Optimistic Game Chapter 86

Edited by: Priapus, Marethyu

Alone in one of Amity’s private rooms, I lean against the window and look out, gazing down at the colosseum with arms crossed and a smile, having watched the end of the award ceremony just a couple of minutes ago. I had no doubts about Wildberry winning the tournament unless they deliberately threw the final match, but seeing them get their gold medals and trophy was still pretty cool. After everything they went through, they deserve it. I’d go there to congratulate them personally, but that will have to wait for a little while. What with the special show I have prepared.

We are somewhat pressed for time, as it’s already quite late, so we’re going to have to get this over with soon. Obviously, the show isn’t entirely necessary since it’s just a bonus, but I might’ve made a mistake by hyping it up on social media. I don’t do it now, and people become disappointed. And in a world like this, collective negative emotions could cause disasters. But again, not really a major issue since I don’t plan on abandoning my idea in the first place. Not when I think it’s cool as fuck. Lots of people on Scribe correctly guessed what I had planned, too.

And since I’ve already done everything necessary I needed to do, I have no excuse to delay or cancel the event. As I mentioned earlier, quality of life and entertainment in Remnant are essential in saving lives. Letting people see what their hero is capable of might put a lot of them at ease, thus ultimately decreasing Grimm attacks. Or that’s what I hope will happen anyway.

Eventually, after waiting for a few more minutes, the door opens, and Ozpin walks in with a warm mug of coffee. He pauses once he sees me, and although his expression is unreadable, I can sense hints of dissatisfaction with me, as well as acceptance for what I had to do. What other choice did I have? If I let him face justice, he’d just run away someday.

I had to make sure he couldn’t.

“So it is done, then?” He questions, knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” I confirm nonetheless. “The truth serum worked. He’s dead now.”

“And are you satisfied?” He asks.

There was weight behind that simple question, but I don’t hesitate to answer.

“I am.”

For a moment, Oz doesn’t say anything, staring directly at me.

“I see,” Ozpin says, taking his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. He doesn’t ask further, accepting my answer as it is. “…I suppose what’s left to do now is to find someone else to take his place as Vale’s administrator of the food and agriculture industry.”

I don’t dwell on that topic and move on with the conversation.

“You’re not gonna look for a new councilman?”

“No. Not yet, at least.” He shakes his head, takes a seat, and puts his mug on the table next to him. “The procedures to pick a new councilman, especially after the death of a previous one, can be messy. It could take us more than a year.”

“I thought being an administrator of a big industry already made you a councilman, though.” I frown in thought. “Isn’t that how it works?”

“Not always. Being an administrator doesn’t immediately make you a councilman. It’s only the first step.” Ozpin replies. “Extensive background checks, several evaluation tests, countless papers to process, and much, much more.”

“Is that right?” I mutter. Then, I get an idea. “Say, think I can be one?”

“A councilman? Well, of course. You’re the most powerful Titan Slayer that has ever lived, the CEO of a rapidly growing business, and you own several farms to boot. Taking Valentine’s position as an administrator and a councilman would be easy for you.” Ozpin nods, though I notice him hesitating. “But by becoming a councilman of Vale, you’d be limiting yourself.”

“Really? How come?”

“You may live in Vale, and your MSC might’ve begun here, but as you are now, you’re a neutral entity.” He explains. “You’ve not sworn allegiance to Vale or any of the other kingdoms, and that gives you the freedom you otherwise won’t have as a councilman of any kingdom.”

I hum in thought. That does make sense…

“Politically speaking, you’d be even more powerful. But only in Vale. Your power would diminish everywhere else.” Ozpin adds. “As you’d have made a public statement that Vale is your home, you wouldn’t be able to freely travel to other kingdoms without explicit permission from their council.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I nod in agreement. I can always use a disguise. Shit, I have an alter ego already, but I see how that could be annoying. “And other governments would be less lenient with me overall, wouldn’t they? Despite my power.”

“Precisely.” He says after sipping from his mug. “I highly recommend you keep your neutrality. Perhaps until you’re forced to pick a side, as much as I hope a day like that would never come.”

“Why, scared I might abandon you and Vale?” I tease him with a grin.

“Naturally.” He confirms without a hint of shame, smiling back at me. “I may believe in a better Remnant, but I am loyal to Vale, as well. I was its king once upon a time.”

“Heh. Fair enough.” I snort. Then remember something pretty damn annoying and scowl. “Also, unrelated, but what the hell were you thinking?”

“Pardon me?”

“Qrow told me about what you and Ironwood were scheming behind my back.” I clarify. “Seriously? Making Winter Schnee my assistant during my time in Beacon?”

“Ah, that.”

“Dude, you didn’t even bother to tell me.” I remind him. “What the hell was that about? A word about that would’ve been nice, seeing that the second term starts in a week’s time.”

Which makes me glad that I didn’t sign up to be a Beacon student. Seriously, they barely get any days off until summer vacation—the first term ends, followed by a one-week holiday, after which the second term immediately begins. That sounds like hell.

“I don’t quite see how that is the problem.” He replies. “Winter Schnee is one of the most talented huntresses in Atlas and the youngest specialist to date. You may be the Titan Slayer, Reid, but even you struggle with paperwork, of which there would be plenty. I imagine someone with her experience in that field would prove to be useful to you.”

“I don’t need an assistant, Oz. I’m fine working alone.” I respond confidently, definitely not faltering at the mention of paperwork. No siree. “And if I wanted an assistant, I’d pick one myself. Seriously, Winter Schnee? I don’t even know where this came from.”

No offense, but why her specifically?

“A simple request from Ironwood.” He answers. “He is fully aware of how powerful your students have become, even before their wonderful show at the Vytal tournament, and wishes Winter could perhaps learn a thing or two by working directly under you.”

“And you agree with him because…?”

Ozpin doesn’t answer me, not verbally, at least, as he gazes directly into my eyes while loudly sipping his coffee. This continues for about three more seconds before the realization hits me like a truck, making me step back and look at him in a very odd combination of disgust and astonishment.

“Man, what the fuck?” I grimace, rubbing my temples. “For real?”

Once again, Oz says nothing, but the sipping becomes louder.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve called you a pervert with a degenerate fetish.” I sigh and back away. “Whatever, man. We can discuss this later. I have other things to take care of.”

“Of course.” Oz smiles in amusement. “I must say, I am looking forward to this event as well.”

“You better be.” I scoff playfully. “See you later, Oz.”

“Good luck, Reid.”

I wave and exit the room, quickly dialing Ruby’s number. She immediately answers, looking at me with an anxious expression. I’ve already told her about the event, and she did seem pretty excited about it, so I’m somewhat confused about her attitude.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Ugh, I dunno.” She sighs. “Can we talk first?”

“Sure, I’m on my way.”

 Then again, Ruby has always been a nervous individual, so hopefully, it’s nothing serious.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Weiss –

“I never thought I’d see the day.” Mr. Xiao-Long breathed in awe as he raised the golden trophy, eyes sparkling with excitement, pride, and pure happiness. “The Vytal Cup, in all its beautiful glory, in my hands.”

“Told ya we were winning this,” Yang replied confidently, showing her gold medal with a wink. “I guess we’re just too good for Beacon now. None of the other teams stood a chance~”

“Could do with a little more modesty, Firecracker.” He said, giving her an unamused look before quickly switching back to a smile. “But after what you girls achieved today, I’ll let it slide this time. Seriously, this is amazing. Not even my team won the Vytal tournament, and we were the best in Beacon back in the day. Oh, if only Summer were here to see this.”

Firecracker? Is that some kind of pet name? Weiss thought. That’s adorable.

While she got to be called Ice Queen, which wasn’t cute at all. It made her sound mean, ugly, and unpleasant.

…Perhaps it was warranted and fitting during her early days in Beacon, but she’d changed, damn it!

“Tsk, tsk, and here I was, looking up to you.” Yang shrugged, her tone playful and teasing. “I guess you’re not as amazing as I thought you were.”

“You little brat.” Tai clicked his tongue, though he didn’t sound offended, as he childishly hugged the Vytal Cup. “I’m the one who taught you how to fight in the first place, meaning I deserve this trophy more than you.”

“Sure. You can have it.” His daughter grinned, cracking her knuckles. “As long as you’re willing to fight the winners over it.”

Taiyang blinked, looked at the rest of Team Wildberry, cleared his throat, then put the trophy on a nearby table.

“On second thought, I’m happy being the proud dad cheering you on from the sidelines.”

“That’s what I thought.” Yang giggled.

Weiss watched this exchange with a smile, happy for her dear friend but hiding a twinge of jealousy. She couldn’t even remember the last time her own father had looked at her the way Taiyang looked at his daughter. Full of pride, happiness, and love. While Jacques hadn’t always been a terrible person, or at least wasn’t as forward with it... once that mask dropped, everything had gone to hell for their family.

Then again, would she have been happier had he kept that mask? Pretended to be a caring father? Would Weiss have preferred to live a life of lies? Of course not. In hindsight, she was glad he’d stopped pretending early. Otherwise, the heartbreak when she eventually discovered the kind of person he truly was would’ve been too much for her.

But, well, now wasn’t the time to be all sad and gloomy. How could she when they’d won the Vytal Tournament?

Soon after the award ceremony, Team Wildberry had been greeted with a great feast aptly called ‘Champion’s Banquet,’ in which the winners of the tournament – and whoever they personally invited – were to enjoy different cuisines from every culture and kingdom, prepared by the best chefs in all of Remnant. From exotic seafood to roasts to expensive desserts, there was something for everyone.

Weiss had to admit that she’d indulged herself far more than she typically would. Any other time, she would’ve called off Yang for her uncouth gorging, but here she was, doing the same. And unlike the high-end restaurants she was used to, they weren’t stingy with their portions. There was enough food to feed a small village. Naturally, seeing that hunters eat twice as much as civilians.

Then, once they were satisfied, they’d quickly gotten back to their designated room in Amity, sharing their victories with their loved ones. Well, sort of. Yang’s father was the only one in Amity, but Blake was happily video-calling her mother on the other side of the room. As for Weiss?

“No response yet?” Levianna questioned, glancing at her team leader.

She glanced down at her phone, and her smile faltered, still not having gotten a response from Winter. Weiss had sent a message and even attempted to call her after much-needed encouragement from Yang, but she’d received nothing. It was clear that her older sister was too busy at the moment, being an Atlas Specialist and whatnot.

It still hurt, though.

Weiss exhaled and quickly shook those thoughts out of her head. But she wouldn’t let this get her down. They’d won! They were the 40th Vytal Champions! Wherever Winter was, Weiss was certain that she was proud, especially with her incredible performance against Pyrrha Nikos.

“Unsurprisingly,” Weiss replied, as sad as that sounded. “After becoming a specialist, Winter has become a lot busier. Though no doubt she’s at least seen the finals.”

As for her parents? Not a peep. Her father had only made a cute little statement on social media, purely for PR, as he hadn’t bothered to send her anything personally. But she was used to him and her alcoholic mother being so deadbeat.

The only ones who’d bothered to congratulate her were, of course, Klein, her beloved butler, who’d sent her a voice message sobbing with pride and happiness while singing her praises, and shockingly enough, Whitley, her little brother. It was all in the prosaic and condescending tone of their father, which made him all the more infuriating, but honestly? Weiss genuinely appreciated it. At least he cared enough to send her something. She couldn’t be mad at him.

“What about you?” Weiss asked her partner. 

“Hmm?” Levianna blinked.

“I’ve not seen you on your scroll since before the finals.” The SDC heiress clarified. “I don’t mean to intrude on your personal life, but do you not have a family to write back to?”

“Ah…” Levi became visibly uncomfortable at the mention of her family, her smile growing strained while she looked away. “I um… N-not really, no.”

Seeing her partner’s nervous chuckles, Weiss decided to drop it for now. Again, it wasn’t her place to stick her nose in other people’s business, especially in subjects as touchy as family, but she made sure to make a mental note of Levi’s response. This wasn’t the first time she had reacted in such a way when her family was mentioned.

In a way, it reminded her of how Blake had been before she’d revealed her White Fang affiliation. Anxious, ashamed, almost guilty. It was concerningly similar, but what were the odds that Levi was related to some terrorist organization as well, right? Then again, she had been very quick to forgive Blake back then…

No way, it couldn’t be. Yang and Ruby forgave her quickly, too. Weiss thought. …But even if that was the case, then I’m sure she had a good reason.

Regardless, she had to trust her partner that she’d tell them eventually—no point in pressing her now. Although not outright saying it, Levi gave her team leader an appreciative look once it was clear Weiss didn’t intend to ask further.

“By the way, where’s Ruby?” Taiyang questioned. “Haven’t seen her since the tournament started.”

“She’s with Reid,” Blake answered, having finished her call with her mother. “Shot her a message asking where she disappeared off to. Just got a response from her a minute ago.”

“What for?” Levi questioned.

“Think it’s for the special aftershow he’s been talking about?” Yang guessed.

“But why would he need Ruby for it?” Weiss wondered out loud.

None had a good answer to that, and for a few moments, they all remained silent until realization hit them one by one.

“You don’t think he was organizing a Titan Slayer vs Titan Slayer public match this whole time, right?” Yang asked, saying what all of them were thinking. “Because that’s genius.”

“I mean, it tracks. If there’s one thing more exciting than the Vytal Tournament finals, it’s watching two Titan Slayers duking it out.” Blake agreed. “And in a way, it’d be involving Ruby in a tournament she could never reasonably enter.”

It made sense. No doubt that in two years, they would be utterly unrecognizable from their current selves.

“But wait, as strong as Ruby is, I don’t think she can actually fight Reid.” Levi pointed out.

“Well, civilians don’t know that for sure. As far as they’re aware, it’s two Titan Slayers fighting each other.” Blake shrugged. “Besides, they’re relatively equal whenever Ruby uses Senketsu.”

“Like hell, she’s wearing that!” Yang scowled. “Not in front of the whole damn world! Is he out of his mind?!”

“Calm down, Yang,” Weiss said. “Be reasonable. Do you really think Reid would be okay with Ruby showing her body to all of Remnant?”

Yang paused, then sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right. Reid’s kind of a pervert, but even he wouldn’t do that.”

“What’s this about showing her body?” Taiyang narrowed his eyes.

“Senketsu is Ruby’s weird and allegedly sentient stripper outfit.” His daughter answered. “Y’know, the one that gives her a boost.”

It’s sentient? Weiss blinked. I didn’t know that.

“Mind you, this isn’t some life-or-death battle,” Blake added. “It’s just for fun. I don’t think Reid is going to let her wear it.”

“Yeah, because I’d strangle him with it otherwise.” He sneered. “I gave him my blessing to marry my daughters, not show them off.”

“You’d have to get in line, old man.” Yang scoffed. Then paused, blinked, and looked at her father weirdly. “Wait, what did you say?”

“Speaking of, the aftershow is about to start. So I’ll leave you girls to it.” He said with a wink, exiting the room. “I’m gonna go back to my seat. Ain’t no way I’m missing that fight.”

“Hey, get back here!” Yang went after him, suddenly sounding excited and very enthusiastic. “I didn’t know marriage was already on the table!”

As the door closed behind them, Weiss sighed, ignoring her feelings of envy.

“Like father, like daughter, huh?” Blake snorted, turning on the stationary scroll.

Weiss was happy for Yang and Ruby having a wonderful father like Taiyang, of course.

She just wished that hers was half as cool.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Ruby –

Listening to the audience’s excited yet increasingly impatient racket outside her waiting room, Ruby couldn’t help but whimper in despair. She had to go out there? Do a show in front of that many people, with even more watching online? This was too much! Even worse than the time Headmaster Ozpin had interviewed her! And stupid Yang had promised that she wouldn’t have to do things like this again! A lie! It was all a lie!

This truly was her hell. Ruby hated nothing more than being the center of attention, and together with the only other Titan Slayer, the entire world would be watching her. There was no escape. Why did being a hero sometimes mean you had to be a celebrity? Ruby didn’t care about fame, damn it. She just wanted to save people.

…Well, okay, that was a lie. Stardom had always sounded pretty nice to her back before she defeated her first Titan. Who wouldn’t love hearing their heroic stories shared with children? Just like her mother used to tell her about the heroes of old, now all the kids around Remnant would hear all about Ruby’s valiant tales of vanquishing beasts and saving people.

But she’d never expected all the baggage that came with it! Events, interviews, social media— Ruby didn’t want to deal with all of that dumb stuff! How could Reid even handle it? Seriously, even socially, he was invincible, unlike Ruby, who couldn’t say hi to a stranger without stuttering. This crap wasn’t for her.

Admittedly, when Reid had talked to her about this idea, she’d been thrilled. Sure, it was in front of so many others, and that made her very nervous, but it was just a simple duel, and Ruby had so, so many things she wanted to show him. This was the perfect opportunity. She was very excited.

…That was until he’d told her she had to use Senketsu’s power.

So not only was she supposed to do a show for a bajillion people, but she had to do it half-naked.

“It’s so over.” She moaned. “I’m never recovering from this.”

“Calm down, Ruby,” Senketsu said, sounding too casual for her tastes.

“What do you mean, calm down?!” She shrieked. “Too many people are going to see me like that! A million billion of them! I can’t calm down!”

Ruby understood why Reid wanted her to use Senketsu’s power. It wasn’t like him to want to show her off or anything gross like that. Reid always made sure to respect her wishes and was on the way to fixing the whole ‘stripping’ problem before this tournament. No, he wanted her to use Senketsu because, without him, it wouldn’t really be a match. And in that regard, Ruby actually agreed with him.

Because the idea of him severely holding back just for her sake annoyed her. During training, whenever Ruby put on Senketsu, they became relatively equal. Yes, Reid was still significantly stronger than her, but she was actually capable of putting him on the back foot as she surpassed him in speed. And now, with her admittedly inferior Observation Haki, she could do even more.

Reid thought the same, as not having access to her full potential for an event as big as this was out of the question. It wouldn’t be fair to her or the audience.

But that didn’t mean she liked being half-naked in front of Remnant. The only person allowed to see her like that was her boyfriend.

…And whoever else they were having a threesome with, but that was beside the point.

Instead of arguing with her, Senketsu only sighed in exhaustion. Just then, the door swung open, prompting her to whip her head toward Reid.

“What took you so—woah!” Ruby’s eyes widened once she saw her boyfriend’s awesome armor, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be anxious. “Cool armor!”

“Right? And it’s not just any armor— it’s my most powerful creation yet.” He smirked, looking proud of himself. “Ruby, meet my Magnum Opus: Sentry!”

As he struck a cool pose, a tiny tentacle formed on the shoulder part, waving at Ruby, making her ‘woah’ even harder.

“And just like Senketsu, it’s sentient.” He added. “Can’t talk yet, though. Still working on that.”

“That’s so cool…” She breathed before finally remembering her predicament. Her excitement deflated, replaced by the crippling anxiety and despair of what Reid wanted her to do. “How could you?!”

“Huh?” He blinked, startled by her quick 180.

Ruby grabbed her boyfriend by the collar and started shaking him.

“Don’t you know what you’re asking me to do?! I can’t do that! No way, I’d die!” She complained. “Do you want people to look at your poor little girlfriend naked?!”

“Calm down, Rubes,” Reid said, gently holding her hands.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”

“That’s what I said, too.” Senketsu quipped.

“You shut up!”

“Okay, okay. Relax. I didn’t even say anything yet.” Reid backed off, thinking she was telling him to shut up for no reason. “I already got a fix for it, alright?”

Ruby paused, blinked, then looked at him with a hopeful expression.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Told you I was working on it, didn’t I?” He snorted, taking something out of his storage space. “Here.”

Ruby grabbed it and got a good look at it. It was a simple black skintight bodysuit, making her grimace. She took a moment to stretch and feel its material, immediately recognizing it was nothing she was familiar with. Some kind of magic material, probably.

“Um…” She hesitated. “I mean, thanks? But I don’t think a bodysuit is gonna help all that much, Reid. I’d still be half naked.”

“Oh, you should know these things by now, Ruby. This is no ordinary bodysuit.” He replied, looking proud of himself once again. “With a whole lot of magical materials, a sample of life fiber from Senketsu, and a little experimentation, I present to you the Mana-Fiber Suit!”

Well, now Ruby was excited. A magical suit on top of her alien uniform?

“What does it do?” She asked, her anxiety slowly fading away, replaced by growing anticipation.

“Well, at first, I thought only something like enchanting Senketsu himself would work, but I thought about it more and did some more research and realized I could do something even better. So, you know how only you can hear Senketsu since you bonded with him? This works pretty similarly but from the magic side of things.” He explained, reminding her that he was as big of a nerd as she was. “While wearing the bodysuit, anyone who has magic will just see a regular bodysuit beneath Senketsu. However, everyone else will see a modest and well-designed outfit that seamlessly complements Senketsu. In a way, it’d look kinda like my armor. Actually, I have some concept art of what it would look like to magic-less people. Lemme show you.”

Reid took his scroll out, casually flipped through a few pictures of magic weapons, some of his projects, weird, eldritch text on worn-out tomes, and a couple of lewd images from Yang, Weiss, and herself before finally landing on the supposed concept art. Lo and behold, it looked exactly like how he described it— a suit of armor, although a little thin, still covered her whole body in a very modest way.

“Woah…” She breathed, easily absorbing everything he was telling her.

“That is brilliant.” Even Senketsu was impressed.

“Cool, right? Now, you won’t have to worry about wearing Senketsu in public ever again. At least in Remnant.” He told her, whispering that last part. “Also, if you’re worrying about it getting stuffy, don’t. You won’t even feel the bodysuit on your skin.”

“This is amazing!” Ruby exclaimed, hugging him tightly. “I love it! Thanks a lot, Reid!”

“For sure, Rubes. Any time. Honestly, if anything, I should’ve made it a lot earlier.” He admitted, sounding somewhat remorseful. “Not good boyfriend behavior to be procrastinating on something like this.”

“Better late than never~” She giggled. “But wait, why didn’t you make real armor? I mean, I don’t wanna sound ungrateful, but wouldn’t it have been easier?”

“No, not really. If I wanted to make actual armor, I wouldn’t want to half-ass it. I didn’t have enough high-quality materials to make one, so I had to cut some corners.” He shrugged. “Also, I think you’d look hot in a skintight bodysuit.”

“Heh. Of course. It’s only natural.” Chest puffed and hands on her hips, Ruby smirked smugly. “The ever-powerful Reid Astera, the Hero of Vale and Slayer of Titans, a mere slave to Ruby Rose’s peerless beauty and feminine charm!”

Reid only rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.” He chuckled. “Come on, put the bodysuit on. We don’t wanna be any later than this.”

“Aye, aye!”

In the middle of her changing, Ruby caught Reid’s eyes, drinking in every inch of her body, as per usual. He could never get bored with her, and it always made Ruby feel extremely attractive. As someone who lived with Yang, of all people, she had never had such a pleasure before meeting him.

However, beyond mere attraction for her, Ruby saw something else.

Because now she could tell that Reid, for whatever reason, was feeling better. How and why, Ruby had no idea. Beneath the ever-present anger and sadness, he felt more at ease. Less overwhelmed. It was relieving. But she knew this wasn’t the end of it. It would never be the end of it until she figured out what it was that brought him to that point.

And eliminate it in its entirety.

But she’d worry about that another time. For now, Ruby had a duel to win.

Because maybe, just maybe, all she needed to do to make this stubborn idiot rely on her was to beat some sense into him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Reid –

Instead of entering the arena like a regular combatant would, I decided to be a little more flashy and float down to the center from above. Seeing as I’m this ultimate Titan Slayer and all, I wanted to live up to the hype and awesomeness expected of me, and as predicted, the crowd loves it. With my girlfriend in my arms, they clap and cheer our names up until I touch down on the arena floor, letting go of the mildly embarrassed Ruby.

Man, the stadium looks way bigger when you’re at the center of it. There are tens of thousands of people all around us, and I can feel the pure and overwhelming elation and admiration they have for us. Knowing there are even more watching us online makes me think it’s a little scary, to be honest. Considering the cult-like following I’ve been inadvertently amassing.

Even then, I can’t help but smile at the sight. Maybe it’s because of this happiness I feel from them is infectious, or it’s just my attention whore ass enjoying this kind of love. All I know for sure is that it reminds me that this is what I’m fighting for. Years and years of struggle against what seems like an unwinnable war, countless people losing their lives to the oppressive tides of darkness.

In this fucked up world of never-ending despair, these people deserve to be free. They deserve a beacon of light and hope. They deserve a savior, which is why I can’t fail. Which is why I know it’ll all be worth it in the end. Despite the things I had to do. The things I have to do.

Because if I don’t, who will?

“A grand entrance by none other than Reid Astera! With the special aftershow he promised and anticipated by many ever since his post on Scribe, what could the Hero of Vale be planning?” One of the commentators broadcasts, despite knowing what’s gonna happen. They’re just hyping it up. “And it seems that our second Titan Slayer, Ruby Rose, is with him.”

“How very exciting!” The other commentator says. “This is the first instance of both Titan Slayers being present together in public. Could she be in on it as well?”

“They’re good at their jobs, huh?” I wonder out loud, glancing at Ruby.

“I’m so nervous, my tummy feels weird.” She responds, looking down at her bodysuit.

I didn’t lie when I told her that the bodysuit looks different for anyone without magic. Still, it’s probably pretty difficult to comprehend that, seeing that it seems like a regular skintight bodysuit for her. It’ll take her a while to get used to, but she’s already doing a lot better than before. She wasn’t willing to set one foot in here.

“You’re gonna forget all about this when we get started.” I gently pat her on the shoulder, spotting the approaching drones. “Smile for the cameras, Rubes.”

One of the drones holds a microphone, handing it to me once it gets close enough.

“But first, a word from our esteemed hero!” The first commentator says.

To be honest, I do kinda feel a little nervous, too. Not what I’d call stage fright, but I understand what Ruby means when she said her tummy felt weird. This is the first time I’ve done a show this big before, and as much as I love the spotlight, it is pretty nerve-wracking. Though I still feel… relaxed. Relatively speaking, at least.

I turn the mic on and tap it a few times.

“Is this thing on?” I test it, knowing it does work. Come on, I had to say that. “Ah, it is. Ahem, people of Remnant! Welcome to my special bonus show for this year’s Vytal Festival!”

The people cheer even harder, anticipation very rapidly reaching its boiling point.

“Now, I’ve seen all your messages, questions, and predictions on Scribe. Couldn’t really respond to everything, of course. I guess being good at killing Titans doesn’t make you great at responding to a billion messages per second.” I shrug. “But like I said, I read everything, and unsurprisingly, lots of you guessed correctly. Not that I’m good at keeping secrets, anyway.”

Hilarious.

Shush.

“I know some of you are wondering, ‘Reid, what brought this on, anyway? What’s this special aftershow really about? And why now?’ Simple.” I add. “Even with a history spanning thousands and thousands of years, Titans Slayers were pretty rare. A mere handful of them existed, and whenever one emerges, they usually end up giving their lives away, taking down that Titan. So my situation, being the only one to kill more than one Titan in his lifetime, is pretty special. Not to toot my own horn or anything.”

Some chuckle at my honesty. At some point, modesty can make you pretty pretentious.

“But what’s more special than that—” I put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Is the existence of two separate Titan Slayers in the same generation. Don’t you all think so, too?”

Many begin whistling and cheering for the increasingly embarrassed Ruby.

“And that made me wonder: People hear about our achievements and triumphs over these monsters that plagued Remnant for countless millennia, but see it? That doesn’t happen. After all, fighting Titans is a dangerous business. We can’t risk innocent civilians and reporters recording these battles live.” I explain. “But at the same time, I want to show you what we are capable of. As hunters, as heroes, and as Titan Slayers.”

The audience falls silent, allowing me to continue.

“I want to show you who and what we are. To remind you that as long as I’m standing, there’s nothing to worry about.” I glance at my fellow Titan Slayer. “That’s why Ruby and I are going to face off against each other in battle. Titan Slayer versus Titan Slayer. Hero versus Hero. No out-of-bounds rule. We’re going at it until one of us breaks the other’s aura.”

As I hear the collective gasps from the crowd, I smirk.

“Get ready,” I conclude. “Because this is going to be a show you will never forget.”

With that, I turn off the microphone and give it back to the drone right before the cheers grow so loud it hurts my ears a little. Ruby and I give each other a smile and a nod, each of us quickly backing off to create some distance.

“What an unexpected turn of events!” Commentator 2 hollers, growing just as excited as the rest of the audience. “Titan Slayers duking it out?! How unprecedented!”

“Hold on to your seats, folks!” Commentator 1 announces with a chuckle. “We’re witnessing history in the making!”

I clench my fists and get in a martial arts stance while Ruby spins her massive scythe before slamming the pointy end of it on the floor. Seeing that I’m limited to using my gauntlets for my weapon of choice, I’m deliberately giving her a range advantage, and considering her greater speed, she should be able to make the most of it. Then again, I’m giving her a whole lot of advantages, not just that: no potions, no future sight, and no more than fire magic. And, although she hasn’t noticed yet, the bodysuit does raise her stats as well by a little less than 400 points distributed across her STR, VIT, and DEX. Small, but it’s still a boost, regardless.

But mainly, I’m still wearing my limiters.

After my huge power increase from my last dungeon spree, Ruby wouldn’t really be able to match me, even with Senketsu. I want this fight to be as close as possible so the audience can enjoy it. And despite my wanting to show Ruby the real difference between us so she stops being lazy, I can do that another time.

Ultimately, as I am right now, our stats are actually pretty close. If anything, she’s ever so slightly stronger than me in some areas and weaker in others. This is not counting things like perks and skills. But it’s still something worth mentioning, I think.

Name: Ruby Rose

Title: Scarlet Reaper

Age: 17

Race: Human

Level: 199

HP: 20,300

MP: 40,500

AP: 39,100

STR: 812

VIT: 605

DEX: 901

INT: 205

WIS: 150

CHA: 250

LUK: 250

There's a chance I might lose this if I don’t take her seriously. Especially seeing how strangely motivated she feels. Too bad, though, Rubes. I’m not about to lose in front of the whole world.

“Are our heroes ready?!” Commentator 1 questions, and after a few more moments of pure silence… “Begin!”

Unsurprisingly, Ruby acts first, firing a gravity-dust round to propel herself toward me, and in tandem with her speed semblance, she appears behind me in the blink of an eye, faster than I can take a step forward. I still see it coming, turn around, and block her swing with my fist, causing the floor beneath us to split and shatter.

But Ruby is already in the middle of her next attack, bursting into rose petals before attempting to strike me from behind again. This time, I evade, side-stepping and countering with a punch thrown at her face, knowing it won’t land as Ruby very easily backs off to create some distance, switching to her weapon’s sniper mode and firing a few rounds at me.

With one hand, I blast the incoming shots with a fire spell, almost instantly turning them into ash as I shoot my gauntlet’s whip with my other hand. Ruby sees it coming and avoids it, dashing around the arena while firing more bullets from every direction.

Typically, I wouldn’t really worry about simple guns and bullets. Even the strongest guns on Remnant can’t leave a scratch on me, but Ruby’s Crescent Rose doesn’t just boast excellent craftsmanship, but I’ve also enchanted it—multiple times, so I know all about its capabilities. I try to tank it recklessly, and I might just regret it.

So I avoid all her shots by flying upward, the force of my jump breaking more of the arena below. I prepare a fire spell and look for Ruby, who has already propelled herself toward me with another gravity-dust bullet, having predicted my move. With a swing of her scythe, Ruby lands the first hit, slashing across my chest and taking a decent chunk off my aura.

But she came at me knowing we’d have to trade hits, as she was now wide open for a punch that would’ve sent her soaring down to the arena had she not quickly used her Semblance to avoid it, reappearing behind me and attempting another attack. Unfortunately for her, I also possess Observation Haki, and although it is limited for this fight, I manage to turn around and hit her with a burst of flames, interrupting her attack and halting her momentum.

With her guard momentarily broken, I punch her in the face and send her soaring down; however, Ruby is one tough cookie and easily recovers, flipping and gracefully landing on her feet, following up with a few more shots from her sniper rifle.

As she tries to keep a distance between us, I don’t give her the privilege as I dash toward her as fast as I can. Of course, she’s still faster than I with her Semblance, but she can’t use it and attack at the same time. We fly around the arena at a pace unseen by the Vytal Tournament participants, occasionally clashing and causing shockwaves that can be felt across all of Amity.  As each blow from either of us lands, the floating stadium shakes and trembles, showing just what it’s like to be a Titan Slayer.

The audience and commentators are silent, utterly shocked by our display of power. It’s precisely what I was hoping for. And we’ve barely even started.

So, after a few more moments of this cat-and-mouse game, Ruby eventually decides to face me head-on, which was a big mistake as I parry her incoming swing, forcibly disarming her of Crescent Rose. Her breath hitches, knowing that even with her recent training in martial arts, she’s still nowhere near my level, but she doesn’t let it deter her as she remains on the defensive.

With her greater speed and albeit relatively amateurish Observation Haki, Ruby actually manages to keep up. After a few of my attacks land, she very quickly gets used to my pace, dodging hooks, jabs, and short-ranged fire spells until she eventually twirls around and roundhouse kicks me in the face, stopping me just long enough for her to back away and grab her scythe.

I don’t give her breathing room, already on her tail with a powerful blast of flames prepared in my hand. Despite my being too close for her to reliably land a hit with her scythe, Ruby still turns around, and from the corner of my eye, I see her holding something with her free hand. But it’s too late for me to avoid whatever it is, as she successfully stabs me in the shoulder with it.

I grunt in surprise and mild pain, eyes widening as the light dagger rapidly grows brighter and explodes, sending a shockwave of disorientating magic throughout my body and blinding me for a second.

But Ruby knows to exploit that second well as she kicks me in the chest as hard as she can, pushing me tumbling backward before I feel the pointy end of her scythe stabbing my shoulder. With her speed semblance, Ruby pulls me through the hard floor of the arena until she slams me into the wall right below the spectator seats and drags me through that as well.

As she smashes through hard rock and concrete, I take a moment to thank god that I improved the barriers protecting the spectators, having anticipated a destructive fight. If I hadn’t used some of my stardust supply, we might’ve had to end this duel prematurely.

Having had enough, I unleash an explosion of fire that interrupts Ruby, forcing her to back away from me until I drag her back by shooting my bladed whip at her and wrapping it around her arm, following up with a heavy punch that sends her back to the center. She flips and plants her feet on the floor, exhaling deeply as I land in front of her.

“What did we say about using magic in public?” I scold her half-heartedly, tuning out the commentators and spectators.

“Hah!” She scoffs. “So you can throw fireballs whenever you want, but I do one tiny light spell, and that’s unfair?”

“First of all, it’s not about fairness. It’s about keeping it a secret.” I point out. “Second, people think fire magic is my semblance. There’s the difference.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not stopping me.” She harrumphs, completely ignoring my argument. “I’ll use as many light spells as I want. What are you gonna do about it?”

I’m not exactly that annoyed since it’ll be easy to excuse what she does with light magic as backup hardlight dust constructs, so I let it slide. And although I find her sassiness great, I notice something else in her tone.

“You really want to win, don’t you?” I sigh. “Where did this even come from?”

Ruby grins.

“Cuz I wanna show you how strong I really am.” She says, pointing at me. “And what better way to prove myself than to defeat the strongest man in the world?”

…That’s not the whole truth.

“Those are some fighting words, Rubes,” I smirk back, dismissing it for now. “Think you can back them up?”

Instead of verbally saying anything, Ruby rushes forward, but before she can reach me, I hit her with the full force of my Conqueror's presence, wanting to see just how much she wants this. As the entire stadium shakes, Ruby only mildly falters before responding with her own Conqueror’s Haki, taking me by surprise and leaving me open for an attack. I had a feeling she could access it, but for it to be this strong despite her lack of experience?

…Just why is she so desperate to win? She’s competitive, yes, but it’s never been to this degree.

With an upward swing, Ruby forces me to the air before following in hot pursuit, knowing I’ve accidentally given her a prime opportunity to deal a lot of damage. Each time she dashes past me, she attacks with great force, whittling down my aura reserves significantly. Eventually, as Ruby approaches with another swing, I deflect it by kicking her scythe down, forcing it out of her hand, stopping her momentum in its tracks, and following up with a flip and an axe kick directly to her head.

Before she can land on the ground, I grab both of her arms with my whips, swinging her around and slamming her to the floor, dust barrier, and edge of the arena, and finally dragging her back to me to land a devastating blow to her face. Just for her to hit me with the oldest trick in the book.

“Solar Flare!”

Seeing that I have extra sensitive senses, the pain makes me falter long enough for Ruby to strike me down with a giant hammer of light. A massive crater forms as I hit the ground, only barely avoiding the rain of light swords aiming to skewer me. They still work as intended, though, mere bait as Ruby uses the momentum from her Semblance to strike me in the face with her knee. An attack this powerful penetrates my aura, but I remain steadfast, grab her by the leg and slam her on the floor as hard as I can.

Trapped in place, Ruby’s eyes widen as I open the palm of my free hand, casting a powerful flame spell that would surely end the fight here and there. However, she doesn’t let that happen as she creates a shield of light in between us, despite my output of fire magic far dwarfing her light.

She isn’t counting on that, though, as the shield slows down my flames just long enough for her to kick my hand and redirect my spell away from her, following up with a beam of light that pushes me back and makes me let go of her. Ruby uses that opportunity to escape, utilizing her semblance to pick up Crescent Rose on the other side of the arena.

The moment she grabs onto her scythe, my whip wraps around her leg and pulls her back to me. Her grip over the giant scythe tightens, letting me bring her closer as she prepares to swing with all her might, but I see this coming a mile away, and after barely parrying her unreasonably powerful swing, I counter with a punch, hitting her in the cheek with enough force to split the floor beneath her.

A dust cloud obscures us from the spectators for a few moments, and I look at Ruby on the other side of the stadium, covered in rocks and debris. Her aura shimmers and glows before shattering, ending our duel.

And it takes the spectators some time to process it. It’s not until they see Ruby’s aura meter reaching zero that they go crazy, cheering for us both.

“W-what an unbelievable performance! Magnificent! Simply magnificent!” Commentator 1 shouts. “Such an unimaginable display of overwhelming force by two of history’s greatest warriors!”

“In all my years as a huntsman, I’ve never even imagined that such people could exist!” Commentator 2 adds. “So this is the power of Titan Slayers?!”

“And it looks like we have a winner!” He replies. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! A round of applause for Reid—”

Before he can finish the sentence, he’s interrupted by a gunshot I barely avoid, silencing everyone in the stadium. I frown and look at Ruby, aiming Crescent Rose at me as blood runs down her forehead. Just as I’m about to ask her what she’s doing, she speaks.

“I’m not done yet.” She tells me. “Not while I’m still standing.”

Silver eyes stare at me in an odd mix of resolve and desperation. She wants—no, it’s as if she needs to win this. I’m not entirely sure why, though. I’ve never seen her this determined before. Is it just to prove that she’s powerful? Hasn’t she already done that? Proven enough? I mean, shit, that’s one hell of a fight just now. My own aura is below 30%.

I don’t really understand. I can sense intent and emotions, but I cannot read minds.

…Whatever it is, a part of her feels like she’s mad at me, and I’m entirely sure why.

“What’s this?! Despite her broken aura, Ruby Rose is already back on her feet and raring to go!” Commentator 1 says.

Regardless, I’m giving her what she wants. Even if it’s a fight until one of us is knocked out.

With a smile, I return to my combat stance, making Ruby smirk back at me.

“And it looks like Sir Astera has accepted her challenge!” Commentator 2 adds. “Seems the battle isn’t over yet, folks!”

I wonder what she’s going to do now, though. Without her aura, she loses access to her semblance and, with it, her speed advantage. The only thing that’s allowing her to keep up with me relatively well.

As I try to predict her next move, either keeping her distance to whittle me down with a rain of bullets and light spells or remain strictly on the defensive, she does something I don’t reasonably expect and instead charges at me with full force, firing three gravity-dust rounds to propel herself forward.

I don’t let it catch me off guard, though, and begin slinging several fire bombs her way. Despite her broken aura and minor injuries, Ruby evades the exploding spells, gracefully side-stepping or flipping over them, getting in close-quarters range, and expertly swinging her gigantic scythe with one hand. Locked in an exchange of blows, I make note of Ruby’s absurd pain tolerance.

Without her aura to soften blows, she suffers the full brunt of every punch I land. From earth-shattering gut checks to hooks that would surely kill even Primal-class Grimm, she takes everything in the chin without so much as a peep. More and more wounds begin to appear— cuts and bruises, blood pouring down her forehead and cheeks.

But she just refuses to buckle. Her HP drops from 20,000 to 15,000 until it reaches 7,000, yet there’s no sign of her falling unconscious any time soon. Again, I still don’t know where the hell this type of determination is coming from, but at the end of the day, as she glares at me with those shimmering silver eyes…

…all I can feel about this is pure and utter pride.

Eventually, she begins to visibly slow down, and as I deflect one of her attacks, she opens the palm of her hand and aims a ray of light at my face, which I barely avoid by ducking.

Tightly gripping Crescent Rose, Ruby swings once more, this time sweeping me off my feet. Catching me in a terrible position, she raises a foot and tries to smash my face with it, but I narrowly dodge, supporting myself by balancing on my hands, then twirl and try to kick her in the head.

Her Observation Haki is doing her wonders, though, as Ruby, in the middle of aiming her sniper rifle at my face, blocks the kick with a shield of light.

“Gotcha~!” She says with a toothy grin, pulling the trigger.

With no way to dodge, I face the full brunt of the whateverthefuck-caliber round of her rifle, enchanted by me and laced with ice dust. I cry out in pain for the first time during the duel, my vision obscured by a big chunk of ice as Ruby follows up with a kick that pushes me away.

I drag my feet across the floor, my senses warning me of a few more rounds that I evade despite my current blindness. Or try to, anyway, as something attached to my leg hinders my movement. More and more ice rounds hit my chest, neck, and arms. I try to recover with a burst of flames that surround my body, and with the immense heat of my fire magic, the chunks of ice around me melt almost instantly, restoring some of my movement and, more importantly, my vision.

The first thing I do is look down to see what’s keeping me in place, eyes widening as I spot chains of light wrapped around my right leg, the other end of it digging through the floor and deep underground. I have no idea when she cast a spell like this, but I don’t have the luxury of asking questions. This is a bad spot to be in.

And in the middle of me breaking the chains, I catch Ruby rushing toward me.

Without her scythe.

Cupping her two hands together in a very familiar pose.

I gasp, putting two arms in front of me defensively. Because there was no way I would be able to avoid this in time.

“KAMEHAMEHAAAA!”

With her roar, the great wave of light consumes me whole, burning through my aura reserves terrifyingly quickly. In fact, the power behind that spell was so massive that it entirely destroyed my aura a second after it was unleashed, lowering my HP from 100% to 75%. Every inch of my body cries out in pain, feeling as if I’m being flayed alive despite my armor doing its hardest to keep the damage to a minimum.

I gasp, grunt, and growl in pain and surprise, keeping an eye out for her rapidly diminishing MP despite the agonizingly blinding light of her Kamehameha wave. Yet, even as it reaches the double digits, she keeps the spell going by sheer will, making me realize that any more than this, I might actually lose.

So I do what I never expected I’d be pushed to do and take off my limiters by sending them to my inventory.

And with a great, spiraling tower of blue flames, I forcibly dispel Ruby’s attack, striking her in the face with a jab. From 6,000 to 1,000 in one attack, she’s pushed back to where she left Crescent Rose with a gasp, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Impressively, Ruby remains standing, blood seeping from her mouth and nose.

She grimaces as she notices me approaching, likely sensing me with Observation Haki, and picks up Crescent Rose. She tries to block my incoming attack with the shaft of her scythe, but it’s futile as I break her weapon in two, ever so slightly hesitating with the knowledge of how much she loves this thing.

Deciding to amaze me one last time, Ruby shares none of my hesitation as she uses all of her strength in one final attack. A punch I take once I see her blackened fist coming at my face. Unsurprisingly, even with the huge stat difference now that I don’t have my limiters, her punch fucking hurts, creating a shockwave that cracks open the rest of the battlegrounds, even shaking the stadium itself.

But that’s not enough to put me down.

I stand my ground and respond with my own fist to her gut, making her gasp once more. Even as she reaches her limit, Ruby tries to continue the fight, admirably throwing a few weak and harmless punches before eventually falling forward, unconscious.

I catch and support her in an embrace, exhaling deeply before smiling. With the audience dead quiet, I hold Ruby’s hand and raise it to the sky with mine, almost as if I’m letting them know that the fight is over. Naturally, this gets them to react as they cheer for us and chant our names.

“You put up one hell of a fight,” I tell her, even though she’s unconscious. “You almost had me there, Rubes.”

I look down at her and tighten the hug, whispering the next few words.

“I’m proud of you.”