Unbelievable and frightening, that's how Winter wanted to describe the current situation; one that was triggered by an event on a global scale, where only Atlas seemed to have been spared.
For the first time, no one could complain about the continent of Solitas and its extreme weather conditions.
Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and even Menagerie, on the other hand, were not so lucky and were fighting a real war against the darkness of this world.
While hateful people like Jacques were only concerned with the impact that his facilities and profits would suffer as a result of this potentially apocalyptic event, others like the Council Members, with the exception of General Ironwood, could only think of how they could take advantage of this situation, where even invasion was suggested in an unobtrusive way.
Sometimes human greed knew no bounds, and it wasn't for nothing that there had been a great war in the past when the Grimm alone was such a threat.
The golden anomaly was there to remind them of that fact.
Fortunately, James Ironwood wasn't like that and had his duty as a sworn protector of humanity as his only priority.
Using his authority as General and Council Member, he ignored everything and everyone by moving a large part of the Army of Atlas to help the other kingdoms in their time of need, starting with Mistral.
Truly, James Ironwood was a good man, and Winter admired him like the father she never had.
Considering that he showed more concern for Weiss' well-being than Jacques had, it only reinforced that feeling...as well as feeding the resentment she had for that excuse for a father.
In fact, Winter wondered how Willow had reacted to this news...if she was even aware of the current events.
Her constant state of inebriation was that severe, and the only way she knew to escape reality.
Considering what Jacques had done to her, it could have been worse.
It wasn't every day that a husband would openly admit that he had married his wife out of interest.
Fortunately, Willow didn't fall so far that she tried to take her own life. Unfortunately, she was slowly killing herself by poisoning her body with semi-lethal amounts of alcohol.
It was for reasons like this and others that Winter looked after Weiss and cared for her so much, as there was no one else in the family capable of doing so apart from Klain.
The butler tried his best, but at the end of the day, he could only do so much.
As for Whitley... Winter preferred not to think about the mini-Jacques.
This brother of hers was a lost cause, full of resentment towards the wrong people and obsessed with the attention he never got from his parents...if Jacques and Willow could be considered as such.
Regardless, the boy was safe and well, but the same wasn't exactly true for Weiss.
Even if she was in Beacon, it didn't change the fact that Vale was the epicenter of this anomaly and was under constant attack by the Grimm.
Knowing that her little sister was in such danger put Winter over the edge, and that had been the case for some time now.
Since this year began, numerous incidents have occurred in Vale, especially with the activities of the White Fang gaining strength by the day.
The Breach was the most recent problem and one in which Weiss became personally involved.
More and more, the decision to send her little sister to another Kingdom far from home, so that she could live her own life, was proving to be a mistake that needed to be corrected.
Although returning to Atlas would leave Weiss at the mercy of Jacques' influence, at least she would be safe.
Once the Grimm had calmed down and this crisis was over, unfortunately for her little sister, Winter would have to take her back home.
Vale was just too dangerous.
So much so that the only thing that kept Winter from abandoning her post and duty to go and try to recover her little sister right away, especially as she wasn't responding to the messages left on her Scroll, was the communication that took place between the General and Ozpin, where the Headmaster of Beacon stated that all his students, including Weiss, were safe and well, as was the kingdom itself.
For the time being.
So they needed help one way or another, and Winter knew what had to be done.
So the Atlas fleets set out to help, starting with Mistral and the city of Argus, for more than just the long-standing alliance the two kingdoms shared. Not only was Mistral the closest kingdom, but it was also under attack from an extremely powerful Named Elder Grimm.
If it hadn't been for Caroline Cordoven and the Anti-Grimm weapon known as Colossus, Leviathan would have already destroyed Argus as it marched across the land toward greater sources of negativity.
In addition, there was a very important military base in this city that could serve as a control point for the entire operation.
The other place capable of offering similar resources would be Haven Academy, but there was a problem.
Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart wasn't responding to any attempts at communication, and he wasn't the only one.
Again and again, Winter tried to get in touch with some of the Professors, but nothing. To make matters worse, the same could be said of other Mistral Hunters who had some authority and connection with Haven.
There was something very wrong and worrying about all this that needed to be looked into urgently.
Given the situation, however, that would have to wait, and she could only be grateful that Weiss hadn't chosen Haven as her academy. Otherwise, Winter would be having a panic attack, thinking only of the worst.
On the day after the golden anomaly appeared, they arrived in Argus to discover that Leviathan had been forced to retreat, but not without Caroline's sacrifice and the destruction of Colossus.
A significant loss that inevitably affected the morale of the troops.
Fortunately, Argus had not fallen thanks to the time that the local defense forces had managed to gain in exchange for their lives.
An effort they didn't intend to let go to waste.
Unfortunately, Mistral needed a lot more help than initially thought.
This was because there were hardly any Hunters left on the continent of Anima, explaining why Winter hadn't been able to contact them in the first place.
Somehow, the vast majority of them had disappeared, and this had been happening for some time now.
The fact that something important like this had not been reported by Lionheart raised countless suspicions and unanswered questions that would have to wait.
At the very least, it explained how so many settlements around Mistral had been destroyed.
There weren't enough defenders.
Lionheart had a lot of explaining to do.
This level of incompetence could not be justified or forgiven.
Before that, the priority was the defenseless people, and based on the state this entire continent was in, all of Atlas's forces would be insufficient to assist the other kingdoms.
Vale, Vacuo, and Menagerie would have to fight on their own.
Considering what had happened in the Great War, they would be more than capable of defending themselves...as long as something similar to Mistral hadn't happened there too.
Vale was certainly as strong as it could be under Ozpin's diligent leadership.
The status of the forces operating in Vacuo, on the other hand, was unknown at the moment, and Winter could only hope for the best.
As for Menagerie... there wasn't much to be said, only that the faunus would have to manage as they always had. Unexpectedly, if the information they received was correct, they would have the unexpected help of the biggest terrorist organization in the world.
White Feng fighting to protect rather than destroy was certainly unexpected, but necessary considering the Named Elder Grimm, who was attacking Menagerie.
Kraken, one of the largest Grimm ever seen in the world, and the reason why travel by water had become obsolete.
If there was one good thing about being attacked by this particular Grimm, it was that it didn't like to stay on land for long...very different from the Sand Worm, the Named Elder Grimm that could rival the Kraken and was devastating settlements in Vacuo.
Truly, this was a war, and once again, humanity would have its numbers immensely reduced by the end of it.
With such thoughts to haunt her during her duty, Winter saw two hellish days of fighting without proper rest pass.
During that time, they managed to distribute Atlas' forces around Mistral and establish much-needed lines of defense in the places that were still holding out, with the exception of an infamous bandit tribe that they decided to completely ignore...for the time being.
All things considered, it looked like Raven Branwen would get a taste of her own medicine.
But, oh well.
'The strong live and the weak die,' as that woman liked to say.
Raven aside, it was only on this day that Winter managed to reach the city of Mistral with General Ironwood to confront Leonardo Lionheart.
What they found there was a scene worthy of a nightmare.
After all, the four academies were symbols of hope for humanity, and seeing one destroyed brought to life a feeling of helplessness very similar to despair.
As if that wasn't enough, the city surrounding Haven Academy was also in chaos, being overrun by Grimm and close to being destroyed if it weren't for the Hunters in Training fighting under the leadership of a few remaining Professors; each of them on the limit and for good reason.
Even Winter, a full-fledged Huntress who held the second-highest rank of Specialist, could feel the exhaustion building up and how much it affected her.
The mere fact that these unprepared youngsters were still fighting was impressive and worthy of praise. Given the amount that could be seen fighting, however, it was obvious that many were incapacitated, had fled, or died by this point.
Again, Winter found herself filled with a sense of relief that Weiss had chosen to study at Beacon instead of Haven. At the same time, she hated feeling this way when so many were suffering and dying right before her eyes.
Right from the start, every Huntress and Huntsman was taught about the importance of keeping their emotions in check, and Winter always excelled in this regard, to the point where she was constantly called the Ice Queen or someone heartless behind her back.
The truth, however, was different, and she had an emotive heart just like anyone else. The only difference was that she grew up in a cold place where emotions and feelings were considered weaknesses, and she was forced to mature before her time.
Even so, there was a limit to how much she could take, and this was reflected in the almost inconsequential way she fought the creatures of darkness that infested this world, brandishing her heart alongside her swords.
That didn't make her feel any better.
And just like that, another day of this war ended, and the third began with Winter getting closer and closer to her physical, mental, and emotional limits.
Losses were inevitable, and she had already seen her share of death in the five years since she had joined the army...but even that experience was unable to prepare her for seeing the bodies of some of her longtime colleagues being added to the pile.
Not even General Ironwood could contain the heavy expression that adorned his sleep-deprived face.
Every life was precious, and witnessing such a loss only served to further validate the initiative to replace soldiers with androids.
No one cared about the pile of scrap metal being formed by the destroyed robots, only that it could have been people's corpses.
Better still, if an army of androids of Penny's level could be created, this world would be free of the Grimm in just a few years.
Considering that the girl managed to kill a Named Elder Grimm known as Nuckelevee, it just showed the military potential of this creation.
Of course, Penny was much more than a mere weapon, especially when she had a sentient soul and mind.
However, that was beside the point.
Penny, unlike a human or faunus, could have her body restored several times after being destroyed and continue fighting as if nothing had happened.
This was the kind of characteristic that made androids much more suitable for fighting on the front lines.
Unfortunately, the technology wasn't there yet, and even the Paladins could only go so far, especially if pitted against those ancient monsters like the Hydra that inhabited Lake Matsu.
A Named Elder Grimm who reigned supreme in Anima and seemed immortal, where cutting off their heads only served to increase their numbers and make them more powerful.
This was a creature they would avoid fighting at all costs, and so evacuating the settlements near the lake was a priority.
As the thing capable of fighting on both water and land turned everything in its path to ash, Winter focused on the task at hand while doing her best to ignore the smell of blood and death that permeated the air around her.
The fight wasn't over yet, and there was only one thing that mattered apart from the destruction of the Grimm at the moment:
Getting answers.
Only after gaining some control over the situation and establishing a perimeter could questions be asked.
What they discovered was disturbing and changed everything.
"What happened here?" James asked the only Haven Professor who managed to survive, currently being permanently disabled with the loss of an eye and an arm, something that he could relate to with some empathy. "How did one of the four Kingdoms fall so easily?"
The answer was one that could be imagined based on the small number of Hunters available, but something wasn't adding up.
The academy had been destroyed first when it should have been the opposite.
One of the most basic defense protocols would be to evacuate the city in the direction of the academy and hold the line until reinforcements arrive.
"Everything... was fine four days ago... but only until that golden light shone on us." The man clenched his only hand as he ignored the pain of his injuries, memories of what had happened replaying in his mind like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. "After that, all hell broke loose."
What followed was a description of events given by the man, broken by more than just his injuries. His voice was shaking with emotion and filled with pain, hatred, and regret.
The more Winter listened, the more she became skeptical and terrified... just as she resented the origin of that golden light that had caused it all.
According to this man, Haven Academy had fallen at the hands of a single Grimm; one whose description matched nothing known and who came from inside the Headmaster's own office!
The only way a Grimm could have gotten out of one of the most protected places in the world was if the creature had been there all along!
"No way..." Winter came to the most obvious conclusion, and it made her heart sink. "Lionheart was a traitor?!"
While the man recounting what had happened couldn't understand how it was possible to ally with the Grimm, those in Ozpin's personal circle knew very well.
Lionheart was working for Salem, the queen of the Grimm!
"That... explains how all those Hunters died without anyone knowing!" James was boiling with rage, wanting to kill that bastard with his bare hands! "Not only was he probably providing the enemy with information and targets, but he was covering it up as well!"
Winter was no stranger to such displays of anger from the man she chose to follow, but that didn't mean she was used to it. At the same time, she understood the reason that fueled this reaction.
Just how much Lionheart had divulged to the enemy?
Probably everything he knew, and that was a lot.
Suddenly, everything began to make sense, too, like the ambush of the Fall Maiden and the disappearance of the Spring Maiden.
Lionheart must have a hand behind these events, and perhaps the fall of several settlements around this continent!
Worst of all, he was already dead and couldn't bear the consequences of his crimes.
"What now, Sir?" Winter decided to ask after a moment's consideration, uncertain as to the next course of action when they already had so much on their hands. "Should we report this to Professor Ozpin?"
The man also had his plate full of problems in Vale, where even he had been forced to join the battle after so long. Imagining what this betrayal would do to him, especially when he chose Lionheart personally, made Winter reconsider her suggestion.
Even Ozpin could be affected by his emotions.
"No," James rejected the idea immediately, distrust taking root in his heart, but only until he remembered that Ozpin had trusted him too, and that decision wasn't a mistake. "At least, not now."
They needed more information to create a proper report, to find out the extent of this betrayal, and whether there were more people involved who were working for Salem undercover.
To do this, they would have to venture inside the academy, kill the Grimm responsible for this chaos, who was trapped inside, and get to Lionheart's office, where his body was, to retrieve his Scroll along with other evidence left behind.
However, that would have to wait.
After all, a literal war was underway... An event that turned out to be useful in an unexpected way.
How bad could things have gotten if this betrayal had remained unknown? Although the current losses were astronomical, the annihilation of life on this continent and the fall of others was a very real possibility, one that could still happen.
"Sir!" A soldier interrupted, rushing in to report something urgent. "Hydra has broken through the Paladins, the Atlesian Knights, and is heading this way!"
"What?!" Winter and James shouted together, their hearts shuddering.
They hadn't expected the troops sent in the direction of that thing to be able to do much more than create a distraction to evacuate the nearest settlements, but they hadn't expected Hydra to change course either!
However, all they had to do was look around, and the change became evident.
Mistral was the largest city in Anima, and at the moment, it reeked of death and destruction, so it wouldn't be strange for a Grimm to be drawn from afar, where even Nuckelevee had left its territory behind in the ruins of Kuroyuri and approached only to perish at Penny's hands.
"How long do we have before that thing gets here?" James quickly regained his composure and asked, especially when he remembered which Grimm they were talking about. Hydra is a massive and extremely heavy creature, which makes it slow.
A powerful monster to be feared, but it wasn't known for its speed on land, very similar to the Kraken in that regard.
"Give me a moment, Sir." The soldier was quick to calculate on the basis of the data obtained and come up with an answer. "Tomorrow morning, Sir!"
As expected, the threat was not imminent.
"There's enough time to evacuate the city and withdraw," Winter considered and suggested the most logical course of action, but the general seemed thoughtful, not to say reluctant. "What's the problem, Sir?"
Her plan wasn't perfect or honorable, but the situation demanded it, or only death would come of it.
"We can't back down," James finally said to the surprise of his lieutenant and the shock of the soldiers present. "Winter, as you know, there's...something extremely important stored here, and for that reason, we can't just leave."
Otherwise, the Relic of Knowledge would be lost forever, and that couldn't happen.
What's more, there was an investigation that needed to be carried out at the Academy into Lionheart's betrayal that would also be lost if that Grimm made it to the city.
Winter hadn't thought about it and didn't know what to say, only that she didn't like the idea of risking more lives to protect something beyond the reach of anyone other than the Spring Maiden, who had disappeared for some time now.
Considering Lionheart's betrayal, either the Maiden was dead or captured by the enemy. If that was the case, then the General's decision made sense when considering the bigger picture.
The Relic could not fall into Salem's hands, no matter the cost.
"But, Sir, the Hydra is invincible!" The soldier couldn't help but express his fear, even if it meant being subjected to disciplinary action later. "We can't fight it!"
Many even said that the thing was the most powerful Grimm in the world, which not even Nergigante could compare!
"Who said anything about fighting?" James wasn't stupid enough to even try, especially in these extreme conditions. "Gather the troops in condition to fight and together with them start evacuating the wounded to the base in Argus."
That was the priority at the moment, thus removing a distraction from the path and the source of the negativity that was drawing Hydra in this direction.
"I..." The soldier hadn't expected to eat his own words, being completely wrong to assume that his General would fight a losing battle. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll start right away!"
With that, he left to carry out his orders.
"Rest while you can, Winter," James suggested in a commanding tone, able to see from afar that his lieutenant was close to her limit and she wasn't the only one. "Tomorrow morning, if Hydra doesn't change course or head back to Lake Matsu, it will be up to us to force it to retreat."
With that, he left without waiting for an answer so that he could supervise the evacuation in progress and call Penny back.
She would be needed and the key behind this operation.
The girl had exceeded all expectations, and only she would be in perfect condition to fight.
As for Winter, she opened her mouth to say something, but was unable to do so.
The silence left behind was deafening to her mind, which kept her imagining various scenarios of what was to come.
Facing such a powerful Grimm in these conditions was a recipe for disaster, and she could feel her resolve wavering.
Winter no longer wanted to see people die...or meet her end.
Unfortunately, that decision was not up to her, and Winter could only do her best to live another day.
For a moment, she thought about trying to contact Weiss again, but chose not to. Not only was her current state almost deplorable, but she wouldn't be able to have a conversation without showing concern.
After this war was over, Winter would go to Vale herself to see and hug her little sister.
Until then, she could only pray for a miracle and that everything would be all right.
In a way, Winter got what she wanted, but not before her greatest fear almost became a reality.
When the next day arrived, along with the confrontation with Hydra, despair was the only emotion present on the battlefield. The Grimm was massive, almost like a small mountain capable of blocking out the sun with its body, and nothing they threw at it seemed to have any effect, being able to regenerate at such high speeds that it was ridiculous.
In the end, having Penny take the lead with the other android models to try and prevent as much loss of life as possible proved to be a futile effort.
In fact, you could have ten Pennys and it would hardly make any difference at the end of the day.
Even the air support, equipped with Anti-Grimm weaponry, was easily brought down by the breath of fire that each of the dozens of Hydra heads was capable of using; a terrifying ability that left only destruction and death in its wake.
By this point, Winter had lost count of how many times she had almost died. If it hadn't been for her Semblance, her advanced movement skills, and the support of Penny, who fought by her side, not even ashes would have been left of her.
The same, unfortunately, could not be said for the many others who had joined the battle to fulfill their duties.
As a result, the number of soldiers had dwindled even further, and at the end of it all, Mistral wouldn't be the only kingdom crippled in military power.
The repercussions behind these losses would be tremendous, and the General's position would be questioned, perhaps even revoked.
Jacques would certainly be the first to try to make use of this opportunity to get his hands on more power and unleash political chaos.
No matter how you looked at it, the future for Atlas and Mantle was as bleak as the monster in front of them.
It was only then, when hope was dying with everyone who dared to face this walking nightmare, that golden light made itself present once again.
In a way, it was like seeing the sunrise after experiencing the longest, darkest night, where its light was warm, comforting, and...extremely familiar.
Even though Winter hadn't personally witnessed the event that triggered this war in the first place, there was enough evidence on the internet to confirm what was right in front of her eyes.
"The golden anomaly..." she murmured in admiration, now able to see and feel for herself why the Grimm had gone mad under the light of this power. "It's...so pure."
Creatures of darkness couldn't accept the existence of something like this.
Better yet, the Grimm couldn't resist this power, and even an absolute monster like Hydra had vanished without a trace!
"Impossible..." was the only thing James could mutter as he witnessed what had just happened and doubted his own eyes. "That kind of power... shouldn't exist in this world."
Winter couldn't help but agree.
She had seen what a fully trained Maiden was capable of, and it was nowhere near this level of power.
For a moment, Winter thought that perhaps this was just a weapon being kept secret and that a test had gone wrong five days ago when it all started. However, this was also theoretically impossible.
There was no synthetic power source capable of that in this world.
In that case, it could only be done by someone else, and that should be impossible.
"So... who the hell is that?!" Winter had her tired eyes focused on the form of a black-clad man engulfed in white flames floating in the sky, casually shooting out more beams of golden light to kill any remaining Grimm in the area. How is he able to emit such power?!
Just one more question among many, but one that could be answered.
"According to the database, he's a retired Huntsman from Mistral." Penny, unlike the others, could see this man's facial features perfectly and identify him. "Prince Vegeta the Fourth, twenty-five years old, active in the role since he was fourteen and currently resides in Vale, where he retired a year ago...after losing his wife and son."
This managed to gain the attention of her colleagues, who looked at this man in a new light, but one that wasn't strong enough to make them ignore the whole situation.
If someone this powerful and undeniably talented, especially at the young age when he became a Huntsman, being even younger than Winter, who had joined the army at fifteen, his existence should be known to everyone and revered as a hero.
The fact that this wasn't the case only raised numerous suspicions that could be traced all the way back to Lionheart.
Considering what had happened to the other Hunters in Mistral, there was a good chance that the traitor had hidden all the information about this man while trying to find a way to get rid of him under the table.
What's more, it wouldn't be strange if Vegeta's family had been killed by one of these failed assassination attempts.
It's not for nothing that he chose to retire even though he is so young and powerful. Winter could sympathize with this man's story, even if only a little. Still, that doesn't erase what he did.
Everything pointed to Prince Vegeta being responsible for the golden anomaly, and he had to take responsibility for his actions.
Unfortunately, that would have to wait. Suddenly, a flash of light lit up the horizon in the distance, painting the sky red. Seconds later, before anyone could understand what was happening, a shockwave followed the explosion of light closely, being more than capable of knocking the weakened troops off their feet and filling their hearts with fear.
Only then, when nothing else happened, did that fear give way to confusion...for most of them.
"No..." Winter stood up, almost trembling, her mind racing as she thought only of the worst. "That came from Vale!"
The place where Weiss was!
Even Vegeta stopped to observe what was happening before flying off in the opposite direction, basically ignoring what had happened to everyone's surprise.
Whatever that red light was, it wasn't his doing.
"Winter, you can go." James decided after a few seconds of consideration. "Go check on your little sister, investigate what happened there, and report everything you find out."
All the Grimm, including Hydra, had been annihilated by Vegeta, and given the direction he had gone, he was probably heading for Menagerie to deal with the Grimm there and those he met on his way.
Hopefully.
Regardless, the situation was under control, so all that remained now was to regroup, help the injured, and...start counting the bodies.
"I..." Winter hesitated as she looked around and saw so much pain from her allies who needed help, but even that couldn't affect her more than the possibility that her little sister had been caught in that explosion just now. "I hear and obey, Sir."
With that decided, she turned her back on everyone and everything and left without looking back.
There was no time to hesitate.
Winter needed to get to Vale as soon as possible to see Weiss, and that was all that mattered.
There would be time to repent and regret later.