Here we are at Chapter 19. Time for the real fight to begin in the ruins. For those asking, when Ei unleashes the full strength of her godhood, she'd be stronger than her teammates or Team RWBY. However, she's primarily holding back right now. I made it in the story where an archon's true power is kept within the Gnoses, like the seven seals and the horsemen's power in Darksiders. Anyway, I do not own RWBY or Genshin Impact. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 19. Enjoy.

Chapter 19: An Archon

Out in the ruins, Team RWBY continue their battle against the White Fang. They've dealt with a large number of them, judging from all the Faunus in masks down or out in the brawl. Yang comes in, throwing a pair of uppercuts into one goon's stomach and then finishing him off with a left haymaker.

"So, you think we bought them enough time?" Yang asks her teammates.

The other three finish off their last opponents, "I'd say so, though we haven't heard from them yet. I hope they're okay," Blake replies.

"Then maybe we should head down and find them, just in case. It's not like we have anymore baddies here to deal with," Ruby suggests.

"I'm afraid you'll be... rather occupied," a male voice calls out, making Blake freeze with fear.

They all look up to see none other than Adam Taurus standing before them.

"Adam..." Blake mutters.

"Blake, I'm so happy to see you again. You know, since you abandoned me and our people," Adam replies.

"You... You know why I left," Blake retorts.

"You know, I thought you always believed in our cause. And I always believed that you would be by my side as we fought for our people. How wrong was I, huh," Adam notes.

"I will never stop fighting for Faunus. For equality and peace," Blake argues.

"Who are you trying to fool? You ran away, Blake. You always run away. And now look at you, working with filthy humans, even a damn Schnee to boot, to hurt your own people. You've fallen as low as you can, Blake," Adam shakes his head.

"Oh, and you're so high and mighty?" Yang steps in. "I remember when the White Fang wanted peace and equality for Faunus. And now look at you. You attack innocent people. You make even other Faunus hate your little group. What makes you think your way of doing things is gonna make things better for the Faunus?" Yang glares at him.

Adam loses his smile, "I have no reason to answer to you, human,"

A second later, Adam suddenly appears right in front of Yang. She can't react in time before he swings his blade. Luckily, Blake does and blocks with her katana.

"You won't hurt my friends," Blake narrows her eyes.

"Don't worry. I won't kill them... yet. I want you to watch as I take them down one by one. To make you feel so alone... just like you did to me," Adam retorts.

He pushes her back. Yang fires a shot, but he blocks with his blade. Ruby and Weiss try to intervene, but four figures get in their way. Four tall men in dark armor and wielding large gauntlets (Fatui Skirmisher – Anemoboxer Vanguard). The four split into two groups and attack the red-white duo. Meanwhile, Blake and Yang fight against Adam. Blake jumps over Yang, swinging her sword down on the bull Faunus, but Adam blocks with his sword and kicks her back. He fires a shot from his sheathe gun, but Yang blocks it with her gauntlets. She goes for a few punches, but Adam deflects each punch with his sword and counters with a swift strike of his blade, sending Yang rolling back.

"Yang, be careful! He's strong!" Blake yells, only to stop and block another strike from Adam.

"You'd save the human instead of saving yourself? You bring shame upon us all," Adam growls.

Blake uses her semblance to get behind him, but Adam blocks her strike with his sheathe. He follows it up with three fast draw strikes. She blocks the first, but can't block the last two and gets sent flying back. Blake flips in the air to land on her feet and get back in the fight with Yang. Back with Ruby and Weiss, the two are still dealing with the four brawlers getting in their way. Ruby fires off a shot at one, but he blocks with his gauntlets. The second jumps over him and charges energy into his fist. Ruby flies back with her semblance and he smashes his fist into the ground instead. Meanwhile, Weiss conjures a few glyphs to shoot off some ice shards, but the two brawlers bash through the ice with their fists. They charge at her together, each one throwing several fists, forcing her on the defensive. She jumps onto a glyph and conjures two more before launching some fireballs at them. The two foes create barriers in front of them with their gauntlets and absorb the attack. They then pull back their fists, which somehow pulls Weiss into their range, and then hit her with a double punch strike that sends her flying into a wall.

"Weiss!" Ruby screams and shoots over to her side.

Weiss groans in pain, and Ruby finds them surrounded by the four fighters. They all get ready to attack the two girls, only a surge of flames to send them all flying from behind. Ruby looks to see Dehya as the culprit, the rest of her team joining the fray. Ei goes after Adam Taurus while the other three help Ruby and Weiss.

"Thought you guys could use a hand," Dehya notes, swinging her blade against the gauntlets of one brawler.

Ei swings her naginata, separating Adam from Blake, "Adam Taurus, surrender and I will show you mercy,"

"Mercy from a human? As if I'd ever believe that," Adam retorts.

"I know you've had help with your little splinter faction in the White Fang Adam. Tell me where they are and I will ensure your cohorts receive fair treatment from the authorities,"

"Who are you trying to fool? My new friends will help me bring the Faunus to their rightful place, at the top of the mountain. With the humans right where they deserve: beneath our feet," Adam says.

"Then we have nothing left to discuss," Ei says before charging at him.

Candace blocks a punch from one brawler and pushes him back with her hardlight Dust. She then throws her spear at him, but he catches it in his hands. However, Candace just smirks before using her gravity Dust to pull her spear, and him, straight back to her. He comes flying in, only to get sent flying by her hardlight Dust shield again. Behind her, Nilou brings out her water with her sword to deflect the strikes from another brawler. He manages to punch through her water, but she twirls above him while swinging her blade at his head. Landing behind him, Nilou sweeps a leg at his feet, knocking him off said feet. This gives Yang a chance to fall down and smash her fist in his stomach. Off to the side, Dehya and Blake tag team another fighter. Dehya swings her greatsword down on him, but he blocks with his gauntlets. Absorbing the energy from her attack, the brawler goes for a counter strike, but Dehya manages to block it with her greatsword. However, the brawler doesn't notice Blake coming in at his rear. He turns justas Blake makes several hit-and-run strikes across his person, with Dehya throwing a punch at his skull to finish him off. The last one falls thanks to Ruby and Weiss working together, using their 'Ice Flower' combo technique to freeze the fighter in place before making a cross-strike at him to take him down.

Back with Ei, she meets Adam's strikes step for step, blade for blade. Her Chakra has been active since the battle began and it's almost full. She sees that Adam is strong; skilled with a blade. However, his anger holds him back from unleashing his full potential.

"I feel your anger, your hate... your spite. They weigh down your sword, preventing it from reaching greater heights," Ei notes as their blades clash.

"That's where you're wrong. My hate gives me strength. It's those that refuse to fight for our people, and humans like you who oppress my people, who are truly weak," Adam retorts.

"Not all humans hate or abuse the Faunus. Blake Belladonna understands this. Even after we learned of her past, that didn't change the fact that she was still our friend. Why can't you understand this?" Ei asks before they separate.

"Because the humans have to pay for what they did to my people for what they did to me. They can never understand what the Faunus have been through," Adam retorts, sheathing his blade.

Ei gets ready for his next strike. Red energy courses around him as the red highlights in his hair and the red marks on his mask glow. Ei's eyes glow just as Adam draws his sword in a fast draw strike, sending out all that stored energy in a powerful attack. Everyone else stops as Ei is consumed in smoke and ash.

"Ei!" Nilou screams in fear for her friend.

Adam smirks, thinking he's won. However, when the dust settles, they all look on in shock as Ei appears mostly unscathed, her blade the Musou Isshin in her hand. Her Chakra is at full strength now as well.

"Now you shall perish," Ei mutter before making her move.

She appears right in front of Adam and swings her blade, but a sudden burst of ice blocks her strike, separating the two warriors. The ice takes the hit instead and gets obliterated. When the dust settles, everyone finds Adam has disappeared.

"I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to find this place so soon. I won't make that mistake again," they hear a female voice ring out. "When I heard you'd be here, I was hoping to see a greater spectacle. I am so disappointed."

They look up, seeing Adam Taurus, alive, standing next to a woman wearing a red, black, and white dress.

Ei glares at the woman, "You... You were the one who attacked Venti and stole his Gnosis. Tell me who you are, now," Ei aims her blade at the woman.

"It's not every day one gets to meet someone as esteemed as you, so you may address me as La Signora, but soon I will be known to everyone... as your god," Signora offers an elegant bow.

"Our... god?" Ruby mutters, confused.

"Answer me. Where is Venti's Gnosis?! Return it at once!" Ei demands.

"Oh, you mean... this?" Signora pulls out a green chess piece. "Don't worry, I've taken extra good care of it,"

"Is that the heirloom Ei mentioned? It looks like a big chess piece," Yang notes.

Ei jumps up to attack Signora, but the woman waves her hand as several ice shards fly down at Ei. Ei slices through them to get close, only for the woman to raise up her hand, causing strong winds to blow around her and Adam, pushing Ei back. Ei lands next to her friends. Ei notices the Gnosis glowing.

"Truly impressive, is it not? Though, I have yet to unlock its full power. But that will change soon. I have the Anemo Gnosis, and I also possess the Pyro Gnosis. Soon, I will have the rest, and then I will use this power to burn away this sham of a world and build a new one. All will become as it should be. Don't worry, Ei, or would you prefer I address you as the Almighty Raiden Shogun, the Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder," Signora reveals Ei's true identity.

"Raiden... Shogun?" Nilou wonders.

Ei does not like having her secret revealed to the others, but now is not the time. Just then, an airship appears above Signora and Adam. Ei's friends fire shots at the pair, but Signora uses the Gnosis to create a shield of wind, blocking their attacks. When the wind settles, the airship is already leaving the area, with their enemies already on board. However, Signora gives them one last parting gift. She conjures some large ice shards and has them attack the ruins itself, sending pillars down on the group. They all jump back to evade the falling debris, but when they look up, the airship is long gone.

"Damn it!" Ei curses. "We need to go after them. They can't have gotten far. Candace, your semblance. Can you see where they're going?" Ei pleads.

"I'm sorry... but I can't see anything. We have no idea where they might be going," Candace shakes her head.

"Damn it. We'll call our airship and search the area. We can't just let them get away," Ei says.

"Look, I know things are bad right now, but we have another issue that needs to get dealt with. Ei, what was that woman talking about? Who are you really?" Weiss asks.

"Ei, we're your friends, but if we're going to help you, then we need to know what's going on. Please, you can trust us," Ruby calmly pleads.

"I..." Ei hesitates.

She cares about her friends, but she wanted to keep their involvement in her personal mission to a minimum.

"Ei," Nilou takes hold of her hand. "You can trust us. No matter what you say, we will help you. I promise," she smiles warmly.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Ei can do nothing but sigh in defeat.

...

On the airship ride back to Beacon, Ei decides to tell her friends her story.

"Thousands of years ago, there were beings known as Archons. Basically, gods. And I am one of them. My real name is the Raiden Shogun, the God of Thunder and the Electro Archon. Together with the other archons, we ruled Remnant and watched over the planet. We were even the ones who created the Dust that humanity now wields against the grimm. There were many of us... but then everything changed... when the Archon War began. It was the worst conflict in the history of Remnant. It was that conflict that even shattered the moon above us. Even more so than the current conflict between humanity and the grimm. Though we were gods, we were not immortal. Many archons died in the conflict. When the dust finally settled, only a small number of us remained... From that point on, we decided to simply watch over the world as observers, once mankind and the Faunus took their first steps. And that had been our role for a long time," Ei explains.

"Wait, so you're saying that you're... a god?" Blake asks, finding it a little difficult to accept.

"When one is an archon, they stop aging, hence my youthful appearance. But yes, I am a god, though not the kind that expects worship from you all. I do not need it," Ei replies.

"Okay... but if you're a good, then why did you come to Beacon?" Candace asks.

"In my home, Inazuma, the people there know who I am. I am their leader. But, for a long time, I turned my eyes away from my people. I believe in the idea of striving for eternity, an everlasting, unchanging destiny. I thought that by keeping things unchanging, that Inazuma would last forever. I also wanted to keep my people safe, even if that meant taking away their ambition and desire for more from the outside world. I held them in, keeping them down... While I remained in the Plane of Euthymia, another dimension so to speak, leaving a proxy in my place to run things. That turned out to be a mistake. Someone from the shadows manipulated things, and my proxy into making things harder for my people. It wasn't until a brave warrior came and made me realize my mistake. The truth is I isolated myself from the world... because I was afraid..." Ei explains sadly.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Ruby asks.

"Loss. During the war and even after, I lost so many friends... Including my older sister, Makoto. She was the electro archon before me. I couldn't deal with the pain from those losses anymore, and so I hid myself away from the world. It was only after I came out and saw Inazuma that I realized I was wrong. Despite my efforts to keep Inazuma unchanging, many things still changed within it. Change will always occur. We cannot stop that. We must accept it. And so, I changed my policies to better serve my people. However, I also realized that I knew so little about humanity, especially after being away in the Plain of Euthymia for so long. If I am to be a better leader for my people, I needed to understand them, and beyond. So, a friend suggested I go see the outside the world, and the best place to do that... was Beacon. I looked young enough, so I became a student where I met all of you," Ei explains.

"But, how did you get past Professor Ozpin? He knew I was a former member of the White Fang and yet he still let me enroll," Blake asks.

"That's because Ozpin knew who I was from the very beginning. Aside from the people in Inazuma, very few know about my true identity. Ozpin is one of them. As for how he knew it would be best if you asked him. That is not my story to tell," Ei answers.

"Okay... then what about this mission? That-what you call it- Gnosis?" Weiss asks.

"A Gnosis is proof of one's godhood as an archon. They are tied to our powers as well. Usually, when before an archon dies, they name a successor and pass on their divinity, their power, and their Gnosis to said successor. It was the same for me and my sister before she died. Even if someone else were to have a Gnosis, they wouldn't be able to wield its power unless the archon gave it to them of their own free will or gave their consent. That item you saw was one such Gnosis. It belonged to Venti, the Anemo Archon. One of the few archons remaining aside from myself. That woman attacked and stole it from him. Not just anyone can overpower an archon, but Venti isn't the strongest of us remaining archons. I do not know exactly how she overpowered him and stole it, nor do I know how she managed to unlock its power, even if only a portion of it, but... in the wrong hands, that power would cause untold destruction. That is why I was trying to get it back. I'm sorry about not telling you all about it. It was not my intention to deceive you all, but-," Ei says.

"You had to make sure as few people knew about it as possible, to lessen the risk of it falling into the wrong hands. No doubt there are plenty of people in the world who would love to have such power for their own selfish ambitions. And make innocent people suffer for it," Nilou finishes.

Ei nods, "Yes, that is why. I still possess my Gnosis; left in the care of a trustworthy friend. But, I may need to keep it by my side from now on after this. There are only a few archons left in the world. I do not know what that woman, La Signora, wants with such power, but it is not for the good of humanity,"

"And she said that she had another Gnosis. The Pyro Gnosis, correct?" Candace recollects.

"Yes, but the Pyro Archon is already gone, which makes this situation all the more dangerous. Normally, if an archon dies before naming a successor, their Gnosis would disappear sometime after. I guess they had enough time to find it. If she were to get the rest... who knows what could happen," Ei sighs.

"How many other archons are left?" Dehya asks.

"Aside from myself, there are only three others, including Venti. There were a few others, but I learned they had already passed on during my time in the Plane of Euthymia. We are all that's left," Ei admits.

To be honest, this is a lot to take in for the group. Their idea of gods were all-powerful, all-knowing beings that never set foot on the ground of their world. Deities that were infallible and invincible. To hear that gods can die, that they have died and there was once a war between them long ago; something not even the history books at school told them about. Most of all, to find out their find isn't human, but one such god... They never expected to hear about any of this.

"I understand if you don't believe me. I also understand if you can no longer trust me. It was not my intention to bring you all into this. If you wish it, I will leave Beacon Academy and continue this mission alone. I do not wish to get you all into untold danger," Ei says.

"Yeah, fat chance of that happening," Dehya suddenly says.

Ei looks at her, perplexed, "Huh?"

"So, you're a god. Does that mean the you we've been hanging out with was some kind of facade?" Dehya shrugs her shoulders.

"Uh, no. I believe that's how I've always been. I wasn't exactly doing everything I could to hide my godhood. Maybe I'm a little more firm when I am enacting my duties as the Shogun, bu-," Ei shakes her head.

"Then that's all there is to it. You're our friend, Ei, and that's not changing," Ruby says, smiling.

"Beside, we already agreed to help you on this little quest of yours, so we're not gonna let you go the rest of the way alone," Yang adds.

"Human, Faunus, god, it doesn't matter. If there are people out in this world looking to harm innocent people, then we have a duty to stop them. Besides, if Adams and his group are helping that woman, and she uses that power for evil deeds, that will only make things harder for the Faunus in the world. I can't let that happen," Blake says.

"Ei, you're our leader. And our friend. That doesn't change, even if you're a god. We're in this, together," Nilou says.

Ei looks between them all, seeing the smiling faces of their friends. For a brief moment, she sees the image of her old friends from her past, all before they passed on.

Ei sighs, "Thank you, all of you. I am in your debt,"

"Debt, nothing. Friends help each other out. It's as simple as that," Candace says.

"Right... Thank you," Ei thanks them again.

"Okay, but what do we do now? Since we didn't exactly succeed in our mission here," Ruby asks.

"We learned who's the mastermind behind all of this; that was our main goal. And now we can focus our efforts on finding her. She hasn't fully mastered the power of the Gnosis. As long as we reach her before then, we'll still have a chance. I'll inform Professor Ozpin about what transpired here when we return to Beacon," Ei says.

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. But, what should we do?" Ruby asks.

"I suppose carry on with what we've been doing at Beacon. There's no point in running around like headless chickens when we don't know what move to make next. Now is the time for patience," Candace explains.

"Yes. Besides, we're still plenty busy with our classes anyway," Weiss adds.

Yang groans, "Please don't make this boring again,"

...

Meanwhile, back in Vale, the woman with the red crosses in her eyes sits on a bench at a park, watching the shattered moon in the night sky.

"Father," the woman looks as the siblings, Lyney and Lynette, approach and bow their heads. "We've returned from our mission," Lyney says.

"Good. What have you uncovered?" the woman asks.

"It seems La Signora was using an old set of ruins as a base for her operation, and that she now has two Gnosis' in her possession. However, Beacon Acadamy has gotten involved now. It's unlikely she'll remain there. Thankfully, she doesn't possess the Cryo Gnosis that belonged to Her Majesty. We still have no information regarding that Gnosis' whereabouts," Lynette explains.

The woman sighs, "That arrogant fool. She has no idea what she's getting herself involved in. We may have known about the gods for a long time, but we never got directly involved with their power ourselves for a reason. Only Her Majesty had that privilege. Speaking of which, have you located any signs of Her Majesty?"

"Nothing concrete, but we do reasonably believe that the last kingdom she was in before she disappeared was Vale. We have the other children looking into the matter for more clues, Father," Lyney answers.

"Good, then we're getting closer to accomplishing our mission. For now, continue your in investigation into Signora's activities. We can't do much in regards to Beacon Academy as we have no power over them. However, we might be able to use their efforts in our favor. An end to this conflict where they get what they want and we get what we want suits me just fine. But, don't allow yourselves to be discovered, understood," the woman says.

"Yes, Father," the twins say together.

"And I'll be expecting an excellent magic show during the Vytal Festival. Make sure you don't slack off on your practice," the woman reminds them.

"Yes, Father," the siblings say again before taking their leave.

The woman doesn't even glance at them as they go, keeping her eyes on the shattered moon.

"Your Majesty... Why did you leave us? All we want is to serve you until the end of our days and help you achieve your ambition. Perhaps it's about time I get involved myself," the woman mutters as she stares at the moon.

And that's the chapter. Ei and her friends meet the one behind the attack on Venti, La Signora, who has almost full control over two Gnoses. More importantly, Ei has now revealed her godhood to her friends. What awaits Ei on the path to complete her mission? Until then, please Read and Review.