Chapter 21

"I believe we are now facing the final battle." Aigis said.

"That's good." Ozpin said. "Who is this battle against?"

"That is a somewhat complex situation." Aigis replied. "In terms of our human opponent, an escaped criminal named Rosso Victrix appears to be heavily involved. We have detected him and are planning to deal with him tonight. Unfortunately, he is not the ultimate culprit. That is Tuoni, who appears to be a supernatural being."

"A supernatural being?" Ozpin pressed.

"Tuoni is the god of death, if he is to be believed." Aigis clarified. "He seems to be the one responsible for trapping my mind and he is tremendously powerful, god or not. We are fairly certain he is the root cause of this incident. We will be dealing with him as soon as possible. We cannot locate him, but we expect he will intervene if we confront Victrix."

"I know about Victrix." Ozpin said. "He was arrested with the help of Team RWBY. Apparently there is more to that than they were willing to admit. In any case, he is a skilled fighter and a dangerous opponent. As for Tuoni, I am not familiar. As far as I am aware, he does not appear in any of Remnant's religions of folklores, though gods of death are not uncommon. If you had told me when we first met that a supernatural being, a god, was behind all this, I would have thought you were insane. Though it's still hard to believe, I don't doubt your assessment. Whatever is going on here is beyond the power of an average person."

"On Earth we have been facing similar phenomenon for years, and most people are still not aware." Aigis said. "We have faced similar fights in the past, and I am confident in our success." In Aigis' case, confident put their odds at about 50-50. There were too many unknowns.

"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked.

"I cannot say for sure." Aigis admitted. "We have all been through a lot. Physically and psychologically, we have open wounds and lingering scars. Our enemy is still something of a mystery and there are many variables we cannot predict. That said it is my opinion that we are as ready as we will ever be. We have trained, we are strong, and we have overcome great hardship. I am also given assurance by our opponent's actions. If Tuoni were confident in the outcome, he would simply have faced us and destroyed us. By attempting to defeat us via ruse he has shown that he is not confident in the outcome of an open battle. We overcame his stratagem and now is the time to strike."

"I wish you luck." Ozpin said. "I'm sure you'll succeed. I only ask one favor."

"What is that?" Aigis asked.

"Keep my students safe." Ozpin replied. "There is nothing in this world I care about more."

"I will do all I can." Aigis promised.

*Recommended Music – The Voice Someone Calls-In the Labyrinth- (Persona Q Soundtrack)*

"The last barrier is gone." Rise reported. "We're clear to the top of the Tower. I can sense Rosso and Helia there, and something else. It's dark and powerful."

"It must be Tuoni." Jaune said. "Are you guys sure about this? Fighting the god of death just doesn't sound like a good idea."

"It's our duty." Ruby said. "We're supposed to be Hunters and Huntresses. It's our job to protect people, and right now, Tuoni is the threat."

"I'll crush him!" Nora shouted with a manic smile on her face. Ready or not, wise or not, now was the time.

*Recommended Music – The Almighty (Persona 4 Soundtrack)*

The top of the Tower was a wide expanse, seemingly endless. The flat black floor was broken by spires and grotesque effigies that appeared to be forced through the cracked ground. An archway, glowing light pouring from it, stood behind three figures. The first was easy enough to identify. Rosso Victrix, dressed in his Roman Legionary-like armor leaned against his shield Scutum. His spear gun, Pilum, was slung across his back. His face displayed confidence and anger with a hint of impatience. Behind him, nearest the arch, was Helia. She stood stiffly, her weapon in hand and her face blank as if she were in a trance. Between them was someone new. It was a man with pale white skin and impossibly dark black hair, wearing a black suit. His eyes were a piercing, glowing red. It had to be Tuoni.

"We've been waiting." Tuoni said. "My associates were growing restless." Rosso grunted in agreement while Helia remained still and silent. "I suspect you've already figured out who I am, and I know you've met the others, so I'll take my leave." He turned to Rosso. "With your new power, can you handle them?"

"I can." Rosso replied confidently. "I will not fail again."

"Good." Tuoni said. "I'll be going."

"Wait!" Ruby shouted. "Why are you doing this?"

Tuoni stared at her, seemingly sizing her up. "Rosso and Tuonen Piika have already informed you. We wish to merge the world of the living and the dead. The people of this world feel the pain of loss so strongly, but we will take that away. In fact, we will take away all pain. Is that not a noble goal?"

"It doesn't add up." Naoto said. "You would not act unless it benefitted you somehow. What are you really after?"

"I am altruistic." Tuoni insisted. "The people of this world are in pain. Their pain saddens me, and I wish to end it. It is their wish, and their wish is my wish."

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Pyrrha charged. "This world's civilization is one that lives on the edge of destruction. If people wished to die, they would not go through such extreme measures to go on living. It's a hostile world; it would be easy to just give up. It may be your wish, but it's not theirs."

"Believe me or don't." Tuoni said. "It matters not. Rosso, deal with of them." He turned and walked away. As he approached the arch, Helia stepped out of the way, allowing Tuoni to pass and be engulfed in its light.

"I've wanted my revenge for a long time." Rosso hissed. "Now I will have it."

"Oh come on Rosso, how do you expect to beat us?" Weiss asked. "The four of us beat you last time, and now there are 16 of us. You don't have a chance. Your boss wouldn't even face us without using his tricks first. If he doesn't think you can win, how can you?"

"As for my patron, Tuoni used his ruses because he considers you beneath his dignity." Rosso said. "Why should a god fight mere mortals? Better to have them destroy themselves."

"He's running scared, even now." Kanji accused.

"His intervention is unnecessary." Rosso declared. "With my new power I will easily destroy you all."

"What new power?" Blake asked. She could sense the danger.

"Let me show you." Rosso said. "Persona!" A figure appeared above Rosso. It was a slender twenty foot tall woman with pale white skin and dark black hair, wearing a classy black dress. Her eyes were piercing and glowed red.

"Tuonen Piika is your Persona now?" Yang asked.

"Yes, she has been repurposed after her earlier failure." Rosso explained. "She may no longer be imbued with Tuoni's power, but we will annihilate you nonetheless."

"Summer Rose!" Ruby shouted in an attempt to summon her own Persona. Nothing happened. "Summer Rose!" She tried again, and again nothing happened.

Rosso laughed. "I think you'll find Tuonen Piika will be the only Persona in this fight." He taunted. "Tuoni has made sure of that."

*Recommended Music – The Fog (Persona 4 Soundtrack, Disc 2, Track 9)*

Rosso slammed his shield down, planting it firmly as it cracked the floor. A hatch in it fell open and a machinegun barrel appeared. He used it to spray bullets at the group as they scattered, taking cover behind the spires and statues that crowded the area. "Keep them in front of me." Rosso commanded to Tuonen Piika.

"As you wish." Tuonen Piika replied in a whisper. She took up a position just behind Rosso and her fingers grew into long, razor-sharp claws. Anyone attempting to flank Rosso would have to deal with her. All the while, Helia stood motionless, blocking the arch that led to Tuoni. Maybe defeating Rosso would break whatever spell she was under.

"Tuoni is suppressing our Personas." Aigis said. "The Investigation Team should remain in cover." Rosso continued firing, preventing any of them from making a move.

"Take shots if you can but don't leave yourselves open." Blake suggested. "We can handle him without Personas." Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Aigis and Labrys were well versed in fighting without Personas. The Investigation Team was not. They might be able to get a few shots in, but in direct combat they would only be a liability.

"We've got to close in." Ruby said. "If we can get close, that takes his gun out of the equation."

"How do we do that?" Jaune asked. "We can't even move without being shot."

"I have an idea." Yu said. "It needs some help though."

"What?" Ruby asked.

"I need a distraction, a smokescreen or something to blind him." Yu replied.

"I've got smoke grenades." Nora reported. Her usual carefree excitement was gone. She was focused.

"You lay that down in front of him, and we'll lay down covering fire to keep him from moving or using Tuonen Piika." Yu said. "Investigation Team, get ready to fire on my signal." A chorus of shouts to the affirmative followed. "Everybody else, get ready to attack. Nora, whenever you're ready."

"All right!" Nora yelled. A smile returned to her face as she stepped out of cover, running and slipping between obstructions to avoid Rosso's fire. She swung Magnhild around and fired a single grenade that landed just in front of Rosso's shield. It burst in a cloud of thick pink smoke, leaving only silhouettes visible on the other side of the cloud.

"Go, now!" Yu commanded. The Investigation Team poked their weapons out from around the obstructions they used as cover and fired indiscriminately in Rosso's direction. After a moment, the others charged, quickly closing the distance to Rosso as he fired ineffectually at the approaching horde. By the time he realized he was in trouble, they were upon him. Ruby got there first, hooking Scutum and tugging it. Rosso maintained his grip and pulled hard, sending Ruby tumbling behind him where she was attacked by Tuonen Piika. Tuonen Piika swiped her massive claws at Ruby who blocked the attack with Crescent Rose. Rosso gave ground as the others closed in, attempting to get around his flanks.

The rest of Team RWBY ignored Rosso, rushing past him and joining in the fight with Tuonen Piika. Ruby swing her scythe around and caught Tuonen Piika in the arm, but it was like hitting solid rock. The jolt unbalanced Ruby and she tumbled across the floor. Weiss used glyphs to encase Tuonen Piika's legs in ice. The beast ripped her legs free, only for Weiss to encase them again. Blake leapt high into the air and landed on Tuonen Piika's back. She wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around Tuonen Piika's neck, used one end to anchor herself in place and the other to slash away at the beast's back. Yang went for the direct approach, running straight up to Tuonen Piika and delivering a flurry of Ember Celica-boosted punches. Aigis fired at Tuonen Piika with her hand guns and Labrys charged in, slamming her axe into the monster. It all seemed to have no effect. Tuonen Piika simply swatted at them as if they were annoying gnats.

Meanwhile, the smokescreen faded, leaving Team JNPR in clear view of Rosso. He took aim, firing a burst at Jaune. Jaune lifted his shield and blocked the incoming rounds. Hiding behind their shields, Pyrrha and Jaune carefully approached, absorbing the incoming fire as they advanced. Rosso slowly backed up as they closed in, but he continued to fire and this slowed him down. Soon, they were upon him. Rosso stopped shooting and shoved forward violently with his shield, hitting Jaune and Pyrrha and knocking both back. Rosso planted his shield and took aim just in time to see Nora flying at him. With a crazed cackle and a manic smile, Nora slammed Magnhild into Rosso's shield. The tremendous impact slammed the shield into Rosso, stunning him and pushing him back. Rosso struggled to regain his bearings only to be met by Ren. With a series of powerful strikes to the arm, Ren knocked Rosso's shield out of his hand before Rosso retaliated by smashing his heavily armored fist into Ren's face. Rent tumbled backward as Pyrrha and Jaune charged, engaging the now shield-less Rosso in hand-to-hand combat. He drew a short sword and parried their blows, countering with powerful punches whenever the opportunity presented itself. Rosso managed to knock both assailants off balance but was immediately hit in the chest by Magnhild. The sword flew from his hand and he slammed down on his back.

Tuonen Piika disappeared as Rosso lay on the floor groaning in pain. The group carefully closed in, ready to finish him off. Suddenly, Rosso swung Pilum around, pointed it back and fired. It missed everyone, but stuck in the ground near the arch. Rosso retracted the cable attached to the harpoon, dragging him away from the approaching assailants and over to Helia. He stood unsteadily beside her. "Helia, deal with them until my aura recharges." He commanded.

Her face emotionless, Helia stepped forward. She fired her flamethrower, laying down a line of fire between Rosso and the group. Even the fireproof Yang had to hold back when Helia revved her chainsaw. "Stay back." Helia said flatly. "You will not harm him."

"Helia, why?" Ruby implored. "I thought we were friends. Why are you working with him?"

"Why?" Helia said. "Because I miss my team. They're all dead, and I want nothing more than to see them again. Because I've had enough of this pain." Rosso stood beside her with a confident smile on his face. "But mostly so I can do this." Helia suddenly drew Coral's revolver and spun it around her hand into firing position. She lifted her arm and pointed the gun through the ear hole in Rosso's helmet. She pulled the trigger. The bullet crashed through Rosso's skull, bursting from his forehead in a spray of blood and brains. His helmet flew off, the top of his head still inside, as the rest of his body wobbled before crumpling to the ground. Everyone stood there stunned.

"Helia, you…" Ruby started.

"Killed him." Helia finished for her. She spun the revolver around in her hand and slid it smoothly into its holster. "It had to be done." She sighed. "He was too dangerous. He's already escaped from prison and this marks the second time he's tried to kill you all. He would have killed someone eventually."

"But…" Ruby said.

"I did it so you wouldn't have to." Helia said. "He wasn't going to stop fighting until you killed him. He told me as much. None of you have taken a life. It's a weighty thing and I don't want you to have that on your conscience. I'm a Huntress, I'm an adult, and it's my duty to protect this world and my duty to protect all of you."

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" Blake asked. "Why wait for us?" Blake was suspicious of Helia's intentions, even if she agreed with her action.

"I needed his aura to be down." Helia explained. "One shot would not have been enough to defeat his aura and kill him, and he was a much more powerful fighter than me. Attempting to kill him on my own would have been suicide. So I waited for my opening. I'm sorry you all had to see it."

"It's just shocking to see someone killed before your eyes." Yukiko said. "He was evil, to be sure, but, I don't know."

"My conscience is clear." Helia said. "He was a danger to the people and the world I'm sworn to protect. He was a danger to my friends."

"Alright, what's done is done." Yang said. "Dwelling on it won't help us. We have to go after Tuoni now." She headed for the glowing arch but Helia stepped in front of her.

"Wait." Helia said. "You can't go in there."

"Move or I'll move you." Yang threatened. She did not entirely trust Helia either.

"No, I mean you'll die if you go in there." Helia explained. "It's a trap."

"What kind of trap?" Chie asked.

"It acts on Personas." Helia said. "If you go in there, it will kill you instantly."

"So how do we go after Tuoni?" Labrys asked.

"You don't." Helia replied. "Only those with the power of the Wild Card can survive it. I heard Rosso and Tuoni talk about it. Something about that power is special. For some reason Tuoni couldn't create a trap that would kill Fools. He hoped you would all enter together, and that the three of you would be distracted by the deaths of your friends and unable to resist him."

"So Yu, Aigis and I are the only ones who can go in there?" Ruby asked. "We have to fight him alone?"

"Unfortunately." Helia sighed. "You're right, he's scared of you. Tuoni thinks he can defeat the three of you if he has to, but not all of you at once. You won't be able to use your Personas in there either. At least that's what Tuoni said. Please, I'm begging you, just let it go. If Tuoni can't take your abilities by killing you, he can't complete his plan. You don't need to risk yourselves."

"I think we do." Yu said. "If we just leave him, he'll keep kidnapping people until he draws us back anyway. We're going to have to fight him eventually. I made a promise not to give up until we saw this through."

"I promised Ozpin that I would protect the students here." Aigis said. "Tuoni cannot be allowed to remain a threat. If my life is the price of defeating him, so be it."

"We can do this." Ruby said. "We'll defeat Tuoni and save Remnant!"