Chapter 89
"I can't believe I'm stuck here." It was during the beginning of the battle that everyone had been put in position to prepare themselves. Where many had grabbed their weapons and Dust to deal with the Grimm that would come. Yet not everybody would be allowed that, as inside a certain room in Beacon, Erice was stuck sitting down and doing nothing. "This sucks!" she cried out.
"Come on Erice. Don't be sad." Near her is Voyager, another Servant who patted Erice on the back. She looked at him in annoyance.
"I'm not sad. Just angry!" Erice then pointed outside. "Angry that while everyone else fights, I'm kept here like some damsel." How infuriating that felt. It made Erice just mad thinking about it. Where everybody she saw or knew fought bravely, she was told to stand by for her own safety. She has magical powers for crying out loud! Defending her home back in Vacuo many times. Yet she's forced to be here just because she could be a target.
"Well, maybe you'll get a chance later." Voyager said to his alternative dimensional friend. Not minding that even if she wasn't his Erice, she's still Erice and thus, wants to be a good friend for her.
"Phh. Yeah, right." Erice muttered while crossing her arms. "Everyone out there is doing pretty good. Heck, I've seen some of the students here. Like a guy with glasses who can cut down Grimm with a basic knife while somehow shattering aura in one go. That blonde girl with him, she can crush Grimm with ease." That wasn't even mentioning those plain-looking twins who work well together, and those like the red-hooded girl who was so cool with that scythe.
With a growl, Erice then muttered, "I can't see Salem getting past them."
THUD!
The entire academy then shook. Both Servant and Maiden then looked at one another before covering their ears when a large roar slammed into their ears while shattering the glass around them.
"The hell!" Erice then walked towards the broken window, being careful not to step on the glass, then looked out the window. What she saw immediately made her flinch. "...oh…that's not good." Wondering what she saw, Voyager quickly checked out the window to see what was up.
"...uh-oh." Where he and Erice got a good look at the humongous whale Grimm now right in front of Beacon directly with a maw so big that it could consume buildings itself. All while it vomited a disgusting liquid that then seemed to cause Grimm to spawn from it. Not helped that said liquid touched the Huntsmen that had been around and immediately caused what Erice and Voyager could only describe as an agonizing death.
The two then looked at one another before looking back at the massive horror that landed before the Academy which released another wave of Grimm. After a bit, Erice then broke the silence.
"We should-"
"Probably help out. Yes." Voyager finished for Erice as the two then immediately began running out of the room. Because it seems all hands on deck will be needed for this situation.
"Shit!" Especially when things took a massive turn for the worse. "The hell just happened here!?" Jason shouted as he and everyone else onboard the New Argo saw the Monstra now at Beacon Academy and already sending Grimm in who began killing the few Huntsmen that survived the Grimm liquid that painfully killed the others.
"That was…unexpected." Never did Medea (Lily) think Salem could transmute something of that size into smoke, even if for a while. She then narrowed her eyes. "Though maybe this could be a good thing."
"A good thing?" Jason shouted at Medea (Lily). "How is this situation a good thing?" The damn Grimm got past all the defenses everyone had and was now running wild. Yet his miniature ex-wife thinks it's a good thing.
Thankfully, Asclepius understood what Medea (Lily) meant and began to explain. "You misunderstand Jason." The good doctor spoke while Jason quickly began turning the ship around, though listened to Asclepius all the same. "You can't tell since you're not capable of sensing mana, but up until now, the Monstra has been emitting a lot of power."
"Power?" After a bit, Jason understood. "You mean…" It was then a conversation from Chaldea earlier entered Jason's mind. Primarily, how they told him and others that the Monstra was emitting far more power than it should, with the readings only matching one creature. One that Jason had hoped stayed dead like the rest of its brethren. "The Demon God Pillar?"
"Exactly." Medea (Lily) nodded while confirming Jason's words. "I don't know how, but Salem managed to either make a deal or use Haagenti to power up herself. But now most of that energy is expended." Likely used to turn something of that mass to smoke and then back to a physical form. "And now we can feel a bit safer that Salem can't use that magic magical power for other potential attacks she may have had." All of which was true.
At this moment, within the Monstra, the Demon God Pillar Haagenti was practically at near death. It would take ages for him to regain even a fraction of the magical power Salem expended from his body. Meaning it's safe to say she can't use him to unleash deadly magical attacks. Not that the situation is any better though.
One look out the window simply reveals the Monstra's little minions making their way through the front entrance and already about to kill their targets. Sure Beacon had some Huntsmen still within the school grounds, but most had been positioned outside of it and the Emerald forest.
Quickly Jason made a call. "Atalante." He spoke to his fellow Argonaut. "Can you come back to Beacon?"
"Unfortunately, no." Sadly, all Jason got was a poor response.
"How come?" he asked.
"Because I'm a little busy trying to survive along with the others."
Within the forest, Atalante jumped to the nearest branch and then another. The two trees she had been on were ripped apart while nearby, Mordred attacked what had done so.
"Die, punk!" A clawed hand grabbed her face and slammed her onto the ground. Then proceeded to throw her onto a reverted Sieg which caused the two to hit the nearest tree and break through it.
"Fall oppressor!" Spartacus shouted, before his head was cut off along with his limbs.
"Man you guys just don't stop." Avenger shouted as he then leapt back before Hercules's weapon could slice his face in half. The powered Servant moved in front of Heracles and then immediately slashed through what should have been near-invincible skin and drew blood. Heracles attempted to head butt the false Beowolf only for Avenger to then slash through his throat and kick him onto his back while Heracles' throat leaked blood.
"Then maybe you should have some of this bitch!" Then Caenis revealed herself and slugged Avenger in the face, his face cracking.
Crunch!
Where he then immediately bit down on her arm. While he couldn't pierce through her defense, what Avenger could do was twist himself around and lift Caenis into the air. Tossing her above him before releasing a deadly howl that sent her further into the sky. Avenger then turned to Atalente. A wild grin on his snout as Atalante flinched before saying onto the scroll, "Anyway, I have to go." She then hung up.
"Gruagh! Just as Avenger roared as was in front of her face.
"Great. So much for that." With Atalante's Noble Phantasm, she could clear an army and kill most of the Grimm the Monstra is giving birth to. But it seems that as good as the other Servants are at stalling Avenger, they weren't making much progress in putting him down. Jason then considered calling Chaldea only to look out the window and grimace.
Because he saw a giant Wyvern where a certain King of Heroes had golden portals surrounding a good chunk of the sky beyond him. Shooting down countless Noble Phantasms at the Storm Border and what appears to be Astolfo in an epic fury. So it seems Chaldea won't be able to help out as they're already busy dealing with Gilgamesh so he couldn't attack the ground.
That just left the Huntsmen to regroup.
'But there are still Grimm out there.' While the Monstra was incapable of summoning back-up, Salem had still brought plenty of Grimm. Many were being killed off of course, but there were plenty to stall the Huntsmen out in the forest to prevent them from returning to Beacon. Which left those stationed just a bit outside the Academy who were only facing the straggler Grimm that got past the first mount of defenses and Huntsmen.
'But they won't be enough.' Jason thought while having the New Argo head towards where the Monstra is at. 'As skilled as they are, the Monstra's way too big to just stab and shoot at.' Even a Servant would have a hard time killing the thing, and would need the right Noble Phantasm to finish it off. 'And we also can't just attack those Gravity Dust Crystals.'
Jason saw what happened the last time he and his team caused Gravity Dust to explode. It resulted in a freakin pseudo-black hole. And considering the high amounts of Dust attacked onto the Montra who, again, is right next to Beacon, such an action could unintentionally kill anybody nearby it.
Though when one considers the circumstances….
'A last resort I suppose.' Jason thought while desperately thinking of another strategy. Though even with his mind working overtime, Jason couldn't really see what anybody could do against a creature of that size. Which just left one thing.
"Seems we're going to do something insane." Jason declared with Asclepius sighing.
"And here I hoped that staying here would mean no chance of doing anything crazy." He's a doctor, not a man who'll join fights that are equal to suicide. But even doctors had to take risks sometimes, so, "What's your plan?"
"Easy." With a push of a button, the New Argo began making its way towards the Monstra. Or more specifically, the strange 'docks' that the Monstra had on the sides. "We deal with the head of the snake." Or whale in this case.
"Really?" Medea (Lily) looked surprised. Not because she didn't understand what Jason meant, but the problem with his plan. "But none of us truly know how to fight." She was but a simple Caster, a good one, but with little prowess in a fight aside from flinging spells at the enemy. Asclepius is just a doctor as he always claims, and her dear husband is, well, garbage in an actual fight.
"Plus she's immortal and probably has hundreds of Grimm inside the beast." If anything, them going inside would be more than suicide. They'd just be signing their death warrants. Not helped that their best fighters like Atalante, Caenis, and Heracles are dealing with Avenger along with other Servants.
"Don't worry." Jason calmly told his teammates. "We'll be getting some good help soon enough." Grabbing his scroll, Jason then made a call. "Just need to get in touch with someone." While doing this, Jason slowly made his way towards the Monstra without slowing down.
"That is one huge fish." All while those near Beacon saw the Monstra landing in front of their school. Neptune on board the Queen Anne's Revenge, looking through some binoculars to see the fearsome Grimm roaring. He then turned to the Servants on-board. "...I don't suppose any of you can one-shot it."
"The Buddha will protect us all!" Sanzang declared.
"Will. Burn. It. Alive." Nezha said with confidence.
"I'm sure a few cannonballs will do the trick." Blackbeard checked out the Monstra's size before scratching his chin. "...maybe."
EMIYA simply stayed quiet while analyzing what could be done.
'Can't really see how any of us can kill the thing.' Now, EMIYA wasn't trying to be pessimistic. But he won't see this situation with optimistic eyes either. Instead, he merely saw what the reality of the situation was. Dire.
'I've seen many large Phantasmals, but this one certainly outclasses many of them.' Chaldea itself hasn't often met something as large as this Monstra. A Grimm that could fly, release a wave of death in the form of liquid that could kill people and bring forth Grimm. While also being a mobile 'ship' of sorts and having dense 'skin'. Granted, that wasn't to say it's invincible. Closing his eyes, EMIYA felt he had a few Noble Phantasms that might do the trick.
Maybe not kill it outright, but weakening it would be a good start. Though simply depowering the beast wouldn't be enough. They needed another plan.
"Hm?" While thinking this, nearby, Sun heard a scroll ringing and saw it was Blackbeards. He could tell because it had a bunch of anime stickers of cute girls on the back while the screen showed an image of some woman with a rather huge chest exposed while wearing a pirate-like outfit.
Blackbeard must be really focused, otherwise, he'd never let such a precious item drop from his back pocket. Picking it up, Sun was about to hand it over to Blackbeard when he accidentally hit the answer button.
"Whoops." Acting on reflex, Sun placed the scroll near his ear and asked, "Hello?"
"You're not Blackbeard?" The voice was recognizable. It was Jason. While a bit surprising, Sun decided to see what was up. This current situation had no need for small talk at the moment.
"No. But I assume you need something from him." Sure Blackbeard was quite…eccentric, but he boasted strong firepower. Those cannons of his did the job quite well, with only the more sturdy Grimm and hybrids even capable of surviving the onslaught, which were very few. And that wasn't even mentioning the other Servants like Sanzang, Nezha, and EMIYA. All of whom could beat down any Grimm that came their way.
Which is what Jason needed at this time.
"I need to borrow him and the other Servants for a bit." Much as Jason hated to admit it, he and the two with him won't be capable of facing Salem alone. Especially since she likely has some aces with her within the Monstra. As such, it was better if the three Argonauts had back-up. And while some like Heracles were unfortunately occupied, because of Salem's huge move, there won't be much Grimm heading in the direction the Servants were stationed at. Or at the very least, the Grimm there can be dealt with by the Huntsmen.
Sighing, Sun looked at the Servants and quickly ran towards them. Calling out to them and saying, "Hey guys!" Grabbing their attention, Sun said, "That Jason guy says he needs some help." The monkey faunus then pointed at the New Argo which is closer to the Monstra.
"Ah, I see now." EMIYA understood what was going on. "He's going to attempt a blow against Salem." A bit risky, but it made sense. Helped that unlike before, while Salem managed to transport the entire Monstra here on school grounds, she couldn't do the same with the Tempests, Griffons, Manticore and other Grimm that flew near the Monstra and protected it from lesser attacks. Meaning the New Argo could land much more safely without any hindrance.
"So he needs help, huh." Taking a look at the battlefield, Blackbeard checked and saw how the Grimm on the field were being taken down, even without his cannons softening them up. "Heh. I suppose we aren't doing much at the moment."
"Then let us do what we must." Sanzang was in, with Nezha nodding with her.
"In that case," EMIYA took a look at the battlefield and gave a nod. "For now, Blackbeard, you stay behind just in case. And if I recall, Voyager is around here somewhere with Erice, so that at least leaves two Servants and a Maiden on the off chance some powerful Grimm comes." Letting the rest of them go into the Monstra itself.
"Great." Sun then said into the scroll, "Some back-up is on the way."
"Excellent." Now Jason felt more secure about the odds here. Which left just one thing to do now. "Now, by any chance is Ozpin around?"
"Ozpin." Taking some time to think about it, Sun then shaked his head. "Actually, I don't know where he is." If anything, the last he saw Ozpin was when he gave some speech and then left. Hadn't seen him since.
"Dang it. Where is he then?' Because having a guy who battled Salem for thousands of years would have been very useful. Hearing a sigh, Sun then heard Jason say, "Well, whatever. You guys just keep doing the good work. Then when you finish off the Grimm in the forest, help out against the Monstra."
"We'll see what we can do." After all, Salem brought hundreds upon hundreds of Grimm when coming here. While very skilled Huntsmen can kill dozens at a time, this many Grimm alongside the unpredictable hybrids would take time to deal with. That, and last Sun checked, he didn't think any conventional weapons could deal with the Monstra.
Hanging up, Sun then got ready to jump off board and help out when he then felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw it was Sanzang. "Yeah." He asked.
"Um, apprentice." Sanzang then spoke a little nervously, despite the fact that she's strong enough to kill a giant Deathstalker with her bare hands. "I was wondering, that since this seems to be a large battle, that means when it's over, a large celebration will occur, yes?"
"Um. Yeah, that seems likely." Cool too. If anything, a celebration after a long day of fighting seems like the kind of thing Sun can get by. "What about it?"
"Ahem." A tinge of red could be seen on Sanzang's cheeks as she said, "In that case…" She averted her gaze slightly before focusing them again on Sun. "Would you be…willing…to come with me to the celebration?" Oh. That was unexpected.
Though being hesitant seemed bad. So after mulling it over for a second, Sun said, "Sure. It'd be cool to hang out with you." Sanzang then seemed to brighten up while nearby, Nezha growled.
"Excellent." She then slapped her hand on his back making him yelp at her strength once more. "Then I will help purify this abomination and quickly come back to you. Bye!" She then jumped off the ship followed by a pouting Nezha and chuckling EMIYA, all going straight towards the Monstra. Leaving Sun to ponder a bit before turning to Neptune.
"...so, am I going on a date?" Neptune scoffed.
"From the sounds of it, yes. Unless you have a problem with it." Quickly Sun shakes his head.
"Not really. I mean, I did like Blake, but I haven't seen her in a while." So any feelings he may have had for her kinda went down. Plus, Sanzang was really cool, fun, and undeniably pretty. "It's just, well…she reminds me of my cousin Sanzang."
"...Wha?" Neptune then went while Sun chuckled.
"Yeah. It weirded me out too. She reminds me a bit of her, but not so much that going on a date with her makes me sick." Should be fun anyway for the celebration. But for now, Sun had a job to do. He can think about his date with Sanzang later. As Sun then hopped off the ship to help out with the Grimm, Neptune just shakes his head before chuckling.
"Well, at least you have a date." He didn't. Though maybe he could find one later on. Well, assuming he doesn't either die or lose a leg. As Neptune prepared to follow, he then checked out and saw the New Argo already making its way towards the landing docks of the Monstra. "Here's to hoping they do well."
"And done." Once the New Argo landed, the three Argonauts exited the ship and found themselves within the Monstra. Feet stepping on the 'floor' as Jason then took a nice look around the place. "Man, this place is creepy." Not to mention it smelled.
"Very unsanctionary." Asclepius tightened the mask on him. "If anything, we'd be best not to touch anything suspicious."
"Suspicious!" Jason pointed at the floor then all around them. "Everything here is suspicious. Hell, the walls here look alive." Like they would just come to life and eat them. "Plus the floor feels…soft." Jason then shivered.
"That sounds really bad." Thankfully, for Medea (Lily), she floated above them. The two members then looked at her with a hint of envy. Jason then sighed.
"Alright, for now we should just get ready. Salem probably knows we're here." They did just land a ship on the docks, so it made sense she would know. "So, let's get ready for any Grimm. Medea (Lily)."
"Already having some spells prepared and ready to fire." She answered.
"And thanks to the Dust on board, all of us are pretty good ourselves." Asclepius felt he could allow his mechanical pet Aesculapius to do quite a bit in combat. "Now then, how soon will back-up arrive?"
"Not for long." Taking a look at the clock on his scroll, Jason gave an approval hum. "The Monstra is in front of Beacon, and the Servants are only a few miles away from it." Plus with how fast Servants can be, they'll be here soon in no time. "Anyway, it's best we just do our best to see what we can do at the moment."
"Indeed." Taking out some surgical tools, Asclepius narrowed his eyes. "Now that we know ordinary methods can't kill Salem, then perhaps we can try other methods. Like, perhaps, lobotomy." Incapacitate her without killing her.
"Would that work though?" I mean, she wasn't exactly human as far as Jason could see.
"Her being a hybrid does make things difficult, admittingly." While she was human-looking enough, Asclepius can admit that her biology wouldn't match any actual humans. Her 'blood' being one for starters along with her insides. "Still, may as well try."
"Perhaps I can use magecraft to entrap her." Medea (Lily) suggested. "Like creating a sphere around her, then shrinking it until she's nothing but a pulp that we can carry around and toss somewhere." The two Argonauts just looked at Medea (Lily) and blinked.
"...uh…I guess that could work."
"...yes. That is true."
Though while accepting of the idea, the two looked just a bit disturbed. It was as one person says. Be wary of the 'nice' ones. With Medea (Lily), despite being so kind, can actually be more unhinged than her adult self. Especially towards her enemies.
There was a reason Haagenti hated her the most. Though speaking of Haagenti, Medea (Lily) turned her head and looked towards the ground. 'Should we?' She could sense his mana. Weak though, and the signature felt deep. He must be somewhere within the Monstra, where a part of Medea (Lily) wished to deal with the Demon God Pillar once and for all.
She then moved on and decided to ignore Haagenti. Salem was the bigger threat of the two, while also controlling all the Grimm around Beacon. Better to deal with her than a near mana-less demon.
Like so, the three then moved on while keeping their guards up.
Jason held his sword close to him. Medea (Lily), her staff. While Asclepius had multiple copies of Aesculapius around them. Yet for some reason, they have yet to encounter any Grimm as they walked down. This of course brought suspicion.
'Even if the Grimm can't kill us easily, they could slow us down.' At the moment, Jason was having Medea (Lily) take the lead. Her ability to sense mana being very useful, especially when one considered aside from them, Salem was emitting mana herself. Allowing Medea (Lily) to pinpoint her location which was right in front of them, though quite the walking distance away. But the fact that no Grimm has been sent against them happened to be quite unusual for the three.
"You think she plans on confronting us?" Asclepius decided to ask Jason, who took a minute to respond.
"Maybe." Jason shrugged. "But perhaps there's another reason why she hasn't sent anything against us." Pointing to the right, Jason referred to not the reddish-pink walls that made up this hallway, but instead, what was going on outside. Saying, "With Salem at Beacon, she's probably sending as many Grimm as possible to take down the entire school and tear it apart."
While not something to be proven, it was a rather good theory. Plus, after taking a good look at the hallway they're in, Asclepius also had another idea. "These hallways can allow some Grimm in. Though I imagine the bigger ones would have trouble moving around." This entire creature seems to have been made to accommodate people. So while some Grimm can walk around, it's likely that the Grimm's resting areas were elsewhere.
Of course, there was another theory on why the Grimm aren't coming to attack them. "She could also be looking down on us." Where Jason can believe that maybe, since Salem had quite the amount of power alongside numbers, she believed herself untouchable. Unstoppable.
Wouldn't be the first time Chaldea has met such a person who believed themselves victorious to the very end. And after a few minutes of walking without encountering a single Grimm, the idea that Salem really is looking down on them started to look more and more true. Not that they let their guards down either way.
As they continued walking, Jason then pondered a bit on how his other teammates were doing.
"Verg Avesta!" Avenger shouted as he released his Noble Phatasm. All while having Caenis's spear in his gut, arrows on his back, Clarent having sliced his shoulder, and Heracles' ax chopping his right arm.
Immediately everyone felt the very pain they put Avenger through which stalled them for just a moment. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem considering how the Angra Mainyu of before wouldn't even be capable of harming Servants like this.
"Eat it!" The current him is more than capable. Grabbing and tearing off Caenis' weapon before throwing it right at Spartacus and tore through his chest. Granted, the man would regenerate thanks to his Noble Phantasm, and was growing grotesquely huge because of it, but it wouldn't help him either. As Avenger got on top of his buff shoulders, then tore his head off again for the fifth time.
"Oh come on!" Mordred shouted as she gained her wit again while glaring. "He keeps going for the head."
"He probably just doesn't want Spartacus to focus on him." Sieg answered as he lifted his left hand which began sparking. "Unlike the rest of us, Spartacus grows stronger and stronger the more damage caused on him. But all that strength isn't useful if Spartacus can't even see where his enemy is."
"Bastard is just slippery. He ain't all that." Leaping toward Avenger, Caenis attempted to punch Avenger's lights out while grabbing his forearm. Lifting her knee, she then smashed it against his throat while throwing her left fist against his snout. Teeth flew off of him while he coughed up blood.
He then chuckled.
"Not enough." He then vanished once more and was right behind Caenis, already healing beyond what a Servant is capable of. His A-Rank Agility being his best parameter, and being put to good use against all the enemies before him. Instantly Avenger grew multiple pairs of Geist arms and wrapped them around Caenis's neck and attempted to cut off her air supply to her anger. Even when Atalante shot arrows onto his back, he didn't let go. Not for the arrows, not when Caenis struggled to get him off her violently, not even when Heracles began to grip his skull and slowly cracking it.
Not like his head being crushed would kill Avenger anyway. If anything, the Servant of Salem would gladly trade a head for taking out one of their members. As a bonus, he'd be killing Caenis not in an epic fashion like she'd expect, but in a dull way from oxygen deprivation. Grinning at giving such a humiliating death to her.
"Let her go." Shame he couldn't fully enjoy it when from behind, Sieg came with his electrical arm. Ugh. While him in his dragon form was far more annoying, that didn't mean Avenger enjoyed those stinging electric shocks anymore than he did Heracles crushing his skull. Well, he could just tank it as always. Not like any of these guys could actually-
"There you are." Then, faster than sound, Avenger felt a blow punch him in the back that certainly didn't belong to Sieg. Normally, such a thing would do little to him, especially in his current state. So it came to a surprise for Avenger when the fist not only hit his back, but also caused him to bend backward on reflex while also letting go of Caenis.
From there, he then saw the cute smiling face of Pollux.
"Die bastard!" Along with the savage grinning face of Castor who swung his weapon down and sliced a good chunk of Avenger's face off.
"Hey!" Now freed, Caenis quickly turned while growling. "I had the bastard." She then raised her leg, and swung it down towards Avenger which sent his body into the nearest tree. Once that was done, Caenis then growled at the two Dioscuri twins.
"Sure you did." Castor scoffed. "Your red face said otherwise."
"Why you-" Before Caenis could say anymore, suddenly they heard a howl and once again Avenger was back up and fully regenerated. Who then cracked his neck a little and sighed.
"More of you. Man this is getting annoying." They just kept coming out everywhere. "I thought you two were dealing with the Grimm."
"Hah." Giving a quick laugh, Castor seemed only amused by Avenger's comment. "Like such weak beasts could handle my dear sister and I."
"We already mopped up the ones in the east. The few remaining humans and faunus can handle it." Helps that they had a speed that would make Servants themselves envious. As such, once they did their part, coming here was a cinch. Not that it was just them either. The sound of a bullet shot being heard where Avenger found his eye being hit by a bullet that hit dead on.
"Damn!" He shouted where on the trees Qrow is seen with satisfaction.
"There. Got my hit in." He then turned to leave, knowing he wouldn't be worth much against the Servant who was strongest against humans. So he'll leave with one gift behind. "You'll be good without me, right Ana."
"As if I need a human to defend myself." Falling down from the same tree Qrow was in, Ana, aka the Medusa, landed on her feet. She then gave Qrow a stern look and said, "It's better if you just scurry off now. It'd be annoying if you died here and I had to explain to your family."
"Yeah. Yeah." Qrow then jumped away while calling out, "Stay safe."
Ana just sighed as she took out her Harpe. "I should be the one saying that." Still, while she found Qrow to be a bit of a nuisance, the time spent with him has been quite fun. So it made her feel comfortable that he was away from the danger here and would only face the Grimm. "Now then," While she faced someone she owed quite the payback to for the last time. Eyes glowing as she then said, "Have at this Avenger. Caress of the Medusa!"
Avenger, before he could even move, immediately found himself frozen stiff. The power of the legendary Mystic Eyes of Petrification already working their magic on him. As per the legend, Avenger could feel himself turning to stone. His own movements slowed down while a thin layer of stone started forming around his body.
"Crap." That wasn't good. However, Avenger felt certain he could escape. He just needed a second to get out of sight.
"Get him!" Instead, he felt hands grab him down. Sieg, Heracles, Mordred, all three grabbed him to prevent any movement. For a moment, Avenger thought they were insane. Were they really risking themselves to be turned to stone? Because unless they had a skill or a high stat he wasn't aware of, they would get caught in Ana's Noble Phantasm.
The answer was, they weren't insane. They simply caught on to Ana's plan.
"Have you now, oppressor!" From behind, Spartacus came out and fully regenerated. With his grotesque yet powerful body, the Berserker Servant grinned down at Avenger who tried to struggle to move. But with these guys holding him down and petrification making things difficult, Avenger found himself unable to do anything as he felt a giant hand wrap around his body. Though once Spartacus lifted him, Avenger attempted to grow spikes out of himself to get the brute to let him go.
Grimm bone burst through Spartcus's meaty hand.
"Hahahaha!" Instead of screaming, Spartacus just laughed at the silly attempt to hurt him. Where Avenger was now starting to regret beating down on Spartacus as he did before. Because the Servant was twice his size and could easily hold him in place while giving a disturbing look at him. Then, Spartacus's hand regenerated and squeezed on Avenger.
"Shit!" Bones were cracking. Muscle being crushed. He was dense though, a really tough nut to crack, even with Spatacus's enhanced strength. So Avenger had time to escape if he really put his back to it.
"I got his legs." Too bad the others weren't going to allow it. Wanting payback, Caenis leapt up and grabbed Avenger's two legs, then ripped them out.
"Gah!" It wasn't so much as the pain that got Avenger, but that the energy he was going to use to escape was now quickly going to regenerate his legs. Alright, so he stopped his regeneration and prepared to impale the big oaf. Facing Spatacus eye-to-eye, Avenger prepared to wipe that stupid look off his face and opened his maw. Energy building up and prepared to fire.
"No you don't." Castor came in and yanked his head back. A beam of red energy came out of Avenger's mouth as it flew into the air instead of burning a hole through Spartacus's face. Then, Castor went further and twisted Avenger's head until a nasty crack was heard. One would think this would kill Avenger, especially since the energy he launched out stopped.
"Die again." To Spartacus, he felt it wasn't enough. Jumping away for safety, once Castor left, Spartacus immediately slammed Avenger's body onto the ground like one would slap their hand onto an ant. Where Spartacus proceeded to move his hand left and right, twisting forward and down for a full thirteen seconds before lifting his hand away.
"Now!" Sieg shouted. While Avenger's body looked rather mushy, everyone wasn't taking that chance. Heracles came down with his ax and slammed it onto Avenger's back. Atalante shot arrow after arrow onto Avenger's head. Mordred got close and stabbed her sword through his head. Everyone then stepped back and Spartacus came and stomped down onto Avenger's body three times and extra. Once he took his foot off, Avenger's body looked very flattened with dark Grimm-like blood leaking out of him.
What may have been his hand or head then twitched.
"Caress of the Medusa!" Once more, Ana released her Noble Phantasm while simultaneously cutting Avenger up with Harpe. This may seem like overkill, which it was to a large degree, but considering how Avenger managed to challenge all of them without breaking a sweat, this was necessary. Ana only stopped her usage of the Noble Phantasm until all the pieces of Avenger turned to stone. Once she did, she huffed, tired from draining her mana and stepped back.
All that was left of Avenger was just stone pieces and the blood he had leaked out.
"I got this." Now, to add insult to injury, Mordred activated her Noble Phantasm again. Everyone stepped back as the red electricity crackled with Mordred shouting, "Clarent Blood Arthur!" More trees were vaporized along with a good chunk of the ground. Once that was done, nothing of Avenger remained.
Before Mordred fell onto her but, Sieg quickly supported her as she sweated. "Hah." The Knight of Treachery smirked. "Totally got him."
"Please. It was my sister who helped create an opening." Castor then said before smirking himself. "Along with me snapping that ridiculous neck of his."
"Which did shit man." Caenis rolled her eyes. "He would have regenerated. Had you left him to me, I'd have created holes all over him."
"The oppressor is gone. Victory achieved!" Ignoring the two, and everyone else, Spartacus just lauded over his victory. Sieg simply tried to get everyone calm.
Saying, "Can't we say we all did a fine job."
The glares he got shut him up. As Caenis, Mordred, and Castor then began fighting over who did more, the rest just decided they'd use this chance to take a quick break before pressing on to kill the Grimm around them and then head towards Beacon where the Monstra is. At the very least, they took down Avenger before he could create any casualties for Salem.
Heracles for his part then turned towards where he knew the Monstra was at and gave a slight huff. Atalante noticed, and in seemingly understanding, nodded. "I suppose the others are probably going to deal with Salem. It only makes sense to deal with the leader."
Of course, while she didn't want to look down on her comrades, Atalante did feel a bit worried that Medea (Lily), Asclepius, and Jason would be incapable of handling Salem. She had magic on her side and who knows what else. Sure they took out her last Servant, the strongest of them all. But killing him didn't stop this battle, and given time, Salem will just create more creatures that would come down on them as a replacement. This will only stop when she's dealt with.
'But none of us have an immortal slaying weapon. Except…' Atalante looked at Ana with Heracles doing the same. The two then looked at one another and nodded, both in understanding on what the other meant.
"Ana." Atalante called out to Lancer who looked at them. Asking, "How good are you at running?"
Beacon was slowly breaking down.
Buildings and classrooms were being torn apart. Huntsmen being overwhelmed. The Grimm liquid destroys anything that it touches while birthing more Grimm. Even better, Chaldea's Storm Border was still being barraged by Gilgamesh who kept them from coming towards her along with the hundreds of Grimm left behind when the Monstra turned to smoke.
The only regret Salem had was that it seems Avenger finally met his end. 'A pity. But expected.' For all his strength, it seems teamwork and superior skills won the day over brute strength. But at the very least, similar to Gilgamesh, he achieved his purpose in delaying the Servants as Salem continued to send wave after wave of Grimm onto Beacon Academy. Joyful as she saw the fear and horror the Huntsmen and Huntress felt as she continued to put them under siege.
The only problem right now was that a ship had landed onto the docks. Not to mention multiple magical energy signatures are already heading her way. This meant that the Servants were within the Monstra, likely planning on dealing with her.
'Not that it'll stop me.' With a haughty attitude, Salem simply felt herself confident in facing the Servants coming towards her. After all, for what could they even do against her, or even her great pet, the Monstra?
Last she checked, none of them wielded any power to end her immortality. And according to Avenger, her Monstra wasn't something even the average Servant could just take down with a simple snap of their fingers. Not to mention she had been slowly amping herself up with the Demon God Pillars own energy within her, elevating her magical powers further. If anything, this was an opportunity to deal with the Servants and then attack Chaldea.
That ship had quite the strong barrier. It was clear physical attacks were doing nothing., So maybe her raw magic could do the trick. And if not that, simply have the Monstra gobble their little ship and chew it up while flooding it with the Pools of Grimm in its mouth. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
'And then, I can meet Ozma at long last.' It's been quite some time since Salem had met her old flame. How joyful their reunion will be. Especially when she shows him his destroyed school and all the dead students and those who worked with him. Her Grimm already making short work on those who had been caught off guard while also demolishing the school itself.
"?" Though not without resistance. In a building, an explosion came out where some of her hybrid Grimm were kicked out. It wasn't a Dust explosion though, and the feeling…magic.
'So one of the Maidens is here.' Perfect. That means Salem has a chance to capture one, perhaps even steal their power for herself. While the Maidens were strong, against her, they were nothing. Although, it did seem Salem had guests here.
Within her Monstra, with certain Grimm like the Seers or other miniature species that crawled around, Salem has detected a few Servants. Helped that one Grimm reported an Atlasian ship entering one of the 'decks' for ships to enter. A small consequence of having the Monstra turn to smoke but not taking the surrounding flying Grimm with it, who defended her mobile Grimm fortress.
Still, it didn't matter. The ones in here weren't Chaldea, or some of Ozpin's finest. Just a rag-tag group of Servants who weren't worth her time. Led by an incompetent man with two individuals who couldn't even fight properly. With the Demon God Pillar energy infused within her, along with the control she had onboard this ship, she outclassed them. Once they come into this room, she'll simply vaporize them into nothing.
As Salem then continued to orchestrate her Grimm into annihilating Remnant, Salem then heard a sound.
BOOM!
Which then turned into an explosion.
"Hiya!" Stepping out of the blown hole in the wall with a smug grin is Jason. Chuckling as he entered the Monstra's skull and Salem's throne with Medea (Lily) and Asclepius. The former of which puts down her glowing staff while smiling. As for Jason, he just looked at Salem and laughed. "Man. You really are looking down on us. No Grimm. No hybrids. Let me guess, you thi-"
Not wanting to hear the words of a clown, Salem raised her hand and shot forth what could only be described as a rainbow colored energy beam. Normally, they were thin, if painful, streams of energy. But with the power boost she had, the beam was much larger and thicker. Making its way towards Jason and his friends before consuming all three. In a second, they had been wiped away from existence. Not even acknowledging their deaths, Salem then went to resume Beacon's destruction.
A barrier then appeared around her, encasing her as if she were an animal, all while laughter is then heard.
"Alright. Now!" The barrier then began to shrink. Quickly coming down on her with Salem then holding her arms out as if to try and stop it. Her palms touched the enclosing barrier.
Ssssss!
Instantly her hands burned away as the barrier continued to shrink. Burning through her pals, her arm, not even her feet and legs were exempt from this as her body continued to burn away into ashes. Until eventually, to Salem's shock, the barrier had shrunk until only her head remained.
"Yes!" With Jason grabbed the magically shrunk barrier holding Salem's head with a look of superiority. "That's what happens when you mess with the best lady! Hahaha!" Salem's head only blinked in surprise. Though it made sense. She had assumed she killed Jason and his ilk. They should be dead.
"Good work on the illusions you made." Giving a slight explanation, Asclepius spoke to Medea (Lily). "They were able to fool her."
"And allow us victory!" Jason then thrusted his hips back and forth while giving a little twirl. Asclepius sighed, though Medea (Lily) merely giggled at her ex-husbands antics. Glad to see him so happy.
The leader of the Argonauts then got a good look at the decapitated enemy of theirs, chuckling. "You really got cocky." Ah. So cool to mock a foe that can't hurt you while criticizing their mistakes. "Had you taken us more seriously when we entered, maybe you wouldn't be in this state right now." Send Grimm after them, stall them as she continues her job. "But you got so full of hot air, that we had to pop that building sized ego you grew. And now," Jason chuckled as he tossed the mini barrier back and forth between his hands. "Look where that overconfidence got you." A head in a jar. Or, barrier in this case.
"Went quite well. Really well in fact." While Asclepius had doubts about this plan, he had to admit, the success in enacting it had gone without a hitch.
"I know, right." Accepting Asclepius's comments, Jason continued basking in this win. "Here is what should have been a final battle, a horrible fight that could have ended with someone dying. But instead, we won simply because Salem here thought she had it all." While Salem said nothing, the frown on her face said it all.
It was clear that she was annoyed with how things had turned out. Especially how she underestimated these simple three Servants and reduced into this current state. A rather humiliating way to go out in truth.
"What? It's over already." More so when countless Servants at last entered. EMIYA, Sanzang, Nezha, Mordred, Spartacus, Ana, Sieg, the remaining Argonauts, all here and now.
"Look at my new trophy!" With Jason instantly bragging in front of them all as he waved Salem's secured head. "Thanks to my genius, with a plan so great, we already captured Salem without even needing any of you."
"The fuck?!" Caenis growled with Mordred feeling the same.
"So we came here for nothing? Typical." Castor scowled. "Humans want someone to do something for them, only to waste their time instead." Pollux just rolled her eyes.
"Then…it's over?' EMIYA asked while glancing at Salem's captive head. "Just like that?"
"Haha!" Though some were confused, Spartacus (who's now normal looking again) himself didn't seem to care. Instead, like Jason, seemed to see this as a victory. "The oppressor has been defeated at last!" Raising his word, the hero gave a loud bellow.
"Well, at least it's done." While a bit annoyed, Ana was glad that the Grimm's leader was finally dealt with. "I suppose this means we should go deal with the remaining Grimm outside." Not to mention the Monstra soon after.
"Oh. Maybe I can blow it up from the inside." Mordred suggested with a snicker. Giving a glance at Sieg and saying, "Hell, how about you transform and burn this thing from the inside out."
"That…could work, I suppose." The hero of the homunculus, Sieg, gave a slight nod. "I mean, the outside of the Monstra is tough, but the inside should be weaker." Heck, they forced their way through walls to get here as fast as they could. Spartacus being the main offender.
"I suppose I can unleash a few of my tricks here to help out." As for EMIYA, he already had an idea or two to deal with the Monstra. Maybe unleashing an unlimited amount of blades can do the trick. And if not, causing a lot of explosions inside the Monstra seemed like the next best idea. Starting with the head.
"We. Should. Strike. Here." Nezha, already understanding, gazed at the area they were in, the skull. Down below is the mouth releasing the Grimm liquid that spawned more of the vile beasts here. If anything, it would be best to blow up the head. With a growl, Heracles lifted his ax. He was in clear agreement, as was everyone else.
"Alright then." Jason then began to walk away with Salem's secured head tucked under his armpit. "I suppose while you guys blow this place up, I'll be taking my prize here and-ow!" Suddenly, the barrier lit up. Unknown to Jason, Salem had focused the magic in her head and decided to overload herself. Essentially, blow herself up.
The barrier then cracked and shattered, leaving only a trail of smoke that then seemed to move.
"What in-" Once again, being interrupted, Jason saw EMIYA quickly on the move. The Counter Guardian instantly comes upon Salem's smoke form, knowing that leaving her be, even in this state, is not a good thing.
"RUAGH!"
The Monstra thought otherwise. The entire 'room' then shook where suddenly, from the edges of the 'room' the vile liquid of Grimm actually managed to make its way up. At the same time, a boney dome then surrounded Salem's current form, protecting her from EMIYA who had slashed at her with some exorcism blades that he hoped might have worked on her. But now he needed to turn his blade against the Grimm that was starting to come out from the liquid that gave birth to them.
Claws and glowing red eyes coming forth as they readied themselves to kill their queen's enemies. The Servants take out their weapons and ready themselves for a fight. Yet instead of the Grimm charging, instead they stood still…and then turned to smoke.
"...what?" Jason spoke what everyone was thinking. Being quite certain they hadn't done anything to reduce the Grimm to this. Such confusion went further when suddenly, the black liquid suddenly surged towards, not them, but right into the bone dome with the smoke doing the same.
"It seems you fools thought yourself the winners, after believing you had captured me." Then, Salem's voice could be heard all around them. Reverberating within the room in a mocking tone. The bone dome sinking into the ground while the smoke and liquid continued on. "And now I must correct this foolish insight you have all made."
"Says the woman who got reduced to a head." While Jason knew everyone here was in trouble, that won't stop him from mocking Salem for her previous mistakes.
"A simple careless act, I admit. But ultimately pointless." Speaking to Jason and all others, suddenly, an intense amount of mana could be felt. "For my power has grown beyond what could be imagined."
"Sure it is." Caenis savagely smiled before she began insulting the witch. "Just about what everyone says before they get their asses whooped."
"You are far from being anything special." Ana also coldly added. Not feeling intimidated by this display of mana. "Besides, this 'power' you have isn't even yours. Is it?" Ana recognized this energy as did the others, especially the Argonauts. It was the energy of a Demon God Pillar.
"No. But it is mine now. Mine to command. Mine to control. Mine to end you and everyone else inside." The Grimm's smokey remains suddenly expanded where from the ground, the floor cracked before bursting apart, as something massive came out of it. Burrowing out and squirming, being long and glowing all over.
Everyone inside unconsciously took a step back. Not so much out of fear, but because they could recognize the danger Salem now presented. Had she been the woman before, such as during her attack on Mistral, then she wouldn't have been considered worth much of a threat, even with immortality. Now, it seems her power has grown to equal an old enemy that Chaldea once faced before.
"Ugh." With Jason just being irritated at the sight he saw. "Seems you took more than just Haagenti's power." As the smoke cleared, at last one could see Salem's new form. "You also have his looks too. Disgusting."
It wasn't an exaggeration. Big, tall, and long. Multiple red eyes strewn about the entire body. Granted, there are some differences. Like the bone armor that covered the damn creature. Not to mention the fact that Grimm liquid oozed out of the things pores where in turn, Grimm popped out of them and formed out from the liquid. There was also the fact that at the tip pity-top, Salem's upper body could be seen as she then looked down at them with a grin.
"I see. So she assimilated his power onto her own." Narrowing his eyes, EMIYA scowled. "And now, she has become some kind of-"
"A Grimm God Pillar." Jason then finished.
"Huh. That's actually a decent name." Caenis said, actually liking the title. It suited the way this bitch looked. Nasty and gross.
"Her power has certainly increased." Medea (Lily) commented. "And from the looks of it," She then eyed the Grimm. "So have they." Those who could sense mana better then looked at the Grimm being 'born' from Salem's new transformation. At a first glance, they appeared to appear like any other Grimm like the rest of their brethren outside, not even being hybrids.
Fshhhhh!
Then one Beowolf was engulfed in flames, looking far more demonic as a result while growling.
Immediately everyone realized unlike the usual Grimm, who for the most part, were weak, these variants had something the rest of their kind didn't.
"Magic." Salem spoke as she laughed. "A gift of the Gods, now bestowed onto creatures more 'worthy' than them." All around, many of the Grimm showcased their capabilities in their new gift.
An Ursa began to float into the air.
A group of Seer's tentacle tips began to spark electricity
The Centinels themselves had frosty armor covered in spikes.
Berengel Grimm slamming their stony rock chests with Harpy Grimm screeching out rainbow colored energy beams.
What should have been a gift to mankind that once defended them from their eternal foes, the Grimm, have now been granted to these agents of destruction. One could say that if these new variants were allowed to be freed, chances were humanity would stand little chance against them and their enemies newly bestowed gifts.
"Phh. Like this would stop us." Thankfully, where most would turn back in fear, not a single one of the Servants bothered even considering they were outmatched. Caenis herself actually looked more excited than anything. "I've been getting sick of the usual Grimm anyway. Maybe these will be a challenge."
"Hell yeah." By her side, the Knight of Treachery, Mordred, felt very much the same. Sword pulled out and let off electricity. "Beating down the normal ones wasn't enough of a thrill. Not to mention," Mordred then gave a glance at Salem.
"It's been a while since Chaldea has faced a Demon God Pillar." EMIYA can't deny that this was an unexpected twist. All Demon God Pillars should have been done for. Yet once again another survivor is here. Or, in this situation, some new twisted variant of a Demon God Pillar. Or as Jason said, a Grimm God Pillar. While it might not be part of the original 72, this one held the power of one plus of a few additional aspects.
EMIYA then scoffed. "If you think having the power of a Demon God Pillar suddenly makes you invincible, then think again."
"Chaldea has slayed them before. Time and again." Atalanta added as she knocked her bow while Heracles cracked his knuckles. Undeterred by the challenge before them.
"And your little pets aren't going to help either." Castor cackled as he and his sister got ready to engage with everyone else.
"We've faced immortals before." With Harpe at her side, Ana then gave a slight smile. A rather daunting one that she may have picked up from Qrow. "They don't tend to last long." Especially against Chaldea.
With his own weapon out, Jason also chuckled. He didn't really feel like saying anything, but he agreed with everyone else. Oh, sure, the power of a Demon God Pillar is impressive. A single Servant would have trouble, likely even die. That's how powerful they were. But after everything the Servants have faced since after the events of the Incineration and during the Lostbelts, let's just say a single false Demon God Pillar wasn't even the worst the Servants have faced.
In any case, this was it. One final fight. They defeat her, then all the Grimm around will lack unity and will be reduced to simple-thinking beasts that can be put down more easily. Taking out Remnant's greatest threat, and making the world a safer place. All they had to do was just survive.
"Let's do this!" For Jason, that shouldn't be too hard at all.
Man, Salem got REALLY arrogant. You could probably tell, but with much of her success, she decided to just try and stream-roll everyone in her way. Getting so cocky as Jason put it, that she thinks nothing could stop her now. Heck, not even realizing some like EMIYA and Ana DO have immortal-slaying weapons while Chaldea could swat her given the chance. Her arrogance having nearly gotten her beaten in this anti-climatic plan Jason had come up with.
But that would end things way to fast. As such, Salem gets an upgrade. A nasty one at that. Still, this should let her be capable of fighting until only one victor emerges. Two chapters left. Final fight then the epilogue.