Chapter 8: The Angel from Below & The Devil from Above
"In the midst of the Great War, the MS-05 Zaku I was developed by the efforts of a Mistral weapons manufacturer known as Zeonic Company. Such a development unknowingly changed warfare and technological development on Remnant forever, and resulted in the production of an army of manually piloted war machines called 'Mobile Suits' by Mantle and Mistral governments.
With the introduction of the Zaku I to the battlefield, the Mantle-Mistral Alliance began to tear through Vale territory, slowed only by advancements made by Vale to counter these new weapons over the course of the war. Of course, newer and more advanced offshoots of the Zaku I were developed such as the MS-06 Zaku II and, eventually, the MS-14 Gelgoog developed in the final year of the war, to name a few.
However, everything changed when a covert operation by a small task force of Vale and Vacuo special operatives managed to infiltrate a Mantle military research facility and steal the plans for a series of cutting edge and superior Mobile Suits. Following this operation was another to extract the head engineer and designer of the project, Tem Ray, and his family from Mantle territory. There was one design in particular that, completed nearly a year later, would forever turn the tide of the war and be infamously named the 'White Devil' by Mantle-Mistral MS pilots who served on the battlefield.
The single produced RX-78-2 Gundam exhibited a high combat performance rating, though oddly most of the combat data used to develop the following mass produced RGM-79 GM was provided by the efforts and career of a young pilot named Amuro Ray. Although he previously had no experience piloting any kind of Mobile Suit whatsoever, Lieutenant Ray quickly became an ace pilot over the course of the Great War while behind the controls of the Gundam."
-Excerpt from 'Super Robots, A History of Remnant's Stalwart Defenders'
The first thing Ruby noticed when she woke up was that she… woke up.
Well, not to say that waking up was unusual, it's just that this time it felt strange. It was as if it was not truly her who was waking up. Pushing herself up in her bed, she would notice that she wasn't in the dorms, judging by the lack of hazardous bunk bed rigging. She also felt… bigger.
"What…?" She would get out of the bed, wandering over to a wall mounted mirror. Judging by her height compared to everything else in the room, she had definitely grown taller. Not that she was complaining, there's a reason she drank so much milk. Stepping in front of the mirror and giving herself a quick glance once over, it took her a second to process exactly what, or rather, WHO she was looking at.
"MOM?!"
Crying out, she reached forward, but ended up yelping in surprise when her hand slammed right into the mirror, cracking it. Staggering back, she accidentally trips over herself and falls on her behind with a dull thud. Saved by carpeted floors.
Gazing at the mirror as it finally set in that it was her own reflection, she moved onto her knees as she took in every detail of the mother she could only just remember the details of. Everything seemed to match, but she just seemed… younger? Older than Ruby herself, but younger than what she remembered of her mother.
She was snapped out of her stupor by a knock at her door, and she quickly scrambled to her feet as she heard the subtle sound of a hand being placed on the knob.
"Are you awake, Genki?" A female voice that she vaguely recognized called through the door.
"I told you to call me Summer!" Ruby cried out involuntarily, as if something was controlling her.
"Ah yes, my apologies. Old habits die hard I suppose," was the voice's response, though it seemed somewhat… saddened. "Do you mind if I come in? A message arrived for you from Argus."
Feeling as if she were a puppet on strings, Ruby walked over to the door against her will. Grabbing the handle and opening it herself, she was met with the sight of a certain member of Saotome Labs that she never expected to see.
"Miss Michiru?" The young girl… well, mentally young girl questioned out loud. Though she asked a question, the woman in front of her didn't even acknowledge her words. Said woman also seemed noticeably younger than how Ruby remembered.
"Here's the message," Michiru said with a slight downturn of her lips. Instant sign of bad news.
Extending out her arm to hold up a couple of papers. Grabbing them, Ruby reads them. Well, she tries to. It all looked like it was written in Central Mistralian which, y'know, she can't speak much less read. Despite the language barrier, she felt a sense of frustration fill her heart, or is it her mom's?
"That kid! I taught Koji better than that!" She cried out, crushing the papers in her grip after she finished reading. "He knows to call for backup when he's outnumbered like that, even if he did win in the end!"
"Well, it looks like your pupil has gained a name for himself," Was Michiru's response, holding up her scroll to show a Mistralian news article titled 'Mazinger Z, the Unbreakable Knight!?' and another titled 'A God, or a Devil?' with an image depicting the collateral damage from Z's battle. "Looks like they are going to forget about you and Aura Robo, sis."
"Sis?"
Before Ruby could ask anything else, the entire world seemed to fall away and reveal an inky back void all around herself. Michiru faded away before her eyes, the papers crumbling into dust between the fingers of her noticeably smaller hands. Looks like she was in her own body again, which finally gave the girl a moment to think. Just what was all of that?
A dream?
…A memory?
Again, before she could question further, her thoughts were interrupted.
"Ruby," Called a voice from behind her.
Spinning with a yelp to face the speaker, she would freeze upon seeing who it was.
"Mom? What is all of this?!"
Standing before her was Summer Rose just as she remembered her, white cloak and all. There were a few moments of eerie silence, but it was broken by the rustling of cloth as the mother took a few steps forwards, gently reaching out and cupping Ruby's face.
"This isn't the destiny I wanted for you," was all she said before lowering her hand. Desperate for her mother's touch, Ruby tried to move forward to stop Summer as she began to take stakes backwards, but found herself unable to move an inch.
"Mom!" She cried out, finally managing to reach out a hand and began running after her. For some damned reason, she just couldn't catch up to her retreating form. "What do you mean!? Where are you going?! Please, don't leave me alone again!"
"Ruby… your path is set, and your future will be forged by your own hand, but you will be forging it to a grand blueprint. Just know that I will be watching every step of the way."
"Mom!"
"Believe in Getter."
With those final words, the distance between Ruby and Summer drastically increased as the older Rose approached a small group of people that Ruby could just barely make out. A wild looking man in some kind of martial arts uniform, a small girl that could've been Ruby's age, and a young man in some form of old pilot suit from the Great War.
The entire group, Summer included, began to fade away as they were replaced by a pair of massive, yellow eyes that lacked pupils and green markings in place of a nose or mouth.
"Aura Robo?!"
"Incorrect," came a voice that echoed through the infinite void around her. It was distinctly male, and gave an otherworldly feeling in Ruby's very core. "Getter Robo."
And suddenly, she was awake.
Greeted by the sound of a notification from her scroll, Ruby groggily opened her eyes as the sun filtered in through the opening in the window curtains and the gap in the blanket tarp around her bunk bed. Sleepily reaching underneath her pillow to fish her scroll out from its depths, she gave a small yawn as her brain tried to make sense of everything it just saw.
Was it a dream? That she was unsure of, it all felt too real. Unfortunately, she could already feel some details slipping out of her mind as she slowly began to wake up for the day. The waking up process was significantly boosted when she read the notification from her phone.
A news article that was titled, "Mazinger Z defeated! Largest Grimm attack in over a decade!"
"WHAT?!"
Argus, Mistral: Several Hours Ago
Scanning the horizon, a haze of black smog rose from the bubbling ocean around Koji as he searched for signs of any more oncoming enemies.
"Ichinana squadrons, pull back! I can handle anything from here!" He ordered, earning a prompt 'Yes sir!' from his comms. His next order was suddenly interrupted by a ping on his heads up display.
"Kabuto, there's one left that appeared out of nowhere!"
"Hm?" He grunts before turning Mazinger Z's body to face the newcomer, raising his fist in preparation for a Rocket Punch. "Oi! Haven't had enough yet?!"
Whatever had appeared was obscured by a large cloud of Grimm smoke, but what he could make out was strangely… human shaped.
"Hahahaha! We meet once again, Kabuto Koji!" A pair of voices, one male and one female, said in unison. A chill went down Koji's spine as the familiarity of those voices clicked in his mind. "This time, you shall be facing one of Doctor Merlot's most ambitious projects!"
The smoke cleared as the figure stepped through the smoke, revealing a massive, lanky, humanoid Grimm with a singular eye and no visible mouth. There was some kind of core in its chest, and its bone armor covered much of its body while still leaving its joints exposed for mobility.
"Baron Ashura! I thought for sure I ended you and your master!" Koji shouted out, feeling a pit form in his stomach. "Whatever! I'll just send you back to hell again! Rocket Punch!"
The massive metal fist shot forth, propelled by the thrusters in the forearm. Despite the speed and force behind the attack, the creature simply raised a hand, catching the Rocket Punch in its palm without budging an inch. Turning its gaze to the fist in its palm, the monstrosity proceeded to simply clench its hand, slowly crushing the metal appendage with the noise of screeching metal.
"W-What?!" Koji shouted out, taking a few steps back before squaring his jaw and preparing the next attack, "Fine! Have it your way! Photon Power Beam!"
Firing a golden beam of energy from its eyes, Mazinger Z took a couple of steps back to increase the distance from its enemy. It looked as though the attack would strike dead on, but the Evangelion ducked and dashed forwards, moving with an unnatural swiftness as it ran through the water as if it posed no resistance. Even when Koji readjusted his aim, he just couldn't seem to keep up with the creature's agility as it bobbed and weaved while making its fast advancement.
"Tch!" The pilot would suck his teeth before leaping up into the air, activating the Jet Scrander after powering off the Photon Power Beam. He had a new plan of attack, but it depended on the creature lacking the intelligence of an older Grimm. Waiting for a tense few moments, he had Mazinger Z hover just inside what he thought would be the jumping distance of the creature. The creature dashed forwards, turning its singular eye up towards the sky before it crouched down in preparation to jump. Koji's small gambit paid off.
With the creature leaping up into the air, Mazinger Z raised its arms above its head in a flexing pose despite missing a hand, and the red crest on the machine's chest began to glow brightly as Koji activated the next voice command.
"Breast Fire!"
Unleashing an inferno of pure heat and energy, Mazinger swallowed the monster in a storm of flames that aimed downwards back into the ocean. However, whatever feeling of victory Koji felt was quickly replaced with fear as he could see a shape moving through the attack towards his machine.
"What?!"
The Evangelion, unscathed, completed its jump and grabbed onto the front of Mazinger Z. A veil of shifting red flickered over its entire body as it endured the flames produced by the black machine's chest, before the creature suddenly managed to rip the wings off of the Jet Scrander through sheer strength alone. In fact, it would have had a disadvantage with the angle it tore the wings off from.
Realizing just what the field around the monster was, Koji could also feel them both plummet towards the ocean as he struggled in vain to make the creature let go. Turning its eye to where Z's cockpit is located, the creature's eye began to glow slightly. Not wanting to find out just what it had in store for him, Koji fired off a Photon Power Beam from Z's eyes right into the Evangelion's face, sending its gaze upwards and forcing it to let go right before they made impact.
Judging by how hard the impact was, they had made landfall.
Regardless, the Evangelion was upon him in an instant, Z barely rolling out of the way of a stomp that shattered the earth beneath it. They had crash landed right on the shoreline of Argus, but thankfully the Atlesian military had begun a temporary relocation of the city populace when the intel came in on just how massive the incoming Grimm invasion was.
With the knowledge that collateral damage would only be limited to property instead of people, Koji would manage to grab the monster's neck with Z's remaining hand and swing it around. Lifting it up, he forced Z to swing down as hard as it could, cratering the street beneath them and creating a shockwave that shattered windows in the surrounding blocks. Once again, the shifting red field flickered around the Grimm, which confirmed Koji's suspicions.
"It has an aura!"
"WHAT?!" He could hear Cordovin shriek from his headset, flinching from the assault on his ears. He could feel the creaking of metal through Mazinger's body as it struggled to keep the creature down, especially now with only a singular hand. Only one thing concerned him more than the fact that this Grimm had an aura, something that very well could end this fight in a devastating fashion.
If it has an aura, what are the chances that it also has a semblance? Better yet, Is there a human being somewhere, somehow, in the creature?
He had a feeling that the answer to his first question would be answered when he saw the eye of his opponent glow once again.
A roar echoed from the apparently hidden mouth of the Grimm, and a pair of elongated arms suddenly sprouted from its shoulder blades before its original pair grabbed Mazinger Z's head. One hand was grasping at the Pilder, cracking its glass dome as Koji grit his teeth as he could feel the balance shift in favor of the Evangelion. The new pair of arms pushed up off the ground against Mazinger's weight, lifting the pair entangled in combat and placing the machine on the backfoot.
"Missile Punch!" Koji shouted, Mazinger's stomach opening up to reveal a massive missile that launched and exploded against the Grimm at point blank, sending it stumbling backwards as it let go of Mazinger Z. Finally, Koji made a quick decision in an attempt to turn this fight back in his favor. He would activate his semblance.
"I've gotta make this count!" He told himself as a golden glow began to course through the entirety of Mazinger Z's body. Several symbols on his display flashed red as an influx of power overtook Z, shifting it into maximum overdrive at the cost of the stability of the machine's construction.
"MAZIN POWER!"
Charging forwards, Kojin made Z throw a punch that made the Evangelion's head snap back ferociously but left a dent in its fist. Grabbing the Grimm's head, he pulled it down as Z's knee came flying up to strike it in the chin. The extra pair of hands on the Grimm's back whipped forwards, grabbing the crest on Mazinger's chest and tearing it off, severely damaging the Breast Fire mechanism and pulling the machine off balance.
"Iron Cutter!"
A pair of blades extended out of the forearm of Mazinger's remaining hand as it chopped downwards at the creature's neck. Unfortunately, it could not penetrate the abomination's vast aura reserves and instead sent it sprawling into the street and abandoned vehicles beneath it. Rolling away to avoid the metal foot of its opponent, the Grimm touched a hand to the core in its chest before seemingly grabbing something and making a pulling motion.
With an explosion of black blood, a massive combat knife constructed from the typical bone-like armor of Grimm was in the creature's right hand. Momentarily surprised, Koji was caught off guard when the monster dashed forwards and buried the weapon down to the hilt into Mazinger's chest before brutally pulling it out in a fashion that caused dark fluids to spray from the wound as if Mazinger itself was bleeding. Throwing up his hands to hold his chest, Kabuto Koji gasped in pain as the machine he was piloting mirrored his own movements.
Another drawback of his semblance: any damage inflicted on Z would be felt by him as well.
The way the creature moved now, it was much more human and intelligent compared to when the fight first began. As Mazinger Z stumbled backwards, the creature seemed to inspect its dirtied blade for a moment with a cruel sense of satisfaction. Aiming Z's head, Koji prepared to fire a Photon Power Beam. He refused to give up, even if this fight will cost him his life.
He was interrupted, however, by the creature's extra arms grabbing Z by the shoulders before it dug its blade directly into the machine's eyes, embedding the weapon directly into the head of its opponent and cutting off the Pilder's connection to Mazinger Z. The glow of Koji's semblance evaporated into stardust as his hands flew up to his eyes, his cries of pain barely drowned out by the screeching metal just below him.
Pulling out the knife, the Evangelion raised its hand in preparation to stab directly into the cockpit of the Pilder in Mazinger Z's head. Time seemed to move in slow motion for Koji as he gazed up at his impending doom, Mazinger Z fell limp under his controls as he made to press the ejection button.
However, they would be interrupted by the sound of thunder.
"THUNDER BREAK!"
A bolt of pure lightning struck the artificial Grimm right in the core, sending it stumbling backwards as its entire body convulsed in pain. Turning his gaze upwards, Koji smiled as he recognized both the voice and the machine.
"You're late, Shiro! What took so long? Didya ask Tetsuya for permission this time?!" He called out to his younger brother. There atop a building stood Great Mazinger with its right hand pointing a finger at the Evangelion, a light chuckle echoing from it as Kabuto Shiro took a look at the demolished state Mazinger Z was in.
"Nah, I just decided to take my time today. What's wrong, bro? I thought you said you could take everything from here?" Teased the younger of the two brothers. Ejecting the Pilder, Koji flew up to Shiro's height as he scoffed.
"Thought I'd leave something for you this time instead of just demolishing everything every time I sortie in Z."
"Sure, or maybe you're getting rusty. I'm sure your wife and kid would be happy to see you retire soon," Shiro replied before leaping off the building and landing a small distance away from the still convulsing Grimm. Shiving the Grimm's back into a building with his left hand, Shiro extended the pointer and middle fingers of Great's right hand before planting the tips firmly on the Evangelion's core. "How about I show you a little trick for holding out this long?!"
"Atomic… One Inch Punch!" Putting its entire body into a single blow, the thrusters in the elbow of the striking arm flared to life as well. The resulting combination was Great Mazinger performing a one inch punch so powerful that it shattered both the Grimm's aura and the building it was planted into. Immediately following this action, Great Mazinger reached down its left leg and grabbed a handle that extended from the flared compartment in its thigh.
"Mazinger Blade!"
Pulling out a massive sword, Shiro had Great Mazinger two hand the giant the blade and hold it in a stance at hip level. Finally recovering, the Evangelion flipped the grip it had on its knife, fearlessly resolving to fight to the death instead of escaping. Lowering into a combat stance, it truly did seem as if the black and white monstrosity learned as it fought.
Taking a breath and slowly letting it out, Shiro resolved to finish this in a single blow. Tetsuya had trained him on Great's controls, and had even trained him in swordsmanship to prepare for the day that he would take over for the older pilot. He would not disappoint, not this far into his training.
However, the showdown would be interrupted by the sound of a drill screeching from underground.
A cloud of dust and earth exploded from the ground between them, creating a smoke screen that obscured Shiro's view of his opponent. Spotting only a shadow rising up from the earth into the sky, he forced Great Mazinger to leap back out of caution.
From the command center, Special Operative Caroline Cordovin slammed a fist on the armrest of her seat as she saw the arrival of a new enemy through the live feed of a nearby Ichinana unit. Ordering the pilot to visually track the newcomer, her eyes would widen in shock as she recognized the appearance of the new enemy. How could she ever forget it? After all, she was there in Atlas over thirty years ago when it had been invaded.
"Aura Robo?!"
"Partially correct, Special Operative!" The voice of Baron Ashura taunted from the communication systems. "It is unfortunate that I can't fully display Aura Robo G's full potential to the world today, but you shall get the opportunity to see it someday regardless!"
Separating from Aura Liger, the trio of machines quickly recombined into Aura Dragon before swooping down to the Evangelion with its arms extended.
"For now, simply be satisfied with the power we have displayed today and remember that this was merely a test!"
Leaping up, the Grimm grabbed onto the waiting arms of Aura Dragon as the pair began to make their escape. Sheathing his sword, Shiro grit his teeth before moving to pursue.
"Scramble Dash!"
A pair of wings extended out from Great Mazinger's back before he began to take flight in pursuit of his fleeing enemy. However, his attention was quickly captured by a beep from his communications.
"Pull back to base, Kabuto! We just detected another wave of Grimm on approach, and Great is our best hope with Z damaged the way it is!" Cordovin shouted, unhappy with the enemy escaping as well. In the end, however, her priorities lay in protecting the city of Argus and its people.
Feeling a vein throbbing in his forehead, Shiro took a deep breath and let it out before complying with Cordovin's order. She was in the right, but it didn't make it any less frustrating to see an enemy that he had in his grasp escape.
Beacon Academy, Vale: Present Time
Watching the video feed of the battle once again, Ozpin sighed as Hayato sat across from him. Both men had grim expressions, the implications of this new Grimm not lost on either of them, especially not with what they knew of Merlot's Evangelion Project.
"So the old bastard finally managed to recreate it. This pushes the schedule ahead, does it not?" Asked the aging scientist as he crossed his arms. Ozpin had poured him a cup of tea earlier, but it had been left untouched in favor of the current conversation topic.
"Unfortunately, that is correct," was the headmaster's tired reply. Steepling his fingers, he pondered a decision in his head, one that he would regret dearly if he made the wrong choice. What else was new? "... Begin properly training Miss Belladonna and Miss Xiao Long in their duties. I had wanted them to remain simple children for much longer, but it seems that fate has other plans."
"And what of the Schnee?"
What of the Schnee indeed. Doctor Jin had already dismissed her as a candidate for piloting, yet was intent on keeping her around. Having no desire to split up Team RWBY or any bonds they would have formed by now, he made a simple decision.
"Keep her informed just as much as her teammates. I am sure you will find a use for her."
Responding only with a smirk, Hayato would stand up from his seat and begin to make his way towards the elevator. He was interrupted by a ding and the doors opening to reveal Qrow Branwen, who planted him with a glare that spoke volumes on how much the huntsman despised him at the moment.
"You filthy rat. One niece wasn't enough, huh?!," Qrow spat, beginning to take a few steps towards the unfazed Hayato. However, he was interrupted by Ozpin clearing his throat to get the scythe wielding huntsman's attention.
"I called you here because I have a mission for you, not so you could settle a score," was Ozpin's firm yet calm statement. Continuing to glare at Hayato for a few moments, Qrow would scoff before turning his attention to the emerald wizard.
"What do you have for me?"
Leaning back into his chair, Ozpin looked Qrow in the eye before proceeding to open a file on his desktop, one which he sent directly to the huntsman's scroll. Reading the assignment, Qrow would grab his flask and take a long drink. He would need it.
"Really? Her, Oz?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow. He would meet with the target anyway, he trusted in Ozpin, but that didn't mean he couldn't ask questions. "She's crazy."
"But she has valuable info that needs to be received in person. You are the only one I trust for this mission."
Qrow narrowed his eyes at that. Ozpin never just said 'info', he always just said 'information' unless… this wasn't just an information exchange like he was letting on. Making eye contact with the headmaster, the slow nod he gave confirmed his suspicion. He couldn't say just what exactly this assignment was, not with Hayato in the room.
"Feh, fine," Qrow replied, screwing his flask shut. Turning to take the elevator, he saw Hayato already standing inside and decided against joining him lest he kill the man for recruiting BOTH of his nieces. Instead, Qrow opened a window and prepared to go bird mode.
"Looks like I have a meeting with the Red Comet."