The skies rumbled at his ascent, a tumultuous mix of warp phenomena and magic combined.
To bend rules between time and distance, causality itself, was a miracle born from the sheer magic energy stored within a Command Spell. In a world bereft of magic, the initial magic used to create the seals harnessed vast mounts of the world's energy.
In turn, the compulsion to obey a single order was absolute.
The marking engraved upon the back of Ruby's hand flared red before gradually fading.
Space twisted and distorted, producing reverberations that echoed throughout the horizon. Lightning struck from up high, long bands of light pouring down and stretching into winding branches that nettled out into tiny forks and bends.
"…What is this?" Cinder let out an anxious breath.
Standing atop the Grimm Dragon from the Grimmlands, the second of its kind to invade Vale, Cinder shielded her eyes from the fierce gales.
"What have you done?" Cinder hissed, glaring at Ruby with magic laced eyes. The symbol of the Maiden erupted from within her, setting her pupils ablaze.
Thunder echoed, and from the void, his form appeared under Cinder's growing horror.
"I am the Bone of my Sword."
A shiver travelled down Cinder's spine, spreading out into her limbs and making her knees go weak.
I-It couldn't be. Not him. Impossible.
A mantle billowed in the wind as an unmistakable figure superimposed over Ruby from her back.
The colour red, both a reflection of the cloak Ruby wore, and the primary garments of a legendary figure of Remnant.
"The Huntsman of Red." Cinder swallowed audibly, hurriedly urging her mount to create distance.
With great leather wings flapping to create strong gusts, the Grimm Dragon ascended to the clouds, bringing with it its army of Grimm.
The direction Cinder was heading was directly towards Vale. A wise choice if anything, considering she lacked the confidence to face off against Shirou. Then who else could?
Even Ruby could read what was on Cinder's mind.
Cinder hoped to regroup with Salem and the others attacking central Vale amid the Vytal festival rather than engage in direct combat on her own.
Fueled by a growing desperation, the Maiden's magic Cinder possessed naturally channeled the assistance of the elements around her. Her preferred element, fire drastically propelled Cinder and the Dragon forward.
The image of a burning comet was produced, flames wafting off of the Dragon's wings and highlighting an effect that emphasized the Dragon's fangs and claws.
The Grimm followed behind the burning comet while Ruby stared up at Shirou with mixed feelings.
Relief and regret, relief that he was here, and regret that she'd given up another mark of the bond she shared with him.
"Shirou," Ruby said before she trailed off. Yet, even without words, the meaning was always properly conveyed.
Uncaring for Cinder's retreat, Shirou offered his hand to Ruby.
"By your will, Master," he spoke with a heavy solemnity.
Ruby took Shirou's hand, and he hoisted her up over his shoulders. "Let's save Vale."
"Mhm," Ruby hummed with determination. Shifting to better secure her position, she shifted Cresent Rose into its high impact sniper rifle form. "Bullets ready, do you have enough swords?"
Staring up at the number of Grimm that both blotted the sky and created a legion on the ground, Shirou didn't waste a second and moved in pursuit of Cinder.
"Steel is my body, and Fire is my blood."
His words affirmed his intention. For as much as Cinder sought refuge or support from her allies, gathering together in one location suited Shirou's purposes far better than if the main leaders were spread out.
The words echoed, reaching even Cinder who was desperately hurrying to central Vale. Unease caused Cinder to lose finer control of her newfound abilities, creating storms and disaster in her wake.
It was enough that the very sight of her and the Dragon in the air demoralized those fighting in Vale's streets and vaunted walls. The subsequent Grimm Cinder led then came within view. Some flying, others marching, and the majority produced from the belly of the very Dragon Cinder was riding on.
"N-No way," Ector's composure began to fray more than it already had from when the match in the Vytal festival was interrupted and the arena was blown to smithereens.
He raised his shield, blocked the claws a prowler, and retaliated with a spear stab that skewered the Grimm through the open maw.
Sliding to a halt near Ector, Emerald's reaction was no different from her teammates as she finished killing an Ursa with a rain of bullets. She was tightly clutching the magic weapon Archer had given her, ready to use it if her life were to be endangered.
Perhaps the most vocal of the team was the most unnerved.
"Shut up you pussies! R-Raven must have already known about this." Vernal tried to put up a front, but even she was growing doubtful with Ren performing acrobatic maneuvers near her against a King Taiju.
Ren's expression was tightly knit, his lips pursed as he kept looking through Vale's ruined streets for any sign of Beacon's other teams. Moreover, he was keeping an eye on Nora. It was obvious.
"We need to evacuate," Ector said. As a person who lived through Mt. Glenn, he knew when a battle was lost. "Emerald, have you located Jaune yet?"
The banner in Jaune's hands was the surest safety net that could be provided.
Gnashing her teeth, Emerald squinted her eyes toward the distant city line. "I don't know which direction he fell and I lost track of the light. Just keep pushing forward, we'll find him!"
"But he was opposite to us in the arena!" Vernal hissed. "How hard could it be, look for the light?! How could you lose sight of it?!"
"There's too much smoke and dust," Emerald snarled. "Ren, talk reason to your partner!"
"Guys…" Ren's expression grew flustered.
Neither Pyrrha or Weiss had been talking for a while now, and even the sound of Nora's hammer smashing concrete halted.
Nora wouldn't stop for no reason.
Ren was looking in the direction Pyrrha, Weiss, and Nora were looking at.
In the chaos, Ector, Emerald, and Vernal naturally glanced at Ren, and then stared in the direction he was looking at too.
Above.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
The words echoed with a will of steel that penetrated deep into the mind. Neither harsh nor soft spoken, rather, the words were piercing and were echoed by the sound of high-impact sniper rounds.
Pursuing the flaming comet and the Grimm, a figure followed on reinforced legs that leapt several meters with each bound.
Unassuming, and relatively small in comparison to the Grimm, what the figure brought with him were a growing number of swords that formed in the air. Used as platforms, the figure dashed closer and closer to central Vale as a young girl fired bullet after bullet while riding atop the figure's shoulders.
The red cloak of the girl and the red mantle of the figure were unmistakable.
"Ruby?!" Yang practically squawked as she caved in the face of a Grimm with her fists.
Having fallen with Beacon's teachers, she had safely reached the ground, but found that it was swarming with enemies.
"The Huntsman of Red?" Ozpin tightened his grip on his sword as wonderment filled his gaze. No, it was anticipation.
Just like Salem, Ozpin could feel it in the air. The overwhelming flow of magic that was beginning to lace the area with each word spoken. It was reminiscent to an age before the brother Gods made their exit.
"Hell yeah, kick ass!" Qrow's visage brightened considerably as he shouted to the air, scythe spinning in a mad frenzy around him.
"So that's him?" James squinted his eyes, pistol constantly aimed at the immediate threat.
Despite being surrounded by Grimm, Yang and the teachers next to her had never forgotten the true danger.
"Hn." Cursed Arm sneered while staring up.
"Unknown to Death."
Summer balled her hands into fists, nodding subtly at Raven who flanked her side.
"Shirou," she whispered with renewed vigour.
Ever since young, she'd wanted to be a hero, and now before her eyes, one stood before her. A being who could inspire confidence and strength with just his presence alone.
"Focus!" Tai yelled, staring at his teammates and keeping Yang constantly behind him. "He's coming!"
Summer, Tai, Qrow, Raven, and James Ironwood bristled at the reminder.
Cursed Arm crouched low, seemingly unaffected by the change in morale.
"Nor known to Life."
From up high, the words continued under a constant drone of steel. Each weapon formed was blasted forward at speeds almost impossible for any Grimm to dodge. Like high powered bullets, the Traced Swords cut swaths of Grimm down to create holes in the ground and air presence of the Grimm.
Any that got any closer were shot down by Ruby.
"We can do this! We can do this!" Ruby's voice was turning into a shriek as adrenaline and momentum spurred her on. The recoil of each bullet had her shoulders growing numb and her red cloak sway violently, but she remained focused.
Thunder continued to clap, a wistful expression making its way onto Shirou's lips.
It was almost a matter of time now as Cinder's efforts managed to draw the invading Grimm into a perimeter that encompassed both enemy and ally.
"Have withstood Pain to create thousands of weapons."
The time had come. Driven by the command to save Vale, there was a great source of power welling from within Shirou's being.
He released it, allowing it to freely flow through him and bolster his skills.
"Yet these hands have never held anything."
From atop a tall high-rise building in Vale, Roman paused as he and Neo were about to step into an emergency bullhead to make an escape. Trump card or not, he was unwilling to face death by staying.
And yet, what was happening now was not an illusion.
The air around Shirou was gradually distorting and twisting with each line he spoke. The world was rippling.
"So, as I Pray."
Many eyes were drawn: Adam and the representatives of Vermillion, to Vale's residents, and local Huntsman and Huntresses.
It all culminated to a single conclusion amid a growing hopelessness.
Shirou glanced at Ruby, the two making eye contact as a light twinkled over Shirou's pupils. For the longest time he was aware of Ruby's obsession with weapons likely due to his influence, but what was about to be revealed now would be beyond anything she had ever seen.
Her greatest imagination would be made real.
It was the only Noble Phantasm suited for Shirou as a Heroic Spirit who never took credit or flaunted his renown.
It was the reflection of the life of a wanderer, a ghost saving others upon countless battlefields.
"Unlimited Blade Works!"
The entirety of Vale, its fighters, and its people were consumed in a ring of ever-expanding flames.
Vale was no more, rather, everything had changed.
It was Shirou's answer to Ruby's Command. Here in this world, no more damage would come to Vale, and the people who could be saved will be saved.
From the skies, to the ground, to the structures, a vast expanse replaced everything. A land perpetually stuck in twilight where the remnants of old monolithic gears lay sprawled in ruin. Grass grew over them, leading to a hill and an open plain that stretched beyond what the eyes could see.
Upright over every corner of the world was a sword, a blade, a spear that lay strewn as if in memorial. Each had a story of their own, from the mundane, to the extraordinary.
This was Shirou's inner world made real. A world of unlimited blades, copies of originals whose origins could not have possibly intersected, but did so here.
Without warning, thousands upon thousands of weapons lifted from the ground and fired into the crowd of Grimm.
The shock factor enabled a lacking response, the change in environment creating a disorientating effect that reaped the lives of many Grimm before they had the chance to blink.
"What is this place?"
Jaune stared blankly at the word before him much like everyone else did, none more enraptured by the scene of magic than Ozpin and Salem.
The answer wasn't something that truly mattered. Not to begin with when immediate actions needed to be undertaken first.
"Focus on what is before you and save those in need of saving." Shirou raised his voice and addressed all within his inner world, whether friend or foe.
For allies, it was a voice of reassurance.
For Cinder, it was death itself.
"Do not fear."
Shirou raised a hand, and Ruby felt goosebumps travel down her skin at the sight before her.
Each and every weapon in this world thrummed at the ready, many dislodging from the ground and hovering into the sky.
"Do not falter."
Negativity that drives the Grimm into a frenzy. It no longer mattered.
"I am here."
Shirou pointed his hand forward, and a torrent of unrelenting steel poured down.
Cinder was the first to feel the steel's threat as reverberating bangs echoed from numerous swords pelting over the Grimm Dragon's hide. It retaliated, roaring as it thrashed and breathed magic through its maw.
Unfurling its wings to their furthest extent, the Grimm Dragon did desperate aerial maneuvers under Cinder's control, but the swords always followed.
When the first few hits, it was just the graze of mundane metal to slow it down. What followed after was the true killer.
Noble Phantasms.
Cinder's eyes widened as the Grimm Dragon's right wing was shorn off, destabilizing its flight.
With only a second to spare, Cinder felt her stomach sink as she entered free fall. With the Maiden's power, she could support limited flight, but she wasn't thinking about that right now. Rather, her gaze focused on the Grimm Dragon who was skewered by another powerful sword, then another.
First in the leg, then in the head, then through the heart, before hundreds more reduced the towering lizard into Swiss cheese that fading into black motes.
Almost immediately after, Shirou's voice rang again.
"I will handle the Grimm."
Cinder locked eyes with Shirou, terror finally assailing her while Ruby aimed her scope at the woman who arguably antagonized her future self the most.
There would no help from Salem here, especially since Cinder could see Salem confronting Ozpin in the distance.
Moral for Vale and those caught up in the sudden invasion soared to unprecedented levels.
If before, defeat was the only outcome, now, there was a less than zero chance. Rather, the odds may as well have been tipped!
The growing enthusiasm and vigour were infectious even to Beacon's headmaster.
Spirit was rekindled in Ozpin's aged eyes. For the longest time, he assumed he was the only champion chosen by the God of Light left, but the Huntsman of Red was proving him wrong. Moreover, with the sheer scale of the Huntsman's magic, the tide of battle had surely turned!
Excitement was like a drug that went beyond reason.
More so, as Ozpin had formerly been a Knight, a warrior.
"You didn't see this coming, now did you Salem?" Ozpin felt a rousing drive ignite a flame from within him. He laughed; centuries of pent-up emotion being released at once. "This all ends today. The God of Light's radiance still shines on his champions!"
Charging Salem with his sword drawn, Ozpin slashed down but was met with a magic shield that caused sparks to grate over his sword.
Pushing back, Salem rebuffed Ozpin's strike and countered with magic bullet that Ozpin deflected with the flat of his blade.
"Looks like I still go it," Ozpin's mouth tugged into a grin.
"Fool," Salem murmured dispassionately, the sparks illuminating her weary features.
Simultaneously, her magic output rose sharply around her.
Her focus was directed on two battlefronts.
Below Ozpin and Salem, the situation for Summer and the others was tense despite having the advantage in numbers and the change in world perspective.
Tension was too high to be distracted because Cursed Arm didn't seem to care about the change in the world. It was almost like he was aware of what was going to happen, or his confidence was too high to give much thought.
From the beginning, Cursed Arm was on the move.
"Tai, keep Yang guarded!" Summer yelled while pulling out a sword assault rifle and shooting at Cursed Arm. "Avoid his touch and try to keep him at bay with weapons!"
"I-I can fight!" Yang was just about to protest the decision, but Tai wasn't hearing it.
Summer was wearing a mask in her guise as Scarlet of the Rose Mercenaries, but Tai could feel it in his bones. He was suspicious, yet chose to prioritize Yang's safety before his curiosity.
Apprehension filled the air as Raven and Qrow nodded at each other.
"Jimmy, don't die." Qrow quipped.
"Tch," James grunted, unamused.
Qrow was trying to lower the tension, but it wasn't working as apprehension filled each of the adult's minds.
The apprehension came from the very real notion that not all of them may make it out of this alive. A single touch was all that Cursed Arm needed in order to kill a comrade. Considering Cursed Arm's capabilities, it was highly unlikely that he'd go down alone.
Sending Tai or Yang forward as brawlers would therefore be severely short-sighted.
"Archer, weapons!" Summer yelled, knowing Archer's capabilities.
Yang's eyes widened along with everyone else's as they turned to stare at Archer.
For Yang it would be a familiar memory of Archer's Semblance, but for others who only ever saw Archer produce magic weapons from out of a duffel bag, it was unique.
Archer had always hidden this ability, and Summer respected that, but now really wasn't the time for such considerations.
"Trace. On."
In a flash of tendril-like magic energy, dozens of weapons formed a ring around Archer.
Dozens more appeared and floated around everyone else as a last-ditch protection if Cursed Arm drew too close.
As for the rest-
"Barrel. Lock." The swords swiveled and aimed at Cursed Arm. "Fire!"
Widening his eyes, Cursed Arm stopped in place as hundreds of Traced Swords fired on him. Up above, Salem stalled while fighting Ozpin and hissed in displeasure, nearly getting an arm cut off.
Nonetheless, Cursed Arm raised a hand and a curtain of shadows absorbed the nameless swords Archer had fired.
"Now!" Summer dashed forward in a storm of white rose petals. On either side of her, Qrow and Raven readied their swords, seeking to cut Cursed Arm while he was preoccupied with defending.
Narrowing the distance in a second, Summer aimed for the legs, while Raven aimed for the neck, and Qrow a decisive stab with Durendal.
Like a lie, Cursed Arm contorted his body beyond human limits and evaded all attacks. Raising his right arm, Cursed Arm reached towards a wide-eyed Raven who felt the skin on her neck crawl.
Bang!
Raising his masked face up, Cursed Arm flinched as James planted a bullet on his hand, diverting its trajectory. Raven hastily backed away, but James grunted as he spotted no injury on Cursed Arm's hand. As if it were metal, the bullet had simply bounced off.
Raising their guards, Summer, Qrow, Raven, and James prepared for retaliation, but they weren't even considered in Cursed Arm's view.
"TAI!" Summer yelled as Cursed Arm disappeared into a blur.
Appearing right in front of Tai and Yang, Cursed Arm kicked Tai on the side and lunged towards Yang. However, Tai was no pushover.
Stomaching the blow, paternal instinct had him roaring as he leveled a punch towards Cursed Arm's face.
Cursed Arm raised a guard.
"Don't touch it!" Raven warned, realizing the arm Cursed Arm was blocking with was his right.
Tai's pupil's constricted while Yang felt her heart lurch into her throat. As a brawler herself, she knew it was not easy to stop a punch already thrown.
As if time had slowed down, Tai's punch approached closer and closer to Cursed Arm's face, while Cursed Arm lifted his right arm toward Tai.
"Dad!" Yang directly tackled Tai down, but left herself in a vulnerable position.
Cursed Arm struck Yang, his blow almost grazing her side as she and Tai were pulled away by Archer. Flicking his hand down, more sword appeared and rained down on Cursed Arm, forcing him to retreat in a series of backflips.
"Careful," Archer admonished Yang and helped Tai up.
"Thanks," Yang said with a shaky breath.
The three huddled close together as Summer, Raven, and Qrow regrouped with James providing cover fire.
'Hurry, what are you waiting for?!'
Summer nervously pursed her lips, hands holding tight to the trump card she'd pilfered from the ruins of an old religious site. Everything was for this moment, but the artifact's true activation required Cursed Arm to use his strongest attack.
At this rate, Summer felt as if she'd have no choice but to bait it out. It was the only method that would work, but it required herself to take a substantial risk.
She was reluctant. She'd only just been able to regain a new life for herself, and if things went wrong, she'd be directly throwing it away.
The question now, was what was worth throwing her life away?
"Raven, Qrow," Summer said somberly. "We'll only have one shot."
Qrow narrowed his eyes, reading into Summer's intentions while Raven remained silent.
"What's going on?" Tai interjected.
There was no time to answer.
Cursed Arm attacked again, forcing the Branwen siblings into a melee. Raven parried blow after blow while Qrow tried to get in a good strike, but nothing was landing.
Sparks showered as metal grated against metal.
The daggers Cursed Arm wielded locked Raven's sword in place, while Cursed Arn bent unnaturally to dodge Durendal's strike.
Back flipping, Cursed Arm tossed daggers towards Qrow and Raven who barely managed to block them due to their speed and suddenness.
Clang!
Archer accurately hit Cursed Arm's knee with a Traced Sword, destabilizing Cursed Arm's balance and putting him into a precarious state.
A red glow quickly manifested over Cursed Arm's right hand before blazing up his entire arm. Before Qrow and Raven could retaliate, Cursed Arm intended to strike first, but this was precisely what Summer had been waiting for.
"Now!" Summer lunged forward, pushing both Raven and Qrow back.
"Y-You crazy!" Tai felt his complexion whiten as Summer put herself directly in harms way.
"Zabaniya!" Cursed Arm croaked, his deformed right arm elongating into a stinger like strike.
Death flashed before Summer's eyes, but rather than fear, courage welled up from within her instead.
He who strikes first will always be the victor.
So, answer! Is that not your name!
Summer raised an orb held in her palm and punched it in Cursed Arm's direction, invoking the artifact's true name.
"FRAGARACH!"
A spearhead pushed out of the orb, time standing still before the area distorted from overflowing magic energy. The attack that should have hit Summer first was immediately flipped on its head.
The true nature of the artifact in Summer's possession was an ability to rewrite causality and always be the one who struck first in duel of one's strongest attacks.
Snaking through time, the artifact delivered its namesake, punched a hole through Cursed Arm's heart before his hand could fully extend out.
Cursed Arm coughed out blood, his figure swaying in an almost anticlimactic manner before tumbling face first into the ground.
"Is it over?" Qrow felt sweat matting his brow.
No one was losing their tension.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
James peppered Cursed Arm full of holes, and seeing as Cursed Arm still didn't react, perhaps it truly was over.
Relief coursed through Summer's veins as a laugh escaped her lips. Her knees dipped inward, her tension leaving her and forcing her to rest on the ground.
"Y-You guys did it!" Yang beamed, running up to her dad and giving Summer an odd stare.
"We got him." A smile tugged on James's lips before he killed the urge and maintained neutrality.
Now wasn't the time to celebrate over just a single victory when the perpetrator of everything was fighting against Ozpin. They needed to help Beacon's headmaster somehow.
Right. Standing up on her feet, Summer didn't notice it as Cursed Arm's 'corpse' leveled its hollow gaze on Summer.
Salem was the Queen of the Grimm. No one had a better connection to her than them.
Archer hesitated, but held his breath as Salem initiated the next phase.
Red light flickered over Cursed Arm's eyes, before Summer suddenly froze. The gray of Summer's eyes flickered strongly from grey to red and back in a violent cycle.
Tai and James stood next to each other with Yang secured between them. Their guards were down, but the Branwen siblings were different.
Having grown up as bandits, they almost had something of a sixth sense for danger.
Raven slowly rose her guard, nudging Qrow with an elbow as the two noticed Summer's unnaturally still demeanor.
The both of them knew what Summer was like beneath the mask she wore, and for Qrow, the happenings in Mt. Glenn were still vivid.
"Summer?" He called out tentatively.
No response, rather, the mask over Summer's face cracked and shattered.
Her face was revealed, along with the changes. Elongated fangs, tears of blood, and scarlet eyes filled with primal animosity.
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