章節 804: 147
Chapter 147:
Ruby returned to her senses in a silent stadium. The revelations of Jester's previous question had given rise to fear and panic. However, the revelations in answer to this one had been such that people were still trying to comprehend all that they had seen and heard. In just a short time, they had learned the basis for the conflict that Ozpin had been fighting, as well as who Ozpin himself was. They'd learned who Salem was. But now...they had learned that even that had been built upon a sham.
Looking up, Ruby could see that Ozpin was still crying. But he'd sunk to his knees, his cane lying on the floor of the skybox, his expression vacant. Ruby felt she could understand. After all, this meant that everything he had been fighting for, the mission he'd been given by the God of Light, had been based upon a lie. He hadn't been an instrument to guide humanity through the gods' judgment, in order to give humans a chance to regain the magic that they had lost. He had been a pawn that the gods had used in order to allow them to subjugate the world all over again.
It was all so much to take in. This night, everyone in this stadium had had their entire worldview shattered over and over again. It wasn't just them though. If what Jester had said was true, then the millions watching the broadcast had seen the same vision, and were now wrestling with that very same warped view of reality.
Just how did one come to terms with such revelations? How did one accept such horrific truths? The sheer mental turmoil everyone was experiencing was sure to destroy the minds of at least some of them. Once that happened, there was no doubt that the resulting wave of negativity arising from such conflicting feelings would draw the Grimm in droves. Thanks to Kyo's presence, Vale would be spared. But the people all around the world who had just seen this whole thing would not be so lucky.
Jester clapped his hands together, the sound echoing throughout the silent stadium, drawing everyone out of their stunned reverie. "Well, that does it for the exposition," he declared proudly. "Thank you for your assistance, Jinn."
Jinn simply glared at him furiously. "I have answered three questions in this era," she said. My duty here is done." She dissolved back into blue smoke, flowing back into her lamp, which glided back to Jester's outstretched hand.
"Such a sassy spirit," he commented. "Well then, that takes care of the opening remarks of this festival. Now it's time to get to the fun bit." He brought the lamp behind his back. When he withdrew his hand again, it was empty, the Relic having disappeared without a trace. "And here, we begin the climax of the festival! It's time for the real show to begin."
"Is...all that true?" Oscar blinked furiously, barely able to process everything he had seen and heard.
Two stories had been told, two stories that had completely shattered their worldview.
"I...I never imagined," said Sasame, staring blankly ahead. "The Mibu...were descended from..."
"We're the descendants of an artificial people," whispered Miyu, her eyes wide.
"I...I can't believe it," said Natsuki, tears running down her face. "Then...are we even real people?"
Turning to look at her, Oscar reached out to take Natsuki's hand. She looked at him in surprise. "Hey," he said softly. "I don't care where your ancestors came from. You're real to me."
Natsuki blinked again, then smiled radiantly. "Thank you," she said, leaning in to rest her forehead against Oscar's.
"I'm more worried about what comes next," said Setsuna, though he was holding Miyu's hand tightly. "This jerk didn't butt in just to tell a couple stories."
"No," agreed Sasame. "If he did this, then he no doubt intends to profit from the chaos this is bound to unleash."
"Why does that matter?!" The furious exclamation came from Yang, who was on her feet, her eyes burning crimson. She wasn't glaring at the man in the ring, but up at the skybox where Kyo had come from, where Ozpin was still staring blankly out over the empty stadium. "That bastard lied to us! Salem is immortal. She can't be killed. What have we been fighting for this whole time?"
"I don't...I don't think that's the case," said Jaune, his voice hesitant. "We were talking to Kyo before, and he was telling us that the Mibu have techniques for slaying gods."
"That is correct," said Sasame. "To put it bluntly, Salem's condition is certainly a major obstacle. Even amongst the Mibu, there are a scant handful of people who can claim to be capable of god-slaying. I am not one of them."
"But Kyo is?" guessed Weiss, frowning.
"That is correct," said Sasame. "In fact, it is said that the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu was developed specifically for the purpose of killing gods. Given what we learned today, I suspect that it might well have originated as a school specifically for the purpose of killing members of the True Mibu, the ones who created the Mibu that we know today."
"So...that means that Kyo could kill Salem," said Pyrrha.
"Correct," said Sasame. "From what we know, Salem is powerful, so the resulting battle would be hard-fought. But I believe Kyo would triumph in the end."
"So why hasn't he?" asked Blake. "Why have we been suffering and fighting all this time? Why have the Mibu stood by and done nothing?"
"The answer to that lies in the story we just heard," Sasame pointed out. "The obstacle that keeps us from putting an end to Salem is standing right there in the center of the ring."
"Jester..." whispered Ren. "What is he?"
"As far as we know, he was once a Mibu," said Sasame. "He hails from before even the era of the First Kyo. It was said that he was ancient, even in those times. From what we've just heard, the Death Disease that once threatened the Mibu was the result of a defect in their creation, one that became so pronounced over successive generations that it became a genuine threat to their lives and futures. Likewise, the Mibu that would come to call himself Jester must have also been defective, but his defect manifested as a complete opposite to what threatened out ancestors."
"So, instead of being threatened with death, he is instead incapable of dying," said Miyu, looking sick at the thought.
"In a sense, it is the same situation as Salem, but even more severe," said Sasame. "Not only was he ancient before she even walked the earth, but things that are capable of ending Salem would be incapable of ending him. What Salem is to the people of the Kingdoms, Jester is to the Mibu."
"Then...it's impossible," whispered Blake. "Even if someone like Kyo can kill Salem, if he can't kill Jester, then..."
"So long as Jester stands between him and Salem, the status quo remains unchallenged," said Sasame. She folded her arms and leaned back. "However, we have taken measures. This was sooner than I hoped to put them to the test. But...just maybe..."
"What are you talking about?" asked Yang, looking at Sasame, her eyes returning to their regular color.
Sasame instead looked down into the ring. It feels ridiculously irresponsible of us to leave things to you, Ruby-chan. But maybe...just maybe...
Jester's sharp clap echoed through the stadium, drawing their attention once more.
"I've got a bad feeling about what's coming next though," said Jaune, watching the masked man, his gut churning with unease.
Jester turned to Ruby and Penny in particular. Ruby drew her sword, splitting Akaibara and crossing her blades in front of her in a defensive stance, keeping herself between Jester and Penny. His grin simply widened at her resistance. "Now now, no need to be so worried. I'm not your opponent...yet."
"Y-you're not?" asked Ruby nervously.
She immediately regretted her question, as Jester's malice crashed over her like a wave. To her senses, it was a black, icy wind that pierced through her entire body. He vision blurred and his body became an almost indiscernible shadow to her eyes, almost as though she didn't want to comprehend his true nature.
"R-Ruby..." Penny's voice carried a faint whimper. She too was feeling that brunt of Jester's malice. The blades of her Floating Array clanged as they fell to the ring, Penny unable to keep them elevated, her fear threatening to shut down her cognitive systems entirely.
"Not yet," said Jester. "You're still not quite there. You need to claw your way up even higher, before you can really test yourself against me." His malice vanished, and he clapped his hands again. "But don't worry, I've already prepared a suitable opponent to help with that.
"I know that you had a match planned already. But such an easygoing tournament is so dull, don't you think? If the people have gathered for bloodsport, then there should be some actual blood, right? That's why I'm changing the matchup."
Abruptly, Ruby stiffened, feeling a new chill from behind her. Turning around, she looked past Penny to see a black-garbed figure emerging from the same locker room Penny had been in before. There was no mistaking that red hair, those curved horns, or that white mask. Adam Taurus strode out of the doorway, Hakuya resting at his hip.
Ruby swallowed, her mouth going dry. Adam's presence was completely different from the last time she'd fought him. She could tell it in the way he walked, that calm, composed stride; in the determined set of his face, devoid of extraneous wrath; and, most of all, in his Aura. The past two times Ruby had fought Adam, his Aura had reminded her of a naked blade that had been worn and chipped down. But that blade had now been recast, honed, and freshly sharpened, its edge poised to bite into her flesh.
Moving tentatively, Ruby edged her way around Penny, while pushing her back, so that she could keep Jester and Adam roughly on the same side of her, though they were at opposing angles, as Adam reached the elevated inner-ring with a single easy leap. The one thing Ruby knew for certain was that she did not want either of them at her back, not with Penny to think about.
Jester snickered at her caution. "Aw, don't worry about lil ole me," he said cheerfully. "I ain't your opponent. Besides, I got a different score to settle. Adam, I leave her to you."
With that, Jester disappeared from the stage. In the same instant, he stood before Kyo, who was pushing himself up to his feet. Ruby snapped her gaze over, only to watch the pair disappear again, as soon as her eyes found them. Kyo was gone.
Ruby's eyes widened. Oh no! Kyo-nii's gone! It was her worst fears realized, the very thing she'd suspected Jester had intended to do from the beginning. That means...! Her mouth dropped open. "Kyo-nii-!"
There was a sharp spike of murderous intent from Adam, and Ruby immediately turned to face the threat. She was barely in time, her swords meeting the crescent of red light that flashed out from Hakuya's edge. Ruby was blasted backwards, slamming into Penny, the two of them being blown back, Adam's attack splitting its way through the ring, cutting it nearly in half. Ruby and Penny were blown off the opposite side, and all the way into the outer ring, nearly to the wall, while the ring collapsed, its severed pieces falling in through the open hole in the center of the arena. Adam landed across from them, his sword already back in its sheath.
"Do not ignore me," said Adam simply, striding forward. From the gap where the severed portions of the inner ring had fallen, a replacement ring rose up, bridging the gap between them.
At the same time, an alarm began to wail through the stadium.
"Oh no..." whispered Ruby, her eyes rising up. But it's too soon. Kyo-nii was just taken. The Grimm shouldn't be here already.
Despite that, an automated voice was already speaking out. "Warning, Grimm attack in progress; Threat-Level Four. Grimm confirmed within the defensive perimeter; Threat-Level Five. Grimm incursion in Amity Coliseum; Threat-Level Six…" The fact that the threat-level was rising with each announcement indicated that events were unfolding at a pace that Vale's emergency systems couldn't keep up with.
The dire pronouncements continued to echo through the coliseum, people shouting and panicking, while the announcement urged them to seek shelter as calmly as possible. However, that proved to be difficult when, with a howl, a Beowolf emerged from one of the entrances in the seating area, screaming spectators fleeing from its vicinity. It looked around, before lunging at the nearest target, seizing the unfortunate woman's arm with its mouth, tugging and threatening to tear the limb off.
A blur appeared in the air over the Beowolf, Sasame's tail lashing down to smash into the back of the monster's neck, killing it with a single blow. Before her feet had even finished touching down, she already had her hands on the victim's arm, beginning the process of healing her. However, the growls and roars that came from the other entrances indicated that this was only the beginning of the catastrophe.
"You need not concern yourself with them," said Adam, continuing to stride confidently out into the inner-ring. "By the end of this day, all of you will be dead, and this Kingdom will be laid low. Humanity will taste the bitter flavor of our righteous judgment. Now...will you face me...or will you flee? If you flee, then I will hunt you down, and kill all that I come across in the process."
Ruby licked her lips, taking a step towards Adam. Penny moved up to try and stand beside her. However, Ruby forestalled her friend by holding her arm out.
"Ruby...?" Penny looked at her questioningly
Ruby didn't take her eyes off Adam. "Go help the others," she said. "This is my fight. You need to help stop whatever else is going on."
Penny looked around. "I will do what I can," she declared. Then she rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder, squeezing tightly. "Please...don't die."
"You too," said Ruby.
Penny turned and rushed out the exit. Adam ignored her completely, the whole of his attention fixated on Ruby.
He's matured, she thought. The Adam she had fought before would have targeted Penny out of simple spite. But now his intent was focused completely on Ruby alone. It wasn't just his strength. His focus and discipline were on a whole other level from where they had been before. This was a completely different kind of fight than before...and Ruby was at a greater disadvantage than she'd ever been.
Nonetheless, she strode out to the inner ring to meet the man, reflecting that this was almost like a formal match between them. Adding to the sensation, the plates covering the outer ring drew back, leaving the inner ring floating in space, though not for long. The holograms denoting the biomes that would normally be selected for the previous rounds of the tournament began to flash.
On four sides of the octagonal ring, spaced evenly apart, the symbol for the Anti-Gravity biome appeared on the holographic screens. Platforms floating in midair; some oriented horizontally, while others were oriented vertically; hovered over these sections. The sides between them were empty, but Ruby could see other biomes, including the Ocean, Volcano, and Geyser Biomes, hovering down at slightly lower altitudes.
Someone's hijacked control of the arena, she realized.
Not that there was anything she could do about that at the moment. Right now, the only thing Ruby could do was keep her focus on her current opponent. Whatever else, she had to defeat Adam first. Then she would be free to do what was needed to help her friends, and the Kingdom.
Please! Stay safe, everyone!
Down in Vale, screams erupted as Grimm surged out from a previously empty alleyway, roaring Ursai and howling Beowolves charging forth to fall upon the very first people they came across.
Not far down the street, a man in a white jacket, its hood pulled up over his head, cackled softly as he walked slowly away from the orgy of bloodshed beginning behind him, a manic grin on his face.
Hazel stood atop one of Vale's skyscrapers, listening to the screams of the people as Nevermores and Griffons seemed to explode out from the windows of the building below him, the glass falling to rain down on the hapless pedestrians down below, while the flying Grimm swooped down to menace still more people. His expression was solemn, the man not relishing the tableau of suffering unfolding before him.
He abhorred unnecessary bloodshed. Even bloodshed that was necessary still revolted him. Nonetheless, he had his role to carry out. In the end, all this is on you, Ozpin, he thought furiously. And now, the whole world knows it.
"Contact numbers rising!" shouted an officer from the sensor station.
"How did they get past the perimeter defenses?" asked the captain, looking out the window, scarcely able to believe his eyes. His gaze took in the view from the bridge of the warship, the command ship of the three that had been brought to Vale by Ironwood.
For the past few months, they had been patrolling Vale's perimeter, doing their part to keep Grimm numbers down. Of course, with the arrival of Kyo, that had become a moot point. The pressure from the Grimm had evaporated as soon as the young man had arrived within the Kingdom, proving the long-rumored phenomenon that made the residents of the settlements that Kyo frequented so reluctant to supply any information about him to the authorities.
But now it seemed that that protection had vanished without a trace.
"I don't know," said the sensor officer, in response to the question. "It's as though they popped up out of nowhere, within the Kingdom itself. I have four emergence points-!" He grimaced as his eyes picked up new information on the screen. "Make that five! And now I'm getting reports of Grimm appearing inside Amity Coliseum!"
"Impossible!" shouted the captain, unable to believe what he was hearing.
A holographic screen appeared in front of his eyes, showing a feed from inside the coliseum. Now the captain had a view of Grimm climbing over rows of seats, chasing down fleeing spectators, while security staff and some of the attending students tried to contain them. However, with the coliseum's forcefields still up, only those who had brought their weapons in with them were armed, and there was presently no way for the rocket-lockers located at Beacon to be called to the location of those students within that shielded area.
"This is a disaster," declared the captain.
"It's about to get worse," said the sensor officer. "We're picking up additional contacts at the perimeter. More Grimm are coming."
"Of course they are," muttered the captain despondently. A catastrophe like this was practically tailor-made to trigger a surge of fear. Those feelings were now drawing the Grimm that Kyo had kept at bay until now. Before long, they would be swamped from within and without.
"Sir...what do we do?" asked the sensor officer.
The captain took a deep breath. "Our duty," he declared. "Move to engage all airborne Grimm. Order the transports to launch and prep the Knights for air-drop. Isolate the emergence points and contain them. Have the ground troops focus on getting the civilians to safety. Every minute wasted means more lives lost. MOVE!"
"Sir!" shouted the crew on the bridge around him.
The helmsman plotted out a course, the ship beginning to turn, even as its batteries were already beginning to open fire, picking Grimm out of the sky. Around them, the other warships were doing the same, all while the armed transports containing the Knights emerged from the ventral hangars, deploying to drop the androids to help take out the threat of the Grimm, down in the streets.
Then a new alarm sounded across the Grimm. "What now?!" demanded the captain, already dreading what new pronouncement of doom he was about to receive.
"Heavy atmospheric disturbance from above!" shouted the sensor-officer. "It's indicative of a large object descending. But there's nothing on-Correction! Incoming airship, descending on attack vector!"
"Evade!" shouted the captain.
"Incoming volley!" shouted the sensor officer.
"BRACE!"
Bolts of red and blue rained down around their airship, several slamming into the hull. The whole vessel lurched, though their sudden shift had saved them from immediate destruction. It helped that the barrage had been spread out amongst all three of the Atlesian warships, so none of them had been overwhelmed individually. However, the sudden, unexpected attack from a vessel that hadn't been there before had completely disrupted their strategy.
Their attacker dropped down in front of them, a vessel similar in design to their own, but only about two-thirds the size. Its maneuvering vanes had been folded up against its fuselage during its dive, only spreading out now as it pulled out of the stoop, the airship artfully pulling out of its drop at just a little below their current altitude, before gracefully rising up to come level with them.
Simultaneously, the enemy vessel's forward batteries flashed, and the entire Atlesian vessel rocked violently. Sparks exploded out around the bridge, while members of the crew clung determinedly to their equipment, doing their best to not be thrown about. Damage reports flew through the air, even as the captain ordered the crew to focus fire on the new enemy, not bothering to wonder where they had come from.
I can't believe some fool would pull off a maneuver like that with a warship! he thought incredulously. Diving attacks were simple enough to pull off with small airships, like bullheads or mantas. But to pull off that kind of maneuver with something the size of a warship, even if that one was a little on the smaller side, would be an incredible feat. It would require perfect coordination amongst the crew to adjust the necessary thrust with absolute precision. Too much, and the warship's slowing descent would make it a sitting duck for a counterattack from its own target. Too little, and it was more likely to slam into the ground instead and, even if it managed to pull up, readjusting its altitude would take enough time for the enemy to blow them to pieces.
However, as unbelievable feats went, even that spectacular diving attack paled in comparison to what came next.
Griffons and Nevermores swarmed through the air around the new arrival in a swirling cloud. At first, the captain dared to hope that they were going to attack this enemy. But the Grimm only appeared to be interested in circling around the vessel, before they began to swarm outward towards the Atlesian warships, while still more circled around the enemy ship in what was unmistakably a defensive formation.
Impossible! thought the captain, his mind struggling to process the battle that was unfolding before him.
Morgan cackled gleefully, sweeping her fingers across the screen of the command console before her. Selecting the batteries she wanted to fire, a quick glance was all she needed to confirm their ammunition types, before she gave the command to fire them. The cannons roared at her command, no lag taking place. Bolts of red and blue lanced out at precisely chosen intervals. The blue bolts struck first, causing flickering distortions of energy from their force exploding against the defensive barrier of the Atlesian warship's defensive shield. However, the red bolts were a fraction of a second behind them, piercing through the weak-points created by those distortions, exploding against the enemy vessel's hull, throwing up plumes of fire and smoke, sending chunks of metal flying through the air.
"Send a few to harry those transports," she commented to the side. "It would be best to ensure that the troops Tyrian and Hazel have seeded are able to work unimpeded a little while longer."
In response to her words, a group of medium-sized griffons peeled off to chase after the transports that were delivering the Knights to try and contain the Grimm that, from the perspective of Vale's defenders, had inexplicably appeared within their defensive perimeter. A few of the larger Nevermores flew up above the enemy warships, raining their feathers down on the Atlesian vessels. Those quills shattered against the defensive fields. The Atlesian ships replied in kind, their volleys downing more than a few of the attacking Nevermores. However, with their attention diverted, none of the three vessels could bring their full power to bear against the ship Morgan commanded.
Beside Morgan hovered the drifting form of a Grimm Seer, its tentacles dangling limply. With it at her side, Morgan had a much more complete command of the attacking Grimm than anyone could ever imagine. The Seer was also, essentially, the only crew she had under her in this airship.
Such was the genius of Arthur Watts. What Ironwood's more antiquated vessels required a full bridge-crew of at least a dozen members, and various other crew scattered throughout the ship's interior, to manage, Morgan could accomplish by herself with nothing more than a few swipes and taps of her fingers on the command console in front of her. The level of advanced automation and the streamlining of the controls for this warship were leagues beyond what Ironwood's lesser scientists could ever hope to develop.
Like a conductor directing the movements of an orchestra, Morgan sent her fingers dancing across the console as she input a new set of commands, her ship shifting in position, gliding through the air to put her current target between her and one of the other warships, ensuring that her enemies' numbers were working against them as they found themselves in one another's line of fire.
At the same time, she reduced her vessel's elevation again, dropping down as low as she possibly could, to the point where her ship's ventral hull was almost scraping against the tops of the highest buildings of Vale. Naturally, the Atlesian vessels worked to adjust their altitude in kind. Common sense would dictate that greater elevation was more advantageous. The Atlesian ships should have raised their elevation to rain fire down on Morgan's own vessel from above.
But the Atlesians were the "protectors" of Vale right now. A misplaced shot would instead streak down into the buildings and streets below, where the helpless civilians were even now panicking and running in the face of the Grimm surging out from unexpected locations within the Kingdom. Morgan, on the other hand, could fire her weapons up at the enemy warships with complete unconcern...not that she would have cared if a stray shot happened to land in Vale.
On top of that, the tall buildings afforded the Grimm escorting her vessel with more cover. They wound between the skyscrapers, before rushing up at the Atlesian warships from below, the enemy vessels unwilling to take the risk of firing anything heavy into the city below them, were practically defenseless.
While this is very enjoyable, it's a bit of a pity that the Little One is being given to Adam, thought Morgan. As entertaining as this is, I still would have rather played with her again. Oh well, I need to show Milady that I have learned my lesson.
Her fingers danced across the console again as Morgan selected her next move.
Watts looked up at the screen hovering in front of him. The Kingdom was in chaos. Grimm had appeared within their defensive perimeter. The people were panicking as they were overcome with fear. With the protection Kyo offered now gone, it was only a matter of time before that fear drew in still more Grimm. The Atlesian forces were tied up by Morgan and her new warship, unable to utilize their firepower to support the soldiers desperately trying to contain the situation on the ground. Adam Taurus was dealing with the Silver-Eyed girl who'd killed Cinder, and escaped their previous attempt to capture her. Raven was no doubt moving to do her part. Everything was going according to plan...
...And yet...Watts was frowning unhappily.
While it was indeed effective, I cannot condone such a brutish approach to all this, he thought. Jester had simply given them their orders, and told them to leave the rest to him. Clearly, he had not intended to tell them his part of the plan in detail, knowing that they, and Salem, would never accept the idea of him simply pulling out the Relic in front of the entire world, and using Jinn's power for everyone to see.
Her Grace will be furious, he thought, only able to hope that her rage didn't fall on him.
After all, not only had Jester exposed Salem's existence to the entire world, in direct defiance of Salem's own orders to her subordinates, but he had exposed the existence of the Relics, and even used one of them. Two questions previously available for use by the Relic of Knowledge...and now they were both gone. Even if the revelations in answer to those questions had completely shaken the will of the people, Watts could simply not abide such a waste of a potent resource. To put it quite simply, he was disgusted.
However, that was ultimately immaterial. Above all else, he had to ensure that things went the way they were supposed to. That would be the best way to ensure that Salem's wrath over Jester's foolish misdeeds did not fall on Watts himself.
It's a pity that fat imbecile removed my virus from the CCT, thought Watts. That would have made this whole plan come together all the more effectively. Still, I suppose this is well enough. The people of the world will not be able to tear their eyes away.
Suddenly, there was a shriek of parting steel from behind him. Watts turned around, his eyes widening to see a series of glowing red lines appear along the door leading into the room, the door Watts had secured against entry, but only by electronic means. Sadly, he had no means of reinforcing the door against more brute-force measures. A second later, an explosion broke the door into pieces, sending those fragments flying in Watts' direction. A white-clad figure flashed through among them.
Bringing up his right arm, Watts triggered the ring on his index finger. A hexagonal plane of hard-light, composed of smaller hexagons, appeared between him and the incoming debris, as well as his assailant. The molten edges of the metal clanged loudly as they struck the barrier, before glancing off. His attacker struck with a downwards slash of her saber, though the blade was likewise arrested by his shield.
"Ah, Winter Schnee," said Watts, affecting an expression of amused good cheer. "How wonderful to see you here. It pleases me to know that I have the attention of Ironwood's most devoted attack dog."
"You have more than that," growled Winter, glaring furiously at him.
Four other figures rushed through the door, spreading out to surround him. Team CPPR converged on Watts from all directions, deploying their weapons to to try and overwhelm him. However, Wats merely held out his left hand, the rings on those fingers lighting up as well. Four additional shields appeared, blocking attacks from their weapons. However, while Rain's shield and Ciel's pata-sword were both stopped cold, Penny and Piper quickly maneuvered their weapons to attack around the impediments.
However, Watts displayed a level of agility that one would not expect from an academic like him, jumping away just as Pulsar and Floating Array struck where he was standing. His evasion carried him back between Ciel and Rain, while his right hand disappeared within his jacket. He withdrew it, now holding his revolver, which he brought to bear on his opponents.
"If you believe me to be an opponent who will go down easily, I am afraid that I will have to inform you that you are sorely mistaken," declared Watts, grinning as the cylinder of his weapon spun rapidly.
His attention focused on his adversaries, Watts was on guard for the next attack. Because of that, he didn't quite notice as Penny took a step back, resting her hand against one of the consoles. With him distracted, she discreetly took control of a single system within the countless ones that kept Amity Coliseum running...the system that controlled the defense shields that guarded the coliseum from outside attack...shutting it down.
A mother shrieked, wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter, hugging the girl tight against herself as she turned away from the lunging Beowolf, determined to shield the girl with her body, at the very least. However, before the lunging Grimm's fangs could reach her, its head was pierced by the crystal tip of a staff from above.
Amber drove her weapon through the Beowolf's skull, triggering the fire-Dust crystal that tipped the end she'd struck with. The flames erupted out within the Beowolf's skull, jets of fire rushing out from its eyes and mouth, before its head burned away completely. Amber landed in front of its dissolving form, planting herself between the mother and daughter, and any more attacking Grimm.
"The exit behind you is secure," she told the woman, throwing a look over her shoulder. "There are airships waiting to take you to shelter."
The woman nodded, turning and carrying her crying daughter out through the exit. Meanwhile Amber brandished her staff, using it to bat away another Beowolf, before launching a bolt of fire to blow a hole through the Ursa that followed along behind it. More Grimm were approaching, and Amber readied herself. At this point, even if it threatened to expose her, it was for the best if she didn't hold back her magic. After all, this was her duty as a maiden, to use her power to protect as many people as she possibly could.
A crackling sound filled the air, and there was a faint buzzing sensation across her skin. Looking up, Amber's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she saw energy shield that covered the top of Amity Coliseum flicker into sight, before peeling back. Now she realized that someone had opened the shield up.
She wasn't the only one who'd noticed the shield coming down. All throughout the Coliseum, students were pulling out their scrolls. A few seconds later, the sound of several successive hisses accompanied the arrival of Beacon's infamous rocket lockers, which dropped down like a meteor shower, landing near the ones who'd called them, smashing through seats and flooring, but then popping open, allowing the previously unarmed students to take up their weapons and meet the Grimm swarming through the Coliseum properly.
A barking roar from behind her drew Amber's attention, and she saw a Creep bounding up from behind. Stepping back, she positioned herself in front of the exit she'd just sent mother and daughter through, intending to hold back the Grimm to ensure they made it out. The Creep wasn't alone, more Grimm approaching her from both sides. Spinning her staff, Amber held it behind her, orange flames streaming from her eyes as she prepared to call upon her magic.
Then a figure dropped down in front of the Creep. Amber caught sight of Natsuki as she leveled the kodachi in her right hand at the approaching Grimm. "Shakuran Entei!" A jet of flame roared out, swallowing up the Creep and several of the Grimm behind it, turning them to ashes in an instant.
That side taken care of, Amber turned her attention to the Grimm approaching from the other way, sweeping her staff through a circular motion, calling up a whirlwind that swept up the debris from several destroyed seats around her, before using the wind to propel that debris through the crowd of approaching Grimm like a shotgun blast, ripping them apart.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, backing up so that she and Natsuki were now back-to-back in front of the exit.
"Sasame-sama told me to meet up with you," said Natsuki.
"Why?" asked Amber.
"She said we need to stay together," said Natsuki.
Amber would have asked why, but she got her answer before Natsuki could say a word. A shadow flashed over them. Amber caught a glimpse of black feathers, but then a woman dressed in red and black dropped down in front of them. She found herself meeting the Crimson-Eyed gaze of Raven Branwen, the older woman smirking as she rested her right hand on the handle of her sword. "Well well, I never expected Ozpin and his idiot allies to make things so easy for me," she said.
Kyo barely managed to remain standing as the scenery around him shifted drastically. The next thing he knew, he was standing in an empty field. Looking around, he could see no signs of Vale.
"If you're looking for the Kingdom, it's about a hundred kilometers that way," said Jester, grinning as he jerked his thumb in a westerly direction. "Had to make sure that you were far enough away that you couldn't throw things anymore out of whack than they already were."
"I'm going to have to run quite fast, if I want to make it back in time to do any good," noted Kyo.
Jester cackled. "We both know you ain't going back at all. You're the one who broke the rules. Time to pay the piper, Kyo."
"I'm aware of my responsibilities," said Kyo, brandishing Tenro. "Are you going to fight me in that absurd outfit...'Jester'?"
That question gave the man pause. Folding his arms across his chest, he tilted his head back and forth, humming thoughtfully. "You know...you might have a point there. It's been a while since I last fought a Kyo. You're definitely the first in a few generations to have the spine to flaunt my rules like that."
"I'll do more than that," Kyo promised.
"Sure you will," said Jester with an indifferent yawn. "Still, it's a special occasion I guess. If I'm going to be fighting a Kyo, I should at least look the proper part."
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke exploded up from Jester's feet. It lingered in the air for a moment, obscuring the man from sight. However, when the smoke cleared, he looked completely different.
Gone were the mask and Jester's outfit. Without his hood, Jester's hair was revealed to be a dark, brownish red, the color of blood-soaked earth. It was messy and spiky, with a portion tied up in a spiky bundle behind his head. The pale skin of his face highlighted a pair of extremely narrow, gray eyes, which practically gleamed with evil intent. In place of his previous motley outfit, he now wore a short, white kimono; over which he wore a tan-colored, sleeveless vest. His legs were covered by a pair of loose, white hakama, which resembled standard pants, more than anything else; the legs of which were decorated with flowers, of all things. They ended partway down his shins, leaving a portion of his legs bare. On his feet, he wore plain, straw sandals, not even bothering with socks. Finally, to cover up his eyes, he produced a pair of sunglasses with circular lenses, which were held up by string loops around his ears.
"Much better," said Jester, stretching, before resting his hands on his hips, his legs spreading apart in a bow-legged posture. "It's been a while since I've put on my old outfit."
Kyo's eyes narrowed. "So you finally show your true face, Jester-No!-second of the original Crimson Cross Knights...Mibu Kyojiro."
"Damn! It's been even longer since I've heard that name," Jester, or Kyojiro, crowed. "And would ya look at that, tossing my old name around." He cackled. "Aren't you a Crimson Cross Knight too?"
"We both know that term has a different meaning in this era," said Kyo.
To the modern Mibu, the title of Crimson Cross Knight, which Kyo bore, was merely a title that designated Kyo as the heir to his father, the Crimson King. In fact, it was somewhat unusual that Kyo's official title did not grant him any special authority.
However, in the ancient times, during the era of the First Kyo, the progenitor of the Royal Line, the title held a different meaning. In that era, the Crimson Cross Knights were agents of the Crimson King, his own special fighting puppets, created from his own flesh and blood, possessing power far beyond that of the regular Mibu (the descendants of the original fighting puppets). They had been the Crimson King's secret corps of assassins, dealing with those who threatened the power of the Mibu, whether within the clan or without it, their existence one of the greatest secrets of the clan, known only to the Crimson King, and merely suspected by a minuscule number of others. Sallying forth to bury the enemies of the Mibu, it had been said that their victims numbered in the thousands. The only thing that Kyo could claim to have in common with those ancient assassins was that he shared the same privilege that they did, being amongst the few allowed to leave the lands of the Mibu at will, without requiring orders or special permission.
It had been said that the original Crimson Cross Knights were four in number, indicated by their names. In fact, the first, Mibu Kyoichiro, became the name taken up by those in the Royal Line who ascended the throne of the Crimson King, while his son became the next Kyo. Kyojiro's name designated him as the second-oldest of the knights...and the only one still living.
This was a man who'd returned again and again, even after being felled in battle by the likes of the First Kyo. He'd endured the god-slaying techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu time after time, and yet had never been permanently killed. No matter how he was disposed of, he always seemed to return, again and again...a malevolent spirit that had plagued and haunted the Mibu through the ages.
"This time, I will kill you once and for all," said Kyo.
"Yeah...not happening," said Kyojiro, grinning playfully. "Let's face it, Kyo-The-Umpteenth, you ain't got anything that your ancestors didn't have. It's simply going to end the same for you that it has for them, abject failure. Sure, you can claim that you're fighting for your girlfriend or your little sister, that you have reasons you can't lose. But the ones before you had reasons too...and even if they didn't lose, they could never win either.
"Of course, the reason they didn't lose is that I didn't have much reason to go through the trouble of winning. But this time...things are a little different."
Kyojiro held out his right hand. Another, smaller, puff of smoke exploded out from his palm, and his fingers curled around the handle of a standard katana. it's only notable feature was a rectangular tsuba, which was decorated with star-shaped cutouts on one side. Kyojiro brandished it with a casual gesture, not even bothering to adopt a proper stance.
"We've still got a little while until the main event, Kyo. You're gonna do your best to keep me entertained until then."
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