Chương 135: Chapter 128: The Mask of the Savior

The morning sun filtered softly through the grand, stained-glass windows of Beacon Academy's sprawling cafeteria. The air was filled with the familiar, comforting hum of hundreds of students chatting, laughing, and enjoying their breakfast before the day's classes began. Walking slowly down the central aisle, gripping his plastic food tray with white-knuckled intensity, was Darwin. He was wearing the oversized, dark green janitorial jumpsuit that had become his daily uniform.

A crisp white medical mask covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of dark sunglasses completely obscured his eyes. He walked with a stiff, jerky gait, his shoulders hunched, desperately trying to project an aura of unbothered, invincible coolness. In reality, he was sweating so profusely beneath the jumpsuit that his shirt was entirely soaked, and his heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.

"Good morning, Mr. Saitama!" a cheerful Second-Year Huntress called out as she walked past, offering a bright, respectful wave. Darwin flinched slightly, forcing himself to offer a slow, incredibly awkward nod in return.

"Uh... yup. Mornin'."

"Hey, Mr. Saitama! Still fighting off that bug, huh?" a bulky First-Year student grinned, stepping out of the lunch line to hand Darwin a pristine, yellow banana.

"Get well soon, man! The school isn't the same without you!"

"T-Thanks, kid," Darwin stammered weakly, accepting the fruit with trembling hands.

"Appreciate it." Thanks to his utterly bizarre, incredibly stressful daily performance, the entire student body of Beacon still firmly believed that the legendary, invincible "Hero of Vale" was still residing within the Academy grounds. The medical mask and sunglasses were universally accepted as necessary precautions for a highly persistent, incredibly stubborn "super flu" that apparently only affected the strongest man on the planet. Oh, man...

If a Beowolf breaches the courtyard today, I am going to instantly drop dead from sheer terror. Darwin thought miserably, speed-walking the rest of the way to his designated table. He reached a secluded table near the back of the cafeteria. Sitting there, looking equally tense and highly observant, were his four "permanent escorts": the First-Year students Toby, Marcus, Chloe, and Lyra. Darwin practically collapsed onto the bench, setting his tray down with a heavy, exhausted sigh.

He pulled the medical mask down just enough to expose his mouth so he could eat his scrambled eggs.

"You did great, Darwin," Chloe encouraged softly, her eyes darting around the cafeteria to ensure no one was within earshot.

"Yeah, nobody suspects a thing," Marcus added, attempting to sound confident, though he was nervously tapping his foot under the table.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Darwin whimpered quietly, picking at his food.

"Every time someone looks at me, I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. Can a human heart literally explode from stress? Because I think mine is about to." Toby patted the janitor's shoulder sympathetically.

"You can do this. We just have to survive one more week. Right? Just one more week... I hope." Toby was trying to encourage Darwin. But in truth, the four First-Years were just as comically terrified as he was. They had been officially briefed by Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch weeks ago regarding the absolute, kingdom-shattering truth: Saitama wasn't sick. Saitama wasn't even on the continent.

The real anomaly had been sent on a highly classified, secret mission to Atlas alongside Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Qrow Branwen. Glynda had entrusted Darwin and the four students with the heaviest, most terrifying burden in Remnant: maintaining the illusion that the deterrent of Vale was still present, ensuring Salem's forces wouldn't attack the city. But of course, Glynda didn't tell them about Salem.

"I still don't understand why they didn't at least bring him back to Beacon first after they found him in Mistral," Lyra muttered, her spotted leopard-Faunus tail twitching nervously beneath the table.

"I mean, he's basically a god! They should just keep him here where it's safe!"

"It can't be helped, Lyra," Chloe sighed, adjusting her collar.

"The Headmasters operate on a tactical level way beyond our understanding. They must need him up in Atlas for something incredibly important. We just have to stay strong, keep our heads down, and pretend everything is normal." Before Darwin could take another bite of his eggs, the massive, flat-screen televisions mounted in the corners of the cafeteria chimed loudly with a breaking news alert. The low chatter of the students instantly died down, dozens of heads turning toward the screens.

The Vale News Network logo flashed, before cutting to the polished, serious face of lead anchor Lisa Lavender.

"Breaking international news this morning," Lisa announced clearly.

"Following a prolonged, mysterious communications blackout, the Kingdom of Atlas has finally restored its cross-continental network. And the news emerging from Solitas is nothing short of historic." Darwin, Toby, Marcus, Chloe, and Lyra all turned their attention to the television.

"First, the highly contentious, volatile race for the vacant seat on the Atlas Council has officially concluded," Lisa reported, the screen cutting to a towering, high-definition photograph of Jacques Schnee.

"Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, has emerged victorious, securing the seat amidst widespread political division." The footage shifted to Jacques standing triumphantly at his podium in front of Schnee Manor, offering a sickeningly smug, arrogant wave to the flashing cameras.

"However, his victory is overshadowed by a severe, ongoing humanitarian crisis in the lower city of Mantle," Lisa continued, her tone shifting to grave concern. The broadcast showed brief, chaotic footage of freezing citizens huddled around trash-can fires, and massive crowds protesting aggressively against lines of Atlesian androids.

"Mantle's central heating grid has experienced catastrophic failures, leaving thousands to freeze in the sub-zero temperatures. Atlas military tech units are currently struggling to install temporary stabilizers, but the civilian unrest has reached a boiling point."

"That looks awful," Toby whispered, shivering slightly at the sight of the freezing slums.

"I can't imagine living like that," Lyra added, her ears drooping in genuine pity for the people of Mantle.

"And in a terrifying climax to yesterday's events," Lisa Lavender announced, the screen flashing a red 'BREAKING UPDATE' banner,"Mantle suffered a horrific incident during a political victory rally for candidate Robyn Hill last night. At the exact moment the election polls closed, a serial killer—who had been terrorizing the city for weeks—initiated a blackout and attacked the crowd." Every student in the Beacon cafeteria gasped in collective horror.

"The killer has been identified as Tyrian Callows, a highly dangerous scorpion Faunus and wanted fugitive from Anima who was presumed dead. Thankfully, due to the swift response of local Huntsmen and Atlas medics, there were no casualties, though several citizens were severely wounded by his toxic venom." The footage on the screen shifted.

"But the true story capturing the heart of Atlas today is the man who single-handedly stopped the massacre. A mysterious individual who is now being hailed as... the 'Savior of Mantle'." The screen played the shaky, chaotic civilian Scroll footage from the dark plaza. The power grid surged back online, flooding the screen with harsh white light. Every single student in the cafeteria fell completely silent, completely mesmerized by the broadcast.

The footage showed Tyrian Callows, the psychotic serial killer, lying in a massive pool of his own blood, screaming and thrashing in pure agony. Standing directly over him, completely unbothered, was a man in a black suit, white trench coat, and a bowler hat. In his right hand, he was casually holding Tyrian's massive, severed, dripping scorpion tail. The Beacon students immediately erupted into loud, impressed murmurs.

"Whoa! Did you see that?!" a Second-Year yelled.

"He ripped that psycho's tail completely off!"

"That guy looks incredibly strong!" another student cheered. However, at the secluded table in the back... This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Toby, Marcus, Chloe, and Lyra did not cheer. Their eyes expanded to the absolute, comical limits of their faces. Their jaws dropped so far they practically hit the table. They stared at the television screen. They recognized the completely flat, bored oval face beneath the brim of the bowler hat.

They remembered Headmistress Goodwitch explicitly telling them that Saitama was currently operating undercover in Atlas. They realized, with pure, soul-shattering terror, exactly who the 'Savior of Mantle' actually was. Darwin, however, was currently facing the other way, nervously taking a large bite of his scrambled eggs, completely ignoring the television. Lisa Lavender explained smoothly.

"The bowler hat Huntsman has been officially identified by Atlas military sources as a, a highly decorated, veteran Atlesian Huntsman operating undercover, named 'Darwin'."

"COUGH! ACK! HACK!" The scrambled eggs caught perfectly in his throat. His eyes went wide behind his sunglasses. Darwin began to comically, violently choke on his breakfast, slamming his hand against his chest as he desperately gasped for air. The sudden, violent coughing fit immediately drew the attention of dozens of nearby students. They turned their heads, looking at the supposed "Hero of Vale" with deep, genuine concern.

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Saitama! Are you okay?!" a student called out worriedly.

"His flu must be acting up again! Someone get some water!" another yelled. Chloe, Lyra, Toby, and Marcus instantly snapped out of their shock, flying into a state of sheer, frantic damage control. Marcus began aggressively patting Darwin on the back, while Chloe grabbed a glass of water and shoved it toward his mouth.

"H-He's fine! He's perfectly fine!" Lyra laughed incredibly awkwardly, waving her hands at the concerned crowd while sweating profusely.

"He just... he wasn't being careful! The eggs are just really, really good today! They went down the wrong pipe!"

"Yep! Nothing to see here!" Toby chimed in desperately.

"Just a minor culinary mishap for the strongest man on Remnant!" The students blinked, entirely accepting the bizarre excuse. Satisfied that their hero wasn't dying, they turned their attention back to the fascinating news broadcast. Darwin finally managed to swallow the eggs, taking a massive gulp of water. He panted heavily, tears leaking from behind his sunglasses as the four First-Years collapsed back onto their benches, entirely drained of adrenaline.

The broadcast continued,"Because the Huntsman was immediately escorted back to the upper city by the military, the people of Mantle were unable to properly express their gratitude. However, breaking reports indicate that politician Robyn Hill has successfully secured permission to conduct a highly exclusive, live broadcasted interview with the 'Savior of Mantle' himself at Atlas Academy." The oblivious Beacon students immediately began buzzing with excitement.

"An interview? That's awesome!"

"He looks tough, but honestly? If Mr. Saitama was up there, he could have taken that serial killer down with one finger!"

"Yeah! Our hero is definitely way stronger than that 'Darwin' guy!" The students proudly boasted about their resident janitor, entirely, completely, absolutely unaware that the two men they were comparing were the exact same person. At the back table, Toby, Marcus, Chloe, and Lyra stared at each other in absolute, horrifying silence. Darwin was still wheezing quietly into his medical mask.

"By the Gods..." Toby whispered, his voice trembling as he grabbed his hair in sheer panic.

"Mr. Saitama, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Thousands of miles away, high in the freezing, sunlit sky of the floating city of Atlas... The situation inside the Schnee-sponsored luxury penthouse had descended into a very different kind of panic. Saitama sat heavily on the plush velvet sofa. He was already fully dressed in his complete "Darwin" disguise: the sharp black suit trousers, the crisp vest, the heavy white trench coat, and Roman Torchwick's signature bowler hat resting securely on his bald head.

He had his arms crossed over his chest, his expression a masterpiece of pure, comical annoyance. Sitting right beside him, equally tense, was Oscar Pine and Neopolitan. The three of them were staring intently at the massive flat-screen television mounted on the wall. However, they weren't watching the news. They were watching a live, closed-circuit security feed from the penthouse building's exterior cameras, accessed by Neo's Scroll and cast to the screen.

The scene outside the luxurious high-rise was absolute chaos. A massive, impenetrable swarm of journalists, cameramen, and screaming, adoring citizens from Atlas were packed onto the pristine sidewalks, completely blocking the entrance to the building. They were waving signs, holding microphones, and waiting aggressively for "Darwin" to step outside.

"This is not good," Oscar whispered, his hazel eyes wide with genuine panic as he watched a particularly aggressive reporter practically press his face against the glass doors of the lobby.

"They've completely surrounded the building." Saitama let out a long, miserable groan, slouching deeper into the sofa.

"I absolutely hate being a celebrity. Why can't people just mind their own business?" The heavy mahogany doors of the penthouse swung open. Ruby, Jaune, Weiss, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren hurried into the living room. They looked exhausted, having spent the entire morning running tactical interference for the adults.

"We just finished a secure comms link with General Ironwood," Ruby announced, dropping into an armchair with a heavy sigh.

"We were desperately trying to figure out a way to keep Saitama's secret safe during this interview with Robyn Hill."

"Did you figure out a way to bypass her Lie Detection Semblance?" Oscar asked hopefully.

"We tried to brainstorm workarounds. We initially thought about using someone else as a body double for 'Darwin', and having Neo use her Overactive Imagination Semblance to mask their face to look like Saitama," Jaune explained, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration.

"I even volunteered to do it," Jaune continued, his blue eyes serious.

"Since my physical density has increased, I could probably fake his strength if things got physical. But we scrapped the idea immediately."

"It wouldn't work," Blake added grimly, her feline ears pinning back.

"We are dealing with Robyn Hill. She is incredibly perceptive. If she shakes Jaune's hand and asks a direct question, her Semblance will immediately flag the deception."

"Not to mention, she has the other three Happy Huntresses with her, and they are highly trained to spot anomalies," Pyrrha continued, sighing in frustration.

"An illusion wouldn't hold up to that level of scrutiny."

"There is absolutely no other way around it," Weiss stated, crossing her arms with a stern, deeply worried frown.

"Saitama must be the one who sits down and talks with Robyn Hill." Oscar sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face. He, along with Team RWBY and Team JNPR, knew exactly how panicked General Ironwood and the other Headmasters had been since the evening prior. The political checkmate was agonizing. Oscar suddenly paused, his eyes closing for a brief second as he heard the ancient voice of Ozpin echoing in his mind. Oscar gave a subtle nod, willingly surrendering control.

When he opened his eyes, the frantic energy of the farm boy was gone, replaced by the calm, regal presence of the immortal Headmaster.

"We must not let panic dictate our actions, students," Ozpin advised smoothly, his voice a steady, grounding force in the chaotic room.

"While this interview is incredibly dangerous, it also presents a unique, powerful opportunity. If Mr. Saitama can successfully navigate this conversation, it could serve to significantly strengthen the fractured relationship between Atlas and Mantle." Team RWBY and Team JNPR turned their attention entirely to the bald hero on the couch.

"Alright, Saitama, you have to remember 'the script'," Nora instructed, pointing a serious finger at him.

"General Ironwood specifically drafted this. If Robyn asks about your Semblance, you absolutely must answer that it is 'Physical Amplification'. That is the only logical way to explain to the public how you were able to easily rip the psycho's tail off without a weapon." Ren continued calmly.

"If she asks about your background, you must state that 'Darwin', meaning you, were originally a Huntsman from Vale who recently changed his official nationality to Atlesian. That perfectly explains why neither the people of Atlas nor Mantle have ever heard of you before today."

"And if she starts pressing you about General Ironwood, or asks what the military is hiding..." Pyrrha added, her emerald eyes filled with intense caution.

"Just tell her that you were simply doing what the General told you to do for the safety of Mantle. Nothing more."

"And most importantly..." Ruby finished, stepping closer and locking eyes with him.

"Do NOT, under any circumstances, take off the bowler hat. No matter what happens." Saitama stared at the seven highly stressed teenagers. His dotted eyes blinked slowly. He looked completely, utterly confused.

"Uh... Physical Ampa-what?" Saitama mumbled, scratching his cheek.

"Vale? Atlas? General's orders? Are you guys serious? I am not going to remember all of that. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast." The collective shoulders of Team RWBY and Team JNPR slumped in profound, absolute despair. This exact, infuriatingly apathetic character flaw was precisely why they were all so utterly terrified of putting him in front of a live camera.

"This whole thing is such a pain in the ass," Saitama sighed comically, adjusting the stiff collar of his trench coat.

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you weren't so incredibly careless!" Weiss snapped indignantly, throwing her hands in the air.

"Yeah! If you hadn't accidentally replied to her text message while you were playing a racing game, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Yang groaned, burying her face in her hands. Jaune stepped forward, a look of determined focus on his face. He walked right up to the sofa.

"Give me your hand, Saitama," Jaune requested. Saitama raised an eyebrow, but lazily extended his right hand. Jaune gripped it firmly. Jaune closed his eyes, concentrating deeply as he channeled his Semblance. A sudden, faint, warm glow began to emanate from Jaune, flowing directly into Saitama. Within seconds, a thin, shimmering layer of bright white light outlined Saitama's entire body, perfectly mimicking the visual effect of an active Aura.

Saitama raised his eyebrows, looking down at his glowing hands in comical awe.

"Whoa. That's pretty neat. I look like a glow stick."

"It's a backup measure," Jaune explained, letting go of his hand and stepping back, breathing slightly heavier from the exertion.

"I essentially 'painted' a thin layer of my own Aura over you. Since you are the only human on Remnant who doesn't have an Aura, if Robyn shakes your hand and feels nothing, she'll instantly know something is wrong. This will make 'Darwin' look like a legitimate Huntsman." Ozpin turned his gaze toward the end of the sofa, locking eyes with Neopolitan.

"Miss Neopolitan," Ozpin instructed softly, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"You must accompany him. You will need to maintain your Semblance from afar, utilizing a localized illusion to gently mask the lower half of his face, just in case the cameras catch him from a bad angle." Neo stopped playing with her parasol, listening intently.

"However, do not actively engage your Semblance to alter his voice or his major features during the interview," Ozpin warned strictly.

"The Happy Huntresses are highly trained. They will undoubtedly sense the presence of an external force interrupting the broadcast. Only use your power if a news camera gets dangerously close." Neo rolled her heterochromic eyes with a massive, dramatic sigh of pure annoyance. She slumped back against the cushions. She had never, in her entire life as a master thief, thought she would be dragged into a massive, geopolitical PR campaign just to cover up a bald man's grocery-shopping mistakes.

"Look!" Nora suddenly shouted, pointing at the television screen. Everyone turned their attention back to the CCTV live footage. Outside the building, the chaotic swarm of mass media was suddenly forced to part. The roar of a high-powered turbine engine echoed through the glass windows of the penthouse as a sleek, heavily armored Atlesian Manta airship descended gracefully from the sky, touching down on the cleared street just outside the lobby doors. The heavy hatch doors of the airship hissed open.

Clover Ebi, Harriet Bree, Marrow Amin, Elm Ederne, and Vine Zeki stepped out in perfect, synchronized military formation, instantly securing a perimeter to hold back the screaming reporters. At the exact same moment, a brilliant flash of green light illuminated the street as Penny Polendina landed gracefully near the airship ramp, her thrusters humming. The transportation for Saitama had officially arrived.

Ruby let out a long, incredibly nervous breath, looking back at the invincible, unbothered hero sitting on the couch.

"Looks like our ride is here."