Ruby slowly brought herself up to her knees, using Crescent Rose to heave herself up off the rubble surrounding her. She could feel the soreness in her muscles and the blood dripping from the top of her head as well as from the numerous other cuts all over her body.
She did not want to admit it, but this war had cost her so much… Her parents, Uncle Qrow.
She looked off to her side to see Yang's lifeless body, the bloody dagger still resting in her hand, 'Her sister', her gaze moved to see resting beside her were Pyrrha, Winter, and Nora. 'Her friends.'
And worst of all, her love, Weiss. The woman who sacrificed herself to save them all that day a year ago. Just so that they could have a better chance of beating Salem and winning this war.
But because of Ruby, they had failed. Even with the power of all four Maidens, she failed.
Looking up she saw Salem, the Goddess of Darkness, standing before her, the cut bleeding pure golden blood still visible on her cheek. Ruby couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. She may die today but she did do the impossible.
She made a God bleed and boy, did that piss Salem off to no end.
Her smile was wiped off clean as Salem slammed another fist into her head, knocking her into the ground, face-first into the dirt.
"You worthless mortal. You dare to laugh at me?" Another strike. "You will pay for your mockery!" 'SMACK' "I will slaughter every last one of you." 'SMACK'
Salem reached down and grabbed Ruby by the throat. "You failed, Miss Rose." She said with an evil grin. "My, how your mother must think of your failure."
Ruby's head slowly lifted until her gaze met Salem's. The Goddess was taken by surprise as blood was spat at her face. "Fuck you, bitch." Ruby let out a dry laugh as Salem wiped it away in disdain.
"Hmmm, so be it."
Salem proceeded to slam fist after fist into Ruby's face, never once letting up. Blow after blow, the silver eyed girl was once again on her knees, yet she kept smirking in defiance at the face of a God, relishing in the knowledge that she did beat Salem at something.
Back at the Atlas Military Technology Base
"General Ironwood!"
One of the scientists raced across the laboratories' white floor as he approached the general exiting the elevator.
"Doctor. What is it, what's going on?" Ironwood questioned, walking past the medical professional. "There is a war going on and it is not going well. This better not be a waste of my time."
The man in his white lab coat gulped, but persisted. "Sir! There was good reason for your summons. I need you to look at this!" The doctor stopped the general in the middle of the hallway and pushed the clipboard into his hands. "At 0900 hours, we started getting small seismic anomalies in a small area around the object. Every hour after that, the anomalies started getting worse. At 1200 hours, we started losing power to all the equipment as if something were interfering with them. We first thought it was the Grimm, as it was not long before that that they arrived and attacked the city. Now…things are even worse."
The two continued down the hall towards and set of heavy doors. Ironwood placed his robotic hand in front of a scanner and the doors opened with a small whoosh and what laid before him would rest with him for the rest of his life.
The room was broken apart. Parts of machinery laid strewn across the floor. Cracks appeared on the walls and ceiling, even some of the medical personnel had been involved, some scattered on the ground unconscious, while others assisted whomever was in critical condition… The cause of all these issues located at the very center of the room.
Resting there was a large, beautiful tree. Its bark a pale white and its leaves a glorious snowy white. The Atlas army took the tree for study as it is believed to hold unbelievable power, hopefully enough to destroy Salem but every attempt to study it came back empty handed. No drill or weapon could cut it and the sensors would go haywire when they got too close. But Ironwood knew that this tree was the key to winning.
They had another problem at hand, though: the tree was now glowing.
"Doctor, what exactly is going on?!" Ironwood yelled when suddenly a large cracking noise echoed through the room, causing total silence. Both men looked at the tree to see a large crack form at the front part of the trunk. "What the…"
'CRACK'
Another crack formed, then another, and another. Each one shaking the room with every blow.
"Sir," the scientist started to say." It looks as if something is trying to break out."
Just as the doctor finished his sentence, the room was enveloped in a bright light, one, last, deafening loud crack marking the tree's destruction as whatever resided inside escaped.
Back at the battle
Ruby was only barely alive at this point, the pain in her body so intense that it was a genuine miracle how she hadn't lost consciousness yet; it seemed that her nerves could take far more than she expected. She lost count of how many blows Salem landed on her but if she had to guess, the Goddess was taking it easy on her… Prolonging her suffering as much as possible for her sick enjoyment, delaying Ruby's inevitable demise.
Looking up she could see Salem floating several dozen feet above the ground before her, the Goddess of Darkness readying a blast of pure power to destroy her: the final blow that would finally end this horrible war for her.
In one last act of defiance, Ruby used every single piece of energy and strength in her body to push herself up to her feet. If she was going to die now, she will do it standing as a Huntress.
"Farewell, Ruby Rose." Salem looked down at her soon to be next victim. "It is hard for me to say but…you were a worthy adversary. Say hello to my father for me." And with that, Salem released the blast and sent it hurtling towards her.
Ruby closed her eyes and smiled, ready to embrace her fate and reunite with her loved one as the chill of the blast grew the more it got closer.
But death never came.
Ruby felt the blast slam into the ground, the shockwave making it quake for miles, but the sudden embrace of death was nowhere to be seen and the coldness of the air around her was suddenly replaced by a heart-filling sense of warmth.
Slowly she opened her eyes to see that she was not at the original location, where the impact would have taken place. Nor was she standing. Instead, she was being cradled in a pair of strong, pale arms. Following the trail of the arms, she saw that the figure holding her was clearly naked and blushed at the realization. Shaking her head of such thoughts, her gaze trailed upwards to see an awfully familiar face, one she believed that she would never see again until after the moment she passed.
Silver eyes met ocean blue as Ruby finally spoke.
"Weiss." Ruby gasped out softly.
The woman holding her smiled and nodded. "Hello, my beautiful Rose, getting into trouble again, I see?"
Ruby smiled as tears started falling down her face. "Only for you to save me." Reaching out, Ruby hesitated for a moment before touching Weiss' cheek, letting out a breath she did not know she was holding. "You're really here. You're here" she cried.
Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's and nuzzled into the touch. "Yes, and I promise you." Her eyes met Ruby's. "I will never leave you again."
"What is going on?!"
Both Ruby and Weiss turned at the sound of the anger-stricken voice. Salem was still floating in the same spot as before, this time with a look of bewilderment on her.
Weiss' expression turned stern and full of resentment as she stared at the floating Goddess. "Ruby, go back to Yang and the others and stay safe, I got her." She said as she gently placed Ruby back on her feet.
"But Weiss."
"Now, Ruby!"
The redhead could only stare at her beloved, as the woman did not break eye contact with the Goddess of darkness. Ruby decided not to argue as she limped her way to the bodies of Yang and the others.
"So, Weiss Schnee, back from the dead, are you?" Salem lifted a hand and tapped her chin. "I wonder what my father and uncle have planned now, don't you?"
"No, no need to wonder. I know exactly what they have planned."
"Oh," Salem looked on her in false surprise. "And what is that?"
Weiss smiled. "For me to kill you."
Weiss stretched out her arms and the world suddenly fell still as wisp of lights started appearing out of nowhere. These lights started off as just a few, before dozens and dozens appeared and each wrapped themselves around Weiss' naked body, each combining and forming until they faded to reveal a beautiful set of white and gold armor.
The look of surprise on Salem's face was comical.
"You…. you cannot be. He would never."
Weiss smiled, her eyes flashing gold. "Oh, but he did." In a gentle, swift motion, she lifted her arm and flattened her palm just as four glowing orbs appeared in her hand. One blue, another yellow, one red, and the last pink. Each orb rotated clockwise in her palm for a few moments before firing off towards Ruby and the bodies of the others.
First the yellow orb entered Yang, the blue to Winter, red to Pyrrha, and the last, pink, to Nora. Ruby, as well as Salem, looked on in bewilderment as all four women suddenly shot up, all wounds healed, and maiden powers returned as their auras lit up with the magical power.
"What the…" Yang said as she looked down at her hands before Ruby jumped her in a hug. "Ruby, RUBY!" Yang shouted as she noticed the tears on her sister's face before returning the hug.
"How are we alive?" Pyrrha questioned in confusion.
"Easy. It was her." Ruby answered as she glanced back, letting go of Yang to contemplate the scene before them.
"Weiss." Winter gasped.
With a thunderous boom, Weiss exploded forward, creating a massive crater from where she stood as she tackled Salem midair, the two flying straight into the city, streaks of gold and black following them as their auras burned brightly.
Weiss had a hold of Salem's face as the two flied at amazing speeds. Weiss forced them closer to the ground before slamming Salem's head into it, creating a large crack in the hard concrete as she remained airborne.
Salem yelled in pain before flipping their position and punching Weiss straight into the ground below, creating a large Weiss shaped hole. The small pause in fighting did not last long before Weiss launched herself back at Salem and the two clashed fists as they hurled themselves through the sky.
"Oh my Gods, it all finally makes sense." Yang whispered as she and the others watched the two clash.
Ruby turned to her sister. "Yang…what's going on?"
Yang met Ruby's gaze before returning to the fight before them. "Everything that's happened. You and Weiss being taken to be trained by Cain, her sacrifice, Pyrrha's return and the four of us becoming maidens. It was all to buy time. Even us dying and you becoming the sole maiden, that was never going to work."
"What do you mean?" Blake questioned her wife.
"Ever since I became a maiden, I felt like I had a single goal, and that goal was never to beat Salem. It was simply to buy time. Time for this moment. Time for Weiss to get ready."
"Ready?"
Yang nodded. "Just look at her." The group did what they could to follow the battle before them. Weiss and Salem traded blows that shook the whole world like it was nothing. They watched as Weiss summoned a rapier out of pure light and Salem created a pair of dual blades of darkness before the two met once again, the blades now replacing their fist fight, sparks and powerful lightning erupting each time they met, swing after swing.
"Weiss isn't the same as before, and I'm not saying that because of how she is flying and kicking Salem's butt." Yang said with a smirk. "No, she has grown. Even her body's different, and I'm totally not saying that because she is somehow amazingly hot now." Blake and Ruby both slapped the blonde at the same time, causing her to wince in pain. "Sorry, but you know what I mean."
Ruby looked back at Weiss as she fired a blast of light at Salem, prompting the Goddess to summon a wall of darkness in front of herself for protection. It was a trick, however, given how Weiss suddenly appeared behind her and stabbed her in the shoulder with the blade. Golden blood slowly trickled out of the wound as Salem screamed in pain before smacking Weiss away and sending her flying straight to the ground, leveling a small building in the process. Ruby was scared for her lover for a moment, thinking that she was truly hurt, but Weiss immediately proved her wrong by standing up amongst the rubble.
She was suddenly surrounded by Grimm, dozens upon dozens of them. The woman simply smiled before kneeling and placing a hand on the surrounding debris. With a pulse of energy releasing from her hand, the concrete started to shake around her as the pieces started coming together until Weiss was surrounded by a dozen of her knights, molded entirely out of concrete and steel, ready to serve their master. With a nod, the knights attacked the Grimm. The first creature, a Beowolf, tried swiping at a knight before being grabbed by the throat and squeezed, its neck snapping like a twig. Its body was quickly dropped and discarded to fade into nothingness, as the knight moved onto the next Grimm while its former pray disintegrated.
Ruby finally understood what Yang was talking about. Weiss wasn't really Weiss anymore, at least, not as she remembered her. This new Weiss was powerful, strong. Ruby did not know how, nor why, but Weiss was something more now.
She was a Goddess.
Salem and Weiss' fight was reaching insane levels. Weiss' knights were eliminating the Grimm in the city of Atlas one by one and for every time that a knight fell, another would somehow grow out of the rubble and fight on in its place. Even the civilians, Hunters and Huntresses from around the world, and soldiers of the United Remnant fleet were watching in amazement as the two titans clashed.
People looked on as Weiss turned into a powerful flash of light, taking Salem off guard before landing a powerful blow and knocking the Goddess of Darkness into (and through) the closest skyscraper, leaving a massive hole in it before skidding across the ground and finally coming to a stop right where the fight began.
The group of Huntresses watched as Salem slowly pushed herself off the ground, golden inchor bleeding from the various wounds across her body, her heavy breathing becoming the undeniable proof of the intensity of the battle taking its toll on her.
Weiss floated down until she stood only a few feet from the Goddess.
"Surrender Salem. It doesn't have to end like this."
Ruby gazed at Weiss. Her eyes studying her as she could hear the pleading and sadness in Weiss' voice.
Salem let out a laugh. "Oh please, you know it could only end two ways for me." She picked up her head until her eyes met Weiss'. "Either the world burning at my feet, or dead."
"Please Salem, don't do this. Your father wouldn't want this." Weiss pleaded as she readied her rapier.
Salem paused and her face turned soft as she stared at Weiss. "My father knew nothing of my wants. Why would he care about this? What good would saving me do?"
Weiss turned away, pondering on the question. Though her conflicted look and hesitation were only for a second, Salem capitalized on the moment as she let out a powerful blast from her hands at Weiss, knocking her far back into a nearby building before Salem swallowed herself into an orb of darkness, disappearing. Weiss appeared suddenly just a second after Salem disappeared, her blade at the ready before seeing that her opponent was gone.
"Damn it! She got away!" Weiss clenched her fist in frustration.
"Weiss?"
Weiss turned her attention to see Winter walking towards her, a hand outstretched before her. "Is that you?"
Weiss smiled, "Yes sister. It is indeed me."
Winter stood before her sister, silent but only for a moment as the usually calm and collected specialist lurched forward and grabbed her sister in a hug that could rival Yang's, tears streaming freely down both women's faces.
After a few moments, the two separated only for Weiss to be locked into another hug from Yang. "Nice to see you again Ice Queen. Thanks for the save."
"Don't mention it." Weiss snarked back before the two burst out in laughter.
Weiss and the others exchanged hugs and tears for some time before Ruby realized something. They were being watched. "Uh, guys?"
The group stopped their reunion to see the people and soldiers of the city surrounding them. "Do they see you as a threat…?" Blake questioned, genuinely puzzled, but Weiss shook her head with a small smile.
"No."
It was then that each person suddenly started kneeling on the cold harsh ground underneath them. It was slow at first but, quickly, thousands of people were on their kneels surrounding Weiss. Even General Ironwood appeared at the front of the group, standing for but a moment before he himself, kneeled.
Weiss turned to see Yang, Winter, Nora, Blake, and Pyrrha, all kneeling before her, their weapons sunk into the ground before them, just like knights would ritualistically display back in the day.
Ruby remained standing at Weiss' side, reaching out and grabbing her hand, lifting it to her lips for her to kiss the back of it before lowering it back down.
Yang and the other maidens then shouted. "Hail Weiss Schnee, Goddess of Light!"
And the crowd roared in an echo of chants. "Hail Weiss Schnee, Goddess of Light!"
Weiss looked at the kneeling crowd in front of her, before turning to Yang, Pyrrha, Nora and Winter who quickly stood and smiled.
"Come my knights, we have a war to end."