I think this upcoming chapter might hands down be one of my favorites from Volume 8. I'll explain more later, but it really does show us how terrifying Salem can potentially be. And if you've seen something like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, then you know what I'm going to be doing with her. I promise you'll love it.
Anyways, that's enough small talk. Let's get into it!
REALITY
What would one consider a witch? A sorceress of evil? A harbinger of destruction? Someone with magical power that no one can comprehend?
That describes Salem to a terrifying degree. I'd argue that she's on par with certain witches spread throughout the multiverse. Though there's one I'd say is definitely above her… Heehee…
Regardless, some of our heroes are about to embark on the daring rescue mission to retrieve one Oscar Pine from Salem's clutches. A lot rides on their success. And there's more going on in the Monstra than meets the eye…
More Mantas were deployed onto the battlefield, joining the forces already engaged in battle against the scores of Grimm that emerged from the Monstra. It opened its mouth, letting more of the shadowy creatures fly out. From afar, Enji landed atop a building close to the plains, watching with widened eyes at the sight of the gigantic Grimm. He grimaced, but steeled himself before rocketing out toward the battlefield as flames expelled from his feet.
Meanwhile, Yang, Jaune, Ren, Gaara, Kevin, Sabo and Wendy were sprinting down a corridor of the Monstra. After managing to find their way in, they had to do battle with a couple of Grimm that lurked near where they entered. The Sky Dragon Slayer glanced back to see one in particular still following them.
It was a Grimm reminiscent of a silverfish. It had a black body with spikes, six legs, and an armored abdomen which lead into three fiery, yellow tails. Its head appeared to resemble an amalgamation of a jackal and feline skull, with horns or tentacles rising out of its eye sockets. It had a singular eye where the skull's nose would be, and a spider-like marking on its forehead.
Wendy whipped around, puffing her cheeks and expelling a blast of air onto it. It struck the Grimm, making it tumble back before it faded away into ashes. With that, the group brought themselves to a stop, catching their breath.
"Well…" Yang uttered out, "that was harrowing…" she grumbled.
"At least we're not in cuffs," Kevin remarked back.
"But we're not in the clear yet," Jaune noted as he looked around the corridor cautiously with his shield deployed, "We still have to search this whole… thing and find Oscar before the Ace-Ops blow us to pieces…" he pointed out to his colleagues.
"How are we even supposed to find him?" Yang asked, "It's going to be like finding a needle in a... giant... whale…" she slowly realized, "Why did we think this was a good idea?" she immediately asked afterwards.
"Wendy, can you track his scent?" Sabo inquired of the Sky Dragon Slayer, who sniffed around.
"Ugh…" she groaned out, "It's all musty…" she muttered with a shake of her head, "Maybe if we were closer, I could get a read on him…" she inferred. Meanwhile, Ren looked thoughtfully down the corridor, narrowing his eyes.
"I…" he uttered, getting his friends' attentions, "I might be able to help," he assumed, "I can sense spikes of people's emotions, I think…" he told them, "It happened back on the ship," he mentioned, "If I focus my Aura, I can keep it up," he affirmed to them. Needless to say, the rest of the group was surprised.
"…Okay…" Yang uttered, "that's new…" she noted with a shrug of her shoulders.
"And convenient…" Kevin added.
"Maybe one of them is Oscar…" Gaara inferred as he stepped forward. Ren touched his temples with his fingertips, trying to focus as his eyes were shut.
"I can sort of tell where they are, but not who…" he alerted to his colleagues, "They're more or less in the same area though," he confirmed, opening his eyes, "Further in," he added, "I can lead," he declared, ready to walk forward.
"Hey," Jaune said, putting a hand onto his left shoulder to stop him, causing him to turn and see his team leader, "You don't have to drain yourself," he pointed out, "I can help, too," he reassured with a smile.
"Yeah… good thinking," Ren shakily agreed, "Thanks…" he said in gratitude. There was an awkward silence afterward, mainly because they expected the ponytailed teen to want to go in on his own.
"Well… lead the way…" Jaune awkwardly said, pointing finger guns at Ren. Yang rolled her eyes, while Sabo sighed. The group continued onward, but Gaara stopped as he noticed Kevin staying behind for a moment.
"Kevin?" he called out, trying to get his attention as he walked over, "What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's just…" the hybrid Osmosian started to reply, "I hope that Oscar isn't the only guy we find in here…" he admitted to the Kazekage. He merely nodded in response before they regrouped with their friends, continuing through the corridor. Elsewhere in the Monstra, Oscar lied on his side on the ground, while Ben sat nearby, leaning back against one of the bone spikes in the room. The torment for the former was over for the moment. But only time would tell if Hazel would return.
"Hey… Oscar?" the Omni Force leader said, trying to get his attention.
"She brushed off her bumps and bruises…" he uttered out weakly, "for nothing hurt worse than the loneliness in her chest…" he said. Ben arched an eyebrow in confusion.
'I recognize that,' Ozpin's voice echoed through his and Oscar's heads, 'The Girl Who Fell Through the World?' he guessed. The former farmhand chuckled, turning to lie on his back.
"I shouldn't be surprised you're so familiar with fairy tales…" he noted.
'I've lived through my share of them…' the former headmaster confirmed in response, 'How are you holding up?' he asked out of concern. Ben remained silent, wanting to just listen for once. He felt that he needed to hear this conversation.
"I thought the idea of falling through Remnant into a new world was… exciting…" Oscar admitted, "I never understood why she was so sad… when she finally made it back home," he mentioned as he reached his gloved right hand up toward the light emanating from beyond a membrane on the ceiling, "But now…" he continued as he studied his extremity, "it makes more sense…" he realized.
'She wasn't the same girl anymore,' Ozpin confirmed.
"Yeah," Oscar agreed, bringing his hand back down.
"Makes you wonder…" Ben chimed in, getting their attentions, "if she was really trying to have a normal life like before," he pointed out as he glanced off to the side, "Somehow or someway…" he quietly added. There was a brief silence in the room. All three present consciously were somewhat troubled still.
'I… think this plan to divide might have run its course…' Ozpin admitted to his host and the Omni Force leader, 'It's time we start thinking about a way out,' he insisted of them, 'Not having our cane certainly limits the options, so…' he continued as Oscar rolled himself over into a fetal position, wincing all the while.
"No…" he refused, "I don't like what happens when we use magic…" he confessed weakly, "Every time we use it… I can feel us merging faster…" he pointed out, "I'm… not ready for that…" he said.
'…I don't blame you,' Ozpin responded in his mind, 'Honestly, I think you're doing just fine on your own,' he complimented, making the former farmhand smile a little.
"And if it comes to it, I'll bust us out myself," Ben added, getting their attentions, "Just say the word, Oscar," he advised, "and I'll reduce this Moby Dick of a Grimm to blubber," he proclaimed. The former farmhand chuckled silently again. It was nice to see that the Omni Force leader was at least feeling a little more at ease about the whole situation. Still, it didn't absolve the guilt that he felt about why his colleague was even here in the first place.
"Ben… I…" Before he could say anything else, the membrane door squelched open, with Hazel entering. He approached Oscar, who rolled himself into a supine position. Ben stood up from where he was seated, clenching his fists.
"You gonna give me a few shots, or am I gonna have to give 'em?" he asked of the Grimm master's follower. He took a deep breath, suddenly reaching down and grabbing the former farmhand by his collar, hauling him up. "Oscar!" the Biomnitrix bearer yelled, hurrying over in an attempt to attack Hazel, only for him to catch his right fist in his left hand. He gave the Omni Force leader an indignant look.
"You two are coming with me," he said, much to his and Oscar's surprise. Just what was he planning? Back outside of the Monstra, explosions erupted one after another as Mantas completed another bombing run on the scores of Grimm, flying by.
Atlesian soldiers were lined up on either side of a trench as the battle continued from afar. Winter was walking in between them. Amongst the soldiers were those of Team FNKI, dressed in military armor.
"Listen up, everyone!" she called out, "We're keeping this LZ clear for the payload we're going to put aboard that thing!" she explained to the troops while pointing toward the Monstra in the distance, "If we can't hold this line, it will continue to spit out Grimm and we lose the city!" she pointed out, "Is that understood?!" she questioned of the soldiers.
"Yes, ma'am!" they all responded. Neon Katt, who held her nunchaku in her hands, turned to her to her teammate, Flynt Coal.
"You wouldn't happen to know a tune for this, huh?" she asked of him, trying to stay upbeat in spite of the situation.
"I don't know that anybody does…" he responded with a shake of his head.
"Another wave incoming!" Vine warned, leaping over the trench with his Aura-formed arms and legs to propel himself, "Keep them back!" he advised, heading onto the battlefield alongside Harriet. With one last determined look at each other, Neon and Flynt climbed the sides of the trench and joined the fray alongside their fellow soldiers.
"Move, move, move!" one yelled. All the while, Marrow watched on, shocked at even younger students who weren't even considered huntsmen were being thrust into the battlefield.
"But… they're just kids…" he noted to himself. All of a sudden, Elm touched down in the trench, having her Timber at the ready in her hands.
"You can hash out your issues later," she said, admonishing her teammate, "Right now, just kill Grimm!" she commanded, climbing back out of the trench and scrambling across the battlefield to join her fellow soldiers. The canine Faunus clutched his Fetch tightly in his hands, unsure of what was really the point of all this. Then he saw something fly by overhead, causing him to blink in surprise.
On the battlefield itself, several Grimm were being shot, struck down, or slashed to end up killed and reduced to ashes. As Neon skated around, she struck a few Ursai with her nunchaku, freezing their legs to the ground in ice, allowing her fellow soldiers to take them out. However, she found herself tripped up as she fell onto the ground in a yelp. A horde of Ursai were charging towards her.
"Neon!" Flynt cried out. Elm took notice, about to go and assist. But she didn't need to. Landing down in front of the downed Team FNKI member was Enji, who gave off a fiery glare towards the incoming Grimm. One of the Ursai lunged out to slash at him, and he merely reared his left arm back, concentrating the flames that built upon it around into a white-hot point on his fist.
"JET BURRRRNNNNN!" he roared, slamming it into the bear-like Grimm's stomach. A fiery beam engulfed the Ursa, reducing it to ashes. Others closed in, ready to attack. He merely ignited his fingertips with fire, concentrating them into white-hot points like before. "HELL SPIDER!" he bellowed, unleashing thin fiery beams that pierced through scores of the Grimm, killing them as well as their bodies faded away. He waved the beams around to slice through more of the shadowy beasts around the battlefield, all while being careful not strike any of the soldiers.
Neon got back up as she stared at the back of the Hellflame Quirk user in amazement. The fiery beams subsided from his fingertips. He took a deep breath, charging forward. Winter was left stunned herself from witnessing the scene from afar alongside Marrow and Elm. Seeing how strong the Flame Hero seemingly was, maybe there was a chance that they could win this battle.
X
Hazel seemed oddly different to Ben and Oscar as he dragged them through the Monstra. It wasn't because he wasn't torturing them, but the expression upon his face. He looked… conflicted. They approached a membrane door, which squelched open. At the room of the room they entered was the Relic of Knowledge, which floated in a pillar surrounded by pools of Grimm Liquid. The follower of Salem crudely dropped the former farmhand along the path.
"Hey!" Ben yelled, punching him in the face. He barely flinched, letting out a growl before tossing the Omni Force leader back. He stumbled to a stop beside Oscar, who pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.
"Why did you bring us here?" he asked of Hazel, who took a moment to examine the Lamp on its pedestal.
"…I've been think about what you said," he admitted in response, starting to circle the Relic of Knowledge while eyeing it suspiciously, "If it's a lie… and I took that lie to Salem," he began, "the punishment would fall on my head before yours," he pointed out, "…If what you said is true… and I used the password myself…" he continued, "well… I don't know what happens when this thing activates…" he noted, turning to look down at the former farmhand, "So let's see if you're bluffing," he challenged.
"You… want me to summon her?" Oscar asked.
"Either way, it'll tell me what I need to know," Hazel affirmed in reply.
"Heh," Ben chuckled, "Smarter than you look…" he remarked with a grin.
'I say we snag the Lamp and book it outta here…' he insisted telepathically.
'Ben, please…' Oscar pleaded as he looked over at him, 'This could be a chance to make things right…' he pointed out.
"What are you doing?" Emerald's voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked over to see her there on the pathway. Hazel just grunted noncommittally, joining her behind the two prisoners.
"Let's find out," he responded simply.
'Oz, are you cool with this?' Ben asked through the telepathic link he shared with the reincarnated soul.
'…I'm willing to put my faith in Oscar,' he answered as the former farmhand himself slowly got up onto his feet, holding his left side. He took a deep breath.
"Jinn," he said. Cyan mist unfurled from the Lamp. A nearby bubble of Grimm Liquid burst, with its droplets freezing in place as time around the room slowed to a complete stop. As the mist spread, Hazel held a protective right arm out in front of Emerald, who took a step back. Both of them were looking on in awe, along with Ben.
"Whoa…" he uttered. Materializing and stretching before them from the mist was Jinn, who took notice of Oscar and smiled, settling into a relaxed position.
"Why hello again, old man," she greeted, "Did you have a question for me?" she inquired curiously. The former farmhand chuckled, waving hello to the spirit. He then turned to look over at Hazel.
"Actually…" he began to respond, "I think all my questions are answered now…" he realized, seeing that Oscar hadn't bluffed after all. Jinn looked at him bemusedly.
"What are you going to do?" Ben asked of him.
"What Gretchen would have done," he answered as he momentarily closed his eyes in remembrance of his sister, "And that starts with getting you away from here," he decided firmly, "All of you," he added as he turned to Emerald, who could only blink in concern. Why was he willing to help her escape?
"Okay…" the Omni Force leader uttered, putting his hands onto his hips, "I guess that settles it," he concluded as Oscar approached.
"I'm going to need something before I go," he told Hazel.
"If it's that cane you're thinking of, it's not here," he retorted to his surprise, "Your friends probably have," he pointed out.
"So just to be clear, none of you have a question for me?" Jinn inquired of the group, chiming into the conversation.
"No…" Oscar confirmed, tenting his hands apologetically as he turned to the Lamp's spirit, "but we'll be bringing you with us," he promised. Hazel and Emerald traded uneasy looks.
"The moment we move that thing, this whole place goes on high alert," he warned of the group, "Better to get you out first," he advised.
"But…" Oscar uttered, unsure of the plan.
"I'll come back for it," Hazel assured, "Not like she knows the password anyway," he mentioned.
"Oh-ho, no way," Ben argued, "I'm not saying we're enemies still, but I can't trust that you'll get the Lamp out," he explained, folding his arms over his chest, "I'll come back to get the Lamp with you," he decided, much to the scarred man's surprise.
"Without your fancy watches, you're just deadweight…" he pointed out. The Omni Force leader chuckled a little.
'Am I?' he telepathically answered, causing Hazel and Emerald to widen their eyes upon hearing his voice in their heads. They watched as Ben's body morphed. His skin turned green as his body grew a little higher than normal. When the light faded, it revealed that he had become a bipedal alien with long limbs and fingers. He had a narrow abdomen, revealing the form of a wide pelvis. He also had a membrane under his upper arms, and thick protective skin on his lower arms. His face was squat, with exposed teeth and gums, and small green eyes. Over his chest were two sashes crossing over each other in the shape of an x, with the Biomnitrix symbol at the intersection point. He also wore a pair of black shorts with white cuffs.
"You… could still transform…?" Hazel inquired, evidently shocked.
"Don't act so surprised," Marshifter responded, "A little lightning's not gonna conk out my watches forever," he pointed out.
"Then… why didn't you escape already?" Emerald asked out of confusion. The Martian shifted back into the likeness of Ben, smiling toward Oscar.
"I put my faith in a friend," he answered simply. The former farmhand smiled.
"Okay, fine…" Hazel grumbled out, turning to leave alongside Emerald. With one last backward glance at Jinn, Oscar wordlessly followed them. Ben stayed behind for a moment, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. But he decided to ultimately head after the others.
The Lamp's spirit looked to the side curiously with a grin, returning to the Relic in a puff of cyan smoke. In the darkness next to the door as the group exited, a pair of differently-colored eyes could be seen watching them leave. They were from a featureless red, feminine figure, who stepped out into the light, shimmered, and turned into Neopolitan. She slowly approached the Lamp as its smoke subsided. Outside in the corridor, Ben and Hazel both stopped.
"Hey, I think—"
"I know," the burly man confirmed quietly to his surprise, "That girl's all kinds of tricky…" he muttered.
"So, we're just supposed to let her take the Lamp?" the Omni Force leader questioned, "Even though you said it's rigged?!" he asked on. Oscar and Emerald stopped, looking back at them worriedly. Hazel turned and nodded to them. With that, the green-haired girl put her left hand onto the former farmhand's back, leading him along. The scarred man then turned to Ben.
"Getting the Lamp out is impossible," he told him, "At least while Salem's alive," he corrected.
"Well, what do we do?" the Biomnitrix bearer asked.
"My plan was I'd get you all out, then make sure Salem wasn't a problem anymore before getting the Lamp," he answered thoroughly, "But with you having your powers back and the mute probably snatching the Lamp," he continued, "that changes things," he pointed out.
"So… are you suggesting that you and me take on Salem together?" Ben assumed.
"…That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Hazel responded after a moment. Meanwhile, Ren, Jaune and the others were moving down a corridor. The blonde-haired huntsman of the group had a golden aura shrouding his left arm, with his hand placed upon his teammate's back as he led the way, trying to sense for Oscar. It was helpful to have Jaune's Semblance amplifying his. But before long, his Aura shimmered.
"Ah…" he spluttered, short of breath as he put his hands onto his knees, "Sorry…" he breathed in apology, trying to put his hand on a wall for support, only for it to glide off the mucus-covered surface as its black goo stuck to his hand. He shook it off, evidently disgusted.
"It's not your fault," Ren affirmed, "I'm masking and tracking at the same time," he pointed out.
"Do you guys need a minute?" Yang inquired out of concern.
"We don't know how much longer we have," Jaune noted, "Why don't you give masking a break?" he suggested of his teammate, "Give Wendy directions and she can scout ahead for us," he inferred on.
"Yeah, that's a good idea," the Sky Dragon Slayer agreed as she stepped forward.
"Thanks," Ren said with gratitude, "We should be heading straight for a while," he confirmed to Wendy, who nodded before taking off down the corridor.
"I'm gonna go with in case something happens," Jaune decided, heading after the Sky Dragon Slayer as he raised an arm in farewell to his colleagues, who watched him go.
"Well, at least you guys being friends again takes the sting out of impending doom," Yang remarked afterwards, causing Ren to frown slightly as he looked down.
"It's okay to be afraid, you know…" he pointed out, much to the blonde-haired huntress' surprise, "You don't always have to hide it with a joke," he assured as he turned to her. She exhaled a chuckle.
"Glad I'm not the only one who's scared…" she admitted. Gaara came over to hold her left hand in his right, interlocking their fingers.
"Of course I'm scared," Ren confessed in reply, giving off a small smile, "But them on the other hand…" he continued as he turned back to look in the direction where Wendy and Jaune had gone, "There's no fear at all," he confirmed, "I can see it," he said, "He believe we're going to get this done," he stated, turning to his colleagues. Sabo chuckled.
"Then we do, too," he concurred, earning smiles of agreement from the rest of the group.
"Kinda hard to believe that Wendy of all people's not afraid…" Kevin chimed in, folding his arms over his chest.
"…She's angry…" Yang noted, causing him and the others to blink in surprise, "Angry that she couldn't stop Cinder, angry at me for not telling the truth about my mom…" she listed off, "I don't think any of us have ever seen her like this…" she admitted with a shake of her head.
"But she believes in us," Gaara affirmed to get her attention, "So we'll believe in each other," he decided. His girlfriend smiled, gripping his hand warmly.
"Thanks, Sandy," she said in gratitude. Just then, they heard footsteps as they looked over to see Jaune and Wendy come sprinting at full force towards them. The former waved for the group to hurry into an alcove and crouch by its entrance.
"Mask us, Ren!" the blonde-haired huntsman advised quickly and quietly, expanding his shield and drawing his sword. Everyone else took ready stances, with Gaara and Yang letting their hands go. They and the others turned monochrome from Ren using his Semblance, closing his eyes in concentration. A Seer hovered into the nearby corridor, chittering ominously.
"Should we just kill it?" Sabo asked in a whisper.
"It'll probably alert whoever's in here if we do…" Jaune noted as a response. At that moment, Ren's pink Aura shimmered around, enticing them to look back worriedly at him. He was struggling to keep his Semblance active, especially with so many people to mask. Fortunately, the Grimm floated past them. But at that moment, the ponytailed huntsman let out a pained grunt as his Aura broke into fading pink embers, unmasking his friends. The Seer came to a stop, hissing in alarm as it brought up its tentacles.
"Go!" Kevin yelled, quickly absorbing the metal of Yang's Ember Celica, coating himself before lunging out at the Grimm. Its bladed tentacles attempted to pierce him, but were easily deflected by the metal body of the hybrid Osmosian. He morphed his right arm into a blade, leaping up and piercing the Seer through its body, causing it to instantaneously fade into ashes.
"…Guess we're running now…" the blonde-haired huntress realized, hurrying off down the hall alongside everyone else. Meanwhile Emerald and Hazel were walking down another hallway together alone. The latter seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"You… sure they'll be okay on their own?" he inquired of his colleague, getting her attention.
"I don't know…" she responded honestly with a slight shake of her head, "We just need to get… Wait…" she said, interjecting herself as she held a hand out in front of Hazel, who came to an awkward stop. Salem was coming down the corridor towards them. The green-haired girl quickly grabs her colleague's arm, pulling him out of their master's way. They stood to the side with their heads bowed in deference.
"Ah, Hazel," Salem greeted, getting his attention as he perked up and looked over at her, "Have you gotten what we need yet?" she inquired. He awkwardly glanced down at Emerald.
"I… I, uh…" he stuttered out, causing his master's eyes to narrow suspiciously as she raised an eyebrow. Something about how her scarred follower was acting… didn't seem right. All of a sudden, a loud screech echoed through the corridors, and she turned away.
"The Seers…" she uttered in realization, "Seems we have guests…" she concluded as she turned away for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "The Lamp!" she exclaimed, losing her calm demeanor, "Find them!" she demanded in a snarl, speeding unnaturally fast down the hallway past her followers.
Wendy let wind swirl around her arms, swiping at incoming Sabyrs that were charging towards her and her friends. They were taking down the small hordes of Grimm that had been alerted to their presence, with Gaara eviscerating the last of them with sand spears that pierced through their bodies. As their ashes faded away around the group, Sabo exhaled a breath of relief.
"What now?" he asked of his colleagues.
"Let's do what we do best," Yang insisted in reply, "Charge blindly into danger!" she declared excitedly. Everyone looked at her with somewhat flabbergasted expressions, but Gaara chuckled.
"That sounds like someone else I know," he noted as he stepped forward.
"Hah…" Jaune exhaled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Would've gone with 'keep moving forward,' but sure…" he said with a shrug, "Guys?" he called out to the others.
"Forward," Ren responded for the group as they all smiled in agreement.
"No matter what," Wendy added. Prepared for whatever they'd have to face, the group continued onward down the hallway. Back outside the Monstra, Atlesian Paladins were firing off missiles to take out charging Megoliaths, reducing them to ashes. Vine and Elm were amongst them, dealing with the smaller Grimm. The former swiped at them with his Aura-formed tendrils, while the latter rooted herself to the ground, shifting her weapon to its rocket launcher form and firing off several missiles out onto the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Neon and Flynt were getting into formation, sharing a nod with each other. The latter of the two then held up his trumpet, blowing into along with three copies of himself doing the same to distract a Manticore. His teammate skated by it with a rainbow-colored trail in her wake, swiping at it mightily across its head with her nunchaku.
Watching on from afar, Marrow was still baffled by how people younger than even him were taking part in this warfare. But that didn't distract him as he shifted his Fetch into its boomerang form, using it to slash down a Sabyr that attempted to pounce on him. He then saw a winged Beringel coming his way.
"Stay!" he yelled as he pointed at it, causing it to immobilize before Harriet flipped in, kicking it down to his surprise. She landed in front of him, looking out ahead to see Enji still on the frontlines, blanketing the fields ahead with fire to ward off more of the smaller Grimm. Aside from those in the air who were unaffected, bigger Grimm like Megoliaths were just charging through without a care.
Grimacing, the Flame Hero ignited his fist, pumping it upward. A fiery tornado was released, incinerating everything in its path, including the Megoliaths and some of the airborne Grimm. It subsided moments later, with the Hellflame Quirk user breathing heavily in exhaustion as smoke wafted from his body. Marrow watched on worriedly.
"W-We should help him!" he stuttered insistently to Harriet, who looked back at him incredulously.
"He's with the traitors!" she shouted.
"But he's helping us fight back!" the canine Faunus argued, "If not for him, we'd probably be in a tougher situation that we already are right now!" he added emphatically.
"Tch," Harriet scoffed, "You can help him out for all I care…" she muttered, "I'm following my orders," she decided, putting her fingers up to the communicator in her right ear, "How much longer for the payload?" she questioned.
"It's approaching the LZ now," Winter confirmed over the communication line. The Ace Operatives looked back to see an Atlesian cargo ship flying toward the Monstra, flanked by several Mantas. Marrow cast a worried glance at the giant whale Grimm, knowing that the prisoners that his colleagues had released to go into it were still inside.
"Come on, Juan…" he pleaded, seeing the Monstra open its mouth again.
"Huh… huh…" Enji breathed out as the flames around his shoulders and eyes started to shrink. More Grimm were coming towards him. Suddenly though, Flynt got out in front of him, blowing into his trumpet alongside his copies to keep them back with powerful sound waves. The Hellflame Quirk user blinked in surprise.
"Hey!" Neon called out, getting his attention, "You look like you need a quick cooldown," she noted, tossing him a stick of Ice Dust. He caught it, placing it against his body as steam emitted from the point of contact. A relaxed breath left his lips.
"Thank you," he said in gratitude before the stick fully melted away.
"We'll call it even," the feline Faunus remarked back with a wink, going to join the others on the battlefield. Enji glanced back to see the cargo ship touching down on the battlefield. Apparently, there was a timetable. And he knew that he needed to act before it was too late. His flames fully reignited before he rocketed off into the air, flying toward the left side of the Monstra.
Inside the beast, Wendy led the way for the group moving through the hallways. She gasped lightly before they rounded a corner, with the rest of the group widening their eyes upon arriving. Standing in front of them were Emerald and Hazel.
"You…" Yang growled, arming her Ember Celica and prosthetic arm. The green-haired girl brought out her Thief's Respite, aiming them at the group.
"No, wait!" Hazel suddenly yelled as he stepped forward, "Stop!" he insisted to the group's surprise. All of a sudden, his image shimmered and faded away, revealing Oscar there, as it turned out he had been disguised in Emerald's illusion. He let out a chuckle.
"Oscar!" Jaune exclaimed, dropping his sword and shield as everyone looked on with relieved smiles, watching as he ran over to embrace the former farmhand and lift him up into a tight hug. He winced out of pain, but chuckled weakly as he returned the embrace.
"Careful!" Wendy warned as she approached alongside the others. The blonde-haired huntsman set Oscar down, allowing him to look over to the rest of the group. Yang patted his head, followed by Wendy hugging him herself. She held onto him warmly, sighing with relief as tears were streaking down her cheeks.
"I knew I sensed some weak minds nearby…" Emerald muttered, getting their attentions as they pulled away from each other to look over at her. Needless to say, they were a bit confused as to why the former farmhand was with someone that they saw as an enemy.
"What's… going on here?" Jaune asked.
"It's a long story…" Oscar admitted in reply.
"You're gonna have to try and summarize it," Yang advised, stepping forward warily, "Why should we trust you?" she asked of the green-haired girl. Ren looked at her curiously for a moment.
"Because she's scared," he answered for her, much to her surprise as she raised her eyebrows, while the others of the group glanced over to their colleague, "Just like us," he pointed out. The group's expressions softened, if only a little.
"Or maybe because I know how to get out of here…" Emerald retorted out of denial, rolling her eyes as she moved forward down the corridor, passing the group, "Anybody coming?" she inquired rhetorically, only sparing a glance in their direction.
"Sheesh…" Kevin grumbled out.
"Look, we can talk more about this later," Oscar assured to the rest of the group, "Right now, we need to escape," he insisted.
"No arguments there," Sabo agreed, walking off after Emerald as Yang, Jaune, Ren, Gaara and Kevin followed. The former farmhand stayed behind for a moment, looking down in contemplation. He then felt a hand come onto his, glancing over to see Wendy giving him a warm smile.
"I think you're going to need this," she pointed out, handing him The Long Memory in its handle form. He took it into his grasp, staring at it with a smile.
"Thank you, Wendy," he said with gratitude. They shared another hug before hurrying off. There wasn't much time left to spare.
Back by the battlefield, the cargo door for the airship opened, revealing the bomb that had been carried inside. It had a somewhat cylindrical shape with larger, more flat cylinders on the sides and thinner cylinders extended from those, being a lighter grey color. It had glowing red highlights across the bomb, which likely came from the Dust stored inside of it.
Winter stepped aboard the cruiser, receiving a Scroll tablet from a nearby soldier, who disembarked from the vessel. After quickly looking over the details, she then turned to the ranks of troops behind her. Marrow was at the front of the crowd.
"This is it, everyone," she said, holding her hands together behind her back, "We're gonna clear a path to that monster," she declared, "We get the payload aboard, set the timer, and then we're out," she listed off in instruction. The soldiers all saluted her before dispersing. The canine Faunus ran aboard the aircraft as the special operative checked the explosive.
"They might still be alive in there!" he pointed out emphatically, gesturing toward the Monstra in the distance.
"I gave them their window," Winter retorted in response, "We can't wait any longer," she affirmed on.
"Would you say the same thing if it was your sister inside?" Marrow asked back, causing her expression to become pained, "Are you gonna tell her what you did to her friends?!" he questioned on, starting to grow angry. The special operative was hurt by his words. And she knew deep down, he was right.
"Yes, Marrow," she answered finally, not quite as composed as she was before, turning to face him, "because that's my duty," she pointed out as she approached him, "Now you do yours," she insisted of him, placing a sympathetic hand onto his shoulder. He was morose, sighing sadly before he slowly turned and left the aircraft. Winter looked on somberly. She didn't want to do this. But time was running short. Action had to be taken. Otherwise, the whole world was doomed…
X
Gaara could see the outskirts of the Monstra as he and the others were heading toward one of the open-air landing bays, being led by Emerald. Needless to say, getting out seemed to be a lot easier than getting in, likely thanks to the green-haired girl's guidance. But there was a foreboding feeling that this was all too easy.
"We're almost out!" Oscar confirmed as they hurried along. Emerald had turned onto a pathway leading to one of the bays. But before the group could follow, a terrific rumble was felt through the surface they were upon, forcing them to stop.
"What is that?" Jaune asked with widened, horrified eyes. Though his fear paled in comparison to the green-haired girl's, whose eyes shook. She knew what was coming.
"It's her…" she realized. All of a sudden, a massive screech erupted, sending the entire group into covering their ears. Wendy felt her nose twitch as she batted an eye open toward the wall beside the group. Then, her eyes widened.
Before she could say anything, she and the rest of the group aside from Emerald were knocked off their feet by a blast of purple magic. They looked to see Salem there, standing at a freshly carved hole in the wall of flesh. Seeing her as an illusion and as an apparition was nothing compared to in person. Her eyes swept over Oscar, who crawled back a little in fright. She then turned her attention onto Emerald.
Realizing that she was the one being targeted, the green-haired girl tried to turn and run away. However, the Master of Grimm lunged out and stretched her arms toward her, grabbing her by her shoulders. She pulled her back in an instant as she gasped.
"You really have been honing that Semblance of yours…" she whispered into her right ear as she breathed in panic. Ren quickly pulled out his StormFlower and fired onto Salem. Unfortunately, his shots whisked by the back of her head. She then turned and retaliated with a blast of magic shot from her left hand.
Jaune stepped forward immediately with his shield drawn to block the beam. But he was blown off of his feet, crashing into Ren and then against the wall behind them, with the blonde-haired huntsman's Aura breaking. Kevin growled, pulling out vials of Electric Dust and absorbing them into his arms, making them crackle in yellow electricity. He charged forward alongside Sabo and Yang, while Gaara stayed back to prep as many sand shuriken as he could, and Wendy went over with Oscar to check on Jaune and Ren.
The hybrid Osmosian was the first to attack, firing out bursts of electricity by thrusting his fists forward. Salem easily evaded his attacks by moving her head aside, firing off another blast of magic from her left hand. However, Sabo retaliated with a blast of fire from his left fist, engulfing the beam in a powerful explosion, veiling the area in smoke.
Salem narrowed her eyes, wondering what was going to happen next. All of a sudden, a red-eyed Yang dove down at her, jabbing at her chest repeatedly to plant sticky grenades onto her. She quickly shot herself away from the Master of Grimm, thrusting her arms back to trigger the explosives.
Salem's upper body bent backwards from the force of the blast with her chest ripped open. Kevin and Sabo looked to each other in relief for a moment, but then noticed something. The Master of Grimm's free hand twisted back up and spat out a black gooey substance in Yang's direction. She quickly blocked it with her gauntlets, but then realized that she was stuck.
"Yang!" the hybrid Osmosian cried out, seeing her start to get pulled in by Salem. Her body and clothing were regenerating rather quickly as she reined her foe in, giving off an unamused look as a black mist wafted off of the hand that spat out the adhesive substance. Sabo zipped out in front of her, rearing his right fist back as he engulfed it in flames.
"FIRE FIST!" he bellowed, slamming it into her torso to unleash a massive blast of fire onto her body. But he looked up in surprise to find that she was barely fazed. In fact, she head-butted him, sending him tumbling away. She finally brought the blonde-haired huntress in, closing her hand onto her prosthetic.
"Pathetic…" she muttered out.
"Yang!" Gaara yelled, firing off the sand shuriken he had formed. A few nicked the Master of Grimm, with one piercing into her right eye as she yelped. She growled angrily, throwing the blonde-haired huntress out into their path. Fortunately, Kevin was quick to catch and shield her from the incoming sand shuriken, gritting his teeth.
The Kazekage then attempted to ensnare Salem with ropes of sand, while also trying to pry Emerald free from her grasp. But at that moment, she made her eyes glow red in concentration. All of a sudden, the shuriken and ropes of sand faded away into mist, including those that were pierced into her as her wounds regenerated. Her foes widened their eyes in shock. But they then looked over to the frightened green-haired girl still in their enemy's grasp. They couldn't just let her be taken.
Sabo stood back up, adjusting his top hat back before igniting his fists with flames. Indignantly, Salem glanced at him and her other foes. She exhaled a sigh, having a red sigil suddenly appear on the wall beside her.
"If you want something done right…" she began, throwing Emerald onto the wall as she yelped, "you do it yourself," she remarked as several Shadow Hands spawned to bind the green-haired girl.
"Emerald!" Gaara exclaimed. With that, he made as much sand as he could spawn from his gourd, having swirl toward the Master of Grimm. Electricity crackled around her hands before a fierce blast of lightning rained out, knocking everyone around her off of their feet. Sabo rocketed off the surface with the lower half of his body turned into fire. He formed his right hand into a claw shape, igniting it with flames.
"Burning Dragon Claw Fist…" he started to bellow, thrusting his arm forward, "FLAME DRAGON KING!" he roared as he unleashed a blast of fire in the shape of a dragon's head down toward his foe. She looked unimpressed, merely raising her left arm to release a torrent of wind that not only blew out the fire, but also engulf the Flame-Flame user.
"Sabo!" Kevin yelled. Electricity crackled in the torrent before the Revolutionary Army Chief found himself zapped, screaming in agony before he fell to the ground in a heap. Salem huffed, followed by having a wall of black liquid rise to block off the shots sent her way by Yang, who charged at her alongside the hybrid Osmosian and her boyfriend.
The former of the three roared as she blasted herself over the wall of black goo, hoping to try and hinder the Master of Grimm again like before. But all of a sudden, she was caught by her left arm, which had stretched up to grab her and slam her down. Gaara attempted to reclaim his girlfriend with ropes of sand he sent out, but they were reduced to mere mist like before as Salem held her right hand out at them. She huffed indignantly, only to shriek in shock as she found a blade piercing right through her stomach from behind. It was courtesy of Kevin, who she glared back at.
"What did you do with Ben?!" he asked angrily in a snarl. She didn't answer, instead making her right hand glow a burning red as she brought it down onto the hybrid Osmosian's arm, slicing it off. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed out of pain, falling over.
"KEVIN!" Gaara cried out. Fortunately, the hybrid Osmosian was able to regenerate his arm. But as he did, Salem blew him back in a burst of wind, slamming him against the wall. He fell to the surface next a frightened Emerald, slipping in and out of consciousness. Yang tried to pry herself free from the Master of Grimm's grasp, but she held her firmly.
The Kazekage roared, cloaking his right fist in sand as he attempted to punch their enemy, only for her to block it with just her left hand. He breathed angrily, glaring up at her. She gave off a small smirk.
"It's too bad that you're no longer a jinchuriki…" she remarked to his surprise as her stomach wound was completely healed, "Perhaps that would've made this whole ordeal just a little more entertaining…" she noted, making him snarl.
"Let them go!" Oscar suddenly yelled. Salem looked up to the former farmhand, who unleashed a green magical beam that struck her squarely in the chest as she yelped. Wendy hurried over alongside it, cloaking her arms in swirling wind.
"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" she exclaimed, swiping fiercely with powerful torrents, blowing the Master of Grimm back while also freeing her friends from her grasp. She slid to a stop, with joints in her body eerily contorting into place. Her glare remained fierce as she prepared her own magical beam, aiming it at Oscar.
Gasping, Yang jumped out in front of him, taking the beam as best she could while having her arms crossed. She slid back as her yellow Aura flickered. And then, her eyes went back to lilac as the energy field around her shattered like breaking glass, fading away as she dropped to her hands and knees.
"Yang!" Gaara cried out, about to go over and help her. However, Salem suddenly made her eyes glow a bright red, unleashing a shockwave that knocked everyone back. What followed was several sigils appearing on the ground beneath each of her foes, spawning more Shadow Hands that immobilized everyone, pulling them against the surface. She then turned her attention onto Emerald, making a roiling ball of magic appear in her left hand as she approached.
"What did you do with the Lamp?" she asked with somewhat of a glare. Oscar grimaced from afar, but then heard the deep, concentrated breaths that Wendy was taking while still pinned down.
"N…Nothing…!" Emerald stammered out in response to the Master of Grimm's interrogation, trying to stay resolute, even as she was bound.
"It's missing…" Salem pointed out, moving the ball of magic toward his captive's face, "Where is it?" she questioned on, starting to lose her temper. The green-haired girl shut her eyes and turned away.
"I didn't do anything with it!" she claimed in response.
"Where… is it?!" the Master of Grimm snarled again in question as she turned to look toward Oscar and the others. The arms that were binding him then forced his body into an upright position, keeping his hands tied behind his back. Salem exhaled a sigh. "Look… how you've diminished…" she noted to the reincarnated soul of her former love, slowly approaching him, "How you've lessened yourself, and for what?" she inquired of him mockingly, "These children? This ruined world?" she questioned on, gesturing towards his bound colleagues. Wendy continued taking deep breaths. The Master of Grimm came face-to-face with the former farmhand. And then she was suddenly overcome by rage, grabbing his head from both sides and holding her thumbnails threateningly close to his eyes, which shook with fear as he grunted. "Why… do… you… keep… coming… back?!" she asked angrily of him.
"Why do you?!" Yang questioned back. Salem's gaze shifted onto the blonde-haired huntress, who was still pinned to the ground. "All of this endless death…" she began, ignoring the Shadow Hands tightening around her, "because something bad happened to you once upon a time?!" she shouted to the Master of Grimm, "Nobody gets a fairy-tale ending!" she pointed out as her foe removed her grasp on Oscar's head, turning her attention onto Yang as she approached her, "Everything… we've lost…" she grunted out, "every person we've lost…" she continued angrily, "is because of you!" she declared as the Master of Grimm stood in front of her.
"And who is it I've taken from you, girl?" she inquired scornfully. The blonde-haired huntress glared angrily at her captor.
"Summer Rose… My mom!" she responded fiercely. That name brought out a chuckle from Salem, who bent forward to look at Yang with a bemused expression.
"Her again…" she said. Wendy took a sharp inhale. All of a sudden, she released a torrent of wind from her mouth, strong enough to rip off the Shadow Hands binding her as she launched herself up onto the ceiling. Salem took notice along with the others. Oscar's eyes shook with fright.
"Wendy…!" he gasped out. Meanwhile, the Master of Grimm took notice of the Sky Dragon Slayer's expression as she was ready to leap down. Her eyes were fierce with burning anger.
"Well now…" Salem uttered curiously. Wendy's hair and eyes turned a shining pink as white scales shot out from her hands, feet, shoulders, and back. She rocketed down in a burst of wind, cloaking her right arm in a torrent of air before slashing her foe at her chest instantaneously, sending her sliding back. She actually seemed surprised after coming to a stop, seeing her slash wound regenerate.
"Wendy, don't!" Yang screamed out, only for another Shadow Hand to shoot up from the sigil under her, muffling her mouth. The Sky Dragon Slayer glanced back at her.
"It'll be okay, Yang," she assured, taking a lunging stance again. Her foe had lightning crackle around her hands before firing off bolts at her target. She shot forward, evading the lightning with bursts of wind shooting off from her feet to propel herself around. She then leapt off from the wall land to land a fierce roundhouse kick with her left leg to the Master of Grimm's head, followed by punching her squarely in the stomach to knock her back.
Everyone pinned down watched in amazement as Wendy ran up and started jabbing away at Salem, all while the wind swirled around her body. It channeled around her right arm as she reared it back, clenching her fist tightly. She let out a fierce roar, striking her foe and sending her sliding back far along the surface. There was a significant glow in her stomach, which quickly regenerated as she stood back up.
And her expression of genuine surprise said it all. The Sky Dragon Slayer continued taking deep, concentrated breaths, keeping her fists clenched. The Master of Grimm stared at her… and then, she started to smile.
"Ha…" she laughed out, "Ahahahaha…" she continued laughing, much to everyone's surprise and bewilderment, "AHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she cackled out loudly.
"Oh… that doesn't sound good…" Kevin quietly remarked with a grunt.
"Ha…" Salem exhaled, calming down, "I expected such… ferocity from many of your friends…" she admitted, "But you?" she said, chuckling still as the Sky Dragon Slayer glared on at her, "The little Dragon Slayer's finally shown her teeth…" she noted, "I think I'll have to get a little more serious…" she decided as her eyes glowed an ominous red. Wendy shot forward again, hoping to land a more critical assault onto her. All of a sudden though, several sigils appeared between her and the Master of Grimm, spread along the floor and the wall. Shadow Hands shot out at her. She tried to blow and slash them away, but they were latching onto her from all angles, preventing her from moving.
"Wendy!" Oscar screamed, seeing her struggle to free herself as the Grimm arms held her tightly. Salem huffed in amusement, walking up to her. Most of the Shadow Hands retracted as she approached, with those that remained having a firm grip on the Sky Dragon Slayer. She took a sharp, deep breath, but her mouth was muffled as another Grimm arm came over it.
"You've taken a liking to this little one, haven't you, Ozma?" the Master of Grimm assumed as she walked around the entrapped Wendy, looking over at the former farmhand. His eyes were now filled with anger.
"Let her go!" he demanded.
"Huh…" Salem sighed out, "It's all meaningless, you know…" she noted with a shake of her head as she continued to trot around Wendy like a shark circling its prey, "The people you grow to know and love all fade away, while you live on and reincarnate," she pointed out, "You'll never be able to experience that feeling truly with mortals…" she muttered.
"Mmmm!" Wendy muffled out, getting her attention as she saw her glaring at her angrily still in spite of being bound.
"Still roaring, hm?" she guessed. A ball of magic roiled in her right hand. Everyone widened their eyes as they saw her press it against the Sky Dragon Slayer's stomach.
"MMMMMMMMMMMM!" she shrieked in pain, muffled by the Grimm arm as her eyes jolted open.
"WENDY!" Jaune screamed.
"STOP IT! STOP IT!" Oscar repeated pleadingly, but to no avail as Salem continued to press the ball of magic against the Sky Dragon Slayer's stomach, "I'LL GIVE YOU THE PASSWORD!" he yelled out. Hearing that, the Master of Grimm made the ball of magic vanish instantaneously. As remnants of the energy flickered off of the black burn mark on Wendy, she lost consciousness, losing her scales as her hair and eyes turned back to normal. Salem then had the Shadow Hands gently pull her aside.
"I should've known I needed to play with your emotions first," she concluded with a sigh, "Sadly, Ben wasn't one I was willing to physically torment…" she admitted, turning and walking over to the bound former farmhand, who was looking at the unconscious Sky Dragon Slayer.
"Oscar… don't…!" Gaara gasped out, only for the Grimm hands binding him to tighten their grip.
"It's become… apparent to me that no matter what the reality of this world is…" Salem began as she held her hands together in front of herself, "you still believe in these people," she noted, "thinking they make a difference, regardless of where they're from or how they came to be who they are now," she mentioned on, "But when all is said and done, their help… means nothing…" she told Oscar, glaring at him as she bent over to look him in the eyes. But he wasn't looking at her. His focus was still on Wendy.
"Your Grace…" another voice chimed in, belonging to Hazel as he arrived on the scene with Ben held in his right hand by the collar of his shirt. Kevin gasped.
"Ben!" he exclaimed, only for Shadow Hands to suddenly pop out from the sigil beneath him and cover his mouth. The Omni Force leader weakly looked up.
"Guys…" he uttered out.
"Ah, Hazel," Salem greeted, turning to him, "I found our guests," she noted, gesturing to the subdued group around the area, "Did he try to escape again?" she assumed, looking over at the weakened Ben.
"He tried," the burly man responded, "But it's like you said," he pointed out, "Without those watches of his, he's just a useless sack of meat," he noted. The Omni Force leader groaned a little.
"Huh…" Salem sighed, "I think it's about time for his torment…" she decided, having another sigil pop up on the wall. Hazel placed the Biomnitrix bearer up against it, letting the Shadow Hands shoot out and ensnare him. "I'll be with you after I deal with this traitor…" the Master of Grimm assured, glancing over to Emerald, conjuring another ball of magic in her right hand, "She was helping our guests…" she noted in remembrance. The green-haired girl looked over to Hazel, pleading for help with her eyes. But his expression was indecipherable. Just then, the Shadows Hands holding Oscar retracted as the sigil disappeared, unceremoniously dropping him to the ground. "Take the boy back to his chamber," Salem requested of the scarred man, caressing a now tearful Emerald's cheek with the back of her hand, while the churning magic was just inches from her face, "I have work to do with this one…" she declared ominously.
"Yes… of course," Hazel responded, walking past her to get to Oscar. The green-haired girl's wide, panicked eyes tracked him.
"You know…" Ben chimed in, getting Salem's attention as she looked over at him, "this little game of keep away isn't gonna last forever…" he pointed out, "Sooner or later, my friends are gonna find a way to get into this universe," he affirmed confidently, "And when they do, you're screwed," he proclaimed. Salem let her orb of magic dissipate as she sighed.
"That optimism of yours is horribly misplaced…" she muttered, approaching him as she left Emerald behind, "This world… this… reality…" she listed off, "It's all mine," she stated firmly, "And there's nothing you can do about it, especially now," she added, "You're useless," she said, "You and your friends have used up all your tricks…" she noted on with a shake of her head. Ben appeared to lower his head with shame for a moment. But then… he smirked.
'Have we?' he inquired telepathically as he raised his head. Salem blinked, widening her eyes.
"What?!" she exclaimed. All of a sudden, a bright green flash of light enveloped the Omni Force leader, blinding her as she stumbled back a step. When it subsided, she looked out and gasped. Pinned to the wall was now a creature composed entirely of sand, being about six feet in size. Black parts with green lines similar to solar panels were upon his shoulders, arms, and chest. There was also on his head that acted as his face. The Biomnitrix symbol rested at the panel upon his chest. He merely stepped forward, phasing through the Shadow Hands with his granular body. He then thrusted his right arm out, slamming into Salem with a wave of sand. Not only that, but the sand itself spread over to the entrapped group.
Gaara managed to stick his hand out, manipulating the sand into the forms of small sharp blades, which he used to slash the Grimm arms around him and his friends, freeing them from their grasp. They all exhaled in relief, trying to regain their composure. However, Sabo noticed that Wendy was still far from the rest of the group.
Another flash of green light enveloped Sandbox as he transformed into XLR8, zipping over to grab the Sky Dragon Slayer before speeding back to hand her over to Kevin, who had stood up first from the floor. He was very bewildered.
"Ben… how—?!"
"Questions later, Kev," the Kineceleran interjected, "You guys need to get outta here," he advised seriously, "We'll take care of Salem," he assured, speeding off.
"Wait, we?!" the hybrid Osmosian repeated, wondering who he was referring to. Meanwhile, the Master of Grimm got back up, only to be ambushed by XLR8's rapid flurry of kicks to her head and chest, making her slide back.
"You…" she snarled out, "You were faking it all along…?!" she inquired angrily as red electricity crackled around her.
"Not at first…" the Kineceleran responded as his visor came up to reveal the fierce expression upon his face, "And honestly, I got sick of waiting… letting Oscar get tortured up to this point…" he growled, taking a ready stance, "So I'm gonna make this worth it…" he declared. Salem fired off blasts of lightning from her hands at him, but he sped out of the way, closing in on her. She contorted her body to evade his attempted swipe, followed by crossing her arms as what appeared to magic circles formed upon her hands.
As XLR8 veered around to zip toward her again, she unleashed a massive beam of multicolored magical energy. Reacting quickly, the Kineceleran enveloped himself in a flash of green light. When it subsided, it revealed that he had turned into Feedback. He stuck his plug-shaped fingertips out, absorbing the energy as he clenched his teeth together, evidently strained. However, he managed to absorb it all, letting out quick breaths to calm himself.
"…My turn…" he said, thrusting his hands forward to unleash blue electrical beams that struck his foe in a powerful blast. Hazel glanced back at the battle momentarily before finally approaching Oscar, who was lying on his hands and knees. He suddenly saw the scarred man, getting grabbed by the collar of his outfit as he lifted him up to his eye level.
"Stop!" Jaune yelled, having his sword and shield drawn as he, Ren, Yang, Sabo, Gaara and Kevin surrounded their foe. He glanced back and forth at them before regarding Oscar. A grimace crossed his face for a moment. He pulled the former farmhand close.
"No more Gretchens, boy…" he whispered into his left ear, surprising him slightly. He then dropped Oscar onto his knees, turning back and heading toward where Feedback and Salem were still battling, much to everyone else's bewilderment. The Conductoid was flying about the area, unleashing blue electricity from his plug-like fingertips to propel himself away as the Master of Grimm followed, having a swirling cyclone at her feet to propel herself. Her eyes shined red with anger.
Shadow Hands popped out from sigils that appeared on the wall, the floor, and the ceiling, extending out to try and grab Feedback. He tried to weave his way around them, but found his antenna suddenly latched onto by a few, pulling him down onto the wall in a pained grunt. He grimaced, seeing Salem fly toward him with two orbs of magic prepared upon her hands, about to slam them into him.
Another flash of green light enveloped his body, transforming into Big Chill. He turned intangible and phased through the wall and Shadow Hands just before the Master of Grimm could reach him, striking in a fierce explosion. She gnashed her teeth together angrily, realizing he had gotten away.
"You're right about me, Salem…" the Necrofriggian's voice echoed out, getting her attention as she lowered herself down onto the surface, "I am too selfless…" he admitted as she looked around for a sign of his location, "But I'd rather be selfless than let you kill all my friends!" he declared, suddenly emerging from the ground and unleashing a freezing cold air onto the Master of Grimm, encasing her body in ice. However, before she was fully frozen, her eyes shined red. The ice around her suddenly shattered, with its shards floating around her, encased in a reddish aura. They then morphed into balls of crackling red electricity, which Salem thrusted her hands out at to have them zip towards Big Chill.
He gasped, winding up struck as he screamed in pain from being zapped. From afar, Hazel watched on as he stood beside the entrapped Emerald, who was still tearing up out of fright. He looked over to her and approached.
"Hazel…" she uttered out, whimpering a little.
"…It's going to be okay," he assured to her surprise. He then went ahead and ripped the Shadow Hands pinning her to the wall, allowing her to fall down onto the surface upon her feet. She looked back at him in bewilderment.
"What are you going to do…?" she asked worriedly.
"What I have to," Hazel answered, turning and walking towards the downed Necrofriggian and Salem. The former vanished from sight, avoiding a magical beam shot his way from his foe. Her eyes burned red with rage.
"You endured so much already in your world, only to wind up coming here and endure more…" she pointed out, "Haven't you suffered enough?!" she inquired aloud.
"Apparently you haven't!" a voice retorted, though it didn't sound like Big Chill's. Salem turned to find herself ambushed by the rock-hard right fist of Rocks, making her stumble back. She attempted to counterattack, only to find that the Basalt was gone. It turned out that he had transformed into Chamalien, sneaking up behind her while camouflaged as he drew a black barb from his tail.
The Master of Grimm took a deep breath to calm herself, becoming more aware of her surroundings. She suddenly reached her right hand back, taking hold of something. She opened her eyes and looked to see the Merlinisapien's neck in her grasp, no longer camouflaged as he tried to wriggle himself free. Before he could, Salem slammed him hard against the ground, making him groan in pain.
"I suppose this time I should make sure your little tricks won't happen again…" she decided, reaching down toward the Biomnitrix dial at her foe's belt as an orb of magic formed in her hand again. But then, she suddenly heard him chuckle.
"My watches came back online a couple hours after you caught me…" he pointed out to her, "I could've hightailed it outta here anytime I wanted to," he mentioned with a grin, "But I didn't," he said to the Master of Grimm, who narrowed her eyes onto him, "Your goal's always been to try and divide us, right?" he assumed as he sat up, "Well, Oscar, Oz and I kinda did the same thing with your little friends," he noted. Salem huffed.
"I don't see how recruiting Emerald into your ranks helps you in the slightest…" she coldly remarked.
"Not just her," Chamalien retorted to her surprise.
FLASHBACK
"Okay…" Ben uttered, putting his hand onto his chin as he and Hazel were walking down one of the corridors, "so how do we kill Salem, at least for as long you said she'd stay dead?" he asked of the scarred man.
"Her regeneration's sped up over the years, to the point where the only way she could wind up gone for long is if her whole body's taken out all at once," he explained in response. The Omni Force leader blinked twice.
"That… kinda complicates things…" he admitted, "But I think I got a couple guys in my arsenal who can do just that…" he affirmed, looking at his left Biomnitrix gauntlet.
"Whatever you have won't be enough," Hazel retorted to his surprise.
"Why?" he asked, only to blink in realization, "It's because of that stone she has, isn't it?" he guessed, earning a nod in confirmation from his new ally.
"She's used it more frequently to alter certain Grimm like the one we're standing in," he told him, "I'm sure she uses it in battle, too," he added.
"Huh…" Ben sighed, "Then I guess the best plan is to find a way to get that stone outta her…" he started to suggest.
"And then go in for the kill…" Hazel finished.
"You sure you're up for that?" the Omni Force leader inquired of his new ally.
"What do you mean?" he asked back in confusion.
"I know you've done it before, but…" Ben began to reply, glancing off to the side worriedly, "this time she's fighting back," he pointed out, "So this kinda feels like a suicide mission…" he confessed.
"…It does…" Hazel agreed, "But I'll do it anyway," he decided firmly as he clenched his fists, "You will, too," he noted before walking on down the corridor. The Omni Force leader let out a silent chuckle, following him. He may have had his grievances, but he only wanted to do right by his long-lost sister. And he could respect that selflessness, even if it was looking to be destructive…
END FLASHBACK
"No—!" Salem's gasp was interrupted as she whipped around to find herself punched back over Chamalien by none other than Hazel, sending her flying. She soared toward a nearby landing bay, cushioning her fall with a swirling cyclone at her feet. The Merlinisapien chuckled.
"Thanks…" he said in gratitude, reaching his right hand out for his new ally to take, pulling him up from the ground.
"You're sloppier than I thought you'd be…" he remarked rather bluntly.
"Eh, I try to make the most of times like these…" Chamalien admitted, enveloping himself in yet another emerald flash as his comrade flinched, turning away. He looked back to see that he had turned into Diamondhead, who brandished his arms as they shaped into sharp blades.
"Hazel!" Emerald cried out, getting the scarred man's attention as he glanced back at her. He then grabbed his vest and threw it off, revealing the many scars he already had. The Petrosapien was quite surprised by the sight of them. He then grabbed a large, light-blue Dust crystal from one of the pouches on his belt.
"Go! Now!" he yelled out to the green-haired girl and the others still in the corridor with them. He jabbed crystal after crystal of various Dust types into his shoulders, with each sending tracks of glowing energy out under his skin. He let out a pained grunt afterward as his eyes glowed yellow. Diamondhead looked at him worriedly.
"Hazel…" Emerald uttered, enticing the scarred man to look back at her. Her eyes were glimmering as she gave him a subtle shake of her head, not wanting him to try and fight such a seemingly hopeless battle. But he gave her a determined and reassuring smile, denying her wordless plea.
"Go," he insisted, turning back to face Salem alongside the Petrosapien. She lifted herself higher into the air thanks to the cyclone at her feet. And she looked very enraged at her follower's betrayal.
"So you've decided against vengeance for your sister, after all this time?!" she assumed angrily. Hazel set his fists ablaze, settling into a boxer's stance.
"I'm doing what Gretchen would've done!" he roared back in declaration. The Master of Grimm gathered her magic, sending out beams of it in short bursts to her enemies. Diamondhead was quick to cross his arms over his head to reflect the beams, while his colleague dashed along the corridor. The Lightning Dust infused with his body augmented his speed, allowing him to weave and dodge between the incoming beams.
He then thrusted his left fist out, unleashing a trio of fireballs towards her. She easily weaved around them while still aboard the cyclone, but suddenly was ambushed by several crystal shards shot her way, some of which pierced into her body, including her left eye as she screamed. She gnashed her teeth together, glaring down at the Petrosapien.
He reached behind his back and took hold of the shard there, pulling it off as it was in the shape of a boomerang. He flung it out toward her as she made the crystals pierced into her body disappear into a reddish mist. As she did, she caught the incoming shard with her left hand, cloaking it in a reddish light before shattering it apart like a piece of glass.
She followed up by sending a spread of magical beams towards Hazel, who had gotten closer as a result of the Petrosapien's distraction. He quickly enveloped himself in another green flash, transforming into Chromastone. Flying over, the Crystalsapien took the beams head on, making a multicolored light surge through his body. That allowed for his colleague to rush forward and pull out a shard of Wind Dust. He slammed it onto the surface at his feet, resulting in a burst of air that launched him toward Salem.
He then combined the Dust crystals he had between his palms as he neared her, creating an oversized ball of rock, fire, and lightning with spikes over his head. The Master of Grimm scoffed before he slammed it into her. She was knocked onto one of the landing bays in an instant as the rock shattered against her. Hazel brought his hands together over his head, bashing her stomach upon landing with a fiery shockwave to result. He slammed his fists into her face and head, covering the ground in her dark, glistening blood.
Chromastone could see that her face was essentially gone. She didn't have an Aura… nor did she seem to have a skeleton beneath that immortal body of hers. And she didn't seem to care. Even as she was being beaten to pieces, her right hand crooked upright to make a gesture, with her red sigil appearing on the ground.
"Hazel, watch out!" the Crystalsapien yelled as he flew over. But it was too late as Shadow Hands suddenly lunged out from the sigil to immobilize the scarred man's limbs, lifting him into the air. Chromastone had an ultraviolet energy build up around his hands before firing off beams toward Salem, but she held her left hand up and blocked it with a red energy barricade that she suddenly conjured. Emerald could only watch, dismayed by the fact that Hazel was willing to throw his life away to protect her and the others. She then noticed Yang, Jaune, Ren, Gaara, Kevin and Sabo making an escape behind her, with the hybrid Osmosian carrying the unconscious Wendy in his arms. With one last frightened glance toward the battle, the green-haired girl turned and took off after the others.
"Come on everyone, out!" Jaune yelled, waving for everyone to go as Emerald raced past him, heading outside with the others. However, one person in the group was missing. "Wait!" the blonde-haired huntsman exclaimed, looking over to see that the former farmhand was still in the corridor, holding The Long Memory tightly in his right hand, "Oscar?!" he called out, confused as to why he wasn't joining him and the others in their escape.
"She'll just come after us," he noted as he solemnly turned to his friend, "And besides…" he continued, "I'm not going to let her hurt anyone else…" he declared. He turned back to face the battle, extending his cane. Meanwhile, Salem rose back up to her feet while still having Hazel held immobile with the Shadow Hands from her sigil.
Her head regenerated as she used her right hand to crack and pop her jaw into place. Another green flash of light caught her attention before she spotted the extending fist of Bloxx shooting at her. She merely held her left hand up to catch it, making it crumble into pieces. She glanced over at the Segmentasapien, who grimaced.
"Is this really all you have to offer, Benjamin?" she wondered as she prepared another orb of magic upon her left hand, seeing him regenerate his arm, "I expected more from someone who can transform on a mere whim…" she muttered out with narrowed eyes. However, instead of aiming her magic toward Bloxx, she directed it at Hazel. Luckily, he readied a crystal that was hidden in his right palm.
The Master of Grimm fired off the beam, but he blocked it with a Hard-Light shield that projected when the crystal was crushed in his hand. She then waved her arms, having the Shadow Hands holding him fling him away into the distant corridor wall as Oscar was approaching, watching on. Salem went over and grabbed the back of the scarred man's head before he could think to get up, slamming it repeatedly against the surface. Disappointment was evident on her face. The former farmhand was left stunned.
And then, there was another green flash. As Salem looked up, she was suddenly bombarded by sonic screech by Echo Echo and a few of his clones. They merged with his body as he stepped forward. His foe stood up.
"You've lost…" she proclaimed with a glare as her eyes burned red.
"No… we… haven't…" the Sonorosian slowly echoed out. Another emerald flash enveloped his body. Before Salem could react, she was suddenly clotheslined by Fasttrack, sending her tumbling back. She found herself bombarded by the Citrakayah over and over. She attempted to retaliate with a beam of magic, but in yet another green flash, her foe turned into Crashhopper, who leapt over the ray and latched his feet onto the ceiling.
He launched himself downward, forcing Salem to unleash several bursts of magical energy toward him. However, he transformed into Cannonbolt, who rolled up to not only shield himself from the blasts, but also use the added momentum from his weight to slam into his foe, crushing her against the surface. She groaned in agony, sitting up as her wounds quickly regenerated.
But she wasn't given a moment of relief as she suddenly found her neck ensnared by a vine whip, courtesy of Swampfire. He slammed his hand against the surface, making larger vines sprout up beneath Salem and entrap her. Red buds were upon the plants that the Methanosian had conjured. He snapped his fingers, causing them to explode in a fiery blast as the Master of Grimm screamed in agony.
She breathed heavily with building anger, lying on her hands and knees. As she whipped around in an attempt to fire off another magical beam, she was suddenly ambushed by a spray of yellowish-brown slime. It originated from a bulbous alien resembling a pufferfish with legs that were colored green on his outer side and pale green on his inner side. He had three spikes sticking out the top and bottom of his head, arms with four-fingered hands, short and stubby legs, and a long tail. His mouth covered mostly the front of him, which was filled with pointed white teeth, and his eyes were connected to the corners of his lips. He wore a pair of black pants that partly cover his stomach, with the Biomnitrix symbol upon it.
Slime dripped out from his mouth as he inflated his body, releasing a spray of the yellowish-brown slime again onto the Master of Grimm. She endured it, gnashing her teeth as she made several Shadow Hands pop out from sigils that appeared throughout the corridor between her and her foe. Spitter enveloped himself in another flash of green light, assuming the form of AmpFibian. He planted the four tentacles acting as his arms onto the slime at his feet, unleashing a wave of blue electricity. Salem gasped in realization too late, ending up zapped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked in agony. Hazel and Oscar watched on in amazement before the electricity finally subsided. The Amperi breathed heavily, becoming enveloped in a green flash of light before turning back into Ben, who dropped onto his left knee. He looked out at Salem, who grimaced as electricity crackled around her body. As she stood up, she heard Ben chuckling.
"For someone who's immortal, you sure can't take more than you can actually dish out," he remarked, "And that's the only thing keeping me from winning…" he added with a firm glare. Salem snarled, starting to gather her magic again. But then, she sensed something.
She turned around to see Oscar there. The gears in The Long Memory started to glow, with a sudden breeze ruffling his collar and hair. There was a brief standoff. And then, the Master of Grimm glided across the floor toward the former farmhand at an alarming speed.
"Oscar!" Ben screamed, seeing him flinch as he clenched his eyes shut. But then, a figure landed down in front of him, being none other than Enji.
"JET BURRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNN!" he roared, slamming his enflamed right fist into Salem's face and unleashing a fiery beam onto her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked in agony again, stumbling back as smoke wafted off of her head, which was slow to regenerate. Oscar opened his eyes, bewildered to see the Hellflame Quirk user. Ben was just as shocked.
"Who is that?" Hazel asked as he got onto his feet, approaching the Omni Force leader. The Flame Hero narrowed his eyes onto the immortal witch's regenerating face, almost as if he was looking for something.
"Not there, hm?" he assumed, taking on a ready stance as the fire building upon him intensified, "Boy, stay behind me!" he advised as he crossed his arms. Salem finally regenerated her face, blinking in surprise to find who was in front of her.
"You?!" she gasped out.
"PROMINENCE…" Enji started to bellow.
"Oh, shit!" Ben cursed, "Get behind me!" he called out to Hazel, enveloping himself in a flash of bright light. When it subsided, it revealed that he had turned into a creature wearing a heavy, dark green-teal oven-like containment suit, with three slits at the head. His suit also had a handle on the head and the shoulders had bolts. There were three more bolts on each hand, and two on the chest. The scarred man quickly took cover behind the Prypiatosian-B.
"BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" the Hellflame Quirk user roared, unleashing the full might of his flames into a concentrated beam of heat, practically incinerating most of Salem's body as she screamed yet again. Oscar braced himself from intense heat, while NRG shielded Hazel. The escaped group outside could see the beam from afar, widening their eyes.
Once the beam subsided, the flames went out around Enji's shoulders and face. He dropped to a knee, breathing heavily. Looking up, he noticed the glowing red stone that floated around the remnants of the immortal witch's body as it was starting to regenerate.
"Is that…?" Oscar started to ask, only for the Flame Hero to reach out and grab the stone, pulling it away into his grasp. He did so in the nick of time, as Salem fully reformed herself. She gasped upon seeing the stone in the Hellflame Quirk user's hand.
"GIVE THAT BACK!" she roared angrily, lunging at him. However, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by Hazel, who closed his arms around her waist and lifted her off of the surface. She made another sigil appear at his feet, causing Shadow Hands to wrap around his ankles and his throat, trying to pull him away from her.
"Hazel, wait!" NRG yelled as he hurried over. Salem was getting closer to freeing herself. But in one last act of defiance, Hazel parted his lips to reveal a Fire Dust crystal between his teeth. He crushed it, engulfing both him and Salem in flames. "HAZEL!" the Prypiatosian-B screamed. The Master of Grimm shrieked angrily with rage, desperately trying to wriggle herself free.
The scarred man managed to crane his head to NRG, making him stop. He balled his fists in frustration, passing by him to meet with Enji and Oscar. The former farmhand had green and yellow magical energy gathering upon his cane. The hands around Hazel's neck tightened. He painstakingly craned his neck to lock eyes with Oscar.
"Do it…" he uttered out. Hesitant at first, the former farmhand readied The Long Memory. Hazel gasped out as his eyes became unfocused, starting to lose consciousness.
NRG and Enji stepped back as Oscar depressed the lever on his weapon, causing its length to shimmer gold. A sphere of crackling green magic formed around him, and the immediate area was filled with a bright yellow light.
Burned at the stake like a witch… Quite a fitting death for Salem. Though perhaps she's had one like it before…
Regardless, it seems our heroes came away with a victory this time. But only time will tell if it will lead to good fortune… For now, the reality seems just a little brighter…
END
Woof. What a chapter to get through. Honestly, probably my favorite of Volume 8 notwithstanding some other factors. I liked the battles a lot, especially Hazel's for obvious reasons.
I took a lot of inspiration from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for this chapter, especially in regards to Salem. I wanted her to be every bit as frightening, if not more so than she was in canon. Either way, I'm really excited for what's ahead, especially with the second third of this story closing up next chapter. Hope you're all looking forward to it, too!
I'll see you later! Oh, and Happy Holidays!