NOTE: Well, that didn't take long, did it? I actually managed to get it finished earlier than I had anticipated and now you guys get two new Spotlights for the price of one! :D

DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.

Infinity Verse Spotlight

Ch'rell: Trial by Blood

All was going according to plan for Ch'rell. [1] Day by day, more and more of the White Fang's outposts that spread all across Remnant caught wind of the new High Leader. One that promised to succeed where Adam had failed and had sworn that he would hunt him down and kill him, both in the name of the Faunus who had died due to his insane ambitions and as a right of passage. Scouts were being deployed all over the world in such a short amount of time, thanks to the Utrom tech he had possessed. They had even gifted him by repairing the throne room in Mistral that Adam had destroyed in a fit of rage.

The pieces were coming together smoothly.

And yet, a sensation of anger coursed through the alien body inside the mechanical suit he controlled.

It was a sensation he was used to. One that he had even embraced. It was this fury, he believed, that kept him alive for this long. Had he not accepted the rage within, surely he would have perished long ago when he was exiled from Dimension X.

His exile.

The very thought caused him to tightly grip the armrests of the throne he now sat upon, cracking them slightly.

He had only desired to do what he thought was best for the Utrom Tribe. To purge Dimension X of those loathsome Kraang forever. To see an end to this seemingly never-ending war. But no. Over time, his methods were deemed 'extremist' and 'terroristic' by Queen, Bishop, and the rest of the High Council. And so, they banished him to the Prime Universe. Angry and alone, he did all he could to survive in this strange world, hearing stories about one Oroku Saki.

The Shredder.

Admiring his ruthlessness, intelligence, and savagery, Ch'rell decided to construct a suit of armor using some of the leftover Kraang tech from their many attempted sieges of New York. One that unofficially made him the new Shredder following the eventual death of Saki at the hands of one of the sons of his most hated rival, Hamato Yoshi. After all, if his people saw him as a villain, then perhaps it was time for him to play the part.

But even he knew that simply constructing a suit of armor would not be enough for him to get his revenge. First, he needed an army. Saki's Foot Clan was out of the question, for it was now under the control of his 'daughter,' Karai. Someone who would most definitely not wish to assist someone who bore her 'father's' mantle. So, he needed to search elsewhere. As he scanned through the multiverse, he found exactly what he was looking for in the form of Remnant's White Fang.

And once he had completely gained their loyalty, the first true step towards his revenge would be complete.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the throne room's doors opening. He looked down to see Trifa approaching him before getting down on her knees before him.

"Master Shredder," she greeted.

"Arise, young one," Ch'rell responded. "What news do you bring before me?"

"One of our scout teams in the outskirts of Argus just reported back to us," the spider-Faunus answered as she got back on her feet. "They've found him."

Upon hearing this news, the Utrom couldn't help but let out a devious chuckle as he slowly rose upwards from his newfound throne.

"Excellent," he said as he descended towards his subordinate. "The coward, Taurus' judgment day is upon him. Come, Trifa. You and I shall drag him back here to where you and the others shall bear witness to his execution."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, master, than to see that traitor suffer," Trifa responded, smirking at the mere thought.

"Gotcha."

With her mechanical right arm still gripping Adam's Wilt and her hair glowing a bright shade of gold, Yang then cocked her Ember Celica in her left arm and pulled her opponent towards her, delivering a mighty punch to his stomach that sent him flying backward. Once he had ceased trudging against the ground, Adam managed to get back on his feet, his Aura completely depleted, and reached down to his Blush to grab his sword, only to notice that it was missing. To his horror, he turned to Yang, her own Aura drained, to see his weapon still in his hand.

"I may not be faster...but I'm smarter," she said.

She then hurled her enemy's weapon towards the nearby waterfall.

"NO!" Adam cried out.

He made an attempt to dash towards his Wilt and grab it, but was far too late, and could only watch as it descended down the cliff. Suddenly, without warning, Blake leaped up from the ledge she was holding onto and uppercut the Faunus terrorist. He stumbled backward as a result but was quickly able to regain his footing right as he and Blake noticed one half of her Gambol Shroud's katana portion on the ground.

The two of them rushed to try and grab it, all while Yang dashed towards another piece of the broken blade. The second she grabbed it, Blake had managed to grasp the portion of her weapon before Adam could, and the two of them thrust their newfound weapons towards their adversary, fully intent on finishing him off for good.

However, the two of them failed to notice that a triangular-shaped portal had opened above them, both Ch'rell and Trifa emerging from it. The Shredder had made his mark on Adam's back, forcing him onto his stomach before instantly grabbing Yang by her neck. Trifa, meanwhile, shot a web from her right palm that wrapped itself around Blake before ducking down to avoid the offensive she had intended for Adam. The spider-Faunus then swung the cat-Faunus away from her right as Ch'rell tossed Yang aside, the two of them landing nearby each other.

Both huntresses-in-training barely had any time to react to what had just transpired but were able to quickly get back on their feet, only for their eyes to widen in a state of surprise to see a massive, mechanical suit of armor picking a struggling Adam up by the collar of his outfit and a portal hovering above it. Blake then noticed Trifa standing beside the suit and narrowed her eyes angrily, believing that her psychotic ex's cavalry had finally come for him, and was about to charge towards her when the spider-Faunus spoke up.

"Relax, Belladonna, we're not here for this treacherous worm's sake," she stated. "And as much as I would enjoy watching him be humiliated by you and your friend here, I'm afraid that honor is going to go to our new High Leader."

She motioned her head towards Ch'rell, who had not relented on his iron grip upon the former High Leader. Neither Blake nor Yang hesitated from their stances, knowing that there was a reasonable chance that they would ambush them at a moment's notice. Then, rather perplexingly to the latter half of Team RWBY, Shredder turned his inhuman gaze towards Blake...and only Blake. It was almost as if Yang wasn't even there in his eyes.

"Enjoy these final, fleeting moments of solace while you still can," he advised. "For when next we meet, one of us will not leave our inevitable confrontation alive."

Only then did he finally turn his head towards Yang.

"As for you, pray that we do not cross paths again. For if we do, I shall claim your other arm...and then your life."

And with that chilling warning spoken, the portal above him, Adam and Trifa lowered towards them, sending the three of them to God knows where in the eyes of the two huntresses-in-training. Only then did Yang finally relent from her stance, only to turn to see Blake still staring blankly at where they once stood.

"Blake, who...Who was that?" she questioned.

"...I don't know," was all Blake could answer with as she turned to face Yang.

The blonde bombshell noticed a look in the Faunus' eyes. A look of dread. One that told her that she knew that this, indeed, would not be the last time they would see this man. And that whatever his endgame was, it couldn't possibly be good.

Adam fell face-first to the ground harshly after hearing his attacker speak to his former love. He noticed instantly that he had not landed on the rocky cliffside of Argus, but on a wooden floor. He looked upward as he slowly rose to his feet and instantly realized that he was back in Mistral. More specifically, the White Fang throne room.

He observed his surroundings further and noticed that dozens upon dozens of his former followers now surrounded him. Each and every one of them gazed upon their former leader with the same hate-filled look in their eyes. A snarl of contempt escaped Adam's lips as he finally got back on his feet.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

The onlookers only responded with silence and the same look of contempt in their eyes.

"Answer me!" Adam roared.

"They do not take orders from you anymore, Adam Taurus," a voice from behind interrupted.

Upon hearing the same voice that addressed Black earlier in Argus, the bull-Faunus turned to see Ch'rell towering before him, with Trifa standing by his side, the same bitter look on her face as the other Faunus in the room. Seeing what appeared to be a human standing in the White Fang throne room, as well as one of his top lieutenants standing with him, caused Adam to nearly grit his teeth in anger.

"Trifa," he practically spat out. "You allowed a human to ambush me AND set foot in this throne room?! This treachery will no-"

"You DARE speak of treason after what you've done, you bastard?!" Trifa shouted. "After you yourself forced us to ally ourselves with humans, lead your brothers and sisters to slaughter at Haven without any remorse for them whatsoever, and murdered Sienna in cold blood?!"

Hearing the accusation for Sienna's murder caused the Faunus terrorist's sole working eye to widen slightly, and prompted him to say possibly the last thing he should have said in response.

"How did you find out? Who told you?!"

"Why you did, Taurus, just now," the Shredder answered with a sinister chuckle. "Though we certainly had our suspicions."

Realizing what he had just done, Adam briefly went slack-jawed before quickly regaining his composure and resumed his hate-filled glare towards his subduer.

"Why, Adam?" Trifa asked.

"Why?" Adam repeated, no longer having anything to hide. "Why?! Because Sienna was a short-sighted coward! All she would ever think about is having the humans simply fear us when they should be kneeling before us! I gave her the chance to see things my way, but in the end, she was as blind as ever."

Both of his hands tightly gripped into fists as he continued to seeth with fury.

"So I chose what was best for the Faunus. Every decision I've made has always been for the Faunus!"

Growling in malice at her former High Leader, Trifa attempted to march towards him to give him a piece of her mind, only for Ch'rell to place his hand in front of her to stop her.

"Oh, I understand," the Shredder responded. "Far more than you no doubt believe. For I was in your current predicament once as well."

As he continued to speak, he calmly began to advance towards Adam, who simply glared right into his armor's red optics in retaliation.

"My people were at war. Brothers and sisters fell day by day to my enemies. I, and several others, fought back to purge our land of their wickedness forever...Until the day they exiled me."

The thoughts returned to the banished Utrom as his armor's mechanical hands too gripped into fists out of contempt.

"'Savage'...'Cruel'...'Barbaric'...That was what my brethren dubbed both my actions and myself. Like you, all that I had done was for what I so desperately believed was for the good of my people, but they were too blind to see that. I found myself in a very similar situation you found yourself in, Adam. Broken, bitter, and, alone...But do you know what the difference is between you and me?"

Ch'rell then finally stopped his advance towards the bull-Faunus when he was only a foot or two away from him.

"I chose to fight and survive. Not run and chase after a girl."

Hearing his answer prompted Adam to snarl at the mere thought of Blake and what happened back at Argus until the Shredder's voice snapped him out of it.

"Now then, on to why you are here," the renegade Kraang continued as he started to walk away.

"Let me guess," Adam responded. "You've brought me back here to stand trial."

"Oh, no," Ch'rell answered, turning to face the Faunus once more as he did so. "Your guilt has already been determined. Though, there will indeed be a trial this day."

He then reached for his back and pulled something out of one of two scabbards attached to his back. Adam's sole eye widened slightly in surprise when he saw what it was: His sword, Wilt, which he last saw Yang toss off the cliff and into the river.

"A chokutō with this 'Dust' infused into the blade," he continued as he analyzed the sword. "An impressive weapon, I must admit."

Afterward, he tossed Wilt towards Adam, allowing him to catch it by the handle, much to the Faunus terrorist's confusion.

"But I prefer something a touch more...traditional."

To prove his point, he then reached into the second scabbard and unsheathed a seemingly normal katana, grasping it with both hands as his armor's red optics continued to gaze towards his enemy.

"What are you doing?" Adam angrily pondered.

"The trial I spoke of is for myself," Ch'rell answered. "Your former followers have selected me as your replacement, but before I can assume the throne as High Leader, I have elected to show to them that their faith will not be in vain this time. And I shall do so...by killing their old, weak, cowardly leader."

A snarl of pure hatred escaped Adam's mouth as he placed both of his hands on the handle of Wilt.

"A trial by blood, if you will," the Shredder continued. "However, I am not completely without mercy. For I have allowed you the chance to die a warrior's death."

Silence overtook the throne room for several seconds before the bull-Faunus finally spoke up.

"...Finally finished with your inane babbling, I see?"

The terrorist's scowl then curved to form a devious smirk.

"Then allow me to point just how much of a fool you truly are. While you were monologuing, you've given me enough time to allow my Aura to start regenerating. Even better, you made the mistake of handing me back my weapon. You've basically ensured my victory without even knowing it!"

As soon as he finished that sentence, the Faunus terrorist fully expected his opponent to start groveling in despair and fall to his knees, begging for his forgiveness and for him to spare his life. A request that he would not even humor the idea of fulfilling.

But no.

Instead, Ch'rell started to chuckle with a sinister tone before it transitioned into a full-blown maniacal laugh. One of mockery over his adversary's hubris.

"And you call ME a fool?" the Shredder asked. "Pathetic child. I highly doubt your parlor tricks would be able to save you. Though I was hoping that your Aura would indeed regenerate. After all, we wouldn't want this to be too easy, would we?"

Adam's hands practically shook with fury as this mysterious enemy of his had the gall to stand his ground and mock him at his own throne room. He wanted nothing more than to cut this man before him down before slaughtering his former followers for this betrayal.

And so, having wasted enough time, the Faunus got himself into a fighting stance, one that the Shredder repeated, as both combatants stared each other down, waiting for someone to make the first move. Tension filled the air as the other Faunus observed the two of them second after second. Until...

"Hajime!"

The renegade Kraang was the first to dash towards his enemy, his katana raised upwards while Adam began to charge towards him in response. Once his target was close enough, Ch'rell swung his sword down towards Adam's head, only for the Faunus to jump up and above him. He made an attempt on his challenger's own head, but the Shredder was quick to act, immediately bringing his blade behind him and blocking the slash from Wilt. Once Adam landed on the floor, Ch'rell spun around and slashed his sword at his opponent, only for the former High Leader to block it with his own.

The two of them then began a series of quick yet powerful clashes against each other's weapons, each with the intent to cut down their adversary once even the smallest sliver of an opening was found, only for the defending combatant to instantly block every offensive. This cycle continued on for several seconds as Adam analyzed just who was challenging his claim to the throne. He had assumed that with such a bulky and cumbersome suit of armor that his enemy would be nothing but a slow brute, relying on his strength to win this fight. But this theory was quickly proven wrong as his speed and strength seemed to be perfectly balanced, resulting in the bull-Faunus' defensives only just barely saving him from his still-healing Aura being depleted.

Still, Adam continued to believe that this fight was going to end in his victory, for he had one thing he was certain his challenger did not: His Semblance, Moonslice. And with the latest deflection of Ch'rell's attack, the Faunus felt he had wasted enough of his time and decided to end this here and now. The energies built up in his sword and his hair started to glow blood-red before swinging his sword outward, a curved burst of energy emanating out of his blade and impacting Shredder's katana, sending it flying blade-first into a nearby wall and causing Ch'rell to stumble back slightly.

Seeing his opening, the Faunus let out an angered battle cry and lunged towards the Shredder, ready to decapitate him with one slice. However, Ch'rell's gauntlets suddenly deployed two two-pronged wrist blades, similar to the ones utilized by his namesake on Earth, before swiftly swinging his arms into a crossed position, catching the blade of Wilt just inches away from his armor's head. The Faunus' eye widened in shock before his opponent harshly kicked him square in the gut, the sheer force of which knocked the air out of him and sent him flying into a group of White Fang soldiers. Adam's former followers managed to grab him and shove him back towards Ch'rell, who then delivered a harsh punch to the terrorist's face.

The impact caused Adam to fall flat on his face, blood spurting out of his mouth despite his Aura protecting him, due to how powerful the impact was. He let out a growl as he started to get back up, only for Ch'rell to grab him by the back of his uniform and, with only one hand, toss him through the wall of which his katana was currently jabbed into. The wall crumbled upon impact, causing Adam to disappear into the darkness of the dimly lit room, as well as the Shredder's weapon to fall to the ground. Said intergalactic shogun proceeded to advance through the hole, but not before reclaiming his blade.

The alien shogun stepped past the hole in the wall, instantly noticing an open door to an adjoining room and the brief glint of Adam's weapon before it retreated out of Ch'rell's sight. The optics in the Shredder's armor narrowed at this sight before he made his way through the door. Once he had done so, it suddenly closed behind him, leaving him completely surrounded by darkness.

"Ah...I see," he said. "You believe that the shadows will bring you your victory."

He then began to walk forward, slowly and calculatingly observing his surroundings as he did so.

"I understand that your kind can see quite clearly in the dark," Ch'rell continued. "And that it lead to many victories in your 'Rights Revolution.' But you are quite mistaken if you believe that it will win you THIS confrontation. For while you may have adopted the shadows..."

Suddenly, the exiled Kraang swiftly turned around and grabbed a shocked Adam by the neck right as he attempted to lunge at him from within the darkness.

"...the shadows, in fact, bow before me!"

Ch'rell then tossed Adam aside, sending him flying into a crate of fire Dust before marching towards where he landed, katana in hand. The bull-Faunus struggled to get back on his feet when he noticed his opponent making his way towards him. He turned to the crate of Dust he had knocked over and grabbed a handful, stuffing it into Blush before pointing it at the Shredder. Right before he made it to him, Adam fired the Dust, a fireball harshly making contact with the Kraang's armor, detonating on impact and sending him flying away.

Sheathing Wilt into Blush, Adam managed to get back on his feet as he saw Ch'rell slam against the wall and slump downwards onto the floor. Wasting no time on his counterattack, the Faunus charged towards his enemy, firing Wilt from the barrel of Blush towards the alien shogun's head as he did so. The sword slammed itself against Ch'rell's helmet the instant he got back on his feet before Adam jumped upwards and kicked the hilt of Wilt in mid-air, causing its blade to lodge itself into an opening in the Shredder's armor. Ch'rell then attempted to bring the blade of his own weapon down upon Adam, only for the terroristic Faunus to quickly dash out of its path, reclaiming his weapon as he did so before blocking another slash from his adversary, causing the two blades to lock as both combatants tried to assume dominance.

"How many of your kind did you send to their doom to serve your inane ambitions, Taurus?" the alien shogun questioned. "Dozens? Hundreds, perhaps?"

"If you must know, I rarely pay any mind to those who failed the White Fang," Adam answered. "For every one that falls, I only regret that my brothers and sisters could not have killed more of you weak, vile, DESPICABLE HUMANS!"

"Human?" Ch'rell repeated before chuckling sinisterly. "Boy, you could not be farther from the truth."

He then released his right hand's grip on his sword and swung it upwards, impacting Adam's jaw before he could even remotely react. The bull-Faunus stumbled backward slightly before his opponent swiftly jumped in a clockwise motion that allowed both of his feet to kick him right in the chest, causing him to fall onto his back.

"I am as far beyond human as your 'brothers and sisters' are beyond you," the renegade Kraang continued. "They fought and died for a cause they believed in. To make this world a better place for the Faunus. You? You're nothing more than a rabid dog."

Ch'rell then proceeded to lift his sword upwards as he approached his adversary, all while Adam reached for the hilt of Wilt.

"One that I shall now put to sleep!"

"ENOUGH!" Adam roared.

His hair glowing a deep shade of crimson, the terroristic Faunus quickly reacted by unsheathing Wilt halfway from Blush, blocking the blade of his enemy just inches away from his head. The impact managed to force Adam onto one knee as he attempted to get back on his feet while Ch'rell continued to apply more and more force to try and break through Adam's defense. The Faunus smirked deviously at this and, without warning, swiped his blade to his right, the sheer force of this action, thanks to his Semblance, managing to send the Shredder flying through a wall back to the throne room. The other members of the White Fang quickly scattered to get out of the way before Ch'rell's armored heap crashed onto the floor.

With an enraged snarl, the exiled Kraang started to get back on his feet, only to then see Adam rocketing through the hole he had just created and preparing his sword to disembowel his adversary. The Shredder was quick to act and immediately deflected it with his own blade. The instant the swords made contact, though, Adam immediately began a flurry of other slashes with Wilt, of which Ch'rell managed to deflect about half of. The other half, however, managed to make deep gashes in his armor due to his inability to adjust to this sudden increase of speed from his enemy so quickly.

Then, Adam jumped upwards in a counter-clockwise motion, fully intending on repaying the favor that was Shredder kicking him in the chest with both of his metal feet. However, while one kick managed to make its mark, Ch'rell wasn't about to allow the bull-Faunus to strike him again and grabbed his left leg before the offensive made its mark. Before Adam could react, Shredder, letting out an angered yell, swung him by his leg against a wall before slamming his body harshly onto the floor. His Aura took a severe hit, but, having now absorbed more energy, Adam was more than capable of continuing in his efforts to slay his opponent.

The Faunus quickly dashed back onto his feet right before Ch'rell slammed his wrist blades onto the floor and proceeded to slice the blades off with one swipe of Wilt. The alien shogun then tried to slash his katana towards his adversary, only for him to bend his back backward to evade the blade before jumping over Ch'rell and latching onto his back. Before the Kraang could attempt to get the bull-Faunus off his armor's person, Adam drove Wilt deep into his back until the blade emerged from the armor's chest where one's heart would be. The Shredder let out a cry of pain before falling to one knee in a seemingly weakened state.

Smirking at this new development, Adam pulled his sword out of his enemy's body and lept back down onto the floor before turning to his former followers. They only continued to glare at their former leader while a bat-Faunus named Yuma attempted to make his way to the former High Leader, growling as he did so, only for Trifa to place a hand in front of him to stop him.

"Let this man's death be a lesson for anyone who dares to stand against me!" Adam yelled.

He then turned back to Ch'rell, who was still on one knee, snarling with contempt as his hair began to glow once again before firing Blush to propel himself towards his downed enemy, ready to slice him in half with one fail swoop and reclaim his title.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Ch'rell, hearing his opponent's attack, placed both of his armor's hands on his sword, causing the outline of the blade and several alien inscriptions to glow a bright shade of blue. Then, his armor quickly, and without warning, twisted itself 180 degrees, causing his deep red optics to gaze towards Adam as he headed his way. The Faunus' sole eye widened as he gasped in shock right before the Shredder swung his glowing sword at Wilt, shattering its blade completely and causing both blue and red energies to explode outward and send Adam hurdling away from the renegade Kraang.

Once the Faunus terrorist stopped sliding across the floor, he tried to get back up, groaning in pain as he did so, before turning to see Ch'rell slowly rise back up, his legs adjusting themselves without his torso moving at all.

"What..." was all that could escape Adam's lips before his gaze turned to the sword the Shredder continued to hold, which now began to crackle with energy.

"Feast your eye on the instrument of your demise, Adam," he said. "With this sword, I laid enemy compounds to waste, brought their bases to ground, and vanquished entire armies."

He then pointed the blade of his weapon towards the bull-Faunus, all while it started to glow brighter and brighter with every second.

"Feast your eye on the Sword of Tengu!"

Suddenly, a burst of energy erupted from the sword, hitting Adam, causing him to cry out in pain as his Aura was finally depleted once again before he slammed against a wall and slumped to the ground. He noticed Blush laying in front of him and desperately crawled towards it, only for Ch'rell to swiftly stomp on it with his metal boot, completely crushing it. Adam then looked up at his enemy, who simply gazed down at him, before letting out a roar of pure hatred, forcing himself onto one knee and swinging his right fist at the alien shogun in a final attempt to fight back. It was for not, though, as the Shredder immediately swung the Sword of Tengu at his arm, slicing it off at the elbow. The Faunus cried out in agony as he immediately clutched the bloody stump to try and stop the bleeding while Ch'rell slowly encircled him.

"The trial is now complete," he began. "I have won, Adam Taurus. The White Fang officially belongs to me now, and I shall ensure that it will succeed where you have failed!"

He then stopped once he stood behind his fallen adversary, who only continued to wince in pain as he tried to stop the mass bleeding in his arm.

"Still, I will admit, you fought well. And so, take comfort that you shall die with just the slightest hint of honor."

Ch'rell raised his weapon upwards and brought it through Adam's stomach, causing the bull-Faunus to cough out his own blood as he tried to yell out in pain. The Shredder then proceeded to slice the terrorist's stomach open before finally pulling the Sword of Tengu out. Adam, weakening second by second, looked down at the pool of his blood before falling over, the life fading from his eye. His former followers showed no remorse for their former High Leader while his killer grasped the blade of his weapon with his armor's free hand and wiped the blood of his slain enemy off before sheathing it on his back.

"Dispose of the body," Trifa ordered.

Six White Fang members rushed to Adam's corpse, each of them grabbing a different appendage before lifting it up and walking out of the throne room. As that was going on, Ch'rell began to walk back to his throne and sat upon it, looking down at his new followers, who proceeded to kneel to show their respect.

"We serve the new High Leader of the White Fang," Yuma announced.

"Then you serve...The Shredder," Trifa stated as she stood by her leader's side.

"Arise," Ch'rell ordered.

The White Fang members then rose back onto their feet as they awaited the new High Leader's speech.

"My new followers, I assure you all that I will indeed make good on what I said to your former leader as I took his life. Under my leadership and tutelage, we deliver to mankind the righteous justice they deserve for what they have done to you. We shall build a new world where the Faunus are given the utmost respect. No more subjugation by the inferior species. No more hiding in the shadows out of fear. We shall burn the kingdoms down if we must and rebuild them from their ashes! And in time, these prejudices you faced will be a thing of the past. The humans will fear you, and generations of Faunus to come shall finally know peace...Dismissed."

With that word spoken, the Faunus in the throne room dispersed to begin their new crusade against humanity. Trifa was about to step down and join them, only for Shredder to place a hand in front of her.

"Not you, Trifa," he stated. "As my first lieutenant, there are a few matters we must discuss in private."

"This is about Blake, isn't it, Master Shredder?" Trifa questioned.

"Correct," Shredder answered. "She is the key to Project: Black Sky's success."

"Forgive me, Master, but I must ask," Trifa replied. "Why her? Why not the other girl she was with? She matches the description our scouts in Anima gave in regards to Raven Branwen's daughter. Surely that amount of power she no doubt wields would make her a better-"

The spider-Faunus stopped instantly when Ch'rell swiftly turned his armor's head towards her, glaring into her eyes with his deep red optics. A frightened Trifa quickly bowed before her new High Leader in an attempt to apologize for her decorum.

"Simple power is nothing, Trifa," the Shredder stated. "Skill is everything. And that girl, though skilled, is nothing compared to Belladonna in that regard."

"Y-Yes, Master," Trifa responded. "P-Please forgive me."

Ch'rell said nothing in response. Instead, his armor's head simply turned away from the Faunus, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Still, there is something that troubles me in regards to this project," the alien continued. "With the limited resources at my disposal, I am not certain that our plans for young Blake would even work to begin with...We may need to test this project once it is complete before moving on to her."

"I believe I may know of the perfect test subject, Master Shredder," Trifa interjected, causing her master to turn back to her once more.

"Oh?" he asked. "And who might that be?"

Trifa then pulled out her scroll and opened it, revealing a picture of a girl with brown hair tied to a ponytail, gray eyes, tan skin, and dark spots on her face, arms, and legs.

"Her name is Ilia Amitola," Trifa answered. "She turned against our brothers and sisters at Haven and defected the White Fang. She is also close friends with Blake. She'll not only make for an excellent test subject but can also lead Blake to us."

"Yes," Ch'rell said. "If your scouts' reports of her attempting to gain entry into Atlas are true, then it shall save us the trouble of trying to infiltrate such a well protected kingdom when we can simply draw her out."

"When last our scouts saw her, she was here in Mistral," Trifa added. "I can go and claim her at once if you so command."

"Then go," the Shredder ordered. "Find her. Bring her to me alive."

"It will be done, Master Shredder," the spider-Faunus responded with a bow.

And with that, Trifa turned and left the throne room to carry out her task, all while Ch'rell continued to sit upon the White Fang's throne. The pieces continued to fall into place. He now had the army he had sought after, and soon, he would be able to carry out what he had been planning for years.

His revenge.

After what seemed like an eternity of falling, Adam hit the ground hard and instantly felt the heat rising from the rocky surface. Fighting the pain he was currently in, he slowly rose to his feet to try and get a better view of his surroundings. He noticed that he stood at the edge of a cliff that looked down upon what appeared to be a large, almost sleazy looking city that was practically drenched with every fowlic sin anyone could possibly commit. To the Faunus' right was what appeared to be a large billboard that read 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.' (as well as a spot of graffiti that read 'Cherri Bomb wuz here, bitches.')

Perplexed, Adam was about to make his way to this city to try and find the answers he sought as to where he was when two chains with hooks attached to the ends of them suddenly burst out of the ground upon which he stood and dug themselves deep into his hands. He barely had any time to cry out in pain before a large chasm opened bellow him and the chains pulled him into the darkness.

When Adam finally came to, he found himself on his knees, a searing pain coming from his hands. He turned to each of them to see that the hooks had still dug deep into his flesh. Outside of that, darkness was all that surrounded him...save for what was directly in front of him.

From out of the shadows were a pair of hands, the skin of each was bleached white, with one resting on an armrest while the other held an odd, golden cube with strange, intricate markings across every dimension of its shape. The Faunus let out a snarl as he attempted to lunge towards this stranger that hid within the darkness, only for the chains that held his hands to pull away from him and raise upward, causing him to hang by these chains as they continued to tear into his flesh. Then, Only then could Adam let out a cry of agony as the pain got worse and worse by the second.

"What is your pleasure, Adam Taurus?" the figure asked.

The voice surprised the former High Leader. It seemed to have a hint of regalness and class to it, dignified even, but with a barely noticeable tone of sinister intent from deep within. However, that feeling didn't last long as he immediately began to thrash about like a wild animal trying to free himself, fighting the pain that still encompassed both of his hands.

"What are you talking about?" he growled. "Who are you?! SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Your pleasure," the figure answered, completely ignoring his second question as well as his demand. "All mortals have that which they truly desire above all else. That which they would go great lengths and make many sacrifices to obtain. That which would give them a sensation of euphoric bliss, unlike any sensation they had felt before. And so, I ask again...What is your pleasure?"

As he continued to listen to this stranger speak, his struggles got weaker and weaker as the pain became too much for him to bear. He finally ceased thrashing about when the figure repeated his question, though he did continue to give him a spiteful glare with his sole working eye.

"What I want...is them dead..." he finally answered. "Blake...Yang...Trifa...that freak which now sits upon MY throne! I want their heads for what they've done to me!"

"Ah..." the figure responded. "You desire vengeance. You are not the first whose pleasure is to scorn those who have wronged you, nor will you be the last. Even so, that is something I can certainly grant you...provided you assist me with something first."

"And that is?" Adam questioned.

"The kingdom of which you now inhabit, a change in leadership is required to ensure its survival," the figure answered. "Work with me to accomplish this goal, and your enemies will not just die...they will suffer. Suffer a fate of which legends are made of. A fate that will be whispered throughout the land for all of eternity."

The mere thought of what his enemies enduring such a horrific fate was enough to intrigue the terroristic Faunus. He mulled it over for a few seconds before finally deciding that he would assist this stranger for the time being. Though there was still one thing that perplexed him.

"This kingdom you speak of...which one?" he asked. "Vacuo? Atlas?"

In response to this question, the figure placed the box he was holding on the right armrest of the chair he was seated upon.

"My apologies, it seems as though in the midst of my proposition I had forgotten to introduce you to this world you now find yourself in," he said as he slowly rose upwards. "Allow me to correct that error."

He then slowly began to step out of the shadows, and upon finally being illuminated before the Faunus terrorist, Adam's eye widened in fright as a chill ran down his spine.

The figure that had been speaking to him was a tall, lean and thin humanoid wearing black vestments and with certain patches of flesh on his chest being completely skinned. And yet, despite that, Adam's eye was fixated on his head. Hairless, scarred with several deep groves that perfectly ran across both horizontally and vertically, and at every intersection had what appeared to be pins hammered through the bloodless flesh of his head.

His black, almost dead eyes observed his new servant's response to his ghastly appearance before finally speaking.

"Welcome...to Hell."

[1] - To witness Ch'rell's arrival on Remnant, read Part 12 of The New Frontier