Few aspects in life unfold according to our expectations

Adam never considered himself a smart person

He wasn't a genius by any stretch. Sure, he had [Great Sage] by his side, but he was neither a strategic genius, nor a scientific progidy

This wasn't exactly surprising. Just because Geniuses are as common as cabbages in the honkai impact world, doesn't mean that they appear often. On the contrary, natural-born geniuses were rare, and that is how it should be

And that's why….

"Uhm…" Rimuru clasped her hands together, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "I also... didn't get it."

Now that came as a surprise to the silver-haired boy

Sure, he expected Rias to fail. She wasn't cut out for such operations, so her failure didn't come as a surprise. That's also the reason that he didn't ask for details- he just didn't need to

Perhaps it's a personal bias, but he wasn't disappointed with Rias being unable to obtain the Relic. With his prejudice towards her, his expectations were low to begin with

However… .

"Huh…?"

Adam blinked at the slime girl who hung her head in embarrassment. He didn't expect Rimuru, out of all people, to fail

Sure, her present self isn't as powerful as she would be in the future… but it is still enough to obtain the Relic of Creation from Atlas

"Why…?"

He asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched the blue-haired girl bite her lips, her eyes turning to stare at the side, avoiding eye contact as she suddenly found the air very interesting

"Ah, how do I say this?" She tilted her head, her golden eyes shimmering "When I was about to grab the Relic, something… happened"

"... Okay?"

Adam replied tentatively, waiting for the slime girl to continue

"I was suddenly blown out… somehow banished outside of Atlas?" She continued, blinking as she spoke hesitantly, equally confused about what happened to her

"And before I had the chance to compose myself… "

"Atlas was suddenly ejected, floating further into the sky"

Rimuru finished as she shifted her eyes toward him, watching for his reaction to the unexpected situation… and her failure

Adam had a thoughtful expression on his face at that, his eyes narrowing

'That guy Ironheart, was he so cautious that he installed countermeasures in case someone, somehow entered that vault?'

He had this thought currently running through his head. Honestly, he disliked Ironheart, not to the point of hating him, but he was definitely the silver-haired boy's second most disliked character in the Rwby show

"And… Did you notice anything unusual?" The silver-haired boy asked her, asking for more details

"Huh….?" The blue-haired girl scratched the back of her head in confusion

'....' Despite being in a serious situation, he couldn't help but think of Kiana when he saw Rimuru's gesture

Damn, did he miss that white-haired Tuna? No, perhaps that wasn't it. But he will admit that the Kaslana warrior has indeed grown on him….. Even more so when he already knew her before reincarnating-

"Now that you mentioned it….." She interrupted his wondering thoughts, trailing off as she put her hand under her chin, uncharacteristically narrowing her golden eyes in thought "That staff reacted somewhat weirdly… It vibrated in an unusual pattern, and then I felt it release a lot of energy before I was thrown outside"

Adam blinked once again in astonishment

If the Relic of Creation reacted… then the situation is not as simple as he thought

The question now would be whether the Relic reacted on its own, or if Atlas did something. If it is the former possibility,… then things would be a lot more complicated. It is a god's creation, after all, and in addition to that, it also houses a spirit similar to Jinn

If it was the latter possibility on the other hand… then there is also reason to be wary. Atlas would either need to be assured that they could handle messing with a Relic… or they would be rather desperate to risk tampering with it.

That would also make things quite interesting. If Atlas has developed the technology to harness the power of a Relic, or even tamper it, it would be even better for their group. Even though it could potentially make things harder, it would also be quite rewarding for them to steal Atlas' technology and make use of it

As for the other possibility that they are desperate…. well, why would they be? Beyond Ozpin's death, Adam can't really think of anything that would push Ironwood to risk messing with a Relic without assurance.

But even with Beacon's headmaster dead, Ironwood would not make such a decision, so the silver-haired boy is sure that it's the other possibility that is true

As for whether the Relic of Creation reacted on its own…. He dismissed such a possibility. Although not impossible, the brother Gods put restrictions on these things, so even a sentient Relic with spirits such as Jinn and Ambrosius can't act freely, especially without their respective Maiden present

In any case! Adam is the Herrscher of Corruption, the master of corruption, biology, and viruses in general. Even with Atlas developing some advanced technology, the blue-eyed boy is confident that he can infect their technology digitally and take them down

Although worthy of wariness, Atlas isn't something that can threaten their lives

But something else that has been on his mind is…

"And why didn't you follow it? I assume that you could have flown and snatched it, even if Atlas had countermeasures "

Adam just had to ask. He wasn't sure why she didn't pursue it further. The Relic of Creation would be a great addition to their arsenal, as the ability to create something out of nothing (Well, with magic power), was too good to pass up

"[Great Sage]-san warned me not to do that"

Rimuru replied. Although she also seemed a bit confused by [Great Sage]'s warning, she trusted it enough to not question it at that moment

"I see…."

The silver-haired boy murmured, thoughtful

The Relic hunt was… a complete and utter failure

…Barring his own acquisition of the Relic of Choice, that is

Again, Adam never considered himself a genius, but this failure brought him a sudden revelation

'No plan survives first contact with the enemy'

That was a famous quote back in his original world. Because no matter how great your current plan is currently, something will definitely go wrong when you implement it

And that's why countermeasures- backup plans, were essential. Although no enemy prevented them from getting the Relics, he acknowledges his failure in coming up with a plan B in case they failed

Was it blind confidence in Rimuru? Or was it indifference towards the importance of getting the Relic early? The silver-haired boy doesn't know which is the correct answer, maybe it is a mix of both that propelled him to subconsciously ignore the chance for failure… and its consequences

"Haaah"

Adam let out a sigh, his face wrinkling

"Are you… angry?"

The meek voice of Rias Gremory reached his ears. Turning his head towards her, he saw her face bearing a hesitant expression, with a surprisingly vulnerable light flashing her eyes

"No, I am not"

He shook his head in denial

"But…"

He trailed off, tapping his fingers on the arms of the conjured icy throne. A contemplating look formed on his face as another plan began taking shape in his head

"Rias, describe in detail what you went through"

The silver-haired boy spoke, his eyes glowing in a serious light.

He turned his head to the slime girl

"You too, Rimuru. Tell me more"

Perhaps Adam wasn't taking things seriously before. Maybe because he viewed this whole ordeal as a game, he wasn't careful enough

But now that both of them have failed, he has to get serious. He has to know exactly why his comrades have failed, and come up with a new plan.

Sure, this has messed a few of his plans, but the harm isn't much as he can simply come up with something else… although it's a bit inconvenient

But perhaps this will also serve as a lesson to him…

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~Unknown~

"Without the Relic, what use do I have left for you?" The seer projecting the Grimm Queen's voice loomed over him menacingly.

Despite his heart feeling like it might pop out, Lionheart could still form coherent words, "B-but, your grace, surely you have something else that I could prove useful? I'm still the headmaster of Haven, after all."

The seer brought one of its tentacles up, as if making an unnecessary chin-rubbing gesture, "You're right. I still have use for you." Relief flooded through Lionheart — until the seer continued "However, your state of living is unnecessary, Leonardo."

The words struck like a blade to his heart. Lionheart felt the world narrowing down upon him, and the invisible scythe getting closer to his neck.

Panic surged, and instinctively, he immediately turned around. All thoughts of using his weapon were abandoned because he knew it was useless. His legs, moments ago like jelly, suddenly found unexpected strength, propelling him to run like never before in a desperate bid for survival..

Maybe he could—!

. . .

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HUFF Huff

How long had he been running? Lionheart had no answer to such a question. His legs were growing tired, yet the fear of death compelled him to continue his desperate marathon.

….If only he had the courage to face her.

'Courage'— oh, how he detested that word.

He betrayed the trust of those he considered to be his friends. He betrayed all those aspiring students wanting to become the next protectors of the world. All because of his cowardice.

He wasn't the brave man he used to be, not after 'that.' If there was one thing he wished to see at this moment, it was her pure smile that brought joy to his life.

Her affectionate joyfulness kept the darkness in his heart at bay. But most importantly... her words of encouragement allowed him to be braver than he ever would be.

"It's tiring if you continue to run like that, Dad."

He immediately stopped. His body was a mess with ragged breathing, yet his mind was as focused as never before. That voice. Could it be? Not wanting to believe in such an impossibility, he slowly turned his head around. And there she was—!

A small girl who appeared to be 6 years old. She was wearing a pristine white sundress, with light golden hair cascading down her back, adorned with those light blue ribbons she likes to wear so much. Not to mention the tufted lion's tail- the same as his- swaying gently around her back. She was giving him the smile he had missed so much

"Is there something wrong?"

His legs finally chose to give out at that moment, and he fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Tears threatened to leave his eyes as he intensely stared at the floor. He couldn't let her see him like this- couldn't let her witness the kind of miserable person he had become

Then he felt a pair of small hands in his peripheral vision. They slowly fell upon his bearded face, gently lifting his face. There, warm yellow eyes met his own

"Geez, Dad. You're so careless."

Even though he was extremely exhausted, he still managed to ask, "H-how are you here….?"

She gave him a giggle, "What do you mean? Why would I not be here?"

As if a dam burst at that moment, he quickly touched her hands that were currently on his cheeks with his larger ones, tears slowly trailing down his face.

"Y-you shouldn't be here! You couldn't be here! You died years ago. I should have known because I was there to see your lifeless eyes looking at me."

The tears were beginning to cloud his eyes. "If only I weren't afraid of leaving my responsibilities as the headmaster. If only I was a little braver to brave through those Grimm standing in my path when I arrived. If only I ran fast enough… then maybe I could have saved you… maybe I could have…"

-Changed that ending-!

"I want you to stop there, Dad."

She looked at him, her gentle smile remaining "You couldn't have known of what would happen."

His voice felt weak, "You were my everything after your mother died"

He remembers her cry when she was just born,

The relieved face she gave him when she wanted to sleep together because she was afraid of the dark,

The grateful expression when she received that teddy bear as a gift…

And, most importantly, the reassuring smile she always gave whenever he left for work

"I missed them all dearly." His voice cracked, deep regret and nostalgia seeping into his tone

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and recollect himself while she patiently waited, "Your death was like a bullet to my chest. My world crashed down entirely. It was from that point I turned into a coward because I was afraid of protecting anything else. I was afraid that the same thing would repeat itself… Then again, my cowardliness has killed far more than I would dare to admit. I don't want you to see your dad like this."

After finishing saying all that, he closed his eyes as if waiting for those inevitable words of judgment

….But they never came.

"You've done all that you could, Dad."

"I didn't. I've run away from everything. I was a coward through and through. Every responsibility that was pushed onto me was ignored. I was too afraid to not obey that woman when she came to my doorstep. But most importantly, I don't even dare to remember your name because I am afraid of reliving that moment over and over again."

He opened his teary eyes again to look at her still-smiling face.

"We couldn't expect life to be easy on us. And sometimes, it turns us into someone we despise to our core. I forgave you, Dad." She then gently nudged him to stand up.

"Come on. I think Mom is waiting for us,"

She said to him as she held onto one of his hands to lead him. He felt both relieved and happy. His legs were still weak, but her words gave him enough strength to follow her.

Perhaps, Leonardo Lionheart didn't have to always run anymore

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In the gloomy space of the headmaster's office, something red dripped down to the floor. Lionheart's eyes were lifeless, and protruding out of his chest was a blade resembling a scorpion's pincers.

"And so, the cowardly lion finally found his courage in his final moment. How poetic indeed. I assume you know what to do, Tyrian?"

"Of course, my mistress. Your wish is my command."

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It was early in the morning when the patrolling huntsmen-in-training at Haven made a chilling discovery at the highest point in the academy.

Lionheart was atop it—or rather, what was left of him. He was decapitated from arms to fingers, from legs to toes, and from head to torso. All of it was then stitched back together to form a crucified position. His face was fixed into a perpetual expression of fear.

It was a sickening sight to see.

News then began to spread like wildfire, and the world descended into chaos.

Darkness hung over the academy like a shroud, and the air was thick with an eerie silence that sent shivers down

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A/N:

And.... Cut!

Did any of you notice how different that last part was?

Well.... Credits go to the reader named LazyBoi for that, he basically wrote that whole specific part. And I uploaded it with his permission, of course

Now, as an Author, it is a bit shameful to let a reader write down a entire part such as this, but.... I suppose my [Shameless] skill has leveled up quite a bit, so much so that it doesn't particularly bother me

Jokes aside thought, I'm quite grateful. I definitely couldn't write something similar any better than him

Then again, people who don't have knowledge about Rwby would be quite confused about that last sequence, but... Well, the only thing I'm going to say is that even villains can have redemption and character development