Mama Mirajane
"This is the worst case scenario." Ironwood shouted angrily, slamming his fist on the desk. "More people are dead, the culprit for framing me has gotten away, we have a Celestial Knight, sitting comatose in Pietro's lab, and somehow Jacques Schnee is sitting on the council."
"Thankfully all the materials being shipped to Amity Tower are still getting there. Though some of the shipments have been hit, Wendy has some of those serving under the Celestial Knights, escorting the shipments, and defending them against Robyn and her marry band. But it seems election night was the final push she needed to go from, Hometown Hero, to full on Vigilante." Clover explained.
"The only one who refuses to help is Robin Hood, because he agrees with what Robyn Hill is doing." Ben explained. "They might be gender opposites, but their ethics, their morals, couldn't be any more carbon copies of one another."
"But Robyn's emboldened the suppliers." Ironwood said. "They refuse to sell us anymore materials, until Mantle's been properly repaired. An' until we can get them to sell us more materials, the Amity Project, is completely stalled."
"But we're so close." Ruby said. "There has to be some way to finish the tower."
"There is." Winter said. "Declaring Martial Law."
There was a moment of silence as Ironwood turned to look out his window, and clasped his hands behind his back.
"You're not… actually considering that, are you?" Nora questioned.
"What's more important? Establishing communications, uniting the world, or appeasing a few city blocks?" Ironwood questioned.
"Don't make it sound trivial when you know it isn't." Nora said. "You kept saying how we just needed a little more time, but… you're not the one having to struggle."
"We have all, had to make sacrifices for the greater good." Ironwood said, turning back to look at them. "Mantle has had to bear a lot of the burden, yes, but…"
"They're bearing all of the burden." Nora declared, interrupting Ironwood. "The longer this waiting game goes on, the harder each day gets for the people down there, and now you wanna send in more soldiers? You can't force people to fall in line, and if you do that, you'll just be trading all of these problems for the Grimm."
Ironwood was silent, before he lowered himself into his chair, and began to contemplate Nora's words. Things were weighing heavily on him, and he didn't know how much more he could take, before he snapped. His thought process was interrupted however, when someone spoke up.
"James." Ben said. "If you enact Martial Law, you'll be disrupting the balance of the timeline."
"An' so what if I do? The balance has already been disrupted with Jacques winning Council Elections." Ironwood said. "Or did I not hear that part of the report correctly?"
"You'll be making an enemy of the Celestial Knights." Ben stated. "You've hardly seen a fraction of our power. An' even if he's in retirement, our founder will come to the battle field to right this wrong himself, if need be."
"Please General Ironwood." Ruby said, walking up and putting a hand on Nora's shoulder. "Squeezing Mantle this way, that kind of division plays right into Salems hands. That's why Tyrian, why Grim is here, framing you."
"Why he's working with the Dark Knights." Ben added.
"Yes. The reason why we called you here in the first place." Clover said, bringing up an article of Tyrian. "You sure this is the man you saw?"
"Tyrian Callows, was accused of murders all across Anima." Winter explained. "A Homicidal maniac who escaped justice, when his prison transport was attacked by Grimm. After that he was never seen again."
"An' it's clear as to why. He was in the Grimm Lands being recruited by Salem." Ben said.
"He works for Salem." Ruby said.
"That's definitely the man we saw last night." Pyrrha said.
"If we ever had any doubts that Atlas was Salem's next target, I think those are officially out the window." Qrow said.
"But now we have a suspect, we can tell the people!" Ruby said.
"That a long lost serial killer, is loose in mantle, and the military has no idea where he is." Clover said. "Might make things worse, before they get better."
"I am so sick of secrets." Nora stated angrily. "If we just told everyone about Amity, about Salem…"
"We Can't!" Ironwood shouted. "If we talk about Amity now, we risk Salems forces, who we know are here, working to sabotage it. If we talk about Salem now, we risk falling to the Grimm, before we can reunite Remnant. We have, to finish the tower. I want Robyn Hill in custody, we can offer her a deal, if she gets Mantle to cooperate."
"We'll figure it out." Clover stated.
"Anyone not assisting with Robyn, needs to focus on Tyrian. I wanna know who he's working with outside of the Dark Knights, where he's hiding, what he's planning, and exactly how that footage of Scythe using his abilities, got all over my Kingdom." Ironwood stated firmly, marching out of the door.
'This isn't gonna end well.' Ben thought. "Ruby, handle things from here while I'm out, I'm going to check in with High Leader Emiya."
"On it." Ruby said.
"I'll be back, and hopefully when I return, a bit of sanity will have returned to Atlas's General." Ben said, sending a glare towards Ironwood as the cyborg stopped in his tracks, before the Celestial Knight disappeared in a shimmer of light.
~Shirou's Study~
"Hmm…" Shirou hummed, having listened to Ben's report. "I was hoping to avoid this. But it seems like the timeline on Remnant is splitting into its second option."
"Sir?" Ben inquired.
"Remnant is a bit of an anomaly, a paradox if you will. Ever since the first global wipe out of humankind done by the God of Darkness, Cerenos had set a contingency for the world, if it ever broke off from it's first timeline. Essentially, it would slip into its second timeline to at least maintain a pseudo balance until it became the main timeline. The two timelines have switched back and forth over the centuries. The last time this happened, was when a woman named Summer Rose, went and tried to confront Salem on her own, instead of waiting for the rest of her team to join the mission. It would have ended very badly, if we hadn't intervened, but by then, it was too late and the timeline had already slipped into it's divergent parallel path." Shirou explained.
"So, what do we do now?" Ben asked.
"Well… I was hoping I wouldn't have to disturb him with an issue about the balance of the multiverse, during his retirement, but I'm afraid we don't really have a choice anymore." Shirou sighed. "I'm gonna have to bring my predecessor out of retirement for this."
"Who might that be sir?" Ben asked.
"Ben you're aware of where the Evil Containment Wave came from, right?" Shirou questioned.
"Right, it came from a cluster of twelve universes, specifically Universe7." Ben said.
"Well, my Predecessor, the original founder of the Celestial Knights, hails from the same universe." Shirou said. "He was around long before any of the current deities came into power or their positions. An' I fear he might be the one we need to keep things on Remnant from spinning out of control more then they already have."
"So, where can we find him?" Ben questioned.
"That's the difficult part." Shirou sighed. "Looking for him, is gonna be a real challenge. But if there's one thing that's never changed about him, it's that he'll do whatever he can, for family."
"So, if he's hard to find, how do we locate him?" Ben inquired.
"That's… the tricky part."
~Pietro's Lab~
"Is he gonna be okay?" Wendy questioned sitting next to the medical bed her husband lay in.
"As far as I can tell, Scythe is gonna be fine my dear." Pietro said. "The bullet only cracked the metal armoring he covered himself with, but the trauma to the brain he took from the impact, will take a while longer to heal, even with his healing factor."
"Papa, will Scythe recover in time for any big battles?" Penny asked.
Pietro paused, before he let out a sigh, looking to Wendy and Penny.
"Let me show you girls something." He said, pressing a button on his chair, producing a screen with X-rays. "These are the X-Rays taken of Scythe's brain. This right here is the area that took the impact force of the bullet." He stated, pointing to a swollen area of the brain. "Right now Scythe's brain is in the process of healing itself, which means he's gonna need time to heal."
"Time, we don't have." Wendy said. "Can't we speed it along somehow?"
"I'm afraid not. If we were to try and rush the process, we might end up doing more harm than healing." Pietro said. "He just needs time, and your healing spells are helping to calm the swelling, but other than those, we can't really do anything to help him."
"But there has to be something more we can do. I can't stand seeing him like this." Wendy said. "An' Jackie is worried too. She can't even focus on her duties with Scythe like this."
"None of the Summoned Servants can." Ben said, appearing behind them.
"Ben, you're back." Penny said in shock a bit. "How'd the meeting with Ironwood go?"
"I'm pretty sure he made you aware of what's being planned." Ben sighed. "Ironwood's losing it. An' I got some worse news. The founder of the Celestial Knights, might be coming out of retirement soon to fix this."
"Wouldn't that be a good thing, and what would be gained from that?" Pietro questioned.
"He's already had to deal with a global imbalance on Remnant once, which means he's more familiar with how this world works than any of the other Celestial Knights." Ben said. "So we don't really have much choice but to rely on him for this. An', as for if it's a good thing or not, that's complicated as he's a pretty ruthless man."
"The founder of the Celestial Knights?" Penny asked. "Who would that be?"
"His name is Cerenos. He's… actually someone we've never met before." Wendy explained.
"For good reason. Once he retired, he went to a pocket dimension of his creation, that was only accessible by the current High Leader of the Celestial Knights." Ben said. "Funny thing is, locating the dimension is a job all on its own. Cerenos made it difficult, for even his successors to find."
"How exactly did this, Cerenos fellow, form the Celestial Knights?" Pietro inquired.
"By theory of Schrodinger's Cat, he both was and was not, at the beginning, when time first began." Wendy said. "The Celestial Knights started when time began, or rather the armory was first created when that happened. But the founder of the Knights, was the first to stumble upon it, and became the first, Celestial Knight, when he reached the power of divinity, as he became a Destroyer God."
"He's the one who christened the order, as Celestial Knights." Ben stated.
"So, how long until he arrives?" Pietro questioned.
"We're not sure." Ben sighed. "High Leader Emiya, believes he can get to Cerenos, but the journey, even for a Celestial Knight of his caliber, could take a while to do."
"Sounds like he really, doesn't want to be found then." Penny said.
"Penny, why don't you and I go out on patrol, and leave Wendy with Scythe and your father?" Ben suggested.
"Alright." Penny smiled. "I'm heading out on patrol with Ben, Father."
"Take care sweetie. Be safe." Pietro called out.
As Ben and Penny left, Wendy turned her attention back to Scythe, and stayed by her husband's side.
"Don't worry child, it'll be alright." Pietro said.
~Mantle~
"It's hard, seeing Scythe like this." Penny said, flying alongside Ben as he ran across the rooftops of Mantle.
"Even worse, Wendy has to suffer through it." Ben said, before they stopped. "High Leader Emiya is considering terminating their mission here, and ending it. It'd be easier then looking for Cerenos's dimensional retirement home in the first place. There is one last mission I think they could benefit from. I can handle the Dark Knights here, while they're off on another mission before their leave of absence for fighting."
"Would that be wise?" Penny asked.
"With the way Scythe is in right now. It would be the smart thing to do. But knowing Scythe, he'd be against this, and try to fix what he's messed up." Ben sighed, looking out into the distance. "Call together Teams RWBY and JNPR. It's time for them to say their goodbyes to Scythe and Wendy."
"Does that mean you're gonna leave too?" Penny asked, seemingly disappointed.
"No. I'm gonna be staying, to clean up the scum of the Dark Knights that infect this world." Ben stated firmly.
~Pietro's Lab~
"So, this really is goodbye huh?" Ruby asked as she embraced Wendy in a hug.
"Stay safe on your missions out there Wendy. Don't go getting yourself killed." Yang said.
"I'll be sure to keep my guard up." Wendy smiled.
"Make sure to eat plenty of protein and vitamin rich foods." Weiss said.
"An' don't hesitate to call on us for help, if you ever need it." Blake added.
"I'll be fine." Wendy said. "I'll be sure to let you all know when Scythe wakes up, as soon as he does."
"Are you sure it'll be okay for him to leave my medical care?" Pietro questioned.
"He'll be fine. Rin is a professional medical practitioner." Wendy said. "Take care of yourselves, all of you. Be safe, and don't forget to fight for what you truly believe in."
Wendy smiled as Ruby stepped back, before she put her hand on Scythe's and they both were transported to the Celestial Armory in a shimmer of light, where Rin and Shirou were waiting.
"You did good work." Shirou said. "You won't be able to return to the DWMA until Scythe wakes up, so I've prepared a bit of a stress reliever mission for you to keep your mind off his condition." Shirou said, holding out a folder to her. "The world this assignment takes place in, is one that did not develop any sort of unique powers or abilities. That girl in the file, as an infant had Logos Syndrome. A neural disease that has a 100% mortality rate."
In the file, Wendy saw a photo of an ordinary fair-skinned girl with soft waist-length purple hair, her bangs hanging over her forehead with shoulder-length hair strands hanging on either side and pale blue eyes, dressed in a full-sleeved church habit, a white veil with attached navy blue wimple on her head, a blue border lined white vest scarf tied with a yellow ribbon bow on her neck, a large brown belt on her waist, and brown boots.
"Her name is Hina Sato. Miraculously, she's no longer suffering from Logos Syndrome. But it's no secret to us as to why." Shirou said.
"She has a computer chip in her brain, which turned her into a living Super Computer, and is stopping the Logos Syndrome from killing her. Thanks to that chip, her illness is being reversed." Wendy said, reading over the file.
"An' the world leaders of that earth, are wanting to remove the chip from her brain, and hide it from the world." Shirou said. "They're basically gonna murder an innocent child, just to get their hands on that chip, by allowing her Logos Syndrome to progress further."
Wendy's eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists, as the file was shredded with sharp gales of wind dancing around her. It was another moment before the gales stopped, that she calmed down and was able to think clearly again.
"Don't they understand, that removing that chip will allow for her Logos Syndrome to progress further and kill her?" Wendy said.
"Which is where you come in." Shirou stated. "This world, is another in which Cerenos had been in charge of during his time as High Leader, it's how it never developed a populace with superpowers or other abilities of artifacts that could cause such things. Your job, is to make sure that Hina Sato, does not get taken by those who wish to remove the chip from her, and let them know, she is not to be touched." He explained, pulling a letter from his shroud. "This letter, will let them know who's protection Hina Sato is under, and the world leaders will back off. I don't care how you do it, but you have to get the message across, that she is under the Celestial Knights protection. Even killing her abductors is an option that's on the table. Should the World Leaders ignore the letter, you have my permission, to do with them, as you see fit."
"Right." Wendy said, taking the letter and vanishing.
"Are you sure it was wise to put lethality on the table?" Rin questioned, as she finished settling Scythe in his medical bed, and connecting his I.V's to him. "You know how female dragons, especially Dragon Queens, can be when their mates or young, are in critical condition."
"She needs this." Shirou said. "She needs to get her hands dirty, if she's to remain a Celestial Knight."
~The Day I Became a God Universe~
"Hina we have to run now. Come on." A young man, Youta Narukami, said as he lead Hina out of the shelter of the building they were in, and into the pouring rain.
"Wait, Youta." Hina cried as she was dragged along.
Youta and Hina continued to run away from the building, and as far away from the suits chasing them as possible. Even as Hina lost her footing for a second, and her veil fell off, they continued to run.
"Whether goest thou?" Hina questioned, speaking in an old dialect.
"As far as I possibly can. Somewhere they won't find you." Youta said.
"Wherefore? Please, tell me Youta." Hina pleaded as they continued to run, before she stopped and removed her hand from his. "Answer." She shouted as Youta stopped, and turned back to face her. "Why?"
"How couldn't I?" Youta questioned. "Hina, I'm trying to protect you."
"But why? Why wager thy wellbeing for my sake?" Hina questioned.
"Because I… I've had so much fun this Summer." Youta said. "It's like I've been through a lifetimes worth of experiences, in just a month. All of that, is because I met you. My time with you has been incredible, and so I want that time to go on forever, is that a dumb reason? Call me a fool, or a buffoon, or a blaggard, I wanna hear that right now, and when summer ends, and when fall and winter pass, and we carry on into the new year, I still want you there at my side. I'm begging you Hina, please run."
"I know what you want, but not why." Hina said.
"It's because… because I…" Youta paused as he pulled Hina into a hug, just as lightning flashed, making it seem as though time has come to a stand still. "Hina, I wanna protect you, because I love you. With all my heart." He said, the hug holding her with a gentle, yet lovingly firm embrace. "You get it now?"
"Really? I never thought the day would come, when I'd hear that from somebody besides Grandpa." Hina said, before Youta let go of the embrace.
"Not just me. Mom, and dad, and Sora, and all our friends who came here to help us put the movie together. We all love you, and we all wanna help you so please run." Youta said.
"Tis of no use. For wheresoever we may go, so too might they follow. Indeed, there can be no place in all the earth beyond their grasp." Hina said.
"You're wrong. There has to be somewhere." Youta argued.
"But forsooth, I am an omniscient God, and I see all things. An' I say to thee, no such place exists." Hina said.
"No, it does. I'm sure." Youta said, tears streaming down his cheeks, visible through the rain.
"Youta. Do thine eyes weep?" Hina questioned.
"I'll find somewhere safe. Run with me." Youta cried.
"Thanks to thee Youta. As all things must pass, so too shall my summer with thee." Hina said. "But this warmth that fills my heart. If this alone I yet may carry with me, then I shall be satisfied until the end of my days. So please, don't weep for me, nor shed a tear in sadness, but remember all the fond memories we've shared during this summer." She smiled, as the echoing footsteps of multiple men running through the rain, reached their ears.
One of the men aggressively grabbed Youta, and threw him away from Hina, sending him into one of his comrades who restrained him aggressively.
"Youta." Hina called out, before one of the men in suits grabbed her shoulder, causing her to wince in pain.
"Get away from her." Youta cried out, before he was thrown to the ground, and his restraint became harder to break. "No." He said, before the suit pressed his knee into Youta's back, and forced his head into the ground. "Go Hina, please run." He cried out to the girl.
"Tis no use." Hina said.
"Run." Youta cried out, as he tried to break his restraints.
"I am forever grateful to thee Youta." Hina said with a soft, yet sad smile. "Or to speak plainly. I too, love thee most dearly."
"Don't go." Youta whispered as Hina was escorted away. "Hina. HINA."
As Hina and the suit reached the stairwell, Hina felt a hand on her head, as well as the familiar presence of her veil.
"It's a little wet from the rain, but it should be fine." Wendy said, as she stood to Hina's right, directly across from the guard.
Hina gasped, as she suddenly felt a powerful gust of wind rush past her, and the suit that had been at her side, was gone, and Wendy was suddenly in his place, facing the same direction as her, the bluenet's leg coming down down as if she'd just hit someone with a spinning back kick. Sticking her lower lip into her mouth, Wendy let out a loud whistle, that sounded like it was coming from a concert speaker.
"Ah, my ears." One of the suits said as they all covered their ears at the high pitch sound.
"AAHHH."
All the suits turned around to see their comrade, restraining Youta, was being held from behind by Jack, with a knife to his throat, and an angered look in her eyes. Despite this, the government suit, was still keeping a firm grip on Youta, and held him pinned.
"Can I kill him mommy, can I, can I?" Jack questioned.
"No. Stay your hand Jack." Wendy said, before looking at the suit restraining Youta. "If you don't let the young man go in three seconds, I will change my mind."
The suit looked at Wendy in fear, before he let go of Youta, and removed his knee from the young mans back, allowing him to get up, and run to Hina, pulling her into his embrace.
"Hina, don't you ever scare me like that again." Youta said.
"Take her and run home. Your friends are all there waiting for you. I'll follow shortly." Wendy said.
"I don't know who you are, but thank you." Youta said, taking Hina's hand and running away from the scene.
"Hey, stop right there." One of the suits called out, running after them.
"No body move." Wendy stated firmly.
The suit didn't listen, and Wendy sighed before she snapped her fingers, as the suit slammed into, nothing.
"What the? There's nothing there, what's going on here?" One of the suits asked, holding his nose in pain.
"You all work for the World Leaders, correct?" Wendy questioned.
"That is classified information."
"Well give them this." Wendy stated, shoving the letter into the suits chest. "It's a letter, explaining why that girl is not to be touched, or persecuted by anyone in any of the Governments, world wide. An' to make sure you deliver it, Jack will be coming with you. If I hear you haven't delivered the letter, and you just decided to hunt down Hina Sato, Jack will kill you all, and deliver the blood soaked letter herself. I'm giving you a chance to do the smart thing and live. Don't waste it." She hissed, before vanishing in a pillar of light.
~Narukami Residence~
"Mom, Dad, Hina and I are home. An' we've got trouble." Youta called out.
"We know Youta. Ashura explained it to us." Youta's mother, Tokiko Narukami said, coming out to greet him.
"Strange thing is though, we didn't fight. As soon as you left, we all ended up back here somehow." Ashura said, coming out with her.
"That's strange. But we got caught, and some blue haired girl, maybe a round Jinguuji's age, came to our rescue, and somehow she's keeping all those men in suits at bay." Youta said.
"You said she had blue hair?" Tokiko asked.
"That's right. She seemed powerful, and pissed. Why, what's happened?"
"She's sitting in our living room right now, drinking some tea."
Youta and Hina both looked at her as if she grew a second head, before they both ran to the entrance to the living room, and saw Wendy sitting on the couch with the others, drinking a cup of hot tea.
"This is lovely. I never thought to put honey in tea." Wendy smiled.
"Oh stop, it's nothing special." Daichi Narukami, Youta's father, said with a smile holding the tray he'd used to bring Wendy her tea. "It's just something I learned from my mother."
"Hold up, who the hell even are you, and why are you suddenly in my house?" Youta questioned. "Ten minutes ago, you were out in the rain, getting soaked. How are you even here right now?"
"Good to see you made it back." Wendy said. "My name is Wendy Marvell Strauss. I'm here, because the UN decided to try and take what's in her head." She stated, pointing to Hina.
"In her head?" Sora, Youta's younger sister, questioned in confusion.
"What, like her brain?" Youta asked.
"No." Wendy said. "They want to take the computer chip her grandfather made, and destroy it."
"A computer chip?" Ashura questioned.
"You're aware that Hina suffers from Logos Syndrome, correct?" Wendy inquired.
"Well yeah, it's what her father told me when we found him." Youta said.
"The chip Hina's grandfather put in her brain, has stopped the progression of her Logos Syndrome, it's even reversed it by a good deal, and turned her brain into a living, organic super computer, in other words, it's a God Program." Wendy stated.
"That's why she thinks herself an actual God." Sora said.
"Correct." Wendy said. "But, the World Government should be stopping their pursuit of her in about an hour or so. They'll be receiving a letter from my superiors, stating Hina Sato, is under the protection of the Celestial Knights."
"I've never heard of the Celestial Knights." Youta said.
"Let's just say, the Celestial Knights aren't just talk and myth when it comes to our abilities." Wendy said, creating a small tornado in the palm of her hand, shocking everyone. "Celestial Knights are the peace keepers of the multiverse, always maintaining the balance of countless worlds through reality, time, and space. In this mission of mine, it was to maintain the balance of the timeline, which involves keeping Hina safe."
"Mama." Jack said, appearing in the middle of the living room, shocking everyone but Wendy, as she was covered in blood, and none of it came from her.
"What's up my Little Ripper?" Wendy inquired.
"The mean men were a bunch of dummies, and didn't listen to you, so I did what you said, and delivered the letter myself." Jack said.
"Good job sweetie."
"Also, I have some bad news Mama." Jack said. "Papa woke up, but he wasn't acting like himself. He was acting all feral, he was going berserk, like something was possessing him."
"Where'd Papa go sweetie?" Wendy questioned.
"He destroyed everything in his path, and went back to Remnant." Jack said.
"He must be going to finish the battle we started." Wendy said. "Jack, go tell Rin and Shirou I'm on my way to intercepting him."
"Yes Mama." Jack said, saluting before she vanished.
"Sorry about her." Wendy said, hastily reaching into her pocket. "I have to get going, and I'm not always gonna be around to stop the government from going after Hina. So I'm leaving you with this." She explained, holding out a thin piece of metal with a button on it. "This is a special call button. Only press it in case of an emergency when you're needing the help of a Celestial Knight. It won't always be me who answers, but I can assure you, someone will answer."
"Thanks, we really appreciate this." Daichi said, taking the button.
"I'll be taking my leave now." Wendy said, bowing to them, as she vanished in a pillar of light.
~Remnant: Schnee Manor~
"General, if I may be blunt." Jacques Schnee began, as he sat across from Ironwood at the dinner table with the other Council Members, as well as Robyn Hill, Clover, Ben, Penny, and his daughter Winter. "You have spent what little trust this council had left in you. The hacker who turned Atlas drones against us was never Captured. Whoever's been murdering your critics is still at large, how are we supposed to give you our trust, when you've given us nothing as of late?"
"That's enough Jacques Schnee." Ben stated. "Now while I am aware that none of the other council members are aware of what this emblem on my uniform means, you know perfectly well who, or rather what I am."
Jacques just glared at Ben, before looking down at his dinner plate.
"The fact of the matter is, you're just as much to blame for the deaths of those who were the Generals critics." Ben continued holding up a familiar looking holodisk. "I am well aware that your current fortune is… less then legally obtained, as you were assisted with the aid of an Excommunicated member of the group, I work with."
"I am well aware of who you are, but you should be well informed that your commanding officer and I made a deal."
"A deal in which, you broke the same day you made it." Ben stated, tossing the holodisk on the table, before it began showing video footage of Scythe's conversation with Jacques, the deal they made, and then the visit the Schnee had from Arthur Watts, and Grim Knight. "You made a deal that Weiss would take possession of the SDC if you gained the council seat, and that you'd never make any more business deals with criminals. Yet here we see you, not five minutes after that deal was made, consorting with Arthur Watts, and Grim Knight, both of them known criminal."
"How… how did you get this footage? Where were the cameras even hidden?" Jacques questioned.
"They were hidden all over your office." Ben stated. "I was fortunate enough to have a chat with your wife before this meeting, and she sent me the footage. From the cameras she installed to gather evidence, in case she ever took you to court for a divorce, and for bringing your dirty little secrets to light."
"Jacques." One of the Councilmen said.
"Is this true?" Another asked.
Jacques just looked at them as he realized he was screwed, before his head snapped to the side as something shattered the window and hit him in the side of the head, before it exploded like a watermelon hit with a baseball bat.
"Sniper, everyone down." Winter shouted.
"Grim." Ben hissed, before vanishing in a pillar of light.
As Ben vanished, another pillar of light appeared, and everyone gasped, when they saw Scythe standing there, panting like he'd just gone through a rampage.
"Scythe?" Penny asked.
"Where, is, Grim?" Scythe questioned.
"Hey, calm down take a seat." Robyn said, directing Scythe to an empty chair. "You're alive, and you're up on your feet. That's all that matters right now."
"General Ironwood, sir." One of his escort soldiers said, coming into the meeting room. "An urgent message has just come in. All the heating systems in Mantel have been shut off. We cannot get back into the system to start them back up."
With this reaching Scythe's ears, the Celestial Knight took it upon himself to head straight for the window, before jumping out of it. Crashing through the glass, Scythe went running towards the end of the estate, before his body lit up in blue and red lightning and he went racing through the land of Atlas.
"Where is he going?" Clover questioned.
"More importantly, what's happened to him?" Robyn asked.
"General Ironwood." Wendy said, appearing in the dinning room, before gasping when she saw Jacques's headless body. "No, don't tell me I'm…"
"No, everything's gonna be fine Ms. Strauss." Ironwood said. "Scythe didn't do that to Jacques, one of the Dark Knights did. Ben said his name, was Grim."
"He didn't go after him, did he?" Wendy asked.
"Ben did, but Scythe just charged out the window, as soon as he heard about the problem happening down bellow in Mantle." Ironwood said.
"What's happening in Mantle?" Wendy inquired.
"The heaters have been shut off, and we can't get them back up again." Ironwood said. "This has to be Arthur's doing. He used Jacques's Councilman Credentials to access our systems, in exchange for helping him get the Councilman Seat."
"What exactly is going on with Scythe?" Winter questioned.
"It's the injury to his head. Because it was caused by a bullet that negates his healing factor, shot at his brain, he's having trouble healing. He's currently out of control, and is going crazy." Wendy explained. "If he's going to Mantle, then that means there might be a part of him, aiming to control that rage, and directing it towards any Grimm that might invade."
"Then let's hope to the Brothers above, that's what he's doing." Ironwood said.
~Celestial Armory~
Shirou sat at his desk, thinking about the things that have transpired lately. He wasn't aware that Scythe would behave in such a way when he woke up, but it was concerning to him none the less. He was brought out of his thoughts, when Rin came into the office, sighing in relief.
"How bad's the damage?" Shirou questioned.
"It wasn't too bad, Virgo was able to fix it relatively easily." Rin stated rotating her shoulder. "Was a pain though. I mean, what has gotten into that boy?"
"It might be his fathers curse." Shirou stated.
"Wait, you mean the curse about turning into a dragon, permanently?" Rin asked.
"We might be seeing the first symptoms of it. His healing factor might be keeping it at bay, and it couldn't fully handle the brain injury, while suppressing the rage at the same time." Shirou sighed. "An' it's a problem that he's returned to Remnant, as Grim Knight was the one who inflicted the damage, and is still there."
"I don't really see how this poses a problem." Rin said.
"Adam Taurus is still alive, and he's stronger then ever." Shirou said. "If he manages to fight Scythe with the way he is now, I'm not sure we'll actually be able, to save Remnant this time. An' it doesn't help that I haven't been able to figure a way through Master Cerenos's trials to reach him."
"Do you think we should call on Amaterasu for help?" Rin asked.
"Only if it's needed." Shirou said. "I'd rather not bring the Masters daughter into this if she doesn't need to be involved. Let's just hope Scythe will calm down before he manages to actually run into Taurus."
"If he does run into him before then, we're looking at the birth of a Doomsday Protocol."
~Schnee Manor~
In foyer where the main party had been taking place, Ruby looked proud of what they did with creating a game plan, with Wendy playing a key role in it. The young reaper began making her way to the airship, before she spotted Oscar heading towards her, and addressed him as she met him half way, wanting to run something by him.
"Hey, Oscar?"
"Yeah?" He asked, turning to look at her.
"I think we should tell Ironwood." Ruby said.
"I was actually gonna talk to you about the same thing." Oscar said. "I think it's time we tell him the truth about Salem."
"I guess we're, on the same page huh?" Ruby asked.
"Guess so. He's finally choosing the truth, over fear." Oscar stated. "We should do the same."
"I'll tell him. I'm the one who chose to keep it from him in the first place." Ruby said.
"Ruby." Marrow called out. "Transport's leaving. We're not gonna wait up for you, just because you were too slow."
"I think you're needed elsewhere." Oscar stated, before making his way back to the hall leading to the dining room.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I've got it." Oscar said, giving Ruby a thumbs up.
"Good luck down/in there." The called to one another, before laughing at how they talked over one another.
"Ugh, kids." Marrow groaned, as Ruby ran passed him.
Oscar at the same time, was making his way back to the dining room, and stepped in to find Ironwood just about to tell the Council, about Salem and the Celestial Knights, as the coroners took Jacques's dead body away.
"General, Councilman Sleet, Councilwoman Camila, Robyn Hill… we need to talk."
~Wendy~
"So, is everyone clear on the plan?" Wendy questioned, looking to the teams as the airship was flying over Mantle.
"We're clear." Ruby said.
"What about you? Will you be okay with your higher ups?" Weiss asked.
"I'm here to make sure Scythe doesn't cause any more trouble for the timeline. An' that's what'll happen, if the Grimm manage to kill anyone else, if they haven't killed anyone already." Wendy said. "The moment I get Scythe, I'm supposed to return to the armory, and leave the rest of the mission up to Ben."
"When this is over, you still have to give a report to the General." Clover stated. "He's gonna want every detail you have about the mission."
"I'm aware. But right now, our priority is making sure the people of Mantle are safe." Wendy said. "Now let's move."
~Ironwood~
"They can control Grimm?" Sleet questioned, standing outside in the hall with Camilla and Hill, after Ironwood had just revealed to them, everything he'd been hiding from them. "An' that girl with the blue hair, she's a powerful peace keeper of the multiverse?"
"James wouldn't lie about something like this." Camilla said.
"You really think he can stop her?" Sleet questioned.
Robyn was off in the corner, thinking about all she'd heard, and then thinking about Wendy and Scythe, then her mind traveling back to when Scythe had managed to take out two of her top fighters. Suddenly, it was all making starting to make sense to her.
Inside the dining room, Ironwood sat there in shock, looking off into empty space, after hearing what Oscar just told him.
"She… can't be killed." Ironwood said.
"Not by us." Oscar stated. "But Ben and Scythe might have a way to kill her, since they've actually killed an immortal before. Or Scythe has, anyway."
"So then, the fate of humanity really does rest on their shoulders alone." Ironwood said.
"Always has, but they're not alone." Oscar said. "We might not be able to actually do anything to Salem or the Dark Knights, but we can be there, to support the Celestial Knights, when the time comes that they need us the most."
"Then we'll do everything we can, and maintain friendly relations with them." Ironwood said, before his Scroll went off. "Our transports are here. We should get going."
"Right." Oscar said, getting up and heading for the door.
"Oscar." Ironwood said, pulling the boys attention back to him. "No more surprises, alright? I'm not sure I can take it."
Oscar just looked at Ironwood, before a small sympathetic smile crossed his face.
"You and me both." He said.
~Scythe~
The enraged teen ran through the streets of mantle, outputting his power, to an incredible degree. Running through the streets, Scythe killed any soulless creature he came across, destroying any monster that dared to cross the borders of the wall protecting Mantle from the Grimm in Solitas. With each new Grimm that came, his anger grew, and the throbbing of his head increased.
His current objective was Grim Knight, and he wasn't gonna stop until he found him. As he continued destroying Grimm, the Celestial Knight slid to a stop, before pulling his fist back, and slamming it into the ground, creating a giant wave of energy that washed over the whole city, and destroyed any Grimm that got caught up in it.
"Atlas, Mantle." Robyn's voice echoed through the air, drawing Scythe's attention to the wall, where a projection of the Huntress could be seen. "I know you're scared. I'm here with General Ironwood, and we have a message for you." She stated, as the screen panned out to show her holding Ironwood's hand, their Aura glowing green, as he addressed the people. "What he has to say, may sound unbelievable, but it is all true."
"An ancient, and terrible evil lays outside of our Kingdom." Ironwood began. "It is this evil, that's responsible, for the destruction of Beacon, the attack on Haven, and for the recent attacks on Mantle, causing unease and unrest amongst you all. This powerful force, goes by the name of Salem."
"Salem seeks only to divide us, to turn us against each other." Ironwood continued. "If she can incite hatred within us, she we will lure in the Grimm, and we will destroy ourselves."
"Salem herself does not work alone." Robyn said. "Their minions, have invaded our very city."
"Arthur Watts, and Tyrian Kalos are the ones responsible for the recent murders in Mantle, and for sabotaging the heating grid, after enlisting the aid of Arthur's older brother, Jacques Schnee, by taking advantage of his desire to join the council." Ironwood stated. "But we cannot let ourselves give into fear, and panic. That is what they want."
"Instead, we must unite, and fight back. Every single one of us." Ironwood stated, his voice echoing from the television in Athena's room. "This my friends, is why I was forced to divert resources from Mantle. For the Amity Communication Tower. The Amity Communications Tower is now completed, and ready to launch. It will reestablish all communications around Remnant, and will be sustained, even if another tower is lost."
~Elsewhere in Mantle~
"A Colosseum remodeling, as a communications tower? How did James get this passed me?" Arthur questioned, searching through his Scroll, before it shorted out, and destroyed itself, with smoke rising from the device as he dropped it to the ground. "Damn it all to hell. One of those Celestial Knights must have added a failsafe to the Amity Project files, if they were accessed by credentials that weren't the Generals. They're far better then I initially gave them credit for."
"No kidding, what a drag." Tyrian sighed, sharpening his blade.
"The Council and I have decided to evacuate all the citizens of Mantle, to Atlas." Ironwood continued. "I'm withdrawing all defenses from Amity, in order to assist in repelling the Grimm, in Mantle."
"We must put aside our differences, and band together, to defeat this threat." Robyn stated. "I fully support General Ironwood's plan."
"The Grimm should have destroyed our enemies, not made them friends." Tyrian exclaimed, slamming his fist into the railing beside him. "Grim Knight assured us that's what would happen, after he got his hands on the damned book that holds the history of the timeline."
"Wait." Arthur said. "Our tin soldier's heart, has cost him, his mind."
"What do you have in mind?" Tyrian asked.
"You need to keep their attention on Mantle, for as long as possible." Arthur stated. "I'm sure Grim will be able to join you shortly, after dealing with my brother."
"You want more chaos, then a Grimm invasion?" Tyrian inquired with a smirk.
"If anyone on Remnant could deliver that, wouldn't it be you?" Watts asked. "I'm sure Grim is more then capable of it as well."
"If you've made it to your local shelter, stay put. Help is on the way." Robyn stated, as the feed continued. "An' for those of you in sector seventeen, I'll be seeing you personally."
"Come to think of it, I do have an idea." Tyrian smirked insanely.
~Scythe~
Things were starting to settle down. The Grimm had stopped coming in through the wall, and Ironwood and Robyn's message seemed to be working, as he couldn't sense the malice, and unease that was gonna cause the Grimm invasion. If he were to find Salem, he'd be able to stop her, and end this madness.
The throbbing in his head started to fade, as his healing factor worked to heal the swelling in his brain, caused by the bullet that hit him in the head.
"Damn it." Scythe cursed. "Damn that Grim Knight, he's gonna pay for what he's done."
Running through the city, Scythe used Celestial Teleportation to move quicker, taking higher vantage points, before he stopped, spotting the city from the ledge of a building, looking down upon the people, as they gathered for warmth and shelter.
"This is definitely the work of Salem and the Dark Knights." Scythe stated.
Before he could go any further, Scythe sensed a fast approaching presence from behind, and quickly pivoted out of the way, narrowly avoiding Ben as he was dragging Grim Knight's face along the surface of the roof, before jumping over the ledge of the building, and to the streets bellow.
"There you are, Grim." Scythe said. "Seems Ben's got you under control, so let's see what happens next."
~Amity Tower~
"Hmph, this would certainly do the trick." Arthur stated, stepping up into the center of Amity Colosseum fight arena. "Although I wouldn't exactly call it finished." He said, before all entrances slammed shut, sealing him within the fighting arena.
"Arthur Watts." Ironwood's voice echoed through the air of the arena, before the lights illuminated the colosseums announcers booth. "Welcome."
"It wasn't finished, it was bait." Arthur stated, realizing how stupid he'd been.
Ironwood threw away the microphone and leapt out of the announcer's booth. The cyborg man landed on the ground with a heavy thud, both fists slamming onto the floor, before getting to his feet, marching to Arthur, as the villain marched towards him as well.
"You know James, this place has always been a technological marvel." Arthur said, throwing his bag aside. "Truly, even before you went and uh… did all this." He stated, as they began circling one another. "The different types of Dust, the BIOM System, and of course, everything that goes into controlling them." He said, raising his hand, revealing the rings on his fingers were lighting up, before he slammed his hand onto the ground, activating the randomization terrain sequence.
Almost an instant later as the sequence worked through all segments of the arena, Arthur had to bring up his hand, and produce a Hard Light Holographic Shield to block a bullet, Ironwood had shot at him.
"You always were, a pain in the ass." Ironwood stated, his gun still pointed at Arthur, before all sections of the arena, landed on the Gravity Terrain.
Arthur took the opportunity to run, right before Ironwood shot at him again, and leapt over the edge into the rising terrain.
Ironwood remained on his guard, as he looked around the floating segments of the Gravity Terrain. He knew to keep his wits about him with Watts around, and had the right idea about it, when he saw Arthur up on a particularly high up piece of terrain.
"At the risk of sounding cliché James…" Arthur said, pulling out a revolver with twelve cartridges, and spinning the barrel. "I won't be going down, without a fight."
~Robyn~
"Ms. Hill." Penny's voice came over the communication device. "The southern outskirts are clear. It should be safe to begin evacuations, now."
"Great work Penny, over and out." Robyn stated, before ending communications and turning to Joanne. "Make sure you get these people to safety, I'm gonna check for any stragglers."
"Right." Joanne nodded, before leading several civilians away.
'That prerecording was a good idea Ironwood. We got all the people out of sector 17, right after the broadcast ended.' Robyn thought, before heading down an alleyway.
As the neighborhood heroine ran through the dark empty side street, she was seemingly unaware of the figure following her from behind, standing on the rooftop above her. She stopped and turned around as soon as she heard someone landing behind her on the ground.
'He took the bait.' Robyn thought smiling inwardly as she twisted around.
"Robyn Hill." Tyrian smirked. "For such a little bird, you have quite the impact around here." He stated, before twisting around, instantly avoiding a shot from one of Robyn's arrows. "Bringing, hope and a smile, wherever you go." He said, sounding disgusted before catching another arrow between the index and middle fingers of his left hand. "I find it, upsetting." The serial killer said, bending the arrow, before extending the blades of his weapons.
Robyn fired at Tyrian as the Mad Faunus came running at her, deflecting arrow, after arrow, before he noticed something coming from above, and jumped back, evading the bladed hook of Clover's fishing rod.
"Sorry Kalos, I really wanted to pummel you on my own, but the General insisted I share." Robyn stated, as Qrow and Clover landed on the ground behind her.
"Well you're not the only one, with a grudge." Clover exclaimed.
"You'll both have to get in line." Qrow stated.
"All three of you will have to get in line."
Tyrian looked confused at who spoke, before the trio of warriors, parted, and allowed for him to spot Wendy as she came into view. She did not look amused, and looked mighty pissed at Tyrian.
"C'mon Wendy, I mean no disrespect, but if you fight him now we won't be able to join in on the fun." Qrow said.
"I mean, Tyrian is a Remnant problem. Could we at least take him on first?" Clover asked.
"Alright, fine." Wendy sighed. "You're wanting to face off against him, be my guest. But if he's working with the Dark Knights, then there's a chance he's been given some rather strong upgrades you might not be able to handle. I'll only step in, when I'm needed."
"It's greatly appreciated, Mrs. Strauss." Robyn said.
Tyrian just growled, as he glared at the three who'd cornered him, while they turned back to look at him. He couldn't believe he'd fallen for this trap, worse over he fell for it at the behest of his partner Arthur Watts, unaware of the fact that this was a trap laid out for, most likely the both of them.
"Tyrian Kalos, you're under arrest!" Clover exclaimed.
This sudden declaration of his arrest was responded in kind, with Tyrian's insane laughter. The laughter, reaching Qrow's ears, gave him reason to begin the attack, and swung his weapon at the insane Faunus, only for the Scorpion Faunus to block the swing from Harbinger, with his wrist mounted pincer blades.
Quickly pushing the large weapon back, Tyrian swung his legs forward, as he did a downward sweeping kick, forcing Qrow back as he jumped into the air. The instant Qrow was on the ground, Tyrian was in his face, swinging his blades at the recovering alcoholic, and dodging the counter attacks with a surprisingly high level of elegance and grace in each of his movements. After leaving the reach of Qrows swings, Tyrian leapt at the bird and slammed his bladed weapons down at him. Qrow blocked his attack, as Tyrian landed behind him, before the Faunus moved with incredible speed away from Qrow, his stinger ready to strike as he leapt at Qrow once more.
Tyrian's attack was soon stopped as Clover used his fishing hook to pull his fist back, and turning him away from Qrow. In the instant he turned, Tyrian had to catch another of Robyn's arrows shot at him. But with his attention drawn away from Qrow, Tyrian was susceptible to an attack from the Huntsmen, to which he landed a punch to Tyrian's face.
Qrow continued with his strike, pushing Tyrian back as he followed his punch with a knee to the hip, and jabbed the hilt of his weapon into the Faunus's chest, sending him sliding back.
Tyrian growled in annoyance, before he looked to Clover and Robyn, spotting both of them then smirked. Aiming his weapons at Qrow, Tyrian began to rapid fire at the Huntsmen as he made his way to magic man's allies.
Being far enough away from Qrow, Tyrian leapt at Clover, with the Ace Ops commander blocking the blades of his enemies weapons with his fishing rod, before pushing the Faunus back. Quickly turning Tyrian around, Clover managed to wrap his Dust infused fishing line around Tyrian's left arm, before the Faunus was forced to block Qrow's oncoming attack with his remaining free arm. With the Faunus preoccupied, Qrow was able to land in another punch, that knocked Tyrian to the ground.
The Faunus wasn't keen on giving up however, as he pushed upwards, flipping through the air, as he kicked Qrow and Clover in the face, before landing on the ground, hands first. The Faunus balanced himself on the tips of his blades, only to push upwards extremely hard, sending him flying up to the ledge of the building next to him.
Robyn found her time to shine in the fight, and fired an arrow at the Faunus, only for him to knock it away with his tail. Tyrian looked at her with a laugh, before his tail was grabbed by Clover's hook, and he was pulled to the ground bellow. The moment he landed, Tyrian rolled out of the way, avoiding a swing from Qrow's weapon.
"It's been fun kiddies." Tyrian growled, before he slammed his fists on the ground, his insane smile, only grew bigger as a dark aura enveloped him. "But I think it's time to end this."
"I couldn't agree more." Wendy stated. "Gáe Bolg!"
The instant her voice rang through the air, Wendy's crimson spear flew passed the Huntsmen and Huntress, causing a massive wind pressure to rush past them, that knocked all three forward.
Tyrian's eyes widened in shock, before he bent backwards, evading the spear as the blade grazed his forehead. The Faunus criminal was knocked off balance even more, as the wind pressure threw him onto his back, but that didn't slow him down, as he used the momentum to flip back onto his hands, and push off the ground, landing on his feet before he looked up, and glared at Wendy, as she walked past her allies.
"Our turns over already?" Clover asked.
"If I'd let you go on any longer, you three would have died." Wendy said. "You didn't notice it, but right after your last attack on him, Tyrian was reaching for something that Grim Knight probably gave him."
"Clever girl." Tyrian smirked, licking at some of the blood that dribbled down his forehead, reaching for the weapon Wendy had stopped him from grabbing, before his eyes widened, and he found it was gone. "What?"
"Too bad you weren't fast enough to realize, I had one of the Grail Servants swipe it from you earlier." Wendy said, holding out her hand as one of the 40Thieves came out of the shadows, and put the firearm in her hand. "A gun? Seriously? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though it seems like a weapon from Grim's universe, though the bullets seem to be from a different universe, made with a compression magic of kind. The rounds within the chamber and magazine have enough explosive in them, to destroy a whole city block with just one bullet. CL-20 to be accurate. An' the amount of the explosive in each bullet's the equivalent to an entire crate of Lightning and Burn Dust, I'd say."
"I'm sorry, what?" Qrow asked. "How could something that powerful, be so small."
"Oh yeah. I've seen magic like this before. A high-striker game manager compressed five hundred pounds of lead into a single hammer head. It looked like any ordinary 20lbs hammer, but it was too heavy, for anyone without the physical or magical enhancing strength, to lift. Aside from Scythe that is." Wendy said. "Only this is far more advanced, and highly concentrated. I'm guessing a similar magic was used, one from Grim Knight's universe, or wherever the Dark Knights are stationed."
"An' he was gonna use that, on us?" Robyn questioned.
"He was." Wendy stated, as the gun vanished from her hand, with Gáe Bolg returning to her grip. "But thankfully, he no longer has access to it."
"You little bitch." He exclaimed, running towards her.
Just as Tyrian charged at them, Wendy vanished from sight, with Gáe Bolg spinning in her hands, before she reappeared right beside him, with the her weapons body slammed into the Faunus's torso, like a bow staff, and knocked him away, rolling backwards.
"Tyrian Kalos." Wendy stated, twirling Gáe Bolg over her hand. "I've got a bone to pick with you."
"What business could a Celestial Knight, possibly have with a lowly mortal such as myself?" Tyrian asked with an insane laugh.
"Don't play dumb with me." Wendy stated. "My husband and I were sent to this world, to maintain its balance. An' at the same time, the Dark Knights set their sights on this world, the same time we were deployed here."
"That's something that never occurred to me." Qrow said.
"Me neither, yet it all fits together like a puzzle, all too well." Robyn said.
"Mere coincidence at best." Tyrian stated.
"See, that's the thing. Coincidences I can believe, but not when they happen, so many times in a row." Wendy stated. "Like when we were in Argus, and Grim Knight had the opportunity to take out me and Scythe, but he didn't. An' again during the party Robyn held, but Scythe didn't leave unscathed."
"What are you getting at, my dear?" Tyrian questioned.
"I wanna know, if you have any information on the Dark Knights, and how they're managing to locate us, at every turn." Wendy stated. "I'm no fool, I know they're getting their knowledge from somewhere, I just need to know where."
"My, aren't you an astute one." Tyrian smirked. "But the question you should be asking yourself is not how, but who?"
"You saying there's a traitor amongst the Celestial Knights?" Wendy asked.
"Who's to say?" Tyrian asked. "It could be a traitor, or it could be another method, like torture. After all, you must know you're not the only Celestial Knights in existence."
"All other lower ranked Knights are accounted for though, all except…" Wendy's eyes widened in realization, as she stared at Tyrian, unknown on what to say, as she grit her teeth, and clenched her fists in anger.
"Seems you're quite smart, for a being who serves to erase chaos." Tyrian stated, crouching into a battle stance.
A loose rock from atop the building to Tyrian's left, fell from the ledge. As if it were the cue to start the fight, the instant the stone hit the ground, Wendy and Tyrian charged at one another, with Wendy having the speed advantage over her foe.
Maneuvering around Tyrian, while using Gáe Bolg to swing around on a pole, Wendy thrust herself forward, with her feet slamming into Tyrian's face and knocking him to the ground, before jumping into the air, landing a solid blow on the criminal's back with an axe kick, as he was picking himself up. Rolling forward, Tyrian stumbled as he got to his feet, before he rolled with the momentum, and flipped forward, his stinger swinging upward and scratching Wendy's face, over her right eye, and knocking her off balance.
Wendy wasn't willing to give Tyrian an inch, as she thrust Gáe Bolg forward, forcing the serial killer to bring up his bracers, using them to shield himself from Wendy's thrusts, with the force of each strike pushing him back.
"Amazing, I underestimated the strength of that weakling's mate." Tyrian said.
"My husband, is not weak." Wendy stated. "He is the embodiment of strength, the pinnacle of Slayers everywhere no matter the dimension. An' you'd already be dead, if he were the one you're facing right now, instead of me."
"Oh, I'm trembling in my boots." Tyrian said mockingly, running at Wendy, with the blue haired girl taking a defensive stance.
"Watch out." Clover called to her.
Tyrian pounced at Wendy, using the wall to his right as a springboard, pouncing to the other wall, continuing to pick up speed and momentum as he bounced around Wendy in a rectangle shape.
'He's using the same technique Scythe used against that Dragonoid woman who used him as a power source, after I first joined Fairy Tail.' Wendy thought her grip on Gáe Bolg tightening. 'If I'm reading his movements right, then his next strike will come from…'
Wendy quickly twisted around, and brought up Gáe Bolg, blocking Tyrians blades as he swung them at her, intending on cutting her down. Tyrian grit his teeth, before he raised his stinger, and aimed it for Wendy. Seeing this, Wendy freed one hand, and used it to swipe at the gem on her choker, changing the color to a toxic purple color, right before the killers stinger, pierced her shoulder, before she twisted Gáe Bolg, and whacked Tyrian away, and jumped back flipping through the air, as she landed in front of Robyn, Clover, and Qrow.
"Are you okay?" Clover asked.
"I'll be fine." Wendy said, gripping her shoulder. "I switched my element at the last second, he might have pierced my body, but he still boosted my power."
"Do you even have your Aura unlocked?" Robyn asked.
"No, I don't." Wendy said. "But that's not a problem, because I have healing magic. Only problem is, I can't heal my own injuries like Scythe can, so I gotta rely on him for that sometimes."
"Celestial Knights are certainly something else, aren't they?" Qrow asked.
"Too bad the Dark Knights are working with such a pathetic bitch hellbent on destroying the world." Robyn stated, noticing how Tyrian was angered by her comment.
"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" Tyrian shouted, before he went running at them.
Wendy charged at the mass murderer, and swung her weapon sideways, intending on hitting him in the arm, and rib cage. Tyrian jumped over the attack, planting his feet on the wall before throwing himself forward and thrust his tail at her. Wendy blocked the oncoming attack with Gáe Bolg whacked it away, swinging her weapon, and slamming it into Tyrians neck, breaking his aura and slamming him hard into the ground as he fell unconscious.
"Tyrian Kalos." Wendy huffed, standing over him as his vision began going dark. "Like Clover said, you're under arrest."
"That was incredible." Clover said.
"You haven't seen the full scope of what she's really capable of." Qrow said, before the three of them reached up with their hands, and caught something thrown at them. "What are these?"
"Cadet Badges." Wendy said. "Before I came back to Remnant, I was told to give these to the three of you. Team RWBY will get theirs, but right now that can wait."
"Wait hold up, are you saying that we're…"
"Welcome to the ranks of the Celestial Knight Cadets." Wendy stated. "Induction begins, as soon as this crisis is over."
~Scythe~
"This is not looking so good." Scythe sighed, sitting on the ledge of the building, watching Ben fight Grim Knight.
In the streets bellow, Scythe saw Ben duking it out with Grim, both of them using their abilities to the fullest, that was until Grim his Ben with some sort of tranquilizer that was negating his powers. With Ben's powers locked away, Grim kicked the Celestial Knight in the chest, knocking him into a wall, before pinning him there with a knife through the shoulder.
"Not bad kid, not bad." Grim huffed, spitting out some blood. "Gave me a real run for my money, and had me worried for a while. But you forgot, that I always have a plan for everything."
"What the hell did you do to me?" Ben questioned.
"Nothing much. I just used the same power nullifying drug on you, that I used on your little partner back in the universe she died in." Grim stated. "The effects are temporary of course, but it'll still give me plenty of time to do what I need to finish you off."
Raising his fist, Grim released two blades that protruded from his gauntlet, and gleamed with the light of Ben's doom.
"Goodbye forever, pest." Grim said.
Before Grim could throw his arm down, something whistled through the air, before Ben's eyes widened in shock, as two arrows pierced him through his shoulder. This sudden attack from behind, gave Ben the opportunity to move away from his would be killer, just before he fell forward hitting the ground, as Grim hit the wall Ben had just been pinned to.
"High Leader Emiya?" Ben questioned, looking up from the ground.
"Not quite." Scythe said.
Ben looked up to the building across the street, seeing Scythe standing there with his Grimm Reaper bow in hand, before it split back into its duo katana form, and he jumped from the roof, landing on the ground, with his fist burying itself into the road, causing the pavement to crack and crumble.
"Grim, you and I have an unfinished score to settle." Scythe growled.
"Hmm… I was certain that bullet would have killed you." Grim stated. "You covered your head in Godslayer metal right before impact, didn't you? An' with the gun at point blank range, that is truly impressive of you. But it doesn't matter, you're still going to die here, in this universe."
"You don't scare me Grim." Scythe stated, putting his katana's on his back, extending his God Killer claws. "An' you won't be taking me by surprise this time either. This ends, tonight."
"I couldn't agree more." Grim said, cracking his knuckles.
(Cue Music… What I'm made of: Crush40)
"Ben, take cover, I'll handle this." Scythe said.
"No, he's mine." Ben grunted.
"You can barely stand Ben. I'll handle it."
Without anything else to say, Scythe rushed Grim, just as the Dark Knight pulled the arrows form his back. Throwing the arrows to the ground, Grim quickly moved to the side, evading a swing of Scythe's claws, before he thrust his knee upward. The armored joint was on a collision course with Scythe's face, but was stopped, as the teen thrust the claws from his other hand into the limb, stopping them from advancing.
"Nice try, but did you forget about my other claws?" Scythe questioned.
"No, I just needed to get in close enough to do this."
Grim pulled his leg free of the claws, before he swung his fist forward, impaling Scythe with a metal stake that was beeping, as it sunk into his chest. The teen grit his teeth in pain, as claws sprouted from the stake, and dug into him, pinning itself into his chest.
"The hell is this?" Scythe asked, gripping it.
"That, is a Nanite Bomb." Grim stated, using some sort of freezing salve on his leg. "Once it goes off, your body will be destroyed, and there won't be anything left of you to…"
Grim stopped talking, as Scythe just pulled the stake from his chest, tearing a chunk of his flesh and suit off in the process, before he threw it into the air, right before detonation.
"You were saying?" Scythe asked, as his flesh could be seen, growing back, piece by piece.
"You're not afraid of pain." Grim said in shock. "You'd have made for a fine Dark Knight."
"Oh, I'm afraid of pain." Scythe stated. "But I'm afraid of death, more then anything else."
Scythe didn't wait for Grim to pull out any more tricks, as he rushed at the Dark Knight once more. Grim, unprepared for the strike to come, merely moved his head back, and to the side, with Scythe's claws destroying part of his mask.
Pushing back with his left foot, Grim moved away from Scythe, only for the teen to closely follow, his arm pulled back to strike.
'He's not giving me a chance to act. He's keeping me on the defensive, and preventing me from going onto the offensive.' Grim thought, moving left and right, avoiding Scythe's punches.
"You're not getting away that easily!" Scythe exclaimed, using his claws to slice off one of Grim's arms.
Grim glared at Scythe, his hand gripping what used to be his arm, before he reached for a weapon on his belt. His reach was cut short however, when Scythe used his claws to slice through the belts material, and kicked it away, out of Grim's reach. As the Dark Knight glared at the Celestial Knight, he moved in a way to faint one direction, then went to another. That didn't seem to work however, as Scythe managed to stop Grim, by cutting off one of his legs, causing him to fall to the ground.
(End Song…)
Scythe retracted his claws, and looked down at Grim, as if he were a pitiful creature.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Grim questioned. "Kill me."
"First, I wanna know who's been supplying you with intel." Scythe said, pulling one of the Katana blades from his back. "So talk."
"You think, I'm gonna tell you shit?" Grim questioned. "I don't have anything to say, to a being of light."
"A being of light?" Scythe asked.
"A member of the Celestial Knights. That damnable organization that wants to hide the truth, and true beauty of the multiverse, from everyone, and everything!" Grim stated, using his remaining arm to force himself to sit up. "Kaoso… estigos, veran… ekvilibron!"
Scythe just looked at Grim Knight, the light fading from his only visible eye, as his life ended.
"What did he say?" Ben asked.
"Kaoso, estigos veran, ekvilibron." Scythe repeated. "Roughly translated, it means; chaos, shall bring forth, true balance! It's the Dark Knights code apparently."
"Why didn't he go back to his Dark Knight Armory?" Ben questioned.
"Because that's not how the Dark Knights do things." Scythe said, as Grim's body lit up in blue flames. "They don't have the same safety measures that the Celestial Knights have. If the Dark Knights sustain any amount of damage, that's it. They're on their own."
"So, answer me this." Ben began.
Scythe turned around, before Ben grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and pinned him to the wall, an angered look in his eyes.
"Why the hell, did you take my one and only shot at revenge away from me?" Ben questioned.
"I didn't have a choice Ben."
"Bullshit!" Ben exclaimed. "You could have left him for me to finish off. You could have given me the chance to end him myself. Instead you interfered, and allowed for him to bleed out, taking my revenge away from me."
"He was going to kill you Ben." Scythe stated, removing his comrades hands from him. "I'm sorry. I'd rather you be mad at me, then looking at your rotting corpse."
"What makes you think I was gonna die?" Ben questioned.
"Because that drug he hit you with, it negated your powers. All of them." Scythe said. "It negated the Celestial Armory's safety measures to bring you back if you took too much damage. It's the same way your partner was killed. I read the report Ben. She didn't die instantly, her body was dismembered, and with her arm being the first to go, that should have been enough for her to be called back to the armory, but it wasn't."
"So what, now that I live, I just go back to the armory?" Ben questioned.
"No, you can't go back." Scythe said. "The effects of the drug are permanent. In time your powers will return, but your Celestial Knighthood, that's gone forever. You can't come back to the armory, unless you're knighted by a deity."
Ben just looked at Scythe, before he tsked, and reached into the flames, pulling out the small book that Scythe had lost before he wound up comatose.
"Don't lose this next time." Ben stated, tossing the book to Scythe, showing it was completely untouched by the flames.
Scythe just looked to Ben, sighing in irritation with himself, as the black haired young mans back, was all the Celestial Teen could see.
"Damn it." He cursed.
~Ironwood's Office~
Ironwood huffed, as the doors to his office opened up. He'd just gotten through with the altercation involving Arthur Watts, hence why his left arm was heavily bandaged and now in a sling. In his right robotic arm, Ironwood held Arthurs bag. He was glad to be back at his office where he could focus on protecting the people of Atlas. He stopped however, when he looked to his desk, and saw something that shook him to his core, and caused him to drop Arthurs bag.
~Team RWBY~
"I don't understand." Weiss said. "Why would the General call us back, without giving a reason?"
"Especially with evacuation still going on in Mantle." Ren added.
"You don't have to understand orders kids, you just have to follow them." Elm stated.
"City transports won't be stopping any time soon. The General says he needs us now, he needs us now." Harriet said.
"You all get to the General and find out what's happening, we'll bring Oscar and Pyrrha, and meet you there soon." Jaune said.
~Ironwood's Office~
The Ace Ops, along with Team RWBY, and the Celestial Knights, stepped through the doors into Ironwoods office, seeing the back of his chair turned to them. Wendy was overjoyed that Scythe's enraged state was only temporary, and that he'd come back to his senses. Ben was still gone, and unlikely to return, as Scythe had informed Wendy what had happened between them, with Ben turning his back on the Celestial Teen.
"General Ironwood?" Harriet asked, prompting Ironwood to turn around and show them the damage he sustained in his fight against Watts.
"We have made, a critical error." Ironwood stated, putting down a piece of black glass shaped like a Queen chess piece. "The Black Queen was the symbol Salem showed us before we lost everything at Beacon. Her way of telling us, they were inside, that it was too late. We stopped Watts; we stopped Kalos but, someone was here. They put this in my office, to tell me that… What if Mantle was just a distraction? What if it was just to draw us away from the academy to, to…"
"Sir." Weiss began. "It's going to be okay, we've got Mantle on our side now, and…"
"How do we know that wasn't part of her plan?" Ironwood questioned. "Yes it was a good sign that we took down Kalos and Watts. But how do we know she didn't wanna bring people into Atlas by the thousands?"
"In trying to save everyone, we left ourselves most vulnerable." Vine stated.
"Salem, has been one step ahead of us, this entire time!" Ironwood exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the desk, knocking over the chess piece, drawing Ruby's attention to it.
"It's glass." Ruby said. "The chess piece, it's black glass. This was Cinder."
The others looked to Ruby as she stood at Ironwoods desk, picking up the Black Queen, as if examining it.
"She's alive?" Yang questioned. "An' she's here?"
"That doesn't matter." Ironwood said. "If Cinder's here, then for all we know Hazel's here too."
"I doubt he is." Scythe said. "I've studied Salem's profile, and Cinders. If Cinder's here, then it's likely of her own accord, as Salem has exiled her for her failure at Haven. Which means, she had help from someone not in Salem's inner circle, someone who's equally invested, in the downfall of Ruby Rose."
"Neopolitan." Wendy said.
"What do you know about her?" Vine asked.
"Originally, she came from a wealthy family. The details of where that family was, is a little unclear, stricken from her record in the Celestial Knight Archives." Scythe explained. "But she left with Torchwhick as his right hand, after he robbed her family home, while his gang ended up killing her parents. Since then, she's been at his side, having fallen for him, until the Fall of Beacon."
"What would this Neo want here in Atlas?" Marrow asked.
"As I said." Scythe sighed. "She and Cinder have a shared, vested interest in Ruby Rose."
"Why?" Vine inquired.
"I was the last person who fought Torchwhick, before he was eaten by a Griffon at the Fall of Beacon, so it's likely she blames me for his death. An' when Pyrrha died, that was the first time I had used my true potential, and caused Cinder some serious damage, even causing her to lose her left arm, and eye." Ruby said. "The memories of that night were fuzzy after I saw Cinder kill Pyrrha, but I do know that I was the one who caused that damage to her body."
"An' Salem repaired most of it, by giving Cinder a new Grimm arm, from a Geist." Scythe stated.
"Either way, this isn't over yet." Blake said, before looking to Ironwood. "We're with you, General Ironwood."
Ironwood was silent for a moment, before he straightened up, and looked to all members of Team RWBY, plus the Celestial Knights.
"Are you with me?" Ironwood asked, putting his hand behind his back.
"Sir?" Vine asked, as Ironwood came around his desk to stand in front of Team RWBY, Wendy, and Scythe.
"How did Robyn know, about the Global Communications Project?" Ironwood asked.
There was a moment of silence, before Yang took a deep breath and faced Ironwood.
"We told her." The blonde stated. "The night of the ambush."
"You did what?" Elm questioned.
"We were trying to help." Blake stated.
"By going behind our backs?" Marrow asked.
"Wait, does that mean you let her escape?" Harriet asked, stepping up to Yang and Blake.
"You didn't think to clear that with us first?"
"It worked didn't it? Robyn is on our side. She always has been."
"We didn't know that, for sure." Ironwood said.
"She's always had the peoples best interest at heart. I took a gamble, and it paid off." Yang stated.
"None of this matters right now!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Loyalty always matters!" Ironwood stated, before Wendy quickly pushed Ironwood out of the way, with a kick to the chest, knocking him back from his desk as Arthurs bag burst open, and a Seer Grimm came floating out of it.
Everyones eyes were on the Seer Grimm as it made its way to the center of Ironwoods office, before Wendy's eyes caught sight, of the firearm held in Ironwoods hand.
'He was gonna shoot Yang and Blake, if I hadn't stepped in to knock him out of the way of the Seer's attack?' Wendy questioned.
"General Ironwood." A womans voice came from the Seer, shocking everyone in the office, the dome of the Seer cracking.
Almost instantly, the Seer Grimm died in the air as the cracks became bigger, before falling to the ground, losing its color. Hitting the floor, a black smoke came pouring from the crack in the Grimm, before it began taking on the shape of a woman, revealing Salem in all her glory.
"The brave, and noble Huntsmen and Huntresses, bested Arthur Watts." Salem said. "I congratulate you, on your victory."
"We stopped Tyrian too." Ruby said. "Wendy, stopped him."
Salem looked in the direction of the General and Wendy, her eyes landing on the blue haired Celestial Knight.
"It's such a shame really." Salem said. "To think the Celestial Knights would ignore my requests for aid in fulfilling my ambitions, only to come and make futile attempts at stopping me."
"What you want, is to destroy all of Remnant. Not a single Celestial Knight, worth their salt, would ever consider accepting your requests." Scythe said. "We will stop Cinder, and anyone else you try to send here."
"Dear boy, their goal was never victory. Their goal was never to win the fights. It was merely to set the stage, set the ambiance of my power." Salem said.
"For what?" Ironwood questioned.
"For me." Salem stated. "Time isn't on your side James. It's always, been on mine. You don't know anything girl. The people of Atlas have suffered enough. Surrender the staff and the lamp to me, and they needn't suffer any further."
"That's… not going to happen." Ironwood stated.
"Simply accept, the futility of your situation." Salem said.
"Just like how you accepted the futility of yours when you turned all of humanity against the Deity Brothers, and Cerenos was forced to intervene?" Scythe questioned. "We've seen what you're capable of Salem. The lamp showed us. It showed us, everything."
Salems face, grew a look of irritation, and turned to look at Team RWBY with the Celestial Knights, the look of irritation growing to a look of annoyance.
"We've seen that you can't be killed by mortal weapons. But we've also seen you fail." Ruby added, taking her place amongst her teammates. "We don't have to kill you, to stop you. An' we will stop you."
"An' you can bet, Team RWBY is always gonna have the backing of the Celestial Knights." Scythe stated, stopping Salem from being able to say anything else.
With her time running out, the visage of Salem vanished into smoke, with the Seer Grimm, leaving them shaken, with their hearts pounding in terror.
"That's Salem?" Marrow questioned. "That's who we're up against?"
"An' she's apparently on her way." Harriet stated.
"But, we'd be alerted if any forces had approached the Kingdom." Elm said. "We have long ranged proximity alerts and…"
"They're offline." Vine said, looking at his Scroll. "With all of the chaos we didn't even notice."
"Watts must have shut them down." Marrow said.
"Or they've already been destroyed." Ironwood said, as he marched back for his desk.
"All of them?" Elm asked.
There was a moment of silence, before Blake spoke up.
"You said in your speech that Amity Tower was ready to launch. Was that true?" Blake asked.
The silence Ironwood gave was all the answer they needed.
"No." Yang said. "You just said that, to lure out Watts."
"General Ironwood?" Weiss asked.
"I've sent your sister to claim the power, of the Winter Maiden." Ironwood said.
"What?" Weiss gasped.
"When I realized we'd been compromised, I knew we couldn't wait any longer." Ironwood said. "The staff, and the lamp have to be locked away."
"That's if I choose to give you the lamp." Scythe said, holding up the lamp, showing he had it again. "An' as a Celestial Knight, I know what's gonna happen next, and it goes against the flow of the timeline. I'm keeping it, and you don't get a say in this decision."
"I believe I do, as I trusted you before I was lied to, about the lamp." Ironwood stated. "Before you lied to us about Robyn, before Salem was right on our doorstep. Before Mantle was nearly destroyed, and myself and my army were left exhausted!" He exclaimed, knocking away the empty bag with his gun. "The timeline has changed, and so we must change accordingly."
"If you do this James, you're gonna make an enemy of the Celestial Knights." Scythe said. "An' that is one enemy you don't want."
There was a tense moment of silence, as Scythe and Ironwood stared one another down, before Harriet broke the tension.
"What are our orders, sir?" Harriet asked.
"We're going to take our plan for Amity Tower, and apply it to the City of Atlas." He stated, crushing the Black Queen chess piece.
"What?" Ruby questioned.
"You've gone mad James." Scythe stated.
"It was Oz's plan in a former life." Ironwood said. "But he didn't take it far enough. If we harness the power of the staff, and raise ourselves high into the atmosphere, the city's artificial climate will keep citizens, and food supplies unharmed. Always out of reach of whatever Salem may try to send our way."
"You don't know that." Wendy stated. "Salem, could create a Grimm, capable of reaching the atmosphere, capable of destroying Atlas with ease. Not to mention, the Celestial Knights would never allow it to happen. This new plan of yours goes directly against the timeline."
"An' we're nowhere near finished evacuating everyone." Blake said. "You'd be leaving Mantle, and the rest of Remnant, to die."
"Yes, I would." Ironwood stated. "We can't allow Salem to get her hands on the Relics. This is our best chance, at getting the staff, the lamp, and the maiden, as far away from her as possible."
"Newsflash Ironwood. If Cinder put that chess piece on your desk, then she's still in the city, in the academy!" Wendy exclaimed. "An' I can guarantee you, she's following Winter, to the Winter Maiden as we speak."
"We have an opportunity to reunite the world." Ruby said. "If we launch the tower, we can all work together again, we can all call for help. If we can hold out long enough…"
"Sometimes, doing the right thing, means making tough decisions." Ironwood stated, putting his gun back in its holster.
"You're right." Blake said. "An' I think the right thing to do, would be to stand our ground."
"Me too." Yang said.
"Me too." Weiss added.
"Me too." Ruby stated.
"As I told Salem." Scythe said sternly. "Team RWBY has the Celestial Knights backing."
Ironwood looked at Team RWBY, and the Celestial Knights. Ruby looked over her shoulder, before turning to look at the Ace Ops, wanting them to speak up about the opinion, until Harriet did as the rest of Team RWBY looked to them.
"We ran ourselves ragged trying to save Mantle tonight. If we tried that again, against a larger force…"
"But you're Huntsmen and Huntresses. You can't run from a fight." Yang said.
"You can't focus, on one single fight, while trying to win a war." Vine stated.
"What's the council going to say?" Weiss asked.
"Nothing." Ironwood stated. "Once I declare Martial Law."
"No." Weiss said.
"What about Robyn?"
"Who exactly are you loyal too?" Elm asked.
"We're loyal, to the people of Remnant." Scythe stated. "To the people counting on us to save them from people like Tyrian, like Salem."
"We are saving, who we can." Ironwood stated. "An' you're standing in our way."
"So that's it." Scythe said. "You're just gonna abandon the masses, while you tuck your tails between your legs, and run. You think, running away from Salem will solve the problem, that hiding away will be some sort of victory? You're nothing more then a bunch of cowards, who's looking for the easy way out, rather then facing the enemy head on."
The others remained silent at Scythe's words, before Ruby's scroll went off, bringing them all back to reality.
"It's Jaune, we've got a serious problem." Jaune's voice echoed from the device.
Ruby looked to her Scroll, and then to Ironwood, as if they were in a standoff, seeing which one would draw their weapons first. The instant Ironwood moved, Ruby used her Semblance to split into two, and duck behind his desk.
"Ironwood's declaring Martial Law, and abandoning Mantle." Ruby said. "Salem is coming, and he's going to use the staff to move Atlas. If we don't stop him, Mantle's gonna be destroyed." She stated, before realizing her connection to the others had been cut off. "What, no."
Looking up from behind the desk, Ruby saw Ironwood standing there, his Scroll out, and his thumb on the kill switch, that cut off the communications connection.
"I'm sorry, it's come to this." Ironwood stated, putting his Scroll away, as he began leaving his office. "But until Atlas and the Relics are safe, you are all under…"
Shluk!
Ironwood stopped in his tracks, as an immense searing pain ran through his body, before it turned into a numbing sensation. With his gaze straight ahead, Ironwood could see the looks of shock etched onto the faces of the Ace Ops, before he looked down to see Scythe's fist, pressed against his sternum, right over his heart, before he pulled it back, revealing the three claws that extended from between his knuckles. While in pain, Ironwood raised his head, before reaching up with his arm, and grasping Scythe's shoulder.
"I'm sorry James, but you left me with no other choice." Scythe stated.
Ironwood was unable to say anything, as Scythe removed his claws entirely, allowing for blood to pool within his lungs, and heart, before he collapsed to the ground, lying dead as a door nail.
"Do you realize, what you've just done?" Harriet asked.
"I do." Scythe said, before looking to Wendy. "Find the Winter Maiden, and get her powers, before Winter." Wendy nodded, before vanishing in a pillar of golden light, leaving Scythe with Team RWBY, the Ace Ops, and Ironwoods body.
"Put your hands up, and surrender, you're under arrest for the murder of General James Ironwood." Elm stated, as the Ace Ops drew their weapons.
"Please, think about what you're doing." Weiss said, trying to reason with the Ace Ops.
"Out of the way, unless you wanna be arrested as accessories to murder." Harriet stated.
"Please, don't make this difficult." Vine stated.
"Scythe only did what he had to, to protect the multiverse." Ruby said. "He did what he had to."
"Don't make us, have to get out of here, by force." Blake said, as Team RWBY armed themselves.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa hang on." Marrow said. "Are we really gonna be going through with this? We're not actually going to slug this out, are we?"
"We're not doing anything." Harriet stated. "They decide, what happens next."
Ruby stepped up to her team, and transformed Crescent Rose into its Death Scythe form.
"Guess we're really doing this." Marrow said, arming himself.
"You think you're going to stop us?" Harriet questioned. "We're the best Huntsmen, in Atlas."
"You were, but then you trained us." Ruby said. "Get out of here Scythe. We can take care of this."
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle this on your own?" Scythe asked.
"I'm sure Scythe. We'll be fine. We've still got Ben at our side." The leader of Team RWBY stated. "Get out of here, your mission in Remnant already ended, leave before it gets you into any more trouble."
"Right." Scythe said, before he was enveloped in a pillar of light.
~Shirou's Study~
Shirou sighed as he looked over the damage that had been done in Scythe's rampage earlier. He didn't blame Scythe for the chaos, in fact he was glad that the damage to the Celestial Armory was the worst of it. The damage to the timeline however, had already been done, and it happened before Scythe woke up from his coma.
"Sir?"
Shirou looked up to see the three newest recruits to the Celestial Knights, Robyn, Qrow, and Clover, standing in front of his desk, with the former drunkard looking younger then before.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Robyn asked.
"You three, have been chosen to be Celestial Knights, from Remnant." Shirou said. "Team RWBY as well. But they won't be coming here until later, after they've evacuated Atlas and Mantle."
"Wait, they're gonna what?" Clover asked.
"Unfortunately, when the Dark Knights took the book that Scythe had, detailing the timeline, that set it to it's alternate path. Which involved Ironwood, losing his sanity and taking it upon himself to try and use the Amity Project, on Atlas, abandoning the many, to save the few." Shirou explained.
"But… isn't that a hard choice every leader has to make?" Qrow inquired.
"It is, but this choice still went against the natural course of the timeline." Shirou stated. "An' since Ironwood refused to back down…"
"Scythe had to make the hard choice, didn't he?" Robyn questioned. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this Celestial Knight, Multiverse stuff."
"You'll adjust." Shirou said.
"Whoa, hold up. What does she mean Scythe had to make the hard call?" Clover asked.
"Ironwood's dead." Qrow stated. "By Celestial Knight code, anyone voluntarily attempting to go against the flow of the timeline, attempting to murder a Celestial Knight, or impedes a Celestial Knights mission, is to be executed to maintain the delicate balance."
"You're quick on the uptake Mr. Branwen." Shirou said. "My granddaughter must have informed you about it, during the fight with Cordo and her giant mecha."
"She did." Qrow stated.
"But what's gonna happen to Atlas?"
"Harriet's gonna take over, via a council vote, and she's still gonna follow through with Ironwoods orders. Unfortunately, Ironwoods plan is not gonna happen." Shirou stated. "Mainly because the Winter Maiden power, won't be on Remnant anymore, nor will the Spring Maidens."
"You're moving the Winter and Spring Maidens from Remnant?" Robyn asked.
"No, the Winter Maiden is far too old and fragile at this point in life to be moved." Shirou said. "Wendy's simply gonna take the Winter Maiden powers for herself, while keeping the brass knuckles the Spring Maiden powers are inside of, as another close quarters combat weapon. She'll temporarily return to Remnant, to open the Relic Vault for Team RWBY, before she gives them all their Celestial Knight Cadet badges."
"How does that work exactly?" Qrow asked.
"Time dilation." Shirou stated. "For Team RWBY, the proper amount of time will pass, while Wendy will appear to them older, stronger, and in better control of her abilities. This also allows us to avoid the unfortunate demise of Penny Polendina for a second time, before I send Wendy out to hunt down the rest of the Maiden Powers, as their presence, as well as the relics left behind by the Deity Brothers, is causing a slight imbalance within Remnant that wasn't a serious problem until now. So once those are out of the picture, and Salem's been removed, the balance shall be restored."
"How exactly is Salem gonna be removed from the picture?" Robyn asked. "I thought she couldn't be killed?"
"Normally that would be the case. But Scythe is a Godslayer, and he possesses the God Killer, a blade capable of killing the strongest of immortals. So when the time strikes, on Remnant, Scythe will return and kill Salem, before she can get her way."
"What about the relics?" Qrow asked.
"The relic of Choice is currently sitting in a box for Wendy. Ozma originally relinquished it to my predecessor Cerenos, after the fight with Salem that split them apart, so it's been in our vault for quite some time. As a Celestial Knight, I feel she's the only one among us, capable of handling its power responsibly." Shirou stated. "As for the other Relics. Once Ambrosius, the spirit within the Staff of Creation, fulfills his duties and creates the passages to Vacuo, from Atlas and Mantle, Wendy will bring the staff to the Celestial Armory, while Scythe should be bringing the Lamp of Knowledge as we speak."
"What about the sword of destruction?" Clover inquired.
"It will be here, all in due time. As I said, the balance of the multiverse is a fragile thing, so it can't be just snatched up out of nowhere this instant. We have to wait for the right time, ideally when Salem makes her way to Vacuo." Shirou said.
"Which should be in a few days to about a week or so."
The other turned around, and spotted Scythe walking in, with the lamp in hand.
"Ah, welcome back my boy." Shirou smiled.
"The Lamp of Knowledge." Scythe said, putting the lamp in Shirou's hand.
"Glad to see your primal rage was temporary." Shirou said. "Where's Wendy?"
"Currently at the present moment, my wife is retrieving the Winter Maiden Powers from the Winter Maiden." Scythe said.
"Make that Winter and Fall." Wendy said, appearing into the office, with a shall over her arm. "Cinder attacked, and tried to take the power from me."
"Where is she now?" Shirou asked.
"Probably burning in hell." Wendy stated. "She refused to leave without the Winter Maidens power, so I came out with both the Fall and Winter Maidens magic."
"It was unavoidable I guess." Shirou sighed. "Now, you both know what you gotta do right?"
"Yes sir." Scythe said, as he and Wendy put their badges on the desk.
"As of this moment, until further notice, you two are temporarily, Ex-Communicated from the Celestial Knights." Shirou said.
"Whoa hold up." Robyn said.
"I know the kid tore the place up pretty badly, but come on. I don't think kicking him out of the Celestial Knights is a fair punishment." Qrow stated. "Give him another chance to redeem himself at least."
"I feel that this is too harsh of a punishment for their failure on the mission Sir." Clover said, voicing his concerns.
"Relax you three, this isn't a punishment." Shirou said.
"What is it then?" Qrow asked.
"Wendy and I are both students at the DWMA, a school for Death Weapons and their Meisters." Scythe explained.
"Scythe's the weapon, and I'm the meister." Wendy stated.
"Does this happen to have anything to do with that weapon form of yours that you took during the Grimm attack on the train?" Qrow asked.
"It does actually." Scythe said. "Think of it as a Huntsmen Academy. Only instead of Grimm, the Meisters and their weapons hunt witches and others who wish to harm humanity."
"An' instead of four academies, there's only one." Wendy said. "We're being temporarily Ex-Communicated, to finish our studies."
"But, won't you have an unfair advantage over the other students with how powerful you are?" Robyn asked.
"That's why they'll be wearing these." Shirou said, holding up an armband and a choker. "These will temporarily allow for any magic or abilities they've gained during their missions outside the DWMA Universe, to be locked away until they're removed."
"Wendy, pick an element to stick with before removing the choker." Scythe said.
Wendy nodded in confirmation, before she swiped the gem to an Ether Blue color. Once the element was set, Wendy reached back, and removed the choker, before using Celestial Teleportation to put it in Scythe's Trophy Room with the shall.
"Just to be safe, I went with Etherion." Wendy said.
"An Etherion Dragonslayer, accompanied by an Etherion Godslayer, at the DWMA." Shirou said. "Now that's an interesting pair."
Scythe put the armband on, while Wendy put the choker on. With the items secured, Scythe and Wendy gasped as their eyes lit up with a blue hue, their Celestial Knight abilities, and any abilities gained from their missions, including Wendy's new Maiden Magics, being locked away.
"Wow, I feel… weaker." Scythe said.
"Your Celestial Strength and Speed remain. The chokers just locked away your other abilities." Shirou said. "There's not really all that much, to be done regarding your physical enhancements."
"Guess that's something at least." Wendy said.
"Rin will show you three to your rooms here in the armory." Shirou said. "I'll be out for a bit, taking these two to school."
"Can't we just go back to Remnant?" Robyn asked.
"You and Qrow may go, but I wouldn't recommend it, as Ironwood put out wanted posters for you, all over Atlas and Mantle." Shirou said. "But I'm afraid Clover will have to remain behind. The new timeline dictates, that he perished at Tyrian Kalos' hands, using Qrows weapon."
"I understand." Clover said. "It was an honor, to serve my Kingdom."
"Now then, let's get going." Shirou said with a smile. "The DWMA awaits."