Chapter 14: Return of the Dream
Why is this fic getting updated yet again before all the other ones I've been neglecting? ESPECIALLY since I only updated this story TWICE last year?
Simple reason, actually. Once we finished the last chapter, we couldn't get the stuff we had planned out of our heads! Seriously, it was like "Oh, Duncan's gonna-!", and "RWBY's gonna-!", and "The Grimm will-!", and "Oh, he's gonna be there, too!".
I think you get the point.
It's a serious problem writers can have. At least, writers who make multiple stories at once. Everything is just there, in their heads, waiting to be used.
And those thoughts won't STFU. Not to mention real life constantly getting in the way of everything.
Doesn't matter now. It's 2016, I expect this year to be better than the complete shit-storm 2015 was, and I will NOT update as...poorly, as I did last year. If I do, I hope anyone who's an actual fan of these things rages at me. One fic getting updated twice in one year? Unacceptable.
Which is why we decided to make it up to you, our fellow readers, by making this chapter not 10, not 20, not 30, but over 40,000 words long! I hope that makes up for the wait.
Anyways. Remember that we don't own anything. Still don't own RWBY, don't own DxD, or...
Well, read the chapter. We don't own that either.
Makes us sad to know that. So, without further delay...
Let us celebrate the "Return of the Dream"!
...Really?
Shut up, that was perfect!
BGMs:
Round One - Jeff Williams ft. Lamar Hall
Bleach OST 3: Comical World
Fate/Stay Night Anime OST: Unmei no Yoru
Emiya #0
Forever - Jeff and Casey Williams
Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack - Grunt's Last Stand
Sword Art Online OST - Luminous Sword
Die - Jeff and Casey Williams
We Are The Champions - Queen
World's Greatest Battle Music Ever - The Hero Within
OST Fate/stay night - Kishi Ou no Hokori
(Play "RWBY Vol. 2 Opening")
(There's a point where it tips, there's a point where it breaks)
The scene starts as the clouds part away, the camera slowly zooming in toward Beacon Academy's courtyard.
(There's a point where it bends, and a point we just can't take)
The scene changes to show the backs of three individuals- Ruby Rose, Duncan Verser, and Michael Verser- as they stand side by side as the area flickers into shades of white, gray, red and black as a pair of silver eyes open overhead.
(Anymore)
The three of them are then shown from the front, all of their eyes closed.
(There's a line that we'll cross and there's no return)
They are then joined by Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, as white fire burns in the sky.
(There's a time and a place, no bridges left to burn)
Ruby, Duncan and Michael open their eyes, looking up into the sky.
(Anymore!)
As the black sun shines and the academy disintegrates into nothingness, everything fades to white.
(We can't just wait with lives at stake)
Ruby then falls from the sun and through the atmosphere, joined by a whooping Duncan and a screaming Michael.
(Until they think we're ready)
Gears then zoom into existence as Professor Ozpin stands in his clock tower office, which is then replaced by images of Team JNPR; Team CRDL; Team SSSN; Team CFVY; General Ironwood and Penny with Atlas soldiers; Ozpin with Glynda Goodwitch, Bartholomew Oobleck, and Peter Port; Hei "Junior" Xiong with Melanie & Miltiades Malachite; and Roman Torchwick with Neopolitan in rapid succession.
(Our enemies are gathering)
The Antiverser walks through flaming streets with Cinder Fall, Lucifer, Mercury Black, a conflicted Emerald Sustrai, and Adam Taurus by his side, and an army of Grimm right behind them.
(The storm is growing deadly)
Back up in the sky, Ruby, Duncan and Michael are joined by the rest of Team RWBY, along with Teams JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY as they all land in the streets of Vale.
(Now it's time to say goodbye)
A blurry fight is shown as Duncan and Pyrrha fight side by side, defeating silhouettes resembling the members of Team CRDL.
(To the things we loved, and the innocence of youth)
The scene then shifts to Cinder and The Antiverser, looking at the moon as Atlas ships soar overhead. The scene immediately shifts to Unit VRSE and Team RWBY charging to face their foes.
(How the time seemed to fly)
Yang is shown brawling against Mercury, Blake battles against Taurus, Weiss fights with Emerald, Ruby against Cinder, Michael crosses blades with Lucifer, and Duncan clashes with The Antiverser.
(From our carefree lives)
Kicking backwards, Duncan glares as he launches another attack, quickly joined by his friends.
(And the solitude and peace we always knew)
The final scene has them launching a final strike, in the order of Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ruby, Michael, and finally Duncan, with the camera zooming in to his pupil as the title is shown.
MLTI VRSE
(End "RWBY Vol. 2 Opening")
Third Person's POV:
The moon was shining in the sky as the city of Vale slept. Overlooking it all was Ironwood, dressed in his full attire as he gazed out into the distance.
"Trouble sleeping?" Glynda asked, walking up to the General.
Patting his left arm, he said "Arm was acting up."
She wasn't buying it. "Of course. So, logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely, and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance...what's wrong?" she asked.
"...I've trusted him for years, we both have," he said. "I just...I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark. Even more so since Duncan Verser got involved in all of this."
"Don't be ridiculous," she admonished. "You know very well that we're not the ones in the dark."
"That makes it worse!" Ironwood stated. "I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so...passively!"
Placing her hand on his shoulder, she said "You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people...even against protest. That's something admirable. But it's high time you stop talking about trust and started showing it. Especially to Duncan."
"How am I supposed to trust him, when I know absolutely nothing about him or his intentions?" he asked. "I know Oz said he was on our side, but...I can't help but feel like he's more than he lets on...like he'll only bring suffering to everyone. How am I supposed to trust someone like that?"
Glynda sighed. "I don't know...but you should at least try," she said. "They both have experience, that we sorely lack..."
A moment of silence passed between them before Glynda noticed her old friend fidget a little. Noticing the look she was giving, Ironwood sighed. "Speaking of Verser...I...happened to see you and his brother, Michael, together the other day." Her face contorted in shock. "It was completely by accident, I assure you," he said placatingly. "Still...while I don't exactly trust the Versers...just know that I'm glad you found someone to be with, Glynda." The sincerity in his voice was evident as the smile on his face, which made Glynda blush from embarrassment (A/N: For the full story, read the upcoming Chapter 2 of ShepardisaBOSS' story "Love is Multiversal: The Love of the Hunt").
"...May I ask where you saw us?" she asked.
Chuckling, he answered "When you two were singing together, believe it or not. You have a beautiful singing voice, by the way."
She blushed even harder, but was smiling at the memory of her duet with her young lover. "I still can't believe I'm in love with one of my students," she muttered.
"For what it's worth, you have my support," Ironwood said.
As the two talked among each other, they were unaware of a figure that seemed to materialize from the shadows. Yellow eyes held bemusement at the conversation's topic, as said figure smiled before heading out.
"Okay then," the figure said to themselves, "I've got a few hours before the Grimm attack...let's see what I can whip up..."
Meanwhile...
He stands alone, on that hill, in that desolate wasteland. Fighting through countless battles. Waging war for the sake of his dream. Killing all enemies. Turning even his allies into weapons. Ending every obstacle in his way, striving for that ever-distant utopia. Where all people who have ever, will ever, and do exist, will finally meet.
A paradise that he knows, deep in his soul, he himself will never reach. Never experience...
...
...
...
...Karada wa tsurugi de dekiteiru
Chishio wa tetsu de kokoro wa garasu
Ikutabi no senjou wo koete fuhai
Tada no ichido mo haisou wa naku
Tada no ichido mo rikai sarenai
Ka no mono wa tsune ni hitori
Tsurugi no oka de shouri ni you
Yue ni shougai ni imi wa naku
Sono karada wa kitto tsurugi de dekiteiru...
...
...
...
Such is the price of his ideal. He will always be ever alone...on that hill of-
He woke with a jolt running through his body, his eyes screwing tighter as his mind focused.
"God. Fucking. Dammit," Duncan grumbled quietly, opening his eyes as he laid down on his sleeping mat. "Now I remember why I don't dream: 'Cause I don't wanna," he muttered angrily.
It had been years since he had any kind of dream related to that. Years since he even thought back on something like that. Groaning, Duncan believed that it was the result of the fight at the tower, as well as the talk he had with Michael only hours ago.
'Now I know for sure that something's stirring in me,' he thought. 'It's only a matter of time until they wake up...but...can I even face them after all this time? Any of them?' The King of the Multiversers sighed, rubbing his left arm in remembrance of his past.
"Zwei?" Turning around, Duncan saw a now waking Michael looking over at the corgi, who was barking loud enough to wake everyone else present.
"Where's Ruby?" Blake asked, standing up.
"I'm assuming Zwei needed to pee, they stumbled on our targets, went after them, something went wrong, and now Ruby's in trouble." Duncan assessed, stretching before standing up with all the others.
"And since we know you, that's exactly what happened," Yang grumbled, not happy that Ruby was allowed to be put in danger without help.
"I'm being ordered not to prevent stuff until a certain time." No one needed to ask who ordered that. "Let's just get Ruby, and take care of the Fang."
"No doubt Zwei will lead the way," Oobleck noted.
"Ruby's scythe!" Yang spotted, noticing Crescent Rose on the ground in front of a massive hole in the road. She and the rest of the group had been following Zwei to where Ruby was last seen.
"Did she fall?" Weiss asked, looking into the hole.
"Fall?!" Oobleck asked back, zipping next to the heiress to stare into the hole as well. "...Oh my...Of course...Of course, of course, of course!"
"What?!"
"How could I be so stupid?!"
"The coffee?" Michael offered, shrugging.
"Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?!" Yang asked their teacher.
"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm!" the doctor/Huntsman told Yang before switching between her, Blake, Weiss, Michael, and Duncan to speak of his epiphany. "Previously home to thousands of people! Working people communing to the city, the main city, developed a subway to the inner city! Grimm attacks increase! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! The city evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find!?" he asked, before ducking down to Zwei and Kuekuatsheu, the dogs actually focusing on the Professor and his observation. "The south east quadrant of Vale is known for large forests and deep caves!"
"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang asked, getting a little annoyed.
"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network," he began, holding the blonde by the shoulders. "We're looking for an UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!"
"Oh, it's Afghanistan all over again..." Duncan sighed, face in his hand. "I hate caves."
"Fuck that," Michael piped in. "This is reminding me way too much of my time in Jiha Village."
The problem with Mountain Glenn was it had no natural barriers to protect it from Grimm. When they attacked, the citizens went into the cave they carved out for the subway for safe haven. Unfortunately, something (or someone) made a series of explosions that opened up the civilians to subterranean Grimm...
After that, the tunnels were all sealed off by the Kingdom of Vale, turning this site into the largest tomb on Remnant.
"If Ruby is down there," Oobleck began, pulling out his thermos- which then turned into a fucking lance! "We must find her."
"...Am I really going to be the only one here that's going to comment on the fact he was drinking out of that?" Michael asked, staring at the mug-turned-weapon.
Meanwhile...
Roman Torchwick, formerly deceased crime lord (and possessor of a large amount of swag), was not having a good day.
First, this new jackass strolled in out of nowhere and started running the operation alongside him. The fact that he was connected to that Antiverser that Duncan mentioned to him was extremely disconcerting, so he had to be careful around him. Then there was the fact that he got a look at what he's got planned during said operation. Suffice it to say, he was both impressed by his flare for theatrics, and confused at his intentions at the same time.
And now, to top it all off, Ruby Rose- his former enemy and wielder of perhaps one of the more interesting weapons he's ever seen- stumbled onto the entire operation.
So, yeah...bad day.
"Okay," Roman sighed as he leaned on Melodic Cudgel, Ruby sitting in front of him on the ground and surrounded by White Fang, "while I'm a bit relieved that you're much more manageable without that over-sized gardening tool of yours, I'm not in the mood for this. So...how'd you find this place, Red?"
Looking away embarrassingly, she answered "I, uh...fell through the ceiling."
...
...
...
"...Wow," Perry muttered. "Talk about bad luck." One look from Roman shut him up.
*boom*
"Oh, what the-?!" Looking over, everyone saw a cloud of dust from behind nearby buildings, indicating that something exploded. Sighing, the bowler hat wearing 'criminal' said "Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that...? Kinda in the middle of something." Nodding, the Faunus left to see what was happening.
Once out of earshot, Ruby asked "Torchwick, what's going on? Why are the White Fang here? What's with all the bombs?"
"Look, Red, I can't say much," he replied. Taking out a piece of paper, he tucked it into her pocket and said "Make sure you get that to Boss and Duncan. This is-"
*BOOM*
"Seriously, what is going on here?!"
His answer came with another, louder *BOOM* as White Fang soldiers ran away from the explosion, some shooting at the direction of the source. A few seconds later, WBY, Zwei, Kuekuatsheu, Oobleck, Duncan and Michael came around the corner, causing explosions as they went. Taking closer notice, he saw that Duncan was grinning like a madman, which unnerved several people.
"Wonderful timing," he drawled. "Okay, you'll need to 'escape' while I 'try and stop you', so you-" He was cut off as Ruby jumped onto his shoulders, blinding him as she pushed down his hat over his eyes. Running away, she 'narrowly missed' getting hit by Melodic Cudgel's shots, which Roman took care to make sure they were near misses. He was lucky that the White Fang apparently had the aim of Stormtroopers, as not a single shot hit the Red Reaper. "Attach this car and spread the word. We're leaving."
The grunt he said that to replied "But we're not finished."
He got his reply when Roman pointed his cane at the poor flunky's face. "Do it, now, please, or else the new guy will finish you." He got the message.
Back with Ruby, she finally managed to catch up with the others, who were in the middle of beating a few unlucky lackey's into the ground. "Ruby!" Yang cried out, embracing her sister in a big hug.
"Told you she'd be okay," Duncan said.
"Not now, Duncan," Blake commanded sternly, causing the King of the Multiversers to slump and mutter 'Yes, dear'.
"Guys, listen!" Ruby exclaimed. "Torchwick's got a bunch of weapons and robots down there."
"What?" Blake asked, handing Ruby back Crescent Rose.
Taking back her 'sweetheart', Ruby continued "Androids, mechs, and they're all loaded up on the train cars."
"Ah, that's ridiculous," Oobleck shrugged off. "These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead end."
"Oh, and they have bombs."
"...That would definitely unseal any blockage," Michael hesitantly said.
The PA system crackled to life, with Roman saying "Get to your places, people. We are leaving now!" With that said, the train started to move down the tunnel, carrying its cargo.
"Well, they're definitely going somewhere," Yang said.
"We're too far down for any signal, so we can't call for backup," Michael threw in. "As of this moment, the nine of us are all that stands between the White Fang and their plans."
"So what do we do?!" Weiss asked.
"...I believe we only have one option," Oobleck replied.
Taking out Bright Shadow, Duncan pointed the blade forward and stated "We're stopping that train."
"...I was gonna say that," Ruby pouted.
"I know."
"Boss!" a random Fang member yelled into the front car. "They made it on the train!"
"Then grab some cargo and fix it!" Roman yelled, felling an aneurism. The member nodded and left. "Ugh! I hate my job...You're cool, though," he said, nodding to the tusked Faunus driving the train.
"Problems, Torchwick?"
Turning around, he came face to face with his recent "partner" in this endeavor. He wore a red coat with a hood, which possessed intricate a unique pattern on the back (A/N: Think the symbol of Nicolas Flammel) and the Kanji for "Humanity" on his right arm. The coat reached down to his ankles, with the coat opened enough to reveal a black bodysuit and steel-toed boots. His face was covered by a silver helmet with a dark, glass like substance. The only traces of a face hidden behind the mask were two red lights, which appeared to be misted over.
"Uh, nothing major to worry about," Roman began. "Just a few pests...accompanied by those two guys you mentioned."
The figure clenched his gloved hands tightly. "I see...just make sure they don't get too roughed up. I want a personal crack at them. And don't kill the others."
"Okay..." Roman drawled. "Why?"
"You really wanna do this?" Getting a shaking head as a response, he said "Then do your job. I'm going to do mine."
"Can do," he responded. As the figure disappeared into shadows, he felt the tension come back at him. "Oh, this is gonna be bad," the Undead Criminal sighed.
"Alright, children!" Oobleck began, as the group stood atop the caboose. "We must get to the front and stop this train!"
"Uh? Professor?" Weiss hesitantly asked, holding up a hatch.
"Doctor," Oobleck pointedly corrected.
"What's that?" the heiress asked, pointing down at a cylindrical device.
"That, my dear...appears to be a bomb." Which got the girls to jump back a bit in shock
"And we've got baddies!" Ruby pointed out, directing everyone's gaze ahead to the White Fang getting on top of the train to stop them.
"Well, I didn't expect them to go-" The Doctor was interrupted by the sound of the bomb activating. "...easy on us. Time to go!"
"Just run!" Duncan shouted, as everyone jumped to the next car. "Don't bother trying to detach it!"
"Wait! Why-!?" Blake asked as the cart beneath them rumbled.
"That's why!" he said, grabbing the Cat Faunus and jumping to the next car with the rest of the group.
"Why would they-?"
"Probably because of this!" Michael shouted, kneeling before the hatch being held open by Ruby and Weiss.
"Another bomb?!"
The Doctor began to worry as he jumped ahead to check the next car. His assumptions were correct.
"THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!"
And just like that, they all just primed simultaneously.
"Just go ahead!" Duncan shouted, waving for the group to go ahead. "Mikey and I will try to diffuse a few bombs! They're going to bring Grimm into Vale! So stop them!"
Team RWBY's eyes widened before they all nodded and ran ahead to face the terrorists, Zwei and Kuekuasheu followed.
"Now, Michael," Duncan began. "They're probably all connected. We might be able to diffuse a couple by diffusing one. Did you take bomb training?" he asked, nodding to the bomb beneath them.
"Yeah."
"Then don't fuck up," he deadpanned. "Because if you do fuck up..." He left the sentence hanging.
"Message received."
Meanwhile, the others were busy starting their fight. Yang got the closest one, punching him down into the car beneath them through the door (though not before giving a wink), while Blake zoomed through the terrorists (knocking some of them off the train), slashing to and fro with Gambol Shroud. She then proceeded to chop one of them in the face, flinging him off the car.
All while performing a Wilhelm Scream.
Weiss charged forward, Myrtenaster in hand as she froze the White Fang members on the spot. She then proceeded to use said weapon to knock the firearms out of their hands, as well as knock them out.
Cocking back Crescent Rose, Ruby shot herself into the fray, using the blunt edge of her weapon to incapacitate anyone she came across.
All at once.
Taking notice of the Grimm coming up behind them, Oobleck said "Yang, Blake, Weiss, you three head below and try to stop any bombs you come across!"
"What about us?" Ruby asked.
Posing heroically, he stated "We're going to stop this train!"
"Already said that!" Duncan called out.
As the others went below, the White Fang started powering up the Atlesian Paladins to take into the fight. As they got closer, Oobleck took a drink from his thermos before changing it into its weapon form. Barking, Zwei leaped into the air, allowing the doctor to hit him like a baseball. The impact set Zwei on fire, and sent him soaring right into the closest mech.
Which was destroyed from the impact of the projectile that was Zwei.
Who emerged unharmed by either the mech OR the flames.
Before the next mech could attack the adorable/indestructible animal, Oobleck launched a few flame attacks at the mech, destroying it as he landed next to Zwei.
"...Am I the only one who's wondering what they're feeding that dog?!" Michael cried out in shock.
"Focus, Mikey," Duncan ordered. "Now, this is the tricky part." He was referring to the cutting of wires, as they were now fully exposed. "You need to cut the wire that connects to the remote detonator."
"I don't need you micro-managing me!" Michael yelled, quickly glancing away from the bomb.
"OH REALLY?!" Duncan snapped back. "Because after the events of your time in Remnant, I would have to respectfully disagree! Now, cut the-"
"I know what I'm doing!" Michael raged, glaring forward into the explosive device.
"That is an opinion you are having," Duncan disputed, shaking his head. "Now disable the detonator!"
"FINE!"
*Snip*
He got a reaction of a different kind, though. The kind that activated a timer.
10:00
"Did you just fuck up?!" Duncan roared.
Nervously sweating, his brother figure said "I might've fucked up, yeah. Don't worry, easy fix."
*Snip*
5:00
"...Oooooohhhhh," Duncan angrily groaned.
"Shit," Michael finished.
Looking at his protege, Duncan began "Do not-"
"I-I can fix this!" Michael interrupted, already choosing another wire.
"Do not-!"
"I can fix this!"
"TOUCH IT AGAIN-!"
*Snip*
1:00
No one said a word. The only response Duncan had was taking in a deep breath through his nose, his eyes closed as he Michael hesitantly moved to another wire.
*Snip*
0:59
0:58
0:57
As the timer started its count down, Duncan opened his eyes as he growled in frustration, which was matched perfectly by his now blood red eyes (A/N: Thank you, TeamFourStar for this joke).
Weiss, Yang, and Blake dropped into the first car to not have a bomb. The coast was clear, for the moment. Long enough to mentally prepare themselves. Weiss pulled out a clip of ammunition, bullets visible and each a different color, and handed it to Blake.
"Here, this should help you." The Cat Faunus gratefully accepted, sliding the new clip into Gambol Shroud. Then, the trio started off to the next car-
Only to be blocked by a familiar girl with Pink and Brown hair.
The trio of Huntresses stood for a moment, staring at Roman's mute right hand who cockily smirked at them.
"...You two go on ahead," Yang growled, staring at the shorter girl. "She's mine."
The two nodded before rushing forward. Neo half-heartedly tried to stop them, but a blast from Ember Celica ruined that plan. Not that she was too upset, mind you.
The taller, and quite angry, blonde walked up to Neo, staring down at her. Neo, who only reached up to Yang's chin in height, fearlessly grinned at her opponent. Blinking once, her pink and brown eye colors switched eyes.
And Yang's slowly turned fire engine red.
The Blonde threw the first punch, one that was… deflected(?) by the short thief. However, instead of knocking Yang backwards with an illusion, there was a sort of vibrating effect from the hit. Like a metal bat hitting concrete. It just shakes in one's hands. Back on-topic, Neo avoided Yang's attack.
Our favorite blonde didn't like that fact.
Three rapid left jabs, one uppercut, sweep the legs, slide backwards. All dodged. Neo didn't take a single hit. She was just playing with Yang. Though...if one were to look very closely at Neo's clothing, there were...very minor scorch marks beginning to show near areas Yang tried to hit. Neo didn't notice this, and had no idea the threat this little clue meant, as she back flipped onto a crate, unfolding her umbrella like this was all a game.
As the happened, Yang got angrier...and started to burn.
Prime was back in Vale, polishing the sword Judgment in preparation for the events to come when he received a message from the Multiverse. Reading it he blinks in confusion: "Re-doing Michael's bomb training? Why? He passed it with flying colors."
Another message arrived in reply.
"He didn't?" The second oldest Multiverser tilted his head sideways. "If you say so, I will do it."
Weiss and Blake continued onward into the next car. They were forced to stow down, however, due to who was in front of them. Although, admittedly, the sound would've made them pause, as well.
It was a White Fang member. He was tall, muscular, wore a full Grimm Face Mask...and he was dragging this...Chainsaw-Sword, thing. So yeah, it made noise.
"You go on ahead," Weiss told her team mate.
"Got it!"
Before the Faunus Terrorist could stop the Feline Ninja, Weiss dashed forward and blocked the blade from striking her friend. Another kick upwards and a horizontal slash mid-air, and Blake was able to continue onward to the next car.
Pleased with her distraction, the Schnee heiress returned her attention to the killer in front of her. Slowly, but still unharmed, he rose up.
"Hehehehe...Finally!" he chuckled. "I get to kill a Schnee."
"Oh, you know what? Fuck you!" the Heiress snapped, channeling her inner bitch mode. She'd punish Duncan later, since as far as she was concerned, any time that she cussed was his fault.
Leaving the heiress behind was hard, but necessary for their objective. Luckily, the next cart held an ally. Unluckily, it was Roman.
Maybe she'd get lucky and get to kick him in the jewels this time. By 'accident,' of course.
"Yeah, yeah, you hate me and I'm not allowed to hate you," Roman sighed upon seeing Blake. "Can we just get to business?"
"What's going on?" Blake asked, straight to the point.
"Other than the fact we've got enough explosives on this train to visually redecorate a mountain?" the spectral criminal rhetorically asked. "There's been a...complication."
"...What kind of 'complication'?" she asked uneasily.
He sighed. "...We've got an extra on board."
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
"What just happened?!" Ruby screamed upon seeing multiple detonations behind them. Duncan and Michael were running away from them, the former pissed and the latter scared.
"MIKEY FUCKED UP!"
"I DID NO SUCH THING-!" Michael pitifully defended, before being cut off due to being kicked in the face and launched onto his back.
"What the hell?!" Duncan exclaimed in surprise. Turning to face the attacker, he, Ruby and Oobleck beheld a red-coated man in black clothing, bringing his leg back to the rook of the train. Even from behind the fogged up Quarian-styled mask, he could tell his eyes held barely contained hatred. "Oh great, who's this clown?!"
"Don't talk to me about clowns, Duncan," the figure warned. "I fucking hate clowns."
Heading over to help Michael up, Ruby asked "You okay?"
The young Multiverser rubbed his jaw, working out the pain. "Yeah, I'm fine," he reassured. "But what- oh, no."
The figure nodded. "Fancy seeing you here, Michael."
"You know this man?" Oobleck asked.
Michael nodded. "His name is Lucifer. He's the Second Antiverser."
That got Duncan to tense up. His face turned serious as he brought his attention over to the now-named Lucifer. "What brings you here?" he asked. "From what I heard about you from Mikey, you aren't the type to like this kind of plan."
"I'm not," he answered. "But I can't just pass up the opportunity to kill both you and your protege at once." As he said this, he held out his left arm, creating a swirling vortex of darkness with a dim red light forming around his hand. It solidified into his dark crimson Masamune Zanbatou blade, which was pointed right at the five before him. Even from a distance, they could feel the bloodlust and anger from the crimson weapon.
Immediately, Duncan's eyes went to the sword...and...he was confused.
[Queue "Round One - Jeff Williams ft. Lamar Hall"]
This didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Glowing eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you just tried, or why you're confused...but for some reason, I don't like it. I'd suggest you three leave, unless you want to get caught up in what's about to go down."
Ruby, Zwei and Oobleck looked ready to fight, before Michael said "Go. We can handle this asshole."
"You sure?" Ruby asked.
In response, Michael pulled out a new gun. This one was what appeared to be a .454 magnum revolver, with a 30mm grenade launcher attached to it. The grip was pure white, while the rest of the gun was a glistening off-white color. Looking closely, one could make out the symbol of the Schnee Dust company on either side of the barrel. "I'm sure."
"...When and where did you get that?" Duncan asked as he eyeballed the revolver.
"Got it from plans LaTrell had for a gun he's working on," Michael explained. "It was originally meant to be a regular gun, but Weiss helped me add a Dust grenade launcher function."
"..."
"...I had to do a lot of grovelling to get that function added..."
"..."
"...SHUT UP!" he screamed, hating the amused grin Duncan had plastered on his face.
"As fun as this banter is, its time to fight." With that said, Lucifer gripped the handle with both hands, leveling it towards the Multiversers.
Reluctantly, Oobleck pulled Ruby and Zwei away from the fight. "Ready, Mikey?" the King asked, brandishing Bright Shadow and Machina.
Bringing out [Aura Radiance], the protege said "Ready as I'll ever be."
A moment passed, the wind whipping by them. "Alright then...who's first?"
The Multiversers charged at once.
Dodge left, dodge right, dash back. Strike arm. Up, right, two steps back, and dash attack. Supplemented with glyphs as needed.
Really, Weiss had it all down to a science at this point. The guy was obviously overcompensating with a chainsaw sword. All he could do was brute force.
Unfortunately, brute force can beat practiced skill once every, let's say...500 times? Because otherwise, he should not have been able to grab Weiss in the face when she was dashing forward, Myrtenaster first, via glyph into his face.
"C'mere, Princess!" the masked terrorist sneered, holding her face in his hand before slamming the back of her skull into the ground.
He threw her back up into the air, defenseless, and prepared to end her-
"Urk!" he grunted painfully, surprised.
Until a blade pierced his chest from behind.
Both the Schnee and unnamed terrorist fell to the ground, though only one lived. The Schnee heiress looked upon her savior: Duncan's Blade Wolf, Kuekuatsheu.
"You...killed him..." she observed, not having seen a killing since Roman. And he came back.
The Wolf simply titled its head, confused.
"He...he's dead."
The Blade Wolf looked at Weiss and began to piece together that maybe he shouldn't have gone for a fatal strike.
"...no..." Weiss spoke up, looking away from the corpse to the wolf. "No, you did good...Good boy," she tiredly praised, patting him on the head.
Pleased, the wolf licked her hand.
Neopolitan expected the brawler to cockily, if angered, approach her. Intimidate her long enough to strike. Yang did no such thing. Once Neo was seated, Yang just started shooting at her with Ember Celica.
She may have miscalculated, in that regard.
Shot after shot after shot of explosive shells came from Yang's prized gauntlets. All of them aimed at the shortest criminal she had ever met. And even if she missed her, the splash damage each shell created was tiring her out.
Still though, Yang was getting tired. She had been fighting Grimm and White Fang for hours- mostly Grimm- and if she wasn't careful it would mean her loss. And even if they were sleeping together now, Yang hated losing to Duncan.
Add in that dick move where he tricked her with a blonde hair clip-on, and well...she was still getting the anger out of her system from that fight.
Neo wasn't much better. While she hadn't been fighting for around a day, a fight with Yang Xiao Long could easily tire people out. And she couldn't exactly exploit any weaknesses in her opponents stance when there were none. So, she chose the risky tactical choice of waiting for an opening.
That is, until an unexpected arrival appeared behind Xiao Long. A...samurai, of a sort.
The blonde obviously didn't hear the portal opening over the shotgun shells, but it was right behind her. And Neo really didn't want to be here right now. Live to fight another day, and all that crap.
Yang was considerably confused when her opponent up and disappeared on her-in the middle of their fight! She needed some stress release, dammit! Although, the fact Neo looked like she saw a ghost before bolting did not go unnoticed.
Yang turned around to see a woman in red and black samurai clothes with long black hair. She also wore a Grimm mask, in the visage of a Nevermore. And she had this ridiculously long katana with a sheathe that looked like a machine gun.
"Who are you?!" Yang demanded, quickly getting into a defensive stance, just in case.
The newcomer quickly drew her sword and slashed at the air behind her. She jumped into a portal that she created which dissipated before Yang could try to follow.
"...mom?" the blonde brawler whispered to herself.
[End "Round One - Jeff Williams ft. Lamar Hall"]
Nowhere...
He stood there, within his own void. He was almost always waiting, watching. Plotting. Stewing in his hate. Occasionally, he would leave this place when he was certain he would gain something he wanted in pursuit of his hate. And afterwards, he would return here to continue. To be ready for his vengeance.
Until he got a call.
Raising a hand to his helmeted head, he said "Report."
"...Um...how do I put this...?"
"Out with it," he ordered.
"...*sigh* Alright then...We had a break in at one of our facilities. Project Lerna's been stolen. Along with some notes related to it."
"...What."
Even from the other side, the caller could feel the cold anger starting to grow. "That's...not the worst of it," he went on. "A good chunk of that army you've been breeding's been taken as well, along with my pet project. And a few of the, uh...'items' you took from 'the Divide.'"
The rage grew with every syllable spoken. "Anything else?"
"...Your 'guest' is missing as well."
And with that, he ended the call.
Now, it didn't go without saying that there were rogue agents in his group, each with their own agenda. As long as they didn't interfere with his vengeance, he allowed them to do as they please. But this...someone just stole some of the instruments of his vengeance before they were ready, along with research notes.
If who he suspected was indeed responsible, then he would pay most grievously for that.
Raising a hand to his helmeted head once more, he patched into one of his more "loyal" allies.
"We have a problem."
A Few Moments Earlier...
Slash. Shoot. Switch out with Duncan.
Slash. Slash. Three shots. Switch with Michael.
Repeat.
In varying degrees, this was the dance of death the two Multiversers shared with Lucifer. They had been fighting for a good five minutes, and neither side had managed to wound the other just yet. Every shot was cut in half by the crimson blade, and every sword slash was expertly blocked.
Duncan raised Machina up for a few shots. Every shot went right past their target as he ducked and weaved his way forward. Once close enough, he struck.
*THWUCK*
It was a credit to Duncan's pain tolerance that all he did was hiss loudly. As he took a few steps back, he looked down at his left hand, now bleeding from where his index finger was sliced off. To add insult to injury, Machina was sliced into two separate pieces, leaving it a useless weight. The Negatium laced into the blade made the injury burn.
A dark chuckle. "First blood goes to me," Lucifer stated with a smirk. One that disappeared instantly as he saw Duncan's face, and the look in his eyes.
He was serious now.
"...It seems I've become a bit lax, lately," the King of the Multiversers said calmly. "I suppose I should thank you: I haven't had to fight an enemy that I can actually take seriously." His finger regrew slowly as he spoke, until it was completely reformed. Placing the ruined gun in his pocket, he gripped Bright Shadow with both hands, leveling it at Lucifer. "Allow me to thank you by fighting you properly."
Even from behind him, Michael could feel the seriousness emanating from Duncan. "Oh, now you've done it," Michael said with pity. "Gone and made him mad."
The Second Antiverser's stance tensed. "Yeah, not gonna lie: I might've goofed there." Without a word, he flipped back just as Duncan appeared, slashing horizontally with his blade.
Lucifer's Masamune blocked the incoming downward slash from [Aura Radiance], just in time to avoid a left hook. He kicked Michael away, barely missing him with a follow up slash. Duncan charged forward, his thrust managing to graze the Antiverser's side.
Slash from the left side, grating against the blade. Duncan put pressure on his opponent, causing him to stumble backwards. He responded with a side kick to the helmeted face.
Regaining his footing, he was too stunned to notice Michael place in a red shell into the grenade launcher, then twirl the revolver around before aiming at his feet. The resulting shot was a shot of red Dust, which formed a red Glyph that lit up. Michael charged forward, replacing [Aura Radiance] with a primed Equinox, just as the Glyph exploded in a ball of fire. The resulting explosion launched Lucifer forward, right into Michael's oncoming fist.
An explosive hit followed, sending Lucifer spinning out of control right toward Duncan. He brought out [Master Gear] rearing it back.
[Boost!]
With a [Boosted] punch, he rammed his fist down into his opponent's chest. He was annoyed when he only hit an afterimage, though scoffed when Lucifer got him in a two-armed hold. He responded with bringing his right shoulder back.
"[Kidney shot!]"
He rammed the elbow into Lucifer's gut, causing him to gasp out in pain. He reared back.
"[Kidney shot!]"
Another hit.
"[Kidney shot!]"
Another hit.
"[Kidney shot!]"
Another hit.
"[And pause...]"
Duncan broke out of the hold, delivering a punch right into Lucifer's side as Ddraig cried out "[Stomach punch!]" in a dramatic fashion.
Stumbling back, Lucifer held onto his sides, coughing up blood as he fell to his knees. In a wheezing tone, he managed to utter "Gonna whiz red," through the enormous pain.
Wincing, Michael rubbed his side as he muttered "Jeez, I could practically feel that last one."
Lucifer began to breathe deeply, stumbling as he got back up. He held onto his sides, glaring angrily at Duncan. "Cheap shot, bitch."
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know me?"
"...Touche." Before another move could be made, a beeping sound came from his helmet. Touching the side, he answered "Do you mind? I'm in the middle of...What?...Wait, WHAT?!...What do you meanthey've been stolen?!...He's missing too?! Fuck! Mother fucking #!*%)$&!)%$#*$)%&$)%!$%()!&!)))(&$#&^%! I told you we should've kept a tighter leash on him!...Okay so what else is missing?...Are you fucking kidding me?!...*sigh* Great. Fucking perfect!... Fine." With that, the call ended, leaving him to turn his attention to two stunned (and confused) Multiversers.
"...Do we even want to know?" Duncan asked.
A dark portal opened behind Lucifer. "Another time, Multiversers." With that said, he disappeared into the void.
"...So, time to stop the train?" Michael offered.
Duncan sighed. "Unfortunately, no. The Multiverse said that there's something happening in Vale, and wants it drawn into the open. Best way to do that is to let things take their natural course."
"...Brace for impact?"
"Yep." And they did so.
Back with Ruby, Oobleck and Zwei, they had just finished dealing with another mech in time for more to come up. Ruby had been forced to go on ahead while the hyperactive Doctor and the indestructible Corgi held them off. As she reached the front car, she was joined by Weiss, Yang, Blake and Torchwick (who was heavily bruised in order to make it seem like he was captured). To their horror, they were seconds away from colliding.
"Oh, this is going to hurt," Torchwick drawled.
"What do we do?!" Yang asked.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Ruby cried out. As she did so, Weiss used her weapon to create a shell of ice.
Before everything exploded in a flash of light, they could've sworn they heard Michael cry out "Already said that!"
Beacon Academy:
Usually people try to wake up early in the morning when attending an academy (especially those that specialize in combat.). For Jaune Arc, however, he was getting as much sleep as he could before his team's mission.
Which his scroll just ruined.
Quickly, well as quickly a half-asleep teen could, he picked up his scroll to see Ruby was calling him. However, all he got was static. While that was worrisome, Ruby alone could kill a massive horde of Beowolves with that monster of a scythe...
Then there was Duncan (him and that freakin' [Cheater's Body]!). So, they could probably handle it.
Right?
Not too long after that, he got prepped for take-off with the rest of JNPR. He had voiced his concerns to his teammates as they approached the heli-pad.
"I'm sure they're fine," Pyrrha reassured.
"You think so?" their leader asked, still concerned.
"Probably just a butt-dial!" Nora sing-songed.
"Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally in the field," Ren added, ever faithful in RWBY (A/N: Once again, we miss you Monty). "Add in Duncan and Michael, we can safely focus on our own mission."
"We're gonna be deputies!" Nora cheered.
"I dunno" Jaune persisted, worry etched on his face with each passing second. "I just got this...feeling..."
"Jaune-" Pyrrha began to reassure her boyfriend, until they could hear sirens.
Coming from the city. And smoke.
"...Changing our mission! Everyone onboard!" Jaune quickly decided, ushering his team to their ride. Ren, however, still looked guilty about not going to their original mission. Jaune picked this up, and promised that they would get to it not long afterwards. Once they were all aboard, Jaune ordered the pilot to fly them to the city.
However, they weren't they only ones that saw the smoke or heard the sirens.
"You don't think...?" Emerald asked, rushing to Cinder's side as she stared at the city of Vale.
"Sure looks like it," Mercury noted, joining the two.
"That's still days away!" Emerald noted, alarmed.
"So...what do we do?" Mercury asked, looking towards Cinder.
The Pyromancer herself was currently deep in thought. A breach was an inevitability...but this was too soon...
However...
"Solidify our cover," their ruthless leader decided. "Harder to accuse us of being affiliated with it if we fight against it."
"Done and done," Mercury shrugged, turning to find the nearest ride to the city.
Cinder turned to join him...but was curious as to why Emerald wasn't already walking in their direction, as well.
"Emerald," she called out, turning her head to see their resident thief still looking towards Vale. "Why are you still standing there?"
Emerald Sustrai was many things...and right now, she was scared. She would have to go into that danger, she'd have to risk her life. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Hell, she'd get to see Michael in action. Might give her a little more insight into him. But now...
She unconsciously brought a hand to her stomach.
"Is something wrong?" Cinder calmly asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"...No," the mint-haired thief answered, removing her hand from her belly. "No, I just...didn't expect this yet."
Secret can be dangerous. Secrets can hurt friends and enemies alike. But this secret...
This was a secret she would have to keep from her friends to keep her "enemy" safe.
Third Person POV Change:
Everything was in a haze. A ringing noise was resounding in Ruby's ears as her eyes came back into focus. Beyond the ringing, she could hear the sounds of sirens blaring.
Wincing in pain, she saw that everyone was still alive. They were currently in the center of town, with onlookers arriving to find the cause of the loud noise. To their surprise they found a literal train wreck, along with a gigantic hole leading into a cave.
Suddenly, a rumbling noise emanated from the ground. What followed was a King Taijitu bursting from the rubble, Grimm soaring up along with it.
All around, Grimm were attacking. People could only run, they weren't prepared for this. RWBY had done its' best to prevent it. And yet, this attack was meant to be.
All they could do now was steel themselves in the face of disaster.
"Wait, something's wrong?!" Duncan noted, slightly alarmed.
"Yeah!" Yang sarcastically remarked, reloading Ember Celica. "There are Grimm in Vale!"
"No, he's right..." Michael whispered, having seen it too. "There's already Grimm in the city!"
"What the-!?" Ruby freaked, looking around. She could see it, too. Grimm were coming out of the hole they just emerged from, yes, but there too many to have just come from there. Beowolves and Ursii were already in the streets, the numbers were too great to have just come from here.
"...The Antiverser!" Weiss realized. "That Antiverser guy, or whatever he's called! You guys said he was here! Would setting up more bombs to release more Grimm into the city be something he'd do?"
"...Likely." Duncan said, pulling out Samantha. "I've never met the first one in person, but ancient Antiversers weren't above terrorism. Why would this one be any different?"
"I dunno..." Michael spoke up. "Lucifer was on the line with someone before he left. Something was wrong. I think someone just acted without orders."
"Doesn't matter," Blake said, catching everyone's attention. "There's a Grimm attack and people are in danger. That's priority number 1. Who did it and how can come later!"
"Right!" Ruby agreed, setting Crescent Rose to Scythe mode and charging blade first into the fray. Her team wasn't far behind. Duncan was just about to join them.
"Duncan, wait!" Michael called out. His mentor turned back to quickly catch Paragon and Renegade. The King of Chaos looked up from the dual pistols to his apprentice. "They're faster than a semi-auto rifle, and you just lostMachina. I've got [Aura Radiance] and a little something I've been working on."
"You sure?" Duncan asked, returning Samantha to his back.
"Just bring them back in one piece," Michael groaned. "I worked hard on those."
Prime's usually calm facade suddenly switched to a scowl.
Fangs slice through the throat. Dead.
A tusk pierces the stomach. Dead.
With his mind's eye, he can perceive every death happening in that instant all across Remnant. Specifically, he focuses at the moment on Vale.
Many fangs tear and rip out tender flesh. Double Dead.
This wasn't a problem. After all, he already experienced each and every one of them already in the Time That Was Not.
Swallowed whole. Triple death.
"This wasn't in the script." The problem was that many of those deaths weren't meant to happen yet. Standing up he began walking toward the door.
His senses expanded, covering the area of Vale, plus forty miles after its border. Taking note of the position of everything and everyone, he compared it to Fate.
"...Someone did something they shouldn't have." Opening the door, he drew out Mercy and shot a Beowolf in the head that was about to smash through. "The only question left is...kill or save?"
To the other side of the road, a Nevermore was sweeping down to a young couple. After confirming they weren't originally meant to die today he opens fire with both Mercy and Cruelty, tearing apart the flying Grimm. With that done he lets the two guns disappear into his sleeves and approached the couple.
"T-Thank you," the female stammers. Then she yelps when Prime lifts her on his shoulders together with her partner. "W-W-What are you doing?!"
"Saving you," the black and golden haired boy replied before sprinting down the road with a speed that would put Ruby to shame.
Prime contacts Duncan with telepathy. 'Prime here: how's the situation?'
'There's Grimm EVERYWHERE!' the oldest Multiverser roared.
'I already knew that.'
'Then why did yo-'
'I'm bringing all people that aren't mean to die in this event to the shelters. You and the others must protect the rest and defeat the Grimms.'
'First, that's cold as fuck. As always. Second: you? Helping others instead of killing them?'
'Who else can do it?'
With that final line Prime shut down the channel and focused on the road.
There is work to do yet for the Grim Reaper.
Hours Later:
"Seriously, where the hell are all these things coming from?!" Duncan exclaimed, shooting two more Nevermores out of the sky. Crashing to the ground, he twirled Paragon and Renegade in his hands before pocketing them. While they couldn't replace Machina, they would suffice long enough until he could fix his prized gun.
[I know what you mean. These fuckers just keep coming and coming!]
All in all, Duncan found the amount of Grimm to be highly suspicious. It was as if someone readied them all to arrive after the initial wave died out. And with the number of Grimm remaining, he figured it would take everyone well into the afternoon before the remaining Grimm were eradicated.
'Yeah. Look, I know we had to send him off to cover more ground but...you think Mikey's doing okay?'
[Probably not.]
"AW SHIT!" Michael exclaimed, finding himself in the middle of a crossroad intersection on the east side of Vale. On all sides, Grimm had encircled him, trapping him like a rat.
And they were hungry.
A Beowolf was thrown into the air, before it exploded in a spectacle of blood and gore. 'Why's that?'
['Cause I get the vibe he pisses his enemies off pretty easily.]
A slash of [Aura Radiance] cut a Beowolf's head right off, allowing him to kick it right into a Boarbatusk trio. The warthog Grimm scattered, though he had to leap out of the way of an incoming King Taijitu.
"Assholes have to help assholes, right?!" he cried out.
If the Grimm could show expressions, their faces would be contorted in anger.
'Is that gonna be a problem?' Duncan asked, slicing an Ursa clean in two.
[Not for me. But just imagine how pissed he'd be if he makes it.]
A few minutes later, the last Grimm fell, leaving a panting and angry Michael standing alone. "I made it!" he proclaimed wearily.
{Okay, as much as I enjoy a good rampage, you might wanna tone it down a bit. And this is me saying it!}
{I have to agree with Sterling on this, Michael. You need to calm down a bit.}
"Calm down?!" Michael cried out. "I'll calm down once I find the asshole who unleashed all these Grimm, skin him alive with a flensing knife, turn the skin into a pair of pajamas, AND THEN SET THOSE PAJAMAS ON FIRE!" During the entire tirade, his eyes kept twitching in a dangerous manner (A/N: Seriously, all these references...it's insane!).
{...You good?}
The Multiverser sighed. "Yeah. I think so."
Having calmed down, Michael made his way down the street, looking around for any Grimm hiding or any lingering civilians. Apart from the Grimm, Vale had turned into a ghost town in the span of a few short hours. It was actually pretty scary to think about, reminding him of when-
"SOMEONE HELP!"
Turning to the left, Michael saw a pack of Beowolves encircling two people. One of them was a child, a cat Faunus in origin, and was hiding behind a female rabbit Faunus brandishing a box with a handle on it. Said rabbit Faunus looked exhausted, but ready to fight nevertheless.
The Alpha of the pack leaped forward, eager to take the first bite.
"RIDEEEEER KIIIIIIICK!"
In the next instant, however, Michael soared to the ground below, crushing the Alpha with a flying side kick straight to the torso. The impact caused the Grimm to explode as soon as Michael pushed off, spinning in the air as he landed next to the others.
"RIDEEEEER PUUUUUUUNCH!"
With that cry, he launched forward, punching the closest Beowolf into the pavement with Equinox, killing it on impact.
The rest of the Grimm took that moment to attack, believing that strength in numbers would prevail over their latest quarry. They were wrong. Not even three steps in, and Michael began to punch every one of them so hard, that even Yang would approve.
About thirty seconds later, and every Beowolf surrounding them was now dead as a door nail. Catching his breath, Michael turned to face the Faunus duo, who were stunned at the sheer power he had just displayed. Trying to lighten the mood, Michael chuckled and said "Kids, do not try this at home. I am a professional."
That got the rabbit Faunus- whom Michael finally recognized as Velvet Scarlatina of Team CFVY- to shake herself out of her stupor. "Oh my- how did you- that was- How did you do that?!"
"What can I say? I had a great teacher," he answered, recalling his time spent in that world. "Enough about me, though. What're you doing out here? Last I saw, you were with your team heading to the center of town."
Velvet looked down at that. "It's my fault. I got separated from the others, and wound up here. When I found this little rascal," she gestured to the kid hiding behind her (though looking at the Multiverser in awe), "I decided to bring him along with me."
"Makes sense," Michael agreed. The sounds of growling were heard from down the street. Sure enough, another pack was slowly approaching, this one larger than the last. "It isn't safe here. We need to get you two back to the center of town now."
"We'll never make it...at least, not all of us." Taking notice of what she said, she explained "If I stay behind, I can at least keep them busy long enough for you to take him back to his mother."
"But what about you?!" the kid asked, scared out of his mind. "If you stay, the Grimm will..." He dared not finish that sentence.
"I know," she said. "But this is what we're trained to do: protect the people from monsters. This sort of this is usually an occupational hazard." Handing the kid (who was beginning to cry) over to a stunned Michael, she said "If you see my teammates, tell them...I'm sorry." With that said, she walked toward the Grimm.
"...Fuck that noise."
That was all she heard before a rush of wind brushed past her. The next thing she knew, she was being carried bridal style by Michael while the kid held on around Michael's neck. All of them were high up in the air, descending onto a rooftop.
"OHMYGOD!" Velvet cried in shock and horror, holding onto Michael's neck as he landed and quickly leaped onto the next building.
"Ladies and gentlemen, keep your hands and legs in at all times!" Michael quipped, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as he carried the two of them to safety. The entire time, both Faunus held on for dear life, crying out in a mixture of exhilaration and fear.
Mere moments later, they found themselves on solid ground, the sounds of people around them. Gathering her bearings, Velvet saw that they were in the middle of the town square, which was even more fortified than when she had CFVY had left.
"Next stop, the safe zone. Thank you for flying Verser Airways, we hope you had a pleasant experience," he said, lowering his passengers to the ground.
Velvet was so in shock, that she couldn't even form words. All she could do was point at where they came from, to him, and anywhere else.
Chuckling, he said "Yeah, I get that a lot."
"Velvet!" Turning around, the rabbit Faunus saw Coco heading towards her. "There you are! I thought we lost you back in the city!"
"You did," Michael said, gaining the fashionista's attention. "I was passing by when I found her protecting this little trooper," he added, patting the kid on the head as he started calming down. "Speaking of which, we should probably find the kid's mom."
"We can take care of that," Coco said. "God forbid we actually go back out there again."
"Fair enough." Bending down, he faced the kid and said "You gonna be alright?"
"Mmhm," he nodded, his eyes a bit teary from the ordeal.
"Okay. Coco and Velvet here are gonna help you find your mom. Stick with them, okay?" He nodded in understanding.
As Michael got up and ready to head back out, Velvet asked "You could've left me behind...why didn't you?"
"...Because that's what heroes do," Michael answered with complete seriousness. "We save everyone we can. Race, gender, ancestry...doesn't even matter if they're an enemy. If I can save a life, then I will. And I'll be damned if I stop now."
That answer left the three surprised. Stunned, even. Coco looked at him with pleasant surprise. Velvet was left speechless (and touched) by the answer. And the boy looked at him in awe.
Turning around, Michael leaped onto the roofs, heading out to find Duncan (and clobber him over the head). As he left, Velvet felt an odd sensation. 'Weird. Why does my face feel warmer?' she thought, all while her team mate chuckled at the rabbit Faunus. Looking down, Coco asked "What's your name, little guy?"
"T...Theo."
"Okay, Theo. Whaddya say we go find your mom?" The two took his hands, bringing him along in search of his mother. As they did, the three all thought the same thing:
'Who was that guy, anyway?'
Duncan's POV:
"Okay," Neptune said, pulling his weapon out of a deceased Ursa. "I think we've finally finished it."
That we did. It had taken us many hours- so many that the sun was beginning to set- but we finally managed to seal the breaches and eradicate all of the Grimm in the city. And not a moment too soon. Everyone looked dead tired from fighting all day long.
"Good to hear," Scarlet David, teammate of Team SSSN said wearily (A/N: can't believe he's voiced by Gavin Free!). Putting his cutlass away, he continued "I don't know if I can take anymore today."
Sheathing Bright Shadow, I scoffed and said "Wimp."
"You're one to talk, Mr. [Cheater's Body]," Sun shot back.
"Fair enough," I relented. "Hey, has anyone seen Mikey?"
"Last I saw him, he was catching forty winks by one of the bullheads with some of the other teams," Ren answered. "After today, I don't blame them."
"Just finished, actually," Michael replied, yawning a bit as he walked up to us. "Two whole days of fighting...I thought I was done with this shit after I finished that torture you call training."
"Yeah, well, let this be a lesson," I said. "Always be prepared for anything."
"Wise words to live by," Pyrrha spoke up. "Though after today, I think I just want to rest."
Nodding, Jaune said "Agreed. Let's head back and- hey, where's Nora?"
Looking around, I noticed that the orange-haired grenadier was nowhere to be seen. "That's weird," I muttered. Then I noticed something else. "Hey, Mikey, have you seen Ruby recently?"
He shook his head. "I last saw her a few hours ago. She and Weiss were clearing out Grimm east of here."
[Isn't that where Blake and Yang were?]
Using Omnipresence, I looked into said direction...and found...nothing. Opening my eyes, I muttered nervously "Oh, that can't be good."
"Indeed it isn't." Turning around, we found Prime Death walking up to use, a grave look in his eyes.
Michael didn't like that look. "What happened?"
"I was scouting the city, looking for any Grimm we may have missed," the Aspect of Death began. "During my search...I found...these." He held his hand out, creating a portal of darkness that dropped several items onto the ground in front of us.
Crescent Rose.
Myrtenaster.
Gambol Shroud.
Ember Celica.
"...Fuck." This was not good. Not good at all! How the hell did I not notice this?!
"Oh no," Pyrrha spoke, holding up Magnhild. He held the weapon, gripping it tightly as anxiety began to take hold.
More clattering came from the pile, leading Michael to pick up two more weapons. Two familiar revolver-sickles. "Emerald," he whispered. Turning to face me, he demanded "Duncan, what the hell is going on?!"
Before I could answer, something caught my attention. Something in the sky. Everyone else present followed my gaze, looking at it in confusion. "...Is that...a video screen?" Sun asked in confusion.
Sure enough, there was a red, holographic video screen in the sky. Then another appeared. And then another. And another.
One by one, the screens blocked out the sky, gaining the attention of everyone.
And then he came on screen.
Extremely pale skin, with a scar running from the left corner of his lip to his right eyebrow. Demonic red sclera with yellow irises, containing a cold, sadistic playfulness. A hooded, crimson leather jacket possessing silver spikes on the shoulders, with dark red and black body armor beneath. Shaggy auburn hair, almost crimson in color, pointed ears, and fangs. Very prominent features, in addition to the fact he looked EXACTLY like Michael.
I could feel Mikey's blood run cold as he recognized who it was. My blood pressure, on the other hand, shot up in anger.
Satan "Verser." The result of Michael Verser breaking his mind to protect himself from The Antiverser, only to become a being of pure evil and try to kill him. It doesn't help that he's completely insane.
"Hola, pendejos!" he greeted any and all watching with a toothy grin. "You don't know me, and I don't give a damn. Why? 'Cause I'm gonna kill you all by the end of the day."
"...Why is he here?" I asked 'calmly.'
[Better question: HOW is he here?!]
"Who is he?! And why does he look like Michael?!" Pyrrha pointedly asked the man in question.
"Evil doppelganger! Trying to figure out what he wants right now!" Mike answered quickly, his face warping in horror. Understandable, considering that the last time he saw that son of a bitch, he was blasted into oblivion.
"My. He sure didn't get Michael's best traits," Prime said calmly, through his narrowed eyebrows hinted he was anything but.
"I mean, don't get me wrong. It's nothing personal. I just heard that some shit was gonna go down today, and some putas that I wanted dead were around here. So, I just whipped together some things to make everything worse. You're all just collateral in this...which reminds me."
He paused to pull out a detonator, not even hesitating to trigger it. A series of explosions went off...and we could hear even more Grimm flow in throughout the city.
As well as a new one.
A massive new type of Grimm. Obviously genetically created. Reptilian. Winged. Nine heads, each wearing the distinctive bone mask that all Grimm naturally possess.
There was only one thing that I could think of to name it: Hydra.
"...I hate him already," Sun spoke up.
"Oh, but first. I got another little surprise for the guys I really want dead," Satan grinned, pointing behind him.
The camera turned, revealing a hill behind him. On top of that hill were six crucifixes, all of them hastily made. Each one held a person, bound to the structures by barbed wire wrapped around their wrists, ankles and shoulders. Hi tech collars fitted around their necks.
Six girls, each currently unconscious.
Ruby Rose.
Weiss Schnee.
Blake Belladonna.
Yang Xiao Long.
Nora Valkyrie.
Emerald Sustrai.
Everyone either paled in horror, or just got even angrier. I could feel my nails piercing my flesh, blood slowly dripping down as I clenched my fists.
"I just want you to know... I'mma kill these bitches first. Slowly. I'm gonna make you watch as they cry out in anguish, make them beg for mercy. Then I'm gonna kill you. Then I'll kill everyone else in Vale. You know, for shits and giggles," Satan snickered. "Oh, and I can see you assholes from over here, so you might wanna run. I don't know the exact place, but I'm pretty sure this is a quarry. Hasta luego~"
And with that said, all of the screens vanished at once.
"...I'm gonna murder him." That was all I had to say on the matter.
Unknown POV:
"...Oh, fuck all kinds of duck."
That was the best way to describe the situation playing out before me. It wasn't so hard to find who I was looking for. It wasn't hard to help kill all of those extra Grimm from the shadows, even getting a few off of Mikey's back. But this?
Not good. Not good at all.
"Sir, are you alright?" one of the agents standing next to me asked. "No one could've predicted this."
I shook my head. "I know! It's just... I...I don't even know where he came from. Hell, he's supposed to be dead!"
"We never found a body," a second agent said, trying to calm me down. "That's our fault. We should've been more thorough in trying to find one."
"I know!" I interrupted. "I know. Fuck...this wasn't supposed to happen."
"Well, I'm sorry sir, but it did," the first agent spoke up. "What do we do now, sir?"
There was only one thing we could do right now. "...We leave that...thing...to Duncan and the others. Right now, we have to clear out as many Grimm as we can. Are the others ready?"
"I organized them myself. We're ready to move out," was the militaristic response I received.
I nodded. Drawing my blade, I said "Alright then...let's get to work."
Duncan's POV:
"What do you want?" I demanded of the two in front of us.
We had just started our way to Satan's location, to the girls' location. Professor Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, Professor Oobleck, Zwei, Port, and...Ironwood, with a decent number of his troops, had joined us along the way. However, that's when Cinder and Mercury crossed our path.
"You know why," the pyromancer calmly told me. "Our friend has been captured by a psychopath. We want her back."
"And what if I say we don't want your help?"
"Duncan, they're just trying to help their friend," Jaune naively said, defending the two. None of them except Ozpin knew the identity of our enemy, save Goodwitch. And even that's stretching it. I doubt Ozpin would break our agreement to keep the knowledge secret for the time being.
There's also the matter of Emerald's recent pregnancy. It's early, very early, so it's not like she has to be careful of like falling down stairs...but it's still something to be concerned about. And her death would devastate Mikey.
I don't need another me running around. In any real capacity.
"Besides, why turn away two perfectly capable Huntsmen-in-training?" Ironwood asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He was still trying to get info on me, my network, and the enemy. Anything that could give him Council approval to kick Ozpin off his seat.
"...Fine," I sighed. "We do it my way, though."
"I have a feeling your way and my way will coincide on what to do with that maniac," Cinder agreed, keeping her cool.
"Can we stop talking already and go kill this asshole?" Mercury asked, impatiently looking around for a reason to shoot.
"We're almost there," Michael pointed out, eager to save our friends. "Let's just save them, already!"
And then...something appeared. Something odd. A big, metal sphere launched into the air. Its purpose was unknown, until a barely a second later.
As the spherical device spun in the air, a wave of dark, sickly purple energy spouted from the sides. It slowly spread out and away from the source, reaching further and further outwards and turning the light around us the same shade of purple. The others backed away as the energy reached them, killing the grass (and other forms of plant life) as it touched ground.
And just like that, we were trapped. Trapped in a dome of pure, unfiltered Negatium. The fact its effect's weren't killing the Non-Multiversers with us at the moment did attract my attention, though.
[...Well, say what you want about him, he at least came prepared.]
'Not. Now. Ddraig.'
Sun noticed the look on my face, and slowly backed away as a result. Looking up at the omnicidal maniac as he walked into view, the monkey Faunus inquired "I'm guessing you don't want anyone else involved?"
Clapping, Satan drawled "Well, look at that. A beast that can learn." That earned a scathing glare from all Faunus present. "But in all seriousness, this is a double-edged deal: not only does it keep others out, but it keeps you pendejos from running off, too."
"You do realize that we can break out of this eventually, right?" Michael called out.
"Yeah, no. This baby was designed to hold even Duncan Verser. And if it can hold him...well, I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure out how much of a chance you all have, right?"
The others deflated a bit at that. "...Ah, fuck," Mercury drawled out.
"Open fire!" Ironwood cried out, with one of his men aiming a rifle right at the bastard.
*BANG*
The shot flew right through the air, right on a collision course with Satan. And to my confusion...
He didn't bother moving out of the way.
What came next was no surprise, as the round tore right through his right shoulder. What did come as a surprise, though, was what followed.
"AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"
The synchronized cries of pain that emanated from RWBY, Nora and Emerald as they writhed in pain. To make matters worse, they were all bleeding. Bleeding from a wound in their right shoulders.
The same spot where Satan was shot in.
As the girls started to stop screaming, the evil side of Mikey grunted as he forced the bullet out through sheer, physical force. "I wouldn't do that again, if I were you," he said. "Notice those collars they have? Well." He pulled his shirt down a bit, revealing he had the exact same collar. "I call these 'Maguilty Sense Collars.' Interesting devices. If the person wearing the prime collar is injured...the people wearing the secondary collars are treated to the same injury as the prime."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at the realization. They couldn't hurt him without hurting the girls.
This made me madder than ever.
"I see you're getting it now." Chuckling, he went on as he walked back and forth. "You know, I honestly didn't think this would work that well. I mean, I knew it would to a degree, but this? I call this a good day. I mean, deaths were a certainty, what with all the Grimm I unleashed into the city..."
Ironwood glanced angrily at Ozpin.
"...As well as giving my new Grimm a chance to stretch its legs..."
Many present shifted around, uncomfortable with the fact that someone was actually crazy enough to create one of those monstrosities.
"...But knowing that it managed to wear you all down before you came here...that's just the weekend moving to Monday for one time only! And even more great, is how I swiped these putas from right under your nose!" I ground my teeth. Hard. "So on a side note, thank you, Duncan. You proved a theory that I've been holding on to: that even you, with all your power, can't even detect those using Negatium."
That's it. Just keep digging your grave deeper.
"But the icing on the cake!" he exclaimed. "The thing that makes all of this moment even sweeter...it's the fact that you're all so fucking predictable. I mean come on! Por lo menos tratar de las original! Seriously, I hold some people hostage, you come running. I show that they can get hurt without me even touching them, and I've got you all by the cojones! This...this is just the best day ever!"Sneering, he finished with "And now, here you all are: standing against me, ready to fight for your friends. Ready...to die."
Silence.
Even more silence.
No one dared to move.
"...Wow," I deadpanned. "I mean...really?"
"¿Discúlpeme?" the madman asked me.
"You...are just...so stereotypical, it isn't even funny!" That got everyone to look at me in shock. "I mean, really? A fucking monologue?! What are you, a comic book villain?!"
Next to me, Michael sighed heavily. "Oh, thank God. I thought I was the only one thinking that!"
Satan blinked owlishly. "You're...You're seriously doing this right now?"
"I mean, I couldn't have been the only one thinking that, right?" Michael asked the others. Jaune steadily raised his hand. Mercury soon followed, along with everyone else. "Even the others think it! Honestly, what did we do to get a cliché moment like this?!"
"I'm standing right here, Niño."
Prime hummed, a hand on his chin. "What if he is a comic book villain?"
The sad thing is, Prime was probably serious. Which was going to make Satan even madder.
Sighing, I patted my protégé/brother on the back. "That's the way life works, Mikey. Get used to it."
"Well at least I'm not the one with an 'Oppai Dragon' for a hand!" Satan called out mockingly/angrily.
...
...
...
"...The hell is an 'Oppai Dragon'?" Coco asked quizzically.
[Queue "Bleach OST 3: Comical World"]
In a flash, my arm transformed into [Master Gear], the gem flashing madly and dragging me forward as it clawed the air. "[YOU MOTHER FUCKING COCK-BITING FUCKTARD! I WILL RIP OUT YOUR SOUL, EAT IT, AND TURN IT INTO A STEAMING PILE OF DRAGON SHIT!]"
Everyone was once again staring at me. Or, more specifically, my left arm.
"What...the actual fuck?" Glynda muttered, swearing for the first time that I could actually remember.
Ironwood took out his flask and gazed at it. He promptly poured the contents onto the ground.
"[YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT?! 'OH, LOOK AT ME, I HAVE AN ARMY OF GRIMM!' WELL GRIMM MEAN JACK FUCKING SHIT WHEN A MOTHER FUCKING DRAGON IS INVOLVED! GET YOUR OMNICIDAL, SPANISH-SPEAKING ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN MURDER YOU PROPERLY!]"
"Sooo...I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" Scarlet asked Neptune, Ddraig continuing to rant the entire time. "I mean, there is a talking gauntlet on Duncan's hand raving like a lunatic...right?"
"Yep," he confirmed, putting emphasis on the 'P' as he did.
"Okay. Good to know I'm not going crazy."
"[OH, AND WHEN THE ANTIVERSER GETS HERE, AND SEES WHAT REMAINS, HE WILL KNOW WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF! AND HE WILL FALL ONTO HIS KNEES, BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS-!]"
"Ddraig."
"[-AND WILL FIND NONE-]"
"Can you calm down?"
"[-AS I-]"
"That's it, I'm muting you for now."
"[DUNCAN, I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL IF YOU MUTE ME!]"
He was promptly muted and suppressed.
[End "Bleach OST 3: Comical World"]
Silence reigned throughout the area. No one knew what to say. Hell, even the captive girls woke up thanks to Ddraig, but they didn't know how to react to their predicament at the moment, thanks to that. They just stared.
Deciding to break the ice, I coughed and said "I would like to take a moment...and apologize for what happened just now."
"...I...actually don't know what to say to that," Satan muttered.
"Your fault in the first place, dick-weed!" I snapped, looking back at Mike's evil doppelganger. "You're the one that triggered him, and now I have to deal with it!"
"Yeah, well, you triggered me-!" Satan tried to defend before he was interrupted with Mini-gun bullets to his face, which knocked him back pretty far.
Everyone just looked at Coco as her weapon slowed down.
"You idiots wouldn't stop talking, and he kidnapped our friends," said the fashionista. "So yeah, I shot him. In the face."
"...Fair enough," Ozpin shrugged.
"In case you were still wondering, Miss Coco," Prime raised a hand. When everyone turned to look at him he held in the air a sign with the Remnant's word for 'Breast' on it. "Oppai means 'Breast'. Thus, Oppai Dragon means 'Breast Dragon'."
My hand trembled from Ddraig's redoubled anger before I suppressed it even more. "For all the Love of the Multiverse Prime!" I yelled at him. "Read the FUCKING mood!"
"No time for that," He turned around the sign and wrote something on it. Then she showed it to Coco, whose eyes widened.
What is he planning?
"...Okay, yeah," Satan growled as he crawled from the rubble. "I'm gonna kill you all now."
Satan launched himself forward, swinging his sword in random directions. The groups jumped back to avoid his blade, and those with rapid-fire weapons began unloading on him. He dodged the first barrage, but soon stopped, as if he didn't care about bullets in his face.
Then he chuckled. "Also, did you forget? Hit me, and the Niñas will also- WHAT?!" He turned around, only to yell in disbelief seeing that Ruby and the others didn't have any injury or showed sign of being in pain. "What the fuck?!" His hands went to the collar. "Is this thing broken?!"
"Not quite." Everyone's attention turned back to Prime, just in time to see his face healing from...bullet holes? "Those Maguilty Sense Collars of yours are nothing special. Oh sure, I can't just wish them away: I'll concede this to you. What I can do," Prime smiles, "is mess with the metaphysical links, redirecting all pain and damage from the girls to me."
Now everyone was staring at the red-eyed young man in awe, immensely glad he was on their side.
"Grrrr! Hijo de puta! Do you think that'll stop me from tearing open those putas my-"
*BANG*
*BANG*
"Coco's right," Duncan admitted, Paragon and Renegade smoking. "Shoot him in the face, don't let him talk."
"I HATE YOU!"
"I promise it's more fun from our end."
Satan screamed in anger and frustration, wanting to tear out his hair.
As everyone ready their respective weapons Prime also took out Mercy and Cruelty, assuming a cross-handed stance with the barrels pointing in two different directions. Then he slowly tilted his head to the side, as if listening to something distant. "Grimm oncoming. A lot of them."
"How many?" Ironwood demanded.
"A lot," he repeated before turning to his fellow Multiversers. "Me and the other adults are going to ward off the most of them. Can you handle the rest?" A small pause.
"Who do you think I am?" Duncan smugly asked.
Prime blinked. "The answer is Duncan Verser. Unless you have changed your name in the last-"
"Prime." Duncan interrupted him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just go. Kill the Grimm."
"Of course," the red-eyed boy replied before sprinting in the direction the Grimm were coming from, followed by Ozpin and the other adults.
"...Is he serious or just a great Troll?" Coco asked.
"Even today I am still not sure," Duncan facepalmed.
"Discúlpeme! Did you honestly forget that I'm still here?!" Satan screamed.
"Oh, buzz off. You're a cliché."
"So, you're like Verser?" Ironwood suddenly asked Prime.
"The answer to that question is 'Yes, for the most part'," he replied. "In truth, I am everything he is not. To keep the balance."
The General scowled. "Your answer raises even more questions."
"I am aware. However, a complete explanation that would leave no doubts requires time we don't currently have." Prime's eyes narrowed as he saw the first of the Grimm appearing. "However, know this. We have but a single mission: to destroy everything that threatens existence."
He spread his arms.
"For that, I cast away weakness."
Then he jumped. High, higher than humanely possible even with Aura. While in midair Prime took aim and started shooting down the creatures of Grimm at the front. Each bullet was a sure hit, piercing through the mask's center and what passed for brain in the Grimm, killing them instantly. The bodies of the fallen hindered those behind, and for a moment the tide slowed down.
Prime landed on the back of a Goliath, increasing his own weight to that of a mountain. The elephant-like Grimm was ripped apart. Turning his weight back to normal before touching the ground jumped forward and used the nearest Grimm's head as a springboard, all the while shooting to every target in sight.
A Nevermore swept down to grab Prime between his talons. The Aspect of Death simply turned around and grabbed the limb with his legs before pushing himself upward. Reaching the Grimm's back he shot it in the back of the head before jumping off.
In the middle of a literal sea of Grimm, a myriad of claws, tusks and jaws directed his way.
Prime tossed the two guns in the air before cupping his hands.
"Terrible Providence."
The only thing that the other defenders were able to see was a gigantic explosion of pitch black energy. The Grimm saw nothing, their minds made instantly insane before their bodies were crushed and dismembered into component atoms.
Prime landed with the grace of a gymnast, hands coming up to grab the falling guns. He stood up and brought up a gun parallel to his face, the other hand parallel to the body and pointing downward. "I almost feel bad for you creatures. You're not even real beings, just a phenomenon that can only feel hate for all intelligent life. Is there even a point to this, to everyone's fighting?"
A Beowulf jumped at him.
Prime shot it down.
"Oh well, it's not my role to find an answer." He leveled his guns at the remaining Grimms. "Now, come. The dance must continue."
Things were going rather well back at the quarry. In the sense that neither side were getting an advantage over the other.
Since Prime was redirecting all of the pain from the Maguilty Sense collars to himself (showing off his abnormally high pain tolerance in the process), the Huntsmen were free to royally fuck Satan up. However, this was rather difficult, seeing as Satan was redirecting and blocking every strike. On the other hand, the mad split persona was doing his best to absolutely wreck his opponents, but was hindered by the efforts of Mikey and I.
Eventually, it got to the point where both sides had to gain distance from each other, in order to have some breathing room. Panting a bit, Satan said "Okay...not bad...but you're still going to die here. Oh, if only I could see the looks on their faces when you finally fall."
"Bit cocky, thinking you're gonna win so easily, don't you think?" Sun asked.
"It isn't cockiness if you know you'll win."
"See, that's what I- wait, what do you mean the looks on their faces?"
"Oh, noticed that, did you? Well, you see, there's something you should know about me: I have a flare for the theatrics." Many snorted at that. "And something of this magnitude? It just wouldn't be complete...without an appropriate audience." That said, he pointed to something floating high up in the air.
I recognized it instantly. It was a camera drone, the same kind used in the Mass Effect series by reporters.
"A camera?" Yang asked. "You're broadcasting this?!"
"You better believe I am, blondie," he said with a confident smirk. "When I was coming up with this whole plan, I wanted the appropriate audience to witness this. After all, no victory is complete without others seeing and acknowledging said victory. And something as big as destroying Vale...well, there was only one kind of audience that would suffice."
My eyes narrowed. "This fight is being broadcast worldwide, isn't it?"
His grin threatened to split his face. "Exactly. Soon, the whole world will watch you fall. I just wish I could see the looks on their faces."
I could, though. All around the world- from the cities of Atlas, to the far out homes in countrysides- the ensuing battle was being broadcast on the skies above the people. They were all nervous beyond belief, all watching in rapt anticipation as they awaited what would happen next.
I actually shuddered to think what would happen if I failed-NO!
I am the mass of Chaos known as Duncan Verser. I. Don't. Lose.
Especially not to some third-rate, megalomaniacal cliché like him!
Gripping Bright Shadow, I pointed the tip up to Satan, taunting "That'll be kind of hard when you can't even get an advantage over us!"
"Allow me to fix that." With that said, a mass of shadows formed on the top of the cliff high above him. Swirling, roiling, all converging into a single mass of darkness.
From those shadows, one of the Hydra Grimm appeared.
"...Oh, fuck."
"Couldn't have put it any better myself, Jaune," Michael muttered as the Hydra took notice of us.
And as the Hydra stared down at us, the unthinkable happened.
Something that made us question everything.
"...What's good, niggas?"
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"This looks like a sandbox! How about we let ourselves in?"
"...What the fuck?" was Michael's intelligent response.
Slowly pointing toward the Grimm, Neptune quietly asked "Did that Grimm just fucking ta-?"
Leaping off the top of the hill, it cried "Gonna diiiiig ya'll uuuuuup!"
"OH MY GOOOOOOOD-!"
It landed with a sound of thunder, sending a wall of debris right towards us.
Ducking into cover with Michael, I quickly directed all my anger at him for a moment.
"Just so you know, I blame YOU for this!" I yelled, loading Samantha with heavy-duty rounds.
"WHAT?!" Michael roared back, flabbergasted. "How is this my fault?!"
"He's your doppelganger, came from your head, and evidently he remembers A Slap on Titan. Ergo, YOUR FAULT!"
Michael could only gape his mouth as he glared at me.
Third Person's POV:
The hatred between brothers quickly turned into self-preservation as they dodged a head coming down at them. Acting fast, Duncan fired a round into its eye, causing it to rear back in agony. "AGH!" the head roared in pain."OCULAR TRAUMA! THE FUCK?!"
*BANG*
The next shot tore right through the neck, beheading one of the monstrous heads. As it fell to the ground, both Duncan and Michael smiled in satisfaction...which was quickly replaced by disbelief.
The stump of flesh that used to hold the head was shifting, growing into something else. In a macabre style, the ruined flesh healed...and formed a brand new head. Red eyes glared open, looking at Duncan with anger.
"...Yeah, I'm definitely killing Satan."
The beast slammed a head into the ground, spewing debris everywhere and sending the two Multiversers flying.
Michael was caught by Sun, who landed next to the rest of his team. Duncan simply flipped and landed near Coco, Yatsuhashi, and- "Wait...where's Velvet?" the large swordsman asked.
Velvet was in trouble.
That last attack launched a lot of debris. Some of which landed near her, pining her leg to a large rock. Nothing felt broken, but it still hurt. If she had enough time, she could work her way out.
"Hey, lookee at what we got here!"
Time she didn't have.
Her heart froze as she saw the artificial Grimm coming over to her. She recognized that look in their eyes: the look of a predator, ready to eat.
"Mmm-mm! We gonna be eatin' rabbit jerky tonight, boys!" Their words did little to assuage her ever-growing panic.
Closing in on the young Faunus, it was completely unaware of SSSN and Michael as they ran up to the Hydra. "Hey!" Neptune cried out, trying to get its attention. "Look over here, you freak of nature!"
Brandishing [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus, Michael added "If you don't, I'll shove my blades up your stinking ass!"
*[Insert Record Scratch SFX]*
'WHAT?!'
{THE FUCK, PARTNER?!}
If he was trying to make the Hydra forget about its intention to turn Velvet into a light snack...for better or for worse...he succeeded. The Multiverser's taunt got the monstrosity to stop dead in its tracks, completely forgetting about Velvet as it processed what was just said. Turning all of its heads back to the small group, all of the heads uttered "What the fuck?!"
"Did he really just say that?!" one of the heads spoke up, making the others back away nervously. "Oh, I KNOW he did not just say what I think he just said!"
Without further ado, the Hydra began to chase after the Huntsmen and Multiverser, another head crying out "We just tryin' to eat, man! Why you gotta hate?!"
"You know, I'm starting to think that I might've said the wrong thing!" Michael cried out.
"YOU FUCKING THINK?!" Sage answered back.
Duncan sweat-dropped as he witnessed his brother's impromptu distraction work as it did. 'Well, at least he got its attention away from Velvet.'
[AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHA! What a fucking moron!]
'I feel worse for Weisslogia and Masamune. They were in the sword used as a threat.'
{I cannot believe you actually threatened to use us like that!} the White Dragon cried out in disbelief.
'It worked, didn't it?!'
'Not the point!'
Whatever that point was didn't matter. The talking Hydra was pissed and in the mood for someone to eat. And right now, that was Michael. Evidence being all nine heads lurching forward and snapping their gaping maws at Duncan's apprentice.
Michael and Team SSSN quickly dodged the attack, taking advantage of the Grimm's opening at its lower section. Sun, Neptune, and Scarlet began running and gunning at its belly, while Michael and Sage slashed at the ankles.
The Grimm howled in rage and pain, only to get shot in its faces. It turned to notice Pyrrha and Ren taking aim at it while Jaune and Duncan covered them from more oncoming Grimm.
Indignant, the Grimm jumped high, determine to eat or smash the offending snipers. Seeing the danger, Duncan sprouted his Midnight Wings, and grabbed the remaining members of JNPR and flew as far and fast away to keep them safe.
Back on the ground, Michael and Coco opened fire on the underbelly. The former's grenade shots, plus the latter's Gatling rounds, equals massive damage. The Hydra screamed in pain as it fell back down to the ground below, just as Michael leaped into the air with Equinox primed. Three consecutive punches where he shot, sending it flying back.
The Grimm collided with a crane, crushing the machine completely. For a few moments, it didn't move. "Did we just win?" a soldier asked.
"Bitch, we're gonna kill you!"
"Well, that answers my question." With that, everyone moved back a bit.
It reared its heads back with pure rage. "Man, this is some straight up bullshit! All we wanna do is eat people! Why is that so bad?!"
"Pretty sure you just answered your own question," Duncan drawled from above. He fired Paragon and Renegade, each shot hitting the target.
"AAAAAHHH!"
"MOTHER FUCKER!"
"WHY?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE DAMN EYES WITH YOU?!"
[You know, I'm starting to think you're getting addicted to delivering ocular trauma, Duncan.]
'Yeah, I know. I'll try stopping after today.'
[Please do. It hurts just to see that shit.]
"Ha! Suck it, freaks!" Neptune cheered.
"What's wrong?" Sun asked. "You were talking it up a few minutes ago, then Duncan shot your eyes out! Now what are ya gonna do?!"
The Grimm responded with whipping the tail around, knocking SSSN, CFVY and Michael back a few dozen feet, landing a few more feet in front of Prime and the others, having returned from slaughtering Grimm. Groaning loudly, Yatsuhashi responded "That, Sun. That is what it will do."
"Everyone okay?" Coco asked over Duncan's loud laughing (who was also pointing at a few of the others as he did so).
Velvet: "Yeah."
Scarlet: "Hurts so much."
Sage & Neptune: "Ow."
Fox: "I'll live."
Sun: "Me and my big mouth."
Michael: "That's it, I'm killing it dead."
With that said, Michael rushed back in, just as the massive tail slammed into the ground, sending him flying up. He only had a few moments to be stunned, just as he saw a fireball rush at him. A fiery explosion occurred afterwards, the orange flames giving more light to the purple tone of the dome's inside.
Everyone was soon relieved to see that the only damage Duncan's brother received was burned pants, and a jacket & shirt far too scorched to be salvaged. "Oh come on!" he exclaimed as he brushed off a small fire. "I only had two of these things!"
"Wait wait wait!" Coco exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?"
Dodging a head from the Hydra, Michael responded back "Just what I meant to say! This was the only other jacket I had, and I don't have many other clothes!"
"Tell me about it!" Jaune agreed, slashing at a nearby head while Pyrrha and Ren shot at it. "I literally have dozens of the same outfit!"
Now, to those who are fans of the series RWBY, they would know something important about Coco's character: she's a fashionista. Evident in her style of clothing.
So, to hear these two young men say they didn't have any other styles to choose from? That was tantamount to saying you've never had apple pie.
As everyone who knew her backed away from the scarily silent Huntress, she made up her mind: after this hooplah with the Hydra was over, she was taking them shopping for new styles of clothes. And no force in existence was going to stop her.
Duncan could only hold back a laugh at the hell his protégé got himself into. "He never learns, does he?"
[Nope.]
Before he could do anything else, the Hydra slammed Michael back again with his tail, separating him from the others with another swipe. Satan took that moment to raise his hand, a silent command to get the Grimm to stop its assault.
"Hold off for now, boys," Satan drawled, leaping off the cliff and landing near the downed Michael. "I want a crack at him myself."
Shrugging as best as it could, the Hydra backed off into a corner saying "Alright, you're the boss, man." Though out of the fight, it kept a close eye on the others, making sure they wouldn't get close enough to try and help Michael out of his situation.
Though it didn't pay attention to Duncan as he smiled widely. 'I think he deserves a little something special, Mikey,' he said telepathically.
'I do believe you're right, Dunc.' As Satan walked over to the downed form of his foe, Michael shifted. 'Akima?'
'Primed and ready to use.'
And with a smirk, he quickly turned over, his left arm outstretched and his fist pointed right at its target.
"ROCKET PUNCH!"
*FA-BOOM!*
His arm exploded at the elbow, shredding the sleeve to bits as the limb flew forward. To the average person, this would've been horrifying to see. However, everyone soon noticed something about the arm: it had a propulsion flame right behind it. And it was going in a straight line.
Right towards Satan's stupefied face.
"What- GAH!" That was all he could say as the fist collided right with his right cheek, sending him sprawling backwards.
It was at that moment, that everyone had their own reactions.
Emerald, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Ren, Glynda, Cinder, Coco, Fox, Yatsuhashi (irked): 'Ugh. Really?'
Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Sun, Neptune, Nora, Mercury, Scarlet, Sage, Velvet, Atlas soldiers (starry-eyed): 'THAT IS SO COOL!'
Ozpin merely looked on with interest.
Ironwood was shocked.
Prime (in the distance) was watching with a smile.
Weisslogia was stunned silent, unaware of this part of his partner.
Duncan and Ddraig were laughing their Omnipotent asses off.
Quick as a bullet, Michael leaped forward, grabbing the limb and reattaching it to his body before slamming it into his enemy's face once more, this time knocking him into the ground. He wasted no time, picking him up by the leg and his collar and lifting him overhead, then slamming the evil personification into the ground. The resulting impact created a large cloud of dust.
Once the dust settled, there was a large hole leading deep into the ground. As Michael removed his ruined coat and shirt, a strained groan resonated from the bottom. "Aaaahhhh, Lo que está sucediendo en este momento?! ¿Dónde coño estoy?!"
Wordlessly, Michael placed his right arm forward, pointing into the hole while his left arm held him in place. Duncan and Ddraig realized what was coming, and laughed even harder.
With an audible HISS, Michael's right arm split apart, revealing advanced machinery beneath the synthetic skin. A small, thin cylindrical device sprung out, which he quickly aimed at the hole.
Light began to gather at the end of the cylinder, glowing brightly as a whining sound built up. "Wait...what's that noise?" Satan asked.
The light became brighter and brighter, with the whining becoming louder and louder. If one were to look down the hole at that time, they could barely see the bottom of the pit. "...Hold on. Now I see a light!"
"Walk towards it!" was all Michael had to say.
And with that, the laser cannon in his arm fired.
"WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL?!"
In a flash of light, the hole was completely annihilated. The force of the attack was so intense, that it shattered the terrain from the ground up, forcing many to lose their balance. Some were even blown backwards, due to the energy of the blast shooting up in several areas in the quarry.
It went on like this for at least two minutes, with Michael continuously firing again and again into the pit.
Finally, after the fiftieth or so shot, he stopped. The cannon was steaming from the excess heat, which caused Michael to sweat and breathe heavily. A brief moment of silence was taken as he smiled serenely, before he tucked away the weapon into his arm, thus returning it to normal.
Everyone was now staring at the younger Verser with wide eyes. Deep in their subconscious, they came to a conclusion: he may be just as crazy as his brother, if not on his way.
Shaking off the shock first, Ironwood was silently marveling at the young man's newly revealed abilities. He began to wonder if he could convince him to share that weaponry.
"Don't even think about it, Jimmy," Duncan Verser said. The look in his eyes left no room for argument.
Turning around, Michael exclaimed "What the hell are you doing standing around?! Last I checked, we came here for a rescue!"
That snapped the hostages out of their stupor, with Yang saying "Yeah, I'd rather not stay here any longer, thank you very much!"
"Gonna have to agree," Emerald drawled. "Being tied up and hung from this thing isn't exactly fun...now it's beyond infuriating."
"WILL YOU PEOPLE STOP TALKING AND GET US DOWN ALREADY!?" Weiss screamed. "Prime may have redirected the damage to himself, but we could still feel absolutely everything you hit him with! NOW GET US DOWN!"
"Wait. You did?" Prime wondered to himself with honest curiosity before concentrating. "But the link is working. I guess the pain was so much that it spilled out."
"Okay!" Michael cried out defensively. "Let's not get crazy!"
A shadow appeared behind him, bursting out of the smoking crater.
"TOO LATE, PENDEJO!"
With inhuman speed, a pair of arms shot out and grabbed Michael by his forearms, yanking them back harshly. With a grunt, Michael was forced onto his knees as a boot kicked him in the back.
The sound of tearing metal filled the air, as Satan Verser ripped both of Michael's arms clean off, right at where the forearms connected to the elbows.
How would you react to seeing your brother/best friend/friend/object of affection/crush/potential enemy get his arms ripped off in the most gruesome manner possible? Horrified and/or disgusted, right?
Not if you're the Aspect of Death, you wouldn't.
"I told him: don't use cybernetics, it makes regenerating torn-off limbs harder. But did he listen? No," Prime commented with a flat tone.
"HE RIPPED OFF HIS ARMS!" Neptune screamed.
"Tis but a flesh wound."
"No it's not!"
"Yes it is."
"No it's not!"
"Yes it is."
"Are you really having this conversation right now?!" the leader of Team SSSN hit both of their heads, though he massaged the one he used to hit Prime.
As they argued, Satan continued his assault. He slammed his elbow into Michael's collarbone. Everyone cringed as they heard it snap.
Time seemed to slow down for everyone after that.
He pulled him up and turned him around, delivering a series of rapid punches into the chest. There were definitely some ribs broken. Maybe some internal bleeding from the severity of the punches.
More punches, this time in the gut. Internal bleeding was assured at this point.
Satan stomped down on Michael's right leg, hard enough to dislocate the knee.
The blow sent Michael to a kneeling position. He couldn't even defend himself as his evil double punched him in the head three times, but never knocking him down. The skull was probably cracked.
All of that took place in five seconds. Everyone was too shocked by the sheer brutality to even do anything. Except Duncan, but he was not allowed to interfere.
What brought them out of their stupor, though, was when Satan formed a crimson broadsword- Pesadilla del Diablo, if Duncan recalled correctly- out of thin air, slashing Michael toward the girls up on the cliff. Just as Michael was about to crash into the rocks behind them-
*SCHLUCK!*
Their eyes widened in horror. Michael was so close to them. Satan, however, stood between them. His sword was buried deep within Michael's gut, all the way to the hilt. The Multiverser coughed up blood."Adam's not here to save you this time, puta," Satan mocked.
He pushed him off the blade, making him stumble back, unable to put a hand over the wound. Too stunned to stop Satan from slashing him again, sending him flying off the cliff.
So close to the girls, and yet so far.
He landed next to Duncan in an unceremonious, bleeding heap.
"H-h-h-hey...D-D-D-uncan?"
"Yeah, Mike?" Duncan asked, leaning down to inspect his brother's wounds. He still kept Samantha trained on the now recovered Satan with one hand.
"...I...don't think I beat him."
The incarnation of Michael's evil snickered. Dusting himself off, he ensured the captive girls were in in the danger zone of miss-fire were anyone to shoot at him now.
"So then," Satan said as he finished dusting himself off, "who should I kill first? Perhaps blondie?" he began, leering at Yang's chest (earning a scathing glare). "Or the kitty cat?" Blake bared her teeth angrily. "Maybe the tsundere heiress?" Weiss shivered as he dragged a hand across her cheek.
The Aspect of Chaos' teeth nearly shattered from the pressure applied to them.
"Or perhaps the lovely miss Valkyrie?" He brought his attention to Nora, her eyes defiant as she stared him down. "Then again, I always was partial to the color red," he drawled, looking down at Ruby as she struggled.
"You touch her, and I'll kick your ass, motherfucker!" Yang growled.
"Fair enough," he shrugged. Then he strolled over to Emerald. "Though I always did like-" He froze in his tracks, looking at the green-haired thief. Specifically, her torso. "...Oh. Oh my..."
Emerald, who had been slowly trying to work her way out of the wire, stopped as she felt the maniac's gaze linger. His next action...unsettled her.
It began with a shake in his body. The movements were minor, barely noticeable. Then, it was followed by a noise. The noise grew, until it was an audible chuckle. Said chuckle evolved into slight laughter, which made him shake harder. Until finally, he was laughing his ass off, clutching his sides as he leaned backwards. It was as if he had just heard the funniest joke of all time.
That laughter unsettled everyone. Duncan included. 'Oh, that can't be good.'
"Well, he's cracked," Ren noted. "Don't know if that's good or bad."
"Terrifying, to be honest," Jaune said.
"What the hell is he laughing about?" Michael asked as he gurgled on his blood, more unsettled than anyone else.
Getting his laughter under control (somewhat), the evil doppelganger remarked "Oh my God! This is...This is fucking priceless! A fucking two-for-one deal?! Is it my birthday?!"
Duncan and Emerald's blood ran cold in realization.
[You...You don't think he...]
*BANG*
The King of Chaos answered Ddraig by quickly blasting a shot from Samantha to Satan's torso, forcing him away from Emerald.
[Okay. I guess you do think that.]
"I don't know what you were about to say, fucktard. But I know it wasn't funny," Duncan lied, silently thanking everyone he could think of that Cinder and Mercury were trying to flank him, and therefore didn't know this was happening or that Emerald was pregnant with Michael's child.
Emerald, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified. This monster had practically revealed a secret she was trying to keep hidden. Her only saving grace at the moment was that Cinder and Mercury weren't around to hear that.
And Michael, while 95% percent of the time was clueless, did have enough brain cells to put the pieces together. He and Emerald had unprotected sex recently, she was acting strange, Satan mentioned something about a "Two for One Deal"...
It doesn't take Omniscience to figure it out.
The revelation hit him like concrete to the face.
If he weren't in the process of preventing himself from dying at this moment, that might have actually made him faint. But it did cause him to get lost in his own world as time seemed to slow down for him.
Michael's POV:
So...cold...
I'm just...so cold.
This is...my fault. Mine. I created this monster. And now he's here, killing as many innocents as possible "just 'cause." Just to mess with me and my friends.
I have to own that.
No, can't think like that. I can see him and the girls from here. All-seeing eyes sure are useful. And I'm not, not, gonna let this asshole get me. He is not going to kill my friends. Not Ruby. Not Weiss. Not Blake. Not Yang. Not Nora...
Not Emerald.
'And sure as hell not my- our- child!'
"All Requirements met. Initiating AVALON System."
Damn right they-!
...Wait.
What the hell?
"Full Subject Analysis: WARNING! Seven broken ribs. Shattered collar bone. Left lung punctured. Fractured cranium. Internal bleeding. Stomach acid leaking. Right leg dislocated. Left arm missing. Right arm missing. Unnatural pheromone levels detected. Unknown compound detected."
That...sounds about right, if the pain is any indication.
"Full Subject Analysis: Complete. Selecting appropriate Miracle. Miracle: Selected. Beginning Messiah Regeneration Protocol."
...The fuck is the "Messiah Regeneration Protocol"?!
Duncan's POV:
[Queue "Fate/Stay Night Anime OST: Unmei no Yoru"]
Before anything else could happen, light began to glisten from Michael's body. Wait...
Light...?
"Stage One: Mental Faculties/Soul Reinforcement. Initiating."
Struggling, Michael managed to push himself up. On both of his knees, he was left looking at the ground, his eyes seemingly dead to the world.
And yet, there was something familiar at work.
"Stage One: Complete"
"Stage Two: Molecular Reconstitution. Initiating."
All the blood, the wounds, the broken bones, they began to disappear as his body healed. The light was beginning to shine brighter, with everyone- myself included- shielding their eyes. A familiar wind blew around the field, bringing up shadows of memories long past.
I swear, I've seen something like this before.
"Stage Two: 50% Complete."
"ALERT: Damaged Cybernetic Implants detected in arms. Compensating."
The light reached away from Michael, towards several defunct pieces of machinery. Drills, cranes, bulldozers, control panels. Anything that was mechanical in nature, the light touched. Said machines then broke apart, as specific pieces were taken away and brought to Michael.
Primarily, his arms.
"Reforging."
Suddenly, the machinery was twisted and turned, forming different pieces as the reattached at his arms. Circuitry and metal melded together, creating two, perfectly shaped arms, the metal turning a stunning white silver as familiar symbols were etched into the metal.
My eyes widened in realization as the light died down.
'This...This is...'
Third Person's POV:
"Stage Two: Complete. New materials reforged."
"Stage Three: Ignition of Fighting Spirit. Complete."
"I will not..."
It is said that there is a utopia, in which all heroes will inevitably go to.
Satan's eyes widened in shock, disbelieving what was before him. "No..."
He didn't know where the thought came from, but it gave Michael the focus he needed.
'Trace: On.'
A defense untouchable, even to the true magics.
Energy formed around Michael's hands. "I will not..." Michael began to utter as he raised himself back up.
"NO!" With a defiant roar, he launched two disks of Negatium right at his enemy. Time seemed to slow down as the deadly projectiles neared him.
A beautiful, golden pillar of light erupted from his very being.
And its name is...
[Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus in a similar shape appeared in his hands. "I WILL NOT..."
With no effort, the blades annihilated the Negatium, shattering it into oblivion.
"Avalon".
His eyes burned with a newfound drive, right at his evil opposite.
"I WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY YOU!"
A flash of movement was the only sign that he had to prepare. In the blink of an eye, Michael was already running up the hill, his legs more powerful than before. Satan was throwing countless orbs of energy, each one cast aside by the Multiverser's blades.
"JUST DIE ALREADY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Satan roared, chucking a particularly large blob of Negatium right at the Multiverser.
To Michael, it may as well have been moving in slow motion.
Faster than the eye could track, Michael dodged the blob as it collided with the soil behind him, swords gone and replaced with a small Hephaestus chakram. "It's over, Satan Verser!" he exclaimed, launching the chakram at his foe's neck. In the nick of time, Satan moved to the right a bit, only to have a chunk of the side of his neck sliced off.
Only the sound of the collar he wore hitting the ground brought an epiphany.
'He...He was aiming for the collar!'
'MASAMUNE! WEISS-KUN!'
'Right!'
{Coming right up!}
Michael and Satan now stood a mere few feet apart, [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus reformed as dual Chinese falchions once again. Energy from both Masamune and Weisslogia poured into the blades as the former leaped forward, arms crossed and raised on opposite sides.
"GETSUGA-"
"SON OF A-!"
"JUUJISHO!"
With a final roar, Michael crossed the blades. The energy slashed across Satan's chest, carving deep into his flesh and organs in an 'X' pattern.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Blood spurted briefly, as his eyes rolled back into his head. Falling onto his back, Satan Verser collided with the ground.
[End "Fate/Stay Night Anime OST: Unmei no Yoru"]
Duncan's POV:
Back on the quarry's field, everyone was silent. Even me. And that's something that doesn't happen too often.
The silence was broken when everyone- sans the Hydra and I- broke into a cheer. And if you were a Multiverser like me, you could hear everyone from each of the four kingdoms watching this fight cheer as well. And why not? They had just bore witness to the birth of what will most likely be remembered as a hero.
A heart-warming moment, a tad overshadowed by my thoughts.
'It...It works...AVALON actually works!'
[...Okay, I think I'll stop ranking on him for that 'Oppai Dragon' slip up. Just because of how EPIC that was… For now, anyways.]
Using my Omnipresence to look up on top of the hill, I could see Michael standing over his downed foe. Breathing heavily, he stated "And this time, stay dead!"
The moment was broken immediately afterwards.
His eyes refocusing, Satan shot right back up, a shot of energy blasting right from his mouth toward his enemy. Instantly, Michael brought both his blades to bear, blocking the attack and launching him back from the top of the hill to the bottom. He twisted in midair, landing deftly on his feet.
The cheering stopped, with many groaning in disbelief. A few even asked what it took to kill that son of a bitch.
"What part of 'stay dead' do you not understand?!" Michael asked rhetorically.
The evil doppelganger, however, didn't pay attention. "This...This is all wrong. This isn't possible!" Satan growled in disbelief. "This doesn't make any sense! You were broken, dying! You shouldn't just get up again! You're not that powerful!"
"...Yeah, I'm not that powerful," Michael instantly agreed, glaring at his doppelganger. "I'm stronger than most, and I don't really know what just happened. But I will not look a gift horse in the mouth. You're a mistake, a waste of an existence! All you've done is cause misery!"
{...ro..f...s..ce}
'Michael...what are you doing to me?!'
"All these deaths, all this destruction, and for what?!" he continued, raging on. "Some stupid constantly opposing existences BS?! NO! I will not let this pass! I won't just sit and let this shit happen ever again!"
{H..o of..ust...}
'Michael! You don't understand what you're doing to me!' And yet my mouth refused to listen to me and call out my thoughts.
"I have seen hell like this before, but never again! I will stop you! I'll stop anyone and everyone like you!"
{Her. of J...ice}
'No! STOP!'
"I'll get stronger! I'll fight for a better future! One where no one will ever suffer! Where no one dies!"
A small, sad smile graced Prime's lips. "Oh, Michael. It is better you don't know," he said, so faintly nobody else heard. "That if you ever come closer to achieve such an ideal, I will be forced to kill you.
"Because, without their opposites, life and happiness don't have any meaning."
If one were to notice when Prime muttered that, Duncan's left fist tightened.
{Hero of-}
'MICHAEL!'
"I WILL BECOME A 'HERO OF JUSTICE'!" Michael ended with a roar towards his nemesis.
And like that, the dam broke.
The fire...
That horrid fire that burned away everyone and everything. Buildings, toppled into dust. The pervasive stench of death. Corpses upon corpses. The dead and dying frozen in place. Any hope of salvation, lost. Each and every face I walked passed in that hell, begging for me to save them...
And I didn't. No one was spared, save me. And barely, at that.
I had survived years later, only to gain the hatred of the world for trying to save it. To never let such things happen ever again.
"To save one life, you must choose to not save another."
"Rejoice! Your wish shall finally be granted."
"This is a war! People die!"
"Senpai? How could you...?"
"What a selfish wish."
"Drown in your ideals and die!"
"Die with that satisfaction, Faker!"
"I want to be a Hero of Justice."
Wait...
"Even so, I admired it, thinking, if I could live like that, how great would it be?"
This is...you're...
"Even if my life is a sham, the wish for others to be happy must be beautiful."
No...
No, it is you. You are awake.
"I won't lose it."
Then...neither shall I.
"Even if it's foolish, I won't turn back."
I get it...I fucked up...
"I know my dream isn't...Even if I'm a fraud-!"
But never again. Because-!
{"I know my dream isn't wrong!"}
And unknown to my allies, Michael finally woke me up...as well as a few others.
Third Person's POV:
Everyone was silent at the Multiverser's proclamation. All except one.
"...Hehehehehehe. Hehehehehahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" Even heavily injured, the bastard had the energy to laugh. "A 'Hero of Justice'?! Hahahaha! Oh man, this is just fucking priceless!" Satan cackled."You do realize that's a fucking pipe dream, right?! Not even you can save everyone!"
His gaze unwavering, Michael said "Maybe it is...maybe you're right...but it's like Duncan told me not too long ago: the effort, just the effort, is worth it."
Those words made the laughter die down, slowly but surely.
"I may suffer from this choice...but I won't back down from this, and I sure as hell won't regret it. I will stop you! I will become a 'Hero of Justice'! And I will save everyone!" Raising [Aura Radiance] up toward the madman, the setting sun glistening off the blade as he finished "Because that's what a hero does!"
Having finally calmed down, Satan saw a familiar fire in his enemy's eyes. Chuckling, he continued "Well, if that's what you want...if you're so set on this doomed goal, then who am I to argue? Instead, allow me to assist you: Die a 'Hero of Justice,' maldito idiota! Sic him!" With that said, he let his abomination of a Grimm loose.
"Ooooohhhh yeeeaaaaahhhh!" the monstrosity roared in glee. "Time to eat!"
Eyes widened in horror, Blake cried out "Run! Everyone, get away from here!"
On any other day or time, they might have. But the words spoken today...it was like a fire was lit inside them. Not one person budged to move, not even the bystanders. Instead, they steeled themselves for the fight.
"Jaune..." Pyrrha began.
"I love you too, Pyrrha," the blonde swordsman replied. The two of them drew their blades, with Ren drawing StormFlower.
"It's been a hell of a ride, eh Neptune?" Sun asked, brandishing Ruyi Band and Jingu Bang. Sage and Scarlet followed suit with their own weapons.
The blue-haired Huntsman chuckled, holding his weapon in Trident form. "Wouldn't have it any other way, buddy."
Coco reared her gun back, the rest of Team CFVY by her side. "It's been fun fighting with you guys," the fashionista stated.
Noticing not one person moved to flee, Weisslogia mused {Seems you have a gift with words. Only someone with something like that could light a fire that bright in people.}
{I'd say that he gets that from Naruto, mostly,} an orange haired Soul Reaper began, {but he's been like that way before that knucklehead showed up.}
Burping loudly from his drink, Sterling said {Gentlemen...it's been a privilege to be with you. I'm saying this because we're all most likely going to die in this fight. Even still: LET'S DO THIIIIIIIIS!}
Gripping [Aura Radiance] in one hand, and the near-perfect copy created by Hephaestus, Michael thought 'Let's.'
Duncan's POV Switch:
{You tried holding us back,} a young voice told me. His tone was factual, yet friendly.
{But you're weak,} an older version of the same voice, harsher.
{You know it in your soul. If you need to give up your ideals, at least do it for those you care for,} the first voice said, yet somehow it was a different person.
{But don't just give up those ideals because they're too hard,} the younger voice changed again. The tone wasn't much different from the first version.
{Now face your enemy, and imagine what you need to beat it.}
Third Person POV Switch:
Michael and the others were starting to get into battle stances. The Hydra hadn't started charging yet...
It'd be a good warm-up.
"[I think we need some music for this,]" Ddraig pointed out. "[Might as well if these two are awake...or is it four? Whatever. Anyway, here's some battle music.]"
"Ddraig, what are you talking about?!" Michael called back, unaware of what was going on in his teacher's head. "We're kind of busy at the-!"
[Queue "EMIYA #0"] (A/N: I don't remember who made this version, or the original. If anyone could remind me, that'd be great.)
The collected group of Michael, Team JNPR, Team SSSN, Team CVFY, and every other onlooker looked towards Duncan, who had just removed his favored hooded jacket as the music slowly began. And not a second after that, his shirt.
It was like a mirage fading away, revealing the truth.
Originally, Duncan just had a bare chest, maybe a few scars. But the illusion faded, revealing tattoos. A lot of them, each of which marked many accomplishments. The black Fairy Tail emblem on his right shoulder, along with the Fairy Glitter spell on the forearm. Also, a lot of red tattoos littered his right arm in addition to those two, each of them somehow related. On his back was his personal symbol: an Omega with a smaller Alpha symbol in the middle. Beneath that was an N7, three sets of wings (Angel, Devil, and Fallen Angel.) On the back of his neck was a purple Fleur de Lis. On his left pectoral was the Gremory family crest, Michael recognized. The right pectoral held the Vault symbol. Below his neck was the Assassin Brotherhood symbol. On his stomach, the Akaviri symbol for Dragonborn. In the very center of his chest, a Spider symbol. And there was more.
But what really drew Michael's attention was the fact that Duncan's entire left arm was now wrapped in a long red cloth. The fingers were off-color, too, he noticed. And as Duncan started moving towards the Hydra Grimm, which had also stopped momentarily once the music started, he knew why.
Duncan unraveled the cloth, and revealed that the entire left arm was not his original arm: It was transplanted. The cloth was still wrapped around at the wrist and the hand, but the entire arm was tanned. They could see the faded scaring where it attached to Duncan's torso.
But the Multiverser paid no attention to his allies. He simply stared at the abomination in front of him and began a light jog, triggering the Hydra into its own run.
"Trace...on!" Duncan said, holding his left arm out.
Circuitry lit up the entire arm, before in a flash of light a massive...well, it was a concrete slab with a jagged edge, and a handle wrapped in white cloth. It was basically a sword, but no normal human would ever be able to hold it. Hell, the thing was almost twice as big as its current wielder. And yet Duncan could hold it, with one arm.
The Hydra was closing in on the King of Chaos. Barely five meters away.
"Trigger: Off."
The first slash would be aimed right where all nine necks met the torso, severing them all. And from that slash, another would hit the left leg. Another, the right wing. The next, its torso. Pelvis. Collarbone. Stomach. Forearm. And Heart.
Nine targets.
Nine weak points.
One slash.
The Beast was now upon him. "Yeah, motherfucker! I'mma bite yo dick o-!"
"Set...Nine Lives Blade Works!"
A flash of movement.
Duncan soared past the beast, landing behind it effortlessly. The Hydra didn't move a muscle.
"Yeah," he breathed out as the massive sword disappeared. With a smirk, he continued "Haven't lost my touch."
And like that, it fell to pieces.
For what seemed like an eternity, no one moved. Only staring in awe at the sheer power Duncan displayed, slaying the Grimm like it was nothing.
Satan was the first to react. Growling in anger, he pulled out a detonator, proclaiming "Hijo de puta...you honestly didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?!" Pushing down on the button...
*BOOOOOOOOOM!*
A large explosion devastated the ground Duncan once stood, the Multiverser leaping back just in time to avoid the blast. The ground fell apart soon afterwards, revealing a large hole. A tunnel.
"KILL THEM!"
Upon that command, legions of Grimm poured out from the freshly made hole in the ground. And every single one of them looked ready to kill. Not even hesitating, Duncan charged forward, Michael alongside him as they let out a ferocious battle cry.
That was their queue.
Everyone present simply could not hold back. They had just been given hope again. And so they charged.
Running towards three Ursi, Jaune slammed his shield into the one closest to him. Distracted, the Ursa could not stop Jaune from quickly turning and slashing right at the second Ursa's through, killing it instantly. The young Huntsman redirected his attention to the stumbling Grimm quick enough to run it through. The third Ursa charged at him, running on all fours. Jaune charged, sword first, and rammed his blade into its skull. Before it disintegrated, he used it to jump high, turn around, and raised his shield.
Pyrrha, aided by Jaune's shield, was launched high into the air. She threw her shield, Akouo. At a small pack of Grimm charging her partner/boyfriend. The shield and Grimm made an amusing little game of pinball. However, this was only meant to disorient the Beowolves long enough for her to shoot them all with Milo. Using her semblance, her shield returned to her and she landed to join Jaune and Ren, who had just killed a King Taijitu.
Prime switched out his guns for the sword Judgment. Setting into a two-handed stance he slashed down to a Boarbatusk, bisecting the Grimm into two perfect halves. Using his right foot as a fulcrum he spun around, the sword's power cutting through all Grimms in the Multiverser's line of sight.
He turned around to deal with a group of Creeps, but found Ozpin standing in the middle of their already dissolving bodies. "It appeared I haven't lost my touch," the Headmaster commented with a small smile.
"You certainly didn't." Prime planted his sword in the ground and rested on the pommel. "However, I feel obliged to inform you that, unless you reduce the amount of daily caffeine, it will soon start to shave off your left years."
Ozpin's smile turned into a panicked frown. "You don't mince words, do you?" Then he pointed his cane to where Duncan and Michael are fighting. "Aren't you going to join them?"
Prime shook his head. "They're the protagonists there. Me? I already found my place in the world a long time ago." He smiled. "Plus, someone needs to watch out for the youngsters so that they don't endanger themselves too badly," he added just as Ren and Duncan rushed past them.
Ozpin understood perfectly.
Ren rushed forward, StormFlower in hands as he continued to gun down Grimm. He was aided by Duncan, shooting Paragon and Renegade left and right, still missing his prized revolver.
As the serpentine Grimm collapsed to the ground, Sun leaped onto its head, springboarding off while twirling Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. He landed right on top of an Ursa, slamming both business ends of his gun-chucks onto its head. The impact blew it to pieces, causing Sun to leap off again and land in front of a Beowolf. Connecting the gun-chucks together into a staff, he began to fight the wolf Grimm while spinning the explosive pole around. He buried one end into the ground, using it to propel himself over the Grimm and behind it, leaving it vulnerable to a barrage of strikes.
The finishing blow came from Prime, who had finally joined the fight in earnest after absorbing so much damage meant for Satan's hostages. With the simplest of ease, his scythe cut the monster in two, which slid away from each other. Switching out the scythe for his personal firearms, two long-barreled revolvers named Mercy and Cruelty. The first gun's shots gave each Grimm a peaceful, quick death. The second's caused them to die in agony. Once there were enough dead, Sun charged forward, knocking even more down.
Next to Sun, Scarlet and Sage were fighting back to back, cutting down any Grimm that got near them. While the latter cleaved them in two with his enormous blade, Scarlet employed a style of dual-wielding with his flintlock and cutlass. Using the flintlock's grappling hook, he swung off a King Taijitu's head and onto a Nevermore, stabbing it in the head and causing it to crash to the ground.
The resulting dust cloud blinded nearby Grimm, giving the soldiers cover to start gunning as many nearby Grimm as they could. In the cover of the dust, Neptune took the chance to behead an Ursa with his weapon's guan-dao mode. Quickly shifting into trident mode, he twirled it around before impaling it into a Boarbatusk's underbelly, just as it leaped into the air to ram him. For good measure, he slammed it right into the ground.
With all his might, he swung it into the air, causing it to soar over the sea of Grimm and onto a Creep's head, disorienting it. That was all the opening Michael needed to decapitate the beast, before bisecting it for good measure. Chucking the blades into the air, he successfully did the same with a circling Nevermore as he took out his handgun, shooting three rounds that killed three more Creeps. Holstering it, he caught the blades in midair, before turning them downwards and stabbing them into a Deathstalker's skull. Jumping off, he used Hephaestus to form a bow and arrow, firing it right at Satan.
He caught it effortlessly, a bored look on his face. "Rea-"
*BOOM!*
Evidently, he forgot that the Dust weapon was able to explode. Which it did right, right in his face. The explosion rocketed him into the cliff, knocking him out cold.
"Bullseye," Michael quipped. He could hear Masamune laughing her ass off at the sight, happy to see him get what was coming to him.
Nearby, Duncan cut down another Beowulf with the demonic sword Gram. "At this rate, there shouldn't be much more Grimm in the city if Ozpin, Goodwitch, and the others are doing their job!"
"Indeed," Prime commented as he landed next to his comrade. "It appears we have our work cut out for us this time, don't we old friend?"
"That we do," the King of the Multiversers nodded. Looking up to the girls, he muttered "Just hope we can finish this quickly."
[End "Emiya #0"]
There is a rather long list of things Yang Xiao Long can stand before she gets pissed off. Unfortunately, there is an equally long list of things that can piss her off, too.
Getting kidnapped and used as fucking bait is one of those things.
She, her sister, her partner, Weiss, Nora, and that Emerald chick. They were all forced to just watch as this random evil prick came out of nowhere, with no clue he was even here in the first place, kidnap them, and sic a random new Grimm (which should be impossible to create, by the way!) on their now vulnerable city.
And they could do absolutely nothing about it!
Ya know what? No. NO! She was Yang FUCKING Xiao Long! She was NOT some damsel in distress, some fuckin' high school waifu whose only purpose was to get captured and saved soon afterwards by some cliché typical hero-type character, even if- ESPECIALLY IF- he was her boyfriend.
This stupid crucifix and this stupid collar were NOT going to keep her down!
Unknown to Yang, though, she was currently entering her "Berserk Blonde Mode" (as Duncan so eloquently named it). Unfortunately for everyone on Remnant, sans any Multiversers and Antiversers, Yang's level of anger was causing her to get that upgraded semblance that Duncan told her about last chapter. Which was causing her to get so hot that if she didn't calm down within the next five minutes or figure out how to control it, she'd set fire to the planet's atmosphere.
Obviously, that's not a pleasant thought. So let's get to how that doesn't happen.
Because obviously Blake wasn't happy about this either. How would you feel if you were unfortunately physically incapable of being as strong/powerful as your significant other? She already had problems with the fact that she thought all she was good at was running away, but this? This was the world just flipping her off at this point.
The collar itself (which, being a Faunus, insulted her far more than any of the others), actually felt quite easy to get out of. She had seen similar designs for the cuff and could probably take them off. Get them off the others, too. If only she could use her hands. If only she were out of this. If only her Semblance were more useful. If-if-
If only she wasn't having this headache that made her think she was looking at herself on the crucifix!
"Uuuuhhh, Blake?" Ruby called out, pausing her own attempts to escape.
"What, Ruby? I'm kinda busy," the Cat Ninja grunted out, jostling the wire binding her arms and legs.
"Why are there two of you?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...That's a good question," Blake answered, having looked forward to, indeed, see herself standing in front of them.
Unbound, unrestricted, and talking at the exact same time as the Blake on the cross.
"Okay, what's happening?!" the Faunus exclaimed, both Blakes inspected themselves and each other to ensure what they were seeing was real.
"Who cares!?" Weiss yelled. "It's still you, right Blake?"
"Yeah, I'm just-!"
"I DON'T CARE!" the Heiress screamed, fed up with the entire situation. "I am NOT going to stay up here and watch all our friends fight for our lives! We are going out there and we are killing Grimm! So, get to it!"
"Yeah, I know I'm new to you guys' lives and everything," Emerald said, speaking up from her end, "but, uh, you might wanna help Blondie, first."
RWBB, and Nora quickly turned their attention to Yang to notice that she was kind of...well...on fire. More so than usual. Her hair literally looked like flames, her now crimson eyes were glowing, they were pretty sure she had fangs at the moment. Plus, the pressure coming off her was making cracks in the ground.
"Yeah, I'll do that!" both Blakes answered before the untied one ran to Yang, jumped up, and grabbed the collar on her partner's neck just right, which then popped off. After which, Yang simply roared, and the metal binds binding her to the cross melted and she almost leaped off.
Thankfully, she instantly noticed her own situation, and the "Berserk Blonde Mode" shut off.
"Well..." Yang breathed out, looking at her hands and then the rest of the bound girls. "That was a thing."
"...Can you two please just get us down already?" Nora deadpanned.
Yeah. That's right. NORA deadpanned. You know that means shit's been hitting the fan.
The sound of rustling came from nearby bushes, revealing Cinder and Mercury. Noticing two of the freed girls (and Satan's unconscious form), the latter of the two asked "What'd we miss?"
"...Mercury."
"Yeah, Emerald?"
"Not. The time," she growled out.
"Noted." That said, he and the others started to free the remaining hostages, carefully cutting through the barbed wire with some pliers found on site. "So, what happened to the man in red?" he asked, gesturing to Satan's prone form.
"Michael shot an arrow from his Dust weapon," Yang replied. "Literally blew up in his face."
"HA! Man, I can't believe I missed that!"
"Well, let's finish this now, then," Cinder spoke coldly. "Anyone have a knife on them?"
"Uh, why would you need a knife?" Ruby asked.
The golden-eyed raven head replied "So I can slit his throat."
"Oh- wait, what?!" That surprised the other girls, sans Emerald.
"Oh, don't even try," the mint-haired thief began. "That man kidnapped us, threatened to murder us, sicced an army of Grimm on the city, and created that monstrosity of a Grimm that Verser turned into sliced tenderloin. If you honestly think he doesn't deserve death after all of that, then-"
"THIS FARCE ENDS NOW!"
Everyone went quiet as those words rang out. All eyes from both sides of the fight turned to the source, finding a conscious, scorched, and extremely pissed off Satan Verser. In his hand, held up high by the front of her face so everyone could see her back, was Nora.
"Drop your weapons!" he continued, holding her off the edge. "Or Senorita Valkyrie gets turned into her favorite breakfast fo-"
Before he could even finish, Nora bit down on his hand. Hard. His eyes widening in pain, Satan accidentally brought her back over the edge. Apparently, he decided at that point that enough was enough, and now held her by the neck.
He then lit up like a Christmas tree, electricity frying everything around him as he channeled his energy into Nora. Everyone gasped in shock, unable to do anything as they watched her get electrocuted to death. If Satan were to pay attention, though, he'd notice JPR, Michael and Duncan grinning in a knowing manner.
"Like that, puta?!" he cackled. "I was saving all this for Michael, but I guess you'll make a good test subject!" And with that, he continued to fry her some more.
And more.
And more.
And more.
And more. All the while, she continued to smile. Which pissed the evil double off something fierce.
"...Okay, there's gotta be a few thousand volts coursing through you right now! How're you still alive?!"
Grinning, Nora replied "Semblance."
"...Your Semblance makes you immune to electricity?" he asked in disbelief.
"Nope!" Grinning even wider, she continued "You shock me, I get stronger!"
"...Oh..." The lightning stopped. "...Well I fucked up, didn't I?"
"YEP!
With that said, she punched him right in the arm, pain coursing through the limb as he dropped her. That allowed her to crouch low in front of him.
And rear back her fist, delivering a quick succession of three punches.
Right hook. A flash of electricity.
Left hook. A crack of lightning.
Right hook. A crack of thunder, followed by an explosion of electricity.
Every punch aimed right at Satan Verser's wang and balls.
Johnny Cage would be proud.
Everyone present could only wince at the ferocity of the attack. Especially the males, as they were all holding their crotches as they felt the phantom pains. Said pain was made worse by the cries of absolute agony Satan was in, evidenced by how he was lying down and nursing his wounded manhood.
Duncan, however...he was currently maintaining a thousand mile stare. While his mind was in a state of PTSD.
'...No...Not another one,' he thought fearfully. 'Dear God, NOT ANOTHER ONE!'
[Duncan, Duncan, calm down,] Ddraig said, trying to keep his host calm, despite being in an equal state of fear out of pure male instinct. [This isn't 'her', okay? Just don't think about it right now.]
"MI POLLA! LE PEGO A MI EN LA POLLA! ¡¿POR QUÉ?! ¿POR QUÉ TE LE PEGO A MI EN LA POLLA?!"
"Hey, guys!" Nora waved with a cheerful smile. "I broke his 'leg'!"
"Has destruido la mitad de mi enorme polla!" Satan continued to wail. "Tú eres el diablo, perra! ¡¿Me escuchas?! Usted es el diablo!"
"I have no idea what you just said!" Nora cheerily laughed. "But it'd probably make me laugh even more!"
"...oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH!" Satan moaned in pain before growling. "THAT IS IT! I have HAD IT! If you think I'm gonna let...that...stop me, you're wrong! DEAD WRONG! I amgoing to kill someone today! Might as well be the guy I really wanted!" Satan roared, kicking Nora back before a massive amount of energy charged in his hands.
Death.
That was what was in his hands right now. To almost everyone here, seeing that energy meant death. Looking in the same direction as Satan, it was easy to tell his target was Michael. No doubt to try and end his primary goal in life. And given how young a Multiverser Michael was by Duncan and Prime's standards...
He wouldn't survive the blast.
"BURN YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
As the massive ball of death launched towards Michael Verser, one person launched herself towards him, determined to save his life.
And if one could pay close attention to said person...they could see little arcs of lightning sparking around them as they pushed him out of the way, just before the ball of Negatium enhanced energy leveled the spot Michael once stood in.
*KRA-KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Michael's POV:
...Pain.
Unbelievable pain was shooting through my body. Not surprising, seeing as I felt like I got hit by a motorcycle. Which, oddly enough, gave me flashbacks to when Arcee accidentally ran me over. Not a pleasant experience for anyone involved.
As my mind began to come back into focus, I found myself...in far less pain then I should've been.
Now, I've been on the receiving end of energy attacks a few times already. So, with that in mind, I can say with complete confidence that my body should be screaming in unadulterated agony, as if everything was set on fire and couldn't be put out. Instead, all I felt was soreness from getting rammed into.
That's when I managed to get a good look at my arm. Aside from being more obviously mechanical, due to being formed from the machinery in the quarry, it didn't bare the signs of burn marks.
'Either I got extremely lucky and Satan's aim sucks...' he thought.
{Or you got knocked out of the way before the blast could hit you,} Weiss-kun finished.
'It must be the latter, because from what I can recall, Satan's as good a shot as me,' I thought back, sitting myself up as I turned to face where I was originally. 'Doubt that would change now. But then...who knocked me out of-'
Looking forward, my vision cleared up...and my blood ran cold.
"...Oh, no..."
[Queue "Forever - Jeff and Casey Williams"]
Not too far to the left, there was a smoldering crater. Steam filtered out of the ruined earth.
I saw the weapon, sticking out of the ground like a tombstone.
"No."
I tried to get up, only to stumble and fall forwards, colliding with the ground. Disoriented, I pushed back up, forcing myself forward step by shaky step. Everyone was quiet, looking right at the crater.
The world seemed muted, apart from my voice.
"No, no, no."
Every step I took was weighted down, my body numbed by the sight before me. I managed to stop stumbling, but every step seemed like I would fall again. The distance closed every time, with feet turning into slow miles as I got closer and closer.
I could already see it.
"No. Please, no."
I tripped over a rock, landing face first next to the embedded fallen weapon. The sight of it made my chest tighten in horror, my mind trying desperately to deny that it was-
"Not her," I pleaded. "Please, not her."
I couldn't stand up. My legs refused. One hand in front of the other, I crawled forward, arms and knees giving me the strength. The steam was burning my skin as I reached the crater, hiding the prone form in the center.
Gathering up what strength I could, I used my power to dispel the steam, instantly cooling down the entire area to a safe degree.
My whole body numbed again at the sight of her.
It felt like an eternity, just staying in that spot. It was like...one moment, I'd blink, and it'd just be a bad dream. I'd wake up, and...
I don't know when I got over to where she lay. I don't know how I did. But I did remember picking her smoldering, scorched body up, softly cradling her head as I looked down, as if my touch would make her crumble.
"C-C'mon," I whispered. "This isn't funny. Wake up. Please, wake up." I shook her a bit, desperately hoping it would work.
She was limp. I couldn't feel a pulse.
"...This...You weren't supposed to...You're supposed to grow up and become a Huntress, remember?" I asked, my voice cracking. "You're supposed to grow up, and be a hero. Help others. Find someone you really like, if you wanted to. You..."
Salty drops of water fell on her cheeks. I couldn't stop trembling.
"T...Too soon," I sobbed uncontrollably. "It's too soon. You're not supposed to die like this. Not like this. N-Not when there's so much to...t-t-to..." Images of that horrid fire...his face as the flames...
I couldn't bear it.
Not again.
It can't be happening again!
I screamed to the heavens in despair.
"RUBYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
The scarlet sun began to set even further, its light cast over the scorched corpse of Ruby Rose. Crescent Rose, still embedded in the earth, remained upright as a tombstone.
Third Person's POV:
It takes a truly twisted mind to willingly kill kids, or adolescents. Even in prison, child killers and/rapist are shown no mercy (by the other prisoners, no less).
To see this...abominable man- no, not a man...a monster- accidentally kill Ruby Rose, a fifteen year old girl, and be amused...it enraged people. He aimed for Michael, but the look on his face clearly indicated he was more than okay with taking Ruby from this world instead. The bastard had the gall to laugh at the sight.
The remaining members of RWBY were frozen...though, none more than Yang. She stood as still as a statue. Her eyes glazed over, unable to properly comprehend the sight before her.
While Yang remained frozen and Michael cradled Ruby's body, sobbing in despair, everyone else slowly directed their gaze to Satan Verser. Even Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald weren't amused.
"...He's. Mine."
No one could fault Verser for calling dibs, though they would be angry at missing out on vengeance. No matter. Killing the rest of the Grimm would have to suffice. So the remainder of the Teams went to kill more Grimm. Duncan and Prime went to end Satan. And Yang remained there for a little longer, staring at Ruby's body.
Michael wordlessly picked up Crescent Rose from the ground, whispering "I'm sorry...I don't have the right...but I'll bring it right back." He offered a smile, made all the more heart-wrenching through the tears. "I promise." With that said, began to walk toward the city. His sorrow was impossible to not see as he carried the late Huntress in Training's prized weapon.
Satan suddenly appeared in front of him, a sickening grin on his face. "Sorry, pendejo, but you're not going any-"
More often than not, Michael could be compared to a rubber band. Whatever happens to him, he manages to snap right back to normal soon afterwards, or- in the worst case scenario- from one emotion to another. To see the monstrosity he accidentally created standing in front of him now, smiling, after killing Ruby...
No one faulted him from snapping from despair...to rage.
Rearing his left arm back, Michael possessed a face that would've fit more perfectly on a demon. He delivered a haymaker punch- packed with all of his power- directly to Satan's face, right into the Negatium field.
From where he stood, Duncan could feel the negative emotions roiling off of Michael, and could only feel a tinge of despair at the sight. If he didn't act fast, he'd have to bare witness to the second coming of himself. Fortunately, he wouldn't have to wait long to fix things.
However, he was currently focusing on the aftermath of Michael's punch. The force sent Satan into the field, which blasted him right back into the middle of the quarry. What caught his eye, though, was one simple fact: the field had shattered where he hit.
It wasn't complete.
Michael, though, didn't notice. He didn't even notice the pain that came from one of his shot-gauntlets exploding from the force of the punch. He just sped through the gap he created, and ran toward Vale.
'Worry about him later,' Duncan thought. 'Focus on my soon-to-be-dead torture toy now.'
[End "Forever - Jeff and Casey Williams"]
Michael's POV:
'There is a long list of stupid actions I've done over the years. A really long list. But this? Heading off to fight an army of Grimm- including eight artificially created ones- all by myself? Well, I'd say that takes the cake.'
These were the thoughts that ran through my head as I made my way to the city. I checked and double-checked Crescent Rose and the few cartridges I brought along, making sure it was all in perfect condition. I'd need it to be for what was soon to come.
Simply looking at the scythe-rifle was enough to make my chest hurt. I fought down the tears that threatened to escape.
'Ruby...
'She died because of me...because I was too careless. And now...now she...'
{Don't think like that, partner,} Weisslogia stated. {That's all on Satan, and you know it.}
'...I know. But I'm responsible for that monster. I should be back there, while Duncan and Prime-sensei handle the Grimm.'
{Maybe. But even with your new powers- which quite honestly freaks me the fuck out- there's no guarantee you'd be able to beat him. At least with Duncan, we won't have to worry about him doing the same to anyone else ever again.}
Somehow, the thought of my mentor/brother killing someone didn't fill me with a sense of unease as it did before. And that scared me a bit, to actually look forward to Satan's death.
The city's coming up. Gripping Crescent Rose in one hand, and [Aura Radiance] in the other, I charged full speed to the advancing line of Grimm.
'I won't let her death be in vain,' I thought in grim determination. 'Even if I die here, today, I won't let Vale be destroyed!'
Weisslogia chuckled bitterly, feeling as bittersweet as I did. {Well then...shall we give the people a show?}
Blinking owlishly, I almost forgot that Satan was broadcasting everything across the kingdoms since we arrived at the quarry. It put things into perspective. Now I definitely couldn't afford to fail here.
The first of the Grimm was within striking distance. Leaping into the air, I fired the scythe-rifle, tearing right through the Ursa's head. I landed feet first onto a Boarbatusk, crushing it into black paste before beheading the other one next to it.
Burying the scythe blade into the ground, I formed [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus, chucking them into the crowd. The former sliced the throats of many Grimm, as did the latter. Both blades eventually buried themselves in the skull of a Deathstalker. However, while the former dissipated into light particles, the latter exploded, blowing the Grimm's face right off.
I grabbed an Ursa by the hand, punching it in the face before grabbing it by the leg. Another Ursa was charging at me.
{BEAT THAT MOTHERFUCKER WITH THAT OTHER MOTHERFUCKER!} Sterling cried out, pissed beyond belief at Ruby's death (and wanting to vent anger through Michael's violence on Grimm).
I did so. Leaping into the air, I swung my Ursa club into another Ursa, the impact killing both Grimm instantly. Despite myself, I felt a small smile grace my lips at the thought of others around the world seeing that. Using omnipresence, I saw Duncan laughing his ass off, while Prime chuckled at the novelty of the act.
My .454 fired a grenade round, a smokescreen to blind the Grimm while I shot at them. Many died, though some were only injured. I fired one round into the air before grabbing Crescent Rose. Walking away, I didn't even look back as the Nevermore crashed into some Grimm coming at me from behind.
{There's still a lot more to handle,} Weiss-kun said.
'True,' Akima agreed. 'But they've never faced us before.'
I didn't know if I could truly do this on my own. But damn if I'm not gonna try.
No, I knew I would, somehow.
Whether or not I died here, today, I was going to win. And nothing would stop me.
Yang's POV:
Hate.
That was what I felt right now. True hate. Pure hate. The kind that flows through you to the point you can't tell you're alive without feeling hate. That's all that was in my mind as I stood above my little sister's body.
I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill this "Satan" asshole.
The burning began.
I wanted to kill Michael, because Satan was his doppelganger.
The flames licked at my skin.
I wanted to kill Duncan for involving my sister in this.
All I could see was red.
But I really wanted to kill Satan more than them. He killed my sister.
SO I'LL KILL-!
"Yang," Duncan's voice echoed through my head. "She's not dead."
My rage flickered away instantly.
...what?
"Ruby's not dead," he reiterated. "I could tell from the moment she jumped to save Michael that Ruby's changed."
...how?
"She's got an obvious crush on Michael," he flatly explained. Were I not in disbelief, I would've rolled my eyes at that obvious fact, too. "That was enough of a close relationship that she got an upgrade, too."
"Wait! What!?" I yelled out. As if to confirm his proclamation, Ruby gasped the largest breath of air I had ever seen her do.
I couldn't feel any happier that she did.
"Y-Yang?" my little sister croaked out, still in pain.
"It's okay, Ruby!" I cried out, already holding her tight. "You're going to be okay! We can get help-"
"Not enough time," Duncan's voice echoed again. "Grimm were already attracted to your hate."
He was right. I could see Beowolves, Ursi, Creepers...typical Grimm.
"You just need to hold out for a few minutes," Duncan told me. "Ruby, I know you can hear me, too. Just relax. You're hurt, but if you look at yourself, you'll notice that you're already healing."
I looked at her real quick, too. We were both in disbelief. Her cuts, burns, blood- She was healing really fast!
"Yang, just hold out for ten minutes, then you two can high-tail it to a different part of the fight. Can you do that?"
I was already up when he said 'Hold out'. Oh, I could do that. I could definitely do that! For the last 24 hours, I've pent up a lot of anger. These things were gonna help me get rid of it!
I could feel myself burning already.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
Duncan's POV:
Before even thinking of charging to slaughter Satan, I knew for a fact that Ruby was not dead.
When she jumped to push Michael out of the way, she did it at a very distinctive speed. At her top speed, she and Michael would've died via the splash damage of that attack, or been put into a coma. However, only Ruby took splash damage. And a very minimal amount. She survived because she has already developed a VERY strong bond with Michael. Far enough along that she has gained an "upgrade" to her Semblance.
Instead of her normal speed thanks to her semblance... Ruby Rose now has access to the "Speed Force".
The basic run down? The superhero known as "The Flash" is able to reach incredible speeds by using the "Speed Force". His abilities include, but are not limited to: being faster than the speed of light, accelerated healing/metabolism, being able to vibrate at a speed that can pass through solid objects, etc., etc.
So, Ruby's not dead. She was close by human standards, and if Satan knew beforehand he could've killed her, but he didn't. Her body is already regenerating. She should be up in 10 minutes tops.
Doesn't mean I'm not gonna kill the shit outta him, but its there.
"Before we began Duncan," Prime said, putting away his sword and removing his gloves. "I am against unnecessary pain."
"Yes. Listen to him," Satan nodded, slowly moving towards his lost weapon.
He cracked his knuckles. "That said, I can safely affirm every amount of pain that will be inflicted on our current adversary will be considered necessary."
"That's ri- Wait, what?!"
"ATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!" Before Satan could react, Prime ran in front of him and unleashed a series of lightning quick kicks that slapped Satan's head left and right repeatedly. Then he stopped and stepped back.
The Antiverser was confused. "Huh? It didn't hurt."
"Walk backward," Prime commanded him.
"Why would I- WHAT?!" Satan's smugness was replaced by shock when, against his will, his body began to move backward. "I can't control my body!"
"Ooooh, you're using THAT?" I smiled like a kid in a candy store. "Hey! Slap yourself!"
Satan slapped himself.
"Tear out your nose hair!"
Satan ripped out the hair in his nose.
"Do a Caramelldansen!"
Satan, to his eternal mortification, began to dance the Caramelldansen. "FOR FUCK'S SAKE! WHAT DID YOU FUCKERS DO TO ME?!"
"[Hokuto Sokin Jizai Kyaku] ([Tendon Pulling Will Kick of Hokuto])," Prime replied, taking a martial arts stance. "By hitting your pressure points, I robbed you of the control over your body."
"Pressure Points?! That New Age shit?!"
"It ain't no shit." Prime then quickly punched Satan many times in the face and chest. "[Seiei Kō] ([Sobering Sharp Hole])."
"Wha-AAAAAAAHH!" Feeling control over his body returning Satan tried to move, but the moment he did so his body exploded into pain as if every nerve was exposed bare.
"Feel the pain you caused to others," Prime said in a grim tone before his arm's muscles bulged.
His first fist hit Satan's collarbone.
The second one hit below and right the first one.
The third one hit below and left the second one.
The fourth one hit below and left the third one.
The fifth one hit left the fourth one.
The sixth one hit below the fifth one.
The seventh one hit right the sixth one.
Each punch left a cavity in the body, all seven of them forming the shape of the Big Dipper.
"[Hokuto Shichishi Seiten] ([Seven Star Points of Death])."
With a sickening sound of ripped flesh Satan's skeleton tear itself out of the Antiverser's back, leaving a gaping exterior of flesh and organs. Satan's eyes rolled back before he dropped like an empty sack of potatoes.
"Hokuto no Ken...is divine justice." Prime's final line was said in the likeness of a Master Zen imparting the secrets of the Universe to young monks.
"[...That shit is fucking scary,]" Ddraig commented in awe.
"It's what he is. I don't fight him because pyrrhic victories aren't my thing." I told Ddraig before walking to and kicking Satan's body. "I said I wanted him to suffer."
"blblbl..."
"GODDAMMIT!" I jumped back. "He's still alive?!"
"Antiverser," Prime simply replied. "Plus I hit the pressure points to slow down his death."
"[...Fucking. Scary.]"
"No...No, he's not an Antiverser," I told him, carefully looking at the regenerating Satan. "He's using Negatium, yes...but he's not an actual Antiverser. I haven't met one yet, but he doesn't have that...empty, feeling to him that the original ones were described to have. And the Negatium in this dome...It's not enough."
"Nn-nnot...enough?" Satan gurgled, his skeleton halfway back into his skin.
"Yeah," I said, raising a fist into the air. A blast of pure energy shot forward into the sky, and then the domed barrier trapping us within.
The barrier shattered without resistance.
"WHAT?!" Satan screamed, his body fully reformed. "HOW?! THE THING WAS DESIGNED TO HOLD YOU! YOU SPECIFICALLY!"
"I am many things," I began to explain, glaring at the representation of Michael's evil. "That list includes being able to tell an unfinished prototype."
"...what?"
"The thing wasn't finished, dumbass," I growled. "I can tell from the fact the Negatium in it wasn't killing any Non-Multiversers within instantly that it wasn't even 35% finished...so of course it wasn't going to hold me."
"But the Negatium should've weakened you?!" Satan argued, standing back up. "It's Anti-Existence! You can't just shrug that off?!"
"As a matter of fact...I can, now."
"What!?"
"Recently, Michael encountered an Antiverser who used Negatium," I explained, prepared for Satan to attempt to attack rather than listen to me explain things. Goes to show how intelligent he is. As in, not at all. "When I patched up Michael's wounds, I took samples of his poisoned blood. Turns out, injecting it in very small doses and then willing myself with enough raw power, I can shrug off the junk and gain a growing resistance to it."
"Ah," Prime noticed, also allowing Satan to get back up. "You've essentially created a 'vaccine' against Negatium."
It should be noted that Non-Multiversers are incapable of attempting this. This 'vaccine' is only applicable to Multiversers. And only ones like myself and Prime, due to the sheer amount of will we possess over the fabric of the Multiverse. And even then, Negatium would still hurt us.
Satan didn't need to know that, though.
"That's not possible!" Satan howled. "This was supposed to kill you!"
"As if I'd allow a simpleton like you to weaken me," I growled, before charging at him.
Bright Shadow swung downward, only to be blocked by his crimson broadsword. Looking up, he smiled cruelly. "You know, maybe we shouldn't be fighting right now," he said conversationally."Otherwise, we'll miss the show."
Wondering what he meant, I turned to look at the screen in the sky...
And felt my chest tighten in anxiety.
Michael's POV:
{Good God, these things are everywhere!}
'I know what you mean, Weiss-kun,' I thought back. 'I swear, I kill twenty of them, sixty come in to take their place.'
The situation was not exactly looking good for me. I had managed to slash, slice and shoot my way into the city square, killing as many Grimm as I could find along the way. However, that seemed to draw their attention to me like a beacon. As of right now, they seemed entirely focused on killing me, which bought people time to get away from the fight,
On the other hand, though, this was so not good for me. I hadn't even gotten to the eight remaining Hydra, the ringleaders of this attack!
Standing my ground, I checked what was left of my ammunition. Crescent Rose only had about one clip left. The .454 was down to two grenades and three clips. I only had one Equinox shot-gauntlet left, the other having shattered fighting my way past Satan. Hephaestus was running on 25% Dust at this point, and I couldn't get to the nearest Dust shop with all of the Grimm blocking the way. [Aura Radiance]wasn't exactly looking so good right now, either.
[Queue "Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack - Grunt's Last Stand"]
'Looks like this might be my final stand.'
'Well, if that's the case, then let's make them work for it,' Masamune stated. Gotta hand it to her. Even in the face of death, she wasn't going to give up easily.
Taking a deep breath, I readied [Aura Radiance] and Crescent Rose. "'Once more, into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know," I spoke aloud, holding the weapons higher. "'Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.'" My eyes steeled, glaring at the soulless monsters. With a final charge, I bellowed "COME AND GET IT!"
Third Person's POV:
Back at the quarry, everyone present could only watch as Michael charged forward into the sea of Grimm. It was as if his battle cry was the signal. Every Grimm in the vicinity charged, wanting the young man's death.
Leaping into the air, he fired down into the wave of beasts, killing many with a single shot. He fired Crescent Rose upon landing, the force spinning him around and slicing all within reach. Upon slowing down, he beheaded an Ursa with the white blade, then sliced a Deathstalker in the head when reaching back.
Blood spurted from his wounds from the exertion, forcing him to stop and catch his breath.
Then, his wounds were worsened when two Beowolves smacked him into a wall, leaving claw marks on his chest.
The impact forced him to drop Crescent Rose. Before the Beowolves could strike again, he pulled out his .454, shooting them both in the head. He shot three more incoming Grimm, killing three Creeps before firing his last Fire grenade into the mob.
A Boarbatusk rammed into him, causing the gun to fly out of his grasp. Growing, he slashed it in two with [Aura Radiance], before forming an identical blade with Hephaestus. Charging forward, he hacked and slashed his way through, before leaping onto an Ursa, burying both blades into its head.
As the bear creature stumbled backwards, the rest of the Grimm slowly descended on Michael, ready to tear him to shreds.
"Bring it on, you soulless fucks."
And as one, the Grimm surged forward.
Suddenly, when the end seemed to be upon him...
The unexpected happened.
[End "Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack - Grunt's Last Stand"]
Grimm started flying away from Michael in a bloody massacre as a barrage of bullets tore through them, ending their lives and clearing him a path to survival.
"...The fuck?" Satan whispered in disbelief.
"Yeah, I'm as confused as you are," Duncan spoke up.
"As am I," Prime admitted.
"Oh, wait," Duncan quickly added. "Yeah, I see who did it- Wait a second...who gave him permission to be here?" he questioned with a small scowl.
Looking at the direction the bullets came from, and Michael saw a figure walking out of the smoke.
The figure wore a black and red coat, the hood covering his face. Beneath the coat was a silver bodysuit with a yellow 'T' shape on it. In his right hand was a revolver, the barrel smoking as he placed it back in a holster. Strapped to his left hip was a katana, expertly crafted. As he removed the hood, Michael was shocked at the sight of a familiar, yellow-eyed friend.
"Really, Mikey? You didn't think to try and use Chronokinesis to get out of that situation? I thought I taught you better than that."
Duncan and Prime's eyes rolled their eyes at the development.
Everyone else was left stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Satan, meanwhile, felt his blood pressure skyrocket.
The evil duplicate's response to the sight? A simple, yet elegant...
"WHAT THE FU-?!"
Who could've triggered such a reaction? Who, beside Michael, could trigger such hatred?
Adam Verser. The "Timeshifter" of the Multiverse. The Aspect of Time. "Gotta hand it to you, though. Points for lasting this long," he said with a sly smirk on his face and a hand held out to Michael. The latter then saw a surviving Grimm approach the former from behind.
Michael was about to warn him, when Adam's other hand reached for Muramasa, pulled her out with lightning speed, and impaled the Grimm from behind. He didn't even turn to look at it before pulling his blade upwards, cutting the monster in half.
Then, he sheathed Muramasa back into the sheath, and stood in that position. Lightning seeming to gather around his body and the sword. Then, with a cry of fury, he unsheathed the sword, sending a series of strikes SO FAST even the most observant of eyes would have had trouble keeping up with, before sheathing his sword again.
After that, the remaining Grimm fell apart into bloody pieces, not a single one left standing.
Michael could only gape at the sight. "...Well, you haven't lost your touch," he finally managed to say.
Chuckling, Adam held out a hand, picking up his brother. After pulling him up, he finally noticed the latest change to Michael. "Nice arms. Shoddily made, but they work."
"Yeah, I know," Michael said, flexing them by the wrists. "They're just temporary, until I can get a new pair from Duncan."
"I figured." A series of low growls alerted them to the fact that they were still in the middle of a killing field. "Now...ready to do this right?" he asked, holding up Crescent Rose to Michael.
Taking the scy-fle, he stood side by side with Adam, suddenly finding more strength he didn't know he had.
"Let's show them what happens when you mess with Michael and Adam Verser."
"OH HELL NO!" Satan roared. All around him, the last of the Grimm in the quarry were being wiped out, though he didn't pay any attention to it. "OH HELL NO! ONE OF THOSE PENDEJOS IS BAD ENOUGH! BUT BOTH OF THEM?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS-"
*BAM*
"-PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." was all that was heard after Duncan materialized a massive war hammer, slamming it into the evil duplicate and sending him flying away. All that remained of him was a quickly shrinking dot in the atmosphere.
"Impressive," Prime complimented. "I think you might've gotten a hole in one there."
"Actually, I put too much strength in that swing," the King of Chaos replied. "Wonder where he'll land?"
Vale, City Square; five minutes later...
"...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAACE?!"
*BOOM!*
Michael and Adam- the latter having finished off the last of the surrounding Grimm with ease- jumped in shock as the projectile that was Satan Verser made impact with a nearby building. "What the hell?!" Adam exclaimed.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a strained voice called out. "...This...proves...nothing..."
At that moment, Duncan and Prime showed up with everyone else in a flash of light, just as Michael asked "What happened?"
"War hammer to the face," was Duncan's simple response. Michael and Adam simply "Ah'd", as if such a thing was common for them. Which it was.
Looking to the far left, Michael saw Yang kneeling and cradling Ruby.
A non-burned.
Breathing.
Alive.
Ruby Rose, who was now looking over at him and weakly smiling. "Hey, Michael," she waved.
He could feel his body grow numb. Not in despair, but in shock. Shock, joy, and a steadily growing relief. He didn't even notice that he dropped Crescent Rose, only that he was walking over to the sister duo. In some part of his mind, he was wondering if this was even real.
The pain he felt from being blasted into a building made him realize it wasn't a dream.
"The fuck?!" everyone cried out. Turning around to find the source of the blast, they were treated to the sight of a weary and worn Satan Verser walking out of a broken window.
"Now we've all had a long day," he began. "Some longer- and more tiring- than others. Made even longer thanks to the work of new arrivals," he added, glaring daggers at Adam. "But I, for one, am not leaving. Until one! Of you assholes! DIES!" With that last word, he fired again, this time into the crowd.
Duncan and Prime deftly brought up an energy shield, protecting everyone.
"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" he screamed. "WHY WON'T ANY OF YOU JUST DIE?!"
"Hey, Satan," Adam drawled, drawing Muramasa. "Long time no see. You're looking rather well for a dead man."
"Vengeance does a lot for a person," he shot back, brandishing his sword. "Care to let me show you?"
Everyone prepared to jump into the fight, but Ozpin said "Don't. As we are now, we'd only get in the way."
"Ozpin's right," Ironwood reluctantly agreed. "Best we can do is stay back and box him in."
Basically given the green light, Adam entered a battle stance, his blade level with his enemy. "This time, I'm not even leaving enough of your soul to get away," he stated.
"Come and take it, if you have the cojones."
They charged.
"Oooowww," Michael moaned, steadily regaining consciousness. "Did someone get the number of that bus?"
Shaking himself back to normal, he took notice of his surroundings: it was a clothing shop, which appeared to have been fairly wrecked prior to his sudden arrival. There were clothes racks knocked down everywhere, only a few remaining upright and intact. A few were used to cushion his fall.
Michael picked himself up, intent on stepping back out into the fight. On the way, he took notice of a reflection in a mirror. He was completely shirtless. "..Oh, right. Satan ruined my clothes." Sighing, he continued "Well, might as well find a new-...Hello..."
Leaning down, he picked up a white long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves and collar blue in color. It was simple in design, but to him, it could work. Using his energy, he transmuted the material into a vibranium-adamantium compound fabric. Lightweight, and completely durable.
He tried the shirt on, then saw himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw.
"...Perfect."
Leaving the appropriate amount of lien on the counter (with a note saying what he took), he brought out [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus, charging back into the fight.
Satan was hacking and slashing at the Aspect of Time, each slash either blocked or dodged. "Stay! Still! You! Little! Shit!" he exclaimed, each word punctuated with a sword swipe.
"No thanks," Adam said with a grin.
"Grrrr, do you take anything seriously you-"
"HEY ASSHOLE!" Those words were the only warning he had to Michael coming back onto the field. His blades brandished, he swiped at Satan's back, cutting all the way to the spine. With a howl of pain, he fell to his knees.
While he did that, Duncan was staring wide-eyed at Michael's new attire. 'Oh come on! Really?!'
{...Oh God, there's another one,} the older voice muttered with a face-palm.
{Hey, I wasn't that bad!}
{You were completely that bad.}
Unaware of the mental tirade going on in Duncan's head, Satan stumbled back up. "You, ruined, my favorite jacket!" he growled out.
"Yeah, well now we're even," his enemy shot back. He lunged forward, swiping from the right with [Aura Radiance] and forcing him to jump back. As he did, Adam appeared from behind, shooting him with his Plasma Cutter right in the back. Satan fired an orb of Negatium in retaliation, which Adam blocked.
"What now, bitch?!"
This left him open to a flying side kick right to the back of the head, making his eyes bulge out in pain. Stumbling forward, Adam delivered an upward kick to the chin, sending him sprawling back. He had enough clarity to block a punch from Michael, which forced him into a wall.
Michael and Adam stood side by side now, each bearing down on the evil doppelganger. Adam punched, Satan blocked, Michael kicked Satan in the side. He grunted, forced to his right knee as Adam punched him in the face. In return, Satan struck the Aspect of Time in the gut, forcing him back and leaving Michael to block a strike from Pesadilla del Diablo with Hephaestus. Adam pushed forward, stabbing Satan in the left shoulder with Muramasa. He threw the .454 to Michael as he drew Old West, with both guns now aimed at Satan.
BANG
BANG
Two shots rang out, each impacting in the chest and forcing him to lay down on the wall. "Just try getting up again," Adam warned, both him and Michael pulling back the hammers. "Give us a reason to shoot."
Gave one he did, as he blasted them both in the chest with Negatium rays. Both were sent sprawling back toward the others, though Satan went for Adam first.
Big mistake.
Taking the opportunity, Michael drew out his last grenade round. Arctic blue strip. Ice round. "Push him back!" he shouted.
Adam did so, firing another shot from the Plasma Cutter and forcing Satan back to the wall. The grenade was loaded, and the barrel of the gun aimed.
Weiss warned him about the ice rounds when they designed them. They had a great amount of splash damage, so if it was fired, he would need to make absolutely sure that there were no innocent bystanders within 5 feet of the target. Satan had no one within 11 feet.
Parameters met.
"FREEZE IN HELL, ASSHOLE! COCYTUS LOTUS!"
He pulled the trigger.
Time seemed to slow down as the shell flew out. To the trained eye, the round soared through the air, never dipping or slowing down as it sailed toward the target.
To Satan's eye, he only had a second to move out of the way. Fortunately for the others, he was too slow.
A blinding flash of white light filled their eyes for a few seconds. When it died down, everyone could see their own breath. And before them, a large shell of ice- shaped like a flower- jutted outward, Satan frozen in the very middle with a look of stupefied comprehension.
They allowed a brief moment to admire the view.
"...Weiss, I could literally kiss you right now," Michael stated. "Seriously, you know how to make a gun."
"Try it and I shoot you," Duncan warned.
"I like the name of that attack, though," Prime stated. "Rather fitting, for the Devil to be trapped in the ice of Cocytus." Everyone else appreciated that irony as well.
*krik*
"...Did you hear something?" Blake asked.
Sighing, her boyfriend answered "Yep."
*krik* *krak*
"Oh you've gotta be kidding me," Jaune moaned. "What does it take to bring him down?"
"More than we have," Adam answered.
*CRASH*
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A roar of fury resounded from Satan as he shattered the ice. His face was contorted in pure, unadulterated rage, his demonic eyes locked at the group.
"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!" he roared. "I WILL NOT LOSE TO A QUARTET OF PERVERTED, HAREM BUILDING IDIOTS, AND THEIR WEAKLING FRIENDS!"
"That is where you are wrong," Prime stated, getting Satan to glare at him. "The correct thing to say would be 'trio of harem building idiots', as I have no interest in carnal pleasures."
"Are you seriously doing this right now?!" Duncan exclaimed.
Something snapped in Satan. "OKAY! THAT'S IT! IF I CAN'T DESTROY VALE, THEN I'M AT LEAST TAKING MY CONSOLATION PRIZE! BUT I'M NOT LEAVING," he said, lunging forward and grabbing Michael and Adam by their respective collars, "UNTIL ONE OF YOU PENDEJOS ARE DEAD!"
With a flash of shadows, they disappeared. Not even a second later, they heard a distant rumble.
"...What was that?" Cinder asked hesitantly.
Michael, Adam and Satan found themselves at Beacon Academy. It was rather quiet, as everyone was staying inside the dorm rooms watching the battle play out. "Okay...why are we here?" Adam asked.
"To collect my consolation prize," Satan answered with a feral grin.
'Oh, I don't like the sound of- Wait...what's that on radar?'
Following Akima's question, Michael looked up into the sky...and felt his heart sink into his guts. "Oh...fuck..."
"What is it, Mikey- OH COME ON! REALLY?!"
What caused their reactions?
Probably the rapidly approaching projectile flying toward the school. Using their omnipresence, they were able to tell exactly what it was:
"A tactical nuclear missile," Satan said. "One of four. Taken with great difficulty, I might add."
Adam reared back on him in horror. "Are you...you'd actually blow up an entire school just because your plan failed?!"
"To be fair, I was going to blow the school up anyway for shits and giggles," the doppelganger shrugged. "But now...now the whole world gets to watch as the next generation of Huntsmen die. And it won't end here. You see, while Duncan and the rest of you assholes were busy fighting my Grimm earlier today, I left a little surprise: once the missile hits, a signal will activate, launching similar sites in the other three kingdoms. Haven Academy. Shade Academy. Atlas Academy. All the schools, the faculty, and the students will die. So congratulations. You saved Vale, at the cost of the future of the Huntsmen."
Michael and Adam gaped in pure horror throughout the tirade. They knew he was twisted, broken beyond repair. They knew he enjoyed the suffering of others. But this...this was a whole new level of evil, even for him. To willingly kill off the next generation, simply out of spite...
There was no more room for question. Satan Verser had to die, here and now, before he could harm anyone else.
Back in the city, everyone looked at the screens in the sky in equal amounts of horror and disbelief. Ironwood tried to contact Atlas Academy, in an attempt to evacuate the students, but couldn't reach the kingdom. Ozpin remained calm on the outside, but was completely freaking out inside. Cinder was in a similar state, as her plans were so close to being ruined beyond repair.
And Duncan...
Not even Prime had seen him so furious in a long time.
"He dies today. No questions asked."
"Of course, one of you can try to stop it," Satan went on. "However, I took precautions. It's shielded with enough Negatium to affect you unless you have protective armor. Even then, neither of you are powerful enough to stop it. And in the event you do, I kill one of you while the other saves the day. No matter what happens today...I win."
"...Adam."
"Yeah?"
"He's mine."
"...You sure?"
"...I'm sure," he answered. Just as he began taking his shirt off.
As he lay down the scuffed long-sleeve to put back on later, Satan hesitantly asked "What...What are you doing?"
"Hey, you already ruined one of my shirts," Michael defended. "I'm not taking the chance with this one. Plus..." He smirked. "It gives me the chance to do this."
With that said, his body shimmered in a way similar to Duncan's, as if taking away the illusion and revealing the truth beneath.
Like Duncan, he possessed a Spider insignia in the middle of his chest, except it was blue in color. Overlapping it, yet not covering it, was an X-shaped scar on his chest, as though he were slashed with blades. His left pectoral had the Wings of Freedom; his right pectoral had the blue insignia of Fairy Tail. Beneath his neck was a small rosary tattoo with a vampiric eye. On his abdomen was a spiraling tattoo, with strange markings surrounding it. Upon his right shoulder was the Autobot insignia, while his left shoulder was embroidered with the Hellsing Organization's emblem. The right bicep was emblazoned with the pattern of Tensa Zangetsu's hilt, while the Quincy cross was positioned on his left bicep. The only feature on his mechanical arms was a glowing symbol on the back of his right hand: an Alpha with a smaller Omega within.
On his left shoulder blade was the Kanji 十四 (14) and a small rainflower within a diagonal box. Opposite to that on the right shoulder blade was the number 15, drawn within an upside-down pentagon. In the middle of his back was the large insignia of Team Dai-Gurren, while below it on either side were two SPARTAN VI helmets facing each other (one red, one blue) with 'Project Freelancer' written below, and the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates. Beneath it were the symbols of the Uzumaki, Senju, and Ōtsutsuki clans in a triangle pattern, with the Leaf Village symbol in the middle of them. On the back of the neck was the Omnitrix symbol, the green and black replaced with blue and white.
But what was most eye-catching, were the white scales that littered his body and face, as well as the burn marks and scars that littered his torso. His eyes also gained reptilian slits to replace his pupils.
Smirking, Michael said "If Dunc's gonna show his off...I may as well show mine, too." While more humble than his brother, he was feeling a bit competitive today.
Adam was staring at Michael, looking over the body ink in surprise (while also surprised that both Michael and Duncan apparently had tattoos). "Kick his ass for me, Mikey." That said, he leaped into the distance toward the missile, right as Michael materialized [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus in his hands.
Satan did the same with Pesadilla del Diablo. As he did, he ripped off what little remained of his own jacket, which was nothing but tatters by that point. "You've never beaten me before, Nino. You've always had help," he taunted, gripping the handle with both hands.
Readying himself in a battle stance, Michael shot back "First time for everything."
With the missile still a threat, Adam Verser couldn't afford to...waste time.
...God, that was an awful pun.
But thankfully, Michael wasn't the only one who trained under Duncan. Adam did, too. Albeit not as long as Michael has. But Adam was one of Duncan's students, and he received a...graduation reward not too long ago.
A small golden portal appeared at Adam's side, with a sword handle sticking out. Grabbing the hilt, the sword was revealed to be...a black Chinese falchion. The hilt was a dark gray with black leather wrapping. And a black-purplish gem where the blade met the hilt. A dark mist permeated around the sword.
"As if Michael's the only one with an Artificial Sacred Gear," Adam chuckled, holding the sword up to his face. "Eh, Skiadrum?"
Indeed., the sword spoke, gem flashing.
"Anyways...Balance Break!" Adam roared, holding the blade up in the air.
[Shadow Dragon Balance Breaker!]
Adam's sword glowed and disappeared. Around the Aspect of Time, a dark armor formed. It was a very dark grey, with a black mist permeating around the back. Black blades ran alongside the forearms, and the boots and gauntlets were clawed. On the back, blending in with the mist was a pair of shadowy wings and a tail. The helmet was smooth, and had dark purple eyes. And the five dark purple gems were on the chest, arms, and legs, respectively.
Together, the armor made Adam Verser look like a Dragon.
The black dragon zoomed towards the tactical missile aimed at his brother's school. It really didn't take long to reach it. To be honest, it was difficult to ponder why Satan thought none of the Multiversers would be able to reach the missile in time. The only issue was deciding how exactly to deal with it.
Well, since Adam was already using [Aura Darkness]...
The self-proclaimed 'Timeshifter' aimed his hands at, not the missile, but rather the shadow the missile was making on the ground. The missile's shadow seemed to fly upwards to meet Adam's hands before directing themselves to cocoon the missile itself.
Using the power at his command, Adam made a few more motions with his hands and pointed upwards. The shadow-encased weapon listened, and changed course for the sky.
It rose and rose and rose before becoming but a speck in the sky...and then a moderate sized flash of light.
Beneath the helm of the [Shadow Dragon Scail Mail], Adam Verser smirked at his victory.
Satan was staring at the explosion. Outside, he was calm. Inside...he was so past anger, he was now calm again.
He deeply inhaled, bringing his attention back to Michael. Both of them were breathing heavily, their fight taking what little strength remained from them. He had forgotten about Michael's Zenkai ability. Every time Michael was brought back from the brink of death, he became stronger than before. It showed, as he was able to hold his own against Satan.
That, his plan failing, and his backup plan now destroyed...words and numbers couldn't reach his current level of anger.
"You know, it says something about how calm I am right now. I should be enraged, but my rage has literally broken the counter, sending it all the way back to the beginning. Oh well, time to die." He charged forward, slashing downward.
He was blocked by the two blades.
"All of this chaos..."
Michael pushed back, sending Satan stumbling. He cast away his swords, mechanical fists clenched in anger.
"All of this death..."
He rushed forward, socking him in the jaw. The force made him drop the crimson blade, which he dissipated in smoke.
"All of this...just because you wanted revenge? For shits and giggles?!"
Adam returned to see Michael laying into Satan, each punch knocking him back. Satan managed to hold his own, delivering a few quick punches to Michael's face. He retaliated with an uppercut, which sent Satan flying toward Vale. Both Multiversers followed suit.
Satan landed first, right onto the road. He bounced back up to see Michael and Adam closing in, the former landing right in front of him.
[Queue "Die - Jeff and Casey Williams"]
"Well you know what?! Fuck that!"
Gripping his hair, Michael delivered a blow to Satan's face, planting his right knee in his foe's left cheek.
"Fuck those bombs!"
He hoisted him up, then punched him repeatedly in the face. Every punch felt like a sledgehammer to Satan, cracking his skull with every blow.
The Multiverser threw a left hook, sending Satan flying into a car, which was blown into a nearby building. Not even giving his enemy a moment to rest, he shot his hand forward, using the Force to pull him back. What awaited was a right hook, directly across the jaw.
The impact was hard enough to send a tooth flying out.
"Fuck all of your Grimm!"
Michael followed up with a powerful curb stomp to the chest, which made the concrete shatter beneath Satan. Having enough, the evil personification grabbed a hold of his foe's leg, causing him to trip. He used this as an opening to fight back, blasting Michael with bolts of lighting and balls of fire.
While a good number hit him spot on, the rest were expertly redirected all around him. Michael, utilizing [Aura Radiance], fought back with a ball of light, blinding him as well as damaging him.
"Fuck your omnicidal, over-theatrical self!"
"WHY?! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?!" Satan cried out in frustration, Pesadilla del Diablo forming in his hands as he swung downward. [Aura Radiance] expertly blocked the crimson blade, then pushed it to the side to allow Michael a chance to lay into his enemy once again.
One particularly nasty slash to the back sent Satan sprawling in pain, leaving him wide open to a blast of energy to his back. His broadsword flew from his grip as he was sent flying forward.
"Fuck the missiles you tried to use to blow up Beacon!"
Michael appeared directly beneath Satan, grabbing him by his jacket and slamming him headfirst to the ground. Coming back up, Satan was kicked into a wall, leaving him dazed.
"Fuck the Antiversers!"
With his voice rising in anger, he unleashed a barrage of punches, each impacting with the power of a small bomb. He delivered a particularly powerful uppercut, sending the evil double flying into the air. He quickly followed suit, leaping off buildings to propel himself up.
Once arriving, he threw an upward kick, followed quickly by a roundhouse kick. Michael quickly drew him back, using Equinox's remaining strength to deliver one powerful punch, shattering the last gauntlet in an explosion that left shrapnel in Satan's face. The force sent him flying up even higher, with Michael propelling after him by kicking the air, leaving a shockwave behind.
"Fuck DUNCAN!"
"HEY!" the offended Multiverser cried out.
Michael soared upwards, punching Satan on the way up before using his powers to stop himself in midair.
"AND FUCK! YOU!"
With the night sky at his back, the shattered moon directly behind him, Michael swung his right arm back.
"Gum!"
And it reached back.
And reached.
And reached.
And continued to reach as the organic part of the limb stretched back farther and farther, up into the night sky. Almost everyone present (sans the Multiversers and a disoriented psychopath) could feel their eyes bulge out of their skulls and their jaws reach the ground.
"GUM!"
The arm finally stopped stretching, reaching a suitable position in the heavens as the mechanical limb remained with a closed fist.
"[Ohoho! Here comes the moneyshot!]" Ddraig cried out.
Coming back to full consciousness, Satan managed to focus enough to find himself in the midst of equilibrium between remaining in the sky and falling to the ground below. He found himself face to face with Michael...and nearly cried in frustration as he saw what his enemy was about to do.
"...I hate Multiversers..." he quietly sobbed.
"PISTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"
The arm snapped back like a rubber band mixed with lightning. If one focus hard enough, they could hear the cracking of bones as the metal fist impacted with Satan's ribcage, the force of a pistol packed into the punch.
He didn't even bother to cry out in pain. Satan Verser could only resign himself to his painful fate as the punch knocked him out of the sky and into the ruined earth below, the impact resulting in the ground shattering and a massive dust cloud spewing up.
[End "Die - Jeff and Casey Williams"]
[Queue "We Are The Champions - Queen"]
...
...
...
Silence.
For the briefest of moments, the entire world was rendered silent. No one dared to make a sound, fearing that doing so would cause a different turn of events.
But then, they realized it was over.
And as one...
The world entire cheered.
None, however, were cheering louder than the people of Vale. Especially those at the scene of the fight, having witnessed the madman threatening the city get pounded into the ground. Judging from the size of the resulting crater (which was PRETTY FUCKING BIG), it was safe to say that Satan was finally finished.
"WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Yang cheered, pulling Duncan, Blake and Weiss into a big group hug.
Sun and Neptune, arms wrapped around each other's necks, cheered out "HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT!"
Nora, sitting atop Ren's shoulder's, even fired off a few rounds from Magnhild, the explosions adding to the mood. Jaune and Pyrrha embraced each other in happiness, knowing it was over.
Chuckling, Jaune shrugged and said "Guess he wasn't as tough as he said he was." Pyrrha could only roll her eyes a bit, but didn't stop smiling.
A certain silver-haired kicker whistled in appreciation. "Well I'll be damned," Mercury drawled. "The kid really did it."
"Indeed," Cinder noted. "...These Versers may be more of a problem than I first thought." As everyone continued to celebrate, her mind went into overdrive, thinking of ways to either turn the Multiverser to her side, or take him down.
Neither would work easily.
Coming down from the air, Michael was left stunned. That quickly ended as- with the last of his strength- outstretched his limbs, grinned widely, and screamed to the heavens:
"I...I...I DID IT! I BEAT HIM! I FINALLY BEAT HIM! I WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNN!" Falling to the ground, Michael could only laugh his heart out, too tired to move another muscle. He didn't care, though. He did it. He finally defeated his evil self. He saved his friends and loved ones.
He achieved a victory unlike any he had before.
As Duncan thought of this, laughing along with everyone else, he came to a realization.
'Victory...that's what he represents.'
[Hmm. 'Michael Verser, the Aspect of Victory'...I like it. It has weight to it...You know, someone should probably catch him.]
As if responding to Ddraig's recommendation, Adam leaped into the air and caught his brother. Landing next to Emerald, Glynda, JNPR and Ruby (which Duncan could only laugh more at the coincidence of those he landed near), he set him down, smiling at the peaceful look on his face. "You did it, Mikey," Adam congratulated. "You really did it."
The bloodied Multiverser could only laugh. "Yeah. I did...I'm lying on Emerald and Glynda's laps, aren't I?"
"Maaaaaybe," his brother replied, a troll-like smile on his face.
"...I am perfectly okay with this." That earned a couple of happy blushes from the two women in question.
Everyone who heard that laughed a bit more, just as Ruby came running over. "Michael!" she cried out, embracing the downed Multiverser (unintentionally causing him pain in the process). "Holy crap, that was amazing! And those moves, those weapons- Wait, you took Crescent Rose!"
Wincing, Michael said "I-I'm sorry-"
"No no, it's okay," she cut off, surprising her friends greatly. "Just...ask next time, okay?"
Laughing as best he could, he said "Promise." He expected a relieved smile. What he didn't expect, though, was for her to lean down, and give him a kiss on the lips. Brief, but long enough to make her feelings known.
Breaking apart, she smiled warmly and softly said "Good to hear." The action left Michael too stunned to even speak...and made the two of them unaware of the looks of surprise from her friends, the protectiveness emanating off of Yang, the shock from Glynda...and the unconcealed jealousy roiling off of Emerald as she tried to kill the red-hooded Grim Reaper with her gaze.
[You should probably step in and try to help.]
'I could,' Duncan admitted with a wry grin. 'But where's the fun in that?'
[...You know, I keep forgetting what a sadistic asshole you are.]
'Oh, you haven't seen anything yet.'
[What?]
'Nothing.' As he covered his tracks, the clock struck Midnight in the distance. Duncan smiled at the metaphorical representation of that knowledge. A new day had begun. And it was already looking-
"Hey, bitch!" Scarlet shouted down the crater (gaining Duncan's attention). "You dead?"
A few seconds of silence greeted him.
"...No, not yet," came an extremely pained voice. One that made Duncan go numb with disbelief.
[Oh for the love of- SERIOUSLY?!]
"...Okay! Let us know when you are!"
"...Sure thing."
And like that, Scarlet walked over to everyone and called out "So, yeah, he's still alive back there!"
[Stop "We Are The Champions - Queen"]
*[Insert Record Scratch SFX]*
As one, everyone turned to face the crater...only to feel their stomachs sink as the beaten, bloody, but still moving Satan Verser crawl out of the hole.
"...OH COME ON!" Coco cried out, breaking the silence of everyone present. "HOW THE FUCK IS HE STILL ALIVE?!"
"Oh, don't mind me," he got out. "I know when I'm beat. So, I'mma just gonna grab my shit...get as far away from here as possible...and sleep this off like a baaaaaad hangover." That said, he continued to limp away from the hole, stumbling toward his sword.
"...You know what? Fuck this shit."
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Six ice-cold words from Duncan, followed by three shots from Samantha, were the only noise that followed. Each shot struck the evil duplicate in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground in a heap of blood and excruciating pain.
"...OOOOoooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..."
The beaten and broken copy of Michael continued to slowly crawl away from his hole as his enemies- groaning that he was still moving- approached him. One did have admire his determination, even if it was one of his most infuriating qualities. Same goes for his tenacity.
"Ugh...Hijo de puta...I'm not...gonna let...you pendejos...kill...me..." he grunted out, reaching for his sword on the ground in front of him. His fingers touched the crimson hilt-
*CRACK!*
"..." For a moment, Satan was stunned silent. That silence was shattered as he screamed in true, agonizing pain for the first time they saw him as a metal boot stomped down on his arm. The blow was severe enough that his arm was severed, coating the boot in blood and bone shards. Suffice it to say, everyone was shocked and horrified by the sight.
Rather than go into shock, Satan looked up...directly into the featureless black mask of The Antiverser.
The First Antiverser.
"...Months of planning, ruined. Projects, unfinished. Secrecy, disrupted...And you caused it all," he scolded, scraping his foot against the stub that remained of Satan's right arm before calmly walking behind him.
"Argh, d-dude...I did this all for you!" Satan begged. "I can- I can still kill them! We just need-!" He was cut off by his own screaming as The Antiverser smashed his foot into the base of his spine.
"There is no 'we'," The Antiverser shot down. "You stole from me, ruined three months of research, and in turn rendered one of my projects utterly useless...And artificial Grimm...that can talk...in a racist manner. While smart in giving them the level of intelligence to speak, that last addition made absolutely no sense."
"I'll have to agree with you on that," Duncan spoke up, having been watching the current event unfold alongside everyone else before walking towards the duo ahead of everyone else.
The Antiverser paused. Slowly, his hooded, masked face rose to eye level with Duncan.
"...You."
"Me," Duncan confirmed. "You know, Mikey told me he got the impression you REALLY don't like me. One has to wonder, why hate me so much when as far as I know, we've never met...Or did we? Is that what this is? Revenge? What? Did I kill you before? Hunted your men? Ruined some scheme? My actions caused the loss of your friends? What's the excuse this time to cause all of this?"
"...You're a living insult," The Antiverser answered, raising his foot off of Satan, who took this opportunity to disappear into thin air. "Everything about you disgusts me. Your power, your accomplishments, your goals, your methods...You, and those like you, are perversions of actual heroes...Of actual people. How anyone can stomach the mention of you is beyond me...Is that a good enough reason?"
"Wow, this guy really doesn't like you," Yang commented, keeping her guard up. Everyone agreed with her observation.
"It's better than most," Duncan answered, focusing on The Antiverser. "I have to admit, people coming after me for revenge gets old."
"Maybe this is revenge. You don't know that...And not knowing infuriates you, doesn't it?" The Antiverser pointed out. "Doesn't matter. Whether or not this is a matter of revenge won't change the fact that you don't know me, nor am I going to just give you any hints as to who I am...What? Did you think I was like all the others?"
"Maybe a little," Duncan admitted, remaining disturbingly calm. "You certainly don't lack for theatrics in your grand appearance. I'd almost approve, if you weren't planning on killing me."
"Don't compare me to you or those idiots you call 'brothers'," he sneered behind his mask. "We are nothing alike."
"Fine by me," Duncan responded. "But I'm only going to give you this one chance. ONE chance, to surrender now and leave in peace. We don't have to fight."
"No," The Antiverser answered immediately. "There will only be one outcome in this little war between you and I."
"A war that you started," Duncan pointed out, eyes narrowing.
"And one that I'll finish."
"..."
"..."
No one spoke. No one made a sound. Everyone present could tell that Duncan and this new arrival were not people that they could simply fight on the same level. Maybe aid Duncan from a short distance, at best, but fight on the same level as these two titans?
Never.
"...So that is your desire then?" Duncan asked, staring down The Antiverser. "You truly wish to be my enemy?"
"If you're actually stupid enough to think I can be anything else but...you deserve to die even more."
"...Very well then," the King of Chaos calmly responded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"I am the edge of my sword."
"Shit!" The Antiverser cursed, bringing Peaceful Vengeance to bare and rushing towards Duncan at a speed normal humans would not be able to see. Unfortunately for him, a number of swords appeared mid-air and launched at him during this, forcing him to dodge.
Avoiding the explosion, he looked around, only to spot Verser notching a violent-looking particularly sword into a large bow that was aimed at him.
"Trace Unify: Shooting Hundred Stars...Hrunting!" Duncan shouted, letting loose the vicious sword from the bow.
The arrow shot forward, only essentially split into a hundred arrows. All of which came at The Antiverser from different directions. He stood his ground, holding his sword defensively...and proceeded to block each and every sword. All of which were striking at him at the same time.
"Steel is my mind, as well as my heart."
Duncan appeared like a flash, the twin swords Kanshou and Bakuya held in his hands as he slashed at his enemy relentlessly. More often than not, the swords would only break against the massive katana, only to be replaced not a second later by perfect copies. Again and again
Enough was enough, after a point, and The Antiverser broke the swords once more and kicked Duncan into the air.
Steadying himself, Duncan slammed back onto the ground, a copy of Mrytenaster in his hand pointed directly at his foe's chest. The Multiverser charged forward, a trail of ice spikes followed him.
"I have made trillions of blades."
Unwilling to let Duncan touch him with the copy of Weiss' rapier, The Antiverser slammed his palm onto the ground, creating a shockwave that destroyed Verser's path, and prevented whatever attack he had planned by launching him straight into the sky. He jumped after him.
Before the accursed blade could strike Verser, he kicked his assailant back down. Tracing a new weapon, a red spear, he got into as best a stance he could mid-air and threw it at his target.
"Gae Bolg!"
The spear flew towards The Antiverser...but did not attempt to strike his heart. The spear always reversed causality to always strike an opponent in the-
'Prosthetic heart,' Verser quickly concluded. 'That weapon's useless now.'
His enemy quickly took advantage of Verser's distraction, and returned to the sky with him. Right before bringing his leg down upon Verser's skull, sending him straight back to the earth. The Antiverser quickly landed atop the closest building, and surveyed the crater Verser's impact created.
"Denied by death, and ignored by life."
Duncan crawled out of the ground, speaking the next part of the aria through gritted teeth. Still on the ground, he looked up to see The Antiverser charging some kind of energy in his left hand. Thinking quickly, he raised his own hand and aimed. More swords appeared in air and launched at his target. Only to miss, as he returned to street level.
"Have waged this war to perfect weaponry."
Creating copies of various tomahawks, Duncan began throwing each of them at his nemesis. Some missed, some were deflected, and two cleaved into his arms as he ran towards the downed Duncan, sword ready to slice him in two. But Duncan immediately kicked him back before his sword could make contact.
Unwilling to lose any more ground, Duncan created a copy of Crescent Rose and dashed back and forth at his opponent. Each slash was meant to be a kill shot, but would instantly be deflected before contact could be made.
"Thus, these hands can never be clean."
At that, Duncan just stopped attacking. Instead, he stood upon the rubble of the breach opening and began the final counts of the prayer he had been chanting the entire fight.
Sheathing Peaceful Vengeance, The Antiverser raised his hands and began blasting at Verser with a number of high-explosive energy shots. Duncan created multiple copies of Rho Aias again and again when each blast shattered them, but kept Duncan safe from the attacks.
The rest of the group finally caught up to the two to try and help Duncan. They were greeted to the sight of The Antiverser's last desperate attempt to stop whatever Duncan was doing.
"So, as I pray..."
"Oh, God fucking dammit," The Antiverser growled, giving up on trying to stop Duncan at this point.
"Unlimited Blade Works."
And then the world was remade in fire.
Michael's POV:
I and the rest of the guys could only block our eyes as fire spread from Duncan's spot in all directions, including ours. I rubbed my eyes to ease myself back into vision...only to doubt them once I could see again.
Swords...
Swords, as far as the eye could see. Swords that stuck out of the ground, like the biggest graveyard I had ever seen, with the swords used as tombstones.
We were in a desolate wasteland, what appeared to have maybe once been a city. Only, it was burned away by fire. The ground was black, covered in soot. Tiny bits of rubble and concrete could be seen, along with small pockets of fire on the ground, as well. The sky was pitch black, as if we had found the abyss that ate away all light.
The horizon was on fire still. Flames licking up at the ebony sky, in a futile attempt to overtake the darkness.
But beyond the fire...there was light.
On the far horizon was what only could be the sun, peaking out over a hill. I couldn't tell if it was setting or rising, but it was there. Shining brighter than all the flames, piercing the darkness, and illuminating the swords that stood proudly.
[Queue "World's Greatest Battle Music Ever - The Hero Within"] (A/N: Youtube it; posted by MrEpicOSTs)
And atop that small hill, covered in some of the most beautiful swords I had ever seen, was Duncan. He stared down at The Antiverser, who dared force him to bring out this world.
"Behold," Prime-sensei calmly spoke up as he appeared next to us. "A world of fakes, copies, and rip-offs. Each and every weapon here is a copy of all the weapons Duncan has ever seen," he explained. "But they are all perfect copies, just as good as the originals. This is the innermost representation of Duncan Verser, no, of the hero Duncan Verser became's soul; Unlimited Blade Works."
We could only gape at the scene before us.
"...Cool," I muttered, wide-eyed.
Duncan's POV:
"...You made me use this."
"…"
"For the longest time, I wanted to forget this world, at least try to...but you caused this," I told The Antiverser. "So now you'll face the consequences."
"A change in scenery isn't going to scare me," The Antiverser informed me, holding Peaceful Vengeance defensively.
"No, but now you face a world filled with infinite swords...the finest of blades," I pointed out. "They're all fake...but they're beautiful... Powerful... And ready to kill you."
"...You despise me for this sword alone, don't you?"
"I can hate you for a lot of reasons...but that one does stick out," I admitted, before many of the swords in the ground rose into the air and shot forward at The Antiverser.
Fast and furiously, I struck at him. Swords in the airs, swords in the ground, swords in my hand. All were used for the single-minded purpose of erasing the enemy in front of me. But he was just as devoted to ending me. His sword broke each and every blade that launched at him. Only the ones I used personally lasted longer before breaking. Not that losing blades mattered. There were always more copies of blades that were destroyed.
Leaping back, I pulled the Blue-Gold Greatsword Durandal with my right hand and the High-Frequency Muramasa with my left hand. Not an ideal combination for dual-wielding (due in no small part because they were both exceptionally long and heavy swords...and dual-wielding is an ineffective way to use swords, in the first place).
Still, one powerful sword imbued with the Miracle of Separation and one faster blade scientifically altered to cut anything and everything worked well enough. It damaged The Antiverser's armor when the business ends made contact...
But not Peaceful Vengeance.
That clearly wasn't damaged in the slightest when it slammed down, shattered the swords in my hands, and nearly cut me in two.
Leaping backwards, a pair of swords were right where I needed them; The Blades of Exile.
The two vicious short swords now in use launched forward, the chains on their hilts wrapped around my arms. Long distance sword combat. An oxymoron that was perfect for the situation. So too was their rather unpredictable movement.
Swords being flung around on chains makes their direction difficult to predict, so when The Antiverser blocked one sword, more often than not, the twin blade would nick him in the arm and/or shoulder. Evidenced by the blood-
'Wait. That blood is-'
Before I could finish that thought, my enemy grabbed one of the swords chains and severed the other before yanking hard on the one he held. Pulling me towards him, he pointed the tip of his long katana at my face.
Balancing myself, I leaped above him before I could get stabbed. Landing on the other side, I crouched low, and grabbed one of the more used non-lethal weapons and threw it at The Antiverser; a Batarang.
The effect was instant, his sword flung from his hands landed onto the ground. Taking advantage, I grabbed a pair of nameless blades and rushed forward. Making a X-shaped lunge at The Antiverser proved ineffective yet again, as his hands moved forward and disrupted the attack.
Disarmed but definitely not at a disadvantage. He quickly unleashed a series of punches to my chest at an inhuman speed. Ribs cracked and shattered before healing almost as soon as they broke. That didn't stop the feeling from being unwanted, though.
One powerful kick later, and another pair of swords were in my hands; The Scissor Blade and Bakuzan. Two nigh unbreakable blades, both of which were very good at cutting things.
The Antiverser had taken this opportunity to regain Peaceful Vengeance and attack. Block with Scissor, quick strike with Bakuzan, follow up with a second quick strike with the Scissor Blade, defend/parry attack. This little section of our fight went on for another minute or two before the two blades shattered against his stolen blade.
Leaping backwards, I commanded the swords in the ground to rain upon him while I prep my next attack. Looking around, I saw one sword that I particularly never truly cared for, but it would do.
Pulling the Kusanagi Sword from the ground with one hand and Tracing my bow in the other, I altered Sasuke's sword. The length of the hilt extended while the blade shortened, changing the sword into a naginata...or an arrow.
Notching the sword into the bow, I took aim at The Antiverser. He had just dealt with the blades I launched at him and took notice of me aiming another sword at him with my bow. Crackling with lightning, the Kusanagi shot forward.
And even though it was blocked by The Antiverser, it exploded on impact. The thunderous sound echoed across the wasteland. Blinded by smoke, The Antiverser never noticed as I drew another sword and launched forward.
But the noise that was made by the sword as I shot forth caught his attention, and the Dark Repluser was shattered before the Vorpal Strike could hope to damage him. At the height of his attack, the pistol in his hilt fired. The shot hit my face and pushed me back.
Shrapnel ejected from my skull and the skin sewed itself back in place, reforming my intense glare.
"Trace: On."
Within seconds, a two pronged electrical device was in my grasp; The Amp, once used by Cole McGrath. It crackled with cold blue electricity. And then another version appeared in my right hand. Rustier, darker, and covered in blood red electricity.
I aimed the Heroic Amp at my foe and let loose lightning that froze the ground when he dodged. The Infamous Amp would unleash lightning that scorched the ground more so than it already was. But he dodged both attacks and struck at me.
Both Amps locked together around his sword, but that wouldn't hold it for long. The blade was sawing its way through the Tesla-coiled tongs of the two weapons to get me. Channeling more power into the two weapons, they began to glow blue and red respectively.
And then they exploded.
'No more,' I thought to myself. In response, Samantha appeared at my side, holding Bright Shadow within it. Quickly unsheathing my prized sword, I charged at The Antiverser, roaring at him in rage.
And before my precious sword could touch him-
*CLANG* *CRACK*
He shattered it with one strike of Peaceful Vengeance...
And then ran me through with the blade.
When Michael first described the sword The Antiverser used when they first met, I was filled with rage and disbelief. But no more disbelief than I felt now.
Peaceful Vengeance; once, it was a blade made by a warrior that sought to fight against injustice and protect the innocent. However, the warrior grew disillusioned, and decided the only way to end the suffering he unknowingly submitted himself to was seppuku: Honor suicide. As a result, the sword was tainted by the last emotions the warrior felt before death: Despair, Pain, Hate...Self-Hate. And thus, the sword was cursed. Cursed to despise it's wielder more than any other enemy.
Its name was once Bright Shadow, and it was used by Duncan Williams.
Blood shot from my mouth as I remembered the sword. The last person that wielded the sword was me, when I left the cursed blade to be forgotten at the Edge of the Multiverse. It is because of that, the blade recognized me as its wielder, and its curse reflected on that; its damage would only be greater on me. The Antiverser should've been registered as the new wielder, and the curse would reflect on him as well. However, he found a loop hole.
A prosthetic heart, white blood (the same that Raiden used during the Guns of the Patriots incident)...he's a cyborg. His arms are synthetic...and so Peaceful Vengeance cannot properly recognize him as its wielder, meaning the curse is still reflected on me, and will damage me more than anyone else.
And it's laced with Negatium...
Even with my little "vaccine"...
"Be humbled," The Antiverser growled, shoving the sword deeper into my midsection.
"Urk..." I grunted, blood still spilling from my stomach and mouth. My head reared back in pain-
And then slammed straight into The Antiverser's helmet, pushing him back, along with his cursed, stolen sword. Clutching at my wound, I jumped back to the hill of swords and out of his blade's range.
"Fuck that!" I told him. "I will never lose to a... stain on existence, like you!" I roared, grabbing one last sword; the sword that was at the top of the hill. I raised it above my head, and it shined brightly.
"Ex-"
"NOW!" The Antiverser called out.
"-CALIBUR!"
[End "World's Greatest Battle Music Ever - The Hero Within"]
Third Person POV:
The powerful attack delivered by the sword, Excalibur, was the signal that Unlimited Blade Works was no longer needed. As such, all the people taken to it were returned to Remnant. Michael, Prime, Adam, Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, CFVY, Roman, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury all looked to where the attack reached The Antiverser before the Reality Marble ended.
Only to watch in numbed shock as an Atlesian Knight 200 saved The Antiverser, grabbing him and taking to the air.
"What the hell?!" Adam yelled, outraged. "Ironwood was a turncoat?!"
"Wait, look!" Weiss pointed out, pointing at the Knight's face. It was...different. The sleek black glass was glowing a dark red...glitching.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but we really must run," a mechanical voice told them. "You can play with them, though."
As if on cue, more Atlesian Knights surrounded them, appearing from swirls of darkness. All of which were experiencing the same glitch that marked the first one.
[Supreme Dragon Balance Breaker!]
Duncan, having donned a steel plated Dragon themed armor with four red-black wings flew above them and just blasted away the robots before they could harm everyone they surrounded.
But it didn't matter. The Antiverser was already gone.
The armor Duncan summoned vanished, and the bloodied Multiverser crashed into the ground in front of his friends.
Blake and Yang were the first to rush forward on pure reflex, followed by Weiss, Ruby, Michael and Adam, then the others. Sans Prime, who began looking around the area. And Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury because...well, they kind of wanted him dead or out of commission.
"Duncan!" Blake exclaimed, as she and Yang crouched down and putting pressure on the hole in Duncan's stomach. "You're gonna be okay! We're getting help!"
"Sensei! Get over here already!" Michael screamed, fearful for his mentor. "Can you help him?!"
"Urgh!" Duncan grunted, coughing one last spray of blood onto the ground. "No need," he told them as he waved their hands off of his person. As he said that, his left forearm switched to [Master Gear]. The blood red gem began to shine green as he placed his clawed gauntlet onto the wound in his midsection. In addition to that, the smaller injuries shined the same as Excalibur did.
Seconds afterward, the Negatium-laced blood poured out and his wounds stitched themselves back together.
Sighing in relief, Duncan placed his head onto the pavement. "...Any sign of them?" he asked, glancing at Prime.
"None," Prime answered, having already checked everywhere with his omniscience. "Wherever they are, we can't see it."
"That can't have been the last of them," Weiss noted. "That psychopath was determined to destroy everything. If he hadn't stolen from that guy, The Antiverser probably would've helped him do it."
"They'll be back," Duncan stated, staring up into the sky. "...They always come back."
"Let's get you back up," Adam said, grabbing Duncan's hand and pulling him up onto his feet. "Strongest of us or not, that sword seemed to REALLY do a number on you. We could practically see, feel, smell, and taste the bloodlust coming from that thing."
"Never thought I'd ever see Duncan get beaten-" Jaune began to say.
"I WAS NOT BEATEN!" Duncan yelled out suddenly, shutting him up. "It was a pyrrhic victory, NOT a defeat! I refuse to lose to that...thing!"
"Well in case you didn't notice, Duncan," Sun began, spreading his arms out, "they kinda just trashed Vale!"
"And the robots!" Neptune pointed out. "He can apparently hack the Atlesian Knights whenever he wants! That's not exactly a good sign!"
"ENOUGH!" Ren yelled out, surprising everyone. "We just faced one of the greatest Grimm attacks ever, and you're arguing right now?
"...He has a point," Prime agreed. "We should focus on helping out anyone still in danger."
"Yeah...I lost my cool there," Duncan relented. [Master Gear] disappeared, and he began re-wrapping his left arm with the red shroud still tied to his wrist. "I...don't like positions like this. Hopefully, that was the last of-" Duncan stopped whatever he was about to say, his face a mask of calm.
"Duncan?" Ruby asked, worried. "Is something wrong?" the young huntress questioned. And then Duncan did something rather peculiar.
He started making clicking noises.
"Tic-tic-tic..." he clicked, moving around in various directions. His clicking noises varied in repetition and intensity when he moved. "Tic-tic-tic-tic..."
"Uhhh, is he normally this weird?" Scarlet asked, eyebrows raised as he stared at the no doubt mentally disturbed individual before them.
Whatever Duncan was doing, Prime caught on quick. And then the Aspect of Death did the smartest thing he could in response...
Joined Duncan in making clicking noises.
"Okay, something's up if he's acting weird," Yang agreed, looking at the two Multiversers as if they had the plague.
"TIC-TIC-TIC-TIC-TIC!" Duncan suddenly clicked out, looking at the ground near a destroyed shop. "You see it, Prime?"
The Aspect of Death stood next to Duncan, staring at the ground. "It isn't active, and the remote signal is damaged. He can't trigger it without being right here."
"Noted," Duncan growled, pulling out his scroll. "Ozpin? You there?"
"Yes, Duncan," the Headmaster responded. "I'm here with Glynda and the other teachers that came to help. Ironwood is with his men coordinating any remaining damage control."
"Good to hear, but I just found a pretty big problem."
"What's wrong?" Ozpin asked, his voice concerned. "What happened?"
"Nothing yet, and it's not an immediate issue," Duncan assuaged. "But we're going to need some 'construction' around...Three Bear Bakery."
"Okay, I'll get some people on it tonight," the Headmaster agreed. "There wasn't any significant damage to the city anywhere else, thankfully, so my focus can be there."
"Again, good to hear," Duncan said, before looking even more intensely at the ground. "But whatever you do...do not tell Ironwood."
Speaking of Ironwood, he was not having a good time.
He was currently running damage control with his soldiers, tending to the wounded and killing any Grimm they came across. It helped get his mind off the day's events.
First the Grimm managed to breach the city. Then a new breed- the first artificially created Grimm in Remnant's history (and they could TALK)- struck. The fact that there were more, and they vanished without a trace, was extremely disconcerting for anyone.
To make matters worse, a madman kidnapped six students, and nearly killed one of them. It was a miracle Ruby Rose even survived, in his opinion.
But the icing on the proverbial cake, was that his mechs were HACKED BY AN UNKNOWN PARTY. Not only did they do so with ease, but it called into question the legitimacy of their use. He was lucky that the council was letting him stay in Vale, if only to bolster security in case a follow-up attack occurred.
Sighing, he muttered "Can this day get any worse?"
"General!" a soldier saluted. "We...have a problem."
Ironwood wanted to bash his own head in, forgetting about invoking Murphy's Law. "What is it?" he asked tiredly.
"It's Torchwick...he..."
Even from the safety of Junior's bar (which was currently empty, except for Junior, Melanie, Miltiades, Roman, Neo, and Prime Death), Roman Torchwick could swear he heard Ironwood cry out in frustrated anger. And that brought warmth to his heart. "So...why did you bust me? out" he asked the Aspect of Death. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Simple. Duncan still has use for you, and Michael believes you can be redeemed," he responded. "While he can be idealistic- one of his most endearing and refreshing qualities- he has never proven me wrong before. So I will be serving as your parole officer, giving you a house and food- especially to miss Neo," he gestured to the multi-color haired woman as she ate neopolitan ice cream, "in return for your services. Also, Duncan's exact orders were to 'sneak you out from under Jimmy's nose to piss him off'."
That got a laugh out of the Undead Criminal. "Oh, that is hilarious!"
"Indeed." That said, he provided his new charge a Cuban cigar.
Smiling warmly as he accepted it, Roman lit it and looked at his new compatriots in keeping the peace in the Multiverse. He deeply inhaled it, before blowing out the smoke. Lifting up a glass of bourbon that Junior provided both him and Prime, he said "Prime...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
"I'll drink to that." And they did, well into the night.
Michael's POV:
The next thing I knew, I was laying in a hospital bed.
Apparently, right after Duncan called Ozpin, he administered an antidote for the Negatium in me. After that, I fell flat on my face unconscious. When I woke up, it was...
4:00 A.M.
...I was asleep for four hours.
Laying back down, waiting for Duncan's antidote to finish running its course, I thought back to the day's events. As well as my new gift. With AVALON working properly now, I ought to be up in a few hours. Note to self: thank Duncan once again for putting that thing in me when he found me.
I flexed my mechanical fingers, part of the temporary prosthetic arms I'd be wearing until my replacement ones were finished. It had been so long since I had to see that my arms were machines instead of flesh and blood, and I was still a bit weirded out by it. I could've had new organic ones instead.
That would defeat the purpose, though. When I survived that hell, I swore to keep my arms from reforming. An eternal reminder of what I went through, and a promise to do better. A promise now upheld by my newfound goal: to become a 'Hero of Justice.' To be the person that Duncan could never be. To carry on his goal. And one day...to make him proud.
{You're gonna go through hell with that goal, partner. You realize that, right?}
'I know, Weiss-kun. But I'm not backing down. Once I start something, I see it through to the end.'
Inside my being, the White Dragon smiled. {Good to hear you taking responsibility. Speaking of...you've got visitors.}
That's when I finally noticed something: I wasn't alone in the room.
Ruby was laying on a bed next to mine, currently waking up herself. Glynda was seated in a chair near the two beds. Emerald and Nora were on either side, sound asleep.
'...You know, if I were a more perverted person, I'd probably be having dirty thoughts right now.'
The young Huntress known as Ruby Rose took that moment to fully wake up, and notice I was up as well. Silver eyes widened in happiness as she leaped onto my bed."Michaelyou'reupyou'reupyou'reup!"
"Rubyyou'recrushingmeyou'recrushingmeyou'recrushingme!"
Our little moment woke the others up quickly, seeing Ruby unintentionally trying to strangle me with a bone-crushing hug. "Ruby, you're crushing him!" Glynda cried out.
That got her to ease up, and let me breathe again. That was when Nora took her turn to deliver a similar hug. Her's was much more powerful.
After prying her off (and giving me a moment to catch my breath), Emerald asked "You okay?"
Coughing, I answered "Yeah."
"Good."
POW!
She took that opportunity to leap onto the bed, onto me, and punch me. Right in the face. "OW!"
"You bastard!" she cried out in anger, punching me again. "You goddamn son of a bitch!" The others were in shock from the sudden display of violence, too much to intervene immediately as I shielded myself. "Damn you for scaring me like that! Damn you for getting me fucking pregnant! Damn you for making me think you actually cared about me! And damn you...!"
The beating stopped. Opening my eyes, I looked up to see Emerald, her fist shaking. Her eyes were wet with newly shedding tears.
"D...Damn you...for making me fall in love with you..."
As she continued to cry, she fell onto my chest, crying her eyes out. For a few minutes, none of us said a word. All that I could do was hold her, letting her let it all out. "Em...I really do care about you."
"D-Don't give m-me that crap," she sobbed. "Y-You've got three other girls liking you. Is that all I am? A notch on a belt-"
"Emerald," I interrupted. "I'm only saying this once: Never even think that again. I'd shoot myself before I even thought that way towards you, or anyone else."
"...Then...can you explain this?" Glynda asked, her voice somewhat hurt. "Explain how you managed to get me- all of us- to feel this way?"
I sighed. "I don't know."
"That isn't much better," Ruby said softly.
"What do you expect me to say?" I asked rhetorically. "'Oh, hey, guess what? I'm filled to the brim with pheromones that I can't even fucking control. Oh, and said pheromones that make it fucking impossible for women to ignore me. Funny, right?'" I snorted. "Yeah, I can imagine that conversation coming up in a gathering. and going well."
Now everyone stared at me in shock at that revelation. "Pheromones?" Nora asked.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "My 'family curse', so to speak. And I can't even fucking control it!" I cried out in frustration. "Goddammit, I never wanted this! I never wanted to even create a situation like this! Yet no matter where in the Multiverse I go, I always attract women! Every! Single! Time!" I looked down, unable to look any of them in the eye as tears began to cloud mine. "I can never control this. And what makes it worse, is that I care about all of you. I just want to make sure you're happy...even if you end up hating me...why do you even like me?" I quietly asked.
For a few moments, there was silence. Then I felt Emerald's hand cup my face, bringing me to face her. "Because you're the first person that ever showed me true kindness," she answered softly. "That saw me for who I really am, and still accepted all of me."
"Because you're someone I look up to," Ruby added. "Someone that I can be completely open with, who I've come to care for with all my heart."
"Because when I'm with you, I feel like I haven't in years," Glynda continued. "You respect me, make me relax...even now, I feel like that wide-eyed girl who first became a Huntress."
"Because I'm happy around you," Nora finished. "Granted, I'm always pretty happy. But with you...I don't think I need pheromones affecting me to know that I feel...complete around you."
I was left stunned. Speechless. Their confessions were all filled with honesty, sincerity...I couldn't believe it. It happened again. And I knew where it would lead to.
"...I can't force you- any of you- into this life," I uttered. "I can't just ask this of you."
"You don't have to," Nora said. "This is something we all agreed to."
...
...
...
"...huh?"
"After you and Ruby were brought in," Glynda explained, "miss Valkyrie, miss Sustrai and I came in to check on you. After that, we...approached what Satan revealed back at the quarry."
"That was when we realized what you and Emerald had," Nora threw in. "We...talked about it. Felt a whole lot of emotions. Afterwards, we came to a conclusion. A few, actually."
"Nora came up with them, believe it or not," Ruby chuckled, still surprised at the wisdom her friend could display.
"We had to wait to hear your explanation, first," Emerald picked up. "And now...we've decided."
"We all love you, Michael," Glynda said. I looked down, knowing what was about to happen.
"But rather than force you to pick one of us," Nora continued, a small blush on her cheeks, "like we thought you might feel forced to...we decided to share you, instead."
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...Okay, not what I thought would happen.
"I...I-I don't...I mean- this isn't...you...wha?"
"{I think you just broke him.}" I stared at [Aura Radiance], situated on the chair next to Glynda as its gem flashed.
"Yeah, we talked to Weisslogia too," Ruby explained. "Once you get past the 'talking weapon' bit, Emerald got used to him."
"Barely," the mint-haired thief muttered, still uneased about the falchion.
Somehow, I managed to get my mind back in working order. Gathering my thoughts, I looked at them, dead serious. "I don't want you- any of you- to get into something you'll regret. This? This could very well be one of-"
I was silenced by Emerald, who placed her lips on mine. The kiss was chaste, but full of love. My mind threatened to shut down as Glynda, Nora, and Ruby did the same.
"I think that speaks volumes for us," Emerald said playfully. At that point, all we could do was laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation.
I was never going to get used to this, no matter what. And somehow...I never wanted that to change.
A few minutes later, Emerald's eyes lit up in realization. "Wait a minute...'no matter where in the Multiverse I go'? What does that mean?"
...If you listened closely, you could hear my heart stop in shock.
I fucked up.
...Oh well, now's as good a time as any.
"...I guess you all deserve to know the whole story." With a heavy heart (and an equally heavy sigh), I looked up to the four expectant faces and curious Artificial Sacred Gear spirit. "My name was once Michael Sullivan...and...my story begins with the day I died..." (A/N: If you want to know the full, tragic story of how Michael Verser came to be who he is now, keep a sharp eye out for ShepardisaBOSS' upcoming story, "The Multiverser: Death/Re-Birth by Fire").
Duncan's POV:
It had been a long fight, and no one came out unscathed. Especially not Satan, what with The Antiverser stomping his arm off...I'll at least give him points for that.
But it's a bold new day for everyone. And the future, while dark, cannot hide the sun rising in the distance...quite literally, since the sun was now beginning to break over the horizon (which made the moment- both literal and metaphorical- all the more sweeter).
I mean, Michael jumpstarted my little pet-project that saved him all those years ago. Most of RWBY just got updated versions of their abilities. Adam's here (might actually be a problem, still debating). Emerald is well on her way to joining our side. Torchwick escaped back into Prime's 'care', and denied Ironwood any form of info whatsoever. The other Hydra Grimm may have escaped, but we'd be ready for them the next time they showed up. And while his position is still in danger, Ozpin is still in charge of the Vytal Festival. Along with protecting all of Vale.
Suck it, Jimmy.
While I am very sad that all my weapons are broken, it's not the end of the world.
"You gonna get them fixed?" Ruby asked. She, the rest of RWBY, Michael, and Adam, we were all just hanging out. Evidently, I had been looking at the shattered fragments of my precious weapons too long.
"...Bright Shadow, while my most precious weapon...was completely and utterly impractical," I stated, causing everyone's jaws to drop. I mean, I treated this thing like my baby. "A gun in the hilt adds too much weight, firing off bullets from it also endangers the stability of the weapon, and the only reason it never broke was because it was made of a nigh-indestructible material...which, as you all saw, could be destroyed. And I'm pretty sure my Blacksmithing Teachers would bash my skull in for designing such a flashy blade."
"...You need to make up your goddamn mind," Adam spoke up, still shocked that I actually dissed my own sword. "Are you flashy or practical? Crazy or sane? Pick one already!"
"No." I silently laughed at the bulging blood vessels in the Aspect of Time's forehead.
"But what are you gonna do with it?" Blake asked, glancing at the fragments in my lap. "I mean, you don't really need it, as we saw earlier."
"Yeah, you have, like, a million in your head," Yang agreed with her partner. "Why would you need it now?"
"Because it was mine. Listen, and listen well: I. AM. CHEAP. Everything I own was never earned like anyone else. My Multiverser powers? Given- well, forced on me. Every skill and power I have from all across existence? Copied. All my achievements? Stolen by taking the place of heroes who fought tooth and nail to earn their place. Not even Terra Infinitas is mine; it's made of trying to mix everything together. And this kind of thing will be the same for any and every other Multiverser, even Prime," I told them. "But this sword, for good or ill, I made. I put my heart into getting the materials, learning the hard way how to blacksmith from the best, put my blood and sweat into it (and I'm being serious about my blood), and made this sword, it's sheathe, and this pistol. They were mine, and mine alone."
They all stayed silent for a few moments.
"So...you're gonna re-forge it?" Weiss asked, looking back to me.
"Yes," I nodded, smiling. "But I need to go to a place where remaking it will matter. There is place where heroes will inevitably go. There is a place where they may lay down their burdens to bask in the glory of their accomplishments. It's an ever-distant utopia, where the people there placed all their hopes onto mankind. And..."
"And what?" Adam asked, confused.
"And I've ignored some people for too long," I sighed in defeat. "I had kept myself from using Unlimited Blade Works for so long...I had wanted to forget everything that led me to being as cynical as I can be. And it's time and I suck it up, get off my dead ass, onto my dying feet, and go and see them. They'll probably wanna kick my ass, but it'll be worth it."
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments.
"By the way, Duncan," Yang began, breaking the ice. "I have to know: Why did you take your shirt off in the middle of a battle?"
I...stayed silent.
"Yeah, that's kinda bugging me, too," Ruby agreed, furrowing her eyebrows. "I mean, Michael gave you all a cool inspiring speech, a giant Grimm charged at you, and you just took off your jacket and shirt...and apparently have tattoos...Why...?"
"Not to mention being bare-chested made it easier for that guy to stab you in the stomach," Weiss added. "It was a pretty stupid move."
"It was...kind of a, you know, spur of the moment thing," I hesitantly replied. "It seemed like a good idea, at the time. You know...like in a movie; when the hero decides all bets are off, and he doesn't wear armor during the final fight...I was thinking along those lines. It usually ends well."
"...Duncan," Blake began, eyes glazed over and staring intently at her boyfriend. "We understand now that our lives are recorded in your world as an internet show and fanfiction. That doesn't mean stupid movie clichés should apply here, though."
"Hey!" I yelled out, indignant. "Michael did it, too! Actually, wait a second. When did you get tattoos, Mikey?"
"Oh!" Said Multiverser jumped, attention now on him. "I, um...Well...after I saw you do it, I kinda thought it was a 'thing' we're supposed to have. So, I kinda just used my [Cheater's Body] and thought of some tattoos related to me on the spot..." he finished lamely. "I'm actually kinda pleased with how they turned out."
Though she didn't say it, Ruby kinda liked them too. She actually thought they were pretty badass in a way.
"...Michael?" I started.
"Yes, Duncan?"
"It's not a thing," I told him flatly. "I've had these for years because I wanted them. There's no requirement for Multiversers saying 'You must have many tattoos to be one of us'! That'd just be ridiculous."
"Hey, you don't hear me complaining," Yang said, tracing her finger along my sleeveless right arm. "It's kinda hot."
"Oh, and fix that reverse version of my symbol on your hand," Duncan added, lightly scowling at his brother's right hand. "I just might take offense to that...and you don't want that."
Michael just began to heavily sweat and nod, covering up the symbol as he did.
"Do you have any?" Ruby asked Adam, who was staying silent in this.
"No," Adam shook his head. "I've thought about it, but it'll probably get old real quick at this rate. I think I'll stick with my skin the way it is...For now, anyway."
"By the way, Weiss," Michael said, bringing out his .454 (and making Adam eyeball it in shock), "I think I figured out the perfect name for this gun."
That caught her attention. "Really?"
"Yep. And after the events of yesterday, as well as your work in its development, there's really only one name that can suit this beauty."
"What is it, then?" Adam asked.
Holding it up to the rising sun, Michael replied with a single word: "Eiskönigin."
"[Sounds German.]"
Michael smiled warmly. "It is German. It translates to 'Ice Queen.'"
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"...What?...OW! GODDAMMIT WEISS, WHAT THE FUCK?!" he roared, gripping his now bleeding thigh in pain.
As Weiss gripped her bloodied rapier in frustration, the rest of us laughed our asses off. "Never change, Mikey," I managed to get out. "Never change."
Third Person's POV:
This place did not exist.
At least, it didn't 'exist' in the eyes of Multiversers or that of the Multiverse itself. More like, it no longer existed within anyone else's comprehension of reality. Like...a memory that was easily forgotten. It would eventually fade into actual nothingness and life would go on. But for the time being, it made for the perfect hideout.
No one could find it unless they already knew about it. Nor could they reach it for the same reason.
So it goes without saying that no one could hear Satan Verser screaming as The Antiverser beat him senselessly.
"AHHH! HIJO DE PUTA! PLEASE STOP!" Satan screamed, bloodied, beaten, still missing an arm, and scurrying across the floor.
"I should kill you," The Antiverser growled menacingly. "I should kill you on principle alone."
"I would let him, too," a second voice agreed from above. Gliding down was a man made of metal. A machine, robot, whatever. Readers would recognize him quite instantly. After all, one doesn't forget a robot that attempted to drop a city from orbit. "Unfortunately, we have visitors."
"I'm busy, Ultron," The Antiverser said, glancing at the AI. "Can it wait?"
"Normally, yes," Ultron agreed, amused at Satan's fear. "But not this time. Lucifer is here with our new friends on Remnant."
"...Very well," The Antiverser relented, straightening up and flicking the blood off his fists. He and Ultron turned to leave the room, but not before reminding Satan that his beating was far from finished.
The Antiverser and homicidal AI entered into the room that Lucifer was keeping Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. To say that they were upset with the fact Satan was currently alive would be a massive understatement.
"Why would you keep such a wild card alive?" Cinder asked, raising an eyebrow while crossing her arms.
"I don't get to make the call," Lucifer scowled behind his mask. "If I did, he'd have never stepped foot here."
"All cards are meant to be used in this game of ours," The Antiverser explained as he and Ultron stepped into the conference room. "Even wild cards that royally fuck things up. He's a mad dog, but even so...I may have some small use for him."
"I wouldn't trust him, though," Ultron added, the plates on his face making a small scowl. "He did steal my little pet project and render it useless. Even if I make another one, Verser knows enough of it to break the next one."
"So he's the reason you were able to escape," Cinder noted, sizing up the seven foot tall robot. "Quite the ally you have. I approve."
"So he can take control of the robots. Big deal," Mercury shrugged. "We still had to work with Verser and his friends." He shuddered in revolt. "God, I hate goody two-shoes like them. The fighting was fun, but...Ugh."
"None of it matters right now," Lucifer added, crossing his arms. "A lot of White Fang died in those tunnels. They're not gonna follow you."
"No, they won't," a new voice agreed. A young man in black holding a katana in a rifle-like sheathe walked in. He had brown hair with deep red tips and a pair of horns. He also wore a Grimm mask. "But they'll listen to me."
"So you're already involved, Adam," Cinder noted, turning to The Antiverser. "You sure do get around."
"The night Verser killed Torchwick, many of the White Fang were arrested," The Antiverser reminded them. "I broke them out. Reminded them that Verser broke them, could've made their sacrifices worthless. I gave them purpose again. The authorities covered up their escape, but Taurus quickly learned about me. We came to an agreement, much like you and he did."
"Wait a second, Torchwick ain't dead," Mercury spoke up, making The Antiverser's masked gaze snap towards him. "He said he had a gut feeling there'd be trouble so he left a body double in his place."
"..."
"Is something up?" Cinder questioned, now suspicious.
"...Can't say for sure," The Antiverser finally answered. "It's definitely a possibility, but I won't make assumptions yet. Still, keep an eye on Torchwick, Ultron."
"Will do," the AI answered before slowly flying up into the ceiling which opened up to allow him passage before closing.
"There's also one thing we need to clarify," Cinder began. "I've had my people look into Verser's background for months. Nothing ever came of it, at least nothing useful. You know more than you let on...I want answers."
"...Do you really think you're in a position to threaten me?"
"I'm in a position where I'm not a pawn," Cinder answered coolly. "So I won't just jump when told."
"...What do you know about the Multiverse?"
"Some stupid sci-fi thing about different worlds, right?" Mercury spoke up. "Comic book stuff- Wait..."
"Verser's from a different world, isn't he?" Cinder concluded.
"There's...more to it," Emerald began, nervously speaking up for the first time since they got here. If one were to pay close attention, they'd see pain behind her eyes.
"So...you finally learned something," the pyromancer concluded, expectant.
"...Verser...isn't exactly a human being. At least not anymore," the thief told them, though it was because Duncan and Michael asked her to do so. To create a fear-based deterrent. "Him, Michael, Adam, that Prime guy. None of them are. They're...everywhere."
"...Omnipresence." So that's how he was in the ballroom and the CCT.
"Verser and his kind- the Multiversers- claim themselves to be Gods," The Antiverser explained. "Once, long ago, there were more like them. They're human beings taken from their own worlds, and offered absolute power. Verser and his 'brothers' are immortal. They're everywhere, see everything, know everything, and can do anything. And Prime? Same case, except he's the incarnation of all Death. He is Death. But Verser remains the bigger threat, due to him being the Aspect of Chaos. A sort of… 'Jack of Every Trade' when it comes to the Aspects."
"How can they not see us now, then?!" Mercury demanded, alarmed. Running his hands through his hair, he cursed "Goddammit! How did we ever get anything done?!"
"Your world is somewhat still in development," The Antiverser assuaged. "As such, their omniscience is limited for now. That will change, though. As to why he's never attacked you earlier...Two reasons."
"Such as?" Cinder tensely asked.
"Verser is arrogant. He has roamed the Multiverse for trillions of centuries purely for amusement. He finds letting his enemies attempt their plans only for him to crush them right at the end more amusing than anything else. The second reason...his 'Master' actually hinders him, randomly, for no other reason than simply to hinder him."
"So Verser is under someone else's foot."
"More like something."
"And that would be?"
"Later," The Antiverser ended without argument. "For now...I believe we have a festival to plan for."
Years Later...
His name was Theodore "Theo" Chroma. A Faunus.
When he was a boy, he and his mother experienced one of the worst attacks in Vale's history. Grimm had overrun the territory, to the point where it seemed that Vale was to become one with the sands of time. He thought that he was going to die there, never knowing if there would be a better tomorrow.
But then, a miracle happened.
And tomorrow came.
Three Huntsmen- three brothers- fought against the Grimm, as well as against the instigator of the attack. Rallying the inhabitants behind them, they cried out "We will not fall without a fight!" And together, they prevailed.
It was at that moment, that Theo felt a sense of awe. For he had witnessed the beginning of a legend on that day.
The Steel Dragon Inquisitor.
The White Dragon Paladin.
The Shadow Dragon Rogue.
Together, along with the efforts of Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY- along with Emerald Sustrai, Roman Torchwick, and the man known only as Prime Death- they faced the odds. Together, they triumphed over darkness.
Together, they proved that heroes truly did exist.
And now, years later- after everything that has occurred- everyone else, from now to the future, will know their tale.
"Theo, it's time to eat!"
His cat ears twitching, the young man called out "I'll be down in a few minutes!" Looking back onto his desk, he smiled at his handiwork before getting up.
On the desk sat a book, the title in simple gold letters.
Heroes of Remnant
As he left the room, he thought to himself a saying he once heard:
'Through action, a man becomes a hero.
'Through death, a hero becomes a legend.
'Through time, a legend becomes a myth.
'And by learning from the myth, a man takes action.'
As Theo went downstairs, he smiled wistfully, wondering what kind of heroes would be born from that story.
Duncan's POV:
Present Day...
[Queue "OST Fate/stay night - Kishi Ou no Hokori"]
I was standing in the courtyard of Beacon, carrying the remnants of my broken sword, as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Readying myself for what was to come.
Opening them again, I found myself in a familiar land.
It was beautiful. That was the only word that could apply to this place. It was a beauty that no human could possibly replicate. The fields were greenish-gold. The sky, blue with shades that could be compared to an Aurora. And the trees bared fruit more perfect than any I had seen anywhere else, even Terra Infinitas.
"It's been some time," I told myself, smiling softly.
"That it has," a new voice agreed from behind me, female with a slight English accent to it..
I turned to see her, she was exactly as I remembered. Her golden hair in a bun with the bangs lining her face, blue-green eyes that held wisdom and determination, her royal blue dress, though the armor was not there at the moment...
"...I had hoped I'd run into you guys," I said, smiling at her. "I'm...so sorry. I just-"
"I know," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder before pulling me into a hug to comfort me. "You lost yourself...but now, you are found again."
"Oi, what's going on over there?" an Irish-accented voice called out. I looked to see a man with short blue hair, wild red eyes, and (still to this day) a ridiculous blue body suit with metal shoulder pieces.
He recognized me instantly.
"Oh, well look what the cat dragged in," he chuckled, spreading his arms wide. "I almost thought you wouldn't get off your sorry ass and visit us."
"Yeah, well...reasons," I lamely excuse myself, shrugging. "Broke my sword, too," I added, holding the leather cloth that held the pieces of Bright Shadow. "Wanted to get it fixed right. Well, remake it actually."
"Oh, that makes me feel oh so much better," the Irish man laughed, feigning offense. "You're lucky your 'Faithful Wife' is out at the moment. If she saw you now, appearing after all the time you've been gone without seeing her first? She'd kill ya."
"Well, with your luck, you'd probably die first."
"Fuck you too, Master," the man grumbled, annoyed at the mention of his REALLY shitty luck.
"Did I just hear someone say 'Master'?!" a loud and rumbling voice called out.
"And now he's here." The girl, still at my side, could only roll her eyes.
"So is almost everyone else," the man in blue pointed out.
And there they were. A giant of a man with bronzed skin and red hair. He looked as if he owned the whole world. And could probably do it, too. Another man, also Irish, but his body suit, which was green, lacked sleeves like the first man that arrived. Next, was a man with black armor. Though his helmet was off, revealing a calm collected man with long black hair.
The rest of the group mainly consisted of women. Well, the last two. A dark skinned women with purple hair in a ponytail, barely any clothing, and a skull mask in her hand. Next to her, also a women with long purple hair (granted a much lighter shade), and rather questionable clothing with a blindfold.
But...four of them were missing. I had thought they'd be here, too.
"The others are out right now," the girl by my side said, seeing my confusion. "They'll be back soon enough. But we've missed you, Duncan."
I smiled warmly, happy to see everyone again. "I'm back, Saber."
"Yes." The girl with golden hair smiled. "Welcome back, 'Shirou'."
[End "OST Fate/stay night - Kishi Ou no Hokori"]
Okay, quick rundown.
Yes, Duncan Verser is also Shirou Emiya. At least, Verser has lived in Shirou's place. Therefore, he has Unlimited Blade Works. Let me answer some possible questions about it before anyone asks them.
Shirou Emiya's Unlimited Blade Works in the Fate/stay night VN has limits. He can create any bladed weapon he sees. Anything else like a shield costs more focus. However, the copies go down a Rank. And Shirou cannot make anything out of completely alien materials or something that is far too old to comprehend (example, Gilgamesh's Sword, Ea).
Verser does not have these limitations. Duncan Verser can create perfect copies that do not go down a Rank, and he CAN make a perfect copy of something like Ea (SPOILERS. Yes, Gilgamesh will come in later. And No. He will NOT be happy). In addition, that skill you saw earlier; Trace Unify. That's my own little idea. In the Heaven's Feel route of the VN, Shirou used Nine Lives Blade Works against Berserker. The weapon was the same Axe Sword Berserker used, but the technique is a much lower quality of the actual Noble Phantasm skill "Shooting Hundred Stars" (Heracles' can basically hit anything 100 times at once with any weapon, due to killing a Hydra by shooting 100 arrows at it simultaneously).
"Trace Unify" is kind of like Nine Lives Blade Works. It's taking a weapon, and using a skill that qualifies as a Noble Phantasm on it. In this case, Verser can remember how to use "Shooting Hundred Stars" and apply it to any weapon.
Something like this does NOT mean Verser can, say, fuse weapons together. Just use any skill like that he remembers seeing a weapon use, and use it with another weapon.
Other than that, this is the ONLY Reality Marble that Verser can use. I am not giving Verser multiple Reality Marbles, just this one.
And yes. All those Servants at the end? Duncan is their Master, and four of them are out right now. They will ALL be making appearances from now on.
Any other Type-Moon related thing you may be confused about, I recommend looking up the wiki, reading the VN, or watching one of the animes: Fate/stay night, Fate/Zero, and the 2014 Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works anime (and look up Tsukihime, which is the same universe).
Is there anything YOU would like to add, Michael?
Well, for starters...MY GOD, this has got to be the longest chapter you and I've ever written for a story! Your chapters have been getting longer and longer ever since I joined on as a co-author, and I'm pleased to see that in action. I honestly can't wait for when my chapters get that long. But hey, I'm at least making steady progress.
Second: all of the references made...there were so many! Hope you liked them.
Third: the AVALON System. Basically, it's a program that Duncan Verser created to serve as an extremely powerful healing agent. He created it after studying the original Avalon (which he keeps in his possession), the Heaven Program (I think that's what he calls it) from High School DxD, and a few other things. Actually, Duncan, could you fully explain it to me again, as well as to the readers?
It's basically a massive mixture of Fae Magic (from Avalon), the system for distributing miracles from High School DxD, and nano-machines (son). All of which is monitored by a set of AIs programmed to help the system analyze someone with the AVALON program, see what level of danger they are in, and create an appropriate Miracle to aid the user. However, this does not extend to combat. The AVALON system is primarily for defense and/or healing purposes depending on the urgency of a situation. One cannot just spam it to save themselves. Kind of a downside, but the things actually a prototype and was never mass distributed to people. It only just started actually working now in full.
So, a few people from around our stories will probably start getting registered for the system.
Okay then. Keep in mind that Michael Verser WILL be studying it himself in the future. To make a little...addition to it. That's all I'm saying on the matter for now.
Now, another thing to note: Michael's new goal to become a 'Hero of Justice'. After his talk with Duncan last chapter, he decided to revive his mentor/brother figure's dream and carry it on in his place. Basically, he'll be a lot like Shirou in that regard. Whether or not he'll take his ideals to the same limit as him is something to be seen later.
In fact, there were many shout outs to Shirou that Michael has displayed: his tragic origins in becoming a Multiverser; finding and wearing a long-sleeved shirt that looked the same as Shirou's in the battle for Vale; [Aura Radiance] and Hephaestus (the latter of which took on the form of a black version of the former) mirroring Kanshou and Bakuya; his personality and motivations; hell, even his appearance after Duncan saved him- red hair and golden eyes (which are a byproduct of the insertion of the AVALON System)- are all meant to serve as homage to one of my all-time favorite anime heroes. Shirou Emiya serves as a main source of inspiration for Michael Verser's personality (mainly the Unlimited Blade Works version, which I think is the best). Heck, I bet he'd get along rather well with Shirou when they meet. And trust me, they WILL meet in the future.
However, that kinda means that Archer/EMIYA won't exactly be on the best of terms with him.
Eh, can't win 'em all.
Finally, the ending moments: with Duncan going back to the realm of Avalon to reforge his weapons; Michael talking with his lovers; Emerald's pregnancy & the confessions of Emerald, Glynda and Nora; the Antiversers officially making their move against their ancient foes; Satan Verser's return (as well as his GETTING WRECKED); that KICK ASS fight between Duncan and The Antiverser; and Team RWBY having a serious upgrade...nothing's going to be the same for them from here on out. Especially once we get to the finals of the Vytal Festival Tournament.
We won't spoil anything...but let's just say that by that point, thing's are going to be changing exponentially.
One more thing, though. Due to the sheer number of references and additional things we added into our little "mythos" here, I am seriously wondering if I should consider this story, and all my other fics, as crossovers. I mean, if I play it right, you could say they aren't...but at this point, they probably are. So, in your guys' honest opinion...Should I move this to the crossover section? If you guys think so, just tell me in the comment section. I'll move today or within the week I post this.
Anyways, Happy 2016 people. May it be a better year for all of us.
EPILOGUE:
In front of the great statue in Beacon's courtyard, Yang stood. Opposite to her, the very person she had spent almost a lifetime searching for.
She was here, came here herself. Of her own volition. Raven Branwen...
Yang's mother...
"...Why?" was all Yang asked.
In response, Raven took off the elaborate Grimm mask she wore, revealing a face perfectly identical to Yang's. The only two differences were her black hair and permanently red eyes.
"Yang...we have a lot to talk about..."
"Yeah...you do," came a third voice. The two looked up to the statue to see Duncan sitting on the Huntsman's shoulder, leaning against the sword. "After all..."
"We all want answers."