Hey there, everyone. Been a while, heh. Sorry about that, it's just that, well, things came up in my and my family's lives that demanded our attention for a while. We're still reeling from what happened, but with the quarantine still being a thing, there's really not much that can be done other than to continue doing what we've been doing up until now. It's just that for several days, it was hard working up the energy to write despite wanting to so badly, not with my thoughts being a mess and all that.

But I'm doing okay now and I was able to finish up the recent chapter for my novel, which definitely took some time to do. It proved exceptionally tough to do since I'm more or less at the climax of the novel and thus figuring out how best to proceed from there in a satisfactory manner proved very difficult for a number of reasons. That I'm almost done with it though is worth noting and hopefully I can have it done by July… though I'll still need to write out the third/final installment of the series too afterwards…

Anyways, all things considered, I'm doing better now as is my family over what happened. Me returning to writing at this point feels therapeutic so hopefully I can get more done in the near future.

Now then, onto the chapter.

Chapter 42

It was with lightning speed that Hazel's head snapped up from its previously drooping state as his eyes immediately locked onto the door leading into that surgery room of Watts'.

Though he hadn't sensed any negativity or anything else that should've been able to grab his attention, he'd still been able to just instinctively notice a shift in reality itself, it seemed like. Whether this was due to his many years of combat experience or something much more primal, he knew not, but what he did know is that Watts was up and at it.

Sure enough, not even a few seconds after thinking that, the man himself strode out of the room as he appeared to finish dressing himself again, looking nonetheless worse for wear despite having lied on a table for all that time.

Hazel said nothing as the man boldly strode across the room towards him. Rather, the big man couldn't bring himself to say anything; he was just too fixated on Watts himself.

Physically, he looked exactly the same as before. After all, it wasn't as if the surgery was meant to alter his looks in any way. But even though Watts looked the same as ever, Hazel couldn't help but almost unconsciously stare at the space above Watts' head. To him, it felt almost as if Watts' very presence was just… bigger somehow.

Again, though it couldn't actually be sensed, he could just tell that Watts was now brimming with power and confidence that he'd never had before.

"Hazel," the man of the hour greeted jovially. "My thanks for standing guard in case things went wrong."

Hazel let out a grunt in acknowledgement. "So," he began, choosing to address the main topic here. "It would seem your operation was completely successful… as was the bonding between you and your Eternal Motor."

Watts chuckled – no, more like laughed like a child – and held his arms wide open as though he was about to wrap them around something. "You could tell, hmm? But indeed, it worked like a charm. No, more than that – it worked out far better than I ever dared to dream!"

Watts looked at his hands now and Hazel narrowed his eyes as he then observed Watts' eyes seemingly glow, crackling with unbridled power. "I can feel it, Hazel. Power gushing out from within me and yet it seeps down into the very crevices of my soul… what an odd but pleasant feeling!"

"Afraid I can't relate," Hazel grumbled out, thought not quite unkindly. If anything, he could almost appreciate the contrast between Watts' reaction to this newfound power and his own reaction to these changes in him. Whereas he still looked upon these changes to himself in considerable worry, Watts was clearly loving every second of his changes so far.

Watts chuckled genuinely at his remark and then walked past him. "Truly, James and those other fools back in Atlas have no idea what they've missed out on… but I shall make sure they learn well from this mistake of theirs." His eyes once more crackled and pulsed with energy, energy that felt similar to aura yet so very different, of a higher level, if such a thing is even possible.

"First, get used to your new power," Hazel said. "Then, you can plan out your revenge… but remember that Salem's plans need to come first."

"Oh, I know that all too well, my friend," Watts replied as he headed to the next room and Hazel followed him, watching as the former Atlas scientist located his rings and gingerly began putting them back on his fingers. "Not to worr- hm?"

Suddenly, just as Watts put on a few of his rings, the man stood ramrod straight and his eyes glowed yet again. But this time, as they glowed, so did the rings placed upon his fingers so far, pulsing the same color too. Then, just as suddenly as this happened, it stopped and Watts stumbled.

Hazel immediately darted forth and steadied the man. "Watts?" he called out, concerned. Had the operation been a failure after all?

"I… I'm fine," Watts answered after a moment, steadying himself. He looked at his rings intently… then smiled. "…It's just that, it would seem my new capabilities are already making themselves known to me. Just now… my very mind had synced with the rings. These ones are in turn synced with the cameras throughout the area here and all manner of recent footage as well as live streams just flooded my mind for a moment. But don't worry, I'm already adapting to the feeling."

At that, Hazel quirked an eyebrow. Of all the things he'd been expecting to hear, that definitely hadn't been it. Unable to think of what exactly to say, however, all he could do was watch his associate as he finished putting on the rest of his fingers and seemingly synced with them too, Watts closing his eyes for a moment as the remaining rings pulsed with vibrant energy.

"Ah…" Watts let out a long sigh. "How… how odd… but interesting, this sensation is. By closing my eyes and letting my senses expand themselves throughout this connection, it feels as if… as if…"

"…What?" Hazel finally managed to ask after Watts trailed off for a second.

Watts opened his eyes and the instant he did so, several things occurred simultaneously. Hazel could outright hear several machines within this base cease their operations while others switched from one task to another. Lights that had been on before now switched off outright or simply dimmed, certain monitors that had been off before now turned on and others that had been on suddenly opened up new displays.

Watts stepped forward and looked all around him before slowly removing his rings. "…It would seem I no longer need these. Rather sad – they'd been among my finest works. But now… now to even wear them feels redundant."

"Watts… you're leaving me in the dark here," Hazel said as he still followed after the man as he took off his rings and placed them gently upon a nearby table.

"As I'd just said, my mind had synced with the rings and their functions," Watts patiently said. "And now, after doing so, it feels as if my mind has extended itself outwards to all the machinery here." He smirked. "…For the sake of simplicity, I've gone from being a mere hacker that needs tools to do said hacking, to being both the hacker and hacking tool at the same time. In other words… technopathy, I believe the word is."

As if to prove this point, Watts' face appeared suddenly on several monitors which then seemed to walk off frame and appeared elsewhere. And when the man wiggled his fingers, the lights and machinery seemed to shimmy in place in direct response to his physical motions.

"To see a world of nothing buts ones and zeroes… and to be able to do this as a result of fiddling with it as a result," Watts murmured, just barely loud enough for Hazel to hear. He laughed. "How fascinating…!"

"Watts," Hazel said sternly. "Don't get too caught up in the moment here – remember where we're at."

"Ah, but of course. Worry not. I know better than to just lose myself completely in the moment…" Watts replied cordially as he turned around. But then his smirk grew sinister. "…Especially not when we appear to have some unexpected guests approaching."

At that, Hazel paused. "…What?"

Watts' eyes flickered, that same green glow occurring once more. "…Hmm. It would seem that your young 'friend' is in the area along with his friends. No doubt, they're here in search of us. But to think they've pinpointed even the general area we're in… truly impressive."

What? Jaune Arc really is in the area?

Hazel's muscles tensed, ready for battle. He'd sworn to finish that boy off the next time they faced, this time for good. Looks like now would be that time.

"Where are they are?" Hazel growled out in determination. He knew not how exactly Jaune Arc came to locate even the general area they were hiding in, but he'd expected as much from the blond by this point. Even if it was a bit sooner than expected, the blond was now on their trail.

Even with how many warehouses there are in this area that look alike, it'd only be a matter of time before that persistent blond and his friends stumbled across the one they'd converted into this safehouse. It was inevitable.

Thus, better to just blindside him yet again and-.

Watts placed a hand upon Hazel's forearm, which crackled with lightning and flames. Before, doing such a thing would've result in Watts' flesh being immediately burnt off even with aura protecting him. Hazel's power was just that immense. But now, it looked as if Watts' hand was holding up fine so far, though the glove he wore over it was being burned away as a result.

Hazel couldn't help but be impressed.

"Now, now," Watts said in an almost playful manner. "With everything that's happened recently, we can't just afford to reveal ourselves to the public so soon, not when Salem still has need of us to remain in the shadows. We may now be far beyond the rabble in this kingdom, but there's still a purpose in us staying hidden."

"Then what do you recommend?" Hazel asked as he settled down. "Even if we just leave now, Jaune Arc and his friends will no doubt notice the sudden bullhead, no matter how small it is, take off and they'll immediately fire upon us, consequences be damned. We'd have to fight either way."

"Ah, that may be true, but we need only distract them until we can make a retreat. Before, doing so would've been unwise due to our lack of safe means of getting in and out of the kingdom in a timely manner, but that's no longer an issue." Watts raised a hand and the machines around them followed his movement. "Though I've still much to learn about my new capabilities, I can already tell that keeping them occupied will be easily done on my part."

Once again, Hazel quirked an eyebrow. Nonetheless, he stepped back as Watts stepped forward, hands raised grandiosely, like an orchestra conductor right before the start of a performance.

Then, before Hazel could say or do anything else, Watts began his orchestra of machinery and chaos.

It was truly amazing how things can go from being perfectly normal to anything but in a literal instant, Jaune thought.

One moment, he and his friends had been essentially patrolling the streets still, just barely making their way closer to the warehouses in the area before a car that was passing by on the street suddenly did a sharp turn and accelerated in their direction.

"Holy shi-!" Yang yelled out as she leapt out of the way followed along with everyone else.

Everyone except for Jaune, that is.

He could see inside the car, saw how shocked and terrified the driver was. This clearly wasn't intentional on the person's part. If he dodged, the car would just slam right into the wall nearby and at that speed and the angle it would slam at, the driver would be hurt badly.

Thus, he darted forward for a split second before suddenly sliding to the left side of the car, the driver's side. Upon doing so, Jaune deftly bent down and grabbed the car by its bottom as it started to pass by him and he flipped it lightly into the air.

The instant he did so, he reached up into the open window of the driver's side and in one swift motion, he unbuckled and pulled the driver out before catching with a free hand the now upside down car, which he placed gently upon the ground.

But honestly, he shouldn't have bothered because the next thing he knew, a whole lot more cars suddenly started honking frantically as they too changed directions and accelerated down their new paths.

Some were heading for him, others for his friends that had moved out of the way and more were heading for the nearby shops.

There was no time to waste. "Stop the cars!" he called out. "Pyrrha, get the ones going for the civilians!"

"Weiss, help her!" Ruby called out. "Protect the people!"

Both the P of JNPR and W of RWBY immediately leapt into action. Pyrrha was the first to make a move, instantly using her semblance to apply the brakes on several of the cars. She could've outright stopped them in their tracks, but doing so would put the clearly confused and panicked drivers at risk of injury, so instead she opted to fiddle with certain parts of the cars to slow them down and divert their paths to somewhere more open. With how big the streets were and how few cars there were – relatively speaking, of course – this proved easy enough to do…

…But it was nowhere near enough.

Some cars couldn't be diverted in time by Pyrrha's semblance so that was when Weiss stepped in, immediately stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground as she concentrated and activated her own semblance, simultaneously creating a shield of glyphs around the civilians closest to her while also form two large black glyphs further away. The gravitational pull of these black glyphs proved just enough to keep some other cars at bay.

The drivers tried to frantically get out, but their doors refused to budge open. But the others hadn't simply been sitting safely on the sidelines – Yang and Nora darted forth and smashed open car doors and pulled the people out to safety, just as Weiss' black glyphs lost the struggle and the now empty cars continued onwards, slamming into street poles and the sides of buildings.

This only proved to be the start of things as streetlights started to go wonky and numerous alarms throughout the area simultaneously went off, creating a cacophony of noise that made it hard for them all to hear each other over.

In a nearby shop that Jaune could see into through its massive glass wall, some machines on the workers' side within was clearly going on the fritz, sparking noticeably even from this distance. The workers inside that had taken refuge behind the counter could just barely be heard screaming in sudden fright and making a run for it.

It was quickly becoming pure chaos, of a different variety from how things had been like during the attack on city hall but nonetheless proving to be just as severe.

Especially since it wasn't as if stopping the cars from crashing didn't mean the cars themselves had ceased moving on their own.

"Look out!" Pyrrha called out. "I'm going to place as many as I can upside down!"

With so many cars coming and going through the area, there was just no way his partner could focus on only a few at a time, especially not when the cars insisted on driving even with her semblance at work. The best she could do was just flip the ones she could reach out upside down so that no matter how much they accelerate, they won't be going anywhere.

"Nora, help her out! Start flipping cars!" Jaune called out. "Ren, head into the shops and start assessing the situations in there! Any machinery acting up, put a stop to it! I'll be doing the same once I clear the streets here!"

"Right!" Nora called out while Ren just nodded from where he was nearby and dashed inside the nearest shop.

As for Jaune, he spotted a number of people still out and about, rendered stupefied by what was suddenly going on, not that he could blame them. Despite some people heading inside for cover, not everyone was able to do so, not that heading inside would be much safer if cars kept threatening to ram into and through walls, to say nothing of whatever machinery and technology was inside that could be acting up.

"Jaune!" Ruby called out as she used her semblance to close the distance between them swiftly. "I'm going to start hitting up the warehouses! If there's any machinery or tech that could definitely be a threat if it goes nuts like these cars, it'll be whatever stuff is there!"

"Alright!"

Ruby nodded and then took off at high speeds, Yang following after her to provide some much needed muscle. With Nora already here to pull heavy duty while Pyrrha and Weiss took care of any rampant cars with their semblances and himself already intent on tending to any civilians on the street, it made sense for Yang to assist her sister as a precaution.

All that left right now was Blake, who masterfully used the bows her weapons came with to pull a woman out of the way of a car that would've otherwise run her down.

Holding the frightened woman up, Blake looked to him. "We need to establish a safe zone and fast! Whatever's going on, things will only get worse if we don't figure out something!"

"I know," Jaune replied, already trying to figure that out.

As if to further compound the fact that things were going wonky, some drones that he presumed belonged to some of the people in the apartments and hotels nearby started to flit about through the air. Said drones made it a point to swerve towards him and his friends in particular.

Drawing his sword and cutting down some of the closer ones, Jaune then leapt forward and kicked the side of a car that would've otherwise crashed right into another one that had just suddenly come to a stop. As much as it pained him to do that when someone was clearly inside it, it had to be done in order to avoid a fate far worse. In any case, he made sure to kick in the spot just above the front left tire, rendering it inoperable.

As the chaos quickly grew all around him, Jaune's thoughts began to flit through his mind at hypersonic speeds.

Just what in the hell was going on? It was clearly the work of someone, but just how was this possible?

As he dwelled on that question, the blond leader swiftly moved about, taking action even as he was deep in thought over this.

He could only pray that whatever was going on would soon come to a stop, one way or another.

With a deep sense of satisfaction, Watts watched his carefully crafted chaos as though he was physically there, the live feed from some cameras in the area practically playing within his own eyes, well, just one of them, that is.

"That should do it," he murmured as he finally lowered his arms, though not before then fiddling his fingers once more. In response, a small aircraft big enough for two or three people switched on remotely just outside the warehouse he and Hazel were currently in.

It was time for them to bid this place goodbye. He'd gotten what he so desperately wished for and now it was time to fall back until the next part of the plan, which would first require Tyrian to make his way here.

"Time to take our leave," he called out to Hazel as he severed the connection between his eye and the cameras out there in the area. "While there is a chance they'll notice our craft leave, it'll be far too late for them to do anything."

"…Just what exactly did you do?" Hazel responded after a few seconds, though the big man did follow after him. "I can feel it… the sudden surge of negativity. To say nothing of that racket outside now."

Watts just chuckled. "In this modern era, with so many things being a part of one big network, hackers can so terribly easily take control of entire city blocks and more. In my case just now, I seized control of the more advanced cars that the residents in this area normally have and have reprogrammed them to drive into any and every obstacle nearby, utilizing onboard cameras as well as the ones mounted in the shops and sides of buildings to get the exact coordinates. The same thing goes for the drones. And as I'm sure you can hear as well, I've taken the liberty of triggering all the alarms in the buildings."

Hazel grunted. "Noted," the man dryly commented. "How long can you keep that up for exactly…?" He sounded most intrigued as to Watts' newfound power.

It was an intrigue that Watts himself naturally held too, but he already had a good grasp of this particular power at least.

"Oh, as long as I want, really," he freely admitted, not even the slightest bit of boasting in his tone. He could just 'feel' it in his very being – so long as he is within a certain distance of any bit of technology that can be programmed, he can easily hijack it and manipulate as he pleases for as long as he wishes. "If I wished, I could have those alarms blare until they short out and those cars will keep on going until they've completely totaled themselves or they run out of Dust to power them. Alas, I didn't actually do so. Instead, I merely set it up so that it will all reset to their previous settings in the next ten minutes. More than enough time for us to be well away from here."

Watts picked up his pace as he neared the exit. Just as he opened the door, two things occurred in response to his will and a little wiggle of the fingers. Firstly, the aircraft lifted off slightly and moved from its hidden spot nearby to just outside the warehouse for their immediate boarding. The second thing that happened was the immediate shutdown and self-destruction of all the machinery inside. While it wasn't too likely for anyone to stumble across this safehouse anytime soon, the possibility wasn't zero and thus he'd rather not leave any traces of his having been here.

Of course, he wasn't about to just have the place itself blow up or anything. That'd only immediately draw attention to this area and even though nothing would be salvageable, it'd only alert their would-be pursuers that they'd been right on the money about their location and fuel their desire to give chase. Best just to stay low as possible for the time being.

The aircraft, a modified bullhead, landed just as he and Hazel stepped outside and the former Atlas scientist hopped right in, his associate following his lead yet again.

As soon as they were in, Watts squinted and flexed his new power and in response, the bullhead's controls moved on their own, silently rising just high enough to clear the buildings nearby.

"…" Hazel made a sound that Watts couldn't identify.

"Hmm, what's the matter? Something of interest?" Watts asked, feeling a huge smile on his face as his mind partially delved into cyberspace itself, interacting with the bullhead in a way that only programmers could ever even dream of. Those ridiculous sci-fi films people come up with couldn't even begin to get down pat this immersive feeling.

So enraptured was Watts by this sensation that he didn't realize he hadn't actually spoken out of his mouth, but rather through the speakers of the bullhead itself.

Hazel said nothing for a moment as the bullhead simply rose higher and higher before beginning its flight out of Vale. The big man appeared to be deliberating about something quite intensely. "…Watts," he began. "Don't let this power get to you too much. No matter how useful it's clearly proving itself to be, arrogance is the last thing needed here."

Watts had to hold back a scoff. Him? Growing arrogant? How can such a thing be when this power was already proving to be something Ironwood and his pathetic army can't even remotely hope to combat? To say nothing of whatever else he may soon prove capable of accomplishing now.

Can it really be arrogance when this power was truly every bit as mighty as he'd dreamed of it being and more? To think that once upon a time, he'd even considered trying to grant this kind of power to all of humanity… how utterly foolish of him back then. Most of these people wouldn't even begin to know how to truly appreciate this gift he'd bequeathed unto himself.

"Not a worry, Hazel," Watts replied, blinking as he disconnected from the bullhead's system… and still seeing ones and zeroes all around him. Hmm, how odd. Perhaps it was a sign of his adapting to the Eternal Motor still. "I of all people know there's a time to indulge in one's self, but now is hardly that time."

Hazel said nothing, but Watts could almost literally feel the man's skepticism bearing down on him. Given Hazel's own predicament with his growing power and the nature of it, Watts supposed it only made sense for his associate to concern himself with such things.

But even so, Hazel really was letting this get to him too much – things would soon perfectly be under their control.

It was just a matter of doing their due diligence in adapting to their new circumstances.

Eager to find some place nice and quiet and open so that he may fully test out his still adjusting power, Watts signaled for the bullhead to pick up speed.

Soon enough, they exited Vale's airspace and were freely travelling to parts elsewhere.

The man couldn't wait for the day he'd return to show James Ironwood just what he'd been foolish enough to miss out on.

Tyrian awoke with a bit of a yawn and nice long stretch, acting for all the world as though he wasn't inside a most uncomfortable cargo plane.

Ever since those Branwen twins had used Raven Branwen's semblance to head elsewhere – undoubtedly to meet with that parasitic Ozpin – Tyrian had disengaged from his duty up until that point, having no longer seen a point in monitoring the situation.

With Qrow Branwen having gone to parts unknown and Raven Branwen, now armed with the knowledge of his combat prowess, proving to be no longer an easy mark to take down, Tyrian had opted to cut his losses and give up the reconnaissance. After all, in the name of her grace, he couldn't afford to potentially fall here, especially not when the Branwen tribe had started to be more active, no doubt keeping an eye out for him.

A shame, really. It would be most lovely to settle the score that had developed between him and the Branwen twins, but this wasn't meant to be, at least not yet. Perhaps another time.

In any case, he'd been contacted by his goddess not long after his fallback, her grace once again proving her divine and frightful power by prophesizing where he'd be and when, a Seer Grimm having been dispatched to that location well in advance. It'd even reached the open spot in the forest long before he'd even though to travel through that area.

Truly, his goddess was a being of frightful power, a power that the entire world shall soon come to know and cower before in due time.

Ah, but he was digressing here, getting too wrapped up already with thoughts of her grace. That wouldn't do, not when he needed to be especially alert.

After all, he was hitching an unnoticed ride in Haven Academy's general direction and it would soon be time for him to disembark, the academy little more than fifteen minutes out.

Her grace, when she'd contacted him through the Seer, had informed him that her attempts to fool the vault of the Spring Maiden had finally bore fruit and it was now up to him to head there to collect the Relic of Knowledge.

To act as just a simple mailman of sorts, that is, to pick up and deliver a single object, would normally be seen as something of an affront to people like him, but to him, this was a mission from his beloved goddess. He'd accomplish it with great fervency. Given that this would be the first time her grace would finally have a Relic at hand, this was truly a momentous occasion.

Truly, it was a pity to think his goddess had gone this long without ever even being able to so much as glimpse a Relic in person. This was all thanks to that damnable fool Ozpin constantly thinking up ways of foiling his goddess' previous agents throughout the ages.

If it wasn't for the fact that Grimm gathering up could eventually be spotted from far away and thus crushed, especially in more modern times where technology and weaponry was especially advanced, then the Grimm would've been more than enough to trample the world long ago.

Alas that was the problem with Grimm hordes – they're easy to notice and put a stop to if spotted from far enough away. And again, with technology being advanced enough to spot others from miles away if not further, Grimm hordes had long since become impractical to send in. So long as the kingdoms' outer defenses still stood, sending in any number of Grimm without any type of real support would be futile, more so as long as Ozpin has the Relics and his little inner circle at hand, figuratively speaking.

That was why it'd long since been necessary to engage in all this subterfuge. And now, it was about to pay off.

As Tyrian forced open a nearby cargo door and he peeked out into the world below, he smiled like a loon as he saw Haven academy quickly looming into sight.

Soon, nothing would stop his goddess from enacting her plans. Not even Ozpin would be able to stop her grace this time.

Leonardo groaned quietly as the Seer let go of him. Utterly drained as the Grimm had used him once again as some sort of aura battery, all the headmaster could do was lift his head enough to look in despair as the vault opened before his very eyes.

Salem had done it, he thought in that moment, she'd managed to figure out a way to fool the vault. He knew not how exactly she'd been able to trick it into thinking the Spring Maiden was the one to open it, but what mattered is that she'd succeeded… and he'd failed.

He'd failed oh so much.

…He really was a pathetic man.

Leonardo had long since known of his own innate cowardice. Honestly, part of the reason he'd even joined Ozpin in this crusade of his at all is because he'd just feared the existence of Salem that much. It hadn't been out of some noble desire to see such a monstrous person stopped for the sake of Remnant or anything like that, not completely.

But when Salem had managed to reach out to him, his fear of her had grown to the point where he'd quickly bent his knee to her and became her spy… and now, here he was reaping the consequences.

These past few weeks, but especially these past few days, he'd been ordered by Salem to send out more and more huntsmen to deal with 'sudden surges in Grimm populations near towns.' This hadn't been untrue per say but said 'surges' were entirely by Salem's designs. And of course, he'd been ordered as well to underplay just how big these forming Grimm hordes really were, to say nothing of falsifying where exactly these nonexistent towns even were. As a result, he'd sent many brave men and women to their deaths, all of them unaware of his hand in their deaths.

He couldn't even bring himself to blame Salem for this. It was all on him. He could've tried something, literally anything, but he didn't. And now, it's only here at the end of things that he spends so much time properly reflecting on his sins.

Haggardly, he tried to stand. "Just… Just what am I to do now…?" he asked in a very quiet tone towards the Seer, Salem having been communicating with him through it just moments ago. But she didn't seem to be there anymore.

As he tried to catch his breath and regain at least some semblance of his former bearings, he looked towards the now fully opened vault and some small part of his mind couldn't help but marvel at what looked like an entirely different world, one of eternal spring, was contained within the vault.

And right there, sitting atop a pedestal of sorts was an intricate lamp, golden in design yet also glowing with what looked like blue energy. It was honestly his first time ever seeing any Relic up close and even with how exhausted and miserable he currently is, Leonardo was captivated by the sight.

…

…

…It… it was just him and this Seer, he noted. The Seer's tentacles possessed surprising strength, yes, and he was exhausted from being used like a live battery these past several days, to say nothing of the stress he'd been under for a long time, but…

He shook his head. Just what was he thinking? Did he really believe he could do something about this mess he'd caused? Back when he'd first been approached by Salem's Seer Grimm, he could've and should've done something about it – he'd still been at the peak of his strength and as cowardly as he is, it wasn't as if he'd never fought before. He was headmaster of Haven Academy for a reason, after all.

But, after everything he's done, did he really have a right to suddenly change his ways? Doing so would not earn him redemption, not by a long shot.

But… it's just that… it's just that, seeing the Relic for himself somehow really compounded the situation for good into him. Up until now, he'd been holding out some stupid hope that Salem's attempts at opening the vault without the Maiden would fail. Even if she'd take out her frustrations on him in such a situation, it would've been so much better had she failed in this endeavor.

That she'd been able to open the vault though and he could now see for himself the Relic the Grimms' leader so clearly wanted all this time, though… something in him sort of shifted as a result of this sight.

It would never make up for what he's done, but he had to do som-!

"Ohh…" A voice suddenly rang out from somewhere behind him, one so very sickeningly lustful in a sense.

Using what little strength that had returned to him, Leonardo managed to turn around just enough to see who it was…

…And his heart practically seized beating in his chest as a result.

"Ah… so that is the Relic of Knowledge," Tyrian Callows, infamously crazed serial killer, uttered with open arms. The lanky scorpion Faunus looked as though he was reaching nirvana just by looking at it.

"H-How…?" Leonardo started to say, only to be cut off by a sudden bark of laughter from Tyrian.

"You've sent out so many of your precious huntsmen to be slaughtered like the lambs they are," the Faunus began sinisterly. "And your students have yet to fully return from their lovely time in Vale. Did you really think that, with your academy so lacking in defenders, I'd be unable to slip my way in here?"

"Tyrian," Salem's voice called out suddenly from the Seer near Leonardo. "My thanks for your quick arrival. Now, would you be so kind as to retrieve the Relic for me?"

"Of course, your grace," Tyrian said fervently before marching forward with purpose.

He quickly passed right by Leonardo, and the headmaster, acting on some long forgotten impulse, reached out in an attempt to stop the scorpion Faunus – only for Tyrians tail to suddenly lash out and swat him aside harshly. The serial killer didn't even so much as look his way in the process.

And so, as Leonardo went skidding painfully across the floor, hacking and coughing from the lightning fast hit to his defenseless ribs, he could only listen but not see as Tyrian reached the pedestal and lifted the Relic off of it.

"N-No…" Leonardo managed to hack out. Because of how drained his aura was from the Seer's actions earlier, that hit just now really had crushed his ribs. Combined with his fatigued state, it took all he had just to get back up onto his knees.

And as if to mock him, Salem spoke to Tyrian and the deranged man listened, both of them acting as if he wasn't even there anymore.

"Good," rang out Salem's satisfied voice. "Tyrian, bring that to me as quickly as possible. Do whatever you must to do so. All I ask is that you avoid detection lest you be delayed. After bringing it to me, go and meet with Hazel and Watts. It shall soon be time to deliver the final blow to Vale before my own assault upon it can begin. Once you're on your way, I shall give you their precise coordinates."

Tyrian bowed deeply, holding the Relic of Knowledge in the same tender manner a new parent would hold their own newborn child. "At once, your grace!" The man was positively giddy.

And then he turned and looked right at Leonardo. "And…" the man began in a bloodthirsty tone. "What of him?"

The Seer turned slightly so that Salem could peer at him. The woman's expression, in contrast to her servant's, was one of mild amusement, as if this was but a fun little business exchange.

"Of the four kingdoms, Vale shall be the first to fall for good," Salem began, speaking more to Tyrian than to him. "But it is never too early to plant the seeds of chaos and fear here in Mistral. Do be sure to place his body back in his office for discovery, Tyrian. And don't forget to close up the entrance to vault as well. It wouldn't do to tip our hand too early to Ozpin and his remaining allies."

"It shall be done, your grace," Tyrian said with a massive and predatory grin as Salem's image faded within the Seer's bulbous form. The man giggled darkly as he slowly approached Leonardo's still kneeling form, his stinger steadily raising and poising to strike-.

-Only for Leonardo to strike first.

A coward he may be, he was still a huntsman, if only a shadow of one now. Bolstered by all the fear and self-loathing he's long felt, what little strength remained within Leonardo manifested itself here and now. The headmaster let out a surprisingly mighty bellow, one worthy of his lion Faunus heritage as he suddenly activated his weapon, Stalwart.

Though it was a simple weapon in both design and usage, there was never any denying its effectiveness. The weapon was fully capable of launching small but extremely concentrated Dust attacks that could effortlessly fell even Beringels if direct shots are landed. Backed by his once extremely sharp reflexes, he could pull off incredibly fast quickdraws that would bombard enemies with a variety of different Dust attacks. The way his weapon works was that it would only be rotated in one direction, meaning switching from one specific Dust to another wasn't possible, but the order of the Dust chambers ensured that the effects of each one would stack for greater damage and hampering ability so even against much larger Grimm, he could still easily keep them at bay and fell them.

And Tyrian, as resilient a man as he no doubt was, would be no exception. The serial killer, taken aback by Leonardo's sudden surge of courage – no, desperation, plain and simple – could only leap back several yards and then to his left, avoiding the rapid-fire shots. The same could not be said of the Seer, however, and it quickly died after two shots struck its bulbous 'head' directly, splattering it all over the place before its remains dissipated.

Due to how drained he was, Leonardo had trouble keeping a bead on the man, but he nonetheless did his best anyways, in particular aiming for the scorpion Faunus' tail. His aim proved just reliable enough that Tyrian had no choice but keep it hidden behind his back completely to avoid it taking any nasty hits.

At the sight of that, for just one terribly brief second, Leonardo entertained the possibility of him actually being able to pull this off, of being able to keep this evil bastard at bay just long enough to make an escape and get in touch with Ozpin and let him know of what was going on-.

-But unfortunately, that was a hope that so easily dashed right after it had formed.

Clearly enraged by his resistance, Tyrian drew his own blades and using some aura to further strengthen them, he proceeded to cut through the next several shots that Leonardo managed to get off before suddenly rushing right in.

Leonardo's eyes went wide, knowing this was to be his end. Even so, he tried desperately to get up and backpedal, do something – anything – to keep a distance between him and Tyrian. Alas, what little strength he still possessed didn't extent to his wobbling legs and so he only ended up practically collapsing onto his back, suddenly and without any fanfare.

And that single instance was all it took to throw off his aim for good, giving Tyrian ample time to close the distance between them. Then the man swung his blade just once and sneered-.

-And that sneer was the last thing Leonardo could comprehend seeing as his throat was cleanly cut open, blood flowing freely and quickly.

The last fully formed thought he had before dying was of how sorry he was towards those he no longer had the right to call friends.

Just before he could even start to pray for forgiveness, Leonardo's live came to its end.

Salem hummed in mild surprise and even amusement.

Though she'd cut communications with Tyrian, she'd still been able to see through the Seer and had bore witness to the beginning of what was undoubtedly Leonardo's last stand for there was absolutely no way the headmaster of Haven would ever best Tyrian. The cowardly man's sudden defiance had been unexpected given just how beaten down he'd become during his brief employ but was not altogether an unpleasant sight.

Salem had long since come to acknowledge mankind's general resiliency and their stubborn will in fighting for their own survival. These were things she could actually even admire, for they were traits she had as well. It's just that now, she was stubbornly trying to accomplish something quite different from what most humans would probably ever even dream of trying to do.

Alas, it was all in vain. Leonardo may have demonstrated some of mankind's better traits in his last few moments, but said futility was also a sign of mankind's own future too. For no matter how they may try to resist, it would only be a matter of time until they perished one way or another.

But she was letting herself be distracted her.

No, what she should be focusing on is what she's accomplished. She's managed to open the vault and ordered Tyrian to now bring the Relic right to her. Compared to how things have gone over the past several eras, this was quite an achievement for her as far as the war against Ozma and his own forces was concerned.

That said, she was debating on whether or not she'd actually use the Relic of Knowledge. Aside from asking if there was another and more efficient way of recalling the God Brothers so that they may face her wrath for good, there was hardly any other need she had for it. As of now, her plans were progressing quite smoothly and with Hazel's and now Watts' growing power, setting the stage for Vale's annihilation would be much easier to accomplish.

Once that was accomplished, searching for the Relic of Choice would be easy to do and if that Relic did what she believed it to be capable of doing, then bringing down the other kingdoms would become much easier to do as well as be doable much more quickly, which would in turn leave her free to obtain the other Relics in a swift order.

But again, it wasn't as if she truly needed the Relic for any immediate usage other than the aforementioned question. But certainly, having it in her possession deprives Ozma and his allies of a valuable asset.

Yes, she could say with absolute certainty that things were truly beginning to look up for her now and she couldn't help but smile as she fully took this all in.

Her already ominous red eyes glowing an even fiercer red and her blackened veins darkening even more, Salem continued to dwell on what was to come next, more confident than ever of her assured victory.

Soon, this world will be at her mercy and the God Brothers will finally pay for their actions from long ago.

Yeah, a bit of a shorter chapter than usual, I'll admit and not too much really happening yet again. Still just setting the stage for what is to come next, you guys. Hope you will look forward to it as there are still plenty more twists and turns to come for all parties involved.

As for the lack of conflict concerning Jaune and co.'s side and Hazel/Watts, the reason for that is simply that it's not yet time for things to come to a head just yet. It is simply not time yet for Watts and Hazel to truly show what they're capable of… and the same goes for Jaune as well. Hope you understand.

Also, Leonardo was yet another one of those horribly underutilized characters in canon, especially in his 'fight' against Oscar/Ozpin. Though it wasn't as if he was going toe to toe with Tyrian in the end there, I hope I was able to give him a bit of a better showing/fleshing out than his canon self.

Until next time, everyone. Stay safe.