Chương 153: Chapter 145: The New Hope

The heavy, reinforced blast doors of the Headmaster's office hissed shut, sealing away the comical, reality-breaking absurdity of the two otherworlders and their companions. Inside the massive, sterile room, a profound, collective exhale swept through the remaining occupants. The crippling, suffocating tension that had gripped them since the revelation of Salem's immortality finally began to dissipate, leaving behind a strange, buzzing exhaustion.

The defenders of Remnant stood in the quiet office, processing the sheer magnitude of what had just transpired. On the glowing holographic monitors, Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch and Headmaster Theodore with Xanthe Rumpole watched the empty doorway.

"Well," Maria Calavera chuckled, the sound raspy but genuinely amused as she leaned heavily on her skull-cane.

"That was a bit anticlimactic... in a good way." A wave of relieved, breathless laughter rippled through the teenagers and adults alike. Qrow Branwen dragged a hand down his face, letting out a long, ragged sigh before a cynical, fond chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"Looks like we've been spared by our benevolent, invincible god... again."

"He is not a god, Uncle Qrow," Ruby Rose said softly, her silver eyes shining with profound gratitude and warmth.

"He is our friend." Qrow looked down at his niece, his hardened exterior softening.

"Yeah, kid. You're right." They had braced themselves for the wrath of an invincible god. They had expected Saitama to be furious at their manipulation, to instantly abandon them, or worse, to recklessly launch himself across the continent to hunt down the Grimm Queen, heedless of the apocalyptic collateral damage. Instead, he was just the same mundane, fundamentally good hero he had always been.

He had effortlessly agreed to help them, while simultaneously delivering a grounded, inspiring reminder that they could not simply rely on him to fight their battles. And now, they didn't just have Saitama. They had his fiercely loyal cyborg disciple, who possessed terrifying, alien technology that could effortlessly outmatch an army of Grimm.

"I genuinely cannot believe how calmly he reacted to the revelation," Specialist Winter Schnee admitted, shaking her head as she adjusted her posture.

"We have been terrified of the 'Final Boss' variable for ten months. And when we finally tell him, he was more upset about his grocery salary being cut."

"That's just how he is," Yang Xiao Long laughed.

"He literally doesn't care about anything unless it involves a supermarket sale or a video game."

"Which is precisely why we must ensure he remains adequately compensated," Glynda noted from her screen, adjusting her glasses with a faint, exhausted smile.

"Though I admit, I doubt we will be able to bribe him with coupons as easily now that he has a hyper-vigilant cyborg calculating our every move."

"I don't know about that, Professor Goodwitch," Nora Valkyrie grinned mischievously, placing her hands on her hips.

"Genos might be an absolute nightmare of logic and firepower, but did you see Saitama's face? He is still comically terrified of you reducing his paycheck!"

"The fact that a being capable of shattering reality fears a bureaucratic salary reduction is... reassuring, in a strange way," General James Ironwood admitted, his broad shoulders finally relaxing from their rigid, paranoid posture.

"We are incredibly lucky to have him," Pyrrha Nikos smiled warmly, her emerald eyes reflecting a renewed hope.

"And his disciple is absolutely staggering," Dr. Pietro Polendina wheeled himself forward, his eyes gleaming with academic fascination.

"The energy density of his internal reactor completely defies our understanding of Dust mechanics! And his optical sensors... he actively detected the presence of an ancient soul and raw magical energy. He scanned us without us even realizing it!"

"He makes our most advanced Atlesian Paladins look like children's toys," Elm Ederne muttered, crossing her massive arms.

"I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of those lasers." While the optimistic members of the group, Pietro, Maria, the teenagers, and Headmaster Theodore, marveled at the cyborg's prowess, the rest of the adults were quietly battling fresh, terrifying existential crises.

"Other worlds," Theodore mused from his screen, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Different realities. An entire 'Multiverse'. I thought the Brother Gods were the absolute ceiling of our existence."

"It appears our understanding of the cosmos is profoundly limited," Rumpole sighed, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes.

"To think that Saitama's universe is filled with beings capable of destroying planets, and 'Hero Associations' that fight them daily... It places Remnant's struggles in a completely different, terrifying perspective."

"It's a completely different league," Qrow muttered, leaning against the window frame.

"We're fighting a shadow war against one immortal witch. They're fighting extinction-level events every Tuesday." Team RWBY and Team JNPR nodded knowingly. Saitama had casually told them stories about his world for months, so the shock of the Multiverse was far less severe for the students.

"But that brings us to a far more pressing issue," Winter stated, her expression turning grim. She looked toward Oscar Pine, or rather, the ancient soul residing within him.

"The extradimensional entities from Mr. Genos's story. That 'Void-Gorgon' and its spawns." The room grew cold as they remembered the horrifying, rotating 3D hologram Genos had projected.

"Those things lacked the Brother Gods' design entirely," Ozpin's ancient voice resonated softly as he maintained control of Oscar's body.

"They did not possess the essence of light or the corruption of dark. They looked much more terrifying than even the God of Darkness himself."

"Are you absolutely certain, Ozpin?" General Ironwood asked, his paranoia flaring as he stepped around his desk.

"You have lived for millennia. You have walked every inch of this planet. Is it truly possible that such creatures have never breached Remnant before?"

"You better not be holding back another 'crucial detail'," Rumpole warned from Shade's screen, glaring at the boy's body.

"Please, Ozpin," Glynda pressed from her screen, her tone sharp.

"We need absolute honesty now." Ozpin looked around the room, meeting their intense gazes. His expression was completely open, stripped of all his usual, calculated secrecy.

"I swear it to you all," Ozpin reassured them firmly, placing a hand over his heart.

"I have never seen, nor heard, of those multi-limbed horrors in every single one of my lives. The Grimm are the only abominations native to this world." Everyone observed Ozpin for a long moment. The lingering anger over his past lies was still there, but they remembered the cyborg's words.

"He's telling the truth," Clover Ebi noted, adjusting his lapel pin.

"Genos actively scanned his biometric responses. The machine confirmed he wasn't lying anymore."

"Besides, Genos said it himself," Blake Belladonna pointed out quietly, her amber eyes scanning the room.

"Our universe is 'too small' for that creature to bother invading."

"Yeah," Qrow scoffed, a cynical smirk returning to his face.

"Maybe our world isn't as bad as it seems, if cosmic horrors don't even want to bother showing up here."

"And even if there is a rogue spawn hiding in an isolated sector," Lie Ren added, his voice steady, "Saitama and Genos will handle it immediately. Genos explicitly stated that we do not need to worry about them right now."

"But we still have the immortal Grimm Queen to be worried about," General Ironwood stated, his voice dropping back into a grim, tactical register. The immediate relief faded, replaced by the heavy reality of their localized war. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"We are still in the middle of a shadow war," Winter agreed, standing at attention.

"We still need to be incredibly wary of Salem and her forces."

"Genos seemed incredibly confident that Saitama could simply vaporize her, or throw her into orbit," Harriet Bree noted, crossing her arms.

"But we are still not absolutely certain if Mr. Saitama's physical force can permanently bypass the Brother Gods' curse of immortality."

"Not to mention the possible collateral damage," Vine Zeki added calmly.

"If he strikes her with maximum force and she still regenerates, the resulting shockwaves could devastate entire continents."

"Still, we are incredibly relieved that Saitama is not a battle-crazed challenge seeker who would rush her blindly," Rumpole sighed from the Shade feed.

"He is willing to cooperate with our strategy."

"Even though he only sees saving the world as a mere job to keep his grocery tab open," Theodore chuckled.

"Which is still absolutely baffling." While the adults continued to debate the logistics of Saitama's physical strength against divine magic, Jaune Arc's blue eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait," Jaune gasped, stepping forward into the center of the room. Everyone turned to the blonde knight. Jaune looked directly at Ozpin. He remembered the blinding, agonizing vision Jinn had shown Team RWBY and his team in Saitama's bedroom. He remembered the ancient, heartbroken Ozma asking the Relic of Knowledge the ultimate question.

"Professor Ozpin," Jaune said, his voice trembling slightly with a sudden realization.

"When you summoned Jinn... you asked her, how do you destroy Salem." Ozpin nodded slowly, his expression sorrowful.

"Yes, Mr. Arc. And she told me that I cannot."

"Right," Jaune nodded rapidly.

"But what if... what if we used the Relic of Knowledge again?" Jaune's mind is racing.

"What if we asked Jinn...

'WHO can destroy Salem'?" The entire room fell into a stunned, absolute silence. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren all looked at Jaune, their eyes widening in sheer realization. The adults exchanged sharp, hopeful glances. It was a loophole in the exact phrasing. If Jinn confirmed that an entity from another universe could break the curse, they would have the absolute answer to their ultimate worry.

"That is brilliant, Mr. Arc," General Ironwood praised, his eyes lighting up with renewed tactical hope.

"We can finally confirm if Saitama's power exceeds the Gods' magic!"

"However..." Ozpin interjected, raising a hand to stall their excitement. Everyone looked at Ozpin in complete confusion. Why would he object to the very answer he had sought for millennia?

"I feel that using the Relic of Knowledge for this specific inquiry is not the right move," Ozpin stated carefully.

"At least, not right now."

"Why not?!" Yang demanded, stepping forward with her fists clenched.

"Because of the limitations. I already used one question in the distant past. Miss Rose used the second question just before the afternoon today." Ozpin explained patiently.

"Which means... we currently only have one question left for this century." Ozpin looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the Huntsmen and the military leaders.

"We have just officially told Saitama and Genos the absolute truth about Salem and the Relics," Ozpin reasoned.

"Given Mr. Genos's highly analytical nature, there is a very high probability that he will logically demand to use the last question of the Relic of Knowledge."

"To find out exactly how to get back to their home universe," Weiss Schnee realized, her eyes widening.

"Or to definitively ask Jinn if there is an extradimensional entity hiding in this world, to complete his mission," Ren added. Everyone in the room slowly nodded. Ozpin's argument made perfect, undeniable sense. If they used the last question to verify Saitama's strength against Salem, and Genos found out they had wasted a wishing entity that could have located Void-Gorgon, the cyborg would likely be furious.

"Because of that," Ozpin concluded.

"We need to use the last question incredibly wisely. We cannot afford to alienate our greatest allies." Ozpin turned to look at the eight teenagers.

"Team RWBY, Team JNPR. I leave it to you to have a delicate talk with Saitama and Genos regarding the Relic. You are the ones who share the closest relationship with them."

"We can do that," Ruby agreed, nodding firmly.

"Besides, even if Jinn says Salem still cannot be permanently killed by Saitama's punch, Saitama is still vastly stronger than her." Blake smirked.

"You all heard Genos. He casually defeats world-destroying monsters without breaking a sweat."

"Exactly," Pyrrha agreed, her voice full of confidence.

"And if she cannot be killed, she can certainly be restrained. Between Saitama's absolute physical supremacy and Genos's highly advanced, Multiversal technology, Salem is entirely outmatched."

"Striking Salem head-on has officially become number two on our list of problems," Qrow noted, crossing his arms.

"The main problem..." Winter said.

"Is the part where Salem executes a desperate, scorched-earth maneuver." The optimism in the room dimmed slightly.

"She will definitely unleash every powerful Creature of Grimm across Remnant and aggressively attack all living beings to force our hand," Winter deduced coldly.

"She already demonstrated her willingness to escalate," Marrow Amin added, his tail drooping anxiously.

"She deployed a massive force in Upper Mistral months ago. And she did it again today with those highly modified, winged Beringels."

"Salem is seemingly done playing in the shadows," Glynda warned from her screen, her face pale.

"She is unleashing modified, highly powerful Grimm. She is aggressively probing our defenses."

"She is preparing for a full-scale, global war," Theodore summarized grimly. Ozpin, General Ironwood, Qrow, Glynda, Theodore, and Rumpole exchanged deeply worried looks. But this was the turning point. This was the moment they had to stand for themselves. Team RWBY and Team JNPR stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the center of the office. They remembered the simple, profound wisdom Saitama had just imparted to them.

"We can't just be completely dependent on the heroes from another world," Ruby stated, looking directly at the adults.

"This is our world. This is our home. We have a role to protect it."

"That is why," Weiss said, looking directly at the Atlesian commander.

"We are begging you, General Ironwood. Please... never initiate the plan to raise Atlas into the upper atmosphere. Do not abandon Mantle." Winter stepped forward, standing beside the students. She looked at her superior officer, her eyes filled with a desperate, pleading hope.

"General, I want to believe too. Please... don't destroy the fragile peace that Saitama has accidentally built in our Kingdom. We can protect both cities." Clover Ebi stepped forward, followed immediately by Marrow, Elm, Harriet, and Vine. The elite operatives, who had their faith restored after everything Saitama had done for both Atlas and Mantle, stood united.

"We are willing to stand and hold the line for our Kingdom, sir," Clover declared respectfully.

"All of it."

"We don't have anywhere to run anyway," Qrow shrugged, a faint smirk returning to his face.

"We must hold our ground, James," Glynda agreed softly.

"We're Huntsmen," Theodore grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Running ain't in the job description."

"We already have two powerful, alien allies who have saved their world from various, extinction-level scenarios that seem to be vastly more terrifying than Salem," Rumpole added, adjusting her glasses.

"You are not alone, General," Ruby said, offering Ironwood a bright, reassuring smile.

"You are never alone. We are all fighting together."

"We definitely have a chance to win," Jaune affirmed.

"Even if it's the slightest chance, we have to take it." General Ironwood stood frozen behind his desk. He looked at the faces of his most loyal operatives, his trusted Specialist, the brilliant students, and his oldest allies on the screens. The crushing paranoia that had dictated his every move for months slowly began to recede, replaced by a cautious, undeniable warmth. Ironwood fell into silence, his head lowered. He closed his eyes for a long moment, the hum of his cybernetics the only sound in the room.

Ironwood sighed deeply.

"Very well." Ironwood opened his eyes again. The cold, mechanical detachment was gone, replaced by the fierce, unwavering resolve of a true leader who finally wanted to believe in hope again.

"We will not run," Ironwood declared, his voice ringing with absolute authority.

"We will fight until the end." The students and operatives smiled widely, a massive wave of relief washing over them. Ironwood then turned his gaze toward Ozpin.

"But we are not blindly following your absolute dictates again, Ozpin. From this moment forward, we are doing this democratically. As equals." Everyone in the room turned to look at the ancient wizard. All of them nodded in firm agreement.

"This time, we do it without any secrets between us," Yang stated firmly, glaring at the boy's body.

"We will fight this war in our own way," Blake added. Ozpin stared at all the Huntsmen and Huntresses in the room. He looked at the fierce determination burning in their eyes. He looked at the unbreakable unity that had formed in the wake of the darkest revelation of their lives. Then, Ozpin slowly lowered his head. A soft, incredibly genuine smile graced Oscar's youthful face.

"I never had this kind of alliance in all my past lives." Ozpin confessed, his voice thick with profound emotion.

"All my past alliances... they always ended up fracturing under the weight of fear and despair. They always fell apart." Ozpin looked up, his ancient eyes shining with unshed tears.

"But this time... I truly feel that it will be different." Ozpin realized that they didn't need his absolute, secretive "guidance" anymore. They were strong enough to forge their own path. And for the first time in millennia, Ozpin wanted to believe too. In this alliance, Ozpin decided to fully, completely place his faith. And he saw the presence of Saitama, and now Genos, as an absolute, unprecedented blessing from the universe.

Ozpin smiled at everyone, a deep, overwhelming sense of gratitude washing over his soul.

"Thank you very much," Ozpin whispered.

"For not giving up on our world. And for not giving up on me." Team RWBY and Team JNPR nodded, their lingering anger finally settling into a cautious, mutual respect.

"I will watch over you," Ozpin promised.

"As a fellow Huntsman. Until the very end." A faint, magical shimmer washed over Oscar's body. Ozpin's ancient presence faded away, retreating into the depths of their shared soul, returning the light to Oscar's hazel eyes. Oscar gasped slightly, regaining control of his body. He stumbled forward a half-step, exhaling heavily as he looked around the room.

"Okay..." Oscar breathed, rubbing the back of his neck as he processed the emotional weight of the room.

"So... what do we do now?" Ruby Rose stood in the center of the office. She looked at her team, at Team JNPR, at the Ace-Ops, and at the adult leaders.

"There is only one way to truly battle Salem and prevent her from dividing and destroying our world." They couldn't fight this war in the shadows anymore.

"By getting all the humans and Faunus to be prepared too," Ruby declared, her voice strong and unwavering.

"By uniting the entire world of Remnant." Everyone in the room was surprised by the silver-eyed warrior's bold suggestion. Ruby looked at General Ironwood, her eyes burning with the ultimate, unifying strategy.

"We tell the whole world."