Another chapter that received two reviews. Either no one found the chapter interesting, or people still aren't getting any notifications about new chapters and such. Well, it's not something I'm used to. But I can assure you all that this chapter will be action packed.

Why you ask? Because, Arthur, Mordred, Artoria, March and Alice will be the stars of this chapter. Action wise anyway and we'll learn more about the Metal Head based Grimm this chapter. But first, some good news for all of us Gun Gale Online and Pink Devil fans. Sword Art Online: Alternative, Gun Gale Online has just been granted a second season. Finally, we get to see more of LLENN kicking ass and ventilating enemies with her P-Chan, that's the name of her P90.

Though, I think I might have confused you all. I have Attention Deficit Disorder, not autism. I get the two mixed up a lot.

Songs this chapter are the following. 'Let's Kick it Up', by Paul Gordon, 'Here We Go', by Jason Radford, and 'Run Around' Also by Jason Radford. Been in a Digimon mood lately.

Now, onto the reviews.

Luffy L Deathwalker: Kyle Herbert you say? That name sounds familiar. Oh, I know. He did Fat Gum in My Hero Academia as well as Kiba from Naruto. Yes, I did get your PM about him not being there, but I wish could get the autographs from the other guests at the convention.

Monster King: Thanks.

Que the intro.

(Start Polaris, by Blue Encount)

On that day I promised to protect you. That promise still remains in my heart.

(A blizzard rages across the tundra of Solitas before subsiding to reveal Galen, Team RWBY, Jaune, Ren, Nora, the Clones, Ace Ops, and their allies standing on a cliff as in front of them lies the imperial occupied Atlas and Mantle, with the Executor hovering high in the air. Behind it is the silhouette of Vader, Adam Taurus, Maul and Salem as the title card is revealed with the title.)

Remnant Unleashed

Even if I must lose everything I have. To Save a life in front of me.

(The camera zooms down below to Fort Arrowfell where exhausted Atlas soldiers and pilots sit on crates with their heads hung low in disbelief at the loss of their home.)

I'd be happy to give it all away without a doubt. This is the first time I've ever felt this way.

(One soldier is looking at the picture of his family, almost on the verge of tears until Captain Rex puts a hand on the soldier's shoulder. Behind him are Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Ray, and Neo. Harriet is nearby, glaring at Galen, the badge of the Ace Ops no longer on her uniform.)

I won't hide my scars anymore. Making the despair as my weapon, That's how I want to live my life!

(Cuts to Galen who is standing in front of a massive attack force of Grimm, Battle Droids, Imperials, White Fang and Death Bots with his teammates, friends, allies, and fellow Jedi behind him. Above them, Republic and Rebel ships fly towards the enemy force alongside Remnant fighter jets, before the ground forces charge)

Push aside these tears as best I can. I'll give you everything that I have.

(Explosions light up the tundra as Ray and Neo lead the charge with the Bad Batch and Delta Squad, firing at their enemies while the young huntsmen and huntresses cut their way through the Grimm, as Vader engages Luke and Ahsoka in deadly lightsaber combat.)

So please, don't give up on me and disappear.

(Cuts to Salem and Maul wielding their lightsabers against Ray and Neo while the Fox, Winter, The Ace Ops, Artoria and Mordred run through the bowls of the giant whale Grimm towards Oscar.)

On that day I promised to protect you.

(Shows Whitley standing in front of his mother defensively as White Fang soldiers move in with their weapons raised. In his hands is a familiar object.)

The promise still remains in my heart.

(Galen and Ruby stand in Mantle with their hands extended as Atlas falls from the sky towards them, joined by Faye, Kara, Lop, Ahsoka, Serra, Zett, Plo, Kit, Aayla, Rahm and Grogu. While the others, including the Fox stand behind them and watch in awe before the screen turns dark)

Even if the light is fading. Just Go!

Disclaimers are the same as always.

Chapter 124: Hold the Line

"So, it's true. Those Grimm you encountered were those prehistoric Grimm? The ones who use weapons?" Pietro asked Rex as he, Galen and Penny examined the Gem recovered from the creatures encountered during the previous mission.

"Yeah. Those creatures are tougher than anything I've ever encountered. They might have weak spots, but their armor is strong." Rex answered. "If we're right and Watt's did give these Grimm biomechanical armor, then that means Salem is stepping up her offensive. Plasma weapons are no joke."

"What about the Gem?" Galen inquired.

"Based on fathers' analysis, the Gem appears to light and filled with some kind of energy. It also appears to function as an organ of some kind, so in a sense, it almost acts like a heart or brain." Penny said. "The tubes you described on the creatures appear to connect to the gem through the tubes on some of the Grimm."

"That explains why the soldiers are calling them Metal Heads." Gonzolez said as he walked into the lab. "Sorry to intrude on your investigation of the gem, but Captain Monastario is demanding an update on the Tower. He's been focused on it for the last few weeks now and is getting rather impatient."

"Not to mention he's taking it out on us." Garcia added with a pout as he walked into the lab. "I haven't had anything to eat ever since he posted us on guard duty for the tower supplies. If I'd known this, I would have joined the artillery corps or the navy."

"You always find something to complain about and you're always hungry." Gonzolez groaned as he walked into the lab. "But the Sergeant does have a point, the Captain has been rather… actually he's still the same as he ever was. He's always yelling at us of course; he takes out his anger on us."

"I've sensed a lot of hostility from him, but I also feel like he's hiding something." Galen noted. "The fact that he ordered me and my team to head out the moment we came back with the supplies from the mine, it's like he was displeased by the supplies we brought back, almost like he was planning something."

"Well, I do agree that Monastario is acting rather oddly, lately. But I'm more concerned about the Empire learning about the tower." Pietro interjected. "We've fallen behind schedule enough as it is. Clover and Bram understand, but others are demanding we continue to construct the tower, despite the lack of supplies and men needed to finish construction."

"The technicians from the rebellion and Vale army have been instrumental in finishing the tower, but it seems that someone is deliberately sabotaging the construction." Penny added. "My analysis indicates that the tower, will be completed in about three months at our current pace."

"That's too long." Rex snarled. "The longer we're on our own, the longer we risk Kara getting taken over by Cinder and the longer we let Salem break into the vault beneath the academy. Not to mention all the people that the White Fang will be executing because of their species."

"Which is why I sent only half my team on the mission that Monastario and Clemens gave us. Arthur, March, Alice, Artoria and Mordred should be checking out the latest Grimm movement." Galen added. "Something about those Grimm and their blasters has me worried and that liquid we found in the mine. I don't want to alarm anyone, but if that stuff is underground, who knows how far it can travel."

"Don't make me think about it." Gonzolez groaned. "I've seen too many pools of that stuff back in Vale and it's a nightmare. It just never ends with the creatures coming out every second, we'd run out of ammo in only five minutes, and we'd chip our swords too."

"That's why I'm hoping we can figure out where those pools are." Galen murmured, his thoughts then turning to Ruby and her team. "I still can't believe that Ruby and her team were sent to Atlas to spy on the enemy. I trust their skills, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

"I'm sure Ruby and her friends will be fine." Penny assured, but Galen wasn't entirely sure.

Tundra

150 miles from allied lines

Sniders Top

"Yeah, this doesn't bode well for us." Alice said aloud, viewing the vast number of naval ships situated in the icy waters through her helmets range finder. "The White Fang's got a lot of firepower out their and if I'm right, they've got plenty of imperial and droid forces aboard those carriers."

"Battlecruisers, Aegis vessels, cruisers, corvettes, destroyers… all of those ships are from Atlas's mothballed naval fleet." Artoria added. "When Airships became more common, the council sent many of these ships to the breaker's yards scattered across the kingdoms. Vale and Anima often refurbished those ships to use in their own navies, considering that Atlas often refused to share its airship technology with the rest of the kingdoms. As for Vacuo, since they had no army or navy, they just sent them to the cutters torch."

Through her own binoculars, Mordred watched as S33 rocketed off the deck of an aircraft carrier and into the air while a flight of TIE fighters landed on the nearby supply base. One of the various platforms reconfigured by the occupying enemy military forces into a runway for aircraft and starfighters. "Damn, that's a lot of firepower and I'm seeing a lot of radar posts all over the place. If we came in by air, like those bastards suggested, we'd be shot down, captured, and tortured." She cursed.

"Forget about the radar and enemy forces. I'm seeing plenty of Grimm on those platforms." Arthur added over his Scroll, from the western part of the landmass. "Strange thing is it looks like the imperials are starting to leave. Almost as if they are leaving the facilities. I'm also seeing a War Factory nearby, but it appears to be leaving as well."

"I've got platforms in the valley." March called out over his own Scroll. "I'm also seeing plenty of drydocks in the water, the mobile type. Quite a few ships in those docks undergoing repairs, looks like from a few torpedo hits." There was a long pause before his sister's voice came over the Scroll.

"Let's hope our scouting will prevent Clemens and those in the top brass to call off their assault over the mountains. All that firepower going straight towards Atlas, casualties are going to be massive, especially if they utilize the missiles from that cruiser of theirs." She spoke.

"With the firepower they possess, a full-frontal air and land attack is out of the question, especially considering they have Stonehenge under their control." Artoria added.

"Uh, you guys might want to meet me at the old coastal town. We've got a major problem on our hands." Mordred said urgently. The others could hear the concern in Mordred's voice and made their way to the old coastal town, ten kilometers away from the coastline, where Mordred was waiting.

"What seems to be the problem?" Arthur asked.

"You guys might want to see it for yourselves." Mordred answered, guiding them to a small overlook over the tundra.

What they saw was something they didn't expect to see. The ground had opened up and the same black liquid that destroyed the old mine flowed from the crack. The ground then rumbled as a large and loose rock close by broke free from overlook and fell into the liquid, dissolving instantly while the head of a Sabyr floated to the surface, then emerged from the liquid. "We're in some deep shit."

"It's… a river of Grimm." Arthur muttered.

March then noticed that the river was heading towards Rosamond, snaking its way across the tundra and the opposite direction of where the massive Monstra was hovering in the distance. "Heading directly straight for the base."

"No, not the base." Alice corrected, lowering her helmets range finder once more and saw that the river of liquid stopped five miles close to the frozen plains, directly in the path of two vital bridges critical for the movement of troops and supplies. "But the plains near those bridges." She pointed out.

"That liquid destroys anything it touches and spawns Grimm at an alarming rate. If a large horde of Grimm emerges from that gunk, then they'll either attack the base or block our offensive." Arthur added.

"Clover and the others haven't noticed the river. We're the only ones who've seen it." Artoria continued, looking through her binoculars, then gasped. "And it seems that a large horde of Grimm is going right towards the base. They'll be caught off guard." She continued.

"Howzer, Thorn, Jek, Rhys, Thire, Stone and their men are right in the path of the Grimm. They haven't noticed them. We gotta warn them!" March exclaimed and pulled out his Scroll, dialing Galen's number in hopes that his team leader would alert the men, but the call didn't go through. "Damn it! We're too far out of range!"

"Then it's up to us." Arthur said aloud. "We're the only ones who know the horde is heading towards our allies and if we can't warn them, they'll be caught off guard. The panic, the fear, the desperation, it will only draw more Grimm."

"Aren't you forgetting the fact that we're armed only with swords, blasters, and flamethrowers? We don't have the firepower to hold off a horde that size." Mordred pointed out. "Even with our ranged weapons, we can't protect the base for long against a horde that size."

"It's more important that we buy the base time to learn of the impending assault and send out forces to counter the horde. Choosing to save ourselves will only result in more casualties. We must take the fight to them." Arthur countered. "No matter what, the horde must be delayed as long as possible."

"Damn, I forget how good you are with words, cos." Mordred said with a smirk. "Alright, let's get back to our rides and go kick some ass."

"Aside from the language, I agree with my sister. We must act now." Artoria agreed.

"Then let's not stand around. Let's ride." March added and rushed back to their vehicles, two of recently renamed Dune Hoopers to avoid confusion with the Hoopers of the Grimm variety and a single Screamer operated by March. Turning the keys, the engines of the vehicles roared to life before speeding away to try and head off the horde of Grimm.

Their powerful engines roared to life as the tires of the three buggies kicked up snow and frost, moving out onto the tundra. "Never driven one of these vehicles before, I've mostly operated repulsor-lift vehicles or speeder bikes. But at least this thing is a hybrid." Alice said over the commlink and hit a button, causing the wheels and chassis of the Dune Hooper she was driving to shift into a repulsor-lift vehicle, while also switching the grenade launchers to their blaster mode. "Now this is more like it!"

"Cut the colorful commentary, sis. We've got hostiles ahead of us!" March called over his own commlink as rising up from beneath the snow was a pack of Sabyr's awoken by the sound of the engines. "Guess we woke up the locals." He quipped, opening up with his vehicle's machine guns, reducing the Grimm to mincemeat while Arthur and Artoria, in their own Dune Hooper used the powerful spring-mounted chassis to leap over the Grimm and landed behind them. "I knew I should have chosen one of those Dune Hoopers instead of the Screamer."

"Complain later!" Artoria exclaimed, drawing Caliburn, configured it into rifle mode and fired a few shots at the Grimm ahead of them. "We don't have time to deal with the roadblocks. We need to cut the Grimm off before they reach the base." As soon as Arthur heard his cousin's words, he hit the boosters of their vehicle the moment they sped over a small hill, soaring over it while crushing a Sabyr with one of the Dune Hoopers tires.

Arthur's mind raced with focus as he pulled the trigger on his steering wheel, firing a few grenades towards several Grimm ahead, blowing them to pieces. He knew the importance of their mission, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Weiss. Though he knew she was capable, he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about the idea of his girlfriend sneaking into the White Fang and Imperial occupied city.

Alice and Mordred rocketed past him and Artoria, laser cannons ablaze as Grimm were cut down by a burst of weapon fire, but the moment Alice released her finger from the trigger, a mortar shell landed beside them as several of the new mortar equipped Metal Heads charged onto the scene. "Shit! We got big guys coming at us from the Northeast. Metal Heads, it had to be Metal Heads!" Mordred cursed, switching her own sword into its machine gun mode, and opened up with a barrage of bullets at the large creatures, but her shots had no effect. "Damn it! My weapon isn't doing jack against their armor and their getting closer!"

"Turn left! We'll drive down the river! It meets the old river further down." Arthur called out, swerving his vehicle violently onto the frozen waterway, just before a mortar shell exploded where his vehicle once was.

The others followed suit and drove onto the river, the ice crackling slightly beneath the heavy-duty tires while the Grimm ran along the river, launching mortars at the river. One mortar slammed into the ice, causing it to crack as it expanded down the river. "Get the lead out people! We don't want to take a swim in that water!" March shouted after he spotted the cracking ice, then hit the boosters of his vehicle which started to skid, but he was quick to regain control.

Ahead of him, the two Dune Hoopers leapt through the air and landed some distance ahead of the cracking ice, but as they landed, more Grimm emerged from the snow, these ones of the Metal Head class and opened up with their plasma blasters, targeting the ice which continued to crack and break apart. As Alice looked back to see her brother catching up to them, Modred called out in alarm. "HEADS UP!" she shouted.

Turning forward, Alice saw that ahead of them was a large frozen waterfall with a massive drop. "Gun it! Don't look back! Full power!" Alice exclaimed, hitting the switch which configured her vehicle back into its standard configuration, then slammed on the boosters. Arthur and Artoria followed suit, rocketing down the frozen river towards the waterfall. Holding down the springs, the two waited until the last moment before releasing the springs and sent them flying off the river and onto cliff the opposite side of the waterfall. "March! Move it!" Alice called out to her brother.

March continued to push his Screamer to full power, using short bursts of speed to keep him ahead of the cracking ice behind him. As he neared the waterfall, he hit the boosters for a burst of speed, but just as he neared the edge of the waterfall, the boosters finally gave out as he soared through the air but fell short of cliff. "No!" Alice screamed as she watched in horror as the Screamer and her brother disappeared through the mist below.

Her fists clenched in anger, Alice felt a wave of sorrow and anguish wash over her as the only other family member she had was now dead, yet at the same time, she felt anger and rage directed towards the Grimm, but she pushed those emotions aside, climbing back into her vehicle, heading off in the direction of the incoming horde.

Lookout post 117

Northern Shoulder

Twenty-five miles from Rosamond

Howzer looked through his electrobinoculars, scanning the tundra for signs of the enemy, for the umpteenth time so far, but saw no signs of Grimm, Droid, Imperial, or White Fang. Lowering his binocs, he looked to his men in another fox hole, working on one of the two EWHB-12 heavy repeating blaster cannons that were issued to the lookout post, both of which were inoperable after the last unit assigned to the post slacked off on their maintenance duties.

Along with Thorn, Jek, Rhys, Thire, and Stone, he and what was left of unit were assigned to post 117 on guard duty by the orders of Monasterio and Clemens, much to their objection, but all of their protests were ignored, especially their request for more firepower.

Along with the two heavy repeating blaster cannons, the troopers were armed rifles, carbines, pistols, and Thorns rotary blaster cannon, along with several Vale military assault rifles with only three magazines apiece, but no heavy weapons or even a vehicle. Not nearly enough firepower to hold off an attack.

As Howzer sat by the roaring fire, he looked back out towards the tundra with a concerned look on his face. Ever since Monasterio and Clemens arrived, they've been constantly at odds with the decisions made by Clover, Bram, and the generals, like they were trying to undermine their efforts in retaking Atlas from the Imperial and White Fang forces, along with Salem's Grimm. Then there was Monasterio's failed assault to retake Atlas swiftly from the enemy. The airship fleet sent to retake the capital consisted mostly of older airships that were in dire need of repairs and maintenance, especially when it came to their weapons systems which were found to have been sabotaged by Watt's virus. Of the two dozen fighter squadrons that were dispatched along with the airships, half of the pilots were fresh recruits who had yet to complete their training and were flying planes outfitted for air-to-ground combat.

The losses from the operation should have resulted in Monasterio being relieved of his command, but for some reason he kept his rank as captain.

Then there was Clemens. The lack of interest in the lives of soldiers and his choosing to play a political game, along with not sharing any updates on changes to missions reminded the clone of several Republic Naval officers who had a personality much like his. Of course, the fact that Clemens said he changed the arrival time of the Atlas aircraft during the attack on Rosamond also didn't sit well with him.

The fire continued to burn as four of his men, Fireball, Hexx, Veetch and Nemec returned from setting up several mines five kilometers from their position as a precaution due to the lack of firepower and manpower. "Mines are placed, Captain." Nemec reported.

"Good work, brothers. Take a seat and get some grub. You look like you need it." Howzer ordered. As the four troopers left, Thorn walked over to the fire, his helmet off. "Anything from the scouts?"

"Not a thing." Thorn answered. "I tried contacting the Demon Lord's teammates, but they're out of range." The commander then sat down. "I don't like it. It's too quiet. We can't see anything out in the tundra. The enemy could pop up anywhere and we wouldn't even know it until it's too late."

"We'll hold the position no matter what. Remember, if those things push us back, we're all dead." Howzer reminded the Coruscant Guard Commander. "Though, it would be nice if we had a vehicle or two." He added, turning back to the tundra as the wind blew.

(Run Around starts)

Further ahead of them, the massive horde of Grimm continued to charge across the tundra completely undetected. As a Beowolf howled, a series of explosions erupted to the side of the horde as the two Dune Hoopers sped towards the creatures, firing their grenade launchers, and blowing the horde to pieces while the passengers fired their own ranged weapons.

The horde turned its attention to the two vehicles and charged towards them as Alice, who's helmet hid a vengeful look on her face held the trigger down, continuing to lob grenades at the horde as it came closer and closer blowing away the creatures, then sent her vehicle flying through the air before leaping out of the drivers seat while also activating her jetpack, much to the surprise of Mordred who quickly took control of the Dune Hooper as it landed back on the snowy ground.

Pistols in hand, Alice flew over the horde of Grimm, firing down at them while hovering in place and also lobbing the occasional thermal detonator, killing more of the creatures. "Come and get it you ugly bastards!" she roared, only for a series of plasma blasts to miss her by a few inches as some of the larger flying Metal Heads with thrusters moved in to attack position.

Down below, Arthur and Artoria fired the grenades from their own vehicle's launchers, blowing away more Grimm but their vehicle was soon rendered inoperable after one of the horned Metal Heads slammed into their vehicle, sending it flying several feet away, twisting the entire frame and structure of the vehicle, forcing the two to abandon the vehicle and engage the creatures with their blades.

Unsheathing their swords and igniting their lightsabers, two of the three Penwolf siblings started to cut their way through the horde of Grimm. A pair of Beowolfs were slashed across the chest, while two of the tailed creatures were stabbed through the exposed sections of their bodies.

Blue flames from Arthur surrounded his sword as he swung it wide, sweeping through the horde and cutting them in half while Artoria plunged her sword into the body of another creature. A Sabyr ran past her, slashing at her with its paws, causing her aura to shimmer while she shifted her sword into its rifle mode and fired a single shot that killed the creature that swiped at her. "For every four creatures we cut down, another eight get past us. Someone needs to shoot them before they get any further away!" she shouted.

The answer came in the form of bullets from Mordred's machine gun, cutting down several creatures with as she stood a top her Dune Hooper, laying down suppressing fire as Alice flew overhead once more, throwing detonators at the horde while Arthur and Artoria slashed through the horde, but no matter how many the cut down, the horde continued to run pass them, before it finally turned back into the direction of Rosamond. "There's too many of them!" Mordred shouted, loading a fresh magazine into her machine gun, using the blades on the end of it to stab a pouncing Sabyr through the underbelly before it could sink its fangs into her.

A salvo of whistling birds from Alice's missile launcher killed several Grimm, but she soon found herself on the ground when a plasma blast hit her jetpack, forcing her to toss it away before it exploded, taking a few creatures out with the explosion. Standing her ground, she kept on firing her pistols at the Grimm, determined to avenge her brother. A pair of claws scratched her armor while the creature was gunned down in a few seconds by her pistols.

Artoria and Arthur soon joined her side, firing their weapons in ranged mode while Arthur unleashed a wave of blue-flamed melee weapons that cleaved through the horde, holding their position against the overwhelming odds.

(End Song)

Back at the lookout post, Howzer finished checking on the secondary EWHB when he heard echoes of weapon fire from ahead of the outpost. He knew that all the patrols had returned to the lookout post, which told him that something wasn't right. Grabbing his commlink from his belt, he contacted the base. "Rosamond Command, this is Howzer. I'm hearing weapons fire from our position. I'm thinking that Salem's forces are launching a surprise attack. Requesting immediate armor and air support." He reported urgently through the commlink.

The response he got, was not from Clover, but a certain Captain. "Clone, this is Captain Monasterio. Your request is denied. You are to hold the attackers at bay with the equipment you have. That is an order!" Monasterio replied with a snarl.

"My name is Howzer and we need that support!" Howzer snarled back, but the call was then cut off. "Blasted Captain! Who does he think he is!? I've got a name and I'm not some expendable AK of Atlas he can just rebuild and send out onto the battlefield!" he tried to contact Aayla or Kit, but his transmissions were getting redirected to Monasterio who said the same thing again. "Damn it!" he cursed but it was then he spotted the Grimm that had managed break through their early warning systems. "CONTACT!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his carbine, and opened up on the Grimm.

As Howzer and his brothers engaged the creatures that managed to break through the defensive lines, ahead of them facing the brunt of the horde, Arthur, Mordred, Artoria and Alice were starting to become exhausted from the fighting, almost ready to keel over. "We need… to keep… fighting…" Alice panted.

"I'm… almost… out… of… ammo..." Mordred added as she stood atop the now wrecked Dune Hooper, loading her weapon with her third to final magazine. As she pulled back the safety, she heard something. "Do… you… guys… hear that?"

The noise was coming from behind the Grimm, followed by the roar of machinegun fire that cut through the horde. "The Dune Hoopers have grenades, the only other vehicle we had was the Screamer that…" Artoria began.

"Was driven by March." Arthur finished, his face smiling beneath his battle mask.

(Here We Go starts)

His vehicles engines roaring across the tundra, March kept his fingers on the trigger as he drove through the horde plowing through them. "Guess who's not dead suckers!?" he shouted, bullets ripping through the horde as if their fur was made of tissue paper. Slamming on his breaks, he spun around in a donut, crushing the head of one of the Grimm that was wounded from his bullets before he leapt out of the vehicle and activated his semblance slashing through the horde with his pistols in their sword mode.

Several Grimm were literally cut to pieces before March once again tossed his swords into the air, catching them in their pistol mode and fired two full clips at the unarmored areas of the Grimm. As he loaded fresh clips into his pistols, he called on his semblance once more and ran through the horde, coming out behind them with more Grimm dying the moment he came to a stop. "Yeah, an evolved semblance kicks all sort of ass." He chortled.

Above them, a Hellcat roared overhead with Galen in the gunner's seat while Luke sat at the controls of the airship, targeting the airborne hostiles as balls of energy shot from the gunner's seat to Alice, March, Arthur, Artoria and Mordred. "That's the way boss, you keep the skies cleared while we deal with these jerks on the ground." March praised, tossing his pistols into the air once more, catching them in their sword mode, then extended combined them into their combined mode. Shouldering his blade behind his back, he took a massive swing which cleaved through the creatures, followed by a single bullet from the combined weapons gun barrel that pierced the cranium of one of the Sabyr's.

Another swing of his massive sword sliced through several Grimm before his comrades joined him in battle, revitalized by Galen's semblance. "I thought you died when your boosters gave out back by the river!" his sister exclaimed in shock and delight.

"I would have died, had I not landed on a whole lot of snow. You'd be surprised at how much powder cushioned the fall." March explained, swinging his sword several times, and cutting down more Grimm. "After that, I just followed the river below and headed back to the base, cutting through the Grimm as I drove."

"You're crazy, you know that?" Alice chimed, lobbing her second to last grenade towards the horde, killing more of the Grimm in the explosion.

"Eh, only a little." March teased as the Hellcat flew overhead once more and strafed the ground-based Grimm. "Good thing he showed up when he did."

(End song)

Pulling up from their run, Luke turned back towards the lookout post while Galen, still feeling the aftereffects of his semblance, kept his hands on the gun controls. "You sure you don't want to help your teammates? They could use the help." Luke asked.

"We've done enough." Galen answered. "Howzer and his men need support and we've got other matters to deal with. Besides, March and Arthur are with their families, and together, they can deal with what's left of the horde."

Luke nodded hesitantly as he turned the Hellcat in the direction of the lookout post at full throttle. "You've placed a lot of trust in them, haven't you?" Luke surmised.

"Well, we've been a team for two years, so of course I trust them. But it wouldn't hurt to send a QRF if they need it." Galen shrugged.

(Let's Kick It Up starts)

The horde of Grimm was drastically reduced in size, but still a large number of them remained as the Evergreen siblings slashed and fired at the Grimm. A salvo of whistling birds from Alice's launcher killed several multiple Grimm while March took another swing from his combined sword, cleaving an Ursa in half right down the middle. "My ears and telling me we got about less than a hundred of these suckers left." March surmised, separating his sword into its twin components, raising one sword to block the swipe of another Ursa's claws while using the second one to disembowel it.

"Pays to have a brother who's also a Faunus." Alice chimed in, bringing up her right arm before firing a wrist rocket at a group of Grimm clustered together, blowing them away as she drew her broadsword the moment her blaster ran dry. "And pays to know a few things about fighting with a blade!" she added, thrusting her blade into the chest of a Sabyr as it pounced.

"I missed fighting by your side, sis." March said in agreement as the two Evergreen siblings looked to one another, twirled their blades and charged.

Pulling back both her sword and lightsaber, Artoria swung her sword in a horizontal swing from left to right, followed by an uppercut with her lightsaber. She then jumped and slashed at her target, an Ursa Major with both her blades from side to side, spinning twice as she, then landed facing her target and slashed an 'X' at the creature from top to bottom, followed by two diagonal slashes from the same point with her sword heading to the Grimm's top left shoulder while her lightsaber struck top on the right shoulder.

Switching her grip to a reverse grip style, she slashed another 'X' with both swords from top to bottom, then barrel-rolled while she slashed at the Ursa, almost like a corkscrew, then followed up with another two 'X' slashes, one from top to bottom, then another from bottom to top. A diagonal slash with her lightsaber was followed by a left which she used the momentum from to deal a hard-hitting horizontal slash from right to left with her sword. Using the rest of her momentum, she swung her sword in an uppercut, then one with her lightsaber, followed by a downward slash with her saber, then a downward diagonal slash towards the right with her sword, spun around and then repeated the previous attack, finally thrusting her lightsaber out followed by a forceful downward lunge with the left sword, finally killing the Ursa Major. "My semblance is perfect for large opponents, such as yourself." She spat as the Ursa's body dissipated into mist.

Mordred's sword cleaved through the body of a Beowolf, then rolled out of the way as Megoliath charged towards her, attempting to crush her. Smirking, she threw her sword at one of the Megoliath's rear legs, piercing its skin and causing it to trip and tumble into the snow. Running towards the creature, she drew a knife from her armor and stabbed the creature in the head. "Always keep a spare weapon. That's what I was taught." She said to herself, collecting her sword from where the Grimm she killed once sat, changed it into its gun mode and pulled the trigger, sending bullets flying towards the Grimm, despite her lack of remaining ammo.

A pull of the trigger sent bullets flying towards one of the Sabyr's, killing it before she shifted her sights towards and downed another Grimm. With her ammo low, she switched her weapon to burst fire to conserve what ammo she left and to not waste any ammo. More Grimm were cut down by her bullets before she reloaded her weapon. "Damn it! I should have brought more ammo. Should remember that for next time." She cursed.

Flaming blue melee weapons pierced and slashed through the Grimm as Arthur plunged his gauntlet blades into the torso of a Razorwing, the harpy like Grimm that Weiss encountered when he and the rest of his team were 'on the run' from the authorities. A flaming blue mace swatted a swarm of Razorwings out of the sky, while a longsword cleaved a large number of Teryx's.

Retracting his gauntlet blades, Arthur drew his family's blade and thrusted it into the stomach of a Megoliath while firing his flamethrower which burned several Sabry's with ease. As they died, the ground erupted as a massive Geist made of ice emerged from the ground, roaring at the five warriors. "This appears to be the last one. We'll need to take it out together!" Arthur shouted.

His cousins, teammates and their cousin nodded and dispersed. First, Arthur slashed at the Geist's legs with a flame infused Excalibur, melting its icy legs, followed by a downward aerial slash at the arms by his cousins. Alice, who along with her brother had propelled themselves to the creatures head, thrusted her blade into the Geist's eyes while her brother unloaded his dual pistols into the face of the creature, bringing it down.

(End Song)

As the Grimm's body dissipated, a gunship touched down in front of the group and exiting the transport was Winter and Clover. "It's a good thing that Galen sensed you were in danger. When we heard that Monasterio was getting transmissions from Howzer about a Grimm horde, we knew something was wrong. I'm grateful that you're all alive." Winter said with a sigh of relief.

"Sorry we couldn't spare any men or additional support." Clover apologized.

"Eh, it was no big deal." March waved off but gestured to the two wrecked Dune Hoopers. "But I don't think the mechanics are going to be pleased that we wrecked a few vehicles in the process." He added.

"We can repair vehicles and weapons, but we can't do the same thing for soldiers." Winter said as a pair of tank lifters secured their magnetic clamps onto the wrecked vehicles, hoisted them into the air before turning back to Rosamond while Arthur, Alice, March, Artoria and Mordred boarded the gunship, which then turned back to Rosamond. "Let's just hope the intel you acquired will help us plan our next offensive, provided our masked individual hasn't tipped off the enemy to our plans." She added.

And finally done. Sorry it took so long, I was distracted by other things and trying to figure out the way to write this chapter. But I finally got it finished.

The Christmas Tree is set up and the train set is underneath it. If anyone knows where the best places to find Lionel O/O-27 Gauge cars, tracks, locomotives, and such, please let me know. I want to expand on the set I got from my papa twelve years ago.

I've also added some new anime to my collection, including Gate, Sword Art Online and Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, the last of which is more bloody and violent than your typical magical girl anime. I mean, how many magical girl anime's are there were said magical girls use the HK416 and kill their enemies?

Also, I changed the name of the Hooper to that of it's Jak 3 counterpart. Due to the Arachnid based airborne Grimm being called the same name as it is in Starship Troopers

But I have a warning for you all. There is this author calling himself 'VoteDonaldJTrump2024' who is telling various authors to vote for said man so that he may stop certain groups of people like those who are Jewish from 'invading and burning down the country.' That guys a fanatical Trump supporter and his stories on his profile are completely racist and misleading for the categories they are placed under. He's even got one story that's main focus is on some fascist crap rather than the title that he labeled the story as. Anyone think we need to ban the guy from the website because of his racist and pornographic stories?

Well, one more chapter, this one focuses on air-to-air combat Ace Combat 7 style before it's back to Power Rangers and My Hero Academia. If I don't see you before Christmas, have yourselves a happy holiday, no matter what you celebrate.

Also, I found some new songs to use for my story.

Until then, please read and review.