"We leave the Grimm to Seth! Our priority is the safety and protection of the citizens of Mantle. I cannot stress this enough." Clover informed.

•

Seth's shockwaves from dashing around the city, we're visible to the Ace Ops, Team RWBY, and JNR as they dropped out of their airship.

Lashes of blue lines were littered around the city, entangling Grimm he couldn't currently handle, leaving openings for civilians to escape until reinforcements arrived.

Racing around a group of fleeing citizens, lines of blue flew around them, slashing through Grimm and blocking off incoming ones leaping from the shadows.

Appearing as mere afterimages, Seth roared as he cleaved through a Goliath in the group's way— the black dust blowing behind them as they continued down the path he created.

Seth saw his back up arrived, and burst into the sky for a better look at the situation. Seeing the funnel the Grimm used to enter the city, Seth clenched his fists as his body jolted with power.

"Summer, give me a boost." Seth ordered, charging power in his body.

"Huh?! What do you mean?" She asked, wondering how she'd help being dead.

"You can still use your semblance! Hurry it up!" Seth's hair flushed with blue energy in the tips, his arms transforming into his Reaper state as Burden flushed with the same blue energy.

Summer squinted her eyes and hummed loudly as she tried to use her Semblance, but was shocked to see white petals coil around Seth with the whistle of wind.

"HERE WE GO!" Seth shouted, disappearing with a vacuum of air following after his current.

In the tundra of Mantle, blue and white lacerations lit up the night sky for hours on end.

•

Amidst Seth's rampage in the blizzard of Grimm, Ironwood and Robyn band together to reveal the true threat surrounding Atlas and Mantle.

With the limited space and defenses of Mantle, Ironwood rerouted his forces to pick up the citizens of Mantle and bring them to Atlas.

Yet with Seth's speed and power, the number of Grimm slipped through his grasp still made for a difficult time inside the walls. Transporting the civilians while being challenged with Goliaths and Ravagors made quite the struggle.

However, with Seth's crusade on the initial horde, the number dwindled slowly but surely— and all sectors of Mantle were cleared for evacuation.

•

"It feels like I've been doing this a lot lately..." Seth laughed, happy to be tearing through the creation of his enemy.

While he handled the horde, other significant battles had past.

Clover, Qrow, and Robyn versus Tyrian.

Ironwood versus Watts.

Seth sat in the snow after the waves of fighting, realizing that all he had been lately was the weapon he thought he was.

He became a Soul Sage after the passing of his closest friends. Since then, he lost his way. With Haven, he learned he had the strength to destroy whoever he wanted. With Atlas, he learned that he never wanted to destroy anyone.

He wanted to go back to being normal. He wanted what his friends had.

But knowing about Salem, counteracted that entire thought process.

He needed to be strong. The strongest. To defend his friends and put the ones who wronged him in the grave.

"That reminds me... I need to talk to Dawn—"

Seth suddenly felt a tug... he didn't know how... or why.

But he felt the strongest urge to use all his power to get to Atlas— as fast as possible.

Nearly losing form, his atoms lagging behind, Seth erupted from his spot and creating a crater in his leave, blowing away miles worth of snow.

•

Seth slammed his fist into the door to Ironwood's office just as a Seer burst from the bag Ironwood claimed from Watts.

"There he is... The Soul Sage." A mature, condescending voice began, everyone looking back to see Seth in Reaper form.

The seer suddenly fell down, cracking the orb body and releasing a black mist to reveal Salem, pale, sick, and empowering, standing over everyone with a bored stare from her black and red eyes.

"The brave huntsmen and huntress triumphed over Arthur Watts. Congratulations." Salem commended, her eyes glued to Seth as he slowly walked over, the two nearly in a trance.

"We stopped Tyrian, too. And we'll stop Cinder, and anyone else you try to send here." Ruby declared.

"Dear girl, their goal was never victory. It was merely to set the stage." Salem shrugged.

"For what?" Ironwood asked, left arm in a cast, but his right with firearm in hand, yet trembling.

"For me." Salem answered, a small smirk on her face. "Time isn't on your side, James. It's always been on mine. The people of Atlas have suffered enough. Surrender the staff and the lamp to me, and they needn't suffer any further." Salem offered, gliding over to Ironwood.

He slowly lowered his weapon, still stunned by the woman before him, be it projection or the real deal.

"That's... not going to happen." He stated, watching as she leaned down to face him.

"Simply accept the futility of your situation... and this can all be over." Salem smiled, sure of herself that she had won.

"We've seen what you're capable of. The lamp showed us." Ruby interrupted, making Salem scowl.

Salem stood back up, and began gliding back over to the center off the room.

"It showed us everything. We've seen that you can't be killed. But we've also seen you fail. We don't have to kill you to stop you. And we will stop you." Ruby declared, determination etched on her face, staring down the final boss.

"...Your mother said those same words to me." Salem recalled.

"My... mother?" Ruby muttered, the determination washed away by shock.

"She was wrong, too." Salem told her.

Ruby's eyes began to water, and the moment she felt the tears, she sobbed and wiped them away, trying to steel herself to face Salem.

With swiftness, Seth stood in front of her, Summer overhead.

Seth gave her a hug, completely ignoring Salem, the image of her mother appearing in her head for a brief moment.

"It seems she's here now... How... ironic." Salem commented, making Ruby's eyes widened as she looked up.

Salem took a brief moment to analyze the ghost of Summer hug her daughter, while irritated that Seth ignored her.

"I'll be speaking with you properly later... Soul Sage. We'll have our time." Salem promised, but Seth didn't care.

Seth held Ruby, letting her fall to her knees as she felt the embrace of her mother through him.

Salem disappeared, the Seer she appeared through following suit and turning to black dust.

"That's... that's Salem?! That's who we're up against?!" Marrow asked, obviously fearful. "And she's apparently on her way," Harriet added.

"We'd be alerted if any forces had approached the kingdom. We have long-range proximity alarms all along the coast, and—" Elm was stopped by Vine.

"...They're offline." He revealed. "With all of the chaos, we didn't notice."

"Watts must have shut them down!" Marrow believed, but was countered.

"Or they've already been destroyed." Ironwood commented, slowly walking back to his desk with a defeated expression.

"All... All of them?" Elm asked in disbelief.

"You said in your speech that Amity Tower was ready to launch. Was that true?" Blake questioned.

His silence spoke volumes.

"No. He just said that to lure Watts out." Yang deduced, true to her word.

"General Ironwood?" Weiss called, his silence growing concerning.

"My daughter has claimed the power of the Winter Maiden." Ironwood revealed, making Seth suddenly release Ruby and stand up— said girl reaching out for his touch desperately.

"You... did what?" Seth asked, changing back to human form.

"As soon as I realized we were compromised... I knew it was time. The staff and the lamp have to be contained." Ironwood explained.

"You... said we could keep it." Ruby reclaimed herself, standing up and standing beside Seth.

"That was before you lied to me about it." Ironwood continued, "Before you lied to us about Robyn— before Salem was right on our doorstep. Before Mantle was nearly destroyed, and myself and my army were left exhausted!" Ironwood smacked Watt's bag off his desk with his pistol.

"The timeline has changed. And so we must change accordingly." Ironwood took up a black glass Queen piece, making Seth's breath hitch.

"What are our orders, sir?" Harriet asked.

"We are going to take our plan for Amity Tower, and apply it to the city of Atlas." Ironwood crushed the chess piece in his hand.

"You wanna run with your tail between your legs?" Seth asked, making Ironwood glare.

"It was Oz's plan in a former life. But he didn't take it far enough. If we harness the power of the staff, and raise ourselves high into the atmosphere, the city's artificial climate will keep citizens and food supply unharmed. Always out of reach of whatever Salem may try to send our way." Ironwood reasoned.

"You're telling me... you believe you can simply run and hide, from a woman who's only limits are her imagination— and me?" Seth asked. "What's stopped her from creating Grimm capable of flying at the same altitude— beyond that?"

"Before that, we're not even close to evacuating everyone down in Mantle. You gonna leave them to die?" Seth pressed.

"...Yes. If that's what it takes. We can't allow Salem to capture the Relics. This is our best chance at getting the staff, the lamp, and the Maiden as far away as possible." Ironwood continued.

"But we have an opportunity to reunite the world. If we launch the tower, we can all work together again. We could call for help. If we can hold out long enough—" Ruby tried, but Ironwood was fixated on his choice.

"Sometimes, doing the right thing... means making tough decisions." Ironwood stated.

"You're right. And I think the right thing to do would be to stand our ground." Blake responded. "Me too." Yang added. "Me too." Weiss joined.

"Me too." Ruby finalized.

"We're on our own." Seth stated, seeing the look in Ironwood's eyes.

"You're right. After I declare Martial Law, it will be done. We're saving who we can... and you're standing in our way." Ironwood replied, walking up to Ruby.

Ruby's scroll rang, and Jaune shouted, "It's Jaune— we have a serious problem!"

Ironwood slowly reached for his pistol as Ruby glanced up at him.

Seth suddenly blocked a bullet from Ironwood with Burden, giving Ruby an opening to dash behind his desk with her semblance.

"Ironwood's declaring Martial Law and abandoning Mantle! Salem is coming and he's going to use the staff to move Atlas. If we don't stop him, then Mantle's going to be destro—"

Ruby's scrolled connection was cut, making her gasp. "No..."

"I'm sorry it's come to this," Ironwood began, being the culprit for the comms being cut. "but until Atlas and the relics are safe, you are all under arrest." Ironwood declared.

"We won't go down without a fight." Ruby replied.

Ironwood walked to the door, and the Ace Ops present, formed a line between him and the team.

"I know." He sighed, taking his leave.

Seth spun around Burden, fluttering his wings with a glare.

"It's us against the world." Seth muttered, Team RWBY standing by his side as they faced the Ace Ops.

"Don't make this difficult." Vine began.

"You see who you're talking too?" Seth challenged, getting low and reeling his sword behind his hip. "We're notorious for disobeying orders." Yang added, cocking her gauntlets and putting her fists up, her team following.

The Ace Ops did the same, readying their weapons and preparing for a brawl, except the reluctant Marrow.

"Woah, woah, woah! We're not actually going to slug this out— are we?!" He asked. "We're not doing anything. They decide what happens next." Harriet replied.

"You think you're going to stop us? Five kids?" Harriet asked.

"You all really underestimate what this guy can do." Weiss shook her head as she prepared a glyph, rapier vertical to her neck.

Seth clawed at his face, darkness covering his body as souls shrouded around him, bursting with energy as he reentered his Reaper form.

Suddenly, the door behind them opened, revealing a familiar sway of silky black hair, the chilling glare on their face only hitting close to Seth.

Maia Ironwood.

Her eyes were an icy blue, leaking with energy, and the entirety of the underside of her hair was white, glowing in the dark.

"Took you long enough." Elm chuckled, now ten times more confident.

"Seth, you know you can't hold back. We can't go out like this!" Blake urged, seeing that Seth got out of stance.

"Oh, I know. Don't worry about me." Seth dropped his head, one eye glaring at Maia as she gaze at him stoically.

"You ready to do this? I've been wanting to spar ever since I've got my semblance. You think the playing field's even?" Seth asked, more enthusiasm now that someone of caliber was here.

"I must admit, I've wanted the same. I hope you're ready, too. No hard feelings." Maia smiled at him, summoning her rapier with a flash of blue lightning.

"Girls, I'm probably fucked. She's been training her whole life for this. She's not like Cinder or Dawn." Seth stated, feeling way more power from Maia than from either Maiden he'd faced before.

"You got this, Seth—" Ruby was cut off when a beam of ice sent Seth crashing through Ironwood's window, which was already plated in steel since the moment of the arrest warrant being released.

The gust of wind from the howling blizzard outside, made them fearful at just how quick of work she made of him.

Maia smirked, taking one step forward, before blasting out of the same Seth-sized hole.