Chương 141: Chapter 134: The Revelation

The state-of-the-art training room within Atlas Academy was completely deserted. The harsh, overhead titanium lights cast long, stark shadows across the empty arena floor. It was the perfect place for a private conversation. But the atmosphere inside was anything but peaceful. It was volatile, suffocating, and dripping with profound, absolute fury. Team RWBY and Team JNPR paced the titanium floor, their expressions twisted in disbelief and anger.

Oscar Pine stood near the center of the room, his hands gripping his suspenders so tightly his knuckles were white. He was just as angry and intensely confused as the rest of them. The ancient headmaster residing within his soul was still keeping secrets from them all.

"I cannot believe him," Weiss Schnee fumed, her pacing sharp and erratic.

"He looked us dead in the eye down in the Atlas Vault. He explicitly told us the Relic of Knowledge had zero questions left!"

"And he lied," Blake Belladonna stated, her voice a low, dangerous whisper. Her amber eyes burned with betrayal.

"Saitama just proved the Lamp is still active. A giant blue entity literally came out of the artifact and offered him a question."

"And the craziest part is how we found out!" Nora Valkyrie threw her hands into the air, letting out a frustrated, hysterical laugh.

"Saitama just casually summoned a divine entity of knowledge, completely ignored her because he was sleepy from eating hot pot, and assumed she was a late-night scam artist! If he hadn't casually mentioned his 'weird bedroom furniture,' we never would have known!"

"Professor Ozpin is still playing games with us," Ren murmured, his usually calm, stoic demeanor entirely fractured.

"Even after everything we endured at Haven." Yang Xiao Long punched her golden gauntlets together, a spark of localized, fiery Aura flaring from the impact.

"Oscar. Call him out. Right now. We want to hear his explanation directly." Oscar nodded firmly, his own frustration mirroring theirs. He closed his eyes, centering his focus inward, plunging into the shared space of his consciousness.

"Professor Ozpin," Oscar demanded aloud, his voice echoing in the empty arena.

"We need you right now." At first, there was absolute silence. The quiet hum of the room's ventilation system was the only response.

"Professor, please!" Oscar shouted, his tone laced with fierce insistence. Slowly, Oscar opened his eyes. A faint, ancient shimmer passed over his irises. His posture shifted instantly, the youthful, frantic tension melting into a rigid, heavily burdened poise. Ozpin was now in control. Ozpin stood before the eight furious teenagers. He already knew the entirety of their conversation with Saitama out in the courtyard.

Secretly, beneath his calm exterior, the ancient wizard was profoundly, fundamentally shocked that the bald anomaly had managed to accidentally summon Jinn so effortlessly. But his immediate concern was the shattered trust of his students. Ozpin lowered his head slightly, leaning his weight onto Oscar's invisible, phantom cane.

"I know what you all wish to ask," Ozpin began, his voice smooth, slow, and laced with heavy regret.

"And I apologize. I am sorry for telling you that the three questions had been exhausted. The Relic of Knowledge can, indeed, still answer questions."

"Why did you lie to us again?" Ruby Rose demanded, taking a step forward. Her silver eyes lacked their usual warmth. They were sharp and accusing.

"First, you didn't tell us beforehand that the Relics attract Grimm! You put a target on our backs! And now, this?" Ozpin sighed heavily.

"Please, students. Now is not the time for this."

"No, we're past that!" Nora shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"We want to know why you're still not telling us everything!"

"What happened to 'no more lies and half-truths'?!" Yang challenged, stepping up right beside her sister.

"I did not mean to deceive you with malicious intent," Ozpin reasoned softly, his tone pleading for understanding.

"I will eventually tell you everything. I simply decided to keep the status of the Lamp a secret until the right time. It was for your own good. I needed you to focus on the immediate threats. Keeping the Lamp's functionality hidden was the safer option."

"It was not a 'safe' option, Professor!" Jaune Arc argued, his voice rising in anger.

"And it's definitely important! More important, even! We are fighting a shadow war against Salem's inner circle!"

"We agreed to your terms," Weiss added, her tone frigid.

"We agreed to keep Salem's existence an absolute secret from Saitama, despite how terrible it feels to lie to him. But what if Saitama had accidentally asked the Lamp to find him the strongest opponent in this world? It would have led him straight to the Grimm Queen!" Ozpin shook his head slowly.

"I knew Mr. Saitama would eventually activate the Lamp, even if I had warned you beforehand. His complete disregard for magical boundaries is well-documented. I simply never anticipated he would manage to do it so soon." Ozpin looked at the angry faces surrounding him.

"But what truly matters is that Mr. Saitama remains oblivious. I was certain he would not ask such a question, precisely because of the comfortable accommodations and premium food we have provided him. His mundane nature, his absolute lack of grand ambition... that is exactly what makes him the perfect, impenetrable hiding spot for the Relic."

"That is entirely not the point!" Blake snapped, her feline ears pinning flat against her skull.

"The point is that we have done everything you've asked! We have followed your orders, bled for this mission, and you are still withholding crucial tactical information from us!"

"We feel horrible keeping this shadow war from everyone!" Pyrrha Nikos stepped forward, her voice thick with emotional strain.

"Especially Robyn Hill, who knows we are actively lying to her face!"

"Not to mention Saitama!" Jaune yelled, his hands balling into fists.

"He constantly protects us! He trained us, he helped us grow, and he treats us to dinner! Do you have any idea how awful it feels to constantly lie to him?! To a mentor and a good friend?!" Ozpin's shoulders slumped. He looked at Jaune, genuine sorrow in his eyes.

"I understand very much how you feel, Mr. Arc. Especially toward him," Ozpin said gently.

"But it has to be done. To prevent an absolute apocalypse, for the greater good of this world... This is the best way for all of us." Weiss scoffed loudly, turning her head away in absolute disgust.

"You know, I am getting really tired of people choosing what's 'best' for me." The students stood united in their profound betrayal. But Pyrrha felt the sting deeper than anyone. She had been the very first one dragged into Ozpin's secret war before the Battle of Beacon. She had stood with him in the dreamscape and explicitly told him she understood his burden, that she forgave him. Yet he was still treating them like game pieces.

"We chose to help you because we believed in you, Professor," Pyrrha stated.

"Why do you not feel the same way toward us?"

"Of course I believe in you," Ozpin insisted, stepping forward, his hands raised in a placating gesture.

"I believe in my students. That is precisely why I chose you to join us. I know exactly what I am doing. All you have to do is trust me."

"You are treating us like pawns!" Ruby countered fiercely.

"We don't want to blindly follow your orders without mutual understanding!" Ren asked, his eyes narrowing.

"How can we possibly trust you if you yourself refuse to trust us?" Ozpin closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. He was searching in his mind a way to reassure the students.

"Alright, then. How about this," Jaune gave Ozpin question.

"The Beacon's vault was destroyed by Cinder. There was no relic there. Where did you seal the Relic of Choice?" Ozpin opened his eyes, panicking in the inside when he heard about the whereabouts of Vale's relic. He glanced to Ruby Rose, in which Ruby found it confusing. Ruby can felt the Headmaster's anxiety through his eyes.

"It's in somewhere safe," Ozpin turned to the others.

"I made the Relic more challenging to find than at the other Academies."

"See?! A cryptic answer again!" Nora groaned. Yang let out a heavy, frustrated sigh, unclenching her fists.

"Look... we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you!" This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE THE FIRST ONES TO SAY THAT TO ME?!" Ozpin suddenly roared, his voice echoing violently through the empty titanium arena. Something inside the ancient Headmaster snapped. The millennia of betrayals, assassinations, and broken alliances crashed down upon his soul. Team RWBY and Team JNPR flinched, completely shocked by the sudden, terrifying loss of his composed, grandfatherly calm. Ozpin froze, realizing his outburst.

He closed his eyes, inhaling a shaky, deep breath to desperately calm his fraying nerves.

"I'm sorry..." Ozpin whispered, opening his eyes, the heavy weight of centuries settling back over his features.

"I truly am sorry. But you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by agonizing experience. I am not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I am saying that I have reasons for the things that I do. For the secrets I keep." Ruby stared at him, a heartbreaking realization washing over her young face.

"So... all those times you talked about having faith in humanity... that was just a speech for everyone else?"

"That is not what I meant to suggest," Ozpin pleaded. He let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"Miss Rose, the Relic is a profoundly powerful item. I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."

"Even after everything we... all of us... have been through together?" Ruby asked, her voice cracking slightly. Ozpin fell entirely silent. He looked at their desperate, betrayed faces. He felt a crushing, immense guilt, but the absolute terror of them discovering his ultimate, darkest secret kept his jaw firmly locked. Pyrrha Nikos stared at his silence. Her tactical mind raced, analyzing his panic, his deflection, and his desperate need to keep the Lamp hidden. Then, she realized the terrifying truth.

"Professor..." Pyrrha breathed, taking a slow step back, her green eyes wide.

"Don't tell us... You're afraid that the Lamp will tell us what you're hiding?" Ozpin's heart practically stopped. A jolt of pure, internal shock rippled through his soul, confirming her horrific deduction.

"Team RWBY, Team JNPR..." Ozpin stammered, stepping forward urgently, his hands reaching out.

"I need you to listen to me--" Suddenly, Ozpin's movement violently hitched. His body froze entirely in place, his muscles locking up in a rigid, unnatural spasm. Team RWBY and Team JNPR stared at him in sheer confusion, weapons half-drawn. Then, the ancient shimmer faded from the irises. The eyes belonged entirely to a terrified farm boy.

"Oscar?!" Ruby gasped. Oscar was fiercely fighting back for control of his own body. He gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face as he wrestled the ancient wizard for dominance over their shared nervous system.

"Hurry...!" Oscar strained, his voice grinding out through clenched teeth.

"He's... he's trying to stop you!" Team RWBY and Team JNPR eyes widening in horrific realization.

"The Lamp!" Jaune gasped.

"Professor Ozpin wants to prevent us from getting it!" Ren shouted. Oscar forced his head up, looking directly at Ruby.

"Jinn...!" Oscar choked out, his body trembling violently.

"It's the name of the entity in the Lamp... that Saitama told us about...!"

"Oscar, please! Don't do this!!" Ozpin's voice echoed directly from Oscar's vocal cords, a desperate, overlapping dual-tone of panic. Oscar fought through the suppression, delivering his final, frantic warning to the Vanguard.

"Go to the penthouse!" Oscar screamed.

"Say her name to summon her! I... I can't hold him... much longer!" Team RWBY and Team JNPR exchanged a single, synchronized look of absolute, unified determination. They nodded. The eight teenagers turned and sprinted toward the arena exit at full speed.

"NO!!!" Ozpin roared from inside the boy's mind. Team RWBY and Team JNPR burst through the heavy doors, disappearing into the Academy corridors. Oscar's strength finally gave out. He couldn't hold the ancient wizard back any longer. With a violent jerk, Ozpin forcefully seized total control of their shared body. Ozpin stood alone in the training room, panting heavily, his heart hammering against his ribs. Panic, pure and unadulterated, flooded his veins.

He bolted forward, sprinting out of the arena to chase after them.

Out in the gleaming, sunlit hallways of Atlas Academy, Team FNKI was currently strolling back from the cafeteria.

"I'm just saying," Flynt Coal sighed, adjusting his fedora.

"I still have a headache from trying to track that guy's speed. My sonic waves didn't even touch him."

"It was totally crazy!" Neon Katt giggled, skating backward down the hall. Suddenly, a massive blur of color blew past them. Team RWBY and Team JNPR sprinted down the corridor at a dead run, their boots clattering wildly against the polished floor.

"Hey guys!" Kobalt called out, trying to wave.

"Sorry! In a hurry!" Ruby yelled back over her shoulder as the eight teenagers rounded the corner, making a desperate beeline for the Academy's main exit doors. Team FNKI paused, blinking in complete confusion.

"What's got them in such a rush?" Ivori wondered aloud. Ten seconds later, they heard the frantic slapping of boots. Oscar Pine sprinted down the exact same hallway. His face was a mask of absolute, wide-eyed terror, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Hey, Osca--" Flynt started. Ozpin didn't even acknowledge them. He simply blurred past, chasing the trail of Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Team FNKI watched the boy disappear around the corner. Neon tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Could they be... playing tag?"

Within the opulent upper tiers of the floating city, Team RWBY and Team JNPR burst out of the residential elevators and sprinted down the plush, carpeted hallway toward the Schnee-sponsored luxury penthouse. They skidded to a halt in front of the heavy mahogany double doors.

"It's locked!" Jaune panicked, rattling the handle.

"Saitama and Neo are out at the cafe! The penthouse is completely empty!"

"Stand back!" Weiss commanded. She pulled a sleek, encrypted master keycard from her pocket, a spare provided to her directly by Winter Schnee for emergencies. She swiped the card. The heavy locking mechanism clicked, and the mahogany doors swung inward. The eight teenagers rushed into the lavish living room, completely ignoring the velvet sofas and flat-screen televisions as they made a frantic dash straight for the guest quarters. They burst into the pristine guest bedroom. Saitama's bedroom.

Ruby threw open the heavy mahogany doors of the wardrobe. Sitting innocuously on the bottom shelf, resting between a stack of spare blankets, was the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby reached out with trembling hands and pulled the golden, jewel-encrusted Lamp from the shelf. She turned around, looking at Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren. They all nodded to her in absolute, silent solidarity. They were ready for the truth. Just then, heavy, frantic footsteps echoed from the living room.

Ozpin, still in full control of Oscar's exhausted body, burst into the bedroom doorway. He was panting heavily, his eyes wide with absolute dread as he saw the golden artifact in Ruby's hands. Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren instantly stepped forward. They formed a tight, impenetrable physical barricade between the ancient Headmaster and Ruby Rose.

"Students, please," Ozpin begged, his voice cracking with desperation as he held his hands out.

"You do not know what you are doing."

"Oh, we know exactly what we're doing, Professor!" Nora snapped back fiercely, raising her chin.

"You've kept us in the dark for far too long," Ren stated, his voice completely devoid of its usual warmth.

"We need to do this."

"You don't understand!" Ozpin pleaded, stepping forward, only for Jaune to raise his arms to block the path.

"If you use it... there is no going back!" Ozpin looked past the barricade, locking his desperate eyes onto the girl in the red hood.

"Put the Lamp back, Miss Rose," Ozpin begged, his voice dropping to a fragile whisper.

"I am begging you." Ruby looked at the Headmaster. Her silver eyes reflected a profound sadness. But her determination remained entirely unbroken. She had to know what they were fighting for. She looked down at the Relic in her hands. The blue gemstones began to glow with a faint, ethereal light. Ruby called out softly.

"Jinn?" Instantly, the fundamental laws of reality within the bedroom ceased to exist. The vibrant colors of the opulent penthouse drained away, plunging the world into a stark, frozen grayscale. The only ones still in colors were the students and the ancient Headmaster. Time stopped completely. Ruby and the others looked around in awe and profound confusion. They could move freely, but the world around them was paused.

"Is it... working?" Blake whispered. Ruby let go of the Relic. It did not fall to the floor. It floated gracefully a short distance away from her. Suddenly, a massive, billowing plume of brilliant, ethereal cyan smoke erupted from the golden spout. The smoke completely enveloped the Lamp, swirling and condensing into a towering, majestic form. From the mist, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerged. Her skin and flowing hair were a brilliant, cosmic blue, adorned with heavy gold jewelry and ancient ornaments.

The entity stretched her arms elegantly, a soft, melodic moan escaping her lips as she awakened from her slumber once again.

"Wonderful," The blue woman purred, her resonant voice echoing through the frozen time. Everyone stared in absolute, breathtaking awe at the divine entity of the Brother Gods.

"I am Jinn." She declared gracefully, floating above the carpet.

"A being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer--""That's enough!" Ozpin suddenly shouted, his voice tearing through the frozen silence. Though his body was mostly paralyzed by the temporal shift, the sheer force of his ancient magic allowed him to speak. Everyone snapped their heads toward him. Jinn simply offered a serene, knowing smile.

"... two questions this era," Jinn finished smoothly. The students gasped. The truth hit them like a physical blow. Jinn's declaration absolutely, unequivocally confirmed that Ozpin had lied to them in the Vault. The Relic wasn't empty. Jinn slowly turned her ethereal gaze toward the frozen boy, her eyes locking onto the ancient soul within. She chuckled, a soft, musical sound.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, old man," Jinn greeted fondly. Ozpin's face contorted into a mask of absolute, unadulterated terror. He looked at the students, knowing that the ultimate secret he had guarded for millennia was about to be laid bare. Jinn turned her glowing, pupil-less eyes back to Ruby.

"Tell me," Jinn smiled warmly.

"What knowledge do you seek?" Ozpin strained against the frozen time, his voice cracking with sheer desperation.

"Ruby, please... Don't." Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren immediately shifted their stances, tightening their barricade to absolutely ensure Ozpin could not advance on her. Ruby looked at the Headmaster one last time. She took a deep breath, steeling her heart.

"Jinn..." Ruby turned around to face Jinn, who hovered with a curious, expecting look on her face. Behind Ruby, Ozpin gritted his teeth, his expression twisting in absolute, helpless anger. Ruby looked up at the divine entity.

"What is Ozpin hiding from us?"" NOOOOOOO!!!" Ozpin roared. Ruby gasped, spinning around. Through sheer, desperate magical exertion, Ozpin lunged forward, breaking through the temporal lock. He burst past Jaune's shoulder, his hand reaching out to grab her. But suddenly, the bedroom vanished.

Ruby found herself standing entirely alone. She was surrounded by a blank, infinite expanse of pure, blinding white space.

"Wha--what?" Ruby stammered, looking around frantically. Ruby faded from view. Jaune materialized in a similar, endless white void, stepping forward from his defensive stance.

"Ruby? Pyrrha? Anyone?!" Jaune faded. Weiss appeared, spinning around with Myrtenaster drawn.

"Blake? Yang?!" Weiss faded. Yang manifested, her fists raised defensively.

"Ruby?! Weiss?! Blake?!" Yang faded. Blake appeared, her amber eyes scanning the absolute nothingness.

"Where is everybody?" Team RWBY and Team JNPR had all been pulled into the exact same otherworldly dimension by Jinn's magic. However, the entity had separated their perceptions, leaving each of them utterly alone in the white void to witness the coming vision. Slowly, the blank environment began to morph and manifest. A dirt path formed beneath their feet, leading toward a dark, imposing castle in the far distance.

The soft, echoing sound of a woman humming a lonely, melancholic melody drifted through the background. Jinn's resonant, melodic voice began to echo from everywhere and nowhere at once, speaking directly into the minds of Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower..." Jinn narrated. The mist shifted. Blake faded from view, and Pyrrha Nikos materialized exactly where she had been. Pyrrha turned, looking over her shoulder as the vision solidified.

"... that sheltered a lonely girl." Jinn continued. A high-definition, phantom projection materialized in the void. It was a rather beautiful, blonde woman, sitting quietly in front of an ancient vanity mirror. Ruby walked slowly up to the projection, staring at the woman's face with profound curiosity.

"Her name..." Jinn revealed softly.

"Is Salem."