The self-proclaimed Knight of the White Rose struck without mercy, having seemingly taken their ensuing silence as a refusal to vacate. Shinku had never seen any illusion quite like it before. The Knight moved with the finality of a Rozen Maiden, exact in intention and lacking the hesitation brought forth by momentary life. There was a certain rigidity that coloured the Knight beneath the plate mail, a stalwart oath seemingly imposed on defending Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove.
With a swift cleave of its blade, claymore in design and grossly oversized, Yang Xiao-Long was targeted for a second time following their foray into this world, the blonde huntress releasing a chamber of explosive ammunition from her unique gauntlet weapon and propelling herself to safety from the knock back alone.
Suiseiseki took no pause to assess the implications of the Knight's existence, flourishing her watering can to summon a great overgrowth of green vines in the area surrounding the Knight of the White Rose. Weiss Schnee followed suit with Suiseiseki's attack, piercing her raper down to the floor and summoning a barrage of ice with her semblance, which latched onto Suiseiseki's vines and covered the area in a thick mass of frozen waste.
"What in the world is going on?!" Yang yelled out frantically, her aura visibly working to heal her damaged body with a golden flickering hue as she reloaded her weapon. "Where did this thing come from?!"
Before Shinku could so much as parse the question, the braziers surrounding the unconscious projection of the sleeping Ruby Rose suddenly blazed to life in a shining resonant tone, the very same tone that the dolls and huntresses had heard throughout the majority of their journey through the N-Field. Flames of silver radiance burst into the world, drawing gasps of surprise from the various huntresses in the group. A sharp series of cracks rippled through the ice-laden overgrown vines of Weiss and Suiseiseki's combined attack as the Knight's greatsword cleaved through the creations with nary any resistance, the blade appearing visibly alight with silver flame. A blink later and the dual conjured attack by both huntress and Rozen Maiden was no more, replaced with a lone Knight of the White Rose, sword aflame and looking no worse for wear.
The Knight continued to stare, expression empty, motionless and seemingly frozen in time. With the thematic white rose of Kirakishou growing from the right eye socket of the mysterious Ruby Rose, Shinku could scarcely fathom the scene playing out before her.
"...Silver Flames…" Blake murmured, visibly shaking. "The mirrors from Beacon Academy held those flames… the flames that dispelled the grimm… what are they doing here?"
In an instant the Knight's vacant gaze snapped towards Blake, neck and figure twisting from motionless to false-fluid with the ingrained rigidity of a marionette. There was a terse silence, the faunus visibly quaking in her boots, before the Knight lunged forwards. Souseiseki intercepted the blow, her oversized gardener's shears proving capable of blocking the hit even as the doll beneath the tool struggled against the Knight's strength.
Blake took no pause, flanking around Souseiseki alongside Yang Xiao-Long as the feline faunus flung her ribbon-laden weapon forward for a long-distance slash, while Yang fired off a point-blank shot with her gauntlets. The Knight of the White Rose reacted instantly, pulling away from Souseiseki and leaping back into the air.
Shinku took the opportunity as it was, applying her own powers enhanced by the aura-boosted Sakurada Jun and conjuring forth a large flurry of red rose petals that she sent forth towards their opponent. And, with a flourish of their sword and a burst of silver flame, Shinku witnessed her opportunistic attack fall flat- rose petals engulfed by an unfamiliar ability, seemingly failing to burn while instead losing momentum and collapsing to the ground.
Her eyes narrowed at the petals, which had lost their colour and shifted into a light grey hue.
...Stone?
Looking around, Shinku began to spot a pattern. The area where Suiseiseki and Weiss had temporarily encumbered the Knight of the White Rose was similarly damaged, stones littering the ground with a shade differing from that of the terrain featured on the cliff itself. Looking closer, she could spot a particular stone shaped like a patch of-
Grass. The Knight of the White Rose wasn't conjuring stones with her silver flames, she was petrifying attacks sent her way, using the flames as a medium.
"Avoid her flames!" Shinku yelled out desperately. "The Knight is petrifying organic matter with the flames! She'll turn you to stone!"
The Knight of the White Rose snapped to stare at her, and in an instant, Shinku was fighting for her life. Using her relatively small stature to her advantage, she was able to dodge the initial sword lunge with some degree of ease, retaliating with a burst of petals that were once again intercepted with flames, this time originating from a sword block.
Suiseiseki and Souseiseki approached, clutching their watering can and shears in their respective hands. The Knight reacted to their approach with a great slash in Shinku's direction, forcing Shinku to conjure petals to blunt the slash and prevent contact with the flames. However, it did little to prevent the motion of the strike from connecting with her, sending her flying backwards. Yang responded quickly, leaping up with a burst of her gauntlets and catching Shinku before she could be sent flying off the cliff.
"You good?"
"...Yes, thank you," Shinku responded demurely, wincing at the feeling in her midsections. The force of the blunted blow had been more than enough to cause some degree of damage to her Rozen Maiden body, hidden from her sight by her crimson dress.
The blonde nodded and set her down, eyes tracking the Knight of the White Rose as it fought against Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, intercepting their blows without hassle even as the dolls separated to either side of the Knight to limit visibility, going so far as to spin its greatsword over its head without glancing backwards to block a downward slice from Souseiseki.
"What the dust is going on here?!" Yang probed her for answers.
Shinku pulled away from Yang's grasp, wincing at the damage she could feel ripping up her body. A single half-blocked hit to her midsection had caused more damage to her than anything she had previously experienced in the many numerous battles for the Alice Game. It was an uncomfortable discovery, to say the least. With little chance to inspect her injuries during a climactic battle, Shinku could only assume the worst. However, she was still capable of movement and thus able to continue fighting. Her body would not fail her, yet!
"...This being, this Knight of the White Rose… She's connected to Ruby Rose. No, she is Ruby Rose, on some level. How she sees herself, perhaps."
Yang flung her hands about, dismayed at the very prospect. "Rubes isn't anything like this! It's all wrong! This has to be some trick, an illusion or something."
Oh, if only it were that easy. Shinku mused inwardly, somewhat sympathising with the blonde's plight. However, despite her feelings on the matter, she kept her mouth shut. Yang wouldn't care to hear her thoughts on the matter, nor was it the right time or place to discuss the intricacies of the matter.
"Regardless of the Knight's origin," Shinku shook her head, "it is likely that we will need to defeat the Knight of the White Rose in order to rescue your sister."
Watching the blonde grind her teeth, torn between mounting frustration and bitter indecision, she could easily witness the exact moment when Yang realised how little sway she really had over the situation. It was no longer a battle of wills or an argument over the belief regarding Ruby Rose's internal nature. It was little more than a battle to survive.
And it was tearing the poor girl apart. It was a very strange sight to witness from a perspective outside what was already familiar. Yang Xiao-Long reminded her of Sakurada Jun in some small way, trying to become strong in the face of adversity. To grow. Would she flourish as Jun had in the face of the Alice Game, or would she wither and fall apart?
It was with some reluctance that Shinku could admit that Suigintou had indeed chosen an intriguing Master.
"...Fine. I get it. Defeat the Knight, get Rubes. Back me up, will you?"
"Of course."
Yang pounced forwards with a flare of her gauntlets, once again discharging a cartridge of dust to propel herself forwards at a breakneck pace and intercept the battle against the Knight alongside Suiseiseki and Souseiseki. The twin dolls, for their part, failed to hesitate at the sudden appearance of the blonde trainee huntress, separating quickly to allow Yang's forward assault to reach full force, a dust-laden barrage impacting harshly against the Knight's armoured chest piece. The Knight lurched back from the sheer force alone, twisting as a crimson aura flashed to meet the strike.
So. The Knight of the White Rose possesses aura, as well.
Yang herself appeared momentarily surprised by the appearance of the aura, her hesitation leaving the blonde open for a retaliatory downward strike from the Knight's oversized claymore greatsword. A gleaming white glyph appeared beneath her feet courtesy of Weiss Schnee, allowing Yang Xiao-Long to propel herself away from danger. The Knight's greatsword clashed violently into the ground, digging itself inwards.
"...H-Her aura…" Yang's voice could be heard from her position beside Weiss Schnee. "I-It's hers, the same colour and everything… Ruby's aura…"
Shinku took the words as her moment to strike, launching a barrage of rose petals toward the Knight of the White Rose as the Knight attempted to free its sword from the ground. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the Knight, seeing how the Knight's lone Silver Eye remained affixed towards Yang Xiao-Long.
Unlike her previous assault, the rose petals connected with their target, the flechette strike driving the Knight away from her impaled sword and toward an awaiting Blake Belladonna, who had outstretched her ribbon-connected weapon in an impromptu tether. The trap was sprung as the Knight found itself wrapped up in ribbons, the opposing end held tightly by Souseiseki.
The Knight of the White Rose craned her head mechanically to look up, as Shinku spotted the lone Silver Eye snapping to focus upon Blake. Was Shinku looking too closely, or was she able to spot some manner of emotion flickering in the Knight's eye? A ripple of reaction against an otherwise stilted and mechanical opponent?
Yang shifted in her position next to Weiss and, once again, the Knight's gaze shifted back towards Yang Xiao-Long. Her brow furrowed in thought as she assessed the situation. During a moment of reprieve, she had expected the Knight to be focusing on her captors, but its gaze almost always seemed to prioritise Suigintou's Master.
Yang also appeared surprised at the targeted eye, downright flinching at the sight, before shaking her head and chambering another volley of dust into her gauntlets. For the blonde huntress, it would appear that she was attempting to psych herself up for a continued bout. And the Knight of the White Rose cared only for her reactions. For the others, Weiss, Blake, and the remaining Rozen Maiden, the Knight's attacks were far less enthusiastic.
Overwhelmingly damaging, yes, but less attentive compared to strikes against Yang Xiao-Long.
Consequently, Shinku found herself beginning to suspect that the Knight of the White Rose was less stoic than previously indicated. That despite her stilted movements akin to the movement of a marionette, her silence in battle, and her complete lack of facial expression, there was an emotional girl hidden beneath the plate. One that, as was made increasingly apparent as the battle continued, was displaying quite the focus on one Yang Xiao-Long.
The Knight of the White Rose struggled in its confines, before stilling. A pseudo wing pattern of silver light erupted from around the Knight's singular eye, and the stone-faced Knight tore through Blake's ribbon binding through sheer force of will alone.
With a burst of speed, the Knight propelled itself forwards in a flurry of silver rose petals, crashing into the embedded greatsword and tearing up the landscape. Suiseiseki let off a yelp as the doll was forced to lunge away as the ball of silver petals ripped through her previous position, continuing onwards and speeding into the forest.
"...Minus the colour differences in the petals, that was Ruby's semblance. Her aura, now her semblance as well…" Weiss muttered, looking over at Yang. The blonde brawler looked as if she could barely believe her eyes, before shaking her head and giving chase.
Shinku looked to the other two Rozen Maiden for support, to see Suiseiseki and Souseiseki already following Yang into the forest. Weiss and Blake were quick to follow, and Shinku refused to allow herself to be left in the dust.
Chasing the group into the forest surrounding Summer Rose's memorial stone, Shinku found the sounds of conflict greeting her. Clashes of blades amidst the tell-tale rattle of dust ammunition that she was readily beginning to find familiar during the arduous battle against the Knight of the White Rose.
"Watch out!"
Pushing strength to her legs despite her injury and quickly leaping to the side, Shinku narrowly avoided a timely demise at the hands of the Knight of the White Rose, the Knight's greatsword whirring past her midsection and cleaving through a nearby tree.
Moving to locate her apparent saviour, she nodded towards one Blake Belladonna in thanks, the faunus colouring slightly at the gesture as she ran over towards Shinku, eyes flicking down towards her midsection. As it would appear, the Knight's prior successful strike had left a noticeable tear on her clothing, a visible sign of an underlying injury.
The Knight herself was fast to approach, having seemingly thrown the greatsword with enough force to catch Shinku off guard. Silver petals rushed past the two women in a flurry of colour, as the Knight appeared beside her sword, wrenching it off the ground before turning to face both Blake and Shinku.
"Blake Belladonna," Shinku spoke slowly as the Knight approached, wary of any sudden movements, "where is Yang Xiao-Long?"
"Somewhere else in the forest," Blake replied just as tersely as the faunus also kept a keen eye on the Knight, her weapon held in a sword configuration. "There's something wrong with this forest. We were all together a minute ago, now for the life of me, I can't find the others. There are no other scents in this place, no sounds to be heard outside of our own. Is… is that even possible, inside the N-Field?"
Once again, Shinku furrowed her brows at the intriguing development. Misaligned terrain indicated a warping N-Field, and a warping N-Field indicated interference by a Rozen Maiden. However, if a Rozen Maiden were interfering, namely Kirakishou, then the doll would almost certainly appear herself in order to prevent Ruby Rose's rescue.
Which, suffice to say, indicated to Shinku that Kirakishou was not the one currently warping this field. This left a sole perpetrator remaining. The very same figure currently approaching, her lone Silver Eye blazing with intensity.
Could the Knight of the White Rose be actively manipulating Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove in order to separate and hunt them down, one by one?
"...The Knight of the White Rose appears to be influencing Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove to a fair degree," Shinku confirmed for both herself and to explain to Blake Belladonna.
"Solemn Grove?"
"That is the name of this N-Field," Shinku dismissed the question, having forgotten that such things would not be as distinctly noticeable to those unaccustomed to travel across various N-Fields. "It is in the very air we breathe, the skies you see, and the trees we stand amongst. This is a place of tranquillity for Ruby, her innermost core. Her heart."
"...The Solemn Grove is a sacred place that must be protected at all costs," the voice came not from the faunus as Shinku had expected, but instead appeared to have originated from the Knight. The shock alone was more than enough to cause Shinku to flinch, while Blake Belladonna visibly cringed at the warped voice of her fabled Team Leader. "Leave this place, or die."
There was a terse moment of silence, both Rozen Maiden and faunus equally surprised by the sudden opening of a conversation. Had the Knight been listening to them the entire time?
"We will not just stand idly by and allow Kirakishou to mess with Ruby!" Blake refuted suddenly, voice fierce. Shinku blinked. There was an odd stilt to her voice. Louder than what she expected given the close proximity. Did her feline ears also just twitch?
The Knight of the White Rose did not immediately reply. For, Shinku mused internally, it likely did not deign such words from Blake Belladonna to be worthy of a verbal response. Now that the Knight had spoken once more, following its initial introduction, Shinku could deduce that the Knight of the White Rose was indeed far more than any illusionary manifestation brought forth by Kirakishou to defend Ruby Rose as the others appear to believe. Instead, the Knight speaking in defence of Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove indicated that the Knight was more connected to Ruby Rose than it was to Kirakishou, despite the Knight sharing a degree of likeness to the Seventh Rozen Maiden.
Which, unfortunately, did little to answer the question as to what exactly the Knight of the White Rose even was, nor as to why it was connected to Ruby Rose in the first place. As Shinku had previously speculated, the gleaming Knight was almost certainly an internal perception of Ruby Rose, of how the girl sees herself. A concerning impression given the similar style to Kirakishou, but not overly surprising given their supposed romantic inclination.
However, The Knight of the White Rose should not have appeared in Ruby Rose's Solemn Grove, nor at all. It should have been little more than a fleeting thought, dust on the wind of change.
Instead, The Knight of the White Rose had manifested inside Ruby Rose's personal N-Field, more than capable of taking on several huntresses and Rozen Maiden simultaneously and fuelled by a power which had surprised those connected with Ruby Rose. An outside factor, perhaps? Was this a sign of Kirakishou's influence, rather than the Knight itself?
Before Shinku could hope to contemplate further, the Knight of the White Rose was suddenly whirring into motion, leaping forwards with her oversized claymore greatsword outstretched in an overhead blow that took the two girls by surprise. Shinku watched with wide eyes as her apparent saviour from mere moments prior was bisected clean through the-
No. The image of Blake Belladonna blurred and faded away, revealing the girl to have been an illusion. A personal self-illusion that signified the appearance of Blake Belladonna's own unique semblance.
"Get away from my teammates!" an all-too-familiar voice screamed out from the distance, a blur of blonde hair speeding past Shinku's dazed form and clashing against the Knight of the White Rose.
The Knight responded quickly, pulling up her greatsword in a guard and blocking Yang's initial assault, the dust-laden strike impacting harshly against the oversized claymore. The Knight of the White Rose was forced backwards from the velocity of the strike, skidding across the ground. Shinku responded to the opening with haste, launching up a volley of red rose petals that narrowly avoided Yang Xiao-Long, instead colliding with the Knight of the White Rose, preoccupied with defending against Yang's brutal assault and thus unprotected from Shinku's sizeable attack.
Yang Xiao-Long wisely leapt away from the petal storm, landing beside Shinku and Blake Belladonna as the Knight slashed her sword wildly in an attempt to defend against the barrage of petals. Shinku did not let up in the assault, channelling more and more of her energy into continuously generating petals, which gradually sheared away the terrain and covered the area in a red haze.
"How in the world did you find us, Yang?" Blake questioned from off to the side, watching Shinku's continuous barrage with wide eyes.
"...I'm not really sure," Yang huffed in exhaustion, greedily taking in air. "When I ran into the forest everything just… changed. I couldn't hear the Knight, I couldn't hear you guys, I couldn't hear anything. I was running and running and nothing would change. Then, I guess I just had a feeling that I needed to go this way. Not too long after that, I found you two fighting the Knight."
When Shinku's reserves began to wane from the continuous assault, she allowed her powers to dissipate, feeling awfully faint all of a sudden. Yang whistled at the display, a sheared landscape coated in petals greeting their eyes, amidst a crater containing the fallen Knight of the White Rose. Its aura, crimson in appearance, was flickering on occasion, but the Knight wasn't moving. She could spot several petals that remained embedded in the Knight's plate mail, while her crimson cloak had been all but torn to ribbons.
"Damn. You really did a number on that thing," Yang mused, shaking her head. "Looks like its aura is still up, but it isn't moving. What now?"
"The Knight of the White Rose is connected to Ruby Rose…" Shinku gasped, feeling a painful throb in her abdomen. Blake shot her a look and the faunus managed to catch her moments before she fell. "...Thank you," she shook her head at Yang's concerned expression, dismissing the impending question before it could arise. "It is of no matter, merely the consequence of using too much energy. I will recover. Ruby Rose is the key to this manifestation, somehow. We must-"
Shinku found her words falling short as a sudden shift in the ground swept across their perception like a particularly sharp blade. Three sets of eyes were drawn to the fallen Knight of the White Rose, before darting around the place in search of the sound as the Knight remained motionless.
A sharp gasp and an exclamation of "Below us!" from one particular Blake Belladonna sent the three girls jumping off to the side, just in time to avoid a swift demise as the ground below their previous position cracked and shattered like a pane of glass.
"Look! It's happening over there, too!" Yang called out, gesturing over to a nearby tree that had also seemingly fallen apart, a menagerie of shifting prismatic colours writing beneath the illusionary N-Field field. "What in the world?"
"It appears that this N-Field has become unstable," Shinku breathed out in confusion, well aware of the significance behind the tell-tale cracks in reality after having witnessed their kind dozens of times in the past during previous battles. It was odd to appear all of a sudden, hinting once again at an outside interference. Had Kirakishou become aware of their battle inside Ruby Rose's N-Field?
More so, it appeared that this particular destabilisation was of a differing variety to those Shinku had encountered in the past, highlighted by a single all-too-visible facet.
There was a menagerie of colours shifting beneath the fragmented sections of N-Field, an all-consuming light appearing in a space where there should have been an emptiness devoid of creation. It shifted in waves of fleeting movement and shade, seeming oddly similar in movement to the protective field generated by huntsmen and huntresses as witnessed mere moments ago during their battle against the Knight of the White Rose. Was this aura?
The cracks deepened in size, spreading forth and consuming more of the terrain, forcing the group of girls to jump away further. Pillars of the strange prismatic light burst forth from the worldly disturbances, flowing like a liquid towards the fallen Knight of the White Rose.
The Knight of the White Rose lurched violently as if pulled by invisible strings, her cracked and damaged armour creaking against the floor as the figure flipped onto her stomach all of a sudden. Limbs twisted and moved, arms bending a degree outside the range of motion offered to humans, as the sound of harsh cracks invaded their senses. The Knight of the White Rose pushed herself upwards, greatsword clad in broken gauntlets as the colour Ruby Rose's aura shined brilliantly over her silver-clad beaten form.
"T-That… those colours…" Blake whispered. "It's definitely aura, but there's so much of it. And it's going straight into the Knight… where did it all come from? Was she this strong the whole time?"
Aura. More than any lone person could rightfully possess. Following her suspicions, Shinku could identify one particular individual with both the means and the ability to cause such an event to occur.
"Now," Shinku murmured, unable to believe her eyes, "we see exactly where a vast majority of Kirakishou's harvested aura has been going as of late."
"...Ruby Rose… our Solemn Grove… It will not fall… It will not… I… will not let it fall, for I am the Knight of the White Rose and I alone shall end the threat of destruction once and for all! Now, begone!"
Suigintou huffed in exhaustion, glaring heatedly at the twin dolls who seemingly possessed an almost infinite amount of stamina. Both Judica and Madulin looked superficially worse for wear, their nude bodies littered with various cuts and scrapes from Suigintou's numerous volleys of raven black features, but she knew it was a deceiving sight given how the battle had panned out so far.
As for Suigintou herself, she had sustained rather intensive amounts of damage to her own dress as well, several large tears running down her coat while the backing of her dress near her wings had been practically torn apart following the multiple consecutive uses of her wings.
Her gathered strength, harvested from her contract with Yang Xiao-Long, was remaining plentiful yet flickering occasionally, indicating to Suigintou that Shinku's team was encountering opposition in their quest to locate Kirakishou's slumbering Master in the N-Field. Suigintou could only begin to imagine what kind of resistance the group was encountering at the moment.
Considering Judica and Madulin had shown up in Kirakishou's place, there was a good chance that Shinku's group was in the midst of fighting Kirakishou herself at the moment. However, as it stands, Yang still possessed sizeable enough aura to readily supply Suigintou with energy, so she figured that even if it was indeed Kirakishou that they were fighting, the match wasn't completely one-sided.
Besides, Judica and Madulin were still connected in some way with Kirakishou's N-Field. Damaging them would drain Kirakishou's N-Field of resources and thus limit the young doll from causing too much of a hassle.
Eyes widening in alarm, Suigintou quickly dived to the side, narrowly avoiding a swift jab from Judica. The speed-enhanced twin doll was quick to follow up the attempt with a kick, to which Suigintou was able to deflect away with rapid growth from one of her wings, the feathered appendage wrapping around Suigintou's body and blocking the strike.
Suigintou retaliated with a volley of feathers from her other wing, Judica being seemingly taken by surprise by the point-blank strike and unable to apply her speed ability in time, being sent flying backwards from the force of Suigintou's volley.
Madulin was quick to catch her sister's form with a generated appendage, leading to what had quickly become the epitome of annoyances for Suigintou as of late.
The two dolls could heal each other by joining together, losing their grown additional appendages and becoming conjoined twins once again. To her continued disgust, the effect was made all the more uncanny by the conjoined doll's lack of clothing and exposed clockwork internals.
It had been this grotesque method of self-sacrificial repair that had drawn out what should have been a simple fight into an endurance match lasting far longer than it would have otherwise. This annoyance was exaggerated to an uncomfortable degree by the other oddities that Suigintou had witnessed during the fight.
The twin dolls, whether they be acting independently in separate bodies or conjoined as a singular doll, had demonstrated an ability to seemingly trade powers on the fly. So far, Suigintou had witnessed three separate powers being used at various times by either of the two dolls.
First of all, Suigintou had noticed a power that was essentially a breakneck increase in speed, visually discernible via a golden electrical discharge emitted by the current user. It seemed to provide no increase in overall strength, but the extra momentum could be compiled to increase the damage of regular strikes.
Secondly, the ability to extend phantom limbs outside the body of the wielder. These limbs were a pale yellow in colouration and slightly translucent, growing from either the hands or feet on command. All four limbs could be wielded simultaneously. Madulin had used the ability mere moments ago to catch her twin sister.
And finally, the ability to root oneself in place. This odd ability appeared similar to the phantom limbs in that it extended from the user's feet, however, it was a rich green colouration instead. With it, a doll could easily withstand the force of a heavy strike without being sent backwards, which had caught Suigintou off guard a few times. However, with the use of the power came what looked to be no extra resistance to the incoming damage, creating what was in Suigintou's mind a power that was little more than an annoyance at best.
Were it not for Judica and Madulin possessing the ability to heal when conjoined, the rooting ability alone would have spelt doom for both dolls when Suigintou had witnessed it in the first place. However swift her ensuing attack, the dolls had merely united and repaired each other, before separating once again.
"Ah~ You look so very confused, onee-sama~" Judica cooed aloud, giggling alongside her sister.
"So very, very confused~"
"...Big sister?" Suigintou translated aloud, distinctly reminded of her first meeting with Kirakishou following the Seventh Rozen Maiden capturing her Master Kakizaki Megu. During that moment, Kirakishou had spoken with both the same inflection to her voice and the same honorific. Suigintou could never forget those words, that voice, as it stole away her precious Master.
Judica and Madulin stretched their arms outwards in a full-frontal display, vast smiles on their faces. A harsh shudder was felt throughout the ground and Suigintou's vision darted downwards, just in time to see the terrain shift a step closer towards the translucent. Marble shifted to glass, and from glass came crystal.
Kirakishou's Palace of Beginnings…
There were faces, nay, bodies, laying inside the crystalline ground. More than her eyes could rightfully discern in a single glance.
"It was so very sweet of you to come here. You saved us the hassle of having to find some convoluted reason to tempt you into visiting."
"So very sweet, onee-sama~" Madulin echoed once more.
Suigintou growled at the teasing tones, flaring her wings. "So, what, you two just waited in here for me to visit? What even are you two, anyway? Just a bunch of fakes for Kirakishou to play around with?"
"Moh~ You're so mean to us! But… we already were expecting you to be like this. Kirakishou was very explicit when she told us about you," Judica shook her head, a fake pout prominently displayed on her lips and mimicked by her twin conjoined sister. "As for what we are… you could consider us to be something akin to gatekeepers. Or, perhaps, gardeners? It's hard to discern."
"We tend to Kirakishou's seedbed, nurturing those connected to her Palace of Beginnings," Madulin, for once, spoke something outside of a phrase previously spoken by her sister, all in that same wispy tone of voice.
"And we take care of any intruders!" they yelled out in unison. The N-Field shuddered once more, as the multiple hordes of captured bodies began to glow.
Suigintou was forced to dart into the air as the ground nearby abruptly cracked and shattered, searing prismatic energy flowing from the crystalline surface and racing into Judica and Madulin's conjoined body.
"We have their aura."
"We have their semblances."
"And now, we want your rosa mystica, Suigintou!"
With nary a moment to spare, Suigintou pushed a bout of strength to her wings and deftly blocked a sudden strike, the conjoined doll moving at a speed far too quick for her to discern. Suigintou pursed her lips in distaste, attempting to push back with her wings and finding herself seemingly unable. Her eyes darted to the ground, to see green-shaded energy extending from the doll's feet.
Scowling, Suigintou instead forced her wings to shorten once again, the feathered appendages slipping from Judica and Madulin's grip. The conjoined dolls blinked in mutual surprise at the loss of connection, while Suigintou wasted no time and fired a volley of feathers in close proximity to the dolls.
Judica and Madulin pushed their hands forward as a yellow projection extended ahead of their ball-jointed hands, meeting Suigintou's retaliatory attack head-on and immediately being torn apart by the mass of black feathers.
Three semblances used in the blink of an eye, Suigintou groused in annoyance as she watched her feathers lose their velocity and clatter to the ground. Fake dolls imbued with aura… It's almost as if this stupid world was made to give Kirakishou as deep an advantage as possible! Come on, Shinku! Stop this, already!
In an instant, Judica and Madulin were bounding towards her once again, leaping through the air in a fierce display of acrobatic integrity. Suigintou found her wings unable to lift her off into the sky, likely due in part to the broken rules of the conjoined doll's chosen battleground.
"...Fine, then!" Suigintou's lips curled into a daring smirk as a particularly satisfying idea struck her. "If you're going to play like that, then so be it! Feathers aren't my only power, either!"
Crouching low, Suigintou waited for the precise moment to strike as Judica and Madulin approached, either unable or unwilling to alter their trajectory in the air. Rather than bounding out of the way or blocking the strike with her wings, she took the assault head-on, the dolls colliding into her with considerable force and sending them all crashing backwards into a pillar. Concentrating intently on her reserves harvested from Yang Xiao-Long, Suigintou wrapped her arms around the dolls in spite of her aching body and summoned up a connection to the N-Field with her remaining power, the group quickly falling into the portal as Judica and Madulin struggled to escape her clutches.
Sakurada Jun found himself being led down an opalescent hallway by a particularly enigmatic butler of some kind, the very same 'Klein' that had once directed Jun's group to the Schnee Family Mansion for the Vale Commemorative Gala so very long ago. Now, as it would appear, the elusive figurehead of the Schnee Dust Company and one of the owners of the mansion had summed Sakurada Jun to his study at the precise wrong time.
It had only been through his own quick thinking that Shinku's artificial spirit, Hollie, had been able to escape detection from the Schnee Family butler, the tiny little fluttering spirit having been quickly directed beneath Yang's bed before the butler could enter. Klein finding Sakurada Jun standing beside a slumbering Yang Xiao-Long had been an awkward enough experience to explain, without the added hassle of having to explain the presence of a little floating artificial spirit.
Were it not for Klein's insistence and subtle insinuations spoken towards their host's less-than-pleasant personality, Sakurada Jun likely would have found some excuse to deflect the meeting to another time. However, in this instance he found himself believing the repercussions of denying the Schnee Family Patriarch to be far worse than those wrought by his angry little Rozen Maiden dolls. Shinku, at the very least, while likely to be grouchy afterwards, would likely understand the reasoning behind any potential delays should they occur. She would be able to hold her own for some time against Kirakishou, especially if the youngest was currently being distracted by Suigintou's antics.
Unfortunately, it was Suigintou herself that he was worried about. Both the enigmatic first Rozen Maiden doll and her huntress Master. They were both putting themselves on the line to rescue Ruby Rose and deal a critical blow to Kirakishou. It would be in his best interests if he settled the matter with the Schnee Family patriarch and return to Yang's room as quick as feasibly possible.
"This way, young Jun," Klein gestured towards a large door. "Master Schnee is inside. For the both of us, I wish you the best of luck."
"...Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jun grumbled beneath his breath, sighing as he steeled his nerves for the approaching meeting. With a final moment to calm his beating heart, Jun grasped the door handle and twisted.
Moving into an unfamiliar environment, Sakurada Jun found himself feeling something akin to the first moment he stepped foot outside the house following his embarrassing departure from the academic world- the distinct sensation of walking into the unknown, of faintly-remembered sensations tickling against his skin.
For most, Jun felt they would be ignored. The slightest change of temperature from a comfortable warmth to a degree or two aimed closer towards the cold, the change in overall space from a grand yet sparsely decorated hallway into a smaller yet tightly condensed office.
And the distinct impression of eyes gazing on him, assessing, momentarily devoid of either warmth or chill. A singular moment of unease that thrashed violently against his sense of comfort. A gaze belonging to one that Jun had, as of yet, found himself devoid of introduction. Now that he had been forced into witnessing the ice-blue eyes and pale white hair of the man who called himself the owner of the Schnee Company mansion, Sakurada Jun found himself feeling like a small fish being granted its first foray into a much larger pond. A pond that belonged to one who currently possessed intentions unknown to Sakurada Jun.
Were one to glance at the abode of one Jacques Schnee, of the manor belonging to the Schnee family, they may be tempted to describe it as commandeering. A certain uniform control, a forceful desire that demanded attention and was imperiously directed. A fitting manor for a corporation that, as Jun had learned, controlled many aspects throughout the world of Remnant with seeming little resistance. The hallways were grand yet constricting, forcing denizens to search for control, to yearn for direction. Rooms were opalescent, pleasing to the eye and calming to the mind. A show of power, strength, and wealth.
Sakurada Jun had never found himself despising a location more than he had for the mansion of the Schnee family. A home as cold as the family's namesake.
The study belonging to the Chief Executive Officer of the Schnee Dust Company was no different.
Lavishly decorated in a manner that only appeared to be openly welcoming while exuding a vaguely suffocating undertone, the room was seemingly designed in a way to highlight the recent achievements of the Schnee Dust Company alongside directing a visitor's gaze towards the sole remaining occupant of the room. None other than Jacques Schnee himself, the current Chief Executive Officer of the Schnee Dust Company and a man that Sakurada Jun could already tell was a frightening presence to be around for any length of time.
Hefty bookshelves appeared to be situated on either side of the room as Jun entered, tomes of titles that meant little to the boy from another world, yet ever still continued to sing a tune that even he could understand- of their owner being a knowledgeable, cunning sort. One that was more than willing to display their power and use it to achieve the goals. The centre walkway was lined with a silver rug, leading past a small lounge area and towards a singular aged wooden desk where the Schnee family elder sat, a grand painting of his younger self proudly displayed on the wall behind him.
"Ah, yes, Sakurada Jun, was it not? Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, enter and be seated. My name is Jacques Schnee. I am certain that my daughter has spoken about me in earnest."
The door was closed behind him with the finality of a falling blade before the fleeting idea to depart could take root. Seeing no other option, Jun took the proffered advice and took a seat at the opposite side of the desk, facing Jacques Schnee head-on.
Despite the relatively soft-spoken tongue, Sakurada Jun found himself comparing the imposing attention of Jacques Schnee to the all-piercing gaze of Laplace-no-ma, a critical viewing that spoke of meanings hidden behind spoken words. For a simple human to have garnered such a reaction akin to what Sakurada Jun felt around Laplace of all creatures was a frighting foray into the world of Remnant as a whole.
"...Er-"
"Hm. I suppose not," Jun had barely enough time to open his mouth before he was interrupted. "Ah, a shame. Weiss has always been something of a rebellious spirit. Something that she inherited from my own self, no doubt," Jacques shook his head, a certain chill in his eyes which displayed the mark of a sore subject that Jun had unknowingly trod upon. "No matter. Am I to assume instead that Weiss has opted to fill your head with frightening stories of the callous businessman?"
Jun blinked. As a matter of fact, he'd barely spoken with Weiss Schnee enough times to even remember her name, let alone learn intricate details about the elusive head of the Schnee Dust Company. However, based solely on first impressions, Jun could hazard a guess that Jacques Schnee's perceived thoughts regarding his daughter were not without merit.
"...We, um, that is to say… your daughter and I haven't really spoken that much."
Jacques Schnee stared at him a moment longer than what felt comfortable, lips pursed in a frown as his eyes seemingly chilled the room through their existence alone.
"And yet, for some reason my daughter saw the need to invite both you and your associates into our residence for an extended stay following a choice meeting at the Vale Commemorative Gala. All without consulting the true head of the manor," Jacques commented drolly. "How very curious, no? You'd think that such a development would prompt a lengthy conversation. Or, any conversation."
Jun winced at the sharp objection, spoken in a tone that chilled his bones. How could he not? "...There, um, there were… other circumstances…"
"Of course," Jacques sighed heavily, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. For a brief moment, Jun felt oddly reminded of Suigintou, her acidic barbs expertly contained into a few short words. "For the most part, I have allowed my daughter some degree of freedom following her departure from Vale. Necessities in order to ensure a safe recovery, as I am told. A huntress's aura is a fickle thing. Strong if maintained, weak if broken. I am more than comfortable complying with such needs, especially when the action alone is highly advantageous to the future of the Schnee Dust Company."
Here, Jacques paused, staring at him as if waiting for some manner of reply. Jun could only cough and nod, possessing nowhere near enough experience regarding aura to comment properly. He'd only even had his aura unlocked mere days prior.
"...Yes, well," Jacques coughed after a lengthy pause following Jun's continued silence, narrowing his eyes momentarily, "despite my daughter's more… charitable leanings, I am well aware that this particular development is something of an outlier for Weiss's behaviour. Simply put, she would never have invited others into her home for an extended stay, given her rebellious leanings. You can understand, therefore, why I'm curious as to why she has suddenly seen fit to grant entry to a small group of people that, excluding her missing huntress teammate, she has only just recently met at the Vale Commemorative Gala."
Thinking quickly, Jun fell back into an old lie that he had first used when meeting with Klein.
"...We were there. In Vale, I mean, during the event with Kirakishou. When we arrived in Atlas, we learned of the Vale Commemorative Gala and decided to investigate."
Feeling a distinct sense of unease squirming away deep inside his gut, Jun felt the sinking sensation that he had said something wrong. Jacques Schnee merely opted to remain silent for a moment, leaning back in his chair and peering at the boy with his ice-blue eyes.
"Were you, now? And how would you describe what you saw during the destruction of Vale?"
Damn it. Jun could only hazard a guess from past experiences with Kirakishou, having refrained from discussing exactly what had occurred in Vale with the three traumatised huntresses prior to the departure into the N-Field.
"...Crystals, everywhere. Teal green, glowing. They covered everything. Trees, grass, ground, it all had been overtaken… The sky was a different colour, a fog in a world without rain… I could barely believe my eyes."
Jacques Schnee chuckled. An odd sound to make given Jun's supposed performance. The sinking feeling in his stomach intensified in response.
"An impressive lie, boy, but you would do well in the future to avoid selling stories to one such as myself," Jun tensed as the man leaned forward, peering into him. "Do you wish to know how many made it out of Vale, how many were accounted for? Fifty-five humans, seven faunus. All of which have been catalogued and identified in the months following the event. That is, of course, not including the White Fang, who was seen in the area at the time. So, unless you're admitting that you're a human boy working with a bunch of faunus extremists wanted by every nation under the sun, then you had better come up with a better story than the poor little refugee."
Jun shrunk in his seat, unable to escape, unable to so much as think. He felt so powerless, for the first time since the Rozen Maiden had first entered his life. He felt much like he had in the past when both his academic career and social life had been irrevocably ruined to the point of being unable to leave his own home.
"I-I didn't-"
"More-so, is your mention of one Kirakishou," Jun stilled, real fear flooding his veins as he caught on to his mistake. "A curious name, that. Most people would likely believe it of belonging to Anima in origin, possibly from one of the failed villages, Kuriyuri, Shiragiku, or the like. Most, however, do not have access to political intelligence highlighting classified Atlesian military files, ones which detail a girl with the very same name appearing atop the capture or kill list following the destruction of Vale."
"I can explain, she is-"
"Rozen Maiden."
Jun froze, eyes wide. He had been operating on the express opinion that Jacques Schnee was not aware of the Rozen Maiden and the Alice Game, given the lack of involvement by the Chief Executive Officer of the Schnee Dust Company in his daughter's affairs.
"Hm. Did you think I would be deaf as to the happenings in my very own home, Sakurada Jun?" Jacques glared fiercely. "From the very moment that you all first spoke with Weiss Schnee and her little faunus paramour at the Vale Commemorative Gala, I have spent countless hours delving into the histories of your little group. Now, if you would, explain how your little entourage is connected to the girl responsible for bringing down one of the strongest military powers to ever grace the world of Remnant, and why you all thought to invade my home?"
Jun wilted, terrified beyond reason as he stared up at the elder man, unable to look away from his piercing gaze. He hated this. Every part of it. He just wanted to go home, to his actual home, and be with his dolls.
All of this, because of her.
"...W-We… we're trying to stop her."
Jacques Schnee hummed, expression unchanging beyond the slightest movement of his brow. "By 'her' you are referring to the one behind the destruction of Vale?"
He nodded frantically at the lifeline. "Kirakishou, yes. She's the youngest of the Rozen Maiden, who has the potential for the most destruction. Her N-Field has always been… vast… but it's never grown to this size before, to manifest atop an entire nation…"
"Hn. Interesting. Continue, boy. I want to know what exactly this has to do with my daughter, and the others you have brought into my home."
"Rozen Maiden dolls… they need to bond to people in order to survive. Kirakishou… she's not exempt from this rule, but her powers require far more energy in order to manifest. More than any single Master could hope to generate. Her N-Field is essentially just a colossal crystalline prison, with all of her captured Masters sleeping within."
"And the others?" Jacques prompted, "do they also require the nourishment of continents? Is that why you're here? To destroy Atlas and nourish those girls?"
Jun baulked at the idea. "N-No!" he shouted, quickly shaking his head as he worked to defend his dolls. "Rozen Maiden are supposed to bond with just a single Master, and the energy is taken in minuscule amounts. Most can handle a single Rozen Maiden on their own, while a choice few can support multiple contracts."
"And this youngest Rozen Maiden, responsible for the destruction of Vale, she requires more aura than any single individual can provide?"
Jun nodded, disregarding the comment about aura, entirely unwilling to delve into that particular can of worms at the moment.
"Yes. I won't go into the specifics, but certain circumstances from her creation made it a necessity for Kirakishou to take more. But even then… an entire continent is far, far more than she'd ever need…"
"Hm. Troubling news, but I fail to see what it has to do with my daughter, or why it necessitates the others to shack up inside my estate."
"...It's… less about the location and more about the people here," Jun tentatively attempted to explain. "Kirakishou… she's chosen a Master. And this Master is one of your daughter's teammates."
Jacques Schnee raised a brow. "...Considering that my manor has not erupted into a warzone, then I would hazard a guess that the chosen 'Master' of Kirakishou is none of those trainees currently lodged here, yes?" Jun nodded quickly. "...Hm. Then, that would leave the final missing girl, the one highlighted throughout Atlesian intelligence. Ruby Rose, I do believe…"
The white-haired corporate executive trailed off in thought as he correctly deduced the identity of Kirakishou's Master, a deep frown slowly etching its way across his aged visage. Jun shuddered at the expression. "W-We're trying to rescue her, Ruby Rose," Jun quickly continued at the stormy glare that immediately appeared in response to his words. "To free her, from Kirakishou! The Seventh… she's… possessive. Incredibly so. If we dissolve Ruby's contract with Kirakishou, then we might be able to erase her will to fight. She could be defeated and Vale could be restored."
"A childish plan. One more likely to either lead to failure or, worse, succeed and anger an entity powerful enough to destroy a continent," Jacques Schnee dismissed their tentative plan with a particularly frosted bluntness. "However, given your relative nervousness prior to and during our conversation, am I correct to assume that this moronic plan is already underway?"
He sighed, defeated. "...Yes."
The ensuing stare from Jacques was crippling, but it paled in comparison to the tone of his voice. "Wonderful," he shook his head. "And, no doubt, you're going to tell me that this asinine plan requires the assistance of the notorious bandit leader currently prowling around the halls."
Who? There wasn't any other person not in the N-Field apart from-
"Do you mean Raven Branwen?"
Jacques frowned. "...So, you know her name, yet know nothing of her past?" Jun had barely a moment to blink before the Schnee patriarch was chuckling gravely at Jun's apparent ignorance. "It's almost fascinating. If James were still around, no doubt the old warhorse would have blown a gasket at the likes of Raven Branwen prancing around Atlas. Hm. No matter. How far along is this plan of yours, and how does Raven Branwen factor into it?"
Still reeling at the thought of banditry both existing as a concept in the world of Remnant and one of his tentative allies being some infamous bandit figure, Jun took a moment to respond.
"We're attempting to forcefully break the contract between Ruby Rose and Kirakishou using the abilities of Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, with Yang acting as a connection point to Ruby Rose. If the contract is successfully terminated, we can use Raven Branwen's semblance to capture Ruby Rose's physical body and bring her here."
The Chief Executive Officer of the Schnee Dust Company was silent for a brief moment, seemingly allowing the information to ruminate around both Jun and himself. There wasn't any particular expression that Jun could attribute to being negative or positive, merely a thoughtful silence that stretch ever onwards.
"...And these two… the ones with the strange names, they are Rozen Maiden dolls, yes? Alongside the one responsible for the fall of Vale?"
"Suiseiseki and Souseiseki?" Jun blinked, before nodding. "Yes."
"I take it that their semblances, whatever they are, allow for a small strike force to locate this… Ruby Rose… correct?" Jun nodded once again. "And this task force consists of these Rozen Maiden, alongside my daughter and Blake Belladonna?"
Well, technically the group also included Yang, Shinku, and Suigintou in her own way. Although Jun was a little too intimidated to do anything other than nod.
"...Very well then," Jacques Schnee. "I shall send Klein alongside you. You are to go to Raven Branwen and instruct her to deposit Ruby Rose in a secure location of my choosing. Afterwards, I will require a full report on these… Rozen Maiden and their abilities, including those both present in this mansion and… elsewhere. Do I make myself clear?"
Jun gulped, nodding quickly.
"Good. Then you are dismissed."
He escaped Jacques's office with his proverbial tail between his legs, moving as quickly as his body would support him. When Klein greeted him outside, the man's expression went from jovial to sour in an instant.