Oh man, I am so sorry everyone for how late this chapter was. But you know how it is; school and all that jazz. The essays in particular took some time to do and procrastinating them isn't exactly a viable option in my honest opinion. But it's all over and done with for now at least; just have to study for finals and take care of two last essays.

That aside, damn! Just been watching some fight scenes from Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works and I have to say that I am freaking impressed! The animation and fight choreography puts the previous anime adaptation and movie to shame! Seriously, if Fortissimo Akkord Bsusvier (or even Nachsten Phase) ever gets an anime adaptation, I am going to hope Ufotable is put in charge of it because if Fortissimo had this level of quality to it…. man, just the thought of it makes me grin like crazy!

On another note, I can't help but feel a little excited and sad over Naruto's approaching end. Hard to believe it's been 15 years since it was first serialized. But at least the last Naruto film is still a month or so off from being released in theaters, so there is that to look forward to.

And did anyone else see the season finale of RWBY? If so, just what are your thoughts? Because I honestly felt that it was a little on the rushed side. That said, the crazy action and reintroduction of Adam Taurus and other plot points made up for it.

And one very last note, I have to say that I'm surprised (pleasantly so) to see that Dragons Rioting has its own crossover category. Maybe once this fic is fully done, I'll do a crossover fic with it in some way? Oh well, I have plenty of time to think on that!

Well, that all now off my chest, how about we finally start this chapter?

Chapter 2

It was night time now and the Holy Knight was currently stowed away on a ship heading for Atlas. In his current hiding spot among the military cargo, it was now light enough for the knight's features to be made out.

The Holy Knight appeared to be a relatively young man, in his mid to late teens at the oldest. Possessing a somewhat dark complexion complimented by his wild and short black hair and gold eyes, the young man shifted mildly about.

"Almost there," he muttered quietly to himself, standing up a bit to show that he was of average height, yet with a fit build somewhat shown off in the military styled coat, shirt, and pants he wore.

He let out a little sigh of relief, stretching his limbs and working out the kinks in his joints. He had been sitting in approximately the exact same position for a number of hours now, ever since this ship took flight.

He supposed, in hindsight, that he could've simply traversed the distance between headquarters and Atlas on foot – it would've saved him quite some time – but he had ultimately decided against it. There was simply no telling if anyone would've detected him and the less attention he drew, the better for him and the captain. Besides, he figured he'd be drawing some attention as it is once he got to Atlas and started to do battle against one of those ancient magi. No need to try and pull off any other theatrics.

And it was on that note that he couldn't help but grin a little. He had met the captain little more than two years ago and during that time he had come to learn of many things. Granted power unlike anything he had ever imagined, he had faithfully served his captain and intended to do so for as long as he lived; it was the least he could do for the one who had given him a better life. But that said, he had grown somewhat bored of the opponents he's had to face thus far. Indeed, despite them being magi, they had given him little challenge for the most part. So he had high hopes for these ancient magi.

"I sure hope you live up to reputations…" he thought aloud.

Settling back onto the cold floor yet again, the Holy Knight decided to rest up. He couldn't wait until he arrived at his destination.

While this occurred, back in Beacon Academy, Ryuichi was also deep in thought. As it was more or less the middle of the night, he was currently dressed in his sleep wear, consisting of a simple faded grey shirt and green pajama bottoms.

He couldn't find it in himself to sleep right now and so he was simply sitting up in bed, staring at nothing in particular while his mind wandered.

And it was this mind-wandering of his that was leaving him feeling a little concerned. He couldn't help but feel a sense of dread building up within him. The last time he'd felt this way was way back during the ritual known as Ragnarok. That this feeling would return after all this time told him one thing and one thing only: that a storm was brewing and that it was going to be big. But alas, that was as far as he could go. He simply couldn't fathom what, if anything, could instill this dread in him and it was this that bugged him right now.

However, he was slowly rankled from his thoughts when the other person in bed began to stir.

The young woman, an attractive woman with a slim and curvaceous figure with a light and almost creamy complexion, shifted about in the bed before opening her red eyes slowly. Looking up at Ryuichi, the young woman shifted her position yet again, moving the lock of black hair out of her face.

"Can't sleep?" she asked softly of the man who is her husband.

"Yeah. Didn't mean to wake you though…" Ryuichi replied apologetically.

The woman waved it off. A sleepy smile graced her face. "Don't apologize… I couldn't really sleep that well either." She chuckled a little tiredly. "So what's on your mind, Ryuichi?"

"Mari…" Ryuichi whispered his wife's name. He had to fight down a chuckle. His wife could read him like an open book, it'd seem.

Four years following the end of the fourth Shinobi War against Akatsuki, Ryuichi had encountered Mari on a simple delivery mission to a neighboring village. The two had met under rather intriguing circumstances, Mari at the time having accidentally mistaken him for some kind of attacker as he had been passing through her home village at a time following bandits raiding it. It had been then and there that Ryuichi discovered her to be a magus when she had attacked him. But after they had cleared up the misunderstanding, Mari had insisted on making it up to him for the attack. He had protested at first, deeming it to not be necessary of her to do so… but she had insisted again and Ryuichi had ultimately been unable to protest for long. From there, a friendship had formed between the two of them, which had only then grown into something more during the years that had followed. By their late twenties, the two had married.

Just like Naruto and Miki, Ryuichi and Mari had been together ever since, enjoying their time together all these centuries later.

"Well," Ryuichi began. "I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's like I can sense something is going to be happening soon. Something that may very well be more of a threat than Ragnarok was… but I just can't figure out what this possible threat is."

Mari nodded, sitting up now next to her husband. "So in other words… a greater threat than even Odin?" She had long since been told of what had occurred during her husband's youth. Needless to say, she had found herself greatly amazed and shocked by the events that had taken place unbeknownst to the rest of the world. And now for Ryuichi to say something like this…

"Possibly." Ryuichi was feeling reluctant to say it, but he simply had to. He understood that he was probably being overdramatic in a sense – he and his friends, especially Naruto were much more powerful now than they had once been as teens – but he still couldn't dissuade himself of the fact that something was going to happen. He didn't live to be this old by not developing some kind of sixth sense, after all.

Mari nodded. "I see." A pause. She gave her husband a comforting hug. "Still… you can't let these kinds of thoughts plague you like this. You and I and the others… we've all faced all kinds of threats over the centuries. So you can't just let this get you so unnerved."

Ryuichi sighed. "I guess. But still, it feels different this time around."

Mari smiled now, reassuringly so. "And yet, you have overcome these kinds of situations in the past. You and Naruto and Miki and Hanako and me… no matter what kind of threat it is this time around, I know we'll pull through. And you know that too."

Ryuichi looked to his wife. Upon gazing at her confident expression, he felt his own worry ease up a little. "I guess you have a point…" He chuckled a little.

Mari returned the chuckle. "Glad to hear that." She then leaned towards him and pecked him lightly on the lips. "Now how about you actually try to get some sleep? We all have another long day to look forward to tomorrow." And with that, she proceeded to lie down again, snuggling against him under the covers.

With nary a laugh, Ryuichi simply lied down under the covers as well. He supposed it truly was time he got some sleep. Given how busy life here at Beacon Academy appeared to be, he was going to need it.

In another room on the same floor as Ryuichi's and Mari's, Naruto was currently lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. So piercing was his gaze that if anyone had been there to witness this, they'd be amazed at how he didn't end up blasting a hole in the ceiling.

Why was he awake? For the same reason that Ryuichi had been. Something was on his mind. More specifically, whatever it was that was about to happen.

"Hmmm…" Unlike Ryuichi, whose 'sixth sense' was something developed through constant training and battle, his 'sixth sense' was quite literal, being in the form of Uroarbrunner. But even then, it could only peer so far into the future. And after much training and battle using it, he had long since come to learn that the future can be a hazy thing.

And he wasn't the only one awake either.

"Still bothered?" Miki asked.

Looking to his wife, Naruto couldn't help but just look her over. Dressed in a sleeveless nightgown that went to just above her knees, Miki's mature and slender figure was shown off nicely. Having always driven herself past her limits in training, her body was still as taut and muscular as it always was while still remaining very much feminine if her more than ample bosom and other curves were anything to go by.

Currently, she was snuggling up against him, peering into his gazing eyes, waiting for his answer.

"Kind of." Naruto sighed. "I know I should just stop thinking on it, but it never hurts to be proactive."

At that, Miki made a subdued sound of agreement, not wanting to wake Hanako, who shared the room with them, sleeping in another bed just a ways away from them. "True. Still, there's no need to try and rush things. Ozpin is still looking into things as it is… so let's just hold off on doing anything ourselves for now."

Naruto nodded slowly, looking back at the ceiling again. "Yeah, good point." Then his somewhat troubled expression was replaced with a smile. "You always know how to settle me down. And with such simple words too, you know."

Miki giggled lightly. "I could say the same about you."

Sharing a light kiss, the two of them proceeded to try and go to sleep. They had a long day ahead of them.

The following day, the first years were meeting up as usual for their regular combat sessions. And so far, a number of them have already gone per Glynda's requests of them and put on a decent showing for their fellow classmates, who observed when not sparring themselves.

Except for one student, that is.

"Ah!" Jaune Arc cried out as he was bodily flung across the training area by his opponent. Clumsily crashing into the ground, he did succeed in using the momentum to turn it into a roll, but nothing beyond that.

Clumsily wielding his sword and shield, he tried to stand up, but the pain he was currently in made it slow going for him.

"At least it isn't Cardin…" he thought, silently grateful for that one saving grace of today. Usually, either by some sort of sadistic intelligent design or by sheer bad luck, he would always be paired off against Cardin in sparring matches, the taller and more muscular boy making a point to be as rough as possible during the spar. This time around though, Jaune found himself going against a different classmate of his, one whose name he didn't really know. And while this person didn't really seem to be holding back all that much, at least this nameless girl – quite on the tall side, if Jaune said so himself – wasn't cruelly playing with him like Cardin usually did.

"Back on your feet, Mr. Arc," Glynda said tersely.

The blond boy winced at the tone and immediately complied. He had to do better. Not just for his own sake, but for his team's sake too. He still couldn't believe he'd been chosen as leader of team JNPR, especially given his increasingly obvious lack of fighting ability, but he had come to the simple conclusion that he'd have to do the best he could and that he'd have to improve as quickly as he could too; the way his sparring sessions have been going since the start of the school year, he could tell that Glynda, the main overseer of the combat sessions, was beginning to grow tired and frustrated of him. Same thing went for his classmates, many of them looking positively bored as he took a minute to try and figure out what to do next. At least his team and part of team RWBY – mainly the leader herself and her half-sister Yang – looked like they were rooting for him, albeit in a more quiet fashion. Save for Nora, who was quite loudly telling Jaune to beat this girl so they could go eat.

"Always thinking with her stomach," Jaune thought with a slight shake of the head, letting his thoughts wander a bit. A mistake on his part. By the time he regained his focus, the girl he was going up against had already gone on the attack again, transforming her lance into a rifle and firing at him.

Holding up his shield – said item and sword called Crocea Mors – Jaune was able to protect himself from the bullets, but his form was sloppy, causing the bullets to force him back a few steps. This was all that the girl needed to rush forward and literally sweep him off his feet, taking his legs out from under him with one swift swing of her lance.

Yelping in surprise, Jaune ended up falling onto his back, his legs almost comically sticking up into the air due to the sheer strength of the attack, not to mention its suddenness.

As this happened, Jaune wasn't really sure what hurt worse: the actual fall he just took, Glynda's frustrated sigh, his classmates' sighs of relief at the match now being over, or the rather crushed looks that Nora, Pyrrha, and Ruby sported as soon as the signal for the match's end rang out.

"Mr. Arc, I understand that it's still only the second week of classes," Glynda began, her voice firm as she approached him and the girl. "But sooner or later – preferably sooner – I would very much like it if you begin to live up to what your transcript boasts of."

At those words, Jaune winced. As much as he was beginning to want, he simply couldn't tell anyone that he was a… a fraud. His transcripts forged in order to get into Beacon Academy, he was little better than a civilian when it came to fighting. But he couldn't tell anyone that; doing so would just get him kicked out of the school. And he wanted to try and live up to his family's legacy. Especially since….

He shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts that now entered his mind. "Yes ma'am," he replied dutifully to Glynda.

Nodding brusquely at his response, Glynda then motioned for him and the other student to leave the field. She did the same for the rest of the students too; combat sessions were over for today.

Jaune took a long moment to put away Crocea Mors, looking at it with sad eyes. "Guess I really am no good at this…" he thought.

However, he was roused from his thoughts just as he was about to get up off the floor. The reason why he was so surprised now was because the girl who had just beaten him was offering him her hand.

"So…" the girl, having a complexion much like Jaune's own that was complimented by her dark brown hair and eyes, began. Something of a nervous and awkward smile was on her face. "Good match?"

Jaune laughed a little as he accepted her hand and was pulled to his feet. "You don't have to try and play it off; I sucked," he admitted, too tired in body and mind to really bother mincing words now. That wasn't to say that his words were mean.

The girl laughed as well, awkwardly so. After helping him up, she put away her lance and settled for putting her hands on her rather wide hips. "W-Well I'm sure you'll get better. The school year has barely begun, after all."

Dusting himself off, Jaune smiled softly at the girl. He didn't know her, but he felt grateful nonetheless for her words. "I sure hope so…" He then looked off to the exit of the arena, seeing his teammates waiting for him. He still found it hard to believe that he was their leader. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were far better fighters than he was and probably will ever be and could keep their heads in battle while he was too busy losing focus in one way or another. To think that they had little problem with him as their leader and would even patiently wait for him now in spite of risking being late for their next class… well, it warmed him a bit and made him want to try even harder. "Looks like we better get going. Wouldn't want to be late for the next class, right?"

"Y-Yeah." The girl returned his small grin with one of her own. "You and your team go on ahead, I'll catch up in a bit."

Jaune simply nodded and went off, leaving the girl behind. As he did so, he was completely unaware of the shy yet longing look that the girl was giving him.

It would seem that Jaune Arc did indeed have some charm with the ladies, after all.

"Hmm?" Jaune hummed in confusion.

"What is it, Jaune?" Pyrrha, the young woman proclaimed by many as being the strongest girl of the 1st years as well as one of the strongest students in general, looked at her leader with slight worry. "Something wrong?"

"Feels like someone is watching me…" Jaune muttered, scratching the back of his head, only to stop when moving his arm sent pain shooting up his limbs. Still covered in bruises and some cuts, it'd look as though he'd be taking a while to fully recover.

The girl, overhearing this conversation even from this distance – the blond and redhead weren't exactly talking quietly – promptly looked away, a blush on her face. Silently making a note to not stare so blatantly at the blond young man, the girl finally left for her next class, the blush not quite leaving her face.

Elsewhere, Cinder was in the midst of a most surprising conversation. "You really sent him?" She asked this of her master through her phone with a considerable amount of surprise, which would be deemed uncharacteristic of her if her two protégés Mercury and Emerald ever caught sight of her now.

And she felt it was natural for her to feel so surprised; just now she was on the phone with her master, who had just informed her of his most recent move. "That's correct," said the man over the line. "As your Dust operations have hit something of a speed bump, I figured it was about time I move things up a bit."

"I see. Still, I didn't know he was combat ready. Didn't you say it would take time for them to fully come into their own?" Cinder commented.

"I did indeed. However, he is in stable condition now. And besides, this is now the perfect time to fully test out the Holy Knights' capabilities." Cinder's master's response was succinct and with much certainty, so much so that Cinder herself bit her lip, unsure of how to respond.

But respond, she did. "Alright then. And what of me? Since you already plan to mobilize the Holy Knights one by one, what does this mean for me?"

"For now, stick to your task. But be forewarned, Cinder: there is only so much time you have before I am in genuine need of more Dust for the experiments. And I feel that the timetable has already been pushed to its limits as much as I am already willing to bear," the man said to her.

"Very well then. I'll keep you apprised," Cinder said, getting ready to end the call.

"See to it that you do," was the last thing her master said before ending the call.

Now that it was over, Cinder stood in her current spot for a while, her thoughts racing. She knew that sooner or later the Holy Knights would be sent out into the field, but she hadn't been expecting it to start happening this soon. No doubt they'd start drawing attention, no matter how well they would try to cover it up. And if something were to happen to connect them to her operation, then that would only cause her more problems than she already has to deal with.

For the first time in a long time, the black haired woman sighed. On the one hand, she was rather excited by all of this; it meant that soon enough her master's plan was truly start. On the other hand, there was no telling what could happen. There were plenty of things that could make this whole thing go south hard and fast.

"I sure do hope you know what you're doing…" Cinder thought of her master. It was wrong of her to doubt him, especially now during such a delicate stage in his research, but it was something that she couldn't quite help.

But at any rate, sweating the details now would do her no good. All she can do is simply continue with the plan. That, and hope for the best.

That decided, she left, ready to get back to her duties.

Some time later, night began to fall yet again. And the young Holy Knight was most pleased, for the ship he had stowed away had docked just a few minutes ago.

Now in Atlas and clear of the ship and the port it docked at, he was free to move about as he pleased. As long as he stuck to the shadows for now, of course. Given his apparel, it would become clear to any denizen of Atlas that he wasn't from around here. So he better not reveal himself or otherwise draw much attention until he locates one of his targets.

It was on that note that he took out from his pocket the scroll provided to him by the captain. Switching it on and looking at the information on the three ancient magi, he couldn't help but smirk in excitement as he looked at their current locations.

"Let's see… Daisuke, Takehiko, and Katsu, eh? I wonder just which one of you will be able to give the best fight?" the Holy Knight pondered aloud.

Memorizing the addresses provided for them, he pocketed the scroll and marched further into Atlas.

It was time for him to hunt.

So what do you think? Moving too fast? Too slow? Kind of both somehow? Let me know, please.

Also, I do hope you will enjoy Mari. While she is yet another new OC alongside the Holy Knights and their master, I hope you come to like her as much as the other ones created for The God Slaying Wolf. And just wait until you see her bust out her magical weapon, which will be quite a while admittedly.

And don't you worry; the fighting is going to be starting up soon too…

And once again, thanks everyone for all of the favs and follows!

Until next time everyone! Take care.