Chương 118: Chapter 111: The Shadows of Legacy

The freezing, relentless winds of Solitas howled across the bleak, snow-drenched industrial sector of Mantle. Hours had passed since the intense, mind-bending skirmish within the frozen depths of the subterranean cyber-hubs. Standing just outside the massive, reinforced blast doors of the facility, General James Ironwood observed the bustling recovery operation with a stoic, commanding presence. The area was a hive of organized military activity.

Heavily armed Atlesian soldiers secured the perimeter, while dozens of unblinking Atlesian Knight-200 androids marched in perfect, mechanical synchronization, making way for the dedicated tech units hauling heavy decryption servers and fiber-optic cables into the icy depths. Hovering gracefully near the entrance, her vibrant green thrusters cutting through the falling snow, Penny Polendina cheerfully assisted a pair of struggling technicians in lifting a massive generator casing.

"You are doing wonderfully! Let me take the brunt of the weight!" Penny beamed, her synthetic voice a bright beacon against the dreary backdrop of the lower city. Approaching the General from the frost-covered maw of the cyber-hubs were the Ace Operatives. Clover Ebi led the disciplined formation, followed closely by Team RWBY and Qrow Branwen. The Huntsmen and Huntresses looked weary, their breath pluming in thick white clouds. But their postures radiated the undeniable satisfaction of a hard-won victory.

The Ace-Ops came to a halt in front of Ironwood, executing a flawless, synchronized military salute.

"General," Clover reported, dropping his hand with a confident smile.

"The subterranean hubs are completely secure. The immediate Grimm threat has been neutralized."

"Excellent work, Clover," Ironwood responded, his deep voice carrying a profound, genuine relief. He turned his gaze toward the students and the veteran Huntsman, offering a respectful nod.

"And thank you. All of you. Securing that facility was paramount."

"We couldn't have done it without the kids, General," Elm Ederne boomed, resting her massive rocket-hammer casually on her shoulder. She shot Yang an incredibly appreciative grin.

"They held their own down there." Harriet Bree crossed her athletic arms, a competitive spark shining in her eyes as she looked at Ruby.

"Yeah. They're fast. Unusually fast for Second-Year students."

"And they learn incredibly quick," Marrow Amin added, his Faunus tail swishing with a mixture of exhaustion and pride.

"They adapted to our tactics on the fly. It was like they already knew how to read high-speed trajectories."

"Their foundational discipline is remarkable," Vine Zeki noted serenely, his pale hands glowing faintly as he adjusted his cuffs. Ironwood's cybernetic eye whirred softly, a faint, knowing smirk touching his usually stern features.

"I am not entirely surprised," Ironwood acknowledged, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch had already informed us about her revised combat curriculum. She spent months utilizing Mr. Saitama as a 'Tactical Kinetic Evaluator' to gather data on his anomalous durability."

"You can say that again," Yang chuckled, bumping her golden gauntlets together to ward off the chill.

"Fighting a horde of Centinels is way less stressful than trying to punch a guy who's picking his nose while perfectly dodging every single one of your attacks."

"Exactly!" Ruby laughed, her silver eyes bright with lingering adrenaline. Penny waved from the facility entrance, floating slightly higher to catch the General's attention.

"General Ironwood! The technicians have successfully engaged the primary decryption drives! The network blockades are being actively purged!"

"Thank you, Penny," Ironwood called back, his broad shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch as the geopolitical noose around Atlas finally began to loosen.

"Once the system is fully restarted, the Kingdom will be able to make contact with the outside world again. I intend to speak with Headmistress Goodwitch, Headmaster Theodore and Xanthe Rumpole the moment the channels are secure." Clover turned back to the students, adjusting his lucky clover pin.

"The Ace-Ops will take it from here. We'll guard the cyber-hubs area in shifts alongside the Atlas defense force to protect the tech units while they finish the job."

"We can stay and help guard the perimeter," Blake offered earnestly, her amber eyes scanning the dark, snow-choked alleyways of Mantle.

"You kids have done more than enough. Your Auras took a massive hit down there," Harriet intervened, waving a dismissive but highly respectful hand.

"The Atlas military can handle the guard duty."

"Harriet is correct," Ironwood stated firmly.

"Team RWBY, I want you to focus on guarding the streets of Mantle with Team JNPR and Oscar. Our highest priority right now is stabilizing the fractured relationship between Atlas and Mantle, while also finding out the culprit behind this sabotage."

"We won't let you down, General," Weiss promised, her pale blue eyes reflecting the flashing lights of the military transports. With the joint-mission officially concluded, the Ace Operatives prepared to depart.

"Thank you for the lessons," Ruby said sincerely, bowing her head slightly toward the elite specialists.

"Until next time, kids," Clover smiled warmly. He offered a respectful nod to the grizzled Huntsman beside them.

"Qrow, let's hang out some other tme."

"Sure. Keep your eyes open," Qrow grunted in return. The Ace-Ops delivered one final, crisp general salute to Ironwood before turning on their heels, marching with disciplined precision toward their designated defensive posts near the facility entrance. Now, only Team RWBY, Qrow, and General Ironwood remained standing in the snowy clearing. Qrow took a slow, measured swig from his silver flask, his crimson eyes studying the Atlesian commander.

"Gotta say, Jimmy," Qrow commented, a dry, cynical smirk playing on his lips.

"You look a bit more relaxed compared to when we first arrived in your office." Ironwood took the observation in stride, his rigid military posture unwavering.

"I will take that as a compliment, Qrow. Knowing that the network is being restored, and having you, Ozpin, and the students here to handle the situation in Mantle... it lifts a considerable burden. I can finally focus my attention on Atlas and the Council's escalating matters." He turned to the four Huntresses, his expression softening with profound gratitude.

"Thank you again, and please extend my thanks to Ozpin and Team JNPR. Securing this city is the first step toward reclaiming our stability."

"We'll do our best," Yang affirmed.

"But even though we secured the cyber-hubs, the situation down here is still really bad."

"She's right," Blake added, her feline ears twitching beneath the cold wind.

"The heating grid is still being hacked, and that serial killer targeting your soldiers and civillinas is still out there."

"Salem's agents are lurking in Mantle, and they could very well be infiltrating the floating city of Atlas right now," Ruby added, with a look of absolute certainty. Ironwood's jaw tightened, the brief respite of victory hardening back into cold, tactical reality.

"I am acutely aware. We must keep our guards up. Our primary objectives remain unchanged: guarding the Winter Maiden to prevent the enemy from opening the Vault in Atlas, and protecting this subterranean facility to ensure the hacker cannot sever our connection again."

"At least we don't have to worry about the Relic of Knowledge," Weiss sighed, a faint, deeply amused smile touching her lips.

"It is safely tucked away in the most bizarre, heavily insulated, and mundane fortress imaginable." Before Ironwood could respond, the sleek, high-tech communicator fastened to his wrist beeped with a sharp, urgent trill. Ironwood pressed two fingers against his earpiece, his eyes narrowing as he listened to the incoming transmission from the air traffic control tower. His expression instantly morphed into one of profound, irritated surprise.

"What? Already? Here?" Ironwood muttered into the comms. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a heavy breath.

"No, it's fine. Let him land. I'll deal with him myself." Qrow and Ruby exchanged a highly confused look before turning back to the General.

"More Mantle problems?" Qrow asked, arching a skeptical eyebrow. A sleek, luxurious, and incredibly expensive-looking airship broke through the gray clouds above them, its engines humming with a refined, quiet power as it descended toward the cleared landing pad nearby.

"No," Ironwood stated coldly, his blue eyes tracking the descending vessel.

"This one's an Atlas problem." Team RWBY and Qrow took a collective step backward as the ship touched down gracefully on the frost-covered tarmac. Emblazoned proudly across the pristine white hull of the vessel was the unmistakable, striking blue snowflake logo of the Schnee Dust Company. Weiss's breath hitched in her throat. Her hands instantly curled into tight fists at her sides. A sleek, motorized ramp extended smoothly from the front of the ship's double doors.

The doors hissed open, revealing a man practically vibrating with aristocratic fury. Jacques Schnee wore an immaculate white tailcoat. His mustache perfectly groomed, and his pale blue eyes burning with an arrogant, entitled wrath. As soon as the doors parted, he began shouting, marching down the ramp with aggressive, entitled strides.

"So let me get this straight, James!" Jacques sneered, his voice dripping with venomous condescension.

"In addition to this nonsensical embargo of yours crippling my business, you've also decided you have the authority to commandeer private property?!" Jacques marched directly up to the General, stopping mere inches away. Ironwood did not flinch. He stood like a statue of solid iron, his arms folded calmly behind his back, staring down at the furious CEO with absolute indifference. Jacques aggressively jabbed a manicured finger directly at Ironwood's chest.

"When the Council hears about this, you will never--""Actually, I've already informed them," Ironwood cut him off smoothly, his voice a low, immovable rumble.

"As this is now the site of a classified military operation, it didn't even require a vote." Jacques's face flushed a violent, indignant red.

"Didn't require a vote?!"

"Besides, this site was no longer one of the SDC's mines since Nicholas signed the agreement in the first place, Jacques. This is a network server for the whole Kingdom," Ironwood warned, his tone laced with razor-sharp authority.

"You might want to brush up on Council law before you lose this upcoming election. Now. I've allowed you to land here once as a courtesy. The next time, it won't be a friendly reception." Jacques glared at the General, his teeth grinding audibly. The absolute, unyielding wall of Ironwood's military authority infuriated him, but he knew he had no legal ground to stand on.

"Lately, you seem to forget who your friends really are," Jacques hissed, adjusting his pristine coat.

"I'm going to get that Council seat, James, and maybe then, you'll--" Jacques's tirade abruptly died in his throat. His pale blue eyes widened in sheer, unexpected recognition. His gaze drifted past Ironwood's broad shoulders, landing directly on the young woman standing in the snow. They stared at each other for a long, heavy, suffocating moment.

"You..." Jacques breathed. He immediately abandoned his confrontation with the General, walking purposefully past Ironwood, casting a dark, venomous glance at the soldier as he did so.

"You roped my daughter into these schemes of yours, too?!" Jacques demanded, turning back around to glare at Ironwood. He then snapped his attention entirely onto Weiss.

"How long has she been back in Atlas?! Did Winter know about this?!" Weiss felt the familiar, suffocating chains of her childhood attempting to wrap around her throat. But she remembered the girl she used to be, and she realized how far she had come. She remembered the fire of Beacon, the terrifying journey across Anima, and the absolute freedom of standing beside her team. Weiss's expression hardened into a mask of pure, unbreakable ice.

She became visibly annoyed, stepping forward to close the distance between herself and her father.

"It was my decision to come here," Weiss stated, her voice ringing clearly and confidently across the freezing tarmac.

"Just like it was my decision to stay in Beacon Academy. Or have you forgotten all about that?" Jacques's eyes narrowed into dangerous, calculating slits. The sheer, unadulterated defiance radiating from his daughter deeply offended him. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"If you think I'm one to forget anything, girl," Jacques threatened in a low, malicious whisper.

"Then you've misjudged the man your father is." Weiss tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at him with an attitude that perfectly mirrored his own aristocratic disdain.

"Believe me. I know exactly the kind of man you are."

"How dare you speak to me that way?!" Jacques roared, completely losing his temper as he glared furiously at Weiss. His mind raced, desperately searching for the catalyst of her unprecedented rebellion. And then, a sickening, horrific realization crossed his mind. He remembered the humiliation in Beacon's administrative parlor. He remembered the bald man who had shattered his flawless Dust-crystal cane with a single, exasperated sigh.

"I see now," Jacques sneered, his face contorting into a mask of pure, venomous hatred.

"That bald freak must have influenced you to be this much more disgraceful." The temperature on the tarmac plummeted. Jacques scoffed, waving a dismissive hand as he launched into a hateful, elitist tirade."' The Hero of Vale', huh? People of that Kingdom are so blinded with that 'grandiose' image of his. He is nothing but an ugly, stupid, uncultured anomaly peasant! He is just a harbinger of disaster! A disgusting, uncontrolled monster--""Do NOT talk bad of him!!"

Weiss's voice cracked like a whip, echoing with such raw, explosive fury that it startled the falling snow. She stepped fiercely into her father's personal space, her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists, her pale blue eyes burning with an unshakeable, fierce loyalty. She would never forget the suffocating terror her father had subjected her to at Beacon, and she would never forget the man who had effortlessly, casually dismantled that terror without a second thought.

Jacques physically recoiled, his jaw dropping in absolute shock. Even Ruby, Yang, Blake, Qrow, and General Ironwood stood completely paralyzed in sheer surprise. Weiss Schnee, the heiress who prided herself on poise and immaculate composure, had just violently shattered her aristocratic facade to fiercely defend the bald, grocery-obsessed hero.

"You...!" Jacques stammered, entirely infuriated by his daughter's insubordination. His face flushed a dark, dangerous purple.

"I have half a mind to--""Half a mind to what, Jacques?" Ironwood cut in smoothly, stepping forward, his massive frame casting a protective shadow over the confrontation. Jacques froze. He narrowed his eyes, realizing he was entirely outmatched on a physical and military level. He took a slow breath, adjusting his pristine cuff link, and sighed angrily. The brute-force intimidation had failed, so he seamlessly pivoted to his most effective, venomous weapon.

"You know..." Jacques began, his voice dropping into a soft, dripping, perfectly fabricated tone of melancholic sorrow.

"Your mother was devastated when you left." Weiss's rigid posture instantly fractured. The fierce fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a sudden, vulnerable flicker of deeply rooted sadness.

"Didn't leave her room for days," Jacques continued, acting profoundly sad while he spoke, taking a calculated moment to peek through his eyelashes at Weiss's reaction.

"You know how she gets... when she's upset." It was a masterful, cruel strike. Weiss's eyes glimmered with unshed tears, her shoulders slumping as she looked down at the snow, her lips pressing together into a miserable, heartbreaking frown. Ruby took a step forward, her silver eyes filling with immediate, protective upset as she watched her partner break. Blake's feline ears pinned flat against her skull, her amber eyes burning with an intense, terrifying glare aimed directly at the CEO.

Yang cracked her knuckles, her violet eyes flashing a dangerous crimson as she glared at Jacques with raw, unadulterated fury. Seeing the emotional devastation he had wrought, Jacques's fake sorrow evaporated, replaced by a cruel, victorious smirk as he turned to face Ironwood again.

"I knew one day, you would overextend your reach," Jacques gloated, feeling he had reclaimed the high ground.

"I didn't come here to beg for the mine back. I came here to thank you..." Sensing her partner's immense distress, Blake stepped forward without hesitation. She gently reached out, intertwining her fingers with Weiss's trembling hand, offering a silent, fiercely comforting nod. Weiss squeezed back, anchoring herself to the warmth of her teammate. Jacques noted the gesture with absolute disdain.

"... for personally handing me the noose to hang you." Blake and Yang intensified their furious glares, silently daring the man to take another step. Ruby moved to Weiss's other side, offering her partner a wide, supportive, beautiful smile that chased the shadows away.

"You'll regret this," Jacques promised, turning his back on the General. He looked back at his daughter, his pale blue eyes dripping with aristocratic pity.

"So these are the little friends you threw everything away for?" Weiss slowly lifted her head. The sadness was entirely gone. Her pale blue eyes were clear, bright, and forged of unbreakable steel. She shook her head, her voice ringing with absolute, unyielding certainty.

"Not friends." Ruby looked at Weiss, her brow furrowing a little in slight confusion. Weiss turned her gaze away from the girls and looked Jacques dead in the eye.

"Family." Ruby's confusion instantly melted into a massive, brilliantly wide smile. Yang let out a soft chuckle, and Blake offered a proud, defiant smirk. Jacques stared at the impenetrable, unified wall of the four Huntresses. His emotional manipulation had failed spectacularly.

"Hmm..." Jacques grunted, entirely disgusted by the display of sentimentality. Without another word, the CEO returned to his opulent airship. The heavy ramp retracted, the doors hissed shut, and the SDC vessel lifted off the tarmac, turning its nose back toward the pristine, floating city of Atlas. As the roar of the engines faded into the howling wind, Ruby, Blake, and Yang immediately turned their full attention to Weiss, their eyes wide with genuine concern.

"We're always with you, Weiss," Ruby promised softly, her voice full of absolute devotion. Weiss let out a long, heavy exhale, the tension finally leaving her spine. She looked at the three girls who had walked through hell by her side. A beautiful, strong, and incredibly confident smile broke across her face.

"I know."

The freezing, soot-stained streets of Mantle were a stark contrast to the aristocratic drama unfolding on the upper tarmac. The sleet-filled wind howled relentlessly through the narrow alleyways, but amidst the gloom, a concerted effort to push back the despair was actively taking place.

In the center of a crowded residential plaza, a line of unblinking Atlesian Knight-200 androids stood in rigid formation, their mechanical rifles held at ease while a mob of freezing, deeply frustrated citizens shouted angrily at them.

"We're freezing out here! When is the grid coming back online?!" a disgruntled man yelled, his breath pluming in the icy air.

"Alright, alright, back it up, folks!" Nora Valkyrie shouted, stepping firmly between the angry civilians and the robotic guards. She had her hands planted on her hips, her new blue-and-pink winter coat shielding her from the biting cold.

"Yelling at the bucket-heads isn't going to fix the heaters! They don't even have ears!" Nora let out a heavy, incredibly annoyed sigh, her teal eyes rolling toward the sky. She leaned back, muttering under her breath.

"I really strongly dislike playing the police. I'd rather be smashing Grimm than giving crowd control lectures." Despite her grumbling, her presence was working. The sheer, boisterous confidence of the bomber-jacket-wearing Huntress managed to stall the rising panic, keeping the negativity from boiling over and attracting more monsters to the perimeter.

"Make way, please," a calm, soothing voice requested. Lie Ren and Oscar Pine emerged from a nearby alleyway, carrying armfuls of broken wooden pallets and discarded shipping crates. They dropped the wood into a large, rusted steel drum sitting in the middle of the plaza. Ren casually drew StormFlower, striking the flint edge of his blade against the rim to generate a spark, instantly igniting the dry wood. A bright, crackling bonfire erupted within the barrel, casting a warm, comforting orange glow across the snow.

"Gather around the fire, everyone," Oscar encouraged, offering a warm, incredibly genuine smile to the shivering locals.

"The technicians are working on the grid as we speak. It shouldn't be much longer." The angry shouts slowly died down, replaced by relieved murmurs as the citizens huddled eagerly around the newly formed heat source, the tension in the plaza finally beginning to melt. A few blocks away, at a busy, slush-covered intersection, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos were engaged in a vastly different, but equally crucial mission.

Jaune stood tall in the middle of the crosswalk, his heavy white chestplate gleaming under the streetlamps. In his right hand, instead of his legendary broadsword, he was proudly holding up a small, red, hexagonal stop sign he had borrowed from a nearby crossing guard station.

"Alright, the coast is clear! Go ahead, guys!" Jaune called out warmly, holding the sign high to halt a line of hovering cargo trucks. A group of heavily bundled-up Faunus and human children, clutching their backpacks, scurried safely across the icy street.

"Thank you, Mr. Knight!" a little boy with dog ears cheered, waving excitedly.

"Thank you, Miss Spartan!" a little girl added, smiling widely at the tall, bronze-armored Huntress standing on the opposite curb.

"You are very welcome! Stay warm and get home safely!" Pyrrha beamed, her emerald eyes shining with absolute, radiant joy as she waved back to the children. Jaune jogged over to join her on the sidewalk, lowering the stop sign with a deeply satisfied, boyish grin.

"You know, preventing traffic accidents isn't exactly the glorious Huntsman work I pictured back at Beacon, but it honestly feels pretty great." Pyrrha giggled, reaching out to affectionately brush a stray snowflake from his newly trimmed, spiky blonde hair.

"A hero protects people, Jaune. Whether it's from an ancient Grimm or a slippery intersection. You're doing wonderfully." Jaune's face flushed a bright, happy pink. Before he could offer a bashful reply, a loud, heavy mechanical roar echoed from the bruised evening sky. The couple looked up. Descending through the snowfall was a sleek, heavily armored Atlesian Manta airship.

"They're back!" Jaune cheered, immediately tossing the stop sign into a nearby snowbank and grabbing his Scroll.

"Guys! The others just landed in the industrial sector!" Within minutes, Team JNPR and Oscar were sprinting across the snow-covered cobblestones, converging on the wide, cleared industrial plaza just as the side hatch of the Manta airship hissed open. Team RWBY stepped out onto the ramp, their expressions exhausted but incredibly triumphant.

"Everyone!" Ruby Rose yelled, her silver eyes lighting up with pure joy as she sprinted down the ramp.

"Ruby!" Nora cheered, bounding forward to tackle the young leader in a massive, crushing hug. The rest of the teams quickly collided into a chaotic, joyous reunion. Jaune wrapped Yang and Weiss in a fierce, brotherly embrace, while Ren and Blake shared a quiet, deeply respectful nod of relief. Oscar hurried over to Ruby, his hazel eyes wide with relief as he ensured she was entirely unhurt.

"We were so worried," Oscar breathed, a massive smile breaking across his face.

"Are you guys alright? How was the subterranean hub?"

"We're perfectly fine," Weiss assured them, dusting a speck of soot from her blue-and-white armored dress.

"The mission has been successfully accomplished. We cleared out the Grimm, and the Ace-Ops purged the system blockade. We are just waiting for the tech units to completely restart the Kingdom's connection to the outside world."

"That's amazing!" Pyrrha smiled brilliantly.

"How was the situation here? Did you encounter any trouble while we were gone?" Ruby asked Team JNPR and Oscar.

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Jaune stated proudly, crossing his arms.

"There are still numerous citizens protesting the embargo, but Nora, Ren, and Oscar have been doing an incredible job keeping the peace and managing the panic. We also had another minor breach. A small pack of Sabyrs tried to sneak into the residential zone."

"It was easy!" Nora bragged, hefting Magnhild over her shoulder.

"Fearless Leader over here practically threw one of them over a building! We handled it all!"

"Salutations, friends!" A bright, mechanical voice called from above. Penny Polendina descended gracefully from the sky, her glowing green thrusters humming as she landed softly in the snow beside Team RWBY. Right behind her, hobbling out of the airship with her cane, was Maria Calavera, followed closely by Pietro Polendina in his mobility chair, having ridden down with the tech units.

"Penny!" Pyrrha greeted warmly.

"It is wonderful to see you all unharmed!" Penny beamed, her synthetic eyes sparkling with sheer enthusiasm.

"I must inform you, Team RWBY's combat performance in the cyber-hubs was absolutely spectacular! They utilized their momentum and agility flawlessly to defeat a Frosted Petra Gigas!" Pietro chuckled heartily, adjusting his glasses as he wheeled closer.

"I am truly amazed. Listening to Penny's combat logs, your improvements have truly skyrocketed since the Vytal Festival. I can only assume this profound leap in physical density and reaction time is thanks to this 'Saitama' fellow I've heard so much about?" Team RWBY and Team JNPR suddenly stiffened, exchanging incredibly awkward, strained laughs.

"Ha... haha! Yeah! Definitely!" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, sweating profusely.

"Saitama's training was... very unique! Though we really have to give the Ace-Ops credit, too! They gave us some amazing tactical advice during the mission today!"

"Indeed," Penny nodded eagerly, clasping her hands together.

"The data I gathered today was fascinating! However, I must admit, I am incredibly eager to meet this 'Hero of Vale' in person! I wish to gather his biometric data to understand how a normal human can achieve such impossible kinetic output!" A collective, horrifying shiver ran down the spines of every single teenager in the plaza.

"O-Oh! Well, you see!" Jaune stammered frantically, his eyes darting back and forth.

"He is... very busy! Extremely busy! Far away! In Vale! Yep! Definitely still in Vale!"

"Right! So far away! Tragic, really!" Yang added loudly, waving her hands in a desperate dismissal. The students pray that Penny wouldn't accidentally scan the luxury penthouses of Atlas above them and detect the invincible bald man currently eating premium beef on a heated floor. Penny tilted her head, completely oblivious to their panic.

"What a shame. But moving on! I must also tell you all about our encounter with the army of Apathy!"

"Apathy?!" Pyrrha and Ren gasped in unison, their eyes widening in absolute shock.

"What's an Apathy?" Oscar asked, looking completely confused.

"They are an incredibly rare, deeply terrifying variant of Grimm," Ren explained, his usually calm voice laced with genuine dread as he looked at Jaune, Nora, and Oscar.

"I read about them in the restricted archives at the Beacon library. They don't attack physically. They project a localized psychic field that completely drains your willpower, hope, and energy."

"I read about them too," Pyrrha continued.

"Repeated exposure will weaken a target until they simply fall asleep... and die while unconscious."

"That is exactly what happened!" Penny confirmed brightly, entirely missing the horrific context.

"Everyone fell to their knees and was completely unable to move! But because I lack human neurological responses to emotional dampening, my core programming allowed me to remain entirely unaffected! I fought them off while Ruby unleashed her incredible abilities!" Pietro puffed out his chest, a booming laugh echoing across the plaza.

"Ha! That is my girl! Immune to despair! A true protector of the people!" Penny beamed with pride, before turning her glowing green eyes toward Ruby.

"However, Ruby, I just realized... you are a descendant of a legendary human lineage! Your eyes emitted a blinding beam of divine light that petrified the entire horde! Why did you not tell me about this during the Vytal Festival?" Ruby blushed deeply, burying her face in her red scarf.

"I... I didn't know about it back then, Penny! I swear! I only just found out about it recently myself!"

"And she saved all of our lives," Blake added softly, placing a deeply grateful hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"You really are incredible, Ruby," Pyrrha smiled warmly. Maria hobbled forward, her cybernetic goggles whirring as she looked up at her young pupil.

"Alright, Silver Eyes," Maria rasped, tapping her cane against the ice.

"Tell me. How did it feel this time?" Ruby paused, looking down at her hands. She thought back to the dark, freezing cavern, and the suffocating despair of the Apathy. She thought about how she had anchored her mind to the memories of her friends, and to the ridiculous, mundane comfort of Saitama's existence.

"It was exhausting," Ruby admitted honestly, her voice soft but steady.

"It drained a lot of my stamina. But... compared to the Leviathan back in Argus? It was actually a lot easier. It didn't feel like I was forcing it. I feel like... I'm getting used to it." Maria's wrinkled face softened into a wide, immensely proud smile.

"You learned fast, child," Maria praised, her raspy voice filled with genuine warmth.

"But listen to me closely. I need you to remember something very important." Maria leaned heavily on her cane, her tone shifting into a strict, grandmotherly mentorship.

"When you fully master that light, it will be a weapon of unparalleled magnitude against the Grimm. But you must never, under any circumstances, use it as a crutch. If you abuse the power of the Silver Eyes, you will neglect your body and your blade. As a Huntress, you must prioritize your pure combat skills. The power of your eyes is a gift, and it must only be used wisely." Across the circle, Jaune Arc looked down at his own calloused, taped knuckles. Maria's advice resonated deeply within his soul.

Jaune possessed a terrifying, hyper-dense physical strength forged from a fraction of Saitama's impossible regime. He could crush boulders and suplex giant Grimm with his bare hands. But he remembered the agonizing spar in the safehouse, where his friends had easily dismantled his brute force with superior skill. Jaune remembered Saitama's lazy, profound advice, that he is not him, and he can't be like him. And he remembered Pyrrha's gentle reminder to never neglect his sword and shield.

"Same with me too," Jaune said to Ruby with a reassuring smile, his hand drifting to the hilt of Crocea Mors.

"My main combat style will always be my sword, my shield, and my team. I mean... We're future Huntsmen and Huntresses after all, right?" Jaune eyes met Pyrrha beside him, who looked toward him. Pyrrha gave him a proud smile, which Jaune responded with a confident nod. Ruby looked to Jaune and Pyrrha. The young leader offered a bright, resolute smile. Then she turned to met Maria's mechanical gaze, nodding her head firmly.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ruby promised, her silver eyes shining with absolute clarity.

"Always."

"Good," Maria huffed, turning around to walk back toward Pietro's clinic.

"Now, I believe we have stood out in the freezing cold for long enough." As if on cue, the heavy, dark clouds above them parted slightly, revealing the deep, bruised violet of the fading evening sky.

"Whoa, is it already evening?" Yang stretched her arms high above her head, letting out a loud, exhausted groan that popped her shoulders.

"I feel like I've lived three different lifetimes today."

"We should return to the upper city," Weiss suggested, shivering slightly despite her thermal dress.

"General Ironwood secured those dormitories in Atlas Academy for us. We need to rest and recover our Auras if we are going to continue protecting Mantle tomorrow morning."

"Agreed," Ren nodded softly.

"Alright, let's go back, everyone!" Nora cheered. Surrounded by the biting snow of Solitas, the exhausted, victorious Vanguard turned their backs on the industrial plaza. They walked shoulder-to-shoulder toward the transit stations, ready to ascend back to the floating city in the clouds, united and ready to face whatever shadows tomorrow would bring.