"Come to me, tyrant! Let me feed!"
Strangely enough, the aggressive growling in Oobleck's tone seemed awfully inconsistent with how the man was just standing there, patiently waiting for Weiss to come to him instead of going on offense. It was obvious to her that this was a trap, she just could not figure out what kind and how.
"By the estimation of my God King, a single universe is roughly an infinity to the power of twenty septillion light years in diameter at a minimum, expanding at approximately seventy trillion light years per Planck instant. When you are inside Oobleck – that number is cut in half. The further inside you go, the smaller the space becomes. Eventually, swoosh! Squashed like a bug."
The blob of green flew through the air, attempting to capture Weiss once more to push her further into this pocket universe. Within just a mere few centiseconds, Weiss had realized the real apparent danger of this devilish man. It was doubtful to her whether the blob could really crush her, but she wasn't about to find out.
So, flying away she did, zipping through the air at speeds massively faster than light. She was instantly baffled by the fact that the green goo was somehow still able to keep up with her ludicrous speed. She was still faster, but it was not far behind.
Moving through the air with unnatural conviction, smelling Weiss' every move and every path to follow along. No matter what direction she flew, how much she zigzagged, she simply could not shake off this peculiar creature. But of course, to consider this a living thing was questionable at best.
She was already flying through the Beacon tower at the heart of the Valley several times over at this pace, suggesting to her that perhaps what he said was true, that the reach of Oobleck's pocket universe was indeed – universal. The scenery of the blurry vision did not change, and she was still intangible, unable to touch anything she came across. And the same could be applied to the green blob, still hot on her trails.
Glancing back to the desert where Oobleck was standing, a plan immediately popped into her mind the moment she realized that the two of them may be the only ones in this world of intangibility. There were still risks, but if she were to attack Oobleck directly instead of avoiding the green blob…
And thus, she flew back, ripping through the air at the burst of the sound barrier exploding, lighting the atmosphere on fire. To fly straight toward where Oobleck was standing.
But after entering the burning sphere of the West, mere milliseconds away from crashing into the Torturer, the woman would be instantly stopped in her tracks by pure shock the moment she witnessed something even more mind-bending than what she had already seen so far.
A second Oobleck had emerged, standing next to the original – both grinning ear to ear.
With just a microsecond of pause, too small to even quantify, paused by the impending confusion of this strange power that seemed unrelated. And when she was distracted, she immediately realized that the goo had caught up to her, latching straight onto the side of her left forearm, now refusing to let go.
"By the power vested in me as King of Vacuo, who-thinks-Summer-is-way-better-than-all-the-other-pansy-ass-gods-anyway, I declare divinity upon the one Nora Valkyrie. Step forth and receive these gauntlets and descend unto our mortal planes. May Spring of the stars grant us flowers and fruits, honey and grapes, wheat and water. Defend us from harm and evil, and deliver us."
Tapping on Asher's shoulder, Sun leaned in asking:
"What are those gauntlets for?"
"They're made from ornate steel, the finest in the land," he whispered back. "They are a vessel to invite in divine spirit emanating from the cosmos far above. A tool to contain heavenly powers so that they don't break this planet, or our plane of existence."
"Does it work?"
"It should. But I don't think anybody's ever seen the full power of a Maiden. A Season can crush this planet like an ant, but a Maiden by their very nature is already more contained. Limited by mortal flesh. As such…"
Cutting off Asher's explanation, Nora's head turned away toward the direction behind her, to a place everybody was confused the moment her divine ringing ears began echoing that prayer from the battlefield far beyond:
"MAIDEN OF SPRING, DELIVER US, DELIVER US, PLEASE!"
Nobody really knew how everybody in this hidden dungeon was able to hear the voice from this distance, and what was even more puzzling was the fact that the voice sounded as if it came from Sun himself, even though he knew well he did not utter any of those words. But what their attention was glued on was the overwhelming electricity coursing through Nora's veins, lighting up her body in a sheet of blue lightning covering her from head to toe, transforming her into almost a formless blob.
One that with a simple flex of her forearms – was effortlessly able to snap the steel gauntlets into pieces like a fragile glass windowpane.
And there, with divine lightning striking from a place without clouds – she disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an empty circle without even a trace of any electrical bolt charring the ground they stepped on.
Slamming her hammer on the sand of the West, everybody far and wide could feel the tremor of Nora's divine lightning burning the desert hotter than the sun. There she stood in heavy metal armor painted with peculiar pink, clad over a surprisingly smooth and stylish coat with rolled-up sleeves, worn over a shirt with intricate patterns that almost resembled that of chain mail. All held together by a powerful metal belt above long pants and high boots.
With each step she took, the ground would light up with blue fire, spreading miles far. With every Atlesian soldier she saw, her eyes would emit furious electricity violently burning through their body armor and Aura faster than they could even comprehend and register the pain.
And then there was her hammer, a device as long as she was tall, maybe longer. And most curiously, the weapon was actually modern, mechanical, instead of being ancient or magical. With the heavy head of the hammer on top seemingly in the shape of a revolver, attached on top a gun barrel large enough to contain grenades or missiles.
This truly was a woman larger than anything they could've imagined – a Giant?
Not hesitating or backing down, Ghost charged forth with an electric Aura blade coating his right hand, slashing at where Nora stood.
But the divine Aura of a Maiden was far thicker than a mortal. So the slash simply bounced off her body as if his hand were made out of sponge.
Without even paying him a look, she swung her hammer with as little effort as swatting away a fly, and still Ghost was sent flying far into the distance, crashing through waves of soldiers, through boulders and sand, even crushing through the metal side of a tank. He lay there clutching his chest, feeling the impact of a strength he had never felt before save for his mentor. The protective Aura layer around him flickered, and still, he felt the awesome power of Spring now wildly stinging his torso.
Then far above, from the sky rained down fire from the North. Missiles fired from the faraway frozen lands of the Empire. One by one they came crashing down to destroy hundreds of the scorpion riders scattered across the desert. But they had yet to fall onto Nora herself, who stood there unflinching.
Without fear, for the power drew forth from the palm of her hands was overwhelming, bursting forth of electrical madness. Sunny sky rumbled as dark clouds gathered around, brewing forth cyclones and thunder in a matter of seconds. And when she released that ball of dense energy into where the rain of missiles was coming from – a massive roaring storm forming in the shape of a dome came over the entire desert, effectively protecting the battlefield from foreign fire.
"HEY, Zappy!"
Descending from far above, with his focus now shifted from the Death Stalker to the Maiden, Oliver came crashing down, punching onto Nora's hammer which she just held up mere seconds ago to block the attack. The sheer force of the wind from the one punch alone would create a massive crater around where Nora was standing, crushing the sand and dirt.
Following it up with two more punches straight across her face and one more to the gut, Oliver's eyes continued to light up with powerful green Aura energy, prepared to deliver another blow. And here, he was immediately stopped short by Nora's own powerful grip grabbing straight onto his fist. Face-to-face, he got a closer look at her features, and it was clear to him that the punches he delivered did no damage to the Maiden.
Trying to hide his desperation, Oliver smiled on:
"So you're Spring? You look more like Fall to me. Goddamn false gods everywhere."
Raising his fist for another punch, but only now to be interrupted by another lightning eye beam that blasted Oliver straight back to where the Death Stalker was, landing him squarely in the path of the monster's giant pincer for the monster to slam him right into the ground, causing massive tremors far beneath everyone on this field.
Behind it all, Neptune came sliding down a hill of sand, getting Sun on his feet as the both of them darted out from the danger of the Maiden clashing with the Atlesians.
"Time to pull out all the stops," Neptune cried.
Sun nodded his head, prompting Neptune to reach for his earpiece shouting:
"Deploy the Air Force riders, the Spring Maiden has arrived. I repeat, the Spring Maiden has arrived. We need everybody here, NOW!"
"Thank the Seasons we set up our base underground right here in the desert," said Sun, "if our riders had to go through that storm, sheesh."
Sure enough, miles off in the distance, several men and women of the Vacuan troops darted from the sand covering above their base. Splashing upward to bring out waves upon waves, as the very ground itself could not contain the power that propelled them into the sky.
The power of Faunus wings.
Here for the world to see came one superior trait among the Faunus peoples. Certain men and women with bat wings and eagle wings, spanning many large meters across to be able to fly at incredible speeds. Cutting through the air, donning heavy armor and energy rifles, alongside strong helmets with visors to protect from wind resistance.
These were the elite troops of the West, well-funded by the King himself who spared no expense armoring each and every one of these soldiers, even covering their wings in metal. Just enough for powerful protection, but not enough to inhibit movement. All of which had the brand of the King's seal itself stapled onto the surface of the steel. Flying high for all to see the symbol of their country.
Proud warriors flying forth now, firing heavy energy blasts to clear the Atlesian soldiers and jeeps. One blast being enough to devastate a large area of up to several men, maybe even a tank.
Seeing her troops in the sky, Nora nodded her head in acknowledgement. Before rising high herself, empowering herself with electricity that burst forth like a waterfall, scorching the ground as she advanced, destroying anything in her path.
"Rear Admiral," Lisa shouted into her earpiece, "what should we do? Over."
Pondering the question for a moment, Ghost realized the trouble they were in. The Superman had been taken off the table, as well as any of their ranged options, either naval or from the homeland. He was not entirely sure of the true power of this storm dome surrounding them, so perhaps ground reinforcements were still possible. But speed was key, and given the new developments, it was difficult to get newer war machines into the desert, especially with the Grimm Giant still rampaging around.
With this in mind, he knew they needed to minimize these disadvantages, so he gave the order:
"Retreat to the shore and fall back, we don't know how long this storm is going to be here, but if it clears, then we can bring reinforcements in faster that way. Over."
"Roger," said Lisa, "I'll secure the area for our retreat, over and out."
Gathering up his strength, Ghost marched forth as his troops gathered themselves retreating. He stepped into the presence of the godly Maiden, who seemed to ignore him at first. But with his rising Aura energy field creating massive sand craters from sheer gravity alone, his power was there for many to see.
Collecting it all into one focal point was difficult on account of how dense the energy was. But this was the technique he had been practicing without rest for years now, trying to perfect it with his own Semblance. To bring the electricity – the power of nuclear bombs into the tip of a single finger.
"Concentrate, soldier," a voice echoed.
Thus, prompting Ghost to turn around and marvel at the magnificent sight of a Giant.
A Northern Giant.
There standing back-to-back, Fleet Admiral Maru stood with his prized student, raising a finger gun, pointing straight toward the god in the sky.
Looking up to his mentor, who had finally come out of injury after all this time, Ghost immediately noticed his clean uniform, the sharp white coat over his shoulders, and his strong stern expression. It was as if he was never injured in the first place, now standing taller than ever before.
Steeling himself, Ghost focused his attention back on the Maiden, but in the end – he simply could not help but exhale a sigh of relief, like releasing a tense burden he had been carrying across the burning desert after all this time. Sweat now finally able to stop dripping down his face.
Heavy breath, relaxed to a gaze of precision. Looking farther into the sky in the midst of a storm, the two of them stood there unwavering facing a foreign divine power. Nora was a god, but the Giants had roamed this world just as long as the gods had. And in the palm of their hands were the peak of human excellence, engineered, pushed to their mortal limits.
And with discipline and conviction, they carried on.
"FIRE!"
The two beams of dense Aura left their fingers at the speed of light, bursting forth with subtle power and rage that Nora could not fully discern, not until the beams were merely a few feet away from her, which by that point was too late to dodge or get out of the way. Godly arrogance was what froze her there to take in the shots.
Her armor was heavy, but her Aura was heavier. And yet, facing mortal determination – she was met with an explosion that shook the very mountains far in the depth of the West, deeper behind Coquina and into Vacuo. The shockwaves alone ruptured the height of those mountains, letting boulders of all sizes tumble down the sides.
Many soldiers on both sides were completely caught off guard, launched from where they stood far in the distance, many of whom even had their ears burst open from the sound of the explosion alone, for they had not properly shielded themselves with their Aura. Or they were simply not strong enough to do so.
Behind them, the war machines and scorpions felt the aftermath as well, with several tanks being crumpled up like tissue paper, and many scorpions squashed like a bug, bending their legs and tails backward. Even the Death Stalker itself had difficulty standing upright, violently whirling around its pincers trying to find balance.
And there, up high in the clouds, the Vacuan Air Force riders scattered far and wide, disoriented as they continuously bumped into giant Atlesian airships. There the battle resumed, lighting up the sky with smoldering sparks of rifles and fire. With several of these winged Faunus being trouble for the airships. One, two, three, after the shots from their rifles powered by their own Aura – an airship plummeted out of the sky, into the ocean.
The sounds of storm and flickering god Aura raged on, now searing the atmosphere, turning the clouds red. And from behind the smoke, Nora still hovered above all of them. She seemed unhurt, but her Aura flickered – and that was enough of a sign to fight on.
"Fall back soldier, I'll take things from here," said Maru.
"Sir…"
"That's an order! I won't repeat myself. Keep in touch with your officer General Stone. You are a part of GOLD, an example of excellence. So act like it."
The Death Stalker roared, trampling over several tanks like they were made of simple tin. But Maru's eye was on something else completely different, for he saw that there was a threat much more dangerous than just a mere Grimm Giant.
Plunging his hand straight into the sandy ground, he pulled forth Oobleck out from underneath, grabbing him by the neck and tossing him straight into the distance.
The Torturer instantly regained his balance, standing there smiling while he dusted himself off. Glaring at this demonic man, Maru tossed aside his long coat, and immediately prepared the Aura blade coating his right hand.
"Where is Ozymandias?" Maru asked.
And to that, he would get no response. Only a demonic teethful grin.
"Very well."
Slicing forth, his Aura shot traveled the distance of the sand, cutting the ground to only then be instantly stopped by a peculiar unexplainable green goo rising up to block the attack. What was most odd in this particular moment was the fact that Maru somehow instinctively knew to attack from a distance, rather than engaging up close where Oobleck stood, who had yet moved a muscle.
It was at this moment, Ghost knew these men were out of his league. So retreating to his troops, he did. There in the distance, he could see Lisa still handling the scorpion riders, dashing all over dodging their sword swings and bullets as fast as she could, countering them with quick punches to instantly bloody their noses and teeth.
"Colonel!"
"Ghost, what the hell is going on? The Fleet Admiral's back? Did he run all the way out here? What?"
"Come on, we need to find Oliver. Our target is the Maiden. She's still the biggest threat. Let's go!"
"…feed the fire with wet mouse hair. Burn an onion. Burn a chair. Burn a whisker from your chin, and burn a long sour lizard skin…"
Clicking their tongues, the two Ooblecks mumbled on as Weiss stared down the crawling goo on her arm, slowly making its way up her shoulder.
And there, from behind Weiss – came the shadow of a third.
"Daughter of the North, heed this word. Just one word – Oobleck."
"…make magic smoke, green, thick and hot. It sure smells dreadful, does it not?"
Swinging her fist around, she struck the third Oobleck at the speed of light. Only to find his body dissolving into green ethereal mist that disappeared and reappeared behind her, rematerializing like that of a ghost, a spirit. Taking out her rapier in frustration, she began to vibrate the blade with intense gravity, only for Oobleck to shake his head, wagging his finger.
"There is a way out of this place," he said, "and you know it, I can feel it. You're smart, probably too smart for this world. But when you get out, do you really think you can find a way to get Oobleck off your arm? The second you get out, I will pull you back in. Not even Ozymandias' holy torch could burn me. Sooner or later, you will be crushed, so give up."
From the ground, more green goo rose into where Weiss was floating like that of a tree coming alive. Only it was clear that this sickly tree had no life within, merely an abomination sprouting forth strange pale hands that eventually grew into branches upon branches of arms reaching out toward Weiss.
The goo attaching to Weiss' arm followed suit, also shooting out several lanky arms to grab a hold of her, pulling her down the seed of the green goo that began making its way onto her uniform. She tried to shake herself off, but the vibrational energy of her Aura could not detach herself from the bonds. Or rather, it was almost as if the energy itself could not even touch the encroaching intangible liquid, simply passing through without contact.
At the tip of each of the hands' fingernails came fire, ice, and small seedlings that grew into coffee beans. The smell was intoxicating, overwhelming to make Weiss struggle in decoding a strategy. But what was more was that she noticed that every single thing that was happening at the moment was utmost unnatural.
When she scanned the molecular structure of everything she saw, she could not discern the rules operating the cells, the atoms. They all seemed wrong somehow, in ways that she could not really explain or fully understand. They functioned as far as what they were tasked to do, but they were not put together in any logical manner.
For five years, this man remained hidden from sight. If this man had such an ability for all this time, then how on earth was the Kingdom of Vale allowed to fall at all?
No – the only logical explanation was that this power had recently come into his possession, and only now was he confident enough to show his hands. Which ultimately only circled back to that original question.
What exactly was this thing called Oobleck?
The Death Stalker roared on, while cannons, tanks, and airships struggled to keep it down. Which was difficult enough without a Maiden swooping in to pick up several jeeps over her shoulders and tossing them onto the crowd of Atlesian soldiers.
One swing of the hammer, several hundred officers flew far with their bones cracking. Another swing of the hammer, a private flew into the torso of another clean through, cutting several men behind in half. Her power would not stop, now staring down the soldiers with her eye beams, incinerating them down to the last molecule.
Sneaking up the woman from behind, Oliver once again came crashing down, but this time managing to punch her right at the back of her head, which only managed to stagger her ever so slightly. Barely penetrating her thick layer of Aura protecting her.
What he did end up managing was separating Nora from her hammer with a swift skillful kick, launching it far away from her grip. Now slamming their fists against one another, they grabbed onto each other's hands to push violently in opposite directions, standing there in a mighty contest of strength, their power was overwhelming, easily crushing the very ground they stood on alongside creating quakes that traveled miles wide.
Once again, Oliver tried to keep up a façade with a smile, but he knew that he was completely outmatched against this woman's power. As within a split second, she would slip out of his grip to grab onto the hair on his head, before slamming it straight down on the ground, grinding him into the stone. Smashing him over and over and over again, before tossing him aside into the far distance like a broken toy.
Lying on his back, Oliver touched the top of his forehead to see blood dripping down from his black hair. Holding this red in his hand, he chuckled to himself, lying back to catch his breath.
"Oliver!" Lisa approached, getting him off the ground.
"Boy, am I glad to see you. This shit stings, ah!"
"Listen, I have an idea. I don't know if it's going to work. But I think it's worth trying."
"Baby, you do whatever it is you gotta do. As long as we win," Oliver gritted his teeth from the pain.
"I'll have to run back to Vale. It might take a while. Think you can hold down the fort 'til then?"
"What about the storm dome?"
"I think I can power through it with my Aura. Don't worry, I'll be fine… I think."
"Ha, Ghost is going to hate you for this. Rule following dork."
"That's why we love him," Lisa grinned.
Oliver smiled back brightly as the blood dripped from his head down to his chin, powering through to give a thumbs up.
Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Lisa readied her running pose, and within the next few seconds, the fire from her boots roared like inferno far below crystalizing those grains of desert sand, and there – she took off far in the distance, breaking the sound barrier.