Salem stood for a several hours, ignoring even when Cinder returned the Relic of Knowledge, capturing Oscar, Ruby's short broadcast to Remnant.

None of that mattered.

Seth and Grimmhound were still duking it out in the same area, almost like a show for Salem's forces, each one taking a few moments to watch them slug fist and claw, throw kick and punch— the show never ends.

Grimmhound would adjust and adapt to his speed, strength, but the only advantage Seth had was a different ligament. Every semblance his companions could throw in the mix, it got used to.

Seth kicked down Grimmhound's head, leaping up and throwing his fist into the ceiling and twisting his body to dodge a claw from Grimmhound.

Dropping down to slam his fist down, Seth was countered by Grimmhound blocking with his wing and spinning to slam his fist into Seth's jaw.

Seth rolled against the grown, using all three claws to skid to a halt, seeing that everyone was gathered at this hour, making him lean against his tail with a frown.

"What's the occasion?" Seth asked, hiding a pant.

"Nothing much. You're simply missing the war. Atlas will fall with time, but I think that will do for our tests. I was hoping to see Hound evolve further." Salem replied, glancing behind her to the mist showing the war outside.

Seth watched Grimmhound stiffen up, and sit on his hind legs.

"...I'm not doing that." Seth said pointing to the canine hybrid.

Seth threw out his arms and released his Grimm form, returning to a human, the wounds from the battle covering his body.

With a clench and a snap, Seth's wounds healed, and he placed his hands on his knees.

"I've been waiting for this moment for months... I'm finally at the last boss." Seth muttered, looking up at Salem, but his focus was on Cinder.

Both looked ready to go right back into battle, Seth's hands twitching despite his lack of energy. Cinder's eyes twitched the same, their wild rivalry still unsettled.

"I see your team up... worked against Atlas. I must thank you. You occupied Ironwood's daughter and the homonculus just long enough for us to claim the Relic of Knowledge." Salem informed.

"Atlas worked against me. All I ever wanted to do was help... but I never could. I'm a failure as a friend. A huntsman. A hero. I'm only me. Full of mistakes, flaws, and issues." Seth rambled, making Salem confused.

"Yet despite all that, I just always seem to bounce right back," Seth clenched his fists, Burden appearing at his hip with a blue glint. "It's the only thing I'm good at, I'd say."

Seth pulled Burden out, and in his base form, with no energy left to fight at his strongest, he'd take on the world. Like he'd always done.

Salem smiled at his resolve, and sent Grimmhound forward.

"Mighty fine will. The most tenacious I've ever seen. The death of your friends has only brought you closer— made you stronger. That takes a lot. You are truly the best of both worlds." Salem praised, shocking her pawns. "I wish to see just how you triumph over this, as you do all else. Good luck." She nodded.

Seth spun around Burden, glaring at Grimmhound with tired eyes. Grimmhound cracked its limbs, moving sporadically to flex its ligaments to its most nimble state.

"Retrieve the Winter Maiden." Salem ordered Grimmhound.

Grimmhound stood up, extending its wings, before disappearing with a gust.

Seth shook his head and began walking over to the others, dragging his feet from his exhaustion. Seth saw the unamused and disappointed faces of the others, and squint his eyes.

"Don't give me that look, I'm giving it a headstart." Seth spat, before crouching down and generating power in his body with Laura's semblance.

He disappeared too, but a much stronger gust blew up, making Cinder scoff.

•

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Seth screamed with vigor as he flew after Grimmhound with all his might, flapping his wings and fast as he could.

Grimmhound ignored him completely as to follow orders, but when it saw a black figure swinging towards its skull, it reeled its head back and flipped backward, kicking Seth away and staying on course.

"You're not getting CLOSE TO THEM!" Seth yelled, his sharp maneuvers tackling Grimmhound away and towards the frozen tundra with his body shrouded in white, petals bursting from his figure.

Too fast for Grimmhound to handle, Seth spun around and slammed him into the ground, creating an entire ravine, cracking through the mountains and ridges from the speed.

Grimmhound shot up, grabbing Seth in its claw before spinning around and doing the same thing, with less power.

Seth rolled away from a stomp, slamming Burden into its ankle, before appearing behind it and kneeing its head forward.

Grimmhound dodged a vertical slam, slashing Seth's back with his wing, before hopping up and roundhouse kicking him away, before flying after his body.

Seth's lungs were emptied completely, but with Laura's semblance, he hit the ground and rolled back, boosting his Aura as he took a huge breath, before reeling back his sword and stabbing the unsuspecting Grimmhound in the stomach.

Before his body could fly away, Seth reeled back Burden again, almost as if time froze, thrusting it forward again with Aura from a Soul bursting through it, sending Grimmhound flying even faster with irreparable burns and melting flesh.

Seth flew alongside him, his eyes orange from Kaitlyn's semblance, analyzing where it's weak points were created from the attack.

"Say your prayers!" Seth spun his sword around his body and caught it, Summer's semblance empowering him and his blade.

Appearing past Grimmhound, Seth smirked as he moved beyond time itself as he forced himself back into his Grimm form, Burden infusing itself white light from Summer's power: the Silver Eyes.

Seth raced around as Grimmhound, petals falling around as he whirled around a flurry of wind and snow.

Seth suddenly stopped, standing upside as the Gale erupted upward.

"Get smite'd," Seth held up his hand, earning a high five from Summer. "Bitch."

Grimmhound evaporated into mist without even a moment to breath, making Seth sigh with a smile.

"I forgot that's you guy's specialty. That's gonna be so damn useful." Seth commented, before looking toward the war ensuing with Atlas. "Gotta hope she doesn't have more of those things."

Seth's energy ran at its lowest, making him turn back into a human. He fell on his back and coughed, but pulled himself to his feet with determination.

"No time to rest." Seth clenched Burden, solemnly staring up at the chaos.

"We're with you, Cap." Kaitlyn nudged his side. "You know it." Laura laughed.

"Oh! Oh! Can I call you Cap, too? It has a nice ring to it." Summer asked, making Seth smirked. "Fine by me."

•

Seth rushed to the battlefield, soaring over the plains of Atlas' destroyed harvest, watching as the clash between Atlesians and Grimm were relatively even, the fight at a necessary standstill to draw time.

"I gotta get back to Salem. I know I can't talk her out of this, but she has faith... faith in me. I need to know why!" Seth thought out loud.

'It's unlike her. Incredibly.' Summer thought to herself, worried for the drained body Seth forced to stand.

Seth's speed was declining, but seeing a transport unload a bomb to destroy Monstra with, he knew he needed to help.

Seth appeared beside Winter, seeing that she was holding down a the landing zone as the bomb was being safely unloaded with the Atlas military defending it.

Spotting the Ace Ops, Seth landed in front of them, superhero pose as he glared up at them, back to the Grimm.

"Goddamnit, now he's here?! Gun him down!" Harriet yelled, all present units turning to face him.

With bullets unloaded from a plethora of firearms, Seth stood up slowly, before spinning Burden around at speeds that were unseen to the naked eye— each bullet deflected "luckily" flying into all the Grimm around him.

After they all took the time to reload, Seth smirked as they stopped, watching as the horde incoming had fallen to dust.

"Your welcome." Seth winked, before taking off again.

Seth flew around the Monstra and tried to find Salem, and hopefully the Relic while he was at it. If there was one guarantee to his questions, it was that lamp.

Seth's body jolted as he tried to grow the tiniest bit faster seeing Grimm inside flowing towards a focal point.

Seth burst inside through the port created by Salem, and cleaved through the walls to make his way to the explosions, clings, and clangs ringing throughout the Monstra.

"Come on, come on! Please don't be who  I think it is—"

Seth slashed through a Ravager clawing down at Yang, and kicked away a Sabyr lunging at Jaune, deflecting another slash of a Manticore with his own, before it disintegrated in a flash.

"Ugh... who other than Yang to be at the center of danger." Seth sighed, but she beamed and tackled him in a hug.

"My hero~!" She cheered, happy that her strongest comrade was here to help.

"What are you guys doing up here?" Seth asked.

"Oscar was captured by Sale—"

"Oh. I know. I was there. He's actually right there." Seth replied, pointing to the hallway where Oscar had morphed from Hazel, via Emerald who was by his side.

Oscar was looking worse for wear, but he was holding up as well as he could.

However, as soon as he arrived, Seth felt a hand slink around his neck.

"Oh. Salem's here too." Seth was yanked away from the others and held in front of Salem as she bore into the others with her crimson orbs.

Sigils appeared under each individual, before hands of Grimm wrapped around and bound each person to the nearest surface, coiling around whatever limb they could get ahold of.

"Would you happen to know where the lamp has gone?" Salem asked Seth.

"I was gonna ask you! it's gone?" Seth asked in shock.

Salem scanned the room, seeing the no one else had it... but Emerald was present. That in itself was a suspicion.

Salem teleported to Emerald, who was bound to the wall, a hand uncovering her mouth for her to answer Salem.

"What did you do to the lamp?" Salem pressed. "I didn't do anything." Emerald said quickly, sweat and tears running down her face.

Before anyone could make a move, even Seth, Hazel he lunged forward from nowhere and sent an uppercut to Salem's jaw, sending her flying, accept, she had continued to fly, back over to the group with a disappointed look on her face.

"All of you— Go!" Hazel ordered, ready to take his stand so they could escape, however, Seth shook his head.

"Nah, I've got it. You all get out of here before that bomb goes off." Seth agreed.

They wasted no time, seeing as Seth's next move made the Grimm bindings turn to dust in slashes they couldn't see. Yang, Jaune, Ren, Oscar, Emerald, and Hazel all made their escape as Seth stood tall against Salem.

"Listen, I don't want to fight." Seth began, watching as Salem stood atop the dark storm that surged under her.

"I understand that. We both want answers, and we need the lamp for that. Cease this front and allow me to retrieve it." Salem requested, making Salem stare at Seth with disappointment.

"I see why they wonder what side you're on..."

"I just want to know what I'm truly capable of. My purpose." Seth told him, putting Burden away into his bracelet.

"I don't want to keep fighting it has no meaning. I want to resolve all this. If I can't do that... what's the point." Seth admit. "That doesn't mean I'll stop. I want to find a solution. Whether it's me. Or something else. But it would hurt knowing that I'm throwing my life away on whim, only to have had a better way out." Seth continued.

"I don't know your story, I don't know the story at all. All I know, is that you all's plots have killed three of my friends. I want to avenge them. However, I have to get my priorities in order. I've reunited with almost everyone, so the possibility of overlooking their deaths is... small. But it's there."

"I just want to know what to do..." Seth finished, staring down Salem with exhaustion in his eyes.

"...Then let's figure that out." Salem smiled, before creating an orb of light in her palm, radiating with every color under the sun.

Seth summoned Burden in his hands, Summer appearing beside him to grace his blade with the silver light to quell magic itself.

With one throw and slash, the Monstra exploded in a flash of light, surging through the air and blinding everyone across the nation for brief moments...