Chương 152: Chapter 144: The Immortal Nuisance

The atmosphere inside General James Ironwood's massive, sterile office at Atlas Academy was a chaotic blend of absolute awe, lingering adrenaline, and profound existential crisis. The room was packed to its absolute limits. General Ironwood stood rigidly behind his desk, flanked by Specialist Winter Schnee and Qrow Branwen. Gathered in the center of the office were Oscar Pine, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Dr. Pietro Polendina, Maria Calavera, and Penny.

Standing strictly along the perimeter were the five Ace Operatives: Clover, Marrow, Harriet, Elm, and Vine. Hovering above the central console were two massive holographic screens. On the left, Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch broadcasted from Beacon Academy. On the right, Headmaster Theodore and his assistant, Xanthe Rumpole, watched from Shade Academy. But the undisputed center of attention was the two figures from an entirely different universe.

Saitama stood casually in his black "Darwin" suit and white trench coat, holding Roman Torchwick's signature bowler hat lazily in his hand. His face was set in its usual, comical flat expression. Standing directly behind his right shoulder, acting as an imposing, hyper-vigilant bodyguard, was Demon Cyborg. Genos's heavily upgraded, pitch-black chassis pulsed with bright orange internal heat, his mechanical eyes continuously scanning the room.

Neopolitan, wearing her warm black trench coat, stood close to Saitama's left side, idly twirling her parasol. Genos had just finished delivering a meticulous, highly analytical briefing. Projected from his ocular sensors was a high-definition, three-dimensional hologram displaying the sprawling, alphabetized metropolises of his Earth, the towering headquarters of the Hero Association, and terrifying combat footage of various S-Class heroes battling towering Mysterious Beings.

The hologram fizzled out, plunging the room back into the cold light of Atlas. The native inhabitants of Remnant had mixed reactions. The teenagers stared at the cyborg in breathless awe, their minds entirely blown by the scale of his homeworld's technology. The adults, however, were spiraling into quiet, terrifying existential crises. Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood, and Winter, the very first members of Ozpin's Inner Circle to interrogate Saitama after the Battle of Beacon, stared at the cyborg in sheer disbelief.

Saitama had casually mentioned being from another world with alphabetized cities and a "Hero Association" months ago, but they had aggressively dismissed it as spatial disorientation or absurdity.

"So..." Glynda breathed, her strict, professional composure slipping as her green eyes widened on the screen.

"Everything that he said back then in the parlor... they were all true?"

"Other worlds actually exist?" Winter whispered, her pristine posture faltering. Saitama was comically baffled, gesturing toward the adults with his bowler hat.

"The kids already believed me ages ago, and you guys still didn't? Even after all this time? Geez, you're more stubborn than kids."

"In our defense," Qrow muttered, taking a long drag from his flask.

"You also thought Lien was Monopoly money. But I always had a feeling you fell out of a different sky." Dr. Pietro Polendina wheeled himself closer to Genos, adjusting his glasses as he marveled at the pitch-black composite alloys.

"Fascinating... the energy integration is flawless. You do not possess a single drop of Aura, just like Mr. Saitama."

"Genos has a father who built him, just like you built me, Father!" Penny beamed brightly, hovering slightly off the floor. Maria Calavera let out a raspy cackle, leaning on her skull-cane.

"I'll be damned. The boy is a walking tank, and our little Penny is a flying sword-rack. Quite the family resemblance, minus the fleshy bits." Headmaster Theodore let out a booming, hearty chuckle from his holographic feed, crossing his massive arms.

"Parallel worlds, huh? I wonder if there is another version of me somewhere out there punching Grimm."

"This isn't the time to think about that, Theo," Rumpole sighed, rubbing her temples as she adjusted her glasses.

"Enough about us," Genos interrupted, his synthetic voice cutting through the chatter with absolute, cold authority. His glowing yellow eyes swept across the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"It is your turn to tell me. What did you do to Saitama-sensei during his stay in this universe? Why did you make him wear mafia undercover attire? Why did the people in the city call him 'Darwin'?" Genos then turned his sharp gaze toward the diminutive criminal standing beside his master.

"And why are you acting clingy to Sensei? What is your relationship with him?"

"Don't mind her," Saitama answered lazily, waving a dismissive hand.

"It's just business. She is a troublesome brat who can't take care of herself." Neo puffed her cheeks out, offering Saitama a fierce, comical pout. She quickly typed on her Scroll and shoved the screen into his face. [You too] Saitama looked comically annoyed, glaring down at her.

"Oh, really? I'm not the one whose hobby is pickpocketing, though." Neo narrowed her heterochromic eyes and comically smacked Saitama's arm.

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth," Saitama grumbled. Genos stared at the exchange, completely baffled.

"She... somehow reminds me of Tornado."

"I know, right?" Saitama nodded in profound agreement. Genos shook his head, refocusing his intense glare on the adults.

"Now, tell me. What is your business with Saitama-sensei all this time?" Everyone in the room, except for Saitama, Genos, and Neo, exchanged long, deeply awkward glances. It was a remarkably complicated story to summarize. Eventually, Glynda Goodwitch sighed from her holographic screen, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It is... a rather complicated geopolitical situation, Mr. Genos," Glynda began carefully, adjusting her glasses.

"To put it simply, your 'Sensei' is worshipped as a savior back in our home Kingdom of Vale. After he effortlessly decimated a catastrophic threat, we provided him with shelter and compensation in exchange for him acting as our ultimate deterrent."

"We gave him one strict condition: he was absolutely not allowed to leave the Vale sector without explicit clearance. Because if the other Kingdoms discovered an unregistered asset capable of altering the weather with a physical strike was wandering around, it would trigger a global conflict," General Ironwood added, his tone rigid.

"But apparently, Mr. Saitama here broke the protocol." Saitama picked his ear lazily.

"I just wanted to buy Mistral bananas. It was a total accident."

"An accident that launched you across the entire ocean to the continent of Anima!" Weiss Schnee scolded him, throwing her hands in the air.

"We had to cover it up!" Ruby Rose explained frantically to the cyborg.

"If the rest of the world knew the 'Hero of Vale' was secretly operating in Mistral, it would have caused mass panic and completely destroyed the peace treaty between the Kingdoms!" Genos's optical sensors narrowed, processing the tactical logic.

"So you masked his whereabouts. How?"

"Well..." Jaune Arc rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"The First Years of Beacon Academy found a guy who kind of looks like him. A random, completely terrified bald civilian named Darwin. He is currently sitting in Beacon Academy under heavy guard, pretending to be Saitama." Genos's core flared with a sudden, indignant burst of heat.

"You replaced Saitama-sensei with an ordinary bald civilian?!"

"It was a necessary deception to maintain global stability," Qrow Branwen interjected, taking a sip from his flask.

"But your master here doesn't exactly know how to keep a low profile. When he arrived here in Atlas, he accidentally saved a highly prominent local politician from an assassination attempt in a rally party."

"He became a revered figure in Mantle overnight," Specialist Winter Schnee sighed, crossing her arms.

"The press and the public were demanding answers. We had absolutely no choice but to provide him with a classified public alias to hide his true identity from foreign spies and the media. Hence, he is currently operating under the name 'Darwin' and wearing that... attire." Genos stood entirely silent. His internal processors working overtime to comprehend the sheer, ridiculous magnitude of his Sensei's geopolitical misadventures in this weird world.

"In other words," Qrow sighed, shaking his head.

"Your master here has caused massive, continent-spanning troubles for us. But at the same time... he also always saved us."

"He helped us a lot," Glynda nodded sincerely from the screen.

"Although giving us quite the headache too." Saitama rubbed his bald head in comical annoyance, his rubber glove squeaking.

"All I did was search for discounts and free foods. This has been both a great and the worst vacation at the same time." Genos's glowing eyes softened as he looked at his master.

"I am relieved, Sensei. Hearing that you received free rent and groceries... I am glad you have been doing okay in this world for the past three months." Saitama paused. He comically blinked, turning his head toward the cyborg.

"Wait... Three months?"

"Yes, Sensei," Genos confirmed with absolute precision.

"To be precise, two months and twenty-eight days." A profound silence fell over the room as Saitama processed the timeline. The gathered Huntsmen and Huntresses exchanged deeply confused looks.

"I don't know, Genos," Saitama muttered, scratching his cheek.

"I think I've been here way longer than that. Counting from the first time I arrived in this world, at Vale, it was... uh..." Saitama looked over at the Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"When was it again?"

"You showed up during the Battle of Beacon, Saitama," Jaune Arc answered, stepping forward.

"That was ten months ago, more or less." Genos's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Ten months?!" Genos violently spun back to Saitama.

"But, Sensei! In our universe, it has only been three months since your disappearance after you punched Void-Gorgon!" Saitama tilted his head, completely blank.

"Void who?"

"Void-Gorgon!" Genos stressed, his synthetic voice pitching up.

"The god-level creature that brought you into this world after you attacked it with your Normal Punch!" Saitama looked up at the ceiling, squinting as he tried to access the deeply buried, entirely apathetic memory.

"Ooh..." Saitama finally realized, lightly punching his palm.

"The one with many arms and tentacles?"

"That's right!" Genos confirmed.

"And it is still alive! It is currently residing in the multiverse, and it is actively evolving, along with its spawns!"

"I see..." Saitama mused lazily.

"But, hold on. You said it has been three months in our world? Just three months?"

"It is true, Sensei," Genos nodded grimly.

"And you said you have been here for ten months!" Team RWBY and Team JNPR gasped, the scientific implications dawning on them.

"Time flows differently in both universes," Ren deduced, his eyes widening. Genos suddenly dropped into a deep, formal bow directly in front of Saitama.

"Sensei!" Genos shouted, his voice thick with shame.

"I am truly sorry for not coming here sooner! To think that you have been stranded in this alien world for so long... I am sorry for being a failure of a disciple!"

"Hey, hey. Don't be so overreactive," Saitama said, comically baffled as he waved his hands.

"It's alright. I kinda enjoy the free rent here anyway." The assembled teams and operatives watched the scene in utter bafflement, whispering quietly to each other about the cyborg's absurd, overwhelming loyalty. Genos stood back up, his expression shifting to deadly seriousness.

"Sensei, our world is in danger! Everyone needs you right now! We must return to our home universe!" The words hit the room like a physical shockwave. Every single native of Remnant in the office completely froze. The defenders of Remnant were currently entrenched in an unwinnable, apocalyptic shadow war against an immortal god. They currently held Saitama as their absolute, reality-breaking trump card. And now, his incredibly loyal cyborg disciple was here to take him away. Neopolitan reacted the same way.

Her heterochromic eyes widened in sheer, silent panic. Since Saitama was the only person she had left in this world.

"Y-You..." Ruby stammered.

"You want to go back home? Now?"

"Correct," Genos answered coldly, glancing at the teenagers.

"I thank you all for accompanying him all this time. Now you do not need to worry about your political issues or your 'Darwin' cover-up anymore. We are leaving this universe."

"No! Please don't!" Oscar Pine yelled, taking a desperate step forward.

"We all need Saitama here!" The entire room erupted into panicked murmurs. Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Glynda, Qrow, Theodore, Rumpole, Winter, and Ironwood all looked at the two otherworlders with desperate, terrified expressions. Just prior to the Grimm breach, they had all collectively agreed to finally tell Saitama the absolute truth about Salem's immortality. They firmly believed Saitama was the only force in existence capable of opposing her. They simply could not afford to lose him.

Saitama stood in his usual, slouched posture, staring at the panicked, sweating faces of his friends in complete, flat-faced confusion. However, Penny, Pietro, Maria, and the five Ace Operatives looked incredibly confused by the group's extreme desperation. They understood that Saitama was a powerful asset, but the sheer, apocalyptic terror radiating from Ironwood and the Vanguard seemed vastly disproportionate.

Because Penny, Pietro, Maria, and the Ace-Ops had not been present in Ironwood's office when Jinn's fable was revealed. They had absolutely no idea the crucial truth about Salem. Genos noticed the discrepancy immediately. His optical sensors narrowed into sharp, analytical slits. A soft blue grid projected from Genos's eyes, washing over General Ironwood, Winter, Qrow, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR, rapidly scanning their biometric data. He couldn't scan the holograms of Glynda, Theodore, or Rumpole.

But the physical reactions in the room were more than enough. Genos looked at Saitama for a moment, confirming his master's genuine obliviousness, then turned back to the terrified Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"All of you are hiding something from my Sensei," Genos stated, his synthetic voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees. Saitama blinked, looking at Genos.

"Huh?"

"I already knew from our first encounter on the street," Genos continued, taking an intimidating step forward, his core glowing menacingly.

"Your heart rates are wildly elevated. Your micro-expressions indicate profound, existential dread. I can read all of you like an open book." The room fell into a suffocating, absolute silence. Genos was not apathetic or oblivious like Saitama. He was incredibly smart, hyper-analytical, and fiercely protective. General Ironwood, Qrow, Winter, Oscar, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR looked at each other. They exchanged heavy, defeated nods. There was no point in lying anymore.

It was time to reveal everything to their hero from another world, exactly as they had promised themselves they would. Ruby Rose took a deep, shaky breath. She stepped forward, standing directly in front of Saitama, and bowed her head deeply.

"We are incredibly sorry, Saitama," Ruby began, her voice trembling with genuine guilt.

"All this time... even though you have helped everyone, and protected us... we have been keeping something crucial from you in secret." Saitama's expression remained comically deadpan, though his right eyebrow raised slightly in curiosity. Genos crossed his mechanical arms, listening with a lethal, judgmental scowl.

"We dragged you into a shadow war," Weiss Schnee continued, her voice remarkably quiet.

"We are currently battling a force of darkness that has been hidden from the public for millennia."

"Uh..." Saitama tilted his head, scratching his cheek.

"Force of what?"

"There is an ancient Queen of Grimm that we are battling," Blake Belladonna explained softly, her amber eyes filled with dread.

"Her name... is Salem""She possesses powerful dark magic and the absolute ability to control the Creatures of Grimm all around the world. She is the ultimate evil that has lived for millennia, and she wants to rule the whole of Remnant," Yang Xiao Long added, clenching her fists.

"She is the most powerful being on our planet," Pyrrha Nikos stated grimly.

"Or, she was. Until you came." Hearing that, Saitama's simple dotted eyes slowly began to widen. Ozpin's inner circle, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Winter, Penny, Pietro, Maria, and the Ace-Ops all noticed his expression shifting. General Ironwood and Qrow braced themselves for the absolute worst. They vividly remembered lying directly to Saitama's face in the parlor after the Battle of Beacon, explicitly telling him that there was no "Demon Lord" or "Final Boss" in this world.

"The lamp sitting in your wardrobe in the penthouse..." Ren continued, his voice steady.

"It's actually not a piece of furniture. It is the Relic of Knowledge. The very same one you grabbed after you destroyed the magical door in the Haven Academy vault. And the giant blue woman you saw... was the divine entity residing inside of it."

"There are four Relics on Remnant," Nora Valkyrie explained, pointing to her fingers.

"Each is sealed inside magic doors in the Academy vaults. They can only be opened by Maidens, individuals who wield seasonal magic powers. If Salem manages to get all four Relics, she can reshape or destroy the world."

"Since you secured the Relic of Knowledge for us, Salem's forces are now targeting the Atlas vault," Jaune Arc concluded, looking at Saitama with desperate hope.

"This Kingdom is in extreme danger. That's why we need you as a backup if something happens to the Winter Maiden, since you are the only one able to bypass Remnant's magic." Ruby looked up, her silver eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"That's why we don't want you to go. Please... don't leave us." The massive office fell into a dead, terrifying silence. The assembled defenders of Remnant stared at Saitama, their hearts hammering against their ribs. They watched as Saitama's eyes widened to their absolute, maximum blocky proportions in sheer, unadulterated shock.

"N-no way..." Saitama gasped softly. The adults flinched. They were terrified that Saitama was about to lash out, furious that he had been manipulated and used as a geopolitical chess piece for ten months. Genos narrowed his eyes, waiting to see his Sensei's wrath.

"How could this be...?" Saitama whispered, looking down at his gloved hands.

"Saitama, we are very sorry--" Blake started to apologize again.

"I was wrong about you..." Saitama interrupted, placing his hand over his face. He slowly shook his head in absolute, profound disbelief, his voice thick with crushing disappointment. Seeing that, the teenagers and adults felt a wave of agonizing guilt wash over them.

"I thought... All this time..." Saitama groaned.

"We are truly regretful, Saitama!" Ruby pleaded.

"We wish we could--""I thought you were hiding the fact that the military truly bought all the premium beef stocks at the supermarket!" Saitama cried out, comically revealing his absolute disappointment. Every single native of Remnant in the room (except Genos) widened their eyes. Their jaws simultaneously dropping to the floor in sheer, paralyzing bafflement.

"W-What...?" Qrow choked out, entirely losing his train of thought.

"I thought you were going to tell me about where the robot-arm guy and his military stored all the Wagyu beef!" Saitama complained, pointing an accusing finger at General Ironwood.

"But apparently, you guys weren't the ones who caused the beef at the supermarket to be out of stock!" Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Saitama let out a long, highly comical sigh, dropping his arms.

"I was totally wrong about you guys. Sorry for my misjudgment." Genos stepped forward, placing a reassuring, mechanical hand on his master's shoulder with absolute, comical seriousness.

"Do not worry, Sensei. I will assist you in finding more premium beef after this."

"Thanks, Genos," Saitama comically scratched his neck.

"But maybe some other time. I already walked around the city with the brat all day, looking for a cafe." The entire room stared at them. The absolute, reality-breaking absurdity of Saitama's antic was completely mind-boggling. And the fact that his hyper-advanced, deadly serious cyborg disciple just casually enabled his mundane complaints made it even worse.

"Mr. Saitama, this is serious!" General Ironwood bellowed, his composure completely shattering.

"I am serious too," Saitama replied casually, picking his ear.

"Saitama, we are facing a god who controls all the Creatures of Grimm, the monsters in this world!" Jaune yelled, waving his arms frantically.

"And she is eternal!" Pyrrha added desperately.

"She cannot be permanently destroyed with anything!" Hearing that, Neopolitan, Penny, Pietro, Maria, and the Ace-Ops physically recoiled in shock.

"Wait, what?!" Elm gasped, gripping her hammer.

"Salem is immortal?!" Marrow yelped, his tail puffing up in sheer terror. General Ironwood turned to his operatives, his face grim.

"We just found out too, right before the breach earlier. Ozpin was hiding this crucial detail from us." The room fell into a heavy, terrifying silence again as the newly informed individuals processed the apocalyptic reality. Ironwood, Glynda, Qrow, Theodore, Rumpole, Oscar, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR turned their desperate gazes back to Saitama, waiting for his reaction to the absolute, soul-crushing fact of Salem's immortality. Saitama comically blinked his dotted eyes, his face completely flat.

Genos stood beside him, entirely stoic.

"Okay." Saitama said simply. The occupants of the room stared at him in complete, utter bafflement. They had expected shock. They had expected fear. They had expected something.

"That's it?" Weiss asked, utterly bewildered.

"What?" Saitama asked blankly.

"Are you serious? Just 'okay'?" Yang threw her hands in the air.

"Is there anything else?" Saitama asked, genuinely confused by their panic.

"She is an immortal being!" Nora screamed, pulling her own hair.

"She is not like any Grimm you've faced before!" Ren stressed urgently.

"Nonsense," Genos suddenly interjected, his synthetic voice slicing through the panic. The entire group snapped their heads toward the cyborg.

"No one is more powerful than Saitama-sensei," Genos stated with absolute, unquestionable factual certainty. He glared at the adults.

"Also, how long have you been keeping this from my Sensei?" Glynda sighed heavily from the holographic screen, adjusting her glasses.

"Since the very first time he showed up." Saitama rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Now that you mention it, I remember telling you guys that I had been isekai'd. And I specifically asked whether this world had a Demon Lord or any kind of Final Boss." Hearing that his Sensei had been intentionally fooled for ten months, Genos's core flared a violent crimson.

"How dare you keep Saitama-sensei in the dark for ten months!" Genos roared, taking a highly aggressive step toward the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"Saitama-sensei has always protected your world, and all of you repay him with deception!" They are all flinched, feeling a profound, heavy guilt. Especially Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"We deeply apologize for all the lies," Winter stated formally, stepping in front of Ironwood.

"We simply could not take any risk of Mr. Saitama causing collateral damage if he rushed toward the 'Demon Lord'."

"We didn't have any other choice," General Ironwood defended rigidly.

"We had just met him back then. We didn't know anything about his character. He could have been one of Salem's forces, or he could have been easily manipulated by her. We had to be careful."

"You are all blinded by your political overthinking, which makes you incredibly ungrateful toward Saitama-sensei!" Genos reprimanded them fiercely.

"And if this 'Salem' is as powerful as you claim, then why is she hiding like a coward all this time and letting her grunts do the work? Many powerful Mysterious Beings in our universe always attacked humanity directly, to demonstrate their absolute superiority."

"Mr. Genos, she is not a mindless beast like the monsters in your world," Headmaster Theodore countered from his screen.

"Salem is incredibly smart. She manipulates humans from the shadows to create chaos in all Kingdoms. For her, it is an effective way to reach her goal without risking exposure."

"The fact that your conflict is still ongoing after many ages proves it is not effective at all," Genos stated bluntly, completely dismantling Theodore's logic. Genos stared at the military leaders and students with absolute, clinical bewilderment.

"This entire 'battle in the shadows' concept is ridiculous. It is not worth our time," Genos concluded coldly.

"We have much larger, Multiversal matters to attend to."

"Please, don't go! We need your help!" Jaune pleaded, taking a step toward the cyborg.

"Saitama is our only hope!" Ruby cried.

"And with you here, Genos, our chance to win is so much bigger!" Genos looked at the desperate teenagers, his optical sensors whirring.

"Then point us to her. Show us her headquarters or hideouts. We will finish this quickly so we can return home." The room instantly erupted in panic.

"That is reckless, Mr. Genos! You are absolutely not doing such a thing!" Rumpole shouted from the Shade feed.

"Yeah. Besides, we don't even know where she actually is," Qrow admitted, shaking his head.

"Ozpin told us that she lives in a hidden castle, but we don't know the exact coordinates."

"Then Saitama-sensei and I can simply search for her ourselves," Genos reasoned efficiently.

"My system can track any anomalous energy, including the wavelength you refer to as 'magic'."

"Mr. Genos, this is not a request," General Ironwood ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority.

"Do NOT do that! You are risking our entire public cover if they encounter each other now!"

"You want our help, yet you prohibit us from engaging in combat with her?" Genos asked, utterly baffled by their contradictory logic.

"We cannot just fight her directly!" Glynda yelled, entirely losing her composure.

"Salem is unkillable and could destroy Remnant if she wanted to!"

"Saitama-sensei is the mightiest hero in existence!" Genos argued fiercely, his hands clenching.

"He saved our world from apocalypse multiple times! He defeated planet-destroying monsters! He defeated dimension-shattering entities! What can your witch possibly do? Throw black animals at him?!"

"It's not about whether he can win or not! It's about the impact of their fight!" General Ironwood roared back.

"Salem already knows everything that Mr. Saitama is capable of! The second Salem sees him, she will summon every single Grimm all around the world! Holding Remnant hostage or destroying everything instantly!"

"And we don't know if Saitama's punch can actually bypass Salem's magic!" Winter added frantically.

"It's true that Saitama is able to destroy the relic door, but what if Salem's immortality is more absolute? If Salem happens to still be able to regenerate, Mr. Saitama surely will increase the damage of his punch again and again, which will eventually destroy the very continents we stand on! We simply do not want to take that risk!"

"What makes you think Saitama-sensei would let that happen?" Genos scowled.

"Even after all this time, all of you are still underestimating my Sensei?"

"Calm down, Genos. That's enough," Saitama finally spoke, his voice entirely flat and unimpressed. Saitama looked around the room, covering his ears in comical annoyance.

"Geez, all of you are being way too loud."

"Sensei," Genos turned to Saitama, pointing an accusatory metal finger at the assembled Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"These people are a group of manipulators. All this time, they have been using you for their own convenience!"

"That's not true!" Pyrrha protested, her heart breaking.

"We never wanted to do anything bad to him!"

"Saitama is our good friend!" Ruby added, her voice cracking.

"A friendship built entirely on lies?" Genos asked coldly. Genos's guilt-tripping was devastatingly effective. The students and operatives lowered their heads, completely unable to defend themselves. Seeing the crushing guilt in the room, Saitama let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Well..." Saitama muttered, scratching his cheek.

"Apparently this world does have a Demon Lord after all. I truly am in an isekai story." Saitama then stared at the teams and headmasters with a comically deadpan expression.

"Does this... Dark Queen or whatever, have any dimensional power?" Saitama asked.

"Dimensional power?" Nora repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Yeah," Saitama elaborated vaguely, waving his hand.

"Like... creating a portal that leads to another world, or any other abilities related to moving into different dimensions. Can she do something like that?"

"Uh..." Jaune scratched his head, thinking back to Jinn's vision.

"We don't know. The Relic of Knowledge showed us many of her magical abilities, but we didn't see her having that kind of cosmic power. So... No. I don't think so." Genos's serious face instantly snapped toward the group. He raised his mechanical arm, pointing directly at Oscar.

"You," Genos commanded.

"M-Me?" Oscar squeaked, pointing to himself.

"Step forward." The confused, terrified farm boy slowly stepped forward, stopping right in front of the towering cyborg and the bald hero.

"I need answers regarding Saitama-sensei and my questions," Genos stated.

"Oh, um..." Oscar stammered.

"I--""Not you," Genos interrupted coldly.

"The other one, residing inside your body." Oscar's hazel eyes widened in absolute shock. Behind him, Ozpin's group, Team RWBY, Team JNPR, the Ace-Ops, Pietro, and Maria all gasped collectively. They hadn't told Genos anything about Ozpin or Ozma, let alone the fact that the ancient wizard resided inside Oscar's soul. But the cyborg had managed to find out entirely by himself. Qrow started to ask.

"How did you--""I scanned all of you earlier," Genos explained clinically.

"I found this adolescent boy possesses two distinct, overlapping brainwave patterns. It seems he is infected by an ancient, parasitic entity." Everyone present was profoundly shocked. Genos's technology was so advanced it could actively detect souls and magic. General Ironwood stared at the cyborg, absolutely terrified by the implications of such power. While Pietro looked utterly, completely fascinated. Penny was simply in awe.

"Oh, right," Saitama remembered casually.

"They said that this farm boy here has... some kind of two souls, if I'm not wrong. He was sometimes himself, and sometimes a weird old guy that was said to have lived for a long, long time."

"So, he possesses 'magic' energy too. He is like Salem, in a different way," Genos deduced instantly.

"That means he possesses much more historical information than the others." Genos leaned forward, his glowing optical sensors narrowing intimidatingly as he stared at the boy.

"Wizard. Show yourself." Oscar closed his eyes. A faint, ancient magical shimmer washed over his body for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, the frantic youth was gone, replaced by the heavy, ancient gaze of Ozpin.

"Greetings, Mr. Genos," Ozpin said politely, keeping his composure perfectly.

"It is an absolute honor to meet Mr. Saitama's frie--""Spare the pleasantries," Genos cut him off effortlessly.

"We are not interested in your tiny war." Ozpin's eyes widened slightly. He realized instantly that Genos truly did not care about the shadow war that had consumed Remnant for millennia. Saitama's universe was vastly greater and far more terrifying than anything Ozpin had ever faced.

"You heard Saitama-sensei's question," Genos demanded.

"Now, answer." Ozpin sighed softly, looking at Saitama.

"I know that you think defeating the 'Demon Lord' can somehow open a portal to bring you back to your home universe, like in the fictional books or television programs that you have watched," Ozpin explained gently.

"But I am truly sorry to disappoint you. She does not possess that kind of multiversal ability."

"You better not be lying again, old man," Theodore growled from the screen.

"No," Ozpin turned slightly to address the Headmasters.

"I swear, in the name of the Brother Gods. I am already done deceiving anyone." Ozpin turned back to Genos and Saitama.

"I have fought Salem for millennia. I know exactly everything that she is capable of. But she absolutely does not possess any interdimensional-related power." Genos stared at Ozpin for a long, quiet moment. His internal sensors actively scanning the wizard's biological responses to determine if he was lying.

"Then pinpoint us the exact coordinates of her hideout," Genos demanded.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Ozpin refused politely.

"Like the others said, your direct encounter with her is far too risky." Genos scoffed loudly.

"Are you implying that Saitama-sensei cannot handle her without causing casualties?"

"Mr. Genos, with all due respect, we have never had a single thought that Salem is more powerful than Mr. Saitama, or you, or any heroes from your world," Ozpin clarified, his voice laced with genuine respect.

"It's just that... our world has a completely different system than yours. In your universe, or planet, what you call 'Earth', this level of apocalyptic battle may seem to be normal. But that's not how it works here. We are gambling with Remnant's ultimate fate."

"If her cellular regeneration is truly that powerful, which can even outpace my maximum incineration cannons, I can simply weld her inside a titanium-tungsten vault and bury her at the very bottom of the ocean," Genos began, his synthetic voice dropping into a hyper-logical, terrifyingly practical register.

"Or, alternatively, Saitama-Sensei could simply throw her into the sun, letting her burn forever. Or the vacuum of deep space. The lack of oxygen and absolute zero temperatures in orbit do not require a target to be mortal to effectively neutralize them." The entire room completely froze. General Ironwood, Ozpin, Qrow, and the Vanguard stared at Genos with their jaws practically hitting the floorboards. For millennia, Ozpin had been paralyzed by despair over the absolute phrase "You can't destroy her."

But Genos and Saitama didn't care about destroying her. They just wanted to throw her into orbit. The absolute hopelessness that had crushed the defenders of Remnant was instantly, completely shattered by the cyborg's sheer, overpowered practicality. Ozpin let out a long, heavy sigh, lowering his head.

"I already attempted similar methods to contain her in my past lives, with my past alliances," Ozpin confessed wearily.

"There was a time we put her on an eternal fire that never went out. And there was a time we successfully used one of the Relics to lure and trap her in a localized containment space. Those ways did immobilize Salem, yes. But they did not permanently stop her. She simply directed her rage outward, making all the Grimm vastly more dangerous and killing many of my people. Not to mention that she possesses fanatic followers who will do anything to free her. In the end, she eventually got out and continued her terror."

Ozpin looked deeply into Genos's and Saitama's eyes.

"She may not be able to physically return if you throw her far away from Remnant, but her magic is still entirely intact," Ozpin explained gravely.

"She can still magically command all the Creatures of Grimm in this world, wherever you place her. She will use all of the most powerful Grimm to aggressively, relentlessly attack all the living beings on Remnant, even if she is hurting forever in space. She is unstoppable."

"I refuse to accept that she cannot be permanently stopped, even if she cannot be destroyed," Genos argued fiercely.

"Besides, there is absolutely no way she can survive Saitama-sensei--""Alright, alright," Saitama interrupted, scratching his bald head in comical annoyance.

"All of you, enough already. This 'Death Battle' debate will only go in circles."

"Yes, Sensei," Genos immediately complied, standing down. Saitama stared at Ozpin with his usual, entirely unbothered flat face.

"The point is, I still can't go back to my home universe even if I defeated her. Right?" Saitama asked directly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Mr. Saitama," Ozpin nodded sadly.

"I am sorry." Saitama fell completely silent for a moment. Ozpin held his breath, terrified of how the invincible god would react to being trapped.

"That's a shame," Saitama muttered, shrugging effortlessly.

"But okay."

"There is no point in looking for her then," Genos concluded efficiently.

"Yeah," Saitama agreed. He then turned his head.

"But, you were able to come here, Genos. How did you do it?"

"When the same extradimensional creatures invaded our world again, we successfully managed to capture one advanced specimen," Genos explained, projecting a small hologram from his palm.

"It was much more powerful than the regular spawns, Sensei. It possessed a residual 'warp energy' that the Association scientists utilized to lead me to this world."

"So, it means..." Saitama reasoned, tapping his chin.

"The only way we can go back is to find the exact same monster in this world?"

"That is correct, Sensei. And with that..." Genos turned his piercing gaze back to Ozpin.

"Wizard, one more question. Since you have lived in this world for thousands of years." Ozpin tensed, wondering what the cyborg wanted to ask. Genos expanded the hologram. It displayed a highly detailed, rotating 3D model of the multi-limbed extradimensional eldritch monster that had invaded Saitama's home universe.

"Have you ever seen this creature?" Genos asked. Ozpin, and all the Huntsmen and Huntresses behind him, leaned in to carefully observe the 3D model. All of them were profoundly confused, and deeply terrified by the sheer, alien monstrosity of the extradimensional creature.

"What kind of creature is that?" Ren breathed in horror.

"It has so many limbs..." Vine noted, adjusting his collar.

"Many tendrils..." Ozpin stared at the hologram in complete confusion. Genos watched him closely, running biometric scans to detect any deception.

"I'm sorry, but no," Ozpin answered honestly.

"I have never encountered that creature in all my lives, nor have I heard any rumors of it."

"Are you sure?" Genos pressed.

"If I had ever seen this kind of cosmic horror with my own eyes, I would never forget about it," Ozpin promised. Genos stared at Ozpin for a long, analytical moment.

"I see," Genos said, the hologram fading from his palm.

"That is unfortunate."

"You believe him?" Yang asked, crossing her arms.

"I scanned his biological responses the entire time," Genos confirmed.

"He was telling the absolute truth. Including when he told all of you that he is done with deceiving anyone." Everyone present looked at Oscar's body. Ironwood, Qrow, Glynda, Theodore, Rumpole, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR were still harboring deep, simmering anger toward Ozpin's past lies. But they all felt a wave of genuine relief to know that Ozpin had truly changed his ways.

"Still, what kind of creature was that?" Clover asked, frowning.

"It was nothing like Grimm at all."

"It was terrifying," Winter noted, shuddering slightly.

"Was that one of the 'Mysterious Beings' in your world, Mr. Genos?"

"No, they are not terrestrial," Genos clarified darkly.

"They originate from outside of our universe, somewhere outside of any known dimensions. Our universe is on the absolute brink of destruction because of them, so we desperately need to find their 'main body'."

"And... that creature is here? In our world?" Rumpole asked from her screen, her voice trembling.

"Most likely, since the energy tether of the captured specimen led me directly into this universe," Genos analyzed.

"However, the wizard confirmed that there were no extradimensional creatures active in this world. I am assuming that it could be lurking somewhere deep underground or in an isolated sector, completely unknown to all the inhabitants of this planet." The defenders of Remnant looked at each other in a chaotic mix of profound confusion and absolute terror. They were still entirely overwhelmed by the apocalyptic fact that Salem was unkillable.

And now, they were being told there was a high possibility of their world getting invaded by multiversal alien monsters?

"All of you, simply focus on your so-called immortal witch," Genos advised coldly, turning his back on them.

"There is no need to worry about Void-Gorgon and its spawns. This universe is far too small for that creature. It is probably only here to nest itself and evolve, entirely to invade our universe again. That is why I need to return with Saitama-Sensei to stop it. But..." Genos lowered his metallic head, his processors calculating the devastating logic.

Without any multi-limbed extradimensional monsters actively roaming this world, there was absolutely no way Genos and Saitama could extract the required spatial energy to go back immediately.

"Sensei," Genos concluded, looking at Saitama.

"It appears we need to wait until the Association successfully opens the rift from their end for us to get back home. In the meantime, I will constantly scan the entire continent to look for any anomalous traces of Void-Gorgon's presence."

"When will they pick us up?" Saitama asked.

"Executive Sekingar stated that Metal Knight will reactivate the warp from the captured specimen, creating a tether back to our world in exactly twenty-four hours," Genos explained.

"But given that time flows significantly differently here, I calculate we need to wait much longer. It could be days, or weeks."

"Hmm..." Saitama mused. Saitama simply shrugged.

"Welp, I guess my vacation is not over yet," Saitama smiled. Saitama turned back to face all the stunned leaders and students in the room.

"So, you guys just want to tell me that there is actually an immortal ancient villain in this world that wants to collect magical furniture," Saitama summarized lazily.

"Is that all?"

"Y-Yes..." Jaune nodded slowly, completely dumbfounded.

"That's all, I think..." Saitama comically blinked in his usual flat face, standing in complete silence for several long seconds.

"Okay..." Saitama said simply.

"Thanks for the information. I guess." Saitama turned around, "Let's go back, Genos." The Huntsmen, the Huntresses, and the Headmasters were instantly, violently shocked out of their stupor.

"Saitama! Please!" Ruby screamed, lunging forward. Saitama comically recoiled, turning back to them with a baffled expression.

"What now, red girl? Why are you yelling?"

"We truly regret everything we've done to you!" Ruby pleaded, tears in her eyes.

"You have all the right to be incredibly angry. But, please, don't leave us! We need your help! We need you, and Genos too!" Saitama stared at them with a comically baffled, entirely lost expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Saitama asked, pointing his thumb toward the door.

"I just want to go back to the penthouse! It's been a really long day, and I'm starving! Geez..." The room instantly fell completely silent. The sheer, overwhelming awkwardness of the misunderstanding was palpable.

"O-Oh..." Ruby stammered, her face turning bright red.

"Is that so... Haha, I'm sorry..."

"You're... not angry at us?" Weiss asked carefully, stepping forward. Saitama looked at her with a flat face.

"Why would I be?"

"But... we lied to you..." Blake said softly.

"I know," Saitama shrugged.

"Then why?" Yang demanded, utterly confused by his boundless apathy.

"I mean... I don't really care about all of that ultimate villain stuff," Saitama explained in comical confusion.

"Your lies have absolutely nothing to do with me. They didn't harm me." Saitama comically sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Besides, I'm way too lazy to go looking for her if she is just hiding in a dark castle anyway," Saitama reasoned.

"If she wants to fight me, then she should've been the one who approached me, right? So why should I waste my time looking for someone who doesn't even want to face me?" The assembled teams were entirely taken aback. All this time, they thought Saitama was a pure, battle-crazed challenge seeker who would instantly hunt down the most powerful being on the planet the second he found out she existed. They thought he would be furious that they had hidden the "Final Boss" from him.

They never, in a million years, thought his absolute mundanity and laziness were on this level.

"But... what Mr. Genos said earlier... was not wrong either," Glynda spoke up from her screen, her voice laced with genuine guilt. Glynda looked directly at Saitama.

"We did use you, all this time. We used your power for our own cause without telling you the real reason."

"So what?" Saitama asked blankly. The teenagers and adults were surprised again.

"You guys gave me free food, free rent, free clothes..." Saitama counted on his fingers.

"Isn't all of this basically just a standard job? You guys even gave me discount coupons and video games. I should be the one who is thankful." Everyone in the room fell into a stunned silence, deeply moved by his incredibly humble, simplistic nature. Saitama comically sighed again, crossing his arms.

"Man, so all this time you guys thought of me as a mindless challenge seeker?" Saitama asked, looking mildly offended.

"All these annoying bickerings, just because you didn't want me to know that a 'Demon Lord' truly existed in this world? Seriously, you guys are ridiculous."

"You can't blame us for being afraid, you know," Qrow offered a small, apologetic smirk.

"It's true that I want a good challenge," Saitama admitted honestly.

"But what makes you think I would let innocent people be dragged into the fight? I'm a hero. Remember?" The Huntsmen, Huntresses and operatives in the room suddenly flashed back to his countless heroic deeds. Saving the civilians in Vale. Saving the Upper Mistral from Grimm invasion. Saving Argus Limited train passengers. Protecting Argus from Leviathan. Bringing peace between Atlas and Mantle.

"I'm not even from this world, so who am I to judge how you guys operate your military?" Saitama reasoned gently.

"And, aside from all the lies, you guys just want to protect your world and your people, right? Not that I'm saying lying is okay, but... real monsters don't feel remorse. I know you guys, deep down, are genuinely good people." All the Huntsmen and Huntresses were all profoundly, deeply moved by Saitama's simple, absolute wisdom.

"And one more thing," Saitama added, his tone shifting slightly to a serious, mentor-like cadence.

"Just because Genos and I are helping you, doesn't mean you guys get to just sit back and watch." Saitama looked directly at everyone, especially at the students.

"If you let me and Genos do all the work, it would only make us look like we're taking over your world. You still have to fight with everything you have too. If the fight seems impossible for you, then you have to make it possible somehow." Saitama gave them a small, encouraging smile.

"This world is your home. And you people are its protectors. So act like it. Got it?" Pyrrha smiled warmly, tears of relief in her emerald eyes.

"Of course, Saitama."

"After all, you trained us," Jaune grinned proudly, gripping his sword.

"We won't give up."

"We will fight as well, to the absolute end," Ruby promised, her silver eyes burning with renewed fire. The rest of the Huntsmen and Huntresses smiled, offering Saitama firm nods of respect. Genos looked at his Sensei standing beside him. A fierce, incredibly proud smile graced the cyborg's organic face.

"Well then, we're heading back before it gets late," Saitama announced, placing the bowler hat onto his bald head.

"We have to attend that Jack-guy's party tomorrow evening, remember?"

"Oh, you're right!" Weiss gasped, placing a hand to her cheek.

"There is still my father's victory gala!"

"Yeah, so... let us know if this Salami-woman, or whatever, makes her move again," Saitama waved lazily.

"Let's go, Genos. I'll show you around the penthouse. It's much better than the apartment back home."

"Yes, Sensei," Genos nodded dutifully.

"Oh, by the way, cool headmaster," Saitama called out to the Shade screen.

"Thanks again for the VR console. It's so great! Though, this Grim Souls 3 game is frustrating as hell." Theodore let out a booming laugh.

"Haha! Glad you like it, kid. The key is just to 'get good', that's all." Saitama comically sighed in intense annoyance, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm gonna beat that level after dinner." Saitama turned to the diminutive criminal standing quietly beside him.

"Come on. We're eating steaks tonight." Neo smiled happily and nodded before walking to his side. Saitama, Genos, and Neo turned, preparing to head to the heavy exit doors of Ironwood's office.

"Mr. Saitama." Glynda's voice called out from the screen, making Saitama, Genos, and Neo stop for a moment. The two otherworlders looked back at everyone, finding all the Huntsmen still smiling with profound gratitude.

"Thank you very much..." Glynda said softly.

"We truly mean it."

"We are beyond grateful to have you," Ruby beamed.

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome," Saitama waved dismissively, ready for his steak.

"But this doesn't change anything," Glynda's expression instantly snapped back into a comically strict, terrifyingly professional scowl.

"We are still officially cutting your salary to compensate the real Darwin in Vale." Saitama's face instantly morphed into absolute, comical despair.

"Ooh, come on, Glynda-lady!"

"No excuses," Glynda stated firmly.

"Maaan..." Saitama groaned loudly. Saitama comically slumped forward, his entire body looking completely lifeless as his dreams of unlimited premium groceries vanished.

"And, Mr. Genos..." General Ironwood spoke up, stepping out from behind his desk. Genos turned his glowing optical sensors toward the Atlesian commander.

"Your actions hours ago were heavily witnessed by the public," General Ironwood explained professionally.

"Everyone in Atlas, and soon the entire Remnant, knows of your existence here. So, my military intelligence units will officially cover you as our 'secret weapon' that we have decided to unleash to fend off the apocalypse."

"I refuse to be claimed as part of your political military affairs," Genos rejected instantly, his voice cold.

"My technology, Dr. Kuseno's technology, is strictly meant to be used to protect humanity. Not to bolster a Kingdom's posturing."

"We do not have any intention to do such a thing, Mr. Genos," Winter assured him quickly, stepping up beside the General.

"This is purely a cover-up for you and Mr. Saitama in the public eye during your stay in our world. We must do this in order to prevent global panic, and it is strictly temporary. Especially since we know Salem's agents are still actively lurking in this Kingdom."

"Like how you gave my Sensei his 'Darwin' identity to mask his existence?" Genos asked analytically.

"Correct," Winter nodded.

"Additionally, since everyone in the city already saw you, you are officially free to roam the Kingdom without disguise."

"But only under our strict supervision," Ironwood added firmly. Genos stared at Ironwood and Winter, his internal processors rapidly analyzing their intentions. Saitama had already built a good, stable relationship with this Kingdom using his "Darwin" identity. Even though Genos deeply despised the idea of being controlled by any military, he did not want to destroy all the heroic, political goodwill his Sensei had accidentally built here.

"As long as you do not attempt to dismantle or study Dr. Kuseno's technology," Genos finally agreed, his eyes narrowing.

"I will cooperate."

"Thank you, Mr. Genos," Winter sighed in relief.

"And one more thing," Ironwood added, rubbing his temples as a headache formed.

"We are truly thankful to you for saving Atlas. But please, try to control your incineration output next time, Mr. Genos. Our engineering units are currently working overtime to fix the massive, mile-wide hole in our defensive walls that you created."

"I will try my best," Genos promised, completely unapologetic. General Ironwood then turned his attention to the scientist in the mobility chair.

"Doctor, permission to let Penny escort Mr. Saitama and Mr. Genos to their quarters."

"Of course, General," Pietro smiled. He turned to his daughter.

"Darling, please take Mr. Saitama and Mr. Genos to the penthouse. You can hang out with them if you like."

"Understood, sir!" Penny saluted sharply. Penny excitedly floated over to Genos, Neo, and the completely lifeless, financially devastated Saitama.

"Let's go, my new friends!" Penny cheered happily. Saitama, Genos, Neo, and Penny walked toward the heavy exit doors. Saitama was comically dragging his feet like a depressed zombie.

"And I absolutely cannot wait to hear more about your internal thermal reactors, Mr. Demon Cyborg!" Penny asked excitedly, hovering circles around the pitch-black machine.

"Just call me Genos," the cyborg replied stoically.

"Duly noted, Genos!" Penny beamed.

"M-My... my salary..." Saitama mumbled to the floorboards, utterly heartbroken. Neo just rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she followed them out. As the four of them exited the room, the heavy blast doors slid shut, leaving the Vanguard and the Atlesian elites standing in the office. They had survived the invasion, and they had gained a powerful new ally. The unwinnable war finally had a glimmer of hope.