Shirou absently hummed to himself while donning Archer's guise. He was doing his copy of himself a favour while Archer followed through with his own arrangements. All that was asked of Shirou was to keep everyone's attention on one place, and it was going easier than he or Archer could have expected.
Glynda's combat hall was too packed to hold the actual competition within, and with Ozpin's permission, the course was transferred over to a larger training facility. Even then, it was still rather tight. Most that came were spectators rather than participants. Many had wanted to join Archer's elective course, but the number of seats was limited. It didn't help that the elective was available for higher years, meaning that the application pool was even larger.
Those that weren't able to join the elective course were now present to see if they could learn anything or lament over what they'd lost out on.
Shirou could say without doubt that students in Beacon preferred combat classes far more than theoretical and basic classes as a whole. The level of enthusiasm, teenage competition, and glory seeking were all here at once.
Shirou shirked responsibility at this point. He was posing as Archer, and normally would have had to deal with all the rowdiness, but this was a shared co-venture.
As Glynda had more authority, he gladly passed the task over to her, watching her brows twitch incessantly.
In the end, Glynda could only sigh as Shirou had retreated from her by half-a-step, giving the impression that she would be taking the lead. Not that he was wrong.
She was just that kind of woman, or at least she'd become that way after Ozpin's antics. As her own boss skirted around responsibility, she'd had no choice but to fill in the roll ever since. Her strict attire and demeanor were all part of the act to increase her authoritative sway.
"Quiet." Glynda's stern voice sounded, riding crop echoing as she rapt it over an open palm paired with an iron fist that pierced through the clamor.
She'd levitate any and all who spoke now directly out of the room. Just try it.
Her gaze was something fierce.
The noise soon began to abate before Ozpin leisurely walked in as a spectator along with a couple other professors who weren't jointly running classes in the same time frame.
Late.
Glynda clicked her tongue, but didn't comment as it would lower the respect students had among teachers.
Ozpin and the others sat away from the students at a higher elevated seating.
Glynda grimaced, cleared her throat, and moved on by addressing both the participants and spectators.
"I'm sure that many of you know, but my name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I will be acting as a proctor of this combat class. Today is rather special as I've agreed to co-teach this period with Archer from his elective course."
Shirou tried to take a step back all of a sudden, but a film of purple Aura covered his legs and firmly held him there. If he thought Glynda was just going to let him stand there like a statue, it was clear that she had other ideas.
Nodding to herself, Glynda continued. "Teams will be asked to compete against each other with rules remaining as they are in regular combat class. If you are forced out of the ring, you're disqualified, and it's the same if your Aura meter falls into the red. This is a spar, and not a fight to the death. All must abide by the rules. Am I clear?"
She waited to no response as typical of students and their peer pressure. None would start speaking until the first started speaking, but it mattered little as Glynda shot her gaze over everyone present.
Satisfied at what she saw, she snorted before turning everyone's attention to a large projection screen on the far wall.
"Lots will be drawn by a digitized system projected on the screen, and selected teams will make their way down to the changing rooms to gear up for battle. There is to be no conflict until the match is officially started. Now, as per what I know of arrangements, the winner of this sparring competition may choose to keep their given magic artifact, or take that of another team's." Here, Glynda turned towards Shirou, the edges of her lips curling up before she took a full step behind him and put him in the spotlight. "For the magic aspects, I leave the explanation to Beacon's own elective teacher, Archer the Rose Mercenary."
Great. Lovely even. Archer could already see Ruby beaming at him in a way she likely thought was encouragement. As his Master, she knew it was him and not Archer, but the same couldn't be said for others.
Yang, Emerald, and Neo leaned forward on their seats while everyone else focused their attention.
'Archer' was already a well-known figure in the kingdoms after the stint in Mt. Glenn.
Shirou inwardly put aside his reservations, and allowed Glynda to preen at her petty vengeance on the side. She didn't appreciate the extra work he was hoisting on her, especially when this was her combat class.
He'd do his part.
"Magic is something that can change everything in a battle in an instant. Each team has their own specific magic concept imbued into their given arms." Shirou began, standing poised and confident. "Be advised, but the point of this sparring is to understand, analyze, and work against the power of these concepts. Aura and capability alone may not be the deciding factor in anything. That said, there's nothing much else to say but this: Good luck."
Glynda clapped, stepping forward once more and pressing a holographic button on her scroll that activated the large projector that drew teams on random selection. No team would selected twice until every team has had a chance to participate.
The student photos of team leaders representing their teams was divided at the middle of the screen. One leader's mug on the left side, the other on the right, followed by their team initials and personal logos.
Seconds later, Ruby's face appeared on the left side much to her detriment. The photo placed was one Yang had submitted from Ruby's scroll, and it wasn't even a whole mugshot. Half of Ruby's face was peeking over a table where her eyes focused only on a plate of cookies, a hand stretching over only to be slapped away by Tai.
"Yaaaaang!" Ruby pulled her hood over her face.
"Totally worth," Yang grinned.
On the right-hand side of the screen, Cardin's smug face appeared to a warm welcome of booing. His image had taken a hit ever since Archer's first lecture, causing him to stay on edge ever since. Every single action was taken under harsh scrutiny, and even trying to bad-mouth or hassle others led to comments that compared him to his 'ancestor.' It forced him to mellow out and reflect with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Seeing the two faces on screen Glynda didn't care for the murmurs of the crowd and decided to get things underway.
"First match, Team PRWN vs Team CRDL. Please step forward and begin your preparations," she declared.
Ruby peered up from her hood and noticed that Pyrrha and the rest of the team had stood up from their seats and were doing as instructed. Not to be outdone, Ruby puffed up her chest and bolted ahead to the changing rooms.
Opposite to PRWN, team CRDL stood up and headed to their sides changing room.
At this moment, both teams glanced at each other and took note of what each side held in the hands of one team member.
For PRWN, Neo leisurely held a wooden bamboo sword with a tiger strap on the butt of its hilt while Sky from CRDL held onto a baton resembling a black wand or stake.
These were the Mystic Codes given to both sides. Every team participating today had one, but it wasn't until actual combat that their effects may be shown. This was what everyone was most eager to find out, doubly so for the competitors.
Blake was already readying herself to take notes.
Team PRWN and CRDL disappeared into their respective changing rooms, and soon returned a few minutes later dressed in combat gear and donning their respective equipment.
"You can do it Ruby!" Jaune encouraged.
"You got this Ruby!" Yang overtook everyone else in cheering. "It's just Cardin!"
Ruby squirmed under the attention and pulled at the hem of her red skirt, but Cardin who was fully decked in armor lined with a golden motif was unamused. Then again, he didn't say anything as a trace of nervousness shared between CRDL made them too rigid.
A real Champion stood opposed to them.
Next to Ruby was Pyrrha, and Pyrrha's reputation preceded her. Moreover, Weiss was a Schnee, and no one in Team CRDL could confidently meet Neo's sadistic gaze. She winked, giving little relief to CRDL.
Weiss rolled her eyes while Pyrrha humbly bowed when both teams stood across from each other. Ruby was jittery shifting her weight from foot to foot.
Ruby was nervous, but it wasn't due to any pressure from battle.
Glynda stood between both teams, raised a hand, and boldly declared:
"Start!"
Rather than an instant blur of motion, Neo was practically the only one who dashed forward in excitement while the rest of PRW hung slightly back. By the looks of things, this was something that they'd discussed beforehand, mainly Neo insisting and the rest acquiescing since it was just team CRDL.
This wasn't Glynda's first combat class and everyone had a relative understanding of the skill of their classmates.
Between PRWN and CRDL…The skill gap was considerable.
Tensing at Neo's approach, Cardin raised his mace to defend and yelled to his teammates. "Brace!"
Neo struck them like a poisonous snake.
Russel, Dove, and Sky's defenses were quickly plucked apart and decimated before Cradin even had a chance to blink. And then Neo was on him while Sky, Dove, and Russel were met by Ruby, Pyrrha, and Weiss.
Chambering his arm back, Cardin thought to strike Neo before she could get in too close, but she was slippery. She bounded in, giggled at his attack, and then proceeded to bend under his swing while thrusting the wooden sword Cardin knew to be a magic artifact at his open stomach.
Out of every student in Beacon, perhaps only Vernal could compare to Neo's level of experience in live combat. Picking apart four freshmen was nothing difficult for her even without using her Semblance.
Better yet, she was getting paid for this!
Tora Shinai.
It was a cursed sword that sought blood and embodied the concept of 'Pain.' Under its blade, even small nicks and scuffs would feel like searing stabs and needles. This was the sword Neo currently wielded.
Aura protection? What did that matter to a curse?
Thwack!
"Ah? ARGHHHH!" Cardin let out a blood curdling scream before he was knocked off his feet and sent rolling. Hurriedly patting his chest, he looked down thinking that his heart had been gauged, but reality proved that there was only a tiny dent in his armour.
The spectating crowd erupted into a cacophony of heated discussions, even more so when they looked at Cardin's Aura levels and hardly saw any real damage for the reaction he'd had.
Shirou looked like he was having flashbacks, switching Cardin for himself, and Neo for his surrogate older sister, Taiga Fujimaru. He shuddered.
Neo held the Tora Shinai like it was her baby after once again verifying its effects.
Pyrrha sweat dropped while Weiss remained expressionless. The only one who looked like she emphasized was Ruby, and she was a weapon nut.
"Defensive formation!" Cardin yelled, staggering to his feet and regrouping with Sky, Dove and Russel who disengaged from Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby.
Neo happily let them while Ruby and the others chose not to chase.
Honestly, the Tora Shinai was fairly weak compared to what others were given, but Team PRWN offset the scale. Ruby was good, Weiss was slightly better, and Pyrrha and Neo were arguably monsters. They could probably win even without a Mystic Code.
This was all part of Archer's consideration, but don't get him wrong. The Tora Shinai wasn't without its benefits. Those with low mental fortitude would have given up when they experienced agony, looked at their Aura levels, and then saw that they were still in the green.
CRDL didn't.
Archer's first lecture was both a blessing and a curse for CRDL. Forced to be pariahs under everyone's scrutiny, it all became mental fortitude training.
Even if they expected Neo to beat the shit out of them, they clenched their teeth and refused to surrender.
Plastering an almost unhinged smile on her face, Neo destroyed CRDL's defenses again and again.
"Damn bitch- owe fuck it hurts!" Russel grimaced, holding back tears while trying to knife Neo with his daggers.
"Watch your back Russel!" Sky called in warning when a blur appeared behind Russel.
Russel heard the warning and reacted, but by then, another blood curdling scream echoed.
It was the first time Pyrrha ever felt so bad for the other team. T-This wasn't a spar. Wasn't this just torture?
Indeed, even Glynda's features were growing strained as she constantly checked at CRDL's Aura meters. They hadn't even reached orange yet. This was too cruel.
Even Ruby and Weiss were beginning to wince, thinking that they should just end it, but they froze when Neo pouted at them. Honestly, they would rather have Neo's ire on CRDL than them, and it wasn't as if anyone was really dying, right?
Neo's strikes merely chinked away at CRDL's Aura rather than quickly deplete it. The pain delivered with each strike in no way correlated to the damage, and…Neo loved it.
She really had to get herself one of these.
By now, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss were only going through the motions of combat out of courtesy, but frankly, Neo with Tora Shinai was trouncing CRDL on her own. There was an almost vindictive gleam she had with the cursed weapon, and it was clear that she enjoyed every hit she landed.
Glynda considered putting a stop to this abuse, but she glanced at Shirou, and Shirou was shaking his head. In the end, Glynda would not call a stop to the fight, not when the other side still looked so determined.
Shirou had to agree.
Tenacity with purpose always belied results.
"S-Sky, is it fucking ready?! I-I can't take this anymore!" Russel screamed, rolling on the ground while clutching at his winded stomach.
Indeed, Neo wasn't the only one with a magic artifact. CRDL had one too.
The baton held in Sky's hand started off with a wooden colour, but had gradually changed into a murky black, red etched archaic curse script flared on its sides.
"Sky, dammit, we can't last like this!" Dove joined Russel, eating dirt from having his face kicked into the training ground.
Finally, as Neo moved into strike at Sky, a pulse of light encompassed everyone before quickly dying down. On the Baton's left side, the outline of four faces appeared that drew everyone's attention.
Though not nearly as detailed, they were clearly Neo, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha's faces.
"...Done." Sky panted for breath before running towards Cardin.
Stunned at the appearance of her face on that stupid looking baton, Neo didn't chase. This would be her only and final mistake.
"Sky…" Cardin gritted his teeth with growing guilt.
"Do it." Sky said. After all the hell they just endured, this was the only choice after Neo had beat it into them that she alone could defeat them. Then what about Pyrrha, Weiss, or Ruby? "Cardin, there's no other way! Nothing else can win us this fight. They're too strong, and there's still three more. We have to knock them all out at once, and hitting me normally won't do shit if they could endure it like us!"
"..." Cardin hesitated.
"Do it!" Sky was willing. They'd already discussed this as the worst-case scenario beforehand.
"You are my brother from this day on." Cardin finally hardened his resolve.
Neo snorted at the dramatics. As far as she was concerned, nothing they did would turn this around.
"Need help?" Ruby tentatively asked, Pyrrha nodding her head. "Whatever they're doing doesn't look good."
'No.' Neo mouthed back. She was enjoying this. It was quite stress relieving. Why would she not prolong it?
The notion of defeat never even crossed her mind as she alone had been wrecking the other team. Ruby, Pryyha, and Weiss only needed to support her from the side while she had hunted CRDL down like caged sheep against a sly wolf.
Shirou shook his head at this point.
Complacency was the fastest way to defeat. To begin with, this wasn't just a normal spar, but a clash between concepts of a magic nature.
Given the choice, it was better to not even give the other side the chance to actualize their concept. Letting Neo dictate the rhythm due to confidence was a mistake.
Every match and every team was designed with balance in mind.
CRDL's baton was useless on the offensive, but its main concept revolved around 'Designation,' and 'Reflection.' The two combined was a rather potent weapon of an Undead Apostle, with the only demerit being the prerequisite of 'Designation.'
Great pain can come with great reward.
It was called: M's Baton.
To some degree, team CRDL at least understood the mental concept of the baton's use as its physical aspect had been altered to prevent injuries. In this case, it was 'Reflection of the user to the marked targets.'
Cardin channeled a majority of his Aura. "Sky, you will be remembered as a warrior!"
Ruby, Pyhrra, Neo, and Weiss tensed as Cardin then flared his Aura in what looked like a mad bull charge, only his target wasn't any of them.
Cardin's right leg reared back, Russel and Dove saluting with a pained grimace, and Sky bracing himself for impact. Team PRWN was too strong to defeat with conventional methods. What was required was a one hit knockout, and one universal method truly did exist!
"Feel the pain of a man!"
With manly tears in his eyes, Cardin closed his eyes before his leg kicked out towards Sky where the sun didn't shine.
C-Crack.
?
…T-The-
Sky's eyes rolled into the back of his head, froth foaming at the mouth before he fell backwards and passed out, his lower half spasming. Russel and Dove continued their salute, other men in the crowd joining them while Cardin gently lay his fallen comrade to rest.
Shirou held back a wry smile.
Any second now.
Through his connection with Ruby, he'd already noticed how her thoughts suddenly grew muted all at once. Even the pitch of her inner voice grew into a squeak.
Curses, Blessings, and Concepts were things that bypassed Aura to enact their effects to begin with. Targeted at people who've never experienced it, there were no preparations to be had.
Pain was one thing, but Reflected agony to the extent of passing out went beyond a normal pain threshold irrespective of gender. It was a brilliant decision by Team CRDL when faced with an overwhelming discrepancy in skill.
Neo froze incredulously, the Tora Shinai stiffly falling out of her hands and clattering over the ground before she silently clutched at her lower stomach, her knees wobbling before she crumpled. "...?-! 'Y-You're marked for life…'" She swore it inwardly.
Ruby stopped breathing, her legs splaying out from beneath her before she started rocking back and forth to no avail. "...?-! C-Cheaters…"
Weiss's face turned red, veins popping over her temples looking as if she'd swallowed a hot pepper. Tears were practically spilling from her eyes. "...?-! S-Sister no…"
Pyrrha looked the most incredulous, stubbornly trying to balance her wobbling body with numerous beads of sweat dripping down her brow. "...?-! N-Not like this…" Worse, Ector and Jaune were watching.
Team PRWN's efforts would all be for naught.
The thing about low blows was that the initial pain was nothing to the mind throbbing hell that came after. Moreover, this wasn't a woman's pain, but a man's pain that no woman had ever experienced until now.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Four bodies hit the floor in the silence while Cardin, Russel, and Dove didn't miss the chance to push them all off the stage, Glynda not quite knowing what to make of the scene as her frosty exterior broke into open gawking.
Instead, Ozpin coughed and interceded for her.
"Victory, CRDL, ugh, I mean CRD, someone get the stretchers."
It took a moment for the crowd to understand what had happened, but from the way Team PRWN had all pressed their legs together and crumpled in on themselves like Sky, they understood.
'Pain Reflection.'
That was the concept of CRDL's magic artifact.
/-/
Five stretchers were soon carried in, and five stretchers were carried out.
"Must they be so dramatic?" Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose. The readers indicated that Team PRWN's Aura levels were stable, so if anything, they were just experiencing phantom pains and nothing truly physical.
There was no need for the stretchers or medical support.
Besides, the moment Team CRDL's baton relinquished its mark on Team PRWN, they should be fine.
Ozpin shook his head at his Vice-Principals' ignorance.
"You wouldn't understand Glynda." Ozpin sighed with melancholy. "Just leave it at that. A brilliant turn around by CRDL. They were the weaker side in everything but the concept of their magic weapon. Archer certainly must have balanced the teams when he distributed the artifacts."
Ozpin had not seen such magic spars since ages past. Back then, nothing could be taken for granted as all sorts of magic existed.
Ah, the novelty was making him nostalgic.
Ozpin hid a smile as he noticed the way other teams shifted their views on Team CRDL, growing increasingly cautious of them after their display. Sky was rendered unconscious through CRDL's plan, but the thing was, team CRD still had another two sacrificial pawns to best even the strongest team if their capabilities didn't match up. The men in the room grew exceedingly wary while the women twisted their expressions in consternation and doubt if it was really that painful.
The rounds continued, some monotonous, others more complex with their strategies.
One first-year team possessed an artifact that centered around 'weight,' and used it to offset the recoil of heavy barrel weaponry. That wasn't what terrified the other team though. You see, the trump card in that match was the insight to swing a six-meter chunk of metal as if it were the weight of a dagger. The reduced weight only applied to the wielder, meaning that the mass of the weapon remained, hammering through Aura or leading to immediate ring out when swung. The metal itself was taken from the school arms workshop.
Glynda would have a word with what was clearly theft, but her strained features were drowned out in the fervor when said team was still defeated.
The upset came from a third-year team using the 'Restraining' concept of their given artifact. If Ozpin and the others were interpreting it right, what Archer called a Black Key restricted any whose shadows the sword pierced. And well, it was impossible to miss the shadow cast from wielding a chunk of metal over six-meters long. It could be argued that it was a different shadow, but the weapon's shadow was certainly tied to the user's shadow.
The third-year team merely depleted the other team's Aura levels from there until Glynda called the match.
To everyone, this was nothing like an ordinary spar. Capability was not the determining factor, but proper utilization.
With magic, appearances can never be taken for granted. This was one of the points Archer was stressing.
Ozpin certainly had to agree.
Glancing at the time, he noted that a quarter-of-an-hour had passed, leaving plenty of time before the session would end.
Qrow should have started by now, Ozpin hummed in thought before refocusing.
Clearing her throat, Glynda waited for the most recently called teams to conclude their ending remarks to each other before moving to announce the start of the next match.
"Team CFVY vs Team SEVR." She called, earning a few clamors of excitement as if it was third-years against first-years again. "Please begin your preparations."
-Elsewhere.
—-
A red-eyed crow glided through the air, its wings unfurled, and pinioned feathers flapping in the breeze. Circling, its eye surveyed the dark foliage beneath it.
Without any signs of human structures, trying to pinpoint one rocky valley from another specific one was quite difficult even with an aerial view. Hence, this would be the second time the particular crow circled the area in low gliding sweeps.
Unseen by the crow, Archer narrowed his reinforced eyes on it from several kilometers away where he was moving towards an intended position. Any minute now, the crow would eventually find what it was looking for and then tentatively approach.
As Archer had expected, Ozpin had sent Qrow out to ascertain the legitimacy of the information Archer had given regarding an artifact that could slay an immortal deep in the boonies of Anima.
Unlike the crow, Archer knew exactly where he was going, and it didn't take him long to reach a quarry dug into the side of a mountain by Grimm of all things.
On Archer's approach, Deathstalkers clearing out debris with their long tails and hardened pincers, glanced over with beady eyes, but otherwise didn't react. Up ahead and deeper into the mountain side were several worm-like Grimm drilling into the bedrock. The smaller debris was carried out by Ursa while packs of Beowulf constantly patrolled the area.
Despite Archer's presence, no Grimm turned hostile, an effect enforced by Salem's command.
Regardless of whether they were hostile or not, Archer's arrival was a signal for them to clear out, leaving behind only the structure they were building.
It was very crude, but the architecture and design were based off of a genuine ancient temple Salem had taken from her memories. Ozpin would certainly recognize it as something genuinely archaic, and that was why he'd left this to Salem.
The structure itself was fairly hidden, so unless one knew exactly where to look, it wouldn't be discovered. Coupled with the risk of wandering Grimm, no adventurer or explorer would even be able to venture this far without resistance.
No doubt, such a setting would play against any suspicions.
Now then, he had his roll to fill.
Stepping towards the temple, he directly moved inside and headed towards the seated altar at the center. No natural light could be seen in the interior, but rather small glowing gems cast dark shadows from stylized support pillars. Broken ornaments Salem had scrounged and had the Grimm decorate the place with were strewn haphazardly, as if some great battle had ruined what was once pristine.
It was almost wasteful as some ornaments were made with actual gold. Tapestry hung on the walls were either cut or torn for desired effect, their colors purposely made to look faded.
Time would tell if these decorations would prove useful, but it wasn't wrong to be efficient, and Salem had lived too long to forego wisdom now.
By the altar was one of Salem's feeler Grimm or Seers.
Hovering, it began to float over to him upon noticing his presence.
Different from the usual Seer, this Seer's tentacles were bound together to give it the impression of a floating cloak. If Archer could ascribe it to something mundane, it resembled one of those white Halloween ghosts. Something like a floating black drape with a Grimm mask on the top.
The edges of his lips tugged upward in amusement at the thought. In any case, he did nothing when the Grimm floated above him, widened the flaps of its dark robe, and then slowly descended.
Feeling the Grimm settled itself over him and meld itself into a thin layer over his clothes and skin, Archer tested his range of movement and control as the Grimm mask settled over his face.
The feeling was like wading through water, but it was bearable. To begin with, it was designed to be something like a suit.
He raised an open hand, and then channeled magic energy into his palm. A magic sigil engraved into the Grimm suit he wore immediately activated.
His shadow elongated into a churning abyss. Further testing revealed that the black mass moved in the direction of his will and anything caught within it, abruptly vanished as if it were never there. Loose ornaments and miscellaneous objects were sucked in, sinking into the dark like quick sand.
Reverting the flow of his magic energy, the absorbed objects were spit back out.
This was workable.
Salem must have succeeded.
Those consumed by the shadow would fall into a magic subspace Salem had focused almost all her magic energy into creating. Anything inside would be subject to a state of suspended animation, and of course the cost was high. All Salem had left of her magic reserves was the required amount to issue tasks to the Grimm she lorded over. She was no stronger now than an average un-athletic woman. In exchange, Archer would fill in for the loss of power, which as far as both were concerned, was an upgrade.
Their cooperation centered on only a single condition: No deaths.
It had been Salem's responsibility to come up with a way, or Archer would not cooperate.
The subspace was her answer.
It was a dick move that it would not change the impression that people were dying when Archer would use it, but at least in truth they were not. There was never a war without losses, and in this manner, he could create greater and greater tensions- emotional detriments left outstanding.
It was impossible to account for everything after all, and in the end, Archer chose the ending with the best outcome. Time could eventually heal all wounds both mental and physical, but death is the great equalizer with no conclusion.
If there was already an end goal, it was better to just work towards it.
He would become a scourge worrisome enough to unite the kingdoms and all its denizens while quietly gathering the Four Relics together.
He would do it. He certainly would.
If not by force, then by a sense of necessity and purpose.
To weave and tie history and knowledge was part of a greater scheme that would act as a bridge connecting all.
It was no mistake or simple whim that Archer had endured becoming a guest instructor in Beacon. Instead, it would allow him to paint a forgotten era of Remnant, gradually hinting what was white and what was black. Good and Evil, and which side the world should stand on.
If he were to become the Last Champion of Dark, then what would Ozpin do as a Champion of Light?
Was it a coincidence that all scenes of altered heroes he'd revealed ended with another hero acting against them? That these Alters were in fact former heroes? That it was more of a mercy to act than to let them be consumed in their darkness? To stop their corruption?
Again, what choice would Ozpin make?
What choice would his own students make?
With preparations long since established, Archer took his place by the seated altar and waited for the crow to arrive to begin the first act.
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