A/N: Thanks as always to my friend qazse with help for reactions and Sai for the script and the actual video. Check out the video if you haven't already and help him out with subscribes and comments and stuff.
Sai was seen approaching the Commander. "Ah, Sai. Good to see you up and about again. So, I take it this means you're feeling better." The man in charge asked as the view then focused on him.
The view then shifted to Sai. "Thank you, Commander. It looks like you've recovered quite well from your... Talk with my nurse." The Sapphire Star praised, before turning around and chuckling a bit.
The Commander shuddered uncomfortably as he remembered the ordeal the nurse put him through. "Yes, well, anyway... I take it this means you're cleared to return to hunting again?" The head honcho asked, sounding JUST A BIT too hopeful.
Yang couldn't help but chuckle at the Commander shuddering upon the mention of Sai's nurse. "I'm kind of surprised he survived the nurse's 'special care'." She said with a smirk, getting a few laughs at the Commander's expense.
"There was definitely some fear in that voice. The guy probably has PTSD." Coco agreed, earning a few more laughs.
"Ordinarily, I would say that subject is nothing to be joked about, but honestly? He deserves it." Winter admitted.
But Sai didn't seem to pick up on this. "Eh, sort of. I AM cleared to go on hunts again, but I've been advised to only take on easy hunts, maybe whatever low ranking monsters we have to deal with and the absolute MOST I should take on would be the lowest difficulty high ranking monsters. Certainly nothing that could threaten the world as we know it." The host elaborated on his situation VERY carefully so the Commander would get the hint.
But, unfortunately, it was the Commander he was talking to. "Oh, good! So, you wouldn't mind going after a certain Bio-Energy Elder Dragon, would you?" The Commander asked, although it didn't sound like he was giving Sai the option to refuse.
The sound of glass shattering could be heard as the crew was going through several levels of disbelief at the Commander's obliviousness. "Poor Sai..." Velvet said sympathetically as she, along with several others (Blake, Summer, Penny, Jaune and Pyrrha) all felt sadness and concern for the hunter, having only JUST recovered, only to be sent after something he's still in NO condition to handle.
"You have GOT to be kidding me right now." Cinder groaned as she and those with similar thoughts to her (Yang, Adam, Hazel, Glynda and Ren) all held their heads to try and stave off the headache they felt from the Commander's obliviousness.
"He couldn't have made it more obvious if he spelt it out for him." Ren sighed.
"HOW did he not get what Sai was telling him!?" Neo questioned as she and a few others (Ruby, Ilia, Emerald, Roman and Ozpin) were trying- and failing- to comprehend how the Commander thought it would be okay to send Sai after an Elder Dragon when he JUST told him he should only be going after medium-difficulty monster AT MOST.
And then there were Coco and the Atlesians, who were just done with the Commander's crap [1]. "He was JUST told Sai wasn't cleared to hunt anything near Elder Dragon level! How was he EVER given a position of power if he has THIS poor listening and/or communication skills AND is willing to deploy troops who are in no shape for battle?!" Ironwood demanded incredulously.
However, in spite of these mixed reactions, Qrow couldn't help but chuckle. "He had ALL of the hints. Man, even Ruby is better at reading people than him." The older scythe-wielder laughed.
"Hey!" Ruby complained with a pout, giving her uncle a glare along with Summer, while Yang, Neo Rom and Nora could barely hold back their laughter.
Some crickets could be heard, before Sai was shown aiming his weapons at the Commander. "I hate you SO much." He told the man in charge, but still leapt high into the sky in order to pursue the threat.
"Hey, you gotta give the guy props, though. Even if he's not in any shape to fight the thing, he's still gonna try. That's moxie right there." Roman praised.
"Perhaps, but that moxie isn't worth very much if it gets him killed. I would call that reckless above anything else." Glynda countered.
Everything was dark, before an orange, swirling mass of energy that crackled like electricity was shown. "Bio-Energy. The life force that gives power to all things. It is the presence or absence of this fuel that allows monsters to take their place on the food chain, weaker monsters at the bottom possessing low amounts of this energy, while creatures at the top of the food chain, such as Elder Dragons possessing an overwhelming amount of this life force." Sai explained, showing a familiar yellow iguana-like creature, before footage him sitting with Kushala Daora. "However, it is not just monsters that possess this energy, as it is possessed by humans and animals, trees and plants, even in things that aren't even alive, such as rocks and crystals, to even the very Earth we walk upon." The host went on, showing the bountiful nature of the Ancient Forest, then the crystal formations and volcanic depths of the Elder's Recess.
But then, Sai was seen dancing his way through the Wildspire Waste. "~I know every rock and tree and creature~ Has a life, has a spirit, has a-" He sang, before stopping and destroying a Vespoid with a greatsword, calling it a mosquito. "Name~" He went right back to singing and dancing.
Many started to peacefully sway along with Sai's singing, only to jump in surprise when he suddenly killed the Vespoid. "Well, that kind of flies in the face of your message that every creature is alive and its life is precious." Emerald criticized.
"Eh. It's a giant mosquito, I don't think anyone cares." Nora said dismissively.
"I like how he just went back to singing like it was no big deal afterward." Ilia giggled.
"Still, this is rather peculiar to think about. As he said, the ground and rocks are not alive, so how can they possess ANY form of energy? Let alone life energy?" Penny questioned.
Well, there are nutrients found in plant life and even the dirt itself, so it's quite possible Bio-Energy is somehow contained within those things as well." Ozpin noted.
"Also, don't forget that the New World is a funeral site for monsters, ESPECIALLY Elder Dragons, their Bio-Energy fading into the Earth as they die, which allows new biomes to form, so it's possible that's where the Bio-Energy goes, into the ground and all surrounding things." Pyrrha theorized.
Sai continued to observe the crystals of the Elder's Recess. "And, as I have stated before in passing at least once, the crystals of the Elder's Recess are actually comprised of Bio-Energy, which makes the creatures that live there unnaturally strong from being surrounded by- and in some cases, consuming- that residual life energy... and one of the things that makes Dodogama best boi." The hunter explained, before showing Dodogama in slow motion as a song repeatedly sang "I love you" in the background.
"I know, right!? Dodo is the ONLY option for best boi~!" Ruby cooed.
"Of course! It's so chunky and squishy and adorable, nothing else could POSSIBLY take that title from him!" Winter agreed eagerly as both fawned over the Fanged Wyvern, many others in the audience, especially the females, agreeing with that statement.
"That song should just be Dodo's theme song. I'd sing it to him every day." Summer said as she, too, cooed at the rock eating beast.
"But wow, imagine just being around something and it causes you to be stronger. I wonder if it would work for us, too?" Jaune wondered.
"Yeah, that would be pretty cool. Too bad even if a place like that COULD appear on Remnant, it would probably take DECADES after Katana brings monsters to Remnant for that to happen." Blake said, causing the blonde to deflate.
The Sapphire Star was continued to observe the crystal formations. "But if being in the mere presence of this excess Bio-Energy makes these creatures stronger than they naturally are, then what would happen if a monster was almost entirely COMPOSED of Bio-Energy." Sai questioned as he wandered through the area.
Many of them did double or even triple takes at what they had just heard. "Did... Did he just said this monster is MADE of Bio-Energy?" Adam questioned.
"He did. Just what kind of beast is this?" Hazel asked, trying to imagine what an energy monster would even look like.
Suddenly, an underground cavern filled with crystals was seen, with a massive form moving about in the background, obscured by the crystals in the foreground. "Well, my friends, in that case, you have none other than Dark Light Dragon, Xeno'Jiiva." The host declared as said the crystals suddenly began glowing orange due to extreme heat, shattering from the force of a massive cyan laser beam that destroyed several more crystals in the surrounding area, the source of the laser beam coming from a massive dragon dragon that almost seem to be made of glass, as its body was translucent in many places, revealing an orange core in its chest, with its limbs being more opaque with a cyan color similar to its laser, its wings and tail sharing a similar color, but also having long and beautiful flowing webbing. But the most shocking feature of the beast was what appeared to be eight glowing orange eyes.
Everyone was shocked at this sight of this seemingly otherworldly beast. "What is... How did... Why is it..." Glynda stammered, trying to process what she was seeing.
"I've never seen anything like it, nor would I have ever thought of something like that." Penny said, stunned by the creature's appearance.
"It's definitely quite the... unique dragon." Velvet said.
"It's freaky-looking. That's what it is." Roman stated.
"It's so pretty..." Neo said in awe of the radiantly glowing monster
"I find it rather intimidating." Ironwood admitted.
"I have to agree. I find the multiple eyes rather unsettling." Weiss agreed.
"It looks like an alien!" Yang shouted.
"That just makes it even cooler!" Ruby cheered.
"I kind of dig how flow-y its wings and tail look. Like extra ruffles on a fancy dress or something." Coco praised.
Sai was seen with the Admiral and a Wyverian man in an underground cavern. "Thanks to Zorah Magdaros rampaging through the Everstream and breaking through certain cave systems, a member of the First Fleet known as The Seeker, who works distantly with the Commission and often goes off on his own investigations discovered an area we would later dub The Confluence of Fates." The host explained, focusing on the Wyverian, now dubbed The Seeker. "And so, the Seeker, the Admiral and I investigated the area and discovered a cocoon within, glowing like a blue sun from all the Bio-Energy within. As it turns out, a creature was incubating here, feeding off the Bio-Energy given off by dead Elder Dragons. And, it was even capable of giving off a specialized energy or pheromone to lure Elder Dragons away from the Rotten Vale and into the Elder's Recess, or occasionally even the Everstream, so it would get a greater concentration of the Bio-Energy as it left the Elder Dragons' dying bodies." Sai continued his explanation as the trio came across the cocoon in question.
"Absorbing and incubating all that Bio-Energy inside itself. Dodogama and the other crystal eating monsters only get residual energy that's been stored in the crystals, but this creature is getting it directly from the source. That must be an infinitely higher concentration." Ren said in shock.
"Why means that the monster should be immensely powerful from the very moment it's born." Pyrrha added in concern.
"Luring in Elder Dragon's so it gets their energy directly!? Now that's just cheating!" Qrow complained.
"Well, I mean, certain kinds of animals use pheromones to trick their prey, or even their predators, so it makes sense." Emerald admitted.
However, the group collectively froze for a moment as something dawned on them from Qrow's words. "It lures them into its nest. in the Everstream. To get their energy directly." Ozpin repeated the information.
"You don't think..." They all wondered as they recalled Zorah Magdaros and how it wandered far from its intended resting place in the Vale due to looking for a certain something in the Everstream. Could Xeno'Jiiva have been that something?
The hunter was now shown fighting Zorah Magdaros once again. "And, if at this point you may be theorizing a certain something, let me confirm it. Yes, it is believed that Xeno'Jiiva was what caused Zorah Magdaros to make its way to the Everstream instead of the Rotten Vale and almost resulted in the destruction of the New World." Sai explained as he fired a cannon at Zorah.
"So this thing almost destroyed the New World... When it was still a baby!?" Weiss cried out, horrified by this prospect, along with the adults and more rational teens.
"Not even a baby, it was still in a cocoon. So, assuming that the cocoon is a replacement for the egg, since I've never heard of a reptile coming from a cocoon, that means it almost destroyed an island BEFORE IT WAS BORN." Blake stated, only deepening the horror the more reasonably-minded members of the audience had.
"Then what is it capable of AFTER it hatches?" Cinder wondered worriedly.
"Well, at least it would just be a baby, then." Ilia reasoned.
"That didn't make Gore Magala any less dangerous." Jaune said, further deepening the group's concerns.
Suddenly, a bald purple puppet was seen sitting behind a desk. "And the plot thickens!" The puppet declared, flailing his arms into the air.
The more immature members of the audience couldn't laugh at that. "Why does that fit so perfectly!?" Nora asked while giggling.
"Well, at least we know now WHY Zorah Magdaros wanted to go to the Everstream and we're not left guessing for the rest of our lives." Summer pointed out.
"Yeah. I guess it is better to have that question answered." Ruby agreed with her mother.
"Still hard to believe that thing was the cause. Of everything I WAS expecting, 'giant eight-eyed energy dragon' wasn't on the list." Qrow said.
Suddenly, the cocoon brightened even more and energy beams shot forth from it. "And it was at this very moment, the creature within the cocoon awoke and burst free from its cocoon, while also releasing beams of energy that practically destroyed the immediate area and almost killed the Seeker." Sai recounted the events as the cocoon unleashed a powerful burst of energy that knocked the Wyverian to the ground, unconscious. "And from the cocoon burst forth an Elder Dragon unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. It truly looked alien, like something from a whole other world." The host declared as the monster gained its bearings and looked to the sky, clearly thinking of breaking out into the world beyond its nest.
"I hope that Seeker person is alright." Penny said worriedly.
"All of that from simply coming into the world. That doesn't bode well for when it starts moving and hunting." Glynda said.
"What would a monster like that even EAT?" Winter wondered.
The creature's physical features were now focused on. "Now, obviously, Xeno'Jiiva is huge, but it also has large, flowing webbing on its wings and tail to make it look EVEN BIGGER, so most monsters would probably look at it and go 'Yeah, that looks too big for me, I'd better not mess with it'. But if its size didn't intimidate them, then the six giant orange dots on its face probably would. Now, make no mistake, Xeno'Jiiva does not have eight eyes. Only the frontmost eyes can see. The others are the for both intimidation, as I said, but they are also sensory organs to help Xeno'Jiiva seek out energy deposits to feed on. Because all the Bio-Energy it leeched on as a baby wasn't enough, this thing exclusively feed on Bio-Energy." Sai explained as the beast moved its body after breaking free from its confined space.
"Yeah, I thought Gore and Yama Tsukami looked like aliens, but even they don't come close to this thing." Yang agreed with the host.
"Well, the fact it doesn't ACTUALLY have eight eyes is significantly reassuring." Ozpin sighed in relief, Ironwood nodding in agreement.
"Because it reminds the two of you of spiders?" Cinder questioned with a smirk.
"N-no! It simply means that with only the standard two eyes, it can't see in every direction and find you no matter where you go." Ironwood quickly came up with a phony reason other than his arachnophobia, Ozpin now nodding to back him up.
"Still, with how big it is, all it has to do is turn and it will likely hit you with something." Hazel pointed out.
"Especially fighting it in such a small area like it appears to be in here." Adam added.
"It eats Bio-Energy... So, does that mean it eats crystals like Dodo, or does it get it by eating other monsters, like Nergigante?" Neo wondered.
The admiral rushed forth to try and fight the monster, but Sai held him back, electing to fight it himself. "So, between the fact that it almost got the New World destroyed when it was still a fetus, combined with the mere act of this creature BEING BORN almost killed somebody, it was pretty evident this beast was bad news and needed to be dealt with. Because if simply coming into this world nearly ended somebody, I don't think anyone would want to see this thing going through its terrible two's. Let alone puberty." The hunter explained, before everything suddenly went black, the word "Foreshadowing" flashing a few times with an alarm sound.
"Well, when he puts it like that, yeah, definitely not a monster you probably want on the same PLANET as you, let alone the same ISLAND." Jaune admitted after Sai described the reasons why he and the others wanted the beast gone.
"Not even born and almost destroyed an entire island, then almost killed someone when it was BEING born. Yeah, that's already two pretty big strikes right there." Roman said, fully convinced.
"It certainly paints a grim picture of just how dangerous it is, yes." Ren agreed nervously.
"And it's just a baby, so it will only get MORE dangerous as it matures." Weiss pointed out.
And then, the foreshadowing bit with the alarm popped up. "Well, if we NEEDED any more confirmation, there it is." Ruby said in concern.
And eventually, the Sapphire Star managed to bring down the massive beast. "But eventually, after a gruelling battle, I came out on top. I almost died, but I did slay the beast and end our troubles once and for all." Sai declared, before everything went black. "Or so we thought..."He quickly added with an ominous echo to his voice.
The group had only one simple thought. "That can't be good..." They all said at once.
Some time later, Sai was seen in another underground cavern, alongside his handler, the Admiral and the Seeker. "For later on, after the discovery of the Guiding Lands, a cavern was discovered, filled with dozens of cocoons, each one containing a mighty Xeno'Jiiva where ONE was almost enough to almost kill me. There was also something else in those caves, but we'll get to that later." The hunter retold the events as his handler discovered silky flowing webbing just like Xeno'Jiiva's.
Many of the group had their jaws hit the floor in horror once they saw the cave and how it was full of cocoons. "Th-there's so many cocoons there. That's got to be tons of Xeno'Jiiva in the making!" Ilia exclaimed worriedly.
"How on Earth did he get out of there alive!?" Glynda wondered.
"I mean, he's a demon, so it would make sense he could possibly survive that, but the others with him surviving, too is a straight-up miracle." Summer said.
"Well, to be fair, their encounter with the original Xeno'Jiiva could be chalked up to bad timing. As long as no other Xeno's hatched, they should've been fine." Penny pointed out.
"Depending on what that other thing he mentioned was." Blake pointed out.
Finally, Sai was shown fighting the monster. "So, since there is CLEARLY more of these monsters than we originally thought, here's what to look out for in the event you run into one of these terrifying toddlers. First off, like I said, they're gigantic, so they have a lot of weight to throw around. That and the claws on their five-fingered hands can strip flesh from the bone. And obviously, they have powerful jaws that can give devastating bites. But, as you may have seen already, their chest is glowing. That is a specialized organ inside their bodies, known as a heat organ- real original, guys- Xeno'Jiiva can send energy to its limbs to make them more powerful. And should it slam its feet, hands or tail into the ground as it does this, it can create violent explosions of energy. But not quite as violent as the laser beams from its mouth powerful enough to burn through and shatter giant crystals. And if it shoots these beams at the ground, the floor will become hot enough to burn you from simply standing on it." Sai explained as these attacks were shown and the ground was lit up."
Many shuddered at the descriptions of some of these attacks. "Oh, goodie, we get all the gory details of when these attacks hit people that we just LOVE." Emerald groaned.
"You mean the claws? You can't blame him for that one, that's actually in the description." Razara said, showing the former thief an entry on Xeno'Jiiva's biological adaptations.
"I kind of like how it glows in its chest like that... Not as big of a fan that it makes certain body parts stronger." Blake said, unnerved.
And then they saw the laser beams. "Whoa! It shoots giant energy beams like Nakarkos! I wonder if those are Dragon Energy or not?" Nora wondered.
"It even burns the ground? Yikes. Sounds like a game of 'the floor is lava' from Hell!" Jaune said nervously. For some reason, Roman felt a chill go down his spine at the mention of that game.
Suddenly, Xeno'Jiiva roared and began to glow even brighter than before, with its hands and feet looking as if they were on fire. "But if pushed far enough, Xeno'Jiiva will send its body into what is known as a Critical State, igniting parts of its body in blue flames and increasing both its physical power and the level of energy it uses, to the point it can even cause the Bio-Energy in the nearby crystals combust and explode, resulting in giant waves of energy eruptions from certain attacks." Sai explained as the beast slammed its hand down on the ground, even punching through it, resulting in three waves of explosions stemming out from the attack.
"Whoa! Reminds me of Yang when she uses her Semblance." Qrow noted.
"Hey. I don't make explosions happen all over the place!" Yang pouted.
"Not from just existing, but explosions USUALLY happen when you enter that state, either from Ember Celica or smashing robots." Weiss countered.
"Or mech suits! I still have whiplash from that!" Roman complained.
Sai was then seen doing the Dual Blades buzzsaw attack down Xeno'Jiiva's back. "So, all of that might seem pretty devastating and impossible to counter, but worry not. There IS hope to beating this thing. First off, remember that Xeno'Jiiva is a baby, meaning there's not a lot of brain power going on upstairs and they can be led into traps." The host explained, baiting the adolescent monster into charging at him and passing under several giant crystals which he shot with his slinger to collapse on the baby. "In addition, all elements have the same effectiveness on the beast, all of them being decently effective, but not super effective. But again, as this is an infant monster, it's immune system has not had time to properly develop and so they are vulnerable to poison. And lastly, while in their Critical State, Xeno'Jiiva becomes unstable due to its energy fluctuations, affecting its mass, which- if it's not careful, can cause it to send itself through the ground." Sai elaborated as the beast rose to two legs and fired a laser, but fell halfway through the floor, leaving it vulnerable.
The mood got dark when everyone remembered that fact. "Oh, yeah. With how powerful it is, I almost forgot... It's a baby." Penny said, paling a bit along with the other teens.
"I... Don't think I'm comfortable with this anymore." Velvet said uncomfortably.
"I have to agree. Even if it is a monster, it feels wrong to bring harm to a newborn." Pyrrha agreed, equally unnerved by the prospect.
"Yeah. Hurting it would just feel bad. Especially making it sick with poison and k-... Slaying it." Ruby added solemnly.
"I know how you feel, girls. But this is a dangerous monster. You heard Sai, it almost destroyed an island BEFORE it was born and almost killed someone AS it was being born! Just imagine what else it would be capable of if it grew up?" Summer pointed out.
"Indeed. I'm not always proud of what I've done in the fight against Salem, but I know everything I've done has been necessary." Ozpin told them.
"Exactly. In the face of protecting the innocent, we must do whatever we can to ensure their safety." Ironwood said.
"As long as you don't go overboard to the point of being unreasonable, or downright crazy." Katana added, giving a small glare to the general.
"Aaaanywayyyy... Anything else to say here?" Tekko asked.
"Oh, right! Um... It was clever how he lured it into all those traps? Definitely big brain moves right there." Neo said awkwardly.
The final moments of the fight between the host and Xeno' Jiiva were shown again. "So, that's pretty much all there is about Xeno'Jiiva, a truly unique, mysterious and terrifying being whose true potential can only be guessed at. Or rather COULD only be guessed at, because we have since learned its true potential. I've mentioned it a few times, but it's worth mentioning again: Xeno'Jiiva is a BABY. So then, what happens when that baby grows up?" Sai questioned dramatically as the beast was sent to an early grave once more.
Suddenly, the purple puppet was shown again. "And the plot thickens a bit more!" The felt creature declared, bouncing around excitedly.
The teens laughed at the puppet coming back once again, before becoming serious. "Well, looks like we get to see the baby all grown up after all." Adam said.
"With how crazy the baby is, the adult version HAS to be a whole other level of insane. I bet it has three heads!" Roman declared.
"And breathes LIGHTNING." Hazel added.
"Are you two referencing something?" Cinder questioned.
Once again, Sai, his handler, the Admiral and the Seeker were investigating the underground cavern, seeing several shed skins. "So, as I said, the Seeker discovered a cavern in the Guiding Lands FILLED with Xeno'Jiiva cocoons, but we also found countless layers of shedded skin of a Xeno'Jiiva, meaning one had hatched and went through several cycles of shedding and growing until it reached maturity and became an entirely different creature, known simply as The Red Dragon, Safi'Jiiva." The host declared as a giant red dragon suddenly appeared and let out a massive roar.
Many people raised a single eyebrow in a mixture of surprise, confusion and skepticism. "THAT'S what Xeno matures into?" Ilia questioned.
"It doesn't look anything like it at all." Blake said.
"It happens sometimes. There's plenty of animals that look like a completely different species in one stage of their life compared to another." Katana told them.
"I guess she's not wrong. The most obvious answer is caterpillars to cocoons to butterflies, but even dragonflies start out as water bugs that have a completely different jaw structure than actual dragonflies." Emerald noted.
Sai and a few other hunters were then seen fighting the beast. "Now fully matures, Safi'Jiiva is much more like a traditional dragon than its juvenile state, losing its flowing webbing and alien-looking false eye energy sensor organs. In addition, it is far bigger and more powerful than it was in its younger form. In addition, it is also far more skilled in the usage of its energy attacks, now firing thin, precise beams similar to Amatsu's jet cutter attack, with energy explosions occurring along the path of the beam, as well as being able to stomp and unleash rings of energy explosions just like its previous self. But unlike its previous self, it is able to absorb the Bio-Energy from the very Earth itself, healing itself of any injuries and even fixing broken or tenderized body parts while stealing the very life energy from the immediate area, turning it into a lifeless wasteland." The host explained as the monstrous beast did indeed somehow drain the Bio-Energy from the very ground into itself.
"Another monster that can heal itself!?" Ironwood said in concern.
"But at least Akura Vashimu was a manageable size. This thing's huge. And you could stop the scorpion by cutting off its tail- regardless of how insanely difficult that is. Unless this thing has something specific that syphons out the energy, I don't see how you stop that." Qrow noted.
"Yeah, that's just cheating!" Nora complained.
"This might be even worse than Nefu Garumudo. At least he just wanted to expand his territory and didn't necessarily mean any harm. And at least things could LIVE in the desert! This thing is straight up stealing the life force of the area and ruining the land for everyone." Velvet said sadly.
"But worse yet, if it can steal the Earth's life force... could it steal Aura?" Winter questioned, a DEEP feeling of dread sinking into everyone at that thought.
The host and a few other hunters were then seen flying down to the area once again, coming face to face with... Alatreon?! "So, clearly, this monster only continued to prove it was a danger to the natural order and the world as a whole. To the point where Alatreon itself made the journey to the New World in order to face this beast. I mean, he was too late, we already had it wrapped up by the time he showed up, but at least he picked off the unborn Xeno'Jiiva." Sai declared as the Blazing Black Dragon shot fireballs in every direction and destroyed the unhatched cocoons.
And then, everyone's jaws collectively hit the floor at this knowledge. "Th-there's no way. That shouldn't be possible. I thought the Black Dragons were just..." Adam started in shock.
"Built different?" Yang asked, equally stunned.
"I was going to say on another level other monsters couldn't reach, but yeah, that does work." The Bull Faunus admitted.
"That must be what happens when you literally live off and consume the life force that gives power to all things." Hazel said.
Summer looked to her monster partner at this. "Is it really THAT strong, Amaryllis? Is Safi REALLY a big enough threat to make creatures like you that hate being around... ANYTHING else living, to come and deal with it." She asked in concerned.
The Blazing Black Dragons rumbled a bit as she thought of how to respond, before sighing. (It is indeed true. That creature is too much of a menace to be allowed to exist anywhere in the world. So our kind has actively hunted down every last one we can find, but yet there always seems to be more. It is incredibly dangerous, but as much as we may not care for the living creatures in the world around us, we still need a world to live in, so we do whatever it takes to make sure Xeno and Safi'Jiiva cannot destroy it. Some even believe that they may be able to match Fatalis, although I doubt it, as we are able to defeat them more often than not. It is an incredibly close fight, one we'd barely be able to walk away from, but in the end, an Alatreon like myself would triumph over the beasts.) Amaryllis informed her partner. [2]
"Aww, so as much as you claim to hate the world, you guys protect it. You really are heroes." Ruby cooed.
(Don't push it, little rose.) Amaryllis warned.
Once again, Sai and a group of other hunters combated the beast. "So, yeah, the fact a BLACK DRAGON, a First-Class Dangerous Monster, felt the need to come to the New World and take this thing out, was all the evidence we needed that this thing had to go. And it was so powerful, it was one of the rare monsters the Guild broke its age-old 'four hunters per hunt' law in favor of a siege, something only done for the mightiest and most dangerous monsters like Zorah Magdaros, Laviente and Kulve Taroth, constantly sending small groups of hunters in waves to harrass and weaken the beast, before sending in the next group before it could get the chance to rest." The Sapphire Star explained as they pursued the beast as it fled to lower levels of its cavern home.
"And we just KEEP HEARING how much bad news this thing is! They didn't even do a siege for Fatalis or Alatreon!" Jaune exclaimed in fear.
"But neither of them could heal themselves." Ren pointed out.
"And that's exactly part of the reason why it is a siege. Uncle Sai did say it, but didn't exactly elaborate on it. The only real reason we manage to kill one is because we fight it and make it drain the Bio-Energy from the area so it doesn't have any more energy to heal itself with again, so only then do we actually manage to wear it down and do enough damage to kill it." Razara added.
"A solid strategy. Excellent use of tactics." Ozpin praised.
"But once more, it shows how dangerous this creature must be if they only managed to win by stripping away its biggest advantage." Glynda noted, quite unnerved by the fact the creature was only defeated because it refused to leave a single cave system and couldn't continuously heal itself. She doubted that situation would work on Remnant.
The beast continued to fire lasers at the hunters. "So, how much different is fighting Safi'Jiiva than its younger form? Well, as I said, it is much bigger and stronger, with the ability to heal itself with the Bio-Energy of the surrounding area and has better energy control, but it is also much smarter than before, sending more accurate claw swipes and kicks at the hunters assailing it. And it is smart enough to focus on a singular target rather than randomly chasing after all the hunters attacking it, locking onto the hunter that has caused it the most grief and bringing its full fury to them, even snatching them up in its jaws and then firing an energy beam directly into them and blasting them to the ground. Without other hunters to use healing lifepowders on their entrapped ally, it is unlikely the hunter subjected to this would survive." Someone said as something happened.
"Okay, I gotta admit. The precision beams are kind of cool." Coco admitted.
"Especially when you factor in how they make delayed explosions." Neo said, amazed.
"Also, that is quite impressive that it's able to pick out individuals when fighting targets. Most animals would just go for the first thing they set their eyes on, or whatever is immediately attacking them and causing them pain." Emerald said, nodding her head, impressed.
But then, everyone's eyes became practically the size of dinner plates as they witnessed Safi's grapple attack. "Oh, my god! That... That's just EVIL!" Ilia said in horror.
"That beam must be practically frying them! And that's while the sharp teeth have probably torn them to Hell." Cinder said, equally disturbed.
"Plus, I doubt getting slammed on the ground like that could feel very good." Qrow added, grimacing a bit.
"But this Lifepowder stuff must be incredible if it can help someone survive that. It must be like repairing your aura three times over. Because that's probably what that attack would do." Weiss noted.
"Well, it doesn't completely heal all the damage from that attack. It just keeps you from dying by healing the wounds you have received, or in this case, currently are receiving, so the total amount of damage is reduced. The best example I can think of would be like corner time in a boxing match, where they take care of any open cuts you get. You still took damage that hasn't been fully taken care of yet, but it provides just the slightest bit of relief and takes a bit of the edge off." Razara explained.
Safi'Jiiva then suddenly took to the air. "But once Safi'Jiiva has gotten truly fed up with the tiny hunters that dare assault it, it will take to the skies and commence its ultimate attack, one of the single most devastating attacks of ANY monster, rivaled only by Fatalis' giant flames and Alatreon's Escaton Judgment. The Sapphire Of The Emperor." Sai declared with an echo as the creature shot down blue flames from its mouth to engulf the entire area, but didn't seem to be harming the hunters... at least yet.
This earned a mixed reaction from the group. A few were in aw of the attacks name and the power supposedly packed behind it, a few others were unnerved after hearing the attack was on the same level as the most devastating attacks of the strongest dragons out there... But then some chose to be skeptical of the attack not currently harming the hunters. "I mean, cool name and everything, but Sai's just standing there and he seems perfectly fine." Yang said with one eyebrow raised.
"Wait for it~" Tekko said in sing-song.
However, a rather cocky hunter in Glavenus armor simply stood out in the open with a smirk. "Oh, how cute, he named it-" Said The hunter taunted, before two tiny spheres of energy came down to the ground, resulting in a massive explosion. "Oh, shit!" The hunter cried out as he was engulfed by the explosion.
And once the orbs touched down and the explosion occurred, everyone immediately leapt a full foot in the air. "HOLY SHIT!" The all screamed at the same time.
"Nevermind. I take back everything I just said." Yang said quickly.
"Yet another shining example of not to underestimate your opponent or take anything for granted, students." Ozpin said, still stunned from what they witnessed.
"And obviously, don't be a cocky idiot like that guy." Summer added.
Sai and the others ran for cover as this attack was happening. "The torrent of blue flames is the warm-up that prepares Safi for this ultimate attack and serves as your only warning, before two tiny, seemingly insignificant spheres of pure Bio-Energy touch ground and create an explosion that encompasses the entire area. No weapon or shield is powerful enough to block this attack and there is no safe space to dodge to. Your only hope of survival is to take cover behind a rocky crag jutting up from the ground and pray you will survive." The host explained as the attack engulfed the entire area, the rocks being the only thing that saved the hunters.
"The entire area... Just up in flames in an instant... That's insane." Blake said, terrified.
"Okay, yeah. This is a bit much. Even for me." Adam admitted.
"You hunters must be ACTUALLY insane to go up against something like that." Hazel said. To which Katana held her fingers a tiny distance apart, basically saying "a little bit".
"That IS truly a terrifying concept. Getting out of the way is generally our first instinct when something dangerous comes our way. And blocking is basically our last line of defense if all else fails to protect us. So not being able to rely on either is maddening." Ironwood said, deeply unnerved.
"Honestly, I'm amazed the crags somehow stand up to the damage the Sapphire of The Emperor did." Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, you guys need a shorter name for that." Nora added.
"Well, first off, the long name makes it sound more epic and foreboding. Second, the crags actually AREN'T strong enough on their own. It's actually because they happened to be covered in some shed Xeno'Jiiva skin." Razara pointed out.
"So, if this fight happened anywhere else without that skin on the rocks to protect them..." Winter started.
"We'd be more boned than the Rotten Vale." Razara confirmed.
The hunters now appeared to have chased Safi'Jiiva to the lowest levels of its cave home. "So, you might be thinking 'okay, well surely that's enough, right? No need for anything else after that, right?' Well, unfortunately, no. Recall if you will that Xeno'Jiiva had the Critical State that caused it to burst into flames and increase its power. Well, Safi'Jiiva has an even BETTER version of that, known as Supercritical State, granting an even greater amount of energy than ever before, to the point that light actually leaks out of the cracks in Safi'Jiiva's body and its wings glow with a unique pattern resembling constellations of stars. And just like before, this amps Safi to the greatest peak of its potential, making it more powerful and dangerous than ever." The hunter declared as the creature roared and began to glow in a manner exactly like Sai described.
"OH, COME ONE!" All the teens all shouted at once upon seeing the upgraded version of the already broken ability that was Critical State.
"How does this thing just KEEP getting stronger! There has to be a cap on this shit sooner or later!" Coco complained.
"Yeah, starting to see why people were thinking it would be a match for Fatalis." Qrow admitted.
Nora gasped at this. "What if it's a RELATIVE of Fatalis! You know, like Dire Miralis!" She theorized.
Everyone stopped and thought about this for a moment. "I mean, that seems unlikely, due to how vastly different they appear to be, but then again, Dire Miralis is ALSO vastly different to Fatalis and yet, they are related..." Weiss admitted as she started to think about the possibility.
Sai and the other hunters then managed to knock down the beast. "So, with all that in mind, Safi'Jiiva must sound like a very daunting opponent to try and face... And it is. But still, everything has a weakness and Safi'Jiiva is no exception. Much like it's younger form, all elements work decently, but not incredibly on Safi, but this time, certain weapons made from Elder Dragons may contain a special ability known Elderseal, which dampens their incredible power, including SafiJiiva's. In addition, status ailments have strangely become MORE effective on Safi, stun and paralysis becoming decent options and blast now being just effective as poison was on Xeno'Jiiva and still is on Safi. One strange thing to note, however, is how certain parts of its body take different levels of damage from different weapons, with severing damage working best on the chest, forelegs and tail, blunt damage working best on the head and hindlegs and ammo working best on its wings and back." The Sapphire Star explained while hacking away at the monster.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief as Sai spoke on how to fight back. "Finally. He was starting to make it sound like this thing was just too strong to even THINK about fighting." Glynda said.
"Weird, though, that ailments get MORE effective against it later. You'd think as it grows, it would gain more resistance to them." Ren noted.
"I guess all that life energy doesn't necessarily equate to a strong immune system." Velvet said.
"I'm actually on Sai's side here. I find it strange that its body parts take different damage from different types of weapons." Winter admitted.
"I mean, it's probably a matter of what's just most effective. Hitting it in the head with a hammer would probably give it a concussion, so that's why blunt weapons work on the head, plus the hindlegs, since it goes onto them every so often, so mangling them would mess up its movement, then its back and wings are just easier to reach with guns and bows, so that's where the ranged weapons come in, then everything else is fair game for bladed weapons." Qrow explained.
"Wow... That ACTUALLY made sense." Emerald praised.
"Hey, you don't get to be a master Huntsman for nothing." The former Drunk said.
Safi'Jiiva was seen in its critical state once more. "And much like Xeno'Jiiva and its Critical State, Supercritical is as much of a weakness as it is a power-up. In this state, with its body heated up to such a degree, its rigid scales soften due to the heat, making them and the monster as a whole easier to damage. Plus, at least in the cavern we normally find the Red Dragon EVERY SINGLE TIME, the lowest levels contain gas pockets that can be exploded to damage the beast. " Sai explained, causing an explosion that caused the giant dragon to reel back. "And this last bit is a tip for my fellow Dual Blade users, but if you manage to get the monster near a ledge, its massive body length makes it a prime target for the spinning attack." He quickly added, before showing familiar footage of him spiraling down Safi'Jiiva's back with a buzzsaw sound effect.
"Huh. Is that cave special to them or something? Why would they want to keep showing up there?" Ruby asked.
"Right? You'd think they'd know some of their brethren have been killed there or something and would want to stay away. Can't be because they're trying to protect the unborn cocoons, since Alatreon took them out already." Roman said.
"Unless the reproduce like flies or other such rapidly-reproducing animals." Penny said, dreading the thought.
Yang then smirked at the mention of gas pockets at the bottom of the area. "Explosive gas pockets, huh? So I guess you could say they're... Silent, but deadly?" She asked with a smirk.
Everyone groaned at this. "Yang... No. Just no." Neo told her.
And then, a couple of them chuckled at the callback to the weapons video with the buzzsaw sound effect on the spinning attack. "So, that was the monster he used the attack on in that video. I was wondering what it was, since we didn't know about Safi at the time. Too bad we can't have Safi's brought to Remnant. I'd like to try that attack on them." Cinder admitted.
Sai and the other hunters continued to fight Safi'Jiiva. "And so, that is everything on the terrible toddler, Xeno'Jiiva and its monstrous mature form Safi'Jiiva. While they are both incredibly fascinating and visually striking, some might even argue beautiful, the simple fact is these two are too dangerous to allow to exist in the world. Whatever role they could serve in the ecosystem is ultimately overshadowed by the immense harm they could do to it, or even the world as a whole. And, once again, if a First-Class Dangerous Monster like Alatreon comes out from its seclusion to square up with something, that's how you know that something needs to be stopped expeditiously." The host finished as they finally managed to bring the monster down.
Ironwood stood up at this and turned to the group. "I don't care what anyone else says, this creature is too dangerous to be allowed to live on Remnant. And I will fight you over that decision." He declared.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with you on that one." Qrow admitted.
"I don't think anyone ISN'T on his side. Hell, ALATREON is on his side. That's you KNOW it's serious." Cinder added, everyone else nodding in agreement.
"So, what did you guys think?" Tekko asked.
"They're cool... But WAY too dangerous. Both versions. They look alien for a reason. Because they don't belong in the world." Velvet said fearfully.
"I have to agree. Honestly, Nora's theory of them being related to Fatalis is a real possibility." Pyrrha admitted.
"Yeah. They're really scary..." Ruby began with her head lowered so her eyes were hidden by her hair, before raising her head to reveal her eyes were sparkling. "But it's still so cool! They have so much crazy power, it's awesome! They LITERALLY eat life energy! And their laser beams are super awesome! And their Critical States are the most epic thing ever! It's like they're going Ultra Uros from Wyvern Sphere A [3]! And Safi's wings are so pretty in Supercritical State! And it even has its own one-shot attack! It's like the final boss in a video game!" She fangirled over the dragons.
Everyone else just either deadpanned, shook their heads, or gave looks of concern at her... Well, almost everyone. "You got that right, sis! That thing's a beast. Heck, it's like a DLC boss that's difficult even after you 100% the game!" Yang agreed.
"Yeah! I know we can't bring it to Remnant, but I hope we at least get to fight them in the simulation room once or twice before we go home!" Nora added. [4]
"These three really are crazy..." Jaune said worriedly.
"Man, that's gonna be one tough act to follow. It's AT LEAST going to have to be another Elder Dragon." Emerald said.
"Well, as luck would have it, it is. From Markja Island, just like Nefu Garumudo. But instead of that nasty sand that's rough, course and irritating and gets everywhere-" Tekko began.
"You just pissed off SO many people." Razara told her sister.
"-The next Elder Dragon really... Brings the heat!" Tekko finished her declaration.
"Yep. It's definitely another really cool one. So prepare yourselves for... Eo Garudia." Katana said, playing the next video.
[1] Yes, that's a reference to Volume 9, when team RWBY accidentally made Little homeless.
[2] So I know it's all but officially confirmed that Safi is, or at least is believed to be, a match for Fatalis, but MonsterSlayer Squad on YouTube actually does modded fights to put monsters into the same arena and get them to fight by hitting each other as they try to hit the hunter, who has been modded to be invincible, I guess, until one of them reaches one health. And, in two different battles, one with Safi'Jiiva in Supercritical State from almost the very beginning, Alatreon defeated Safi both times. May not be official, but still really cool to watch and see.
[3] Yes, that's their version of Dragon Ball Z... I hope I haven't already given them a version that's different from that, like I've no doubt done for Lion King.
[4] Yeah, I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for that, but yes, I do plan to slow this story down and work more on both Ultimate Training and the Marvel Reactions. Look forward to those!