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Chapter 169: Victory Is In A Simple Soul

Weiss Slate, formerly Schnee had heard the news from several sources, all of whom had heard it from people, including her own daughter who had witnessed Ruby Rose's sacrifice first hand.

And still she had refused to accept or believe.

She had needed to see for herself.

To that end Weiss had used every ounce of political, personal and financial credibility at her disposal to circumvent the strict blockade still in place over Neo Vale. Chartering a private flight the moment that word had reached her and ensuring that it had made it into the half-destroyed cities' airspace by using her public image which remained, even after so many years impossible to overstate and alternately using her position within the SDC to reason that any vehicle she happened to be in was naturally to be considered part of the relief effort and using the fact that her sister was an Atlesian General and one of the people in charge of the continued defenses to claim that her presence was official, albeit classified business.

There had also been more than one instance where blunt and straightforward bribery and threats had been required.

And through all of it Weiss had been unable to keep herself from weeping.

Her children were still alive, Arctus and Athena-Jade along with their respective teams were alive no matter the injuries they had sustained and a brief, tearful and emotional meeting with the two Bear Faunus had been Weiss's first order of business.

It had been then that Athena had explained, in halting, choked words interrupted by fits of tears what had happened, reaffirming the news Weiss had already been given.

Shortly after that Weiss had left Halo Academy of Neo Vale, where her children were amongst the wounded, lost and displaced and made her way across the city. The voyage had been harrowing, allowing her to see things that had been startling enough from the air in grotesque detail, entire sections of the city she loved almost as dearly as her own icy Kingdom had been reduced to ruin, either torn asunder, set ablaze or frozen whilst bodies littered the ground in several places; so corrupted that even scavengers such as rats steered clear of them in response to a deep and primal fear, bodies that were no longer truly human in appearance.

Her journey had led her to her current location.

Weiss Slate, formerly Weiss Schnee of Team RWBY, partner to Ruby Rose now stood on Neo Vale's ruined beachfront staring up with wide, awestruck eyes at the monument to the supposed final sacrifice of the Silver-Eyed Warrior, the Hero of Remnant and her best friend.

And suddenly Weiss found that she could believe.

It was colossal, its' towering and misshapen mass seeming to unnaturally drain the light from the sky around it to produce a lingering gloom and chill which defied the actual climate. The mass was easily over a dozen stories in height and spread from the shore back into the sea and presumably below the surface of the waves, a massive thing even if one failed to take into account the enormous bone protrusions that had torn through it in dozens of places and yet still it was far smaller than the Behemoth it had once been.

Ruby had once again slain the monster.

And yet still the monster remained.

The Grimm tissue had smoked at first after losing its' cohesion and been reduced to the ruin it now was however it was yet to fade away entirely and leave the repurposed scrap from the numerous airships and other machines and vehicles that Gestalt-Prime had integrated into their titan behind. Instead the formless, monstrous effigy of tar-like Grimm-tissue had rippled and shifted at a glacial pace, no Creatures of Grimm or Cyber Grimm had emerged from within and in fact even the secondary waves of Grimm that could be expected after such a momentous battle, scavengers and opportunists lured in by the outpouring of rage and grief were limited in their appearances and this, combined with an utter lack of knowledge regarding what might be going on within the destroyed Behemoth had led to a pause.

Ren, in his position as acting leader of Neo Vale had managed to convince what remained of the wider Council of New Vale not to ask Winter to simply destroy the mass of darkness with every weapon still at her disposal and instead send a small expeditionary force to perform reconnaissance.

In that moment Weiss was simply glad that she would not be venturing inside the slowly changing, impaled mound of Grimm-flesh alone.

Though duty still demanded that she make the offer

"You don't have to do this. I can go and…." she trailed off as she looked at the collection of people who had joined her on the blasted and devastated stretch of coastline. Qrow Branwen, the Uncle Ruby had always loved and revered, whose techniques she had made her own and who now looked more broken and weary than Weiss had thought possible. Yang and Blake, Ruby's sister and sister in law joining Weiss in reuniting Team RWBY under the most terrible of circumstances.

And finally Penny Rose, formerly Polendina. Ruby's wife.

Weiss refused to allow her to think of Penny as a widow.

"Yes I do" the copper haired woman answered bluntly, unfocused eyes unable to look at anything other than the darkness ahead.

"We all do" Qrow managed to growl out, the barely contained anger in his words seeming to be the only thing allowing him to maintain any sort of composure or functionality; as though fury were the pressure he applied to a wound on his soul. Beside him Yang, whose eyed flickered between red and lilac intermittently as unquenchable anger and loss were consumed by grief and hopelessness simply nodded silently. Blake followed suit, words were entirely beyond them.

"I know" Weiss nodded as spoke quietly, her own vocal chords ravaged by weeping and sobbing "But if we go in there and find something….If we have to fight….Penny you children need-"

"They don't know yet" Penny's interruption caught Weiss entirely by surprise, the idea that Penny, so utterly incapable of lying would keep something so important a secret was baffling to her.

"Penny….I know this is….There are no words for how difficult this is" Weiss's voice hitched again, demanding every ounce of self control she possessed "But Tai-Jaune and Summer both need to know-"

"Precisely" Penny cut her off "They need to know. Right now none of us know anything. We have theories and limited data but we don't know….I have to know, I have to see….I have to find her Weiss"

"We'll find her" Blake chimed in, forcing herself to sound resolute as she clutched a distraught Yang to her and casting a silence over her friends with the simple authority with which she spoke.

After a moment Penny strode forward

"Affirmative. Let's go" Penny made no effort to wait, though Qrow was quick on the uptake and his many-legged mechanical chair quickly began scurrying along beside her whilst the remaining trio of Team RWBY brought up the rear until Weiss used a glyph to bring herself to the fore.

"Allow me" she intoned as the five of them reached the outer surface of the repulsive, tumorous mass which even now Weiss refused to accept was her friends' final resting place. Her Semblance flickered into life around her, forming a glyph from which a lumbering Ursa construct emerged, the summoned Grimm rearing up on its' hind legs and beginning to tear at the fleshy wall before it without hesitation.

Carving a path for the Hunters.

The idea of giving a mission debriefing after everything they had endured thus far had been, in Astra Mars's mind ludicrous, the idea of something so mundane in the face of such a cataclysm disguised as a victory striking him as a sick joke or some absurdist farce and yet it had been required and demanded of them all the same.

It had been amongst the hardest things Astra had ever had to endure in their life.

Surpassed only by living through the events they were describing first hand.

Astra had first been given as much medical attention and painkillers as could be spared whilst there so many, including many of their own friends with greater need of them; enough to ensure that the wound Gestalt-Prime had inflicted on their stomach would not kill them after the fact due to blood loss, infection or organ failure and from their restore enough of their Aura to ensure that their body would begin to attend to the rest and allow them to power through their pain as they attended to the final part of their duty.

Recounting the entirety of the previous night, from the plague of infected Grimm-Zombies washing over Neo Vales' shore and the carnage that had followed to the final battle within the Behemoth-Gestalt itself along with its' conclusion, to say nothing of the horrors that they had witnessed and endured between to Headmaster and acting authority of the city Lie Ren had been a harrowing affair which Astra had steadfastly refused to allow to be made easier through the use of the older Hunter's Semblance.

Despite the toll it had taken on their very soul Astra had endured it.

The sun had really reached its' zenith by the time Astra was dismissed, shining down on the ruins of Neo Vale and showing to all just how close to utter desolation the heart of one of Remnant's Kingdoms had truly been whilst Astra trudged the halls of Breaktide Academy in a numb and utterly disengaged haze. They had been aware of their pain, the constant pounding throb emanating from where their left antler should have been and the strain on their neck caused by the now uneven weight along with the tightness in their midsection and the sharp pains which came with every breath, all of which was underscored by simple aching. They had been unaware however of anything occurring around them.

Most of all Astra had been unaware that they had been unable to continue any further and had simply sought out somewhere to collapse.

To this end the leader of Team MARSZ had managed to find a balcony overlooking the grounds of Halo which had mercifully not been requisitioned for any other use and it was here that they had allowed themselves to sink, almost collapsing to the floor and lose themselves in their grief for an amount of time that they were utterly unable to gauge.

It was here that they were found.

"Astra" the voice was familiar, the speakers' tone of both utter and unfathomable grief and loss, the voice of someone whose entire world had been shaken to its' core and left ravaged and yet also someone clinging to a last, desperate but indomitable hope. Upon hearing the voice Astra forced themselves to look upwards with sea green eyes that were bloodshot in the wake of tears which had smeared their signature dark make up.

"Felix?" they managed to choke out their brothers' name, looking up from their huddled sitting position to see that the blonde Lion Faunus they had looked up to for as long as they had known him wore a haunted and grief-stricken expression just as severe as Astra's own.

Where Ruby Rose had been a symbol to Remnant and a teacher to Astra she had been family to Felix and that reality was evident in every quiver of the older Hunters' lip as he tried to keep his composure.

"I'm sorry" Astra's voice cracked as they offered the only word they could, no matter how feeble they might be "I'm sorry I couldn't-"

They fell silent as Felix reached down and hauled them to their feet, confusion spiking through Astra's rattled mind until they were pulled into a tight hug, one which was uncomfortable given the condition of their ribs though the Deer Faunus couldn't bring themselves to complain. After several seconds of intense silence Felix finally managed to speak, his words watery as his tenuous control over his emotions wavered.

"You did everything you could. You bought enough time and came home safe….You did everything you were supposed to Astra….Can't lose you as well"

It was those final words which broke Astra completely, reducing them to a sobbing mess as they collapsed into their brothers' shoulder.

"I can't do this any more" they managed to force the words out through their tears "I'm done. I just….I-I'm not the leader everyone wants me to be, if this is being a Hunter then I don't know if I can do it-"

"You've already done it" Astra answered them, trying desperately to be a voice of reason despite their own broken heart "You've already done so much and I'm proud of you….But Remnant needs every Hunter that's left right now-"

"But it's over!" Astra exclaimed, reeling back from their brother and regarding Felix with a look of shock and horror, seeking answers in his face and being appalled by what they found there "How is not over? Professor Rose-"

"Aunt Ruby gave everything to give us a fighting chance" Felix nodded slowly, his hands trembling uncertainly as he reached out and placed them on Astra's shoulders "But for a fighting chance to mean anything then we have to keep fighting the good fight….There's still reports of Grimm-Hybrids in the city, ones that slipped through containment. We've found Cyber-Grimm that were dormant but not totally destroyed and we don't know if we've found all of them, the don't know what's going to happen if they reactivate. Then there's the other Grimm and-"

"Stop" Astra let out a pleading whisper as they slumped against the wall "I can't-"

"The city is in ruins Astra. There's no Council left" Felix continued gently "At times like this there's always gonna be someone looking to take advantage….Look at your friend Stygian, where he came from. We can't let Neo Vale become another Pikesreach"

The thought of Pikesreach, what it had been at its' height and the horror it had been reduced to before its' fall and the idea of their home suffering a similar fate struck a chord with Astra, enough for them to let out a slow sigh and straighten themselves out just a little.

"What do I do?"

"Right now…." Felix trailed off "Call Mum, call your parents. I let them know you're okay….as okay as you can be. Then go find your team"

"Regalia is in surgery" Astra answered, that particular realization at first chilling them to their core and then allowing them to steel themselves as a new sense of purpose was provided. Squaring their shoulders and with weariness making their limbs feel limb dead weight Astra began walking.

"Where are you going?" Felix asked.

"My partner. My girlfriend….The best thing that happened to me, is in surgery" Astra reiterated pointedly "I'm gonna be there when she wakes up"

"Good choice kid" Felix nodded approvingly, managing to flash his sibling a weak, tired but somehow still optimistic smile.

"The rest of us can hold Remnant together for now. Join me when you're ready"

The recon mission consisting of Penny, Qrow and the remaining members of Team RWBY had been unsettled, but not exactly surprised when the innards of the mound of flesh, bone, steel and viscera which had previously been the Behemoth Gestalt began to shift and change, forming and reforming itself in response to their intrusion as the five of them followed after the glowing summoned Grimm-construct tearing a path for them; those of them who still had weapons keeping them ready.

It was only when they noted the specifics of the form being taken that their wariness began to give way to suspicion.

Each of the five greeted Hunters had expected and, if they were honest with themselves on some level hoped for the ruined husk of the Grimm-Titan to resist them. It had been plausible and entirely rational to expect Creatures of Grimm of some variety, cyborg or otherwise to come rampaging through the shifting interior of whatever the remains of the Behemoth were becoming after all, either as a defense mechanism or simply as instinctual behavior from the monsters as they were birthed, likely as part of some fail-safe Gestalt-Prime had prepared which would see their Behemoth recycle itself into smaller parts so that they might begin anew. The five Hunters were each in a state of emotional turmoil which would certainly be enough to draw the attention of any nearby Grimm, a battle with whom would paradoxically give them a chance to unleash their grief and rage.

Yet no such attacks came and the reality became far stranger with every passing moment.

Corridors had taken shape first, their walls growing more regular in distance and the floors and ceilings becoming distinct and uniform as each new stretch of the maze in which the five Hunters found themselves formed itself in response to their approach. It was as though the place were being built piecemeal by an entity unfamiliar with the means of doing so and was in the process of learning, refining their skill with each new attempt; a perspective which seemed somehow more plausible after a flight of stairs formed and then morphed into a smooth ramp to accommodate Qrow's many-legged chair all whilst bio-luminescent fluid pumped through veins lining the walls of flesh.

It was clear that they were being led somewhere but none them could bring themselves to break the silence that had settled over them or outwardly question what was happening, instead the group collectively followed Penny whose emerald green eyes shone with a mix of fierce determination and a raw desperation fueled by crushing grief and terror as she forged ahead.

Until finally they came to an open space.

"Where are we?" Yang asked, voice hushed by some nameless fear as she carefully swept her cybernetic arm and the weapon attached to it across her surroundings whilst Blake covered her "What is this place?"

"This is Gestalt-Prime's base of operations, or at least it was" Penny answered, causing all eyes to first dart to her and then turn back towards the room they had found themselves in and take it in more fully. Unlike the rest of the mound that the Behemoth-Gestalt had become the place had the feel of having already existed prior to their arrival, solely because the place was already in a state of ruin.

Spent casings littered the ground and the walls and floor of the living chamber were cracked, torn asunder and freely weeping viscous black sludge from innards that resembled both muscle and cabling whilst the dim, ominous red lighting gleamed against metallic surfaces all around.

"How can you be sure?" Weiss heard herself ask, the question forming almost entirely without conscious input.

"Team MARSZ attacked the Behemoth directly, broke their way through its' skull" Penny answered before gesturing to something in the distance "That is Astra Mars's truck"

The sight of the vehicle, vaguely familiar to some of the group prompted several questions and yet before they could be voiced Qrow spoke up in a gruff and hoarse tone which spoke of a single-minded focus.

"Then this is where it happened" his voice hitched and his hands clenched the arms of his mechanical chair in a white knuckled grip "This where Ruby….We need to look around"

"There" Blake pointed to something metallic which gleamed in the gloomy lighting, her Faunus eyesight managing to more easily distinguish the irregular mass of jutting, twisted surfaces. Once it had been pointed out to them however all of them found that they could identify the object.

It was a throne.

In that throne was a body.

"Come on!" Yang yelled, taking the lead and breaking into a full sprint for the few short moments it took her to reach her goal only to come to a halt, torn between loss, uncertainty and utter revulsion at the sight that greeted her. The body in the throne had been reduced to desiccated and papery flesh which hung to brittle and flaking bones, all of which threatened to blow away in the faintest breeze and with its' remaining structure and cohesion tied to the fact that it was, in several places fused to the throne itself. More obvious however was the fact that the body had been thoroughly brutalized even in life, missing an arm entirely and was in fact not entirely human.

Meaning that it was not Ruby.

"That's Carmesi Hueso, what he became" Qrow informed Yang, stating what was now obvious as he drew close with Blake, Penny and Weiss close behind. Hearing this Weiss finally allowed the Ursa construct she had summoned to fall away, disintegrating into a shower of light particles and letting out a slow breath as the effort was released and from there she, with Penny beside her began moving cautiously around the throne which was clearly never intended for a human body.

A flicker of hope filled her as she saw what lay behind it.

"It's here! The Aura Transfer Machine!" Penny called out, all but throwing herself at the experimental and heavily modified machine which had been plucked from the museum that Beacon Academy had become and taking only a moment to study the various connection points and interfaces between it and the throne of Gestalt-Prime before setting about tearing them away and cracking open the pod in which Ruby had obviously placed herself.

Only to utter words which tore the air from the room.

"It's empty. Ruby's gone"

Penny's words were a whimper, barely audible as she slumped forwards and clutched hopelessly at the place where her wife should have been and yet she was heard clearly. Weiss responded by collapsing at Penny's side, tears spilling from her eyes as she reached timidly out to offer Penny what little support she could whilst on the other side of the throne Yang's answer was a tortured scream as she lashed out and reduced Carmesi Hueso's body to dust.

Something else responded shortly after.

"Things did not go as planned" a new voice filled the air, coming from all sides and rumbling through the ground as though being pumped through obnoxiously loud speakers; the pitch and volume of the words shifting unnaturally with every syllable as though a series of controls were being adjusted somewhere out of sight by someone who was not particularly adept, reminiscent of the way the remains of the Behemoth had needed several attempts to sculpt themselves into recognizable corridors. Despite this shifting quality however the voice was instantly recognizable.

"Hueso!" Qrow spat, the sound of the Rogue Hunter's name bringing Penny and the remaining members of Team RWBY to their feet with their weapons at the ready once more.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Penny screamed.

"I….I'm not sure" each of them had, despite their knowledge of Carmesi's actions in the battle against Gestalt-Prime expected some degree of resistance, a victorious sneering as Damascus Nero's most loyal follower lorded his apparent position of power over them but instead they were taken aback by the genuine hesitance in his disembodied voice.

"What do you mean you're not sure? You were here with her!" Yang demanded desperately.

"Team MARSZ said that you and Ruby-" Blake's additional comments were cut off as Carmesi spoke again.

"We did. She did….I can't take credit" a heavy pause lingered as Carmesi chose his words "She was dying, you have to understand that. There was no time to get her to safety or try to save her and she knew it….I was only supposed to be the conduit, a means for her to connect to the Grimm and use her own powers to enact her, your version of Nero's plan"

"But what happened?" Weiss asked, her voice wavering.

"I don't know" Carmesi's disembodied voice admitted, growing more audibly agitated with every word "I wasn't supposed to survive it, I don't know how I'm still here….Or exactly where here is"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss's eyes darted around with sudden confusion and suspicion.

"I don't have a body. I know what the Grimm Hive-Mind feels like, I know what it sounds like but wherever I am now I can't hear it….I managed to change things to bring you here but I struggled, it took too much from me….I don't think that I'm what Gestalt-Prime was, I can't make myself a new body"

"Then maybe-" Qrow trailed off, the chamber falling silent as the lighting changed. Where before it was a deep, arterial crimson it had now become a brighter and fuller shade which grew in intensity with every passing moment.

"Hueso?" Qrow called out but received no answer, instead the floor and walls cracked and the five Hunters recoiled In surprise, yells escaping them as the throne of Gestalt-Prime began to melt as though its' metal surface were nothing more than wet paper until had been swallowed and absorbed by the Grimm-flesh beneath it.

What followed was even more unexpected, the party watched and silently prepared themselves as a fine black mist began to billow from the cracks and fissures that had split the place and form a cloud.

"Should we-" Yang trailed off.

"No, look!" Penny pointed at the cloud, awestruck and relieved beyond words. Moments passed and the others began to see what she had, the cloud of mist had taken on a distinct and undeniably humanoid shape and from there it had begun to congeal, spores and particles beginning to branch out and form clusters which in turn began to reach out to one another. In a certain light it could be said to resemble cell division but working in reverse.

Or a new take on an immediately recognizable Semblance.

"It's you, it's really you?" Penny demanded with tears of joy streaming down her face. The body that was slowly forming within the miasma of darkness had not yet completed itself and yet the figure answered, with a voice that was familiar to all present even whilst it was affected by a strange, distorted quality.

"It's me….But not the same me"

Regalia Russet had lost her left leg.

Astra had, as they had promised themselves that they would be, been at her bedside when the Raccoon Faunus had finally regained consciousness and the presence of her partner, gently taking her hand and talking her through the initial shock and emotional trauma of seeing that the limb had not been saved had likely been all that had kept her from a total breakdown and panic attack. As it was her sudden spike in heart-rate and other vitals had been enough to draw the attention of whatever haggard, overworked and sleep deprived nurses had been close at hand, upon reaching the room that Regalia was coalescing in however those nurses had seen and understood the situation and quickly opted to leave their patient and her partner be; a decision that might otherwise have been seen as unprofessional but one which could be easily justified by the sheer volume of patients in need care.

Which led to the current moment, with Regalia limply holding Astra's hand as she stared down at the unsettling and stomach-churning flat stretch of bedding where her leg should have been. Gestalt-Prime's claws had sheared through flesh and bone and amputating the limb at a point in the middle of her thigh had been a decision made in order to save her life and even then it had been a near thing, with blood loss having come close to claiming her after the battle.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Astra asked, breaking the silence that had lingered for some time now with a voice filled with an uncertainty and concern that Regalia was grateful for and at the same time would have given anything to not be the object of.

Turning to face her partner she studied Astra closely, if only to avoid having to pull back the bed-sheets and see the bandaged stump of her thigh for a while longer and with her free hand, which was still as sore and weak as the rest of her she reached up to the shattered stump of their missing antler and tried her best approximation of waggling it the way she would normally do.

"You're here….I don't think anyone can do any more than that" she tried to hide her anguish with a weak smile but was unable, instead her glum and lifeless tone betrayed her and left Astra squeezing her hand a little tighter.

"Talk to me?" they urged, eyes shining with the desperate hope that they might somehow be able to fix things; that there was some plan they could make that would save them all from the disaster that victory had seemed to be.

"I left Clan Aiktishaf to become a Hunter….Being a Hunter was what I always wanted, from the first time I saw one" Regalia spoke hesitantly, words faltering as she sought them out "But now I don't know if I can be Clan Aiktishaf again in the same way"

"What?" Astra gasped, unable to help themselves in the face of such a claim "But-your Mum only has one arm?"

"And she can still lead, fight, ride and climb with one arm" Regalia answered dejectedly "I'm gonna have to learn to walk again….I'll probably be using a walking stick for months"

"I think Cybernetics attune to people with Auras quickly….I mean Stygian can use-or could use his hand just as well right?" Astra pointed out, determined to find a silver lining and offer some comfort.

"I just…." Regalia trailed off "We won Astra….I wanted to go back to the wastes, track down the Aiktishaf and see my people again but….Not like this, I don't want them to see me like this"

"They wouldn't think less of you. I only met your people briefly but I know that" Astra breathed out, reaching up and taking the hand that was still loosely holding the remains of their antler so that they now held both of Regalia's hands as they spoke with total earnestness "But we can wait….I spoke to Felix earlier and he said that there's still gonna be a lot of work to do in the city, all across the Kingdom really and they need every Hunter, which is gonna include me as soon as I can breathe freely again. We can wait see your clan until you feel ready"

"You think I'll be the same again?"

"Not the same" Astra admitted, drawing on their knowledge of their brothers' prosthetics and the injuries that had necessitated them "But you're you Regalia, you're one of the toughest, bravest, smartest people I know….You learned to fight by watching old Mistrali movies, built a jetbike out of wreckage and scrap and then taught yourself to ride it. If anyone can come back from this it's you"

"Heh and I'll do it in a cave, with a box of scraps" Regalia's weak chuckle was watery but more genuine this time and she followed it by reaching up and looping around Astra's shoulders, trying to pull them into a hug whilst at the same time being treated to the conflicting sensations of moving her ruined leg and freeing her bushy tail which had been trapped beneath her.

"I love you Astra….To infinity and beyond" she mumbled tearfully into their shoulder.

"I love you too Regalia" Astra leaned into the embrace, one hand trailing down her back to gently brush at the striped fur of her tail where it poked out slightly from beneath white linen whilst the other hand cradles the back of her head. After a peaceful silence had lasted for a few moments Astra was struck by an idea, understanding the sorts of gestures and displays of affection and thoughtfulness that their partner appreciated they pulled back just enough to look into her eyes for a moment before resting their forehead against hers.

"I don't wanna go, I want to stay here with you" they began with a heavy sigh "But AJ, Stitch and Zirconia are here as well and I should check on them. I can bring you some food if you'd like? You should eat, it'll help you get your strength back and even though we're on Halo's campus it might be hospital food if you're gonna be here for a while and...I'm rambling aren't you?"

"Heh, yeah" Regalia smiled as she continued to rest her head against Astra's "But thank you….Go find the others. Let them know I'm awake"

"Yeah" Astra breathed out as they rose to their feet "It didn't feel like we'd won….It still feels like it cost too much. But knowing that you're still here, that I didn't lose you….That's winning. No matter what else happens"

As she watched Astra make their way to the door of her temporary accommodation Regalia gently, slowly flopped back onto the bed and tried to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable task of looking at the injury she had suffered. Instead she found herself distracted by a maelstrom of thoughts, taking shape and altering one another as each new idea interacted with its' predecessors in something she was certain that Astra themselves would find familiar given the way that they made plans. The sound of the door creaking open causing her to call out suddenly.

"Actually there's one thing you could do for me?"

"Anything" Astra assured her.

"Can you find some drafting paper and some stationary?" Regalia asked, purple eyes suddenly shining with familiar determination "I've gotta fix Apex Scavenger, I need a new leg and I lost Clunker….If we're gonna head back into the field then I've got a lot of work to do"

"I'll find it for you" Astra beamed "Ideas already?"

Regalia met their smile with a sly one of her own, finding herself compelled to re-purpose words that had become something of a motto for Astra themselves.

"I'm Regalia Russet and I'm a Hunter, this is what I do"

Athena-Jade Slate stared out at a skyline which still burned and smoked in several places whilst in others the Hive-Towers of the sprawling metropolis were visibly warped, corroded and rotten in ways that were not entirely physical with entire streets and plazas which should have been concealed now left open to the air by the effects of both the Cyber-Grimm and the spreading Grimm-plague Gestalt-Prime had unleashed. In other places further damage had been done to prevent that same spread, much of that violent excision having been inflicted on the orders of her Aunt Winter; entire districts of Neo Vale bombed to oblivion to stop the spread and then, in the later stages of the battle buffeted with salvos of Ice Dust missiles so severe that anything out in the open had been entombed.

The state of ruin was perhaps the bluntest possible metaphor for the chaos which filled Athena-Jade's own mind.

Team MARSZ's flight back to the supposed safety of the city and Halo Academy had been an outpouring of heartbreak which defied comprehension as the wounded Hunters had tried to explain what had happened. Upon their arrival at the familiar campus Regalia had immediately been rushed into surgery with Astra and Stygian being sequestered to have their own wounds examined shortly after whilst Athena, along with Zirconia whose most severe injuries had been limited to her prosthetic leg had been a much more cursory examination and what limited painkillers could be supplied by medical staff who were being pushed far beyond their limits.

What this had meant was that whilst Astra had been forced to provide a mission debrief whilst still recovering from almost being impaled, to say nothing of their emotional turmoil Athena had been subjected to a task that was easily just as taxing; she had contacted her mother and helped explain things to her.

Athena had been forced to explain that her beloved Aunt, her mothers' best friend since their own time as students was gone.

That had been several hours ago. In the hours that had followed Athena had tried to share her grief with her older brother and her cousins and then later, upon being surprised by the older woman's unexpected arrival, with her own mother but had found herself unable to do so in any meaningful way. Athena was beyond tears or screaming and there simply were no words; instead the Bear Faunus had simply sequestered herself away in the first room that she had found to be available and watched helplessly on as time continued to pass, staring down at Neo Vale with eyes that were still stained crimson by ruptured blood-vessels and which stood in stark contrast to the dark rings around her eyes which were in turn juxtaposed against a deathly pale, haunted complexion.

She had been in state of numbness and loss so complete it bordered on catatonic for some time now, yet she was fortunately not alone.

"You need to get some real rest" a strained, clearly pained voice urged her gently with words that were barely audible and yet evidently took effort to utter at all.

"Or some food, if it won't interfere with your medicine?" another, louder but equally pained and exhausted voice chimed in. Being spoken to was enough to pull Athena back to her senses at least a little and as she blinked rapidly, realizing as she did so just how much the sunlight had been burning her already punished eyes she took in the sight of her two partners.

Zirconia's damaged leg had been given enough hasty repairs to keep it from sparking or leaking fluids onto her surroundings however the ankle and foot were still entirely useless to her, which resulted in the Grasshopper Faunus limping and shambling around with an uneven gate and supported by a nondescript cane which had been on hand. Her appearance was rendered even more pitiable by the mottled purple and yellow bruises covering her throat, a grim complement to the scars already lining the left side of her face. Stygian by contrast was topless, his shirt removed to allow his chest to be bandaged and whilst he has been assured that the wounds he had sustained when his sword was destroyed would heal without complications he had also been warned that he would be riddled with scars. Further to that the Mouse Faunus's own cybernetic limb was held in a sling and he was forced to navigate the world around him left handed until the missing hand of his mechanical arm could be replaced.

Both of her partners had lost their weapons, in other circumstances that might have been troubling or seemed somehow symbolic to Athena; a chance for them to reforge themselves as she had done when she had created Heartbreaker. In that moment however what mattered to the grieving Bear Faunus was that both Zirconia and Stygian had endured far greater losses before now, especially the loss of loved ones.

"Will eating or sleeping help?" she tried and failed to keep a bitter laugh at bay "Will anything?….I don't know what to do any more"

"What Professor Rose would have wanted" Zirconia rasped out quietly, limping closer and tenderly wrapping her arms around Athena-Jade "Carry on being you, the best version of you"

"We'll be with you the whole way" Stygian assured her, reaching out and taking a calloused hand with clawed fingertips in his own remaining hand and it was there that Athena found herself breaking once again.

"I love you so much" she managed to choke the words out before tears left her incoherent again, the three of them holding onto one another and trying to make sense of the fact that Remnant would be left changed forever by their actions for better or for worse; that it's greatest threat and greatest hero had been taken from it in the course of a single night.

The moment was interrupted by the door to the room that Athena had commandeered being kicked open, revealing a sweating, breathless and clearly uncomfortable Astra Mars.

"What's happening? Is it Regalia?" Athena demanded, already terrified at the idea of losing anyone else to Gestalt-Prime's violence. Astra managed to shake their head, though any relief this might have brought was denied to their team-mates by the sheer intensity in their sea-green eyes as they looked up at Athena, Stygian and Zirconia with wild-eyed panic and disbelief.

"We need to get moving!" They exclaimed "Something's happening in the city! Grimm-Hybrids are on the move!"

Team WULF had been broken in the most fundamental way.

A reality which Diabla Fuego had no idea how to process, though the urge to simply unleash herself on the world around her in a fit of screaming and violence had been steadily brewing; becoming more insistent with every passing moment where she was forced to accept that the battle was over and that there would be no fateful, dramatic revelation in its' closest moments.

Laser Greenback, her partner and first real friend was dead after trading his own life for hers.

After being evacuated the surviving three members of Team WULF had been rushed by air to the first, if not precisely the nearest available hospital for immediate medical treatment. The facility in question had been located in a district that had seen heavy fighting, leaving the hospital itself overflowing and at the brink of total collapse as casualties flooded in from a nearby district where the Grimm-Virus had managed to gain some traction and send ravenous hordes of mutated terrors screaming through the street whilst the Hunters who guarded the hospital. Many of those Hunters had been injured themselves and had been able to do little more than listen in abject terror as the thundering, world-shaking bombardments commenced outside and brought the tide to a halt.

Diabla had been spared that particular horror however, though her own circumstances had been little better as she had been unconscious and undergoing surgery at the time in order to have the ruined remains of her left arm amputated at the elbow.

In the hours that had passed since then Diabla had regained conscious and, secure in the knowledge that a prosthetic arm was something she should not expect to be forthcoming for some time given the she scale of destruction and loss and the countless people whose situations would require attending to before her own, the blunt and acerbic Mantle-born brawler had found herself taking a course of action that she would never normally consider; she had abandoned her post. Dazed and silent Diabla had found and taken paperwork required to check herself out of the hospital, the fact that she still had the hand required to sign the documents not even drawing a dark chuckle form her as she wandered aimlessly out of the door and into the sunlight of a day which held no promise for her.

Wolfram and Ursinia had managed to find her and catch up with their erstwhile friend in short order, though communicating with her had been a far more challenging feat. Diabla simply had no words to offer and worse still found the inner fire that had fueled her for so long to have been utterly extinguished. Understanding, in a bout of insight stemming from the loss of his father as a child, that there was nothing to be done but allow Diabla to work through the grief in her own way Wolfram had elected to simply follow along with Diabla and gently guide and steer her to avoid her from walking into an area that was not considered to be clear of threats whilst Ursinia followed suit; she and Wolfram joining their team-mate in her misery and trying to process Laser's demise with an equally painful lack of results.

Until eventually the trio stumbled upon something which roused them all from their dazed stupor.

"What the hell?" Wolfram's voice was hoarse in the wake of the yelled orders and heartbroken screaming of the previous night, to say nothing of the smoke he had inhaled during the battle for Neo Vale, all of it followed by hours of silence. As he held his hands out to halt Ursinia and Diabla the latter found herself more aware of her body and her surroundings, slipping the remains of her left arm free of the sling that it had been confined to and striding forward with purpose as much as he aching and battered muscles would allow all whilst behind her Ursinia's Scorpion tail rattled uncertainly

"Darlin' I must had my head hit a lot harder than I thought….I can't be seeing that" the towering dark-skinned Faunus woman murmured, rubbing the back of her head and carefully checking her stitches and then rubbing her eyes just to be sure. Diabla however found herself staring dead ahead.

It was a procession of sorts. One where ranks of soldiers, many of whom were visibly injured and all of whom were filled with a mixture of fear, uncertainty, rage and disgust; their numbers bolstered by numerous tanks, Atlesian robots and war machines to form a barrier which kept any civilians who might somehow overcome their natural and instinctive terror from drawing close or taking action; all of it supported by a swarm of fighter craft hanging overhead.

The procession however involved no cancers or performers and in place of floats and marching bands there were only silently marching, lumbering black shapes.

Which Diabla quickly, with bile rising in her throat recognized as Grimm.

Marching through the streets of the city her first real had died protecting were hundreds, if not thousands of infected Grimm-Zombies who had either escaped the ice that they had been entombed in or else managed to avoid containment in the first place; their forms ranging from almost recognizable as the humans that they had once been to the truly grotesque and indescribable where multiple infected bodies had been merged and the resulting changes had branched off in unexpected directions.

As if this were not perverse enough however Diabla found her fiery orange eyes widening in disbelief as she caught sight of metal gleaming in the sunlight and quickly sought out its' source, finding several Cyber-Grimm in various states of disrepair marching alongside their more fleshy counterparts.

The fire in Diabla's soul reignited in an instant.

"WAIT NO!"

"What're you doing?" Wolfram and Diabla's yells fell on deaf ears as Diabla charged forward with a wordless, incoherent scream of rage. The remaining half of her own weapon attached to her remaining arm went completely forgotten as she charged forward and barreled into a particularly nervous looking soldier; slamming her shoulder into his chest and in the same motion ripping his rifle free of his hands; Diabla was determined to take the weapon and open fire, to destroy the Grimm wherever she found them and do her duty as a Hunter.

She wanted to make the monsters that had taken Laser away suffer.

Gunfire never came however as the momentary fumbling Diabla was reduced to, trying to reorient, aim and operate a weapon one handed costing her several seconds despite the fact that she had been trained with similar firearms since before her teens being just enough for Wolfram and Ursinia to catch up and haul her back; planting themselves between Diabla and the soldiers now hastily training her weapons on her.

"We're Hunters!" Ursinia yelled out desperately "We bled for this darn city!"

"What the hell is going on?" Wolfram demanded more forcefully "What the fuck is this?"

There were several seconds of silence where the soldiers shared several uncomfortable looks, seemingly trying to choose a course of action amongst themselves; a decision being made only when the soldier Diabla had charged took a longer look at the group claiming to be Hunters and saw not only their injuries but also that there were only three of them present.

"You poor kids….Go back to wherever you were before this" the soldier shook their head "You shouldn't have to see this part"

"What's going on?" Wolfram insisted "You're letting them go?"

"Orders" another soldier ground out bitterly "Grimm all over the city have been downing their weapons, grouping up and marching towards where the big Grimm robot was, near the beach….None of the Grimm are attacking anyone and we were told to set up cordons and checkpoints to let them leave peacefully. None of us like it but we're not in any condition for another fight….Besides the orders came from Headmaster, Councilman, Hunter and whatever else Lie Ren and the Atlesian General"

"Then we'll take it up with him" Wolfram snarled out, stormy gray eyes turning skyward at the sound of roaring engines and allowing him to see a single transport screaming through the air in the direction of Halo Academies' airborne campus "Looks like we're not gonna be the only ones. Diabla, come on we'll get answers"

No response came and Wolfram and Ursinia quickly turned around with dread blossoming in their chests, Wolfram cursing through gritted teeth and Ursinia letting out a gasp at the emptiness that greeted them.

Diabla Fuego had cast down the weapon she had stolen and disappeared without a trace.

Team MARSZ had, despite Astra's urgency and the haste with which they had gathered their team-mates upon hearing the initial reports, been unable to make their way down into the streets of Neo Vale.

Instead they had managed to make their way as far as the edge of Halo Academies' grounds, to the airship terminal intended to serve the campus and the orphanage attached to it and had been halted there by the fact that there had not been a single aircraft, either military or civilian available to transport people.

A fact which had been impossible to perceive as anything other than a deliberate choice made by Headmaster and acting authority Lie Ren, a choice intended to keep those who had taken refuge with the academy from venturing down to see first hand whatever it was that the Creatures of Grimm were doing in the city below.

Something that the gathering crowd found deeply troubling.

"What do we do?" Regalia asked, the question directed at Astra who in turn looked around in a state of confused uncertainty, trying to get their bearings whilst at the same time trying to catch their breath.

Team MARSZ were collectively in a sorry state, with both Astra and Stygian having sustained wounds wounds to the chest which left breathing more difficult and limited their stamina whilst Zirconia and Regalia's injuries had heavily curtailed their ability to move, with the Grasshopper Faunus hobbling along with the use of a cane and the Raccoon Faunus with her far more severe injury necessitating the use of both a crutch and her partner holding onto her to keep her stable as she navigated stairs and other obstacles. Athena-Jade though, despite her eyes burning in the sunlight was, at least by her own estimations to be more insistent and press on with a show of willpower that hinted at something far more troubled than her usual gung-ho demeanor.

"We've gotta get down there!" she urged, the slight wavering in her voice as her grief welled up and stabbed at her again being enough for Astra to consider their options a moment longer despite their total lack of inspiration and ideas. More and more people were massing at the airship terminal, a collection of soldiers, qualified Hunters and younger students whose duty during the battle had been to remain where they were and protect the children and who now felt compelled to offer and sacrifice more after seeing the ruin that had been inflicted upon the city, all of whom had been left milling about aimlessly and with rising frustrations. Against this backdrop Astra regarded the condition of their team once again and was on the verge of doing the unthinkable, namely suggesting the Team MARSZ should head back inside and wait for information to come to them however before they could utter words that they knew would immediately see Athena-Jade turn on them and in such a fraught condition possibly fracture the team irrevocably the Deer Faunus caught sight of movement and familiar faces.

"There" Astra murmured quietly, not wanting to draw undue attention "Team FADE"

"Come on" Athena urged, reaching out and all but dragging Stygian and Zirconia along behind her with a gentleness limited slightly by her desperation. Astra gently wrapped an arm around Regalia once again and as she adjusted her balance as much as possible the two of them set of in silence, following in the wake of friends who moved through the crowd with determination intent until, in a matter of moments Team MARSZ and Team FADE were gathered together just in time for Astra to hear their older brother speak, presumably in answer to Athena's questions.

"We're exactly where we need to be and so are you" that enigmatic comment was followed up by Eagle Arc, words spilling from the freckled blonde woman in rapid succession.

"We had orders to keep anyone from interfering with the exodus. We figured the best way to do that was to make sure as few people could get down there as possible-"

"The exodus?" Astra demanded, something about the term setting their nerves on edge.

"We don't know everything yet" Diamond chimed in, stepping away from her husband for a moment and heading off any further questions "But answers should be coming-"

"I think they're here" Arctus growled quietly, the hulking Bear Faunus's sapphire blue eyes having locked onto something in the distance which the rest of the gathered Hunters quickly honed in on and realized was a single transport aircraft on a course that could only bring to Halo Academies' aerial platform.

Time lost all meaning, with minutes lasting both an age and the blink of an eye as the assembled crowd grew palpably more tense and agitated, filled with a tangible energy and intentions that were noble but undoubtedly reckless and ill-advised until those waiting for answers finally saw the incoming vehicle set down on one of the many available landing pads and heard its' hatches slide open with a hiss of air. The press of clamoring bodies drew closer only to be kept at bay by the figures emerging from the transport, faces familiar to every Hunter on Remnant and especially Teams MARSZ and FADE.

"Mum?" Athena-Jade breathed out, echoed by her brother and also by Felix Xiao Long who addressed his own mothers though as three members of Team RWBY and Qrow Branwen stepped out into view they remained silent; instead it was Penny Rose, formerly Polendina who spoke.

"We are here to conduct official business. Classified above top secret. Those of you who do not have the requisite clearance, with the exceptions of Team FADE and MARSZ are to make your way inside immediately. This is not up for discussion"

There was a wave of raised voices, demands for answers and objections which lasted for several seconds only to fall silent at precisely the moment that Penny stepped forward a single pace, forcibly reminding those present of exactly who she was and what she was capable of.

The interlopers dispersed and retreated in a matter of moments.

From there the Slate siblings and Felix Xiao Long had rushed to their families' side with the remainder of their respective teams close behind and a single question spilling from multiple mouths.

"What's going on?" the answer came from an unexpected source, a distorted and wavering voice inside of the transport. A voice which caused those who recognized it to be left standing rigid in a state of shocked, but desperately hopeful disbelief. A cloud of darkness spilled out one of the aircraft, pitch black motes swirling like an unnatural dust storm before forming more solid and weighty masses which branched out and reached towards one another to create a singular form.

What stepped into view drew gasps from all who had not yet seen it, along with choked sobs of joy.

Her appearance had been changed greatly and yet there was no denying her identity. Clad within the same cloak that she had handed over to Team MARSZ and using Crescent Rose to support her weight as her body shifted between states of varying tangibility. With her skin bleached of all color, transformed to a porcelain white and her many scars and tattoos stripped away to be replaced by a network of black veins. With her eyes transformed, the cybernetic eye she had worn for a decade replaced by a glowing red iris set against a fathomless darkness whilst her silver eye was similar set against black and her signature black hair with its' red tips having grown wild.

Was Ruby Rose.

"How?" Athena croaked out, only to decide that the moment itself was far more important than whatever explanation might come and promptly pull her Aunt into a crushing hug, halting as she felt the skin of Ruby's new form "It's you? It's still you?….You're cold"

"I'm still me" Ruby nodded, her voice already sounding more like herself to her former students.

"Then….How?" Astra asked, needing the answers that Athena had decided that she could, at least for the moment live without.

"You-I….We did it. We won" Ruby answered as though it was the most simple thing in the world.

"Nero-my father's plan?" Zirconia breathed out, understanding coming to her slowly.

"Exactly….Or almost" Ruby nodded "Carmesi….Is still present, to a degree and having his help made the difference; I don't think anyone could have overwhelmed Gestalt-Prime directly the way Nero wanted to. Also, the fact I am, or was a Silver-Eyed Warrior made a difference-"

"So you've taken over the Grimm? Stygian asked bluntly.

"To an extent" Ruby nodded, the simplicity of the answer leaving Team MARSZ reeling "Gestalt-Prime had the ability to access everything Pantheon controlled but they weren't using it. That means that with time I'll be able to take control of larger amounts across Remnant and….I guess calm them down, maybe make them useful. In the meantime I'm focusing on the people who were infected by the Grimm-Virus….I'm going to save as many of them as I can and try and create a place for the rest"

It was news which changed everything, utterly re-framed life on Remnant as it had been understood since time immemorial and after several moments of trying to process it Astra was finally left sputtering out a single question.

"So, we won?"

"It isn't quite over yet" Ruby shook her head "I don't have control of all of the Grimm on Remnant and new Grimm will always show up. Whatever better world we try to make there's always going to be something that threatens it and Remnant will always need its' heroes….But things have changed now, in a way that I think is going to be for the better. I am what Salem used to be, except I'm going to be using my power to help people. So yeah, we won"

"But" Regalia's eyes darted around frantically as she tried to make sense of the fact that the entire future she had hoped to build for herself was being drastically reshaped before her eyes, words taking a moment to come to her before she finally managed to ask "What happens next"

"Remnant will always need its' heroes" Ruby repeated "And I don't think I'm really in a position to be the 'Hero of Remnant' that people have held me up as anymore….But you five, Team MARSZ, you defeated Gestalt-Prime and none of us would be here if it wasn't for you. I think the future is whatever you want to make it, think you can handle it?"

There was a single moment of silence, a pause the length of a heartbeat where Athena-Jade Slate, Regalia Russet, Stygian Blue and Zirconia Shadowmoon all turned and looked to Astra Mars; the Deer Faunus rolling their shoulders back and standing straight before answering with a bright smile and total confidence.

"Remnant is safe with us. We're Team MARSZ and we're heroes, this is what we do"

Author's Notes:

And there it is, the end of Vol.10 and the end of the story, but not quite the end of the Spiral-Verse.
The epilogue is going to be my goodbye to the entire extended project and it's likely going to be around twice the length of a normal chapter.
Also, a lot of this chapter felt more somber in tone but I think the epilogue will go some way to correct that, it just felt natural here all things considered.
I could get emotional here, but I'm making an effort to keep myself in check until next week for the final send-off.
We've also hit the quarter of a million views milestone on FF Net.

So….Let's summarize shall we?:
Of all the characters to start off with I bet you didn't expect Weiss.
Bodies so corrupted that even the rats won't eat them….There's a mental image.
The Behemoth never died, it just got impaled from the inside out and melted into a pool of flesh….Which really should have been the first clue that something fun was happening.
The first time we've had all/most of the members of Team RWBY in the same place in this story.
Yeah widowed Penny is a sad idea.
That must have been one hell of a debrief considering that Vol.10 was basically one single night.
Yeah, sometimes you just need to find a quiet corner and collapse.
Of course we were getting Felix/Team FADE here. FADE Legacy is actually the most popular part of this series.
"You've already done it" honestly the simplest reassurance possible in that situation, it's not gonna get any more difficult.
Felix is right, it's a sad reality that there's always gonna be at least one scumbag ready to profit from a catastrophe.
Regalia being in surgery, just a warning for her scene to brace you.
So the inside of the Grimm-heap was shaping itself into a route for the Hunters to follow, which really should have been a giveaway.
Of course it led to the remains of Gestalt-Prime's command center and of course it was Astra's truck that gave it away.
This is where Ruby…. None of them could say it.
So Carmesi took Gestalt-Prime's seat on the throne and Ruby connected to the Grimm Hive-Mind through him, as planned but with consequences for them both.
Although the machine being empty should have been a massive clue about what was going to happen.
Had to get Weiss's "What's that supposed to mean" in here.
Carmesi has some control but isn't fully in control….I'm not being subtle really.
And there it is….I debated letting it be ambiguous but decided that what would be the point, you'd all figure it out anyway.
Also, Ruby's Semblance being changed like Carmesi's is fun.
I think we all knew that leg was coming off.
And I think her crisis of faith, especially when she comes from a people who view a certain degree of athleticism and mobility as necessary is entirely warranted.
In a cave, with a box of scraps.
But Astra's right, Regalia is cool as hell.
You can consider Regalia getting paper for blueprints and technical drawings to be her getting back to herself to some degree.
Of Team MARSZ AJ was always gonna take Ruby seemingly dying the hardest.
I feel like of all things Peaky Blinders had a good line to describe grief and the horrors of war, simply "I don't how to talk about it because they haven't invented the words yet".
Yeah the loss of weapons for Hunters is definitely a symbolic thing.
And we definitely needed a Blue-Moonbeam moment for the three of them in this chapter.
But of course Astra interrupted, this is now clearly happening after Ruby has regained consciousness/emerged from within the Hive-Mind.
Someone had to be the point of view on the ground and Team WULF were available.
Also, yeah Diabla's arm is gone.
The Grimm-Hybrids and Cyber-Grimm still in the city have gathered and begun marching towards the Grimm-heap completely peacefully.
Did you think Diabla was gonna do anything else but attack?
So the fact that the orders to let the Grimm pass suggested that Ren and Winter already knew what was happening.
And Diabla just disappears into the crowd, never to be seen again….Except for the epilogue of course.
Of course the transports had been sent away to stop Hunters from heading down to stop the Grimm exodus, a convenient plot device to get Teams MARSZ and FADE in the same place.
Yeah you'd back off if Penny used her no nonsense tone as well.
Okay I know it's not really a surprise at this point but….SURPRISE….Grimm-Hybrid Ruby, with obvious Salem influences.
So y'know how in the new Mortal Kombat games Lui Kang ascended and took Raiden's place as a god….That kinda deal.
Take Gestalt-Prime's idea to make the Grimm self-sustaining, take Nero's Cyber-Grimm and ideas to make the Grimm a tool and then have Ruby in the position of a benevolent Salem, ruling the Grimm for good and that's where we're ending up.
Because she's a smaller, more honest soul.
Also the Team MARSZ line was the best possible line to end the story on.

Thank you Neil12 and MajorBrony95 to for their reviews on the last chapter.
All I can say is that I hope I did the story justice here.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favorite and review.