Atonement VII Part V

"Ugh…"

The first thing General Ironwood felt as he awakened was…soreness.

His entire body ached all over, even his cybernetic parts.

"General Ironwood?" His vision was blurry when he opened his eyes, but it slowly returned to normal as Pietro Polendina was shown in front of what was likely his bed. "Can you hear me, General?"

"Pietro…" Ironwood slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and dry. "What…What happened?"

"Dr. Watts tampered with the holographic projectors during the test, sir." Pietro answered. "We managed to shut it down but General, you experienced a very traumatic repeat of the incident."

That's right.

The incident that cost him his right arm, right leg and the right half of his torso.

The only reason he made it through was…

Ironwood's Aura shimmered around him and suddenly the aching sensations stopped, his mind focused as his eyes narrowed and he sat up. "Watts."

"General?" Pietro looked surprised to see Ironwood suddenly looking and sounding better.

His Aura readings spiked, and it showed an increase in reserves, followed by a spike of brainwave activity followed by muscular activity in his organic side. It was almost as if a surge of energy was traveling through his body, causing him to not only recover faster but become stronger and smarter at the same time.

"General?" Pietro said as Ironwood stood up. "Do you feel different?"

Ironwood paused and looked at Pietro. "How so?"

"Your readings…Your Aura and vital signs are improving at an astonishing rate. Almost as if-"

"My Semblance did evolve during the test." Ironwood suddenly said, reaching for his white coat. "The trauma of the incident repeating over and over again, forced my Semblance into help keeping my conscious and alive through it all. In a sense, I did gain my own Limit Break as Ansem would believe, even if it was not the way he intended."

Pietro stared in shock at the general. "How do you know?"

"I just do." Ironwood slipped his coat on. "My mind is racing, almost as if I can relay everything that happened in my mind with and I feel stronger, better as if my Semblance is no longer just enhancing my focus. It's almost as if it is pushing my physical and mental abilities past their limitations."

He held up his human hand and watched as his Aura flared. "Yes, I can feel all of it. My Semblance only activates when I am focusing a specific task but when I was forced into the simulation of reliving the incident, my Semblance kept me focused on staying alive and staying conscious through all of it. The repeats of the incident and Mettle being used through all of it forced an evolution…A Limit Break."

Pietro could only continue to stare in stunned silence at the man as he turned around and smiled. "Hyper-Mettle. I think that's what I will call this Limit Break."

"Sir, shouldn't you be resting?" Pietro finally spoke. "You were just put through a series of traumatic events that repeated themselves for over an hour."

"Watts sabotaged the simulation, and he was obviously attempting to kill me." Ironwood grabbed his pistols, Due Process and inserted them into their holsters. "I'll rest after I have him in irons."

KNOCK-KNOCK

Both men turned to see Clover at the door who quickly saluted. "General Ironwood, sir. It's good to see you are up."

"At ease, Clover. What's your report?" Ironwood asked.

"We have been working to track down Arthur Watts, but he wasn't in the Academy or in the science division. We know he was attempting to hack into the SDC mainframe, but we believe Ansem has stopped it." Clover answered.

"He wouldn't be in any of those places." Ironwood brought a hand to his chin. "He will likely be hiding out in the Atlas Military Industrial factory, where the Paladin prototype was being designed. I cut the funding for the project in favor of Dr. Polendina's. Watts didn't take it well."

"I can have the other Ace Operatives there in minutes, General." Clover offered.

"Good. Tell them I will be there." Ironwood walked to the door. "I intend to personally bring in Watts myself."

Clover looked surprised but nodded. "Yes sir."

Ironwood strolled out of the room and headed down the hallway. "And where is Specialist Schnee?"

"She chose to accompany Ansem down to SDC headquarters in response to the hacking." Clover quickly followed after him.

"Tell her I need her to join us in apprehending Watts."


"You are under arrest for kidnapping." The robot said, its giant hands tightening into fists. "Surrender now and you will be brought in with no injuries."

Hazel Rainart could say he has seen a lot of strange things in his life.

Ever since his world had been destroyed by the death of his twin sister, Gretchen, Hazel had come to realize how bleak the world was. A world torn apart by an endless of war of gods and man and they were all pawns one way or another. His sister had been a pawn or was meant to become one before she died on a training mission of all things because the man, she had trusted failed her. A man Hazel had denounced as a fake and his beliefs were only vindicated when she sought him out.

He had initially blamed her and sought to kill her, having done so over and over again, only to fail every time. The best he had done was only a few hours and by then she easily put herself back together and he was too tired.

That was when he learned the truth…

The truth of the man who threw children into an unending battle that had no end, no victory, and thought nothing of the families left behind in the wake of their pointless sacrifices.

That was why Hazel joined her, because it was the only path where he could seek some form of justice, some retribution for his sister's demise. He was not blind to his doings though. He knew his sister would be disgusted with him, no matter the fact that he took absolutely no joy in carrying out the missions assigned to him. However, Gretchen was dead, he was not and the man who allowed her to die kept on living in his tower, a monument to a system that created dead martyrs out of children for the rest of Remnant to rally behind, follow their footsteps, only to be killed in the exact same pointless manner.

It made Hazel sick to his stomach, and it was what kept him going through everything he had been asked to do by her.

Tearing down the current world and building a new one where no one had to die pointlessly. For that purpose, he would bury his hands in blood and hope that when this new world was born and his time had come, his sister would forgive him. However, that future had yet to come to pass and Hazel was focused on the present.

Namely, this robot that had come to Ansem's rescue.

It did not resemble a typical Atlesian robot, mostly because it was colored primarily red instead of white. It was bulky but in a manner that suggested more sophistication than the usual mindless drones employed by Atlas. Along with the fact that it had somehow responded to Ansem's abduction even though Hazel had done his best to keep them out of sight suggested something: this robot was not with the Atlas military. Hazel was far from being the kind of genius Arthur Watts was, but he was no fool.

He could tell how this robot differed from the machines of the Atlas military. And judging by its robust form, it was built to be a fighter of some kind.

Hazel cracked his neck and tossed the cloak aside, having been rendered useless and served no purpose. He would not speak to a machine, but he would deal with it the same way he dealt with all obstacles in his path. He simply stepped forward, clenching his fists as he prepared to simply fight his way throught the machine to reach his target.

(Kingdom Hearts III OST Thermosphere Begins)

The robot seemingly had realized Hazel's intent and prepared for combat, settling into a fighting stance for shooting forward.

Hazel braced himself as the robot launched a giant punch at him. Raising his hands, Hazel blocked the metallic fist aimed at his face, grunting as he slid back down the alley as the robot's rockets propelled them back. If there was one thing Hazel prided himself in, it was his strength. Having unlocked his Semblance around the same time as his sister, despite preferring to avoid combat, Hazel had spent his years honing his fighting skills and building his strength.

With his inability to feel the pain, Hazel could push himself longer and harder than any normal man and he made it count. Countless hours of training out in the woods, fighting any Grimm that came his way and only stopping for hunger and for an appropriate period of resting, Hazel did not stop as he worked to make himself strong enough to take on anything.

All for the chance to kill Ozpin.

That was why she had sought him out. For his strength, his anger, and a chance to ensure what happened to his sister would never happen to anyone else ever again. And yet, as he grappled with this machine that pushed him back Hazel found himself feeling overpowered for the first time in a very long time. Hazel threw his arms out, pushing the robot's fist out of the way and aimed to punch a hole right through the machine's chest, ending the battle swiftly.

Only the robot surprised him by twisting its body out of the way, showing a surprising amount of flexibility and reflexes for a machine. Hazel turned his head and barely raised an arm in time as the machine lashed out with a kick that had such force that Hazel was sent crashing through a wall despite blocking the leg in time.

CRASH!

"Guh!" Hazel grunted, his Aura protecting him as he crashed through the wall.

He stood up quickly and looked up to see the machine right above him, aiming a large metallic fist down on his head. Rather than block, Hazel rolled out of the way, much to his annoyance. The robot's fist slammed into the ground, creating a large hole. As much as he would have preferred to block, Hazel was as smart as he was strong, and he knew trying to block would have likely caused more harm than good. Just as the robot lifted its fist, Hazel charged and slammed into the robot, knocking it back.

He proceeded to strike its body with a barrage of punches, expecting to break through its body in a matter of seconds. Only his fists didn't break through, he could see small dents being formed but they were not breaking through.

In fact, the dents were seemingly repairing themselves at an astonishing rate.

How could that be?

Hazel knew he was strong enough that he could break through solid steal. Finally, the robot was backed into a wall and Hazel was prepared to punch a hole clear through its face. However, the machine grabbed his hand before it could hit and then something astonishing happened. The robot's fist shot out like a rocket, slamming into Hazel and he was sent crashing through not one wall but several before he skidded across an empty street, coming to a complete halt when hit a wall on the other side of the street, leaving a large indent as he fell down onto his knees.

This was…something new.

A feeling of being overwhelmed.

Hazel had only experienced this feeling few times in his life, and he had only made himself grow stronger so he would never feel this way again. And yet this machine fought with strength greater than his and yet it didn't feel like a machine at all.

It was fighting like a Huntsman.

Just as the machine landed a few away from him on the street, Hazel tore his jacket off and reached into his pouches and pulled out two large pairs of lightning Dust crystals. "Very well."

He plunged them into his arms, embedding them directly into his skin and with it came a great surge of power he always felt when he did this. The scars running along his arms and the rest of his body that were hidden by his clothes lit up with yellow electric light and his eyes glowed with bright yellow power. Hazel let out a furious roar from the power he had gained and made the first move by lashing out with an electrified fist that sent a stream of lightning at the machine. The robot raised one arm and a Hard-Light shield appeared in front of it, blocking the lightning blast.

No matter, Hazel preferred close range combat anyway.

Hazel jumped forward, his body having been physically enhanced by the Dust crystals in his arms and allowing him to close the gap between him and the machine rather quickly. The machine kept its shield raised as Hazel slammed his fists into it, releasing an electrical shockwave. The machine stepped back as Hazel hammered away at the Hard-Light shield, easily forming cracks with each hit.

Warning

Hard-Light Shield Failing

Searching for Alternative Solution

.

.

.

Solution Found: Modifying Magnetic Extensions

The shield finally broke and Hazel moved to pummel the robot into a pile of scrap. Just as he sent the first punch at the robot's 'face' his fist was caught by the robot's larger one. Hazel wasn't worried as he expected the electricity coursing through his body to fry the robot from the inside.

Only it didn't.

"What?" Hazel's eyes widened to see the electricity circling around the machine and surprisingly being absorbed into it.

Magnetic Extension Absorbing Electricity

Additional Power to Batteries

The robot's arms clamped down on Hazel's, causing him to grunt as the robot again began to push him back. Hazel couldn't believe he was being overpowered by a robot of all things, no matter how advanced it appeared to be. He growled, channeling more power through his hands but the robot just absorbed it all. The robot's fists then shot out like before, both slamming into Hazel's face and sending him crashing through the walls of several buildings like before.

"GAH!" Hazel shouted as he crashed onto another street that was thankfully empty.

How was this happening?

How was he losing to a machine of all things?

He looked up and growled as the robot flew through the hole made by him and regained its rocket fists. Realizing he needed more power, Hazel reached into his pouch and pulled out two more Dust crystals, Fire Dust crystals to be exact. He plunged them into his arms beside the Lightning Dust and roared as more power surged through him, even allowing him to spew fire from his mouth. With more power coursing through his veins, Hazel shot at the robot like a rampaging Boarbatusk.

The robot reared a fist back and shot it forward, meeting Hazel's own fist that released a shockwave of fire and lightning that shook the entire street, scorching the ground around them.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hazel roared as he continued attacking but the robot met his fists blow for blow.

POW!

BOOM!

POW!

BOOM!

POW!

BOOM!

Each time their fists collided, a new shockwave of fire and lighting burned away at the ground and a few of the surrounding buildings. As the fight continued, the robot was analyzing Hazel's fighting style and began adjusting its fighting styles. When Hazel lashed out with his next punch, the robot parried with one arm and backhanded Hazel in the face, making him stumble back. Hazel stumbled back but tried again.

However, the robot actually spun out of the way and delivered a punch to Hazel's side, striking his ribs. Still, thanks to his Semblance Hazel was able to continue fighting his enhanced Aura allowed him to heal faster than most people. He tried to burn the robot at close range but to his surprise, one of the robot's hands shifted and was replaced by a gun that fired a cold beam that froze him instantly. It only took a second for the ice to melt and shattered from the Fire and Lightning Dust embedded in Hazel's arms.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Hazel roared in agitation and thrust both fists at the robot, releasing a blast of fire and electricity.

The robot's rockets ignited and blasted it into the air, avoiding Hazel's blast. Hazel fired more blasts, trying to hit the machine and knock it out of the way. The robot flew back down, delivering a kick to Hazel's gut and the followed up with an uppercut that sent Hazel into the air.

POW!

The robot flew up after him and punched Hazel back down, making another crater on impact.

CRASH!

Hazel snarled, his Aura shimmering as he got back up, looking angrier by the second. He pulled out a Wind Dust crystal and used it to create a tornado that lifted him off the ground and shot him up at the robot, rearing a fist with was engulfed by fire and lightning. The robot twisted its body out of the way in time and launched its rocket fist, punching Hazel back down to the ground. The robot then flew down, retrieving its rocket fist and then grabbed Hazel by the leg before slamming him into the ground multiple times.

SLAM!

SLAM!

SLAM!

SLAM!

SLAM!

"RAGH!" Hazel roared, managing to kick the robot off him.

He pulled out another pair of Dust crystal. There was a limit amount of Dust he could handle before his body began to shut down and the limit was about six crystals that he could handle. One was an Earth Dust crystal and the other was the same Wind Dust crystal he had used earlier. He ripped his shirt off and plunged them into his shoulder, feeling the power swell within him as his eyes turned bright yellow.

With the new crystals granting him even more power, Hazel shot forward at the robot, bringing his hands together and in a surge of fire light, formed a massive flaming boulder that he brought down onto the robot. The machine lashed out with an arm, actually punching right through the boulder but Hazel managed to slam a fist into the machine's chest, knocking it back before he lashed out with a blast of fire and electricity at the robot's 'face', blinding it. Hazel then proceeded to hammer away at the machine's body with his fists.

POW!

POW!

POW!

Despite the robot's armor managing to hold, each punch let lose a small shockwave of elemental energy from the Dust energies coursing through Hazel's body.

WARNING!

DANGER!

OVERDRIVE MODE: ENGAGED

There was a flash of light as Hazel sent his fist forward…

BOOM!

A large explosion could be seen all across Mantle and even from Atlas. Hazel was stunned as he was sent crashing flying back skidding down the street, forming another crater on impact. His Aura shimmered but didn't break as he slowly opened his eyes to see if the machine had been destroyed…

THUMP!

Something landed just a few feet away from the crater and Hazel got up to see what it was.

It was the machine.

Only now it was bigger, glowing and its wings had formed into a sword.

"Overdrive Mode: Engaged." The robot spoke for the first time since the fight began.

Just what was this machine?

How was it so strong?

Why did it fight like a Huntsman instead of a robot?

Why did it manage to not only survive but overpower everything he threw at it?

It didn't act like a robot at all.

A mindless Atlas robot at least.

It was stronger than anything he had ever fought before.

He had faced Grimm.

He had faced Huntsmen.

He had even faced Ozpin before, trying to kill him to take revenge for his sister's death.

And despite all of that, all his feats, they all paled in comparison to the foe he was facing now.

Hazel could hear sirens in the distance and knew his cover had been blown. He needed to fall back, regroup with Tyrian and the doctor, and get out of Atlas before they were discovered.

Salem would have to be informed of this machine.

Hazel took out one last Dust Crystal, a Hard-Light Crystal. Letting out a roar, Hazel summoned a sphere made of Hard-Light and inside that sphere he channeled all of the elemental power he had been granted by the Dust crystals embedded in his arms and shoulders.

Fire

Lightning

Earth

And Wind

All of them together forming into a vortex of multi-colored light that he raised over his head, the sphere growing in size as more and more power was gathered. Once it was the size of a house, Hazel hurled it at the machine, planning to slip away in the midst of the chaos. The robot raised its sword, settling into a stance as the massive blast came closer and closer.

WARNING

ELEMENTAL BLAST WILL RESULT IN THE DESTRUCTION OF AN ENTIRE STREET

CALCULATING SAFE TRAJECTORY

The robot held up its sword like a baseball bat with the blunt end facing the incoming elemental blast…and swung at it like an actual bat.

The blast collided with the blunt end of the sword.

The robot slid back slightly by the force of the attack, but its strength allowed it to power on through as it swung the elemental blast in the direction of the warehouse…and where Hazel was running towards.

Hazel turned and looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening to see his own attack being deflected back at him!

Barely having the time to react, Hazel summoned a Hard-Dust barrier around himself as the attack hit…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion was enough to shake all of Mantle as Hazel crashed through the warehouse where his and Tyrian's transport had been parked, crashing through it and out the other side, flying up into the air like a robot. Baymax's scanners detected Hazel being thrown out over the wall of Mantle and into the cold harsh weather outside.

(Kingdom Hearts III OST Thermosphere Begins)

Ansem walked up to Baymax, smiling at it as it changed back to its previous form. "Thank you. You came just in time."

Baymax nodded. "Thank you, Creator. I am glad to have been of assistance."

"You best return to the lab before anyone else sees you." Ansem suggested. "But you have done splendid today, Baymax and I know you'll do great for the rest of Remnant."

Baymax nodded before shooting up into the air, vanishing quickly.


Hazel groaned as he crawled out of the massive crater he had made when he finally landed. He was far from Mantle, far from any known civilization. In addition to that he was tried, battered and broken with burns and bruises all over his body.

Even he had his limits and struggling to survive against his own attack had pushed past them.

He only took a few steps before he collapsed face first into the snow. His Aura finally broke and all he could feel was pain before the cold weather numbed it…

He couldn't even lift his head up to see the Grimm approaching him…And the dark female shaped figure appearing over him.