Disclaimer, I do not own RWBY or any of the franchises referenced in this work
Chapter 35: Infernal Intervention
Inspiration: NA
A flash of light filled the theatre and Jaune popped into existence, landing on the couch with a bounce.
"Oof! Hi guys I-ahhgh!" Jaune gasped when Yang and Pyrrha wrapped him in a hug strong enough to drive the air from his lungs.
"Welcome back Lover Boy! Ahahahah!" Yang laughed happily and squeezed tighter.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha said in an equally cheerful manner and likewise tightened the hug.
"Ga! Yang, Pyr! Need… to… breathe!" Jaune cried out but his protests fell on deaf ears.
"Hmm… since he's back, I guess this one is lighter?" Weiss muttered.
"Correct. This one is a viewing of a universe where Jaune's youngest sister is extraordinary." Blank said.
"Oooh… fearless leader's sisters eh? Wonder if any of them like pancakes and explosions." Nora rubbed her hands together excitedly.
"We'll just have to wait and see Nora." Ren shrugged.
"Extraordinary how?" Ozpin asked.
"Of the not human variety. I'll just let it start playing now." Blank said and the lights dimmed, the screen coming to life shortly after.
Ever since he was young, Jaune knew his family was special. His dad, his granddad, his dad's granddad, they were all heroes who kicked butt and took names. They were all retired now, but still, they were awesome, especially his dad when he went out to beat up any Grimm that came close to their town.
His mom was cool too, she didn't do any of the kickass stuff dad did, but dad was clearly afraid of her about once a month, so she must be stronger than him and therefore even more awesome.
His six sisters though, they were a little less awesome. Younger brothers did not equate to dress up dolls, but they wouldn't listen no matter how many times he tried to tell them that. Then there was all the other stuff they made him do, like learning how to dance.
"He does have some moves, that's for sure." Weiss said.
"Hmm… did they ever make him wear lady stilts?" Ruby asked.
"Not that young, no." Blank answered.
"Ah, so that means they did later on." Blake chuckled.
But, it was his seventh sister Asche that sealed the deal. Jaune would always remember the day his parents brought her home from the hospital. She was so tiny and frail looking in her swaddling cloth. His other sisters were off at school or hanging out with friends while he was stuck at home with the flu.
Once mom and dad were off getting a change of clothes and a bottle of milk ready, Jaune gathered up the courage to approach the bassinet. Face scrunching up with determination, he made his way over, step by nervous step.
"Gah! Soo cute!" Yang let go of Jaune and grabbed her scroll, snapping as many pictures of toddler Jaune as she could.
"Oh that brings back memories." Taiyang had a far-off look in his eyes as he recalled the distant past.
"Mmhmm, Yang was just like that when Ruby was a baby too." Summer agreed.
Planting his toddler arms on the side of the basket, Jaune leaned over and peered at his baby sister still wrapped in bright pink cloth.
She must have noticed too because her eyes opened to stare at him and Jaune's breath was stolen away.
Pure scarlet reminiscent of a blazing inferno greeted him, her mouth widened in a grin that split her face in half, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Then her head did two full three-sixty revolutions before coming back around to stare at him.
"Ah what the hell!?" Qrow spat out his whiskey in shock.
"W-what is that!? Some kind of Grimm!?" Winter sputtered out.
"Shit… when you said not human, you weren't kidding." Roman muttered.
"It's not that bad." Blank said.
"How is that not bad!? It's something out of a horror movie! Damn, kid's probably traumatised for life now." Qrow muttered the last bit quietly.
Jaune gasped in surprise, having a staring contest with the baby for several seconds before his mouth started to work again. It started as a low whisper before finishing in a loud cheer "I… have the awesomest baby sister EVER!"
"No. That is definitely not awesome." Blake's tone was drier than the desert.
"Too young to know otherwise perhaps. Children aren't the best at threat recognition." Ironwood mused.
"What? I'd kill to have a younger sister who could do that." Nora said with a straight face.
"Of course you would." Weiss sighed.
"S-so, the rest of my, uh, other me's sisters…" Jaune trailed off, finally extricating himself from Pyrrha's death hug.
"Perfectly normal, same as yours actually. That version of you just has a very different youngest sister that's all." Blank answered.
"O-oh, that's… good? I think?" Jaune hedged.
"This is absurd. All the Huntsman needs to do is eat their souls and leave the bodies as an example to the rest. Or better yet, eat all their souls, then there'll be no more crime to worry about." A five-year-old Asche folded her arms and pouted. She growled again when the Huntsman knocked out another thug with a flying kick and refused to finish him off.
"…No child should be speaking like that." Goodwitch said, very creeped out by the troubling unchildlike behaviour.
"She has a point though, if you eat all the bad guys. No more crime to worry about. But the uh soul part is a little disturbing." Qrow shrugged.
"That's the part you have a problem with Branwen? And… just a question, but when she says eat their souls… is that metaphorical or…" Winter looked to Blank.
"She means to tear out their souls and eat them while they're still alive. It's a very painful process I assure you." Blank said.
"Can we please not talk about being eaten alive? Sensitive topic here, hello!" Roman called out and Neo nodded empathetically.
"What? The Huntsman doesn't kill or eat people, it goes against his code!" Eight-year-old Jaune protested.
"How pedantic. Crippling someone with traumatic brain injury and leaving them to bleed out in the snow is fine but killing isn't? I'm very sure not all of them will even survive the trip to the hospital." Asche muttered.
"Ah… that's… that's a fair point actually." Yang furrowed her brows in thought.
"When you put it that way, Saturday morning cartoons are a lot more violent than people realise huh." Taiyang muttered.
"Maybe I shouldn't have let you and Ruby watch so many when you were younger."
"What!? Come on, it's fine! We turned out okay, didn't we?" Yang protested.
"But you do have a tendency to resort to violence as the first, last and only solution to your problems Firecracker." Qrow's words took the wind out of her sails instantly.
Yang folded her arms and sunk into her seat, complaining about traitorous uncles.
"It's um…" Jaune struggled to find a way to defend his favourite cartoon hero.
"He just doesn't, okay? And besides, if he eats everyone, no more cartoon."
"That is… fair. At least the violence is agreeable. Overwhelming brute force on the unresisting is the best way to deal with… problematic individuals. These Atlesians are quite wise." Asche grudgingly accepted.
"…Winter, remind me to check with the council what exactly Atlas produces and airs." Ironwood said after a moment.
"Sir?"
"I would prefer we not send that sort of message to anyone, least of all children. We're not bullies." Ironwood explained.
"Coulda fooled me. Isn't your army there precisely to bully people into going along with you?" Roman chimed in, drawing dirty looks from the Atlesians present.
"But I still think he could eat a few to send a message. Fear is an excellent way to keep the masses in line." Asche grinned, exposing her razor-sharp teeth.
"She's not wrong." Cinder shrugged.
"Eeeeh… popcorn?" Jaune held out the bowl, Asche stared at it blankly for a few seconds before reaching for the snack.
"Does… does Jaune really not see anything wrong with this?" Ruby asked.
"It's creepy."
"He's probably dealt with it for so long it's normal now. And bribery with food seems to work." Weiss said.
"Still creepy." Ruby reaffirmed.
"Awww… this is unfair." Fourteen-year-old Jaune whined, lowering his wooden practice sword as the conflagration consumed the whole horde of Grimm.
"I wanted to fight one."
"Maybe next time. Their barking was getting annoying so I put them all down." Asche sneered at the disintegrating Grimm. Swiping away the remaining wisps of smoke from her fireball, she sighed in disappointment.
"Holy. Shit." Roman breathed out.
"Magic?" Ozpin asked.
"You could call it that." Blank said.
"That's some serious firepower for a kid." Taiyang said and Qrow promptly slapped him on the back of his head.
"Your pun is bad, and you should feel bad."
"Ow! What pun? I wasn't-oh… would you believe me if I said I didn't intend it?" Taiyang rubbed the back of his head to ease the sting.
"No." Qrow and Summer answered in unison.
"It's a pity these Grimm die so easily or I might have a sense of satisfaction now. They don't even have the courtesy to bring souls for me to eat. Hmm… I did leave one left for you." She added as an afterthought.
On cue, the sole surviving Ursa Major charged out of the inferno, swathed in flames, the Grimm was a figure straight out of someone's worst nightmare.
Pyrrha wrapped her arm around Jaune in another death hug.
But for Jaune, the flaming Grimm was the best birthday present ever and he laughed happily.
"You're the best sister ever!" Jaune yelled and slashed with his wooden sword once, an arc of black hellfire launched from it and promptly cleaved the Grimm in half, ending it instantly.
"Whoa…" Nora's awed whisper spoke for everyone present.
"Damn, he a demon, monster, hell spawn or whatever too?" Mercury asked.
"No, he's fully human." Blank answered.
"And that power? That's beyond any semblance." Cinder pointed out.
'And probably beyond the maiden's powers too.' She admitted in her head.
"A gift from his sister. Blessing him with a tiny fraction of her power isn't anything too difficult." Blank said.
"Aw, it broke already. Still, thanks for the present sis. Have I told you you're the best sister ever? Because you are." Jaune smiled.
"Good, good. More worship is always welcome." Asche preened under the praise.
"Someone has an ego." Blake huffed.
"And the power to back it up." Yang added.
"Uh sis? You can put out the fires now." Jaune said, nothing that the inferno was spreading and consuming even more of the forest, there'd be nothing left at the rate it was going.
"…Must I?" Asche groused.
"Eh, Forever Fall is nearby I think. If it burns down, then we don't get the syrup anymore." Jaune replied.
"No more syrup!? T-that's horrible!" Nora sputtered out, paling considerably at the idea.
"No more syrup? Such heresy will not stand." She snapped her fingers once and extinguished the fires instantly, leaving only a clearing of blackened and twisted stumps where a forest of mighty oaks once stood.
"Syrup… hmm, I have a craving for pancakes. Come, we should go." Before Jaune could say anything, his sister snapped her fingers again and they were gone.
"Teleportation too? Is there anything she can't do?" Goodwitch asked.
"Very little actually. It comes with the territory." Blank answered.
"No Asche, no burning Terra to ashes." Jaune said patiently for the thousandth time.
"Why do you insist on protecting that thief?" Asche glared at him.
"Terra isn't a thief, she's nice. She gave us cookies and chocolates and chocolate cookies." Jaune replied.
"Definitely a good person." Ruby said confidently, causing the rest of her team and family to sigh.
"Just giving out cookies doesn't make someone good you know." Weiss said drily.
"Terra a thief? That doesn't make sense. She is nice." Jaune frowned in confusion.
"She, is currently trying to steal our sister. We should save Saphron by immolating the thief first." Asche spat.
"Oh, someone's jealous. How cute." Yang chuckled.
"Yeah, a walking weapon of mass destruction with… questionable views on people's rights to continue breathing is jealous." Roman echoed.
"And now it's just scary." Yang amended.
"I think the word you're looking for is kidnap. Besides, Saph looks pretty happy to me." Jaune waved in the direction of the bride in her resplendent white gown.
"…She's still being taken away." Asche said crossly.
"Only to Argus. But you can just go visit whenever you want anyways." Jaune pointed out.
"… that is true, but I'm still not happy with this. Saphron is still being taken away from us." Asche huffed.
"Eh, you know the reverse works too, right? Since Terra is marrying Saph, that means she'll be family too." Jaune said.
"…" Asche snapped her fingers and the overcast skies threatening rain cleared up instantly, there was even a double rainbow to mark the occasion.
"Dawww…" Nora leaned forwards, a silly smile on her face.
"That Jaune is good at managing her impulses at least." Ren said.
"And everyone is just chill with the bit the weather just changed with a finger snap?" Emerald queried.
"Either used to it already or just chalked up to dust and aura. People can rationalise away everything if they want to enough." Mercury shrugged.
"It can't be that simple." Emerald shook her head.
"Sometimes, it really is." Cinder said, reminded of the various mental gymnastics she had to do when she first joined Salem. And then there was Tyrian, who managed to twist his own mind into a pretzel and fail to untangle it.
"Socks, socks… okay that's enough I think." Jaune did his final checks and then slammed the suitcase shut, satisfied with his packing.
"I fail to see the reason for this stint at Beacon. It's not like you need it." Asche said, sitting on Jaune's bed while her brother looked over the assortment of weapons they'd picked up over the years.
"Hmmph, a proper education is always important no matter how strong you already are." Goodwtich adjusted her glasses.
"There's more to being a huntsman than just being good at fighting."
"A huntsman license is important sis. With it you get discounts at stores and stuff and all the huntsman specials." Jaune answered, picking up Crocea Mors in the end. The other weapons were nice, especially the Ultimate-Doom-Sword-Of-Flaming-Doom but there was no beating the classics. And this way it was like he was carrying a piece of his family with him everywhere he went.
"Yep, more to being a huntsman alright. Kid's going places, already knowing to look out for the perks of the job." Qrow burst out laughing and Goodwitch shot him an irate glare.
"What!? No, don't leave the Doom Sword! Bring it to Beacon, then give it to Nora yes?" Nora sobbed when the weapon was simply shoved back into storage.
"I don't think there'll be a Beacon left if that happens Nora." Jaune shook his head.
"But it'll be amazing, just think of the potential…" Nora trailed off with stars in her eyes.
"We have." Her team spoke as one, eyes dull.
"Yes. Respect from the lesser creatures is important. Very well, you have my blessing to go." Asche nodded.
"Thanks sis." Jaune smiled, walked over and ruffled her hair, drawing out a happy hum from his sister.
"I'll be sure to make you all proud." Jaune promised solemnly.
"You already do." Asche said simply.
"Just remember to spread word of my glory at Beacon."
"Of course, I'll be sure to let uh, my friends… team, classmates uh… whatever the other Beacon students are know of you when I fight the Grimm." Jaune said.
"And I expect you to continue working on your art. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you can slack off and go read comics instead of train." Jaune laughed nervously as Asche's piercing glare shot right through him.
"Hey! You do that too" He protested.
"The difference between us is that I'm already perfect. You still need work. A lot of work. You were supposed to summon a rain of hellfire from the sky to smite the Grimm. You smote everything except the Grimm. And that Sea Feilong was the size of a battleship." Asche said flatly, every word another arrow through Jaune's heart.
"…How do you miss something that size?" Ironwood asked quietly.
"Bad luck? Nah, I got nothing." Qrow shrugged.
"I uh… the boat's rocking made me lose my aim?" Jaune offered a weak excuse. He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head when Asche's stare intensified.
"Uh… hahahahaha… I'll uh, I'll just be going now."
"Mmhmm. Just remember, if you find any powerful Grimm or opponent, call on me and I shall smite them from on high. Been awhile since I showed off my power to anyone." Asche muttered.
"You got it sis! Well, I'm going now, see you in a few months… or whenever you decide to drop by for a visit." Jaune smiled cheerfully and gave a wave, grabbing his suitcase and the fake transcripts Asche had bestowed upon him, he headed off into the world, destination Beacon.
"Fake transcripts again." Goodwitch huffed, and Jaune laughed nervously, squirming in his seat.
"Does he even need those? He's definitely not hurting in the power department, even if his accuracy could use work." Taiyang mused.
"That Jaune Arc was never formally trained. Transcripts are there to boost his chances of getting in since his ah… view of what is normal is heavily skewed by being in close proximity to his sister." Blank answered.
"Team JNPR, led by… Jaune Arc!" Ozpin announced to Jaune's great surprise.
"M-me!? Leader!?" He sputtered.
"Congratulations Jaune." Pyrrha offered a comforting smile that eased his nerves.
"Are you kidding!? Of course you're the leader! You were all woosh! And kapow! And BOOM! And the Grimm were-" Nora rattled off before Ren clapped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
"Yes Nora, we were there, we saw it."
"Some things never change." Pyrrha smiled.
"Just the way it should be." Nora agreed.
"Yes, congratulations to the four of you. Now Mr Arc, I must ask that you limit your power a little when it's not necessary to go all out." Ozpin chided, outwardly he seemed perfectly calm, but the white-knuckle grip on his cane said otherwise.
"That was just one Deathstalker and Nevermore. There wasn't a need to burn down half the Emerald Forest just to kill two Grimm. Please, do show restraint in the future."
The damage to the forest was extensive, and odds were good repairs wouldn't be finished in time for next year's initiation.
And given the almost effortless way the new team leader had unleashed that inferno. Failure to hold back might lead to a repair bill Beacon would never be able to cover.
"Hah! I'm not the one going to burn down the school! It's Fearless Leader!" Nora crowed happily.
"That's not a good thing Nora." Ren sighed.
"Half the forest… ahhahaha… ahahahah…" Jaune's broken laughter spilled out.
"Hmm, looks like burning down forests run in the family." Pyrrha commented with a smile.
As his new team dragged him away to celebrate Jaune was still bewildered by everything.
"But… I was holding back." He said in a small whisper. After Pyrrha unlocked his aura in the forest, he felt so much stronger now. And clearly, aura boosted more than just physical strength.
"Half the forest gone and that's holding back? Then what's going all out?" Blake voiced the question on their minds.
"A lot of fire." Was Ruby's succinct reply.
"Wait, he didn't have an unlocked aura before? And he did all that!? What kind of monster is he!?" Emerald blanched hard.
"A paladin." Blank answered.
One day, Jaune was greeted with a sight he never thought he'd see. "Asche? What are you doing?"
His favourite sister was currently standing in the middle of a destroyed locker room, her right foot resting on a grovelling Cardin's head and grinding it into the ground. The other members of CRDL were likewise prostrating themselves at her feet, whimpering and begging for mercy.
"Hmm? Putting these mongrels in their place. Thought I'd drop by for a visit, then I find these… insects… thinking they can try and set a trap for you. Found the box of Rapier Wasps they were going to unleash on you." Asche said and the begging and apologising intensified instantly.
"On the one hand she just wiped out CRDL, on the other, kick their asses!" Yang cheered.
"See! I told you they were up to no good, can I please, pleasepleaseplease please! Break their legs now!? Magnhild is hungry for blood!" Nora hefted her hammer and mimed swinging away.
"I have no objections to that." Ren added his two cents.
"They need to be taught a lesson, or it won't stick." Pyrrha agreed with her teammates. CRDL had been a bunch of bullies, throwing their weight around and ganging up on others as well as being openly racist.
"Haaaah…" Ozpin sighed tiredly.
"Always gonna have someone wanting to abuse their power. Always." Roman shrugged.
Recently, they'd shifted their target to Jaune although their lovable blonde goof of a leader had failed to notice any of their attempts. In any case, a few good whacks should straighten them out, pain was an excellent teacher.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Jaune said unsurely and Asche fixed him with a piercing stare.
"They were planning to cover you in sap from Forever Fall."
"But… I'm allergic to that." Jaune.
"Exactly." Asche flat tone was devoid of mercy and she turned her burning glare towards the grovelling CRDL.
"I was planning on coating them in the sap and letting loose with the wasps. They were at least polite enough to provide the means of their own execution."
"Break their legs first so they can't run!" Nora shouted.
"And if we have leftover sap we can drink it!" She added with another shout.
"Hear, hear!" Nora agreed.
Asche regarded her with a glare before smiling. "You. I like you. You will make an excellent high priestess."
"High priestess? Does she think she's a goddess?" Distaste coloured Cinder's expression. She actually liked this Arc sister, but if she planned on creating a legion of Tyrians…
"And as for you four. Punishment time." Asche's smile was positively wicked.
"They're dead." Blake said.
"I'm… sure the other me will convince her to spare them. Mostly." Jaune piped up.
"Come to the dark side! We have PANCAKES!" Nora hefted a full stack of the syrup soaked fluffy goodness overhead, zealously upholding her new role as Asche's high priestess and trying to lure in converts. So far, it managed to draw in Team RWBY at least.
"Nora, your food is getting cold. Breakfast now, evangelism later." Ren chided, shifting away when some syrup sloshed off Nora's plate and narrowly missed his shirt
"I didn't know your sister was coming to visit. So… she as… prone to collateral damage as you?" Yang asked curiously.
"Nah, she's way stronger than me and way better at controlling her power than I am." Jaune admitted.
"Hmmph, I am perfect after all. But yes, feel free to continue worshipping me." Asche smiled and took another bite out of her hamburger.
"Woah… she's just like you Weiss!" Ruby said and her partner started choking on her drink immediately.
"A-and just what is that supposed to mean!?" Weiss sputtered.
"Well…" Ruby averted her eyes, refusing to meet Weiss's.
"I am nothing like that!" Weiss protested.
"Eh…" Yang trailed off.
"No comment." Blake added.
"Traitors! All of you!" Weiss roared.
"A-and just what is that supposed to mean!?" Weiss shouted but went ignored.
"So, you planning on becoming a huntress?" Blake asked.
"No. I have only one goal. The extinction of the dominant species on Remnant." Silence dominated as Asche dropped that bombshell.
"Eh… what? Did I… hear that correctly?" Roman blinked slowly, sticking a finger in his ear to make sure it wasn't clogged.
"You… you want to erase mankind?" Pyrrha asked slowly, making sure she hadn't misheard.
"…Why would I do that?" Asche was genuinely confused.
"She means exterminating the Grimm." Jaune explained and the rest sighed in relief.
"Gee, why didn't you just lead with that? Almost gave us a heart attack." Yang joked.
"But… I did?" Asche was still confused.
"Yeah, um… we're not the dominant race on Remnant. The Grimm are." Jaune explained.
"Huntsmen and huntresses aside, mankind is hopelessly outnumbered, outgunned and outmatched by the Grimm. It's why we only have four kingdoms. The Grimm rule like 90% of the land and almost all of the oceans." He added.
"That's… one way to look at it. Even if it is kind of depressing." Blake muttered.
"It is the truth, and true things stay true no matter what you believe in." Asche shrugged and returned to her breakfast, leaving the rest to ponder on her words.
"That's a very cynical outlook." Winter said.
"Yet painfully accurate." Qrow grumbled.
How quickly things could go to hell. Team RWBY's mission to Mount Glenn had been derailed almost instantly when they ran into Torchwick and the White Fang.
Now there was a breach in Vale and Grimm were pouring forth by the bucketload. You didn't have to be a Grimm to feel the negativity and panic in the air as civilians woke up to the end of the world.
"Okay, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!" Jaune slapped his cheeks to rouse himself. A veritable horde of Grimm was rushing towards him, seeking to bulldoze him and then demolish the hospital behind him.
"Come on you bastards! I'm standing right here!" He roared at the oncoming Grimm, raising Crocea Mors into the air, it burned red, glowing with an awesome power.
"In the name of Asche, I order you all to… BURN!" He cut down, and a solid wall of pitch-black hellfire launched forth, its roar heralding the instant vaporisation of the oncoming Grimm. They never had a prayer.
Once the tidal wave of shadow had been extinguished by his infernal radiance, Jaune raised a hand and concentrated. Through a supreme act of will, he forced the supercharged flames to obey and they slowly faded to nothing, leaving only a solid trail of melted rock to mark its existence. Miraculously, none of the houses nearby were even singed, let alone damaged by his attack.
"Cutting it a little close there." Weiss exhaled.
"Thinking back, that mission was a complete mess, wasn't it?" Blake said.
"But we beat the bad guys and the Grimm in the end, so that's that." Ruby's smile was accompanied by a proud thumbs up.
"All's well that ends well." Yang concurred, but her smile faded a little when Torchwick coughed.
"Ahem. Just a friendly reminder before you pat yourselves on the back too much, Lil Miss Firebitch over there planned for that contingency too, you don't take her and whoever she works for out, you don't win. Simple as that." Roman shrugged.
Sucking in a deep breath and wiping away the sweat, he pulled out his scroll and spoke into it. "Pyr, hospital is secure, how are things on your end?"
"We're good! We've contained the Grimm here as well and CFVY are on their way to back up Team RWBY." Pyrrha's words brought a smile to his face.
"Good! I'm on the way back, see you all soon. Crush those Grimm in the name of Asche for me would ya!"
"Of course Jaune, we'll crush them all. Count on it." Pyrrha said and hung up.
"Asche grant me strength to prevent anyone from dying today." Jaune offered up a small prayer before dashing off.
Unbeknownst to him, his performance and prayer had been recorded by the very civilians he just saved, and it was about to go viral.
"He… prays to his sister? Huh, not something you see every day." Qrow shrugged and chugged from his flask.
"You sure as hell won't see me bowing to Raven."
"If his sister is the one who gave him those… powers, than I can understand that… even if it's still hard to believe." Goodwitch said.
"Can she do it though? Grant him more power I mean." Summer asked.
"Indeed." Blank confirmed.
Jaune Arc, saint sent by god in Vale's time of need or cult leader extraordinaire? Who is this Asche he venerates, where does his power come from? So many questions and our man of the hour isn't sharing any answers. We'll just have to wait and see if he performs any more miracles. This is Lisa Lavender signing off.
"I'm not a saint, and they could have just called to ask me about the stuff you know." Jaune complained and shut the TV off with the remote.
"You're not going to deny the cult leader bit?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
Jaune simply pointed at Nora who was still busy making promotional pamphlets for the new Church of Asche. Ren and Pyrrha were helping along with a terrified CRDL, the four of them roped in after Nora threatened to call down Asche's wrath on them for not being sufficiently penitent.
"Hey, there's an idea. Next time someone's being annoying we just sic Tai and his godawful puns on them until they beg for mercy. They try being funny we just threaten to do it again." Qrow piped up.
"Oi." Taiyang grumbled.
"You can't do that Branwen." Ironwood denied in a flat tone.
"That's a crime in every kingdom except Vacuo."
"It is?" Qrow blinked in surprise.
"Oi!" Taiyang grumbled a little louder.
"Ozpin pushed the paperwork through years ago." Ironwood nodded, Ozpin continued sipping from his mug, acting as though it had nothing to do with him.
"A recording of one of his recitals was circulated and forcing anyone to listen to it in full was judged to be cruel and unusual punishment. Vacuo though uses it as a test of mental fortitude."
"OI!" Taiyang yelled.
"Ah. Point." Weiss conceded.
"If I pray to your sister will I get cool superpowers too? I want to set Grimm on fire with my eyes!" Ruby asked excitedly.
"And the cult is growing." Blake observed.
"Hey, if I get superpowers by praying, I'll convert to that religion faster than you can say 'I'm a believer'." Yang replied.
"I think a lot of people would actually." Jaune said.
"Yeah, especially if I get the power to make it rain pancakes and syrup." Nora agreed.
"Uh, I'll have to check with her on that. She did say eye powers are overrated though, something about blinding yourself every time you use them and more trouble than they're worth." Jaune said.
"The power to make others stronger. It is a nice touch, even if she has a bit of an… ego. No offence Jaune." Blake said.
"Eh, she's more than capable of backing it up." Jaune shrugged.
"She's got a church dedicated to her now. That must be doing wonders for her." Yang added.
"Oh it is, she dropped by earlier for more of Ren's pancakes, she loves it when people worship her." Jaune agreed.
"To be fair, who wouldn't?" Yang said.
"I wouldn't, it's more trouble than it's worth." Pyrrha spoke up from her work.
"It really is." Pyrrha agreed.
"Guess it depends on the individual then." Blake said.
"Nah, it's just a question of who you want worshipping you. I'm sure cereal girl wouldn't mind a certain someone worshipping her as his goddess." Yang said and Pyrrha started coughing.
"Yang!" Pyrrha protested, her face as red as her hair.
"Hmm? Pyr, you want a church too? Sure, I can worship you too. Asche doesn't mind as long as I make sure to praise her more." Jaune said.
Pyrrha sputtered incoherently, her face somehow going even redder than before, then finally her mind gave up the fight and shut down, leaving her to collapse in a dead faint, a small trail of blood leaking from her nose.
"Pyr!? Pyrrha! Are you alright!?" Jaune shot up and dashed over to his partner in worry.
"Hhhnrrgng, no cure for denseness." Weiss sighed.
"Uh… I was… I was never that bad, was I?" Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"No comment." Pyrrha said, folding her arms with a huff.
"I um… sorry?" Jaune tried again and pulled her into a hug.
"Hmm? Yes, he is perceptive in battle but less so when it comes to people." Asche said, taking a sip from her mug of hot chocolate.
"So, um, how do I…" Pyrrha trailed off and squirmed uncomfortably.
"Just tell him." Asche said.
"I-I can't!"
Asche regarded her with a baleful glare before sighing. Retrieving a scroll from her pocket, she dialled Jaune and put him on speakerphone.
"Yes sis?"
"You will take the Nikos girl out on a date at the festival, I command it."
"Eh? U-um, is Pyrrha okay with that?" A little bit of Jaune's sudden nervousness carried through.
"Y-yes!" The girl in question squeaked out.
"Sure! I'll pick you up at seven." Jaune's excitement and relief was audible.
Pyrrha sat there gaping like a fish and vibrating in her seat, not sure whether to start cheering or collapse in a faint.
"Mmm, I expect you to change your last name to Arc soon." Asche added.
That did it, faint it was.
"Looks like P-Money scored herself a date." Yang chuckled.
"I'm sure it'll turn out o…kay…" Ruby trailed off when the scene transitioned.
Jaune grit his teeth and forced himself to stand, his whole body ached but he couldn't allow himself to fall here. Spitting out a wad of blood, he spied Pyrrha at the corner of his eyes, his partner wasn't in great shape either.
High above, the Grimm dragon continued raining Grimm down on Vale while the hacked Atlas robots and White Fang ran amok, sowing chaos wherever they could.
"What the hell!?" Yang recoiled in shock.
"Ah crap, it's that day of all days." Roman grunted and pulled his hat down over his eyes.
"Hmm…" Cinder hummed quietly.
"Pathetic, all that power and you can't even use it. It's wasted on an idiot like you." Cinder sneered at Jaune in contempt.
"It is." Cinder said.
"Someone more deserving should have it."
"Like you?" Jaune sneered.
"Yes."
"You!" Pyrrha growled and stepped forwards.
"Ah ah uh! Not another step girlie, or the kid bites it. And we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?" Watts smiled cruelly, jabbing his ornate revolver deeper into the side of the whimpering child's head.
"Watts you son of a bitch." Ironwood growled.
"You bastards, hiding behind a hostage!" Jaune gnashed his teeth in frustration.
"If it works right!?" Tyrian cackled maniacally and lashed out with his tail, slamming it into Jaune's midsection and sending him flying back.
"You lot will have to work on that you know, or you'll never win." Roman spoke up without moving from his slouch.
"Huh?" Ruby looked at him in confusion.
"In that situation, your best option is to put a bullet in the kid's head then either run like hell and get backup." Roman continued.
"Put a bullet in-what the hell is wrong with you!?" Goodwitch snapped.
"What else would you do? Get killed and fail to save the hostage? You think they'll let him go? Maybe you try and save the kid, great! But you still got the stomach to try once they start putting bullets in his leg for your resistance?" Roman countered.
"That's… we'd never let anything like that happen." Blake snarled.
"Bold words. Let's just hope you never have to be in a situation where you have to back em up. Sometimes, a quick, painless death is mercy." Roman remained unfazed.
"Maybe that Arc lad has some fancy magic power that can turn the tables. Somehow, I don't think you lot do. Tch, blunt swords without an edge, all of you."
"…He's not completely wrong." Qrow muttered quietly.
Jaune coughed in pain and scrambled back to his feet, narrowly avoiding a flaming lance from Cinder. To say that they were in a bad spot was an understatement, as long as that child was being held hostage, they couldn't do anything to their opponents.
And with them fighting in the city, both of them were restricted in the level of destructiveness they could bring to play lest they level the city too, a restriction Cinder and company didn't share.
The ground rumbled and a Centinel burst up from right under Jaune's feet. He was too slow to react and the next thing Jaune knew, he was being dragged backwards until his back hit a stone pillar hard enough to put a crack in it and the Grimm wrapped itself around him, binding him in place.
"JAUNE!" Pyrrha shouted in panic, dashing forwards trying to help but Tyrian interfered, leaping down from a roof and driving her back with a flurry of blows.
"Ehg! Damnit! Let, me, GO!" Jaune struggled in the Grimm's deadly embrace to no avail.
"Come on, do something Jaune-Jaune." Nora nibbled on a nail nervously.
"I'm sure he has a plan." Ren reassured.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to put your power to good use. Magic belongs to the worthy, and you are not." Cinder smirked and raised her arm, ready to use the Grimm Salem granted her to tear away whatever magic Jaune had and add it to her own.
"Magic? Heh!" Jaune spat at Cinder, the half fall maiden grimacing in disgust as she avoided the ball of spit.
"I don't do parlour tricks, I work miracles by the grace of Asche!"
"And you're delusional too. Where is your miracle now boy?" Cinder asked, gesturing to the wreckage around them.
"Hurry up Fall, we have a schedule to keep." Watts said, reminding her of their mission.
"Yes, yes. For our goddess Salem we must hurry!" Tyrian agreed.
Upon hearing those words, Jaune froze, ceasing his struggling. Slowly, a look of pure unchecked fury dawned on his face.
"What. Did. You. Say." He hissed out every word slowly.
"That's what pisses him off? Really?" Mercury raised an eyebrow.
"Getting the shit kicked out of him, sure. Hostage taken, okay. Someone claims to follow a goddess and that's where he draws the line?"
"Faith is a powerful thing. Absolute even more so." Blank said.
"Hmm? For our goddess's glory, this kingdom and everyone in it will burn. All glory to Salem!" Tyrian's mad cackling only further incensed Jaune.
"Heresy." Jaune growled, his predicament forgotten in his anger. The Centinel binding him screeched as the temperature around him skyrocketed to lethal levels.
"It. Will. Not. Stand."
"And what are you going to do about it boy? You've already lost, are you that much of an idiot you can't tell when you're out of your league?" Cinder mocked.
Jaune glanced at the struggling Pyrrha and then to the hostage in Watt's arms. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "O' Asche, I entrust this body to you."
His body erupted with unholy black flames, the hellfire instantly consuming the Centinel and reducing it to ashes. The pillar he had been bound too was likewise melted into slag, leaving him standing in the middle of a burning wasteland.
"Gah! What is this!?" Cinder shielded her face with her arms, the sheer heat pouring off Jaune was oppressive, he burned hotter than any flame she had ever conjured. Firing her Grimm at him in an effort to siphon away whatever power this was before it got out of hand, she watched in shock as the tendril never even made it to Jaune, burning to ashes before it even got within arm's length of him.
Jaune slowly opened his eyes, and his once azure pupils were now hellish red. Nightmarish hate burned in them, promising retribution with extreme prejudice.
"Oh… that can't be good." Weiss muttered.
"Nope, nope, nope, go back to blue thanks, leave the turning red bit to me please." Yang shivered. It wasn't her Jaune and the anger wasn't directed at her, but it was terrifying all the same.
"He's a fanatic." Emerald stated.
"Yeah, but one blessed by his 'goddess' evidently.' Mercury added.
Swiping his hands outwards, he unleashed a wave of pure darkness, incinerating everything in its path. Cinder, Watts and Tyrian immediately beat feet, taking to high ground to avoid the wave and leaving Pyrrha and the hostage to be burned alive by it.
Only, the inferno washed over them harmlessly, not even singing them.
"It's… cold? No, I… I'm feeling stronger?" Pyrrha said in wonder as she felt her aches and pains from battle wash away.
"Enough of this! Destroy him!" Cinder roared, directing the Grimm dragon overhead to dive at Jaune.
Unperturbed by the dragon swooping down, Jaune simply raised his hands in prayer. For a second, nothing happened, then a black lightning bolt came from the blue skies, zapping the dragon and turning it to ashes instantly, the resulting thunder seemed to shake all of Vale to its foundations.
"W-what is this power?" Cinder whispered in disbelief, taking a step back in fear as Jaune took a step forward.
"Asche smiles upon me heretics. Where is your goddess now? Call upon her to save you… if she can." Jaune sneered.
"Somehow, I don't think anyone's coming to save them." Winter said.
"They'll just get smote immediately. Damn, I wish we could do that." Qrow agreed.
'Unfortunately the only gods who could do the smiting no longer want anything to do with this world.' Ozpin thought to himself.
There was a flicker in the space next to Jaune and Asche appeared out of thin air, a half empty bag of popcorn in her hands. "You called? I'd prefer if we wrapped this up quickly, The Huntsman Begins was just getting to the good part. He's finally killing people… well, letting them die, but semantics."
"Sis, there's someone called Salem claiming to be a goddess. These heretics worship her, especially that scorpion faunus." Jaune pointed at Cinder's group.
"Uh, is it too late to say she's just my boss and I'm more open minded on religion?" Watts broke out in cold sweat. The Arc's power was terrifying enough as it is, but this newcomer was somehow even more terrifying than that. His instincts screamed at him to bow down and beg forgiveness at once and it was really, really hard fighting that urge.
"Coward." Cinder sneered.
"Haaaah." Asche sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Of course the heathens worship false idols, why am I not surprised." She snapped her fingers once and Tyrian's aura flared brightly. The doomed faunus screamed in agony as his soul was ripped out of him, the light show culminated with the aura streams condensing into a small orb in Asche's hand.
Popping it into her mouth, she started chewing on it before swallowing, devouring Tyrian's still screaming soul right before the eyes of the horrified observers.
"Ah… the… fuck!?" Mercury swore.
"D-did she just eat his soul!?" Emerald all but shrieked.
"Hardcore." Taiyang was impressed despite the squickiness of it.
"Tastes like chicken. Could use a little more salt though." Asche commented.
"Would you like some?"
"No thanks sis. There are Grimm in the city that need to be killed." Jaune said.
"W-who the hell are you!?" Cinder interrupted with a shout. None of her research had ever indicated the existence of a soul eating monster.
"I am Asche." She said, those three words the only answer that needed to be given.
"And you pitiful worm. Cinder was it? No. Not yet." She snapped her fingers and Cinder was consumed by black flames, screaming as she burned alive. Unlike Jaune's own hellfire, hers was almost icy, guaranteeing a slow agonising cremation.
"Cinder, now."
"…" Cinder stared wide eyed, unable to say anything at the agonizing fate her counterpart just suffered.
"Burn the heretics eh?" Qrow cracked a smile.
"That barbaric practice should remain in the past where it belongs, it has no place in modern society." Goodwitch said.
"Still, the irony is delicious." Qrow shrugged.
"What a way to live up to your name."
Cruel smirk growing, she pointed at the sky and waved her finger in a circle, storm clouds started forming in the previously clear skies. Black lightning crackled overhead, followed by deafening thunderclaps.
Then it started to rain.
Black fire came down in sheets, covering everything in seconds. The Grimm were instantly consumed, burning up into nothing as their dying screeches contributed to Asche's choir. Everything else, the fires refused to touch, man, machine, building, they refused to even warm up.
"There. Now the lesser ones know of my glory, let it not be said I do not perform miracles." Asche then turned to Pyrrha.
"You. Better." Waving her hands, she erased all the damage Pyrrha had taken, restoring her to peak condition, including her armour and weapons.
"Take the Nikos girl out on another date, this day has been… subpar, I command it and my will be done."
"Of course sis." Jaune nodded.
"There, now to watch the Huntsman's first kill." She smiled evilly and vanished with another pop. But not before causing Watt's head to spontaneously pop like a balloon.
"The contrast is… striking." Summer shook her head.
"What does she think of people anyways? To kill so easily and then be more concerned with watching a cartoon instead of… everything else?"
"Most humans and faunus are insects beneath notice. Nice to have their worship but ultimately inconsequential. There aren't many people she cares for outside her family." Blank answered.
Jaune blinked once and his eyes were back to their usual sapphire. Pyrrha slowly walked over to him, staring at the spot Asche disappeared in.
"You. You didn't tell me your sister was the demon lord." She began.
"What? My little sister can't be the demon lord!" Jaune doubled over laughing as though that was the greatest joke he ever heard.
"She's the Goddess of Hell."
"An actual goddess? For real!?" Weiss sputtered in disbelief.
"Very. That universe is a little… twisted to say the least." Blank answered.
"Well… considering what she can do, I buy it. Even if she isn't, she's so strong any difference is nit-picking really." Blake said.
"Just a question, but uh, what would have happened if she didn't appear to my, uh, other self's family?" Jaune asked.
"Remnant undergoes a name change to Ruin."
"Ah." Jaune fell silent.
"I'll leave you all to enjoy your break now while I go set up the next viewing." Blank said and winked out of existence.
Author's notes: Transformers poll is at 23 for option 1 and 20 for option 2, with about another 5 or 6 option 1 votes from the reviews. Looks like option 1 will be it, but I'll leave the poll open until the next chapter release.
