Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether

by Aetherveil

Following after the events of the Volume 3 Arc, Dante, and his partner Inuba travel across Remnant to make their way to Haven, searching for clues that will lead them to the real mastermind behind the attack on Vale 6 months prior. They will meet allies, both old and new, and face challenging new enemies on their journey. Secrets will be revealed. Continuation of Hero of Remnant.

73. Chapter 73: Ace Operatives

Hey everyone.

I know I keep apologizing about being a month late and everything but, I really am sorry it's taking so long to get a chapter out.

I've been... very inconsistent with the scheduling, and really, its because there's quite a lot going on in my life right now. (Ain't that the truth?)

I won't go into too much detail, but a lot of it has been good, and a lot of has been supremely time consuming.

That's all I've got to say really. Again, sorry I'm taking so long. I'll try even harder to get a proper schedule going. Please enjoy.

---

(Quick Reminder)

~Eclypse mental speech~

*Navâra mental speech*

^Sêrythîl mental speech^

}Mòrai mental speech{

---

Chapter 73: Ace Operatives

«»

---

- Nearly two years ago -

I keep finding more and more every other day… It's off-putting. Not because they're Dark Entities, but… I just never expected this many. Part of me says this is too good to be true. The other part is… well, kind of desperate to find more of the people I've been meeting.

Dante sighed as he walked the halls with his thoughts to himself, his school bag slung over his shoulder. He stopped briefly, casting a glance out the window towards the view of the glamourous city he lived in, its skies constantly filled with black clouds that rarely shone a great deal of light.

If this is real… If there really is someone out there leading them in secret, helping them integrate into society to live peaceful lives as they choose, and wanting to create peace between the people of Primordial…

The young man exhaled sharply, closing his eyes for a few brief moments until he opened them, looking past the clouds from behind the window.

Then I need to step up my game from here on out. I need to find someone in charge or someone who can set up a meeting. Because at this rate, it'll take forever before we actually get anywhere.

As he turned away and began walking away, he stole a glance through one of the classroom windows. They were tinted, so he couldn't see through them clearly, but he could make out two people inside, a boy and a girl.

From the sound of it, the boy was being pushy. Very pushy.

…

Maybe I should peek in…

The teen slid open the door very silently amongst the arguing individuals. The young man he knew very well; Andre Tymb. A playboy and your run of the mill scumbag. Dante had heard many rumors about him as of late, and all of them were very unsavory.

Especially considering they all involved girls from other schools, and now their school recently.

"So what, you're saying this isn't you?"

He could see the dark haired boy raising up a holographic projection in his right hand, but couldn't see what it was.

"It'd be pretty bad if anyone saw this you know, considering your relationship and all. Some might say it'd be favoritism and all that, but man, I imagine it would be pretty bad on him, seeing as he's a no-name loser."

Whoever the girl was remained silent, whether out of fury or fear, he did not know.

"So how about it? Why don't you be my woman and we can keep this all hush-hush, yeah? We have our 'fun' and everyone keeps on happily without knowing a thing."

And then, immediately came "I refuse."

Dante's eyes widened when he recognized her voice, and when he saw a brief flare of light blonde hair…

It was all autopilot from that point on.

The door slid open very forcefully into the wall that the glass shattered from the sheer force. Both the scum and Anya's head shot towards the door in surprise, but before Andre got a chance to speak, Dante's bag crashed into his face harshly, breaking his nose as he spun around and crashed into the window, cracking it slightly.

"Wa-!"

Her plea fell on deaf ears, the young devil's hand reaching out to grab the head of the other young man and forcefully bash it into the window violently, bruising his face heavily and damaging his nose further. With an almost effortless motion, the white haired teen lifted the other boy up and tossed him like a pillow into the desks, sending the furniture clattering about the room with harsh crashes.

Anya stood frozen, a part of her saying that Andre deserved what was coming to him, but...

"You..! Bastard..! My dad will..!"

His voice was replaced with a garbled scream of pain shortly after.

Dante had harshly swept the tips of the toes of his right foot into the scum's mouth, his sweeping kick shattering the majority of Andre's teeth in one fell swoop.

The devil crouched down low, grabbing Andre's hair and lifting his head up in between his terrified squeals. He looked around in a mocking manner.

"Seems like your equally shit father isn't here. How about that?"

A whimper.

"I don't give a shit if your father is a big shot lawyer or whatever. I'll bury him with you outside the city if it damn well pleases me. But since this 'no-name loser' is nice at times and has already given you your 'spanking', I'm just gonna give you one warning. Afterwards, you decide whether or not you continue living, or your life ends."

He raised the heavily injured boy's head up more, specifically to whisper to him.

"Transfer out of here whenever it is you wake up. Move out of the city. Don't contact her again." The devil nodded towards Anya, "Don't even think about her ever again. And if I hear your name ever again, even in passing, I swear to you now, nothing and no one will stop me from finding you and turning you into a limbless piece of meat. Do you understand?"

A light shake of the head.

Words were no longer needed, and in a swift motion, Dante threw Andre's head into the floor to silence his meek squeals, knocking him out.

Wordlessly, he quickly walked over to the window to grab his bag, and then took hold of Anya's hand, quickly walking the two of them out of the classroom. He practically dragged her with him all the way to the student council room, luckily not seen by anyone as they entered inside, the room empty.

He let go, immediately taking off his bloodied shoe as he took it to the sink to wash off the blood.

"T-That was far too much!"

"Far too little if you ask me." Dante said with a tilt of his head as he scrubbed his shoe.

"You can't just-!"

"What? I should've just let him try to blackmail you? Let him feed whatever disgusting fantasy he had going on in that monkey skull of his? Yeah, no thanks."

"That's…"

She fell silent.

Dante stopped scrubbing, shutting off the water and setting the brush down after he rinsed it.

"Just because we're better off now, doesn't mean we don't have our fair share of animals. Yeah, talking things out is a nice thing I've come to appreciate lately. But what you don't understand Anya is that there'll always be some scumbag out there whose only goal in life is to feed their own self interest at the expense of others. Regardless of the pain and suffering they cause, they'll keep going, never listening to logic, reason or whatever happy words someone can offer them."

He turned around, putting his shoe back on after wiping it down with a paper towel.

"Why do you think the world was in such a shit place 70 years ago? Because nobody could or would do a thing. Because they didn't have what it took to stand tall until the people reached their breaking point. You want to change the world? Fill it with happiness and kindness and all that? Then go for it."

The young devil walked over to the girl, who clutched her arms tightly in contemplation, only looking up from the ground when Dante was close.

"But you can't pretend that people like 'him' don't exist. You can't expect your way to work for everyone, as much as it's growing on me."

He steadily reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry that I'm not the most pleasant person at times when it comes to other people. I'm sorry that I can't fully follow your way every single time. But… I've had enough. I've had enough of seeing people around me getting hurt. As long as I can help it, I'll never let anyone hurt you in any way, even if I have to be an evil bastard sometimes."

"The point is for others to never see you as someone evil..." She said, returning the hug but grasping him tightly, "I don't like it when I hear others badmouth you."

"It doesn't bother me."

"I know, but… It bothers me. The things people say sometimes… I know the things they say aren't true, and yet…" She paused, burying her face in his chest.

"Are you scared of me?"

"No..." Anya immediately answered, "I just don't want you to think you have to do those things…"

"Are you telling me not to fight, then?"

She remained silent.

"Or be brutal?"

The grip that tightened on the back of his shirt was her silent answer.

"I'm sorry. I… I just don't want to see you get hurt by trash like that."

I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.

Words he would have liked to have said out loud, but wasn't sure how they would be received at the moment.

"Let's go home." He finally said.

She nodded as they seperated, the girl quickly gathering her things off her desk.

…

Disappointment.

Not in her, but himself. "Seeing red" wasn't so much the expression to describe the situation, it just all went…

Dark.

A rage that rarely bubbled out emerged. Frankly, he was surprised he had enough restraint not to kill Andre.

Speaking of, he received a text notification from Darwin, his longtime android friend, that said, "Clean up has been handled". While Dante was good at "cleaning up", Darwin had a certain finesse to it, and managed to get things done quicker with more efficiency.

Then he must be taking care of the rest…

"Sorry", he texted back.

"It's of no issue, but please show more restraint if something like this occurs again."

He exhaled sharply as he closed his display, turning around to see Anya walk up next to him and grasp his hand tightly.

"I'm sorry." The devil spoke softly.

"It's ok. I know you were protecting me. Just…"

"Just intervene next time instead of pummeling first. I know. I'll… try." He sighed.

"Should we-?"

"I already got it handled. Let's just go home."

The walk home was silent, the two lovers only speaking once they were safe inside the comforts of the house Anya lived in.

---

The elevator doors opened of the hotel he was staying in, the young devil roaming the hall until he got to his room. He first thought to get the penthouse simply because of how large the room was, but Dante settled for a still large room on the upper levels with two bedrooms. A large kitchen, a large closet, a large living room space...

And of course, a very large bed in the main bedroom.

The young man unclipped his HoloScroll, a black, diamond-shaped stud no bigger than his thumb's fingernail, off his shirt collar and swiped it across the door sensor. A silent "clack" of the locking mechanism, and he entered inside.

…

…

He could hear Inuba, Dawn and Blaire in the living room, along with his mother, but he was expecting something else.

Or rather someone.

When he had the thought to look up, a tiny body dropped from the ceiling, hugging his face tightly.

"Oh no! You got me!" He cried out in a muffled voice.

Kianna, the child, dragon-Faunus he found in the wilderness, let out adorable squeals of happiness at the fact she yet again succeeded in surprising her guardian. This was a sort of ritual habit with them by now, where whenever he'd return, the young girl would hide somewhere and glomp him.

This time, it would seem she decided to latch onto the ceiling.

Given her draconic heritage, it was definitely something she could do. Just yesterday, she managed to lift up one of the tables using both hands, smiling proudly in a smug manner like Eclypse usually did when doing something impressive.

For a child that was two years old, it certainly was an impressive sight.

"Happy to see you too, Fire-Spitter." He said, cradling the dragon girl with both hands as he rounded the corner, "Heya guys."

"Hello!" Inuba called out, in the process of making dinner, "How was your trip?"

"Well, the place is all set up and running smoothly, so we're good on all fronts."

"Oh yeah. You mentioned you were a hotshot business owner or something." Athyra, Dante's mother, called out from the dining table.

"Hotshot business owner… You really didn't pay attention to my explanation, did you?"

"Of course I did! You were going on and on about 'in case of emergencies, break glass' and all that nonsense." The mother explained, "Kind of hard to ignore when my kid is the one telling me to 'watch out' and stuff."

"I'm sorry, who's been sitting around for the last while?" Dante returned.

"Hey, I've been keeping the back line safe, alright? You don't just return to full strength after being de-atomized, kiddo. At best I've got minor Magic and my freakish physical abilities for the time being."

"She's doing her best, brother." Dawn spoke, trying to defuse the situation.

"Yeah yeah…" the devil spoke as he approached the table, taking a seat as he still cradled Kianna, who was currently engaged in cuddling mode, "Anything I miss after I took off?"

"Not so much, no. We just asked some questions here and there to get to know one another better and that was pretty much it." Dawn shrugged, "After that, they offered to upgrade everyone's equipment."

"What, really?"

"Yes. They took in everyone's weapons and gear for tuning and the like. They even tried to take my staff, with Ruby even suggesting to add a gun to it!"

Dante chuckled lightly to himself.

"It's not funny, brother! Why would anyone want to attach a gun to a magical staff?!"

"Because it'd be kinda cool?" Blaire offered.

"Hardly! A staff is a staff! Magic! Not bullets!"

"I think we get the picture, sis." The young devil noted, "Any trouble outside?"

"None, surprisingly enough." Blaire answered with a quick shrug, "I didn't even find a trace. I'm not as good as Inuba, but I should've felt… something at least."

"Could they have really hidden themselves in another dimension?" Inuba asked, still working in the kitchen, "If they did that much, we would've sensed traces of spatial distortion. If I had to venture a guess, I would say they've taken to hiding somewhere underground, like last time in Argus."

"Then we check out some of the mines first, see if they've dug in too deep."

"You think the Dust crystals might be interfering with your sensing?" Dante suddenly asked, directing his question to the kitsune.

"I… don't know actually. That's something we haven't tried testing yet." She contemplated, turning off the stove, "It is a possibility… Especially since Dust Crystals are rich in elemental energy for their respective elements."

"You think they know that and are using it to avoid detection by you?" asked Blaire.

"Of course they are!" Athyra said, finally throwing in her two cents, "They know her, and you, my idiot son. Them not taking into account her sensing abilities would be like them driving at night without lights on."

"She does have a point…" Inuba spoke as she finished setting the table, a feast of salad, rice, and chicken.

"You've gotta remember that the ones we're up against are like rats. They'll scurry into whatever crack they can crawl into and hide as long as they need to. While dimensional rifts aren't entirely out of the question, it's still something to take into consideration, along with this new Dust theory of yours." The woman said, looking at her son.

"Fortunately, we are taking up a mission in a nearby Dust mine tomorrow morning. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to not only test your theory, but see if we can find anything of merit." Inuba said as she sat down next to Dante.

Just then, they heard the door open, and saw Ruby enter in.

"Hey guys!"

From the get go, he noticed something different about the little reaper.

Her hair was a little spikier and choppier. Along with that, her outfit changed a bit, the girl now wearing a black and red lined lace-up corset, with four buckles hanging loose over a mesh, sleeveless top worn over a white low cut long-sleeved blouse. She even wore a black choker around her neck now, and took to wearing a red pleated skirt that split at the side with a small brown belt strap across the gap.

Underneath though were bright red shorts under it, where on her arms she wore black bracers with large brown buckled straps around the wrist, as well as black fingerless gloves. Around her waist, she now had a brown belt with several bullets with a buckle of her emblem on it, alongside a pouch on the right side with a Zwei based emblem.

As for the rest, she wore black, thigh-high steel-toed boots with red soles and heels, a single buckled strap, rear seam and a large brown buckled strap with attached pouches near the top, over a pair of brown mesh tights.

In addition, her torn cape seemed to have been replaced, all shiny and new.

"You got a makeover and everything." Dante said, Kianna cooing in awe as her tiny eyes glanced at Ruby.

"You like it?"

"Love it! Especially the hair. It's definitely a 'you' thing with the whole wild and cool style you got going."

"Sweet! Exactly what I was hoping for!" Ruby cheerfully said as she took a seat at the very large dining table.

"Where's the rest of the gang of misfits?" Athyra asked.

"Oh, uh… They're gonna run a little late, mrs. Aetherveil." The little reaper spoke up, "We all kinda got upgrades and everything, so they're gonna be a bit longer."

Upgrades, huh… Speaking of, I have something to give myself…

"So… Mr. Bigshot Business Man, how'd things go at the new headquarters?"

Dante sighed at Ruby's question, making Athyra burst out laughing.

"Don't mind her, she's drunk and has a few screws loose…" the teen whispered, "Everything went smoothly though."

"I'm sorry, what are you all talking about?" Dawn piped up from her seat.

"Didn't you know? Your brother is the fancy pants owner of DarkStar Industries."

"H-He's what?"

"Now that I think about it, you're the only one I didn't tell."

The sister sat there in awe, then took to shaking her brother rather forcefully.

"Why was I last to know?!"

"It didn't seem all that important..." He said in between shakes, "I mean, we're basically monster slayers and that's basically a tech, research and development business."

She stopped shaking him, then punched him in the shoulder. However, given her weaker constitution compared to her siblings, she actually ended up hurting her hand a little as a flare of pain spread from her fingers to her wrist, a silent hum of pain escaping her.

"Anyway… What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Uh… Around… Aha, eight in the morning!" Ruby said checking her Scroll.

Should be enough time…

Just as he thought this, the door chirped again as the locks slid into the door, with Weiss, Yang, Blake, and JNR filing in one after the other.

"Holy cows! Did you make all this?!" Nora asked as she looked in awe at the kitsune.

"Indeed I did. I made enough to accommodate everyone's appetite. Even yours, ms. Valkyrie." Inuba warmly explained.

"Sweet!"

As everyone greeted each other, the young devil looked at the doorway, seeing William Ardâin, still dressed in his uniform, hesitantly peek his head in.

"Come on man, don't just sit there."

"A-Are you sure? Is it alright for me to come in?" William asked Dante.

"Just get in there, you dumbass."

After briefly hearing the familiar voice of a woman, Ardâin was forcefully pushed in, where following after him was his Aegis Blade, Mòrai.

Instead of the rather bulky silver armor she wore, the blonde woman was now wearing a white tube top that slightly emphasized her average chest. The top had sapphire lining on the edges, and completely exposed her shoulders and abdomen. She did however wear a sapphire blue leather jacket that was fitted to her perfectly.

Lastly, she was sporting a pair of jean short-shorts with a black belt and a silver buckle, her feet covered with a pair of masculine, black leather boots with two inch heels.

She was shorter than Ruby now that he had a good look. Mòrai, with her toned, slim physique that matched Weiss, although with more muscle, had to be at least five feet tall.

"Honestly, you're like a shy kid sometimes, ya know?"

"W-Well…"

The blonde haired Blade sighed, rolling her eyes as she looked at Dante.

"Hey Aetherveil, you pissed with us or anything?" She asked directly without hesitation.

"Uh… No?"

"There."

She kicked the calf of her Wielder, prompting William to awkwardly stumble forward a little.

Seeing the significantly smaller Mòrai push around her taller Wielder was a bit amusing.

"I was… invited by ms. Kitsukami earlier after you took your leave."

"I'm glad you were able to join us, mr. Ardâin. Please take a seat." The kitsune waved her hand next to Dante.

A glance at the fox girl and her warm smile was all Dante needed to see to know she was trying to bring them closer. He did have an interest in William, so it would have been good to become friends so that the two could discuss more openly.

And so, the young soldier took his seat next to Dante, Mòrai sitting right next to her Wielder with Nora Valkyrie at the other side of her.

"Sup." The blonde said to the ginger.

Nora hummed a little, "Sup!" She mimicked playfully, making even the seemingly aggressive Blade smirk with a light chuckle.

"Um… I never got the chance to say this earlier, but…"

"Dude, relax. As far as I'm concerned, we were horsing around. Besides, I wasn't all that much better myself."

"I-I see…"

"Come on." The devil said, extending his hand to William, "We're buddies now, right?"

William seemed… perturbed. Not by the gesture itself, but by the fact Dante easily put it behind him. In his experience, not too many people were ever so eager to forgive anything, even the smallest slight.

But he relaxed himself, and shook hands with the person he would find himself working with.

"Now that we're all here…" Inuba spoke as everyone else had taken their seats, "Please enjoy the meal that was prepared to your heart's content!"

After a collective agreement and cheer, everyone set about to eat their dinner, enjoying the fantastic meal prepared for them together.

---

He was sitting on his bed like he was instructed to, and since he was now connected to Atlas' citywide network, he was able to receive and review reports from "The Office" as he so called it, on his own private server. Even in his own mind, saying DarkStar Industries was a bit of a mouthful, so he settled for something simple.

Inventories checked out, the projects that were underway in Vale were back on track and almost completed, and there were no missing staff. Everyone had made the transition over to Atlas smoothly.

Well, as smoothly as could be done.

Dante not only instructed Naomi to standby with evacuations earlier in the day, but he had to personally convince a few employees to agree with the transition. Of course, he had to convince them something might be going down, but he also had to compensate them accordingly.

That itself wasn't an issue for him in the slightest, he was more than willing to compensate them generously for essentially uprooting their lives. It was the "convincing" that took some work.

Getting everyone settled though was a relief overall. The young man just had to be sure they'd be safe here.

Dante had plans for that possibility as well, and already hired someone to assist him with that "contingency". It was going to be tough, but…

The door slid open, prompting the teen to close his HoloScroll as he spun around, jaw dropped by what he saw in the next moment as the door closed.

Thank goodness they were in the room farthest from the others and from any walls…

"I-I'm guessing everyone went home then?" He spoke, trying to keep his eyes glued to the floor.

"That they did… Thank you for taking care of the dishes earlier." Inuba spoke, her feet quietly treading across the carpet.

"A-Ah, well, you know… I try to always be helpful…" He laughed awkwardly at the end of his sentence, sitting up straighter than an arrow once he felt the kitsune's weight on the bed.

She showered just a few minutes ago, so her sweet, sweet scent was filling up the room, and consequently, his nostrils as thoughts began to stir deep within his mind.

With how the lighting had been dimmed as well…

Why do I feel like I'm in one of "those" places that I'm not supposed to be in..?!

His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply and nervously.

"I was thinking…"

"Y-Yes?!" He slightly yelped once he felt her hands on his shoulders.

"It has been some time now since… that…"

That?! But we did "that" two nights ago before we left Argus!

Inuba never failed to amaze nor stunningly surprise with her speed and her rather outrageous strength, effortlessly lifting the devil off the bed and into the air before she spun him around. Just as quickly, his shirt was gone thanks to two of her tails, and he was gently plopped onto the bed, his back facing the ceiling as he felt the fox girl sitting on top of him.

Eh?!

"I haven't given you a massage for some time now…"

"Ah, right! That! Haha! Y-Yeah!"

Unbeknownst to him, Inuba's eyes narrowed, a coy smile forming on her lips as she giggled silently.

A clicking of plastic, and the young devil soon felt the cool chill of viscous liquid steadily lathering his back, a stuttering sigh escaping him.

Then… pain.

Inuba wasn't intentionally digging into him. If anything, this was a doom of his own making.

"Goodness… You haven't been taking care of yourself, have you?" She said, pouting slightly as she felt all the knots and twists in his muscles.

"I'm..! Ach! Sorry..!"

"I know you're insensitive to pain and that your body is durable, but you still need to stretch and take better care of yourself."

Muscles cried in agony of sweet release. Lava felt like it was flowing beneath the flesh of his back.

The pressure points was when he felt "true pain" as he silently whimpered.

"Hey, I-"

Ruby froze in place briefly at the sight before her.

"Oh! Perfect timing! I could actually use some assistance!"

"Assistance?" The little reaper sighed, "I'm uh… not experienced with this like you are…"

"That's alright. It's not terribly hard." She motioned with her hand, shifting to a side to allow Ruby to sit near on the other side.

Looking up and taking in the sight of Ruby, he felt his heart tremor like a cataclysmic earthquake like when he saw what Inuba was wearing, and immediately buried his face back in the pillow.

"See? Watch the way my hands move." The fox girl instructed.

"L-Like this?"

"Yes, exactly like that."

And soon enough, the horrendous pain that had been copiously stored in his body began to wither away with each slow, forceful push of the girls' fingers into his muscles. Back, neck, arms… Everything steadily began feeling absolutely pleasant.

"Jeez..! I've never done a massage before but even I can tell you're pretty gnarled up!" Ruby commented.

"It's harder for me to notice these things…" Dante spoke, face still buried in a pillow.

"I suppose that's understandable since you wouldn't really feel it unless we're the ones poking you, in essence…" Inuba commented.

Minutes went on, and what felt like thousands of years of tension was released from the devil's body. In fact, he was feeling more amazing than usual. Well, that wasn't entirely true, considering…

…

…

In any event, the silence was broken when the kitsune spoke.

"There… How are you feeling?"

"Like a new plastic toy fresh out of the factory."

A gentle but still forceful slap on his back made him jump up a little, laughing.

"I feel as pristine as a carved ice sculpture."

Ruby smirked, "I guess that means he liked it."

He was given his shirt back, and he promptly put it back on.

"Thank you for that… Really. My body feels incredible now. Though…"

"Though?" Both girls asked.

"I should repay the favor, no?"

They froze a little, both girls smiling soon after as they set themselves down on the bed. Inuba was wearing what was essentially a paper thin kosode, a very short robe of sorts, while Ruby was wearing a pair of black spats short-shorts and red sleeveless shirt.

"Uh..! Hold on..!"

Wordlessly, Inuba shook off the sleeves of her white kosode to expose her completely bare back, Ruby in turn lifting her shirt over her shoulders. Heat rose in the young devil's cheeks, but he closed his eyes briefly to steel himself, and poured the soothing oil on both of their backs.

The girls let out startling moans that made Dante's eyes perk up as he pursed his lips shut, tilting his head slightly before he began their massage. Using one hand each wasn't too overly complicated, but he still looked back and forth between Ruby and Inuba's backs, making sure his eyes were focused on there and nowhere else really.

…

He felt a little bit of shame taking quick peeks, but it couldn't be helped.

Particularly when they let out moans. A part of him felt like them moaning was deliberate, that the two of them were trying to get a reaction out of him with their beautiful voices. Another part of him was thinking it was just the simple reaction of the rather skilled massage he was giving them.

What he didn't know was that it was actually both.

Teasing Dante in any way was always a joy, and the reactions they always got was always heart-murmur inducing considering he tried to keep a cool exterior a majority of the time. Any form of shyness or cute reactions was like a pleasant overload of sugar for the girls.

But aside from the cute reactions they were getting from him, the way his hands and fingers pressed into their backs, shoulders, and necks was absolutely pleasant. His touch left startlingly pleasant tingles as the tension they had in their own bodies was beginning to steadily fade. Since neither had a massage for quite a while, this was very much blissful.

My heart's going on a rampage… I can't seem to calm it down…

Minutes felt like long hours, and soon enough, he had finished his massage.

"H-How was it?" He asked rather meekly.

"It was… very good." Inuba noted, "Using your Aura was a rather… intense, but extremely pleasant touch..."

"Yeah… That… That felt way too good…"

"But… I think you're forgetting something…"

"W-What might that be..?" The young devil asked.

"You need to do the front too."

…

…

There were many times in life he questioned his sanity and his reasoning. Right now, he very much doubted his line of reason would be kept intact.

And that was exactly what the kitsune and the reaper desired.

---

They sat inside the café, the only two really given that it was deeper into the night. Since the locale closed at midnight and it was only eleven, William and Mòrai had plenty of time.

The Blade had a vast array of sweets in front of her; tarts, cakes, muffins, pies… No sweet remained alive once Mòrai set her sights on it.

As for her Master, the young soldier was steadily eating away at his pumpkin pie, a cup of tea at his side.

"Do you seriously not wear anything else but that uniform?" The blonde girl asked between chewing.

"I do. It's just… While I'm awake, out and about, it would be preferable to remain in uniform in case of emergency." He explained to his Blade.

"Has anything ever gotten up here?" She asked, pointing her fork at William.

"From what I've studied, there aren't actually all too many avian Grimm that manage to get close to this continent, much less survive. Even if they were forced further towards the kingdom somehow, they'd be hindered greatly or die."

"So nothing's gotten up here except criminals on occasion?"

"Yes."

"Then worry less." Mòrai bluntly told her Wielder, returning to her meal.

"Sometimes I think you're a little too carefree, Mòrai…"

"Of course I am. Ya got a problem with that?"

"I personally don't. I think it's actually pretty amazing you're as free spirited as you are. Just… other people might not enjoy it as much as I do."

"Like officials."

"Y-Yes…"

"What?"

"N-Nothing! I was just… suddenly reminded about that pair of officers from a month ago."

"They were a bunch of assholes and were in the way."

"Mòrai, you kicked one of them hard enough to send him through the wall…"

"He had it coming."

He smiled faintly.

"I suppose so… Other higher ups usually enact harsher punishments for interfering in operations…"

Mòrai grumbled to herself, starting on the lime pie to her left.

"What did you think, Mòrai?"

She looked up and let out a confused hum, quirking her eyebrow at William.

"Of him? And… his Blade?"

"Hmph… So that's why your head's been up your ass for the last while…"

The young man narrowed his eyes on his pie, digging at it with his fork rather than eating it.

"What's there to say? That jackass is a freaking joker, but…"

"But..?"

"I don't know! The dude's freaky as hell!" The blonde girl shrugged, raising her voice a little, "But he fights like something I've never seen before. Not an animal or anything like that…"

"Like some sort of demon."

"Yeah… But what really pisses me off is that he wasn't even taking us seriously! He was freaking playing with us!" The Blade said, slamming her fist on the table, "Him and that smiling bitch!"

"His Blade… She was… quite something…" He said, remembering how startled he was at how they fought together so seamlessly.

Dante certainly gave him a proper fright, but… His Blade, the one he called Eclypse…

…

…

Something about her chilled him to the bone…

"The way she was looking at us… It's like we weren't even there…" Mòrai spoke up.

"No… Not that we didn't exist, but… Like we weren't equals. Just… objects. Hollow of spirit and meaning…"

"That's a really fancy way of saying she was looking down on us…"

"What did you feel when you two were clashing with each other?" William asked his Blade.

"I don't know, man… I just… I don't even have the words to describe it… All I know… is that if Aetherveil wasn't her Master, she would've killed you without blinking or thinking about it."

"Do you think she's a threat?"

"Of course she's a fucking threat. But in your context? Nah. She ain't gonna burn down the Kingdom unless we do something to her Master. If we can even do anything to him. He's got her reined in."

"You think so? She seemed like the type to do as she pleased…" William reminded his Blade.

"Seriously? Did you really not see how she was all over him? That bitch is completely…" She paused, the young man looking up from his pie to see Mórai frozen, as if she was thinking, "Fuck, what was the word…"

"Infatuated?"

"Yeah, that one."

"She seemed completely cold-hearted when we fought… Seeing her being… provocative, was pretty confusing."

"Just because you're an ice-cold bitch in general doesn't mean you can't love something or someone."

"I… suppose you're right…" William dipped his head a little, folding his hands together, "Did you notice anything else?"

"Like what?"

"Anything else that felt strange to you?"

Mòrai took after her Wielder, focusing her eyes on her plate in deep pondering.

"I don't know, but… His shadow…"

"His shadow?"

"I swear I saw it move on it's own. Like something was in it." The girl explained, shaking her head before she returned to eating, "You really think he's some kind of demon or whatever?"

"I… don't think so. I think that people take way too many things out of context just because he wields power like no one's ever seen before."

"But there's quite a few freaks of nature out there. Like those S-Class Huntsmen and Huntresses." Mòrai pointed out.

"Well, yes, their power as individuals is rather outlandish, but…"

"Aetherveil's unique, even among them. That is what you're thinking, right?"

…

"You're no pushover yourself, Will. Let's be honest, you've only recently been getting back into things, and that was your first real fight with a person of his caliber instead of the usual round of sparring or the trash we take care of in the city."

"Still… I was thoroughly evaluated and went through all kinds of rigorous exams and training… As a member of the Ace Ops, I should have done better."

"Wanna know something those precious teammates of yours didn't tell you?"

William looked up at his Blade, confused.

"Each one of them got their asses handed to them on a freaking silver platter within seconds. You're the only one of them that lasted against him as long as you did."

"But Aetherveil was just-"

"Playing a game of tag with us, I know. But it still says a lot."

Does it though? If I had to fight him again, for any reason… Could I stand against him? Do I have a chance at victory, however slight?

"You that eager to have a go at him again?"

"W-What? I-"

"Heh… You don't gotta try and fool me. Frankly… I wanna have a go at that coy bitch again."

"You're always looking for a reason to fight someone…"

"Damn right I am."

"Regardless… Please remember not to start brawls haphazardly. I'm a member of the Ace Ops, and you're my Aegis Blade. Personally, I don't care, but if we get pulled into brawls like we do sometimes, it'll reflect poorly on us."

"Yeah yeah…"

He smiled faintly, finally using his fork to take another piece of his pie to eat.

Aetherveil… I know many people see you as a hero, a symbol of hope in these dark times… but I just can't help wondering if there other objectives you might have here. If General Ironwood trusts in you as much as he does… then should I do the same?

---

"I've gotta ask… Are you sure you want to give this to me?" Jaune asked.

"Sure as I'll ever be, mr. Rooster." Dante replied.

"Seriously?" The blonde sighed.

"Seriously." The devil chuckled, "I mean… The new hairstyle kinda works..."

"Kind of?!"

"Maybe just let it down instead of spiking it straight up like Johnny Bravo?"

"Who?"

"Uh, nevermind." Dante waved off a slightly disappointed Jaune, "To answer your question, yes, I'm sure. I've got no use for it as it stands, so I may as well give it to someone who can make better use of it."

The blonde knight still stood in place where he was, clutching his left forearm tightly.

"I'm not gonna get cursed or anything, am I?"

…

...

"Dante?!"

"Ah, look. I'm sure you'll be fine and nothing bad will happen. Maybe."

"Maybe?!"

"Trust me, alright?"

"Dude, you just tried to pawn this off to me like some shady salesman!"

"Dude, this is some magic shit. If you're lucky it'll give you some supernatural powers or something. It'll be a bonus with that cool shit you got from Eclypse."

Jaune sighed, letting go of his arm as he began walking down the hall with Dante, "I still haven't gotten a hold on that. Not fully."

"You'll never fully get it. Even a master swordsman still has room to learn after reaching the pinnacle."

"Says you."

Dante scoffed a little, "Even with all the big, nasty shit I've killed out there, I still have a ways to go."

"Yeah right…"

The devil smirked, "Trust me Jaune. One day you'll live up to greatness. Not the greatness or expectations of your family, Beacon, or anyone else. You'll be setting your own standards one of these days."

"If we make it that long..."

"You'll make it."

"You always say that."

"Because I have faith in you all."

"Do you really?"

"Without question." The devil replied, both him and the knight stopping, "Monsters kill monsters, that much is a given. But it's so much more… impactful when someone like yourself kills a monster. Do you know why?"

Jaune shook his head.

"Because that person, or group of people, have overcome something totally and completely out of the ordinary. Something they were never really supposed to overcome and be victorious over."

…

"Can we really kill Salem?" Jaune asked.

"Possibly. My motto is that anything can be killed with the right weapon or means. Even if we don't find a way to kill her, who says we have to?"

"Seal her away, or something like that…"

"Personally I'd prefer we kill her." Dante bluntly stated, "If she had enough balls to try and trick the gods, and even try to kill them, she's definitely gonna be stubborn to the point where she'll try anything and everything to get out. So I'm really hoping we do find a way to end her."

Dante began walking again, Jaune lagging behind a bit before he followed after his friend.

"Struggle, Jaune. Struggle until your very last breath. Show them what it means to live."

Struggle, huh… For almost two years I've been doing exactly that. No… I've been struggling even before Beacon. So much of it seems pointless and meaningless whenever I look back on everything that's happened. But whenever I think about everything that we've overcome, Grimm or otherwise… I just…

He stopped in his tracks, eyes focused on the shiny white floors of the Atlesian complex.

I feel… proud. That I've come further than most would have. I'm thankful for Ren and Nora. I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for Dante and all he's done to help me get this far. And…

His thoughts took him back to his days at Beacon. The time he took for granted.

…

…

The girl he loved and took for granted.

Forever would Jaune be grateful to Pyrrha Nikos, the girl that was always at his back, ever so helpful, and ever so keen to push him towards the future.

"Come on Chicken Boy, we've got mines to spelunk and Grimm to kill."

…

As grateful as I am to him… There are some days I just want to punch him.

"Thinking about punching me?"

"W-What? How-?"

"I can read minds."

"S-Sure…"

Dante patted his friend on the back rather powerfully, making Jaune guffaw and stagger forward as he followed him out again.

---

"This shit is too damned boring…" Dante sighed.

They rode in on Manta Airships, each group dropped off at different entrances to the Schnee mine they were trying to take back. The Ace Operatives split into groups of two with members of RWBY and JNR, while Qrow and Clover went together.

Dante, Noland, Inuba, and William were the last group, and took the back entrance into the mine. Power had been cut towards this section, so it was dark. Thankfully, Noland had taken the lead, using his cane to illuminate the caverns that glistened with all sorts of different Dust crystals.

Normally Inuba would have taken the lead, but the young devil still wanted to keep to him and his partner's stratagem. To do that, she had to use as little of her power as she could offensively.

"Look at the bright side, at the very least we haven't come into contact with anything. And if we're lucky, we might not have to." Inuba replied.

…

Hearing her feigning weakness and timidness was so… unnatural. Well, maybe not the timid part.

"I'm afraid I agree with ms. Kitsukami. The less work for us, the better." Noland casually replied.

"Yeah, except you're damn lazy…" Dante replied.

"Far from it." Noland chuckled, "I simply know when to utilize my strengths, that's all."

"Meaning you're a lazy shit that steals credit."

Noland shrugged slightly, unhindered by his ally's words as he continued to lead the pack.

"What about you, William?" Dante turned to his left, looking at the young soldier, "You bored?"

"I'm not so much bored as I am… attent to my current surroundings…"

"What? Scared some weird sand-shark Grimm is just gonna pop out of the ceiling somewhere?"

"Those exist?!" William asked, startled slightly as he raised his voice.

"Uh… Honestly, I don't know. Wouldn't surprise me though if they did exist..."

"You must have seen many different kinds of Grimm out there in the wild…"

"Quite a few actually." Inuba spoke up, "One of them was like a monolithic titan…"

"Yes… The Diabolica…" Noland spoke up, "A very rare species of Grimm. The only one of its kind that is titanic and humanoid in shape, save for its head. Amazingly enough, Diabolica begin as the smallest, weakest type of Grimm."

"Truly?" Asked William.

"Indeed. They're no bigger than the average young child when they are born, and grow as they consume. Humans, Faunus, their own kind… Should they survive long enough as they feed, they become the colossal and immensely powerful titans we've seen."

"I've only ever heard stories, but… To think they actually existed…"

"We didn't just see one, we killed one. Tough bastard… Shot lasers and shit out of its mouth." Dante explained, waving his hand away from his mouth to imitate a laser blast, "It had some seriously tough skin too."

"How does the weakest type of Grimm become… that?" William asked.

"From the studies I've conducted, it's size grows immensely from feeding, but the power it gains comes from the 'essence' of those it consumes."

"Kind of like a miniature well of souls… Or a vampire." Dante shrugged.

"In a manner of speaking. The life of others feeds its own 'life' and adds to its total power. Frankly speaking, it's a phenomenon quite unique to them. Yes, many Grimm 'learn' from their experiences and grow stronger, but there has never been a species of Grimm that quite literally grows and becomes more powerful from the life it consumes."

William somewhat recoiled from Noland's seemingly enthused explanation, but shook his head shortly after. He learned something completely new, however strange it was. The young soldier was only hoping he would never have the "joy" of encountering one of these creatures.

"We've been going for some time now…" the young soldier wondered aloud, eyes noticing the veins of Dust that had grown larger.

"And no signs of anything remotely dangerous…" Dante commented.

William's hand reached up to his earpiece as he said, "Team 1, come in."

Nothing. There was only static. Quickly checking his Scroll, he noticed that even short range communication between their specific unit had been jammed.

"We've lost communication with the others."

As he said this, the group stopped in their tracks, noticing that smoky wisps of mist began to fill the cavern. It wasn't just the mist, but… the air seemed charged with some sort of translucent, crystalline energy.

"Can these Dark Entities disrupt communications?" William asked.

"There are very few that can interact with technology to achieve such a matter, but normally it isn't even necessary to do such a thing. Just the sheer pressure of their Aura alone is enough to cause disruptions and outages." Inuba explained.

"So that must mean there's a Soldier or Knight down here..." Dante added.

"We also have to take into account that the sheer volume of Dust in this mine is a factor." Noland spoke up, "And… whatever this might be…" he waved his fingers through the translucent, crystalline energy that filled the dark cavern, "Speaking of... How are your sensing abilities, ms. Kitsukami? Are you able to detect anything?"

"Unfortunately, no... It's actually become quite harder to feel everyone's Aura Signature, despite our close proximity."

So we were right. Dust can interfere with Aura Sensing when in massive quantities like this.

...

...

This energy… It was doing quick work in unsettling the young devil. It had a strange feeling of... comfort to it.

Like he was one with this Darkness. Truly one with it.

And what made the experience all the more startling was how this energy seemingly had been trying to claw its way into his soul… like it was screaming at the young devil "Look, I am here".

It made him shiver.

"Are you alright?"

"H-Huh? What?" Dante asked, quickly turning to William.

"Your eye was… twitching a little. And you seem to be sweating somewhat."

"It's a little hot in here."

"It's average room temperature down here in thanks to the variety of Dust veins." Noland pointed out.

"Whatever." The young devil said, wiping the sweat away from his forehead using the sleeve of his coat, "Let's just keep moving."

He pushed past them, this time taking the lead.

"He seems to be on edge…" Noland said in a hushed tone, turning his head towards Inuba slightly.

"Indeed… I think that this…" the Kitsune speculated, waving her hand through the mist and translucent, crystalline energy, "Might be affecting him somehow."

"Is it making him ill?" William asked quietly.

"I don't think so… It's as if…"

"He's been reminded of something." Noland cut in, keeping his voice hushed as well, "Perhaps Ogrânix is deeper in the mine?"

"Unlikely. He wouldn't risk exposing himself again so soon and so foolishly." Inuba replied with a shake of her head, "I have to admit… Even I feel a strange… familiarity with this energy in the air. Though I'm unable to put my finger on it…"

"An enemy from the past, then?" William offered, "In your report, you mentioned that unless their souls are destroyed along with their bodies, they always have an opportunity to resurrect after a set period of time. Could this be one such enemy?"

"I'm pleased you committed my notations to memory." The kitsune smiled, bowing her head briefly in appreciation, "If this were one of our old enemies, I would have recognized this presence entirely."

"What she says is true. Ms. Kitsukami's talent for Aura Sensing is unparalleled compared to any of us. Though I must ask…" Noland turned his head back in Inuba's direction, "Is there a possibility this might be the work of an enemy you might not have encountered?"

"It is possible…" she tilted her head slightly, her Fox ears flicking briefly.

They turned their attention forward, seeing that Dante had completely disappeared in the darkness further ahead.

"M-Mr. Aetherveil! Please slow down a bit for the rest of us!" William raised his voice, quickly chasing after the devil.

"Ironic he says that and rushes off himself…"

"Let's quicken our pace as well."

Before Inuba could move faster, she was stopped by Noland's hand.

"I was briefed on your Stratagem."

She looked in the young man's direction, the kitsune narrowing her eyes on the raven haired teen.

"I was asked to remind you to keep to it, regardless if he may be in danger. Should things take a turn for the worse-"

"I understand fully what I should or shouldn't do."

"Did I upset you? I apologize." He added, "I only thought it best to remind you given how… affectionate the both of you are with one another."

…

There was always something about him that put her off. That sly, constant smile of his, his always cool demeanor…

His hidden agenda...

…

As much as she didn't enjoy Noland's presence, Dante decided to place his trust in him. At least, for the time being. Even though she was reluctant to do so, Inuba decided to do the same.

Even if what's inside Noland's heart is…

They continued their walk through the darkened cave, shortly stopping once again to see their path had been cut off. What was supposed to be a tunnel in front of them was now a huge chunk of translucent crystal.

Forking off towards the left was a tunnel that led towards another section of the mine, the one Ruby, Weiss and Penny were moving through.

"It seems we've been cut off…"

Wasting no time, Inuba immediately shot her hand forward and unleashed a continuous torrent of screeching white flame. When she stopped, the kitsune was taken aback to see that her flames only made the crystal mass glow red hot.

Then Noland gave it a go, reaching to the holster on the back of his hip to draw his Grimoire, the magical tome flipping through pages on its own as he pushed the bladed tip of his cane into the crystal.

His black Aura surged through his arm and into his cane, spreading out across the crystal mass quickly. But like Inuba's powerful white flames, that too had no effect.

"This is… curious…" He noted.

"It's resistant to our Aura!" Inuba raised her voice, a hint of anger in her tone.

She outstretched her hand, a black-wood box appearing in hand as she opened the casing.

In it was her katana, the one she had replaced after her old one had been completely shattered.

The scabbard was completely white, while the string wrappings were black. The guard was perfectly circular and of black color, but the outer edges had short, extending prongs that resembled the petals of a blooming lotus flower. The handle was wrapped in white cloth, black diamond patterns underneath the wrapping that fed into a black capped pommel.

When she drew her blade, it virtually sang with a metallic ring that echoed throughout the cavern, the blade itself a pure white color that seemingly had a faint glow to it. Inlaid on both sides of the base of the blade near the guard was black text written in Japanese.

Hirui no Honō (Peerless Flame).

This was the sword that had been continuously passed down through generations of the Kitsukami Clan, a sword that was made for Inari Ōkami, but never wielded by the deity since she preferred to do no violence herself. Instead, it was passed on to her descendants, the Kitsukami, to be wielded in times of great peril in the Apparition World or the mortal realm.

The reason for this was because the sword itself was half as powerful as Kusanagi, a sword once wielded by Amaterasu, the sun deity of the East.

Her mother Kareina had only ever drawn the blade once, and the one who wielded it before her was her grandmother, Saika Kitsukami, who used it to unify the Nine Clans of yōkai together.

In light of previous events, it was decided the sword would go to Inuba. However, in tandem with her and Dante's stratagem, the kitsune thought it best to keep the sword hidden away until she really needed it.

Most of the sword's destructive power came from the Magic, or Aura, one would channel through it. However, it was still a divine construct, a divine weapon.

If the crystal in the way was highly resistant to magic and Aura, it's physical attack power would still be of use.

And so Inuba took up her katana with both hands and loosed her first strike, a powerful gust of wind flowing through the cavern due to the sheer force of the strike.

As she expected, this only took away a fairly huge chunk in the surface of the thick crystal mass.

Inuba needed to be extremely careful with her strength and be absolutely precise. Even the slightest carelessness with her physical strength or with the power of her sword could bring the cavern down around them.

The process would take some time, but at the very least she was quickly hacking away chunks, and would soon enough break through.

---

William kept his quickened pace through the darkness, eyes trying to make out the pathways of the cavern. He had his own idea, but…

}Don't worry about it, Master. Just go ahead.{

With his Blade's permission, William summoned Mòrai to his hand, moving her forward as the claymore's blade sparked to life with sapphire lightning, illuminating the dark cavern.

Just as he did so, a Blade emerged from the darkness, heading straight for his neck. While the young soldier swung outwards to clash with the opposing sword, he still used his Semblance to armor his neck and chest, just in case.

"M-Mr. Aetherveil?!"

"Don't call me that, please." The young devil replied.

"W-Why did-?!"

"Dark Entities thrive in darkness like this. You need to constantly keep your guard up, even when you believe you're alone."

William's heart-rate began to slow down as he lowered Mòrai, fixing Dante a stern stare while he lowered Eclypse. While he may not have appreciated this measure, he at the very least learned something new about this foreign enemy.

"Perhaps you could use less extreme methods of educating me about the enemy?"

"What better way to learn than to experience one of the many possible methods and tactics they'd use? You're already at a great disadvantage since you can't see in the dark."

"And you can?" William asked, "Are you perhaps a Faunus?"

Dante chuckled a little, "No, I'm not a Faunus. But I am half Dark Entity myself, so I possess many of their natural abilities and characteristics. Like seeing in the dark." He pointed to his eyes.

…

"You mentioned you were half Dark Entity. The other half…"

"Angel, I suppose."

"Angel?"

"Yeah. Celestial beings of light, good, holiness, etc. Essentially the complete opposite of the other half."

"Yet you fight for those like us. Humans, Faunus…"

"Does it really matter who or what you are?" Dante asked as he began walking through the cavern, William closely keeping up, "Way I see it is that if people need help, you help them. Regardless of what they are or where they come from."

"I-I see…"

"You don't have the same opinion?"

"N-No! I'm of the same mindset, but…"

William paused, unsure of how to proceed.

"Ask whatever it is you want to ask me. I won't mind." The devil told him.

"People think of you as a savior, while others think of you as some strange creature that came from the Abyss."

"More or less right with that last bit." The white haired teen interrupted.

"Yet the more I listen, the more I'm certain people have been exaggerating details." The young soldier continued, "That's why I have to ask… Aside from this… King you're hunting, what are your other goals here?"

"What? You think we want to overthrow the leadership here or something? Take over Atlas and Mantle?"

"That has been the rumor… I thought it was an absurd idea from the start, but... after seeing you fight up close, hearing more about your talents and exploits…"

"It seems more realistic." Dante shrugged, "I get that in some way. But I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not here to destroy your cities. I'm here to try and save them."

…

There was… a simple honesty behind his words that made it believable. It had to be the truth…

"This King you hunt… Aside from him being a threat to everyone, is there a more… personal reason motivating you?"

"He's a chicken-shit bastard that wants to kill people and enslave them. Is there any other reason I need to kill him?"

William tensed up slightly at the chilling way he heard Dante speak those last few words. For that reason alone, he decided to not pursue the question any further.

"While not all of them may be villains, Dark Entities like Ogrânix are nothing but monsters. Never forget that if you come across one trying to kill you, Ardâin. Unless you want to die, of course."

"I'll keep that in mind…"

They continued onwards in silence, their blades aglow with their respective Auras until they came upon a wider expanse of the cavern. It was illuminated with masses of transparent obelisk-shaped crystals that were six-sided and stuck together, some as thin as their arms, some as thick or taller than the two young men, and some no bigger than their fingers.

But what was odd was that these were not Dust crystals. These transparent crystals were filled with light that was almost… grey…

"Can't be…" Dante silently spoke, hand reaching out towards one of the masses of crystal.

As expected, it burned his gauntleted hand.

"What are these?" William asked, noting Dante's smoking hand.

"I don't know…" He replied, keeping his eyes glued to the masses of clear crystal, "What I do know is that these rocks are filled with Dark Light."

"Dark… Light?" The young soldier asked, confused by the contradictory name.

"There are some Dark Entities that are capable of wielding light that can almost match the level of an Angel using Light Magic. It goes by other names, like Blighted Light, Tainted Light, MoonLight, etc." The young devil explained, "Among their own kind, Dark Entities that can use Dark Light are considered heretical, since any usage of Light based abilities goes against what they stand for. Though that mostly pertains to the warmongering types."

"And the other types? The ones that are more agreeable?"

"A sign of talent, genius, whatever you want to call it." Dante answered William with a shrug as he confused staring at the glowing crystal of Dark Light, "Some even say that Dark Entities that use Dark Light are considered 'Saviors', beings destined to lead their kind out of desperate times."

"Saviors… That's a little… hard to imagine…" William replied, his eyes focusing on the crystal masses too.

The devil smirked, chuckling a little, "Yeah… I used to think the same thing too…"

…

…

His thoughts took him to the past, to the previous "Savior" he had grown incredibly fond of, loved, and learned a great deal from. He remembered their struggle. He remembered her dream. A dream that, at the time, would soon enough be their dream.

A dream that was only realized after she had died.

…

…

Ever since that night… when he figured it all out… He promised her that he'd keep their dream alive. And while Dante strayed time to time…

He still kept trying.

"What else makes them special? Aside from being saviors and the like?" William snapped Dante back to attention.

"They uh…" The devil paused briefly, collecting himself before he gave his response, "They're capable of learning and using any type of Magic. They can't just snap their fingers and know it, or do it on their first try unless they have a special connection or attunement to that specific Magic."

"When was the last time one of their kind existed?"

"Two years ago."

William eyed Dante quizzically for a moment, then turned from the crystal mass to see more of it lining the walls, along with the translucent, crystalline wisps of energy still wafting about the cavern steadily.

"What happened to them?" The young soldier asked hesitantly, inhaling sharply.

"Ogrânix killed her."

…

Her… Does that mean he knew the last one..?

William shook his head, "Is it correct to assume the enemy is in possession of one of these special types of Dark Entities?"

"Seeing this?" The white haired teen pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the mass of crystals full of Dark Light, "It's possible, but highly unlikely. From what I've seen and been told, Dark Light types are naturally kind-hearted, sometimes to a fault. It's more likely there's an extra on stage with an agenda of their own. A recent emergence."

"But why hide here?" The soldier asked.

"Persecution maybe? Humans unfortunately persecute Faunus, so whoever made all this might've taken that into consideration in the event their identity is discovered and decided to hide here. Just…"

"Just..?"

"This doesn't feel right. Whatever this is…" The devil waved his hand through the strange energy in the air, "Makes me shiver."

William gulped a little, "I-I'm experiencing the same thing, more or less. It just feels… far too otherworldly… I… I can't quite describe it…"

"It's only natural to feel fear in the face of the supernatural or otherworldly. From what I've gathered, more supernatural cases around the World of Remnant have only started appearing en masse in the last two years. You're not used to this sort of thing."

"I suppose I'll have to start getting used to this…"

"Relax." Dante strongly patted William on the back, making the young soldier guffaw, "You're good at fighting, and have a Semblance that allows you to be highly adaptable to a variety of situations. You'll do great."

"Right…"

As they continued, the cave seemed to… widen even more, but the formations weren't natural. The light of the crystals showed that the cavern had been continuously hollowed out to create a more expansive cavern. From the looks of it, the crystal masses seemed responsible for this, shooting through the rock and melting through it to expand the terrain effortlessly.

Then he heard it. Rock shifting from the side.

Dante pushed William forward and leapt towards him, seeing a mass of Dark Light crystal jutting out of the wall that had almost skewered them both.

"I-Impressive! You managed to hear it coming through the wall?!"

"Praise me later!" Dante raised his voice, grasping Eclypse with two hands as William gripped Mòrai with both hands as well.

The duo went back to back, eyes constantly darting back and forth throughout the space of the cavern. Thin crystal spires filled with Dark Light shot out from the walls one after the other, and the two young men kept shattering them one after the other. The spires weren't all that thick, so it was easier to cut through them or shatter them.

Little by little they kept getting pushed deeper into the cave, but they fluidly moved together to create a perfect defense and offense. Eventually crystal spikes started to emerge from the ceiling, and they were forced to block and dodge more. The duo eventually had to give up on this strategy and made a break for it deeper into the cavern. They both knew they were being deliberately forced in deeper, but they had no choice.

Huge spires coalesced together and shot forward, and when they blocked it with their Blades, they were thrown back with incredible force. Dante flipped backwards and landed on his feet, sliding back until he came to a complete stop. William, however, was sent rolling, but quickly pushed himself off the ground and landed on his feet, staggering back a bit before he too came to a halt.

…

…

The attacks ceased, but the duo kept their guard up, quickly glancing around. Dante heard a brief scraping noise and turned around, raising up Eclypse to block. When he looked at his attacker, his eyes widened.

Black cloak, and a crystalline black arm with sharpened claws… There was no mistaking it…

It was his attacker on the train.

She kept him in place, William taking the chance to strike from the side. A black crystalline foot emerged from underneath her cloak, the sole of the figure's foot crashing into his Blade to stop it in place. He drew his sword back and tried to strike again but was promptly kicked away by the attacker.

Dante pushed back with enough force to break their clash, and another hand from the cloaked figure shot out, taking harsh but quick swipes at the Devil. The young soldier dove back into the fight, taking swipes at the figure from the sides and from behind. But she never truly went after him, and opted to keep pushing William away.

It was clear to the duo that their attacker's sole focus was Dante, considering she put in her best efforts to ignore William entirely. So the devil focused on defense instead, swapping out Eclypse for Sêrythîl. Considering her spear form was black with hints of white, he could pass it off as Eclypse being a shape-shifting Aegis Blade, so it was safe to use her.

With Sêrythîl, he had longer reach and could use her to defend more easily while keeping the figure further away from him. But the attacker was quick, and absurdly powerful; despite having William breathing down her neck, she still managed to defend against him.

With help from Dante by offsetting the girl's balance, the young soldier managed a blow to the side, but was immediately shocked to see sparks instead of blood.

Her whole body is composed of crystal?!

His moment of distraction cost him, for in that next moment, he took a swift kick to his jaw. Luckily, he managed to activate his Semblance, armoring his face to avoid any serious damage. Even so, the pure force of the kick rattled his brain a little, disorienting him briefly, but he made a quick enough recovery and dove back in to join the fight.

This strategy continued with the devil trying to put her off balance to give William the chance to strike again, and ever so steadily he was getting used to her speed, landing more hits here and there.

"Her skin is too tough..!" He said in a brief flair of annoyance.

"Speed it up, William!" Dante told him.

Clenching his teeth, he decided to tap into Mòrai's power a bit, his body crackling with sparks of sapphire Aura. As this happened, his speed improved immensely, and soon enough, both the young soldier and the devil were beginning to outpace their attacker entirely.

She was now the one on defense.

For a brief moment.

As the duo went to strike simultaneously from opposite sides, the cloaked attacker's hands shot out and caught both of their Blades, keeping them steadily in place.

Her hands began to glow with a silver light, and with a sound that could only be described as shards of glass scraping and crunching against each other continuously, huge streams of conjoined, transparent obelisk-shaped crystals filled with Dark Light shot out of her palms like a violent torrent of water and blew the both of them away onto their backs.

William's right sleeve had been burned away, his Semblance protecting him as his blackened arm glowed red hot for a few moments. Dante had been affected similarly, his gauntleted left hand and the sleeve underneath burned away. Even with his Threat Tracer ability, which used his Aura to defend him against an attack with pinpoint accuracy in terms of size and power, his forearm had been singed slightly.

Shit..! So she not only has Sealing Magic for Dark Entity abilities, but her main power is Dark Light Magic! This isn't good..!

The devil shook his head.

Eclypse, Sêrythîl! You guys take any damage?

~Not at all, Master.~

^I'm fine as well. While she may have incredible strength and powerful Magic, it wasn't enough to put strain on either of us in the slightest.^

Good to hear… Still…

Dante and William steadily got back up on their feet, raising their swords once again.

Before either could make a move, a huge bolt of lighting surged from where they entered, the duo looking back to see Noland and Inuba, who had hidden away her sword at this point in time, quickly entered.

The figure's cloaked head quickly took note of the two new arrivals, then shifted her attention back to Dante. She steadily walked backwards, then bolted off deeper into the cave.

"Not so fast!" The kitsune shouted.

She reached behind her to pull out four black paper talismans, each one etched with glowing white symbols and kanji, and shot them forward. The talismans blazed with white fire, quickly bolting through the cave and ahead of the figure, blocking her path with a translucent barrier of white flame.

Undeterred, the attacker kept her quick pace, and took a more forceful step ahead of her. Huge cluster shards of her Dark Light infused crystals shot out from her forward step, tearing through the barrier like paper to allow her to escape into the darkness.

William made to move forward, but was stopped by Dante.

"She's ahead of us and will likely block off the path ahead. While we broke through her initial crystal attacks at the start, she'll likely use a thicker mass like we saw in the cave. Chasing her is pointless now."

"But-!"

"Relax. Next time."

The young soldier grit his teeth, growling silently before he lowered Mòrai and dematerialized her.

The translucent energy that charged the air earlier had begun to thin out, the constant chill that was running down everyone's spine disappearing as well.

"It seems our friend from Argus decided to take another shot at you." Noland commented.

"Lucky me…" The devil replied.

"Are the both of you alright?" Inuba asked.

"I'm alright, Ms. Kitsukami." William told the kitsune.

"Same." Dante replied, his Aura immediately healing his singed arm, "What about you two? Any trouble?"

"We were blocked off, but we encountered no enemy resistance." She explained, "Noland managed to break through the barrier erected behind you eventually, which is how we've joined you."

At that moment, their Scrolls chirped, prompting them to bring out their Scrolls to see they received a message from Clover, which said their objective had been complete. After a moment or two, everyone from the dispatched teams reported in, and closed up their communication devices.

"We should head back up…" Dante stated, "What's the rule with reports?"

"Reports? Oh, um, after a mission we usually need to hand in reports an hour after we return to base." William explained.

"Seriously? What a pain…"

The devil took off ahead, Inuba and Noland following next to him while the young soldier lagged behind a little.

So that was a Dark Entity with Dark Light Magic… Not only was her Magic incredibly powerful, but her physical abilities and defense were absurd..! Even with Mòrai, I could only make some scratches…

William grasped his bare forearm, rubbing it slowly as his fingers brushed past the burnt edges of his sleeve.

Even with my Semblance, it felt like my arm was going to melt if I didn't focus my Aura so precisely… After all this time, I still can't protect my entire body…

He let go, letting his arm dangle at his side as he kept his pace, eyes focused on Dante.

I thought Dante was an absurdly powerful opponent, but our attacker was certainly startling… Grimm are one thing, but these Dark Entities are truly terrifying opponents. If we don't stop them…

"So, how was your first fight with a stupidly strong Dark Entity? Was it fun?" The devil asked William.

"F-Fun? Uh… I wouldn't quite describe it like that…"

"No worries! It'll be fun soon enough!"

He certainly is strange, but he's reliable without question. He could have left me on my own, but quickly adjusted his strategy to allow me to adjust appropriately to assist him. He's truly a remarkable warrior…

"I suppose I have to work even harder…" he murmured to himself.

---

"Are all of our fights with them going to be like that?"

"Not all of them." Dante answered William as the duo, Noland and Inuba were steadily making their way out of the mine to meet the others, "As long as you don't treat them like you do Grimm, you'll manage one way or another."

"What should you treat them as?"

"Worse than Grimm."

"I-I see…"

The young soldier was a little taken aback by the answer, but was grateful that it was a simple enough explanation. Still… The idea of these kinds of enemies in more numbers was a terrifying thing to imagine. Even so…

Dante was apparently an expert when it came to their kind.

If General Ironwood placed his complete trust in Aetherveil to handle this situation with the Dark Entities… then I should too. I shouldn't misjudge Dante simply because he's… very different.

"You did great, Will!" The young devil praised as he strongly patted the young soldier's back, "You've actually got some pretty good swordsmanship."

"You think so?"

"Hey, if you not only managed to keep up with me, but fluidly followed my lead without me having to tell you anything, you're pretty damn solid." The devil said, "I'm guessing you haven't really been fighting against others that proved that much of a challenge, huh? Except for your teammates, of course."

"We don't spar against each other actually…"

"Oh?"

"We mostly perform simulated drills with different partners or the whole squad. Other than our training sessions, our experience comes from the field. Well… It's actually better to say their experience comes from the field. I've, uh… been on standby until I was ready about two months ago to enter the field."

"Still, to be in the Ace Ops is a pretty big deal… Did you perhaps want to be an Inquisitor and work with your sister instead?"

"No, actually. I just… I don't really know what I was going to do with myself until General Ironwood offered to induct me into his forces. He saw my skills and abilities and decided I would fit in well with the Ace Ops." William continued to explain as he kept walking alongside Dante, "So I trained and studied for two years until I was officially added to the squad."

I see…

"Technically speaking, you're actually my first real assignment instead of just patrolling."

"Oh?"

"The General asked me to partner with you on missions to assist you as best as I can, as well as learn practical experience from you, seeing as you yourself have a great deal of experience."

"Kind of like an exchange program… I get it." The devil nodded.

Soon enough the group of four exited the caverns together, seeing their friends and allies in the distance talking amongst themselves.

"Oh, the way you took down that Geist without needing to plan your tactics out, you just knew exactly what to do!" Jaune complimented with a shine in his eyes.

"Well, Ace-Ops are hand-picked to perfectly compliment one another. So we can focus on our assets and leave our liabilities behind." Clover explained.

"Some of us are all asset, zero liability." Marrow replied confidently.

Elm Ederne scoffed, catching Marrow's attention.

"What? Think I've got some liabilities, Elm?"

"Your brains, for one."

Clover, Elm and Harriet Bree laughed, making Marrow pout as a result.

"You guys do have perfect, complementary teamwork. I want to have my friends' backs just like that." Ruby admired.

"Friends?" Harriet scoffed a little, raising an eyebrow at Ruby.

"This isn't the schoolyard, kid." Elm, the other war hammer wielder said.

Dante narrowed his eyes on them, the rest of his friends a little perplexed by the Ace Ops' words.

"But I mean, when you go through so much with someone, it kind of changes things, doesn't it?" Yang asked.

"We get along well enough, sure. I count on them to keep me alive. They do the same. But that's the job. We don't confuse the two." Harriet explained.

"What the hell was that…" Dante silently commented.

"That's how they usually are. Except Marrow and Commander Clover. They're a lot more open and friendly." William explained, "While we work flawlessly together on the field, we aren't so much a team when we're off it…"

"Isn't that… well, kind of sad?"

"I suppose it is… While we function perfectly out there, it doesn't feel like an actual team. It's not like what you and yours have."

"I see…"

That was… pretty disappointing to hear. Atlas' best unit and they're just… co-workers? Not even friends really?

~They're soldiers, Master. Not like us, Ruby, Jaune, and our merry band of idiots. Friendship isn't a necessary component in their lives of duty.~

*That may be my senior, but even soldiers are friends amongst each other. Family even.*

^The Empress speaks truth. Without trust, without unity, without camaraderie, a unit of soldiers can never truly function together as one. Yes, in battle they move together fluidly as one, like a river of sorts. But divert that river, interrupt the flow…^

And they're not so much a team anymore. Just idiots bumbling around.

~Doesn't matter what they are. We've got to work with them for the time being. If they're assholes they're assholes. We just deal with it.~

I guess so…

"Duty ever beckons. You all hang back a second." Clover told the group and Qrow.

"Thank you for taking care of me and guiding me today, mr. Aetherveil." William bowed briefly.

"Just Dante, Boy Scout. Now get going."

"R-Right…"

"And Will."

"Yes?"

"Let's hang out sometime, yeah?"

William's eyes went wide briefly, but he soon quickly relaxed and offered a thankful smile.

"I'll try to make time then."

As he said this, he and the rest of the Ace-Ops walked over to Ironwood, likely to give him a debrief.

"To think they're just… like colleagues or something…" Ruby said with a rather sad sigh.

"It is a bit disheartening to hear, but there isn't much we're able to do about it, is there?" Inuba replied.

Ruby slapped the sides of her cheeks to reorient herself, turning to ask Dante, Inuba, Noland and her team, "What do you guys want to do when we get back to Atlas? Sightseeing? Oh, what should we visit first?!"

"How about our beds?" Blake replied with a yawn, heading towards a cage to sit on it.

"Oh, come on, guys! This is a great time to go exploring! We haven't done that in so long!"

"Ruby, we just explored a whole continent on foot before flying to this one." Weiss told the little reaper, joining Blake in taking a seat.

"Well, yeah, but... it was only the boring parts…"

"Uh, did you forget we almost died?" Yang asked.

"Pfft!"

Having had her fill of excitement for once, Yang walked away as well, leaving Ruby to frown.

"Cheer up, Ruby. We can go exploring after they let us off." Dante told her.

"Really?!"

"Really."

"I'd like to join you as well." Inuba added, "I'll call Blaire to ask if he would like to join us."

"I've had my fill for the day." Noland spoke up, "I'd like to catch up on some reading."

"All you do is read, you donut…" Dante complained.

"I've always had a fascination with Atlas' architecture… I thought I should take the chance to do so while I'm here."

"You do you, I guess…"

"Can I get the team leaders over here?" Ironwood called over, "There's something I'd like to discuss with you. You too, Qrow."

Jaune, Ruby, Dante and the veteran Huntsmen shared glances between each other, but quickly made their way over. The General gave his last order to Clover and the team leader of the Ace Ops quickly took his leave.

"New problems in Mantle?" Qrow's asked.

"More of the same, unfortunately." Ironwood replied.

He deployed his Scroll, using it to generate a hologram screen in the air in front of him. The left side of the screen displayed an Atlas Military Police mugshot of Forest, while the right side displayed a photograph of Forest's corpse in an alleyway somewhere in midtown Mantle.

"Special case?" Dante asked.

The General quickly picked up on the meaning of his "coded" question and shook his head, "Someone in Mantle is taking out public leaders who speak out against Atlas. Specifically, people who speak out against me. It didn't look like a pattern at first. But this is the third murder of its kind in the last week."

"Wait a minute… That's the guy that rode with us after we were arrested." Jaune pointed out.

"And now he's dead." Dante quickly added, "I'm guessing this was a strategic maneuver?"

"Your opposition in Mantle dropping dead wouldn't exactly be a good look for you, huh?" Qrow stated, crossing his arms.

Ironwood deactivated the hologram screen and put away his Scroll, "I'm not really worried about my public image, but it is causing unrest. As mr. Aetherveil surmised, I think someone's trying to frame me and, by extension, Atlas. And it's working."

"Well, if it wasn't for the embargo making everybody so mad, people probably wouldn't be so quick to blame you for everything else." Jaune said, soon realizing that was probably not the best thing to say.

Ironwood frowned as he looked at Jaune, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers

"Unfortunately mr. Arc, you're right. Things in Mantle have been... hard to manage lately. I'm not blind to its issues. In fact, that's what I want to talk to you about. All of you."

He turned and looked up at Amity Colosseum.

"With the launch of this mobile communications tower and tensions down in Mantle, I think there's a lot of good your teams can do here."

"You want us to help out around town down in Mantle? Smooth things over with the public?" Dante asked.

"Yes, but I'm mostly asking since we're in short supply of Huntsmen and Huntresses. If you and your teams can help people down in Mantle, not only will it alleviate the tension they're feeling, but it'll help relieve some pressure in Atlas."

"I'm for it. What about you guys?" Dante asked Ruby and Jaune.

"We can definitely help out across Mantle." The blonde knight affirmed.

"We'll do our best!" Ruby added.

The General smiled, nodding his head. Soon, his communicator beeped, and he put his finger to it, listening.

"What? Already? No, it's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself."

"Problems in Mantle?" Asked Dante.

The sound of an airship flying overhead echoed across the sky, the group down below looking up to see it on its way to the landing pad.

"No. This one's an Atlas problem."

The ship, bearing the Schnee Dust Company logo, descended onto a landing pad, where Ironwood and Dante, RWBY stood waiting. JNR stood a distance away with Qrow, Inuba and Noland. A ramp then extended from the bottom of the ship's double door, which opened to reveal an angry, well dressed, white haired, mustachioed man making his way down the ramp.

Jacques Schnee.

"He seems a little pissed…" Dante whispered over to the General.

"Just wait for it..." Ironwood sighed.

The current CEO of the SDC strutted towards them, fixing the cuffs of his dress jacket, "So let me get this straight, James…" He started, folding his hand behind his back, "In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?"

Oh yeah. This guy's an ass-clown.

He then aggressively pointed at the General, "When the Council hears about this, you will never-!"

"Actually, I've already informed them. As this is now the site of a classified military operation. It didn't even require a vote."

Dante could see the General trying his best to not let his lips curl into a smile.

Seems like Ironwood gets a bit of a kick being a little spiteful to this guy…

"Didn't require a vote?!"

"You might want to brush up on Council law before you lose this upcoming election, Jacques. Now… I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception."

Jacques glared at Ironwood.

"Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are. I'm going to get that Council seat, James, and maybe then, you'll-"

The older man stopped suddenly, rudely pushing past Dante to see Weiss further away, who stood up once she realized her father noticed her.

"You…" He spun around to look at the General once more, "You roped my missing daughter into these schemes of yours, too?! How long has she been back in Atlas?! Did Winter know about this?!"

From what the devil could see, Weiss was beginning to show signs of immense irritation and stepped forward to face Jacques.

"It was my decision to come here. Just like it was my decision to leave. Or did you conveniently forget about that?" The girl said.

"If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl, then you've misjudged the man your father is."

"Believe me, I know exactly the kind of man you are."

Dante chortled silently at Weiss' moment of sass, his lips pursing together to stop himself from making any sort of noise.

"How dare you speak to me that way!? I have half a mind to-!"

"Do what… exactly?"

Jacques froze at the sudden, chilling voice of Dante, stepping back a bit as he narrowed his eyes and adjusted his cuff links once again.

"You know... your mother was devastated when you left."

The sudden mention of her mother certainly made Weiss upset, the girl narrowing her eyes harshly on her father.

"Didn't leave her room for days. You know how she gets... when she's upset."

Jacques acted sad while he spoke, taking a moment to peek at Weiss' reaction.

Her eyes glimmered with sadness, for now it was difficult to keep her defiant attitude as she cast her gaze downwards, frowning.

Jaques, still breathing in his cheap victory, glared at Ruby, Blake and Yang, unimpressed with the company she kept. Blake in particular glared right back, and far more intensely than he did at her. He scoffed, smirking as he turned to face Ironwood again.

"I knew one day you would overextend your reach. I didn't come here to beg for an abandoned mine. No, I came here to thank you…" he said stepping up to the General, Dante moving away to stand next to Weiss, as Ruby, Blake and Yang stood opposite of them, "for personally handing me the noose to hang you." The man spoke, clenching his fist tightly.

The Schnee patriarch turned to look back at Weiss.

"So these are the little friends you threw everything away for?" He glanced at them once again, "Unsurprising…"

"Not friends… Family." She bit back, her heart strengthened once again by the presence of her team.

"Oh? And I suppose this… criminal, degenerate is also part of this little family of yours?" He waved his hand over to Dante.

…

…

Weiss' mind suddenly sparked to life a grand idea. One that would surely upset her father a great deal further.

"Says the bastard wearing a shoe-brush above his lip." The young devil scoffed, "Or is that a rat on your face? My eyes are kinda bad in this weather, can't really tell."

"You insolent, little-!"

Jacques froze when he saw his daughter step closer to the young devil, interlocking her arm with his as she leaned her head against his arm, an action that not only shocked the Schnee patriarch, but Ruby, Yang and Blake.

Dante, meanwhile, shot a confused glance at Weiss, who smirked at her father defiantly, despite her beginning to become embarrassed with her idea.

"This degenerate… is more than just family, father. He's…"

The words were stuck in her throat, the realization of what she was about to say fully sinking in. But…

…

She proceeded regardless.

"He's the man I intend to make my husband!" Weiss proudly proclaimed, eyes nervously darting about.

It took him a few moments to process what he just heard, but when it happened, a sound akin to a glass window completely shattering sounded off in Dante's head. This was the case not only for himself, but for Ruby, Blake and Yang as well.

The once-heiress had a wide smirk on her face, despite her cheeks blushing a furious red and her lips quivering a little.

But the payoff was a spectacular sight before her; her heart swelled with joy when she saw Jacques sputtering and babbling incoherent words, gesturing frantically as he did so.

"Y-You! Y-You can't marry this man! I f-forbid it!"

"I've long since left home, father. I can do whatever I want with my life. As such, I've decided to spend my life with this man."

Weiss had completely defeated him in this moment.

This was evidenced by the fact that Jacques seemingly forgot how to speak, and subsequently stormed off back to his ship, angrily muttering the whole way.

Ruby, Blake and Yang looked at Weiss with complete shock, Ruby more shocked than the rest of them.

Correction, Dante had been the one most shocked, considering he was as still as a statue. Currently, his mind was dedicated to being just that. A statue.

Weiss soon let go of his arm, exhaling deeply before bringing both hands to her face, unable to hide her embarrassment, and subsequently, her confident façade as the ship her father came in on flew away.

"I-I'm sorry! Really I am!" She squealed silently behind her hands, "I-I couldn't think of anything else that would upset him!"

"O-Oh… So that's what that was about…" Ruby said, eyeing Weiss quizzically.

"Haha! You got him pretty good, Weiss!" Yang patted her teammate on the back.

"Extremely bold, but… really effective." Blake added.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Wiess turned around to face Dante, still seeing him standing there, frozen in place.

"Hang on, I got this." Ruby told them.

The little reaper stood up on the tips of her toes, sandwiching his cheeks between her hands as she rubbed them in circular motions. Soon enough, the devil came to, blinking rapidly for a few moments before he turned his attention to Weiss.

"That was your best plan?"

"I'm sorry!" She apologized yet again, "It really was the only thing I could think of to get back at him!"

"J-Just warn me next time if you have a crazy, theatrical plan like that…"

"W-Well… In that case…" Weiss cleared throat, placing her hands on her hips, "No doubt I'll be pestered by many people in the coming days, and I'll likely have to attend the events I'm invited to now that I've returned, since it'd be rude not to make an appearance. I-If it's not too much trouble… Would you be willing to help me like this?"

"So you want me to pretend to be your finely selected fiancé that you snagged?"

"Y-Yes."

"You do realize how scandalous this idea of yours is, right? I mean, me with my fairly shaky reputation, you the renowned Weiss Schnee-"

"Does something like that really matter?" She quickly replied.

…

He was about to think to himself that such a response was unexpected, but considering how Weiss was now… It actually wasn't all too surprising to hear such a thing.

She really has come a long way since Beacon…

"I guess not… So, how are we doing this? You gonna put a collar on me and ask me to go 'woof' or something?"

Weiss punched Dante in the shoulder, a flicker of pain running through his arm as he smiled.

"Just having a bit of fun…" The young devil rubbed his arm.

"Help me make this lie real. That's all." She told him, crossing her arms, "And of course, help me keep pushy people away."

"Alright."

"More importantly… Is that alright with you, Ruby? Again, I'm sorry about-"

"It's fine! I mean, I get it since he's super reliable. Right?"

"R-Right…" Weiss said, "Of course, that's… exactly it…" She nervously cleared her throat.

"Just be careful with him." Ruby leaned in to whisper to her partner, "He talks a big game about scandalous stuff but he's pretty scandalous himself!"

"Hey." She heard Dante, who plopped his hand on the top of her head.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

"This is going to go well…" Blake leaned over and whispered to Yang.

"Totally gonna go wrong in all sorts of ways…"

Their playful banter was soon interrupted by an approaching truck that stopped on the platform, Winter opening the passenger door to peek out and see the ship leaving.

"Oh, now you show up, Winter. You just missed father."

"I wouldn't say I missed hi-"

They were interrupted by something that sounded like a jet, Penny soon crashing down and landing on one knee. The force from her landing sent RWBY flying with a small scream, while Winter steadied herself and Dante remained unmoved against the shockwave.

Penny then straightened up and threw her hands into the air, the word "CONGRATULATIONS!" appearing above her head as a green hologram, with bright green confetti spawned from it with a party horn sound.

"Surprise!"

She looked around with a giant grin as the hologram flickered off, quickly noticing Team RWBY on the ground as her grin faded.

"Oh! Did we not start yet?" She asked innocently.

Winter put her fingertips to her forehead in exasperation, while Ironwood and Dante chuckled lightly.

"Apparently, we haven't…" Winter said.

"Start what?" Dante asked, helping up Ruby and Weiss.

"Something that calls for celebration." Ironwood told them.

---

As the sun set, Dante, Inuba, RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Winter, Penny and Ironwood were gathered in the center of Amity Colosseum's arena. The young Huntsmen and Huntresses in training stood lined up together, with the General, Winter and Penny standing across from them and Qrow standing off to the side.

"It goes without saying that this arena holds significance to all of us currently present. It's only fitting that we should reconvene here, especially since the world, now more than ever, needs to be brought together. The road you traveled from our first meeting hasn't been easy."

While he spoke, Ironwood began walking along in front of RWBY, JNR, Dante and Inuba, while Penny, who was holding a tablet-sized Scroll, excitedly bounced up and down until Winter placed a hand on the girl's shoulder to hold her still.

"You fought for your school and your friends at Beacon. You fought for the world and the innocent at Haven Academy and beyond. You faced down terrors people can't even fathom. And despite the dark times we find ourselves in, you all continue to fight, undeterred. That's not the behavior of students. It's the behavior… of Huntsmen and Huntresses."

He looked over at Penny and gave her a nod, the girl happily humming and walking past JNR, RWBY, and Inuba, stopping in front of each person to tap her Scroll against theirs. With each tap, her Scroll emitted a beep and the other's Scroll buzzed. Ren's Scroll was the first to buzz, his holographic display popping up from the black diamond stud on his collar.

It displayed his student license, which displayed a photograph of him in his new outfit with his emblem in the top left corner and a barcode below the photo. The Vale symbol is in the background behind the license information. The screen then blinked, and the license suddenly changed. The Kingdom of Atlas symbol was now in the background behind the information, with the renewed license display a very significant change.

HUNTSMAN LICENSE Atlas. Class C.

"Wait... What is this?" He asked.

Everyone else checked their Scrolls, seeing the same thing happening to their license.

Except Dante.

"You are being granted your Huntsman licenses. Today."

As Penny rejoined her superior officers, her Scroll displayed the Atlas Huntsman License Registry, with all of their names, save Dante's on screen.

"I know this is coming a little ahead of schedule, but Brothers know you deserve it. I only regret that I couldn't do something a little more ceremonious for the occasion."

"W-We… We're honored, General Ironwood. But you really don't have to do th-"

"Please." Ironwood said as he raised up his hand briefly, "With the threat of Salem still out there and tensions rising in our Kingdom, I certainly could use more trustworthy fighters by my side. And like I said, you all deserve it. All of you."

As he finished his sentence, he approached Dante, the two looking directly into each other's eyes as everyone else finally realized he didn't have his name on the board.

"I wanted to do this personally, seeing as today is not only a momentous occasion for them…" He waved to the devil's allies, "But for you as well."

"Uh… thanks?" The teen said, confused by the whole situation.

The General smiled proudly.

"Dante Aetherveil. Along with the efforts of your allies, you have gone to great lengths to protect the people of Remnant. You fought across all of Sanus and Anima, defending the lives of others from certain doom. You've eradicated Grimm that only some of us have ever heard stories of. You were the shield that defended this World from threats foreign to even us. And for that… On behalf of all of us, we thank you for your immeasurable courage, and your unwavering bravery."

Ironwood took out his Scroll, prompting Dante to remove the black diamond stud on his collar that was his Scroll.

"After… a great deal of deliberation with the Council…" The General chuckled, "And after deliberating with three others…"

He tapped his Scroll against Dante's, his holographically projected screen flashing to life with his license as it blinked rapidly a few times. His Student License had been updated to a Huntsmen License, only the background of his license, compared to everyone else, was black while the letter font was white. But the most significant difference was further below.

Class S.

"It is with great honor that I induct you into the ranks of the S-Class Huntsmen and Huntresses."

...

...

He was… shocked. Perplexed. Something that rarely occurred. At the moment, he was actually frankly convinced that he was trapped in some illusionary space by an enemy.

But it was real. All of it.

His friends, Ruby and Inuba looked on in awe, until Yang shattered the silence with a resounding cheer, Jaune and Nora soon joining her along with Ruby and Penny.

The General extended his hand, the utterly shocked Dante not taking it until a few moments later, shaking his head and stuttering while he gave the General a firm handshake. As Ironwood walked away from them, the young devil was crowded by everyone, hugs and cheers going all around in celebration of his rank.

"Today is a big moment." Ironwood spoke again, the group quieting down to hear him speak, "And what better way than to celebrate here? When this tower is ready and communications are back up and running, we'll tell the world about Salem and face down whatever comes at us after that. Together."

He inhaled steadily, then exhaled, smiling upon the group once more.

"That's… just about all the pomp I have in me." He chuckled, awkwardly adjusting his tie, "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to running this operation. Um… Enjoy the cake." He pointed out before he took his leave, Winter following behind him.

"Your speech outros are improving, sir!" Penny encouraged, waving goodbye to the General

They all looked at their Scrolls once more, still taking in the event of what just transpired. Dante most of all.

"After everything we've been through… I almost forgot this is what I wanted in the first place." Yang explained, holding her Scroll up and staring at her license.

"When Beacon fell, I didn't think this would even be possible…" Blake added.

"Geez guys, lighten up a little. Enjoy yourselves for a change. You've earned it." Qrow stepped up.

"Finally! Someone said it. Let's kill some cake, huh?!" Nora moved forward, throwing a fist in the air, "Because I can eat two slices before Ren even eats one. Who says I can't? Who says it, huh!?"

"Nora, nobody is arguing with you about this."

Everyone began circling the table, Penny quickly cutting the rectangular cake in quadrants to serve a slice to each person.

"You know how many people would kill for a license like yours?"

Dante spun around, seeing that Qrow had walked up behind him and patted the young man on his back.

"You're in the big leagues now, kid."

"I… I honestly don't know what to say… Did you-?"

"Hah! As if. I'm good, but I'm only as good as A-Rank."

"If it wasn't you, then how did this… happen?" Dante asked.

"Normally, people that are given your kind of classification are sought out based on urban legends, rumors, feats, etc. After all, what Kingdom would pass up on a Huntsmen or Huntress that proves to be not only extremely powerful, but reliable and useful?" Qrow explained, "After your type is found, they typically undergo testing to see if they're fit to have a license. Along the same time, individuals of the same rank gather to deliberate if you're worthy enough. From what Ozpin told me a long time ago, it takes the approval of three other S-Class Huntsmen or Huntresses, and approval from the Academy Headmaster of the Kingdom they're currently based in to induct a new S-Class Huntsman."

If that's true, then it's possible Nira was one of the deciding votes. But who were the other two? Is it possible I met one of them?

"I guess they skipped testing… Likely because of Davis' reports on you since he's been… well, very descriptive of your feats and battles."

"I… I don't know… I just... feel like I don't deserve this, and-"

"Kid, I've seen you fight against some stupidly strong freaks wearing Grimm masks, a freaking Leviathan, and… whatever that guy at Argus was. I think you've earned it twice over."

Dante silently sighed to himself, still unsure of whether or not he truly deserved the ranking he received. Frankly, he preferred if he got the same ranking as everyone else. He was even considering chasing down the General to ask him to change it, but…

…

If he went through that much effort to make him an S-Class Huntsmen, he felt it would be rude, even disrespectful to ask to give him something else. That… and he remembered what Avery Davis told him when they first met.

The people desperately need a Symbol of Hope in these trying times. That Symbol would keep them strong, and would make them want to fight against the evil that constantly tries to kill and enslave them.

He understood the critical importance of such a Symbol.

How could he forget when he saw a perfect example of such a Symbol not too long ago?

…

…

"Nothing but trouble…" The young devil sighed.

"Get used to it, kid." Qrow patted the young man on the back again.

Dante moved towards the group, seeing Ruby run up to him and tackle-hug him.

"I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks. Still… very surprised though..."

"Don't be. You earned it after everything you've been through."

"I don't know…"

"Ugh! Stop being so darn modest all the time!" She quickly kissed him on the cheek, "Just go with it."

"A-Alright." Dante replied, giving Ruby a hearty hug and a kiss on her cheek before letting her go.

As Ruby went on over to talk with her uncle, Dante joined everyone else as they gave him a quick cheer.

"Stop, stop." He quickly calmed them down, "Guys, this doesn't change anything. I'm still me, and you guys are still my lovable band of misfits that I adore very much. It's been a long road, but we made it here. Together. And now that we're here, we gotta show these guys from Atlas we aren't just a band of school kids that got by on luck. Now that we're the real deal… we gotta put our absolute best foot forward. So with that… Gimme cake, please. And yes, Nora. I'll arm-wrestle you later."

"YES!" The ginger called out eagerly from the back

Penny approached the young devil, bringing over a plate of minty chocolate cake and handing it over to him as everyone returned to chatting amongst themselves.

"I must say, even I didn't expect you to receive an S-Rank classification. But after going over a great deal of the reports written by Avery Davis, I frankly agree with their judgement."

"Eh… He probably exaggerated a detail or two…"

"On the contrary! His reputation as a truthful reporter counters such notions!"

"I guess."

Penny pouted, placing her hands on her hips in a rather cute fashion.

"Ever since I met you in Vale almost two years go, I've always thought that you were simply too humble." Penny explained, "You are an incredible individual. Your being here is quite frankly an anomaly, but still very much incredible."

"I'm not that special…"

"But you are! If I had to describe it… You are like…" Penny paused a moment, putting a finger to her lip to think, "Like a star that fell down from the night sky onto our world, gracing us with your presence."

"That's a new one, but ok."

"That's how I see you. You are… kind, and strong, and… all sorts of wonderful things!"

At times, Penny had a rather child-like innocence to her speech that was… endearing. It was… simple, but very sweet. It was something Dante appreciated about her a great deal.

"I believe you'll do great things. Both here in Atlas, and onward."

"But here and now is the important bit. It's where we have to push back and say-"

Dante paused to quickly choose his words better.

"Er… Uh… Go away! And stuff like that." He fumbled a bit, eating a piece of his cake.

"Yes! We certainly have to tell Salem to go away and leave us alone!" The Android girl proudly proclaimed.

"You tell her, Penny."

"Oh! I just remembered something very important!"

"Did you now?"

"Indeed! I have… something of a personal request for you."

"A request? What for?"

"It involves use of… um… your workplace."

"Workplace?"

…

Wait, does she-?

He cast her a questioning glance, and she blinked, likely a silent "yes" to the question he just asked himself.

"I-I see… You want me to… what? Do a check up on your systems?"

"I would like to see if you're capable of making any possible upgrades." The girl looked to Yang, specifically her prosthetic arm, "Ms. Xiao Long has explained to me in great detail that you heavily modified her prosthetic. Improved it dramatically, even. I was wondering if you could assist me with modifying… certain energy outputs."

She hiccupped after she spoke.

She just lied. Is she concerned they might check her memory?

"Um… Come visit me tomorrow and we'll figure something out. That alright with you?"

"Of course! Whenever you are available!"

He gave the girl a nod, seeing Yang walking over to them,

"Hey, hotshot! Come check this out!"

Shrugging, the young devil and Penny walked over, Ruby joining them as they saw Yang point behind herself with her thumb.

"Oh my gosh, is that a mission board? It's an app now!?" Ruby exclaimed with excitement, "Can we ride a Megoliath? Stop an underground crime ring? Do I get to go…" She turned away, putting on her hood and turned back to strike a dramatic pose, "undercover?"

"All of those are very much possible!" Penny replied eagerly.

"Hey, do you guys smell that?"

They all turned around to see Marrow, with William standing next to him, while Elm and Vine hung back.

"Smells like… fresh meat." The Faunus called out.

Vine took a whiff of the air, "That's odd. I don't smell meat."

"Neither do I." Ren added, having done the same thing.

"You know what? Nevermind." Marrow groaned.

"Let me get this straight…" Elm stepped forward, "You've only been official for an hour now and you're already looking for Huntsman work?"

"To be fair, we've technically been official for a whole…" Weiss withdrew her Scroll and checked the time, "Fifty-seven minutes."

"I'd like to remind you all that the real mission here is ensuring the successful launch of the communications tower." Vine explained.

"True, but we can also keep training and improving by helping where we can." Ren answered.

Elm laughed a little, "The enthusiasm of youths!"

"Well, it's hard to argue with that." Marrow shrugged as he walked over to the Mission Board, "Okay, let's see what we have here… Ooh, here's an important one. Who wants to volunteer?"

He turned to look, seeing RWBY and JNR all raise their hands, calling out "Yes!" and "Alright!"

That was until Marrow explained the details of the mission.

"We need someone to escort children to pre-primary school down in Mantle. There's not actually any danger, but the parents fret, and that attracts Grimm."

Everyone but Jaune dropped their hands.

"Perfect! Thanks… uh, Juan… Jwan… Jim?"

"Close enough, I guess." Jaune chuckled awkwardly, "Wow, my first Huntsman mission..!"

Elm slid over and knocked Marrow aside with her palm, causing him to scream. She quickly swiped down on the mission board, causing the missions to scroll by rapidly until she slapped one of the missions, bringing up a Search and Destroy mission with an image depicting a rotating 3D model of a Sabyr.

"A massive Sabyr is loose in the Mantle sewers! We need two brave warriors to flush it out!"

Everyone but Jaune raised their hands, gasping excitedly, while Jaune looked around, bewildered.

"Wha-? But-! Why didn't I get a choice for that one?!" He asked.

His friends began laughing, Dante patting him on the back.

"Cheer up, Kindergarten Cop. You'll do great."

---

Whoo boy that was a pretty meaty chapter. Again, sorry for disappearing for so long. It's been a little crazy with family stuff and other things. I'll try harder to get these out quicker, I promise.

But hey, we got a first glimpse at some of the power Dante's attacker on the train has. And we learned a little more about Dark Light today as a bonus.

And hey! Our boy's been classified as a new S-Rank Huntsmen! (Party horn sounds). To clarify, Kingdoms rarely find these types of individuals, and when they do, it's usually through urban legends and stories and the like.

They're supposed to be rare, which is why there's very few of them. As of this moment, Dante is now the current 10th addition to their ranks in the last five or so years. And you've already met two of them. Nira, obviously. But who's the other one we've seen? Hmm…

Anyway, that's all I had to say. So with that…

If you have questions, ask them anytime. I will try to answer them without spoiling anything.

Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Your support genuinely matters.

With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend, and remember... be kind and excellent to one another, stay safe, and stay healthy.