A/N: For RWBY loud haters, this arc ends at chapter 96, chapter 97 will be in DC
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The days continued to pass as the tournament edged ever closer to the finals. Spectators buzzed with excitement, matches grew fiercer, and teams gave it their all on the grand stage. Amidst all this chaos, Ashborn found peace in the most unexpected place, Roman Torchwick's hideout.
The white-wearing criminal, his mute partner Neo, and the enigmatic shadow-controlling off worlder made for an odd trio, but somehow, it worked. Roman now found himself actually enjoying the Ashborn's presence. Ashborn brought good food, fine drinks, and a strange but welcome sense of calm.
Neo, silent as always, found him amusing, especially when he deadpanned sarcastic jokes or mimicked Roman's rants. The two criminals were used to dealing with henchmen, bosses, enemies, and allies with agendas. Ashborn, however, had none. He was just… chilling. Playing games, eating snacks, and occasionally throwing out cryptic one-liners about future.
Elsewhere, Yang Xiao Long finally gave up on her quiet mission of tracking Ashborn down. After a particularly awkward chat with Amazo, where he casually mentioned his father was 'holing up with a criminal somewhere in Vale indefinitely,' she simply blinked and walked away.
She briefly considered reporting him to Ozpin or General Ironwood… but something deep inside her warned that doing so would end catastrophically. She didn't know what Ashborn truly was, but she had a feeling he was dangerous, especially with Amazo at his side.
Cinder Fall, however, was far less willing to let things go.
She scoured the campus, checking rooftops, dorms, basements, and even lurking around Amazo's room, but Ashborn was nowhere to be seen. She confronted Amazo again, her voice strained with fake politeness. "Where is your father?"
"He's staying at a friend's place," Amazo replied with a robotic shrug. "You'll have to wait for him to come back."
Not the answer she wanted.
Fine. If Ashborn didn't want to show up, then she'd move forward without catching him.
She pulled out her scroll and called Roman. "Prepare to hijack an Atlasian ship tomorrow," she said curtly.
"Consider it done," Roman replied smoothly. But as soon as the call ended, he turned toward Ashborn with a smirk. "So… should I actually follow her orders?"
Ashborn leaned back, a sly grin creeping across his face. "I have a funny idea."
Later that night, Roman and Neo stood on a rooftop, looking out over the city lights, anticipation in their eyes. Roman's smirk matched Neo's playful grin.
They were both very much looking forward to Ashborn's play.
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The night before had shaken all of Remnant. Yang's match against Mercury ended in a spectacle broadcast to the entire world. In a flash, she had struck him down after the match was officially over. The fallout was immediate, with doubt and confusion spreading like wildfire. The next morning, as the tournament grounds buzzed with gossip and accusation, Ashborn decided it was time to check in on Amazo.
He knew what day it was. The day Penny was supposed to be destroyed. The day the Fall of Beacon began.
As he made his way through the halls of Beacon, he passed by the RWBY dorm just in time to see General Ironwood stepping out. The general noticed him, halted for a beat, then walked away without a word. Ashborn shook his head slightly. [Still doesn't like me… even after I helped recover his limbs. Cold world. Just like Batman.]
From behind the general, Ruby appeared. She spotted Ashborn and gave a soft, surprised smile. "Morning," she greeted.
Ashborn offered her his usual smirk. "Ruby."
Then came a voice from inside the room, Blake's.
"I don't know what to believe…"
Ashborn paused, tilting his head. He glanced into the dorm, where he saw Yang sitting on one side, eyes downcast, while Blake and Weiss stood on the other, doubt written across their faces.
Yang looked up and saw Ashborn standing with Ruby. "You here to ask me why I attacked Mercury too?"
Ashborn shrugged. "No. I was passing by. I already know the details."
Yang blinked, her eyes narrowing. "Did you know this would happen?"
"Yes."
Yang stiffened. "I saw him attack me."
"I know," Ashborn replied.
Yang's frown deepened. "Do you believe he attacked me?"
"No. He didn't attack you. You saw him attack you."
Yang stared, stunned. "What does that mean?"
Ashborn replied casually. "You were under the control of a semblance. The match was rigged for that to happen."
Gasps filled the room. Blake, Weiss, Ruby, all of them looked shocked.
Yang stood abruptly. "Do you know who did it?"
Ashborn nodded.
"Who?" Yang demanded.
"You'll know later tonight," he said casually. "For now, I need them free and running around."
"What? Why?" Yang asked, baffled.
Ashborn turned, a wicked grin on his face. "It's only fun to bring people crashing to the ground when they think they've reached the top. Roman and I have a plan to screw them over."
Yang's fists clenched. "Is this a game to you?!"
Ashborn nodded without shame. "Honestly, I don't have anything better to do. Might as well ruin the lives of some terrorists I don't like."
The room fell silent. Yang was visibly shaking with rage.
"Keep this to yourself," Ashborn added. "Not like anyone's going to believe you."
With a growl, Yang charged at him in anger, fist pulled back but like always, she froze mid-motion, locked in place by Ashborn's strange power.
"Do you ever learn?" he asked, shaking his head.
Yang, breathing heavily, slowly calmed herself. "One question," she said finally. "When do I lose my arm?"
Ashborn turned slightly. "It was supposed to be tonight. But I already messed up the order of incoming events beyond recognition. So… you're safe. For now."
With a wave of his hand, he released her from the frozen state.
"Enjoy the show," he said, then walked away without another word.
Yang stood still, processing everything. The other girls were speechless.
"We should report him," Blake said at last. "He's clearly plotting something. And he knows too much about what is going on."
"I agree," Weiss added. "This is dangerous."
"No," Yang said, her voice firm.
Everyone turned to her in shock. "Why?" Ruby asked.
Yang's eyes narrowed. "They framed me, and no one believed me. If Ashborn really is planning something to bring them down at their highest… then I'm all in, don't forget Amazo is on his side. And it's never too late for payback. Besides, he's right, everyone would probably ignore us or think we're lying. And Ashborn will just play dumb and even mock us."
The other girls didn't seem convinced but they decided to trust Yang this time. And for now… they would follow her lead.
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Ashborn arrived at his room. Inside, Amazo sat on the bed, his eyes glowing faintly as lines of data streamed across them. He was plugged into Remnant's communication network, his mind surfing the web of information, sifting through archives and broadcasts to pass the time.
Upon hearing his father's footsteps, Amazo disconnected, the light fading from his irises as he turned his gaze toward Ashborn. "I thought you wouldn't be leaving Roman's side for a longer while."
Ashborn shrugged, walking in with that usual calm swagger. "The final play is approaching. Can't just sit playing video games forever." He paused, leaning against the wall. "And what about you? How's your relationship with Penny?"
Amazo took a moment to consider the question. "It's… pretty good. I do like her. But I don't think we're close enough to say 'boyfriend and girlfriend' yet."
Ashborn nodded in approval. "That comes with time. Besides," he added with a smirk, "you'll need to evolve genitals for both of you eventually if you want to be a proper pair."
Amazo blinked. "That's… noted."
"Let's leave this talk for later," Ashborn said, pushing off the wall. "Tonight, she'll be paired against Pyrrha. Pyrrha's semblance is polarity control, they plan to show her an illusion, trick her into destroying Penny."
Amazo's expression sharpened. He sat straighter. "You want me to stop that?"
"Keep an eye on it," Ashborn said firmly. "Protect her when things go wrong."
Amazo narrowed his eyes. "What about them?"
Ashborn's smile widened into something darker, something almost amused. "I will handle them," he said, turning toward the door.
He paused just before leaving and looked over his shoulder.
"Enjoy the show."
And with that, he was gone, leaving Amazo alone once more, only now with a clear purpose and a mission.