AN: Greetings, Reader. Before you start reading this chapter, allow me to apologize for how long it took me to update this fanfic. Life has been throwing some curve balls at me after the last chapter was uploaded, having to deal with Writer's Block, getting my driver's license and getting sick on New Year's... But anyway, I'm getting off track.
Also, a friendly reminder, if there those of you who are unfamiliar with any of the franchise in this story, fret not about lore dumping. We'll try our best to explain things through ANP, if you're still willing to follow this silly little fanfic of mine. So, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2: After-Party Resolution
Alsius City, North District
With his job done, the man in red made it his mission to reach the city limits so he could make his exit from this frosty part of the world. Of course, after what he just pulled, it went without saying that he ran into some heavy opposition in the process. Military-issued bullheads were sent out to apprehend the assassin by whatever means necessary, which explained the thundering roar of gun turret fire that was heard throughout the city earlier that same night.
High-caliber bullets had ripped through the solid concrete of multiple office buildings. Not a single soul occupied the buildings during the skirmish, fortunately, but the damages sustained would certainly put a dent in the kingdom's wealth.
It took a while, but the man in red managed to give the military the slip, though not in the traditional sense of the word. 'Better hope they had insurance on those things… Aah, who am I kidding? This is Atlas we're talkin' about, they'll just buy new ones.' He thought airily to himself as he jumped down the building he stood upon.
Landing in a crouch, the red-clad man was currently located at the edge of Atlas' northern city. The plan was to come here and escape with a getaway bullhead after finishing the job, but no such aircraft could be found there. After giving the area another look over, he couldn't help but voice his confusion. "Huh, weird… Coulda sworn she said to meet up he—"
*WHIIIIIR* *RATATATATATA*
His words were interrupted when a bullhead flew overhead and began raining bullets upon him. The assassin flipped out of harm's way before whipping out of his pistols, an annoyed frown forming underneath his mask. "Oh come on! How many of these things do they even have?"
As the ship came down with another bullet sweep, the cargo door opened and revealed two figures. The short one willingly jumped out of the aircraft, while the taller one stayed onboard and adopted an archer stance. The one that exited the aircraft whipped out two large pistols and immediately started shooting to intercept the masked assassin.
To avoid the incoming bullets, the man in red rolled and flipped out of the line of fire. However an arrow of ice stuck itself at his feet as soon as he landed before exploding, coating his legs in thick sheets of ice.
"Again? Seriously, what's this whole kingdom's deal with ice?" he complained to himself. The sound of his second opponent landing caught the man in red's attention and when he turned, he was surprised to see them wielding a bazooka, its rocket having a face resembling that of a cartoon shark.
With determination in their eyes, they didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Seeing the incoming rocket, the assassin could only utter a few words. "Well, this feels familiar—"
*BOOM!*
Before he could finish, a large explosion erupted as smoke covered the area where the assassin once stood. The figure slowly stood back up and morphed her RPG back into its base pistol form.
The individual appeared to be a petite young girl with blonde hair and green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a blue beret and a sleeveless blue and white blouse that reached down over her thighs, and bared her shoulders and upper back in a V-shape. Two diamond-shaped silver pieces hung on the bottom of the blouse.
She also wore a detached white collar with a red tie, and blue, detached sleeves that are a little longer over the shoulder held in place by a silver metal armband pushed up to her upper arm. This look was all topped off by white gloves with gold on the back, black thigh-high socks and blue steel-toed infantry boots, which bore gold trimmings and a gold cross along the tongue of the boots.
"Command, this is Lieutenant Noel Vermillion of the 4th N.O.L. squadron reporting in. I have engaged the enemy." the girl -now known to us as Noel- reported using her earpiece.
"Be careful, lieutenant! That man went toe-to-toe with Specialist Rodin. He didn't pull his punches, and he won't hesitate with you either…"
Heeding her superior's warning, Noel ended the call and started taking cautious steps toward the smoke screen, her weapons drawn at the ready. The bullhead she boarded earlier hovered over the building, and because of this, the smoke began to waver and clear out the area before a familiar mask emerged from the dark cloud.
The lieutenant was quick to trigger and didn't hesitate to unload several rounds at the figure, filling the cold air with the sound of gunfire. When the smoke dispersed completely however, it revealed the assassin's sword stabbed into the concrete floor, with the Grimm mask hung on the horned-human skull.
"What? Where did he—!?" *BANG! BANG!*
Two almost simultaneous shots rang out from the far left side of the building, where the man in red could be seen under the pale moonlight with his guns raised. The bullets whizzed through the air and were barrelling towards their destined target. Fortunately however, a blue sheathed sword batted the bullets away before they could hit the lieutenant. Flinching in surprise at what just happened, Noel could only take in the figure standing before her that deflected the bullets.
Standing before Noel was a young man with short blonde hair and green eyes very similar to her own. His uniform consisted of a fancy sleeveless blue coat with red lining and gold trimmings, along with a sleeveless white tunic secured at the waist with three black belts. His arms were covered with thick, long, white gloves that went up to his elbows. Long blue strips of cloth are attached to his coat's forearms that reached his knees, which looked more like unnecessary accessories than anything of practical-use.
The young man also wore blue, steel-toed infantry boots, which bore gold trimmings and a gold cross along the tongue of the boots. Completing the outfit was the katana that was gripped in the young man's left hand.
BlazBlue OST - Imperial Code I
"Major Kisaragi!" Noel exclaimed, a combination of relief and gratitude in her tone. However, her savior was in a considerably less cheery mood.
"How many times do I have to remind you to ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings, Lieutenant?" The young man known as Major Kisaragi reprimanded his subordinate, causing her to flinch up and look down at the ground.
"R-Right, I'm sorry!" Noel apologized, but went ignored since he was too focused on the enemy.
The assassin hopped down from where he stood and took several steps forward, giving the two a good look at him. The assassin had the face of a man that just entered their forties, possessing a stubble that was barely noticeable and pale blue eyes. "Heh, a little bit overboard with the rocket back there, don'tcha think? Hell, I'd even argue that qualifies for police brutality."
"Our superiors deemed it necessary to incapacitate targets such as yourself, but that is no longer the case… You have nowhere else to run, scum. As major of the 4th Novus Orbis Librarium squadron, you now are under arrest! Any show of resistance… *PSSST* will prove fatal." The teen warned as his blade's scabbard automatically unscrewed its handguard and let out a short hiss, but the assassin merely chuckled at the threat.
"Fatal, huh?" the assassin said before smiling in amusement and holstering his firearms. "You know what? Why the hell not. After the fiasco with that kid in the academy earlier, I could go for another round… Besides, I always did wonder how you glorified librarians handle yourselves in a scrap." With that said, he decided to humor the blonde major and unstrapped his claymore.
The major's threat worried Noel, however. "But Jin… I-I mean, Major, our orders are to capture him."
"This man single-handedly massacred the security team assigned to White Castle amphitheatre. Someone capable of such a feat is clearly a threat to Atlas. Besides…" Jin paused as he analyzed the assassin from head to toe, in particular noticing how his demeanor was completely casual and relaxed. More than that even… it was completely lackadaisical. This man wasn't taking him or his threats seriously in the slightest. This realization caused Jin to tighten his grip on his katana before scowling. "Just looking at him is grating on my nerves."
With that said, Major Jin Kisaragi began to slowly approach his opponent with a look that could freeze hell itself, while the assassin let out a chuckle, placing the tip of his claymore on the ground. "Alright then. So, are we goin' one-on-one or—"
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
His words were cut short by Lieutenant Noel's sudden gunfire, as the bullets whizzed through the air and were barreling towards him. A smirk formed on the assassin's lips before he both figuratively and quite literally danced around the lieutenant's bullets. As this was happening, Major Jin Kisaragi was already within 20 meters of where the assassin's currently stood.
Seeing the final bullet fired, the man in red swung his sword in an attempt to bat it away, only to find the action useless when the bullets somehow phased through his blade. Reacting quickly, the assassin managed to lift his arm fast enough so that the bullet hit his forearm.
He expected the bullet to bounce off his aura like how they always do, but this time was different. The .45 caliber round somehow managed to bypass his aura, and went straight through, continuing on its journey as if nothing had disturbed its trajectory!
'What the hell?' was the only thought that crossed his mind. Only when it reached the assassin's shoulder did the bullet finally make contact, bypassing his aura again before finally breaking his skin and causing damage. However, it was worth noting that the man just looked more confused with the fact that the bullet actually hit him rather than in any actual pain.
"Finally!" Noel, however, didn't notice this and was more just pleased that she finally managed to hit her opponent. Fancily twirling her firearms, the lieutenant topped this off by clicking her guns together with confidence before shouting, "DETONATE!"
*BOOM!*
A large explosion engulfed the red-cladded assassin's entire being, blocking the blonde haired duo's view of their target. "Major, now's your chance!" The lieutenant urged her superior, only to get scolded by the katana-wielder.
"Do NOT order me to do my job, lieutenant!" Regardless of his annoyance, the major wasn't one to turn down an advantage and used this chance to charge straight at his opponent. The man in red was quick to recover from the detonation, however, as he proceeded to dodge all of Jin's onslaught of attacks as if the explosion didn't faze him.
In contrast to the assassin's fighting style, Jin's movements were quick and precise. He drew his sword so fast, in fact, that the blade seemed to leave it's sheathe for only a fraction of a second. The pace of Jin's quick-draws forced the man in red to fight defensively, but not enough to actually cause him to panic.
"ROYALGUARD!"
Despite the inhuman speed the major displayed, the man did not sustain any damage, with the reason for this being that every time a hit was about to land, a barrier would appear to block the sword from cleaving him in half. 'Ars Magus? No… it's something else. A semblance?' thought the blonde major as he continued to slash at the Man in Red. It didn't help that he kept posing with every successful block, which added to Jin's ever increasing irritation.
During this exchange, a smile grew on the assassin's lips, amused at the teenager's skill with a katana. This duel honestly gave the man in red a sense of nostalgia, having fought a certain katana-wielder in the past whose skill far outclassed his current opponent.
"HAH!"
With a yell, Jin decided enough was enough as he held his sword in reverse-grip, raised it to the air and immediately stabbed it into the concrete ground. A large ice glacier formed before the major and was fast approaching the red-cladded assassin. Reacting quickly, the man jumped back to avoid the formation, whipping out his guns.
The assassin was about to let loose upon the fast-forming glacier, but was interrupted when he saw the lieutenant jump from the highest point of the glacier. With a flip, Noel took aim and rained bullets upon her target.
The assassin learned from his earlier mistake, quickly dodging the bullets fired from the lieutenant's guns. He was positive that phase-through ability wasn't her semblance, the power the bullet emitted felt different from something charged with Aura. The lieutenant gracefully landed in a crouch before sprinting off towards her opponent.
As she engaged the red-clad assassin, Noel displayed a mix of hand-to-hand and close-quarters gunplay. She rushed the man in red with quick jabs using her guns, pulling the trigger whenever there was an opening. However, the assassin, once again acting as though he was several steps ahead of them, countered this by merely using his own pistols to jab her Bolverk out of the way just before she fired, throwing every bullet off course as he whooped and cheered like a kid having the time of his life.
'His combat skills are incredible, but I'm not giving up yet…!' Noel thought, refusing to surrender. During this exchange, the meek girl's thoughts drifted towards the briefing she got regarding the man's attempted assassination of the General. She couldn't help but feel guilty for not arriving at the event sooner. This guilt was also mixed with an increased determination to capture him.
With her determination increased, the lieutenant morphed her guns mid-swing as to throw off the assassin, wielding her weapon in its shotgun form now. Noel continued her assault on the man in red while twirling the firearm like one would with a short bo staff, and would cock it mid-swing before taking a shot whenever an opportunity presented itself. The change in combat style certainly surprised the assassin, but it was one that he welcomed.
"Fast, easy on the eyes, AND a kickass weapon? You're just the full package, aren'tcha little lady?" he whistled, clearly impressed with Noel's performance even if he'd managed to effortlessly counter everything she threw his way. They traded several more blows before they ended up in a weapon-lock, with the assassin using the lock to intrude on Noel's personal space, much to her surprise. "Times like these really make me wish I was a decade or two younger."
That coy, playful remark immediately caused Noel to seize up in the exchange, her eyes widening and a thick red blush now plastered onto her face. She was so taken aback by this out of nowhere remark that she only barely managed to dodge a shot from the man's pistols aimed right between her eyes, leaping back to give herself a bit of breathing room.
"P-P-PLEASE DON'T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHILE WE'RE FIGHTING!" Noel exclaimed in clear embarrassment, as shown by how her face went completely scarlet at the playful man's flirtations.
She was so flustered by this, in fact, that she was oblivious to how the man's hands were beginning to be surrounded by a crackling black and red energy, just like back in the amphitheater against Nero.
Regardless, she punctuated this exclamation with another blast from Bolverk's shotgun form. Unfortunately, the assassin easily anticipated this and swerved around and behind her, letting out another gleeful whoop at how the gun's blast just barely missed him. Staggered by how her opponent was literally right behind her, Noel was quick to try and turn around and get a bead on her quick-moving and dodging opponent. However, in what was clearly becoming a running theme in this fight, the red-clad assassin anticipated this and countered by bumping his rear back against her own. The surprising level of force behind the push caused her to lose her balance and stumble forward.
"A-Ah!" Noel exclaimed, the icy, slippery nature of the rooftop's floor combined with her lack of balance ending with her losing her footing and falling forward. However, as she fell, the lieutenant was quick to turn-around mid fall and fire one last shot from her shotgun before landing on her back with a yelp. The assassin took this in stride and merely lept and flipped through the air sideways as the pellets flew towards him, twisting and moving his body in such a manner that every single pellet missed him before landing on his feet.
'This is unbelievable! How is he countering every single thing we throw at him so easily...!?' Noel thought, growing more and more shocked with the assassin's effortless skill with every action he performed. Upon landing, the assassin took a moment to look himself over, oddly enough, looking especially satisfied when he took in his red coattails and noticed that there wasn't a scratch on it. In fact, Noel could've sworn she heard him mutter something along the lines of 'Ha! No bullet holes this time~!'
The pleased smirk didn't fade from his face even as he crouched down on one leg and faced Noel. "Alright baby, wanna give that another go?" The assassin teased, gesturing for her to try and hit him again.
With the angry, red blush coming back to her face in a combination of embarrassment and indignation, Noel opted to throw the assassin off-guard by changing Bolverk into it's rocket launcher form and firing a bombardment of rockets at him. However, she was quick to follow this up by shifting her weapon back into it's default gun form and firing off several shots, all of the bullets connecting with the rockets just when they got within arm's length of the assassin.
The end result of this was another colossal explosion that obscured what exactly became of the red-clad man. As she waited to see the smoke from the explosion clear and the result of her efforts, Noel kept her guns raised and her guard up. As much as she was hoping that her tactic was effective, their opponent had been several steps ahead of them this entire fight, and the fact that the confident, amused smile on his face didn't fade even when she switched to Bolverk's pistol forms to prematurely detonate the rockets didn't inspire much in the way of confidence either.
"TRICKSTER!"
Ultimately, Noel found that her attack was ultimately ineffective when she saw the assassin dash out of the slowly clearing explosion, blurs of red and black trailing behind him
"A-Again!?" The meek blonde exclaimed, undeniably disappointed that her plan didn't work despite her caution, before the sight of her opponent dashing towards her and quickly closing the distance caused her to spring back into action. She began to unload Bolverk's powerful shots in the man's direction, hoping that the onslaught of powerful bullets would either hit or cause him to retreat. However -somehow- the man was able to dash towards her without any of the bullets connecting. Just before he closed the distance, Noel readied herself for another round of close combat with him, but was taken by surprise when instead of trying to attack her up close, the assassin somehow... vanished in a flash of red and black.
"W-What!? What happened...!? How did he... disappear like that...!?" The sudden disappearance of the man left the lieutenant completely blindsided. Between this and all the other uncanny abilities he displayed, it was as though this man had a trick up his sleeve and several solutions to whatever she threw his way. Whipping her head around, she scanned the rooftop for any sign of the man, only to stiffen up completely when he felt someone tap her shoulder twice to get her attention. Eyes widening, Noel was quick to turn around...
*Chi-CHINK*
Only to be greeted with the red assassin's smirking visage inches away from her own. Feeling dread wash over her, Noel's green gaze drifted downward and saw that the assassin had his sawn off shotgun, which was now crackling with a malicious energy, pointed right at her gut and his finger hovering over the trigger. With how close they were, Noel knew she had no time to try and evade or attack before he fired.
"Tricked ya~!" And it was with that playful remark that the assassin pulled the trigger, the charged blast from his shotgun sending Noel flying and sprawling across the floor with a pained yell.
By the time Noel managed to stop herself, she was left kneeling on the cold rooftop. She attempted to force herself back onto her feet, only to fall back to her knees just when it seemed like she could stand. Her lack of strength made her realize with no small amount of shock that the assassin's direct hit left her with nearly no aura left. 'N-Nearly all of my aura drained from just a single shot...!?'
Jin, who'd been passively observing Noel's entire exchange with the man in red, could only scowl in distaste at how his colleague was taken out of the picture with such little effort on his part.
"Worthless trash..." Jin muttered to himself before grabbing his katana by the hilt and sheath. "Yukianesa… Hear me!" While the assassin was distracted, the air around Major Kisaragi crackled and crystallized to form several claymore ice swords. "Pierce my enemy!" With a snap of his fingers, the swords shot forth towards their intended target.
The first frost blade was mere inches from connecting with the assassin's head, but a quick head tilt to the left was all it took to miss it's target. A flash of red enveloped the man in red for a moment, and a second later revealed him donning a pair of spiky metallic gauntlets, grieves and shoulder pads.
The armor looked normal at first glance, but further observation would show that some parts of it are covered in scales. What's even more bizarre is the fact that each gauntlet had a single orange eye at the center of the back hand. Adopting a boxing stance, the assassin proceeded to let out a series of machine-gun jabs at the frozen projectiles, smashing them to bits and simultaneously causing the peculiar weapons to steadily light up with red hot flames.
"ROYALGUARD!"
The show of combat prowess did not deter the major as he charged at the assassin with reckless abandon, swinging his katana with the intent to end his opponent's life. In retaliation, the assassin kept up the boxing stance and proceeded to bob, weave and parry Jin's precise slashes with quick and sharp jabs, as well as blocking with that annoying barrier again, much to the major's ever increasing impatience.
After another exchange of blows, the assassin threw a punch powerful enough to push back the major a good couple of feet.
"Huh… Okay, so let's recap; blue coat, katana, fancy-pants Iaijutsu style, constantly looking like you got that katana of yours jammed up your ass, AND you got magic projectile swords? Sheesh, it's like I'm looking at a cheap, rummage sale version of my brother." The man listed off, raising a finger with each point he brought up as he idly paced back and forth with his right hand underneath his chin in a look of mock-thoughtfulness. Noel, baffled by the sudden comparison, could only look at the red-clad man in confusion. Jin was confused by the comparison as well, but that feeling was greatly overshadowed by the stab of irritation and indigence at the blatant insult directed towards him.
"I haven't the slightest idea who you're talking about, but I don't take kindly to being regarded as an inferior version of someone else, trash." Not about to take such an insult lying down, Jin was quick to charge his opponent, unsheathing Yukianesa and slicing forward while it was wreathed in a blueish white energy. In fact, that assassin couldn't help but notice, with no small amount of amusement, that you could call it a sort of 'rapid slash,' of some kind.
"ROYAL RELEASE!"
Of course, the assassin, having plenty of experience fighting an opponent with a far more refined Iaijutsu style than Jin's, was able to easily counter the incoming icy attack. The Major was taken by surprise when the moment he came into contact with the assassin, he felt a staggering amount of force slam into him and counter his current momentum. His Aura shattered as the assassin's attack sent him careening and tumbling hard onto the concrete floor.
"M-Major Kisaragi!" Noel called out in clear concern, wasting no time in attempting to assist her superior. Instead of answering, Jin coughed up a substantial amount of blood, giving the lieutenant a clear indication of the severity of Jin's injuries.
"Whoa, looks like I took it a bit too far…" Was the assassin's response after seeing the state Jin was in, eliciting a vicious growl from Jin.
"Anyway, I hate to break this to ya Junior, but it's a pretty apropos comparison. If this was a fight with my dearly departed brother, then he'd be giving me one hell of a workout. You, on the other hand? This feels more like a, uh... lazy morning jog through the woods, if you catch my drift."
*VWOOOMMM*
Just then, an airship flew down by the edge of the platform they were on. "Well… As fun as this little pow wow with you kids was, I'm afraid I gotta jet. Got some obligations and the like that I need to attend to, I'm sure you know how it is. Adios~!" And with that said, the man in red bid farewell and left them. Jin attempted to get back up, but was unable to due to how much damage he sustained, and despite not having her aura shattered, the same could be said about the lieutenant.
The aircraft's back entrance opened to reveal a woman. She possessed lengthy, blond hair, blue eyes, and a very fair complexion. She was cladded in black leather pants, high-heeled boots and a black corset. "Took your time. I was beginning to think you left without me…" the assassin joked with his blonde accomplice as he dismissed his gauntlet and greaves.
"You can thank Jimmies' guard dogs for that… Like honestly, you'd think they'd give up after getting put down. Speaking of…" the woman trailed off as she pointed to her left, which was the wall. However, the man in red could faintly see a streak of something yellow running along the top of said wall.
"You're not getting away that easily, you blonde bitch!" a thunderous roar erupted from the yellow streak, as it jumped off the wall and landed in a crouch.
The streak was revealed to be a young woman with tanned skin, platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides, and violet eyes which were currently glowed bright yellow. The girl's Specialist uniform was disheveled and torn in a few places, looking as if she had been through a warzone. This was Harriet Bree, active member of General Ironwood's Ace Operatives unit.
'Wait, isn't that…?' she thought before her anger suddenly spiked to new heights, causing her to make a beeline for the duo.
"Friend of yours?" the assassin joked to his accomplice, only to receive an annoyed groan from the blonde as she re-entered the airship. With a chuckle, the man in red turned to face the newest arrival with a playful smirk.
Rearing her fist, the girl prepared to deliver a full-powered lightning punch through her exo-skeleton weapon called Knuckles. In response, Ironwood's assassin merely raised his hand and disappeared with a snap of his fingers. "Tch! Where—"
*trip*
It all happened in an instant. A foot had suddenly appeared from her left and had made her trip up. In her panicked daze, Harriet's eyes trailed up the leg to see the owner of the foot and, lo and behold, it was the general's assassin. 'THAT SON OF A BI—!' Harriet's thoughts were abruptly cut off when SHE took a hard tumble to the concrete floor before face-planting onto the side of the airship with a resounding *GOOONG*.
With a self-satisfied smirk on his face, the red-clad swordsman gave the unconscious and likely concussed Harriet a look over before chuckling in amusement at just how anticlimactic that confrontation was. "Phew… talk about a letdown. All that eager barking only to end up tripping over the throwaway stick…"
As he boarded the airship, Major Kisaragi desperately reached out for Yukianesa. 'I refuse… I refuse to accept this! T-To be defeated l-like this… is unacceptable!' the blond major thought to himself. Once the katana was back in his grip, Jin let out a pained gasp as he quickly rolled onto his stomach. He then pushed himself up into a kneeling position before holding up the blade like an archer would with a bow, pouring what little Aura he had left into his weapon.
Doing this caused the cold night wind to pick up and surround the major as ice crystals began to form on the weapon, as well as on his person. Noel saw this development and immediately panicked. "M-Major, stop…!" the lieutenant called out, trying desperately to get up and stop her superior. All the while, the rogue airship started to let out a low hum, signalling the still conscious soldiers of its inevitable takeoff.
'The general warned us not to use these when low on Aura… But to Hell with it!' he thought intensely as the ice continued to grow even further on the blade, forming a shape that resembled an actual archery bow. The airship hovered off the concrete ground before it turned in the direction of the vast open skies.
The air from the exhaust ports blasted Major Kisaragi, but did not let it deter him from attempting to stop the assassin from escaping. 'I will not accept defeat knowing that this scum made a mockery of me! Not without giving it my all… with this last attack!'
As the aircraft took off, Major Jin Kisaragi took aim at the vehicle and let out a thunderous roar.
"Absolute Zero: MOONSONG!"
-OOO-
White Castle Amphitheatre,
Red and blue lights flashed across the now restricted area of Atlas Academy. Many students of the academy now stood behind the yellow tape after hearing news of an attempted assassination on the general's life, which certainly garnered much attention.
Within the building, groups of medical examiners were putting away the corpses of the fallen soldiers in body bags, placing them to their vehicles to transport them to the labs. Off to the side, Specialist Winter Schnee could only look on with a somber expression.
Behind her, Nero was seen kneeling beside one of the dead soldiers, fiddling with their headgear before taking it off. One look was all he needed… "It's the same with this one too." the youth sounded off as his superior turned to him, only to be greeted by the soldier's gruesome face.
Red glowing eyes stared piercingly into Winter's own blue orbs, causing her to take a step back out of surprise. Nero waved to the medical examiners, signaling them that he was done checking the body. It took the Specialist a moment to recompose herself. "So… what's your take on all this?" asked the young swordsman.
"I… I don't know. Are you certain that man did nothing to these bodies while you fought? Anything at all?" the Specialist asked her subordinate.
"Trust me, he never left my sight… Other than riding one of 'em like a skateboard, the jackass didn't lay a finger on any of them… Well... uh, y'know. Beyond killing them in the first place.." Nero casually answered, which threw her off guard.
"Rode one like a-!? That barbaric fiend! I swear once that murderer is taken into custody, I will personally— *BZZZT! BZZZZT!*" Before Winter could go on a rant, her scroll alerted her of an incoming call, stopping her.
This night was quickly proving to be the worst thing to ever happen in the senior specalist's military career. First was the Dust robbery perpetrated by the White Fang, which was swiftly dealt with by Nero, and then there was the general's attempted assassination, which all went south really, really fast. Not only did Winter fail to protect Ironwood and her younger sister, but she also failed at being the leader to the soldiers she was meant to coordinate on tonight's event.
The sudden shock of seeing Ironwood getting shot in the head sent her mind into a frenzy, causing her to temporarily abandon rational thought and charge the assassin head on, and her fellow soldiers paid the price of her recklessness with their lives.
Few managed to survive the assassin's killing spree, but that could hardly be called the bright side. The elder Schnee took a deep breath before releasing it through her nose, hoping to hear good news right about now.
"Specialist Schnee."
"..."
"Yes, the bodies are currently being collected for data analysis. May I ask about the general's condition?" As the Specialist took the call, Nero let out a sigh before taking a seat on one of the many folding chairs strewn about the amphitheatre.
Unlike Winter, Nero wasn't too worried about the General's well-being. The man is the Atlas military's general for a reason, so he knew it'd take a lot more than just a bullet to the head to kill someone like Ironwood. "W-What?!" a surprised shout suddenly erupted from his superior, earning Nero's attention. "How is that possible?!"
The Specialist went silent for about a half second as the caller continued their report to her, until Winter ended the call with a frustrated huff. With a sigh of his own, Nero got up from his seat and approached his superior. "Bad news I take it…?"
"Yes, the worst possible news we could've gotten… Major Kisaragi and Lieutenant Vermillion, as well as Specialist Harriet Bree were found unconscious near the edge of the city. The same can be said for the rest of the Ace Ops as well. According to that report I received, they were beaten by an accomplice of that assassin." Winter explained, the report only worsening her frustration and feeling of helplessness with this entire situation. By contrast, however, Nero seemed more intrigued and slightly amused by what he just heard.
"Huh… well how 'bout that? I guess every shitty deal has some kinda silver lining to it. Just wish I could've been there to see that guy throw Kisaragi off his high horse." Nero smirked, letting out a few muted chuckles at just how badly a frosty perfectionist asshole like Jin would likely take this loss.
"Nero, we are in the middle of a crisis! Is it too much to ask that you stop with the cavalier attitude for once and treat the situation at-hand with a modicum of the seriousness it warrants!?" Winter snapped, quick to send a glare Nero's way that made it very clear she did not appreciate him making light of the situation. However, while most would've quickly shriveled up under Winter's icily furious gaze, the white-haired youth had long since grown desensitized to it, instead just giving his superior a deadpan, unamused look.
"C'mon Winter, don't give me that. I'm just as serious about this whole shitshow as you are, but if I'm understanding what you told me right, then there's really no point in freaking out about it at this point. If this guy was able to tear through Kisaragi and Noel while this buddy of his put the Ace Ops in their place, then they're probably long gone by now." Nero pointed out dryly. Winter maintained her icy glare for another moment before her posture deflated ever so slightly and she let out a tired sigh, looking and walking away from him slightly as she continued.
"I… suppose you make a valid point in that regard. More importantly, I suppose it ultimately wouldn't even have mattered if we did apprehend that fiend or not." The swordswoman explained, her words causing Nero to look at her questioningly.
"Whaddaya mean by that?" He asked.
"In… In addition to that status report I received on those who fought with that assassin, I was also informed that the General regained consciousness."
"Well… I mean that's good news, isn't it?" Nero pointed out, confused as to why Winter still had that grim and miserable look on her face. He knew that the older woman was never one to let her emotions show, but he would've figured news like that would've warranted a slight smile or something.
"It is, but for reasons I can't possibly begin to understand, he's called off the hunt for his assailant." Winter clarified, drawing a look of surprise from the hot-blooded youth.
"Huh… okay, yeah, I can see why you'd be put off by that. After what he did to him, I would've figured Ironwood would want that asshole's head on a pike." It seemed that with each passing minute, more and more questions were piled on top of the ever-growing mystery today presented, and at the center of all this was that laid-back, claymore wielding man in red. Just what the hell was his deal? How did he display such superhuman feats during Nero's fight with him? It couldn't have been a semblance or aura that allowed him to shrug off getting that claymore of his run through his chest. And how the hell did he know what was up with the men he killed?
Winter seemed to have recognized that Nero had many questions on his mind, because she was quick to follow up with, "Once he's fully recovered, I'll have to consult with the General myself to see if he can't shed any light on the events that occured today. For now, though, I'm afraid there's nothing else that can be done."
"Right… already figured that part out." The youth said dryly, taking a brief moment to look over his covered right arm as he reflected on the mysterious man. "So what now?"
"...Come. Walk with me, Nero." Was all the elder Schnee had to say, turning towards the Ampitheater's exit without even looking to see if Nero was following her. Letting out a small noise of surprise at her sudden shift in demeanor, the hot-headed youth quickly shook off any thoughts of the man before following after Winter.
-XxXxX-
As they stepped out of the Academy's front doors and were greeted with the academy's airfield, Nero couldn't help but silently take in all the military personel and airships that were stationed outside. Even with the manhunt for him being called off, it was all too clear to see that the assassin's stunt was a kick to the proverbial hornet's nest. The fact that he managed to pull off an escape from the city despite the best of the kingdom's forces being after him likely didn't help matters either.
However, as the two white-haired specialists made their way towards Winter's airship, with the elder Schnee in question pointedly ignoring the salutes of any soldiers they passed by, Nero soon began to notice a familiar figure standing near the ramp of the airship.
"Weiss…?" Nero thought aloud, slowing down his walk to a halt as he and Winter closed in on the airship. Upon catching sight of the two of them, Weiss was quick to approach them both, a relieved smile clear to see on her face.
"There you both are!" Weiss exclaimed, a shaken but relieved tone in her voice. "When I heard that fiend managed to escape, I… couldn't help but assume the worst." All it took was one look to see that despite her trying to keep up a strong front, that the younger Schnee sister was shaken by what happened today. Nero certainly couldn't blame her for that. He imagined that anyone would be freaked out after that red-clad bastard took Myrtenaster to the palm without flinching and started to close in on her all menacingly.
"What? You thought I was in trouble?" Nero joked, attempting to make light of the situation to reassure her. "I actually had him on the ropes 'till he decided to puss out. Besides, at least I'm still standing after dealing with him. Can't say the same about Kisaragi or the Ace Ops." That last sentence got him a sharp smack to the back of the head from an irate Winter.
"How many times must I remind you to not casually bring up confidential military intel to civilians, family or not!?" Winter scolded him, an annoyed scowl on her face. "You are very fortunate I'm much more lenient towards you and your attitude than I should be, otherwise you'd have been dishonorably discharged ages ago!"
"Yeah, I got that. Thanks for the reminder, Winter." Nero responded dryly, tenderly rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, I can certainly see that my concern was unwarranted now." Was all Weiss had to say in response, rolling her eyes at Nero's ever-constant flippant attitude. That being said, the amused smile on her face made it clear that his attempts at making the SDC heiress feel better worked, much to his satisfaction.
Nero was about to continue their banter when he noticed something red glinting on Weiss's chest. Giving it a better look, the impulsive youth was surprised to see that she was wearing the gift he brought to her performance -something to commemorate and congratulate the heiress for getting into Beacon. To better clarify, it was a golden necklace with a red gemstone at the center wrapped around a pair of golden wings.
Weiss was quick to catch on to where Nero's gaze was and merely looked at him with a bashful smile, silently awaiting his thoughts on how she looked. However, in an uncharacteristic display of shyness, the hot-headed young man could only quickly look away from Weiss, pink slowly beginning to dust his cheeks. For her part, Winter could only watch the two's interaction with a slight, muted chuckle, a small smile on her face despite herself.
"So uh… what are you still doing here, anyway?" Nero finally managed, hoping to divert focus from his awkward behavior, looking towards Winter as he continued… which also conveniently allowed him to not look at Weiss's disappointed pout from his lack of response. "After everything that happened today, I woulda figured you'd get her as far away from here as possible."
"It's more convenient all around that Weiss be present for this as well. After all, it concerns the both of you." Winter clarified, gaining curious looks from both Nero and Weiss.
"...Now, even though the general called off the hunt for that assassin, the fact that a man of such strength is now at large with no way of knowing where he is has left me quite concerned." Winter explained, giving the two of them a pointed look as she continued. "More to the point, I'm sure the both of you noticed that Grimm mask he was wearing, did you not?"
"Obviously. You'd have to be blind for that to slip by you." Nero scoffed, causing both Winter and Weiss to shoot him annoyed looks. On the latter's part, however, she took a moment to think on what her sister was saying before answering as well.
"Do you think that man's aligned with the White Fang, Winter?" She asked, getting a nod of affirmation from her sister.
"I do. If not as a formal member, then as a hired gun. If nothing else, it would explain his attempt to assassinate the General. They have almost as much bad blood with the Atlas military as they do with our family," Winter explained. "And that brings us back to the topic at hand. Weiss, I'm frankly not comfortable having you head off to Beacon Academy by yourself in a few weeks." The blunt and sudden way in which she said this surprised Nero and left Weiss reeling like she'd been struck.
"W-What!? Winter, what are you saying!?" The Schnee family heiress exclaimed the moment she regained her voice, the look on her face a combination of shock, horror, and betrayal.
"Weiss, that man single-handedly murdered the squadron of soldiers under my command before easily defeating the best Atlas had to offer. If he really is working for the White Fang, then what if they decide to send him after you next?" Winter sighed, her blunt and piercing words once again shocking Weiss into silence. "If such a thing occurred here, in Atlas, then I would at least feel secure in the knowledge that both Nero and myself would be here to defend you. However, I don't have that security if you're a continent away from home."
"Winter, please, you can't really be telling me that you want me to stay here in Atlas! Not after everything I went through for the chance to go there and finally get away from father!" Weiss pleaded, clearly desperate to avoid losing the chance to attend classes at Beacon. Nero, understanding her distress, was about to speak up in an attempt to back Weiss up. However, Winter bringing up her open palm sharply silenced any further protests from Weiss and stopped Nero from speaking outright.
"I'm not saying that, Weiss. So please, let me finish before jumping to conclusions." Winter explained sharply, silencing any further protests from her fellow white-heads. "Now, while not heading to Vale outright is certainly a solution to this dilemma, doing so would also be an insult to the effort and lengths you've gone to for the opportunity, so I decided upon a much more convenient solution."
"O-Oh… alright, so… what is it then?" Weiss asked tentatively, no longer scared of losing her chances to attend Vale's combat school outright, but still apprehensive, especially after the scare she just received. For his part, Nero merely watched the proceedings silently with a questioning expression, frankly thinking he was an outsider to this entire issue… At least until Winter looked directly at him, that is.
"Simply put- Nero will be accompanying you to Beacon." Winter clarified, once again blindsiding the two of them. However, in Weiss's case, her surprise was far more pleasant this time around.
"R...Really?" Weiss asked hesitantly, eyes wide and a hopeful smile on her face. In response, Winter could only smile slightly before nodding.
"Really. While he wasn't able to stop his escape, Nero was the only one capable of fighting on par with that man. With this in mind, I'll feel considerably better about your attendance at Beacon so long as he's there with you. Fighting together, the both of you should be able to hold your own against him should he truly make a reappearance." The elder Schnee finished before asking rhetorically. "Now then, am I correct in assuming that neither of you are against these conditions?"
"Of course! I'm perfectly fine with this, Winter!" Just as Winter expected, Weiss was quick to assure her sister that he had no problems with this whatsoever, a radiant and happy expression on her face.
"You're the boss here, Winter. You want me to go, then I'll go." Despite trying to sound nonchalant about the whole issue, the growing smirk on Nero's face combined with the pleased tone leaking into his voice made it clear to the sisters that he was just as fine with this as Weiss was.
"Good. Additionally, I imagine that spending some time attending a proper huntsman academy could do you well, given that you never bothered with that process here." Winter smiled, referring to how Nero simply straight-up enlisted in Atlas's military and worked his way up to specialist rather than earn a spot through classes in Atlas Academy. His surprising amount of natural skill when it came to combat certainly helped in that regard. "Now then, it goes without saying that the both of you have had a long day, especially with how late it is. Nero, your final order for the day is to escort Weiss home before returning to your quarters and getting some rest. I can imagine you both have much to be thinking about in the coming weeks… in addition to having much to pack."
"You got it, ma'am. C'mon Weiss." Nero affirmed with a rare show of respect to his superior, offering Weiss his hand. The heiress could only smile gently at this before taking his hand, a light blush dusting her face as they both walked up the ramp and into Winter's airship. For her part, Winter could merely watch on with a smile.
'He must truly be in a good mood if he willingly called me 'ma'am.'' The Atlesian specialist thought, giving the snowy Atlas skyline, which was lit up brightly by the cityscape surrounding her, one last look before exhaling and following after her sister and surrogate sibling.
This night certainly ended in chaos and with many questions left hanging in the cold air, but for now, they could go unanswered.
To be continued…