It couldn't have been more than perhaps five minutes after they departed from Schnee Manor that a military airship came along to escort Iridescence onto the frontlines. Top-of-the-line, the aircraft caught up with their friends' standard Manta airships in what felt like no-time flat, which left Iridescence's quarter with little time to mentally prepare themselves for the Grimm attack they were being tasked to halt. Opal considered herself blessed for her ability to switch gears on a moment's notice, and quickly noticed Lux, Tenebris, and Aurora's expressions all indicated their calm, collected anticipation of what was to come. Given the complete necessity of proper coordination between Huntsmen teams to thwart an invasion of this unprecedented scale, Opal had created an open call between everyone before they reached Mantle.

"Alright, early reports indicate that the Grimm are approaching from the south, since that's where the lower city's outer wall has its breach," Opal mentioned. "That means that there isn't technically a 'northern front' for anybody here to worry about defending, just yet."

"So basically, there are three fronts that we have to cover, then," Jaune inferred. "East, west, and south, where the Grimm are pouring in primarily."

"How do you wanna handle this, guys?" Ruby asked.

"Opal, Ruby, if it's alright with you, I think JNPR should tackle the eastern front. There'll be plenty of Beowolves and Ursai down there, sure, but Mantle's single largest safehouse is located there too," Jaune said. "If anybody here's qualified for a fight where we need to hunker down and defend one spot, it's probably JNPR."

"Then consider the eastern sectors all yours, Jaune," Opal confirmed.

"Think you can handle the pressure, vomit boy?" Yang teased.

"Definitely," Jaune asserted. "JNPR wasn't the same when Pyrrha still wasn't in tip-top shape back during the fight at Haven, but we've worked past that. My team's got its groove back, and nobody else is gonna die down there once we land. That's a promise!"

"You said it, Jaune!" Nora praised.

"Thanks. What about the other fronts, then?"

"RWBY will handle the west, no problem!" Ruby assured. "Seems like there'll be dozens of Sabyrs down there, but the bigger issue's gonna be the Megoliaths that are rampaging there too. Iridescence has firepower, but we'll handle those bigger Grimm, for sure! Right, team?"

"Sounds like a plan, Ruby!"

"Look at my little sister, acting like a leader! Let's bust some heads!"

"With my summons, it's not a disadvantageous matchup," Weiss offered. "This should be doable for us, so long as we aren't needlessly reckless."

"If it isn't an issue, Opal, I think that I'll help them out," Qrow informed. "It's not like they need babysitting, but every trained Huntsman counts when you're dealing with Megoliaths – their hides are about as thick as they come. Besides, I'm already inside their airship anyways. Saves everybody some time."

"Understood. Iridescence will deploy straight into the main breach, then. Since the military's ground troops haven't had enough time to fortify their position yet, they're gonna need all the help they can get." Opal momentarily glanced upward to find her teammates all giving her their various firm nods of approval. "Oh, and Weiss?"

"Yes…?"

"Thanks," Opal said. "What you did back there, with your father-"

"Think nothing of it, Opal," Weiss interrupted. "Finally bringing my father the justice he's evaded for decades was cathartic for everyone, and described bluntly, my actions were simply the right course of action that anybody with a heart would've taken, in my situation. Consider it my preemptive thanks for your team taking on the hardest role, in all this."

"Being deployed onto the frontlines of crisis scenarios like these is somewhat Iridescence's entire purpose," Opal responded. "Don't worry about us. We'll have each other, our upgrades, and the greatest condensation of military infantry right there with us. Evacuation and Grimm suppression should be simple, with all that behind us."

"True."

"Okay, then it sounds like everybody knows what their jobs are, here," Jaune noted. "Our ships are already splitting up, so it'd probably be smart if we went radio silent. We should focus on the fights we're about to drop down into."

"Right! Stay safe, guys!" Ruby encouraged.

"Right back at you!" Opal returned. When she pressed a button that deactivated the continued call and collapsed her scroll, she replaced the compact device inside her pocket and refocused her gaze back on her teammates. "Now that that's over with… Lux, Tenebris, Aurora – are you three alright?"

"Are we alright?" Tenebris echoed. "We should be asking you that question, right now."

Opal's brow raised whilst she tightened her belt, making certain that her weapon's sheath wouldn't slip through the fabric mid-combat. "Why's that?"

"Because you essentially bore the brunt of Ironwood's anger back there all by yourself," Lux explained. "Seriously, are you alright?"

"Yeah. Fine," Opal reassured. "Whatever pressure's leftover from Ironwood's interrogation will probably fade quickly once we make landfall again. There won't exactly time to waste worrying about what the general's thinking right now when we'll have bigger things to think about, there."

Aurora hummed an agreement. "We have more work ahead of us than ever before. When we're down there, there won't be anywhere we can retreat safely without either endangering the citizens or exposing ourselves to the Grimm. Until a safe zone is established and heavier combat units are deployed, it's essentially Iridescence and the infantry against the entire invasion. An invasion that, mind you, we have no concrete confirmation whatsoever about all the Grimm species that'll be present right near the breach."

"Okay, so literally like every invasion that's happened, recently," Tenebris stated with a rather nonchalant shrug. "If that's everything, this'll all be over before dinnertime, eh?"

Aurora sighed. "Again, your nonchalance is enviable."

"Nah," Tenebris dismissed. "Honestly, everyone being as nonchalant as me would probably doom all humanity really quick. Besides, without your reminders before every mission, I kinda maybe would've gotten myself killed already. Even before we hit the ground running, you've always kept me alive somehow."

"Which is exactly why Iridescence acts like the cohesive unit this kingdom's always needed, but never received before we arrived," Opal commented, drawing her teammates' attention back her direction. "Rough start aside, Iridescence has always worked well together, watching each other's backs, and complementing each other in combat. With the kingdom's citizens relying on us for their survival, we can't afford any mistakes! We will become Atlas' heroes again, today!"

Lux smirked. "Damn straight."

"Our reputation's been put through the wringer, but this'll help repair it sooner rather than later," Aurora commented. "I think it's safe to say that this is the most important mission we've ever received here."

"No arguments there," Tenebris agreed.

Metallic screeching bombarding their ears from just outside their airship cut their conversation short. Their airship rumbled, its speed dropped considerably, and alarms sounded throughout the ship like the sirens wailing out their warnings into the city below. Opal recovered first from the turbulence, training her feline ears toward the source of the initial disturbance.

"Well, then…" Opal paused. "Looks like our ship's lost an engine already."

Tenebris sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Yikes. Wasn't this ship supposed to have cost like, fifty million lien or something insane?"

"Yep," Lux confirmed. Casually walking toward the airship's right side, the sliding door located therein opened. "We should probably bail before this thing's automated pilot drone crashes it straight into the tundra."

"Seconded," Aurora added, approaching the sliding door opposite him. "Shall we?"

"Sounds fun!" Tenebris dashed straight past, and beyond the sliding door. "Geronimo!"

Aurora sighed. "I'll… make sure he doesn't crush anyone when he lands."

Their airship shuddering again, Opal approached her partner while Aurora dropped down onto the invasion's ground zero. Lux smiled and gestured outside with his hand.

"Ladies first?"

"Not the time for chivalry, but I'll take it." Opal grabbed onto his collar, pulling him down just barely to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "This invasion will end. We'll win this fight."

"No doubts there," Lux said.

"Then without any further delay…" Opal jumped. "See you soon!"

She didn't waste another instant in paying attention to how Lux might've dramatically leaped from their doomed airship; instead, Opal whipped out her weapon, transforming it into its bow configuration before the clever use of her quiver's grapple arrow let her land safely down on the city streets below. Tenebris and Aurora could be seen rapidly jogging toward their leader, while Lux's familiar cry of excitement drew their attention upwards.

'Never change, Lux…'

With all the alacrity and enthusiasm that he could muster, Lux leaped from the airship just before its only other operable engine detonated. His shout drew the attention of the nearby Sphinx that, presumably, might've been the very same that took out their airship's engine originally. Both the Grimm and Lux spun around to face each other simultaneously, their mutual contest of skull started without a sound, but even before landing, Lux proved himself faster. Wiz was raised, aimed, and charged with his semblance all before the Sphinx could flap its wings even once, and Lux blew the beast's head apart moments before cushioning his fall with a timely whirlwind.

Coincidentally, Lux's landing strategy depicted him in an incredibly heroic pose.

"Showoff," Tenebris teased.

"With a semblance like mine?" Lux pushed himself up from one knee, onto his feet. "You can't blame me for pulling stunts like that every now and again, right?"

"Touché."

Aurora ignored the twins' banter. "Looks like the military's been busy, guys."

Iridescence's three other members followed their teammate's implicit advice and momentarily paused, taking in their surroundings. Despite the cacophonous constancy of battle sounds around them, their eyes revealed that the Atlesian military had wasted little time in forming their own defense. Various squads of rifle-wielding infantry opened fire unto the distant breach from safety upon rooftops, rockets flew from passing Manta airships overhead, and machine gun turrets were rapidly being installed wherever possible to reinforce the immediate area.

"Atlesian efficiency at it's finest," Opal observed. "Don't forget that this is essentially an active warzone, everyone. We have to balance killing Grimm with protecting the civilians that might've been otherwise unable to evacuate when the invasion started, alright?"

Lux deftly chambered another round into his bolt-action musket. "You can count on us. This isn't the first apocalypse we've fought through, after all."

While the sounds of advancing Grimm grew nearer, Opal's ears found themselves swiveling elsewhere. Open windows and alleyways offering the barest refuge from the Grimm's onslaught revealed the presence of citizens who, indeed, hadn't successfully escaped the carnage that spontaneously appeared on their doorsteps. Their reactions to Iridescence's presence differed almost as dramatically as their skin tones, races, and genders.

"Iridescence? What're they doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're gonna protect everybody!"

"Didn't Ironwood have them try and kill Robyn Hill, though?"

"Yeah, but they're here now! Maybe they really were framed!"

Opal refocused her attention away from the civilians, back toward her teammates. "I'm sure everybody around here heard them, too. We have plenty to prove, and there's no better time than the present to show them that Iridescence has always been looking out for them."

Aurora nodded, with Tenebris stepping past both his teammates and their leader while cracking his knuckles. Another impending wave of nefarious Grimm was making its ferocious charge through the breach, and Tenebris grinned at his friends over his shoulder.

"Waiting for your orders, Opal." Tenebris winked.

"Alright, then…" Opal sank into her combat-ready stance. "Iridescence! Let's save this city!"

Exactly like one could've expected during an invasion of an entirely unprecedented scale, JNPR hadn't simply hit the ground running; no, they hit the ground sprinting once their deployment was complete. From the second their feet landed on the pavement, the sparse military presence that had been allocated into JNPR's self-assigned portion of Mantle was already on the brink of collapse under the sheer condensation of the Beowolves and Ursai that swarmed them. Given the creatures' speciation, Jaune had almost felt some nostalgia, but immediately eliminated that sensation within himself to bolster his focus. Why?

Because among the hundreds, even thousands of citizens that their team was protecting inside and outside Mantle's largest shelter, there were some individuals whom Jaune recognized from his time spent wandering the lower city. Some children whom he recognized. Amidst an almost world-shattering crisis like this, Jaune couldn't and wouldn't jeopardize their safety because he made even one mistake.

"Okay! JNPR!" Jaune shouted. "Disperse evenly around the entrance to the underground shelter! Protect those who couldn't make it inside because it's already at capacity, and make sure that our formation makes a semicircle around the area! Nothing gets through us!"

"Understood!" Ren acknowledged, sprinting over toward the farthest corner of their invisible, fortified semicircle without any hesitation.

"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Nora exuberantly declared.

"Jaune! I'll handle the corner opposite Ren's," Pyrrha informed, backing away. "You'll handle this current position, right?"

"Yep!" Jaune confirmed, readying his weapons. "Hopefully, the infantry that's still nearby will catch onto what we're doing and provide reinforcements. Even if they don't, this formation shouldn't be penetrated by the Grimm easily. Not when our team's here."

Pyrrha nodded. When she arrived at her designated quadrant of their team's semicircle shelter defense, she sank into a stance incredibly reminiscent of that which Jaune employed now. That simple reminder of the incredible improvements his partner had helped him make over these past few months renewed Jaune's fighting spirit. His gaze refocused on the street straight ahead, his expression hardened.

Another infernal swarm of Beowolves and Ursai was almost upon them.

'Come on! You aren't getting past JNPR!'

Before long, the first of many Beowolves pounced toward him. Jaune raised his shield before the creature could crash into his chest, thwarting the Grimm's attack and earning an annoyed snarl from the demonic creature's throat. It quickly dissolved into ashes carried away with the wind when Jaune plunged his sword through its torso, though he didn't pause to celebrate the small victory whatsoever.

Another of its kin came to replace its predecessor almost immediately, yet once again, Jaune outmaneuvered his opponent. Stepping to the side so that the telegraphed slash of its lengthy claws flew wide, Jaune shouted and bashed his shield into the Grimm's skull, shattering its boney mask and leaving its chest vulnerable to the mighty thrust that followed that same action.

'Two down. Who's next?'

Jaune's attention was brought back toward the street beyond himself once the characteristic roar of an Ursa came into his ears. His shield and sword were raised back into the position that had become second-nature to him, over the many months he'd spent with his teammates.

"An Ursa, huh? It's just like old times, then," he muttered.

Unfamiliar determination hardened Jaune's gaze against the Grimm when the muscular beast began an eager advance toward its opponent. Once it'd closed enough distance that Jaune was sure it couldn't stop itself in any short amount of time, he moved first. Running straight toward the simpleminded Grimm, it bellowed threateningly in preparation to try and maul its foe, but Jaune's strategic mindset triumphed, before long.

Sliding underneath the massive creature and heaving every ounce of his strength into the aura around his arms, Jaune flipped the Ursa onto its back a short distance behind him. While the Grimm reeled and messily flopped around to right itself, Jaune dashed back toward his previous position and leaped. Jaune landed on the creature's back and jammed the base of his shield into the back of its neck, securing his position enough that Crocea Mors' blade could plunge through the Ursa's thick, umbral hide.

When his latest opponent collapsed into nothingness just like his previous opponents, Jaune rolled his shoulders. Glancing back down the street from whence the latest wave had originated then offered him confirmation that this same wave would end sooner rather than later, with only five more stragglers headed his direction, right now.

After what felt like an eternity hating himself for his weakness, Jaune was acutely aware that while his form wasn't quite perfect, it was undeniable that he'd become a good Huntsman, over these past few months. With Pyrrha's personal tutelage, Ren's battle mediation techniques, and his friends' support combined, there wasn't even the slightest hint of doubt in Jaune's mind that he'd eventually become the man he only ever dreamed of being before JNPR became involved in the fight against Salem.

Those battle meditation techniques Ren had drilled into his leader's head while they spent hours upon hours inside the combat simulator were finally paying off, too. With his body moving with almost autonomous efficiency to combat the Grimm that thrust themselves upon him, his mind remained aware of his teammates' actions, always making sure that they were alright.

And with Beacon's fall an eternal reminder of their worst failures as fighters, Jaune wouldn't dare risk unawareness of his teammates' safety during an assault like this. Every detail he could gather during an intense battle like this counted.

Thus, JNPR's leader found himself intimately aware of his teammates' battles without sacrificing his own's efficiency whatsoever.

While Jaune continued combating his own onslaught of Grimm, Ren fell backward onto his palms, kicking two Beowolves into the air before jumping after them in a whirlwind of bullets and blades. Another unwary Beowolf came quickly to take advantage of its target's vulnerability while still airborne, but StormFlower's bayonets flew into a nearby streetlamp, their attached wires swiftly pulling their owner to safety. Now prepared for his next opponent, Ren crouched and stabbed his bayonets straight through the underside of the creature's jaw before another quick burst of bullets killed it outright. When yet another Beowolf pounced toward Ren from behind, nervousness gripped Jaune's chest.

Then, without even looking, Ren whipped out his father's dagger and decapitated his opponent before it ever arrived. Jaune's nervousness then dissolved into jealousy.

'Damnit! Why does he have to be so cool!?'

After quickly quelling that brief internal outburst, Jaune bore witness to Ren's next preparatory actions. In anticipation of another Grimm's arrival, Ren raised his weapons, prepared to open fire upon the next three Beowolves that were headed his way – yet they'd never be given the chance to test their might.

With uproarious glee, Nora unleashed an explosion from Magnhild right beneath her feet. Her skin crackled with electricity thanks to her semblance's strength-augmenting might, and she directly intercepted the Beowolf trio bound for her boyfriend. Swinging her hammer as though it weighed nothing, she easily plowed through the three juvenile Grimm like paper, an eager grin spread across her lips all the while. Before her boyfriend could even express his gratitude, however, she enthusiastically launched herself straight back into her quadrant of their team's defensive efforts.

Electricity danced across Magnhild's metallic surface, indicative of Nora quickly restoring what strength she'd expended while assisting her partner. When she landed, two Ursai that'd started charging toward the exposed civilians were caught off-guard by their opponent's abrupt arrival. Nora smashed one's skull completely underneath Magnhild's head, then penetrated her second target's mask with its sharpened back half. Another nearby Ursai roared and raised its arm to swipe at her, but Nora only smirked before making her next move.

Almost casually, she caught the Ursa's hand before it even came close to hitting her. Her grin widened, and the frozen-skinned Grimm almost appeared to do a double-take when it recognized the vulnerable position it'd been forced into.

"Sayonara, ugly!" Nora taunted.

Transformed into its grenade launcher configuration, one point-blank grenade being fired launched the creature backward, killing it instantly once the purposefully delayed ordinance detonated. Nora then turned her attention skyward, wherein a nearby Manticore was steadily making its way nearer to their position.

"You wanna munch on these people, huh?!" Nora pointed her grenade launcher straight up, a confident smirk about her face. "That ain't happening! Not on our watch!"

Another delayed explosive popped out from its chamber, at which point Nora simultaneously stepped backward and transformed her weapon back into its hammer mode. Swinging Magnhild like a simple baseball bat, the grenade was launched perfectly onto an intercept course toward its Manticore target. Swift enough that the Manticore's massive form couldn't outmaneuver the smaller projectile, the ensuing explosion turned everything above its neck into ashes. Its body followed suit shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, Jaune eliminated another of his opponents with a gravity dust-augmented smash from his shield and smirked. 'Never change, Nora. Never change.'

Completely reassured that those of his teammates defending the shelter from his left side could completely protect themselves, Jaune's instinctive analysis of the situation drew his mind's eye elsewhere. Specifically, where Pyrrha was singlehandedly protecting the rightmost quadrant of their defensive semicircle this entire time.

Despite fighting alongside Pyrrha for several months, though, what Jaune witnessed through his peripheral vision still somehow astonished him. Employing practiced techniques with almost dance-like gracefulness, Pyrrha fluidly held her own against all their current wave of Grimm could throw meaninglessly against her.

After Pyrrha exposed her present adversary's chest with a well-timed parry with her shield, Miló buried itself down unto its base inside the juvenile Beowolf's chest, killing it instantly. Another of its brethren bounded forward to prevent its predecessor's killer from achieving any recovery time, though Pyrrha was prepared. All it took was pushing a single button on Akoúo̱'s handle, and its bladed discus poked out from its perimeter, enabling Pyrrha to deliver a lethal slice with her shield across the creature's face.

Next, an Ursa came to continue the seemingly ceaseless combat, yet even this opponent would fall even faster than either creature that had come before. Three swift stabs with her xiphos connected with an equal number of vital spots upon the Ursa's face, neck, and upper back, and it faded away into black smoke before its body could even inconvenience the fabled invincible girl. Wasting no time after that victory, said girl then switched Miló into its rifle mode and aimed further down the street.

Three shots delivered merciless steel bullets into three Ursai's skulls, granting another number of kills under Pyrrha's belt – and earning her the full attention of the Alpha Beowolf that had previously been spectating her performance from afar. Given the latter's improbable odds of success, Jaune almost felt bad for the thing.

Almost.

When the Alpha Beowolf released an animalistic snarl before bouncing around the immediate area in what it presumably thought would be an unpredictable manner, Pyrrha transitioned her rifle back into its xiphos form and entered a defensive stance. While analyzing the creature's movements, Jaune noticed that his partner was possibly trying to bait the Alpha into thinking its leaps around the area were too erratic for its prey to track. That same bait, once taken, doomed the elder Grimm just as decisively as all those Pyrrha had slain before.

Then the creature seemed satisfied with its seeming dominance over the Huntress in terms of mobility, and it finally engaged. Spinning around a streetlamp and pouncing with powerful hind legs straight toward its prey without hesitation, the Alpha unintentionally left it soft stomach exposed to any manner of attack. Akoúo̱'s bladed discus trailing behind her, Pyrrha spun around upon her good heel and threw the defensive implement with destructive intent. Its blade cleaved its way straight through the beast's abdomen, and its owner retrieved her shield with the help of her semblance before the Grimm even fully disappeared.

Meanwhile, there was an incredibly dangerous opponent already soaring through the skies that even Pyrrha hadn't noticed. Jaune's legs thrust him into an instinctive sprint before his conscious caught up with the implications.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted. "Watch out!"

"Wha-?"

An enormous Teryx nosedived toward her, its massive jaws wide open and prepared to swallow the Huntress whole, yet adrenaline made Jaune move faster. Acting on impulse, Jaune swung his shield hard into the side of the airborne Grimm's jaw and released a gravity-amplified blast. Its bony plates cracked, the Teryx squealed in protest, and began ascending to escape their range before any other attacks could connect.

His shield still raised, Jaune glanced behind him. "Pyrrha! Are you alright?"

"With you watching my back?" Pyrrha nodded. "That goes without saying."

"Good," Jaune said, relieved. "Ren! This wave of Grimm's pretty much finished! Don't let that Teryx nosedive through those civilians!"

Ren slit another creature's throat, eliminating the last ground-based Grimm within the immediate vicinity. He then nodded firmly at his leader. "Right away!"

Once again, StormFlower's bayonets stretched skyward, sinking themselves into the airborne Grimm's back before it could escape. Ren reeled himself in, cold ferocity plain to see upon his face when he secured himself between the creature's wings. Without hesitation, his movements then became a blur as he rapidly spun around the creature's body, raking his bayonets across the vulnerable flesh over the Teryx's throat. Firmly refusing to perish, the beast thrashed around violently, throwing Ren from its neck and back down towards the ground, wherein the Huntsman's grappling bayonets assured his safe descent.

Nora switched Magnhild into its ranged mode. "You aren't getting away that easy!"

One well-placed grenade was what pushed the Teryx's body beyond the breaking point, and the abominable creature's form faded away in a combination of pink smoke and black ashes. Nora grinned and spun around, paying firm attention to the area she'd been defending only seconds prior; however, judging by the small smirk on her face, the appreciative smile Ren threw her way didn't go unnoticed.

"Well, that's one less aircraft-sized Grimm to worry about, then," Jaune quietly noted.

"Right. On another positive note, it looks like the military infantry is finally making their way here," Pyrrha pointed out. "Look."

Jaune followed where she was pointing with her weapon outside their defensive area. It wasn't much, but it looked like several infantrymen and combat engineers hauling with them several Atlesian Knights and other defensive implements were indeed emerging from the city streets around their position. Given that every able-bodied fighter counted in crises like these, even this token gesture of reinforcements could potentially save thousands of lives, down the line. Saying nothing, Jaune only observed as another group followed after the first, and both started fortifying the semicircle JNPR had formed without any instruction whatsoever.

"This… this isn't good," Jaune murmured.

"What?" Pyrrha questioned. "Yes, this invasion isn't optimal for everybody to combat, but the situation's improving, isn't it? These reinforcements will make an incredible difference, moving forward, won't they?"

"They will, it's just that…" Jaune paused. Scanning his surroundings, although no additional Grimm had appeared yet, the sounds of Mantle's desperate defensive still surrounded them like active warfare. "It doesn't matter how efficiently we can protect this shelter, because what these people need is evacuation into Atlas. They aren't going to survive without heat, let alone during an invasion this large, and we can't fight forever. This point-defense mission isn't gonna solve anything permanently – it's only a temporary solution."

"You heard what General Ironwood said about moving the fleet, though," Pyrrha reminded. "Do you really think he'll begin an evacuation of everyone into Atlas when the situation's already so volatile?"

Familiar demonic roars from down the street interrupted Jaune before he could respond. Another sizeable amount of Grimm were almost upon them, and they sounded like they were all coming from a single street, too. There wasn't any time to waste.

"I don't know, but it looks like break time's over," Jaune commented. "JNPR! Looks like the next wave is coming from one angle! Phalanx formation, everybody! Give the military troops time to build up their defenses!"

Only pausing to exchange an approving nod with his partner, Jaune walked somewhat closer to the street from which some Grimm were already appearing. Hard-light dust expanded Crocea Mors' defensive half into a barrier-sized kite shield, and Jaune knelt onto the ground. Nora and Pyrrha appeared at his sides and mirrored his positioning, their weapons transformed into their ranged modes and hovering slightly above the projected shield. Ren crouched behind his leader; weapons readied for the imminent onslaught.

JNPR's leader wasn't an infallible bastion of martial skill, certainly, but Jaune could never be described as someone who wouldn't push himself beyond his limits if it meant he could protect those that needed him. That motivation was what drove him to excel, now and forevermore.

Whereas their allies' missions were more intrinsically involved with either Grimm suppression or point-defense, RWBY's efforts were decidedly vaguer where their mission's difficulty was concerned. Evacuation efforts were still underway in their section of the city, with some number of Atlesian Paladins having been deployed to defend their sector's shelter, though it wasn't like RWBY needn't concern themselves with assuring civilians' safety whatsoever. About five minutes after they leaped from their airship, Ruby surmised that theirs would be a delicate effort balancing between evacuation efforts and killing Grimm, which, all things considered, was easier said than done. Nevertheless, Ruby hadn't lost confidence in her friends' abilities to see their job through to its completion for an instant.

Whilst decapitating another swift Sabyr that accidentally jumped right over her head, she also recognized that her skills weren't too shabby, either.

'Another one bites the dust. That makes eleven down. Twelve? Dang-it, I lost track!'

Ruby shook her head. Now wasn't exactly the right time to mourn over how she couldn't match Iridescence's ability to track their kill counts with miraculous ease. One quick utilization of her semblance brought her face-to-face with another Sabyr in almost no time flat, and Crescent Rose bisected the creature with equal efficiency. One shot aimed at the ground propelled the petite girl into the air, her scythe transformed into a spear-like configuration, and gravity alone enabled her to stab straight through another Grimm's spine.

'Gotcha. Now, time for some ranged support!'

Another petal burst punctuated the second rapid-fire use of Ruby's speed-augmenting semblance, and the brief reprieve from gravity's firm grip that same momentum provided offered her enough leeway to seemingly fly onto a nearby rooftop. Crescent Rose made another transition from spear into sniper rifle, and its scope poked out from its main body right as its owner leaned forward to aim at several additional Sabyrs. Making every moment she'd once spent training her sniper skills count, it didn't even take five seconds before two bullets pierced right through an equal number of Sabyrs' skulls.

"Alright! I was made for this!" a familiar voice declared.

Immediately, Ruby's sights shifted elsewhere. 'Oh yeah, I should probably cover them too.'

With a wide grin spread across her lips, Yang sprinted straight into the greatest condensation of Sabyrs anywhere near the street their team was currently defending. Infected by her older sister's excitement, Ruby couldn't help but smirk as she prepared to rain sniper fire down on the Grimm that'd otherwise perhaps catch Yang off-guard. Such an eventuality was doubtful, but in this situation, every precaution taken mattered.

While her little half-sister intermittently eliminated Sabyrs all around her, Yang didn't hesitate before getting to work. Ending her reckless sprint with a heavy hook, Yang's fist crashed straight through the first of many Sabyrs' skulls, and two follow-up jabs from Ember Cecilia's shotguns blasted another two into oblivion. Another nearby Grimm leaped over her, though not before the Huntress cleverly planted an explosive on its underbelly when the creature missed its opportunity to strike her completely. Upon landing, the monster paused, studying its adversary's features.

"What? Already giving up?" Yang teased. "That little punch was just a love tap…"

Then the unthinkable happened.

One of RWBY's brute-force brawler's golden locks fluttered down from atop her head. It appeared that the Sabyr's claws had just barely nicked one of Yang's hairs, and that action had escaped completely beneath the latter's notice… until now.

"You monster!" Yang shouted.

'Oh, boy… here it comes,' Ruby thought.

"I'll never forgive you! Now take this!"

Yang pumped her arms inwards, and her reprehensible assailant turned into naught but black smoke and an accompanying explosion in no time. Although the brawler's eyes flared red, casually whipping her abundant hair back around calmed them back into their normal lilac color before long. Then, as though she hadn't just obliterated another Grimm largely because it'd harmed her hair, she smiled.

"Nice one, Yang!" Ruby complimented from afar. "Just remember to be careful! You can't tank explosions like Tenebris! You don't wear armor, remember?"

"Ah, it's fine!" Yang responded, casually backhanding another Sabyr that pounced at her into oblivion; meanwhile, Ruby shot that same creature's brother-in-arms between the eyes. "These ones are just chumps, anyway!"

Ruby shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

For an instant, another explosion drew their attention away from the main battle on their street, wherein they found Blake emerging from a nearby alleyway. While running back onto the street, Blake replaced her weapon's oversized cleaver of a sheath onto her back, subtly hinting that the explosion her teammates heard might've only been another clever combination of dust and her semblance being used against some Grimm. Only when she came closer toward Yang's position did she slow down, though she didn't delay before joining in on the continued melee against the remaining Sabyrs within the area.

"What brings you back here, Blake?" Yang asked rhetorically. Blasting another Grimm's arms clean off their body, she ended the abomination's life with a merciless curb stomp. "Thought you were supposed to be sightseeing!"

"Very funny, Yang," Blake responded with mock amusement. Her sword collapsed into a pistol, and she periodically began taking potshots at those Grimm neither of her teammates seemed to notice. "Though if we're being serious, I just finished making sure that the civilians on this street have completely cleared out."

"That's fantastic!" Weiss shouted. From her position nearly on the other side of the street, she pointed straight forward with her rapier, causing her Queen Lancer summon to shoot its stinger and pierce through five Sabyrs completely. "Then we can move along onto the next street and make sure there aren't any stragglers, over there!"

Moments before their leader could respond, the ominous roar of an entity larger than any others that RWBY had encountered the last few minutes bellowed through their street. Now, Ruby was aware she wasn't quite the sharpest crayon in the campfire, but even she knew exactly what that sound meant – a Megoliath was almost upon them.

"Oh, right," Yang said. "We gotta deal with some Megoliaths too."

"This is awesome, then!" Ruby exclaimed. "We can fight the Megoliath back together! It'll be the perfect chance for me to train on the job, just like with the last one!"

"Didn't your 'training attempt' completely fail, though?" Blake questioned.

"Terrifically, yes," Weiss confirmed, her summon fading away behind her. "Remember that I needed to bail Yang out when she was almost crushed, that time."

"Hey!" Ruby shouted childishly. "That time was different! This time, since I'm still struggling with my silver eyes, we should use this opportunity to help me use it now!"

"That honestly provides me even more reason to argue against this plan," Weiss contested, her hesitance abundantly clear in her expression. "We're fighting back a Grimm cataclysm right now, not battling against a training simulator robot, but…"

"We'll follow your lead," Yang finished.

"Are we using the same plan as before?" Blake asked.

"Nope! This time, you and Yang will attack its back legs!" Ruby ordered. "Weiss! Your job's the same as before! Wrestle that Megoliath!"

Weiss sighed as the building-sized beast came into view around the corner. "Alright… here's to hoping that things don't go awry again…"

Myrtenaster was stabbed almost an entire foot into the ground, its wielder's eyes closed as an intricate glyph appeared before her. From within its ornate design came the familiarly massive knight-like Arma Gigas summon she always used in situations like these. It hefted its large broadsword over its shoulder and charged at the Megoliath, which promptly returned the favor. Nevertheless, the Arma Gigas swung its weapon with its blunt side forward first, slamming against the Megoliath's tusks and immediately turning their encounter into an effort wherein both parties were desperately pushing against each other. Then, when the Grimm was about to wrap its trunk around the summon's leg, the Arma Gigas slammed its foot down on the extra appendage. The Megoliath groaned in protest, but the summon had done its job perfectly – they were deadlocked.

Without another moment's delay, Yang and Blake then both burst into action themselves. They darted between the titanic Grimm's front legs before reaching their respective targets, at which point, they unleashed havoc. Yang planted a plentiful flurry of explosives on one hind leg while Blake settled on simply using her sword to shred the creature's tendons.

Ruby's teammates returned to relative safety nearby Weiss' side, and Yang promptly detonated her explosives, earning another roar of pain from their Megoliath foe as its hind legs gave out from underneath itself. RWBY's leader didn't waste any time thereafter before hopping back onto the ground a short distance between her teammates and the incapacitated Megoliath and finally made her gambit.

Dangerous though it was, just as Maria had once instructed, Ruby closed her eyes and focused her conscious thoughts toward her happiest memories.

When Weiss had first acknowledged her as their team's leader.

When Qrow had first returned into her life after months away on an unknown mission.

When Maria had taken it upon herself to tutor another silver-eyed warrior's skills.

When Penny had befriended her all those months ago.

When everybody among RWBY, JNPR, and Iridescence had dedicated themselves to fighting alongside each other until the bitter end, no matter what misfortune befell them.

All that positivity built upon countless other happy memories, the heartfelt sincerity of each memory building upon each other into an unstoppable cascade that brought out the strongest urge to simply protect that Ruby had ever felt before. An invisible pressure built behind her closed eyelids. It was time. She opened her eyes…

And in that instant, overwhelmingly bright silver light illuminated their entire street. Right as that same momentous display faded away, both the Megoliath and the accompanying dozen Grimm that had appeared while Ruby's eyes were closed collapsed into inanimate ash. After so much training, she almost smiled at the sight.

Then an immense headache killed that instinctive urge completely, and she found herself feeling slightly lightheaded shortly thereafter.

"Whoa there!" Yang appeared from behind her, catching her half-sister underneath an arm when it looked like she was about to collapse. "Don't go falling apart on us now! You just did some crazy work, right there!"

"Yeah, I did, huh?" Ruby inhaled slowly and recovered her ability to stand with her own strength at a somewhat similar pace. "No wonder Maria's silver eyes made her famous."

"Were you supposed to get lightheaded afterward, though?" Blake inquired. "That seems like a really risky drawback when you're still fighting back hordes of Grimm."

"Yeah, but also kinda no," Ruby answered. "The lightheadedness, and this killer headache I have now, is kinda only happening because I'm not experienced with my silver eyes yet. Maria once told me that silver-eyed warriors tote the line between unimaginable power and going blind if they use their powers too much too early in their training."

"That feels like something we should've been aware of beforehand," Yang commented.

"Agreed," Weiss added.

"Don't worry you guys, it's fine!" Ruby insisted, casually swinging her scythe onto her shoulders to strengthen her point. She ignored the painful pounding inside her skull. "It's not like I'm talented enough to risk going blind yet, anyway."

"Again, backward logic," Weiss argued. "Between Maria's behavior and yours, I'm beginning to think using silver eyes fries your brain, not your eyes."

Ruby sighed. "You know, with this headache? You might have a point there."

"Either way, we should probably trust Maria's training right now," Blake argued. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?" Ruby responded.

"Even if we know you can use your silver eyes whenever we might really need them, just try and be careful right now," Blake cautioned, clearly concerned. "Maria can probably train you enough that you won't blind yourself using your silver eyes, but only if you don't get yourself killed. We can't cover you completely. Not while we're still on the clock."

"You're right," Ruby conceded. "Still! I used my silver eyes right when we needed them! That's some awesome progress!"

"Damn straight!" Yang praised, lightly punching her in the shoulder.

Then another Megoliath's roar boomed through their ears.

"And just like that, we're running behind on our Grimm suppression duties," Weiss observed.

"Yeah, we should probably continue fighting back right now." Blake pointed down another alleyway with her sword. "What's our orders, Ruby?"

Ruby grinned. "Take down even more monsters!"

"Aw, yeah!" Yang cheered, smashing her fists together before dashing down that alleyway alongside her feline faunus teammate. "I wanna see if I can throw one of those Megoliaths into the freaking sky!"

Ruby chased after them with her semblance. "Wait up! I've gotta see this happen!"

"Why are you all acting insane now!?" Weiss pled.

In response, it took an absolutely herculean amount of self-control for Ruby to completely ward away an urge to laugh. Once she fell from her latest petal burst, she, Yang, and Blake slowed just enough for their white-haired teammate to catch up, and RWBY thereby emerged as a cohesive unit onto the next street over. There, they soon discovered that their presence there might've very well been completely redundant. Why?

Because there weren't any Grimm in sight, other than the Megoliath before them. An explanation regarding the conspicuous absence of Grimm was offered before anybody on RWBY could even open their mouths.

Harbinger's familiar segmented blades that composed its scythe mode sliced neatly through several sections of the Megoliath's back as its wielder ran across the titan's spine. The Grimm roared, its head lashing up toward the sky and exposing its soft throat. Qrow took full advantage of the opening, then. hooking his scythe underneath the Megoliath's neck and letting loose a shotgun blast that helped him decapitate the massive creature outright. Ruby could've sworn she saw him smirk before backflipping away from the Grimm's decaying corpse.

"You for, for licensed Huntresses, it looks like Team RWBY's still pretty green," Qrow taunted, landing casually before them.

"Huh," Yang intoned. "I was wondering where you were, all this time."

"Well, now you've got an answer. While you kids were handling one street, I was doing my duty as a licensed Huntsman and handled another all by myself," Qrow teased. "Feel free to praise me at any time."

"Pfft. In your dreams," Yang countered.

"Heh. That's the spirit, kid."

"Wait, so you mean to tell us that you cleared out this entire street without any backup?" Weiss asked, eyes widened slightly. "Not even Atlesian infantry was there to help?"

"Nope," Qrow answered. "Misfortune's not the best semblance to have when you wanna help out on team missions sure, but when I'm fighting solo? It's probably the greatest tool that anybody could ask for – saved my butt more times than I can count, before Beacon fell."

"That would explain why we never even knew you existed before the Vytal Festival," Blake observed. "With your semblance, you have an excuse for not hanging around people forever."

"Bingo," Qrow confirmed. "But hey, now that this street's clear and we're all together, we can-"

Within his interior coat pocket, the seasoned Huntsman's scroll buzzed. Unable to ascertain what message her uncle could've received amidst an invasion like this, Ruby was left with little choice but to observe as Qrow's brow furrowed over time. Eventually, Qrow shrugged ever so slightly, stashed his scroll away, and offered RWBY his full attention once again.

"Alright, that message was from James," Qrow explained without prompting. "Looks like I'm not gonna be around to help you kids clear out the Grimm anymore."

Ruby blinked. "What? Why?"

"Because it's more important that Robyn's being protected right now," Qrow elaborated, turning away slightly. "Evidently, she's agreed to being used as bait really soon to maybe lure out Tyrian with a target he can't refuse. Depending on how things play out, between Robyn and yours truly, we could capture Tyrian tonight."

"That sounds kinda dangerous," Yang said. "Want some backup out there?"

"Nah," Qrow dismissed, the sounds of combat growing nearer once again. "You kids keep fighting the good fight – I've got my mission and an old score to settle with that maniac. This doesn't mean much coming from me, but… good luck!"

Before anyone could respond, an unexpected Manticore landed directly between RWBY and their seasoned ally, obscuring his transformation into a crow that started flying elsewhere. The Manticore seemed to glance in the crow's direction but briefly, and its unholy red eyes fell upon the four teens again before long.

"Alright, RWBY! Uncle Qrow can handle himself, but this invasion isn't over yet!" Ruby reloaded her weapon. Their sizeable foe was joined by three other Manticores, but despite the dire situation, everybody there found themselves smiling.

'You won't win this fight, Salem.'

"Yang, Blake! Freezerburn!"

Somewhat understandably, given the condensation and various speciation of Grimm that their team was embroiled in constant combat against, Tenebris had rapidly found himself in a similar situation to everyone else on Team Iridescence. Whereas RWBY and JNPR might've been able to maintain close proximity to one another for both safety and efficacy, Iridescence wasn't able to afford that luxury. Each member of the prestigious team had slowly, wordlessly separated to cover the maximum amount of ground possible near the breach without abandoning each other entirely during the chaotic melee – though this strategy wasn't necessarily as doomed for failure as one might've thought. On account of the heavy military presence near the breach, various infantrymen provided sufficient support from the rooftops that nobody on Iridescence would need to worry about any single Grimm surprising them when they least expected it.

Tenebris wasn't concerned about that possibility, though. Not with how durable his armor made him, and especially not with how efficiently his semblance let him tear through every single Grimm he'd encountered thus far. Boomstick hadn't even been used more than three times at this point, and they'd been fighting at the breach for a short while, now.

'Next up on the chopping block is… you!'

His fist encountered another frozen-skinned Beowolf's masked face, killing the beast through sheer shock before its corpse could even start flying away. Not another second later, an Ursa replaced that previous monster, swiping in an enraged frenzy at the armored brawler, who merely backpedaled slowly to avoid the assault. When the Ursa's paws hit the ground again, Tenebris' armored shin crashed into the side of the creature's head, fracturing its bone-white face. While the attack kept the Grimm stunned, Tenebris dove forward, locking the Ursa's head between his arms before he mercilessly snapping the thing's neck.

Again, no reprieve would be granted to those upon the frontlines. From atop an apartment building, a nearby Beringel leaped onto the scene, creating a small crater where its muscle-dense form landed onto the pavement. It swung a heavy arm toward Tenebris' chest, but he sidestepped the telegraphed attack, waiting for the opening that'd only help add another Grimm to his mental kill count. That opening was provided sooner rather than later though, as the Beringel then raised both its forelimbs in an overhead smash, but Tenebris' semblance-augmented strength once again proved superior, with the Huntsman deflecting both the Grimm's arms harmlessly aside with his own arms and brutally push-kicking his opponent down the street.

Consequently, the Manticore situated where the Beringel landed thereby noticed Tenebris' presence. It turned and started preparing a mighty fireball that it might've hoped would broil its newfound human opposition alive. Tenebris grinned, swinging Boomstick from its magnetic seal and onto his shoulder before lining up his own attack.

"Now for the finisher!" he declared.

One launch proved more than necessary, and the single explosion Boomstick's rocket released unto the world eliminated both the Manticore and its adjacent Beringel brother faster than either could react. Then, Tenebris replaced his weapon onto his back, satisfied.

'And that is exactly why Boomstick's awesome.'

Upon that simple task's completion, Tenebris turned toward the source of another disturbance that revealed itself as a Sabyr's predatory growl. Despite his knowledge that the situation he bore witness to therein was one he should've expected seeing eventually, his heart sank, nevertheless.

That Sabyr was about to pounce upon an innocent family of faunus.

"Oh, shit!"

Almost faster than ever Tenebris could've even realized, Boomstick's thruster mode engaged, throwing him into the unnaturally accelerated sprint that would hopefully help him ensure the citizens' safety. That same Sabyr's ears twitched in recognition of the imminent threat, and its hind legs pushed powerfully toward its targets.

And without another instant to spare, Tenebris tackled the creature into a nearby wall, crushing it beneath his immense momentum.

'That was way too close for comfort…'

"You three alright?" Tenebris stood, scanning the immediate area for any additional threats.

"Y-yeah…"

"Good." Tenebris quickly turned, loudly whistling toward the troops stationed on the rooftop of the same building the family had used as their makeshift shelter. "Hey, get these civilians some ropes and pull them up there with you! Escort them to the nearest open shelter immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Several ropes flew from the rooftop shortly thereafter, and Tenebris focused his efforts firmly on guarding the family until their escape was assured. If there was anything being another member of Iridescence was good for, it was the significant authority that simple status provided over lower-ranked Atlesian infantrymen. That authority in of itself made a significant portion of the strain that came with being such a prominent figure among the kingdom's Huntsmen worth it, really. Even if he wasn't Iridescence's leader, he could still make the military save lives when there was an opportunity to accomplish that task. On a somewhat related note, this authority and emphasis on evacuating leftover civilians also helped Iridescence repair its reputation with every second they defended Mantle from the frontlines – which was good.

'Look at you, man, bossing soldiers around like you're an actual military leader.' Tenebris stepped away from the building as the extended ropes were reeled in. 'Dunno if I should be proud or disgusted in myself, since this basically makes me just like every other military goon that's ever lived.'

Further down the street, a large Sphinx's landing was accompanied by the fierce wind kicked up by one final flap of its mighty wings. Grateful for the distraction, Tenebris promptly decided to walk straight in the Grimm's direction to preoccupy himself, planning to leave that previous line of thinking behind him forever.

"Okay, big guy!" Tenebris shouted. "We both know you're gonna spew fire at me like every other dumbass Manticore that's messed with me before, so let's get this over with!"

Completely unsurprisingly, the Sphinx hardly even made any noise before it obliged. It lowered itself closer to the ground, its snake-headed tail writhing around eagerly behind it as an enormous fireball formed within its throat. Its opponent's response was to accelerate from a rather brisk walking speed into an intimidatingly efficient sprint, and Tenebris found himself grinning with exhilaration before long. Now would be his opportunity to truly test his mettle since Iridescence helped eliminate the Geist plaguing the abandoned SDC mine so many weeks ago.

'Let it rip! See what happens!'

As if urged into action through unseen telepathy, the Sphinx spewed forth its fearsome fireball onto the street. Growing in strength and magnitude the further it progressed, Tenebris remained completely unconcerned. Boomstick was swung from his back and fired off mid-sprint into the heart of the fireball, disturbing the attack enough that it collapsed into harmless flames that Tenebris powered through with ease. Seemingly frustrated with the attack's failure, the Sphinx engaged in its own sprint, ready to maul its opponent within its opened jaws.

Unfortunately, it'd played straight into the Huntsman's hands.

Consciously tensing his muscles reactivated the strength-boosting upgrade within his armor, and Tenebris stretched his arms toward the Sphinx's jaws just in time. Tenebris earned his hands a grip on the Sphinx's upper and lower jaw, keeping its maw open and unable to gnash him into bloody pieces through his strength alone. While his comparatively tiny form was initially pushed back along the street, Tenebris eventually won their mutual contest of strength with one simple attack – an armor-augmented stomp into the Sphinx's lower jaw.

When the satisfying snap of bone snapping hit his ears, the Grimm's newly broken jaw went completely slack, and Tenebris couldn't help but laugh.

"Man, shouldn't huge Grimm like you just crush me?" Tenebris taunted. "Sure must be embarrassing to know your jaw got broken by a pesky human, eh?"

Then the creature's snakelike tail rammed itself into his chest and sent him careening leagues back beyond whence he came. Deactivating his armor upgrade, Tenebris simply braced for his inevitable impact with the rough asphalt below – it was expectantly unpleasant.

His crash-landing also created an entirely new ditch on their street.

"Alright," Tenebris grunted. "That was definitely karma…"

An ever-familiar face appeared above his own.

"Tenebris," Lux greeted. "Didn't know you were paying me a visit anytime soon."

"If this wasn't a life-or-death scenario right now, I'd punch you for that," Tenebris playfully warned, climbing back onto his feet. "How goes things around these parts?"

"Pretty decent," Lux said, pulling back his musket's bolt and beginning to funnel compressed air inside his upgrade mechanism. "No complaints. Anything that could normally survive being shot between the eyes doesn't really stand much of a chance when I throw a semblance-boosted round into the mix. What about you?"

"Oh, you know…" Tenebris shrugged. "Been doing great work down the road, except…"

Lux looked past his brother. "Ah. That Sphinx over there kicked your ass, huh?"

"Only because it got lucky," Tenebris dismissed.

"Right, right," Lux said amusedly. "Need some help?"

"Sure." Tenebris pointed down the street. "Be my guest."

"Alrighty then." Lux stepped forward, raising his weapon, and readied another shot just as the slack-jawed Sphinx realized its original opponent had obtained an ally. "Fifty-percent power amplified shot."

Like lightning, the shot that was unleashed bolted on an unstoppable warpath toward its target's chest, and the ensuing destructive explosion shattered windows and decimated the Sphinx's body all at once. The Grimm didn't even have the time to recognize its torso had been blown wide open before it disintegrated.

"And that's how you kill Grimm," Lux stated.

"Showoff," Tenebris said. "That shot was overkill and you knew it."

Lux smirked. "Maybe."

Additional action elsewhere around their position cut their exchange short. More specifically, aerial actions occurring between both Aurora and Opal as they actively combated several dozen other Grimm with incredible efficiency.

Aurora's dust-coated cables latched onto and dispatched a myriad of airborne Grimm ranging from Nevermores, Manticores, Teryxes, and even another Sphinx as she gracefully danced around their limbs with incredibly adept uses of her semblance. Sapphire's naginata stabbed one Manticore in the spine before her fire dust-coated cable obliterated another's face, and a quick coating of ice dust on another cable allowed her to firmly latch onto a nearby Nevermore's talons before the first Manticore even fully faded away.

Opal's efforts were equally impressive. Spiritual flames upon her back indicated an extended use of her semblance's ascended state as she darted onto a nearby Teryx's back almost faster than her teammates could keep track. One swift slice with her katana decapitated the creature, and as she spun through the air so that she'd land on her feet upon the pavement, two spirit fire clones of herself shot through the air to mimic her previous action upon two more avian Grimm. Opal continued falling through the air, her intensely determined expression only barely visible behind the semblance-originated flames around her eyes.

That expression once again reminded Tenebris of how strong Iridescence's leader truly was. Perhaps she didn't possess continuous brute strength comparable to his, but through her impressive strategic intelligence and deceptively complex semblance, she remained the single strongest combatant on their team. This perception was given additional justification once she landed.

Iridescence's leader landed right atop an unsuspecting Beringel's shoulder, slashing a gnarly gash across its skull before hopping behind it and stabbing clean through its spine before the creature could even react. While her attacks had done tremendous damage, the Grimm's immense endurance helped it counter with a clunky swing of its arm toward Opal when she finally retracted her weapon. When she sheathed her katana again and didn't move from an inch, Tenebris realized exactly what was coming next.

Instantly, Opal appeared on the opposite side of her opponent, katana proudly pointed toward the broken moon as she completed an impossibly fast swipe. On the other hand, the Beringel's arm never completed its swing; instead, it disappeared into blackened ashes.

"She seems pumped," Tenebris noted.

Aurora landed behind the twins. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," Lux agreed. "Nice job there, Opal!"

"There's more where that came from, too," Opal returned. Her spiritual flames flickered away from existence, and she sheathed her weapon once more before started toward her assembled teammates. "It looks like the breach has finally calmed down a little bit though, which means we can actually breathe before more Grimm come through."

"Good," Aurora acknowledged. "You'll need that breather, especially."

"Why's that?" Tenebris asked, his brow furrowed.

"Because her ascended state consumes a ton more aura when it's being used than her semblance normally does," Lux reminded. "That ascended state makes her into an absolute Grimm-killing machine, yeah, but…"

"You're worried that I'll burn through my entire aura faster than this mission wraps itself up, huh?" Opal inferred.

"Something like that," Aurora admitted.

"Well, don't worry," Opal gently responded. "I'm still being careful about how much aura I'm using right now, and I've only been using my semblance so liberally because as Iridescence's leader, I can't settle for mediocrity. There are citizens still trapped around here who need heroes right now. I'll waste away my aura that little bit more than usual if it'll make people remember that we are their heroes."

"Honestly, that isn't something anybody here would argue with you doing," Lux said, placing his hand on Opal's shoulder. "Just don't get too crazy, alright? Iridescence's reputation is already being repaired just because we're here, and yeah, there's no telling when this mission's gonna end. Right now, fighting smarter instead of harder's probably our best option, y'know?"

Opal sighed, nodding. "Yeah. That's true."

Lux smiled softly into his girlfriend's eyes, but his amber orbs twitched toward the source of movement near the breach. Tenebris, Aurora, and Opal all turned to follow his line of sight, entirely unsurprised to see another ominous mass of white, black, and red almost about to enter through Mantle's broken outer wall.

Aurora hummed. "Lux? What're we dealing with?"

"What kinda explanation are you looking for?" Lux asked. "Detailed version? Short version?"

"Detailed," Opal answered.

"Oh, then you'll be unpleasantly unsurprised to hear it's even worse than what we dove right into in the first place," Lux answered confidently. "Literally every single species of Grimm we've encountered while here on Solitas are about to swarm us, forty-to-one, easy. They're also being led by another entire herd of Megoliaths, which is always great."

"Certain death, then." Tenebris nodded, his expression almost impressed. "Awesome."

Aurora threw him a half-annoyed glare. "It isn't certain death if we act smart. Opal, what's our plan here?"

"That avoid getting ourselves killed," Opal answered. "There should be some rocket launchers further downtown and ample space for Tenebris to let loose with Boomstick against the Grimm. If we tactically retreat now, the Grimm should funnel themselves in pursuit of us since the Megoliaths will want to crush us, their most formidable threat, first and foremost."

"Sounds like a solid plan." Lux loaded another bullet into his weapon's chamber. "Fighting this close to Mantle's breach bought plenty of time for more evacuations, but it'd only be asking of trouble if we stayed here forever."

"Any opportunity to unleash hell with Boomstick's an awesome one," Tenebris opined. "Count me in complete support of this plan."

"Then everybody here agrees," Aurora observed. "We retreat, rejoin the troops located further inside the city, take command there, and consolidate our defenses until the invasion subsides permanently."

"Exactly." Opal cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the air, grabbing the attention of their armed rooftop allies. "Every infantryman on the rooftops! Descend and prepare for a tactical retreat deeper into Mantle! We'll be fortifying our position at the town square and bleeding the invasion dry by attracting the Grimm's attention! Now let's move!"

Almost before Opal had finished speaking, several dozen ropes flew from the rooftops all surrounding Iridescence, and even more troops emerged from their respective perches to join their superiors. Once the plentiful battalion had entered formation, with Iridescence standing before them like the high-ranking officers their authority essentially made them, Opal wasted no time before ordering everybody into motion. Their advance further downtown was as efficient and awe-inspiring a movement of military might as anything Tenebris had ever seen before, and the best part?

There was still more glory headed straight for them.

As expected of an individual with an eagle trait such as himself, Lux's eyes darted around almost everywhere as their quickly composed battalion made its way toward their destination, though not even a single stray Grimm dared make its appearance known before such a condensation of military might. Against his better judgment, Lux decided to accept the blessing that was every second the Grimm inadvertently provided them to better prepare for the imminent incursion that would invariably pursue them wherever they went. Once they did arrive at the town square, Lux found himself unsurprised with the situation they encountered there.

For starters, there were many civilians there, more than even JNPR's massive shelter could handle on the greatest day imaginable, but this condensation of thousands upon thousands of civilians wasn't unexpected whatsoever. This Grimm invasion's unprecedented chaotic nature combined with Mantle's shoddy infrastructure rendered the city completely ill-equipped to house its entire population in shelters, no matter what the circumstances. Thankfully, the Atlesian military's world-renowned efficiency assured that the deployed infantrymen would turn the entire city square into an effective safe zone without hesitation. Despite his Vacuan background, even Lux was mildly impressed with the sheer strength of the defenses that surrounded him.

Machine guns, artillery, mortars, Atlesian Knights and Paladins – all of these were deployed evenly throughout the city square's perimeter before Iridescence and their accompanying battalion ever even arrived. Stated simply, the immediate area had been transformed into something as closely resembling a fortress as Mantle had ever imagined. Iridescence's battalion only further bolstered the city square's defenses with their equipment the minute they arrived upon the scene.

Iridescence itself had been granted a breather before the next incursion of Grimm came along, but Lux spent the first few minutes of that rest wrapping his head around one simple truth. As the highest-ranked individuals in the area, this entire defensive was theirs to command. Their team's leadership could usher everybody here unto success, or an untimely, horrific demise.

With this observation in mind, the eagle-eyed faunus thereby deduced that their efforts here weren't exactly bound for a resounding triumph, as time went on. Lux kept his eyes forward, forever vigilant for any signs of the Grimm's presence, while his weapon remained in its ranged mode held within his arms.

"Opal?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she responded, appearing beside him. "What's the situation? Grimm?"

"Not yet," Lux quietly returned. "Do we know if General Ironwood's going to order an evacuation of the lower city anytime soon?"

Movement indicated Aurora and Tenebris had overheard their friends' conversation, and they too approached to enter the conversation. Aurora's response was laced with the subtle undertone of concern that could've been expected, from her.

"Thinking about things, that's actually an important question we should've asked ourselves earlier," Aurora observed. "Without the atmospheric heating system, these people aren't going to last long even with smaller-scale heat generators being brought here. What's more, this invasion doesn't seem like it'll let up anytime soon, which means that the Grimm will be a constant threat until it does. Evacuation's our best option, right now."

"I…" Opal sighed softly. "General Ironwood hasn't sent me any private messages or anything like that, recently. If there were evacuation efforts about to be implemented, he'd have notified us beforehand so that we could help expedite the process, right?"

"Probably," Tenebris commented. His armored hand then pointed toward the largest skyscraper nearest to the town square. "Look at that public emergency broadcast screen, though."

Hesitantly, Lux's attention shifted from the road toward the conspicuous hologram-projecting bar bolted onto the side of the skyscraper in question. Situated on the center of the device was a single blue light that blinked rhythmically before the massive screen itself activated with a rather loud ping that echoed through the area. Lux would've been lying if he said he wasn't surprised when Robyn's face appeared upon the screen's holographic surface.

"Whatever's about to happen, let's hope it doesn't make anything worse," Lux muttered.

"Ditto," Tenebris said.

"Atlas, Mantle. I know you're scared. I'm here with General Ironwood, and we have a message for you," Robyn began. The camera filming her zoomed out, now displaying her holding onto Ironwood's left hand, their hands surrounded by green aura. "What he informed me about may sound unbelievable… but it's all true."

Regardless of any unknown, animalistic sixth sense, Lux easily detected a sinking realization ripple through himself and his teammates – yet the sensation wasn't an unpleasant one.

"An ancient and terrible evil lies outside of our kingdom," Ironwood started. "It was responsible for the destruction of Beacon, the attack on Haven, and for the recent attacks on Mantle. This powerful force goes by the name… of Salem."

"It's happening…" Opal intoned.

"There's no turning back, now," Tenebris said.

"History's being made right before our eyes," Aurora observed.

Lux chuckled. "Yeah… movie time's over though, folks! Grimm, incoming!"

Without anything more than nods thrown each other's directions, Iridescence readied their ranged weapons, and their legion of armed allies followed their lead. As forewarned by Lux's legendary sight and Opal's strategic know-how, dozens upon hundreds of Grimm rushed through the city streets to break through their defenses. Opal's heroic order to open fire and the ensuing storm of bullets, bombshells, and other heavy ordinances opening fire became muffled in Lux's ears, leaving little more than Ironwood's speech recognizable.

Focused beyond belief, Lux released a single amplified bullet that obliterated an ancient Sabyr and several of its kin.

"Salem seeks only to divide us," Ironwood continued. "To turn good men and women against one another. If she can incite hatred within our hearts, then we will lure in the Grimm and destroy ourselves."

Displaying exceptional dexterity, Opal's dust-coated arrows flew through three Beringels' brains, eliminating them instantly with ruthless efficiency.

"Salem does not work alone. Her minions have invaded our very city."

An incredibly focused look encapsulated in her eyes, Aurora's assault rifle delivered swift, lethal retribution into various vulnerable Ursai and Beowolves both.

"Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows. These men are the ones responsible for the recent political murders in Mantle and for the sabotaging of the atmospheric heating system, but we cannot let ourselves surrender to fear and panic. That is what she wants!"

His face adorned with an eager grin, Tenebris cyclically thrust Megoliaths into oblivion with catastrophically powerful shots from his rocket launcher. Behind him, the combined might of everything the Atlesian military had at its disposal within this sector rained hellfire down upon every airborne and terrestrial Grimm that Iridescence couldn't vanquish themselves. Out from the corner of his eye, Lux saw Ironwood's hand remained enshrouded with green aura.

"Instead, we must remain completely indivisible, and fight back, together! Every single one of us!" Ironwood encouraged. "Remnant, united!"

Against all odds, the cheers that erupted from within the civilian crowd drowned out the sounds of wrathful warfare. In that single moment, Ironwood had changed the course of history forever.

"This, my friends, is why I was forced to divert resources away from Mantle – for none other than the Amity Communications Tower," Ironwood revealed. "Amity Tower is now completed and ready for launch."

While the intensity of their defensive faded with the condensation of the Grimm's second major incursion, Lux's brow furrowed. Beside him, his teammates shared similar reactions, and their contributions to the defensive slowly faded.

"That isn't right," Tenebris mentioned. "Amity isn't ready yet."

"Which means that this is probably part of his plan," Opal inferred. "If Watts is as intelligent as everybody things, he wouldn't dare let Ironwood launch Amity Tower freely. Ironwood wants to lure him out."

"Strategic genius is his specialty," Lux reminded.

"It will re-establish all global communications, and because the safety of every citizen is imperative, the council and I have decided to evacuate everyone in Mantle into Atlas."

Aurora sighed with emphatic relief. "Oh, thank the gods…"

"Additionally, I am withdrawing all defenses from Amity in order to assist with repelling the unprecedented Grimm invasion happening in Mantle."

"We must put our differences aside and band together to defeat this threat!" Robyn proclaimed. "I fully support General Ironwood's plan!"

Even more cheers followed the unspoken end of the announcement, and before anyone among Iridescence could question when the evacuations would begin, several Atlesian airships landed wherever there was space inside the city square. Nearby infantrymen and officers immediately took it upon themselves to enforce order upon the evacuation efforts.

"For those among you still in Sector 17, I'll be headed there personally alongside my Happy Huntresses to help you personally," Robyn finished, and the screen deactivated shortly after.

"That sounds risky," Tenebris said.

"No, I think there's a reason Ironwood had that last part broadcasted," Opal argued. "Lux?"

"Yep," Lux agreed. "It's the perfect bait for Tyrian."

"Hopefully General Ironwood gave her backup, though…" Aurora said.

"Definitely," Opal reassured. "There's no way he'd willingly send Robyn down into an encounter that she had no chance of winning."

"Speaking of unwinnable fights…" Tenebris heaved his weapon back onto its magnetic seal upon his armor. "This one's finally looking like its survivable, and with no auras down, either!"

"Don't speak too soon, big guy," Lux playfully warned. "Our job isn't finished yet."

Tenebris smirked. "Then let's kick some ass and end this invasion already, eh?"

Lux laughed. "Took the words right outta my mouth!"

Over the inscrutable span of time that followed, Iridescence fought against the Grimm with renewed zeal and ferocity unlike anything Mantle's citizens had ever seen before. Indeed, their reputation had been put through the wringer before, but they didn't need precognition to know that history would remember their performance that night as the stuff that made legends.

There wasn't any doubt in their minds that they'd truly triumph, tonight.

Right now, Liumang classified himself as the only member of the mismatched alliance he had become involved with that could conceivably find himself relatively at-ease. His reptilian tail hung heavily out the shattered, wall-sized windowsill by which Liumang himself now sat rather casually. Apparently, his male companions had graduated from the college of moody stoicism, since neither Hazel nor Mercury had said even a single word since their previous conversation reached its conclusion. Emerald wasn't much better, since evidently, Watts had finally seen fit to call her, and their conversation was such a mind-crushingly perfect execution of the dreaded pronoun game that Liumang had half a mind to throw himself out the window right now and just save himself the misery. Then again, he had his revenge to look forward to and an intimidating reputation to maintain, so he quelled that impulse through smoking one of the finest cigars he'd brought with him from his ruined hideout.

"It sure seems like the Atlesian military's gotten their shit together," Liumang said, exhaling smoke through his nostrils. "Who could've guessed that'd happen? They're only the single most effective armed organization on the planet…"

"If you're thinking that our allies have failed in their mission, don't," Hazel advised, his massive form casting an impressive shadow over his faunus ally. "They know what they're doing."

"That's the comment sentiment about them," Liumang muttered. "Have you ever wondered what their mission is, though? You don't need decades of experience running with criminal cartels and the underworld to understand that information's valuable. Why wouldn't they bring us into the loop beyond vague mission statements, right now?"

"Because they're aware anything they say would very likely fall upon deaf ears," Hazel said, tilting his head vaguely in the direction of their unofficial team's leader.

"Then why's she listening to our mustachioed friend right now?" Liumang countered.

"Miraculous breakthroughs aren't unheard of, with her," Hazel explained easily. "Remember, she did allow you to destroy our airship back when we first arrived here."

"True," Liumang admitted. "Although if Watts wants anybody here to make some major moves, now's the best damned opportunity we'll probably ever get."

Emerald snapped her scroll shut. "And that's exactly what our team's doing, now."

Liumang climbed back onto his feet. "What, did your pronoun games win over our friends enough that they finally decided we could join the party?"

"Hardly," Emerald dismissed. "Now's when Watts intended to let our team resume the mission we came for, anyway. He gave me some advice about infiltrating Ironwood's command center to locate the Winter Maiden, but that goes without saying."

"What about those bozos you wanted dead?" Mercury asked.

"And the bastards I wanted dead?" Liumang added.

"Watts informed me that we're free to lure them out however we decide… after we acquire the information concerning the Winter Maiden's whereabouts," Emerald explained.

"Wait, you're serious? We're just waltzing on in with plans to discover where some random grandma's retirement home is located before we commit murder? This isn't some random dust shop we need to infiltrate, kid, this is Atlas Academy," Liumang stressed. "Can't wait to see what they do with our mangled corpses."

"No, we're not just doing whatever Watts wants before we accomplish our mission," Emerald countered. "I have different plans for how our visit there will play out. While Watts and Tyrian have their hands full with Ironwood and Robyn, we split into two groups. Liumang? Mercury? First, you two will infiltrate the academy without attracting attention to yourselves."

"Sounds easy enough," Mercury stated. "Stealth isn't all that fun, but so long as there aren't any random explosions going off that could give away our position…"

Liumang ignored the slight. "Then what?"

"Then you'll kidnap Oscar Pine," Emerald instructed. "As the next Ozpin, he'll very likely be there, since there's nobody else Ironwood would trust with the Relic of Knowledge than the next incarnation of his leader."

"Good plan," Liumang praised. "Curries favor with your boss by potentially grabbing a relic ourselves, lures out the brats for the slaughter on our terms… assuming we can knock out the bastard quickly, and don't raise any alarms, there couldn't be a better outcome for our team."

"Other than making sure we also acquire the Winder Maiden's location," Hazel reminded, crossing his arms. "I'll assume that you'll have me accompany you into the command center."

Emerald nodded. "Right. Even if the details don't much sense to me, my semblance has grown stronger ever since I became the Fall Maiden. Keeping our presence concealed from every guard, student, and specialist in the academy shouldn't be an issue. Once we reach Ironwood's office, we get the intel, wreak havoc on the command center to mess with his head, and escape."

Hazel narrowed his eyes. "Without getting the Winder Maiden's powers?"

"Remember, my semblance wasn't always strong enough to fool multiple people for extended periods," Emerald cautioned. "Even with my magic boosting my semblance, I'm not risking being discovered just because it'd please Watts. I've obeyed him by sitting around doing nothing all this time for long enough. There'll be time to acquire the Winter Maiden's powers later on."

"And besides, Liumang was right," Mercury added. "Salem knows we're only here so that we can maul those bozos who killed Cinder. Bringing back a relic should probably make her happy enough that she won't mind that we didn't kill some granny while in Atlas."

"Repeat that first part again," Liumang requested, scroll readied. "For posterity's sake."

"Don't test your luck," Mercury warned.

Liumang snickered. "Alright."

"Enough," Emerald stated. "This invasion will only last so long now that the Atlesian military is being mobilized, which means we need to find our ride into the upper city now. Hazel?"

"I'm with you," Hazel said.

"Same here," Mercury added.

"It's about time we crush some skulls again," Liumang declared.

Much to his mixed surprise and satisfaction, he noticed Mercury's lips quirk up into what could only be described as a mildly impressed smile, and as their quartet descended deeper into their skyscraper's shadowy hallways, Liumang couldn't help but grin. Their joint mission was truly beginning, and after all the preparations were over, it'd become a blissful experience wherein he could finally satisfy some bloodlust. Liumang was an incredibly patient man when it came to business, but something about this little quest for revenge he'd joined in upon simply clicked, within him. There was an indescribable excitement broiling within his chest that thereby brought an incredible sensation unto the forefront of his psyche.

Liumang could practically feel his aura yearning for an explosive release… one that its owner would be unbelievably willing to oblige, once the opportunity presented itself. Revenge would never taste sweeter than when the life finally faded from his soon-to-be victims' eyes.

Experience had taught him that particular life lesson extremely well, before.

Authors Note: Alright. That's it! We have arrived! The constants and variables that I've always been discussing like some prophetic madman are finally coming to pass! From the action to the final few chapters of this volume, I can officially start changing ToTI into the RWBY timeline that I've always wanted! Uh… and yeah, since this chapter was mostly action and character interactions, I don't have much to say other than it was pretty fun to write, with everything that happened! That, and yeah, silver eyes have a consequence in ToTI instead of being the costless anti-Grimm nuke button that canon will undoubtedly turn them into (and has turned them into) before long. Cheers, until next time!