave the house unless necessary, okay? COVID-19 is something that should be feared.

Aand I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight- or goodday? It's 10 am here and I still haven't slept- You know what, goodnight.