Chapter 56

The plan was quite simple really.

With Beacon slowly regaining their hopes, and things slowly looking up for the people, Merlot decided to show these fools that their safe haven was in fact, just a giant gathering for him to attack. Of course, by no means did he expect to kill them all in this simple round. No. Instead, Merlot just wanted to see what they were capable of when cornered.

The mad doctor watching as his many enhanced Grimm, machines, and his...well, 'daughter', E. Fran attacks.

"Well then Ozpin." Merlot says as he watches his forces prepare to fight Beacon's finest. "Your move."

Citizens were panicking. Those injured cursed the world for their bad luck. Those mentally still healing, began panicking. Yet even then, the ones who stood against this group of monsters, did not waver. Instead, they merely moved and acted out.

"Trace...On!" With speed surpassing most Huntsmen, if not, all, the Counter Guardian EMIYA, now licensed Huntsmen, slashed apart many of the doll automatons like they had been made of paper. The machines that didn't vanish in golden light, became nothing but ruined bolts and nuts as he moved past his defeated foe and onto the next.

"Oh yeah!" Blackbeard, while not having a sword, instead used his fists to punch apart the heads of the automatons with glee. "Don't mess with the man with plot armor! Hahaha!" He yelled out as per his usual weirdness.

"Hya!" Ruby Rose cut down any Grimm near her, with Jaune himself right beside her as the two worked together to ensure not a single Grimm passed by them. Other students doing the same, and ensuring none of the monsters went toward the still evacuating civilians.

"Shra!" Which was then at risk, as a Grimmified glowing green Wyvern flew toward such civilians. Claws out, and mouth open to devour. Fear overtaking the people in its path. Freezing them in place. Bodies unable to move as the monster came down on them, ready to chew at them.

Only for a blast of green energy to rip through its chest, causing the Grimm parts to vanish and leaving skeletal remains to land and shatter onto the ground.

"Move. Get to safety!" Professor Ozpin yells out to those frozen, and getting them to move. Using his strong and powerful magic he has regained, against the enemies here at Beacon. He failed to help before when Salem struck, he won't fail again. Turning back, Ozpin yelled and from the Long Memory he released bolts of energy at the Grimm.

Glynda herself being near him and while not as powerful as the Headmaster, she ensured any Grimm that tried getting close ended up being sent flying to their own comrades, blocking them. Port and Oobleck aiding in the evacuation, but not slacking off either when killing the enemies. Using their own weapons to blow the heads off of any Grimm that tried to snack on them.

"Come Argonauts." But of course, Jason and his lot also help. As the new king of Vale, along with his loyal(?) subjects and allies, the Argonauts went to help out. Each of them wielded a weapon, each of them held no mercy towards the enemy, and not a single one allowed any of these freaks to get one over them.

With a roar, the mighty Hercules swung his axe around with no real skill. Even then, the mutated Grimm such as the Ursa and Beowolves were unable to stop the axe and could only get sliced apart by the sharp weapon. One Creep tried to rid the hero by sacrificing itself in an explosive way. It latched onto Hercules then blew itself up, enveloping the great hero of the Greek. Many mutated Grimm then rushed toward the spot Hercules was at, believing even if the hero lived, he surely must be weakened.

Their heads flying off proved otherwise, as all that explosion did was tickle Hercules. Not in a good way either.

"Have some pancakes!" Nearby, Medea (Lily) giggled as she sent flying pancakes at the automatons and Grimm. All of them enveloped in the sticky substance to the point where they couldn't move or their sight blinded by the whipped cream and batter. This served to make them easy prey for other students who dashed at them and killed them off.

It soon began to become clear that these foes, while numerous, were far from an actual threat. Beacon having all the Huntsmen and Heroic Servants it needed to defend themselves and ward off the enemy. Yet even so, Ozpin was worried.

'Something is wrong.' He thought as he used his cane to burrow it's end through the eye of a regular Beowolf, killing it. Quickly turning around and punching the face of an automaton where the impact caused it's head to explode. 'These enemies. While numerous, are far too weak to deal with us.'

So what was Salem planning, sending such mundane forces. The only one who seemed to be a real threat was that strange girl in a bridal gown, who was going toe-to-toe with EMIYA at the moment. Other than her, the rest were weaklings. So what was the point of all of this.

Ozpin wasn't the only one who thought this either. Jason himself, who was busy using hit-and-run tactics to deal with his enemies, narrowed his eyes at the beasts. Knowing full well that while tough, Beacon had more than enough forces to kill them off. 'Which means whoever is behind this, is planning something else.'

Jason may not know everything, but he did know this. The Grimm, the automatons, all of them were following that girl who while looked like Frankenstein, certainly was not the Servant Berserker. But that girl was clearly not the true mastermind in charge here. Not to mention, this proved something or someone can control the Grimm, which reminded him a lot of the stories told to him about the Demonic Beasts in Babylon.

As such, maybe by defeating her, it'll make killing these losers all the more easier. While still rather savage, the Grimm and especially the automatons were working rather well together, and coordinated a bit against the Huntsmen. As such, it'd be best to deal with the fake Frankenstein before things got worse.

"Hercules!" Jason then called out to the mighty Berserker, who finished crushing a Beowolf's throat and looked at him. "Baseball time!" The Berserker grinned.

EMIYA has battled many foes, and many were far more superior than this false Heroic Spirit. While this girl held the powers and abilities of Frankenstein, she was not the Berserker he knew. Having red eyes and Grimm parts on her. Even then she did not hold the level of power to defeat him.

'And yet, she is quite good at avoiding a fatal blow.' EMIYA thought with a grunt, as a Creep went behind him and exploded. The force sending him toward the false Berserker where she then struck his chest with her mace and sending him back. EMIYA landing on his feet but coughed a bit from feeling his chest cracking a little.

"You die." The false Berserker says as she then roars where suddenly, more Grimm came and started to assault EMIYA.

Yes. This false Frankenstein was not particularly powerful, nor the greatest threat EMIYA has faced. But just because she was weaker than him, didn't mean she would die to him just like that. As it seems this woman here was using her 'allies' to her advantage well enough.

"Tch." EMIYA clicked his tongue before resummoning his famed blades of white and black, and then rushed at the false Berserker. A Beowolf got in his way and attempted to slash at him. It's claw and soon head were cut off.

"Gra!" A massive Alpha Ursa jumped down and tried to land on him. EMIYA jumped up himself and then kicked the Grimm's belly so hard that he made a nice new hole in it. Small Nevermores came in and attempted to bite at his face while he was in midair. He slashed them down and ensured not a single one lived.

"Gr." E. Fran herself growled as the Hero of Justice landed meters away from her. She lifted her mace which began glowing green, and attempted to attack EMIYA. The Archer scoffed as he avoided such slow blows to him, and countered by stabbing her shoulder and then her head. While he got the former, E. Fran bent her neck and avoided the stab to the head. Then, with Archer's blade still in her shoulder, E. Fran headbutted the hero in the face.

She attempted to then kick at him but EMIYA avoided it, leaned back, then bent down and grabbed her leg and raised it high. Where he then crouched and brought his elbow onto the limb and bent her leg sideway while causing the false Berserker to shriek as her leg became ruined.

Sensing her pain, an automaton began spinning and went toward EMIYA. The Archer turned around and produced a nameless sword which he threw and embedded itself into the automatons head, making it cease function. With that done, he turned around to finish E. Fran off only for a mutated Creep to enter his sight and explode, sending the two combatants away.

E. Fran however, used this intervention to heal the damage done to her body. Growling at how such a pathetic person dared to harm her wonderful form. As she did so though, a voice entered her mind.

'Release me you failure!'

Growling, E. Fran touched her forehead where a small disk-like apparatus was around her horn. She then felt a crack on it, with her mood going down. It seemed her Master's device had been slightly damaged. Thankfully, she was still in control, and not that bastard. Before E. Fran could think more, her red eyes widened as she saw that red mantled man come at her.

Though instead of his swords, he held a bow and an oddly shaped arrow which he then shot at her. The arrow glowing and a blue light coming from it. Her own instincts realized she should not get hit by it, and quickly she ran while calling out for any Grimm to stop that attack.

A massive Beringel came to do as she said and roared as it met the glowing arrow.

Then it got killed instantly, as the arrow known as Caladbolg twisted the beast apart, along with other nearby Grimm as space itself distorted. E. Fran screamed as the arrow exploded suddenly, and she felt herself be very damaged from the force of the explosion that enveloped her and caused her to harshly crash onto the ground in pain. As for EMIYA, he just sighed at the fact E. Fran was still alive. Though he expected as much.

Due to the effects of this world, Servants in general were much weaker than they should be. Thanks to Blackbeard, he had absorbed an adequate amount of Dust to compensate, and even then he couldn't risk going overboard. As such, while he fought at his best, the attack he just used was far from full power. Even then, it seems his enemy was weakened regardless.

Her clothes were a wreck. Her right arm was gone, and her legs had been twisted up with her head cracked and a part of her horn gone. Electricity came out of her, and she looked far from okay. Now was the time to act, before she brought more reinforcements. So EMIYA got ready to run at her and finish her off.

Only for suddenly a massive Grimm Wyvern to land in front of him. While nowhere as big as the one that Sieg and Siegfried killed, this one was still as big as a house. It roared as it then went to kill EMIYA in one move.

SHING!

Only for it itself to be killed in one move by EMIYA, who had moved so quickly that to another's eyes, it appeared he just teleported. Suddenly, the false Grimm fell to pieces with the Grimm parts dissipating and leaving behind a gruesome sight of malformed flesh and bone. Not that EMIYA cared, as while intrigued by how this Wyvern became a Grimm, he knew even a regular Wyvern would have attacked normal people. Best to just end it and by extension, it's suffering at becoming a Grimm.

However, despite easily killing the beast, EMIYA could only scowl as in the air, he saw another Wyvern. This one though didn't attempt to attack, instead it had come to save E. Fran as it used the first Wyvern's distraction to pick her up and rapidly fly away. Though that didn't mean there wasn't another gift it left behind for Beacon to battle.

"Ahhhhhh!" A gift in the form of the psychotic Christine Daaé, who shrieked as EMIYA saw her.

"Well this just got annoying." He frowns. Christine seemed to have heard that and became annoyed. Her deteriorated mind then decided to make the man pay by singing. Singing...with pain.

So with her vocal cords modifying itself, the mad automaton singer then shrieked as if she were singing. Her voice so loud and horrible, that EMIYA flinched as his ears began being assaulted by this cacophony of pain being produced. His ears crying at such noise, with the Hero of Justice deciding to just end her both to stop her threat and to no longer hear this crap.

"Trace On!" EMIYA says as he then moves forward and throws the blades Kanshou and Bakuya's, then projecting another pair and getting ready to create his favored tactic Triple-Linked Crane Wings.

"!" However, it seemed Christine wasn't having any of that.

While deranged because of being placed in an automaton body, with her mental capacity degenerated, not to mention Merlot 'reprogramming' her, Christine was far from stupid. The second she saw the red mantle hero throw his blades, she became worried. The little remaining of her human part believing that she could die here and now, as before she was turned to this, originally she was just a normal fleshy human with no special powers of any sort.

So, she did what any scared person would do when faced with danger.

"GAHHHHHH!" Scream in fear.

"Guh!" Scream with the force of three semi-trucks, as the weaponized sound that was produced from Christine affected all. If EMIYA though her singing was bad before, then this was ten times worse. His ears now bleeding, and the force of the scream sending his previously thrown blades flying away while EMIYA barely stood his ground. Even then, he could feel the force of the sound pushing him back, and not just him either.

Grass, dirt, ;eaves and twigs, even some Grimm that were in Christine's attack were forced away with some automatons clapping for the 'singing' before the scream made their circuits fall apart. Nearby Huntsmen and students clutching their ears with some crying in pain. EMIYA wished he could stop this abomination, but he could do nothing as those who could handle here were busy with other Grimm.

That is, until one sound made itself known.

"Ahhhhhh!" While not as loud, and quite frankly pathetic, a new voice was heard. One mixed with bravery and fear at the same time. Eyes looking at the direction where the scream came, EMIYA saw none other than Jason, who had been thrown by Hercules like a baseball towards Christine.

With his fist in front of him and acting like Superman, Jason screamed as he was thrown in the direction Christine wasn't yelling at, and then punched her. While Jason's own fist shattered and turned to a bloody pulp since Christine had been made of rare alloys and unique metal, the momentum Jason had been thrown at allowed him to punch Christine's jaw clean off.

The sonic scream ended, and Christine shrieked ugly while Jason hit a tree and began crying at what his fist became. One person decided to use this to act instantly.

"I hope...you live better in the next life. Be at rest." EMIYA, having moved at the moment Christine lost her ability to fight, with the automaton looking at EMIYA. His blades ready to dice her, and end her. With Christine at first looking in fear...before then closing her eyes, seemingly accepting her end as the blades sliced through her neck and chest, and ending her once and for all.

"Haha!" Jason says while still crying, and holding his hand. "Looks like I saved the day."

"Right." EMIYA rolled his eyes as the pieces of Christine began glowing gold and dissipating away. "I suppose you did help." Just a bit though.

"Uh, well." Jason stood up tall and proud. "Be proud you have served your king well."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're a licensed Huntsmen of Beacon, and by extension, Vale." Jason says with EMIYA knocking a brow, as he did technically become a Huntsmen on Ozpin's request. "Well then, that makes you my subject, as I have become ruler of this land as you heard."

Oh right, that.

EMIYA took out his Huntsmen license, then ripped it in half and threw it on the ground. He only served one king. And she was much grander than this nutcase.

"You do realize you just littered." Jason points out.

"Scra!" A Nevermore then grabbed Jason and lifted him in the air as he then screamed.

"And you have better things to worry about, your majesty." EMIYA sarcastically says as he watches Jason fly off in the air. Then one of Atalanta's arrows strikes the Nevermore's own wing letting him fall into a bunch of Creeps which were the explosive variant which then went boom. Long live the king.

Hours later, after the battle was finished, the more relevant people were back in Ozpin's office once again.

Ozpin, Glynda, EMIYA, along with a bandaged Jason with his broken hand and Atalanta. Everybody else helping the injured and dealing with remaining enemies. Where here, Ozpin decided to at last finish what he had been about to say before, without interruption this time.

"Her name is Salem, and she is Remnant's greatest threat." Ozpin tells them all, as he sits down while ignoring the broken windows. He'll have to get used to that.

"I assume she's no easy person to deal with." EMIYA states with Ozpin nodding.

"Salem is an immortal being, like me." The Headmaster explains. "She is undying, wields magic equal to my own, and commands the Grimm as their master. Playing several roles in Remnant's history, and has taken many lives in her attempts to achieve her goals." Ozpin then sighs. "Goals she is now closer to reaching, with the disasters that have recently unfolded."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to kill her." Atalanta then says. "As spirits, we have certain powers that deals with immortality."

"You have a way to kill Salem?" Glynda says in disbelief. After all, if Ozpin couldn't kill Salem, then what made them different.

"Wait. We can?" Further backed by Jason, who to be fair, didn't recall the Argonauts having any powers that can kill an immortal.

"Maybe not us, but what about him." Atalanta looks at EMIYA. "Do you not have certain...weapons that can deal with her?" Ozpin and Glynda looked at EMIYA, who then nodded. While Ozpin was still suspicious how these spirits had powers he's never seen, or even heard of before, after observing them these past few days, Ozpin could see they weren't lying. So if EMIYA says he can do it, then Ozpin just had to hope he could.

"I do." For a moment, Ozpin looked hopeful. "But," Then reality sunk in, and slapped Ozpin's hopes in the face. Because of course nothing is ever easy. "I would first have to find her, then use my weapons."

"I take it this Salem woman isn't anywhere near here." Jason rolls his eyes.

"No." Ozpin says. "She lives in the most dangerous continent where the Grimm number exceeds a single Kingdom." In other words, they'd die long before they meet her. If the Servants were at peak strength, they'd probably be able to storm Salem's castle and end her here and there. But at their current power level, it was tough just facing numerous Grimm without fear of wasting their magical energy, including those like Atalanta and EMIYA who have Independent Action.

"And it doesn't help that Salem is making the first move." Glynda said, thinking of the battle that just happened just a bit ago.

"Actually...I do not believe this wasn't Salem." Ozpin then tells her, making the rest confused. I mean, didn't he just say only Salem controlled the Grimm. Ozpin can see this, so he told them his thoughts. "The tactics, these Grimm...I have faced Salem for countless years, and never has she used such methods like this. If anything...this may be someone else."

"Someone else?" EMIYA became curious.

"But sir," Glynda speaks up. "Did you not say only Salem controlled the Grimm."

"That may not be true now." Atalanta then recalls something. Particularly, who EMIYA faced. "Didn't you face some girl with Grimm parts on her?"

"I did. A false Heroic Spirit." EMIYA confirms. "I think she was someone the Masters faced, and like the rest of the foes we have met, has come back to life and returned here. Though clearly for the worst. Like those Grimmified Wyverns."

"Grimmified…" Ozpin says as he remembers the battle. How some of the beasts dissipated, but unlike normal Grimm, didn't fully dissipate and actually left remains. Which made no sense, as Grimm were just Grimm, not beings covered in Grimm parts. I mean, the only person who did that was…. "Merlot."

"I see you finally figured it out." Everybody turned, and from the broken window, a mad laughter could be heard. Nobody was there however, that is until suddenly a drone appeared out of nowhere. One with hoovering tech and a camera with small speakers on the front. A laughter that Ozpin recognized.

"So...it really is you." Ozpin frowned, as memories of this man came to mind. Not a single one was good. "Merlot. So you really were alive."

"Merlot?" Jason didn't know this clown, but considering the face Ozpin was making, it couldn't be good. I mean, mad laughter was a sign of trouble.

"Indeed Ozpin. But enough about the past. Now, we talk of the future."

"You mean a future where you surrender yourself." Ozpin refutes. "Otherwise, if we find you, things will end badly for you."

"Hahaha!" Merlot laughs. Not even considering Ozpin's words as a threat. "Sure Ozpin. Say whatever foolish words you have now, while you listen to me."

"And what words should I be listening for, Merlot." Ozpin narrows his eyes.

"To surrender." Merlot says. "Give up now, and surrender to my demands, and I promise you I'll leave some of the people go. The civilians mainly."

"To turn the rest into monsters." Ozpin scoffs. "I saw some of your...new Grimm. They weren't always Grimm, were they?"

"Not to mention the girl you sent." EMIYA adds on.

"Ah. So you met some of my masterpieces." Merlot says with pride in his voice. As if what he was talking about wasn't a bunch of monsters mutilated and converted into Grimm. "Indeed. I have improved upon them. Turned them into a superior species. The Grimm."

"Pah." Atalanta then interrupts Merlot's delusions. "Superior? Please." She then stares at the camera, and gives a dark expression, as she hears these pathetic statements of what is superior from this loon. "All you're doing is turning these creatures into monsters, nothing more . Monsters born to be twisted from the start."

"It matters not what you say, I know I am right." Merlot ignores Atalanta. "And I'll say this, what you faced was just a fraction of what I have in reserve."

"I see. To test us out." EMIYA understands now. "To see what we would do in the face of your so-called army."

"Correct." Merlot chuckles. "And I can proudly say that while you lot are strong...You are nothing in the face of my power."

"You will fail." Ozpin tells Merlot. "You will not succeed."

"In your dreams perhaps. But this is reality. And reality says, you have twenty-four hours to surrender the Huntsmen and other capable human subjects to me. Otherwise, I'll send my greater force towards you." The drone then began sparking up. "And you will not survive them."

The drone then blew up, but the message was sent. An ultimatum. Send in the few to spare the rest, or fight against this mad man and crush him before he gets any other bright ideas. Naturally, there was only one choice.

"Yo, Ozpin. Get me an audience with those willing to fight." Jason stands up as he begins walking out. "They'll need to know that they're King is about to lead them to victory."

"Hm." Ozpin gives a slight smile as he then begins following Jason. "Then I suppose we should get started."

Like hell Beacon along with Servants such as EMIYA will lose to these losers. Still, there is a quality in numerous quantities. And Merlot has had months to gather many 'volunteers' to create his army. At long last the battle between Jason's allies and Merlot's forces is about to begin.

What Merlot has in store for our heroes is sure to surprise them. But will Merlot handle the power of our heroes, just as Jason can handle the angry mob that will come at him later? Guess we'll find out, until next time.

"So...do you hear the news? We apparently have a King here." A young male brown hair and eyes says, wearing a shirt with a smiley face on it.

"We do? Never knew." Nearby the boy is a female that looks like him, only having long wavy brown hair and eyes. Wearing black pantyhose and a turtleneck.

"Yeah." The boy with such a plain face says, as he and the girl sit in one of Beacon's benches, overlooking the people cleaning up after the battle. In between the two, was a large basket that held two small little babies in them. Two babies dressed in white and red with little pacifiers, and looked like the two grown teens. "I'm surprised these two didn't wake up."

"I'm surprised we did nothing when the attack happened." The girl says, while petting her baby sister, and rubbing her baby brother's face. "I mean, we are Huntsmen...even if we never had the desire to be one."

"Or the desire to be anything." The boy says, as he and his twin sister overlook the forest now in a calm manner. The two being described as plain and average than could be mistaken like an NPC, and held no desire at all other than to just live life normally, and often considered a 'green' Huntsmen, with their only good point being their determination.

"So. Wanna see Rami?" The girl then tells her brother, with him just nodding. "Cool, let's go."

"Got it." The two then grab their respective baby siblings, and leave while carrying them. Just another day for the Hakuno siblings.