Battle of Atlas

The day began with a crisp, clear sky. The sun reflected off the pristine white buildings and the ever-vigilant fleets of Atlesian airships patrolled the skies. 

Citizens went about their daily routines, unaware of the impending threat. 

In the heart of the floating city of Atlas, General James Ironwood stood in his office, overlooking the bustling city below.

"General, we've received reports of increased Grimm activity near the southern borders of the Kingdom" Specialist Winter Schnee reported, her voice steady but tinged with concern.

Ironwood turned, his brow furrowing. "How many?"

"Enough to be troubling. We should investigate further," Winter suggested.

"Send a squadron to assess the situation. We can't afford to take any chances," Ironwood ordered, his eyes narrowing 

…

..

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Hours later, the tranquility of the day shattered. 

The first wave of Grimm, consisting of Beowolves and Ursai, emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malevolence. 

Alarms blared throughout Atlas, and the once-calm Kingdom erupted into chaos.

General Ironwood, now fully suited in his combat gear out of caution, addressed his troops. 

"This is not a drill. All unit, airships have been arranged, be prepared for transfer. Once you arrive, protect the civilians and eliminate the Grimm threat."

….

The Atlesian military responded with swift precision. 

Soldiers, Paladins, and airships mobilized to confront the encroaching Grimm. 

Energy weapons fired, and the air was thick with the sounds of battle. The Grimm, however, seemed unending. For every creature felled, two more took its place.

Despite the impressive technology, the creatures of darkness seemed endless. It seemed as though it was only a matter of time before this Kingdom fell under the siege of the Grimm

…

..

.

Rimuru Tempest watched all of this happen with a small frown on her face

With bat-like wings out of her back, she was floating not far away from the floating city of Atlas, watching Grimm ferociously attack the Kingdom below 

If she just destroyed all these Grimm swiftly, then her mission could also be completed, right?

Perhaps she was still a bit naive, but she didn't want those lives to weigh on her conscience 

Though sure.... She could put up a Megiddo and destroy all these Grimm that were rampaging freely 

However-

With a slight flap of her wings, she plummeted through the air, her direction clear

Thud

With a heavy sound, she landed on the ground of the floating city of Atlas, in the spot where she sensed her opponent

She had far more important things to do

And there was a person in front of her-

It is a pale man with gold eyes and long, dark brown hair worn in a ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. His chest is crisscrossed with prominent scars.

He wore a white sleeveless jacket, left open to expose his bare chest, and white pants. 

Over his jacket are two buckled, dark gray leather suspenders supporting a black cummerbund, with a third strap running across his chest perpendicular to the suspenders and joining with them on his back. 

There is also a dark brown leather belt slanted across his hips.

His arms were covered with cream-colored bandages and elbow-length, brown fingerless gloves with only a middle finger loop. 

He.... also had a scorpion tail protruding from his lower back.

And this was the target of her mission.

If she didn't deal with him.... There will be far more casualties

So... She will kill him quickly and end this farce

"Are you one of the people wanting to disturb Mistress' plan?"

The man in front of her grinned, madness coloring his eyes 

"And…" Rimuru looked at him, eyes narrowing "Are you one of Salem's minions?"

There was a hint of mockery and sarcasm in her tone. 

-Something she normally wouldn't do, but the man in front of her just gave her bad vibes

And she also knew this guy was truly and utterly insane- perhaps it would be more correct to call him a monster in human(?) skin

"I can sense your mockery….." The Faunus in front of her replied with a low yet dangerous tone "You can only repay this transgression by sacrificing your life for mistress!"

With an unhinged cackle, the man entered a combat stance-

And promptly launched himself at her with wild abandon

…

..

.

Rias Gremory was on the ground, a bit far away from the battlefield between Atlas and the Grimm

Clad in her Kuoh School uniform, she was waiting for the person who would come to challenge her

"So are you the opponent I have to face?"

A feminine voice sounded from behind her

The redhead turned around-

"It's you?!"

Her eyes widened at the familiar figure who arrived and was prepared to battle

Black hair, red eyes, and that familiar outfit-

"Y-you…?"

Rias' response was incoherent, baffled at how this situation turned out

"You seem confused?" 

The woman opposite of her chuckled

"Well, anyway" She shook her head "The name's Raven. Thanks for giving me directions that day, it made my acquisition of the Relic a bit easier"

Rias' face went bright red- the same color as her hair- at the woman's words.

This woman was the same one she met back then when she was trying to obtain the Relic of Destruction

And… She gave directions to her- an enemy- which also helped their faction get the Relic?!

Her body trembled at the sheer embarrassment of what she had done

Oh, how she wanted to find a hole to bury herself!

How embarrassing, awkward, and incompetent of her!

"Fuuu~"

The redhead took a deep breath to calm herself down. 

She was preparing for battle with a hostile individual, she couldn't afford to be distracted-!

Just as these thoughts raced through her head, something caught her attention at the edge of her vision

Eyes widening, the familiar yet pathetic instincts that were carved in her by Adam's beatings kicked in-

Rias ducked, rolling sideways in case the opponent followed with another attack

She lifted her head, and she was glad that she had ducked

At the place where her neck was present before…

-A small reddish black portal had opened up, a black sword peeking out of it- having finished a slash that would have sliced cleanly through her neck

"Good instincts"

The black-haired woman who sneak-attacked remarked, pulling out her hand from the portal beside her

"Huh?" The devil princess looked at the sword more closely as she stood up "Is that… The Relic of Destruction?"

"Indeed"

Her opponent replied curtly, not following up on her previous attack

Slowly and deliberately, she put on a fighting stance

"Tch…"

Rias clicked her tongue, already expecting that answer

After all, that sense of familiarity when looking at that sword couldn't be mistaken

It was a connection stemming from her bloodline. It resonated with the similar Relic of Destruction

It was faint, almost impossible to discern unless highly focused.

Perhaps that is why she didn't sense this sword when she met this woman for the first time?

....Or maybe she was too stupid at the time to realize

"Unfortunately for you, Thief….." 

The devil heiress narrowed her eyes, a reddish-black aura of destruction crackling in existence as it manifested around her body

"- I am a mage, and I will not humor you in a swordsmanship match"

Rias smiled devilishly(heh), putting her hands on her hips as the destructive aura around her intensified

She will never humor another person in fighting a battle only with swords…. Except for Adam, of course

"Haha…" The black-haired woman chuckled "Recently, it has been the same for me. But I am just too used to fighting with a sword"

The Relic sword still in one hand, the enemy's eyes glowed with a dark red flame. She raised her arm, palm facing upwards-

BOOM

And the sky went from clear to cloudy in an instant

…

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