Jaune sighed, rather bored. He spotted a lone Beowolf digging through the rubble. He was sorely tempted to shoot it, but knew that Blue Rose would wake up everyone with the loud noise it produced.

Ruby walked up to her friend to relieve him of his shift. Technically, he could go on for a few days without sleep due to his demonic heritage, but sleeping just felt really good and he could never resist it. Jaune walked up to the vacant sleeping bag amongst his team and plopped down, immediately entering the realm of slumber.

Weiss, Blake and Yang were still awake, Oobleck's question buzzing about in their minds. They couldn't sleep, and so, Yang decided to talk about her own experiences about why they chose to become Huntresses. Soon, Blake contributed her own, which ended up into a little rant. Weiss shared hers as well.

Taking note from NPR's answer, they all agreed that their own needs and wants would bexome secondary, and that the protection of the people came first.

Unbeknownst to them, Oobleck had been listening from his location, half-asleep. The good doctor smiled in approval, proud that his students saw what he had been trying to covertly tell them.

The three girls prepared to go to sleep, but the restless noise and grunts coming from JNPR's sides grabbed their interest. Looking over, they saw Jaune tossing and turning, occasionally muttering a few choice words.

"No... G-Get away from them, you bastard. Guys, run..."

The trio watched the blond with anxiousness as he continued to mumble out a few more, mostly incoherent sentences, but they had enough to get the gist of it.

"Jaune... He's having a nightmare." concluded Blake.

They watched as flashes of pain flared up on his face, groaning while he kept writhing about, trying to fend something off.

"Wow... I always thought he was the fearless kind of guy. With how strong he is, and how effortless he does most stuff, I pegged him to not have any sort of fear." admitted Yang.

Weiss scoffed at that notion, crossing her arms. "No one's born strong. Everyone has to work hard to get to the top and become powerful." Her features then softened, turning into worry as, suddenly, his expression became calm and rigid. "But I wonder... what can make Nero feel afraid?"

"Well," started off Yang. "No use in thinking about it now. I think it's stopped. Let's get some sleep in. We still have to take shifts later."

Blake and Weiss nodded, the latter even yawning as they all laid down and finally got some sleep. But had they stayed up just a few more seconds, they would've noticed that Jaune had started tossing and turning again.


IN THE DREAM

Jaune cried out in pain as he was sent crashing into a building and out of a window, flying onto the road and rolled to a stop, hitting a wall. He groaned loudly, feeling his body ache. He felt up his stomach and saw blood seeping out.

The area around him was the text-book definition of an apocalypse. The whole city was in shambles. Most buildings were in ruins, rubble and debris scattered around everyone. Everything was ablaze, the sky a dark shade of red. Around him, dozens of bodies surrounded him, unmoving.

The cambion growled and punched the pavement, Triggering into his Devil form. He pushed himself up and rocketed back towards the one responsible with a loud war cry. Both Yamato and Fenris materialized into his hands as he spotted the man's silhouette, shrouded in flames.

Charging up the respective katanas, he prepared to deal a devastating blow, only to be shot down by an energy blast, bringing him down. Shaking off the cobwebs, he roared and rushed towards his target. Jaune wildly swung around both blades, trying to get a hit in but failed at every step.

"Dark Barrier!"

Green energy flickered in front of the blond and it repulsed him back, dropping his Devil Arms in the process. Huffing in frustration, he channeled the powers of the Yasakani Jewel and dashed forward, slashing at the figure with ethereal claws wreathed in brilliant flames.

Unfortunately, each of his attacks were gracefully evaded by the mysterious figure. As the cambion made another move to strike, a hand tightly gripped his neck, blocking off his source of air. The wave of fire parted, revealing the imposing figure of God Rugal.

"Pathetic." he sneered out.

The Mad Genocider laughed mockingly pierced his stomach with his hand infused with Orochi Energy. Jaune gaped, losing even more of his air. Rugal grinned and suffused the energy and violently blew him off. He clawed at the ground, trying so desperately to breathe, but couldn't. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Rugal stride up to him and stomp down on his arm.

The cambion howled in pain as he felt his bones crack and crumble under the pressure. He refused to whimper, even if the tears were starting to show. Rugal rumbled with dark mirth and tightly gripped the Devil Bringer and placed his foot onto the blond's shoulder.

Jaune's eyes widened and didn't even get proper time to react as his demonic arm was brutally ripped off. He could only cry in absolute agony as blood spurted out from the stump. The megalomaniac grunted and tossed it into the flames, letting it burn.

Jaune tried so desperately to move, but his body was completely paralyzed. He couldn't even try to crawl away. He could only stare as Rugal slowly walked up to him with the intent to end his life, laughing as he did so.

"S-Stay away..." he rasped out, but he was paid no heed. "No... No! NO!"


Jaune shot out of his bed, letting out a short but completely terrified scream. His body was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. He quickly reached for his arm, and found that he still both, making him sigh in relief.

"Get a hold of yourself. It was just a nightmare." he told himself.

"You okay, Jaune?"

The blond looked up and saw Yang peek out from the other room, having taken up the shift for night watch. He gave her a shaky nod, citing how it was just a nightmare. He had no need to sleep now and planned to relieve Yang, when he noticed an empty spot...and no sign of a certain Rose and corgi.

"Wait, where's Ruby?" he spoke out in alarm.

Oobleck poked his head out of the corner, trying to confirm what he just heard. Zwei came running in, barking quite worriedly. He ran up to the blondes, yipping at them. By now, the rest of the group had awoken as the good doctor dropped down, looking serious.

"Grab your weapons." he ordered. "Ruby may be in trouble."

Everyone jumped out of their mats and grabbed a hold of their equipment while Jaune knelt down to meet with Zwei. "Think you can lead us to where you last saw her, boy?"

The black and white dog barked in affirmation and scurried off, the eight of them quickly following.


Ruby groaned as she woke up to being dragged by two WF soldiers through what seemed to be an underground city. All around her, White Fang members were at work, doing various things such as piloting a Paladin to carry large shipping containers. Then, one of them dropped a rather large device.

"Hey, be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?" reprimanded one of the more older-serving WF member.

"Sorry, sir!" apologized the one to drop the item in question.

Ruby felt her vision be a bit shaky, but her eyes went wide in fear at the device the Faunus revolutionariee carried into the trains. One of the guards that dragged her, who happened to wear glasses for easy distinction, called out to their main superior.

"Hey boss! Found something you might want to see!"

"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day." came out Torchwick's voice from inside the railcar.

"Uh, it's a little girl?" Perry answered, unsure of what to make of her.

Roman leaned our of the doorway and immediately saw Ruby, his eyes narrowing. "That would be bad."


Zwei led Oobleck and the seven students further down the streets to a large hole, with Crescent Rose lying right next to it. Yang immediately ran up to it and started to panic. Ruby would never leave behind her beloved weapon carelessly.

"That's...a pretty big hole." commented Nora off-handedly.

"Do you think she fell?" Weiss voiced out in concern.

Oobleck looked up, zooming up to the Heiress. "Fell?"

"Down there." she pointed at the very obvious hole

Oobleck stared at it for a good few seconds until the realization kicked in. "Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF Course! How could I be so stupid?!"

"What's the matter, Dr. Oobleck?" asked Ren.

"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

The blonde was lost on the sudden history lesson. "Doc, what are you saying?"

Pyrrha seemed to pick up what the good doctor meant, the dots connecting. "You mean that the underground criminal network literally went underground."

Blake couldn't tell whether to be disturbed or aghast. "They've been working in caves?"

Oobleck shook his head, correcting her. "No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!"

"An entire settlement was built underground?" asked Jaune, quite amazed.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb."

The seven of them couldn't help but shudder at the thought of thousands of people begging for help and salvation...only to be met with their cruel demise. Oobleck looked more serious than ever as he tightly gripped his thermos, turning it into its weapon form.

"Come, we need to find Ruby!"

"...I know shouldn't be weirded out by the fact that a thermos also doubles weapon, but it really does." commented Jaune to himself.

He decidedly ignored it and jumped down the hole, the others following suit.


Ruby grunted as she was thrown across the floor by Torchwick, looking a little roughed up. The Rosette glared at the criminal mastermind, who laughed at her.

"Wow! You are much more manageable without that oversized gardening tool of yours."

Ruby got up and charged at Roman, who simply sidestepped and tripped her with his cane, causing him to laugh even harder, almost bringing a tear down his eye.

"Oh man. You know, Perry, I really did need this."

Perry raised his thumb in agreement as Roman continued to guffaw in enjoyment at being able to get some bits of revenge on the teen. But now, it was back to business. He walked over to Ruby, glaring at her.

"But seriously." he aimed Melodic Cudgel at her, ready to shoot whenever. "How'd you find this place, Red?"

Ruby remained silent and used her Semblance to try and escape, heading for the nearest exist. Torchwick was briefly startled, though he quickly composed himself. Smirking, he spun his cane in his hands, and aimer the handle at the Reaper. He fired it, like a grappling hook, catching Ruby by the hood and pulled her back to him.

"I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve!" he commented, dragging her to continue his interrogation. "Let me make this clear: We're not through here yet."

A massive explosion sounded off in the background, causing Roman to look up. "Oh, what the..." He rolled his eyes and looked at the only WF grunt he bothered to learn the name of. "Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? Kinda in the middle of something."

Perry nodded and went off to investigate the explosion, only for another to sound off as dust fell down from the ceiling, the ground quaking, which annoyed Torchwick to no end as he demanded to know what was going on.

A third explosion made itself known as numerous WF soldiers rounded off a corner and fired at something. They were quickly picked off as Jaune and Ren came into view, dashing forward and knocking them aside with their respective swords.

With Roman and the Fang distracted, Ruby used the moment and jumped over the former's shoulders, pulling down his hat and used him as a springboard to run back to her friends. The criminal mastermind growled, readjusting his hat. He pondered whether or not to have Ruby be attacked before deciding to cut his losses and ordered the train to be started.

"But we're not finished!" complained the grunt.

Obviously, Torchwick was too angry to care, pinning him up against the wall with Melodic Cudgel. "Do it or you're finished!" he threatened before boarding the train.

Ruby continued running bringing herself to a halt as she realized she was running towards a group of White Fang grunts. A huge explosion appeared behind the Faunus and was blown away, revealing her friends, with Yang at the helm.

"Ruby!" cries out the blonde as her sister jumped into her arms for an embrace.

Weiss asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

"You're not hurt, are you?" inquired Pyrrha.

Ruby shook her head, hurriedly insisting that she was fine. "But listen! Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there. Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars!

Blake voiced out her vocal disbelief as she handed over Crescent Rose back to its owner. But Oobleck denied the possibility.

"Ahhhh, that's ridiculous. These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead-end. There's no other route for them to take."

A high pitched ringing started before quickly being replaced with Torchwick's voice. "Get to your places, we are leaving now!"

The group watched in surprise as the train began to start and move into the tunnels. Oobleck looked at his students, staring at them almsot expectantly.

"I believe with only have one option..."

"We're stopping that train!" finished the team leaders.


A WF grunt standing guard at the last train cart perked up, hearing something. He peeked out from behind the train and saw the flutter of a red cape and a trail of rose petals. He brought out his radio to inform his comrades, but was cut off half-way by Oobleck's thermos.

With no one else to warn the others, the nine of them climbed up top the train, preparing to move to the next cart when Weiss noticed something.

"Er... Professor?"

"Doctor..." he growled out.

She ignored his correction and instead pointed down at the hatch into the train. "What's that?"

Everyone looked to the direction and saw some sort of device, with numerous wires strewn and connected to it. Oobleck knelt down for closer inspection and could only come to one conclusion.

"That, my dear...appears to be a bomb."

This frightened RWBY while JNPR was greatly alarmed. Why was there a bomb on the train they were on?! Before anyone could maybe the suggestion of disarming it, Ruby spotted Fang grunts climbing up the train and approaching them.

"Well, I didn't expect them to go-" Oobleck paused, hearing the bomb below him start to tick, beeping red. "-easy on us... Time to go!" he ordered to the two teams.

They all quickly ran up to the next cart. He stopped Ren, telling him to detach the caboose. The Son of Dante prepared to slice it off when, all of a sudden, it detached by itself.

"What the- It decoupled itself!" he informed them.

They all watched as the caboose blew up and caused a chunk of damage to the tunnel. Oobleck could only shake his head and express his worry.

"Err, neither is this!" called out Ruby, she and Weiss holding up the hatch that they were standing on.

"Another bomb?!" cried out Blake in surprise.

"Make that three!" informed Jaune on another cart. "There's another over at where Nora and Pyrrha are at."

Oobleck paled at the implication that every cart had a bomb inside of them. The bomb under them armed itself, along with the cart being detached. They quickly hopped onto the next one, with Yang expressing her confusion. However, the grunts grew near, so they slipped into their respective stances and got ready.

The first one approached Yang. The blonde smirked and swept him off his feet before pummeling him right into the cart with a wink. Blake gave them no time to move and dashed straight into the center and spun herself around with her weapons, pushing them off of the train.

Weiss darted forward with the use of her Glyph, leaving behind a trail of ice as she sliced at anyone in her range. Ruby smirked and chocked her scythe and fired off, propelling her forward as she knocked off a few more Fang grunts.

Nora giggled, having fun as she easily whacked around the Faunus that came her way with Magnhild. Befitting of her title, Pyrrha easily dealt with the grunts that approached her. Spicing things up, she flung her shield around and discreetly manipulated it with her Semblance, causing it to revolve around, making everyone get hit everytime they get close.

Jaune and Ren attacked as one, the latter finally making use of the lightning blade, the both of them batting away all of their opposition with almost no effort exerted. Rather boring, really.

Meanwhile, Oobelck observed as to why the carts would detach and explode. His expression grew into horror as the holes created by the bomb allowed form numerous creatures of Grimm to emerge and began to follow after the train.

"He's leading the Grimm into the city!" loudly realized the good doctor. "It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm."

Jaune stabbed down Red Queen, lightly shaking his head in disbelief at what the Fang were doing. "This can't be... This doesn't fit her code, nor does it fit with her M.O... Eve. The hell are you thinking?"

They were forced to move to another cart as the one they were on decoupled. Oobleck pointed at Yang, Ren, Weiss, Pyrrha and Blake.

"We have to hurry! You five, get inside the train and try to disarms the bombs! While the rest of us... We're going to stop the train!" he finished dramatically, though the moment was quickly ruined by Ruby.

The groups split up, the aforementioned five hopping inside while the rest dealt with the continuous swarm of White Fang soldiers. Soon, they were backed up by their cavalry, in the form of Atlesian Paladins, all bearing their logo.

Oobleck didn't seem intimidated, and instead, sipped from his thermos. Smirking, he transformed it into its weapon mode, a small flame burning at its tip of where he had just drank from.

Jaune saw this and couldn't help but mentally ask at how unsafe that was. Zwei barked at the professor, looking quite ready. Neither Nora nor Jaune were prepared as the corgi jumped and flipped into the air. Oobleck slammed his weapon on Zwei and sent him like a deadly, spinning fireball.

The Paladin saw the incoming projectile and tries to shoot it down, to no avail. Zwei hit it dead center, ramming it off the train as he watched it explode when it hit a barricade. Blond and ginger looked at each other, surprise and awe in their faces.

"I'd say that was animal abuse... But Zwei was clearly having fun."

"You think they'll let me do it next?"

Another Paladin dropped down, aiming its guns at the corgi. Before it could fire any of its weapons, numerous fireballs slammed into a machine, being followed up with a rotating slash, knocking it off.

Jaune couldn't help but smirk, gripping his blade tightly. "Never thought Dr. Oobleck would be one to show off... Come on! Let's get this party started!"

Ruby and Nora nodded in agreement and they charged in to help their teacher.


Down below, inside of the carts, the five of them had dropped down into a room that didn't have a bomb. They all ran forward, getting themselves ready with Weiss even tossing a magazine filled with Dust to Blake. As they prepared to continue, Neo dropped down, barring their path.

Yang frowned at the sight of the ice-cream girl and called dibs. "You guys go on ahead, she's mine."

The others nodded and ran off. Neo was about to stop them, when she noticed a kinetic shot coming right at her, forcing the petite girl to dodge. The two stepped up to each other, the height difference very clear, though it didn't bother Neo one bit, smiling.

Yang clenched her fist, and went for a right straight towards Neo's face, only to be deflected by her parasol, which was quickly followed it up with a jab to the stomach, causing her to stumble. Roman's partner-in-crime opened it up like a noblewoman, mocking the blonde with a smirk.

Yang dashed forward, unleashing a flurry of several punches, as Neo simply dodgef each attack, moving her body swiftly and gracefully, yet somehow laid back. With every unsuccessful blow, the Blonde Bomber continued moving forward as her last three attacks brought her to a knee, where she tried a roundhouse kick, allowing Neo to deliver a spinning hook kick, knocking Yang to the ground.

Yang growled angrily, to which Neo responded with a drop kick. However, Yang rolled away and shot off for another attack. The pint-sized criminal parried her attack, following it up with an ax kick to the chin before kicking the blonde's stomach.

Neo pushed Yang into the offensive, her parasol easily countering all of her moves. The ice cream criminal effortlessly pushed Yang back against a wall, until the latter shot a blast directly towards the former's feet. Neo backflipped gracefully onto a metal container, awaiting her next move.


As the four of them continued further, Ren suddenly stopped, looking back. Pyrrha noticed her team mate's behavior and asked what was wrong.

"Yang may be in over her head. Just to be safe, I'll back her up. I'm sure you ladies can handle Torchwick."

"Yang will take it personally if you cut in, you know." Blake warned.

"Better to live another day than to let your hubris kill you."

Without another word, Ren turned around and ran back into the train cart they were in. The now trio placed their confidence in each other and continued on into the next cart, only to be met with the sound of revving up ahead.

Before them was the WF Lieutenant at the gathering, dragging a chainsaw along the ground. Pyrrha and Weiss stepped up, deciding to take him on. The two charged forward and locked weapons with the man, allowing Blake to flip over them and get into the control room, but not before giving them a nod.

The redheaded Hoplite pulled back so suddenly, allowing the Schnee Heiress the chance to strike the high-ranking officer, before Pyrrha rolled over her and landed a kick to the stomach, following it up with a shield bash that knocked him down.

The WF Lieutenant chuckled darkly, holding his chainsaw tightly as he brandished it with malicious intent. "As long as I get to kill the Schnee, I'll be happy."

Weiss wordlessly held up her rapier in an en garden position, while Pyrrha clanged her xiphos against her shield before switching to her fighting stance.


Blake entered the room and was instantly met with Torchwick, twirling around his cane with a smug look on his face that just made her grit her teeth.

"Hello, kitty cat. You miss me? You know, we really gotta stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk..."

Blake charged forward for a feint and used her Semblance infused with Fire Dust to create a fiery shadow of herself. Roman struck it and it exploded, propelling him into the air. Blake jumped up and delivered some midair strikes that knocked him down.

Roman fired a blast from his cane. Blake used Earth Dust to create a stone shadow of herself to take the blow. Leaping overhead, she feinted again. The dapper criminal blocked the continuous barrage from Blake with the use of her Semblance and tried to counterattack.

But she was one step ahead, creating another shadow, this time infused with Ice Dust, she trapped his weapon. While he tried to pull it out, Blake performed a vertical slash that sent a shockwave down the train car, destroying the ice sculpture and knocking Roman into the door.

Before he could stand up, Blake stomped on his chest and held her blade to his face. Torchwick chuckled nervously, his bravado fading.

"Why are we fighting? I saw you at the rally. We're on the same side, and you know it." he tried to argue.


Back at Yang against Neo, the former was not fairing well against her opponent. She seemed to perfectly counter all of her attacks, and it was pissing her off. The blonde fired off a blast, which was blocked by Neo's parasol. The two engaged in close combat, with the criminal having the upper hand.

Yang grabbed her leg and tried to throw her, only for Neo to turn it back on her, grappling her and used the momentum to throw her against the ceiling. The blonde groaned, feeling herself slip. As the petite woman prepared to deal another strike, a sword came hurtling towards her like a boomerang out of nowhere.

Neo immediately flipped out of the way, but did not at all expect an elbow to come crashing against her face, with a forceful palm thrust connecting to her stomach, sending her smashing through a stack of crates.

Ren caught Alastor and brandishing it. Next to him, Yang picked herself up, glancing at the devil hunter with the mixture of a glare and a pout. "I had that."

"Clearly you didn't." sassed Ren, before his eyes sharpened. "Take a breather, and step in when you've recovered. I'll handle her for now.

Yang would've argued, but relented, knowing full-well that Ren was right. She scampered off to the back as Neo recovered, glaring at the intruder of their fight. The Son of Dante stepped back and unleashed a Quick Drive Shockwave at the petite woman.

Neo flipped over the blade of energy, and analyzed Ren's stance, who evoked nothing. He grunted and fired off a fast Reppuken, surprising not only Neo but, Yang too. She dodged the wind projectile and quickly ran up to her new opponent.

The both of them engaged into close combat. But unlike with Yang, Neo had a hard time reading Ren's moves to properly counter them. He parried her attacks and retaliated with his own, savagely striking her face and swiftly followed it up with two quick kicks to her side before initiating a roundhouse kick that caused her to stumble.

The ice cream lady's eyes widened as Ren jumped forward, the thrusters on his greaves charged up for an ax kick. She narrowly avoided it, the floor beneath her being heavily dented.

While he recovered, she seized the opportunity and began her attack. She only managed a few hits in until Ren dominated the fight once more. Yang finally recovered and joined in. Neo was frustrated, forced to go on the defensive. She blocked their attacks, unable to even get a hit in.

With no other choice, Neo used her Semblance and her figure shattered like a mirror. From behind, she got onto Ren's shoulders and attempted to vault him. However, Yang intercepted, forcing her off with a Superman punch. With this, Ren flung Alastor right at her. The criminal accomplice deflected the blade, but the devil hunter had dashed in and struck true, swinging it around with style, the last hit crashing her into the crates.

Neo pushed herself out, getting livid at being pushed around by two kids. She was about to re-strategize when a woman in black and red, wearing a full Grimm mask, black hair draped from behind. She seemed to recognize the newcomer and bailed out, using her Semblance.

"Hey, come back here!"

"It's no use." said Ren with a frown. "That woman scared her off."

The two of them regarded the masked stranger with apprehension and alertness. For some reason, Yang felt as though the woman was...familiar to her. As if they were connected. Without a word, she turned her back on them and sliced open a portal, momentarily shocking Ren, as she walked in. He turned back to his friend, seeing her far-off look.

"You okay?" asked Ren.

"I'm fine..." she responded, though her tone was oddly soft. "Never mind that. Let's go and help the others. Was that...my mother?"


Weiss and Pyrrha against the Lieutenant went pretty well. The former rolled out of the way as the latter blocked his chainsaw. The deranged Faunus grinned and tried to push down harder to try and slice her shield, but found it not working.

Weiss grabbed his moment of distraction and zipped forward, striking thrice before creating a whip of water with the Dust in her chambers, lashing at the vulnerable man. He didn't take to this kindly and grabbed the water whip, pulling in the Schnee Heiress for a lariat. He grabbed her by the head and slammed onto the cold floor, before tossing her into the air.

She recovered, materializing a Glyph to land on. Since he was so focused on her, he didn't see Pyrrha's attack coming. Akuou struck him right in the temple, bouncing right off. The redhead ran in and kicked it back into his head, then did it again a third time before retrieving her shield, bashing it against his stomach, making him keel over.

With a grunt, she struck him on the chin with a backflip kick, slamming against the wall. The WF Lieutenant grunted, refusing to give up. He grabbed a hold of his chainsaw and charged at the girls with a furious roar. Weiss dropped down and stabbed Myrtenaster into the floor, it's blade imbued with Earth dust, causing a wall to erect itself before her.

This didn't stop him, as he just cut through it. Like a bull enraged, he wildly swung his chainsaw at the two students. The both of them managed to avoid every one of his swings, as all in its path was sliced through. Seeing enough, the two deflected all of his strikes, hitting him whenever they saw an opening.

Deciding to end things, Weiss nodded at Pyrrha and focused on a new type of Glyph she had been working on. She imbued Lightning dust into a haste Glyph and materialized it over the redhead. The Invincible Girl grinned at the boost and rocketed towards the revolutionary. She gave the lieutenant no room to breathe, constantly assaulting him with attacks while manipulated her shield to continuously revolve around her, causing him stumble quite a lot.

Pyrrha called back Akuou and smashed it against the Faunus' face, disorienting him and cracking his mask. She knelt down, cupping her hands to launch up the Schnee Heiress. Weiss cast a Glyph above her and used it as a platform to push herself, spiraling down and knocking out the WF officer.


Roman grunted as Blake moved her blade to his throat , looking a bit more roughed up from earlier.

"Oh, still feisty. Soooo, what are we gonna do now? You think a little bow on top is gonna make people forget who you were? What you've done...?"

She gritted her teeth at his words, unable to refute them. From behind her, the door opened up from the previous cart and the unconscious lieutenant fell in as Pyrrha and Weiss entered.

"...Well that's just unfair." he commented at his chances of winning.

Blake smirked at him and kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold.


Back up top, the group was doing just fine. Oobleck avoided a couple of swipes from the Paladin. He ran up on the giant mech and shot out its engine before jumping off and shot at its joints. Nora jumped to the front and whacked two Paladins off the train, having been charged up by Jaune earlier with Nevan, so she had even better ease with dealing with them.

The Son of Vergil alternated with using Red Queen and Nevan, dealing out swift combos with the former, then switching out to the latter to stun his opponents before going back to his trusty sword and finishing them off.

The four of them converged into spot and fired at a singular Paladin, letting it short circuit and crash down before exploding. The good doctor turned around, seeing more Paladins approaching. They prepared to shoot, when he held up his hands.

"I must remind you three that what I say still goes... And I say it's time I teach them a lesson."

Running a hand across the brim of his hat, he charged up to the two mechs. Ruby took notice of Zwei's sad disposition, before telling him to go on and join Oobleck. His expression did a 180, barking happily before running up to join the good doctor.

The three of them got to the front of the cart just in time to reunite with their teammate and friends. But then, they took notice that the train would be going on a collision course against a thick concrete wall.

"Well shit." cursed Jaune.

"What do we do?"

Jaune stared at his right arm, before clenching it tightly and willed Yamato into existence. RWBY was surprised at its sudden appearance, more so when Jaune drew the elegant katana and made two incisions in the air, creating a portal.

"Wait, how did you-" Yang was cut off, by Jaune.

"No time to explain. Come on!"

Without a second to spare, Jaune inside, quickly followed by his team. The girls looked at each other, unsure, before deciding to trust their friend and jumped after. Just as the portal closed up, the train crashed right into wall and blew up.


The eight of them had appeared from behind an alleyway, with an ample view of the destruction the crash had caused. Multiple civilians stared at the carnage in shock. The sun was high up in the sky, shining brightly. Then, Grimm began to flood out of the whole, causing a mass-wide panic as the alarms started blaring.

"Come on!" bellowed out Jaune, brandishing his father's sword.

With no hesitation, the two teams charged right into the fray and engaged battle with the Grimm to distract them and give the civilians an opportunity to escape. They all broke into single sections to try spread out the dark creatures.

Ruby swung away with Crescent Rose, slashing at the Beowolf that surrounded her. Yang jumped onto a Creep, using it as a platform to soar into the sky bring down a few Nevermore before she was brought down herself.

Blake struck at the Beowolves with Gambol Shroud, using its ribbon to reach a longer range, before pulling back to use its gun variant and fired at the approaching Grimm.

Weiss blocked another pack of the Wolf Grimm with a Glyph, before using it to conjure up a blade of ice, slicing through them.

Ren's expression was blank, but inside he felt livid. Various Creeps surrounded him and swung their tails at him. He sliced them all off with Alastor, before moving in and bashed in their skulls with Gilgamesh with charged up strikes.

Nora faced off against a King Taijitu, hissing at her with its forked tongue. The giant snake lunged at the ginger, but she caught it by the fangs, stopping it in its tracks. Grinning, she ripped them off and stabbed it in the eyes, before ending its life by whacking off its head with Magnhild.

Pyrrha flung Akuou at an unsuspecting Beowolf, managing to slice off its head. She spun around and defended herself against a group of Creeps. Glaring at them, she called back her shield and staggered them with it. While distracted, she quickly finished them off.

The others stared at Jaune, and couldn't help but let out a noise in awe. The blond moved with grace and elegance often unseen in him as he wielded the Yamato. Every stroke he performed, the blade easily cut through any type of Grimm, whether an Ursa Major or an Alpha Beowolf.

Grabbing Red Queen, he imbued it with demonic energy and flung them at a pack of Beowolf terrorizing the civilians, letting them flee as the wolf creatures were shredded. Yet no matter how many they killed, more and more seemed to pop up.

"Dammit. There's so many of them. They're like annoying cockroaches!" grunted out Jaune, bifurcating a Beowolf's arm.

Then, the cavalry arrived. A fleet from the Atlesian Military had arrived. It consisted drop ships that deployed Atlesian Knights and the flagship of General Ironwood at the very helm. Multiple Bullheads joined in, being boarded by most of the students.

From the hole, the surviving forces of the White Fang had no plans of surrendering and opened fire on the civilians, while their own brand of Paladins emerged as well and helped in their havoc.

The AK-200s formed out a line and helped in suppressing the terrorists from killing more civilians. A separate group of the knights went on to fight the Grimm hand-to-hand. Meanwhile, the drop ships fired out at the Paladins with its machine guns.

Out in the streets, Cinder and her team watched the ensuing chaos. The femme fatale nodded at her subordinates, before walking off. Mercury grinned and kicked down an Ursa, connecting his boots to its neck and lopped off its head.

Emerald drew out her dual pistols from their holsters and rained fire upon the Grimm pack that stampeded towards her. All but a single Ursa fell to the barrage of laser shots. The verdette quickly transformed her pistols into sickled blades, flipping and slashing at the rampaging Ursa. The bear creature tried to attack, but Emerald had jumped behind it before slaying it.

As more Knights subdued Grimm, out of the opening came Zwei, followed by Dr. Oobleck in a damaged Paladin. The dog jumped off the mecha to headbutt a Beowolf, knocking it out.

Another airship arrived, dropping off Team CFVY and Professor Port. As Yatsuhashi was surrounded by a pack of Grimm, he unlimbered his large sword before smashing it on the ground, unleashing a shockwave that sent them flying. Velvet and Fox kicked and punched the Grimm with Fox impaling a Creep, showing them why they were one of the best second-year teams.

Nearby a large spiked Ursa roared, charging at them. Fox intercepted the Dark creature with a kick then unleashed a combo of slashes and punches with his weapon. Knocking the Grimm skyward with an uppercut, she delivered a devastating blow to its head as it descended. After landing, it swelled up and exploded, impaling its fellow Grimm with its spikes. Coco walked forward and swatted a few away with her handbag while Yatsuhashi shielded Velvet before the two start advancing.

She complimented Fox for his actions, even patting his butt before walking to an Alpha Beowolf, who roared in her face. The fashionista lowered her shades, glaring at the Wolf Grimm. "You destroyed my favorite clothing store." Pushing them up, she spat on the side. "Prepare to die."

The Alpha lunged with its right arm, only for it to be swatted away. Coco kicked it in the crotch, causing it to fall down. She crushed its skull with her handbag. Quite effortlessly, she fought off three more Beowolves and leapt back to avoid a Death Stalker's stinger. Velvet prepared to help out, only to be stopped by her team leader.

"Hey, come on, you just spent all the semester building that up. Don't waste it here."

Her purse then transformed into a giant mini gun. With a grin, she started firing, slaughtering the advancing horde of Grimm, including a Death Stalker and three Nevermores.

Oobleck jumped off of the Paladin, regrouping with Port, nodding their heads. They fired their weapons at the approaching Grimm, easily burning them all down to ashes with no effort.

Nearby, Goodwitch walked down the streets, her face contorted into a furious expression. A few Beowolves tried to attack her, but they were easily repelled back with a wave of her riding crop. She reached the center of the Breach and fixed up the hole with her Semblance as the rest of the Grimm were finished off.

The remaining members of the White Fang saw this and lowered onto their knees, putting their hands over their head. They had no other choice but to surrender.


"Looks like they're cleaning up."

Deeper inside of Mt. Glenn were two men, robed in a large cloak with hoods, revealing nothing of themselves aside from their voices. They oversaw numerous robots moving out dozens of crates and cages, while viewing footage of the failed Breach.

" It would s-s-s-seem so." Looking at one of the cages, the creature inside sparked with electricity, banging against its prison. "It appears that this one is eager t-t-t-to play. Shall we r-r-r-release it?"

The first cloaked figure hummed, before grinning at his compatriot. "Why not? It'll be the perfect farewell gift for the Huntsmen, and to keep them on their toes. Go on ahead, we don't have much time left. The good doctor's waiting on us."

The second cloaked figured nodded and did just that. Once he unlocked the cage, almost immediately, the creature became nothing but a crackle of energy bouncing across the room before it disappeared in a flash.


"Oh, I can't believe that you've caught me. You've really taught me the error of my ways." mocked Torchwick.

He had been recovered among the wreckage of the train and had immediately been apprehended, along with the surviving White Fang members. An AK-200 harshly grabbed him by the arm, almost making him drop his bowler hat.

"He-hey! Watch the hat!"

Jaune and his friends watched the criminal mastermind continued to be escorted as Emerald and Mercury approached them with 'friendly smiles'. All around them, everyone celebrated the victory that they achieved, smiles on their faces. The Arc Devil blinked, feeling his Devil Bringer act up. His eyes widened, hearing the clap of thunder reach his ears.

"Get down!" he cried out.

Unfortunately, his warning came a bit too late. Something streaked through a number of civilians and even two of the captured WF grunts, killing them with electrocution. Lightning crashed down at the center of the pavilion, revealing the assailant.

The people murmured, looking at the unfamiliar creature, but Jaune recognized it. He had fought against it inside of the Savior, after all.

"A Blitz?!"

It was indeed, but with a few key differences. It was definitely bigger than a regular one. It's claws were slightly longer but definitely sharper. The armor pieces on it seemed more plated and reinforced. And it's lightning. Normally, it would be yellow, now it's black.

Some of the Hunters, namely the professors and Ironwood, heard Jaune's shout laced with familiarity. Before they could even utter a word, the demon roared loudly, bringing back the fear from earlier. Not just the civilians. Even some of the Hunters and Torchwick looked afraid.

The AK-200s opened fired upon the Blitz, but it was far faster than they could anticipate. The androids fell to its claws, all of them slashed to pieces. It disappeared in a burst of electricity, dodging the attack it received.

Ruby cocked Crescent Rose and prepared to use her Semblance to intercept the Blitz to try and strike it down. Jaune saw this and tried to warn her not to.

"Ruby, don't!"

But his warning fell on deaf ears. The devil hunter cursed under his breath as the Rosette disappeared in a flutter of petals, charging at the lightning demon. The scythe's blade made contact with the Blitz's skin and sent out a powerful discharge through the young girl's body.

Ruby cried in agony as she was repulsed back. The elite demon took offense to her attack and rushed in for another strike. Everyone tried to move in and defend her, but none of them were fast enough. The Blitz reared back it's claws to swipe at the young Rose, causing her to shut her eyes in fear.

And yet the blow never came. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped, seeing Jaune in front of her, holding back the lightning monster back. However, she was more drawn towards his arm. The sleeve had been torn off and it looked...for the lack of a better term, demonic.

The devil hunter pulled back his Devil Bringer and clocked the Blitz in the face, sending it crashing right into the pavilion. Jaune noticed the clothing mishap and groaned. "Oh great. Like I needed this."

Glancing at his friend, he looked at her face for some sort of reaction and found her looking at his arm in a mixture of awe and amazement. He shook his head and told her to get away.

"Get back, Rubes." he warned, walking up to the demon of lightning. "Things are about to get hairy."

"Mr. Arc!" called out Dr. Oobleck. "It is imperative that you stay away from the creature! We don't know what it's fully capable-"

The Blitz recovered and zipped towards Jaune. He grunted and blocked with his Aegis Shield, standing his ground. The blond smirked and drew out Blue Rose, shooting the demon in the face with a Charged Shot, blowing it back away by a considerable amount. Before it could recover, Jaune charged up a Drive shockwave and fired off the energy blade towards it.

The creature of lightning avoided the attack and reappeared before the Son of Vergil, going for an attack. He swerved out of the claw's range and fired out another Charged Shot. Once more, the Blitz teleported to another location and this time dashed towards the cambion.

Jaune didn't get to react in time and felt its claw's sink into his stomach, electrocuting him. He gritted his teeth and kicked off the demon, blood seeping through his clothes, bringing murmurs to the people. Team RWBY moved to intervene, but a glance from Jaune made them remain rooted into their place.

"That lightning shield sure is annoying." he mumbled.

The devil hunter pounded his fists together, equipping Beowulf onto his person. The Blitz snarled and moved in for another attack. This time, he was prepared. Jaune roared and grappled the demon with a Buster. He unleashed a series of punches and kicks, chipping through the electrical shield with the assistance of the Devil Arm gauntlets.

Pulling back his arms, charging up for a Dragon Breaker. Once he hit the second glow, the Arc Devil roared and released the devastating, rising, double uppercut. And it was enough to be done with the Blitz's electrical shield.

He dismissed Beowulf and took hold of Red Queen, swinging the blade into Max-Act. He dashed forward and struck it twice with an Ex-Streak Attack. Having one more rev of Exceed, Jaune launched it into the air with a High Roller, going along with it.

The Blitz was still vulnerable, and he quickly used the advantage and Bustered it once more. Once more, he barraged it with a chain of punches and kicks, before crashing it down a forceful heel stomp.

The demon of lightning growled in the crater it was in and felt irritated, not taking kindly to being easily beaten. It had been captured and forced to go through so many experimentations to increase its power, and yet here it is, being easily beaten by Sparda's kin! It did not like that at all!

The Blitz let loose a fierce and livid roar as lightning began to crackle through its body again. Except this time, it was a burning white instead of black. Jaune was taken aback by its sudden boost of speed, that even he didn't manage to follow, as it pierced his stomach and flung him up.

Charging up, it streaked through the blond numerous times and slashed at his body at different parts, causing blood to splash and coat the ground, making the more experience bunch flinch while those unused to such sight gagged.

The Blitz crashed back down, letting the chains of lightning explode and shock the cambion, bringing him agony. It brought its claws together and created a powerful spark that locked up his body and left him vulnerable, his face stuck in pain.

"Are we seriously just gonna stand by?" voiced out Sun.

He may not know Jaune all that well, he still couldn't just stand by and watch him get this hurt. Some of them began to move but NPR blocked their path. Pyrrha looked at them, telling them to trust in the blond.

The devil hunter cracked a smirk and broke free from the shocking chains, a hazy aura of power starting to emanate from his body as he stood back up, the wounds on his body closing up. His eyes shifted from its normally calm azure blue to its menacing blood red, boring into the Blitz.

"Come on!" he taunted with a distorted echo.

The lightning demon obliged and zipped across, only to shriek in pain as it's arm was cut off. Everyone blinked, seeing Jaune in the process of sheathing back Yamato into its scabbard, not even noticing when and where he got the weapon.

The Blitz snarled and swung with its remaining claw. He parried the attack with the sheathed Yamato. Without a moment's rest, he furiously slashed at the demon with such blinding speed that most of the Hunters couldn't even follow. One last strike, he spin-slashed it down, and slammed the katana back into its scabbard, the damage he inflicted finally appearing on the Blitz, sending it into the air.

His Summoned Swords flashed to his side and blistered towards the Blitz, pushing it further up. Grabbing a hold of Red Queen, he imbued it with a bit of his demonic energy and hurled it at the demon, keeping it up in the air.

Tricking towards it, he carved up the Blitz with a rising, twirling slash, before crashing it back down. In one fluid motion, he descended down and ended its life with a Helm Breaker, bisecting it. He walked away from the corpse, flicking off the blood on his blade. Jaune carefully slid her back into her Saya as the body blew up in a large explosion of lightning behind him.

Immediately, his team ran up to him, asking if he was okay. He nodded, smiling in assurance as he dismissed his demonic aura. The blond looked up and saw the crowd staring at him with still silence. Jaune could not deny, he felt a bit apprehensive at what their reactions would be. Fear? Nervousness? Or-

Ruby zoomed in and shattered his expectations, getting a closer look of his arm. "Woah! It looks so cool! What else can it do? Can you store other stuff inside of this? Ooh! Does your other arm change into this too? Or, no! Can you modify-"

"Easy, Rubes, easy." he said, trying to calm her down. "I'm not exactly going anywhere. I'll answer them one at a time."

The rest of her team and friends then soon approached Jaune, smiling and asking if he was alright. Ironwood raised his hand, signaling the remaining AK-200s to lower their weapons, and continue escorting their captives.

The General would let them rest for the moment. They've earned the reprieve. He can ask them more when they've fully recovered.


Later, in Ozpin's office, he was currently in a meeting with Vale's Government Council. He had his back turned against them, staring outside the window with an aloof expression.

"Ozpin? Ozpin!" called out one of the members.

Ozpin turned his chair towards his desk, looking at the holographic screen with the video feed of the councilmen and of Ironwood at the corner.

"Yes, Councilman." he said.

"You've left us no choice!" started the first one. "The Vytal Festival tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens."

Ozpin just sipped from his mug.

"Ahem..." he cleared his throat to get back on track. "Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best action is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event.

"Thank you, Councilman." responded Ironwood, nodding. "Our Kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely as possible."

"And we thank you, General. Not only that, those at Mistral were kind enough to send a squad of their best soldiers to assist as well."

"Will that be all?" asked Ozpin.

"For now." replied the councilman with clear disapproval. "But after this festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious discussion about your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports over the last few weeks have left us somewhat... concerned. I am sure you understand."

The video of the councilmen disappear leaving only Ironwood and Ozpin. They silently stared at each other for a moment. The general assured his friend that this was the right move and hang up, leaving Ozpin to look at the large Atlesian Ariship outside his window with slight concern.


Jaune sat silently on his bed as his friends were seated at the bed across from him. All eight of them had gotten proper rest, and it was time he explained himself.

"So...what exactly was that earlier? Is it your Semblance or something? And what about that cool katana you used to make the portal?" Ruby started off.

Weiss shook her head, a dawning look of realization coming. "Hold on... How did I just now remember? You're a demon...!"

Jaune made notion to deny it because it was true. "That's right... Well, partially. I've demon blood coursing through my veins, but I'm mostly human. It may come off as a shock but, I'm the grandson of the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda."

"Sparda?" parroted Blake. All four of their eyes widened at that.. "As in the former demon lord who betrayed his kin and fought for the humans and Faunus. He's real?"

"That's right." confirmed the blond. "He fell in love with a human and settled down with twins, one of which is my father. The sword that I used earlier is the Yamato. It used to be gramp's until he passed it down to my old man, and in turn, to me."

Yang raised her hand. "So, how can it make portals? Is it, like, special?"

"It is." piped up Ren, taking over for his cousin. "Sparda deemed himself to have become too powerful and split his power into three blades. Yamato is one of them. She's imbued with the power to divide and wipe out the darkness, which somehow leads to its ability of cutting through the very fabric of space itself. This sword is what our grandfather used to forever separate the demon world from the mortal realm."

" Woah." softly uttered Ruby in amazement. "So-"

"Wait." cut in Weiss. "So Ren, you're part-demon too?" the heiress asked.

"Me too." said Nora. "Renny and I got demon blood swimming in us. Pyrrha's the only one in our team who's 100% human."

With this, the all-girls team looked at each other, silently processing what they've just learned. Ruby stood up with a smile, before waving goodbye to them.

"Welp! See you guys at classes tomorrow."

Weiss followed suit after her partner, curtesying them with a bow. "Jaune saved my life on one occasion. You're all good people. I see no reason to treat you all differently."

Yang pushed herself up, pouting at the four before she descended into chuckling. "Man, you guys were already cool, and now you're all even cooler. That's unfair. Save some for us."

Blake merely only nodded in understanding and walked out with a smile. Now, it was just the four members of JNPR. Jaune plopped down onto his bed, a slightly bewildered look on his face.

"That was not at all I expected. To be honest, I kinda expected them to go a complete 180 and hate me."

Pyrrha joined him, resting her head on her shoulders. "They've known you for months now, Jaune. They're your friends, and true friends stick by each other through thick and thin. You gave them no reason to hate you."

"Yeah!" agreed Nora. "You're being too cautious, Fearless Leader. And besides, if they did hate you, we'd break their legs!"

"Nora, no. We don't break anyone's legs."reined in Ren.

Jaune chuckled. Maybe he'd been reading too many weird stories. His eyes fell on his gaming console and a thought crossed his mind.

"So, who's up for some Smash. Bros.?"


Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald meet discreetly at a rooftop, overlooking the pavillion where the Breach had occurred. The False Maiden smirked proudly.

"All in all, I'd consider today a success."

"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things. Especially that Arc brat." complained Emerald.

Mercury nodded in agreement and voiced out his own concern. "Guess he's more of a threat than we pegged him for. And besides, a lot of Faunus didn't make it out the tunnels. You still think the White Fang's gonna listen to us after all of this crap?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice off your heads and call back my brothers and sisters?"

From behind them, Eve emerged, a large and livid frown on her lips. Her arm had been replaced with a robotic prosthetic after it was disarmed by Cinder. The femme fatale chuckled darkly, her eyes lightly glowing.

"Oh Eve, did you already forget?"

The red-haired Faunus gasped in breathless pain, her arm starting to act up and spread discomfort through her entire body. Cinder smirked condescendingly down on Eve, enjoying the moment, fingering the button she had just pressed.

"You lost against me. And it's only fair that obey my every whim, or those of my mistress. If not, then punishment is inevitable."

Eve gritted her teeth, glaring heatedly at the smug bitch through her mask. "Fine." she spat out. "As long as no more of brothers and sisters die, then I shall abide your command."

"Of course..." drawled out Cinder. "I promise."


And that's the end of the Volume 2 portion for this fic. I tried my best. I thought it would be better to just compile all of them into one chapter, instead of splitting it up into a two-parter.

Anyway, I have an announcement to make - I'll be going on hiatus after his chapter goes up. Not because of the same reason I had with Lurking Monsters(like losing ideas or motivation, oh no I still have oodles of that). It's just that, classes are gonna be starting up soon for me, and I want to turn my attention to those first. So, for the entirety of October, there won't be any sort of updates. Hope you can understand.

That's everything I can offer for now. As always, review on what you think or if you have any questions, don't be afraid too ask. Stay safe and sanitized, and I'll see you all next time.