Remnant's Mightiest Heroes!
Chapter 2: The Fugitives Part 2
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Pyrrha Nikos stirred awake.
Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find herself not buried under rubble and alive. Her brain is still groggy, but she could catch two voices.
"We've acquired the fugitives, Lord Kang. One of them suffered damage to her bones, but her aura is helping her recover."
"Good, I want them alive. Bring them aboard the Damocles."
"At once Lord Kang."
The last voice was one that she recognized. IT was the voice who ordered her friends to be hunted down. Kang the Conqueror.
Her head shot up, ignoring the pain that is coming to her. A few feet from her, Kang's androids are securing her friends in energy shackles. One-by-one, they were dragged into a purple portal, the giant android they've fought earlier followed. It had been reduced back to its normal size. As the rest of the androids followed, one of them saw her.
"What about her?"
"Leave her," It's commanding officer ordered. "It's these seven that Lord Kang wants. She is no threat."
As they turn and walked into the portal, Pyrrha felt herself getting up. Grabbing Miló and Akoúo̱, quickly thankful they haven't stripped her of them, she sped to the closing portal. Just as her hand was outstretched to the portal, it closed making her stumble.
She looked back as if expecting another portal to open. After several moments, reality finally took hold.
Kang has her friends.
"No…" She whispered as she felt her knees buckle and fall to the ground. Her whisper escalated to an anguished scream. "NO! NO! NO!"
Her hands found the ground, gripping it so hard she dug up dirt. Tears fell to the ground as she cried. Right before her eyes, her friends were taken from her. Not just that, she failed to prevent that from happening. The Invincible had many regrets as memories flashed in her head. Her team defeating the Deathstalker, the food fight at the beginning of the second term, and the most cherished of them all the night of the prom.
Specifically, when Jaune put on a dress for her when she couldn't get a date. Though she would've preferred if he asked her out instead. She thought that next time, she can ask him out instead and maybe tell him how much she liked him.
Now that will never happen. He's gone along with the rest of her friends.
Her sobbing was interrupted by the noise of a portal. Looking up, she saw another portal opened in front of her. Scrambling, she drew out her weapons in preparation for a horde of androids coming through. She wondered if Kang changed her mind and wanted her dead. Whatever the case, she will not pass this opportunity to rescue her friends.
So, she waited.
When nothing came out of the portal, she tentatively lowered her guard. Suddenly, she felt a buzzing in her pocket. Putting a hand into it, she pulled out a scroll and to her surprise, it was working. When Kang rendered the dust inert, they couldn't use their scrolls due to the dust batteries inside of them. Even if the CCT didn't go down, communicating will be difficult without their scrolls. To have one working is a miracle.
Flashing on the screen was a message. If you want to save your friends, get into the portal and follow the arrows.
Pyrrha felt her breath hitch. Someone is helping her, but why? She didn't know if she could trust them or not, but she isn't going to pass up this opportunity.
She readied herself. Then she jumped into the portal.
Ruby woke up to the feeling of cold metal pressed against her cheek.
Groaning, she picked herself up from the metal floor. After she had woken up from the quake, she saw the barrier go down to let Kang's androids in. With the rubble on them, they couldn't fight back as Kang's androids knocked them out one by one. Now that she's awake, she's in an unfamiliar place.
They're inside a spacious metal tiled room, the wall curving to make the room a circle. But she didn't look around more to find her friends with her. They were arranged with her into a row, with the same energy cuffs as her. Their weapons had been taken from them.
"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked them and tried to stand up, only to feel something tight on her wrists. Glancing down, she saw green energy cuffs around her wrists, with a long thread of energy trailing into the ground.
"Of course, we are," Weiss sarcastically replied, holding both her hands up. "We've just survived the biggest earthquake only to get taken to who-knows-where by those metal dolts!"
"ARG!" Yang growled as she attempted to break her restraints. "No good. I can't get these off."
"Has anyone seen Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, concern evident in his voice. The others looked around, specifically Ren and Nora. Given the fact that Kang wanted the seven of them, they shouldn't be surprised that Pyrrha isn't with them. But that would mean that she would've been still trapped under rubble in that case. They can only hope that she is alright.
"She'll be alright," Nora assured everyone with a cheerful smile. But it looked forced. "Because she's Pyrrha! It will take more than a quake to take her down! You'll see!"
"Nora…" Ren sighed. "As much as I want to believe it, even she can't survive a quake like that."
"Guys…" Everyone turned to Blake, who was gazing ahead of her with wide eyes. "Look."
Everyone followed her gaze, and they felt their breath taken away. A window opened to show their planet Remnant. Not even the hand-drawn maps can describe and detail the continents and oceans. They wouldn't even keep count of the stars in the black void of space. Remnant once attempted to exit its atmosphere, and they would've attempted space travel if the dust hasn't been rendered inert. So, they were content to just stay on the ground.
"It's beautiful," Nora whispered.
"How are we here?" Weiss breathed at the view of Remnant. "And where are we?"
"You are aboard my ship The Sword of Damocles."
Everyone tensed at that voice. The last time they heard it was when the invasion began. Their suspicions were confirmed when a circular platform descended from the ceiling. Standing on it, in advanced battle armor, was the man who took their planet and had them hunted down like dogs.
"This is because there are other ways for space travel," Kang continued in a condensing tone. "But considering how primitive you are, I wouldn't be surprised you assume that dust can do everything."
"Kang…" Ruby glared at the man with the others. Kang only regarded them with an expression of… was that anger?
"Yes," He responded coolly. "I am Kang… the Conqueror. You people are. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Together you make team RWBY." He turned to the three members of JNPR. "Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. You would've been a full team if Pyrrha Nikos were here."
"What did you do with her?!" Jaune demanded angrily, trying to get up only to fall back down from the shackle.
"If I wanted Nikos here, I would've asked that she be brought here as well," Kang replied without any care if they're mad at him. "It is only you seven that I wish to bring aboard my ship."
"So why?" Ruby demanded with a defiant gaze. "Why do you want us? Because we would build resistance?" To everyone's surprise, he just waved it off.
"No, no," Kang chuckled. "I expect a resistance movement to be formed against me after my conquest of Remnant. I have brought you for another reason."
"What?"
Kang's face hardened to a serious expression. "To save the universe."
Everyone looked baffled at that blunt answer. He said it with a serious expression that they couldn't tell if he was joking.
"Are you kidding me?!" Jaune shouted. "You call conquering our planet, killing millions, and hunting us 'saving' the universe?"
"Are you sure you're not mental?" Weiss shrieked.
"If you're not knocked in the head, maybe I can help you!" Yang shouted.
"Hmmm," Kang stroked the place where his helmet covered his chin. "I suppose this is to be expected. No matter. Tell me, what do you know about your history?"
"Our history?" Blake asked, looking confused that he would ask that question. "As far as we know, we've been fighting the Grimm as long as we remember. But then we spiraled against ourselves and got into the great war. After peace has been made between the kingdoms, the Huntsman academies are created with the sole purpose of combatting the Grimm. The rest is lost from us. That's pretty much our history."
Kang took all of this in silent contemplation. Everyone is wondering where he is going with this.
"You spoke as if you've read from a book," Kang spoke condescendingly. Blake winced at how accurate that sounded. "As anyone can write a book and put anything, they want in it. It's no surprise that they would leave out the true history."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "What true history?"
"How about I show you," Kang said, glowing purple. RWBY and JN(P)R suddenly found themselves enveloped in the purple flash. They covered their eyes with their shackled wrists. For a split second, the felt the cold air of the spaceship change to the warm breeze of an open field. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a different place.
A grassy plain stretched out around them; old weapons buried into the ground abandoned. A brown brick road stretched a few feet to their right, leading to a gothic-style castle. The highest tower has a yellow glow coming from within. Tall mountains stood behind the castle, dwarfing.
"Where are we?" Ren asked bewildered, looking around.
"Where have you taken us, Kang?" Ruby asked the Conqueror.
"Not just where," Kang said. "When."
"When?" Weiss asked. Then it hit her when she remembered reading one of Blake's books. Specifically, that cheesy line. "Don't tell me…"
"Yes, Weiss Schnee," Kang replied to her shocked face. "I am capable of doing what your people have yet to do: master time itself."
"But that's impossible."
"Not if you are from the future." This drew more surprised looks from RWBY and JN(P)R. "Not you're future," He clarified. "I am from a different planet's future. But we will get to that. For now, just watch."
He gestured his hand to the brown road. Specifically, towards two people coming toward them. One was a blonde woman wearing a pure white gown. The other is a tanned-male wearing green and gray armor wielding a staff tipped with an emerald. To their astonishment, they didn't seem to notice them as they walked by.
"I've taken the liberty of masking our presence," Kang clarified with the astounded RWBY and JN(P)R. "Allow me to introduce you. I'm sure you've met the man who will become to be known as Ozpin. The woman next to him is the biggest threat to your world – Salem."
Pyrrha rushed down the corridor of the ship, holding her scroll in front of her.
Fortunately, it would appear her mysterious benefactor had enabled her Scroll to work outside o Remnants atmosphere. Otherwise, she would never receive the directions to navigate this massive vessel. When she found out that it was shaped like an actual sword, she figured Ruby would fangirl all over it.
Still, she had things to worry about. Namely her friends.
Whenever a patrol of androids would come, her benefactor would either shut them down to let her pass or redirect them. They told her if she took them down, that will alert Kang and it will start a firefight. She can't risk that.
"Don't worry guys," She whispered. "I will save you."
She quickly pressed herself against the wall as she heard a patrol coming. A six-man team of androids marched by, only to stop. For a moment, Pyrrha held her breath, fearful that they might've spotted her. Then they resumed their march.
The invincible girl sighed in relief. Then her Scroll buzzed, and she held it up.
Follow them. They will lead you to your friends. Kang is about to begin.
Pyrrha didn't want to know what Kang is about to do. All she could do is stealthily follow the patrol.
A flash of purple appeared in the arena as the time traveler returned with his prisoners. Kang regarded their stunned expressions.
"As you see," Kang said. "That is how your history happened."
To RWBY and JN(P)R's credit, nobody could get any words out.
First, their world was created by two literal Gods. Kang stated that they're 'Celestials' but didn't elaborate further. The God of Darkness was the one who created the Grimm to spite his older brother. They held a feud with each other until eventually, they called a truce. Both created what would be the first generation of humanity. With Magic, actual Magic like the one in fairy tales.
Years later, the man called Ozma rescued Salem from the castle she was confined in. It shocked them that Professor Ozpin was one of several reincarnations of the warrior wizard. After many happy adventures together, things took the turn for worse. Ozma died, and Salem went to the God of Light to resurrect him. The older brother refused, saying that it will disrupt the balance of life and death. Not deterred, she went to his younger brother to request the same. After being careful not to mention her visit to his older brother, the God of Darkness granted her request. However, his brother had followed her there and exposed her. As punishment, they cursed her with immortality in the hope that she will learn the importance of life and death.
But things didn't go as planned.
Instead of learning, she incited a rebellion. She traveled everywhere and convinced their Kings and Queens to rebel against the Gods. Convincing that they can take their powers for their own, they marched upon the God of the Lights domain. His brother came to his aid, took all of the magic and released a spell that wiped out life on Remnant. After leaving Salem as the only survivor, the Gods left Remnant. It turned out that the God of Darkness was the one who shattered the moon, which answered that mystery.
Alone on Remnant, Salem traveled to the Land of Darkness and threw herself into the pool of darkness in hope of reuniting with her love. But due to her immortality, as Kang pointed out, it mutated her into a Grimm/Human hybrid bent on destruction. The way she looked like a Grimm terrified them as much as they wanted to admit.
Eventually, Humanity reemerged alongside the Faunus. Due to the absence of Magic, they had to rely on dust to combat the Grimm. Salem lived a secluded life away from the rest of Humanity. Until eventually, she reunited with a reincarnated Ozma.
Realizing that they are the only humans left with magic, they set out to act as gods and rule the new humanity. Their kingdom prospered and they came to have four daughters with the ability to wield magic.
But Ozma began to have doubts about Salem's methods, which are becoming to be leaning on tyrannical. He revealed his secrets – the God of Light made a deal with him. He left behind four relics: Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice. If he brings them together while humanity is in harmony and united, the gods will return and make them whole again. But if they are demanding of them and divided, they will destroy it. Ozma accepted because he wanted to be reunited with his beloved after learning she still lives.
But when she learned of them, Salem believed that humans were unworthy and decided to replace them with something better. Realizing she is going too far, he attempted to flee with his daughters. Only for him to meet Salem along the way. The ensuing fight between them killed their daughters and began a centuries-long conflict between them.
Ozma fought against her to protect the relics and find a way to destroy her for good. Eventually, he learned that he couldn't destroy her from the Relic of Knowledge. Nora had to cover Ren's eyes at the scantily clad form of Jinn. Jaune clenched his eyes shut and looked away. The other females except for Ruby looked scandalized. Despite that, Ozpin continued his fight to protect humanity from Salem.
Then Kang chronal jumped them back to the present.
"Magic is real…" Nora spoke in awe.
"And there is an unkillable monster out to destroy us all," Blake muttered.
"How come we've never heard of this," Jaune asked in disbelief. "Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after Salem? Or Mistral?"
"Because of chaos, Jaune Arc," Kang replied as if scolding a child. "Just a single hint of powerful objects is enough to incite a war. A war that will be bloodier than the last one. Or have you not been listening to my lecture. If they summoned the Gods back here as it were, they will destroy it."
Everyone silently agreed to that.
"Why show us this?" Ren asked. "What was the point of going through history?"
"Don't get us wrong Kang," Weiss spoke sarcastically. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not thrilled to witness time travel, but what does this have to do with the conquest of our planet?"
"I found that a background check will help understand the situation," Kang said. "But very well, I will show you. This time, we will go to the future."
"The future?" Ruby squeaked, a pit forming in her stomach. She didn't know why, but it sounded bad.
"Yes…" Kang spoke as he glowed purple. "The future."
Once again, they chronal jumped through the timestream. The experience is bumpy, but somehow, they managed to stay intact. They suspect that Kang might be shielding them from the friction in time. Images of various events passed them by. A stone wyvern at the top of the tower, a fight at a school against some people, a Leviathan being turned to stone, until finally, they've arrived.
Into the open vacuum of space.
"Gah!" Everyone began gasping for breath, fearful of the incoming death. Kang mentioned during his lecture that even if they did get to space, they need oxygen to breathe. Otherwise, they will be boiled alive.
"Don't worry," Kang spoke with his back to them. "I've expanded a life-support field to prevent you from dying. I wouldn't want you to miss this after all."
"Miss what?" Yang looked around and her eyes widened. "What… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
Everyone except Kang turned at Yang's shout. They lost their breath. Floating in the vast void of space is their planet. But it is black and red as if it were burning.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked with bewilderment. "What's happening to our planet?"
"It's burning…," Ren slowly spoke, as memories of his village came flashing in his mind. "And being overrun by Grimm."
"What's going on Kang?!" Weiss demanded, who still had his back to them. The Conqueror held up a hand.
"Watch."
Then, a light shone from down below. Before they could ask, it vanished, and their planet suddenly blew up in a silent explosion. Chunks of their planet came flying at them at breakneck speed. Before they could raise their hands in feeble defense, Kang took them back to the present.
"What just happened," Blake asked when they caught their breath.
"It is as you see," Kang replied, still not looking at them. "Your planet is destroyed. Salem got her hands on the relics and the Brothers were summoned. As promised, they have deemed Remnant irredeemable and destroyed it. That is why I have come to save it."
"Okay," Ruby slowly said. "But what's that got to do with us? If you wanted to save the world, we could've joined forces. Instead, you chose to invade our planet and conquer it. Costing us millions of lives!"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Then Kang did turn around. Only this time, he wore an expression of silent fury. When he spoke, his words are heavy with venom.
"Because this is all your fault."
They couldn't believe what they have just heard. "What?!"
"You heard me clear," He spoke with anger. "All of that destruction, Salem getting her hands on the relics, and millions of blood spilled. All of that was on your hands."
"What?!" They couldn't believe it. The man who conquered their planet, ending millions of lives was accusing THEM of the destruction of Remnant.
"THAT'S BS!" Yang shouted. "How do we know that it wasn't you!"
"Let me show you!" Kang roared and the flash took hold of them again. "Time tells no lies!"
They found themselves accelerating through time again, various scenes of things that have yet to come passing by.
They've arrived at a snowfield. Kang put a halt in time and pointed to a nearby clearing. To their astonishment, team RWBY saw themselves with Qrow Branwen, and old lady, and a young boy they didn't recognize. The alternate team RWBY wore different outfits than them, but what got their attention was their expressions of anger. Anger is directed at the boy kneeling on the ground crying.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked, wondering why they are ganging up on the boy.
"That boy over there is Oscar Pines," Kang answered, still with the tone of anger. "After Cinder Fall killed Ozpin, he became his next vessel. He is crying because his worse fear has come to pass. As you see, you have used the Relic to find the true history of Remnant, even the moment when Jinn revealed that Salem couldn't be destroyed."
Kang's gaze hardened at them as he returned to the present with them.
"And you did what so many others have done: you turn tail and allowed that monster to destroy your world. You have betrayed your world like so many others! Ozpin can attest to that! You even lead the charge, Yang Xiao Long!"
"But…but…" Yang tried to come up with a defense, but Kang was on a roll.
"But it wasn't just your world you've destroyed," Kang glanced upward. "Open file MW-AG76!"
The scene around them changed. Gone was the metal interior of the arena, and in its place was a world unfamiliar to them. It was like theirs, blue sky and lush greens, but the architecture was alien to them. Various fountains and pools of water can be found almost everywhere. In the distance was a misshapen tower.
"This is Xandar," Kang spoke. "Like yours, it was a prosperous planet. It's the birthplace of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic peacekeeping force. But in my time…"
Without a word, the scene shifted. It changed from bright and warm to cold and dark. What once was a beautiful architecture now becoming ruined and abandoned. The sky had changed to black and red and purple crystals grew out of the ground. What once was water was now black tar, with Grimm coming out of them. On the streets are rampaging Grimm. But there are some they didn't recognize.
"Wait," Blake began. "If Remnant was destroyed, wouldn't the Grimm…"
"That's what I thought," Kang replied curtly. "But somehow, they've mutated to become unstoppable creatures of destruction. After Remnants' destruction, some of the tar landed on this planet, and within a few days, it fell. No matter how much they've fought, they couldn't destroy the horde. The students watched with horror as they watched a red woman and her child were fleeing from a Beowulf. Eventually, it pounced on them and bared its fangs at them. They heard her screams as Kang, thankfully, paused the simulation.
"But Xandar wasn't the first," Kang growled. "Nor will it be the last! After Xandar, they manage to spread their filthy existence to the next planet…"
Kang showed them many simulations, all showing the same thing. Planets once filled with life became dead and filled with the Grimm. They couldn't look away as Grimm slaughtered everything alive. He would tell them what that planet achieved before the Grimm invaded. After that, they would find a way to the next planet and do the same to it.
"And this," Kang began slowly as he showed them the final simulation. It was another planet overrun by Grimm. "Was my home. MY planet. Millions of people have lived there. All of them are dead. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"But we didn't do any of this!" Weiss protested. But her voice was shaking from the ordeal. "Not yet at least!"
"She's right!" Ruby agreed with her partner. "If this is the future, it hasn't happened yet! That means we can change things!"
"Big words but all talk," Kang retorted. "I've checked every alternate timeline. They all have the same result: Remnant destroyed, the Grimm infestation, and the end of our universe! But somehow, it all comes back to you seven! Somehow, you hold the key to preventing this from happening! But what did you do when the world needed most? NOTHING! And now everyone has to pay the price of your selfish actions! Your very existence is a threat to us all!"
No one spoke for a moment. They wanted to refute his claims and deny everything. But they had traveled with a time-traveling alien warlord through the timestream of their world. What could he gain by lying about everything they've witnessed? Plus, he didn't sound like a man in control of himself. He didn't sound like the cold conqueror he put up when he revealed himself. He looked like a man that lost everything. All because of them.
Then Kang breathed and calmed himself.
"But you don't have to worry," He spoke with conviction and raised a fist. "Under my rule, I will accomplish what you couldn't. With the technology at my disposal, I will eradicate the Grimm before they could mutate. Then I will strip Salem of her immortality and existence. But first, I will eliminate the people responsible for the destruction of my world. Starting with you seven!"
"How does killing us solve the problem?!" Jaune asked incredulously.
"By eliminating you, the timestream will reassert itself," Kang answered as he turned off the simulator. "That way, that horrible future will never happen. But don't worry, I will give you a fighting chance."
Kang raised his arm, and several Androids came forward from behind him. Each of them held their respective weapons. As they approached them, their shackles powered off. The androids held their weapons before them, and they glanced at them warily.
"Go ahead," Kang gestured. "I promise that they won't bite."
Cautiously, they reached out and grabbed their weapons. Ruby was especially glad to be reunited with her baby, especially if they are on enemy territory. The androids returned to where they came from. They stood up warily, not sure what Kang's objective is. Kang just stood there, hands crossed behind his back, with a look mixed with confidence and arrogance.
"Come to me."
The Huntsmen-and-Huntresses-in-training looked surprised at those words.
"What's the matter?" Kang asked. "The man who conquered your world is giving you the chance to take him down. I'll give you a one-minute grace period, and I will not lift a finger against you."
"Just like that?" Blake asked skeptically, holding Gambol Shroud in front of her. "What's your game?"
"The reason I brought you on board my ship is to oversee your execution personally," Kang answered to their chagrin. "You should be thankful that I am letting you die fighting. I've noticed that you have removed the dust bullets and cartridges from your weapons. Not only have I taken the liberty of replacing them, but I've also enabled their use outside your planet's atmosphere. Think of it as a handicap."
"A handicap?" Weiss asked, not bothering to ask how he managed to pull off that last bit. "What makes you think giving us back our dust is a handicap?"
"Because it is your greatest weakness," Kang replied with an edge in his voice. "Your kind has grown too reliant on its properties. Which is why I was able to conquer your planet with ease. But with my technology, that will no longer be an issue. After I kill you of course."
"Not going to happen," Ruby declared as she hefted Crescent Rose. Everyone at this point is aiming their weapons at the alien warlord. "We will defeat you. Then, we will make sure that future will never happen!"
"My thoughts exactly," Kang countered, still unmoving. Nobody moved for a moment….
…Then they charged at him.
"Your minute starts now," Kang spoke as Ruby, using her semblance, was the first to meet him. She brought Crescent Rose for a side slash but instead hit a green barrier. Her weapon nearly fell out of her hands before she gripped it tight. She kept slashing at the barrier with Crescent Rose, with no apparent success.
The others have no luck as well. No matter how many punches Yang landed on the barrier, she couldn't break it. Weiss tried a maneuver where she became a human pinball and landed multiple stabs on the barrier to no success. Blake had transformed Gambol shroud to pistol form and shot at the barrier multiple times. Ren joined her and fired a barrage of bullets at the same spot that she is shooting. Jaune just kept slashing with no result, but still, the barrier held.
"GET BACK!" Nora shouted as she shifted Magnhild into its grenade launcher form. Everyone moved to a safe distance as she fired a bombardment of grenades. Pink colored explosions covered it in similar colored smoke. She kept firing until her launcher barrel ran empty. Any hope of it working faded when the smoke cleared, revealing a still standing Kang.
"Forty-five seconds…"
They needed a new plan. Kang's barrier is probably stronger than their aura's. But the barrier is taking a toll on their weapons. Blades are becoming dull and Magnhild's shaft looked like it could snap at any moment. Furthermore, they only have a few of the bullets given to them by Kang left.
It wasn't until Jaune noticed the label on the dust cartridges that he got an idea.
"Weiss!" He shouted. "Can you freeze him and the barrier?"
"Why?" Weiss asked. "Our attacks haven't done anything so far!"
"Just trust me!"
Weiss stared at him for a moment. After shrugging, she turned to face the warlord and brought Myrtenaster in front of her. A glyph formed from beneath him and suddenly he became encased in ice. Frost also spread across the barrier and soon it became an icy dome over the conqueror.
"Now everybody! Fire lightning dust at Nora!"
Now seeing where he was going with this, everyone loaded the implied cartridge and fired upon Nora. She grinned as she was peppered by yellow bullets. She stood there taking it all before eventually, they stopped firing. Pink electricity coursed around Nora; her body is twitching from the amount of electricity in her body. Thanks to her semblance, the electricity-powered her muscles giving her absurd strength.
"I'm queen of the castle!" She joyfully sang. Then she hefted Magnhild. "Now let's wreck this guy!"
To her surprise, Jaune stopped her.
"Not for him," He pointed to Yang.
"Me?" Yang pointed at herself.
"I get it!" Ruby gave Jaune a knowing smile then turned back to Yang. "Can you take it, sis?"
"Well, I always wanted to get hammered," Yang grinned as everyone groaned. She braced herself. "Hit me with everything Nora!"
Nora grinned and quick as a flash, she appeared in front of Yang and swung Magnhild into her. Despite her best efforts, she was helpless to not fly into the opposite end of the arena. The blonde brawler crashed into the wall, creating a Yang-sized crater. For a moment, everything was silent. Then a chuckle came from the hole as Yang wrenched herself out.
"Now that I am hammered," She said as her eyes became red and her hair began to glow. "Let's give this guy a pounding!"
She pounded her fists together, an intense heat explosively radiating around her. Everything Nora gave to Yang; she is twice as strong as her now. Crouching down, she dashed toward the frozen Kang.
"TAKE THIS!"
Yang smashed through the barrier and struck Kang with everything. Chunks of ice scattered throughout the Arena. The rest of them shielded their faces as some of them pelted against them. Thanks to their aura, they are protected from the backdraft of Yang's attack. Eventually, it subsided, which allowed them to lower their arms. They gazed out in the expectation that their plan worked.
"Your minute has ended."
To their dismay, Kang still stood. Even the barrier protecting him is still standing even though he got hit with twice the power of Nora from Yang. He gave a glance to the flabbergasted Yang and then addressed everyone.
"I'm impressed that you've almost broken my barrier," He declared as two portals opened near his hands. He reached in and took out an energy sword and blaster. "However, my barrier is capable of surviving a blast from a nuclear bomb at point-blank range. Your blow was nowhere near that level. But now I believe is my turn."
Yang's expression of shock turned to rage. Roaring, she reared back her right fist to strike Kang again. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Kang deftly dodged her outstretched arm. He raised his blade and brought it down.
Her arm fell to the ground with a clatter from the gauntlet still on it.
Yang screamed as she fell to the ground writhing in pain. Her aura flickered and she clutched the stump where her arm used to be. She glared up at him only to shrink away as he aimed his blaster at her. His gaze held a cold look that showed no remorse.
"Yang Xiao Long," He spoke with the end of the blaster lighted up. "You will be the first to die."
"Yang!" Ruby dashed in a flurry of rose petals and got to her sister. She grabbed her and took her away just in time to avoid the blast from Kang's blaster. Though she escaped death by an inch, her remaining gauntlet melted and fell off her remaining arm. The arm she lost disintegrated until there was nothing. A black crater was all that remained.
Ruby deposited Yang a safe distance as the others crowded around her.
"Yang? YANG?!" Ruby cried as her sister moaned in pain. Tears trickled down her eyes as she gazed upon her sister's suffering. Her tearstained face turned to rage as she glared at Kang.
"You are naïve to believe you can go win every battle unscathed," Kang said. "Yet you are even more naïve in believing you can prevent the inevitable. Just like you can't save the world from yourselves."
"NOT TRUE!" Ruby shouted as she charged at Kang in anger, using the recoil of her weapon. Her Crescent Rose sliced at him from every angle, switching to bullets, only to be blocked by the barrier. Kang deftly swiped with his energy sword several times, bisecting Crescent Rose. Ruby's eyes widened at the destruction of her faithful weapon as Kang dismissed his sword and raised a hand.
"Very true."
Taking advantage of her hesitation, a blast of concussive force shot out from his hand striking her in the chest area. Instantly, her Aura shattered, and she fell to the ground clutching her stomach in pain. Kang continued his advance.
A glyph formed underneath him, but before it can take effect, Kang fired a blast at Weiss. Instantly, her aura shattered along with Myrtenaster. The glyph vanished as she fell from the force of the blast. Then he raised his blaster and fired a blast accompanied by a high pitch noise. Blake was unable to create a shadow in time as the wave of energy hit her, shattering her aura as well and breaking apart Gambol shroud. Jaune raised his shield, but that proved to be futile as he was knocked back and his weapon became shrapnel. Nora and Ren were the last to fall. Kang slashed through the shaft of Magnhild and punched Nora with enough force to shatter her aura. Ren gave him difficulty hitting him due to his agility, but Kang hit him with a calculated shot that ricochets off the walls and hit him, shattering his Aura.
Soon, the students are on the ground defeated as Kang stood over them. Nora was cradling Ren protectively. Blake gazed at him with terror as she scrambled to her partner Yang. Jaune was holding the remains of his family weapon.
"I wasn't just gazing into the future," He spoke as he lifted his blaster and fired upon Stormflower. The dual pistols melted from the heat as he advanced. "I was also assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Without your Aura, you are even more powerless than without Dust. With just the right frequency, I was able to shatter it. I could easily bypass it and kill you without shattering it, but I figured I would spare your dignity for your execution."
"No…" Ruby groaned and tried to get up, only to have a boot casually placed on her chest. Keeping her pinned, Kang reached into another portal and pulled out a massive launcher. He aimed it at the group of students and began charging it up. Their eyes widened as he aimed it at them.
"Take comfort that your death will ensure our existence," Kang declared as the launcher is ready to fire. "Goodbye children."
Then the power went out.
"What the—" Kang stopped firing in alarm. He gazed around the darkroom of his arena. Dismissing his blaster, he activated his communicator. "We've got a power failure in the arena, what happened?"
"A power surge, my lord. We're investigating the source, but we should be back up in a few seconds."
"It better," Kang growled. As he turned it off, he noticed the complete lack of noise from the area. The power came back on, and the prisoners are gone.
"What?!" He exclaimed and looked around the room. They were nowhere near the arena. His eyes fell upon an open door, from which he could hear the sounds of running feet.
"Alert every soldier on the Damocles!" He shouted into his communicator. "Cripple them if you must but don't kill them. I will end their lives myself!"
"I can't believe you are here!" Jaune said to Pyrrha as they rushed down the corridor. After the blackout occurred, Pyrrha entered the arena and extracted them from Kang's presence. Blake had slung Yang over her shoulder and is walking at a brisk pace. They had staunched the bleeding with Pyrrha's sash, in time her aura will heal it. But right now, they are running. "How?"
"Somebody helped me," Pyrrha replied quickly to their confusion. She pulled out her scroll. "Somebody opened a portal and sent me instructions through my scroll. That's how I was able to find you."
"Wait, our scrolls are working?" Weiss pulled hers out and squeaked with joy at the glowing interface. "I don't know how he does it, but I am glad it's working."
As they took out their scrolls, they saw the instructions on them. Follow the lines.
"This way!" Pyrrha gestured to glowing green lines. They followed her, deciding to ask about the trustworthiness of the benefactor later. The sound of metal against metal can be heard as they trekked across the alien ship. Fortunately, their unknown benefactor picked a route that would enable them to evade them. Even if they did meet them, they have lost their weapons.
Above all else, they need to get off the ship.
They arrived at a set of doors that opened to admit them. The area looked to be the ship's hangar. Various ships are left unattended as they walked briskly.
"Where is everyone?" Ren asked, noting the lack of androids working on the ship. A buzz on their scrolls drew their attention.
Every android Kang has is also a soldier to be deployed. I've currently redirected them to join the search for the ship. You need to hurry to one of the ships.
"OK," Ruby hurried to the nearest ship. "Let's go with this one! We can head back to Remnant and lay low. Then we can get medical help for Yang."
Another buzz. You cannot go back to Remnant.
"WHAT?!" Everyone looked incensed at what their benefactor is telling them.
Not yet at least. If Kang wants you dead, he will come after you on Remnant. He will put those you love at risk. Right now, the only solution is to leave Remnant.
"And go where?" Weiss asked her to scroll. "We can't just abandon our home! All of our friends and family are there!"
Right now, I'm helping seven innocent children escape. I know a place where you will be safe. Stay there until you are ready to take back Remnant. I promise I will keep them safe as much as I can.
Then the doors to the hangar closed behind them. Outlines on the door changed to red as more doors closed. The students looked bewildered before they got another message.
He knows you're there! You need to hurry!
Everyone adopted a look of panic. Kang is already on his way here. Ruby looked at the ship and her eyes looked defeated.
"Do we have your word?" She asked.
Yes.
"Can you at least tell them we are alright?"
I will. I promise you, Ruby Rose.
"Thanks," Ruby said. Then she smiled. "I hope we can meet face to face one day."
I can only hope that we will.
"Right," Her face hardened into a determined look. She turned to her teammates and friends. "Get on the ship."
"You can't be serious!" Weiss yelled.
"What choice do we have?" Pyrrha asked her. "Right now, our priority is to get far away from Kang as possible."
As soon as she finished, a portal opened. Out of it emerged Kang, walking menacingly towards them.
"GET ON THE SHIP!" Pyrrha shouted, drawing Akoúo̱ and Miló. "I'll stall him!"
She ran off to meet him before they could protest. Transforming Miló into Javelin form, she charged at Kang with Akoúo̱ raised in front of her. Kang pulled out another energy sword and slashed at her. Using her semblance, she subtly deflected the energy sword and knocked it out of his hand with her shield. As it skidded away, she thrust forward with Miló to strike him. Only for the tip of her spear to meet the barrier. Frowning, she backflipped away from him and transformed Miló to rifle mode and fired several times at the barrier. Kang held an amused expression at her attempts.
"Pyrrha Nikos," He called out. "I see you've managed to come aboard the Damocles. How did you get on?"
"That's for me to know," Pyrrha snapped. Behind her, she could hear the ship starting up. "You took our planet and kidnapped my friends! Of course, I plan on rescuing them."
"No matter. You should be thanking me," Kang replied. "If it weren't for me, you would've died. But if your friends live, your planet is doomed. That is why they must die."
"Not going to happen!" Pyrrha shouted as she threw Akoúo̱ at him, forgetting about the barrier. Kang lifted a hand and her shield stopped in mid-air. Pyrrha looked astonished at this, then regain focus and charged at him. Kang a twirled his finger, causing it to spin, and sent Akoúo̱ back to her. She tried to stop it with her semblance, but it was too fast for her. With a cry of pain, it struck her right hand, forcing her to drop Miló. Unarmed, she attempted to reclaim her weapon, only to see it melt from a blast.
She turned to Kang, who held a blaster.
"You may be skilled, but not skilled enough," Kang spoke as he walked toward her. "The difference between us would span centuries. I, on the other hand, had all the time to master every discipline in history."
"So why are you hiding behind a shield?" Pyrrha asked, raising Akoúo̱. "Why not fight me man to man? I mean, you must be a skilled warrior to be called The Conqueror."
"Hmmm," Kang tapped a button on his belt. Instantly, the green barrier disappeared. Two portals appeared. Dropping the blaster in one and pulling two energy swords out the other. "I suppose I can indulge you."
Kang twirled his blades and took up a combat stance. "Come. If you dare."
"With pleasure," Pyrrha held her shield in front of her.
Together, they charged.
"Any idea how to fly this thing?"
"I don't know!"
Ruby and Jaune are sitting at the cockpit, trying to figure out how to get it to fly. After they had boarded, Blake had taken Yang to the medical bay immediately. Ren and Nora had taken up the seats behind them. The members of JNPR are worried about Pyrrha, Ruby could see as clear as day.
"She's buying us time," Ruby tried to assure them. "She can hold herself against him. I mean… she's Pyrrha after all."
"I know," Nora muttered. "But that doesn't mean that we can't just leave her out there to fight alone."
"Believe me, I want to help her as much as anyone," Jaune sadly told her. "Our weapons have been destroyed, Nora. We can't fight with our fists either thanks to that barrier. Either way, we are in no condition to fight and our best melee fighter is down for the count without an arm. We'll only get in the way."
"Still," Nora muttered. "She still didn't get the chance to –"
"Nora," Ren interrupted, covering her mouth. "Have faith in Pyrrha. We will get her as soon as we get the ship moving."
"Easier said than done," Ruby muttered, banging on the panel. "We can't get the stupid thing to—"
Suddenly, the panel lit up in green lights. The ship shook as it hummed to life. A holographic HUD hovered over the panel. A joystick appeared on each of the arms of Ruby's seat. She tentatively took each of them.
"OK…" She muttered. "That answers my question. It looks simple enough."
"Good enough for me," Jaune said earnestly. "Let's get Pyrrha and get out of here."
"There's just one problem," Ruby pointed out. They felt the ship rise. "I think it's on automatic pilot!"
Pyrrha was barely holding against Kang.
The invincible girl held up her Akoúo̱ to deflect another strike from Kang's dual blades. Her shield is bearing burnt marks from the energy blades he wielded. She attempted to strike his hands again with her shield, but he spun on his heel and brought them for an overhead slash. Using her semblance, she redirected the slash to hit the floor and rolled away from him. Kang lunged after her with his swords. Pyrrha raised Akoúo̱ to block, the blades piercing the metal almost searing her arms. Gritting her teeth, she pushed Kang away from her. As he stumbled back, she threw Akoúo̱ at the alien warlord. The shield hit's Kang's left hand, causing him to let go of it. It flew across to Pyrrha's outstretched hand.
Kang looked at his empty hand, then at Pyrrha.
"This is ironic," He commented.
"Well, you did destroy one of my weapons," Pyrrha snarked. "It's only fair to provide compensation."
"Good point," Kang reached into another portal and pulled out an energy ax. He reversed his grip on the energy sword. "I think it's time that I end this."
He charged at Pyrrha, bringing the ax down on her head. Pyrrha blocked it with the energy blade. Kang swiped at her midsection with his blade. She crouched down and proceeded to do a leg sweep. Kang deftly jumped above and somersaulted above her. Landing some distance away from her, he turned and threw the hatchet at her. She redirected the ax away from her and faced him.
Just in time to see golden spherical objects coming at her. Each of them has a glowing white lens.
Eyes wide, she held her hands out in front of her. To her astonishment, she didn't feel her semblance affecting them. She tried to get away, but they have already swarmed her. Kang, who was levitating with an outstretched arm. As he raised it, he clenched it into a fist.
Then, all she knew was blinding pain.
The drones fired red lasers at her. Each of them pierced her aura and into her flesh. In her pain, she dropped her energy sword and Akoúo̱. After the drones stopped firing, they retreated behind Kang, who set himself back on the ground. Pyrrha fell to her knees, scorch marks all over her body. Some of them had pierced her arms, making them fall uselessly at her side.
"Just like the others, I've taken the liberty of researching your weaknesses," Kang said as he walked towards her. "You rely on your semblance to deflect your opponents' attacks, making them think that you are invincible. And just like the rest of them, your semblance is fueled by aura. Without it, you can't use it. It will take a while for it to recover. While your combat skills would've given you the edge, I've had centuries worth of combat skills."
He stood in front of the kneeling Pyrrha, who glared at him in defiance.
"I commend you for your fight," He raised the sword. "As a reward, I promise I will make it quick."
"Pyrrha!"
Kang looked up to see a crate crash into his head, knocking him down. Pyrrha looked up to see Jaune standing on the ramp of the ship. He leaned down and reached out a hand. With all her strength, she lifted her arm despite the pain. Her hand grasped his and he lifted her. As he led her into the interior of the ship, the ramp closed.
Kang got up and watched as the ship made its way out of the hangar bay doors. A hexagonal wormhole appeared, and it jumped through the space continuum. After it entered, it closed, leaving the space back to its previous state.
Kang stared after them, with a glare in his eyes. He had half the mind to travel back in time and prevent them from stealing the ship. But even if he is the master of time, there is still the butterfly effect. A single beat of a butterfly can result in a future hurricane. The last thing he needed was to make his mission even more difficult.
"Lord Kang!" One of his androids ran up to him. "I can deploy a fleet of fighters to pursue."
"That will be unnecessary," Kang replied. If the android had feelings, it would've been surprised. "For now, focus our forces on Remnant. They aren't the only thing that is a threat to the universe. We have all the time in the universe to deal with the fugitives. I believe the saying goes: revenge is a dish best served cold."
Kang turned and walked with the android back to the interior doors. What he didn't know was that someone else was watching him. She wore a yellow suit with a blue cape. Her red hair trailed out from her black and yellow helmet. Blue eyes looked sorrowfully after Kang.
"My love…" She muttered as she clenched her hands. Then she turned to the void of space, specifically at the part where the ship carrying the children jumped. In her heart, she hoped that Kang will just see reason before it's too late.
Earth
Steel doors opened to admit a black-haired woman in a sleek black suit. Around her waist is a white belt with pouches and a similar colored harness. On her shoulders is a circle surrounding a black eagle on a white background. The words 'Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division'.
She crossed her arms and stood behind another man with his back to her. He is a brown-skinned man in a black trench coat.
"Director Fury," She began. "We have a situation."
Director Nicholas Joseph Fury Jr. turned to face his deputy. An eyepatch covered his right eye, although scar can still be seen around the edges. A mustache and goatee grew on his face, which turned into a frown.
"How big of a situation?" He asked Maria Hill.
"Our agents have reported suspicious activity in Egypt," She reported. "According to our intel, several scientists and archaeologists have vanished a few months ago. Based on the research they have been conducting, we tracked them to an archaeological dig site and sent agents in an attempt to rescue. So far, none of them have returned."
Director Fury nodded at this. If several of his agents have gone missing, then it was obvious that sending more wouldn't do. It's time to call in the big guns.
"What shall we do director?"
He fully turned to Maria, exposing the red eagle on his chest.
"Get me the Avengers."
[~][~]
And that is part two of the beginning. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more. IF you haven't read the first part, go back and read it again. As you can see, RWBY and JNPR have learned that they are responsible for the end of the universe. How will they deal with this revelation? Tune in after the next chapter.
That's all for now, hope you enjoyed it.
See you next time.