Throughout the apex of the fierce Grimm attack, Oscar remained in the airship. His role was to help coordinate the defense of Mantle with a calm guiding hand and a bird's-eye view. He's had responsibilities like this ever since Ruby's absence during the end of Salem's assault on Atlas. Though everyone was affected by her disappearance, Oscar was among those that were the most hurt by it, second to only Yang. Having recently been rejoined by Ozpin, he adopted a role of leadership, if only to keep some semblance of hope alive before Atlas' fall.

Even after the terrible aftermath of the attack and the loss of the Relics, Oscar kept at it. There was no clear goal in mind aside from "keep what's left of Mantle alive long enough for them to rebuild." Some would say that it was even a fool's errand; that Mantle was doomed without the full might of the Atlesian military. He secretly agreed to some extent, though he never shared that information with anyone else. After all, this was mainly a way to "do what Ruby would have wanted him to do." At least, he thinks that's what she would have wanted.

It was Ruby that he truly opened himself to back in Mistral, and she in turn confided in him about her sorrow over the war and the people it took from her. It was Ruby that accepted him as his own person when everyone else was indirectly angry at him for Ozpin's actions. It was Ruby that inspired him to keep going, in spite of the odds. To say Oscar admired her was an understatement. Her absence left a great hole in his life, even if it was only for mere days. Despite being around so many that wrote her off and considered her dead, the impossible happened.

Ruby was there during this latest Grimm attack, alive and well. He heard her voice over the Scroll-radio communication when she said "Yeah, it just happened to us, too." She was referring to the strange behavior that the Sabyrs displayed after that unusual explosion outside the city. At first, he questioned his own ears. A part of him, possibly the part where Ozpin resided, wondered if it was really Ruby that was speaking over the radio…or that Grimm that merely resembled her. He wondered if Salem, out of some sick amusement, merely left a fake behind to torment everyone. There was one contradiction with that explanation, though. The Ruby Grimm had a distorted voice with a lower pitch, whereas the girl she heard over the radio had the same voice Oscar remembered.

Though he said little more than necessary about the Ruby Grimm, he possessed great uncertainty and fear from it. This had more to do with Ozpin's warnings than anything else, as he seemed to know much more than anyone, despite having never seen such a creature before. That little backstory about Ozma and Salem's reign and the latter's creation of Harbingers explained most of Ozpin's prior knowledge of the subject. Most of it; not all of it.

His explanation failed to suggest that this Ruby Grimm, or any previous Harbinger for that matter, actually had the power to destroy souls. Even though Salem alluded to the idea of slaying the gods themselves, neither she nor Ozma specifically mentioned the idea of destroying a soul in Ozpin's retelling of those events. It was obvious that there was more to the story; more than what Ozpin was willing to tell, even to Oscar and possibly himself.

On the other hand, the short time he spent with the Ruby Grimm suggested something was off about Ozpin's understanding of it. It didn't really behave like a monster, but more like the original Ruby. It even said that Ruby was okay. That could simply be meant to reinforce the illusion that the fake had a genuine personality, but it seemed too good to be mere acting. No Grimm had ever masqueraded as a person before; at least, none that Oscar had ever heard of. Ozpin might know more about that as well. As for Oscar, it was too close to tell. The Ruby Grimm behaved with the same genuine upstanding idealism that the original possessed, but he only met it once.

He would have asked Ozpin for more details if the Grimm attacks hadn't conveniently happened right after the end of the story. Now he had to drop everything for the time being and help his team deal with it…and perhaps the Ruby Grimm as well, if they must. Penny had kept tabs on the creature ever since she found it, and had kept everyone else abreast of its actions ever since. That allowed him to take some time between commands to focus on actually gunning down some of the airborne Grimm from his ship, namely the Teryxes; the raptor-like Grimm that soared high above the skies of Mantle, well out of reach of any Huntsmen from below.

Even Penny couldn't strike one down with their speed and aerial-able bodies without taking too much attention off the ground. Though they were much faster than the Sphinxes, for the most part, they had no form of projectile attack and stayed away from the ground. Anyone with a working grasp in tactics could suggest that the Teryxes were mainly there to keep the ships from intervening with the ground assault too much.

"Ugh, this is Manta 2-4." Maria said over a separate radio communication from the ones connected to the Scrolls; one strictly meant for ships. "They're on my tail again. I can't shake them."

Oscar looked around the skies immediately, seeking out any Teryxes flying behind Atlesian ships. They were helpless from behind, so the Grimm often targeted their backs when they coordinated attacks against ships. Wasting only a couple of seconds, he found one of the airships being tailed by two Teryxes and accelerated through the skies in pursuit. If he didn't know better, this felt more like one of the movies he, Jaune, and Weiss went to see before everything went to hell. It was something about an alien invasion being repelled by flying ships. He'd have to ask for the name later.

"I've got Maria covered!" he exclaimed. "All other ships: keep the pressure on the Teryxes! Whatever you do, don't break formation!"

Keeping his arms steady and his gaze focused, he ignored everything else around him at this time; even the other Teryxes and ships. After that brief lesson Ozpin gave him about flying an airship back in Argus, he's gotten fairly good at it. One could say he was a natural; like flying was something he did in a past life. For all he knew, Ozpin probably did.

At a speed of around 120 miles per hour, according to the speed dial, he attracted the attention of other Teryxes that he flew past. They flew in pursuit of his ship, matching his high speed with their own. Veering around one flying obstacle after another put a strain on Oscar's arms and made him nauseous. The nausea spiked when he tilted his ship to the side to avoid hitting another ship that flew too close. If he could just close his eyes, he would probably feel better. If not, he could at least pretend he was just sick from tending to the fields back home under the hot sun. Unfortunately, doing that would ensure his inability to see what direction he was flying. As easily acquainted he was at flying a ship on a mental capacity, his short teenage farmer body certainly wasn't.

At some point during the chase, it became apparent to Oscar that he was in a bit over his head. Eventually, he got so dizzy to the point that he had to slow down, just so he didn't collapse. This gave the Teryxes behind him a chance to catch up and sink their claws in the back of his ship. After taking a second to collect himself, he released his right hand from the control stick and grabbed hold of the cane clipped to his leg. Keeping his other hand on the stick, he clasped his cane and flew while holding the latter together with the former.

The cane was much more than a mere walking stick. It was a weapon that Ozpin built many incarnations before Oscar was born, when Ozma parted with his old staff and the many painful memories it brought so long ago. He did his best to keep his ship and his own breathing steady, despite the Teryxes continued clawing through his back.

"You know, when I said I couldn't shake them," Maria explained, "I wasn't implying that someone else should be even deeper in the hole."

From the tone of her voice, Oscar could tell Maria knew of his own predicament. She had Teryxes chasing her ship from behind, but they didn't actually make contact with it yet. Oscar's ship, on the other hand, was penetrated to the point that one Teryx could fit its nose inside. With a defiant grimace, Oscar squeezed the handle of his cane and channeled a green barrier around his body. It was the same magic that saved his life when Ironwood shot him off the Relic of Creation chamber's platform. The barrier allowed him to safely land in the crater below Atlas.

Since then, Oscar learned to harness this magical barrier more efficiently. Ignoring the Grimm behind him, his mind focused solely on two things: channeling his barrier and flying the ship. When a golden light shined from his eyes, the barrier around him expanded past his seat, and eventually encompassed his entire ship. The Teryxes that lodged themselves on it were instantly dissolved into black smoke on contact with the barrier.

"Okay, that's three more for me," Maria said, "but I still got two real ugly ones behind me."

As exhausting as extended use of his barrier was, he kept it channeled around his ship and used it to collide with any Teryxes unfortunate enough to get too close. At the same time, he kept an eye out for Maria's ship. From the sound of Maria's voice, she still took it upon herself to shoot down other Grimm. And of course, the bulk of the Grimm flew around the ship formations, looking for weak points. They were still preoccupied with their own battles.

It was easy enough to find Maria's ship again over all the others. It was the only other one besides his own that didn't fight in a formation. Once he saw it flying in his direction, he seized his chance. He accelerated his ship as fast as his teenage body could bear, and spotted the Teryxes flying behind Maria. Once the two crossed paths, Oscar's ship intercepted the pursuing Grimm, striking one down directly while grazing the other. The grazed one survived and flew behind Oscar's ship, out of his line of sight.

The ability to channel magical barriers to protect his ship gave Oscar an edge over everyone else in aerial combat, though it's become a crutch to make up for his lack of real experience. That said, it gave him the option to soar through the air as fast as he needed to, while others had to rely on their partners to keep from being ambushed. As for why Maria fought outside of a formation, it mostly had to do with a stubborn pride that didn't allow those half her age or less from telling her what to do. She fought her own way, just as she did back in her Grimm Reaper days…even if it did leave her open to an ambush.

"Maria, are…are you all right?" Oscar asked, catching his breath from channeling his barrier for so long.

"Ugh, a magical barrier battering ram in a dogfight?" Maria complained, masking her smile at her timely rescue. "Why can't you just do what people normally do and shoot their enemies until they die? A lot simpler if you ask me."

"There was a chance I might have hit you by mistake. I have better control over this magic. It's one thing to fly, but I haven't gotten used to actually fighting with—"

The rest of his explanation was muffled by the sound of Maria's ship shooting down that same grazed Teryx with a volley of missiles…that was no less than six feet from his ship, with perfect accuracy. Oscar briefly reacted at such a close shot, but Maria only smirked.

"But that sure was a close one, huh? You hear that, you black-hearted monsters! Here you thought I was a defenseless old lady, but look what happened!"

"You were defenseless," Oscar pointed out, ignoring the fact that a flick of Maria's wrist in the wrong direction could have killed him.

"I'll tell you what," Maria quipped. "We'll keep this one little moment just between us, and I'll forget about the twenty times I saved your sorry ass. Sound good?"

"One little m…you just said they were on your tail again. And how exactly did you save me twenty times? Mantle wasn't even under attack for remotely that amount of time."

"If I have to explain it to you, it will just defeat the purpose. Now shall we get back to…"

Before Maria could finish her question, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in the ice field just outside the city. Though the sky was still dark, anyone in the skies could make out the dark flames as they evaporated in the air. In that moment, the entire aerial conflict came to an abrupt halt. Pilots and Teryxes alike ceased their attacks, if only for that one moment.

"What?" Oscar exclaimed.

"All right," Maria said after a delay. "Did you touch the fire button by mistake again?"

"No, that wasn't a missile! That fire…it's not normal."

"Really?" Maria said, adjusting her prosthetic eyes. "I'll have to take your word for it."

Suddenly, the remaining Teryxes all roared in unison. They scattered from their packs, flying aimlessly. Something was clearly wrong with them, but neither Oscar nor Maria could tell what.

"It's just like that fire in town," Oscar said, lowering his eyelids and looking directly at it. "The one that Ruby Grimm started."

"I thought you said that Grimm was actually protecting people," Maria pointed out while simultaneously shooting down more Grimm. She was among the few that wasn't left stunned at the sight and kept fighting. "I've been meaning to ask about that, but then this big swarm came out of nowhere."

"And now they're—"

"What are you just sitting there pondering for?" Maria complained, still shooting down stragglers. "If you have time to think about something, you have time to shoot."

"Ah! R-right," Oscar stuttered, grabbing the ship's control stick.

"You said you weren't good at shooting down Grimm. Now's a good a time as any to get some practice."

"So," Maria said casually, "that fire in the middle of town. Did that Ruby Grimm start that one?"

"Uh, yeah," Oscar said awkwardly, aiming at one of the Teryxes above him. "She told me she made that fire to keep the people here from freezing. I don't know if she's really helping or just waiting for us to lower our guard, though."

He fired a volley of missiles, only to miss every single one. They soared harmless past its target until they flew out of Oscar's sight.

"Her? I don't mean to sound like the bad guy, but it seems like you're veering toward 'she's really helping.'"

"Huh," Oscar said, surprised at her suggestion. "Well, she…uh, it…uh, I don't really know which one's correct, but they…spoke to me like a person. It's too uncanny."

"If it makes you feel better," Maria said, shooting down another Teryx, "I'm not really sure what to think either. I saw two Rubies earlier, but I had no idea one was a Grimm. I thought Ruby was just going through puberty at the worst possible time. I must be losing my touch if a Grimm could pass by me right under my nose."

This was followed by Maria shooting down yet another Teryx; this time, using the ship's suppressant guns under the nose of the ship. Meanwhile, Oscar saw another chance to shoot one down. It was flying directly in front of him. No swerving, no dodging; it was such an easy target.

"Oscar, there's one coming at you!"

"I know," Oscar said. "I see it right in—"

Something suddenly collided with his ship the moment he fired another volley of missiles. Not only did it throw off his aim enough to miss his target again, but they ended up striking one of the buildings in town. As much as he would hope that nobody was hurt down there, he was too busy contending with a completely different Teryx that plunged its claws on the side of the ship. The weight of the Grimm caused his ship to turn to its side with him in it. To make matters worse, he had his hands off his cane at the time, so it rolled toward the weighted side, out of his reach.

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Oscar yelled helplessly. His ship quickly turned so far that he slid out of his seat, but he couldn't grasp his cane. Knowing that was the one thing that would provide him salvation, he let go of her cockpit and let gravity take him to it. His little trick worked, and he grasped his cane as quickly as possible.

Before he had a chance to channel a barrier, the ship changed direction again. This time, he fell toward the cockpit, hitting his face on the glass screen. Doing his best to ignore the sudden impact, he opened his eyes and mewled in horror. He saw the ground coming closer to the ship. Specifically, the damage that the ship sustained in that struggle was enough to cause it to plummet to the city below. In a last ditch effort to save himself, he clutched his cane tightly and closed his eyes.

He felt his ship strike the ground below. His whole body reverberated and the sound of radio static and ear-splitting explosions. He bounced helplessly across his ship, gasping in pain with each impact. His body felt immense heat and his mind grew numb. He tried to open his eyes, but all he could make out was a fiery blur. His body shut down and everything went black.

...

"Oscar? Oscar!"

Some time passed after that crash. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days, but he didn't know. All he knew was that his body hurt all over and he couldn't move.

"Oscar?" a familiar voice said, though he couldn't recall whose it was. "Oscar, are you okay?"

These were the words that roused him out of his stupor. He opened his eyes, and saw the silhouette of an angel. The petite frame and gentle demeanor could only belong to one person. With his memories slowly returning to him, he let out a pained laugh and tilted his head back to look at this angel's beautiful eyes. The warmth in his heart turned into an icy fear when the silver shine he expected to find were in fact a crimson red. The pain all over his body seized his reflexes; he could only squirm at the mercy of this creature. It wasn't just any Grimm, but the one that Ozpin warned him so much about.

In his battered and broken state, he couldn't even scream or lift his cane, let alone fight back. Its open claw came slowly to his face; an irrefutable confirmation that the being kneeling over him was not human. His thoughts turned to everyone he treasured in his life: his aunt, who he had abandoned to go on his journey, the friends he made, who he worked and fought alongside one another in this war, and especially Ruby, who he idolized. Quivering at what he expected to be his final agonizing moments, the being caressed his cheek instead.

"Y-you," Oscar barely muttered. "Are you—"

"Shh! Everything's gonna be fine now. I got you."

He looked in its crimson eyes one more time. As unnerving as they were, the rest of its face showed visible concern, not sadistic pleasure. The sharp fangs and gray skin did little to comfort him, but this being…this "Ruby Grimm," showed the same kindness the original Ruby showed on a regular basis. Being so close and vulnerable to it, whatever fear that had seized his nerves began to fade. If it truly wanted to kill him, immortal soul included, now would be the time to do so, yet it did not.

"I know you're worried, Oscar, but trust me. I won't let you die. I promise."

There it was. The same gentle compassion he remembered back in that snowy middle of nowhere. The original Ruby offered the same sympathy after that train crash en route to Argus. If his own eyes could lie to him, he would swear Ruby just swooped in and saved his life. This proved it. Beneath this terrifying visage, there was something more than a monster. It was too similar to Ruby at heart. It carried him in its arms; his lower legs dangled helplessly over its left arm while his head leaned on its right shoulder. The surface of its skin was cold and uncomfortable, but he was too injured to complain.