Walking out of the magical vault, Tsutsumi placed the bronze crown at his side, attaching it securely to his belt before continuing through the ruined halls of Beacon Academy and eventually stepping back outside into what remained of Vale.
The academy grounds were barely recognizable anymore, with broken buildings surrounding him, shattered stone covering the streets, and smoke still drifting through the air from the destruction that had taken place only hours earlier, but Tsutsumi paid none of it any attention as he continued walking forward with the same cold expression on his face, his Cursed Energy leaked from his body as he moved and drawing the attention of every Grimm still wandering through the ruins.
One by one, the Grimm began appearing from between the ruined buildings, their glowing eyes locking onto him as more creatures emerged from the streets and started surrounding him, some growling while others immediately rushed forward without hesitation.
Tsutsumi stopped for only a moment before reaching toward his side and summoning the Nameless into his hand, pressing his thumb against the scanner before pulling the broken blade from its sheath, and the moment the damaged sword fully left its scabbard, the individual shards stored inside it shot outward in every direction, scattering through the air like a swarm of metallic knives before piercing into the Grimm rushing toward him.
The creatures didn't even have time to react as the shards buried themselves into their bodies and began moving inside them, tearing through their insides before ripping back out from another part of their bodies, leaving the Grimm stumbling and roaring in confusion until their bodies finally gave out and dissolved into black smoke.
More Grimm rushed forward to replace them, only for the same thing to happen again, the shards moving almost entirely on their own as they continued circling Tsutsumi and attacking anything that came close enough, allowing him to simply keep walking while the battlefield around him was gradually cleared.
Tsutsumi eventually raised his eyes toward the sky when he heard the familiar screeches of Nevermores, and several of the enormous black birds were already circling above him, their wings beating against the night air before they suddenly folded them and began diving toward him.
As they descended, the Grimm spread their wings and released a storm of black feathers that came raining down like sharp projectiles, forcing Tsutsumi to move as the feathers tore into the ground around him.
Rather than retreat, Tsutsumi stepped forward and leaped into the air, creating several swords beneath his feet that he used as temporary platforms, stepping from one blade to another as he rapidly climbed higher into the sky until he reached the diving Nevermores. One of the massive birds attempted to snap its beak down on him, but Tsutsumi simply reached out and placed his hand against its body.
The moment he made contact with it, he used Black Bird Manipulation on it; the Nevermore's resistance disappeared completely, its movements suddenly changing as it became obedient to his will. Tsutsumi immediately used this Nevermore to fly toward the others, and the remaining Nevermores barely had time to react before their own kind began attacking them, turning what had originally been a coordinated assault into complete chaos as one by one, Tsutsumi took control of the entire flock.
He allowed himself to fall from the back of the final Nevermore, dropping toward the ground while his hands came together and formed the shape of a rabbit, and before he even reached the ground, the shadow beneath him rippled.
"Rabbit Escape."
A small white rabbit emerged from his shadow, looking around in confusion as though it had no idea where it was, only for an invisible slash to instantly cut through it and split its body apart before it could even take a single step.
Tsutsumi landed beside it without slowing down, his hands already shifting into another shape as the rabbit's remains faded away.
"Nue."
His shadow expanded violently, and a massive brown-feathered Shikigami rose from within it, its wings spreading wide as a white, skull-like mask covered its face. Purple electricity immediately began gathering around its body before Nue released the energy toward Tsutsumi, forcing him to leap backward as lightning tore across the ruined ground where he had been standing.
Tsutsumi took a deep breath as the Shikigami rose higher into the air, then he released a powerful wave of freezing mist from his mouth that spread outward and rapidly climbed toward Nue. Ice began forming across the Shikigami's wings and body, but Nue quickly tried to pull away, beating its wings harder as it attempted to escape the growing ice that was spreading across its body.
Attack Ride: Blast!
Tsutsumi raised his Ride Booker and fired, sending a barrage of concentrated light bullets into the sky that struck Nue repeatedly and disrupted its movements long enough for the freezing mist to completely cover the Shikigami in ice.
Tsutsumi didn't even wait for it to break free before pulling the trigger again, the impact shattering the frozen mass and everything trapped inside it, causing Nue to disappear along with the fragments of ice that fell around him.
Tsutsumi continued, his hands shifting again.
"Toad."
Another shadow opened beneath him, and an enormous toad Shikigami emerged from the darkness, its massive body rising into the air as it opened its mouth and prepared to attack, but Tsutsumi was already standing directly in front of it. He placed his palm against its body before it could react.
"Cleave."
The technique cut through the enormous Shikigami instantly, tearing its body apart before it could even complete its attack, and as the remains began disappearing, the shards of the Nameless that had been scattered around the battlefield returned to Tsutsumi's side, circling him as he continued forward without even looking back.
Another group of Grimm rushed toward him.
The shards immediately flew outward.
At the same time, the Nevermores under his control descended from above and began attacking the Grimm on the ground, their massive wings sending several creatures tumbling across the ruined streets while the shards of the Nameless pierced through everything that survived.
The entire area around Tsutsumi had become a moving killing field, yet he remained completely untouched as he continued walking through it, his hands already forming another sign.
"Great Serpent."
A massive white serpent rose from his shadow, its enormous body twisting through the air as its mouth opened wide and moved toward Tsutsumi as though it intended to swallow him whole, but Tsutsumi simply raised two fingers toward it.
"Dismantle."
An invisible slash passed through the Shikigami, splitting the massive serpent cleanly in half before both pieces disappeared into the darkness, leaving Tsutsumi standing alone once again as more Grimm began approaching from the surrounding ruins.
He didn't stop; his hands shifted into another shape.
"Max Elephant."
His shadow spread outward across the ruined street, growing larger and larger before an enormous pink elephant with yellow markings emerged from within it. The Shikigami immediately raised its trunk and unleashed a massive wave of water, the force of it rushing toward Tsutsumi with enough power to sweep away everything in its path.
Tsutsumi calmly shifted his Ride Booker into sword mode.
"Nine-Lives Blade Works!"
He swung once.
Nine slashes were released from a single movement, each strike traveling through the incoming water and cutting it apart before continuing toward Max Elephant. The attacks struck its eyes, trunk, neck, legs, lungs, body, liver, stomach, and heart in rapid succession, the enormous Shikigami being torn apart almost instantly as the water wave itself was sliced apart and scattered harmlessly across the battlefield.
Tsutsumi lowered his sword and let out a quiet sigh.
"Round Deer."
His shadow expanded again, but this time he pulled out another card, sliding it into his Decadriver before the Shikigami had even fully emerged.
Final Attack Ride: Fa-Fa-Fa-Faiz!
The Shikigami appeared beneath him, but Tsutsumi was already moving, launching himself into the air as red photon energy formed around his leg and transformed into a massive drill-like spiral. He drove himself forward, kicking directly into Round Deer as the attack pierced through the Shikigami before Tsutsumi emerged on the other side and landed smoothly on the ground.
A second later, the Shikigami exploded behind him, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes scattered across the ruined street.
Tsutsumi didn't even turn around.
"Piercing Ox."
Another shadow opened.
The massive ox Shikigami immediately charged toward him with enough force to shake the ground beneath its feet, but Tsutsumi simply planted his feet and pulled his fist back, Cursed Energy gathering around his arm.
Using Star Rage to add mass to his fist, he punched.
The impact tore through Piercing Ox's body, overwhelming the Shikigami with sheer force and sending pieces of its body flying backward before they disappeared into the darkness.
Tsutsumi continued walking through the remains without slowing down, ignoring the blood and dust covering his clothes as he formed another hand sign.
"Tiger Funeral."
The tiger Shikigami appeared. It didn't even get the chance to attack.
Sharp blades immediately rained down from above, piercing through its body from multiple directions and cutting it apart before it could react, leaving the Shikigami to disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Tsutsumi finally stopped.
The eight Shikigami had been defeated and subjugated. The Divine Dogs did not need to be subjugated.
Now there was only one left.
"With this treasure..."
Tsutsumi slowly brought both hands together as his shadow began spreading across the ground once more, and the familiar cocoon-like structure began rising from within it, its enormous form towering over the ruined buildings as the air around him became heavier.
"I summon..."
The cocoon began cracking. A deep, unnatural howl echoed through the ruins as another crack spread across its surface, followed by another as the shell slowly began breaking apart.
"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General..."
The cocoon split open.
"Mahoraga."
The massive Shikigami began taking form, the eight-handled wheel appearing above its head as its enormous body emerged from the darkness.
Tsutsumi immediately brought his hands together again.
Flames appeared between his palms.
He stretched his arms outward and lowered his body into a bow-drawing stance, the fire gathering between his hands growing brighter and brighter as he stared toward the newly summoned Divine General.
Normally, he wouldn't mind fighting Mahoraga properly. He could let the battle drag on, allow the Shikigami to adapt to his abilities, and see just how far he could push himself against one of the strongest creatures he could summon.
But he wasn't interested in doing that tonight. He wasn't going to let anything distract him from that goal.
Tsutsumi finally released the Nameless, causing the remaining shards to return to their sheath before the sword itself disappeared. Above him, the Nevermores he had taken control of suddenly folded their wings and flew downward, disappearing directly into his shadow as he recalled them.
Then Tsutsumi released the fire.
"Divine Flame."
The moment Mahoraga fully emerged, an enormous explosion of flame erupted from Tsutsumi's position, the fire shooting straight into the night sky like a gigantic pillar that illuminated the ruins of Beacon and the destroyed city of Vale. The blast was so massive that the light could be seen from far beyond the ruined city, spreading across the horizon and creating a brilliant, unnatural glow in the darkness.
People in the different kingdoms stopped what they were doing.
Soldiers looked toward the horizon.
Survivors who had survived the destruction of Vale could only stare at the enormous pillar of flame rising into the sky through the window of the bullheads evacuating from Vale.
With this beacon of destruction, the end of the world had begun.
...
After that day, Tsutsumi began his journey toward the locations of the Maidens and the remaining Relics.
Thanks to the Gaia Library, which contained essentially all the knowledge of the world, he didn't need to spend much time searching for information. The moment he decided on his targets, the answers were already there. He knew who currently possessed the Maiden powers, where each of them could be found, and where the remaining Relics were hidden. There was no need for him to investigate, ask questions, or waste time traveling from place to place without a destination in mind.
The Summer Maiden was currently dormant inside Summer Rose, who had lost most of her memories and was living somewhere in a remote region near Vacuo. The Spring Maiden was in the possession of Raven Branwen, who was somewhere near Mistral. The Winter Maiden was currently an old woman named Fria, who lived in Atlas and was being kept under the protection of the Atlas military.
As for the Fall Maiden, the other half of her power had already fallen into Cinder's hands, making her a complete Maiden now. Tsutsumi didn't particularly care about that. Cinder had already been placed on his chopping list long ago because of her position within Salem's inner circle, so whether she had the full power of the Fall Maiden or not didn't change anything for him.
Then there was Ozpin. According to the Gaia Library, Ozpin had already reincarnated once again, this time taking over the body of a young boy named Oscar Pine.
Tsutsumi held no grudge against Oscar himself. The boy hadn't done anything to him, and he was simply another victim caught up in Ozpin's endless cycle of reincarnation.
With his targets decided, Tsutsumi continued his journey toward Vacuo. He eventually stopped his Machine Decader just outside the small border of a village.
The settlement itself was nothing special, consisting mostly of simple houses and small shops built around a dirt road. It was far enough away from the major cities that there was little reason for anyone important to come here, which made it a relatively peaceful place for ordinary people to live.
Tsutsumi swung his legs off the Machine Decader and let the bike settle behind him before pulling a card from his collection and placing it into the Decadriver.
Form Ride: Ruby Rose!
A flash of light passed over his body as his appearance changed, taking on the familiar form of Ruby Rose. The red cloak, black clothing, silver eyes, and distinctive red-and-black hair immediately made him look like the young Huntress.
Tsutsumi didn't bother hiding himself. He simply began walking into the village.
The moment the villagers noticed him, several of them stopped what they were doing. Some stared openly while others whispered among themselves, wondering why a Huntress would come to their small village. Tsutsumi paid none of them any attention as he walked deeper into the village, following the information given to him by the Gaia Library.
It didn't take long before he reached the house he was looking for. He stopped in front of the door for only a moment before raising his leg and kicking it open.
The sudden noise startled the small family inside.
Tsutsumi's gaze immediately settled on the woman sitting at the table with her husband and child.
Summer Rose, even without her memories, there was no mistaking her identity.
She looked almost exactly like the person Tsutsumi remembered from the information he had gathered. Her silver eyes were the most obvious feature, and seeing them immediately reminded him of Ruby. Her daughter had inherited those same eyes, but Summer herself still possessed the unmistakable look of the woman who had once been one of the most famous Huntresses in the world.
Summer stared at the strange girl standing in her doorway, clearly confused by what was happening.
"Uhh... can I help you?"
Her voice carried more confusion than fear.
Summer had been living with amnesia for years. She remembered almost nothing about her past, and during all that time, she had never encountered anyone searching for her or claiming to know who she was. No missing-person notices had ever reached her, nor had anyone from her old life suddenly appeared at her doorstep.
Eventually, she had simply accepted that perhaps there was nobody left for her to return to. So she had built a quiet life for herself instead. A husband, a child, a small home, and an ordinary village far away from the chaos that seemed to surround the rest of Remnant.
For someone who had forgotten almost everything about herself, it had been enough.
That was why she couldn't understand the person standing in front of her now.
The girl looked almost her own height, with slicked-back red-and-black hair and a pair of silver eyes that looked strangely familiar. Even her overall appearance gave Summer an uncomfortable feeling, as though she were looking at a distorted reflection of someone she should have remembered.
"I'm sorry, but... are we related somehow?" Summer asked hesitantly.
"No." Tsutsumi's answer came immediately.
His voice remained cold as he reached behind him and pulled out Crescent Rose.
Summer's expression changed. Before she could even fully understand what was happening, Tsutsumi transformed the weapon into its scythe form and swung it toward her.
Summer's body reacted before her mind could catch up. She kicked against the table, sending it flying into the path of the incoming blade. Crescent Rose cleaved straight through the wooden furniture, splitting it apart as Summer immediately moved to protect her son. She grabbed the boy and rolled away with him, barely avoiding the follow-up swing.
Her husband, meanwhile, didn't hesitate. Seeing his wife and child attacked, he charged toward Tsutsumi and attempted to tackle him.
Tsutsumi didn't even bother looking at him properly. He simply spun Crescent Rose around and slammed the barrel end of the weapon into the man's face, sending him crashing backward into a cabinet. The impact shattered the cabinet doors and left him stunned on the floor.
"Stay out of this," Tsutsumi said coldly. "Only she needs to die here."
The fact that he was speaking with Ruby's face and voice only made the words more disturbing.
Summer looked toward him again, her expression becoming more serious as she realized that this wasn't some misunderstanding. Whoever this person was, they had come here specifically for her.
Her eyes dropped toward the weapon resting beside her.
Sundered Rose, the weapon she carried. Even without her memories, her hands still knew how to use it.
Summer reached down and grabbed the black-and-gold axe, which could also transform into a rifle. She stood between Tsutsumi and her son, holding the weapon tightly as her body naturally settled into a combat stance.
"I don't know who you are, but-" Summer never finished the sentence.
Tsutsumi disappeared.
Ruby's Semblance propelled him forward in an instant, allowing him to cross the distance between them before Summer could properly react. She barely had time to turn her head before Tsutsumi had already passed her; Crescent Rose extended at his side.
The blade made contact with her pale neck. And... Summer's Aura shattered immediately under the attack.
Tsutsumi had already applied Star Rage to Crescent Rose, concentrating the immense mass onto the edge of the scythe itself. The result was simple but devastating. Every swing carried far more weight than the weapon should have been capable of producing, allowing the blade to strike with an overwhelming force despite its relatively light appearance.
Summer never even had the chance to understand what had happened. Tsutsumi's attack ended the fight almost instantly.
Her head flew off her body, and her headless body collapsed as the weapon passed through, leaving her lifeless before she could even process the identity of her attacker.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Tsutsumi stood with his back toward the family, Crescent Rose still in his hand. He slowly lowered the weapon before shifting his gaze toward the two cards now resting in his free hand.
Behind him, the sound of Summer's husband and child crying filled the house.
Tsutsumi didn't turn around. He simply walked toward the broken doorway, dragging Crescent Rose along the ground beside him as he left the small house behind.
The villagers who had gathered outside instinctively backed away when they saw him walking out, dragging a bloody scythe. Nobody tried to stop him. They had seen enough to understand that whatever had happened inside that house was far beyond anything they could interfere with.
Tsutsumi continued walking through the village without saying a word or even looking back.