And I'm back, everyone. Seems to me like the only days I can truly get on my laptop to work on this are on Tuesdays and Thursdays – my days off. That isn't to say that I'm unable to get on my laptop the other days, though usually work leaves me feeling a little too tired to do so is all. That said, it's still my hope/plan to get this fic done relatively soon.
That also being said, I've been trying to figure exactly how many chapters are left for this fic, but I find myself unable to calculate that just yet. In all likelihood, I won't know for sure until I actually do start the final confrontation.
On a related note, once this fic is completed, I will be posting a new one-shot afterwards (not immediately though) about History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. So I hope you'll look forward to that. And once I do that, I also plan to FINALLY start my new original novel and I'd like to try and get at least several chapters done for it before I actually start my next fanfic, which I'm still internally debating on what it should be.
Just letting you all know what's up. Now onto the chapter!
Chapter 35
"So…" Ruby began, kicking her legs back and forth whilst sitting. Currently, she and her team sat with team JNPR within the sparring arena, the ancient magi nowhere in sight.
Tonight was to be an off day for them and as such, they were to just spend this time relaxing rather than train. Even then, they'd gotten so used to coming here to do just that that it hadn't been until they'd all sat down that they realized where they were.
"What do you think is gonna happen?" the team leader of RWBY asked, her usually cheery demeanor gone for now.
What she was referring to was the break in and subsequent rescue of Roman, Neo, and Adam from their cell, which happened little more than five days ago. During that time, things had become quite tense, with the ancient magi spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how such a thing could've happened. And while that had gone on, Ozpin and Glynda had to try and deal with James Ironwood, who had personally come to Beacon to question them all on what they knew. Apparently, the general seemed to suspect Ozpin, Glynda, and the ancient magi of knowing much more than they'd let on and it was something that irked him greatly in the wake of this incident.
Now, the general doing such a thing wasn't exactly the most surprising thing ever and was really to be expected. But given that the man brought a veritable army in tow with him on his 'visit' to Beacon, things had only become so much more tense during these past five days, the entire student body being put on edge by the sudden military presence, which still remained even now.
Looks like James wasn't going anywhere until he got all of the answers he sought, answers that the ancient magi seemed to be debating on telling him and if so, how much.
"Dunno, sis. But whatever happens probably won't be very pretty," Yang replied, the blonde running a hand through her hair, making sure it was all still in place and clean.
Just the other day during a spar, Ryuichi had deliberately pulled a strand of hair from her head, sending the blonde brawler into a rage… which proved to be a big mistake for her as the magus had then proceeded to utterly school her in hand to hand combat, taking advantage of her noticeably wilder movements to attack her openings relentlessly. Ryuichi had felt it was a long time coming to teach Yang how to keep her anger under control whenever it started getting out of hand.
"I think that really goes without saying…" Pyrrha commented, frowning. Much like the others, she was hardly in a good mood, the recent events getting to her a bit. Just when it had seemed like the Holy Knights had been deprived of at least some of their manpower, they'd gone and got them back. It was rather infuriating and now James Ironwood knocking on doors figuratively wasn't exactly helping things.
This was something that was shared by her friends as well. They all respected the general a lot, having read or heard about his various exploits. However, the man can be rather brash and was prone to overreacting at times, the sheer number of soldiers he brought with him being but one example of this. If nothing else, the general seemed fond of showcasing military might.
"Do you really think the headmaster will tell him the truth?" Weiss then asked, the heiress in the process of cleaning Myrtenaster.
"Would him knowing make much of a difference?" Blake said in a clipped tone. Ever since they were told Roman, Neo, and Adam had been freed, she's fallen into something of a funk, the cat Faunus clearly troubled by the fact that her former comrade had been rescued by the Holy Knights. It meant now that sooner or later it'd be expected for them to finally meet after all this time. She was sure of it. That Adam would now most likely fight alongside Roman, who was far from kind to Faunus, made her blood boil a bit.
"Well, having more manpower would be cool, right?" Nora, in a surprisingly serious mood, commented.
"The Atlas military, with all due respect to them, aren't trained or equipped for battling the Holy Knights." Ren was the one to respond here. "While sheer numbers and weaponry might have an impact, all they'd really be doing is barely slowing the Holy Knights. And I have no doubt that during any confrontation with the Holy Knights, they'd not hesitate in going after the soldiers first."
"And that would be really bad, right?" Nora said.
"Really bad," Jaune said, cutting in now. All eyes turned to him as he sat there, gazing at the wall absently. Even now, it was still taking the teens some time getting used to the changes he'd undergone. His changed hairstyle and slight heterochromia were two things, but the sheer presence he gave off unconsciously was another. "If the Holy Knights did go for the soldiers in such a scenario, then I don't doubt for a second that the magi would try to save them… and that'd only make openings for the Holy Knights to exploit." He paused, grimacing. "That's not really something that could be allowed to happen. I know that it sounds kind of callous… but it's the truth."
"But still…" Ruby muttered. "Having more allies couldn't hurt! I mean, we need all the people we can get!"
And that was a point no one could deny. As powerful as the ancient magi were, as powerful as they themselves had become, there was simply no telling what other sort of abilities the Holy Knights have that they hadn't revealed yet. There was no telling how extensive their resources still were or who else they could have aside from Roman, Neo, and Adam as their little minions. And there wasn't a doubt in their minds that even now the Holy Knights still be preparing for whenever the next conflict would come.
"Maybe so, but it's still a double-edged sword, Ruby," Blake replied. "Ironwood's forces are well-trained and boast impressive weaponry and resources, but like Ren and Jaune just said, they're not equipped for this conflict at all."
It angered her greatly to admit that magic made a very big difference in the grand scheme of things. Even with her and all of her friends becoming pseudo-magi – save for Jaune, the genuine magus among them – the Holy Knights still most likely boasted the more powerful and flexible magical abilities. While the physical advantage most of the Holy Knights held over them still could be easily overcome with effort, ingenuity, and teamwork, their magical abilities were another thing entirely and most likely something that only the ancient magi could match and overcome through their own equally overpowered magical weapons.
While Blake liked to believe that power wasn't an absolute thing in life, that things could be overcome with enough determination and effort and creativity, the existence of magic seemed to flip that over on its head, showing that there are indeed things that can't be overcome. And yet, the knowledge of magic remains hidden from the world for the most part.
Idly, she wondered if this was perhaps why the Holy Knights seemed to oppose the ancient magi so much. Based on what little was learned from Apophis right before his death, it seems as if the Holy Knights realize the 'absolute' might of magic and wish to out it to the entire world and make them realize it for what it is. But seeing as the ancient magi seem content with remaining out of the limelight and making sure that magic stays out of the public eye, it was only inevitable that the Holy Knights would target them, Blake supposed.
But it was on that thought that Blake looked down, troubled. Having listened to Miki long ago about Ragnarok from all those centuries ago and the Fimbulvinter War that occurred even longer ago, it was clear things wouldn't remain nice and civil and peaceful if the existence of magic became known. As kind as people can be, Blake was well aware that many would seek out magic if it became known just what sort of things it could accomplish. Truly, as the ancient magi fear, if such a thing did happen, wars would likely break out, entire groups of people or perhaps even the kingdoms themselves trying to obtain the power of magic. And if it became known that magic is something that only certain people are born with, there was no telling just what would happen after that.
"What's up?" Yang asked Blake, suddenly taking the Faunus by surprise. "You got that 'thinking about something hard' look going on."
Blake almost sighed, but had a slight smile that no one could really see. It was oddly nice to see that someone knew her little tells so well. To be expected of her partner. That aside, she decided it was best to voice her thoughts. "Do you guys think… that maybe this entire conflict is pointless?"
There it was, the real core of her thoughts just now let out. Time to see what happens.
"What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes. Evidently, she didn't take all too kindly to Blake's question.
Blake looked around to see that her friends were all looking at her. Not with the same almost accusatory stare as Weiss right now, but it was clear that they wanted her to definitely elaborate. So she did. "It's just that… there seems to be two extremes here. On the one hand, you have professor Namikaze and Miki and the others who wish to keep magic a complete secret from the rest of the world… even making it a point to avoid using magic at all outside of the current circumstances even though it probably wouldn't be too hard to pass off some of their abilities as a semblance.
Then there are the Holy Knights, who want to expose magic in its entirety to the world and force it upon society, for the sake of 'advancement' and the like…" Blake trailed off now. "There's just no middle ground at all. And while I can understand them not wanting a repeat of the Fimbulvinter War, that had happened before their time. Not to mention the sort of good that magic can potentially do…" She thought of Naruto's Da Capo Zero, which could undo even the most grievous of injuries, no matter how fatal or Miki's Svafrlami, the ability of which could essentially cut down concepts to achieve nearly whatever she desired. With enough creativity, who knows what sort of things the magical weapon could do? And that was just the tip of the ice berg…
"So what are you saying then? That the Holy Knights might be in the 'right' for this whole thing?" Weiss asked curtly.
Blake shook her head rapidly. "That's not what I'm trying to say at all! I can understand that magic is something people would definitely go to war over, I really do. I'm just pointing out something that I've simply been thinking on…" She paused for a moment to sigh, to recollect her thoughts since Weiss' question just now had taken her completely off guard. "What the Holy Knights are actually doing is wrong. To try and kill the magi and us by extension just for simply existing is horrific. So is them trying to force upon the world what they think should be… I'm just trying to find that middle ground."
"I see… you do have a bit of a point." Amazingly, Ren was the one to speak. "Both sides involved do have their own 'pros' here, but it certainly would do to find a point that could be agreed upon by all parties involved…" The raven haired teen eyed everyone momentarily, looking into their eyes and seeing that they seemed to think he was agreeing with Blake.
Well, he was about to prove that thought wrong.
"But that said, I don't think it'll ever happen… or should happen," Ren proclaimed firmly, shocking everyone.
"Why's that, Ren?" Jaune asked his teammate/friend.
"The ancient magi have been around for more than nine hundred years, Jaune. Almost a millennium, for all intents and purposes. During that time, they've seen and done so much… the Ragnarok ritual, the Shinobi War and many other little conflicts here and there… and as a result, they know exactly what they're talking about. They may not have been around when this Fimbulvinter War took place, but everything else they've experienced has solidified their beliefs quite thoroughly. There'd be no way that they could be convinced to consider revealing magic to society now, at least not through words alone. While I wouldn't quite say they're cynical or pessimistic when it comes to mankind at large, they don't hold much hope that people in general will be so accepting of magic and magi in general, at least not without considerable bloodshed first."
"And what about the Holy Knights? What do you think of them and their apparent standpoint?" Weiss questioned now, arms folded across her chest as she quirked an eyebrow. She hadn't expected someone as quiet as Ren to speak so much, but she was finding what he was saying to be intriguing.
Ren shrugged. "Like Blake said, it's not exactly wrong to keep magic so hidden; it could be capable of helping people and society at large. And studying magic could perhaps lead to discoveries in different fields that could be beneficial to the world. But as she also just said, the way the Holy Knights are going about this is all wrong; force is never the answer when you want to get a point across. And I wouldn't say that their belief isn't exactly right either; magic could do just as much bad as it could do good, depending on its wielder." He thought of Rogue Flame, who Naruto and the others had told them about a ways back, when the events of the Fimbulvinter War were being explained to them. He couldn't think of a more perfect example of the dangers magic can pose in the hands of the wrong person. "If the Holy Knights do succeed and somehow start turning other people into pseudo-magi like us, there would be no telling what could happen, especially if the police forces and militaries all around the world are confronted by such people before they themselves could obtain magic somehow."
Finishing his speech finally, Ren sat back and looked over everyone, seeing them mull what he and Blake prior to him have said.
It was a good few minutes before anyone could even speak. But when that time passed, Pyrrha finally spoke up. "So then what do you think should be done?" She asked this of either Ren or Blake.
The two usually quiet people shared a look with one another before simultaneously shrugging. "That's just the thing…" Blake began softly. "We don't know."
"And we might never know," Ren added. "All we really can do… is just keep fighting, I guess."
And with not another word spoken from either black haired teen, the entire group fell silent, continuing to mull over what had just been spoken.
Elsewhere in the academy, Yuko was quietly sipping a little tea she'd personally brewed and was now looking out towards the forest from the balcony spot she'd found.
The wind blew slightly, making the pale yet no less beautiful woman hum a bit, enjoying the sudden breeze.
"Enjoying the view?" Miki asked as she then made an appearance walking out onto the balcony.
"Mhm…" Yuko took a sip of her tea before actually speaking. "Has anything come up?" She was referring to Daisuke having gone out to look through the area near Burgundy – where Surma had supposedly come from. With his Field Changer magical weapon, he was capable of covering great distances with insulting ease thanks to its teleportation ability.
Miki shook her head as she proceeded to stand beside Yuko, who was a little on the short after all this time. "Nothing yet. He's considering giving up. He's already covered an area radius of nearly 200 miles around Burgundy and still no possible thing to trace to that beast."
The red eyed magus nodded along with Miki's words. "Figures…" She fell silent. But only for a few seconds. "So… where's your hubby at? And everyone else, on that note?"
Miki giggled a bit. "Hanako is currently showing Masami and Takehiko around Vale. Apparently, they want to see what it had to offer and you know how Hanako likes to show off her knowledge every now and then…"
Yuko laughed a bit. "Of course I do…"
"And as for Mari and Ryuichi… well, they've apparently decided to just head back to their room for now. Turn in early for the night. Though if Mari's little conversations with me earlier are anything to go by, I don't think she wants Ryuichi to get much actual sleep tonight." Miki looked a little sheepish as she said that, much to the amusement of Yuko. No matter how old Miki was now, it seemed like the woman still couldn't help but act so innocent and shy about certain 'adult' activities. "And as for Naruto, well, he finally got roped in by Ozpin to talk to James."
"Ah." James Ironwood, general of Atlas' military and more than a little hungry for answers after what had happened recently. As powerful and skilled as Naruto was at dealing with a plethora of different personalities, Yuko almost pitied him right now; James was known to be as stubborn and demanding of answers as he is prone to overreacting. "I bet he's not too happy about that." A pause. Then Yuko looked to Miki, a gleam in her eyes and a sly little grin on her face. "He's going to be pretty stressed from that conversation. Plan to help him get rid of all that stress later? From what I've been told, the walls of the rooms here are pretty sturdy and can block out a lot of sound…"
Miki blushed crimson red at her friend's insinuation. "Y-Yuko!" she nearly exclaimed, slapping her friend lightly on the shoulder.
Yuko laughed at her reaction even when the 'light slap' nearly ended up knocking her over the balcony's edge. Miki's strength was just as great as ever, even when she held back so much. After finishing laughing at Miki, Yuko proceeded to take another long sip of her tea…
…Just as Miki spoke. "…Maybe I will," she said firmly. She was now the one laughing as Yuko did a spit-take, tea flying off into the distance.
Yuko started coughing, the tea having gone down the wrong way just before said spit-take. "Y-You…" she wheezed in between coughs. She glared at Miki, but the small smile on her face showed she wasn't serious. "You got me pretty well with that…"
Miki giggled a bit now before forming a bittersweet expression. "Well, as weird as it may sound coming from me… maybe a little 'private time' is needed for Naruto and me… For the longest time, it's been kind of hard to have some genuine quality time to ourselves…"
For the past few years, she and Naruto and the others hardly had any real time to truly relax, what with them all still having been training very hard. Not to mention them simply trying to settle down for good for the time being. Then when Ozpin had invited Naruto, her, Hanako, Mari, and Ryuichi to Beacon roughly two years ago, it's been a hell of a time simply adjusting to living in and working at a school after so many years of essentially training and traveling around from one place to another like nomads. Once they'd started working here at Beacon, things had honestly become pretty hectic, what with learning how to be a proper teacher in Naruto's case while also trying to keep a low profile amongst Beacon's population. Never mind the fact that during school breaks, they'd often find themselves busy just trying to prepare for the students' return.
Then with these Holy Knights now being taken into consideration, their plates had only gotten fuller, what with them often spending time trying to figure out what to do next whilst training teams RWBY and JNPR. As a result, it has become quite tiring for them, resulting in them simply heading to bed more or less right after everything is taken care of for the day. Even Naruto, for all of his mana, was mentally drained regularly and simply headed to bed now afterwards.
Yuko nodded in understanding. "Yeah… the same could be said for the rest of us, really." It's been time consuming for her to go through the process of becoming a teacher at her own school. Granted, it had to be done for the sake of keeping her slowed aging a secret, but even then the process had been no less tiring or long. That still wasn't taking into account Takehiko dealing with the ups and downs of running a high-profile club, or Masami being the CEO of a world famous company, or Katsu during his time alive working hard as a commanding officer in Atlas' forces. Even Daisuke, who really had nothing to tie him down to one place, had been kept quite busy with whatever little matters cropped up wherever he went.
It was also worth noting yet again the sheer impact these Holy Knights have had on their lives too. Because of their surprisingly busy lives, the ancient magi found it quite hard to find time to actually meet up though they were still able to keep in contact with one another often enough. And now while they were certainly meeting on a much more frequent basis than before years ago, it was always to figure out and plan out their next move regarding the Holy Knights, resulting in only a bit of small talk here and there to lighten their moods before having to get down to business.
This was something that honestly made Yuko both thank and hate the Holy Knights for. Aside from the actual dangers they pose, on the one hand, the Holy Knights' existence had managed to bring the ancient magi together much more often than what had been possible the past few years, but on the other hand, it left them with little actual time to genuinely hang out with one another. It was a most annoying feeling, to put it mildly.
"You know, this is very well the first actual time we've been able to really talk in person," Miki then remarked.
"It is," Yuko confirmed, drinking her tea very slowly, wishing to avoid a coughing fit. "So… just how have things been?" she began.
Miki laughed a bit. "Well, all things considered, the same, I suppose. Busy as always, as you can tell."
Yuko laughed too. "I think that's something we all can relate to. But workload aside, how are things, really? "
Miki looked down, almost sad, but with a smile still on her face. "Not too bad. Like I said, work has been keeping all of us too occupied to really relax… but Naruto and I are still trying to make the most of it. Same goes for Mari and Ryuichi too. And Hanako seems to be able to find some way to relax no matter what the case is." She giggled a bit as she recalled the trouble she'd caused Naruto earlier in this school year, what with the unintentional rumor of him supposedly having a slave.
"Oh? Do tell," Yuko commented.
And so with her smile brightening, Miki did just that. For the next hour, Miki stood there on that balcony and told Yuko a great deal. The little misunderstandings Hanako had caused poor Naruto, Naruto's own misadventures along her own here at Beacon thus far. She told Yuko of how Ryuichi once had to escape from a large group of female students not long after he'd first become a cook at Beacon, his looks and natural charisma having doomed him early on. How Mari, normally so cool and collected, had in turn reacted to a good portion of the female student body crushing on her husband. And so much more.
For that whole hour, Miki did nothing but talk and Yuko in turn did nothing but listen and laugh and make comments here and there. As if done by actual magic, the nigh invisible tension in their bodies seemed to just wither away over the course of the hour, vanishing more and more with every word that was spoken.
By the time Miki was finally done, it was almost as if she and Yuko were entirely different people from before, the tension they'd been feeling for so long having been fully lifted from their shoulders.
Wiping at the tears at the corner of her eyes, it was all Yuko could to do to finally stop laughing. "Seems to me like you five never run out of interesting things to deal with," she said in good humor. And she meant it too; while she and the others had their own fair share of interesting adventures, it seemed as if her friend here along with her husband had the interesting fortune of always ending up in some equally interesting situations. "There never seems to be a dull moment for you guys at any rate."
Miki put a hand to her heaving chest, having been laughing just as much as Yuko had as she'd told her tales, the memories having come back to her in great detail during her talk. "Yeah…" A pause. "We really needed that, didn't we?"
Yuko nodded firmly. "We sure did…" She sighed. "I can't wait until this entire conflict is over. Maybe then, all of us can get together and really just… unwind."
"That'd be appreciated," Miki remarked, sounding wistful. But it was clear that the worry from before had returned. Same thing went for Yuko too.
While given the events of their operation from some time ago, it would seem as if they had an advantage over the Holy Knights, the fact still remained that the Holy Knights were still plenty formidable, with tricks up their sleeves that they hadn't been able to put to use last time. And considering what Ryuichi has spoken of regarding Apophis' abilities, both women felt sure that if anyone else had gone up against the deceased Holy Knight, they wouldn't have fared anywhere near as well as Ryuichi had. So while it is entirely possible that the Holy Knights may not be on par with them in terms of genuine power, there is still always a likely chance that some of their abilities or skills may be more compatible with the weaknesses of their fellow ancient magi.
Needless to say, this wasn't a very pretty thought. Far from comforting, to be sure.
However, given their age and experience, Yuko and Miki were both very intimately familiar with this well known fact. After all, it sometimes takes far more than just power to win a battle. One's versatility, skill, experience, and luck could play huge factors in battle and could either lead to victory or death. So they can't afford to let their guard down in any way.
"You know, Miki," Yuko began. "There are times where I wonder just what, if anything, could really give us a challenge in this day and age… and now with these Holy Knights running amok, I can't help but wonder now if maybe I've massively jinxed us all."
"…Well, you aren't really wrong to think that way." That was all Miki could really say in response, folding her arms under her breasts, a frown on her face.
During the time of the shinobi era, there had been plenty of people whose skills and abilities could genuinely press her and the others, provided they didn't use some of their more overpowered magical abilities. They, the ancient magi, were far from infallible, especially back then when they were younger and weaker and less experienced/skilled.
But now in the time of Remnant, things have changed a lot. Chakra had all but vanished in its usage in favor of aura, which didn't provide anywhere near as big a boost to one's abilities as chakra could potentially do. Most bloodlines seemed to have all but vanished as well or at least have fallen dormant. Ninjutsu was no longer around for the most part, only now being practiced by a select group in a land well away from Vale, though said ninjutsu was not as diverse nor as powerful as it was during shinobi times. Semblances, while certainly powerful in their own right and diverse, simply didn't make up for the difference either, with most semblances only focusing on one aspect and nothing else, leaving little in the ways of being able to improve and evolve.
Granted, weapons have changed a lot since the shinobi era, with shuriken and kunai and bombs being done away with and later replaced with specialized blades and bullets and grenades and more. That wasn't even getting into a lot of 'classical' weapons such as swords and spears and scythes being modified to become more modern and being capable of shifting into all sorts of other weapons too.
But even then, the weapons of today were things that Miki, in her silent opinion, found a little too flashy. Take one look at an armed hunter or huntress and one would know right away just what the weapon is. Combined with virtually all weapons nowadays being a combination of a close range weapon and a long range one and then it became predictable to know that watching out for bullets was a must during battle. The only thing that was an unknown about the weapon was what type of ammunition it used. The weapons of old, on the other hand, could be used in all sorts of ways if worked with enough patience and creativity. A shinobi could set a trap with nothing more than some well-placed kunai and tripwire or could launch an impossible to dodge attack by combining a smoke bomb with flammable particulates mixed with it along with a fire jutsu.
And while Dust could offer a fighter of today an advantage, there was once again only so much that Dust could do. Aside from fire, ice, electricity and pure kinetic force, it seemed like there were no other elements that Dust could produce or mimic. Combining Dust wasn't exactly a smart thing to do either, as the mixture could prove highly unstable and explode in the experimenter's face.
In all honesty, taking all of this into account, Miki could hardly fathom anything of today that could genuinely threaten a magus, especially ones as old and as strong as herself and her friends (not that she wished to sound arrogant or anything).
But the Holy Knights have come along to prove her and Yuko wrong. Although they all were clearly people born and raised in this era of Remnant, they've been able to obtain a great deal of power, with abilities that could not only challenge but even potentially kill them if one misstep is made. It was certainly a humbling experience to be sure, an experience that neither Miki or Yuko or any of the other ancient magi have felt in many centuries since the shinobi era ended. If only the Holy Knights weren't so bent on killing them and forcing their ideals upon the world, then perhaps things could've turned out differently here.
But alas, there was no real point to dwelling on what-ifs now.
"Think we can all survive this?" Yuko asked Miki in an amazingly calm voice.
"Maybe… I sure hope so," Miki replied in a voice just as mild as Yuko's. "The Holy Knights are bound to have a few surprises up their sleeves that'll catch us off guard. And there's no telling just what or when their next move will be."
Yuko let out a hiss in dissatisfaction. "I'm honestly not too worked up over what else they may have held back… but not knowing what they'll do next is maddening, to say the least."
"Maybe so… but…" Miki smiled now. "At least whatever happens next, we'll all be fighting alongside one another."
Yuko returned the smile. "Yeah… that's a good thing indeed…"
The two of them then proceeded to look out towards the forest in silence, nothing more needing to be said between them.
Meanwhile, with Vidar, the man was feeling so very much like a child right now, a sense of giddiness about him.
And could one perhaps blame him for this? Maybe not, seeing as his experiment was finally done for good now.
"All these centuries of hard work… they've finally paid off," he whispered.
He was currently within his own Robotics Space, his mask nowhere to be seen so that his excitement could be viewed in full upon his youthful face.
Much like the Robotics Spaces of his Holy Knights, his was one meant to provide him a sort of home-field advantage. But unlike the Holy Knights, whose Robotics Spaces would give them an edge to their abilities in a more direct way, his was more geared for a psychological blow, one that he was certain would throw Fenrir off guard enough to potentially take him down.
His Robotics Space was in the form of a laboratory of all things, one that was an odd mix of both archaic architecture and cutting edge technology, the entire room having greatly increased in size and space in order to serve as a proper 'fighting arena.' The laboratory wasn't simply one designed meant to throw people off by the esoteric look of it, but rather it is one that is based off of his old place of work so long ago:
The laboratory of Voluspa, the organization that studied OOParts and ultimately created the one that would later merge with Tatsuya Namikaze. An organization that he, Vidar, was once a part of prior to its untimely end at the hands of Rogue Flame.
Even now, within the midst of his fervor, Vidar couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic simply by being in an environment that so greatly resembled Voluspa's headquarters. The place, back when it had still existed, had been practically a home away from home for him, one where he worked hard and with great dedication and joy alongside his long deceased friends.
It was because of a sense of loss and nostalgia that he'd designed his Robotics Space to so closely mirror the lab from long ago. But now, thinking back on things, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he'd had another reason for making it this way.
For it was here, within the safe confines of Robotics Space, that he would put the results of his experiments to the test. Although the mixture of both biju chakra and Dust had been methodically perfected so that it wouldn't do him harm, Vidar couldn't help but feel a slight worry that maybe, just maybe, things could go wrong and the mixture will kill him once injected, the almost liquid-solid mixture currently resting within the large syringe he held within his right hand.
But if things did turn out fine… then it'd only be fitting that here he'd be born as a god-like being within this memory of the past, where Tatsuya had merged with his OOPart so very long ago.
"You going to get on with this?" Surtur suddenly asked, rousing Vidar wildly from his thoughts. "Or do you plan to just dawdle like a kid a little longer?"
Vidar snorted somewhat indignantly at his comrade's usually snide words, but alas his almost euphoric mood remained undented by Surtur's obvious impatience. "Simply admiring all of our efforts having paid off," he replied.
"Mhm. Well, we won't know for sure until you inject the damn thing, yes? Now get to it!" Surtur replied.
Vidar simply sighed, but obliged the spirit within him. It was indeed time to move on. It was now or never.
So without any further hesitation, the captain of the Holy Knights slowly rolled up his left sleeve to expose his forearm. He rolled up the sleeve as much as he could until he spotted a good injection point; one of his veins near his elbow joint.
Methodically, Vidar took off the small cap that covered the syringe's needle and proceeded to maneuver it until it was just mere inches away from the intended vein. He paused for the briefest of seconds, looking to the glowing silver-ish liquid contained within the syringe, its color due to the chakra of all nine biju having been perfectly mixed together to form the chakra of the juubi – the god tree and ten tailed beast, which was now further mixed with Dust to contain and empower it.
The mere thought of injecting this mix into himself now was just enough to make Vidar spare a few words. "If for some reason this fails… it's been a long and eventful journey," he said to Surtur.
"Likewise…" Surtur responded, speaking in a noticeably softer tone than before. It would seem that even he now suddenly found himself feeling a little anxious.
That was when Vidar finally injected himself, stabbing the needle into his vein with surgical precision and speed.
And as the contents of said syringe were injected into him, Vidar's head went hunching back with vicious speed as the mixture immediately began to take effect.
Like some sentient and demented wildfire, the mixture of biju chakra and Dust surged through his entire body in record time, spreading through every single bit of him. Through his veins, through his cells… and perhaps even through his very soul, the more spiritual elements of the chakra taking effect.
In response to what was going on, Robotics Space rumbled violently as its creator was quickly enveloped in a sphere of pure mana and chakra and Dust, the three energies surging from Vidar wildly before seeming to mix together, perhaps in a symbolic showing of what was occurring within Vidar.
As for the man himself, his veins were now visible and pulsed grotesquely, different colors becoming visible with each passing second. His eyes bulged within their sockets and his mouth was open wide from both pain and the sheer overflowing power that his body was now experiencing and trying to rein in.
A throat tearing scream erupted from him with such force that if anyone had been here to witness this event, they'd fear he'd die from the effort afterwards. His entire body froze up and went through countless spasms , the syringe held within his hand being crushed into microscopic pieces during one such involuntary spasm.
From within Vidar, Surtur was experiencing this power surge as well, his spirit so intricately latched onto Vidar after all of these centuries. He howled in a mix of agony and rage and triumph alongside his friend, his very essence on the verge of being pulled apart from the forces raging through Vidar.
Robotics Space then pulsed at random with every 'beat' that resounded from Vidar's heart, said organ beating with incredible strength and speed from what was occurring. It was as if his entire body had somehow become synced with Robotics Space for an instant, if only due to the sheer amount of power that was being generated from him. It was a genuine wonder that Robotics Space didn't collapse or at least break in some way.
And then…
It all came to a sudden, screeching halt.
Robotics Space ceased its 'movements,' returning to normal. The screaming from both Vidar and Surtur stopped as did the former's agonizing body spasms. His veins were no longer visible and the pain he'd felt had now ebbed away with unnerving speed.
Aside from a slightly paler complexion than before and pulsing irises, Vidar looked exactly the same.
And yet he was so different now.
Power unlike anything he'd ever known all but poured out of every single pore, causing the very space around him to ripple and crackle with every breath he took. His cells felt supercharged, like how a kid would feel after getting a massive sugar-rush while still retaining his mental faculties.
It truly was a feeling unlike anything that he'd ever experienced before. And it felt great.
"This is…" Vidar began, his own voice sounding slightly distorted as a side effect. He brought his hands up close to his chest for closer inspection and began to clench and unclench them slowly. With every such movement, the man could feel the power his fists and entire body now contained.
"This is unreal…" Surtur now said, his voice little more than a mystified whisper. "I… I never would've thought it'd make us this strong…"
"Indeed…" Vidar agreed.
He'd done a few calculated estimations, having tried to determine just how powerful the mixture would make him when compared to Fenrir and Odin long before him. Prior to now, he'd have imagined himself to perhaps be just a few levels below Fenrir and the deceased Tatsuya in power alone.
But to his great surprise, it seems that his predictions have been overturned.
The amount of power he now possessed… well, he'd daresay he was now in the exact same league as Fenrir himself.
And at that thought, Vidar smiled the smile of a predator whose time has finally come. With little in the ways of prompt, he began to laugh without abandon, a far cry from his usually composed self. And he could hardly fathom a reason why he wouldn't laugh in joy now.
Because now… now it was time to truly begin the final showdown.
Time to slay the wolf amongst the sheep once and for all.
I'd been planning for the longest time to actually discuss the two opposing sides much earlier in this fic, but lo and behold, I'd either end up not knowing how to properly set up the conversation or simply forget entirely. So it made me rather happy to finally get around to it.
Also, this chapter, while simply a 'talk' chapter, was meant to not only bring up the whole 'grey' area thing that Blake mentioned, but also showcase a bit of the toll that the times have had on the ancient magi's lives, if only in regards to their personal time. So I hope you appreciated that since I honestly found writing that scene between Miki and Yuko to be surprisingly hard.
That aside though, from the next chapter onwards, the final showdown begins! Please look forward to it!
Until next time, everyone! Take care!