Seth kicked Nova in her chest, flipping out of the way of her slash.

He landed behind her, slashing at her back, but she ducked and shouldered him away.

Seth threw Burden at her, and she tried to parry, but the weight of the blade actually sent her flying back. Seth caught the blade in midair, violently throwing the blade again with a yell.

Nova flipped back and dodged again, but Seth flew by the blade and swung it upward, slamming into her jaw.

She spiraled upward with Seth close behind, and gripped her sword for a stab, stopping her ascent and flying back at him.

Seth spun his sheath and countered with his own, both blades clashing with symmetry.

Seth felt the recoil of the clash and his arm staggered under the pressure. Throwing that aside, it's not like his body was bound to human limits anymore.

Seth's other arm molded into a much more durable shape like that of Grimm's, before he extended it and parted Nova's blade with a swat, spinning around and slashing at her with Burden.

Nova barely had the time to block, but it didn't matter as Seth's enlarged hand grabbed her entire body.

He continued spinning and threw her at back at the stone bridge below. She stopped herself just before she could crash, and just evaded a stab not even a foot from where she previously hovered.

The entire bridge began to crack and tremor, but its other spectators had been departed.

"Seth! Where are you?! There was a leviathan, I used my eyes and Cordovan helped defeat it, and Maia's picked us up! Are you okay?!" Ruby shouted through his scroll.

"I have unfinished business... I'll see you at Atlas." Seth said tossing his scroll up.

Dawn leapt out of his shadow and caught it, landing behind him in confusion.

"Go. This will get ugly in a few seconds. Tell Maia I'm sorry I couldn't make it." Seth said with a glare, his balled fists trembling.

"What? Dawn is that you?! What's going on?!" Blake shouted through the scroll. "He's... being kept up. He can handle himself." Dawn replied, walking away.

"Who the fuck is Dawn—" Maia asked with venom.

Dawn ran away and Seth roughly took Burden out of its spot in the ground, pointing the blade at Nova with widened eyes.

"I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass... I'll make this hell, just so you can get a free sample of the aftermath." Seth laughed, smirking under the black flesh.

Nova didn't show any signs of falter, but she knew the odds were against her. Her kill count was much lower than those who'd perished under his watch... the pain he'd experienced around him. Only to live on as others died. It was indeed fuel for this moment.

Everyone was angry. And it was all directed at her.

"AURA BREAK!" Seth announced literally.

He shattered the Aura of several souls, which he had learned didn't consume them, only put them in a dormant state until recovered just like if they were alive.

The power welling up around him appeared in the form of a ghostly dark apparition that soon beamed with the light of galaxies and stars.

Nova finally realized just how much the people around him suffered as the voice grew closer and closer to her, whispering curses and cries of pain and agony, wishing her dead where she stood, and Seth was there to deliver.

Seth slowly paced forward, but it never increased. He knew she was petrified hearing the voices as well. So was he. But this was more than a burden.

It was his responsibility to see to it that his targets fell by his hands.

The hit list would only shrink as he journeyed across Remnant.

Seth stopped in front of the frozen entity of white and orange. His counterpart too busy panicking to escape his wrath.

Grabbing neck with his hand, Seth slowly turned each finger into a claw, digging each one further into her neck as he lift her off the ground.

His jacket swayed in the wind, along with the tendrils for his hair, and his eyes only shone brighter admits the space around him.

"Perish." Seth ordered.

Seth went to snap her neck, but a sudden waver in strength made both of them fall to their knees.

Seth's eyes twitched in shock and disbelief at the loss of energy, and noticed that Nova was also effected.

"Thank god... for inherited Semblances. I can slow the time around me... but those in it are effected with heavy fatigue afterwards." Nova said standing up.

"It seems I've fallen behind. Til we meet again." Nova said, snapping her fingers, and disappearing.

"Slow... time...? Is that why she hits so hard? And matches my speed?" Seth wondered, not even mad she escaped since he felt he'd pass out in the next few seconds.

Seth let out a loud groan which turned into a grunt as he looked up, seeing that the sun had set, and he was probably much further behind than he thought.

He absorbed Burden and took to the skies, making sure to stay awake as he flew towards where the exports would come in, assuming it was the direction of Atlas.

~•~

"We... really left Seth..." Ruby muttered, making everyone frown as the bullhead soared with ease.

"He requested that we go on ahead. Let's not forget he can fly." Dawn shrugged.

"But I've seen first hand what that woman can do... what she's done to him. I'm just worried about him." Ruby said with a sigh.

Maia was standing against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed, thinking about their departure without who she was worried most about.

"I think he'll be okay." Blake said with optimism. "What makes you say?" Weiss asked curiously.

"What's ever stopped him?" Yang asked with a smirk. "She's right. There's no way he'll lose." Jaune agreed.

"He was certainly kicking her ass." Dawn mused with a smug smile. "He overpowered her quickly. I'd assume her dead if I could've seen the end." Dawn reassured.

Suddenly, a small thud hit their ears.

"What... was that?" Oscar asked.

"It sounded like a knock." Ren inferred.

"What the?! Seth?!" Qrow shouted from the cockpit. Everyone stood up and ran to the front, looking out the glass to see Seth crouched on it with a thumbs up.

Maia looked in disbelief smiling softly seeing the familiar jacket on the Soul Sage.

Seth looked forward, making everyone do the same, to see the spectacle of the night, Atlas in all its glory.

"Wow..." Everyone awed, and Seth turned and leaned against the glass with a sigh, barely conscious.

He slowly latched claw to the hull of the ship, and hung down to rest his eyes.

•

After beings bombarded with orders from Atlas personnel, the group ignored their requests and demands to land down at Mantle, abandoning the bullhead to find Maria's supposed support.

Maria was guiding the group through the streets of Mantle, and everyone noticed, it looked more like slums than a bustling city as previously memorized.

Ruby have Seth her cloak so he wouldn't alarm the others, and Maia was restraining herself from talking to them so they could focus.

"Is this many soldiers normal?" Jaune asked Weiss. "No. At least, I didn't think so." She replied with uncertainty.

The appearance of a forever-night was gloomy and dark with Atlas towering over the city, the luminescent lamps, signs, and street lights nearly the only external source of light apart from the dim watch of the sun or moon.

Seth only saw seemed to be sadness and depression from the citizens. It really made the other kingdoms look much brighter and respectable, take away the terrorists attacks.

•

"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend." Maria said to a man rummaging through his desk.

He looked up, and smiled, fixing his glasses.

"Ah, yes, yes... Have we met?" He asked placing his hands together.

"Well this is off to a fantastic start." Ren mumbled.

"Cybernetic Optical Implants. You adjust them, every ten years or so." Maria said with squinted eyes, making the man do the same for a brief while, before perking up in realization.

"Maria! For the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so." The man said, his chair literally walking out from behind the desk. He held her hand and led her to a cushioned  operation bed. "It's been that long already..." he added.

"Oh, I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I didn't run into these jokers." Maria chuckled, stepping into a stool and then the bed. "At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little Sphinx." She continued.

"Oh? Did they?" The man asked curiously. "No, no. They had much more complicated issues." Maria answered.

"Excuse me." Seth butt in. "Whom?" Seth asked with an attitude, making Maia pluck is cheek.

"So impatient. I didn't think I would've needed to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds." Maria said proudly.

A tile fell from the ceiling, and Seth lashed out his arm and caught it.

"Working in a place like this?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about." Maria poked.

"You can call me Pietro." The man introduced.

"Finest heart, too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood up in the clouds." Maria commented.

"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here I get to help the locals, and have a bit of fun! I'm a currently working on shoes that make you dance." He said with a small shimmy in his chair, making the others smile.

"You want to try them on?" He asked. "YES!" Nora answered.

"Before we get to that. What exactly has been happening here?" Yang asked.

"Does... even Ms. Ironwood, not know?" Pietro asked in shock.

"My isolation may not have been politically correct." Maia answered, crossing her arms, which made Seth finally realize she was only wearing a tights and a bubble coat.

'Real inconspicuous...' he mused.

"Well..." Pietro let out a few coughs, and covered his mouth. "The Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there... but it changed him. He's," Pietro trailed off.

"He's scared." Qrow finished.

"Paranoid would be the more appropriate term." Pietro corrected with a bit of sass. "You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas' security codes. Made it their plaything. Made us look like traitors to some, and fools to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that, is either genius or... one of our own." Pietro ranted.

"I fear the answer may be both. And so does the general." Pietro added.

"...Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought." Ren sighed.

"After we came all this way, we can't just leave can we?" Oscar asked with worry.

"How does the council feel about all of this? Or Winter Schnee?" Weiss asked urgently.

"Well, the council's so scared they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle are..." Pietro looked up in shock before recognizing who asked.

"Wait, you're Weiss Schnee! What's all... wait... you, and you too?! You're Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and... okay I don't know what that kid is. But I can't believe I didn't recognize you all sooner. My daughter told me so much about you." Pietro said happily.

Suddenly, an alarmed blared from the streets, and screams and cries brought attention to the fleeing citizens.

"Ready up!" Seth shouted throwing off Ruby's cloak, and bursting outside before the others.

He slid to a stop and watched Atlesian Knights get mauled by tiger-like Grimm with light blue patches along their bone plating.

A horde began to ran rampant and down the street as the others arrived, and it was ver overwhelming amount.

Seth summoned Burden and tapped it against the ground, before spinning the sword around and reeling it back near his hip for a vertical slash, taking out the first to lunge at him.

Yang blasted forward with a shotgun shell and kicked one, twisting her body and slamming it back down into the ground with a overhand hook.

Ren ran forward and sliced through those he ran by, firing at those at a father distance as he finished.

Nora was close on his tail after using Jaune shield to launch after him, slamming her hammer into one as Yang stomped on another. Blake using what was left of her blade to slash through one's neck.

Jaune cleaved through one with a swift evasion, and blocked another from landing on him, stabbing it shortly after.

Qrow ran up and ducked under one leaping at him, slashing through it, continuing the motion to tear through the next before him.

One dashed past him, raising its claw to strike, but Qrow turned his sword into a scythe and stabbed its jaw, throwing it away.

He dropped his scythe and jabbed one in the nose, before kicking its chin and stabbing his scythe into its underbelly.

Oscar ran at one just as it did he, and leapt over it, twisting around to stab its back and sending it crashing down. He landed and looked up in triumph, before Ruby sniped one just above him.

Ruby dashed and spun past everyone, twisting vertically and diagonally with her scythe to rip through the stragglers, before vaulting off a disintegrating corpse and shooting the rifle to switch directions, slamming her scythe into the ground with a boom, blowing away a small group of the tigers into ash.

Seth stood amongst his own hoard of the Grimm, and began flapping his wings as more and more filed into the streets.

His wings began to glow, and the speed made them appear stagnant as the Grimm began to hover off the ground and into current he was creating.

A whirlwind began throwing the Grimm around him into the air and slicing through with air pressure alone, and suddenly, a spark of fire was swirled in and a tornado of fire laid all remaining to waste.

Seth quietly put Burden away, and turned his back to the falling ash and smoke behind him, nodding at Dawn down the street.

From an alleyway, a tiger lunged at him, and Seth simply turned its direction, before a green beam of plasma didn't leave any remains.

Everyone watched as more lasers flew at the remaining Grimm, making the red lights and alarms along the district return to their natural white or yellow glow.

A familiar girl spun around in the moonlight, thrusters under her soles as she descended to the street below.

"Penny..." Ruby whispered.

"Darling. Why don't you say hello to your friends." Pietro suggested, approaching with his chair.

Penny quickly turned to the group and spotted Ruby amongst them, making her eyes widen with glee. Ruby returned the gesture, tearing up immediately.

"Salutations!" Penny yelled, tackling Ruby into a hug. Everyone put their weapons away and crowded around the two.

"It's such a pleasure to see you all again." Penny greeted.

"Penny... I thought you—" Ruby stammered, "Died?" Pietro asked.

"I guess in a manner of speaking, she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena. Once it had made its way back to Atlas, it took me some time, but," Pietro let Penny finish.

"I'm good as new! Better even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!" She said with a salute.

"That's my girl! We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?" Pietro joked, but coughed a bit afterward. "No, sir!" Penny replied, knocking on her head, earning metal tinks.

Another alarm further into town, and Penny looked away with a smile.

"Catching up will have to wait! I can't wait to hearaboutyouradventuresandhear—" she scrambled to get out whatever words she could fit in before blasting off.

"...I have absolutely no idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?" Maria asked Pietro as they returned to shop.

"Are we going to follow her?" Oscar asked. "Well, the city could use some help." Jaune answered.

"Then let's go—" The moment Ruby took a single step, wires with Gravity dust flew around Team RWBY, tripping them and holding them down with immense pressure. Team JNOR and Qrow had no time to react as the same happened to them.

Seth flipped over the one aimed at him and sliced it into two, flying towards Maia and cutting through the one aimed at her back.

A group of five individuals in Atlas Military attire began approaching the confined group, and Seth standing protectively in front of Maia, who obviously... didn't bring her weapon.

"What's the big idea?!" Oscar asked. "I'm a licensed Hunstman! Just saved that city?!" Qrow shouted, Seth holding his blade steady

Atlesian Knights began to arrive as well, and they began reaching for the group's weapons, and Seth didn't take kindly to that.

Seth slammed his foot into the one closest to Ruby, throwing Burden back at one closing in on Ren.

"This one's got some fight in 'em. Permission?" A brown skin woman with shaved brown hair and a blonde tuft of hair slicked back asked with vigor.

"You take this fight and it's the last one you'll have." Seth warned.

"Stand down... Seth Evans." A man with tan skin and brown hair ordered.

"I don't think I gave you that right, asshole." Seth said before disappearing.

"SETH, NO!" Maia shouted.

Seth stopped just before the man's face, fist already lunged forward, causing a burst of wind to blow by and make the man stagger back.

After the wind died down, Seth disappeared again, and scooped up the relic that had fallen beside Ruby, securing the whole point of the trip.

"...What are the Ace Ops doing down here?" Maia asked.

"We don't answer to thieves like you, Maia. You had your orders." The brown skin woman retorted. Maia rolled her eyes as the elite operatives and the knights began confiscating weapons.

The brown haired male approached Seth and asked for the relic, and Seth just stared at the man.

"You're even dumber than I thought if you think this is leaving my hand." Seth spat. The man nodded and dropped his hand in understanding.

"So many cases of unauthorized actions... from unlicensed huntsmen and huntresses." The man sighed. "Don't worry. You'll be able to testify when we get up to Atlas." The man reassured, but no one was.

The Ace Ops used grappling hook-like whips to leap away, letting the Atlesian Knights take the others into custody and guide them to a bullhead.

But... they left Seth and Maia.

"Wait, they didn't arrest me?! How are we getting up there?!" Seth asked in shock.

"You can fly, dumbass." Maia and Dawn both said with annoyance.

"I don't need two of you..." Seth groaned.