Slave of Light Chapter 61, a rwby fanfic

Much to my surprise, it turns out the Miles Morales game was also available for PS4! Just goes to show what happens when I don't regularly follow gaming news and stuff, ha ha. In any case, got the game and it's every bit as good if not better than the first one. Have to say, Insomniac is really stepping up their game in my opinion.

Now, that aside, the reason why this chapter is also just a bit later than I'd been expecting to put out is due once again to numerous things – marginal case of writer's block, plus real life obligations and other fun stuff. Been a busy bee buying up some books that had come out recently (some mangas/light novels plus the most recent Michael Connolly novel) and naturally reading them takes up some time. Plus I had a little R&R trip down to San Diego to hang out with a family friend. So… yeah, busy times recently for me.

On the writer's block front, well, I'd honestly been stumped on how to write the start to this chapter plus how long exactly I should be making it. As usual, I just went 'screw it' at some point and started writing and the words just started to flow, but damn did starting it take some real effort on my part. Sure hope this doesn't happen when I start my third novel…

In any case, here it is, people – chapter 61! Enjoy!

(11/19/20): P.S. See Ending AN.

Chapter 61

All across Vale, those still out on the ruined streets of the kingdom could only stop and gape at the veritable war taking place in the sky above. Whether they be hardened huntsmen, veteran soldiers, huntsmen trainees, police officers or some of the relative few civilians that have yet to be taken to proper shelters, all could only stop in their tracks to witness the onslaught of the elements and Atlas ship firepower being unleashed up in the air.

This isn't to say that all of them had been oblivious to the chaos that had been taking place to the west at first, but now that it was taking place up above, they all got a front row seat to what was going on in full.

And this sudden sight… it was beautiful, enrapturing. The way the cannons of the few Atlas ships roared as they were fired seemingly in tune with the lightning and audible bursts of flames and ice that assailed a single spot… it was like witnessing some unnatural war symphony.

Of course, at that very same time, the sight was just as terrifying as it was enrapturing. Even from so far below, the power of those attacks couldn't be mistaken in the slightest and there was an occasional misfire that would end up obliterating entire buildings and blocks as if they were nothing at all.

By all rights, everyone there should be rushing for cover as quickly as their feet could carry them… and yet, none did so. Somehow, they just felt compelled to watch, only ever moving when it seemed like their little spot was about to come under fire from what was going on.

And among this massive audience was none other than the three remaining members of JNPR, all of whom had finally managed to link up just prior to this dizzying battle erupting within Vale.

Though just as captivated by the sight as everyone else were, they were among the very few that were in the know. They were but a small handful of those who were aware of the true threat assaulting the kingdom right now and who the other members of this battle were.

"Salem…" Pyrrha whispered as she stared up, her weapons at danger of falling out of her hands due to how slack her grip was in this case. Such was her shock at all this.

Nora and Ren remained completely silent despite having seemingly heard her, their eyes unable to tear themselves away from the sky above.

It was only a moment longer, just as the sky itself rippled like waves in water, that the normally talkative Nora finally managed to speak up. "I don't think our fearless leader is part of the fray anymore."

Normally, such a randomly spoken phrase like that would inspire some level of worry – what if something had happened to him? However, such was not the case this time. Despite the unbelievable display of power being perpetually unleashed right now, Pyrrha wasn't worried at all for her partner's safety.

That being said…

"…To think he was no doubt a part of all that insanity," she murmured.

When she'd first learned of all this, the redhead had tried to comprehend the sort of threat they'd be dealing with, had done her best to envision just how any of them would even go about combatting it.

Now she saw just how absurd such thoughts had been in hindsight – even with the boost provided by Jaune's aura, there was absolutely no way any of them could hope to get involved in a battle like that and not be instantly wiped out. The sheer difference in power was so far beyond absurd that it wasn't even remotely funny.

And yet… Jaune had no doubt be a part of that battle and was still out there even now… it was enough to boggle the mind, really.

Just how strong was Jaune now? But better yet, how was such unbelievable strength still not enough for him to truly turn the tide?

Just what sort of foe was this Salem?!

"I can barely make it out…" Ren began, his senses in particular being strengthened by Jaune's aura. The R of JNPR's eyes, however, were clearly looking strained – the result of the power Jaune's aura was providing steadily becoming too much for even Ren with his excellent aura control to carefully manage. On an aside, though all the Grimm had finally been vanquished, the number of unintentionally self-inflicted injuries had been substantial. Such was the result of the sheer amount of power Jaune's aura was providing everyone.

Anyways…

"I can just make out this Salem…" Ren continued. His expression was rather grim. "…She doesn't seem to be tiring in the slightest."

At that, Pyrrha felt some worry now despite the mental effect the aura was having on her too. If Salem was still going strong even after all this…

…No, she wouldn't dare let her thoughts go down that path. Now more than ever was not the time to let such horrid thoughts enter her mind. The absolute last thing that was needed here was for her faith to be shaken.

Faith…

Faith…?

"…!" Pyrrha made a little sound as a realization sudden struck her. She wasn't sure just why such a thing would strike now of all times nor what exactly had been the trigger for it, but she wasn't about to just let things go so easily now.

If Jaune's aura here could interact with everyone to the extent where it can even soothe their minds and souls then that meant there was a direct link of sorts between him and all of them. In which case, what would happen if she tried to tap into this possible link?

Closing her eyes, Pyrrha offered up a silent prayer, reaffirming her faith in the possibility that things will ultimately end in their favor… and in the fact that it would be her partner who'd help ensure such a possibility came to be.

As she did this, a pulse occurred. It wasn't something that could be perceived with any of the usual senses, but rather it was something she felt. More importantly, it was a sort of sensation that others had felt too.

From beside her, Nora and Ren startled, having clearly felt the pulse much more intimately than anyone else nearby. They turned to look at her, their gaze on the battle above broken for the moment.

"Pyrrha, you…" Nora began, amazed.

Pyrrha smiled as she opened her eyes. "Jaune had mentioned to me once about wanting to be everyone's hero," she replied. "I'd say now is no better time for that happen."

"…" Nora and Ren both made an unidentifiable sound in response. But then, after a few seconds during which the pulsing sensation slowly continued, they smiled too in understanding.

The sensation grew stronger and could be felt spreading further out. Somehow, Pyrrha could practically feel many others out there react to the pulse now that it could reach them.

Then, just some odd seconds later, the redhead could feel the pulse growing even stronger and spreading ever further out. It was through Jaune's aura that they could all be connected like this… and now, just as they'd all been empowered by the blond teen, they now sought to lend him strength as well, using this connection between them all to their advantage.

The growth of this sensation was slow at first, but steadily gained in pacing and intensity.

At some point, Pyrrha could feel their unspoken prayers and pleas and affirmations coalesce into one through this spiritual network… and just seconds later, this coalescence began to trace the path back to the source of all this aura-.

-Back towards Jaune.

None of them may not be able to get involved directly in such a grand battle, but Pyrrha vowed here and now to still contribute in her own way… and now, many others, if only due to sheer instinct, sought to do so as well.

As more people joined in as the pulse grew stronger, Pyrrha uttered a single phrase that summed up exactly what everyone so far felt-.

"Go finish this, Jaune."

Jaune let out a deep breath as he felt something enter the very core of his soul – a huge and ever growing new source of power.

…No, that wasn't quite accurate. It was more like all the aura he'd been spreading out throughout the entire kingdom was now making its way back into himself, seemingly of its own accord… and his returning aura wasn't the same as it was before.

Aura was the manifestation of the soul, thus even though it was a form of energy, it was something much more than that. He wasn't sure of the exact mechanics behind it all and so didn't really know how best to describe it even to himself… but the best he could do here was think of aura as ultimately being an expression of one's own soul, reflecting the thoughts and emotions of people.

And in this case, as his aura returned to him, he could feel it – the thoughts and feelings of all those who'd received strength from him, which had been infused into the aura.

He felt their solidarity, their courage, their desire for a happy ending or at least as happy an ending as one could have in this situation.

He felt all that and so much more. A gathering of prayers, one could call it… and it was all gathering within him.

The blond closed his eyes and took a breath. Just now when this had first struck him, it'd taken him off guard, had gotten him to even stumble a bit, but now he was ready for it and was welcoming it with open arms.

This was by no means some figurative phrase – the teen really did have his arms spread out as if to try embracing someone before him, only in this case, he felt as if he was embracing everyone in a sense. He could feel their presence all around him now and within him and with this came power and ever deepening resolve.

His semblance was one that effectively caused an indefinite number of experiences that could be deemed as awakenings. And now he was experiencing more awakenings than ever before and more drastically as well. Simply by standing here and existing, his power was growing to new and previously impossible heights.

And yet – it still wasn't enough. He could just feel it; this wasn't yet enough to do what the headmaster wished for him to accomplish.

But in due time, that would change… and he'd be ready for it.

Slowly, he looked to his side, where the headmaster still stood. Though the man in question was looking just as horribly injured as he was before and just as exhausted, there was a certain wellspring of strength still there… and it clearly seemed that the older man – ancient man, Jaune reminded himself with just a bit of amazement – could feel this process at work too if the amazed but knowing smile on his face was anything to go by.

The headmaster then nodded and slowly began to walk forth, his grievously injured form managing to stand tall and proud throughout. His pace steadily increased until he was soon out of Jaune's sight.

It was obvious just where the man was walking to – towards a better position to get involved once the opportunity arose within the battle.

All for the one shot that Jaune needed to end this battle for good.

An ending that he will bring about, not just through his own power but through the power of everyone else too.

In which case, he would not disappoint in the slightest.

He resumed an attack stance, gathering his own power and that of everyone else within his blades. It was clear from his shifting posture that he intended to release one and only one strike once the chance came to do so.

And so, as everyone's prayers gathered within him still, the blond readied himself for the ending to come.

The laws of the world raged as Salem raged in mid-battle. Despite having the power advantage, she was being steadily pushed back, put further and further onto the defensive.

Lightning fired from several feet below her and traveled upwards in an attempt to hit either of the Maidens – to no avail. As fatigued as they clearly are, they possessed firm enough wills to push themselves to the limit and beyond to keep ahead of her.

The Spring Maiden, Raven, reached out and actually snatched one of the bolts as it passed her by and thanks to her own command over the elements, she was able to redirect it with her open hands towards Salem herself. The ruler of the Grimm growled as she forced the bolt to disperse while simultaneously preparing to break down space itself-.

-Only for some cannon fire from the Atlas flagship to interrupt her. Thanks to her prophetic vision, she was able to discern exactly where the shots would land and upon realizing they'd miss, she remained where she was for the most part. Alas, one of the other things she'd foreseen was the other Maiden, Amber, capitalizing on the cannon fire by way of reaching out to one of the shells with a powerful command over the wind to guide it towards her, thus necessitating her once again defending against it.

She fired a beam of pure magical energy that pierced the shot in mid-flight, detonating it harmlessly. The beam travelled onwards towards the Fall Maiden, but Amber had already flown out of the immediate area and now followed up with a burst of hail formed from all the moisture in the air.

Salem ended up being peppered somewhat, the woman no longer caring if her foes landed minor attacks on her. So long as she focused on guarding against the much more powerful and damaging attacks, she figured she'd be fine. Better to just deal with some insignificant bruising and bleeding rather than anything else like losing another limb.

Teleporting towards Amber, Salem relished the look of surprise the young woman now had on her face just before the ruler of the Grimm viciously backhanded her with all the strength she could muster. While by no means a physical powerhouse at all, she still packed a wallop and it showed as she sent Amber careening away. But the woman wasn't done just yet and sought to crush the very space Amber was about to occupy.

At the last possible instant, Amber managed to form a barrier around her to resist the spatial crush and then quickly flew out of the attack zone as Salem let loose a hail of jagged rocks. The woman seemed to consider getting some payback for the backhand judging by the look on her face, but then she suddenly seemed to reconsider and backed off.

Salem knew what was coming and flew away just in time to avoid Raven, who rushed in and slashed multiple times at the spot she'd just occupied. Salem grimaced; had she been just a millisecond slower, she'd have lost an arm and part of a leg. Immortal or not, she was long since tired of losing limbs, especially now that they knew how to exploit it to an extent.

"…!"

At that moment, there was a shift in the very air. Salem was detecting a new sort of power at work now.

She didn't seem to be the only either, for both Maidens seemed to slow in their movements for just a brief moment and even the fire from the remaining Atlas ships ceased as well. Now would've been the perfect time to exact some vengeance upon them all for the humiliation she's been suffering so far, but Salem didn't do so, just couldn't bring herself to carry out such a desire.

For this power wasn't one that could just be ignored so easily.

Her prophetic vision went into overdrive. In the span of just a microsecond, a vision filled her mind. Said vision was simply of Jaune Arc, readying to attack her with a single swing of his blade. Not exactly nothing new by this point… and yet, the attack in this vision just felt so terribly different. All of the attacks he'd landed on her previously had certainly inspired a considerable level of caution in her, if only due to how overwhelming the blond could be in close combat.

But this one… this attack inspired genuine fear. But why? She didn't know at all, couldn't understand even in the slightest how this shift came to be. Moreover, she had no idea when exactly this vision would even come to pass.

However, the one thing the ancient witch knew for sure, it was this:

Jaune Arc had to be dealt with. Now.

With the Maidens and seemingly everyone else distracted, Salem whirled around in the air as she frantically tried to locate the blond in question. Alas, she was so terribly high up and the sheer amount of aura flooding the entire kingdom still served as an excellent way for the blond to hide his power signature from her extrasensory perceptions.

Then in that case, if she can't locate him and launch a precise attack, she'll just settle for something much more widespread.

She didn't care if her attack will kill him or not – she just had to interrupt him somehow, she felt.

To this end, she let out a shriek of desperation and rage and unleashed as much power as she could. She forewent bending the elements and space and gravity to her will and settled instead for pure magical power. Dozens of magical beams were generated from within her immortal body and fired themselves wildly all across the kingdom.

Each beam, upon hitting anything, then exploded with incredible force, concentrated within explosions no bigger than the average person. In and of themselves, not exactly something too threatening, but when so many beams were being unleashed and with more to come, the effects proved quite drastic.

She was like an artillery strike unto herself as she effectively blanketed entire sections of Vale. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that numerous others ended up dying from all this or at the very least ended up injured, but whether anyone at all died or survived was of no consequence to her. All that mattered was making sure the blond teen's attack was halted.

Alas, that sensation of fear remained as strong as it was a moment ago. If anything, it just felt stronger now, as if the young man's attack was somehow going to be even stronger now.

"-!" Hissing, Salem teleported herself as close to the kingdom as she was willing to go, not wanting to get too close for the blond to potentially snipe her with this attack. Now levitating just barely above the tallest of structures within the kingdom – not that any really remained standing after all that's happened – she made a sweeping motion with her hands. In response, the earth below rumbled and flowed like semi-violent waves and intense gales accompanied the waves.

But before any significant damage could be done, the Maidens had finally gathered their wits about them and attacked her while she'd allowed herself to be so utterly consumed by this vision. Spears of ice and flames that were no thinner a child's arm pierced through her back at that instant. She gasped and lost focus, the waves and gales ceasing immediately as the jolt of pain from having her insides simultaneously frozen solid and reduced to smoldering flesh.

The sheer force behind the thrown elemental spears had also sent her falling towards the ground and just as she'd even started to levitate her way back up, Amber and Raven slammed into her from above with great force. Together, the three of them went spiraling towards the ground and struck it hard. They ended up smashing through the ruined street and into the sewers below, such was the force of their impact.

Hitting the filthy sewer canal and getting utterly drenched in sewer water, Salem let out a burst of pure heat that caused the water to completely evaporate and force the Maidens off her for the moment. Salem then shrieked as she followed this up with what amounted to an increase of gravity being applied in odd directions. Basically, she changed the direction of gravity itself and increased it a hundredfold, blowing the Maidens further off her and deeper into the sewers. Raven went smashing through a sewer wall and onwards for an indeterminate length of time and Amber ended up tumbling along a long and wide sewer path.

And it was the younger of the two Maidens that Salem focused on here, her eyes glowing ever more deeply.

Her plans had been ruined considerably by this point. A truly absurd number of surprises had seen to the decimation of her forces and had constantly been putting her on the backfoot in combat herself whenever she so much as hoped to have regained the advantage.

And then… there'd been what would've and should've been Ozma's last words to her. About their place in the world and the actions they both had undertaken throughout their wretched existences.

All of the things that they could've done differently… oh, how vastly differently life would currently be had they done so.

All of that combined with this new and overwhelming sense of fear was now enough to well and truly get to her. Though self-aware enough to know of what was happening to her, Salem just couldn't help it – she was snapping, losing control.

And now Amber was her target.

"You little-!" She began as she restored gravity to its normal vector whilst retaining the enhanced strength to it. Amber's tumble awkwardly ceased as she was literally forced into the sewer canal. The woman gasped and clearly tried to fight against it but Salem didn't allow that to happen. She rushed forward, genuinely rushed, and stomped as hard as she could on Amber's undefended stomach. That got a wheeze out of the woman, but even so she tried to resist. The elements began to bend to her will, but Salem chose that exact instant to shut her down. Her own will, enhanced by her peaking rage and dread, proved to be more than enough to effectively negate Amber's own control over the elements and as Amber's expression twisted into one of surprise, Salem stomped down on her again.

Then again. And again and again.

After the fourth stomp, Salem made the ground rise up around Amber and just like how she'd done against Ozma, made the warping ground form deadly spikes.

They impaled the Fall Maiden ruthlessly through her limbs and lower torso. However, Salem didn't dare to kill her immediately, not just yet. She wanted this pathetic girl to know what true hopelessness felt like.

"Beg…" Salem whispered to the now gasping woman as the spikes slowly grew bigger, painfully tearing through Amber's body. "Now. Beg me for mercy."

But that didn't happen. Instead, Amber used what little sense she had left to glare up at her and slowly raise a hand… and flip her the bird.

Salem roared as she then formed a blade of pressurized water to cut through the offending finger followed by the rest of the hand. Amber cried out from the pain but Salem cut off the cry by now kneeling down quickly and jamming some of her fingers into the young woman's mouth.

Her deathly white fingers gripped Amber's tongue harshly and then tugged. It was a genuine miracle that the tongue didn't end up getting pulled out even with the increased gravity still in effect, but Salem didn't care. All that mattered was getting the woman to look her right in the eyes before meeting her death.

"Fine then," Salem snarled out quietly. "Time for you to join the previous Maidens in the afterlife. Know that you've lived just as futile a life as they all have."

Amber's will remained seemingly unbroken, for despite the pain she was clearly in, she bore a defiant look in her eyes. She probably had some defiant comment to match her spirit too, but just as soon as the woman tried to speak anyways despite her tongue being gripped, Salem made good on her threat.

With a single finger, surrounded by highly concentrated magical energy, Salem pierced a hole through the very center of Amber's throat.

The woman's expression faltered from the strike and she started to gurgle. Salem, anger now somewhat abated, let go of Amber's tongue and watched with unrestrained glee as at least one nuisance was dealt with. Gravity returned to its normal strength as Amber's body was steadily stilling now…

…Except, even as Amber now gasped and choked for air through the huge hole in her throat, the woman somehow had the gall to look at Salem the best she could… and manage a sneer in her final moment. As if even now, the young woman knew something that Salem didn't.

And just like that, as the Fall Maiden came to pass, what pleasure Salem could find in her death was quickly put out by that single gesture.

"Infuriating girl-," Salem began, only to be cut off by a storm of magical power from behind her. Looks like Raven had finally recovered from her impromptu flight through who knows how many sewer walls and sections.

Salem just barely got a chance to turn around before Raven was on her, forgoing her previous tactics in favor of unarmed combat. Blinding fast thrusts with her hands and vicious kicks were unleashed and took Salem so completely off guard that when combined with her lack of combat training, she was easy pickings for the clearly enraged Spring Maiden.

Raven was much stronger than her lithe physique would suggest, amplified all the more by Jaune Arc's aura. Thus, as she buried a hand into Salem's solar plexus, it literally pierced all the way through her as if she were made out of tissue. It didn't help either that Raven was subtly extending the range of her strikes with small bits of ice upon her fingertips to improve her range.

Said thrust got a sudden lurch out of the ruler of the Grimm and Raven then followed up with a powerful kick that broke both her knees to the side. Salem's entire upper body bent at a horribly awkward angle and before she knew it, she was damn near lying sideways in the air.

That was when Raven raised a leg and brought it down in a feral axe-kick that completely ruined her skull.

A wave of pure magical energy was then unleashed and what remained of Salem's broken body got blown back. The woman desperately regenerated and tried to attack the Spring Maiden – only to drastically underestimate how much faster said Maiden was moving now, seemingly motivated by a desire by revenge.

But…

"Why?" Salem managed to utter out hoarsely as her head regenerated, just barely able to put up a barrier that blocked the charge from Raven. "I could tell just by observing you both that you disliked it each other."

"We did," Raven growled. "But strength is strength and I can respect that much. The dumb, naïve bitch may have been unlikeable but she had strength and spirit, unlike you!" Raven concentrated a great deal of power within a fist and unleashed it through a simple punch. The condensed power shattered the power and carried her forward right into Salem. The Grimms' ruler tried to dodge it, but even the following graze was still enough to blow off an entire chunk of her right shoulder and send her flying back through the wall.

"I can see it now," Raven continued with a sneer as she closed in on her immediately and delivered a kick that launched her upwards and out into the ruined street. She then chuckled. "To think I actually feared you too a while back… but now I can see for who you really are. You've power, Salem, but that's it. No technique, no training or true experience. Your one true advantage aside from the Grimm is that ridiculous immortality of yours. Get past your damn magic, though, and, well, just look at how quickly you crumble!"

Angered, Salem glared at the woman and fired a beam of magical power at her, but the woman casually dodged it as she reached street level and simultaneously fired a bolt of lightning that zigged and zagged all over the area due to all the scattered metal around before striking Salem from behind, frying her back right open. Salem gasped and stumbled forward – which left her open just long enough for Raven to form a solid club out of earth and swing it like a bat right at her side.

Salem's bones shattered as she was launched into the air and it took all she had to try and force herself from going flying too far. To her credit, she was able to do just so and in so doing managed to disrupt Raven's advantage by preemptively striking at the spot she was about to occupy.

"I make no excuses for my lacking combat ability," Salem growled out, sick and tired of people putting down her faults. She was more than aware of this. That she was being looked down on after all that's happened only added to her frustrations. "But don't let yourself get too confident – I didn't endure for all this time just to be undone by a fool like you!"

She'd warped space in the spot Raven had been about to occupy, causing the spot to pop like a balloon. The resulting burst did heavy damage to the Spring Maiden and stopped her in her tracks. Salem waved a hand and several lightning bolts manifested from nothingness to strike Raven and fry her.

"…That may be so," Raven muttered as she started to fall after surprisingly enduring the lightning strikes. "But at least I can say I'd never been as hopeless a fool as you."

"…!"

This little-!

Salem let loose a blast of power that sent Raven crashing back into the ground like a human meteor. Much like was the case with Amber, Raven's body had been sustaining considerable injury over the course of their fighting. Healing aside, the pain must surely be adding up.

In which case, it was time to deprive Ozma of yet another pawn. Granted, the power would only go to some other foolish girl who'd then get delusions of grandeur from having all that power, but that was nothing new by this point either.

Salem reached out with a hand, prepared to crush the entire space a now stunned Raven occupied.

However.

Because of how focused she'd become on the Maidens, Salem had neglected to realize how low she still was to the ground.

And moreover… a certain someone had now located her.

Just as she'd been about to concentrate her power, Ozma let out a battle cry that rattled her to her bones due to the sheer intensity of it as well as the suddenness. She didn't even get a chance to turn around before he ran her through with the weapon he wielded.

The sheer momentum he'd built up behind his charge was enough to send the two of them sailing across the street and smash right through what remained of several buildings before finally coming to a stop.

"Ozma…!" Salem cried out once they came to a stop, ready to attack – only for Ozma to get in another attack instead. He headbutted her hard in the nose to stun her before violently pulling out the sword from her back. An instant later, he swung his blade and cut a leg off and kicked it away harshly.

In that exact moment, Salem roared and concentrated magical power within this action. The enhanced roar was thus able to blow him back and Salem frantically tried to locate where her leg had gone.

Alas, Ozma had seemingly been more than prepared for such an action, because he then threw his blade at her and the very hilt ended up bashing her right in the side of her temple, rattling her brain around like an especially violent ping-pong ball within an insanely closed space.

He closed in, using her semblance to overwhelm her and stomp down on the knee of the other leg. Breaking it, he followed up with a powerful haymaker that caught her across the jaw and rattled her brain further.

It was perhaps only due to sheer luck on her part that she was still able to react by way of levitating up as quickly as possible – only for Ozma to grab her by the broken leg and pull her back down harshly. He then delivered two kick blows to her stomach that made her gasp for air as she was deprive of it.

However, this helped to clear her head a bit of cobwebs and the woman promptly played around with gravity to make Ozma 'fall' upwards suddenly. This took him by surprise – for maybe all of a nanosecond. He simply concentrated some magical power and formed a platform that he wasted no time kicking off of to go right for his sword.

But Salem's prophetic sight had foreseen that and what his action after that was supposed to be – so she'd made sure to hastily teleport the blade from its current spot and instead appear in her own hands. She had no real experience with weapons, hasn't even touched one for so terribly long, but she was still able to subsequently deliver an accurate swing at Ozma's exposed side.

She was able to cut into him, but not completely for he'd managed to roll in midair to avoid being cut in two.

Salem groaned, her anger reaching a point where her very magical power was enough to make the blade in her hands melt away into nothing. "Why do you even insist on trying anymore, Ozma?!"

She's had it. She was simply completely done. After all that's happened today, she just didn't care anymore. Not for any theatrics or dramatic moments, no more back and forth insults over their philosophies and whatnot. She just wanted this battle over with so that she may begin to gather the Relics.

And by all rights, her former husband should be dying, yet here he was displaying every ounce of power and resolve that could still be squeezed out of himself. It was just ridiculous, absurd! Why did Ozma even try anymore?!

Yes, she was still very much aware of the danger Jaune Arc posed, but even so-!

"Because I now have something else to fight for… and that gives me some extra strength," he actually answered and in a rather quiet voice that didn't match the intense expression on his face as he ignored his new injury and lunged for her with ever increasing speed.

Salem growled as she tried to put up a barrier in between them – but Ozma just formed another platform to kick off of and he launched himself over her before spinning around and hitting her with a deceptively light looking attack, the tips of his left foot connecting with the side of her head, just above her left eye.

She was about to get knocked to the ground from this strike but managed to teleport herself several dozen or so meters upwards. She hissed, blood dripping down from the new wound before it closed up. The blood got into her left eye and she instinctively and stupidly ended up focusing on that too much. she stopped what she was doing to try and wipe the blood out of her vision.

But this proved to be her undoing as she then foresaw Ozma simply performing a mighty leap upwards and grabbing her by the now recovered leg.

Immediately, she tried to fly away and did manage to put some distance quickly between her previous spot and now – but she didn't see one final shell from Atlas' flagship being fired her way and it struck her dead on. A portion of her body was completely destroyed and the surprise was enough to make her stop.

Her head and thus her vision restored themselves just in time to see Ozma literally running upwards in the air by forming multiple platforms to close the distance between them. He kicked off the final one and slammed into her – but rather than let them fall, he ended up forming yet another platform beneath and they ended up crashing into that instead.

Salem glared at him, their faces so very close to one another now and she angrily thrust a hand into an open wound that Ozma sported. He gasped, but remained strong, meeting her glare with one of his own. And just when she was about to manipulate space to stab him through the side of his skull, he managed to get in a punch that made her see stars for just a split second, followed by him somehow worming his leg in between her own and kneeing her right in the crotch with unforgiving force.

That got a wheeze out of her and Ozma started to pepper her with one punch after another, quickly targeting the side of her skull and her eyes to obscure her vision and keep her off balance.

But Salem, taking a page out of his book, fought through the pain and squirmed her way to freedom out of his grip. Immediately after doing so, she punched him right in the nose before then trying to jab a finger into an eye. Alas, while the punch had landed, Ozma had anticipated her eye jab for he twisted his head at the last instant so that her sharp fingernail only grazed the side of his face.

This was just her way of keeping him distracted because now Salem was getting well and truly tired of all this. Immediately, she immolated herself – and of course, him along with her. She wasn't about to snoop to this infuriating knock-down-drag-out level, not when she still had plenty of options available to her. And if Ozma really did insist on pinning her down like this, then she'd truly be a fool to not take advantage of it.

And so, the two former lovers burned together. Amazingly, both of them seemed to welcome this – but for different reasons.

For Salem, this immolation served two purposes. Firstly and most importantly, it'd kill Ozma's current body unless he tried to escape now. Secondly and much less importantly, the complete destruction of her body will result in a full recovery, seeing that she was still missing the leg Ozma had sliced off just barely a minute ago.

But… that being said… why was Ozma smiling now?

"Oh, Salem," he somehow managed to utter as he now utilized what magical power he had left to form a barrier around the two of them, letting in just enough oxygen to keep their immolation going. "I can tell just by looking at you that you believe me a fool in this moment – but you're the true fool here."

"What…?"

Ozma chuckled even as his lungs now burned. "You've always had a bad habit of losing track of things if you get worked up enough… wouldn't you agree, Mr. Arc?"

Salem's eyes widened and followed Ozma's gaze he now looked elsewhere…

…And followed his look back to somewhere off in the distance, where the power she'd sensed earlier was now concentrating in.

"…!"

Salem tried to teleport out of the barrier, not caring if that meant Ozma would be coming with her. But to her surprise, her teleportation failed. Similarly, when she tried to brute force her way out, the barrier rattled about but otherwise remained perfectly intact.

Only then did she realize what had happened.

She'd thought it odd that Ozma was burning so damn well right now – it's because he was forgoing keeping himself as safe as possible with his aura and magic and instead concentrating all of that power on the barrier itself.

Back in the distant past, Ozma's power had been such that with enough effort, anyone he trapped within his barriers couldn't even teleport out of them due to some anti-spatial effect the barrier had going on. And it would now seem that Ozma, enhanced as he is by Jaune Arc's aura, was now able to replicate that same level of ability at the complete expense of personal defense. This is why his body seemed to be literally cooking so quickly – it was because he was simply not defending himself at all anymore.

Moreover, he'd trapped them both up in the sky, just high enough to be visible to Jaune Arc and just low enough that the blond can accurately aim at them.

And now she could see that the blond teen's attack was rapidly nearing its completion. He'll be firing at them in perhaps a minute or so at the most.

That sense horrible sense of terror filled her and Salem completely gave up on cooking herself and Ozma and instead just focused on trying to break out of the barrier. She unleashed her magical power to its utmost limit over and over again, waves of power threatening to pop the barrier like a bubble – except, for all her efforts, the barrier remained terrifyingly intact.

"O-Ozma…?!" Salem started, her terror as clear as day in both her expression and tone. "Just what is about to happen?! What have you and he planned on just now?!"

Ozma was clearly in on what was about to happen, otherwise he wouldn't just pull a stunt like this so suddenly.

His hoarse chuckle only confirmed this. "What is about to happen, you ask?" he began, his tone unsettlingly light. "Why, the end, of course – our end."

And then, punctuating his words, a wave of brilliant golden light was unleashed and washed over them completely.

Just about a moment before the blow was struck, Jaune stood there in absolute silence, readying himself.

All this time, as Raven and Amber had battled Salem, he'd been gathering his strength… as well as that of everyone else. Their feelings, their prayers , filled him and amplified his strength that much more. In this moment, he was becoming quite literally a hero of the people, embodying their hopes for victory.

Alas…

"…" He made a sound as the fighting had carried on. Through the link now established in full between him and everyone, he was now much privier to things that before he hadn't been able to quite clearly sense.

For example, even when the battle between the Maidens and Salem had moved to somewhere up out of sight before continuing into the sewers, he naturally couldn't see what was going on… but through the link that both Raven and Amber were a part of, he'd been made aware of what had been going on all the while…

…Naturally, this included when Amber's death came to be, Salem having managed to finally follow through on a threat.

Though he'd only known her for a brief period of time, Jaune found himself missing the young woman considerably. But though he knew grief in this moment, it was brief and muted – for even though Amber was now no more, he could still feel her in spirit.

In that final instant before her passing, she'd passed on what strength she had left to him through the link. And though the power of the Fall Maiden had already upped and left for a new host, it'd still been bound to Amber's very soul just long enough for him to actually analyze it in depth.

Through this single instant, he was able to get a true grasp of what magic is, even as heavily reduced as the power was when compared to the likes of Salem who hailed from a time where magic was still in abundance.

He understood now – magic was a gift from the Brother Gods to humanity back then. But more than that, magic was ultimately just an extension of sorts of the Brother Gods' essence. Through his analysis, he came to understand how the Brother Gods' power works… and that included the curses placed upon both Salem and Ozpin.

And now that he knew how they worked, he could finally break them.

"…" Once more, the blond made a sound as he finally began to move. His form twitched forward little by little, all the power compressed within him just waiting to be released.

Through the link, he sensed the headmaster – Ozpin – and became aware of the battle between the man and the woman who'd once been the love of his life. And sure enough, as the ancient wizard had promised, he was finally able to fulfill the task he'd imposed on himself.

It'd taken a solid half minute or so to pull off, but Ozpin had managed to get Salem so completely whipped into a fervor on trying to do as much damage to him as possible that by the time the woman finally took notice of what was to come, it was too late – Ozpin had put up a barrier around them that prevented her from escaping and had made sure they were out in the open at just the right angle for the final blow.

And now, it was time for Jaune to deliver.

Through the link, everyone could sense it – the final blow and in response, all their prayers coalesced fully with his strength which in turn was finally let loose.

There was absolutely no fanfare for the blow. No grandiose one-liner like what heroes typically spout in stories, no exceptionally unique sounds or flashes of light to indicate that the blow he was unleashing was all that different from other attacks he's unleashed before. It was just never his thing and now more than ever, all that really mattered was putting an end to this battle for good.

He swung the blade in his right hand with all the power contained within, a golden flash of light being let loose in the form of a simple wave of aura much like all those other times before. In an instant, it reached his target, the attack itself outright ignoring the concept of distance itself in the process.

The barrier Ozpin had constructed to trap both himself and Salem was undeniably powerful – but before the strength he now possessed, Jaune found it to be as easy to shatter as an egg at best.

He both watched and felt as his attack annihilated the barrier and cut deep into and through Salem – as well as Ozpin – before then exploding upwards into a burst of light that travelled all the way out into space and beyond.

Now this explosion, unlike the initial release of the attack, was loud indeed, deafening even. The already clear sky was painted gold for just a second and the clouds that had been visible hundreds of miles away were blown away as well. The entirety of the kingdom and beyond shook from the explosion before the explosion abruptly disappeared. All of the aura he'd spread throughout the kingdom had finally gone and disappeared as well, the purpose behind it now fulfilled.

"…" Jaune lowered his blade. He hadn't paid much mind to the aftermath of his own attack. Rather, he'd kept his sight entirely on the spot Salem and Ozpin had occupied. It'd be only slightly, but he'd been able to see the way they'd fallen.

Without a sound, he quickly went off after the two.

For a few seconds, Ozpin remained completely silent. His entire world felt surreal, dream-like. He hurt all over and yet the pain somehow felt euphoric at the exact same time.

A part of him wished to say that his entire body was one big and battered mess… but that implied he was still in one piece when he no longer wasn't. Mr. Arc's final blow had cut him in two an angle – only a portion of his upper body, which included only his right arm, chest, and a portion of his left shoulder remained intact, in addition to his head of course. The rest of his body had been severed and blown to nothingness in the process.

More than that… he could feel it – the ever-familiar embrace of death. At best, he had minutes left to live before he expired.

A horrid groan came from somewhere nearby, reminding the man that he wasn't alone.

Slowly, he turned his head to see Salem in a similar state, most of her body obliterated save for just a small portion of her upper body that included her head… and she was showing no signs of regenerating at all.

The woman groaned and writhed, but it seemed to be less from pain and more from a sense of panic that she likely hadn't felt in hundreds of years if not longer.

"O-Ozma…" she groaned out, clearly aware that he was nearby. "Just what…?"

Ozpin couldn't help but smile as he slowly looked away from his former wife and up to the sky. "Can you not tell?" he began weakly, amazed he was even still able to speak at all. Nonetheless, he wished to make the most of his fading ability to do so. "Our curses have been broken – no, cut away. We're dying, Salem. Like we were meant to all that time ago…"

Something about the sheer finality in his tone was enough to make Salem cease her writhing, if only partially. Despite her shock, she was just as focused as she ever was. "That's… that's impossible…"

"I believe reality disagrees with you."

The sound of footsteps nearby got both of their attention and Ozpin was able to just barely look up in time to see the hero who'd achieved the impossible step into view. Mr. Arc – no, Jaune – approached them with blades still in hand, but with rather lax grips on them. His expression, normally so controlled but fierce, looked torn by what had to be done but accepting nonetheless.

"Headmaster… no, Ozpin…" the blond began as he looked him over before than looking to Salem. "…It's finally done, isn't it? This battle, at least."

Ozpin's soul was beginning to depart for good now, his vision growing dark and what little strength he had left slipping away steadily. Even so, he still managed to answer the blond. "That's right, Jaune. I can tell – we'll both be passing on any time now."

"…"

Ozpin chuckled a bit. "A part of you wishes things might have turned out differently here… understandable, but not something to worry about. Especially not when this truly is the most ideal ending possible here."

"…Yeah, I'd figured as much when you'd first said you'd stop Salem in her tracks. Speaking of which…" Jaune focused on Salem.

The woman, sensing his gaze, looked at him. Glared at him, actually, but there was no real heat to it. Perhaps that was due to the sense of fatigue finally settling in, but there was more to her gaze than just that. "…You… you truly are different. That power of yours… such a thing shouldn't exist at all."

"…Perhaps. And yet, here I am."

Salem actually snorted, but that action only resulted in her hacking and coughing immediately thereafter. Ozpin could tell that she too was close to dying now, much like him. "…If only someone like you had existed back then…"

"What's done is done, Salem," Ozpin now said, getting involved here. "The past is the past and has long since been laid to rest. Now it's time for us to join it."

Salem audibly twitched at that and from the sounds of it, it seemed like she was going to say something… only for the woman to seemingly change her mind. She now seemed to gaze his way – he always could tell whenever Salem stared at him – and she spoke just one final time. "…I suppose… it's time I finally got to see my little girls again…"

And just like that, all the bottled up emotions that had once made up Salem's being for so long finally seemed to release in one quiet gasp… and with that release, Salem passed on.

Despite the bitterness that had long since formed between them, Ozpin couldn't help but feel a pang within his soul at how things had turned out. But this lasted for just a second – after all, he could now feel that it was his turn any second now.

"Jaune," he began, looking to the blond teen. "Thank you… I can't imagine the future being any easier even with us both gone… but even so, I've faith it will all turn out okay with you and the others at the helm."

The blond smiled softly. "Thanks. I'll definitely be doing my best in making a bright future a reality." He paused. Then… "Rest easy on the other side, okay?"

Ozpin chuckled. "I believe I will."

And then, his world went dark… for good, this time.

"…"

Jaune watched in silence as Ozpin passed on. The words spoken between them had been rather awkward and brief, a part of his mind admitted, but understandably so. After all, at this point in time, he believed all that could possibly be said had been spoken. He imagined that had been especially true between Ozpin and Salem given how brief their words to one another had been, given how many times they've undoubtedly clashed over the centuries.

…

Jaune wasn't one prone to praying, but for just a minute, he closed his eyes and offered up some words in their honor. For all that's happened up until this point, it was an undeniable fact that their actions have shaped history and is what led to the rise of the modern era. If things had played out differently long ago, things could've and would've been very different now. At the very least, he must acknowledge that fact and offer them some tribute.

But more than that… he was just glad they'd finally found peace. Cutting their curses had been no easy task even with all the power he'd packed into that final blow, but it'd been well worth it. Not simply because this marked the end of the battle, but also because he got one final chance in this incident to save people, that being Ozpin and Salem themselves. Because at the end of the day, they too had been victims in this entire affair, victims to the whims of the Brother Gods…

…

…Alas, those were thoughts that could wait until later…

"Jaune!"

"Jauney!"

His teammates could be heard nearby. Looks like before the link had been shut down, they'd been able to sense his location and came rushing on over.

Jaune turned around and greeted them with a small smile, a smile that quickly grew upon seeing the state they were in as they rushed towards him. They were beaten and bloodied and their clothes had seen better days too. By all rights, if not for the boost his aura had been providing them and all the others earlier, they likely would've died. Hell, even now, they looked like they would be collapsing any second now.

And yet, for all their injuries, they shined so terribly brightly to him. Additionally, they served as walking representations of the path that lied ahead – rough and no doubt filled with life-threatening dangers, but also a path brimming with potential for a bright future.

Just as they rushed to embrace him in one big hug, he too rushed towards them.

As they hugged it out for the moment, Jaune silently vowed to also embrace the uncertain future as well, with all its uncertain potential.

Okay, I'll admit – not exactly my best work. I've spent a fair bit of time rewriting different sections of this chapter to try and make it great, but ultimately with little success.

And that's because, well, of life, I guess. A lot has been going on this year for all of us. For me, this means the death of my paternal aunt back in May which I believe I mentioned before… in addition to the death of a maternal uncle in July, my now deceased aunt's husband passing away from Covid this past September, my brother getting a seizure and fracturing his right foot for 12 weeks, some crazy drama going on with my uncle's side of the family concerning his and my aunt's death… and now, my other paternal aunt is estimated by doctors to have little more than a few days left to live at best before the Covid takes her too…

…Yeah.

Needless to say, these past several months have been rough for me and my family. We've accepted all this bullshit, we've done our grieving and have done our best to move on as best as we can… but even so, it's just so much getting thrown at us within such a short amount of time that it's just ridiculous.

In my case, I'd been doing my best to just try and take it all in, grieve and move on on my own terms and keep myself busy with my hobbies and stuff… but even so, though I'm doing better now, it's still taken a lot out of me and I think this can be seen in quite a few of the last chapters for this fic, including this chapter too.

And for that, I just want to say sorry. I know it sounds dumb to be saying sorry considering what I just said above, but even so, I just sort of can't help but say it, it's just how I am as a person, I guess. So… yeah. Sorry this ending AN has been such a sudden mood swinger compared to the AN at the start of the chapter, to say nothing of the chapter's quality in general too but I just wanted to keep you guys apprised, I guess.

…Seriously, people. Please, please, PLEASE take care out there. Look out for yourselves and for your families and loved ones, alright? Cherish your times together as much as you can… and to those of you struggling with this year, for whatever my words are worth to you, I offer you my condolences… as well as my support. I hope you who are hurting will be able to get through this.

…Epilogue will be up next… and whenever I do get it done, I'll be making yet another special AN, so, again… yeah.

Until next time, everyone. Stay safe and stay strong.