Chapter 126: Alliance

"Have you calmed down?"

I looked at the once-again whole Salem who had been restored in just a second thanks to a dark seal that had appeared beneath her.

"I am immortal!" 

She exclaimed, swiftly sending a beam of dark energy from her hands toward me, which clashed with the light beam emitted from my eyes. 

The collision caused a powerful explosion that destroyed the castle and incinerated Salem again as my beams easily overpowered her attack.

"I know you're immortal because of the gods, but do you understand that immortality can become a torture, long and lasting?"

 I said, standing unscathed as Salem reformed once more.

"Who better than I to understand that. I've spent centuries trying to end this life, but I couldn't... and you won't succeed either." 

She replied, surveying the aftermath of the explosion.

"You can be sealed away, as one option or simply sever your connection with the god and then destroy all the Grimm. You definitely wouldn't be able to return after that, but killing the gods might be just as effective."

My wings appeared behind me, and a halo formed above my head. 

The whole continent was hit by massive pressure that made the Grimm run away in fear, and had never felt before. 

Salem herself collapsed face-first into the dirt yet still struggled to rise while using more and more energy.

"I have ways to kill you even now..." 

I drew my sword from the ring. 

"In my world, there's the Eighth Metal capable of killing gods, and even immortals can die. This sword is entirely made of Ninth Metal and is even more powerful than the last. If that doesn't work, I can send you to an entirely different world, another universe, so your connection to Remnant or the gods weakens."

"You... god..." 

She said it with anger in her voice, and I reduced the pressure eventually removing it entirely.

"No, I am not a god. I am here to destroy them." 

I corrected her with a calm but firm voice.

"And you, Salem, you don't have to be their pawn any longer. You can choose a different path. However, if you continue to stand in my way, I will do whatever it takes to ensure your defeat."

"I'm not quite a god. I wasn't born this way, but I acquired everything over time. I started as a powerful mage, then became an Archmage, and eventually reached this level of power and that power capable of standing against gods."

"So you were human?" 

She asked, her tone less hostile as she tidied herself up.

"Yes, but now I can hardly be called human, but I don't regret it. I will take all the power I can and change myself if necessary to kill gods and protect what is dear to me."

" ...You mentioned another world. Tell me more about that."

She decided to talk when she realized I wasn't lying and that my powers didn't come from the gods of this world. 

They wouldn't give humans such power.

"There are countless worlds. Some have magic, others have Qi..."

 I decided to explain in detail about other worlds, even creating holographic images. 

I showed heroes from my world.

"Heroes and villains, hah... How poetic... and foolish." 

Salem smiled while sipping some good wine I kept in my inventory. 

I'm not a fan of it, but my sister enjoys it. 

"That's their belief and conviction, and they don't have over a thousand years of experience... well, not all of them." 

I added.

"Alright... Anthony, I am ready to help you with whatever I can maybe you will succeed where I failed. If not... I hope the gods will kill everyone, including me."

"I will succeed. I have prepared more than enough when knowing who I will be dealing with."

"You awaken a long-forgotten feeling in me... the feeling of hope. That feeling cuts like a knife and hurts like torture. But... what exactly do you need my help with? Fighting the gods is beyond my power. I am too... weak."

"I don't need you to fight the gods directly. I need your knowledge, your experience. You've lived for millennia. You've seen and learned much. You could help me understand the work of this world and its magic and you could help me prepare for what's to come. You should also help me find and secure any potential allies or artifacts to help our cause."

I explained.

Salem considered my words, and her expression was thoughtful.

The idea of hope and purpose seemed to resonate with her even if it brought pain.

"Very well." 

She finally said.

"I will lend you my knowledge and assist in any way I can. But be warned, the path ahead is full of danger and uncertainty."

"I'm aware."

I replied with a determined look in my eyes.

"And I'm ready for whatever comes. We'll bring an end to the reign of the gods and create a new future for Remnant together."

"With the gods, I can handle it myself. I need your help to watch over Remnant even if it's just for one year. Hopefully, that's not too much to ask?"

"No, it's not much."

Salem shook her head with a tragic past.

"But what about... Ozma?" 

The hatred flared up in her words.

"If you want, I can... return things to how they were before and give both of you a chance... a new chance at life together without the hardships brought by the gods."

I suggested.

"No, and that's not up for discussion. We're bound by a history spanning millennia is the desire to kill each other. We'll never return to how we were and erase memories? Then we wouldn't be us anymore, just puppets with a "happy ending." A truly happy ending doesn't suit everyone... I want his death. I want him to die for good."

Salem's red eyes ran into mine.

"Let's deal with the gods first and then with your relationship." 

I proposed.

"Fine, that's much more important at the moment."

She agreed calmly. 

It didn't start well, but it ended on a decent note.

I turned off the live stream that I mainly activated for Winter's peace of mind, but I think other chat members were also interested.

From what I've seen and felt personally, if Salem really wanted to destroy humans and faunus, no one could stop her. 

The Atlas fleet? 

It would cause some trouble for a few minutes if it fired from maximum altitude, and that's it. 

Salem is more than capable of hurling dark spheres at them if she wants to, and she's fully capable of flying using her powers. 

Moreover, she could act as she did recently with Vale, but only harsher, summoning even more Grimm and leading the charge herself.

"This castle has stood here for a very long time."

Salem said, looking at the crater where her castle once stood.

"Is it important to you?" 

I turned to her.

Meanwhile, Winter was messaging me, so I mentally sent her a reply.

Winter Schnee: She's terrifyingly strong. How do we fight her without magic? 

Rias Gremory: I think she could be legitimately considered a High-Class Devil... her ability to regenerate is terrifying even Phoenixes would struggle to be reborn if their bodies were incinerated like that. 

Shinoa Hiragi: Administrator-kun really brought the heat... by the way, the castle was quite nice. It would look good in Gotham too. 

Hermione Granger: Considering her entire history, I'm genuinely surprised she's remained sane... 

Erina Nakiri: Doubtful... 

Rias Gremory: Humanity is still alive, and there's still some hope left in her. 

Shinoa Hiragi: Says the devil... 

Rias Gremory: Shinoa, are you hinting at something sinister? 

Shinoa Hiragi: Oh, someone's getting brave... punish me, Mommy Gremory! By the way, how's Issei the transmigrator? 

Rias Gremory: He vanished without a trace, and his parents don't even remember they had a son... I even asked Grayfia for help by telling her about him. 

Winter Schnee: Anthony, are you sure giving her a chance is a good idea? 

Anthony (Administrator): She's stronger than any of you and genuinely wants to kill the gods, and she won't let it go as long as she believes I have even a chance of making that happen.

"It's probably not. I just got used to it. Do you really have all four relics?" 

Salem turned to me.

"Yes. Crown, staff, lamp, and sword."

I nodded while listing the appearance of the relics.

"They're in my dimensional ring, spaced far apart from each other... just in case."

"Alright, lead the way. I promised to watch over Remnant for a year to ensure it didn't become extinct, but you must kill the gods. I'm under your care now." 

It seemed to me that she even smiled slyly for a moment but not in a bad way and more like she herself was interested in this new development of events.

"I hope you won't attack anyone? Even your lover, if you two meet?"

I asked just in case.

"Over the years, I've managed to gather patience, and I can wait when needed. So don't worry... I'll deal with him after you summon the gods."

The bloodthirsty grin that briefly appeared didn't indicate much for Ozpin.

"Alright..." 

I opened a portal directly to Winter. 

They were already in Atlas as an hour had passed since I left Mistral. 

Interestingly, she was holding up surprisingly well next to someone she believed was responsible for the huge amount of suffering in the world... 

After all, she didn't control all the Grimm. 

However, General Ironwood was standing nearby, visibly tensed at the sight of Salem, and he quickly placed his hand on his weapon.

"Hm, Atlas?" 

She calmly approached the window and surveyed the city.

"... Anthony, I don't have any words to describe what I'm feeling right now."

James nervously spoke up.

"She's the source of all our troubles..."

"The source of most troubles lies with one or two entities, which are the gods." 

I reminded him.

"I did tell you her story."

"My story?"

Salem became interested.

"I did tell you about the multitude of worlds." 

I turned to her. 

I produced some wine from my ring, and Salem's eyes lit up with interest.

She didn't refuse the glass I presented in front of her. 

"There are many versions of this world where you and Ozma could have switched places. You would have tried to protect the world from its evil version, and everyone could have switched genders somewhere."

"Interesting..." 

She took a sip from the glass, listening to me with interest.

"There's a universe where the version of your world, your story, is written in a book or a movie. General, you can relax, we've come to an understanding, so she won't attack."

"It's hard to accept..." 

James sighed heavily, struggling to change his attitude toward her despite knowing who she was and what she had done.

"We've made a kind of agreement... General." 

Salem said.

"However, I think we should change the location, so his heart doesn't stop from my presence... appreciate how I try to keep my word in this godforsaken world."

Salem was genuinely intrigued by my power, and she began to inquire about how I had attained it.

I told her an edited version of my life story while trying not to mention Gacha and Chat. 

Nevertheless, I did indeed battle a demigod in the vampire world and defeated him, also absorbing his powers. 

I also enjoy creating various things that are quite dangerous, and explaining it all wasn't difficult and didn't require lies.

There was no place for her to stay, and Winter didn't mind her occupying one of the Schnee estates in Atlas. 

After all, Winter had already experienced traveling between worlds and dealing with strangeness. She could accept someone like Salem living in Atlas. 

Moreover, I assured her Salem wouldn't do anything foolish, like destroying the city out of boredom. 

She wasn't entirely pleased with the arrangement, and she trusted me.

"My sister asked if everything was okay with you." 

Winter seemed to report to me as I analyzed each relic separately.

"I don't think they should meet with HER especially since Qrow is very interested in how your meeting with her went because General... he's been drinking a lot lately, and you won't get a normal answer from him. I think Ozpin asked him to find out this information."

"Well, you're the older sister, so decide for yourself. However, I'll tell you this, Salem won't cause trouble... well, unless someone attacks her. As for Ozpin's and Qrow's interests, you can tell them everything if you want. Right now, they can't influence anything."

"It's as if Ozma once could. He always feared what we could do with our power... a fool." 

Salem said, which Winter calmly ignored. 

We were now near the Schnee estate.

"... I see." 

Winter ignored her comment who was curious about what I would learn about the relics.

She stuck with me for this reason. 

After all, it's difficult for her to find something genuinely new after all these millennia.

I'm just a walking wonder.

"There's no way I can help at all?"

Winter asked the question again.

"Darling, he'll soon summon those who once destroyed humanity. What about you? Can you stand against them? The most you can do is brighten his night with your body."

Salem smirked, now seated on the throne she had created with her own powers.

"It's amusing how those who have briefly tasted power sincerely believe that stopping to be pawns makes them players."

"Don't worry, Winter, everything's fine. I think I'll summon them tomorrow." 

I smiled at Winter, who had become a really close friend over the past few months. 

"How are all these relics connected to the gods?" 

Salem returned to the topic we were discussing before Winter arrived.

"As far as I can tell, all these relics were created based on their energy flesh. They simply separated some of their powers from themselves and connected these parts to the necessary source..." 

I explained to the curious woman what I had managed to learn. 

Surprisingly, it's pretty pleasant when someone listens to you, asks interesting questions, and even understands something. 

After all, Salem has been trampling the world for over a millennium and used to be a sorceress or the most powerful sorceress.

She understands magic.

...

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