The air in the apartment was thick with tension and the smell of dust. The four clones, instantly teleported to the location of the 'original' Sakuya.
The clone known as Killer leaned over the prone figure, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Should we wake her up?"
"Absolutely not," Insanity hissed, a wicked, giggling sound bubbling up from her throat. "We should do a prank on her!"
Killer's eyes widened, reflecting the dim morning light. "Ooh! Yes! We absolutely should!"
A low, world-weary sigh came from the back of the room. Murder, ever the pragmatic one, was already checking the apartment's perimeter, a dark energy subtly probing for surveillance or suspicious entities.
"Just wake her," Murder commanded, her voice flat and dismissive before she vanished completely to continue her sweep.
Ignoring their murder, Killer, and Insanity exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated childish malice. With a synchronized whoosh and a collective thump, the three clones launched themselves onto the bed.
"A-AHHH! What are you doing here!" Sakuya Izayoi shot upright, her perfect silver hair a mess, her voice a surprised shriek.
Insanity offered a dazzling, yet utterly innocent, smile. "Hello, sleepy head."
Sakuya sighed, running a hand over her face. "You could have woken me up like a normal person."
Murder reappeared in the doorway, her arms crossed, pointing a stern finger toward a cramped corner. "We have important information. Best you fix yourself."
"Yeah," Sakuya mumbled, stretching her arms and legs with a satisfying yawn.
As Sakuya entered the bathroom, she quickly shed her clothing, placing the garments neatly by the sink. The apartment was old, but the plumbing, surprisingly, was functional.
"Good. They got hot water," she murmured, turning the knob. The shower hissed to life, and the hot water immediately enveloped her in a soothing embrace.
"Ah… this feels amazing."
It was at that very moment, submerged in steam and soap, that the System processed a critical update, one that Sakuya was momentarily too relaxed to notice.
[45.3%] > [ 45.5%]
[POWER INCREASED]
[ASSIMILATION INCREASED]
After finishing her shower, Sakuya looked down at her maid outfit. It was dirty, from the last encounter.
"Maybe I should clean them, or at least fix them," she mused. Grabbing the clothes, she began to wash them by hand, then activated a focused burst of her power to speed up the drying process.
A sharp knock came from the door. "Hey! Are you done yet?" Killer's impatient voice echoed through the thin wood.
"Almost finished!" Sakuya called back, using a final time manipulation to instantly dry the last piece of fabric.
"With one last piece of clothing, and... Done!"
Sakuya fixed her iconic maid cap just as she exited the bathroom. The residual energy of her speed-drying ability manifested as a shimmering, bright light that briefly surrounded her, giving her a momentary aura of ethereal elegance.
"So elegant," Insanity whispered, beaming.
"Eh!" The rest, however, just sighed, already weary of Sakuya's flair for the dramatic.
"You know what? Let's just get to business," Murder grunted, clearly irritated by the delay. "Insanity, you tell her."
Insanity instantly sobered, her features hardening into a look of serious focus.
"The Reincarnator is disturbing reality around him. It makes others view him as a god to be praised. Luckily, we are not from this world, so we are unaffected. However, his luck is extremely high, making him near-invincible. He's not unkillable, but he's damn close."
"Understood. And now we need a plan to kill him. Any ideas?" Sakuya asked, her attention fully on the mission.
Killer spoke up first. "We could make him come to us without any of his allies. Maybe set a trap?"
"That's a good idea. Anyone else?"
Insanity chimed in with a chilling tone. "We could wait. We need to train first. He already managed to bypass our Time Stop with the reality-bending power that surrounds him."
"What about you, Horror? Murder?"
Horror, who had been silent up until now, only offered a simple, immediate request.
"I... am hungry."
Sakuya blinked. "Eh, well, okay. We can eat later, I suppose." She turned to Murder.
"Well?"
Murder's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint of strategic thought in them. "Listen well. So we..."
Location: beacon academy
"They managed to escape," the Reincarnator said, his voice a low growl.
He turned to the familiar figures of Ozpin and Team RWBY. "Go find them. Contact me when you do."
"It will be done," they responded in chilling unison, their expressions unnervingly devoid of personal will.
With a ripple of darkness, the Reincarnator used the shadows to teleport away, leaving his subordinates to the hunt. Team RWBY immediately scattered, beginning their search. Ruby Rose, her semblance activated, became a streak of rose petals, her eyes emotionless and fixated on tracking the smallest traces of anything left behind by sakuya.
"...Well, that is a good plan. Now we just need more power, as our current strength is still lacking," Sakuya concluded, and her clones nodded in agreement.
"You have a System, right?" Murder asked, looking at her intently. "Check it for items to help us."
"Sure." Sakuya opened her System interface, instantly scrolling past the small notification she had missed earlier.
"What!?" she gasped, immediately getting Murder's attention.
"What? Found something?" Murder asked, stepping closer.
"I... I have gotten new Skills," Sakuya stammered, surprised.
Murder's interest was instantly piqued.
"What is it?"
"I have Three Noble Phantasms," Sakuya said, the words echoing in the tense silence.
A rare, predatory smile spread across Murder's face. "Well then, I guess we found our winning ticket."
After Sakuya explained the nature of the newly acquired skills, Murder's eyes gleamed, and she immediately began to adjust their already complex plan to suit the new devastating capabilities.
"This is it," Murder declared, looking each of them dead in the eye. "We have one shot at this. So lock in."
Sakuya and the four emaining clones nodded, a renewed, cold resolve settling deep within them. The time for games is over.