The Knights of Grimm - Act 5 - The Oncoming Shadow

Chapter 16 - The Burning Angel of Remnant

Jaune

Walking across the snowy fields of Mantle, beyond the walls and their army, was terrifying.

Yes, there was the Shield Wall keeping the Oncoming Shadow at bay, and yes, the Oncoming Shadow were now still as statues. But the most frightening part of all was simply how Vir Nominis Umbra was just standing there, hands held together, and a menacing grin on his face, waiting for them to approach.

Jaune walked with Pyrrha and Oscar by his side.

It felt like they had always kept their weapons at the ready these days, never knowing if something was going to suddenly explode out of the ground in front of them. Luckily, the thick ice is making that incredibly difficult for the burrowing Grimm to get underneath the shields. One very thankful thing about this climate is the cold. It even slows the Grimm down. And even past that permafrost, there was bedrock, far too hard for any Grimm to break through. So the shield was clearly their only way of getting to Vale right now.

That fact had set their minds at some sort of ease, knowing they had time to prepare.

Now they had to simply pray... pray that they had enough time.

The trio finally reached the face of the shield, where Vír Nominis Umbra stood mere inches away, divided by Hardlight Dust. Somehow, that didn't even feel like it was enough to hold him back. "The towers of corruption, yet despite the illness of all the politics, and everything these people have done... you still stand to protect them. It's admirable." Vir Nominis Umbra chuckled, tapping his fingers together.

"There are innocents in this city, and up there. They are not all the same." Oscar explained.

"Innocence is a strong word to use for the people of Atlas, boy. Ask any Faunus, they all will say the same thing about the people of Atlas. Ironic... come to think of it... the Atlesians tortured them out of fear, and in turn the same is returned back at them by the White Fang. It's all a circle." Vir Nominis Umbra explained as he paced back and forth.

"Why are you speaking with us? Why waste all this time?" Jaune questioned.

"Time... now that right there my boy... is precisely why we are speaking." He answered, still smirking. It made Jaune sick to his stomach.

How could someone be smirking at a time like this? After slaughtering millions in under a day?

I know he isn't mortal, not like any of us... and I know he is a monster... but how can he possibly stand there and feel nothing for the things he has done?

How can something so cruel exist?

"The truth of the matter is, this shield wall will only hold my forces back for a short amount of time. Maybe a few more hours, but soon... it will come down. And when it does, I will unleash my horde on you. Your defences will hold me back for a while, but eventually you will fall as well. Thousands of brave warriors will die agonising deaths..." Vir Nominis Umbra explained, standing right in front of Jaune Arc now.

His faintly shimmering red eyes staring back at his blue ones.

"I know who you are, Jaune Arc. I have studied you, followed you... I know everything there is to know about you. And I know this – your heart is too kind to lead these forces to their deaths. It is not in your nature to sacrifice people like this. I admire the effort, I admire the bravery... but we both know it will not stop me. Only slow me down." Vir Nominis Umbra explained, looking past him at the city.

"And once you are all nothing more than bloody bones on the cold snow... my beasts will feast on the very people you intend to save." He promised.

Yet his words did not sway them. They stood behind him as he looked away, looking at his patient monsters, waiting. Then he snapped his fingers and raised his finger up to the sky. "Unless..."