When Ozpin finally returned to Beacon, part of him expected to find only a crater in the place of his school, thus destroying not only Amber's sleeping body but also the only means of access to the vault where the Relic of Choice lay.
Apart from the lives of many of his young students and the Maiden's power, losing permanent access to one of the relics would be a disaster in the making...or a blessing in disguise.
While his curse could never be undone without summoning the Brothers of Light and Darkness, the judgment and possible destruction of Remnant would never come either.
At least, not at the hands of the creators of this world.
Salem would never give up, even more so if she discovered that summoning those she hated most was no longer an option.
So, in the end, nothing would change.
Fortunately, the worst hadn't taken place, even though something bad had happened during his five-day absence.
To begin with, entire mountains had been wiped out, and only a crater filled with water remained. The Emerald Forest, once so vibrant, had suffered substantial damage too, especially when seen from above, and Ozpin couldn't understand where so much ice had come from. In a way, it even looked as if someone had used an entire shipment of Dust to freeze a section of the forest before destroying it. What's more, there was a kind of trench that cut through the entire forest all the way to the new lake in formation.
If Ozpin didn't know better, he would say that the Brothers of Light and Darkness had returned to have another of their many fights.
The mere prospect of this was frightening, all the more so as it explained that explosion of red light.
However, Ozpin knew those Gods personally, and even after all this time, he still remembered the feeling of being exposed to their power.
Whoever or whatever had caused that explosion of light had nothing to do with those two gods.
Then there was Vale.
It had been a long time since Ozpin had felt his heart sink like this and found himself completely powerless in the face of this level of destruction.
Not even the Breach, the most recent incident, had managed to cause so much damage to the kingdom he had spent several of his lives building.
While Beacon had suffered damage to its structure, this was nothing compared to what had happened in Vale.
Entire residential districts were destroyed, and the lives of many were lost, to the point where Ozpin couldn't count the number of black body bags in front of him with one glance.
This disaster would be recorded in the history books as the Red Calamity, only as the Golden Anomaly before that.
However, even amid all this tragedy, something good seemed to have happened.
Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee's Semblance had evolved in a way that could only be described as magical. So much so that they didn't even seem to belong to this world and were able to charm everyone who laid eyes on them.
Ozpin could hardly believe what he was seeing, all the more so for mistaking their power for that of a Maiden.
While this sudden evolution was something that made no sense and was a pleasant surprise, especially with how rare it was for a Semblance to evolve, there was an even greater anomaly present that deserved his full attention, as well as that of all the people who had witnessed a glimpse of his power.
The one that had destroyed the Wyvern and all the Grimm on the battlefield outside Vale.
In that brief moment, Ozpin hadn't been able to see this man's facial features, but the extravagant hairstyle, similar to a black flame, was unique enough to be recognized anywhere.
This man, most likely the one who had caused all this trouble in the first place, had flown towards Mistral after helping out in Vale. At that moment, Ozpin assumed that he had gone to offer a helping hand to that kingdom as well. However, he must have simply stopped halfway because of the red calamity and then returned to Vale as quickly as possible.
Considering that Mistral was under the protection of Atlas' army, Ozpin couldn't condemn his decision.
Or so it should be.
James was taking too long to give any news, and that was worrying, even more so when the same was true for Leonardo.
There was a good chance that things weren't going as well in Mistral as he would have liked to believe.
Now, the question was how to approach it, but not before dealing with the situation at hand in the form of the man who needed to be held accountable for his actions.
Normally speaking, at least.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
Not only was his power too great, but his public opinion seemed to be extremely positive...for now.
The moment the truth comes out, this man will be hated by everyone, and that could be a problem.
Not only would the negativity reach another level, but it would also turn this monster into an enemy.
That couldn't happen.
Only death and even more destruction would come of it.
Fortunately, there seemed to be a heart beating in that chest that cared enough to help and try to clean up his mess.
Except that this small act of goodwill didn't erase what he had done and how dangerous his existence was.
How am I supposed to deal with this? Ozpin had his weapon gripped between his hands so tightly that his Aura had to protect him from piercing skin and spilling blood. Better still: Can I do anything?
It had been a long time, and many lifetimes, since he had felt trapped like this in front of a superior power.
If there was one good thing in all of this, it was knowing that this man was not affiliated with Salem, or the city would have ceased to exist.
In fact, the whole world could be destroyed or conquered by this man if he so wished, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
With this truth weighing heavily on his mind, for the first time in this life, Ozpin was considering the possibility and regretting not having free access to the relics.
Jinn would be excellent for finding out everything there was to know about this man, including how to kill him.
"Professor Ozpin!" Glynda came running when she saw that he had arrived in Vale. "I'm glad to see you're unharmed."
After she left the battlefield, only one concern remained in her heart: the fact that she had been unable to remain by the side of the one she had sworn to protect with her life.
Fortunately, it seemed that Vegeta had actually helped out there before returning to Vale, and this only served to increase the level of respect she had for him.
"Glynda, you look well, too." Ozpin couldn't help noticing that despite the blood on her clothes, her physical condition seemed to be excellent. "That aside, who is that man?"
Although he was curious as to why she wasn't as exhausted as expected and had a lot of questions about the reports from the other battlefields, the elephant in the room was the priority.
"So you really don't know Prince Vegeta..." Glynda already knew this from having asked the Headmaster for information about the man in question before going to visit him, but assumed that Ozpin just didn't remember his name. "He's a Huntsman from Mistral who retired after losing his family and has been living here in Vale for some time now."
The disbelief in Ozpin's eyes was not unfounded, especially when he discovered that such a monstrous person was living so close by.
However, Glynda was wrong about the reason behind Ozpin's reaction.
He simply didn't believe anything that was said.
There was no way in hell that Ozpin wouldn't know about the existence of someone like that, even if he was from another kingdom.
It all had to be a lie.
If not, then Leonardo was hiding the existence of this man, and that could only be considered an act of betrayal.
I need to look into this further. Ozpin didn't like to think that about someone who had earned his trust after decades of service and dedication to the cause, but he couldn't rule out the possibility. For now, let's focus on the problem at hand. One that needed to be approached with caution. "Glynda, what is your opinion of this man?"
Such a question caught her off guard, but considering the seriousness behind Ozpin's expression and tone, Glynda couldn't give a cursory answer.
"Even if he is possibly responsible for the golden anomaly, I don't think he's a bad person." You only had to look at Vegeta, at the way he was interacting with the team RWBY, to see that there was good in him. "Even if it doesn't erase his mistake, he helped tremendously by dealing with the Grimm charging against our walls and by leading this whole operation, rescuing countless lives that would have been lost otherwise."
This was proof that he regretted his actions and was trying to make amends.
At least, that's what Glynda wanted to believe.
"I see..." There wasn't much more Ozpin could say to that, but it was undeniable that he could feel some weight being lifted off his shoulders. "I want to talk to him personally later."
Only then could he form an opinion and understand what this man's objectives were.
"I can arrange that." Internally, Glynda was breathing a sigh of relief, worried about the possibility of Ozpin confronting Vegeta and what might come of it. "In fact, Prince Vegeta had already agreed to answer some of my questions later."
Which was good, because there was a lot to be asked, not only about him but also about the girls who followed him and what Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee had to do with the red calamity, the change in their Semblances, and the battle against the Nergigante.
"Good to know." Ozpin was positively surprised to learn that the supposed prince was more sociable than his appearance suggested. "That aside, have you received any reports from the other Kingdoms?"
Even though he was the Headmaster, almost all communication that didn't involve people from his inner circle went through Glynda first.
After all, Ozpin was extremely famous and influential, so many people tried to contact him for mere trivia, and that was counterproductive.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't have time to check any of it amid all this disaster." Glynda was ashamed of having ignored her Scroll until now, even after the situation was under control. "Give me a moment."
Ozpin just nodded and kept his eyes on Vegeta, who was surrounded by students, watching the way he interacted with others. Clearly, he didn't like being the center of attention and wanted to be anywhere else. Even so, he was tolerating all this for a reason that Ozpin couldn't understand.
With the power he possessed, Vegeta could simply walk away, and no one would be able to stop him.
More importantly, Ozpin didn't like to see a criminal being the object of admiration.
It didn't matter that Prince Vegeta had helped; none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for him.
But then something else happened.
In less than the blink of an eye, Vegeta had disappeared from his field of vision!
"You've been staring at me for a while now." Ozpin felt his breathing hitch, every fiber of his being screaming in alarm at the sound of the voice of someone who was able to slip past his guard completely. "And not in a very friendly way, I must say."
Looking back, Ozpin came across the man who, until a moment ago, had been dozens of meters away. While he couldn't understand how he had done this without making use of a Semblance capable of teleporting, none of this seemed to matter when in this man's oppressive presence.
His stature may have been slightly diminutive, but that did nothing to affect the pressure his power was capable of exerting.
"Prince Vegeta!" Glynda was quick to cut off what looked like the beginning of a tragedy. "This is Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon and the supreme authority of Vale!"
This made Vegeta raise an eyebrow as he looked at this man again, but with a different perspective.
If this Ozpin really was that important, assuming a position of leadership over this kingdom, then his hostility was more than justified.
Besides, this man is different. Vegeta could sense it in how peculiar his Aura was, with even some remnants of Ki present. Almost like...Babidi.
Merely remembering that wizened flea left a bad taste in his mouth, along with memories of one of the lowest points in his life.
"Looks like we got off on the wrong foot, Prince Vegeta." Ozpin stepped forward, and reluctantly, Glynda gave way to him. "As for the reason for my apparent hostility..." He looked around, focusing on all the destruction and especially the cold bodies of those who had died in vain. "Do I really need to explain myself?"
If it weren't for the fact that he was physically incapable of subduing this man, they wouldn't even be talking right now.
"I suppose not." Vegeta sighed as he looked away solemnly and relaxed his posture. "After all, I caused all this destruction."
Not only had he driven those creatures of darkness mad with his power, but he was also responsible, even if indirectly, for Ruby Rose's actions.
No matter how you looked at it, he was the one to blame.
Such a sudden confession made Glynda open her eyes wide and then narrow them, feeling a wave of conflicting emotion that was reflected in the clenching and shaking of her hands.
She didn't want to believe it, even though the suspicion had been there from the moment she met him, especially after witnessing his performance and dedication to saving those in danger.
Slowly, Glynda was considering her suspicion as unfounded...only for what she feared most to prove real.
How foolish could she be? Certainly enough to be physically and emotionally attracted to a criminal!
"So it really was you..." Ozpin had cooled his facial expression even further, his hands trembling over his weapon as his power boiled to the point of making his eyes glow with green flames. "With that in mind, tell me, what should happen now?"
A rhetorical question, as there was only one outcome for a crime of that scale.
"Imprisonment and execution," Vegeta replied almost immediately, making both Ozpin and Glynda's eyes widen at the lack of hesitation behind his words before narrowing at what he had to say next. "At least, under normal circumstances."
Unfortunately for the authorities of this world, he was anything but normal.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ozpin had already connected his power directly with that stored in his weapon, his eyes literally on fire and ready to begin a losing battle. "Do you really believe you're above punishment?"
Powerful or not, there had to be a limit to how arrogant someone could really be.
Even if Ozpin was unable to make him take responsibility for his crimes and died on this day, his curse would keep him in this world to try again as many times as he needed. Time would pass, and Vegeta would age until he became nothing more than a shell of his former self. When that happened, he would die just like everyone else.
All Ozpin had to do was be patient, and fortunately, that was his greatest quality.
Glynda, on the other hand, felt her heart sink, expecting only the worst and not knowing what to do.
Apart from the interest she had in Vegeta as a woman, she wanted to believe she was wrong for fear of having him as an enemy.
With that in mind, the last thing she wanted now was for a large-scale conflict to break out in the middle of the city that was already damaged!
"I will be judged, and I will pay for my crimes, but not today." Vegeta would be direct about it, showing purple eyes and a presence that easily surpassed anything that had ever set foot on this planet as his hair changed from black to gold, his Aura becoming visible too. "But I won't stop you from trying."
In the end, everything came down to power, and in this world, no one was stronger than him. Truth be told, if necessary, Vegeta was even willing to use Hakai to destroy this man's body and soul.
If there was one thing he had learned about mages, especially from Moro and Babidi, it was that they could not be underestimated, no matter how weak they were.
Vegeta had made that mistake in the past and paid the price for it.
Never again.
As for Ozpin, he had almost instinctively stopped circulating his power and taken a step back, being surprised by more than the physical transformation the man in front of him had undergone.
Th-this kind of power! He would never forget this divine pressure that radiated like the sun that cursed him with eternity! This man is no mere mortal!
Suddenly, everything made sense!
Not only the mysterious existence of a Huntsman who shouldn't exist, but also his power capable of shocking the whole world!
B-but why? Ozpin couldn't understand it, never expecting another god to make his way to Remnant! As if that wasn't bad enough, the pressure he's emitting seems to be vastly superior to the Brothers of Light and Darkness!
The implications behind this were tremendous, and suddenly Ozpin was beginning to believe that the end of this world had finally arrived.
Or so he thought.
"Vegeta!" This clash came to a sudden halt when the students approached, especially Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, who shouted out their mentor's name. "W-what happened?!"
Their hearts were racing in their throats, nervous at the sight of Vegeta's hair turning golden again!
The last time this happened, the whole world was plunged into chaos!
They couldn't imagine what would happen this time!
"Nothing you need to worry about." Vegeta relaxed and returned to his base form, deciding to stop before he did something that would make these girls fear him even more. "We're done here."
Ozpin was unable to say anything, remaining motionless as this entity walked away, and every fiber of his being screamed at him not to escalate this further when the worst seemed to have been avoided.
Somehow, the mere presence of these girls was enough to make Vegeta calm down, and suddenly, the evolution of their Semblances made sense.
Unlike what happened to Ozpin and Salem at the hands of the Brothers of Light and Darkness, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee had been blessed by this god.
"Tomorrow," Vegeta said to the Headmaster without looking back, holding out his hand to Weiss and placing two fingers on his forehead in an explanatory gesture to all the girls following him. "Come to my house if you want to talk."
With that said and without waiting for an answer, he teleported with Team RWBY back to his house.
With Vegeta's cue, Ozpin could finally breathe, but the pressure in the air seemed to remain unchanged.
If anything, it had gotten even worse.
The problem he now had on his hands made Salem look small in comparison.
Forget his plans to kill that man after he became old and weak, as a divine entity, time had no meaning for him. In fact, it was possible that even the curse that kept Ozpin in this world could be ignored and his soul destroyed!
At this point, Remnant was completely at Prince Vegeta's mercy!
"W-what just happened?!"
The other students were confused, not understanding anything that had taken place right in front of their curious eyes.
"That unit of one man just disappeared with team RWBY!"
The implications behind this made the minds of many there run wild, and not in a very innocent way.
"That's enough!" Glynda snapped out of her own stupor and made her students jump at the sound of her voice. "Even if the situation is under control, there's still a lot to be done, so keep moving!"
If there was one thing she hated doing, it was letting her emotions show in this way, even more so in front of those for whom she served as a role model.
While the students were full of questions, they would have to do without answers for the time being.
With that in mind, and not wanting to aggravate Goodwitch any further, everyone began to disperse and continue helping with whatever the local authorities needed.
"What happens now?" Glynda asked as soon as the children were far enough away not to hear anything that needed to be discussed. "Are you going to try and talk to Prince Vegeta or..."
She didn't finish; there was no need to do so, and the lack of an immediate answer made her heart beat faster, filled with fear and anxiety.
Her reaction was not unfounded.
After this little clash, conflict seemed to be a very real option, and nothing good could come of it.
However, even if that were the case, Ozpin's word was final, and everyone would follow him into battle.
It didn't matter against whom or what.
"I need to contact James and Qrow immediately," Ozpin replied after a few seconds of consideration, deciding that this was the best course of action he could take. "I need you all by my side to go and meet that...'man'."
A meeting that would decide Remnant's fate.