Tyrian was clearly having far too much fun with the controls of the Atlesian ship, as every button he pressed seemed to activate something completely different.
One moment, the ship's cannons were firing down into the streets below, forcing civilians and Huntsmen alike to scatter for cover, and the next, the storage compartments in the back of the ship opened up as several Atlesian Knights were released; their mechanical bodies fell into the city below while Tyrian laughed to himself at the chaos he was creating.
He pressed another button just to see what it would do, only for the ship to suddenly fire another volley into the city, and Tyrian's grin widened as he leaned back in the pilot's seat, apparently treating the entire situation like some kind of game.
"Who knew these things could be so much fun?" he muttered, casually pressing another button before deciding that he had played around with the ship enough for the moment.
He reached into his clothing and pulled out a Scroll containing the Black Queen virus, turning it around in his hand for a moment before inserting it directly into the ship's main console.
The moment the Scroll connected with the system, the screens flickered several times before suddenly turning completely red, with the unmistakable image of the black queen chess piece appearing across every monitor.
The Atlesian Knights throughout the city suddenly stopped moving.
The machines that had been firing upon Grimm only moments earlier froze in place, their weapons lowering as their systems were overwritten. A second later, their heads turned toward the fleeing civilians and Huntsmen instead, and their weapons immediately opened fire.
The battlefield descended into even greater chaos.
...
Back at Beacon's courtyard, Weiss and Blake were making their way through the ruined grounds after defeating an Ursa that had attempted to block their path. Blake had just finished wiping the black Grimm dust from Gambol Shroud when several gunshots suddenly rang out from behind them.
She turned around, expecting another group of White Fang soldiers, only to see the Atlesian Knights that had been fighting alongside them suddenly turn their weapons toward the students and civilians.
"GET DOWN!"
Weiss immediately grabbed Blake and tackled her to the ground as bullets tore through the area where they had been standing only moments earlier. The two quickly rolled behind a thick lamppost, using it as cover as the Atlesian Knights continued firing at them without hesitation.
"What are they doing?!" Blake asked, looking around the side of the lamppost.
"I don't know!" Weiss replied, her eyes narrowing as another burst of gunfire struck the ground beside them. "But they're not under Ironwood's control anymore!"
...
Elsewhere, General Ironwood was rapidly approaching his flagship when the Atlesian Knights stationed inside the back of the ship suddenly activated. Their heads turned toward him at the same time, weapons immediately raising into firing position.
Ironwood stopped.
His eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
"No..."
The Knights opened fire.
An explosion erupted from the ship just as the shuttle carrying the students away from the arena began taking off, sending smoke and debris into the air as the flagship was rocked by the attack.
Ruby immediately turned toward the explosion.
"Something's wrong with Ironwood's ship!"
Without waiting for anyone to stop her, Ruby rushed toward the back of the shuttle and threw the door open.
"Ruby, where are you going?!" Sun shouted as she jumped out.
"I'm going to help!"
Her body transformed into a blur of rose petals as she activated her Semblance, speeding across the gap between Amity Arena and the damaged military ship before landing on its exterior. Ruby immediately rushed inside, searching through the corridors until she spotted one of the student lockers that had been dropped into the battlefield earlier.
"There!"
She quickly opened the locker, entered a set of coordinates, and hooked Crescent Rose around it before taking a deep breath.
"Please work... Please work!"
The locker suddenly launched forward like a rocket, dragging Ruby along with it as she held onto Crescent Rose tightly. The makeshift transportation carried her toward Ironwood's ship, allowing her to reach the damaged flagship far faster than she could have by running.
...
Meanwhile, back on the ground, Blake and Weiss were still fighting their way through the chaos.
Blake created a shadow clone of herself and sent it running toward several White Fang soldiers. The clone exploded the moment they attacked it, throwing several of them backward as Blake used the distraction to swing Gambol Shroud in its Kusarigama form around another soldier's shoulder. She pulled herself forward, landing directly on top of him before using the bladed sheath to knock another soldier aside.
Weiss immediately followed behind her.
She activated a Time Dilation Glyph beneath her feet, launching herself forward with increased speed as she weaved through the attacking Atlesian Knights. Her Myrtenaster moved rapidly in her hands, striking at the joints of the machines rather than wasting time trying to overpower their armor.
One Knight lost the use of its arm, another had its legs cut out from underneath it, and a third collapsed after Weiss struck its mechanical joints several times in rapid succession.
She then created a propulsion Glyph beneath the destroyed Knights.
"Get out of my way!"
The Glyph launched the disabled machines across the battlefield like projectiles, sending them crashing into other Atlesian Knights, White Fang soldiers, and even several Grimm scattered throughout the courtyard.
Weiss landed with her back against Blake's as the two briefly looked at each other.
"Still with me?" Blake asked.
"Of course."
Before they could continue, the airship carrying the students from the Colosseum finally arrived, and its doors opened as students poured onto the battlefield. Many of them immediately looked around in confusion before realizing that the situation was far worse than they had originally expected.
Weiss immediately looked around the crowd.
"Where's Ruby?!"
"She went back into the arena for some reason," Neptune answered, raising his railgun toward a Creep that suddenly leaped toward them. "Something about helping!"
He fired, blasting the Grimm away before turning back toward Weiss.
"Keep your focus!"
Weiss nodded and raised Myrtenaster again, but her attention was suddenly drawn toward the sound of a crashing aircraft nearby. One of the damaged ships had lost control and slammed into a building, its wreckage scattering across the street as an Alpha Beowolf climbed out of the wreckage.
The Grimm grabbed the pilot and threw him aside before landing heavily on the ground.
"I'll go after the Alpha," Blake said immediately.
Weiss reached out and stopped her for a moment.
"Be careful, Blake."
Blake looked back at her and smiled faintly.
"You too."
She then fired Gambol Shroud's cable toward a nearby rooftop, pulled herself upward, and began following the Alpha Beowolf through the streets.
...
Not far away, two students were desperately hiding behind a pillar while White Fang soldiers fired at them from across the courtyard.
"Bad news..." one of them whispered as he checked his weapon. "I'm out of juice for my flamethrower."
"Well, I'm down to the last handful of ammo I have," the other student groaned, peeking around the pillar before quickly ducking back down.
A figure suddenly rushed past them.
Fox immediately entered the fight, moving with enough speed that the White Fang soldiers barely had time to react. He struck one across the chest before following up with a punch that sent another crashing into the ground, then quickly moved between them and the students before the remaining soldiers could regroup.
The last White Fang soldier fell, and Fox looked back at the two students with a small smirk.
"C'mon."
"Boy, are we glad to see you," one of the students said as he quickly followed.
"I've been trying to get as many students to the docks as possible," Fox explained as he continued moving through the courtyard. "Velvet's been checking the other side of the school, so if we can get everyone together, we might be able to-"
Fox suddenly stopped.
The two students nearly walked into him.
Several meters ahead of them stood a lone figure.
One of the students immediately froze.
His face went pale as he slowly took a step backward.
"No..."
The figure calmly turned toward them.
"No!"
Adam Taurus smiled.
He had just pulled his sword out of the back of an Atlesian soldier, the weapon dripping with blood as he looked toward the three students standing in front of him.
"Ah, good."
Adam raised his weapon and rested it against his shoulder.
"I was beginning to feel a little left out."
...
Meanwhile, back in Vale, Glynda and Qrow were struggling to keep up with the constant stream of Grimm and Atlesian Knights attacking them from every direction. Glynda fired several blasts from her wand while Qrow moved between the Grimm, cutting down anything that got too close, but neither of them had much time to breathe before the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to shake.
Glynda stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"No..."
Qrow looked around.
"What is it?"
The rumbling became louder.
Much louder.
"Oh shi-"
Before Qrow could finish his sentence, a nearby mountain suddenly cracked apart.
Something enormous burst out from within it.
A massive Wyvern Grimm emerged from the mountain with a deafening screech, its enormous wings spreading as it took to the sky. Black, tar-like liquid constantly dripped from between its scales, falling toward the ground below, and wherever the strange substance landed, smaller Creeps began crawling out of it.
Glynda stared at the creature in horror.
"It's heading toward Beacon."
Qrow tightened his grip around Harbinger.
"Then we'd better get there first."
The Wyvern continued flying toward Beacon, leaving a trail of newly spawned Grimm behind it as the invasion spread further throughout Vale.
...
And on a nearby rooftop, three figures watched the destruction unfolding below.
Emerald stood with her arms folded, her expression becoming increasingly uncomfortable as she watched the Atlesian Knights fire upon civilians.
"I... I feel terrible."
She looked away, clearly struggling to watch any more of it.
Cinder, however, simply smiled.
"It's horrendous."
She turned toward Mercury.
"Focus on the Atlesian Knights."
Mercury raised his Scroll, adjusting the camera toward the battlefield below.
"You got it, boss lady."
He began recording again, capturing the machines as they fired upon innocent people, Huntsmen, and students alike.
Below them, Vale continued to fall deeper into chaos, and the footage continued to spread across the world as the Vytal Festival, once meant to celebrate peace between the four Kingdoms, became the stage for an attack that would change Remnant forever.
...
The sight of the massive Wyvern flying overhead quickly drew the attention of the remaining members of Team TNPR, all three of them looking up as its enormous wings blocked out part of the sky above Beacon.
"Wow, that thing is huge!" Nora exclaimed, staring up at the Grimm as it flew past them, its enormous wings beating against the air as black liquid continued dripping from its body and falling toward the city below.
Ren watched it disappear into the distance before looking around the arena. Most of the Grimm that had originally flooded the area had already been dealt with, and more importantly, there was no one else left around them. The civilians had already been evacuated, and the remaining students had either escaped the arena or moved toward the city to help with the fighting.
"Looks like we're the only ones left here," Ren said as he lowered Stormflower slightly.
Tsutsumi looked around as well before glancing toward the Wyvern.
"Azu."
The moment he called her name, the thick fur coat covering his body suddenly began to move.
It broke apart into thousands upon thousands of tiny mechanical grasshoppers, each one moving independently as they scattered into the air around him. The ClusterCells swarmed together before dividing into two separate groups, one flying toward Nora and the other toward Ren.
Both of them barely had time to react before the tiny machines began attaching themselves across their backs.
"What are these doing?" Ren asked, looking over his shoulder.
The swarm rapidly assembled itself into two large mechanical structures that stretched outward from their backs, forming a pair of jetpack-like wings. Small mechanical components shifted and locked together as the ClusterCells finished forming the devices, leaving both Ren and Nora with a set of mechanical wings attached to their backs.
Ren widened his eyes as he inspected them. "Incredible..."
"Wow! These look sweet!" Nora cheered, immediately reaching behind herself to feel the mechanical wings. "Does this mean we can now fly?!"
"That's what they're for." Tsutsumi looked toward the Wyvern as it continued flying farther away from Beacon. "You two use those to chase after that thing. I'll handle the main target."
"Got it!" Nora shouted enthusiastically.
Ren nodded as he adjusted himself to the new equipment, quickly realizing that the machines were already responding to his movements.
Tsutsumi pulled out a card and slipped it into his Decadriver.
Attack Ride: Advent!
A loud roar suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Something massive appeared behind Tsutsumi, its crimson and silver body emerging into reality as a gigantic metallic dragon flew into the sky. Its long body moved through the air with surprising ease despite having no wings, its serpentine form twisting through the sky as its red eyes focused on the distant Wyvern.
Tsutsumi leaped backward and landed directly on the Mirror Monster's back.
"Let's go."
Dragreder accelerated.
The three of them quickly took to the sky, Ren and Nora flying alongside Tsutsumi as they chased after the Wyvern. Their sudden appearance drew the attention of several people still fighting throughout Beacon, with both students and Huntsmen looking upward as the enormous crimson dragon raced through the air.
The Wyvern noticed them as well. It turned its head and let out a deafening roar before black liquid began dripping from its body once again, several Creeps forming from the substance as they fell toward the ground.
"Nora, the little ones!" Ren shouted.
"On it!"
The two separated from Tsutsumi and began flying around the falling Grimm, cutting them down before they could reach the ground. Ren fired Stormflower repeatedly while Nora swung Magnhild through the air, crushing the smaller Grimm whenever they got close.
Tsutsumi, meanwhile, had no interest in dealing with the smaller creatures.
He simply directed Dragreder toward the Wyvern.
Dragreder roared before accelerating even further, its enormous body crashing directly into the Wyvern.
The impact shook the air around them as the two massive creatures collided, sending the Wyvern tumbling sideways through the sky while Dragreder twisted around and quickly regained its position.
Tsutsumi jumped off Dragreder as the Mirror Monster continued fighting the Wyvern, landing in front of Beacon Tower.
He turned his attention toward the battle above.
The Wyvern recovered and spread its massive wings, letting out another roar as it attempted to intimidate Dragreder. The Mirror Monster responded by opening its enormous jaws and unleashing a powerful stream of flames directly toward the Grimm.
The fire engulfed the Wyvern. It screeched in pain as its wings flapped wildly, desperately trying to escape the flames while Dragreder continued circling around it.
While watching the battle above, the White Fang soldier positioned several rooftops away spotted him.
The soldier steadied his weapon. The crosshair settled directly onto Tsutsumi's back.
The trigger was pulled. And the bullet flew through the air.
Before it could reach him, however, a figure suddenly dropped down between them.
Scarlet-red hair flowed through the air as Pyrrha landed directly behind Tsutsumi, her shield raised.
The bullet struck the shield and ricocheted away. Pyrrha immediately turned toward the direction of the shot and raised her rifle, firing a single round.
The White Fang soldier immediately ducked behind cover before fleeing from the rooftop as Dragreder's flames crashed into the building. The White Fang soldier barely escaped as the rooftop where he had been standing was engulfed in fire.
Tsutsumi slowly tilted his head back. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who had appeared to block that bullet.
"Pyrrha?"
Something didn't feel right to him.
Pyrrha lowered her shield and smiled at him.
At almost the same time, Ren and Nora landed nearby after finishing off the remaining Creeps, both of them immediately noticing that their missing teammate had finally returned.
"Pyrrha!" Nora shouted, her expression immediately brightening. "Thank God you're safe!"
Ren let out a quiet sigh of relief as he approached her.
"Pyrrha, where were you? We couldn't find you anywhere."
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha replied with a small smile as she looked between the two of them. "Something came up, and I was separated from everyone before I could explain what happened."
Nora looked relieved, but Tsutsumi wasn't smiling.
There was something wrong.
Not with her appearance, not with her weapon, and not even with her Aura. Everything looked normal, but there was something about her that didn't feel right.
Tsutsumi stepped closer. "Where were you just now?"
Pyrrha looked directly at him.
For a moment, she didn't answer.
Then she smiled. It was a familiar smile, but somehow it felt different.
"Sorry, I had something come up..."
She slowly raised her shield and shifted into a combat stance, ready to fight off the grimms.
"...Tsutsumi."
The moment she said his name, all three members of Team TNPR froze.
Nora's smile disappeared.
Ren's grip tightened around Stormflower.
And Tsutsumi's expression slowly changed from suspicion to horror as he stared at the girl standing in front of him.