Magnus: Well, I finally managed to finish the story, thank you for reading it, and for all your support.

Disclaimer: While I have abandoned the RWBY fandom, there is still a chance that I may use one or more characters for a crossover, although I make no promises.

Chapter 40

The Power of Love

The war was over… that was what many believed after the short assault ended in failure, when most of the invading troops revealed themselves as friendly faces, and when the unaware people began to go to their beds in hopes of finding news about the noise in the morning; but while most began to relax, one young man dressed in white marched across the streets, nearing the borders of the city… and he was not alone.

"The darkness that tries to swallow the world is approaching; the Abyss will finally show its face." Kanetsugu solemnly said as he entered a plaza that was near the border of the city.

"And we'll face it together." Ruby said in what she thought was a heroic fashion, not that anyone will think of her as anything but childish and adorable.

"All of us." Velvet said as she entered the plaza.

"Together as one." Yatsuhashi added as he entered too, followed by all the members of his religion, all the followers of the Voice of the Heavens.

"Because we will never accept the Darkness." Glynda finished as she joined too; she had told herself that she was going to ensure the safety of the students, but now that she could feel the power resonating among all the members of the order, she was sure that her spirit wanted to fight too.

Kanetsugu and his followers didn't had to wait for long, as a massive shadow arrived, quickly taking the shape of a winged horror; as it landed, however, a female figure appeared in front of it, looking intently at the battle monk. Her pale skin was adorned by black bulging veins, and her darkened eyes radiated malice and hatred, this was the Abyss, and none doubted it for a single second.

"And so, we finally meet; hero of love." The woman… the Abyss spoke in a human sounding voice, yet the vibrations caused by it tried to infuse the air and everyone's hearts with fear.

"A meeting delayed for far too long." Kanetsugu replied, his voice countering the effect of the Abyss.

"Perhaps, a more formal presentation is in order? I heard it's the custom for the descendants of Edo." The woman said now, however her voice seemed to denote a certain degree of mockery.

"Didn't your witch tell you my name? Nobunaga was sure you would select your allies wisely." Kanetsugu's reply had the woman seething, thing that put all the others on edge.

"Allies? You mean my worthless pawn and her ill selected minions? Yes, she did, and with a name like yours, I know you have to believe you are destined to always win." The woman added to the banter, seemingly trying to read the boy before her.

"Today, the light and all the good hearts that only desire to give love will cheer in joy at your demise." Kanetsugu announced as he pointed his sword toward the woman, who looked not impressed at all.

"So quick to throw empty words into the air; so eager to die. At least hear the name of the one who will end you: My name is Salem, and I own everything, your life included!" Salem said as she moved at incredible speed, extending her hand with elongated nails… claws of pure hatred that had cut weapons and armor, flesh and bones, human and faunus… and that now were stopped by a mere piece of paper.

"HA! Like that would work!" Ruby was quick to laugh at the seemingly feeble attempt of striking her boyfriend, all while unknowingly dispelling the fear in the air.

Salem could not reply or even try to break through the paper charm, for her hand was quickly swept to the side with a single hand motion from the priest, who wasted no time in slashing at her with his sword; Salem leaped back, not on instinct, but out of fear of his power, leaving her with a small gash on her abdomen.

"You will pay for this… You all will pay for this." Salem sneered as she began to change, her lower body took on an arachnid shape, with legs like giant scythes, and a body covered in bone plates adorned with spikes; her torso grew sleek armor and her face gained an even more demonic look.

"Devour the children." Salem ordered to the Dragon, who immediately let out a savage roar.

As the dragon charged against the crowd, Salem advanced against Kanetsugu, aiming to bring him to despair by having him unable to defend the others, not knowing that Kanetsugu didn't lack faith, for he believed in the providence of the heavens, and the courage of his followers.

"You take on the Abyss! We'll take on her pet!" Ruby shouted as she propelled herself against the dragon, quickly followed by Yatsuhashi and Velvet.

The dragon tried to bite down the scythe wielder, but she immediately disappeared from its line of sight, then an immense pressure sent its head downwards, showing a smiling Ruby who had hit the head with her weapon. Yatsuhashi covered his giant sword with the holy wine, setting it aflame with white purifying fire; he received the dragon with an upward slash that, while unable to cut through its scales and bone plates, still managed to send it upward, leaving the underside wide open.

"Heavens! Heed my call! Punish the evil and dispel the darkness!" Velvet shouted as she opened her weapon, a backpack that released a cloud of mixed dust; from inside the cloud, multiple glowing kanji could be seen, Love, Justice, Honor, Purity, Life and a few others, then they turned into beams of light that rained on the dragon.

"Now, let's ensure the darkness can't pass through us!" Glynda shouted to the rest of Kanetsugu's followers, who all linked hands and began to chant in edo tongue; their auras resonating with their desire to protect quickly awakened their spirits, and a barrier of light appeared before them, forming a wall that no Grimm could hope to pass.

Kanetsugu and Salem were trading blows the whole time; the monk was ludicrously skilled in deflecting and attacking, thing that Salem didn't appreciate, if her constant hissing was any indication. Paper charms where flying all around, bursting into sacred fire each time contact was made, and the sound of dull strikes echoed with ferocity as sword and evil appendage clashed at high speed.

"You will fall, hero of love; after all, you are only human. Your stamina is draining as we speak, so is your resolve with each second you are not babysitting your children. How long until the first scream of death breaks you?" Salem asked as the battle continued, aiming to distract the priest, to fill him with doubt; yet Kanetsugu never looked away from her, as if believing in his comrades with every fiber of his being.

The dragon continued roaring even as the fusillade of light chipped away its bone armor, even as the blazing sword kept scorching its scales; but with each bite from the scythe, it stumbled in obvious pain. The chanting followers began to advance, slowly forming a circle, slowly reducing the battlefield; Salem was too occupied to notice the developments, but the dragon took notice, so it tried to disengage from its fight to attack the barrier.

"You are not allowed to leave!" Ruby shouted as she landed on its head, plunging Crescent Rose deep into its eye, earning an extremely loud roar of pain. The dragon tried to strike forward in hopes or regain its footing, aiming for Yatsuhashi, who immediately adopted a solid defensive stance.

"Your only fate is to fall!" Yatsuhashi shouted as he received the claw with his sword, summoning heavenly strength to push it to the side like a hero from a legend; the dragon stumbled to the side, obviously confused by the outcome of its attack.

"Your cursed existence ends here!" Velvet shouted as she added more power to the rain of light, showing that the bone plates and scales were creaking under the pressure of their combined assault.

It was at this moment that Nobunaga, Blake, Amber and Ozpin arrived to the scene; they had met halfway to this point, guided by the feeling of dread, and their need to battle the Abyss. The wall of light had been a dead giveaway that the battle had already begun, and both parties had been afraid of arriving too late to help Kanetsugu against the enemy of life… imagine their surprise when they saw the dragon being manhandled by only three students.

"For real?!" Blake asked to no one at seeing the massive Grimm of legend howling in pain.

"Mother mercy! Who taught those kids?!" Amber couldn't believe her eyes; it had taken the lives of two previous seasonal maidens to seal that abomination, and even it seemed more powerful than before, these kids were making short work of it.

"Kanetsugu." Ozpin and Nobunaga replied at the same time, unable to move due to the shock of seeing such display of power… just one of them feared the result of the priest's teachings in the long therm.

Ruby suddenly called her two companions, and extended the edge of her scythe to Yatsuhashi, who immediately doused it with the remaining sacred wine and then she extended her weapon upwards, and Velvet rained beams of all colors on it; light of all colors enveloped the edge, and then it formed a massive scythe that shone like a rainbow, illuminating the entire plaza, gaining the attention of everyone who wasn't chanting.

"NOW YOU'LL BE STRUCK BY THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF EVERY GOOD PERSON IN THIS WORLD!" Ruby scream was followed by her winking out of existence for a moment, replaced by quick traces of light dancing around a confused dragon, and then se reappeared with her weapon looking normal, and a serious face.

"You are… already dead." Ruby stated while slowly walking toward Kanetsugu and Salem, closely followed by Velvet and Yatsuhashi, who seemed to ignore the dragon.

The dragon grew angry at being suddenly ignored, and then tried to let out a savage roar to start its counterattack… just to start falling in pieces, which began to sublimate, marking its death. Nobunaga and Ozpin had their jaws dropped in absolute disbelief, while Blake and Amber were stuttering in shock at the unbelievable power shown by the petite girl.

"Impossible!" Salem nearly screamed at the sight of her best card being destroyed… then she began to feel fear.

"Their desire to protect gave them the strength to overcome the darkness, and their hearts filled with love pushed them to learn how to fight the evil before them." Kanetsugu stated as he regained his combat stance, bringing Salem's attention toward him.

"IMPOSSIBLE! Who gave you this power, who taught you all of this?! Neither you or your followers could do this before!" Salem was going hysterical, split between her need to flee and her desire to kill this man.

"Being old doesn't stop me from learning! Just look at what I learned from my beloved Ruby!" Kanetsugu shouted as he pointed his sword to the heavens, making Salem give a step back.

"Justice, become fangs! Love, become ferocity! HEAVENLY RIPPER!" Kanetsugu shouted with a powerful voice, making his sword shine like pure light, and even grown until it looked like a claymore; the edge of this luminous blade become sharp teeth, which quickly began to move along the length of the blade, forming a chainsaw made of pure aura.

"NO! YOU WON'T STEAL AWAY MY VICTORY!" Salem screamed in rage and madness as she charged against the priest once more, expecting to be able to find an opening to kill her nemesis.

The moment she reached Kanetsugu, he brought down his sword, not only intercepting the demonic appendage, but cleanly cutting it like it was made of paper; Salem screamed in pain at losing one of her legs, leaving her open for Kanetsugu to cut the other front leg, making her stumble forward, she then tried to use this momentum to claw at him with her hand, just to lose it thanks to Kanetsugu's quick reflexes. The moment she touched the ground with her spider body, was the moment that Kanetsugu used to put an end to the fight, cutting her waist, separating her torso from the spider monstrosity, which promptly sublimated, leaving only half of the Abyss on the ground, with an incredulous look on her face, as if she couldn't believe this moment.

"It is over." Kanetsugu solemnly said as his sword returned to its usual shape; Ruby was quick to be by his side, barely containing the need to jump and hug him in relief.

"So it seems… do it, finish me now; I have no intent on hearing you ramble for days." Salem said in final defiance, obviously dying of blood loss and oppression from the light, for the damn wall of light that his followers created had completely surrounded them.

"And give way for someone else to take your throne? I don't think so." Kanetsugu replied, surprising the woman, who let an acidic sound chuckle.

"Then what? Will you let me go, so we can fight another day?" Salem asked, knowing that such option would be the end of the hero of love.

"No, I will purify you." Kanetsugu answered as he stabbed his sword into her chest, going all the way to stab the ground below her.

"Unlike the soulless creatures you command, you have a soul, and no matter how rotten it is, it can be purified." Kanetsugu began to say as he extended his hand toward the sword; the blade suddenly began to turn into roots and branches, digging deeper into the ground, and enveloping Salem.

"WHAT?! What are you doing to me?!" Salem asked in alarm, caught off guard with this previously unseen magic.

"I'm sealing you inside this holy tree; this tree will slowly absorb the taint of your darkness, using it to grow until there is no more to absorb, so when it dies, your soul will be free, both from this prison and from the darkness that nests on your heart." Kanetsugu explained as the roots and branches kept covering the queen of the Grimm, who used her remaining hand to try and free herself, with absolutely no success.

"NO! You can't do this to me! My darkness is infinite! My hatred is unending!" Salem screamed, more in fear than in anger at this point.

"Then you'll be there for a very long time." Kanetsugu replied with a kind smile, just as the others joined him to watch the beautiful cherry tree finally forming, leaving only a slightly ugly knot shaped deformity on one side of its trunk.

As the tree began to produce its beautiful pink blossoms, the entirety of Kanetsugu's followers reunited with their leader, all of them singing songs of peace and freedom under the beautiful sight; on another spot quite close to the tree, four individuals were still reeling back for what they saw, unable to believe what happened before their very eyes. Nobunaga had planned this even to be a grandiose moment that would see him and Kanetsugu crowned as legendary heroes, securing their standing in this world, which would lead them to take control of the world, one with religion, the other through politics… he didn't expect Kanetsugu to do a godly thing out of the blue…

"What were you saying about assisting him?" Ozpin couldn't resist the opportunity to take a jab at his nemesis, knowing very well that Kanetsugu could be easily turned against the visionary if Nobunaga started to go dark… by his standards.

"I… hmmm… You know what? I think I need to meet General Ironwood, like right now… before his soldiers try anything funny against my troo… I mean, friends!" Nobunaga said as he started to turn around, not caring to make sure it was the direction that the General was stationed at.

"Excellent idea, Nobu! Jerry will surely need our assistance to clarify the situation!" Blake was quick to follow, in fact, a little too quickly.

"Cowards…" Ozpin muttered as he watched them retreat.

"I'm leaving." Amber suddenly said, surprising the headmaster, who believed she wanted to finally meet her hero after all this time.

"Why?" Ozpin's simple question caused Amber to look ashamed.

"I… we are no longer needed; he alone did what we together couldn't. I will bring the other to him, so he can tell us what we should do." Amber replied, and then turned to leave.

"Well… I need to return to my office; someone needs to contact the council and the crown, and Miss Goodwitch has everything under control here." Ozpin said to himself, and turned to leave too, allowing Kanetsugu and his followers time to celebrate their well earned victory.

The next morning was filled with mild confusion as the news gave a report of a thwarted Grimm outbreak, followed by the return of a large number of faunus that defected from the White Fang, bringing with them intel that would prove most beneficial to pacify the terrorist organization in the future; word about who was responsible for all of this was quickly spread among the general public, giving Nobunaga and Kanetsugu an incredible boost on popularity. By sunset, the Council had made a public announcement, fully embracing the religion of the Voice of the Heavens, starting a slow chain of changes that will transform the world…

Epilogue, 10 years later…

The samurai warriors had gotten their wishes, although not in the way they imagined when first arriving to this land…

Patch Island was graced with the honor of holding the first temple of the Voice of the Heavens, where it's two founders settled down after being proclaimed graduates from Beacon Academy… almost ten years ago…

"Seimei! Dinner is ready!" A very pregnant Ruby Rose called in the temple, knowing that looking for her firstborn was utterly pointless.

"Coming!" The child's voice came from seemingly everywhere in the temple, and he just appeared at his mother's side like he had always been there.

"You really need to control your semblance." Ruby said, trying to sound responsible and caring, and yet remembering the years when she first discovered her semblance, and how much trouble she caused to her uncle.

"Am I causing trouble?" The kid asked as he walked along his mother; he was awfully caring and well behaved, but his semblance allowed him to move without abiding to the laws of physics, not that anyone had discovered exactly what he was doing.

"No, but I don't like when you are out of my sight." Ruby finally confessed, letting it know that she had become the kind of mother she didn't want to be… a worrywart.

"You are not giving trouble to your mother, aren't you?" Kanetsugu asked as he saw them entering the room.

"No daddy." Seimei replied as he appeared by his side, already giving him a hug.

"Good boy, now let's eat, and then we'll move to practice on those paper charms." Kanetsugu said while head patting his beloved son, who beamed in delight.

Ruby continued watching her beloved family, being further enamored by the sight; after defeating the Abyss, she and Kanetsugu were declared national heroes, and Ozpin publicly declared them graduates, as it was impossible for any teacher to teach them anything they couldn't do better on their own. When they returned to Patch Island, they did so already married, and at Kanetsugu's request, under the surname of Rose, instead of Naoe.

"Come, my love; let's sit and eat together, let's never have a dull moment on our lives as a family." Kanetsugu Rose called his wife, who promptly kissed him on the lips before taking seat to eat.

This family was the beginning of the Rose Clan, from where beloved heroes would spawn, vanquishing evil everywhere they went, and spreading the word of love and justice to everyone.

At a small manor, Vale's outskirts…

Mitsuhide entered his home, ready to relax after a long day of training his students, after engraving discipline and courage in their bodies and minds, and the first to greet him, was the family's dog…

"Hi there, Ranmaru; anything to report?" Mitsuhide asked to the canine companion, a small Schnauzer, who dutifully barked twice.

"That bad, huh?" Mitsuhide said back, to what he considered the best behaved member of his family.

After the defeat of the Abyss, he and Weiss ditched the academy, and went to open their own school for warriors, they had such success that in less than a year it became the most renowned combat school in the kingdom, and a year later, they organized all the rejected students from beacon into an armed force known as Vale's Self Defense Force; this militia became the fastest responders to threats to the small villages, rendering Atlas as absolute.

"Why?! Why do you do this to me?" Weiss' scream led the samurai to the training room, where an argument was taking place, a most common scene in this household.

"I fail to see the problem, mother." A young and feminine voice answered, just in time for Mitsuhide to enter the room, where his daughter was holding something that looked like a giant deformed hammer…

"What now, Linen?" Mitsuhide asked in defeat, seeing that this was going to be the same argument as last week, for the fifth time…

"Mother doesn't seem to agree with my choice of weapon." Linen Akechi, their daughter, and primary fountain of headaches answered in a neutral tone… and a mischievous smile.

Mitsuhide felt incredible joy when his first child was born, but when she learned how to talk, he was reminded that Karma has a way biting the asses of those who tempted her too much.

"And that choice is?" Mitsuhide calmly asked, knowing better than to reprimand her.

"This is a hunting horn; it is getting famous on Vacuo, and it is very practical." Linen explained as kept swinging the massive… thing.

"Horn? How is that twisted excuse of a hammer a horn?" Weiss asked with incredulity, just to immediately regret it when her daughter blew through the handle, making a thrombotic sound that send their poor dog running away with a cry.

"You… you are doing this on purpose, aren't you? Why are you this rebellious? From where did you get that from?!" Weiss asked to her giggling daughter, making Mitsuhide hide his face with his hands.

"Why don't we forget all about choosing weapons for now? In fact, why don't we go out tonight for dinner? We can have ice cream afterward!" Mitsuhide resorted to the only tactic that has ever worked, feeding the women until they forget what had them fighting in the first place, needless to say, the Akechi women were…. Chubby.

The Akechi family would become famous on the coming years, as it spawned the most successful commanders of the VSDF… also the most eccentric ones.

Xiao Long residence, Patch Island…

Yang, now bearing the surname of Mori, was looking at the baby on her arms, holding him as gently as possible, but her face was showing a frown, for she was remembering the cold and cruel words that her mother told her so long ago…

"Is something wrong, my love?" Ranmaru, feminine as ever, asked as he wrapped his arms around her, breaking her from her thoughts.

Yang and Ranmaru kept attending Beacon along Blake and Nobunaga, forming a single team until they graduated; Ozpin, fearing what they would do if left unchecked, employed them as teachers, thing that he regretted for the rest of his life.

"Nothing really, just thinking about what my mother said to me that terrible night." Yang honestly replied, sharing a quick kiss with her husband.

"So, what of it?" Ranmaru casually asked, playing with her hair.

"Well, she said I'll understand her once I hold a child on my arms… and well… I still don't!" Yang replied as she began to cuddle her baby, taking care to not harm her with the strength she has.

At that moment a boy and a girl, twins by their looks, entered the room, yelling about how much fun they were having in their vacation in their grandpa's home, and how they wanted to hold their little sister.

"WHOA! Calm down you little devils! She is too little to play with you!" Yang was quick to keep the baby away from her kids, who had inherited the combined strengths of their parents… good looks included.

"Braun, Maroon; we don't know yet if your little sister is… as strong as you, so we don't know how easily she can be hurt. Until we are sure… let's keep hunting things that nobody will care if you break them." Ranmaru proposed, making the kids cheer up.

The Mori Clan may never be famous, but their members would always be counted among the strongest hunters, assassins, and protectors of the Oda Clan.

At Beacon Academy, Headmaster's office…

"Are you certain?" The dark and ominous voice asked to the screen, who showed Ozpin, who had yet to age a single year since their first meeting.

"I am. This follower of the Abyss has shown interest in infiltrating the academy, no doubt to learn about the secrets of the Voice of the Heavens, in hopes of breaking the seal." Ozpin replied while sending the files to the new headmaster, who no doubt would turn this twisted plan to their advantage.

"Leave it to me; I'll make an example of this person, so all the followers of the Abyss live their lives in constant fear of the light." The headmaster stated, with a smile that ensured victory, thing that sickened Ozpin to no end.

"Very well, I'll leave thing in your capable hands, mister Oda." Ozpin said as he cut the transmission, leaving a chuckling Nobunaga behind his desk.

After graduating, Nobunaga approached Ozpin with a new plan, a way to ensure that the light would never be blinded again against the darkness; he proposed himself as the next headmaster of Beacon, where he would ensure that only the best would graduate, while keeping an eye on suspicious actions against the Voice of the Heavens, while Ozpin was made leader of his own organization, a group solely dedicated to monitor the movements of the darkness, and with free reign on how to approach each and any danger, with the full support of all the kingdoms, making it the shield of the world. Ozpin was forced to accept the deal after being pointed at how poorly he prepared for the assault of the Abyss, and Nobunaga quickly demonstrated how many good results he could produce… even if he had to be ruthless with the students.

"Headmaster." Blake greeted as she entered the office, wearing a suit that made her look very professional, and extremely sexy.

"Yes, my Deputy?" Nobunaga answered back, basically eating her with his eyes, not losing sight of her a she circled the desk to get to his side.

"I have the dossiers of the hopefuls for the next year; I was hoping we could review them… together." Blake explained with an incredible sensual voice, taking seat on the headmaster's lap.

"I was hoping we don't." Nobunaga coyly replied as he began to kiss her.

"Are you going to make a sibling for me?" A girlish voice scared them so hard that they fell to the floor, making the cat faunus girl wince at the loud thud.

"RAIN!" The Oda couple called their daughter in obvious discomfort, yet she seemed unfazed, as if used to catch them in romantic mode.

"How did you enter?" Blake asked with a voice that promised vengeance.

"Through a small hole." Rain Oda answered as if informing them of something casual.

"No. Seriously; how did you enter? The office is meant to be completely sealed." Nobunaga addressed her now, with eyes asking for the truth.

"I'm being serious. I was prodding for weak points when I found that the ventilation system is connected everywhere without proper filters. Like, I can literally go anywhere in the academy through the ducts." Rain reported, with her ears twitching every now and then, making it impossible for the adults to be mad at her.

"Well, I'm going to explore a little more, and maybe go and play with Auntie Glynda at the shrine. Hey, if possible can my sibling be a boy? I want a little brother!" Rain said as she became a cloud of darkness, moving through the ventilation system before her parents could reprimand her.

As time passed, the Oda clan became famous for steering the kingdom in the right direction, while ensuring peace to the people, sometimes they acted like dictators, others, as benevolent leaders, but they always ensured the best for the people. But the Darkness never sleeps, never stops, it is always lurking, waiting for the light to look the other way, and plots to unseal Salem continued to be made in the darkest corners of the world… but hey would be challenges for another generation, for another time…

Magnus: To be honest, I wanted a more grandiose ending, but that would mean leaving the story open for an even longer sequel, and i can't bring myself to do so; but, if anyone wants to take it up from here, or use this story as a template, feel free to do so.