379Book II: The King's Dilemma
Chapter 52
There was scarcely any time for her to even update Ironwood on the happenings. From the moment she touched down on the northern side, they were fighting.
The Schnee Manor—what was left of it, anyway—was overflown with Grimm. Her mind had shifted into a blank haze as she fought to protect the ruins of the manor. Winter knew not who she was fighting, nor how. Just as she cut down one Grimm, a sliver of daylight appeared—but two more took its place.
Humans are creatures of habit, and although she had her newly acquired powers, she found it took far too much effort to control; so she fell back to her old, reliable blade.
Here and there, blasts of green light pierced through the vicinity, reminding her of Penny's presence. The android girl was incredible, honestly—not half a decade old and yet she was out on the battlefield like this, culling the Grimm left and right. But, at the same time, it was a little saddening, but she couldn't be considered a child soldier, anyway.
All of Penny's friends were huntresses; what good would it do to strip her of her huntress status? It would be the greatest injustice to do such a thing. No, being a soldier was the best chance she got.
A Grimm nearly sliced her head off, and the close encounter brought Winter back to her senses. Why had she been in such a reverie during battle?
For huntresses, the feeling of urgency disappeared over time; their senses dulled when battling lower-tier Grimm, equivalent to the sensation of taking out the trash every week. She felt nothing but the tug of her blade as it met resistance from the creatures' necks and the burning of her muscles.
And yet, something strange was in her gut. The hair on her arms and back rose, and the intense dread overcame her as she came face to face with her opponent.
"I knew I'd find you here."
-o-o-o-
"Are you serious? You've no right to prevent me from going to Atlas!"
"I'm sorry, but Ironwood has instituted martial law. No one is allowed in or out of the city. I'm not trying to prevent you from going anywhere, that's just how it is."
But the indignant fury remained on Weiss's face, and her darkened expression showed she would not be dissuaded, not even in front of the Emperor, her former team leader.
"I don't care! I must depart for Atlas at once! That's my homeland!"
A little distance away from the two, the others were eavesdropping down the hall, through the wooden door. They were afraid to interfere, and worried about the state of the matters at hand. No one was even going to try to step between the two, who had been debating all morning about it.
For most of them, Atlas felt like a world away. But the icy northern land was the home of their close friend, and they were, by extension, inclined to take a closer look at what was going on. It's to say that they wanted to care about it because it was relevant to their friend but for no reason other than such.
In the background, the news channel was on the TV, and urgent voices populated the noise in the background.
"Atlas is covered with Grimm!"
"Below, Mantle is suffering an even worse fate!"
Atlas, up in flames, only contrasted by the recognizable lack of light due to the Grimm, which were so numerous that they blotted out the sky, wrapping and enveloping and swarming every which way one's eyes could turn and see on the camera. Even the camera crew wasn't entirely safe.
The TV only added to the already-thick tension in the room.
"I can't prevent you from going," he admitted, "And I'm not trying to, that was never my intention. You can certainly try to get to Atlas. It'd be a suicide mission either way. The Schnee Manor has already been attacked and razed to the ground—" he pointed to the television—"The harsh truth is that you'd get there far too late to do anything at all. Either Atlas has been razed to the ground, or they've lived to see another sunrise."
A several-second-long pause. Percy's words struck Weiss like a needle through a thread, and she seemed staggered.
"You might be right, but I have to go. You don't understand, I have to go see for myself."
Another long period of silence. The newly-crowned emperor inhaled and exhaled slowly, quietly, yet everyone could hear his breathing.
"If you really think that, then be my guest. I'll hold you no longer. Nao will get you a bullhead and pilot. Best of luck."
The heiress breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders dropping slightly.
"Thank you. Good luck to you, too."
Then, it was decided. She would be parting with them here.
Weiss Schnee was off to the Kingdom of Atlas.
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Next Chapter: January 15th
-thann