AN: Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
...by the way...
You'll have a fun chapter by Christmas.
Leave a review~! Thank for reading~!
The group sat in the conference room, still in shock. Mercury had been exposed for cheating and had quickly fled the stadium, Emerald following suit. The group attempted to give chase, but the duo was nowhere to be found- same with the rest of Cass' team.
"I have...no words, actually," Ironwood said, shaking his head.
"So, how are we gonna spin the 'shot in the leg' moment?" Ruby asked. "Is that appropriate to ask right now?"
"The media is thankfully spinning it as a moment of cheating," the general explained. "Mercury had a bit of a following thanks to his lack of physical weapons, and somehow, people thought Yang exposed the truth about him."
Yang blinked. "Wow, that's...pretty good actually."
"Indeed. But it begs the question- why did Mercury and his team cheat?" Ozpin prosed.
"Cass is a bit hyper competitive. Maybe this was her gambit to win," Ceres hypothesized.
"I'm just glad things didn't blow up that much," Kylie sighed. "Even the media is kind of sympathetic to Yang. They went from hateful to apologetic in just a few seconds."
"Public opinion can change that quickly?" Lev asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kylie nodded. "Apparently!"
"You guys are lucky I was there," Ari interjected. "I have a feeling this whole thing would've been really ugly if I wasn't."
"Why did you shoot him in the leg, Miss Xiao Long?" Blonko asked.
Yang made a face. "It was so weird. He screamed that he was gonna get me, and then he leapt at me...it all felt like a dream."
"Do you think he was using his Semblance?" Weiss asked.
"With a broken aura? Unlikely," Blake said.
"Maybe we're not looking at the right person," Kevin thought out loud. "This is gonna sound weird, but I just remembered something- when me and Ben were kids, we faced off against Charmcaster and this friend of hers. I don't remember what she looked like, but her powers REALLY stuck out to me."
"Go on," Ironwood said, interested.
"She could create these grand scale illusions," Kevin explained. "I remember hearing the sound of glass breaking whenever her illusions would wear off."
Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I remember now. She created that scary image of a woman in black, right?"
Ozpin had paled considerably. "I see. Why do you bring this up?"
"Well, we recently faced off against Charmcaster," Kevin told him. "She said something about an eye on campus...you guys don't think-"
"That Cass is working with Zs'Skayr and his benefactor?" Ceres finished. "Honestly, I could see it...plus, there is something that helps confirm the theory."
"May I ask what?" Rook said anxiously.
"That Aurora girl I fought...she's never heard of Mercury."
"This is alarming," Ironwood said, eyes narrowed. "We'll have to meet with Lionheart to discuss this. He may be complicit with their plans."
"So, the enemy has been under our noses the entire time? That's sneaky," Blake mused. "...what if there's more of them?"
"Then we'll need to keep our guards up for a while," Ironwood declared. "For the time being, keep a low profile."
Yang looked up. "But what about the tournament?"
"We'll continue as planned in a few hours," he explained. "We're dealing with some brief media concerns...and apparently restocking the snacks."
"No offense general, but that is a very low priority," Blonko pointed out.
"You're telling me." Ironwood shook his head as he and Ozpin walked out of the room, leaving the group alone.
"Holy fuck," Ruby muttered. "This is just crazy."
"Were we just a domino in a horrible chain of events?" Kylie asked, hoping that sounded deep.
"I'd say we were that one domino that didn't fall over, actually," Blake reassured her. "You saw how they ran. They didn't account for Ari being there."
"Still, there's a lot we don't know," Ceres noted. "You guys can skip my match with Penny. I want all of you to patrol this place. Make sure those guys don't show up again."
"Ruby and I will handle the stadium," Ben said.
"Why would they go back there? They'd stick out like a sore thumb," Kevin argued.
Ruby furrowed her brow. "Not if everyone's focused on the match."
"A fair counter argument," he conceded.
Yang, Kylie, and Blake had walked around campus a number of times. No sign of Cass and her team, and no sign of anything suspicious- just a lot of strange and sorrowful looks. Yang, tired from all the stares and thirsty beyond belief, went and bought some water for herself and her friends.
Yang sighed as she gathered the bottles into her arms. She wasn't usually anxious or insecure, but with everyone staring at her… it just felt so uncomfortable. Yang wasn't sure if it was because of her actions or just out of empathy, but either way it was seriously getting to her.
"Hey there, firecracker."
Yang perked up. Qrow was at the stand, a few empty shot glasses littering the tiny area around him. She smiled thinly. "Hey, uncle Qrow."
"So, how'd the meeting with the general go?" he chuckled.
"Fine," Yang answered coolly. "Where have you been?"
"Busy," Qrow said. "Why so emo? I thought that was the job of your black haired friend."
"...Blake's not emo," she mumbled.
"I was referring to the guy," he corrected her. "I mean, you got your name cleared. I thought you'd be relieved."
"I'm more angry that I was used," Yang admitted. "For a moment, the world...just forgot that I'm a person. I was just an item used to further some bullshit scheme for God knows what. They didn't see some girl trying their hardest, some hero in the making...they just saw my anger."
Qrow took another shot. "That's just how life is, kiddo. But you're a tough egg. Don't let this tournament thing getcha down. You had a slip-up, sometimes bad things just happen. I say it's time you move on."
"Move on to what?"
He shrugged. "Hell if I know. I had a point there."
Yang sighed. "Thanks for the words of encouragement, I guess. I gotta get back to patrolling. Catch you later?"
"If I'm around." Qrow smiled as he watched his niece disappear into the crowd. His smile slowly faded as he turned back to his shot glass.
Qrow knew he shouldn't be drinking at a time like this, but he had to. His investigation into Amber's disappearance had reached a terrible conclusion.
It was a single clue, left behind by her killer. A symbol of Salem.
Qrow tossed back his drink and felt himself go numb.
Ruby circled the stadium stands, Ben following close behind. This was the fifth time doing so, and there was nothing out of place or suspicious.
"I'm starting to think my theory was wrong," Ben admitted.
"Me too," Ruby said, sighing heavily.
"...everything ok?"
"Yeah. I just need to sit down for a bit."
"I think we both do," Ben said, his legs starting to ache.
The two found an empty bench by one of the exits and took a few minutes to rest. The stadium felt subdued compared to before. There was always a lull in between matches, where people left and came back and talked at normal volumes. But after Mercury, everyone seemed to be on edge, and Ben couldn't blame them.
"You doing okay?" Ruby asked him eventually.
"I should be asking you that," Ben said, smiling slightly.
"I don't think I can answer that right now," she admitted. "Too many emotions, you know?"
"Oh god, that is a mood," he muttered. And then his brow furrowed. "...is this still weird?"
"Huh?"
"Dating right now," Ben clarified. "I honestly thought I'd die without ever mentioning my feelings."
Ruby chuckled. "Honestly? Same." She rested her head on his shoulder. "You never told me when you started to crush on me, by the way."
Ben thought about it. "I think it was during the end of the summer. Literally, the last day we thought we'd spend together. We were looking up at the sky and talking, and you remember how emotional we both got. You and I were close back then, but...I don't know, the fact that I could be really vulnerable with someone...it just made me feel something."
"Awww~" Ruby teased.
"When was it for you?" Ben asked.
"When I was leaving to train," Ruby chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder if that's what life's about, just a series of goodbyes and memories. But when it came to you, I didn't want to say goodbye. I didn't know why until...just recently..."
Ben smiled.
"...that and you got really, really cute," Ruby added.
Ben wheezed, face red and eyes crinkling as he laughed. Ruby took one look at his face and joined him.
Once they settled down, Ruby continued. "Everything past the dance has been pretty crazy. You got an aura, Min joined us, you were temporarily a girl...many exams and tests and an awkward family dinner later, and... I think we all got caught up in the fun and forgot why we were here."
"I wish I could hear Grandpa's advice one last time." Ben sighed. "I think we need it more than ever."
"We really do," she said quietly.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Port's voice boomed over the speakers. "We apologize for the wait! Let's start this thing up again with...! Ceres North! Versus! Penny Polendina!"
"You know, I'm not sure who to root for," Ruby joked.
"It's a hard choice-" Ben caught something out of the corner of his eye. Someone with white hair and dyed pink tips, ordering a drink by the concession stands. "YOU!" he yelled, darting after the woman. Ruby, confused, rushed after him.
Charmcaster peered over her shoulder and grabbed her drink, giving a teasing wave as she walked into a maintenance door. Ben sped up just as she closed the door. He kicked it down-
And suddenly found himself falling. Ben didn't even blink, he just reached for the Omnitrix and slapped down the face plate-
SPLAT!
Goop landed on the ground and reformed, unharmed. He shook his head and groaned. Ben took note of his surroundings- the woods just outside of Beacon. Charmcaster had tricked him. Again.
...better than having boobs for a week, Ben thought. He slapped the symbol on his chest and turned into Ghostfreak. "He's not the fastest, but at least I won't be seen," he rationalized as he turned invisible, flying back to the tournament hub.
Ruby, meanwhile, stood in the hallway where her boyfriend had disappeared into. "Ben?" she called out, confused.
"I'm right here!"
Ruby spun around and got kicked in the face by Mercury's steel boot. She stumbled back as he laughed.
"Oh man, I should have gotten that one on tape!" he sneered as he shut the door.
"You," Ruby growled.
"How're you doing, Red? Off to see the big match?" Mercury taunted. "I don't think it's a good match up, if you ask me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Fire melts steel, doesn't it?"
Ruby's pupils shrank in shock as she reached for her weapon. "What do you have to gain from this?!" she yelled. She tried to call for backup, but her phone wasn't working-
"Oh, me? Not much, to be honest. Pay sucks. Boss sucks." Mercury smirked. "I just wanted to see you squirm a bit."
"I have to say," Penny shouted from across the field, a wide grin across her face. "I never expected to fight you, Miss North!"
Ceres smiled back. "Don't worry, kid. I won't hold back."
"As expected," Penny chirped.
"3!" Professor Oobleck shouted. "2! 1!...BEGIN!"
Penny surrounded herself with Floating Array, before launching a volley of swords at her opponent. Ceres ran towards them and leapt through the air, deflecting each aimed blade with her gauntlets.
Once she was in close, Ceres threw a few quick punches, landing some nasty blows on her chest. Penny flew back but quickly landed on her feet. Three of her swords orbited around each other before firing a large laser. Ceres gasped as she dodged the blast.
"I gotta get the blueprints of those things," she mumbled to herself, before propelling herself into the air.
Meanwhile, Ruby blocked each one of Mercury's kicks with her scythe. He was being predictable but hyper offensive- his attacks were relentless and brutal, Ruby barely had time to attack!
Mercury just smirked. Show time.
After deflecting each of her swords, Ceres landed a few blows on Penny before knocking her opponent back in midair. This time she converted her swords to cannons, unleashing a barrage of beams that Ceres dodged with ease.
Penny recalled her weapons- Ceres spotted an opportunity and charged forward, knocking Penny backwards. She immediately recovered and propelled herself using her lasers, before jumping and kicking Ceres in the head. It was a devastating blow thanks to the added force from her sword beams, and Ceres was sent stumbling to the ground.
"Ready to work some magic?" s disguised Emerald asked.
"Absolutely." Hope's eyes glowed dark red.
Ceres avoided another laser blast, rolling to the side. The second she looked back up, she saw Hyperion.
Except no. The capital of the Archimedean Empire, her city of birth, was not piles of rubble and death. There were no crying children and crushed corpses. Mothers and fathers and the elderly didn't have holes in them.
It was fake. An illusion. It had to be.
The Behemoth loomed over her, teeth drenched with black blood, eyes angry and hateful.
IT'S FAKE, IT'S NOT REAL.
The yellow ships of the Incursion army darkened the sky. Its soldiers, with blood dripping out their eyes and ears and noses and mouths, crawled out of the wreckage and walked towards her.
NO NO NO NO-
An Incursion put a gun to her head-
Ceres screamed as the world turned blue.
Penny hadn't realized what her opponent was going through. She innocently assumed Ceres was amping up her fighting style- it was the finals after all, and Penny had just kicked her in the head so hard it disorientated her. Penny formed all of her swords into a circle and charged up a massive laser, eager to win.
But then Ceres let out a horrible, heart wrenching scream, and Penny faltered just as a tidal wave of blistering heat swept over her.
The flames and the massive laser collided-
The flames hit Penny, shattering her aura-
And melting her skin and circuits-
A smoking heap of scrap collapsed on the arena. The crowd screamed as Ceres stood there, confused and horrified.
"No..." she gasped, falling to her knees.
Mercury grinned as a red portal formed behind him. "Welp, thanks for the show, Red. I gotta get going," he teased as he disappeared through it. Ruby didn't bother to chase after him- instead, she ran out the door and turned a corner and-
She was far too late. "Penny..." she sobbed miserably.
Ben had just flown back to campus- everybody was so horrified and broken, what happened?
He looked at one of the TV screens and saw his leader, on her knees and looking so very small. Her eyes were filled with shock and despair and regret as she stared in front of her.
Stared at Penny. Scorched to ashes.
Ben flew towards the stadium, a snarl in his throat.
"Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!" Oobleck muttered into his mic.
"Something's wrong!" an operative yelled back. "We don't have control of the cameras! We can't even stop the broadcast!"
"What!? How is that possible!?" Oobleck yelled.
The background behind the two teachers changed to a video feed of the arena, tinted an ominous bright red and with a black queen chess piece hovering over the scene. They turned back to the arena as a familiar voice rang out throughout the Colosseum, the rest of the world watching with bated breath.
"As you can see, Ozpin has taken their innocence. If he can do that, I can also take something dear from you- your attention," Cinder began, her voice deep and compelling. The crowd went silent, waiting, listening.
"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident," she went on. "This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."
Ruby could feel the sheer amount of disdain in the woman's voice- this was personal.
"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl?"
Ruby clenched her weapon a little tighter. She heard someone step beside her, and a flash of green told her it was Ben. He held her hand as they kept listening.
"I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. You think hoarding power means you'll have it forever, but it just makes the rest of us hungrier. And we refuse to starve."
The crowd murmured in silence, as others began to feel a crawling unease that...she may be right.
"Perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"
The screen cut to complete static. Suddenly, the wail of an alarm echoed throughout the stadium, the crows surrounded by flashing screens that read "CAUTION".
"Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."
The crowds began to flee, wild and screaming, through the exit tunnels, while Ironwood entered the announcers' box and grabbed the microphone from between Port and Oobleck. "Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic!" he said, in the best calm tone he could muster.
...of course, you know the cliche of saying that.
A Giant Nevermore landed atop the arena's domed force field, giving a series of deafening screeches as it clawed and pecked at the defense with its beak. Ceres, who was directly underneath, didn't even flinch.
She just stared at the remains of her friend and pleaded for death.
"A Nevermore?" Ben yelled as Ruby wiped away her ugly tears. "How did it get past the Kingdom's defenses?"
"Simple," she said, standing back up. "It wasn't alone."
Ironwood tried to call in his fleet, but his armada were too busy being attacked by even more giant Nevermores. Soldiers inside were scrambling to enter commands inside the bridge as their commanding officers barked orders-
And then, in an instant, they were gone. All swallowed up by red portals.
"Such wonderful dolls for my collection," a voice rasped. A young teenage girl, dressed in a school uniform and with four strange arms, one set spindly and the other giant, appeared out of a red portal. Her dark eyes, normally hidden by equally dark hair, quickly looked around the cabin. She sulked on over to a door, pressed a few buttons, and Roman stepped out, cracking his neck.
"Jeez, took you all a while," he quipped. "Thanks, kid."
"No problem~" Breach grinned. "May I go play with my dolls~?"
Roman paused. "Well, you freed me...go crazy with them." He shrugged as she disappeared. He didn't know what she did to her 'dolls', and at this point he didn't want to know.
Roman heard a slight buzz coming from one of the control panels. He walked on over, noticing a Scroll...with the insignia of a black queen on it.
Roman grinned, pulling out a cigar. "Time for some fun."
The fairgrounds, once peaceful, were in utter chaos- civilians tried (and mostly failed) to run away from the hordes of Grimm. Atlesian Knight-200s fired at the dark creatures, but they were taken out almost instantly. Blake, Yang, Kylie, and Rook looked on in distraught horror.
"What the fuck happened?" Kylie said, still processing everything.
Rook gripped his weapon. "I cannot believe this..."
Yang, however, was more focused on her little sister's safety. She repeatedly dialled Ruby's Scroll, hoping to get something, anything-
Blake put her hand on her shoulder. "Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader. She can take care of herself."
Elsewhere, Kevin, Weiss, and Min took care of some Grimm. Kevin whipped Doppler's wires around to lash the fuckers, Weiss was using her Glyphs to blast enough ice to create a wall, and Min was using her luck powers to make sure nothing happened to them.
"This is just too crazy," Kevin declared.
"At least we have them to back us up," Min said, motioning to the squadrons of Atlesian Knights. They were technically the first line of defense, so of course they would be the most focused.
Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks, their visors and LEDs turning a dark red. The robots turn around, pointing their guns at the three of them.
"...You had to jinx it," Weiss huffed.
Back at the courtyards of Beacon, the other four were nearly caught off-guard by the local Knights turning on them, but Blake and Kylie reacted quickly. They threw out their weapons and quickly decapitated a few of them with their respective blades.
Of course, while it took out the bots easily, it just drew more attention to them.
"Well, isn't this just fun," Yang growled, reloading her weapon.
As civilians ran past them in a panic, Ruby and Ben kept pushing and running towards the arena. They needed to get Ceres out of there- the Nevermore continued to circle around the colosseum. The girl herself was still on her knees, eyes unfocused and dead.
"CERES!" Ben screamed over the cacophony. "That thing's going to break in! You gotta move!"
The forcefield flashed one last time before it shattered. The sheer force of the attack knocked Ceres back and scattered Penny's remains around the arena.
The Nevermore screeched and lunged towards Ceres, but was knocked back by a red, twirling blur of roses. Ruby Rose gripped one of Penny's swords and stabbed the Nevermore, before jumping back down in front of her friend.
"...Ruby?" Ceres rasped.
Ruby stared down the monster and went into a fighting stance. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
The Nevermore flew upwards and circled around the arena before lunging back down. Ruby held Penny's sword defensively, ready to slash it to bits and pieces. But the Nevermore suddenly got pinned down by a barrage of rocket lockers, and screeched out in pain before going unconscious. The lockers then opened up, revealing various weapons.
Ceres wiped at her face as the other students got their weapons. "R-Ruby...I'm sorry-"
Ruby knelt down and gave her a tight hug. "I know, I know...but you aren't to blame."
Ben caught up to them, a bit out of breath. "Whoever was on that microphone... they're the ones that did this. And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else."
Ceres clenched her fist as Ruby released her from her hold. Ceres scrubbed at her face before standing back up, her eyes alive with determination. Something landed on top of the coliseum, and they all looked up to see hippogryph-like Grimm staring down at them.
"The fuck are those?" Ben asked.
"Gryphons," Flynt said as he walked over. "They're kinda rare...never seen one before."
"Well, enjoy it while it lasts," Ben declared as he activated his watch. "You guys help the others escape. I'll handle these guys."
"Wait, seriously?" Aurora laughed. "Dude, I dunno how a scrawny pipsqueak could-"
He slapped down the watch, transforming into Cannonbolt. Everybody stared in shock.
"Well? GET MOVING!" Ben yelled as he curled up into a ball. He bounced on the ground a few times and propelled himself upwards. The gryphon hissed as it tried to slash him, but Cannonbolt's size and strength made it easy for him to plow through the aliens. He bounced off the Gryphons from side to side like a giant pinball.
Flynt and Aurora gave Ruby and Ceres a confused look.
"...yeah, he does that," Ruby said. "Come on!" The group ran out of the arena as Ben continued to fight. Eventually they reached the main lobby, where Ironwood was directing others to the ships and fighting off the occasional Grimm.
"Headmaster Ironwood!" Neon yelled, skating towards him. "What's going on?"
"Grimm are crawling all over the city, my droids have been hacked, and to make matters worse, some vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm..." Ironwood was interrupted by a Creep that tried attacking them from behind, but it was swiftly dealt with thanks to a bullet to the head. "...going to take care of it myself."
"What should we do?" Ceres asked, her voice at its normal strength.
"You have two choices. Defend your Kingdom and your school... or save yourselves," Ironwood said. "I wouldn't blame you if you chose the latter."
Ruby gripped her weapon tightly. "I think I already know my answer," she told him, before they all headed for an airship. Ironwood couldn't help but smile after them; Weiss certainly had a good leader.
The group piled into the ship as it started to depart. Some Grimm tried to latch onto the cruiser, but the pilot simply blasted them away with the MANY weapons he had on board.
Ceres rubbed at her eyes a few times, before she felt something shake her shoulder. "Huh?" She looked down to see Ruby, giving her a concerned look.
"...I'm fine," Ceres said, looking away. She felt something wrap around her- Ruby had trapped her in a hug. Ceres sighed, returning it.
"I don't expect smooth sailing from here," Ruby said quietly, releasing Ceres from her grip. "But at least we get something of a breather."
She spoke too soon.
Something caught her eye. A man, standing in the corner, dressed in all black...with a single pink pupil on his chest. Ceres gasped as she threw a fireball at the Black Hand cultist, but he 'slipped through the cracks', disappearing from view.
"What the hell was that?!" Flynt yelled.
"He was standing there a second ago," Aurora said disbelievingly.
"Well, he's gone now, right?" Werlyn asked. "Shouldn't be a prob-"
She was cut off by something wrapping around her neck. She reached behind her and threw a cultist on the ground in front of her. And then more of them spilled out of seemingly nowhere to make their cramped space...well, even more cramped.
Ruby growled as she spun around her scythe. "Like I said, didn't expect smooth sailing."
Poor, poor Cardin. There was a lot going on today. Now, I know this series likes to fuck with him, but for a moment, let's instead empathize with him.
First, he saw Yang break a guy's leg. What the fuck.
Then, it was revealed by some hot nurse that the dude didn't even have any legs, and he fled. This apparently revealed some great conspiracy that put the tournament on hold for a few hours.
Then, when the tournament continued, he saw the woman that kicked his team's ass MELT someone's skin clean off of them, revealing them to be a robot.
THEN, he had to fight against a horde of corrupted Atlesian Knights, guys popping out of fucking nowhere and protect the innocents on the ground. It was strange to see the campus he once hung out on become a graveyard for the unburied. The town was littered with bodies, gore, and air which would normally be filled with the scent of freshly baked bread and the sound of people was now carrying a thick, black smoke and small embers...and the sound of silence.
Cardin's grandfather once told him about the wars. About all the bloodshed and deaths that still haunted him at his old age. Cardin thought he was lucky that he didn't live through all of that.
He wished he still was.
And now, he was being held at gunpoint by a few Knights. They'd knocked his weapon out of his hands, and he just knew this would be an awful way to die.
Cardin closed his eyes and prayed that maybe the deity above would excuse his behavior-
SHRK. Crystals rose up from the ground, spearing the robots in their chests. Cardin opened his eyes to see Diamondhead walking over to him.
"Are you alright?" the alien asked. That was weird; Cardin was used to the alien threatening him, not making sure he was okay.
...also, why did Ben have red eyes and a red hourglass symbol?
"Uh, I'm good," he stammered.
"Good." 'Ben' nodded as he handed Cardin his weapon. "The town has been successfully evacuated. How about we get you to the jets? I think your team should be there."
"Right," Cardin agreed. The two ran off, occasionally stopping to fight off Grimm or other infected Knights. Again, it was weird to fight alongside Ben; the two had a hostile relationship, but now, in a time of crisis, the two were actually amicable.
All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind. And in war, the only difference that really mattered was who was on his side.
An eye opening experience for Cardin. He felt as if he understood everything now.
"HEY!"
Cardin snapped out of his reverie and turned to see Ben, standing at the end of the road. There were a few knocked out cultists around him, and Ben dropped the last conscious one on the ground. Cardin turned back to Diamondhead, and then at Ben.
Suddenly nothing made sense anymore. We're back to fucking with him.
"Ah, I wondered when you were going to show up," Albedo said, brushing Cardin aside. "I figured if I paired up with one of your friends, you'd come eventually."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Who, Cardin? We're not friends."
"...ah." Albedo blinked. "I could have sworn he was at the picnic."
"Well, he wasn't," Ben shrugged. "But...why are you supporting this?"
"I'm not in favor of any of this," he insisted, his eyes dark. "I hate it, actually."
"Then why associate yourself with it?"
"Why would Oppenheimer associate himself with the bomb? It was used for dark, horrific things...but in the end, he found answers," Albedo explained. "I'm nearing the end of my data collection."
"Screw your data," Ben snapped, rolling up his sleeve. "I'm ready for round two."
"And so am I," he said, twisting his Ultimatrix symbol. The two glared each other down before slapping down the dials. Cardin was blinded by flashes of red and green, and he covered his eyes.
When his vision came back, Ben and Albedo were gone. He walked around the area, utterly confused.
ZAP. Static filled the air as something zoomed past him. It was brief, but he could make out a red blur heading down the road.
FWOOSH. A gust of wind hit Cardin from behind. It wasn't as noticeable as the other speedster, but still, he felt it.
But he just couldn't see it. And that made the battle VERY dangerous. Bursts of wind and static brushed past one another, trying to strike each other down. Cardin watched in stunned silence, failing to realize how dangerously close the blurs were getting-
And suddenly, Cardin was pinned against a wall, with XLR8's claw striking the brick that was literally inches from his face. Fasttrack held Ben's arm and growled.
"And here I was hoping that no bystanders get involved," he commented. The two sped off again, leaving Cardin in the dust.
He stood there for a few seconds, before falling to his knees, crying.
It was a long day.
Ben and Albedo clashed at full speeds, running through the entire town. The world seemed to slow down, with Ben passing by slow moving Grimm and mid-air bullets. Ben and Albedo traded a few more blows, before Albedo managed to land a nasty punch to Ben's gut. The force alone sent him flying to a wall and leaving a massive dent.
"Screw this Flash bullshit," Ben grumbled as Albedo bolted at him-
And suddenly, both of his fists were encased in ice. The transparent Big Chill looked at him as he spread his wings. "I'm just glad I'm off maternity leave right now," he quipped as he flew upwards.
Albedo melted the ice away with his static build up and chased after him. Ben released a storm of ice at Albedo, significantly slowing his speed up and icing the ground.
"Come on, Albedo. We both know our aliens pretty well," Ben drawled. "I think we know how this is going to end."
"I agree," Albedo said as he slapped down his Ultimatrix.
He transformed into a form Ben had never seen before. It looked similar to an Earth dry cell, but it was black with red electricity and red eyes. He had a large white lightning bolt stripe from where his neck to his legs.
"Oooookay." Ben raised an eyebrow. "Not sure how something like that would work against me..."
Albedo chuckled as he turned into pure electricity. His body ran up a downed electrical line and into the transformer. Said transformer made weird noises before it exploded, briefly blinding Ben.
Ben rubbed his eyes as this clean, chlorine-like scent filled the air, along with the sound of buzzing. Ben looked over to see a battalion of 8, maybe 9 battery aliens. They all laughed as they attacked him, shocking him with their taser-like bursts of energy.
Ben grunted, his entire body seizing up painfully. He weakly slapped down the Omnitrix, and Feedback took Big Chill's punishment and turned it into power. Ben landed on the ground and smirked.
"Payback time!" he declared, as his plugs drained the aliens of their energy. Albedo yelled a few things at Ben in a language he couldn't understand (it sounded like absolute gibberish), before he slapped down the Ultimatrix symbol-
And Humungousaur crashed down, roaring at Ben. Without a second thought, Albedo fired his missiles. Ben grinned as he dodged them with his catlike reflexes. He jumped off one of the missiles and into the air, releasing a giant burst of energy that hit Albedo dead in the chest. He felt the shock run through his body, falling to his knees.
"Again, dude. No matter how many different aliens you might have, I'll just take 'em down," Ben yelled as he landed on top of a building.
"Well then...maybe it's time I stop using only a fraction of my powers," Albedo said as he twisted the dial.
"Oh boy, big anime villain vibe. What are you gonna do with your knock off Omnitrix?"
"It's not a knock off." Albedo grinned. "It's the Ultimatrix. And it's a definite improvement over the original. Not only can I transform into anything you can, but I can evolve those creatures...to their ultimate forms." The dial of the Ultimatrix popped out, and Albedo slapped it down. Spikes shot out of his sides as the plates on his skin began to crack and crumble. A red light shone through the cracks as lava started to leak out. Ben jumped back as Ultimate Humungosaur 'hatched' from his base form.
"What was that pet name you gave this form?" Albedo mocked. "Humungosaur? Well, meet ULTIMATE HUMUNGOSAUR!"
Ben's cyclopean eye widened in fear as Albedo threw globs of magma into the sky. Ben gasped as he ran out of the way of the 'meteorites'.
"This is insane," he muttered. "I've never seen anything like it!' He jumped out of the way of another 'meteorite'. "Gotta take care of this lava," Ben huffed. "How the hell do you fight against lava?"
...And then Ben's mind went to a weird place. He recalled the time he and Kylie played Minecraft, and how they were trying to make a portal to Minecraft hell. They required a certain block that could only be achieved by mixing lava and water.
He hated to have to reference gaming at a time like this, but Ben was desperate enough to try it. He slapped down the Omnitrix and transformed into Overflow. Water leaked from his armor as Ben raised his arms. Waves of water erupted upwards, coating Albedo's massive body.
Ben jumped up, riding the waves around his enemy to get multiple torrents of water in. Albedo's magma body started to cool quickly, forcing him to grunt and slow down.
"What were you saying about those aliens being an improvement?" Ben taunted. "It says something if an overgrown leaky faucet can shut you down!"
Albedo's form started to shrink as he sprouted wings. Ben recognized the form, his weird ass Big Chill form- but it looked...bulkier. More unhinged. Especially the lower jaw because it was literally unhinged, and its appearance was more hunched over and beastly. His wings still had a strange stained glass pattern to them, but they seemed faded and cracked.
"Alllllright, that's kinda cool," Ben admitted.
Ultimate Big Chill pointed a long, slender finger at him. Ben was confused for a moment, until he felt his water ports...just stop. He looked down to see the 'leak point' had been completely sealed up with ice, and it was quickly traveling up his body.
"Ah, shit!" Ben yelled as he fell back. He struggled to reach for the Omnitrix symbol as Albedo inched closer to him.
He broke his arm out of the ice and slapped down the diall. The force of the transformation broke Echo Echo free.
Albedo's eyes narrowed as he pointed his finger at Ben again. He flipped back, leaving behind a duplicate to take the blow. In that split second, the clone froze completely. Albedo repeated the attack, but Ben countered each time, creating more clones to overwhelm and surround Albedo.
"GREAT-WALL-" The clones began. "OF-SOOOOOOUND!" The clones screamed in unison, and Albedo screeched in fear, his attack halted, just as something blue stopped in mid-air.
Scratch that. Many blue things stopped in midair. One of the clones stopped to observe the glowing objects. They were small, moth like projections. He put his hand out to touch one close to him, but frost immediately climbed up his hands.
"Okay, that's creepy," the clone groaned, shaking off his hand.
A brief flash of light alerted the clone back to Albedo. At least, where Albedo would have been standing.
"Where'd he go?" One of the Echo Echoes asked.
"Beats me," another one chimed in. "But we shou-"
FWOOSH. Something rushed past him, and the clone was gone. The thing passed by again, this time more visible- black dots followed behind a red blur as it erased the space around it. Chunks of clones and buildings disappeared, never to be seen again.
The remaining clone, the real Ben, slowly backed away, scared of what was happening. Ben huffed as lighting brushed past his body...and tore it open.
And his true form flew out, glowing green and hovering in the air. "Yeesh, last time I was out of the suit, it was because I nearly died," Ben murmured to himself. "...that's not good."
The blur passed by him again, simply phasing through his body. Ben threw out sonic punches, but they all missed the blur. Ben hissed before he took off flying after Albedo, raining down more sonic attacks. He split his body into more clones, and the armada was struggling to even land a hit.
"He's too damn fast," Ben grumbled, "and I can't last long without my suit. Time to change my strategy!" He slapped down the Omnitrix, aiming for a more nimble form...
Only to crash to the ground with a massive GONG sound that shook Ben's whole body. He knew that sound-
"CLOCKWORK?" Ben groaned as he saw the red blur dash at him again. "Clockwork's not good for dodging!"
Ben suddenly recalled a very certain immortal vampire.
"Unless..."
Ben stared down the blur, the gear on the top of his head starting to spin. The world was suddenly coated in a greenish hue, the blur slowing to a normal speed...except not really. Ben had slowed time down to mere picoseconds. Don't know what that is? A picosecond is one trillionth or 0.000,000,000,001 seconds. A picosecond is to one second as one second is to approximately 31,689 years.
So, who knows what was more impressive. The fact Ben could slow time down that slow, or the fact that, to Ben, Ultimate Fasttrack looked like he was moving at a normal speed.
"Let's take care of this, shall we?" Ben grinned. He dealt numerous nasty blows to the slow moving Albedo. They all collided with him, and he was sent flying back into a wall.
"...alright, another cool use for Clockwork," Ben crowed before stomping over to Albedo.
"I'm surprised you mastered such a hard ability," he scoffed. "Not even I could do that."
"...yes. I totally mastered that a while ago," Ben lied. "But what are you even getting out of a situation like this?"
"Experience. I take no sides. I only help the ones in need," Albedo reiterated.
"So, by that logic," he said, annoyed. "You're leaning out of your true neutral area and into a more lawful neutral one. Is that correct?"
"I suppose I am." Albedo nodded. "Why bring this up?"
Ben grinned. It was time to flex his D&D knowledge. "A character alignment like that values order over freedom, justice, or malice. Does THIS-" he motioned to the flames and screams around them. "-seem orderly?"
Albedo paused. Ben had made a good point- if Salem was really planning to 'reorganize' the world, wouldn't she enforce fortune over calamity?
Albedo felt an intense amount of shame. But now wasn't the time to confront these emotions-
Tennyson was right near him. He could gain an upper hand here.
"We'll settle this debate later. For now..." Albedo shifted into his evolved Arachnichimp form- his maw split open and he spewed a mess of web at Ben, restricting his movement. He then knocked Ben into a wall, smashing his back forcing the breath out of him. Ben reached for the Omnitrix and slapped down, and his body shrank down and caught on fire-
Heatblast freed himself from the web by burning through it. "If I could beat you the last time like this, I can beat you again!" Ben formed an earthen and took to the skies, raining fire down on the evolved alien. Albedo blocked the fireballs with his arms and snarled. He spat out another mess of web to entangle his opponent, but Ben simply burnt it to ash.
Ben flipped through the air before he leapt off his platform and hammered Albedo into the ground. He jumped off of him and lit up his palms.
"This time, you won't be getting away," Ben growled.
"I agree," Albedo said, slapping down his Ultimatrix - he changed to a strange form, one Ben wouldn't have been able to guess what his base form was. It looked like a humanoid tree- his body was a woody black color, with three gooey shells containing some weird organic blue gel on his arms and one on his back. He had a smaller pod on his front, and his face poked through.
"What's this supposed to be? An evolved Atrocian?" Ben joked. "If I punch you, are you gonna make a squeaky sound?"
"An evolved Methanosian, actually." Albedo's hand began lighting up with explosions. "And trust me- I won't lose." He grabbed the orbs on his arms and tossed them at Ben. He figured they were just overgrown seeds or something, maybe cytoplasm.
He threw a fireball at one of them-
And was blown back by the massive explosion, sending him flying into a nearby building. Ben coughed as he landed against a brick wall. "Was that fucking NAPALM?!"
Albedo nodded. "And, for extra irony..." He spewed some blue flames from his palms, and Ben dodged out of the way. The flames burnt the wall behind him into ash.
"Okay, that form IS pretty cool. Hell, all those evolved aliens are!" Ben grimaced. "But I'm sure as hell not gonna give up just because you have the upperhand!" He slapped down his chest, and transformed again- "And Chromastone is gonna make sure of that!"
Albedo sent another burst of heat at Ben, but he stood there and took it, absorbing the energy from the heat. "Exothermic...meet exothermic PLUS exergonic!"
Ben thrust both his hands forward, firing off a torrent of bright blasts that forced Albedo back. He flipped through the air, but landed on his feet. He threw more napalm bombs from his arms, but Ben flew over the attacks, occasionally absorbing spare energy to power up.
Albedo quickly shifted forms- his body started to thin and hollow out, as he became more skeletal-like in nature. Ben paused his attack to study the form carefully- it resembled an Echo Echo, but as if...it had shed its silicon skin and had it become animated. Ben was confused. There was no way this form could be considered an upgrade, right? It looked...creepy and weird...
The alien stared at Ben with his hollow eyes before slamming its arm against a tree. The holes on its body started to make an eerie, unnerving sound that filled the air. Not an effective attack, but still irritating- Ben fired another beam of light at Albedo, but the light...flowed into the holes, and Albedo stood there, unaffected.
"What?" Ben muttered as he fired again. Same thing happened- the attack was sucked into Albedo's hollow body, cannibalized for who knows what.
"Are you done?" Albedo's voice whispered, before striking the tree again- suddenly, the sound in Ben's head got LOUDER. Ben dropped from the sky, keeling over in pain. It was in his head but he could feel it running through his entire body. His hands started to crack, running up his arms- he needed to change forms now!
Ben slapped down the Omnitrix symbol as fast as he could- his body liquified as he took some deep breaths. The sound was still there, but thanks to Goop's unique physiology, he could block it out for as long as he needed.
Ben looked back up at Albedo- there was an odd black mist leaking from his eye holes.
"What is up with these forms?" Ben's voice gargled.
"These forms are the apex of evolution," Albedo's soft voice explained. "That's all you need to know." He slapped down the symbol on his chest, and massive crystals quickly covered his body. Ben flew back as crystals started shooting up from the ground.
Ben landed a few feet away and observed the alien in full. Albedo's evolved Diamondhead form was a behemoth, almost like a mountain.
Albedo's arm creaked loudly as he raised it up. A giant diamond shot up from under Ben's feet as it lifted him up into the air and shattered. Ben quickly changed forms to tank the blow-
Shock Rock formed a forcefield around himself, and the diamonds quickly bounced off of it. "Close one," Ben sighed as he wiped his forehead.
Then he remembered how high in the sky he was.
"...oh, right," Ben said as he plummeted to the ground. He prayed for his forcefield to break his fall, and in a way, it did.
He crashed through the roof of a store.
Ben rubbed his rocky head before looking around. From the look of things, he was in a Dust store. He took notice of tubes filled with spare Dust and some Dust crystals on display.
"Hey," Ben said to himself. "Isn't Dust some kind of energy? Shock Rock...converts energy, right?"
...Ben had a stupid idea. He picked up a random red crystal and...STABBED it into his arm. He flinched, but suddenly Ben's purplish forearm turned the same color as the Dust crystal. Ben grinned as the energy around his body began to match that of the fire crystal.
"Oooohoh, this is gonna be AWESOME." Ben grinned as he formed a crimson sword in his hands. A brief flash of red caught his attention- Albedo has changed forms again, to an evolved Rath that looked closer to his own.
Ben charged at his opponent and swung his blade down; the slash created a vertical wave of flames and electricity that hit Albedo dead in the chest, sending him flying into a brick wall.
The evolved Appoplexian rubbed his head in pain, and Ben chucked the sword at the wall. The blade dug into the bricks and he snapped his fingers. Suddenly the sword EXPLODED, knocking Albedo into the air.
Ben grabbed some more Dust crystals and shoved them into his body, his form turning an array of colors. He sprang up just as Albedo shifted forms; Ultimate Spidermonkey screeched as it spat out some web from its maw, but Ben simply cut through the webbing with a chainsaw construct. The blade cut through the webbing like nothing just as Ben swung it down upon Albedo's head. He caught the blade with his scorpion-like tail and threw Ben to the ground.
He flipped back on his feet and slammed the ground to create a large wall of stone. Ben threw an energy blast at the wall and it collapsed with relative ease. The thing collapsed on Albedo, and Ben took a few deep breaths.
"This is awesome," he crowed. "I didn't know this stuff was so much fun! I can see why Weiss buys a lot of it."
Of course, his glee was short lived.
Mainly because of what burst out of the collapsed wall. Just about...everything Albedo had in his arsenal. Ultimate Aliens of all shapes and sizes- some of which Ben had never even seen before. Albedo, as Ultimate Grey Matter, surrounded Ben with his army. The boy simply scanned the area, looking from left to right.
"So, is this the Codon Lord and his army of beasts?" Ben asked.
"Ah, so you're familiar with your radio dramas," Albedo laughed. "I'm a bit surprised."
"It was brought to my attention just yesterday," Ben replied, twisting the Omnitrix on his chest plate. "I didn't really put two and two together until, well, you showed up."
"You're really going to strike back? Right now?" Albedo asked. "I admire your determination, but what could you possibly still have in your watch to combat me?"
"Oh," Ben said casually. "Atomix." He slapped down the Omnitrix, and in his place stood a familiar cosmic white knight with green glowing gauntlets, shoulder pads, and giant Omnitrix symbol on his chest.
Albedo stared in awe- he never considered using such an alien himself; he brushed it aside for being too 'reckless'...
A word that suited Ben more than him.
"Let's wrap this up quickly now, shall we?" Atomix's voice boomed as he cracked his fingers. And then he disappeared.
"What the-" Albedo gasped just as Ben reappeared next to a line of Ultimate Arcticguannas.
"Obviously, if you're in the back, you're the most dangerous!" Ben grinned, his hands forming an orb of energy. He then fired a beam of multicolored energy at the ground underneath the army, immediately destroying the earth and sending them falling.
Ben turned his attention back to some of the heavier hitters- an Ultimate Humungousaur spewed lava at him. Ben disappeared again, reappearing above the monster's head. He flung multiple shots of energy at the monsters, annihilating the rest of the grounded army Albedo had set up ever so carefully.
Ben's energy was absorbed by the Ultimate Echo Echoes, but Ben didn't care. He simply teleported in front of them and bashed their skulls in at supersonic speeds. A few evolved Big Chill sent their fluttering frozen projectiles at Atomix, but his body warmed up as he looked at them.
A simple flash from his eyes was enough to vaporize them in seconds. Then came the flying Vulpimancers- Ben's form shifted, taking on a much more defensive variant- his body bulked up, his shoulders becoming more broad, and a dome covered his head. The Vulpimancers tried to chew their way through the metal, but the tanks on Ben's arms lit up, melting through the Vulpimancers' skin and instantly killing them.
He shook off the blood staining his suit just as something raced past him- Ben's form shifted again, lightening and becoming thin. He raced after the evolved Citrakayah and used his nuclear arms to slice through them, destroying the rest of the ground forces.
He was a blur, leaving carnage wherever he went.
Albedo's jaw dropped in utter disbelief- this was Ben's full power, being shown off so carelessly. Why? Albedo had superior intellect, more experience, and wasn't emotional-
...perhaps that was what held him back. Emotions.
Ben was one of the most emotional opponents he'd faced. Actually, the same went with his friends. They were so driven and passionate about what they were fighting for. The ones he fought before were so apathetic in comparison.
Like he was, right now.
Albedo found it best to retreat in silence rather than face the truth. Ben never saw him leave, content to finish his massacre.
Ironwood piloted his personal plane through the sky, avoiding any wild Grimm that were flying at him. It was if they were trying to kamikaze themselves into his ship, something he found more than a little disturbing.
Beep.
Ironwood glanced behind him, where the source of the sound was coming from- the knights on the back of the ship were suddenly activating.
Ironwood reached out for his gun-
But the dropship suddenly lost altitude, plummeting to the ground as two flashes could be seen from the cockpit.
Salem stared at her crystal ball, a small smile on her face. "Our connections with Torchwick will soon be severed."
"Excellent," Zs'skayr rasped, floating near her. "His usefulness was small, but much appreciated. What do we do about his 'ward'?"
"She is free to do whatever," Salem said dismissively. "She won't talk. You know this."
"Of course," Zs'skayr laughed. "Now...shall we have Breach...?"
"Not yet," Salem told him. "The time isn't right. Let Cinder work. Our appearance will be when Ozpin finally decides to join..."