Optimistic Game Chapter 85

Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

You know what? All things considered, today has been a pretty good day. Scratch that, the past week was great. Tiny setbacks here and there, mostly with the massive bomb that attracted an entire army of Grimm and made me miss most of the tournament, but ultimately? I don’t think this could’ve gone any better. Sure, that giant bird showing up gave me a mini heart attack, but it fucking off immediately after is pretty much a best-case scenario. So really, there’s nothing to complain about. Almost like fate felt pity for me and finally decided to throw me a bone.

I mean, again, I’m not complaining. I really, really needed this sliver of a win after the previous colossal failures. For once, after what felt like ages, I’m actually hopeful about the future. With this slave market situation being the last major problem I need to address for at least a few months, I can finally gather my bearings and plan ahead for larger projects. Yeah, I have that whole Beacon professor job I almost regret agreeing to, but I’m good at multitasking. Doing two things at once is small potatoes.

Hell, even meeting Salem was a good thing. Before that, I was always worried, as I knew practically nothing about her. While ‘Observe’ didn’t tell me all that much either, what I do know is that her stats should be in the six digits, seeing how the skill was able to reveal that Titan’s five-digit stats. All the more, Salem’s magic isn’t just elemental— she knows weird Voodoo shit, so now I know I need to counter that sort of stuff too.

Instead of getting caught off guard at a terrible time, say, during our eventual battle, Salem inadvertently gave me a lot of information about herself. Now I know how much I need to prepare if I want to defeat her or the stronger Titans eventually. So, you know, silver lining.

With her spy pretty much compromised, I expect she’ll have to delay more of her plans until she decides to move on with her plan to destroy Vacuo, which, according to Cinder, will happen during the spring of next year. Considering it’s currently October, I have plenty of time to counter that. So I’m not worried about how I’m supposed to do that at the moment.

I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have some time to breathe. About six months of it, the longest I’ve ever gotten. The entire term I’m a professor for will end before this Thanatos attack, so it’s a damn shame that I still can’t help but feel uneasy. After all, all of this is just under the assumption that Salem didn’t change any of her plans, and after what I’ve revealed to her? I’d be a moron to ignore the eventuality of her striking when I’m not looking. Hopefully, I’ll be able to squeeze in another dungeon spree before that happens. I’m pretty sure I’ll need it.

Approaching the landing zone of the flying Amity Colosseum, my armor melts away and stores itself in one of my rings’ storage compartments, prompting me to use my fire magic to float down, exhaling deeply and feeling the cool air of the night on my skin. Even with how fast Sentry’s flight is, Sanus is still the biggest continent on the planet. I had to cross half of Remnant just to get to the Vacuo borders. It’s a miracle I made it back before the finals.

I stare at the massive colosseum, seeing the colorful stadium lights and hearing the excited cheers from all the way over here. I can’t help but smile a little, knowing that, unlike what I remember from the original story, this event won’t end in a disaster. Not when I’ve already compromised Cinder and turned her over to my side.

I’ve been somewhat keeping up with the tournament through my scroll. I missed most of the fights and only saw the results and, yeah, WLBY made it to the finals, as expected. Relatively easy, as well. Thankfully, they’ve actually listened to me and never used magic once, not like they needed it, nor did they go too hard on their opponents. They were fair and respectful to everyone.

As for the opposing finalists? Shockingly enough, it’s team Juniper. I say ‘shockingly’ because I may or may not have forgotten that they existed at all, but in hindsight, it was pretty obvious. Not counting my girls, Pyrrha is probably the most powerful and skilled in the entire tournament. Hell, I’ve seen her performance, and I’d say even as she is right now, she’d make a decent A-rank huntress.

And with the deadly Semblance like hers, no wonder she’s been comfortably winning their matches. Magnetism can be very powerful if it’s in the right hands.

The rest of her team is also pretty good, comprising individually strong students and good team synergy. As for the weakest link, Jaune Arc? Well, color me surprised, because he’s not really that bad either. I mean, considering he’s the guy who forged his transcripts and almost got one of his teammates killed, I’d expected someone hilariously weak, but somehow, he’s not even the worst I’ve seen. He’s still inferior to every single participant, though. All he has for himself is his high aura pool. He lacks the power and skill to be a worthy competitor in the tournament.

I’m still not sure why Ozpin kept him around even after what he did, but honestly, I don’t really care about that anymore. I have way bigger things to worry about than some dumbass way in over his head. Regardless, I’m confident in Wildberry. Yang told me she defeated Pyrrha once during training, so I’m sure she can do it again.

As I land on the platform, I pause for a moment as I spot a familiar face waiting for me.

“Took you long enough. You missed almost all of Yang’s matches.” Qrow says playfully. “How do you think she's gonna feel about this?”

“Oh, get off my dick.” I huff. “I had to cross an entire continent, kill about ten billion Grimm, then cross that continent again just to get back here.”

“Heh. Fair, fair.” He chuckles, walking beside me as we enter the stadium. “Can’t fault a guy for doing his due diligence. Won’t stop her from complaining about it, though.”

Especially seeing how she has no idea what I’m doing right now. Then again, I do have a good excuse, so she’ll probably understand.

“What are you doing out here, anyway?” I ask. “Weren’t you busy with something else?”

“Yeah, ‘standing by’.” He scoffs. “Can’t even have a break during festivals.”

“You were just done with your vacation.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not enough.” He argues. “So I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

“Oh?” I raise a brow in amusement.

“Clearly, the illustrious and world-renowned Titan Slayer invited me out for a drink.” He smirks, putting an arm over my shoulder. “And I, a lowly S-rank huntsman, was more than honored to accept such a great offer.”

“You just wanna get out of work.”

“If there’s one thing I hate more than a hangover, it’s ‘standing by’,” Qrow replies.

I laugh at that. To be honest, I can somewhat relate. I hate waiting and doing nothing, too.

“Alright, fine.” I relent. “Been ages since we had a drink, anyway.”

“Exactly.” Qrow grins. “I know a great place here in Amity. Quiet, empty, great selection.”

“Lead the way, then.”

I was only here to report to Oz and check up on the girls, and, admittedly, I’ve been turned off from drinking ever since the incident with Sienna, but a couple of drinks with my best friend won’t hurt. The pig can wait an hour or two.

Still need to watch the finals anyway. No excuse would justify missing that.

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– Pyrrha –

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the final match of the Vytal Tournament!” Professor Port announced enthusiastically. “One climactic battle after the other, dozens of young warriors showing might unseen for generations, only one team can make it to the top, and this battle will decide it all!”

With a sword and shield in hand, Pyrrha made it to the center stage, surrounded by the bright stadium lights and cheers of hundreds of people. It was something she was used to. As a celebrity-huntress, she’d been in the spotlight like this since she was much younger, but admittedly, never to this scale. Naturally, considering the occasion. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many hunters.

“And what a surprising year this has been. It was predicted that at least one Shade student would be in the arena right now, and some bet on their victory this year as well.” Professor Oobleck added. “But for two Beacons to make it to the finals? What an upset!”

Pyrrha found this a little funny. He was acting coy— everyone and their mother knew that Astera had taken a Beacon team under his wing. After their incredible performance, Wildberry had pretty much confirmed it to be them. They weren’t just predicted to make it to the finals, but almost guaranteed to win the tournament. And with Juniper having Pyrrha Nikos, the Champion of Mistral, almost nobody had had faith in Shade Academy this year. They were still formidable, yes, but none of their students had any fame.

Of course, her title and popularity had been utterly dwarfed ever since Reid Astera had shown up, and with his constant achievements ever since, even his students would be held in higher regard than Pyrrha. She would’ve found this endlessly frustrating had she cared about being a celebrity. If anything, she was thankful.

What she found frustrating, however, was losing. Something she had only recently discovered about herself, ever since Yang had defeated her during their training. So to get another crack at the blond after training intensively made her feel confident. This time, she was going to set the record straight. Even if her opponent had trained under Astera, Pyrrha wouldn’t let that make her give up.

…Was what she thought before she spotted her opponent.

“Undoubtedly! However, with their fantastic performance this year, I’d say it’s well deserved! Everyone, get ready for a feast for the eyes and the greatest finale yet!” Port said excitedly. “In one corner, we have the Invincible Huntress, the leader of team Juniper and the undefeated champion of Mistral: Pyrrha Nikos!”

With her rapier drawn, Weiss stepped forward and shifted into a combat stance, a confident smile playing at her lips.

“And her opponent is one of the key players in the battle against the Dreadnaught of Menagerie, SDC Heiress, and friend of the faunus: Let me hear a round of applause for the one and only Weiss Schnee!”

 The crowd went wild, cheering for the two combatants while the announcers continued to hype them up. Although Pyrrha was more occupied with what she was seeing and hearing. Weiss? She thought for sure she’d face the blond.

“Surprised?” Weiss asked. “I assume you expected you’d be fighting Yang.”

Pyrrha blinked, then nodded with a smile.

“Definitely.” She confirmed. “Tactically speaking, Yang’s fighting style counters me the best out of your entire team. She’s already proved that once.”

“Correct. And as much as I dislike to admit it, there’s no denying that that oaf is the strongest in our team.” The SDC heiress huffed. “More than that, with her heavy preference for offensive ‘tactics’, she excels in one-on-one duels.”

“So what’s your reason for not picking her?”

“Because this is the finals, and the audience deserves to see a show of skill and grace,” Weiss smirked, and Pyrrha would’ve thought she was being arrogant had she not picked up on her playful tone. “Not some brute bulldozing her way to victory. I think they’ve seen enough of that already.”

“I suppose I can understand that.” Pyrrha chuckled. “Though, I imagine there’s something else.”

“Naturally,” Weiss said. “My older sister is watching, and I want to show her what I’ve learned.”

“I see. As good a reason as any.” She responded, getting into her stance. “Then let’s make this a show to remember. Do not hold back on me, Weiss.”

“I wouldn’t.”

Waiting for the signal to begin their duel, Pyrrha exhaled and analyzed her opponent. Although she’d never fought Weiss personally, she’d seen her battles during the tournament, and, just like Yang, she was equally absurd, primarily in physical power. Despite her appearance of a ‘dainty princess’, her strength and speed were out of this world in comparison to the rest of the students in all the academies.

Not to mention, her aura pool and stamina were much higher than everyone else's, so sticking to an offensive strategy wouldn’t do Pyrrha any good. She’d be overpowered, outsped, and overwhelmed in moments.

However, when it came to skill and experience? There wasn’t as big a gap there. Weiss was much, much closer to students her age, and while yes, she was ultimately superior, Pyrrha knew she could keep up with her in that category. Moreover, when it came to weapons, Pyrrha’s Milo and Akuou should counter Weiss’s Myrtenaster well enough.

My only chance at victory is to tire her out. Pyrrha thought, admittedly growing anxious. This isn’t going to be easy.

Rather, she knew that this was going to be the hardest duel she would ever have. 

Pyrrha swallowed dryly as Weiss’s smirk dropped, replaced with a serious frown as she prepared for their battle. For some bizarre reason, she could almost feel a strange… presence weighing heavily on her.

“Are our finalists ready?” Port questioned, and, after a moment of pure silence, he announced: “Then begin!”

As soon as that word left his mouth, Weiss rushed forward with mind-boggling speed, crossing the arena and reaching Pyrrha in less than a second, but the champion of Mistral, although much slower, had anticipated this sort of start and managed to react just in time, using her semblance in tandem with her shield to parry the heiress’ thrust.

And despite the opening left by her response, Pyrrha knew trying to exploit it would be a terrible idea, as she was aware that Weiss could recover faster than she could attack. Quick strikes to whittle her aura down were all the redhead could do at the moment.

As expected, Weiss did recover abnormally fast, not letting that parry take her by surprise as she continued to attack Pyrrha with lightning-fast thrusts. In response, all she could do was use her semblance to redirect her attacks just enough to follow up with a block or parry via her shield. No opening she made she could reliably take—not yet, at least.

It was becoming increasingly apparent to the champion that Weiss wasn’t going to let her breathe. But of course. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be putting her superior power to good use. However, it was also clear that Weiss wasn’t going all out just yet. After all, she had yet to use her glyphs. It was not out of arrogance, that much Pyrrha knew. She could feel that she was being taken seriously with each blow she blocked. Likely, Weiss was just saving her own strength just in case.

“What an explosive start!” Port announced, followed by the loud and excited cheers of the audience. “Ms. Schnee is displaying ferocity she’d yet to exhibit for the entire tournament!”

“Ms. Nikos is already on the back foot,” Oobleck added. “How will the champion of Mistral get out of this?”

Despite the onslaught of thrusts, Pyrrha remained patient as she slowly but surely got used to the speed difference. And although she suffered a few scratches here and there, her defensive strategy was ultimately working to her favor as, eventually, Weiss lost her patience first, spinning the barrel of her rapier and unleashing a wave of fire with a wide swing. The redhead grunted as she felt the lashing flames on her skin, but that was the opening she needed.

As Weiss spun the barrel of her weapon again, she hadn’t expected Pyrrha to charge forward and bash her with the shield, stunning her for half a second, which was more than enough time to follow up with a strong slash across the chest, sending Weiss tumbling backward.

“Ouch, that has to hurt!”

“A remarkable comeback from Ms. Nikos!”

After breaking her guard and momentum, the redhead switched to the offensive, getting close enough so that Weiss would have trouble using her rapier and skillfully swinging her blade. Unfortunately for Pyrrha, she couldn’t get more than one hit before Weiss summoned her glyphs, letting her slide back and out of range.

Though she had anticipated that as well, and flung her shield as hard as she could, followed by shooting a few elemental rounds with her rifle. Weiss effortlessly dodged with minimal movement, tilting her head and stepping to the side before charging forward again using the same glyphs she used to back off. Only to be forced to defend herself as the shield came flying back toward her. The ice glyph easily stopped the shield in its place, but it gave Pyrrha another opening, charging forward in melee range.

In response, Weiss smiled confidently, summoning a glyph under Pyrrha that stopped her in place, a mere meter away from her target. Without a shield and unable to move, the SDC heiress dashed past her, and Pyrrha was forced to suffer several slashes and thrusts in under a second, making her gasp in pain and surprise.

“And Ms. Schnee turns the tides once more!” Port stated, equally excited as the rest of the audience.

“Masterful display of skill from Ms. Schnee! Such incredible speed!” Oobleck noted enthusiastically.

As Weiss charged in for another hit, Pyrrha used a considerable amount of power and disarmed her opponent, flinging Myrtenaster out of her hand. In the next instant, her shield broke through the glyph and came back to her, prompting her to throw it at Weiss. This time, the attack landed, hitting Weiss square in the nose and making her flinch, grunting in mild pain.

With her focus wavering, the glyph beneath Pyrrha vanished, letting her move again. And move she did, rushing the weaponless Weiss with fierce resolve. This time, the redhead kept an eye on the ground, side-stepping every glyph below her before it could fully form. If she were caught in any of them, she wouldn’t be able to do any more damage.

Fortunately for Pyrrha, she had managed to catch up to Weiss before she could make a distance, swinging her blade at her for a devastating strike. However, the SDC heiress predicted her attack, avoided it, and, in an improvised move, punched the champion in the face, forcing her back.

Not quite having expected that from Weiss of all people, Pyrrha, once recovered, blinked a few times in genuine surprise. Naturally, it shouldn’t be that surprising, seeing how important hand-to-hand was to hunters, but from Weiss? Moreover, that had actually hurt. Not as much as Yang’s punches, but painful nonetheless.

Regardless of her opponent’s quick recovery, this still gave Pyrrha a moment to breathe. Her plan was working, but not as well as she’d thought. A glance at the screen above told her that while she was losing aura faster than Weiss, she was still doing relatively well against her, forcing her to spend quite a bit of energy as well.

“Such an exhilarating exchange!” Port said. “Ms. Schnee's ruthlessness looked almost unstoppable, but Ms. Nikos was no slouch!”

“It seems they are equally matched.” Oobleck supplied. “But with Ms. Schnee at a disadvantage, how will this battle play out?”

Equally matched? Pyrrha thought with a trembling smile. …No, we’re not equal. Not at all.

Whether it was her intuition as a warrior or something else entirely, Pyrrha felt it in that exchange- the real difference between them. She knew that there had to be some level of holding back on both parties as not to kill each other by accident, but…

Had this been a real battle… She breathed. I would’ve been dead by now.

“I have to say, Pyrrha.” Weiss started. “I’m very impressed. You’re much better than you were when you and Yang had that duel.”

“Thank you. I’ve been doing extra training on the side.” She responded. “Though, seems it’s not much compared to you. You look like you’re barely trying.”

“Oh, no. I would’ve lost had I not taken you seriously. I just have a lot of stamina.” Weiss replied. Then paused before speaking again. “Truth be told, Pyrrha, I admire you quite a lot.”

Pyrrha blinked.

“You… do?” She tilted her head.

“I always have, and although I used to see you as this invincible celebrity whom I wished I had on my team, I now understand what makes you amazing.” She added. “The thing is, I’m aware of how powerful I am. My training, the monsters I faced during my time in Menagerie, and now, a reference of my peers to compare myself to…”

She waited for the SDC heiress to finish.

“I understand what Reid means, and in no way was he exaggerating.” She said, somewhat vaguely. “But to see you keeping up despite my advantages proves that you’re not just talent. You’ve worked very hard to get where you are on your own. You’re an outstanding huntress, and I’m proud to call you a friend.”

“Oh…” Pyrrha’s eyes widened before she smiled softly at this heart-touching proclamation. “That means… more than words can say, Weiss. Thank you.”

“I say it as I see it.” Weiss smiled back, flipping her hair back. “I’m honestly curious about the kind of monster you’d become had you been given the same privilege as me and my team.”

“That’d be something.” The redhead giggled. “But I suppose we’ve talked enough.”

“Quite.” The SDC Heiress agreed, showing no concern about her lack of a weapon. “Prepare yourself.”

Weiss raised her arm, forming three huge white glyphs behind her, and as Pyrrha prepared for an attack of some kind, enormous armored individuals appeared from each of the glyphs, looking very similar to the Arma Gigas model of the Atlesian Knights. Pyrrha took a step back, her face going pale as the giants towered over her.

On any other day, dealing with robots and the like would be almost effortless for Pyrrha, but these things were unaffected by her Semblance. They weren’t made of metal— they were made of Weiss’ aura. Polarity would be useless against them.

In front of them, Weiss put one hand on her side and smirked before ordering her summons to attack with a simple wave of her hand. Dealing with one of them would’ve been fine, but three? Pyrrha realized that disarming her had been a big mistake.

Regardless, the Invincible Huntress wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

And so, mirroring her opponent’s smirk, Pyrrha braced for battle.

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– Qrow –

Pouring himself another shot of whiskey, Qrow glanced at Reid sitting on the stool next to him, who was paying full attention to the match on a small stationary scroll in the corner of the bar, a glass of rum in his hand. For once, the guy seemed somewhat relaxed. A little anxious if his constant tapping on the counter was any indication, but he was enjoying the finals a lot more than Qrow had expected, which was a good thing.

Truthfully, Qrow was surprised that Reid had taken him up on his offer. He’d thought for sure that he’d get blown off so Reid could go back to confronting Valentine. This was a good sign. If he felt comfortable enough to spend some time for himself, then he was probably feeling much better than he’d been during his battle with that Beringel Titan.

“I was worried for Ice Queen for a second there,” Qrow said after sipping from his drink. “Forgot the Schnee can summon stuff. I guess she can handle herself even without a weapon.”

“Weiss and Yang are the least affected by disarming. It still puts them at a disadvantage, but not a crippling one.” Reid nodded. “Besides, she could just make another rapier with her magic.”

“Really? Why isn’t she doing that?”

As the match continued, it became clear that Weiss had no intentions of doing what Reid said she was capable of, content with letting the Arma Gigas summons do the job. However, that wasn’t so easy as Pyrrha was keeping up relatively well, and even though her semblance had no effect on them, she danced around the swings with elegance befitting of her title as the Invincible Huntress.

Even a single hit from any of them would be devastating, so she kept focusing on evading all damage. She also avoided counterattacking in any meaningful way, knowing that she shouldn’t waste her energy on warriors that Weiss could just resummon whenever needed. Instead, she looked for an opening in which she could attack her weaponless opponent.

As for Weiss, she circled the arena, keeping a distance while analyzing her foe’s movements. Qrow wondered what she was planning— trying to fight Pyrrha using her fists alone might not end well for her, even with her power advantage. She wasn’t a martial artist like Yang, as far as he was aware.

“I told Wildberry they’re not allowed to use magic or haki in the tournament. Would’ve made things too easy for them.” He replied. Makes sense. “Though I’m still surprised she picked herself to represent her team. I thought for sure she’d choose Yang.”

“Reason being?”

“Yang is their strongest,” Reid answered. “Beyond that, battles like this are her specialty.”

“That’s true.” Qrow agreed. “And I remember her telling me she beat Nikos once. Would’ve been a guaranteed win for them had they chosen Yang to fight.”

“I mean, they’re still guaranteed to win,” Reid responded, his tone conveying pride in his students. “I’m just confused why Weiss wanted to fight.”

Eventually, finding what she was looking for, Weiss summoned dozens of glyphs in a straight line, launching herself sliding toward Pyrrha faster than the redhead could react. The champion of Mistral was too busy with the Arma Gigas to defend against Weiss’s punch in a reasonable way; the attack landed, nearly making her lose her footing.

Pyrrha couldn’t counter as Weiss had already zoomed past her, creating more glyph lines around the arena to slide across in an attempt to confuse or intimidate her. All the while, the Arma Gigas didn’t give her a moment to breathe, swinging their greatswords with full strength. One hit from them, and the match was over.

Weiss kept up that strategy, occasionally propelling herself toward Pyrrha and landing another attack. It was a plan that Qrow would have expected Ruby to implement with her speed semblance, but this only proved the insane versatility of the Schnee Family’s glyphs.

“Well, you gotta keep in mind that a lot of people are watching. The entire world, in fact.” The older huntsman pointed out after a moment. “She probably wanted to prove herself.”

“To whom?” Reid asked before humming. “Actually, this would be good publicity, wouldn’t it? And immediately after the semi-PR campaign in Menagerie, Weiss would get pretty damn popular. She already is, to be honest, but everyone loves a capable woman CEO who actually cares, don’t they? Damn, Weiss. That’s smart.”

“I was gonna say her sister,” Qrow responded in amusement. “You know, the Icier Queen.”

“Ah… Right. I forgot about her.”

“You don’t say?” The older huntsman chuckled.

With that, the duo got quiet and resumed watching the match on the screen.

Despite the strategy working for the most part, Pyrrha had very quickly gotten used to it, and in an impressive maneuver, managed to catch Weiss mid-charge by introducing her shield to the heiress’ face, stopping her in her tracks while simultaneously making every glyph on the ground disappear.

“Oof.” Reid cringed. “Using her own momentum against her like that was smart, though. No wonder people call Pyrrha the ‘Invincible Huntress’. Her adaptability is insane.”

“Natural-born warrior.” Qrow agreed. “Though, I doubt it’s enough.”

“Oh, definitely not.” He agreed. “Weiss barely broke a sweat, while Pyrrha is already exhausted.”

With Weiss knocked to the ground, Pyrrha acted quickly in an attempt to stab her, but with the heiress’ reaction speed, that wasn’t going to happen as she blocked the attack with a glyph before getting back up and sweeping her opponent’s legs off the ground, leaving her wide open for the approaching Arma Gigas before backing away.

But Pyrrha didn’t let this deter her as she put her whole weight behind her shield, blocking the swing of the summoned warrior, which propelled her near the edge of the arena, only for a glyph to appear below her, freezing her in place. Pyrrha’s eyes widened in shock.

“And that’s a wrap,” Reid said, finishing his drink. “No way she’s getting out of that.”

With her stuck and incapable of dodging, Weiss maximized that opportunity, working with one of her summons to utilize the flat surface of its sword as a springboard to launch herself toward the redhead.

Despite Pyrrha blocking the powerful kick with her shield, the impact of the attack forced her to stagger backward and out of bounds. In contrast, Weiss executed a graceful backward flip and landed back in the arena, defeating her opponent in a very stylish manner. Honestly, even Qrow was impressed.

Afterwards, pure silence. For a few seconds, until everyone watching processed what they had just seen. Naturally, the crowd went wild, cheering for this year’s Vytal Champions. For the first time in public, the Invincible Huntress lost a match against none other than the SDC Heiress herself.

…Definitely good PR.

“What an exhilarating finale!” Port bellowed into the microphone. “In all my years as a huntsman and a professor at Beacon Academy, I’ve never seen such a wondrous display of skill! Please, everyone, another round of applause for this superb generation of hunters!”

“Told you she was going to win,” Reid said.

“Never doubted it.” Qrow snorted.

“To be honest, now I’m glad Weiss went in there instead of Yang.” He added. “I’m pretty sure she needs the publicity more than Yang, and if she’s doing this to impress her sister, then who am I to argue, right?”

“True, true.” Qrow agreed before pausing.

Now that he mentioned it…

“You know, speaking of Winter Schnee, I heard something interesting from Ironwood the other day.” He said, drawing the Titan Slayer’s attention to him. “Something about her having some sort of ‘internship’ under you.”

“What? For real?” Reid looked surprised. “Since when?”

“Not sure. They’ve been planning it for a while. Oz is in on it, too, if you’re wondering.” Qrow responded. “And I think she’s coming over during your time as a professor at Beacon. Probably to work as your ‘assistant’.”

Reid visibly deflated at that.

“Are you kidding me? Nobody even told me about this.” He huffed. “What a pain in the ass. I don’t need an assistant.”

“You mean you don’t want a hot Atlesian military noblewoman following you around doing everything you tell her to?”

“Don’t make it weird, dude.”

“‘DoN’t MaKe It WeIrD’ you’re the little shit who can’t help but fuck anything that has a hole in it,” Qrow argued with an unamused look. Before Reid could argue back, he added. “You think I don’t know about you and Sienna Khan?”

The words died in his throat, and Qrow had to admit that watching the ‘strongest man in the world’ look embarrassed was hilarious. Not that Qrow was furious. What right did he have? What, or rather, who Reid did behind closed doors was his business.

“I mean, seriously, Reid? I know, teenagers and all that, but the High Leader of the White Fang? You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Qrow teased. “Honestly, though. I’m really impressed. Something to brag about, eh? I don’t even know how you convinced her. Unless she knows about the whole sea monster thing.”

“We were drunk, alright? I blacked out, and I woke up with her in my arms.” He sighed before getting off his stool. “Whatever. I’m going back to work.”

“Work?” Qrow raised an eyebrow. “Now?”

“The special aftershow I promised, remember?” Reid said. “Check Scribe. More people are excited about that than the finals.”

Although that was true, Qrow knew exactly where he was going right now. He’d already gotten a heads-up from Oz. About Reid being the Black Phantom, the Pig Emperor, and Valentine currently rotting in a cell somewhere. And admittedly? Qrow wasn’t sure if he liked what he heard. He knew the kid could get brutal sometimes, but this?

…’If being the violent monster I am now means that no one else has to take on that burden, and if violence paves the way for the perfect world I’ve always envisioned since coming here, then there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make it a reality.’ That was what he’d said, according to Ozpin, and Qrow didn’t think he was happy with his pseudo little brother being like that.

Of course, he would give no pity for scum like the Pig Emperor. He agreed with Reid about these kinds of things most of the time— that they should be executed at the earliest convenience and spare the world from their evil. Hell, had it been in his hands, he would’ve killed Raven himself.

“Ruby is probably waiting for me, so I gotta run.” Reid walked toward the exit, giving Qrow a grin and a wave. “See you, man. Thanks a lot for the drinks. We should do this again someday.”

“For sure…” Qrow mumbled.

But no kid should be thinking like that.

Especially not someone like Reid.

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– Valentine –

As every inch of his body flared in agony, the councilman of Vale slowly opened his eyes with a groan, blinking a few times to adjust his vision. The light searing into his eyes made him avert his gaze with a grunt of discomfort, and, after a few moments, he realized he couldn’t move, prompting him to panic as memories of what had happened came rushing back.

He struggled, realizing that he was tied to a chair, which would’ve been easy to escape from were it not for the aura inhibitor around his neck. Valentine bit his lower lip and growled in frustration, scanning the room and spotting nothing but the chair he was on and the two responsible for his state.

“Lookie here, Neo. Little piggy is finally awake.” Roman chuckled, cigar in one hand and cane in another. “Had a nice nap? Sure had one hell of a beating back there.”

“Release me, Roman.” He said. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“Buddy, you’re in no position to demand anything from me.” The Silver Fox rolled his eyes, tapping Valentine on the head with his cane. “I suggest you stay quiet, else I sic this little psychopath on you.”

Said little psychopath grinned widely and winked at Valentine. It took no genius to feel the bloodlust radiating off her.

“Trust me, I’ve been keeping her on a very tight leash,” Roman added. “Fortunately for you, orders are orders. You’re to be kept alive until the big man comes here to deal with you.”

“And this… ‘big man’ is Reid Astera?”

“The one and only.” Roman grinned. “You done did it now, piggy. You pissed off the strongest man in the world.”

This was bad. Of all people to be caught by, it had to be Astera, who was somehow working with Roman Torchwick, the worst of them all. The other crime lords? Complete morons. They were easy to manipulate and dispose of, and he’d only kept them around due to their incompetence. Silver Fox, on the other hand, was a genuine threat. He surrounded himself with useful pawns like his midget sidekick and had always been the closest to figuring out his identity.

Torchwick becoming Astera’s key to the underworld was a disaster, and, in hindsight, Valentine should’ve seen it coming. Months ago, Astera had managed to catch Torchwick and throw him in jail, only for the Silver Fox to break out mere hours later. The Titan Slayer had broken him out. He had to have. Jailbreaks typically took weeks, if not months, to plan and execute. But for the strongest man in the world, it’d be like taking candy from a baby.

As for why, well, wasn’t it obvious? By killing Valentine, he’d have cleared out a council seat for himself and eliminated the most powerful crime lord. He was the perfect target for him, assuming he wanted to rise. Having a footing in both worlds would make anyone immensely powerful, much less the Titan Slayer himself.

What was more damning, however, was the fact that Astera and the Black Phantom were one and the same. He’d had some suspicion that they worked together somehow— perhaps Nahkriin had the Titan Slayer’s support by taking resources like special potions to grow unnaturally powerful. Still, Valentine had never expected them to be the same person. Why would the Titan Slayer stain his hands with such dirty work when he had Titans to worry about?

Moreover, if Astera and the Black Phantom were the same person, how the hell did he avoid the trap despite it going off? It didn’t make sense. They had to be two different people, right? Was there more than one Black Phantom? Were they a whole squad led by the Titan Slayer?

Valentine exhaled and calmed himself. Regardless, there was no point in thinking it over right now. How was he supposed to get out of this situation?

“I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about,” Valentine said, composing himself. “What would I have done to provoke Sir Astera?”

“Nothing. Except for the whole slavery thing.” Roman mentioned with a snort. “C’mon, drop the act. We know you’re the Pig Emperor. Had us stumped for a while, but you couldn’t have possibly thought you could keep this up forever.”

“Baseless accusations.” He responded. “I’m a councilman who governs over the food and agriculture administration of Vale. For what reason would I involve myself in vile and illegal acts like slavery?”

“Sure, man. Whatever you say.” The Silver Fox shrugged. Then, he paused for a moment. “…Huh. Isn’t it funny?”

Valentine narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever been a cop.” He said. “And not pretending to be one to get into a vault or whatever, but actually being one. Catching criminals and stuff. Look at me being an outstanding member of society.”

The midget near him gasped, then signed something to Roman.

“No, Neo. You can’t be the bad cop.” He sighed. “You’re just gonna kill him.”

Neopolitan crossed her arms and pouted.

“You have no proof.” Valentine pressed. “Release me, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“No can do, sir.” Roman denied. “See, I got a sweet deal with Astera going on, and I’d rather not get on his bad side.”

“Whatever it is Astera is paying you, I’ll double it.”

“Oh, it’s not money. He’s offering something less… tangible.” The Silver Fox smirked. “Honestly, for a ‘paragon of virtue and justice’ he’s prett~y damn pragmatic. I’m a fan. Besides…”

Roman leaned closer.

“Wouldn’t be so desperate if you were sure of your innocence, would you, piggy?” He said. “If you really didn’t do anything, then you’d wait until the big boss was done investigating you.”

“Clearly, I’ve overestimated Astera’s mental stability if he were to go to such lengths over mere baseless allegations.”

“Hah!” Roman threw his head back and laughed as Neo silently giggled beside him. “‘Allegations,’ he says! You genuinely think Astera would do all this if he didn’t have evidence? You might actually be stupider than you look.”

“You’ve yet to provide any of this evidence you speak of.”

“Of course, of course.” Roman rolled his eyes. “We’ll just have to wait, then.”

Just then, the door opened, and in walked the Titan Slayer himself, laying all doubts that this was merely an intimidation tactic to rest. Some part of him had hoped that it had just been a trick to get under his skin, but seeing Reid Astera himself here was still quite the shock. He’d really orchestrated this whole thing just to catch Valentine? It didn’t make a lot of sense, admittedly.

Why wouldn’t he use his immense authority to put Valentine under house arrest or something? Councilman or not, Astera was so politically powerful that any sort of evidence, no matter how nonsensical, would’ve given him leverage over anyone in the world. Why go through so many hoops just to catch him like this?

“Speak of the devil.” Roman took the cigar out of his mouth, addressing Astera. “So, hero. Here he is. What are we thinking?”

Astera paused for a moment before answering.

“You did well, you two.” He said. “You can leave now. You’re done for today.”

“Just like that?” Roman raised an eyebrow.

“Just like that.” Reid nodded, his gaze never leaving Valentine. “I’ll contact you tomorrow to discuss more about our agreement.”

Roman and Neo looked at each other before the former shrugged.

“You’re the boss.” He said, taking the midget with him, who quickly signed something to him. “No, Neo. You’re not staying here. He looks pissed and I’m not gonna test him.”

The door behind them closed, leaving Valentine alone with Astera. The silence was tense, nearly overshadowed by a strange sort of pressure that weighed heavily on him. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and cheek as he stared into Reid’s reptile-like slitted eyes. He could see the fury behind that glare, and it was almost suffocating.

“So, then…” Valentine started. “Care to explain?”

For a moment, Astera said nothing, but then the space next to his hand shifted, and a syringe filled with a red and green liquid suddenly appeared in it. Valentine’s eyes moved toward it, dread welling up in his chest.

“No,” Reid responded, stabbing his shoulder with the syringe. “You will.”

Valentine grunted as he was injected with this strange liquid, and while he didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t feel anything different. Slow acting effect perhaps? Whatever it was, this terrified him greatly.

“What… did you do?” He muttered.

“Are you the Pig Emperor?” Reid answered with his question.

Valentine felt surprised by such a straightforward question. His tone was sincere and genuine; if Valentine answered 'no,’ he would be released from here. He felt no deception or anything similar. And yet…

“Yes.” He answered before his eyes widened.

…Oh.

“Of course, you are.” Reid snorted. “Your bloodlust when the trap went off was unmistakable. No regular person could ever feel that way. Was out of place, too.”

Valentine had no idea what he was talking about. More accurately, he was too preoccupied with what he had just done. This couldn’t be. Why had he said that? What had possessed him to say ‘yes’? It was as if his brain had done the exact opposite of what he’d wanted to do.

“W-why did I—”

“Answer truthfully?” The Titan Slayer waved the empty syringe. “Cuz this was a truth serum, made specifically for you.”

Valentine’s jaws clenched, pupils shrinking as he stared into Astera’s gaze of quiet fury.

“Of course, I didn’t really need it. I knew it was you before you confirmed it for me, but I had to convince Oz somehow. He wasn’t happy with the plan.” He shrugged as the syringe suddenly vanished. “And, well, I wanted to experiment with my potions skill a little. I don’t typically touch the ‘poison’ side of it.”

Valentine growled.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one enslaving people for profit.” He scoffed. “Karma had to hit you back eventually, and unfortunately for you, it sent me to do the job.”

“W-wait… You’re doing this because of the slave market?” Valentine’s eyes went wide in genuine confusion and surprise. “Not because you wanted my place as a councilman?”

“Why so surprised?” Reid raised an eyebrow. “You think the whole ‘hero’ thing was just for show? Nah, man. I’m taking that shit very seriously.”

For a moment, Valentine was too stunned to respond. This was done out of heroism? For the goodness of the world? JUSTICE?! He was about to die because this child really was THAT DELUSIONAL?!

At such absurdity, Valentine couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha! Oh, how precious!” He guffawed. “You really are just a child! A so-called hero of justice!”

“Hell yeah, I am,” Reid responded proudly. “Sorry that you can’t comprehend that some people want to do good. For your information, lots of others I know wanna do the same thing I do.”

“Oh, no. I’m fully aware that some delusional hero wannabes exist. After all, we have Hunter Academies. But you?! YOU of all people?!” He continued to laugh. “The Titan Slayer, the hero of Remnant! What a great, great joke!

“I… don’t get your point?” The Titan Slayer narrowed his eyes. “Just because I’m rich and powerful doesn’t make me incapable of doing the right thing.”

“Ah, yes. Of course. The right thing.” Valentine shook his head in amusement. “You, the hero, stopping me, the villain, while blissfully blind to the eternal irony of what makes you just as bad as me.”

“Oh, please. Not the whole ‘you and I are the same’ speech.” Reid rolled his eyes.

“Oh, but we are.” The Pig Emperor insisted. “Don’t pretend you’re this paragon of virtue when you’ve committed crimes just as heinous as I have.”

“Brother, you ENSLAVED people,” Reid argued, looking quite shocked that he’d make such a comparison. “How the fuck are we the same?”

“Oh, no, no. You don’t get to justify your own crimes.” Valentine replied. “Tell me. How many have you killed? Dozens? Hundreds? I’ve had quite a lot of people working under me, and you’ve wiped out nearly all of them.”

“And why should I care?” The ‘Hero’ replied, showing exactly the kind of ignorance Valentine expected. “They deserve to be wiped out.”

“You fool. You really are an idiot.” The Pig Emperor chuckled. “You think ALL those who work for me do it willingly?”

Reid paused.

“Some of them were FORCED to be there!” He revealed. “Either through debt or blackmail, I FORCED them to guard my markets! I FORCED them to process papers! I FORCED them to enslave! And you think they were happy about it?! No! They just had no choice in the matter!”

Reid didn’t move an inch. He remained dead silent, but Valentine could tell that this made him falter. Ever so slightly.

“But you? You slaughtered them all anyway.” Valentine said, a huge grin on his face. “You didn’t care if they were willing or not. In your eyes, they were no better than the Grimm, were they?”

Once again, Reid said nothing.

“So really, Astera.” The Pig Emperor stared deep into the Titan Slayer’s soul. “Explain to me how we are not the same.”

For a while, he said nothing, gazing back into Valentine’s red eyes. No denial. No bargaining. None of the stages of grief were present on Reid’s face: none but the final stage of quiet acceptance.

A sight that truly surprised Valentine. He knew his type. He expected a quick dismissal in hopes of remaining in his blissful delusions of being a hero. Unable to tolerate any sort of challenge to that view. Unaware of the kind of monster he truly was. But that didn’t happen.

Instead, Astera smiled.

“Nah, you’re still wrong. We’re definitely not the same.” He agreed. “I mean, yeah, I am a monster. No way I’d ever deny that.”

“Oh?”

“Sure, we both committed terrible crimes. We both destroyed lives. We’re both corrupt in a way.” He shrugged. “And I’ve always accepted the fact that I have to be a monster to achieve my goals. It’s just the kind of thing that needs to be done.”

He stared at his clenched fist, and his smile dropped.

“If I want to make the world better, then I have to be willing to do anything.” He added. “No matter what.”

“…Well, I’ll be damned,” Valentine mumbled. “And here I thought you’d be crying and screaming. Perhaps finally provoked to finish me off. So color me impressed, Astera. Truly.”

“But here’s the thing, Valentine. You don’t really know the kind of monster I can be. The things I’m willing to do for a better tomorrow.” Reid said, not acknowledging his response, as his smile returned, turning sinister. “Don’t worry, though, you’re about to understand what I mean very soon.”

With that, Astera opened the door, confusing the Pig Emperor greatly. Ominous words aside, he thought for sure that Astera would just kill him right here and then.

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Valentine questioned. “Perhaps you’d leave me here to starve to death?”

“Oh, no need. You’re already dead.”

Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes.

“Pardon me?”

“The truth serum I gave you? Yeah, it’s also a very deadly poison.” He revealed. “A more slow-acting effect, but it’s basically a death sentence if you don’t have Aura to combat it. Oh, and don’t expect a nice painless death, either. It’s gonna hurt a lot more than anything I could do to you.”

Valentine’s blood ran cold.

“First, you’re gonna lose control of your body. You won’t be able to move, speak, or do anything really.” He said. “Then, after a few moments, you’re gonna feel it. Every limb, every bone, every nerve, and every single cell in your body will feel as if it were set on fire.”

As if on cue, Valentine felt it. He couldn’t move, speak, or even breathe.

“And you’re gonna take it in silence. I’m not even giving you the courtesy to let you scream.” He added. “That’s the kind of monster I am, Valentine.”

He tried. By the gods, he tried. To move, to beg— anything. But he couldn’t. He could only wait for his impending demise.

“So like I said, you are wrong. We’re not the same.” Reid concluded, staring back at him with nothing but hatred and anger. “I’m a lot worse.”

And once he closed the door behind him, Valentine felt it. The overwhelming agony— Immediate and abrupt, with no buildup whatsoever. To call it pain was an understatement. Astera’s description of it ‘burning every cell in his body’ was merely a prelude to what he was currently feeling.

His body began convulsing so hard that he fell to the ground, regretting every crime he had committed in his life. He wanted to scream, to pull his hair out, to break his own bones, and take his own life just for the pain to stop, but all Valentine could do was silently beg for death. He prayed for death as his very soul cried out for mercy. For sweet release. Even if hell waited for him in the afterlife, he truly, truly hoped for this misery to cease.

And after what felt like hours and hours of convulsing, frothing, and silently crying, Valentine froze, a mere thirty seconds after the pain started.

In his last moments, Valentine had one question. There’s no denying that he, too, was a monster. The worst of the worst. He’d killed, enslaved, and destroyed the lives of many for profit and power, with no hint of shame or remorse. No doubt, he deserved to die for what he did. And when he was caught, he was ready to embrace death.

So what did doing all of this prove?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Reid –

On my way back to the colosseum from my underground base in Vale City, I feel Valentine’s presence being snuffed out, prompting me to sigh deeply. It’s over. With the head of the snake gone, the rest will collapse on its own, and Roman will absorb the remains into his organization. That’s one big hurdle out of the way, and I couldn’t be any happier.

…

…

…

…A scowl makes its way onto my face before I unconsciously punch a hole into the wall of the hallway. Afterwards, I quickly put a hand over my face and exhale again, shaking certain thoughts out of my head. It’s done. There’s nothing you can do about it. So get over it, you bitch.

Sentry opens the compartment of my ring to raise a tiny tentacle and touch my cheek in a comforting manner. I don’t respond to that and decide to continue walking, leaving the building before soaring toward Amity and letting my face stretch into a smile.

…Yup.

Happiest I’ve ever been.