Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Remnant is a lonely planet in a small, nameless galaxy, and it was the only bearer of intelligent life for dozens of light years around. It was home to about 100 million inhabitants. They lived in constant struggle with the very embodiment of destruction — the Grimm, black beasts that prevented people from living outside the four capital cities. Despite this, people lived quite well, and it seemed to them that these sinister creatures were their only enemies, the fight against which had become something of a routine for many.

They thought this for a long time, but in an instant, everything changed dramatically.

In the capital city of Vale, soldiers from Atlas fired from barricades. While the first group fired, the second reloaded their weapons to cover the first while they changed magazines and clips — time is a very valuable resource during war, and every second is worth its weight in gold.

The Remnant had newly minted mech suits, armed reinforcements from Atlas, guns, and explosives, but their new enemies had unimaginable technology that even the greatest minds of the Remnant could only dream of. The formidable enemy's army consisted entirely of robots. Hordes of flying discs and beetle-like drones flew through the sky, firing laser beams at people and attacking with blade claws. They weren't particularly durable — one well-aimed shot was enough to destroy one of these machines, but a dozen drones would take the place of one that was destroyed. Explosives proved to be a more effective weapon against them.

However, flying discs and drones were not the enemy's main force. Huge structures, as tall as multi-story buildings and shaped like sharp-ended rockets, arrived from the sky. They pierced the earth's crust and then transformed into full-fledged giant robots, resembling three-legged mantises. Such giants easily destroyed defense garrisons, and it took a whole team of huntsmen to defeat these formidable enemies.

Vale held out with all his might against this attack, but things were bad not only in the capital. The entire Remnant was at war with an unprecedented enemy, and this enemy was watching from its colossal spaceship in orbit around the planet. Seated on a mechanical throne, it was a huge humanoid whose head resembled an octopus with tentacles growing down from its head like a beard. Its skin was pale green, his body was monstrous and muscular, like an ancient giant warrior clad in red armor, and on his head he wore a combat helmet resembling a ruler's crown.

Control and communication terminals stood in a ring around the ship owner's throne, behind which swarmed small green beetle-like humanoids with red or purple eyes. They were Irken, a super- technological race, formerly galactic invaders themselves, until they submitted to the will of their new master.

"Almighty Tallest Vilgax, Vale's defenses have been reduced by 40%. What are your orders, sir?" asked the purple-eyed Irken, bowing politely to his leader.

Vilgax, a warrior and emperor of the Chimera Sui Generis race, his face expressionless, gave his next order in a cold but strong tone:

"Continue the attack," he said menacingly and uncompromisingly, "let them regret refusing my generous offer."

"It will be done, Almighty Tallest Vilgax!" The Irken nodded obediently and began to press buttons vigorously, giving orders through the communication horns.

Vilgax the Conqueror continued to watch the events on the planet on the holographic screens. Everyone could see how the army of terrifying alien robots was attacking the garrisons of Vale, the maritime borders of Vakuo and Mistral, and the airspace of Atlas. Through the noise of battle and explosions coming from the speakers, the lord could hear the cries of fallen Remnant soldiers, which made the conqueror smile slightly.

The residential area was in chaos — a minute ago, another giant mechadroid had landed right in the middle of a residential complex. The robot walked slowly through the streets, swinging its arms and destroying the buildings around it, either to make it harder for ground soldiers to move around or to break their morale with the depressing sight of destruction.

The mechadroid picked up the sounds of crying with its audio locators. Turning around, the giant noticed a child wandering aimlessly, sniffling into his hands. Wanting to inflict greater moral damage on the planet's inhabitants, the giant broke off a piece of the building and threw it at the boy.

The huge projectile, capable of crushing an entire car, flew toward the boy, who, in tears over the loss of his mother, did not notice the rapidly approaching threat in time. The piece of the building crashed to the ground, but no blood was shed. The robot immediately spun its scanners, trying to understand what had happened.

The boy opened his eyes and looked up at the teenage girl. She had black hair with red tips on her curls and was dressed in a gothic black dress with a corset with red elements. But the boy's attention was drawn to her red flowing cloak, behind which rose petals fell, the folding rifle on her belt, which seemed as if it could transform into something bigger, and her silver eyes, which reflected the glare of the sun.

"Are you a huntress?" he asked timidly.

"Heh, just a first-year," Ruby Rose chuckled softly, smiling faintly at the boy.

The giant mechadroid quickly noticed and analyzed the girl, identifying her as a source of passive energy — an aura, as the remnantians call it. The robot realized that this subject was a "huntsman" — a superhuman by local standards, a universal warrior-individual. According to protocol, she was a priority target for extermination.

The attacking mechadroid raised its arm, which began to gather energy for a powerful laser shot. Ruby noticed this.

"There should be soldiers further down the street, they'll help you evacuate!" Ruby explained, running away from the boy, knowing that the robot was primarily interested in huntsman.

The giant had already fired a beam at the girl, who dodged the volley in time, leaning forward slightly under the force of the laser's shock wave. Warmed up, the robot fired again, this time charging the beam much faster, following Ruby's movements. Suddenly, fire began on the left side of its head. Turning around, the mechadroid noticed a brunette girl with a black bow on her head on the roof, firing at it with weapons that looked like submachine guns.

"Okay, I think I've got his attention," Blake Belladonna reported over the communicator, pausing for a moment to stop firing the Gambol Shroud.

The robot swung its arm to strike where Blake was standing. Thanks to the robot's slowness, she was able to jump out of the way. Absorbed in playing cat and mouse with Blake, the robot didn't notice two girls creeping up to one of its three legs: one a blonde with lush hair and pronounced muscles, the other in a dress with snow-white hair and a rapier in her hand.

"Got it," Yang Xiao Long replied to her partner's message, preparing her Ember Celica, a pair of combat gloves with long-range shots. "Weiss, do you have enough aura left for one more time?"

"Yes, that's enough," Weiss Schnee replied, preparing her Mertenester. She pumped ice dust into the weapon and activated her semblance, creating a glyph. With a single strike of her rapier, Schnee delivered an icy blow that passed through the glyph hanging in the air, amplifying the attack and encasing the bot's leg in ice.

The robot detected a sharp drop in temperature in its leg through its sensors and turned its gaze to the two of them. Before it could take countermeasures, Yang loaded fire dust into Amber Selica, jumped, and struck the connecting limb, exploding it with a fiery blast of dust. Due to the sudden change in temperature, the leg broke away from the body as if a vase had been smashed. The robot tilted, waving its arms to maintain balance.

Bang! A sudden shot from Crescent Rose hit the robot's "forehead," not piercing through, of course, but causing the giant to fall on its back. Ruby, who was sitting in a sniper position, digging the blade into the ground to reduce the recoil of the rifle when firing, addressed her team via the communicator.

"Blake, Yang. Quickly grab its arms!" she ordered.

"Yes," they replied, standing on either side of the giant. Yang jumped onto the robot's "palm" to punch through it, destroying the wiring inside. Blake used the Gambol Shroud in kusarigama mode to grab his rising arm and pull it toward her, preventing him from getting up.

"Weiss, hurry up, Gambol Shroud isn't designed for this kind of task. I'm afraid the cable will break..." Blake groaned, barely holding the robot's arm. To be on the safe side, she stuck the second blade into the ground to secure herself, as her physical strength was not enough.

Weiss jumped onto the robot's body and quickly ran across its torso straight to its head. She lunged with the Mertonester with electric dust, creating a complete short circuit and causing the robot to convulse. Soon, the central processor burned out and the giant was defeated.

"Phew..." Blake exhaled, releasing Gambol Shroud. "I thought it was going to break..."

"Well, another big guy down," Yang smiled at the girls as the entire RWBY team gathered around the defeated robot.

"I'm out of electric and ice dust," Weiss announced, trying to hide her disappointment and frustration, but the notes in her voice were still audible.

"Well, we can come up with a new strategy to fight them," Ruby tried to reassure her partner.

"It's my fault, I should have managed my resources better," said Weiss, completely angry at herself for the poor design of her weapon.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Weiss. The other teams are managing without resources. Practically," Ruby continued to encourage Weiss.

"It was the only tactic that worked for all the huntsman teams," Blake interjected. "The other teams couldn't defeat the giants any other way. Those who succeeded either used a lot of fire dust or had a special semblance owner on their team."

Blake's information dampened the team's morale, even Yang's. They had already taken down a couple dozen giants, but it wasn't getting any easier. Imperceptibly, but gradually, the robots were evolving. If the first batch of robots didn't cause any problems even for a weak squad of soldiers with their military portable cannon, then after a couple of days, even professional huntsmen couldn't cope without complications or losses. The tactic used by the RWBY team was the most consistently effective, but due to logistical disruptions, supplies began to run out quickly. Electric and ice dust could no longer be used in battle because ice and energy were needed to defend the academy, the center for protecting all those affected by the war. Weiss used the last supply of this type of dust from her personal arsenal.

"How did this happen?" Ruby said.

Just five days ago, Team RWBY, along with their friends Team JNPR, were having fun at the Waytel Festival. They watched as Team Shade from the academy fought Team Haven from the academy.

"Look how that girl hooked that big guy," Yang pointed out with excitement and interest in her eyes. "I hope they win and we fight them in the next round."

"I don't think so. They rely too much on brute force. They lack tactics and caution," Weiss countered, also watching the battle with interest.

"I bet 20 lien that they'll win," Yang suggested, chuckling. "What a kindergarten," Weiss shook her head.

"How about 40 lien?" Yang doubled the bet with persistence and cheerfulness in her tone. "You'll lose, Xiao Long," Weiss Schnee shook her hand, her eyes burning with excitement and pride.

Ruby chuckled as she watched this little scene of her sister and friend arguing. Blake, uninterested in this childishness, watched the battle with lazy interest as her two pairs of ears pricked up, catching some sound that was imperceptible to the ordinary ear, which she couldn't quite describe.

"Is it just me who hears that?" Blake asked.

"Hear what?" Yang asked, giving her a puzzled look.

Blake didn't have time to explain what she felt as the screens displaying the teams' battle stopped broadcasting, showing only frightening white noise. Because of this, the fight in the arena stopped. People in the audience whispered nervously among themselves, asking relevant questions.

Suddenly, everyone fell silent when a brown spaceship of unprecedented size descended from the heavens, pushing away the clouds, with orange egg-shaped structures all over its hull, its entire exterior vaguely resembling a giant laser cannon. Of course, such an appearance caused concern among the people.

"Is that... an alien ship?" Blake asked incredulously.

"Either Atlas has a terrible designer, heh," Yang nervously joked.

"Maybe they're friendly aliens? They came to share their knowledge and stuff," Ruby tried to be optimistic, even though she herself was afraid of the ship.

The screens in the Amity Colosseum came to life, displaying an alien whose head resembled a green octopus, causing strong visual rejection in the viewers, for its pale green skin, solid red, like blood, sclera of the eyes, and gaze, looking at them all as if they were insignificant bugs.

"People of Remnant," he said in a stately, frightening, deep, and ominous voice that made the faint- hearted tremble, "I am Vilgax. Conqueror of worlds! You have been honored to become the planet that completes the tenth decade of worlds I have conquered. I could take you by force, but I am offering you a generous deal, as the hundredth planet. I will personally fight Remnant's strongest warriors so that you can defend your planet. When I defeat the last champion, you will voluntarily swear allegiance to me. If you can defeat me, then I will leave voluntarily. I am giving you time to think. Your leaders have 10 minutes.

The screens went blank, and panic ensued. People didn't know what to do, everyone gave in to their emotions and started running and screaming in all directions. Team RWBY managed to avoid the commotion by jumping over the crossbar directly onto the arena floor. Team JNPR did the same and quickly ran over to them.

"What should we do?" asked Jaune Arc, the leader of the second team. "It depends on what our 'leaders' decide," Ruby replied uncertainly.

Their decision was to attack the ship. Thus began the war against the alien threat. The invaders sent armies of robots across Remnant to attack. Villages and small towns that were not adjacent to the capitals were destroyed in a couple of days and their inhabitants exterminated. The remaining cities immediately began evacuating to the capitals of the kingdoms. However, even the capitals themselves were not so invulnerable, and the last refuges became the huntsman academies. Ruby did not know how things were in other kingdoms and academies, but in Beacon there was a crisis, with more and more refugees and victims. Resources were dwindling exponentially. Food, medicine, water, and energy were all inexorably running out. This caused despair. Despair caused Grimm, worsening an already bad situation, inviting more despair, thereby summoning more Grimm. It was a vicious cycle.

"Girls, the bugs are coming!" Yang remarked, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.

"Grimm," Ruby cursed when she saw the swarm of flying robots, about 90 of them. Ruby quickly checked her ammunition in her braid. "Who has how much fire dust?"

"I have plenty," Blake replied.

"I used half of mine today," Yang said. "I saved what I could," Weiss added.

Ruby and her team could blow them all up using not that much powder, but the flying robots had developed coordination and maneuvers, trying to keep their distance from each other to avoid the range of explosions.

"As for three, Blake and I will fire at them. When they dive toward us, Yang and Weiss, you attack," Ruby came up with a simple but effective strategy.

Everyone silently accepted the command and prepared to attack. The flying discs, affectionately nicknamed "bugs" by humans, spotted the RWBY team and began firing. Ruby took aim and shot into the heart of their horde, hitting about seven robots. The young huntress couldn't help but notice that about 15 bugs had exploded in this way before.

The bugs, as predicted, dove down, putting their blades forward. Blake began firing at them, trying to hit those who were shooting the most fiercely rather than those who were slashing with their blades. Those that dove to the ground encountered Weiss and Yang. Not wanting to waste fire powder, they did not attack them immediately, but tried to gather as many as possible in one place to blow them up all at once.

RWBY successfully mowed down the bugs, but the robots demonstrated greater maneuverability and intelligence. The team managed to destroy about 30-35 bugs. Ruby had long since switched Crescent Rose to assault rifle mode, and the drones swarmed around her like gnats, perhaps seeing her as the team leader and now wanting to kill her specifically.

"Ruby!" a familiar voice called out to her. It was Jaune and his team appearing on the horizon.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted happily, but was struck in the back by a robot's claw. "Ah!"

"Ruby!" her older sister cried out in concern, about to run to her aid, but Jaune Arc beat her to it, using his shield to deflect and block the bugs' attacks, both lasers and blades.

"Ruby, are you okay?" Jaune asked, pausing to strike at the robots flying too close.

"My back stings, but it's nothing serious," Ruby replied, biting her lip. The wound was deep but not serious.

Jaune nodded to her and helped pull her out of the onslaught of the bug horde. When the rest of the JNPR members joined in, the extermination of the drones became much more effective. Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos skillfully shot the robots, as if they had memorized the approximate location of the bug's "heart," thus saving ammunition. But the main force was Nora Valkyrie.

"Watch out!" the red-haired girl shouted cheerfully, and the others moved away as she began firing grenades at the flying vermin. Nora fired shells at the enemies with mad and joyful fury. It looked chaotic and wasteful, but Nora didn't use that many grenades, five or six at most. As she claimed, amateurs blow up a lot, spending a lot, while pros blow up more, spending less.

In total, eight student huntsmen destroyed the swarm of beetles. Everyone gathered together to catch their breath, and Blake and Yang checked Ruby's wound.

"I think the aura will heal this in about an hour. There won't even be a scar," Blake concluded, thanks to her field experience.

"Ruby, I'm so glad you're alive," Yang hugged her sister.

"Yang, let go, you're touching my back," Ruby hissed in pain from her wound.

"Oh, sorry, Rubes," the blonde smiled awkwardly, "I was worried about you. This is probably the first time a bug has been able to deliver such a serious blow," she pointed out, making the others feel uneasy. The thought of robot evolution arose spontaneously.

"We defeated the giant," Jaune boasted a little, wanting to steer the conversation in a different direction, but his eyes hid the bad news.

"Something happened?" Blake noticed the look in his eyes.

"The robots are no longer susceptible to icing and shock," Ren replied, suppressing his negative emotions on the matter, not wanting to worsen the atmosphere. But he did anyway. The disturbing thought was confirmed: the robots had become stronger.

"Ha-ha," Yang suddenly laughed nervously, "Weiss, you can stop blaming yourself. You used your dust at just the right time. Now they're completely useless!" The blonde continued to laugh nervously.

"But how did you defeat the robot?" Weiss decided to distract her friends from the growing tension.

"Jaune came up with a plan, and I used my polarity semblance to compress the iron frame of the robot's body parts," explained Pyrrha Nikos, looking at her hand, feeling tired from using her semblance. Once a four-time regional Mistral champion, now just another conscript huntsman like everyone else, she too was suffering from fatigue and dirt on her body and clothes.

"It's a pity you didn't train your semblance so that you could crush the heads of those metalheads with a single squeeze of your palm," Nora Valkeiri said energetically, keeping up the team's positivity and energy, even if she was doing so with great effort.

"Yes, it's a pity..." Pyrrha took the words seriously, feeling guilty that she had consciously refused to develop her semblance for fair fights with other huntsmen.

"Pyrrha, I was joking," Nora tried to reassure her friend, but suddenly they were all interrupted by a signal on their communicators.

"Attention everyone, all huntsmen return to Beacon. All huntsmen return to Beacon. Atlasians soldiers will replace you at your posts," announced the dispatcher. "The arrival locations of the transports are indicated in your scrolls."

"Why are they gathering us all?" Jaune asked.

"Probably to announce a new plan of action," Lie Ren suggested.

"We'll have to find out. Let's go," said Ruby, and together they all went to the arrival point of the transport that was to take them to Beacon.

Beacon Academy, an educational institution for future huntsmen, had become an improvised military base. But first and foremost, it was a refuge for humanity, living up to its name.

The RWBY and JNPR teams passed by the camps of survivors. The students had seen this scene many times before: beaten, dirty, frightened, desperate, but it was still painful and unbearable for them to look at their fellow countrymen every time.

"...So my brave and courageous students cut off the arms of a large robot," the teams heard Professor Port's voice as he told groups of small children about his students' exploits on the battlefield with alien robots. The children were delighted; they did not blindly believe in a 100% victory over the enemy, but rather were simply happy to be distracted from the harsh reality.

"You know, his stories aren't as boring now as they were during his classes," Yang commented.

"Huh?" The professor heard a familiar voice and turned around. "Oh, look, children. These are eight young huntsmen — my students. Team RWBY and Team JNPR."

The children greeted and waved to the teenage huntsmen, who smiled and waved back. Nora and Ren were the most welcoming, coming over to comfort them and ruffle their hair.

"Have they found their parents?" Ruby whispered to the professor. "They were found, but not alive," Peter Port replied gloomily.

"I feel so sorry for them," Pyrrha sympathized, feeling a chill run down her spine.

"Professor Port, how is your wound?" Weiss decided to ask, looking at the bandages wrapped around the elderly huntsman's torso.

"It's healing and doesn't hurt as much as yesterday. I could even go back into battle right now," Port grinned solemnly and pompously, and the students smiled unconsciously at this. "But enough about me. You need to gather in the conference room."

"Yes, we know," Ruby said. "Are you with us?"

"I'll ask Barty later what happened at the meeting. I'm needed here right now," he pointed to the camp of survivors. "They could use a couple of stories."

"Okay, Professor Port. We're off then," Ruby said goodbye and walked on with the others.

"I think people could use a good night's sleep," Yang joked quietly. "If he tells the story of how he defeated Grimm with a toothpick, even I'll fall asleep, far away from him."

"That story wasn't so boring," Weiss scolded, pretending she wasn't amused, but she wasn't very good at keeping a straight face.

"I'd love to hear it," Pyrrha smiled. "I want to believe that there are mighty heroes in the world who can defeat invincible villains."

"I tried to distract myself by reading novels about such things, but I couldn't get past a couple of chapters. I felt like the book was mocking me," Blake muttered, but then, hearing what she had just said, she slumped. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to spoil the mood."

"No, it's okay," Pyrrha waved her hand dismissively. "We... really shouldn't dream in these circumstances," she said with a sad smile and downcast eyes.

"Come on, guys," Nora said to them. "Don't forget that we can still fight back! Oh, look, it's Cardin!" The redhead pointed to the brown-haired man walking in the same direction as them. "He hasn't lost heart. HEY, CARDIN!" she called out loudly.

"What do you want, Valkyrie?" Cardin Winchester growled at her irritably.

"I bet you destroyed about twenty, no, thirty bugs and two giants," Nora said cheerfully.

"Go to hell!" Cardin snapped at her.

"What happened to him?" Jaune asked, confused. Of course, he knew about Cardin's difficult personality; he had once been the victim of his bullying, but he noticed that Cardin was somehow different now. A couple of days ago, he had been bragging about his victories over the robots, competing with other teams to see who had destroyed the most.

"Cardin's team fell in battle with the giant," a passing huntsman-student informed them. "Are they dead?" Ruby asked with sympathy and surprise.

"Yeah. Cardin himself only survived thanks to reinforcements from soldiers," he explained. "Oh..." Nora realized her mistake when she addressed him.

"I feel sorry for him," Jaune looked away. He didn't like Cardin, but Arc could understand what it was like to lose friends and be unable to help them. Jaune imagined for a moment what it would be like to be the only survivor after the death of his entire team, and shuddered with horror.

Nora wanted to cheer up the others, but Ren took her by the shoulder and gestured that it wasn't worth it. This was not the time or place for optimism. The young huntsmen reached the auditorium, where the hunting teams presented by Headmaster Ozpin had formed.

The auditorium had been transformed into a military headquarters, with military monitors and radio equipment attached everywhere — after the destruction of the communication towers, this was all they could rely on.

The hall was filled with students, professors, huntsmen, and Atlasians soldiers. Everyone present was waiting for the arrival of the main authorities — Headmaster Ozpin and General Ironwood. They had become the last leaders of Vale when the entire Council was killed in the first attack by Vilgax's army.

"What decision did the headmasters make?" Ruby wondered aloud, still believing in the wisdom of Ozpin and Ironwood.

"Something drastic, since they called everyone here," Blake said. "It was the same at White Fang, they gathered everyone when they changed their strategy."

"Is it because the robots have adapted to our defenses?" Jaune suggested.

"Perhaps," Weiss said, keeping a neutral expression. "But there's no point in guessing right now."

By this time, Headmaster Ozpin and General James Ironwood had emerged from the military room. They were in no better condition than the rest — dirty stains and tears in their clothes spoke of their participation in the battles. Standing on either side were Professor Glinda Goodwitch, a combat training instructor, and Winter Schnee, an Atlas military specialist and Weiss's older sister, both of whom were the right-hand women of the academy headmasters. They both kept their faces neutral, but their eyes showed that they knew something very unpleasant but were forced to accept it. Weiss was the first to notice her sister's gaze, which made her feel uneasy.

Ozpin approached the microphone, tapped it a couple of times to check the sound, and thus attracted everyone's attention. Now the headmaster had the same expression he had when he gave his first speech to the applicants.

"We contacted Vilgax," Ozpin said briefly and calmly. Those present gasped and gasped in surprise. "We have accepted his challenge to a duel."

Everyone present was in shock. Many felt surprise, disbelief, anger, hysteria, fear, and despair. The soldiers controlled themselves and tried to suppress their emotions, as they had been taught. The professional huntsmen and training staff also kept their composure, but it was clear that they were unhappy with the situation, yet they remained silent. The young blood, however, was ambiguous, with most of them beginning to clamor with discontent, shouting with anger and shouting criticism:

"Does this mean we're giving up?!" "What about the victims?!"

"Why didn't we accept that offer earlier?!" "We could have avoided this bloodshed!" "You're cowards!"

"How do we know he'll keep his word?"

Ozpin and Ironwood stood like unyielding statues. Goodwin looked away from the crowd of her students, unable to bear the despair in their eyes. Winter focused on her younger sister's gaze, sensing a desperate hope that everything was under control, but she couldn't promise that.

Ironwood stepped up to the microphone. He pulled out his pistol and fired a shot into the ceiling, pointing the barrel upward close to the microphone to make a nasty high-pitched noise, silencing the crowd.

"Our forces are unequal. The enemy army outnumbers us and is more adaptable. We thought long and hard about our battle strategy, but now we realize that the most reasonable decision would be to try our luck in battle. Vilgax confidently gave us the go-ahead to field as many of our champions against him as we want," the general said even more calmly than Ozpin. "We agreed with him that until tomorrow, until 12 noon, he will cease his attacks on us, giving us a chance to rest before the battle with him.

"Therefore, we will select the best huntsmen we have. Regardless of age," Ozpin added at the end. "Thank you for your attention. Rest well. We will let you know who will be in the squad against Vilgax."

Ozpin and James left the stage together with Goodwitch and Winter, leaving the people in silence to ponder what they had heard.

"What's going on, Ozpin!" Qrow Branwen burst into the chamber, glancing at the army leaders. "Are we really supposed to believe that fish-face won't shoot at us all when our 'strongest champions' go into battle?"

"He gave us 10 minutes to think before we returned fire," Ozpin pointed out.

"Our scouts also report that the robots are retreating," added Ironwood. "I share your distrust of Vilgax, but..."

"Oh, don't you say anything, you iron dick!" Qrow growled angrily at him. "You love to wave your little guns around. Don't you have a secret weapon, huh?"

"Yes, I do," James admitted. "My scientists have developed a bomb that creates a reaction between atomic particles, causing them to collide with each other and form a powerful explosion, about 25 kilotons. But Ozpin convinced me that it's pure suicide, and it won't even hurt Vilgax.

"Because the missiles simply won't reach him?" Qrow asked.

All of Remnant's technology was based on dust, a mineral with the properties of the elements of nature. However, a space experiment showed that dust loses its properties when it moves away from Remnant into the outer atmosphere, so leaving space is an impossible task for the Remnants.

"Besides that," said Ironwood, "given their technological superiority, as evidenced by their robots, we're not sure the bombs will even scratch the hull of the invaders' ship."

"Eh..." Qrow lowered his hands, took out a flask, and took three swigs. "So who did you choose for your squad?" he asked calmly, resigned to the situation.

"We're just thinking about that," Ozpin said.

A blue-eyed blond man entered the room, held back by an Atlas soldier. It was Taiyang Xiao Long, the father of Yang and Ruby.

"I'm sorry, General, I tried to stop him from coming in," apologized the soldier, still trying to prevent Taiyang from entering.

"You can let him go, he's ours," said Ozpin. "But..."

"Let him go," Ironwood ordered, and the soldier obeyed, stepping aside.

"Whew... I barely made it through," Tai said.

"Did you want something?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes... remove my daughters from the squad candidates," Tai requested.

"I don't want to lose them." "I agree, they can't be allowed in," agreed the half-drunk Qrow.

"We'll think about it," Ironwood replied.

"You won't think about it, you'll do it," Qrow snapped, approaching him menacingly. "Branwen, don't threaten the general," Winter stood in front of him.

"What if your sister was chosen for the squad, would you keep quiet?" Qrow asked rudely, making Winter flinch. "What, not so sure now?"

"Shut up!" Schnee wanted to hit him, but they were stopped by a blow with a stick on the table.

"Everyone calm down," Goodwitch said sternly. "If you want to avoid having your relatives end up in the fighting squad, join our discussion to select other candidates."

"Thank you, Glinda," Ozpin nodded to her. "It's my duty," Glinda declared.

"Can I join in?" asked an unfamiliar voice that surprised everyone, as the man in the lab coat appeared suddenly, as if out of nowhere.

"Jimmy, is this yours?" Qrow asked, looking closely at the stranger.

"I've never seen him before," Ironwood said calmly but tensely, readying his gun. "Identify yourself, spy," Winter pointed her rapier at him.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not an enemy, I'm not a messenger from Vilgax, and I'm certainly not an agent of Salem," he said calmly, surprising everyone except Winter when he mentioned the last name, "and I only want to help."

"How do you know about Salem?" Ironwood asked menacingly, pulling his pistol from its holster and pointing it at the oddball in the lab coat, but the moment the general blinked, the gun in his hand disappeared. "What the...?"

"Please, let's do this without weapons," said the stranger, holding James's pistol at arm's length as if it were nasty trash. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I know how to defeat Vilgax, but you need to listen to me."

All the students were sent back to their dorms. More accurately, they weren't sent back, but forced to go, because the student recruits didn't know what to do with themselves, their remaining strength, and their turbulent emotions. The RWBY and JNPR teams were also forced to stay in their rooms.

Ruby looked sadly out the window.

"Many people don't have enough places to sleep," Ruby said. "I feel guilty. Others need good beds much more than we do."

"Don't blame yourself," Yang tried to cheer her up. "At least tonight will be the most peaceful one yet. And a good night's sleep is more important to us. Maybe one of us will face that bastard head-on. Personally, I'd like to kick that tentacled monster's ass," Xiao Long said, slapping her palm.

"I wouldn't rush into that," Blake added. "Who knows how strong Vilgax is? He didn't just offer to fight him personally for no reason. Especially since he allowed us to send as many fighters as we wanted against him..."

"Maybe he's just talking nonsense," Yang crossed her arms.

"Or he really is dangerous and powerful," Blake countered. "If we believe that he has already conquered dozens of worlds, then he is clearly a serious enemy. More dangerous than all the Grims put together."

"Okay, girls, it's not up to us to decide who will fight him anyway," Ruby said, coming out of her melancholy and sensing the conflict in the room. "Yang is right. This really is the best time to rest. When was the last time we slept properly?"

"I don't know, but it's been a long time since I washed my face," Yang said.

"Yang, don't use all our water on your hair! Water is scarce!" Ruby scolded her immediately.

"Hey, I love my hair, but I'm not stupid enough to waste water for no reason," her sister defended herself. "Can I at least wet it?"

While the sisters were arguing innocently among themselves, Blake noticed that Weiss was rather quiet. She was certainly not Weiss's best friend for many reasons, but she unconsciously approached her and asked,

"Are you okay?"

"My sister," Weiss muttered, "I saw something in her for the first time... uncertainty..."

"Well..." Blake drawled, "These are the times we live in."

"She's never been insecure. There's always been a strong faith and an unshakable spirit in her eyes. Always, ever since childhood..."

Blake understood what her teammate was talking about. She had experienced something similar herself. She remembered her parents' gaze: they had always been confident in their path. But when they left White Fang, their confidence disappeared. Young and impulsive, Blake saw this as betrayal and weakness. Now she realized that her parents were not to blame. Ideals are unattainable. How she wanted to apologize to them, but in wartime, it was almost impossible. She tried not to think about what had happened on Menegari.

"I'm sure she'll do anything to protect you, even if it seems like she can't cope," Belladonna shared her thoughts, to which Weiss smiled weakly.

"She'll do everything," she agreed.

"Thank you." "That's what a team is for," Blake smiled.

"Says the one who tried to deal with White Fang on her own," Schnee snorted. "Oh, come on," Blake rolled her eyes.

"I see our cat and dog have become friends," Yang approached them. "Ruby, Blake is taking your best friend away from you!"

"Shut up, Xiao Long," Weiss snorted. "And I'm not a dog."

"We don't really clash that much," Blake remarked. "We just didn't have anything to talk about."

"Then here's something to talk about: how ugly Vilgax is in real life. I think he's so ugly that even a scroll filter couldn't make him cute," Yang joked, making Blake and Weiss snort.

Ruby smiled as she watched her team finally show some genuine positivity for the first time all day. It made her forget for a moment that they had been fighting robots to the death earlier. She wished it could last forever, but through the wide crack in the open door, she noticed Miss Goodwitch approaching the door of the JNPR room. Ruby moved closer to the door and tried to eavesdrop.

"Can I help you, Professor Goodwitch?" asked the team leader, Jaune Arc, opening the door.

"Mr. Arc, could you call Miss Nikos?" Glinda asked. She usually radiated an authoritative but confident authority, but now she herself seemed reluctant to be there.

"Did you call me?" Pyrrha approached on her own, hearing Goodwitch's voice.

"Miss Nikos, it's hard for me to say this, but Ozpin and the others have decided that you are suitable for the team that will face the enemy in the arena," the professor said professionally and reservedly, but with regret.

"Wait, just her?" Jaune interrupted. "Isn't that too... dangerous?"

"Unfortunately, many strong fighters are either wounded or have fallen in battle. We are forced to use young huntsmen as well," she explained.

"Then it's better to use our whole team, we're one team," Jaune insisted.

"Unfortunately, we can't. We decided that sending the rest of you would be unsafe for you. Pyrrha is more suited to the professional arena. I'll give you time to think about it, but in an hour, Miss Nikos needs to report to the training arena. The other candidates will be there. Talk to the team and think about it," Goodwitch nodded goodbye and left.

"Oh, brothers..." Ruby murmured. "Something wrong, Rubes?" Yang asked.

"They're going to pick Pyrrha as the champion against Vilgax," Rose replied.

"That... was to be expected," Weiss admitted, trying to remain stoic.

"She's strong, and she'll have other strong huntsmen with her. It's not a fight to the death, after all," Yang pointed out.

"Did Vilgax promise not to kill anyone in the arena?" Blake asked, pointing out this small detail.

Blake's remark plunged the room into silence. They all had the same thought — what was happening now at JNPR.

"I want to fight Vilgax," Pyrrha said uncertainly but firmly, sitting on the bed with the other team members.

"Are you sure, Pyrrha?" asked Jaune. "It's a pretty dangerous undertaking."

"I feel like I have to do this," Pyrrha shared her feelings. "I just can't sit on the sidelines. Others are counting on me."

"What if you lose?" Jaune asked.

"She won't lose," Nora exclaimed confidently. "Pyrrha is the best! She's the champion of the Mistral regional tournaments for a reason. And she kicked everyone's ass in Bicon too!"

"And she won't be fighting alone, but together with others," Ren reminded them. "Pyrrha will be safer among certified huntsmen than with us."

"Come on, guys, you're just as strong," Pyrrha smiled gently at them, appreciating their concern and words.

"No, they're right," Jaune nodded, looking away. "We're no match for you in many ways," Jaune thought to himself, but kept quiet. "Ren is right, real huntsmen will protect you. Just... please take care of yourself," Jaune said, looking into his partner's emerald eyes.

Her eyes met the eyes of the blue ocean. Pyrrha's cheeks flushed involuntarily. She was captivated by the moment, and so was Jaune. They unconsciously moved closer to each other. Nora and Ren's eyes widened in surprise, as if they were saucers, and they thought, "Surely they're not...".

But the moment was interrupted by a knock on the door, which brought the two partners out of their trance. Jaune and Pyrrha awkwardly stepped away from each other, while Ren and Nora immediately tried to calm down.

Jaune got out of bed to open the door. Ruby was standing there. "Hi, Jaune, how are you..." Rose smiled awkwardly at him.

"Hi," Jaune smiled tensely to hide his embarrassment and awkwardness after the scene with Pyrrha. "What are you doing? We're kind of under curfew and isolation."

"I... heard what Glinda told you," Ruby said awkwardly, poking her fingers at each other and looking away.

"Oh, yes..." Arc nodded uncertainly. " Pyrrha wants to join the squad."

"Well, if she wants to, then I guess... okay? Heh..." Ruby agreed uncertainly.

"Are you worried about her?" Jaune guessed.

"Yes," she replied honestly, "I don't know what Vilgax is, and that scares me."

"Me too," said Jaune. "But you know what, I ended up at Beacon even though I had no idea what was going to happen here. I think luck is on our side."

"I don't know about that. Tell that to Yang and her shoes, Vomit boy," Ruby giggled.

"Hey, that was a long time ago, Crater face," Jaune grunted.

"Oh, come on, I only blew up the dust on the academy's doorstep once," Ruby whined childishly.

The brief conversation between the leaders relieved their tension and restored their confidence that tomorrow would come. Wishing each other good night, they returned to their rooms. The JNPR team hugged each other before Pyrrha left. Nora almost broke everyone's spine, but let go in time.

Pyrrha left the room with her weapon and hope for victory.

"Good luck, Pyrrha," Jaune muttered, closing the door to go to bed early. He had no strength and no desire to stay awake.

The next morning arrived. The sunrise awakens many people with an ease that is not possible in peacetime. Many had slept poorly or not at all, which made the atmosphere tense. The residents of Vale were informed of their leaders' decision, and their reaction was almost the same as that of the students, but they were quickly calmed down by Atlas soldiers. No one could do anything but hope.

It was decided to hold the battle in the Amity Colosseum, broadcasting it to the entire Remnant via holographic screens from the ships of Vilgax's horde. Why was this necessary? The answer is simple: to demonstrate power. Vilgax wanted to destroy the Remnant's hope by defeating their champions. The human high command understood this perfectly well, but there was simply no choice.

Students and other survivors filled the seats in the Colosseum, eager to see the battle. Not for entertainment, some wanted to support their own, some wanted to see the invader defeated, and some couldn't bear the uncertainty unless they saw it with their own eyes. The RWBY and JNPR teams were able to take the top spots more successfully.

"It's not right to watch this as if it were a regular sports match," Blake thought aloud.

"Sitting in a room and not knowing what's going on — that's wrong," Yang countered.

"I'm worried about Pyrrha," Jaune shared, and Ren put his hand on his shoulder in response.

"Trust her and the others," his roommate advised him. "There's nothing else we can do."

Arc smiled at his brother and stared at the arena, where 10 fighters had entered. Jaune recognized some of them, such as Uncle Ruby and Yang, or Rose's orange-haired friend.

"Go, Uncle Qrow!" Yang shouted encouragingly, as if it were a match.

"Penny, good luck!" Ruby shouted.

"Oh, hi, Ruby," Penny Polendina waved sweetly. She looked like a normal teenage girl, but she was actually a disguised android with a soul and an aura, created by her creator father. However, only Ruby, Ironwood, and now the other members of Ozpin's Circle knew this.

Ozpin was unhappy that Ironwood had secretly designed such a thing and was going to let Penny fight in the tournament, but Ozpin dropped the subject, given the circumstances.

"Do you think it was worth trusting this stranger?" James asked.

"I was also concerned, but when I saw him, I had the feeling that I knew him from long ago," the headmaster shared his feelings.

"How long ago?" James asked.

"Long enough that I forgot. And I remember at least the last three lives with relative accuracy."

"That doesn't reassure me at all," said the general dryly, forced to trust fate or chance.

Among the others were Coco Adel, Yatsuhashi Daichi, and other adult huntsmen whom Jaune did not know, but among them, Pyrrha shone like gold among coal. Not literally, of course, they were all not particularly clean, but still, Jaune only looked at her. Her face reflected uncertainty and fear, but also iron will.

"Pitiful inhabitants of the planet Remnant, this is LIK, the honorable servant of the Supreme Vilgax," said the voice of Vilgax's alien servant, a red-eyed Irken. "Today you will witness the pathetic and futile attempt of your strongest fellow worms to reclaim their planet," the screen showed a close-up of the huntsmen, "Look at these worms. The fact that they are stronger than other worms does not change the fact that they are WORMS! Fools! You should have sent a hundred, but even that would not have been enough! And now, meet the conqueror of ninety-nine worlds, the most formidable warrior in the universe, feared by the empires of the Highbreed, the Diamonds, the Incursians, and other equally powerful worlds. VILGAX, KING OF VILGAXIA!

A shimmering bubble of energy appeared in the arena, inside which stood a tall and powerful humanoid. He was about 4.5 meters tall, with broad, muscular shoulders clad in burgundy armor. The face of this creature was familiar to everyone — it was Vilgax. In real life, he looked even more terrifying: numerous scars covered his skin, and his muscles seemed to merge with his armor. To the experienced eye, it was obvious that his body contained many high-tech implants. A massive one- handed sword completed the warrior's image.

"So you are the strongest fighters on the planet?" asked Vilgax, his voice deep, menacing, and loud. "I feel nothing but disappointment."

"Defeat us first, then throw around words like that," Coco Adel snorted defiantly. Despite the dirt on her, she was still an elegant and cool fashionista.

"Cheeky, cocky kids, it's becoming a trend," Vilgax noted to himself, as if remembering someone. "I give you the right to strike first."

"Confident," Qrow snorted, but he had to admit that Vilgax looked like a very dangerous enemy. They needed to come up with a plan first.

"I'm the most experienced among you, so listen to me, okay?" Qrow whispered to the others, who nodded to him. "I'll be the first to rush into battle and provoke Vilgax while you go around him and support me. Judging by his equipment, he only has a sword for close combat," Qrow looked at Coco. "Beret with glasses, shoot him in the back." Then he glanced at Pyrrha and the sniper soldier from Atlas. "Redhead and soldier, as the only shooters, take up sniper positions." If we can't take down this octopus in five minutes," Qrow looked at Yatsuhashi, "then the big guy has to wipe his memory of how to wield a sword and how to breathe. And our last resort is Penny, if I'm not mistaken. Jimmy says you have a powerful ace up your sleeve?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Branwen," Penny nodded.

"When things start to look dicey, hit him with everything you've got."

"But that could be dangerous. General Ironwood scolded me for using my 'ace' at the pier."

"Just aim straight at him and only him, we'll take care of ourselves," Qrow assured her, and Penny smiled. "The others will support you as best they can."

"How long are you going to delay the inevitable?" Vilgax growled at them. "I gave you time, but abusing it is bad form."

"Are you in a hurry for tea, Your Highness?" Qrow asked mockingly as he approached. "Or what are you drinking there? Although, maybe splashing around in the aquarium is enough for you?"

"You're trying to make me angry," Vilgax realized immediately. "So strike while my patience lasts."

"As you wish," Qrow shrugged, jumping forward sharply and transforming his sword into a scythe in an instant.

Vilgax reacted quickly, blocking the blow with his weapon. The invader had already seen the huntsmen' impressive individual weapons. Although he considered them rather ineffective in mass use, he couldn't help but appreciate the technology. Seeing it with his own eyes was especially impressive. Therefore, his desire to obtain the Remnant grew stronger.

Qrow deftly spun his Harbinger in his hands and, waiting for the right moment, fired a shot from his sword, but Vilgax's armor took the blow. The tentacled creature smiled — even so, he felt a slight pain from the blow, a long-forgotten sensation. Suddenly, his military joy was interrupted by a hail of bullets from behind. Vilgax wanted to turn around, but Branwen nearly cut his head off with a blow from her scythe, preventing him from turning. The stranger quickly got his bearings — the girl with glasses, turning her bag into a real machine gun, was shooting at his back, and his opponent with the scythe was taking advantage of this, using the conqueror's body as a shield.

Vilgax tried to kick Qrow, but ducked in time, avoiding two bullets. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pyrrha and a soldier on either side firing long-range weapons.

"Ha, it was not for nothing that I decided to fight more than one warrior," Vilgax thought to himself, not regretting his decision.

The other huntsmen joined the fight against Vilgax. Each had unique weapons that combined firearms and elements. The alien found himself surrounded on all sides and watched carefully to ensure that the snipers did not hit him in the head. Suddenly, he realized that as he tried to make sense of his sword movements, he couldn't figure out how to use his skills. It seemed like he had forgotten that he was a swordsman.

"Have they erased my memory? How... Is this some kind of special power that some people have?" thought Vilgax. He remembered research material about the Remnants. People with open auras have individual superpowers that border on the mystical. If this could be improved technologically...

"What, did you bite your tongue? I thought everything grows back for you octopuses," Qrow provoked his enemy.

"Your attacks aren't even worth a drop of my anger. I've met people much wittier than you," replied Vilgax.

The Remnants cheered and trembled with impatience. Their eyes showed strong hope for victory. "Go, Uncle!" Ruby shouted. "You can do it! Kick his ass!"

"You're hoping in vain," thought Vilgax.

The huntsmen pressed harder and harder, but Vilgax, relying purely on muscle memory, still wielded his sword with confidence, as always, even though the weapon felt like a burden. The conqueror of worlds smiled slyly. He threw the sword behind him, right at Coco, who stopped firing and jumped aside. At that moment, the stranger grabbed the four huntsmen by the arms and kicked Qrow and Yatsuhashi aside with a powerful kick. He spun around sharply, using the huntsmen as a human shield. Coco got up and wanted to continue firing, but she hesitated when she saw her allies. Pyrrha looked uncertainly through her sights, deciding it was better not to risk it, and switched Milo and Akuo to spear and shield mode. The sniper remained in position. He was the best shot in the squad, although he specialized only in that. The soldier noticed gaps between the armor (or cybernetic elements). Living organic tissue was visible there. The sniper shot at the arm. Vilgax's grip on his right arm weakened, allowing Pyrrha, who had appeared, to knock half of the prisoners out of the alien's hands. The fallen huntsmen were able to catch their breath and run for their fallen weapons to continue the fight. Vilgax wanted to strike, but he felt resistance in his other hand. He released the two remaining prisoners and noticed a black film on his hand, as well as the same visual effect on Pyrrha's hand. The alien quickly put two and two together and roughly guessed that Pyrrha had some kind of telekinesis or something very close to it. They weren't the most convenient opponents, but he had experience fighting them.

Pyrrha jumped aside, allowing Coco to open fire on Vilgax again. The alien crossed his arms in defense. He was already tired of this confrontation. Suddenly, Vilgax slammed his fist into the ground, causing a powerful shockwave that split the arena in two. The force of the blow was so great that it shook the spectators and knocked those in the arena off their feet.

Vilgax lunged forward at incredible speed, making a powerful jump. He crashed into Coco, pinning her to the ground. Her aura flickered. Vilgax grabbed Coco's minigun and began mercilessly beating her with it, breaking the weapon and Adel herself. He delivered blow after blow, causing horror in the eyes of the audience. When the rotary cannon finally fell apart, Coco realized that her ribs were clearly damaged. It was clear from the blood that came out when she coughed.

The sniper managed to pull his leg out of the crack and grab his rifle, quickly taking aim, but Vilgax reacted faster, picking up a sharp piece of Coco's gun and throwing it straight into the soldier's eye socket, piercing his helmet, head, and skull. The soldier fell dead, causing screams of horror from some of the spectators.

Vilgax wanted to do the same to Coco, but suddenly noticed the attack of flying swords. He realized that the swords were not moving, but hanging on strings, controlled by Penny.

"You will regret attacking my home and my people," she said menacingly, beginning to manipulate her sharp blades on the strings.

Vilgax was surprised by the speed of the sword manipulations. His thoughts involuntarily turned to the possibility of using this weapon in war, but he was now focused on the battle, as all the other huntsmen had joined in to kill him. The only one who almost succeeded was Qrow, who was already quickly thinking up his next plan.

"Can you make him forget how to breathe?" Qrow asked the big swordsman in passing.

"I can't erase memories of basic bodily functions. And I can't use it more than once," Daichi quickly explained during a lunge.

"Just as I thought, it's a superpower. And each one is unique? Amazing. This species must obey me," Vilgax thought resolutely to himself.

The alien invader grabbed the two huntmens by the legs and began to swing them around like weapons. He successfully knocked Yatsuhashi off his feet and then stepped on him, causing him to groan in pain. Vilgax took Daichi's sword and pierced the bodies of the two huntsmen right through their auras. Despite the resistance of the strange energy, he managed to do so with ease.

The spectators gasped at the sight of such cruelty. Many of them wanted to join in and deal with the offender, but the senior huntsmen and soldiers did not allow them to do so. They understood that if everyone attacked the enemy, it would be a violation of the treaty and lead to the resumption of war, in which they could be destroyed on the spot.

"You have truly impressed me. I see worthy warriors who are wasting their potential," Vilgax declared loudly. "With me at your head, you would serve as the best army in the universe."

"Coco would say..." Yatsuhashi grumbled, "That it doesn't hurt to dream, especially for someone whose taste in clothes leaves much to be desired..."

Vilgax was disappointed by the Remnants' comments. For a moment, he even missed the snide remarks of his old enemy. The ruler of 99 worlds pressed his foot harder on Yatsu, causing him to groan and gasp for air. Suddenly, some force threw him back.

Vilgax found himself enveloped in a black veil of energy or something similar. It was Pyrrha again. Feeling tingling sensations all over his body, Vilgax realized what the power of this red-haired warrior was. He felt that it was not his body that was pulling him, but his armor and implants. The alien realized that Pyrrhah had magnetokinesis, not knowing that Nikos herself called this power Polarity.

"Interesting," Vilgax thought aloud.

"Penny, light it up!" Qrow ordered.

Penny nodded, looking at the bodies of the huntsmen and the soldier. She was filled with determination. She stretched out her arms, and the swords returned to her. They formed a ring, tip to tip. Penny concentrated, causing the blades to rotate clockwise. A green ball of energy began to form in the center of the circle, growing brighter with each rotation of the swords. Everything in her path recoiled, but Vilgax remained in place thanks to Pyrrha's power. Penny released a concentrated energy beam with a radius of three meters. In a second, it flew the entire length of the perimeter, reaching the wall of the Amity Colosseum and piercing several of its layers.

Seeing the bright light and hearing the loud explosion, Pyrrha put her hands up to cover herself, ceasing to use polarity. In any case, she considered it unnecessary.

"Did we win?" Pyrrha asked, opening her eyes slightly.

After the beam faded, smoke rose along its path. It came from the ashen trail left by the beam. Penny exhaled wearily. She didn't have lungs, but she had copied the habit from the people around her. And she was truly tired. This time, Polendina had expended more energy than last time at the docks, but it should have been enough to defeat the invader. Her swords returned to her back, and she decided that the mission was complete.

The inhabitants of Remnant were in silent shock. Even the Irken were not sure if their lord was alive.

"She did it," Ruby muttered incredulously but hopefully, her eyes watering with anticipation of happiness. "Penny, you did it!" she called out to her.

"Yes, I..." Penny didn't have time to finish before she was suddenly knocked off her feet and pinned against the wall of the Colosseum, her torso pierced through and through by claws.

"I knew it," Vilgax croaked. "You're a robot."

The smoke cleared, revealing the alien's charred body. The outer layer had been destroyed, exposing cybernetic implants. The armor absorbed most of the damage, but it too was charred, almost fused with the skin. The conqueror, without ceremony, plunged his second hand into the torso, lifted it above him, and tore the android in two.

"PENNY!" Ruby cried, her tears instantly turning to bitterness. She tried to jump over the edge, but Yang wouldn't let her.

Penny's body parts fell to the ground, and the light in the robot girl's eyes went out.

"You on the left, you on the right," Qrow instructed the last two huntsmen. "You shoot him in the eye," Branwen to Pyrrha said, and she nodded and instantly switched Milo to rifle mode.

Qrow and the two huntsmen rushed forward. Vilgax grabbed Penny's blades from the floor, tore the threads holding them, and jumped on the weakest huntsman. He pierced his body and threw him away. Qrow and the second huntsman attacked from different sides, but Vilgax blocked their blows with his hands and threw them back. Suddenly, the conqueror of worlds felt pain in his right eye and went blind. He turned his head toward Pyrrha, who had just fired.

"Little brat," Vilgax muttered.

Qrow, taking advantage of the blind spot, struck his right shoulder with a slash, digging in as deep as possible. Vilgax groaned in pain for the first time in the entire battle, having tried not to let himself do so until now. The tyrant promised himself that the Remnants would pay dearly for this.

The second huntsman struck the stranger's left side with an axe, but the blade stuck in his sturdy body. Vilgax grabbed the axe handle and, with an effort, wrenched the weapon from the huntsman's hands. Then he pulled the axe out of the wound. With one powerful blow to the neck of the scythe, he broke Qrow's weapon.

"Damn it," Branwen cursed and lost his concentration, which cost him a heavy blow to the stomach, sending him flying 10 meters.

Pyrrha wanted to blind Vilgax completely, but he quickly reacted with his good eye and pushed the second huntsman forward, picking him up like a toy. The shot hit him in the eye socket.

"I'm sorry!" Nikos instinctively shouted, trying to cope with the horror.

Vilgax threw his victim over his shoulder straight into the auditorium and rushed towards Pyrrha. She was taken aback and instantly activated her sword and shield mode. Pyrrha was already used to sudden attacks, but she was still frightened when the distance between them closed. Vilgax himself stood before her. Up close, he looked much larger. Pyrha could see burns on his organic body and face. He seemed far more terrifying than the Grims she had fought all her life, and now she was afraid of him. She had never felt such terror before. Neither the Grimm nor the robots had ever made her feel as afraid as Vilgax did. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath and lunged forward.

Vilgax grabbed Pyrrha's sword-wielding arm with incredible speed and lifted her above him. Before she could react, he began slamming her into the ground, knocking the weapon from her hands.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, jumping up from his seat.

"Calm down, there's nothing we can do," Ren stopped him, but shared Jaune's feelings.

Vilgax continued to slam Pyrrha into the ground. He didn't stop, delivering blow after blow. The ground, already covered with cracks, was covered with new ones. Pyrrha's body was covered with bruises. She felt her strength leaving her and vomited blood. Her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness. Vilgax slammed her into the ground a couple more times, then lifted her above him, showing the whole world through the broadcast.

"I have defeated your warriors! You have lost!"

"Glory to the supreme Vilgax! Glory! Glory!" shouted the jubilant Irken on the ships in unison.

The Remnants looked with tears in their eyes at the well-known Pyrrha Nikos, exhausted and unconscious.

The world froze. Goodwitch covered her mouth with her hand, unable to hold back a sigh. She instinctively hugged Ublek, the only one who was nearby. Ozpin and Ironwood entered the arena, heading towards Vilgax. The sight of the badly wounded Pyrrha made James furious, but he understood that attacking Vilgax would result in huge losses for the Remnant. Ozpin, on the other hand, remained calm, as if such situations were familiar to him.

"You have won, Lord Vilgax. The Remnant is yours," Ozpin said with a heavy heart, clearly not wanting to say it.

"You should have surrendered immediately," Vilgax snorted contemptuously, "But for a good warm-up, I promise that my reign will not be the worst. Compared to other worlds, that is."

He smiled ominously, and his gaze did not bode well for the inhabitants of Remnant. Then Vilgax glanced at Pyrrha.

"And this piece of flesh, I will take with me as a trophy. For research.

"We didn't agree to that!" Ironwood roared, clenching his fists.

"Woe to the vanquished," Vilgax said casually, grabbing Pyrrha. He was about to leave when Jaune Arc jumped out of the audience with his sword at the ready.

"Jaune, no!" his friends shouted, unable to react in time, but he didn't hear them.

"Mr. Arc?" Ozpin glanced at him in confusion.

"You're not taking her!" the blond man yelled, running out into the arena toward Vilgax. He was furious, but his anger did not give him strength. Vilgax casually pushed him away, and Jaune flew back like a doll. His armor crumpled like a tin can.

"You're pathetic. So much so that I don't even want to kill you. Grow up, kid, and maybe then your little rebellion will make me smile," the stranger said condescendingly and apathetically, turning to his communicator. "Get me out of here."

At that moment, he and Pyrrha were enveloped by the same sphere that had transported them to the arena. They disappeared, and several capsules flew out of the sky ships. Inside the capsules were humpbacked humanoids of black and orange color. These creatures were called bioids, and with them, the Irken arrived on the planet.

The bioids and Irken landed in cities and began their occupation of the planet. In addition to Vale, other capitals were also captured. Although they did not contact Ozpin and Ironwood, they were smart enough to realize that resistance was futile. They surrendered for the safety of their citizens.

To be honest, the battle with Vilgax had demoralized the Remnants, robbing them of their fighting spirit.

"Glory to the Almighty Tallest Vilgax!" shouted the Irken, replacing the Remnant coats of arms and flags with the symbol of Vilgax's empire.

Jaune punched the wall in the dormitory. He felt weak, helpless, useless. He hated himself more than ever before.

"I let her down! I should have persuaded her to stay!" "Jaune, we're all to blame," Ren said to him.

"I'm the leader! You're all my responsibility!" Arc retorted with tears in his eyes. "As the leader, I simply agreed to give Pyrrha to this monster to eat!"

"Johnny, being a leader also means trusting us," Nora added reassuringly. "You did what you had to do. She wanted to fight alongside the others. And if you think about it positively, she's not dead."

"Yeah, she's not dead. For now! Do you know what happens to lab rats? They die!" Jaune yelled at Nora, so loudly that she recoiled in fear.

"Jaune, calm down," Lie Ren took him by the shoulder, using his semblance to suppress his partner's feelings.

"Oh..." Jaune felt the weight lift from his temples and the tension partially subside. "I'm sorry, Nora... I... I was on edge."

"I understand," Valkyrie smiled at him.

Suddenly, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang burst into the room. They looked agitated. "Jaune, Nora, Ren," Ruby addressed them, "We need to hide."

"Why?" Jaune asked.

"I followed the alien soldiers. They kidnapped Cardina when he was taken to the 'registration office' and took him to their personal ship," Blake explained briefly.

"Why?" Jaune asked, stunned.

"They want to study us," Nora quickly realized. "Like in those old-fashioned movies!"

"It's quite possible. They're probably interested in our auras and semblances," Ren thought aloud. "Then we need to warn Ozpin or the general," Jaune suggested.

"Why?" Yang asked. "They've given up. It's useless to ask them for help. But we personally won't give up."

"What should we do? Hide and form a resistance group?" Jaune asked sardonically.

"I don't know, I... I... I don't know anything, probably," Ruby admitted. "I just want to do something."

"We all want to do something, but what exactly?" asked Jaune.

"I was hoping you could come up with something," Rose said honestly. "You've always been smart and far-sighted."

"If I were, I would have realized that I shouldn't have let Pyrrha go there," Jaune looked away.

"Stop whining, Arc," Schnee snapped. "You're the last person who should give up. Only someone as stubborn as you could keep knocking on my door and singing your stupid serenades to me."

"Are you trying to cheer me up or point out how much of an idiot I am?" Jaune wasn't particularly impressed by the attempt to lift his spirits.

"Vaiskim is trying to say that you and Ruby are our only hope," Yang approached. "If Ruby believes in you, then so do I."

"Then I'm sorry, but I don't have a plan," Arc raised his hands, emphasizing his lack of ideas.

"Maybe I can suggest a plan?" asked a voice unfamiliar to the teenagers.

Everyone turned and saw a dark-haired man standing in the corner, wearing a lab coat over a business suit and holding a pocket watch in his hands.

"Who are you?" Weiss asked, confused. "How long have you been here?" Ren asked.

"It doesn't matter, my friends. I'm glad to see you again." "Have we met before?" Ruby asked.

"You haven't, but I have," the man explained vaguely.

"Listen, man, no offense, but we already have problems," Yang tried to approach to kick the stranger out of the room, but found that she was grasping at air. "What the...

"I understand, it's all strange," the man continued his conversation, now standing close to Ruby. "How did he get past me?" Yang asked, confused.

"It depends on what you're offering," Rose tried to be professional, hiding her nervousness.

"To save your friend Pyrrha and save Remnant in the future," he said very seriously, looking her in the eyes.

"Save Remnant?" Weiss repeated, confused. "It's one thing to save Pyrrha, but how are we, eight uncertified students, going to save the whole world?"

"Ha ha ha," the stranger suddenly laughed, "You can't imagine how children can become the greatest heroes in history."

"Why should we believe you?" Blake asked. "Because I believe in you," he declared.

"Well... I guess we don't really have a choice," Ruby shrugged, not trying to argue with these strange words.

The Irken and Bioids were conducting an inventory of the Bullheads, Remnant aircraft that the Insectoids considered primitive compared to their technology.

"Pathetic, dim-witted mammals. They're not even close to what we fly. They wouldn't even make it to the ship," snorted one of the Irken. "No wonder the army of the Almighty Tallest easily crushed their pathetic resistance."

"That statement is incorrect. According to the specifications, it can reach the required altitude," corrected the bioid.

"Are you defending these earthlings?" snapped the Irken.

"I corrected your statement," the humanoid robot replied dryly. "We need to put a block on these vehicles."

"Yeah, I know, you organic-mechanical piece of junk," grumbled the Irken, entering the bullhead with his partner.

The bullhead platform was guarded by robots. They didn't let anyone get close. But the RWBY and JNR teams found a way to get around them — under the platform. Holding onto the edges, they moved, avoiding the robots' gaze. Hearing one of the bullheads open, the heroes climbed up and quietly got inside.

Irken and Bioid were in the cockpit, taking control of the transport and activating it without a security key code.

"Ha, hacking this transport was a piece of cake!" laughed the alien. "Pathetic worms and their pathetic technology!"

"We need to put a lock on it for the local inhabitants to use," the bioid stated dryly.

"You don't have to tell me what to do, I know myself," grumbled the Irken, but suddenly he noticed the intruders behind him and the robot out of the corner of his eye. The bioid did not have any combat programming, so he surrendered almost instantly after assessing the situation, while the Irken tried to use a device that looked like a backpack. But the young remnant in a scarlet cloak jumped sharply towards him, hitting him in the stomach with her knee, and the others immediately pounced on him, knocking the stranger down and quickly tying him up with duct tape.

"You filthy creatures! How dare you dirty my PAK with this sticky junk! Untie me and get rid of this filth, or I will punish you severely and terribly!" the Irken screamed, but his mouth was already securely gagged.

"That stranger was right about the backpacks on their backs. But how did he know?" Blake wondered.

"I don't think that matters now. The main thing is that we have two walking access codes," Yang pointed to the two hostages.

"Does anyone know how to operate this thing?" Jaune asked, approaching the control panel.

"I can try. Adam and I used to steal bullheads quite often," Blake offered.

"Not from the Schnee Dust Company, by any chance?" Weiss Schnee asked, glancing sideways at Blake.

"Let's drop that question," Blake dismissed the question and sat down at the helm.

The roar of the bullhead marked its sudden takeoff. The robots, whose advanced signal recognition system instantly detected the anomaly, concluded that it was a hijacking. They immediately opened fire on the ship with their lasers. Blake felt the impact of the hits and, without wasting a second, directed the bullhead upward. Her comrades and hostages in the passenger seats felt every jolt.

Despite Blake's desperate attempts to evade them, the robots managed to send a signal to the flying drones about the intruder. Soon, the bullhead was under attack by the bugs. Yang jumped out of her seat and headed for Blake.

"Do you need a co-pilot?" she asked.

"Can you do it?" Blake asked in return, trying her best to maintain control.

"I'll learn," Xiao Long said boldly.

"Then sit down and help," Belladonna agreed, feeling the jolt.

Yang and Blake, concentrating on the controls, steered the bullhead toward Vilgax's flagship, trying to keep the ship from dangerous rolls. At that moment, Jaune felt a sudden wave of nausea.

"I don't feel good... BLAH!" He vomited right on the Irken's face, who moaned in surprise and pain. At first, the teenagers thought the alien was screaming more out of disgust, but when they saw Jaune's vomit eating away at the Irken's skin like acid, their opinion changed.

"That looks terribly painful," Nora stated. "Is human vomit their weakness? What if Jaune vomits on Vilgax himself?"

"I don't even want to think about it, it's disgusting," Weiss looked away and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the scene.

Blake and Yang, despite all the difficulties, piloted the bullhead relatively successfully. The main thing was that it didn't fall apart. As they approached the main alien ship, more and more bugs attacked them. The robots methodically tore parts off the transport.

"Not much left. Is there a turbo mode?" Yang asked, trying to find a way to speed up their progress. "This isn't a motorcycle," Blake said tensely.

"I can see that," the blonde rolled her eyes, losing her patience.

They took a risk and pushed the handlebars all the way down, almost losing control of the Bullhead. Their desperate attempt was successful: at full speed, they smashed through the hull of the massive cruiser, the Himeran Hammer. The Bullhead was shattered to pieces, but fortunately, the passengers survived. Almost all of them. Lying nearby was a crushed bioid that resembled an alien monster.

"Ugh, I thought it was just a robot," whispered Nora, looking at something that resembled blood.

"I think it is a robot, just of organic origin," Ren pointed out, somewhat impressed by the creation.

"There's no time to wonder what it is," Jaune stood up, staggering, having somehow overcome his air sickness and concussion from the destruction of the bullhead. "It's time to save Pyrrha."

"If we are to believe that man, she should be in the laboratory, which is in that direction," Ruby recalled.

The fact that the stranger had a layout of the cruiser sparked a wave of distrust and fear. Could all this be just a cleverly woven web of deception? But there was no choice — they had no choice but to trust this nameless savior and follow his plan.

And the path, of course, was not strewn with roses. Bioids descended upon them, their laser cannons firing accurately at the intruders. However, compared to the nightmare they had experienced on Remnant, these creatures were only a minor obstacle for the battle-hardened students.

"Remember, everyone, save your ammunition and dust," Ruby reminded everyone, switching Crescent Rose to scythe mode and cutting the bioid in two.

"ALIENS!" shouted the Irken with two others, who also noticed their bound kinsman among the Remnant. "They have our brother!"

Terrifying claws emerged from the PAKs on the Irken's backs, lifting them above their opponents and equipping them with laser weapons. They rushed into the attack. Although the Irken were inferior to the killer robots in terms of technology, their ferocity and bloodthirstiness surpassed that of the bioids, making the battle much more dangerous. Moreover, unlike the mysterious nature of the bioids, the Irken were undoubtedly living beings. The war had certainly undermined the moral foundations of both teams, but the battle with the robots was just mechanical destruction for them, whereas here they were facing living, intelligent opponents.

But thoughts of ethics instantly evaporated with adrenaline, fatigue, and the desire to survive and save a friend when the Irken grabbed Ruby by the throat and she plunged her scythe into the alien's chest. Weiss stabbed the second Irken, and the third tried to escape, but the ever-present Nora caught up with him, knocked him down, and Jaune finished him off.

"Ahem!" Ruby gasped, catching her breath after the chokehold.

"We need to find the lab quickly before more of them come," Blake said.

Making their way through a maze of unfamiliar corridors, the huntsmen continued their bloody path to the laboratory. They stumbled upon a door, but weren't sure if it was the one they needed. Besides, the door was locked.

"Tell us how to get through, quick!" Yang ripped the gag off the prisoner.

"Ha! I'll never tell someone as filthy and dirty as you!" the stranger growled.

"If you don't tell me, Vomit boy will burp on you again," Yang threatened.

"All right, I'll tell you," the Irken instantly surrendered, not wanting to feel the acrid human vomit on his face again. "All you have to do is bring my hand to that scanner."

The Irken's one hand was untied, and he touched the panel by the door. The doors swung open, revealing a high-tech torture chamber. It was a place where an alien dentist had apparently married a medieval executioner. Pipes carrying unknown liquids stretched everywhere, bizarre but terrifying mechanisms were piled high, and there were countless sharp instruments — from tiny to giant, straight and curved, with teeth and double, triple, and so on. In the center of the room, in a flask filled with liquid, was Pyrrha, in the same state as she had been in the Amity arena.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune rushed inside, followed by Nora and Ren.

"Alert! Alert! Enemies have entered the lab!" the Irken hostage suddenly shouted into the scanner, but immediately received a bullet to the head from Blake, causing the other girls to flinch.

"His hand is enough for us, right?" Blake tried to remain calm, kneeling down to take his hand and tear it off. But she hesitated. She had killed before, during the White Fang days, but then she always found justification in the greater good. Desecrating a corpse, however, was new to her.

"It's okay, I can do this," Blake exhaled, and with an ease that surprised even her, Gambol Shroud's blade severed the Irken's hand. Despite the apparent simplicity of the action, a storm of pain raged inside her.

"It's okay, Blakie," Yang put her hand on her shoulder, trying to give her strength.

RWBY entered the room after JNR. They had already found Pyrrha's weapon and were hurriedly trying to figure out how to free their friend. Zane leaned over the control panel adjacent to the capsule, but Nora beat him to it. A powerful blow from her weapon, the Magnhild, shattered the capsule, and its contents were set free.

"Nora!" Jaune shouted, shocked by her actions.

"We don't have time for formalities," she replied without hesitation.

Jaune waved his hand, dismissing his objections, and crouched down next to his unconscious friend. "Pyrrha? Pyrrha, can you hear me?" he asked frantically, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Jaune..." Nikos moaned weakly in response. She struggled to open her eyes, but immediately sank back into unconsciousness.

"She's alive," Ren said with relief after checking her pulse, "but she needs urgent medical attention."

"You'll need it too," boomed a voice they least expected to hear.

The teenagers spun around, their eyes meeting those of Vilgax. His body still bore the scars of the recent battle on Remnant, but now they were interrupted by careless, incomplete traces of medical treatment. A feeling of fear and trepidation hung in the air, the same feeling that had gripped Pyrrha when she first met this conqueror of worlds. The students instantly took up defensive positions. Jaune covered the sleeping Pyrrha with one arm and raised his shield with the other.

"How dare you," Vilgax said sardonically, "Why do all these human children love to challenge me so much?

"We're not afraid of you," Ruby tried to put on a brave front, although inside she was filled with real horror at what she had seen in the arena: how Vilgax had mercilessly beaten ten huntsmen, especially Qrow, Pyrrha, and Penny.

"That's the most unconvincing lie I've ever heard," the alien giant said, unimpressed, and then noticed Jaune, who was trying his best not to meet his gaze. "Ah, so you were the one who tried to attack me? You still don't get it? I shouldn't have been so merciful to idiots like you.

"Hey, that's our Vomit Boy! Only we have the right to make fun of him," Yang declared, stepping forward.

"Yang, stop!" Blake called out to her, concerned.

Xiao Long, not as simple as she seemed, understood that a frontal attack would not be successful. While infiltrating the cruiser, she deliberately took hits, storing up energy for a decisive strike.

When Vilgax swung for another blow, Yang dived under his legs at lightning speed, ending up behind him. Summoning all her strength, she delivered a blow to her opponent's back. Vilgax felt an impact comparable to a head-on collision with a truck traveling at 140 km/h. Losing his balance, he flew forward. The Remnants managed to dodge the alien flying towards them, who crashed into the instruments and capsules with a bang, causing real chaos.

"He's not so scary," Yang smiled, but immediately felt a sharp fatigue and pain in her arm. "Ugh... I didn't think he was that strong."

"We need to get out of here before he..." Weiss didn't have time to finish her sentence before a table flew in their direction.

Vilgax, having recovered from the blow, got up as if nothing had happened.

"No, you couldn't have just taken a blow like that," Yang shook her head incredulously. "Others wouldn't. But I'm Vilgax," the alien smiled menacingly.

"Let's go!" Ruby ordered, not wanting to take any chances.

But Vilgax had already blocked the exits. They were trapped. Without giving them time to think, the alien lunged at Yang and slammed her into the wall with one powerful blow to the torso.

Despair burst from Blake's chest in a scream: "YANG!" Fury flashed in her eyes, and she unleashed a hail of bullets at Vilgax. The conqueror covered himself with his arm, trying to fend off the onslaught, but Blake, like a shadow, slipped away, leaving illusory doubles behind her. These ghostly figures confused Vilgax, whose only healthy eye had already difficulty distinguishing reality. At that moment, Nora, with her hammer at the ready, attempted to attack from behind. But Vilgax reacted instantly, grabbing her by the head of Magnhild and throwing Valkyrie away as easily as if she were just an annoying fly. He took the hammer by the handle, and in his mighty hand, Magnhild seemed as tiny as a child's toy hammer. A powerful blow to the floor caused a tremor that rippled through the entire laboratory. The real Blake, losing her balance for a moment, gave away her location. The Chimera Sui Generis immediately pinned her to the floor with her foot.

"Gah!" A muffled groan escaped from the chest of the faunus-cat, who found herself under the heel of the ruler of a hundred worlds.

Ruby, overcoming her fear of the powerful enemy, gathered her last strength. She took aim and fired her last bullet, which found its target in Vilgax's second eye.

"AARGH!" The conqueror recoiled with a wild cry, covering his blinded eye with his hand. "You will all pay for this!"

Seeing that the enemy was weakened, Weiss decided to take a risk. She loaded her Myrtenester with her last reserves of elemental dust: earth, air, water, and plants. With one lightning-fast strike of her rapier, she provoked an explosion that enveloped the alien in earth and vegetation, caught by a powerful gust of wind.

"I hope this is enough to buy us some time," Weiss whispered, catching her breath.

"Guys, we have a way out!" Jaune shouted, pulling Pyrrha close to him by the gaping hole in the wall. While RWBY and Nora held off Vilgax, Jaune had come up with a plan of retreat. He told Ren to take out the cartridges, stack them together with the door, and then shoot this improvised bomb. In short, they blew their way to freedom.

The whole team escaped from the lab, leaving Vilgax behind. They didn't tempt fate by trying to kill him, as they weren't sure it was even possible.

The corridors were filled with hostile bioids and Irken who had come to their master's aid. The Remnants, retreating under the pressure of superior forces, unexpectedly encountered someone they least expected to see.

"My friends, follow me!" a voice called from around the corner. A man in a lab coat appeared before them.

"How did you get here?" Weiss asked in amazement.

"There's no time for explanations. Follow me!" The man rushed forward, and the huntsmen, forgetting their questions, rushed after him.

The stranger led them to the lifeboats. Easily opening one of them, he commanded: "Get in, quickly!"

"What does this mean? Explain something to us!" Weiss insisted.

"Your salvation and your future," he replied vaguely. "Enough questions. Just trust me."

The teenagers took their places in the capsule, and the door closed. Ruby approached the porthole, looking at her savior.

"What about you?" she asked, not wanting to leave her strange ally aboard the enemy ship.

"Don't worry, Miss Rose. I have many ways. Tell Ben Tennyson that he and his team should make you heroes of the Remnant," the man smiled.

"Who is Ben Tennyson? And who are you?" Ruby, having lost touch with reality, asked questions.

"Ben Tennyson is your friend. And I am a professor. But my friends and enemies call me Professor Paradox," the man replied with a smile and pressed a button.

The capsule broke away from the cruiser Chimeran Hammer, rushing into the sky and further into space. Ozpin watched this from his tower, seeing the star fall in reverse — upward, farther and farther away from Remnant. Not fully understanding what was happening, he felt hope springing up in his heart.

In the vastness of the Milky Way galaxy, in the Solar System, lies the third planet from the star — Earth. Over the past ten years, this place has become truly famous throughout the universe. This is not surprising, because it was here that such unusual events unfolded, amazing personalities appeared, and especially heroes. Heroes capable of withstanding any cosmic threats. But the most famous in the entire galaxy was Ben Tennyson. His power lay in the Omnitrix, a supreme technological artifact that allowed him to transform into countless life forms.

At that moment, Rojo's gang, led by their leader and her loyal comrades Azul and Amarillo, made a daring raid on one of the branches of Dexter Labs. The trio of armored girls on speedy hoverbikes took the staff hostage, then selflessly explored the contents of the laboratory.

"Rojo, look at these cool gadgets," said Amarillo, the girl in yellow tech armor.

"They'll fetch a good price at the market," said Azul, dressed in blue tech armor, examining a new medical development.

"Come on, these are just trifles. The main treasure is over there," said Rojo, a girl in red tech armor, pointing to a titanium door with a lock. "Hey, you nerds, how do you open this thing?"

The people trembled with fear and didn't say a word.

"I think it's a door to the retina," Azul said, looking at the lock.

Without hesitation, Rojo glanced at the scientists present. Her attention was drawn to a dark-skinned woman with a badge that read "Chief Researcher." With a sharp movement, Rojo grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the door, pressing her face against the scanner. The girl's frightened eyes scanned the lock, and after a short beep, the titanium door swung open. Behind it was a stand with an impressive cannon.

"Mommy likes this," Rojo smiled as she stepped into the vault.

"Hey, what about classic bank and mint robberies? Are they out of style now?" came a clear, young voice.

"Who's there?" Rojo flinched, looking around. "Show yourself!"

"As you wish," replied the voice. A young man of twenty or so emerged from the wall. His hair was snow-white, his eyes emerald green. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with white accents: a collar, belt, and gloves. On his chest was his distinctive mark — a white letter "D" complemented by three ghostly lines and negative space forming the letter "P."

"It's Danny Phantom!" Amarillo gasped, pointing with a trembling finger.

"Don't just stand there, you fools, shoot!" Rojo ordered, and the three attackers opened fire with their laser guns. But their beams passed right through Danny, who had become intangible.

"I see you were ready for me," said the ghost man's mocking voice.

"Then take this!" Rojo grabbed the experimental weapon and fired an energy projectile. Danny dodged, sensing mortal danger. The wall through which the projectile flew did not explode, but cracked.

"Run!" Azul shouted, noticing Danny's confusion.

At that moment, the laboratory doors slammed shut with a deafening crash, cutting off their retreat with an iron curtain.

"Lo siento, señoras," said another guy, Danny's age. He was Latino, dressed in a red jacket with orange accents on the sleeves and hem. Underneath, he wore a T-shirt with a white and blue stripe. He wore aviator sunglasses and black pants with a blue geometric print. He leaned his hand on the panel, which pulsed with blue lines. "But I have to stop you from leaving."

"It's Rex Machine!" Amarillo also recognized the hero. "Why are we so unlucky?"

"Move away, or I'll fire at full power," Rojo aimed, but the gun flew out of her hands. "What the...?"

The girls followed the trajectory of the flight with their eyes and froze. Before them appeared a creature from another world: a black and yellow humanoid whose arms had been replaced by sharp claws and whose shoulders were pointed like spikes. Between them, floating weightlessly, was a metal head whose green eyes studied them intently. But the most significant feature for the members of Rojo's gang was the round mark on the creature's chest — a white and green symbol resembling an hourglass.

"It's Ben Ten!" Amarrillo shouted.

"We know who's in front of us without you!" Azul yelled at her.

"Seriously, on my and my friends' day off?" asked the Biotsavartian, nicknamed Loadstar by Ben. "Couldn't you have robbed the lab on, say, Tuesday? Nobody needs Tuesday."

"I don't care about your calendar!" Rojo pulled out a laser rifle, but Star directed magnetic waves at the weapon with his other hand, hitting the girl on the forehead and knocking her out.

Meanwhile, Danny secretly possessed Amarillo, and her eyes lit up green. With a smirk, she hit herself in the face, her body fell, and the ghost left the girl, leaving her lying unconscious.

Azul was left alone and glanced at the smirking Rex. Realizing the futility of resisting the three of them, she helplessly dropped her weapon.

"Please, make my defeat not so shameful," Azul begged, looking at the dark-skinned guy, who responded with a thoughtful expression.

"A lady's wish is my command," he said.

A few seconds later, Rex Machine used his large mechanical arm to hang the embarrassed and ashamed Azul from a lamppost on the street.

"Not the most shameful defeat I can remember," Rex said. "It could have been much worse, believe me."

"Hard to believe," Azul replied sardonically, covering her face from the crowd of people with phones who had started filming her. Police sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Well, guys, that's enough for today," announced Rex's peer, who had come out of the Dexter lab — a brown-haired boy with piercing green eyes, dressed in a white T-shirt with bright light green stripes and the number "10" on his back and chest. "To be honest, I think I could have done it myself. I could have taken this gang when I was ten old."

"Come on, Benny, we're friends," Rex objected. "Besides, humiliating criminals is a kind of entertainment. And it will be a lesson for them."

"I'd prefer real fun," Danny Fenton interjected, now in his usual appearance — a brunette with blue eyes, dressed in a white sweatshirt with the NASA logo — and then added, "Let's grab a bite to eat, I'm hungry."

"Maybe at..." Tennison began.

"No, Ben, not Mr. Smoothy," Danny interrupted him immediately. "You drag us there every time."

"So what, they have the best smoothies!" Ben objected.

"How about Chinese food?" suggested Rex. "I saw a place a couple of blocks back."

The friends' conversation was interrupted by a sudden rumbling from above. They all looked up and saw a space shuttle flying over the city, leaving a trail of fire behind it. It quickly disappeared over the horizon somewhere in the direction of the forest.

"Is that another UFO?" asked Rex. "Why do alien visitors crash so often in Bellwood?"

"For the same reason there's increased ghost activity in Amity Park," Ben joked, activating the Omnitrix and tapping the device with his palm. It lit up with a green light, and instead of a human, there stood a black-and-blue humanoid velociraptor on black spheres and wearing a racing mask. "First one there gets to decide where we eat."

The creature known as Kineceleran, aka XLR8, instantly ran off, leaving a residual trail behind him.

"That's not fair!" declared Rex, instantly growing a bulky hoverbike from under his feet and riding forward on it.

"You go by land, and I'll fly," whispered Fenton as a white glow enveloped him, transforming him into a ghost. Then he shot upward.

XLR8 was the first to arrive. His gaze fell on the painfully familiar silhouette of the lifeboat. Straining, he cautiously approached the object.

"Hey, what did you find?" Rex's voice rang out, followed by Danny. "Oh, damn!" XLR8 shuddered, "Don't scare me like that!" "What, did you see a ghost?" Phantom grinned.

"Worse. It's a lifeboat from the cruiser Vilgax," Ben explained briefly. "Vilgax?" echoed his friends, their faces instantly turning serious.

XLR8 looked through the porthole and saw a group of children — exhausted, dirty, and unconscious.

"There are people in there! They need help! Rex, open the door!" Ben ordered.

"Right away!" replied the Latino, placing his hand on the door. It flashed with blue patterns and opened.

A stream of pressurized air rushed out of the boat. Upon entering, the three heroes looked at the children in horror. They were particularly struck by a red-haired girl whose body was torn as if she had been mauled by wild animals. A blond boy was holding her hand as if it were the most important thing in the world. Danny quickly checked her pulse, then the others, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"They're all alive. But she's on the verge," the ghost man pointed to the girl with fiery hair.

"Looks like our day off is canceled," Ben stated, touching the Omnitrix. "Ben calls the Legion of Infinity. We have space refugees, all in critical condition. And it looks like Vilgax is involved."