What is the definition of a peak human?
This was the question that troubled the minds of all those who had ever lived on Remnant no matter who they were and where they came from. The one question that would come back to haunt them the moment the Mistralian Herald announced the arrival of their queen.
The gate of the ship would pull up, the gears within turning as a red carpet would be rolled out for the arrival of one Cinder Falls.
But emerging from the shadow of the mighty ship – something bizarre was unfolding before everyone. And Weiss was the first to notice with her enhanced super vision.
The woman wore with her a dark red double-breasted suit with a banded collar that was very reminiscent of Rubio's own style, if it wasn't for the fact that her suit also had ridiculously long and oversized sleeves stretching all the way to her knees, making it look as if she was carrying around two giant church bells that just draped over her hands.
What was more was that her coat was more of a dress than an actual military uniform, with a tail trailing behind almost forming into a large silky skirt of some kind. The woman would stride forth with utmost confidence despite the ridiculous look, taking every powerful step on her tall black heels.
But the thing that seemed strange, one that Weiss couldn't seem to rationalize was the fact that from afar, it almost looked as if Cinder was just two feet tall. And yet, from the murky shadows Weiss would hear her quiet cackle as she continued walking out into the light, and curiously growing taller with every step – until she stepped outside into the sun, under the sound of the trumpets and the Herald's booming voice, Cinder Falls would look like any ordinary human woman.
Who exactly was this woman? Was she really the Fall Maiden? How could someone so ludicrous be the divine leader of an entire country?
All of these questions continued to circle Weiss' mind even as Cinder approached forth and took a customary bow in front of the mighty floating Chancellor.
"Greetings – O Great Grand Chancellor," Cinder winked, sparkling her brilliant amber eyes.
"Queen Cinder… we of Atlas welcome you to the Valley. But what brings you here to our shores on such short notice?"
"Apologies, O High Chancellor," she saluted, but seemingly in a mocking way, it was too subtle for most to pick up, however. Weiss was the exception. Cinder continued:
"The announcement at the press conference has made the news all across the globe. Simply astonishing I must say. From one conqueror to another, I came here before you today to offer aid, in order to strengthen our alliance between the two kingdoms."
"Hmm…" Weiss glared down at Cinder's smug face, annoyed at the mention of being a conqueror. But she tried to pay it no mind. "It's true that Mistral has been historically a strong ally of the North."
"Oh, but of course, the Mistral monarchs are men and women of divine power. We respect true strength, the strength to do things that ordinary mortal men will not dare. I myself have an eye for greatness when I see it. You madam, O High Chancellor, are one such example. One I simply must sail the sea to see for myself."
"And yet, you have also been historically an isolation country. It's curious really… why you decided to show yourself at this point in time."
"Merely a matter of self-preservation, I assure you," Cinder smiled.
"Well, since you arrived at such short notice, we didn't have time to prepare campsites for your men and other abodes and accommodations."
"Oh, please, that won't be necessary at all. That's why I've prepared my warships and royal vessels. As a show of goodwill – I, Queen of Mistral, hereby announce to not set up bases on Atlesian soil here in the Valley. We will solely occupy these Eastern shores and nothing else. Assuming that you approve that is."
"Hmm…" Weiss tried to scan Cinder's assertive features to absolutely no avail, almost as if it was impossible to discern Cinder's true emotions and motivation behind this 'mask' she was wearing. And yes, Weiss was confident in believing that what Cinder was doing was putting up a performance.
Why exactly she was doing that was something Weiss was still trying to decipher.
"There is also the matter of… ahem," Cinder cleared her throat, "the Faunus boy."
"What?"
"Adam Belladonna I believe is his name. I am simply curious, is all, about his current condition, alongside that young beautiful maiden who shares his DNA. Truly astounding, isn't it? The magick of Maidens – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe up close."
And there, Weiss instantly picked up in her gut feeling a hint of Cinder's true intention. The moment Weiss realized this she would begin to power up her Aura to exert the overwhelming gravity of the Superman for all to see. The ground shook violently at just a fraction of their Chancellor's power, with the concrete beneath cracking ever so easily as if they were made of nothing but glass.
But the peculiar thing was – Cinder would not be deterred by this sight. Instead, she looked as if she was excited. And it all became clear the moment she also followed suit and powered up her own Aura to face off against the Atlesian Superman. From the bottom of her heels were the smoldering fire of the Mistral Queen, cracking the stony ground with the sheer force of her blazing gravitational field. This fact was known across all the lands far and wide, as the people knew the power of the flames was Cinder's Semblance.
What was important to understand, however, was the fact that fire was not a gift from the Fall Maiden. The power of Autumn was that of the wind furiously blowing in the sky. This was the true reason why Cinder's claim to the throne had been questioned after all this time, because nobody really knew if she really was the Fall Maiden. She possessed a superhuman level of Aura, one that could be classified as godly. But if that was truly the case then why did she never show the divine power of the wind? Was that a conscious choice?
Regardless of the case, none of it really mattered in the face of Cinder's arrogance. One that would allow her the confidence to hover above the ground as she boosted herself up with that fierce raging flame beneath her feet, rising off the soil far below to match Weiss' level.
"Show me the power of the Winter Maiden," Cinder whispered. "I heard the legend myself, so I really want to see it in person. Tell me that it's true, come on. O great and powerful Chancellor."
Weiss was standing in front of an Eastern Monarch, but the only emotion she could really feel toward the Queen at this moment was total disgust. She wasn't exactly concerned that Cinder could somehow be a match to her strength, because Weiss knew that was impossible.
What she found more disturbing was the fact that Cinder would even dare to entertain the possibility of opposing her at all. Which made Weiss wonder if she had a secret weapon of some kind that could make up for the huge gap in raw power between the two of them.
Or perhaps, Weiss needed to consider the possibility that the power of Maiden divinity was one of the few things on the entirety of Remnant that could be a match against a Superman.
"You will stay here on these shores," Weiss ordered. "Do not misuse the Empire's hospitality."
"Oh, but of course. As you wish – Miss Schnee."
"Heyo, Jaune, what's going on bro?"
"Cardin? What are you doing here?"
"I could be asking you the same thing," Cardin pulled him on his feet into a quick embrace.
"What are you doing here sitting like a duck?" Elm approached from behind.
"Elm, Ren, you're here, too?" Said Jaune.
"Hey, Jaune," Ren stepped up, pointing his finger at the sword on the ground, "is that what I think it is?"
"Holy shit."
"Yeah… that's… Myrtenaster, Weiss' sword," Jaune sighed.
"People have been speculating for a long time," said Ren. "How much does it actually weigh?"
"Um… you don't want to know the answer to that," Jaune laughed.
"We'll find out soon enough," Cardin pulled back his sleeves before spitting on his hands.
"Gross," the other three collectively groaned.
"Alright, stand back folks, and watch the miracle worker um… work with his almighty Semblance of super strength, ha-ha."
"Cardin, you're going to tear your tendons," said Ren. "You've already embarrassed yourself once. Do you really want to do this again?"
"Listen to your buddy, bro. I'm gonna post this on the web if you don't stop."
A strange unfamiliar voice boomed behind the four of them, prompting them to turn their heads to witness two figures standing in the distance. One of them was a tall young man in an Atlesian military uniform designed for a high-ranking officer. Normally the attire would consist of the usual white coat over a black shirt with a red tie.
But with the cavalier way this man had decided to go about doing things, Jaune would see that he seemed to almost not give much of a damn about the dress code, pulling back the sleeves on the coat to show the raging muscles of his forearms. The way his messy hair was strewn about in the wind also gave off this impression. It was dark, yet a clean and professional cut, but left completely unhinged and entirely to its own device flowing over his confident green eyes.
The carefree smile he wore on his strong face and square jawline was also incredibly telling of the fact that he could have slicked his hair back, but simply decided not to.
Although, upon closer inspection, Jaune did notice that the man standing before him bore an uncanny resemblance to someone he had seen before. He just wasn't entirely sure who.
On the other hand, standing next to the young man was a young woman who also sported very similarly short black hair and the exact same military uniform. The smile she wore, however, was much less arrogant in comparison and much more infectious and sincere, especially with the way her purple eyes glistened with that beaming grin.
Much like the tall muscular young man, she had also pulled up her sleeves in a more casual manner. However, the difference between her and the man was the fact that she had a layer of boxing tapes wrapped around both her hands. So it was clear the decision to wear her uniform the way she did was not simply because she did not care. What drove this point home was the black Grimm essence that had bloodied all over the hand wrappings. Could she just have been in a fight not too long ago?
These two young man and woman would stand tall and poised, like that of a true Atlesian soldier.
"Yo, Oliver is in the house!" Cardin shouted just as he rushed over and the two men embraced. "How are you doing? Where've you been? You missed throwball practice again. What's up with that?"
"I'm doing fine, man," Oliver laughed. "Better than fine actually. I just got promoted. Can you believe that? Colonel Forest, reporting for duty."
"Whoa, no shit, for real? We haven't even graduated, yet. What gives?"
"Guess you gotta step up your game, bro."
"Ha-ha, shut the fuck up. Oh, you guys, come here," Cardin waved over the three. "This is Oliver Forest, he and I go way back. We used to be on the wrestling team, throwball team, and even the boxing club back in high school."
"How are y'all doing?" Oliver waved his hand.
"Hi."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Wassup?"
"Oh, before I forget," Oliver cleared his throat, "this is Lisa Rhed, my teammate. She's also a Colonel now. We're part of Team GOLD, you guys probably already know. We usually have different professors, so I don't think we've seen each other much."
"So good to finally meet you all," Lisa smiled as she dashed around vigorously shaking everybody's hand. The speed at which she moved was almost blinding, but it paled in comparison to that bright infectious grin of hers.
"I've heard so much about you guys," said Jaune. "The stats you put up at the Academy, and the videos. You guys are amazing."
"Aw, thanks bro. See that Lisa?" Oliver nudged her, "We have an admirer."
"More like several, and that'd still be lowballing it," she laughed it off. "We have the Fleet Admiral to thank to be perfectly honest, we wouldn't be here without his guidance."
"Anyway, let's get back to the matter at hand," said Cardin. "Why exactly are you guys here? And why are you dressed like this? Nice drip, though."
"Thanks," Oliver adjusted his collar. "But we're actually here on official business. There's been some development near the southern regions of Lower Cairn. White Fang rebels and what's left of the Valean troops have been spotted somewhere near Mt. Glenn. The higher-ups think the rebels are in cahoots with Branwen pirates."
"That's weird," said Elm, "I thought Raven Branwen is in hiding. Could she have remobilized her fleet so fast?"
"I don't know," said Oliver, "but we've got orders to start assembling third-year students and above to join the force in the efforts to fight back. Take a look."
Pointing to an empty space in the air, of which Jaune had trouble deciphering what exactly Oliver was pointing to. It would eventually be revealed to all of them, however, the fact that there was a gigantic invisible airship floating right before them that had only now just come into view as they disabled the invisibility cloak.
It was staring them in the face this whole time without them even realizing. On the ship were men and women waving their hands from far above, as they prepared numerous massive cannons to attach them to the two sides of this massive vessel.
"I've been appointed leader to take point on this operation, leading this division," Oliver declared. "We'll be joining several other ships similar to our own once we get to Lower Cairn. In short, I'm basically your new boss, ha-ha!"
"The hell you are," Cardin burst out laughing, "you can't tell me what to do."
"Get used to it, brother." Oliver winked, before his expression got a little more serious. "We'll be answering directly to General Xanadu Stone and the High Chancellor herself."
"Holy shit," Cardin cried.
"This is getting serious," said Ren.
"I guess orders are order," Elm shrugged. "Let's grab our weapons and go."
"We do have one exception," Oliver said before pointing to Jaune. "You are to stay here to finish your training, as I'm told."
"Wait, what?" Jaune frowned in confusion. "I don't get to fight? That's not fair."
"I don't know what to tell you man," said Oliver plainly, "this is a direct order from the High Chancellor. You best follow them. It's for the best interest of the country."
"Don't worry, Jaune," Cardin patted his back, "we'll be back before you know it."
"It's probably for the best," Ren tried to smile, trying to cheer him up. "You'll be able to join us soon, I can feel it."
"Alright, let's move out! Time is running short!" Oliver commanded.
And just like that, they hopped onto the invisible airship – and at a snap of the fingers, before Jaune could even process what had happened, they were gone.
Over the hills and plains of the Valley, the invisible airships would fly far above ever so silently. This mighty fleet that conquered the skies was the masterwork of a Northern Giant, General of the Air Force Samantha Vulf. With the overwhelming power of her Semblance and Aura, she was able to fire off cannonballs so fierce none of the Empire's war machines could rival that indomitable arm.
But then again it was doubtful any of the cannons from any other kingdoms could've done so either. Launching a cannonball of that size and speed was basically the equivalent of dropping a miniature nuclear bomb.
Now that General Sam had been temporarily put out of commission, the other Atlesian officers serving in her place would absolutely prefer to take a more cautious approach in their offense. Not to say that they did not have faith in the Empire's steel, but General Vulf's contribution to their firepower simply could not be disregarded.
"Be on the lookout," Oliver commanded. "Ozymandias should not be underestimated. The Valean troops have priority, capture them alive if you can."
The men and women occupying the inner cabin of the airship were among the best soldiers the Empire could produce. Their focus on the mission was unwavering, with the analysts working hard at their computers scanning the terrains they were passing over, triangulating certain coordinates as possible locations for enemy bases.
These technicians were essentially the backbone of this entire operation, all of whom the other soldiers had to respect despite possessing superior combat skills. Because they knew well no matter what your job was, to serve their great Empire was to serve a higher nobler cause, and that was worthy of commendation.
The analysts were quick, efficient, and surprisingly quiet. Barely speaking a single word and none would even dare release a cough to disturb the silence. All of this was thanks to some of Atlas' latest technological advances in communication.
With a special mechanical headband tied to the supercomputer in front of them, these skilled technicians could effectively communicate telepathically, thus capable of talking without uttering a single word.
These were new experimental technologies, still in their early phases with some hiccups here and there. But they still proved to be able to work absolutely marvelously. Because this was the true power of the Atlas Empire, the fearless spirit of domination.
The soldiers carried on preparing the cannons on the ships as quietly as they could, remaining resolute as the analysts worked their magic. All of it could only stay silent for so long before one of the detection systems began sounding off in the far corner of the cabin.
"Ha-ha, finally, some action!" Oliver cried. "What is it, soldier?"
"Um… look, sir," the lady pointed on the screen, "multiple readings on the side of the mountain."
All scattered throughout the jungle and the stones far beneath where they were flying over. But the readings were fluttering and inconsistent. Perhaps they were still a little too far away from their targets. Or perhaps the enemy was deploying some kind of cloaking technology, making them difficult to detect.
"Prepare the Ice Dust," Oliver commanded. "Be ready to fire them on command."
"Sir?"
"Gotta level the playing field, fellas," Oliver laughed, patting the back of one of the soldiers. "Let's show these Valean dogs how cold Atlas can be."
"Woo-hoo, home turf baby!" Lisa cheered.
"Won't they just… melt the ice with their own Fire Dust?" Ren raised his hand.
"Don't worry my friend," Oliver winked. "We of Atlas are mighty. What could possibly go wrong?"
And then, from far below was the brutal sound of exploding bombs traveling through the air, hissing like a vicious snake interrupting Oliver's moment of hubris to burst open into the sky just roughly a short distance to the side of the airship, tilting the entire vessel with the force of the explosion.
Here in the sky – the war on Ozymandias had begun.
"Enemy fire!"
"Enemy spotted!"
"Artillery to port, nine o'clock."
"Behind the bushes!"
"In the forest!"
"Fire the Ice Dust now!" Oliver commanded.
Within just a mere few seconds, the cannons on the side of the airship began raining down frozen blocks of ice and projectiles the size of giant boulders. They made contact landing on the trees near the forest before spreading its cold icy touch to the leafy bushes in their surroundings.
The cannon fire of the enemy continued to grow stronger even as the loud booming sound of their war machines was giving away their positions. The analysts up on the airship were able to quickly pick up rough estimates on where they were firing from.
By using the thermal imaging software among other sensory technology they had available onboard, the Atlesians were now seeing small pockets of soldiers and rebels down below loading their massive cannons to aim far up into the sky. There was a thin layer of a strange unidentified fabric that seemed to be blocking the thermal readings from fully seeing through where the rebels and Valeans were scrambling to and from down below.
Could this have been the same magick the Valean Generals used during their battle against the Northern Giants? The same illusionary magical fabric that could obscure things from view?
"Concentrate fire on Mt. Glenn," Oliver pointed his finger. "Cut off their path for retreat!"
"Sir, how are they seeing through our invisibility?"
"Be cool!" Oliver shouted, "There's no evidence they know where we are!"
Just as he finished his sentence, the bottom of the airship would then become instantly penetrated by a barrage of powerful anti-tank bullets, repeatedly stabbing away through the thick sheet of steel the whole platoon was standing on. Miraculously, nobody was hurt, but the bullets did leave some very hideous holes at the bottom of the floor.
"Holy shit, machine guns!" Cardin cried.
Without pause, Oliver walked over to his command center to grab a handheld transceiver out of one of the computers. He would shout into the device:
"General Stone, come in. Requesting to deploy paratroopers to ground level, over."
Within seconds, the General would respond:
"Negative, continue your artillery pressure, do not break formation. We send in the troopers now and they'll be able to deduce our formation and positioning. Keep circling the sky, wait for my command, over."
"Sir, they are penetrating our airships with their machine guns. I think they know our position, over."
"What? How is that possible? And how are they penetrating Atlesian steel? It's supposed to be infused with Gravity Dust, over."
"I don't know, sir. We did lose some of our Paladins to the White Fang not too long ago. Maybe they reverse engineered it, over."
"Keep formation, switch over to Fire Dust to burn away the forest if you have to. The other ships will cover you. Proceed to send in Atlesian Knights model 200 by missiles. Over and out."
"Roger that," Oliver put down the communicator, looking around the room, "well you heard the man. Let's get to it, chop-chop. Keep the Ice Dust pressure, but ready the Fire Dust. Send in the knights!"
Without another moment to waste, the airship would proceed to fire off dozens of missiles that would fly far up into the stratosphere, beyond the limit of survivability for a regular mortal. From there the missiles would be able to disassemble and send down android soldiers to the ground level.
Deep down Ren was unsure of this tactic, thinking to himself as he helped haul around the gigantic Dust ammunition for the giant cannons. The White Fang may have been few, but what they lacked in number, they made up for in experience. A small number of androids would pose very little challenge for those rebels.
"BRANWEN PIRATES SPOTTED!" One of the soldiers yelled, "Starboard, three o'clock!"
"Fuck!" Oliver cried, as he spun his head, looking out to the window at the distant shores where he would see three warships approaching from afar.
"Do we have any Atlesian Paladins onboard we can deploy?" Lisa asked.
"Only one per ship," Oliver answered. "And we're not allowed to send them out unless ordered to."
Before they could even discuss the options available to counter the approaching pirates, another powerful projectile from far down below would zip right through the air to accomplish something absolutely unthinkable.
It would completely decimate a nearby Atlesian airship flying next to the ship Oliver and his crew were on, decisively breaking the formation.
The curious thing, however – was that this projectile did not come from enemy artillery.
Staring out of the window into the direction of where the projectile came from and down into one of the openings through the Valean magical fabric – Oliver would be able to see a sight that was both troubling and exciting. There standing down below surrounded by gunfire and the icy cold stood a young woman crossing her arms.
There next to the White Fangs and the Valeans – was Yang Xiao Long.
"Enemy Huntress spotted!"
"Shit, is that Raven Branwen's kid?" Elm cried.
"Deploying more Atlesian Knights as backup!" Lisa shouted.
To which Oliver would immediately interrupt:
"No, belay that order! I have a better plan."
He then walked over to his command center once more, picking up the handheld transceiver to shout:
"General Stone, come in. Requesting to deploy paratroopers for a second time. We have an enemy Huntress on the ground level, and they definitely know our position, over."
Within seconds, the General would reply:
"Do we have intel on this Huntress? Over."
"Yang Xiao Long, sir. Daughter of Raven Branwen. She just singlehandedly shot down one of our airships, sir. Over."
"A Branwen cannot be underestimated. She may be worth two or three ordinary Huntsmen, maybe more. You send down the paratroopers, they're going to die, over."
"But what if we only send one paratrooper? Over."
There was a brief pause over the communicator. After a short minute, the General's gravelly voice resumed:
"What the hell are you talking about, soldier?"
"We are the Atlas Empire, sir," Oliver smirked, "let's not underestimate the quality of our own Huntsmen. In fact, we only need to send one person to do this job, over."
"Who?"
And at that very moment, Oliver took off his service cap and began ripping off his red tie. Grinning from ear to ear, he tossed aside the communicator before shouting out loud a single word:
"Me!"
Without wasting another second debating his General, he would instantly leap out of the airship and into the open sky, diving head first straight down toward the ground. Quite the interesting landing strategy, Ren would think to himself as he witnessed this seemingly amateurish soldier jump into the heat of battle. But the farther he fell, the closer he got to the ground, the more it seemed as if he didn't actually have a landing strategy.
And the gut feeling that told Ren such a thing turned out to be true the moment Oliver landed and cracked open the very soil far beneath, easily creating fissures beneath his heavy boots from where he stood. The mere shockwaves of his landing alone were enough to knock many of the White Fang members off their feet, tossing them far into the distance as if they were nothing but ragdolls.
And yet, in the face of that overwhelming power – Yang Xiao Long stood there, unmoving. Still crossing her arms as she stared down this cocky Atlesian young man. And here, beneath the icy forest covered in the flames of war, the two would come face to face.
"Here we go again," Lisa shook her head, face-palming.
"Should we do something?" Ren asked. "He's down there all alone."
"Come on, fellas," Elm waved to the soldiers. "Let's go back up our Colonel."
"Negative!" Lisa ordered, seemingly becoming firm for the first time. "We need to follow the General's directives and preserve our troops and formation. It's still too dangerous to go out now."
"Besides," Cardin walked up, leaning against the glass window as he looked down to where Oliver landed, "you guys are worrying over nothing. Oliver will be fine."
"What makes you so sure?" Ren asked.
"I've known him for a long time," Cardin shook his head smiling, "we used to brawl, wrestle, sometimes just straight up street fighting. But there's a reason he's part of Team GOLD and I'm not. It's a thing you gotta understand about Oliver. He may look like a typical strongman, good ol' brawn over brains, but he has something that other muscle freaks simply do not."
"And what is that?" Elm asked.
"Discipline."
"No. How?"
"Your friend is sharper than he looks," Lisa said as she crossed her arms. "Cardin, right? You're absolutely right about Oliver. He's much more skilled than he looks. And I don't say this lightly, but it's the truth. And the truth is – Oliver may be closer than anybody else on Remnant to becoming another Superman."