"Hey, Kiddo. What're you doing all the way out here...?"
...
"Hey, what has Asahi told you about blaming yourself? It may be true that you guys unsealed Krishna, but you're working hard to fix that mistake."
...
"I know, it's hard. Trust me. Back in my Hunter days, I made a lot of stupid mistakes. This one time, back when I first met Flynn, I kept getting trapped by demons and almost turned into a BBQ. But, I learned from those mistakes. I wanted to learn how I could do better."
...
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, if you stumble, you just need to get stronger."
...
"...hey, kiddo? Promise me you'll never change, okay?"
RWBY: Final Judgement
interludium VI: Unravel the Word
After the excitement had settled, Nanashi had stepped out from his hiding place. The entire clearing looked like a warzone. Small craters littered the area, trees broken and reduced to large chunks of splinters. Several areas that had been caught in the crossfire of an electric spell were burned to a crisp. Some were still burning. In the center of all this carnage was Odin, standing over the defeated forms of Jaune and Pyrrha, both of whom were unconscious.
"Did you enjoy the show, Lord Nanashi?" Odin inquired.
Nanashi shrugged. "It was impressive. Aura really has its wonders, but I'm more amazed by the fact that they're still alive, even after you held back." It was the honest truth. He could tell the former Divine Powers deity had been holding back, which was a given since that, if he had been aiming to kill with the first blow alone, there would be nothing left of Jaune Arc except perhaps his charred corpse before it turned to ashes. "Why did you challenge Jaune in the first place?"
"Something about him...intrigued me." Odin confessed, making the Godslayer raise a brow in questioning. "There is raw potential in him, but its buried deep by his own pride. Such useless notions will only get him killed. Having faith in one's skills is well and good, but how would it fare in the long run? One cannot hope to overcome a mountain by themselves."
"In other words, you wanted to break his stupid pride and get him to take things seriously." Dagda emerged from Nanashi's smartphone, arms folded over his chest. "Waste of time, if you ask me. We don't intend on staying in this world for long. Once we get more information about these Relics, we see if they can get us back home."
"And the new Universe will be created. I understand that well, Lord Dagda." Odin replied curtly. "Even so, I wanted to bring this boy's potential to the surface."
"Hmph..."
"Leave it alone, Dagda." Nanashi told the Irish God. "Let Odin do as he pleases. To be honest, even I was getting a little annoyed by Jaune's refusal to accept help from others. And before you go spouting off your talk off bonds being useless and not worth a damn, need I remind you that I needed help from my demons to kick the shit out of YHVH?"
Dagda stared at Nanashi for a few seconds before grunting. "Touche, kid." He then turned his attention to the unconscious teenagers at Odin's feet. "And? What do we do about these two? Can't have them spill the beans about you, Odin."
"I will alter their memories slightly." Odin suggested. "Jaune Arc encountered a powerful Grimm and attempted to face it alone, and Pyrrha Nikos came to his aid. Will that possibly suffice?"
"That all depends, got an excuse for all this?" Dagda gestured to the destruction around them. "Unless they were fighting some kind of souped-up Grimm, I sincerely doubt that'll fly."
"Only if they did fight here." Nanashi cut in. "I'll have Cleopatra and Apsu clean up the damage. In the meantime, I'll get these two back to their dorm rooms and hope their teammates don't ask any questions."
Odin bowed his head. "By your leave, then." His body broke down into flakes, which then proceeded to flow into his smartphone. Nanashi then fiddled with said device and called out two more demons. Flakes of light rose from his phone before materializing into two distinct forms.
The first was a leg less being that could only be described, to an extent, as a humanoid piece of abstract art. It's body was green and it's torso built like a fit human male. But it's head and limbs were disfigured and vaguely resembled faced pottery. It's body was suspended by a tempest of Wind.
The second being was a beautiful, voluptuous woman garbed in a white, two piece garment that covered her bountiful chest and showed off her toned legs. Her attire was Egyptian in nature given the patterns of the bands on her clothing. Her hair was pale and long, and her eyes were a cold yellow. On her head was a headpiece with a cobra on her forehead. Her left arm had red, perfectly manicured nails while her right hand was replaced by a writhing mass of black snakes.
These Demons were named Apsu and Cleopatra respectively.
"Aah~ Finally, some time out!" Cleopatra stretched her arms above her head and letting out a content sigh, arching her back. "And what lovely fresh air. So, this is Remnant? It looks a little on the poor side, but I suppose I cannot complain." She then took notice of the destruction and pouted. "Aw, did I miss out on the fun?"
"Enough, Cleopatra." Dagda chided the demon. "You and that other goddess have work to do. Fix this place up."
"If I must..." Cleopatra sighed. "But I demand compensation after this. A good day out in the town sounds wonderful."
Nananshi smiled wryly. "Alright, I'll take you out into Vale when I get the chance."
"Wonderful!"
"#$%^&*()" Apsu called, voice utterly unintelligable and alien. "*^$ #%^&"
"Yes, yes. I know. I promise to show you around as well." Nanashi replied with Absu, who seemed pleased.
Dagda scoffed. "Good luck with that. Have you seen what it looks like?"
When Jaune woke up, he found himself with what was arguably the worst migraine known to man. It felt as if his head would split open if he so much as twitched. It wasn't just his head, but his entire body was sore as heck. His limbs felt like lead and his muscles were on fire. Just what happened? Groaning and trying not to move too much, he pulled himself up, only to realize that he was in his bed. "W-what...?" There was a slur to his voice. His vision was a little blurry, making everything look like a mixture of colors. "Wh-when did..."
"Oh, hey! You're awake!" A blob of orange, white and pink entered his field of vision. He recognized the voice as Nora. "Man, you looked effed up! Did you go on the warpath without telling me?! Shame on you, Jauney! Shame on you!"
Jaune winced. "Um, Nora? Please tone it down. My head feels like it'll break..."
"I bet." A green shape appeared from the corner of his eye. "No offense, but...you and Pyrrha look like shit." Wait, Pyrrha too? What? What the heck did he get involved in? "What exactly were you two up to?"
"I..."
Jaune frowned as he tried to recall. He remembered training out in the Emerald Forest, just far enough so he wouldn't be anywhere close to Grimm territory, and then...he was attacked. He couldn't remember what it was, but he was sure it was a Grimm. A big one too. Kept throwing him around like some kind of ragdoll until Pyrrha showed up. Then...what else? He tried to recall further, but the throbbing pain in his head ended any further thoughts he had.
It confused and irritated him. He had no idea what had happened. Did he pass out after the fight? Did they win?
...Well, given that they're apparently alive, then they must've won. But even so, how did they even get back to their dorm? He can barely move as is. Did someone carry them back?
"How'd we get back here...?"
"Nanashi found you." Ren told him. "Apparently, you and Pyrrha went overboard. I think everyone in Vale could hear you detonating bombs. A bit overkill, don't you think?"
Jaune would have responded to that, but he was still feeling so groggy. Groaning, he laid back down and decided to let his body rest. "How's Pyrrha?"
"Oh, she's fine!" Nora assured him. "She actually looks kinda happy for some reason. Me thinks she's dreaming about a certain someone~"
"Who? Her boyfriend?" Did Pyrrha even have a boyfriend? Actually, now that he thought about it, Jaune didn't know much about her at all. All he knew was that she was some kind of hardcore asskicker and a celebrity, but other than that, not much else. "I'm so tired..."
"Why not get some rest?" Ren suggested. "Take a little while longer. We don't have any classes today."
Sighing in relief, the blonde quickly found himself falling asleep once again.
"Yo." Nanashi greeted his teammates as he stepped into his room.
Jonathan bobbed his head to him. "Welcome back, Nanashi." he greeted amicably. "Where did you go?"
"Went to check in on something. And found both your brother and his teammate passed out near the Emerald Forest." he said flatly, causing both Jonathan and Walter to look alarmed. "Looks like they got into some huge fight with a Grimm. They were both passed out, so I had to drag 'em back."
"Seriously? Was that why we kept feeling those explosions go off?" Walter asked. "The hell has that kid been packing? He borrowed some of that Nora chicks grenades or something? I could feel them all the way from here!"
"Got no idea. You should probably check in on him when you have the chance." Nanashi advised. Jonathan nodded in agreement. "Anyway, what have you guys been up to?"
Chris shrugged. "Ah, nothing much. Mostly just lounging about, bored out of our minds. We don't have any classes today, so we've been pretty much doing nothing. We were planning on heading into Vale tomorrow, though, since it's a Sunday." Nanashi perked up at that. He hadn't had much of a chance to explore the city. It would be a good opportunity. That, and he would be able to fulfill his promise to his demons. "How 'bout it? You in?"
"Sure, why not?" Nanashi smiled. "Why don't we see if we can invite Team RWBY also?"
"That sounds like fun, though I wager the Ice Queen will ruin the fun for us." Walter scoffed. "Priss doesn't know how to enjoy the finer things in life."
Jonathan sighed. "Come now, Walter. She isn't that bad. She's just not acclimated to the environment yet. It is remarkably different from Atlas."
"And don't I know it."
"That reminds you, you grew up in Atlas, didn't you, Walter?" Chris asked, leaning forward. "What's it like there? Aside from it being freaking cold as tits?"
"Well, to sum it up...everyone's an asshole." Walter bluntly said.
"Walter!" Johnathan admonished while Chris and Nanashi had to stifle their laughs.
"What? It's true! A lotta the people there have sticks so far up their asses that I'm surprised they ain't sticking out their heads. Not to mention racist bigots who look down on everyone. I mean, prime example, Jacques Schnee's management of the SDC."
"I mean, sure, Winter's okay, but she can be kind of frosty. Especially if her panties are in a twist. As for daddy dearest, well, I think you'd only have to read the tabloids or here what the Faunus have to say about him to know how much of a douche he is. It says a lot when my old man doesn't like him."
"Ironwood's not the only one." Nanashi spoke up. "After what he did to Weiss...if I ever meet him, he's getting a bullet between the eyes."
"Whoa, dude! Isn't that a bit extreme?!" The others were equally perturbed.
"Hardly." Their leader scoffed. "It's a mercy. What I have planned, he'd wish he was dead."
The others of Team NCIA couldn't help but wince at his words. If a bullet in the head was a mercy, then what exactly did Nanashi intend to do to Jacques? And what made him despise the guy so much? Now that they thought about it, though, they had realized that he was close friends with the heiress. Walter, on the other hand, liked to think that there might have been something going on behind the scenes there. Maybe they were more than just friends?
The sun had started to set when Cinder Fall had arrived at the warehouse to see how things were coming along. It hadn't been very long ago since she had enlisted the aid of Roman Torchwick, and so far, the results had been a bit of a mixed bag.
On the one hand, Mercury's assessment of his abilities were not hot air. He was good at what he did, and despite not having a Semblance, the man certainly knew how to fight. Nowhere near the level of her own subordinates, but close enough. On the other hand, his overall demeanor could use some work. He wasn't very cooperative and she often had to remind them who was in charge. In all honesty, she wanted to find another business partner, but the way things stood, she needed his help. He was, after all, one of the best in the criminal underworld.
The warehouse was mostly empty. White Fang grunts were either louging about or on guard. Off to the side, Cinder caught sight of Roman's odd little partner, Neo, sitting on top of one of the nearby crates and filing her nails. She noticed the black-haired woman and gave her the stink-eye. In response, Cinder gave her a small smile, eyes flashing before diverting her attention elsewhere.
"Where is Roman?" she asked one of the White Fang grunts on duty. He pointed to the office up on the second level. She thanked him and left for the office. Climbing up the metal stairwell, she arrived at the front door and pushed it open. The lights were on, and sitting on a chair with his legs propped on the table was Roman, going through stacks of lien. "Roman."
Startled, Roman fumbeld and nearly lost his hold of his cards. "God dammit, every time..." he swore angrily as he turned his attention to the woman. "Why do you have to drop in? Seriously, can't you call?"
"Now, where would be the fun in that be?" Cinder inquired with a sly smile. "I came to see how you were doing. I do like to keep tabs on my investments."
"Whatever..." Roman scoffed as he tossed the lien on the table. "Still, I do have to ask. How'd you get the White Fang to work with little old me? They don't exactly like humans, especially not that bullheaded guy they all seem to suck up to."
It hadn't been hard to earn their cooperation. Intimidation and a means were all she needed to make Adam Taurus bend the knee. He had even come to accept her way of doing things, though he was still infuriated by the fact that he had to work with the woman who killed his comrades. She actually valued that in a subordinate - the capacity to care for those under them. It certainly helped give him motivation.
"It wasn't difficult." Cinder waved off his question. "I trust there will be no problems for the upcoming theft?"
Roman smirked. "Sweetheart, I'm almost hurt you'd doubt me. Robbing a Schnee convoy will be like taking candy from a baby." He paused briefly before he frowned. "So long as Ironwood's darling little girlfriend isn't there. Dunno 'bout you, but I'm not exactly keen on getting into a fight with one of Atlas' Specialists."
"Don't worry. My associate's assured me Winter Schnee will not be guarding the convoy heading to Vale." she assured him.
Roman breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Now, if you don't mind me asking..." He leaned in a bit, propping an elbow up on the table before leveling an odd stare at her. What was that look for? "Mind telling me why you're working with a kid? Besides those two rug rats, I mean?"
Cinder frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"He's referring to me, Fall."
She froze. Slowly, she turned her head. She had never noticed that there was someone else in the room. It was a boy, somewhere around 15 years of age, with snow-white hair that reached his chin. His eyes were hidden beneath a blindfold, and over his ears were thin headphones, the earmuffs circling around the ears entirely. The lower half of his face was hidden behind a thick scarf with white designs, growing bolder as it reached to the tail of the scarf. He wore a black button-up shirt underneath a blazer, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Below were dark gray shorts, coming down below the knees while wearing black loafers. Over his hands were dark gray gloves with black leather over the back of the hands. Strapped to either side of his waist were a pair of swords.
"...Nemo."
"Hello." The blindfolded teen said. "I would say it's nice to see you again but...well, you get the idea."
"Why are you here?" She preferred not to beat around the bush when he was involved.
"Not happy to see me? I'm hurt." Yet his neutral expression told otherwise.
"The Witch sent me." Cinder's eyes widened at this. She sent him here? Why? This was supposed to be her task, so why send her help? Or was he sent here for another purpose? "It's recently come to His attention that a certain...someone is somewhere in Vale. Someone that needs to be removed."
"His?" Cinder felt an unusual sense of dread grow within her. So he was sent to Vale for another purpose. But that didn't make matters any less complicated. He typically didn't saw fit to send out Nemo on assignments unless they required his full attention.
"I merely came to inform you of this, and to ask that you and your associates do not get in my way." Nemo said in an even tone. He then made his way towards the door. "If you do... I assure you, it will not end well for you."
With his warning having been given, Nemo left the office and vanished. Roman watched him leave and as the door shut closed he let out a sigh. "Creepy kid you work with." he said as he lit a cigar, slipping it into his mouth. "So, who is he? Friend of yours?"
"Nothing of the sort." Cinder said immediately. "We work together, but nothing more. And I suggest you take his warning to heart, Roman. He is not someone you wish to make an enemy of."
"And why's that?" the master criminal asked, genuinely curious. "What makes blindfold boy so special?"
The woman grimaced. "Because he was made to kill gods."
The following day, Team NCIA strolled through the streets of Downtown Vale. To their surprise, Team RWBY had the same idea. But their destination was toward the docks to, in Weiss' words, to greet the exchange students coming in for the Vytal Festival as Beacon Academy representatives.
Nanashi, however, believed otherwise. She was simply scouting out the competition for the tournament. Walter even voiced what he had been thinking as well, showing a face of slight annoyance. "Come off it, princess. What you really want is to scope out the competition." he said, causing her to splutter and glare at him angrily. "Not that I don't understand the feeling, though. I'm actually curious to see for myself what kind of people will be in the Vytal Festival in the first place. There has to be some strong foes for me to test my strength against, yeah?"
"I see your tendency to eek out battle hasn't faded in the least." Jonathan sighed. "I vividly remember you picking fights with Weiss' sister whenever you ran into her. One would think you could learn to tone it down a bit."
Chris looked at his partner curiously. "What about you, Jonathan? You have to be a bit curious about who we could be fighting in the Festival, right?"
"I see it for what it is, a chance for the Kingdoms to come together and nothing more." the curly-haired teen replied, making Chris deflate in disappointment. Seeing his expression, Jonathan laughed. "Haha, I'm sorry I didn't quite meet your expectations, my friend."
Blake smiled wryly. "As much fun as this is, I would like to remind everyone about why we're also in Vale?"
"Yeah, yeah." Yang rolled her eyes. "Get supplies for Professor Peach and Professor Port's classes. Ugh, this blows. Why do we even have to grab stuff for Peach, anyway? It's not like she even teaches! She's, what? An assistant teacher?"
Ruby shook her head. "You're just angry because she gave you detention for that one time you pranked Cardin."
"He touched. My. Ass." Yang growled. "He deserved worse than getting itching powder stuffed in his undies."
Weiss made a noise that resembled disgust. "So juvenile..."
Nanashi, on the other hand, agreed with his adoptive sister. A better prank would be rigging his mace so that it would explode in his face. What an entertaining thought.
"Heh. You're more sadistic than I thought, kid." Dagda commented mentally.
'Given what we went through, I think I have a right to enjoy the torment of people I don't like.' Back in his old world, he thoroughly enjoyed finishing off Adramelech. The look of despair on the Demon's face made him smile. He deserved it after what he did to Manabu and Nikari. Not to mention killing him in the first place.
Although a part of him was grateful for their first encounter. If they hadn't met, he'd probably never would've met Dagda. As the group was walking, Chris suddenly came to a stop. "What's that?" He pointed to a shop across the street. Its windows were broken, the door broken into two, and the whole front was barricaded by yellow tape and police cars. Curious, Teams RWBY and NICA approached and found a plain-clothes detective standing in front of the store. "'scuse us, detective. What happened here?"
"Robbery." the detective said without looking at him. "Third Dust shop hit this month."
"Really? Wow...Vale's gotten dangerous."
"No kidding. But you know the weird thing? All they took was Dust. Didn't even touch the money."
"You think it's the White Fang?" The detectives partner questioned.
"I'm thinking we don't get paid enough for this."
Weiss glowered. "The White Fang... What a bunch of degenerates!"
The Cat Faunus-in-hiding narrowed her eyes dangerously at Weiss' remark. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Hehehe..." Dagda chuckled. "Look at this, kid. I say the princess hit that girl's nerve..."
'Yeah, no kidding.' Nanashi agreed. He knew of Weiss's...opinion regarding Faunus. How they were a cause for a surplus of misfortune that befell her family and the SDC. Although the Godslayer thought differently. The misfortune and pain she endures wasn't simply because of the Faunus. One should look no further than the SDC's current head.
"My problem?" Weiss scoffed. "I just don't care for the criminally insane."
Walter frowned upon hearing this. "They aren't insane, Weiss." he interjected. "They're angry because of what we humans put them through. Not that I blame 'em, considering who's leading the Schnee Dust Corporation since your gramps decided to retire."
"But you also cannot deny that the White Fang have been hurting a great many people as well." Jonathan refuted with an odd look. "As I seem to recall, there have been several incidents over the past year in which the White Fang was reported to have killed both soldiers of the Atlesian military as well as civilians."
"They're just misguided!" Blake said. While she couldn't deny what Jonathan said, she still felt that they were wrong.
Weiss stared at her, incredulous. "Misguided? They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!"
"Then they're very misguided! It also doesn't explain why they would need to rob a Dust store of all things!"
"Maybe it wasn't them." Nanashi interjected. "Me and Ruby ran into Torchwick a while back. And way I heard it, he's been on a Dust stealing spree these last couple of months."
Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what Nanashi said!"
While Team RWBY and NICA continued to grow into an argument, a small green shape, unseen to ordinary humans, floated through the streets. "Confound it, where in the world did she go?" it questioned with annoyance. "Honestly! You would think that she'd have her priorities straight. Urgh, I blame Hallelujah for this. If only he hadn't introduced her to sweets, then... Hrm?" It paused as it happened to notice the collection of students. Almost immediately, it focused on Nanashi, eyes widening. "H-huh? C-could that be...?!"
Before the green shape could move and inspect the young green-eyed teen, a strange boy with unruly blond hair and a monkey's tail sprouting from his backside rushed past them. Not a moment sooner had the group chased after him.
"What?! No, no! Wait! Come back!" the green shape cried as it attempted to pursue, only to stop when a truck near smashed into it. "What in the-! Hey! You could have killed me! ...wait. I'm already dead. Why am I worrying about being hit by a truck? I'll only phase through it!" It then looked around the streets for Nanashi, only to curse when it saw that he had vanished. "Blast! I lost him! Still, if that really was him, then I need to find the others!" The green shape quickly zipped through the air to regroup with his companions. Despite his alarm, he felt hope and joy well up within his chest.
Unbeknownst to him, however, the group of teens followed Weiss as she chased after the monkey Faunus. However, their chase came to an abrupt end when she crashed into an unsuspecting individual.
"Whoa! You okay, Weiss?" Nanashi helped her up.
"I-I'm fine!" she insisted. "Bah, what hit me? We lost him!"
"Hm, so this is how one is greeted in Vale? Sensational!" The group blinked and turned their attention to the floor, where the person who Weiss ran into was lying. It was an orange-haired girl with bright-green eyes. "Hello!"
Walter blinked. "...Penny?"
"Oh, it's friend Walter! I did not expect to see you here in Vale!"
"You...know her?" Nanashi asked.
The incarnation of Lucifer nodded. "Sort of. I know her through my dad." He then walked over to Penny and offered her a hand. "Here, gimme your hand." Penny accepted it gratefully and grabbed hold of it. With a grunt, Walter pulled her up to her feet. "So, what're you doing here?" His eyes narrowed. "The old man didn't sent you here to spy on me, did he?"
"Oh no, nothing of the sort!" Penny assured him. "I'm simply here to participate in the Vytal Festival!"
Chris blinked. "You are?" he asked. "Forgive me, but you hardly look dressed the part."
"I am combat ready!"
Walter chuckled. "She ain't kidding. Trust me when I say this, she's good. I've never been able to beat her in a spar. Not once."
Jonathan's eyes widened at this. "W-what?" Such a notion seemed unbelievable to the incarnation of Merkabah. Throughout their spars over the years, he's witnessed Walter's skill first hand. And he continues to improve with each passing day. To learn that there was someone that he was unable to beat even once seemed inconceivable.
Truly, just how powerful was this girl?
Chris whistled. "Damn, that's impressive." he said.
"At any rate, it is very nice to meet all of you, friends of Walter!" Penny bowed. "May I know your names?"
"Oh, my apologies." Johnathan introduced himself. "My name is Johnathan Arc. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.
"The name's Chris Branwen. Nice to meet ya."
"I'm Nanashi Xiao Long." The team leader bobbed his head.
"Sensational!" Penny cheered.
"I'm Ruby!" the silver-eyed girl went next, followed by her teammates.'
"Weiss Schnee."
"Blake Belladonna."
"You sure you didn't hit your head?" Blake rammed her elbow into her ribs. "Urk! I mean, I'm Yang! Yang Xiao long. Nanashi and Ruby's big sis."
"It is so nice to meet you!" She greeted exuberantly.
While everyone had introduced themselves, Nanashi stared at Penny in curiosity. 'Something feels off about her, but what is it?' he thought. 'It's almost like she's...artificial, somehow.'
"Heh, spot on, kid." Dagda said from the smartphone. "She ain't human. She's all nuts and bolts, but she has a soul in her." Nanashi's eyes widened and looked at Dagda's face, reflected by his phone. Penny was a machine? And she had a soul?! "It's artificial, but it was grown and refined like any humans. It's like a baby's, too. She can't be more than few years old, I wager."
'So she's...a robot?' Nanashi questioned.
Ever since arriving in this world, he learned more about the technology that he hadn't truly known back in Tokyo due to the Demon infestation. Frankly, he was amazed at how much humans were able to create on their own. On top of it, Atlas was the most technologically advanced Kingdom, which included robot guards. But unlike them, Penny had a soul. That meant she had Aura. That made her unique. Brilliant, even. But when he recalled Walter's earlier words, what Dagda told him, and that she hailed from Atlas, his admiration quickly dropped and turned into suspicion. 'Could Atlas be trying to make artificial soldiers?'
"Sounds likely." Dagda scoffed. "You humans always find ways to sink into new depths of depravity, always willing to go to lengths to preserve yourselves. She has free will because she has a soul. That body may be machine, but she's just as human as the rest of you. And her makers want to use her as a tool to bring an end to conflicts. She's just like a demon."
As much as Nanashi hated that fact, he couldn't help but begrudgingly agree. Logistically speaking, she has free will now. But what will stop Atlas from subjugating her and making other weapons like her? Not much different from Demon contracts and summonings.
"Wait a moment!" Weiss suddenly exclaimed, realizing that they had lost their pursuit of the Faunus that had been fleeing from the local authorities for being a stowaway. "Did you see where that rapscallion went?!"
"Rapscallion?"
"The Faunus! The monkey man who ran past here!" She even held up a poorly drawn caricature of the Faunus in question.
'When did she even draw that?' Nanashi wondered.
"I can't say that I have." Penny shook her head. "He ran past me and then I ran into you all."
"Are you certain?"
Blake frowned. "Why are you so concerned about this?" she asked. "We don't even know if he's a participant, and the only thing he did was stowaway on a ship. That's hardly a crime."
"She does bring up a good point." Chris added. "Stowing away on transport's not that bad. My dad and I used to do it a lot back in the day."
"Wait, your father actually encourages such behavior?" Johnathan asked.
"He said it was for stealth training. But really? I think it's because he was too drunk to pay the fare."
"Surprising no one." Yang muttered under her breath.
Weiss' lips thinned. "That doesn't change the fact that he's a filthy criminal!"
"He's not a criminal!" Blake growled. "And stop saying things like rapscallion! He's a person!"
"I feel a cat fight coming on..." Walter whispered to Nanashi, who nodded in agreement. "Should we get in the middle of it? You know Ice Queen the best."
"I can try, but she's damn stubborn." Nanashi sighed. "No thanks to her shitty dad."
"You really don't have the best opinion of Jacques, do you? Not that I don't understand."
"Walter, if I had it my way, Jacques Schnee would either be six feet under the ground or Grimm food."
"Jeez, where did that little green slimeball go?"
Around the other side of Vale, searching the streets, was a girl with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a denim blue sleeveless shirt with a white skirt and boots, along with a white cap with goggles strapped to it. She also wore white gloves over her wrist, with a smartphone strapped to her left wrist.
"It's one thing for Toki to go missing, but Navarre too? Urgh, we should have had Gaston go with them. At least then we could keep an eye on her!" the girl whined. "Ever since Hallelujah got her hooked on sweets, she just...urgh. And here I thought her touched in the head with that Aether stuff was bad."
"ASAHI! ASAAAAAHIIII!"
"H-huh?" The girl blinked when a green translucent shape approached. It was tiny, barely bigger than her hand, with stubby arms and legs with sharp teeth. The top of its head was shaped like a pompadour. "Navarre?! Where the heck have you been?! You were supposed to keep an eye on Toki!"
"I-I'm deeply sorry about that!" Navarre apologized. "And I'll gladly continue the search, but forget the lass for now! I found Nanashi!"
Asahi's eyes widened. "You did?! Are you sure?!"
"I'm positive, unless you know someone else who has a clover on their hand and is dressed all in green! He was in the company of an odd group, and I could have sworn I saw Jonathan and Walter among them, but I couldn't make it from so great a distance! I tried to give chase, but alas, they escaped me."
"Do you know where they might of gone?!"
"I do not. I apologize. But that's not important right now! We need to find the others and commence a search! We finally found him!"
"Right!" Asahi opened up her smartphone. "Guys! Can you hear me?! We got big news!"
Unfortunately, however, Navarre was not the only one to have found Nanashi. As Team RWBY separated, tensions between Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee reaching their peak, the blindfolded boy from yesterday observed the Godslayer from atop a building, staring down at him.
"Is that him?" he asked, as if speaking to an unseen individual. "Is he the one?"
'YES...' a cold, raspy voice whispered in his ear. 'HE IS THE ONE... THE GODSLAYER WHO DRAGGED THE FALSE CREATOR FROM HIS UNIVERSE. THE HERETIC WHO COVETS THE HEAVENLY THRONE...'
"Very well. How shall I proceed?" Nemo asked again, resting a hand on one of his swords.
'ERASE HIM...'
"Understood." The youth stood at attention. As he did, wisps of golden light leaked through his blindfold. The blade was about to be withdrawn when he stopped. Something pressed up against the back of his head.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't try and bring out that letter opener of yours." a cool, feminine voice told him. "I'd really hate to blow your brains out."
"Nozomi, be on your guard." another female voice, this one deeper and possessing an echo, warned her. "This boy is not human."
Nemo sighed softly. "More outsiders..." he muttered as he craned his head. "How many more cockroaches like you...must infest His paradise?"
Nanashi paused midstep as an overwhelming sensation washed over him. Almost immediately, his hand went to Kamikira and his smartphone at the ready. His eyes scanned the streets, looking for anything out of place. There was a familiar scent in the air, one that he had not smelled since arriving here in Remnant.
"Dagda, do you feel that?"
"Aye. It's been so long I had almost forgotten it, but I can feel it." Dagda growled. "There's a demon nearby. Not one of ours. And its powerful. Among the level of a Fiend, I'd wager. There's something else. It almost feels like...Mother? No, that can't be right."
"Know where it is?" Before Dagda could a reply, however, the sudden sense of bloodlust and power had faded away, as if slipping back into its hole. Nanashi remained still, ready to combat at a moment's notice before he relaxed, releasing his grip on his sword. "...it's gone."
"Seems like." The Irish God nodded. "Guess the fight ended as quickly as it started."
"Do you know where it took place?"
"Couldn't get a good grasp on it before it disappeared. Sorry, kid. We lost them."
"Fine. Still though...we're the only ones who can summon Demons. How was it possible for something on the level of a Fiend appeared?"
"Can't say. I'll have Krishna and that snake of his keep an eye out."
"Hoy, Leader!" Walter called out to him from behind. "Pick up the pace or we'll leave you behind!"
"Hmph...weakling..."
The blindfolded teen scoffed as he dusted off his clothes. The outsider had the gall to hold him at gunpoint, yet her power was far too minuscule. The deity with her? Nothing more than an insignificant gnat to His almighty power. Although, he was somewhat pleased. If all of the outsiders were as pathetic as her, then his assignment will be a cakewalk. Then again. She retreated before he could sniff of her meager existence. Oh well. He'll just have to hunt them down later.
He glanced back down at the world below, only to frown as he saw that his quarry had left. Nemo clicked his tongue. He had hoped that he would be able to settle this in a few moments, but it seemed that he would have to wait until later.
It mattered not if he ran. it mattered not if he hid. He would fall to his blade all the same. "Nanashi, I believe he was called..." Nemo murmured with a bitter smile. "How fitting. A nameless pretender yearning for a throne he will never again reach."
'HE IS A FALSE GOD! HE MUST BE ELIMINATED!'
"I understand..." he replied. "...the pretender shall meet his end." He turned his back to the world and stepped away, patiently waiting for the moment when he would be able to slay Nanashi and permanently remove him from this world.
The return to Beacon Academy had been a relatively short affair. Team RWBY had apparently gone ahead of them, and if the fuming looks of Weiss and Blake were of any indication, there was still some clear animosity between them. Nanashi was concerned that it would affect not just the team, but also Ruby. He was fully aware how much she desperately wanted for Team RWBY to succeed. For it to be on the same level as Team STRQ, and she considered close friends family. She did not want to see two close friends fight and claw at each other's throats simply because of conflicting ideals and whatnot. He was also concerned about Weiss as well. He knew about her relatively low opinion about Faunus, but hearing her be so dismissive, if not outright antagonistic, over someone who was just a stowaway of all things, made him greatly worried.
He did not realize just how badly the situation at home and Jacques' own influence had affected her so badly.
That had to change. First chance he had, Nanashi was going to talk to Weiss about this. This couldn't continue. It wasn't healthy. How was she supposed to continue being a Huntress if she couldn't learn to cooperate or mingle with her teammates properly? Much less work with other teams that had Faunus?
Of course, the young Godslayer was no fool. He knew he couldn't undo years worth of mental abuse and conditioning. In all honesty, it was a wonder how Weiss had turned out to be much worse. Then again, he supposed he may have to thank her sister Winter for that. She had been the first to rebel against Jacques when she joined the Atlesian Military. To Weiss, she was someone she greatly admired and looked up to. Winter was no doubt a good role model for her to keep her grounded.
'Can't give her all the credit, kid.' Dagda added. 'You were there to talk with the lass as well. Still can't understand why you would help a human like her.'
That's right. He met her all those years ago and befriended her. He didn't know how or why they formed a bond like that. Maybe it was because he had been feeling lonely? He hadn't quite formed an attachment towards Ruby and Yang or their parents, and the reality that his efforts in attempting to create a new universe and bring his friends back ultimately failing were still weighing on his mind. Maybe he had formed a connection with Weiss simply because he felt a sense of loneliness?
"Still, the lass does have some uses." Dagda continued. "You do need a goddess, after all. And she's already taken with you, even if she doesn't quite want to admit it yet. And before you go saying you don't need one, I would like to remind you that while you would be taking over YHVH's place as the Creator God, you wouldn't have the ability to create new souls. Procreation's the same everywhere, kid."
At times like these, he really wished Dagda had a mute button. "Very funny, Dagda..." Nanashi murmured, shaking his head.
The Irish god scoffed. "If the lass doesn't suit your taste, you could always use one of their souls."
"No." He put his foot down immediately. "We are not using them."
Initially, Dagda had intended to use the souls of his former friends and comrades as the foundation of their new universe, but Nanashi was adamant that they would instead be reincarnated when the new universe was made. Dagda supposed the boy still had some lingering attachment, and would have chastised him for him, but they were so close to their goal anyway, so he didn't see the need for it. And besides, the boy did have a point. They had countless other souls to use at their disposal. Any one of those souls could also be used to form a new foundation. Especially with the aid of the revived Shesha serving underneath Krishna, remade from the Cathedral of Shadows.
Similarly, Nanashi also refused to use any of them to become his "goddess." If he had, they would become no better than Flynn. A mindless drone that existed only to follow his orders. They would be a mockery of their former selves.
"Enough of this talk of goddesses." Nanashi changed the subject. "Dagda, earlier you mentioned you felt something similar to Danu. Is it possible that the Black Maria is here somewhere?"
"I am not sure, kid. The power was definitely otherworldly. Like it came from the Expanse itself. But it was too obscure to properly pinpoint. As for whatever was battling it... I couldn't exactly tell what it was, but it felt familiar. Can't put my finger on it, really."
"Great. So we're pretty much stuck for now..."
If there was one thing Nanashi hated, it was dealing with the unknown. When he first started out, he knew nothing about the Divine Powers that could possibly give him an edge, or how to deal with Lucifer and Merkabah upon confronting them. That whole shitshow at the Yamato Perpetual Reactor was just them winging the whole damn thing! And then came the battles inside the Cosmic Egg. Nanashi had come close to dying several times, and without Dagda's ability to resurrect him, dying for real terrified him. Especially when it meant he wouldn't be able to see Asahi ever again.
He sucked in a breath, running a hand through his hair. "For now, I guess we'll have to wait until Krishna comes back." he muttered. He decided to return to his room and retire for the evening, but paused when he found an unusual sight: Jaune with Jonathan, the former looking nervous. "Hm?" Recalling how Jaune's stubbornness about accomplishing things by himself, and his apparent bitterness towards his brother, he was curious as to why they were meeting. Not wanting to be caught and possibly interrupt, Nanashi hid behind the corner.
"Is something the matter, Jaune?" Jonathan asked with concern, noticing how flustered and nervous his little brother was. "You're sweating an awful lot."
"W-what? I am?" Jaune questioned. "Oh, um, well... I guess its nerves, you could say? N-nevermind that, I-I want to ask you something!" Nanashi grew even more curious and leaned in a bit. "Um, you see... Could you... I mean... Urgh, come on! I practically rehersed this in front of the bathroom mirror all morning! Why's it so hard to this now?!"
"Is something the matter?"
"It's just...well it's just...aw, heck...I'm just gonna say it..." Jaune ran his hands through his hair. "Johnathan...I'm sorry..."
Jonathan blinked. "I...beg your pardon?"
"I'm sorry...for everything! For turning down you and Walter's help, for lying...everything...!"
The younger Arc held his head low in shame. Jonathan, stunned and shocked, momentarily lost his composure as a feeling of sadness swelled up in his chest. "Jaune..." he said slowly. "I already know about it." Jaune looked up, eyes wide. "The truth is, Walter and I...well, we followed you and Pyrrha to the rooftop. And you shouldn't apologize. Rather, I should be the one saying this to you. I didn't realize how badly I had failed. I never realized how much this meant to you."
"I-it's not your fault!" Jaune insisted. "It's mine. I...I was just so wrapped up in my own crap. T-that's why, I wanted to ask you... Would you mind help training me with Pyrrha?"
His elder brother's face broke out into a grin. "I'd be honored to. And I'm sure Walter would want to join as well. Excuse my bluntness but...given your current skillset, you're going to need a lot of catching up to do."
"Oh, don't I know it..."
"Feh. Relying on others in order to become stronger..." Dagda spat. "Disgusting. The humans here are no better than the ones from Tokyo and Mikado. Can't they learn to stand up on their own two feet?"
"Some of them can." Nanashi replied. "But only so few. For others, they just need a push in the right direction. I mean, humans are social creatures."
"Why do you insist on defending them, kid? You're not one of them anymore."
"I know." He glowered. "No need to remind me. But can you blame me for trying to defend what i used to be?"
"Key word: used to. You're much more than that, kid."
Indeed not. Since the day he met Dagda, he ceased being human. He was Dagda's puppet. His Godslayer. He only lived to kill gods.
Feeling that he had intruded long enough, Nanashi was about to leave when he suddenly heard Ruby's panicked voice. "Oh, J-Jaune! Jonathan! Perfect timing!" He pulled himself back to the corner, finding Ruby distraught and wrought with worry. That did not bode well. "Sorry, but did you guys see Blake running past here?!"
"Blake?" Jaune shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen her. Why?"
"Um, well, long story short, she and Weiss kind of got into a fight, and we may or may not have just found out that Blake's secretly a Faunus, a-and she said something wrong a-and now I can't find her!"
"Ruby, slow breathes." Jonathan told her. "Do you know which way she went?"
"I-I don't know! I keep calling her Scroll, but she isn't answering!"
Dagda chuckled darkly. "See, kid? Those so-called friendships humans build are like glass. Fragile and easy to break. They're superficial."
Nanashi didn't give Dagda the satisfaction of answering his question and instead furrowed his brow. "I should have figured this would happen..."
Meanwhile, elsewhere around Beacon Academy, something tore itself into reality. The air around the highest point - that being the tower in which Ozpin's office resided - grew hot as a black tear opened itself right atop the spire. Emerging from it was a snake, its body resembling a flower - lava-like petals surrounding its flaming head while its arms were like leaves with sharpened edges. Krishna sat atop the serpent before he disembarked, taking a spot on top of the spire.
"A full moon..." Krishna smiled mysterious. "Ah, this brings back memories of how my past self once stood at odds with Bhagavaan Kalki." The serpent, Shesha hissed in response. "Indeed, Shesha. Back then, we were close to birthing a new universe free from the influence of YHVH. So close to granting them the Salvation they needed."
His gaze turned downward to the earth below.
"But that was the self who foolishly believed he could escape the sight of the Creator. Only this new self of mine understands how moronic such an ideal is. Just like the humans in this world. They remind me of how humanity once was before Masakado erected the Firmament. So willing to turn on each other to fulfill their own selfish desires, damn the consequences. And yet, there are no gods that watch over them. If there are any, they've chosen to leave them to their fates." A soft smile touched the dark-skinned man's features. "Perhaps, then, these humans too require Salvation...from our Bhagavaan Kalki."
"...I see even being reborn has not changed that compassion for them, Krishna." a baritone voice called out to Krishna. Manifesting behind him was none other than Krishna's former ally from the Divine Powers - Odin, crow perched atop his shoulder.
Krishna chuckled. "I suppose it has not, though unlike my old self, I've discarded my ego. It is, after all, why I have chosen to side with Nanashi." he said. "And what of you, Odin? I'm quite curious, what does the current self that stands before me have to say about the Odin of the Divine Powers that you once were?"
"I would say that he was a hardy fool." The Chief Norse God replied. "He once sought battle, sought worthy foes for the new universe. Worthy of Valhalla. Yet he was blind to the truth. Whereas some squandered potential, he should've taken the time to cultivate them into ones that are worthy."
"Precisely like that young Arc fellow you tested before?"
"Indeed. Also, whereas the old Odin sought to differentiate himself for his origins, I have accepted that I am part of Dagda. Though I remain who I am at my core - a demon that will smite any who oppose the Godslayer and Creator God. But enough of that. Dagda sensed your return and asked me to speak with you. What news have you brought?"
Krishna sighed. "Regarding the presence that Bhagavaan Kalki sensed, I'm afraid neither myself or Shesha have determined the source. All that we can confirm is that it's presence is familiar. It reminds me of our Bhagavaan, and when my past self merged with Flynn to achieve his status as Vishnu."
Odin's blue eye narrowed. "You mean...a Godslayer?"
"I do." The former leader of the Divine Powers nodded morosely. "Their presence was very similar. Yet...there was a particular element that differentiated it."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that the powers of our Bhagavaan and that of Vishnu Flynn originated from deities of lower standing than YHVH. This one, however...is something else...something greater, yet not quite at his level."
The golden Deity grimaced. "...that does not bode well."
"Indeed, it does not." Krishna shook his head. "Moving away from that, I bear good news."
"Speak, then."
The Hindu avatar grinned. "I've found one of the Relics."
-Unravel the World: TO BE CONTINUED-
Preview:
"So, based on what you're saying, Velvet Scarlatina, the girl who Cardin bullies every chance he gets when her team isn't looking, is part of the White Fang by virtue of being a Faunus?"
"Hoy, Nanashi?! Where are you going?!"
"An Angel? Here?!"
"You, who are tainted... You do not belong in His paradise."
"...Asahi?"
Next Time: Unravel the Godslayer
AN: Fun fact. Nemo, in latin, means "no one." Meaning it's "no one" vs "no name." Cool, huh?
I honestly feel a bit disappointed with how this chapter went. I felt like me and Daemon could have done a lot better, but this could just be me rushing to get done with chapters so I can be ready for when Fire Emblem: Three Houses drops.
Anyway, you all have been officially introduced to our new antagonist, Nemo. A Godslayer! But who does he serve? I can't give away any spoilers, but the hints are there. I will say, however, that Nemo's God is NOT an OC, and it is NOT one of the Brother Gods.
Also, Nemo is the last OC that will be introduced in the story. I understand why people bitch about OCs, but they are useful. They are necessary. Don't like it? That's your problem. If you don't like the story, then don't read it. No skin off my nose.
Also, to the people who are bitching for me to update some of my other stories, like Seventh Heaven and Fate/stay night: Dragon of Dragons, BE PATIENT WILL YA?! I'm working here!
As for why Asahi and the gang are here, despite Nanashi killing all of them, well... Yeah, sorry. Can't give you guys anything out of fear for spoilers. But next chapter, we will be wrapping up the end of Volume 1, but we will be going into an intermission between Volumes. I am, after all, going to have the cast of Apocalypse interact with RWBY.
That's it for now. The next update in the works right now is either going to be Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum's Fifth Swing or Metastability. Whichever comes first.
See You~
