Chapter 63

Merlot had put more than a lot of resources in his war against Beacon. Knowing that the academy had countless well-trained fighters, Dust, and of course the Servants. So the mad man ensured his army had enough power to crush them even at their best. Intending to kill everybody with survivors brought to him to be experimented on. All while being safe on his island and hidden in his underground lab.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Warning! Warning! Intruder alert!"

"Tell me something I don't know!" Merlot yells at his stupid system as he shuts down the red lights and alarms. "This can't be happening!"

It was already a shock when his sensors detected these four somehow on his island even though it wasn't on any known map. Yet Merlot figured the island's defenses alongside Grimm would deal with them. While his monitor showed the two on the surface being dealt with, Merlot didn't expect the other two to be here in his lab. To actually enter his sacred laboratory by defeating one of his more powerful converted Grimm. It couldn't be!

"All robots inside!" Merlot then shouted in a microphone. "Kill the intruders!"

All systems on his computers were a go. In the meantime, Merlot went back to the screen showing Beacon. While Eve was doing a fine job leading his army, it's best he put a hand in commanding them himself. Particularly, his ace in the whole, the dragon.

"Glynda!" Coming from the sky Ozpin came down like a vengeful God. Something he actually did back during the early stages of the second humanity. Sending a wave of green energy that crushed the enemies that had surrounded Glynda and then sent a green laser at the frost giant's head making it explode. The body fell backward and crushed a few mutant Creeps which then exploded on impact and vaporizing the nearby automatons. Glynda was a bit surprised by the entrance and the headmaster's expression and quickly calmed herself.

"Yes headmaster!" Her eyes then looked up. At the massive dragon bigger than the wyvern, which then proceeded to fly towards the school at a slow but steady pace. "Is it about the dragon?"

"Indeed. And we cannot allow it near the school." Ozpin says as he takes out the Long Memory, his ancient personal weapon, and swings it against a dashing Beowolf and then punches it through its chest, killing it. "If it attacks the school, the civilians and injured inside won't be able to survive as the structure collapses."

That was the problem with massive Grimm attacks. If they attacked buildings while people were inside and toppled them, then those thinking they were safe in the building soon found themselves in a collapsing tomb. This dragon being an especial super giant size where if it rammed against even a single tower, many will die. Even those in the Vault may be in danger.

"Understood." Glynda waves her crop and a few of the mutant Creeps fly up. She then uses as much of her aura as she could and sends them all the way up to the converted dragon Grimm where they explode against it.

Not even a scratch could be seen.

"I don't suppose you can bring it down yourself?" Glynda then asks Ozpin. "Because I do not believe anybody aside from maybe the Servants you told me about can do so."

"Potentially." Ozpin nods as he and Glynda then turn around and kill a Grimm and Manticore respectively. "However, at the height it's at will mak-"

A screeching sound is then heard along with some screams. Twisting his head, Ozpin then saw many Grimm who had been fighting against the Huntsmen...and winning. Witnessing how the Grimm were attacking in a way that regular Grimm shouldn't be capable of. Working together, defending their weak spots, and even using the weapons of their enemy. They were acting like people now in a war.

"Merlot." Ozpin growled with disdain. Once he saw a bright young man who had joined Beacon. Who wished to study the Grimm and joined Beacon to learn about the enemy and defeat them. Now, that man was gone and replaced by a ruthless maniac that saw the Grimm as the superior lifeform and using them as his weapon of destruction. Weapons that are now getting many of his people killed.

"Is he...is he controlling them?" Glynda says in disbelief. "But I thought-"

"Only Salem, normally it should be." But it seems Merlot found a way, which is terrifying. Even if Merlot did win this war though, Salem wouldn't take this lying down and would crush Merlot before he got too far. At this moment though, that won't be happening as they have to deal with it now. And right now, Ozpin began trying to figure out how to kill it.

'And I may just have the method.' Ozpin thought as he looked at the Long Memory. All the kinetic energy in it is nicely stored inside it and just waiting to be unleashed. He could even 'kill' Salem with it and bodies in range would be vaporized with not even ash left behind.

The problem was, how to get up there as the dragon is surrounded by many fliers. Oh well, the life of a warrior is never easy. "I'll be back."

Ozpin then flew up as he headed toward the dragon to deal with it.

Glynda herself watching with a smile and said, "May the Sisters be with you."

Meanwhile, across the battlefield which has grown more intense, Ruby Rose found herself getting more tired. As she swung her scythe and cutting off heads or limbs off, she felt her aura draining and sweat piling up. Silver eyes watching as the Grimm began making formation and becoming more tactical than they should.

"This isn't good." Jaune says near her as he stabs the chest of a Ursa. He then jumps up very high and then uses his shield to crush the head of a Beowolf. Moving forward and swinging his blade to block the spin attack of an automaton. "The Grimm are getting tougher."

"Not tougher." Ren declares as he back flips away from a converted Bhujanga and then shoots out its eyes. As the beast screeched Ren rushed forward and stabbed his weapons into it, killing the thing. "Smarter!"

"Oh great. Just what we needed." Yang groans as she grabs an Automatic Defense System machine before ripping off parts of it. "Grimm that can think."

Ruby also didn't like it. The Grimm were already bad enough with how savage they are. Now they were getting smarter as they fought, and using human tactics. Huntsmen were used to mindless Grimm, and even the older ones just fought more cautiously, not like this.

As she began shooting the heads of the Eli-Chan bots, Ruby tried to think on what could be done. No ideas came to mind, as Ruby started coming to the harsh conclusion that all she could do was just keep killing the enemies in front of her. As she could do nothing to get at the leader or even the dragon in the sky. Words from her teacher then coming to mind.

"Sometimes, we can't face the big boss like we want to." EMIYA tells her as he trains her. "All we can do is just face what is in front of us."

"And hope that's for the best." Ruby repeats as she then slams the blunt end of Crescent Rose into a Boarbatusks head and cracking it's skull. Twirling as she then bisected it in half.

A roar is then heard from behind her and as she turned her head, saw a converted Basilisk ready to bite her head off. Her silver eyes widening as she would be too slow to defeat it. Yang yelled towards her with Jaune and Ren unable to move to save her.

"I gotcha!" Then, rushing past Ruby a clawed hand embedded itself into the converted Grimm's head and made a wet splat. If it wasn't for the fact that Ruby's used to Grimm bodies making a mess when they get killed off, she'd have thrown up.

Standing just a bit in front of her, the one who saved her, is a girl with red eyes and short blonde hair down to her neck and had breasts the size of Yang's own. A grin on her face as she removed her hands and looked at Ruby.

"Woah." Is all Ruby can say as she was rather impressed.

"I know, right." The girl says with a smile. "Gotta say though, you have decent moves of your own." The girl then suddenly vanishes, and is then seen removing the head of two King Taijutu with her bare hands. Ruby shocked by such fantastic strength with even Yang surprised.

"Who…?" Yang is about to ask who this woman is, when another voice is heard.

"That's Arcueid. She just graduated last year alongside me." Stepping forward is a young man with glasses with a...small knife as his only weapon. Not that it seemed to stop him as he swung the blade down and actually killed a mutant Ursa with one stab as it then vanished away somehow. "And yeah, she's pretty tough."

"Pretty tough." Jaune says in disbelief as he and the others watch this girl then do an uppercut on a massive Ursa which makes its head pop off. Then before the body vanished, she swung it by the hand and made it crash in a group of skeleton soldiers. "She seems unstoppable."

"Probably because of all that aura she has." Ren says as he begins shooting down the small Nevermores and then at the baby Deathstalkers crawling towards them. "Is that her semblance?"

"Nope." The young man says as he adjusts his glasses before quickly stabbing an automaton in the side and suddenly it fell apart despite just being stabbed once. "She was just born with a lot of aura, and doesn't have a semblance."

"Bull!" Yang yells as she stomps on one of the baby Deathstalkers. "What about her hands."

"She's a bat faunus. Not sure how it works, but she can turn her hands into claws." The young man states. A roar is then heard as everyone sees the dragon getting closer to Beacon. "Man, that's a big one. I doubt even Arcueid would even jump that high."

"Then it's a good thing she doesn't have to." Jaune then sees a glimmer up on the new Argo. "Because we got good back-up."

Then from the ship, two bolts of energy can be seen going into the sky. Then like the first time, once they vanished up into the clouds, a rain of arrows fell down and headed toward the converted Grimm dragon. All of them stabbing into the hide of the beast and causing it pain as it felt each of those blows. Screeching in rage.

"Damn." Yet as Atalanta could see from the top of the ship, it didn't cause any fatal damage at all. Eyes narrowing as she saw the hundreds of green arrows she launched at it vanishing. The wounds left on the beast, soon healing. All she had done was slow it down.

Pressing a small communicator on her side, Atalanta asked, "Any one of you have a way to kill this thing?"

The Argonauts connected to it all had their answers.

"I can! If I can get up there."

"I'm busy healing patients!"

"Can't the humans save themselves?"

"A shame Hercules isn't here. He might be able to do something."

Atalanta couldn't blame them for not being able to deal with it. While they had powerful Noble Phantasms, either it was incompatible for a beast this size or they were too far away from it. As Atalanta shot arrow after arrow which could even hurt Siegfried, to the beast all it did was make it screech while it's wounds healed. Even if she were at full power, Atalanta didn't think she could even take it down.

Though as she pondered what to do next while continuously firing alongside those who had the range, her eyes picked something up in the sky. Ozpin.

"What is he…" She then sensed it. Mana. A lot of it. So much, that all the Servants in Beacon stopped momentarily of their current situation and looked up. All of them feeling a chill at the immense size they were sensing.

As for Ozpin, he simply raised his cane up toward the dragon now even closer at Beacon. The ancient warrior now directly in its path, with red eyes staring at him. 'This will be tough, but…'

It had to be done. At this range, some of his own allies will get caught and the shockwave will affect Beacon. Though leaving this thing to be wasn't an option either. As such, Ozpin will do what he must.

"You played a good card, Merlot." A barrier surrounded Ozpin, where simultaneously he sent a shockwave of air that sent any of the Nevermores or other fliers near him away so they wouldn't interrupt him. "However," The end of his staff began emitting golden light. "I haven't played mine."

Closing his eyes, Ozpin then heard and saw it all.

The Grimm roaring as they made their advancement towards the academy. Killing anybody in their way.

The sounds of machinery shooting down the Huntsmen trying to protect what they had left.

Students of Beacon, crying out as they did their best to take down what seemed to be a never ending army.

Explosions consisting of Dust, missiles, and bombs going out all over.

Blood spilled all over, with corpses of the converted being next to the dead humans and faunus.

The people of Beacon huddled up and frightened while those who aided the wounded did their best to save their lives.

The dragon roaring as it neared Beacon closer and closer, with just only a few hundred meters left to go before it landed and destroyed the academy.

Opening his eyes, Ozpin aimed the Long Memory and pushed down the handle. "This is it."

Then, for a moment the battle continued. Beacon students and trained Huntsmen fighting with the Servants aiding them. Merlots army killed whoever they could. For a moment, it felt like nothing was changed and everything is resuming just the way it is. Then, the sound of what felt like a mini-explosion is heard followed by a brief flash of gold. Then, the world exploded.

To everybody aside from Ozpin, it felt as if a second sun had been born. One that consumed all in it's destructive light and blinded many. Countless turning away while others screamed at the uncertainty of it all. Yet nobody could hear themselves yell, let aside the roars of the Grimm or the sounds of their weapons going off as the great light seemed to have silenced them. The radiant color expanded all across the battlefield and sky. Everybody reacting in their own way.

Yang covered Ruby as what she felt like was a bomb going off, and both sisters looked away from the light and closed their eyes. They weren't the only ones to do so, with many turning away with some outright running to escape the light even though it was futile.

Some students dropped their weapons, and while normally this would be bad with the enemy near them, even the Grimm and machines stopped as they too couldn't comprehend the light. Those flying above did the same, though their curiosity didn't last long as the great light also came with a great force. Those closest to it vaporized away to nothingness while the rest felt themselves fall to the ground and to their deaths.

The shockwave then hit the ground, and many struggled to even stand up as countless fell to the ground from a simple faunus Huntress to the mighty Spriggan. Merlot's own machines sparking up as their sensors were overloaded by the golden light. Some of the Grimm even died while in Beacon, every window shattered with glass raining down. In the ruined city of Vale, those there also saw the gold light and stared gasping.

The Servants to looked away and shut their eyes tight. While this was no Ars Almadel Salomonis, this attack was still devastating and actually rivaled a few Noble Phantasms from Chaldea Servants which normally should be impossible, especially from a human. Yet here it is now. An attack utilized by releasing the centuries worth of stored kinetic energy of the Long Memory and transforming it into magical energy. One that Ozpin decided to be used now as one massive attack against the dragon.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the light began to fade and everybody regained their sights.

"Wow." Blackbeard says as he takes off his shades. "Now that's one overcooked bird."

Up in the sky, as gravity finally took hold, the burnt skeletal corpse of the dragon began to fall down. Even then though, it started to fall apart while whatever Grimm remains it had on it vanished away. By the time it hit the ground, it fell apart into numerous pieces of what it once was.

The skies themselves now clear of any flying foes, and the Huntsman and students using this time to attack the down Grimm. Ozpin himself released a breath of relief, as he then looked at the cane. All the energy in it was gone, and it'd be centuries before he could do this again. But it was worth it as he then looked down to see everyone changing the tide and morale as high as ever. With a smile, Ozpin then began to fly back down to help out.

While doing so, his eyes then saw the being known as Eve, one of the commanders of this horde. Flying straight down at her, Ozpin then landed making the very ground crack. Using his own magical power, he then blasted away the Grimm near her and then leveled his cane at her.

"Ready to go?" Ozpin then asked while furious eyes stared back at him. Eve growling as she saw Ozpin daring to try and fight her while the army Merlot gave her and their ace in the hole now gone.

"Grrrrrraaaaaa!" Eve then roared as Grimm instincts began to take over. Faster than the actual Frankenstein, Eve swung her heave mace down at Ozpin who dodged them easily having faced worse before. Parrying he mace with his cane and then using the Long Memory to make rapid attacks all across Eve's body.

A single final thrust sent her back snarling. She then jumped up and energy sparked across her mace. Yet instead of the traditional falling down while trying to hit him, Eve's arms stretched unnaturally like a Nuckleave.

Ozpin forced to dodge as the end of the mace slammed into the ground and released a pulse of electricity. Eve landing and then releasing her right arm's grip on the mace's handle where she then stretched the limb and made it grab Ozpin's shoulder. Electricity shocking Ozpin to his core.

"Good move." However, it was far from enough to do any real harm to him. "But not good enough." One that he then ignored as he grabbed the arm and then tugged so hard it ripped off. Eve screeching in pain at the lost limb. Then more as it began to regenerate.

"I...Kill….You..!" Eve then declared as her eyes glowed red.

"Many say that to me." Ozpin readied himself. "And I'm still here. Though the same can't be said for Merlot."

Eve roared as she ran at Ozpin with him doing the both their weapons clashed as the final battle was about to end.

Not just at Beacon, but in the island as well as EMIYA and Medea (Lily) made easy work at the countless machines before them. While feeling tired and weakened from a lack of Dust, both wasted no movements at all when dealing with the machines before them.

EMIYA moving faster than a cheetah as he stabbed and sliced through all the moving pile of junk before him. Cutting them to shreds while Medea (Lily) blasts them away while summoning miniature pancakes and used them to splatter on the machines faces making them blind.

EMIYA used that chance to literally back stab them, take their own guns, and used said gun to blast away Merlot's machine. "Huh?" EMIYA says as he looks at the gun, then points it behind him and shoots an automaton legs off without looking behind him. "I could get used to this."

"Do you really wanna follow in the footsteps of your Alter?" Medea (Lily) then asks him as she zaps three robots, messing with their programming, and making them respectively explode into nothing.

"...good point." EMIYA answers as he throws the gun away and then slices of an Old Gear head. Then throwing four pairs of his blades at Puppet Soldiers which fell apart into many pieces. "In the meantime, it seems this clown has put us in a rock and a hard place."

"Not true." Medea (Lily) smiles at EMIYA as she floats in the air and sends beams of energy at their enemies. "If anything, we're buying time."

"Time?" EMIYA asks with a brow knocked up at Medea (Lily)'s words.

"Yes, time." Medea (Lily) says as she then launches electric sparks all over zapping the nearby robots and making them malfunction. "Every second fe fight is a second my beloved and his friend meet Merlot and defeat him."

"A bit optimistic, but I suppose one can see it like that." EMIYA nods as he then rips apart the limbs of one machine, and before it self-destructs he grabs the remaining torso and head and throws it. The explosion either destroys some of the other robots or damages them. "So you really think Jason and Hercules will find Merlot and defeat him and end this war?"

"Believe? I know." Medea (Lily) says as she destroys another group of machines. For in her heart, she had absolute faith Jason will succeed in saving everybody. For he's not just a hero. He's her hero!

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Merlot was already mad and has lost quite a bit of what one could call sanity. Now, he was losing more as two things are slowly destroying what was left of his sanity.

One had been Ozpin, somehow destroying his greatest creation yet. The light show he gave off earlier had been one thing, but releasing what was the equivalent of a powerful bomb was another thing entirely! That attack having somehow reduced his Grimm Dragon to a pile of ashy bones! Not to mention over ninety percent of his flying forces wiped away and the Huntsmen and Servants now gaining the advantage. Even worse however, is the one thing that truly was brining Merlot closer to madness.

"Come on Merlot!" The voice of Jason on his monitors then yelled while a loud crash was heard. "Hercules and I just want to play!"

His video monitors show that brute was destroying anything sent his way and busting through the walls. His little friend just laughed as if he were doing something important. Merlot tearing off his hair as he then looked all over his station seeing everything happening here on his island or the battlefield.

How Ozpin was battling Eve and slowly overcoming her.

The students of Beacon and the Huntsmen destroying his army. Even worse, the unleashed bomb that Ozpin somehow released had screwed with the unique signal he had to control the Grimm and machines. Making them reduced to mindless again!

The two Servants here weren't even looking tired as they continuously wrecked the machines after them!

"I planned it all perfectly!" Merlot then shouts madly as he stands up. Unable to watch the monitors showing how everybody against him was winning. "I had the resources! The army! The Grimm! My machines! All of it! " Merlot then fell to his knees as he then screeched to the air yelling, "WHAT WENT WRONG?!"

Naturally, this was a rhetoric question not meant to be answered.

"You tried playing God and believed yourself invincible." So it came to a shock when Merlot heard a voice from behind him.

SHLRP!

With a wet sound and unimaginable pain as he felt his body going cold, and his eyes slowly seeing darkness. Breathing erratically, Merlot then looked down...where he saw a disgusting hand bursting from his chest where it revealed his very own heart still beating in it's hand.

Blood leaked from Merlot's mouth, and he turned around with what little remaining strength he had. Where he then saw a beautiful woman in black where the very arm she had used to run him through was also coming out of her back. Staring at him as if he were a worm. No, below even that as she then pulled and her third arm left his chest. The mad man collapsing like garbage as he felt his body failing him.

"If you had simply used machines only, then it's likely my new Master would have not noticed you." The beautiful woman says as she then turns away, no longer regarding Merlot as anything now and simply a soon to be dead body. Crushing and then dropping his heart before leaving. "But the second you started controlling Grimm, you lost. You'll be hell's problem now."

The Assassin then left, leaving behind the man once known as Merlot who had expired. Dreams and ambitions to see the Grimm rise and under his control are now gone. Where in the end, he had been nothing at all in the face of true evil. Just an obstacle that would have been defeated one way or another with a legacy that wouldn't even last long. This was the fate of Merlot.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Crash!

"Found you!" Jason then yells as he and Hercules forcibly entered through the wall that led to the room Merlot had been in. Now ready to deal with this fool and- "Oh what!" Jason then sees the dead body with Hercules also being surprised. "He's dead already!"

So much for a showdown.

Then again, considering Hercules's strength and Jason's cunning, anything Merlot had wouldn't have lasted long anyway. Still though, this felt rather...anti-climatic. Jason then looking grossed out when he saw the mushed heart a few feet away and gagged.

"Did he...rip out his own heart?" Hercules shaked his head, not buying it and made an audible sound. "Oh. You think someone else came here and killed him?" Hercules nodded. "I guess that would make sense." Jason nods. The two then see the command center with all the fancy controls and everything. Along with the screens that showed so much everywhere. Jason whistled as he saw it all. "So he's been commanding everything here the entire time, huh."

Hercules grunted as he then picked up Merlot's body, and promptly threw it in the nearby garbage can where the corpse belonged. Some might say this is desecrating the dead. Considering the casualties Merlot made, nobody would care as Hercules then found a scroll on a desk, grabbed it, and took a picture of Merlot's dead body. Grabbing some napkins to pick up the mushy heart and throwing it with Merlot before grabbing a lid and putting it down. Hercules wiping his hands of the deed done.

As for Jason, he began pushing buttons around here and there and shutting down the machines all over the island. One of the monitors showing EMIYA and Medea (Lily) now confused as the robots had just stopped. When Jason then looked at the monitor showing the battle at Beacon he laughed a bit. "No need to help them I guess. They have it handled."

Hercules agreed as he patted Jason on the back.

"In the meantime," Jason grins as he then looks around the place they were in. "It seems I, the king of Vale, now have a new base of operation! With machines, Dust, and all sorts of cool stuff around here."

This island will be very useful for Vale to have. It had everything they needed. Even a way back home as a ship can be seen. Not to mention Jason had eyes on the third tower EMIYA needed to fix in order to contact the mainland who'll be happy to hear his voice again as he explains how the Argonauts, plus EMIYA, stopped Merlot.

"Or, well...guess we had him commit suicide?" Jason looks at the now bleeding garbage can Merlot's corpse is in. Still wondering just what had gotten to Merlot before he and Hercules arrived here. A rogue experiment that killed him? Another enemy? Or did the mad man just kill himself? Regardless, the man is dead and in a way that made sense.

Merlot thought himself the greatest, and that he'd be the most powerful threat he is.

'And now he's dead. Probably having realized he was just a stepping stone for those that were greater than him.' Jason thought as he clicked his tongue. Merlot was a genius, and Jason can admit to that. However, his obsession with the Grimm blinded him to the potential and power humans had. Before coming to this world, Jason saw all sorts of monsters with the Masters of Chaldea, all of them superior to humans in many ways. Yet they all ended up dying because those that were sentient believed themselves better than humans, thus, underestimating the Masters.

"Still," Jason then sighs. "I kinda wanted to beat him myself."

Hercules grunted.

"Yeah, good point." Jason then admits. "Dude was a scientist first and foremost, not a fighter. Not to mention we defeated some of his big guns before entering here, and he sent most of his prime forces away from the island." Meaning even if they did fight, Merlot would have lost.

"Regardless, let's go get EMIYA and Medea (Lily) and tell them the big news." Jason then leaves the command center with Hercules following him. "It seems this war with Merlot is over."

Needless to say, Ozpin wasn't surprised.

"So you defeated Merlot and killed him?" Ozpin asked as he sat down drinking water while everybody else was either resting or driving away the last of the Grimm and enemies. All of whom had started leaving as soon as Merlot gave them no more commands, and instinct took over making them leave.

"I did!" Jason then bragged at the other end of the line. "While Hercules dealt with countless machines and mutant Grimm, I faced Merlot's giant Deathstalker and beat it and then killed that loser!"

He was lying. Not about succeeding of course, but about dealing with Merlot. Ozpin can tell but let it go as technically all the objectives have been accomplished. "Good job then." Ozpin replies with a smile. "Thanks to you and the others, you not only defeated Merlot, but have gained Vale a new island with all sorts of supplies and resources needed to help rebuild and restock our supplies."

"I already have a list of some of the information EMIYA has sent us." Glynda says as she was sitting nearby Ozpin. A scroll in her hands getting messages from EMIYA of the inventory here on the island. "This will help Beacon and Vale recover in time sir. A win for us all."

"I knew my husband could do it!" Another voice on the line then says with sounds of Jason struggling. "He really is the best!"

"Hey! Get off!"

Ozpin chuckled lightly with even Glynda giving a small smile. The line was soon taken over by EMIYA who began talking. "Moving on from that, Ozpin. How are things at Beacon?"

The headmaster sighed. "We won. It wasn't easy though, and many lives were lost. However, the civilians and injured are safe, and a memorial will be held for those who sacrificed themselves."

Ozpin turned his head and saw the many people he fought with celebrating. Eating food, talking of their exploits, drinking, and just talking to each other. While there was sadness mixed into the mood, it was overpowered by the joy of surviving and protecting those they knew and loved. Why, he could see Jaune Arc hugging Ren who did the same. Ruby Rose talking to Arcueid with a smile. Coco drinking a lot of beer, and even Cardin Winchester in the mix who then stripped off his clothes buck naked. Er, he seems to have had too much to drink. Some students snapped a few pictures and Ozpin gave a slight smirk knowing the boy will be regretting all this tomorrow.

"Funerals will be held later. But for now, everybody is just happy to be alive and well." Ozpin says.

"That's good." Even though Ozpin couldn't see EMIYA, he got the feeling the Servant was smiling in spite of his usual attitude. "I'm glad to see that we made a difference. Which means...we have a chance to strike at this enemy of yours."

Ozpin sighed while Glynda flinched. Both knew what EMIYA meant. He knew this would come up soon. "Gather your allies and I will explain all I know. While Merlot was indeed a threat, and I'm grateful he is gone, he was just one of many villains here in Remnant. I will tell you of the true villain that we must face."

"Finish one battle, only for another to start again." EMIYA sighed. "At the very least I can assume we'll have time before this enemy strikes."

"We do." Not that it was a good thing. Ozpin felt she had been quiet. Too quiet. The only reason she would be doing that, is because she was about to start something new and needed time. But what could it be? Whatever it was, Ozpin knew it would make things difficult in the long run. For not just him, but all of Remnant as thanks to the Servants here, Ozpin knew Salem had her own Servants.

Maybe not as many as the ones allied with Remnant, and yet even then she likely had tricks up her sleeve and now all the Servants living among the planet knew of the danger. Which is why he sent Qrow and Ana to talk to these Sister Goddesses and see if they may help him. Thankfully, the Servants in Atlas were with James, so that was a good set already with them alongside Jason and his...decently reliable allies.

"In the meantime, come back and you may as well enjoy yourselves and take a break." Ozpin said to EMIYA as he saw the crowd of civilians who saw the celebrating Huntsmen also joining. "Because I believe you and the rest deserve a good relaxation for the services done."

He heard EMIYA on the other end chuckle. "Maybe I will. We'll return in a day or two."

Then like that, the line was cut off. Ozpin became relived. While this small war only lasted for just a bit, the deaths and damage brought were still something. Sacrifices were made, and not just of the human kind. Ozpin looked at the Long Memory and looked somber. As he felt nothing in it now. It'll take centuries to regain that kind of fire-power. Power he had hoped to use against Salem as a turning point. Not anymore.

'I don't regret using it of course.' Ozpin then thought as he saw the smiles of those who were with him. Some who even waved at him and throwing compliments at the power he had shown making him feel happy. 'To help the people, it was worth every last drop.'

Still...while Ozpin will be getting ready for Salem, a part of him couldn't help but feel that something else was coming.

Something bad.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"What's going on in here!" Ironwood demanded as he walked into the control center of Atlas. Many scientists were there, which included Pietro and Sion. By his side is Winter and Astolfo. All three hearing the blaring of the control center where some of the people inside were panicking.

"Well," Winter then spoke. "Answer the general!"

"We will if we can figure it out, Ice Queen!" Sion then says at Winter looking annoyed her work was interrupted. Astolfo giggled at the nickname while Winter held her composure. The girl then returned to the screen as she began tapping some buttons. "Right now though, we're busy trying to figure this out."

"And that is?" Ironwood asked, wanting to know precisely what is going on here. Having gotten a message that something bad was happening in this room and considering how many of the workers here looked worried, it made him wonder if Salem is making a move.

"Like we said sir, we do not know." Pietro answered him, making Ironwood feel tense now. Because if Pietro didn't have the answer, then that was bad.

"Huh?" Astolfo tilted his head cutlery and the men, not panicking, blushed. Not actually knowing the gender identity of the person they thought was a girl. "Then...is it something really bad or a false alarm?"

"Unlikely." Sion says. "All I can say is our sensors detected a massive amount of energy?"

"And this poses a problem, how?" Ironwood wanted to get straight to the point.

Pietro coughed and answered. "Well, sir." He nervously adjusted his glasses and had his unique wheel chair turn towards him. "Because the energy we're detected...isn't even near here?"

"...huh?" Ironwood went.

"To explain further general, it's that these energy readings we're getting are very high, and yet the energy itself we're detecting isn't even near Atlas." Sion tried to give the general the run-down of what they knew. "Meaning whoever or whatever is doing this, has energy that is so powerful, it's reaching here despite being miles upon miles away!"

Now Ironwood felt anxiety. This must be Salem. It had to be, otherwise...who else could it be?

"So that's what's happening." In the Darklands themselves, standing upon a perch of her castle Salem smiled softly. As she sensed the great power beyond her home. Her own Caster Gilles went mad from detecting it while Angra Mainyu stood next to her snickering. "Is this what I think it is? Angra. What you told me?"

"Yeah. It is." Angra Mainyu laughed as he sensed the energy as well. "No way those goody-goody's would let a bunch of Servants just stay trapped elsewhere in their perspectives. Meaning they finally made a move."

"A move that can threaten me."

"And the entire world." Angra added on as he summoned his weapons. "You better get all your toys ready Master. At worst, even get your ex-husband to help. Because things are about to get ugly."

Salem blinked as she looked past the red and black horizon of her home. Where far far away she sensed the energy grow and grow. She then smirked. "Or...have my dear Ozma do the dirty work for me."

That fool Merlot had already been dealt with, and her forces were dealing with the Huntsmen in Mistral. Beacon is weakened thanks to the war that had happened there, and Ozma had to wait before he could get back on track to face her. Yet she needed more time to complete her plan in Mistral. So with some subtle manipulation, Salem can have her old love deal with potentially the greatest threat she may face just below or maybe even above the Brother Gods as her Servant Avenger told her much of his old Masters.

Of two youngsters who have faced countless foes and defeated monsters and even Gods. Two who are now here and may do something that will defeat her...or ruin everything she knew.

A portal opened up.

Where it opened, nobody in Remnant knew. For the land the massive blue gate appeared in is territory unknown to humanity. It was there though, and from it, many figures can be seen. The most prominent were two figures however.

One with orange hair and another with black. Beside them, other colorful characters of all sorts. The most normal being a white haired youth with a pale face, a purple haired man who looked handsome yet beautiful, and a twin-tailed girl with glasses. Near the first two however, is a girl with a massive shield and eyes full of more courage than any man alive. Nearby was also another twin-tailed girl who had greatly helped the main group in creating this gateway. Her husband, who had orange hair and prosthetics is next to her.

Finally, a strange vehicle of some sort appeared with a white scheme color and looked like a type of advanced submarine which flew in the air. The entire group then observing the strange land they were in, when the girl with the shield then looked up at the sky. Her beautiful lavender eyes then widening as she saw the moon.

Or what was left of it.

"Senpai." The two Masters looked up along with the others, many gasping slightly at what they saw. With the exception of the two guests from Fuyuki, everyone was slightly amazed even though they could still be surprised after all the Singularities and Lostbelts they had been through. Then again, who would be calm at seeing an utterly wrecked moon.

"Graaa!" Not as much though when a roar is heard, and instead of feeling fear or panic, everyone just looked and saw a massive herd of Grimm heading at him.

"So...we are here. At their homeworld." The young man with black hair says with his fellow Master the orange haired held his shoulder.

"It seems we are." The bubbly voice of the great genius then says as she giggles. "It seems we have done it. Utilizing both the power and foundation of the Second Magic, and the Imaginary Number Space, we have created a method to travel not through time or parallel worlds, but a completely separate dimension."

The hoard was getting closer. All snarling and howling with claws raised, teeth shown, and ready to tear apart these intruders.

"I see. Then.." Sighing, Ritsuka Fujimaru looked up with his sister Guadako facing the hoard with determined eyes. Not a hint of fear even in them. "Let's get this over with. Mash!"

"Yes. Senpai!" While feeling a little strange, Mash raised her shield ready for a fight. Near her, Shirou Emiya spawned two blades with him and his wife Rin Tohsaka Reinforced her body. The others, Kadok, Akuta, and Peperoncino also looked willing to tumble. They didn't even need Servants with them, not yet anyway as everyone stared down the hoard that was coming at them.

The creatures known as Darklings that have been seen all over the world, and culling humanity. Where at first the world's militaries had been doing a fine job with hidden back-up from Magus who kinda cared (for selfish reasons), only for something unnatural to happen. Where the Darklings began getting stronger and more savage, and now the UN and Clock Tower has forcibly commanded Chaldea to find the source of these abominations where they will either stop them...or destroy their home.

'I hope…' Ritsuka thought as he clenched his fist. 'It doesn't come down to that.'

With a single battle cry, everybody then ran and faced the Darklings.

Not a single one would survive against Chaldea.

Those of you who thought Merlot wasn't a threat, you were right.

Merlot was nothing. Oh sure he had all the cool stuff with him, but against our heroes and plot armor, he was no long-term problem. Yes he killed a lot of people, did horrible damage, and was indeed a threat. Too bad he just wasn't a threat that Jason and the others would feel threatened by. Originally I did plan on having him face Jason and Hercules with a giant mech and a bunch of Grimm...then realized that he's a scientist, not a fighter.

Plus Salem herself would feel ticked off that someone was controlling the Grimm, her trick, and sent someone to kill him. So yeah, Merlot played his role to the very end. His army scattered away. And while I didn't show it, Eve was imprisoned and his island now part of Vale, Jason's kingdom.

A happy ending, right?

Until Chaldea showed up. Yep. They're here. And while they are heroes, they're heroes to their world first and foremost. And a choice will have to be made for all parties present.

In some ways, Chaldea would indeed be the biggest threat to Remnant as while the planet is tough, Chaldea has faced tougher and have crushed their enemies. Even worse, Salem will make a move and have it so that the usual will happen in any good crossover when heroes of their respective world meet one another. They'll fight.

Either Chaldea and the people of Remnant will work together, or fight with Salem doing something nasty to cripple them both. Guess we'll find out later on as we get started with the next act which will last longer than the Merlot War. Act Four is officially done, and next time will be Act 5.

But for now, I'm going to go back to the Anthology series for a bit so I can show what has been going on with other Servants and other characters I have been revealing. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review, visit the Trope Page, say what you will and I guess I'll see ya later. Until Next Time.

"Hm. This isn't good." Somewhere far away in earth, not even part of the planet, an old man inside a black space with little items yawned as he leaned back on his chair a bit. Having seen what was happening to one of earth's many timelines, particularly, timeline CG-087. Particularly, of the interference of this timeline being intermingled with the branch of another world.

The great Wizard Marshall Zelretch knowing of the interference of a world where two youngsters faced the impossible time and time again. But now they faced a threat not of earthly origins, but something else altogether. With the worst case scenario being...both branches that were intermingled breaking and falling apart at this rate.

"So either both branches survive...or one will fall while the other faces potential damage." The old Wizard sighed as he couldn't believe another difficult task was happening. He was getting way too old for this crap. Chaldea thought they had it bad, and they did, but they weren't the only ones who face problem after problem.

'Like that Dead Apostle trying to awaken Type Mercury too early.' Or that timeline where Sakura succumbed to Angra and incinerated other timelines. Let's also not forget some branches that could fall off because they got pruned too early. The Wizard Marshall also faced his set of headaches now and then.

"Well...maybe I can help out just a bit." Zelretch says as he then decides to do some investigating to help out later on. But until then, both worlds will have to solve this current dilemma on their own. Zelretch only hoped that when he returns, he'll see that both branches are still good. Otherwise, he won't see them at all.

I love wring this story! Whooo!