Chapter 15: The Endgame
"Alright people, let's keep it going!"
Altas soldiers and the Happy Huntresses were helping evacuate Mantle. Following the General's orders, all ships were to be taken far from the kingdom, in the opposite direction of the front of the city of Atlas. However, the cloud had arrived just outside of Atlas for everyone to see. They were out of time.
"Robyn...will this really work?" Fiona asked Robyn, who was wearing her Mandalorian armor.
"It has too. Otherwise..." she stopped and thought about all the people that would die if they failed.
"Hey, don't worry," Joanna said. "This will work."
Suddenly, everyone heard a loud crash that caused the ground to shake. The citizens started to panic, wondering what just happened.
"May, what was that?!" Robyn yelled to May, who was keeping lookout for Grimm on a building.
"It worked!" May yelled. "A giant Grimm fell from the sky! And the other ships are leaving!"
The citizens and soldiers all started to cheer. Robyn flew up to May and got a look at the whale Grimm that fell from the cloud.
Robyn smiled at the sight. The plan she made with the Mandalorian worked. Now they have a better chance.
"Okay everyone!" Robyn yelled down. "We may have stopped that Grimm, but more are still on the way. Keep it moving!"
"You're right." May called to Robyn. Turning around, Robyn saw May holding a pair of binoculars and staring into the cloud. "More Grimm are on their way. Call the General, tell him we need-" May suddenly stopped talking.
"May? What is it?" May didn't reply. So, Robyn moved the antenna on her helmet to her visor to see what May was looking at. She could make out a large force of flying Grimm. At the front were three Grimm carrying a person on their backs. And leading them was a flying pale woman with a smile on her face.
"It's...it's her."
[Play 'Attack on Titan XL-TT' on YouTube]
Salem arrived at the metal walls of Atlas and stopped. She slowly raised her hands and two pieces of the wall began to rise. Throwing them, she managed to destroy multiple buildings. Taking another piece, she threw it towards the center of the city.
The piece was heading straight for the ship Robyn and May were near, and it landed right on top of it. Fiona and Joanna avoided it, but the citizens near the ship weren't so lucky. They were crushed and the ship was destroyed.
Citizens that were waiting farther away began to panic. They were running and screaming as dozens of Manticores began to land. The Grimm began to destroy everything they saw and kill anyone in their sight. Packs of Sabyrs began to run in and join the massacre.
Women. Men. Children. All of them were being torn apart before the Huntresses' eyes. Fiona and Joanna tried to fire bolts at any Grimm they saw, but they were too fast. The Atlas soldiers helping with the evacuation fired at every Grimm they saw. But their bullets barely affected the Grimm. Robyn and May jumped down to help, but were having no luck. Suddenly, the three people from before jumped down and and attacked the Huntresses. Hazel caught Joanna's staff and threw it away. Grabbing her by the throat, Hazel squeezed tighter and tighter. Jonna struggled in his grip, but it was useless. A snap was heard...and Joanna went limp. Emerald jumped in front of Fiona and walked towards her. Fiona began to fire in multiple directions, seeing multiple versions of the girl running towards her. However, all missed the original and Emerald pointed her weapons and fired at Fiona. Mercury was making quick work of the soldiers, disarming them and breaking their helmets with his legs.
May managed to gather a group of people and activate her Invisibility Semblance. Grabbing Robyn, May backed away into an alley with the rest of the people. All they could do was watch as the Grimm destroyed their city. May put her finger to her lips and shushed the crowd. They had to make sure the Grimm couldn't hear them.
Salem landed on the ground smiling, enjoying her handiwork. She admired the work her Grimm were doing, and with her servants taking care of those Huntresses, things only got better. But...she couldn't let them have all the fun.
Salem fired blasts of red fire from her hands at civilians and buildings. Salem watched as they fled in terror with two Saybrs chasing after them. Suddenly, a bolt whizzed past her cheek, slightly cutting it. Slowly turning around as the cut healed, she saw a man holding Joanna's staff in its crossbow form, with fear on his face.
"...Oh shit." That was the last he would say, as Salem held out her hand and he flew into her palm.
"Die." she said, breaking the man's neck.
Salem looked up to see two airships coming towards her, but made quick work of them by pressing her hands together. The ships flew into each other and exploded. Another one landed farther away, with the Ace-Ops and Qrow walking out. Hazel walked up to her.
"Ma'am, should we take care of them?" he asked.
"...Yes." Salem said. "The Grimm will continue to destroy Mantle. Your priority is the Huntsmen."
With that, Salem rose from her feet, and went to Atlas.
Mantle would soon be dealt with. Now it was Atlas' turn.
The battle had officially begun.
[End music]
Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Oscar managed to catch up to Penny. Winter needed to be taken to the hospital, her battle with Cinder was too much. However, Cinder escaped once the team arrived.
"Cinder's still out there." Jaune said. "We need to stop her now."
"First, we need to find her." Ren said. "She could be anywhere, helping Salem destroy the city."
"Maybe we don't have to find her." Oscar said. "Let her come to us. She didn't seem fazed after fighting Winter, she'll be ready to fight the next Winter Maiden."
"Penny, do you think you can distract Cinder?" Nora asked.
"Yes." Penny said. "I can help."
"Alright." Jaune said. "Let's get moving."
Cinder was beyond furious. She was destroying everything in sight. Atlesian airships, Grimm, everything.
At the moment, she was flying in the air with rage. She failed to take the power of the Winter Maiden. Even worse, she was stopped by an old, dying woman.
All her life, Cinder was called weak. Not only was she called it, the people she was forced to surround herself with were able to prove it as well. It wasn't until Salem came to her and she was given power. But without her, she was nothing. She always needed others to get the power she wanted. Emerald and Mercury helped her with the Fall Maiden. The Mandalorian helped her with the Spring Maiden. But when she tried alone, she failed. No matter how much power she gained, the fact she couldn't gain anything alone was her true weakness.
Deep down, Cinder knew this to be true.
And this fueled her anger. This made everything around her perish in flames.
As she landed on the ground, a Manticore sensed her anger and charged. Cinder summoned two swords and prepared to fight.
"Stop."
Both Cinder and the Manticore stopped in their tracks. Cinder turned to come face-to-face with Salem.
"My Queen." Cinder bowed.
"Cinder. When I chose you as my vessel for the Maidens, I put my trust in you. So I trust that you possibly wouldn't kneel before me empty handed."
Cinder had to choose her words very carefully. If Salem knew she failed again, the consequences would be grave.
"I am in the process of claiming the power of the Winter Maiden." Cinder said. "With it, I will open the Vault and deliver the Relic of Creation to you."
"I can sense your anger, Cinder. What happened?"
"...Polendina's creation took it before I could find the previous Maiden. By the time I arrived, there was nothing I could do. I will find her. And I will kill her."
"...Then go. And do not fail me again."
The Ace-Ops and Qrow all stood and looked at their new enemies. They needed a plan before attacking.
"Clover, the big guy can use his Semblance to block out pain. He can also inject Dust into his own body."
"We don't need him to feel pain." Elm said. "I just need to bring him down."
"Qrow, you, Harriet, and Vine focus on killing as many Grimm as you can. We'll call you if we need help." Clover ordered.
"Wish us luck." Elm with a smile.
"Why?" Qrow asked. "You got him, don't you?" referring to Clover. With that, the Huntsmen and Huntresses got to work.
As Qrow took down a Sabyr, he saw a Manticore flying towards him. It suddenly turned to dust as a blaster bolt hit it in the face. Turning around, he saw a certain Huntress in Mandalorian armor.
"Need some help?" she asked.
"Any we can get." he replied.
Penny was using her Maiden powers for the first time. She was flying and destroying any large Grimm she could see in the city of Atlas. The Atlesian airships could deal with the Manticores, but they could use any help they could get with the larger Grimm.
Penny was in the middle of helping a squadron of airships when something grabbed her from behind. She was then tossed to the ground. Looking up, she saw Cinder staring at her with a smile on her face.
"Surrender." Penny ordered.
"How does it feel?" Cinder asked.
"What?"
"You have the power of the Winter Maiden. You may not be human, but I know you can somehow feel things. So tell me, how does the power feel?"
"It... it feels...like a burden." Cinder's smile faded as Penny continued. "I feel...guilty. This was meant for Winter. Not me."
"You're choosing not to embrace it? Then you don't deserve it." Cinder's face contorted in anger. "One way or another, it will be mine."
Cinder charged at Penny, who quickly sent forth a gust of wind. Cinder stopped and sent a wave of fire towards her. The fire quickly blew back into her face. But she didn't seem fazed.
"Let's try that again, shall we?"
Penny stopped the wind and activated her swords. She sent one of them towards Cinder, who easily caught it in her Grimm arm.
"GET OVER HERE!" Cinder pulled the sword and punched Penny with her other hand, which had a ball of fire on it. As the ball exploded, Penny flew backwards and hit a wall. But she quickly recovered and sent a wave of wind at Cinder.
Cinder quickly dodged this, but Penny kept sending more. Cinder used her Maiden powers of Spring and Fall to summon even more fire, which countered the wind. Penny gasped at this, then tried to fly away. Cinder sent more fire her way, intending to blast her out of the sky. After a minute of doing this, she finally hit Penny. She fell out of the sky and hit the ground. Before she could recover, Cinder sent her Grimm arm at Penny and latched onto her chest. Suddenly, a green glow came from the arm as Cinder began to drain Penny of her powers. Smiling and coming closer, Cinder stared deep into Penny's eyes.
"Any last words?" Cinder asked.
Summoning all her strength, Penny said one phrase.
"FLOWER POWER!"
"...What?"
Suddenly, Cinder felt two hooks into her back. Turning her head, she saw Ren had fired his grappling hooks into her back and was pulling her back. Cinder then heard a loud scream as she saw Nora jump in the air and use her battle axe to cut Cinder's Grimm arm. Letting out a scream of agony, Cinder fell to the ground and felt a cold sensation on her legs. Looking behind her, she saw Penny freezing her legs. As her arm grew back, she sent it towards Penny to stop her, but it made contact with Jaune's shield. Once it did, Jaune cut it again, and Cinder let out another loud scream. The last thing she saw before everything went black was Oscar running up and hitting her head with his cane. Penny moved her arms and Cinder's body began to turn into a block of ice.
"Wish that worked the first time, but I'm not complaining." Jaune said, recalling the first time he tried to use the phrase "Flower Power" at the Vytal Festival.
"Is she...?" Ren asked.
"I don't think so." Oscar added. "I knocked her out with my cane, but I don't think it killed her."
"If anything, the cold from the ice might kill her." Nora guessed.
Everyone turned to Penny, who was kneeling from her ordeal. Everyone except Jaune, who was staring at the frozen body.
"Penny, are you okay?" Nora asked.
"...Yes. I'm fine." Penny replied. She suddenly put her finger to her ear, receiving a call from someone. "Affirmative." she turned back to the group. "I have to go, I will be right back." she flew into the air, towards the Academy.
Looking at each other, Ren and Nora smiled. Oscar turned to see Jaune, who was still staring at Cinder.
"Jaune? Are you okay?" he asked. Ren and Nora turned around.
"Yeah." Jaune replied. "Yeah I'm okay. Just...thinking."
Nora put a hand on his shoulder. "She'd be proud of you Jaune." she told him.
"All of us." Jaune replied as he turned to Ren and Nora.
The Ace-Ops were in the fight of their lives. While Qrow, Harriet, Vine, and Robyn were able to make good work with the Grimm, the others weren't as lucky. Elm was trying to hold Hazel back, but she could feel that her Aura would break soon. Marrow was fighting against Mercury, and while his Semblance came in handy, he had to stop the bullets that Mercury kept sending towards his way. So fighting him was difficult. Clover was holding his own against Emerald, using his Good Fortune Semblance to see which Emerald was the real one. However, he had to shift his attention towards the Grimm that came towards him, so his Aura was almost drained.
"GUYS?!" he yelled. "We could use some of that help right now!"
Qrow turned around and saw what was happening. He quickly made a plan.
"Harriet, you think you can outrun that kid?" Qrow said pointing to Mercury.
Harriet chuckled. "Can I?" she took off running towards him.
"Vine, keep Hazel away from Elm, she needs a breather."
Vine summoned one of his arms and wrapped them around Hazel. Elm quickly rushed to the side and fired two rockets at him.
"Robyn, your armor's protecting you from the Grimm. Keep them busy, I gotta help Clover!"
"Then go!" Robyn responded, firing her crossbow and blaster at every Grimm she saw.
Qrow rushed at Emerald just as Clover's Aura broke. He changed his weapon into his scythe and slashed at Emerald, who dropped one of her weapons. Emerald ignored this and fired a chain at Qrow. Wrapping it around his weapon, she tossed it out of his hands. Qrow watched it go and turned back to Emerald, who had her weapon in its gun for. She pulled the trigger.
Click.
Emerald looked at her weapon. But she wasn't out of ammo, she had three more bullets left. She pulled it again.
Click.
Emerald started to panic. Qrow just smiled. "Just your luck, am I right?"
Before she could respond, she felt a bola wrap around her body. She fell to the ground, unable to move. Turning around, Qrow saw Clover had thrown it.
"Thanks." Qrow said.
"Don't mention-" Clover didn't get a chance to finish as a large fist collided into his head and he hit the ground.
Qrow was in shock of what he just saw. Hazel was towering over him, looking angrier then ever. The Ace-Ops were dumbfounded too, unable to move.
Qrow suddenly felt a rush of anger. Running towards Hazel, he raised his fist. Hazel started to run towards him. They were about to collide.
Then Hazel turned to dust, stopping Qrow in his tracks.
Weiss was standing where Hazel used to be, her weapon sticking out. Weiss had finally found a way to use the Amban bullets the Mandalorian gave to her. Whenever Myrtenaster was loaded with them, anything would disintegrate at its touch. Looking behind her, Qrow saw more airships and Blake and Yang helping Robyn. The Ace-Ops quickly got to work as well. Qrow rushed to his friend.
"We need to get him help!" Qrow yelled. "Tell one of these ships to land!"
"Qrow, I-" a shaking noise cut Weiss off.
Everyone felt it as well, looking to see where it was coming from.
"Uh, guys?" Marrow called out looking up.
Following his gaze, everyone looked up to see that the city of Atlas was starting to come closer. Then it dawned on everyone: the city was falling.
Penny had returned to where she left everyone. But what she saw sent a wave of fear through her.
Salem was standing over Team JNPR. She had made quick work of them and was holding Oscar by the collar.
"PUT HIM DOWN!" Penny said, her eyes glowing a green fire.
Salem turned to her and smiled. "The Winter Maiden. I was wondering where you were. And know you deliver yourself to me."
"I said put him down!" Penny repeated.
"Careful, child." A group of Manticores landed next to Salem. "One wrong move, and your friends will be finished."
"WAIT!" Penny said. "I...I opened the Vault. If I tell you where it is, will you let them live?"
Salem took a moment to consider this. "I promise they will not die by my hand. Now, where is the Vault?"
"...At the Academy." Penny pointed. "The only way in is down a special elevator at the highest floor." Penny saw Salem drop Oscar. But the Grimm didn't leave.
"WAIT!" Penny yelled. "Tell your Grimm to leave them alone!"
"That wasn't part of the deal." Salem replied. "Stop me, or save your friends. Choose wisely." she flew into the air.
Penny quickly turned around, sending a gust of wind towards the Grimm. She then took out her swords and killed them. She then ran to Team JNPR and Oscar, seeing that they were still breathing.
"I'm sorry."
Following Penny's instructions, Salem took the elevator down to the Vault. As it was moving, Salem saw two men standing and arguing. One was Ironwood. The other she recognized as one of the men who invaded her castle. As the elevator came closer, she could make out what they were saying.
"I'm taking the Relic, Mando!" Ironwood yelled. "Step. Aside."
"You can't do this!" the one in armor said.
"I can and I will!" Ironwood yelled back. "Salem! Is! HERE! She's destroying my army and my city! Your plan to destroy the Grimm and stand our ground is FAILING!"
"If you leave Remnant now, you're not only a traitor. You're a coward." the man retorted.
Salem smiled at this. They didn't even notice she was here. She could walk right up and kill them both. But, there was no need. She could see where this was going.
"You can label me whatever you'd like, but the fact of the matter is I was right! The minute I softened, let my guard down, that's when Salem had her opening."
"If you abandon Mantle, you abandon your best chance to reunite your world! You abandon Remnant, leaving millions to fend for themselves so a few can survive. What kind of-"
"All excellent philosophical points that won't matter if Salem wins."
"Listen to me!"
"No, you listen! I am done letting others' inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what's right. Robyn, the council, this kingdom... even you."
The one in armor moved his hand to his holster. "Then you're as dangerous as she is, James."
"James...is what my friends call me. To you...it's General."
The two men pulled out their pistols and fired. A red bolt hit Ironwood in the chest and he fell to the ground. A bullet hit the armored one's throat. Grabbing it, he fell to the floor. Neither of them moved.
"Fools." Salem said as she approached the Vault. Seeing it was open, Salem flew up and landed. Inside was a field. Green grass, blue sky, and right in the center was the Staff of Creation.
This was it. Salem had won. Ironwood was dead, the kingdom of Atlas would fall, and now Salem had the Staff. Approaching closer, she only saw the Staff. No Lamp.
"No matter." Salem said to herself. "Wherever it is, I'll dig it up once the city falls."
Keeping her eyes on the Staff, she stopped walking as she was inches from it. Smiling and reveling in her victory, Salem grabbed the Staff.
And her hand passed through it.
Her smile vanished.
Swiping her hand again, it passed through the Relic again. She tried again. Same result.
Looking down, she saw a pile of dirt beneath the Staff. Moving it, she saw a circular device with a white light. Picking it up, she saw the "Staff" move with it.
Salem's anger rose quickly, realizing that she had been tricked. Crushing the device, the "Staff" disappeared. Then she heard two voices call out the same thing.
"RUBY, NOW!"
Turning around, she saw Ruby Rose holding the real Staff of Creation. She was hiding in the Vault with the Child, Salem was too focused on the projection of the Staff to notice her. Before Salem could do anything, Ruby's eyes started to shine. Then they gave off a white light.
"AAAAHHH!" Salem screamed with agony. The light was burning her skin, she fell to the ground.
The light disappeared and Ruby saw her enemy kneeling. Taking this opportunity, Ruby pointed the Staff at Salem and closed her eyes. Suddenly, four metal chains came out of the ground and wrapped around Salem's arms and legs. Then, everything began to shake. The city of Atlas was falling.
1 hour earlier
"We ran ourselves ragged trying to save Mantle tonight." Harriet said. "We try that against an even larger force...we can't win, Mando."
"I know." he said. "I have an idea."
"Clearly, you didn't hear me the first time." Ironwood said. "Our plan isn't going to work."
"Not all of it, you're right." Djarin turned to Ironwood. "I wanted to draw Salem out, to bring her to Atlas." Djarin started looking around the room, speaking to everyone. "But now, Salem is on her way. Now, we'll be able to do it."
"Do what?" Ruby asked. "Mando, we can't kill Salem."
"I know." Djarin replied. "Which is why we're going to lock her away."
"I'm sorry, what?" Ironwood asked.
"General, when I first came to Remnant, Cinder showed me the Vault where the Relic of Knowledge used to be. Instead of a large golden door like the Vault here, it was a giant slab of stone."
"I don't understand." Ironwood said. "All the Vaults should have a door. Why was Mistral different?"
"That was after the Lamp was taken. Once a Relic is taken from a Vault, the door disappears. No way in, no way out. If we can lure Salem into an open Vault-"
"We can lock the door behind her!" Ruby shouted, figuring it out.
"Mando, that's brilliant!" Weiss included.
Everyone turned to the Ace-Ops, seeing what they would say.
"...That's a big risk." Vine said.
"But it could work!" Marrow added. "If we succeed, all of this will be over."
"No, Vine's right." Harriet said. "It's too risky."
"If we fail... Atlas, Mantle. It'll all be gone." Elm included.
"General Ironwood?" Yang asked. Everyone turned to Ironwood, who was staring out the window, a blank stare on his face.
"...General." Djarin said. "Taking the Staff and the Lamp away from Remnant won't solve anything."
"Salem may not achieve her full plans, but she won't stop terrorizing Remnant." Ruby included.
"Ruby's right." Yang added. "We have a chance to stop Salem for good."
"General, running away doesn't make your problems disappear." Blake said. "They'll catch up to you."
"And once we stop her, we can reunite the world." Weiss said. "We can-"
"Kids, we can't do this." Harriet said. "We won't."
"But you're Huntsmen and Huntresses!" Yang said. "You can't just back down from a fight!"
"You can't focus on one single fight while trying to win a war." Vine argued.
"What about Robyn?" Blake asked.
"Who exactly are you loyal to?" Elm countered.
"We're loyal to the people counting on us to save them!" Ruby yelled.
"Don't you see?" Harriet said. "We're saving who we can. We can't stay to pull off some impossible-"
'I'll do it." everyone turned to the General.
"Sir?" Vine asked.
Ironwood turned around. "Harriet, Vine, Elm...they're right. Running away won't make Salem's threat go away. If we do that, the fear we have of her destroying the world will take over. And that fear will be a reality. This is our one chance to stopping her. And I think it's a chance worth taking." he said with a smile. He then turned to the Mandalorian. "Mando...tell me how I can help."
A few minutes earlier
Penny opened the Vault, and looked back to Ruby, Ironwood, and Djarin.
"Thank you Penny." Ironwood said. "Now, Atlas needs you." With that, Penny left.
"Ruby, I need you to wait in there holding the Relic." Djarin told her. "Ironwood and I will give you the signal, then you use the Staff to make what we talked about earlier."
"Okay." Ruby turned to the General. "Just to clarify, all I need to do is concentrate on what I want the Staff to do?"
"That's what Oz told me." Ironwood replied. "Mando, what do you need me to do?"
"We need to be out of the picture." Djarin answered. "Ruby will take the Child inside, and we'll be on the ground playing dead."
"To sell the deception properly, we'll need to give Salem a show. Follow my lead, then we'll pretend to be dead."
"Alright." Djarin turned to Ruby. "One more thing. I took this out of my ship before Neo took it." he was holding a small circular disk. "Press this button to scan the Staff. It will create a projection of it while you're out of sight."
Ruby nodded, took the Child, and used her Semblance to get to the door. Scanning the Relic, Ruby watched as the device created a holographic projection of the Relic. The device came from Djarin's ship, but Pietro was able to modify it to make the image an exact replica of what was scanned. They couldn't take any chances, Salem had to take the bait. Ruby took the Staff and went out of sight.
"Remember, we have to be quick about this." Ironwood turned to the Mandalorian. "One second too long, and Atlas will crush Mantle. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Djarin replied.
Salem started to scream as more chains erupted from the floor and wrapped around her body. She pulled on them, but they wouldn't break.
"What...WHAT IS THIS?!" she yelled.
"Beskar." the Mandalorian said, walking towards her. Ironwood's bullet had only grazed his throat, while Djarin's shot hit Ironwood's metal body. "The strongest metal in the galaxy. The metal I was forged in. The metal that's your new prison, Salem. Don't bother pulling on it. No amount of physical strength can break it."
Salem turned to the Mandalorian. "This...this stops NOTHING! My Grimm are still out there, too many for you to stop. As long as they obey me, Atlas will FALL!"
"We know." Ruby said. "Which is why you're no longer in charge."
"What?"
"Mando...do you have a knife I can borrow?"
Djarin pulled out his vibroblade and handed it Ruby, who started to walk towards Salem.
"What are you doing?" Salem demanded. Raising the knife, Ruby plunged it into Salem's forehead. Then she started to cut around the dark crystal in the center. Until it was loose enough to pull out.
Ripping it out of her head, Ruby watched as the wound on Salem's head healed, and the dark veins on her face and arms disappeared. Before Salem took the bait, the Child quietly whispered something to Ruby.
"Crystal." he said. "Take it. Stop them." Ruby understood. Without that crystal, Salem couldn't control the Grimm.
"No!" Salem protested. "NO!"
Holding the crystal, Ruby turned to Djarin. "Time to go." they both started to walk away.
"No. You can't leave. YOU CAN'T LEAVE! COME BACK!"
Ruby stopped and turned around. "Good riddance." she started walking again.
After they walked out, Djarin used his jetpack to carry Ruby, the Child, and the Staff back to the bridge. They all looked back at the door. As they expected, the ice from the top of the door started to come down. The door was closing. Forever.
"Mando, Atlas is coming too close!" Yang called on the radio. "You need to lift it now!"
"Wait." he said to Ruby. The door wasn't sealed yet. If they lifted Atlas now, Salem's chains could disappear.
"Mando!"
"Wait."
"Ruby!"
"Wait."
"Anybody!"
"Wait."
The ice had reached the floor. "NOW!"
Ruby concentrated again. The shaking stopped.
"It's...it's working!" Yang said. "The city's rising again!"
"The Grimm stopped their attack!" General Ironwood could hear in his radio. "They're...they're not organized anymore!"
"They're vulnerable! All ships open fire!"
After concentrating for a few minutes, Ruby let go of the Staff. Atlas was back in the sky.
Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Ruby looked back to see General Ironwood, smiling with tears coming down his face. He suddenly embraced Ruby in a hug.
Returning it, Ruby started to cry tears of joy as well. She turned to the Mandalorian.
"Congratulations, Ruby." Djarin said. "You won."
Author's notes: thanks for reading this, I hoped you like it. Before I go any deeper, I want to explain a couple of things that may have caused some confusion:
First off, was trapping Salem the plan I had in mind? Yes, it was. After watching some episodes of RWBY, I came to the realization that Ruby was right: they didn't need to kill Salem to stop her. They could lock her away because in the show, the door to the Vault DOES disappear after the Relic is removed (Volume 6 Episode 7). I don't see why the characters in RWBY could have done this. Either they didn't know about the doors, or they're just stupid. Probably a little bit of both.
Second, how does removing Salem's crystal take away her ability to control the Grimm? Well, this is a theory I came up with after watching Volume 6, so hear me out. Remember when Salem came out of the Grimm pool in Volume 6 Episode 3? Remember how she had no veins on her body, just white skin? I didn't think too much about this at first. Then, I thought about Salem and Ozma announcing themselves to the world in the same episode. Remember when Salem destroyed a Nevermore that almost killed a bunch of people? Well, if she's the Queen of the Grimm, why didn't she just tell the Nevermore to stop? Either she wanted to show off her powers, or, more likely, she COULDN'T. But if she can make the Grimm do what she wants NOW, what changed? Then, I looked at images of her in the past and her now. The major differences I saw were the veins on her skin and the dark crystal in her forehead. I believe that crystal is some way for Salem to control the Grimm. If it's taken away, she couldn't control them anymore.
Also, the canon version of the Vault will most likely be different than the one I made here. I'm sorry, I just needed to describe something.
So, that's all I have to say about THAT. Let me know if this makes sense to you or you need me to explain anything else.
To Mandalore the Survivor, I'm glad you liked Moff Gideon in that chapter. The reason I didn't have Salem and Moff Gideon join forces was because I don't think their goals align. Salem wants to take over Remnant, and Moff Gideon has plans for the Child, which he believed was being protected by Salem. But I'm not done with him yet, you'll see later on. Thanks for everything else you said and sent, your support is always appreciated. Until next time, PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!
To Lord Demolitions, I'm glad you're okay with this. Yeah, Thrawn at Remnant would be cool, but I unfortunately don't have plans for him in this fic. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To an unknown guest, glad I was able to make you laugh. As for your question, Gideon used Star Destroyers to clear some of the way for the TIE Fighters and there were no Grimm in the whale to inform Salem.
To Greer123, I think it's safe to say that was nothing compared to what Salem's going through right now.
To GojiraFan455515, I'm glad you liked the twist with Moff Gideon and I'm glad I was able to make you laugh about Salem's confusion. Yes, Mando's plan was smart, but I had plans for him in this chapter, which is why I sent Neo over instead. Hope you like this chapter.
Now, I just want to point something out: next chapter will be the last one for the main story. When I wrote this, I had a good beginning and end planned for it. Also, this was my first story so I didn't want to be too ambitious and make it extremely long. I know it must feel that I made this really quick, but don't worry. My work isn't over yet. And next chapter, I have a surprise for you all (along with some more fan questions to answer). See you next chapter!