Chapter 20: Paragon of Light

Great Vortex

It happened all at once. One moment, it was just an ordinary day in the prison. The next, a deafening screech rang through the ears of all the unfortunate souls present, as the floor beneath them began to shake with violent impulse, and the whole world was set ablaze.

The raging inferno roared through the halls and corridors, consuming everything in an unending blaze of bright red flames. Outside, the steel walls that were once thought to be impenetrable were crumbling in on themselves, collapsing from the weight of the concentrated beam of energy that had struck its weakest point, the part on which construction had not been completed.

Deep in the bowels of the complex, the engine room was overheating, unable to contain the damage sustained. As the flames continued to spread, the security system came to the conclusion that the extent of the damage could no longer be properly contained. Thus, the last-ditch failsafe was the only remaining option. The system shut itself down, as the Gravity Dust deep in the engines began to harden, quickening the Soulcage's descent into the abyss below.

As the complex lurched over and fell downward into the Great Vortex, the sound of the metal walls screeching made it seem like all of its inhabitants were crying out in anguish. High up in the sky, the mechanical avian watched the Soulcage sink into the sand with its unseeing steel eyes.

"Whoa...now that was a blast!" Atop the bird's back, Storm Columbus threw his head back and laughed as the observed the destruction. "It'll take more than a couple o' Huntsmen to dig that hunk of trash out of the ground now!"

Psycha bent down quietly, giving her metal pet an affectionate rub on the head. "Good boy, Bubble," she murmured, her gaze steely and cold.

Behind them, Locke and Moss were staring at their partners uncertainly, the sound of the explosion still ringing in their ears. Moss sat down, her tiny body shaking in fear, as she put her hands over her good eye. "So...we're done, right?" she whispered. "We did what they told us to do, right?"

"That's right," replied Psycha. "There's nothing left for us here."

"Um...Psycha?" Locke shifted his feet uncomfortably, looking away from his partner. In the distance, he could see the smoke rising from the Oasis, and the silhouettes of Grimm flying toward the carnage. "This...this isn't really justice, is it?"

"...What?" After a moment's pause, Psycha replied, turning toward him with her mouth curled up in a sneer.

Locke took a deep breath. He usually just listened to whatever the team leader said without question, so he had to take a few seconds to prepare himself for what he had to say next. "This is the sort of thing that bad guys do. We became Huntsmen to stop people like that, but now we've become just like them! Do you really think that-"

"Who cares?"

"H-huh?" he blinked in shock at her blunt reply.

"I said, who the hell cares?" his partner spat. "You and all your shit about 'justice' and 'the bad guys' really pisses me off, you know. And besides, the people we just killed were all terrorist scumbags...no one will miss them, so what are you complaining about? Just grow the fuck up already." Seeing that Locke had nothing to reply with, Psycha turned away from his stunned expression.

They heard a soft sobbing come from nearby. It was Moss, with her head buried in her knees, shivering violently. She looked up with tears flowing from her eye. "I...I just want to go home…" she whimpered softly.

"H-hey, c'mon, Moss." Storm walked over to his partner, patting her on the head reassuringly. "It's alright, no need to cry." His usual growl had softened to a comforting, almost fatherly murmur.

"Didn't you hear me? We are going home," Psycha snapped. "Our new home. Forget those losers in the city - they have no use to me anymore. Where we're going, we'll finally be able to get stronger than anyone else. That is, if the Grandmaster is as good as the rabbit says they are." She glanced back at her teammates. "...Well?" she hissed. "Any complaints?"

Everyone was silent. Psycha knelt down with an angry scowl on her face, whispering something to her bird. With a screech, the mechanical avian flapped its mighty wings and flew off into the distance, soon disappearing behind the gathering clouds.

The Oasis

Things began to go wrong from the first strike.

As Qrow and Raven charged forward in perfect synchronization, Fenrir howled, the obsidian armour encasing his arms retracting to reveal a heavy steel cleaver on his left hand, and a miniature gatling cannon on his right. The feral beast ran at the twins, firing a flurry of explosive shells that forced them to scatter.

"Guh!" The force from one of the explosions knocked Qrow off balance, and he landed painfully on his side some distance away. Hurriedly picking himself back up, he saw Fenrir standing in between him and his sister, who was slowly backing away from him while charging up her sword with Dust. Okay, Qrow thought, fighting off the desperation in his mind. If we can't both rush him at once, from here we can still take him from both sides and overpower him.

He had barely finished that thought when Fenrir tilted his monstrous head to glare at him, dark energy visibly flowing from his body. He growled, saliva dripping from his maw, making him look even more like a Grimm. Before Qrow could even blink, he ran at him with his cleaver with lightning-fast speed.

The Huntsman's survival instinct kicked in just in time, and he managed to block the brunt of the impact with his own blade. Even so, the sheer impact sent him flying into the wall of a nearby building, causing it to collapse and bury him under the debris.

"C'mon, I know you can do better than that!" Ragna was saying, his condescending remark directed at his brother. "Push yourself to full output! Hold nothing back!"

Groaning in pain, Qrow climbed his way out of the rubble, struggling to keep his grip on his sword in the process. Dirt had gotten into his eyes, and they were starting to water. He quickly rubbed his eyes and blinked furiously, seeing Fenrir standing with his back to him, firing at Raven as she leapt around in circles to avoid them.

"Hrahh!" Yelling, she jumped at the deranged giant, swinging her blade and firing off multiple beams of Dust energy into his armoured chest, following it up with several precise slashes to his face and body. Qrow recognized the skill as one of Raven's most potent combination attacks, one that she only used in the most dangerous situations.

Unfortunately, Fenrir was not fazed in the slightest. Even her final, downward bisecting slash aimed at his cranium merely bounced harmlessly off his head, like a plastic pellet hitting a titanium wall. He retaliated with a blow from his cleaver, knocking Raven to the side. She struggled to retain her footing as she landed, deflecting Fenrir's next strike with her katana.

"Sis!" Qrow grunted, running to her aid. Suddenly, he sensed something heading toward him, and quickly stopped in his tracks before jumping backward to avoid the dark energy beam that would have pierced through him if he'd been a moment slower. Turning around, he saw Ragna standing with his scythe drawn, smoke rising from the glowing purple edges. It uses Gravity Dust, huh?

"Looks like I get you all to myself, Qrow!" Ragna swung the scythe, as the curved blade glowed a darker shade of violet. The force from the swing sent a gust of wind blowing in Qrow's direction, and he quickly rammed his sword into the ground in front of him, shielding himself from the blast while struggling to retain his footing.

Once it was over, Qrow leapt at Ragna, holding Reaper's Gambit over his head. Yelling, he brought the weapon downward, meeting the edge of the boy's scythe. "Heh." Holding his weapon against Qrow's with one hand, Ragna smiled and held out his free arm. From within his sleeve, a thin, black blade was jutting out, glowing with Dust. The armblade flew forward, attached to the string on his arm, slamming into Qrow's face and and knocking him back several feet.

As soon as he pulled himself back up, he saw the two black blades flying at him, which he deflected with his sword. Ragna retracted the knives back into his sleeves, and picked his scythe back up. Qrow rolled to the side as the boy fired another large beam from his weapon.

"I had a feeling you'd reject Fenrir's offer," Ragna said casually, raising his smoking scythe to parry Qrow's next strike. "You never did really fit in back in the tribe, so I can't blame you for not having the closest bond with them. I feel the same way, y'know?"

"Shut up." Qrow swung Reaper's Gambit with all his might, causing Ragna to visibly stumble as he blocked the hit.

"Oh, c'mon. Not in the mood for some quality family banter? Shame." Grinning, he leapt back, perching himself on his scythe's blade as he landed. "The truth is, I've always taken an interest in you, Qrow. You, of all people, should have embraced the tribe's ideals with open arms. You might not have Rae's natural talent, but you've been blessed by fate all the same - just like the rest of us Branwens! Take your Semblance, for example."

"My Semblance?" Qrow narrowed his eyes. "My power to turn into a bird? What about it?"

"Is that what you think you think it is? You really sold yourself short, huh?" Ragna swung his scythe to meet Qrow's blade, and the two of them stood there at a standstill. "Sorry, but you're only half-right. Your real power is to channel the spirit of your namesake, the crow - that part's true, at least. But it's not only the physical aspect you can use. Just like a crow, you bring misery and bad luck to everyone around you. That's way more useful that turning into a bird, don't you think?"

"...What? What the hell are you talking about?!" Qrow snarled, pushing his blade against his enemy's scythe with all his strength. "If this is some made-up bullshit to catch me off guard, sorry, but that's not gonna work on me. You think I wouldn't know what my own Semblance is?"

"Yep! I mean, think about it. You've got to have noticed by now, right? That bad things just happen more often when you're around? To both your allies and your enemies? What about that Summer girl you love so much, hmm? Admit it - she's gotten way better at fighting on her own...don't you ever think that maybe, you were the one holding her down?"

Smiling at Qrow's stunned silence, Ragna continued. "So you really didn't know, huh...now isn't that sad. Now, I'm not a betting man, but I have a hunch that your dad knew all along what your true Semblance was...and he probably kept it secret, because you might have been targeted - or even killed, by tribesmen who were afraid of you. Hmmm...oh, that's right! Maybe your sister knew, too, and she never told you? Now that would be tragic."

Yelling, Qrow pushed forward with a sudden effort, knocking Ragna's scythe out of his hands. The weapon landed blade-first in the concrete several metres away. "Shut. The hell. Up!" He ran at the boy, who leapt back and retrieved his scythe, swinging it as he landed and knocking Qrow back with the blast of wind. "I told you…" Qrow spat, regaining his posture. "I'm not swallowing any of your damn bullshit!"

"If you're so sure I'm lying, why not ask your sister?" Ragna looked to his right, and a grin formed slowly over his face. "...On second thought, it looks like that talk's gonna have to be delayed - indefinitely."

"Wha…?" Qrow glanced in the same direction, and saw Fenrir raise his hand to strike Raven in the chest. The dark Huntress was sent flying back, slamming into him at full force. "Ugh!" Qrow fell over from the impact, his sword falling out of his hands. Raven landed next to him, but she got up almost immediately, still holding her katana in her hands. The tip of the scarlet blade began glowing with Dust energy.

Chuckling, Ragna threw his arms back and yawned. "Ahh...I really worked up an appetite from that little scuffle. Once this is done, I think I'll have a nice lunch. Hmm...a baked panini with mozzarella sounds nice. Well then Fenrir, be a good dog and finish them off, ok?"

"Sis…" Qrow muttered, his hand reaching toward Reaper's Gambit. "You…"

Raven was glaring at Fenrir, her katana glowing scarlet. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and held out her sword in front of her. "It's alright, Brother. I can take him alone. All I need to do is use my full power, and I can overcome any obstacle." Before Qrow could respond, she lunged at the giant.

Growling unintelligibly, Fenrir swung his massive arms at her, trying to slice her or bombard her with gunfire. Raven dodged all of it, practically dancing around him as if her every move was calculated perfectly to avoid his attacks. Every time Fenrir struck, she would use the opportunity to hit him where his armour would be weakest, gradually wearing him down. She had her eyes shut the entire time, and it looked as though she were in a trance; as if her consciousness was elsewhere.

Raven performed a pirouette slash, striking Fenrir multiple times as she landed, before seamlessly transitioning into a multi-thrust attack to his limbs. Qrow recognized the attack as the one she'd used to defeat Latte Adel during the Vytal Tournament. As Raven delivered the final lunge with her blade, striking the direct centre of Fenrir's armour, the impact from the strike caused the building behind the giant to collapse, crumbling into rubble. Qrow heard an audible crack, as the armour finally reached its breaking point.

Shadow Mobius was raised upward one more time. In a flash, the scarlet blade, which had just been depleted by Raven's thrust, was once more enveloped in Dust energy, glowing even brighter than before. The blade began shaking, and Qrow could practically hear it pulsate, as if the katana had a heartbeat. Even from several feet away he could feel the intense energy radiating from it. You're kidding me, sis...Dread filled his heart. That much power all at once…? At this rate, you'll-

"HAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Raven's eyes flew open, and she brought the sword down with a furious cry. As it made contact with her foe, a blinding light emanated from the blade, enveloping Qrow's vision. Grunting, he squeezed his eyes shut, covering his eyes as a loud explosion rang out. Bits of debris flew into his mouth, and he coughed.

When it had faded, it took him a moment to regain his bearings. When Qrow's sight had regained its focus, he saw Fenrir standing with visible cracks in his armour. Growling, the feral beast took a lumbering step backward, and his armour crumbled into pieces, finally leaving him exposed.

In front of Fenrir was Raven, lying unconscious with her body covered in debris and leftover fragments of Dust. She still held Shadow Mobius in her hand - or rather, what was left of the scarlet blade. Only the hilt remained intact, with the rest having been obliterated by that last strike. Small red shards were scattered across the ground, still glowing with residue Dust. A red shimmer shone momentarily around her body, showing that her Aura had run out.

"Grahrghh…" Fenrir snarled. His body began to twitch violently, before suddenly he threw his head back and howled. With a sickening crunch, sharp white bones protruded from his back like spikes, as if tearing through skin. Thick black fluid seeped out from his body onto the ground, corroding the cement beneath. Fenrir continued to shake, large bulges popping momentarily on random parts of his body. His howls had turned to screams of pain, and he sounded almost human again.

So that's what his armour was for, Qrow realized with a start. It wasn't to protect himself from attacks. It was literally holding his body together!

Ragna sighed. "Shame. I guess for all her talk, she just couldn't make the cut, huh? Oh, well. I don't exactly want this idiot to die too soon, so…" He held out his hand with an air of indifference, and Fenrir immediately knelt down on one knee, the convulsions slowly going away. The giant knelt there, bones jutting out of his skin, drops of black fluid oozing from his body onto the ground.

"Good boy. Now then…" he pointed in Qrow's direction. "Just finish this brat off and get it over with. I can take care of the other one." As Fenrir got up, walking slowly toward Qrow with his terrifying molten-coloured eyes fixated on the Huntsman, Ragna leapt over to where Raven lay motionless. Grunting, he gave her a sharp kick to the stomach. "Pfft. Looking like this, she isn't so tough now, is she?" he chuckled. "Heheheh...ah, it's so much more fun when they can't fight back."

"Get away from her, you piece of shit…!" Qrow tried to get back up, but stumbled. Dammit…! I didn't think I was this hurt! He could only watch helplessly as Ragna kicked her again, and he heard the sound of her ribs cracking underneath his foot. "I bet she thought she was being so noble, avenging her tribe and all that crap. Too bad for her, though. Not only was there nothing to avenge, but she for all her power, she was too stupid to see what was right in front of her the whole time - just like her father!" Grinning sadistically, he raised his scythe.

Fenrir was reaching out to grab him now. Weakly, Qrow tried dragging himself away from him, but it was no use. Next to him, he saw one of the shards that had once formed Shadow Mobius, which was larger than the rest - this one was the size of a dagger. With all his remaining effort, Qrow reached out to grab it. "Gah-!" he winced, as the hot energy emanating from the shard seared into his skin. Taking a deep breath, he clasped the fragment with his hand, letting the sharp pain run through him, giving him a momentary rush of adrenaline.

"Hrahhhhh!" Yelling, Qrow leapt up, turning to face Fenrir. He threw himself at the giant with all his might, jamming the jagged shard into his chest with all his might. The sharp edge pierced into Fenrir's heart with a sickening squish, disappearing into his skin. The giant howled, swinging his fist and striking Qrow in the jaw, knocking out several teeth and sending him falling to the ground. Fenrir's body began convulsing in agony, as the dark energy surrounding him began to dissipate.

When Qrow's vision returned and he looked up at Fenrir, the giant had returned to normal. He knelt with his hands clenched on the ground, panting as sweat ran down his body. Large, bloody scars had formed on his back and shoulders where the bones had been. And on his chest was the mark of the stab that Qrow had just given him, which was bleeding profusely.

"Hahhh...I...thank you, Qrow." His voice even more gravelly than before, Fenrir stood up. You have go to be fucking KIDDING me, he thought incredulously. He could've sworn he'd pierced the giant's heart, yet here he was, still very much alive.

"Because of your aid, I have regained my sanity...you have my gratitude. You are a true Branwen, indeed. You and your sister." As the dark smog began to envelop him, he turned his head to face his brother, anger forming in his face. "And as for you, Ragna...you have started a very dangerous game. One day, I will have vengeance for my slain comrades...and not even his judgement will protect you from my wrath." On that ominous note, Fenrir vanished.

Ragna sighed. "Ooh...scary. Honestly, I was hoping he would be good enough to handle this alone, but I guess there's only so much you can do help out a dumbass like him. Now then, where were we?" He raised his scythe once more, ready to bring it down on Raven's back.

"Not so fast!" A man's voice came from nearby.

"The hell?" Ragna turned around in surprise, and a pure white blade struck his hand, disarming him. "Ack!" He glared at the figure that had thrown the knife, and Qrow followed his gaze. Standing some distance away, a large, black knife in his hand, was Professor Thane.

"...You?" Ragna muttered. "Tch. Great, now the old farts are coming in, huh?"

Thane turned to Qrow. "You there!" he called out to him. "I will take him myself! Go and get to safety at once! The situation in the Kingdom is about to get far worse. Your companions are waiting for you!"

Qrow didn't hesitate for a second. As fast as he could, he ran to Raven's side, hoisting her body up on his shoulder, before running back the way he came, barely able to breathe as he focused solely on getting away as fast as possible. Once he was out of sight, Thane took a deep breath and faced Ragna.

"What a bother," Ragna sighed, as if mildly inconvenienced. "So you finally got off your ass and decided to do something. Candor Thane...headmaster of Shade Academy, two-time victor of the Vytal Tournament, and former S-rank Huntsman. Once known by your peers as the Paragon of Light. Heheh...looking at you now, I bet you wish you'd stuck with your old job, eh?"

"I won't deny that," Thane admitted. "I was always meant to achieve victory on the battlefield, not sitting in a dusty office signing papers. I was a foolish young man once, believing that strength and authority were one and the same. Now I see that I was laughably wrong. But it has been an enlightening experience all the same, and ultimately, I wouldn't say I regret the path I took." He raised his weapon. "And I'll have you know that in all these years, my skills have never faded."

The headmaster's body began glowing with white Aura, and he extended his hand forward. In the surrounding area, the lampposts began to shake, suddenly flickering on and off before bright rays of light flew out of them, being absorbed into Thane's blade. In his free hand, another sword, one white as pure light, materialized out of thin air.

Wordlessly, Ragna retrieved his scythe. "Fine," he grinned. "I guess I still have some more time to waste. Let's see what an old-timer like you can do against my trusty blade, Apocalypse!" The boy leapt at Thane with a loud cry, swinging his massive blade.

Grunting, Thane met his strike with the white blade, quickly leaping to the side and stabbing at Ragna with the black blade. "Guh!" The boy fell backward, gripping Apocalypse's handle to keep his balance. Pulling himself up, he kicked his scythe so that part of the edge was facing Thane, before firing off an energy beam.

"Hmmmph!" Thane held out the black blade, absorbing the impact of the beam into its edge. Shaking the weapon, it opened up and its parts shifted, until it had changed into a double-barreled shotgun. In response, the white blade flickered out of existence, and a white gun instantly appeared in its face. He raised both guns, firing them in rapid succession.

Ragna was bombarded with bullets, and was blown back into the building behind him. Swearing and yelling in pain, he ran to avoid the gunfire, revealing his arm blades as he charged at Thane. "Take this, old man!" He thrust out his blades, aiming for the headmaster's heart.

Thane's weapon changed structure once more, now becoming a long, thin spear with a sharp, needle-like edge, and the hologram in his other hand changed to match it. Thane held out his two lances in a cross shape, blocking Ragna's strike. With both hands, he made quick stabbing motions at the boy to force him backward. Once he'd gotten him into something of a rhythm, he struck him in the leg, knocking him over.

Growling, Ragna regained his footing, but was unable to avoid a sharp jab to his stomach from the white spear. Stumbling, he proceeded to charge blindly at Thane while swinging Apocalypse in wide arcs, abandoning all sense of strategy. Thane casually stepped to the side, carefully conserving his energy as he parried each of Ragna's strikes with his spears. The moment the boy showed signs of exhaustion , Thane lunged forward with all his might, sending him flying. Ragna crashed back-first into the wall behind him, creating a perfectly Ragna-sized crater where he made impact. His Aura shimmered in a pitch-black glow, before fading away.

"Ugh…" he groaned. "You stupid old man...can't you just lie down and die quietly? It would make things way easier for all of us, y'know. And I'd like to get what I want without putting in too much effort once in a while."

"My apologies, but I have no intention of dropping dead anytime soon," Thane replied, lowering his weapons. "I think I have a clear idea of what you and your accomplices are planning to do here today. Ozpin has already had a contingency put into place to deal with this very scenario. Your plan was doomed from the start, I'm afraid."

Ragna opened his mouth and laughed, a dry, wheezy cackle. "You're technically right...but just what plan are you referring to?"

"...What?"

"Heheheh. Well, I've wasted enough time here. It's time I got around to doing what I was supposed to do. See ya." A black portal materialized behind him, and he flashed a terrifying smirk at Thane, a malicious grin stretching across the entire face. "Your time's coming soon, old man. You, that clown Ozpin, and all the rest...you're too late. He's already begun. And soon, you and the pathetic order you've used to enslave the world will be laid bare! The new age is coming, but you won't live to see i-"

Thane flung the white spear. The weapon pierced Ragna through the abdomen, and with a sharp yell of pain, the boy was flung backward into the portal, and vanished immediately. The dark energy faded away, and the headmaster was standing alone in the wreckage.

"Hahh…" he sighed. "Curious...what exactly was that boy referring to? At any rate, I doubt it matters at the moment. Hmmm." Thane looked over at the horizon, his face clenched in worry. I hope Oz can take care of the rest. I doubt we have any time left…

As if on cue, the ground beneath him began to shake. Several of the buildings around him finally collapsed, and cracks appeared in the ground. Most people would have thought an earthquake was happening, but a moment of reflection would have cued to them that this was no ordinary quake. In the distance, a large plume of sand could be seen rising from the desert below, growing larger by the second.

Finally, it happened. An enormous shadow, as tall as a skyscraper, burst out from beneath the Great Vortex, screeching with the ferocity of a demon. After a few moments, the darkness began to take a tangible form, becoming a mountainous black whale, its mouth opening wide in a scream, sucking an ocean of sand into its bottomless gullet. It was like a devil told of in bedtime stories to frighten troublesome children, one which could devour worlds and strike terror into the hearts of all. Finally, it opened its molten eyes, each of which was the larger than an Ursa Major.

The unsealed beast, turning its cruel gaze in the direction of the city in chaos, began to slowly make its approach toward Oasis. Its every breath stirred up a sandstorm that began to rage, enveloping the area around it in a tornado of dust and rock.

"So...that's what it looks like," Thane whispered in terrified awe. "The Leviathan Grimm."

The airship flew through the sky, remaining at a relatively safe distance from the sandstorm raging nearby. Though the pilot was trembling in fear at the sight of the great beast that was lurking within the storm, he continued to fly as he had been ordered to. "This is about as far as I can go, sir," he said nervously as he heard the sharp pitter-patter of sand raining against the ship's exterior. "Are you sure you can handle yourself out there? This looks...well, about as bad as it can get."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine." Professor Ozpin's voice rang out through the pilot's radio. "Once I have left, turn around at once and get to the city. The people there will need all the aid they can get."

Beacon's headmaster stood on top of the airship, gripping his cane as he stared into the storm ahead of him. He held his Scroll in his other hand. "It's as we suspected. Onyx was planning to use the Soulcage as a catalyst to break the seal on the Leviathan. Left unchecked, the beast will raze Vacuo by sundown."

"Damn that old fool," Carnelia's voice replied. "I always knew he was mad, but this is complete lunacy even for him! I'd come to your aid, but unfortunately it seems that issue you briefed me on earlier is currently under investigation in Mistral, and it looks like I'll need to stay here until we make further progress. I'll send what support I can, but it looks like you're on your own, Oz."

"I wouldn't say that," Ozpin smiled. "We have Thane on our side, after all. And there is no need for you to worry, Carnelia. Take what I warned you about into consideration - I fear the situation in Vacuo is but one of our enemy's schemes." He turned off the Scroll and put it away in his pocket.

Raising the cane, the headmaster was surrounded by a shimmering sphere of green energy. His feet began to rise up from the airship's surface, floating in the air for a moment before flying off into the raging sandstorm, the sphere shielding him from the shower of tiny, sharp fragments raining down upon him.

After almost a full minute, Ozpin broke through the raging sands, entering the eye of the storm. He landed on the Leviathan's back, dusting himself off as the sphere around him dissipated. A sinister black fluid was dripping down the Grimm's body, forming smaller creatures of Grimm as they separated themselves from the main body. Some of them simply fell to their deaths below, while others grew wings, changing into more recognizable forms - Nevermores, Griffons, and others. They flew away into the sandstorm, with all but the strongest being torn to shreds before they could get their first glimpse of the sky.

Ozpin sighed. He had seen more than enough in his lifetime to not feel fear in all but the most frightening of scenarios, but the old man could feel his blood chilling in the presence of so many Grimm, and the aura of malevolence that pervaded the entire area. He took a deep breath. "Desmond," he called out. "I believe it's time you showed yourself."

He heard a sharp crackling sound from in front of him. What appeared to be a small, squid-like Grimm with long tentacles protruding from its body had materialized in front of him. With a loud screech, the creature's body burst open, its tentacles wrapping around itself in a grotesque spectacle. There was a tearing sound, and a familiar old man wrenched his way out of the creature's body.

"Hello, Ozzy," Headmaster Onyx smiled at him. "Fancy meeting you here."

A/N: Enjoy the chapter! I know it's a cliffhanger, and we're nearing the end of the volume, but I might have to take a week or two off to focus on school and other things. Hope you all understand.