Chapter Text
Solo Arc
Chapter 25: The War of Loss
– Tower: Floor 100 –
The guild and soldiers remained back to fight off Ozmas army while their elite members were forced away from the main fight.
Ozma was chasing after a mid air Ozpin with Jaune following behind him.
Velvet had been tackled by the maiden of Spring who was made of Water, with Neo chasing after her to provide support.
Yang had been tackled by the maiden of Summer who was made of fire.
Pyrrha was tackled by the maiden of fall who was made of wind.
And Weiss was blasted by a frigid wind by the maiden of Winter who was made of snow.
It would be a battle to remember.
- Velvet and Neo Versus Spring -
Velvet and Neo land on the ground with safety rolls, both girls landing to their feet immediately as they faced this watery maiden. She giggled with a slight gurgle to it making them raise an eyebrow as she said, “So mother decided it wasn’t enough to try and kill us hmm? She decided to replace us as well! Too bad she only killed our bodies! Our souls were brought back by daddy to fight against mothers madness! And we will win!”
Velvet goes to correct the maidens way of thinking, only to be suddenly tackled to the side by Neo as many water spikes erupt from the ground beneath where she was standing.
Spring pouts as she yells out, “BOO! You shouldn’t dodge! It makes it hurt worse when you dodge and get stabbed in non vital areas!”
Velvet is wide eyed at the attempt to wipe her and Neo out in one attack by the mentally unstable maiden. Neo however smirks and disappears with a shattering of glass.
Velvet shakes herself back into focus and smirks as well and goes full distraction mode by bringing her weapon to bear. Spring raises a water eyebrow before her two glowing blue eye sockets widen to dinner plates as the box Velvet brought up explodes outwards to a gattling gun! Courtesy of her friend Coco.
Velvet yells out, “Eat these if you want it to hurt!” As she presses the fire button she casts a support spell onto her bullets she fires out. The spring maiden huffs in annoyance as she summons a thick 1 ft thick water shield, thinking it would be enough to dampen the bullets speed and momentum.
Oh how wrong she was!
The bullets came flying out with a yellow glow to them and they were… crackling?!
Spring immediately eeped and ducked as the lightning charged bullets shot right through her shield and shredded her barrier. She turns to water and flows away as her shield was obliterated by the crazed gun bunny.
As she reformed behind Velvet she readied a pair of water swords formed from her arms, but she as she goes to slash at the bunny’s back. Velvet whips her head and gun around right at Spring.
Spring gives her a wide eyed and shocked smile out of fear as the barrel of the gun is still crackling with lightning. She gives a little, “Eheh?”
Velvet smirks and chants a quick spell and changes the barrel from crackling, to being freezing cold. Spring eeps again as the bullets fly out and shoot through her with a patch of ice growing on her body where they hit.
She releases those parts of her body and flows around velvet to her back once again.
As she grins and readies her blades to strike, Velvet goes, “Now!”
Spring pauses in her attack of her now 4 water blades, but Neo doesn’t.
Spring suddenly feels an ice cold piece of metal being shoved through her chest and she looks down to see an estoc from a parasol stabbed through her chest. And ice was quickly spreading from the stab point to the rest of her torso.
She screams in fear and releases the patch of ice.
She goes to stand in front of Velvet and Neo as the two girls regroup and stare down the now regular sized water maiden. She was originally around 7ft tall with a lot of water gathered at her feet. But between the electrified water shield being obliterated, and many pieces of her main body being turned to ice, she was now significantly smaller.
About 5ft tall now with only a basic sized puddle around each of her feet to be exact.
Spring grumbles about how it would take her forever to gather more water, but Velvet smiles and winks to Neo, the thief winks back and goes invisible once again.
Spring gulps and tries to summon more water form underground, but is shocked out of it as Velvet went with lightning to interrupt her efforts and to give her a nasty shock.
As Spring goes through the dissipation of the after shocks she feels her chest is feeling very cold and looks down in horror as her chest is half encased in a solid block of ice. She sees Neo’s blade sticking out from it as the invisible thief reappears behind her with her smirk, but a little more somber than before as Velvet has a similar look.
Spring looks between them in confusion as Velvet says, “Sorry, we know how your mother killed you, we wish we could have stopped it, but we will stop her, don’t worry, you will be freed, and avenged.”
Spring looks to Neo next with a sad smile and nod in confirmation of Velvets words. She sighs in release as her form is now an ice sculpture that cracks and breaks apart into pieces as she finally dies and is released from this worlds simulation.
Her final piece of blue comes out as a glowing orb of magic.
Both girls look at it in confusion as ti flies up a bit and goes right into Velvet’s chest enveloping her in a blue glow and Velvet feeling stronger than ever before between her new expanded Mana pool and a better control for her support spells.
Neo pouts and stamps her foot at Velvet getting the power boost despite her efforts before the exp hits her and she goes up a solid 12 levels. Neo then grins as she and Velvet look to each other. They feel the explosion of power from their friends as they too finally finish off the other maidens and they rush to the main battle field to help where they need to.
- Yang Versus Summer -
(As a fan and author of this series… this versus title gives me mixed feelings)
Yang and Summer have been fighting for a solid minute by this point with Yangs fire aura protecting her as best it can while the maiden of flames and heat was getting annoyed.
They land away from each other after their most recent exchange of fisticuffs and Yang voices out, “Man! Usually I am the one turning up the heat! But you have me beat in that category! I hope I can take you down to help my friends!”
Summers flaming yellow eyes narrow on her elemental body as she points at Yang with a voice that is full of annoyance and betrayal, “I knew it! Mother gave you some elemental powers to take me down right?!”
Yang looks at her with a face full of confusion as she listens in to the maiden.
Summer flings her arm out and sends some fireballs at Yang, the buxom brawler manages to weave and leap between each fireball and lands only a few yards away from the woman of flame.
Summer roars out, “I knew it! No normal human in our land could do that! Those moves! Those skills! I was trained by father and mother to be a master of fire! And what do I see here?! After mother killed my sisters and I she went on to find a new daughter who could be better trained and able to master flames! I will kill that bitch! She will pay and burn for what she did to my sisters and I!!!”
She engulfs herself in a flaming aura and shoots at Yang like a meteor from a cannon. Yang drops her arms and waits. Summer slows down in confusion before her flames are thrown away from her by Yang hugging her close.
Summer tries to wrestle from the boxers grip but Yang manages to hold her and withstand the heat coming off the young woman.
Yang sniffles a bit making Summer stop her struggles and look at the now sad faced Yang who has a tear in the corner of her eyes. She goes, “Look… I get it. My own mother left my father and I only a few months after I was born. I only heard a bit from dad but the gist of it was… She was afraid of losing us. So she decided when and how she would lose us and separated herself from dad and I on her own. And when the years passed and she tried to come back, she saw me happy with my little sister and new mother. She left, thinking that we had decided on a new family. But we would have welcomed her is she apologized! But you know what?! I actually got to see her thanks to Jaune! He had a mage he could summon look at her from afar! And guess what I found! Her raiding and killing families as a bandit queen and praising a new girl like her own daughter! I was now happy to have had the mom I did when I was growing up! Cause at least she didn’t go around killing innocents! So don’t even think you are the only one who has it bad! I want to protect my sister too! And my dead mother would probably revive and beat my to hell if I failed that! So please! I get what you are thinking! But I am not working fro your mother!”
Summer quivers as Yang’s words sink in and she grips her head as she goes back and forth between her true soul and her programmed soul in this world. She flickers between a red haired young girl and her fire form, Yang readies her fists as the young girl solidifies for a minute and with tears in her eyes, “Please! I believe you! Free me from this prison! And avenge my sisters and I against our mother Salem!”
She flickers back to the fire form and roars out in anguish and primal fury. Yang lets out a few tears at the trapped soul of the young woman who she would have been a good friend too as she sniffles and readies her new battle ability.
With resolute eyes pure white flames coat her fists as she says quietly, “Very well… We will avenge you and free you from this torment! Now prepare yourself!”
She shoots forward like a rocket as Summer unleashes a torrent of flames and bright red volcanic flames and lava at Yang. Yang dives into the middle and punches forward. Right as she is consumed by the lava and flames.
Summer giggles out evilly thanks to her programming from this world before she shakes a bit as she feels her flames being melted!?
She looks to where Yang disappeared and with horror in her eyes sees her flames melting around Yang who is now coated in a pure white flaming aura with her hair taking on the same hue and glowing gold, her eyes are flaming with her red eyes now glowing, she yells out, “Golden Rush!!”
She shoots out with punches and kicks in a whirlwind attack all around herself punching and kicking the flames away from herself. She roars out with a distorted voice from her magic going full bore as Summer tries to bury her with more lava. But that is blasted away.
Summer raises her arms to summon a meteor and readies it to wipe out half the battle field only for a pain to erupt from her chest. She looks down shocked as she sees a crying Yang staring sadly up at her before twisting her fist in the chest to release all her flames into the Maiden. Summer begins to break apart, but her original soul flickers in and cries while saying “Thank you miss...” before she fades into a red glowing orb.
Yang lands on the ground safely after being midair for a solid minute from the dissipating magic all around her. Soon enough she sees the glowing red orb go into her own chest and she sighs out in relief as her mana recovers and she feels an even better control over her aura and mana giving her more spell control and new ideas for what she can do with her golden rush form she managed to invent after so much time in the training gate. She grins sadly at the gift and clenches her fists, “I will do my best Summer. For all of your sisters. My friends and I will be there to avenge you all!”
Yang turns her head to the battle field still raging in the distance and rushes off to help her friends and allies with the battle that remains.
- Pyrrha Versus Autumn -
Pyrrha dodges another concentrated explosion of wind as a miniature tornado tears up where she was standing just a moment ago. She turns to face the Maiden of Autumn but has to deflect and counter slash through a flurry of at least 50 wind slashes. Right after that she barely manages to summon an earth shield using her geomancer magic as a bolt of lightning crashes down on her from above thanks to the Autumn Maidens control over storms.
Pyrrha blows hair out of her face as she sends the rocks up at the maiden. Autumn rolls her eyes at the simple attack and blows it apart with a thunder bolt. As she blows the rocks to pieces she readies another wind based attack towards Pyrrha who should be on the ground. Only to gasp as the rocks break apart to see Pyrrha was riding on a rock platform behind them!
She goes to turn her wind attack into a wind barrier, and barely dodges a thrown spear that Pyrrha sends up at her from her rock platform. Autumn grunts and manages to send her wind attack at Pyrrha.
Only for the gladiator to use her magnetism on her own armor and shield and jump off of the rock she was using before it was turned to dust. Pyrrha shoots past Autumn who looks back at her before going wide eyed as Pyrrha grabs onto her spear and coats it with a strong polarity aura while mecha shifting it into its sword form.
Autumn summons a Jousting lance made of wind and readied it to take the incoming attack when Pyrrha shot her sword past the Maiden. Autumn raises an eyebrow in confusion before hearing a fwiping sound from behind. She turns to see the sword spinning like a buzz saw coming back at her!
She swings her lance and smashes the sword away right as she feels something cut her wind body in half!
She looks down as a shield slices through her form breaking her hold on her summoned wind weapon. It dissipates as Autumn focuses on healing her form thanks to the aura of Pyrrha dealing so much damage to her. She reforms and sighs out in relief only to be stabbed from behind by a rearmed Pyrrha who summoned her weapon back to her and has it sticking out of Autumns stomach.
The Maiden growls out as they fall to the ground, “Oh! Come on! I just finished healing that!”
Before they both crash to the ground and roll away from each other. Pyrrha, a little tired from the massive combo she pulled off, pants and huffs a bit while Autumn is panting hard from using so much magic back to back and even so much energy to pull herself back together. She roars out, “You may have been trained by my evil ex-mother to be the ultimate champion to her dark forces! But I am with dad! A hero! He will see us through and I will do everything I can to defeat you and prove to them both that I am the ultimate warrior! That I am the one who can save everyone! Who can end the darkness! Who can-!”
Suddenly a loud clap is heard from Pyrrha as she used her hands amplified by aura to get Autumns attention. The Fall Maiden startles into staring at her while Pyrrha has a sad smile on her face.
Pyrrha let’s her aura fade a bit to show she isn’t going to pull a fast one on Autumn, the fall maiden stops her aura from raging and listens in curious interest at why this capable fighter would stop their duel when she had the upper hand. Pyrrha begins, “I know a bit of what you are going through. I have had so much pressure throughout my life. I was built up on a pedestal. To be the best. To be a champion for everyone. But the sad part of being a champion for everyone? You can’t be the champion of yourself. I trained day in and out, to be powerful, skilled, fierce, unstoppable. But the problem with having all of that power, and showing it off every day of your life. It alienates yourself from others. I was so alone, just like you were until you met your dad and sisters again.”
Autumn growls at the mention of how she did feel alone until she found her dad and sisters in this world once again, but calms down as Pyrrha draws in a shaky breath, showing this is something hard for the red head to talk about.
Pyrrha explains her feelings about her time in the arena, how it felt so lonely except for her mother, and even the passing of her father from the dopple Grimm. It all felt so much like her own cage. But once she came to Beacon, “I was free! I was able to meet my friends! And together we became each others strengths! We wanted to win and grow together! Until one day we thought we lost the man I love. The one who leads us… The one named Jaune who is covered in that white Aura.”
Autumn looks over to Pyrrha pointing finger and sees an older version of her father fighting the current version of her father and a young man helping said older version. She chuckles at that and looks to Pyrrha before nodding and saying, “Yeah, he is handsome. I can see why you love him.”
Pyrrha turns the same red as her hair as Autumn ponders something, “Then… why are you helping my mother?”
Pyrrha shakes her head slowly and says, “Because we are against her too. We are training to fight her, but you all think we are with her. If we team up… maybe we can face her together?”
Autumn goes to say yes but her form flickers as a glitching screen seems to cover her entire form she screams out as her form goes between a little girl and her storm made form, the little girl lets out a few tears and says, “I can’t go help you! But I can hold my false self back! End it! Take my remnants of power and take care of my mother! Help father! Please!”
Autumn begins to move and summon and entire storm above her as Pyrrha draws her weapons with a sad expression on her face and readies the blade with aura. She sees the crying girls face covering half of her storm form as the storm builds up and lightning crashes around them.
Pyrrha shoots forward to end the girls suffering as tears stream down her cheeks at the sadness of Salems and Ozpins daughters, before her blade plunges right through the middle of the storm form. It begins to fade and break apart into small gusts of winds as the form dies from the final strike from Pyrrha. The form fades away into a green orb of magic power and it shoots into Pyrrhas chest.
Her whole form glows with the energy and Pyrrha learns a new side to her control of her magic that she didn’t feel before as she learns how to move faster and understand the intricacies of wind magic to combine it with her geomancer abilities. As she feels out the new power she hers a young girls voice whisper in her ear, “Thank you miss. I hope you defeat my evil mother.”
Pyrrha tears up slightly but nods to herself at that point as she feels the girls remnants settle into her own soul and turns to rejoin her friends on the rest of the battlefield.
- Weiss versus Winter -
(… Why do I do this to myself for versus titles?!)
Weiss and Winter were fighting hard, and their battlefield section had become a frozen tundra that was showing signs of breaking bit by bit as they were sedning glacier after glacier at each other.
Weiss had summoned some ice knights to traverse the battlefield, while Winter had summoned up snow monsters to fight against the ice knights. It was a pitched battle as the ice summoners were at a stalemate and their summoned soldiers were not getting an upper hand on each other.
Weiss grits her teeth as she notices how they had been at this for a solid 10 minutes and no big changes had happened. She had a few gashes and her mana was half empty, while Winter had a few mana gashes on her form and was also at around half mana left. If this kept up they would soon find out what happens to mages who lose all their mana.
Weiss didn’t like how long it took her to recover from going unconscious. She soon realized that she would be unable to finish this fight with her strongest element.
She glances at Jaune as she remembers his words during a training day back in Beacon when she was feeling weak compared to the rest of their members, ‘You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself Weiss! You may not be the toughest of us. But you know what you are? You are the most graceful and versatile of us! You can literally dance circles around most of our heavy hitters! So never doubt your power! You are graceful, beautiful, and powerful in a way that none of us can match. Never forget that and you can’t lose to anyone!’
She smiles as she sees Winter summoning up more golems. She smiles to herself as she ques a song on her scroll to play. She goes into a ballerina pose to ready herself as she plays the song and removes her knights. The golems and Winter all gape in shock at the fact that the enemy mage is now without guards as she begins to literally skate towards Winter across the frozen landscape they made during their battle.
Winter readies another spell as she orders her golems to attack and defeat the incoming swords woman. Weiss smiles as the song perfectly times with the golems attacks as she dances and weaves between their strikes as gracefully as a swan on the water. Winter grits her teeth as her golems are missing and striking each other while the snowflake themed girl gets closer.
Winter finishes her new ice attack and prepares to launch it at Weiss, only to see the girl in the air doing a large ballerina leap that lands her right in front of Winter. The maiden gasps in shock and rears back to gain distance but Weiss is faster.
With a smirk she shoots her sword forward while it is coated in flames that strike right into the chest of Winter who is now losing her control on the spell she had charged.
Winter yells in pain and decides on a suicide attack to try and finish her opponent off since her body of ice and frost will survive the blow. She unleashes a glacier on top of them both that has Weiss looking up in shock. Winter smirks while still trapped on the burning blade, but stumbles as Weiss looks back to her with a confident smirk and a small bow before she teleports with a mid range spell. Winter senses out for her but gasps as she finds the girl now on top of the glacier and changing her spells formula.
Winter goes wide eyed as the glacier becomes a mass of earth. She screams in terror as a literal mountain of rock now crashes down onto her.
Weiss teleports off the attack and watches the remains of winters army fall from the resulting gale of displaced air. Soon the rocks finish falling in a giant pile of stones and boulders now resting in a heap. She senses out for the maiden of winter and soon finds her magic. It is faint but there.
She glides over with a movement spell aiding her to where the Maiden is fishing herself out of the pile of rocks, covering in cracks, panting hard, and her form flickering as she is forcing her aura and magic reserves to finish healing her body. But is is difficult as Weiss can sense she is down to her last 10% of each reserve.
Winter lays down on her back wounded and panting hard as she stares up at Weiss. She pants out, “Well? *huff, ugh* Finish me! Mother trained you for this! Didn’t she? To stop father in his tracks and keep us from freeing this world from her grasp!? You’re obviously her new favorite daughter! So end me and take your place!”
Weiss tears up at this as she hears her brothers words coming from Winter about how he feels similar. Being placed against each other on their fathers chess board of business was never fun. And having to fight your own sibling is never a good thing no matter who you are. She sighs out sadly as she sheathes her sword. Winter arcs and eyebrow at Weiss who looks at her and says, “I know all too well the battle for a parents attention. My sister backed out of that race. And my younger brother hates us both for being older and stronger than him. But you know what I say to that kind of competition between siblings?!”
Winter manages to lean up slightly to show she was interested in this usurper of her position as her mothers winter mage.
Weiss yells out, “f*ck those manipulative parents!!”
Winter is wide eyed and now silent in shock at how blunt this refined looking lady is being with her.
Weiss then says, “We want to be their favorite? What about our siblings? We are so focused on how we appear to our parents that we forget them in that kind of situation! So stop thinking about showing your mother up by defeating me and instead think about your father who loves you and your sisters who are fighting with you to defeat such an evil mother! Otherwise you play right into her hands and prove her right that she can control you!”
Weiss looks to her sword and to the SDC logo on the hilts bottom before returning her gaze to winter while peeling the logo off, “Just like with my father.”
Winter processes this tirade and then grins while struggling to her feet, she looks to Weiss before throwing her arms open in a hug like motion but stays there. With a confused stare Weiss watches as the form of the winter Maiden flickers and a young girl takes her place for a few moments going, “I won’t play into her games then! I am stuck in this world, but you can free me! Deal the finishing blow! My ice form is subject to the rules of defeating you in this world, but my true soul can hold it back for a bit! Free us and defeat our mother Salem! Free us from this non stop cycle… please.”
Weiss nods and brings her sword to bear with the tip and blade now colored in a rainbow light as she summons every elemental spell she has fro a quick end to such a brave girl.
She hears a final whisper, “You can be free too. Just be yourself. Like I was in the end.”
Weiss lets out a tear to that validation and spears her way through Winters ice form as she returns to her battle form. She looks back as she is now on the other side of the cracking form of Winter as her ice form has a gaping hole in its center now and it breaks apart. Leaving behind an ice white orb that flies into Weiss and gives her a boost to her spell control and a boost to her mana reserves.
With a nod to herself she looks to the battlefield and sees her fellow girlfriends all having defeated a maiden. Then they all look to the center of the field to see Jaune and Ozpin fighting Ozma himself in an epic display of power and control.
- Jaune and Ozpin Versus Ozma -
Jaune pants a bit as his fatigue was up to 20% from just trying to keep up with a younger, more powerful version of Ozpin. Ozma had his full might as the original Monarch of Magic. While Ozpin had regained enough strength to be considered SS or even SS+, a full powered Monarch was still at or above a SSS strength minimum.
Jaune was feeling the pressure as he and Ozpin tackled this echo of the past with all their might.
Ozma was not a push over, he has earned his title from his time as a hero and a master of magic as the arch mage. But what he has in talent and skill, he lacks in team work. Jaune and Ozpin have been able to push him back and hold him off with their teamwork and coordination from their combined efforts of hunting countless A ranked dungeons together.
Meanwhile Ozma has no one watching his back so he is pulling double duty compared to Jaune and Ozpin.
However, Jaune grows a tick mark as he yells out while charging with his shield and sword out, “How much f*cking mana did you have in your prime Ozpin?!?!”
He slashes through a meteor storm and blocks a huge spire of diamond from piercing him while Ozpin is busy dealing with a lightning storm and a lava eruption on his end.
Ozma is keeping a cold calculated persona in front of his foes as both of them deal with his quad casting skills for keeping two spells on each of them at once.
It is impressive how the older one is nearly on par with his skill as the mage is able to cast triple spells. But it still pales in comparison to his quadruple spell skill. He chuckles lightly to himself as he makes the next set of four spells to further wear down and eliminate these two champions of his Ex-wife.
Ozpin finishes fighting off the lava and the storm using his own counter spells to each one, a tornado for the storm, and an earthquake for the lava with a thrid spell to protect his body from the resulting energy clash.
While Jaune finally pushes through the meteors and the diamond spire attacks.
Both warriors rush at Ozma as he finishes his charge for another quartet of spells when he feels something disturb his sensory magic.
He turns to the battlefield in shock at seeing all of his daughters defeated and his army is losing ground quickly as the females who were distracted have rejoined the army of this young man and this old mage. This had turned the tables against his men as they were being quickly routed from the new magical might of these females.
He grits his teeth and with a seething anger towards Salem, he turns his magically charged eyes to Ozpin and Jaune, the clear leaders of his wife’s current army and agents.
Jaune sweat drops as he sees a great tower of magical symbols and energy appear above Ozma as he yells out, “I see now! My wife wasn’t content with defeating me and killing our daughters the first time! She had to raise up and train agents who could kill our daughters a second time and take their powers for themselves so she can remain in control!”
Jaune looks in confusion and fear at the spell array and the mad father mage in the vortex of spell formulas, before he looks to his friends and sees what Ozma is ranting about as he senses the magic from the 4 maiden elements coming off his girlfriends. He turns to Ozpin who is now covered in his own magic formula array as he yells to Jaune, “Mr. Arc! I am currently weaker than my past self, but if you can manage it! Try to strike him while I finish my own version of this spell! It is a super tiered spell that is past SSS ranked spells from my hay day. I will do my best to complete it but you must distract Ozma! If he finishes it first… We will all be wiped out from its power!”
Jaune goes gaunt faced at that news as he charges up his support abilities and summons Igris and Iron to his side to help and charges towards the mad arch mage lost in this worlds story for his reason to fight.
Jaune charges in and Ozma sees the trio of warriors coming in. With a rage filled yell he uses some of his remaining attention slots in his casting abilities to charge 3 spells to fire at them. A large mass of magic missiles appear, then 100 magic swords, and finally a large scale eruption spell that would take out his light soldiers and himself with little issue.
As soon as all three spells fire off Jaune has Iron step in first. The Magic missiles all come at them as Iron activates his shield barrier ability where his shield gains a wide ridge made of aura that adds a wall of aura as wide as 15ft around the whole shield. Soon enough the missiles begin to impact the wall of aura and begin to crack it around half way through the volley of missiles.
At the end of it Irons aura wall is cracked and missing chunks, but they survived. The 100 swords come next as Iron is recharging his aura wall, and Igris shoots past his tank friend and raises his blade while his commanders boosting aura is flowing through him. He begins to swing his sword around cutting through each and every sword that comes his way. He clangs and crashes through each and every sword that heads for them and at the end of it Igris is ready for the eruption as it raises up from the ground below them, he makes an X shaped cut on the ground as iron tosses his shield to cover the cut as Jaune comes and leaps onto the shield. The eruption happens and shoots Jaune up using the shield while both light soldiers are wiped out.
Ozma grins as he sees the enemies disappear in his eruption spell. But his grin turns to worry as he sees no bodies left and instead feels a shadow cover his upper head. He looks up and sees a determined Jaune flying through the air after kicking off the midair shield from Iron. He shoots down and takes the strike. But Ozma simply grins as all of his spell formulas floating around him glow and synergize as he yells out, “Super tier spell! Fallen Down!”
The sky goes white as a hole opens up in the cloud cover as the entire Guild and all of Jaunes soldiers all stare in shock at the near god like event happening.
Ozpin curses out loud as he sees his past self has completed his spell first. Jaune stares in horror as he realizes he may not be able to save his friends from this. Then he remembers two drops he forgot to equip from the past two bosses. He equips them and feels the rush of energy.
Level 270
Exp: 73%
HP: 440,000/440,000
AP: 135,000/ 135,000
Fatigue: 25/100%
Class: Champion of Light
Stats:
STR: 365 (+115) (+40 ally boost)
AGI: 365 (+90) (+40 ally boost)
VIT:365 (+105) (+40 ally boost)
INT: 425 (+50) (+40 ally boost)
SENSE: 365 (+75) (+40 ally boost)
Points available: 250 points
Current shop points: 1,632,000 points
Physical dmg resistance: +73%
Skills:
-The Next Monarch-: Break through the limits of normal humans and gain the potential to reach the ranks of a Monarchs strength, +10 to all stats
Inheritor: Access to system, over level 20 access to shop
Knight Master: +1 to all stats per ally under users command
Standing army III: Gain ability to summon an army of knights under the users command, points available 71/425, basic unit lvl 84: 18 (6 sword, 6 bow, 6 healer) (3 pts per), commander units lvl 75: 3 (1 Great knight, 1 Sniper, 1 Paladin) (20 pts per), heroic unit lvl 80: 3 (Iron, Baruka, Igris) (80 pts per)
Commander Units:
Great Knight (Passive: +5% to all ally melee units dmg, stacks with other commander abilities)
Sniper (Passive: +5% to all ally ranged units dmg, stacks with other commander abilities)
Paladin (Passive: +5% to all ally healer units support spells, stacks with other commander units)
Heroic Unit Baruka Title Holder: Baruka Master of the North, +15% to the stats of all archer units
Heroic Unit Iron title holder: Iron the Shield of the Light, +15% to the stats of all knight units
Heroic Unit Igris Title holder: The Crimson Sword of the Monarch, +15% to the stats of all knight units
Arc Bloodline: +400 to AP per level
Expert sword arts lvl 10: 20 times dmg with swords
Unarmed Combat Expert lvl 10: times 20 dmg with unarmed blows
True Warriors Aura Mastered: +100 to Str, Agi, and Vit for however long this aura is active, heals 2000 HP per minute, cost: 1000 for activation, additional 100 per minute used.
Knights Rallying call Mastered: +50 to all stats of every person you recognize as an ally within 300ft of user, Lower the physical abilities of foes by 50 points within the area of effect. Costs 1000 AP, lasts 10 minutes.
White Knight Body Armor Rank S:
+20 str
+20 vit
+13% physical dmg reduction
White Knight Gauntlets Rank S:
+15 str
+10 sense
+10% physical dmg reduction
White Knight Sabatons Rank S:
+15 vit
+10 agi
+10% physical dmg reduction
White Knight Basic Helm Rank S:
+15 sense
+15 agi
+10% physical dmg reduction
Monarch accessory set: +10 to all stats with 2 pieces, +20 to all stats with all three
Monarch Ring:
+20 str
+20 Agi
Monarch Necklace:
+20 int
+20 sense
Monarch earring:
+20 vit
+10% physical dmg reduction
Rank SS Crocea Mors (Seal level 3)
Bonuses: +640 to dmg
+30 str when equipped
+20 vit when equipped
+15 agi when equipped
+20% reduction to physical dmg when equipped
Halves the cost of Aura usage techniques through the sword due to streamlining the process and becoming more accustomed to the users aura and needs.
Jaune looks resolute as he glances at all his frineds looking scared and horrified by the spell rushing at them all as they prepare to try and endure it as best they can.
Jaune looks up with a heavy heart and prepares his body for the absolute toughest challenge he has ever done.
He spends his stats and upgrades his army to be the absolute best he can summon.
Stats:
STR: 415 (+115) (+70 ally boost)
AGI: 415 (+90) (+70 ally boost)
VIT: 415 (+105) (+70 ally boost)
INT: 475 (+50) (+70 ally boost)
SENSE: 415 (+75) (+70 ally boost)
Points available: 0 points
Current shop points: 1,632,000 points
Physical dmg resistance: +73%
Skills:
-The Next Monarch-: Break through the limits of normal humans and gain the potential to reach the ranks of a Monarchs strength, +10 to all stats
Inheritor: Access to system, over level 20 access to shop
Knight Master: +1 to all stats per ally under users command
Standing army III: Gain ability to summon an army of knights under the users command, points available 0/475, basic unit lvl 89: 45 (20 sword, 15 bow, 10 healer) (3 pts per), commander units lvl 93: 6 (2 Great knight, 2 Sniper, 2 Paladin) (20 pts per), heroic unit lvl 98: 3 (Iron, Baruka, Igris) (80 pts per)
Commander Units:
Great Knight (Passive: +5% to all ally melee units dmg, stacks with other commander abilities)
Sniper (Passive: +5% to all ally ranged units dmg, stacks with other commander abilities)
Paladin (Passive: +5% to all ally healer units support spells, stacks with other commander units)
Heroic Unit Baruka Title Holder: Baruka Master of the North, +15% to the stats of all archer units
Heroic Unit Iron title holder: Iron the Shield of the Light, +15% to the stats of all knight units
Heroic Unit Igris Title holder: The Crimson Sword of the Monarch, +15% to the stats of all knight units
Now empowered by his stat boosting and his soldiers numbers grown. He desummons them from the ground and summons them all midair to be beside him as they all raise their shields and weapons and point them at the incoming spell. The spell hits their defenses as they all charge themselves with buffs from the healers and using their aura to create energy shields. And for a moment they hold.
The spell is held at bay making Jaunes friends all cheer for him and his army. Ozpin grins as he gets closer to finishing his spell. It was taking him much longer than his younger self as his power was lesser and he was not as young and complete as his past self in Monarch energy or in age. But he was close. If Jaune could last another minute he could complete the spell.
Then after 20 seconds of holding the spell. The first crack is heard and seen in the barrier Jaune and his soldiers are holding. Weiss, Simin, Ragora, Velvet and their guild mates all use their magic to reinforce it and boos the soldiers and Jaune further. But it was like trying to repair an ice flow. It could be held together, but the cracks remained.
And the spells energy and force took advantage of that. It hit and hit and kept hitting until more cracks were seen. Jaunes forces began to melt and fade from the force of the spell and its power. After another 20 seconds Jaune and his elite units were left. Then 5 seconds more only Heroic units stayed by him. Another 5 seconds… and Jaune was holding back the last of the spells energy on his own.
His friends were both proud of his growth but also horrified at his efforts. He was beginning to turn red and black from the heat and power of the spell. Jaune could be heard yelling bloody murder from the pain and effort he was doing. Even the support spells and efforts of his friends were only prolonging the inevitable by a few more seconds before the spell engulfs him as his scream reached a fever pitch.
And then it was cut off.
His friends all flashback to that day in the temple when they heard the same scream and pitch from Jaune. And they all go pale as the scene replayed itself in their heads. They all lose strength as the spell continues its descent towards them. Ozpin grimaces as he thinks he has failed not only the monarch of Light again, but also another Arc and another Student. Ozma cackles in a mad manner as he laughs at his wife's army losing their hope and members so quickly. He goes to taunt them and tell them they could never stand up to the light but goes silent as he hears a loud *SHING* come from the spell.
Everyone looks up, even the concentrating Ozpin, as every human there looks up and sees a long cut has appeared in the middle of the spell. Everyone stares in disbelief as the spell cracks and shatters from the said cut as it is revealed that Jaune is alive. Heavily burnt on over half his body, smoking in many places, red skinned, and his clothes and armor in tatters, but he was alive. And his sword was fading from a powerful glow that was coming off of it before it cuts off while Jaune is holding the sword high showing it was indeed his slash that did the impossible. The spell had been cut asunder.
Ozma is in shocked silence as Jaune falls from midair into the panicked and waiting arms of Velvet, Yang, Pyrrha, Neo, and Weiss who all leapt up to catch each limb, and head, to safely transfer him to the ground where Velvet, Simin, Weiss, and Ragora get to work on healing him as his stats showed his reserves were shot.
HP: 500/440,000
AP: 100/ 135,000
Fatigue: 97/100%
Everyone was crying over Jaune as he looking like a well cooked corpse at this point. Pale, covered in third degree burns, red bleeding skin, cracked lips, dehydrated sunken in eyes, gaunt cheeks, and his body looked was thinner than it should normally by with his build. He was looking nearly dead.
Velvet and the others were doing their best to heal him as the rest of the guild mates faced Ozma.
Tears were flowing from his friends eyes while Pyrrha, Neo, Weiss, Velvet, and Yang had waterfalls of non stop tears pouring out. They wanted to stay next to Jaune and care for him but couldn’t turn their attention away from Ozma who was cackling in joy at bringing down their army and the commander of their light soldiers. “Ha! Take that agents of Salem! I have won! You have lost your commander! Your friend and ally! I will win and take down my wife to protect this world! Now prepare to-! Oh dear.”
Ozma turns to the side in shock and so do the students who all look over at an absolutely livid Ozpin who is currently with his cloak denoting him as the Monarch of Magic to his past self, has finished charging his own super tier spell. Ozpin looks at his younger self, “I really am looking at a cracked mirror, I was so arrogant, and foolish back then. Always focused on Salem and only looking at the end goal. You haven’t even thought of your daughters or lost soldiers at this point have you?”
Ozma goes to point out he hasn’t had time to process their defeat as Ozpin cuts him off, “And don’t lie to yourself, your daughters aren’t even a priority right now are they? They were a means to an end to achieve revenge against your wife right? So what are they to you now that they have been defeated? Broken swords to be discarded? I lament for my daughters every day. You only see them as tools to help you defeat our ex wife. I pity you, I understand you, but most of all, I am proud to say I have out grown you. So feel the sting of defeat from your older self, who is a true father and a true teacher of others, instead of a self righteous hypocrite who fails to understand what is needed to be a true family man. Feel my wrath! And feel the efforts of entire generations of research and study put into a spell meant to take down those who have lost their way!”
Ozpin creates a colossal 150ft tall glyph in front of him, making his magic cloak glow brighter and shine in the light of the glyph, and shouts out, “Brothers Judgment!”
A Yin and Yang colored beam that is twisting together to make a white and black spiral the diameter of the glyph shoots out. And Ozma goes to prepare every shield he can think of when suddenly he feels a lack of sensation in his arms.
He looks down to see his elbows have been severed from his body as he sees his fore arms falling to the ground. A quick glance of shock and pain to his left reveals an absolutely livid Ren and Ruby had managed to leap up with Pyrrha helping them to have each fighter slice off one of his limbs.
He gags out a scream as the beam of black and white covers him.
A solid minute goes by in tense silence as the only sound is the energy flux of the attack alongside the energy being emitted by the healers tending to Jaune to try and help recover him of his injuries.
Then the spell ends, and Ozma is barely a torso now, his arms are gone, his legs are stumps, and his armor and cloak are in tatters. He falls to the ground to see a disappointed Ozpin staring down at him as the older professor kneels next to his past self.
Ozma begins to shut down and crack as he has lost but not before Ozpin looks at him and says, “The reason why you lost to us? Wasn’t because of my spell. It was because we fought you all as a team. We were smaller in numbers compared to you, but we did what we could to survive. You fought for revenge. And a wise man once said, when pursuing revenge one should always prepare a back up grave. One for their target, and one for the person they used to be before they took the targets life to sate their thirst.”
Ozma nods barely as his eyes had glassed over and he lets out a tear as he goes, “I just wanted to have my family back.” With a heavy croak he fades and breaks apart into particles.
Ozpin nods at that last statement as the piece of Monarch energy his past self had flows into him. He feels himself shoot up to 92% of his original Power. And his cloak was nearly solid now.
He lets out a tear for his daughters echoes they had to fight and for his past immature self who they had to put down. But he looks to his students with hope in his eyes as he sees Jaune begin to heal from leveling up from their fight against his past self and for completing the tower.
Ozpin comes over to help finish the healing efforts as they all know a new day would be sprouting for them soon.
– Salem’s Grimm Keep after the tower was cleared –
Salem was seen on her throne, now healed of her scar from the attack she endured from the current inheritor of the Monarch of Light. The so called Champion of light. And rose from her throne to begin her next plan. Only to twitch, her eyes glassing over as she feels a huge pain erupt from her chest.
She screams out as 5 orbs of magic erupt and leave her being to fly off somewhere.
She reaches for them as she laments their loss, “No!! Get back here! sh*t! My daughters and husbands essences I kept locked away! They should have remained inside me after I stripped them from their hosts during that war so long ago! ARGH!! It hurts so much! They were a piece of me! Now they are gone! Argh! Now I need to progress my plans further!”
She crawls over to a seer grimm as she yells into it, “CINDER! Go and prepare for back up plan Epsilon! I need you to buy us time since we lost our white fang operative army and our alpha back up plan!”
Cinder is seen on the other side clutching her chest too as she looks slightly weaker than before, “Mistress! Then they managed to!”
Salem roars out in near animalistic madness, “YES! Those champions of light managed to free the fragments of power I had kept in my soul! And as such all current maidens will lose a piece of their power to try and rejoin those core fragments of my daughters! Damn you Ozpin!!”
Cinder rages and goes to the store room in the keep to activate their secret backup plan as Salem checks on her other champions to discover they are out cold as if someone had beaten them up badly without them noticing.
Tyrian was suffering from many aches all over. Watts was looking as if he had lost a bar fight against the entire pub. And Hazel was complaining about a splitting migraine and an aching spinal column.
Salem knew her ex-husband has something to do with this and she swore she would destroy them with their back up plans if it was the last thing to do.
She connected to one of her two secret Grimm projects as she did her best to fight off the coma that was encroaching onto her mind as her very soul was beginning to go back into her restorative coma to heal from having 5 pieces of her soul ripped out. And she commanded this first secret project to listen to Cinder for the next plan.
A garbled and goopy sounding, “Yes our Queen!” is heard to Salems connection from them before she falls into her coma.
But what is truly terrifying is that more than 100 voices are heard from this connection. And each aura from the other side had long ago reached an average strength of A-S rank.
