v.2 proofread by ssjSega

(Atlas Academy, Kingdom of Atlas)
(Solitas)

(A Week Ago...)

The sink covered in his sick, Clover Ebi sighed as he wiped his mouth as he stood alone in the men's bathroom, hunched over the basin. Turning the tap to wash it all down the drain, he looked at himself in the mirror, horrified at the blood-soaked young man staring back at him, his teal green eyes red from exhaustion. It wasn't his blood that matted his short brown hair and his face, it was mostly likely from that zombified Atlesian soldier that he had impaled through the neck with Kingfisher.

Splashing water on himself, he exhaled painfully and doubled over the sink. "Y-you're okay, Clover," he muttered to himself smirkingly, trying his best to be as encouraging as possible. "You're alive. Your luck held up after all."

He nearly jumped when his scroll beeped. He sighed as he reached for it, and saw that General Ironwood had left a message...

Report to my office as soon as possible.

He stepped out of the bathroom...

ALERT: Medical emergencies on all floors. By order of General Ironwood, all available hands requested immediately!

...immediately the sounds of alarms, screaming, crying and agony assailed his eardrums, followed by squelching as he stepped forward. Alarmed, he looked down to realize he had stepped in a puddle of blood where a body had once been.

"Did you get it all out of system?"

Clover spun around to see a dark-skinned young woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides. Her pink eyes were equally as tired as his and her uniform looked as bloody as his was. Her right eye was bandaged and she had gauze wrapped around her neck. Her weapon, Fast Knuckles, were still on her person in its collapsed state on her back.

Harriet Bree.

"You got Ironwood's message too?" Clover asked.

"..." Harriet raised her scroll, a tired expression on her face. Nothing more needed to be said.

Clover nodded, "Let's go."

They found themselves walking through a hallway lined with the dead, either in body bags, in the process of being zipped up in a body bag, or just left out in the open on account of the growing lack of body bags. The smell of blood, offal, vomit, and shit amidst the sights of the various horrific states of each body were in; coupled with the looks of pain, agony, and horror on whatever was left of their faces were a hideous assault on the senses. Harriet wrinkled her nose before pinching it shut.

Apparently, you do shit yourself when you die.

"...Brothers," Harriet muttered in disgust.

"It's about to get worse," Clover cynically stated. "Right...now."

They cleared the part of the hall where the bodies were being kept separate from the wounded. Soldiers, students, teachers, all sporting a varying number of wounds and bodily mutilations either propped up against the wall or laid out on the floor with Academy doctors, army medics and surgeons flown in from Atlas proper treating them, their resources stretched thin. Those that weren't doped to the gills with painkillers sounded like they would be better off dead, they were moaning loudly in agony.

Except for one 2nd Year student, sitting against the wall with a faraway look on her face, in a state of shock with blood that wasn't her own all over clothes and face.

"Hey, kid," Harriet reached toward her. "Are you-?"

"NO!"

The student violently flinched away from her, now breathing harshly as she suffered in the grips of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"C'mon," Clover pulled Harriet away from her. "Nothing we can do. Leave it to the professionals."

"Thought we were the professionals," Harriet groused. She blinked in surprise when Clover suddenly paused. "Boss?"

"..." Clover paused to looked down at the lifeless body of a 1st Year student, a boy of what looks to be sixteen or seventeen years of age. He bent over to yank the sheet he had been laying on from underneath him to cover him up instead.

Harriet frowned, "You could have left that for someone else."

Clover shook his head and they pressed on. They exited the hallway where they made their way toward the foyer...

"ARGHHH IT HURTS! HELP ME! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE! ARGHHHHH!"

...only to freeze in their tracks, both paling at the sight of whom Clover recognized was none other than Flynt Coal, leader of Team FNKI, nailed by his hands to the wall, his usual suit torn to reveal the sigil carved into the flesh. The corpses of several students, soldiers and staff were also nailed to the wall. There was something written in blood on the wall:

SHRUG ATLAS!

SHRUG, AND BE CRUSHED!

"Give him a shot!"

Harriet recognized Elm Ederne ordering one of the medics to give Flynt a booster of sedative to the neck, rendering him unconscious. The tall, young muscular woman chipped away at the wall around Flynt's hand with a small pick, gritting her teeth as she concentrated on not hitting the younger student until she managed to release his right hand, followed by his left. Catching Flynt before he could fell, she gently laid him on the ground, where immediately his teammate, Neon Katt...

"Flynt?! FLYNT!"

...skidded on her knees beside him, tears running down the orange-red haired feline Faunus' green eyes as she gently shook his shoulders, a quivering smile on his face. She was immediately pushed aside by the medics present.

"HEY, NO!" she screamed. "Flynt needs me, he needs-!"

Elm gently grabbed her by the shoulder, smiling reassuringly, "Don't worry, they're taking care of him right now."

"But...it's all my fault," Neon cried. "If...if I hadn't rolled right into those freaks he wouldn't have to-"

"Hey", Elm turned Neon around so that they were face-to-face. She looked firm and continued, "Don't even go there, do you hear me? A lot of things went wrong today, and you were not part of any of it." She looked past Neon's shoulder to see her teammates waiting for her. She bent over to the side, picking up her warhammer - Timber - and collapsed it, sheathing it on her back. "You're going to be fine?"

Neon nodded, wiping her eyes, "Yeah, I'll...I won't leave his side. Ever."

Elm gave one final pat on the shoulder before walking over to where Clover and Harriet were.

Harriet noticed she wasn't smiling anymore, "You doing alright there, Elm?"

"No, I'm not, godsdammit," Elm wiped her eyes, feeling herself tear up. "This whole thing is a mess and-"

"We hear you," it was Clover's turn to assure her, putting her hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hopefully the general will know more about what we're dealing with."

Elm sighed as she calmed herself, "Where's Vine?"

(Outside Headmaster's Office)

"Is he just going to keep standing there?"

Vine Zeki was a tall man with short shaved gray hair, deathly pale skin and light blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including a third eye tattoo along the center of his forehead and chin. He wore a red, ceremonial sash across his Atlesian military uniform and two beaded necklaces around his neck, beaded bracelets around his right arm alongside two silver bands, one small, one large on his left forearm. On his back was his weapon, Thorn.

Before a line of body bags filled with the dead, he stood there within the hall outside the Headmaster's office; his eyes and head bowed in silent prayer as he held a vigil over the deceased, which hadn't gone unnoticed by the two soldiers busy handling the corpses.

"If it'll make his gods come down here and help us clean this up, let him."

"Pff...loony."

Vine frowned a bit. Obviously, they had no concept of faith.

"Vine? Hey, Vine!" He sighed as he opened his eyes, breaking his vigil. He turned around to see his teammates – Clover, Elm and Harriet – walking toward him, the mohawk calling out to him. "Ah, my bad," she saw the body bags behind Vine, "You were doing your thing here?"

"If by 'thing' you meant to say 'praying for the souls of the recently deceased at the hands of a vicious, unknown enemy', then yes," Vine explained. "I was doing my thing."

Harriet held her hands up, leaning back a bit, "Ok, I get it."

Vine turned to Clover, "You received General Ironwood's summons, too?"

"I did," Clover replied. He sighed, and turned to the door, "Let's get this over with."

(Inside Headmaster's Office)

Disheveled, Ironwood was covered in both his enemy and his students' blood, his uniform torn and his six-chambered revolver, Due Process, sitting on his desk. He had just finished his conference with Ozpin and Lionheart, where the Headmaster of Vale had just declared that he was going to introduce the so-called Grimm Marine - named after the fact that he tore through all those Grimm with hardly any effort and was clad in armor that resembled the Atlesian Marines - to none other than Amber, the Fall Maiden herself.

"..."

He stared out the window and saw the pyres where the demon corpses were being burned; those responsible for throwing them into the fire were wearing masks, lest they choke on the smell of burning, rotten meat. He heard his doorbell buzz...

"Enter."

...where he called out to whomever was outside.

"Ace Operatives, reporting for duty...sir?"

The Ace Ops were startled to see the bodies of four Atlesian soldiers lying in a pool of their own blood on the ground before Ironwood's desk. The disheveled, bloody-looking man himself seemingly uncaring toward the dead Atlas personnel in his office. Judging by the veins on their faces, they had been possessed. They all noticed Due Process lying on his desk. They raised their hands in salute when Ironwood turned to face them.

Ironwood returned the gesture, "At ease."

Clover swallowed, clearly uncomfortably by the corpses lying at his feet, "Are we expecting more trouble, sir?"

"Not without the 'Gore Nest' that was destroyed, no," Ironwood replied. "Thanks to you."

"Just doing our job," Harriet declared. "Sir."

"..." Ironwood looked contemplative as he put his scroll on his desk. "And I have another. Something considerably long term." A holo-image was broadcasted displaying the profile of a young man with short, spiky hair, dull silver eyes and scars across his face. "William Joseph Blazkowicz III."

Elm's eyes lit up with interest, intrigued especially with the scar running horizontally across his face just above his nose. Another image appeared, this time of a certain power armor that every Atlesian military personnel were instructed to recognize, "Wait! Is that-?"

Vine nodded, "The so-called Grimm Marine. He is the one responsible for single-handedly taking incapacitating an entire Atlas platoon."

"One man - with no Semblance or even an Aura - against an entire heavily armed platoon?" Harriet scoffed. She noticed Ironwood looking her way wearily, "Uh...with respect, sir. Is he really-?"

"Yes. He is what the reports out of Vale are made out to be," Ironwood replied. "I just received word from that he was just responsible for stopping the invasion there."

Elm blinked, "Just him, sir?"

"The whole of Beacon gave it their all to hold off the invaders," Ironwood explained. "It was Blazkowicz and a few rookies, however, that destroyed the Gore Nest and killed its guardian." He frowned, "He is armed, dangerous, and he's now under Professor Ozpin's protection."

"'Protection', sir?" Clover inquired.

"We would risk a diplomatic incident of we make any attempt to take him into custody now," Vine clarified.

"That's bullshit," Harriet growled. Ironwood's frown caused her to quickly add, "Again, with respect, sir.

"That doesn't mean we won't be keeping him under surveillance," Ironwood added. "And we now know for sure he is not completely impervious to harm. His armor is forged from an unknown, possibly alien, alloy and the doctors found traces of it in his bloodstream; that was enough to give him a blood infection." He paused, "But he recovered quickly enough."

Clover knew where this was going. Suddenly, he felt a cold chill go through him.

"So, you want us on standby in case he needs to be taken out?" he asked. "Sir?"

Ironwood gave a thoughtful pause. "Hopefully it won't have to come to that. If his actions in the future, however, threatens the stability of the kingdoms," he looked over the Ace Ops. "Your particular, and varied, sets of skills would prove to be more than he can handle."

"Sir," Harriet smirked, "I think we can take down one bad-tempered asshole." She noticed Ironwood didn't appear convinced. She cleared her throat, straightened her back and lost the smirk, "Sir."

"So did the platoon that was first sent to apprehend him," Ironwood said. "Ordinarily, a singular Huntsman defeating dozens of opponents at one time is not unheard of. But this, but Blazkowicz is...on a different level." He pocketed his scroll, and continued, seriously, "Since we know his rage is enough to send the Grimm into a frenzy, we need to err on the side of caution on this one. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Clover nodded. "If and when the time comes, we'll be ready."

"I know you will. Dismissed."

"..."

"Is there a problem?

"Ah...sir?" Harriet pointed at the bodies on the floor. "Did you want us to send someone to clean this up?"

"RAARRGGGGGGGKKKKKK!"

One of the 'corpses' suddenly sat up, lifted its arm-cannon and point it up at Elm's head. With Due Process in his hands in a heartbeat, Ironwood pulled the trigger and blasted its forearm right off, followed by a double tap to the head that misted its skull all over the floor, killing the Possessed for good.

"..." Ironwood emptied the spent casings from his revolver's chamber. His lack of emotion unsettled the Ace Ops more than the fact one of those Possessed hadn't been killed enough to stop it from getting up again.

Ironwood put Due Process back on the desk as he walked over to where had been standing before, his back turned to the Ace Ops as he resumed looking out the window.

"S-sir...?" Clover began.

"You are dismissed."

(Afterward...)

The office doors closed automatically behind the Ace Ops as they stepped out in the hall, each of them with mixed feelings about their new assignment. But they were undeniably alarmed by Ironwood's casual display of carnage half-a-minute ago.

Harriet was the first to let her feelings known, "Yeah, that was not FUBAR at all."

"Roger that," Elm nodded.

"Plus, all this talk about the Grimm Marine," Harriet added. "Pure bullshit!"

Vine sighed.

"So he takes an entire Atlesian unit, then he's slaughtering Grimm left and right, and now he's some alien super soldier fighting a one-man war against Hell. A real godsdamn badass, huh?" Harriet scoffed at the thought of one man taking out an entire force of Atlas troops. "Big deal, he's not the only one capable of taking dozens of mooks out by himself. Compared to us, he's nothing special."

"Oh, I don't know," Elm smiled. "He's not too bad on the eyes, I'll give him that."

Harriet dimmed her eyes sardonically at her much larger teammate, "Seriously?"

Elm turned to Clover, "What do you think, boss?"

Clover raised a confused eyebrow "He looks human enough, I'll give him that too."

Harriet made a disgusted sound.

"It is fortunate that he is on our side," Vine said.

"..." Harriet eyed Elm wearily. "What the hell were we talking about?"

"For the moment, at least," Vine added. "The general is right to be concerned if this William Joseph Blazkowicz III proves be dangerous and uncontrollable without some level of oversight."

Harriet scoffed, "What the hell kind of name is 'Blaze-ko-witz?"

"I think it's pronounced 'Blas-ko-vich," Vine corrected her. "And we, we appear to be off subject here."

"Yeah," Elm agreed. She, Harriet and Vine turned to Clover, "So, your thoughts boss?"

Hands on his hips, Clover's lips formed a thin line as he nodded his head, "I get the feeling that if Ironwood ever ordered us to engage him, we – in spite of our obvious advantages over him – we still wouldn't stand a chance."

"Selling us all a bit short, aren't you?" Harriet frowned. "Like it's just one man. And one man taking out a bunch of cannon fodder is nothing to write home about."

"That's been killing these things for a long longer than we have," Elm pointed out, kicking at the Imp corpse that had been on the ground behind her. "Shrieking little bastards."

"We still do not know the full capabilities of the Grimm Marine," Vine added. "It is best that, for now, we do not engage him unless it is absolutely necessary. And we would nothing to draw his attention."

"So, how do we make sure that doesn't happen?" Harriet asked, skeptical. "How are we supposed to pull that off?"

"We need to find him first," Clover said. "If there's anyone that can clear a way through Hell itself and lead us to whatever's behind all this, it's him."

(RWBY)

Kingdom of Tyrants VI:
Incubus

Once proud citizens of the Kingdom of Atlas, these corrupted souls wander the battlefields of both Remnant and off-world intent on inflicting horrific slaughter on anything that opposes their demonic overlords. As most Atlesians have some degree of military training they are preferable targets for demonic possession, as they retain their training and experiences when they once part of the living and now they hunt their former countrymen with reckless abandon.
- VEGA, New Codex Entry on 'Possessed Atlesian'

(RWBY)

(En-route to Epsilon)
(Manta-1)

(Present Day)

Epsilon perimeter secured. Doom Slayer engaged. Phase 2 underway.

Prepare to intervene if necessary.
- Ironwood

Clover stood in the cockpit of the Manta and seeing the Atlesian army encircled around the hard-light dome that protected Epsilon Labs and Facilities from the Solitas elements as they fought the seemingly hundreds of Grimm converging on that one spit. He felt the urge to throw up. This was really happening once again. Demonic invasion was underway within the Kingdom of Atlas, and the Doom Slayer himself had set foot on Atlesian soil.

And spilt Atlesian blood. He had all the good luck in the world, and still Clover had reason to be nervous.

"One minute till contact," the Manta pilot said. "And brace yourselves, things are pretty dicey down there."

Clover chuckled and patted the pilot's shoulder, "Just get us above where the action is."

Exiting the cockpit, he entered the cabin where the rest of the Ace Ops were seated. Harriet and Elm had their weapons primed and ready while Vine, sitting crossed legged in the middle of the cabin, continued with his meditation. Suddenly the lights in the cabin were flooded with red.

"Thirty seconds 'till contact. Ready up!"

"Alright team, you heard the man," Clover said. "Perimeter around Epsilon is hot so-" He lurched forward when something struck the side of the Manta.

"Nevermore! Starboard side!"

Elm grinned, "I got this!"

Clover opened the door as Elm converted Timber into its double-barreled rocket launcher configuration. A flock of Nevermore were flying right beside them. Elm took aim and fired just as the closest Grimm attempted to slam itself into the side of the aircraft once again, blasting nearly all of them out of the sky from a single salvo, all of them and their pieces dissolving as they fell.

"Oh, shit!" Harriet exclaimed, more in amazement than in shock. "Port side! It's-"

"It's HIM!" the pilot exclaimed, panicked.

(RWBY)

(Epsilon Authority)

"It's you."

Merlot grinned as he watched the security footage of the grounds outside Epsilon, with both the Slayer and the Atlesian military fighting the wave of Grimm that had been attracted to all the violence and abject despair that Epsilon had been radiating. Watching the Slayer at work. it was like watching an artist. Only one specialized in bloodshed, just like the Argenta with their swords and axes at the dawn of creation itself, the people all of humanity had descended from... Merlot shook his head and pulled his eyes away from the holo-screen displaying the Slayer long enough to check on the other screens.

Seeing the demons also at work. Killing, piling up corpses, raising their Gore Nests and establishing their connections to their realm.

"There are approximately 1,353 demonic lifeforms currently at Epsilon, Dr. Merlot," that sweet-toned artificial intelligence cheerfully informedMerlot. "Number is steadily rising by the minute."

"And our Deagic guest?"

"The Hell Priest is currently in the ruins beneath the facility, still in front of the inert Slipgate and the Pain Engine."

"It won't take him long to figure out how to power those Engines and reactivate the gate," Merlot said. He smiled, "But not before he senses the presence of...power. And what he will do with it."

His smile became like razors when he turned his chair toward another holo-screen. On it, Dr. Watts was firing on the Imps and Possessed attacking him, all drawn to the relic he kept in its container on his person. He pushed the TALK button on the holoscreen.

"Going somewhere, doctor?"

He saw Watts froze freeze he heard his voice over the PA. Slowly, he turned around and looked up at the screen.

Watts sighed, "Merlot." Resisgned, he added, "There was no getting away, was there?"

"Not after you agree to give my regards to the Whore..."

(RWBY)

(Ground)

The Grimm stampeding Epsilon fell in droves to the combined firepower and blades of both the Atlesian military and the Hunters and Huntresses amongst them. The Slayer grounded his teeth as the Griffon struggled underneath his boots, screeching as he tore its wings off, hitting a Beowolf across the head when it lunged at him and knocking it to the ground. This left him free to finish the Griffon off by putting his foot through its head, causing its skull to compact underneath his heel before it disintegrated. Drawing his combat shotgun, he pointed it downward and blasted the Beowolf in half.

"..." he missed his super shotgun.

It reminded him of the one he used during the Unholy Crusades. The one that once belonged to his dad, that House Ateius inscribed and modified when he offered to them as proof of his devotion to his mother. His great-grandfather Mercato gifted it to him when he was given the title 'Great Slayer,' unwittingly fulfilling House Ateius' ambition for a member of its own to reclaim their family's glory since the days of King Ormero the Father.

He hadn't realized he was acting on instinct the whole time he was dwelling on the past; he woke up in the middle of blasting an Ursa in half with his Gauss Cannon. William ducked his head to avoid a red blur that flew past him to slice two more Beowolves that had lunged at him through the disintegrating remains of the Ursa.

Ruby's eyes widened in awe at the Slayer's weapons that he had on him. For the first time she noticed the full extent of the hardware he lugged around, what the Doom Slayer was capable now that he had his entire arsenal back. "Whoa...a-are all those guns yours-?"

++Technically, they are property of the Union Aerospace Cor-++

A pack of Grimm resembling a long-toothed, saber-toothed tiger – Ice Sabyrs – lunged for the two silver-eyed warriors. William raised his knee for the first Sabyr to shatter its teeth against his suit, before bringing it down on its head and smashing it to pieces, then swinging his chainsaw into another. He primed the explosive shot mod on his combat shotgun to fire another round at another Sabyr when...

"HRAGGHHH!"

...Taiyang lunged forward and punched hard enough to send it flying into the distance. He took a step back to avoid the lunge of another Sabyr, bringing his foot down on its left claw and pulping it under his heel. He followed up with a hammer blow that caved its head in.

Feeling an uncharacteristic desire not to be shown up, William pounded on the last Sabyr, reaching forward to grasp its teeth and rip them out of its head, decapitating it with a crossed slash across the neck. Then, he charged an Ursa and drove his makeshift shivs through its chest, lifting it up off the ground and bringing it down on a Beowolf with enough force to kill both of them.

"Pfff...I could've done that," Taiyang groused childishly.

"It's not a competition, dad." Yang pointed out, a twisted smile on her face as she punched her tenth Beowolf through the face, Ruby killing her fourteenth by slicing it in half under its belly.

"Yeah," Ruby added, also sounding jovial.

Taiyang paused to take in how seemingly casual his daughters were at killing Grimm. He glared at the back of the Slayer's head.

His twisted influence, definitely.

Ruby suddenly panicked when she realized, "Where's Weiss?!"

"She's protecting the civilians from her dad's little party!" Blake exclaimed, pulling her cleaver out of an Ursa's chest, it fading as she staggered back.

"Didn't she break her arm?" Ruby cried.

"She's fine!" William exclaimed. "Focus!"

The characteristic trumpet wail of a Megoliath assaulted the ears as it stampeded toward them...

"Megoliath INCOMING!"

...intercepted radio communications going insane as it led the next wave of Grimm behind it. But that didn't deter the Slayer or those beside him.

"...uh..." except perhaps Taiyang. He looked at both sides of himself to see the Huntsmen and those in training standing tall in the face of a stampede and artillery/missile barrages sailing over their heads toward said stampede. "Ordinarily I suggest falling back in the face overwhelming odds but...we're...really doing this, huh?"

Qrow smirked, "You're free to keep those rich, spoilt fucks at the rear company if you like." He turned to the Slayer, "Sound reasonable to you?"

"..." the Slayer stepped forward with his chainsaw before breaking into a sprint toward the Megoliath. It was about to rear itself to try and impale him on its tusk with one swing, before a barrage of missiles from an overhead Manta slammed right into it before someone leapt out of it out with a massive hammer, bringing it down on the Megoliath's head and smashing it into pulp.

"..." the Slayer paused as the woman responsible stood up, their height matching.

The first thing he wanted to do when laying sight of her was break those large, round earrings off her before a Grimm or demon does it for her, along with her earlobes.

"Hi, I'm Elm Ederne," she grinned as she introduced herself, shifting her hammer into a rocket launcher and taking aim at the Grimm still bearing down on them. "And I'm your biggest fan."

"..." the fuck?

She proceeded to obliterate an entire pack of Beowolves with a single salvo, sending several of them flying and on fire... one of which was caught on its left hind leg by a wire; it was suddenly flung into an Ice Nevermore where it exploded, knocking the avian Grimm out of the sky. The Grimm faded before it hit the ground, William turning toward the Huntsman responsible as he landed in front of him...

"..."

...and the fact he was armed with a fishing rod of all things.

"What the crap?" Qrow groused.

Clover Ebi smirked confidently over at Qrow. He looked up at the Slayer. "We'll take it from here."

"..."

William shoved past Clover; chainsaw raised as made a beeline for another Sabyr...

"HEY!"

...the Grimm suddenly catching a robotic fist to the skull that knocked it into the snow. William brought his chin back to avoid a sudden uppercut before thrusting his left palm to catch Harriet Bree's steel fist, courtesy of her Fast Knuckles gauntlets. The young woman stood only 5'7 compared to the Slayer, but with the way she was glaring up at him, it was like she was trying to make him explode.

"..." William just stared back impassively.

"We're not the type that's going to let you act like you own the place," Harriet declared. "This is Atlas, and this is our-HEY!"

William again shoved is his way past, ignoring her.

"YOU PRICK!" Harriet exclaimed, her eyes sparking yellow as she overcharged her Semblance, ready to run down the Slayer. She cried out in anger and punched another Beowolf's head into its torso before it disintegrated as she still tried to go after William. However, she was sidelined by another Sabyr, knocking her to ground. She crossed her arms in a guard as it lunched at her again, but a sudden Aura vine, courtesy of Vine Zeki, grabbed it by the legs and hurled it into the face of an Ursa.

Vine landed beside an angry Harriet, "You should learn control your anger, Hare."

Harriet growled, "Not even five seconds on the ground and he's already written us off! The freak-"

"Focus, Harriet," Clover said, driving Kingfisher through the gullet of another Beowolf before kicking it right off, bending himself backward to avoid a Sabyr's lunge, where Elm brought Timber down and pulped it's back. An Ursa suddenly charged her head on, prompting her to activate her Semblance, Roots, that made her unmovable, raising her arms to catch the Ursa's pulls and locking the both of them into a struggle...

"YAH!"

...which was rendered moot when Qrow arrived to sever its head with Harbinger. Ruby, Yang, and Blake followed right behind him.

Qrow gave an apologetic smile, "Welcome to Hell on Remnant!" Harbinger's blade lowered itself to reveal the shotgun underneath which blasted the Nevermore that swooped down on them, its head coming apart and forcing them all to duck out of the way as it crashed into the ground.

Another round from the Gauss Cannon ended the last Sabyr's existence as the Grimm were finally repulsed, leaving a killing field of disintegrating bodies. Powering down the Gauss Cannon, William holstered it over his back, which didn't go unnoticed by everybody around him.

Retracting Kingfisher and sheathing it, Clover looked confused, "How exactly are you able to carry all that hardware?"

"..." William couldn't answer that.

++It is something that is best not to be thought about,++ VEGA said. ++Or worth causing a controversy over.++

Elm raised an eyebrow, "Eh?" Her eyes widened, "Wait..."

Clover smiled, "VEGA, I presume?" He noticed Ironwood and Winter approach, Due Process in hand. He saluted, "General Ironwood, sir."

"Clover."

"Winter."

Winter sheathed Myrtenhain and frowned, "That's Operative Schnee, Operative Ebi."

Clover chuckled, "Of course." He turned back to Ironwood, "This is quite a...situation we're in, sir."

"Yeah, what are all these rookies doing here?" Harriet indicated Ruby, Yang, Blake, Sun, Neptune and Scarlet. "Where'd you kids crawl out from?"

Yang glared at her, eyes briefly turning red. "From Hell."

Elm frowned when she laid her eyes on Sienna and Ilia, "Nobody said anything about the White Fang."

"If you're worried, it's only two of us," Ilia replied. "The monsters you humans were keeping here killed the rest."

Harriet snorted in contempt. Vine looked over the youths carefully, those faraway looks on their faces, and the way Sun's hands were lightly shaking, most likely from trauma.

"Hell? You did not say that out of figurative sense," Vine said. "You have been there."

Sun replied dryly, "Gee, how'd you come to that conclusion?"

"At present stage, Epsilon exterior is secured," Ironwood said, holstering Due Process. He turned to see Ozpin approach them, cane firmly in hand and, not one hair of a place in spite of killing dozens of Grimm. "Professor."

Ozpin adjusted his glasses as he looked over the Special Operatives that had just literally dropped in, and tried to upstage the Doom Slayer. "I don't believe we've met."

"Professor Ozpin, Qrow, Blazkowicz. This is Ebi, Zeki, Ederne and Bree," Ironwood introduced each one of them with a smile. "The best Huntsmen out of the Atlas."

Clover nodded, "Ace Operatives at your service." He smiled the Slayer's way, "I've heard a lot about you, Blazkowicz." Then at Qrow, "Branwen. Can't wait to see more of what you guys can do."

"..."

Ace Operatives

Ace Ops?

Aesops.

Cute.

"I get the feeling you think we'll just be cramping your style, Slayer," Clover extended his hand toward William still smiling. "We're here to prove Atlas can protect its own."

"..." William remained motionless. "An' a good job you're doin' so far."

Harriet scowled. Clover's smile disappeared and retracted his hand, put off by the Slayer's rudeness, "Yeah, well..." he lowered his hand. He turned to Ironwood, "Further orders, sir?"

"Regroup outside the entryway," Ironwood said. He turned to Teams RWBY and SSSN, "We'll give you some time to compose yourselves, then we'll debrief you."

Taiyang scowled, "Debrief? No way we're staying here another minute." He addressed Ozpin harshly, "I'm putting my daughters on the plane and we're flying back to Patch-"

"Dad, we're fine," said Yang. "They need to know about...about..."

"Everything," Ruby finished. "About the airship we found in Hell. That teleporter gizmo that got us home. And-"

"The sword," Ozpin said, stepped forward. All eyes were on him, a dead serious expression on his face.

"..." William glared at Ozpin.

How did he know about the sword? Something else Ozpin was keeping from him?

"Did you come across a golden sword during your journey through Hell?" Ozpin asked.

"...yes," the Slayer grounded out.

Ozpin blinked, then nodded. "I see. And where is it now?"

++You should ask Jacques Schnee.++

Ironwood turned to Winter. She nodded and walked toward the rear near Epsilon's front entrance, where the civilians were being kept.

Speaking of which...

"There's a mole in your little circle, Ozpin."

"What?" Ironwood exclaimed, alarmed.

"..." Ozpin raised his eyebrows.

Qrow glared, "What's makes you say that?"

He narrowed his eyes, turning his angry gaze on Ozpin. The Beacon Academy headmaster looked panicked for a second...

"Ask Sal-"

"I believe you!" Ozpin loudly cut in. He repeated, calmer, "I believe you."

"..."

Sun blinked, confused, "Sal? Who's 'Sal'?

Ozpin couldn't have been any quicker to stop him saying her name.

"That was loud," Yang commented. She frowned, and turned to William. "So, what's your deal with this...Deag? I thought he was a of demonic summoner, not...one of your kind,"

"..." William was silent.

Qrow scowled, angered by William's silence. He levelled his hateful gaze onto him, "Wrong question huh, BJ"

"...fuck off."

"Blazkowicz!" Ironwood exclaimed.

"HEY!" his cursing her uncle angered Yang, "Have you been keeping things from us all this time? This whole time, have we been fighting other humans being and the demons' been following them?"

William scoffed. The Hell Priests are human beings?

"...no."

"Now you're lying?"

"I forgot."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Forgot?" Ruby questioned.

Blake shouted, "You forgot?! How do you forget the root cause of all of your suffering? The reasons why you're fighting Hell in the first place?"

++Blazkowicz has fought the demons constantly for possibly tens of thousands of years - long after the fall of Argent D'Nur and long before the formation of the kingdoms of Remnant,++ VEGA explained. ++Living and fighting in a consistently hostile environment, memories can fade with the passage of time. And in this case, Blazkowicz may have misremembered...certain things.++

"..." that was true, William realized.

He never forgot or 'misremembered his parents'. His brother. His friends. His comrades.

Keel. Sash. Roan. Gor...

Perenna

"Does that even happen?" Ruby asked. "I mean...I-I don't know anyone else that's lived for that long, but-"

"Hold up," Clover held his hand up. "Some of us...might be a little out of the loop here."

"..." William scowled, eyes scanning the ground. He cleared his throat, but before he got one word out...

++Recap: William Joseph Blazkowicz III was born on a world called Argent D'Nur,++ VEGA spoke on William's behalf. ++He is part of a civilization known as the 'Argenta', that worshipped the Elemental Wraiths, the being that first formed D'Nur at the dawn of creation. He was a Praetor – General – of the Night Sentinels, the warrior caste that protected D'Nur. ++

"Whoa, metal," Sun remarked.

"..." William blinked. He remembered.

He was more than just Praetor. But they didn't need to know that. Yet.

Fucking secrets.

++Hell invaded his home, and he was granted power from a supposed divine being known as the 'Seraphim.' Power he would use to save his world.++

The Seraphim. Samur Makyr.

"I offer you a gift. Take it. It will give you strength...help you on your journey."

A gift that had been meant for his father. But he, the son, had received it instead.

++But he and his people were betrayed by one of their own. The power of the Wraiths was taken by Hell. Blakzowicz...the Doom Slayer, thought he had been the last of us people left alive and, for eons, fought them in Hell.++

Neptune's eyes were wide, frightened.

++And, recently discovered facts conclude Remnant was, in fact, a colony world settled by the Argenta.++

"...fuckkkkk..." Sun muttered in disbelief.

Neptune was confused, "Wait, wouldn't that mean they we're Argenta too?"

"I think it's safe to say that we are our own civilization now," Ozpin said.

"So you brought the demons here?" Harriet growled at the Slayer, staring accusatorily at him. "You dragged Atlas into your interdimensional holy war!"

She flinched when she felt Elm's hand pat her roughly on the shoulder, "Whoa there."

"Uh...hey..."

Marrow approached, a nervous, weak smile on his face as he waved to get their attention.

"Hey!" Elm was startled to see Marrow. "Aren't you-!"

"The guy that went missing a couple of days ago? Y-yeah, that's me," Marrow chuckled, miserably. "I...I'm here to confirm that, judging from all the things I've witnessed, that they are absolutely telling the truth."

"Really?" Clover asked.

"Yeah," Marrow's smile faded. "On a cosmic level: all hope is lost and we are royally fucked."

"..." Ironwood snapped his fingers and a couple of medics came by, each taking Marrow by the shoulders.

"You should go see to your wounds," Ironwood said. "We'll talk in a little while."

"I...uh...yes sir," Marrow nodded. He let himself be escorted away.

An awkward silence followed.

"Hey, we're not completely royally fucked yet," Qrow said.

Taiyang cringed and covered Ruby's ears, looking at Qrow pleadingly. Ruby sighed, "It's too late, dad." She turned to William and hesitantly asked. "Um...William. Why did Merlot mention 'Makyrs?'"

"..."

The Maykrs.

"What? More monsters out to kill us?" Scarlet grumbled. "Wonderful."

"..."

Yang's expression softened. "You...you honestly couldn't remember?"

"Can you recall Argent D'Nur fully, now?" Ozpin asked.

"...yes."

"Can you recall these Maykrs?"

"Yes."

"And whatever they did to you, to you people, to you home?" Ozpin went on. "And their connection to Hell?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell us everything?"

"Will you?"

"...pardon me?"

William flinched a bit from Ozpin's casual retort. Ironwood did a double take between the Slayer and the Headmaster The general decided to interject, fearful that secrets and information that the rookies around them weren't supposed to know would get out.

"We're wasting time. We need to plan our next move!" Ironwood whipped out his scroll and typed furiously in it...

Get Jacques up here NOW.

(Weiss)

From where she was sitting on the cot within the hastily prepped medical tent, Weiss looked at Sage and the monitors he was attached to; a bloody stump where one of his legs should be. She knew he had lost a lot of blood, and in this Atlesian weather and all the encroaching Grimm and demons, surviving the next few hours would be a miracle.

"Do you want something for the pain, miss?"

Weiss winced from the pain of her broken arm as the medics put it in a splint. She shook her head, "No."

The medic treating her raised an eyebrow, perplex, "Miss?"

Annoyed, Weiss said, "I don't want anything. I need to stay sharp."

The medic looked around at all the soldiers setting up a makeshift command post, including where they were keeping the civilians – the rich, pompous asses; many of which were arguing with the officers present over being kept here 'against their will' when their private jets were in clear view on the airfield.

"I think your folks are in good hands," the medic commented, reaching for cloth to use as a sling for Weiss' arm.

She saw that it was her father that was arguing the loudest with the Atlas officer present, right before Winter approached him, and suddenly he was shouting in her face. Weiss glared at her father, barely wincing as the medic fastened the sling around her right arm and tightening it to keep it leveled with her chest. Without acknowledging the medic, she walked over toward them.

"Weiss."

Only to be accosted by her brother, Whitley.

"Whitley," Weiss greeted him, coolly.

"I don't think you should come this way," Whitely said, standing in between her and the bickering rich folk.

"Why? Have I embarrassed father enough today?" Weiss sarcastically drawled.

"I...you don't want any part of our problems," Whitley said, guiltily. "You've got...bigger things to worry about."

"I'll be the judge of that," Weiss retorted, bumping Whitley out of the way as she continued onward.

Stung, Whitley cried. "I...I was only trying to help!"

Weiss' appeared to soften for a second, before she scowled, turned right around and got up right in her brother's face. "And all it took was a demonic invasion to convince you that now's the time to stop acting like a manipulative little shit and be 'honest'?"

"A little-?" Whitely parroted in shock from Weiss' language, before he shook her head and scowled, "You have no idea what it's been like since you left! The attack on Atlas Academy had father on edge, and mother and I have had to deal with it. I in my own way, as mother was-"

"The same useless drunk she was when I left?!" Weiss shouted. "I...GRRRRR!" She closed her eyes and pulled at her hair frantically, her face turning red as she gritted her teeth 'Gods help me. I think I've lost my mind. Just like Ruby. Just like-"

She opened her eyes to see the Slayer standing right behind Whitley. The boy looked over his shoulder, before yelping in fright and falling onto his ass.

'Him.'

++Blakzowicz insisted he collect Jacques Schnee himself,++ VEGA said.

"Winter and I do not need your help to bring Jacques before Ironwood," Weiss frowned. "Blazkowicz."

"..." William didn't answer.

"You don't care, do you?"

"..."

Weiss glared up at him, at her own reflection in the mirror. She sighed, resigned to her fate, "It's about time I don't care what people think of me, either." She turned around, haughtily, "You might as well come along."

William followed after her, the two of them leaving Whitley in the snow. He drew his EMG pistol as the two of them approached the civilians. Weiss saw this...

"Hey, what are you-?!"

...which he fired into the air, drawing cries of panic from everybody present, guns to be aimed at him and Weiss to shriek in fright and cover her ears, the ringing in them once again threatening her cochleas, and causing her to lose more of her figurative nerve. She noticed one of the civilians, that had an armband with the word PRESS on it was filming the two of them with his scroll.

The reporter then whispered harshly. "Are you getting any of this, Lisa?"

"WEISS!" Jacques exclaimed. "What are you doing with...him?!" He panicked, then saw Whitley behind him, looking all apologetic. He went right back to being furious, "Whitley?!"

"..." William raised an eyebrow at Jacques' poor impulse control. What was wrong with this guy?

"Weiss, I thought you were getting treatment," Winter said, unhappy.

The heiress showed her arm in a sling, "I did."

"Well, what are you doing here?" Winter was taken back when her sister glared at her, and the Slayer was standing right there behind her. "Weiss?"

Everyone noticed Weiss was staring quietly at Willow. The daughter looking hard, whilst the mother tried to avert her gaze, ashamed.

Weiss glowered, "Father had my team and I thrown into the cells just before he opened the gate."

"I know," Willow meekly confessed. She shook her head, "You can't seriously want to see this through to the end. Will you, Weiss?"

Weiss visibly shook as she blinked back tears, "He...he tried to send Blaz...William away."

"..." that bit surprised the Slayer. First name basis, huh?

"Willi-?" Willow's eyes widened. "Him?" She turned to the Slayer in fear, "W-what have you done to Weiss?"

++We have done nothing,++ VEGA replied, his tone firm. ++Your daughter has simply done more than what was asked of her.++

"We didn't 'ask' her to do anything that was outside what we expected of her!" Jacques exclaimed. "I..." he seemed to remember that he was shouting in the direction of the Doom Slayer. "...uh...I..." he shut his mouth as the stared down at him.

I. I. Weiss realized that, as far as her father was concerned, it was still all about him.

Weiss closed her eyes and calmly breathed in, "All my life, I have been careful to stay in my own little corner, trying to live up to father's expectations, to be the perfect daughter..." she opened her eyes and gave Whitley a knowing glare, causing her brother to shiver and step back, holding his hands up placatingly. "The perfect heir, that once I rightfully inherited the company, I would bring it back to the way my grandfather ran things. He helped people, he helped build Atlas. Those years playing the perfect daughter it was for him. No complications." Her voice was raised now. "Now suddenly, I'm responsible for..." she briefly smiled mirthlessly, about to take delight in the reactions of her family. "The entire...godsdamn universe!"

++Weiss?++

'I really am a bad influence after all,' William thought, smirking a bit.

"And every abomination from Hell and all their infernal overlords want to kill me! That is, if I don't go insane first," Weiss added. "Which I fear I am."

"..." seeing her daughter unravel, Willow could do nothing but quietly watched.

"Weiss."

Outraged at seeing her daughter disgrace herself, Jacques shouted as she approached her, "Weiss, you-!"

Weiss suddenly drew Myrtenaster, the point inches from his face. "W-what...?"

"Weiss!" Winter exclaimed. "Get a hold of yourself!"

""No!" Weiss cried, causing Winter to flinch. "I'm not finished!" She glared, still holding her saber up and inches away from her father's face. "A week ago, give or take those hours I spent crawling out from underneath a flaming wreckage in Hell itself, I was studying to become a Huntress, to help salvage our family name, to give meaning back to it. And now, I and my team are sidekicks to the immortal god of...rage incarnate on his eternal crusade against monsters infinitely worse than anything on this planet." She gritted her teeth and she turned back to Jacques, "And then I find out you were working to bring them back here, and you dragged my grandfather's company to places lower than the deepest pit there is!"

"I-I-I told you I had no idea..." Jacques stammered, holding his arms up as he stepped backward, Weiss slowly following after him. "It was all Merlot, I..." He gasped when suddenly he bumped into something.

"..." it was the Slayer himself.

"...the HELL?!" Winter cried out in fright, her going for the hilt of Myrtenhain.

"AH!" Jacques cried, shirking away from him only to feel Myrtenaster poke him in the neck. He closed his eyes, feeling them water as he pitifully froze. "Weiss...please..."

"So yes, mother. In answering your question, I am seeing this through to the end," Weiss seethed. She turned to Jacques, "You want to disown me, fine, do it! As of today, I want to be as far away from our family name as possible! It's damned now, thanks to YOU!" She pointed her sword straight in Jacques' face. "If you try to stop me, if you do anything, ANYTHING at all to impede I, my team, Blazkowicz and General Ironwood from cleaning up your mess, either you or anyone in the company, anyone you're paying, anyone that they are paying...well..." She sheathed Myrtenaster and glanced at the Slayer. "I think you can use your imagination."

She turned her back and sighed out loud and with a massive, almost maddening smile on her face, as if a crushing weight had just been lifted. Jacques visibly gaping as reality dawned on him. When he noticed a tall shadow cast over him, he paled to see that it was the Slayer standing above him. William suddenly reached for him...

"W-what are you-GLAKKK-!"

...grabbing him by the face and lifted him right off the ground, Willow and Whitley crying out in panic while Weiss and Winter just gaped, stupefied. To nearly everyone's shock he walked back to the front past all the astonished soldiers...

"AH!"

...and deposited him right in front of Ironwood, face right in the snow. Spitting some of the snow out, he visibly panicked when he found a dozen angry looking Huntsmen and Huntresses staring down at him.

"G-general Ironwood," Jacques stammered, making sure to keep eye contact as he cautiously stood back up, feebly brushing the snow of his suit. He smiled, "I...I can explain..." Ironwood suddenly grabbed him by scruff and hoisted him up so that they were eye-level, "W-wait!"

"You can explain why your company hosted another demonic invasion and you invited Atlesian civilians and the press to front row seats?" Ironwood cried. "Thank the Brothers Councilors Sleet and Cornelia declined your invitations."

"Get off of me!" Tired of being manhandled, Jacques shouted. "I'm not the perpetrator here, I'm a victim too!" He revealed his bandaged left hand and pointed to Ruby. "She did this to me!"

Ruby's eyes widened as it came back to her. She could only mutter, sheepishly, "...oh, right, I did that."

"What?" Taiyang growled, angry that it was insinuated that his little girl could do something like that to another human being. "You're excusing my sweet, innocent little girl of-" he saw how guilty Ruby looked, his eyes widened. "Ruby?"

"We were trying to stop all this from happening and he had us thrown into prison!" Ruby cried. "And he had Williams' helmet-!"

"She's your daughter?!" Jacques cried. "Innocent?! Sweet?! LOOK AT ME!" He turned on Ozpin, "What kind of monsters are you creating?!" He eyed Weiss, "What have you done to my own daughter?!"

"Control yourself, Jacques," Ironwood interjected.

"No! Not until I-" Jacques continued to shout until William flashed his scroll in front of Jacques' face and played a certain piece of footage. He went pale at the sight. "W-what-? UHHH!" He covered his eyes with his arm and turned away, feeling like he was going to vomit. "What-"

++That was only one of the experiments the scientist on your payroll were conducting,++ VEGA explained. ++Faunus were the primary choice of 'stock' used.++

"You deserve worse than losing a few fingers you corporate fuck!" Sun roared. "Why don't you try spending a week in a shit-crusted cell with the guards threatening to stick electrodes to your balls!"

"Your company's evil!" Sienna exclaimed, adding her two-cents. "Experimentation! Murder! Rape?! What haven't you inflicted upon the Faunus?!"

"You...you have to believe me; I had no idea Merlot was doing any of that!" Jacques stuttered, panicked. "I swear by all the gods..."

The Slayer towered over him, causing him to cry out in panic.

"Swear to me," he grounded out.

Shivers rang out amongst nearly everyone present by that statement.

"...I felt that," Scarlet swallowed.

"You think I'd willingly tarnish our family name by authorizing such...such...oh gods..." Jacques paled before pushing past the soldiers and throwing up on the ground.

"..." even William knew you couldn't fake a reaction like that.

++He may be telling the truth,++ VEGA commented.

Winter looked ready to explode with rage at any given moment. "You didn't know what was going on in your own company? About the projects you signed off on?"

Jacques coughed and wiped his mouth, "Merlot convinced me... the gate was the way to heaven."

"..."

Urdak.

He glared up at Ironwood and pointed an accusing finger at the Slayer, "Are you willfully ignoring the fact he's caused more problems for Atlas than the things you're accusing me off?!"

"...what?" Qrow said, dryly.

Ruby glared and stepped forward, but she felt Taiyang's hand on her shoulder.

"The demons came to Remnant shortly after you arrived," Jacques cried. "Who's to say you weren't responsible for them following you here?!" Jacques exclaimed. "On top of slaughtering my employees, men and women there their jobs!"

"Those jobs bein' kidnapping, torturing and experimenting on innocent people!" Sun exclaimed. "Asshole!"

"And why is Sienna Khan not arrested? Why is she even still alive?!" Jacques spat, pointing frantically the High Leader of the White Fang. "Those Faunus terrorists have tormented me, my family and my company for years!" He turned back to the Slayer, scornful, "I thought you enjoyed killing monsters!"

"..." William didn't answer

"You motherfucker!" Ilia cried.

++This is all going nowhere.++

Jacques wasn't finished, "And there's the rogue AI that you all seem to be taking advice from! Do we even know what its intentions are? Including the company that built it!

CRACK!

"Enough!"

Ozpin slammed the point of his cane onto the ground hard enough to crack the ice.

"This bickering is pointless. And this negativity will do nothing but attract another wave of Grimm to bear down on us," Ozpin commented. "General."

Ironwood motioned for two of his soldiers to grab Jacques' by the arms.

"Until further notice, you are confined onboard my ship where you will be interrogated further," Ironwood declared.

Jacques' paled, "But...but I..."

"Get him out of my sight."

Jacques continued to voice his objections and promises of retribution in the courts as he was hauled off.

Clover sighed, chuckling, "Thank gods that's finished." Addressing the Slayer he added, "Though I am surprised Sienna Khan is standing here, alive." He glanced apologetically at her, receiving a death glare in, "Nothing personal."

++Would you prefer Adam Taurus taking over leadership of the White Fang in her stead?++ VEGA asked.

Blake shivered at the mere thought of Adam becoming High Leader of the White Fang.

"James, I don't think Jacques will know anything more about the enemy we face," Ozpin said. "Its obvious had no intention of escalating the demonic influence on Remnant. Merlot simply took advantage of him and his greed."

Ironwood rubbed his forehead and let out a frustrated sigh, "Why is this happening?" He looked at the Slayer, as if expecting an answer.

"..." the Slayer had none.

VEGA could only postulate, ++Dr. Merlot appears to be driven solely by curiosity, General Ironwood. His experimentation with both demonic and Sentinel artifacts and summoning suggests he is attempting to assert independent control over the demons.++

"Wait, you're telling us he's trying to create his own army of demons?" Qrow asked, bewildered.

++It would seem he was attempting to do the same regarding the Grimm,++ VEGA continued. ++Until he discovered the demons and what they were capable of. Professor Ozpin?++ He drew Opzin's complete attention. ++While we are on the subject of honesty and transparency, you appear to have knowledge of the golden sword we retrieved from Hell.++

'Oh, shit,' Qrow and Taiyang both thought. They realized AI's weren't known for their short attention spans.

Ironwood gritted his teeth, 'Godsdammit.'

"Yeah, that holy big freaking sword that BJ used like a pro," Yang cried, smirkingly. "What's the deal behind it?"

"..." Ozpin sighed, removed his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief.

The Slayer was capable of wielding the Relic of Destruction? William had to be a warrior blessed by the gods. Not his gods, mind, but divine beings nonetheless.

These Makyrs, perhaps?

But, at the mention of them, Ozpin sensed hatred radiate from William.

A blessing forced upon him, perhaps?

"It is a...relic," Ozpin finally answered. "From a bygone era." He looked as sincere as he could as he faced William, "One that predates even yours, Slayer."

"..."

++The demons were attempting to harness whatever power is contained within the sword,++ VEGA said. ++We cannot let that happen.++

"Agreed," Ironwood nodded. "Our first step is to take charge of the situation outside Epislon. Then-"

++Terminate Dr. Merlot and the Hell Priest and destroy the Epsilon Labs and Facilities,++ VEGA announced.

Clover's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, what?"

++...kill everything.++

"Out of the question!" Ironwood exclaimed, a bit louder than he had intended and shocked that an AI just declared its intent to destroy a part of Atlas. "This facility is the southern pillar of our more high-risk research outside Atlas. Epsilon is responsible for nearly half of all research and development within the kingdom."

"Half?" Qrow parroted in contempt. "And now the demons got their claws all over said research and development."

++And will most like assimilate it in short order,++ VEGA said.

"Yeah, nice one James," Qrow sneered.

"Qrow," Ozpin said, harshly. "This isn't the time for-"

"Hey, I'm with VEGA here!" Yang exclaimed. A predatory grin stretched across her face, "What are we waiting for?"

Ruby looked up at William eagerly, "I'm ready to follow you again.

"..."

"William?"

"..."

"Magnus frater? I'm hungry."

"Get something to eat, then."

"I..."

"I wanna be alone."

"Dad should be home by now."

"I don't care. He's never around, anyway."

"...because mommy went away?"

"..."

"Magnus fra-!"

"STOP SPEAKING GRANDAD'S LINGUA...WORDS! I HATE IT!

"...I..."

"SPEAK TERRAN!"

"...b-big brother..."

'...fuck.'

"No, you're not."

Everyone was surprised to hear that coming from the Slayer.

Yang glowered at the Slayer, "What did you just say?"

Ruby looked at the Slayer as if he just grown a second head, and quietly asked, "...what?"

William walked right over to Team RWBY, making sure to look as imposing as possible as he stared down at her hard, making sure she can see how serious he was through his visor. Ruby felt herself visibly shaking, more from denial than fear.

"You children have done more than what was asked of you," Ozpin said, addressing Team RWBY and SSSN. "For the moment, you may leave the fighting to us."

Sage sighed, his shoulder sagging, "Honestly, I'm not sorry to finally leave this stinkin' place."

"..." Neptune couldn't bring himself to disagree with Ozpin. He's seen, and been through enough.

And so did Sun. "Ditto."

Weiss glimpsed at her broken arm, looking like she was at a loss.

Blake couldn't keep herself from catching glimpses of Sienna and Ilia, the latter sending angry leers her way, and now wanting to be as far away from Atlas a possible.

"NO WAY!" Yang angrily disagreed. "We ain't through with those demonic sons-of-bitches by a long shot." She heard her father clear his throat, which made her lose her angry face as she spun around, confused. "D-dad."

Taiyang crossed his arms, "And I say you are."

Shivering, Ruby croaked, "W-William?"

William narrowed his eyes at her, "You're done."

Now Ruby looked ready to burst into tears again.

"Hey!" Taiyang exclaimed, furious that the Slayer was making his daughter cry. "What hell is your problem?"

"Tai," Qrow stepped in front of him. "Don't."

Taiyang protested, "But, he's-"

"Trust me, Blazko's doing right by her," Qrow said. He indicated the rest of Team RWBY. "By them."

"...I..." Taiyang shook his head, looking confused and ready to tear up himself. "I-I don't understand why-"

"Ruby Rose?"

Ruby jumped when she felt Clover pat her on the shoulder, and she looked up at him.

"We'll take it from here," he smiled reassuringly. "You can take it easy now."

"..." William eyed Clover, the Ace Ops, wearily.

(RWBY)

(Habitation Quarter, Epsilon Labs)

"...ten..."

BLAM!

The back of the Possessed SDC guard's head was misted, his corpse hitting the ground and joining the other nine dead guards, each of them missing a quarter of their skulls. Keeping count of his bullets, Watts smiled with his double-barreled revolver in hand, satisfied that his exile from Atlas and subsequent work at Epsilon hadn't dulled his edge. Though it had been a long time since he vented his anger at a human being, and to his annoyance, it hadn't been that old fool, Polendina.

"SCRAWWKKK!"

BLAM!

"Nine," he blew the left arm off a Prowler just as it warped in behind him...

BLAM!

...and shot it through the neck, leaving it gargling in its own blood...

"Eight."

THWACK!

...before kicking its head off. He took off in a sprint, with the case containing the Relic in hand. The demons were attracted to the sword, he knew it.

The vehicle bay was just one floor below them, and the fastest way to the staircase was through the cafeteria. Revolver in hand he turned the corner, remembering the doors into the cafeteria were opposite the two vending machines. And one of them had been torn off the wall and dragged through the door into the cafeteria. Knowing something was waiting for him in there, he quickly reloaded.

"Nine...ten...eleven...twelve...dadadadadadada...twenty," Watts slapped the chamber back into the revolver. He frowned, "Ready or not..."

SUSPENSE,
- DOOM OST REMAKE, ANDREW HULSHULT

Entering the cafeteria, he was surprised to see that the only bodies to be found within were all demonic. He counted at least twenty six, mainly of the Imp and Hell Knight variation, lying in various states of gory mutilation. Hacking, slashing, bludgeoning, stomping, ripped to shreds with pieces scattered all over the room, tables and chairs. There had been no limit to the imagination of whatever had killed all these demons. It couldn't have been the Doom Slayer.

Quiet, inhuman moaning drew Watts' attention to the floor to see an Imp that was bisected in half with its torso crawling towards him. Watts couldn't tell if the Imp was trying to attack him or plead for help. Either way, he quickly put it out of its misery when he crushed its head under his steel-capped boot.

Watts felt cold fear when he noticed all the empty candy wrappers and junk food packets scattered about the floor near where the torn open vending machine was lying on its side with dozens of empty, crushed cans lying about. Just past food storage were the sounds of a can being crushed against one's forehead before being tossed out the door, followed by the sounds of another can being opened and guzzled down.

Revolver at the ready, Watts cautiously made his way toward the other side of the cafeteria, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever was gorging itself in the back, carefully stepping over the bodies and the assorted candy and junk food wrappers and cans. He heard another loud belch...

BAMMM!

...until the food storage door was kicked off its hinges, Watts ducking out the way and pointing his revolver at the grotesque demon standing in the doorway. At first the poor lighting within food storage cast a ominous, disturbing shadow over it, the first part of it in clear view in the light was the steel plating fused to its groin, the smile on its face was sharp enough to be seen in spite of the dark. When it finally stepped out into the light, its naked body was covered in its...his... kin's blood, downing another can of fizz and crushing the can against forehead, tossing it over his shoulder before polishing off the bag of crisps, his mouth and slobbery discolored lips smeared with food.

Watts swallowed, "Oh. It's you."

"Hi, doc," Marv greeted him with all the innocence of a child, letting out another belch before wiping his mouth, and wiping it again on his leg. He grinned maniacally, behind his helmet his eyes twitch as he was in the grip of a massive sugar high, "What did you do with my balls? I really want my balls back."

Watts raised his revolver and pointed it at the Man-Demon's head. "Subject 101," he calmly said. He glimpsed at the steel protruding from the demon's groin and sneered, "You know you were being naughty, and you had to be punished.

Marv's stopped smiling, gritting his teeth as he cracked his neck, his teeth sharpening and the muscles on his body contracting as he seemingly started to turn feral. "I want your sword."

"And why is that?"

"So I can fuck your corpse with it!" Marv screeched, lunging at Watts as his face twisted and shifted into something more nightmarish.

The scientist ducked out of the way, firing off a round that hit the demon in his helmet. Adjusting his aim and fired six times into Marv's back, the last bullet knocking him to the ground. He started breathing heavily as he pushed himself up off the ground, deriving pleasure from the pain of being shot multiple times.

"...fuccccckkkkkkkkk..." Marv grinned as his wounds closed over. "After all that time doped up in a tube."

Watts grimaced, "You are disgusting."

Marv's neck cracked as he titled his head, still smiling, "Yep." He squatted, grabbing the legs of a dead Imp and hurtling it at Watts, whom fired and blasted the Imp in half...

"RAAWWKKKKKK!"

...Marv lunging Watts again past the red mist and mid-air entrails, his Hell energy-infused claws slashing through his Aura and tearing though the side of his pants where his pocket was, the ring falling out and rolling onto the ground, coming to a stop before Deag Nilox...

"What?!"

...the Hell Priest having teleported himself into the cafeteria during Watts and Marv's scuffle. Watts gritted his teeth and pointed his revolver at Nilox, causing Marv to come to a stop.

"Of course Marv Talg is disgusting. He is an Incubus, after all," Nilox said. "His existence is all about pleasure." He smiled, reveling in the angry scowl on the man-demon's face, "A disgusting, wretched being that's sole purpose is to spread misery upon the planes of exis-AH!"

Marv suddenly sped past Watts and slammed his forehead straight into Nilox's face, breaking his nose and knocking him to the ground. Watts quickly back away, keeping both the Incubus and the Hell Priests in his sights, curious about why Marv had suddenly turned on his master. Down on one knee, Nilox gritted his teeth as fresh agony enveloped his face.

"How dare you?!" Nilox shouted. "Why did you do that?!"

Marv looked at him, tilting his head in confusion as if Nilox should already know, "Cause' I wanted to." He smiled, "You old Argenta fart."

"You serve ME, remember?!" Nilox shouted, gesturing wildly. "You will control your base instincts and desires, otherwise-"

Marv grinned and stepped menacingly toward him, "Hey, you said I spread misery wherever I go, I was just-GHAAKK!" The incubus was clawing at his own throat as Hell energy enveloped him as if an invisible hand from beyond suddenly had a grip on him. "F-f-forgive m-me, my lord," Marv choked. "I...serve..."

Between the demon sadomasochist and the Hell Priest, it took every fiber of Watts' being to keep calm, knowing they were here for the Sword. Watts' gripped the handle of his revolver, doing a double take between the Man-Demon and the Hell Priest. The dark powers that be released Marv from it's hold, bleeding from his neck where he had scratched at it and leaving him to painfully catch his breath.

Satsified that Marv had been thoroughly disciplined by none other than the Dark Lord himself, Nilox got down on one knee and scooped up the ring, rolling it between his long, emaciated fingers. He looked up to see Watts pointing his revolver at his head, Marv on all fours and growling like a beast, ready to pounce if he dared pulled the trigger.

In spite of double-barrels trained on him, he grinned, "Tell me, Watts: Do you know your mistress' favorite fairy tale?"

A/N: Late chapter again. Been playing a lot of Ghost of Tsushima, possibly the last great first-party exclusive for the PS4. Well, that and writer's block and losing that drive to write tends to slow output somewhat. I think I mentioned I'm more in my element writing fight scenes, and I feel like I have to strain my mind, draw on all the intellect I have in writing scenes with plot development and meaningful dialogue.

I mean, there a LOT of writers on this site that write stuff that's, in my opinion, way too good to be fan fiction, and I can't help but feel overshadowed. Has anyone else ever felt that way?

And I was wondering if someone was going to figure out what you get if you rearrange 'Markacc'. Kudos. :-)

I almost forgot about that engagement ring the Slayer carries.

Weiss' monologue was inspired by Keanu Reeves' I WANT ROOM SERVICE speech from Johnny Mnemonic. Yeah, I'm excited for Cyberpunk 2077 too. :-)

So, the first round of DLC 'The Ancient Gods' is due to be released. It'll be awesome to see how the Slayer's story is continued. And honestly, I'm hoping they don't release a third game, that they wrap up the story through DLC that ends with the Dark Lord being the final boss fight.

Otherwise, it's going to probably take a decade for this fic to be finished.

I found fanart of the Slayer on Reddit that almost matches my description of him in this fic. It's called 'Slayer in his free time, choosing which guitar he would play' posted by u/thedoomwader. It's how I imagine he looks like during the Remnant story arcs in that RWBY anime/manga style before he bulks up in time for the DOOM Eternal story arcs. The image isn't on Reddit anymore, but you can find it in Google Image Search.

Be honest, was anyone off-put by how dark the past couple of chapters have been? I might have been in a dark place when I wrote them.

And finally, big shout out to reeleffendeel and his MHA/DOOM crossover 'My Hero Academia: The Slayer of Villians'. So far, it's been a great read and I can see the plot going to awesome places in the future. :-D

I hope you all continue to take care of yourselves. :-)