This chapter has 21,621 words...
Pardon my grammar on this one. It's very long.
I do not owe anything (except the Hosts).
World Trigger - Aftokrator Invasion
"There are many things that are taken out of context. We shall try out best to explain as the viewing goes on." The Hosts paused for a moment, "This world is one of many, capable of interacting with each other by opening gates. These gates allow other worlds to invade each other. People from other worlds are called Neighbors."
Jaune scratched his head, "Because their world is neighboring to one another?"
"In a sense. Yes."
"And somehow all these worlds still remain standing and not burnt to the ground?" Asked Glynda.
"It remains and society continues to achieve technological advancements."
Ironwood rubbed his chin, "Innovation to survive. I assume."
"That is correct. Four years ago, in a city known as Mikado City was invaded by another world. Their entire self-defense force was unable to fend off the invading Neighbors and their Trion soldiers. Robotic creatures created from Trions. This is due to Trion can only be damaged by Trion, which they have yet to discover."
"Which means their weapons didn't do anything against the invaders." Robyn had her head rested on her hand. "That must have been devastating."
"Fighting an opponent, you can't damage… How horrifying." Cinder mused.
Penny had a thoughtful look. "Trion soldiers…"
"From the ruins, an organization known as Border emerged and served as a protector against the invading Neighbors. We shall leave it there for now. It's best to show."
The room darkened and the scream flickered to life.
Resting atop of the school's rooftop, with his back leaning against the metal rails is an exhausted glasses-wearing boy named Osamu Mikumo.
"Ha…" He sighed and turned towards his friend white-haired friend, Yuma Kuga. "It's so tiring being surrounded by many people…"
Yuma swallowed his lunch, "Well, it's because you're always surrounded."
"Not what I was expecting, but okay." Marrow made himself comfortable in his seat, having finished his 'dinner'. "Pretty normal civilians, so far."
Harriet scoffed, "You know how fast things can go from normal to worse."
In the background, three delinquents slowly made their way out of the rooftop, not wanting to mess with a Border agent. As they left, Chika and her new friend, Izuho entered the rooftop bearing their lunch containers.
"Osamu." Chika greeted him.
"Oh, it's so freaking cold." Izuho shivered and cuddled more into her scarf and coat.
"Oh, Chika." Yuma greeted back.
"Who is she?" Osamu asked, referring to Chika's new friend.
"She's Izuho." She introduced, "She became a sniper with me."
Ruby sat up straight from her seat. "She's a sniper? They're both snipers?" She looked around for any traces of weapons on them. "I don't see any."
Weiss pinched her forehead, "Not everyone openly lugs a weapon around, Ruby."
"Aww…"
"They appear to be around the age when children start attending primary combat school, like Signal Academy." Tai deduced, "I'm guessing they're a part of this Border group?"
"That is correct. They are trainees or C-Class agents."
Izuho nodded, "Hello, I'm Natsume Izuho."
"So, you're Chika's friend?" Yuma got up from his spot and bowed, "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." She returned the bow.
"Their names are similar in pronunciation with those from Southern Mistral," Vine said with interest.
Oobleck nodded, "I believe their name derives from a language known as Japanese in their world."
"Like Yatsuhashi's." Coco pointed at her giant teammate.
As they enjoyed their lunch in the cold, Osamu paused and glanced over at Izuho and whispered to Yuma. "Come to think of it… Did the C-Class members receive the information on the large-scale invasion, too?"
Blake's cat ear twitched, "Invasion?"
"Well, you can say we did," Yuma said in between small sips from his drink. "While we C-Classes can't fight, we're authorized to use our triggers to support aid or to find shelter." According to the conditions set up by Border's top brass, Yuma was not allowed to utilize his Black Trigger unless it's an emergency, so for the time being, Yuma will be functioning as a C-Class Border Agent. "Border changed the rule because of the great efforts you furnished during the time with the Ilugard."
Osamu blushed at that, "Stop flattering me."
"Sounds like they had an adventure." Said Qrow, tapping on his flask. "And a run-in with red tapes and bureaucrats."
Robyn snorted, already finding the drunk huntsman kin.
The conversation quickly resumed its serious tone. "Kion, as well as Aftokrator will soon be leaving this world's orbit in around ten days or so." A digital diagram popped up, displaying their world, a round orb, and two rotating cubes slowly orbiting out of their world's 'zone'. "We somehow have to endure until then."
"By worlds, did they mean celestial bodies?" Pietro raised a question to the Hosts. "Or does the term refer to something else?"
"Our apologies for not explaining it clearly. When they refer to a world, they mean another dimension. Another world under a different planet and stars."
"Ah. I see."
"You mean it's similar to how you guys can watch other realities?" Vernal asked.
"Similarly, so. However, ours can reach out beyond the fabric of time and space. They cannot."
Pyrrha looked lost. "That's reassuring?"
"Ten days left…" It may not sound like much but being on guard for ten days can certainly be exhausting.
Far away from the school, crouched on top of a roof is S-Rank Border Agent Yuichi Jin, overlooking the city with a serious expression. It changed into a look of surprise as the sky quickly darkened.
"Damn, they're early."
"Things are about to escalate very quickly," Elm said with a serious expression.
Vine nodded, "It certainly looks like it."
The scene quickly shifts back to Chika who immediately stood up the moment her 'Side Effect' detected the Neighbor's tearing open the gates into their world. Her friends frowned and turned their attention to Chika before catching sight of the dark clouds looming overhead.
Unnatural dark clouds quickly coated the entire city, rumbling and crackling with energy. Within seconds, numerous black lightning spewed out from the clouds, pooling into black crackling orbs that function as gateways. The city was instantly covered in crackling gate portals, signaling the start of a large-scale invasion.
"Whoa! What are those black lightning?" Nora swayed, "And why is it turning into a sphere?"
"Yeah, what are those?" Asked Neptune.
"Those are gates. They allow objects to traverse across worlds."
"They're quite sinister-looking." Weiss gripped her seat's armrest tightly.
Osamu gripped the metal rails tightly. "This is…!"
/-/
Back at the HQ, Mission Control was frantically reading over the reports.
"Gates number, 38, 39, 40… Still increasing!" Shouted one of the operators.
The screen was quickly filling up with symbols representing gates and Trion Soldiers, automated soldiers created from Trion.
"Units currently on duty are to deploy following the instructions of their operators!" Ordered the General Manager and Commander of the Self-Defense Unit, Masafumi Shinoda. "Destroy the Trion Soldiers! Don't let even one of them escape from the danger zone!"
Ironwood gave an approving grunt, "A firm and rapid response."
"They'll certainly have their hands full." Winter nodded.
An emergency notification went out to all Border agent's cellphone.
Osamu quickly took out his cellphone from his pocket. "It's an emergency call!"
"Dispatch emergency calls to the off duty regular members!" Shinoda's voice carried over as the off-duty agents were activated. "Let's counterattack with all fighting potential we have! Battle start!"
"And charismatic and inspiring." Ozpin took a small sip from his mug, "He seems competent and composed."
/-/
"Gate generation! Gate generation!" Blared the city siren systems, "Large-scale generation of gates has been detected! All people in the vicinity of the danger zone are to take shelter at once!"
The city was completely overrun by Trion soldiers.
Bug-like Trion soldiers with multiple bladed appendixes known as Marmots scurried on the sides of buildings and in highways. Large quadrupedal worm-like creatures with sharp antennas called Vanders shattered roads and buildings with their large frames. Overhead, flying Trion soldiers resembling tadpole shrimps called Bados populated the skies with their dual glowing halo-like wings.
"Ack! What are those things? And why are their eyes inside their mouth?!" Coco said with disgust.
"Those are Trion soldiers."
"There's so many of them…" Velvet said with a concerned look.
Every huntsman and huntresses found the scene eerily resembling Grimm overrunning villages and towns.
Ironwood grimly nodded, "It's an invasion."
"What's that?!" A student watching within the confines of Mikado City Middle School gasped upon witnessing the Trion soldiers rampaging throughout the city.
"The area towards the base is pitch-black!"
Osamu burst into the room, "Madam!"
Their homeroom teacher turned towards him, "Yes, Mikumo?"
"I received an emergency call, so I must leave! Please have all the students in the school take shelter as far away from the base as possible!"
The teacher nodded, "Understood."
"Mikumo!" His peers stopped him. "Is it dangerous?! This whole situation…!"
"The number of Neighbors has probably breached the precautionary line." He explained, "Cooperate with the teacher to have everyone take shelter. I'm counting on you."
His classmates gulped. "U-understood."
"Be careful, alright?"
"I can't imagine what's it's like for them to be caught up in that," Pyrrha said sympathetically.
Yang nodded, "Yeah…"
"That's why Border is there to protect them." Ruby interjected, "Just like us huntsmen and huntresses."
The 'villains' all rolled their eyes at that.
He nodded and ran out of the school building along with Chika, Yuma, and Izuho. They stopped when they reached the school gate to which he turned to face Chika.
"Chika. Take shelter with everyone else. Don't ever get close to the danger zone!" He ordered. "When needed, don't hesitate to use your trigger and help everyone!"
Chika nodded with a worried look. "Yes, got it."
Ozpin raised a hand, "If I may, what is a trigger?"
"Triggers are devices that manipulate and powered by Trion. They can be utilized in a wide variety, but commonly a trigger is used to construct a Trion body; similar to aura, and weapons."
"I see."
Pietro nodded, taking down a few notes of his own along with most of the Atlesians in the room. "That sounds quite fascinating."
"Natsume, I leave Chika in your care."
Izuho saluted him, "Roger, Mister four eyes."
"Kuga."
"Yeah?" The white-haired boy looked intrigued.
"Come with me. Let's hold back the Trion soldiers!"
Yuma cracked his knuckles with a grin. "I knew you'd say that." He paused and turned to Chika, handing out a black floating substance of Replica, his own Trion soldier. "Chika, I'm giving you a small Replica too. Call me when you're in trouble. Either me or Osamu will definitely come to your help."
Penny tilted her head upon seeing the miniature Replica. "That device… It appears to be an autonomous communication device."
"It's a smaller component of a friendly Trion soldier named Replica, belonging to Yuma Kuga. The boy with white hair and red eyes."
"Fascinating." Pietro stroked his beard.
Chika smiled, "Alright."
"Let's go, trigger on!" They activated their triggers, immediately enveloped by bright lights and forming their Trion bodies and Border uniforms before taking off into the danger zone.
"They can easily change into their uniform in an instant? No fair! I want one!" Yang jokingly whined.
Coco barked a laugh, "Me too, bombshell. Wonder if it's customizable."
"It is very much so." Said the Hosts.
"And it looks concealable and portable." Clover hummed, "I wonder if we'll ever reach that stage in our technology."
Pietro chuckled, "Oh. I hope so!"
/-/
Back in HQ, Mission Control kept track of their enemy's movements.
"The Trion soldiers have split into several groups and are heading for the town areas in each direction!" On-screen, numerous symbols identifying each Trion soldiers as they scattered away from the heavily defended HQ. "Looking at it from Headquarters' point of view, there are five directions: West, Northwest, East, South, and Southwest!" General Manager Assistant, Sawamura Kyouko gave her report on the situation.
'So, they split up?' Thought General Manager Shinoda. 'What a bother… Then let's decentralize our forces that are there too. Still, we won't have time to crush them all if we're just on their pursuit.'
Sun's tail swished back and forth as he pondered at the General Manager's decision. "Is that a good idea?"
"I think it is." Jaune nodded, "I-I mean… It depends if they can handle the monsters, err… Trion soldiers. When they split up."
"They'll have to see how things turn out to know for certain." Ironwood cautioned, "And these Trion soldiers appear to have another destination in mind than their base of operations… How odd."
"It could be heavily defended." Jaune pointed out, "Isn't a headquarter or base suppose to be heavily defended? Maybe that's the reason?"
"Mhm. Perhaps." Still, Ironwood did find it odd the Trion soldiers didn't try to swarm the base. Though the Atlesian general will have to admit. Jaune Arc did have sound logic. If the base is heavily defended with let's say powerful artilleries, then a swarm of Trion soldiers would definitely be annihilated. Then again, this world functions differently than their world. It wouldn't be farfetched for different logic and reasoning to be applied in combat.
He turned to his assistant, "Divide the units at the scene in three groups and send them to meet the enemies to the East, South, and Southwest!"
"Roger!"
Blake frowned, "But what about the other areas?"
"N-not so fast, General Manager!" Protested a frail-looking man with a prominent nose. He is Border's Media Countermeasures Chief, Netsuki Eizou. "What about West and Northwest?!"
"No need to worry." Shinoda assured his colleague, "After all, for West and Northwest… I already have Jin and Amou heading over there." With two S-Rank Border agents sent to secure West and Northwest, Border can redirect their focus on other areas without worry. A large number of Trion soldiers is no match for either Jin or Amou in any case. "There shouldn't be any problem in leaving it to those two."
Eizou breathed out a sigh of relief, "Indeed. They're quite trustworthy when the going gets tough."
"Looks like they put their best and powerful guys in those areas." Qrow grunted, "And it sounds like they're very capable."
"Is it a good idea for their best people away from their base?" Emerald questioned.
Mercury shrugged, "Maybe."
"They probably have more capable people to spare." Cinder guessed, "After all, it's not always the wisest move to pool all their strongest in one place."
"The other directions are quite problematic though." Shinoda continued with a grim look, "It's possible the Trion soldiers will manage to enter the town area before the defense unit can catch up with them." He turned towards a short and squat man, "Headquarters Development Chief Kinuta?"
"I get it." The man bluntly replied, "I've already arranged countermeasures with Fuyushima's unit."
/-/
Two Marmots steadily walked through the city with their six legs, clicking against the tarred road. Their three eyes rotated inside the 'mouth' of their body, surveying their area, looking for civilians to capture.
As they walked near the edge of the danger zone, the ground underneath them suddenly sprang into life, shooting long blades out of the ground, impaling the two Marmots. A series of heavy turrets popped out of the sidewalks and aimed at the impaled Marmots, shredding them to pieces with their heavy armaments.
"They have some crazy defense systems in place!" Sun exclaimed.
"Their city seems to be more prepared than what it appears."
Robyn scowled at Ironwood, "Yeah. If only Mantle was the same."
"Traps activated!" Kyouko exclaimed positively, "Trion soldiers eliminated!"
Kinuta grunted, "We can always bombard them from the base if it comes to that, but… If the defense unit doesn't arrive quickly, the base's Trion supply will become stone broke."
"No, it's enough." Shinoda smiled, "The units have just arrived."
The scene cuts to Suwa's Unit easily shattering a Marmot with a single high-powered shotgun blast.
"Suwa's unit has arrived on site!" Suwa radioed in and turned to his teammates. "Let's eliminate the Neighbors!"
"For such a simple looking weapon. It packs an extraordinary amount of firepower." Vine noted with slight interest.
"Boo." Ruby pouted, "Their weapons look too plain."
Tai chuckled at his youngest daughter's antic. "Not every weapon has to be overly designed, Ruby."
In another part of a city, another gigantic Trion soldier known as a Bamster had its head cleaved through. It collapsed with a heavy thud, scattering debris everywhere.
Two B-Class Border agents glanced at their handiwork before turning their attention to the remaining enemies. "Tsutsumi Daichi has arrived on site! Commencing fighting!"
Jaune looked awestruck. "That thing looks like a tank, and they just sliced right through it like it was a piece of fruit."
"Like watermelons!" Nora quipped.
The focus shifts to a barrel of a sniper rifle aiming at an unseen target. With an echoing shot, a large bolt decimated a Vander's head that was peering over a building.
"Boom. Headshot." Ruby said, lowering her voice to make it sound cool.
"Broken like fragile clay!" Elm laughed.
"Azuma's unit has arrived," Azuma announced over comms. "Commencing the offensive."
Back at Border's Headquarters, Kyouko updated HQ on their status. "Kazama's unit, Arashiyama's unit, Arafune's unit, Kakizaki's unit, as well as Chano's unit are also heading towards the elimination point!"
"Great! Have the units meet up quickly. Cooperate and focus on defense."
/-/
Floating meters above the ground, a small, somewhat adorable, and friendly purple-colored Trion soldier named Replica analyzed the situation. "Hostilities have started between Border and the Trion soldiers."
"That must be Replica." Penny guessed, "I wonder what its purpose is."
"It's kinda cute. A bit sleepy looking." Velvet said.
Coco grinned at her teammate, "Probably because it has those cute bunny-like ears."
"What's the situation?" Asked Osamu, sprinting at full speed towards their destination.
"In numbers, the Trion soldiers are overwhelming us, but for some reason, the enemy is decentralizing its forces." Replica gave them a brief rundown, "If the pursing and off-duty units hasten, this war will then turn to Border's advantage. Using preparations and foresight, we largely captured the enemy's initial response."
"Interesting." Pietro rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This Trion soldier is very analytical. Perhaps an automated machine made for tactical analysis?"
"Replica is a multipurpose Trion soldier, serving many functions."
"Ah. I see."
Osamu looked hopeful and surprise at the same time, "Then that means we're at –"
"No, it's not over yet." Yuma interrupted, "If coming to attack us now are the same folks that caused the disturbances using Rads before…" The scene cuts to a small insect-like Trion soldier being rounded up by Border agents. "Then they've estimated Border forces would at least be this much. Yet, the fact they came to wage war means they believe they have their chances to win."
"…!"
"So, their enemies already gathered intelligence on their capabilities before all of this?" Clover said thoughtfully, "If that's the case, great caution might be needed in conducting their counterattack."
"Or their enemies could just be overconfident or incompetent." Marrow put out.
"Like you?" Harriet joked.
Marrow huffed, "No."
"Don't lose focus, Osamu." Yuma said seriously, "Fundamentally in battle, the side with the larger numbers has the advantage."
It cuts to Azuma's unit cutting down a Marmot with precision. "Mr. Azuma, I've just disposed of the last one."
"Great," Azuma nodded with a smile, "Then let's go assist the other units."
The sound of crackling could be heard behind him, catching the entire unit's attention. A corpse of a Vander was being pried open from inside out from the side of the neck. Bursting out of the Vander corpse was a humanoid-shaped Trion soldier with rabbit-like ears on its head. Its arms and legs were pawed in, giving it the appearance of a vicious, bulky rabbit.
Azuma was instantly on guard, "What the heck is that thing?"
"What the hell?! Something just burst out of that thing!"
Tai scowled, "Yang, language."
"But seriously, what is that?" Emerald said, creeped out by how it was staring at the Border agents.
"One mean mutated, robotic-like rabbit," Coco muttered under her breath.
"And how is that possible? Just how hollow is that thing that it came out from?" Weiss asked.
"Trion engineering and development are completely different than the principles of what your world is familiar with. As such, you may find some things rather impossible that is common in their world." The Hosts explained, "Be prepared for many surprises."
The scene cuts back to Yuma and Osamu. "The fact they have decentralized their forces means… They have some kind of aim."
The camera flashes to several other rabbit-like Trion soldiers confronting more Border units.
"Looks like they're about to find out." Ozpin calmly said as he observed and anticipated how Border will react to this new threat.
"They don't look so tough." Nora boasted, "But they do look creepy."
"I wouldn't underestimate it." Clover cut in, "They must have a good reason for putting one of those things inside the larger ones."
In the East of the Base, Suwa's unit was locked in a standoff against the Trion soldier mode. "Hey, something came out."
"It's a new model…"
It wasn't just Azuma's and Suwa's unit who were encountering these new models. Border agents sent out to deal with the Trion soldiers are beginning to report back seeing a new model that they have no information on.
"S-something new came out from the stomach of the colossal neighbor!"
Daichi stepped in front of his teammate protectively, "Mr. Kuruma, please fall back." He ordered, never letting his eyes off of the new model. "That thing looks dangerous."
The Trion soldier silently stared at them. It's wide, single eyes nested in its head protected by teeth-like structures, watching… Waiting…
Blake felt her hair stand up. It was an instinctual reaction against a possible threat. "Why isn't it attacking?"
"It's watching. Waiting." Port said with his eyes narrowed even more. "It's waiting for them to make a move or slip up. I've seen this before from older Creatures of Grimm."
Jaune gulped, "Oh boy."
"Is that a Trion soldier too…?" Another Border unit warily raised their weapons.
"It's my first time seeing one like this." Confirmed another.
Azuma narrowed his eyes, 'So, it's the arrival of new troops?'
"Now is not the time to keep staring down at it, but… We're too close to it."
One of Azuma's teammates, Okudera turned his head slightly to his unit leader. "Please go ahead, Mr. Azuma! We'll take care of it…"
Port hissed, "Bad move!"
"Oh no." Marrow looked worried for the boy named Okudera.
In an instant, the new Trion soldier sprang from its spot with its two powerful hindlegs.
"Okudera!" Azuma shouted, but it was too late.
The Trion soldier turned its entire body and backhanded Okudera, who was barely able to react in time. A powerful shockwave rippled through the air as Okudera was sent flying through several blocks of buildings, leveling them in the process.
The audience went still for a moment, trying to process the titanic strength and speed the Trion soldier displayed.
"Holy shit…" Yang's jaw dropped.
Her father and Glynda were too shocked to scold her for swearing.
"What fearsome strength." Cinder's surprised expression quickly slipped away, and she began taking notes for her mistress, Salem. She didn't know how the Queen of Grimm design specific Grimm, but Cinder might earn more favors from Salem if she can help design or inspire a new breed of terrifying Grimm.
Roman shivered, "That kid has got to be dead."
"O…!"
"Okudera! Answer me!" Azuma shouted into his comms.
Okudera shakily got up from the ground, leaning on the rubbles for support. "I'm… I'm… Fine…"
"He's alive? I'm impressed." Raven barely hide her surprise. "I suppose it's the Trion body you were talking about, Hosts."
"That is correct. Trion bodies can withstand a lot of punishment without damaging their real bodies."
"Almost like aura, huh?" Qrow took a sip from his flask. "Damn. That was a nasty punch that thing gave to the kid."
"You bastard!" The third member of Azuma's unit, Koarai roared at the Trion soldier and moved to attack it.
Glynda's face scrunched up slightly, "He shouldn't let emotions get the better of him."
"It'll endanger his teammates and himself." Ironwood nodded.
"Don't Koarai!" Azuma warned, "That thing's aiming to divide our team!" But his warning fell on deaf ears as Koarai charged and swung his sword at it.
The Trion soldier reacted swiftly, grabbing Koarai mid-swing with blinding speed and slamming him into a wall, shattering it like crumbling dirt.
Neptune winced, "Yikes!"
"Guh!" Koarai coughed and readjusted his weapon to stab down into the Trion solder's arm. "Let go you…!"
His counterattack was stopped with by another single grab, this time… The Trion soldier grabbed his two arms and ripped it clean off.
"Oh! Whoa!" Coco yelped.
Oscar was notably pale, "H-his arm…"
Ozpin's face was ashen, "It appears these Trion soldiers are very capable fighters."
With Koarai literally disarmed and within the Trion solder's grasp, it tossed aside Koarai's arm and opened up its chest, revealing several sickle-like appendages.
Ruby nearly jumped back a row out of instinct. "Ah?! What is it doing?!"
"What are those things?" Weiss asked with a shocked expression.
The Hosts replied, "It'll be revealed later in this viewing."
"What?!" Koarai was now panicking as the sickle-like appendages opened up, trying to enrapture the Border agent. "Uwaa?! What the fuck?!"
"Koarai!" Azuma quickly charged up his sniper rifle and fired a powerful bolt.
However, the Trion soldier reflected the attack with a single-arm without bothering to glance up.
Azuma froze, trying to quickly analyze his predicament. 'It repelled the Ibis?!'
"Uwaaaa! Mr. Azuma!" Koarai cried out.
"What is he going to do?" Ren asked nervously.
"Who cares? Do something!" Nora yelled.
Without a second thought, Azuma fired his gun at Koarai, blowing off his head and surprisingly the Trion soldier.
"WHAT?!" Several audience members shrieked in shock at the friendly fire.
"Trion body limit exceeded." A robotic voice announced from the headless Trion body of Koarai. "Bailout initiated."
Koarai's entire Trion body exploded and shot out of the Trion solder's hand, shooting off into the sky towards Border HQ like a bright flare. As it landed into HQ, Koarai real body fell from the ceiling and into a giant cushion. Waiting for him is their unit's operator.
"Koarai, you alright?" Their unit operator asked him.
He instantly sat up and gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "I-I'm saved!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it." Coco raised a hand and placed it over her heart. "What just happened? His team leader just shot his own teammates head off and then his entire body exploded and teleported somewhere else. What was that?"
"Border has developed an escape feature known as Bail-Out for most of their triggers. When a Border agent's Trion body sustained enough damage, their Trion body will dispersed, and their real body will be transferred to Border HQ. Hence why his teammate decided to terminate his squad member in that particular situation."
"Oh… Okay."
Pyrrha heaved out a sigh of relief. "That's good, I guess."
"Such a function exists?" Pietro exclaimed, "Why, if only we had something similar in our world!" He typed something into his scroll. "Remnant doesn't have anything like this. I wonder if we can develop an escape system in place for all registered huntsmen and huntresses…"
Ozpin nodded, "That certainly sounds something Remnant desperately needs."
"Continuing with the viewing."
Back in the city, Azuma was kept his gun trained at the leering Trion soldier. "Mr. Shinoda! Azuma talking!" He comm his superior to give them a description of the new threat, "We've encountered a new Trion soldier! It's a little over 3 meters in size. It walks on two legs with a form that is close to that of a human. It's small but has high fighting strength!" Azuma took a deep breath and continued, "Now for its characteristics… It moves to capture unit members! It's cautious against objects, over!"
"It captures unit members?!" Shinoda briefly showed a shocked expression at the mention of capturing unit members. "Understood! Engage it carefully until reinforcement arrives!"
"That's what it was doing? Trying to capture them?" Vernal was confused, "Is it because they knew they couldn't escape if that thing was able to 'capture' them?"
"Not quite. There are multiple reasons for capturing people. However, Neighbors often invade other worlds to harvest the Trions of the inhabitants there to fuel their wars."
Weiss gulped at that, not wanting to know what her father and his board of unsavory people would do if they discovered Trion. "Perhaps it's best our world didn't know about this Trion stuff."
Robyn raises her eyebrows but didn't say anything. Looks like there's always a black sheep somewhere in the family.
Hearing Azuma's report, Osamu, Yuma, and Replica paused a bit.
"New Trion soldiers?" Osama thought out loud to himself.
"I see… So, that's their plan…" Replica floated down a few inches and opened up a communication channel with HQ. "General Manager Shinoda. That new model is most likely a recently developed Trion soldier made for capturing develop by Aftokrator. A Rabbit."
"A Rabbit? Really?" Maria said flatly.
"Very original." Velvet grumbled, earning a chuckle from her teammates.
"For capture?" Shinoda kept his ears open, "Isn't capturing civilians what the colossal Trion soldier Bamster for?"
Winter sneered, "How atrocious. Designing a machine just for capturing civilians."
"My thoughts exactly, Schnee." Ironwood nodded with a thunderous expression.
"Their role might be different, but their target is different." Replica explained, "The Rabbit is a Trion soldier designed to capture trigger users."
Kinuta and Eizou stood up from their seats with a graved expression.
"W-wait…!"
"What did you say?!"
"It's better to be cautious when confronting one." Replica continued, "It's completely different in terms of abilities compared to the other Trion soldiers. Even sending an A-Class against it, a single one… Would have great difficulties defeating it."
"Ho… These Rabbits are truly dangerous if that's the case." Port twirled his mustache. "A being designed to fight and capture their opponent. How menacing."
Qrow nodded, "This is going to be a rough battle. A-Class means they're better fighters, eh Hosts?"
"That is correct."
"Well. Shit."
"Swear! Uncle Qrow, swear!"
Heavy gunfire echoed throughout the city. A multitude of Trion bullets struck hard against the Rabbit thick exoskeleton slightly denting its armor, but the minor damages did not impede its ability to continue functioning.
"Fuck!" Suwa and his teammates had been constantly attacking the Rabbit at every angle to no avail. "It's as dense as an idiot!"
Neptune gulped, "It's very durable for its size."
"Swear!"
Weiss placed a hand over her partner's mouth. "Ruby, stop that."
"Hisato! Wrench it open!"
"Roger!"
The young Border agent named Hisato jumped off a rooftop and used his falling momentum to stab his sword into the segmented long neck of the Rabbit.
Port nodded approvingly, "They're making use of its blind spots."
Silently calculating, the Rabbit activated the small Trion hair-like receptors on its backside, discharging a large volt of electricity, frying, and stunning Hisato off its backside.
"Oh crap!"
"Maybe not." Clover narrowed his eyes, "It has countermeasures in its blind spot. A lot of thought has been put into designing this..."
"Wholly designed and developed." Pietro agreed despite wearing a graved expression.
"Hisato!" His teammates cried out and reacted quickly before the Rabbit could move to capture their fallen teammate.
"Bastard!" Suwa whipped out both of his shotgun and fired wildly at the Rabbit, point-blank. "I'll blow you to pieces!"
The Rabbit crossed its arms defensively to block the barrage, giving his Suwa's unit time to collect Hisato from the ground. Its vulnerable eye was safely secured behind its teeth-like carapace, giving it an appearance of a faceless, grinning rabbit-like creature. Thick smoke poured into the air as each shotgun shell exploded against the armored Trion soldier, concealing Suwa's visibility.
"Nice save!" Ruby cheered.
Tai disagreed, "No, not yet…"
Sensing an opportunity, the Rabbit's hand shot out of the smoke and lunged at Suwa grabbing him with both arms. Suwa let out a surprised yelp before getting dragged towards the Rabbit's exposed mechanical torso, consuming him completely.
"What? What?! How did it stuff the entire guy into its body?" Nora pointed at the screen.
"You'll find out soon enough." The Hosts replied.
The Rabbit closed its torso, turning towards its next target. The remaining members of Suwa's unit could hardly believe their eyes.
"Mr. Suwa!" Daichi cried in terror.
"There goes their team leader." Read Neo's sign.
"Get out of there you idiots!" Marrow yelled.
Winter shook her head sadly, "They can't hear you."
The Rabbit kicked off from the ground, lunging towards the Border agents.
However, it detected an intrusion and stopped hard in its track, just in time to avoid a powerful shot ripping through the area, leaving rubbles in its wake.
Harriet breathed, feeling relieved. "Reinforcement has arrived."
"Is that the new model?" A newcomer asked, "It's smaller than I thought."
Suwa's unit found themselves supported by Kazama's unit, an A-Class unit with numerous of combat experience.
"Don't underestimate it." Kazama scolded his teammate, "It's stronger than it looks."
"I know, I've learned that before when making my sudden exit."
Daichi looked relieved, "Mr. Kazama!"
"Step back, Suwa's unit." Kazama ordered emotionlessly, "We'll take care of this new model." He opened a communication channel to HQ. "Headquarters, Kazama's unit speaking. Suwa was eaten by the new model."
"Uwah. It's looking this way." A member of Kazama's unit, Shiro Kikuchiara stated with disgust as the Rabbit seemingly glared at them. "It's giving me the creeps…"
Oscar nodded in agreement with that statement, "It's very uncanny. The silent staring isn't helping either."
"Not like Bun-bun." Coco nudged her faunus friend, "She's cute. Unlike that thing."
"Coco. Knock it off." Velvet swatted aside her team leader's elbow.
Kazama ignored his teammate's remark, "Let's rescue him at once."
"Mr. Kazama!" Hisato steadily got up on his knees, "I'll help out too! It's because I was done in that Mr. Suwa was eaten!"
"Hisato…" Daichi looked uncertain. They weren't in a good position even with Kazama's unit with them.
"I told you we'd take care of it." Kazama coldly said, "The cooperation between attackers is much more important than for gunners. Including unfamiliar people would conversely diminish our fighting ability."
Nora scowled, "What does he mean by that? Why won't they let them join in and rescue their leader?"
"He's saying that the other team will get in their way and team cohesion." Jaune calmly explained, having trouble deciding whether he agree or disagree with Kazama's reasoning. "And from the sound of it, they use a very different style of attacks."
"That is correct, Mr. Arc."
"Hehe." Jaune rubbed his head in embarrassment, "Thank you."
"But… Still." Nora pouted. She and her teammates would definitely do everything they can to rescue Jaune if he were ever in trouble.
Hisato wasn't giving up yet, "But, I can't just retreat like this!"
"Then, if you plunge into this of your own volition, you'll die." He gave him a chilling stare, "Also, your mission is now over."
"Just retreat." Kikuchiara tactlessly dismissed, "You're weak after all."
"He's right." Raven nodded, "Their little performance earlier shows that."
Yang scowled, "He could have said it differently. What an as-"
"Yang. Don't swear." Tai shot his daughter an unamused look.
"Pursue the Trion soldiers together with Tsutsumi and the others." Ryo Utagawa assured them, "We'll definitely save Suwa."
Hisato gritted his teeth and bowed. "… Roger."
As Suwa's unit fled the scene, Kazama was now free to focus on the task at hand. "Mikami, send over the data for this area."
"Copy that," Their operator, Mikami immediately transferred the data over to them. "Support intelligence now displaying in your field of vision."
"The enemies are large in numbers. Let's dispose of it quickly and go on to the next one."
"Roger!"
/-/
"East of the base, Kazama's unit has started fighting the new model!" Kyouko reported, "Currently, only one of Suwa's unit member has been captured." The HQ monitor screen displayed numerous of blinking lights and symbols clashing against each other. "South of the base, one Azuma's unit member has bailed-out! They're currently battling the new model on a united front with Kakizaki's unit! On the southwest, Chano's unit and Suzunari branch members have each encountered a new model!" There seemingly seems to be no end to this chaos. "The swarm of Trion soldiers cannot be stopped due to the interference of the new models! They're breaking through the danger zone!"
Jaune shifted in his seat, "That sounds bad."
"Unsatisfactory! This is unsatisfactory!" Eizou placed a hand on his forehead, mopping away heavy sweat. "If victims appear among the citizens, Border's reputation will…!"
"How is the condition of Suwa?" Shinoda stepped in.
"His Trion body response hasn't disappeared." Said Kyouko, "Also, it seems he cannot execute bail-out either."
"He cares about reputation in this time of crisis?" Robyn raised an eyebrow, "Though I must say. I'll probably give it pass since it concerns the citizens."
Qrow glanced at Robyn, "A people's person?"
"Let's just say, I'm an advocate for better conditions for the people of Mantle back in Remnant."
"Good." If that's the case, then Suwa should be fine once Kazama's unit has dealt with the new Trion soldier. "Kazama's unit will get Suwa back."
"General Manager Shinoda! Please turn the units back at once!" Eizou protested, "At this rate, the city will…!"
"The units joining forces takes precedence!" Shinoda raised his voice, "The enemy will not be beaten by having our forces fall behind! We'll just fall prey to the new models if we move carelessly! Even if we continue to pursue the swarm of Trion soldiers, the possibility of new models appearing also exists!" He turned back to the monitor, "Off duty members and Arashiyama's unit are currently heading to the south and southwest. The units that are currently fighting must ensure that preserving their fighting strength is their top priority!"
Yang flinched at the fierceness of Shinoda's voice. "That was very intense."
"He's a strong and intelligent leader." Ironwood admired, "Just by his eyes alone, I can tell he has many battle experiences to back it up."
Ozpin nodded, "Indeed."
"B-but… But then…"
"If we lose…" The leader of Border, Commander Kido spoke up. "Our assets here. It'll be difficult for us 'afterward'. I'm in favor of the General Manager's decision."
"Yeesh. Someone looks like a criminal harden thug." Nora remarked at Kido's emotionless expression and his long scar that cuts vertically across his face.
"Nora…" Ren said disapprovingly.
With Kido supporting Shinoda, Eizou didn't have much of a choice but to back down. "Commander Kido…"
Kido narrowed his eyes, "However…"
/-/
Large numbers of Trion soldiers continued to make their ways through the city, quickly replacing the destroyed ones. No matter how many times Yuma and Osamu cut them down, there's just no end to them.
"This really brings me back to the mission we had before Beacon Dance." Reminiscing the time, they had to exterminate a large group of converging Grimm. The mission dragged on, causing Team CFVY to miss out on the planning of Beacon Dance.
Velvet stared worryingly at the screen. "There's no end to them…"
Osamu panted slightly. "The number of Trion soldiers coming in our way has suddenly increased!"
"So, the regular members are opposing the Rabbit?" Yuma casually flicked his blade out from a Marmot. "All the same thought, we can't let the soldiers scatter any more than this."
Replica floated up to them explaining their logic, "The regular members that dispersed have their hands full with the Rabbits." A small digital illustration projected out from the friendly Trion soldier. A Border agent swaying his head back and forth, wondering if he should deal with the Rabbit or the horde of Trion soldiers. "Concentrating our forces on the Rabbits would incur having the town areas attacked by the other Trion soldiers. And if we focused on protecting the town areas, the Rabbits would imperil the rear. Making the best of their advantageous number of soldiers, this is a move to show us off."
"They're forced to make a hard decision. Focus on the stronger enemy and risk letting the weaker ones wreak havoc or focus on the weaker ones and let the stronger ones wreak havoc." Harriet scowled.
"How would you handle this situation?" Winter asked theoretically to her colleagues. The Ace-Ops turned to their leader, Clover, for an answer.
Clover thought for a moment, "I would probably be prioritizing the dangerous enemy first. Leave the weaker ones to the other teams or battalion. General? What do you think?"
"I agree with your assessment, specialist."
"Splitting the soldiers in a half-assed way would be playing right into the enemy's hands," Yuma added in-between his fight against several Trion soldiers. "I think focusing on the Rabbits is a good decision."
"B-but then…"
/-/
The focus shifted back to HQ with Kido continuing from where the scene left off.
"… With this way of doing things. If they happen to have a hard time dealing with the new models, the town areas will be annihilated."
"I know that." Shinoda had already taken that into account. "And that's why I'll wait until the A-Class have joined forces. The A-Class units will handle the new models. Then the B-class units will focus on protecting the town areas after all units have united."
"A sound plan, if you ask me." Oobleck nodded, "These Rabbits will have a difficult time if they're more of them to cover each other."
"Letting their weak people regroup while their strong fighters take the field with those creepy rabbit things, huh?" Mercury tapped his armrest. "Sounds reasonable."
Cinder smirked, "Strength in numbers."
"All units combined?" Eizou cupped his chin with a frown, "Then they'll only turn up in the East, South, Southwest one place at a time, won't they?"
"Exactly. They'll certainly eliminate the enemy, clearing one place at a time." He nodded with a serious look, "And in that time, the injured in the other sectors will have to, a certain extent, time to prepare themselves."
"How will you decide on the sequential order of the sectors you'll go to help?" Kinuta spoke up, "There'll be complaints afterward you know."
"I'll prioritize the sectors that weren't able to properly evacuate. Are there other questions?"
"The most vulnerable areas will be helped first." Robyn hmphed an approval. "Still won't cut back any criticism from others. Damn if you do, damn if you don't."
"Ha. You said it." Qrow toasted with his flask.
"If by chance that even the A-Class cannot stop the new models, what will you do?" Kido questioned. His expression was dull and unreadable as always.
Shinoda didn't say anything for several seconds. His eyes burned up with an insurable amount of fighting spirit. "This is certainly something unlikely to happen, but… Should the time arise, I'd step out."
"That sounded way more badass than it should be." Coco whistled.
"Language, Miss Adel," Glynda said as she pushed her glasses up.
"So, if things go south, then this guy is going out into the field to fix it by himself?" Vernal eyed the man, "He does look formidable."
/-/
Kazama's unit zipped around the Rabbit, occasionally striking out with their blades at certain parts of the Trion soldier to test its durability.
"Don't get caught! Beware of the electroshocks too!" Kazama warned.
"Copy that!"
"I won't get caught." Kikuchiara scoffed, "Not by such simple movements."
"Don't be too sure of yourself," Qrow warned.
"Someone sure is cocky," Coco muttered under her breath.
The Rabbit reevaluated its position, understanding that it's outnumbered and outmaneuvered by the three Border agents. Being able to keep up with its speed, the Rabbit's programming branched out into another approach. Bring its arms back, the Rabbit smashed its fist into the ground, destroying several meters of groundwork, kicking of heavy dust and debris.
Kazama's unit appeared to be caught off guard, allowing the Rabbit to burst through the smokescreen with an attack directed at Kikuchiara.
"Damnit, what a pain." Kikuchiara sighed. He blocked the heavy strike with his dual sword and was punched into a nearby wall, leaving him slightly bruised from the impact. "Great, great. Over here, Over here." He baited.
"They're baiting it." Weiss realized.
Winter nodded, "A risky move, but a much-needed one."
Something zoomed towards the attacking Rabbit, something unseen. However, the rabbit-like ears on its head twitched, detecting something heading towards it. Reacting instinctively, the Rabbit came to a screeching halt and shut its jaws, protecting its core and eye as Kazama and Utagawa appeared out of thin air and viciously cross slashed its face.
Despite their attacks failing to hit their intended mark, they managed to somersault in the air and landed on a nearby roof, reexamining their target.
"They have cloaking technology?" Pietro exclaimed excitedly, "This showing is full of surprises!"
Upon the mentioning of their ability to become invisible, Robyn thought back to May Marigold and her semblance. How she wished her teammates were here, or herself back in Remnant.
"They are utilizing an Optional trigger known as Chameleon." The Hosts explained, "This trigger allows them to become invisible at the expense of not being able to utilize other triggers during the duration of their invisibility without revealing their location."
"A fitting name." Pietro nodded, typing something down into his scroll.
"That sounds useful," Blake said thoughtfully.
"I knew you would say that." Yang teased her partner.
"C'mon, what are you doing?" Kikuchiara complained, brushing specks of dust off his sleeve. "Couldn't you have ended this in one attack? Even though I'd finally managed to lure it in…"
Neo smirked as she twirled her sign which read: "Being bait is a thankless job."
Kazama didn't respond to his complaining teammate, "So, it even reacts to stealth attack?"
"Its ears are acting like a radar too." Utagawa noted, "Even though they seem to be duller than its 'eye'."
"Hmmm… Very well designed." Pietro reluctantly praised.
"It sounds expensive to produce." Jaune gulped, "Is there any weakness this thing has?"
"Guess we'll have to see." Said Ren.
"Kikuchiara, what part of its armor are the thickest?" Kazama asked, having no choice but to do this the hard way.
"The thickest parts are first, both its arms, then it's head and back." Kikuchiara wiped his face, "Cutting these parts will be the most troublesome."
"We'll just have to cut it to pieces starting from the thinnest ones then." Kazama stood up and stared at his prey. "First the ears, then the legs, and to finish… The stomach."
Yang grinned and punched her fist. "Guess they're doing things the hard way."
"The fun way." Nora corrected her.
The Rabbit silently stared at Kazama. Its single eye relayed visual feedback of Kazama standing over the rooftop, glaring down at it.
/-/
"Hey, hey… People that can squarely fight the Rabbits have already appeared."
"Good gracious…" Said an elderly man with a black military cape. "Miden's advancement is really remarkable… It's as simple as that."
Inside an expeditionary ship, six Neighbors from Aftokrator watched over the progression of their Trion soldiers.
"I assume these are the people responsible behind the attack?" Ozpin calmly observed.
"You are correct. They are from a world called Aftokrator, The Holy Land. Or The God's Country by some. They bolstered the largest military state in the Neighborhood."
"Which means they have a lot of those Trion soldiers to spare." Clover mused.
Blake remained silent. The horns on the Neighbors bore similar resemblances to Adam's, and that brought back some memories she didn't wish to delve into right now.
"It's nothing worth worrying about. The Rabbit still has a plain body, right?" Said a black-haired, black horned man.
A red-haired man with white horns grinned, "Well, well. They didn't get caught in the dispersion move. How very troublesome."
"Should we also sortie? Captain Hairein?" A young man with side horns curved back asked his superior officer.
"You'll all go out after we've seen the 'bottom' of Miden's assets." A blue-haired man with black horns on the side of his head assured his squad. "It's nothing to panic over. We still have many 'eggs.'" Hairein eyes read through the report on his screen. "Miden still hasn't fully displayed its assets."
"It appears you are right on the matter of their reserve forces, Clover." Vine narrowed his eyes, "But their objectives remain a mystery to me. Do they plan on dragging this out until their opponent uses all their assets?"
"I'm with Vine on this one." Said Marrow with a tap to his armrest, "I can understand spreading out their soldiers, but…" He went silent just as Hairein continued speaking.
Captain Hairein hummed, "Last time when we scattered the Rads, several hundred soldiers were mobilized. Based on this, we can guess that users who can stand up in skill to us exist in great numbers, even if we don't take this unit into account."
"He's being cautious." Ironwood observed.
"Ain't ya a bit too scared of going against 'em Miden's monkeys?" Sneered the black-haired Neighbor named Enedora. His left eye sclera is black with a glowing red eye paired with it. "Captain?"
Ozpin stilled at the sight of Enedora's left eye. It reminded him too much of Salem's eyes. Black, red and glowing.
"Watch your mouth, Enedora." The young man named Hyuse glowered, "You're being rude to a superior officer."
"What? Right back at ya. Who d'ya think yer preachin', huh? Small fry." Enedora shot back.
"What poor discipline, that one is," Winter said disapprovingly.
Elm scowled, "Insubordination. Disrespecting a superior officer. Bloodthirsty, from the looks of it."
"What's wrong with his eye?" Coco asked, taking notice of Enedora's odd left eye.
"A byproduct from his Black Trigger."
"Hoho. Good gracious." Laughed an elderly man known as Viza. From appearance alone, he looked like a kind grandfather. "The ship won't hold if the two of you start fighting."
Despite being in an entirely different dimension and time, Raven cautiously kept her eye on the elder man known as Viza. "That old fossil is strong…"
"And doesn't have those horns like the rest," Vernal noted.
Enedora eyed Viza before clicking his tongue and kicked the table agitatedly, "This is really pissin' me off! I've had my fill of this fuckin' cramped ship!" He turned to his captain, "C'mon send me out there Hairein! I'm gon' kill all of 'em puny Miden's soldiers by myself."
"Well, a massacre is only a figure of speech," The red-haired Neighbor, Lamvanein chuckled. "But I'm really starting to want to move my body a bit. Big bro… No, captain."
"His captain is also his brother? What a surprise." Maria offhandedly remarked.
Hairein smiled, "Wait a little bit more. You'll all be up soon." He turned to the only female of the group. Another black horned Neighbor. "Mira."
"Yes sir." She nodded, "I'm proceeding to the next stage."
"That doesn't sound good," Ruby muttered under her breath.
/-/
Back in Mikado City, the amount of Trion soldiers kept increasing with no end in sight. The air was now filled with flying Bados and nearly every building had Marmots crawling around. In the streets, Vanders and Marmots continue to push forth, swatting aside their fallen ones without care.
"They're too numerous." A miniature Replica warned Osamu, "We had better give up on this place."
Osamu stood his ground, bring up his giant shield sword hybrid weapon called a Raygust. "But, if they go through here, Chika and the other people will be in danger!"
Roman scoffed, "Don't play hero unless you want to die. Or get bailed out in their case." He paused, "I suppose you do have the luxury of playing hero with their fancy tech."
"He's just trying to save the city and its people." Ruby hotly defended Osamu's action.
"Without proper support." Glynda interrupted, shooting down Ruby's defense. "You're not expected to fight and win against overwhelming odds."
"That's what teams are for," Port added in.
"All B-Class members have been ordered to join forces with each other to counterattack and crush the fronts one by one. There is certainly great riskiness in B-Class getting caught by the new model if alone."
"One by one?!" Osamu didn't seem to register the threat of a Rabbit targeting him. "But then, what will happen to the other places?! To Chika and the other members?!"
"The elimination of Trion soldiers will take precedence in the sectors where evacuation isn't progressing." Mini Replica explained. The scene cuts to Chika and Izuho evacuating the civilian population. "It appears you'll return to the sectors where evacuation is going smoothly like with Chika and Natsume afterward."
"No way…" He frowned, 'So, in the end. What I did backfire on me?' He recalled ordering Chika to take shelter with everyone else.
But before he could continue with his train of thoughts, a building exploded, startling him. A Rabbit has just punched through the building and caught sight of Osamu.
"Oh, no." Jaune swallowed.
"Should had run away when you had a chance." Roman casually shrugged.
"A new Trion soldier?!" Osamu raised his weapon expanding it into a shield, "Shield mode!"
The Rabbit leaped down and pinned Osamu into the ground. It raised an arm that started to glow brightly.
"Boost. Quinti." Yuma shot through the air with his personal Black Trigger.
A large glyph rotating in the back and delivered a powerful kick at the Rabbit, heavily cracking its entire body, sending it bouncing into the pavements several times.
Mercury clapped loudly and grinned, "Nice kick! Very nice kick!"
"He's a miniature powerhouse, just like Nora." Pyrrha glanced at her redhead friend.
"Haha! Yeah!"
"He looks different than before," Fox observed.
"Kuga!" Osamu breathed, "You…"
"Wow. It sure is hard." Yuma shook his legs. With his Black Trigger activated, his uniform was of a different variety that is completely different from Border's uniform.
"You were told not to use the Black Trigger, weren't you?" Osamu asked, "With this, Branch Chief Rindou, or I won't be able to defend you anymore."
"Seriously? That's what you care about at this time?" Blake deadpanned.
Qrow grunted, "Sounds bureaucratic."
"Let's see if there's an explanation for that." Ozpin reserved his judgment, understanding that combat restrictions are typically in place for a very good reason.
Yuma glanced at his friend, "Still, at this rate, Chika will end up in danger won't she?" Yuma's statement hit Osamu hard. "This ain't the time to hold grudges. I'll put an end to all this in one fell swoop."
Two Trion bullets were suddenly fired out of nowhere, directed at Yuma. Surprised, but not caught off guard, Yuma blocked the bullets with his arms.
"Wha?" Osamu turned his head towards the attacker, only to see it was two Border agents from Chano's unit that had fired the shot.
"Why are they attacking him?!" Ruby angrily fumed, "What's with all these friendly fires?!"
"I hit him!" One of them shouted. "I knew it! This guy ain't from Border! He's a humanoid Neighbor!"
"Headquarters! Chano's unit speaking! We're currently fighting a humanoid Neighbor!"
"Hey! Four-eyes! Hurry up and run away!" They yelled at Osamu.
Yang frowned, "They're mistaking him for the enemy?"
"His uniform." Ironwood pointed out, "It's different than theirs, and he is utilizing a trigger that appears to function completely different than theirs."
"Still, this is the worst time for misidentification," Clover said gravely.
"What? You're mistaking…!" He tried to protest, but it was ignored.
"Let's turn this guy into swiss cheese!" But before they could attack, the Rabbit that Yuma had kicked away earlier loomed over them.
Osamu's eyes widened, "Wait!"
"Always. Watch. Your. Surroundings." Glynda punctuated for great emphasis, "Especially if your attention is focused on something else."
"Y-yes. Professor Goodwitch." The students shivered from her harsh tone.
The Rabbit punched them into the ground and grabbed one of them with its only functional arm.
"Fuck! A new model!"
"They're being eaten!" Osamu rushed up but was beaten as another squad arrived to take care of the Rabbit.
A hail of bullets struck the Rabbit. One of the bullets penetrated through its already damaged armor, hitting its 'eye'. The Rabbit begins to power down as Trion stemmed out of its body, crashing into the floor.
"Target silenced!"
Osamu looked relieved at the sight of a familiar face. "A- Arashiyama!"
"Finally. One of those Rabbits went down." Marrow rolled his eyes slightly, "I think we could have done a better job with those things."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Vine mumbled. If they were to encounter something like that in Remnant and without any intel, they probably would be having a slightly difficult time neutralizing it.
Arashiyama nodded, "Mikumo! Are you alright?"
"Arashiyama! He's a humanoid Neighbor!" Chano picked himself up and pointed at Yuma.
"Calm down, Chano. He's an ally." Arashiyama cleared up the misunderstanding.
"An ally?"
"He's one of those Neighbors?" Yang raised an eyebrow, "Come to think of it, he does have a different colored hair and eyes compared to the others."
"He is. Although, he does not hail from Aftokrator."
Arashiyama's squad jumped down from the roof to address the situation.
"Thank you for helping me, Tokieda." Yuma thanked a boy with a bob cut.
The boy in question raised an eyebrow at Yuma's appearance, "Huh? Did you always look like this in your gear?"
"That's because he has a Black Trigger, Tokieda." The female of the unit, Kitora Ai explained. "That aside, did Commander Shirei grant you license for its use?"
"Of course, he didn't, but…" Yuma motioned at several Marmots charging towards them. "Well. We're in the middle of a crisis here."
Qrow pointed at Yuma, "Kid's got a point. A very good point."
"Speaking of triggers… What is this Black Trigger?" Pietro asked, "It sounds quite valuable. Perhaps, even dangerous."
"A Black Trigger is an extremely powerful Trigger created by its wielder. The process of creating such a tool comes at a great cost, however. The user must have a high amount of Trion levels and is required to pour all their life and Trion into their trigger, resulting in their demise in the process." Several of the students gasped at the prospect of trading life to create a powerful weapon. "Furthermore, a Black Trigger needs to be compatible with a user sharing a similar personality, or it cannot be activated. These triggers are very valuable and have singlehandedly turned the tide of war numerous times."
"Oh my…"
"A powerful weapon created from the life of another." Cinder hummed, "Interesting."
"A hefty cost," Ozpin said sadly.
All Border agents turned their attention to the onrush of Trion soldiers while Arashiyama called in to give an update on their situation.
"Headquarters! Arashiyama's unit speaking! We eliminated one new model! Moving on to our next target to diminish the number of Trion soldiers!" Arashiyama quieted as he heard only radio static in response. "Headquarters?" He pressed on his headpiece with a frown.
"Counterattack with the cannons… BZZT!"
"Closing in…!"
Arashiyama's eyes widen and snapped his head towards HQ. The air above HQ was lit up with explosive shells as Border tried to prevent two giant fish-like Trion soldiers known as an Ilgar, from suicide-bombing their base.
Kitora drew in a deep breath. "They're…!"
"A bombing Trion soldier! An Ilgar!" Osamu gasped.
Winter drew in a sharp breath, "Their headquarters is under attack."
"Ilgar… Ilgar." Cinder rolled her tongue as she pronounced the name and wrote it down along with a description. So many things that Salem could make use of.
Inside HQ, Kinta was activated all of HQ's defense system. "Shoot them down with all available artillery batteries!"
One of the Ilgar fell under intense fire, but one of them continued flying towards HQ.
"One down! One more still incoming!" Kyoko shouted.
"Brace for impact!"
The surviving Ilgar slammed into the edge of the base and exploded in bright white light. The blast wave could be felt from miles away.
"Bright!" Blake and Velvet shielded their eyes.
"Who turned on the lights?" Yang squinted her eyes a fit just to continue keeping her eyes on the screen.
"That was a big kaboom!" Nora threw her hands out to emphasis the giant explosion, before sitting back in her chair with a quieter expression. "I hope they're okay."
"It certainly lives up to its role for bombing things." Robyn rubbed her eyes, "That thing is like a flying tank packed with explosives."
Penny looked uncomfortable, "What a terrifying machine."
"There, there. Penny." Pietro sympathetically patted his daughter's head.
Chano swallowed, "Did it destroy the base?!"
"No…" Arashiyama calmly said as the light died down.
The corner of HQ was heavily charred, but the entire base was in one piece.
"Their base is tough." Elm leaned forward from her seat. "Only burn marks around the area of impact. Not a single dent."
"What did they use to construct their headquarters?" Vine asked the Hosts.
"It is made from Trion. Trion has many, many uses."
"How intriguing." Pietro rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The personnel inside the base were fine as well, with Kinta slowly peeking his head out from his table.
"Looks like investing our efforts in Trion armored enhancement was the right choice." The stout man breathed out, "After what happened with the outer wall being broken through back then and all…"
"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Qrow took a swig out of his flask and placed it into a cupholder as he cracked his fingers. "If you're smart enough to learn from it, that is."
"Indeed." Ozpin nodded.
However, they weren't out of the clearing yet.
"Second wave incoming!" Kyoko reported upon seeing three more Ilgars flying towards their way. "Three Ilgars!"
"Incoming!" Nora 'helpfully' exclaimed.
"They can't hear you."
"How many more hits can the armor endure?!" Shinoda hastily asked.
Kinta rubbed the back of his head, "It should be able to withstand one more explosion!"
"I'd probably be freaking out, seeing three of them coming towards us." Jaune scratched his cheek, admiring Shinoda's leadership and personality. "It's amazing how he's keeping his cool with the entire city and peoples' safety on his shoulder."
"A leader needs to keep their composure in a stressful situation." Ren wisely answered his team leader, "And you've been doing a good job, so far. Maybe on the surface, not so much internally…"
"Jeez, thanks, Ren." He gave Ren a sarcastic smile.
Shinoda nodded and opened the PA system. "All general staff is to take refuge in the shelter room!" He then turned his attention to their defenses, "Fill the cannons to the brim with Trion! Focus on bombarding! Even only one is fine. Just make sure to shoot it down!"
Eizou looked nervous, "No… The armor can take only one…"
Cinder frowned, "What is he planning?"
The artillery batteries focused down one of the three Ilgars, but two were left unimpeded.
Kinta looked panicked, "General Manager Shinoda! Two explosions won't cut it!"
Shinoda was calm. "No problem. There is only one left."
"Wait, what?" Ruby looked confused.
The leading Ilgar suddenly fell apart. Its thick armor was somehow cleanly sliced through.
"Woooow…" Sun's jaws dropped.
"W-what happened?" Oscar stammered, "Did I miss something?"
Eizou and Kinta's jaws dropped before seeing who was responsible for saving their base.
"Tachikawa!" They exclaimed upon seeing the young man named Kei Tachikawa soaring through the Ilgar with his dual katanas.
"Looks like he's the one responsible for saving their butts." Coco whistled, "He must have some crazy strength and a very sharp sword to cut that thing cleanly."
"So, cool!" Ruby gasped in awe. "I want a glowing blade that can cut things cleanly on my baby!"
"The other one will hit us directly!" Kyoko snapped them back to reality. "Please brace yourself for impact!"
The entire base rumbled, scattering chairs, nearly knocking Kinta off his seat as the Ilgar self-destructed on top of their base.
"Any damages?!" Shinoda asked.
"None are present!"
"Great, repair the outer wall at once! We'll be staying on full alert for the next wave! Kei! Your opponent is the new model. Just focus on taking them down as much as you can!"
"They can repair their walls in this current situation. Trion is truly something of a wonder to behold." Pietro dreamily sighed.
"It does sound convenient," Ironwood nodded, "but from what we gathered so far, Trion comes for living things. Similar to aura…"
"There are other ways of obtaining Trion without harvesting them from their population or other worlds. One of the main methods of obtaining Trion is substantial, non-fatal amount of Trion donations, or salvaging from Trion constructs such as from the Trion soldiers."
Falling from the sky, Kei smugly smiled and nodded. "Copy that, sir. Guess I gotta dispose of them quickly so I can continue my lunch."
The focus shifts back to Arashiyama's and Chano's unit joined by Yuma and Osamu.
"The base is alright!" Arashiyama said to his allies. "Tachikawa brought down a bombing Trion soldier."
"Tachikawa?" Yuma looked slightly interested, "The person that uses the Kogetsu and was Jin's rival, right?"
"He's an A-Rank Border agent." Said Osamu.
"So, he managed to bring down a self-destructing Ilgar? And with an ordinary trigger to boot. Terrific." Yuma praised.
"If you say that then he really must be awesome, right Kuga?"
"Yep. You know, the self-destructing mode is kind of a pain to deal with." Yuma shrugged, "Still, bring them down like I did before might be much easier."
"Pipsqueak is many cuts above his peers," Vernal remarked, able to differentiate Yuma by combat experiences. "He's been through a lot, I can tell."
"Someone that young shouldn't be experiencing such hardship," Glynda said sadly.
Raven and Vernal snorted but didn't say anything.
"Arashiyama's unit." Shinoda's voice suddenly went live on their comms. "Sorry about the comms lapping into chaos. I assume you brought down the new models?"
"As expected of Arashiyama's unit." Eizou clasped his hand tightly, trying to relieve some stress. "You sure are the first to arrive to suppress the new models."
Arashiyama shook his head, refusing to take full credit. "No. When we arrived, Kuga and Osamu, two members of Tamakoma's had already begun engaging. My unit only took the new model out seeing it had already received considerable damage."
"Tamakoma? So, it was the Black Trigger then." Kinta mused upon remembering the 'humanoid Neighbor' report.
"I understand now." Shinoda hummed, "So, the comment about a humanoid Neighbor must have referred to Yuma then?"
"Resolving any communications is key in ensuring the overall operation doesn't become impeded by complications. Especially when you've mistakenly misidentified an ally." Said Vine.
"Wouldn't want to bombard an ally's position, now would we?" Marrow joked.
"General Manager Shinoda!" Osamu cut in, "Tamakoma Branch, Mikumo speaking! Please let us go and protect the C-Class members!"
Shinoda raised an eyebrow, "The C-Class members?"
"Those are the trainees if I could remember," Tai commented.
"I heard that the self-defense clause would only apply later for when the sectors are currently evacuating! Our teammate is currently in one of these sectors!"
The General Manager rubbed his chin, "Is that so? Alright, got it. You Tamakoma members will be allowed to take a different course of action."
"Wait." Kido interrupted, "Only Mikumo will be going to protect the C-Class members. Kuga is to stay here."
"Eh?!" That surprised Osamu.
"They're going to split them apart?" Ruby frowned, "Aren't they partners? Why would they do that?"
"That should have been obvious." Weiss sighed, nudging her team leader. "He has a Black Trigger, and if you didn't recall what our Hosts said, it's extremely valuable and powerful."
"If Kuga chooses to fight with the Black Trigger, then there is a great risk in causing mayhem among the other members and citizens." Kido logically explained, letting them recall how Chano's unit misidentified Yuma as a hostile. "Much like what happened when Chano's unit mistook him for a hostile Neighbor. As such, I cannot allow him to go to town areas. Kuga is to move together with Arashiyama's unit and eliminate the Trion soldiers in the danger zone."
"He does have a point…" Neptune muttered.
"But couldn't they just stick him with someone in uniform and say he's an ally?" Sun scratched his head.
"Hard to say."
Shinoda turned to his superior to protest, "However, with this…"
"The Black Trigger is a valuable asset to us as it can oppose the new models. We don't have the luxury to allow him to play around." Kido refuted, "I shall exceptionally permit you arbitrary use of the Black Trigger because this is a time of crisis. However, you'll have to obey my commands."
"… So, I could accompany Osamu if I don't use the Black Trigger. Is that it?" Yuma squared off against Kido.
"Now is not the time to fight among yourself." Winter shook her head, much to her chagrin.
Qrow stared at the specialist, "You're the one to talk."
"You're the one drunk."
Ironwood broke them apart. "That's enough you two."
"That was entertaining." Chuckled Robyn.
"This is but a meaningless assumption." Kido replied emotionlessly, "If the situation asks for it, I know you'll use the Black Trigger. That's the type of person you are." His eyes remained stilled and calculating, "You really resemble your father."
"…"
Before Yuma could reply, Kyoko interrupted their session with a warning. "We just got two new of the new model Trion soldiers!"
"Swarm of Trion soldiers invading!"
"They're breaking through the danger zone!"
The radio chattered quickly became frantic as Border agents are struggling to deal with the new Trion soldiers.
"Time is of the essence." Ozpin said firmly, "They don't have the luxury to bicker amongst themselves."
"Agreed," Ironwood grunted.
"Haven't the B-Class member combined forces yet?! We won't be able to stop their advance infinitely!"
Osamu looked conflicted as he wanted Yuma to go with him, but what's at stake cannot be overstated. If he stayed behind along with Arashiyama's unit and Yuma or joined forces with the rest of the B-Class units…
'It's possible there are new models in that group of Trion soldiers. Can I really stop them using my own power?'
Harriet sneered, "Don't be selfish."
"Easy now, Harriet." Clover cautioned, "He's still young and cares a lot about his friends."
"Go, Osamu." Yuma commanded, "I told Chika 'one of us will definitely come to your help if you're in danger'. I'm leaving it to you."
"… Got it." He clutched his Raygust and solidified his resolve to see this through.
"His friend managed to talk some sense into him." Tai smiled, remembering how Qrow helped push him through hard times.
Kitora walked up to her team leader. "Arashiyama. Please allow me to accompany Mikumo." Her request came to a surprise to everyone. "I am indebted to the two of them."
"Kitora…!" Osamu was shocked and relieved at the same time. Kitora is a skilled Border agent. She isn't classified as an A-Class agent for nothing.
"Got it." Arashiyama smiled, "Protect the citizens for us too." He pressed on his headpiece to let HQ in on their little adjustment. "It doesn't bother you, right? General Manager Shinoda."
Shinoda relaxed and crossed his arms with a smile, "No problems. I'll leave it up to your judgment." His attention shifted over Chano's unit. "Alright, Chano's unit. You are to join the B-Class units combined forces."
"Roger!" They saluted.
"As for us, we'll eliminate the Trion soldiers inside the danger zone." Arashiyama cocked his gun with a grin. "We'll primarily focus on the new models."
"Roger!" Tokieda and Yuma acknowledged their new orders.
"Kitora and Osamu will protect the C-Class units."
They drew their weapons. "Roger!"
With their mission parameters set, the group split up and went their separate ways.
"You're liking this, aren't you Jimmy?" Qrow asked the Atlesian general who had a smile on his face.
Ironwood grinned, "Very much so. And you, Qrow?"
He shrugged, "Eh. Could have been worse."
"It's quite reassuring knowing Kitora will guard the town areas," Eizou said approvingly. A reliable A-Class Border agent will certainly make things easier should anything goes awry there.
Kinta nodded, "Making the Black Trigger user our ally is quite promising too."
"They remind me too much of bureaucrats and corporate executives…" Robyn had her fair share of dealing with the likes of them. Always image, reputation, profit, or power.
Qrow toasted once more in her direction. "You said it."
Silently pondering, Shinoda was left wondering about something. 'I thought for sure the enemy would try once more to deal a heavy blow to the base… So why aren't they pursuing this plan?' He had his suspicions, but nothing concrete. 'Have the attacking side used up all their bombing Trion soldiers? They've even released new models in sporadic numbers. I still can't perceive the enemy's true objective.'
/-/
"Why ain't we dealing' 'em the final blow!?" Enedora asked loudly, "Two or three more explosions, and that base would have been a goner!"
"Yeah. Why didn't they do that?" Asked Emerald, though her question would soon be answered.
"Pointlessly driving the enemy into a corner would make us go through a bitter experience." Hyuse sneered, "Don't you even understand that much?"
"By driving their enemies into a corner, they'll have nothing left to lose." Cinder coolly explained to Emerald, "A cornered rat will fight viciously."
Emerald nodded, "I get it now."
"Like I give a rat's ass about some small fry's theory. Killing the enemy when we can is fine enough, ain't it?"
"Attacking with the Ilgars was only to confuse the enemy and uncover its assets." Hairein rationalized, "Our object isn't either to capture nor to control Miden."
"Then what is their objective?" Ruby asked to no one in particular.
"Making them use all their assets?" Jaune answered, "I mean, the captain guy said that…"
"We'll have to wait and see, Mr. Arc and Miss Rose." Said Glynda.
The scene shifts over to Chika and Izuho, along with several other C-Class Border agents getting civilians safety to their shelters.
In the distance, the sound of roaring Trion soldiers and deafening explosions could be heard by Chika and Izuho despite being a safe distance from the danger zone.
"Ugh. The sounds are creepin' me out." Izuho observed, "And it even shone intensely around the base moments ago. Wonder if everything's goin' well…"
Chika opened her palm and listened to what the miniature Replica has to say regarding Yuma and Osamu. "It's fine. Osamu and Kuga… No, the regular members are fighting after all. Let's just do whatever we can, kay?"
"Okay," Izuho rotated her arms to loosen up the tension around her arm. "I'm still good to go at it!"
"'Relief priority will be given to the sectors where evacuation isn't progressing'?" A unit of three C-Class Border agents read over HQ's proclamation. "That's the same as saying we've been put off, ain't it?!"
"So, we hard-working people are out of pocket. Insane… That's definitely screwed up!"
Winter narrowed her eyes, "There's discontent amongst their own rank."
"That's a very dangerous scenario." Ironwood sighed, "It can't be helped considering how young they are."
"Young, brash, and reckless." Glynda rubbed her forehead in irritation, having dealt with numerous students with those three traits.
Their leader scoffed, "It's like we're 'heroes subjected to a trial', huh?" Said their leader, calmly drinking from a soda can. "To us, being told Neighbors are coming just means we can leave our names in Border's records with this war, right?"
"Leader, but…!" They gulped, "We won't only be facing Trion soldiers made for capturing civilians, but also fighting ones and even these new models rumored to be dangerous even for the regular members!"
"Then if we do meet some, let's just strategically withdraw." If it comes to that, they'll be leaving the other C-Class units and civilians to fend for themselves. "Sure, third rate people will thoughtlessly put their life on the line. But first-rate people gotta look at the whole situation, then cope with it cleverly, right?"
"Genius!"
"We'll follow your lead, leader!" They praised.
An angry growled escaped from Glynda. "Border must not have screened their agents properly."
"Well, he has the right idea." Roman laughed, "Stupid. But the right idea."
"Abandoning their teammates and the people they swore to protect isn't the right idea." Maria hissed. Part of her statement was also directed at herself, for being selfish back when she was younger.
A huntsman is supposed to defend the people until the end. Though these Border agents might not have the same standards. Regardless, it is a dick move.
"There's nothing wrong with trying to survive," Raven said darkly.
/-/
Heavy fighting continued to take place within the danger zone of Mikado City. One of the B-Class units from the Suzunari branch was having a difficult time regrouping with their allies as faced off against a Rabbit.
"B-Class members are all converging to the place Azuma's at, but there's no way for us to combine forces with this thing standing in our way!"
"I'll draw its attention." Kou calmly said, "So please Kuruma. Combine forces with the other B-Class units along with Taichi."
Tachi is their sniper who was forced out of position by the Trion soldier. He now stands on top of a roof near his teammates, ready to provide covering fire.
"Eh?! What will you do by yourself?" Kuruma asked.
"I'll face it until the A-Class agents arrive. Don't worry, I won't do anything reckless." Kou drew and activated his second sword, "I understand what my duty is."
"Buying his teammates and reinforcement time in the face of a dangerous adversary. Quite a brave fellow he is." Port wished the young lad luck. He will need it.
"Playing hero is a great way to get yourself killed," Roman mumbled.
The camera changes perspective to Kazama's unit, standing over a now non-functional Rabbit.
"That's a second one down." Coco whistled softly, "And it looks like they gave it a brutal death."
"Heh! Looks like Arashiyama's unit defeated a new model before us." Kikuchiara lowered himself to inspect the Rabbit up close. Two short swords were embedded into the Rabbit's 'eye' that put an end to the Trion soldier. "It's because the two of you are too cautious. I'd understand if it were one-on-one but c'mon. Did you really think we'd ever lose against one with the three of us?"
"We aren't competing against the other or anything, you know?" Kazama rebuffed.
"Glad to see their leader is rational." Weiss sighed, wishing her team leader could be just a bit as rational as the one on-screen.
Winter nodded, "Agreed. Their situation isn't a game or competition."
"Suwa is nowhere to be found in its abdomen." Utagawa held up a white glowing cube. "The only thing there was this cube."
"Is that so?"
"What is that?" Jaune asked.
"That is Trion."
"Oh."
"Pretty…" Nora whispered.
"Unless we think as the inside of the new models as being a gate, then the only other valid explanation would be to consider that Suwa has been entirely compressed into this cube."
Kazama had a thoughtful look, "Call Sasamori and Tsutsumi. Let's have the cube analyzed by the engineers at headquarters."
"Is that possible?" Pietro asked the Hosts, "For a person to be compressed into that shape and form?"
"It is. Suwa's Trion body has been hijacked and altered into the form you see there."
Coco shivered, "Ugh. That sounds scary."
Ren agreed, "No kidding."
"I hope he's alive though…" Kikuchiara tactlessly said.
"Come on, man." Utagawa sighed.
Mercury laughed at Kikuchiara's blunt statement, "Someone sure is insensitive."
"We've been prey of incessant attacks before, but is Headquarters fine?" Asked Kikuchiara.
"No problems at Headquarters currently. Touma and Tachikawa are over there bidding their time. We've even got General Manager Shinoda there if it comes down to it. And way… If the situation becomes dangerous, he'll make his move."
/-/
"Whoa, whoa." Jin walked through a cleared-out area of the city. The area was filled with buildings and roadworks not long ago. "You've completely leveled the place, haven't ya?" He said to his co-worker. "Amou."
S- Class Border agent Amou Tsukihito sat near a large crater he had created. There was nothing around the area. Even the skies were purged of the black clouds leaving clear blue skies and the sun to shine down on the area as if it was mourning the place.
"What happened there?" Robyn said with shock, "The entire area looked like its been hit with bombarded a thousand times."
"Even the skies have been cleared of those black clouds…" Clover observed with piquing curiosity.
"Jin…" Amou greeted him.
"Seriously man, hold back some, won't ya?"
"No shit, it's a pain in the ass," Amou replied, clearly irritated. "Every one of them has a dull color. They're only small fries. How can I get in the mood with something like this?"
"What is he even talking about?" Weiss sighed, "Are most people in this Border organization weird?"
"Maybe it's because you're a bit stuck up," Yang suggested, earning a few grunts of support from Robyn, Qrow, Blake, and Roman.
"Quiet, you."
"To answer your question, Miss Schnee. When a person possesses high Trion levels, they begin to manifest an ability known as a Side Effect. These Side Effects range from enhanced physical to extrasensory abilities."
"In other words, it's similar to a semblance?" Ozpin inquired.
"That is correct. Amou, for example, can measure an opponent's strength by the color they emit. Jin can see bits of the future of those before him."
"Whoa, he can see the future?" Nora gasped, "Is he a fortune-teller? An oracle?"
"Not without certain restrictions. Shall we continue?"
"I get it." Jin sighed, "Anyway, I'm glad you've got room to spare. Sorry, but take care of my area for me? It's the west of the base."
"No way… Why would I?"
"Well… The enemy will start going all out anytime now. And I guess even I'll have to get moving too, you know."
"Having an ability to predict the future is a powerful ability," Qrow said with an envious tone. Meanwhile, he's stuck with a semblance that brings misfortune.
Ozpin calmly drank from his mug. "Indeed."
/-/
Osamu and Kitora leaped over the rooftops of the desert home buildings, watching the Trion soldiers tore through the empty residential area.
"It's crawling with Trion soldiers all over the place"
"They're even more numerous than when the first invasion took place." Kitora acknowledged that the situation was dire.
"I do not understand." Said a miniature Replica, floating near Osamu. "I wonder why they're investing so many forces in assaulting this world. What a mystery that is."
Kitora snapped her head towards the voice. "What's that? A communication trigger?"
"Nice to meet you, Kitora. My name is Replica, I'm Yuma's overseer." He introduced himself.
"Overseer?"
Osamu briefly filled her in on the details, "You see, Replica came here while traveling with Yuma. So, he's well-informed on Neighbors."
"Having intel on your enemies will greatly affect the outcomes." Ironwood nodded. Running both Atlas Academy and Atlas Military requires a lot of those.
"I couldn't have agreed more."
"In other words, you're a trigger related to Kuga, huh? Also, you were saying you couldn't understand the enemy's intent. But what about it exactly?"
"I tried analyzing that Rabbit from before and discovered a considerable amount of Trion had been put to use in its body." Replica explained, "Adding up the other Trion soldiers used adds up to an enormous cost. Investing so much Trion to attack this world would mean having their homeland's defense become insufficient. Avoiding such a situation is usually the norm." The friendly Trion soldier continued, "There is also the fact the invested forces are expressly dispersed without focus and that this is done even at the expense of their country insufficiently guarded. I just cannot perceive the intended applications of this."
"Cannot perceive what and what now?" Nora scratched her head, feeling Replica's word buzz out of her brain.
"He's saying that the enemy has left their country poorly defended by taking and losing a multitude of their Trion soldiers," Winter explained to the explosive hammer-wielding, huntress-in-training. "If what he said is true, then something is off."
"It's always a cat and mouse game when trying to guess the enemy's intent." Qrow grunted, "But I gotta agree with the Ice Queen here. Something is off the way these guys planned their assault."
Kitora caught on to what Replica was saying. "You're talking about the enemy's aim, but it's already a given, isn't it? The enemy is dispersing its forces and waiting for us to take measures against that to better capture trigger users with new models when the soldiers are defeated, isn't that right? The enemy aims to readily and steadily capture trigger users. General Manager Shinoda had the dispersed B-Class agents combine to prevent that."
"This is indeed possible." Replica agreed, "However, Border has the bail-out function. So, if the members were to be thorough in bailing out before being caught, then in the most extreme case, the number of casualties could be strictly limited to zero." He continued his argument, "Do you think the enemy that conducted reconnaissance with the Rads wouldn't know of this before coming to attack and overlook something as simple as that?"
"The enemy. Aftokrator had conducted reconnaissance and considered their opponents' potential, including the escape function they had installed into their trigger." Clover cupped his chin thoughtfully, "Which is possibly why they have the new models in used to capture the trigger users, should they have been caught. However, once the element of surprised over…"
"Then any agent who can't handle a fight will bail and escaped before these Rabbits can get their paws on them." Qrow finished, "Mini glob of purple is right. No one with half a brain can overlook that. And their captain… Hairein or whatever doesn't look like an incompetent guy."
"The mysterious deepens." Robyn sat straighter in her seat, slightly invested.
Replica went on, "The Trion soldiers dispersed in all directions. The members captured by the Rabbits, as well as the bombing raid on Border's Headquarters. I have a feeling that the enemy's true aim is hiding in the shade of all these actions."
"The enemy's true aim? Are you telling us that even the bombing raid on the base was nothing more than a sham?!" Osamu asked.
"It obviously was. To us, that is." Sun paused, "Cause, you know… We're watching both sides here."
"Had they been intent on making headquarters fall, then it would undoubtedly have already fallen." The amount of Trion soldiers the enemies could use could have easily taken out the Border's base, and Replica knows that. "However, this wouldn't have been a really good move for them. They probably fear that a Black Trigger could be created if they drive us too much into a corner."
"…!" Kitora and Osamu looked surprised by that revelation.
Ozpin nodded, "Desperation does a lot of things. Especially if it's affecting an entire nation."
"Nothing more dangerous than an entire country that's operating under desperation." Mantle and to an extension, Atlas, was once placed in a similar situation during its founding. Their technological advancement was due to their need to perfect the art of utilizing Dust to survive the harsh cold and the Creatures of Grimm.
"Being forced to a corner would cause people to resist and willing to lay down their lives." Replica said darkly, "In the past, it was common for the invading country to be routed by a counterattack from a Black Trigger when they saw victory close at hand. It is extremely easy for the invading forces to topple over, especially when an expedition without supplies is concerned."
"History repeats itself if we don't learn from it." Oobleck pushed up his glasses, "It would so appear that they learned from others or their own mistakes, not to push a country or world into desperation."
Port twirled his mustache. "Still, these Black Triggers sound very powerful for it to turn back the tide of a losing war."
"In other words, the humanoid Neighbors might not be taking part in the battle?"
"Sorry, but we'll have to stop there with the talking." Kitora interrupted them as she placed a finger on her headpiece. "Trion soldiers have invaded the Southwest sector."
A Bamster lumbered through the Southwest sector, chasing after civilians with its large frame, forcing the C-Class members to retreat and escort the civilians.
"It's almost like Grimm attacking a town or village." Velvet quietly prayed for the wellbeing of the citizens and Border agents there.
"That thing is massive." Jaune gulped when he saw the size of the Bamster.
"Not as large as an old Goliath." Port commented, "They're titanic."
"Grrrr! Enouuuuugh!" Izuho shouted, looking like she wanted to fight the Trion soldier. "They're freakin' invadin' us! Look!"
Chika disagreed, helping a little girl towards the evacuation group. "Let's hurry and bring the people that failed to escape to the shelter!"
"Bird battle formation. Vizofnil!" Three C-Class Border agents leaped at the Bamster and shattered its 'eye' in a combined attack. The Bamster straightened up before collapsing into the ground, having its main component destroyed. "Good grief, guess it ain't really to say… C-Class members are forbidden to fight, ain't it?"
Oscar blinked, "That was easy to kill."
"Those eyes of theirs must be the central processing unit." Penny guessed, looking thoughtful. "Damaging them is a sure way to ensure their deactivation."
"Why didn't they put them inside instead of making them the eyes?"
"That's a mighty fine question, young man." Pietro took off his hat to scratch his head, "There must be an engineering logic behind having its 'eyes' as a visual receptor that's also burdened as a weak spot."
"Do you have any ideas, father?" Penny asked.
The man shook his head, "Trion engineering is difficult for me to understand with my current comprehension."
Their cocky attitudes quickly fell when they heard something creaking out of the Bamster. A dark-colored Rabbit with a single red eye lifted the slack jaws of the Bamster and stepped out into the open. It appeared to have some sort of air proposal systems on its shoulder and looked much more menacing compared to its plainer, white-colored Rabbit models.
Everyone gulped as it stared at them.
"Eh…?"
"What…?"
Clover narrowed his eyes, "It has a different appearance than the ones we saw so far."
Pyrrha gasped, "This is bad!"
"They're in troubled now," Emerald said without much emotion.
Mercury waved them the trio of idiots' goodbye. "Rest in pieces."
The sound of fighting caught Osamu and Kitora's attention. "Over there! Let's go! I'll be relying on you, Kitora!"
"You better not drag me down, you hear me!" She bantered.
Back to the C-Class agents, they stood there, frozen.
"Wha… What's with that thing?" One of them asked.
"Looks kinda dangerous, doesn't it?"
Their leader composed himself and tried to put out a confident grin. "Damn right. That's exactly what my institution as a veteran of many battles tells me…"
Whatever nonsense was coming out of their leader's mouth was cut short as the dark-colored Rabbit lifted its face and fired a powerful laser beam out of its eyes, blowing the cannon fodders into the air.
"AACK!" Miraculously, they were only slightly bruised.
They quickly got to their feet and began to flee. "R-r-retreat! Retreat strategically!"
"Idiots." Raven scoffed.
Sun's eyes widened, "It can fire laser beams from its eye?"
"So, that's why it was colored and shape differently." Jaune put two and two together, in a sense. "It has a different ability! We haven't seen the other Rabbits shoot lasers from their eyes before!"
Glynda had a grave look on her face. "That appears to be the case."
The rest of the C-Class agents begin to panic as well, "The Trion soldiers are here!"
"Runaway!"
The Rabbit readjusted its aim and charged up its laser eyebeam once more.
"Crap!" Izuho cursed.
Before it could fire once more, a white sharp heel came crashing down on the Rabbit's head, temporarily stunning it. Kitora and Osamu had arrived just in time.
"This is… Arashiyama's unit! Kitora of Arashiyama's unit!" They recognized Kitora. The Arashiyama's unit is popular after all. "As well as that four eyes Midorikawa recently defeated!"
"Osamu!" Chika exclaimed.
"Four eyes mister!" Izuho added in his well-known nickname.
Velvet felt relieved, "They got there on time."
"They're still in trouble." Yatsuhashi's entire body was tensed, "This Trion soldier possesses incredible strength and speed, along with a long-range capability. It's much more dangerous than the ones they've encountered so far."
"Arashiyama's unit? Of all things… To think the mascot team would be the one to come here." With the Arashiyama's unit here, their 'rise to fame' will greatly be stunted.
Kitora carefully analyzed the Rabbit. "The color of the new model is different from the one before."
"Yup." Osamu nodded, "And even its shape is slightly different…" Behind them, a Marmot crashed through a house gate, setting its sight on the C-Class agents and civilians. "It's a Marmot! Seriously, coming at such a troublesome time too!"
"They're breaking through!" Tai clenched his armrest tightly. It's like watching the students at Signal Academy, most of whom are getting the hang of dedicated combat, face off against a Beringel on steroids.
"Go. Protect them Mikumo. I'll take down that new model." Kitora said confidentially.
"Are you plan to fight the new model by yourself?!" He asked her incredulously.
"She's going to solo it?" Sun frowned, "I don't think that's a good idea."
Robyn leaned on her arm with a harsh look, "They don't have much of a choice, not without risking the civilians and the trainees."
"Well, it wouldn't make much of a difference even with the two of us against it, would it?" She calmly stepped towards the Rabbit, "I'm entrusting that Marmot to you. Show me how much you've changed."
"… Got it!"
With one hand on her double sword and another on her pistol, Kitora radioed HQ regarding her situation. "Headquarters, Kitora speaking. I'm engaging another new model."
Meanwhile, Osamu ran towards the Marmot and blocked its path. His Raygust extended out in its greatsword form.
"Look! It's Mikumo! He came back to us!" One of his classmates pointed.
Osamu stood his ground, sweating. 'I haven't had a real fight one-on-one against a Marmot… Without Kuga or Arashiyama backing me up in battle.' He composed his thoughts as the Marmot came closer.
Jaune nudged his partner and whispered. "He sounds just like me when I go up against lager sized Grimm."
"You've improved, exponentially," Pyrrha whispered back, smiling brightly as she turned her attention back to the screen. "And I think he has too."
Without warning, Osamu changed his Raygust into a shield and summoned a glowing Rubik-like cube called Meteor and unleashed a barrage of Trion bullets at the Marmot. However, all of the Meteor's shot was blocked by the Marmot's blade or rendered inert against its armor.
"What was that Rubik's cube shooty thing?" Ruby's eyes were sparkling brightly.
"It is a Gunner Trigger called a Meteor. It can fire explosive projectiles." Answered the Hosts.
"That looked cool! The way he summoned one from his hand! Do we have technology that can do that?!"
"Not quite the same he had done it." Pietro chuckled, "But it wouldn't hurt to look into it, now would it?"
'At first sight, the movements of Trion soldiers can be seen to be animal-like, but in reality, they are acts that follow a program. Selecting actions that depend on what fits the situation best. Their movements are ones that make sense.'
"Like a robot, which it is." Neptune said with a thoughtful look, "So, it's predictable. Even though it acts like a wild, feral creature, it's masking logical outputs underneath that."
"Which means it can be exploited." Jaune realized.
Osamu sighed, "That's what training exists for." He took a step back before dashing towards the Marmot head-on. "Stealth on!" The Marmot's blade missed Osamu by an inch before the boy disappeared, causing the Marmot to pause. This allowed Osamu to disengage his cloaking device and sliced through the Marmot's blades. He twirled in the air and came roaring down, "One more slash!"
Letting out the fiercest battlecry he could muster, Osamu's heavy blade cleaved into the Marmot, cutting into its eye, killing it.
"He did it!" Izuho exclaimed.
Tai clapped, "Nice! He managed to pull it off."
"Cloaking devices, Rubik's cube bullets, giant solid light sword, and shield…" Ruby drooled, "I want some…"
"Aw, gross! Rubes, wipe your mouth."
"Great…!" Osamu took a deep breath and smiled before remembering Kitora was facing off against a Rabbit solo. 'No. It's not over yet. I gotta go help Kitora!' He quickly sprinted towards the block's corner where Kitora was and was surprised by what he saw. "What is this?!"
The Rabbit was surrounded by heavy Trion wires with Kitora bouncing off of them acrobatically. Wielding her heavy pistol, Kitora fired powerful shots at all angles, forcing the Rabbit on the defensive.
"Whoa, look at her go!" Sun said in awe.
"She managed to get the thing on the defensive with just a pistol and some wires." Qrow whistled, clearly impressed after seeing what the Rabbits were capable of. "And she's closing in for the kill as well."
Clover nodded, "She's innovated. A very useful skill to have out on the field."
"W-what's with those moves?!"
"Awesome!"
"She's totally beating the hell out of that Trion soldier!" Izuho looked on with awe. "See Chika. A-Class are monsters after all!"
"She's fast." Osamu acknowledged.
"There aren't any openings to help her." Mini Replica noted.
"Osamu!"
"Four-eye mister." Chika and Izuho came running to him.
"Chika! Natsume! It's dangerous! Evacuate with everyone else!"
"Heh? Even though it looks like she's got this in the bag? Arashiyama's members are strong, ya know." Izuho observed.
"Sure, Kitora is indeed powerful, but her opponent is a type she's fighting for the first time." Osamu cautioned, "She doesn't know that it's capable of."
"Well, don't just stand there." Nora waved her arms, "Go help here!"
Jaune frowned, "If he goes in recklessly, it'll endanger them both."
"He's right." Ren nodded, "He might get in her way and put them at a disadvantage."
"Oh. So, stepping on each other's toes by accident."
"Yup."
Kitora continued with here blitzing offensive, edging closer and closer to the Rabbit till she's able to manifest her sword and finish it off.
But it appeared the Rabbit had adapted to the situation. Its jetpack on its shoulder flared into life and took up into the skies with the force of a hurricane.
Oscar was taken aback, "It can fly?!"
"So, that's what was on its shoulders!" Pietro slapped himself in the head, "I thought it was a ventilating cooling system for its laser eyebeam, seeing how powerful and explosive it was."
"It's going to try and bombard them from the skies." Harriet predicted, "Damn. These things look troubling to fight against."
"It flew?!" A C-Class agent yelped.
Hovering in the skies, the Rabbit charged up its eyebeam and aimed Kitora.
'It took a higher ground!' Kitora quickly backed away, "A bombardment! Incoming!"
But at the last second, the Rabbit turned its head and fired away from the Border agents, attacking the fleeing civilians and C-Class agents. It may have missed, but it was enough for them to start panicking. Their screams intensified as another explosion went off, destroying a nearby house.
"No way!" Kitora cried out in outrage.
"Oh, no!" Ruby gasped.
"What the hell?!" If her semblance was sealed away in this dimension, Yang's eyes and hair would have been blazing with fury. "Why is it attacking the civilians?!"
Pyrrha hissed angrily, "Audacious!"
"It's attacking indiscriminately?!" Osamu felt his heartbeat intensifying. At this rate, the civilians will be hurt.
"You better go protect the civilians." Mini Replica advised.
Kitora snarled, "You fucking clunker! Your opponent is me!"
She shot off the ground and swung her sword into the air, intending to stop the Rabbit from continuing its barrage.
"Not good, her emotions are taking control of her," Port said with a grim expression.
Glynda flinched, "And she can't make rational decisions in that state."
"Especially with her charging in like that," Qrow added.
The Rabbit turned its attention to her and activated its jetpack thrusters and shot towards her, arms wide. Its jaws snapped shut, protecting its eye from harm as it tackled her with enough force to shatter her sword in two. It continued its offense, grabbing Kitora by the legs and slamming her into the ground, pinning her under while it charged up a shot.
"Shit!" Coco cursed.
Jaune wrung his hand anxiously, "This is bad, really, really bad."
Kitora was under distressed, staring at the Rabbit, eye to eye. 'It got me! I failed? It seems I was negligent once again just like back then! I haven't learned anything!' Quickly collecting herself, she pushed those negative thoughts away and surveyed her surroundings. 'No. I can't afford to think like that now. I'm an A-Class agent!'
"She's pulled herself together, but can she react in time?" Cinder mused.
She pulled out her gun and shot out a wire towards a sturdy utility pole. 'I said I'd take care of it, so I'll take it out!' Without hesitation, Kitora sliced off her leg that the Rabbit had pinned down and used her gun as a grappling hook, shooting towards the Rabbit just in time to avoid its eyebeam.
The Rabbit quickly leaned back, trying to close its jaws to protect its weak spot.
"Too late!" She jeered, and kicked her blade into the Rabbit's eye, slicing it in half.
The Rabbit tittered over and fell on its back, finally vanquished.
Yang gulped, "… Whoa. I know that the weapon they use gives you a second body like a virtual reality game avatar, but that's hardcore."
"That's a light way of saying it." Maria's prosthetic eyes were wide as far as they could be.
Coco nodded numbly, "And she one-shot the thing, damn girl."
"It's a decent trade." Mercury whispered to Emerald, "A leg, for a life."
"Like you?"
"Like me."
The C-Class members cheered at the sight. "Niiiice! She beat it!"
"Amazing!"
Osamu was still reeling from what just had happened. "She cut her own leg…!"
"Awesome… I thought for sure she was done for." Izuho looked very impressed, possibly inspired.
While the C-Class agents cheered, several Bado flew overhead, providing visual feedback for their commanders.
"Target confirmed." Mira said in a professional tone, "It's a flock of chicks. It appears they've been assigned to help the citizens evaluate."
"I get it now." Lamvanein chirped, "They're the reason the baby chicks didn't come out even though their nest was on fire."
The teachers of the audience all frowned. From headmasters to former combat instructors like Qrow, they all had a horrible sinking feeling the moment Mira confirmed their target. Their targets are the seedlings of the next generations of protectors. It was an equivalent to attacking a primary combat school or Huntsman Academy back in Remnant.
Glynda's horrified expression turned into a frightening scowl. "Don't tell me…"
"I hope not," Ozpin said with a dangerously low tone.
Back in Mikado City. Kitora supported herself with her sword, telling the C-Class members to continue with the task at hand.
"This is no time to make merry. Continue the evacuation without stopping…" She stopped and turned around at the sound of scuttering feet.
Three Rads crawled out of the destroyed Rabbit's corpse and propped themselves on the ground.
Marrow grimaced, "It's those things from the flashbacks."
"Used for reconnaissance." Clover narrowed his eyes, "What else are they capable of?"
"We're about to find out." Robyn pointed at one of them activating something.
Their glass lens turned black and trickled black lightning out of its backside, opening three portals in the sky. From those portals came three differently colored Rabbits. All of them functional and combat-ready.
Everyone gasped and took a step back as the Rabbits came crashing onto the ground, stunned by just how quickly the situation has taken for the worst.
"Well… Shit." Vernal swore.
Raven nodded in agreement, "That is an appropriate response."
And the worse part? No one in the audience could disagree with that.
Smiling at their enemy's' reaction, Captain Hairein raised his hand and smiled. "Well then, let's get ourselves some baby chicks, shall we?" Everyone onboard looked eager at being deployed onto the field. "Miden's forces are properly dispersed, and with the Rabbits doing their work, the stage is now ready." He flicked through a series of video feeds before dismissing them. "What's more, with the Rads investigations, I know that the baby chicks' triggers aren't equipped with an escape feature."
Hairein turned to his subordinates, "Guys. Try to have a good time against those Miden's soldiers without interfering on the Rabbits work, okay?"
"They're targeting the trainees," Tai growled.
"And rightfully so." Raven said monotonously, "What better way to stop the next generations of defenders than to deal with them when they're just amateurs and beginners?"
Cinder smiled sinisterly. 'Wouldn't that be a huge blow if a Huntsman Academy suddenly falls and its students lost?'
/-/
"Three new models?!"
"Not fair!" Izuho yelped, "It's like they're telling us they can send as many as they want!"
"Hurry up, run away!" Shouted Kitora, "They're targeting the C-Class members!"
As she finished her sentence, a black colored Rabbit planted an arm into the ground and shot liquid black spikes up the ground, tearing Kitora apart. But not enough to trigger a bailout.
The students gasped at the sight of Kitora getting ripped apart and by the shock of a Rabbit capable of performing such baffling feat.
Pietro's eyes nearly popped out from his eye socket, "It can control its state of matter?"
"They just can't catch a break, can they?" Roman half-heartedly quipped.
"Kitora!" Osamu cried out.
"D-damn…!" Kitora hissed. "Mikumo, contact HQ!" Her voice was cut short as the Rabbit opened up its chest and impaled her with two sickle-like appendages. "Ba-Bail o…"
Kitora's Trion body shimmered before turning into a glowing white cube and was quickly collected by the Rabbit.
"Oh no!" Ruby cried out.
Cinder looked intrigued, "So, that's how they work."
"She got eaten!"
"Fuck!" Osamu tried to move but was swiftly swatted aside by another model.
"Four eyes mister!" Izuho gasped.
Osamu clutched his head, "I'm fine! Forget about me!"
After witnessing an A-Class agent being defeated, the C-Class agents began to turn tail and run for their lives.
"The A-Class was eaten!"
"Aaaaah!"
Ironwood shut his eyes briefly, "They're routing."
"They don't stand a chance against them, Jimmy." Qrow gripped at his armrest. "Much less three with special abilities."
Vine calmly breathed, but his eyes were restless. "Their situation has become… Very dire."
"T-that's an understatement." Marrow said between his gritted his teeth. He wished he could jump through and help them.
Izuho also decided to retreat with them, "This is bad! Let's bail, Chikako!" She frowned when she didn't see Chika with her. "Chikako?!"
Chika stood there, shivering in front of a Rabbit.
"What are you doing, Chika?! Go quickly!" Osamu roared, trying to pick himself up from the debris. Their voices didn't reach her. Chika was in a state of shock and heavily hyperventilating. "Chika!"
"Come on, move!" Blake's voice was barely above a whisper.
"She's too scared to move or react." Raven said apathetically, "A wonder she even made it this far, much less signed up for this."
The Rabbit lumbered towards the small girl, only to stagger back as a bolt struck it on its chin.
That snapped Chika out of her state of shock as she turned to see who fired.
"Don't ya dare lay a hand on her! You fuckin' clunker!" Izuho shouted, firing another shot from her sniper rifle. The Rabbit made a dashed towards her, blocking the bullet with its giant hand and snatching her off the ground. "Guh! Agh! Wait, timeout!" She struggled against the Rabbit's grip and kicked harder when she saw it opened up its chest to capture her. "Gross, gross, gross!"
"There's no timeout in a real fight." Vernal snorted.
"She's very brave, attracting its attention away for her friend." Selflessness is a trait Ozpin can admire greatly, though it does have its shortcoming.
"You mean, a way for others to die in your stead," Raven growled at the headmaster.
Yang quietly noted the hostility and the content her mother kept sending when she's talking to Ozpin. Something about fairy tales, being strong, and surviving…
"Izuho…!" Chika moved slightly from her spot but couldn't bring herself to move anymore.
"Run away, Chikako!" Izuho had seemingly accepted her fate and released the cat that was somehow on her so it could escape, "RUN!"
Osamu staggered towards them, still not fully recovered from the Rabbit's initial attack. "Run away, Chika!"
Throughout her life. Those closest to her kept saying one thing. Run away. From Kitora to Osamu, it was the same thing over and over. It only resulted in her losing her friends and families while she was left alone. Something inside of her snapped.
She joined Border for one reason, and one reason only. To protect those dear to her.
Ozpin blinked before smiling widely, "Her eyes… She regained her resolve."
Chika made a jumped towards Izuho's dropped sniper rifle and picked it up.
'I'll protect my friends.' She resolved, pointing the sniper rifle at the Rabbit and discharged an enormous amount of Trion that lit up the area like the sun.
The audience shielded their eyes once more as the Trion bullet glowed unbelievable brighter than an Ilgar's explosion.
None was more affected than the cat faunus, Blake, who hissed at the fact of having her eyes nearly burned out again. "Again, with the lights!"
The Rabbit quickly brought up one of its arms to protect itself, but Chika's attack punched through it like soft clay, throwing Izuho at of the Rabbit's grip and ripping off nearly half of its body.
"Haa…" Chika breathed out, looking exhausted and slightly shocked.
Coco's sunglasses, which somehow still allows her to watch the viewing without issue, slid down her face. "At this point, I'm all out surprises to show on my face."
"How did she do that?" Nora asked in awe, "She went beeeeeew, and the Rabbit thing went krrrsh-boooom! Giant light bomb and all!"
"Yeah, what was that?" Yang also joined in.
"Chika possesses an extraordinary amount of Trion. As such, she can 'supercharge' any of her attacks with devastating results."
"Almost like our fearless leader with his large reserve of aura." Nora reached over and patted Jaune on the head.
"Indeed. However, with her large Trion reserves, she's also a desirable target for any Neighbors."
"Which means the enemy will now be focused on kidnapping her," Ozpin said with a dark look.
"Hey! Chikako!" Izuho shook a fist at her friend, "Didja plan on blowing me to pieces too?!"
"S-sorry!" She quickly apologized.
The heavily damaged Rabbit sunk to its knees and remained still for a moment. Its head tilted slightly to the side as its arms started to bubble in preparation for a sneak attack.
"It's still operational!" Penny instinctively called out.
Osamu quickly reacted, slashing the Rabbit across its eye, killing it for good.
"What?! It was still alive?" Izuho said in shock.
Pietro rubbed his chin, "The eye appears to be the core of everything for these Trion soldiers. Even when horrendously damaged, as long as the eye remains intact… I don't think even the androids we create can remain functioning if it were nearly sundered in half."
"Very hardy." Marrow grunted.
Osamu stepped protectively in front of them and contacted HQ. "General Manager Shinoda! Kitora has been captured by the enemy while fighting several new models! The enemies' numbers may increase even more! They're targeting the C-Class members!"
"I've roughly grasped the situation. Different colored new models are appearing in the East and South too." Shinoda confirmed, "We'll be surpassed in no time if this continues. I've received Kitora's report as well. Border's strongest unit is already heading your way!"
"Border's strongest unit?" Osamu inquired.
/-/
Border's strongest unit was driving through the streets on a jeep, apparently late to the scene because of a certain someone.
"Seriously! Why are we so freaking late?!" Complained Kirie Konami.
"Well, it's because we went to pick you up at school." Said their driver, Reiji Kizaki.
Kyosuke Karasuma nodded, "Indeed."
Weiss didn't look very impressed, "That's their strongest team?"
"You shouldn't judge them based on personality and appearances." Winter shot Qrow a bitter look, "Even if they're very unpleasant and uncouth."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Ice Queen."
The Ace-Ops raised an eyebrow at Winter's 'compliment'. That's certainly a first they've heard from the icy specialist.
"Who's he again?" Marrow asked his colleague.
"I believe his name is Qrow," Vine answered.
"What?!" Kirie was rather shocked by their replies before shaking it off. "So, what's the battle plan this time?"
"Same as always. You go wild and we follow your lead."
"Roger."
"Sounds like Yang."
"Sounds like Nora." Team JNPR and RWBY glanced at each other before laughing.
Yang wiped a fake tear, "I'm so honored in being your point woman."
"Okay!" Kirie pulled out her trigger and activated it, "Let's shred these new models to pieces! Trigger on!"
"Battle body forming. Contents converting to Trion body. Trigger activation complete." Her trigger mechanically droned as it created her Trion body. A Trion body that was different than her normal body, ditching her long hair for a shorter one.
"Now, let's begin fighting!" Kirie hooped.
"Wait, so their Trion body doesn't have to match their actual body?" Sun asked the Hosts.
"It does not. As seen with Kirie's Trion body, she has forsaken her long hair for practical reasons while in her Trion body."
"While she still retains her hair length outside of that." Weiss curled her hair slightly, "That sounds convenient."
/-/
"What was that Trion response just now?" Hairein went over the camera feed of a Rabbit getting decimated by Chika's sniper shot. "Was that from a Black Trigger?"
"No." Mira reviewed the footage, "It isn't a Black Trigger. The response comes from… A normal trigger, sir."
"Then it's a new formidable enemy?" Lamvanein asked excitedly, "Two mod-bodied Rabbits have already been killed!"
"It looks like the person behind it is one of the baby chicks, not a combatant." Mira paused, "However, these readings…"
"An unexpected 'golden chick' is it?" Hairein narrowed his eyes, "Change of plans. Lamvanein, Enedora. Both of you will be sent out through the gates just like planned and split up Miden's soldiers as well as backup the Rabbits' work. However, there's no need to push yourselves. Our objective is to force Miden in utilizing all its assets. If things become dangerous, then withdraw using Mira's trigger."
"They're making their moves with this revelation." Glynda mused, "All of them appear to be formidable opponents."
"But the question remains, why are they provoking their enemies into showing their trump cards?" Ironwood hunched a bit in his seat, "Gathering intel on their capabilities for future attacks?"
"It certainly is a brain twister," Qrow grumbled, rubbing his head.
Enedora scoffed, "Dangerous? As if I'd ever be defeated by those small fries from Miden!"
"Visa. Hyuse. You two are to pursue the 'golden chick' and we may be some chance… Find ourselves a new God." The camera feed froze on Chika, aiming with Izuho's rifle.
Everybody frowned upon hearing this.
"What do they mean by finding themselves a new God?" Asked Ozpin.
"For the time being, that shall remain a mystery to you all."
/-/
Chika fired off another devastating shot at the remaining charging Rabbits. The condensed Trion bullet shot past the Trion soldiers, having learned not to be hit by anything from Chika.
'It evaded?! Is it capable of learning?!' Osamu stabbed his weapon into the ground. "Shield mode!"
Ozpin shifted slightly in his seat, "How troublesome."
"Their programming allows quick adaptations," Pietro noted, looking worried for the Border agents. "Quite a terrifying opponent to go against."
"If only our androids could be just as robust." Marrow received a nudge of Harriet as a reminder to be mindful of the good doctor. Especially in the robotics field. "Oof, err… No offense."
The Raygust expanded, taking the full brunt of the first Rabbit's attack, but leaving the second one to go after Chika.
Yang clutched her arm tightly, "Crap, one got through!"
"There's one more!"
"Take it down Chikako!"
"I can't! I'll hit the house!" Despite being in a precarious situation, Chika is still reluctant to cause any more collateral damage.
"That's what you care about?! Collateral damage?!" Vernal squawked.
Even Glynda had to admit that now was not the right time to be concern with collateral damage, despite advocating it herself countless times.
The Rabbit was upon them, swinging its massive arm at Chika and Izuho. Surprisingly, a large figure stepped into view and blocked the Rabbit's attack with one arm.
"Whoa! Big guy blocked the Rabbit's attack with one hand!" Yang punched her palm. "It's in for it now."
"K-Kizaki!" Chika said with relief.
"Amatori... Have you forgotten the most fundamental basic of being a sniper?" Reiji asked, never taking his eyes off the Rabbit.
"You should take notes on this part, Ruby." Weiss lightheartedly teased her partner.
Ruby looked offended, "What? I'm a great sniper!"
Chika gulped, "Snipers lose when their whereabouts are discovered." She repeated what was drilled into her head. "So, the first thing to do is to hide yourself. You can't fight the enemy as long as they know where you are, sir!"
"That mostly works well against people, not so against Grimm if they can sense your negative emotions. Still, the principle stands." Said Clover.
"The situation we find ourselves in typically doesn't let me gain a vantage point." Ruby meekly looked away.
Reiji nodded, "Great. It's fine if you remember."
He then uppercuts the Rabbit in the chest, lifting the heavy Trion soldier into the air before delivering another swing, throwing it into the Rabbit that was pushing Osamu back. The two Rabbits fell over onto the ground, leaving them briefly vulnerable.
"Wow, he's strong." Yang grinned, "I'm just itching to get up and punch as well."
"Meteor!" Kirie fell from the sky with her heavy daggers, accompanied by several volatile Meteor bullets.
She crashed straight down onto the pinned Rabbits and viciously slashed them across the face before leaping off. The Meteors came roaring down and exploded upon hitting the Rabbits, coating the area with devastating explosions.
Nora cheered, "Lots of explosions!"
"Haha! You said it." Elm laughed and gave the thunderous girl a thumbs up.
"That should have taken them out, right?" Oscar asked with a hopeful expression.
Blake tilted her head a bit, "Maybe."
Kirie turned towards Osamu, disregarding the flying debris and dust that now coated the area. "Osamu, where's Yuma?"
Osamu couldn't see her properly amidst the scattering debris but recognized her voice. "Konami?"
Before he could tell her where Yuma is, a whirring sound could be heard from the obstructed area, catching the attention of both Kirie and Osamu.
"Nope!" Yang yelped while popping the 'p'.
"Oh, come on." Sun groaned, "Just fall over already."
Despite being deeply scarred, the Rabbits remained operational and counterattacked with a charged up red laser beam.
"Escudo." Bright lights lined the ground and flickered as a large shield rose from the floor, shielding them just in time as the laser beam discharged and struck hard against the barrier. "Sorry for being late, Osamu." Karasuma calmly strolled up behind them.
"Whooooa! He can create a shield from the ground?!" Ruby's eyes sparkled very brightly. "I'm starting to get jealous of their weapons! They're so versatile!"
"You? Jealous of their weapons?" Yang mockingly looked shocked, "What has this world time to?"
"Quiet, Yang!"
Weiss sighed, "Enough you two."
"Karasuma!" Osamu looked greatly relieved at the arrival of his powerful friends.
"What? They're still alive?" Kirie casually observed.
"Please be careful!" Osamu warned, "You'll be turned into a cube if you get caught! It happened to Kitora and several C-Class members!"
"We know," Karasuma nodded, "It also happened to one of the regular members. The engineers over at HQ are currently pursuing their analysis of the cubes." The scene cuts to three engineers analyzing a glowing cube at HQ. "Although it's going smoothly, it's been also troublesome. These cubes won't receive a single scratch and won't open unless the right manner of solving is used."
Kirie smugly smiled, "In other words, it's fine not to hold back, right?"
"No. I would still be careful regardless unless the situation calls for it." Harriet stretched her arms and then jerked her finger at Marrow, "I wouldn't want him to be complaining about rough handling."
"What's that suppose to mean?" The dog faunus asked with an annoyed expression.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Tamakoma First will save Kitora and the other captured people, while you follow the C-Class."
"So, we'll only have to clean up the small fries after we defeat these things?" Kirie cracked her knuckles, "Smells like an easy win."
"No, please wait a moment!" Osamu called out, "Those things that open the gates are still here!"
"I've completely forgotten about those things." Velvet's ears instinctively went full alert. "As long as those things are around, I think they can drop more of those things in!"
"Oh, crap. You're right." Coco scowled, "Where are they anyway?"
Quietly skittering up a building, a single Rad came to a paused and began opening a portal overhead. The Aftokrators were beginning to make their move, personally.
Tamakoma First, Osamu, Chika, and Izuho found themselves under the crosshairs of Viza and Hyuse as they stepped out of the gate.
Kazama's unit immediately put up their guard as Enedora rumbled out of the gate, looking annoyed.
And Azuma's all sniper unit found themselves intercepted by Lamvanein, who came crashing out of the sky with a large grin on his face.
Jaune gulped, "I-I think something worse came through the gates."
"Oh, boy." Yang winced.
"Transfer complete." Mira said with a smile, "Start fighting."
"We believe this is a good place to pause for now." The screen darkened and the room brightens once more. "When we return, we shall continue where we left off. For now, let us move onto the next viewing."
"Shame." Ironwood got up, along with the entire audience, and stretched. "I would've like to see more."
"You'll get to see more of your military drama, Jimmy." Qrow bends his head back and down his entire flask. He then wiped his mouth with his sleeve before sitting back down in his chair. "Though, I wonder what we'll be seeing next."
"We'll have to see, as always." Ironwood cracked a smile and returned to his seat.
"That's how it works here." Qrow shrugged, "At least this place gives you nearly everything."
In another row of the theater, Ruby was madly scribbling a lot of things into a notebook. Her hands blurred at a staggering pace, so much so that her teammates suspect that her semblance had somehow manifested itself in another manner.
"Um… What are you writing down, Rubes?" Asked Yang.
Ruby didn't glance up from her work, "Ideas. Weapons. Research. Development."
Her teammates stared at each other, then back to their team leader.
"I'm a bit worried," Weiss said tentatively.
"Me too."
"Me three."
In the 'villain' section of the theater, Cinder was neatly stacking and putting away her writings.
"Um, ma'am." Emerald frowned, "Is it okay for me to ask, what is on…" Cinder's smug and thoughtful expression silenced her. "Never mind."
Mercury leaned in and whispered, "Never thought she could be even smugger than she normally is."
NEXT: One-Punch Man - Saitama vs Genos
What a surprise, the lottery system landed on this one.
Pardon my grammar.
It's finally over, for now...
